23112019

2 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019—3


SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 — 5 

Constituency Projects: ICPC exposes lawmakers 

*How N2 trillion went down the drain in 20 years, 

*Lawmakers collect money but fail to execute projects, 

*Others divert critical facilities for personal use, 

*Many contracts inflated, yet poorly executed 

*Empowerment items stashed away, not distributed, 

*Border agency, SMEDAN most notorious vehicles for looting constituency cash, 

*Youth empowerment, capacity building most abused expenditure items, 

*N3.9b ‘floating’ in 2019 budget for ‘deployment’ by lawmakers 

By Soni Daniel, Northern 

Region Editor 

FEW days after President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

whipped members of the National 

Assembly for not accounting 

for a whopping N1 trillion 

meant for constituency 

projects, the Independent Corrupt 

Practices Commission, 

ICPC, has further exposed the 

various ways our lawmakers 

fleeced the country. 

The ICPC appears to have 

caught the lawmakers napping 

with a novel initiative to track 

the constituency projects in a 

pilot scheme covering 12 states 

which were randomly selected 

from the country. The tracking 

covered projects purportedly 

carried out between 2015 and 

2018 and drew its experts from 

the Budget Office of the Federation, 

Accountant General 

Office, Bureau of Public Procurement, 

Auditor-General, 

Nigerian Institute of Quantity 

Surveyors, Civil Society organizations 

and the media. The 

outcome of the commission’s 

investigation was quite revealing 

and shocking. 

ICPC found in the course of 

its probe that apart from using 

their positions to decide the 

nature and cost of projects to 

be ‘carried out’ in their respective 

constituencies, lawmakers 

also chose the ‘contractors’ who 

in most cases were incompetent 

but were closely related to their 

political dynasty and had no 

project execution experience or 

technical capacity to handle 

such assignments. 

Beyond that, most of the lawmakers 

diverted public projects 

clearly provided for and paid 

by the government and presented 

them as if they were offering 

philanthropic services to 

the communities they were representing. 

In this category were 

also lawmakers, who sited key 

government projects in their 

private properties and homes 

and gave the community the 

impression that the projects 

were presented to the community 

by their families. 

But the worst and most dangerous 

disservice which the 

lawmakers have done to members 

of their constituencies, according 

to ICP finding was that 

most of them did not execute 

the projects at all after the money 

had been paid to their chosen 

‘contractors’, which in most 

cases turned out to be siblings 

or political associates of their 

project initiators. 

Many other lawmakers simply 

diverted and converted critical 

equipment and facilities 

meant for public institutions 

like schools, hospitals, community 

centres and public institutions 

to their homes and pretended 

as if such were personally 

acquired for their family 

use. 

From the findings, which the 

ICPC Chairman, Prof Bolaji 

Owasanoye, presented to President 

Muhammadu Buhari last 

Wednesday at the State House, 

it was clear to Nigerians that 

the constituency projects have 

become a steady source of manipulation, 

treachery and diversion 

of public good to the 

personal use of some powerful 

and influential politicians, who 

use their power of oversight to 

put pressure on the heads of 

Ministries, Departments and 

Agencies which they oversee to 

do their biddings or be ‘invited 

for questioning’ at the least 

provocation. 

The ICPC report said, “By this 

initiative we have tracked and 

seen to completion in the pilot 

phase 255 projects out of 424 

projects in 12 states spread 

across the six geo-political 

zones. The total appropriation 

for the selected projects was 

N24.32b out of which N22.27b 

was awarded in contracts. By 

monitoring the projects and 

enforcing completion we 

saved government about N2b 

in recovery of diverted assets, 

such as equipment for 

schools, hospitals, farms, water 

or energy projects, marginal 

improvement back to site in 

the selected states and a cumulative 

number of 200 contractors 

back to site across the 

country in states where we 

have not commenced enforcement 

activities. 

“We discovered that some 

agencies of government are 

favorites for embedding of 

constituency projects irrespective 

of their core mandate 

and capacity of these agencies 

to deliver or supervise 

projects. The attraction appears 

to be either corrupt tendencies 

within such agencies 

or the inherent weaknesses 

within them. Most notorious 

in this regard are Border 

Communities Development 

Agency, BCDA, and Small 

and Medium Enterprises Development 

Agency of Nigeria, 

SMEDAN. 

“We also discovered duplication 

of contracts with same 

description, narrative, amount, 

location, awarded by the same 

MDA in order to bring the 

amount allocated within approval 

threshold of the executing 

agency or to expend allocation 

to sponsor of the constituency 

project. 

“Many of the contracts were 

inflated yet poorly executed. 

Substandard items were used 

against specifications in the 

Bill of Engineering Measurements 

and Evaluation (BEME) 

From Left: Bea Perez, SVP & Chief Communications, Public Affairs & Sustainability Officer, 

The Coca-Cola Company; Doyin Salami, Chairman, Economic Advisory Council, Tony 

Elumelu, Chairman, Heirs Holdings; and James Quincey, Chairman & Chief Executive 

Officer,The Coca-Cola Company. During the Group Chief Executive Officer Coca-Cola Company 

Offical visit to Nigeria on Business Development 

thus diminishing the value of 

the projects to the intended 

beneficiaries. Many projects 

were also not built to specifications. 

Some contracts were 

awarded without standard contract 

documents available to 

assist Quantity Surveyors evaluate 

state of project in line with 

the contract. 

“Empowerment and Capacity 

Building projects are very 

popular but are highly prone 

to abuse and very difficult to 

track. We find that almost 50% 

of budgetary allocations to 

zonal intervention projects go 

to these opaque activities. 

“Empowerment items are 

sometimes stashed away by 

sponsors and not distributed 

till following budget cycle 

while in some cases same 

items are re-budgeted and 

duplicated. The subsequent 

budget release is then diverted. 

These anomalies are why 

the effort of government in 

creating jobs is not showing 

because the money for empowerment 

and capacity 

building simply disappears. 

“Some legislators or project 

sponsors refused to show 

project sites to the contractors 

in cases where the contract 

was not awarded to their preferred 

company while in others 

constituency projects were 

sited on private property of 

sponsor without transferring 

title to the community. Yet in 

other cases, some sponsors 

directly converted procured 

items to private use. 

