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PAGE 2 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

JAMB to<br />

release 2019<br />

UTME results<br />

from tomorrow<br />

The Joint Admissions<br />

<strong>and</strong> Matriculation Board<br />

(JAMB) has assured<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idates of the 2019<br />

Unified Tertiary<br />

Matriculation<br />

Examination (UTME) that<br />

results would be ready<br />

from tomorrow, April 29.<br />

The Board’s Head of<br />

Media <strong>and</strong> Publicity, Dr<br />

Fabian Benjamin,<br />

disclosed this in an<br />

interview with News<br />

Agency of Nigeria (NAN)<br />

in Bwari.<br />

Benjamin said that<br />

screening of the results<br />

would soon be over <strong>and</strong> the<br />

results released.<br />

“We are still screening<br />

but hopefully, anytime<br />

next week, the results will<br />

be ready,” he said.<br />

Speaking also on the<br />

board’s readiness to screen<br />

results of UTME<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idates from 2009 to<br />

2018, Benjamin said this<br />

would begin after the<br />

release of the 2019 results.<br />

He said this was part of<br />

the board’s effort to<br />

address the issues of<br />

malpractice in the system.<br />

The board had stated<br />

that it would only release<br />

the 2019 UTME results<br />

after under<strong>go</strong>ing thorough<br />

screening to identify <strong>and</strong><br />

apprehend examination<br />

cheats.<br />

The process would<br />

identify those involved in<br />

multiple registration<br />

through biometric<br />

capturing <strong>and</strong> also<br />

address group registration<br />

by some elite schools, who<br />

end up mixing c<strong>and</strong>idate’s<br />

data.<br />

The board said:<br />

“<strong>No</strong>rmally, results are<br />

expected to be out within<br />

24 to 48 hours as obtained<br />

in previous examinations<br />

held in 2017 <strong>and</strong> 2018.<br />

“However, the board<br />

does not want this to be<br />

business as usual.<br />

“Hence the programmed<br />

delay, which is part of its<br />

deliberate effort to<br />

properly scrutinize,<br />

identify <strong>and</strong> address all<br />

forms of examination<br />

malpractice.<br />

“The board will continue<br />

to act decisively with<br />

regards to any irregularity<br />

discovered even after<br />

results are released.<br />

“However, the board has<br />

made it a point of duty to<br />

screen all activities at all<br />

centres via CCTV<br />

recordings, to ensure that<br />

it does not release results<br />

of compromised<br />

examinations.”<br />

The board, while<br />

regretting<br />

all<br />

inconvenience caused in<br />

the process, reaffirmed its<br />

commitment to providing<br />

equal opportunity to all<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idates in order to<br />

articulate their<br />

aspirations.<br />

JAMB said that effective<br />

from when it would<br />

officially release the<br />

results, all c<strong>and</strong>idates can<br />

simply send RESULT, via<br />

SMS, to 55019 using the<br />

same number that was<br />

used for registration.<br />

The result, it said, would<br />

be replied as an SMS<br />

shortly after.<br />

This process, the board<br />

explained, was simplified to<br />

eliminate exploitation by<br />

business centres <strong>and</strong> cyber<br />

cafés who often take<br />

advantage of c<strong>and</strong>idates.<br />

It also urged c<strong>and</strong>idates to<br />

ignore all messages in<br />

circulation on how to check<br />

the results as they were all<br />

products of deceit.<br />

Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (2nd right) with the<br />

Catholic Bishop of Enugu Doicese, Most Rev. Dr. Callistus Onaga (middle);<br />

Vice Chancellor of Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, Prof. Christian Anieke<br />

(right); son of Hon. Justice Priscilla N<strong>go</strong>zi Emehelu, the Chief Judge of<br />

Enugu State, Ogugua (left) <strong>and</strong> daughter of Chief Dubem Onyia, former<br />

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mukosolu, during the couple's Wedding<br />

Mass at St. Mary's Catholic Parish, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu, yesterday.<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s NANS spokesperson<br />

stabbed to death<br />

Some<br />

hoodlums<br />

stabbed to death<br />

Aderibigbe Oshin-<br />

Adisa, the public relations<br />

officer of the National<br />

Association of Nigerian<br />

Students (NANS), joint<br />

campus committee, La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

State chapter.<br />

Mr Oshin-Adisa, a fresh<br />

graduate of the Federal<br />

College of Fisheries <strong>and</strong><br />

Marine Technology, La<strong>go</strong>s,<br />

was attacked at the<br />

Okokomaiko area of the<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s-Badagry expressway.<br />

Bleeding profusely from<br />

the stab wounds, on<br />

Thursday Mr Oshin-Adisa<br />

managed to get to the police<br />

station at Okokomaiko <strong>and</strong><br />

was rushed to the Badagry<br />

2019 World Malaria Day: Mortein, <strong>FG</strong> Partner<br />

for a Malaria Free Nigeria<br />

In continuation of its<br />

fight against malaria<br />

<strong>and</strong> as part of<br />

activities to mark this<br />

year’s World Malaria Day,<br />

held under the theme:’ Zero<br />

malaria starts with me’ ,<br />

Reckitt Benckiser (RB),<br />

makers of Mortein<br />

insecticide, joined forces<br />

with the National Malaria<br />

Elimination Program<br />

(NMEP), La<strong>go</strong>s <strong>and</strong> Abia<br />

State <strong>go</strong>vernments, to<br />

scale up action on the<br />

elimination of malaria in<br />

Nigeria.<br />

Speaking at the press<br />

briefing in Abuja to<br />

commemorate the 2019<br />

WMD, the Marketing<br />

Director, RB West Africa,<br />

Leferink Aliza, said the<br />

collaborations were part of<br />

numerous activities by the<br />

company to end the<br />

prevalence of the malaria<br />

scourge in Nigeria <strong>and</strong><br />

General Hospital by police<br />

officers, PREMIUM<br />

TIMES learnt.<br />

He died the next day.<br />

Yusuff Abdulrasaq, the<br />

NANS La<strong>go</strong>s State<br />

Secretary, said the rising<br />

state of insecurity in their<br />

area is becoming<br />

unbearable <strong>and</strong> the students<br />

would dem<strong>and</strong> justice for<br />

Mr Oshin-Adisa.<br />

“The same road (La<strong>go</strong>s-<br />

Badagry expressway)<br />

harbours two tertiary<br />

institutions, La<strong>go</strong>s State<br />

University <strong>and</strong> Adeniran<br />

Ogunsanya College of<br />

Education, if the students’<br />

spokesman can be attacked<br />

<strong>and</strong> eventually lost his life,<br />

definitely many of the<br />

students <strong>and</strong> commuters are<br />

Why companies are closing down<br />

in Nigeria — Expert<br />

r Aliyu Ilias, the<br />

MExecutive Director,<br />

Save the Consumers<br />

Initiative, yesterday, said<br />

companies in Nigeria <strong>and</strong><br />

Africa are closing down due<br />

to bad customer services.<br />

He made the assertion in<br />

Abuja at a public presentation<br />

of a book he authored on<br />

“Underst<strong>and</strong>ing Customer<br />

Experience in Africa”.<br />

According to him, if<br />

companies must secure high<br />

patronage of <strong>go</strong>ods <strong>and</strong><br />

services they produce, they<br />

must give people <strong>go</strong>od<br />

experience that will<br />

guarantee high patronage<br />

<strong>and</strong> make for high profit.<br />

“Manufacturers, producers<br />

need to redirect their products<br />

<strong>and</strong> services to offer <strong>go</strong>od<br />

customer service experience,<br />

if not, companies from<br />

outside Nigeria <strong>and</strong> Africa<br />

will come <strong>and</strong> take the money<br />

away.<br />

“They must learn how to<br />

give people <strong>go</strong>od experience,<br />

<strong>go</strong>od experience will make<br />

people to patronise them.<br />

Some companies are <strong>go</strong>ing<br />

out of business because of<br />

bad customer experience.<br />

“African’s, Nigerian’s, don’t<br />

complain but they will <strong>go</strong><br />

behind <strong>and</strong> tell each other<br />

Africa as a whole. Aliza<br />

said the partnership with<br />

state <strong>and</strong> Federal<br />

Governments, which has<br />

been on-<strong>go</strong>ing for years,<br />

further demonstrated the<br />

company’s efforts <strong>and</strong><br />

commitment at different<br />

levels in the fight to ensure<br />

a malaria free country.<br />

“The theme challenges<br />

all of us to make a<br />

personal commitment to<br />

saving lives <strong>and</strong> helping<br />

communities to thrive by<br />

ending malaria. Decades<br />

of significant progress<br />

against the disease have<br />

slowed as cases of malaria<br />

increased in 2016 <strong>and</strong><br />

2017. There is an urgent<br />

need to re-energise the<br />

fight to eliminate the<br />

disease, which still<br />

threatens half of the global<br />

population <strong>and</strong> kills one<br />

child every two minutes” ,<br />

she added.<br />

not safe,” Mr Abdulrasaq<br />

said in a statement.<br />

“We call on all security<br />

agencies to investigate this<br />

matter <strong>and</strong> bring all<br />

culprits to justice, the<br />

students will not hesitate to<br />

choose a date to protest<br />

against the insecurity in our<br />

vicinity. An injury to one is<br />

an injury to all.”<br />

Phone calls <strong>and</strong> text<br />

messages to Bala Elkana,<br />

the police spokesperson in<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s State, were not<br />

responded to.<br />

Mr Abdulrasaq told<br />

PREMIUM TIMES,<br />

yesterday morning, that the<br />

students’ association would<br />

<strong>go</strong> to the police station<br />

today “to get full report<br />

about the case which might<br />

lead to peaceful protest as<br />

the case may be.”<br />

about what they experienced<br />

with such companies.<br />

“This is why a book like this<br />

is written to guide people to<br />

retain their customers <strong>and</strong> to<br />

stop customer shunning,” he<br />

said.<br />

Ilias said that Africans do<br />

not want to spend their<br />

monies where they would not<br />

be appreciated, adding that<br />

competitors would always<br />

want to push rival companies<br />

out of business due to lack of<br />

<strong>go</strong>od customer service<br />

experience.<br />

He said that for Africa to<br />

have st<strong>and</strong>ard consumer<br />

policy, the African Union<br />

must come together to<br />

formulate the policy <strong>and</strong><br />

ensure that companies<br />

adhered to them.<br />

Br<strong>and</strong> Manager, West<br />

Africa, Reckitt Benckiser,<br />

Phoebe Larry Izamoje,<br />

explained that, through<br />

the grassroots community<br />

engagement, RB educates<br />

communities on the<br />

importance of hygiene <strong>and</strong><br />

how the simple habit of<br />

maintaining clean<br />

surroundings <strong>and</strong><br />

drainages can significantly<br />

help to reduce malaria<br />

exposure.<br />

Minister of Health, Prof.<br />

Isaac Adewole, in his address<br />

at the event, said this year’s<br />

campaign draw significant<br />

attention to the need to<br />

completely eradicate the<br />

malaria scourge in the<br />

country. He commended<br />

all stakeholders for their<br />

work <strong>and</strong> sustained<br />

support in the fight against<br />

malaria through<br />

collaborations with the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment.<br />

Why we are sponsoring CNN<br />

African Voices – Glo<br />

lobacom, national tele<br />

Gcommunications operator<br />

<strong>and</strong> exclusive sponsor of<br />

African Voices on CNN International,<br />

says the need to give<br />

Africa a genuine platform to<br />

tell its own story informed its<br />

decision to sponsor the programme<br />

since 2010.<br />

The Executive Vice Chairman<br />

of the company, Mrs<br />

Bella Disu, said this at the<br />

10th Anniversary Cocktail<br />

held by CNN in Victoria Isl<strong>and</strong>,<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s, on Thursday to<br />

celebrate a decade of uninterrupted<br />

broadcast of the<br />

programme.<br />

She told the audience,<br />

which comprised Glo dealers,<br />

publishers <strong>and</strong> chief executive<br />

officers of major media<br />

organisations, popular<br />

bloggers, entertainment stars<br />

<strong>and</strong> prominent Nigerians,<br />

that CNN African Voices had,<br />

in the past ten years, brought<br />

to limelight several African<br />

legends <strong>and</strong> budding talents<br />

who are making a difference<br />

in various fields of endeavour.<br />

These include young entrepreneurs<br />

like Ethiopia's Abai<br />

Schulze <strong>and</strong> legends like the<br />

late Chinua Achebe.<br />

"Africa has always had rich<br />

stories, cultures <strong>and</strong> innovations.<br />

We have never lacked<br />

talents, what we lacked were<br />

platforms to amplify them in<br />

a reverend <strong>and</strong> authentic<br />

manner," she stated, adding<br />

that CNN African Voices, had<br />

"played its part by sport-lighting<br />

a continent that has a lot<br />

to offer to the world, <strong>and</strong> undoubtedly<br />

accelerating its<br />

global influence".<br />

"At Globacom, we play our<br />

C&S Council of Prophets celebrates<br />

50 years of Mount Horeb<br />

Members of the Cheru<br />

bim <strong>and</strong> Seraphim<br />

Movement worldwide will,<br />

from 29 April -3 May, gather<br />

at Orile-Igbon, Oyo State, for<br />

the Annual Mount Horeb ascension,<br />

a programme organized<br />

yearly by the<br />

International Council of<br />

Prophets of the Cherubim <strong>and</strong><br />

Seraphim Movement<br />

Church (Worldwide) Ayo Ni<br />

O. The programme will also<br />

take in the 50th anniversary<br />

of Mount Horeb ascension<br />

<strong>and</strong><br />

Thanksgiving. According<br />

to Prophet Abiodun Ogunsakin,<br />

Conference General<br />

Secretary, the theme of the<br />

part by providing world class<br />

telecommunication services,<br />

<strong>and</strong> supporting platforms<br />

that promote growth <strong>and</strong> success.<br />

And to this end, I look<br />

forward to many more years<br />

of mutually beneficial partnership<br />

with CNN", she concluded.<br />

Also speaking at the cocktail,<br />

Account Director, CNN<br />

International Commercial,<br />

Zara Driss, said, “we are<br />

proud to work with such a<br />

committed, long-st<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

sponsor of a show that shares<br />

our passion about the diverse<br />

culture of Africa. Together<br />

with Globacom, we look forward<br />

to this new era of African<br />

Voices <strong>and</strong> its television<br />

<strong>and</strong> digital programming<br />

that will raise the profile of<br />

the continent’s change makers<br />

amongst international<br />

audience”.<br />

In her own remarks, the<br />

Supervising Producer of African<br />

Voices, Jenni Watts,<br />

said, “it is humbling to come<br />

to Africa to see the impact of<br />

the stories <strong>and</strong> have time to<br />

reflect,” adding that she was<br />

a huge fan of Chimanm<strong>and</strong>a<br />

Adiche who is well loved by<br />

Mrs Michelle Obama.<br />

Among those who attended<br />

the event were juju music<br />

maestro, King Sunny Ade,<br />

<strong>and</strong> Orente singer, Adekunle,<br />

Gold who entertained guests.<br />

Globacom started sponsoring<br />

African Voices nine years<br />

a<strong>go</strong>, <strong>and</strong> has over the years<br />

contributed to changing the<br />

narrative in the world information<br />

order by allowing Africans<br />

to tell their own stories<br />

to the world without misrepresentations.<br />

programme is “Conquering<br />

Faith; The Triumph of the<br />

Church”.<br />

“Today’s church is confronted<br />

by enemies on every<br />

side <strong>and</strong> the persecution of<br />

believers is severe in nations,<br />

said Ogunsakin, who added<br />

that the theme has been carefully<br />

<strong>and</strong> prayerfully chosen<br />

to further reiterate the great<br />

commission which is the triumph<br />

of the church through<br />

the power of Jesus Christ.<br />

The conference will include<br />

keynote addresses, workshop,<br />

seminars, presentations,<br />

games, spiritual fitness programmes,<br />

vigil <strong>and</strong> 2019 Ascension<br />

of Mount Horeb.<br />

Tecno Launches Spark 3<br />

Series with AI Technology<br />

By Destiny Eseaga<br />

frica's preferred smart<br />

Aphone maker, TECNO<br />

Nigeria has launched a<br />

new smartphone series, the<br />

SPARK 3, witnessed by<br />

Government representatives,<br />

dealers, celebrities<br />

<strong>and</strong> the media amongst<br />

<strong>others</strong> in La<strong>go</strong>s, recently.<br />

The phone maker noted<br />

that the latest device will<br />

make better pictures with<br />

bright <strong>and</strong> clear selfies as<br />

it comes upgraded with AI<br />

Technology to light up<br />

smartphone experience.<br />

Welcoming guests, Br<strong>and</strong><br />

Manager TECNO<br />

Nigeria, Luke Pan said: '<br />

We are proud to announce<br />

the release of TECNO<br />

SPARK 3 series. Equipped<br />

with the latest AI Technology,<br />

the success of SPARK<br />

3 is predicted to surpass<br />

that of its predecessors.<br />

SPARK 3 takes photography<br />

to a whole new level<br />

as it is a by-product of ri<strong>go</strong>rous<br />

research of many<br />

human faces. Come <strong>and</strong> try<br />

SPARK 3 series, the AI<br />

Beauty Mode will blow<br />

your mind.'<br />

Also speaking, PR <strong>and</strong><br />

Strategic Partnership<br />

Manger, TECNO Nigeria,<br />

Jesse Oguntimehin said:<br />

'TECNO, as Africa’s most<br />

preferred smartphone<br />

br<strong>and</strong>, is known for devices<br />

that provide premium<br />

experiences at a price <strong>and</strong><br />

value that dwarf those of its<br />

closest competitors, so<br />

without a doubt, SPARK fans<br />

will be delighted to have <strong>and</strong><br />

share experiences with the<br />

new SPARK 3 series'<br />

In its customary way of<br />

giving back, TECNO mobile<br />

also kicked off the 3rd edition<br />

of its Light up Your Dream<br />

campaign through a feature<br />

short film that detailed the<br />

journey <strong>and</strong> achievements of<br />

previous winners.<br />

Announcing this, Deputy<br />

Marketing Manager, Tecno<br />

Nigeria, Atai Oguche mentioned<br />

that unlike previous<br />

editions, this year's edition<br />

would produce seven millionaires<br />

who would be selected<br />

via online <strong>and</strong><br />

offline platforms


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 3<br />

I don’t know<br />

how banking<br />

innovations<br />

<strong>go</strong>t into my<br />

head<br />

— Balogun,<br />

founder, FCMB<br />

By Akoma Chinweoke<br />

Otunba<br />

Michael<br />

Olasubomi Balogun,<br />

founder of FCMB<br />

Group <strong>and</strong> Olori Omooba<br />

of Ijebul<strong>and</strong>, has attributed<br />

his outst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

success story in life <strong>and</strong> the<br />

country’s banking sector in<br />

particular to divine intervention,<br />

insisting that he<br />

just could not explain how<br />

great banking innovations<br />

<strong>go</strong>t into his head.<br />

The business icon, who<br />

disclosed this in La<strong>go</strong>s in<br />

an interview, said he was<br />

still amazed at his achievements<br />

<strong>and</strong> would remain<br />

grateful to God for making<br />

him strong <strong>and</strong> articulate<br />

even age 85 plus, adding<br />

that, day-after-day,<br />

there was a strong conviction<br />

that he had a duty to<br />

devote the rest of his life to<br />

service of God, <strong>and</strong> always<br />

do things that add significant<br />

value to humanity.<br />

Speaking on how he became<br />

successful , the Olori<br />

Omo-oba of Ijebul<strong>and</strong>, who<br />

has reached an altitude in<br />

life that is continuously<br />

shaping his attitude of gratitude<br />

to God, had this to<br />

say:<br />

“This is what made me,<br />

in addition to divine intervention.<br />

At a point in time,<br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernment of this<br />

country decided to set up<br />

indigenization whereby all<br />

foreigners would sell their<br />

shares to Nigerians, 40<br />

percent, 60 percent or the<br />

whole <strong>and</strong> we required an<br />

issuing house to do it at<br />

the Stock Exchange. I had<br />

gained some fame in selling<br />

UAC. “<br />

*Full interview next week.<br />

L-R: Globacom's Executive Vice Chairman, Mrs. Bella Disu, <strong>and</strong> Account Director, CNN<br />

International Commercial, Zara Driss, cutting the 10th anniversary cake of African Voices,<br />

exclusively sponsored on CNN by Globacom at a cocktail party held at Sky Lounge, Eko<br />

Hotel at the weekend.<br />

NUC unveils <strong>go</strong>vernance structure<br />

for private varsities<br />

•Ade-Ojo gives 2 graduates N5m<br />

to start business<br />

By Dayo Johnson, Akure<br />

THE National Uni<br />

versities Commission<br />

(NUC) says it has developed<br />

a blueprint for<br />

the rapid revitalization of<br />

university education in<br />

the country for the years<br />

2019 – 2023. Its Executive<br />

Secretary, Prof. Abubakar<br />

Rasheed, disclosed<br />

this during the 3rd convocation<br />

ceremony of<br />

Elizade University, Ilara-<br />

Mokin, Ondo State<br />

“The development of<br />

the blueprint was thought<br />

on an extensive multistakeholder<br />

base <strong>and</strong> inputs<br />

were sought from<br />

students, parents, teaching<br />

<strong>and</strong> non-teaching,<br />

Vice-Chancellors <strong>and</strong><br />

other stakeholders”, Rasheed<br />

said.<br />

“Data were gathered to<br />

determine our rank <strong>and</strong><br />

challenges faced in the<br />

system in this time, as<br />

well as to seek practicable<br />

<strong>and</strong> sustainable solutions<br />

to the challenges<br />

Nine Nigerians arrested in<br />

US for $3.5m wire fraud<br />

*Two in trouble over bitcom scam<br />

Nine Nigerians have<br />

been arrested in the<br />

United States (US) for defrauding<br />

individuals <strong>and</strong><br />

businesses of more than<br />

$3.5 million.<br />

Geoffrey S. Berman, the<br />

United States attorney for<br />

the southern district of New<br />

York, <strong>and</strong> James C. Spero,<br />

special agent in charge of<br />

the Tampa, Florida, field<br />

office of U.S. immigration<br />

<strong>and</strong> customs enforcement’s<br />

Homel<strong>and</strong> security investigations<br />

(“HSI”), disclosed<br />

this in a statement on<br />

Thursday.<br />

The suspects are Oluwaseun<br />

Adelekan, Olalekan<br />

Daramola, Solomon Aburekhanlen,<br />

Gbenga Oyeneyin,<br />

Abiola Olajumoke,<br />

Temitope Omotayo, Bryan<br />

Eadie, Albert Lucas <strong>and</strong><br />

Ademola Adebogun.<br />

The US officials said the<br />

suspects committed the<br />

fraud through business<br />

<strong>and</strong> the cost implication for<br />

the solution”. Speaking<br />

on the challenges of <strong>go</strong>vernance<br />

in private universities,<br />

the NUC ES said,<br />

“The Commission has also<br />

produced the board of corporate<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernance for private<br />

universities to guide<br />

the Proprietors, the Board<br />

of Trustees, Governing<br />

Council <strong>and</strong> management.<br />

“The document clearly<br />

delineates the role of each<br />

level of <strong>go</strong>vernance structure<br />

to improve university<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernance in Nigeria”.<br />

He lauded Elizade University<br />

for grooming the<br />

graduates “into potential<br />

experts, future leaders <strong>and</strong><br />

next-generation solution<br />

providers in various sectors<br />

of our national life”.<br />

The Vice Chancellor of<br />

the institution, Prof Olukayode<br />

Amund, who said<br />

131 students from four faculties<br />

graduated, noted that<br />

the university lays emphasis<br />

on character moulding.<br />

“Our emphasis is to produce<br />

graduates that would<br />

email compromises, a Russian<br />

oil scam, <strong>and</strong> a romance<br />

scam.<br />

“As alleged, these defendants<br />

deployed three<br />

different email schemes to<br />

defraud their victims.<br />

The common denominator<br />

in all three schemes was<br />

the defendants’ alleged<br />

fleecing of their victims<br />

through fictitious online<br />

identities,” said Berman.<br />

“The schemes allegedly<br />

earned the defendants $3.5<br />

million – <strong>and</strong> also arrests<br />

on federal felony charges.”<br />

The defendants are accused<br />

of participating in a<br />

scheme to defraud businesses<br />

<strong>and</strong> individuals<br />

through several cate<strong>go</strong>ries<br />

of false <strong>and</strong> misleading<br />

representations.<br />

They are each charged in<br />

the indictment with one<br />

count of conspiring to<br />

commit wire fraud <strong>and</strong><br />

each defendant faces a<br />

positively affect the society<br />

when they occupy high<br />

public offices or political<br />

positions in future or as<br />

captains of industry or<br />

commerce in the private<br />

sector”, Amund said.<br />

The founder of the University,<br />

Chief Micheal Ade-<br />

Ojo, admonished the new<br />

graduates to <strong>go</strong> <strong>and</strong> excel<br />

in the chosen careers even<br />

as he gave N5m to two of<br />

them to start a joint business.<br />

18 of the new graduates<br />

had first class, 73 second<br />

class upper division,<br />

35 second class lower division<br />

<strong>and</strong> five third class.<br />

maximum potential sentence<br />

of 20 years in prison.<br />

In a related development,<br />

two Nigerians are in<br />

trouble in the US after being<br />

indicted by prosecutors<br />

for running a fraudulent<br />

bitcoin investment<br />

scheme.<br />

Onwuemerie O<strong>go</strong>r Gift<br />

<strong>and</strong> Kelvin Usifoh were<br />

charged by Ore<strong>go</strong>n District<br />

Attorney’s Office with 11<br />

counts of wire fraud, as<br />

well as conspiracy to commit<br />

wire fraud <strong>and</strong> money<br />

laundering, according to<br />

a report. From December<br />

2017 to June 2018, Gift<br />

<strong>and</strong> Usifoh allegedly promoted<br />

the fake bitcoin investment<br />

scheme via three<br />

websites<br />

Gift <strong>and</strong> Usifoh falsely<br />

claimed that victims’ bitcoins<br />

would be invested<br />

using “unique trading<br />

methods” <strong>and</strong> that they<br />

would maintain a “constant<br />

high interest rate.”<br />

The pair also allegedly<br />

encouraged investors to<br />

transfer bitcoin to their<br />

own cryptocurrency wallets.<br />

Once transferred, Gift<br />

<strong>and</strong> Usifoh would exchange<br />

it for Nigerian<br />

naira. In over six months,<br />

the defendants stole 10.88<br />

bitcoins (worth approximately<br />

$56,391 at press<br />

time) from three victims,<br />

one residing in Ore<strong>go</strong>n<br />

<strong>and</strong> two in California, according<br />

to the indictment.<br />

They also used a photo of<br />

a fourth victim to promote<br />

their scheme.<br />

In total, the prosecutors<br />

alleged that Gift <strong>and</strong> Usifoh<br />

received more than 50<br />

bitcoins ($259,000)<br />

through the scam.<br />

STARS University felicitates<br />

with Ned Nwoko over FUPRE’s<br />

doctorate award<br />

The Project Implemen<br />

tation Committee<br />

(PIC) of the proposed<br />

STARS University, Idumuje-Ugboko,<br />

Delta State has<br />

congratulated Hon. Prince<br />

Ned Nwoko on his conferment<br />

with an Honorary<br />

Doctor of Science Degree<br />

(Honoris Causa) by the<br />

Federal University of Petroleum<br />

Resources, Effurun<br />

(FUPRE), Delta State.<br />

A statement signed on behalf<br />

of the committee by<br />

Professor Nduka Uraih,<br />

who heads the team, said,<br />

“The conferment is a tacit<br />

recognition of Ned Nwoko’s<br />

Buhari asked to give Isoko<br />

minister<br />

By Etop Ekanem<br />

The leadership of Isoko<br />

Equity Group, IEG,<br />

has again appealed to the<br />

Federal Government to appoint<br />

the next minister to<br />

represent Delta State in the<br />

Federal Executive Council<br />

from Isoko nation.<br />

The group restated its dem<strong>and</strong><br />

during a meeting with<br />

President-General, Isoko<br />

Development Union, IDU,<br />

the umbella body of Isoko<br />

people world wide, at the<br />

national secretariat of the<br />

union in Oleh, headquarters<br />

of Isoko South Local Government<br />

Area of Delta<br />

State.<br />

The Convener of IEG, Mr<br />

Silas Buowe, who spoke to<br />

newsmen after the closed<br />

door meeting, said: “We are<br />

here to intimate the President-General<br />

Isoko Development<br />

Union, High Chief<br />

Iduh Amadhe, of our agitation<br />

for President<br />

Muhammadu Buhar to appoint<br />

an indigene of Isoko<br />

Elders take Ekiti Blueprint<br />

to monarchs<br />

By Rotimi Ojomoyela<br />

EKITI Council of<br />

Elders is taking the<br />

Ekiti State Blueprint to palaces<br />

across the state to acquaint<br />

monarchs <strong>and</strong> the<br />

people with the content.<br />

The advocacy kicks off<br />

tomorrow at the Ewi palace<br />

in Ado Ekiti. The idea of the<br />

Blueprint was conceived by<br />

the Council with contributions<br />

from sons <strong>and</strong> daughters<br />

of Ekiti home <strong>and</strong><br />

abroad with the aim of<br />

putting the state on a progressive<br />

track.<br />

In a statement by the<br />

Chairman, Prof. Joseph<br />

Oluwosanmi; General Secretary,<br />

Hon. Niyi Ajibulu,<br />

<strong>and</strong> PRO, Dr. Bayo Orire, the<br />

Council congratulated the<br />

Ewi <strong>and</strong> the people of Ado<br />

towering contributions to<br />

the growth of society<br />

through human capital development<br />

initiatives”.<br />

The statement posited<br />

that the congratulatory<br />

message stemmed from<br />

Nwoko’s attributes as “an<br />

iconic pathfinder, indefatigable<br />

philanthropist, quintessential<br />

facilitator of novel<br />

projects prominent<br />

amongst which is the proposed<br />

Sport, Technology,<br />

Agriculture, Research <strong>and</strong><br />

Science (Stars) University,<br />

Idumuje-Ugboko, with the<br />

trail-blazing concept of a<br />

sports university”.<br />

as minister to represent<br />

Delta State in the new Federal<br />

Executive Council<br />

come May 2019.<br />

“The IDU President-General,<br />

who is the father of<br />

Isoko Nation, said he had<br />

been following the trend <strong>and</strong><br />

was very proud of what<br />

Isoko Equity Group is doing<br />

<strong>and</strong> promised to help in<br />

whatever legal way possible<br />

to enable the group realise<br />

its set out <strong>go</strong>als.<br />

“<strong>No</strong> Isoko man or<br />

woman has been appointment<br />

minister since 1973.<br />

That is how deep rooted we<br />

have been marginalised as<br />

a people. We also extensively<br />

discussed the lack of Federal<br />

Government presence<br />

in Isoko particularly in<br />

terms of big ticket infrastructure,<br />

despite its vast oil<br />

resources contributing.<br />

“On the entourage of the<br />

Convener Isoko Equity<br />

Group is the Secretary General<br />

<strong>and</strong> Patron of the<br />

Group, Dr. Prosper<br />

Awhoregba, <strong>and</strong> Lucky<br />

Okperi among <strong>others</strong>”.<br />

Ekiti for the urbanization<br />

that has taken place in the<br />

city from 1996 till date.<br />

“Ekiti Council of Elders<br />

appreciates His Royal Majesty<br />

The Ewi & his Council<br />

of Chiefs for supporting the<br />

Government & the town<br />

people affected by this vital<br />

developmental process”?,<br />

the statement said.<br />

“The Council is happy<br />

that the New Iyin Road<br />

project has finally taken off<br />

<strong>and</strong> that the ab<strong>and</strong>oned<br />

Civic Centre will be completed<br />

by December all of<br />

which will make Ado Ekiti<br />

more cosmopolitan.<br />

“The resolve of <strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

Kayode Fayemi not to ab<strong>and</strong>on<br />

projects initiated by his<br />

predecessor such as the<br />

New Oja Oba which is also<br />

of great importance to the<br />

people is highly commendable”.<br />

BEDC connects Omozogie-Uteh community to national grid<br />

It was mass jubilation<br />

for the residents of<br />

Omozogie in Uteh Community,<br />

Ikpoba Okha Local<br />

Government Area of<br />

Edo State last Friday as<br />

BEDC Electricity Plc<br />

(BEDC) connected the<br />

community to the national<br />

grid after years without<br />

electricity supply.<br />

The commissioning of<br />

the substation which started<br />

with a town hall meeting<br />

organized by the community<br />

had in attendance<br />

BEDC management team<br />

led by the Head, Community<br />

Relations Officer, Mrs<br />

Virginia Osineme, Business<br />

Manager of Ikpoba<br />

Hill, Mrs. Ekaete Ntukidem<br />

<strong>and</strong> her Business<br />

Head Distribution, Engr.<br />

Mamah, the Odionwere,<br />

electricity committee<br />

members <strong>and</strong> residents of<br />

Uteh Omozogie community<br />

was meant to brief the<br />

residents on need to see the<br />

substation as a collective<br />

responsibility which<br />

should be protected<br />

against v<strong>and</strong>alism <strong>and</strong> all<br />

other forms of energy theft.<br />

Addressing the town hall<br />

meeting, the Head, Community<br />

Relations, Mrs Osineme<br />

said “The protection<br />

of the substation is<br />

everybody’s business. If<br />

there is no light, you know<br />

who to meet <strong>and</strong> talk to. If<br />

you see anybody in the<br />

substation that is not authorized<br />

by BEDC <strong>and</strong> the<br />

electricity committee, he<br />

or she is a v<strong>and</strong>al <strong>and</strong><br />

should be apprehended”.<br />

The General Okae-Don,<br />

Uteh. Mr Iyoha Omozogie<br />

lauded BEDC for keeping<br />

fate with the Community<br />

saying “we thank the management<br />

<strong>and</strong> staff of BEDC<br />

for how they have been<br />

able to direct us in ensuring<br />

Omozogie community<br />

is connected to the national<br />

grid. We also thank<br />

the members of the community<br />

for their selfless<br />

donations <strong>and</strong> doggedness<br />

in ensuring the yearning of<br />

the people becomes a reality.<br />

We now have light in<br />

Omozogie”.


PAGE 4 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

L-R: CEO, Jumia Nigeria, Mrs. Juliet Anammah; Chairman, Senate Committee on<br />

Works <strong>and</strong> a former <strong>go</strong>vernor of Kano State, Kabir Gaya; Nigerian Agent Manager,<br />

Xiaomi, Kevin Zeng; <strong>and</strong> Head, Regional Marketing, Xiaomi Global, Steven Wang,<br />

during the official launch of Xiaomi Redmi <strong>No</strong>te 7 Phone in La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

L-R: Mr. Seun Oloketuyi , Founder, Best of <strong>No</strong>llywood Awards; Mr Tunde Fatuntele,<br />

CEO, Kobz Media; Ajuka Peniel, General Manager, Media Panache Nigeria; Mr.<br />

Michael Makinde, Managing Director, Passion Broadcasting Television Services<br />

Limited; Mrs Toun Okewale-Sonaiya, CEO, WomenFM 91.7, <strong>and</strong> Mr. Tolu<br />

Olorunmoteni, Sports Analyst, during a press conference by Passion TV Provision of<br />

Entertainment Programmers in the UK, US <strong>and</strong> Nigeria held in La<strong>go</strong>s on Friday.<br />

CONTROVERSY<br />

2019 PRESIDENTIAL POLL: The Story<br />

Of INEC’S IT Server<br />

•Facts •Fiction •Myth<br />

By Jide Ajani<br />

If there is anything, or a<br />

combination of things, that is<br />

fanning the embers of doubt<br />

about the credibility of the 2019<br />

general elections, it is to be located<br />

in the response of the All<br />

Progressives Congress, APC, to the<br />

petition of the presidential<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idate of the Peoples<br />

Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku<br />

Abubakar.<br />

Perhaps, whether owing to a lack<br />

of underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the letters <strong>and</strong><br />

the spirit of the 1999 Constitution,<br />

as amended, or a lack of<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing of the powers of the<br />

Independent National Electoral<br />

Commission, INEC, “to make its<br />

own rules or otherwise regulate its<br />

own procedure (which) shall not be<br />

subject to the approval or control of<br />

the president,” or a cognitively<br />

distant syndrome that appears to be<br />

very pervasive now, or deliberate<br />

mischief, or a combination of all of<br />

the above, the recent brouhaha<br />

about the authenticity,<br />

appropriateness or otherwise of<br />

some social media content, wherein<br />

officials of INEC were explaining<br />

the intendment of its decision to use<br />

ICT to ensure the fidelity of the 2019<br />

general elections, signpost the very<br />

reason why Nigeria remains both<br />

undeveloped <strong>and</strong> underdeveloped<br />

(depending on which you choose to<br />

apply).<br />

A recent voter education video<br />

recorded before the 2019 general<br />

elections, which has been trending<br />

on the social media, explaining the<br />

use of e-collating officers, has<br />

created doubts about the status of<br />

the Commission’s IT Server used<br />

during the elections. This does not,<br />

in any way, validate or debunk the<br />

claims made as part of Atiku’s<br />

petition before the Presidential<br />

Election Tribunal. What the videos<br />

merely do is to create a<br />

recapitulation of what was said<br />

before the elections as a basis to<br />

either defend INEC or crucify it as<br />

an Election Management Body.<br />

In one of the videos, INEC<br />

Chairman, Professor Mahmood<br />

Yakubu, said INEC “…will deploy<br />

a new platform for electronic<br />

collation <strong>and</strong> transmission of<br />

results.”<br />

In another video, INEC’s Resident<br />

Electoral Commissioners, RECs, for<br />

Akwa Ibom <strong>and</strong> Ekiti States, Mike<br />

Igini <strong>and</strong> Agbaje, gave hints of an<br />

existence of a server, explaining the<br />

potency of same to guarantee free,<br />

fair <strong>and</strong> credible elections. In fact,<br />

in another video, the INEC<br />

Chairman gave details of how <strong>and</strong><br />

why the platform may not be fully<br />

used, citing problems of ICT nonconvergence.<br />

Unfortunately, responses from<br />

APC, particularly Festus Keyamo,<br />

its presidential election committee<br />

spokesman, are only providing<br />

more fuel for those opposed<br />

to the election of<br />

P r e s i d e n t<br />

Muhammadu<br />

Buhari. This, too,<br />

does not mean<br />

Keyamo is<br />

wrong on his<br />

score that<br />

only the<br />

Supreme<br />

Court,<br />

<strong>and</strong> not social media videos, would<br />

determine the success or failure of<br />

Atiku’s petition.<br />

Inquiries made within INEC, to<br />

unearth why the Commission was<br />

denying the status of its IT Server<br />

<strong>and</strong> the election results compiled by<br />

it, revealed some distinction<br />

between the purport of the videos<br />

<strong>and</strong> the actual claims made by the<br />

PDP regarding results purportedly<br />

obtained from the server. According<br />

to sources in INEC, they have never<br />

retreated from the fact that the<br />

Commission made plans <strong>and</strong><br />

procured facilities for electronic<br />

transmission.<br />

In fact, information available to<br />

Sunday Vanguard suggests that<br />

this has been on<strong>go</strong>ing since 2011<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Commission had put<br />

everything in place prior to the<br />

elections to kick-start the use of<br />

electronic transmission of election<br />

result.<br />

However, all the procurements<br />

made <strong>and</strong> the hardware that were<br />

used had been done with the hope<br />

that the enabling law will be signed<br />

in the form of the new Amended<br />

2019 Electoral Act, but when assent<br />

for the Act was not obtained, the<br />

Commission had to downgrade the<br />

full implementation of the electronic<br />

transmission back to pilot status.<br />

What this then meant was that it<br />

resulted in asymmetrical use of the<br />

electronic transmission in some<br />

areas more than <strong>others</strong>, hence the<br />

Commission realized that any data<br />

emanating therefrom could not be<br />

wholly relied on, which was why it<br />

relied more on the hard data<br />

compiled directly in the old format<br />

for compiling the final results of the<br />

2019 general elections.<br />

Taking this explanation by sources<br />

within the Commission, it can be<br />

evinced that the INEC is not<br />

denying the existence of data from<br />

its IT server but is only trying to<br />

clarify that the data that the PDP<br />

may be referring to, in their<br />

reference <strong>and</strong> supporting with the<br />

trending videos, refers to the on<strong>go</strong>ing<br />

pilot the Commission hopes<br />

to use fully in future elections when<br />

the enabling law is assented to.<br />

However, there is the decision of<br />

the Supreme Court regarding some<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernorship elections of 2015, that<br />

the Card Reader is alien to the 1999<br />

Constitution, as amended, because<br />

electronic identification process was<br />

not included. By the same token, the<br />

refusal to give assent to the amended<br />

Electoral Act, wherein details of the<br />

processes of electronic transmission<br />

of result had been captured, poured<br />

cold water on all the efforts to have<br />

it used in the 2019 elections.<br />

Unfortunately, the emphasis on<br />

politics continues to trump the<br />

need for a solid jurisprudence<br />

that would enthrone a culture<br />

of civility in a growing<br />

democracy like Nigeria’s.<br />

Section 52(2) of the<br />

Electoral Act, that was<br />

signed into law some few<br />

days before the 2015<br />

general elections, an<br />

amendment which, in<br />

more ways than one, paved<br />

the way for an APC victory,<br />

but which is now being<br />

junked by the selfsame<br />

APC, specifically,<br />

<strong>states</strong>:”Voting<br />

a t<br />

•Mahmood Yakubu,<br />

INEC Boss<br />

an election under this Act shall be in<br />

accordance with the procedure<br />

determined by the Independent<br />

National Electoral Commission.”<br />

What this provision does is to remove<br />

the prohibitive clause(s) earlier<br />

placed on the path of INEC in<br />

ensuring that its electoral guidelines<br />

are given effectuation, specifically,<br />

in the area of ICT.<br />

<strong>No</strong>w, the question to ask is, did<br />

those Supreme Court justices who<br />

gave judgment regarding some<br />

elections held in 2015 not know<br />

about this clause?<br />

Contrary to the hoopla generated<br />

when President Muhammadu<br />

Buhari did not sign the amended<br />

Electoral Act into law, the absence<br />

of a new Electoral Act couldn’t have<br />

been basis for Nigerians not to have<br />

free, fair <strong>and</strong> credible elections in<br />

2019.<br />

Section 153 of the 1999<br />

Constitution, as amended,<br />

guarantees INEC the latitude to do<br />

as it wishes in the area of regulating<br />

its activities.<br />

Under paragraph 15 of the Third<br />

Schedule, the power to “organise,<br />

undertake <strong>and</strong> supervise” conduct<br />

of elections into certain offices is<br />

listed in the Constitution.<br />

Section 160 of the same 1999<br />

Constitution <strong>go</strong>es <strong>ahead</strong> to state<br />

cate<strong>go</strong>rically that “… any of the<br />

bodies may with the approval of the<br />

president, by rules or otherwise<br />

regulate its own procedure or confer<br />

powers <strong>and</strong> impose duties on any<br />

officer or authority for the purpose<br />

of discharging its function; provided<br />

that in the case of the Independent<br />

National Electoral Commission, its<br />

powers to make its own rules or<br />

otherwise regulate its own<br />

procedure shall not be subject to the<br />

approval or control of the<br />

president”.<br />

Those who granted INEC this<br />

unfettered powers to determine how<br />

best to regulate its affairs regarding<br />

elections appeared to have done so<br />

with a view to ensuring that the<br />

Commission is able to conduct<br />

elections that would be free, fair,<br />

credible <strong>and</strong> devoid of<br />

interference.<br />

The truth that needs to be told<br />

now, according to sources from<br />

INEC Chairman’s office, is that<br />

when the negativity, occasioned by<br />

President Buhari’s refusal to sign the<br />

Electoral Act, cast a pall on the<br />

entire process, the Commission<br />

needed to explain that its processes<br />

were still unique <strong>and</strong> secure<br />

enough to guarantee free, fair<br />

<strong>and</strong> credible 2019 polls.<br />

The question that<br />

INEC is tongue-tied to<br />

fully explain to<br />

Nigerians now is:<br />

Why did the<br />

Commission <strong>go</strong><br />

to town to<br />

promise electronic transfer of<br />

results, particularly when its election<br />

manual captured the training of e-<br />

collation officers - mind you, at the<br />

ward collation centres, INEC had<br />

two officers, one for manual<br />

recording <strong>and</strong> the other for<br />

electronic transmission of result?<br />

Only INEC can answer truthfully<br />

what happened.<br />

On President Buhari’s part,<br />

nothing would hurt his reputation<br />

<strong>and</strong> electoral victory if he engages<br />

a Blue Ocean Strategy to admit<br />

- as did late President Muar<br />

Musa Yar’Adua - that an election<br />

result process that was televised<br />

live, where figures didn’t add up<br />

in some instances, is not the best<br />

for Nigeria. He can also swing<br />

into action by signing the<br />

amended Electoral Act.<br />

Furthermore, he can prevail on<br />

some loquacious party members,<br />

who continue to pour cold water<br />

on his manifest humility, to stop<br />

fanning the embers of division<br />

<strong>and</strong> hate, but help the process of<br />

healing the nation by avoiding<br />

comments that only continue to<br />

divide, rather than unite<br />

Nigerians.


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 5<br />

L-R: Br<strong>and</strong> Manager, Goldberg, Olufunmilayo Ogunbodede, Senior Br<strong>and</strong>, Goldberg <strong>and</strong><br />

Life, Maria Shadeko, Goldberg Br<strong>and</strong> Ambassador, Olamide Adedeji <strong>and</strong> Portfolio Manager,<br />

Mainstream Br<strong>and</strong>s, Nigerian Breweries, Omotunde Adenusi at the Official Announcement<br />

of Olamide as Br<strong>and</strong> Ambassador for Goldberg.<br />

L-R: Emmanuel Daniel, Chairman, Asian Banker; Dolapo Orelaja, Head, Consumer<br />

Propositions, Access Bank Plc; <strong>and</strong> Ashan Abeyratne, Senior Manager, Business<br />

Development – Africa , Asian Banker at the Prestigious Asian Banker<br />

“Excellence in Retail Financial Services”, Awards held in La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

<strong>No</strong> <strong>delaying</strong> <strong>minimum</strong> <strong>wage</strong>, <strong>go</strong> <strong>ahead</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>pay</strong>,<br />

<strong>FG</strong> <strong>tells</strong> <strong>MDAs</strong>, <strong>states</strong>, <strong>others</strong><br />

By Soni Daniel,<br />

Editor, <strong>No</strong>rthern<br />

Region<br />

With the assent of<br />

President Mu<br />

hammadu Buhari<br />

to the new <strong>minimum</strong> <strong>wage</strong><br />

of N30,000, there is no other<br />

hurdle barring or <strong>delaying</strong><br />

state <strong>go</strong>vernments, ministries,<br />

departments <strong>and</strong> agencies<br />

(<strong>MDAs</strong>) from implementing<br />

the new <strong>pay</strong> structure,<br />

the Federal Government<br />

clarified last night.<br />

The Attorney General of<br />

the Federation <strong>and</strong> Minister<br />

of Justice, Abubakar Malami,<br />

who made the clarification<br />

told Sunday Vanguard<br />

that there was no other requirement<br />

on the part of the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment for the commencement<br />

of the <strong>pay</strong>ment<br />

of the new <strong>wage</strong>.<br />

The minister’s explanation<br />

came amid a report that<br />

his office was yet to release a<br />

certain instrument authorizing<br />

<strong>pay</strong>ment, the absence of<br />

which would unduly delay<br />

the takeoff date of the new<br />

<strong>pay</strong>.<br />

Malami told our correspondent<br />

that the signing<br />

into law by Mr. President<br />

completed the process of<br />

implementing the new<br />

<strong>wage</strong>, which takes effect from<br />

this month (April).<br />

According to the minister,<br />

the <strong>minimum</strong> <strong>wage</strong> law<br />

does not authorize the office<br />

of the AGF to do anything<br />

more for <strong>pay</strong>ment to commence<br />

once the President has<br />

given his assent to the bill.<br />

He said: “The incidence,<br />

operation <strong>and</strong> application<br />

of a law is automatic unless<br />

otherwise stated by its commencement<br />

provision. The<br />

new <strong>minimum</strong> <strong>wage</strong> law is<br />

automatic <strong>and</strong> envisages no<br />

further action on the part of<br />

the Hon. Attorney General<br />

of the Federation, not having<br />

been so m<strong>and</strong>ated by the<br />

enabling law.<br />

“Bureaucratic processes are<br />

not rooted in the action or inaction<br />

of the Attorney General,<br />

legal obligation having<br />

arisen by the commencement<br />

of the law upon assent by the<br />

President.<br />

UNITY SCHOOLS ENTRANCE EXAMINATION<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s tops list with 25,000 c<strong>and</strong>idates as Zamfara fields 59<br />

*Sanitation exercise delays commencement<br />

By Dayo Adesulu<br />

<strong>and</strong> Joseph Erunke<br />

National Examination<br />

Council, NECO, <strong>and</strong><br />

parents of c<strong>and</strong>idates,<br />

yesterday, commended<br />

the conduct of the entrance<br />

examination into the 104 Unity<br />

Colleges across the 36 <strong>states</strong><br />

in the country.<br />

At the examination centre<br />

monitored by Sunday Vanguard,<br />

parents <strong>and</strong> NECO<br />

officials, who spoke with Sunday<br />

Vanguard, lauded the<br />

conduct, adding that the examination<br />

was orderly <strong>and</strong><br />

peaceful. According to them,<br />

no stranger or parent was allowed<br />

to get close to the centre,<br />

as parents were asked to<br />

keep a distance from c<strong>and</strong>idates<br />

at the examination hall.<br />

The students were tested in<br />

Mathematics, Basic Science,<br />

English Language, Social<br />

Studies, Quantitative <strong>and</strong> Verbal<br />

Attitude.<br />

The NECO official in<br />

charge of Oriwu Senior Model<br />

College Centre, Ikorodu,<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s, Mrs Ijeoma Elekwe,<br />

said: “Unlike last year, the examination<br />

started 5 minutes<br />

past 12 noon because of the<br />

clean-up exercise in many<br />

parts of the country”.<br />

Parents <strong>and</strong> c<strong>and</strong>idates, she<br />

noted, who came as early as<br />

7am, felt they were unduly<br />

delayed for the commencement<br />

of the examination, as<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s <strong>and</strong> some other <strong>states</strong><br />

in the South-west <strong>and</strong> Southeast<br />

were not observing the<br />

environmental sanitation like<br />

other <strong>states</strong>. She explained<br />

The Nigerians Citizens<br />

Association in South<br />

Africa (NICASA) says<br />

another Nigerian, Mr Tony<br />

Elochukwu, from Nnobi Anambra<br />

State, has been killed<br />

by an unidentified gunman in<br />

South Africa.<br />

The President of NICASA,<br />

Prince Ben Okoli, said this in<br />

a letter sent to the Consular<br />

General, Nigerian Consulate<br />

in Johanesburg.<br />

Three Nigerians had been<br />

killed between April 6 <strong>and</strong><br />

April 9 at different locations<br />

in the country.<br />

In the letter, obtained by<br />

“Ministries, Departments<br />

<strong>and</strong> agencies of <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

are automatically expected to<br />

execute their own side of statutory<br />

obligations in giving effect<br />

to the law that has taken<br />

effect <strong>and</strong> remains applicable,<br />

valid <strong>and</strong> subsisting.<br />

“This is a law the application<br />

of which commences<br />

upon assent by the President”.<br />

The report, yesterday, had<br />

said that the National Salaries,<br />

Incomes <strong>and</strong> Wages<br />

Commission had blamed the<br />

delay on <strong>pay</strong>ing the new<br />

<strong>wage</strong> on non-release of a copy<br />

of the Act to enable it prepare<br />

that for the examination to<br />

start the same time, the authorities<br />

shifted it to 12 noon.<br />

Elekwe said that the only<br />

complaint from parents was<br />

those whose children’s passport<br />

photographs were missing<br />

on the registration form.<br />

Meanwhile, La<strong>go</strong>s maintained<br />

its lead as state with<br />

the highest number of registered<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idates for the examination.<br />

News Agency of Nigeria<br />

(NAN) in Abuja, yesterday,<br />

Okoli decried the death <strong>and</strong><br />

continued killings of Nigerians<br />

in South Africa.<br />

“We received yet again the<br />

sad news of the death of another<br />

Nigerian in Witbank<br />

Mpumalanga province”, he<br />

said.<br />

“Mr Tony Elochukwu from<br />

Nnobi Anambra State was<br />

shot twice in the head by an<br />

unidentified Nigerian gunman<br />

on April 24 at around<br />

2:45pm”.<br />

Okoli said that a lone Nigerian<br />

man walked to some<br />

Zamfara State,which had<br />

the least registered c<strong>and</strong>idates<br />

for the examination in<br />

2018,was equally seen trailing<br />

behind all the <strong>states</strong> of the<br />

federation including the Federal<br />

Capital Territory,FCT,<br />

Abuja. 75,635 c<strong>and</strong>idates<br />

wrote the examination across<br />

the country.<br />

The registration data, obtained<br />

from the Federal Ministry<br />

of Education, showed<br />

that<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s had over 25, 000<br />

the memo for state <strong>go</strong>vernments<br />

to commence <strong>pay</strong>ment.<br />

The Chief Press Secretary<br />

of the agency, Mr Emma<br />

Njoku, was also quoted as<br />

saying that they were still expecting<br />

a signed copy of the<br />

Act assented to by Mr. President.<br />

But, the Senior Special Assistant<br />

to the President on<br />

Media <strong>and</strong> Publicity, Mr.<br />

Garba Shehu, was quoted as<br />

saying that there was no issue<br />

to be sorted out again<br />

once the President had directed<br />

that the new <strong>pay</strong> should<br />

start in April.<br />

registered applications while<br />

Zamfara fielded 59 applicants.<br />

Speaking to newsmen after<br />

monitoring the exercise in<br />

some centres in the FCT,the<br />

Permanent Secretary, Federal<br />

Ministry of Education,<br />

Sonny Echono,who represented<br />

the Minister of<br />

Education,Mallam Adamu<br />

Adamu, said the Federal<br />

Government had begun the<br />

renovation <strong>and</strong> rehabilitation<br />

of the 104 Unity Colleges.<br />

Another Nigerian shot dead in South Africa<br />

Heavy security as APC narrowly wins House of Reps re-run election in<br />

Ajeromi Ifelodun<br />

By Olasunkanmi<br />

Akoni & Monsuru<br />

Olowopejo<br />

mid heavy deployment<br />

Aof military <strong>and</strong> other<br />

security personnel, the All<br />

Progressives Congress, APC,<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idate for Ajeromi/<br />

Ifelodun Federal<br />

Constituency, House of<br />

Representatives, Kolawole<br />

Taiwo, has been declared the<br />

winner of the rerun election<br />

held, yesterday.<br />

Taiwo defeated the<br />

incumbent <strong>and</strong> close rival,<br />

Rita Orji, of the Peoples<br />

Democratic Party, PDP, with a<br />

narrow margin.<br />

The supplementary election<br />

was conducted in 71 polling<br />

units across eight wards in the<br />

constituency following the<br />

inconclusive February 23<br />

House of Representatives<br />

election.<br />

Declaring Taiwo as winner of<br />

the rerun, the Returning Officer,<br />

Prof. Mathew Ilori, from<br />

University of La<strong>go</strong>s, said he<br />

scored 36,115 votes as against<br />

Orji who scored 32,557 votes.<br />

Earlier, there was mild<br />

drama when some voters in the<br />

area attacked journalists in<br />

some polling units shouting,<br />

“We don’t want media in this<br />

place.”<br />

Some correspondents were<br />

nearly beaten up at Polling<br />

Unit 002, Turner Street in Ward<br />

10, Mosafejo area of the<br />

constituency.<br />

“Don’t take our picture, we<br />

don’t want media. We will<br />

destroy your phone. We will<br />

punch out your eye,” one of the<br />

voters shouted at reporters.<br />

Police officers on election<br />

duty at the unit, who could not<br />

guarantee safety of the<br />

reporters, had to tell them to<br />

leave.<br />

Stakeholders to discuss petroleum sector reforms<br />

S<br />

takeholders in oil <strong>and</strong><br />

gas will tomorrow in La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

brainstorm on the way forward<br />

for the sector in terms of<br />

reforms <strong>and</strong> securing greater<br />

benefits for Nigeria <strong>and</strong> her<br />

citizens.<br />

The event, organized by the<br />

Nigeria Natural Resource<br />

Charter (NNRC), a not-forprofit,<br />

policy institute that promotes<br />

reforms in Nigeria’s<br />

petroleum sector; <strong>and</strong> Order-<br />

Paper Advocacy Initiative<br />

(OAI), will take place at the<br />

Eko Hotel, Victoria Isl<strong>and</strong><br />

La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

The programme is an offshoot<br />

of the Development Dialogue<br />

Series (DDS) of OrderPaper<br />

Advocacy, a non<strong>go</strong>vernmental<br />

organization<br />

focused on policy-related, especially<br />

legislative engagements<br />

that exp<strong>and</strong> the frontiers<br />

of <strong>go</strong>od <strong>go</strong>vernance <strong>and</strong><br />

deepening of democratic<br />

practice in Nigeria.<br />

It is being organized<br />

against the backdrop of the<br />

ding-dong affair between the<br />

National Assembly <strong>and</strong> President<br />

Muhammadu Buhari<br />

on the Petroleum Industry<br />

<strong>and</strong> Governance Bill (PIGB)<br />

which was recently passed<br />

again by the former after an<br />

initial rejection by the latter.<br />

In a statement signed by<br />

Tengi George-Ikoli, Program<br />

Coordinator, NNRC <strong>and</strong> Oke<br />

Epia, Executive Director of<br />

OAI, the dialogue seeks to<br />

consider the economic, financial<br />

<strong>and</strong> social implications<br />

of not embracing reforms in<br />

the petroleum sector.<br />

Nigerians at a restaurant <strong>and</strong><br />

inquired from them where to<br />

get some weed to smoke<br />

He said those st<strong>and</strong>ing,<br />

however, told him that they<br />

did not know where since they<br />

do not smoke.<br />

Okoli said the man then<br />

pulled out his gun <strong>and</strong> shot<br />

Elochukwu on the head <strong>and</strong><br />

sped off in a car parked down<br />

the street.<br />

He added that a case of<br />

murder had been opened at<br />

the police station by NICASA<br />

Chairman in Mpumalanga,<br />

Mr Obeji Chukwuma.<br />

“This look like another<br />

case of Nigeria killing themselves.<br />

This ugly trend of Nigerians<br />

killed by fellow Nigerians<br />

is on the increase <strong>and</strong><br />

is disturbing to our community”,<br />

the President said.<br />

“NICASA is deeply worried<br />

over the death <strong>and</strong> continued<br />

killings of our citizens in<br />

South Africa.<br />

“People are worried <strong>and</strong><br />

scared, since none of the perpetrators<br />

had been arrested<br />

or charged over it”.<br />

He appealed to the consulate<br />

to pressure the South African<br />

police to pursue the case<br />

of death of any Nigerian with<br />

seriousness.<br />

“The South African police<br />

must stop attempting to encourage<br />

this killings by lack<br />

of investigation <strong>and</strong> prosecution<br />

with aim of bringing to<br />

justice every criminal involved<br />

in these heinous<br />

crimes,” he said.<br />

The Consul General, Nigerian<br />

Consulate Johannesburg,<br />

Mr Godwin Adama,<br />

had condemned the killing of<br />

Nigerians at different locations<br />

in the country.<br />

“It is clear that as much as<br />

any form of criminality <strong>and</strong><br />

xenophobic attacks against<br />

foreigners, including Nigerians<br />

in South Africa is condemnable,<br />

the killings do not<br />

fit into xenophobic attacks”,<br />

Adama said.


PAGE 6 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Anti-graft group calls for probe of controversial<br />

employment at NSIA<br />

Anti-graft civil soci<br />

ety organization,<br />

Coalition Against<br />

Corruption <strong>and</strong> Bag Governance,<br />

CACOBAG, has<br />

called on President Muhammadu<br />

Buhari to order<br />

the immediate probe of the<br />

alleged appointment of Ms<br />

Aisha Abba Kyari, the<br />

daughter of his Chief of<br />

Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari,<br />

as an Assistant Vice President<br />

at the Nigerian Sovereign<br />

Investment Authority<br />

(NSIA).<br />

A statement by the group’s<br />

Chairman, Alhaji Toyin Raheem,<br />

expressed worry that<br />

Ms Abba Kyari’s appointment<br />

is considered controversial<br />

because it “violates<br />

set procedure at the NSIA,<br />

which is the legally constituted<br />

agency that manages<br />

Nigeria’s excess crude oil<br />

revenues”.<br />

“According to media reports,<br />

the position was not<br />

publicly advertised, contrary<br />

to what is expected of<br />

such position” , the NGO<br />

stated, stressing that such<br />

practice at the highest level<br />

of <strong>go</strong>vernment runs contrary<br />

to the avowed posture<br />

of the Buhari administration.<br />

The statement went on:<br />

“Equally disturbing is the<br />

revelation that the new employee<br />

is starting up with<br />

an annual package of N32<br />

million. We have chosen to<br />

call for a thorough investigation<br />

of this case because<br />

a similar thing happened<br />

in Pension Commission<br />

recently <strong>and</strong>, at the<br />

end of the probe, those involved<br />

were relieved of<br />

their jobs.<br />

“Five days after the Abba<br />

Kyari employment sc<strong>and</strong>al<br />

leaked in the media,<br />

neither the Presidency nor<br />

the management of NSIA<br />

has deemed it fit to deny<br />

any of the following<br />

claims: That: members of<br />

staff at the NSIA are infuriated<br />

by the appointment;<br />

that a few of the high-level<br />

personnel privy to the recruitment<br />

initially refused<br />

to interview Ms. Abba-<br />

Kyari.<br />

“We are by this statement<br />

giving the Presidency<br />

notice that we shall<br />

commence series of lawful<br />

civil actions in a matter of<br />

days to compel the Buhari<br />

administration to order a<br />

comprehensive investigation<br />

of this employment issue.”<br />

Emir Sanusi at SUN matriculation: Kano will soon<br />

have quality doctors, engineers, <strong>others</strong><br />

Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna attacks: We won’t spare<br />

anyone found wanting irrespective of status — Buhari<br />

By Bashir Bello<br />

President Muham<br />

madu Buhari has<br />

vowed that the<br />

Federal Government will<br />

not spare anyone found<br />

wanting in the wanton destruction<br />

of lives <strong>and</strong><br />

property in Zamfara,<br />

Katsina <strong>and</strong> Kaduna<br />

States.<br />

Buhari, who condemned<br />

b<strong>and</strong>itry in the<br />

three <strong>states</strong> in strong<br />

terms, gave a marching<br />

order to security chiefs<br />

to, within the shortest<br />

time possible, route out<br />

b<strong>and</strong>its tertorising parts<br />

of Zamfara, Katsina <strong>and</strong><br />

Kaduna <strong>states</strong>.<br />

The President spoke<br />

through Governor Aminu<br />

Bello Masari of Katsina<br />

State, who, accompanied<br />

by security heads in the<br />

state, visited Yar Santa<br />

•The SUN Registrar, Mr Satya Vir Sighn, administered matriculation oaths on students<br />

yesterday.<br />

<strong>and</strong> Tsamiyar Jino villages<br />

in Kankara Local Government<br />

to condole with<br />

the people over recent<br />

terrorist attacks on the<br />

communities resulting in<br />

the loss of lives <strong>and</strong> property<br />

running into millions<br />

of naira.<br />

According to a statement<br />

by his Senior Special<br />

Assistant on Media,<br />

Abdu Labaran Malumfashi,<br />

Masari said the situation<br />

was unacceptable,<br />

assuring that the <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

was prepared to<br />

deal with it.<br />

“We will not hesitate to<br />

deal appropriately with<br />

anyone found to be connected,<br />

or in anyway involved,<br />

in the b<strong>and</strong>itry”,<br />

the statement quoted the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor as telling his<br />

guests.<br />

“Peace <strong>and</strong> nomalcy<br />

must return to the the<br />

area, as securing lives<br />

<strong>and</strong> property is the essence<br />

of <strong>go</strong>vernment, <strong>and</strong><br />

failure to do that is tantamount<br />

to shirking the<br />

responsibility of the oath<br />

of office.<br />

“Be rest assured that<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment will not<br />

ab<strong>and</strong>on you in your hour<br />

of need, because we will<br />

take the fight to the b<strong>and</strong>its<br />

where ever they may<br />

be”.<br />

The President, however,<br />

noted that security was<br />

the business of everybody,<br />

more so that there was no<br />

sufficient security personnel<br />

to be posted to every<br />

part of the country in adequate<br />

measure.<br />

“Security <strong>and</strong> the maintenance<br />

of law <strong>and</strong> order<br />

are beyond the capacity<br />

of the men <strong>and</strong> officers of<br />

the security agencies.<br />

Therefore, there is the<br />

need for everyone, especially<br />

leaders in the society,<br />

to contribute towards<br />

ensuring the safety <strong>and</strong><br />

security of their respective<br />

environment” , Buhari<br />

said.<br />

By Abdulmumin<br />

Murtala, Kano<br />

Skyline University Nige<br />

ria, SUN, the first private<br />

university in<br />

Kano,yesterday, matriculated<br />

82 pioneer students.<br />

The students were admitted<br />

into various bachelors’<br />

degree programmes in the<br />

School of Arts Management<br />

& Social Sciences,<br />

SAMSS, as well as the<br />

School of Sciences & Information<br />

Technology, SSIT,<br />

based on the requirements<br />

of the National Universities<br />

Commission, NUC.<br />

The Vice-Chancellor,<br />

Prof Sudhakar Kota, in his<br />

address during the maiden<br />

matriculation ceremony,<br />

held at the university premises,<br />

challenged the students<br />

to take advantage of<br />

the opportunity to become<br />

successful.<br />

“The 2018/2019 academic<br />

year is indeed a <strong>go</strong>od start<br />

for Skyline University Nigeria”,<br />

Kota said.<br />

He urged the students<br />

to make the best out of the<br />

university, saying, “SUN<br />

has given assurance to<br />

provide you with quality<br />

inputs, technological integration,<br />

learning resources<br />

<strong>and</strong> use internationally<br />

accepted peda<strong>go</strong>gies<br />

that will enhance<br />

your knowledge, skills<br />

<strong>and</strong> competencies with<br />

values”.<br />

The Vice Chancellor disclosed<br />

that the university<br />

will provide programmes<br />

on legal studies, engineering<br />

<strong>and</strong> basic medical<br />

courses that are in dire<br />

need in Nigeria <strong>and</strong><br />

across the world.<br />

Kota told the students<br />

that it will not be an easy<br />

ride, but stressed the university’s<br />

commitment to<br />

ensuring that they are<br />

comfortable <strong>and</strong> attain<br />

their dreams at the end<br />

of it all. He affirmed the<br />

university’s commitment<br />

to the protection of the<br />

environment <strong>and</strong><br />

charged the students to<br />

contribute to transforming<br />

SUN to green <strong>and</strong> sustainable<br />

campuses.<br />

In his remarks, the special<br />

guest of honour, the<br />

Emir of Kano, Muhammadu<br />

Sanusi II, encouraged<br />

Kano residents to<br />

apply to the university in<br />

view of its global st<strong>and</strong>ards.<br />

He expressed optimism<br />

that Kano would soon get<br />

more quality doctors <strong>and</strong><br />

engineers after graduating<br />

from the institution.<br />

Insecurity: Ortom calls for fasting <strong>and</strong><br />

prayers<br />

By Peter Duru, Makurdi<br />

Benue State <strong>go</strong>ver<br />

nor, Mr. Samuel<br />

Ortom, has appealed to<br />

the people of the state to<br />

fast <strong>and</strong> pray against<br />

what he described as<br />

evil forces behind bloodshed<br />

<strong>and</strong> destruction of<br />

property in the l<strong>and</strong>.<br />

He also urged the people<br />

to participate in a<br />

one-week prayer <strong>and</strong><br />

fasting programme organized<br />

by the Christian<br />

Association of Nigeria,<br />

CAN, in conjunction<br />

with the state <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

starting next tomorrow.<br />

The <strong>go</strong>vernor, who<br />

spoke, yesterday, at the<br />

NKST Church, Iortyer,<br />

in Makurdi during the<br />

wedding of Mimi Terhemba<br />

<strong>and</strong> Tavershima<br />

Amase, stressed that<br />

God had, severally in the<br />

past, answered the<br />

prayers of the people of<br />

the state during challenging<br />

times.<br />

“We must therefore collectively<br />

approach the<br />

throne of grace by <strong>go</strong>ing<br />

into sincere prayers coupled<br />

with repentance<br />

<strong>and</strong> sustained fasting<br />

particularly against the<br />

rising wave of crime because<br />

such problems<br />

emanate from the spiritual<br />

realm,” Ortom said.<br />

While commending<br />

the church for playing a<br />

pivotal role in his reelection<br />

during the last<br />

general elections, he<br />

pledged to provide quality<br />

leadership that would<br />

uplift the fortunes of the<br />

state.


