13102019

PAGE 2—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
L-R: Venerable Stephen Ayo Oluwawalemi being assisted by his wife, Mrs Elizabeth
Adeola Oluwawalemi in the cutting of the 60th birthday cake of the Venerable
in Emmanuel Anglican Church, Ota, Ogun State.
NIGERIA BOUND CARGOES: 600% port
service cost responsible for diversion
By Godfrey Bivbere,
Ebuka Oko & Gideon
Nnaemezie
Stakeholders at a round
table session in Lagos
have attributed the diversion
of Nigeria bound goods to
neigbhouring ports to the
600 percent cargo clearance
charges at the nation’s seaports.
Speaking at the forum put
together by Maritime Anti
Corruption Network,
MACN, they stressed the
need for a review of the cost
of port services to stop further
diversion.
Speaking on the issue,
Chief Executive Officer,
CEO, of Proshore, Olufemi
Awoyemi disclosed that a recent
study indicated that people
spend more than 600
percent to clear goods from
the nation’s ports.
Awoyemi noted that the
above is the main reason shippers
go to neigbhouring ports.
He said: “If you try to understand
the economies of the
closure, it is contradictory.
“You cannot close your borders.
There is a very simple
reason people use other ports.
“Businesses are not signed
to any patriotic act, the only
act they know is their responsibility
to their shareholders.
That is the only duty prescribed
by the Corporate Affairs
Commission, CAC.’’
Mining: Host communities allege
neglect by govt, companies
By Gabriel Ewepu
Mining host communi
ties under the auspices
of the Federation of Nigerian
Mining Host Communities,
yesterday, lamented
over what they described as
neglect by the Federal Government
and mining companies
operating in their areas.
This was contained in a
communiqué issued at the
end of its inaugural summit
held in Abuja, which was attended
by representatives of
mining host communities
from the six geopolitical
zones of the country.
The communiqué reads in
part: “The Nigerian constitution
mandates in Section
17 (2)(d) that the exploitation
of human or natural resources
in any form whatsoever for
the reasons, other than the
good of the community shall
be prevented.
“While mining holds the
potential of prospering their
host communities when done
in a sustainable manner, Nigeria’s
extractive industry
faces numerous problems including
fiscal injustice, environmental
degradation,
proliferation of abandoned
open mining pits, consequences
of climate change,
security challenges, the vulnerabilities
of women, children
and disabled persons to
rights violation, water and air
pollution, negative impacts
on traditional livelihoods,
destruction of eco-systems
and water stress, and others.’’
Stallion votes
N120m for
DSC school,
hospital
THE Chief Executive
Officer of Stallion
Group, Mr. Anant
Badjatya, has announced a
donation of N120 million to
their charity arm, Stallion
Empowerment Initiative, to
upgrade facilities at the DSC
Technical High School and
Hospital, operated by Premium
Steel and Mines Limited,
PSML.
Making the announcement
during a facility tour of
PSML premises at Ovwian-
Aladja, Delta State, Badjatya
expressed satisfaction with
the academic performance
of the school and conduct of
the staff and students.
“The school and hospital
are doing incredibly well
and all we want to do is to
intervene in areas of need so
as to boost”, he said the infrastructure
of the facilities,”
he said, noting that the hospital
was already the best in
the area.
He commended Mr. Prasanta
Mishra, CEO of PSML,
for his commitment to the resuscitation
of the company,
even as he noted that the rolling
mill was fully operational
and that the company is in
advanced stages for the next
phase of investment to restart
the SMS, which would start
producing billets locally
once it comes on-stream, evidence
of the over $200 million
investment to resuscitate
PSML to the old glory of the
former Delta Steel Company,
DSC.
On Badjatya’s entourage
were of members of Stallion
Empowerment Initiative:
Ms. Arpita Roy Luthra, Mr.
John Iyalla and others.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 3
From left: Keynote Speaker, Dr Habiba Lawal; President-General, Unity Schools
Old Students Association (USOSA), Lawrence Wilbert; former Kaduna State Governor,
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and Suleiman Abubakar at the 36th Plenary/
AGM of USOSA in Kaduna on Saturday.
Taraba: Northern leaders, govs to meet
warring Tiv/Jukun leaders Oct. 29
By Omeiza Ajayi
THE Coalition of North
ern Groups CNG has
met with community leaders
of the Jukun and Tiv of Taraba
state with a view to finding
solutions to the war of attri-
LAGOS TORRENTIAL RAIN
tion between the two tribes.
The CNG has also concluded
plans to get northern governors
and leaders to again meet
with the both parties on October
29.
In a communique issued
after two days of a conflict resolution
meeting in Jalingo
from Thursday to the weekend
the Jukun and Tiv community
leaders agreed to initiate
cessation of hostilities
and intensify a genuine search
for peaceful co-existence and
sustained security in all the
affected parts of the state.
The communique was
From left: Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; his wife, Erelu Bisi Fayemi;
son of the deceased, Mr Segun Fayemi, and wife, Modupe, during the funeral
service for the late Madam Florence Abebi Akingbojule in Ado-Ekiti, yesterday
Alleged 820 buses’ fraud:
Ambode’s Commissioner
ready to honour invitation
By Jane Echewedo
OLUSEGUN Banjo, the immediate past Commissioner
for Budget and Planning in Lagos State, has denied receipt
of invitation on the probe of his boss, former Governor
Akinwumi Ambode, by the state House of Assembly.
Banjo said this in a reaction to a report titled, ‘Bus Purchase:
Assembly Threatens To Order Ambode, Commissioners’ Arrest,’
attributing his absence to breakdown of communication
with the members of assembly.
He said that as a law abiding citizen of Lagos, he will cooperate
with the lawmakers to give his testimony as a Commissioner
during the last regime.
“As a commissioner in charge of budget at the time, this
publication of the proceedings of the state House of Assembly
came to me as a surprise, since at no time was any invitation
extended to me to appear before any committee of the House”,
the former Commissioner said.
Glo has brought innovation to
Ofala Festival — Obi of Onitsha
THE Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, has com
mended Globacom for bringing innovations into the
annual Ofala Festival.
The Obi, who spoke at the 2019 edition of the Onitsha Ofala
Festival, sponsored by Globacom, said the involvement of the
telecommunications company in the festival since 2011 had
made a huge difference in the annual festival.
The monarch said the festival has become a huge tourist
event owing to the support from Globacom, which had not
only provided the financial muscle for the improvement of
the festival, but had also consistently suggested improvements.
He stated that the company, for instance, had remained the
sole sponsor of the Oreze International Arts Exhibition, which
had tremendously enlivened the festival.
Save us from bad road,
educationist begs Sanwo-Olu
By Chris Onuoha
THE Principal, Neander International School, Epe Lekki
Expressway, Idris Agbaje, has called on Lagos State government,
led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to help fix the
bad portion of Epe-Lekki Expressway that has slowed down
vehicular movement, economic and academic activities in
that axis for some time now.
The Principal spoke during the Neander International
School’s Cultural and Independence Day celebration held in
the school premises. Agbaje, who noted that the deplorable
state of the road had caused a lot of hardship to people living
on the axis especially students and private citizens doing their
legitimate business, also said that many industries and schools
are adversely affected by the poor state of the road.
Fayemi lays foundation stone for Ekiti airport
*Attracts over $100million for four critical projects
EKITI state govern
ment has said the
state’s social economic
growth is hinged on a diversified
economy driven
by skilled and healthy
workforce. This plan, the
government says, has begun
to yield result as evident
in the partnership it
has forged with development
partners and the private
sector.
signed by the President of the
Tiv community, Goodman
Dahida, spokesperson of the
Jukun community, Daniel
Emmanuel Angyu, and
counter-signed by the CNG
spokesman and Chairman,
Reconciliation Committee of
the Tiv/Jukun Conflict, Abdulazeez
Suleiman.
Woman, sister, two sons die in collapsed building
*Flood sweeps away boy, rescuer
By Olasunkanmi
Akoni
TRAGEDIES occurred in
Lagos, yesterday, following
a downpour across the
state.
A mother, her two children
and sister died in a collapsed
building incident at Magodo
in Ikosi-Isheri Local Council
Development Area, LCDA, of
the state.
In another sad incident, flood
swept an 11-year-old boy and
his rescuer, one Wasiu, into a
canal in Aboru and Iyana-Ipaja
area of Alimosho Local
Government Area, following
the overflow of the canal as a
result of storm water.
Meanwhile, a storey building
at Ita-Elewa in Ikorodu
area of the state collapsed during
the torrential rainfall. No
life was lost in the incident.
In the Magodo incident,
Mrs. Jumiah Utache, twoyear-old
Domino Utache, a
year old Daniel Utache and
nine-year-old Faith Emmanuel
(Jumeah’s sister) all died,
at 48, Arisha Water Front, Otun
Araromi Street, Magodo
Phase 1 when their building
collapsed. The incident, which
occurred before midday, saw
the husband, Mr. Emmanuel
Utache, who sustained different
degrees of injuries, being
rushed to a hospital before the
arrival of Lagos State Emergency
Management Agency,
LASEMA, on rescue operation.
LASEMA later recovered
and bagged the remains of
the deceased Utache family
members and relative, and
handed them over to their extended
family members.
Flood
The Aboru and Iyana-Ipaja
incident threw residents
into mourning after flood
swept away the 11-year-old
boy and his rescuer into a canal
linking Aboru and Iyana-Ipaja
on Ige Road, after
the overflow of the canal as
a result of storm water.
Durojaiye, Adesegun, Abatan,
others make Ogun Elders Council
A
51-member Gover
nor’s Elders Council,
GEC, comprising of critical
stakeholders in the All Progressives
Congress, APC, has
been constituted by Governor
Dapo Abiodun of Ogun
State.
The composition of the
Council was in line with the
commitment of the Abiodun
administration to inclusive
and participatory governance.
A press statement by Kunle
Somorin, Chief Press Secretary
to the governor, said
members of the Council include
statesmen and women,
who have the requisite governance,
business and political
experiences necessary to
deliver the dividends of democracy
to the people.
The Council’s membership
include: Senator Biyi
Durojaiye. Prince Segun Adesegun,
Senator Gbenga
Kaka, Chief Muyideen
Sabitu, Chief Segun Osibote,
Chief Johnson Ogundeko,
Chief Folorunso Elias, Alhaji
Sarumi, Chief Rasheed Adenusi,
Chief Bisi Rodipe, Chief
Segun Aderibigbe, Dr.
Olukoya Adeleke Adedoyin,
Alhaji Dauda Afolabi
Olokun, Chief Tolu Daodu,
Chief Adepegba Otemolu,
ACP Lamidi Odulawa (rtd),
Otunba Adekunle
Orekoya,Chief James Dina.
It was gathered that two
young boys sent by their parents
to buy cooking gas at a
gas station fell into the drain
through which water passed
into the canal.
“Three young men attempted
rescuing the boys
and succeeded in rescuing
the older one, but one of the
rescuers, popularly known
as Wasiu Stubborn, was
swept away while trying to
rescue the other victim”, an
eye witness said.
Another resident, Mr Suleiman
Adedokun, who operates
a shop beside the canal,
said the rescuer, ‘Wasiu Stubborn’,
entered the drain to
rescue the boy but the flood
swept both of them away into
the canal.
“Wasiu succeeded in rescuing
the second boy but his effort
to come out of the drain
proved futile due to the force
of the water”, Adedokun
said.
“It is the bad road and narrow
culvert that caused
these deaths because these
two children that fell inside
the drain didn’t know it was
there as water covered everywhere.”
A furniture maker in
the area, Mr Gift Wejem, lamented
that flood had severally
swept away furniture,
materials, machines and
generator whenever the canal
overflowed its bank.
However, an officer of the
Lagos State Neighborhood
Safety Corps, LSNC, who
spoke on condition of anonymity,
said the agency got
information at about 9:00
am that flood carried away
Wasiu while trying to rescue
two children.
He said that the LSNC had
made efforts and called relevant
agencies of government
who, he said, might arrive
the scene anytime.
“We are trying to locate the
parents of the children and
also to contact the family of
Wasiu,” the LNSC officer
said.
Speaking at the scene, Mr
Solomon Agboghoroma, a
Community Development
Association leader in Oki
town, regretted the development,
blaming the failure of
government to construct a
bridge in the area for such
incidents.
Narrating the ordeal of
landlords and residents of
the area, Agboghoroma said
that anytime it rained, there
was always flood, saying
there was the need to expand
Aboru Road and build a
bridge at Cement Bus Stop
to forestall recurrence of
such tragedy.
The State commissioner
for Information, Tourism
and Values Orientation,
Aare Olumuyiwa Olumilua,
made this known
while addressing a press
conference to kick-start the
activities marking first
year anniversary of Governor
Kayode Fayemi with
the theme, “Walking the
talk...Restoring values,
Enhancing Impact.”
Part of the activities lined
up for the one year celebration
is the foundation laying
of the Ekiti Airport, a
new Ministry of Justice
building and Traditional
rulers chamber among
others. This is in addition
to the commissioning of
not fewer than 50 projects
spread across the 16 local
government areas.
Olumilua in the press
conference said government
was already into
partnership with some private
investors and development
partners that would
eventually attract to the
state over $100million to
finance Ekiti Knowledge
Zone, Special Agriculture
Processing Zone, Ado-
Akure Road, and Ekiti Airport
as well as $5million
to revive the moribund
Ikun Dairy farm.

PAGE 4—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Flood: Schools in Ondo, Delta; houses in Lagos submerged
Photos by Dayo Johnson and Kehinde Gbadamosi
•A structure overtaken by flood in Ondo
•A school in Ondo submerged.
•A school in Ondo sacked by flood.
Flood at Isawo Ikorodu Road, Lagos.
A scene at Ile Epo, Oke Odo area of Lagos.
Flood forces Ondo to close schools
Ile Epo, Oke Odo area of Lagos
By Dayo Johnson, Akure
FOLLOWING the
torrential rains ex
perienced in many
riverine communities in
Ondo, the state government
has directed public
primary and secondary
schools submerged in
flood to proceed on three
weeks’ holiday.
Recall that a final year
student of Adekunle Ajasin
University, Akungba
Akoko, Doyin Boluwaji,
was, last week, swept away
by flood.
Also, at the weekend,
Igbotu, hometown of the
mother of Governor Rotimi
Akeredolu, and several
other communities in
the riverine Ese- Odo
council area of the state
have been sacked by
flood.
Consequently, thousands
of people have been
rendered homeless and
now use canoe to access
their destinations.
Hundreds of houses in
the council have been
submerged by flood.
Reports had it that
many residents of the
communities rendered
homeless now take shelter
on the major roads in
the town, churches, schools
and open spaces in the community.
Meanwhile, the state government,
in a statement by
the Information and Orientation
Commissioner,
Donald Ojogo, said the public
primary and secondary
schools submerged in flood
should “proceed on three
weeks holiday beginning
from Monday, October 14,
2019”.
Ojogo added, “This becomes
necessary in order to
forestall possible attendant
incidents that may likely affect
lives of vulnerable pupils
in those areas as a result of
flood”.
Stranded students of Ewulu Grammar School in Aniocha South Council of Delta
State,waiting to be ferried across the flooded Iyinta Bridge on the Ewulu-Ogwashi-
Uku Road.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 5
•From left: Mrs Regina Soemlat, Commissioner for Finance, Plateau State; Hon Yakubu
Dati, Commissioner for Lands & Survey, and Mr Jude Dakur, Commissioner for Mineral
Development, during the swearing-in of the commissioners by Governor Simon Lalong.
Troops ‘capture 10 senior Boko Haram
commanders'
By Kingsley Omonobi,
Abuja
ROOPS of Operation
TLafiya Dole have captured
10 senior Boko Haram commanders
after heavy artillery
bombardment of their hideouts,
according to the Army.
Also arrested were some of
their (BHT) key logistics suppliers.
A spokesperson for the Army,
Col Aminu Iliyasu, said troops
of the 26Task Force Brigade
carried out the operation in
which the suspected key Boko
Haram members were captured
while attempting to
sneak into some communities
around Bitta in Gwoza LGA
of Borno State in a bid to escape
the troops’ sustained onslaught
against them.
"Preliminary investigation
revealed that the arrested criminals
are ranked higher than
the Amir in the criminals’ hierarchy”,
Iliyasu said.
"Many of them have been
identified to have operated
combat vehicles during the
infamous Boko Haram attack
on Gwoza in 2014.
"The arrested suspects are
ShettimaMustapha Umar,
Abba Buji, Alhaji Bukar Madi
(KAHID - a Boko Haram Terrorists’
equivalent of a Brigadier
General), Ali Hassan
(Boko Haram Terrorist
Imam), Alkali Laminu, Bukur
Mustapha, Buba Umaru
(Alias Black Uhuru) also a
KAHID, Madu Nosobe, Mustapha
Hussaine and Umar
Jeddum all from Bama LGA
of Borno State.
"It is gratifying to note that
one of the arrested suspects,
Alhaji Bukar Modu, is Serial
89 on the high profile Boko
Haram leaders wanted list
published by the Nigerian
Army.
"Similarly, in 1 Division Area
of Responsibility, troops of 1
Division Garrison Tactical
Headquarters responded to a
reported cattle rustling incident.
"Acting on reliable information
from locals, troops intercepted
the suspected criminals
along with the rustled animals
while attempting to cross
Polewire Labi, a community in
Birnin Gwari LGA of Kaduna
State.
"On sighting the approaching
troops, however, the criminal
bandits abandoned the 23
rustled cows and fled into the
forest.
"Consequently, the animals
were recovered by the troops
while efforts are on to identify
their owners for eventual release
to them.
"Furthermore, in a joint operation
conducted by the troops
of 3 Brigade in conjunction with
the personnel of the Nigeria
Police Birniwa Command in
Jigawa State, 5 herdsmen
complicit in the gruesome
murder of one Mallam Haliru
Yahaya in his farm were arrested.
"The arrested suspects are
currently in the custody of the
Nigeria Police Birniwa Command
while troops maintain
vigilance in the area to forestall
any escalation.
Suicide: Seadogs visit mental
patients in FCT
By Johnbosco
Agbakwuru
As part of its humani
tarian services to the
less privileged, the
National Association of
Seadogs, NAS, weekend, presented
toiletries and cash donation
to the psychiatric section
of Karu General Hospital,
Federal Capital Territory,
FCT, Abuja.
The donation according to
the Capon of the Zuma Deck
of NAS, Mr. Anderson Kolawole
Oseh, was to identify with
the patients of the hospital in
commemorating the World
Mental Health Day, which
was set aside by the World
Health Organization, WHO,
on October 11 every year.
Oseh, who was flanked by
other members of NAS otherwise
known as Pyrates Confraternity,
further stated that
the visit was also to draw the
attention of government on
the urgency on mental health
and to amplify awareness to
the general populace that in
every Nigerian, there are
things that can trigger issues
that could lead to suicide attempt.
Stressing that the visitation
to psychiatric sections of hospitals
was carried out by the
association in its 34 branches
worldwide, he said, “Our
aim is to identify with mental
patients world wide and to let
the people know that we have
a facility in Abuja where people
could walk into when they
are stressed up.
“They can talk to mental
health doctors, it doesn’t
mean that they are already
mad but to talk to doctors so
that they will not end up contemplating
suicide.
•From left: The Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewa land, HRM Oba Kehinde
Gbadewole Olugbenle; the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr.
Muhammed Babandede; the Honorable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola;
Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and the Controller, Nigerian Immigration
Service, Ogun State Command, Comptroller Doris Braihmah, during the commissioning of
NIS Forward Operating Base in Oja Odan, Ogun State.
"In another development,
troops of 4 Brigade operating
under the aegis of operation
MESA smashed a notorious
armed robbery gang that had
been terrorizing commuters
along a major road at Owa in
Uhunmwaede LGA of Edo
State.
"One of the suspects, Mr
Evans Obidili Ubaka, was
promptly arrested while other
gang members fled. However,
concerted efforts are on
to track and arrest the fleeing
criminals.
"Same day, the troops conducted
a joint operation with
the personnel of the Nigeria
Police Oredo Command.
"Acting on credible information,
the operation led to the
arrest of a renowned kidnappers’
informant popularly
known as `Mr Jaguar'”.
‘Emir’, notorious bandit leader, 59 others
killed in Zamfara
By Kingsley Omonobi,
Abuja
IN continuation of the ongoing
intensive clearance
operations against armed
bandits in Zamfara State,
troops of Operation Hadarin
Daji (OPHD) have reportedly
eliminated a bandit leader
identified as ‘Emir’ and neutralized
59 others in several
confrontations.
It would be recalled that, on
October 3, troops deployed at
Sunke in Anka Local Government
Area of the state allegedly
came under attack by
armed bandits despite the ongoing
peace process in the
state.
However, the troops were
said to have successfully repelled
the attack and killed 19
Enugu workers hail Ugwuanyi on
security, road maintenance
WORKERS in Enugu
State have
commended Governor Ifeanyi
Ugwuanyi for the sustained
efforts of his administration
“towards reducing crime to the
barest minimum in the state”.
They also lauded Ugwuanyi
for his “prompt response to
the recent security challenges
in the state” as well as his administration’s
continuous support
to all the security agencies
in the state, “which has facilitated
quick and prompt response
in the discharge of their
duties with visible result”.
In a statement by the Chairman
and Secretary of the state
Chapter of Trade Union Congress
of Nigeria (TUC), Comrade
Chukwuma Igbokwe
Chukwuma and Comrade
Benneth Asogwa, respectively,
bandits in the process.
Unfortunately, four soldiers
lost their lives during the encounter.
A statement by Captain Ayobami
Oni-Orisan, Acting Information
Officer, narrated,
“As a result of the encounter,
troops further commenced
aggressive clearance operations
nicknamed ‘Op Mushare’
on the 6th of October
2019, with a view to apprehending
the recalcitrant bandits.
“Consequently, between 6th
and 7th of October 2019,
within Bawa Daji general
area, 3 heavily fortified camps
at Gubarawa, Baw Daji and
Bawa Daji Forest were destroyed
when the troops overpowered
the bandits, overran
the 3 camps and neutralized
39 bandits (including the notorious
bandits’ leader known
as “Emir”) and many bandits
were obviously wounded”,
Oni-Orisan said.
“The following items were
recovered from the bandits/
camps: 3 AK 47 rifles, 421 unit
7.62mm (special) ammunition,
30 PKT rifle rounds, 10
magazines, 5 Motorcycles,
the workers also landed Ugwuanyi
for the recruitment of
1,700 forest guards, purchase
of 260 vehicles as well as motorcycles
and bicycles to be
handed over to the guards,
Neighbourhood Watch
groups, among others, for
community policing.
They hailed the governor for
purchasing 100 Hilux vans
from indigenous vehicle
manufacturing company, Innoson
Group, to assist the security
agencies in their operations.
The Congress stated that
they were delighted that the
governor has brought innovation
to the management of
the security architecture of
the state, through the recent
approval for the deployment
of eighteen (18) automated
drones for surveillance within
and outside the state.
177 Cows, 7 handsets, 2 handset
batteries, Substance suspected
to be Cannabis Sativa,
Charms while four soldiers
were wounded during the operation.
“Similarly, in continuation
with the offensive against the
bandits, clearance operations
were also extended to the general
area of Kuruwa,
Kawara, Kalahe and Zango
villages in Bakura Local Government
Area where troops
encountered a large number
of marauders at their camp in
Zango village on 8 October
2019.
“The determined troops
overwhelmed the armed bandits
with a high volume of fire,
neutralized 19 of the criminals
and recovered 1 motorcycle.
“Additionally, troops also
arrested a suspected bandit
Abubakar Umar along road
Lamba - Damri axis with the
sum of 400,000 Naira presumably
for purchase of bandits
logistics supplies.
“The suspect will be handed
over to the civil police for
further investigation/necessary
action.

PAGE 6—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
From left: Ex-Nigeria International, Daniel Amokachi; Founder/CEO,
Arise Women, Dr. Siju Iluyomade; Special Adviser to President on SDG,
H. E. Princess Orelope Adejoke Adefuilure; Special Assistant to General
Overseer RCCG/Pastor-In-Charge, City of David Pastor Idowu Iluyomade;
and DG, NIMASA, Dakuku Peterside during Arise Walk for Life held at
Eko Atlantic in Lagos.
By Chimaobi Nwaiwu
and Femi Bolaji
The Indigenous People
of Biafra, IPOB,
yesterday, told the Federal
Government and the
Nigerian Army that
Operation Python Dance
military exercise in the
South-East is a waste of tax
payers money, saying such
money should be spent on
more meaningful ventures
for the people.
IPOB also alleged that the
“Nigerian Army wants to
use the Operation Python
Dance and the Operation
Crocodile Smile in the
South-South to give the
world the misleading
From left; Sister Omotunde Lawson, Chairperson, Afro-Naija Expo Fair
2019 Planning Committee; Sister Olajumoke Adeniji, Member, Planning
Committee and Bro Arch. Olawunmi Agbaje, Chairman, Yoruba Tennis club
at the opening ceremony of Naija Fair 4.0 Afro Naija Expo 2019 Exhibition
organised by the Ladies wing of Yoruba Tennis Club in Lagos, yesterday.
Oghenejabor Oladokun, Keto Amuze,Tinu Okoosi, Ifeanyi Iloh, Karim
Ahmed, Lucy Ajala, Nkiru Ehighibe, Lolu Fadipe, Olawunmi Ijaluwoye
and Gilbert Taylor at the commissioning of the new Regus office in Victoria
Island, Lagos.
No crime in S/East, take Operation Python Dance away,
IPOB tells FG, Army •Ishaku arms troops against bandits, kidnappers
T
he Government of Oyo
State has observed
certain misinformation,
misconception and outright
mischief in the interpretations
being given to the N7.6
billion agriculture loan,
which the state government
on Thursday secured the nod
of the State House of
Assembly to access.
A statement by the Chief
Press Secretary to Governor
Seyi Makinde of Oyo State,
Mr. Taiwo Adisa, yesterday,
indicated that the
government had equally
noticed the deliberate
misconceptions and
misinformation on the loan
facility, saying it was an
attempt to colour the truth to
confuse the unsuspecting
public.
The statement
maintained that the
administration of former
Governor Abiola Ajimobi
had obtained the said loan
from the Central Bank of
Nigeria and that Makinde,
had, in the interest of Oyo
State, prevented the past
impression that insecurity
is affecting every part of
Nigeria when that is not the
case.”
It spoke in response to
the announcement of the
staging of Operation
Python Dance 4 in the
South-East by the Army.
The group, in a statement
by its Media and Publicity
Secretary, Emma Powerful,
warned that it will no
longer tolerate alleged
“killing of innocent
civilians in the South-East
by soldiers involved in
Operation Python Dance
in the name of fighting
crime”, saying crime does
not exist in South-East
states.
“Killing of innocent
civilians in the South-East
will not make up for the
military failure to deal with
insurgency and terrorism
ravaging the North where
most of the soldiers involved
in the extrajudicial killings in
the South-East come from.
“Operation Python Dance in
the South-East is a waste of
resources by the Nigerian
Federal Government and the
Nigerian Army because
peaceful atmosphere exists in
South-East states.
“We know that the Nigerian
Army planned launching of
Operation Python Dance in
the South-East is to give the
world the misleading
impression that insecurity is
affecting every part of Nigeria
when that is not the case.
“The world must know
that we are seriously
engaging the band of
terrorists in Ebonyi State
where they continue to
enjoy protection and help
from their fellow terrorists
in uniform in their quest to
Islamize Ebonyi State with
the help of Ebonyi State
governor, Chief Dave
Umahi.”
IPOB recalled that
“earlier this year,
Operation Python Dance 3
was launched but which
ended up accomplishing
nothing in terms of their
stated aim of eradicating
IPOB using military
force.”
Separately, Gov Darius
Ishaku has donated 26
motorbikes to the Army in
support of troops in the
second phase of Operation
Ayem Akpatuma in Taraba
State.
The governor explained
that the motorbikes would
assist troops in accessing
hard to reach areas for
quick response to
emergencies on banditry
and kidnapping among
other crimes.
Ishaku, who noted that
safety of lives and property
remained paramount, was
also confident that the
launch of Operation Ayem
Akpatuma will address all
pending security challenges
in the state.
Speaking to journalists on
the sidelines of a training
exercise for security
agencies in the state on the
launch of the Operation, he
said: “With this interagency
cooperation, I am
confident that the coming
together of the Army and
other paramilitary
agencies will give us a long
term result and all vices in
the state will be rooted.
Speaking earlier, General
Officer Commanding, 3
Division, Jos, Maj. Gen.
Nuhu Angbazo, represented
by Brig. Gen. Daniel Briggs,
stressed that the operation
would rid the state of bad
eggs.
I stopped immediate e past t govt from squandering N7.6bn CBN loan – Gov Makinde
government from
squandering the loan at the
twilight of the
administration.
The statement read: “The
misconceptions and
misinformation that
Governor Makinde was
going for a loan of N7.6
billion is a deliberate
attempt to colour the truth
and it is an indication of a
political move by certain
commentators who are
exhibiting apparent
amnesia on the matter.
“Governor Makinde is not
seeking for a fresh loan. The
action that was taken by the
House of Assembly of Oyo
State on Thursday was to
give the legislative nod to the
State Government to access
the fund that had already
been domiciled with the
government since the days
of ex-governor Ajimobi.
“The Governor’s decision
to approach the House of
Assembly was a mark of his
belief in due process, the rule
of law and its processes.
Ordinarily, some state
executives would just have
proceeded to spend the funds
since it was already in the
coffers of the state, but Governor
Makinde won’t do that.
“You may wish to recall that
sometimes in 2017, the Central
Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had
approved some funds under the
Commercial Agriculture Credit
Scheme (CACs) for
disbursement to four states:
Ekiti; Osun; Oyo and Abia.
“Somehow, the immediate
past administration of
Governor Ajimobi chose to
delay access to that money until
April 2019, when the
governorship election of 2019
election had been won and lost.
That government intended to
expend the said money on the
purchase of “Agriculture
equipment” in less than two
months to the end of its tenure.
Allowing access to that money
within a month of Ajimobi’s exit
could only be counterproductive
for the people of Oyo
State.
“It was the spirit of activism
in Engineer Seyi Makinde that
prodded him to smell a rat in
the plan to access that
money in the twilight of
Ajimobi’s administration
and that informed the suit
filed by then - Governor-elect
Makinde at the High Court
of Oyo State to secure an
injunction restraining then
Governor from accessing
that money. The suit, dated
May 7, 2019, is referenced
M/284/2019.
“It is a well-known fact
that the immediate past
administration in Oyo State
had spent millions of Naira
on the purchase of
agriculture equipment
including excavators and
tractors, whose locations
cannot be ascertained just a
year after the purchase.
“Besides, no one could
estimate the value (if any) of
the expended huge public
funds
“In effect, the decision by
Engineer Makinde to stall the
access of Ajimobi’s
government to the N7.6
billion was not only wellconsidered
but completely in
the interest of the people of
Oyo State.
“As the Governor of Oyo
State, Engineer Makinde had
taken his time to x-ray the best
way the loan can be applied
in view of the four-point
Service Agenda of his
administration.
“He has, therefore, come to
the inspired decision to devote
the said loan to the
reconstruction and
standardization of the Farm
Settlements in Eruwa and
Akufo areas of Ibadan.”
According to the statement,
the two farm settlements are
to be built into Farm Estates
in line with the vision of the
Makinde administration to
ensure the full utilisation of
the Agriculture value chain
for economic expansion and
to boost of Internally
Generated Revenue (IGR).
“It is expected that when
the two Farm Estates fully
come on stream, the output
therefrom would easily offset
the loan secured while also
providing the seed money for
the reconstruction of the
remaining seven Farm
Settlements.
“The administration of
Engineer Seyi Makinde has
emphasised a Four-Point
Service Agenda, which
encompasses Education,
Health, Security and
Economic development
using Agriculture value
chain, its focus on this agenda
for a quick turnaround of
Oyo state’s human
development index remains
unshaken.”
Group oup Urges ges Senate e To Confirm irm Okumagba, Others
Into NDDC Board
By Gab Ejuwa
group, Delta Peoples
A Mandate, DPM, has
called on the Senate to
confirm the appointment
of Mr. Bernard Okumagba
as Managing Director of the
Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC) board.
The group, in a press
release signed by the
President, James Agbamu,
and PRO, Carolyn
Afunabena, blamed some
aggrieved persons within the
Niger Delta for campaign
against the nomination of
Okumagba.
The group said: “The
campaign against the
nomination of Mr. Bernard
Okumagba and others as
NDDC Board nominees are
being sponsored by some
few within and outside the
APC fold in the Niger
Delta.
"The sponsors are
attempting to portray the
nominees as not qualified
and irresponsible to create
room for the nomination of
their allies.
“Okumagba’s appointment
was well-received and deeplyappreciated
in Delta State
and the entire South-South.
So attacking Okumagba’s
appointment for being an
Urhobo man is an attempt
to sow a seed of discord
among the tribally-diverse,
yet peaceful people of Niger
Delta.
“Bernard Okumagba is a
proven technocrat whoa has
contributed a lot for the
growth of APC in Delta State
and the entire South-South
region”.
Abiodun commiserates with Agekameh,
the Nation’s families
G
overnor Dapo Abiodun
of Ogun State has
commiserated with the
family, management and
staff of the Nation
Newspapers over the death of
Mr. Dele Agekameh on
Friday night at the age of 60.
The governor, who
expressed shock over the
sudden death of the renowned
colunmist, described him as
an energetic, dogged and a
committed journalist and
writer who used his pen to
expose ills in the society,
especially criminal activities.
“I am particularly pained
that we lost a fine gentleman
and a writer who can be
described as the best crime
reporter, whose exploits led
to bursting of crimes by
security agencies”, he said.
“He was a gem who
touched lives positively in so
many ways. He was always
fighting for a just, agaritarian
society, devoid of crime. He
was my friend and I can
never forget him”.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 7
SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON CAMPUS:
How Reps, ASUU blocked first
Bill against perpetrators
Inside the new Bill
By Henry Umoru, Asst. News Editor
The Deputy President of the Senate,
Senator Ovie Omo- Agege, last
Wednesday, reintroduced a Bill
seeking to completely prohibit any form of
sexual relationship between lecturers and
students in the nation’s tertiary institutions.
The Bill was reintroduced in the Senate
for consideration and subsequent passage.
It is christened: ‘A BILL FOR AN ACT TO
MAKE PROVISION FOR THE
PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND
REDRESSAL OF SEXUAL
HARASSMENT OF STUDENTS IN
TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS AND FOR MATTERS
CONNECTED THEREWITH, 2019.’
The Bill had been sponsored during the
8th Senate by Omo-Agege and supported by
46 other senators.
Six months after it was introduced on the
floor of the Senate, it was passed on October
27, 2016 by the Red Chamber.
It prescribed 5-year jail term for lecturers
and educators convicted of sexual
harassment of their male or female students.
The Bill, however, suffered a setback in the
House of Representatives as it was not
harmonized to be forwarded to President
Muhammadu Buhari for assent.
For a Bill to be sent to the President to be
signed into law, there must be concurrence
by the Senate and the House of
Representatives.
The immediate past Senate President, Dr
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, had, in a tweet
after four lecturers, Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu
and Dr. Samuel Oladipo of the University of
Lagos as well as University of Ghana
lecturers Professor Ransford Gyampo and
Dr. Paul Kwame Butakor, were secretly
filmed allegedly sexually harassing
undercover BBC reporters in the Sex-For-
Grades documentary, appealed to the 9th
Senate and Buhari to revisit the Bill to
safeguard students in educational
institutions in the country.
The tweet read: “As a father, I’m appalled
by the actions of lecturers captured in the
#SexForGrades exposé. We cannot allow
this sort of deplorable behaviour to fester.
“In 2016, my colleagues and I in the 8th
Senate passed the ‘Sexual Harassment in
Tertiary Education Institution Prohibition
Bill’ to prescribe a 5 year jail term for any
lecturer, educationist or person in a position
of authority in any tertiary institution in
Nigeria found guilty. I appeal to the 9th
Senate & President @MBuhari to revisit this
Bill so that we can implement the
institutional reforms necessary to safeguard
our children in educational institutions in
the country.
“I also urge the institutions to conduct
robust investigations, not only on the
accused but also for all other reports and
complaints that come in. We need to believe
victims and make institutions safer for our
students”.
But while rejecting the 2016 Bill on the
floor of the House, then-Majority Leader
and now Speaker, House of Representatives,
Femi Gbajabiamila, had expressed concern
that it did not take care of other spheres of
the society.
Gbajabiamila, who noted that the Bill
ought to take care of work place, religious
institutions, among others, however, advised
the House to take into cognisance some of
these issues in order for the National
Assembly to come up with a more
comprehensive law.
At the end of the day, then-Speaker,
Yakubu Dogara, agreed with the
submissions, stepping the Bill down pending
consultations between both chambers of the
National Assembly.
Meanwhile, at a public
hearing organised by
then-Senate Committee
on Judiciary, Human
Rights and Legal
Matters, the Academic
Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU)
kicked against the Bill,
describing it as a
violation of the rights of
its members.
In his presentation at
the public hearing on the
Bill, the President of
ASUU, Biodun
Ogunyemi, stated the
position of the union.
With much importance
attached to the Bill and
how the issue of Sexual
harassment in tertiary
institutions has become a
burning one and a
matter of discourse at
international fora, this
time, 106 senators are
co- sponsors of the Bill as
against the 46 senators
that co-sponsored in the
8th Senate.
The citation of the reintroduced Bill read:
“This Act may be cited as the Sexual
Harassment in Tertiary Educational
Institutions Prevention, Prohibition and
Redressal Act, 2019.”
According to Omo- Agege on the Bill,
which was read for the first time, “This Act is
enacted to promote ethical standards of
education, the sanctity of the studenteducator
fiduciary relationship of authority,
dependency and trust and respect for human
dignity in tertiary educational institutions,
by providing for:
“Protection of students against sexual
harassment by educators in tertiary
educational institutions; prevention of
sexual harassment of students by educators
At a public hearing
organised by then-
Senate Committee
on Judiciary,
Human Rights and
Legal Matters, the
Academic Staff
Union of
Universities (ASUU)
kicked against the
Bill, describing it as
a violation of the
rights of its
members
in tertiary educational institutions; and
redressal of complaints of sexual
harassment of students by educators in
tertiary educational institutions.”
Giving an insight into why he came up
with the Bill three years after it suffered a
setback, the Deputy Senate President
described sexual harassment as a problem
that has caused academic injustice,
depression and countless other negative
effects on individuals and the society in
various parts of the world.
Concerned parents and youth, he said,
should help energize support for proposals
towards enacting an effective law against
sexual harassment in workplaces and
educational institutions.
A statement by his Special Adviser, Media
and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, quoted Omo-
Agege as vowing to ensure that the
energized concerns of
all fathers, mothers
and youth accelerate
the success of his Bill
towards becoming an
effective law against
sexual harassment in
Nigeria.
He said, “It is a
problem that has
caused academic
injustice, depression
and countless other
negative effects on
individuals and the
society in various
parts of the world but
the key to lasting
change is for us to
begin it within our
own environment.
“I applaud the First
Lady, Hajia Aisha
Buhari, the First Lady
of Ekiti State, Erelu
Bisi Fayemi, the
Academic Staff Union
of Universities and all
those who stoutly rose
in support of the
BBC’s commendable
journalistic endeavour that is effectively
beaming light on a hidden menace.
“I am wholly convinced that the unique
student-educator relationship of authority,
dependency and trust should never be
violated. By the maxim of ‘loco parentis’,
educators are like parents. They owe a
special fiduciary duty of care to students
under their authority - students who trust
and depend on them to shape their future
career paths.
“It must therefore be extremely offensive
to a reasonable mind where an educator
treats students as ‘perquisites’ of his office.
As a father, it is an issue that I cannot just
accept. It is a shame on our conscience as a
people. We will stop it.
“In 2016, with the support of several
colleagues in the Senate, I tabled the Bill on
the Prohibition of Sexual Harassment in
Tertiary Institutions which provides for a
five-year jail term or a fine of N5 million for
any lecturer convicted for sexually
harassing male or female students.
“The Bill also criminalizes any act of
neglect or failure by administrative heads of
tertiary institutions to address complaints of
sexual harassment within a specified period
and it also made provisions to adequately
punish anyone found to have levelled false
allegations of harassment against lecturers
and educators.
“I deeply appreciate the Academic Staff
Union of Universities’ (ASUU) decisive
change of position on this issue which they
opposed three years ago; I see myself, not
only as a representative of my senatorial
district but as a representative of every
parent who has a daughter that will one day,
pass through our tertiary institutions.
“Nobody’s daughter deserves to be treated
as ‘fringe benefit’ for anyone in position of
trust and responsibility; the psychological
trauma of sexual harassment has existed for
too long and that is why we are
reintroducing the Bill to make prosecution
of sexual offenders easier for prosecutors
and remove the vexatious argument of
‘consent’ as defence to perpetuate evil. “The
punishment of five-year jail term for those
found guilty should serve as deterrent in a
society that urgently needs to address this
issue of sexual harassment.
“I feel proud and further motivated. What
we all collectively need at the moment is
urgent action, especially for the passage of
the Bill for the Prohibition of Sexual
Harassment in Tertiary Institutions into
law.”
While describing the scourge as sexual
harassment in the nation’s tertiary
institutions as unacceptable, Omo-Agege
said it was high time the trend was
eliminated.
The reintroduced Bill prohibits any form
of sexual relationship between lecturers and
their students and prescribes jail term of up
to five years for lecturers who engage in
sexual relationship with students.
The Bill also recommends expulsion or
suspension for students whose claims of
being serially abused by lecturers or
educators are found to be false by any
competent court.
It proposes a fine of N5 million in the
event that the accused person is convicted by
a competent court of law even as it makes
provisions for lecturers and educators who
may be falsely accused by their students to
seek redress.
In such instances, an accused lecturer or
educator who is acquitted by a court can
turn the heat on the student who shall be
expelled or suspended, as the institution
where both belong deems fit.
The Bill also recommends expulsion or
suspension for students whose claims of
being serially abused by lecturers or
educators are found to be false by any a
competent court.
It adds, “An educator shall be guilty of
committing an offence of sexual harassment
against a student, if he or she has sexual
intercourse with a student who is less than
18 years of age, an imbecile or of generally
low mental capacity or blind or deaf or
otherwise physically challenged”.
The Bill deems it as an offence when such
a person “has sexual intercourse with a
student or demands for sex from a student
or a prospective student as a condition to
giving a grade or the granting of honours
and scholarships, or the payment of
stipend, allowance or other benefits,
privileges or considerations.
It further states: “An educator shall be
guilty of committing an offence of sexual
harassment against a student if he or she
solicits sex from or makes sexual advances
towards a student when the sexual
solicitation or sexual advances result in an
intimidating, hostile or offensive
environment for the student.
“Or directs or induces another person to
commit any act of sexual harassment under
this bill, or cooperates in the commission of
sexual harassment by another person
without which it would not have been
committed; grabs or hugs or rubs or strokes
or touches or pinches the breasts or hair or
lips or buttocks or any other sensual parts of
the body of a student.
“Or displays, gives or sends by hand or
courier or electronic (means) or any other
means, naked or sexually explicit pictures
or videos or sex related objects to a
student.
“Or whistles or winks at a student or
scream or exclaims or jokes or makes
sexually complimentary or
uncomplimentary remarks about a
student’s physique.”
Now that the Bill has been read the first
time, going through to second reading
will be a formality considering the
number of senators who co- sponsored it.
At the public hearing, it will also be easy
for the sponsor of the Bill to have his way
against the backdrop of the fact that ASUU
that lampooned it three years is now in
support.