“As your Excellency will notice 

in the breakdown before 

you sir, N3.9b is embedded in 

the 2019 zonal intervention 

projects budget but not allocated 

to any project or sector. 

But we can see the states 

where this money may be potentially 

taken if it is released. 

Needless to say, we are persuaded 

sir that Mr. President 

will not allow the release of 

money embedded in the budget 

for no particular purpose,” 

the ICPC boss pleaded with 

Buhari. 

The unveiling of the dubious 

modus operandi of the 

lawmakers, which has sucked 

the nation’s treasury over the 

years hit them like a thunderbolt 

and left them squirming 

for some days. Only a few of 

them managed to offer some 

explanations which in the 

main do not add up, given the 

weight of evidence adduced 

by the ICPC against them. 

Senator Enyinanya Abaribe, 

who managed to send a measured 

and innocuous response 

to the president’s accusation, 

did so without any 

facts and figure. The Minority 

Leader said in a tacit tone, 

“We are not worried by the 

statement by President Buhari 

that over N1 trillion has gone 

down the drain in the name 

of constituency projects without 

anything to show for it. 

The reason we are not worried 

is because we know that 

it was a statement that was erroneous. 

Somebody must 

have written a speech and 

then put false information in 

the speech. 

“I have done constituency 

projects and we have always 

said that they are not done by 

senators or members of the 

House of Representatives. 

They are domiciled in the executive 

who execute it. If the 

president said he has not 

seen anything, he should ask 

his ministers and his agencies 

under him as they are the 

people who have been executing 

these projects,” Abaribe 

stated. 

But the Senate’s spokesman, 

Godiya Akwashiki, a 

new entrant into the NASS, 

who has not yet done any constituency 

project, simply opted 

to keep out of the controversy 

over the scheme and 

claimed that the President 

had not written to the Senate 

over his concern about constituency 

projects. 

“Buhari is the President of 

this country he spoke as Chief 

Executive. Mr. President has 

not written to the National Assembly 

officially on this matter. 

We have mode of communication 

and I want to believe 

if he has anything to write to 

us, he will,” Akwashiki stated. 

Although constituency 

projects were well conceived 

and properly situated within 

the framework of the legislature, 

the implementation of 

the scheme over the years has 

left much to be desired.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 

I won’t seek 3rd term in 2023, Buhari 

declares 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

PRESIDENT Muham 

madu Buhari has denied 

speculations by critics 

that he was working towards 

getting a third term of office, 

saying he would leave by 

2023 in accordance with the 

Constitution. 

He gave the assurance 

Friday in Abuja in his opening 

remarks at a meeting of 

the National Executive 

Council NEC of his ruling 

All Progressives Congress 

APC at the National Secretariat. 

Buhari urged leaders of 

the party to work towards 

dominating their constituencies 

politically, warning that 

history will not be fair to 

them should the APC collapse 

after his tenure in 

2023. 

According to him, any office 

holder of the party “who 

fails to maintain the respect of 

his constituents and is thrown 

out, that is his problem.” 

Speaking on whether he 

will relinquish power in 

2023, Buhari said: “I am not 

going to make the mistake 

of attempting a third term. 

Beside the age, I swore by 

the holy book that I would 

go by the constitution and 

the constitution says two 

terms. I know that I am in 

my last term and I can afford 

to be reckless because I 

am not going to ask for anybody’s 

vote. 

“Every member of NEC 

from today should reposition 

himself or herself to ensure 

that you have dominated 

your constituencies politically. 

The aim is that history will 

not be fair to us if outrightly, 

the APC collapses at the end 

of this term. 

“History will be fair to us if 

APC remains strong and 

hold the centre and make 

gains. I want you to read the 

constitution. I made sure that 

when the constitution says 

the election as we did it the 

last time would start in 18 

months time or 20 months 

time, it was going to be 

done.” 

Speaking on his presidency’s 

relationship with the 

National Assembly, Buhari 

said: “On the relationship 

between the executive and 

the legislature, I was constrained 

to tell the caucus 

meeting yesterday that 

there was a time I called the 

Senate President and the 

leader of the House and told 

them that to sit on a budget 

for seven months was not 

politics and it was not hurting 

the president whoever 

it was, but the country. 

“For that reason I was 

pleased to mention yesterday 

that members of the ninth 

National Assembly, as you 

can read in the papers, have 

so much commitment on important 

issues and we have 

made a lot of progress. We 

will try and maintain this relationship, 

we cannot allow 

some of the things go public 

but I assure you that we have 

made a lot of progress,” the 

president said. 

Earlier, the party’s national 

chairman Comrade Adams 

•Worst APC candidate better than PDP’s angels 

—Oshiomhole 

•President Buhari, (right) Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, (2nd left); 

APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and others during APC NEC 

Meeting at Party Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday. 

Oshiomhole, mocked former 

Senate President Bukola 

Saraki and fourteen other 

Senators who left APC in 

2018 to the Peoples Democratic 

Party PDP, saying they 

have all been defeated. 

Oshiomhole boasted that 

the senator representing 

Kogi West, Dino Melaye, will 

next weekend, join the other 

15 National Assembly 

members who rebelled 

against the party, noting that 

Nigerians punished the 

Bukola Saraki-led rebels by 

retiring them. 

The party chairman however 

lamented how in-fighting 

and internal wrangling 

denied the party re-election 

in Bauchi and Adamawa 

states, even as he assured 

that APC will reclaim its stolen 

mandate in Sokoto state. 

“Mr President, I have chosen 

to amplify where we lost 

but we also made some gains 

that are quite outstanding. 

I am sure it gladdens the 

heart of every APC member 

and even APC well wishers 

that the man who led rebellion 

against our party, former 

Senate President, that the 

people of Kwara state did not 

only deny him return to the 

Senate, they also voted out 

every element in PDP and 

today from the governorship 

we won, Senators we won 

and of course the House of 

Representatives and state 

House of Assembly. 

“I think our victory in 

Kwara state for me was most 

outstanding. I think we now 

generally refer to Kwara with 

pride as the Otooge revolution.” 

The NEC meeting was 

attended by Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo, APC governors 

and other party leaders. 