SUNDAY, Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 7<br />

The couple: Temitope Ademiju <strong>and</strong> his<br />

wife, Omoyeni Oluwapelumi<br />

Pomp as NPAN Secretar<br />

tary’s<br />

daughter weds<br />

IT was pomp <strong>and</strong> pageantry when Omoyeni<br />

Oluwapelumi, daughter of Elder Feyi Smith, the Executive<br />

Secretary of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria<br />

(NPAN), wedded her heartthrob, Temitope Ademiju, son of Pastor<br />

Olukayode Adeyanju penultimate Saturday, in La<strong>go</strong>s. The couple<br />

took their oaths at The Redeemed Christian Church of God,<br />

Fountain of Life Sanctuary, Ikeja Industrial Estate, Ikeja, La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

Photos: Bunmi Azeez<br />

Vanguard’s reporter<br />

er,<br />

Providence<br />

Emmanuel, weds<br />

VANGUARD’S business reporter, Providence<br />

Emmanuel, has signed off her maiden name<br />

to become Mrs. Adeyinka after being joined<br />

in Holy Matrimony with her heartthrob,<br />

Idowu Amos Adeyinka.<br />

The wedlock, which was witnessed by the<br />

families, friends <strong>and</strong> colleagues of the couple,<br />

took place at The Apostolic Church Nigeria,<br />

Morogbo Area Headquarters, Agbara, La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

State on Saturday, April 6, 2019. Photos by<br />

Lamidi Bamidele<br />

L-R: Funmi Ogundeji, Blessing Ajetunmobi <strong>and</strong><br />

Maryjane Ogezi.<br />

Elder Feyi Smith, bride's father; Mr. U<strong>go</strong><br />

Onuoha, former Editor, Champion Newspapers<br />

<strong>and</strong> Mr. Oladiran Smith.<br />

Mr. Olaleye Adeyinka, representing the father<br />

of the groom; Deaconess Theresa<br />

Emmanuel, bride's mother; Mr <strong>and</strong> Mrs<br />

Idowu Amos Adeyinka, (the couple); Mrs<br />

Alice Adeyinka, groom's mother <strong>and</strong> Overseer<br />

Emmanuel Orisi Emmanuel, bride's father<br />

L-R: Pastor Libert Nasamu, his wife<br />

Pastor[Mrs] Bisola <strong>and</strong> Mrs. Wumi Adedo.<br />

L-R: Mrs. Nihinlolamiwa Smith, Mr. Oladiran Smith<br />

<strong>and</strong> Pastor Oluwaseyi Smith.<br />

Kelly Ejimofo <strong>and</strong> Jesse Dati wed<br />

The wedding ceremony between Miss Kelly Ejimofo, <strong>and</strong> Mr Jesse Dati was held at ECWA Church, Jos<br />

L-R: Pastor Jeremiah Olusegun Akinwusi,<br />

Superintendent, The Apostolic Church<br />

Nigeria, Morogbo Area; Mr Olaleye<br />

Adeyinka, representing groom's father; Mr<br />

Oji Joshua <strong>and</strong> Overseer Emmanuel Orisi<br />

Emmanuel, bride's father .<br />

Mr <strong>and</strong> Mrs Jesse Dajen Dati , receiving thier wedding<br />

certificate from the President of ECWA , Rev Stephen<br />

Panya Baba<br />

WMD: Nigeria accounts for 32 per cent of global<br />

malaria deaths — LAPO<br />

By Esther Onyegbula<br />

<strong>No</strong>n-Governmental Or<br />

A ganisation, the Lift<br />

Above Poverty Organisation<br />

(LAPO), says Nigeria accounts<br />

for 32 per cent of the global<br />

estimate of 655,000 malaria<br />

deaths annually with 97 per<br />

cent of the population at risk<br />

of the disease.<br />

The Chief Executive Officer,<br />

LAPO NGO, Ms Sabina Idowu-Osehobo,<br />

made the disclosure<br />

while speaking at the<br />

2019 World Malaria Day<br />

(WMD)programme organised<br />

by the organisation at Akinola/Ifesewapo<br />

Community,<br />

Agbado Oke-Odo LCDA in<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

Idowu-Osehobo, represented<br />

by Mrs S<strong>and</strong>ra Asowata,<br />

Regional Officer, LAPO La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

2 Region, noted that LAPO<br />

was pleased to be a key stakeholder<br />

promoting efforts towards<br />

a zero-Malaria prevalence<br />

in Nigeria.<br />

She said: “Malaria disease<br />

has significant impact on national<br />

economic development<br />

<strong>and</strong> household income.<br />

“Malaria constitutes a huge<br />

epidemiologic burden in Africa<br />

<strong>and</strong> continues to cripple<br />

the economic development in<br />

the region.<br />

“Malaria remains an important<br />

cause of morbidity<br />

<strong>and</strong> mortality in Nigeria with<br />

all year transmission <strong>and</strong> 97<br />

per cent of the population at<br />

risk.<br />

“Nigeria also accounts for<br />

32 per cent of the global estimate<br />

of 655,000 malaria<br />

deaths annually. Malaria victims<br />

are mostly pregnant<br />

women with their unborn babies<br />

<strong>and</strong> children below the<br />

age of five years.”<br />

Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, Deputy Governor-elect of Nassarawa State,<br />

Mrs. Tosan Akabe, with the couple, Miss Kelly Ejimofo <strong>and</strong> Mr.<br />

Jesse Dati, son of Plateau State Commissioner of Information, Hon<br />

Yakubu Dati.<br />

*Dignitaries during the World Malaria Day programme organised<br />

by LAPO.<br />

According to her, Malaria<br />

is responsible for 60 per cent<br />

of outpatient visits to health<br />

facilities, 30 per cent of<br />

childhood death, 25 per cent<br />

of death in children under one<br />

year <strong>and</strong> 11 per cent of<br />

maternal death in Nigeria.<br />

Idowu-Osehobo noted that<br />

Malaria was a major cause<br />

of increasing household poverty<br />

<strong>and</strong> slow phase of national development<br />

as over N132 billion was expended<br />

annually on treatment costs,<br />

prevention <strong>and</strong> loss of man-hours.<br />

On his part, the Baale of Ifesowapo/<br />

Akinola Kingdom, Chief Amos Akinola,<br />

Otatu 1, thanked LAPO for extending<br />

the anti-malaria sensitisation<br />

to the community <strong>and</strong> also for distributing<br />

free insecticidal treated nets<br />

to his people.<br />

L-R: Mr Babajide Komolafe, Deputy Business<br />

Editor; Mr Tony Ubani, Group Sports<br />

Editor, Vanguard Newspapers; a guest, <strong>and</strong><br />

Mr. Bonny Asieba.<br />

L-R: Pastor Olayooye Samson, General<br />

Overseer, Tabernacle of Safety Church,<br />

Goshen Camp, Igbesa; his wife, Favour;<br />

Overseer Emmanuel Orisi Emmanuel, bride's<br />

father <strong>and</strong> Mr. Hassan Balogun, Admin Manager,<br />

Vanguard Newspapers.


PAGE 8 — SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

08112662589<br />

Are men who deny paternity cowards?<br />

When Bukky’s husb<strong>and</strong> died<br />

suddenly of a heart attack<br />

tude was touching, refusing the<br />

in his early 60s, she was inconsolable.<br />

They’d been inseparable over<br />

out of the door. “That was my<br />

offered refreshments, he bolted<br />

the decades <strong>and</strong> the obituary she<br />

half-brother” Wemi, my relative<br />

put in the papers would draw tears<br />

told me, “But my mum knows<br />

from a sadist’s eyes. She cut a pitiable<br />

figure as her husb<strong>and</strong> laid in<br />

the last person to tell her’.<br />

nothing about him, <strong>and</strong> I will be<br />

state in the beautiful expensive<br />

Apparently, Wemi’s mum is the<br />

casket she had insisted he bought.<br />

type who has a tight control over<br />

As sympathisers filed past the<br />

her husb<strong>and</strong>. He’d promised her<br />

corpse, a little boy of about ten<br />

when they <strong>go</strong>t married that he<br />

stood rooted to the spot, gazing<br />

would never take a second wife.<br />

with the morbid fascination children<br />

have for the dead. The<br />

have children by other women?<br />

But did that mean he would never<br />

widow was now curious. “Whose<br />

Wemi was just 15 when her halfbrother<br />

was born. “My dad never<br />

child is that?”<br />

She wanted to know thinking<br />

acknowledge him publicly for<br />

he might be a relative’s child.<br />

fear mum would leave him”, she<br />

<strong>No</strong>body offered an answer in<br />

said. “As a matter of fact, I was<br />

spite of the fact that she could be<br />

the lad who came to introduce<br />

heard loud <strong>and</strong> clear. That really<br />

himself to me when he <strong>go</strong>t admission<br />

into a polytechnic <strong>and</strong><br />

made her suspicious. She then<br />

asked one of her daughters to<br />

his mother couldn’t afford the<br />

find out who the little boy was.<br />

fees. He was a spitting image of<br />

The daughter shrugged <strong>and</strong> told<br />

my dad too <strong>and</strong> I promised to see<br />

her mother they would discuss<br />

him through his higher education.<br />

Since then, he’d always been<br />

the matter later. That she knew<br />

who the boy was.<br />

there for me whenever I want<br />

time for heaven’s sake. Everyone tell me of the existence of a wife<br />

She quickly for<strong>go</strong>t her grief<br />

anything done – unlike my full<br />

has their skeletons rattling in the with whom he had a child who<br />

<strong>and</strong> comported herself. Were<br />

siblings.<br />

cupboard <strong>and</strong> I would have preferred<br />

my late husb<strong>and</strong> to tell me children”. Wouldn’t it have saved<br />

was as precious to him as my<br />

people laughing at her show of<br />

“When I asked dad about him,<br />

deep bereavement, knowing of he<br />

he looked a bit frightened. He<br />

about the existence of a child a lot of people unnecessary<br />

little boy’s presence <strong>and</strong> probably<br />

her mother’s? Or do they<br />

but when I told him that I’d al-<br />

pleaded I shouldn’t tell my mum<br />

rather than find out in this cruel heartaches if Bukky’s husb<strong>and</strong><br />

way. I mean you can imagine how had come clean about his other<br />

feel sorry for her? Talk about the<br />

ready agreed to see the poor lads<br />

desperate he boy’s mother would child before he died? And poor<br />

wife being the last to know! But<br />

through school, he was so pathetically<br />

grateful that I felt sorry<br />

have been to <strong>pay</strong> his last respect Bukky’s daughter was so afraid<br />

did that make her departed husb<strong>and</strong><br />

any less the wonderful hus-<br />

for him. Why was he hiding the<br />

to his father.<br />

to tell her mum about her halfbrother<br />

for fear of what? Some<br />

“She’d carefully dressed him up<br />

b<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> father she remembered<br />

child? What about the poor boy’s<br />

in his best suit <strong>and</strong> the boy had years back, I was with a relation<br />

him to be?<br />

mother? I later learnt she hadn’t<br />

obviously been schooled not to when she had this male visitor<br />

“That’s hardly the point, is it?<br />

married well <strong>and</strong> her three other<br />

utter a word. He just stared. I who looked a bit apologetic<br />

She said heatedly a few days after<br />

the funeral. “He succeeded in<br />

my half-brother. A little financial<br />

children weren’t better off than<br />

will never forget that scene as long when he was ushered in. He’d<br />

as I live. It is sad that we were obviously discussed money matters<br />

with her as she presented him<br />

deceiving me over he years.<br />

help from dad from time to time<br />

married for so long without my<br />

Things like this happen all of the<br />

would have made a lot of difference.<br />

The thing is dad had<br />

husb<strong>and</strong> trusting me enough to with a fat envelope. His grati-<br />

been<br />

in trouble with the law once <strong>and</strong><br />

it was mum’s family that bailed<br />

him out. But that doesn’t mean<br />

he has to be grateful to her for<br />

the rest of his life.”<br />

Wemi’s dad finally kicked the<br />

bucket early this year <strong>and</strong> the<br />

truth was out when the obituary<br />

came out with the man’s name<br />

as the third child. He’s done well<br />

at school <strong>and</strong> has a very <strong>go</strong>od<br />

businesses selling cell phones<br />

<strong>and</strong> SIM cards to various outlets<br />

all over the place.” Mum<br />

pretended to be shocked at first”,<br />

Wemi said. “But I had this feeling<br />

she knew all along about this<br />

man (you can hardly call him a<br />

boy now!)<br />

He formally met mum before<br />

the funeral but came the day of<br />

the funeral reception, his table<br />

was impressive. It was with pride<br />

that I poached choice wine <strong>and</strong><br />

food from his wife who showed<br />

me more respect than my siblings<br />

<strong>and</strong> their partners! I was<br />

proud of the difference I made<br />

in his life.<br />

“I wish dad were alive to see<br />

how well turned out his secret<br />

son had been. He knew he was<br />

doing well, but he would never<br />

guess it was well enough to almost<br />

outshine his other `legitimate’<br />

children. <strong>No</strong>body gives a<br />

damn these days how you have<br />

your child or with whom as long<br />

as that child is not delinquent!”<br />

Thankfully, as far as the law<br />

<strong>go</strong>es now, there’s no ‘illegitimate’<br />

child as long as such child is acknowledged<br />

by its dad. This will<br />

surely bring some sanity to inheritance<br />

law <strong>and</strong> the right of the<br />

‘other’ child.<br />

Sex, Marriage And Relationship<br />

– A Practical Guide<br />

oday I am yielding this<br />

Tcolumn for an excerpt from<br />

the book, Sex, Relationship &<br />

Marriage: What Your Mother<br />

Didn’t Tell You. This unputdownable<br />

book is authored by Ade<br />

Ebimomi, the CEO of FDIB Limited.<br />

Ade, a friend of over three decades,<br />

is a very brilliant <strong>and</strong> successful<br />

investment broker <strong>and</strong><br />

Consulting Economist with specialities<br />

in Development Economics<br />

<strong>and</strong> Foreign Direct Investment.<br />

A straight-talking individual<br />

<strong>and</strong> a compulsive writer,<br />

Ade does not limit himself in any<br />

way. I have read a lot of his writings<br />

- from politics to economics<br />

– <strong>and</strong> I am always amazed at the<br />

clarity of his thoughts <strong>and</strong> ideas.<br />

Below is a cut from Chapter 13<br />

of the book, titled – Do <strong>No</strong>t Be In<br />

A Hurry, Guys. Ade asks a few<br />

questions on why society puts too<br />

much pressure on newly wedded<br />

couples to have children. Enjoy<br />

the excerpt -<br />

One of the felicitations friends<br />

<strong>and</strong> family kept sending my way<br />

after my daughter's wedding was,<br />

"Congrats! You will soon become<br />

a gr<strong>and</strong>pa".<br />

While this message is obviously<br />

a beautiful <strong>and</strong> well-intentioned<br />

one, I've had to ask a few of these<br />

friends why they think I would<br />

actually want to be a gr<strong>and</strong>father<br />

right after my daughter's marriage.<br />

Kids are great - <strong>and</strong> coming<br />

from me, that's really an understatement<br />

- <strong>and</strong> their arrival is<br />

seen as completing the family, as<br />

well as it is incontrovertible evidence<br />

that the newly-married couple<br />

is fertile.<br />

But kids that come even before<br />

the ink dries on the marriage certificate?<br />

I have my strong reservations<br />

about that.<br />

And I had a long discussion with<br />

my daughter <strong>and</strong> her husb<strong>and</strong><br />

about this a few days after their<br />

wedding.<br />

What is wrong in a newly-married<br />

couple - especially one where<br />

both spouses are still relatively<br />

young - spending the next one or<br />

two years just enjoying themselves<br />

exclusively?<br />

<strong>No</strong> kids for that one or two years,<br />

that is.<br />

What is wrong in spending the<br />

next one or two years solidifying<br />

their love <strong>and</strong> friendship, building<br />

bonds <strong>and</strong> creating memories<br />

that would last a lifetime?<br />

What is wrong if they spend the<br />

next one or two years <strong>go</strong>ing to<br />

work, coming back <strong>and</strong> generally<br />

being each other's companion, to<br />

the exclusion of all <strong>others</strong>?<br />

Why should a young, newly<br />

married couple rush into becoming<br />

parents?<br />

Yes, that's what the society wants<br />

<strong>and</strong> that's what the society expects,<br />

but who cares?<br />

Has the 'society' ever bothered<br />

to pause <strong>and</strong> look at the drawbacks<br />

of early parenthood for a<br />

newly married couple?<br />

Child-bearing <strong>and</strong> child-nurturing<br />

are two of the hardest endeavours<br />

in life, <strong>and</strong> most stressful.<br />

They bring so much dem<strong>and</strong> on<br />

the couple's time, finances <strong>and</strong><br />

physical wellbeing that often times,<br />

extreme <strong>and</strong> debilitating stress<br />

(<strong>and</strong> sometimes, illness) becomes<br />

inevitable.<br />

Apart from the ever-present danger<br />

of post-partum depression on<br />

the young mother's side, <strong>and</strong> the<br />

obligatory dem<strong>and</strong>s on the finances<br />

of the young father, childbirth<br />

<strong>and</strong> child-nurturing leave<br />

a young couple feeling like the<br />

other party is responsible for the<br />

state they are in <strong>and</strong> are not doing<br />

enough to help the other out.<br />

Friction, resentment <strong>and</strong> subconscious<br />

regrets usually follow.<br />

A young woman who, barely 10<br />

months a<strong>go</strong>, was in total control<br />

of her time <strong>and</strong> her resources<br />

wake up <strong>and</strong> <strong>go</strong> to bed whenever<br />

she wants, pursues her business<br />

or professional hustles without<br />

let or hindrance, to now have<br />

to wake up at odd hours, hardly<br />

even sleeping herself, <strong>and</strong> rather<br />

than the constant snuggles of the<br />

strong, warm body of her husb<strong>and</strong>,<br />

cradles an infant, an adorable<br />

infant nonetheless, one who<br />

tugs at the strings of her heart as<br />

she tugs at her sore nipples.<br />

A young man who, barely 10<br />

months prior, enjoyed the weekend<br />

watching the English Premier<br />

League, his beautiful babe<br />

on his lap, a bottle of beer in his<br />

left h<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> the TV remote in<br />

his right.<br />

Today, as his young wife spends<br />

practically every waking hour<br />

tending a baby whose three pre-<br />

occupations in life for that<br />

period are sleeping at odd<br />

hours, crying <strong>and</strong> getting<br />

fed, the young man feels<br />

left out <strong>and</strong> side-tracked.<br />

Of course, his attempt at<br />

fatherly role at that early<br />

period is most often rebuffed<br />

by the mother-inlaw<br />

who has come for<br />

omugwo.<br />

Naturally, a mother's caring<br />

instinct is to her offspring<br />

first (ever seen a<br />

brooding hen fight off a<br />

threatening hawk?) before<br />

her husb<strong>and</strong>. That is the<br />

way Mother Nature <strong>go</strong>t it<br />

made.<br />

Men are, therefore, left<br />

to hold the extremely<br />

short end of a stick that<br />

came in already short to<br />

start with. They are wont<br />

to feel estranged <strong>and</strong><br />

ab<strong>and</strong>oned - even when<br />

they barely notice or willing<br />

to admit it.<br />

Subconsciously, they would<br />

start wishing for the <strong>go</strong>od old<br />

days when it was just him <strong>and</strong><br />

his babe, getting all the attention<br />

<strong>and</strong> rolling in the hay whenever<br />

the body needed it.<br />

Sadly, some of these new husb<strong>and</strong>s,<br />

in a selfish bid to connect<br />

with their strafing bachelor days,<br />

reopen lines of communication<br />

with an ex-girlfriend or two, <strong>and</strong><br />

end up rekindling an affair with<br />

her. And putting his new marriage<br />

in danger.<br />

Where the ex has been a onceloving<br />

<strong>and</strong> ever-caring lady,<br />

chances are that she may dig her<br />

fangs so deep into the new husb<strong>and</strong><br />

that extricating himself <strong>and</strong><br />

finding his way back to his babynursing<br />

young wife becomes an<br />

onerous task.<br />

And this circle is hardly ever<br />

interrupted or stopped before irreparable<br />

damage occurs.<br />

For, while the man (<strong>and</strong> the<br />

wife) is still trying to get to grips<br />

with not having his wife to himself<br />

during the day, <strong>and</strong> barely<br />

able to recognize his present<br />

sleeping (or lack of it) arrangement,<br />

the second child pops in.<br />

And then the third.<br />

And possibly the fourth.<br />

Sadly, also, many men never<br />

truly recover from this fall.<br />

Many have been known to just<br />

coast along with the wife at home,<br />

keeping up appearances of a<br />

perfect husb<strong>and</strong>, while the heart<br />

<strong>and</strong> mind are really with the girl<br />

outside - one whose total, unfettered<br />

<strong>and</strong> unshared attention he<br />

gets.<br />

And people tend to underestimate<br />

the importance of regular,<br />

uninterrupted sexual encounters<br />

in a fresh marriage.<br />

For a guy who has perhaps kept<br />

himself celibate for years during<br />

dating - either deliberately or<br />

forced on him by the fiance - you<br />

better know it now that that guy,<br />

by the time his marriage rolls<br />

around, already has a quiver full<br />

of arrows, arrows that he has serious<br />

plans to shoot the way of<br />

his sexy <strong>and</strong> delectable wife, one<br />

night after the other.<br />

Then, because society expects<br />

the wife to carry a protruding<br />

stomach a few months into her<br />

new marriage, Mister Lover Boy<br />

would only have shot only one<br />

or two of the arrows in his quiver,<br />

<strong>and</strong> Aunty New One would start<br />

spewing sputum <strong>and</strong> vomiting<br />

all over the place.<br />

I ask, what does the society<br />

expect our strafing the young<br />

man to do with the remaining<br />

arrows - a young man literally<br />

bursting at the seams with all the<br />

stocked-up 2-year semen in his<br />

scrotal sac?<br />

C'mon, let's get real!<br />

This guy wakes up in the middle<br />

of the night to enjoy his Godgiven<br />

<strong>and</strong> society-sanctioned<br />

better half, <strong>and</strong> what does he see?<br />

A poor woman exhausted from<br />

carrying a protruding stomach<br />

around all day, characteristically<br />

deeply snoring!<br />

Even a hard-pressed, sexstarved<br />

man would just take pity<br />

on her; cover her up while bottling<br />

his sexual needs.<br />

It gets worse when the baby finally<br />

arrives.<br />

Get a copy of Sex, Relationship<br />

& Marriage: What Your Mother<br />

Didn’t Tell You, by Ade Ebimomi<br />

to read this <strong>and</strong> many more practical<br />

stories. Available on Amazon<br />

C<br />

M<br />

Y<br />

K


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 9<br />

•Ngige- Minister<br />

of Labour <strong>and</strong><br />

Employment<br />

BUHARI’S MINISTER’S ‘SURPLUS DOCTORS’ CONTROVERSY<br />

Why Nigerian doctors are<br />

rushing abroad – NMA, <strong>others</strong><br />

•’We have excess doctor<br />

ors s if we add traditional healers’<br />

•My stor<br />

ory, , by y Ngige<br />

By Chioma Obinna<br />

For almost a decade, the<br />

exodus of Nigerian doctors to<br />

other countries has led to<br />

acute shortages in the nation’s<br />

various medical specialities.<br />

Some years a<strong>go</strong>, a former President of the<br />

Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr<br />

Osahon Enabulele, had said that about twothirds<br />

of Nigerian doctors who leave the<br />

country end up practising medicine in<br />

foreign countries while some of them switch<br />

professions.<br />

According to him, of the 72, 000 doctors<br />

registered with the Medical <strong>and</strong> Dental<br />

Council of Nigeria (MDCN), only about<br />

27,000 are practising in Nigeria while<br />

<strong>others</strong> are practising outside the country.<br />

Enabulele also revealed that up to 7,000<br />

Nigerian doctors<br />

combined work in British<br />

<strong>and</strong> American public<br />

health sectors, while some<br />

have left the medical<br />

profession on account of<br />

better working conditions<br />

in other professions. While<br />

WHO recommends one<br />

doctor to 600 patients, in<br />

Nigeria, due to the acute<br />

shortage, one doctor<br />

attends to around 6,000<br />

patients.<br />

And with the nation’s<br />

population put at 170<br />

million some years back,<br />

experts said the country<br />

needs not less than<br />

283,333 doctors to meet<br />

global st<strong>and</strong>ards. <strong>No</strong>w,<br />

Nigeria obviously needs<br />

more than 283,333 as the<br />

population has reportedly<br />

escalated to almost 200<br />

million with over 2,000<br />

doctors migrating to the<br />

United Kingdom, United<br />

States, Canada, Australia,<br />

United Arab Emirates<br />

(UAE), <strong>and</strong> South Africa,<br />

among <strong>others</strong>, every year. Also, figures<br />

released in February 2018 by the British<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment indicated that no fewer than<br />

5,405 Nigerian-trained doctors <strong>and</strong> nurses<br />

were working with the British National<br />

Health Service (NHS). It showed that<br />

Nigerian medics constituted 3.9 per cent of<br />

the 137,000 foreign staff of 202<br />

Even a blind<br />

man knows<br />

we don’t have<br />

enough<br />

doctors<br />

except he is<br />

referring to<br />

traditional<br />

doctors<br />

nationalities working alongside British<br />

doctors <strong>and</strong> nurses in the United Kingdom<br />

(UK). Nigeria’s poor doctor-patient ratio<br />

(roughly 1:6000) is regrettable, according<br />

to analysts, when compared to the ratio of<br />

doctor-patient in India (1:2083) <strong>and</strong> in the<br />

United States (1:500) apparently due to the<br />

fact that fresh doctors no longer see a bright<br />

future within the shores of Nigeria. Despite<br />

this disturbing scenario that has worsened<br />

the nation’s health indices <strong>and</strong> promoted<br />

medical tourism, the Minister of Labour<br />

<strong>and</strong> Employment, Dr. Emeka Ngige, last<br />

week, was quoted as saying he was not<br />

worried about the situation. “<strong>No</strong>, I’m not<br />

concerned at all. I’m not worried. We have<br />

surplus. If you have surplus, you export. It<br />

happened at one time with Indian teachers<br />

here. I was taught biology <strong>and</strong> chemistry<br />

by Indian teachers in my secondary school<br />

days. They’re surplus in their<br />

country. We’re surplus in<br />

the medical field here. I can<br />

tell you, it’s my area. We have<br />

excess. We have more than<br />

enough”, Ngige allegedly<br />

said on a television<br />

programme. He was<br />

reportedly responding to a<br />

question on alleged braindrain<br />

in the medical sector<br />

against the backdrop of the<br />

recent visit of a delegation<br />

from Saudi Arabia to recruit<br />

doctors to work in the<br />

Middle-East country.<br />

Sunday Vanguard spoke to<br />

some leaders of the various<br />

medical associations,<br />

among <strong>others</strong>, on the<br />

controversy the Labour<br />

Minister’s statement, who<br />

is also a medical doctor, is<br />

generating. To them, the<br />

statement was a reflection<br />

of the fact that those who<br />

make policies have no<br />

solution to the problems in<br />

the health sector. They<br />

argued that Nigeria needs<br />

about six times of what we<br />

have on ground for minimal acceptability.<br />

Ngige displayed ignorance –<br />

National Secretary, NMA, Dr<br />

Olumuyiwa Odusote<br />

I see the statement of the Minister of<br />

Labour as displaying ignorance of the<br />

problems on the ground which is<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment’s primary responsibility to<br />

solve. It is not true <strong>and</strong> I am sure the rest<br />

of us know that many doctors are leaving<br />

in droves. We have less than 40,000 doctors<br />

<strong>and</strong> many are leaving on monthly basis<br />

which further drops the number <strong>and</strong> the<br />

population of those leaving keeps<br />

increasing. If you have one doctor to about<br />

5,000 Nigerians, is what he said is surplus?<br />

Then we have a big problem in our h<strong>and</strong>s.<br />

When the World Health Organisation,<br />

WHO, is saying that the <strong>minimum</strong> we<br />

should have is one doctor to 600 patients, I<br />

don’t underst<strong>and</strong> the basis for the minister’s<br />

assertion <strong>and</strong>, definitely, it is not supported<br />

with facts. His statement is on the contrary.<br />

I think that the problem here is on the<br />

utilization of skilled manpower. It is the<br />

duty of <strong>go</strong>vernment to assess the need <strong>and</strong><br />

distribute available resources appropriately<br />

<strong>and</strong>, if the <strong>go</strong>vernment cannot assess <strong>and</strong><br />

determine what we need, then we have a<br />

major problem. If those who make policies<br />

are saying we don’t have problems, it means<br />

no one will find solution to the problems<br />

because they don’t perceive that there are<br />

problems. It also means that the health<br />

system has a very long way to <strong>go</strong> if this<br />

opinion is what is held in the Federal<br />

Executive Council. The NMA has been<br />

doing a lot in terms of brain-drain. Last<br />

year, the theme of our conference focused<br />

on brain-drain. And next week we are <strong>go</strong>ing<br />

to hold our annual delegates meeting in<br />

Abakaliki, Ebonyi State <strong>and</strong> brain-drain is<br />

also <strong>go</strong>ing to be the main theme. We are<br />

trying to bring it to the fore <strong>and</strong> find<br />

solution. We have invited all the tiers of<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment, from the President down to the<br />

chief medical directors of teaching<br />

hospitals <strong>and</strong> general hospitals, to attend<br />

the meeting so that we can brainstorm <strong>and</strong><br />

everybody will appreciate the magnitude<br />

of the problem. And then work out a<br />

solution. We have been in the media<br />

advocating, making noise <strong>and</strong> trying to<br />

push for a solution. In 2017, the Vice<br />

President responded that <strong>go</strong>vernment was<br />

<strong>go</strong>ing to do something to reverse braindrain.<br />

It is pathetic that two years after, one<br />

of the serving ministers is encouraging<br />

doctors to <strong>go</strong> abroad because he knows one<br />

or two doctors who went abroad, 25 years<br />

a<strong>go</strong>, <strong>and</strong> came back to establish one or two<br />

centres which are catering for 10 or at most<br />

30 patients a month in a country of 200<br />

million. That is like a drop in an ocean. It is<br />

not <strong>go</strong>ing to impact any of the worst indices<br />

that we have in the world. We are talking<br />

about reversing the trend by ensuring that<br />

Nigerians are able to live longer, <strong>and</strong> in<br />

<strong>go</strong>od health, <strong>and</strong>, for that to happen, we<br />

have to look at it in totality. <strong>No</strong>t just what<br />

happened in a few urban centres where only<br />

the rich can afford the service. We are<br />

talking about what is happening in the rural<br />

areas where the people cannot access basic<br />

care <strong>and</strong> survive long enough to change<br />

their economy <strong>and</strong> the economy of the<br />

nation.<br />

It is unfortunate that a<br />

minister is encouraging<br />

brain-drain – La<strong>go</strong>s NMA<br />

Chairman, Dr Saliu Oseni<br />

It’s an unfortunate situation that a<br />

minister of the federation is encouraging<br />

brain-drain. Currently, we have about<br />

35,000 doctors serving a population of over<br />

200 million, which means you have one<br />

doctor to about 5,700 citizens. This ratio is<br />

frightening in some rural areas. Studies<br />

have shown that Nigeria has 0.2 doctors<br />

per 1,000 populations compared to the UK<br />

<strong>and</strong> Germany which have 2.8 <strong>and</strong> 4<br />

respectively. WHO has recommended one<br />

doctor to 600 populations; so if a minister,<br />

who happens to be a doctor, can be saying<br />

we have surplus doctors, it’s clear why our<br />

health sector is in ruins. We currently have<br />

one of the highest perinatal mortality,<br />

maternal <strong>and</strong> infant mortality <strong>and</strong> yet a<br />

minister is encouraging brain-drain. It<br />

means we have more problems than we<br />

think, as there is need to have appropriate<br />

insight into a problem to render solution.<br />

So, one can best imagine the advice of such<br />

doctor in the Federal Executive Council<br />

meeting on matters of manpower deficit in<br />

the health sector. Even a blind man knows<br />

we don’t have enough doctors except he is<br />

referring to traditional doctors. We will still<br />

advise <strong>go</strong>vernment to improve the welfare<br />

package of health professionals to<br />

discourage their migration <strong>and</strong> also support<br />

the establishment of more medical schools<br />

to churn out more doctors. It’s clear why we<br />

had the rot in the health sector. We can be<br />

sure that even the ministry of health doesn’t<br />

have the correct population of its staff. Well,<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment is trying to show some interest<br />

of recent but complete sincerity is only what<br />

God knows. That’s why we are saying that<br />

medical tourism should be denied public<br />

officers, so that they can feel the effect of<br />

bad <strong>go</strong>vernance on the people. Also, don’t<br />

Continues on page 10


PAGE 10 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

’We have excess doctors if<br />

we add traditional healers’<br />

•Dr Odusote<br />

•Dr Oseni<br />

• Dr Olokpa<br />

•Dr Adeyeye<br />

Arigbabuwo •Dr Moronkola •Prof Lesi<br />

Continued from page 9<br />

forget that a doctor sees between 50 <strong>and</strong> 70<br />

patients per clinic in eight hours.<br />

He appears not to be abreast<br />

with challenges of the health<br />

sector - National President,<br />

Association of Resident<br />

Doctors, Dr Olaopa<br />

The minister appears not to be abreast of<br />

the challenges in the health sector. It is<br />

unfortunate he had to delve into a matter<br />

he did not appear to know much about.<br />

When the minister begins to think about<br />

the foreign exchange of a critical social<br />

issue <strong>and</strong> health of Nigerians, it is a<br />

misplaced statement on Nigeria’s health<br />

indices. He should work on his<br />

subordinates to give him correct<br />

information or he should seek information<br />

by himself <strong>and</strong> sincerely approach such issue<br />

of national importance because, how do<br />

you address the challenge of inadequate<br />

manpower in the health sector when you<br />

think you have enough? The few doctors<br />

that are still around are unemployed or<br />

underemployed. And the<br />

employed ones are battling<br />

to provide services in a poor<br />

work environment <strong>and</strong><br />

improper remuneration.<br />

What is obvious is that the<br />

minister doesn’t even<br />

appreciate the problems of<br />

job stress <strong>and</strong> dissatisfaction,<br />

a patient having to wait long<br />

hours to see the few<br />

available doctors amid the<br />

overall disenchantment with<br />

the Nigerian health sector.<br />

He can be excused of such<br />

reckless statement as a<br />

politician but the Federal<br />

Ministry of Labour <strong>and</strong><br />

Employment should have<br />

done better.<br />

Statement is<br />

display of comedy -<br />

President, HCPAN,<br />

Dr Adeyeye<br />

Arigbabuwo<br />

The unfortunate utterance<br />

of the Hon. Minister of<br />

Labour, Dr Ngige, has irked<br />

virtually all groups in the<br />

healthcare industry,<br />

especially those with a fair<br />

sense of responsibility <strong>and</strong><br />

unbiased appraisal of the<br />

situation. For this reason,<br />

what we could obtain from<br />

the archives of the leadership<br />

of Healthcare Providers<br />

Association of Nigeria in the<br />

form of objective <strong>and</strong><br />

reasonable statistics are as<br />

follows: Estimated<br />

population of Nigeria of 710<br />

million people while the<br />

population of registered<br />

doctors from the records of the appropriate<br />

authorities is 40,000. Nigeria has urban <strong>and</strong><br />

rural population. In the urban population, we<br />

have 30% of 170,000,000 = 50,000,000<br />

people <strong>and</strong> rural population of 70% of<br />

170,000,000=120,000,000. 30 per cent of<br />

40,000 doctors give 12,000 doctors. These<br />

12,000 doctors cover the healthcare services<br />

of 120,000,000 rural population while 70 per<br />

cent of 40,000, that is, 28,000 doctors, provide<br />

services for urban 50,000,000 people. In<br />

conclusion, more doctors (28,000) serve urban<br />

population of 50,000,000 people whereas<br />

lesser doctors (12,000) serve the thickly<br />

populated rural areas of 150,000,000 people.<br />

To the urban population, absence <strong>and</strong> shortage<br />

of specialists is the real brain-drain while to<br />

the rural settlement, the absence of the<br />

primary care doctor is the de facto braindrain.<br />

What is the tail of an elephant to<br />

someone with a <strong>go</strong>od sight may be perceived<br />

as a stick to a blind man. This is maldistribution<br />

of statistical paradox <strong>and</strong><br />

parallax. Also, a faulty elitist summary is<br />

drawing a conclusion to assert that we have<br />

urban ‘pseudo’ overpopulated doctors without<br />

considering even where doctors are needed<br />

most in the rural population that is grossly<br />

underserved. <strong>No</strong> matter the angle of<br />

My ‘excess doctor<br />

ors’<br />

stor<br />

ory, , by y Ngige<br />

he ,Minister of Labour <strong>and</strong> Employment, Dr Chris Ngige,<br />

Tdenied saying Nigeria has medical doctors in excess even<br />

as he insisted that Nigeria has enough medical personnel to<br />

h<strong>and</strong>le non-specialist areas in the rural areas of the country.<br />

He claimed he had been misquoted, (in his TV interview) <strong>and</strong><br />

that what he actually said was that since there was insufficient<br />

space for residency training for medical doctors in the country,<br />

graduates of medicine who could not find space were free to<br />

seek such training in other countries <strong>and</strong> become professionals<br />

in their chosen fields.<br />

The minister said he is aware that Nigeria is in dire need of<br />

specialists in various branches of medicine.<br />

“I speak from the vantage position of being a medical doctor<br />

<strong>and</strong> member, Nigerian Medical Association, since June 1979<br />

<strong>and</strong> enriched by my vast knowledge on health administration,<br />

having retired as a Deputy Director, Medical Services <strong>and</strong><br />

Training from the Federal Ministry of Health in 1998, member<br />

of Vision 2010 Committee on Health as well as senior member,<br />

Senate Committee on Health 2011-2015,” he said in a statement<br />

released by his media aide, Nwachukwu Obidiwe.<br />

“Therefore, the truth no matter how it hurts, must be told <strong>and</strong><br />

reality, boldly faced. I invite opinion moulders especially those<br />

who have spoken or written on this issue to watch the full clip of<br />

my interview with the channels.<br />

“And it is for this reason that I admitted having a little cause to<br />

worry about brain drain among medical doctors. The fact is<br />

that while the Federal Government has recorded a remarkably<br />

steady improvement in our healthcare system, Nigeria is yet to<br />

get there.<br />

“We do not at present have enough health facilities to<br />

accommodate all the doctors seeking to do tertiary specialist<br />

training (residency) in the Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical<br />

Centres <strong>and</strong> few accredited state <strong>and</strong> private specialist centres<br />

in the country where roughly 20% of the yearly applicants are<br />

absorbed while the remaining 80%, try their luck elsewhere.”<br />

observation, be it in rural or urban areas, we<br />

have a statistical distribution of the faulty<br />

doctor-patient ratio in Nigeria. Somehow,<br />

some other groups experience some form of<br />

shortage. The pattern may be different. But it<br />

is clear doctors are leaving en masse. What<br />

we expect, according to the NMA President,<br />

Prof Francis Faduyile, <strong>and</strong> WHO index for a<br />

poor nation like Nigeria is 1:600 doctorpatient<br />

ratio; but we are currently grinding<br />

with 1:3,600; it appears, therefore, we need<br />

about six times of what we have on ground for<br />

minimal acceptability. We have nations on<br />

1:200; 1:150; 1:1000; 1:500 etc. But why is<br />

the Nigerian situation this bad? Even the<br />

abysmally poor health indices are enough<br />

signals of the poor quality, quantity,<br />

harmonisation <strong>and</strong> coordination of human<br />

resource in health in Nigeria. Training<br />

facilities <strong>and</strong> structures are not even enabling.<br />

Private providers cry loud <strong>and</strong> relocate. Why<br />

do we shy away from accepting responsibility?<br />

Why don’t we own up when we are wrong?<br />

Some people in authority advised these doctors<br />

recently to <strong>go</strong> for fashion designing, fishery,<br />

<strong>and</strong> perhaps carpentry. They believe that, as<br />

doctors, they would fare better in those areas<br />

of specialty. It is public humiliation <strong>and</strong><br />

embarrassment. Alas, some who have also<br />

crossed the river but removing the<br />

bridge are still suggesting that the<br />

sojourn in the diaspora is a form of<br />

s’<br />

profitable medical tourism for<br />

Nigeria. Is this not acceptance of<br />

self-exile to endorse corporate<br />

slavery knowing well that the<br />

Nigerian <strong>go</strong>vernment has not<br />

created a seamless environment for<br />

health workers as exemplified by<br />

the doctors’ case now? A man is<br />

not short changed until he submits<br />

himself deliberately for oppression.<br />

Let no one be deceived. If the cabinet<br />

members of our President hold this<br />

view concerning doctors, then their<br />

multitude of counsel to Mr<br />

President, who is not a member of<br />

the health sector, will simply be that<br />

the best testimony of all season is<br />

the one you obtain directly from the<br />

very major stakeholders. After all,<br />

no one can be more Catholic than<br />

the Pope. HCPAN, therefore, views<br />

the unfortunate statement of the<br />

minister as a mere display of<br />

comedy, oiled with executive<br />

utterance <strong>and</strong> painfully painted<br />

against national interest. We are<br />

gradually bringing the medical<br />

profession to the lowest ebb even by<br />

the supposed custodians. We are,<br />

therefore, monitoring closely, <strong>and</strong><br />

want to restate our unalloyed<br />

cooperation with the NMA <strong>and</strong><br />

other professional groups, whose<br />

interest <strong>and</strong> perhaps relevance is<br />

being brought to disrepute before<br />

the population they serve whenever<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment is faced with seeming<br />

failure in their responsibilities. It is<br />

doctors today. Who knows whose<br />

turn it will be tomorrow!<br />

We don’t have enough<br />

doctors – Provost of<br />

College of Medicine,<br />

University of La<strong>go</strong>s, Prof. Lesi<br />

Afolabi<br />

We don’t have enough doctors because if<br />

you have a population of 190 million <strong>and</strong>,<br />

given the number of doctors practising in the<br />

country, which is about 32,00 to 35,000<br />

doctors, that number is inadequate. It is about<br />

a ratio population of one doctor to 5000<br />

patients in contravention of WHO<br />

recommendation of one to 600 patients. Even<br />

though we have about 72,000 registered<br />

doctors, that will not give us a true reflection<br />

of the number of doctors because many of<br />

them are practising in the diaspora. There are<br />

not enough doctors for our population. In our<br />

medical college, we produce about 200<br />

medical doctors <strong>and</strong> dentists annually. <strong>No</strong>t<br />

all medical colleges have the same quota of<br />

training. We <strong>and</strong> the University of Ibadan have<br />

the largest quota <strong>and</strong> a few first generation<br />

universities. Others have less; there are over<br />

40 universities offering medicine <strong>and</strong>, if you<br />

do the maths, on the average, they will be<br />

producing not more than 2000 or 3000<br />

doctors per year. The more competent person<br />

to talk about this is the Minister of Health<br />

<strong>and</strong> not the Minister of Labour. I cannot<br />

comment on the statement of the Minister of<br />

Labour because he is not the competent person<br />

to talk about the health workforce. The<br />

Minister of Health is the person to answer<br />

your questions.<br />

Statement reflects <strong>go</strong>vt.<br />

position on brain-drain<br />

threatening our health sector<br />

- Dr Moronkola, a former ARD<br />

President, LUTH<br />

The statement is quite unfortunate<br />

especially coming from a Minister of<br />

Labour who is expected to have statistics of<br />

the workforce in the country. It is even<br />

more worrisome knowing that the<br />

minister in question is a medical doctor.<br />

His statement shows he is either out of<br />

touch with the reality regarding the<br />

medical profession or he is simply being<br />

mischievous. As we speak, there are about<br />

40,000 registered doctors in Nigeria. This<br />

does not translate to the workforce as<br />

some have left clinical practice for other<br />

more economically rewarding jobs. Some<br />

of this number practice abroad <strong>and</strong> only<br />

renew their practising fee in Nigeria so<br />

they remain in <strong>go</strong>od st<strong>and</strong>ing with the<br />

Medical <strong>and</strong> Dental Council of Nigeria,<br />

MDCN. Statistics show that Nigeria has<br />

about one doctor to 5,000 patients as<br />

opposed to the 1/ 600 recommended by<br />

WHO. This means Nigeria needs roughly<br />

10 times the number of doctors we have<br />

presently. Unfortunately, his statement<br />

probably reflects the mindset of the<br />

Federal Government on the issue of braindrain<br />

that is threatening to crumble our<br />

health sector. There are lots of doctors <strong>and</strong><br />

health professionals still jobless in Nigeria<br />

while service delivery in our hospitals<br />

continues to suffer. Instead of ensuring<br />

doctors are employed to fill the spaces in<br />

our hospitals, the minister is busy denying<br />

the obvious. The Federal Government<br />

needs to declare a state of emergency in the<br />

health sector in the interest of the nation.


2019 POLLS: CONTRADICTIONS IN POLITY<br />

I see electoral<br />

corruption amid loud<br />

noise of fight against<br />

corruption<br />

— Nwabueze<br />

Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), in this<br />

piece, titled, ‘Incidence of Corrupt<br />

Practices And <strong>No</strong>n-Compliance with<br />

the Provisions of the Electoral Act during the<br />

February/March 2019 general elections’,<br />

writes on what he describes as contradictions<br />

in the polity.<br />

In addition to the decisive factors of violence<br />

<strong>and</strong> the intimidating presence of armed<br />

uniformed military men, another important<br />

factor affecting the genuineness of votes<br />

ascribed to c<strong>and</strong>idates is corrupt practice <strong>and</strong><br />

non-compliance with the provisions of the<br />

Electoral Act. This factor is important because,<br />

like the factors of violence <strong>and</strong> the intimidating<br />

presence of armed uniformed military men, it<br />

determines the character of an election as a<br />

democratic election, which may be here defined<br />

as the exercise of a right guaranteed by law to<br />

every citizen of the prescribed age to vote in<br />

freedom for the choice of leaders at an election<br />

fairly <strong>and</strong> impartially conducted, <strong>and</strong> to<br />

exercise the right without interference by the<br />

authorities, civil <strong>and</strong> military; it is important<br />

for the additional reason that, as Olu Fasan<br />

said in the Vanguard of 28 March 2019,<br />

corrupt practice or rigging, in all its variegated<br />

forms, breaches “the fundamental doctrine of<br />

consent of the <strong>go</strong>verned”, which deprives the<br />

“emergent <strong>go</strong>vernment the legitimacy <strong>and</strong><br />

moral right to <strong>go</strong>vern.”<br />

Nature And Effect of Corrupt Practices as<br />

Contradistinguished from <strong>No</strong>n-Compliance<br />

with the Provisions of the Electoral Act<br />

It needs to be stated at the outset that<br />

“corrupt practices” partakes of a nature <strong>and</strong><br />

effect altogether different from “noncompliance<br />

with the provisions of the Electoral<br />

Act”, with which it is juxtaposed by section<br />

145(1) of the Act, which provides that “an<br />

election may be questioned” on the ground,<br />

inter alia, that it “is invalid by reason of corrupt<br />

practices or non-compliance with the<br />

provisions of this Act.” The juxtaposition of<br />

corrupt practices with noncompliance in this<br />

provision is a statutory recognition that they<br />

are two different things <strong>and</strong> provide separate<br />

grounds for questioning the validity of an<br />

election. Corrupt practices at elections must<br />

therefore be kept distinct from non-compliance<br />

with the provisions of the Act.<br />

First, non-compliance implies a failure<br />

to do something which the law requires to be<br />

done, or doing wrongly what the law requires<br />

to be done, whereas corrupt practice implies a<br />

positive act the doing of which is prohibited<br />

by law; the latter is illegal <strong>and</strong> is often a<br />

criminal offence as well, while the former is<br />

ordinarily neither an illegality nor a criminal<br />

offence. Second, an electoral malpractice or<br />

corrupt practice is also not a “defect”. The side<br />

note to section 146 of the Electoral Act 2006,<br />

quoted below, reads: “Certain defects not to<br />

invalidate election.” Although a side note is<br />

not part of an enactment, it has an important<br />

bearing on the interpretation of its meaning.<br />

The word “defect” contemplates or at any rate,<br />

it suggests, an irregularity. It is defined by New<br />

Webster’s Dictionary of the English Language<br />

as “fault; an imperfection”. It has therefore<br />

nothing to do with an electoral malpractice or<br />

corrupt practice, as defined later below. Section<br />

146 (now section 139(1) of the 2010 Act)<br />

should therefore be restricted in its application<br />

to non-compliance not constituting a corrupt<br />

practice. It provides as follows:<br />

“An election shall not be liable to be<br />

invalidated by reason of non-compliance with<br />

the provisions of this Act if it appears to the<br />

Election Tribunal or Court that the election<br />

was conducted substantially in accordance<br />

with the principles of this Act <strong>and</strong> that the non<br />

compliance did not affect substantially the<br />

result of the election” (emphasis supplied).<br />

The fact that “corruption practices” is not<br />

mentioned in this section, as it is mentioned in<br />

section 145(1), shows that the law-maker never<br />

intended section 146 to apply to corrupt<br />

practices.<br />

•Professor Ben Nwabueze<br />

Third, the term “corrupt practices” is derived<br />

from the word “corruption” which connotes,<br />

according to the definition of it in Black’s Law<br />

Dictionary, 7th Edition, “(1) depravity,<br />

perversion or taint; an impairment of integrity,<br />

virtue or moral principle. (2) The act of doing<br />

something with an intent to give some<br />

advantage inconsistent with official duty <strong>and</strong><br />

the rights of <strong>others</strong>.” In relation to an election,<br />

the term means, therefore, a perverse,<br />

dishonest, immoral, improper or illegal act or<br />

practice intended to influence the election in<br />

favour of a particular c<strong>and</strong>idate sponsored by<br />

a particular political party.<br />

Whilst it may be a crime, as in the case<br />

of the corrupt acts or practices made a crime<br />

by sections 131 <strong>and</strong> 137 of the Electoral Act<br />

2006, it has a meaning wider than that, <strong>and</strong><br />

embraces perverse, dishonest, immoral,<br />

Improper or illegal acts or practices which,<br />

though not made a crime by statute, are<br />

intended to influence an election in favour of a<br />

particular c<strong>and</strong>idate sponsored by a particular<br />

political party – an act may be illegal without<br />

being a crime. This is what<br />

makes corrupt practice at an<br />

election, whether or not it is<br />

made a crime by statute, so<br />

inimical to free election. It<br />

strikes at the very root of free<br />

<strong>and</strong> fair election; it is<br />

irreconcilably anta<strong>go</strong>nistic<br />

<strong>and</strong> hostile to an election in the<br />

sense required by democracy.<br />

The character of corrupt<br />

practice at an election as<br />

something which, by its<br />

intrinsic nature, undermines<br />

the quality of an election as a<br />

free election. <strong>and</strong> therefore its<br />

credibility <strong>and</strong> integrity, is<br />

attested by the penalties<br />

attached to conviction for it by<br />

section 122( I) of the Electoral<br />

Act 2002, where corrupt<br />

practice is made a crime by<br />

statute. The subsection<br />

provided as follows (the<br />

provision is omitted from the<br />

2006 Act):<br />

“Any person who is convicted<br />

of an offence under this Part of<br />

this Act which amounts to corrupt practice or<br />

is convicted for aiding, abetting, counseling<br />

or procuring the commission of such offence<br />

shall, in addition to any other penalty, be<br />

disqualified during a period of four years from<br />

the date of his conviction from being – ¬<br />

(a) registered as a voter or voting at any<br />

election; <strong>and</strong><br />

(b) elected under this Act or if elected<br />

before his conviction, from retaining the<br />

office to which he was elected” (emphasis<br />

supplied).<br />

Thus, under section l22( I) of the Electoral<br />

Act 2002 conviction for corrupt practice where<br />

it is made a crime by statute nullified the<br />

election of the person concerned, regardless of<br />

whether or not the corrupt practice<br />

substantially affected the result of the election.<br />

The gravity of the penalties under section<br />

On this matter of<br />

corrupt practices<br />

at elections, we<br />

seem to have<br />

<strong>go</strong>tten ourselves<br />

enmeshed in the<br />

web of two<br />

contradictory<br />

positions<br />

122(I) above is a statutory recognition of the<br />

nature of corrupt practice as a matter so<br />

fundamental to the principle of free, fair <strong>and</strong><br />

credible election, so fundamental indeed that<br />

conviction for corrupt practice made a crime<br />

by statute nullified the election of a person<br />

convicted of it.<br />

There is something intriguing about the<br />

omission of the provisions of section 122(1) of<br />

the 2002 Act from the subsequent Acts of 2006<br />

<strong>and</strong> 2010. The reason for its omission is not<br />

stated, but it may not be unconnected with the<br />

fact that nullification of an election strikes<br />

greater fear <strong>and</strong> aversion in politicians than<br />

criminal punishment – imprisonment or fine.<br />

They would rather face the hazards of criminal<br />

punishment than the perilous risks of<br />

nullification of an election. Yet the abolition of<br />

the provisions of section 122(1) above does<br />

suggest a certain unseriousness, if not<br />

hypocrisy, in our so-called drive to exorcise<br />

corrupt practices from our electoral system.<br />

The provisions of section 122(1) above should<br />

be brought back for the greater deterrent effect<br />

of nullification.<br />

Corrupt practice must be<br />

regarded as a matter<br />

intrinsically “substantial” in<br />

nature by reason of the fact<br />

that it impairs the quality of<br />

an election as a free election<br />

<strong>and</strong> therefore its credibility<br />

<strong>and</strong> integrity. It follows,<br />

therefore, that corrupt<br />

practice, if shown to have<br />

occurred, need not be proved<br />

to have substantially affected<br />

the “result” of the election<br />

under section 146(1) of the<br />

Electoral Act 2006. Being<br />

something intrinsically<br />

substantial in nature, <strong>and</strong><br />

because it strikes at the very<br />

root of free election <strong>and</strong><br />

thereby undermines its<br />

integrity <strong>and</strong> credibility,<br />

corrupt practice, if proved to<br />

have occurred, has the effect<br />

of invalidating an election by<br />

its intrinsic force; it is<br />

irrefutably presumed to have<br />

substantially affected the<br />

result of an election.<br />

The first leg of the provision in section 146(1)<br />

above, i.e. that “the election was conducted<br />

substantially in accordance with the principles<br />

of the Act” is also incompatible with the nature<br />

of corrupt practice. An election featuring<br />

corrupt practices on a massive scale cannot<br />

reasonably or meaningfully be said to have<br />

been “conducted” in accordance with the<br />

principles of the Act; the principles underlying<br />

the Act, being those of free, fair <strong>and</strong> credible<br />

election, are excluded by corrupt practices<br />

occurring on a widespread scale, which makes<br />

it untenable to say that the election was<br />

conducted substantially in accordance with the<br />

principles of the Act.<br />

In interpreting <strong>and</strong> applying section 146(1)<br />

a distinction needs to be made between noncompliances<br />

amounting to corrupt practice<br />

<strong>and</strong> those not amounting to corrupt practice.<br />

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 11<br />

The subsection applies only to the latter.<br />

It is not, however, suggested that, being<br />

anta<strong>go</strong>nistic to free, fair <strong>and</strong> credible election<br />

<strong>and</strong> being of a nature intrinsically substantial,<br />

a single, isolated incident of corrupt practice<br />

renders an election null <strong>and</strong> void. Its impact<br />

on the “result” of an election is the function of<br />

how perverse a particular corrupt practice is,<br />

<strong>and</strong> how massive <strong>and</strong> widespread its incidence<br />

is; in other words, corrupt practice, including<br />

non-compliance amounting to corrupt<br />

practice, is a ground for nullification if it is<br />

proved to have been perverse in nature <strong>and</strong><br />

fairly massive <strong>and</strong> widespread in its incidence,<br />

in which case it is irrebuttably presumed <strong>and</strong><br />

taken to have substantially affected the result<br />

of the election, without further proof.<br />

The question which the court is to consider is<br />

not as to whether corrupt practice, by its<br />

intrinsic nature, is antithetical or not to free<br />

election (its utter incompatibility with free<br />

election has the truth of an axiom), but as to<br />

the amount of it, in terms of the degree of<br />

perverseness of particular corrupt practices<br />

<strong>and</strong> their spatial incidence, that renders an<br />

election null <strong>and</strong> void. <strong>No</strong> doubt, the<br />

determination of the question leaves<br />

considerable discretion to the court, but, like<br />

all judicial discretion, it must be exercised,<br />

not by perverse legalism, but<br />

judiciously <strong>and</strong> with due regard to<br />

truth, justice <strong>and</strong> the Rule of Law.<br />

The application of<br />

section 146 of the Electoral<br />

Act 2006 by the courts in<br />

cases where corrupt<br />

practices or electoral<br />

malpractices are<br />

complained of in<br />

an election has<br />

had the sad result<br />

that the extensive<br />

array of corrupt<br />

practices of<br />

g r e a t<br />

perverseness<br />

a n d<br />

widespread<br />

extent proved<br />

t o<br />

have occurred<br />

in the Buhari v.<br />

Obasanjo<br />

Case, [2005]<br />

13 NWLR<br />

(Part 941 –<br />

943), was<br />

dismissed <strong>and</strong> the election sustained, because<br />

such corrupt practices proved to have occurred<br />

were not proved to have substantially affected<br />

the result of the election – a perverse application<br />

of the law.<br />

The application of section 146 to the<br />

complaint of corrupt practices in the Atiku<br />

Abubakar v. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Case,<br />

(2008) 12 S.C. (Pt 11)1, produced a result no<br />

less saddening. The petitioner in that case, Atiku<br />

Abubakar, had averred, inter alia, as follows<br />

in his petition:<br />

(i) deliberate non-supply, under-supply<br />

<strong>and</strong> late supply of electoral materials,<br />

including ballot papers;<br />

(ii) multiple voting, voting by people<br />

not registered to vote, voting in private houses<br />

<strong>and</strong> other unauthorized <strong>and</strong> undesignated<br />

places;<br />

(iii) voting was not by open secret<br />

ballot, as prescribed by the Act, owing to<br />

failure by INEC to erect polling booths in<br />

most places, which resulted in the secrecy<br />

of the ballot being violated;<br />

(iv) stuffing of ballot boxes, ballot<br />

boxes snatching, intimidation, use of<br />

violence <strong>and</strong> threats, bribery, falsification<br />

of results;<br />

(v) Form EC8A series showing<br />

scores of c<strong>and</strong>idates were not signed by<br />

presiding officers at the polling units nor<br />

countersigned by party agents (except for<br />

those of Umaru Yar-Adua’s party), as<br />

required by the Act;<br />

(vi) Counting of votes <strong>and</strong><br />

declaration of results were not done at the<br />

polling units, as required by the Act; results<br />

were instead collated at state level based<br />

on “scores transmitted electronically from<br />

polling units <strong>and</strong>/or local <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

areas” across the nation;<br />

(vii) Arbitrary allocation of scores<br />

to c<strong>and</strong>idates <strong>and</strong> falsification of scores.<br />

The complaints listed above were dismissed<br />

by the Court of Appeal on the ground that<br />

“most of them appear trivial in character” –<br />

i.e. non-substantial within the meaning of<br />

section 146(1). <strong>No</strong>thing perhaps betrays<br />

more glaringly the predisposition of the<br />

Court of Appeal to use section 146(1) as a<br />

shield to protect infractions of the Act than<br />

its dismissal of the Petitioners’ complaints<br />

listed above on the ground that they are<br />

“a logistic problem <strong>and</strong> not a defect”.<br />

Admittedly, an act or omission to act<br />

which would otherwise be condemnable<br />

as a corrupt practice would not be so<br />

regarded if it is due to accidental or<br />

logistical reasons or other lawful excuse,<br />

but not when it is deliberate or willful. as<br />

the massive, widespread incidence of nonsupply,<br />

under-supply <strong>and</strong> late supply of<br />

ballot papers <strong>and</strong> other electoral materials<br />

during the April 2007 presidential election<br />

indisputably was.<br />

The character of such deliberate or wilful<br />

non-compliance as electoral malpractice or<br />

corrupt practice is attested by making it a<br />

criminal offence punishable with 12 months<br />

imprisonment or NlOO,OOO fine or both.<br />

•Read more on www.vanguardngr.com


PAGE 12— SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

*Saraki *Tinubu *Dogara<br />

2023, Tinubu <strong>and</strong> the<br />

NASS leadership tussle<br />

National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,<br />

last Sunday, lashed out at the leadership of the National Assembly amid the jostle<br />

by members-elect to succeed the current principal officers. Sunday Vanguard x-rays<br />

the situation <strong>and</strong> its concomitant effects on the party’s preferred aspirants especially<br />

in the House of Representatives.<br />

By Levinus Nwabughiogu<br />

The name Asiwaju Bola Ahmed<br />

Tinubu,resonates across the l<strong>and</strong>. He’s<br />

a master strategist <strong>and</strong> <strong>go</strong>al getter. He<br />

is a gr<strong>and</strong> politician, savvy, sagacious, likeable,<br />

intelligent, sociable, phenomenal but<br />

sometime, fierce in his political arithmetics.<br />

Tinubu was a senator in the botched 3rd<br />

Republic. Between 1999 <strong>and</strong> 2007, he held<br />

sway in La<strong>go</strong>s as <strong>go</strong>vernor. In 2015, he became<br />

the National Leader of the ruling All<br />

Progressive Congress, APC.<br />

From his base in La<strong>go</strong>s, Tinubu survived the<br />

ferocious attacks by former President Olusegun<br />

Obasanjo’s <strong>go</strong>vernment. The Peoples<br />

Democratic Party, PDP, as it happened then,<br />

had made inroads into all the States of South-<br />

West <strong>and</strong> seized power but Tinubu made La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

a no-<strong>go</strong>-area for then-ruling party. His Alliance<br />

for Democracy, AD, weathered the storm.<br />

When the AD outlived its usefulness, Tinubu<br />

played smart <strong>and</strong> caused<br />

his structures to<br />

metamorphose into<br />

Action Congress, AC. The<br />

new party blossomed but<br />

with no national<br />

colouration. In the pursuit<br />

of the national spread <strong>and</strong><br />

recognition, the Asiwaju<br />

added “Nigeria, to the<br />

party’s name which then<br />

read “Action Congress of<br />

Nigeria’ , ACN. With this,<br />

Tinubu’s political<br />

stronghold exp<strong>and</strong>ed.<br />

Cashing, in on the angst<br />

against the ‘weak’<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment of former<br />

President Goodluck<br />

Jonathan <strong>and</strong> the eventual<br />

withdrawal of Obsanjo’s<br />

support, Tinubu’s ACN<br />

launched an alliance with<br />

three other political<br />

parties <strong>and</strong> transformed<br />

to All Progressives<br />

Congress, APC, which is<br />

While political actors who<br />

are opposed to Tinubu’s<br />

choices could only make<br />

insinuations of a possible<br />

2023 game plan, Tinubu, in<br />

a bid to clear the fog,<br />

accused Senate President<br />

Bukola Saraki <strong>and</strong> the<br />

House Speaker, Yakubu<br />

Dogara, of padding<br />

national budgets in the last<br />

four years<br />

today the ruling party at the federal level.<br />

APC was later to see Tinubu as its National<br />

Leader having been jolted into power by his<br />

political sagacity in 2015.<br />

A legion of persons has benefitted from<br />

Tinubu’s political tutelage: Babatunde Fasola,<br />

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor<br />

Kayode Fayemi, Comrade Adams<br />

Oshiomole, Rauf Aregbesola, Akinwunmi<br />

Ambode” , in fact, the names are endless.<br />

Even President Muhammadu Buhari would<br />

not deny that he has not benefitted from Tinubu<br />

as it was his clout that gave him the presidency<br />

in 2015.<br />

With APC, Asiwaju has since exp<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

from his South-West enclave <strong>and</strong> established<br />

allies across the country <strong>and</strong>, to that extent, he<br />

has,become a toast of many Nigerians. That<br />

is, for sure, benevolence at work.<br />

But a man whose chi has cracked his palm<br />

kernel even before he was born needs not to<br />

take everything <strong>and</strong> everyone for granted.<br />

That was the case in 2015 when after<br />

producing Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,<br />

Tinubu went <strong>ahead</strong> to project Senator Ahmed,<br />

Lawan from Yobe State <strong>and</strong>, of course, Hon.<br />

Femi Gbajabimila, from his La<strong>go</strong>s State, as<br />

his preferred choices for Senate President <strong>and</strong><br />

Speaker, House of Representatives respectively.<br />

The disappointment that later followed had<br />

since found a place in the political lexicon of<br />

the country’s democratic experience.<br />

Unfortunately, four years after, the same<br />

scenario appears to be playing out. Tinubu<br />

<strong>and</strong> the party have expressly endorsed the same<br />

men again for the same position. Would it<br />

work? Time will tell.<br />

Tinubu’s allegations against<br />

N / A s s e m b l y<br />

Leadership<br />

In a statement released by his<br />

media aide, Tunde Rahman, on<br />

Sunday, Tinubu predicated his<br />

choice of Lawan <strong>and</strong> Gbajabimila<br />

on the aspiration of the party <strong>and</strong><br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernment to achieve their<br />

objectives seamlessly.<br />

He said: “Since the inception of<br />

the APC, my focus has been to assist<br />

President Buhari develop, refine<br />

<strong>and</strong> implement a progressive<br />

agenda that would give every<br />

Nigerians a fair chance to prosper<br />

<strong>and</strong> provide for their loved ones.<br />

“As he enters his second term,<br />

President Buhari has stated that he<br />

will give the economy special<br />

priority.<br />

“His <strong>go</strong>al is to defeat poverty <strong>and</strong><br />

joblessness while spurring the type<br />

of growth <strong>and</strong> development that<br />

will make Nigeria a durable <strong>and</strong><br />

flourishing economy. These <strong>go</strong>als<br />

are laudable <strong>and</strong> necessary to<br />

move Nigeria forward.<br />

“It is against this backdrop that my support<br />

of the party’s position regarding the National<br />

Assembly leadership must be interpreted.<br />

“There is no surprise in my supporting the<br />

party <strong>and</strong> the president’s position regarding<br />

the National Assembly positions. <strong>No</strong>r is it<br />

wrong that I do so.<br />

“That I have actively <strong>and</strong> publicly supported<br />

the party <strong>and</strong> president should not result in<br />

such public backbiting.<br />

“We all know how important these positions<br />

are to the fulfillment of the president’s agenda”.<br />

War of words<br />

While political actors who are opposed to<br />

Tinubu’s choices could only make insinuations<br />

of a possible 2023 game plan, Tinubu, in a bid<br />

to clear the fog, accused Senate President<br />

Bukola Saraki, <strong>and</strong> the House Speaker,<br />

Yakubu Dogara of padding national budgets<br />

in the last four years of their administration.<br />

Perhaps, unknown to him, that was the first<br />

salvo that may have launched an attack to his<br />

support for Gbajabimila in the House.<br />

In response to him, Dogara did not only<br />

dismiss the allegations of budget padding, he<br />

also called Tinubu a fascist <strong>and</strong> power grabber<br />

who wants to control all levels of <strong>go</strong>vernment.<br />

He said: “The parliamentarians are<br />

representatives of the Nigerian people <strong>and</strong><br />

you don’t expect them to rubber stamp budgets<br />

that are heavily skewed <strong>and</strong> lopsided against<br />

most sections of the country. It is their<br />

responsibility to ensure equitable <strong>and</strong> even<br />

distribution of capital projects across all the<br />

nooks <strong>and</strong> crannies of the country, if the<br />

Executive fails to do so. In any case, it is false<br />

to state that legislative intervention in the<br />

Budget Process is to benefit the legislators <strong>and</strong><br />

not their constituencies. We challenge Asiwaju<br />

Tinubu to prove otherwise. He should also<br />

show in what way the 8th Assembly acted<br />

differently from other Assemblies of the past<br />

to warrant the kind of language used. In any<br />

case, all the aspirants to the Senate Presidency<br />

<strong>and</strong> Speakership he is sponsoring are majority<br />

leaders in the 8th Assembly <strong>and</strong> took part in<br />

the Budget Process that he made the chief basis<br />

of his crude attack. This proves beyond doubt<br />

the hypocrisy of Asiwaju’s stated reasons for<br />

supporting his c<strong>and</strong>idates. He should find<br />

better reasons other than the lies being peddled<br />

about the Budget <strong>and</strong> obstructing <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

business. Asiwaju shouldn’t take better<br />

informed Nigerians for fools. Otherwise, when<br />

he sought to take control of the 8th Senate <strong>and</strong><br />

8th House in 2015, was it because of any<br />

Budget Saraki <strong>and</strong> Dogara had delayed or pet<br />

projects they had inserted into any Budget<br />

before 2015? Asiwaju must come clean on this<br />

matter. He should let Nigerians know why he<br />

wants to install both the Senate President, the<br />

Speaker <strong>and</strong> leadership of the 9th Assembly.<br />

He may yet win the support of some of them if<br />

he comes clean on this matter. We do not expect<br />

Asiwaju Tinubu to dwell on brazen mendacity,<br />

much less murder facts <strong>and</strong> decorum in his<br />

rabid bid to justify his patently clear facist<br />

agenda of controlling all levers of power in<br />

Nigeria.”<br />

Don’t pitch Buhari against<br />

members-elect— Ba<strong>go</strong><br />

Campaign organization<br />

The APC leader also dwelt on the issue of<br />

loyalty so much so that the campaign<br />

organization of Hon. Mohammed Umaru<br />

Ba<strong>go</strong>, another aspirant to the speakership from<br />

Niger State, <strong>No</strong>rth-Central, suspected a<br />

mischief <strong>and</strong>, in its reply, reply asked him to<br />

allow Gbajabimila to run on his record <strong>and</strong><br />

reputation.<br />

The statement signed by its spokesman,<br />

Hon. Victor Ogene, read in part, “We have<br />

perused the statement released by the National<br />

Leader of our Party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed<br />

Tinubu, especially as it concerns the leadership<br />

of the House of Representatives, <strong>and</strong> wish to<br />

respectfully disagree with him on some of the<br />

conclusions therein.<br />

“For starters, even though he took extra care<br />

not to mention his choice c<strong>and</strong>idate by name,<br />

the laborious attempt to pass off same desire<br />

as the onerous craving of President<br />

Muhammadu Buhari clearly leaves his real<br />

intentions exposed.<br />

“<strong>No</strong>t too long a<strong>go</strong>, in 2015, when Tinubu<br />

tried to foist the same mentee of his as Speaker,<br />

in spite of the rational voices of caution by<br />

many stakeholders, many had been left<br />

wondering if the enforcement effort was at the<br />

instance of President Buhari <strong>and</strong> the Party.<br />

“Although, a greater portion of the statement<br />

centred on his probable scheming for the 2023<br />

presidential election, real or imagined, our<br />

concern revolves around the oblique reference<br />

to loyalty as basis for his decision to st<strong>and</strong> by<br />

his adopted as the next Speaker of the House<br />

of Representatives.<br />

“It is on this score, <strong>and</strong> several other<br />

incontrovertible facts that we disagree with the<br />

position of our national leader.<br />

“It is our contention that nobody has the<br />

monopoly of loyalty. Put succinctly, it is not<br />

anyone’s exclusive preserve <strong>and</strong> no one is a<br />

custodian of it.<br />

“In deed, the pursuit of equity <strong>and</strong> fairness in<br />

an enterprise where we are all stakeholders<br />

cannot vitiate our c<strong>and</strong>idate’s long st<strong>and</strong>ing,<br />

earned reputation as a loyalist of President<br />

Buhari, our party, the All Progressives<br />

Congress, <strong>and</strong> above all, the people of his<br />

constituency, his state, Niger, <strong>and</strong> the <strong>No</strong>rth<br />

Central zone who have invested their trust in<br />

him to represent them.<br />

“Instead of seeking to pitch party faithful<br />

who seek their just due against the President,<br />

we rather expect Asiwaju Tinubu, as a father to<br />

all, to critically consider the legitimate<br />

aspiration of the <strong>No</strong>rth central zone <strong>and</strong> ensure<br />

that justice is done.<br />

“At the risk of sounding repetitive, we restate<br />

that no one currently jostling for the<br />

Speaker’s position is more loyal to President<br />

Buhari than Hon. Ba<strong>go</strong>.<br />

“From 2003 when he became a member of<br />

The Buhari Organization (TBO), to 2011 when<br />

he contested <strong>and</strong> won election to the House of<br />

Representatives on the platform of the defunct<br />

CPC, to 2015 <strong>and</strong> 2019 when he won reelection<br />

on the banner of the APC, Hon. Ba<strong>go</strong><br />

has remained a core Buharist, <strong>and</strong> any attempt<br />

to tar him with any brush of disloyalty cannot<br />

stick.”<br />

Gbajabimila should make<br />

sacrifice, step down to move<br />

Nigeria-Onyejiocha<br />

For Hon. Nkiru Onyejiocha, another<br />

aspirant from Abia State, South-East,<br />

Gbajabimila, even though the preferred choice<br />

by the party, should take the path of honour<br />

<strong>and</strong> step down in the interest of peace <strong>and</strong><br />

stability in the parliament.<br />

While formally declaring her intention on<br />

Tuesday, she said: “All of you know very well<br />

that Mr. President is a <strong>go</strong>od man. Mr president<br />

even before this time had taken his vice<br />

president from south east. Dr. Chuba Okadigbo<br />

was his running mate <strong>and</strong> all that. And so, there<br />

is no way the president will sit down <strong>and</strong> tell<br />

people that south east does not matter. And of<br />

course, you know that we have 3 arms of<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment. Moving forward, there is no way<br />

our party will not want work with the members<br />

of House of Representatives including people<br />

from the opposition parties because you are<br />

talking about <strong>go</strong>vernance now.<br />

“And I also know that the leader of the House,<br />

Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, a <strong>go</strong>od gentleman.<br />

But there is a time in somebody’s life that any<br />

leader who is a leader indeed will make<br />

sacrifice. And that time is now for the leader of<br />

my party <strong>and</strong> the leader of 8th Assembly; he<br />

was the minority leader <strong>and</strong> now majority<br />

leader an so, he is a leader in all rights. And so,<br />

this opportunity comes only once in a leader’s<br />

time when a leader will look self <strong>and</strong> says it is<br />

not about me, it is about Nigeria. And I believe<br />

that Nigeria needs healing. The l<strong>and</strong> needs<br />

healing <strong>and</strong> so, somebody has to make<br />

sacrifices to say let us move to the next level”.<br />

Any Implications for<br />

Gbajabimila’s aspiration?<br />

To keen observers of the political trend in the<br />

country, Tinubu’s latest statement is thoughtprovoking.<br />

In essence, the observers are of the<br />

view that the statement has become an<br />

albatross to Gbajabiamila’s aspiration <strong>and</strong><br />

inadvertantly swayed sympathy to other<br />

contestant like Ba<strong>go</strong> whose campaign is<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ably gathering momentum by the<br />

day. They had preferred the APC National<br />

Leader to have maintained a subtle silence or,<br />

best, push remotely from behind instead of<br />

the open lash at the National Assembly<br />

leadership. They believe that the<br />

leadership even though is exiting the scene<br />

can still exert some influence. But the cat<br />

is already out of the bag. How much of its<br />

impact would however be seen in the days<br />

<strong>ahead</strong> when Gbajabimila who is currently<br />

performing lesser hajj in Saudi Arabia returns.<br />

Whichever way it <strong>go</strong>es, the ultimate result<br />

would be known on the inauguration day of<br />

the 9th Assembly in June.