PAGE 8—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019
SEX-FOR-GRADES SCANDAL:
We rejoiced when Boniface
claimed he had embraced Christ
– Friend of embattled UNILAG lecturer
By Sam Eyoboka
The Christian Association of Nigeria,
CAN, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye
and controversial On Air Personality,
Ifedayo Lucian Olarinde, popularly known
as Daddy Freeze, have spoken over the
involvement of an ordained Pentecostal pastor
in sex-for-favour scandal currently rocking
two foremost universities in West Africa—-the
University of Lagos in Nigeria (UNILAG) and
the University of Ghana in Legon.
A total of four lecturers in the two institutions,
Dr. Boniface Igbeneghu and Dr. Samuel
Oladipo of the University of Lagos as well as
University of Ghana lecturers Professor
Ransford Gyampo and Dr. Paul Kwame
Butakor, who were secretly filmed
sexually harassing undercover BBC
reporters (in the Sex For Grades
documentary), have been suspended
pending ongoing investigations.
In the 13-minute video released by the
BBC Africa Eye on Monday, Igbenughu,
a sub-dean at the Faculty of Arts, UNILAG
and the head pastor of Foursquare Gospel
Church, was heard in one of the videos
telling an undercover reporter who had
disguised as a 17-year-old admission
seeker to switch off the light so he could
kiss her.
Last week, there were reports of
indications that the embattled lecturer,
who was ordained pastor last year, was
so devastated by the BBC report that he
was contemplating suicide.
A close friend of his who spoke with our
correspondent anonymously, however,
said nothing like that happened.
Igbeneghu, it was learnt, was being
protected by friends and family members
so he would not harm himself.
The friend, a Christian, who said he had
cause to rejoice with him for rededicating
his life to Christ a few months ago,
however, confirmed that he was being
surrounded by friends and family
members, noting that it’s unfortunate he
was involved in such shameful act.
According to him, he probably was
involved in this immoral act before he
finally surrendered his life to God’s
pruning and direction.
“I have a feeling that he had that
weakness long ago. And I have had cause
to rejoice with him when he claimed that
he had rededicated his life”, the friend
said.
“It is not unlikely that the amorous acts
from his end were the days
he was battling with the flesh.
You will note that the
investigation was over a
period of nine months and he
most likely was still
struggling with the flesh all
these while”.
Reacting to the
development which has
provoked the Nigerian
Senate to initiate a law to
deal with randy lecturers,
CAN’s Director of Legal and
Public Affairs, Evangelist
Kwamkur Samuel Vondip,
described the act as
despicable, sad.
“We hear that investigation
into the matter is ongoing
according to a statement by
his church and based on that
CAN may not be in a position
to say anything now”, Vondip
said.
“As a legal practitioner, I
will not also rush into any
conclusion now, but there is
need to stress that anybody being anointed
to such a high office must endeavour to
make himself or herself above board as
Apostle Paul warned in his second letter
to Timothy.
“I think when any man is being anointed
such persons must be properly examined
to avoid such embarrassment to the Body
of Christ. After the investigation if he
found guilty, I expect that he should repent
and take some time off to make peace
with himself and reconcile with God”.
He stressed that CAN as a body does
not have any special punishment for
persons who break his oath of office.
“CAN cannot decree any punishment for
such persons but on a personal note, there is
no way one can say here that if found culpable
he would not escape prosecution because the
state is involved and the rights of some
impressionable Nigerians are at stake too.”
The Foursquare Gospel
Church has asked Igbeneghu
to step down from all
ministerial assignments.
In a statement on Monday,
I have a feeling
that he had that
weakness long
ago. And I have
had cause to
rejoice with him
when he
claimed that he
had rededicated
his life
the National Secretary,
Ikechukwu Ugbaja,
dissociated the church from
the lecturer, saying
appropriate measures would
be taken against him.
“Our belief is based on core
biblical truths we call the 22
tenets of faith. We believe in
The Holy Scripture, The
Plan of Redemption, The
Baptism of the Holy Spirit,
Moderation, Divine
Healing, Heaven, Civil
Government and lots of other
amazing truths,” another
leader in the church stated.
In a reaction, the Senate,
on Wednesday, revisited the
sexual harassment bill which
was sponsored by Senator
Ovie Omo-Agege (APC,
Delta Central) and passed by
the 8th Senate.
The bill, introduced in the 8th Senate in
October 2016, seeks a five-year jail term and
five million naira fine for lecturers convicted
for sexually harassing male or female students.
According to the bill, an educator will be
“guilty of committing an offence of sexual
harassment against a student if he/she has
sexual intercourse with a student who is less
than 18 years of age; has sexual intercourse
with a student or demands sex from a student
or a prospective student as a condition to study
in an institution, or as a condition to the
giving of a passing grade or the granting
of honour and scholarships.”
The bill prescribes that: “Any person who
commits any of the acts specified in
Section 4 of this Act is guilty of an offence
and shall, on conviction, be sentenced to
imprisonment of up to five years, but not
less than two years without any option of
a fine”. The reintroduced bill is sponsored
by the Deputy President of the Senate,
Ovie Omo-Agege.
For the first time, Daddy Freeze, the
founder of Free The Sheeple Movement
of Nigeria, appears to be on the same page
with Adeboye, the General Overseer of
RCCG, as both pleaded for caution
instead of sitting in judgment against the
erring lecturers and pushing them to their
untimely death. Daddy Freeze, in a reaction,
said lecturers’ molesting female students
was only half of the narrative, as there were
also students offering themselves for marks.
According to him, the pendulum swings
both ways, recalling that when he was a
student in a Nigerian university, female
students used to offer themselves to
lecturers for marks.
He wrote on his Instagram page:
“Lecturers’ molesting students for marks is
only one half of the narrative. What about
students that offered themselves to lecturers
for marks?
“I know this; I graduated from a Nigerian
university. I can still remember quite vividly,
the story of this one girl that ‘collected’ a
lecturer from another girl and the other girl
was left heartbroken. Someone who offers
a bribe is as guilty as the person who
receives it.
“Dear morally upright Nigerian lecturer,
I’m speaking to those who are immune to
seduction. I hereby implore you to expose
any woman who tries to seduce you for
marks; lets ensure they never graduate.
“Let’s address this from both sides. Giving
and receiving bribes are both crimes. To
qualify to do this you have to be morally
upright with a clean track record! Print their
text messages, put up their pictures, publish
their love notes, get them expelled!”
Writing on Wednesday in the church’s daily
devotional, Open Heavens, in a piece titled,
‘Don’t bury them yet!, Adeboye counselled
that a brother or sister may err and even
fall, but this should not be the end of their
Christian journey.
“It’s the responsibility of other members
of the family to ensure that such precious
souls are brought back to their feet in
right standing with God”, the RCCG
leader said. “Unfortunately, in these last
days, instead of looking out to stabilise
the weak and restore the fallen, some socalled
brethren sit in judgment against
other brethren. Some of them even
mastermind the fall of fellow brethren,
thereby fulfilling the Lord’s prophecies.
“Some other brethren do not only cause
the fall of others but also watch out for
faults in their lives in order to crucify them.
“It is sad that brethren bury other brethren
who are in spiritual coma, instead of working
to revive them to life. We must be like our
Master who said in Luke 9:56a: ‘For the Son
of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but
to save them’”.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 9
COUNSEL TO VICTIM IN PROF AKINDELE’S CASE
Espirit de corps
among lecturers fuels
sexual harassment
By Josephine Agbonkhese
Amid the uproar generated by BBC’s exposé on the menace of sex-for-grades in
higher institutions of learning in West Africa, foremost women’s rights
activist and Founding Director, Women Advocate Research &
Documentation Centre, WARDC, Dr Abiola Akiyode-
Afolabi, in this
interview with Sunday Vanguard, among other
issues,
blames the structure of the Nigerian school
system
for the continued rise in sexual
harassment.
Akiyode-Afolabi, who holds a
Master’s Degree in International
Human Rights Law from the
University of Notre Dame, USA, and a
PhD from the University of London, was
counsel to Ms Monica Osagie, the student
in the viral sex-for-grades scandal audio recording involving Professor Richard Akindele of Obafemi
Awolowo University. She spoke to Sunday Vanguard. Excerpts:
What’s your view on the
prevalence of sexual harassment
in our institutions of learning?
This menace is a serious problem for
students at all educational levels but
most people are reluctant to speak out
because of the impunity that goes
around. This includes the fact that the
school environment is not sensitive to
the needs of students. There is a system
in institutions that supports harassment,
cover up for abusers and fails to hold
them to account. As long as this
tradition continues, sexual harassment
will continue to be prevalent. This
problem is more common than it is
openly acknowledged as many students
are scared or too embarrassed to report
sexual harassment. Sexual harassment
is more prevalent than campus cultism;
it has gradually become a norm in
tertiary institutions.
Unfortunately, male lecturers see it as
part of campus life. The female students
also have simply resigned themselves to
it as yet another one of the tougheningup
experiences they have to undergo in
the jungles that have become Nigerian
tertiary schools. Studies have shown
that the state of helplessness of female
students has attendant psychological
consequences and further impedes on
their ability to focus academically,
resulting invariably in poor academic
performance—which will affect them as
individuals in near future, and also
affect the general society.
In your opinion, why is this so
rife in our schools?
I blame this on the lack of political
will by stakeholders to tackle this ill
head-on. This has emboldened culprits
to feel untouchable; hence the
continuous incidence of sexual
harassment.
It is beyond policies and laws. For
example, most of the institutions that
have been in the news have sexual
harassment policies but people have to
activate these policies for them to be
effective. They must be tested to be
appreciated. Otherwise, what is the
essence of a policy if students are not
aware of its existence? Schools that
already have policies must design
methods that will support circulation
and help students to their usage. There
must be a strong reporting mechanism
that is open, transparent and will not
contribute to further intimidation of the
students’ population.
Aren’t we supposed to have a
firm national law against this by
now?
We have state and national laws which
proscribe rape and other sexual and
domestic violence in Nigeria under our
criminal justice system. But we do not
have specific laws on sexual
harassment. There were efforts in the
last senate to pass a sexual harassment
law that was supposed to be
comprehensive. However, the law had a
lot of gaps that the passage would have
caused more crises than what it came to
solve—and that is what happens when
lawmakers draft a bill without
adequate consultation. There are efforts
to push for the law again by its sponsor,
Senator Omo Agege. I think it has
reached the first reading. I would
suggest civil society organisations work
with the distinguished senator to ensure
it covers appropriate issues relating to
sexual harassment in institutions and
private spaces.
However, there are policies in few
higher institutions and schools. The
Violence against Person’s Act passed in
2015 also touched on sexual
harassment as a
criminal gender-based
violence. Furthermore,
when sex is negotiated
for grades as seen in
the BBC documentary
and the case of Prof
Richard Akindele of
Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile- Ife, it
falls within the
capacity of the
Independent Corrupt
Practices Commission,
ICPC, to try offenders.
Once they have enough
evidence, it becomes
sextortion and that is a
form of corruption.
I know the
University of Lagos
has Zero Tolerance
Sexual Harassment
Policy, but is it firm
enough to deter
offenders?
I think the 2019
University of Lagos,
UNILAG, policy is
strict enough to deter
offenders. However, students lack the
capacity to use it. Also, I think that, like
many institutions, the system is really
not prepared to activate that policy yet.
Aside UNILAG, most institutions are
patriarchal in nature and sexual
harassment thrives with places where
there is a strong men network. I think
that is what has to give way to allow the
policies work—and this is not only
about UNILAG but all other institutions
in Nigeria that claim to have a policy.
The leaderships of these schools have
the responsibility to push for a policy
that can be used effectively. UNILAG
seems to have some structures in place
but those structures will not be effective
if students are not given the confidence
that they can get justice if they dare to
report.
Ordinarily, the Nigerian school
system has a lot of bureaucracies. But
we need to change this especially in the
case of sexual harassment because it is
a scourge that should be dealt with as
quickly as possible. In fact, by
implication, it can dent the image of
our schools and negatively impact on
lecturers and students—both current
and past. UNILAG is a school of first
choice and has the responsibility to take
this seriously, given the BBC
documentary.
Do you have any idea what the
policy’s maximum penalties are?
For students who are perpetrators of
sexual harassment, you have maximum
penalties such as rustication,
nullification or revocation of degree
and or referral by the university to law
enforcement agents for prosecution. For
staff members, the
maximum penalties
are termination of
contract for
School system
must be structured
to be able to
condemn,
deconstruct
hierarchies that will
not want junior
lecturers to report
their seniors for
fear of losing
promotion
contractors,
termination of
employment and or
referral by the
university to law
enforcement agents
for prosecution
People feel men
are
unnecessarily
blamed for
sexual
harassment and
that it takes two
to tango; is that
correct?
That is not
correct. We have
also seen females
who harass males
and vice-versa, but
the principal
concept is who in
the mix holds the
position of power or
influence? Who is
supposed to be the voice of reason
between the parties involved? If these
questions are honestly answered, then
the “tango” will not be the issue.
Again, some still blame females
for dressing provocatively. But
should we be talking about how
women dress in this time and age?
I believe that people are free to
express themselves however it suits
them, as long as it does not infringe on
the fundamental rights of other persons.
The blame should never be on the
victim because of her dressing but on
the harasser who lacks self-control and
respect for others and their space/
choices. In this time and age, the
conversation in other climes is not
about dressing but the mental state of
the harasser; and I think Nigeria should
make a shift to that direction too.
•Dr Abiola
Akiyode-Afolabi
Some are of the opinion that
women are equally guilty of
sexual harassment both in schools
and in workplaces?
The behavior is not peculiar to any
group. Like I said earlier, sexual
harassment, like any gender-based
violence, thrives where there is
impunity. People are expected to
exercise control and it often happens
when there is vulnerability. So, it means
that it’s a power relations issue.
We hear more of men harassing
women than the other way round;
statistics also confirm that women are
at the receiving end.
How can this menace be curbed?
Functional and applicable sexual
harassment policies must be put in
place to help institutions curb this
menace. Schools must also be
innovative to reduce lecturer and
student’s interactions outside the
classroom to the barest minimum by
providing safe spaces and
infrastructural reforms of staff offices—
maybe make lecturers office seethrough,
etc. Institutions should make
reporting mechanism easy and
transparent, and ensure the rule of law/
fundamental human rights are strictly
adhered to. Schools must invest in
structures for reporting, a safe space
beyond the office of Dean of Student
Affairs, and examination papers should
be well guarded.
What role must parents and
students play?
All stakeholders involved have various
roles to play. Parents are encouraged to
sensitise their children to be able to
identify red flags from lecturers and
give them the confidence to take the
right steps to report and get justice.
Students must be aware of the menace
and be armed with information on how
to avoid such situations and what to do
when the situation occurs. Students
must also be their brother’s or sister’s
keeper by continuing the conversation
against sexual harassment in tertiary
institutions. In turn, the school must put
in place policies and other
infrastructural improvements to reduce
sexual harassment. The school must
also boost the confidence of students
and victims generally by handling
harassment cases swiftly, fairly, justly
and transparently. They must not be
seen trying to protect their own with
esprit de corps principle. Any successful
policy implementation process must put
the students at the centre. School system
must be structured to be able to
condemn, deconstruct hierarchies that
will not want junior lecturers to report
their seniors for fear of losing
promotion. We saw this in the case of
Prof Akindele where junior lecturers
testified that they were aware of his
escapades with students but could not
speak about it because of the hierarchy
in the university. We need to deconstruct
the system to allow for a more open
university system that is safe for all.

PAGE 10– SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
2020: Another budget t
will be difficult to imple
By Dele Sobowale
“The most obstinate illusions are ultimately broken by facts” — Trevor Roper, VANGUARD
BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 100.
“Budget of Continuity was based on a benchmark oil price of $60 per barrel, oil production of
2.3mbpd. Government projected a deficit of N1.91t. The revenue performance is only 58 per cent of
the 2019 budget’s target due to the underperformance of both oil and non-oil revenue sources.
Specifically, oil revenues were below target by 49 per cent as at June 2019.”
President Buhari, Budget 2020 presentation to the NASS, October 8, 2019.
PREAMBLE
My first annual budget review for
VANGUARD was done in 1989. That was
30 years ago and during the Babangida
administration. If there is one thing I find
remarkable, it is the penchant by
Nigerian governments – military or
civilian – to treat the annual budget, not
as tool for economic and social
development, but primarily as
propaganda piece for their own political
agenda. Invariably, they have around
them individuals who, if they were not in
government, would be among the first to
spot the fallacies underlying the budgets
they publicly endorse. Reading the
comments made by leaders of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, about Buhari’s
budget, one wonders if they would say the
same thing if it was Atiku who released it.
That shows how uniformly unpatriotic
our politicians are!!
How often have we heard the statement
“the budget is good, we only have to
worry about implementation” as if a
sound budget can ever be divorced from
the plans to execute it. Highly respected
pillars of Nigerian society have uttered
that drivel so many times even with
demonstrably unsound budgets one
wonders if they wish Nigeria well. To be
quite candid, in all those 30 years, I have
never read a single budget which was
good waiting only for equally great
execution to move Nigeria forward.
Nigerians have been subjected to varying
degrees of failed budgets leading us
nowhere; or, worse still, leading us to
ruin.
Incidentally, budgets under military
regimes – Gowon, Murtala, Obasanjo,
Babangida, Abacha and Abubakar – were
better prepared and more faithfully
executed than what we have experienced
under President Shehu Shagari and since
1999. All our men in uniform, without
exception, were certainly running corrupt
governments. But, they implemented their
budgets better and were actually less
corrupt than the civilians we have elected.
Invariably, they started with a series of
Budget Thrusts for the year in question,
thereby providing keen observers criteria
for monitoring implementation. By
contrast, Buhari’s budgets have been
nothing more than tropes of words
without clearly stated objectives and so no
handle for assessment of performance. It
cannot be otherwise. Just take a look at
the people preparing the budgets and you
must shed tears for Nigeria.
The 2016 to 2020 budgets under
President Buhari have been the worst
formulated and the worst executed. In
fact, this is the first government lasting
more than four years which had racked
up such a dismal record of managing
budgets. Buhari’s statements, which were
rendered in “cut-and-paste fashion”
above, regarding the performance of the
2019 budget, represent a summary of the
four annual budgets he had presented to
the National Assembly, NASS, and which
had actually been passed with only slight
amendments but which had got us
nowhere.
They have all failed because the
President does not realise that a budget is
a promise to the people which he must
keep. Revenue shortfall of 49 per cent
amounts to betrayal of hope and trust.
STARTING ON THE
WRONG FOOT;
STAYING ON THE
WRONG TRACK
“Morning shows the day” according to
an old adage.
The disaster of the 2020 Budget
actually had its origins in 2015. The first
three appointments every modern Head
of Government makes in today’s global
village are: the Ministers for Defence,
Finance and External Affairs. Those are
the people other countries appraise most
critically. And, the appointments are
made very quickly after elections are over.
Bearing in mind that “a week is a long
time in politics” (Harold Wilson, British
Prime Minister 1970s), Buhari waiting
for five months to make those key
appointments had already sent a signal to
the global community; and not a good
one. To then turn around and hand the
economy to people totally unknown in
global financial institutions for the five
months sent another signal; a worse one.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 11
at
ment
When he finally made the selection of
Minister of Finance, the choice could not
have been endorsed by the international
financial community. Mrs Adeosun might
be a good accountant; but, she is not and
cannot be an excellent Finance Minister.
The results showed very quickly. A
recession followed in 2016.
That was not the first time Buhari would
hand the economy to a novice. In 1984,
he appointed Dr Onaolapo Soleye, a
protégé of former General Olusegun
Obasanjo, as Finance Minister. A
recession followed. He has again
appointed someone unknown as Minister
of Finance and Budget. What will follow?
The government started on the wrong
•President Muhammadu Buhari
foot in 2015. The economy was handed to
an Economic Management Team, EMT,
with no known economist in their midst.
We know what followed.
THE 2019
BUDGET FAILURE
PREDICTED
“[Government] promises, like pie-crusts,
are made to be broken” -
Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745, VBQ, p
203.
Buhari spoke as if the dismal
performance this year came as surprise
instead of another annual accident
waiting to happen. The 2019 Budget is
only the latest in a string of four budgets
based entirely on deceit of Nigerians and
self-delusion by this government. If ever
there was a Nigerian government which
had operated on fantasy instead of facts
in its preparation of annual budgets, the
Buhari administration is it. Below are
comments made on the 2019 Budget
when it was first released by the FG. In an
article titled BUDGET 2019 DEAD
BEFORE ARRIVAL, the following
observations were made.
“I was getting ready to throw in the
towel on writing about the Buhari
administration and the absolute neglect
of all the measures that would make
Nigeria a great economic power and
reverse the trend towards deeper poverty
and deprivation for our people. Make no
mistake about it, the average Nigerian
would continue to get poorer as long as
we have Buhari and his economic
advisers in government.”
It was clear that the FG had again
repeated the same mistake made when
preparing the first three budgets. They just
never seem to learn from their past errors.
Crude oil revenue was based on exporting
2.3 million barrels per day. That is a
figure Nigeria had not achieved in more
than seven years. Furthermore, the
turbulence in the global crude oil
markets precluded any possibility that
Nigeria would produce and sell that
quantity to the world. Yet, the FG went
ahead and based the 2019 Budget on it.
The NASS, increasingly a collection of
jesters, actually sat, considered and
passed a budget based on that travesty.
Buhari has now admitted that his
government was absolutely wrong in its
quantity estimates for 2019.
“There is a sucker [fool] born every
minute- PT Barnum, 1810-1891.
America’s original circus master was
the first to realise that even in God’s
own country, a fool is born every 60
seconds. If it takes a whole minute to
bring a fool into the world in the US,
then Nigeria must be producing them at
one per second. And some of them are
in the NASS. Otherwise, it is
incomprehensible how the lawmakers
could annually waste their time and
ours considering one atrocious budget
after another. This is the fourth one. Let
us start by asking a simple question.
What has the government done to
correct the recurrent error in the 2020
Budget? Something worse happened as
a matter of fact. On October 1,
President Buhari announced to the
world that he had ordered the release of
N600bn for capital projects for 2019 in
the next three months. That sum
represents only 22 per cent of the
capital budget for the entire year. It also
means that 78 per cent of capital
appropriation for this year will not be
forthcoming. That was bad enough.
What made the announcement worse
was the fact that the Nigerian President
had pronounced a major tragedy as if it
was an outstanding triumph. Only in
•Zainab Ahmed: Minister of Finance,
Budget & National Planning.
Africa in general and Nigeria in
particular can a President make such a
statement and remain unruffled. Buhari
needs not worry. He rules the most
docile and the largest bunch of suckers
in the world – including the NASS.
The 2020 Budget is worse in all
respects than the 2019 Budget which is
already a disaster. One must wonder
what Buhari and his advisers are
thinking of and what the leaders of the
NASS are doing. All the evidence
required for this budget to be tossed
into the garbage can is there. Granted,
the Buhari administration is one in
which the right hand does not often
know what the left is doing. But, can
that excuse the absurdities we are
witnessing?
It is incomprehensible why Buhari, a
former Minister of
Petroleum Resources in
the early days of the
Organisation of
Petroleum Exporting
Countries, OPEC, could
forget that the cartel
establishes production
quotas for members
from time to time. He
cannot possibly pretend
to have forgotten that
the members frown at
any member exceeding
its quota. He certainly
must be aware that
OPEC had already
signalled the intention
to impose fresh quotas
which will start soon
and continue for a good
part of 2020. Last week,
OPEC announced new
quotas under which
Nigeria is allowed only
1.77mbpd pf crude oil.
Even if the budget was
already prepared based
on 2.18mbpd before the
announcement, the
situation has changed
significantly and the
budget is no longer tenable. Instead of
stubbornly going forward to present a
budget fit only for the dust bin, Buhari
should have asked for more time to
present a more realistic budget for
2020.
On at least two different occasions
during this year, I have made the point
that the 2019 Budget will never be
implemented. Buhari has finally agreed
with me in more ways than one. Space
does not permit me to reveal more. But,
two recent developments call for
mention.
“Every government is run by liars and
nothing they say should be believed” – I.
F. Stone, US Journalist: 1907-1989,
VBQ, p 80.
The Social Investment or
Intervention Programme, SIP,
introduced by Buhari and advertised as
his legacy project was designed to
alleviate poverty. The objective was
clear and noble. But, it suffered from
the same malady as every aspect of
Buhari’s economic programme.
As most readers would recollect, SIP
was allocated N500bn in the 2016,
2017 and 2018 budgets; the figure was
reduced to N350bn in the 2019 Budget.
Suddenly, the SIP has been slashed to
N30bn in the 2020 Budget. Obviously,
the poor have now been abandoned –
because N30bn cannot cover the
administrative costs. Gone now are the
School Feeding Programme and the N5,
000 per month promised to 5 million
Nigerians in the quixotic effort to reduce
poverty in Nigeria by giving N5, 000 per
month to the poor. The programme could
not have made any impact for two cardinal
•Clement Agba: Minister of State,
Budget & National Planning.
reasons.
First, the programme was based on wrong
arithmetic. Even a good primary five pupil
should have been able to figure out that N5,
000, at official rate of N300/US$1, comes to
16 dollars per month and just a little over
half a dollar a day. That is clearly less than
the $2 per day which is the global
benchmark for poverty. It would have been
bad enough if the poor received the money
regularly. There is ample evidence that most
of the intended recipients never got them; or,
at least not monthly. The same can be said
about the School Feeding Programme –
which was scandalous. Poverty was certainly
not being eliminated. And in 2018,
Nigerians were jolted by several reports
from global study groups which declared
Nigeria the poverty capital of the world.
Second the N500bn allocation to SIP in
the first three years and
N350bn in the fourth
year was ill-advised.
No government
anywhere in the world
Buhari spoke as
if the dismal
performance this
year came as
surprise instead
of another
annual accident
waiting
to happen
allocates more funds to
an untested
programme than to
security, power,
infrastructure, health
and transport
combined. The sectors
that grow the economy
were under-funded
while a new project was
over-funded. It was an
emotional not a
rational allocation of
our resources.
Unfortunately for
Nigerians, neither the
Executive branch nor
the NASS that
inadequate funding of
programmes will result
in low Gross Domestic
Product, GDP, growth.
And as long as the GDP
grows less than the
population Nigeria will
increase the number of
people living in poverty.
Buhari was allowed to reduce capital
expenditure to the barest minimum in the
four years, 2016 to 2019, and the results
have been: 2016 (-1.4%), 2017 (0.8%), 2018
(1.98%); projections for 2019 hover around
1.9%. Each year had brought its own harvest
of people dropping below the poverty line.
NOTHING
GOOD
“A man cannot gradually [or suddenly]
enlarge his mind as he does his house” -
Alexis De Tocqueville, 1805-1859.
SIP was a colossal waste of funds. That it
took Buhari four years to realise that he
had been wasting our resources should
frighten us. The President who admitted
failure on October 1 and made it
appear as success; who should know
that OPEC has pegged our crude oil
output to 1.77mbpd but still goes ahead
to present a budget based on 2.1mbpd
cannot lead us anywhere else but into
economic disaster.
Like all the previous Buhari
administration budgets, this one will
also never be implemented. Nations are
not run on fairy tales read by their
leaders.
LAST LINE
The Presidential Economic Advisory
Council, PEAC, members might as well
go home. They will get nothing but brief
from their assignment. President Buhati
wants advisers who will launder the
government’s image; not real advisers. Any
man who evades the obvious truth and seeks
shelter under false estimates does not need
honest people advising him.

PAGE 12—SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019
By Dayo Adeyemi
Men are fast becoming
endangered species and we
seem not to be bothered. This is
a new world where the few of us are taken
as the rest of us. We are in an age where
all men are seen as potential predators
who prey on women for sexual tryst.
There is the need for a balanced
conversation. This war of “we against
them” won’t ever win gender war. Just as
#MeToo won’t stop the problem of sexual
molestation. Empowering the girl-child
at the expense of the boy-child won’t
create a better future for either of them.
Toxic feminism and railing against men
is not even the way to go either.
Aggregating all men as
scum and pedophiles on
campus is wrong.
Feminism and toxic
campaign against men
may create viral social
media hashtags but will
never resolve the issue of
sex, sexual harassment
and molestation in any
society.
When university
students willingly deploy
female advantage to
obtain grades, it raises no
dust. Where female
bankers bleep men for fat
deposit and get career
progression raises no
voice. Let us face the
truth, gender advantage is
both sides of the coins.
The current sex-forgrades
and sexually
transmitted degree saga
is an ill-wind that must be holistically
addressed. Strident voices calling for recrucifixion
of Jesus Christ won’t win.
Globally, #MeToo may get media power,
legal justice, massive funding but it won’t
ever stop the demand and supply of sex
The world of sex
is so tilted that it
seems it is only
men who roam
the campuses
and the cold
rooms looking
for women to
sleep with
Sex-for-Grades
and #MeToo
for pecuniary advantage by both
genders. The power of #MeToo lies in
the fact that it brought to the
fore what women had always
kept silent about and what
men had always thought is
unchallengeable. It means
the sin men commit years
back can come back to bury
them. This is good but not
good enough. How do we
also track women who use
sex to rise to power, position
and prominence?
When it comes to sexual
liaison between men and
women, men may get to pick
but women has the final say.
Female university
undergraduates also have the
choice. The spate of
accusations, the viciousness
and the vehemence where
accusation becomes the truth
in the court of social media
and sentences imposed
through the social media needs a rethink.
When the (Yoruba) Bata drum skin is over
beaten, it bursts. Hope the #MeToo will
not one day turn to backlash for the
women we try to protect.
Let’s look at #MeToo! This is the
hashtag that makes randy men cringe in
a culturally aware and sane climes. At
least men in the time past had taken
advantage, harassed or abused women
sexually. CNN reports that it’s been used
in over 85 countries by over 1.7 women
and men all over the world.
Toni Van Pelt, the President of National
Association of Women in the US, in a
CNN report, says; “I am really tired of
talking about women. We must focus on
the men…whether they are good guys or
not”. #MeToo must “… become men’s
issues” too, so says Ted Bunch, the
Founder of “A Call to Men”. Men are the
ignored equation in the fight against
sexual abuse.
#MeToo was created by Tarana Burke,
a female activist, former worker at Girls
for Gender Equality and later founded
Just Be Inc. #MeToo is a social
movement which encourages women who
are sexually harassed and abused to
speak out. Where is the corresponding
hashtag to protect the male when men are
sexually seduced, abused raped or taken
advantage of? Are we saying female
don’t sexually take advantage of man?
Most men are not abusive. The media
amplifies the monsters amidst us and tag
all men as animals. Majority of the men
in the university system are decent men,
caring husbands and great fathers.
Flawed? Certainly. Rapists? No.
Misogynists? Far from it? Influential? Yes,
men who are influential don’t necessarily
abuse or harass women. There are men
who are leaders with massive followers
here with high credibility ratings. There
are good men much more than we are
made to believe.
Briggitte Bardot, a woman and the star
in And God Created Woman, saw
#MeToo as hypocritical and ridiculous
especially in the film industry because
young ladies who want to build a career
in the industry don’t mind to be taken and
then years later, ten, twenty years later,
turn around to shout sexual harassment.
No one talks about the career, the fame
and the fortune such female stars receive
out of such liaison. The perception of
women as victims and men as the villains
must be reviewed.
I founded M.A.D.A.M: Movement
Against Domestic Abuse by Men. From
the vantage point, I have heard how men
are seduced and sexually used or even
stylishly raped by women. However, who
will believe a man’s #MeToo! The world
of sex is so tilted that it seems it is only
men who roam the campuses and the cold
rooms looking for women to sleep with.
The truth is that gender power has flipped
in favor of the female. But, let’s empower
both the men and the women together to
create a safer and better community. Let’s
get back to the village square.
Together, let’s raise our voices against
any form of sexual abuse. Whether an
older female housemaid luring a sixteenyear
old boy for sex or a university student
exchanging her body for grades or a lewd
old man chasing girls in his daughter’s
age bracket or men demanding sex for
role, let’s balance the conversation to
prevent and reduce sexual abuse. Let’s
understand that #MeToo matters but
#Menslive matters too.
• Adeyemi, founder, The Catalyst
Men Network Int’l, Lagos, can be reached
via mail2dayo@yahoo.com
Nigeria politics: The future looks much
like the past
A blast from the past - as published in
this column on December 2, 2018.
As we match towards the 2019 Ni
geria's General Elections, I think
it is wise to look back and ask ourselves
what we have learnt as a nation
and individuals since the last elections.
We are told that the lessons of life are
learnt when we look back, correct and
plan for the future. “You can’t go back
and change the beginning, but you can
start where you are and change the ending.”
? C. S. Lewis
This is expedient as at this time four
years ago, all we heard from the politicians
was the chant of change. This week,
I am, once again, reaching into the archives
to share my thoughts with the readers.
This is predicated on the fact that our
politicians are on the roll again, canvassing
for votes to win the next election. They
have been going about, as usual, promising
heaven on earth for all Nigerians.
There is a need to look back at history,
especially the journeys of these politicians.
Are they still as promising as they
were four or five years ago? Do they have
the steam or energy to turn the ill-fated
economy around? Do they still possess the
charm that endeared them to the masses
in 2015?
It is always fascinating to watch politicians,
especially from developing countries,
a few months before elections. They
are such a bunch of fun people that lift
the moods of everyone. They appear nice,
loving and very caring. As they hop from
one soapbox to another, you think they
are the best creations of the Almighty Father.
Not only are they fun they also present
themselves as problems solvers. They are
adept at identifying the ills of the society,
while they pretend to have the solutions
to the problems at their fingertips. The
politicians paint a world far away from
the reality that they themselves begin to
believe it actually exists.
For these lots, there is no conscience in
their act. All is fair in the game as they try
outsmarting themselves searching for
vantage positions so they can be seen as
the best friends of the masses. They do all
they can to prove they are as human as
the other citizens down the road.
When you see politicians jumping on
public transport buses in Nigeria, you
need no telling that an election is around
the corner. These are times when big men
do households shopping in the local markets.
They do not come alone; they bring
along the party supporters who distribute
goodies to the market men and women.
Politicians are always eager to exhibit
their foolishness in exchange for votes. Or
how can we justify them eating roasted
plantain, corns or yams by the roadside?
Till date, it has been unexplainable how
some of them think hawking or riding on
commercial motorbikes, Okada, is the
best way to connect with the people.
On the other hand, election periods are
harvest times for the hungry and often neglected
voters as the politicians spend
some of the looted money on them. The
politicians come with wads of cash, branded
bags of rice, bales of clothes, live chickens,
wheelbarrows, loaves of bread and
many other types of gifts. The citizens,
among them old pensioners, jobless youths
line up under the weather while the demagogues
shake their hands for photo opportunities.
Poverty is a curse. It turns otherwise decent
and disciplined people into desperadoes.
Desperation, on the other hand, makes
people do what they would not have done
ordinarily. This is why the common men
Recent happenings are
not encouraging, nor are
they signs of a better
future for this generation
or the ones coming
behind
and women in Nigeria see political gifts as
their share of the national cake. It is hard
to blame them as these heartless politicians
only surface once in four years. Waiting another
four years is a risk too big to take as
immediately the elections are over, the
masses are left to their fates.
The promises of improved infrastructure,
better life, abundant jobs soon become
dreams. The politicians have got what they
wanted, and the masses are left struggling
with dilapidating infrastructures, hunger
and joblessness. The only redeemer, at this
stage, is, therefore, religion. They turn to
the Lord as the pastors and imams urge
them to look beyond their present situation.
They are encouraged to come to the house
of the Lord, and He will take care of their
needs.
Prayer may be the answer to turn the fortunes
of the jobless around. The politicians
have run back to the cities to make more
money for the next general elections. The
ones elected to represent the local communities
have hurriedly built palatial buildings
with high fences and security manned
gates to keep the masses away. The elections
have been won. This is a signal that
the dividends of democracy are ripe for harvest.
The wardrobe, constituency, transport,
housing, security allowances are making
sweet sounds of alerts on their phones.
Enough said for now. Read an excerpt of
my thoughts as published in this column
on November 5, 2017.
"I am not going to join the band of pretenders
that have found it hard to accept
the fact that the country is on course to nowhere.
I am tired, also, trying to convince
people that ship ‘Motherland’ is stuck in
the middle of the ocean and the present
captains, just like the set they sent packing,
lack basic ideas of nautical position, direction,
distance, and depth, talk less of applying
them to practical navigation. It will
take more than a crash course in the navigation
to get out.
"Recent happenings are not encouraging,
nor are they signs of a better future for this
generation or the ones coming behind. Disappointment
is an overused word and to
say the people are disillusioned is stating
the obvious. Yet, we are being assured that
the hope in change is not misplaced.
"This is understandable. Thich Nhat
Hanh, the Vietnamese peace activist once
said – “Hope is important because it can
make the present moment less difficult to
bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be
better, we can bear a hardship today.” Nigerians
are soldiering on, losing hope in
the promised change."
"Looking back now, it was understandable
change was the focus of the 2015 political
campaign. The world, in general, was going
through a change process, and the smart
politicians knew they had to jump on this
bandwagon and promise something. The
ordinary Nigerians had no choice because
a particular political party and political
characters have ruled their destinies for
many years without any corresponding
change in their welfare or lifestyle.
Some of us saw beyond the political catchphrase
of change. We warned that we need
more than screams of change for the country
to move forward. At the height of these
frenetic change campaigns in January
2015, I wrote a piece titled, “Nigeria Will
Change, When There Is Individual Rebirth”
where I foretold no change was coming to
Nigeria if there was no change in the way
we conduct individual businesses. It was
easy to know there was not going to be any
change because the type of change we were
clamouring for at that time was superficial.
I wrote – “Change does not come in a vacuum.
It has to be effected. And no society
can be changed without changing the individual.
The Nigerian has to change himself
before society can change. And this is
the mistake these agents of change are
making. Change cannot be achieved
overnight. It has to be a steady process.“
Now we are wiser than we were in
2015. Yet, people are still trying to pull
the wool over our eyes. Either to prevent
us from seeing what is happening
or they simply think we are all “mumus”.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019 — PAGE 13

PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
On Friday, October 4,
2019 Transcorp
Hilton Hotel, Abuja
was agog for the
premiere of the movie ‘The
Enemy I know’ produced by
Rita Daniels, mother of teen
actress and wife of Ned Nwoko,
Regina Daniels with many
Nollywood veterans and
wannabes in attendance. While
Regina, the beautiful, young
actress is the star of the movie as
the leading act, it was the
producer and the mother that
stole the show at the premiere.
She was simply mesmerizing
and captivating when she
made her appearance at the
premiere. She breezed in late
when everyone was seated and
almost worn out from waiting,
not only for the show to begin
in earnest but to see the movie
which has Ninolowo Bolanle
and Regina Daniels as
principal leads. The graceful,
flamboyant and refreshingly
comforting Rita Daniels was all
that was needed to bring in a
spark of life and when she
BBNaija: Why I
didn’t have sex
with Mercy in
Big Brother
House – Ike
Big Brother Naija
Housemate of the ‘Pepper
Dem Gang’, Ike Onyema, who
was the love interest of the
season 4 winner, Mercy Eke, has
opened up on why they never
took their romance in the House
beyond mere cuddling and
smooching like Gedoni and
Khafi did.
In a chat with Potpourri, he
said it would have happened
between him and Mercy but
because Mercy didn’t push
enough to get him going, so, he
didn’t take the plunge.
“I’m not used to making the
first move when it comes to
getting down with a woman. You
know, I’m a fine boy and I’m
used to women pushing me to do
things but Mercy isn’t that kind
of person and we were not even
ready to do that kind of stuff in
the Big Brother House. I would
probably have had sex with her
if she had made the move but
she didn’t and I didn’t too,” he
said
Throughout his stay in the
House it was all about him and
Mercy. At some point it appeared
Mercy was making
moves to seduce him, with Ike
either not catching the drift or
was simply ignoring her,
especially at the Saturday
parties with Mercy always
sensuously, provocatively
dressed.
“Don’t mind her, she was
always teasing me. It was just a
trap. We had fun but that type of
fun when it gets too hot leads to
something else, if you
understand what I mean,” he
reacted
Going forward, Ike admitted
the love affair between him and
Mercy was real and still real just
as Mercy herself admitted at the
press conference for the
presentation of her prize.
“Yes it was real. The love is
What Regina Daniels
needs to learn from
her mother
indeed breezed in, in her
flowing, black, gold-serrated
dress, it was unmistakeable the
scent of intoxicating aura that
enveloped the hall.
As spontaneously as anything
could allow in nature, the
cameras went into war with
explosive vigour, lighting up
the night and the lady of the
night was in the middle of it
all, wallowing in the bliss of the
glitzy night made all the more
daunting by her presence. All
heads turned in her direction,
even the music stopped to
allow the moment right of place
and for the moment Rita
Daniels was making her
*Ike
real. We are just taking things slow for now.
We are still together, we are trying to see
what’s going to happen because this new
lifestyle is new •Ike to me Onyema and also new to her.
Because of the money she won, we have to be
very careful with each other,” he said.
On the question of the money Mercy won
(N30 million in cash, N25 million Innoson
SUV and 5 million add-ons) Ike says he
doesn’t feel threatened at all.
“Who says she’s richer than me. Well, I know
she is richer than me but I don’t think it will
affect our relationship because I knew how to
handle her in the House, so I think I will be
able to handle her outside the House,” he
added.
On Friday, October 4, 2019, an
ensemble of some of Nigeria’s biggest
entertainers, thronged Terra Kulture, Victoria
Island to witness one of the biggest Broadway
musical nights for Jungle Story 2.
The show, a sequel to a widely enjoyed
debut in 2018, was produced by Naija Ninja
Productions and supported by the MTN
Foundation as part of its Arts and Culture
Initiative which has sponsored some of
Nigeria’s most compelling art, poetry,
musicals and theatre productions, including
Saroo, Wakaa, Fela and the Kalakuta
Queens and Legends, to name a few.
entrance everything stood
still for her. It was her show
and no one would steal it
from her.
Many had actually come
to see Regina, her daughter
but it was the mother who
had everyone eating out of
her palms in style and
pomp. And when Regina
made her entrance the
audience had been held
entranced by the magic and
charm of the mother, she
was the conductor of the
orchestra of which her
daughter was only a
component in the
symphony.
Inspiration for my single ‘Uber
Anthem’ came from driving for
Uber – Omega X D
Budding
Nigerian
singer, Cosmas
Nwabueze, popularly
known as Omega X D, has
got the tempo of the music
community on a string with
the release of his trending
single ‘Uber Anthem’ which
he said he did for the ridesharing
company because of
his love for the brand. As a
Uber driver himself, Omega
XD shared his romance and
love for Uber in an interview
with Potpourri, saying the
company gave him a source
of livelihood and an
inspiration for a song which
has enjoyed relative success on the music scene.
“I started driving Uber car in 2015 and for
me, supporting myself under Uber is a blessing.
I saw the platform as a very big opportunity for
me to launch myself out there because by
driving an Uber car I get to meet different types
of people every day. The inspiration for the song
came to me one morning as I took a lady to the
international airport and on my way coming back
I just started singing in my car, I was like “Uber
driver uptown Miami downtown Chicago holla
at your boy” and that was how I was singing in
my car after the trip. It was a successful trip
though and I enjoyed my trip. So I found myself
singing in my car and before I knew it, I pulled
over somewhere and started recording the song
on my phone. That was how the inspiration of
‘Uber Anthem’ came. So, me knowing all the
hospitality of Uber, like from the starting of a
trip, picking up a rider and taking them to their
destinations. If you listen to the song very well
that is basically what the song is talking about
because I was able to capture all the moment
•Rita Daniels,
Regina Daniels'
mother
that happen on a trip and put them all into the
‘Uber Anthem” he said.
On why he chose to write a song on Uber and
not any other ride-sharing outfit, the budding
music star who has 13 singles to his credit said
he has an attachment to the company and
cannot compromise on his love for it.
“I love Uber as a brand. In my first year of
driving under the company, I got selected as
one of the top 10 drivers because my rating
was very high. I don’t leave my car unwashed
even when it rains I still wash my car, you will
hardly see my car dirty, it’s extremely neat so
when people come they express their
admiration for the cleanliness of my car, even
during rains. I built up myself to deliver a quality
service and this is how far I have gone and I
ended up being recognized as one of their top
10 in Nigeria and also became an Uber hero
ambassador in Nigeria,” he quipped.
Omega XD started music in 2008 and has
since released 13 singles.
Sound Sultan, Femi Kuti, RMD preach national rebirth as Jungle Story 2 debuts
The show featured some of Nigeria’s A-
list entertainers including Femi Kuti,
electronically displayed cameos by Basket
Mouth and Kate Henshaw, narration by
Richard Mofe-Damijo, flawless acting by
Seyi Shay and performances by Johnny
Drill and comedy skits by AY and Efe
among others. This star ensemble
delivered a combined performance of
soaring energy tied in to a message of
cultural rebirth and national reconciliation.
Speaking on the inspiration behind the
production, Sound Sultan stated, “The
show is a creative expression of the current
*Nwabueze
issues in the country. The story talks about
some of the issues our country is dealing
with creatively and imaginatively. Many
Nigerians are going through so much on
a daily basis that it is hard sometimes to
take a step back and look at the bigger
picture.”
Femi Kuti added, “Jungle Story 2 is an
attempt by a host of us in the
entertainment industry to remind
everyone of what we really look like as a
people, 59 years after winning our
freedom.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 15
BBNaija: I trust
Regina
my husband
Daniels new
around other
age sparks
women but can’t
rants on
share him
social media
– Mike's wife By Benjamin Njoku
The wife of the first runner-up of the
recently concluded Big Brother
Naija Season 4, Mike Edwards
Olayemi has opened up on what she went
through emotionally during the whole 99
days her husband stayed in the Big
Brother House, admitting it was a real
test for her as they only just got married
in May and he had to be off to the House
in July, adding she had no single doubt
concerning her husband’s fidelity.
“It was really hard that I wasn’t going to
see my husband for 99 days and I didn’t
even realise he made it into the House,
and I was like, wow, this is going to be
harder than I thought. A long time without
my husband and we were newly married,
we got married May 23, this year 2019
and three weeks after then my husband
travelled to Nigeria and he had to stay in
the Big Brother House for 99 days,” she
said when asked what went through her
mind when Mike decided to go for the Big
Brother show.
Although many have celebrated Mike
for his conduct and chastity in the House
but his wife said she never entertained
any fear her husband would go over the
line with any woman even though the
temptations were everywhere in the Big
Brother House with 14 beautiful women
“I didn’t feel threatened but I did see
some things and I felt huh, what’s going
on here? But then I trust my husband, he
is a good looking young man. You are
talking about inside the House, outside
•Mike and wife, Perri
the House it was even more, seeing people
claiming my husband and I will be like no,
no, no I can’t share, Mike belongs to me.
But I know it was all love because my
husband demonstrated a real man, he did have
some funny expressions on his face but it didn’t
happen and I am so proud of my husband,” she
said
Buttressing her point, she revealed why she fell
in love with the ‘Pepper Dem’ gang member,
saying he’s a gentleman.
“Mike is a gentleman, the reason I fell in love
with him is because he was so much about me,
he opens doors for me, I have never had that
before because I was an independent woman and
I was doing everything myself, so I had to kind of
step back and allow my heart feel something.
Mike is a nice guy, he takes care of me and he
will always support anything I do, he just wants
to see that I’m happy. And sometimes he cooks
for me, he loves cooking a lot and he sometimes
cleans the house, he is really a good guy,” she
added
Afrobeat can never die like Reggae or
Makossa – Godfrey Eguakun
Godfrey Eguakun
The big boss at Monkey Media House Records,
popularly known as MMH Records and
TRONIQ Incorporation, Godfrey Eguakun has
given an insight on the future of Afrobeat genre of
music, stating emphatically that the genre cannot
suffer the same fate as reggae or makossa which had
a long spell of reign then died out.
“Reggae music was from the 60s, got really big in
the 70s and 80s, which was before me or when I was a
toddler. What I do know about it is the fact that it was
a sound widely perceived as the voice of the oppressed,
addressing social and economic injustice. At the time,
there was some kind of musicianship needed as a
reggae artist/musician. They could actually hold keys
and sing, maybe play instruments... today, all that has
been replaced with technology. Makossa on the other
hand was a great feel good music but was unarguably
one dimensional. Afrobeat, Afropop, Afrofusion, Afrosoul
or whatever we want to call it is relatively new
and we don’t quite know it in its entirety, so I think it
is too early to ask if afrobeats will die or not, but one
thing we have learnt about afrobeats so far is its
ability to adapt to other genres of music and create
something novel, create genres that in fact don’t exist
as far as our prior knowledge of music goes. We have
seen this play out in several cross continental collaborations
of some of the biggest afrobeat artistes. So, the
question I think should be if afrobeat will evolve into
unknown and novel genre, and how soon this transition,
or this evolution will take. But in the sense of
“dying”, that is not happening anytime soon,” he said
when asked about the future of Afrobeat in a chat
with Potpourri.
Eguakun who has two notable artistes, Akaycentric
and Kreatunez signed to his MMH and Oxlade to the
TRONIQ label also took a look at the music industry,
identifying the legal framework of the country as the
major impediment to its growth.Geofrey Eduakun is
an Edo State indigene, born in Osogbo and currently
lives in the United States. He’s a Mechanical
Engineer by day, working on jet engine designs and
manufacturing and a businessman by night,
managing and running multiple businesses. His
Monkey Media House Records is an indie Record
Label founded in 2017. Outside making and selling
records, he does Talent Development, Talent
Management, Artiste Promotions/Media
Management and digital music distribution. His
TRONIQ Inc on the other hand was founded in mid
2019, it’s a digital indie recording company, shaped
around traditional models.
Nollywood diva, Regina
Daniels is causing buzz
o
n
social media again following her
real age as she celebrated her birthday
yesterday.
Social media users have taken to
the popular micro-blogging platform,
Twitter, to debate over the actress's real
age, after she wrote forever 16 on her bio,
and also posted the number 16 on her Instastory.
Some Nigerians are wondering
•Regina Daniels how the actress could celebrate her 16th
birthday last year and do it again this year.
Some are insisting that the star actress is 19
while some said she’s currently celebrating
her 22nd birthday. Another set of people
claimed to be surprised that the actress went
from celebrating her 16th birthday last year
to celebrating her 22nd birthday this year.
Recall that Daniels once told her fans not to focus on her age when
she celebrated another 16th birthday in 2018.
Debating over her age, one Dreylo wrote, “ Regina Daniels went
from 16 to 22 in a matter of months. The God of Thanos must have
snapped his fingers in her life.”
Reacting also, King Monye wrote, “Why is Regina Daniels trending
for celebrating her 22nd birthday and people are saying she
moved from 19 to 22, is it your birthday, are you her mother? Why
are we this jobless in Nigeria?”
Another reaction came from Lamarr who wrote, “Regina Daniels
was 16 last year and this year she is 22
The only logical explanation may be, she was born on February
29, so for the next four years she’ll be 22.
Regina Daniels moved from being 18 to 22 and you guys are
complaining…… I’m not surprised, because that’s what you are, a
“Leap Year”
Meanwhile, her billionaire husband, Ned Nwoko in a video that
went viral online plucked a rose flower and gave it to Regina Daniels
during her birthday dinner.
Nigerian Breweries, Access Bank join
forces to launch new music show
‘Access The Stars’
Nigerian Breweries
(through Star Lager Beer)
and Access Bank have
announced ‘Access The Stars’, a
groundbreaking collaborative
music platform to discover, groom
and amplify the next generation of
Nigerian talents.
‘Access The Stars’ is a new
platform created for exceptional
and aspirational Nigerians in the
music industry to be discovered,
refined, and empowered to reach
higher heights by accessing their
star potentials. Successful artistes
will get to tour with the best of
Nigerian artistes on ‘The Trek’
across the country, giving the
grassroots access to the stars to
learn one-on-one.
This move explores the
intersection between business and
a shared love for the rich
entertainment culture of Nigeria.
Over the years, Access Bank and
Nigerian Breweries have built
consumer-focused music assets
like Star Mega Jam, Star Music -
The Trek, Star Quest and BAFest.
Access Bank MD and others
With Access The Stars, Nigerian
Breweries and Access Bank are
together, consolidating the trajectory
of “Discovering, Refining and
Showcasing” the best of Nigeria’s
musical talents.
Commenting on the new initiative,
Herbert Wigwe, Access Bank MD/CEO
stated that Access The Stars is borne
out of the desire of both brands to
continue to connect with people
through the one platform they both
have in common, which is music.
“Both our brands share a long history
of creating excellent musical
experiences for not just our customers,
but the wider Nigerian audience, and
this is us expanding on that,’’ he said.
On his part, Managing Director of
Nigerian Breweries Plc., Jordi Burrut
Bel says:
“Access Bank and Nigerian Breweries
have the shared interest of serving Nigerian
customers, and through this partnership,
we are harnessing our collective strengths
to shape an exciting future. Via this
collaboration, we will give hidden gems
access to shine by discovering, polishing
and showcasing them to Nigerians,
Africans and the world.”