Among those who attended 

the meeting were: 

former interim National 

Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi 

Akande, Secretary to Government 

of the Federation, 

Boss Mustapha, Senate 

President, Ahmed Lawan, 

Deputy Senate President, 

Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy 

Speaker, Ahmed Wade, Senate 

Leader, Abdullahi Yahaya, 

Deputy Senate Leader, 

Prof. Ajayi Borrofice, Senate 

Chief Whip, Orji Uzor 

Kalu and Deputy Senate 

Whip, Sabi Abdullahi. 

Also in attendance were 

governors of Nasarawa, Abdullahi 

Sule, Kaduna, Nasir 

El-Rufai, Borno, Prof. 

Babagana Zulum, Kogi, Yahaya 

Bello, Katsina, Aminu 

Masari, Edo, Godwin 

Obaseki, Ondo, Rotimi Akeredolu, 

Osun, Adegboyega 

Oyetola, Ekiti, Kayode 

Fayemi, Jigawa, Abubakar 

Badaru, etc. 

Also in attendance were 

the suspended Edo State 

APC Chairman, Anslem 

Ojezua and the suspended 

Deputy National Chairman 

North, Lawal Shuiabu. 

The Speaker, House of 

Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, 

governor of Ogun 

state Dapo Abiodun were, 

however, represented by 

their deputies. 

Pro, Anti-Oshimhole protesters 

clash 

Earlier in the day hundreds 

of pro and anti-Oshiomhole’s 

protesters clashed 

at the secretariat. 

The anti-Oshiomhole protesters 

had arrived Blantyre 

Street in the early hours of 

Friday, disrupting human 

and vehicular movements 

leading to the national secretariat 

of the party in continuation 

of the demonstration 

they started on Thursday 

morning. The situation 

soon degenerated to a free 

for all, save for the intervention 

of security operatives 

who checked the rampaging 

youths. 

We raked N1.125trn in 10months — CG 

*Says Nigeria’s borders remain largely porous 

By Henry Umoru 

THE 

Comptroller 

General of Nigeria 

Customs Service, NCS, 

Col. Hameed Ibrahim Ali, 

retd has told the Senate 

that the extant laws of the 

Service such as the Customs 

and Excise Management 

Act, CEMA were 

outdated. 

According to him, the 

Act which allows the 

movement of goods into 

and out of Nigeria by land 

or inland waters were 

long overdue for review. 

He also stressed that the 

rules and regulations in 

their operational guidelines 

no longer meet up 

with modern day challenges, 

which has reduced 

measurably, the 

accruing revenue against 

the volume of trade. 

Disclosing this yesterday 

in Abuja when he appeared 

before the Senate 

Committee on Customs, 

Excise and Tariff led by 

Senator Francis Alimikhena, 

All Progressives Congress, 

APC, Edo North to 

defend the proposed 2020 

Budget Estimates, the 

Customs boss said that 

the agency raked a total 

sum of N1.125trillion in 

ten months from January 

to October this year. 

According to him, the 

Service collected the sum 

of N207.19 billion as Value 

Added Tax( VAT) on 

imports for the period under 

review, just as he said 

that despite the antismuggling 

drive of the 

Service, Nigeria’s Borders 

remain largely porous 

which leads to smuggling 

activities. 

Ali said that the gross expected 

revenue collection 

with VAT inclusive for 

2019 Fiscal year was put 

at N1.357 trillion. 

He said, “the revenue 

target by the Service in 

2020 Financial year is set 

at N1.679 Trillion, consisting 

of N1.500 trillion for 

Federation and N178.62 

billion for Non- Federation”, 

adding that when 

compared with the 2019 

Revenue Target, the 2020 

Revenue Target was higher 

by N741.43 billion or 

44.17 percent. 

Tragedy: Family of three 

found dead in their home 

By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

A 

MIDDLE aged man, Greg Indyer, his wife Linda and 

son Terpase were Thursday evening found dead in their 

residence, opposite NASME road, in the North Bank Area of 

Makurdi the Benue state capital. 

Saturday Vanguard gathered from residents in the neighbourhood 

that a two-year-old member of the family was however 

found alive among his dead parents and sibling. 

According to a resident who craved anonymity, the deceased 

family members were late Thursday night found dead by curios 

neighbours when it was discovered that the doors to their 

living home were wide opened at late hours and there was no 

sign of life in the house. 

He said “It was when a neighbour called out the names of 

the couple to urge them to shut the door of their home and 

there was no response that out of curiosity, he entered and 

saw the lifeless bodies of the couple and their three year old 

son on the floor. 

“However their two-year-old son was found alive in the 

house though he was obviously unaware of what happened 

to his parents and sibling. At the point neighbours rushed 

them to North Bank General Hospital hoping that they would 

survive since there was no sign of cut or injury on their bodies 

but unfortunately they were all confirmed dead. 

“As we speak the matter has been reported to the Police who 

visited the house and have been asking questions in order to 

find out if they were strangulated or poisoned but we hope 

that the hospital autopsy will reveal the cause of their death”, 

the witness added. 

Meanwhile the Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendents, 

DSP, Catherine Anene who confirmed the incident 

said the command had commenced investigation into 

the matter. 

Appeal Court upholds Tambuwals’ 

election in Sokoto 

By Adakole Auke, Sokoto 

THE Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto on Fri 

day upheld the election of Governor Aminu 

Waziri Tambuwal of the PDP as the winner of the 

2019 general elections. 

This followed the dismissal of an appeal filed before 

it by the APC and its defeated candidate, 

Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto. 

The APC had approached the Governorship Election 

Petition Tribunal shortly after the election challenging 

the declaration by INEC of Governor Aminu 

Waziri Tambuwal as elected and returned. 

Having looked into the grounds for the challenge, 

the Election Petition Tribunal dismissed the petition 

filed before it by the APC which led the party 

to approach the Court of Appeal. 

‘Church greatest opposition to 

family planning in Nigeria’ 

By Vincent Ujumadu 

ANAMBRA State coordinator of family planning, Mrs. 

Stella Ekweozor has accused the church of posing the 

greatest challenge towards achieving the goals of family planning 

in the country. 

In an interview with Saturday Vanguard in Awka, Ekweozor 

said the resultant effect was that many women embark on unsafe 

abortion at the risk of their lives. 

A non-governmental organization, Marie Stopes Nigeria, 

recently observed that contraception and abortion contributed 

to high maternal mortality ratio of 451deaths per 100,000 live 

births, while unsafe abortion contributed over 30% of maternal 

deaths in Nigeria. 