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 13


PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

What having two kids from<br />

two different men taught me<br />

— Toyin Lawal<br />

Serial entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani of Tiannah’s Place Empire, once<br />

said she can do whatever she wants because no man <strong>pay</strong>s her bills or<br />

controls her life but she’s obviously not oblivious of the stigma that comes with being a<br />

single mother in a society such as ours. In a recent epistle posted on her Instagram page the<br />

beauty therapist who keeps romancing the sensibilities of many with her rather sensually<br />

explicit visuals, gives an insight into the lives of single m<strong>others</strong>, being a<br />

single mother with two kids from two different men, herself.<br />

“When you are different the world will hate you for no reason; when they<br />

don’t underst<strong>and</strong> your life choices or theories they will castigate you <strong>and</strong><br />

everything you st<strong>and</strong> for. The women that <strong>go</strong> through the most in life are<br />

single moms , they are blamed for their choice of not being married or in<br />

a man’s house. They take care of their kids, day in day out, pushing them<br />

to greater heights without uttering any complaints <strong>and</strong> still let the<br />

fathers play their role in the child’s life, they struggle, day in day<br />

out, to give the people around them joy <strong>and</strong> happiness. When you<br />

want to blame a woman for being single or having kids with<br />

different men, think twice because it can happen to anybody,<br />

either by death or by pain . At times we don’t choose our situations,<br />

at times, our situations choose us ,” she writes.<br />

She revealed that she had her first child at 23, having married<br />

at 19, possibly implying she never planned to be a single<br />

mom until situation spiraled out of her control <strong>and</strong><br />

bemoaned having lived through an abusive relationship.<br />

“A long time a<strong>go</strong>, a friend sent me a message which I<br />

still have, mocking me that I was in an abusive<br />

relationship showing off to me that she had a better<br />

husb<strong>and</strong> than me, I took my kids <strong>and</strong> walked away<br />

•Timi Dakolo<br />

S<br />

o<br />

from the relationship, said nothing to the public <strong>and</strong> focused on my<br />

business <strong>and</strong> kids. I had my first kid when I was 23 years old, I <strong>go</strong>t<br />

married when I was 19years old, there are many things y’all don’t<br />

know about me, I have been through hell <strong>and</strong> back with no complaints<br />

r pity party".<br />

What my children hate<br />

about me —Timi Dakolo<br />

BY ROTIMI AGBANA<br />

ensational soul music singer, Timi Dakolo may be reviewing his fatherhood skills anytime<br />

soon as his three lovely children, Hallel, Zoe <strong>and</strong> Alex<strong>and</strong>er, have boldly confronted<br />

him with what they dislike about him.<br />

According to the distraught singer who is now confused as to how else to deal with his kids,<br />

he is yet to come to terms with, if the methods he has been adopting in bringing them up<br />

are <strong>go</strong>od or bad.<br />

“While enjoying our breakfast, I asked my children what they don’t like about me or things<br />

I do that they don’t like. Hallel said, ‘Daddy you shout too much’ <strong>and</strong> I <strong>go</strong> like how? Don’t run<br />

on the stairs, drop my phone now, <strong>and</strong> turn off that TV now. Respect your brother Hallel, this is<br />

my house Hallel, this is my house. Turn off that TV or I will disconnect the TV. Hallel those are<br />

not real tears, leave my room'. Alex<strong>and</strong>er said ‘You are too harsh on me; you still won’t let me play<br />

PS4 even if I have nothing to do. You always shout ‘respect your sisters’ even if they look for my<br />

trouble a lot. When we do our family meeting, you talk a lot, you keep repeating the same thing<br />

<strong>and</strong> we are children we just want to play <strong>and</strong> watch TV but you don’t let us. You bought ipads for<br />

us but you always hide it'.<br />

He added; “Zoe said ‘You don’t let me wear what I want. You always say that is for outing. You<br />

never let me sleep in your room but you call me baby of the house. And you lie daddy, you will say<br />

you will come back soon but you don’t come back soon <strong>and</strong> you travel a lot. You say you have<br />

money in the bank but when I say I want more clothes you say, no money, Zoe'. My people, what<br />

is my crime?”<br />

Who knows, the ‘Iyawo mi’ crooner may soon embark on a journey in search of a rule book on<br />

how best to train his children to avoid a repeat of such bold confrontation from his kids.<br />

NEC Live 7 unravels<br />

thinking behind BBNaija<br />

frica’s leading marketing <strong>and</strong> public relations technology company, Plaqad.com<br />

Ahas announced the release of the first-ever Big Brother Naija report. The Report which<br />

was released at the Nigerian Entertainment Conference (NEC) on Wednesday April 24, provides<br />

valuable insight into the public perception of the reality TV show, its impact on the youth<br />

culture in Nigeria <strong>and</strong> its effect on the Nigerian economy.<br />

While the show has remained popular especially with the young population, many have<br />

questioned the thinking behind it as well as its general impact on Nigeria’s economy <strong>and</strong><br />

youth culture.<br />

“While the popularity of BBNaija is never in doubt especially as it relates to its entertainment<br />

value, the direct <strong>and</strong> indirect impact of the show on youth culture <strong>and</strong> our economy is not as<br />

visible,” said Gbenga Sogbaike, CEO of Plaqad.<br />

“Does the show actually provide opportunities for young people to thrive in the creative<br />

industry? Does it indeed drive any growth in Nigeria’s entertainment, telecoms, fashion,<br />

hospitality, tourism, <strong>and</strong> media sectors as some have claimed? Why do thous<strong>and</strong>s of people<br />

show up for its auditions year after year? What makes the show appealing> Discovering the<br />

answers to these questions <strong>and</strong> many <strong>others</strong> require that one digs deeper <strong>and</strong> look beyond the<br />

surface.”<br />

“However, <strong>and</strong> rather unfortunately, there exists no concrete body of research on the BBNaija<br />

show till date. Hence the need for this report.”<br />

Among other exciting findings, the report revealed that Bisola Aiyeola, a 2017 contestant<br />

on the show, is the most loved BBNaija housemate ever. It also claimed that a majority of<br />

Nigerians believe the Big Brother Naija show is a more viable path to success than a university<br />

degree <strong>and</strong> a 9-5 job.<br />

• T o y i n<br />

Lawani<br />

•Ronke Tiamiyu<br />

Any man I date<br />

must respect me<br />

— Ronke Tiamiyu<br />

R<br />

onke Tiamiyu, ex<br />

beauty queen who hit<br />

stardom after clinching the Miss<br />

Charismatic crown at the 2013<br />

Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria<br />

(MBGN) has clearly defined<br />

what she requires of the man who<br />

wants to be with her, either for the<br />

moment or for life <strong>and</strong> her<br />

request is simple – respect! Ronke<br />

let the cat out of the bag in a<br />

recent chat with Potpourri when<br />

she was asked what would<br />

make her cheat on a guy.<br />

“There is nothing that<br />

would make me cheat, I<br />

would simply leave him. Any<br />

man I date must respect me<br />

as a woman, an intelligent,<br />

beautiful, hard working<br />

woman. He must love <strong>and</strong><br />

support me the same as I will<br />

love <strong>and</strong> support him. This<br />

world is a difficult place <strong>and</strong><br />

you need a partner that you are<br />

in it together with. If a man is<br />

disrespectful, talks down on you,<br />

insults you, or even worse,<br />

abuses you, a woman should<br />

leave him instantly because the<br />

man does not truly love her. I<br />

have too much respect for<br />

myself to be with a man who<br />

does not respect me,” she said.<br />

Apart from owning her own<br />

pageant called Miss<br />

Charismatic Nigeria pageant,<br />

Aderonke Tiamiyu has made<br />

the cover of House of Maliq<br />

<strong>and</strong> has featured as guest star<br />

in Flatmates as well as as<br />

many shows. She’s an actress<br />

<strong>and</strong> a model too.<br />

Legend the Musical set<br />

to tour Nigerian <strong>states</strong><br />

EGENDS: Kings <strong>and</strong> Kingdoms, a musical play centred on the lives <strong>and</strong><br />

Ltriumph of some Africa’s iconic legends has geared up to tour the <strong>states</strong> of<br />

Nigeria with a gr<strong>and</strong> show in Abuja the federal capital after their successful<br />

outings in La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

Following LEGENDS debut production in October 2018 during the 22nd<br />

edition of the annual MUSON Festival of the Arts, LEGENDS has since then<br />

been staged 16 times in La<strong>go</strong>s <strong>and</strong> Bonny Isl<strong>and</strong>. LEGENDS the musical<br />

performance surmounts each show leaving a ‘wow’ expression on the audience;<br />

making them ask for a comeback on stage after every performance.<br />

The producers <strong>and</strong> directors of LEGENDS the musical - Gbenga Yusuf <strong>and</strong> Ayo<br />

Ajayi, disclosed that the need to embark on a nation wide tour is as a result of<br />

yearnings from the fans <strong>and</strong> audience could not resist seeing the performance<br />

time after time.<br />

“Through music <strong>and</strong> dance, we embark on a journey through the lives <strong>and</strong> the<br />

cultures of five legendary icons in Africa from Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt <strong>and</strong><br />

Ghana: San<strong>go</strong>, son of Thunder, Shaka of Zulu, Yaa Asantewa of Asante Kingdom,<br />

Queen Amina of Zazzau <strong>and</strong> Queen Nefertiti of Egypt,” says Ayo.<br />

Speaking further, “In partnership with Transcorp Hilton hotel, LEGENDS: Kings<br />

<strong>and</strong> Kingdoms will be back on stage in t. hotel, Abuja from the 17th to 19th of May,<br />

2019. This MTN Foundation sponsored show will have her opening performance at<br />

7:00PM on the first day, while the subsequent days will be open for viewers at 4:00PM<br />

<strong>and</strong> 7:00PM daily. Art enthusiasts, fun lovers, historians <strong>and</strong> the general public are all<br />

invited to the show,” Ayo added.<br />

For Yusuf, “To celebrate Children’s Day through Democracy Day, there are Children<br />

<strong>and</strong> Adult shows in La<strong>go</strong>s from the 27th to 29th of May, 2019 in Agip hall, MUSON<br />

centre, Onikan (10:00AM, 4:00PM & 7:00PM daily). Co-produced with Mrs Karachi<br />

Atiya, 10:00AM shows are dedicated to LEGENDS Children Experience, which is<br />

loaded with fun activities like LEGENDS h<strong>and</strong> stamp wall, African body arts,<br />

LEGENDS mannequin cut-outs photo shoot, LEGENDS photo props, snack pack<br />

<strong>and</strong> many more,” he said.<br />

“Meanwhile, our open arms will be ready to receive families, groups, friends,<br />

business associate <strong>and</strong> all La<strong>go</strong>sians during our evening shows,” Yusuf<br />

concludes.<br />

LEGENDS the Musical is written by Paul Ugbede <strong>and</strong> is produced from<br />

the stable of Gbenga’s Seeing Through the Arts Production <strong>and</strong> Ayo’s<br />

Declassical Arts <strong>and</strong> Entertainment.<br />

L-R Public<br />

Relations<br />

Manager,<br />

MultiChoice Nigeria, Caroline Oghuma; Ex<br />

Big Brother Housemate, Tobi Bakare; Managing Director,<br />

MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe <strong>and</strong> Media Personality / Ex Big<br />

Brother Housemate, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu at the release of the firstever<br />

Big Brother Naija report in La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

C<br />

M<br />

Y<br />

K


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 15<br />

Psychological trauma<br />

I suffered after gaining<br />

weight for movie role<br />

— Toni Tones<br />

BY ROTIMI AGBANA<br />

or most women, putting on<br />

Funnecessary weight is something they never<br />

wish for as a result of the adverse effect it exerts on<br />

them physically, mentally <strong>and</strong> psychologically. But<br />

for sultry <strong>No</strong>llywood actress, Gbemi Anthonia<br />

Adefuye, popularly known as Toni Tones, she had to<br />

intentionally gain extra 40-pounds for a movie role<br />

in ‘King of Boys’.<br />

Sharing her experience, the actress explained the<br />

psychological trauma she suffered while living inher<br />

new size.<br />

“I’m almost back to my ‘pre-King of Boys’ weight. This is particularly huge for me,<br />

because at the time I chose to put on weight for the project, I was honestly very afraid<br />

about my ability to lose the weight again. I love food, so staying in shape already took<br />

a lot of effort. I had to learn a lot of self-discipline to be able to control my portions<br />

when I eat, make healthy food choices <strong>and</strong> make exercise a lifestyle.”<br />

“Yes it takes much longer, but the results also stay much longer! I went from 58kg<br />

to 76kg, that’s 40pounds/18kg. I lost 9kg by the premiere 8-months later <strong>and</strong> went<br />

down to 67kg. And today, 6 months after the premiere, I <strong>go</strong>t on scale <strong>and</strong> I’ve lost<br />

another 7kg. <strong>No</strong>w weighing 60kg <strong>and</strong> I don’t know how to act about it. I’m so<br />

excited. I’m just 2kg away from my <strong>go</strong>al of my original 58kg. But I will continue to<br />

take it slow <strong>and</strong> steady till I reach my <strong>go</strong>al.”<br />

“Most of my life, I’ve been told I couldn’t <strong>and</strong> shouldn’t do many things, acting<br />

was one of them. I never listened, I always let my fear <strong>and</strong> self-doubt fuel me,<br />

<strong>and</strong> I’m happy I did. Being able to put my mind to this <strong>and</strong> achieve this is so<br />

important to me, because it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It also<br />

took a toll on me psychologically, I had never been that size before, my face was<br />

much chubbier, my h<strong>and</strong>s were so big, my arms were so big, I couldn’t wear a<br />

lot of my old clothes. Everyone I ran into would comment on how much weight<br />

I’d put on. Fans would message me that I was becoming too big.”<br />

Though she wasn’t comfortable with the embarrassing attention she <strong>go</strong>t from<br />

men, she admitted that she liked the new size of her butts.<br />

“I had to constantly affirm myself <strong>and</strong> strengthen my belief that I was<br />

beautiful at any size. My butt was so massive, that was a plus. I <strong>go</strong>t to<br />

experience what all big booty ladies had been experiencing in terms of male<br />

attention <strong>and</strong> all I’ll say is, they are enjoying. You can’t move without men<br />

jumping. I honestly found it weird at first. Yes, I <strong>go</strong>t attention from guys<br />

previously, but it quadrupled. It actually became overwhelming at a point<br />

because you’ll be talking to someone <strong>and</strong> they’ll just be staring at your boobs<br />

<strong>and</strong> it became really annoying, sometimes offensive.”<br />

However, she expressed excitement over being able to lose weight again <strong>and</strong> revert<br />

to her former stature.<br />

“I’m glad my little old booty <strong>and</strong> my reasonably sized boobs are back. It was an<br />

interesting experience, but let me <strong>go</strong> back to my lane please, that’s the level my<br />

energy gets to. To finally be close to my <strong>go</strong>al, to actually be here is such an amazing<br />

feeling, considering how afraid I was. It took 15-months, but I did it. I put on weight<br />

for a role, gave the role my heart <strong>and</strong> soul <strong>and</strong> lost the weight after. I’ve never been<br />

more motivated that I can achieve anything I put my mind to”, she noted.<br />

The story of my humble beginnings —Kaffy<br />

•Kaffy<br />

BY ROTIMI AGBANA<br />

World class Nigerian dancer, choreographer, dance instructor <strong>and</strong> fitness coach, Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau-<br />

Ameh, better known as Kaffy, is well-loved <strong>and</strong> admired for her dancing abilities <strong>and</strong> the fact that she<br />

successfully transformed her passion <strong>and</strong> drive into a lucrative career.<br />

In a chat with Seyi Banigbe on her TV show, ‘Binging with the Game Changers’, the Guinness World Record holder who grew<br />

up with the dream of becoming an Aeronautical Engineer but eventually had to study Data Processing <strong>and</strong> Computer<br />

Science at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, recounted how she grappled with the hard knocks of life to build a solid<br />

successful career.<br />

“Though I was born into wealth, I lived in poverty for a while when at age 11, my parents separated. I <strong>and</strong> my<br />

siblings lived with their mum, <strong>and</strong> life became so difficult that they found it difficult to eke out a living. We<br />

literally consumed garri for seven months consecutively. I catered for myself <strong>and</strong> my family by <strong>go</strong>ing to the<br />

farm. I would harvest vegetables <strong>and</strong> sell to make money.”<br />

“Along the line, I joined an aerobics class at the National Stadium in order to lose weight <strong>and</strong> was always<br />

regular <strong>and</strong> punctual. This prompted my aerobics teacher to appoint me to lead the class whenever she was<br />

unavailable. Being a dancer, I infused dancing into aerobics <strong>and</strong> the class loved it, always wanting me to<br />

lead whenever the teacher was absent. I <strong>go</strong>t promoted <strong>and</strong> began to train athletes.”<br />

“During one of my weekends at the National Stadium for dance rehearsals <strong>and</strong> workouts, I was<br />

approached by a promoter for a modeling job. Part of the modeling activity was choreography. Even<br />

though I didn’t want to do the choreography at first, I later agreed <strong>and</strong> asked the promoter to allow me<br />

to do a solo performance. Unknown to me, many artistes were present at the event <strong>and</strong> loved my<br />

performance. The rest is history”, she said.<br />

<strong>No</strong> doubt, Kaffy has featured in numerous award-winning musical videos for many A-list artistes in<br />

Nigeria <strong>and</strong> across the globe. She won a Special Recognition Award at the 2018 edition of Headies,<br />

for her significant contribution to Nigeria’s entertainment.<br />

•Toni<br />

Tones<br />

•DJ Cuppy<br />

DJ Cuppy reels out new<br />

hot single ‘Abena’,<br />

features 3 artistes<br />

BY ROTIMI AGBANA<br />

nternational DJ <strong>and</strong> Producer,<br />

IFlorence Ifeoluwa Otedola,<br />

popularly known as Cuppy, is back<br />

with a new single release titled ‘Abena’,<br />

her first release this year. Following<br />

from her classic Afrobeats hit ‘Green<br />

Light’, Cuppy continues her musical<br />

exploration this time teaming up<br />

with 3 talented West African artistes;<br />

Kwesi Arthur, Shaydee & Ceeza<br />

Milli. This silky afro-love jam will no<br />

doubt be a hit in the clubs, DJ sets,<br />

<strong>and</strong> a favourite from Cuppy fans!<br />

Unquestionably, a leading female<br />

DJ in Africa, Cuppy is becoming a<br />

major player across the music field,<br />

having successfully gained a lot of<br />

recognition both in Nigeria <strong>and</strong><br />

internationally. This new release<br />

proves Cuppy’s further solidified<br />

position in the music industry as she<br />

continues to show us that there are<br />

many layers to her craft while<br />

stepping even further into the world<br />

of vocalist, songwriter, <strong>and</strong><br />

producer.<br />

Upon hearing ‘Abena’ its<br />

contagious sound is certainly<br />

captivating! Cuppy has certainly left<br />

us wanting more…<br />

Sojiii tops iTunes music chart with<br />

debut single, Tombo<br />

•CEO,<br />

AMG,<br />

Imole-Ayo<br />

<strong>and</strong> Sojiii<br />

Silva Fox sets to redefine adult night life scene in La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

Anew phenomenal adult<br />

night-life ambience in the<br />

fashion of Florida Night<br />

Club style in America called “Silver<br />

Fox” has made its entrant in the city<br />

of La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

The new club poised to unlock<br />

the potentials of the adult nightlife<br />

industry in West Africa <strong>and</strong> bringing<br />

luxurious adult entertainment to<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s, Nigeria, was unveiled in the<br />

Lekki axis of La<strong>go</strong>s during Easter<br />

season, with variety of spicy<br />

entertainment held from April 18 to<br />

21, 2019.<br />

Speaking on the imposing br<strong>and</strong><br />

to press in La<strong>go</strong>s, the founder, Big<br />

Slim, commented: “Silver Fox is a<br />

passionate idea we are bringing to<br />

Africa, starting from La<strong>go</strong>s, to create<br />

a luxurious <strong>and</strong> world class setting<br />

for gentlemen to let out all<br />

inhibitions, get loose, enjoy <strong>and</strong><br />

have fun. Adult night club is not just<br />

a business to me, it’s a passion <strong>and</strong><br />

with the experience I have, I decided<br />

it was time to come home, seeing<br />

how fast <strong>and</strong> big the entertainment<br />

<strong>and</strong> hospitality business in Nigeria<br />

is growing. I spent most of my life in<br />

Fast rising singer, Alvin Tolani Osungade, a.k.a Sojiii, has grown from<br />

an up <strong>and</strong> coming artiste to become a music sensation to reckon with<br />

both in Africa <strong>and</strong> in diaspora- Canada, America <strong>and</strong> Europe; as he has<br />

been topping music charts since he released his official debut single<br />

‘Tombo’, accompanied by an exotic visual, shot in Canada by Seed Visuals.<br />

Co-produced by Fresco Rhodes, the song topped music charts for 7-<br />

straight days after its debut on iTunes <strong>and</strong> apple music chart in the first<br />

week of release; a great record achieved for the first time by a contemporary<br />

afro-beats artiste based outside the continent <strong>and</strong> in Canada.<br />

The song also made it to the number 3 spot on Top Ten Nigerian Music<br />

hosted on the beat 99.9fm La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

Just few months a<strong>go</strong>, Sojiii signed a record deal with AMG (AY Media<br />

Group), a Canadian based record label <strong>and</strong> Media Company <strong>and</strong> today,<br />

he is enjoying the spotlight of mainstream media <strong>and</strong> a fast growing fan base spread across<br />

several continents.<br />

According to the CEO of AY Media Group, Imole-Ayo Ade-Tumi Adeosun, the label’s <strong>go</strong>al is to discover<br />

young talents from Africa, develop them into world class entertainers cum music exports <strong>and</strong> Sojiii is the first<br />

beneficiary of this plan <strong>and</strong> AMG’s flagship artiste.<br />

“As more talents are about to be launched with AMG platform, we will like to announce that AMG newly<br />

signed Nest Json, aka Daddy J, in March 2019, <strong>and</strong> his dropping his anticipated single ‘Pere’, sometime in<br />

April 2019. AMG is different from all other labels due to the fact that everyone under the label is treated like<br />

family <strong>and</strong> the artistes are not restricted in any way, enabling them to reach their highest potential”, he said.<br />

Miami, Florida, owning several<br />

strip clubs in Jacksonville Florida,<br />

Toronto <strong>and</strong> Caracas Venezuela <strong>and</strong><br />

having returned, I felt the ultimate<br />

gentlemen club experience should<br />

be introduced to Nigeria.”<br />

Speaking further, Big Slim<br />

stressed that Silver Fox founded<br />

since 2014 has become a force to<br />

reckon with on the Adult Nightlife<br />

scene with an outst<strong>and</strong>ing track<br />

record <strong>and</strong> international<br />

recognition. He said that the br<strong>and</strong><br />

is focused on making sure it is<br />

versatile enough in the delivery of<br />

premium <strong>and</strong> exquisite nightlife<br />

services, to keep exp<strong>and</strong>ing its<br />

reach as it gains more<br />

acceptance. “We move with the<br />

trends. Strip Clubs are part of the<br />

hip-hop culture <strong>and</strong> it’s my objective<br />

to change Africa with that same<br />

attitude. With 26 years of<br />

experience in this game, we have<br />

been consistent. At any given<br />

time, we have up to 50 dancers in<br />

rotation which maintains the<br />

excitement level. We also have<br />

various VIP rooms that ensure your<br />

utmost privacy,” Big Slim added.


PAGE 16 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

I fear that Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa,<br />

other languages may <strong>go</strong> into<br />

self-induced extinction<br />

— Oba Ajayi Michael<br />

In a lecture on culture delivered by Oba<br />

Michael Ajayi, the Elerinmo of Erinmo, during<br />

the Culture Fair Week of the College of<br />

Humanities, Redeemer’s University, Ede,<br />

Osun State, he stressed the importance of<br />

culture in a global village. Excerpts:<br />

Custodian<br />

I<br />

imagine you have<br />

appropriated this topic to me<br />

in recognition of my present<br />

office as a custodian of culture <strong>and</strong><br />

a Yoruba traditional ruler, especially<br />

one who has passed through the<br />

four walls of a university graduating<br />

at the age of 20 years about three<br />

decades a<strong>go</strong>. I will not pretend to<br />

assume the roles of our professors<br />

<strong>and</strong> academics here seated. I will<br />

try, however, to do justice to the topic<br />

from my own perspective as a<br />

Yoruba monarch.<br />

For ease of discussion, let us<br />

underst<strong>and</strong> the following about<br />

culture:<br />

In sub-Saharan Africa, people<br />

<strong>and</strong> culture are inseparable since<br />

there is no denial of the fact that<br />

what makes any human society is<br />

its culture; a Latin word which was<br />

derived from “colore” meaning to<br />

practice or cherish.<br />

Generally speaking, culture is the<br />

culmination of accepted norms of<br />

social behavior found in human<br />

societies. In common parlance,<br />

culture is often used to refer<br />

specifically to the symbolic activities<br />

used by an ethnic group (or any<br />

homogeneous group) to distinguish<br />

themselves visibly from each other.<br />

Such cultures are transmitted<br />

through social learning in human<br />

societies from one generation to the<br />

other.<br />

For instance, I am certain that the<br />

visioneers of this institution set it up<br />

based on certain basic principles<br />

they are known for <strong>and</strong> hence this<br />

institution has its own culture<br />

unique to it. Some institutions even<br />

have dress codes <strong>and</strong> so on. Simply<br />

put, culture is the set of customs,<br />

traditions <strong>and</strong> values of a society or<br />

community, such as an ethnic group<br />

or nation like the Yorubas; it is the<br />

set of knowledge acquired over time<br />

describing specific practices within<br />

a sub group of a society. Looking at<br />

the Yorubas, respect for elders is a<br />

major part of our culture hence male<br />

prostrate while females knee to<br />

greet, this as you know is not the<br />

same with other ethnic nationalities<br />

even in present day Nigeria. That<br />

is why we pride ourselves as<br />

OMOLUABIS.<br />

For a society to be societal it must<br />

be cultural; therefore, society <strong>and</strong><br />

culture are also intertwined. In the<br />

same vein, <strong>go</strong>ing by the theory of<br />

environmental determinism, the<br />

culture of any society is largely<br />

dictated by its geography. Put<br />

another way, there is conspicuous<br />

sociological interplay among the<br />

concepts of culture, nurture, <strong>and</strong><br />

nature.<br />

Culture refers to the cumulative<br />

deposit of knowledge, experience,<br />

beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings,<br />

hierarchies, religion, notions of<br />

time, roles, spatial relations,<br />

concepts of the universe, <strong>and</strong><br />

material objects <strong>and</strong> possessions<br />

acquired by a group of people in the<br />

course of generations through<br />

individual <strong>and</strong> group striving.<br />

Culture in its broadest sense is a<br />

cultivated behavior; that is, the<br />

totality of a person’s learned,<br />

accumulated experience which is<br />

socially transmitted, or more briefly,<br />

behavior through social learning. A<br />

culture is a way of life of a group of<br />

people—the behaviors, beliefs,<br />

values, <strong>and</strong> symbols that they<br />

accept, generally without thinking<br />

about them, <strong>and</strong> that are passed<br />

along by communication <strong>and</strong><br />

imitation from one generation to the<br />

next.<br />

Culture is symbolic<br />

communication. Some of its<br />

symbols include a group’s skills,<br />

knowledge, attitudes, values, <strong>and</strong><br />

motives. The meanings of the<br />

symbols are learned <strong>and</strong><br />

deliberately perpetuated in a<br />

society through its institutions.<br />

The culture of a people is their<br />

identity as it affords them due<br />

recognition. It is their underlying<br />

distinguishing factor from other<br />

peoples <strong>and</strong> cultures. In fact, all<br />

societies across the globe have<br />

various <strong>and</strong> divergent cultures<br />

which they cherish <strong>and</strong> practice.<br />

Nevertheless, no<br />

two cultures,<br />

when juxtaposed<br />

are absolutely<br />

identical as<br />

attested to by<br />

ethnographers. In<br />

order for a society<br />

to operate<br />

functionally <strong>and</strong><br />

effectively, they<br />

must ensure <strong>and</strong><br />

maintain strict<br />

<strong>and</strong> constant<br />

adherence to the<br />

v a r i o u s<br />

components of<br />

their culture.<br />

Culture is that<br />

complex whole<br />

which includes<br />

knowledge,<br />

belief, arts,<br />

morals, customs,<br />

laws <strong>and</strong> other<br />

capabilities<br />

which are<br />

learned, shared by<br />

men as members<br />

of society, <strong>and</strong><br />

transmitted from<br />

one generation to<br />

another. Culture has two essential<br />

qualities: first, it is learned <strong>and</strong><br />

second, it is shared. Sociologically,<br />

many activities of members of any<br />

society such as eating, music,<br />

dancing, occupation, education<br />

(formal, informal, <strong>and</strong> informal),<br />

visiting friends, courtship, marriage<br />

(its forms <strong>and</strong> types), beliefs<br />

(festivals <strong>and</strong> liturgies), naming <strong>and</strong><br />

burial ceremonies, entertaining<br />

friends <strong>and</strong> guests, greetings, <strong>and</strong><br />

system of <strong>go</strong>vernment, are all found<br />

within the confine of nonmaterial<br />

culture which is the exclusive<br />

preserve <strong>and</strong> concern of this study.<br />

The global<br />

village<br />

incursion has<br />

affected the<br />

usual cultural<br />

means of<br />

dressing that<br />

we are<br />

known for<br />

•Oba Ajayi Michael<br />

Material aspect of culture, which<br />

comprises the physical <strong>and</strong><br />

touchable implements or objects<br />

such as wears, computer, spoon, pot,<br />

cup, cutlass, building, phone, <strong>and</strong><br />

s<strong>and</strong>al, is also invaluable <strong>and</strong><br />

complementary.<br />

Culture <strong>and</strong> Globalization<br />

The term global village was<br />

coined by Marshall McLuhan, a<br />

Canadian philosopher, in the<br />

beginning of the 1960s. He had a<br />

vision of<br />

technology<br />

reducing the size<br />

of the globe to that<br />

of a village, with<br />

information<br />

floating freely <strong>and</strong><br />

simultaneously<br />

from one end to the<br />

other. Therefore,<br />

the term global<br />

village represents<br />

the concept of<br />

simplifying of the<br />

whole world into<br />

one village<br />

through the use of<br />

electronic media<br />

b r i n g i n g<br />

communities,<br />

people <strong>and</strong><br />

activities together<br />

outside the realm<br />

of physical<br />

contact.<br />

In our global<br />

village, we need to<br />

embrace new<br />

experiences —<br />

realize that it<br />

takes dozens of<br />

communities <strong>and</strong><br />

hundreds of years<br />

for each culture to evolve <strong>and</strong><br />

develop its own values, morals,<br />

business practices <strong>and</strong> ethics. As our<br />

multicultural environments exp<strong>and</strong>,<br />

often our nonverbal differences<br />

such as social, educational <strong>and</strong><br />

economic discrepancies, power<br />

dynamics <strong>and</strong> spiritual beliefs,<br />

become the leverage for our<br />

communication.<br />

Since culture connects every<br />

aspect of life, doing business on a<br />

global basis requires a <strong>go</strong>od<br />

underst<strong>and</strong>ing of different cultures.<br />

For instance, in the Western world,<br />

a h<strong>and</strong>shake is a sign of a successful<br />

business discussion or transaction<br />

whereas in the Middle East, the<br />

same h<strong>and</strong>shake means serious<br />

business is about to commence.<br />

Anyone who intends to enjoy a<br />

warm welcome will have to take<br />

steps to underst<strong>and</strong> the cultural<br />

expectations of his clients or<br />

business partners or hosts.<br />

Let us review the effects of<br />

globalization on a few aspects of<br />

culture below:<br />

Language – In this modern day,<br />

we can easily notice a situation<br />

where our traditional language has<br />

been modified or totally ab<strong>and</strong>oned<br />

by our children who now feel more<br />

comfortable speaking <strong>and</strong> adopting<br />

some other widely spoken<br />

languages. If this drift is not<br />

curtailed, we will get to a point<br />

where indigenous languages<br />

(Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, among<br />

<strong>others</strong>) will <strong>go</strong> into natural selfinduced<br />

extinction.<br />

Dressing – Another aspect of our<br />

culture being adversely affected is<br />

our traditional mode of dressing. The<br />

global village incursion has affected<br />

the usual cultural means of dressing<br />

that we are known for, hence while<br />

we Africans are desperately<br />

replacing our traditional African<br />

clothing, non-Africans fancy our<br />

attires <strong>and</strong> admire them when the<br />

opportunity arises.<br />

Religion – Our African traditional<br />

religion has been most affected by<br />

colonization, then subsequently by<br />

globalization. Many of us no longer<br />

remember who we were <strong>and</strong> from<br />

what religious background we have<br />

come, most have merely embraced<br />

what they find convenient <strong>and</strong><br />

“modern”.<br />

Telecommunication – We must<br />

admit that the technological<br />

development in the world has<br />

positively influenced our people.<br />

The local illiterate farmer in my<br />

village whose son has bought him<br />

a phone is now able to communicate<br />

with his son who is thous<strong>and</strong>s of<br />

kilometers away in America, I am<br />

also able to speak to <strong>and</strong> see my<br />

kids on video real time. This is a<br />

positive influence of the technology<br />

on us.<br />

Trade <strong>and</strong> Commerce – With the<br />

global village trade has been made<br />

easier through non visual<br />

communication <strong>and</strong> this has<br />

brought millions of potential buyers<br />

to producers some of whom are in<br />

remote villages around the world.<br />

Behavioral Patterns - Knowledge,<br />

as they say, is power. It is now easy<br />

for people to acquire knowledge. We<br />

have equally witnessed the<br />

unabashed promotion of habits,<br />

behavioural patterns <strong>and</strong> even<br />

sexual preferences, hitherto<br />

unthinkable anywhere in the world.<br />

Has it not become commonplace to<br />

find people expending hard-earned<br />

resources on sex change? All of a<br />

sudden, same sex intimacy <strong>and</strong><br />

marriage, even bestiality have<br />

become the norm across our world.<br />

The world itself is in crisis, so is<br />

Nigeria. Perhaps, only once since<br />

God created the world has humanity<br />

witnessed the level of moral<br />

decadence currently ravaging<br />

cultures across the globe. That<br />

record was in the bible times, when<br />

angels were reported to have<br />

descended from their ethereal<br />

abodes in heaven to have canal<br />

relationship with the daughters of<br />

men! The scriptures are also replete<br />

with other accounts of immorality<br />

such as temple prostitution, flagrant<br />

disobedience, stubbornness, theft<br />

<strong>and</strong> widespread violence.<br />

I have <strong>go</strong>ne this way back to show<br />

that the vice we are contending with<br />

is not really an innovation in human<br />

history. The society has mostly been<br />

in decadence, from time<br />

immemorial. Recall that even in the<br />

beginning, “The world was without<br />

form <strong>and</strong> void <strong>and</strong> darkness was<br />

upon the face of the deep.”<br />

There must be hope for the present<br />

<strong>and</strong> perhaps future generations. It<br />

must, however be emphasized from<br />

the beginning that although my<br />

prescription focuses on the role of<br />

traditional institutions in this<br />

process of rediscovery <strong>and</strong> rebirth,<br />

our search for moral reawakening<br />

must naturally be all inclusive <strong>and</strong><br />

extend to everybody.<br />

We all have a role to play. It will<br />

in fact be a disservice <strong>and</strong> an<br />

exercise in self deceit to think that<br />

only one stratum in our natural<br />

leadership pyramid, such as the<br />

traditional institution, holds the key<br />

to moral rejuvenation.<br />

C<br />

M<br />

Y<br />

K


From begging to b<strong>and</strong>itry:<br />

Revolt of the almajiris<br />

“<strong>No</strong> revolution is the fault of<br />

the people but the fault of the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment.”—Johann<br />

Goethe, 1749-1832, VAN-<br />

GUARD BOOK OF QUOTA-<br />

TIONS, VBQ.<br />

revolution is underway<br />

A in the northern <strong>states</strong> of<br />

Nigeria. The downtrodden<br />

constituting 99.9 per cent of<br />

the population, hitherto docile<br />

beggars, saying rankaindedeto<br />

the privileged 0.1 per<br />

cent, are sick <strong>and</strong> tired of begging.<br />

They are now dem<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

for their own share of “the<br />

national cake” to be delivered<br />

to them – at gun or cutlass<br />

points. Nigeria will never be<br />

the same again. The <strong>No</strong>rth is<br />

now gradually sliding into the<br />

dictatorship of the beggars or<br />

almajiris.<br />

As usual, Nigerian pseudosocialists,<br />

like the original European<br />

promoters of the idea,<br />

had not expected the least developed<br />

region in this country<br />

to trigger the revolution,<br />

just as the uprising which occurred<br />

first in Russia <strong>and</strong> died<br />

there as well was wrongly predicted.<br />

Our local copy cats had<br />

been writing <strong>and</strong> talking<br />

about revolution in Nigeria<br />

on the assumption that highly<br />

educated Nigerians would<br />

lead it. History might eventually<br />

record that the Nigerian<br />

revolution (<strong>and</strong> make no mistake<br />

about it there is one on)<br />

was spear-headed by those<br />

with nothing to lose – no job,<br />

no house, no family to speak<br />

of, <strong>and</strong> no hope. For too long<br />

there has been ample evidence<br />

to prove that the most<br />

difficult enemy to fight is one<br />

who has nothing to lose. The<br />

privileged class in Nigeria<br />

had been busy since 1914, <strong>and</strong><br />

particularly since 1960, nurturing<br />

millions of fellow citizens<br />

who can only be described<br />

as people without hope<br />

living in another Nigeria from<br />

the one inhabited by their<br />

overfed leaders.<br />

“There are only two families<br />

in the world, my old gr<strong>and</strong>mother<br />

used to say, the Haves<br />

Resignation is what kills people.<br />

Once they've rejected resignation,<br />

humans gain the<br />

privilege of making humanity<br />

their footpath—Kouta Hirano<br />

am of an age when <strong>go</strong>ing<br />

I to hospital was a common<br />

place, it was relatively stress<br />

free; you knew what to expect.<br />

Depending on your presentation,<br />

you either <strong>go</strong> to a clinic<br />

or one of the teaching hospitals.<br />

You were guaranteed<br />

timely <strong>and</strong> high quality intervention,<br />

access to efficient<br />

health professionals <strong>and</strong> <strong>pay</strong>ment<br />

for treatment was affordable.<br />

Sadly, this is no longer<br />

the case. The Nigerian health<br />

care service both public <strong>and</strong><br />

private are cut throats <strong>and</strong><br />

under resourced <strong>and</strong> at times,<br />

inhumane.<br />

We now have a multi tiered<br />

health care system according<br />

to one’s means or no treatment<br />

at all, because seeking treatment<br />

or not is now more of an<br />

option.<br />

Health care is now a luxury<br />

than many cannot afford.<br />

Almost twenty years a<strong>go</strong>, my<br />

dad had an accident <strong>and</strong> sustained<br />

multiple fractures that<br />

needed a leg cast <strong>and</strong> regular<br />

appointments at the orthopaedic<br />

units. My father has always<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Have-nots.” Miguel<br />

Cervantes, 1547-1616.<br />

It has always been a puzzle<br />

to me why leaders – Presidents,<br />

Governors, Ministers, Commissioners,<br />

party leaders –<br />

who we presumed were/are<br />

intelligent <strong>and</strong> wise could<br />

have individually <strong>and</strong> collectively<br />

failed to underst<strong>and</strong> that<br />

we cannot continue to increase<br />

the number of jobless<br />

adults <strong>and</strong> children out of<br />

school without eventually<br />

reaching the breaking point.<br />

Nigeria has one of the widest<br />

income disparities in the<br />

world – less than one per cent<br />

own over seventy per cent of<br />

the wealth. The <strong>No</strong>rth as a<br />

whole is the worst – with the<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth East <strong>and</strong> <strong>No</strong>rth West<br />

being the absolute worst. For<br />

as long as anybody can remember<br />

religion has been<br />

misused to get the vast majority<br />

of “have-nots” to accept<br />

their penury as an “act of Allah”.<br />

The extremely wealthy,<br />

even if the wealth was accumulated<br />

by looting the public<br />

purse <strong>go</strong>t away with robbing<br />

the masses because of the pervasive<br />

docility. Every delinquent<br />

individual readily was<br />

submissive to the privileged<br />

whose only obligation was to<br />

give pittance to the people they<br />

have robbed by way of alms<br />

giving. A <strong>go</strong>vernor caught on<br />

video receiving bribe shows no<br />

remorse <strong>and</strong> even receives<br />

presidential endorsement because<br />

president <strong>and</strong> <strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

belong to the oppressive class.<br />

Class solidarity was always<br />

more important than justice.<br />

For over four decades since<br />

first setting foot in the <strong>No</strong>rth, I<br />

had wondered when the injustice<br />

would result in absolute<br />

rebellion. I was certain that the<br />

system of institutionalised<br />

serfdom could not continue for<br />

ever. The chickens have come<br />

home to roost in the <strong>No</strong>rth <strong>and</strong><br />

the revolt might spread all<br />

over the country. The former<br />

beggars have dropped their<br />

bowls <strong>and</strong> have acquired bullets<br />

<strong>and</strong> guns. They are now<br />

forcing the Haves, who have<br />

Nigerian health care<br />

critical<br />

been an inpatient patient, he<br />

does not like to be dependent<br />

on anyone but he knew he had<br />

to <strong>pay</strong> for treatment so that he<br />

can recover the use of foot. He<br />

regularly attended the fracture<br />

clinic <strong>and</strong> had his cast removed<br />

<strong>and</strong> recasted, for this<br />

he paid every step of the way,<br />

the nurse, the doctor, the cast<br />

materials, the administrator<br />

<strong>and</strong> so on. That was the way.<br />

During that time, we heard<br />

of horror stories, of people<br />

faced with similar broken<br />

bones, for them, it is Hobson’s<br />

choice; to spend money they<br />

cannot afford monthly or have<br />

the limb amputated once <strong>and</strong><br />

for all. Many chose the latter.<br />

This shouldn’t be, but this was<br />

they were faced with. It is unimaginable<br />

how many died of<br />

gangrene or secondary infection<br />

or life changing disabilities.<br />

Some went the traditional<br />

healers route. They had their<br />

features broken <strong>and</strong> then recasted<br />

(without anaesthetics)<br />

in the attempt to metaphysically<br />

recast the bones with potions.<br />

One can only imagine<br />

the outcome.<br />

That was twenty years a<strong>go</strong>.<br />

So you would have thought<br />

things would have progressed<br />

for the better. <strong>No</strong>, it has <strong>go</strong>t<br />

suppressed them to <strong>pay</strong>.<br />

Henceforth, it will be “Your<br />

money or your life.” The report<br />

by DAILY TRUST a few<br />

weeks a<strong>go</strong> is revealing. The<br />

four most dangerous places to<br />

be in Nigeria today from the<br />

st<strong>and</strong>point of kidnapping <strong>and</strong><br />

murder are: Zamfara, Katsina,<br />

Kaduna <strong>and</strong> Federal Capital<br />

Territory. President Buhari<br />

resides in two of them.<br />

“If there is <strong>go</strong>vernment in<br />

place, then it should listen to<br />

people <strong>and</strong> address the security<br />

challenges. We have mass<br />

burials from time to time <strong>and</strong><br />

there is no sign that <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

cares about what is happening.”—Catholic<br />

Bishop of<br />

Yola, Rev. Stephen Mamza.<br />

To that query President Buhari<br />

gave an answer which is<br />

most pathetic <strong>and</strong> which <strong>tells</strong><br />

us all we need to know about<br />

why we are in this mess <strong>and</strong><br />

may never get out of it. Read<br />

what our leader said. Speaking<br />

through one of his echoes,<br />

we were told that “but for Buhari’s<br />

efforts, Yola <strong>and</strong> other<br />

towns in Adamawa <strong>and</strong> the<br />

rest of the <strong>No</strong>rtheast would still<br />

be under the control of Boko<br />

Haram”. Two reasons among<br />

several render that rejoinder<br />

most unpatriotic. One, there<br />

was never a time all of the<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth East or Yola were under<br />

the control of Boko Haram.<br />

Parts of them yes, but not the<br />

entire region. A president does<br />

need to stretch a small truth to<br />

the breaking point in order to<br />

exonerate himself. Two, on the<br />

same day that the President’s<br />

spokesman was uttering that<br />

falsehood, Nigerians were informed<br />

thus: “Gun men kill 14<br />

in Katsina <strong>and</strong> Benue.” Nine<br />

of the fourteen were slaughtered<br />

in Katsina State. Under<br />

Jonathan nobody was killed<br />

in Katsina State <strong>and</strong> Kaduna<br />

had not become the murder<br />

capital of Nigeria. While the<br />

Bishop was making a general<br />

observation about insecurity,<br />

Buhari <strong>and</strong> his small-minded<br />

spokesmen turned the entire<br />

problem to a political debate<br />

– APC versus PDP. With such<br />

little intellect at the top levels<br />

of <strong>go</strong>vernment, it is easy to<br />

underst<strong>and</strong> why Buhari might<br />

be the last to grasp the significance<br />

of what appears like<br />

r<strong>and</strong>om violence ravaging<br />

Nigeria now. Allow me to<br />

present a true account of what<br />

happened four days to Easter<br />

last week.<br />

“The Devil finds work for idle<br />

h<strong>and</strong>s.”<br />

I was in Suleija after venturing<br />

into a part of Nigeria<br />

which was once very safe but<br />

worse. By the way, my father’s<br />

broken leg was badly treated<br />

until we realised that despite<br />

changing the cast regularly,<br />

they failed to treat the skin <strong>and</strong><br />

the bones. We had to treat him<br />

for rotting wounds <strong>and</strong> it took<br />

months to heal. He mobilises<br />

well but with the aid of a walking<br />

stick.<br />

The story of access or lack<br />

thereof, <strong>and</strong> the quality of<br />

treatment in healthcare is<br />

sadly, out of reach for many<br />

<strong>and</strong> it is definitely inadequate<br />

<strong>and</strong> it is causing needs deaths.<br />

It is absolutely shocking <strong>and</strong><br />

insensitive that, the minister for<br />

Labour <strong>and</strong> Employment, Dr.<br />

Chris Ngige, had the guts to<br />

say our scarce<br />

resoureces;doctors who may<br />

want to relocate overseas,<br />

should <strong>go</strong> right <strong>ahead</strong>, according<br />

to him, Nigeria has<br />

enough medical personnel.<br />

Yes, he said it.<br />

This man has either been ill<br />

informed or he is deluded or<br />

in denial or all three.<br />

I don’t know what part of Nigeria,<br />

this man lives in, but he<br />

is clueless <strong>and</strong> not worthy of<br />

his portfolio. 1<br />

Having said that,very rich<br />

people do no not access local<br />

health care services. If they did,<br />

they would realise that: there<br />

are not enough medical manpower<br />

or resources.<br />

Ngige , was responding to a<br />

question on brain drain <strong>and</strong><br />

the deliberate recruitment of<br />

Nigerian doctors by foreign<br />

embassies in Nigeria to the<br />

detriment of the nation’s<br />

health sector. He should know,<br />

as a medical doctor himself,<br />

or so you would have thought.<br />

Guess the truth eluded him<br />

According to the World<br />

Health Organization (WHO),<br />

which has now become like the<br />

“lion’s den” for travellers – especially<br />

for those driving <strong>go</strong>od<br />

cars <strong>and</strong> well-dressed. <strong>No</strong>t to<br />

test my luck, I had chartered<br />

an old jalopy from the Motor<br />

Park instead of the usual Camry.<br />

We stopped at a filling station<br />

to refuel <strong>and</strong> my eyes could<br />

not believe what they saw. A<br />

leading member of the National<br />

Assembly, NASS, was sitting<br />

in the back seat of a car which<br />

no panel-beater would touch.<br />

I recognised him <strong>and</strong> moved<br />

to introduce myself <strong>and</strong> to ask<br />

what was the matter with his<br />

cars? Almost in tears, he told<br />

me he was heading for Kaduna<br />

state but he had to disguise<br />

out of fear of being kidnapped<br />

or murdered. He would enter<br />

his community at night <strong>and</strong><br />

depart before light of dawn for<br />

safety. His family once paid<br />

ransom to kidnappers <strong>and</strong> he<br />

was not ready to <strong>go</strong> through<br />

the trauma again. He finished<br />

with words that will live long<br />

in my memory. “The kidnappers<br />

we dealt with were all<br />

graduates. They spoke <strong>go</strong>od<br />

English. They said they were<br />

all unemployed <strong>and</strong> they too<br />

must live somehow. Dr Dele,<br />

The Governors of<br />

Zamfara <strong>and</strong> Katsina<br />

recently cried out loud<br />

that their <strong>states</strong> were<br />

under the control of<br />

b<strong>and</strong>its <strong>and</strong> kidnappers.<br />

The Presidency does not<br />

dispute those claims<br />

God save the <strong>No</strong>rth. We are in<br />

deep trouble.”<br />

He was not alone. I know<br />

people who would spend every<br />

possible week end in their<br />

country homes in Kaduna<br />

State until a year a<strong>go</strong>. That<br />

was three years after Jonathan<br />

left office <strong>and</strong> Buhari took<br />

over. They don’t <strong>go</strong> anymore –<br />

unless it is absolutely necessary.<br />

The Governors of Zamfara<br />

<strong>and</strong> Katsina recently cried<br />

out loud that their <strong>states</strong> were<br />

under the control of b<strong>and</strong>its<br />

<strong>and</strong> kidnappers. The Presidency<br />

does not dispute those<br />

claims. The Governors of<br />

Zamfara <strong>and</strong> Katsina under<br />

Jonathan never cried all the<br />

way to Abuja that their <strong>states</strong><br />

had been taken over by crimi-<br />

The Nigerian health<br />

care service both<br />

public <strong>and</strong> private are<br />

cut throats <strong>and</strong> under<br />

resourced <strong>and</strong> at<br />

times, inhumane<br />

Nigeria has one of the highest<br />

doctor to population ratio in<br />

Africa. It is hard to believe isn’t<br />

but this is a misnomer .<br />

We know the bench mark in<br />

Sub-Saharan Africa is pegged<br />

so low ,so the figure is nothing<br />

to crow about.<br />

What is the global recommendation<br />

for optimal health<br />

delivery? Well, it is one doctor<br />

to 600 population.<br />

According to the Medical<br />

<strong>and</strong> Dental Council of Nigeria<br />

(MDCN), there are about<br />

72,000 nationally-registered<br />

Nigerian doctors, with only<br />

35,000 practising in-country!<br />

So make of it what you will<br />

that is over 35,000 for 200 million<br />

Nigerians.<br />

Assuming all the doctors stay<br />

<strong>and</strong> practice in Nigeria, which<br />

is definitely not the case. So<br />

how on earth did the minister<br />

come up with the surplus doctors<br />

<strong>and</strong> having no qualms of<br />

haemorrhaging doctors to<br />

overseas health services.<br />

He said that there was nothing<br />

wrong with doctors leaving<br />

the country because,the<br />

remittance they, in turn, grow<br />

the economy, “<strong>No</strong>, I am not<br />

worried (about doctors leaving<br />

the country). We have surplus.<br />

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 17<br />

nals. The fact that the President’s<br />

own state is under found anywhere. Hitherto,<br />

nition of revolution can be<br />

siege by gun men should they were afraid of the rich<br />

have been embarrassing to <strong>and</strong> powerful. Henceforth, the<br />

the people (if that is the right privileged will be afraid of<br />

word?) at Aso Rock if commonsense<br />

is still present Kaduna-Abuja expressway<br />

them. It is no coincidence that<br />

there.<br />

has become the frontline of<br />

If the President’s men <strong>and</strong> battle. A <strong>go</strong>od percentage of<br />

women have taken any trouble<br />

to collate the crime re-<br />

elite travels through that route<br />

the over-pampered <strong>No</strong>rthern<br />

ports daily presented by all on their way to their well-appointed<br />

palaces. Next to that<br />

our newspapers, they would<br />

have discovered an alarming<br />

correlation between un-<br />

the newly-rich. More public<br />

is Katsina. It is the home of<br />

employment <strong>and</strong> serious officials from that state had<br />

crimes in rural <strong>and</strong> urban been alleged to embezzle public<br />

funds since Buhari be-<br />

communities. Even the murders<br />

seemingly committed came President than ever before.<br />

The b<strong>and</strong>its can observe<br />

for rituals have as their <strong>go</strong>al<br />

acquisition of wealth by people<br />

whose means of legiti-<br />

<strong>and</strong> they want their share of<br />

new mansions springing up<br />

mate livelihood is not secure. the loot. Kidnapping will not<br />

The <strong>No</strong>rth has more of them end any time soon. Like vultures,<br />

b<strong>and</strong>its <strong>and</strong> kidnappers<br />

<strong>and</strong> it is breeding them faster<br />

than any other part of the can literally “smell money”.<br />

country.<br />

They are not even afraid of<br />

“The child is the father of the security forces. They fight<br />

the man.” William Wordsworth,<br />

1770-1850.<br />

select their targets. They know<br />

back; <strong>and</strong> they can afford to<br />

When in 2006, Dr Oby the army is over-stretched <strong>and</strong><br />

Ezekwesili was the Federal cannot be everywhere. Most<br />

Minister of Education <strong>and</strong> important of all, they have<br />

the number of millions of nothing to lose. The soldier<br />

children out of school was who dies in conflict with them<br />

reported, any demographer probably has a wife <strong>and</strong> children.<br />

He really does not want<br />

could have told President<br />

Obasanjo that the b<strong>and</strong>its to die. The b<strong>and</strong>its have nobody<br />

waiting for them at<br />

<strong>and</strong> kidnappers of 2019 were<br />

already with us waiting to home. That is the nature of<br />

grow up <strong>and</strong> terrorise us. The the army which Nigerian<br />

five years old boys of 2006 leaders have assembled <strong>and</strong><br />

are now lanky eighteen which is now launching a full<br />

years old lads; the ten years scale assault on the country –<br />

old have turned to men 23 especially the <strong>No</strong>rth. They<br />

years old. While the very have thrown away the begging<br />

bowl; they now confront<br />

young might be afraid to kidnap,<br />

rob <strong>and</strong> murder, the the rest of us with bullets <strong>and</strong><br />

eighteen-plus, without parental<br />

guidance all the time, in this war for fifty years or<br />

guns. We might be engaged<br />

are not so squeamish. There more.<br />

are millions of them now. THEY JUST CAN’T STOP<br />

That is bad enough. <strong>No</strong>w we LYING.<br />

have a new set of future delinquents<br />

– ten to thirteen house of prayer/ The Devil al-<br />

“Wherever God erects a<br />

millions – out of school. Most ways builds a Chapel there/<br />

of them will live to reach And, it will be found upon examination/<br />

The latter has a<br />

eighteen <strong>and</strong> above. Millions<br />

of their older br<strong>others</strong> larger congregation. Daniel<br />

identified in 2006 will still Defoe, 1661-1731.<br />

be alive when the fresh crop Buhari meant well when he<br />

of idle h<strong>and</strong>s gets set to be tried to achieve religious balance<br />

in the appointments of<br />

engaged by Satan. The numbers<br />

will swell <strong>and</strong> the security<br />

forces will never be able speak about Muslims. But, the<br />

his closest officials. I cannot<br />

to cope with the deluge of President must have inadvertently<br />

strayed into the Devil’s<br />

criminals unless we do<br />

something urgently. chapel to select his Christian<br />

The problem is national. advisers. The Pastors in Aso<br />

But, the <strong>No</strong>rth is now experiencing<br />

a revolt of the beg-<br />

worshippers of Satan ever to<br />

Rock are probably the worst<br />

gars. They no longer wait patiently<br />

at the gates of the few that the <strong>FG</strong> bought millions<br />

enter the Rock. One claimed<br />

wealthy people in their communities.<br />

They now have set ers wonder where he <strong>go</strong>t the<br />

of cows to feed the kids. Farm-<br />

about redistributing wealth cattle from since none of theirs<br />

by violence. <strong>No</strong> better defi- was bought.<br />

If you have surplus, you export.<br />

It happened some years<br />

a<strong>go</strong> here. I was taught chemistry<br />

<strong>and</strong> biology by Indian<br />

teachers in my secondary<br />

school days.<br />

“There are surplus in their<br />

country <strong>and</strong> we also have<br />

surplus in the medical profession<br />

in our country. I can<br />

tell you this. In my area, we<br />

have excess.<br />

Serioursly,did he underst<strong>and</strong><br />

the question? He<br />

asked ,“Who said we don’t<br />

have enough doctors? We<br />

have more than enough. You<br />

can quote me. There is nothing<br />

wrong in them travelling<br />

out. When they <strong>go</strong> abroad,<br />

they earn money <strong>and</strong> send<br />

them back home here. Yes,<br />

we have foreign exchange<br />

earnings from them <strong>and</strong> not<br />

just oil.”<br />

Can he tell why we have a<br />

high infant <strong>and</strong> maternal<br />

mortality rate? Why are people<br />

suffering more ill health<br />

or lowered mortality rate if<br />

Nigerians have enough<br />

health personnel that it can<br />

afford to haemorrhage essential<br />

health workers to other<br />

countries to the detriment<br />

of the health of 8ts population.<br />

The reality is medics<br />

are leaving because of lack<br />

of opportunities <strong>and</strong> grinding<br />

poverty.<br />

He simply, telling the improvised<br />

that there is no problem<br />

<strong>and</strong> that everything us<br />

fine <strong>and</strong> d<strong>and</strong>y because the<br />

ineptitude of subsequent administrations<br />

lack of investment<br />

in prioritising health<br />

care <strong>and</strong> resources is not a<br />

problem! He seems to play<br />

down Nigerians resilience as<br />

a success <strong>and</strong> a resource for<br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernment coffers.<br />

What an insult! We know that<br />

remittance of billions of dollars<br />

is what keeps Nigeria<br />

afloat. This arrogance of this<br />

minister knows no end, “Will<br />

you call that brain drain? I<br />

know a couple of them who<br />

practise abroad but set up<br />

medical centres back home.<br />

They have CAT scan, MRI<br />

scan which even the <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

cannot maintain. So, I<br />

don’t see any loss,” he said.<br />

Yeah,so all these centres are<br />

privately own <strong>and</strong> are better<br />

sourced than the public<br />

health centre. It has cost implications,<br />

so if you are poor<br />

or unemployed or have no<br />

means ,it is out of reach of<br />

many.<br />

This quite concerning, very<br />

concerning indeed. He has no<br />

clue on ensuring that the country<br />

grows its economy <strong>and</strong><br />

provide employment for millions<br />

of Nigerians, talk less of<br />

safeguarding the health of the<br />

people.<br />

The fact here is over decades,<br />

thous<strong>and</strong>s of Nigerians<br />

have migrated due to inadequate,<br />

under resources <strong>and</strong> inequitable<br />

distribution of<br />

health care services <strong>and</strong> manpower.<br />

Access to health is<br />

more in urban areas than in<br />

villages <strong>and</strong> our reach places<br />

meaning health outcome is<br />

sadly unequal <strong>and</strong> health care<br />

workers tend to seek work in<br />

cities <strong>and</strong> towns(HRH Country<br />

Profile: Nigeria, WHO<br />

GHWA, 2008).<br />

All habits are bad habits. (...)<br />

Madness does not come by<br />

breaking out, but by giving in;<br />

by settling down in some dirty,<br />

little, self-repeating circle of<br />

ideas; by being tamed.<br />

G.K. Chesterton.


PAGE 18 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

By Esther Onyegbula<br />

All over the world, there is<br />

increasing incidence of<br />

incest with fathers having<br />

carnal knowledge of their biological<br />

daughters.<br />

More worrisome is the fact that<br />

the ugly trend is becoming a routine<br />

in this part of the world as hardly a<br />

week passes without reports of<br />

fathers raping their daughters,<br />

mostly teenagers, <strong>and</strong>, sometimes,<br />

in the process, impregnating them.<br />

Across major cities <strong>and</strong> slums,<br />

there are tales everywhere of the<br />

shameful act. While some victims<br />

speak out, <strong>others</strong> don’t until it is late<br />

because of fear, shame <strong>and</strong> stigma.<br />

Unfortunately, only a few suspects<br />

are prosecuted as <strong>others</strong> <strong>go</strong><br />

unpunished.<br />

And for those who are prosecuted,<br />

the cases are sometimes struck out<br />

for lack of diligent prosecution, or<br />

the victims or witnesses fail to<br />

testify.<br />

A few weeks a<strong>go</strong>, Ogun State<br />

Police Comm<strong>and</strong> arrested a 45-yearold<br />

man, Idowu Owolabi, for<br />

allegedly raping his 21-year-old<br />

daughter.<br />

Owolabi, who has three wives,<br />

was accused of having carnal<br />

knowledge of his daughter since<br />

last year.<br />

The suspect was arrested on<br />

January 28, 2019, following a<br />

complaint lodged by the victim at<br />

the Divisional Police Headquarters,<br />

Oja-Odan in Yewa South Local<br />

Government Area of the state.<br />

“The first time my father raped me<br />

was when I followed him to the farm<br />

at Fagboun village. My father<br />

forcefully had carnal knowledge of<br />

me right there on the farm sometime<br />

in March 2018. Since then, my<br />

father had continuously been having<br />

unlawful carnal knowledge of me<br />

with a threat that he would kill me<br />

if I dared to tell anybody about it. It<br />

was like living in the house of<br />

horror”, she narrated.<br />

On interrogation, the suspect<br />

confessed to the crime but blamed<br />

it on the devil.<br />

Confirming the incident, the<br />

spokesperson for the police in<br />

Ogun, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi,<br />

said father <strong>and</strong> daughter were<br />

resident at Papa Olosun area of Oja-<br />

Odan.<br />

After receiving the report, the Oja-<br />

Odan DPO, CSP Olayemi Jacob, led<br />

detectives to the Owolabi’s<br />

residence, where he was arrested.<br />

“However, the Commissioner of<br />

Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, ordered the<br />

immediate transfer of the case to the<br />

State Criminal Investigation <strong>and</strong><br />

Intelligence Department for proper<br />

investigation <strong>and</strong> possible<br />

prosecution of the suspect”,<br />

Oyeyemi said.<br />

The case is not entirely different<br />

from another which happened in<br />

January 2018 but, this time, in<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s, where a father, Segun<br />

Durojaiye, in collaboration with his<br />

brother, Emmanuel Durojaiye, was<br />

arrested by the police for allegedly<br />

raping his 16-year-old daughter for<br />

about four years.<br />

The suspects were charged to<br />

court for defilement <strong>and</strong> incest<br />

before a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s<br />

Court.<br />

Segun was alleged to have started<br />

sleeping with his daughter in 2014<br />

after she confided in him about her<br />

uncle’s inappropriate show of<br />

affection.<br />

According to him, after the death<br />

of the victim’s stepmother in the<br />

same year, she was asked to <strong>go</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

stay with her uncle who, it was<br />

alleged, began to molest her<br />

sexually.<br />

The victim broke her silence after<br />

she had allegedly had a series of<br />

abortions <strong>and</strong> was losing weight<br />

from the trauma.<br />

GIRLS WHO LIVED IN ‘H<br />

Our fathers pra<br />

us into their sex<br />

• Men accused of rape by o<br />

The case was reported at a police<br />

station <strong>and</strong> the suspects were<br />

immediately arrested.<br />

Segun was resident at Baba-Benja<br />

Street, Oreyo area of Ikorodu, La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

State while Emmanuel lived at 10,<br />

Durojaiye Street, also in the same<br />

area.<br />

Dad sleeps with daughter,<br />

impregnates her<br />

In another case in Benin-City, a<br />

17-year-old girl, Gift Alonge, who<br />

was allegedly impregnated by her<br />

father, Jacob Alonge, lost her life in<br />

a car accident alongside three<br />

<strong>others</strong>.<br />

Gift was allegedly impregnated in<br />

2017 by Alonge who then forced her<br />

to procure crude abortion before<br />

impregnating her again in 2018.<br />

The sexually abused victim, her<br />

uncle, Mr. Ukere Adagbogu, <strong>and</strong><br />

two members of Brave Heart<br />

Initiative, BHI, Rhoda Braimoh <strong>and</strong><br />

Promise Ezekiel, lost their lives in<br />

an accident while on their way from<br />

Igarra to attend a court sitting in<br />

Benin-City to get justice.<br />

Gift’s father, who made a<br />

confessional statement at Ososo<br />

Police Division, Benin-City <strong>ahead</strong><br />

of being arraigned in court, <strong>and</strong> had<br />

pleaded guilty to the charges of<br />

rape <strong>and</strong> procuring illegal abortion,<br />

immediately changed his plea of<br />

‘guilty’ to ‘not guilty’ when it was<br />

clear that the key witnesses in the<br />

case were no longer alive to testify<br />

on January 16, 2019, when the court<br />

was to pass its sentence.<br />

Case closed.<br />

Before then, specifically in 2014,<br />

a 14-year-old girl narrated how her<br />

father allegedly pounced on her <strong>and</strong><br />

raped her until she could no longer<br />

walk upright at the Oyingbo area<br />

of La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

The victim, simply identified as<br />

Uzor, said her father raped her on<br />

December 2, 2014 at their home<br />

located at 4, Akintunde Street,<br />

Oyingbo until she found it difficult<br />

to walk.<br />

The victim said the suspect raped<br />

her around 6:30am after she went<br />

to live with him.<br />

Uzor explained that she had been<br />

living with an aunt at Ikorodu after<br />

the demise of her mother until her<br />

father came to take her away.<br />

It was within few days of living<br />

with her father, according to her, that<br />

the man raped her.<br />

Fighting back tears, Uzor said: “I<br />

wanted to shout, but his weight was<br />

too much for me.<br />

“My father is fat <strong>and</strong> I was<br />

•Amah<br />

struggling to breath. I was<br />

struggling to push him off.”<br />

According to Uzor, after her<br />

mother died, she went to stay with<br />

her mum’s elder sister at Ogijo area<br />

of Ikorodu. The woman was<br />

expected to assist the girl in<br />

furthering her education, but she<br />

did not.<br />

The victim added: “My aunt did<br />

not enrol me in school. I used to<br />

hawk pepper <strong>and</strong> tomato for her. My<br />

father was not pleased that my aunt<br />

did not enrol me in school. “He<br />

threatened to take me away. He<br />

eventually came <strong>and</strong> took me to his<br />

house.”<br />

Recalling how she was raped, she<br />

said: “I was in the room sleeping<br />

when my father called me to warm<br />

soup in the kitchen.<br />

“Few minutes later, he called me<br />

to meet him in the bedroom. I<br />

thought he wanted to punish me<br />

when he called me because I was<br />

always scared of him <strong>and</strong> my step<br />

mother. They treated me bad.”<br />

Man tests daughters’<br />

virginity<br />

In a 2015 case, a 40-year-old<br />

driver, Okon Jimmy Amah, from<br />

Mkpat Enin Local Government<br />

Area of Akwa Ibom State, who<br />

allegedly turned his two teenage<br />

daughters into sex objects, always<br />

raping them without using<br />

condoms, said he was checking if<br />

the girls were still virgins.<br />

According to one of the girls who<br />

previously lived with her mother in<br />

Benin-City, Edo State, until April 9,<br />

2015, when she decided to visit her<br />

father in Uyo, it was after she <strong>go</strong>t<br />

there that her father turned her into<br />

his lover.<br />

She said: “My father started<br />

soliciting for sex from me. In fact,<br />

that April, my father forcefully had<br />

sexual intercourse with me in our<br />

small room. He had sex with me in<br />

the middle of the night. He has had<br />

sex with me several times. I have<br />

lost count of the number of times he<br />

•Uche<br />

had sex with me”.<br />

Apparently sick of the life she had<br />

been subjected to <strong>and</strong> hungry for a<br />

person to share her pains, the victim<br />

broke her silence <strong>and</strong> poured out<br />

her heart to a neighbour who took<br />

the matter to Akwa Ibom State<br />

Ministry of Women Affairs <strong>and</strong><br />

Social Welfare.<br />

The second daughter alleged that<br />

she was 11 years old when her<br />

father started having sex with her.<br />

She said: “My father returned<br />

home one day <strong>and</strong> called me to a<br />

quiet place. He asked me whether<br />

I had ever had sex with a man<br />

before. I said no. He said he would<br />

be the first man to have sex with<br />

me.<br />

“I was shocked. I wanted to say<br />

something, but he shouted at me to<br />

shut up. When it was midnight, my<br />

father raped me. I cried <strong>and</strong> felt<br />

ashamed. He raped me, not once,<br />

not twice. He raped me several<br />

times. One day, my mother heard<br />

me crying, she came to me. I told<br />

her the little I could. My mum was


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 19<br />

OUSES OF HORROR’:<br />

ctically turned<br />

slaves!<br />

wn daughters<br />

•Owolabi<br />

angry. “But my father didn’t stop<br />

having sex with me. My mum<br />

knows about it”.<br />

According to Amah, he continued<br />

to have sex with his daughters<br />

because his second wife, who lived<br />

with him, denied him of sex.<br />

“Yes, I slept with my daughters in<br />

the bedroom room while my wife<br />

was sleeping in the sitting room.<br />

My wife was down with malaria.<br />

She had been ill for a week <strong>and</strong> was<br />

denying me sex. That is why I<br />

solicited for sex from my<br />

daughters”, the suspect said.<br />

“Apart from the fact that my second<br />

wife starved me of sex, I suspected<br />

that my daughters weren’t virgins,<br />

but when I tried to do it with one of<br />

them, I discovered that she had<br />

never had sex. At that point, I<br />

withdrew”.<br />

Meanwhile when Amah was<br />

arraigned in court on a three - count<br />

charge of incest, carnal knowledge<br />

<strong>and</strong> assault, contrary to Section 242<br />

<strong>and</strong> 364 of the Criminal Code, Laws<br />

of Akwa Ibom State, the case was<br />

struck out for lack of diligent<br />

prosecution.<br />

When the matter, with suit number<br />

HU/65 C/2016, came up before<br />

Justice Okon Okon of the State<br />

•Sikiru<br />

My father started soliciting<br />

for sex from me. In fact, that<br />

April, my father forcefully<br />

had sexual intercourse with<br />

me in our small room<br />

High Court in Uyo, on July 14, 2016,<br />

there was no witness to testify<br />

against the accused person.<br />

Defence counsel, Harrison<br />

Ernest, subsequently argued that<br />

the matter be struck out.<br />

Devil at work<br />

Suspected incestuous fathers<br />

sometimes blame the devil for the<br />

act.<br />

For instance, 41-year-old Sikiru<br />

Odejide, who was arrested by the<br />

police in Ogun in June 2017 for<br />

allegedly sleeping with his 13-yearold<br />

daughter since December 2016,<br />

said the devil was responsible for<br />

his plight.<br />

Odejide said, “It was the devil that<br />

led me into sleeping with my<br />

daughter”.<br />

Police spokesperson Oyeyemi<br />

disclosed that the arrest of the<br />

suspected r<strong>and</strong>y father came after<br />

a complaint lodged by the victim’s<br />

mother, who had been separated<br />

from the man.<br />

The victim’s mother, according to<br />

the spokesperson, said her<br />

daughter came to her house to<br />

inform her that her father had been<br />

having carnal knowledge of her<br />

since December 2016 with a threat<br />

to kill her if she dared to tell<br />

anybody about it.<br />

“She further complained to her<br />

mother that she could no longer<br />

bear the frequent sexual assault<br />

from her father, hence she decided<br />

to inform her mother”.<br />

In another case reported in Niger<br />

State, the police arrested one Basiru<br />

Audu for allegedly sexually abusing<br />

his own daughter in his house<br />

located at London Street, Minna,<br />

the state capital.<br />

30-year-old Audu was accused of<br />

sneaking into the children’s room<br />

<strong>and</strong> sexually abusing the girl when<br />

the wife travelled to their home<br />

town, Daura, Katsina State.<br />

The suspect, in a statement he<br />

made to the police, said that he had<br />

been having sex with underage<br />

girls before he sexually abused his<br />

own daughter.<br />

“I blame my wife for not being<br />

around whenever I needed sex. She<br />

travels a lot <strong>and</strong> that is why I had to<br />

sleep with my daughter; what a<br />

shameful thing”, he said. “That<br />

night, I had the urge to have sex <strong>and</strong><br />

since my wife was not around, I had<br />

no option but to sleep with my<br />

daughter to ease off tension”.<br />

He was arrested after neighbours<br />

observed that the victim was<br />

walking awkwardly <strong>and</strong>, on<br />

inquiry, were informed by the girl<br />

that her father “put something in her<br />

private part.”<br />

Niger State Police Comm<strong>and</strong>’s<br />

Public Relations Officer,<br />

Muhammad Abubakar, said the<br />

suspect confessed to the crime <strong>and</strong><br />

regretted his action.<br />

In yet another incident in La<strong>go</strong>s,<br />

the police arrested one Uchenna<br />

Tony Ehumadu for allegedly raping<br />

his 15-yr-old daughter after his wife<br />

caught him in the act.<br />

Ehumadu’s wife told the police<br />

that whenever she was on night<br />

duty, her hubby mostly used the<br />

opportunity to have sex with their<br />

daughter.<br />

In a related case, in December<br />

2018, the police, also in La<strong>go</strong>s,<br />

paraded 58-year-old Johnson Okon<br />

who allegedly raped his daughter<br />

when his wife went out.<br />

The 14-year-old victim (names<br />

withheld), who confided in her<br />

mother after the alleged incident,<br />

narrated, “It was in our house at<br />

Charismatic Road, Berger, Ikorodu<br />

that my father raped me. My mother<br />

was not around when the incident<br />

happened, so when she returned, I<br />

confided in her so that she could take<br />

action.<br />

“But to my greatest dismay, my<br />

mother blamed me, scolded me <strong>and</strong><br />

warned me seriously not to mention<br />

anything like that to anyone. I really<br />

don’t know if she didn’t believe me<br />

or she was trying to protect my<br />

father.<br />

“So I had to run away from the<br />

house, to where I felt safe.”<br />

Girls flee<br />

Like the 14-year-old, many sexual<br />

abused victims flee from home to<br />

avoid their fathers.<br />

One of such victims, Timothy<br />

Idowu, a teenager, had to pack out<br />

of her father’s apartment in<br />

Aradagun, Badagry to put up with<br />

a family friend in Ikotun area of<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s who contacted the police.<br />

The victim said she could not bear<br />

it anymore as her father raped her<br />

several times. She said anytime the<br />

family slept at night, the father<br />

would sneak into her room <strong>and</strong> rape<br />

her.<br />

The victim, who was in Senior<br />

Secondary Class 2 at the time of the<br />

incident, stated, “My father<br />

deflowered me several months a<strong>go</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> he had been raping me since<br />

then. Whenever he did it, he would<br />

clean up the mess <strong>and</strong> warn me not<br />

to tell anybody.”<br />

On Thursday, June 23, 2016,<br />

Idowu was arrested by the police.<br />

Concern<br />

Stakeholders are worried about<br />

the rampant cases of incest in the<br />

country.<br />

Edo State Commissioner for<br />

Women Affairs <strong>and</strong> Social<br />

Development, Mrs. Magdalene<br />

Ohenhen, for instance, expressed<br />

concern over rising cases of men<br />

having sex with their daughters.<br />

Ohenhen, who spoke during a<br />

protest organised in Benin-City to<br />

denounce the scourge, said, “It’s a<br />

very sad situation. Edo State is<br />

becoming something else <strong>and</strong> the<br />

earlier we stop it, the better for us.<br />

It is becoming a normal thing in Edo<br />

State for men to impregnate their<br />

own daughters”.<br />

She cited the case of a man who<br />

slept with his own daughter for over<br />

10 years before the case was<br />

reported.<br />

Urging men to desist from the act,<br />

she added, “It is time we stopped<br />

this insanity. Edo State forbids it, it<br />

is a taboo. We are begging Edo men<br />

to stop sleeping with their<br />

daughters, it is an abomination”.<br />

Also speaking on the issue, a<br />

former Public Relations Officer,<br />

Zone 2 Comm<strong>and</strong>, CSP Dolapo<br />

Badmus, said, “Incest is against the<br />

law of the l<strong>and</strong>. A man who is caught<br />

having sex with his daughter can<br />

be charged with incest, defilement<br />

<strong>and</strong> sexual harassment. We have<br />

arrested a number of them, charged<br />

them to court while some of them<br />

are under prosecution.<br />

“I don’t agree with the school of<br />

thought that incest is on the<br />

increase. What we have is<br />

awareness; children are now<br />

exposed <strong>and</strong> they underst<strong>and</strong> how<br />

to <strong>go</strong> about their cases.<br />

“Also there are NGOs everywhere<br />

providing people with the<br />

opportunity to report these cases to<br />

the appropriate quarters. Also the<br />

accessibility of the police is another<br />

factor. Victims can easily access the<br />

police. It is awareness that has<br />

increased.”