PAGE 16—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
ASUU operates like
business enterprise
– Sunmonu, Coordinator
of breakaway group
Following the formation of a splinter group, Congress of
University Academics (CONUA) from the Academic Staff Union of
Universities ( ASUU), the National Coordinator of CONUA, Dr. Niyi
Sunmonu, tells Sunday Vanguard the inside story.
By Elizabeth Uwandu
WHAT do you make of the
emergence of CONUA from
ASUU?
The Nigerian Constitution guarantees
freedom of association. It is that
freedom that people who have come
together to form CONUA are
exercising. They feel they can no longer
continue with a union that claims to be
representing the interests of Nigerian
academics but which has become a
behemoth suppressing the rights of its
members.
It currently operates like a business
enterprise, where a National President
rides a ten million naira car. Their
centre is very heavy because 61 percent
of check-off is contributed to the
national body, leaving the branches to
suffer. Currently, professors pay more
than N5, 000 monthly. If you look at the
19-year breakaway chapter of the
University of Ilorin, the check-off
collected was just in two categories:
N500 and N1, 000 for different
categories of academics, including
professors. With this little contribution,
many welfare projects were executed,
including but not limited to the
building of secretariat, hostels,
shopping complex and purchase of
vehicles. These projects were all
executed with this meagre monthly
contribution.
So, for us, there will be a clear
departure from this current attitude of
seeing the union as a cash cow. This, we
hope, will bring healthy competition for
the progress of our universities and our
nation at large. After the union has been
registered, it hopes to operate on a
different wavelength from ASUU. The
union (ASUU) currently represents a
huge contradiction.
What led to the group's emergence?
There is injustice, high-handedness,
suppression of freedom of speech and
denial of members' rights in ASUU. The
President of that other union has
become a dictator. He removes
members of branch executive with fiat
and puts whoever he likes in position.
Members who raise objections are
summarily expelled. At one of their
National Executive Council ,NEC,
meetings in Gombe last year, over 800
members, out of about 1,300 academics
of the Obafemi Awolowo University
were declared as having ceased to be
members of the union. Things simply
cannot continue like this. This is why
some of us decided to come together to
create another union where justice and
fairness will stand as cardinal
principles.
Let me cite an instance concerning
misrepresentation. In the exercise of
selecting a Vice Chancellor for the
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in
2016, the local branch Chairman of
ASUU, Dr. Caleb Aborisade, granted a
press conference where it was stated
that the exercise was "free, fair and
credible" This is against palpable
evidence. When the congress objected
and directed that it should be
repudiated, the branch executive under
the leadership of Aborisade got the
NEC to support the pronouncement via
publication in newspapers. The NEC
has refused to distance itself from that
publication till date.
What does it seek to achieve?
We want to redefine unionism in
Nigeria, one where members' interests
will be held as cardinal. That other
union has become a huge business
empire, rather than a union. We are
starting a real union with CONUA. We
also want to restore a stable academic
calendar in public universities. A
situation where students spend as much
as six years for a four-year programme
for no fault of theirs is a mockery of
university education, anywhere in the
world. In other words, students should
be able to predict their graduation year
right from the year they are granted
admission. This, we observed, is largely
responsible for the exodus of young
Nigerians to neighbouring African
countries in search of university
education and proliferation
of private universities, with
inferior facilities and
standards to the
governments owned ones.
Also, we observed that in the
19 years of divorce between
ASUU and the University of
Ilorin, it remains one of the
most sought after, in terms
of admission.
There are suspicions that
the Federal Government
may be behind the
development, how true?
This is very untrue. Rather,
we observed that it is ASUU
that is using its might to
stall our registration. What a
double standard? We just feel
that we can no longer
continue in a union, which
pretends to be concerned
with justice and fairness but
represses its members.
How would the group
relate with ASUU?
Once we are able to sort
out the issue of our registration, we will
operate on principles we hold dear with
serious commitment, under the
protection of the Nigerian constitution.
There will not be any issue with anyone
or any union as we will have to respect
the rights of others while at the same
time insisting on ours. I have not seen
problems with Nigeria Labour
Congress, NLC, and Trade Union
Congress, TUC, coexisting. Areas of
cooperation can come from time to
time, and areas of differences will be
respected.
ASUU said the group is an
association of Vice-Chancellors who
were penalised for questionable
practices. They even termed CONUA
as a distraction. How true is this?
Again, this is very untrue and baseless.
But, he who asserts must prove. They
should be asked to substantiate their
allegation
How is the membership of the group
drawn?
Academics that share our values,
principles, and aspirations, will
subscribe to us automatically. And this
is the greatest drive of our union.
In OAU alone, we have over 800
members. I can provide the register if
you feel like seeing it. Each of these
people wrote letters to the bursary
asking that their checkoff to the other
union be stopped as they are no longer
interested in being its member. They
also out of their own volition decided to
come together to start a new union. It
was later that we discovered that
simultaneously at about the same time,
similar things were going on, on other
campuses. Soon, these different
campuses decided to come together to
constitute themselves
into just one umbrella. It
may interest you to know
that we have continued
We also want to
restore a stable
academic calendar
in public
universities. A
situation where
students spend as
much as six years
for a four-year
programme for no
fault of theirs is a
mockery of
university
education
to receive expressions of
interest from more and
more campuses.
What are your
grievances against
ASUU?
Before I go into some
instances, permit me to
look at the general
principles on which that
other union we used to
be part of, was originally
built on, principles
which in the time past
made it a force to be
reckoned with. These are
principles of justice,
fairness, probity, equity,
accountability,
transparency, the right of
members to freely
express their views and
positions. Also, its
leadership was made of
men and women of steel,
integrity and
unimpeachable character, up and until
recent years. These sterling qualities of
leaders and lofty principles have been
jettisoned of late. The current
leadership is dictatorial, unfair, unjust,
not accountable, and has no respect for
constitutional provisions. Two instances
would suffice, for now, in my view. In
Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, in
2016, complaints were made against a
sitting Financial Secretary. He was
accused of violating Article 14, Section
14b of the union's constitution. We
made it clear that because of this, he
was no longer qualified to run for a
•Dr. Sunmonu
position in the union. But the electoral
committee for that year cleared the
man]for the election, and he was further
absolved of any blame by a fact-finding
team that was sent to the branch. The
team was led by the current Vice
President. The man in question, Dr.
Adekilekun Saheed, did not only finish
his term but was even single-handedly
selected by the President and appointed
Branch Treasurer.
The other instance was the singlehanded
removal of a sitting Treasurer
by the President, against the letter and
spirit of the much-touted constitution,
and the unilateral appointment, by the
same President, of another member to
replace the Treasurer of the Branch. No
bye-election was ordered or conducted
in contradiction of the same
constitution. This is the President that
has been accusing others of violating
the constitution. Those who want to
come to equity should do so with clean
hands. It is clear that the Union no
longer believes in this much-tested
dictum. This is what some of us cannot
take. We are not ready to tolerate
injustice, impunity, and lawlessness. It is
one of the reasons for our decision.
In summary, there were a lot of cases
of gross disrespect for the constitution,
high-handedness, and repression. The
need to depart from these retrogressive
practices made us decide to seek a
different platform.
What is the position of CONUA over
the failure of the federal government
to fully implement the agreement it
reached with ASUU over the years?
The government should honour
agreements it freely entered into. I won't
say more than that since we are
concentrating on building and
nurturing our union along the lines of
our values, ideals, and principles. I will
like to react to a statement credited to
the National President of the other
union, Prof Biodun Ogunyemi in one of
the national dailies on October 10,
2019, that he has commenced peace
talks. I will like to state categorically
that we are not aware of any peace
move. How can you open a peace talk
with a group you initially denied its
existence, a group you labelled as being
sponsored, and a group you expelled
from your union. You can see a lot of
contradictions here. Well, this current
leadership of that union has perfected
the art of lying and misinforming the
general public. It is a diversionary
tactic and we won't fall for it. We are
focused on seeing through our
registration.

Prof Sagay, IBB, and the
distortion of history
Truth does not stay hidden forever
- Sex for grades
Facts do not cease to ex
ist because they are ig
nored - Aldous Huxley,
Unless you have been under
a rock on the dark side of the
moon, you could not have
missed the recent exposé by
the BBC:Sex for grades. If this
was shocking for some, it definitely
was not for millions of
Nigerians.
It is a known secret, actually,
it is a blatant fact. Lecturers
would publicly show off
their current conquests every
academic year. I am sure they
thought that their
spoils(victims) was a perk of
their jobs. It is disgraceful and
immoral. It saddens me deeply,
actually it angers me that
they have the gall to parade
publicly their spoils.
We know or have experienced
lecturers who have
abused their positions by either
bullying students, harassing
or sexually abusing students
blatantly or publicly
unabated without consequences.
They do this knowing
full well that there is no
come back . Like every abuser
that go for young girls who
come from poor families and
vulnerable students who have
no one to speak for them or
protect them. They have no
I
“ believe that Ibrahim Ba
bangida is really one of
those who brought this
country down. He was the one
who legitimised corruption.
He made it legitimate and an
acceptable way of life. He
didn’t see anything wrong in
being corrupt and he allowed
people to do it” - Professor Itse
Sagay, DAILY INDEPEND-
ENT, October 3, 2019, p 13.
Sagay was one of the public
commentators for whom I
had the greatest respect. But,
that has changed. The Chairman
of the Presidential Advisory
Committee Against Corruption,
PACAC, has also
changed. PACAC, in my view,
does everything but advise
Buhari on the real nature of
corruption. In fact, the transformation
of once beloved
prof reminds one of the observation
by Horace, 65-8BC,
who asked rhetorically,
“What does corrupting time
not diminish?…” I may be
wrong, but, there is a feeling
that since Sagay joined the
“food is ready” group of people
inside the Rock, things
have not been the same. Buhari
is totally right and his
critics are absolutely wrong
according to Sagay. That itself
is self-condemning. My
ten-year-old granddaughter
knows that only God is perfect.
“It is easy to be consistent,
but, nobody can be consistent
to the bitter end” - Albert Camus,
1903-1960, French Philosopher
and Nobel Prize
Winner.
Our former comrade-inarms
made one grievous slip
before when he became selective
about a court case decided
in Nigeria concerning corrupt
politicians. We forgave
him for two reasons. First, nobody
is perfect. Second, everyone
has interests which they
defend vigorously – even if it
involves violation of the principles
they generally espouse.
Sagay’s defense of an outrageous
Nigerian court judgment
has been forgiven; not
forgotten. It was about corruption.
General Ibrahim B Babangida,
IBB, was only one of the
Nigerian leaders with whom
I had a lot of disagreements
while he was in office from
1985 to 1993. I was such a
harsh critic of the regime’s fiscal
and monetary policies,
that I was quietly invited and
briefly detained three times
during his tenure. My first encounter
with the officials of
the “benevolent dictator” – as
the ever smiling head of state
was called – was when I got
published an article in VAN-
GUARD on a Monday, under
my regular column MARKET-
FACT which started in 1987.
The article titled CON-
FUSED BANK OF NIGER-
IA, CBN, so infuriated the late
Governor of Central Bank,
Ahmed, that I was not only
whisked from my office at the
Nigerian Institute of Management,
NIM, in Victoria Island,
to CBN headquarters, then in
Lagos, I was also detained for
a whole day. Two more trips
to brief detention were to follow.
The second followed my
publication in this paper that
the Political Transition Programme
embarked upon and
totally financed by the Federal
Government would end up
costing N40 billion. I was
pulled in to find out who was
providing me the figures until
I showed the interrogator all
the calculations on which the
figure – now widely quoted --
was based. The man shook his
head and said, “You should be
working for government. You
are so meticulous.” I replied,
“Never. Working for government
will amount to working
for liars. I don’t want to spend
any part of my life doing that.”
We shook hands. He went
back to work; so did I.
My third encounter was with
people attached to the late Admiral
Aikhomu, then-Chief of
General Staff, CGS, and Vice
President. Aikhomu had at one
function announced that the
Transition Programme was
progressing satisfactorily.
Then he took a swipe at the
“prophets of doom” – meaning
those of us who were sceptical
that return to civil rule in
1992 was certain. Well, I must
confess to being one of the
“prophets of doom” and I replied
the CGS by drawing attention
to a “Hidden Agenda”
aimed at subverting the transition
in 1992. Another invitation
followed. “Are you calling
the CGS a liar?”
“I was not, but can somebody
call me when the civilian
President is sworn in October
1, 1992?” History has
already recorded what happened.
I returned to the past in order
to arrive at the present and
to make readers understand
why I rise in defense of some
one whose government ruffled
my feathers against a former
comrade-in-arms. Times have
changed and we must change
with it. But, truth is constant –
irrespective of who is involved.
The vendor brought my
copy of DAILY INDEPEND-
ENT and VANGUARD on
Thursday, October 3, 2019
and I was in a hurry. But, people
like prof always attract my
attention. I must read them.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 17
Nigerian professors in the public
domain since the 1990s
have not given good account
of themselves. Once appointed
to office, they turn to cheerleaders
for the administration
they serve. The first thing that
caught my attention was the
summary by Temidayo Akinsuyi,
who wrote that “He [Sagay]
also spoke on how the
government of President Muhammadu
Buhari has greatly
dealt with corruption in the
country.” Really! Was Sagay
talking of our Nigeria or another
country? I read more and
came across the statement at
the beginning of this article. It
was astonishing coming from
The obvious question is:
what could be responsible
for the easily demonstrable
misstatement of facts by a
professor of law who must
be regarded as an expert on
fact-based evidence?
a professor of law who is approximately
the same age as
me and who only needs to recollect
a few things which happened
in the past to know that
he was, at least, “exaggerating”.
That is being polite. The
milk of human kindness flows.
“You are entitled to your opinions;
you are not entitled to
your own facts” - Senator (Harvard
University Professor)
Daniel Moynihan, NY, NY,
USA.
The obvious question is:
what could be responsible for
the easily demonstrable misstatement
of facts by a professor
of law who must be regarded
as an expert on fact-based
evidence? To that, I confess, I
have no concrete answer. Babangida
and Sagay might
have had cause for disagreement
in the past. Life-long enmity
is a fact of life. What bothers
me is the deliberate distortion
of history offered as fact
by someone in transient possession
of public attention.
What follows is a brief summary
of Nigerian history with
none to come to their aid and
they are more likely to suffer
the abuse alone and in silence.
It may appear that this exposé
came out of the blue, we
know it did not. It probably
was more an embarrassment
to some Nigerians that the
world know what goes on in
our institutions. To be honest
it is a relief that the world and
its cousins know.They showed
the truth.
We owe a debt of gratitude
to the BBC Africa Eye and its
undercover journalists who
posed as students inside the
University of Lagos and the
University of Ghana. Watching
it,was uncomfortable but
necessary. We saw for ourselves
how these low life predators
operated in their natural
habitats.
This is not a sensationalist
piece of media, this was not a
sting, this was no entrapment,
this was a situation of their
own making. One of them
even joked about where they
usually take their prey at the
University of Lagos, called the
cold room. So that alone
speaks volumes.
Reporter Kiki Mordi gave
us first-hand insight on how
soul destroying sexual harassment
can be on their victims.
Of course, we know it went
on, we have always known it
went on and we know it went
on a national level.
So much so that it must have
been so concerning that in
2016, The Senate passed the
Sexual Harassment in Tertiary
Education Institution Bill,
which provides for a five-year
jail term for a lecturer convicted
for sexually harassing male
or female students. It does not
go far enough. Teachers or lecturers
should not be sexually
assaulting their students.It
goes without saying. Any civil
society should expect that as a
no- no. Then, Nigeria it seem
is no such society. We have to
repudiate such crimes and anywhere
it is witnessed there has
to be rules and regulations
where cases like that can be
addressed without fear of retribution.
One can now hope that this
bill is robust enough to be extended
across the primary, secondary
and not tertiary level
alone..
It has been going on for decades.
It permeates our every
institutions;from primary to
secondary to our tertiary institutions.
The abuse is unrelenting,
one victim if unlucky
may fall prey,every single step
through her educational journey.
Imagine how traumatized
and emotionally damaged it
leaves the victim. Post traumatic
stress goes deeper that
it affects how that person functions
in life.
Sexual abuse is nothing new
and there, sadly, lies the rub.
It is the given, alas, it is the
norm. We have a serious problem
here and it will take a
national programme to begin
to heal such trauma.
So pardon me, if I have no
patience for these scums and
for those, who feign surprise
and outrage,just stop your
charade, you protest too
much. It is either you are part
of the problem or part of the
Sexual abuse is
rampant in Nigeria
and are mainly
perpetrated by males
in position of power
solution.
The fact are these; Nigeria
is riddled with sex offenders
and rapists. There I said it. And
if the cap fits. I owe none any
apologies if they feel over sensitive
.
How can we explain that far
too many Nigerians have experienced
sexual assaults by
their male teachers/lecturers.
They prey on the young and to
be frank, saying it is sex for
grades, minimises the impact
of the crime, it negates the assaults.
Besides, it sounds transactional;
it definitely is not.
The abuser holds the power, he
can fail or pass as he pleases.
I was also informed that, they
sometimes fail male students
whom they feel is friendly towards
their prey or they are
threatened by their youth. They
collect money for handouts or
lecture notes. These miscreants
lack any ounce of decency. For
generations, millions of Nigerians
have been sexually
corruption which calls into
question Sagay’s sweeping
statement. There is no dispute
with prof’s right to his
opinions. But, professors occupy
a special niche in every
human society. Millions of
people believe what they say.
That places them under special
obligation to be careful
about their utterances. It is
my opinion that Sagay had
been careless with his.
“Even God cannot change
the past” - Agathon, 447-
4014 BC.
Nigerian brand of corruption
(which President Jonathan
wrongly described as “just
stealing”) had been with us
even before independence in
1960. The Foster Sutton Enquiries
into the affairs of the
African Continental Bank,
ACB, founded by the Eastern
Regional Government, under
Premier Dr Nnamdi
Azikiwe, established widespread
looting of the bank
by top government officials.
Only the frantic and desperate
efforts of the Ibo State
Union and members of the
National Council of Nigerian
Citizens, NCNC – the
party led by the great Zik --
saved the government. Even
my own father, a die-hard
Zikist, withdrew deposits
from the Barclays Bank DCO
( now Union Bank) and the
Bank of British West Africa (
now First Bank) to deposit
in ACB to save Zik from embarrassment.
After Chief Awolowo went
to jail for treasonable felony,
the inquiry into Western Regional
Accounts by the Akintola-led
government revealed
massive corruption.
One of the largest estates in
Lagos till today was cited
among the proceeds of corruption
at the time.
Even if Sagay cannot recollect
those two instances, he
cannot possibly forget that
under General Yakubu
Gowon, ten per cent was routinely
added to any government
contract. The downfall
of Gowon and the rise of
Murtala Mohammed provided
for the first massive indictment
of top government
officials from Super-Perm
Secretaries to Customs Controller
and state Governors.
Only three Governors were
exonerated – Brigadier Bolaji
Johnson of Lagos, General
abused. Parents know this
goes on and yet they send
their children off to school
or university. The cycle of
abuse goes on and on. It is
time to break that cycle for
good. All decent teachers
and lecturers in Nigeria
should speak out. They
should not allow these sexual
offenders get away with
their crimes.
Their sexual assault affects
everyone or we at least know
know of someone who has
been sexually abused by
teachers and lecturers.
Sexual abuse is rampant
in Nigeria and are mainly
perpetrated by males in position
of power.
No wonder Nigerians are
emotionally conflicted and
for those who have the temerity
to mansplain this heinous
crimes; please don’t.
No,the young girls did not
tempt you to sexually abuse
them, not by the way they
dress or by the way they look.
If men can not control their
primal impulses to harangue
the gullible and impressionable.
It simply would
not wash. The dog whistle
and distraction should not be
allowed to wash or wished
away,this level of abuse by
people who are placed in a
position of trust. Like my
mother would say,gone are
the days. With the emergence
of the Me Too movement, social
media and the media
savvy youngsters. As we
speak, our young people
have found their voices and
courage and they are already
adding names to the two featured
on the BBC programme
and long may it
continue.
For the sex offenders (yes,
that’s what they are) they will
be smoked out, out of their
shadows. The best justice is
that they follow due process
Adebayo of Western State and
Audu Bako of Kano. All the
rest were indicted for corrupt
self-enrichment. IBB was not
then near the corridors of
power.
Sagay should certainly remember
that when the coup
of December 31, 1983
brought an end to the Second
Republic, nineteen governors
were taken before the Tribunals
established by the Buhari/
Idiagbon regime. Of the nineteen
Governors investigated,
only Pa Ajasin of Ondo, Clement
Isong of Cross River (including
Akwa Ibom at the
time) and Jakande of Lagos
State were exonerated. The
rest were jailed with Jim Nwobodo
of Anambra State (now
broken into Anambra, Enugu
and Ebonyi) bagging the
longest jail term of 44 years.
Commissioners and Ministers
also went to jail. Altogether,
the state governors, Okilo.
Lar, Rimi, Prof. Ambrose Ali,
Ige etc, during the Second
Republic secured loans which
in today’s exchange rate
would run into about N2 trillion
with little to show for it.
That was before IBB. (See my
book IBRAHIM B. BABANG-
IDA 1985-1992: LETTING A
THOUSAND FLOWERS
BLOOM).
Professor Sagay was certainly
a middle level staff
member in the university system
when the Buhari administration
introduced the
FORM M exchange control
method. It has been the most
corrupt foreign exchange allocation
method ever devised
in this country. I was in the
private sector and unfortunately,
several individuals still
alive and who took part in the
foreign exchange racket at
the time might not want to
talk out of fear of reprisals.
Under FORM M, unknown
companies allegedly owned
by northerners received more
exchange allocation than
UAC of Nigeria – which at the
time was the largest conglomerate
in Nigeria. I was the
middle man between North
Brewery, Kano and well-connected
Kano leaders who got
more dollars allocated to
them directly than the brewery
which was the biggest employer
of labour in the state.
The allocations were actually
published in newspapers at
the time.
and justice will prevail.
It is important to stand back
and reflect on this pragmatically,
the Ghanaian sex offender
lecturers will be dealt
with by Ghana so let us concentrate
on the mess in our
midst.
Prior to the exposure, we
know how deep the level of
sexual assaults go and no one
blames the teachers, the finger
of blame is often rested on
the victim. She is often ostracised
and her schooling halted
and also any chance of a
future.
She gets a reputation of being
easy and is tagged for
most her youth until she's finally
consigned to obscurity.
I hear that the Nigerian
media had never converted
this level of abuse, I beg to differ.
Such stories from the media
are often not read by the
masses. Nigerians, it seems
prefer titillation and scandals.
Stuff that talks about the
‘other’and it is easy to read,
harmless enough to create an
emotion that does not cause a
ripple in the psyche of the
reader. These false equivalence
conveniently removes
them from empathy and agency
Ṡome say what is the way
forward? We need to change
this narrative, check our morals
and embrace our collective
responsibility.
For those who have been
abused? You have nothing to
ashamed off. Please get help,
speak to someone who you
can trust and would not judge
you. Lastly, for those who continue
to abuse students, you
will be found out and I hope
that you receive the full weight
of the law.
I am happy to recieve comments
or if anyone is affected
by the content of this piece, I
will be happy to signpost you
to appropriate agencies.

PAGE 18—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
FOREIGN HERDSMEN IN NLTP:
5 Northern state
governments disagree
By Peter Duru, Marie-Therese Nanlong, Femi
Bolaji, Nasir Muhammad Gusau, David Odama
&Umar Yusuf
FOLLOWING the
inauguration of the
National Livestock Transformation
Programme, NLTP, by Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo, investigations revealed that five of
the seven pilot states have concluded plans
not to accommodate foreign herders in the
programme.
They believe foreign herdsmen are
responsible for most atrocities attributed
to herders and are ready to accommodate
only indigenous cattle rearers.
These came as Taraba State said NLTP
is Rural Grazing Area, RUGA, in
disguise, while Benue warned that it
would not accept anything in conflict
with its anti-open grazing law.
The two states maintained their earlier
opposition to the creation of colonies for
herdsmen, saying the Federal
Government should key into their
ranching programmes.
While inaugurating the NLTP at
Mayo-Balewa Local Government Area
in Adamawa, Vice President Osinbajo
had said the programme is different
from RUGA, adding that NLTP was
approved by the National Economic
Council, NEC, while RUGA was a project of the
Ministry of Agriculture.
He said NLTP, targeted at supporting the
development of Nigeria’s livestock sector, is to be
implemented in seven pilot states of Adamawa, Benue,
Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba and Zamfara.
However, when Sunday Vanguard felt pulses across
the states, there were still suspicions over the real
intention of NLTP, just like the sentiments that trailed
•Gov
Bello-
Matawalle
•Governor
Abdullahi Sule
RUGA settlement
programme. Apart from Benue and Taraba, other pilot
states have earmarked sites for the project, but are
mainly at the teething stage of preparations.
ZAMFARA: We’re
a step ahead of FG
In Zamfara, Sunday Vanguard learned that the
NLTP has been included in the RUGA settlements
project of the state government.
Director-General, Press Affairs, Malam Yusuf Gusau,
said the state government had components of NLTP in
its project, when laying the foundation of three RUGA
settlements in the state.
He said Zamfara is one step ahead of the Federal
Government on the programme, noting that the state is
at the execution stage.
Also, Gusau said N8.2 billion has been earmarked
for the establishment of three RUGA settlements
across three senatorial districts, adding, “each
settlement will cover 1,000 hectares of land and will
also include a mosque, western and Islamic schools,
livestock plan, grazing reserves, and hospitals.”
He further explained that Maru Local Government
was selected in Zamfara Central Senatorial District,
Maradun council in Zamfara West, while Birnin
Magaji was picked in Zamfara North Senatorial
District. He added that no fund came from the central
government on the project.
Also, Chairman Miyeti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Zamfara
State chapter, Alhaji Ahmad Husaini told
Sunday Vanguard that NLTP was
included in the RUGA project in
Zamfara.
He also maintained that
herders from foreign countries
would not be accommodated,
saying they are the ones
fomenting trouble across Nigeria,
as the project was designed to benefit only the
indigenes of the state.
NASARAWA: Dissent as govt
earmarks 7 LGAs for NLTP
Nasarawa State government said it has earmarked
lands in seven out of its 13 Local Government areas
Continues on page 19

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 19
Continued from page 18
for NLTP, to promote dialogue and
reconciliation in the state, with
Governor Abdullahi Sule saying 300
employment opportunities could be
generated in each of the council area.
He said areas designated for the
programme would have schools,
clinics, as well as security posts, as his
administration is concerned about
security.
“The job issue is important, but for us
in Nasarawa State, our interest is more
in the area of security,” he stressed.
However, Sunday Vanguard
discovered that most communities in
the state are vehemently opposed to the
programme, no matter the form it
would take.
Speaking on the issue, Senator
Suleiman Adokwe, whose community
was earmarked for the programme,
said the Presidency is only interested
in creating colonies for herders.
He said: “No community has been
consulted. I have not been called by
my community or the Village Head.
Considering my age and my standing
in the society, I should have been
invited to look at the proposal.
“The land is not just there. There is
population explosion in Nigeria and
most of the cattle routes are no longer
available because human beings have
occupied them. Also, it is erroneous to
believe that it is only one ethnic group
that has the monopoly of rearing
cattle.
“If there is a policy of developing
cattle, sheep or goats, it should be for
everybody. There are fears because
everyone is seeing it as a policy that
aims at assisting a specific ethnic
nationality.
“I hope our state government has the
land to give people, because some
communities will simply not
accommodate total strangers. We know
the Fulani in Nasarawa State. There
are a lot of Fulani in Nasarawa State
that have integrated with the people,
even to the extent of inter-marrying. So
what special scheme of resettlement are
those behind the policy going to do?”
Contacted, the Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of Agriculture in Nasarawa
State, Naptali Dachor, declined to
comment on the issue, saying he had
not seen the NLTP documents.
TARABA: NLTP is
RUGA in disguise
Senior Special Assistant to Governor
Ishaku on Media and Publicity, Bala
Abu, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard,
said Taraba State had made its position
clear before now, explaining that the
ranching law passed by the state House
of Assembly would be implemented
holistically.
He said: “We have a position that we
have adopted a long time ago and it
has not changed. We have our internal
initiative which led to the passage of a
law on ranching and it restricts the
indiscriminate movement of cattle. It
also allows us to use pilot ranches.
“We believe the NLTP is RUGA in
another way and we are not going to
change the position we have already
adopted. We have a law and we are
going to live by the provision of that
law and make sure that the law is
implemented.”
On the adoption of NLTP by Northern
Governors Forum, Abu said: “Taraba
government was also not represented at
the meeting and we are not bound by
the decision taken. We believe that any
other policy on livestock or movement
of cattle around the country that
contradicts the law that we have passed
is not acceptable to us.”
When asked if the state government
had been contacted on NLTP, Abu said
no correspondence had been received,
neither is any committee in place for its
implementation.
ADAMAWA:
Programme at
formative stage
Adamawa State Livestock
Transformation Office has swung into
5 Northern state governments
disagree over foreign herdsmen
•Governor Darius Ishaku
action to actualise the NLTP, with five
grazing grounds created in different
parts of the state.
A top official of the agency, who
pleaded anonymity, told Sunday
Vanguard that the reserves are located
at Gongoshi in Mayo, Nassarawo Jada
in Jada council and Daushe in Song
council. Other grazing grounds are
Guyaku in Gombi and Sorau in Maiha.
He added that the implementation of
the programme is still at formative
stages, adding that some decisive
decisions had been
taken. One of the
proclamations, he
maintained, is that
foreign herdsmen
would not be involved
in the programme.
He added that the
proposed beneficiaries
of the NLTP in the
state have been
shortlisted, pending
the full take-off of the
scheme.
PLATEAU:
Programme
to commence
amid anger
In Plateau State,
Governor Simon
Lalong is putting
modalities on the
With regards to Benue,
whatever is going to
happen in this area of
animal husbandry has
to be in conformity
with the local laws of
Benue that are in
existence. Principally,
that law says there
should be no open
grazing and there
should be ranching of
animals
ground to implement the NLTP, while
many indigenes fume.
However, to ensure that Plateau
people understand what the NLTP
entails and the plans on ground,
Director-General of Plateau Peace
Building Agency, PPBA, Mr. Joseph
Lengmang, urged the people to be
patient as the plan is being
implemented in the two pilot local
government areas of Kanam and Wase,
adding that mapping had been done to
demarcate the areas.
Lengmang, whose agency is involved
in the implementation of NLTP, told
Sunday Vanguard that the plan has the
potential of improving the fortunes of
the state. He acknowledged the
controversy about land-grabbing and
attributed it to lack of strategic
communication, which would make the
people understand and embrace the
policy.
He reiterated that the sole aim of the
policy is to ensure peace and peaceful
co-existence between the herders and
farmers, irrespective of where they come
from, saying: “we have started
•Governor
Samuel
Ortom
discussions in the media about this. The
NLTP is a response to the controversies
generated by RUGA. We made it clear
that we in Plateau State do not
subscribe to RUGA. What we are
subscribed to is the potential that
abounds in NLTP.
“For Plateau, we are piloting the
ranching system. It is a huge
opportunity for us to deal with certain
security challenges and at the same
time provide multiple streams of
opportunities for improving livestock
through the
modernisation of the
processes of livestock
production in our state.
NLTP is done under the
PPP framework. It is not
only the Federal
Government that is
bringing money for the
pilot phases, but there
are also international
non-governmental
organisations and
donors like the German
Development
Corporation, GIZ;
European Union and
USID among others.”
Speaking on the
guidelines for the
implementation, he said:
“For us in Plateau, there
is no concrete policy yet,
until the outcome of this
pilot project. If it proves
to be positive, the policy
will be implemented fully. Once
ranching works and there is a guideline
on how individuals can key into it,
hopefully, it will lead to the prohibition
of open grazing in the state.
“The governor has already created
State Steering Committee headed by
Professor Ochapa Onazi and the
Secretary is Professor John Wade. In
that committee, we have experts from
agriculture, the judiciary and media.
The NLTP has already commenced in
Plateau with what is happening at the
moment, as resources are being
mobilised and the modalities for
operation are being put on ground.
Garga in Kanam and Wase grazing
reserves are the locations for the
ranching. Mapping has been done,
enumeration has taken off, while the
technical work has already begun.”
Also, Professor John Wade, Director-
General, Research and Statistics, and
Secretary, Ranching Committee, said:
“I am not aware of any fund released by
the Federal Government. On the part of
the state government, there is a
budgetary provision of about N250
million.”
•Governor
Simon
Lalong
BENUE: NLTP must
conform to anti-open
grazing laws
The Benue State government said it is
not opposed to the implementation of
NLTP in the state, as long as it does not
conflict with its anti-open grazing law,
which bans open grazing of all animals.
Deputy Governor of the state, Mr.
Benson Abounu, made the position of the
government known shortly after
attending and Northern Governors
Forum meeting in Kaduna.
He said: “The programme would be
acceptable to the state as long as it
conforms with the state anti-open grazing
law, which provides for the establishment
of ranches and livestock administration,
regulation and control.
“The fundamental thing about NLTP is
that any state that keys into the
programme is expected to have it as its
programme, even if some help regarding
the funding is coming from the Federal
Government. With regards to Benue,
whatever is going to happen in this area
of animal husbandry has to be in
conformity with the local laws of Benue
that are in existence. Principally, that law
says there should be no open grazing and
there should be ranching of animals.”
On his part, Chairman of Benue Tribal
Leaders, Chief Edward Ujege, urged the
Federal Government to be fair in dealing
with the challenges posed by the
herdsmen crisis in the state.
Ujege said: “Why has the Federal
Government not released the meager N10
billion it promised to release for the
reconstruction of the communities
destroyed by armed herdsmen? Look, our
people are still languishing in internallydisplaced
persons, IDPs, camps. They are
everywhere in Benue because their
ancestral homes were destroyed by
herdsmen, while our children cannot go
to school; and they are talking of taking
our land to implement NLTP for
herdsmen.
“We have given an emphatic no to the
plan when a team came from the Federal
Government to introduce the plan to our
people. We all stood up in one voice to
reject the plan. Anything happening that
does not comply with our Open Grazing
Prohibition and Establishment of
Ranches Law is not acceptable to us.
“We heard the Federal Government
would provide 80 percent of the funding.
For us, it is Greek gift. We are not going
to accept it and if it means our people
dying of hunger, so be it. Even if there is
money tied to the plan, we do not want
the money; let them keep their money. We
are not giving any part of our land for
that, because we do not have lands.
“Only a few days ago, a northern
governor said in an interview that all
these plans are being made to
accommodate Fulani herdsmen of all
nationalities, because they do not stay
in one place but move around.”

PAGE 20 — SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Walking out on a bad marriage could be all you need to be happy!
There’s nothing that destroys a
person’s self esteem than lack
of confidence. In spite of the
fact that Yemi grew up in a boisterous
family, she still managed to convince
herself she wasn’t pretty. But
what she lacked in beauty, she more
than made up in impressive intelligence.
“It wasn’t until I got to the
university that I met a man who I
could say was serious about me”, she
recalled. “Until then, I hardly met a
boy than he was off with with someone
else. So when Tunde lasted
longer than the others, I felt flattered.
Of course, I’d gone out of my way to
boost my self confidence. My best
friend at the time was a sophisticated
make-up freak and she put me under
her wings. Though I balked at
some of the things she wanted me to
try, the few that I agreed to were quite
flattering.
“So, when I met Tunde, I felt flattered
that he wanted to go out with
me. He wasn’t the type I’d thought I
would fall head over heels with - but
he would do. Through our courting
days, he was quite unreliable – always
late for dates an never calling
when he promised to. But I was just
grateful to have a steady boyfriend,
so I never complained. I got pregnant
quite by accident but Tunde was
all for our getting married and I was
excited at the prospect. I had a good
job and he was lecturing at a polytechnic.
Economically, we were
ready.
“My parents were caught up with
the wedding bug and spared no expense.
I loved the whole fuss – it was
proof to all my friends that I had
someone to call a husband. Deep
down though, I didn’t have that much
respect for him, but went ahead with
the wedding all the same. He came
from a poor background and
scarcely contributed financially to
the wedding but we had a big one in
spite of that. Only, within a few weeks
actually living together as man and
wife, I knew I’d make the biggest
mistake of my life. The thought of
spending the rest of my life with him
was quite frightening.
“His folks were always visiting and
he expected me to act like his native
mum, cooking for all his friends and
relatives and cleaning up and him
in spite of the fact that I earned more
than he did. I felt trapped and I was
very unhappy. I couldn’t see a way
out of the marriage so I decided I
might as well give it my best shot. I’d
always wanted children and we had
three in the space of five years. The
kids were the light of my life as my
husband continued to be the irresponsible
man he’d always been. He
was also very controlling but I was
scared to opt out. My parents’ marriage
was solid and they put a lot of
pressure 0on me to make mine work.
It made me feel that if I divorced
him, I’d be considered a failure”.
“I was given bigger and bigger responsibility
in my place of work and
Tunde seemed to be quite happy in
the rut he’d settled in at work. My last
child was five when I decided to pack
in my marriage. By this time, Tunde
had turned into a monster and had
started hitting the children – his way
of exerting his authority as their father.
He scarcely listened to anything
I said and when I got another job with
living quarters thrown in, he sneered
he wasn’t a woman wrapper that
would be tied round his wife’s loin.
He was all for my turning down the
opportunity of a better professional
life. I accepted the job offer, moved
out into the quarter with my children
and kissed my bad marriage goodbye.
This time around, my parents
backed me up. They’d seen how argumentative
and irrational Tunde often
was – it was as if by antagonizing my
parents, he was having one over them
for not coming from the same social
background as us. Tunde took his time
about getting in touch, insisting he
had rights to see his children. He must
have thought I would fight him with
the kids and when he realised I
wouldn’t, he simply stayed away.
“I’m a happier person now. The children
are doing well and I’m grown up
and matured enough to realise that
pretty or not, a man should take his
partner on her terms. Nobody does
anybody a favour in a relationship.
Tunde is much happier living the
way he likes. Thanks to the children,
I hear a blow-by-blow account
of his escapades with his various
girlfriends. But it doesn’t bother
me. I’ve now built a new life and
I’m confident enough to look for a
meaningful relationship. I’m not
hankering after marriage – I just
want to be at peace with myself.”
Spotting early sign of mental illness
Recently, a former colleague told
me that she was worried about an
older brother who had suddenly
gone religious. According to her,
this brother said: “he could hear
God talking to him through the radio.
He also alleged that all of us in
the family wee evil because, we
didn’t believe in the spiritual
church. He thinks his own spiritual
church and his beliefs are right. As
wild as he looked when he made
these allegations, it was obvious
that he was cracking up. So, how
do you tell if someone close to you
is cracking up? With all these
named disasters and economic
crunch plaguing the country
wouldn’t it be nice to know?
According to psychiatrists, there
are seven clues to alert you. For instance,
an unexpected change in behaviour
is the big tip-off that a friend
of co-worker is suffering from emotional
problems and may need professional
help. Here are the seven
clues to look for:-
*A person who is usually energetic
acts tired and indifferent. The person
may complain about being tired.
His work may be neglected and he
doesn’t seem to care.
*A previously polite and caring
person suddenly becomes insensitive.
Manners and social etiquette
often fall apart during mental illness,
said a psychiatrist. “Words like
`please’ and `thank you’ may disappear
from the person’s vocabulary
and he or she may act rude – pushing
ahead of others in a line, for example.”
*A person who usually controls his
alcohol or drug intake loses control.
When someone with no history of
alcohol or drug-abuse begins to
abuse these substances, it can be a
sign of mental illness. And drug
abuse doesn’t necessarily have to
mean illicit drugs – it also can mean
prescribed drugs.
*A person who usually maintains
stable relationship starts to develop
difficulty with important ones. The
person may have trouble dealing
with people on the job – and with his
or her spouse. He or she may resort
to physical or emotional abuse and
may yell or scream.
*A person with emotions in the
normal range becomes despondent
or shows rapid shifts in mood. The
person may begin to have rapid shifts
in emotions going from anger to
playfulness, from sadness to giggles.
*A previously decisive person has
trouble making decisions. Even the
smallest decision, like choosing
clothes, become difficult. The person
might make up his or her mind
and then changes it possibly several
times.
*A person with good hygiene. His
or her clothes may be inappropriate,
dirty or not ironed. Often the
person may wear the same clothes
for days, not brush his or her teeth
and bath less frequently – and may
even begin to smell bad.
According to a recent publication
in the medical journal, you could be
a candidate for a nervous breakdown
if you answer yes to six or more of
these 12 questions:-
*Did you have a tragic childhood?
A parent’s death or separation?
*Was your childhood unsettled
with constant moves, parents coming
and going?
*Do you always feel everyone is
bigger, more clever and nicer than
you?
*Do you think too much or take
drugs?
*Are you the sort of person who
thinks happiness won’t last?
*Have you always felt people criticize
you behind your back?
*Do you find it difficult to express
your feelings?
*Do you find it hard to be angry
even when you’ve reason to be?
*Do you find it difficult to find and
keep friends and lovers?
*Have you been exposed to a nervous
breakdown sufferer, particularly
when young?
*Are you pre-occupied with your
health? Indeed, reading this, are you
now convinced you’re having a nervous
breakdown?
According to the psychiatrist, “in
approaching someone you think
needs help, do so in a caring manner.
Say something like, “something
seems to be different about you.
You’re not acting like your old self. I
really care about you and I think
you should talk to someone who is
skilled about it”.
Y
OUR column to express your loving
thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t
be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how
dearly you feel. Write now in not more than 75 words
to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007,
Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sundaylovenotes@yahoo.com
Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"
Goodbye!
Everytime you hurt me, the less that
I cry
And everytime you leave me, the
quicker the tears dry
And everytime you walk out, the less
I love you
Maybe we don't stand a chance,it's
that but it's true.......
Oluchi Eziagbala
eziagbalaoluchi@gmail.com
Be positive in your love!
Life is full of ups and downs and the way you take
life will tell at the end of the day. You have no reason
to be depressed at all and what you think will
surely come back to you in life, you must not react to
his words, you have to be positive again in life and
must not think that you are on the edge of a failed
love relationship. The more you think negatively,
the more you begin to go down in your various endeavours
in life. Work your way out and be positive
in all areas of your love pursuit.
Michael Adedotun Oke
maof2020@gmail.com
08027142077

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 21
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AIDS are on the rise again.
Could this mean that condoms
are no longer effective or what?
Chike
No. It just means that some
people have relaxed and
become careless again by
having unprotected sex
including oral sex. When you
use protection, the chances of
you catching diseases is very
minimal – Uche
I am in my late forties and I
am not satisfied with the size
of my male organ. I reside in
Abia state and I am interested
in penis enlargement – James
For long lasting penis
enlargement, use a combination
of the Pro Extender
Enlargement Kit and either the
Max Man II enlargement pills
or VigRx Enlargement pills.
Follow the instructions
accordingly and in four to six
months, you will see amazing
results – Uche
Please I need your help with
another rabbit vibrator. I will
like something that is
affordable and medium sized.
Thanks – Ronke
Take the G Point Magic Rabbit
Vibrator. It is medium sized,
slim, pink and vibrates well
enough to get the job done. It
is also the most affordable in
the rabbit family – Uche
Your people called to check if
I liked my African Superman
Pills. Yes the drug was okay.
The first time I used it, I had
sex three times in one night and
the erection was very strong
and long lasting too. So I am
satisfied and I have no
complaints - Okolo
Thank you for your feedback.
We make it a point of duty to
check on some of our clients
from time to time to confirm that
their products purchased are
doing the required job. Thanks
for letting us know – Uche
The first time I started using the
Lap Strap Penis Enlarger, I was
not sure what to expect. But as
time went on, I started noticing
changes. It has now been five
months since I started using it
and my penis has grown from
5.6 inches when erect to 7.3
inches. I am really impressed -
Yinka
You are welcome. Lasting penis
enlargement requires patience
and consistency of use – Uche
I want a lubricant but I cannot
decide between Dual Lubricating
Gel and Lickable Luscious Gel.
What is the difference please? –
Sheyi
Lickable Luscious Gel is flavored,
edible and can be used for oral
sex and every other sexual
activity. Dual Lubricating Gel is
for basic lubrication. It can also
be used in a variety of
circumstances but it cannot be
swallowed because it is not edible
– Uche
Hello sir. Good day and thank
you for all the help and
education you give to people. I
have been using a combination
of Max Man pills for penis
enlargement since last year. I
like my current penis size and I
am considering stopping the
pills but I worry that I might lose
the gains I have made. What do
I do now? Kelly
What a lot of people do is that after
they have grown to their desired
length, they stop and then begin
to maintain their size through
penile exercises with a penis
pump. It is cheaper that way and
you maintain your size by
pumping once or twice a week. It
is a bit like working out. Once you
get your desired body and muscle
mass, you still get to do regular
exercises to maintain the result
you have achieved – Uche
I have been using the Prolong
Plus Delay Cream I got from
you for premature ejaculation
and it has really helped me a lot.
I never really had a deep belief
that it would make a difference
to my love life but it did. Thank
you – Chizoba
You are welcome. We stake our
reputation on the efficiency of
these products so we are just as
desperate as you are for results –
Uche
The names of the people featured
here have been changed for their
privacy. Adults in need of these
treatments/novelties can call us
on 08171912551, 08027901621 or
07086754515 for help or visit
www.zeevirtualmedia.com to
order. You can also order through
whatsapp on 08188153279. For
enquiries email us at
zeevirtualmedialtd@gmail.com-
Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual
Media.