At a training programme for journalists, officials of Marie 

Stopes Nigeria argued that access to safe, voluntary family 

planning was a human right and a key factor in reducing 

poverty, adding that having children should be by choice and 

not by chance. 

The organization also observed that about 214million women 

in developing countries, who want to avoid pregnancy, 

were not using safe and effective family planning methods, for 

reasons ranging from lack of access to information or lack of 

support from their partners or communities. 

Corroborating the position of Marie Stopes, the Anambra 

State family planning coordinator said the position of the church 

on the issue was very worrisome. 

She said: “We have serious opposition from the church on 

family planning matters. Recently we went to a church forum 

and once we mentioned family planning, members of the church 

flared up. 

“Because some denominations were against the artificial 

method of family planning, we were always careful with them. 

We have a scientific method of family planning which we will 

soon roll out in the state, but unfortunately the church was 

bringing some people who do not have knowledge of health to 

teach the women Billings’s method which is a form of natural 

family planning method. 

“However, we tell them that they cannot teach family planning 

methods with their limited knowledge. We try to prove to 

them that it requires health professionals to impart the knowledge, 

which can only be found in approved health centres. 

“Surprisingly, they became hostile and queried why we should 

refer the women to health centres. To, them, the only thing we 

should teach the women is the natural way of family planning.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 —7 

Sowore, Bakare slam N1bn suit against 

DSS DG, AGF *Demand public apology in 5 dailies 

By Ikechukwu 

Nnochiri 

DETAINED pro-de 

mocracy activist and 

convener of the Revolution- 

Now protest, Omoyele Sowore 

and his co-defendant, 

Olawale Bakare (aka Mandate), 

have instituted a 

N1billion suit against the 

Director General of the Department 

of State Service, 

DSS, Yusuf Bichi and the 

Attorney General of the Federation 

and Minister of Justice, 

Abubakar Malami, 

SAN, alleging gross violation 

of their constitutionally 

guaranteed fundamental 

rights. 

In separate fundamental 

rights enforcement suits they 

filed before the Federal 

High Court in Abuja, the 

duo, maintained that they 

are entitled to general and 

aggravated damages of 

N500million each as a result 

of violations of their rights 

to personal liberty, dignity of 

person, fair hearing, family 

life, freedom of association 

and freedom of movement. 

They are further praying 

the court to compel the two 

respondents to issue a public 

apology to them that will 

be published in five national 

dailies within 14 days. 

The applicants, in the suits 

they filed through their lawyer 

and human rights activist, 

Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, 

a copy of which was obtained 

by Vanguard on Friday, 

chronicled how their 

rights were sequentially violated 

from August 2 when 

they were arrested in Lagos, 

till date. 

They argued that their 

continued detention by the 

DSS from November 7, in 

disobedience to the order of 

the court for their release on 

bail, was illegal as it violated 

their fundamental right 

to liberty guaranteed by section 

35 of the 1999 Constitution, 

as amended, and Article 

6 of the African Charter 

on Human and Peoples’ 

Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) 

Act (CAP A10) 

Laws of the Federation of 

Nigeria, 2004. 

In his suit marked FHC/ 

ABJ /C51409/2019, who was 

the presidential candidate of 

the African Action Congress, 

AAC, in the last general 

election and publisher of an 

online news outlet, Sahara 

Reporters, who was the 

presidential candidate of the 

African Action Congress, 

AAC, in the last general 

election and publisher of an 

online news outlet, Sahara 

Reporters, prayed the court 

for: 

“A declaration that the detention 

of the applicant from 

November 7, 2019 till date 

in violation of the order for 

his release made on November 

6, 2019 is illegal as it violates 

his fundamental right 

to liberty guaranteed by Section 

35 of the constitution of 

the Federal Republic of Nigeria 

1999 (as amended) 

and Article 6 of African Charter 

on Human and Peoples’ 

Rights (Ratification and Enforcement 

Act (CAP A10) 

Laws of the Federation of 

Nigeria 2004. 

“An order of this court compelling 

the respondents to 

pay to the applicant the sum 

of N500,000, 000, 00 ( Five 

hundred million naira) as 

general and aggravated 

damages for the illegal violation 

of the applicant’s fundamental 

right to life, dignity 

of his person, fair hearing, 

health, freedom of 

movement and freedom of 

association. 

As well as, “An order of 

perpetual injunction restraining 

the respondents 

from further violating the 

applicant’s fundamental 

rights in any manner whatsoever 

and however without 

lawful justification.” The suit 

was supported by a 21-paragraph 

affidavit that was deposed 

to by Abubakar Marshall, 

a lawyer in Falana’s 

chamber, and accompanied 

by a written address. 

Both Sowore and Bakare 

are facing a seven-count treasonable 

felony charge that 

was preferred against them 

by the Federal Government. 

Buhari, APC Governors, others to meet in Jos 

By Marie-Therese 

Nanlong 

PRESIDENT Mu 

hammadu Buhari 

will lead a delegation of 

all Governors from the All 

Progressives 

Congress, APC, controlled 

States for a review 

on governance on 

Monday in Jos, the Plateau 

State capital. 

The meeting is to create 

room for them to 

brainstorm and compare 

notes on how they could 

From left: President, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation 

(CCECC) and Deputy Secretary of Communist Party, Mr. Chen Sichang; 

Chairman, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and Secretary 

of Communist Party (China), Mr. Chen Fenjian; Lagos State Governor, Mr. 

Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Managing Director of Overseas Business Department 

of CRCC, Mr. Cao Boagang during the Governor’s visit to the CRCC 

Headquarters in Beijing to discuss collaboration on infrastructural development 

of Lagos State recently. 

add value to Nigerians 

and take them to the next 

level of governance in 

their respective States. 

The APC Governors, 

who would spend two 

days in Jos for the meeting 

would exchange 

ideas on how best the 

promise of their party to 

take people out of poverty 

could be effected. 

Addressing journalists 

yesterday in Jos, the Secretary 

to the State Government, 

Professor Danladi 

Atu said the agenda 

of the meeting is such 

that value would be added 

to governance in the 

States. 