PAGE 20 — SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Is the bad economy enough reason<br />

to ‘Go on the Game’?<br />

As to be expected, the cur<br />

rent economic melt-down<br />

has created a lot of people<br />

who grapple with he menace<br />

of the credit crunch – not only<br />

have they lost their jobs, the prospect<br />

of finding any other, not to<br />

talk of one commensurate in remunerations<br />

is zilch! When<br />

Eunice, a personnel director of an<br />

insurance company was asked to<br />

reduce the work force by a third,<br />

she felt like a real hatchet man.<br />

“It was a most heart-wrenching<br />

experience dolling out retrenchment<br />

letters <strong>and</strong> watching the<br />

bleak expressions on the faces of<br />

staff who have lost their jobs”, she<br />

said sadly. A few weeks later, I<br />

was her turn to get the dreaded<br />

`<strong>go</strong>lden h<strong>and</strong>shake’. In her<br />

wildest dreams, she never seven<br />

believed she would get the chop.<br />

“One morning”, she alleged,<br />

“my boss called me into a meeting.<br />

`I’m sorry’, he said, not<br />

quite catching my eyes, `the<br />

company’s in a bad shape here<br />

as you know. We have to let you<br />

<strong>go</strong>’. I drove home in a terrified<br />

daze. I’d come to work that<br />

morning with an official driver.<br />

<strong>No</strong>w, I had to drive myself home<br />

as the driver too had <strong>go</strong>t the<br />

sack! How could this happen<br />

to me with no previous official<br />

warning. How were we <strong>go</strong>ing to<br />

cope, feed the kids <strong>and</strong> keep a<br />

roof over our heads! We needed<br />

my salary to meet the mortgage<br />

<strong>pay</strong>ment <strong>and</strong> the children’s<br />

school fees. The kids were in a<br />

very expensive schools <strong>and</strong> I was<br />

panicky. My redundancy<br />

money wouldn’t last forever.<br />

My husb<strong>and</strong>’s business had depended<br />

heavily on bank loans<br />

that he often quickly paid back<br />

but now that the banks are being<br />

whipping into shape, the<br />

loans have simply dried up. He<br />

was as shocked as I was by my<br />

redundancy <strong>and</strong> I tried to be<br />

sympathetic as I made efforts to<br />

get a job – any sort of job.<br />

“Then a friend approached<br />

me to start a sort of financial<br />

consultancy. We would work<br />

from her home by sourcing for<br />

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk<br />

08056180152, SMS only<br />

S<br />

capital for budding businesses.<br />

It was hard <strong>go</strong>ing at first, <strong>and</strong> I<br />

was too proud to accept I’d<br />

failed. So, I contacted mostly<br />

business associates from my insurance<br />

years. I never used to underst<strong>and</strong><br />

why people suffered<br />

from depression, because I always<br />

thought that if you knew<br />

things were bad, you’d soon<br />

change them for the better. As I<br />

hit the brick wall with most of<br />

my contacts, a friendly one asked<br />

out of the blues if I wanted lunch<br />

in his office. I’d had so many<br />

failures that I was frustrated<br />

enough to give things a <strong>go</strong>. After<br />

all, my proposal with him was at<br />

stake. If I wasn’t happy with what<br />

he had to say, I’d leave, it was as<br />

simple as that.<br />

He was a nice man, in his fifties<br />

with sexy greying hair, a bit<br />

of a paunch <strong>and</strong> a friendly smile.<br />

He made my visit much easier<br />

than I’d expected. What surprised<br />

me the most was the speed with<br />

which things happened. If it were<br />

a real date for instance, there<br />

would be a long intimate buildup,<br />

lots of chatting, kisses <strong>and</strong><br />

foreplay. But this one wasn’t<br />

interested in all that – he told<br />

me he had less than an hour to<br />

get back to the pile of files on<br />

his table. So, within minutes<br />

of arriving, I was completely<br />

naked <strong>and</strong> we were about to<br />

have sex. At first, I just found<br />

it really weird. It was odd having<br />

sex with a virtual stranger,<br />

but he had positive sides I<br />

could focus on which made he<br />

whole encounter less sordid –<br />

on top of which was his word<br />

that I would get the contract.<br />

“From then on, it became<br />

easier to have `lunch’ with a<br />

few of my contacts. One or two<br />

have now become regulars.<br />

Others were one-offs. Some of<br />

these men are heavy weights’<br />

in the society <strong>and</strong> quite <strong>go</strong>odlooking,<br />

some are rude, but<br />

I’m lucky so far that a lot of<br />

them have kept their promises<br />

<strong>and</strong> as soon as most of our<br />

debts are cleared, I will stop<br />

...”<br />

When Jumi <strong>go</strong>t admitted into<br />

one of the universities, she was<br />

ecstatic. “When I was growing<br />

up”, she explained, “my dream<br />

was to make a name in the fashion<br />

industry, <strong>and</strong> my admission<br />

was a step towards achieving<br />

my <strong>go</strong>al. I was just 20, pretty,<br />

slim <strong>and</strong> had many friends. In<br />

my naivety; I started to feel a<br />

bit invincible. But when I arrived<br />

at the university, everything<br />

started <strong>go</strong>ing wrong. Most<br />

of the girls on my course were<br />

really lovely – <strong>and</strong> from welloff<br />

families. Some shopped<br />

abroad <strong>and</strong> carried the latest<br />

`it’ bags <strong>and</strong> knew about all the<br />

leading fashion houses. In contrast,<br />

I was from a small town<br />

<strong>and</strong> my style was more second –<br />

hard `grade, As’’ than glossy<br />

<strong>and</strong> well groomed.<br />

‘It was as if I’d come from another<br />

planet. I withdrew into<br />

myself <strong>and</strong> became disheartened.<br />

On my first holiday home,<br />

my friends didn’t behave quite<br />

the same as I noticed. They believed<br />

I was not a bit more su-<br />

perior. Determined not to sink<br />

back to the level of a ‘town girl’<br />

I agreed to <strong>go</strong> on “dates” that<br />

were so common on campus, especially<br />

the ones organised by<br />

worldly-wise girls with their<br />

‘aristo’ money bags. It was<br />

plain prostitution, <strong>and</strong> if I<br />

wanted to buy the expensive<br />

books <strong>and</strong> clothes I needed to<br />

get by, it would be a small price<br />

to <strong>pay</strong>. You may think all the<br />

reasons I’ve given are lame excuses<br />

for deciding to sell my<br />

body. But the truth is that taking<br />

my destiny in my h<strong>and</strong>s actually<br />

turned my life around. I<br />

had a focus <strong>and</strong> I told myself,<br />

I’d only do it for as long as it<br />

took to <strong>pay</strong>-off my bills at the<br />

university.<br />

“I stopped as soon as I graduated<br />

<strong>and</strong> had enough money to<br />

set up my own business. <strong>No</strong>w I<br />

love my new life <strong>and</strong> I’ve never<br />

once felt ashamed of how I <strong>go</strong>t<br />

where I am today. In fact, more<br />

students than we want to admit<br />

turn to prostitution to <strong>pay</strong> their<br />

massive debts. The way I see it<br />

is that I made a smart business<br />

decision,. And it saved my life.<br />

So, what’s there to feel guilty<br />

about …?” Are our women getting<br />

too hard-hearted” I was<br />

still mulling over the blatant<br />

declaration of these women<br />

when a friend of mine called.<br />

“Have you heard of the number<br />

of women who `share’ their<br />

<strong>go</strong>od fortunes with her friends?”<br />

She asked in between our chat.<br />

`What do you mean?’ I wanted<br />

to know, ears perked. “Three of<br />

four women could now share the<br />

prowess of a stud, that’s all”. So<br />

what was new? We already knew<br />

of gi<strong>go</strong>los who <strong>go</strong> after rich<br />

women. `Are you listening’, she<br />

asked impatiently. According to<br />

her: “These women are friends<br />

<strong>and</strong> well connected. As soon as<br />

one of them gets on to a <strong>go</strong>od<br />

stud, she calls another in a<br />

group to inform her to expect<br />

new find. “O dun b’áje’ she coos,<br />

meaning `he’s as tasty as hell’.<br />

So on trots super stud to his next<br />

customer until he does the<br />

round of all four or five <strong>and</strong> is<br />

well rewarded for services well<br />

rendered.<br />

I took this news with a shovel<br />

full of salt as I recounted its<br />

probability with an older male<br />

friend I always use as a sounding<br />

board. ‘Of course, it <strong>go</strong>es<br />

on all the time’, he agrees. ‘At<br />

say 40 upwards, most men are<br />

rearing to <strong>go</strong> <strong>and</strong> wifey is too<br />

busy running the home, looking<br />

after the kids <strong>and</strong> holding<br />

down a job. Where else would<br />

such husb<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> single adventurous<br />

men find solace but in<br />

the arms of bored women with<br />

money to burn <strong>and</strong> less than<br />

their ration of sex? They (the<br />

women) are always a delight to<br />

be with – they scream <strong>and</strong> yell<br />

<strong>and</strong> are grateful as hell! In<br />

short, the man gets h<strong>and</strong>somely<br />

compensated by making his<br />

clients purr like a well-tuned<br />

engine – both sides to the contract<br />

are happy end of the credit<br />

crunch for him <strong>and</strong> a fulfilling<br />

sex-life for the mama kes”.<br />

Y<br />

OUR column to express your loving<br />

thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t<br />

be shy. Let it flow <strong>and</strong> let him or her know how<br />

dearly you feel. Write now in not more than 75 words<br />

to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007,<br />

Apapa, La<strong>go</strong>s. E.mail: sundaylovenotes@yahoo.com<br />

Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"<br />

The Oceaner<br />

Life is like a voyage in an ocean.<br />

All around blueness inundates the farther.<br />

An isl<strong>and</strong> <strong>ahead</strong> just saves the day.<br />

I stop over for an hour’s rest…<br />

Hours become days, then weeks,<br />

Then months, then years, then the waters.<br />

Love is like a tour in an ocean.<br />

You are the isl<strong>and</strong> in my vast blueness,<br />

The reason I forget I am lost.<br />

Kingsley Alumona<br />

kingsley.alumona@yahoo.com<br />

08030872649<br />

What are your plans for her?<br />

What are the plans you have for her if you want<br />

her be your wife?<br />

Don't just take things for granted. If you love her,<br />

you can just <strong>go</strong> <strong>ahead</strong> <strong>and</strong> tell her before another<br />

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Michael Adedotun Oke<br />

maof2020@gmail.com<br />

08027142077


SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 21<br />

S p o n s o r s h i p /<br />

Networking<br />

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

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

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

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

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PAGE 22 – SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

(emmaamaize@yahoo.co.uk)<br />

Devil in the details!<br />

•Cultists defy Wike, police; kill rivals,<br />

display heads in public square<br />

•‘How kidnappers of NEMA officials struck’<br />

Human heads are displayed by suspected cultists at community<br />

square as <strong>go</strong>ry killings continue in Rivers State, notwithst<strong>and</strong>ing the<br />

stern warning by Governor Nyesom Wike to deal ruthless with anyone<br />

caught in the act.<br />

started on Wednesday, compelled heavy<br />

police deployment to the area to contain the<br />

situation.<br />

The monarch further narrated that the police<br />

had raided a popular scrap market dominated<br />

by non-natives following information that<br />

they attacked other non-native residents.<br />

Eze Worinwu stated that the police visited<br />

the scrap market <strong>and</strong> found some dangerous<br />

weapons, adding that at the discovery of the<br />

alleged illegal arms, the suspects sparked<br />

another crisis, this time an attack on the<br />

policemen which left two of them (police)<br />

wounded.<br />

Also speaking, David Eleto, Youth President<br />

of Iriebe community, disclosed that the now<br />

volatile scrap market sprang from a state<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment ab<strong>and</strong>oned housing project,<br />

which, according to him, currently<br />

provides cover for criminality by some<br />

non-natives against fellow residents.<br />

Eleto called on <strong>go</strong>vernment to look into<br />

the ab<strong>and</strong>oned property turned into scrap<br />

market <strong>and</strong> complete it as originally<br />

intended.<br />

The Youth Leader complained about how<br />

people had been attacked at gun point at the<br />

uncompleted building.<br />

By Egufe Yafugborhi<br />

<strong>and</strong> Davies Iheamnachor<br />

VIOLENT gangs, which resumed<br />

spate of killings, terrorising<br />

residents in flash-points across<br />

Rivers State post-2019 elections, have<br />

apparently not been deterred by warnings<br />

from Governor Nyesom Wike <strong>and</strong> the state<br />

Police Comm<strong>and</strong> to deal ruthlessly with<br />

anyone caught in the growing criminality.<br />

Determined to kill, maim <strong>and</strong> kidnap for<br />

ransom, four persons in their early 20s,<br />

were, on Tuesday, said to have been<br />

beheaded in Rumuji, Emohua Local<br />

Government Area, LGA, as two rival cult<br />

groups, Deygbam <strong>and</strong> Icel<strong>and</strong>ers,<br />

allegedly clashed in unending supremacy<br />

war in the locality.<br />

The development ruptured fragile peace<br />

enjoyed by residents of the area.<br />

Many, who are terrified, are said to be<br />

moving out of Rumuji.<br />

A source, who related the development<br />

to Sunday Vanguard, noted that the killers<br />

invaded the community under heavy<br />

gunfire, visiting homes <strong>and</strong> killing their<br />

victims.<br />

The source, who couldn’t say who were<br />

the aggressors <strong>and</strong> the targets among the<br />

cult groups in the area, explained that the<br />

killers displayed the heads of their four<br />

victims for public view at the town square.<br />

Kidnappers as much busy<br />

While shocked residents shivered over<br />

the <strong>go</strong>ry killing of the Rumuji 4, armed<br />

kidnappers, same Tuesday, abducted four<br />

officials of the National Emergency<br />

Management Agency, NEMA, around<br />

Oduoha Junction, Emohua LGA.<br />

Those abducted include a woman <strong>and</strong><br />

three men, according to a source who<br />

further narrated, “One of the NEMA staff<br />

members, who was shot in the leg, escaped<br />

being kidnapped alongside his colleagues<br />

as he feigned death. He has been admitted<br />

at an undisclosed health centre for medical<br />

attention.<br />

“The abducted officials had been<br />

travelling in a van that was not in <strong>go</strong>od<br />

condition <strong>and</strong> even broke down several<br />

times on their way. A private car of one of the<br />

officials came to their rescue to continue the<br />

journey before the incident.”<br />

Zonal Coordinator, NEMA in Port Harcourt,<br />

Walson Br<strong>and</strong>en, who described the situation<br />

as disheartening, confirmed that the<br />

unfortunate NEMA officials were returning<br />

to Port Harcourt from a trip to Abua Odual<br />

LGA. Their mission was to do the enumeration<br />

of farmers affected by recent flooding or<br />

conflicts for the purpose of rehabilitating them<br />

through the National Emergency Agricultural<br />

Intervention Fund under the National Food<br />

Security Program of the Federal Government<br />

spanning 18 <strong>states</strong>.<br />

Br<strong>and</strong>en said, “We were in touch,<br />

communicating with them up to a point. We<br />

suddenly couldn’t get through to them. We<br />

had to <strong>go</strong> to the police to report but, at this<br />

point, we are stuck on what actually<br />

happened. They were five in number. The fifth<br />

victim is with us, assisting in our interaction<br />

with the police in terms of information that<br />

could aid the rescue of the four <strong>others</strong>.”<br />

Volatile axis<br />

Two days after, specifically Thursday<br />

evening, armed men blocked Emohua axis of<br />

the East/West Road in separate robbery <strong>and</strong><br />

kidnap operations.<br />

A bus belonging to a mass transit company<br />

was allegedly attacked by gunmen on a road<br />

now nicknamed ‘Sambisa Forest’ in one of the<br />

incidents.<br />

The bus was said to have been riddled with<br />

bullets while the driver, identified as Jonah<br />

Sokolo, was shot dead following his alleged<br />

refusal to open the vehicle’s doors for the<br />

b<strong>and</strong>its’ access after they had blocked the bus<br />

on the road.<br />

It was unconfirmed at press<br />

time if any of the bus<br />

occupants was kidnapped.<br />

In the other incident, some<br />

gunmen reportedly attacked<br />

travellers around Rumuodo<strong>go</strong><br />

Junction <strong>and</strong> kidnapped some<br />

passengers. The b<strong>and</strong>its, in<br />

the second incident,<br />

reportedly picked about five<br />

persons from a van they had<br />

attacked <strong>and</strong> forced into the<br />

bush at gunpoint.<br />

Killings<br />

In Iriebe community, Obio/<br />

Akpor LGA, violence, said to<br />

have been provoked by nonnatives,<br />

left three persons<br />

dead. It was gathered that the<br />

killing happened following a<br />

clash between some Hausa<br />

<strong>and</strong> Akwa Ibom residents in<br />

the area.<br />

Chief Clington Worinwu, a<br />

brother of the paramount ruler<br />

of the community, was said to<br />

be among the victims in that<br />

episode, resulting in the area<br />

being deserted with businesses <strong>and</strong> other<br />

activities grounded.<br />

The paramount ruler of Iriebe, Eze Jeremiah<br />

Worinwu, narrated that the crisis, which<br />

Police: <strong>No</strong> reaction yet<br />

Phone calls <strong>and</strong> text messages sent to DSP<br />

Nnamdi Omoni, Rivers State Police Comm<strong>and</strong><br />

Public Relations Officer, on the incidents were<br />

greeted with appeal to wait for a clear position<br />

that never came at the time of filing this<br />

report.<br />

Meanwhile, a security expert, who spoke<br />

on the condition of anonymity, said, “It is<br />

disheartening that the<br />

police, for justifications I<br />

can’t find, are hardly<br />

making efforts to be<br />

proactive. They are just<br />

being reactive.<br />

“They (police) wait for<br />

A source, who<br />

related the<br />

development to<br />

Sunday<br />

Vanguard, noted<br />

that the killers<br />

invaded the<br />

community under<br />

heavy gunfire,<br />

visiting homes<br />

<strong>and</strong> killing their<br />

victims<br />

killings that could well<br />

have been exposed <strong>and</strong><br />

averted to happen. It is<br />

only after the deed is<br />

done, people maimed<br />

<strong>and</strong> killed that Rivers<br />

police would tell you<br />

they have mobilized<br />

heavily to the flashpoint,<br />

<strong>and</strong> probably arrest mostly<br />

innocent suspects, when the<br />

killers have already struck<br />

<strong>and</strong> left the scene of crime.<br />

“It is time the police <strong>go</strong>t<br />

proactive in sensing<br />

danger <strong>and</strong> preventing<br />

same thorough intelligence<br />

before it manifests. And<br />

they need to stop<br />

ascribing every killing<br />

that occurs in Rivers to<br />

cult crisis. “Assuming<br />

without conceding to the harping on this<br />

usual suspect, are killer cultists invisible?<br />

Why aren’t they being apprehended <strong>and</strong><br />

tried to deter <strong>others</strong>?”


By Chris Onuoha<br />

ONLY 20 per cent of family businesses in<br />

Nigeria have plans for leadership suc<br />

cession while even a thinner three per<br />

cent have a laid down strategy for wealth transfer,<br />

according to a 2017 report by global consulting<br />

firm, KPMG.<br />

Pascal Gabriel Dozie, founder of Kunoch Holdings,<br />

Diamond Bank (before a merger with Access<br />

Bank) <strong>and</strong> co-founder of other institutions<br />

from Africa Capital Alliance to the Pan Atlantic<br />

university, in this interview, rues the mistakes of<br />

Nigerian family businesses of old that failed to<br />

measure up after their founders passed on the<br />

mantle.<br />

The octogenarian, who turned 80 this month,<br />

shares what his company is doing to contribute<br />

to the longevity of family businesses in the country.<br />

He also looks back on his 80 years in the l<strong>and</strong><br />

of the living.<br />

Excerpts:<br />

On family businesses<br />

A lot of SMEs are family based <strong>and</strong> we have<br />

not been able to transit our business from one<br />

generation to another. We lose so much in this<br />

country as a result. Where are the Fajemirokuns,<br />

the Ojukwus, the Abiolas U<strong>go</strong> Foam, etc?<br />

Look at Heineken <strong>and</strong> Mercedez, whose<br />

founders have died a long time a<strong>go</strong> but, because<br />

they have built structures that outlived them, the<br />

br<strong>and</strong>s are still out there.<br />

We are working closely with the LBS <strong>and</strong> a host<br />

of other partners from Massachusetts Institute of<br />

Technology (MIT) to bring the knowledge of how<br />

to manage the family business. As part of my<br />

80th birthday, LBS has partnered with other parties<br />

in Switzerl<strong>and</strong> to organize a one-day seminar<br />

on sustainable family business. We hope to<br />

endow a chair for the study. The nitty-gritty that<br />

makes a national economy is the SMEs <strong>and</strong> must<br />

be sustainable. My wife’s foundation, the Janet<br />

Dozie Foundation for Indigent Widows, is also<br />

making impact with over 500 beneficiaries.<br />

Humble beginning of Pan-Atlantic<br />

University<br />

When the La<strong>go</strong>s Business School was about to<br />

be established, the first thing myself<br />

<strong>and</strong> the founders did was to <strong>go</strong> to a<br />

Business School in Madrid, Spain.<br />

They talked to us about the ethics of<br />

doing business <strong>and</strong> how to do the right<br />

thing. On the side-lines of the meeting,<br />

we decided to <strong>go</strong> back to Nigeria<br />

to build what we called an ‘ Oasis of<br />

Sanity’ <strong>and</strong>, with time, the oasis will<br />

come together to form a mighty movement.<br />

But one problem in Nigeria is the<br />

instability of policies; you need predictability<br />

in any system. We don’t<br />

know the trajectory of <strong>go</strong>vernment policies.<br />

A businessman can deal with<br />

risks but not uncertainties. So it depends<br />

on how you accommodate the<br />

challenges <strong>and</strong> climb the steps which<br />

require patience or cut corners to get<br />

things done. Unfortunately, those<br />

who cut corners often find themselves<br />

at the front <strong>and</strong> nobody asks questions.<br />

Lessons learnt from early setback with<br />

MTN<br />

Before I met the MTN team, they had tried on<br />

their own <strong>and</strong> were already convinced about<br />

coming to Nigeria. But the people they were relating<br />

with were not cooperating. So when they<br />

met me, we agreed to work together. I did not<br />

know anything about mobile telephoning <strong>and</strong>,<br />

with my experience with NITEL, I felt it was not<br />

the right way to <strong>go</strong>. The process of bidding was<br />

very interesting. If you belonged to one box, you<br />

PASCAL DOZIE AT 80:<br />

Family businesses<br />

in Nigeria must learn<br />

from foreign peers<br />

•’ Lessons from early setback with MTN’<br />

•Speaks on his 5-yr wait for Diamond Bank<br />

• 'My septicemia travails’<br />

could not be in another box but my name came<br />

up in more than one group which should automatically<br />

disqualify me.<br />

During that period, my name came out in every<br />

newspaper, saying I belonged to several groups<br />

<strong>and</strong> boards which was illegal. So MTN wrote<br />

me a letter saying that “we don’t want to have<br />

anything to do with you again because you belong<br />

to a lot of groups” . I said “thank you very<br />

much” <strong>and</strong> they left. I still have the letter they sent<br />

to me which I didn’t reply to. I have not destroyed<br />

the letter because there are some things in a man’s<br />

life you don’t destroy.<br />

After a while, MTN came back to me saying<br />

they were sorry for accusing me wrongly after<br />

they found out that the people I asked to work<br />

with me were the ones who tried to tarnish my<br />

relationship with MTN.<br />

This is because they wanted to<br />

be Chairman.<br />

Fortunately,then-Chairman of<br />

MTN was <strong>go</strong>ing back to South<br />

Africa with the Chief Executive<br />

of one of the competing groups<br />

<strong>and</strong> she asked, “How did you<br />

find this man called Pascal Dozie?<br />

He is everywhere <strong>and</strong> part of<br />

many groups”. The man answered<br />

<strong>and</strong> said he had never<br />

seen, met or spoken to me before.<br />

So they did their investigation<br />

<strong>and</strong> found out that the accusation<br />

against me was false.<br />

The moral lesson here is ‘patience’<br />

. I didn’t need to fight anyone<br />

trying to know who did what<br />

because it wasn’t necessary.<br />

All the problems Vodacom<br />

had, we also had in MTN. It took<br />

us five years to sign shareholders’<br />

agreement but nobody heard any<br />

noise about it. I had <strong>and</strong> still have one of the best<br />

boards in the organization. I had no reason to<br />

want a different board. They did their jobs effectively<br />

<strong>and</strong> efficiently <strong>and</strong> we had a very <strong>go</strong>od<br />

relationship.<br />

Look at Heineken<br />

<strong>and</strong> Mercedez,<br />

whose founders<br />

have died a long<br />

time a<strong>go</strong> but,<br />

because they<br />

have built<br />

structures that<br />

outlived them,<br />

the br<strong>and</strong>s are<br />

still out there<br />

The five-year wait for Diamond<br />

I put in the application for a licence for Diamond<br />

Bank in 1985 <strong>and</strong> I <strong>go</strong>t it approved in<br />

1990.<br />

Could I have <strong>go</strong>tten it earlier? Yes, but I didn’t<br />

want to short circuit the system. <strong>No</strong>t because I am<br />

an angel, I didn’t even have the capacity to short<br />

circuit the system. At a particular point in time,<br />

those who agreed to <strong>go</strong> into banking with me,<br />

some of them left. In those days, you needed 2/3rd<br />

of your membership from every part of the country,<br />

so you are forced to relate with everyone. Because<br />

I didn’t have the capacity to short circuit<br />

the system <strong>and</strong> I didn’t intend to, Diamond Bank<br />

stayed five years in incubation.<br />

I was running a consulting firm, African<br />

Development Consulting Group, <strong>and</strong> we<br />

planned certain things about banking. We<br />

watched television, listened to the media.<br />

Remember in those days, you will <strong>go</strong> into a<br />

bank <strong>and</strong> they will give you a tally which I<br />

perceived was nonsense. When we set up Diamond<br />

bank, it became technologically driven<br />

right from the word <strong>go</strong> because we wanted<br />

to change the system <strong>and</strong> eradicate the<br />

delay in making transactions. Diamond<br />

Bank has been people-oriented right from<br />

the word <strong>go</strong>.<br />

So we came up with the first DIBS (Diamond<br />

Bank Integrated Banking System)<br />

which eliminated the need to carry cash<br />

when trying to perform a transaction. All<br />

you needed was to prepare your cheque <strong>and</strong><br />

when you arrive at your destination, you get<br />

your cash.A year or two later, we came out<br />

with a <strong>pay</strong>ment card which led to value card.<br />

The rest, they say,is history.<br />

New Access Bank will succeed<br />

If they work hard, they would achieve a lot.<br />

There is a Latin phrase that says ‘ Festina lente’<br />

(make haste slowly). Also, the hood does not make<br />

the monk. Everything should be evaluated on its<br />

impact on the citizens. Every policy should have<br />

the people in mind because <strong>go</strong>vernance means<br />

the welfare of the people.<br />

I have no doubt that they will uphold the highest<br />

st<strong>and</strong>ards in running the new entity.<br />

I am a stickler to <strong>go</strong>od corporate <strong>go</strong>vernance<br />

which I did by allowing every Managing Director<br />

to run the affairs of Diamond Bank without<br />

any form of interference.<br />

I have never been part of the selection of chief<br />

executives since I left Diamond Bank. Even when<br />

my son became chief executive, I wasn’t part of it.<br />

The chief executive before my son was selected<br />

when I was in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in<br />

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 23<br />

Washington. I was very sick <strong>and</strong> couldn’t care less<br />

if there was any bank or not. In fact, as of that<br />

time, Nigeria <strong>and</strong> the world meant nothing to<br />

me.<br />

Life as an octogenarian<br />

Life has been interesting. I have found this<br />

country very interesting, if I don’t find it interesting<br />

I would lose. I am finding this way<br />

because of self-preservation. It is difficult to<br />

say it, I love my country.<br />

If you travel the length <strong>and</strong> breadth of the<br />

country, you will appreciate the beauty, natural<br />

l<strong>and</strong>scape, <strong>and</strong> the people. Unfortunately,<br />

things have changed <strong>and</strong> we are now beginning<br />

to have a contactless society, where<br />

banking is done on phone away from the<br />

halls.<br />

The more we do things that separate contact,<br />

the more life becomes difficult. We need<br />

to build relationships because, unless we<br />

have a discussion, it will be difficult to know<br />

how the minds of other people work. Families<br />

don’t visit each-other again as everyone<br />

is looking for personal comfort, many people<br />

are even afraid to travel to their village<br />

because of what they heard or read.<br />

That is where the media must work assiduously<br />

to mould opinion <strong>and</strong> thoughts. We must<br />

live our lives the way our forefathers wanted us to<br />

do as evident in the national anthem. The majority<br />

are not true to that national anthem.<br />

We need to re-evaluate our value system which<br />

is fast eroding before we lose it completely. Unfortunately,<br />

because of the exigencies of life <strong>and</strong><br />

its struggle we have stopped thinking. Our value<br />

system has changed completely. Sometimes I<br />

wonder how we descended to where we are now.<br />

Re-engineering our value system is not <strong>go</strong>ing to<br />

be easy, because some people have made up their<br />

minds to <strong>go</strong> with the status quo, but we must try.<br />

But where there is a will there is a way, so we<br />

need people who would champion this.<br />

<strong>No</strong>t many would be interested in this cause,<br />

because it is a job that does not give you prominence.<br />

The society must also start asking questions on<br />

how people acquired their wealth. In India, for<br />

example, if you have a very big <strong>and</strong> lavish wedding,<br />

the next morning the tax people will be at<br />

your door.<br />

We say we are fighting corruption <strong>and</strong> charging<br />

people who took <strong>go</strong>vernment money but is<br />

corruption only about money? If I am not fair to<br />

my staff, that is corruption.<br />

In my life, I have a <strong>go</strong>od relationship with everyone<br />

from different tribes.<br />

I agree with the fact that we are only human<br />

<strong>and</strong> hence we are fallible. We need selfless people<br />

in our politics.<br />

To produce selfless leaders in this country, it<br />

would require education. The media must educate<br />

the leaders that they are there to serve the<br />

people <strong>and</strong> not to enrich themselves. The media<br />

must talk about de-personalization of our<br />

public offices.<br />

Our offices must function with or without the<br />

presence of the head. The media must do a lot in<br />

this regard through investigative journalism.<br />

Igbos should be content<br />

I hate when the Igbos complain of marginalization,<br />

because they don’t seem to realize what<br />

they have. If you look at the resources they have, I<br />

wonder what they mean by marginalization. Is it<br />

because they are not the President of Nigeria? It is<br />

only one person that can occupy that seat <strong>and</strong> it<br />

has to be a politician. I am not a politician <strong>and</strong> I<br />

don’t see why I should leave my business for a<br />

politician’s job. If the Igbos realize the enormity<br />

of the resources they have, they would stop complaining.<br />

Relationship with sons<br />

My sons tell me I ruined their lives because I<br />

denied them the opportunity of having private<br />

lives.<br />

I say it is not my fault. I had wanted to have a<br />

daughter as my first child because I have a friend,<br />

Maxell Ubani, whom I used to admire his daughter<br />

then in the U.S.<br />

When I told him mine was coming, he would<br />

respond jokingly “You no fit get a daughter, daughters<br />

are for special people.”<br />

When I was expecting my fourth child, I hoped<br />

for a daughter <strong>and</strong> said her name would be N<strong>go</strong>zi<br />

Pascal.<br />

When it turned out to be a boy, I said his<br />

name is still N<strong>go</strong>zi Pascal.<br />

Travails with septicemia<br />

Septicemia, also known as sepsis, is a lifethreatening<br />

complication that can happen<br />

when bacteria from another infection enter<br />

the blood <strong>and</strong> spread throughout the body.<br />

It needs urgent hospital treatment, as it can<br />

quickly lead to tissue damage, organ failure<br />

<strong>and</strong> death.<br />

I had septicemia.<br />

After a biopsy, the doctor said everything<br />

was fine, that I didn’t have any cancerous<br />

cells in me.<br />

However, a day or two after, we were <strong>go</strong>ing<br />

somewhere <strong>and</strong> I began shaking. I<br />

couldn’t even sign my signature where I went<br />

to. Then I was taken to the emergency room.<br />

It was so critical that I was given the last<br />

sacrament given to Catholics. After, that I<br />

didn’t know where I was. I was secluded from<br />

other people <strong>and</strong> only my wife <strong>and</strong> my niece<br />

could get through to me. I became a risk to<br />

everyone for three weeks in the ICU. They<br />

were pumping antibiotics into me <strong>and</strong> taking<br />

blood samples every three hours. Then I<br />

developed something in the heart <strong>and</strong> they<br />

had to take me for operation <strong>and</strong> put into<br />

me a pacemaker used to treat some abnormal<br />

heart rhythms (arrhythmias) that can<br />

cause your heart to either beat too slowly or<br />

miss beats.


PAGE 24 – SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

In fact, we now<br />

have leaders who<br />

are thieves <strong>and</strong><br />

have infected<br />

Nigerians to the<br />

level that virtually<br />

every Nigerian is a<br />

thief except two<br />

sets of people<br />

What is your opinion on the<br />

differences between<br />

northern <strong>go</strong>vernors <strong>and</strong><br />

northern elders over who<br />

becomes the next Senate President?<br />

There is nothing unusual about it, it<br />

happened in 2015; secondly, the politics in<br />

the country has been debased to the level<br />

where the deciding factor is not the welfare<br />

of the people or the development of the<br />

country but selfish interest. So why should<br />

this be surprising when everybody is<br />

concerned about himself first? What do you<br />

expect from animals in the bush? That is what<br />

we are experiencing now! The disabling level<br />

of corruption, stealing <strong>and</strong> wasting of the<br />

nation’s resources has destroyed every value<br />

in the country! When money <strong>and</strong> power are<br />

the deciding factors in our politics, how do<br />

you expect anything to be orderly? We <strong>go</strong>t<br />

what we asked for. We asked for it because<br />

many voted not based on principle but on the<br />

basis of money. In the 2019 general elections,<br />

we saw the worst we had ever seen in the<br />

form of scientific rigging. We saw it now more<br />

than we ever saw before. After the 2019<br />

elections, we even saw something more<br />

scientific in voting which led to mere writing<br />

of results. This is the worst we ever saw since<br />

1950.<br />

So what are elder <strong>states</strong>men doing to save<br />

the situation?<br />

It is not a question of elder <strong>states</strong>men, it is a<br />

question of the social, economic <strong>and</strong> political<br />

system of the country <strong>and</strong> the political<br />

leadership the system has produced. The<br />

system <strong>and</strong> political leadership are based on<br />

selfish interest first, public interest second;<br />

that is what is happening today!<br />

But is this the Nigeria our heroes past<br />

foresaw during the pre-independence<br />

struggle?<br />

Absolutely not! Even in 1950 when party<br />

politics started, money was not the deciding<br />

factor of elections <strong>and</strong> politics but now things<br />

have changed. Money is presently the<br />

deciding factor of everything. In fact, we now<br />

have leaders who are thieves <strong>and</strong> have<br />

infected Nigerians to the level that virtually<br />

every Nigerian is a thief except two sets of<br />

people. The first set include those who never<br />

had the chance to steal at all, while the second<br />

set include those few people who, by nature,<br />

would rather die than steal. These two sets of<br />

people still exist in Nigeria, they are, however,<br />

the exception <strong>and</strong> their population is 000.1<br />

percent. So we expect the worst to happen in<br />

Nigeria but it is a question of when? When<br />

the nation was being prepared for<br />

independence in 1956, people of <strong>go</strong>od minds<br />

asked how it will happen, but nobody<br />

believed them; nobody believed that those<br />

leaders of 1966 would not live forever <strong>and</strong> it<br />

was a sin to even say something would<br />

happen <strong>and</strong> they would leave office but it<br />

happened! And what was not expected<br />

happened in 1966. <strong>No</strong>w we are destroying<br />

ourselves <strong>and</strong>, still, we want peace. It is not<br />

impossible because you have to work for<br />

peace before it exists!<br />

How do you juxtapose this with the<br />

staggering insecurity that is ravaging our<br />

You are talking<br />

• ‘People are wasting their time talking about in<br />

• Says God cannot be deceived by those who pra<br />

By Olayinka Ajayi<br />

Alhaji Balarabe Musa, an activist <strong>and</strong> a former <strong>go</strong>vernor of old Kaduna State, speaks<br />

on issues in the polity. Excerpts:<br />

country after the general elections?<br />

The consequences (of general elections) are<br />

enormous <strong>and</strong> they include insecurity.<br />

Recently, a Minister of the Federal Republic<br />

•Alhaji Balarabe Musa<br />

Balarabe attacks Yoruba<br />

N-Delta on restructuring<br />

of Nigeria accused some traditional rulers of<br />

conniving with Boko Haram, herdsmen <strong>and</strong><br />

other criminals, but what did the Federal<br />

Government do about it? Has the <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

taken any step towards addressing this<br />

allegation in an open way? This <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

will not do anything until it faces a balance of<br />

terror against it by which time it might be too


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 25<br />

, Igbo,<br />

:<br />

rubbish!<br />

security in the <strong>No</strong>rth’<br />

y after stealing Nigeria’s money<br />

late. Balance of terror is either a military coup<br />

or civil rebellion like it happened in Sudan<br />

<strong>and</strong> Venezuela. So this <strong>go</strong>vernment is waiting<br />

for the balance of terror. In other words, they<br />

are waiting for forces that are more terrifying<br />

than they are before they do something.<br />

Do you think Venezuela’s ordeal is <strong>go</strong>od<br />

for us as a nation?<br />

How can such be <strong>go</strong>od for this country? But<br />

what will happen in a situation where the end<br />

of the road has been reached? There is no law<br />

<strong>and</strong> order <strong>and</strong> this disabling level of corruption<br />

<strong>and</strong> everything negative is happening. We are<br />

just waiting to see what will happen next.<br />

Those who are religious are saying “may God<br />

bring better days” but before you can pray to<br />

God, you have to make sure that you are clean<br />

yourself. How can a thief pray to God? But<br />

that is what most leaders in our country are<br />

(thieves) except those who are the exception<br />

rather than the rule?<br />

But with this disabling state of our nation,<br />

do you foresee better days?<br />

Yes, absolutely after a constitutional<br />

evolution or do you think things would<br />

change in Nigeria just because you are asking<br />

for it? For things to change for the better in<br />

Nigeria, there has to be a constitutional<br />

revolution, which means a peaceful change<br />

of the system without divide, but if this fails,<br />

as it happened in other countries, other forces<br />

are likely to take over. For instance, Iraqi is<br />

not at peace, Libya is not at peace, even those<br />

who have lesser problems like Sudan <strong>and</strong><br />

Venezuela are not at peace. So what would<br />

make any Nigerian, who has commonsense,<br />

think that what is happening in these<br />

countries will not happen in Nigeria where<br />

human dignity does not exist, national<br />

development doesn’t exist <strong>and</strong> only deceit <strong>and</strong><br />

vote-buying win elections? God cannot be<br />

deceived.<br />

What about those clamouring for<br />

restructuring, especially the Yoruba, Niger<br />

Deltans <strong>and</strong> Igbo, as the way out of our<br />

problems?<br />

Forget about the unnecessary clamour.<br />

Whatever <strong>go</strong>vernment you have, as long as<br />

there are no free, fair <strong>and</strong> legitimate elections;<br />

as long as the system controlling the<br />

development of our nation is not based on<br />

public interest but self-interest, the<br />

clamour for restructuring <strong>and</strong><br />

confederation is all rubbish. Those<br />

who talk about restructuring <strong>and</strong><br />

true federalism, if you ask them,<br />

they have nothing to justify it<br />

than talking about ethnic<br />

nationality; they are not<br />

talking about real<br />

national issues like<br />

unity, like democracy<br />

<strong>and</strong> development in the<br />

country. They are not<br />

talking about issues<br />

that compare us with<br />

developed countries in<br />

the world; they are<br />

talking about things<br />

that compare us with the<br />

worst people. Nigeria,<br />

with her resources, should<br />

be compared with one of<br />

the five<br />

m o s t<br />

blessed<br />

countries in the<br />

world. But these<br />

so-called leaders<br />

are busy talking about<br />

voting into office this<br />

useless person or voting out<br />

that useless person into the<br />

presidency, into the<br />

legislature or into the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment house at the<br />

state level, without<br />

demonstrable credibility<br />

<strong>and</strong> experience. That is all<br />

they are talking about.<br />

What about the disabling<br />

insecurity in the <strong>No</strong>rth?<br />

People are wasting their<br />

time talking about insecurity<br />

in the <strong>No</strong>rth. Immediately<br />

after the civil war, when the<br />

Federal Government<br />

obtained the instrument of<br />

surrender from the Biafrans,<br />

armed robbery started in the<br />

East. Before that time, I used<br />

to travel from Enugu to<br />

Kaduna, from La<strong>go</strong>s to<br />

Kaduna. I would drive in the<br />

night peacefully <strong>and</strong> arrive<br />

in Kaduna. I was doing this all over the<br />

country as a civil servant <strong>and</strong> nothing<br />

happened to me. But immediately after the<br />

civil war, armed robbery started from the<br />

South-East. Most informed Nigerians were<br />

warning the Federal Government that the<br />

rebels had surrendered but there was a<br />

problem <strong>and</strong> that if <strong>go</strong>vernment did not do<br />

something about it, the problem would get<br />

out of h<strong>and</strong>. It was not the problem of the<br />

South-East due to the civil war <strong>and</strong> not a<br />

problem we should be happy about because<br />

the Igbo had <strong>go</strong>t what they asked for as a<br />

consequence of the war! It was not a national<br />

problem but we said it could spread<br />

throughout the country, <strong>and</strong> <strong>go</strong>vernment did<br />

not listen. Years after, there was an armed<br />

robbery in every village in Nigeria. The same<br />

thing applies to Boko Haram when people<br />

were deceiving themselves that it was a<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth-East affair. Also when the herdsmen<br />

problem started, people were calling it a<br />

northern problem. But the consequence of all<br />

these is the failure of the <strong>go</strong>vernment to meet<br />

its responsibility to the people in the areas of<br />

addressing poverty, unemployment <strong>and</strong> the<br />

get rich mentality to the level that people are<br />

engaged in kidnapping in virtually every<br />

local <strong>go</strong>vernment <strong>and</strong> every ward in Nigeria.<br />

In fact, someone you know is connected to<br />

someone that abducts you. As it is today,<br />

nobody is safe for anybody to travel in Nigeria,<br />

even outside your village because of the fear<br />

of being abducted for ransom. So, we are<br />

deceiving ourselves. Instead of taking<br />

national measures when issues arise, we are<br />

taking sectional measures until the whole<br />

problem overwhelms everybody. As it is,<br />

nobody is safe today! A cleaner is not safe,<br />

the President is not safe; who then is <strong>go</strong>ing to<br />

save Nigeria? Did you hear of the abduction<br />

of an Islamic cleric in the <strong>No</strong>rth whose<br />

specialty is the reading of the Quran? Why<br />

did the abductors do that? Because they<br />

believed that if they abduct such a person,<br />

even if he doesn’t have money, there are <strong>others</strong><br />

who would <strong>pay</strong> the ransom to free him <strong>and</strong><br />

this is exactly what happened. So, nobody is<br />

safe because the system <strong>and</strong> the leadership<br />

have produced only thieves.<br />

But how did we get here as a nation?<br />

It is a long history. We can talk about that to<br />

only those who have time to listen! In the 50s,<br />

despite the level of poverty <strong>and</strong> limited<br />

opportunities, these problems didn’t exist<br />

because there was the obedience to law <strong>and</strong><br />

order. For instance, when I started work in<br />

1953, nobody can steal a kobo of public fund<br />

<strong>and</strong> get away with it, whoever you might be,<br />

you are <strong>go</strong>ing to get punished according to<br />

the law. But, today, you can steal one third of<br />

the budget of the country <strong>and</strong> get away with<br />

it as long as you are the<br />

surrogate of the<br />

President, a <strong>go</strong>vernor, a<br />

minister or someone in<br />

authority. We had a<br />

case of a minister who<br />

stole N83billion <strong>and</strong> it<br />

was proved in court; he<br />

But, today, you<br />

can steal one<br />

third of the<br />

budget of the<br />

country <strong>and</strong> get<br />

away with it as<br />

long as you are<br />

the surrogate of<br />

the President, a<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor, a<br />

minister or<br />

someone in<br />

authority<br />

was jailed for two years<br />

only. <strong>No</strong>w he is a hero<br />

in his community, a<br />

hero in his state, a hero<br />

in his political party<br />

<strong>and</strong> a hero in Nigeria.<br />

This type of thing is<br />

what makes it difficult<br />

for us to deal with the<br />

disabling level of<br />

corruption <strong>and</strong> waste of<br />

resources in the<br />

country because<br />

everybody wants to be<br />

something when he or<br />

she has such<br />

opportunity.<br />

Do you think these<br />

challenges justify the<br />

call for true federalism?<br />

True federalism <strong>and</strong><br />

restructuring are<br />

different things<br />

entirely. Those who<br />

talk about true federalism, in reality, are<br />

talking of true federal system of <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

where power is shared between the centre<br />

<strong>and</strong> the <strong>states</strong> <strong>and</strong> various units. Those who<br />

are calling for true federalism <strong>and</strong><br />

restructuring are honest but the issue is the<br />

problem of the regions.


PAGE 26—SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Ministerial Appointments:<br />

<strong>No</strong>t a party affair<br />

The argument that<br />

President Muham<br />

madu Buhari<br />

should bother more about<br />

Atiku Abubakar’s petition<br />

against his re-election<br />

rather than concentrating<br />

on forming a <strong>go</strong>vernment,<br />

loses sight of the ‘no vacuum<br />

in <strong>go</strong>vernment’ philosophy.<br />

It would therefore<br />

be irrational for Buhari<br />

to await the verdict<br />

of the election tribunal<br />

before inaugurating his<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment. Besides, being<br />

the declared winner<br />

of the contest by the election<br />

referee, gives him<br />

confidence to act with the<br />

presumption that he is<br />

more likely to also win at<br />

the tribunal. However,<br />

that does not rule out the<br />

possibility of another c<strong>and</strong>idate<br />

upstaging the earlier<br />

declared winner, more<br />

so, as election controversies<br />

in Nigeria often create<br />

room for any contestant<br />

to be the lucky one in<br />

the end. Either way, by<br />

May 29, 2019, a new <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

must take-off to<br />

run the affairs of Nigeria<br />

whether the election tribunal<br />

has or has not concluded<br />

action on petitions.<br />

Thus, the current<br />

search for ministers who<br />

are constitutionally em-<br />

powered to implement the<br />

policies <strong>and</strong> programmes<br />

of the president is in order.<br />

What is likely to be in<br />

contention is the quality<br />

of persons that would constitute<br />

the Council of<br />

Ministers. A look at the<br />

powers of that council<br />

would readily show that<br />

Nigeria has never been inspired<br />

to pick persons with<br />

the requisite strength of<br />

character for the job. Can<br />

Nigerians in all honesty<br />

identify ministers that<br />

have, as required by the<br />

constitution, been able to<br />

question the health status<br />

of a president even where<br />

the failing health was visible<br />

to the blind as was the<br />

case with late President<br />

Yar’Adua? Instead, there<br />

has always been the temptation<br />

to appoint malleable<br />

persons who would<br />

covertly be controlled not<br />

by the president but by other<br />

persons in the corridors<br />

of power better known in<br />

Nigeria as cabals. Such appointees<br />

can hardly ensure<br />

successful execution of<br />

projects. Unfortunately, the<br />

current search for ministers<br />

may follow the old order<br />

of appointees with ample<br />

deficiencies in courage,<br />

vision <strong>and</strong> integrity.<br />

The quantum of noise so<br />

far made about the ruling<br />

party compiling a list of<br />

loyal party members for<br />

appointment confirms our<br />

contention.<br />

A report in the media last<br />

week quotes the National<br />

Working Committee of the<br />

ruling party as impressing<br />

on Buhari “to ensure that<br />

only members who have<br />

been faithful to the party<br />

are appointed into executive<br />

positions.” With due respect,<br />

such criterion cannot<br />

be the prime factor for appointment.<br />

It can however<br />

be an added advantage.<br />

The main factor is capacity,<br />

made up of competence<br />

<strong>and</strong> track record. While<br />

there is no problem with<br />

appointing a member of<br />

the APC as a minister, he<br />

should ordinarily be qualified<br />

even if he was not a<br />

party member. We also<br />

need to make the point that<br />

because Buhari is not the<br />

president of APC but of all<br />

Nigerians, his leadership<br />

needn’t be so derogated<br />

from. As is seen in other<br />

parts of the world, even opposition<br />

politicians are invited<br />

to serve in <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

only because they<br />

have unrivalled expertise in<br />

specific fields. That is what<br />

should propel our president<br />

especially if he must<br />

make a mark in his last opportunity<br />

to be president<br />

<strong>and</strong> leave innumerable<br />

legacies. For that to happen,<br />

Buhari must serve as<br />

the captain of our <strong>go</strong>vernance<br />

national team, made<br />

up of the best eleven.<br />

Only experts can make<br />

remarkable points in <strong>go</strong>vernance,<br />

not party loyalists<br />

with questionable credentials.<br />

This is more obvious<br />

in a developing society like<br />

Nigeria with a gamut of<br />

physical <strong>and</strong> infrastructural<br />

challenges that are begging<br />

for redress. Today,<br />

many Nigerians remember,<br />

the excellent performance<br />

of N<strong>go</strong>zi Okonjo-<br />

Any Nigerian<br />

president can<br />

constitute with ease,<br />

a strong, viable <strong>and</strong><br />

above all, a balanced<br />

ministerial team for<br />

the <strong>go</strong>od of the<br />

nation. All that needs<br />

to be done, is to<br />

insist on the best<br />

h<strong>and</strong>s<br />

Iweala as minister of finance.<br />

She was not even a<br />

party member let alone a<br />

loyal one when she made<br />

l<strong>and</strong>mark decisions for<br />

which the leadership at the<br />

time took credit. The same<br />

can be said for Obiageli<br />

Ezekwesili, Nasir el Rufai,<br />

Charles Soludo etc. who<br />

served in the past as outst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

cabinet members<br />

<strong>and</strong> left a mark yet to be<br />

met thereafter. How to reenact<br />

the glories of the past<br />

is what should be uppermost<br />

in Buhari’s mind now<br />

<strong>and</strong> not how to reward acclaimed<br />

worthy loyalists<br />

who may end up being in<br />

office without value. This<br />

point is neither original<br />

nor new, following the recent<br />

prayer of Pastor Tunde<br />

Bakare of the Lattera Rain<br />

Assembly that President<br />

Buhari should “in his second<br />

term appoint the best,<br />

the brightest <strong>and</strong> the fittest,<br />

to maximise the potentials<br />

of the nation.”<br />

Any Nigerian president<br />

can constitute with ease, a<br />

strong, viable <strong>and</strong> above<br />

all, a balanced ministerial<br />

team for the <strong>go</strong>od of the nation.<br />

All that needs to be<br />

done, is to insist on the best<br />

h<strong>and</strong>s. In line with the constitutional<br />

provision of federal<br />

character, such outst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

h<strong>and</strong>s abound all<br />

over the country as there is<br />

no part of our nation whose<br />

products cannot be among<br />

the best. We therefore disagree<br />

with those who argue<br />

that certain sections of the<br />

country which did not vote<br />

for the president should be<br />

punished. To start with, it<br />

has become increasingly<br />

difficult these days, to determine<br />

which sections belong<br />

to which party. For instance,<br />

Sokoto voted APC<br />

in the presidential election<br />

<strong>and</strong> PDP in the <strong>go</strong>vernorship.<br />

In Edo, the APC did<br />

not win the presidential<br />

election but won all the<br />

seats in the state legislature.<br />

So, which party can<br />

we say Sokoto <strong>and</strong> Edo belong<br />

to? Again, at the end<br />

of an election, the winner<br />

becomes the president or<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor of all. If the<br />

South East that is more of<br />

PDP is shunned today as<br />

not worthy to benefit from<br />

Buhari, we shall produce<br />

a lopsided <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

that runs counter to the<br />

federal character principle<br />

in Section 14(3) of our<br />

constitution that prohibits<br />

the “predominance of<br />

persons from a few <strong>states</strong><br />

or from a few ethnic or<br />

other sectional groups in<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment or in any of<br />

its agencies.”<br />

The constitution did not<br />

provide for favours to<br />

<strong>states</strong> which voted for the<br />

president. An over active<br />

leadership of the ruling<br />

party should thus not mislead<br />

him. Indeed, Buhari<br />

should appoint as ministers,<br />

competent persons<br />

from all over the country<br />

made up of a) the APC as<br />

the president’s channel to<br />

power; b) youths - the undisputed<br />

owners of potentials<br />

<strong>and</strong> in line with the<br />

‘not too young to run’ initiative<br />

of the president; c)<br />

women, in furtherance of<br />

the global reality of affirmative<br />

action <strong>and</strong> d)<br />

experienced technocrats<br />

as drivers of the engines<br />

of development. Governors<br />

who freely pick their<br />

own commissioners<br />

should not claim the power<br />

to nominate ministers<br />

from their <strong>states</strong>. Buhari<br />

needs to remember that if<br />

Nigerians are angry over<br />

inequity in <strong>go</strong>vernment,<br />

all eyes will look towards<br />

him <strong>and</strong> not the party<br />

leadership or <strong>go</strong>vernors.<br />

In any case, history has<br />

shown that any list compiled<br />

by a Nigerian political<br />

party is not likely to<br />

be credible as it usually<br />

contains objectionable<br />

names such as those who<br />

absconded from the compulsory<br />

national service<br />

<strong>and</strong> even names of dead<br />

persons as we saw in the<br />

past. Buhari must change<br />

the narrative <strong>and</strong> produce<br />

a viable team.<br />

PhD,Department of<br />

Philosophy,<br />

University of La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

08116759758<br />

A philosophical critique<br />

of Easter celebration (2)<br />

ut even if we restrict our<br />

Bselves to the stories in the<br />

By eliminating rival<br />

deities, the Pharaoh<br />

appropriated their<br />

powers. <strong>No</strong>w,<br />

Christianity<br />

appropriated the<br />

powers of its<br />

competitors by<br />

emulating an<br />

ascending Pharaoh’s<br />

mythical performance<br />

Gospels, there are still two formidable<br />

problems to be confronted.<br />

The first one is the<br />

largely arbitrary manner the<br />

books that constitute the Holy<br />

Bible were selected in the first<br />

place, coupled with the general<br />

problem of inaccurate<br />

translations, mistranslations<br />

<strong>and</strong> deliberate distortion of<br />

the original texts by scribes<br />

who put together the scriptures<br />

by translating manuscripts<br />

originally written in<br />

Koiné or “common” Greek<br />

into Latin. The second relates<br />

to obvious contradictions in<br />

the Gospels’ accounts of the<br />

purported arrest, crucifixion,<br />

resurrection <strong>and</strong> eventual ascension<br />

of Jesus. Beginning<br />

with the first problem, it is<br />

generally agreed by biblical<br />

scholars that the decision as<br />

to which books should be included<br />

in the Holy Bible <strong>and</strong><br />

which ones to be occluded<br />

was a very controversial <strong>and</strong><br />

difficult one, oftentimes<br />

reached by the casting of lots<br />

during the ecumenical council<br />

meetings, beginning with<br />

the Council of Nicaea in 325.<br />

This explains differences in<br />

the versions of the Christian<br />

bible accepted as authoritative<br />

by major denominations<br />

of Christianity. Concerning<br />

the issue of language, the<br />

manuscripts from which the<br />

Holy Bible evolved were originally<br />

documented in Koiné<br />

or “common” Greek. And<br />

Koiné is written in what is<br />

known as scriptio continua,<br />

which means no spaces between<br />

words <strong>and</strong> no punctuation<br />

marks. Accordingly, weshould<strong>go</strong><strong>and</strong>eatdad<br />

can be interpreted<br />

as “We should <strong>go</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> eat, Dad” or “We should<br />

<strong>go</strong> <strong>and</strong> eat Dad.” Sentences<br />

can have different meanings<br />

depending on where spaces<br />

between words are placed. So,<br />

Jesusisnowhere can be “Jesus<br />

is nowhere” or “Jesus is now<br />

here.” The implication of this<br />

for assessing the veracity of<br />

biblical narratives, including<br />

stories about Jesus’ Passion, is<br />

obvious <strong>and</strong> consequential as<br />

well. For instance, it opens up<br />

the possibility that most of<br />

what Christians believe about<br />

Easter <strong>and</strong> on which their religion<br />

is founded might be the<br />

product of mistranslations<br />

arising from the nature of<br />

Koiné script. Kurt Eichenwald<br />

has brilliantly discussed all<br />

this, including the extremely<br />

tendentious manner biblical<br />

passages were deliberately inserted<br />

in the scriptures, in an<br />

article published in the 09-01-<br />

2015 edition of Newsweek.<br />

Since his essay entitled “The<br />

Bible: So Misunderstood it’s a<br />

Sin” does not focus exclusively<br />

on Easter, there is no need<br />

analysing it in-depth here.<br />

<strong>No</strong>netheless, the key point<br />

made by Eichenwald is that<br />

one should be careful in interpreting<br />

biblical passages literally<br />

because they contain<br />

numerous translation mistakes<br />

<strong>and</strong> deliberate interpolations<br />

by compilers who had<br />

a predetermined theological<br />

agenda.<br />

On the vexed issue of historical<br />

inaccuracies <strong>and</strong> conflicting<br />

accounts of the trial, crucifixion,<br />

death <strong>and</strong> resurrection<br />

of Jesus in the Gospels,<br />

an attentive open-minded<br />

study of what several scholars<br />

have written about it tends to<br />

raise doubts about veracity of<br />

those very narratives or, at<br />

worst, suggests that perhaps<br />

the outl<strong>and</strong>ish events they describe<br />

never really happened.<br />

For instance, Matthew, Mark<br />

<strong>and</strong> Luke claim that Jesus was<br />

taken directly to Caiaphas the<br />

high priest after his arrest (Mat<br />

26:57, Mark 14:53, Luke<br />

22:54). John says that he was<br />

taken first to Annas, father-inlaw<br />

of the high priest who, after<br />

a while sent Jesus to the<br />

high priest. The same Matthew<br />

26:57 affirms that on the<br />

night Jesus was arrested the<br />

priests <strong>and</strong> scribes met before<br />

Jesus was brought to the high<br />

priest. Mark 14:53 says that<br />

they met on the night of Jesus’<br />

arrest after he was brought to<br />

the high priest, whereas Luke<br />

22:66 reports that the priests<br />

<strong>and</strong> scribes assembled the day<br />

after Jesus was arrested. The<br />

<strong>go</strong>spel of John mentions the<br />

high priest only: no other<br />

priests or scribes played a role<br />

in interrogating Jesus. According<br />

to Luke, Pilate sent<br />

Jesus to Herod who questioned<br />

him for a while <strong>and</strong> returned<br />

Jesus to Pilate once<br />

more (Luke 23:7-11). In Matthew,<br />

Mark <strong>and</strong> John, Herod<br />

was not involved at all. The<br />

biblical account of Pilate’s<br />

custom of releasing a prisoner<br />

at Passover <strong>and</strong> his offer to<br />

free Jesus while the Jews preferred<br />

Barabbas is historically<br />

inaccurate because the only<br />

authority granted by Rome to<br />

a Roman <strong>go</strong>vernor in such situation<br />

was postponement of<br />

the execution after the religious<br />

festival. Those who<br />

wrote the <strong>go</strong>spels included it<br />

in order to exonerate Pilate<br />

from Jesus’ execution <strong>and</strong> put<br />

the blame on the Jews. Moreover,<br />

the story that Pilate consented<br />

to the dem<strong>and</strong> by the<br />

mob is at odds with what is<br />

known about Pilate’s habitual<br />

savage <strong>and</strong> highh<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

methods of crowd control. According<br />

to historians, Pilate<br />

was recalled to Rome because<br />

of his brutality. How could a<br />

man with such notoriety be<br />

interested in what a Jewish<br />

mob wanted, let alone consenting<br />

to it? Matthew 27:38<br />

<strong>and</strong> Mark 15:27 say that Jesus<br />

was crucified between two<br />

robbers. But the Romans did<br />

not crucify robbers. Crucifixion<br />

was reserved specifically<br />

for rebellious slaves <strong>and</strong> insurrectionists.<br />

Did Jesus speak to<br />

his mother <strong>and</strong> to Peter from<br />

the cross during his crucifixion?<br />

The <strong>go</strong>spels affirm that<br />

he did. That is extremely unlikely<br />

given that during crucifixions<br />

Roman soldiers guarded<br />

the execution ground, <strong>and</strong><br />

nobody was allowed to come<br />

close, least of all relatives <strong>and</strong><br />

friends who would actually<br />

want to help the person to be<br />

executed. Matthew 27: 51-53<br />

confirms that at the moment<br />

Jesus died there was an earthquake<br />

that opened the tombs<br />

<strong>and</strong> an unspecified number of<br />

righteous people were raised<br />

from the dead who later went<br />

to Jerusalem <strong>and</strong> appeared to<br />

many people. However, none<br />

of the historians of the period<br />

documented that fascinating<br />

event, <strong>and</strong> it was not even recorded<br />

in the other <strong>go</strong>spels.<br />

Some New Testament scholars<br />

think that the author of this<br />

narrative must be an ardent<br />

believer in the resurrection<br />

power of Jesus <strong>and</strong> included<br />

the story to vindicate that belief.<br />

After the resurrection,<br />

who were the first to discover<br />

the empty tomb? Matthew<br />

claims that it was Mary<br />

Magdalene <strong>and</strong> the “other<br />

Mary.” Mark 16:1 gives it to<br />

Mary Magdalene, Mary, the<br />

mother of James <strong>and</strong> Salome.<br />

Luke adds Joanna to the list<br />

of women, while according to<br />

John 20:1-4 Mary<br />

Magdalene went to the tomb<br />

alone, saw the stone blocking<br />

its entrance removed, ran to<br />

Peter <strong>and</strong> returned to the tomb<br />

with another disciple.<br />

<strong>No</strong>w, who did these followers<br />

of Jesus find at the tomb?<br />

Matthew 28:2-4 intimates<br />

that an angel of the Lord who<br />

appeared like lightening sat<br />

on the stone that had been<br />

rolled away. Also present in<br />

the vicinity were guards dispatched<br />

to guard the burial<br />

chamber. Returning from the<br />

tomb the women met Jesus<br />

(Matthew 28:9). Mark <strong>tells</strong> us<br />

that a young man in a white<br />

robe was sitting inside the<br />

tomb. Luke talks about two<br />

men in dazzling apparel, but<br />

it is unclear whether they were<br />

inside or outside the tomb. In<br />

John, we read that that Mary,<br />

Peter <strong>and</strong> the other disciple initially<br />

found an empty tomb.<br />

Pater <strong>and</strong> the other disciple<br />

entered the tomb <strong>and</strong> saw the<br />

wrappings used to cover Jesus’<br />

corpse. Mary looked into<br />

the tomb <strong>and</strong> saw two angels<br />

dressed in white. After a brief<br />

conversation with them,<br />

Mary turns around <strong>and</strong> saw<br />

Jesus. Other example can be<br />

brought forward, but the ones<br />

presented already are sufficient<br />

to make the case that that<br />

the events around which the<br />

Gospels’ narratives were woven<br />

either did not take place<br />

or were so garbled that it is<br />

impossible to separate fiction<br />

from fact. The first alternative<br />

will rankle Christians apologists,<br />

but it is not as far-fetched<br />

as it seems. Consider one of<br />

the best-known stories in the<br />

New Testament, precisely in<br />

the <strong>go</strong>spel of John chapter 7,<br />

about a group of Pharisees<br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>others</strong> who brought to Jesus<br />

a woman allegedly committing<br />

adultery, <strong>and</strong> how Jesus<br />

escaped the trap set by her<br />

accusers by cleverly turning<br />

the table against them. Yet the<br />

incident reported never happened.<br />

It was not even written<br />

by John to whom it is attributed.<br />

Rather, according to Prof.<br />

Bart Ehrman, a biblical scholar<br />

at the University of <strong>No</strong>rth<br />

Carolina, it was fabricated by<br />

scribes sometime in the Middle<br />

Ages. The story does not<br />

appear in any of the three other<br />

<strong>go</strong>spels nor in any of the<br />

earlier Greek versions of John.<br />

Some researchers believe<br />

that the story of Jesus in the<br />

New Testament is an accretion<br />

of legends popular in<br />

Mediterranean communities<br />

in the dying years of the Roman<br />

Empire. For example,<br />

the noted historian, Prof. Arnold<br />

Toynbee, explained in his<br />

illuminating book, Mankind<br />

<strong>and</strong> Mother Earth, that in the<br />

Levant after Alex<strong>and</strong>er the<br />

Great overthrew the Persian<br />

Empire, <strong>and</strong> throughout the<br />

whole perimeter of the Mediterranean<br />

after its political<br />

unification by the Roman<br />

Empire, there was fierce competition<br />

among rival religions<br />

for the chance of becoming the<br />

universal religion of the region<br />

as a whole. Christianity<br />

eventually triumphed by a<br />

process adumbrated already<br />

in Pharaonic Egyptian theology.<br />

According to the Egyptians,<br />

when a Pharaoh dies his<br />

detachable soul ascends into<br />

heaven <strong>and</strong> there devours other<br />

<strong>go</strong>ds whom the newcomer<br />

encounters. By eliminating rival<br />

deities, the Pharaoh appropriated<br />

their powers. <strong>No</strong>w,<br />

Christianity appropriated the<br />

powers of its competitors by<br />

emulating an ascending Pharaoh’s<br />

mythical performance.<br />

According to Toynbee, in the<br />

story of Jesus the religion absorbed<br />

Egyptian, Syrian, Anatolian<br />

<strong>and</strong> Hellenic <strong>go</strong>ds <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>go</strong>ddesses <strong>and</strong> thereby ascribed<br />

their powers to the risen<br />

messiah.<br />

To be continued.


