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44 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 SOUTH AFRICA: There must be consequences for xenophobic attacks against Nigerians — Okorie •Says 'Nigeria must be centre-piece of our foreign policy' By Olayinka Ajayi NATIONAL Chairman of the United Progressives Party, UPP, Chief Chekwas Okorie, in this interview urged the Federal Government to make the country the centre-piece of our foreign policy and to ensure that there are consequences for the xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. He also spoke on the tough situation in Nigeria, recurring exodus of Nigerians and the way forward among others. ON the xenophobic attacks in South Africa and the fate of Nigerians there It is a matter of serious concern that Nigerians abroad are being resented and most times targeted for attacks. The exodus of Nigerians to foreign countries in search of greener pastures is also worrisome. The hard fact is that the situation in Nigeria is excruciating to the average citizen leading to the extreme option of travelling to foreign countries even when such adventures expose them to the vulnerability of unprovoked attacks. However, I recommend that Nigeria’s foreign policy should make the country its centre piece. This is what is trending and that is why the President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump is emphasising it every inch of the way by always stating “America First .” If we do not show in concrete terms that the lives of our citizens and our national interests matter, we shall not attract the respect we deserve. There must be consequences for the recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. What do you make of the South East Governors banning óf herdsmen movements from community to community in the South-East? I sincerely believe that the policy will go a long way to curb the farmers/herders clashes that have frequently threatened the security and stability of the area. I hope that the South-East Governors will sponsor bills in their various state Houses of Assembly to give legal backing to it. Such laws should be drafted in a manner that it will not be draconian. The Hausa/ Fulani communities have lived and inter-related with Ndigbo for over a century. Some of them have held important elective political offices while some have been appointed into high level positions. The policy of controlling the movement of livestock should not be interpreted out of context. What does such move portend for our national unity? I believe that livestock business should be taken to the level of contemporary best practices. Cattle or livestock markets abound in every city and most communities in the South-East. The policy demands that livestock meant for sale should be transported to the designated markets. The proposed Ruga projects in the Northern states where land with the right vegetation is abundant should be encouraged while Nigerians who can establish •Okorie ranches are free to do so without interfering with farmers and their farms. In this way, everybody will be happy and peace will reign. How in your estimation will Nigeria be if we lost the legal tussle on the P&ID $9.6 billion fine? I do not wish to contemplate the possibility of Nigeria losing the legal battle over the $9.6 billion judgement debt. The laudable rescue programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration will be adversely Professor Onje Gye-Wado, former deputy governor of Nasarawa State, in this exclusive interview with Vanguard in Lafia, spoke on insecurity in the state, especially attacks by suspected herdsmen and the need to identify those backing them financially among others. By David Odama YOUR state is also affected by the widespread attacks perpetrated by suspected herdsmen. How do you feel about it? What is happening today is completely unimaginable, unacceptable and cannot be tolerated by any civil society. It disturbs me not just me but many people, who believe so much in the unity of this country. In 1960, we saw the Union Jack, British flag, being lowered and replaced with Nigerian flag. We all rejoiced. In spite of our differences, we believed in oneness. It is unimaginable to see a Nigerian raising his hand against another Nigerian to the point of shedding blood. What has been happening in the past few years is a tragedy. It started with Boko Haram who are killing people and saying they don’t want western education which is an impossible demand. It is like telling a man to stop breathing. Boko Haram has caused us a lot of economic problems. Nigeria slipped into recession and to a large extent, it was caused by Boko Haram. We are spending billions of dollars, which we earned from oil derived from Niger Delta and South-East to fight a group that gave us impossible conditions. Are you disturbed by the kind of sophisticated weapons which the herdsmen are said to be using? Who are the sponsors of these herdsmen? Who are the people providing them with weapons? It is clear to me that they are bringing arms from outside Nigeria and the affected with dire social and economic consequences. Such possibility will make an already bad situation unbearable. I trust government to do all that is possible to save the situation. Those who exposed Nigeria to this quagmire must be rounded up and sanctioned including seizing their assets wherever they may be located. This should include the estates of the accomplices who may have died. On how former Governor Rochas Okorocha is being treated by Governor Emeka Ihedioha’s Administration in Imo State Former Governor Okorocha set the stage for his present predicament. He played God in many circumstances and turned the state to some sort of guinea pig for all kinds of political experiments. There seemed to be a very thin line between Okorocha’s personal assets and those of the state. Under Okorocha, the Imo State Assembly was such a rubber stamp that it lacked the fibre to query the governor on his several unappropriated projects and expenditures. Governor Emeka Ihedioha will be disappointing the people of Imo State if he failed to go after recovering whatever that is recoverable of the common patrimony of the people, mismanaged by the former governor. If this task of the incumbent governor is what you refer to