PAGE 22— SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
By Josephine Agbonkhese
08054650907
Email: jossynovia@gmail.com
CHIOMA UDE:
I was concerned
about Genevieve Nnaji
Elegant, innovative and yet very unassuming. That’s Chioma Ude, the
Executive Director of Africa International Film Festival, AFRIFF; one
of the most celebrated film festivals in the African creative
industry. childhood A is cinema watching enthusiast movies, whose Ude’s favourite passion for pastime films
since
sparked off a yearning to support the growth of the industry and that
culminated in AFRIFF nine years ago. The graduate of marketing
who is poised to develop the film industry so that it competes
favourably globally, is one of the very few influential female
executives on the African entertainment scene. She spoke to
Sunday Vanguard. Excerpts:
Why AFRIFF?
I’m a people’s person who cares a lot
about people. My major reason for setting
up the film festival was to improve the
industry. Hence, I founded AFRIFF in
2010 after speaking with film makers. I
own a logistics firm and was already
involved in a couple of activities in the
industry in that capacity prior to 2010. For
example, I was involved in the production
of the 2007 Nigerian Film and Video
Censors Board, NFVCB, road show which
held in the UK. Also, in 2008 and 2009, I
produced the Africa Movie Academy
Awards, AMAA, Charity Benefit. I actually
designed that initiative as an annual
Corporate Social Responsibility project for
the Africa Film Academy. After producing
a number of highly successful film
premieres, in 2009, my team got recruited
as local producers for the ION
International Film Festival, IONIFF,
which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
IONIFF is a global tour whose objective is
the promotion of global awareness and
peace through arts, culture and films.
AFRIFF, on the other hand, is a world class
showcase that presents a complete
immersion into the world of film making
with participation from local and
international actors, directors,
scriptwriters, cinematographers, sound
engineers, musicians, editors, light
engineers, students, equipment
manufacturers and businessmen. It also
features an award session annually.
…but how precisely are you
“improving”?
I’m doing this through the
provision of free capacity
training. I actually sourced
for fund, put together
international facilitators,
and began training people
across the industry’s value
chain. And as we did that,
more organisations started
coming in to partner us.
Ford Foundation came on
board and we started
sending the best students to
America to hone their skills.
Later, the French
government came on board
and best students also
started going to France.
Another institution also
came on board and
suggested that we needed to
teach co-production and
now, the students go to
different countries. In return,
I also accept students from
different countries. I provide
them with accommodation throughout
their stay in Nigeria. I’m very bad with
publicity, so, people don’t even know we do
all these. This year, something great and
different is coming for the students. This
will however not be announced until it’s
been signed.
What inspired your passion for
films?
I think it is inborn. Nothing inspired me.
I lived in
America for
many years and
in all of those
years, I did only
three things—
went to work,
church and
watched
Nigerian movies
I’ve always loved films and television;
I don’t go out on weekends. I just sit at
home and watch movies; everybody
who knows me can attest to this.
Also, I lived in America for many
years and in all of those years, I did
only three things—went to work,
church and watched Nigerian movies.
I actually studied nursing in the US,
worked as a nurse for ten years and
later established a recruitment firm
which staffed hospitals with nurses.
For me, I’ve always wanted to do
something to improve the industry, like
I said earlier. It’s so funny but I
remember I was watching a movie
many years ago and saw Genevieve
Nnaji’s face looking rough. She was
still very young at that time. I went
online and ordered quality facial
products, and then sent them to my
sister in Nigeria so she could help look
for and deliver them to Genevieve. I’m
sure she never did though. I’ve always
had a strong interest in being part of the
industry. I’m naturally a shy person, so,
I knew I wasn’t going to be in front of
the camera. Fate played its role and
somehow, I found my footing in the
industry.
Do you find this fulfilling?
I enjoy every minute of it even though
it’s very hectic. We had over 4000 films
submitted ahead of this year’s edition
for example and we had to view every
single entry. I’m also very happy
because Nigerian submissions were
over 400; that’s the
highest we’ve ever had
in the history of
AFRIFF. Nigeria’s film
industry is actually
going places and
getting better and
better.
…and what will be
significant about this
year’s edition of the
festival?
I’m excited about every
edition but this year’s which
will run from 10 to 16
November excites me
especially because it has a
strong emphasis on women.
This is currently the
narrative around the world;
we have to improve the lives
of women. With more
women empowered,
hopefully, we could make a
great change. So, this year’s
theme, SHEROES, emphasizes this. We are
focusing on more female films, more female
directors, and then going forward, our
training has to include 60 percent female.
I’m grateful to the US Consulate, Access
Bank, National Film Video Censors Board,
Filmhouse Group and Century Group for
supporting this event.
I am also very excited that this 9th edition
of the festival will witness the launch of my
baby, nvivo TV. Yearly, we have so many
•Chioma Ude
short films come up at the festival; which
are not monetised. I’m very entrepreneurial
and I believe people have to make money
from their works and efforts. Right now, we
own a cloud and we are launching the TV in
November.
In clear terms, how will AFRIFF
2019 manifest its focus on women?
The opening night film, Waad Al-Kateab
and Edward Watts’ FOR SAMA, is very
female focused. The director is female and
the story takes us on an intimate and epic
journey into the female experience during
war. The closing film, Akin Omotoso’s THE
GHOST AND THE HOUSE OF TRUTH,
has two strong females; including the lead
character. It also has a female police officer
who is very reflective of what we’ll like the
police to look like. Most films are directed
by men but we were eventually able to have
30% women on our list. That is still very far
from our aim of having 50 percent women
representation.
What are you doing to improve the
morale of works churned out by the
industry so they impact on young
minds more positively?
That’s why we keep training. And then
now, with co-production, things are
definitely going to get better. Co-production
gives you a different look and feel into
another world. So, you see what the French
do, what the Senegalese do, and so on.
Therefore, you want to do things
differently. So, there’s a lot of
empowerment and exposure for us as
Nigerians. In fact, the first time we sent
students to America, they were shock to find
out that they would be doing documentary
filmmaking—which is very big on
social change; you know we aren’t used
to it here.
What has sustained the vision
since inception?
Passion and great friends. People from the
creative industry have been fantastic. I tell
you, it could be very frustrating doing stuffs
in Nigeria but if you are dogged at it, more
people will key into your vision.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 23
08112662589
When to go for ‘off the shelf’ sex!
Ray was in his rented apart
ment and in a pensive
mood. The rent would soon
be due and he was damned if he
knew where his next Naira was coming
from. Feeding on remnants that
would make a beggar squirm, he
suddenly heard a rap on his door.
Might be another friend wanting a
freebie so he didn’t answer the door.
“Rayyy ...” an excited female voice
called. Suddenly, Ray sprang from
where he was sitting – his spirit up.
It was a friend of several years at
the door. Marian, in her late forties
was married to a very rich older
man. She had this arrangement
with Ray where she dropped by any
time she was `free’ to play house.
True to the agreement, she came
laden with all manner of foodstuffs.
In a short while, she’d whipped up
an amazing pot of stew, some foodstuffs
to go with it and a couple of
wines chilling in the fridge.
“By the time she left, I’d had my
most decent meal in weeks, more
foodstuffs to last a few months and
enough money to pay the rent. As
she got ready to leave, I asked her
when next to expect her, and she
shrugged. Fool me, to have asked. I
knew the rules, but I left used somehow.
The relationship has always
been on her terms and she’s so generous
I couldn’t ask her to go and
take a jump.
Toy boys used to be a joke thing,
but these days, they’re not called that
any more – they’re known as joy boys.
They don’t stand around on street corners
with hand bags”, observed Kate,
a constant user of joy boy, ‘they lurk
around posh parties and gatherings
and try to convince women that they
fancy the pants off them. And they
look for obvious targets – bored society
w9omen with a lot of money to
burn.
“Thanks to such men, I could get a
man any time I want – just like a supermarket.
So when I find the one I
fancy, I pay the price and take `it’
home. If `it’ lives up to expectations, I
keep `it’ for a couple of weeks, give
`it’ a bonus and put `it’ back on the
shelf for someone else to sample, I
never keep in touch and don’t get involved
with his life. Some people
think this is sad or even shocking,
but it suits me.
“I’ve seen a lot of my friends get
their hearts broken because they fell
for men who only wanted their
money - any sane woman must wonder
why a good looking young man
who could get any girl is chasing
after a woman old enough to be his
mother. So, I make it clear from the
start that I don’t want any lies or
promises, just a good time. If they
keep their part of the bargain, I give
them a nice little present at the end
of it. Then I go home and forget
about it till the next time”.
“I think it is about time this society
had male brothels – what you
call dating agencies abroad”, observed
a rich female politician who
says she’s a sex addict. “It’ll make
sex readily available for women
looking for nothing but pure fun. As
long as you’re not looking for a faithful
or a permanent relationship, you
can have a great time. It’s when you
start to believe the lies that it can all
go horribly wrong. I detest the `love
you’ con. I know of so many women
of all ages who have fallen for it,
parted with huge sums of money to
help the con men’s business, or whatever,
only to find out they never meant
any more than hard cash to their
supposed loved ones.
It must be soul-destroying to discover
that what you thought was a
loving relationship was a complete
lie from the start to finish. It is fraud
or deception and it should be made
illegal, with hard sentences for those
found guilty. To see women in their
30s, 40s, 50s and 60s and 70s being
exploited by these gigolos who get
their money by deception, is sad.
What these young studs need is a
good, reputable madam to organise
their services in a way in which both
sides would profit - open and above
board, with good advice on safe sex,
regular HIV/AIDS and STD testing
and a good income plan – so they
can stop being so desperate.
“Anyone who has had sex with a
toy boy has paid for it one way or
another”, observed Chinyere, a fairly
successful lawyer. “Yes, I have paid
for a good session from time to time,
and yes, it is worth it. The way I see
it, I like a good bottle of wine, so I
don’t buy plonk. When I can afford
it, I even treat myself to the odd bottle
of chilled champagne – that is
quality stuff. It’s the same with sex.
“A few years ago, I had the opportunity
of meeting a virgin. When I
met the chap, he was shy and naïve,
in spite of his physique and good
looks. I never realised he was a virgin,
if I had, I might have thought
twice about bedding him. Still, it was
worth it just to see the way he got
excited when he got to my bedroom.
Before I knew it, it was over.
“A couple of weeks later, he was
doing quite well. He was a quick
learner and always trying to please.
Before long, we were on four or five
times a night. Unfortunately, he had
some smart Alex friends teaching
him how to get the most from our
relationship. It wasn’t long before
he was talking about buying a car.
So hat was the end of a beautiful
relationship. He can find someone
else to practice his newly acquired
skills on. It would take a better man
than him to part me from my hardearned
cash.
“After all said and done, paying
for the services of a joy boy is very
gratifying. No matter how old you
are, or what you look like, if you can’t
score with a joy boy in spite of your
money, it is time to order the coffin.
But then, if you get one who can keep
going all night, you might have to
do that anyway. What a way to go”.
Loud Whispers
With
Erelu Bisi Fayemi
Red Tomatoes
Sharon did not know how
long she had been asleep
for. She listened to the
voices of the nurses in her room
and the sounds of the medicine
cart they were wheeling around.
One of the nurses asked her if
she would like to eat anything.
She shook her head, but the nurse
reminded her that she had to take
her next round of drugs within
the hour. Her cousin Tiwa who
was there urged her to have
some bread and tea. Her head
started to throb and she felt a
headache coming on, but she was
happy that she could actually feel
something. It was a good sign.
She had been a happy child,
her parents were model citizens
and she did not lack anything.
She had an older brother and a
younger sister. Sharon never
wanted to share toys with her sister
so they fought all the time.
When she was around seven
years old she got into a fight in
school. Her parents were invited
to a meeting to discuss the matter.
Sharon’s teachers were very
concerned that she had beaten
her classmate so much that she
needed stitches on her face. Her
parents glanced at each other.
This was not news to them.
Sharon could be as sweet as
candy one minute and fly into a
violent rage the next.
Her parents were always concerned
about her, but people told
them that she was just spoilt and
used to getting her way. One of
her Aunts told her mother, ‘Don’t
let that girl push you around. She
needs to learn what it is like to be
a woman. If she does not watch
her ways her husband will beat
her daily, no man will put up with
that behaviour’. Her paternal
grandmother took her to a one
week ‘deliverance’ camp somewhere
in Kwara State when she
was twelve years old. She dutifully
followed her mother and both her
paternal and maternal grandmothers
to ‘consult’ with strange people.
On one of such visits her head
was shaved and she was given incisions
with a razor, on another
occasion she was bathed at a river
with a local sponge known as
‘kankan’ which hurt like hell when
she was scrubbed with it. Her
mother fasted and prayed ceaselessly,
convinced that her daughter
was the victim of a spiritual attack.
Her father did not always
agree with her mother’s actions but
he kept his peace to avoid quarrels.
As Sharon grew into a teenager
and then a young woman, the
pattern was the same. She did well
academically, she became a Lawyer,
but she hardly had any friends.
Sometimes she was happy and
warm with everyone around her.
Within an hour she was in a
shouting match with someone.
She could go for days without
talking to anyone, so she got used
to her own company. She loved
to write and to draw and for days,
she would stay cooped up in her
room. There were times when she
did not feel like writing or drawing
anything so she would just
lie there staring at the ceiling. She
saw a number of Doctors who advised
therapy and prescribed
medication but avoided telling
her anything specific. Some of the
medication made her feel too lethargic
for her liking so she
stopped taking it. When one Doctor
told her very cautiously that
she seemed to be suffering from
depression, when she got home
her mother told her that Nigerians
do not have time to be depressed.
After living at home for a year
after Law School, she decided to
move out and rent a place with
one of her cousins Tiwa. Of all
the people around her, it was
Tiwa who ‘got her’. When people
started going on about Sharon
and her moods, Tiwa would tell
them to leave her alone. She
would sit with Sharon for hours,
and if Sharon was writing or drawing,
Tiwa would read. In their
silence, they forged a bond that
would prove to be a lifeline
Sharon could count on in the
years to come. Sharon dated every
now and then, but she was always
afraid that she would never be
found worthy enough of any lasting
relationship, so she would
find an excuse to end things before
they got too serious. Tiwa
would try to convince her to learn
to let go and trust someone but
Sharon was too scared.
Sharon worked for the Judicial
Service Commission of Menge
State. One day she overheard two
colleagues at work talking about
We have all met a
Sharon. We probably
have a Sharon as a friend
or relative. We might
even recognise her in
ourselves. It could be a
Joseph. Their gender,
age, ethnicity, race, or
social status does not
matter. They need more
than prayers and
‘deliverance’.
her. One of them said, ‘Se
Sharon, omo were yen. Eni ti o
ye ko wa ni Aro’, ‘You mean
Sharon, that mad girl who is supposed
to be in an asylum?’
Sharon walked into her office and
picked up her bag and went
home. She said nothing to her
colleagues because she felt nothing.
She remembered going into
the kitchen and slicing tomatoes
for an omelette. She wondered
why the tomatoes were so red. So
red. A lot of red. Tiwa found her
on the kitchen floor.
That was eight days ago.
Sharon took the painkillers from
the nurse. Over the years the
counselling, therapy, dietary
changes, exercise and avoiding
triggers had helped, but no one
had spelt it out. Was it fear of
stigma, ignorance, or denial ?
Perhaps it was a combination of
all of those things. Now, at the
age of twenty-six, after a suicide
attempt, Sharon Marinton, a
bright Lawyer with a creative spirit
was formally diagnosed with Bipolar
disorder. Sharon started to
cry. Tiwa got up and held her
hands gently, careful not to touch
her bandaged wrists. ‘Don’t cry.
It is not the end of the world. You
will be okay, at least now we
know for sure’. Sharon smiled. ‘I
am not crying because I am sad.
My enemy now has a name. I
am not afraid anymore. Now I
can love the most important person
in the world ’. ‘Who is that? I
didn’t know you were seeing
someone’ Tiwa said. Sharon
went on, ‘I used to hate myself. I
was repulsed by my own behaviour,
I used to blame myself for
my moods, my inability to have
friends. Now I know it is not my
fault. I have bipolar disorder. I
will have good days and bad
ones, but I will be okay. I will
have a life. Now I can love myself.
Then I can love the world’.
We have all met a Sharon. We
probably have a Sharon as a
friend or relative. We might even
recognise her in ourselves. It
could be a Joseph. Their gender,
age, ethnicity, race, or social
status does not matter. They
need more than prayers and ‘deliverance’.
A strong support system,
empathy, compassion and
sustained interventions by qualified
medical personnel are very
important. Let us think about this
as we mark World Mental
Health Day on October 10th.
Have a great week.
•Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi is a
Gender Specialist, Social
Entrepreneur and Writer.
She is the Founder of
Abovewhispers.com, an
online community for
women. She can be reached
a
t
BAF@abovewhispers.com

PAGE 24 – SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
What is the way forward on
insecurity?
If we want proper security in this
country, we have to change the
structure of the police. We are not
going back to local authority police but
we now have a state structure. The fear
people have of state police is maybe
they will be misused by governors. We
can take care of that legally. The
Commissioner of Police has to be
appointed by the state Assembly; if he
misbehaves and he is to be
disciplined, it is the Assembly that will
investigate and, if he is found guilty,
punished. But the governor cannot say
‘I sack you’. He has to be protected.
And the governor cannot ask him to
do something outside the law. Once
that is done, he has the responsibility
of working with the people. And
recruitment of the police should be
within the state because of language
barrier, ethnicity, knowledge of the
society and the terrain, so that
whenever anything happens, they can
easily detect it. In the recruitment of
the local authority police then, it was
important that they know you, your
parents and everything about your
background before you are recruited
into the police. And they were well
trained and well paid to enable them
do their work effectively. And the
system had plain clothes operatives
that mingled with the people to gather
information. So, we can have the
Nigeria Police at the top, like what is
happening in England now where
they have the council police like our
own local authorities because we
borrowed that from them and then the
Met Police which operate across the
country. If there is anything
happening in a state, Met Police can
join the people on the ground to
investigate.
Under state police, you cannot take
a man from Katsina and post him to
Akwa Ibom and expect him to work
perfectly; he doesn’t know the culture,
the people’s language, so it will be
difficult for him to operate. We have
to implement state police now to
complement the Nigeria
Police to curb insecurity.
For example, the
kidnapping that is
rampant now, the locals
know who are the
perpetrators but because
of fear, even if they go to
the police and report, it
can boomerang on them;
so they have to keep
quiet. But if it were to be
under state police, they
know how to go about it.
How do we achieve
this?
It is a question of
amending our
Constitution. What is the
use of the Constitution if
it does not serve the
interest of the people? In
essence, we change it to
suit our time and the
situation we find
ourselves.
I saw a letter
written by one
Adeyinka
Adebayo,
presumably the
late general, to
Asiwaju Bola
Ahmed Tinubu
that, as Yoruba
leader, he
should do this
and that
What is your take on President
Muhammadu
Buhari’s
recognition of the late Chief
MKO Abiola and declaring June
12 as Democracy Day?
What President Muhammadu Buhari
did was to bring sanity into our
political system. On June 12, 1993, the
people of Nigeria willingly and
voluntarily elected Abiola to be their
leader and the majority of the votes
were from the North. So, the
annulment was not our making, it was
the making of then-military
government. After that Chief Ernest
Shonekan got the mandate to rule the
country. But General Abacha hijacked
power. But because we want peace
and a sense of belonging for everyone
in this country, General Obasanjo who
was in prison was brought out and
northerners overwhelmingly voted for
him to be President. The Yoruba who
are his kinsmen did not even vote for
him. We voted for him because we
want peace and a sense of belonging
for everyone. I am highly disappointed
to see that the Yoruba are now
clamouring for Oduduwa Republic
and they are not for restructuring. I
think this is treasonable felony. It’s like
the Igbo asking for Biafra. We have a
President from the North, we have a
Vice President from the West and
everybody is represented in this
Federal Government. You see, when
it is time for election, whoever wants
to be anything politically should
contest. And if the people elect him
as President or Governor, we accept
it. We want peace in this country. We
don’t want anything to bring
regionalism or whatever. We have
passed that age. We are a nation for
about how
many years ago now? Over 50 years.
So we should look forward for the best
for this country. The more united you
are, the stronger you are. I don’t see
any reason for the Yoruba to agitate
for Oduduwa republic. It
is unjustifiable. What are they
looking for that they don’t have? I saw
a letter by one Adeyinka Adebayo,
presumably the late general, who
wrote to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
that, as Yoruba leader, he should do
this and that. It is unfortunate if
people like General Adeyinka could
go sectional or tribalistic as such. I
think we have passed that age of using
religion to divide the country. How
many Muslims and Christians hold
public office in this country? I think
what we should do is to make sure that
we unite the people of this country
into one indivisible unit so that we can
move forward. There is no
country in the world that
is blessed as Nigeria. We
have mineral resources,
oil and vast land to grow
everything. Some
countries depend only on
agriculture, some on
minerals while some oil
but, in our own case, we
are blessed with all. So,
if the people of Nigeria
can unite and work
towards improving this
country, the
abundant resources we
have will be enough for
everybody. And we can
emerge as a developed
country. Nigeria can feed
the whole of Africa if we
take agriculture. We have
various mineral resources
which can generate a lot
of money for ourselves.
Let me take you back
to the point you made
that during election, anybody
can vie for the President? Where
do you place the issue of zoning
arrangement
because
southerners are saying power
should return to them after
President Buhari?
Well, the party I belong to, that is,
the All Progressives Congress, APC,
has no zoning arrangement. We
agreed on that. There is no zoning
arrangement; any Nigerian from any
part of the country can vie for any
•Senator Ali
Yoruba
Repub
— Se
• Calls action
• ‘1966 coup w
• Replies sou
from succe
• ‘Second Re
By Bashir Bello,
Senator Abba A
Republic. Ali is c
Yoruba are inter
they would want the w
Republic.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 25
agitating for Oduduwa
lic, not restructuring
nator Ali
treasonable
as led by Igbo people under Ironsi and Ojukwu’
therners on 2023: Nothing stops a northerner
eding Buhari
public senators got N780 per month’
Katsina
li represented Katsina/Dutsinma Senatorial District defunct National Party of Nigeria, NPN, in the Second
urrently a member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview, he claims that the
ested in creating a separate country called Oduduwa Republic for themselves and not the restructuring of Nigeria as
orld to believe. Ali also speaks on the 1966 coup, the zoning of the presidency in 2023 and the politics of the Second
office. It is the PDP which has zoning
arrangement. The Constitution of our
party has no provision for it.
For President or all political
offices?
There is no zoning arrangement in
APC, be it President or Governor. This
is just like it is in America, they don’t
have zoning arrangement. Anyone
can vie for President.
So what played out in the
election of the leadership of the
9th National Assembly where the
Senate President seat was zoned
to North-East and the Speaker
to South-West?
You see, in writing we don’t have
zoning. It was PDP that started zoning.
And it is difficult to do away overnight
what has been done in the last 16
years. People are used to that sort of
thing. But if you read the Constitution
of the APC, there is no zoning
arrangement because they
feel you can zone a position to an
area and you don’t have the best
person to hold that office in that area.
If the best person who can hold the
office is in another area, why should
you deny him that position? But for
political convenience, for example, the
Constitution of
the country says the President has
to take at least one minister from each
state. That is enshrined in the
Constitution and we have to abide by
it.
So, in 2023, a northerner can
succeed President Buhari?
I did not say a northerner. I said
anybody in this country who is a
member of the APC can contest for the
position. He can be a Yoruba man, an
Igbo man, Tiv man, Hausa man.
Let’s talk about where Nigeria
got it wrong and the coup that
aborted the Second Republic
under Shehu Shagari...
Not even the Second Republic, if
there had been no coup in Nigeria,
the sky would have been our limit. The
coup we had in this country in 1966
took us about 10 years backward. We
had the best government then. But the
selfish interest of some sections of the
people disrupted the
system, they killed some of our
politicians and the military took over
and brought us
down. There was a political system
with foresight, we had development
•Mike
Igini
plans and then overnight it was
disrupted. And we went through the
military regime which had no
development plans. We went through
that up to 1979 from1966. We spent 13
years under the military. In 1979, we
had the
Second Republic and Shagari who
was part and parcel of the First
Republic as the Private Secretary to
Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and
later the Minister of Establishment
Economic Development emerged as
President. When he came, he
reintroduced development plans. And
unfortunately, when we took over in
1999,
instead of bringing back the
development system, we continued
under PDP for 16 years without
development plan. And we found
ourselves in the same trap now.
Even currently?
We don’t have it. So, I think we
should start thinking in that line. So
that at least, you
can plan your future. We have
abundant resources such that we can
work out how much we can get, how
much we can spend, which areas do
we want to develop? Education or
otherwise? Lack of development plan
is responsible for where we are today
as a nation?
A group led the coup that cut
short the First Republic?
January 1966 coup was led by Igbo
people under General Ironsi and
Ojukwu. I think they were deceived.
Or it was intentional or
they wanted to grab power from
politicians because there was no
reason that coup should have
happened? Because the First Republic
politicians were not enriching
themselves, they were patriotic and
concerned about the
development of the
country. They sacrificed
their lives. They were
committed to
their regions and
everything they did was
towards the development
of the country. But
suddenly, some people
came and disrupted all
that barely six
years of being
independent from the
colonial masters. And then,
the whole
thing was destroyed for 13
years. Later we were told
that there was a foreign
involvement on the part of
people who didn’t want
Nigeria to prosper because
the colonial masters didn’t
want to leave Nigeria but
they were forced to leave.
We now have a President
who is concerned about the
country and we hope that
his successor will build on the good
foundation he is laying. It will be
disastrous if we have somebody who is
not concerned about the development of
the country as President Buhari’s
successor. We pray Allah to give us
somebody who will build on the
foundation Buhari is laying.
As a Second Republic senator, what
experience did you have differently
from what we have now?
It will shock you to know that then
January
1966 coup
was led by
Igbo people
under
General
Ironsi and
Ojukwu. I
think they
were
deceived
•Senator Ali
President Shehu Shagari’s take home
was N25,000 per annum. At that time,
the National Assembly fixed a salary
of N1million per annum for Shagari
but he rejected it, saying it was too
much. We came down to N500,000, but
he still rejected it and
said N25,000 per annum
was enough for him
because everything was
being taken care of at
Dodan Barracks. So we
went back to the drawing
board and decided that
the Vice President and
President of the Senate
should earn N20,000 per
annum while the Speaker
of the House of
Representatives would
earn N18,000 per
annum. Senators got
N15,000 each and Reps
N12,000 per annum
respectively. We were
supposed to be given
constituency allowance
to open offices and
employ members of staff
for four years. They only
gave us N10,000 to open
an office and buy
furniture. Out of our
salaries, they said we
would pay rent if government gave us
houses.
We were also given N10,000 car loan
and we were supposed to repay within
three years. So after deductions we
ended up having N780 per month.
How much is the package of a senator
now? Nowadays, no senator gets less
than N30million every month. Can
you compare N30m with N780?

PAGE 26 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Proposed Communication
Tax is ill-advisable
So much has been
said in the last two
weeks about taxation
as if Nigerians are
oblivious of its crucial
importance. Perhaps, it is
time to tell our leaders
that we, lay-economists,
are aware that governments
all over the world
levy taxes for societal development
and that Nigeria
has for long been
unable to raise enough
funds to meet all her
needs. It is a fact which
seems to explain the resort
to borrowing by the
present administration
like others did in the past.
Painfully, it is not only
that we are yet to have
enough to move the nation
forward; there is now
a new problem which is
that a huge fraction of our
resources now goes for
debt servicing. Understandably
our revenue
generating bodies have
been placed on red alert
to take us out of the woods
making some of them behave
as if they are ready
to perform magic. For instance,
the Federal Inland
Revenue Service (FIRS) is
planning to introduce
communication tax to the
country.
Babatunde Fowler, the
Chief Executive of the
FIRS may be an expert in
revenue collection, but
obviously not a good
communicator. Speaking
to the media on the subject
in Abuja last week,
Fowler said he wants to
introduce communication
tax because Nigerians
talk too much. Hear him:
“I will put it this way, Nigerians
talk a lot on the
phone; they even talk
more than is required so
for them to have capacity
or revenue to talk that
much, I don’t see any harm
in paying a little bit more
to government.” He has
probably not averted his
mind to section 39 of the
Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria
1999 as amended which
says, “every person shall
be entitled to freedom of
expression including freedom
to hold opinions and
to receive and impart ideas
and information without
interference.” If the
pervasive nature of the
digital platforms of the
social media influenced
the proposal to tax our
talks, we need to point out
that to facilitate the use of
our power to talk, the
same communication explicitly
empowers us to
“own, establish and operate
any medium for the
dissemination of information,
ideas and opinions.”
Nothing in our constitution
suggests that during
dissemination of information,
the tax man is allowed
to contravene the
constitutional blank
cheque (without interference)
in our possession.
So, we can talk ad infinitum
provided our talks do
not, according to section
45 of the constitution defame
any other person or
negate the interest of defence,
public safety, public
order, public morality
or public health. What is
more, this freedom to talk
is not a Nigerian idea; it
is instead a universal human
right as provided for
in Article 9 of the African
Charter on Human and
Peoples Rights; Article 10
of the European Convention
for the Protection of
Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms; and
Article 13 of the American
Convention on Human
Rights. All these legal instruments
collectively
agree that ‘everyone has
the right to freedom of
opinion and expression;
including the right to
hold opinions without interference
and to seek, receive
and impart information
and ideas through
any media and regardless
of frontiers.’
About 50 years ago, the
United Nations Scientific
and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) had the
invaluable role of communication
in development
in mind when it declared
the 1970s as the
communication decade.
The premise was that
when government talks to
In any case, is revenue
collection the only way
to raise revenue for
development? Should
we, as a nation, not
spend some time now
closing all the leakages
in our financial
framework?
the people, they get to
know not just her plans
but also what is actually
achieved in their interest.
This is what public enlightenment
is all about.
Again, when people talk
to government, she gets to
know their feelings and
aspirations. For those
who can’t hear directly
from government, opinion
leaders help out. This
strategy, which is known
as the two-step flow in
communication studies, is
helpful as it facilitates information
dissemination
in society. Again, some
people best understand
messages only when they
are related to them by
their peers. These useful
multiple steps flow cannot
be achieved in a nation
where a tax is placed
on communication.
As if unaware of
UNESCO’s persuasive
declaration, Nigeria till
today has not evolved a
viable communication
policy. All that she did was
to organize a one-week
seminar at Topo, Badagry
in 1987 to kick-start the
formulation of a communication
policy. Papers of
the documents have since
remained in official
shelves thereby explaining
the long-lasting discomfort
of government to
free speech particularly
dissenting opinions. Luckily,
telecommunication
revolution has reversed
the situation to make
communication an inevitable
activity for all. If
communication tax is introduced,
some revenue
that may accrue cannot
withstand the gamut of
damage it will create. For
instance, the gap between
the government and the
governed could burst with
grave consequences.
In any case, is revenue
collection the only way to
raise revenue for development?
Should we, as a nation,
not spend some time
now closing all the leakages
in our financial
framework? For example,
we have forex problem
today because of collusion
between some foreign
interests and some of our
banks. According to Anthony
Ani, a former Finance
Minister and architect
of diaspora remittances
in 1996, there is
massive foreign exchange
laundering going on in
our banks. The statesman
points to an inexplicable
conversion of foreign currencies
sent from abroad
first into naira before
payment to the beneficiaries
instead of direct remittances
into domiciliary
accounts. If sharp
practices like this are
quickly curbed, we will
not have to tax everything
under the sun to survive.
There is also the issue of
our unending high cost of
governance. Many Nigerians
are still shocked
that an unduly inflated
bureaucracy is still with
us. While we expected an
executive bill seeking to
reduce the number of
Ministers, government
surprisingly surpassed the
minimum figure of one
minister per state. Besides,
there are avoidable
special assistants/advisers
here and there at both the
federal and state governments.
In 2011, government
invited one Mr. Richard
Dowden a Londonbased
public affairs analyst
to deliver that year’s
independence lecture. The
man pleaded with government
to do something
about the stupendous remunerations
in the National
Assembly- a claim
outspoken senators like
shehu sani did not dispute.
Yet, no one has been able
to interrogate such bogus
expenditure, in which the
newspaper allowance of
some Nigerians are reportedly
higher than the
salary of a Director in the
public service. Can we
therefore understand the
complain about N30,000
minimum wage or be persuaded
to embrace communication
tax?
National prudence cannot
be sustained without
leadership by example. In
1975, the government of
General Murtala Mohammed
introduced a
policy of every top office
holder gets one official
car not higher in value
than the ‘PAN-made’ 504
car. The policy was instructive;
yes, our austerity
was to be shared by all.
Communication tax or
any other tax will get feeble
support if some people
are allowed to remain
in luxury.
PhD,Department of
Philosophy,
University of Lagos
08116759758
What is the benefit of belonging
to an independent Nigeria? (2)
owever, once members
Hof the northern military
cum civilian establishment
realised that the unitary system
erroneously given legitimacy
by the Chief Rotimi Williams
constitution drafting
committee is beneficial to
them, with the active collaboration
of certain politically
myopic southerners, they started
implementing measures to
consolidate the excessive powers
at the centre. Already, the
precedent for northern domination
was laid about eight
earlier after the revanchist
coup of July 29, 1966 when
Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon succeeded
Aguiyi-Ironsi. During
preparations for the Ad Hoc
Constitutional Review conference
he slated for September
12 the same year the eastern
region put forward the idea of
a loose association of states
with a wide degree of internal
autonomy. On the other hand,
the northern delegation drew
attention to the differences between
various ethnic nationalities
and, like its eastern
counterpart, proposed a very
loose federation hardly distinguishable
from a confederation.
But after consultations,
the northern group suddenly
changed from the north’s usual
position of insisting on a
loose federation with a weak
centre and called for a strong
central government. It is instructive
to note that prominent
Igbo leaders of the First
Republic made a fundamental
mistake, a serious miscalculation
that, in my opinion,
is at the root of the Igbo predicament
today. For sure, they
were the foremost advocates
of One Nigeria even before independence,
had put more effort
towards its concrete realisation
than members of any
other ethnic group, and constantly
championed its cause
politically. Moreover, as Max
Siollun correctly observed in
his informative book, Oil, Politics
and Violence: Nigeria’s
Military Coup Culture (1966-
1976), the Igbo “are exceptionally
intelligent, innovative
and resourceful, and they
knew it.” Thus, Dr. Nnamdi
Azikiwe in particular believed
that because the Igbo had
spread across the country
more than any other ethnic
nationality and achieved tremendous
success envied by
Nigerians from other ethnic
groups due to their drive, innovative
spirit and capacity
to make something out of nothing
anywhere, a unified Nigerian
nation with a strong central
government and in which
benefits and responsibilities
were shared based strictly on
merit would be advantageous
to Ndigbo. The senseless pogroms
against the Igbo in the
north which began in May
1966 and brutal aftermath of
the revenge coup two months
later jolted the Igbo from their
nationalistic illusions and
compelled them to reassess
their concept of One Nigeria.
It dawned on them that a unitarist
system, given the preponderant
position of northerners
in combatant infantry
divisions of the army and
northernisation policy introduced
by Balewa would be
disadvantageous to the Igbo.
However, by the time the Igbo
made a volte-face by demanding
a loose federation, the
north had also shifted gears
in support of a unitary arrangement,
implying that the
east and north were moving
in opposite directions once
again, only that this time the
pendulum had swung in favour
of the latter. It is within
the backdrop of the tumultuous
events of 1960 to 1967 that
one can fully understand the
genesis of the clamour for restructuring
and the contradictory
positions on it by the dominant
northern power block
and the south. As noted earlier,
Nigeria experienced the
most wholesome development
as a sovereign country
when mature federalism
cloned from the British Westminster
parliamentary model
was in full operation, for it
encouraged healthy competition
among the regions and
allowed political leaders such
as Dr. Azikiwe, Chief
Awolowo, and Sir Ahmadu
Bello, despite their shortcomings,
to mobilise resources in
their areas for development
without being tied unduly to
the apron strings of a behemoth
rent-seeking and rentcollecting
federal government.
There is no doubt that northern
military heads of state created
states and local governments
areas to ensure that
more resources flowed from
the south northwards, which
is why the northern ruling elite
is averse to a return to mature
federalism characterised by
greater political and fiscal
autonomy of the geopolitical
zones in the country. But then,
the British laid the foundation
for the lopsided federation
Nigeria eventually became by
lumping together non-Hausa
It is fair to say that, for
overwhelming majority
of the people being a
Nigerian is more of a
burden or curse than a
blessing
and non-Fulani ethnic nationalities
alongside the Hausa
and Fulani as a single geopolitical
unit occupying about
four-fifths of Nigeria’s land
mass. After independence,
Balewa and his cohorts desperately
wanted to ensure that
demographic statistics
matched the overwhelming
landmass of northern Nigeria
vis-à-vis the south. Consequently,
he annulled results of
the highly controversial 1963
census which revealed that the
south was more populous
than the north and ordered a
reassessment of the figures.
The verification exercise “discovered”
additional eight
million people in the north,
meaning that the north had a
larger population than the
south. Needless to say, the censuses
conducted thus far have
tended to yield results that follow
the same pattern.
The 1999 constitution came
into effect when the civilian
government led by Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo took office.
It further entrenched the
unfair and unjust delineation
of geopolitical power structures
which favour northern
Nigeria at the expense of the
south. In the present arrangement,
the north has more
states and more local governments
than the south, giving
the region unassailable domination
in institutions that determine
the allocation of political
power and economic
resources, including the National
Assembly. That is why,
according to current estimates,
northern Nigeria
which contributes less than
twenty percent of revenue to
the national treasury receives
over fifty percent of it. But the
north’s parasitic economic dependence
on the south did not
start today. Sometime ago,
Prof. B.I.C. Ijomah in his essay
entitled “Open Letter to
Prof. Ango Abdullahi,” demonstrated
beyond any patina
of doubt that, right from the
beginning of British colonisation
of the communities that
later became Nigeria, the
north has always been a financial
and economic burden
on the south. To remove all
doubt on this issue, it is necessary
to quote the 1913 proclamation
by Lord Harcourt,
the British Secretary for the
Colonies, justifying the amalgamation
of northern and
southern Nigeria: “We [the
British colonial administrators]
have released northern
Nigeria from the leading
strings of the [British] Treasury.
The promising and well
conducted youth is now on an
allowance on his own and is
about to effect an alliance
with a southern lady of means.
I have issued the special license
and Sir Frederick Lugard
will perform the ceremony.
May the union be fruitful
and the union constant.” It is
clear that Nigeria was created
to serve British colonial interests
first, followed by those
of the north, with southern interests
coming a distant third.
Judging by the origin of Nigeria
and what has transpired
since then, only unwise and
historically blind individuals
believe that Nigerian unity is
sacrosanct and non-negotiable.
From the foregoing, the
benefit of belonging to Nigeria
can be disaggregated
along ethno-religious lines,
political affiliation, and socio-economic
status. Clearly,
Nigeria has been of immense
benefit to Britain economically,
especially as a cheap source
of raw materials and consumer
of British manufactured
goods, which is the main reason
for British colonisation
anyway. Within Nigeria,
members of the northern elite,
including traditional rulers,
have enjoyed tremendously
from the Nigerian project.
Over the years the political
economy designed by northern
leaders with the collaboration
of myopic elements
from the south enables them
to appropriate for themselves
the country’s wealth derived
mostly from southern Nigeria.
Sadly, despite northern
domination of the country for
so long, ordinary northerners
are still the poorest and most
wretched segment of the Nigerian
population. Indolent
emirs, military bigwigs, top
civil servants, and businesspersons
from the north
are wicked: they created oasis
of wealth for themselves
and their families surrounded
by deserts of extreme poverty
and hopelessness. For the
downtrodden, especially the
almajiris, belonging to Nigeria
is not beneficial at all. The
same pattern of extreme
wealth in the midst of poverty
is discernible in the south, except
that majority of ordinary
people there who are not
shackled by archaic Islamic
beliefs and practices are generally
more educated and enterprising
than their northern
counterparts. The southern
elite benefit from Nigeria
largely by eating the crumbs
that fell from the northern
dominated Nigerian table.
So, to the question posed as
the title of this series, the answer
depends on the group to
which one belongs. It is fair to
say that, for overwhelming
majority of the people being a
Nigerian is more of a burden or
curse than a blessing.
CONCLUDED.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 27
By Dayo Johnson, Victoria Ojeme,
Demola Akinyemi, Chinonso
Alozie& Ugochukwu Alaribe
One month after victims of
xenophobic attacks returned
to Nigeria, findings by
Sunday Vanguard revealed
that 9 out of 16 states whose
indigenes were affected have literally done
nothing to support the victims.
Apart from those who hail from Oyo,
Lagos, Delta, Imo, Abia, Ogun, and Ondo,
others have been left to their fate after the
initial attention they received after they
arrived the country.
Chairman of Nigerian Diaspora
Commission, NIDCOM, Mrs. Abike
Dabiri-Erewa, had profiled the returnees,
saying they hail from 16 states.
She listed the affected states to include
Ogun, Imo,Oyo, Abia, Anambra, Delta,
Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Kwara, Lagos,
Ondo, Kogi, Benue and Akwa Ibom.
To support their reintegration into the
society, Dabiri-Erewa said an appeal for
support was made to the concerned states.
Sunday Vanguard could not confirm if
all the states received the letters but seven
have reached out to the returnees.
The states include Oyo, Lagos, Delta,
Imo, Abia, Ogun, and Ondo. Others were
found to have done nothing.
Officials of these states told Sunday
Vanguard that they are not aware that
some of their indigenes were affected by
xenophobic attacks.
While stating that they have not been
contacted by anyone, the functionaries
added that they would assist if such
persons identify themselves.
Some returnees are already
experiencing difficult times.
Those who spoke to Sunday Vanguard
pleaded for assistance, adding that the
economic situation of Nigeria does not
give them any hope. Majority pleaded
anonymity fearing stigmatisation. They
however added that they could be
contacted through NIDCOM.
Meanwhile, a returnee, Adedotun
Adegbenro, who resides in Akure, is
critically ill following the injuries he
sustained in a road traffic accident.
Unconscious
When Sunday Vanguard called him on
phone, his wife, Oluwatoyin Adegbenro,
said he was admitted to the Trauma
Centre in Ondo.
She said: “He had an accident in Akure.
He is currently unconscious. We are
footing the bill and we have spent more
than N400, 000 on him. He was among
those, who were given N400, 000 each by
the Ondo State government. The
government has done well. We would
appreciate any form of help.”
Another returnee, Kingsley Okonkwo,
was arrested by operatives of the Rapid
Response Squad, RRS, for allegedly
dispossessing a laptop dealer of three
Apple laptops valued at N1.5million at
gunpoint. The suspect hails from
Agbogugu, Awgu Local Government Area
of Enugu State.
On the sideline of an event in Abuja last
Thursday, Dabiri-Erewa told Sunday
Vanguard that states were being
encouraged by NIDCOM to assist the
ONE MONTH AFTER XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS:
Returnees groan
as only 7 of 16
states offer help
returnees, adding that they were being
monitored in that regard.
Needs assessment
She said: “We have 16 states and almost
half of them have reached out to them.
They include Abia, Ondo, Imo, Ogun,
Delta, Oyo, and Lagos.
“They have received them and done
needs assessment in addition to the
support they provided for them.
“We got support from Mtn, Airtel, Bank
of Industry, Multichoice, National
Emergency Agency, NEMA, and one
hospital offered free medical treatment.
“We would later reach out to them to
know how they are doing. We have their
contacts and we are monitoring them.
One of them called to say that he wants to
travel again but we told him that if he
does that, he would be doing so at his own
risk. Going back is voluntary. ”
Sunday Vanguard recalls that no fewer
than 500 Nigerian victims of xenophobic
attacks were evacuated from South Africa
in two batches last month.
The state-by-state finding of how the
states are assisting them revealed these:
Oyo: Returnees’ areas
of need to be identified
Oyo State government received 32
returnees, who they gave N30,000 each.
The returnees who were led by the
Director of Media, NIDCOM, Mr.
Abdulrahman Balogun were received by
the Deputy Governor, Mr. Rauf Olaniyan
in Ibadan.
While receiving them, Olaniyan
reiterated the state’s commitment to
ensuring that the returnees find their
footings on time by carrying out proper
and comprehensive profiling to confirm
their particular areas of needs and ensure
how to attend to them.
IMO: Govt to capture
85 percent of skilled
people
The Imo State government said that it
would capture 85 percent of the skilled
South African returnees in its ongoing
empowerment programmes.
The Senior Special Assistant to the
governor on Information and Advocacy,
Adaora Onyechere, who disclosed this to
Sunday Vanguard in Owerri, added that
the reintegration programmes would start
from the local government level.
Onyechere said women and minors
would be given adequate attention.
She said: “Our governor has reached out
to the Nigeria Diaspora Commission on
what should be done for Imo-born
returnees. We are even the first state to
receive our contact list.
“On October 2, our governor held a
reception for the returnees. At the event
were able to have an interaction with
them. We discovered that 85 percent of
them are skilled workers. They had their
businesses. 45 of them are minors.
“Knowing that these children were in
school before they left there, we decided to
reintegrate them into the education
system.
“That was why he
adopted the
recommendation by
the steering committee.
The committee will see
to the day to day
engagements of these
persons.”
Sunday Vanguard
also learned that the
Catholic Archdiocese
of Owerri assisted the
victims.
ABIA: Gov
hosts
returnees
Abia State
government said it is
committed to ensuring
better lives for its
indigenes.
The governor, who
stated this while
receiving them at the
Government House,
Umuahia, urged them
not to allow their past
experiences to weigh
them down.
He assured them of
Those who
spoke to Sunday
Vanguard
pleaded for
assistance,
adding that the
economic
situation of
Nigeria does not
give them any
hope
his administration’s support towards
assisting them to find their feet again. The
governor enjoined the returnees to
leverage on the numerous empowerment
programmes his administration had put
in place to improve their lives.
He said:” We are happy that you came
back alive. We prefer to spend money to
help you find your feet again to spending
such funds on your funerals. Abia has
multi-skill acquisition centres in the three
senatorial districts where you could be
trained. There are agricultural value
chain programmes you could engage
yourselves in to make a living.”
He also lauded the quick steps taken by
the Abia State Diaspora Office in
reaching out to the victims.
The returnees were also given
smartphones and other items by a
businessman, Chief Raymond Aliga.
Special Adviser to the Governor on
Diaspora Matters, Dr. Ngozi Ogbonna-
Erondu, who had presented the returnees
to the governor, said they were profiled,
adding that some were found skillful in
various areas, while others are traders.
A cross-section of the returnees who
spoke to Sunday Vanguard said they
preferred starting life afresh to going back
to South Africa where they lost all they
had toiled for in life.
ONDO: Empowerment
programmes
In Ondo, the state governor, Rotimi
Akeredolu while receiving them, gave a
cash gift of N100, 000 to each of the
returnees and promised to provide the
necessary support for them to start a new
life.
He particularly charged the returnees
not to be discouraged by what had
happened to them.
The governor assured them of his
administration’s readiness to
assist in settling down in
their various communities.
Akeredolu, who informed
them that his administration
has provided various
windows of opportunities
including youth and women
empowerment, agricultural
programmes, and
entrepreneurship
programmes among others,
advised them to embrace
any of the opportunities.
Lagos State, who had
seven indigenes on the list of
returnees gave the sum of
N20, 000 to each of the
people evacuated from
South Africa.
In Osun State, the
Supervisor in charge of
Ministry of Home Affairs, Dr.
Adebisi Obawale said the
state has not received any
information indicating that
it has anyone among the
returnees.
“For now I cannot
comment on issues of
provision because we do not
have any, however, if there is
anyone who can
substantially prove he is
from the state, we can talk about it, ‘’ he
added.
Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary to
Kwara State governor, Mr. Rafiu Ajakeye
said indigenes of the state were not affected.
He said: “We are not aware that any of the
returnees is from Kwara State. We don’t have
that information and nobody has contacted
us to that effect.’’