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 27<br />

“B<br />

By Chris Onuoha<br />

ut for the rail transport coming as a<br />

viable alternative, we would have all<br />

been doomed, or at best, we would<br />

completely avoid <strong>go</strong>ing back home”, says<br />

Hajia Bilikisu Sanusi, a senior female civil<br />

servant, who works in Abuja, but comes from<br />

Kaduna State. Hajia Sanusi, who spoke to<br />

Sunday Vanguard newspaper, at the Idu train<br />

station in Abuja, was obviously elated as she<br />

heaved a sigh of relief on stepping out of the<br />

train station, at the Abuja end of the journey.<br />

Hajia Sanusi is just one of the many<br />

hundreds of passengers who have literally<br />

ab<strong>and</strong>oned the Abuja/Kaduna highway for<br />

fear of being kidnapped, robbed or, worse,<br />

killed by the army of marauders <strong>and</strong> b<strong>and</strong>its<br />

who have practically seized the soul of the<br />

road. In recent times, the Abuja-Kaduna road<br />

had been reduced to highway of horror, what<br />

with the daily reports of kidnapping, torture<br />

<strong>and</strong> robbery.<br />

The senior civil servant was also full of praise<br />

for the Buhari-led <strong>go</strong>vernment which has<br />

ensured that the rail transport between Abuja<br />

<strong>and</strong> Kaduna is fully functional <strong>and</strong> indeed,<br />

coming to the rescue of many Nigerians who<br />

commute between both cities.<br />

According to her, “ we are grateful that, at<br />

least, the railway transport between Abuja <strong>and</strong><br />

my home state, Kaduna, is working<br />

effectively; <strong>and</strong> we have Mr President to<br />

thank for this, without forgetting the Minister<br />

of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi who has<br />

been very passionate about rail development<br />

in Nigeria”.<br />

Although the Abuja/Kaduna rail was started<br />

<strong>and</strong> somewhat commissioned by the<br />

administration of President Goodluck<br />

Jonathan, it was the President Mohammadu<br />

Buhari administration that completed the rail<br />

system between the two cities.<br />

Sources in the Ministry of Transport had<br />

explained to Sunday Vanguard that the<br />

Jonathan administration stopped the rail<br />

tracks at Kubwa, in Abuja, because of the<br />

Catholic hospital which was on the right of<br />

way.<br />

It was the present<br />

Minister of Transportation, Mr<br />

Amaechi who had to ne<strong>go</strong>tiate with<br />

the Catholic authorities to relocate the<br />

church’s hospital before the rail tracks were<br />

completed, leading to the rail connection<br />

between both points - Abuja <strong>and</strong> Kaduna. The<br />

federal <strong>go</strong>vernment provided the funds for the<br />

building of another hospital, just so the rail<br />

line was not obstructed.<br />

However, the ministry source remarked that<br />

the fact remains that the Jonathan<br />

administration initiated the project <strong>and</strong> drove<br />

it to the point it was before the present<br />

administration came into office.<br />

Completing the Abuja-Kaduna rail had<br />

gulped $500 million <strong>and</strong> it is running.<br />

And the Minister of Transportation insists<br />

that the <strong>go</strong>vernment is committed to<br />

connecting all state capitals in the country<br />

with rail, adding that “it is aimed at making<br />

mass movement of people <strong>and</strong> <strong>go</strong>ods easier<br />

across the country”. It is in the pursuit of this<br />

agenda, according to Amaechi, that the<br />

Calabar-Kano, as well as the La<strong>go</strong>s-Calabar<br />

rails are conceived <strong>and</strong> being pursued.<br />

The beauty of this will be better appreciated<br />

with the plan to extend all rail lines to all the<br />

sea ports in the country so car<strong>go</strong>es <strong>and</strong> other<br />

<strong>go</strong>ods can be picked directly from the sea<br />

ports <strong>and</strong> taken to other parts of the country,<br />

thus saving the roads of the impact of heavy<br />

haulages, <strong>and</strong> at far cheaper cost.<br />

Already, the La<strong>go</strong>s/Ibadan rail is near<br />

completion, even as the La<strong>go</strong>s-Abeokuta rail<br />

has been completed <strong>and</strong> running.<br />

Amaechi explained that “by the end of the<br />

year, the La<strong>go</strong>s-Ibadan rail will be up <strong>and</strong><br />

running. By June, this year the entire tracks<br />

would have been laid up to Ibadan. Indeed,<br />

work had continued on that corridor, literally,<br />

day <strong>and</strong> night.<br />

It is the same passion that also led to the<br />

resuscitation of the Itakpe-Warri rail line which<br />

had been ab<strong>and</strong>oned for over 34 years.<br />

According to Amaechi, the Federal<br />

Government’s decision to revisit the Itakpe/<br />

Warri railway is to sustain the dream behind<br />

the project at the time it was conceived. Both<br />

towns are steel-producing communities, one<br />

in Kogi State <strong>and</strong> the other in Delta State.<br />

The rail was thus meant to connect both<br />

companies for the ease of transportation of<br />

<strong>go</strong>ods <strong>and</strong> equipment.<br />

Already, the Itakpe/Warri rail has fully<br />

commenced operation as it daily lifts 100<br />

passengers per trip between both points, even<br />

ABUJA/KADUNA COMMUTERS<br />

Rail Raises Safety<br />

Niche on Road<br />

Transport<br />

as plans are afoot to increase the number of<br />

coaches on the corridor.<br />

To ensure that the rail system runs with<br />

maximum efficiency, the Managing Director<br />

of Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC),<br />

Engineer Freeborn Edetanlaen Okhiria<br />

explained that “Nigeria is gradually tackling<br />

the railway challenge as this <strong>go</strong>vernment (of<br />

President Muhammadu Buhari) has shown<br />

deep commitment to rail development in the<br />

country <strong>and</strong> with the deep devotion of the<br />

Minister of Transport, the sky will be our limit<br />

in rail development”.<br />

The zeal of the minister in driving the rail<br />

project may have received recognition even<br />

outside the country.<br />

About three weeks a<strong>go</strong>, the<br />

Ghanaian <strong>go</strong>vernment, sent a<br />

team to Nigeria to understudy<br />

the strides the Nigerian<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment is making in rail<br />

development. Led by its<br />

Minister of Rail Development,<br />

Hon Joe Ghartey, the team<br />

joined in the tour of the rail<br />

construction between La<strong>go</strong>s <strong>and</strong><br />

Ibadan. Hon Ghartey<br />

commended the devotion <strong>and</strong><br />

commitment of Mr Amaechi in<br />

the pursuit of the rail project in<br />

Nigeria.<br />

Commenting on how Amaechi<br />

has totally given his time <strong>and</strong><br />

passion for the rail development,<br />

Dr Omenazu Jackson, a<br />

consultant with the UNDP <strong>and</strong><br />

Chancellor, International<br />

Society for Social Justice <strong>and</strong><br />

Human Rights noted that<br />

whenever he (Amaechi) is<br />

convinced about a project, he<br />

gives it his all <strong>and</strong> that is what<br />

we are seeing in his strides in<br />

the rail development of the<br />

country.<br />

Convinced that the rail transportation is<br />

headed for better days <strong>ahead</strong>, Eng Okhiria<br />

also explained that the Itakpe/Warri railway<br />

transportation will be further boosted soon as<br />

the Railway village <strong>and</strong> Railway yard are<br />

completed in Agbor, Delta State.<br />

The Railway village was burnt down some<br />

years a<strong>go</strong> but it is about being rehabilitated<br />

<strong>and</strong> will have to boot, facilities like school,<br />

hospital <strong>and</strong> residential quarters for rail<br />

workers <strong>and</strong> their families.<br />

In the same vein, the railway yard will cater<br />

for the maintenance need of the rail system<br />

within that axis.<br />

The Itakpe/Warri rail revitalised at the cost<br />

of $200 million, was wholly <strong>and</strong> solely funded<br />

by the federal Government. “We did not<br />

borrow a kobo to fund the Itakpe-Warri rail<br />

project, Amaechi said.<br />

Being built by the China Civil Engineering<br />

Construction Corporation (CECC), the rail<br />

infrastructure in Nigeria is being funded by<br />

loans, largely obtained<br />

from China. The cost of<br />

the rail projects have<br />

accounted for a <strong>go</strong>od<br />

chunk of the debt<br />

Despite the funding<br />

challenges facing the<br />

infrastructural<br />

development in the<br />

country, one thing<br />

certain is that the rail<br />

development under<br />

the management of<br />

the present Minister of<br />

Transportation is<br />

bound to change the<br />

narrative of mass<br />

transit schemes in<br />

Nigeria<br />

Nigeria is owing.<br />

Speaking on the many<br />

benefits of the rail<br />

transport system,<br />

Amaechi noted that in<br />

the areas where the rail<br />

has been completed, the<br />

economies of those<br />

localities have<br />

improved significantly<br />

citing the cost of l<strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>and</strong> other l<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

properties in the La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

–Ibadan rail corridor,<br />

which he said, have<br />

remarkably<br />

appreciated.<br />

Despite the funding<br />

challenges facing the<br />

infrastructural<br />

development in the<br />

country, one thing<br />

certain is that the rail<br />

development under the<br />

management of the present Minister of<br />

Transportation is bound to change the<br />

narrative of mass transit schemes in Nigeria,<br />

if the same level of devotion <strong>and</strong> commitment<br />

is sustained in the years <strong>ahead</strong>.


PAGE 28 —SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

When Living Faith<br />

Church visited the IDPs<br />

By Jack Kalio, Abuja<br />

The excitements—expressed <strong>and</strong><br />

controlled—were expected; but not<br />

at the level they unfolded. As trucks<br />

loaded with food items <strong>and</strong> clothes<br />

wheeled into each of the 11 Internally<br />

Displaced Persons’ camps in the Federal<br />

Capital Territory, shouts of joy filled the<br />

atmosphere. In one of the camps, while the<br />

children jumped, clapped <strong>and</strong> shouted in<br />

celebration, the adults—married <strong>and</strong><br />

unmarried, young <strong>and</strong> old, men <strong>and</strong> women—<br />

displayed subdued emotions in anticipation<br />

of what was coming. Some could not hold<br />

back tears—especially the women. They were<br />

tears of joy. The men, as usual, bit their lips<br />

<strong>and</strong> tried to brave it through. They could not<br />

jump <strong>and</strong> clap as the children did, neither<br />

could they cry openly as the women. They<br />

simply stood <strong>and</strong> watched. Men will always<br />

be men.<br />

The mixed bag of emotion unfolded when<br />

pastors <strong>and</strong> members of the Living Faith<br />

Church, also known as Winners’ Chapel,<br />

visited camps occupied by IDPs—Internally<br />

Displaced Persons—to deliver special<br />

messages from Bishop David Oyedepo. The<br />

messages were packaged in the form of 77<br />

bags of rice, 2,400 tubers of yam, 44 bags of<br />

white beans, 72 bags of millet, 83 bags of<br />

maize, 254 cartons of indomie, 57 bags of<br />

sugar, 21 cartons of magi cubes, 36 bags of<br />

salt <strong>and</strong> 23 cartons of five-litres oil. Added to<br />

these items were three trailers loaded with<br />

clothes contributed as love gifts by members<br />

of the church. The materials were distributed<br />

to the camps located in Dagba Area 1, New<br />

Kuchin<strong>go</strong>ro, near Games Village, Wasa in<br />

Apo, Waro, in Apo, Sabo Lugbe along the<br />

Airport Road, Gon<strong>go</strong>la in Lugbe, Kekeshi in<br />

Abaji, P<strong>and</strong>agi in Abaji <strong>and</strong> Vine Heritage in<br />

Gwagwalada.<br />

In addition to the items given to these<br />

str<strong>and</strong>ed Nigerians was the word of God<br />

delivered by the leader of the welfare team,<br />

Pastor Sunny Nkemdi. The church did not <strong>go</strong><br />

there on a crusade. But at each camp, as the<br />

team arrived with the loaded trucks, shout of<br />

“Alleluia!’ “Praise the Lord!” <strong>and</strong> “Jesus loves<br />

you,” filled the air.<br />

However, a different atmosphere unfolded<br />

at one of the camps visited. Despite the initial<br />

shout of joy by the children <strong>and</strong> a few adults,<br />

the reporter noticed something more than<br />

hunger in the faces of the some of the elders<br />

occupying the camp. It was almost<br />

indescribable. They seemed lifted on the<br />

inside. Hope came alive; <strong>and</strong> as bags <strong>and</strong><br />

cartons of <strong>go</strong>ods were brought out of the<br />

trucks, the mood of the people completely<br />

changed.<br />

Pastor Abraham Ojeme who oversees the<br />

Living Faith Church in the Federal Capital<br />

Territory said both the church that donated<br />

the <strong>go</strong>ods <strong>and</strong> the recipients were affected by<br />

the emotional atmosphere in the camps<br />

visited: “Reaction is double-edged. Sometimes<br />

it brings tears from your eyes when you see the<br />

excitement in them <strong>and</strong> you could see hope in<br />

their faces. We are happy for that but it brings<br />

tears. Can we as human beings join h<strong>and</strong>s<br />

together to help each other? They did not plan<br />

to be in IDP, many of them had homes before<br />

<strong>and</strong> all of a sudden, overnight, they found<br />

themselves there. That wasn’t their plan but<br />

God will change their story, God will give them<br />

a new beginning. For the hope we saw on their<br />

faces, God will do it for them.<br />

Staying in the IDP camps seems to have<br />

created a bond of friendship <strong>and</strong><br />

unprecedented sense of togetherness among<br />

the people. They have become morally bound<br />

even if it is a marriage of convenience. Both<br />

Christians <strong>and</strong> Muslims have come to see<br />

themselves as br<strong>others</strong> <strong>and</strong> sisters—passengers<br />

in the same boat ab<strong>and</strong>oned on an isl<strong>and</strong> by<br />

circumstances beyond their comprehension.<br />

The visit of the church was therefore not<br />

seen—even among the unbelievers—as a<br />

religious expedition, but as a demonstration<br />

of God’s love. Most of IDPs wore br<strong>and</strong> new<br />

or freshly-ironed clothes for the first time in<br />

several years because the church went there.<br />

Some had shoes given to them <strong>and</strong> could not<br />

believe that such luxuries still existed.<br />

While providing the clue as to the mission of<br />

the church in investing millions of naira in a<br />

population comprising mostly Muslims,<br />

Pastor Ojeme explained that what has<br />

happened so far—the donation by the Living<br />

Faith Church—is the beginning, not the end:<br />

“Well, we are not talking about the millions<br />

now, because you cannot even quantify their<br />

own souls. How dare you try to quantify what<br />

you invest in them? What I am looking forward<br />

to is what God will make out of their lives.<br />

The Bible says what will you compare a soul<br />

to? How much is a soul worth?<br />

This is just the beginning <strong>and</strong> this same thing<br />

happening in FCT is happening all over the<br />

<strong>states</strong> of Nigeria. We have done this many<br />

times before. We have done it for nations. We<br />

did it for Liberia. I was in Liberia in the midst<br />

of the war. We sent shiploads of materials to<br />

them <strong>and</strong> I could see how excited they were.<br />

We have done it in Sierra Leone, we have done<br />

it in Rw<strong>and</strong>a <strong>and</strong> we will keep doing it all over<br />

the world.”<br />

Few things, if any, create satisfaction <strong>and</strong><br />

raise hope in the midst of calamity than the<br />

knowledge that somebody cares. When words<br />

of hope are spoken, the weak bones receive<br />

strength. When h<strong>and</strong>s of succour are stretched<br />

in moments of distress, a<strong>go</strong>ny turns to joy;<br />

tears turn smiles. All these unfolded across<br />

the 11 IDP camps visited by the Living Faith<br />

Church two weeks a<strong>go</strong>.<br />

As the divinely-inspired visitation wrapped<br />

up at the last camp visited, Pastor Ojeme<br />

prophesied hope even in the face of<br />

hopelessness. He said: “I see a people that<br />

will soon come out of their present condition.<br />

It is only a matter a time. Watch what will<br />

soon happen. The Bible says God raises the<br />

poor from the dung-hill. He lifts the servant<br />

from the ground <strong>and</strong> puts him on the horses.<br />

Their story will soon change. Some of them<br />

<strong>and</strong> their families will never know the road to<br />

an IDP camp again in life. <strong>No</strong>w, for what they<br />

have <strong>go</strong>ne through, when God visits them <strong>and</strong><br />

the changes come, they will know the<br />

difference, they will know how to appreciate<br />

God.”<br />

ANRP praises Bauchi people for peaceful polls,<br />

asks <strong>go</strong>v-elect to be leader for all<br />

•How our presidential c<strong>and</strong>idate made 17th position’<br />

auchi State chapter of the Abundant<br />

BNigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), under the<br />

leadership of Alhaji Muhammad Yahaya<br />

Abubakar Misau, has commended the people<br />

of the state for ensuring peaceful conduct of<br />

the 2019 general elections.<br />

It also thanked Bauchi people for the support<br />

it received during the presidential election that<br />

saw its c<strong>and</strong>idate, Tope Fasua, clinching the<br />

11th position out of the 73 c<strong>and</strong>idates that<br />

participated in the election in the state.<br />

“This shows that the people have trust in us<br />

<strong>and</strong> have firm believe in our ethos”, a<br />

statement by the state chapter of the ANRP<br />

said.<br />

“On the <strong>go</strong>vernorship election, credit must<br />

be given to the c<strong>and</strong>idates of the two major<br />

political parties for adhering to the peaceful<br />

conduct of the election especially the<br />

incumbent <strong>go</strong>vernor, M.A. Abubakar, who<br />

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stated <strong>and</strong> proved to us that his ambition is<br />

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“Although the ruling APC seems dissatisfied<br />

with the outcome of the election, we believe<br />

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ensure justice <strong>and</strong> harmony in the state. “Some<br />

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that he has taken the m<strong>and</strong>ate, he should know<br />

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The party appreciated the effort of the state<br />

Inter Party Advisory Council, IPAC, the police<br />

<strong>and</strong> INEC who, it said, worked so hard <strong>and</strong><br />

sacrificed so much just to ensure that the wish<br />

of the masses prevailed.<br />

“This shows that Bauchi people are peace<br />

loving <strong>and</strong> mature when it comes to deciding<br />

their leaders.<br />

“The peaceful outcome of the 2019 election<br />

in the state also underscore that it’s possible<br />

that Bauchi can be great if we can all work<br />

towards building a just <strong>and</strong> democratic<br />

society.<br />

“Let’s continue to recommit ourselves to the<br />

ideals of justice, peace <strong>and</strong> unity.”<br />

Meanwhile, ....., has been appointed as a<br />

member of the transition committee for<br />

Bauchi State by the <strong>go</strong>vernor-elect.<br />

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 29<br />

By Yemi Ogunbiyi<br />

The direct impulse to the writing of this<br />

piece came from six separate inspection<br />

trips of the new 158.5km, double-track<br />

St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge railway line from Ibadan to<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s which is about to be flagged off for use<br />

in May. Those inspection trips, which were<br />

spread out over a one-year period, were in the<br />

company of the Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon.<br />

Rotimi Amaechi.<br />

The construction of the rail project itself, with<br />

extensions to Apapa Sea Port <strong>and</strong> associated<br />

railway stations, commenced in March 2017.<br />

Those inspection trips, taken together, had a<br />

tremendous impact on me <strong>and</strong> opened up for<br />

me vistas of new possibilities in my<br />

assessment of the future of our country. To fully<br />

underst<strong>and</strong> the impact of my experience <strong>and</strong><br />

put it in proper perspective, we would need to<br />

back-step a little into the history of the<br />

Nigerian Railway Corporation.<br />

When the British decided in 1898 to<br />

construct the first railroad in Nigeria, that is,<br />

the 32km narrow gauge line from Iddo in the<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s Colony to Ota in today’s Ogun State<br />

<strong>and</strong> subsequently to Ibadan, it was conceived<br />

purely as a commercial venture designed to<br />

ease the movement of <strong>go</strong>ods from the<br />

hinterl<strong>and</strong> to the coast for export. It took four<br />

years to complete that very first line in 1901.<br />

Thereafter, rail construction continued<br />

incrementally, with the Ibadan-Jebba line,<br />

between 1907 <strong>and</strong> 1911. Urged by the British<br />

Cotton Growing Association, a single track<br />

narrow gauge, with a speed of 12 miles per<br />

hour, was constructed in 1907 from Baro to<br />

Bida, Zungeru <strong>and</strong> Zaria to Kano, to ease the<br />

evacuation of cotton for export. Following the<br />

discovery of coal in Enugu in 1914, the 243km<br />

Port Harcourt – Enugu line was constructed<br />

to facilitate export of coal through Port<br />

Harcourt. Then, by 1924, several other lines<br />

were added, among them the Enugu –<br />

Makurdi line, the Kaduna – Kafanchan, <strong>and</strong><br />

Kafanchan – Jos lines. In the 1920s <strong>and</strong> early<br />

1930s, the Zaria – Gusau – Kaura Namoda<br />

lines were built. Then two final extensions,<br />

Kano – Nguru <strong>and</strong> Ifo – Ido<strong>go</strong> were added by<br />

1930.<br />

In all those years, the railways were run<br />

efficiently because the institution was then<br />

under the supervision of an efficiently-run civil<br />

service. Then on October 1, 1955, it became a<br />

public enterprise by an Act of Parliament (<strong>No</strong>.<br />

26). By 1964, the old Nigerian Railways<br />

Corporation reached its peak performance<br />

when it was said to have conveyed some<br />

11.2million passengers annually <strong>and</strong> about<br />

3million tonnes of <strong>go</strong>ods. In the 1963/64<br />

Financial Year Report, the Corporation had a<br />

financial performance of £16million <strong>and</strong> a<br />

h<strong>and</strong>some working surplus of £2million. As a<br />

young high school boy, who had to shuttle<br />

during school holidays between Kano <strong>and</strong><br />

Ibadan <strong>and</strong> later La<strong>go</strong>s, I testify that during<br />

those years rail rides were superbly joyous.<br />

The rot<br />

Then, gradually, the rot set in, compounded<br />

by poor infrastructure maintenance, derelict<br />

<strong>and</strong> antiquated rail tracks, outmoded<br />

locomotives <strong>and</strong> wa<strong>go</strong>ns <strong>and</strong>, of course,<br />

corruption <strong>and</strong> poor management. Ironically,<br />

the neglect of the sector started with the British,<br />

who became, it seemed, more interested by<br />

1960 in emerging markets elsewhere. For<br />

instance, for thirty-one years between 1927-<br />

1958, apart from two minor extensions to the<br />

rail network, namely, Kafanchan – Bauchi <strong>and</strong><br />

Bauchi – Maiduguri, not a single rail sleeper<br />

was laid anywhere in the country. And then,<br />

for over fifty years between 1970 to only a few<br />

years a<strong>go</strong>, the sector laid comatose <strong>and</strong><br />

became, with possibly one exception, a cheap<br />

dispensable pawn in the h<strong>and</strong>s of successive<br />

Nigerian administrations.<br />

To be sure, some efforts were made to revive<br />

the sector. In 1970, under the Obasanjo military<br />

regime, an Indian group, the Rail India<br />

Technical <strong>and</strong> Economic Services, were<br />

brought in to manage the corporation. When<br />

they left ten years after, there was little to show<br />

for their effort. Thereafter, another group of<br />

Romanians were paid $17million to supply<br />

wa<strong>go</strong>ns <strong>and</strong> workshop equipment. Again, it<br />

came to nothing. Then, in 1995, General Sani<br />

Abacha brought in the now famous China<br />

Civil Engineering Construction Company<br />

(CCECC) to rehabilitate the entire rail<br />

infrastructure. That $528million contract was<br />

also poorly executed. Then, again, in 2002, the<br />

Obasanjo civilian administration came up<br />

with an ambitious twenty-five year Strategic<br />

Vision for the corporation, one that would<br />

build a modernised 8,000km of railway<br />

network, linking all state capitals <strong>and</strong><br />

industrial centres in the country. Indeed, in<br />

the dying days of his administration, Obasanjo<br />

re-engaged CCECC in 2006 to build the La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

– Kano 1,315km St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge line for<br />

$8.3billion. But again, not much happened,<br />

until President Yar’ adua took over <strong>and</strong><br />

cancelled the contract.<br />

Ironically, the more noticeable<br />

transformation of the sector occurred during<br />

the Jonathan administration. In a move that<br />

appeared to have learnt a few lessons from<br />

the hiccups <strong>and</strong> false starts of previous<br />

administrations, Jonathan deployed a twotracked<br />

strategy to rehabilitate the existing old<br />

narrow gauge <strong>and</strong> later commence the<br />

construction of new St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge lines;<br />

*Amaechi during an<br />

inspection tour of<br />

railway project<br />

Speed, comfort, safety,<br />

cost-effectiveness<br />

• The challenge of a new Nigerian railway<br />

which was exactly what he did. The<br />

rehabilitation of the old lines led to the<br />

reactivation of a number of inter-city train<br />

services, such as the Makurdi – Port Harcourt<br />

line, through Aba <strong>and</strong> Enugu. Simultaneously,<br />

the administration commenced work on the<br />

new 187km St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge line between<br />

Abuja (Idu) <strong>and</strong> Kaduna (Rigasa). But the most<br />

remarkable of the Jonathan effort was the<br />

signing of a $11.9billion contract with the<br />

CCECC to build a coastal 22-stop St<strong>and</strong>ard<br />

Gauge railway track that would stretch for<br />

1,402km from La<strong>go</strong>s, through Ijebu-Ode,<br />

Benin, Port Harcourt to Calabar, with a<br />

maximum travelling speed of 120km/hour. It<br />

was CCECC’s largest overseas contract up<br />

until that time.<br />

Building on gains<br />

Then enter the Buhari administration in<br />

2015, with Rotimi Amaechi as Transport<br />

Minister. H<strong>and</strong>icapped, both by an antiquated<br />

1955 Act which still guides the development<br />

<strong>and</strong> operation of the sector <strong>and</strong> the paucity of<br />

funds, President Buhari directed his new<br />

Minister to build on the gains of the past, while<br />

also charting a new, more radical path for the<br />

sector. Under a more radical approach that was<br />

now designed to increase the sector’s<br />

contribution to GDP from its present 20% to<br />

70% by 2040, existing ab<strong>and</strong>oned projects<br />

were to be completed, while<br />

also embarking on the design,<br />

construction <strong>and</strong> deployment<br />

of new, St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge lines.<br />

Accordingly, the Abuja (Idu) to<br />

Kaduna (Rigasa) St<strong>and</strong>ard<br />

Guage project which had been<br />

crippled for lack of funds <strong>and</strong><br />

almost ab<strong>and</strong>oned by the<br />

previous administration was<br />

promptly completed <strong>and</strong><br />

flagged off for commercial<br />

operation by President Buhari<br />

in July, 2016. As part of this<br />

scheme, <strong>and</strong> under Amaechi’s<br />

watch, the Itakpe – Ajaokuta –<br />

Warri railway St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge<br />

project, which was first<br />

conceived thirty-two years a<strong>go</strong>,<br />

was completed. This important<br />

line, complete with a modern<br />

Locomotive Depot at a Facility<br />

Yard in Agbor, would<br />

eventually be extended<br />

southwards to terminate at a<br />

new Warri Port <strong>and</strong> Abuja in the<br />

north. Incidentally, this line is<br />

<strong>go</strong>ing to be concessioned to a preferred bidder,<br />

CRCC, who would partner with <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

to construct <strong>and</strong> operate the line.<br />

While these were <strong>go</strong>ing on, President Buhari<br />

further directed that the rehabilitation of the<br />

existing narrow gauge line be speeded up.<br />

Some of those projects include the La<strong>go</strong>s –<br />

Jebba 480km line, the Jebba – Kano 624km<br />

line, the Port Harcourt – Aba – Enugu –<br />

Makurdi 468km line, the Kuru – Bauchi –<br />

Gombe – Maiduguri 640km line, <strong>and</strong> the<br />

Makurdi – Kafanchan – Kaduna Junction –<br />

Kuru line. In between these rehabilitations,<br />

huge sums were expended, for the first time<br />

in a long time, on the upgrade <strong>and</strong><br />

modernisation of key railway components <strong>and</strong><br />

equipments, <strong>and</strong> on the procurement of<br />

Rolling Stock (wa<strong>go</strong>ns, coaches) <strong>and</strong> an<br />

assortment of parts for operational use. <strong>No</strong>t<br />

surprisingly, intra-city <strong>and</strong> inter-city mass<br />

But many would<br />

argue that the real<br />

icing on the cake of<br />

the administration’s<br />

achievements to<br />

date is the about-tobe-completed<br />

156.5km double<br />

track St<strong>and</strong>ard<br />

Gauge line between<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s –Ibadan,<br />

which, by the way, is<br />

a part of the longer<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s – Kano line<br />

passenger transit services resumed on the<br />

refurbished narrow gauge lines, as evidenced,<br />

for instance, in the deployment of 12 trains that<br />

carry some 13,000 passengers daily in La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Aba to Port Harcourt line which<br />

operates two daily services. Also, the intercity<br />

service between La<strong>go</strong>s <strong>and</strong> Kano operates<br />

once a week, moving freight <strong>and</strong> passengers.<br />

The Offa – Kano –Offa line also operates, once<br />

a week.<br />

As part of its Economic Recovery<br />

Programme, there are a number of other key<br />

projects that the current <strong>go</strong>vernment has<br />

embarked upon under a PPP model that<br />

deserve to be mentioned, if only in passing.<br />

There is, for instance, the 284km Kano –<br />

Katsina – Makurdi St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge line.<br />

There are other such achievements as the<br />

installation of the Enterprise Resource<br />

Programme (ERP) to promote efficiency <strong>and</strong><br />

the upgrade <strong>and</strong> modernisation of the<br />

antiquated communication <strong>and</strong> signaling<br />

system of the entire rail system. <strong>No</strong>t to be<br />

for<strong>go</strong>tten here is the revolutionary Transport<br />

Sector Reform Bill, which includes the<br />

Nigerian Railways Authority (NRA) Bill,<br />

designed to open up the sector for the first time,<br />

to private sector participation.<br />

Two projects<br />

But, perhaps, the two projects in the cate<strong>go</strong>ry<br />

of planned railway projects for<br />

which the administration will<br />

be long remembered might<br />

well be the 2163km Port<br />

Harcourt – Maiduguri singletrack<br />

St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge railline<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Coastal Railway<br />

Project, which was mentioned<br />

above. The proposed Port<br />

Harcourt to Maiduguri railline<br />

would traverse major<br />

industrial cities along the<br />

Eastern corridor, South-<br />

South, South-East <strong>and</strong> the<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth-Eastern geo-political<br />

zones of the country. Due to<br />

be completed in three years’<br />

time, the rail network would<br />

pass through Aba from Port<br />

Harcourt, to Umuahia –<br />

Agwu – Enugu – Otukpo –<br />

Makurdi – Lafia – Akwanga<br />

– Kafanchan – Jos – Bauchi –<br />

Alkateri – Gombe – Bajoga –<br />

Damaturu – Maiduguri, with<br />

branch lines from Port<br />

Harcourt – Owerri – Akwa;<br />

Port Harcourt – Bonny; Enugu – Abakaliki;<br />

Akwanga – Keffi – Abuja <strong>and</strong> Gombe - Yola<br />

– Jalin<strong>go</strong>. This line would not only link the<br />

oil-producing South-South regions with the<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth <strong>and</strong> the rest of the country, but would<br />

also do what rail transportation does<br />

effectively, <strong>and</strong> that is, facilitate the<br />

transportation of agricultural products <strong>and</strong><br />

livestock, <strong>and</strong> support industrial development,<br />

while also creating jobs <strong>and</strong> employment.<br />

The two major by-products of these two<br />

projects are the proposed Bonny Deep Sea<br />

Port, as conceived by Rotimi Amaechi, with a<br />

capacity for 100,000 Dead Weight Tonnes<br />

(DWT), <strong>and</strong> the Industrial Park project in Port<br />

Harcourt on a l<strong>and</strong> mass of some 54.4 square<br />

kilometres for the purpose of trans-shipment.<br />

For the concession purposes, Messrs. China<br />

Sh<strong>and</strong>ong International Economic <strong>and</strong><br />

Technical Corporation group has emerged as<br />

the preferred partner, while Messrs. China<br />

Railway Evyman Engineering Corporation<br />

(CREEC) is the reserved bidder.<br />

But many would argue that the real icing on<br />

the cake of the administration’s achievements<br />

to date is the about-to-be-completed 156.5km<br />

double track St<strong>and</strong>ard Gauge line between<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s –Ibadan, which, by the way, is a part of<br />

the longer La<strong>go</strong>s – Kano line. This project is<br />

historic for one key reason. It is the first time<br />

that a sitting Nigerian <strong>go</strong>vernment would start<br />

from the scratch to completion stage, a rail<br />

project while in office, since the last time it<br />

happened in 1964; <strong>and</strong> that last time was when<br />

the construction of the 302km Bauchi –<br />

Maiduguri line was begun in 1961 <strong>and</strong><br />

completed in 1964. The second key factor of<br />

the project is the scope of its beauty <strong>and</strong><br />

modernity. The sheer joy of watching, before<br />

our very eyes, Chinese <strong>and</strong> Nigerian<br />

engineers ploughing through thick <strong>and</strong><br />

swampy equatorial forests, cutting down giant<br />

vegetation, <strong>and</strong> painstakingly laying state-ofthe-art<br />

rail sleepers with skill <strong>and</strong> dexterity,<br />

<strong>and</strong> then proceeding to roll out air-conditioned<br />

passenger coaches in a record two year time<br />

was a sight to behold.<br />

The raw details of the project, quantities <strong>and</strong><br />

all, testify to an engineering feat of<br />

considerable proportion. The entire project<br />

involved some 24.26million square metres of<br />

earth work. There are thirty-one different<br />

cate<strong>go</strong>ries of bridges in all, made up of extralong<br />

bridges, frame bridges <strong>and</strong> steel<br />

structure bridges. On its 156 kilometre stretch,<br />

it has 207 culverts, 40 other Railway-Crossing<br />

bridges <strong>and</strong> 31 pedestrian overpasses, 708<br />

32m-beams, 168 groups of single drive turnout<br />

<strong>and</strong> one huge 110m tunnel underpass bridge<br />

at Abeokuta. Apart from the Apapa Habour<br />

Station, there are nine stations along the line:<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s, Agege, Agbado, Kajola, Papalanto,<br />

Abeokuta, Olodo, Omu-Ado, Ibadan <strong>and</strong><br />

Apapa Port stations. Although, its design<br />

capacity is for a 150km an hour speed, it could<br />

conveniently travel at 120km an hour. So fully<br />

equipped are the trains that some of the<br />

Executive <strong>and</strong> VIP coaches come with<br />

conference rooms <strong>and</strong> modern counter bars.<br />

The specially manufactured refrigerated<br />

freight locomotives <strong>and</strong> livestock locomotives<br />

<strong>and</strong> wa<strong>go</strong>ns are as modern as any, anywhere.<br />

Details of the contract include the supply of<br />

adequate spare parts for the Rolling Stock <strong>and</strong><br />

the supply of maintenance equipment for a<br />

substantial period of time.<br />

The contract details even <strong>go</strong> further. In order<br />

to ensure knowledge transfer <strong>and</strong> the<br />

localising of the manufacturing process,<br />

President Buhari, on the advice of Rotimi<br />

Amaechi, insisted on the immediate<br />

implementation of two other aspects of the<br />

contract from inception, namely, the take-off<br />

of the training of young Nigerian<br />

undergraduates in Railway Engineering <strong>and</strong><br />

other important Transport-related disciplines,<br />

in China, under a scholarship scheme to be<br />

paid for by the Chinese, <strong>and</strong> the establishment<br />

of a Transportation University in Nigeria. As<br />

the La<strong>go</strong>s – Ibadan line rolls off its tracks in<br />

December, the first batch of young Nigerian<br />

graduates would be preparing to return home<br />

from China to gradually begin the task of<br />

taking over the eventual running <strong>and</strong><br />

maintenance of the industry from the Chinese.<br />

And as part of its Corporate Social<br />

Responsibility, but essentially also in response<br />

to <strong>go</strong>vernment’s aforementioned dem<strong>and</strong>s for<br />

local capacity building <strong>and</strong> adequate<br />

knowledge transfer, Messrs. CCECC Nigeria<br />

Ltd has established a Transportation<br />

University in Daura, Katsina State. Again, the<br />

first intakes into the University would resume<br />

later in 2019.<br />

Economic benefits<br />

The economic benefits of these programmes,<br />

indeed, of railroad infrastructure are too<br />

numerous to be recounted here. As the<br />

example of India teaches us, economic<br />

miracles come with expansive rail-road<br />

infrastructure. Obviously, rails can carry larger<br />

volumes of <strong>go</strong>ods, over greater distances,<br />

unhindered by traffic jams or even weather<br />

conditions, making it more economical than<br />

road <strong>and</strong> even water. In our own unique case<br />

in Nigeria, the savings to be made by radically<br />

reducing the carnage on our roads cannot be<br />

quantified in naira <strong>and</strong> kobo. It is also<br />

significant to note that the benefits of<br />

railroad access far outweigh the<br />

infrastructure costs. It is even far more<br />

significant to note that World Bank studies<br />

demonstrate that the arrival of rail roads in<br />

many developing nations causes real Gross<br />

Domestic Product (GDP), especially in the<br />

agricultural sector, to increase by about 20<br />

per cent. Underst<strong>and</strong>ably, 20 per cent of all<br />

monies lent from the World Bank to<br />

developing nations is earmarked for<br />

transportation infrastructure projects, which<br />

is more than for Education, Health <strong>and</strong><br />

Social Services put together. Therefore,<br />

money expended on the development of rail<br />

transportation in Nigeria is money well spent.<br />

Read more online at<br />

www.vanguardngr.com<br />

• Ogunbiyi, a former Managing Director<br />

of Daily Times, is Chairman of TANUS<br />

Books Ltd.


PAGE 30— SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

By Bashir Adefaka<br />

A flashback into the little beginning of the<br />

Olori Omo Oba Owu of Owu Kingdom,<br />

Abeokuta, Ogun State, Prince Bola Ajibola,<br />

became necessary when he was celebrated<br />

on his 85th birthday in a prayer session held<br />

at his Olusegun Obasanjo Hilltop GRA,<br />

Abeokuta home.<br />

The occasion was attended by many<br />

dignitaries including the Registrar/Chief<br />

Executive of the Joint Admission <strong>and</strong><br />

Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq<br />

Oloyede.<br />

The celebration continued at the Crescent<br />

University Abeokuta (CUAB)’s Bola Ajibola<br />

College of Law (BACOLAW) Auditorium<br />

where the 13th Founder’s Day Lecture of the<br />

university <strong>and</strong> award of excellence were held<br />

in honour of the retired Judge of the<br />

International Court of Justice (IJC) at The<br />

Hague, Netherl<strong>and</strong>s.<br />

Founder’s Day at Crescent University<br />

Abeokuta had been dedicated by the<br />

university’s Senate <strong>and</strong> Governing Council<br />

as a yearly event to mark the birthday of the<br />

institution’s proprietor, who is the longest<br />

serving Minister of Justice <strong>and</strong> Attorney-<br />

General of the Federation.<br />

Apart from his involvement in philanthropy<br />

in the course of which he has produced many<br />

university graduates <strong>and</strong> chartered<br />

professionals, the Bola Ajibola Community<br />

Award was instituted in 2018 to recognize <strong>and</strong><br />

reward excellence.<br />

The first edition of the award was dedicated<br />

to recognizing community policing <strong>and</strong> the<br />

awards went to the immediate past Ogun State<br />

Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, <strong>and</strong><br />

some of his officers.<br />

It is, therefore, the reason a tribute,<br />

published by The DEFENDER in celebration<br />

of the man of exceptional integrity at 84, last<br />

year, said: “The name Bola Ajibola can no<br />

longer need an introduction. So, I do not have<br />

to start my tribute with an introduction of who<br />

the former Attorney-General <strong>and</strong> Minister of<br />

Justice is.<br />

“What needs continuous mention about the<br />

man who, despite the campaigns of calumny<br />

by his own people at home <strong>and</strong> in the<br />

community of lawyers where he belonged,<br />

emerged in a globally participated election<br />

at the United Nations (UN) as a Judge of the<br />

International Court of Justice (IJC) at The<br />

Hague, however, is the story of his ‘Golden<br />

Nights’ <strong>and</strong> how he had survived death four<br />

times just because he had to brush aside his<br />

royalty status to struggle to have a h<strong>and</strong>shake<br />

with a successful future that is being talked<br />

about today.”<br />

That tribute, which attracted wide<br />

commendations, was apt, particularly in the<br />

area of the ‘Golden Nights’. What one has<br />

found out is that the life story of Ajibola will<br />

not be complete without the mention of the<br />

‘Golden Nights’ of sleeplessness when,<br />

according to him, working in the day <strong>and</strong><br />

reading with c<strong>and</strong>le lights in the night was<br />

the norm.<br />

One could imagine the stress, therefore, that<br />

the prince of Oba Abdul-Salam Adewunmi<br />

Ajibola, Gbadela II, the Olowu of Owu<br />

Kingdom, Abeokuta, between 1949 <strong>and</strong> 1972,<br />

must have passed through.<br />

It is no wonder that the heir of the Bola<br />

Ajibola dynasty, Muhammad Mahruf<br />

Adesegun Bola Ajibola (SAN), said: “Baba<br />

had made sure that all the sufferings of his<br />

children he has had. However, he never<br />

allowed our upbringing to be devoid of one<br />

which makes us forget where we are coming<br />

from <strong>and</strong> where we are <strong>go</strong>ing. He is a<br />

religious, God-fearing man <strong>and</strong> he has<br />

•Prince Bola Ajibola (SAN) left, presenting an<br />

award of excellence to a recipient of Bola Ajibola<br />

Community Service Award during the 13th<br />

Founder’s Day organised to mark his 85th birthday<br />

at Bola Ajibola College of Law Auditorium,<br />

Crescent University Abeokuta.<br />

BOLA AJIBOLA AT 85:<br />

A judge must be<br />

free of iniquity<br />

• The man who escaped death four times, worked<br />

as Minister for six years without collecting salary,<br />

sold all he had to establish his dream varsity<br />

brought us up along that line.”<br />

Four experiences<br />

History has it that Ajibola’s<br />

father was a recipient of<br />

Queen Elizabeth’s British<br />

Award of Excellence, having<br />

been noticeably active as a<br />

police inspector playing the<br />

role of a crack detective for 13<br />

years before he retired for the<br />

reason of ascension to the<br />

throne in 1949. Of note also<br />

is that Oba Ajibola’s core-life<br />

story has been captured in ‘A<br />

Life of Excellent Service” coauthored<br />

by his son, Bola, <strong>and</strong><br />

Chief Oladipo Yemitan.<br />

In a tribute on his 84th<br />

birthday, a writer had said:<br />

“Do I need to mention when<br />

he had actually wanted to<br />

pass on <strong>and</strong> he let on his gas<br />

cylinder to let loose its content<br />

while sleeping in a locked up<br />

room? That was precisely<br />

one of the four experiences he<br />

had with death. But why<br />

would Abdul-Jabbar<br />

Bolasodun Adesumbo<br />

Ajibola (SAN) want to be<br />

taken away by the content of<br />

a gas cylinder? That is a story<br />

for another day. But the reality<br />

of all of those experiences, from the era of<br />

‘Golden Nights’ to those other ones, boil down<br />

to the fact that achieving greatness in life is<br />

not an easy task.”<br />

The tribute continued: “If I was not lucky to<br />

be alive to see him in his days of the ‘Golden<br />

Nights’ <strong>and</strong> <strong>others</strong> because I was not born at<br />

Ajibola, under<br />

whom Vice<br />

President Yemi<br />

Osinbajo served as<br />

Special Assistant<br />

when he (Ajibola)<br />

was Attorney-<br />

General <strong>and</strong><br />

Minister of Justice,<br />

did the only law<br />

reform Nigeria has<br />

ever had<br />

that time – only arrived on September 3, 1972<br />

– I was alive, alert to recognising happenings<br />

around me when he became the Attorney-<br />

General of the Federation <strong>and</strong> I saw Prince<br />

Bola Ajibola as pragmatic person, who went<br />

into <strong>go</strong>vernment at no cost to <strong>go</strong>vernment but<br />

at a huge sacrifice <strong>and</strong> denial of personal<br />

comfort. That was because for the six years,<br />

six months, six weeks, three days <strong>and</strong> one <strong>and</strong><br />

a half hours that he was in office as Minister<br />

of Justice, he earned no kobo from the treasury<br />

of <strong>go</strong>vernment.<br />

“Rather, he spent his own hard earned<br />

money to take care of his personal needs<br />

required of him to serve his father l<strong>and</strong>. That<br />

is exactly what he did that General<br />

Babangida saw <strong>and</strong> still sees him as truly an<br />

enigma.”<br />

How best is it then to celebrate a man who<br />

has seen it from his immediate environment<br />

to the global community other than to make<br />

his birthday worthwhile?<br />

This year’s weeklong programme of<br />

events, however, did not just happen the<br />

way of the past.<br />

It happened with reminiscences on<br />

Ajibola as a student to his great<br />

achievements as the first President of the<br />

Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) from<br />

where his activities <strong>go</strong>t the attention of<br />

President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida<br />

(GCFR) (1985 – 1993) who appointed him<br />

as the Attorney-General of the Federation.<br />

From a humble beginning as a student<br />

of Baptist Boys’ High School Abeokuta,<br />

Ajibola became a World Court Judge, the<br />

President, Arbitration Panel of the World<br />

Bank, the Chairman, International<br />

Boundaries between Nigeria <strong>and</strong><br />

Cameroon, Nigerian High<br />

Commissioner to the United Kingdom<br />

<strong>and</strong> emerged one of 500 most influential<br />

Muslim leaders in the world.<br />

<strong>No</strong> to ‘brilliant beasts’<br />

He sold all that he had acquired only<br />

for him to invest it in an educational<br />

project to give Nigeria <strong>and</strong> entire Africa<br />

a brilliant example of well managed<br />

university.<br />

Ajibola has for, close to a decade, been<br />

producing graduates, not as ‘brilliant beasts’<br />

but proudly nurtured in moral <strong>and</strong> academic<br />

excellence. That is what Crescent University<br />

Abeokuta, considered to be “the peak of my<br />

life achievements”, according to Bola Ajibola,<br />

has done in its 14 years of existence as a<br />

Nigeria’s leading private university.<br />

Speaking at this year’s event of the<br />

Founder’s Day, Ajibola, quoting the late Chief<br />

Obafemi Awolowo, stressed that “recognition<br />

of greatness in <strong>others</strong> is in itself greatness”,<br />

adding that the recipients of awards deserved<br />

them.<br />

Ajibola, as a <strong>states</strong>man, contributes to<br />

national discourse anytime he finds it<br />

desirable. For instance, he showed his<br />

displeasure over the rot in the Nigerian<br />

judiciary against the backdrop of the false<br />

assets declaration charges levelled against<br />

former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter<br />

Onnoghen, saying it was high time all h<strong>and</strong>s<br />

were on deck in support of President<br />

Muhammadu Buhari’s crusade against<br />

corruption. He warned that the nation may<br />

be “stepping on dangerous ground” should<br />

the Federal Government fail to h<strong>and</strong>le the<br />

Onnoghe saga as required.<br />

He said: “It is a very delicate matter. The<br />

moment a judge is to take a decision on<br />

himself, his own proprietary <strong>and</strong> being found<br />

wanting on issues of which he is supposed to<br />

be a judge, the nation would be stepping on a<br />

very dangerous ground if special care is not<br />

taken in addressing the matter, <strong>and</strong> that care<br />

should be one in which a judge is free from<br />

any iniquity.<br />

“He should not be found wanting, he should<br />

not be suspected of anything at all. “In other<br />

words, he should not be<br />

corruptible. As a result,<br />

once the CJN is tainted, it<br />

becomes a terrible situation<br />

for the judiciary <strong>and</strong> the<br />

judiciary must h<strong>and</strong>le the<br />

case with care <strong>and</strong><br />

trepidation. He should not<br />

become a judge unto<br />

himself. “But having said<br />

that, such allegations must<br />

be carefully looked into,<br />

they must be carefully<br />

checked. He should be<br />

given the opportunity of<br />

being heard.”<br />

Ajibola, under whom Vice<br />

President Yemi Osinbajo<br />

served as Special Assistant<br />

when he (Ajibola) was<br />

Attorney-General <strong>and</strong><br />

Minister of Justice, did the<br />

only law reform Nigeria has<br />

ever had. He once advised<br />

Buhari to stay firm as the<br />

anti-corruption fight he had<br />

engaged in since May 29,<br />

2015 was not <strong>go</strong>ing to be an<br />

easy one because people<br />

with complex romance with<br />

corruption, impunity <strong>and</strong> spirit of not-doing<br />

things properly will hold onto any criminality<br />

in sight to frustrate him.<br />

He cited his own experience fighting<br />

corruption as Minister of Justice, concluding,<br />

however, on an optimistic tone that all will be<br />

well with Nigeria.


PERISCOPE<br />

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 31<br />

48,000 voided votes. How many voided votes<br />

did we have in the state assembly election?<br />

Less than 5,000.<br />

“Our agents were negligent during the<br />

presidential election because those voided<br />

votes, if you had strong agents, they could have<br />

secured them for the APC; so, in the state<br />

assembly election, we retrained our agents <strong>and</strong><br />

changed many of them.”<br />

Change of tide<br />

Edo Central Senatorial District has always<br />

been dominated by the PDP but the tide<br />

changed during the state assembly election<br />

when the APC, for the first time since 1999,<br />

won the entire five seats in the district.<br />

The area has always been the stronghold of<br />

the PDP largely due to the influence of the late<br />

Chief Tony Anenih.<br />

It was observed that many of the voters saw<br />

the state assembly election as local seeing it<br />

as a testimonial for the performances of<br />

Obaseki in terms of infrastructure across the<br />

three senatorial districts of the state.<br />

To underscore the importance of winning<br />

the seats in Edo Central, the <strong>go</strong>vernor had to<br />

deploy his deputy, Shaibu, his Chief of Staff,<br />

Taiwo Akerele, among other leaders, to Edo<br />

Central, <strong>and</strong> for several days, he was meeting<br />

with leaders in the district, trying to convince<br />

them on why they should all be in the<br />

mainstream.<br />

*Oshiomhole<br />

By Johnson Osamede<br />

THE success recorded by the All<br />

Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo<br />

State House of Assembly election has<br />

continued to resonate across party faithful<br />

even as they say the result was a referendum<br />

on the popularity <strong>and</strong> acceptability of<br />

Governor Godwin Obaseki who just returned<br />

from one-month vacation <strong>ahead</strong> of the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernorship election slated for 2020.<br />

Analysts say media reports of a rift between<br />

Obaseki <strong>and</strong> his predecessor, Comrade Adams<br />

Oshiohole, were a figment of the imagination<br />

of some supporters of the two men who believed<br />

they could get personal benefits from<br />

continuous reports of a rift.<br />

They said the two men always speak well of<br />

each other <strong>and</strong> that even though there could<br />

be areas of disagreement, they were being<br />

blown out of proportion for purely selfish<br />

reasons.<br />

Before Obaseki started his leave during<br />

which he, in an unprecedented manner, h<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

over the reins of <strong>go</strong>vernment to his deputy,<br />

Comrade Philip Shaibu, it was reliably<br />

gathered that while some close party leaders<br />

advised him against it so as to create the<br />

impression that he does not enjoy absolute<br />

loyalty from his deputy who is the political son<br />

of Oshiomhole <strong>and</strong> should not be trusted with<br />

power, the <strong>go</strong>vernor was said to have laughed<br />

it off <strong>and</strong> told the party leaders that he is running<br />

one <strong>go</strong>vernment where all of them see<br />

themselves as one family.<br />

He had invited members of the APC from all<br />

over the state to celebrate the party’s resounding<br />

victory in the March 23 state House of<br />

Assembly election where the party won the<br />

entire 24 seats up for<br />

grabs.<br />

This is the second<br />

time since 1999 when<br />

Edo would be having<br />

all members of a<br />

party in the House,<br />

the first being<br />

between 2003 <strong>and</strong><br />

2007 when the entire<br />

members were of the<br />

Peoples Democratic<br />

Party (PDP).<br />

The victory came<br />

two weeks after the<br />

party had a not-tooimpressive<br />

outing<br />

during the<br />

presidential <strong>and</strong><br />

National Assembly<br />

elections. In Edo<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth, the APC had<br />

swept all the Senate<br />

<strong>and</strong> three House of<br />

Representatives seats<br />

in the presidential<br />

They said the two<br />

men always speak<br />

well of each other<br />

<strong>and</strong> that even<br />

though there could<br />

be areas of<br />

disagreement, they<br />

were being blown<br />

out of proportion<br />

for purely selfish<br />

reasons<br />

<strong>and</strong> National<br />

Assembly polls but<br />

lost the entire Edo<br />

Central <strong>and</strong> parts of<br />

Edo South where it<br />

could not win the Senate <strong>and</strong> two of the four<br />

House of Representative seats.<br />

A colourful thanksgiving ceremony<br />

organised by the Christian Association of<br />

Nigeria (CAN) in celebration of the l<strong>and</strong>slide<br />

*Obaseki<br />

How the tide in<br />

Edo changed after<br />

presidential poll<br />

•Reported rift between Obaseki <strong>and</strong><br />

Oshiomhole ‘is figment of imagination’<br />

victory in the state House of Assembly election<br />

was attended by party leaders from across<br />

Edo.<br />

The <strong>go</strong>vernor, in a post-election statement,<br />

said having a one-party House of Assembly<br />

was a plus for the people of the state.<br />

Obaseki also stressed that his administration<br />

would no longer accept boreholes <strong>and</strong> toilets<br />

as constituency projects from members of the<br />

national <strong>and</strong> state assemblies.<br />

“I will not accept boreholes <strong>and</strong> VIP toilets<br />

as constituency projects any more. Edo people<br />

have spoken that they want real change <strong>and</strong><br />

we must deliver the change to them”, he said.<br />

“For the elected members of the House of<br />

Assembly, every constituency you represent<br />

must have something meaningful in the budget<br />

on a yearly basis”.<br />

According to him,<br />

duplication of projects<br />

would not be allowed, to<br />

ensure efficient use of the<br />

state’s resources.<br />

Obaseki further said that<br />

he would be holding<br />

interactive sessions with<br />

APC members in the<br />

National Assembly on<br />

monthly basis to review<br />

their projects, noting that<br />

the lawmakers have no<br />

reasons not to deliver <strong>go</strong>od<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernance to Edo people<br />

who gave them the<br />

m<strong>and</strong>ate to serve.<br />

Speaking on behalf of<br />

the newly elected state<br />

House of Assembly<br />

members, Hon.<br />

Washington Osifo, said<br />

they would ensure the<br />

executive succeeds on its<br />

programmes.<br />

“I want to assure you that<br />

you will enjoy our support<br />

<strong>and</strong> you will be happy at<br />

the end of the day that you<br />

have all the 24 seats in the<br />

state assembly”, Osifo said.<br />

“We will ensure that as you are working for<br />

the <strong>go</strong>od of Edo people, we will give you all<br />

our support”.<br />

The poor outing of Edo APC in the<br />

presidential <strong>and</strong> National Assembly elections<br />

had been attributed to many factors including<br />

sabotage by party members who were alleged<br />

to have collected millions of naira for<br />

mobilisation <strong>and</strong> party agents but pocketed<br />

them under the excuse which some described<br />

as flimsy compared to the implication of<br />

losing the election.<br />

The party members were said to have<br />

complained that the <strong>go</strong>vernor had been<br />

starving them of funds for over two years <strong>and</strong><br />

saw the release of the election money as an<br />

opportunity to line their pockets since they<br />

did not know when such an opportunity would<br />

come again.<br />

It was equally reliably gathered that some<br />

of the party agents were not also forceful in<br />

defending the votes cast in favour of the APC<br />

in the elections as 48,000 votes believed to<br />

have been for the party were voided.<br />

Some party leaders allegedly chose stooges<br />

<strong>and</strong> family members to act as agents.<br />

Another factor that led to the failure of the<br />

Edo APC at the presidential <strong>and</strong> National<br />

Assembly polls, it was gathered, was the<br />

influence of some religious leaders,<br />

particularly pastors, who were said to have<br />

been preaching anti-President Muhammadu<br />

Buhari messages to their members <strong>and</strong> this is<br />

also believed to have had its toll in the urban<br />

local <strong>go</strong>vernment areas of Oredo, E<strong>go</strong>r <strong>and</strong><br />

Ikpoba-Okha local <strong>go</strong>vernment areas in Edo<br />

South where the opposition PDP won.<br />

Challenges<br />

A senior member of the APC told Sunday<br />

Vanguard that even the Presidency was aware<br />

that Buhari would find it difficult to win 40<br />

per cent of the votes in South-South <strong>states</strong>,<br />

saying that was responsible for Vice President<br />

Yemi Osinbajo’s regular visits to the area not<br />

less than four times before the elections during<br />

which he repeatedly met with the leadership<br />

of CAN <strong>and</strong> the Pentecostal Fellowship of<br />

Nigeria (PFN).<br />

He said, “But even at that, we still performed<br />

more than we did in Edo in 2015 where we<br />

scored 43 per cent votes for Buhari.<br />

“Because of the popularity of this<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment in the state, we were able to<br />

increase the performance to 49.7 per cent in<br />

the 2019 election. The difference between the<br />

two parties was less than 8,000 but we had<br />

Edo <strong>No</strong>rth<br />

Edo <strong>No</strong>rth is traditionally an APC<br />

stronghold. The National Chairman of the<br />

party, Oshiomhole, commended the peaceful<br />

conduct of the state assembly election in the<br />

district.<br />

He said those who kicked against the<br />

deployment of military for the conduct of the<br />

election were enemies of democracy <strong>and</strong><br />

Nigeria.<br />

“We had one or two incidents where thugs<br />

allegedly hired by the PDP came to disrupt the<br />

election by shooting sporadically <strong>and</strong> trying<br />

to cart away election materials but the people<br />

were determined <strong>and</strong>, with the military<br />

patrolling the area, the situation was brought<br />

to normal”, he said.<br />

“As you know, Ogbido <strong>and</strong> Ulouke are areas<br />

where APC <strong>go</strong>t 99.9 percent votes during the<br />

presidential <strong>and</strong> National Assembly elections;<br />

so disrupting the elections would have affected<br />

the results but the military was on h<strong>and</strong> to<br />

ensure peace <strong>and</strong> voting commenced.<br />

“This is why when some armchair analysts<br />

disputed the idea of deploying the military<br />

during the general elections, we said only<br />

enemies of democracy, enemies of Nigeria,<br />

enemies of peace <strong>and</strong> merchants of violence<br />

will support such campaign against military<br />

deployment.<br />

“Imagine when you deployed unarmed one<br />

or two police officers to a polling unit, what<br />

can they do to gun trotting thugs? They will<br />

watch helplessly when thugs attack.”<br />

Edo South<br />

In Edo South, Obaseki expressed satisfaction<br />

with the turnout of voters in the state assembly<br />

election.<br />

Speaking shortly after voting in Emokpae<br />

Primary School Ward 4 Unit 19 of Oredo local<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment area, the <strong>go</strong>vernor said, “It is a<br />

local election <strong>and</strong> the people that are<br />

concerned live in the neighbourhood <strong>and</strong> in<br />

the same community.<br />

“And you should know that we only have<br />

one election today, so the process is quicker,<br />

but in terms of turnout, I believe we are <strong>go</strong>ing<br />

to see a turnout that is slightly higher than<br />

what we saw in the previous elections.”<br />

Observers say politicians <strong>and</strong> their<br />

supporters who have been chorusing frosty<br />

relationship between Obaseki <strong>and</strong><br />

Oshiomhole may have to cast their minds back<br />

to when Buhari visited Edo during the<br />

campaigns <strong>ahead</strong> of the polls <strong>and</strong> when<br />

Oshiomhole publicly acknowledged the<br />

performance of Obaseki both as a <strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

<strong>and</strong> politician.<br />

Oshiomhole had said at the campaign rally<br />

held in Benin-City, “I am proud of what, under<br />

your (Obaseki) leadership <strong>and</strong> guidance, Edo<br />

State has been able to achieve over the past<br />

two years. Because we have worked closely<br />

together, there is no learning curve.<br />

“Whichever sector you have looked at, things<br />

have changed <strong>and</strong> things will continue to<br />

change. I am not saying things are perfect,<br />

they can never be perfect. I believe Governor<br />

Obaseki has added value <strong>and</strong> Edo State is<br />

better than I left it.<br />

“This afternoon I am proud of Godwin<br />

Obaseki because I was nervous when I was<br />

coming to Benin. I had followed Mr<br />

President to Akwa Ibom, <strong>and</strong> I saw what<br />

our people in Akwa Ibom under the<br />

leadership of Senator Godswill Akpabio<br />

did. Then we went to Kogi, our neighbour,<br />

<strong>and</strong> we saw the turnout <strong>and</strong> then we went to<br />

Warri <strong>and</strong> we saw what Warri people did by<br />

saying they have totally <strong>and</strong> collectively<br />

rejected PDP by the way they turned out. I am<br />

happy, I am proud with the quality of the crowd<br />

that I am seeing here”.


PAGE 32 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Nigeria’s ‘severely wasted<br />

children’: The inside story<br />

By Chioma Obinna<br />

It is no news that Nigeria ranks high among<br />

countries with unenviable statistics on child<br />

malnutrition. She has the second highest<br />

stunted children in the world with estimated 17<br />

million due to malnutrition <strong>and</strong>, according to<br />

the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF,<br />

25 million of the children under the age of five<br />

are wasting. Most of the children are from the<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth-East <strong>and</strong> suffering due to insurgency.<br />

Today, it is also not news that Nigerians are<br />

hungry but the danger is the fact that they are<br />

only interested in having a full belly without<br />

minding the quality of the food. Meanwhile,<br />

nutrition indicators show that the current<br />

situation in the country is dangerous for children<br />

who are the future leaders.<br />

According to UNICEF, malnutrition is a<br />

condition that results from eating a diet lacking<br />

in nutrients. The damage resulting from<br />

malnutrition to physical <strong>and</strong> cognitive<br />

development during the first two years of a child’s<br />

life is largely irreversible. Sunday Vanguard writes<br />

that Nigeria may be breeding a malnourished<br />

generation in future.<br />

Recovering but with a blemish<br />

As ten-month-old Halimat Ahmed rests on her<br />

mother’s shoulder, her sunken eyes are enough<br />

to attract sympathy even from the hard-hearted.<br />

Her lips were filled with drool, arms as tiny as a<br />

broomstick. She keeps sulking. A closer look at<br />

the baby shows a clear difference from old Halimat<br />

when she was six months old. Her frame doesn’t<br />

fit the frame of a10-month-old baby.<br />

Like every other mother, Halima’s mother is<br />

worried that she might lose her. Halimat is the<br />

only surviving child of her parents after<br />

insurgency hit her community. Halimat is<br />

struggling to survive Severe Acute Malnutrition,<br />

SAM, an extreme form of malnutrition that<br />

makes its victims weak, skeletal <strong>and</strong> requires<br />

urgent treatment. Thanks to a UNICEFnutrition<br />

supported program in IDP camps where<br />

she was urgently treated to stop the devastating<br />

effect of SAM, Halimat was treated with Ready<br />

to Use Therapeutic Food, RUTF, which helps<br />

malnourished children regain lost nutrients. The<br />

girl has recovered. But did she recover without<br />

blemish? Will she grow like other children? These<br />

<strong>and</strong> more are the questions surrounding victims<br />

of malnutrition. She is one of the Nigerian<br />

children born in a small community in Borno<br />

State where insurgency has escalated<br />

malnutrition <strong>and</strong> brought about high food<br />

insecurity, as well as sub-optimal infant <strong>and</strong><br />

young children feeding practices.<br />

The nation is facing SAM that has claimed<br />

thous<strong>and</strong>s of children. Findings show that one<br />

in 10 of severely wasted children worldwide lives<br />

in Nigeria.<br />

Halimat is among the 35 million children aged<br />

five <strong>and</strong> below in the <strong>No</strong>rth-East affected by SAM<br />

due to insurgency. Recent figures from the United<br />

Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, revealed that<br />

Global Acute Malnutrition, GAM, in the region<br />

has crossed the threshold for “serious”.<br />

According to the World Health Organisation,<br />

WHO, classification for “serious” is for levels of<br />

combined moderate <strong>and</strong> acute malnutrition<br />

exceeding 10 in 100 children.<br />

Worse still, the levels of malnutrition in three<br />

<strong>states</strong> in the <strong>No</strong>rth-East - Central Borno,<br />

Municipal Maiduguri, Jere; <strong>and</strong> South, Central<br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>No</strong>rth of Yobe - have crossed the threshold.<br />

However, Halimat <strong>and</strong> other victims of<br />

malnutrition will suffer long term effects of<br />

malnutrition, especially in adulthood.<br />

According to UNICEF, although death is the<br />

worst outcome of malnutrition’s ugly grasp, it is<br />

not the only outcome as children who survive<br />

can face an unending list of devastating side<br />

effects that last a lifetime.<br />

Studies show that most of the victims are<br />

prevented from achieving success in school <strong>and</strong><br />

pursuing meaningful work in<br />

adulthood.<br />

Like Halimat, children<br />

affected by malnutrition battle<br />

with challenges such as<br />

increased vulnerability to<br />

diseases, developmental delays,<br />

stunted growth <strong>and</strong> even<br />

blindness. Such children,<br />

according to experts, will not be<br />

able to contribute to the<br />

development of the country or<br />

achieve their dreams.<br />

According to UNICEF<br />

Nutrition Specialist, Akure<br />

Field Office, Mrs Ada Ezeogu,<br />

during an interaction on child<br />

nutrition, an estimated 17<br />

million or 43.6 per cent of<br />

children in Nigeria under the<br />

age of five have their bodies <strong>and</strong><br />

minds limited by stunting.<br />

Ezeogu described stunting as<br />

a manifestation of the severe,<br />

irreversible physical <strong>and</strong><br />

cognitive damage caused by<br />

chronic malnutrition early in a<br />

child which is one of the most<br />

significant barriers to human<br />

development.<br />

Impact<br />

Studies show that beyond the age of 2-3, the<br />

effects of chronic malnutrition are irreversible. This<br />

means that to break the intergenerational<br />

transmission of poverty <strong>and</strong> malnutrition,<br />

children at risk must be reached during their first<br />

two years of life.<br />

Children who do not reach their optimum<br />

height or consistently experience bouts of weight<br />

loss during childhood are affected in the long term<br />

in numerous ways.<br />

They do not reach their optimum size as adults<br />

Children who do<br />

not reach their<br />

optimum height<br />

or consistently<br />

experience<br />

bouts of weight<br />

loss during<br />

childhood are<br />

affected in the<br />

long term in<br />

numerous ways<br />

<strong>and</strong> may have less physical capacity for work,<br />

their brains are affected resulting in lower IQs<br />

<strong>and</strong> they are at greater risk of infection which<br />

kills many children during their early years.<br />

Child malnutrition also impacts on educational<br />

attainment. The degree of cognitive<br />

impairments is directly related to the severity of<br />

stunting <strong>and</strong> Iron Deficiency Anaemia. Studies<br />

show that stunted children in the first two years<br />

of life have lower cognitive test scores, delayed<br />

enrolment, higher absenteeism <strong>and</strong> more class<br />

repetition compared with non-stunted children.<br />

It also impacts on economic productivity. The<br />

mental impairment caused by iodine deficiency<br />

is permanent <strong>and</strong> directly linked to productivity<br />

loss. The loss from stunting is calculated as 1.38<br />

per cent reduced productivity for every 1 per cent<br />

decrease in height while 1percent reduced<br />

productivity is estimated for every 1percent drop<br />

in iron status, according to Haddad <strong>and</strong> Bouis,<br />

1990.<br />

Lip service<br />

Adults who were<br />

undernourished as children are<br />

at risk of developing diseases<br />

such as obesity, diabetes <strong>and</strong><br />

cardiovascular issues.<br />

Regardless, Nigeria is said to<br />

be <strong>pay</strong>ing lip service to issues<br />

of child nutrition. Some<br />

<strong>states</strong> are yet to provide a<br />

budget line for nutrition.<br />

Malnutrition, according to<br />

experts, is caused by a<br />

combination of complicated<br />

factors including poverty,<br />

political instability; climate<br />

change, feeding practices,<br />

disease, contaminated water,<br />

poor sanitation among <strong>others</strong>.<br />

Nigeria is battling with these<br />

causes.<br />

Extremely poor<br />

According to the World<br />

Poverty Clock, no fewer than<br />

91.6 million Nigerians are<br />

extremely poor <strong>and</strong> living on<br />

less than one dollar per day.<br />

Prices of foodstuff are<br />

unpredictable <strong>and</strong> many<br />

parents are jobless <strong>and</strong> lack the<br />

purchasing power to buy healthy, nutritious foods.<br />

According to the latest National Nutrition <strong>and</strong><br />

Health Survey, NNHS, 2018, acute malnutrition<br />

remains at alert levels while chronic malnutrition,<br />

as characterised by stunting, remains the biggest<br />

burden at serious or high levels according to<br />

WHO/UNICEF classification.<br />

The 2018 NNHS shows that acute malnutrition<br />

levels have remained at 19.9 per cent, 3.5 per<br />

cent higher than the global estimate of 15 per<br />

cent.<br />

The country’s Exclusive Breastfeeding, EBF,<br />

rate is also low, no thanks to the inability of<br />

m<strong>others</strong> to breastfeed their children exclusively<br />

for the first six months of life.<br />

Currently, 3 in 4 babies are not exclusively<br />

breastfed, a practice, according to scientists,<br />

reduces the number of child deaths from<br />

malnutrition.<br />

The 2018 NNHS also shows that breastfeeding<br />

remains widespread among the Nigerian<br />

population.<br />

Child feeding indicators are poor <strong>and</strong> suboptimal.<br />

The survey reveals that more than 80<br />

per cent of newborns do not timely receive milk<br />

<strong>and</strong> colostrums within one hour of birth; only 27<br />

per cent of 0-5 months old infants are breastfed<br />

exclusively, <strong>and</strong> so majority are introduced to<br />

complementary foods before the age of six months<br />

earlier than the time WHO/UNICEF’s<br />

recommended that m<strong>others</strong> exclusively breastfeed<br />

their children, <strong>and</strong> in the process predisposing<br />

the children to unhygienic feeding conditions <strong>and</strong><br />

vulnerability to illnesses <strong>and</strong> malnutrition.<br />

Nearly 60 per cent of the children (6-24 months)<br />

assessed were not fed to the recommended<br />

<strong>minimum</strong> meal frequency for their age <strong>and</strong><br />

breastfeeding status; 65 per cent do not meet the<br />

<strong>minimum</strong> dietary diversity <strong>and</strong> only 17 per cent<br />

of children aged 6-23 months receive the<br />

<strong>minimum</strong> acceptable diet while less than 50 per<br />

cent are fed on iron-containing foods.<br />

The 2018 NNHS further reveals that the<br />

national GAM prevalence among children 6-59<br />

months of age based on weight-for-height was<br />

7.0 per cent with MAM of 5.5 per cent <strong>and</strong> SAM<br />

of 1.5 per cent. The rates indicate that acute<br />

malnutrition levels have remained at alert levels<br />

of 5-9.9 per cent over the years since 2014. The<br />

prevalence of underweight among children aged<br />

0-59 months was 19.9 per cent, just at the margin<br />

of the 20 per cent threshold for “serious” situation<br />

that it has been since 2014, higher than the global<br />

estimate of 15 per cent but consistent with the<br />

rates in the West <strong>and</strong> Central Africa region.<br />

The prevalence of stunting was 32.0 per cent<br />

<strong>and</strong> has remained the largest burden of<br />

malnutrition with stagnated rates of above 30<br />

per cent since 2014, <strong>and</strong> with many <strong>states</strong> in the<br />

<strong>No</strong>rth-West <strong>and</strong> <strong>No</strong>rth-East recording prevalence<br />

above 40 per cent- the WHO critical levels.<br />

Addressing malnutrition<br />

The survey recommends that improving<br />

nutrition in the first1, 000 days window <strong>and</strong> in<br />

adolescent girls was critical to improving the<br />

nutrition status of the entire population of<br />

Nigeria.<br />

According to the President of Nutrition Society<br />

of Nigeria, Dr Bartholomew Brai, nutrition is a<br />

fundamental right.<br />

Without <strong>go</strong>od nutrition, Brai says the mind <strong>and</strong><br />

body cannot function well, hence, appropriate<br />

investments on <strong>go</strong>od nutrition can help reduce<br />

the global burden of diseases <strong>and</strong> impaired quality<br />

of life.<br />

At a workshop on ‘Advancing Nutrition, Health<br />

<strong>and</strong> Wellness through the Media’, organised by<br />

Nestlé Nigeria <strong>and</strong> the La<strong>go</strong>s Business School,<br />

he said proper investment on nutrition can help<br />

to improve our health, prevent certain diseases,<br />

maintain a desirable weight, <strong>and</strong> maintain<br />

Nigerian’s energy <strong>and</strong> vitality.<br />

To him, <strong>go</strong>od nutrition leads to higher earnings<br />

<strong>and</strong> mental acuity, which, in turn, supports<br />

macroeconomic <strong>and</strong> societal growth.<br />

Critical health watchers believe that there is<br />

need to intensify efforts to reduce stunting<br />

through proper nutrition, especially now that<br />

Nigeria was at a critical stage of malnutrition<br />

<strong>and</strong> proper nutrition is germane to human growth<br />

<strong>and</strong> a well-nurtured generation will contribute<br />

meaningfully to the development of the society.