Apart from the President 

and Governors, the 

President of the Senate, 

Ahmed Lawan, Speaker 

of the House of Representatives, 

Femi Gbajabiamila 

and 19 ministers 

would also attend the 

meeting. 

According to Atu, “The 

Governors would under 

take a peer review of the 

dividends of democracy 

they have provided to citizens 

of the country. Plateau 

would be hosting 

over 180 persons in Jos. 

This is another opportunity 

to showcase Plateau 

to the world, and to tell 

the world that peace has 

returned to Plateau.” 

He urged citizens of the 

State to continue to support 

Governor Lalong as 

“the Governor is poised 

to take Plateau to greater 

heights.” 

Edo is prepared for industrialisation, others — Obaseki 

THE Edo State Gov 

ernor, Mr. Godwin 

Obaseki, has said his 

administration will not 

relent in transforming 

the state into a hub for 

industries, which will 

improve the economic 

fortunes of Edo residents. 

The governor, who was 

represented by Head, 

Edo State Investment 

Promotion Office (ESI- 

PO), Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi 

said this during a paper 

presentation at the 

Equipment Leasing Association 

of Nigeria’s 

(ELAN) 17th National 

Lease Conference, 

themed: ‘Promoting 

Leasing for Inclusive 

Growth.’ 

He said the state government 

will continue to 

work to improve the ease 

of doing business, with 

Foreign participants at the 2019 International 

Arts & Crafts Expo (INAC) in Abuja yesterday. 

INAC 2019 Expo records 

highest turnout 

By Osa Amadi, reporting from Abuja 

SINCE the 2019 and 12th International Arts & 

Crafts Expo (INAC) opened at the FCT Exhibition 

Pavilion, Abuja last Wednesday, it has registered 

an unprecedented number of Nigerians and 

foreign nationals trooping to the venue to witness 

the best of art and craft from every continent of the 

world. 

At least 30 countries and almost all states of the 

federation are displaying unique art and crafts besides 

the attractive components of free skill acquisition 

and free medical services provided by the 

National Council for Arts and Culture. 

The Exhibition Pavilion which has become a beehive 

of activities since the Expo opened is designed 

to showcase, entertain and impart skills in four days 

of non-stop fiesta. 

Conceptualized by the Director-General, National 

Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe 

in 2017, this year’s INAC is also featuring 

special country days in what has become an annual 

feature aimed at adding extra finesse to the event. 

Speaking at the cocktail event, Otunba Runsewe 

said “Nigeria is ready to celebrate the world. I want 

to thank all the countries exhibiting here today. And 

always remember, Nigeria is a very hospitable country. 

We love you, we care for you. We look forward 

to giving you the best of hospitality.” 

INAC is one of the flagship programs held annually 

by the National Council for Arts and Culture in 

what has become a major Exhibition that seeks to 

replicate other global trade fair. 

Upu youths in Lagos fault Okene 

THE Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Youth wing 

in Lagos has expressed surprise over the call 

by one Chief Godwin Okene on the incumbent President 

General of UPU Worldwide, Olorogun Moses 

Taiga, not to seek re-election. Reacting to a news 

story in Vanguard of last Tuesday, the UPU Youth 

President Lagos Branch, Chief Austin Ojameruaye, 

described the call as selfish and meant to deceive 

people and give himself or his sponsors undue advantage 

in the forthcoming UPU election. 

Ojemeruaye said Olorogun Taiga was one of Urhobo 

finest. He wondered why he was advising him 

not to contest at a time other ethnic nationalities 

are putting their best forward. 

“How many men in Urhobo land have the presence, 

stature and influence of Olorogun Taiga? How 

can you go for a football match with your second 11 

when your first 11 is available,” Ojameruaye queried. 

He said Okene and his likes are cowered by 

Olorogun Taiga’s towering stature and feel the only 

way to stop him from getting re-elected was to engage 

in a campaign of deceit and calumny. He challenged 

Okene “to go and pick a nomination form 

and test his popularity on December 6, 2019,” while 

urging all Urhobos who are interested in vying for 

positions to pick nomination forms. 

policies aimed at creating 

a conducive and 

favourable business environment 

for foreign 

and local investors. 

According to him, “In 

the last three years, Edo 

State has created an enabling 

environment to 

attract investors. The 

state is Nigeria’s bestkept 

secret with an allyear-round 

climate for 

cultivation of crops, 

among other endowments. 

“Edo State is an investment 

and logistics hub. 

It is also the second-largest 

state aside Lagos 

State with the highest 

trade volume is secondhand 

vehicles. Our investment 

priorities include 

the Benin Enterprise 

Park, the Automotive 

Park and Edo Production 

Center.


Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (left) consoling Senator Ayogu Eze of the All Progressives 

Congress (2nd right) and his wife, Nkechi, during the funeral service for Senator Eze’s late father-in-law, Pastor 

Cyril Odoh Ugwuoke, held at Township School 1, Ogrute Enugu-Ezike, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area, 

yesterday. 

Politics cannot come between us, Ayogu 

Eze tells Ugwuanyi 

By Ikechukwu Odu 

The Enugu State’s All 

Progressives 

Congress, APC, candidate 

for the last gubernatorial 

candidate in the state, 

Ayogu Eze, has said politics 

cannot come between his 

friendship and that of the 

governor of Enugu State, 

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, 

irrespective of their party 

affiliations. 

Eze, who confirmed that 

there have been “turbulent, 

fervent and stringent”, political 

tussles between them, 

said those things were as a 

result of politics and would 

not come in between their 

friendship. 

He spoke at Ogrute, Friday, 

during the interment of 

his father-in-law, Pastor 

Cyril Odo Ugwuoke, adding 

that no politician in the 

state is as humble as the 

governor. 

“Ugwuanyi’s ability to 

reach out and make peace 

at all cost is outstanding. 

His ability to build network 

is commendable. It is not 

surprising that since he assumed 

office in the state, 

peace and development 

have been witnessed in key 

sectors of the state’s economy 

and he has been able to 

pull our people together,” he 

said. 

Though, he said all expectations 

have not been 

met, he said he believes, 

Ugwuanyi, will not disappoint 

the people of the state. 

“I want to re-emphasise 

that he would continue to 

be my friend. Those who 

met him in Igbo-Eze North 

Council Area, met him in 

my house, so, he remains 

my good friend. Though, 

I will continue to be a member 

of APC, I urge all of you 

to continue to support him. 