PAGE 28 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
I was on S/African
‘Wanted List’
– Urhobo, ex-Executive
Secretary of S/African
Relief Fund
Aformer Executive Secretary of South African Relief
Fund, SARF, Dr. Omawumi Urhobo, in this interview,
explains how South Africa and Nigeria can foster
permanent harmonious relations. Urhobo, who is the
President/Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Smart
Development Foundation, also shares her experience as the
student counsellor to more than 500 South African students
in Nigeria during the apartheid era. She was the Student
Counsellor of the International University Exchange Fund,
IUEF, an international NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland,
that had an agreement with the Federal Government of
Nigeria and the African National Congress, ANC.
By Ebele Orakpo
Involvement in the South
African struggle in the 1970s
It was the aftermath of the Soweto
Uprising of 1976 when many students
went into exile and they needed to be
evacuated because they were staying in
the border countries of Botswana and
Zambia and the South African
government was sending planes to
bomb these countries. Thabo Mbeki,
who was ANC’s chief representative in
Nigeria, negotiated for these youths to
be brought to Nigeria to continue their
studies.
With that arrangement, about 500 of
them were brought to Nigeria. I was a
fresh graduate from University of
Lagos, working in the Federal Ministry
of Social Development. The Cabinet
Office, as it was then called, was
looking for a Student Counsellor that
would take care of the students. That
was how that responsibility fell on me.
It was a great idea because the first
thing that occurred to me was that the
salary they were offering me was more
than what I was getting in the ministry.
Who employed you?
The NGO recruited me while the
Federal Government made the places
available. The students from Soweto
were politically-vibrant and here I was,
a young girl, whose duty was to ensure
that they were properly placed in
schools, and their social needs met. The
Federal Government Colleges, FGCs,
were newly set up so they were taken to
FGCs all over the country. I got them
admission, and I ensured they got their
stipends. We did that until apartheid
ended in 1994.
Hell of an experience
It was a hell of an experience for me.
This group of politically active students
did not behave normally, so people just
couldn’t understand them. They could
fight and do a lot of things but with the
support of government, we ensured they
survived and got education. Mashinini,
who was the President of SA students in
Soweto then, was hosted in Nigeria, so
also was Makhubo, the guy in the
famous photo, carrying the girl that was
shot by the police during the Soweto
Uprising. Mmusi Maimane, the
opposition leader in the South African
parliament, and many others were here.
At a point, Nigeria was considered a
front-line state because of our
commitment to the anti-apartheid
cause. Thabo Mbeki was so effective in
terms of establishing a good
relationship with the government as the
Chief Representative of the ANC.
Nigerians took these SA blacks into
their homes. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
said Nigeria spent over $10 billion as
support for the struggle.
Mama Evelyn
I became Mama Evelyn at a young
age because students were coming to me
with various challenges. A student once
came to me and said: “Mama Evelyn, I
can’t get a girlfriend,” and I asked why;
he said: “It is because I am not
circumcised and the girls said they won’t
be with me.” I made arrangements for
many of them to be circumcised.
Nigeria helped to crumble apartheid.
Post-Apartheid
When apartheid ended, the South
African Relief Fund, SARF, came into
place. Beyond the Federal Government’s
support for the struggle, individual
Nigerians were called upon to also help.
A lady (now late) donated what she
called her widow’s mite, that was the
seed money used to start the SARF. Later,
all civil servants were instructed to
contribute a percentage
of their salaries to SARF.
I became the Acting
Executive Secretary, ES,
of SARF because the
substantive ES could not
deal with the rudeness
and the very militant
posture of the students.
For years, we were
looking after the students
and, at the same time,
raising money and taking
relief materials to the
‘frontline’ states.
At one point, the South
African government had
my name on the ‘Wanted
List’. They said the
students were brought to
Nigeria to be trained and
I was one of the
supervisors. You can then
imagine when I visited
Botswana, Zambia or
Mozambique because
these were places the
refugees were taken to.
After the Soweto
Uprising, there was
continuous rioting, even
ordinary South Africans were coming
out and they flooded Zambia and
Botswana. Zimbabwe had their problem
at the same time, so we were also taking
in Zimbabwean refugees. There were
Mozambicans too but because of the
language barrier, they did not find it
comfortable here. When apartheid
collapsed, the mass movement of
Nigerians to South Africa began.
•Dr. Urhobo
Mass movement
With independence, the South African
blacks that have been oppressed for so
long, did not have the boldness of
character and the aggressiveness needed
to take charge of the evolving economic
system and all the vacancies. So,
Nigerian professionals moved there in
droves. Naturally, the bad guys also
moved in. In 1996, when I went to South
Africa, the Hillbrow area was a no-go
area for South Africans. Nigerians
colonised the area.
It’s an area with high rise buildings
originally owned by white South
Africans, so Nigerians were buying off
the buildings. Over the years, they
created a colony for themselves there
and more blacks moved in.
Dwindling economy
I was there two years ago and I was
stunned by the level of poverty. The
present South African government has
not done too well. Thabo Mbeki, who
took over from Nelson Mandela, was
more sophisticated. He was in exile and
had interacted and knew the dynamics.
He was going to be more careful with
the transition. Mandela was neither a
politician nor a
development
practitioner, he just
depended on a lot of
At one point,
the South
African
government
had my name
on the ‘Wanted
List’. They said
the students
were brought to
Nigeria to be
trained and I
was one of the
supervisors
advice but by the time
Thabo Mbeki came, he
was more grounded in
terms of his political,
economic and
developmental
exposure; so I think he
had a template of a
gradual thing that will
help to transit properly
and absorb the blacks
into the system. Then
there was an internal
coup that I saw happen.
They removed him and
Jacob Zuma, who was
internally grounded in
the country, came in. He
didn’t really have
exposure but he became
a politician that would
say all the right things
and people followed him
and then everything
started going bad. It was
during his rule that
corruption got to the
limit and he was indicted. There was a
failure in governance.
Failure of governance, scapegoat
Cyril Ramaphosa is trying to salvage the
situation because he had some exposure
himself in the private sector, development
and business. By the time I went to the
country in 2016, the statistics were
frightening in terms of the level to which
the economy had degenerated, so it was a
question of the blacks looking for a
scapegoat on whom to transfer the
aggression.
Yes, there are many Nigerians there. Yes,
a lot of wrong things are being done by
Nigerians, but there is a huge mass of lawabiding
Nigerians contributing to the
economic development of South Africa.
Unfortunately, some of our people
exported all the bad behaviours in Nigeria
to SA – living in opulence, big parties, big
cars amid poverty. It is provocative. South
African blacks, I am sorry to say, are
typically laid back. They don’t have that
aggressiveness and it is because of years of
oppression.
SA blacks are laid back
I seriously indict the South African
government because they are not doing it
the right way. I remember the SA security
forces during the apartheid regime that
were very brutal. They ensured the security
of lives and property. What happened?
How come they can’t do anything about
the violence in South Africa today? If you
think that people have become a nuisance
in your country, there are legal ways to
deal with them. Arrest the ones you find
wanting, try them, sentence them to jail or
deport them.
But they are not laid back when it
comes to fighting other blacks,
why?
It’s because they have been trained to be
aggressive in the wrong direction. They
probably just need a leader who tells them
what to do. Nigeria and South Africa need
to dialogue. They said the Ghanaians
actually went to parliament to get a law in
place to dislodge Nigerians from Ghana. I
don’t think we went to the extent of getting
a law but there was a proclamation giving
Ghanaians one week or 48 hours to leave.
SA men accused Nigerian men of
taking over their women, how true
is that?
It is a fundamental issue. But again, who
doesn’t love a macho man? The Nigerian
man has style, has class, and the
wherewithal. And their girls are very
shapely. Again, there is a lot of violence
against South African women by their
men. I was watching Malema’s interview
where he said: “Ïs it the Nigerians that are
coming to beat your wives and girlfriends
in the villages?” Amid the crises, the
women went to demonstrate at the Stock
Exchange in Jo’Burg against the violence
of their men against them. So if they are
claiming that Nigerian men are taking
their women, is that enough to kill them?
Why don’t you be a man yourself and
make yourself worthy instead of
physically and mentally abusing your
women every day? They have a serious
alcoholic problem. Let us even leave the
drug side. When you drink, who is your
first contact when you get home? Your
wife! And you beat her up. I am not telling
lies against South Africans, it is the reality.
Drug cartels
The main drug cartels conduct their
business in more sophisticated ways but
Nigerians carry drugs on the streets. They
put them in lollipops for children to drink
and get addicted. No matter how you want
to put it, the South African government
has not met its responsibility considering
how far we have come.
Repatriation
not new
Ghanaians first repatriated Nigerians in
1957 immediately they got their
independence. The next was in 1965 in
which they sent away all Nigerians in
Ghana. In the early 80s, Nigeria sent over
two million Ghanaians packing. I am still
in touch with my friend, Mrs. Mbeki, the
wife of the former South African President,
till date. She is completely distraught.
She said to me: “Evelyn, I can’t
understand. Can we ever get together
again? That fraternity that existed between
Nigeria, South Africa and the whole of
Africa, not just Nigeria.” If you look at the
history of this “foreigner must go”, it
always has to do with the economic
situation and when the economic situation
becomes that bad, the first person they
move against is the foreigner. There is a
systemic failure in South Africa presently.
You may not believe it but that is the truth.
They have not been able to handle the
economy. It is in very bad shape, so the
South Africans find it easier to turn
against their own fellow Africans.

POST-BUHARI VISIT:
Why many returnees
won’t go back to S/
Africa — Okoli, leader of
Nigerian community
President of Nigerian Citizens Association in
South Africa, NICASA, Ben Okoli, in this
interview, tells Sunday Vanguard how
Nigerians are settling down after recent xenophobic
attacks and the import of fence-mending meetings
between Nigeria and South Africa. He also speaks on
the fate of Nigerian returnees.
By Charles Kumolu,
Deputy Editor
President Muhammadu Buhari
recently visited his South
African counterpart, Cyril
Ramaphosa, over the
xenophobic attacks on
Nigerians. What is the attitude
of South Africans since the
President’s visit?
His visit restored the pride of
Nigerians and he made us proud to
be Nigerians again. The South
African government has shown
remorse after the xenophobic attacks
by apologising to Nigeria. They did
not stop at that, they apologised to
our Foreign Affairs Minister. We are
aware that they regretted and
promised that it would not happen
again. Above all, our dignity as a
nation was restored because Nigeria
stood its ground to tell South Africa
that what happened was not
something to be tolerated. We are
very happy that our President
visited and supported Nigerians in
South Africa. We cannot thank him
enough. We would continue to thank
him for what he has done. Shortly
after his visit South Africa
announced a new visa regime for
Nigerians. It covers frequent
travellers to South Africa, business
people, and students. This is
unprecedented. It had never
happened before. It is one of the
benefits of President Muhammadu
Buhari’s visit. We expect to see more
positive developments from the visit
because we know that so many
things were agreed upon by the two
nations. We would continue to press
for compensation for the victims of
xenophobia.
Is it right to go ahead with
the demand after apologies had
been offered by South Africa?
We are going ahead with the
demand because as an association,
we believe our citizens have a good
ground to file a petition in that
respect. We are still discussing with
our legal team because we have
already itemised the losses and the
people who incurred the losses are
already known. The addresses
where they happened are also
known. We are strongly working on
how they can be compensated.
Many people lost their means of
livelihood and these are businesses
that had been built for several years.
Some businesses that were
destroyed had existed for 15 years
and they were well established. We
cannot stop demanding
compensation. What are the victims
going to fall back on? In all, the visit
of our President has restored our
dignity here. We appreciate him and
his team. We commend him for what
he did in South Africa.
Former President Olusegun
Obasanjo visited South Africa
and interacted with
Ramaphosa. He came back with
the call on returnees to go
back, saying the strained
relations had been cemented.
Do you agree with him?
The visit of
former President
Obasanjo was not
widely known by
We would not
ask our people
who have gone
home to come
back. If they
come back,
what are they
coming to do?
Nigerians here in
South Africa. It
was only a few of
us who were
aware that he
visited. His visit
was well
appreciated but it
did not generate
the kind of
attention it would
have generated if
he was still in
power. We can say
that it was good
that he visited at
the time he did,
but we would not
ask our people
who have gone
home to come back. If they come
back, what are they coming to do? It
was good they returned to Nigeria.
Nigerian government should create
a platform to assist them and
reintegrate them into the society.
Doing so would make them useful to
themselves and the nation. We
would not appreciate any suggestion
for them to return to South Africa.
Most of them have bad tales to tell.
The xenophobic attacks affected
them badly to the point that they
freely decided to go back. I know a
lot of people who lost so much and
they are so traumatised that they
cannot come back here. We know
•Okoli
what they experienced. After the
xenophobic attacks, I took the
Consulate General, Godwin Adama,
to the areas the attacks happened
and it was a terrible sight. It was
like a war zone. Asking people who
have passed through such an
experience to come back is not fair
enough. Anyone, who decides to
come back can do so.
At the level of NICASA, did
you initiate any programme to
foster peace between Nigerians
and their host communities in
South Africa?
Our annual convention would hold
next month. It is meant to foster
social cohesion. It is a vehicle to
reach out to people.
We have a lot to do
with our South
African brothers.
Last Sunday, in the
Province of Northern
Cape, we held a
unity rally with
South Africans. It
was aimed at
fostering social
cohesion. We
organised a race for
solidarity in
conjunction with the
Municipal of
Northern Cape. It
was titled ‘Say No to
Xenophobia.”
NICASA
participated and it
served as a platform
for reaching out to
the local people. In
other provinces, we have a
rebranding and repositioning
project. In November, the Nigerian
Mission and Consulate are
organising a big event with a private
company. Notable Nigerian artistes
would perform alongside the South
African counterparts. It would also
be a vehicle for cohesion. Other
programmes would take place next
month to ensure that there is an
understanding between Nigerians
and South Africans. We intend to
ride on the gains we have made to
achieve more. We cannot succeed if
we do not include South Africans in
our project. These programmes aim
at telling South Africans that
SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 29
Nigerians are not what a few
miscreants want them to believe. We
have great Nigerians here who are
doing great things. The media in
South Africa does not focus on that.
They only look for negative things
about Nigeria to project. NICASA
would be the vehicle that would be
pushing for a change of narrative so
that positive things about Nigerians
are projected.
Nigerians in South Africa
were accused of importing
certain Nigerian habits like
flaunting of wealth, thereby
making poor South Africans
feel bad about their situation.
Has NICASA commenced any
programme to discourage
Nigerians from doing so?
I can say categorically that the
things listed do not lead to
xenophobic attacks. The attacks are
as a result of unguarded statements
and inciting statements by South
African politicians. They use the
statements to gain access into office.
They incite people into being violent
by promising that they are going to
work for them. When they eventually
get into power, they don’t fulfil their
promises. When people react as a
result of the failures, they lie to
them that Nigerians are the ones
taking their jobs. This is a very
beautiful country and Nigerians
here are well behaved. It is only a
few Nigerians on the streets that are
giving us a bad name. These people
constitute a minute percentage of
the total number of Nigerians in
South Africa. As I am speaking to
you now, our Organising Secretary,
Rev Osifo is here. He is a pastor and
owns a school. He uses the school to
educate people in the community
where he lives. I also have our
Welfare Officer here, Mrs. Gloria
Anaegboka. She has been training
South Africans on how to be experts
in the culinary industry. This woman
owns restaurants here in South
Africa and she employs many South
Africans. That Nigerians are
flaunting their wealth should not be
an excuse to attack Nigerians. It is
not acceptable to us. It is the
political elite that are fanning the
embers of disunity and hatred. They
are making the South Africans hate
Nigerians because they feel Nigeria
is a threat. They feel Nigeria is
competing with them. It is beyond
what many people think. It is a
rivalry between the two nations.
That is not putting it mildly but
saying it as it is. We have South
Africans who are not doing the right
thing in Nigeria as well but it is not
enough for Nigerians to say that
South Africans are bad. The claims
that our compatriots live a life of
opulence do not stand. Should
anyone earning enough live in
penury? Should the person live in
penury because he wants to impress
people? NICASA is ensuring that
Nigerians in South Africa do the
right thing by living a decent life,
earning a decent living and
ensuring that they don’t get
involved in crime. We are encouraging
our people to be law-abiding. That was
what our President also told us to do
when he visited. Xenophobia is not
about affluence and poverty because
South Africans are not poor. It is a rich
country and the people are doing well.
They are not poor by any standard. The
way we have some poor people in
Nigeria is also the same way we have
poor people in South Africa. That
should not be an excuse for some
people to attack others, claiming
they are criminals. We will not stop
discouraging a few Nigerians from
misrepresenting us until they stop.

PAGE 30—SUNDAY VANGUARD SPECIAL SECTION, OCTOBER 13, 2019
SPECIAL FOCUS ON LEADING PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS IN NIGERIA— Part 1
The significance of security to
mankind cannot be overemphasized
as the socioeconomic
structure of any society
or organization depends on its
available security system.
•Aniekan Willie
All over the world, security is an
issue which cannot be
overlooked, especially given
that the criminality rate is
increasing, and the methods used
by criminals are constantly
changing. It is also an established
fact that many governments cannot
fight crime alone, hence the need
for private security providers to
complement the efforts of the state
in crime prevention. There are
several such firms operating in
Nigeria, but only a few are
considered to be efficient,
responsive, effective and
technology oriented by businesses
and individuals alike. One such
company that is operating at the
very highest level in Nigeria today
is Mantra Protection Solutions
Limited.
Established in 2015 with the
primary focus of providing security
services to the oil and gas sector,
though still relatively young in the
security industry, the company has
flourished over the last few years
through hard work, dedication and
by operating with the highest
integrity. It has expanded its service
offering and office network across
Nigeria and has also opened a
sister company in the UK; Mantra
Operations Solutions Limited.
ith a mission “to be a world-class professional
Wprivate security firm with specialization and
capabilities that provide superior services to our
stakeholders choice in efficiency and customer
satisfaction at all times”, Sheriff Deputies Limited
today ranks among the top and reliable private
security companies in Nigeria having proved its
worth in two decades of existence as a name to be
trusted in the provision of corporate guards, security
training and consultancy, armed escorts, VIP
Protection, Supernumerary Police (SPY), canine
services and electronic security among others. Its
vast portfolio of clientele cuts across the spectrum of
the economy with presence spread across the
country.
Licensed by the Nigeria Security and Civil
Defence Corps as a Grade ‘A’ professional security
services provider, Sheriff Deputies prides itself as
“arguably the only private security firm in Nigeria,
with the widest range of top quality professionals
with a cumulative experience base that is second to
none.”
According to its CEO, Dr. Island Anyasi, he
disclosed that the vision to establish the company
was born by the founding CEO, Late Charles Anyasi
who shortly after the return to democratic rule in
1999 felt the need to contribute to the fight against
crimes in Nigeria as evident in rampant security
issues occasioned by worsening economic
conditions, advent of high tech/corporate
criminals and crumbling police capabilities.
Not only that, he also saw it as an avenue
to create employment for jobless but ablebodied
young Nigerians.
Commenting of the challenges faced in
the industry, Anyasi lamented on the
existence of unregistered private security
companies who have given a bad name
and reputation to the industry. “These
quack practitioners are all over the place and
if proper checks are not put in place, they can
compromise the security of the country. The
reason for their existence is not far-fetched
from the fact that some organizations
are not willing to pay appropriate
fees when shopping for security
guards. Some believe that since
the security guards are not doing
Historically, human beings and
societies have developed
measures to safeguard
themselves and their properties
against threats.
While the State remains
Mantra Protection Solutions Limited:
Committed to Providing Bespoke Security Solutions
Today, Mantra Protection Solutions
Limited offers an impressive
portfolio of security services to
clients across many diverse
industries as well as private
individuals. These services include;
armed escort services, security
consultancy, maritime security,
risk analysis and information
services, manned guarding
and armed response,
aviation security, VIP
protection and technical
security services.
In a conversation with
the co-founder and CEO
of the company, Mr.
Aniekan Willie, a
Certified Protection
Professional with over 30
years of experience in the
security industry both in
Nigeria and globally, he
described the security environment
in Nigeria as dynamic, and one
which poses significant challenges
to both state security agencies and
private security companies. It is
vitally important therefore for
private security companies to
understand the unique challenges
facing their clients, as they are all
likely to face security threats at some
point in time.
In his opinion, the ability to
manage cost expectations and at the
same time, deliver a comprehensive
security service is a key challenge
for all private security companies in
Nigeria. “The cost of operation,
equipment and manpower has
increased significantly over the past
few years. At the same time, the
demand from clients for cheaper
security services has increased. This
in turn can put a strain on those
private security companies that do
not plan appropriately, and it
becomes difficult for them to deliver
the full service that clients require.
This is essentially a quality versus
cost debate in a very challenging
security environment.
“The way forward is the need for
a balanced approach, whereby the
clients understand the challenges
faced by the private security
companies in meeting their
paper-works for them, they should get them for
cheap, which is also a major challenge we are
facing”, he said.
Speaking further, he explained that the lack of
fluid synergy between the NSCDC and the Police
has not helped in achieving a close collaboration
between the private security companies and the
police. “We don’t carry arms and that is why we
need the police because of the increasing crime
rate in the country. We have the numbers and we
are almost everywhere. If you walk on a street, you
are likely to count ten private guards before you
see a police officer, therefore a strong partnership
with the police will go a long way at reducing crime.
“The Lagos State government through the Lagos
State Security Trust Fund has been helpful in this
regard and under that umbrella, we have been
brought together with the police to rub minds and
it is as a result of that forum, community policing
came up”, he informed.
While touching on the importance and premium
placed on integrity in the security industry, Anyasi
explained that at Sheriff Deputies, both operations
and administrative staff are carefully selected, vetted
and trained to professional standards. According
to him, “all our operatives are educated, they have
industry experience and we continuously place
them on on-the-job trainings. In addition, we have
a dedicated team that conducts background checks,
such that we know our employees to their
family homes.”
Speaking on what lies ahead for the
company in the nearest future, the CEO
explained that the company will be
expanding its portfolio to cover IT
security as it looks to extend operations
to neighbouring West Africa countries
in the next decade. “We are
encouraged and optimistic about the
African Union Trade Deal and we hope
that leaders across the continent will take
it serious. In anticipation of that, we are
conducting market surveys to see how
we can extend how services to our West
African neighbours, so that when our
customers in Nigeria are extending
their operations to these countries,
we will be there to continue with
them”, he informed.
dominant in the security sector, it
is an established fact that no
government has the wherewithal
to provide one hundred percent
security for her people based on
the inherent complexities in
expectations, and that the private
security companies are responsive
to the security environment and are
able to provide a quality service for
their clients. Open and clear
communication between all parties
is key to the success of this
approach”, he stated.
While applauding the Nigeria
Security and Civil Defence Corps
for playing a significant role within
the security infrastructure of the
country, he stressed that the
NSCDC can still do much more to
promote professionalism in this
critical sector of our economy. The
CEO is also of the belief that
effective collaboration between the
private security companies and the
national security agencies is the way
forward.
In his words, “We know that there
are significant security challenges
facing our country. We also know
that the national security agencies
have a challenge in meeting these
threats, due to constraints on their
own resources. As such, it is logical
to assume that there is a very
significant role that professional,
private security companies can play
in helping these national security
agencies meet the security threat in
Nigeria. Lately, there have been
deliberate efforts on the part of
private security practitioners
operating under the aegis of the
Nigerian Institute for Industrial
Security (NIIS), the Association of
Industrial Security and Safety
Operators of Nigeria (AISSON)
and local chapters of the Association
of the American Society of
Industrial Security (ASIS) in
Nigeria to push forward this
initiative. It is
our hope that
relevant
government
agencies will
engage in a
meaningful way
to enhance
these efforts.”
Conscious of
the need to be
integrity-driven
as an
At Sheriff Deputies, We Place A High Premium On Integrity
Dr. Island Anyasi
•Dr. Island Anyasi
security matters. This reality forms
the basis of the need for private
sector to complement the efforts
of state actors in crime prevention.
Hence, the expansion in security
needs gave rise to corporate
organization given the intricacies of
the security industry, Willie
explained that the company will
never compromise on its own high
standards and the quality services
for which the company is well
known, and it will continue to build
on its reputation for providing its
clients with the perfect balance of
‘global experience and local
expertise.’
“Our global experience comes
from the extensive security
management experience that our
founding directors and senior
management have gained from
working in different industries
across all regions of the globe: the
Americas, Europe, the Middle East,
Africa and Asia Pacific. Our local
expertise comes from the trusted
network of contacts that our
employees have built up over many
years in Nigeria, the UK and
beyond.
“We also believe that our mission
to provide dedicated customer
service means that we go above and
beyond to create bespoke security
programs and initiatives for all of
our clients. By tailoring each
security program to the specific
needs of each client’s business, we
ensure that it will have the best
possible chance of being
incorporated into the client’s core
business, which ultimately means
a higher chance of success for the
security program”, he said.
Commenting on ways through
which the government can help
improve the operations of
professional, private security
companies, he reiterated the need
for the government to ensure that
private security outfits. Here are
some of the security firms who
have distinguished themselves in
terms of technology, expertise,
network and assets.
only appropriately licensed private
security companies are allowed to
operate in this country. “We must
prevent unlicensed and bogus
operators from pretending to
unsuspecting clients that they can
offer professional security services.
We must also ensure that there is a
high-quality private security sector
that is fully aligned with the
national security objectives.
Essentially, we need to move to an
open and transparent partnership,
as we are all stakeholders in trying
to solve the security problems that
our fellow Nigerians and visitors
face”, he affirmed.
On the future goals of Mantra
Protection Solutions Limited, the
astute security expert declared that
the vision of the company is to
become one of the leading security
companies in Nigeria by
continuing to grow its business,
both in Nigeria and internationally.
He revealed, “Ultimately, we aim
to become an internationally
respected security company that
provides a bespoke security
offering and is the security partner
of choice for all of our clients. We
will continue to offer ‘global
experience and local expertise’ and
will broaden our service offering to
cater for all of our clients’ needs. We
will strive to offer enhanced security
services across all industry sectors,
by seeking to obtain world class
certifications and accreditations and
we will provide unique career
opportunities for Nigerian
nationals seeking to work in the
security industry. Despite our plans
to grow the business, we never
want to lose the core ethos that we
developed when Mantra Protection
Solutions Limited was first
founded in 2015, which is to always
look after our employees and our
clients. They will always be our
number one priority.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD SPECIAL SECTION, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 31

PAGE 32—SUNDAY VANGUARD SPECIAL SECTION, OCTOBER 13, 2019
SPECIAL FOCUS ON LEADING PRIVATE SECURITY FIRMS IN NIGERIA— Part 1
We Are Second To None In Security Matters
“S
Mr. Isidahomen Ezekiel, CEO, Thems Security Systems Limited
ecurity is not just a is offered to them, as such,
word, it is what we do. their activities have brought
Over the years, we the reputation of licensed
have rendered qualitative operators under questioning
security services across by the public.
industries and we are at the “The delays we experience
forefront of revolutionizing in renewing our license is
the practice of industrial also another big issue, we
security in Nigeria, which is renew every year but
why we are second to none”, sometimes it takes about
these were the words of Mr. three months before we get
Isidahomen Ezekiel, the it done. Also, the fact that we
managing director of Thems are not to allowed to carry
Security Systems Limited; a arms is quite challenging
private guard company because, oftentimes our
dedicated to providing guards are attacked at their
excellent security services in duty posts by criminals who
a manner consistent with the are armed with all sorts of Security
highest industry standards. weapon”, he said.
Duly licensed by the Commenting on the
Nigeria Security and Civil relationship between the
Defence Corps (NSCDC) as private security companies
well as the Nigerian and the police force as well
Maritime Administration as the NSCDC, Ezekiel
and Safety Agency explained that the police
(NIMASA) to carry out have been supportive
security operations, the especially when distress calls
company has distinguished are made to them, however,
itself as proactive risk and he is of the opinion that the
safety managers whose relationship can become
competencies can be relied stronger if the police can be
upon at all times.
willing to share information
“At Thems Security, we with the private security
relentlessly pursue success professionals. According to
and innovation, driven by the him, “If the government can
needs of our clients and create a forum where
delivered with shared information can be shared
energy, ability and between both parties, it will
commitment of our people. go a long way at combating
However, like every other crime, especially at the
business, we are faced with grassroots. We operate at the
certain challenges that are grassroots and we have the
peculiar to the industry. numbers, presently there are
There are quite a number of 1086 private security
unprofessional and companies spread the
unlicensed operators in the country, so the police needs
country. These quacks do not us just as we need them but
only engage in unethical unfortunately, they tend to
practises, they also undercut look down on us.”
payments because they have “The Nigerian Security
no structures, they are not and Civil Defence Corp has
paying taxes and license also been doing a good job
fees, so they collect whatever as the regulatory authority,
they also help in manpower
REJOICE: There is hope for you
(CONT'D.)
How Can We Have Hope
When Everything Looks
Hopeless?
In Romans 5:3-5, Paul says
that we can rejoice in our
sufferings because we are a
people of hope: “Not only
that, but we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering
produces endurance, and
endurance produces character,
and character produces
hope, and hope does not put
us to shame, because God's
love has been poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit
who has been given to us”
(Rom. 5:3–5).
So, how can we have hope
when everything looks hopeless?
In the midst of suffering,
we can rejoice because these
challenges cause us to:
1. Rely on God’s presence
Rejoicing in suffering does
not mean celebrating when
bad news comes. But, it does
mean that we can believe that
God is doing a redemptive
work. This word “redemptive”
means that God does
not waste a hurt or disappointment.
He is using them
to shape and build us into the
image of Jesus, which is his
highest passion.
When we go through suffering,
we often pray and seek
God more intensely than at
other times. My greatest times
Pastor Olugbenro Tunde Moradeyo
The Gospel Faith Mission Int'l,
Gofamint. Kings Assembly
Ikorodu,Behind Brt Terminus,
Ikorodu Lagos. Tel: 09095511493.
of growth have been when I’ve
reached the end of my resources
and all I have left is
Jesus. God uses suffering to
make us rely on his presence.
In Psalm 23:4, David writes
that he does not fear because
God is with him. He relies on
God’s presence, and it brings
him strength and comfort.
Remember that for there to
be a shadow, there has to be a
light. I don’t know what your
“valley of the shadow of
death” is, but I do know who
the Light is that is walking
with you in that valley.
In another Psalm, David
reveals that one of the reasons
for his joy is that he is forgiven:
“Blessed is the one whose
transgressions are forgiven
whose sins are covered (Ps.
31:1, NIV). We can’t determine
God’s love for us based
on good or bad circumstances.
We determine his love
based on the cross and what
he did for us on it.
2. Rely on God’s provision
In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul
reveals that he has suffered
from a “thorn in the flesh.”
God was so concerned about
Paul not becoming proud that
He allowed this to happen to
him to prevent him from becoming
conceited.
In our current situations,
God is saying to us that his
grace is sufficient, and even
training and they have been
doing a lot to improve the
industry with regards to
pushing out quack operators.
As it now, every private
guard in Nigeria that is
operating under licensed
companies have service
numbers which were
generated by NSCDC and
they can maintain the
number even when they join
another security company.
We are hopeful that it will go
a long way at sanitizing the
industry”, he said.
Recently awarded the
Management
Leadership Excellence Prize
for 2019 by the African
Institute for Leadership and
Excellence, Ezekiel is of the
opinion that the federal
government can help
standardize payment for
private security companies,
so as to further improve the
operations of practitioners. “It
is unfortunate that Nigerians
don’t take security serious.
Sometimes when you ask
clients to pay N50,000 per
guard, they will tell you they
cannot pay more than
N25,000 because the guards
are not involved in handling
paperwork for them, more so,
there is another company
willing to take that amount,
so if government can wade
into this, it will help us.
“Renewal of license should
also be decentralized so that
it will be easy for
practitioners to get their
licenses renewed on time and
instead of having a yearly
renewal, they can make it a
five-year license. Finally,
there should be a review of
the Private Security Guards
Act of 1986 to give us
conditions for the use of
arms”, he advised.
when we feel weak, he is making
us stronger than we have
ever been. His grace is not an
abstract idea. It is the person
of Jesus through the power of
the Holy Spirit. The hell you
are going through may be the
very circumstance God uses
to take you to a whole new
level.
3. Rely on God’s power
“Therefore I will boast all
the more gladly of my weaknesses
so that the power of
Christ may rest upon me” (2
Cor. 12:9b, ESV).
What is your weakness?
Maybe it is a son or a daughter
that hasn’t quite turned out
the way you thought he or she
would. A job situation that has
gone away. A medical diagnosis
that has scared you.
Maybe, like Paul, it is also
insults, hardships, or persecutions.
Whatever it is, Paul says
he will boast in those things
because when we are weak,
the power of Christ rests on
us
Ṫhe greater the enemy
comes at you, the greater
Jesus is in you.
The greater the enemy
comes at you, the greater
Jesus is in you.
Maybe you hear voices telling
you to just quit, give up,
and let it go. Don’t stop. When
you are weak, then He is
strong. Remember the greater
the attack against you, the
greater Christ is in you, but
you have to rely on his presence,
his provision and his
power.
This week take a moment
to write down what you are
suffering from or struggling
with and send it to our mail.
Title it letter to Jesus. On
pastormoradeyoolugbemiro
@gmail.com.
God bless you.
Apostle Okafor blames current economic woes on
poor leadership
he General Overseer of
TCrusaders Evangelical
Ministry, CEMSA, a.k.a Sycamore
Assembly, Ogba, Lagos,
Apostle Victor Okafor
has attributed the current
economic woes in the country
to poor leadership at all
levels, warning that revolution
is not an option
Speaking at the church 9th
anniversary celebration,
tagged: “Uncommon Blessing,”
Okafor reiterated that
Nigeria is endowed in human
and natural resources and
wondered why majority of its
citizens still live below $2 per
day.
He listed bad leadership
and corruption as the two
scourges militating against
the well-being of Nigerians,
even as he prayed that God in
His infinite mercy would intervene
and heal the country
speedily.
“Nigeria is a great country
despite all odds. We pray that
that God will intervene in all
the problems we are having,
which are linked to leadership.
Nobody will say we
should go the way of revolution
because many lives will
be lost and one thing that
GOD will not allow is shedding
of blood. You cannot
carry out revolution without
shedding blood. It is not an
option as far as I am concerned.”
Apostle Okafor admonished
Nigerians to seek the
face of the Lord.
Going down memory lane,
the cleric revealed that the
church, which started nine
years ago in one of his room
with five members, including
himself, wife and three children,
has grown tremendously,
with awesome testimonies.
He disclosed that the Ministry
has concluded plans to
open two new branches in
Abuja and USA before year
end.
Apostle & Rev. (Mrs) Okafor, Senior Pastors
of Crusader Evangelical Ministry surrounded
by BOT members of the church during the
Church anniversary.
Anglican Lagos Province holds investiture for Guild
of Stewards president, excos
Lagos Province Guild of Stewards gets excos
The inauguration and in
vestiture of the President
and executive officers of
the Province of Lagos Guild
of Stewards of the Anglican
Communion has been fixed
for Sunday, 20th October,
2019.
In a statement issued by the
inauguration planning committee,
the investiture which
will bring together the various
Dioceses in the Province •Most Revd (Dr) Olusina
Fape
is expected to further enhance
and promote cordiality of
service in the Province. Most Reverend (Dr) Olusina
The Archbishop of Lagos Fape, is expected to inaugurate
the steward executive at
Province and Bishop of Remo
Diocese, Church of Nigeria the event scheduled to take
(Anglican Communion), place at Cathedral Church of
St Jude, Ebute Metta.
Renowned elder statesman,
Chief Williams Akinlade, will
be inaugurated by Most Reverend
Fape as the President
of the Province of Lagos Guild
of Stewards.
The Guild of Stewards (often
called the Guild) is a service
arm of the church
charged, primarily, with the
responsibility of maintaining
orderliness at Church services
and functions.
Working under the help of
the Holy Spirit, Guild of
Stewards promotes a healthy
spirited atmosphere for worship
and provide in the
church an enabling environment
of order, decency, courtesy
and decorum for spiritual
worship and development.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 33
No room for brilliant beasts
in my university – Bola Ajibola
By Bashir Adefaka
RESCENT University, Abeokuta
C(CUAB) is one of the early private
universities in Nigeria and became the first
Islamic university in southern
Nigeria. It emerged as a life
ambition of Prince Abdul-Jabbar
Bolasodun Adesunbo Ajibola
(SAN), a former Attorney-General
and Minister of Justice and
erstwhile High Commissioner to
the United Kingdom.
The man, simply called Prince
Bola Ajibola, set out, in December
2005, to replicate his Baptist Boys’
High School disciplinarian
experience to groom the youth of
today who will, in turn,
emerge as global citizens of
tomorrow, hence the idea
of the Islamic Mission
for Africa (IMA),
whose programmes
are dominated by
education at all
levels. To achieve
this vision,
Ajibola, who was
also a judge at
the International
Court of Justice,
established
Crescent
University.
The mission
statement
reads: “To
produce
graduates that
are morally
and
academically
sound and
excellent and
not brilliant
beasts”. And
then the
question
comes as to
whether Crescent University, Abeokuta is
free or not from the challenge emanating
from the issue of drug use and abuse that is
sometimes unnoticed but prevalent among
students of higher
institutions of learning in
nations across the world.
This led to Sunday
Vanguard to visit
Abeokuta where it keenly
observed the disposition of
Crescent, the proprietor,
management staff,
students and even its
neighbours to the issue.
The proprietor, Ajibola,
who, during the visit,
bared his mind on the
state of the nation, spoke
on the attitude of the
institution he established
13 years ago to wage war
against drug abuse,
describing it as a menace
capable of hindering
whatever achievement any
university could make.
This, according to him,
will not make them to
become brilliant beasts.
“In Crescent University
our students are tailored
towards emerging as
global citizens so that in
the end they won’t let
Nigeria down wherever
they go in the world. And to ensure that
these aims and objectives are not derailed,
we have put all necessary cautionary
arrangements in place which is why we
train our students to be God-fearing
graduating with a degree that is not only
excellently achieved academically but also
laced with fear of God and moral
uprightness. In a nutshell, at Crescent
University we produce morally and
academically excellent human beings of
the status of global citizens,” the former
minister said.
Asked to explain what he meant, Ajibola
said, “When you have university products
that are morally and academically
Drug matter is a
serious matter. It is
a life-threatening
situation. There is
no way drug issue
can be dealt with,
cured and removed
from the university
environment except
some deliberate
efforts are made
•Bola Ajibola
excellent, you will have good leaders in
position of authority who will rule or
govern with the fear of God and then they
will not corruptly enrich themselves
because they know that
even though they do not
see God, surely, God is
seeing them and so they
will fear Him and,
instead of diverting
state money to their
personal pockets, they
will use the money to
better the lot of the
masses by providing
basic needs such as
good roads, making
huge investments in
agriculture towards
ensuring food security,
quality and affordable
education, quality and
affordable healthcare
delivery services,
security, electricity,
potable water and jobs
among other necessities
of life for the people.
“And when the food
items, even products of
natural resources are
taken to the market,
such morally upright
and academically
excellent graduates who
are major distributors of
essential needs of
mankind such as food, petroleum products
will not hoard to create artificial scarcity,
which sabotages the very good intention of
government to make life easy for the
people.”
Brilliant beasts
Ajibola described graduates who are
brilliant beasts as the direct opposite of
those who are morally and academically
excellent in the degrees they acquire.
“Those are unemployable. If you give
them trust they will betray you. If you
entrust the leadership of state in their
hands, they will bastardise and won’t even
care that they do any evil.
They will embezzle state
funds with impunity and will
be ready to kill and maim
anybody under the sky who
will block their way of
achieving it”, the university
proprietor said.
“That is the reason the
school knowledge cycle
matters in achieving a Nigeria
of our pride. If you observe us
very well, you will see that we
take the child that we hope, by
the grace of Almighty
God, will be leader of
tomorrow from
crèche through
primary,
secondary
schools to
the
university.
That is
our own
resolve to
wield the
truly
quality
education filled with
God-fearing, good moral
conduct and sound academic performance
as a tool to make Nigeria great.”
“Already”, the former Attorney-General
said, “we are achieving it greatly. We
started 13 years ago and now thank God
that we are not just saying it but also, we
are doing it and we are reaping the fruits of
our efforts.”
On anti-drug war
Drug matter is a serious matter. It is a
life-threatening situation. There is no way
drug issue can be dealt with, cured and
removed from the university environment
except some deliberate efforts are made.
Beaming a searchlight on Nigerian
universities and drug abuse among youths,
with Crescent University as case study, he
revealed that no matter how careful any
university system could be, cases of drug
abuse among youths may be inevitable but
that with proper and sincere action plan, its
eradication is not only possible but also
doable.
Sometime in the past, Vice Chancellor of
the Crescent University, Prof. Ibraheem
Gbajabiamila, had said, “Worldwide, drug
issue is a serious issue. Its use and abuse,
especially among youths, have brought
about so much concern to professionals
and institutions. Through Global
Citizenship, a specifically designed general
study to guide students to be good citizens
of the world, Crescent University, Abeokuta
is championing a campaign against drug
abuse in the institution founded by the
former Judge of the International Court of
Justice, His Excellency, Judge Bola Ajibola,
who himself is an epitome of high moral
standing.
“Judge Ajibola, who is also a former
Attorney General and Minister of Justice in
Nigeria, has emphasised it for the
umpteenth that his university was
established on a tripod namely sound
academic education, good morals and the
fear of God. No doubt the institution prides
itself as Citadel of Academic and Moral
Excellence. That is what we are in this
place.
“And evidences abound that graduates of
Crescent University who passed the first
degree and had
to do their postgraduate
programmes in
other universities
within Nigeria and abroad
ended up being commended to the
root of their studies that is the Crescent
University, Abeokuta which had been
represented at their respective graduation
ceremonies.
“An example of this is a product of the
university, Rafiat Gawat, a first class mass
communication graduate of Crescent
University, who went to Robert Gordon
University in Scotland on scholarship of
Lagos State Government and ended up
receiving distinction in the master’s degree
that she meritoriously acquired”.
Drug checks
on students
Gbajabiamila went on, “At Crescent
University, all hands are on deck at
ensuring that our students are monitored
and discouraged on abuse of drugs. The
rules are there in black and white. Taking
of hard drugs attracts punishment such as
suspension or dismissal. And as a proactive
measure, the University Task Force was put
in place years back by my office to monitor
students closely.
“Section 12 (13) of Students’ Information
Handbook of the university states inter
alia, ‘Any student found in possession of
dangerous and offensive instruments/
substances, without evidence of
prescription, will be expelled from the
university.’ The dangerous and controlled
substances include ketamine,
amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, tobacco,
alcohol, Indian hemp and volatile solvent
like petrol”.
University clinic as an effort
Health professionals are on hand to
provide essential services and conduct tests
regularly. The university clinic took off
with a head in its Director of Medical
Services, Dr. Maryam Oladipo, and is
charged with these professional
responsibilities. When contacted in the
past, Oladipo said, “Students can be
selected at random for drug testing at any
time as this keeps them on their toes that
Crescent University has zero tolerance for
drug abuse, which in most cases are
contacted through peer pressure.”
According to the Medical Director, new
students are lectured at orientation while
all students are routinely lectured by
consultants from Neuropsychiatric
Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta.
Although Crescent University has
adequate arrangements on ground to
ensure that students imbibe good moral in
pursuance of their academic studies than
having the time to engage in illicit
activities, it is still part of the
responsibilities of the institution’s
management to do the needful in areas of
prayers and counselling by guidance
counsellors and university Imams.
Roles of parents
Parents get progress reports with regard
to the school’s efforts on zero tolerance
for drug abuse so that even those who
have no children in Crescent University
but who heard about the efforts being
made in this direction now visit and
bring their children whom they suspect
for drug tests at the university clinic.
If tested negative, “great” but if tested
positive, “the Crescent University Clinic
has laboratory equipment that is capable
of telling the quantity of drug used, since
when and how.” The university Medical
Director and her team are always on
ground in the clinic to offer consultancy
to affected person but whoever is
discovered to have fallen in the act is not
fit to remain in Crescent University.
That is the school’s point on drug
abuse. It was also learned that the
university had even concluded now to
make drug test part of tests to be
conducted at the point of entry so that
any prospective student found wanting is
denied admission.