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 33<br />

Hello kids out<br />

there!<br />

Sure you are enjoying the<br />

holiday. Holiday is a time<br />

t<br />

o<br />

rest, relax <strong>and</strong> cool your<br />

brain for the next task. The next<br />

task before you is the Third Term<br />

where you have to work hard to<br />

be promoted to a new class.<br />

So, as children, you have the<br />

right to relax <strong>and</strong> enjoy your self.<br />

But if your performance in the last<br />

two terms was low, you have to find<br />

time out of your relaxation time to<br />

work on yourself to be able to cope<br />

when you resume at school.<br />

Parents should also underst<strong>and</strong><br />

that to get <strong>go</strong>od results from these<br />

children, they should be allowed<br />

to maximise their holiday to rest.<br />

If a child is not doing well, the child<br />

can be helped during the<br />

holidays but, it must not take<br />

away her right to leisure.<br />

It is not much about how many<br />

teachers you employed to teach a<br />

child, it is how much the child can<br />

assimilate.<br />

Kids, relax <strong>and</strong> have fun. It is<br />

your right<br />

Have a blessed <strong>and</strong> robust week<br />

A world of fun<br />

for Kids at<br />

Funderl<strong>and</strong><br />

B<br />

avent Street Live organised<br />

three days festival for Kids at<br />

Funderl<strong>and</strong> with an all-expense<br />

paid trip to Disneyl<strong>and</strong>, Paris.<br />

According to the Founder, Bavent<br />

Street Live, Hakeem Condotti, the<br />

event was designed to bring kids<br />

together to have fun <strong>and</strong> also<br />

learn. He added that lots of<br />

activities were packed to ensure<br />

kids find a convenient spot to<br />

relax <strong>and</strong> enjoy maximum fun<br />

during the festive season.<br />

At the event, Kids Funderl<strong>and</strong><br />

focused on themed activities like<br />

Easter egg hunts, electric dance floor,<br />

art <strong>and</strong> crafts, cartoon characters <strong>and</strong><br />

a special performance by Dream<br />

Catchers Dance Academy.<br />

These activities were planned not<br />

just to keep the kids entertained but<br />

also expose them to educational<br />

activities created to ignite interests<br />

in a wide range of topics such as<br />

coding, graphic design, robotics <strong>and</strong><br />

web design.<br />

Aside from the amazing activities,<br />

other highlights at the event were the<br />

giveaways won as special prizes;<br />

such as shopping vouchers, a<br />

weekend stay in a luxurious hotel<br />

in Victoria Isl<strong>and</strong>, La<strong>go</strong>s <strong>and</strong> an<br />

all-expense paid trip to<br />

Disneyl<strong>and</strong> in Paris for a family of<br />

four.<br />

CURRENT AFFAIRS<br />

PARENTING<br />

ACRONYMS MEANINGS<br />

E- mail Electronic Mail<br />

EFCC<br />

Economic <strong>and</strong> Financial Crimes Commission<br />

WWW<br />

World Wide Web<br />

MDGs<br />

Millennium Developmental Goals<br />

ICT<br />

Information <strong>and</strong> Communication Technology<br />

FIFA<br />

Federation of International Football Associations<br />

ECOWA S<br />

Economic Community of West Africa States<br />

BBC<br />

British Broadcasting Corporation<br />

AIDS<br />

Acquired immune Deficiency Syndrome<br />

AT M<br />

AUTOMATED Teller Machine<br />

Tomorrow is in your h<strong>and</strong>s<br />

to win or lose<br />

Every parent or guardian or<br />

caregiver are first of all a<br />

mirror to a child or children<br />

in their care. They mirror every single<br />

action or words spoken when they are<br />

around. You may wonder why a five<br />

year-old girl, especially in<br />

Yorubal<strong>and</strong>, will spread his or her<br />

palm on someone <strong>and</strong> curse, “iya e”<br />

This is a curse to a mother. Definitely,<br />

it is what he or she sees or hears in<br />

his or her first environment. If care<br />

is not taken, the child grows up with<br />

that thought <strong>and</strong> begins to curse at<br />

any little opportunity. Train children<br />

on positive thought pattern. As<br />

parents, think <strong>and</strong> do positive things<br />

Long a<strong>go</strong>, there was a trader<br />

named Sripad. He amassed a<br />

huge wealth by his hard work. He<br />

had everything in his house.<br />

One day, he set out on a trade<br />

journey. When he was passing<br />

through a forest, he felt tired <strong>and</strong><br />

wanted to take a rest for some<br />

time. He sat under a tree to relax.<br />

While relaxing, he felt thirsty<br />

<strong>and</strong> desired for a glass of water:<br />

‘If only I had some water with<br />

which to quench my thirst right<br />

now!’ There was a miracle. <strong>No</strong><br />

sooner did he wish for water than<br />

a pitcher appeared before him. He<br />

quenched his thirst <strong>and</strong> felt<br />

relieved.<br />

After some time, he felt hungry<br />

<strong>and</strong> wished for food. He said to<br />

himself: ‘If a plate of tasty food<br />

be available to me now, I would<br />

be really lucky.’<br />

As soon as he thought of it, there<br />

appeared a plate of tasty food<br />

before him. He ate to his<br />

satisfaction. Too much food made<br />

him drowsy <strong>and</strong> he murmured,<br />

‘How can I sleep on this rough<br />

surface? Why shouldn’t there be<br />

a soft bed for me?’ As he uttered<br />

in front of your children to align their<br />

thoughts positively, so that all they<br />

do <strong>and</strong> think about is positive<br />

thoughts.<br />

Cases of abuse have continued to<br />

be in the increase. Its like<br />

perpetrators are increasing in this<br />

evil act <strong>and</strong> one wonders how a child<br />

as low in age as two, three years are<br />

abused. I realize that it couldn’t have<br />

happened without it first happening<br />

in their mind because whatever one<br />

does in life its provoked by a<br />

thought. So, you cannot take your<br />

thoughts out of your actions.<br />

As children of yesterday have<br />

become adults today, molesting<br />

SHORT STORY<br />

ABUSED?<br />

these vulnerable children both boys<br />

<strong>and</strong> girls, I believe, many of them<br />

have grown up with negative<br />

thoughts, that they unleash on<br />

society.<br />

To avoid a more violent future<br />

against children, parents should<br />

begin to impart positive thoughts<br />

<strong>and</strong> actions into children. Let them<br />

know they are a reflection of their<br />

thoughts. If you are successful, it is<br />

a reflection of your thoughts <strong>and</strong> if<br />

otherwise, it is still the same<br />

reflection of your thoughts. Let them<br />

know that they should tell<br />

themselves positive things daily!<br />

They must love themselves internally<br />

to glow externally.<br />

According to a quote by Lyndon B.<br />

Johnson, “Yesterday is not ours to<br />

recover, but tomorrow is ours to win<br />

or lose”. Parents, its in your h<strong>and</strong>s.<br />

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE THINKING<br />

these words, a colourful <strong>and</strong><br />

comfortable bed of velvet<br />

appeared before him<br />

immediately.<br />

Sripad slept on the bed. He felt<br />

as if he was in heaven as all his<br />

desires were being fulfilled<br />

immediately. He was quite<br />

unaware that he was sleeping<br />

under a tree which could fulfill<br />

any desires. It was not an<br />

ordinary tree but a tree that had<br />

the powers to fulfill any desires.<br />

Sripad enjoyed a <strong>go</strong>od sleep on<br />

the velvet bed. When he woke, he<br />

began to think, ‘I am all alone in<br />

the forest which is full of wild<br />

W<br />

hen<br />

animals like lions, tigers <strong>and</strong><br />

wolves who may come at any<br />

moment <strong>and</strong> could kill me. I<br />

would not be able to protect<br />

myself.’<br />

As he thought, a ferocious tiger<br />

appeared <strong>and</strong> attacked him. Poor<br />

Sripad was so scared that he<br />

could not even run. Thus, he was<br />

killed because of his negative<br />

thinking.<br />

LESSON: It is said that a man<br />

is always led by his thought. If<br />

you think positive, it will lead to<br />

positive results. If it is negative<br />

thoughts, you will get negative<br />

results too.<br />

Do you know this expression?<br />

To push at an open door<br />

you push at an open door, it simply means that you achieve what<br />

you want easily because a lot of people agree with you or help you. For<br />

example, a politician can win an election if lots of people support him <strong>and</strong> his<br />

political ideas <strong>and</strong> this makes his campaign programs merely an act of pushing<br />

at an already opened door.<br />

When a door is already opened, it is very easy to <strong>go</strong> in <strong>and</strong> pushing at it is just<br />

an act guaranteed to give you easier access into the room.<br />

Numbers to Call<br />

Aunty Funmi – 08052201992<br />

WARIF- 07038864169<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s State Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation<br />

(WAPA) – 01- 7617508, 01- 7308112<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s Education And Resource Network (LEARN)<br />

– 07027950412<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s State Ministry of Youth & Social Welfare – 09077333426 /<br />

08172457792<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s State Office of Public Defender – 01- 7926928<br />

Mirabel- 07013491769


PAGE 34 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

A change of attitude<br />

is desirable<br />

The Easter holiday is over<br />

but Christ remains with<br />

us<br />

Ḣow do I know? The Holy<br />

Bible gives us assurance of this<br />

in many verses but for our purpose,<br />

we’ll consider, the word<br />

of God as stated in Isaiah 53<br />

vs. 5 “ But he was wounded<br />

for our transgressions he was<br />

bruised for our iniquities: the<br />

chastisement of our peace was<br />

upon him; <strong>and</strong> with his stripes<br />

we are healed”.<br />

Many Christians tend to <strong>pay</strong><br />

more attention to the last part<br />

of this verse “ with his stripes<br />

we are healed”. This particular<br />

part of the verse we often<br />

remember when we are in<br />

pains. Or when someone dear<br />

to us is ill. Which is quite in<br />

order but our Lord Jesus<br />

means more to us.<br />

We should always remember,<br />

“ he was bruised for our<br />

iniquities”. In other words, for<br />

the sins committed by you <strong>and</strong><br />

I, he was bruised.<br />

I share with you, a part of<br />

the sermon of Pastor Gbenga<br />

Oso, the General Overseer of<br />

Laughter Foundation Ministry.<br />

He reminded us that with<br />

the death <strong>and</strong> resurrection of<br />

Christ, we have the power to<br />

overcome sin. It simply means<br />

that if Christ did not succumb<br />

to the devil’s temptation, you<br />

too can defeat the devil.<br />

To defeat the devil, your attitude<br />

to the word of God must<br />

change. You must move from<br />

hearing the word to living by<br />

the Word. Once we live by the<br />

word, our chances of failing<br />

victims of Satan <strong>and</strong> his antics<br />

are remote.<br />

Our Lord Jesus said to us in<br />

John 14vs. 27 “ Peace I leave<br />

with you, my peace I give unto<br />

you: not as the world giveth,<br />

give I unto you. Let not your<br />

heart be troubled, neither let<br />

it be afraid”.<br />

With this, you need not be<br />

afraid of anything. Christ has<br />

overcome all challenges but<br />

you need to change your attitude<br />

towards the Lord. You<br />

cannot afford to be a Christian<br />

that refers to the Holy<br />

Bible only on Sundays. You<br />

need to make the word of God<br />

your companion.<br />

Hebrew 4 vs. 12 -14 reminds<br />

us “ For the word of God is<br />

quick, <strong>and</strong> powerful, <strong>and</strong><br />

sharper than any two edged<br />

sword, piercing even to the<br />

dividing asunder of soul <strong>and</strong><br />

spirit, <strong>and</strong> of the joints <strong>and</strong><br />

marrow <strong>and</strong> is a discerner of<br />

the thoughts <strong>and</strong> intents of the<br />

heart.<br />

Neither is there any creature<br />

that is not manifest in his<br />

sight: but all things are naked<br />

<strong>and</strong> opened unto the eyes of<br />

him with whom we have to<br />

do<br />

Ṡeeing then that we have a<br />

great high priest, that is passed<br />

into the heavens, Jesus the Son<br />

of God, let us hold fast to our<br />

profession”.<br />

Need I say more? This passage<br />

is loaded with meaning.<br />

It is clear that the Word of<br />

God has a great impact on<br />

our thoughts <strong>and</strong> activities.<br />

We are assured that with the<br />

right attitude, we are empowered<br />

to overcome all challenges<br />

because Jesus has borne our<br />

entire burden.<br />

Brethren, you must arise<br />

<strong>and</strong> claim your victory that<br />

the death <strong>and</strong> resurrection of<br />

Christ has given us.<br />

<strong>No</strong> child of God should allow<br />

any challenge to bring<br />

down your faith. Refuse to accept<br />

it as fate. Neither, health<br />

challenges, barrenness, financial<br />

limitation or any challenge<br />

should overpower your<br />

Spirit.<br />

Ist John 4 vs. 4 gives us confidence<br />

“ Ye are of God, little<br />

children, <strong>and</strong> have overcome<br />

them: because greater is he<br />

that is in you, than he that is in<br />

the world”.<br />

Challenges are of the world.<br />

Either, they are afflictions<br />

from fellow human beings or<br />

inflicted on us by the forces of<br />

darkness.<br />

But be assured that darkness<br />

can never overshadow<br />

light. <strong>No</strong> matter how long<br />

darkness has been with us, a<br />

moment of light will change<br />

all things.<br />

Where time does not<br />

permit praying<br />

together, whenever<br />

you are praying<br />

make sure you pray<br />

for your spouse<br />

Jesus said to us, in John 9 vs.<br />

5 “…. I am the light of the<br />

world of the world”.<br />

Brethren, connect with the<br />

Light of the world <strong>and</strong> all<br />

forms of darkness will vanish.<br />

Whatever it is that you do not<br />

want represents a dark spot<br />

in your life.<br />

Resist the temptation to seek<br />

a short cut to the end of any<br />

challenge in your life. Jesus<br />

is the way. You only need to<br />

trust <strong>and</strong> obey <strong>and</strong> you will<br />

soon sing songs of victory<br />

over that challenge.<br />

About two weeks a<strong>go</strong>, I<br />

heard the story of a Nigerian<br />

couple in Europe who gave<br />

birth to a set of triplets. The<br />

wife was about 55 <strong>and</strong> the<br />

husb<strong>and</strong> closer to 60.<br />

A great miracle of God.<br />

The story I was told was that<br />

the couple had been under<br />

serious pressure from relations<br />

especially the mother in<br />

law. The woman became so<br />

worried that she advised her<br />

son to come home <strong>and</strong> secretly<br />

take a wife in the village.<br />

Since the wife lives in Europe,<br />

the plan was that she would<br />

never know.<br />

Her son bluntly refused. His<br />

mother went about telling everyone<br />

who cared to listen that<br />

her daughter in law had bewitched<br />

her son. In her opinion<br />

that is the reason her son<br />

didn’t accept her suggestion.<br />

Somehow, her plans leaked<br />

to the wife who insisted that it<br />

is only God that gives children.<br />

She intensified prayers<br />

<strong>and</strong> went for IVF. To the glory<br />

of God, she gave birth to a<br />

set of triplets, two boys <strong>and</strong> a<br />

girl but the mother in law did<br />

not live to see the gr<strong>and</strong>children<br />

she wanted by all means.<br />

She had died a few months<br />

before the children were born<br />

from health issues associated<br />

with worries.<br />

This is why we need to be<br />

careful <strong>and</strong> be patient when<br />

confronted with challenges.<br />

Had her son, heeded her<br />

wrong advice, his matrimonial<br />

life would have become<br />

complicated because what<br />

he plans to be a secret will<br />

blow open someday <strong>and</strong> this<br />

could destabilize his matrimonial<br />

life.<br />

Brethren, at a time like this,<br />

we need to renew our faith in<br />

the Lord, ask for forgiveness<br />

<strong>and</strong> seek the mercy of God.<br />

Believe it or not, there is hard-<br />

ly any human being without<br />

a challenge. It only varies.<br />

Sometimes, these challenges<br />

come as a test to our faith.<br />

Let’s consider the story of<br />

Isaac <strong>and</strong> Rebekah. Genesis<br />

25 vs. 21 “ And Isaac entreated<br />

the LORD for his wife, because<br />

she was barren: <strong>and</strong><br />

the LORD was entreated of<br />

him, <strong>and</strong> Rebekah his wife<br />

conceived”.<br />

<strong>No</strong>te that Isaac did not<br />

blame his wife for barrenness<br />

as many men do today. Rather,<br />

he lifted up his voice <strong>and</strong><br />

prayed for God’s mercy for her<br />

<strong>and</strong> God answered his<br />

prayers.<br />

This should be the attitude<br />

of couples to all challenges.<br />

Couples need to pray together<br />

to overcome a challenge.<br />

Is your husb<strong>and</strong> facing a<br />

challenge at work? As a wife,<br />

you cannot afford to be indifferent.<br />

Go on our knees <strong>and</strong><br />

pray. Fast if need be <strong>and</strong> God<br />

will intervene.<br />

Where time does not permit<br />

praying together, whenever<br />

you are praying make sure<br />

you pray for your spouse.<br />

A joyful home is one in<br />

which Christ reigns.<br />

Brethren, do not allow the<br />

Blood of Jesus to be shed in<br />

vain in your life.<br />

Resolve to live by his Word<br />

<strong>and</strong> it shall be well with you<br />

in Jesus name.<br />

By the grace of God, whatever<br />

has been dormant in your<br />

life will receive the power of<br />

resurrection in Jesus name.<br />

Remain blessed.<br />

janet.adetu<br />

@jsketiquetteconsortium.com<br />

Are You Colour Savvy?<br />

Group advises NNPC not to relocate NGMC headquarters to Abuja<br />

The Amalgamated Niger<br />

Delta Force has advised<br />

Nigerian National Petroleum<br />

Corporation,NNPC, not to<br />

yield to alleged moves by certain<br />

persons in the company<br />

to relocate Nigerian Gas<br />

Marketing Company<br />

(NGMC), Ekpan in Uvwie<br />

Local Government Area of<br />

Delta State to Abuja.<br />

This was contained in an<br />

open letter to President Muhammadu<br />

Buhari titled: ' The<br />

cabal's final slot to relocate<br />

Nigerian Gas Marketing<br />

Company (NGMC) to Abuja '<br />

What is your favorite colour?Colour<br />

ence, we are affected<br />

plays a signifi<br />

cant part of our exist<br />

everyday by the colours that<br />

surround us. Colour can psychologically<br />

<strong>and</strong> emotionally<br />

make us happy, put a spring<br />

in our step or make us feel<br />

gloomy, grumpy <strong>and</strong> sad.<br />

Most times people wear colour<br />

without really underst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

its direct impact on how<br />

they are perceived through<br />

their clothing. Many professionals<br />

wear colours for the<br />

sake of it, at times mismatching<br />

colours that almost indicate<br />

they may have an element<br />

of colour blindness. The<br />

tendency for most men is to<br />

group colours according to<br />

their similarity. That is why<br />

yellow can pass for <strong>go</strong>ld <strong>and</strong><br />

teal can pass for green, orange<br />

<strong>and</strong> pink can fall into the family<br />

of red.<br />

There are many ways you<br />

can express your unique personality,<br />

through your fashion<br />

sense, style, characteristics<br />

<strong>and</strong> now through colour.<br />

When you decided to wear that<br />

suit, that blouse or shirt or that<br />

tie this morning, did you consider<br />

the matching accessories,<br />

shoes, jewellery or bag.<br />

Studies have shown that colours<br />

does affect the decisions<br />

we make <strong>and</strong> the things we<br />

tend to notice. Let’s look at it<br />

closer, everywhere we look we<br />

are surrounded by colour.<br />

Color attracts us <strong>and</strong> moves<br />

us to act psychologically.<br />

Bright colours like Yellow or<br />

orange are vibrant colours<br />

that lift your smile, put a<br />

spring in your step <strong>and</strong> make<br />

you feel happy. Dark colours<br />

give a neutral effect & emotion,<br />

more solemn <strong>and</strong> less<br />

exciting. Why do you think<br />

stop signs are red? Red is an<br />

attention grabber raising<br />

blood pressure .It turns heads<br />

<strong>and</strong> makes people stop or act;<br />

the colour green on the other<br />

h<strong>and</strong> cools ones feelings &<br />

<strong>and</strong> made available to the<br />

press.<br />

In the letter signed by Abel<br />

Peretubor ( Coordinator General),<br />

Chief Temi Ayemi ( Interface<br />

Ethnics Coordinator),<br />

Hon. Okpako Ovie (Diaspora<br />

Affairs), Comrade Ogaga<br />

Onoriode ( Planning & Logistics),<br />

Ach. Tombra Ototo (Mobilizing<br />

Coordinator), <strong>and</strong> Sir<br />

Bemigho Edah ( Infor/ Statistics<br />

Coordinator), the group<br />

recalled that Vice President<br />

Yemi Osinbajo while he acted<br />

as the President of the country,<br />

gave a directive that all<br />

oil <strong>and</strong> gas companies should<br />

relocate their headquarters to<br />

their host communities but it<br />

was jettisoned by the same cabal.<br />

"The same people are now<br />

bent on relocating <strong>and</strong> moving<br />

the headquarters of<br />

NGMC from Warri to Abuja<br />

Central Business District at<br />

the detriment of the people of<br />

Delta State <strong>and</strong> indeed Southern<br />

Nigeria from where gas is<br />

produced. "<br />

The group alleged further<br />

that the same sect said Warri<br />

was for management meet-<br />

emotions down. Therefore at<br />

the traffic light you <strong>go</strong> on<br />

green calmly. As an image<br />

consultant a personal colour<br />

analysis the act of assessing<br />

which colours suit you best, is<br />

recommended for a number<br />

of beneficial reasons.<br />

i. To improve one’s appearance<br />

ii. To enhance confidence<br />

<strong>and</strong> self esteem<br />

iii. To save time while<br />

shopping as it becomes easier<br />

to choose clothes confidently<br />

iv. To give you value for<br />

your money after purchase<br />

When you want to colour<br />

your style, your choice of colours<br />

should be such that they<br />

flatter your complexion. The<br />

colour should brighten you<br />

up, make you look vibrant,<br />

energetic even as if you were<br />

well rested. The theory of colour<br />

says that you are either<br />

cool toned or warm toned. Essentially<br />

if you are relatively<br />

dark shades in your complexion<br />

you have pigments of blue<br />

in your skin tone <strong>and</strong> therefore<br />

you are considered to be<br />

cool toned; otherwise if you<br />

are much lighter you are said<br />

to have pigments of yellow in<br />

your skin, suggesting that you<br />

are warm toned.<br />

The best thing with colour<br />

is to combine well, you may<br />

decide to wear all warm colours<br />

or all cool colours from<br />

top to bottom. When you mix<br />

<strong>and</strong> match contrasting<br />

colors, you make a bold statement.<br />

Depending on your profession<br />

it is important to be<br />

wary of the colours you choose<br />

to wear so that you do not take<br />

away your authentic, authoritative<br />

<strong>and</strong> respective look.<br />

Ideally the most authoritative<br />

ings, " yet oil <strong>and</strong> gas are not<br />

insecure to be extracted from<br />

Warri's soil".<br />

The Amalgamated Niger<br />

Delta Force in the letter noted<br />

that NGC/ NGMC <strong>and</strong><br />

NPDC remain the cash cow<br />

of NNPC operating in Edo /<br />

Delta <strong>states</strong> <strong>and</strong> that since<br />

1990, there has been no security<br />

challenges in Warri, adding<br />

that NGC/ NGMC declared<br />

billions of naira as profit<br />

to sustain the economy of<br />

the country.<br />

The group then cautioned<br />

that any attempt to relocate<br />

colours to have in your wardrobe<br />

are Black, Navy, Charcoal<br />

Grey <strong>and</strong> a lighter shade<br />

of grey. You may blend shirts<br />

<strong>and</strong> tops or blouses <strong>and</strong> camisoles<br />

that are much lighter in<br />

contrast to give it that complete<br />

look.<br />

Always choose colours of<br />

fabrics that match your skin<br />

tone. Your complete colour<br />

style should flatter your figure<br />

& personality, it should<br />

Identify your strengths <strong>and</strong><br />

flaunt your assets to bring out<br />

the best look in you. Black<br />

they say makes you look thiner,<br />

It is a colour of authority<br />

<strong>and</strong> power while White is an<br />

everyday wear but looks better<br />

when worn in the daytime<br />

as it st<strong>and</strong>s for purity. Red is<br />

authoritative <strong>and</strong> striking, it<br />

looks <strong>go</strong>od in dresses or a tie<br />

with a white shirt & black suit<br />

to give astriking power look.<br />

Blue is considered the most<br />

worn colour which <strong>go</strong>es well<br />

for both formal & business as<br />

usual. Just for your perusal let<br />

me leave you with the psychological<br />

meaning of some colours:<br />

What is your favorite<br />

colour?<br />

RED:<br />

Strength, Courage, Power, Intensity<br />

ORANGE: Energy,<br />

Enthusiasm, Compassion,<br />

Warmth<br />

YELLOW: Communication,<br />

Creativity, Conscious<br />

Mind<br />

GREEN:<br />

the said companies from the<br />

Warri area to either La<strong>go</strong>s or<br />

Abuja will further impoverish<br />

Niger Delta economy which<br />

it noted was striving to improve<br />

due to the present Federal<br />

Government's efforts of<br />

bringing peace <strong>and</strong> development<br />

to the region.<br />

The group however suggested<br />

that monies budgeted for<br />

the alleged planned relocation<br />

of NGMC to Abuja<br />

should be used to renovate<br />

parts of SPDC properties for<br />

immediate occupation by the<br />

companies.<br />

Efforts to reach managements<br />

of both NGC <strong>and</strong><br />

Health, Prosperity, Harmony,<br />

Peace, Healing<br />

BLUE:<br />

Serenity, Intelligent, Organized,<br />

Status<br />

PURPLE:<br />

Royalty, Luxury, Celebration<br />

BROWN: Experience,<br />

Confidence<br />

BLACK: Team<br />

Oriented, Respect, You have<br />

arrived, Power<br />

GREY:<br />

Quiet, Sophisticated, Calm,<br />

Secure<br />

WHITE:<br />

Clean, Pure, Cool<br />

PINK:<br />

Feminity, Safe, Accessible<br />

Colour TIPs<br />

i. Wearing black makes<br />

you look slimmer<br />

ii. Don’t wear too many<br />

colours or patterns in one official<br />

outfit<br />

iii. Wear colours that<br />

make you look approachable<br />

iv. Wear red to draw attention<br />

when giving a speech<br />

v. Know your colours for<br />

formal events<br />

vi. Black is acceptable to<br />

wear for formal dinners, business<br />

casual cocktails <strong>and</strong> informal<br />

retreats<br />

“Colour influences your<br />

mood, your attitude,<br />

your image <strong>and</strong> your conduct.<br />

Brighter colours will have a<br />

positive impact,<br />

while dull colours may assume<br />

a negative impact.”<br />

How <strong>go</strong>od are<br />

you with your colours? Are<br />

you colour blind?<br />

NGMC to comment on the<br />

allegations proved abortive at<br />

the time of filling this report,<br />

however, it would be recalled<br />

that some youths from oil <strong>and</strong><br />

gas bearing communities in<br />

Delta State, staged a peaceful<br />

protest on the said allegations<br />

to the premises of NGC/<br />

NGMC on January 7th, 2019<br />

but the management of<br />

NGMC through the Executive<br />

Director, Assets Management<br />

<strong>and</strong> Technical Services<br />

(EDAM/TS), Engineer E. A<br />

Akinsanya, denied the allegations<br />

before the Delta State<br />

Commissioner for Oil <strong>and</strong><br />

Gas, Hon Freedom Fregene.


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 35<br />

TIV/JUKUN CONFLICT<br />

The story of<br />

the poor killing<br />

the poor<br />

By Femi Bolaji, Jalin<strong>go</strong><br />

As peace gradually returns to border<br />

communities of Taraba <strong>and</strong> Benue<br />

<strong>states</strong>, the violent exchange<br />

between the Tiv <strong>and</strong> Jukun tribes,<br />

which spanned over three weeks,<br />

would remain indelible in the minds of<br />

residents of affected communities.<br />

What started as a misunderst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

between two individuals from both tribes in<br />

Wukari local <strong>go</strong>vernment area of Taraba State<br />

snowballed into a conflict that rendered<br />

hundreds homeless.<br />

As some families grapple with the reality of<br />

the loss of their loved ones, <strong>others</strong> are counting<br />

their losses <strong>and</strong> hoping that such an ugly<br />

incident never rears its head again.<br />

Sad enough is realising that a place they<br />

once called home has suddenly become<br />

somewhere they are being hunted by familiar<br />

faces.<br />

As peasants who live on farm produce, the<br />

destruction of their properties <strong>and</strong>, in<br />

particular, their farm yields, is a major setback<br />

for their economic survival.<br />

<strong>No</strong>w that many have been displaced, with<br />

<strong>others</strong> taking refuge with<br />

friends <strong>and</strong> families outside<br />

their immediate<br />

communities, a big burden<br />

has been let loose not only<br />

on fleeing victims but also<br />

on those offering them food<br />

<strong>and</strong> shelter.<br />

However, for <strong>states</strong> like<br />

Taraba <strong>and</strong> Benue that are<br />

just recovering from attacks<br />

believed to have been<br />

carried out by herdsmen, a<br />

war between two<br />

neighbouring tribes is not<br />

something they can ill<br />

afford.<br />

At the last count, no<br />

fewer than 15 persons<br />

have lost their lives on<br />

both sides, with more<br />

than100 houses razed in<br />

attacks <strong>and</strong> counter<br />

attacks on border<br />

communities of Wukari<br />

<strong>and</strong> Ukum local<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment areas of Taraba <strong>and</strong> Benue<br />

<strong>states</strong>.<br />

About seven communities inhabited by<br />

Tiv <strong>and</strong> Jukun are said to have been<br />

affected.<br />

Major stakeholders from both divides,<br />

including the <strong>go</strong>vernments of both <strong>states</strong>,<br />

are also not finding it easy to settle the<br />

dispute between the two warring tribes.<br />

Their major worry remains why the two<br />

tribes, who have lived, side by side, for<br />

decades, still find it difficult to find a<br />

common ground despite years of peace<br />

efforts.<br />

Sources, who spoke on the conflict,<br />

insisted that the bloodletting could have<br />

been avoided if the parties involved<br />

recognize what binds them together<br />

rather than what divides them.<br />

They are all<br />

peasant farmers<br />

<strong>and</strong> poor people,<br />

<strong>and</strong> I don’t know<br />

why they should<br />

turn against one<br />

another over<br />

trivial issues<br />

Like A<br />

Cigarette Light<br />

Kente, a border<br />

community between<br />

Taraba <strong>and</strong> Benue, was<br />

where it all started.<br />

A misunderst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

between two youths from<br />

both tribes that degenerated<br />

into conflict ran for weeks.<br />

According to the President<br />

of the Tiv Cultural <strong>and</strong> Social<br />

Association in Taraba,<br />

Goodman Dahida, the matter<br />

wouldn’t have escalated if<br />

h<strong>and</strong>lers of the<br />

misunderst<strong>and</strong>ing managed<br />

the situation well.<br />

“What became so big today<br />

is something that vigilantes in<br />

Kente could have h<strong>and</strong>led, but<br />

those acting as mediators at the<br />

time caused the whole<br />

problem”, Dahida said.<br />

“Right now, we are all bearing the brunt of<br />

our inability to manage a small<br />

misunderst<strong>and</strong>ing. If the<br />

Tiv <strong>and</strong> Jukun youth<br />

leaders had problems,<br />

there should have been<br />

amicable ways of resolving<br />

them.<br />

“But what we saw was<br />

that the authorities<br />

mish<strong>and</strong>led the crisis at the<br />

initial stage <strong>and</strong> that was<br />

what led to this level of<br />

killings <strong>and</strong> destruction of<br />

properties.”<br />

On his part, a former<br />

President of Wukari/Jukun<br />

Youth of Vision, Luka Agbu,<br />

attributed the conflict to age<br />

long suspicion between the<br />

two tribes, asking why two<br />

farming tribes, struggling<br />

for survival, would take up<br />

arms against each other.<br />

“There has been an age<br />

long suspicion in the heart<br />

of a Tiv man against his<br />

Jukun brother <strong>and</strong> vice versa, which must<br />

be addressed”, Agbu said.<br />

“The killings in Jukun <strong>and</strong> Tiv are<br />

uncalled for, unwarranted <strong>and</strong> a disgrace<br />

to both groups, who have been members<br />

of one family for over a century, <strong>and</strong> they<br />

are still living together.<br />

“They, are all peasant farmers <strong>and</strong> poor<br />

people <strong>and</strong> I don’t know why they should<br />

turn against one another over trivial<br />

issues.<br />

“Even before we were born, we were<br />

told the stalemate had been in existence,<br />

but the elders <strong>and</strong> community leaders<br />

were able to prevail over issues.”<br />

Between Criminality <strong>and</strong><br />

Mutual Suspicion<br />

Following the turn of events in the<br />

area, the senator representing Taraba South,<br />

Emmanuel Bwacha, <strong>and</strong> member<br />

representing Wukari /Ibi in the House of<br />

Representatives, Danjuma Shiddi, expressed<br />

disappointment at a stakeholders’ meeting<br />

convened to resolve the issues.<br />

Bwacha said, “I find it very embarrassing<br />

when I hear Tiv/Jukun crisis because<br />

whatever skirmishes we are having, I believe<br />

it is the work of criminals from both sides.<br />

“The crime situation in the Middle-Belt<br />

region has assumed a fresh dimension <strong>and</strong><br />

we have a huge crisis in our h<strong>and</strong>s to<br />

confront.<br />

“These criminals are happy to be moving<br />

around burning houses in the name of<br />

communal clashes but we as a people must<br />

learn to underst<strong>and</strong> the temper of the<br />

moment.<br />

“The times are not <strong>go</strong>od <strong>and</strong> truly our youths<br />

must underst<strong>and</strong> that they need to engage<br />

themselves in productive ventures.”<br />

Shiddi, on his part, said, “It is regrettable<br />

for us to have found ourselves in this<br />

unfortunate situation.<br />

“This is more of criminality than the ethnic<br />

colouration it is having today <strong>and</strong> my heart<br />

bleeds for what has happened in our border<br />

communities.”<br />

Dahida <strong>and</strong> Agbu aligned with the positions<br />

of both lawmakers believing that much work<br />

lies in the h<strong>and</strong>s of both tribes <strong>and</strong><br />

stakeholders to fish out the bad eggs<br />

promoting disaffection.<br />

Dahida stated, “A <strong>go</strong>od number of Tiv<br />

people have cordial relationship with Jukuns,<br />

but the criminals <strong>and</strong> those benefiting from<br />

looting other peoples properties don’t want<br />

to see an end to this incident.<br />

“Those against the escalation of the crisis<br />

are now enemies of the miscreants <strong>and</strong> we<br />

must collectively rise up against this act of<br />

criminality that is causing disaffection among<br />

us.”<br />

Agbu said: “Why should a Tiv man <strong>and</strong> a<br />

Jukun man be at each other’s throat when they<br />

both worship in the same church?<br />

“Elders <strong>and</strong> critical stakeholders of Tiv<br />

extraction should come together as they did<br />

before. I am aware that they are making efforts<br />

to see that this mess does not re-occur.<br />

“Let us be sincere in fishing out the bad eggs<br />

so that we can have peace.”<br />

A former <strong>go</strong>vernor of Benue State <strong>and</strong><br />

senator-elect for Benue <strong>No</strong>rth-East, Gabriel<br />

Suswam, who spoke at another stakeholders’<br />

meeting convened by Taraba <strong>and</strong> Benue state<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernments, said the continuous destruction<br />

of valuables by the two tribes spells doom for<br />

their future if not controlled.<br />

“We both have a common problem, but we<br />

have ab<strong>and</strong>oned our problems to engage<br />

internally in destroying ourselves forgetting<br />

that we are destroying our future”, Suswam<br />

said.<br />

“An average Jukun man <strong>and</strong> an average Tiv<br />

man are both poor <strong>and</strong> are also both farmers,<br />

<strong>and</strong> every time we have skirmishes, what<br />

comes to mind is, what could be the reason<br />

for the fight?<br />

“If you inquire deep, no <strong>go</strong>od reason can be<br />

given for the skirmishes that resulted in the<br />

destruction both <strong>states</strong> have experienced.<br />

“How can a fight between two individuals<br />

degenerate to this level? This means there is<br />

something psychologically wrong with the<br />

two tribes.<br />

“If there is nothing wrong, why would two<br />

people have a fight in Kente <strong>and</strong> houses are<br />

being burnt down elsewhere?<br />

“We don’t have Jukun or Tiv millionaires.<br />

We are all poor.<br />

What I see is we ourselves destroying what<br />

we don’t even have”.<br />

The Path<br />

to Peace<br />

Meanwhile, a committee of 10 members<br />

(five from each tribe) has been constituted by<br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernments of Taraba <strong>and</strong> Benue <strong>states</strong><br />

to look into the conflict <strong>and</strong> suggest ways of<br />

ending it permanently.<br />

The committee has three months to complete<br />

its work.


PAGE 36, SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Inadequacies in<br />

democracy inspired<br />

me to propose<br />

tradocracy —Odion<br />

In this interview, Odion Obumese, author of “Tradocracy:<br />

An alternative <strong>and</strong> better system of <strong>go</strong>vernment to<br />

democracy” explains his motivations for the proposal:<br />

What inspired you to<br />

propound this new system<br />

of <strong>go</strong>vernment you call<br />

tradocracy?<br />

I propounded Tradocracy because of<br />

the inadequacies of democracy<br />

visible in its structures <strong>and</strong><br />

institutions. Allowing only one<br />

profession – the law profession – to<br />

serve as the only arm of <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

in exclusion of other professions –<br />

is one of such inadequacies. Another<br />

flaw of democracy is the<br />

disallowing of a larger part of the<br />

population from completing for<br />

political positions because of the<br />

huge amount of money a c<strong>and</strong>idate<br />

needs to contest election.<br />

Was that why you developed a<br />

fourth arm of <strong>go</strong>vernment you<br />

called ‘researchure’ alongside other<br />

three existing arms?<br />

Yes, researchure is a new arm of<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment that will bring equity<br />

<strong>and</strong> equality to all professions. In<br />

reality <strong>and</strong> in practice in most<br />

democracies, the Chief Justice of the<br />

Federation is regarded in<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment as the fourth or fifth<br />

most powerful man in a country just<br />

by being a legal practitioner. The<br />

Attorney-General also has the same<br />

power as the Chief Justice. This<br />

arrangement discredits all other<br />

professions that also contribute<br />

meaningfully to the service of a<br />

nation. So the researchure was<br />

developed to address that<br />

inequality. The researchure arm is<br />

a body of professionals excluding<br />

the law profession because law<br />

profession belongs to the judiciary<br />

arm.<br />

In your book you proposed that<br />

contestants in elections shall not be<br />

charged money. How is election<br />

<strong>and</strong> electoral process <strong>go</strong>ing to be<br />

run without money?<br />

The main reason for election is to<br />

By Emmanuel Elebeke<br />

he atmosphere at The New M &<br />

TM Event Centre, beside Nicon<br />

Luxury Hotel, Abuja on Easter<br />

Monday was charged <strong>and</strong> full of<br />

performance by some popular<br />

Nigerian solo artists.<br />

It was a festival of solo performance<br />

tagged Africa Solo Awards, ASA,<br />

organised by an art enthusiast,<br />

Awayitoma A<strong>go</strong>ma, a theatre Art<br />

lecturer at University of Abuja.<br />

The event featured special<br />

performances such as: Molue<br />

(Classic) by Tunji Sitimirin; The<br />

Prime Minister’s Son by Greg<br />

Mbajiorgu; Karenas Cross (first<br />

female Solo in Africa) by Benedict<br />

Binebal; the best of st<strong>and</strong>-up<br />

comedy, Spoken words,<br />

Storytelling, Music <strong>and</strong> Dance by<br />

Awaritoma A<strong>go</strong>ma.<br />

Also featured at the show were the<br />

Solo awards which had Tunji<br />

Somitirin, Greg Mbajiorgu,<br />

Alibaba, Benedict Binebai <strong>and</strong> Dike<br />

Chukwumerije as recipients for<br />

their outst<strong>and</strong>ing display in the solo<br />

world. Late Funsho Alabi (aka, King<br />

of Solo) acting <strong>and</strong> Mohammed<br />

Danjuma were also honoured<br />

posthumously at the event.<br />

Speaking on the concept, the<br />

coordinator of the festival,<br />

Awayitoma A<strong>go</strong>ma said the idea<br />

came as a response to revive the<br />

sleeping theatre which had not been<br />

acknowledged <strong>and</strong> celebrated as it<br />

should in the Nigerian art industry.<br />

With the solo performance reenacted,<br />

he expressed optimism that<br />

the theatre would take its rightful<br />

select competent <strong>and</strong><br />

capable leaders that will<br />

rule over the affairs of<br />

people of a nation. These<br />

leaders that shall be<br />

selected must underst<strong>and</strong><br />

the basic ingredients of<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernance, for example,<br />

issues of economy,<br />

development <strong>and</strong> welfare.<br />

They also need to embrace<br />

innovations for the purpose<br />

of technology. Putting a tag<br />

of money to electoral<br />

competition only selects<br />

the rich <strong>and</strong> middle class,<br />

disallowing major population that<br />

may have competent individuals<br />

from competing for political<br />

positions.<br />

Sovereign electoral commission<br />

shall generate revenue from<br />

electoral taxation or levies to run<br />

election <strong>and</strong> electoral processes. It<br />

shall also have its own facilities <strong>and</strong><br />

media houses, both print <strong>and</strong><br />

electronics. All c<strong>and</strong>idates shall<br />

For arms of<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment to<br />

have full<br />

separation of<br />

powers they<br />

must have<br />

independent<br />

police forces<br />

ASA was born to awaken the<br />

sleeping theatre — A<strong>go</strong>ma<br />

place in the art industry as itself<br />

does not need too much publicity<br />

with the kind of performances.<br />

He said: “it is a festival of solo<br />

performance, performance by one<br />

person. We noticed that the theatre<br />

that has been sleeping had this kind<br />

of spectacular performance <strong>and</strong> it<br />

has not been acknowledged,<br />

recognised or celebrated.<br />

“It was once muted that we should<br />

be able to project the solo form <strong>and</strong><br />

see how we can use it to support the<br />

rebirth of the sleeping theatre. With<br />

the solo form, we believe the theatre<br />

itself does not need too much<br />

publicity with this kind of<br />

performances we have seen today<br />

from Tunji Sotimirin, Greg<br />

Mbajiogu, <strong>and</strong> Benedict Binary.”<br />

A<strong>go</strong>ma who described the solo form<br />

as high economical <strong>and</strong> a minimal<br />

theatre, said, “theatre is for one, who<br />

can move out any time <strong>and</strong> perform<br />

anywhere, there is space enough<br />

from carpet. So, we believe that that<br />

one man actor does not need the<br />

appurtenances, that load a theatre<br />

craves for in elaborate lightening,<br />

costume, sound.<br />

“That one man up there can be able<br />

to conjure that image he wants his<br />

audience to see in his performance<br />

<strong>and</strong> I believe everybody should be<br />

able to let that happen <strong>and</strong> make<br />

sure that the solo actor is given<br />

prominence in the business theatre<br />

all over the nation.<br />

“The performance is quite<br />

economical, it is unlike convention<br />

drama with 20 to 30 casts, elaborate<br />

sound, consumes, scenery, all these<br />

we do not see in solo performance.”<br />

•Odion<br />

Obumese<br />

make use of these facilities free for<br />

purpose of campaign. Electoral<br />

registration forms shall be given out<br />

free to interested c<strong>and</strong>idates.<br />

What will be the function of this<br />

researchure, <strong>and</strong> how will the<br />

members be elected?<br />

Four members shall represent each<br />

profession – the health profession,<br />

engineering, arts, etc., for example.<br />

C<strong>and</strong>idates contesting for health<br />

positions in the house of researchure<br />

shall only be voted for by health<br />

professionals, <strong>and</strong> all other<br />

professions follow the same pattern<br />

of voting. Researchurers<br />

representatives of the house of<br />

researchure are sent to agencies of<br />

their own professions for research<br />

<strong>and</strong> creativity <strong>and</strong> also to monitor<br />

daily activities of the establishment<br />

<strong>and</strong> the work processes. The<br />

researchurer writes down his<br />

findings <strong>and</strong> methodology of work<br />

processes including research<br />

patterns <strong>and</strong> take the write-up to<br />

house of researchure for approval.<br />

Once approved by the house of<br />

researchure, it shall be binding on<br />

the establishment to which the<br />

researchures were sent. This action<br />

will create rapid economic growth<br />

<strong>and</strong> industrial development.<br />

Researchurers shall spend three<br />

weeks on the field <strong>and</strong> a week in<br />

the house of researchure for<br />

deliberation <strong>and</strong> approval of<br />

findings.<br />

In your book, you mentioned the<br />

parliamentary police force,<br />

researchure police force <strong>and</strong> judicial<br />

police force. Could you please<br />

explain what they are?<br />

For arms of <strong>go</strong>vernment to have full<br />

separation of powers they must have<br />

independent police forces. This will<br />

prevent dominance of one arm of<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment over the other. All arms<br />

of <strong>go</strong>vernment must also be<br />

financially independent. Heads of<br />

police forces for arms of <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

shall be appointed by heads of each<br />

arm of <strong>go</strong>vernment. For example, the<br />

President of Senate shall appoint<br />

commissioner of parliamentary<br />

police. National Police force has no<br />

function or jurisdiction with other<br />

arms of <strong>go</strong>vernment because<br />

national or state police is under the<br />

control of the executive.<br />

Lastly, in your book, you talked<br />

about the power of the President<br />

<strong>and</strong> National Onogie. What is that?<br />

The President shall be the head of<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment <strong>and</strong> Comm<strong>and</strong>er-in-<br />

Chief of the Armed Forces, while the<br />

National Onogie (National Leader)<br />

shall be second in comm<strong>and</strong> to the<br />

president. Both the President <strong>and</strong> the<br />

National Onogie shall sign all bills<br />

from Parliament into law. The<br />

National Onogie shall be elected<br />

from <strong>and</strong> by upper arm of the<br />

legislature, <strong>and</strong> he or she shall have<br />

executive m<strong>and</strong>ate.<br />

The National Onogie shall control<br />

traditional ministries like ministries<br />

of arts <strong>and</strong> culture, agriculture,<br />

health, <strong>and</strong> police affairs. But all<br />

other ministries shall be controlled<br />

by the president including the<br />

treasury department <strong>and</strong> Central<br />

Bank. Only the President can create<br />

new ministries.<br />

EDITED BY<br />

osaamadi@yahoo.com<br />

08070524223<br />

Teaching my<br />

first German<br />

students<br />

The German Managing Director & Chief<br />

Executive Officer of Nestle Nigeria Plc, Mr.<br />

K.P Waschmut was a <strong>go</strong>od man, an extremely <strong>go</strong>od<br />

man. Shortly after he arrived in Nigeria, he sent<br />

his driver to the music school of Musical Society<br />

of Nigeria (MUSON Centre) to scout for a<br />

competent classical music piano teacher who<br />

would teach him <strong>and</strong> his family.<br />

His driver met my friend, Solomon Akwudinma,<br />

secretary to the pioneer Director of MUSON<br />

Music School, Mr. James Adekunle. The driver<br />

had explained to Solomon that his master wanted<br />

a <strong>go</strong>od piano teacher. Solomon asked him to leave<br />

his master’s residential address; that he would<br />

send him a <strong>go</strong>od piano teacher.<br />

The MUSON Centre was our rallying point in<br />

those days as piano teachers. Even though I was<br />

not permanently employed to teach at the Music<br />

School, I made it a point of duty to be there at<br />

least once a week. I used to prepare my private<br />

students for the graded music exams (both theory<br />

<strong>and</strong> practical) <strong>and</strong> then register them for the<br />

examinations which held at six-month intervals.<br />

That week, when I came to MUSON, my friend<br />

Solomon gave me a piece of paper containing an<br />

address at Senari Daranijo, Victoria Isl<strong>and</strong>.<br />

Solomon had gathered from the driver that the<br />

man who needed the piano teacher was a white<br />

man, but the driver did not reveal the true identity<br />

of his master as the MD of Nestle.<br />

I took the piece of paper containing the address<br />

<strong>and</strong> set out in search of Senari Daranijo. I located<br />

it behind the Zenith Bank head office, Ajose<br />

Adigun.<br />

The luxury in the house told me instantly that I<br />

was in the home of a very rich man. The wife (whom<br />

I later came to underst<strong>and</strong> to be one of the wisest<br />

women I had ever met) <strong>and</strong> the two children came<br />

out to watch me as Mr. Waschmut took me to his<br />

glittering upright piano. I inspected it as a medical<br />

doctor would inspect a patient who had come for<br />

a routine medical check-up. It was a splendid piece<br />

of an instrument <strong>and</strong> I told him so.<br />

“This piano is <strong>go</strong>od,” I said softly, pulling out<br />

the stool <strong>and</strong> the wooden black panel covering<br />

the keys. I sat on the stool <strong>and</strong> started playing<br />

“Fur Elise” by Beethoven. The wife drew nearer<br />

her husb<strong>and</strong>. When I looked up I saw mirth of<br />

smile on their faces. It was the magic effect “Fur<br />

Elise” always has on even the uninitiated in<br />

classical music. Just by watching <strong>and</strong> hearing me<br />

play that piece of music, the Wachsmuts became<br />

convinced they had <strong>go</strong>tten the type of teacher they<br />

needed.<br />

Mr. Wachsmut <strong>and</strong> I sat down <strong>and</strong> ne<strong>go</strong>tiated<br />

my fee. It was year 2003 <strong>and</strong> my fee then generally<br />

was N3, 000 per hour. We began the lessons<br />

immediately. I spent 2 hours that day in the family<br />

– one hour for Mr. Wachsmut <strong>and</strong> one hour for<br />

Mrs. Wachsmut. Before I left the house, Mr.<br />

Wachsmut paid me N6, 000. He also gave me his<br />

call card.<br />

When I saw his job title written on the card as<br />

MD/CEO of Nestle Nigeria Plc, I was stunned.<br />

How could such a young man be an MD of a multinational<br />

conglomerate like Nestle? I should have<br />

charged him more if I had known, I told myself.<br />

But I was very happy that I was taking something<br />

home after a long period of drought in my career<br />

as a piano teacher. My wife had a new baby <strong>and</strong><br />

we needed every kobo we could get. Soon, other<br />

opportunities started coming. God never leaves a<br />

hardworking family man empty h<strong>and</strong>ed!<br />

See you next week by God’s grace.


sam.eyoboka@gmail.com<br />

08023145567 (sms only)<br />

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 37<br />

Fountain of Life uplifting lives<br />

....ends Word Explosion Conference<br />

By Sam Eyoboka<br />

THE Fountain of Life Church in La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

rounded up a week-long activities<br />

marking its 27th anni-versary tagged<br />

Word Explosion Confer-ence with a theme:<br />

"New Creation Reali-ties." It featured seasoned<br />

<strong>go</strong>spel ministers from across the globe<br />

including Bishop Mike Okonkwo of TREM,<br />

Bishop David Abioye of Living Faith Church,<br />

Pastor Tola Odutola of Jesus House,<br />

Baltimore, Dr. Cindy Trimm of Cindy Trimm<br />

Ministries, Dr. Chris U<strong>go</strong>h of The King's<br />

Assembly, Apostle Bobby Hogan of Christ for<br />

the World, Pastor <strong>No</strong>mthi Odukoya <strong>and</strong> her<br />

husb<strong>and</strong>, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya of Fount-ain<br />

of Life Church.<br />

Inaugural service of the church started on<br />

April 15, 1992 <strong>and</strong> since then the church hosts<br />

the Word Explosion Confer-ence to mark the<br />

occasion.<br />

"One of the word God gave to the set man<br />

when the church started is that where the<br />

carcass is, there the Eagle will surely gather.<br />

The interpretation is, where the Word of God<br />

is, the people will be there to be strengthened.<br />

So, the conference is a time to bring in<br />

ministers to give us what the Lord has given to<br />

them for us, which is in most cases support<br />

RCCG wows widows with N4 m empowerment<br />

items, foods<br />

By Sam Eyoboka<br />

LIKE the biblical parable of the Wise <strong>and</strong><br />

Foolish Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13,<br />

about 50 widows, penulti-mate Saturday,<br />

gathered at the Rose of Sharon zonal<br />

headquarters of the Red-eemed Christian<br />

Church of God, RCCG, for their normal<br />

monthly Widows' Fellowship to praise <strong>and</strong><br />

worship God, listen to Word ministration,<br />

motivation, prayer, but were surprised with<br />

an un-announced empowerment programme.<br />

The widows often gather second Saturday of<br />

every month to pray with a desire to get closer<br />

to the Husb<strong>and</strong> of Widows to receive<br />

motivation <strong>and</strong> strength to navigate shattered<br />

lives <strong>and</strong> overcome untold pressure from inlaws<br />

<strong>and</strong> other relations over properties.<br />

The 50 women, out of a 272-member<br />

Fellowship, without any premonition, went<br />

home that day with various items of<br />

empowerment to uplift their living st<strong>and</strong>ards<br />

as well as food items for the Easter celebration.<br />

At least, two sewing machines, 29 grinding<br />

machines, 200 5-litre of vegetable oil, different<br />

sizes of rice, 50 cartons of marcoronies, 30<br />

bags of semovita <strong>and</strong> a host of other food items<br />

amounting to about N4 million were<br />

distributed to those who attended the service.<br />

The distribution was surpervised by wife of<br />

the Pastor-in-charge of Province 35, Pastor<br />

(Mrs.) Yinka Morgan <strong>and</strong> Pastor Collins<br />

Ekpenyong who represented the head of<br />

Apapa Family, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade who<br />

is a Regional pastor <strong>and</strong> the Special Assistant<br />

to the General Over-seer on Christian Social<br />

Responsibility, CSR.<br />

The ecstatic recepients literally rolled on the<br />

floor in tears of joy, expressing gra-titude for<br />

the unexpected gesture. Sister Chukwuka, one<br />

of the recepients, who was particularly elated<br />

because the gest-ure came as a fitting birthday<br />

present to her. Another widow was<br />

uncontrollable in her expression of joy, saying<br />

later amid tears that the grinding machine<br />

she re-ceived previously was sold to <strong>pay</strong> for<br />

the surgical operation of one her children.<br />

Many <strong>others</strong>, irrespective of age <strong>and</strong> ethnic<br />

background, shed tears of joy giving praise to<br />

God for the unusual way the Lord intervened<br />

in their lives just <strong>ahead</strong> of Easter 2019.<br />

Addressing religious correspondents pre-sent<br />

at the occasion, Pastor-in-charge of Rose of<br />

Sharon zone in Ikeja GRA, Pastor Emeka<br />

Obiagwu <strong>and</strong> his wife, Pastor (Mrs.) Chichi<br />

Obiagwu averred that the gesture was in line<br />

with the vision of the General Overseer of the<br />

mission, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye,<br />

pointing out that over eight million persons<br />

have benefited from the mission's benevolence<br />

program-me.<br />

According to the twosome, RCCG as a<br />

mission, has committed over N2.8 billion on<br />

CSR <strong>and</strong> the Rose of Sharon has been involved<br />

in charity work on a quarterly basis for the<br />

widows but this time it chose to be silent about<br />

the programme.<br />

“Before now, we would have announced that<br />

widows in the church should come to be<br />

WORD EXPLOSION CONFERENCE: L-R: Pastor Tola Odutola; Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, host<br />

pastor; Pastor <strong>No</strong>mthi Odukoya, Apostle Bobby Hogan, Pastor Tolu Odukoya-Ijogun, at the on<strong>go</strong>ing<br />

Fountain of Life Church 2019 Word Explosion Conference themed, “New Creation Realities,”<br />

in La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

what we are being fed by the set man <strong>and</strong> the<br />

ministers in church," Pastor Alfred Ohiani. "We<br />

have ministers within <strong>and</strong> outside the country<br />

who will minister to us within the cause of the<br />

conference.<br />

This year's edition of the unique Bible<br />

teachings, prophetic declarations, <strong>and</strong><br />

*Pastor (Mrs.) Yinka Morgan (r) presenting a grinding machine, bag of rice<br />

<strong>and</strong> some other food items to one of the widows.<br />

empowered which would have attracted over Fellowship, said, dealing with that class of<br />

400 widows from all over the place. But, we believers has been a bless-ing to the church,<br />

decided to give out the empowerment as a noting that they come with multiple<br />

surprise to those who came for our regular challenges which have been a source of<br />

monthly service.<br />

concern for the church.<br />

“There are about 50 of them at the meet-ing. “We prayerfully thought of what we can do to<br />

Some will be empowered with grinding empower them so they would not be coming<br />

machines <strong>and</strong> sewing machin-es while those for help every time. This time we choose to<br />

who have enjoyed such empowerment earlier<br />

would be given bags of rice, ground-nut oil make money.”<br />

empower them with things they can use to<br />

<strong>and</strong> a host of other food items,” Pastor While noting that the church has a list of 272<br />

Obiagwu exp-lained<br />

widows, two widowers, she said, “those who<br />

On her experience dealing with wid-ows, came this morning, were here to worship God<br />

Obiagwu who co-ordinates the Wi-dows <strong>and</strong> God has surprised them," she noted.<br />

supernatural insights was flagged off by Pastor<br />

Tola Odutola who outlined five creative<br />

realities; salvation, grace, faith, freedom of<br />

our heritage <strong>and</strong> glory, ending with the<br />

narration of a stay with a prim-ary school<br />

teacher as a 10-year with un-alloyed<br />

dedication which has influenced his work with<br />

God since then.<br />

Outlining success story of the church in the<br />

last 27 years, the retired deputy director of<br />

Department of Petroleum Re-sources, DPR,<br />

<strong>and</strong> assistant pastor to the Senior Pastor of<br />

Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Ohiani said:<br />

"God has been faithful to us over the years.<br />

One of the things the ministry is very much<br />

into is affecting the environment <strong>and</strong> the<br />

community. We have a lot of communityrelated<br />

pro-grammes, supporting children in<br />

schools, medical support <strong>and</strong> much more<br />

which Pastor Taiwo Olukoya <strong>go</strong>t the vision<br />

years back <strong>and</strong> we’ve been doing that. The<br />

ministry is focused in ensuring that the homes<br />

are established so as to affect the society <strong>and</strong><br />

ensure that ministers are raised to that effect<br />

in Jesus name."<br />

According to him, "the church has<br />

established a hospital where the less privileged<br />

sick receive treatment <strong>and</strong> support at a<br />

subsidised rate. There are cases of patients<br />

who cannot <strong>and</strong> the church has to take full<br />

responsibility. The church also supports<br />

members with challenges with their children's<br />

educa-tion, some even rents just as a way to<br />

show that we are a family church <strong>and</strong> that’s<br />

the way we have been over the years."<br />

On the significance of this year's conference,<br />

he said: "We will continue to pray for the nation<br />

but one thing we need to know is that, He said<br />

that a nation that fears God will be blessed.<br />

For a nation that does not, they will always be<br />

facing challenges, the Bible says that<br />

righteous-ness exalts a nation but sin is a<br />

reproach.<br />

"That’s why one of the things that this church<br />

does is to always commit ourselves to praying<br />

for the nation because where there is fear of<br />

God, people will begin to do things right.<br />

"So the prayer therefore is to bring people to<br />

the point of conviction to know that if we will<br />

need a change, it has to start from individuals<br />

doing the right things. If I have the fear of<br />

God, anything I do will be acceptable before<br />

God. In those days, for instance if you are a<br />

teacher in a primary school <strong>and</strong> all of a<br />

sudden you come home with a jeep, your<br />

father will ask where you <strong>go</strong>t it from;<br />

because they know what you earn <strong>and</strong> know<br />

such act can bring a curse to the family.<br />

"So, we must continue to cry to God<br />

because with God all things are possible<br />

<strong>and</strong> there will always be a reversal," he said.<br />

On security, Pastor Ohiani said its unfortunate<br />

that people like to benefit when<br />

there’s confusion in other places, stressing<br />

"there’s a lot the nation is doing, but individually<br />

we also have to make ourselves<br />

accountable to God <strong>and</strong> make us to reverence<br />

God."<br />

On the kidnapped Chibok girls in Boko<br />

Haram captivity, the Fountain of Life<br />

Church has always been praying for the<br />

release of these girls including Leah<br />

Sharibu.<br />

"A member of our church, Sister Ony-eka<br />

Onwenu is very committed to this cause.<br />

The much we can do is to pray while these<br />

people continuing to talk to <strong>go</strong>vernment.<br />

We believe that our prayers shall not be in<br />

vain," he said noting that the church<br />

cooperate with the umbrella of the Christian<br />

Association of Nigeria to contribute to the<br />

families of the kidnapped girls.<br />

Easter: 12-yr-old multi-instrumentalist, Praise, thrills fans<br />

Praise<br />

By Akoma Chinweoke<br />

It was a remarkable Easter celebration at the Re<br />

deemed Christian Church of God, Lifespring Par<br />

ish ,Oregun, Ikeja, La<strong>go</strong>s as 12-year old multiinstrumentalist,<br />

Praise Emmanuel Adebayo in his concert<br />

titled: Praise Generation Concert 1.0 thrilled his<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s audience with sweet <strong>and</strong> inspiring melodious<br />

tunes which kept them on their feet for over three-hours.<br />

The upcoming boy together with his Praise Generation<br />

Group <strong>and</strong> other minstrels such as Funmi Sax, Jerry<br />

Omole, Sanmi Conga <strong>and</strong> special appearance Shola<br />

Sax, <strong>and</strong> Wale Sax-warrior entertained the audience<br />

with rich <strong>go</strong>spel songs <strong>and</strong> dance moves.<br />

With barely a spare second between songs, Praise with<br />

the aid of his saxophone dazzled his way through his<br />

biggest hits<br />

Speaking shortly after the concert, Praize, stated that<br />

he started playing drums at the age of four <strong>and</strong> saxophone<br />

at the age of nine <strong>and</strong> said it has always been his<br />

desire to gather men <strong>and</strong> women to glorify, worship <strong>and</strong><br />

praise God for his wonderful works in people’s lives.<br />

He also thanked his parents for giving him their support<br />

towards the pursuit of his academic <strong>and</strong> musical<br />

careers.<br />

“To you my fellow children, don’t hold your talent<br />

back. Unleash it, use it to glorify God <strong>and</strong> try to make<br />

the world a better place for all.”<br />

The 12-year- old multi-instrumentalist hinted that in the<br />

near future he would want to be seen preaching the <strong>go</strong>spel in<br />

ministries all over the world <strong>and</strong> more importantly, take his<br />

academics to the next level.<br />

Pastor Adetunji Peter Adebayo, father of the talented instrumentalist<br />

described his son Praise as a covenant child<br />

with lots of untold stories.<br />

“ His name Praise was given to me in a rare revelation six<br />

years before I gave birth to him. At six months when he was<br />

still a toddler, he started exhibiting his talent. He is such a<br />

unique talent from above. I am bound to <strong>pay</strong> a special attention<br />

to him as he is my treasure. Despite economic challenges,<br />

I still consider him first in my priorities. In fact, at a point,<br />

I had to resign from my job in order to give him adequate<br />

attention <strong>and</strong> guidance. Parents should start giving adequate<br />

moral training to their children because charity begins<br />

from home. My wife <strong>and</strong> I are in agreement on how to<br />

bring up our children <strong>and</strong> we are closely working together.<br />

For now what we are getting is self support <strong>and</strong> the parents<br />

of other children with great talents have also continued to<br />

rally round us to ensure we get to where we are destined to<br />

be. We do not have any corporate sponsors for now. I realised<br />

that most of them do not want to venture into <strong>go</strong>spel<br />

music . So, that is a huge challenge but we would surely get<br />

there. So far, it has been awesome <strong>and</strong> we don’t have any<br />

regret,” he said.