as the embarrassment of Governor Okorocha, so be it. With the challenges of insecurity ravaging virtually the six geopolitical zones, is the nation drifting into regionalism? Nigeria is no doubt tending towards regionalism buoyed by rapidly increasing ethnic, sectional and religious consciousness. This may not be as a result of insecurity as your question suggests. I believe that lack of interest by government in the clamour for political restructuring of Nigeria may have compelled political, cultural and religious leaders to seek alliances HERDSMEN ATTACKS: Customs, Immigration owe Nigerians explanations — Gye-Wado •Says kidnapping, strategy to raise funds for insurrection •Gye-Wado Nigeria Customs, as well as the Immigration, have explanations to make. Some time ago, a group of armed people went to some communities in Benue State and killed many people including pregnant women. They destroyed their homes, burnt their farms and many villages were sacked. Those who carried out the attack said somebody from the area rustled their cows and they believed the only remedy was to kill even innocent people. These people continued their adventure, destroying many places just the way they did in Taraba, Zamfara, Plateau, Enugu and Anambra states and we were watching them. Police are helpless They have now gone into kidnapping and the information we have now is that this kidnapping is their strategy to raise funds for insurrection because when they kidnap people they send the ransom they collect to their sponsors to acquire more arms. It appears to me that the police are helpless in this situation. Nigerians can no longer pass through the major highways like the Kaduna-Abuja road because these same set of people have been instructed to raise money through kidnapping in other to sponsor terrorism. What is your position on the increasing cases of herders/farmers clashes in the state? What is happening across Nigeria not just Nasarawa State is unimaginable. It is not what an average Nigerian would want to tolerate. It worries me and other Nigerians who believe so much in the corporate existence of this project called Nigeria. In spite of our cultural, religious, and political differences, we believe in togetherness. Nigerians are saying that the herders should be disarmed, but it seems the government is not willing to do that. What is your take on this? The problem is more serious than anybody can imagine. We, the people of Nasarawa State are worried about this. When I was a child I saw cattle rearers with their sticks, bows, and arrows. I never saw anyone carrying weapons. It means some people are sponsoring them. The security agencies should be able to tell Nigerians who the sponsors are. The cattle rearers used to command their cattle whenever they strayed into farms but that is not the practice now. Today, herders carrying sophisticated weapons graze on farms and kill farmers who challenge them. Those sponsoring them have a mission which we don’t know and the security agencies have been unable to tell us. They should tell us because cattle rearing is not new in this country. This is a business that has been going on for years. Do you agree with claims in some quarters that Nasarawa State has not been fortunate to have purposeful leadership? There is no doubt that we have had poor governance, especially during the military. Many people know that I was a lecturer doing my work at the university before I became the deputy governor of the state. Like many indigenes of the that support regionalism. It may not be a bad idea after all. It will still take a coalition of regionally strong political parties to form a central government in Nigeria as was the case in the first and second republics. What kind of Nigeria do you dream and what leadership do we produce to get that kind of Nigeria? I will rather recommend for Nigeria a political leadership that is a product of credible and transparent elections, which can only be guaranteed by the use of electronic voting system. The advantages of this system far outweigh its perceived disadvantages. In conclusion, it will be in the best interest of Nigeria if we can reach a national consensus to support the people of the South- East to produce the next President of Nigeria in 2023. It will be a wonderful legacy in promoting national unity and cohesion if this epochal milestone is powered by President Buhari himself. state, I was also worried about the future of the state. When we came into the government in 1999, Nasarawa State was begging for development after its creation in 1996. We undertook several innovations like the construction of new schools, renovation of dilapidated schools, the establishment of a university, polytechnic and many institutions to meet the educational needs of our people. Health, industrialisation, and roads also received attention. Civilian administrations in the state have remained committed to the development of the state in spite of the lean resources available. Nasarawa State is divided along religious and ethnic lines. Does it constitute a challenge? Our religious system is just as good as the educational system because, without education, people would not be able to understand religion. Religion is not something you just grow up to understand. I think education should come first. Other factors militating against the development of the state are ethnicity and political egotism. Nasarawa State would have been the fastest-growing state. It is regrettable that with all efforts, and mechanisms put in place by the first civilian administration, ethnicity, religious inclination, and political sentiments have continued to slow down the pace of development. Nigeria of my dreams The Nigeria of old and the Nigeria I grew up to meet was different and my aspirations for Nigeria kept changing as I grew up. If you grew up in one part of Nigeria you are only left with stories to judge the other parts. Therefore, the Nigeria of my dreams is one in which we would avoid concentrating on our differences and see ourselves as individuals with a common purpose. The Nigeria I knew while growing up was not one where resources determined what one would become. There are a lot of brilliant people, who want to do good just as there are a lot of people who want to bring the country down.