So, if you see us together, 

don’t be surprised because 

our friendship has been 

reinvigorated. He is just 

PDP for today and I am APC 

for today. 

“I may have stepped on 

toes through my actions and 

inactions, I want everyone I 

have offended to forgive me 

so we can work towards the 

development of our state,” 

2023: Why another northerner will succeed 

Buhari — APC chieftain 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

A chieftain of the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, Chief Jackson Ojo has 

advised the South to forget 

their dream of producing the 

President of Nigeria in 2023, 

saying at the expiration of 

his tenure, President Muhammadu 

Buhari would 

handover to another 

northerner. 

Ojo stated this yesterday 

in Abuja in a chat with our 

correspondents. The APC 

chieftain while 

counselling the South to 

build a common front 

ahead of the next election 

cycle noted that South 

lacks the capacity to politically 

engage the North in 

a battle of supremacy. 

In his words, politicians 

of South-West extraction 

currently agitating to 

replace President Buhari 

in 2023 lack the visibility 

and national acceptance to 

make good their dream 

saying, “who is there in the 

South that has the national 

clout? There are some 

people in the South-West 

that are making noise today, 

wanting to be President. 

The truth is that they 

he said. The former senator 

equally thanked Ugwuanyi, 

for his support during 

the burial. 

The event was graced 

by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; 

Senator Chuka 

Utazi, Pat Asadu; Simon 

Atigwe, among other prominent 

politicians in Enugu 

North Senatorial District. 

FG responsible for 80% of Nigeria’s 

N25.7 trn debt — DMO 

By Tordue Salem, 

Abuja 

THE Debt Manage 

ment Office (DMO) 

has told the House of Representatives 

that Nigerian’s 

total debt profile is 

now N25.7 trillion with the 

Federal Government’s 

borrowing taking about 

80 percent of the total debt 

burden. 

The Director-General of 

the Office, Ms Patience 

Oniha, while addressing 

the House Committee on 

Public Account on yesterday 

in Abuja, stated: “As 

at June 2019, our debt 

profile is at N25.7 trillion; 

this includes the Federal, 

states governments and 

the Federal Capital Territory 

(FCT). 

“We call it the total public 

debt, out of this total, 

the Federal Government 

is responsible for 80 per 

cent of the debt,” she said. 

Oniha said that external 

borrowing accounts for 

about 32 per cent of the total 

debt while the 68 per 

cent is domestic. 

She explained that the 

DMO is agency of government 

which began operations 

in 2000 following the 

country debt management 

problems of the country 

which lead to the debt relief. 

Oniha said that the 

agency is responsible for 

the management of public 

debts and its mandate includes 

contracting debts on 

behalf of the Federal Government. 

According to the directorgeneral, 

this is clear under 

the Fiscal Responsibility 

Act and provisions in the 

DMO Act. 

“If you look back several 

years, over 85 per cent of 

budget deficits are funded 

by borrowing which the 

DMO undertakes as approved 

by the Federal Executive 

Council and the 

National Assembly. 

“We borrow from various 

sources, the multi laterals, 

the World Bank, Islamic 

Development Bank, the 

African Development 

Bank, China Exim and we 

also issue products in the 

International market. 

“Locally, we are also 

very active in domestic 

borrowing, we issue treasury 

bills, Federal Government 

treasure bonds, “ 

she said. 

Oniha said that DMO 

also serves as an advisory 

body for the Federal Government 

on debt management 

and to put debt at 25 

per cent ratio to the GDP. 

She explained that the 

agency do not receive any 

amount borrowed saying 

that it is paid directly to 

the Central Bank of Nigeria 

(CBN) who ensures 

that the money is used for 

what is borrowed for. 

The Chairman of the 

committee, Rep. Wole Oke 

(PDP-Osun) said that it 

was important for parliament 

to have all the relevant 

information documented. 

cannot be President. That 

is it! Mark my word! APC 

Presidential candidate in 

2023 will emerge from the 

north. The South-West will 

be given the Vice Presidential 

slot. And if the PDP 

takes its candidate from the 

South, then they have 

given the opportunity to 

the APC to win again. The 

south does not have the 

political capacity to fight 

the North.” 

Convocation: University of 

Benin confers LLD honours on 

Chief Ahonaruogho 

THE University of Benin will today confer the 

Doctor of Law (LLD) (Honoris Causa) on a legal 

practitioner, Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho 

who is an alumnus of the university and a past president 

of the University of Benin Alumni Association 

(Worldwide) as part of this year’s convocation ceremony. 

An associate of the honoree, Chief Kunle Uthman, 

in a tribute described Chief Ahonaruogho “as a man 

of several parts, who at various times in his adult 

life has made indelible marks and impacts in the 

lives of several persons in different facets of life”. 

According to him, “in the last two decades, in the 

Faculty of Law of the University of Benin, the honoree 

has awarded scholarships to several deserving 

students and provided laptop computers to 

graduating students attending the Nigerian Law 

School. 

“As part of his non selective acts of philanthropy, 

he had also sponsored students in the Theatre Arts 

and other departments. In addition, he single handedly 

coordinated the building and equipment of a 

Facility of Law Library for the university. He has 

also made several other contributions to the university 

community as a whole in terms of material 

and infrastructural development” 

“The staff and management of the University of 

Benin see in Chief Richard Oma Ahonaruogho a 

worthy ambassador of the university, who has maintained 

close contact and liaison with the institution 

and had on several occasions and instances 

used his vast contacts and networks of friends, business 

and political associates to assist in solving numerous 

problems and challenges when they arose”. 

Chief Ahonaruogho’s wife, Chief Mojisola Abiola 

said, “Richard is a responsible husband, he is a 

family man to the core. He is caring, loving, kind 

and very dependable. He is ever ready to provide 

solutions to any challenges that may arise”. 

Elumelu, 2 other Africans in 

omnibus edition of African Voices 

ONE of Nigeria’s best known bankers, Anthony 

Elumelu, is featured in an omnibus edition of 

the television magazine, CNN African Voices, airing 

this weekend. Two Kenyans will also be celebrated in 

this edition.CNN International introduced the compilation 

show when the television station started a 

new series of the flagship programme with a new 

tagline, Changemakers. 