PAGE 38 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Complete deliverance<br />

for all captives (2)<br />

By Pastor William F. Kumuyi<br />

TODAY, make it, it is<br />

a day of fulfilment. It<br />

will be a day of the<br />

demonstration of the power<br />

of God upon your life. You<br />

will experien-ce salvation.<br />

Jesus came into this world<br />

for the sole purpose of saving<br />

sinners <strong>and</strong> today you<br />

will be saved, because it<br />

does not matter how far<br />

•Kumuyi<br />

you must have <strong>go</strong>ne into sin <strong>and</strong> or how deep you must<br />

have sank in it. He came to forgive sinners <strong>and</strong> you are<br />

not an exception, because He will forgive you completely<br />

<strong>and</strong> entirely.<br />

Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he<br />

hath anointed me to preach the <strong>go</strong>spel to the poor;” the<br />

<strong>go</strong>spel is the <strong>go</strong>od news Jesus has brought to preach to<br />

the poor who lack <strong>go</strong>odness. The content of that <strong>go</strong>od<br />

news is that God loves you <strong>and</strong> He has a divine plan for<br />

your life. Do not give up because of the challenges life<br />

throws at you <strong>and</strong> do not give in to sin. And do not let the<br />

news headlines frighten you because God is still on the<br />

throne <strong>and</strong> those of us who faithfully follow Him will<br />

have a future in heaven that is better <strong>and</strong> brighter than<br />

what the world affords.<br />

The essence of the coming of the Messiah is to liberate us<br />

from sin <strong>and</strong> to reconcile us back to our heavenly Father<br />

who lives in heaven. The scriptures describe Him in John<br />

1:29, as “...the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin<br />

of the world.” He is able to take our sins away because of<br />

His death at Calvary; <strong>and</strong> His blood sacrifice for our sin<br />

was the only perfect offering of atonement sweet enough<br />

to appeal <strong>and</strong> appease the mind of God from intended<br />

judgment for past sins committed.<br />

There is no other person like Jesus given among men<br />

that can potentially liquidate, that is, settle the <strong>pay</strong>ment<br />

of our sin debt, through His death on the cross. Acts 4:12<br />

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none<br />

other name under heaven given among men, whereby<br />

we must be saved.”<br />

He is so unique that it takes only His special blood breed<br />

once to write off the entire debt of our sin in the memory<br />

bank of heaven, which if God had let the assignment to<br />

be done by any other personality, it would have taken a<br />

colossal for ever time frame in order for such a person to<br />

attempt the mission impossible. This is because nobody<br />

else could have paid for our sin because all the people in<br />

the world are sinners themselves <strong>and</strong> debtors so they<br />

cannot afford to <strong>pay</strong> for our debts.<br />

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because<br />

he hath anointed me to preach the <strong>go</strong>spel to the poor; he<br />

hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach<br />

deliverance to the captives, <strong>and</strong> recovering of sight to<br />

the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To<br />

preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”<br />

Jesus, in an outline above, has clearly stated the reasons<br />

that brought Him to this world. But do you know why<br />

you are here today? My question is borne from the fact<br />

that many people <strong>go</strong> to church, but they do not seem to<br />

underst<strong>and</strong> the core value why they do what they do.<br />

So, I am throwing this question to you: what is the purpose<br />

of you attending church services? Others spend quality<br />

time reading the Bible. What is your reason for reading<br />

the Bible? Many <strong>others</strong> listen to the word of God being<br />

preached by a minister of the <strong>go</strong>spel via the means of<br />

electronics. But why do you listen to the word of God?<br />

Some even have the penchant for calling the name of<br />

Jesus. But why do you call the name of Jesus?<br />

Throughout the world over, the poor in society seem not<br />

to possess the basic resources meant for their daily upkeep.<br />

Often times, they rely heavily on h<strong>and</strong>outs, which originate<br />

from liberal donors who funnel it through humanitarian<br />

agencies before it could eventually become the<br />

survival kit for the very poor.<br />

The mission of the Saviour to preach the <strong>go</strong>spel to the<br />

poor can be likened to the above illustration. Luke 4:18<br />

“The Spirit of the Lord...hath anointed me to preach the<br />

<strong>go</strong>spel to the poor...” Jesus has come to the world so that<br />

He would award C of O’s to the poor who cannot afford a<br />

mansion in heaven. John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are<br />

many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.<br />

I <strong>go</strong> to prepare a place for you.”<br />

Please <strong>pay</strong> attention. <strong>No</strong> matter how rich <strong>and</strong> highly<br />

connected you may appear on earth, you will not be able<br />

to muscle your way through to heaven with that material<br />

wealth of yours nor that highly placed position you<br />

possess. But the <strong>go</strong>od news is that Jesus can buy the best<br />

l<strong>and</strong>ed property for you in heaven. He can <strong>pay</strong> it on<br />

your behalf. In fact, He has already completed the<br />

<strong>pay</strong>ment regime for you.<br />

For you to be able to move from this earthly city, where<br />

you now leave, to the heavenly city of God, you will need<br />

a means of transportation. The cash in your bank<br />

accounts cannot be able to take you there nor can a manmade<br />

automotive resource spacecraft l<strong>and</strong> you in the<br />

heaven of heavens. The only one that can translate <strong>and</strong><br />

transport you out of earth into heaven is Jesus Christ.<br />

He has all the resources required to get you a visa <strong>and</strong> a<br />

passport for heaven.<br />

But you have to part with the inherent nature of sin<br />

resident in you, if you must be accepted as a citizen of<br />

heaven. This is because heaven is holy, <strong>and</strong> the angels of<br />

God who reside in heaven are holy, <strong>and</strong> God is a holy God<br />

who will not dem<strong>and</strong> anything less than the basic<br />

housekeeping rules in heaven. *To be concluded<br />

10 years after Biodun Kumuyi:<br />

How time flies! (2)<br />

By Banji Ojewale<br />

SENSING the erosion<br />

of moral values in<br />

the country, chiefly<br />

because of failing families<br />

<strong>and</strong> un<strong>go</strong>dly training<br />

of the youth <strong>and</strong> children,<br />

Mummy Kumuyi’s<br />

publication now features<br />

well written, Scripturallybased<br />

pieces to fill the gap <strong>and</strong><br />

save the society from<br />

collapsing. A Health Tips<br />

column is also on offer in the<br />

magazine to complete a fullorbed<br />

presentation necessary<br />

for building a sound<br />

home.<br />

SPEAKERS at a youth<br />

conference tagged<br />

“Emerge in Life” organized<br />

by the Region 19 of the<br />

Redeemed Christian Church<br />

of God, RCCG on ACME<br />

Road, Ogba, La<strong>go</strong>s have submitted<br />

that for Nigerian youth<br />

to emerge into great-ness, they<br />

must be ready to make a difference,<br />

see opportunities<br />

where <strong>others</strong> are seeing problems<br />

<strong>and</strong> be ready to develop<br />

their innate potentials <strong>and</strong> utilize<br />

them maximally,<br />

The resource persons, including<br />

Pastor-in-Charge of Region<br />

19, Pastor Brown Oyitso,<br />

Executive Director, John<br />

Maxwell Global Youth Initiative<br />

Team, Mrs. Ola-tokunbo<br />

Ige, a member of the Team,<br />

Mr. Olusoji Oya-woye, Managing<br />

Director, ARM Financial<br />

Advisors, Mrs. Henrietta<br />

Bankole-Olusina, Country<br />

Director, ANDELA, Mrs.<br />

Omowale David-Ashiru <strong>and</strong><br />

Chief Executive Officer, Wilson’s<br />

Juice Company, Mr. Seyi<br />

Mystery, Babylon the Great (Revelation 17:5)<br />

IN Revelation 17:1, this<br />

Mystery, Babylon<br />

the Great, is also known<br />

as the great whore, sitting<br />

upon many waters, <strong>and</strong> in<br />

Verses 3-4, she is referred to<br />

as a woman, having a <strong>go</strong>lden<br />

cup in her h<strong>and</strong> full of<br />

abominations <strong>and</strong> filthiness<br />

of her fornication. This<br />

great whore, or this wo-man,<br />

or Mystery, Babylon the<br />

Great symbolizes a religious<br />

organization, with a<br />

large followership, all over<br />

the world, because the many<br />

waters she sits upon, are the<br />

multitudes, peo-ples,<br />

nations <strong>and</strong> tongues under<br />

her control. (Revel-ation<br />

17:15). The religious rites of<br />

this religious organ-ization<br />

are shrouded in mysteries,<br />

that are idolat-rous. And in<br />

Revelation 17:5, it is written:<br />

“And upon her forehead was<br />

a name written, Mystery,<br />

Babylon The Great, The<br />

Mother of Harlots <strong>and</strong> Abominations<br />

of the Earth,”<br />

showing that she has given<br />

birth to other religious organizations<br />

which are also<br />

harlots. That is why this<br />

organization is known as<br />

Mother of harlots.<br />

All the religious rites <strong>and</strong><br />

ceremonies of this Modern<br />

Mystery Babylon, the Great<br />

were inherited from Ancient<br />

Babylon, which are now<br />

being practiced by all the<br />

religious institut-ions, to<br />

which she has gi-ven birth.<br />

The emblem of this modern<br />

Mystery Baby-lon, is<br />

Semiramis, bearing in her<br />

Absolute credit for this<br />

success must, of course, be<br />

given to God. But He used<br />

Biodun Kumuyi as the vessel<br />

that bore the vis-ion. It was a<br />

high calling which would have<br />

instilled in <strong>others</strong> a false sense<br />

of self-esteem <strong>and</strong><br />

achievement. Others would<br />

have flaunt-ed the success as<br />

a personal one.<br />

The manifestation of the-se<br />

elsewhere would have been<br />

the ornate display of the<br />

photograph of the wo-man<br />

beside the pastor on<br />

billboards. But Biodun, out of<br />

deference to what the Bible<br />

teaches about the place of<br />

woman in church, operated<br />

Abolaji, admonished the<br />

youth to do self appraisal by<br />

concentrating on that aspect<br />

of their lives where they have<br />

comparative advantage.<br />

Oyitso, who doubles as Special<br />

Assistant to the General<br />

Overseer on Miss-ions of the<br />

RCCG, parti-cularly noted<br />

that the theme of the conference<br />

could not have been more<br />

appropriate considering the<br />

current socio-economic situation<br />

of the country <strong>and</strong> its<br />

implication on the future of<br />

young adults <strong>and</strong> youth who<br />

appear to have been relegated<br />

to the back-ground across<br />

every facet of the society <strong>and</strong><br />

nation at large.<br />

“The programme offers immense<br />

opportunity for a new<br />

vision <strong>and</strong> a fresh start to anyone<br />

who has been hiding<br />

from the sha-me of past failures,<br />

relegat-ed to the background<br />

<strong>and</strong> limited by their<br />

immediate circumstances<br />

<strong>and</strong> envir-onment”, he said.<br />

He listed factors youth must<br />

consider to emerge into greatness<br />

to include connection<br />

h<strong>and</strong>s, Nimrod, her son.<br />

(Genesis 10:8).<br />

But in Revelation 18:4,<br />

there is a warning from<br />

heaven to all the people of<br />

God, who desire to enter<br />

Heaven, to come out of her<br />

so that they will not part-ake<br />

of her sins, <strong>and</strong> then receive<br />

the judgment of her plagues<br />

that will come upon her, as<br />

a result of the wrath of God<br />

upon the adherents of this<br />

religious organization.<br />

God also warned in Jeremiah<br />

51:6-7: “Flee out of the<br />

midst of Babylon, <strong>and</strong> deli-ver<br />

everyman his soul: be not cut<br />

off in her iniquity, for this is<br />

the time of the Lord’s<br />

vengeance <strong>and</strong> He will render<br />

unto her a re-compense.” In<br />

Revelation 17:4, it is written<br />

that this woman was decked<br />

with <strong>go</strong>ld <strong>and</strong> precious stones<br />

<strong>and</strong> pearls. This symboli-zes<br />

the great wealth of this<br />

religious organization.<br />

This religious organiza-tion<br />

is a spiritual harlot, having a<br />

<strong>go</strong>lden cup, full of<br />

abominations <strong>and</strong> filthi-ness<br />

of her spiritual fornication. In<br />

Revelation 18:3, it is written<br />

that all nations, even the holy<br />

nation, have become drunken<br />

of the wine of the wrath of her<br />

forn-ication. That is why many<br />

harlot churches are, in this<br />

dispensation, rapidly springing<br />

up, out of her.<br />

As written in Revelation<br />

18:3, the merchants of the<br />

earth are waxed rich thr-ough<br />

the abundance of her<br />

delicacies, that are being<br />

marketed during the un-<strong>go</strong>dly<br />

silently behind the<br />

scenes. This style in no way<br />

reduced her impact or<br />

influence. It rather was<br />

responsible for the giant<br />

strides of her work, both in the<br />

church, among the wo-men<br />

<strong>and</strong> in the society. It couldn’t<br />

have been other-wise.<br />

Her modus oper<strong>and</strong>i had<br />

Divine approval! The overall<br />

result is that the Christ-ian<br />

Community within <strong>and</strong><br />

outside Nigeria has been<br />

endowed with a publi-cation<br />

whose objectives are nondenominational<br />

even if it’s a<br />

denomination that publishes<br />

it! But it’s not only the church<br />

that is gaining from Sister<br />

Kumu-yi’s legacy. The whole<br />

so-ciety benefits on account of<br />

religious festivities observed<br />

by this religious organization.<br />

In Vanguard Newspaper of<br />

April 21, 2019 was a caption:<br />

Bloody Easter as gunmen kill<br />

11 worshippers. About a year<br />

a<strong>go</strong>, there was also a Bloody<br />

cross-over night in Rivers State,<br />

in which many wor-shippers<br />

were killed by gunmen, as they<br />

were com-ing out of the<br />

church.<br />

All these festivities <strong>and</strong><br />

ceremonies are not of God, but<br />

they are doctrines of vanities<br />

of Modern My-stery Babylon,<br />

the Great, which were<br />

inherited from Ancient<br />

Babylon. It is true that the<br />

resurrection of Jesus Christ is<br />

the foundation of the Christian<br />

faith, as written in I<br />

Corinthians 15:13-14; 17-18:<br />

this is why it is observed on the<br />

first week, which is the Lord's<br />

day, as written in Revelation<br />

1:10 but the word “Easter”<br />

pronounced as Ishtar is a<br />

Chaldean word for the “queen<br />

of heaven”.<br />

All these un<strong>go</strong>dly festivi-ties<br />

shall continue to be bloody,<br />

because Satan, who is the<br />

prince of this world, <strong>and</strong> his<br />

blood-thirsty demons are<br />

behind all these festivities.<br />

Until believers in Christ agree<br />

with the truth that preaches<br />

the fact that when you train<br />

or educate a woman <strong>and</strong> a<br />

child, it’s the entire nation you<br />

have empower-ed, given the<br />

superior nu-merical strength<br />

of women both in the church<br />

<strong>and</strong> in the society<br />

generally. Her work in<br />

the Women Ministry of the<br />

church was no less<br />

phenomenal. She was reputed<br />

to have des-igned, planned<br />

<strong>and</strong> execut-ed enriching<br />

programmes for women. For<br />

this class of citizens who the<br />

society <strong>and</strong> <strong>go</strong>vernment had<br />

negl-ected or marginalised,<br />

the programmes offered hope<br />

<strong>and</strong> a sense of worth <strong>and</strong><br />

belonging.<br />

*To be concluded<br />

RCCG tasks youth on capacity building<br />

By Sam Eyoboka<br />

with God, hav-ing a sense of<br />

purpose in life, being <strong>go</strong>al oriented,<br />

having positive mindset<br />

<strong>and</strong> habits, being well informed<br />

<strong>and</strong> time conscious,<br />

praying without ceasing as<br />

well as rendering thanks-giving<br />

to God always.<br />

Corroborating Oyitso’s views,<br />

Ige, a committed disciple of<br />

Dr. John Max-well, a foremost<br />

expert in the area of personal<br />

deve-lopment for<br />

transformat-ional leadership,<br />

urged the youth to discover<br />

their pu-rpose <strong>and</strong> potential<br />

throu-gh self awareness,<br />

charact-er, skills, relationships<br />

<strong>and</strong> spiritually.<br />

Also, Oyawoye, while urg-ing<br />

the youth to make a difference,<br />

noted that what one becomes<br />

in life is a matter of choice.<br />

“Choice is a gift, a gift you give<br />

your-self. We all start life with<br />

no choices but as we grow,<br />

what we get out of life is the<br />

result of the choices we made”,<br />

he said.<br />

While David-Ashiru, rep-resented<br />

by Femi Sojebi harped<br />

on emerging techn-ologies<br />

<strong>and</strong> the need to sustain relevance<br />

in the digital world,<br />

Abolaji who is a co-founder of<br />

Wilson’s Juice Company<br />

urged the youth to embrace<br />

entre-preneurship as white<br />

collar jobs are becoming elusive.<br />

Bankole-Olusina called the<br />

youth’s attention to future of<br />

work, saying they need to seize<br />

emerging opportu-nities <strong>and</strong><br />

strive to adapt to new dem<strong>and</strong>s.<br />

Explaining the essence of the<br />

program, Chairman Planning<br />

Committee, Pastor Osato<br />

<strong>No</strong>ah said it was informed by<br />

the desire to provide a platform<br />

to inspire, galvanize <strong>and</strong><br />

mo-bilize the youth against<br />

any form of hindrances <strong>and</strong><br />

limitations to their aspirations.<br />

“As the maiden edition, it is<br />

expected to be a platform that<br />

will result to a parad-igm shift<br />

for a new br<strong>and</strong> of political<br />

<strong>and</strong> opinion leaders for the<br />

nation <strong>and</strong> righteous mindset<br />

in the church”, he added.<br />

against all these un<strong>go</strong>dly,<br />

pagan festivities, they will remain<br />

under the anger of God,<br />

because stubbornness to the<br />

word of truth, is as the sin of<br />

iniquity <strong>and</strong> idolatry. (I<br />

Samuel 15:23).<br />

It is also written in Revelation<br />

18:2, that Babylon, the<br />

Great is fallen <strong>and</strong> is now<br />

become the habitation of<br />

devils. That is why all the<br />

doctrines of Mystery Baby-lon<br />

are of the devils. And a few of<br />

these doctrines shall be proved<br />

to be unscriptural, as we<br />

search the scri-pture of the<br />

word of truth, which is the<br />

Gospel of man's salvation as<br />

written in Ephesian 1:13.<br />

These doctrines, to mention<br />

a few, are the doctrine of<br />

Baptismal regeneration, the<br />

doctrine of Purgatory <strong>and</strong><br />

prayers for the dead, the<br />

doctrine of Extreme Unction,<br />

doctrine of Confessionals to<br />

priests, doctrine of<br />

Deification or Canonization<br />

of “dead saints,”<br />

doctrine of Justification by<br />

works, doctrine of Vanities,<br />

which are the un<strong>go</strong>dly festivities<br />

of Christmas, East-er,<br />

Cross-Over night, New-Year,<br />

Valentine celebration, etc.<br />

*To be continued<br />

CHRISTIAN GOSPEL CHURCH<br />

(The Truth Centre) 4, Christian Gospel Avenue,<br />

Beside Psychiatric Hospital,<br />

Uselu, Benin City, Edo State.<br />

Email: cgc.com.ng@gmail.com<br />

Telephone: +234 (0) 7052061135, +234 (0)<br />

9030731406. Website: www.cgc.com.ng


SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019, PAGE 39<br />

,<br />

<strong>No</strong>body spoils a man’s<br />

life like Jesus. Jesus is<br />

a killer of all worldly<br />

joy. God’s attitude to the<br />

world is often lost on many.<br />

God hates the world system.<br />

The world hated Jesus <strong>and</strong> killed<br />

him. Therefore, anyone who is<br />

a lover of pleasure; anyone who<br />

likes this world becomes an enemy<br />

of God.<br />

Accordingly, James asks:<br />

“You adulterers! Don’t you realize<br />

that friendship with the world<br />

makes you an enemy of God? I<br />

say it again: If you want to be a<br />

friend of the world, you make<br />

yourself an enemy of God.”<br />

(James 4:4). Paul is of the same<br />

opinion: “She who lives in pleasure<br />

is dead while she lives.” (1<br />

Timothy 5:6). Thus, Jesus assured<br />

his disciples: “In the world<br />

you will have tribulation.” (John<br />

16:33).<br />

God is so implacably opposed<br />

to the world; he has<br />

doomed it to destruction. Isaiah<br />

says: “I have heard from the<br />

Lord God of hosts, a destruction<br />

determined even upon the whole<br />

earth.” (Isaiah 28:22). In the<br />

meantime, God plans “to bring<br />

into contempt all the honourable<br />

of the earth.” (Isaiah 23:9).<br />

God allows wickedness to<br />

prevail on earth, the better to<br />

commend to us the superiority<br />

of the kingdom of heaven. Job<br />

notes that: “The whole earth is<br />

in the h<strong>and</strong>s of the wicked” (Job<br />

9:24). This is because God allows<br />

it to be so. Thus, God allows<br />

the worst kinds of people to<br />

be heads of <strong>states</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>go</strong>vernments:<br />

“The High God rules human<br />

kingdoms.<br />

He arranges kingdom affairs<br />

however he wishes, <strong>and</strong> makes<br />

leaders out of losers.” (Daniel<br />

4:17).<br />

Wonder-less world<br />

Thanks to Jesus, we are<br />

brought to the realisation that<br />

GOD IS NOT GOOD ALL THE TIME<br />

what we deemed to be life is actually<br />

death. Under the tutelage<br />

of the Holy Spirit, believers<br />

are made foreigners <strong>and</strong><br />

strangers here on decrepit earth;<br />

having become citizens of a spiritual<br />

heavenly kingdom.<br />

Out of this new reality is then<br />

fashioned a completely different<br />

psychology. The atonement<br />

kills everything before it makes<br />

alive. This is what God says<br />

about his own peculiar process:<br />

“I, even I, am he, <strong>and</strong> there is no<br />

God besides me; I kill <strong>and</strong> I<br />

make alive; I wound <strong>and</strong> I heal;<br />

nor is there any who can deliver<br />

from my h<strong>and</strong>.” (Deuteronomy<br />

32:39).<br />

Christ makes every pain irrelevant<br />

<strong>and</strong> he diminishes every<br />

joy outside of himself.<br />

Therefore, be contemptuous of<br />

every advantage. Overlook every<br />

disadvantage. Jesus is a leveller.<br />

The kingdom of God cancels<br />

deficits <strong>and</strong> erases credits.<br />

Before the glory of God is revealed:<br />

“Every valley shall be<br />

exalted <strong>and</strong> every mountain <strong>and</strong><br />

hill brought low.” (Isaiah 40:4).<br />

God is at pains to make us<br />

see that what we call wonderful<br />

is “wonder-less.” He <strong>tells</strong> us<br />

the man who is blessed is not he<br />

who won the lottery, but he who<br />

receives forgiveness of sin:<br />

“Blessed is he whose transgressions<br />

are forgiven, whose sins are<br />

covered. Blessed is the man<br />

whose sin the Lord does not<br />

count against him.” (Psalm 32:1-<br />

My <strong>go</strong>al is to make Heaven<br />

at last (2)<br />

JOHN 6:67-68 “Then<br />

said Jesus unto the<br />

twelve, Will ye also<br />

<strong>go</strong> away? Then Simon Peter<br />

answered him, Lord, to<br />

whom shall we <strong>go</strong>? thou<br />

hast the words of eternal<br />

life.”<br />

When one professes Christianity,<br />

what he is saying<br />

is that he is on the race to<br />

be with Christ in heaven.<br />

In other words, he has a<br />

vision to make heaven <strong>and</strong><br />

no amount of discouragement<br />

or circumstance can<br />

change his decision; no<br />

persuasion can cause him<br />

to derail from this <strong>go</strong>al. He<br />

has chosen heaven as his<br />

last abode <strong>and</strong> is determined<br />

to be with the Lord at<br />

the end of this life. As far<br />

as he is concerned, it is<br />

heaven or nothing.<br />

This unshaken decision of<br />

making heaven was what<br />

Peter advocated on behalf<br />

of the Apostles when Christ<br />

asked them if they had any<br />

reason to <strong>go</strong> away from<br />

Him having been convinced<br />

He has the capacity to<br />

lead them to heaven. And<br />

Peter, speaking with conviction,<br />

said there is no alternate<br />

option to heaven<br />

than through Jesus Christ.<br />

He went <strong>ahead</strong> to assert<br />

that Christ is the way, the<br />

truth, <strong>and</strong> the life, <strong>and</strong> if<br />

anybody chooses any other<br />

way he will w<strong>and</strong>er <strong>and</strong><br />

die. This underst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />

should guide all Christians<br />

in this voyage to heaven<br />

including what they engage<br />

themselves into. So, if<br />

you are a Christian it is expected<br />

of you not to have<br />

any other <strong>go</strong>al than to make<br />

heaven at last.<br />

<strong>No</strong>te that having a <strong>go</strong>al to<br />

make heaven <strong>and</strong> realizing<br />

the <strong>go</strong>al are two different<br />

things. To actualize the<br />

<strong>go</strong>al the Christian must be<br />

committed <strong>and</strong> focused in<br />

his quest of heavenly <strong>go</strong>al<br />

which entails a lifestyle<br />

that is in accordance with<br />

the tenet of the Scripture.<br />

Anybody who is having<br />

the <strong>go</strong>al of making heaven<br />

must be mindful of his/her<br />

relationship with <strong>others</strong><br />

having in mind that the<br />

kingdom of heaven is a holy<br />

place <strong>and</strong> without holiness<br />

no one shall enter. The<br />

person must take it as a duty<br />

to avoid sin <strong>and</strong> whatever<br />

that could lead to it.<br />

God prefers to<br />

make people cry<br />

than to make them<br />

laugh<br />

2).<br />

Jesus maintains the joy to be<br />

cherished is the joy of salvation:<br />

“Look, I have given you authority<br />

over all the power of the enemy,<br />

<strong>and</strong> you can walk among<br />

snakes <strong>and</strong> scorpions <strong>and</strong> crush<br />

them. <strong>No</strong>thing will injure you.<br />

But don’t rejoice because evil<br />

spirits obey you; rejoice because<br />

your names are registered in<br />

heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20).<br />

Man of sorrows<br />

God prefers to make people<br />

cry than to make them laugh.<br />

Jesus was a man of sorrows; acquainted<br />

with grief. (Isaiah<br />

53:3). The bible says of him:<br />

“It was the Lord’s <strong>go</strong>od plan to<br />

crush him <strong>and</strong> cause him grief.”<br />

(Isaiah 53:10).<br />

There is really very little to<br />

laugh about here on earth.<br />

What is there to laugh about in a<br />

world riddled with sin, where<br />

souls are perishing every day;<br />

<strong>and</strong> where the thief comes daily<br />

to steal, kill <strong>and</strong> destroy? (John<br />

Mark 9:43-48 says:<br />

“And if thy h<strong>and</strong><br />

offend thee, cut it<br />

off: it is better for<br />

thee to enter into<br />

life maimed, than<br />

having two h<strong>and</strong>s<br />

to <strong>go</strong> into hell, into<br />

the fire that never<br />

shall be quenched:<br />

Where their worm<br />

dieth not, <strong>and</strong> the fire is not<br />

quenched. And if thy foot<br />

offend thee, cut it off: it is<br />

better for thee to enter halt<br />

into life, than having two<br />

feet to be cast into hell, into<br />

the fire that never shall be<br />

quenched: Where their<br />

worm dieth not, <strong>and</strong> the<br />

fire is not quenched. And<br />

if thine eye offend thee,<br />

pluck it out: it is better for<br />

thee to enter into the kingdom<br />

of God with one eye,<br />

than having two eyes to be<br />

cast into hell fire: Where<br />

their worm dieth not, <strong>and</strong><br />

the fire is not quenched”<br />

The Scripture, in the above<br />

context, has implored<br />

all heavenly c<strong>and</strong>idates to<br />

strike at the root of all impure<br />

inclination, un<strong>go</strong>dly<br />

ambition, <strong>and</strong> irritable<br />

temper that could endanger<br />

their chances of losing<br />

the <strong>go</strong>al of making heaven.<br />

When counselling the Corinthians,<br />

Paul described<br />

himself as a careful runner<br />

with a definite objective to<br />

make heaven. His eye was<br />

fixed upon the heavenly<br />

<strong>go</strong>al <strong>and</strong> he was running<br />

straight toward it not<br />

allowing anything to distract<br />

his avowed decision.<br />

This is what is required<br />

from a true Christian whose<br />

<strong>go</strong>al is to make heaven.<br />

By Pastor<br />

Oloruntimilehin<br />

Joshua Daramola<br />

RIGHTEOUSNESS<br />

is the act of being<br />

just or acting in a<br />

moral way.<br />

Many people, religious,<br />

political <strong>and</strong> security leaders<br />

in this country believe<br />

their actions <strong>and</strong> deeds in<br />

the course of discharging<br />

their duties/responsibilities<br />

are just. But most of<br />

these, if not all, are for<br />

their selfish interest.<br />

Some religious leaders orientate<br />

their followers to discriminately<br />

avoid relating<br />

with followers of another<br />

religious denomination on<br />

the basis of mode of worship<br />

<strong>and</strong> church tenets. Imagine<br />

some Christians do<br />

not see anything <strong>go</strong>od in<br />

white garment churches.<br />

Meanwhile the Holy Bible<br />

does not condemn it, instead<br />

justifies the need for<br />

followers of Jesus Christ to<br />

wear white garment. Revelation<br />

7:13-17. Some Christian<br />

leaders preach against<br />

vision, prophecy <strong>and</strong> taking<br />

of drugs (medication).<br />

They believe any Christian<br />

that does any of these<br />

is an unbeliever. Christian<br />

br<strong>others</strong> or sisters cannot<br />

eat or drink with fellow<br />

Christians.<br />

Is that righteous?<br />

Jesus Christ <strong>and</strong> Prophet<br />

Mohammed, the proginators<br />

of Christianity <strong>and</strong> Islam<br />

respectively taught<br />

<strong>and</strong> preached to their followers<br />

the spirit of Love.<br />

But today most religious<br />

leaders saddled with the<br />

responsibility of propagat-<br />

10:10). What is there to laugh<br />

about in a grief-stricken world?<br />

Therefore, Jesus pronounces<br />

woe on those given to laughter.<br />

He says: “Woe to you who are full,<br />

for you shall hunger. Woe to you<br />

who laugh now, for you shall<br />

mourn <strong>and</strong> weep” (Luke 6:25).<br />

Amos also says: “Woe to those<br />

lounging in luxury at Jerusalem<br />

<strong>and</strong> Samaria.” (Amos 6:1).<br />

James <strong>go</strong>es even further to prescribe<br />

a strange tonic for the soul:<br />

“Lament <strong>and</strong> mourn <strong>and</strong> weep! Let<br />

your laughter be turned to mourning<br />

<strong>and</strong> your joy to gloom.”<br />

(James 4:9).<br />

But we thought Jesus came to<br />

give us beauty for ashes, the oil of<br />

joy for mourning, <strong>and</strong> the garment<br />

of praise for the spirit of heaviness?<br />

(Isaiah 61:3). Yes indeed! But<br />

Jesus’ ministry is only for those<br />

who are sorrowful <strong>and</strong> mournful.<br />

Moreover, the consolations of<br />

Christ come not through the reform<br />

of this world, but by invitation<br />

to another kingdom; a kingdom<br />

not of this world.<br />

Divine prescription<br />

The nature of this un<strong>go</strong>dly world<br />

is such that, according to the wisdom<br />

of God, even in laughter the<br />

heart should sorrow, since the end<br />

of mirth may be grief. (Proverbs<br />

14:13). Solomon says: “Sorrow<br />

is better than laughter, for by a sad<br />

countenance the heart is made better.”<br />

(Ecclesiastes 7:3). By laughter<br />

<strong>and</strong> merriment the heart is<br />

made worse, vainer, more carnal<br />

<strong>and</strong> more sensual. It is made<br />

more in love with the world <strong>and</strong><br />

more estranged from God <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>go</strong>dliness.<br />

If sorrow is indeed better than<br />

laughter, then the man who God<br />

makes sad is more blessed than the<br />

man who is happy. When a man<br />

decides to be <strong>go</strong>od to another man,<br />

he tries to make him happy. He<br />

ministers to his body. He makes<br />

him comfortable. <strong>No</strong>t so the<br />

<strong>go</strong>odness of God. When God is<br />

really <strong>go</strong>od to someone, he is more<br />

likely to make him sad. God’s<br />

<strong>go</strong>odness works more on the heart<br />

than on the flesh: “The <strong>go</strong>odness<br />

of God leads you to repentance.”<br />

(Romans 2:4). Its main objective<br />

is to lead us along the path of life<br />

<strong>and</strong> make us heirs of salvation.<br />

Therefore, God is not <strong>go</strong>od in the<br />

way that is normally considered<br />

to be <strong>go</strong>od. If we don’t underst<strong>and</strong><br />

the peculiarity of God’s <strong>go</strong>odness,<br />

we are likely to be sad when<br />

we should be glad, <strong>and</strong> to be glad<br />

when we should be sad.<br />

In the kingdom of God, the way<br />

up is down.<br />

In order to enter, we must be<br />

born again. (John 3:3-5). In order<br />

to see, we have to be blind.<br />

(John 9:39). In order to be full,<br />

we have to hunger. (Luke 6:21).<br />

In order to gain, we have to lose.<br />

(Matthew. 13:44-46). In order to<br />

be rich, we have to be poor. (1<br />

Samuel 2:7). In order to be<br />

strong, we have to be weak. (Judges<br />

7:2-7). In order to be masters,<br />

we have to be slaves. (Matthew<br />

20:25-28). The elder must serve<br />

the younger. (Genesis 25:23).<br />

In order to laugh, we have to<br />

weep. (Luke 6:21). In order to<br />

enter into glory, we have to endure<br />

suffering. (Luke 24:25-26). In<br />

order to be healed, we have to be<br />

sick. (Luke 5:31). In order to<br />

live, we have to die. (John 12:24).<br />

In order to save our life, we have<br />

to lose it. (Matthew 16:25-26).<br />

In order to be first, we have to be<br />

last. (Matthew 19:30).<br />

Righteousness is for the<br />

<strong>go</strong>od of all<br />

•Daramola<br />

ing these two religions have<br />

failed to practice the<br />

teachings of these two<br />

great leaders.<br />

Imagine, Muslim br<strong>others</strong><br />

killing one another <strong>and</strong><br />

non-Muslims with the belief<br />

that they are doing it<br />

for God. Can you fight for<br />

God? A Muslim friend told<br />

me that Muslims can pray<br />

anywhere they <strong>go</strong> <strong>and</strong> peace<br />

be unto them there.<br />

Then why are some Muslims<br />

maiming, killing people<br />

everywhere, is this righteousness?<br />

It is pertinent that both<br />

the Christians <strong>and</strong> Muslims<br />

preach love <strong>and</strong> peace,<br />

allow peace to reign in this<br />

country <strong>and</strong> in the world<br />

in general. There is no<br />

need to be killing one another<br />

because we came from<br />

the same God.<br />

The world has been transformed<br />

from the primitive<br />

ways of living to a better,<br />

civilized <strong>and</strong> modernized<br />

ways of living. Both Jesus<br />

Christ <strong>and</strong> Prophet Mohammed<br />

rode on donkeys,<br />

lived in caves, excreting in<br />

bushes but now religious<br />

leaders ride posh cars <strong>and</strong><br />

jeeps <strong>and</strong> live in mansions<br />

<strong>and</strong> beautiful houses. Some<br />

religious leaders tell<br />

their members not to commit<br />

adultery but they commit<br />

adultery even with<br />

their female members.<br />

In our country, <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

officials are not righteous<br />

in discharging their<br />

responsibilities. Imagine<br />

the recent Police pension<br />

scam, a high court judge<br />

discharged <strong>and</strong> acquitted<br />

an ex-<strong>go</strong>vernor of charges<br />

of fraud, embezzlement<br />

<strong>and</strong> later for the ex-<strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

to plead guilty to the<br />

same charges in UK. Is the<br />

judge a righteous person?<br />

A policeman at the checkpoint<br />

takes bribe from commercial<br />

bus driver, if<br />

caught he be reprim<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

but top senior police officers<br />

are involved in mismanagement<br />

of police<br />

fund they're walking freely.<br />

Is this righteousness?<br />

Some Custom officers seize<br />

smuggle <strong>go</strong>ods of ordinary<br />

citizens but some officers<br />

will escort a trailer load of<br />

illegal <strong>go</strong>ods into the country<br />

without being arrested.<br />

*For further enquiries<br />

contact The Omnipotence<br />

Mission of God,<br />

2 Oloruntimilehin St,<br />

Pipeline, Mosan off<br />

Ipaja road, La<strong>go</strong>s or call<br />

0 8 0 2 3 0 2 0 1 0 8 ;<br />

0 8 0 5 8 1 1 0 2 8 8 ;<br />

0 8 0 2 3 0 2 0 1 0 8 ,<br />

0 8 0 5 8 1 1 0 2 8 8 .<br />

www.facebook.com/<br />

pastoroloruntimilehin.


PAGE 40 — SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

I eat my breakfast as a king,<br />

dinner as a pauper —Adediji<br />

Mr. Bode Adediji is Group Executive Chairman of Bode<br />

Adediji Partnership, Kontinental, Developers Nigeria<br />

Limited <strong>and</strong> House of Estate International Limited,<br />

a Real Estate company with a difference. The 66 years old<br />

<strong>go</strong>od looking man speaks on his healthy lifestyle <strong>and</strong> suggested<br />

tips on how to keep fit.<br />

I walked into your office <strong>and</strong> I was<br />

told, you were taking a nap, why<br />

was that?<br />

Two things are essential in life.<br />

They are obituary <strong>and</strong> health.<br />

Anyone who does not take those<br />

things into recognition should<br />

have a rethink. There is no<br />

difference between human body<br />

<strong>and</strong> machine. If you work<br />

relentlessly without resting, there<br />

are consequences. And with my<br />

age, I cannot eat <strong>and</strong> drink<br />

carelessly. This is the era in which<br />

individual must be his or her own<br />

personal doctor. We all have<br />

smartphones therefore, it should<br />

not be a problem to research<br />

online on how to be healthy on a<br />

daily basis. Anyone above 50<br />

years old should take his or her<br />

health seriously. I have learnt to<br />

do the best I can to make sure I<br />

stay healthy. My health is superior<br />

to any other things. Money,<br />

family, fame, fun are <strong>go</strong>od but<br />

once any of these enumerated<br />

clashes with my health, I rather<br />

let it <strong>go</strong>.<br />

I have also principled myself to<br />

ensuring that myself, my wife,<br />

children <strong>and</strong> workers see doctors<br />

regularly for check-ups. In fact,<br />

you need to see doctor more when<br />

you think, you are healthy. If you<br />

retain your eating habit for so long<br />

a time, it is very wrong. It is also<br />

wrong for individual not to sweat<br />

on a daily basis.<br />

In summary, three thing must be<br />

observed. Routine medical checkup,<br />

food is key <strong>and</strong> lastly, <strong>go</strong>od<br />

exercises. I do not joke with my<br />

There are several<br />

ways to<br />

effectively clean<br />

drinking glasses<br />

with everyday<br />

household products.<br />

These are:<br />

Using<br />

a<br />

dishwasher: Using<br />

a dishwasher is a<br />

less effective way to<br />

get glasses clean<br />

<strong>and</strong> cloud-free than<br />

h<strong>and</strong> washing. If<br />

you prefer using a<br />

dishwasher anyway,<br />

there are ways to<br />

improve the results.<br />

Make a vinegar<br />

solution.If your glasses are<br />

cloudy or have white streaks,<br />

clean them with vinegar. Fill a<br />

medium-sized bowl with white<br />

vinegar <strong>and</strong> warm water. Use<br />

two tablespoons of vinegar for<br />

every cup of water.<br />

Wipe down the glasses. Dip a<br />

clean cloth into the vinegar<br />

08111813025<br />

sleep at least between five <strong>and</strong><br />

seven hours a day. I eat my<br />

breakfast as a king, dinner as<br />

pauper. If people decend on a<br />

bowl of garri or pounded yam at<br />

8pm, it is no longer food but<br />

poison. People should learn to<br />

profile their lifestyle <strong>and</strong> find out<br />

if they are getting the best in<br />

terms of health. A person’s<br />

lifestyle is important to his life.<br />

What kind of food do you eat<br />

looking at your age?<br />

I am above 66 years old <strong>and</strong><br />

people do not believe it. And I<br />

thank God for that. I was born in<br />

a village that traditionally,<br />

throughout my years, it was 100<br />

percent carbohydrate with some<br />

mixture of vegetable. Ande<br />

because I come from a poor<br />

family, things like meat or fish<br />

comes occasionally unless we <strong>go</strong><br />

to the village to get snails or<br />

squarrels. And in the University<br />

of Ife, we were into modern foods.<br />

When I started work in a early<br />

twenties, I was eating varieties.<br />

But, when I clocked 50 years, I<br />

became extra conscious of the<br />

type of food. And I also make sure<br />

that at every meal, there is<br />

vegetable. I underst<strong>and</strong> the type<br />

of food to eat, when to eat <strong>and</strong> in<br />

what frame of mind, I eat it.<br />

Food routine<br />

I cannot do without vegetables in<br />

my diet including lettuce,<br />

cucumber, tomatoes, carrot as<br />

breakfast. And I have orange or<br />

apple juice. A slice of bread <strong>and</strong><br />

egg. In the afternoon, I eat beans<br />

<strong>and</strong> yam or plantain. And in the<br />

How to Clean Crystal<br />

Glassware<br />

solution. Gently wipe down<br />

the glasses with the cloth,<br />

both inside <strong>and</strong> out.<br />

Rinse the glasses.While the<br />

smell of vinegar is strong, it<br />

will eventually dissipate after<br />

drying. To speed up the<br />

process, rinse the glasses in<br />

cold water to wash away the<br />

vinegar solution.<br />

Bode Adediji<br />

evening, I eat one third of my food<br />

at 7pm. I make sure that I have<br />

vegetable in every meal. Other<br />

things is the percentage of water<br />

in-take on a daily basis.<br />

How would you advice a-70-year<br />

old individual in terms of food?<br />

To eat based on the advise of his<br />

or her medical doctor <strong>and</strong><br />

nutritionist. I am only conscious<br />

of my personality <strong>and</strong> identity. I<br />

have known those things that are<br />

<strong>go</strong>od for me <strong>and</strong> the ones that are<br />

bad. I take a glass of red wine <strong>and</strong><br />

sleep off although, it is not a<br />

regular basis. What is important<br />

is that individual should learn to<br />

eat in moderation.<br />

How would you rate your<br />

cooking?<br />

Can we skip that? If you want me<br />

to cook, you can phone my wife<br />

first before you engage me in the<br />

competition. I was barred from<br />

entering the kitchen by my<br />

mother. I was the last born of my<br />

family. We were seven children,<br />

six girls <strong>and</strong> one boy. I can cut<br />

grass, mob the floor but I was not<br />

allowed to even wash plate in the<br />

kitchen. The only thing, I can say<br />

is that I can cook egg better than<br />

anyone else.<br />

Healthy<br />

lifestyle<br />

Why<br />

beetroots<br />

juice is <strong>go</strong>od<br />

When it comes<br />

to healthy<br />

routine,<br />

<strong>go</strong>ing natural is the<br />

surest way. There’s<br />

no short cut in<br />

achieving that natural<br />

glow that everyone<br />

is looking for.<br />

With beetroot juice,<br />

you can be assured<br />

that your health will<br />

improve. You will<br />

notice the following<br />

happening to you<br />

including lowering<br />

of blood pressure,<br />

boosts your stamina,<br />

it has anti-cancer<br />

properties, supports<br />

your liver <strong>and</strong> rich<br />

in valuable nutrients<br />

<strong>and</strong> fiber<br />

projecting diverse angles to foods <strong>and</strong> drinks<br />

Superb Beet Fruit Juice with<br />

apple, carrot, ginger<br />

Ingredients<br />

O n e<br />

medium<br />

beet (rinsed,<br />

lightly<br />

peeled <strong>and</strong><br />

quartered)<br />

O n e<br />

medium<br />

a p p l e<br />

(peeled,<br />

cored <strong>and</strong><br />

quartered)<br />

fresh ginger<br />

( s k i n<br />

removed)<br />

Three whole<br />

carrots<br />

(rinsed <strong>and</strong><br />

peeled)<br />

To make this super tasty apple,<br />

beet, carrot, ginger juice, you<br />

blend it all up in a blender <strong>and</strong><br />

then pressed it through a fine<br />

mesh strainer until you are<br />

able to get all of the juice out.<br />

It doesn’t take much more<br />

effort. This juice is slightly<br />

sweet <strong>and</strong> perfectly balanced,<br />

with some serious kick from<br />

the ginger. Discard pulp <strong>and</strong><br />

pour your juice into a serving<br />

glass. Drink immediately or<br />

chill for a bit. Will keep in the<br />

Tasty fried plantain with beans<br />

Dodo <strong>and</strong> beans is a<br />

Nigerian delicacy eaten<br />

by Nigerians. For healthy<br />

living, beans is important to<br />

us. We can eat beans with<br />

boiled yam, garri <strong>and</strong> water,<br />

boiled unripe plantain,<br />

boiled irish potatoes, fried/<br />

baked sweet potatoes, bread<br />

or plantain chips among<br />

<strong>others</strong>. For those who get<br />

heart burns after eating<br />

beans, it is advisable to<br />

parboil, drain water before<br />

cooking with fresh clean<br />

water. Beans is every home’s<br />

favourite.<br />

Ingredients<br />

Cups beans<br />

Bunch ripe plantain<br />

Small fresh red peppers<br />

Medium red bell peppers<br />

Medium sized onion<br />

Garlic cloves, minced<br />

Palm oil<br />

Teaspoon ground pepper<br />

Salt to taste<br />

Procedure<br />

Add cups water to a pot <strong>and</strong><br />

set on medium heat. Wash<br />

beans thoroughly to rid it of<br />

excess dirt <strong>and</strong> place in a pot<br />

of boiling water. Next, red<br />

bell peppers, fresh red<br />

peppers, onion bulb <strong>and</strong><br />

garlic cloves in a food<br />

processor or blender. Blitz<br />

for 30 seconds on medium<br />

speed till a not-so-smooth<br />

purée is formed. Heat up<br />

palm oil in a small pot <strong>and</strong><br />

add blended purée. Stir<br />

Drink of<br />

the week<br />

fridge for a day or so, but<br />

will taste best when fresh.<br />

This juice is incredibly<br />

healthy with Vitamins A, K<br />

<strong>and</strong> beta carotene from the<br />

carrots, vitamin C <strong>and</strong><br />

polyphenols from the<br />

apples, antioxidants <strong>and</strong><br />

folate from the beets, <strong>and</strong><br />

anti-inflammatory benefits<br />

from the ginger among<br />

<strong>others</strong>.<br />

gently <strong>and</strong> leave to fry on<br />

medium heat for 5-7<br />

minutes. Stir occasionally<br />

to prevent burning. When<br />

beans are 80 percent<br />

cooked, add fried blended<br />

purée <strong>and</strong> all other<br />

ingredients. Stir gently<br />

<strong>and</strong> leave to cook until<br />

beans is soft. Add water if<br />

more is required. Wash<br />

ripe plantain thoroughly<br />

<strong>and</strong> peel off the skin. In a<br />

mixing bowl, slice ripe<br />

plantain in whatever shape<br />

you desire, add pinch of<br />

salt, mix thoroughly to<br />

combine. Next gently drop<br />

ripe plantain piece by<br />

piece into the hot oil with<br />

a cooking tong but be<br />

careful not to over crowd<br />

the pan. Fry on both sides<br />

for 3-4 minutes or until<br />

lightly browned. Serve<br />

fried plantain <strong>and</strong> beans<br />

side by side.


Ex-CBN Gov Sanusi, Prof. Wale Omole<br />

counsel against mad rush for wealth<br />

…as former Access Bank Chairman Oni turns 85<br />

Christians have been<br />

charged to give God hearty<br />

thanksgiving.<br />

They were also urged to desist<br />

from mad rush for wealth but to<br />

adhere to Biblical teachings on<br />

morality.<br />

These remarks were made by a<br />

former Governor of Central Bank<br />

of Nigeria, Chief Joseph Sanusi, a<br />

former Lay President, Archdiocese<br />

of La<strong>go</strong>s, Methodist Church Nigeria,<br />

Elder Michael Ayodeji Oni, <strong>and</strong><br />

a former Vice Chancellor, Obafemi<br />

Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Prof.<br />

Wale Omole, at the 85th birthday of<br />

Elder Oni at his Dolphin Estate La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

residence.<br />

Why we organised party for senior citizens<br />

— Odiete, President, Sunshine Foundation<br />

By Princewill Ekwujuru<br />

he President of Sunshine Foun<br />

Tdation, a <strong>No</strong>n-Governmental<br />

Organisation (NGO), Rose Odiete,<br />

says the NGO’s annual Easter party<br />

for senior citizens is to put smiles on<br />

their faces.<br />

Odiete spoke at this year’s Easter<br />

party for senior citizens held at the<br />

Assembly Hall, Grail<strong>and</strong>, Iju Hills,<br />

Ajuwon, La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

According to her, the event, held<br />

in collaboration with the Committee<br />

of Concerned Women, Festac<br />

Circle, was set aside to host the elderly<br />

<strong>and</strong> generally try to cater for<br />

them.<br />

“Sunshine Foundation has been<br />

hosting this party for over 22 years<br />

but about four years a<strong>go</strong>, we started<br />

collaborating with the Committee<br />

of Concerned Women, Festac to organise<br />

the party”, she said.<br />

“Basically, we realised that the<br />

elderly ones need to be hosted. And<br />

the first few that we did, we concentrated<br />

on people from Old People’s<br />

Home because we realised that they<br />

were completely neglected <strong>and</strong> even<br />

a lot of people didn’t know that we<br />

have Old People’s Home in Nigeria.<br />

So, when we realised that, we<br />

made it a point of duty once every<br />

year during Easter to bring them out<br />

of their homes to a neutral ground<br />

where we host them to a party.<br />

“And we have since incorporated<br />

other elderly people like pensioners<br />

<strong>and</strong> retirees <strong>and</strong> we use this day to<br />

celebrate them. Generally, we feast,<br />

dance with them, give them little<br />

gifts when they are <strong>go</strong>ing back just<br />

to make them happy”.<br />

This year’s event attracted about<br />

100 senior citizens drawn from different<br />

parts of La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

Mr. Jola Ogunlusi, a former National<br />

Secretary, Nigerian Union of<br />

Journalists (NUJ), one of the senior<br />

citizens, appreciated the foundation<br />

for the gesture.<br />

Ezomo, wife, bag Okere-Urhobo<br />

chieftaincy titles<br />

The Orosuen ( traditional ruler) of Okere Urhobo Kingdom,<br />

HRM Paul Okumagba, Idama 11, has conferred Chief Cyril<br />

Ezomo <strong>and</strong> his wife, Onome, with chieftaincy titles of Okere Kingdom.<br />

Chief Ezomo <strong>and</strong> the wife were honoured with U<strong>go</strong> <strong>and</strong> Eruvwu<br />

of Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, respectively for their contribution towards<br />

.<br />

Speaking to journalists after the conferment, Chief Ezomo on<br />

behalf of his wife, expressed appreciation to HRM Idama 11 for the<br />

gesture which he noted that was a great honour for his family <strong>and</strong><br />

paternal Bini people.<br />

He further pledged their continuous loyalty to the Okere-Urhobo<br />

monarch <strong>and</strong> Okere-Urhobo people <strong>and</strong> thanked <strong>others</strong> that contributed<br />

to the success of the event.<br />

The couple were accompanied to the occasion by a cultural dance<br />

group from the ancient Bini Kingdom<br />

L- R: Prince Eweta; Double Chief Cyril Ezomo; his wife, Chief (Mrs)<br />

Onome Ezomo <strong>and</strong> the Ezomo of the ancient Bini Kingdom shortly after<br />

the chieftaincy conferments ceremony on Chief <strong>and</strong> Chief ( Mrs) Ezomo<br />

by HRM Idama 11, the Orosuen of Okere Urhobo Kingdom, yesterday.<br />

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28 , 2019, PAGE 41<br />

They assured the nation of divine<br />

turnaround provided Nigerians<br />

imbibe Biblical teachings.<br />

Specifically, Oni, who is also a<br />

former Chairman of Access Bank<br />

Plc, expressed gratitude to God, the<br />

Rotary community <strong>and</strong> <strong>others</strong> who<br />

contributed to the success of the occasion.<br />

Prof. Wale Omole (left), with Elder Michael Ayodeji Oni <strong>and</strong> Bro.<br />

Aramide Tola <strong>No</strong>ibi, during Oni’s 85th birthday held at his Dolphin<br />

Estate,La<strong>go</strong>s residence<br />

From left: Prof. Omole, Elder Oni, Pastor (Dr.) Titilayo <strong>No</strong>ibi, <strong>and</strong> her<br />

husb<strong>and</strong>, Bro. Aramide Tola <strong>No</strong>ibi.<br />

APC loss of presidential poll in Ondo: ‘Don’t blame Gov Akeredolu’<br />

By Dayo Johnson, Akure<br />

OUTHS, under the aegis of<br />

YYouth Advocacy Network within<br />

the All Progressive Congress (APC)<br />

in Ondo State, have exonerated Governor<br />

Rotimi Akeredolu over the<br />

party’s loss of the last presidential<br />

election in the state.<br />

The Chairman, Akinleye Olabanji,<br />

<strong>and</strong><br />

World Malaria Day: Mouka unveils new<br />

insect repellents<br />

By Destiny Eseaga<br />

Mouka Limited has<br />

launched a range of in<br />

sect repellents to commemorate<br />

the 2019 World Malaria<br />

Day.<br />

The World Malaria Day is commemorated<br />

on April 25 annually to<br />

sensitize the global population<br />

about malaria <strong>and</strong> its health <strong>and</strong><br />

economic burdens.<br />

Speaking at the launch, Chief Executive<br />

Officer of Mouka, Raymond<br />

Murphy, noted that the new Mouka<br />

MozziInsect Repellents, was his<br />

company’s contribution to global<br />

campaign against malaria, saying<br />

it will create a protective halo from<br />

mosquitoes.<br />

He said: ‘’ Mouka Mozzi provides<br />

protection from bedbugs, mould,<br />

bacteria spores, spiders, cockroaches<br />

<strong>and</strong> dust mites. With each application,<br />

a consumer can enjoy 24<br />

Awujale hosts <strong>go</strong>vernance<br />

lecture on birthday<br />

By Olayinka Ajayi<br />

Awujale of Ijebul<strong>and</strong>, Oba<br />

Sikiru Adetona, is to host<br />

some eminent Nigerians at<br />

the 3rd Annual Professorial Chair<br />

in Governance in collaboration with<br />

the Olabisi Onabanjo University,<br />

OOU.<br />

The occasion holds at the Adeola<br />

Odutola Hall, Ijebu-Ode on Thursday,<br />

May 10, 2019 under the theme,<br />

‘Grassroots <strong>go</strong>vernance: The soft underbelly<br />

of Nigeria’s political architecture.”<br />

The lecture, to be delivered by Professor<br />

Ayo Olukotun, will focus on<br />

hours protection for up to 3 months<br />

which is not possible with insecticides.”<br />

Also speaking at the occasion, the<br />

La<strong>go</strong>s State Malaria Elimination<br />

Programme Manager, Dr. Abimbola<br />

Osinowo, representing the state<br />

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olajide<br />

Idris, said the state <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

had renewed its commitment to<br />

tackling malaria using a multidirectional<br />

approach including environmental<br />

management <strong>and</strong> integrated<br />

vector control for prevention<br />

of malaria, adding that Mouka had<br />

taken a step in the right direction<br />

with the production of the repellents.<br />

“As you are all aware, malaria is<br />

endemic in La<strong>go</strong>s State <strong>and</strong> it poses<br />

a major challenge to the state as it<br />

impedes human development. It is<br />

both a cause <strong>and</strong> consequence of underdevelopment<br />

<strong>and</strong> remains one<br />

of the leading causes of morbidity<br />

in the state,” Osinowo said.<br />

the issues <strong>and</strong> challenges of <strong>go</strong>vernance<br />

in Nigeria while a panel of<br />

discussants, including Professor<br />

Kingsley Moghalu, the presidential<br />

c<strong>and</strong>idate of the Young Progressive<br />

Party at the last elections, <strong>and</strong> Professor<br />

Remi Sonaiya, will share their<br />

perspectives on the subject.<br />

Adetona affirmed his commitment<br />

to seeing Nigeria take giant<br />

strides in the area of <strong>go</strong>od <strong>go</strong>vernance<br />

stemming from quality education,<br />

research <strong>and</strong> mentorship.<br />

Over the last three years, this annual<br />

event, which coincides with the<br />

Awujale’s birthday, has grown to<br />

become an important discourse for<br />

championing effective <strong>go</strong>vernance.<br />

Secretary, Gbenga Bayode, in a<br />

statement in Akure, took a swipe at<br />

some party leaders, under the aegis<br />

of Ondo State All Progressives Congress<br />

(APC) Concerned Leaders<br />

Group, for blaming the <strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

<strong>and</strong> the party’s state Chairman, Ade<br />

Adetimehin.<br />

The youth group said, “We want<br />

to state unequivocally that Akeredolu<br />

<strong>and</strong> the State Executive of the<br />

party, led by Ade Adetimehin, were<br />

loyal <strong>and</strong> fully committed to the reelection<br />

project of President Muhammadu<br />

Buhari.<br />

“It is on record that many of these<br />

leaders, who jumped ship from APC<br />

to AD during the <strong>go</strong>vernorship election<br />

in 2016, contributed nothing to<br />

the re-election of Mr. President except<br />

wailing on the pages of newspapers<br />

“Many of them lost their polling<br />

units to the PDP during the presidential<br />

poll because they are paper<br />

weight politicians in their respective<br />

local <strong>go</strong>vernments.<br />

“We challenge these leaders to<br />

publish the results of their various<br />

polling units for the whole world to<br />

see”.<br />

They listed the contributions of<br />

Akeredolu toward Buhari’s re-election<br />

to include “inaugurating the<br />

Campaign Committee at the state<br />

level with members like Chief Olusola<br />

Oke, Senator Ajayi Boroffice<br />

<strong>and</strong> Engr. Ife Oyedele while providing<br />

logistics like funds, br<strong>and</strong>ed<br />

campaign buses among other<br />

items”.<br />

The youths added that the <strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

toured the three senatorial districts<br />

of Ondo to sell the c<strong>and</strong>idature<br />

of Buhari to the electorate <strong>and</strong><br />

also accompanied Vice-President<br />

Yemi Osibanjo to some communities<br />

in the state where they preached<br />

the <strong>go</strong>spel of the next level to the<br />

people.<br />

Erelu Fayemi, two<br />

<strong>go</strong>vs, former<br />

Ghanaian<br />

President win Zik<br />

Leadership Prize<br />

By Rotimi Ojomoyela<br />

ife of Ekiti State <strong>go</strong>vernor,<br />

WErelu Bisi Fayemi, has won<br />

the 2018 Zik Leadership Prize for<br />

humanitarian Leadership. This was<br />

disclosed by the organisers of the<br />

annual prize in La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

Other winners of the 2018 Zik<br />

prize in leadership, as announced<br />

by the organisers, include former<br />

Ghanaian President, John Mahama,<br />

<strong>and</strong> immediate past National<br />

Chairman of the All Progressives<br />

Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-<br />

Oyegun, who won in the political<br />

leadership cate<strong>go</strong>ry.<br />

Also the <strong>go</strong>vernor of Akwa Ibom<br />

State, Udom Emmanuel, <strong>and</strong> his<br />

Niger State counterpart, Abubakar<br />

Sanni- Bello, emerged winners in<br />

the <strong>go</strong>od <strong>go</strong>vernance award cate<strong>go</strong>ry.<br />

The Zik Prize in Leadership<br />

Awards was instituted 25 years a<strong>go</strong><br />

in honour of the late Dr Nnamdi<br />

Azikiwe, the first President of Nigeria.<br />

It was set up, among other<br />

things, to encourage <strong>and</strong> nurture<br />

leadership on the African Continent<br />

<strong>and</strong> in the Diaspora.<br />

Announcing the winners at a news<br />

conference in La<strong>go</strong>s, Executive Secretary<br />

of the Public Policy Research<br />

<strong>and</strong> Analysis Centre (PPRAC),<br />

Prince Emeka Obasi, <strong>and</strong> a member<br />

of the advisory board of the Centre,<br />

Prof Pat Utomi, disclosed that<br />

the winners were carefully selected<br />

after an exhaustive appraisal of<br />

nominees in the various award cate<strong>go</strong>ries.<br />

Utomi described Erelu Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi<br />

as a reputable feminist<br />

activist, gender specialist, social entrepreneur,<br />

policy advocate <strong>and</strong> writer,<br />

who has devoted her time, talent<br />

<strong>and</strong> resources to the promotion <strong>and</strong><br />

defence of rights of women <strong>and</strong> the<br />

girl child.<br />

Kingdom Embassy<br />

marks 6th anniversary<br />

•Pastor Ajayi & wife, Aderonke<br />

he Kingdom Embassy Church,<br />

Tholds its 6th anniversary today.<br />

The programme which commenced<br />

with three days crusade <strong>and</strong><br />

empowerment scheme at the church<br />

premises, Rafiu Odebiyi, Ig<strong>and</strong>o has<br />

the theme: 'The power of Resurrection.<br />

According to Pastors Olamide &<br />

Aderonke Ajayi, the event which witnessed<br />

the empowerment of people<br />

with motocycles, buses, dryers,<br />

grinding machines, sewing machines,<br />

clothing materials <strong>and</strong> clippers,<br />

to the less privileged started<br />

on Thursday April 25th <strong>and</strong> will end<br />

today with a thanksgiving service.<br />

Evangelist Leke Adekoya will be<br />

a guest minister at the service<br />

Kehinde Dorcas<br />

Okuneye (JP) for burial<br />

Mrs. Kehinde Dorcas Okuneye<br />

(JP) (nee Ogun) is dead. She was<br />

80.<br />

Wake Keep holds on Friday, May 3<br />

at her residence, <strong>No</strong>. 31, Obalende<br />

Road, beside Obal<strong>and</strong>e Garage,<br />

Ijebu Ode, while burial is scheduled<br />

for Saturday, May 4, at Christ<br />

Anglican Church, Porogun Ijebu-<br />

Ode, Ogun State. Entertainment<br />

follows at Adeola<br />

Odutola Hall,<br />

204 Folagbade<br />

Street, Ijebu-Ode,<br />

Ogun State. She<br />

is survived by<br />

sister, children<br />

a n d<br />

gr<strong>and</strong>children,<br />

among whom is<br />

Dami Omololu.


PAGE 42—SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Viewpoint<br />

Eden East Festival: Culture, tourism potentials beckon<br />

By Sebastine Obasi<br />

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF<br />

<strong>No</strong> investment amid<br />

squabble<br />

Uzoakwa community in<br />

Ihiala<br />

Local<br />

Government Area of<br />

Anambra State is assuming the<br />

cultural hub of the East, courtesy<br />

of the Eden East Festival, being<br />

annually promoted by an<br />

entrepreneur <strong>and</strong> philanthropist,<br />

Casmir Maduafokwa.<br />

The 2018 edition, held last<br />

Christmas, which featured more<br />

than 20 cultural groups from the<br />

South East attracted visitors<br />

from all over the country <strong>and</strong><br />

beyond, including a Russian<br />

family that visited Nigeria for the<br />

first time. There is no gainsaying<br />

the fact that the present<br />

generation of South Easterners<br />

are now embracing their cultural<br />

heritage, which for many years<br />

appeared to have been<br />

ab<strong>and</strong>oned as they trooped to the<br />

cities in search of green pasture.<br />

For the younger ones who<br />

sparingly visit home, the Eden<br />

East festival provides an<br />

opportunity to appreciate the<br />

culture h<strong>and</strong>ed down by their<br />

great gr<strong>and</strong> fathers, which<br />

needs to be bequeathed to the<br />

upcoming generation. The last<br />

edition provided opportunity<br />

for people to see the popular<br />

Theresa Onuora <strong>and</strong> her<br />

Egedege Dance Group from<br />

Nnewi, as well as the famous<br />

Nkpokiti Dance Group, from<br />

Umunze in Aguata Local<br />

Government Area. Other<br />

groups that featured included;<br />

Onyika Odoro <strong>and</strong> Zebra<br />

groups both from Uli,<br />

Akubuma Dance from<br />

Orsumoghu, Otuodum from<br />

Eziama, Uli <strong>and</strong> Igba Obi, from<br />

Ubahekwem. Some <strong>others</strong> were<br />

Umunnmehi Cultural Dance<br />

Group, Ihiala, Agaba Ntuebi<br />

also from Umunnamehi, Ihiala,<br />

Ogba Mgbada, Umunnamehi,<br />

Igberi Oba from Uzoakwa <strong>and</strong><br />

Ebube Agu from Orsumoghu.<br />

Apart from showcasing the<br />

cultural heritage of the people,<br />

the festival provides a boost for<br />

tourism in Ihiala.<br />

Giving an insight into the<br />

essence of the festival, the<br />

There is no gainsaying<br />

the fact that the present<br />

generation of South<br />

Easterners are now<br />

embracing their cultural<br />

heritage, which for many<br />

years appeared to have<br />

been ab<strong>and</strong>oned<br />

promoter, Maduafokwa stated;<br />

“Eden East festival is gathering<br />

momentum. The essence of the<br />

festival is to encourage local<br />

entertainers, dancers,<br />

masquerades, some of them that<br />

have disappeared to encourage<br />

them <strong>and</strong> recreate them, as well<br />

as new ones. “Apart from the<br />

festival, within the year we<br />

encourage or sponsor groups<br />

that want to establish b<strong>and</strong>s or<br />

dance groups in communities in<br />

Anambra State or South East<br />

that we know are about to create<br />

a sustainable community<br />

platform, sustainable in the<br />

sense that at least commercially,<br />

there is something in it for those<br />

that are involved. Also, in<br />

terms of replacement succession,<br />

there is some continuity.<br />

Maduafokwa reiterated the need<br />

for continuity <strong>and</strong> the enlistment<br />

of the younger ones into the<br />

various dance groups in every<br />

community. “There is need to<br />

have some anchor community to<br />

engender continuity. Every<br />

village has its dance group or<br />

cultural association. “Part of the<br />

Eden East is to recreate <strong>and</strong><br />

support financially dance<br />

groups in the various<br />

communities in the South East.<br />

The primary purpose is not only<br />

to entertain, but to spur<br />

traditional institutions to<br />

encourage the youths to<br />

embrace our culture.<br />

Worthy of note is the concept<br />

of establishing an integrated<br />

development project to boost<br />

tourism. According to<br />

Maduafokwa, “Tourism is<br />

enabled by such cultural festival<br />

in the communities. We want to<br />

establish infrastructure to<br />

encourage visitors to come down<br />

to the East. Over 2 million<br />

square metres of l<strong>and</strong> is being<br />

acquired to establish an<br />

integrated development from<br />

recreational to scenic tourism,<br />

sporting <strong>and</strong> a non seasonal kind<br />

of business.<br />

“It is a joint venture between<br />

the Eden East Company <strong>and</strong> the<br />

community. Our own village,<br />

Umudike, Uzoakwa is supposed<br />

to own the l<strong>and</strong> in question. It is<br />

ancestral l<strong>and</strong> that has been<br />

unused. An agreement has been<br />

signed to that effect.<br />

“Eden East is still waiting for<br />

the community to resolve the<br />

internal wrangling. We cannot<br />

make investments when there is<br />

squabble. The community has to<br />

agree 100 percent before we<br />

venture into the project. It is<br />

meant to benefit every member<br />

of the community.”Foreign<br />

investors are expected from<br />

Europe, America <strong>and</strong> Asia,”<br />

Maduafokwa added.”<br />

By Richard Fasulu<br />

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF<br />

Democracy dividends<br />

The hallmark of fidelity<br />

amongst political leaders is<br />

the seldom ability to fulfill<br />

their electoral promises. Moreso, the<br />

very best demonstration of integrity<br />

by any man of honour is the<br />

commitment to fulfillment of every<br />

conscious promise made by such<br />

individual. Arakunrin Rotimi<br />

Akeredolu, the Executive Governor<br />

of Ondo State is one politician that<br />

aptly captures the best description of<br />

‘omoluabi’, a man of honour <strong>and</strong><br />

integrity. He is a promise keeper who<br />

is just too blunt, truthful <strong>and</strong> faithful<br />

to be a politician.<br />

Akeredolu came into office with the<br />

twin promises of regular <strong>pay</strong>ment of<br />

workers salary <strong>and</strong> to leave Ondo<br />

state far better than he met it terms<br />

of physical infrastructures. Lo <strong>and</strong><br />

behold, the gentleman has stayed<br />

absolutely faithful to the fulfilment<br />

of these promises. One area where<br />

Akeredolu deserves applause is the<br />

fact that all projects inherited from<br />

his predecessor are now either<br />

completed or at various advanced<br />

completion stages. This is also in<br />

addition to new projects initiated by<br />

him that are either completed now<br />

or still on<strong>go</strong>ing.<br />

It is noteworthy that Akeredolu has<br />

delivered more than 45 kilometres<br />

of roads in Ondo state across the<br />

three senatorial districts. The<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor has been working<br />

assiduously to build enduring<br />

infrastructures that will connect the<br />

entire 18 local <strong>go</strong>vernment areas of<br />

Ondo state. Particularly worthy of<br />

mention amongst the completed<br />

Infrastructural Revolution of Akeredolu In Ondo<br />

Aketi as he popularly<br />

known has also<br />

undertaken the<br />

reconstruction of<br />

three major culverts<br />

that collapsed in<br />

Ikare-Akoko<br />

projects is the hilly Oke-Alabojuto<br />

road that has now succumbed to the<br />

bulldozers deployed by Governor<br />

Akeredolu. The once nightmarish<br />

hilly road that was hitherto thought<br />

impossible to level has now been<br />

successfully leveled <strong>and</strong> dualized by<br />

the gentleman Governor of Ondo<br />

state within his two years of office.<br />

Aside the conquered mythical<br />

Oke- Alabojuto hilly road, other<br />

road projects that have been<br />

completed in Ondo <strong>No</strong>rth<br />

Senatorial District of the Sunshine<br />

state include the 2.5 kilometre<br />

Jubilee- Ugbe road, 1.5 kilometre<br />

Supare (Oke Afaa) road, 27.5<br />

kilometre Iwaro road <strong>and</strong> 2.5<br />

kilometre Hewlet road. Other road<br />

projects that have also been<br />

completed by the administration of<br />

Akeredolu in the <strong>No</strong>rthern<br />

Senatorial District are Ogbo Omo,<br />

Igbadara <strong>and</strong> Ayegunle road in Ifon.<br />

Others are the 2.5 kilometre internal<br />

roads in Owo G.R.A <strong>and</strong> the<br />

dualisation of adjoining roads in<br />

Owo. It is worthy of note that all<br />

these projects were flagged off <strong>and</strong><br />

completed within the first two years<br />

that Akeredolu assumed office.<br />

Aketi as he popularly known has<br />

also undertaken the reconstruction<br />

of three major culverts that<br />

collapsed in Ikare-Akoko.<br />

Meanwhile, dualisation of 4.3<br />

kilometre Ikare township road <strong>and</strong><br />

7.1 kilometre road in Owo are now<br />

at advanced stages of completion.<br />

Also worthy of commendation is the<br />

repair of Owo/Ikare road which is<br />

owned by the federal <strong>go</strong>vernment.<br />

This is an intervention that has saved<br />

the entire Akoko l<strong>and</strong> from being<br />

cut-off from other parts of the state<br />

due to roads that were hitherto<br />

impassable.<br />

The visionary Rotimi Akeredolu<br />

has also given hope of a new lease<br />

of life to the people of Idanre in Ondo<br />

Central Senatorial District of the<br />

state. He has embarked on the<br />

construction of 15 kilometer virgin<br />

road from Ijoka road in Akure to<br />

Idanre. The hilly town of Idanre has<br />

until now has just one road that<br />

serves the dual purposes of entrance<br />

<strong>and</strong> exit for several decades. But this<br />

narration has been changed by the<br />

ingenuity of Akeredolu. The<br />

on<strong>go</strong>ing project when completed<br />

will definitely open up the hilly town<br />

of Idanre <strong>and</strong> equally help farmers<br />

to transport their produce with ease;<br />

thereby ensuring improved<br />

economy of the town. Another major<br />

on<strong>go</strong>ing road project in Ondo<br />

Central Senatorial District of the<br />

state is the 7.8 kilometre Akure-<br />

Ijoka-A Divison road. Meanwhile,<br />

Akeredolu in his first two years of<br />

office completed <strong>and</strong> delivered the<br />

1.5 kilometre Abusoro road in<br />

Akure; 2 kilometre Iwalewa-<br />

Alafiatayo-Hospital-Oshinle road<br />

in Akure <strong>and</strong> the 3 kilometre<br />

Okelisa <strong>and</strong> Bajare roads in Idanre.<br />

Also, road projects that are now at<br />

advanced stages of completion<br />

include the Oke-Ogba road in<br />

Akure, Alagbaka-High Court-SIB<br />

road, Akure, Gaga road in Akure,<br />

Igbaraoke-Ibuji road, Isharun<br />

township roads <strong>and</strong> Bolodunro-<br />

Fagbo road in Ondo East Local<br />

Government.<br />

The administration of Rotimi<br />

Akeredolu has begun the<br />

reconstruction of road network of<br />

Oke-Ogba Community in Akure,<br />

the state capital. Residents of the<br />

densely populated community are<br />

now heaving sigh of relief as a result<br />

of infrastructural intervention of<br />

Akeredolu. Reconstruction work is<br />

now on<strong>go</strong>ing on the ab<strong>and</strong>oned 1.9<br />

kilometre Adaba FM road at the<br />

outskirt of Akure, the state capital.<br />

Fiwasaye-Airport street light<br />

project in Akure has since been<br />

completed, while Bridgadier<br />

Ademulegun road in Ondo town is<br />

at an advanced stage of completion.<br />

Aside these, Akeredolu has also<br />

promised to deliver a very modern<br />

<strong>and</strong> most befitting hospital in Akure.<br />

The 6 kilometer road covering<br />

Iyange, Ogunmolayan <strong>and</strong> Ijaro<br />

was also flagged off <strong>and</strong> completed<br />

by Akeredolu within a record time<br />

of one year.<br />

Midas touch of Akeredolu is<br />

undoubtedly very evident in Ondo<br />

South Senatorial District of the state<br />

with numerous on<strong>go</strong>ing <strong>and</strong><br />

completed road projects that are<br />

scattered in the axis. Most worthy<br />

of mention is the Ore flyover<br />

bridge, which is first of its kind in<br />

the state. The level of work on this<br />

project is now at an appreciable<br />

level. The Sabomi-Ajagba road is<br />

now 100% completed, while<br />

Police Station road in Ore is<br />

already nearing completion. It<br />

is heart also warming that<br />

Okitipupa-Ayeka-Irele road is<br />

almost 100% completed, while<br />

level of work on Okitipupa<br />

Bypass is at appreciable stage.<br />

Strategic importance of the<br />

Okitipupa/Igbokoda Bypass<br />

road is the expected drastic<br />

reduction in the perpetual traffic<br />

of Okitipupa when completed.<br />

Akeredolu is without doubt a<br />

model of performance <strong>and</strong><br />

fidelity that deserves more time<br />

in office to see to fruition his<br />

many visions <strong>and</strong> several<br />

on<strong>go</strong>ing novel infrastructural<br />

projects in the state. The<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor is just human <strong>and</strong> may<br />

have possibly fallen short of high<br />

expectations in one or more<br />

areas of <strong>go</strong>vernance. However,<br />

he has undeniably shown himself<br />

as a star performer whose<br />

delivery of democratic<br />

dividends can be attested to by<br />

all in the state, including the<br />

blind.<br />

•Fasulu lives in Akure,<br />

Ondo State capital.<br />

By Kenny Odeworitse<br />

Okotie<br />

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF<br />

Life changing seminars<br />

Have you ever wondered<br />

why there are so many<br />

atrocities in our dearly<br />

beloved country, Nigeria today<br />

than ever before? Have you ever<br />

imagined the senseless killings,<br />

kidnappings, hired killers <strong>and</strong><br />

armed b<strong>and</strong>itries taking place on<br />

a precedented level across the<br />

geopolitical zones of the country<br />

today?<br />

These <strong>and</strong> many more points to<br />

the fact that in the real sense,<br />

“Nigerians don’t love <strong>and</strong> cannot<br />

speak love languages”.<br />

This, however, is irrespective of<br />

the 1% that do.<br />

Today, the quest to get rich<br />

quick <strong>and</strong> the love of money have<br />

taken control over our senses.<br />

In order to get rich quick young<br />

men now use their girlfriends for<br />

ritual purposes, all for money<br />

without sweat. What about Yahoo<br />

boys! Infact, I sympathise with the<br />

IGP Mohammed Adamu. The<br />

security forces are overwhelmed<br />

<strong>and</strong> over stretched.<br />

Talking about love <strong>and</strong> love<br />

Do Nigerians speak love language?<br />

language, it is biblical that God<br />

ultimately is love. In 1John 4:<br />

7, the Bible says, “Beloved, let<br />

us love one another, for love is<br />

of God <strong>and</strong> everyone who loves<br />

is born of God <strong>and</strong> knows God”.<br />

It is this love language that<br />

Nigerians don’t speak <strong>and</strong> can’t<br />

speak that is the root cause of<br />

all the atrocities mentioned In<br />

this piece. Love language is an<br />

expression that makes you your<br />

partner or neighbour feel loved.<br />

Basically, there are two types of<br />

Love. We have the Erotic/sexual love<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Phileo/friendship love.<br />