PAGE 34—SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Joyfulhomes2015@gmail.com
Claim your right to light
lory be to God who has
Gkept us alive.
Brethren, we often hear
about deliverance, what exactly
does it mean? Without
reference to any dictionary, as
Christians, familiar with the
word ‘deliverance’, it simply
tells us that someone who
needs deliverance is someone
under the bondage of the enemy.
Someone who is oppressed.
Anybody whose destiny
is held down or controlled
by the forces of darkness.
Or better put, someone
whose life is dominated by evil
forces, especially Satan and
his demons.
Many Christians are in most
cases unconscious of the effect
of these forces in their
lives. Before many realize it,
these forces of darkness would
have made the life of that person
a delicacy.
But we thank God for his
ability to deliver. However, we
must know that deliverance
is for those who want to be
delivered.Those who do not
want to be delivered, remain
under perpetual bondage of
the enemy. This will not be
We all love the oppor
tunity to dine out
whether it is in a restaurant
or at an event. It is so
much fun eating in the right
ambience, with the right people,
in the right mood, this sets
the tone for a great time out.
There is always the opportunity
to wine, dine and socialize
given the numerous social
events going on around us.
This is the time where you will
likely indulge yourself in eating
all sorts of assorted dishes
to playing it safe and eating
only you are familiar with. As
much as that sounds sensible,
where is the fun and what experience
would you have had
if you are not adventurous
enough to try something new?
No matter the event many
people tend to go for their favorite
dish when asked, unless
the dish looks somewhat at-
our portion in Jesus name.
The questions are, who are
these enemies? Are they spirits,
are they human beings?
Brethren, they are a combination
of both. Human beings
in a covenant with the forces
of darkness.
Physically, they are people
who do not want to see your
dreams fulfilled in life. They
are those that your plight
gladdens their hearts.
They could be enemies pretending
to be friends. They
could be blood relations,
neighbours or co-workers.
They are those who want you
stagnated. They do not want
you to make progress in life.
A lot more reasons abound
why someone or a group of
people may want you to be in
bondage.
Most of the time, we lack
the human ability to tackle
these people and the reason is
they are backed by the forces
of darkness.
So, if you are oppressed in
any way and you are conscious
that the forces of darkness
are behind your plight,
the last place to go is to an
janet.adetu@gmail.com
My fork or my hand?
NDDC: Ex-militants advise Buhari
against reversal of appointments
A
group, the National Co
alition of Niger Delta
Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A has
advised President Muhammadu
Buhari, against tinkering
with the appointment of
members of the board of the
Niger Delta Development
Commission, NDDC, as constituted
by the President recently.
Speaking through its national
President, Eshanekpe
Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro in Abuja,
the Coalition stated that the
further delay in the inauguration
of the Pius Odubu-led
management board of the
development agency was capable
of causing crisis in the
Niger Delta region, noting
that the people of the region
had suffered enough deprivation
and deserve the best as
provided by the newly constituted
board.
According to the former agitator,
the latest appointment
made by the President in
NDDC was the best ever, wondering
why the President was
delaying in inaugurating
members of the new board
saying, "rumours are rife that
the President is vaccilating
over sending names of the new
board members to the Senate
for screening. We know the
Pius Odubu management of
the board as constituted in the
recent appointment by the
President is the best ever."
Some disgruntled elements
in the region Akpodoro said,
were bent on ensuring that the
President rescinds his decision
but was quick to warn that
the President shouldn't contemplate
reversing the appointment
as the appointees
have been accepted in good
faith by the people of the region
.
Akpodoro urged the President
to ignore those he described
as enemies of development
in the region and go
ahead with the inauguration
of the new board.
Pius Odubu and Bernard
Okumagba, he noted were
among the regions best eleven
who he said are eminently
qualified to lead a new
NDDC.
herbalist. Why? This is because
darkness cannot wipe
out darkness. Only light, the
Light of God can override
darkness.
Brethren, a born-again
Christian need not be afraid
of the forces of darkness. All
you need do is claim your
right to light and victory is
sure.
Before you and I were born,
God gave us assurance that
He will deliver us.
Psalm 50 vs. 15 KJV“ And
call upon me in the day of
trouble: I will deliver thee, and
thou shalt glorify me”.
It is for the same reason that
we cannot physically be delivered
from these forces of
darkness that we are told by
king David in Psalm 20 vs.1&2
“ The Lord hear me in the day
of trouble; the name of the
God of Jacob defend thee;
Send thee help from the sanctuary,
and strengthen thee out
of Zion; “.
Brethren, have you really sat
down to reflect deeply on that
challenge that seems insurmountable?
Why for instance will a
married couple medically
certified fit to have biological
children be barren? Why
would a lady that everyone
Create time for God
and he will make
what seems
impossible
possible in your
life
admires not have even one
man propose to her? Why
should that child that you love
so much be in and out of hospital
all the time?
Why have you been unable
to secure a job whereas, those
with lower qualifications were
employed where you sent in
your application?
Have you asked yourself,
why you have not been promoted
all these years, yet, others
are being promoted and
you are also dedicated and
hard working?
As a married couple why is
it that each time you discuss
with your spouse it ends up in
disagreements and you are
both gradually drifting apart?
So many questions, that you
are unable to find answers to.
What do you do? Cry unto
God, Call on the Lord of Hosts
and ask for his help.
Acts 26 vs. 18 KJV gives us
one of the reasons we need to
give our lives to Christ.
“ To open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to
light and from the power of
Satan unto God, that they may
Eniyekebi emerges new MEINBUTUS
chairman
MEINBUTUS
elec
toral chairman,
Comrade Lucky Ogelegbanwei,
yesterday has announced
Comrade Joseph
Enieyekebi winner as the
chairman of MEINBUTUS
community in a keenly contested
peaceful, free and fair
election in Warri, Delta State.
Comrdae Ogelegbanwei,
said Eniyekebi pulled a
total vote of 25 votes to defeat
two other contestants, Comrade.
Amakiye Ekaye, who
pulled 16 votes and Comrade
Powede Egbele, 11 votes respectively.
He thanked the MEINBU-
TUS elders/ BoT, the police
and other stakeholders for
a peaceful, free and fair election.
In their various speeches,
leaders of MEINBUTUS
Amb. Godday Smith (aka
Bounanawei /King of the
forest), King Jerry, Amb. Dibi
Yinkore, High Chief Richard
Enarede and High Chief
Andabofa Opunama, expressed
joy for the peaceful
election and the successful
transition to another leadership
of MEINBUTUS for another
three years.
The elders council advised
the new leadership to work in
line with the MEINBUTUS
ordinance which has been followed
rigorously over the
years to move the Ijaw nation
forward.
In his acceptance speech,
Eniyekebi pledged to run an
open door policy and carry
everybody along, both other
aspirants who contested with
him. He said he is open to wise
counselling to promote the interest
of Ijaw/ Niger Delta in
an atmosphere of peace to attract
development to the Ijaw
nation.
receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them
which are sanctified by faith
that is in me”.
Note the “ turn from darkness
to light”. Sometimes, it
is not even these external forces
that have put us in one form
of bondage or another; we
have imprisoned ourselves
spiritually by our own actions
consciously or unconsciously.
Men and women who engage
in casual sex with people
outside marriage easily
get themselves spiritually imprisoned
by the forces of darkness
and only the power of
God can deliver such a person
who must also indicate
willingness to be delivered.
Colossians 1 vs. 12-14
shows us the way to total deliverance.
“ Giving thanks
unto the Father, which made
us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in
light: Who hath delivered us
from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the
Kingdom of his dear Son: In
whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the
forgiveness of sins:”
Clearly, this Bible passage
tells us about Jesus at whose
name every knee must bow.
For a woman reading this
article, you are fed up with
miscarriages and almost giving
up especially as every scientific
move you made has
failed.
Cry unto Jesus. Cry like
someone who is determined
to be set free and you will receive
an answer. Everyone will
see your testimony when it
arrives and rejoice with you.
low suit. Today
many organizations
are realizing the
need and importance
of the fine dining
experience to
measure your judge
of character and
managerial decision
abilities.
The whole idea is
to see how you conduct
yourself accordingly
among a
group of people.
How do you create
an impression that is
acceptable among
the people you are
with? Do you present
yourself in an approachable
manner
enough for others to
genuinely want to do
business or engage
in a relationship with
tractive.
How safe do you play when
you are out dining? Do you
use your imaginary fork or
would you use your hand? You
have just been served your favorite
traditional delicacy, to
enjoy the meal to its fullest instinctively
you want to ask to
wash your hands and get right
into the meal. Are you right to
use your hands or would you
request for a knife and fork
especially if you are in a formal
environment? Using
etiquette to your advantage
would mean don’t think twice,
you ought to use you fork of
course. Some others may argue
that no matter where, they
are going to divulge that meal
the way they know best; with
their hands. The real challenge
is not in the method of
how you complete that meal
but the desire not to embarrass
yourself from dripping
oils and other unforeseen circumstances
when you start
eating. The truth really is in
order to have a competitive
advantage; it is a case of assessing
your environment, the
people you are with, others in
your vicinity and the occurrence
of the day.
Do you know how to navigate
the tools of the table?
As a professional in the
course of your career and as
you climb up the corporate
ladder you may have many
opportunities to experience
fine dining. This is an important
area where you exhibit
your executive presence, your
interpersonal skills and your
ability to engage in good networking
skills. Maintain rapport
with those around you
and tap into building acquaintances
and future partnerships.
Navigating the tools of the
table is a skill that is learnt
over night if you are willing.
It is not to be taken for granted
when it matters most - because
at this point any form
of breach of etiquette can easily
tarnish your image.
Once again imagine an executive
dunking bread in his
soup at a formal gathering,
instantly that executive sabotages
his image negatively
and leaves an impression of
being unpolished. In such scenarios
the best thing is to watch
how others conduct themselves,
if it looks sensible folyou?
Simply put once you are
seated you will see an army of
cutlery on the table from
knives, forks to spoon.
Do you know the correct
tool to use from start to finish?
It does not matter whether
you are left handed; your knife
stays in your right hand while
your fork stays in your left
hand. Exceptions to this are
when you decide to dine the
Brethren, you cannot allow
darkness to dominate your
life.
It's Thessalonians 5 vs. 4&5
“ But ye, brethren, are not in
darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief. Ye are
all the children of light, and
the children of the day: we
are not of the night nor of darkness”.
Brethren, as a Christian, a
born again Christian, you are
a child of light. You do not
belong to darkness. Stop
weeping, stop lamentation,
stand up and claim your right
by establishing a better relationship
with Jesus.
The Holy Spirit admonishes
us in verse 6 of that chapter,
“Therefore let us not sleep, as
do others; but let us watch and
be sober”.
In other words, you need not
be asleep to the word of God.
Create time for God and he
will make what seems impossible
possible in your life.
I urge you to dedicate the
last three months of this year
to prayer and better communication
with God in thanksgiving
and praises.
By the grace of God, you will
receive that desire of your
heart from the Almighty God.
Don’t despair; you are dealing
with the Lord mighty in
battle. The Lord of Hosts is
his name.
No wonder the Psalmist
said, Psalm 27 vs. 1 “ The
LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear? The
LORD is the strength of my
life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Shalom!
American Style this is when
you switch your fork to the
right hand to eat but once
again to the left when you need
to cut your food. It still baffles
me when some people would
rather not pick up the knife
and settle for the use of fork
only. It is because it is easier
and more comfortable to use.
Does the formal environment
not bother them? Could it be
that they are just not bothered.
In the ideal situation your
small fork is used for salad
and the large fork for your
entrée while the smallest fork
is for your dessert. Under no
circumstance will you use
your hand during any of these
stages.
Your fork represents the major
dining tool supported by
the knife. Use your small knife
for starter, your big knife for
the main meal and the smallest
knife to butter your bread.
For a formal dining tutorial
and practicing this yourself,
let us create your Panache Advantage.
Cutleries can never
be forgotten or misplaced but
make the right judgment call
that is comfortable and acceptable.
Remember again the best of
a man’s polish or Panache is
in the way he dines. Use protocol
and etiquette to stand
out from the crowd.
Bon Appetite!
FUTGA management debunks report
alleging sale of adulterated petrol
The management of
FUTGA Petrol Sta
tion, in Otokutu, near
Warri, Delta State, has called
on the public and customers
to disregard the falsehood
and misleading reports by
mischief-makers accusing it
of selling adulterated petroleum
products to the public.
In a press statement issued
in Warri, Delta State, by the
Manager,Mr Mike Omosade,
and made available to
newsmen, the firm said " our
attention has been drawn to a
misleading report published
by an online medium, on 10th
of October, 2019, with the caption
" Outrage in Delta over
sale of adulterated petrol in
Warri filling station.
" As a responsible corporate
organisation, we have and
shall continue to serve the
public, our customers and
Nigerians satisfactorily,
therefore, it is morally right
to put the record straight that
at FUTGA Petrol Station, we
do our business in conformity
with the DPR existing laws and
best practices".
He said " some persons who
impersonated to be Policemen
and a woman, actually made
attempts to blackmail us by
falsely accusing us of selling
adulterated petrol with an intention
to iillegally extort
money from us, but, thanks to
the vigilance of the Nigeria
Police Warri Area Command
for prompt intervention and
arresting of the culprits who
presently have being charged
to the law court to account for
their activities ".
It stated further, " the Police,
DPR and relevant government
agencies are already
handling the matter. We are
responsible corporate organisation,
we have never sold
adulterated petrol and we
shall never do so, because it is
our corporate responsibility
to serve our customers and the
public better.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 35
EDITED BY
osaamadi@yahoo.com
08070524223
We achieved a lot in tourism, culture & creative sectors
—Lai Mohammed
Stories by Osa Amadi,
Arts Editor
Last week in Lagos, Alhaji
Lai Mohammed, Hon.
Minister of Information and Culture,
reviewed before the media his
ministry’s achievements and set
agenda for the next four years.
He began by dispelling what he
called “a misconception in certain
circles” that he had in the past four
years, paid more attention to the
Information sector than to Culture
and Tourism. “…but I can tell you
with evidence that we achieved a lot
in the Tourism and Culture Sector or
in the Creative.
“Within six months of assuming
office, we decided to invite all
stakeholders to a meeting tagged the
National Summit on Culture and
Tourism in April 2016 in Abuja with
a view to charting a new path for the
nation’s Creative Industry. At the end
of the summit, we set up an
Implementation Committee to carry
out the recommendations of the
summit. The review of our Tourism
Masterplan; resuscitation of the
Presidential Council on Tourism
(PCT) and the setting up of a Task
Force on the Creative Industry, are
some of the outcomes of the
summit.”
Sequel to the summit, the
ministry organized two other
meetings to fast-track the main
objective of transforming the
Creative Industry which the
minister has always described as
Nigeria’s ‘new oil’. Also a
Roundtable conference in Lagos
that provided stakeholders the
platform to engage in businessfocused
discussions was convened
to initiate and enable privatesector-led
growth and development
of the Industry, and later, a Creative
Industry Financing Conference to
articulate ways to source funding
for the Creative Industry.
“Gentlemen, both meetings paid
off handsomely,” the Minister
said. “After I led a team of
stakeholders to the Inspector-
General of Police, the force set up
anti-piracy units in all its 36
formations and the FCT, leading
to many joint raids and seizure of
pirated works with the National
Film and Video Censors Board. We
haven’t eradicated piracy, but we
•Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
Min of Information and Culture
have shown the political will to tackle
the menace.”
Another achievement of the
meetings, said the minister, is the
Creative Industry Financing
Initiative (CIFI) of the Central Bank
of Nigeria to improve access to longterm,
low-cost financing for
entrepreneurs and investors in the
Creative Industry and the
Information Technology Sectors
where between N3million and
N500million can be accessed for
movie production, distribution,
fashion, music, etc. The minister
said that happened after he led a
team of stakeholders to meet with
the CBN, upon the
recommendation of the Creative
Industry Financing Conference.
“Same applies to the granting of
the Pioneer Status by the Federal
Government to the Creative
Industry Sector to boost investment
in the sector. It was one of the
recommendations from the
Creative Industry Financing
Conference.”
Other achievements outlined by
the minister include signing of
MoUs with the Tony Elumelu
Foundation and the British Council;
clinching of the hosting right of the
61st UNWTO CAF Meeting; and
electing of Nigeria as Vice President,
Africa, at the 22nd General Assembly
of the organization in China.
As agenda for the next four years,
the minister said they have a plan to
launch the National Policy on
Culture and the National Policy on
Tourism; finalize work on the
Motion Picture Council of Nigeria
(MOPICON) Bill and submit it to
the Federal Executive Council. “The
plan,” said Lai Mohammed “is to
Bald is beautiful: Art exhibition for cancer patients
•“Nothing Can Determine My Joy 2” by Olasunkanmi Oyelusi
Bald is Beautiful, a group
exhibition of paintings and
mixed media, opened
yesterday, 12 October 2019, at
Alexis Galleries, Victoria Island,
Lagos.
Nine artists are participating
in the exhibition with three
works each. The artists are
Joseph Bidemi, Oluwole
Omofemi, Olasunkanmi
Oyelusi, Chukwumezie, Dada,
Olatunde, Babatunde,
Olayombo and Osanyemi.
Bald is Beautiful is a special
exhibition given to support and
create awareness about
cancer survivors and those still
battling with it.
Explaining the connection
between the exhibition theme
and cancer, Mrs. Patty Chidiac
Mastrogiannis, Founder &
Director of Alexis Galleries
said “Bald is Beautiful is our
way of saying your hair (which
some cancer patients lose as
a result of chemotherapy
treatment) does not define
you. We are hoping to do this
show every year. “
In line with what has
become a tradition of charity
with Alexis Galleries, a
portion of the proceeds from
Bald is Beautiful will be
donated to BRICON
Foundation, an NGO which
counsels, educates, assists
and advocates for cancer
patients and their families.
Some of the artworks being
showcased are “Warrior”,
“Inner Strength”, “Blossom”
by Babatunde; “Nothing can
determine my joy” 1,2,3 by
Olasunkanmi Oyelusi; “Hot
shot I am”, “I believe I will
dance again”, “Because heyday
is near” by Samuel Olayombo;
and “Not child’s play”, “Yes we
can”, and “Stronger together”
by David Olatunde.
Speaking
with
Vanguardduring the press
preview of Bald is Beautiful,
Abigail Simon-Hart, co-founder
of the BRICON Foundation and
cancer survivor said to breast
cancer patients who had, or
need to have hysterectomy (the
cutting off of the breasts to
prevent further spread of breast
cancer): “Not having breast or
hair does not make you less of
a woman. Whatever you need
to do to stay alive, do it. It is
women who are alive that take
care of children and the home.”
Abigail, who herself has had
create a proper regulatory
environment for the sub-sector that
has put Nigeria’s name on the global
map, thus attracting the muchneeded
investment to the sector.”
The ministry also plans to establish
the Endowment Fund for the Arts in
order to create a legal framework
for the financing of the sector; make
the National Summit for Culture
and Tourism (first held in 2016) an
annual event beginning from the first
quarter of 2020; and ensure a regular
meeting of the Presidential Council
on Tourism to catalyze the growth of
tourism.
Other outlooks for the ministry
include completion of work on the
establishment of Tourism Statistics
and Tourism Satellite Account,
working with the UNWTO;
Holding of a National Council on
Culture and Tourism in May next
year and annually thereafter;
organizing of a Regional Summit
on Culture and Tourism beginning
from next year, with a view to
working with other countries in the
West Africa sub-region to foster the
development of the sector; and
getting more sites in Nigeria
inscribed as UNESCO World
Heritage Sites.
hysterectomy said some
women would ask her what a
woman who has no breasts
would look like, and she
would tell them: “If you want
to know what a woman who
has had hysterectomy looks
like, look at me.”
Bald is Beautiful is sponsored
by Tiger, Pepsi, Indomie,
Mikano, Delta Airline,
Amarula, Nederburg, Cobranet
Internet Service Provider, Cool
FM, Wazobia TV, The
Guardian, Art Café and The
Homestores Limited.
Ola Alabi foundation empowering inmates
By Prisca Sam-Duru …from prisoners to thespians
The Independent Prisoners
Rehabilitation Organisation,
IPRO, an initiative of Ola
Alabi Foundation which began
three years ago from a passionate
desire to bring hope to inmates in
the country, is currently keying into
the Federal government’s
reformation in the Nigerian
prisons.
With the aim to give inmates a
new lease of life and second
chances, IPRO, in collaboration
with the Nigerian Correctional
Services, are working towards
redefining the criminal justice
system in the country with the
implementation and execution of
the program; “Theatre as a tool for
Rehabilitation”
Speaking during a press
conference held at the Ikoyi
Custodial Centre (formerly Ikoyi
Prisons), the Convener of IPRO and
Trustee of Ola Alabi Foundation, Mr
Ola Alabi disclosed that the
organisation is set for the induction
ceremony of the inmates of Ikoyi
Custodial Centre, as theatre artistes.
The inmates according to him, will
be staging a play titled “Blind Ears”
which promises to be a spectacular
performance. The event will take
place on the 19th of October, 2019,
at Ikoyi Prison premises.
On the scope of IPRO’s operation,
Alabi said, “We are fostering change
in the prison system, focusing on
rehabilitation and reintegration of
inmates, using theatre as a prerelease
and a re-entry program.”
The initiative he noted, “Began three
years ago in Ibadan where 32
inmates of Agodi Prison were
•From Right: Veteran actor, Jude Chukwuka; Sup. (Mrs) Olusola Ajikemi
Osibo; Founder/Trustee IPRO, Mr. Ola Alabi, PRO of Nigerian
Correctional Services, Lagos State Command, Sup. Rotimi Oladokun
and other IPRO members at the press conference in Lagos.
inducted as theatre artistes. There,
the inmates showcased talent and
dedication as they brought their
stories to life in a play. These
inmates were inducted and
certified into the world of theatre
and that was done by the former
Director-General of the National
Theatre, Professor Ahmed Yerima.”
The induction ceremony is a
celebration of the synergy between
the IPRO team and the Nigerian
Correctional Service, having so far
collaborated to see to the successful
execution of rehearsals and
lectures in the prison. “Our mission
is to bring liberty to the inmates by
providing mental freedom through
creative arts, character
development sessions and other
physiological activities embedded
in theatre. We use theatre and
drama as tools to challenge the
inmates to positive thinking and
also give them hope of a brighter
future, within the prison walls and
outside.”
By using all the elements of
theatre; drama, dance, storytelling,
set design, costumes, make up etc,
they see life differently, think
differently, and in the process of
engaging their creative minds and
thought process, they tell stories
which are forged into scripts and
then acted.” He explained.
Leveraging on its connections
within the theatre, film, and media
industries, IPRO helps the inmates
in expanding their network of
productivity by reintegrating them
into a diversified industry where they
can be free to express their acquired
skills when released. This is
followed by the organisation’s
Economic/Financial freedom
through post prison reintegration
program; counselling, micro startup
funding and financial
mentorship.

PAGE 36 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
•Basiru Yusuf
From Kano – Lagos – Slavery
By Bashir Bello
t was a scene which left many speechless
Ias 23 indigenes of Katsina and Zamfara
states, who fell prey to human traffickers, took
turns to narrate how they were tricked with
job offers but got sold into slavery for 70 days
in Burkina Faso.
The victims said they were assembled in
Funtua area of Katsina State where they were
promised jobs in Kano with good
remunerations, only to be transported from
Kano to Lagos and sold to a Beninoise lady in
Cotonou who took them into slavery in Gaoua,
Burkina Faso.
They said throughout their journey to
Burkina Faso, they were transported by road
by a member of the syndicate, a man identified
as Alhaji Usman; whom they met only once,
three days after arriving Burkina Faso.
The victims said they were subjected to the
digging of trenches for telecommunication
service providers, with neither
food nor pay as their wages were
handed over to Usman.
They said they lived miserable
lives which they would never wish
for their enemies.
We begged to feed
- Shuaibu
Yushau Shuaibu, who hails
from Bungudu Local
Government in Zamfara State,
said that during their stay, they
went into begging to feed.
“It was one Buhari residing in
our community in Zamfara that
facilitated our journey. We were
idle and jobless when they sent us
money for transport to Funtua,
with promises of well-paying jobs.
It was from Funtua that we
embarked on the journey to
Burkina Faso”, Shuaibu said.
“All through, we did not see
Usman until we got to Burkina
Faso; he sent his agents to take us
there. When we got to Cotonou,
we met a woman who conveyed us to Burkina
Faso. Usman came about three days later. At
that time, we had started working. After some
time, he told us he was going and would return
later. We finished the work and later had no
work to do. When Usman returned, he
collected our pay.
“We suffered there; we even went into
begging to feed and survive”.
We were promised jobs
in Kano only to end up
in Burkina Faso
- Yusuf
We suspected
foul play when
we were
starving and
his phones
were switched
off. He told us
he was coming
after 10 days
but he didn’t
show up
• How human trafficking
baron tricked, took us to
Burkina Faso — Returnees
to eat”.
Another indigene of
Zamfara State, Basiru
Yusuf, 22, said they were
promised jobs in Kano only
to find themselves in far
away Burkina Faso.
“I was called by some
friends I worked with in
Funtua, who told me about
a job one Usman got for us
in Kano”, he said.
“When we got to Kano,
they took us to Lagos and,
from there to Cotonou
where we were handed over
to a woman who took us to
Burkina Faso. We were told
there was a 70km work but
when we got there, the work
was not up to 1km. So, we
finished the job in two days.
After that, they kept
promising us another job
which wasn’t forthcoming.
Amid this, we had no food
We suspected foul
play - Aminu
Abdullahi Aminu, an indigene of Kwakware
village in Kankara local government area of
Katsina State, said they suspected foul play
after they tried to call Usman about their
predicament but his phone numbers were not
going through. The woman in whose care they
were did not also show any care about their
plight.
Aminu said Usman only paid each of them
N5, 000 once before he went into hiding.
“It was before the last Sallah celebration
when we were told there was a job and that we
would go do the job and return before Sallah.
One our way to Cotonou, we spent two days
on road without eating anything. On the third
day, Usman came. We were working without
being fed. At that point, we told him not to
betray us and he promised he wouldn’t. Three
weeks after, we were still doing the work. Since
the first time he came, I never set eyes on him”,
Aminu said.
“At the time we were about to leave, we were
told we were going there to work. They told us
it was the work of a telecommunication service
provider which involved the digging of 70km
trench. It turned out the work was just 1km
and we completed it. He didn’t pay us. We
spent about three months there. The woman
he took us to never told us anything. Whenever
we asked her about our pay, she would say
Usman had collected it and left.
“He indeed collected the money; there are
people who saw him collect money from the
woman in Cotonou. When he collected the
money, he promised to send it to our families
at home ahead of Sallah celebration. So when
he did the money to not send to them, we
confronted him that Sallah was here and we
did not make any arrangements for our
families before we left. He then sent to each of
us N5, 000; since then, we’ve not seen him. We
went without food for two weeks.
“We suspected foul play when we were
starving and his phones were switched off. He
told us he was coming after 10 days but he
didn’t show up. We waited patiently for two
weeks and then three weeks, until one month
passed. We met some people who didn’t
understand Hausa and whose language
we didn’t understand. Anytime the
woman we were with discovered we were
interacting with them, she would relocate
us to another place.
“The suffering became unbearable and
she was about to change our location
again when we insisted she must take us
to Hausa leaders in the community so
they would return us home. So we went to
the Hausa leader in the country, Danladi
(Sarkin Zango), who drew the attention
of the Nigerian Ambassador in Burkina
Faso.
“We were very happy with the
intervention. We took ill and had no access
to treatment.
“He (Usman) betrayed us because that
was not what we agreed. When he later
called, he apologised that he would send
N1million to us at the end of the month.
That he would bring a vehicle there to
take us home but that plan suffered a
setback due to the border closure”.
Help eventually came the way of the
victims when the Nigerian Embassy in
Burkina Faso notified the Katsina State
government about their plight.
The Special Adviser to the state
government, Muntari Lawal, whom the
Ambassador contacted, hinted that the
victims were tricked with illegal mining
work in Burkina Faso.
He said the Nigerian Ambassador to
Burkina Faso, Hajiya Ramatu Ahmad,
who contacted the state government, had
earlier facilitated the return of seven of
the 31 back home.
“Upon the directive of Governor Aminu
Bello Masari to expedite action, we were
able to return them home with the support
of the Immigration and Customs,” Lawal
said.
Briefing the governor after the trip back
home, Special Adviser on Drugs,
Narcotics and Trafficking, Alhaji Hamza
Brodo, said two persons from the 25
persons he was to bring back home
decided stay back out of fear.
In his remark while receiving the
victims, Masari, who vowed to arrest the
prime suspect behind the trafficking, said
the state will continue to liaise with
foreign missions to rescue other
Nigerians in similar situation.

By Sam Eyoboka
PEAKERS at the 6th public lecture of
SFoursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria
have bemoaned the poverty rate in the country,
calling on stakeholders especially the government
to tackle the menace headlong to
avoid imminent catastrophe.
The lecture titled; “Eradicating poverty in
Nigeria: The role of the Church, entrepreneur
and government,” had in attendance notable
personalities including General Overseer of
the church, Rev. Felix Meduoye, Chairman,
Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Rev.
Tunde Lemo; Chief Executive Officer, Coscharis
Limited, Dr. Cosmos Maduka, Chief
Executive Officer, Systemspecs Limited, Deacon
John Obaro and Chief Consultant, B.
Adedipe Associates Limited, Dr. Abiodun Adedipe
who was the keynote speaker.
Central to the speakers’ submission was the
need for the government, the people and the
Church to make concerted efforts in ensuring
total reduction of poverty in the society. This,
according to them, will ensure harmony and
peaceful co-existence vital for economic
growth.
Meduoye particularly noted that the lecture,
coming few days after Nigeria marked
her 59th independence anniversary, provided
ample opportunity to review our chequered
experience as a nation over the years—-both
under military and democratic dispensations,
saying not a few Nigerians believe that much
still need to be done in terms of fulfilling or
attaining our dreams of being a strong, viable,
united and prosperous entity where citi-
The Voice of the Lord
BISHOP WALE OKE
Contact Address:
The Sword of the Spirit Ministries,
The Garden of Victory,Old Ife Road,P.M.B 60,
Agodi-Ibadan,Oyo State
Telephones:
0813 128 4001, 08186991467
Email: ootpbsotsm@gmail.com
& info@sotsm.org
Website:www.sotsm.org
facebook.com/franciswaleoke
Twitter:@franciswaleoke
Instagram:@franciswaleoke
Your God is watching over you
sam.eyoboka@gmail.com
08023145567 (sms
Meduoye, Maduka, others task govt
on poverty alleviation
By Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu
ATHOLIC Archbishop of Benin, Most
CRev (Dr) Augustine Akubeze has
preached against distraction of Christians
through social media of Christians who he
said now found more comfort in using it for
worldly activities even while in the church.
Akubeze spoke during the dedication of a
new church building for the Assumption Catholic
Church, Ute Benin City and Marian Grotto
donated by a former Chief Whip of the Senate,
Sir Roland Owie and his wife, counseling
Christians particularly Catholic faithful to use
social media to boost their Christian lives.
Commending all those who made the
project positive, Akubeze said: “Many people
use the social media for their personal issues
even while in church whereas the same social
From left: General Overseer, Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev Felix Meduoye
and wife, Olubisi; General Overseer-elect, Rev Sam Aboyeji and wife, Olabisi; and Chief
Executive Officer, Coscharis Limited, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, during the church’s 6th public
lecture titled; “Eradicating poverty in Nigeria: The role of the church, entrepreneur and
government”, in Lagos.
zens will be able to explore and exploit opportunities
for personal and collective growth and
development.
The Church, according to him, has a part to
play in the process of nation building, saying
“enduring and prosperous societies are built
and sustained on the enthronement of some
values including patriotism, probity, integrity,
accountability and transparency.
Catholic archbishop tasks Christians on social media
...Owie donates Marian Grotto
He will not suffer thy foot to be
moved: he that keepeth thee
will not slumber. (Psalm
121:3).
Child of God, wherever you are, whatever
you are doing and whatever your
situation or circumstance, your God is
watching over you. He cares.
Many times, believers in Christ find
themselves in situations that make them
think that God does not care. Satan,
the enemy of our souls even tries to
capitalize on what we go through to
make us think that God has forgotten
us. But “can a woman forget her sucking
child, that she should not have compassion
on the son of her womb? Yea,
they may forget, yet will I not forget
thee says the Lord. Behold, I have graven
thee upon the palms of my hands;
thy walls are continually before me,”
media gives you all you need to serve God. If
you want to pray and worship God, the same
social medial makes provision for these. It
should be used to serve God, rather than worldly
activities.”
In his address, the parish priest, Rev. Fr.
Emmanuel Chuks Ogbolu commended his
predecessors and other foundation members
of the church who, he said, were the brain behind
the edifice.
Speaking on the donation of the Grotto, Sir
Owie said he has vowed to donate one grotto
every year of his life, adding the grotto which
has Mary, the mother of Jesus in it was like
the moon which people could easily set their
eyes on without being hurt.
He told Sunday Vanguard that “when new
moon appears, the Edos will take sand and
throw to the moon with these words; ‘uki, nebo
n’igbaghon, mien evbakhue, nu ya kwue ovbu
says your God (Isaiah 49:15-
16). Beloved, your God knows
what you are going through,
He sees your pains, and He
is watching over you in His
love.
Whatever you are going
through now is by the permission
of God. He might not
have caused it, but nothing
ever happens without His permission.
He will work it together
for your good and for
His glory. And if you will call
upon Him now, He will deliver
you, and you will glorify
His name.
And call upon me in the day
of trouble: I will deliver thee,
and thou shalt glorify me
(Psalm 50:15).
•PASTOR IGHODALO
SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 37
as a country”.
Maduka decried the huge number of people
(90 million) said to be living in extreme
poverty (according to statistics from Brooking
Institute, World Data Lab’s Poverty Clock)
and the ranking of the country by the 2019
global multidimensional poverty index as
among the poorest in the world.
“Around June 2018, Nigeria was said to have
overtaken India as the country with the largest
number of people living in extreme poverty
in the world. This is indeed worrisome and
calls for great concern.
“The effect of this negative posture of the
country is seen in the spate of armed banditry,
insecurity, protests, violence, ritual killings,
insurgency, kidnappings and other nefarious
acts pillaging our land”, he said.
He noted that as the largest black population
in the world, purportedly giant of Africa
and endowed with enormous human and
material resources, we cannot afford to remain
a laughing stock in the comity of nations
moreso that these resources largely remain
unharnessed and mismanaged.
“Our understanding as a church is that all
hands must be on the deck as we proffer this
tripod response to addressing the serious issue
of poverty confronting the land,” he said.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Abiodun Adedipe, described
as worrisome that six Nigerians become
poor every minute even as unemployment
is rising significantly yearly, advocating
solid education as well as creation of jobs
as effective antidote to poverty in the country.
Corroborating the submissions, Maduka
and Lemo called for decentralization of power,
a system that reduces the power of the centre
and allows each state or region to develop
its resources for the betterment of their people.
“If we are to survive as a people and as a
nation, we must be seen (individually and collectively)
to be pursuing and promoting these
ideals in every fabric of our life,” Maduka stated
Ḣe said the theme of the lecture was germane
“as it represents what we as a church
think should be the approach to confronting
the myriad of challenges staring us in the face
ne ogbeide." That is "take soap to bath your
son, the king of the kingdom that has no end."
“Yes, in the beginning God placed in the heavens,
two lights: the greater lights and the lesser;
the greater to lighten and govern the day,
while the lesser to lighten and govern the night.
(Genesis 1:16)
“When the moon comes up, everybody can
look at it but nobody can stare at the sun with
the eyes. Since I found Mary about 30 years
ago, it has been wonderful. She has been a
comforter of my life and my entire living. Mary
was created to help, restore and bring to fruition
the original plan of God for human race.
“For these past 30 years, Mary has been
wonderful in my life, I see her daily. I see every
time in my life and she has never failed in my
life and so Grotto which is where she stays, is
my ambition to build a minimum of one Grotto
per year as long as I leave,” Owie stated.
*Ituah Ighodalo is
the Senior Pastor,
Trinity House, Trinity
Avenue, Off Ligali
Ayorinde Street,
Victoria Island,
Lagos.
+234-808-895-6162
info@trinityhouseng.org
Who is the faithful and
limitless God?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this
is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Mat
thew 19:26 KJV
What does it mean to be faithful? To be steadfast in affection.
Our God is faithful. The theme of our celebration this year is the
faithful and limitless God. The covenant keeping God. Deuteronomy
7:9
God does not break His covenant.
God made a covenant with Noah and till date this covenant
has not ceased. While the earth remaineth, seed time and
harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day
and night shall not cease. Genesis 8:22 KJV. He made a covenant
with David and till date that covenant still stands firm
through Christ who is called the son of David, He who rules over
the whole universe.
All the crisis on earth, all the incidents in every region of the
world; there is one King over all that can keep us through it all.
His name is Jesus.
Our God is faithful in making a way for His people. There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:
but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make
a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinth
10:13. God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted
above that which we can bear but He will make a way of escape
for you.
Live simple lives, pastor
charges Nigerian youths
By Michael Eboh
ENIOR Pastor of Living Impact Chris
Stian Centre, Abuja, Pastor Wale Olasoji
has admonished Nigerian youths to embrace
humility in all areas of their lives.
Olasoji, who was speaking at a programme
organized by the church, called on all and
sundry, especially the youth, to strive to live a
happy life devoid of pressure.
He said: “Nigerian youths can be simple
and still be classy. Societal ills are enormous
and a lot of people are under unnecessary
pressure to please people.”
He attributed fake and deceitful lives on
social media to those that have given in to the
pressure to belong. For example, a guy on
Facebook claims to live in London when you
know he lives in Lagos. Why does he have to
lie?
“You could also find in someone’s bio online
that they attended Imperial College but
you know that he is still struggling to gain
admission into a university. A lot of people
online claim to own what they do not have.
They take pictures with cars they do not own
and claim it is theirs. This trend of fake lifestyle
is sad.
“My message to everyone is to please be
simple. Never live to impress others. Everyone
will accept you for who you are,” he cautioned.
God is faithful to establish you, in life, in
your business, in your health, in your future.
He alone can fill up that which is missing in
your life. A lot of us are empty inside and we
seek that thing or person that can fill us up.
We are held down by fear, anxiety, pain, failure,
lack; if we are experiencing any of these
know this that God is faithful to make a way
of escape for you and to establish you.
So many times we seek to end it all; people
look at you and think that you are living the
life they desire, but let us know that God is
faithful and He is ready to save you from it
all. Why? Our God is faithful to save.
In like manner, never for one day will God
shut His doors to you. His doors are always
open and He is ready to welcome you. There
is never and will never be a day that God will
not be faithful to mankind.
Our God is limitless. He is without boundary,
without limit, with nothing and no one to
hold him down. Our God is limitless in salvation.
He is ready to save everyone and anyone
who comes to Him for help and salvation.
With God all things are possible Matthew 19:
26 KJV.
God gives hope to those who are without
hope. He restores life, homes, businesses.
God is limitless in miracles. God will work
out a miracle for everyone that seeks Him.
God is limitless in prosperity and blessing.
To experience God’s faithfulness and limitless
power, He wants something from us. What
does God want us to do?
1. Give your life to Him
2. Trust him
3. Believe Him
4. God is waiting for you to surrender to
Him
If you are reading this today and there is a
limitation in your life or you feel that God has
not been faithful in your life, business, family,
home; Be encouraged. Talk to God today;
open the door of your heart to Him, to Jesus;
let God, the faithful and limitless God, enter
in and cause a turnaround in your life.

PAGE 38 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Extraordinary wonder of His returning
glory (2)
By Pastor William Kumuyi
therwise, the absence of the glo
Ory of God will prime the suffering
to continue and into reaching such
a deafening alarming rate that you
would not be able to curtail, which
would eventually swallow you up.
Ezekiel 16:49-50 "Behold, this was •Kumuyi
the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride,
fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in
her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor
and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination
before me: therefore, I took them away as I saw good."
As you look at your life, instead of you to get nearer and
nearer unto God, because you have sold yourself into doing
evil, you find yourself becoming closer to the devil by your
behaviour, language, dressing, profession and proclivity.
That is the reason the problem persists because instead of
repenting you rejoice in evil, wickedness and violence. But if
you desire to turn from your wicked ways, and the moment you
also understand that hypocrisy and pride are sin, God will
redeem you.
2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, which are called by my
name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Pay attention. If you are living in fornication, you are not
going to receive the blessings of God. If you are living in adultery,
the goodness of God will be far away from you. If you are
promoting pornography, the problems of life will not bypass
you. If you are gambling your life away in Ponzi scam, lotto
and football betting, then you have decided to gamble it in the
treacherous hand of the devil and you will lose the presence of
God.
You need to get out of that sin insane situation you have
found yourself and anything whatsoever that would draw the
wrath and judgment of God upon your life should be ejected
and rejected at all cost. And as you come to God, you will
experience extraordinary wonder in your life and family.
For it to happen, stealing must have to stop in your life. And
because you do not need bribery and corruption any more, the
twin evil also must have to stop playing any role in your life. Of
course, the flagship weapon of the devil, immorality of all
sorts, the bane culprits of our modern society, must be exterminated
from your life. It is only then can you discover the glory of
God.
God wants you to draw nearer to Him so that iniquity does
not become your ruin and this can happen when you cut all
known ties with the devil the father of sin who has been stockpiling
ill-fated situational problems for you and your family.
The Gospel, the power of God unto
salvation
Rev. Emmanuel Awazie
*Assemblies of God Church Nigeria,
111 Clegg Street, Surulere,
Lagos.
HE claims of the Scripture are incontrovertible and faith
Tinspiring. The efficacy of the truth in the Scriptures can
only be proven by the total acceptance and conformity with its
provisions. The Word will work wonders in response to each
person’s disposition towards it "...If any man desires to do His
will (God's pleasure), he will know..." John 7:17 (Amp).
There must be the willingness in the heart to believe God's
testimony about His plans, as revealed in the Bible, for there to
be a personal experience. The Bible validates itself and all who
have learned to believe it are able to prove its veracity, authenticity
and finality. This is why it is the only guide for victorious
living and the light for humanity in this squalid and dark universe
"...You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp
shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place,...." II Peter 1:19.
Damnation and failure in any area of life can be traced to
human heedlessness to the dictates of Scripture in the very
particular.
The whole truth about the wholesome potency of the gospel
of Christ as enunciated in the Bible can be captured in the high
spirited and enthusiastic declaration of the Apostle Paul "...It's
news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message
of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him,...."
(Romans 1:16).
Who could have imagined that this one time opponent of the
gospel and adversary of the Church would become an ally and
the strongest proponent of the same. The only explanation for
this dramatic turnaround can only be found in the positive
power of faith in the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ
on the Cross. "...our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be
revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to
cleanse us, and to make us his very own people,...." (Titus 2:13-
14 (NLT).
The gospel, therefore gives access into privileges in God, which
no man can reach other than through Jesus Christ "...There is
salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under
heaven by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 (NLT).
The truth needs be restated ceaselessly that the human race is
for Redemption and not renaissance; sin is at the root of the
race as it is presently. The issue is that Satan, has alienated the
human race and is holding it captive. The state of the present
world is very precarious; if what we mean by renaissance is
revival or resurgence, then what we are asking for by way of
renaissance is the resurgence of what is already in the world:
the resurgence of wickedness because “...The whole world lieth
in wickedness....” (I John 5:19). The media is inundated with
unbelievable acts: Child pregnancy, incestuous relationships
of unimaginable proportion. The human life has lost its value,
as those of cows are preferred.
There is no other power in heaven or on earth that can expiate
or put right the state in which humanity is other than the
precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
The good news, therefore, is that at the fullness of time, God
stepped in, in Jesus Christ; He took the whole Earth’s sin in
Himself and put it away, forever (Titus 2:14) "...But now, once
for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age* to remove sin
by his own death as a sacrifice." (Hebrew 9:26). That is the
Gospel that "God so loved the world, that He gave His Only
Begotten Son…" (John 3:16).
Faith in the Redemptive names of God (16)
Jehovah-Mekaddishkem
(The Lord our sanctifier)
Text: Exodus 31:12
Introduction
n Exodus 31:12-13, 16-17,
IGod instructs the children
of Israel concerning the Sabbath
day and the significance
of sanctifying or setting apart
a day of rest and worship.
"Speak also to the children
of Israel, saying, 'Most assuredly
you shall keep my Sabbaths:
for it is a sign between
Me and you throughout your
generations; that you may
know that I am Yahweh who
sanctifies you [YHWH-
M'Kaddesh].'" (WEB)
The word "m'kaddesh" derives
from the Hebrew word
"qâdash" or "kadosh" and is
translated in English to "sanctify",
"holy", "dedicate", "consecrate",
"sanctuary", or "hallow"
— but primarily by the word
"holy", as in "the Holy
[M'Kaddesh] One". "Sanctify"
means "to set apart an object
or person to the dedication of
the holy".
The word "m'kaddesh" first
appears in Genesis 2:3a when
God sanctified the Sabbath:
"God blessed the seventh day
and separated it as holy
[m'kaddesh]..
YHWH our God is holy!
I Samuel 2:2: "There is none
holy [m'kaddesh] as Yahweh;
IN the sight of God, the most
important arms of any civil
government, are the higher
powers which are the magistrates
and judges, hence every
soul is commanded to be subject
to all magistrates and
judges, because they are ordained
of God.
Romans 13:1: “Let every
soul be subject to the higher
powers. For there is no power
but of God. The powers that
be are ordained of God.”
Therefore magistrates and
judges are God’s servants or
ministers, who are given the
sword of judgment to execute
judgment in the land and ensure
law and order in the society.
Wherefore God commands
all men and the government
in power, to obey the
order of all magistrates and
judges. (Romans 13:4-5).
If any government, or a citizen
of a country, most especially,
if any believer in Christ,
resists any magistrate or judge
by refusing to obey their order,
such a government or person
is resisting God’s ordinance,
and shall receive God’s
damnation. Romans 13-2:
Philippines 3: 9-13
“Brethren, I count not myself
to have apprehended; but this
one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, and
reaching forth unto those things
which are before. I press toward
the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ
Jesus”. Phil 3:13-14
orward means moving
Ftowards a place or a position
that is in front. Focus is
to give attention to a particular
subject, situation or person.
Forward focus is therefore
taking steps to advance in a
particular mission without
looking back or sideways. Forward
focus in this dispensation
is the key to triumph. The opposite
of forward focus is backwardness,
failure. Apostle Paul
• J.K. Akinola. (Senior Pastor)
For there is none besides You,
Neither is there any rock like
our God." (WEB)
The most fundamental of all
the attributes of YHWH is His
holiness which an old Scottish
divine writes: 'It is the balance
. . . of all the attributes of Deity.
Power without holiness would
degenerate into cruelty; omniscience
without holiness
would become craft; justice
without holiness would degenerate
into revenge; and goodness
without holiness would be
passionate and intemperate
fondness doing mischief rather
than accomplishing good.'
It is this holiness which gives
to God grandeur and majesty,
and more than anything else
constitutes His fullness and
perfection.'"
YHWH our God is holy! All
the Law and the miraculous
events that followed on Mt.
Sinai and in the wilderness
Forward focus: Key to triumph (1)
was a man that would never
look backward; he was forward
focused all the time. Paul
said that one thing in his life is
forgetting the past and moving
forward, looking towards
tomorrow or things of the future.
(Phil 3:13&14) David in
Ps 27:4 said “One thing have
I desired of the LORD, that
will I seek after; that I may
dwell in the house of the
LORD all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the
LORD, and to enquire in His
temple.”
One thing that is paramount
in triumphing is being
able to put behind the past and
remain focused on the future.
What happened yesterday belonged
to the past, what is
important is the expectation
inherent in tomorrow. Jesus in
were intended to indelibly impress
upon Israel the truth of
the holiness of their God.
When God tells us, "You shall
be holy [m'kaddesh]; for I Yahweh
your God am holy
[m'kaddesh] (Leviticus 19:2)
or "I am Yahweh who sanctifies
[m'kaddesh] you" (Exodus
31:13, Leviticus 20:8), as people
inevitably become like the
god(s) they serve, it follows
then that the Holy God would
require holiness in His people.
As Nathan Stone wrote:
"A God separate from all that
is evil, too pure to behold evil,
the very antithesis of all evil,
requires that the people He
chooses be also separate from
all evil and separated to the
purpose for which He chose
them."
The purposes of setting
apart or making holy
In its different translations,
the word "m'kaddesh" appears
about 685 times in the Old
Testament. Whatever seeming
differences the various words
may suggest, the primary idea
of separating or setting apart
is common to them all. It is
used to...
(i) set apart specific days for
worship, rest, or celebration:
Exodus 20:8,11 Numbers
29:12, Exodus 12:16, 31:15,
35:2; Numbers 28:18,25-26,
29:1,7,12.
(ii) emphasize the difference
between the Holy God of the
Bible and the many detestable
pagan deities: Ezekiel 36:23
—Isaiah 29:23
(iii) set aside certain articles
for service to YHWH: II Samuel
8:11, Exodus 40:9, Exodus
28:2 & 4; Zechariah
14:21.
(iiii) set apart individuals or
even an entire nation: Exodus
19:6a, Exodus 32:29. Exodus
13:2, 28:36; Deuteronomy
7:6; Jeremiah 1:5.
(v) designate a particular
place as holy: Exodus 25:8,
Zechariah 8:3, Leviticus
10:13; Joel 3:17; Obadiah
1:17.
What a great privilege to
belong to this Holy God, and
also to be impacted upon by
His holiness. In the next episode,
we shall see how the Lord
Jesus Christ carries this Name,
and became not just our Saviour,
but also our Sanctifier.
Surrender your life to Him
today, and He will surely
cleanse and make you holy
unto God. He is our Jehovah-
Mekaddishkem.
^The Gospel Faith Mission International, Living
Word Cathedral, Oluyole Estate, beside Total Petrol
Station, off Ring Road, Ibadan. (Telephone :
08033376660, 08055405095)
The supremacy of the Judiciary is ordained by God
By CGC, Benin
“Whoever therefore resisteth
the power, resisteth the ordinance
of God: and they that
resist, shall receive to themselves
damnation.”
Judges and magistrates, on
their own part, must take heed
what they do, for they judge not
for man but for the Lord Who
is with them in that judgment.
And so, they must not judge
because of the fear of man or
because of the fear of the government
in power, but they
must judge with the fear of God,
Who made them higher powers.
They must let the fear of
the Lord be their guide in giving
our judgment. For the judgments
of God, Who ordained
them, are true and righteous.
And God is no respecter of persons,
neither does He take gifts
or bribes, neither is He influenced
by anyone. (II Chronicles
19:6-7).
Therefore, as ministers of
God, magistrates and judges
should not be partial in their
judgments, with regard to respect
of persons, or any government
in power, neither must
they take gifts to pervert justice,
otherwise they shall become
judges or magistrates of
evil thoughts and thereby incur
the wrath of God. (James
By Pastor G.C. Osuigbo
CAC Madaiyese Regional Headquaters
Plot 701/702 Durumi District
P.O. BOX 2577
Garki, Abuja.
Contacts us on: 08155555048, like us on
facebook @cacdurumi
2:4).
The role of a true church in
any civil government, is to
preach to the congregation,
salvation from sin, so that they
may abstain from evil. Spiritual
leaders of true churches
are also servants chosen by
God, whom God has given
divine authority to discipline
those who commit sin in their
various churches, by ex-communicating
them from the
church, if peradventure, it may
lead to their repentance.
That is why the saints of God
are warned by the Spirit of
God, not to sue one another to
a law court, but that they must
judge matters amongst themselves.
I Corinthians 6:1-3:
“Dare any of you, having a
matter against another, go to
law before the unjust and not
before the saints? Do ye not
know that the saints shall
judge the world? And if the
world shall be judged by you,
are ye not worthy to judge the
smallest matters? Know ye not
that we shall judge angels?
How much more things that
pertain to this life?”
The role of the true church is
also to ensure that there is
peace in the nation, as they
pray fervently and ceaselessly
for the nation. (II Chronicles
7:14). Every true church must
also pray, so that the Lord God,
who rules in the affairs of men,
will put the right people, in
positions of authority, who
shall rule with the fear of God,
that the people may rejoice
rather than mourn, because of
oppression. (Proverbs 29:2;
Ecclesiastes 4:1). God is depending
on the true church to
wake up from her spiritual
slumber, and pray for the peace
and security of the nation because
it is only Jesus that can
ensure the peace of any nation,
because He is the Prince of
Peace!
CHRISTIAN GOSPEL CHURCH
(The Truth Centre) 4, Christian Gospel Avenue,
Beside Psychiatric Hospital,
Uselu, Benin City, Edo State.
Email: cgc.com.ng@gmail.com
Telephone: +234 (0) 7052061135, +234 (0)
9030731406. Website: www.cgc.com.ng
Luke 10:28-31 emphasized
the focus on the future, particularly
the disposition of Mary
to His teaching, when He said
“Martha, Martha, thou art
careful and troubled about
many things. But one thing is
needful: and Mary hath chosen
that good part; which
shall not be taken away from
her.” While Martha was preparing
food for the body, her
sister Mary was at the feet of
Jesus learning for the preservation
of her soul in eternity.
Also a certain rich young
man in Mark 10:17-22 came
to Jesus and enquired about
what was expected of him to
be a candidate of heaven. Jesus
told him to sell all he had and
follow Him. Because the man
valued material things, the
Bible recorded that he went
away sorrowfully for he held
on to the past.
FAILURE TO BE FOR-
WARD FOCUSED:
The failure to be forward focused
includes death, calamity,
stagnation etc. This was illustrated
in 1 Kings 13:1-25.
In those verses, the Bible recorded
the story of a man of
God, whom God sent to warn
king Jeroboam who offered a
sacrifice that he was not supposed
to offer. Specifically,
God told him what to do to
neither eat nor drink at the
place and on the completion
of his assignment, to follow
another road on his way back.
The man went and in the ensuing
encounter, king Jeroboam’s
hand withered. Jeroboam
pleaded with him to
pray to the Lord for the restoration
of his hand. He did and
the king’s hand was restored.
King Jeroboam pleaded with
him to tarry a little for him to
be rewarded for the good he
had done. He refused and
went his way in obedience to
the voice of God. As he departed
in another way, an old
prophet from Bethel met him
where he tarried and invited
him to table for bread.
Against God’s instruction, the
man of God went back. As he
ate and drank, the word of
God came through the old
Prophet saying “….Forasmuch
as thou hast disobeyed
the mouth of the Lord ……..
But camest back, and hast
eaten bread and drunk water
in the place, of which the
Lord did say to thee, eat no
bread, and drink no water, thy
carcass shall not come unto
the sepulcher of thy father”.
(1 Kings 13: 21b & 22) On his
way back to Judah; he was
killed by a lion and his carcass
was left by the road side.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019, PAGE 39
A
Nigerian foot
baller signed a lu
crative contract to
join Monaco Football Club.
Flush with his newfound
wealth, he bought a ticket
from Monaco to Istanbul, in
order to get a haircut from a
famous barber. Thereafter, he
flew back to Monaco.
When I read this, I became
concerned for the poor man.
My concern is because the
man has been deceived into
believing that he is now a rich
man. However, money does
not make any man rich. On
the contrary, money has a
tendency to bring people into
poverty. The richest people
in the world often turn out to
be the poorest people in the
kingdom of God.
Therefore, James says: “Listen
to me, dear brothers and
sisters. Hasn't God chosen the
poor in this world to be rich
in faith? Aren't they the ones
who will inherit the Kingdom
he promised to those who love
him?” (James 2:5).
Money is not a currency of
the kingdom of God. The currency
of the kingdom is righteousness.
Accordingly, God
does not bless with money. But
true riches only come from
the blessing of God. (Proverbs
10:22).
Deceitful money
Jesus calls money “unrighteous
mammon.” (Luke
16:9). This means money is
fundamentally ungodly. He
also says earthly riches are deceitful.
(Matthew 13:22).
They promise what they cannot
deliver. They promise
prosperity but impoverish the
soul. (Matthew 16:26).
Solomon, the richest man
Preparing for that yoke to
be broken
The deceitfulness of riches
that ever lived, provides this
indictment on riches: “Those
who love money will never
have enough. How meaningless
to think that wealth
brings true happiness! The
more you have, the more people
come to help you spend
it. So what good is wealthexcept
perhaps to watch it slip
through your fingers! People
who work hard sleep well,
whether they eat little or
much. But the rich seldom get
a good night's sleep.” (Ecclesiastes
5:10-12).
Money is not of God. Indeed,
it is an idol; the very antithesis
of God. Money rules
over men, ensuring that it
competes with God for human
allegiance. Therefore,
faith in Christ compels a disdain
for money. Jesus insists:
“No one can serve two masters.
For either he will hate
the one and love the other, or
else he will hold to the one
and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and money.”
(Matthew 6:24).
Jesus’ position is that we
are required to love God
“with all our heart.” (Matthew
22:37). If our heart is
set on worldly riches, we cannot
at the same time have
God as our heart’s desire. It
is God, and not earthly riches,
that must be “the Desire of
All Nations” (Haggai 2:7).
Therefore, Jesus warns:
ISAIAH 10:27 says: “And
it shall come to pass in
that day, that his burden
shall be taken away from off
thy shoulder, and his yoke
from off thy neck, and the yoke
shall be destroyed because of
the anointing.”
The Scripture predicted a
day of freedom from all bondage,
a day in which burden
shall be taken away from every
child of God, a day of special
visitation by God Almighty.
Beloved, comes next
weekend is that foretold day
when God is set to free us from
all bondage of sin and its
punishment.
It is the will of God that all
shall be free from any entanglement
and comes this weekend
in this special program
titled, ‘That yoke must break’
I am assuring you that all yoke
must break. If your situation
has defied all known solution
then I want to assure you that
the time to favour Zion has
come, the time for your freedom
has come, for God has
determined to break everything
that stands against your
progress in Life.
If you are experiencing abject
poverty, failure, sicknesses
and diseases that defied
solution, I want you to know
that they are indication that
you are under the yoke of demonic
powers. If your case is
like that I am assuring you
that God has set out a special
program to bring you out
from sorrow into His glorious
liberty where disappointment,
grief and mourning
that have dominated your
mindset will become a story
of the past.
Indeed, it will surely happen
because there will be a
divine visitation and God will
speak to your situation and
there shall be transformation
and through the visitation
yokes shall be broken; diseases
shall be cured, sicknesses
shall be healed and the afflicted
shall be delivered.
This weekend is God's set
time to loose you from all
bondage.
Now having gotten the
knowledge of this outstanding
visitation, what then shall
be your preparation?
Amos 4:12 says: “Therefore
thus will I do unto thee,
O Israel: and because I will
do this unto thee, prepare to
meet thy God, O Israel”
We are instructed to prepare
for this visitation because our
God, the King of kings is
coming to have our yoke
broken. And if that is the case,
Faith in Christ
compels a
disdain for
money
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures
on earth, where moth and
rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys
and where thieves do not
break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will
be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21).
what then shall be
our preparation?
Our preparation
shall be such that
will make Him
give us attention at
His coming.
Habakuk 1:13
says: “Thou art of
purer eyes than to
behold evil, and
canst not look on
iniquity: wherefore
lookest thou upon
them that deal treacherously,
and holdest thy tongue when
the wicked devoureth the man
that is more righteous than
he?”
The eyes of the Lord is too
holy to behold sin because it is
contrary to His nature, offensive
to His will and unacceptable
to all He stands for which
is Holiness and purity. Therefore
courtesy demanded that
in our preparation we must
conform to His nature in order
to allow His eyes behold
us. God has the nature of holiness
void of all pollution. Both
in His essence, and in all His
laws, which are holy and just
and good. And as God is holy,
so must we be in order to meet
His approbation and enjoy
His presence. We must separate
from all defilement, and
entirely be consecrated to Him
and obedient to all His laws.
I Peter 1:15-16 says: “But as
he which hath called you is
holy, so be ye holy in all manner
of conversation; Because
it is written, Be ye holy; for I
am holy.”
To receive from God in this
His coming, we must put on
the garment of holiness within
and without, and above all,
we must let others know of His
coming. These we ought to do
now that God has remembered
us and has promised to
visit and break our yoke. For
we are very sure His visit will
change our lives and make us
better, because when He
comes into a situation, all yoke
must break.
Heirs of God
God is interested in who we are
and not what we have. He says “I
am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14). He
does not say “I am what I have.”
This life is not about ownership; it
is about stewardship. Worldly possessions
are the believer’s stewardship.
We are managers of our finances,
without the burden of
ownership.
In the Day of Judgment, God will
require us to account for how we
spent the money that came into
our hands. Did we use it to secure
our temporal “future” here on
earth, or to safeguard our eternal
future in heaven? Therefore, Jesus
asks: “If you have not been faithful
in the unrighteous
money, who will commit
to your trust the true riches?
And if you have not
been faithful in what is
another man's, who will
give you what is your
own?” (Luke 16:11-12).
What then belongs to
us? “The LORD is (our)
portion.” (Lamentations
3:24). When a man
sought Jesus’ help to secure
his inheritance,
which was being monopolized
by his brother,
he replied: “Take heed
and beware of covetousness,
for one's life does
not consist in the abundance
of the things he
possesses.” (Luke 12:15).
But how could the man
have been guilty of covetousness
when all he
wanted was his portion
of his inheritance? The
man failed to understand
that we are not
heirs of men. We are:
“heirs of God and jointheirs
with Christ.” (Romans
8:17). He was
guilty of insisting on
what belongs to another
man, while neglecting
what is rightfully his portion
in God.
According to Jesus,
money belongs to Caesar,
which is why his image
and inscription is on
By Pastor
Oloruntimilehin
Joshua Daramola
IS it proper or impor
tant to bow our heads
for God? It is very important
to bow our heads in
course of serving or worshipping
God. Our head is
our creator. Who is our creator?
Our God is our creator.
A creator is a person
that make or invent or fabricate
something. So God
that made man is a creator
of man. The regard of our
head as our creator is borne
out the arrangement of the
parts of the human body in
a manner that the head is
placed on the body. Many
of the actions and activities
are from the head. This is
because the head has the
neck, eyes for vision, the
mouth for talking, eating
and drinking, the ear for
hearing, the nose for
breathing and the brain for
sensing and reasoning. In
fact the head facilitate the
living of man. In Yoruba
perspective, head is regarded
as Eleda(Creator). In
view of the above, I strongly
believe that all existing
religion, Christianity, Islam
and African religion
are the same. What African
religion requires is to remove
completely two
things in their mode of
worship. Jesus Christ and
Prophet Mohammed were
created white men while
African man was created as
black. Africans had their
religion before the coming
of Europeans into African
it. He says: “Render therefore
to Caesar the things that
are Caesar's, and to God the
things that are God's.” (Matthew
22:21).
What then belongs to God?
God’s image is on man, so
man belongs to God. Man is
created in the image and likeness
of God. Therefore, we
should give and dedicate ourselves
to the Lord; while money
should be given and dedicated
to “Caesar.”
False riches
The riches of this world belong
to the wicked. The
psalmist declares: “Behold,
these are the ungodly, who
prosper in the world; they increase
in riches.” (Psalm
73:12). The wicked prefer the
temporal to the eternal.
Therefore, God is content to
make this vainglorious world
their inheritance. Thus, David
talks of “men of the world
who have their portion in this
life.” (Psalm 17:14).
It is not surprising then that
God’s judgment is often proclaimed
on those who handle
money. (Zephaniah 1:11).
Rich men who are not prepared
to give away their
wealth to the poor cannot
enter into the kingdom of
heaven and become heirs of
God. Instead of amassing
earthly riches, Jesus counsels
that we should endeavour to
Bowing head for God is part of
your worship
•Daramola
continent. Jesus and Mohammed
propagated that
people should not bow their
heads for idols and worship
them but God. Jesus further
stressed that his coming was
not to destroy what had
been established before his
coming but to fulfill them.
The Bible says in Matthew
5:17-18 “….I have not come
to abolished them but to fulfill
them. For truly I tell you,
until heaven and earth disappear
not the smallest letter,
or the least stroke of a
pen, will by any means disappear
from the Law until
everything is accomplished”.
In furtherance,
Jesus Christ emphasis the
issue of bowing our heads
only for God in the course
of his temptation Matthew
4:8 “Again the devil took
him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and
their splendor. All this I will
give you if you will bow
down and worship me. Jesus
said to him, away from me
Satan for it is written worship
the Lord your God and
be rich towards God. (Luke
12:16-21).
What money buys is not of
God, and that which is of God
cannot be bought with money.
(Acts 8:20). The blessing
of the LORD makes rich, and
he adds no sorrow with it.”
(Proverbs 10:22). But money
adds sorrow for the simple
reason that it fails. Money
failed in Egypt and in
Canaan. (Genesis 47:15).
Sooner than later, money
grows wings and flies away
like an eagle towards heaven.
(Proverbs 23:5).
Wisdom of God
This is what I have learnt at
the feet of the Lord. Money is
not valuable; we are always
giving it away in one transaction
or the other. The most
valuable things in this world
are free. The most important
tasks in Christ are the ones
for which we receive no wages
whatsoever. The poor are
far more generous than the
rich. (Mark 12:41-44).
Martins Hile urgently
needed to get somewhere, so
he asked the Lord for money
for transportation. But the
Lord said to him: “Stop asking
me for money.” The Lord
told Martins to go and stand
by the side of the road. As
soon as he did so, a car
pulled up in front of him.
“Martins, where are you
going?” asked the driver,
who happened to be someone
well-known to him.
He then took Martins exactly
where he was going.
The Lord said to Martins:
“You don’t need any
money. I am all you
need!”
server HIM only”. Many
churches do not observe
bowing their heads for God
during their services. Whereas
the moslem faithfuls during
their worships or
prayers session bow their
heads five times for God. It
is, therefore imperative to
observe the time of bowing
head in church services. A
Christian faithful that fail
to observe the time of bowing
head in the church, the
person’s worship is not
complete. The issue is that
many servants of God today
are not practicing what
Jesus said in the Scripture.
For this many people are
misled about the practice of
Christianity. Furthermore,
some churches are not observing
the Lenten period
according to the Scripture.
These churches do not fast
on Sundays and Jesus fasted
continually for 40days
and nights. What happens
today is that people are doing
what they like and want,
not the will of God anymore.
Worship and service are
have being modernized to
suit those that establish the
churches. In the same vein
African religion can also be
modernized but ensure that
the practitioners bow their
heads and worship God
alone. No sacrifice of an sort
for any idol or deity. Brethren,
it is therefore very important
that people bow
their heads in course of serving
God because God created
man for His glory. So
all glory should go back to
HIM.