The Kenyans featured in the edition are Elizabeth 

Njoroge, founder of the Art of Music Foundation who 

deploys the transformative power of classical music 

to provoke positive change in the lives of young Kenyans 

and Peter Tabichi, 37-year-old winner of the 2019 

Global Teacher Prize. 

The programme will delve into how Elumelu, now 56, 

started his career in banking; how his courage and confidence 

earned him his first job as a salesman at the 

defunct All States Trust Bank after getting his Master’s 

degree in Economics from the University of Lagos. 

The programme tells the story of how he rose through 

the ranks and eventually became the chairman of 

United Bank for Africa, Heirs Holdings and 

Transcorp and how he founded The Tony Elumelu 

Foundation in 2010 as a major philanthropy in Africa 

championing the cause of entrepreneurship and sponsoring 

outstanding entrepreneurs across the continent. 

Njoroge, a graduate of Strathclyde University, UK, 

returned to her country home where she founded the 

Art of Music Foundation. She had earlier bagged a 

degree in Pharmacy in 1994, and before that, a Bachelor 

of Science degree in Biochemistry in 1989 from 

the McMaster University in Canada upon the completion 

of her Pharmacy degree in 1997.


SCANDAL: Border closure partial in the North 

— Residents 

*Say cross-borders movements of rice, vegetable oil, others persist 

*Smuggling claims false — Customs 

By Emma Ujah, Ben 

Agande & Bashir Bello 

AS border towns in 

some parts of Nigeria 

writhe in pains on account 

of the prevailing closure 

of land borders by the 

Federal Government, the 

closure is not effective in 

many similar towns in the 

North. 

Indeed, some residents 

of border towns in Katsina 

State claimed that despite 

the border closure, smuggling 

activities were still 

rampant in the areas. 

They said that the border 

was only partially closed 

and cross-border movements 

of goods were allowed 

by some security 

operatives at the border 

areas. 

However, the Nigeria 

Customs Service, NCS, 

said claims of borders not 

being shut in the North 

were false. It however said 

the Service lacked adequate 

manpower to police 

about 2000 illegal routes in 

the North. 

A resident of Jibia, a border 

town to Niger Republic, 

Gidado Farufaru, said 

smuggling persists day 

and night in the area. 

Said Farufaru: “There 

are security agencies all 

over the border but their 

impact is negative. If you 

come with your smuggled 

goods, and give them a 

bribe, you will easily go 

away with your goods. 

“Actually, I can say that 

the border is closed but all 

the businesses that you 

know are carried out up til 

now. For instance, the directive 

banning supply 

and sale of petroleum fuel 

to filling stations 20 kilometres 

close to the borders. 

You can get petrol in our 

community and you can 

get it out of the country. The 

only thing is that the price 

is hiked. 

“And I can tell you that 

the businesses of rice, vegetable 

oil, spaghetti and 

macaroni are going normal. 

It is a transaction between 

the security agencies 

and the smugglers while 

the community members 

are left to suffer. 

“The situation is chaotic, 

things are very hard. And 

there are security agents 

everywhere but you will be 

surprised how they are 

doing these businesses. 

Absolutely, smuggled 

goods still come in day and 

night. Although prices 

have shut up” 

Another resident, Dauda 

Jibia agreed that there are 

smuggling activities in the 

area. 

His words: “It is just that 

they officially shut the border 

but everything or activities 

you know that are 

carried out in the border 

are still happening. The 

smugglers follow illegal 

routes. Even petrol that is 

banned at the border area 

is smuggled out. They convey 

them on motorcycles. 

A motorcycle carries about 

8 - 10 jerricans and about 

100 motorcycles go in there 

like three times in a day. 

“The measure is just inflicting 

pains on the people 

but if the government 

is ready to check this, they 

should keep an eye on the 

border and other illegal 

routes that the smugglers 

are using too”. 

Another resident, Aisha 

Jibia said smuggling activities 

still continue in the 

area except that the level 

of smuggling now cannot 

be compared to what was 

obtainable in the past. 

“Smuggled goods still 

move in and out. It is just 

that the level has reduced.” 

However, Alhaji Bashir 

Jibia, a resident, had a divergent 

opinion. He argued 

that the border closure 

measure was strict 

and there are no smuggling 

activities in the area. 

Bashir said the measure 

had become stiffer after the 

comptroller newly posted 

in the state threatened that 

any security agent caught 

compromising would be 

taken to Abuja. 

Residents confirm 

smuggling activities 

along Daura axis 

On the border closure 

along Daura axis, three 

residents corroborated 

what the member representing 

Sandamu, MaiAdua 

and Daura at the House 

of Representatives Hon. 

Fatuhu Mohammed, said 

on the floor of the House. 

He said that smuggling 

was still going on and that 

the border closure was not 

effective in Katsina. 

The residents, however, 

said the lawmaker was expected 

to meet with President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

concerning the border closure 

which has posed serious 

hardship on the people 

of the border communities. 

It was also gathered that 

some petroleum station 

owners affected by the directive 

to ban supply and 

sell of petrol 20km to the 

border, visited the Emir of 

Daura, Dr. Umar Farooq 

Umar to express their dissatisfaction 

with the directive. 

The Emir assured 

them that he would forward 

their complaints to 

the appropriate authorities. 

No smuggling at 

Northern borders 

— Customs 

Reacting to the situation, 

the controller, Federal Operation 

unit of the Customs 

in charge of Zone B, Mustapha 

Sarkin-Keffi, denied 

that the border closure was 

not being enforced. 

According to him, inadequate 

manpower has 

hampered effective operations 

of the customs in the 

zone. 

He said: “I am not aware 

of that because I know the 

*Why Northern borders are porous 

*Customs lacks manpower to cover 2000 illegal routes 

From left: Mr. Ani Charles Bassey-Eyo, co-founder, Axiom Learning Solutions Limited; Theoneste 

Ntalindwa, eLearning Officer and Researcher from the University of Rwanda; Mr. Charles Senkondo, 

Executive Director of Tanzanzia Global Learning Agency (TaGLA); Richard Kajumbula, Makerere 

Univerity; Professor Aziz El Hajir Programme Specialist on Educational Technologies at ISESCO‘s 

department of Education in Morocco all panelists at the eLearning Africa 14th International Conference 

on ICT for Education, Training & Skills Development held in Abidjan, recently. 

border drill exercise has 

been recording a lot of successes. 