The former Erotic Love is the<br />

word often used to express sexual<br />

love or the feelings of arousal that<br />

are shared between people who are<br />

physically attracted to each other<br />

while Phileo is most often exhibited<br />

in a close relationship. In the book<br />

of Proverbs 18 verse 24, the Bible<br />

says, “a man who has friends must<br />

himself be friendly. But there is a<br />

friend who sticks closer than a<br />

brother”. This Philoe, love involves<br />

feelings of warmth <strong>and</strong> affection<br />

towards another person. Generally,<br />

it is a love of relationship,<br />

comradeship, sharing<br />

communication <strong>and</strong> friendship.<br />

The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17,<br />

“A friend loves at all times. And a<br />

brother is born for adversity”.<br />

Summarily, Eros is for physical<br />

attraction while Phileo is friendship.<br />

<strong>No</strong>w, my one question is, “which<br />

of these do we have or practice? In<br />

practical terms, the bible says in the<br />

book of 1John 3: 18, “my little<br />

children, let us not love in word,<br />

neither in tongue but indeed <strong>and</strong> in<br />

truth”.<br />

Love is a fundamental<br />

characteristics of who our creator<br />

God is.<br />

In erotic love, why are divorce<br />

cases on the increase or why do<br />

husb<strong>and</strong>s or wives kill their spouses?<br />

Because marriage partners lack the<br />

knowledge of relationship<br />

dynamics.<br />

We tend to behave <strong>and</strong> do things<br />

inimical to <strong>go</strong>dliness trusting our<br />

own judgement instead of God’s. <strong>No</strong><br />

wonder the bible says in Proverbs<br />

16:2, “All the ways of man are pure<br />

in his own eyes. But the Lord weighs<br />

Basically, there are<br />

two types of Love.<br />

We have the<br />

Erotic/sexual love<br />

<strong>and</strong> the Phileo/<br />

friendship love<br />

the spirit.”<br />

Furthermore, in I Peter 1:22, it says<br />

“Since you have purified your souls<br />

in obeying the truth through the<br />

spirit in sincere love of the brethren,<br />

love one another fervently with a<br />

pure heart.”<br />

From the fore<strong>go</strong>ing, its obvious<br />

that Nigerians don’t <strong>and</strong> cannot<br />

speak love language, more so,<br />

cannot love in true sense of the word.<br />

Its not too late, let’s turn around <strong>and</strong><br />

commence the process of loving our<br />

neighbours as ourselves. In so doing,<br />

most of these atrocities will be a<br />

thing of the past because we would<br />

have put God <strong>and</strong> His love first in<br />

all we do.<br />

The Abadin<strong>go</strong> Abadan<strong>go</strong><br />

Foundation, an NGO will<br />

inadvertently proclaim ways <strong>and</strong><br />

means of acquiring wealth divinely<br />

without the short term measures of<br />

cutting corners, so that these<br />

inimical atrocities will ultimately be<br />

brought to the bearest <strong>minimum</strong>.<br />

The foundation shall introduce life<br />

changing seminars/workshops,<br />

conferences, soft loans/capital to<br />

members of the foundation <strong>and</strong> the<br />

alarming teaming army of<br />

unemployed youths whose burden<br />

are heavy laden.<br />

<strong>No</strong> matter who you are or your<br />

level of educational attainment or<br />

your religion or sex or age, you can<br />

join the foundation to give your life<br />

a meaning, thereby catapulting to<br />

the next level.<br />

God bless Abadin<strong>go</strong> Abadan<strong>go</strong><br />

Foundation! God bless Nigeria!!<br />

*Okotie is the Founder/<br />

Chairman, Abadin<strong>go</strong> Abadan<strong>go</strong><br />

Foundation<br />

Kenneyokotie@yahoo.com


Viewpoint<br />

By Sanjay Jain<br />

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF<br />

Endless possibilities<br />

The celebration of <strong>No</strong>n-<br />

Resident Indians<br />

Day,popularly known as the<br />

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, is hosted<br />

annually in India by the Indian<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment. As the name implies,<br />

this special ceremony celebrates<br />

Indians who have taken residence<br />

in other countries outside India.<br />

Initially, the <strong>No</strong>n-Resident Indians<br />

Day celebrations held every two or<br />

three years but when statistics<br />

showed that there are 33 million nonresident<br />

Indians living in countries<br />

all over the world, the present-day<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment made the celebrations<br />

an annual event. The Indian<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment made many<br />

publications <strong>and</strong> implemented<br />

campaigns around the world to<br />

invite non-residents for the 2019<br />

event.<br />

This year, the <strong>No</strong>n-Resident<br />

Indians Day celebrations took place<br />

in January at one of the oldest cities<br />

of the world - VARANSI. In<br />

attendance were <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

officials <strong>and</strong> dignitaries including<br />

the President, the Prime Minister, the<br />

Minister of Foreign Affairs, the<br />

Minister of State for Defence <strong>and</strong><br />

Chief Minister of the State; all along<br />

with over 7,000 <strong>No</strong>n-Residents in<br />

attendance. The Indian <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

rolled out all the stops to ensure that<br />

non-resident Indians had a<br />

comfortable stay <strong>and</strong> a great time.<br />

The January 2019 <strong>No</strong>n- Resident<br />

Indians Day celebrations was fused<br />

with one of India’s most sacred event,<br />

the Kumbh Mela, which involves<br />

taking Holy Dip in the sacred river<br />

Ganges. Indians hold the belief that<br />

BY Chioma Onuegbu, Uyo<br />

OVERNOR Udom Emmanuel<br />

Gof Akwa Ibom State has<br />

expressed concern over the wave<br />

of cult clashes at the University of<br />

Uyo (UNIUYO), calling on security<br />

agencies to collaborate with the<br />

varsity management to fish out <strong>and</strong><br />

bring the perpetrators to book.<br />

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019, Page 43<br />

Celebration of PRAVASI BHARTIYA DIVAS - <strong>No</strong>n-<br />

Resident Indians Day<br />

Chief Sanjay Jain at the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas( <strong>No</strong>n<br />

Resident Indians' Day ) at Varansi, India<br />

if people take a bath in the River<br />

Ganges at the time of 12 th feeding <strong>and</strong> transportation, though<br />

years’ they were allowed to sort their own<br />

anniversary of the fall of the Elixir, accommodation according to<br />

they will attain salvation. It is also a individual tastes. During the <strong>No</strong>npopular<br />

Indian belief that if Resident Indians Day celebration, the<br />

somebody dies <strong>and</strong> the ashes spread <strong>go</strong>vernment h<strong>and</strong>ed out 30 awards<br />

in River Ganges, the person’s soul to select non-resident Indians.<br />

will receive salvation. The 12 years’ The celebrations create several<br />

anniversary of Elixir Fall occurred opportunities for non-resident<br />

in January 2019 <strong>and</strong> led to the fusion Indians. It is an opportunity for nonresident<br />

Indians to come home,<br />

of the Holy Dip <strong>and</strong> the <strong>No</strong>n-<br />

Residents Day celebrations. reconnect with their roots, family,<br />

All non-resident Indians who friends <strong>and</strong> community; an<br />

came for the ceremony were warmly opportunity to see what development<br />

welcomed at the airport by projects have been completed or are<br />

designated team from the underway since their last visit; an<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment. Each visiting nonresident<br />

enjoyed free registration, laws, policies <strong>and</strong><br />

opportunity to familiarise with new<br />

economic<br />

Cult killings: Emmanuel urges UNIUYO, security agencies<br />

to fish out perpetrators<br />

Dapo Abiodun urged<br />

to <strong>pay</strong> 30 months’<br />

salaries owed<br />

college lecturers<br />

By Demola Akinyemi<br />

A<br />

PAGE 43<br />

Organisation, <strong>No</strong>n-Governmental<br />

Kakaaki<br />

Ijebu Voice, has appealed to the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor-elect of Ogun State,<br />

Prince Dapo Abiodun, to <strong>pay</strong> the 30<br />

months’ salaries owed staff<br />

members <strong>and</strong> lecturers of Tai<br />

Solarin College of Education, on<br />

assumption of office, to enable the<br />

victims live normal lives.<br />

The organisation, which<br />

encouraged Abiodun to ensure<br />

prompt <strong>pay</strong>ment of workers salaries<br />

henceforth, also called on the<br />

incoming administration to<br />

accelerate the development of the<br />

state by following the legacy of the<br />

first civilian <strong>go</strong>vernor, Chief Bisi<br />

Onabanjo, who “substantially<br />

developed every part of the state<br />

during his tenure”.<br />

Kakaaki Ijebu Voice, made up<br />

of professionals from various<br />

fields of endeavors, spoke at a<br />

press conference in Ilorin.<br />

Its National Coordinator ,Mr<br />

Rotimi Oduyoye, flanked by the<br />

Publicity Secretary, Olu<br />

Olawemimo, among other<br />

members of the organisation,<br />

said it behoved on them to set<br />

agenda for the new<br />

administration in order to ensure<br />

that it meets the needs <strong>and</strong><br />

aspirations of the people.<br />

Oduoye said,”We use this forum to<br />

congratulate Ogun State <strong>go</strong>vernorelect<br />

<strong>and</strong> deputy <strong>go</strong>vernor-elect, Mrs<br />

<strong>No</strong>imot Salako –Oyedele.<br />

“As a responsible professional, much<br />

as we underst<strong>and</strong> the Herculean task<br />

<strong>ahead</strong>, below are our expectations<br />

from this <strong>go</strong>vernment:<br />

“Tai Solarin College of Education,<br />

Omu Ijebu lecturer/ workers salary<br />

lingering for over 30 months.<br />

“Pay workers salary as when due” .<br />

Emmanuel made the call when the<br />

new Commissioner of Police, Mr<br />

Zaki Ahmed, paid him a courtesy<br />

visit in his office at the Government<br />

House, Uyo.<br />

The <strong>go</strong>vernor, who acknowledged<br />

the contributions of security<br />

agencies, particularly the police, in<br />

the maintenance of law <strong>and</strong> order<br />

in the state since the inception of<br />

his administration, urged them to<br />

redouble their efforts to ensure that<br />

the peaceful atmosphere being<br />

enjoyed by residents was sustained.<br />

He condemned the gruesome<br />

killings of students during recent<br />

cult clashes at UNIUYO, <strong>and</strong> advised<br />

that the varsity authorities should<br />

expel such bad eggs.<br />

His words, “I want to acknowledge<br />

the contributions of the police, other<br />

security agencies in the maintenance<br />

ONDO 2020: Ilaje scheme to be <strong>go</strong>v<br />

By Dayo Johnson, Akure<br />

UOYED by the uncertainty<br />

Bwithin the All Progressives<br />

Congress (APC), in Ondo State, the<br />

Ilajes, across party lines, have<br />

commenced moves to clinch the<br />

next <strong>go</strong>vernorship seat in the state.<br />

The move, which is being<br />

facilitated by the influential Ilaje<br />

League of Professionals, was the<br />

outcome of a meeting of the group<br />

shortly after news broke about the<br />

alleged suspension of Governor<br />

Rotimi Akeredolu from the APC.<br />

Prominent members of the group<br />

include a former Director of the<br />

NDDC, Engr. Benson Obayelu.<br />

A committee to come up with a<br />

recommendation that will actualise<br />

the dream of producing the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor or at least deputy <strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

of Ilaje extraction was also set up by<br />

the group at the meeting”.<br />

The membership of the committee<br />

has been kept under wraps but a<br />

prominent leader of the group told<br />

Sunday Vanguard that the quest for<br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernorship of the state did not<br />

suddenly arise because of the<br />

development within the party.<br />

Speaking in confidence, a notable<br />

leader from the area said: “We have<br />

taken seriously the issue of Ilaje<br />

producing the next <strong>go</strong>vernor of Ondo<br />

State, or a <strong>minimum</strong> of deputy<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor. If you look at the entire<br />

state, Akoko, Owo, Ondo, Ikale have<br />

all produced the <strong>go</strong>vernor of the<br />

state.<br />

“Even Akure that has not produced<br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernor like Ilaje produced the<br />

deputy <strong>go</strong>vernor at some point. So,<br />

we have resolved to sink our political<br />

differences <strong>and</strong> work together to<br />

achieve this objective because we are<br />

the people sustaining the economy<br />

of the state.<br />

Apart from that, our neighbours,<br />

Ese-Odo, that is not oil producing has<br />

the deputy <strong>go</strong>vernor, ambassador<br />

dynamics that influence or <strong>go</strong>vern<br />

the lives in their community. It<br />

provides an opportunity to learn<br />

<strong>and</strong> take advantage of new<br />

investment opportunities that are<br />

available within the country.<br />

Just as the non-residents gets to<br />

benefit from visiting home for the<br />

celebration, the country also gets<br />

to benefit from the non-residents’<br />

visit. <strong>No</strong>n-residents are encouraged<br />

to remit their Forex savings directly<br />

to India. This gives the <strong>go</strong>vernment<br />

access to foreign currencies, which<br />

are used in establishing, businesses,<br />

telecommunication industry, bonds<br />

<strong>and</strong> real estate. These ultimately<br />

translates into economic boost for<br />

the country. For a non-petroleum<br />

trading state, India’s 1.2 billion<br />

population also depends on the<br />

imports.<br />

Beyond reconnecting with their<br />

roots, <strong>No</strong>n-resident Indians are<br />

charged to make worthy<br />

contributions to the countries or<br />

communities of their residence to<br />

ensure continuous acceptance <strong>and</strong><br />

smooth co-existence<br />

Indians have been residents in<br />

Nigeria for over 100 years now. In<br />

the beginning of their settlement,<br />

they established many<br />

manufacturing plants <strong>and</strong><br />

companies for textiles,<br />

pharmaceuticals, plastics, steel<br />

electronics etc. They were also<br />

responsible for importing a bulk<br />

percentage of product needs of the<br />

Nigerian market. In no time, they<br />

became market leaders in the<br />

Nigerian textile industry, which<br />

also became the second-largest<br />

employer after the Federal<br />

Government.<br />

Their thriving textile industry<br />

began to drown, however, when<br />

importation of cheap <strong>and</strong> lowquality<br />

materials from one<br />

exporting giant country went on the<br />

rise. As market preferences<br />

increasingly tilted towards lowpriced<br />

textiles, Indian textile<br />

companies began to struggle with<br />

tanking profit margins. When the<br />

losses became too much to bear, the<br />

Indian textile businesses shut down,<br />

yet resident Indians remained on<br />

the <strong>go</strong>od side of the law as always.<br />

The organised association for<br />

resident Indians in Nigeria is the<br />

Indian Cultural Association, led by<br />

its President Chief Sanjay Jain. The<br />

association has been in existence<br />

since pre-independent Nigeria <strong>and</strong><br />

has pushed charity causes for over<br />

60 years. The association has<br />

constantly helped needy Nigerians,<br />

especially in poor areas of La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

They have also reflected genuine<br />

interest in the Nigerian culture by<br />

making partnership or sponsorship<br />

contributions to major cultural<br />

events <strong>and</strong> festivities. Chief Sanjay<br />

Jain has been bestowed with the<br />

Asiwaju Chieftaincy title by Mushin<br />

kingdom.<br />

<strong>No</strong>n-resident Indians can enjoy the<br />

endless possibilities that comes with<br />

thriving in their state of residence<br />

as well as their home state. The <strong>No</strong>n-<br />

Resident Indians Day celebration<br />

presents the perfect opportunity for<br />

non-resident Indians to reconnect<br />

with their roots <strong>and</strong> enjoy their<br />

culture <strong>and</strong> country. Thus, all nonresidents<br />

Indians all over the world<br />

are encouraged to be a part of the<br />

celebrations yearly.<br />

*Jain attended Pravasi Bhartiya<br />

Divas (<strong>No</strong>n-Resident Indians<br />

Day) at VARANSI, India.<br />

<strong>FG</strong> to assist NAMA<br />

get world class radio<br />

communication<br />

equipment<br />

Chieftaincy : Okere Urhobo leaders vow to ensure justice<br />

eaders of Okere Urhobo<br />

LKingdom, made up of the heads<br />

of the three Ruling Houses, have<br />

vowed to pursue issues arising from<br />

the Oroseunship to a logical<br />

conclusion.<br />

In a statement by Papa Churchill<br />

Oki, for Sowhoruvwe Ruling House,<br />

<strong>and</strong> Apostle I A.M. Eraivor, Head of<br />

the three Ruling Houses, <strong>and</strong> Chief<br />

Gideon Okumagba for Olodi, Ruling<br />

of law <strong>and</strong> order in the state. It is<br />

quite sad for a student to take the<br />

life of a fellow student in the name<br />

of cultism.<br />

“ The police must get to the root<br />

of all this <strong>and</strong> fish out, apprehend<br />

the perpetrators <strong>and</strong> let them face<br />

the full wrath of the Law. And the<br />

university authorities should not<br />

hesitate to expel such bad eggs” .<br />

In his remarks earlier, Ahmed<br />

solicited for maximum<br />

cooperation from the state<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment aimed at achieving the<br />

core m<strong>and</strong>ate of his duties.<br />

Pastor Julius<br />

Kayode Opaleke of<br />

RCCG Goodness<br />

<strong>and</strong> Mercy Area<br />

Headquarters LP7,<br />

Region 11, Isolo,<br />

(middle), flanked by<br />

his wife, Yemisi, <strong>and</strong><br />

Zonal<br />

Mass Choir, when<br />

Opaleke marked his<br />

65th birthday with<br />

six hours, 30<br />

minutes Praise<br />

Night @ Daystar<br />

Zonal Headquarters<br />

on Friday.<br />

<strong>and</strong> even wanted to rob us of the<br />

House of Representatives which we<br />

resisted at all costs”.<br />

It was gathered that the meeting<br />

made assessment of the possible<br />

chances of all the <strong>go</strong>vernorship<br />

aspirants from the area, including<br />

Chief Olusola Oke of the APC, Chief<br />

Sola Ebiseni, Hon Banji Okunomo<br />

<strong>and</strong> Hon. Kolade Akinjo, all of the<br />

Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).<br />

But as the move heightens, a cross<br />

section of the group has canvassed<br />

that the Ilaje should support the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernorship ambition of a former<br />

Attorney General, Eyitayo Jegede,<br />

SAN, with aim of an Ilaje running<br />

mate. Akinjo, current member of<br />

the House of Representatives, who<br />

just won a second term, is being<br />

tipped as deputy to Jegede.<br />

House, they accused an unnamed<br />

cabal in the kingdom of using<br />

officers of the Delta State<br />

Directorate of Chieftaincy Affairs to<br />

intimidate, provoke <strong>and</strong> suppress,<br />

“the genuine choice of the people as<br />

the Oroseun of the kingdom.”<br />

They noted that the state<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment had no business in the<br />

selection <strong>and</strong> nomination process<br />

of the Oroseun, saying it is the duty<br />

of three Ruling Houses.<br />

By Lawani Mikairu<br />

he Federal Government has<br />

Trestated its commitment to<br />

assisting the Nigeria Airspace<br />

Management Agency , NAMA, to<br />

get world class radio<br />

communication equipment for safe<br />

<strong>and</strong> efficient airspace navigation.<br />

The Managing Director of NAMA,<br />

Captain Fola Akinkuotu, who stated<br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernment’s position, explained<br />

that all challenges experienced in the<br />

area of communications were being<br />

tackled with relentless vi<strong>go</strong>ur.<br />

Akinkuotu was addressing an air<br />

controllers/ pilot interactive session<br />

in La<strong>go</strong>s, held under the theme,<br />

‘ Enhancing Safety of Flight<br />

Operations’ .<br />

Radio communication is a critical<br />

factor in pilots-air traffic controllers<br />

<strong>and</strong> pilot-pilot exchanges during<br />

flight operations. The NAMA boss<br />

told the session that Nigeria’s<br />

airspace deserves the very best radio<br />

communications system, <strong>and</strong> that<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment was working to deliver<br />

it.<br />

Vowing that there was no <strong>go</strong>ing back<br />

in achieving an efficient radio<br />

communication, he said: “We have<br />

made inroads in the area of radio<br />

communications but there are<br />

challenges…. I want to assure my<br />

colleagues, the pilots <strong>and</strong> the<br />

controllers that efforts are being<br />

made. And we are not <strong>go</strong>ing to stop.<br />

I am not <strong>go</strong>ing to stop, so long as I<br />

am in NAMA, from trying to deliver<br />

an optimally functional radio<br />

communications system for our<br />

airspace.”<br />

Akinkuotu, who has a rare distinction<br />

of being a pilot <strong>and</strong> an aeronautical<br />

engineer, explained that it was<br />

essential for communication<br />

between pilots <strong>and</strong> air traffic<br />

controllers to be crisp <strong>and</strong> clear,<br />

stressing, “Part of NAMA’s job is<br />

communication. We will keep<br />

trying; we will not rest until we fix it.<br />

We will fix it.”<br />

They described the present process<br />

as “an absurdity” because they did<br />

not participate.<br />

While disclosing that they made<br />

their positions known on who was<br />

selected <strong>and</strong> nominated to Delta<br />

State <strong>go</strong>vernment by way of<br />

correspondence, they said they were<br />

ignored saying that is why they are<br />

in the High Court of Warri <strong>and</strong> Court<br />

of Appeal in Benin City to seek<br />

justice.


PAGE 44— SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Sun Kaleidoscope<br />

BENUE NATIVES VOW:<br />

Return of grazing route means<br />

more deaths, plan will not st<strong>and</strong><br />

By Peter Duru, Makurdi<br />

Tension is brewing in Benue State after<br />

news of President Muhammadu Buhari's<br />

town-hall with the Nigerian community<br />

in Dubai, on April 9, filtered in that he<br />

hinted about the Federal Government's<br />

plan to reintroduce grazing routes in the<br />

country.<br />

At the meeting, the President was quoted<br />

to have absolved herdsmen he tagged as<br />

"Nigerian cattle rearers" of guilt in the<br />

killing of farmers in Benue <strong>and</strong> elsewhere,<br />

putting the blame on those he labelled as<br />

"cattle rearers from Mali, Burkina Faso,<br />

Niger, Chad, Cameroon <strong>and</strong> other cattle<br />

herders”.<br />

He reportedly added, "Those of you, who<br />

are neighbours to cattle<br />

rearers, know that<br />

they used to carry only<br />

sticks <strong>and</strong> their machetes<br />

to cut foliage for<br />

the cattle.<br />

“But these are cattle<br />

rearers with weapons<br />

like AK47 but the<br />

problem is that you<br />

can hardly identify the<br />

difference because cattle<br />

rearers look the<br />

same."<br />

Buhari also said that<br />

his differences with<br />

Governor Samuel<br />

Ortom on the matter<br />

compelled the Benue<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor to leave the<br />

The President's<br />

comment is, by<br />

far, the most<br />

direct admission<br />

by him that he<br />

has no idea of<br />

what the<br />

modern solution<br />

to what he described<br />

as an<br />

old problem is<br />

ruling<br />

All<br />

Progressives Congress,<br />

APC.<br />

His words, "I took the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernor on this <strong>and</strong><br />

this is one of the reasons<br />

he left our party<br />

for another party.<br />

“Because I told him<br />

the cattle rearers <strong>and</strong><br />

settlers’ problem in<br />

Nigeria is older than me not to talk of him<br />

<strong>and</strong>, during the First Republic, there were<br />

cattle routes; they put infrastructures <strong>and</strong><br />

even veterinary.<br />

“So, if you are a cattle rearer or you know<br />

about cattle like me, the herders now pass<br />

through anybody's l<strong>and</strong> to find water for<br />

their cattle to drink. I told Audu Ogbeh,<br />

the Minister of Agriculture, to look at the<br />

Gazette of the First Republic to get the<br />

cattle routes <strong>and</strong> get the grazing routes<br />

<strong>and</strong> re-establish them so that we can reduce<br />

this incidence. Some of you here<br />

know the efforts we are making.”<br />

Backlash<br />

The President’s comments no doubt generated<br />

a backlash <strong>and</strong> obviously did not<br />

<strong>go</strong> down well with Benue people who have<br />

not hidden their resolve for the absolute<br />

implementation <strong>and</strong> enforcement of the<br />

Open Grazing Prohibition <strong>and</strong> Ranches<br />

Establishment Law enacted by the state<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment in 2017.<br />

To the people, the resolve of the Federal<br />

Government to return grazing routes in<br />

the country was not only out of tune with<br />

the realities on ground, it would also run<br />

at variance with the state's subsisting law<br />

which, to a large extent, has stemmed the<br />

spate of herdsmen <strong>and</strong> farmers’ bloody<br />

clashes that have claimed thous<strong>and</strong>s<br />

of lives in Benue.<br />

To Benue born social commentator,<br />

Terver Atsar, "the President's<br />

comment is, by far, the<br />

most direct admission by him<br />

that he has no idea of what the<br />

modern solution to what he described<br />

as an old problem is”.<br />

Atsar went on, "It is unacceptable<br />

to <strong>pay</strong> glowing tribute to the<br />

age of a problem as a reason why<br />

it can't be solved with modern<br />

thinking, a job he was elected to<br />

do. That President Buhari is still<br />

stuck with a questionable narrative<br />

on grazing routes is unacceptable.<br />

"Unfortunately for him but fortunately<br />

for us in Benue, history<br />

books have no gazetted grazing<br />

routes in Benue. He cannot fabricate<br />

those documents he needs<br />

to back up the false claims of<br />

historic grazing routes in Benue.<br />

The reason the people he requested<br />

to exhume those documents<br />

could not do so is that those<br />

documents never existed.<br />

"By refusing to admit that even<br />

if we had such grazing routes in<br />

the past, they should have become obsolete<br />

in 2019, President Buhari has admitted<br />

that he is a leader who is stuck in the<br />

past <strong>and</strong> cannot figure out modern solutions<br />

to current problems. We obviously<br />

need another hero. Apologies to Tina<br />

Turner who sang, 'We don't need another<br />

hero.'<br />

"President Buhari also referred to the<br />

problem against all visible evidence as<br />

herders/farmers clashes. Yet, curiously, he<br />

found it expedient to harp on a solution<br />

that appeals to herdsmen without any concern<br />

for the farmers' plight.<br />

"He didn't even pretend to care about the<br />

thous<strong>and</strong>s of lives taken by marauders<br />

who, he admits, come from all over West<br />

Africa, into Benue. As far as he is concerned,<br />

we can continue to die as long as<br />

we are not willing to surrender our ancestral<br />

l<strong>and</strong>s to herdsmen from all over West<br />

Africa.<br />

"For us in Benue, it is unacceptable for a<br />

leader to admit that he cannot protect the<br />

sovereignty of his country from invaders<br />

from neighbouring countries because he<br />

doesn't know the difference between the<br />

invaders <strong>and</strong> their local accomplices? Why<br />

do we have an immigration service if our<br />

borders cannot be secured?<br />

"By the interview, he has unwittingly<br />

vindicated Ortom. Indeed he has confirmed<br />

the claim that Ortom elected to<br />

position himself as a defender of his people<br />

against Buhari's intimidating coercion<br />

to surrender his l<strong>and</strong> to herdsmen. If by<br />

his admission Ortom left the APC to oppose<br />

grazing reserves/ routes, then he indeed<br />

is a hero worth celebrating.<br />

"Perhaps APC was used as a platform to<br />

intimidate Ortom <strong>and</strong> coerce him into submission.<br />

But Ortom chose to risk his political<br />

career <strong>and</strong> even his life by jumping<br />

to the other party where his fate was unknown.<br />

"Shame to some Benue sons who are refusing<br />

to admit the obvious that Ortom is<br />

the current face of the struggle for the survival<br />

of the Benue valley, now that President<br />

Buhari has confirmed him as such.<br />

"Whereas Buhari clearly has shown exasperation<br />

over the problem, Ortom took<br />

the bull by the horns by enacting a law<br />

that, if obeyed, should put paid to indiscriminate<br />

grazing; a law which the President<br />

Buhari-led Federal Government is<br />

unwilling to recognize because it is averse<br />

to modernty <strong>and</strong> bloodless solution to the<br />

problem. Who is then a true leader between<br />

these two?”<br />

Vindication<br />

On his part, President of the Benue Youth<br />

Forum, BYF, Comrade Terrence Kuanum,<br />

the comment of the President was a vindication<br />

of the <strong>go</strong>vernment <strong>and</strong> people of<br />

Benue on their decision to enact its gazing<br />

law <strong>and</strong> also quit the APC.<br />

Kuanum said, "The comment by President<br />

Buhari has confirmed that he has no<br />

idea of the solution to the crisis rather he<br />

prefers to emphasize the duration of the<br />

crisis as superseding the solution. This is<br />

astonishing to us as a people.<br />

"We agree with Mr. President that the<br />

age long crisis is older than both he <strong>and</strong><br />

the <strong>go</strong>vernor. But we are aware that several<br />

herdsmen groups have stated openly<br />

that the crisis in Benue <strong>and</strong> some other<br />

<strong>states</strong> was a continuation of the 1804 Jihad<br />

which is aimed at the conquest of the Benue<br />

Valley <strong>and</strong> other fertile l<strong>and</strong>s in Nigeria.<br />

"And on January 1, 2018, the Miyetti<br />

Allah groups carried out their threats in<br />

the most brutal manner ever experienced<br />

in our l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> they openly claimed responsibility<br />

for the genocidal attacks <strong>and</strong><br />

no arrests were made.<br />

"But Ortom always throws the challenge<br />

that anyone with a better option to the law<br />

should bring it to the table. Obviously, the<br />

opening up of grazing cattle routes carved<br />

long a<strong>go</strong> when the country had a smaller<br />

population cannot be the solution to the<br />

crisis”.<br />

Shocking<br />

Also reacting, the Benue state chapter of<br />

the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, through<br />

its Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom,<br />

insisted that heaping blames on foreign<br />

herdsmen for the killings in the state <strong>and</strong><br />

the resolve of the Federal Government to<br />

resort to open cattle routes to address the<br />

herders/ farmers crisis was shocking.<br />

"On the first count, this represents a<br />

shocking acceptance by the President that<br />

he <strong>and</strong> this country's security architecture<br />

are not only incapable of policing its borders<br />

effectively to stop criminal elements<br />

from breaching those borders, but at the<br />

same time, they are powerless to curb the<br />

criminal activities of those intruder elements<br />

in the country," Iortyom stated.<br />

A former House of Representatives member<br />

<strong>and</strong> Convener of Benue Women Forum,<br />

Mrs. Rebecca Apedzan, also contributed<br />

to the issue, saying, “All over the<br />

globe, even in smaller countries, cattle<br />

routes have been done away with <strong>and</strong><br />

ranching of cattle as enshrined in the Benue<br />

grazing law is the known best practice.<br />

"My question is why should Nigeria return<br />

to an archaic practice that would further<br />

aggravate this lingering herders/farmers<br />

conflict? The fact is that Benue people<br />

have a law that is in conformity with the<br />

business of cattle rearing globally <strong>and</strong> the<br />

earlier the Federal Government adopts it<br />

to end the mindless killings of innocent<br />

Nigerians, the better for us all."


AFCON 2019: Super Eagles<br />

plan to storm Egypt early<br />

NIGERIA’s Super<br />

Eagles are planning<br />

to be the first team<br />

to arrive Egypt for the<br />

2019 Africa Cup of Nations,<br />

where they hope to<br />

win their fourth title.<br />

The idea, according to<br />

team officials, is to afford<br />

the Super Eagles an ample<br />

opportunity to acclamatise<br />

<strong>and</strong> prepare adequately<br />

for the tournament<br />

in which they are<br />

one of the favourites.<br />

The Eagles will begin<br />

their campaign in Group<br />

B that includes Madagascar,<br />

Guinea <strong>and</strong> Burundi<br />

with a game<br />

against Burundi on June<br />

22 at the Alex<strong>and</strong>ria Stadium.<br />

Team Spokes man Toyin<br />

Ibitoye told NAN that<br />

the Eagles will camp in<br />

Asaba where they would<br />

play a a friendly before<br />

jetting out to Egypt to<br />

play another friendly<br />

with Senegal.<br />

“The team will have few<br />

weeks of camping in Asaba,<br />

but we want to be in<br />

Egypt early to start preparations.<br />

“The plan is for us to<br />

get to Egypt at least seven<br />

or eight days before<br />

our first match. So, in<br />

Egypt, we will play a<br />

friendly against Senegal<br />

because we want to really<br />

focus on getting our<br />

players fresh.<br />

“There is a need to underst<strong>and</strong><br />

that AFCON is<br />

coming up at the end of<br />

European football season,<br />

so the trick is to get<br />

the players fresh <strong>and</strong><br />

keep them away from injuries.<br />

“It is <strong>go</strong>ing to be a tough<br />

challenge in Egypt, so<br />

the coach has been talking<br />

to the players on his<br />

approach <strong>and</strong> the need<br />

for them to be fit so that<br />

we can come together to<br />

play the tournament with<br />

full blast,” he said.<br />

Ibitoye said that Egypt<br />

remained the tournament<br />

favourites considering<br />

the fact that they were the<br />

host nation <strong>and</strong> also have<br />

a <strong>go</strong>od squad.<br />

“The tournament will<br />

be taking place in Egypt<br />

so they are the favourites<br />

<strong>and</strong> also have a <strong>go</strong>od<br />

squad. Morocco also<br />

comes to mind <strong>and</strong> Senegal.<br />

“The likes of the defending<br />

champions,<br />

Cameroon <strong>and</strong> Ghana<br />

are potential winners<br />

<strong>and</strong> outsiders such as<br />

South Africa, Mali <strong>and</strong><br />

Guinea; these are teams<br />

that can spring surprises,”<br />

he said.<br />

Nesiama praises Nigerian juniors’<br />

exploits in Cote d’ Ivoire<br />

FIFA U-20 WC: Aigbogun<br />

submits provisional list<br />

FLYING<br />

Eagles<br />

coach Paul Aigbogun<br />

has submitted a provisional<br />

list of 30 players<br />

<strong>ahead</strong> of the FIFA U-20<br />

World Cup in Pol<strong>and</strong>.<br />

The list include Villarreal<br />

of Spain up <strong>and</strong><br />

coming striker Samuel<br />

Chukweze, Bologna of<br />

Italy midfielder Kingsley<br />

Michael <strong>and</strong> Manchester<br />

City’s midfielder Tom<br />

Dele Bashiru, but long<br />

Afeez Aremu who<br />

helped the team to qualify<br />

for the World Cup<br />

was dropped from the<br />

list.<br />

The Flying Eagles<br />

have been drawn in the<br />

same group alongside<br />

Qatar, USA <strong>and</strong> Ukraine<br />

at the 2019 FIFA U20<br />

World Cup finals.<br />

The Squad:<br />

Home-Based: Detan<br />

Ogundare, Olawale Oremade,<br />

Matthew Yakubu,<br />

Mike Zaruma, Rabiu<br />

Mohammad, Solomon<br />

Onome, Ikouwem Udo<br />

Utin, Quadri Liameed,<br />

Adewale Oladoye, Peter<br />

Eletu, Ernest Chidiebere,<br />

Victor Arikpo, Effiom<br />

Maxwell, Abubakar<br />

Ibrahim, Adeshina Gata,<br />

Aniekeme Okon, Sor Collins,<br />

Ahmad Ghali, Aliu<br />

Salawudeen, Tijani Muhammad,<br />

Pascal Durugbor,<br />

Saeed Jibril, Valentine<br />

Ozornwafor.<br />

Overseas-Based: Samuel<br />

Chukwueze, Kingsley<br />

Michael, Ash Kigbu,<br />

Tom Dele-Bashiru, Chinedu<br />

Ekene, Henry Offia,<br />

Abubakar Jibril, Hamdi<br />

Akujobi.<br />

*Musa Ahmed,Super Eagles captain<br />

By Ben Efe<br />

FORMER Athletics<br />

Federation of Nigeria,<br />

AFN technical director,<br />

Omatseye Nesiama said<br />

the efforts of Nigerian athletes<br />

at the last African Junior<br />

Championships in Cote<br />

d’ Ivoire is commendable<br />

considering the difficult<br />

conditions they had to cope<br />

with.<br />

Retired Navy Commodore<br />

Nesiama who is also<br />

a member of Confederation<br />

of African Athletics (CAA)<br />

Technical <strong>and</strong> Competitions<br />

Commission, said Nigerians<br />

should be proud of the<br />

athletes who came third<br />

behind Kenya <strong>and</strong> South<br />

Africa on the overall medals<br />

table.<br />

He pointed out that athletes<br />

like Favour Ofili who<br />

won triple <strong>go</strong>ld in the youth<br />

cate<strong>go</strong>ry was quite a revelation<br />

<strong>and</strong> she gives hope<br />

for the future of Nigerian<br />

athletics.<br />

“The high points of the<br />

competition to me were<br />

many. One of it was to see<br />

Nigeria producing the best<br />

overall female athlete, Ofili<br />

Favour, this is no mean feat.<br />

“Another high point is<br />

being very professional in<br />

my officiating the U-18 male<br />

high jump event where a<br />

Nigerian won with a personal<br />

best,” Nesiama told<br />

NAN.<br />

“Naturally as a Nigerian,<br />

I was excited many times<br />

internally to see Nigeria<br />

win medals.<br />

“Team Nigeria’s performance<br />

can be considered<br />

<strong>go</strong>od, bearing in mind what<br />

the entire team had to <strong>go</strong><br />

through logistics wise.<br />

“They traveled by road<br />

<strong>and</strong> arrived at the eve of the<br />

competition <strong>and</strong> it took time<br />

before they could get settled<br />

into the Athlete’s Village.”<br />

Also speaking on her experience,<br />

discus thrower<br />

Prince Kara revealed that<br />

winning a <strong>go</strong>ld medal <strong>and</strong><br />

achieving her personal best<br />

more than made up for the<br />

long suffering they endured.<br />

“It wasn’t easy for us but<br />

I’m glad that I went there<br />

to put up a performance<br />

that I never expected.”<br />

The team returned last<br />

Tuesday <strong>and</strong> the AFN officials<br />

sent them away empty<br />

h<strong>and</strong>ed, not even transport<br />

money back to their<br />

respective homes. It was<br />

buses provided by the Delta<br />

State sports council that<br />

took some of them away.<br />

However, it was gathered<br />

that the athletes were asked<br />

to drop their bank accounts<br />

with the hope that they will<br />

be reimbursed at a later<br />

date.<br />

Edo <strong>go</strong>vt lauds Mabel Madojiemu<br />

Schools athletics meet<br />

EDO State <strong>go</strong>vern<br />

ment has found the<br />

efforts made by former<br />

athlete, Mabel Madojiemu<br />

to revive athletics in<br />

the State commendable.<br />

And the deputy <strong>go</strong>vernor,<br />

Dr. Philip Shaibu<br />

has promised to make a<br />

huge presence when the<br />

Princes Mabel Madojiemu<br />

Schools meet begin<br />

on May 6 in Benin City.<br />

According to former<br />

400m hurdler, Henry<br />

Amike, the Edo State<br />

deputy <strong>go</strong>vernor has given<br />

his blessings to the<br />

catch them young meet,<br />

the first of its kind in<br />

many years.<br />

“We have been to the<br />

office of the deputy <strong>go</strong>vernor<br />

<strong>and</strong> they were<br />

quite receptive <strong>and</strong> have<br />

pledged their support for<br />

the event,” said Amike<br />

who is the national 400m<br />

hurdles 48.50 secs record<br />

holder for many years.<br />

“All preparations have<br />

been made <strong>and</strong> we are<br />

looking forward to a<br />

great event,” added<br />

Amike.<br />

It was also gathered<br />

that traditional rulers<br />

from Igueben, Madojiemu’s<br />

home town have<br />

also signified their interest<br />

to attend the meet to<br />

support their daughter.<br />

Fifteen schools from the<br />

State will participate in<br />

the two-day meet.<br />

Vanguard, SUNDAY, APRIL 28, 2019 — 45<br />

Shaibu leads Edo exco to<br />

grace FA Cup final in Ekpoma<br />

*Shaibu, Edo Dep Gov<br />

EDO State Acting Gov<br />

ernor Comrade Philip<br />

Shaibu, Secretary to the<br />

State <strong>go</strong>vernment, Barrister<br />

Osarodion Ogie, Commissioner<br />

for Employment <strong>and</strong><br />

Wealth Creation, Barrister<br />

Emmanuel Usoh, <strong>and</strong> other<br />

members of the State Executives<br />

are expected to be the<br />

Special guests at the final of<br />

the Edo State Football Association<br />

Cup final taking<br />

place today at the Ambrose<br />

Alli University Sports complex<br />

Ekpoma in Esan West<br />

Local Government Area of<br />

Edo State.<br />

Speaking to news men<br />

shortly after Edo Queens<br />

zoomed into the final, Comrade<br />

Shaibu said that he<br />

was happy that Edo State has<br />

continued to keep to its<br />

promises of making sports<br />

development a cardinal<br />

point of her administration.<br />

“We have continued to echo<br />

it that we will ensure that<br />

sports in Edo State regains<br />

her premier position in the<br />

country. We are totally committed<br />

to using sports as a<br />

veritable tool of creating employment<br />

for our teeming<br />

youths in the state. By the<br />

Special Grace of God, we will<br />

all be at Ekpoma to witness<br />

the final of this year’s Edo<br />

FA Cup Final. Of course you<br />

know that all the teams involved<br />

in the competition are<br />

all teams from Edo, so we are<br />

<strong>go</strong>ing there to give our supports<br />

to <strong>go</strong>od football.”<br />

Meanwhile, Edo Queens<br />

Football Club of Benin on<br />

Friday humiliated Rolly<br />

Babes FC 3-0 at the semifinal<br />

match played at the<br />

Garrison Barracks sports<br />

complex in Benin- City.<br />

In a chat with sports journalists<br />

at the end of the<br />

game, Technical Director of<br />

the team, Pa Coach Godwin<br />

Izilein, said he was happy<br />

that the girls gave <strong>go</strong>od account<br />

of themselves, adding<br />

that the match is part of the<br />

team’s preparation for the<br />

forthcoming Women’s<br />

League billed to commence<br />

very soon in Nigeria.<br />

“I’m happy that we have<br />

qualified for the final of this<br />

years’ Edo FA Cup competition.<br />

These games you have<br />

just watched now is part of<br />

our training <strong>and</strong> build up<br />

towards the forthcoming<br />

women’s League which will<br />

commence within the next<br />

few weeks. For us as managers<br />

of the team, we believe<br />

we can get better as we move<br />

<strong>ahead</strong>. We cannot say that<br />

we have arrived, we need to<br />

train our girls very well so<br />

that they would be able to<br />

st<strong>and</strong> the test of time when it<br />

matters most,” Izilein said.<br />

Adamark Foundation commences<br />

<strong>No</strong> Barriers Female Basketball<br />

League in Abuja<br />

*Adamark basketball players<br />

Afemale basketball league, the first of its kind in the<br />

Federal Capital City has commenced with nine teams.<br />

Floated by the Adamark Foundation for Girls, an NGO,<br />

the league for girls within the FCT started running from<br />

April 20 <strong>and</strong> will end on July 6. It will hold on Saturdays<br />

<strong>and</strong> on Sundays, with an All Star Game planned to culminate<br />

the championship in the first week of July.<br />

Founder of the Adamark Foundation, Mrs Ada Mark<br />

Ogbole said that the ‘<strong>No</strong> Barriers Female Basketball<br />

League’, which is being decided at the Mapache High<br />

School Uncommon Ground, Apo Resettlement Scheme<br />

in Abuja was to give girls opportunity to play <strong>and</strong> develop<br />

their skills since they get little or no time to train<br />

<strong>and</strong> play compared to boys in spite of their skills <strong>and</strong><br />

zeal.<br />

“To birth the idea, we came together <strong>and</strong> decided to<br />

float a basketball league in Abuja. We know that we have<br />

the Zenith League which does not give girls enough<br />

playing time considering that we have too many girls<br />

who have the zeal <strong>and</strong> passion to play basketball. So,<br />

we wanted to create enough playing time for the girls<br />

since boys have more playing time <strong>and</strong> playgrounds to<br />

play basketball.<br />

As a foundation, our focus are girls <strong>and</strong> since we have<br />

been running basketball clinics for girls for five years<br />

now so we thought we should create another opportunity<br />

that will add value for the girls to play.


46 — SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

Kuffour, the toughest defender I ever faced, says<br />

Okocha *Revealed how God saved him from Bundesliga coach<br />

By John Egbokhan<br />

FORMER Super Ea<br />

gle’s talismanic midfielder<br />

has said that as a<br />

player, he didn’t want to release<br />

the ball to his teammates<br />

because he felt he<br />

could do no wrong with it.<br />

Okocha also admitted<br />

that his Bundesliga career<br />

with Eintracht Frankfurt<br />

would have come to an<br />

abrupt end had he not<br />

scored against Oliver Khan<br />

after dribbling no fewer<br />

than five defenders <strong>and</strong> the<br />

former German <strong>go</strong>al Keeper<br />

Ṫhe 1994 African Cup of<br />

Nations winner also revealed<br />

that African defenders<br />

were the most difficult<br />

opponents he ever faced<br />

during his illustrious career<br />

that saw him play at<br />

the 1994 FIFA World Cup<br />

in USA.<br />

Speaking in an exhaustive<br />

interview with reporters<br />

at the Bundesliga Star-<br />

Times Legends Tour in La<strong>go</strong>s,<br />

Okocha said that he<br />

was his biggest foe when in<br />

control of the ball.<br />

“As a player I did not<br />

want to pass the ball to anyone<br />

but my coaches in the<br />

Bundesliga taught me how<br />

to play for the <strong>go</strong>od of the<br />

team. I always felt very<br />

comfortable with the ball.<br />

When with it, I believed that<br />

nobody could stop me. I<br />

knew I was gifted with the<br />

ball <strong>and</strong> could do anything<br />

with it.<br />

I was my biggest opponent.<br />

I never believed anybody<br />

could take the ball<br />

away from me, but I was<br />

made to release later that<br />

it was about the team, not<br />

the individual”.<br />

On his famous <strong>go</strong>al<br />

against Oliver Khan,<br />

Okocha said it was as a result<br />

of his desire to prove a<br />

point for being benched in<br />

that game.<br />

According to the former<br />

Bolton captain, “it was not<br />

planned but it was meant<br />

to be. I was on the bench on<br />

that day <strong>and</strong> upset not to<br />

be selected. So when I was<br />

called upon to <strong>go</strong> in, I wanted<br />

to prove a big point. I<br />

was patient enough to have<br />

held the ball for that long<br />

because when I tried to<br />

shoot at <strong>go</strong>al, one defender<br />

would come <strong>and</strong> I would<br />

just move my leg <strong>and</strong> another<br />

would come, prompting<br />

me to step away again<br />

until I eventually scored.<br />

Our manager then said<br />

that had I missed that scoring<br />

chance that I would not<br />

have played again, so God<br />

rescued me from his<br />

threat”.<br />

Dwelling on the toughest<br />

opponents he faced,<br />

Okocha said that former<br />

Ghanaian <strong>and</strong> Bayern Munich<br />

defender, Ossei Kuffour<br />

would rank high in this<br />

list.<br />

“I realised at a very<br />

young age that I had a gift<br />

to do special things with the<br />

ball. My biggest opponent<br />

was me. I knew I was in<br />

charge when with the ball.<br />

But on the toughest defenders<br />

I faced, I would say that<br />

my African br<strong>others</strong> were<br />

the ones.<br />

“ We have the same mentality<br />

<strong>and</strong> thought the same<br />

way. Ossei Kuffour was the<br />

toughest of them all.<br />

There was a game that he<br />

kept following <strong>and</strong> marking<br />

me <strong>and</strong> I asked him,<br />

“O boy, take it easy, look<br />

at the way you are breathing<br />

down on my neck”<br />

<strong>and</strong> he replied that “sorry<br />

I <strong>go</strong>t work to do”. “He<br />

brought out the best in<br />

me” added Okocha.<br />

U17 AFCON: Cameroon, Guinea battle for crown<br />

NEW kings of the<br />

Total U17 Africa<br />

Cup of Nations will be<br />

crowned today when<br />

Cameroon <strong>and</strong> Guinea<br />

meet in the decisive<br />

match at the National<br />

Stadium, Dar e Salaam.<br />

Cameroon <strong>go</strong> into the<br />

game as favorites having<br />

beaten Guinea 2-0 earlier<br />

in a Group B opening<br />

fixture at Chamazi Stadium,<br />

leaving Guinea<br />

with a lot to do to seek<br />

their revenge in the final.<br />

The Junior Sylis of<br />

Guinea reached their<br />

first final ever after beating<br />

Nigeria 10-9 on penalties,<br />

whilst 10-man<br />

Cameroon snatched a<br />

similar victory, 4-3 on<br />

penalties against An<strong>go</strong>la<br />

to <strong>go</strong> through their<br />

second final. Cameroon<br />

had won the title once in<br />

2003.<br />

The interesting thing<br />

about the final is that,<br />

Guinea have lost only<br />

once in this tournament<br />

<strong>and</strong> it was against their<br />

fellow finalists, Cameroon.<br />

Guinea trainer,<br />

Mohamed Camera insists<br />

that, it is their<br />

chance to revenge <strong>and</strong><br />

they have worked hard to<br />

make sure they take the<br />

trophy back home.<br />

“It doesn’t matter how<br />

many times we will wait<br />

for it, but our desire is to<br />

take our revenge on<br />

Cameroon. We lost to<br />

them in the opening<br />

game but this time we are<br />

not afraid, we want to<br />

show our superiority,” he<br />

said.<br />

“As a young coach I am<br />

really emotionally involved<br />

with this game. It<br />

is amazing to be in the<br />

final. My boys are happy<br />

to achieve this <strong>and</strong><br />

will fight to be champions,”<br />

he added.<br />

Guinea captain, Bah<br />

Algassime said; “We are<br />

very happy to be in the<br />

final. We are focused <strong>and</strong><br />

concentrated on the<br />

game. We appreciate the<br />

big support we are getting<br />

out there <strong>and</strong> we are<br />

<strong>go</strong>ing to look for a win to<br />

show our gratitude to the<br />

fans.”<br />

On the other h<strong>and</strong>,<br />

Cameroon coach, Thomas<br />

Libiih has said his ambition<br />

is to win the trophy<br />

<strong>and</strong> that will happen if<br />

they take the game serious<br />

<strong>and</strong> fight hard to win.<br />

Les Lionceaux will be<br />

missing the services of<br />

Fabrice Ndzie, who was<br />

sent off in the semis clash<br />

with An<strong>go</strong>la.<br />

“I won several trophies<br />

as a player so this will not<br />

be a big surprise for me.<br />

However what we need<br />

to know is that every<br />

coach has ambition to<br />

win trophies, <strong>and</strong> we<br />

have worked hard for<br />

it. We wish to have<br />

wonderful moment tomorrow<br />

<strong>and</strong> beat Guinea<br />

to lift the trophy,” he<br />

said.<br />

Cameroon midfielder,<br />

Nassourou Ben Hamed<br />

said; “This is the equal<br />

chance game but we<br />

are not <strong>go</strong>ing to take<br />

our opponents lite. Our<br />

motivation <strong>and</strong> desire<br />

is to win this trophy<br />

<strong>and</strong> we are ready for<br />

that. We know that we<br />

are <strong>go</strong>ing to achieve<br />

our motive of becoming<br />

new champions.”<br />

*As Eaglets crash again, lose bronze medal match to<br />

An<strong>go</strong>la<br />

Nigeria finished out<br />

side the medals’<br />

zone after losing 1-2 to An<strong>go</strong>la<br />

in the third place<br />

match of the 13th Africa U17<br />

Cup of Nations in Tanzania<br />

on Saturday. The Golden<br />

Eaglets however kept<br />

their ticket to the FIFA U17<br />

World Cup in Brazil.<br />

The technical crew of the<br />

five–time world champions<br />

must be quite worried how<br />

the Eaglets’ scorecard<br />

showed a steady decline in<br />

the tournament. First they<br />

narrowly edged a nine-<strong>go</strong>al<br />

thriller (against Tanzania);<br />

won by a <strong>go</strong>al from the spot<br />

(against An<strong>go</strong>la); came<br />

*Okocha<br />

from behind to draw (against<br />

Ug<strong>and</strong>a); lost on penalty<br />

shoot-out (against Guinea)<br />

<strong>and</strong>; then lost in regulation<br />

time (against An<strong>go</strong>la).<br />

It is an unflattering output<br />

at a continental championship<br />

for a country that has<br />

won the world title five times,<br />

<strong>and</strong> the team has, sincerely,<br />

not done enough to justify the<br />

support of the Nigeria Football<br />

Federation <strong>and</strong> the confidence<br />

of Nigerian ball fans.<br />

It was always <strong>go</strong>ing to end<br />

this way for a team that<br />

wastes opportunities without<br />

blinking, <strong>and</strong> despite creating<br />

another basketful of<br />

chances, <strong>and</strong> playing against<br />

a team with one man down<br />

Manu Garba, Eaglet's<br />

coach<br />

for 34 minutes (after Porfirio<br />

Abrantes <strong>go</strong>t a second<br />

yellow card), the Manu<br />

Garba-tutored team led<br />

failed to make hay.<br />

Cameroon <strong>and</strong> Guinea<br />

will contest today’s final in<br />

Dar es Salaam.<br />

Between Soldiers <strong>and</strong><br />

Footballers<br />

AFEW days a<strong>go</strong> I posted this “Chukwu must not die. Enugu<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment, NFF, <strong>and</strong> Femi Otedola rally round him.<br />

Many more support are expected,” on my Facebook wall. The<br />

crux of the post is that the Enugu State <strong>go</strong>vernment, Nigeria<br />

Football Federation, NFF <strong>and</strong> oil magnate, Femi Otedola have<br />

rallied round him, to do what? To help save his life.<br />

As a result, a friend <strong>and</strong> colleague, Yomi Idowu who read it,<br />

reminded me that Emmanuel Okala, one time first choice <strong>go</strong>alkeeper<br />

of the senior national team, the Green Eagles as they were<br />

then known, was equally ill <strong>and</strong> should be assisted. I shared his<br />

post on my Facebook wall <strong>and</strong> since then my wall has been<br />

bombarded with various comments as if I committed any offence<br />

by bringing Okala’s health situation to people’s awareness.<br />

I want to ask, if Chukwu could be assisted, why not Okala? Both<br />

men brought honour to Nigeria <strong>and</strong> played in the same team. In<br />

a team, there must be a captain <strong>and</strong> that was what Chukwu was.<br />

His role as a defender was not greater than Okala’s as a <strong>go</strong>alkeeper.<br />

It mustn’t be NFF or the <strong>go</strong>vernment of Okala’s home<br />

State that must always help but <strong>go</strong>od spirited Nigerians whom<br />

God has blessed. God blesses people to be able to help <strong>others</strong> <strong>and</strong><br />

not to keep it for themselves alone. Do foreigners who donate to<br />

the course of Nigerians have any obligation to do so? <strong>No</strong>. They<br />

are humans <strong>and</strong> feel touched to help because they love their<br />

neighbours as themselves as God dem<strong>and</strong>ed of us all.<br />

When in 2016 our Olympic football team were str<strong>and</strong>ed in the<br />

US <strong>and</strong> were at risk of missing their opening match, it took the<br />

benevolence of an American airline to fly them to Brazil early<br />

enough to play the game which they still won.<br />

The dexterity of the players who put all the inconveniences <strong>and</strong><br />

jetlag behind them to still win the match against Japan overwhelmed<br />

a Japanese billionaire, Dr. Katsuya Takasu who donated<br />

the sum of $390,000 to the players <strong>and</strong> their coach to share.<br />

Rather than commend the donor, a minister who should hide<br />

his face in shame for bringing disgrace to the country bt ab<strong>and</strong>oning<br />

the team, first wanted to know why the money was routed<br />

through Samson Siasia, the team’s coach rather than through<br />

his office. He added another shameful dimension, querying the<br />

source of the money, alluding to the fact that it might be drug<br />

money.<br />

The comments, most of which were quite unsavoury, condemned<br />

the ‘special’ treatment always given to sportsmen, especially<br />

footballers, whom they said were paid during their playing<br />

days <strong>and</strong> deserve nothing from the <strong>go</strong>vernment again.<br />

Majority pointed to soldiers whom they say risk their lives protecting<br />

the country, policemen who battle men of the underworld<br />

every day to enable us sleep well at night <strong>and</strong> move about freely at<br />

day time without molestation but don’t get such assistance.<br />

These critics were right in their comments as it concerns the<br />

right of the soldiers <strong>and</strong> policemen as well as other Nigerians<br />

who work for the development of Nigeria. But the similarities end<br />

there as sports people, particularly footballers in this circumstance,<br />

are not employees of the <strong>go</strong>vernment but volunteers who<br />

answered national call to serve their fatherl<strong>and</strong>.<br />

While the soldiers, policemen <strong>and</strong> civil servants are all employees<br />

of <strong>go</strong>vernment on full salaries with other attachments like<br />

medical, transports, feeding, leave <strong>and</strong> inconvenience allowances,<br />

footballers are entitled to only match bonuses <strong>and</strong> camping<br />

allowances.<br />

The allowances of the <strong>go</strong>vernment workers mentioned above<br />

are paid monthly for 12 months for the duration of their service<br />

which maybe up to 35 years. This is in addition to the gratuity they<br />

collect when they retire <strong>and</strong> the pension they collect monthly till<br />

they answer the final call by God.<br />

What do the sports people or footballers get <strong>and</strong> for how long?<br />

Many people forget that the actual competitive life span of every<br />

sports man or woman doesn’t last beyond 10 years. And during<br />

this 10 years, they don’t compete monthly but seasonally.<br />

In the life of a gifted footballer who God keeps fit always for<br />

instance, he may only attend two World Cups <strong>and</strong> five Africa<br />

Nations Cup in his 10 years as an active footballer. Compare his<br />

bonuses <strong>and</strong> camp allowances in those competitions to what the<br />

<strong>go</strong>vernment worker earns every month for 12 months in 35 years<br />

<strong>and</strong> you will see that they footballers should be commended for<br />

their service to fatherl<strong>and</strong>.<br />

The reason Nigeians complain about the allowance footballers<br />

earn is because it is always in foreign currency. But even at that, it<br />

is nothing compared to what the <strong>go</strong>vernment worker earns <strong>and</strong><br />

continues to earn till he passes on. So Nigerians should stop<br />

comparing our sports men <strong>and</strong> women who do not only bring<br />

happiness <strong>and</strong> joy to our homes but are better image launderers<br />

for our country than all the politicians put together.<br />

So still on helping people at critical moments of their lives, it<br />

doesn’t have to be Chukwu or Okala, if a neighbour has a life<br />

threatening ailment <strong>and</strong> we are in a position to assist, let us do it,<br />

if not for the individual’s sake, then for God so that He will continue<br />

to bless us.<br />

If we keep saying because somebody worked <strong>and</strong> was paid his<br />

or her salary or even gratuity <strong>and</strong> therefore should live with his<br />

pain <strong>and</strong> die, then we are not being humane <strong>and</strong> the call for<br />

citizens to be patriotic always will be a waste of time.<br />

Thoughts like these as well as the fact that the country doesn’t<br />

care for her citizens account partially for why individuals steal<br />

the country blind, hoping to cater for themselves <strong>and</strong> their families<br />

in critical times when no one will care after serving their<br />

country.<br />

May God touch our hearts so that we could be guided by what<br />

was written in the Holy Book which <strong>tells</strong> us in Mark 12:31: ‘Love<br />

your neighbor as yourself.’ It concluded by advising us that “There<br />

is no comm<strong>and</strong>ment greater than these.”


Drop Iwobi bring in Saka, Gunners fans tell<br />

Emery<br />

*Lowe<br />

AS Arsenal face Le<br />

icester City today in<br />

their bid for a top four finish,<br />

the Gunners fans have<br />

called on coach Unai Emery<br />

to drop Alex Iwobi <strong>and</strong><br />

bring in Bukayo Saka.<br />

Up <strong>and</strong> coming Saka<br />

helped the Arsenal B team<br />

to a comfortable 3-0 win<br />

over Leicester City at the<br />

Emirates. The 17-year-old<br />

led the Gunners to a ninth<br />

match unbeaten with a<br />

breathtaking performance<br />

that left the Foxes reeling<br />

after just ten minutes.<br />

Saka has already trained<br />

with Unai Emery’s first<br />

team squad <strong>and</strong> made four<br />

appearances, including a<br />

first start in a Europa<br />

League group stage win<br />

over Qarabag. His exploits<br />

in the youth set-up certainly<br />

haven’t <strong>go</strong>t unnoticed this<br />

season either.<br />

The Arsenal U23 boss<br />

Freddie Ljungberg said:<br />

“Bukayo is very, very <strong>go</strong>od. I<br />

said it from the beginning of<br />

the season. I had him when<br />

he was 15 <strong>and</strong> I have him<br />

again, which is a pleasure.<br />

“He’s a kid that’s humble,<br />

he works really hard every<br />

day in training, sometimes<br />

with the first team <strong>and</strong> sometimes<br />

with us. He just needs<br />

to keep on working. His time<br />

will come.<br />

“The only thing we have to<br />

look at, sometimes, is that<br />

he’s only 17.”<br />

And fans responding to a<br />

tweet by Arsenal academy<br />

called on Emery to drop<br />

Iwobi <strong>and</strong> draft in Saka for<br />

their game against Leicester<br />

at the Fox Stadium, claiming<br />

that the youngster was<br />

better than Iwobi.<br />

La Liga more than football league -- Sid Lowe<br />

By Ben Efe<br />

TOP Spanish football<br />

writer, Sid Lowe<br />

said football in that country<br />

is much more than a<br />

sport.<br />

Lowe who was in La<strong>go</strong>s<br />

to give insight on his experience<br />

with the Spanish<br />

League, told listening<br />

Nigerian sports journalists<br />

<strong>and</strong> analyst yesterday<br />

that the LaLiga is one of<br />

the best leagues in the<br />

world <strong>and</strong> according to<br />

him, it was more than<br />

football <strong>and</strong> everything<br />

about Spanish history <strong>and</strong><br />

culture.<br />

“When you are reporting<br />

Solskjaer gets massive boost for clash<br />

against Chelsea<br />

M ANCHESTER<br />

United manager<br />

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer<br />

has confirmed a massive<br />

injury boost <strong>ahead</strong> of the<br />

crucial fixture against<br />

Chelsea this afternoon<br />

at Old Trafford.<br />

The Red Devils face the<br />

Blues at Old Trafford in<br />

a huge game in the battle<br />

to finish in the top<br />

four in the Premier<br />

League this season.<br />

With the hosts three<br />

points behind Chelsea,<br />

it’s very much a mustwin<br />

game for them <strong>and</strong><br />

Solskjaer has confirmed<br />

that Herrera could return<br />

after recovering from a<br />

hamstring injury, having<br />

been out of action since<br />

the win against Watford<br />

at Old Trafford March<br />

30.<br />

“I would think so<br />

yeah,” Solskjaer said<br />

when asked if he could<br />

feature.<br />

“Ander has been training,<br />

he is enthusiastic<br />

<strong>and</strong> probably be involved<br />

on Sunday, can’t<br />

guarantee but he’s<br />

trained the last two<br />

days.”<br />

The Spaniard’s return<br />

is a huge boost for Solskjaer’s<br />

side, with United<br />

having a much better<br />

win percentage with him<br />

in the side.<br />

Since Solskjaer took<br />

over in December, United<br />

have not lost in the<br />

Premier League when<br />

Herrera has started a<br />

game, winning eight <strong>and</strong><br />

drawing one, while they<br />

have lost four of the nine<br />

games when he hasn’t<br />

featured, winning just<br />

four <strong>and</strong> drawing one.<br />

United have seen their<br />

top four hopes hit in recent<br />

weeks, with defeats<br />

against Everton <strong>and</strong><br />

Manchester City this<br />

week leaving them facing<br />

an uphill battle to<br />

qualify for the Champions<br />

League next season.<br />

But victory against the<br />

Blues could change<br />

things, with United set to<br />

face bottom side Huddersfield<br />

Town <strong>and</strong> relegation-threatened<br />

Cardiff<br />

City in their final two fixtures.<br />

the league, it is not only<br />

about football. It is about<br />

everything in Spain.<br />

“The Clubs are deeply<br />

infused into the communities<br />

<strong>and</strong> they are very<br />

important social <strong>and</strong> cultural<br />

institutions,” said<br />

British born Lowe.<br />

He disclosed that he<br />

went to Spain to study but<br />

ended up becoming a<br />

Spanish Football expert,<br />

adding that it was the arrival<br />

of David Beckham in<br />

Spain in 1997 that further<br />

reinforced his interest reporting<br />

the LaLiga.<br />

“I had to be an interpreter<br />

to David Beckham.<br />

And also the local press<br />

relied on me to give more<br />

information about him<br />

<strong>and</strong> other English players.”<br />

He added that competition<br />

in the LaLiga was<br />

heating up <strong>and</strong> the smaller<br />

clubs are catching up<br />

with powerhouse like<br />

Barcelona <strong>and</strong> Real<br />

Madrid.<br />

Neymar’s dream to play with Hazard will come<br />

true — Zidane<br />

REAL Madrid boss Zine<br />

dine Zidane says that<br />

Neymar’s dream of playing<br />

alongside Eden Hazard could<br />

come true at the Santia<strong>go</strong><br />

Bernabeu amid rumours of a<br />

mass influx of big stars set to<br />

arrive in the Spanish capital<br />

this summer.<br />

Los Blancos have endured a<br />

dreadful season by their own<br />

high st<strong>and</strong>ards, with a failure<br />

to adequately replace Cristiano<br />

Ronaldo’s <strong>go</strong>al threat<br />

cited as big part of Madrid<br />

*Neymar<br />

*Iwobi <strong>and</strong> Saka<br />

*Solskjaer<br />

falling away in La Liga <strong>and</strong><br />

being dumped out of the<br />

Champions League by Ajax.<br />

Reports have suggested that<br />

Zidane will have a massive<br />

budget to spend on a summer<br />

rebuild, with the likes of Hazard,<br />

Neymar, Paul Pogba <strong>and</strong><br />

Kylian Mbappe all being<br />

linked with big-money moves<br />

to Madrid – <strong>and</strong> Zizou himself<br />

has done little to quiet<br />

those rumblings.<br />

When asked if Neymar could<br />

realise his wish of featuring in<br />

the same side as Hazard in<br />

*Hazard<br />

Spain, Zidane told a press<br />

conference: “Yes. A lot of players<br />

want to come here <strong>and</strong><br />

play for Real Madrid, but let’s<br />

see what happens in the future.<br />

“Will I have plenty of power<br />

to decide on transfers <strong>and</strong><br />

signings? <strong>No</strong>. I’m not even the<br />

boss in my own home! There<br />

are people here who are very<br />

important to the club that<br />

help make decisions <strong>and</strong> we<br />

want to make those together.<br />

“The idea is to empower the<br />

attacking line for next season.<br />

Let’s see what we can do.”<br />

Refusing to let the Hazard<br />

conversation lie, journalists<br />

pushed Zidane for an answer<br />

on whether Hazard could fit<br />

in a side with Gareth Bale as<br />

rumours continue to swirl that<br />

the Welsh winger would be on<br />

the move in the summer.<br />

“Yes!” again was the French<br />

boss’ answer. “All the <strong>go</strong>od<br />

players can play together. People<br />

told me that I wasn’t compatible<br />

with [fellow World<br />

Cup winner, Yuri] Djorkaeff.<br />

What a lot of nonsense, man!”<br />

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019 — 47<br />

Bright Star, Oshogbo Utd<br />

clash in Emeka Anyaoku<br />

U-16 Cup final<br />

THIS afternoon at the<br />

Campus Mini Stadium<br />

Ajele, La<strong>go</strong>s, Oshogbo<br />

United <strong>and</strong> Bright Star FC<br />

of La<strong>go</strong>s will slug it out in<br />

the final of the 2019 Emeka<br />

Anyaoku Cup for Under-<br />

16.<br />

To reach the final, Bright<br />

Star dismissed Igbaja<br />

Babes from Kwara State,<br />

while Oshogbo United defeated<br />

Do<strong>go</strong> Boys from<br />

Kano State in the semi-final<br />

decided at the Legacy<br />

Pitch of the National Stadium<br />

in Surulere, La<strong>go</strong>s.<br />

The competition in honour<br />

of the 85-year-old<br />

former Commonwealth<br />

Secretary-General has<br />

been running for 12 years<br />

<strong>and</strong> it is an avenue for national<br />

coaches to discover<br />

young talents that will represent<br />

the country at international<br />

soccer tournaments.<br />

It is sponsored by<br />

Ibeto group of companies,<br />

organized <strong>and</strong> staged by<br />

the National Youth Soccer<br />

Association.<br />

Fear of relegation grips<br />

Leicester players<br />

AFEAR of plummeting<br />

down the Premier<br />

League table is a motivating<br />

factor for Leicester City<br />

as they clash with Arsenal in<br />

today’s English Premier<br />

League match at the Fox<br />

Stadium.<br />

According to Leicester left<br />

back, Ben Chilwell the<br />

match is must win for the<br />

2015 EPL champions, if they<br />

are to escape the drop with<br />

three games to <strong>go</strong>.<br />

“There’s loads still to play<br />

for,” Chilwell told Sky<br />

Sports.<br />

“Throughout the whole<br />

season, the thought has been<br />

in the back of our heads to<br />

try to finish seventh <strong>and</strong>,<br />

while the last three games<br />

we have now are all difficult,<br />

we are definitely within<br />

reach.<br />

“And we can drop down a<br />

lot of places if we don’t perform.<br />

“So there’s no feeling of<br />

the end of the season for us,<br />

or maybe thinking about<br />

holidays. We know how im<br />

Klopp backs Salah for <strong>go</strong>lden<br />

boot award<br />

*Salah <strong>and</strong> Coach Klopp<br />

JURGEN Klopp says well <strong>and</strong> that is why we are<br />

Mohamed Salah “has in the situation we are in.”<br />

made a big step this season”<br />

after his double the third Liverpool player<br />

Salah has become only<br />

against Huddersfield lifted to score more than 20 Premier<br />

League <strong>go</strong>als in con-<br />

him into pole position for<br />

the Golden Boot.<br />

secutive seasons for the<br />

Salah won the award club, after Robbie Fowler<br />

with 32 <strong>go</strong>als last season (1994-95 <strong>and</strong> 1995-96) <strong>and</strong><br />

but Klopp believes “it is a Luis Suarez (2012-13 <strong>and</strong><br />

bigger achievement” for 2013-14) also achieved the<br />

the Egyptian to be leading feat.<br />

the way again.<br />

Victory for Liverpool saw<br />

“It’s such an important them move back to the top<br />

year for him after a campaign<br />

where every shot was 91 points, with a two-point<br />

of the Premier League on<br />

a <strong>go</strong>al last season,” Klopp advantage over Manchester<br />

City, although the de-<br />

told the BBC.<br />

“He is being really assessed<br />

by people to see if it one game in h<strong>and</strong>.<br />

fending champions have<br />

was a one off.”<br />

“We have to do our job<br />

Salah’s 21st league <strong>go</strong>al <strong>and</strong> win the games,” Klopp<br />

of the campaign saw him told Sky Sports. “To have<br />

take the record for the most 91 points is incredible <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>go</strong>als scored (69) by a Liverpool<br />

player in his first because it doesn’t happen<br />

we should mark that day<br />

100 games for the club. every year.<br />

The Egyptian also moved “The boys have done everything<br />

possible to give<br />

<strong>ahead</strong> of team-mate Sadio<br />

Mane - who also scored ourselves a chance.”<br />

twice against the Terriers - The Reds face the La Liga<br />

in the race for the Golden leaders in the first leg of<br />

Boot when he slid his second<br />

<strong>go</strong>al past Jonas Lossl semi-final on Wednesday<br />

their Champions League<br />

late on.<br />

<strong>and</strong> the German was quick<br />

“He looked like he wanted<br />

to break that record tomours<br />

which suggested the<br />

to dismiss social media runight<br />

because after the second<br />

<strong>go</strong>al it was like ‘me of the season.<br />

Brazilian may miss the rest<br />

against the rest of the “Do not believe 3% of<br />

world’,” added Klopp. what is on social media,”<br />

“Thankfully all of the said Klopp.<br />

<strong>others</strong> are doing that as


SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 28, 2019<br />

SEE SOLUTION PAGE 5<br />

ACROSS<br />

1)United States minority<br />

leader,<br />

Mr. Chuck (7)<br />

4)Kaduna State Commissioner<br />

for<br />

Health & Human Services,<br />

Professor Jonathan Andrew (3)<br />

6)Traditional ruler of Benin (3)<br />

7)Cypriot Capital City (7)<br />

9)Nigerian Currency (5)<br />

10)Former Akwa-Ibom State<br />

Governor, Mr. Godswill (7)<br />

13)Deputy Clerk of the National<br />

Assembly, Mr. Olaide<br />

Owolabi (7)<br />

16)Vehicle (5)<br />

17)Venezuelan Capital City (7)<br />

19)Colour (3)<br />

20)Organ of Hearing (3)<br />

21)Managing Director, Nigerian<br />

Deposit Insurance Corporation<br />

(NDIC), Alhaji Umar (7)<br />

DOWN<br />

1)Japanese Currency (3)<br />

2)Minister of Budget & National<br />

Planning, Senator Udo (5)<br />

3)American Isl<strong>and</strong> (7)<br />

4)African Country (7)<br />

5)Pakistan’s Largest City &<br />

Metropolis (7)<br />

8)Writing fluid (3)<br />

10)Minister of Health,<br />

Professor Isaac Folorunsho (7)<br />

11)Indian Town & Municipality<br />

(7)<br />

12)An<strong>go</strong>la “Palancas Negras”<br />

Coach, Roberto (7)<br />

14)Asian Ox (5)<br />

15PublicRelations Officer,<br />

Nigerian Police Force (NPF)<br />

Headquarters, Mr. Frank (3)<br />

18)Addition Result (3)<br />

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

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(ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: JIDE AJANI. 08111813023 All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa La<strong>go</strong>s.

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