PAGE 40 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
You are unstoppable!
Shout out to the Girl-Child out there!
Yes! We celebrate you as
generations who are
taking the world stage. The
foundation has been laid for you
to build your voices on, your
aspirations and dreams. Nothing
can stop you except you stop
yourself. But you know what? You
can just happen suddenly. Anyone
who happens suddenly disappears
suddenly. That is why you are
being built by your parents,
guardians, teachers, counselors,
religious fathers, government, your
environment, just to mention a few.
All you need is the confidence that
will take you up there which is
education. Getting to the top goes
beyond sagging and drug abuse. It
goes beyond exam malpractices.
The one that will participate will
answer to obedience: girls who will
diligently follow instruction.
As we celebrate the girls today,
the boys are not left out. You are
celebrated and you are who you
are. Nothing can change it! It
is just that the world is a stage
for everyone and any society
that fails to harness the energy
and creativity of its women is
at a huge disadvantage in the
modern world.
Have a blessed week
As the world celebrates the
brilliance of girls around the
world who are raising their
voices, leading movements, and
challenging the status quo, gradually,
our society is recognizing the
unstoppable momentum toward
unequivocal civil equality for every girl
child. It is becoming clearer that girls
are not sex slaves and the stereotypes
about the role of women as confined to
the domestic and family sphere where
girls are often socialized to assume
domestic and care responsibilities, with
the assumption that they will be
economically dependent on men is no
longer acceptable. Girls are proving
they are unscripted and unstoppable.
This year's theme, “GirlForce:
Unscripted and Unstoppable”, is a
clear message for every girl child out
there that nothing can stop them from
being who they dream to become. A
quote by Zulaykho Ermatova, 22, from
Uzbekistan on UNICEF site says,
"Whatever life you choose, it’s up to you
and it depends on your interests. Share
your ideas. Get support from your peers,
teachers and families. Get things done.
Nobody can stop you if you believe in
what you do and follow your dream."
A Statement by UN Women
Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-
Ngcuka for International Day of the
Girl, 2019 says, “There’s no doubting
the unstoppable power of today’s young
women and girls to stand up for their
rights and the future they want. They
are a fierce force to be reckoned with. I
see the marches, hear their clear voices,
and witness their impatient challenge
to systems and societies that are too
slow to take action on issues of both
personal and global concern. From
resisting violence against women, to
climate action, to asserting the rights
of a girl and a woman to determine
what happens to her body, UN Women
stand by them and work to amplify their
power and their calls for change”.
Continuing, she said, "It is not all
girls that are able to be that vocal and
that self-assured because for some, life
has not brought knowledge that opens
doors to a bigger life, saying that across
the world, 15 million girls of primary
school age are out of school and likely
never to learn to read or write. She
added that each year, 12 million girls
are married before the age of 18—
Girls are unstoppable as the world celebrates
International Day of the Girl-Child
ABUSED?
Numbers to Call
Aunty Funmi – 08052201992
WARIF- 07038864169
Lagos State Women Affairs &
Poverty Alleviation
(WAPA) – 01- 7617508, 01-
7308112
Lagos Education And Resource
Network (LEARN)
– 07027950412
Lagos State Ministry of Youth &
Social Welfare – 09077333426 /
08172457792
Lagos State Office of Public
Defender – 01- 7926928
Mirabel- 07013491769
•Aloma Mariam Mukhtar •Ogunseye, First Female Professor •Ire Aderinokun-Tech queen
•Professor Alele-Williams
nearly one every two seconds. For
millions of girls, violence—and the fear
of it—is a lurking, limiting threat, and
a present danger for girls both at home
and in public spaces".
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
however assured every girl child in
today’s generation that she sees
powerful role models who have
already found their voice and are
taking the world stage to exercise that
power as new leaders and her wish is
that every stakeholder will work
urgently for a new generation equality,
to end the circumstances that currently
limit the world’s least privileged
children, and give their full support to
the movements that allow them all to
flourish.
To every girl child out there, have
confidence that you can bring about
change in your own life as well as other
girls' lives. There are many first
females in almost all sectors now that
grew up in the same environment
where gender inequality of all sorts
thrived but they broke barriers to
become who they are today in their
chosen careers, they dared to dream,
they were unstoppable! You too are
unstoppable.
• Captain Chinyere Kalu is the first
female pilot in Nigeria.
• Florence Nwanzuruahu Nkiru
Nwapa was a Nigerian author best
known as Flora Nwapa. She was the
first African woman publisher.
• Elizabeth Abimbola Awoliyi was
the first female physician in Nigeria.
She earned her medical degree in 1938
from the University of Dublin
•Chioma Ajunwa is the first African
woman, as well as the first Nigerian, to
win an Olympic gold medal in a track
and field event. She jumped 7.12
metres at a long jump event in the 1996
Atlanta Olympic Games.
•Professor Adetoun Ogunseye is first
•Captain Chinyere Kalu
female Professor In Nigeria. She
attended Queen’s College, Yaba,
Lagos. At the University of Ibadan
(where she was the first female student),
she received the prize for the best
female graduating student and got a
scholarship to proceed to Cambridge.
•Justice Aloma Mukhtar made
history by becoming the first female
Chief Justice of Nigeria. She was also
conferred with the National Award of
GCON (the second highest honour in
the land)
•Prof. Grace Alele-Williams was the
first Nigerian woman to become the
vice-chancellor of a Nigerian
University. She studied at Queens
College, University College, Ibadan
and then the University of Vermont,
before receiving a PhD in Mathematics
education from the University of
Chicago.
•Ambassador Adenike Ebun
Oyagbola is the first woman to ever be
appointed as a Federal Minister in the
history of Nigeria under the regime of
Alhaji Shehu Shagari. She was also a
Nigerian Ambassador to Mexico.
•Blessing Liman is the first female
military pilot of the Nigerian Air Force.
On her achievement she has been
quoted elsewhere as saying; “As a first
female pilot I would want to make a
mark that would encourage other
females to join the military because I
believe that all females have equal
opportunity to exercise their rights in
whatever they choose to..”
•Maureen Nkeiruka Mmadu is the
first Nigerian women’s football coach
attached to a top European club. She
is a former Super Falcons midfielder
and is the first Nigerian to have played
100 games for the national team.
•Ibukun Abiodun Awosika: She is
the first board chairperson of First
Bank of Nigeria . Making her the first
woman to assume this position since
the establishment of First Bank of
•Chioma Ajunwa
Nigeria in 1894. She is also the
Chairman, Board of Trustees of Women
in Management and Business
(WIMBIZ).
•Sandra Aguebor is Nigeria’s first
lady mechanic. She studied
mechanical engineering at the Auchi
Polytechnic graduating in 1991 as the
first Nigerian woman to be certified as
an auto-mechanical engineer.
•Chief ‘Folake Solanke (SAN) is the
first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria
and the first Nigerian female lawyer
to wear the silk gown as Senior
Counsel. She is the first Commissioner
of Western State and is a former
Chairperson of the Western Nigeria
Television Broadcasting Corporation
(WNTBC).
•Dr. Abimbola Ayodeji Abolarinwa
is first female Urologist in Nigeria. Her
medical career started in 2004 after
graduating from University of Ibadan.
She worked as a Medical officer for 2
years before she commenced her
residency training at the Lagos State
University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
•Captain Abimbola Jayeola
(Captain AB) is Nigeria’s First Female
Helicopter Captain. In February 2016,
Captain Jayeola was widely celebrated
for her heroism in saving the lives of 11
Nigerians onboard a 5B BJQ Bristow
helicopter headed to Lagos from Port
Harcourt.
•Olabisi Alofe-Kolawole is the first
female public relations officer (FPRO)
of the Nigeria Police Force. She has a
degree in law from Ogun State
University and a master’s in police
leadership and management from
University of Leicester, UK. She is also
a member of the pool of investigators
assisting the office of the Prosecutor at
the International Criminal Court (ICC)
at The Hague in the investigation of
Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as
international crimes.
•Dr. Salamat Ahuoiza Aliu: is a
neuro-surgeon at National Hospital,
Abuja. She is the first indigenously
trained female neuro-surgeon in
Nigeria as well as the first female to be
certified a neuro-surgeon in West
Africa.
•Margaret Ekpo is nationally and
internationally recognized as an Icon
of Nigerian politics and a pioneer
activist of women’s rights. Margaret
Ekpo was one of three women
appointed to the House of Chiefs, in
the 1950s. The others were Chief (Mrs)
Olufunmilayo Ransome Kuti
(appointed into the Western Nigeria
House of Chiefs); and Janet Mokelu
(appointed along with Margaret Ekpo
into the Eastern Nigeria House of
Chiefs).
•Mo Abudu: Mosunmola is an
entrepreneur and pacesetter in the
media industry. She is the first woman
in Africa to launch a pan African TV
Channel.
•Tara Fela-Durotoye: She is a
Nigerian makeup artiste and lawyer.
A pioneer in the bridal makeup
profession in Nigeria, she launched the
first bridal directory in 1999, set up
international standard makeup
studios and established the first
makeup school in Nigeria.
•Agbani Darego is a former Most
Beautiful Girl in Nigeria best known
as the first native Sub-Saharan African
to win Miss World.
•Admiral Itunu Hotonu is the first
woman to attain the rank of Rear
Admiral (a two-star General), in the
Nigerian Navy. She was also the first
female military officer to attend the
then National War College, now
National Defence College, where she
emerged the best overall graduating
student and won the Commander-in-
Chief’s prize as well as the
Commandant’s prize for the best
research.
•Ire Aderinokun – First Nigerian
woman to become a google dev expert.
•General Aderonke Kale – First
female army general in Nigeria.
•Sarah Jibril – First woman to run
for president in Nigeria.
Do you know this expression?
To hold your tongue
This idiom does not actually mean that you should stick your
fingers in your mouth and grab a hold of your tongue. It means
that you should not talk.
People "hold their tongues" when they are in situations where
they want to talk, but it would be better if they didn't. So, while
their tongue is ready to do some talking, they "hold" it and don't
say anything. For example, when your parents are talking with
their friends and you feel like you want to contribute but you have
not been called into the conversation, it is better to hold your
tongue and just listen instead of interrupting.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13 , 2019, PAGE 41
08111813025
projecting diverse angles to foods and drinks
OHA
Soup
This soup is tasty delicacy
from the South-Eastern
part of Nigeria which is
similar to Bitter leaf soup which
the only different is the leaves
that is Oha leaves and Bitter
leaf.
It is usually prepared with ogiri
igbo that served as a unique
ingredient in the soup though
another secret ingredient which
is used in the preparation of this
delicacy is cocoyam which has
its own purpose while some
use achi to served as a
thickener.
Oha or Ora Soup like most
other Nigerian soups is named
after the particular leaf which is
used in preparing it so when
preparing your Ofe Oha make
sure all the necessary primary
ingredients are complete and
the best is using fresh oha leaves
though it’s a seasonal leaf.
Ingredients:
•Assorted meats
•Cooking Spoon
•Bunch Oha leaves
•Handful Uziza Leaves
•3-4 Medium size Cocoyam/
Achi/Ofor
•Smoked Fish
•Stockfish
•4 Tablespoons Ground
Crayfish
•1 Tablespoon Ogiri
•2-3 Yellow Scotch Bonnet
Drink of the week
Coconut Pineapple
Smoothies
Are you the type that loves smoothies? This healthy
coconut pineapple smoothies is good for you.
Recipe Ingredients:
1 big pineapple
Half medium coconut
1 small ginger
Date for extra sweetener
(optional)
Procedure:
Slice off the pineapple skin
and cut into cubes, peel ginger
and slice.
Also break coconut and cut
into equal half, slice into
thinning pieces, wash and open
date to remove it seed, set aside
if you are using one for extra
sweetener, for people with a
sweet tooth like mine.
Blend the pineapple, ginger,
coconut, date together and
strain either with sieve etc.
Pour in an empty neat wine
bottle or jug, refrigerate and
serve chill.
You can use any fruit of your
choice to garnished so as to add
more colour to it
Seasoning Cubes
Preparations
Soak and wash your
stockfish and smoked fish with
hot water to remove all traces
of dirt. Set aside.
Boil your meats, beginning
with the tougher meats like
cow leg, shaki first. Also, add
the stockfish. Season with salt
and seasoning cubes.
Then boil the cocoyam with
the skin on, do not add salt. Boil
till for 20 minutes or till tender.
When the cocoyam is soft,
gently peel the skin off and
pound in a mortar till smooth.
You can also use a blender.
Skip this step if you’re using
Achi or Ofor.
Blend your yellow scotch
bonnet peppers and set aside.
When the meats are soft,
add the smoked fish and
blended pepper, stir and allow
to cook for 5 minutes.
Then add palm oil and
crayfish. Stir well. Allow to boil
for 6-8 minutes or until the oil
is fully incorporated into the
stock.
Add the blended cocoyam
into the stock in small amounts.
You should have a semi-fluid
consistency. Leave to fully
dissolve and mix for 5-6
minutes.
Then add the Ogiri, leave
for a minute then add the
washed and chopped Uziza leaves or
Uziza seeds. After another minute, add
Oha leaves, reduce the heat and leave to
simmer for 2-3 minutes.
10. Your Oha soup is ready! Serve with
any swallow of your choice.
Tips for healthy eating
Eat healthy whole grain
It’s a whole grain that provides many other nutritional benefits. Sorghum commonly is
eaten with the hull (outer layer) which retains the majority of the nutrients.
Naturally very rich in fiber and iron with a high protection level as well. Sorghum is rich in
antioxidants which are believed to help lower the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and
some neurological disease.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is an important part of maintaining good health and can
help you feel your best. It doesn’t have to be difficult either. Just follow these diet tips to get
started.
The key to a healthy diet is to do the following: Eat the right number of calories for how
active you are, so that you balance the energy you consume with the energy you use. If you eat
or drink too much, you’ll put on weight. If you eat and drink too little, you’ll lose weight.
Eat lots of fruits and vegetables
It’s recommended that we eat at least five portions of different types of fruit and vegetables
a day. It’s easier than it sounds. A glass of 100 percent unsweetened fruit juice can count as
one portion, and vegetables cooked into dishes also count. Why not chop a banana over your
breakfast cereal, or swap your usual mid-morning snack for some dried fruit?
Nutritional Value of
Pineapple and Coconut
ineapples are said to be a fruit that are rich in
P vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants. They
may help boost the immune system, build strong bones
and aid indigestion. Also, despite their sweetness,
pineapples are low in calories.
Pineapples’ nutritional benefits include;
contain high amounts of vitamin C, fibers,
bromelin that act as proteases, which break down
protein molecules into building blocks. On the
other hand, coconut is lots healthier than the
credit which are given and some of the benefits
of coconut include: Provides a natural source
of quick energy and enhances physical and
athletic performance. Improves digestion and
absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and
mineral. Helps protect the body from
cancers due to insulin reduction, removal
of free radicals that cause premature
aging and degenerative disease.

PAGE 42 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Hope for Nigeria's unbanked as MTN subsidiary, YDFS rolls out mobile money
President of the Association of Nigeria
Courier Operators ANCO, Okey Uba urges
President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to
the Nigeria Postal Commission Bill, which is
capable of unleashing the potential of the
courier industry, create over two million jobs
and boost the nation’s economy. Excerpts:
Expectations from Nigeria Postal
Commission
T
bill
he Postal Commission Bill is only
awaiting President’s assent having had
concurrent passage of the National
Assembly. The bill will seek to establish a
regulatory framework for the Nigerian postal
industry by creating an effective, impartial
and independent regulatory authority.
The Postal Commission when it takes off
would ensure that the full potential of courier
sector is harnessed to the full. A rejuvenated
courier industry, arising from the Act is
capable of stimulating over two million jobs,
thus boosting the nation’s economy. The
Commission’s role would be to create
enabling environment and framework for our
business to flourish, where a player is not the
referee as is the practice now. The
Commission would rejuvenate our industry
and witness the kind of huge foreign direct
investment that the telecoms sector
experienced. ANCO just hopes some of the
things we asked for in the Bill were granted.
At the public hearings where we expressed
our views, we told them that there is a need
for us to be part of the Postal Commission, so
that we might be able to give it some direction.
We hope all our proposals have been
accommodated.
•Dr. Joe Abah
Stories By Victor ‘Tunde Oso
Recently, Y’ello Digital Financial Ser
vices, “YDFS,” a subsidiary of MTN
Nigeria launched its super-agent network
service named ‘MoMo Agent’ in Abuja.
YDFS is one of the 21 mobile money operators
(MMOs) licensed by the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN).Since mobile money was introduced
in Nigeria in 2011, there have been
reservations, ambivalence and criticism of the
efficiency of the MMOs, with most critics citing
insufficient capital and lack of industry
knowledge by the MMOs as a big challenge.
The CBN is authorised by Section 47 of the
CBN Act, which deals with payment and settlement
systems, to promote and facilitate the
development of efficient and effective systems
for the settlement of transactions including
the development of electronic payment systems.
Hope for Nigeria's unbanked as MTN subsidiary,
YDFS rolls out mobile moneyNigeria
currently has 21 licensed MMOs, the highest
number of MMOs in the world and the
CBN is said to have commenced the process
of revoking the licenses of dormant MMOs.
Two models of mobile money services are
identified and established by the CBN Guidelines:
The Bank-led Model: This model recognises
a bank or consortium of banks rendering
mobile money services either alone or
in partnership with other approved organisations.
It however stipulates that the Lead Initiator
shall be a bank. (The Lead Initiator is
saddled with the responsibility of providing
and managing the core infrastructure for a
national mobile payment system.) The Non-
Bank led Model: This model on the other hand
recognises duly licensed corporate organizations
delivering mobile money services. It
however, specifically stipulates that the Lead
Initiator must be a duly licensed corporate
organization other than a deposit money bank
(DMB) or a telecommunications provider
(Telco).
Globally, $7.5 billion was generated in the
month of December 2014 alone. It is indisputable
that mobile money is the future of
payments the world over. Nigeria as a member
of the MINT nations: (four nations make
up the MINT economies: Mexico, Indonesia,
Nigeria and Turkey. It is similar to the term
BRIC, which refers to the economies of Brazil,
Russia, India, and China) remains a ripe market
for investment in mobile money operations
as several organizations, government
bodies and enterprises are increasingly resorting
to the mobile platform as a means of bill
payments, bulk disbursements and merchant
payments.
However, the market is beset by certain challenges,
which the CBN and the Electronic Payment
Providers Association of Nigeria (E-
PPAN) have both recognised. These, if addressed,
especially in the light of CBN’s regulatory
moves, will leave a highly profitable
industry for market players. The CBN has been
forthcoming by laying down well considered
regulations and commencing a purge of the
Nigerian mobile money services market. If
there was ever a time for investment in the
mobile money market, it is now as there is a
need for recapitalization of the existing operators
which would naturally initiate increased
participation of requisite market experts
thereby resolving the challenges identified.
Nigeria Postal Commission: Time for
Buhari to sign bill — Uba, Courier
association boss
Fears over the bill
The Director-General of the Lagos
Chamber of Commerce and Industry LCCI,
•Okey Uba
The Federal Government
must recognise, like in other
economies that courier and
logistics industry remain the
fulcrum of business and
administrative activities
Muda Yusuf was reported to have said that
the Chamber is worried about some issues in
the Nigeria Postal Commission bill, which
include: the imposition of an annual levy of
2.5 per cent of the turnover of courier
companies to be paid to the proposed Postal
Services Commission; powers conferred on
•Ferdi Moolman, MTN Nigeria CEO
Great Expectations
It is the light of these developments that
members of the public are showing great optimism
over YDFS' launch of mobile money
services.
Lamenting the 8 years delay in the take-off
of the mobile money operations, Dr. Joe Abah,
Nigeria Country Director of Development
Alternatives Incorporated, DAI said on Twitter
that “sometimes, we implement certain
economic policies that we think will help the
poor but end up putting them at a
disadvantage them. One such policy is how
we decided to handle the issue of Mobile
Money and the Cashless Banking initiative.
We decided that it should be led by banks. The
thinking was that it will encourage more
people to open bank accounts and use debit
cards and point of sale machines. Problem is
that in many remote villages, there are no
banks and no PoS machines. When the only
bank in my village was robbed, economic
activities stalled.
The result is that today only 6% of Nigerians
use Mobile Money. Compare this to 73%
in Kenya where, with Mpesa you can get dollars
from abroad in 5 minutes using PayPal.
Kenyans use Mpesa to pay for virtually everything,
including cutting your hair at the barber’s.
Kenya drove their Mobile Money initiative
through Telcos, not banks. Thankfully, the
Central Bank of Nigeria’s Digital Financial
Policy of 2018 reversed this policy to put Telcos
in the driving seat. This should encourage
wider financial inclusion for the poor.
I was, therefore, very pleased to learn that
@MTNNG has launched its mobile money
service called ‘Momo.’ I worried about how
people that don’t have bank accounts will get
cash and was informed that they are appointing
15,000 agents across the country that can
give you cash. This will have the dual effect of
creating thousands of jobs and also make it
easier for the unbanked and rural dwellers to
be financially included. While only 40% of
Nigerians have bank accounts, there are 146
million active GSM lines in Nigeria, many of
them on smartphones.
Lawrence E. Efon, who resides in Cameroon,
said MTN MoMo will be very easy especially
for the poor to use but expressed worry that it
will come at a costs. “Here in Cameroon, people
use MTN MoMo to pay fees in public
schools, utility bills, shopping bills and it is
even connected to your bank accounts.So, let
banks and financial houses take special note
because MTN MoMo will do a lot of harm to
their market shares even to the extent of going
of business for those who don't strategize properly.
All in all, it will be a delight to the Nigerian
market.
Another commentator, Adeola said “Kudos
to the CBN, MoMo will even be "safer" as
the proposed PSC to fix rates for courier
services; monopoly privilege conferred on
the Nigerian Postal Service for delivery of
items weighing 1kg and below. What I want
to say to these is that the DG as a father of all
industries is expressing our concern in the
courier industry. LCCI was speaking on the
issue of 25% turnover and monopoly of
NIPOST. NIPOST runs on a social
organization, courier companies are private,
profit driven organizations. NIPOST ought
to study the economy and charge the
minimum. What the Nigeria Postal
Commission bill ought to do when it comes
on stream is to call together all stake holders
to a round table and discuss the rates and
modality before a final decision is taken or
reached. They want us to submit our licenses;
that we must all apply for fresh licenses and
we have said to them, people who have been
players all along, who are licensees of
NIPOST, should be given some concessions.
Over-regulation
We operate in a hostile environment and it
is not peculiar to the courier industry alone.
Definitely, most government policies
sometimes are strangulating. The industry
is a growing one; rather there should be some
incentives for the industry to continue to
experience growth. It is an employer of labour
and if it is well harnessed, it will contribute
to reducing unemployment. The regulators,
state governments should be able to
differentiate between courier bikes
(motorcycle) and commercial ones that ferry
commuters, for transportation. This, we
expect the incoming Nigeria Postal
Commission to address. Some government
policies are designed only for the purposes
of generating revenue and what the
government agencies think about is meeting
their revenue targets irrespective of the
implications on the critical operators in the
economy. If you kill the SMEs, you have killed
the economy and that is what government
needs to look at very well.
Unregistered companies and quackery
The courier business is built on trust and
not meant for everyone. There had been
MTN got licence for its mobile money business
from the apex bank, unlike in Kenya where
Mpesa is still viewed as telecoms service. Better
regulation and better protection for
consumer.”
How Mobile Money works
The MoMo scheme allows Cash to Cash
transfers between customers. The eventual
plan is to minimise the use of cash as more
and more people use the service to pay for
things. You don’t need to register to use the
service. All you need is a mobile phone.
You just send a text for free and you’ll get a
response giving you the list the list of agents
near you. You give the agent cash and he sends
the money to the person you want and gives
you a code to give the person. The receiver
goes to an agent near them and collects the
cash.
You don’t need a smartphone. The sender
will pay N100 though. N50 will go to the sending
agent and the paying agent will also get
N50. The minimum amount you can transfer
to someone is N100 and the maximum is either
N50, 000 or N100, 000 depending on the
agent. The recipient must claim the money
within 30 days or the voucher will expire.
A financial analyst, Kelechi Igbokwe wondered:
I am not sure what happens when the
voucher expires. Will the sender get their money
back? What about the N100 service pay the
sender must have paid? At the moment, you
can only use the @MTNNG network.
Igbokwe said a number of people have asked
how they can become an agent. I don’t know
the answer. I checked on their website but
couldn’t find any information. Dear @MT-
NNG, please help; a number of people are
interested. I hope that the requirements will
not be too onerous or expensive.
While it is good that both sending and
receiving agents get N50 each, the N100 to be
paid by the sender is higher than the N52.50 it
costs to send money through mobile banking.
I hope that @MTNNG will look into this.
“In rural areas, there are ’ATM shops’ that
can give you money if you use PoS, like this
one in my village. I don’t remember what it
costs to withdraw like N50, 000. Does anybody
know”, Igbokwe asked.
Responding to Sunday Vanguard inquiries
on some of these posers raised by Nigerians,
Funso Aina, Senior Manager, External
Relations, MTN said the extensive network
of MoMo Agents, MTN said, will immediately
begin providing safe and accessible money
transfer services to underbanked and
unbanked people across Nigeria.
Aina revealed that YDFS has rolled out
about 500,000 agents, spread across all states
and the Federal Capital Territory.
reported cases of fraudsters using illegal
courier services and Courier Regulatory
Department CRD of NIPOST has made and
continues to sanction them. In starting any
serious business in Nigeria, one must look
for the regulatory authority to avoid flouting
the rules and illegal operations. ANCO is
working with CRD to weed them out because
not all logistic companies qualify to be a part
of us. Materials carried by courier operators
could be sensitive so, operators are required
to have integrity. By the time the Nigeria
Postal Commission Act PCA comes in, we
will be able to further sanitise the industry.
ANCO, from time to time regularises the
operations of so many intending courier and
logistics companies, putting them through
integrity tests.
Streamlining logistics and courier
operations
Nothing stops logistic companies from
undertaking courier biz, but you must play
by the rules and guidelines of the industry. As
an association, the office that has the power
to crack down on unregistered operators is
the CRD. All we have to do is give the CRD
information and recommend the action it
should take. The Federal Government must
recognise, like in other economies that
courier and logistics industry remain the
fulcrum of business and administrative
activities.
Success in fight against unregistered
operators
CRD has shut down firms, with their
operators arrested for illegal operations,
while at times seizing their licences. The
association is collaborating with the
regulator to identify and fish out most of the
unregistered operators because they use
fictitious addresses in order to escape justice
after carrying out their dubious businesses.
The unregistered operators secure contracts
to deliver items and end up not delivering
such after collecting huge amount of money
from the customers. We are not going to relent
on our efforts, especially with the government
on our side.

Navy acquires 250 boats, vessels to fight oil theft
By Egufe Yafugborhi
IGERIAN Navy has acquired
N250 boats several, Offshore
Patrol Vessels and Seaward Defence
Boats to boost its fleet to tackle oil
theft and other maritime crimes in
the Niger Delta.
Chief of Defence Staff, Gen.
Gabriel Olonisakin, revealed this
yesterday in Onne, Rivers State
during his review of the Passing Out
Parade and Commissioning of 200
Cadet Officers at the Nigerian Naval
College, Onne.
Olonisakin said, “Nigerian Navy
has matched intent with practical
Neander Int’l
Schl marks
Independence
Day with cultural
displays
steps, evident by its ongoing fleet
expansion programme that has led
to acquisition of several Offshore
Patrol Vessels, Seaward Defence
Boats and induction of over 250
riverine patrol boats.
“There has equally been
substantial infrastructural and
manpower development as well as
forging of strategic collaborations
with regional and more advanced
navies. These efforts are targeted at
enhancing the Navy’s capacity to
effectively secure the nation.”
According to the CDS, “In
addition to assisting sister services
in North East operations against
From left: Udy Uche, Hanson Johnson (Google Developers
Nigeria Mentor); Ini Ebuh (Whitebridge Consulting); Precious
Opara and Esther Izuka (Winners), Uduak Umoh (Legalpreneur
Services); Mr. Dehniece (Global Audio Factory) and Uduak Umo
(Jabborro PRO) at the just concluded Legalpreneur Services’
Drive ‘Start-Up’ Summit held in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom
eander International School,
NEpe, Lagos has organised
several activities to mark the 59 th
Independence Day anniversary.
Indigenous dances were
performed in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa,
Bini, Tiv, Fulani, Efik and others by
the students. Other activities include
a naming ceremony performance
art, showcasing cultural heritage of
the Bini ethnic group of Nigeria and
a session of women dialogue
exercise done in Yoruba language.
News casting and storytelling
exercise was also performed in
Nigeria’s indigenous languages to
affirm the student’s mastery of
mother tongue.
Principal of the school said,
“What we are celebrating today the
essence is to see Nigeria as one. We
are all facing the same challenges
here in the country, be it Igbo,
Yoruba, Fulani or Hausa including
other minority tribes. Every tribe has
its own bad and good eggs. We
should stop blaming all the
problems in Nigeria on one
particular tribe or saying some tribes
are known for crimes. We should see
ourselves as one single entity. We are
also trying to teach the students to
embrace our cultural diversity and
values, and allow the children to
know the importance of their
language and indigenous foods.
Students of the school also held
an election, which produced Miss
Magdalene Essi as the new student
President, beating other three
contestants with a wide margin.
Neander, noted for its academic
excellence and brilliant
performance in both sports and arts
under strict discipline, has remained
a haven for students who not only
excelled through quality academic
results but also imbibe ethical
values in their learning.
Onuesoke e knocks ks Delta a 2023 gubernatorial agitat
ator
ors
By Ephraim Oseji
eoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Pchieftain, Chief Sunny
Onuesoke has condemned the
renewed political agitation in Delta
state for Delta 2023 governorship
seat just five months into the second
term tenure of Delta Governor,
Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
The PDP chieftain, who made the
comment in a dinner organized for
oil community leaders by Onuesoke
Foundation in Warri, Delta State
on yesterday said it is annoying for
politicians to start agitating for who
govern the state in 2023 instead of
By Prisca Sam-Duru
o fewer than one hundred and
Nfifteen men and women
including children, have benefited
from the just-concluded free eye
surgeries conducted by Vision Care,
an international relief organisation
under the International Agency for
the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB),
an affiliate of the World Health
Organisation, WHO.
Vision Care, dedicated to the
prevention of blindness, conducted
free ophthalmic medical
examination, and cataract surgery
(phacoemulsification with
intraocular lens implantation),
between 30th September and
October 4, 2019 at the Lagos State
Boko Haram insurgents, Nigerian
Navy has continued to spearhead
internal security operations in the
Niger Delta against militants,
pirates, operators of illegal
refineries and oil thieves.
“Significant successes have been
achieved by the Navy, alone or in
collaboration with other security
forces at curtailing excesses of these
miscreants. Maintaining these
successes will definitely be tasking
and requires developing
appropriate knowledge, skills and
attitude on-the-job onboard and
ashore as well as through pragmatic
training in all naval training
discussing issues on how Okowa
can improve on his excellent record
of creating more employment,
establishing industries, enhancing
security and building good roads
for the socio-economical well being
of the people of the state.
Onuesoke said some governorship
aspirants are already making
consultations, with some ethnic
groups agitating, claiming it is their
turn to govern the state. He advised
them to suspend their actions, stating
that beside the agitations coming too
early, it is a distraction for the governor,
who is committed to delivering
dividends of democracy to the people.
University Teaching Hospital,
courtesy of Korean companies in
Nigeria and Samsung Heavy
Industries Nigeria LTD.
Speaking at the close of
procedures, an excited Ambassador
of the Republic of Korea, Mr Lee
In-Tae expressed happiness that
people who couldn’t even see at all
before, could see clearly now. “ I am
happy that the surgeries were all
successful. Even before removing
the bandages from the eyes, many
of the patients testified that they
could see already. I went as far as
asking some of them to read from a
material that I gave them and they
read so well, and I am impressed.”
“I’m so delighted to see that they
have completely recovered their
sights. Before they were blind but
now they can see clearly after the
cataract operation. I’m so happy for
The Korean Ambassador, Mr Lee In-Tae with some of the
patients at LASUTH
SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13 , 2019, PAGE 43
08023542350
institutions”, he said.
To the newly commissioned
officers the military top shot said, “I
urge you to justify the huge resources
committed to your training and your
personal sacrifices to make the
Nigerian Navy proud. One way
you can do this will be by
drawing from the knowledge
and competence gained from the
College for your future
assignments”.
He commended the Chief of
Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-
Ete Ibas, for his efforts in
repositioning the Service in the
areas of training and facilities.
From left: Legal Adviser Enugu State Chapter, Ms Grace
Adamechi; National Director of Legal Affairs, Mr Chika
Maclue and National Chairman, Comrade Kingsley
Ochinanwata all Executive Members of Youth Alliance for Good
Governance and Value Advancement (YAGGVA) during a press
conference on the campaign against sex-for-grades in Enugu.
Owerri-based tea business wins N1million worth of investment
By Akoma Chinweoke
young female entrepreneur,
A Miss Precious Opara and her
partner, Miss Esther Izuka, owners
of a recreational tea brand
‘DrinkUp’ based in Owerri, Imo
State, have emerged winners of this
years’ Drive ‘Start-up’ Summit held
in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. The
victory came after two days of
mentorship and a stormy contest at
the summit, before they were
rewarded with a star prize of one
million naira worth of investment.
The fast-rising entrepreneurs
pitched their product as recreational
with health benefits for old and
young users at the just concluded
summit and smiled home with a
handsome reward for their
outstanding performance.
The convener of the summit,
Barrister Uduak. E. Umoh,
Legalpreneur Services, explained
that her vision was borne out of the
need for strategic partnership in
building business ecosystems for
small businesses in Nigeria,
especially in the Niger Delta region.
“I thought it was best to create this
hub where start-ups can find legal
counsel, creative services, exchange
ideas, become investible and find
cash investment. We have ways of
drawing in investment for them,
although we are open to partner
with more investors. This is the
whole essence of Legalpreneur
services and its Drive summit
project”.
“I want to state here without fear or
favour that having been sworn in for
second term as Governor of Delta
state by May, 2019, the major focus of
all and sundry is to support the
governor to focus on enhancing his
record of delivering on his second
term mandate and not to distract his
attention with issues of 2023 elections.
“I therefore appeal to the general
public and the prospective aspirants
to please allow the state to run
smoothly without any distraction.
While it is very permissible to have
aspirations of any kind, time is a
key determinant of the
appropriateness or otherwise of
such ambition,” he advised.
Vision Care performs free eye surgery on over
100 Nigerians
this event and very grateful to
Samsung Heavy industries and
Korean companies for their support.
This year we operated on one
hundred and fifteen patients
including boys and girls. The eye
surgical excercise has been going
on since 2015 till 2019, and each
year we performed the surgeries. We
have Korean doctors and other
volunteer workers from US and
Nigeria who helped in the surgeries
and now we are considering
extending it to Abuja and some
South East and Northern and other
Southern areas. I don’t actually
decide the areas.” He explained
The Korean Ambassador also
disclosed that “Everything, from
transportation fee, accommodation
and feeding, to the surgeries, were
all free. You know we had volunteers
and also, Samsung Heavy
industries sponsored the exercise so,
the patients didn’t need to pay
anything. I’m also grateful to
LASUTH for being available for the
good work”
Aisha Shaibu one of the patients
who spoke to our correspondent
said that “I had cataract before and
I couldn’t see. I was operated and
now I can see everything. I’m so
happy.
Gbaja Madaki, 59, also said he
had cataract which blinded one eye
but now he can see clearly again.
They both prayed that God will bless
the doctors, the sponsors and
LASUTH for giving them back their
sight.
Ogun records
14 4 auto o crashes
in one week
By Bose Adelaja
gun State Traffic Compliance
Oand Enforcement Corps,
TRACE, has announced 14 auto
crashes within a space of one week
between Sunday October 6 and
Saturday October 12, 2019.
TRACE Director, Traffic Planning,
Research & Statistics Commander
Ajayi Michael Babatunde told
Sunday Vanguard the incidents
involved three private cars, two
private buses, four commercial cars,
two motorcycles, one commercial
bus, one medium truck and two
heavy trucks.
He said out of nine emergency
calls received by the Corps, a total
number of 63 persons were involved
in auto crashes, out of which 36
persons (19 males, 17 females)
sustained various degrees of injuries,
four persons(3 males, 1female) died
while 23 persons were rescued
unhurt due to prompt response of
the Corps.
According to Babatunde 45.73%
of the auto crashes were caused by
excessive speed, 22.84% by
dangerous driving, 9.80% by bad
tyres, 2.45% by driving against
traffic and 19.18% by other causes.
The Director said 44 motor
vehicles and 25 motorcycles were
apprehended for 88 offences. He
said, “this report was witnessed by
TRACE Corps in areas covered only.
Our resolve to reduce deaths and
injuries on all roads in Ogun State
is being pursued vigorously and
relentlessly such that no traffic
offender shall go unpunished.
“TRACE Corps Commander/
CEO appreciates the unflinching
support of the traffic whistle blowers
throughout the State for their ever
prompt information whenever there
is any crash on our roads. TRACE
Corps is hereby appealing to the
motoring public to obey all traffic
rules and remember that the Road
is patient but does not forgive,” he
added
Akpodiete mourns
Pa David Adjarho JP
uman rights lawyer and All
HProgressive Congress (APC)
presidential aspirant, Barrister
Christmas Akpodiete, expressed
sadness over the death of Chief
David Obokarowho Adjarho JP.
In a statement sent from New York,
Akpodiete said “I am deeply
saddened about the death of this
great man, who contributed a lot to
the advancement of our society,
Papa served our nation
meritoriously for over 30 years in
the Delta State Ministry of
Agriculture and rose to the rank of
Senior Ranger before he retired
many years ago,” he said.
Dr. (Mrs) Edith Christmas-
Akpodiete MD said her grandfather
was an extraordinary great man.
“He was a disciplinarian who
upheld the truth at all times. He was
a man who never condone bad
behavior. He was extremely neat,
very straightforward and was always
praying for everyone,” she recalled.
Recounting her memories of him,
she ended by saying “he will be
greatly missed and will never be
forgotten.”
Chief Adjarho, is the father of
Britain-based lawyer, Barrister
Avwenagbiku Adjarho and Barrister
Andrew Adjarho, both human right
lawyers.
He died at a ripe of 90 years and
he is survived by 15 children, 41
grandchildren, 20 great
grandchildren, sons and daughters
in-laws.
Among them are Deaconess
Felicia Adjarho, who is also based
in the United Kingdom, Mrs.
Juliana Agoda and Deacon
Omowhovo Adjarho, who is now the
heir of the family.
Late Pa Adjarho will be buried next
weekend at his country home in
Kokori, Delta State.
Late Pa Adjarho