Ukraine coach praises Eagles •Tells fans Lithuania not in Nigeria’s class The Yellow Men found the going tough against the Super Eagles and from the fourth minute to the 75th minute stared defeat in the face but two late goals rescued a draw for the hosts, following which Ukraine’s manager revealed his respect to the Nigeria side. Coach Andriy Shevchenko has appealed to the fans of the Ukraine national team, the Yellow Men to accept the 2-2 draw against the Super Eagles as a good result as Nigeria is no Lithuania. A few days ago, Ukraine travelled away to thrash Lithuania 3-1 in a Euro qualifier and more of the same was expected by the home fans when Nigeria arrived at the Dnipro Arena. But debutant Joe Aribo gave the Super Eagles the perfect start four minutes in before Lille hotshot Victor Osimhen doubled the advantage from the penalty spot to shock the home fans. Ukraine rallied in the second half and two goals in quick succession ensured that the Yellows avoided a humiliation in front of their supporters. Shevchenko wasted no time in telling critics that his team should be applauded as Nigeria, ranked 33 by FIFA, cannot be compared to Lithuania who are ranked almost 100 places below the West Africans. “It is very difficult to find the ideal at all. The team is moving in the right direction. It is impossible to compare today’s match with the previous one against Lithuania,” Shevchenko told reporters after the game. Oparaku lauds Olympic Eagles win over Sudan Following Nigeria’s U23 5-0 win against Sudan U23 in the second-leg of the 2019 Africa U23 Cup of Nations qualifiers, 1996 Olympic Gold medal winner, Mobi Oparaku has hailed the performance of the team and doggedness to overturn a first-leg deficit. The former Enyimba player who was part of the first dream team in 1996 revealed that he never entertained any fear over the qualification chances of the team. “I wasn’t worried about the second-leg because I knew we had U23 players at home and abroad that can play the game, plus the coaching crew do not play with sentiments, they follow due process.” On the introduction of fresh legs in the second-leg, Okparaku said, “the coaches know what they want, they reshuffled the team after the first-leg defeat, and they know best why they made their choices.” The Heartland technical crew member also likened the comeback of the Olympic Eagles to that of Dream team in their 1996 qualifiers game against Kenya. Shevchenko Vanguard, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 — 45 New Super Eagles‘ll get better – Aghahowa Former Super Eagles striker Julius Aghahowa has called for caution and patience with the current team following the 2-2 draw against Ukraine on Tuesday. Nigeria threw away a 2-0 first half lead to settle for a draw at the Dnipro stadium, but Aghahowa insists the team’s building process is on course. “We should let them progress gradually, so that they can have a strong appearance when they get fully into the senior national team and hopefully, this crop of players will get better,” the former FC Shakhtar Donetsk player said. “You can see some players are being selfish a bit because they want to do something special or something extra-ordinary to stamp their place in the team.” Super Eagles need more NPFL players, Amunike tells Rohr Super Eagles Head Coach Gernot Rohr gave three players their senior debut as Nigeria was held 2-2 by Ukraine in an international friendly on Tuesday. Ayodele Aribo, Josh Maja and Dennis Emmanuel were handed their first international caps by Rohr, but former Eagles winger Emmanuel Amunike believes that the Coach could have done more and for home based players too. In the 18-man squad selected against Ukraine, only one player Lille hail Osimhen’s debut goal for Nigeria French Ligue 1 side Lille Metropole could not hide their joy as striker Victor Osimhen scored his first senior national team goal for Nigeria. Osimhen bravely took up the spot kick responsibility after Samuel Kalu was tripped in the box and converted with a lot of energy behind the ball and the Ligue 1 campaigners described it as “nicely done”. The French club side on Twitter reacted to the latest feat achieved by the 21 year-old striker. Osimhen joined Lille from Sporting Charleroi in the Belgian league for a fee believed to be in the region of 12 million Euros. He has scored four goals in as many matches in the Ligue 1 and won the August player of the month after his breathtaking start to the season. based in Nigeria made the cut. Heartland FC’s Ikechukwu Ezenwa was the only NPFL based player in the squad, and Amunike insists the German Coach can do more giving home based players opportunities in the Eagles. “Friendly games are not all about winning, but an avenue for you to test new players and the old ones if they can fit in,” the former Eagles winger said. “We must be in a position to continue to see how we can develop our players, developing the the players shouldn’t be only the foreign based, even the home based, the players in our league here. We must give them a sense of belonging we must let them realize that they are part of the project, because it’s a project. Osimhen revels in scoring first senior int’l goal I n-form Lille striker Victor Osimhen has taken to social media to react to Nigeria’s 2-2 draw against Ukraine in an international friendly on Tuesday evening in which he opened his account for the senior national team. Eleven minutes before half-time, the Super Eagles number 21 scored from a disputed penalty awarded by Italian official Paolo Valeri after Samuel Kalu was adjudged to have been fouled. Although Osimhen didn’t score from open play, he proved a handful for the Ukrainian defence with his physicality. Manager Gernot Rohr is on the lookout for a replacement for Odion Ighalo, who announced his international retirement after the Africa Cup of Nations, and Osimhen is believed to be presently ahead of Racing Genk’s Paul Onuachu in his pecking order of center forwards.
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