Page 44 —SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Viewpoint
By Toni Kan
eath, many people say, can be the
Dbiggest career move and for proof,
they point to Michael Jackson who was
mired in debt at the time of his death but
whose estate is now worth millions and
millions more than he made while alive.
Death has always fascinated pop
culture, especially when the dead is
famous or infamous and young to boot.
Think Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Kurt
Cobain and Amy Winehouse, Jean-
Michel Basquiat. These rock stars
captured the popular imagination,
blazed bright like a meteor then fizzled
out like shooting stars.
The phenomenon of dying young has
been so analysed that someone came
up with the 27 Club – a constellation of
famous people who died at the age of 27
from drug overdose, alcohol addiction,
car or plane crashes as well as suicide or
homicide.
Most of them are white (Hendrix and
Basquiat no), most of them American
but has death ever boosted the career of
an African celebrity? The answer is yes
and the most famous must be Fela
Anikulapo Kuti, the iconic musician,
jazz aficionado and fiery activist who
was a thorn in the flesh of successive
military regimes.
Fela died 22 years ago at age 59. He
was nowhere near 27 and by that time
had adult children – Yeni, Femi, and
Shola, who died young. He was worldrenowned,
celebrated and hounded at
home. His residence, famously known
as Kalakuta Republic (named after the
prison cell he occupied while
incarcerated at Kirikiri prisons. His cell
was called Calcutta but Fela corrupted
it to Kalakuta) was raided on February
18, 1977, by what reports say were over
1,000 soldiers.
Denizens of the commune including
some of his wives were beaten and raped
By By Judith Ann-Walker
or the fifth year in succession,
Fthe health sector has been
relegated to a less significant sector
in terms of Nigeria’s national
priorities in the annual budget.
Both the 2014 Budget for Jobs
and Inclusive Growth and the 2015
Budget of Transition allocated only
5.78 percent to the health sector.
The 2016 Budget of Change was
no better with only a four percent
allocation.
This was also the case for the 2017
Budget of Economic Recovery and
Growth. The 2018 Budget of
Consolidation and the 2019 Budget
of Continuity allocated four percent,
4.4 percent, and 4.75 percent
respectively. With a gloomy 2020
global economic forecast and an
annual population growth rate of
2.6%, it is easy to be persuaded by
the government’s disproportionate
By Ezra Mabadeje
omewhat curiously, there
Sappears to be a belief that
illegal transmission of pay television
signal is no crime. And if at all it is,
perpetrators seem to believe that it a
less severe form of theft than piracy
of CDs, DVDs, and books for which,
understandably, there is a larger
market. My conviction that illegal
transmission television signal is
deemed harmless grew stronger last
week, following media reports of a
crackdown by the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) on three Port Harcourtbased
cable television operators-
CANTV, Metro Digital TV and
Communication Trends Limited
(CTL)-all of which have been
redistributing content exclusive to
MultiChoice, StarTimes and Bein
Media, the Qatar-based broadcast
giants, among others, without
authorisation.
The three firms are members of
the Association of Cable Operators
of Nigeria (ACON), which claims to
have the right to steal content and
redistribute commercially.
To be clear, the alleged crime is no
novelty. As a matter of fact, the trio
has been at the game for years,
according to their lawyers. CTL, for
example, had its licence suspended
in 2010 for pirating the signal of the
defunct Hitv.
What, however, is new is the
audacity to claim that their illegal
activities benefit Nigerians in the
low-income brackets, who they claim
cannot afford the tariff of
MultiChoice, leading pay television
service provider, and StarTimes.
Death and the legacy of Fela Kuti
and the building burnt down but not
before his aged mother was thrown out
of the window. She died from her
injuries.
But the loss of his mother and his
republic did not diminish Fela’s
stridency. He remained militant to the
very end dying from complications
arising from HIV/AIDs just four months
after he left prison.
He was as well known for his music
as he was for his activism and today
when a musician or celebrity of
whatever stripe is conscious people
liken him or her to Fela.
But how did death boost Fela’s
career? Alive, Fela was mercurial and
tempestuous. His music albums were
mostly one song albums that sometimes
lasted for over 20 minutes. His intros
were famous for featuring call and
response choruses and then long jazz
pieces that seemed to go along for
interminable moments. Radio
stations found him a nightmare and
attempts by music labels to remaster
and cut short his songs for the new
CD technology were rebuffed. The
only close examples in contemporary
western music would be Bohemian
Rhapsody, the Queen song from the
1975 album “A Night at the Opera”
which clocks in at 6 minutes and then
Tubular Bells, Mike Oldfield’s 1973
studio album which extends to 49
minutes. Fela was, therefore, a
peculiar kind of musical artist with
an oeuvre that was as potent
musically as it was politically. For
Fela, music was a weapon and one
he wielded in many ways as if it was
the lasso of truth with which he
whipped the military and autocrats
and kleptocrats into line.
His music was critical of soldiers
whom he called zombies but soldiers
prioritisation of the economy. Not
surprisingly, the 2020 budget,
dubbed Budget of Sustaining
Growth and Job Creation, similar
to the 2014 budget, focuses squarely
on economic development.
However, to balance off the
disproportionate focus on
infrastructure, transportation and
the economy the government of the
day has paid some limited attention
to the social sector by allocating
billions to social investment
programmes, education and SDG
5 - Achieving gender equality and
empowering all women and girls
which received more than half of
the 40billion allocated to SDG
funds.
Budgeting is a difficult task and
no government can satisfy all
sectoral interests. However, in
budgeting for the people, the
TV Signal Piracy: Dressing theft up as patriotism
To attract support for a clear
economic crime dressed up as propeople
activity, the operators sought
to invoke nationalistic fervor,
serving the public a mishmash of lies
such as the well-worn allegation that
MultiChoice seeks to crush
competition (by frowning at the theft
of its content) and claiming that they
are licensed by the National
Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
to redistribute content without the
owner’s authorisation. More
crudely, they sought refuge in the
recent anti-foreigner attacks in
South Africa, hoping it would reboot
local anger, thereby deflecting
attention from their crime.
Last Wednesday, one of the items
on the order paper of the House of
loved to listen to his music because it
was also critical of the government
and often plumbed the depths of the
pervasive social malaise and
political morass. Fela’s music was a
leveler and had an uncanny ability
for transcending class and gender,
moving fluidly between the
mainland and island and breaching
class strictures. Visitors to the Africa
Shrine in what is now Computer
Village in Ikeja, where Fela played
live sets every Friday when he was
not on tour would find bank CEOs
and messengers dancing and
smoking as they listened to Fela’s
music. The shrine was a democratic
locale where music was a unifying
factor. It is also important to note
how Fela’s music is at home in the
mouths of the rich as well as the poor
with men from different sides of the
track laying equal claim to the man,
musician, and prophet.
government must be consistent with
its own policy pronouncements on
the centrality of health in its human
development programme. The
2020 budget has done justice to
government guidelines on education
and social inclusion. But where is
health? The proposed 2020 budget
of the Federal Ministry of Health is
N427.30 billion, which amounts to
just 4.14 percent of the budget as
against the 4.75% of the 2019
approved budget. This means that
instead of moving forward we have
moved backward, losing the match
before the whistle is blown.
More worrisome is that the
statutory transfer of the one percent
Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF)
has been cut by half. The federal
government has proposed N44.50
billion for the Basic Health Care
Fund in the 2020 budget. This does
Representatives was a motion by
Hon. Abdulganiyu Olododo. Titled
“Increasing Trend of Copyright
Piracy in Nigeria”, the motion
invited attention to the relentless
infringement of intellectual property
rights thereby rendering creativity
unattractive and impacting
negatively on the socio-economic
lives of Nigerians.
Olododo’s motion noted that
copyright piracy is defying the efforts
of government agencies, including
the Nigerian Copyright
Commission (NCC), and threatening
the country’s economic well-being.
This point has been studiously
ignored by the operators who,
according to reports, were billing
subscribers between N3, 000 and
N5,000 monthly for content
exclusively owned by others. Their
template seemed to have appealed
to the now-defunct TStv, which briefly
came to the market last year, falsely
claiming to have rights to premium
sporting, news/general
entertainment content and offering
such as impossibly low rates. But
before it rolled out, CNN, FOX
Entertainment and Bein wrote to the
NCC to state that there were no
content redistribution agreements
between them and TStv. Bein, in a
recent letter to the NCC, restated that
it has no content rights to operate in
Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Kenya
among other countries in sub-
Saharan Africa.
But ACON members, claimed they
have been paying licence fees as well
two percent turnover to the NBC,
whose code, they further claimed,
Fela’s death was devastating but in
dying, he seemed to step across the
threshold from legend into myth. His
death many say made his children
instant millionaires and then his
music re-mastered and available
widely on CD spawned a whole new
generation of fans, many of them not
yet born or mere toddlers when Fela
transited from this realm.
Today, Afrobeats, the musical genre
he pioneered is played across the
world from Portugal to the UK, the
US to Spain. Books have been
written about him, documentaries
shot and a Broadway show has
travelled the world presenting Fela
as maverick musician, activist, and
prophet.
But Fela’s reputation has been
cemented and augmented more by a
hybrid sound, a derivative christened
afrobeat and made popular by young
African musical artists who have
evolved a whole new sound described
by the poet and music Dami Ajayi as
having begun with the Kennis music
group, D Remedies.
According to Dr. Ajayi – “Afrobeats
is perhaps the biggest cultural export
from West Africa to the rest of Africa
and the world. There is little doubt
that this music of both Nigerian and
Ghanaian origins will continue to
enjoy mainstream global
prominence.
Afrobeats went mainstream in
Nigeria about two decades ago when
D Remedies, released their hit
song, Shako Mo, under Kennis
Music label. The song sampled
instrumentals from MC Lyte’s Keep
On Keeping On, which also,
interestingly, sampled Michael
Jackson’s Liberian Girl. With that
connection, one can easily link
2020 Health Budget: An appeal to NASS
The alleged crime is no
novelty; as a matter of
fact, the trio has been at
the game for years,
according to their
lawyers; CTL, for
example, had its licence
suspended in 2010 for
pirating the signal of the
defunct Hitv
not appear to be in accordance with
the National Health Act (2014). In
the Act, the federal government
ought to allocate at least one percent
of the Consolidated Revenue Fund
(CRF) for BHCF, which should be
about N81.55 billion.
In the face of this deprioritisation
and disinvestment in the health
sector, professional health
associations and Nigerian citizens
are calling upon the legislature to
reposition health as a catalytic sector
for national development. Civil
society organisations under the
Partnership for Advocacy in Child
and Family Health at Scale
(PACFaH@Scale) coalition, call on
legislatures not to be confused by
the argument that funds released to
the health sector are returned to the
treasury on an annual basis. This is
not an indication that the health
bars a single operator from having
exclusive rights to major sports
content.
In a letter to the EFCC by their
lawyers, the pirates claimed the antigraft
commission has no business in
the matter, as the crime alleged is not
financial in nature. But Abdulrasheed
Bawa, head of EFCC’s Port Harcourt
Zonal Office, said the EFCC is
empowered to deal with crimes that
are financial and economic in nature.
Section 40 of the EFCC Act defines
“economic crime” as “non-violent
criminal and illicit activity
committed with the objectives of
earning wealth illegally”. According
to the act, it includes any form of
fraud, narcotic drug trafficking,
money laundering, embezzlement,
bribery, looting and theft of
intellectual property and piracy
among others.
The NCC also has a dim view of
piracy. Section 51(1) of the Copyright
Act defines broadcast piracy as the
rebroadcast commercial scale,
without authorisation, of content
protected by copyright.
In September 2018, the NCC
threatened two Kaduna-based cable
television operators, ABG and QTV,
with suspension for unlicensed
broadcasting.
Augustine Amodu, NCC’s
Enforcement Director in Kaduna,
said the Commission received letters
from Aljazeera, Bein and Canal Plus
among other international
broadcasters that their content was
being redistributed illegally.
In its letter summoning the two
operators to its headquarters in
Afrobeat auspiciously to the late King
of Pop.
Today, Afrobeats, a fusion of Hip-
Hop and African rhythms, has since
eschewed overt Western influences in
favour of African idioms and musical
traditions. Highlife, Juju, Fuji, Apala,
Makossa, Sokous, and Afrobeats
have become cannon fodder for this
music and the benefits are
multidirectional. Ultimately, one can
argue that Afrobeats is making the
old new.”
But what has become clear is that
many of the biggest Afrobeats stars
have adopted FelaKuti as both muse
and creative forge. This year again as
we celebrate the life and times and
legacy of Fela Kuti during the
weeklong Felabration at Freedom
Park and beyond, we will be reminded
that his death has made him more
relevant than he ever was alive and a
bigger musical brand to boot.
The list is long but Uzoma Ihejirika
writing in the Lagos review attempts
to put it all in perspective - “Founded
21 years ago by Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti,
Felabration presents an opportunity
to acknowledge Fela Kuti’s
contribution through Afrobeats, the
genre of music he pioneered. His jazzinspired,
robust sound continues to
spark a creative flame in the hearts of
Nigerians—both admirers and
detractors who no matter what cannot
ignore Fela, the man and the musical
icon.
‘’That creative flame continues to
burn in contemporary Nigeria even
amongst artistes who were not born
or were mere children when Fela
became an ancestor. These artistes
have made the Afrobeats genre a
foundation upon which to speak
about their fears, their frustrations,
and their joys.”
•Toni Kan, an author, writes from
Lagos
sector is adequately funded. Rather,
this is evidence that late releases and
poor fiscal discipline lead to costs
overruns a host of incomplete health
sector capital projects. Happily, the
2020 budget lays emphasis on
completing ongoing projects
“rather than commencing new
ones.”
So as the 9th NASS studies,
reviews and analyses the 2020
budget, citizens of Nigeria call upon
the legislators to score a goal for
health. A goal for health is a goal
for every other sector- education,
infrastructure, transport and other
sectors. A healthy population is a
productive population.
*Ann-Walker is the Executive
Director, Development Research
and Projects Centre, anchors of the
Partnership for Advocacy in child
and family Health At Scale,
PACFaH@Scale.
Abuja, the NCC wrote: “After doing
vigilant surveillance and
investigation, we have found out that
the original and rightful owner of
the content you are transmitting is
MultiChoice. But ABG has gone
behind without getting due licensing
from MultiChoice to continue to
operate on the cable of MultiChoice.
The only people with the exclusive
license to broadcast English Premier
League, UEFA Champions League,
LaLiga among others is
MultiChoice Nigeria. So, we are
here to issue a very stern warning to
you to desist from this illegal act or
run the risk of been shut down.”
Also in Warri and Ughelli in Delta
State, the NCC seized illegal
broadcast equipment worth
N36.1million in anti-piracy
operations carried out between 13
and 16 March 2018. Similar
operations, leading to arrests and
prosecution, are routinely carried
out by the NCC-relying on extant
legislation. Bizarrely, the operators
busted in Port Harcourt believe that
their clearly criminal enterprise
deserves the support of Nigerians,
who they hope would get red-eyed
with rage at the reference to
MultiChoice’s South African
origins, hence the disingenuous use
of the recent xenophobic attacks,
cheap talk of monopoly and legless
pro-people stance.
In any language, stealing, even
with the desire to give to the less
privileged, spells crime in bold letters.
Cheap appeal to nationalism or
patriotism cannot deodorise a fetid
activity.
* Mabadeje, a public affairs
commentator, writes from Benin

Viewpoint
By Sani Adamu
arly in this Fourth Republic,
EEvan(s) Enwerem, a member
of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) became the senator
representing Imo East Senatorial
District.
On June 3, 1999, he was elected
the first President of the Nigerian
Senate. But, by November of the
same year, Enwerem was removed
from office.
Evan or Evans was accused of
falsification of his name. This
caused a controversy as to whether
his real name was Evan or Evans.
On November 18, 1999, Evan(s)
Enwerem was removed as Senate
President but remained a member
of the Senate until 2003.
Recently, when it became public
knowledge that former Minister of
Finance in the present
administration, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun
didn’t observe the mandatory one
year National Youths Service Corps
By Olayemi Olaniyi
ongratulations to Nigeria and
Call her citizenry on the 59 th
Independence celebration, despite
all the odds they can still stand strong
and hope for a better future. When
there is life, there is hope; the old
saying goes. Whilst we celebrate a
few notable achievements by this
administration such as:
*The ratification of the Not-too-
Young-to-Run bill;
*Increased government spending
on infrastructure;
*The implementation of the
N30,000 minimum wage; and;
*The recent listing of Nigeria as
one of the top 20 countries with
improved and reformed status in the
Ease of Doing Business by the World
Bank;
It is still evident that the Nigeria
state is blighted by incessant
violence, underdevelopment,
widespread poverty, lack of basic
education, mass unemployment,
lack of basic infrastructure, moral
decadence and problems of
The danger in discrepancies
programme (NYSC), she didn’t
wave the matter aside (the
administration didn’t either) by
arguing that her educational
qualifications and experience (
recall that she was a commissioner
before her appointment as finance
minister) more than made up for
the one year NYSC scheme. She
took the path of honour. She
resigned from her position and
President Buhari received her
resignation with gladness because
her decision gave his anticorruption
crusade and
administration a boost.
These two incidents are positive
pointers that as a people, we
believe that our public office
holders should be above board. The
reason for this is not farfetched.
Every public office is held in trust
for the people. When this trust is
therefore breached, there should
be consequences.
Whether it’s
Muhammad with a
‘U’ or Mohammed
Buhari with an ‘O’,
they all refer to and
identify the second
respondent
But recent developments seem to
suggest otherwise. Or how else can
one interpret the judgement given
by the 2019 Presidential Election
Petition Tribunal as it relates to Mr.
President’s qualification?
According to the judgement
delivered by the chairman of the
tribunal, Justice Mohammed
SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019, Page 45
Garba, Buhari’s certificate from the
Nigerian Military is higher than the
Secondary school certificate stated
as a minimum academic
requirement for the election by the
constitution.
To that end, Buhari according to
the judgement was ‘eminently’
qualified to vie for the country’s
topmost job.
True. But which comes first - the
chicken or the eggs? How does work
experience override or become a
replacement for educational
qualifications?
As though to add salt to the injury,
the tribunal further stated as
irrelevant in the determination of the
case the discrepancy in Buhari’s
names on the school certificate as
tendered by Atiku Abubakar. It stated
thus: “Whether it’s Muhammad with
a ‘U’ or Mohammed Buhari with
an ‘O’, they all refer to and identify
the second respondent.” But this case
is no different from the Evan or
Evans Enwerem as recalled above.
What does the law say about
Nigeria at 59: True federalism as way forward
insecurity. The Nigeria state is
however, an emerging complex that
is sophisticated, densely populated
and wealthy in terms of human and
natural resources.
The administrative structure of a
country is an utmost important
structure because leadership uses
the structural administrative
system to change the society for
good or bad. Let it be known that
our problem in Nigeria is not about
political parties, regimes, tribes or
individuals but the defective
structural system that encourages
all forms of negative vices; hence
an urgent need for fundamental and
holistic systemic change in Nigeria.
If democracy will thrive in
Nigeria, we must carefully desire
and embrace an administrative
structure that will bring peace,
justice, equity and unity to all
citizens. For any sincere
government in power, they must seek
to implement a workable, scientific
and methodologically-proven
The traditional wedding of the Osamwonyis:
From right: Oluwatoyin Ogunbambi (bride’s mother); Eghe Michael
Osamwonyi(groom’s father); Mariam & Michael Osamwonyi (couple);
Margaret Uche Osamwonyi(groom’s mother); Chief Rafiq Olayiwola
Ogunbambi(bride’s father) and a guest during the engagement party
held at Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
approach in governance.
Nigeria will experience peace and
progress in a democratic type of
government when she fully comes
to understand the import of the
words of the late sage Obafemi
Awolowo:
“ If rapid political progress is to
be made in Nigeria, It is high time
we were realistic in tackling its
constitutional problems. Nigeria is
not a nation; it is a mere
geographical expression. There are
no ‘Nigerians’ in the same sense as
there are ‘English’ ‘Welsh’ or
‘French’. The word Nigeria is
merely a distinctive appellation to
distinguish those who live within the
boundaries of Nigeria from those
who do not.”
Thus, he comes to the conclusion
that ”Every multi-lingual or multinational
country with a unitary
constitution must either eventually
have a Federal constitution based
on the principles I have enunciated
or disintegrated or be perennially
Some of the 54 beneficiaries of scholarship programme initiated by Tolu Odebiyi at (APC, Ogun West) gave
all the tertiary institutions’ students are from the five local governments in the senatorial district. 15 of the
awardees are in first class category with GPA of 4.8 and above.
At an impressive ceremony held in Ilaro, six winners of the TOD secondary school essay competition were
also given prizes.
afflicted with disharmony and
instability”.
For the Nigeria state to gain
balance, productive, united and
minimize agitation and instability,
it must return to the practice of
TRUE FEDERALISM, a holistic
federalism practice, which was the
basis for the agreement of our
existence at independence by the
founding fathers. The practice of
Federalism for the Nigeria state can
never be over-emphasized. Nigeria
must therefore, employ and practise
the principles of federalism.
Federalism presupposes the
existence of diverse people with
different socio-cultural
backgrounds in a single nation. It
has been considered as one of those
tools for regulating and minimising
ethnic conflicts extant in the politics
of multi-ethnic states.
It has been successfully proven
that federalism provides a unique
way of organising political powers
at various units so that all
discrepancies in documents
particularly certificate? It is
required that such documents be
backed with an affidavit.
Although, Mr. President
submitted an affidavit to the effect
that“ all my academic
qualifications (documents) as filled
in the presidential election are
currently with the Secretary
Military Boards as at the time if this
affidavit “, to which the Military
authority has since debunked, there
was no affidavit to support the
discrepancy in the school certificate.
So for such a sensitive matter to
be so dismissed by the tribunal is
not just unfortunate but a looming
disaster waiting to happen very
soon in the education sector.
It is, therefore, necessary that the
Supreme Court takes another look
at this all-important subject matter
as the case makes its final journey
to the apex court.
•Mr. Adamu, a retired teacher,
writes from Yola
participants are involved in the
decision-making process.
Federalism is conceived as a
political contrivance intended to
reconcile national unity and power.
Also, It has been argued that there
are political values peculiar to
federalism, which may enhance
development and assist the political
leadership to find solutions to
burning national issues, and the
ethnic/religious nationalism that is
threatening the fabric of the nation.
It therefore, suffices to say that, if
the handlers of this nation are
sincere and committed to setting the
nation on the path of success, and
positioning her for a great future, the
practice of a holistic federalism
system of government is inevitable
now.
God Bless Nigeria!
*Olayemi Olaniyi (Mrs.) is
Convener, A Nigeria That Works
wrote from Lagos with email:
anigeriathat works @gmail.com
BEDC flags off MAP in Delta, to provide 200,000
prepaid meters in two years
By Festus Ahon
HE Benin Electricity Distribu
Ttion Company, BEDC, has
flagged off the Meter Asset Provider,
MAP in Delta State, rolling out
smart prepaid meters scheme for its
customers in the State, with a promise
to provide 200, 000 units in two
years.
Speaking at the media launch of
the MAP scheme in Asaba, the Executive
Director, BEDC, Mr Abu
Ejoor, said with the commencement
of the exercise with its parties, the
Inlaks Solution Limited, G-Unit Engineering
Ltd and Turbo Energy Ltd,
MAP is expected to carry out better
roll out at locations, routes, and
streets with enumerators.
Saying enumeration is a prerequisite
for meters to be provided, he
Olomu monarch advises Anglican
bishops to preach salvation
By Akpokona Omafuaire
THE Ohworode of Olomu
Kingdom, HRM (Ovie) Dr.
R. L. Ogbon, Ogoni-Oghoro
I, has urged the Church of Nigeria,
Anglican Communion not to imbibe
the preaching of prosperity
gospel as the stock in contradiction
to the gospel of salvation.
The Ohworode made the appeal
at his palace in Ogoni-Olomu while
playing host to the ArchBishop and
Bishops of the Bendel Ecclesiastical
Province.
According to the ordained monarch,
"I welcome you all to my palace,
am honoured and delighted, I
want to thank the Bishop of Ughelli
Diocese for considering Ogoni as
the veritable place to build the
Christian centre.
"My Archbishop, permit me to
make some request, the Anglican
Church should not imitate the pentecostal
churches in preaching the
gospel of prosperity but that of
Christ as directed by the Bible. The
Church should not sell prayers as
said it would enable them achieve
the main objective of MAP regulations
by Nigeria Electricity Commission,
NERC, which according to
him, is to provide standard rules with
their five points goal.
Ejoor said; "the whole essence of
this briefing is to inform our customers
that we are set to meet their
prepaid meters need. And further
allay the fears of our customers and
encourage them to enjoy electricity
without tears.
"This is so because the main objectives
of this scheme is to encourage
the development of independent
and competitive meter services
in Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry,
NESI. Secondly, It also will
help to eliminate billing practices
that are not tune with International
best practices.
"Thirdly, and most importantly, is
that this scheme also helps to attract
private sector investment for the provisions
of metering services in NESI;
it also closes the metering gap
through accelerated roll out also in
NESI, and lastly, it enhances revenue
assurances as well."
He said: "our customers are required
to complete the customer
data and the survey form, thereafter
the MAP official will assess the customer's
premises readiness for me
others do because people now sell
prayers, hankerchiefs, hand bands,
water and miracles.
"Let's not imbibe the new doctrines
of the new church.The Bishop's
charge should not be long, Agori-
Iwe as Bishop then was always brief,
people become bored and grumble
when the charge is very lenghty, I
appealed that it should be abridged.
"I want to make special request,
let the vision of the Christian Centre
be accomplished. Let's ensure that
the vision is attained. Pray for my
chiefs so that they can prosper and I
want you to have this grace as I have,
I can still run, run and my senses are
intact."
Most Revd F. J. Imaekhai, Arch-
Bishop, Bendel Ecclesiastical Province
and Bishop of Esan Diocese on
his part commended the monarch
for his hospitality and commitment
towards the Anglican Church.
The Archbishop promised to
oblige the requests of the oldest monarch
and revealed that the Church is
on right footing towards the great
commission of Christ.

46 — Vanguard, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2019
Don’t sack Solskjaer, Ferdinand begs United
RIO Ferdinand has
pleaded with Ed
Woodward to keep faith
with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer,
despite Manchester United’s
woeful start to the new
season.
The Norwegian presided
over a record breaking run
of form after he was appointed
as Jose Mourinho’s
interim replacement
10 months ago and was
handed the reigns on a permanent
basis following the
historic Champions
League win over PSG in
March.
•Messi
United’s form collapsed
thereafter, however, and despite
investing close to
£150million on new players
in the summer there has
been little improvement in
terms of performances. Defeat
to Liverpool at Old Trafford
after the international
break could even force executive
vice chairman Ed
Woodward to sack the club
legend, but Ferdinand insists
United must show patience.
“There’s no way the club
would have thought this
would be rosy straight away,
•Solskjaer
they’re not naive enough to
think that it was going to be
a situation where he just
changes it overnight,’ he told
talkSPORT.
“This is definitely something
where there is going
to be early pain, there is going
to be a situation where
the results are not going to
go our way, especially with
the new recruitment that
they’ve started to go with
younger players. “That’s
why I don’t see there being a
change straight away, I’d be
very surprised if I wake up,
open a paper or an app and
see that he has gone so
quickly.’
Barcelona prepare life
contract for Messi
Casemiro sees Brazil beating Eagles in
Singapore
REAL Madrid mid
fielder Casemiro
said Brazil was eager to
end their win less run in
their matches when they
play against the Super
Eagles this afternoon.
He stated that the Brazil
was off the pace when
they played against
Senegal last Thursday.
But against the Super
Eagles the Brazilians
will up their performances.
Casemiro said : ‘’Undoubtedly,
it was not an
expected game at the
time we can play. Everyone
saw it and we are
sincere about it.
‘’But the beauty of football
is that Sunday we
have the opportunity to
show that we are good
players and a great selection.
We have to review
the errors, we have
already done an analysis.
And Senegal is already
past.’’
Casemiro indicated that
it is important for Brazil
to face countries that are
not in South America as
it will form part of their
preparations for the 2022
World Cup and it’s an
opportunity for manager
Tite to test new players.
He added : ‘’When it
comes to the Brazilian
team, one is always
obliged to give the best
and win. Doing the best
on the pitch, the result is
something else as it is
football. And undoubtedly
it is interesting to play
against teams like Senegal,
Nigeria.”
Billing snubs Iwobi’s advice, plays for
Denmark
B OURNEMOUTH
midfielder Philip Billing
has explained how Alex
Iwobi spoke to him about
representing Nigeria.
The attacking midfielder,
who is of Nigerian descent,
was born in Denmark
and has featured for
the Red and White’s U19
and U20 sides. He was on
the bench as Denmark
took on Switzerland in yesterday’s
Euro qualifiers.
“It wasn’t until when we
[Bournemouth] were going
to play against Everton a
couple of weeks ago when
Alex Iwobi asked if I might
be interested in coming
and playing for Nigeria,”
Billing told BT, as per
Bournemouth Echo.
“He said the coach had
asked me. It was the first
time I heard anything concrete
myself.
“It’s a pat on the back
that another country would
like you to play for them. I
just take that as a shrug and
proof that you are doing
well.
“It would feel strange to
have to play for Nigeria,
even though my father is
from there.
“I am half Nigerian and
I feel that way too but I was
•Casemiro
BARCELONA
are
pressing ahead with
their plans to offer Lionel
Messi a ‘lifelong contract’
after the Argentine
superstar declared his intention
to extend his stay
at the Nou Camp.
Messi is contracted to
Barca until June 2021,
which means he would be
going into the last year of
his deal next summer if
he fails to agree a new
contract.
There were concerns
that Messi could indeed
leave the club with whom
he has spent his whole
career with - but he recently
allied fears that he
might not sign on the dotted
line again by admitting
that he plans to stay
at the club “forever”.
“If they want me, I am
delighted,” Messi told
RAC-1. “My idea is to stay
here forever. It has always
been like this and
remains the same way;
nothing has changed.”
The 32-year-old has
played 692 times in the
Barca first team having
joined the outfit as a 13-
year-old and made his
way through the academy,
Barcelona C and Barcelona
B.
Mikel surprised at Chelsea
hiring Lampard over Terry
FORMER Super Ea
gles captain and
Chelsea midfielder, John
Obi Mikel has said he was
•Billing
born and raised in Denmark.
My mother is Danish
and my sister is Danish,
so it would feel strange to
have to play for Nigeria.”
surprised team mate Frank
Lampard and not John Terry
got the Chelsea managerial
job.
Lampard took over from
Mauricio Sarri and after a
bad start, he is getting results
for the Blues in the English
Premier League.
“I am very happy for
Frank. When we were playing
at Chelsea, we were expecting
that John Terry and
he would be very good managers.
But we were expecting
Terry to reach that level first.
“Lampard made a big step.
I hope he will be successful
at Chelsea for many more
years.
Mikel added that he would
gladly join Lampard in the
dug out if he ever hangs his
boots.
“His arrival at Chelsea
means the club are caring
for their legends.
“I joked with him after the
Chelsea move: I want to be
his assistant when I retire.”
NFF speaks on Rohr,
Dennerby job positions
•Pinnick
NIGERIA Football
Federation NFF
said reports that it owed
Super Eagles coach Gernot
Rohr three months salary
are not true. It however,
confirmed the departure
of Super Falcons handler,
Thomas Dennerby.
NFF stated in its Twitter
account that the Super Eagles
will be paid his dues
in due course.
“The NFF wishes to put
records straight with regards
to a claim in the social
media on Friday, 11th
October 2019 that the football
house is owing Super
Eagles’ Technical Adviser,
Gernot Rohr, three months’
salary.
“As we speak, Mr. Rohr
is only being owed salary
for the month of September
2019, which is being
processed.
“As for Mr. Thomas Dennerby,
we have received his
resignation letter and of
course, he has his right to
resign from a job.
“We want to put it on
record that no Head
Coach in the history of the
Super Falcons has been
afforded the level and
readiness of support that
has been provided Mr.
Dennerby by this Board.
“Perhaps, one of the reasons
he left was because we
did not accede to his request
to bring in more expatriate
coaches and an indigenous
coach who do not have the
required license.
“If we had agreed to his
request for more expatriate
coaches, that would have
left our indigenous coaches
presently with the team
in the lurch,” the statement
concluded.
Dennerby, who was appointed
head coach of the
Super Falcons in January
2018, led Nigeria’s Senior
Women’s National team to
the 2018 Africa Women’s
Cup of Nations (AWCON)
title in December 2018.
He was named the Best
Female Coach of The Year
at the 2019 NFF Awards.
In 2019, he led Nigeria to
the knockout stage of the
2019 FIFA Women’s World
Cup which was held in
France.
IAAF disowns Kipchoge’s
marathon record
JORLD athletics rul
ing body IAAF will
not recognize 1h.59m
world marathon record set
by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge
yesterday at the INEOS
1.59 challenge.
Kipchoge sent shockwaves
through the world of
sport by becoming the first
athlete to break the twohour
barrier for a marathon,
although it will not
count as a record. The
Olympic champion and
world record holder from
Kenya clocked 1 hour, 59
minutes and 40.2 seconds.
Kipchoge, who compared
his attempt earlier to
a man landing on the
moon, twice punched his
chest in celebration and
smiled when he finished.
“That was the best moment
of my life,” he said
before adding that he
trained four-and-a-half
months for his extraordinary
race against the clock.
“The pressure was very big
on my shoulders. I got a
phone call from the President
of Kenya.”
Starting at 8:15 a.m.,
Kipchoge was supported by
36 pacemakers who accompanied
him in alternating
groups, one of the reasons
the IAAF governing body
will not ratify the time as a
world record.
The groups were also
helped by a pace car with a
laser beam, projecting the
ideal position on the road,
•Kipchoge
and they received drinks
handed over by cyclists and
other runners to prevent
them from having to slow
down.
“It is a great feeling to
make history in sport after
Sir Roger Bannister,”
Kipchoge said in reference
to the late Briton’s first sub
four-minute mile in 1954.
“I am the happiest man in
the world to be the first human
to run under two
hours and I can tell people
that no human is limited. I
expect more people all over
the world to run under two
hours after today.”
Kipchoge pointed out his
mission went beyond athletics.
“We can make this world
a beautiful world and a
peaceful world,” he said.
“The positivity of sport. I
want to make it a clean
sport and an interesting
sport.”
Kipchoge was cheered by
spectators along the course
in Prater Park and there
were celebrations in his
home country before he
had even finished.
“Hearty congratulations,
Eliud Kipchoge,” President
Uhuru Kenyatta said
in a statement. “You’ve
done it, you’ve made history
and made Kenya proud.
Your win today will inspire
future generations to
dream big and aspire to
greatness. We celebrate you
and wish you God’s blessings.”

Rohr dismisses quit rumour, says he’s
preparing for 2021 AFCON qualifiers
SUPER Eagles’ coach
Gernot Rohr said
yesterday in Singapore
where the team is facing
Brazil today, that he has no
plans to quit the national
team contrary to reports.
Rohr who was speaking in
a press briefing ahead of the
match said his major
preoccupation is to get the
Super Eagles ready for the
2021 Africa Cup of Nations
(AFCON) qualifying
matches.
He explained that the
high-profile friendly was an
opportunity to test his
team’s capacity and make
adjustments where
necessary before playing
against Benin Republic and
Lesotho.
“The game against Brazil
will show how much we are
progressing after finishing
third at the AFCON in
Egypt.
“It is a fantastic
opportunity for us to learn
a few more things that will
make us better and stronger
for future challenges.
“This is an important test
game for us, and we are
here to learn from the best.
We hope for a very good
game against Brazil on
Sunday.
“This will help us prepare
ourselves for the 2021
AFCON qualifiers against
Benin Republic and Lesotho
next month,” Rohr said.
He also noted that the
friendly would afford him
the opportunity of testing
new players in order to fill
the void created by the
retirement of some old top
players in the team.
Polo: Firstbank Georgian Cup hits the
centenary mark
As part of its
commitment to the
growth and development
of sports across the
country, First Bank of
Nigeria Limited has
announced its sponsorship
of the Georgian Cup of the
Kaduna Polo Tournament
for the 100th consecutive
year.
The sponsorship deal is
one of the longest running
sports sponsorship in the
country and the world at
large, and thus a Guinness
Book of Records potential,
analysts say.
The 2019 edition of the
tournament runs from
October 12 – 20, at the
Kaduna Polo Club. The
Kaduna Georgian Cup
Centenary Polo
Tournament commenced in
1919, with FirstBank as
sponsor, a thing it has done
for 100 years.
The Cup is the oldest and
most respected Polo trophy
in West Africa sub-region.
Excited at the
commitment of the
FirstBank, the President,
Kaduna Polo Club, Alhaji
Suleman Abubakar said,
“We are honoured to record
such a milestone with
Eagles respect
but don’t fear
Brazil, says
Ekong
SUPER Eagles stand
–in captain, William
Troost-Ekong has insisted
that though the Super
Eagles respect five–time
world champions Brazil,
they have no fear as both
teams step out in a prestige
friendly in Singapore
this afternoon, Nigerian
time.
“Brazil is a top team,
probably the best team in
the world. But Senegal
gave them a good fight on
Thursday. We can pick
some inspiration from that
performance when we
play the Brazilians on
Sunday (today).
“It will be tough because
they will want to win at
least one game against an
African team on this tour,
but we will also want to
take something off them.”
The encounter starts at
8pm Singapore time (1pm
Nigeria time).
FirstBank since the
inception of the
tournament 100 years ago.
“FirstBank remains a
noble brand close to our
heart at the Kaduna Polo
Club and the tournament
has indeed been a catalyst
of socio-economic growth
of Kaduna and the nation
as a whole” he added.
FirstBank’s sponsorship
of the Georgian cup is
perhaps the longest
standing sports
sponsorship in the world.
This record sponsorship
has been filed by the
Sports Minister pledges support for Nigerian
Sports Award
THE Ministry of
Youth and Sports
Development has
•Dare
pledged to provide necessary
support for the
organisers of the Nigerian
Sports Award (NSA)
as part of effort to motivate
Nigerian athletes.
The minister of Youth
and Sports Development,
Mr Sunday Dare
disclosed this during a
courtesy visit at the
weekend by the panel of
the Nigerian Sports
Award (NSA) to his office
in Abuja.
According to him, supporting
this laudable initiative
would contribute a
great deal to serve as
huge motivation to athletes.
“The Ministry can collaborate
and key into the
activities of Nigerian
Sports Award by providing
financial support for
the organisation. This
would go a long way to
show the commitment of
the Ministry to this crucial
area of motivation for
our teeming athletes”,
Dare said.
Meanwhile, the nominations
of sports men
and women for the various
categories of awards
for the 2019 edition closes
today.
A statement signed by
Executive Director of the
award, Kayode Idowu
disclosed that nominations
for the 2019 Nigeria
Sports Award are still
open to the general public
particularly sport loving
community till the
close of today.
Idowu restated the call
for all sports loving Nigerians
who have not
taken part in the process
to take advantage of the
opportunity of the remaining
few days to
•Rohr
•Mohammed Babangida
Kaduna Polo Club for main sponsorship of a
consideration by the sporting world
Guinness Book of World championship title”, the
Records under the longest President explained.
nominate their favourite
Nigerian athletes who
have recorded excellence
performance in the
various sports during
the course of the year for
the 2019 award programme.
“This is a big reminder
for sport loving fans to
participate in 2019 Nigerian
Sports Award by
nominating athletes of
their choice. With nomination
expected to close
on Sunday (today), we
urge the general public
to visit the award website
to nominate their preferred
choice of
athlete(s)”, Idowu said
This year’s edition of
the award holds on November
29, 2019 at the
prestigious Eko Hotel &
Suite in Lagos.
Govt ordered overhauling of
Edo Queens Football Club,
says Adejor
TECHNICAL Adviser
of Edo Queens Football
Club Gabriel Adejor,
has said that the Edo state
government directed him to
overhaul the squad for better
results following their
poor performance last season.
Speaking at the team’s
camp in Benin, coach who
dismissed rumours of a robbery
attack at the camp confirmed
that five players have
been axed, adding that some
more will be dropped as the
exercise continues.
‘’I want to confirm to you
that we have dropped five
players, from the team. We
did not drop them out of hatred,
they were dropped because
of their poor performance
last season. We are
still going to drop more because
the authorities have
given us matching order to
do all we can as technical
managers to get the best legs
for Edo Queens,” he said.
Adejor added that the
“Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon.
Philip Shaibu is not happy
that we did not make it to
Super 4, so this time around,
we must work very hard to
excel as we prepare for the
new league season.”
Vanguard, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2019 —47
Gov Sanwo-Olu, Minister Dare
charge Eagles to beat Brazil
YOUTH and Sports
Minister, Mr. Sunday
Dare and Governor Babajide
Olusola Sanwo-Olu of
Lagos State have pumped
up the spirit of the Super
Eagles while charging the
three –time African champions
to defeat Brazil in
today’s prestige friendly in
Singapore.
Both top Nigerian officials
spoke to the players
and officials of the Super
Eagles on telephone when
President of the Nigeria
Football Federation, Mr.
Amaju Melvin Pinnick visited
the team camp on Saturday
evening.
Pinnick was part of the
team’s official training at
the Singapore National
Stadium and then joined
the group for dinner, where
he made calls to the Lagos
State number one citizen
Handball League: Edo
Dynamos upstage Imo
Grasshoppers
EDO Dynamos once
again scored a vital
victory in the quest for the
top prize when they defeated
Imo Grasshoppers 20-
18 in a nail-bitting encounter
at the Prudent Energy
Handball League yesterday
at the Mobolaji
Johnson Sports Complex,
Rowe Park, Yaba.
The exciting encounter
saw both teams battling to
dominate the game but it
turned out to be a close affair
with both sides running
neck-to-neck throughout
the game. However,
Dynamos made better use
of their chances as they
emerged victorious to stay
WRESTLING: Onyebuchi,
Genesis for World Beach
Games
REIGNING African
champion, Blessing
Onyebuchi (+70kg) and
Mercy Genesis (-50kg) have
departed the country Friday
for Doha, Qatar, venue of
the inaugural World Beach
Games.
At the tournament, the two
athletes will take part in
beach wrestling, which is
similar to the traditional
Kokuwa wrestling.
The 6-day international
•Blessing
and the Youth and Sports
Minister.
“I want to commend you
all, that is the technical
crew, backroom staff and
players for the good job
you are doing. The whole
of Nigeria is behind you.
We will be watching the
game live here, fully supporting
you as you go for a
win against the Brazilians,”
said Youth and
Sports Minister, Mr. Sunday
Dare.
Governor Sanwo-Olu
was also on the telephone
urging the team to do Nigeria
proud by going all
out against the five –time
world champions.
In their responses, Technical
Adviser Gernot Rohr
and stand –in captain William
Ekong promised that
the team will put up a good
outing that will do the
country proud.
in second place on the log
and put more pressure on
leaders, Safety Babes.
However, in the male
category, it was a tale of
woe for the Owena Kings
of Akure who needed to
earn their second win in the
league but lost to Borno
Spiders 30-25 yesterday.
The Ondo team are lively
on the court but it seems
they lack the push to win
games as evident in yesterday’s
game. They did everything
right in the game
but failed to take their
chances and ended up losing
again.
In another encounter, D.
Defender overran Plateau
Vipers by 26-23.
multi-sport event – which is
organized by the Association
of National Olympic
Committees (ANOC) – is
scheduled to run from
11th to 16th October,
with about 1240 athletes
from over 90 countries in
attendance.
The duo, who claimed African
Games gold medals
in Morocco a few weeks
ago, will be guided by experienced
coach Victor Kodei
at the tournament.

SUNDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 13, 2019
SEE SOLUTION PAGE 5
ACROSS
1)Croatian Town (9)
5)Ivory Coast “Elephants” Striker,
Giovanni – (3)
7)Greek Alphabet (3)
8)L.G.A in Kogi State (9)
10)Former Director-General, Bureau of
Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin
– (5)
11)Tunisian Premier League Club (9)
14)American Mountain Range (6)
15)Former Director-General, News
Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Ima – (6)
17)Quadrilateral (9)
20)Delta State Capital (5)
21)Chairman, Independent Corrupt
Practices & other related offences
Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji –
(9)
23)L.G.A in Delta State (3)
24)Prosecute (3)
25)Head of Online Banking, Zenith Bank
Nigeria Plc, Mr. Augustine – (9)
DOWN
1)Public Relations Officer, Lagos State
Police Command, Mr. Chike – (3)
2)German Association Football Club (5)
3)National Commissioner, Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Professor Okechukwu – (6)
4)Portuguese Second Division Club-
Side (9)
5)Denmark Super-League Club (9)
6)National Chairman, All Progressives
Congress (APC), Mr. Adams – (9)
9)Vapour
11)Planet Saturn’s Satellite 99)
12)Philippines City (9)
13)Algerian City (9)
16)Former Cameroon “Indomitable
Lions” Full-Back, Bill – (6)
18)Brazilians Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr.
Aloysio – (5)
19)Ordinary (3)
22)State in Nigeria known as “The
Heartbeat of the Nation”? (3)
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