You know that in 

the North, unlike the other 

parts of the country, are 

so porous. If you check 

from Jigawa up to Niger 

and Kwara, there are over 

2000 illegal routes. We 

don’t have the manpower 

or the capacity to cover all 

these routes at a time. 

These smugglers are also 

becoming very sophisticated. 

They monitor our movements. 

That is why the 

FOU has been working in 

the hinterland so that 

when they evade us at the 

border, they can always 

move up in the hinterland. 

“I will not say the border 

closure in the North has 

not been effective but the 

porous nature of it has 

made it impossible for us 

to cover it 100 per cent.” 

Customs dismisses 

smuggling claims 

The Public Relations Officer 

(PRO) of the Nigeria 

Customs Service (NCS) 

Deputy Comptroller Joseph 

Attah, in a telephone 

interview dismissed 

claims of on-going smuggling 

at Northern borders. 

According to him: “The 

joint border patrol codenamed 

“EX-SWIFT RE- 

SPONSE”, is not being 

carried out by only offic- 

ers of the Nigeria Customs 

Service. The teams consist 

of officers from various security 

organizations. How 

does anyone think it is possible 

to bribe all those people 

with N2, 000 or N3, 000 

and then the border would 

be opened for anyone to 

smuggle in goods? 

“I have been to various 

zones, in the South East, 

South West and in the 

North, in the course of our 

sensitization meetings and 

the complaints are the 

same. To claim that borders 

are opened in some 

parts of the country and 

closed in others is unthinkable. 

“Bear in mind that the officers 

are from across the 

country. It is not possible 

to see only officers of 

Northern extraction working 

in borders in the North 

and officers from the South 

working at Southern borders 

and mind you the 

Commanders of the operation 

Ex-Swift Response 

are senior officers. 

“Those who are making 

claims should go to the borders 

and they will see 

things for themselves. The 

situation in Jibia is as it is 

in Seme. The complaints 

of long queues at Seme 

are the same in Jibia.” 

Our leaders should learn from life of Squirrels 

— Don 

By Dayo Johnson, Akure 

A 

Professor of Psychol 

ogy, Adekunle Ajasin 

University, Akungba 

Akoko, Ondo State, 

Olukayode Afolabi has 

described as pathetic, the 

way Nigerian leaders have 

squandered the nation’s 

resources. 

Afolabi raised this concern 

while delivering the 

Institution’s 15th Inaugural 

Lecture, entitled, “Burying 

Nuts: A Psychosocial 

Activity of the Squirrel in 

an Individualized World”. 

According to him “ 

While other leaders in the 

Western world (with some 

few ones in Africa) are busy 

burying nuts, ours are busy 

“swallowing all the nuts” 

that are meant for all of us. 

“ There is no doubt that 

the future of Nigerian 

youths is already mortgaged. 

Our youths are 

growing through adversity 

yet; a bright future is not 

certain. Nigerian leaders 

must begin to bury the 

nuts that will eventually 

germinate for everyone to 

benefit from.” 

“There is a great lesson 

to learn from the activities 

of the squirrel. Our society 

and the people therein 

need to have a good 

plan for the future. 

“ The squirrel’s cheerful 

activities are a reminder 

for us to play and enjoy 

life. Their propensity to hide 

nuts is a lesson in being prepared. 

“The way the squirrel faces 

the daunting task of burying 

and later finding nuts 

teaches us that we have to 

face our problems as individuals 

and as a nation, instead 

of sitting on them. 

“ Sure, the squirrel can sit 

down and wait for winter, 

hoping he can scout around 

for food by then. But instead, 

it prepares for it carefully 

and strategically!” 

Afolabi stressed the 

need for individuals to 

think more like squirrels 

and have back-up plans for 

life emergencies they 

could face. 

“Squirrels know they 

will face trying periods 

when food is scarce, particularly 

in early spring 

time. The squirrels save for 

future." 

Prince Ned Nwoko Foundation set to host 3rd Golf 

Tournament in Delta State 

Pcum HILANTHROPIST 

politician and 

hubby to screen goddess, 

Regina Daniels, Prince 

Ned Nwoko is touching 

lives through sports as his 

foundation, Prince Ned 

Nwoko Foundation is 

staging it’s third Golf tournament 

on 

Saturday,November 3rd, 

2019 at the Royal Golf 

Course in Delta . 

The multimillion Naira 

project we gathered was 

*Prince Nwoko 

part of his contribution to 

sport development in the 

country and lots of prizes 

will be won at the one-day 

event. 

Also, we reliably gathered 

that the Prince Ned 

Nwoko foundation 

brought in some foreign 

coaches, football agents 

and scouts to Abuja for the 

soccer star project which 

is a football talent hunts for 

grassroots players, to select 

40 players among the 

young talents and take 

them to Europe. This is not 

unconnected to his vision 

of helping people to 

achieve their dreams.

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 

GOV POLL: 

The unfinished 

business in Bayelsa 

•Why all 

eyes will be 

on judiciary 

By Clifford Ndujihe, Politics Editor 

WITH the declaration of Chief David 

Lyon of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, as the winner of the 

Bayelsa 2019 governorship election, the battle 

has arguably fully left the political firmament 

for the sacred temple of the Judiciary. 

A salad of pre-election issues were 

pending in court before the 

November 16 governorship 

election. Now, the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

which has lost its 20-year 

unbroken hold on the 

riverine state, since the 

return of democracy in 

1999, will add to the issues 

in the Judiciary when it goes 

to the Governorship 

Election Tribunal. 

Lyon won six of the eight 

local councils of Bayelsa 

and scooped 352,552 of the 

499,551 valid votes cast at 

the poll. He left a miserly 

143,172 votes for Senator 

Douye Diri of the PDP, giving 

him a massive gap of 

219,380 votes. 

Diri and Governor Seriake 

Dickson are shouting blue 

murder, alleging that the 

military connived with the APC to 

manipulate the results. While Dickson 

supplied video evidence to buttress his 

allegation, Diri claimed he won the 

election on account of Situation Room 

results monitored by PDP agents, and 

vowed to challenge Lyon’s victory at the 

tribunal. 

When Diri files his petition, it will take 

the number of cases the court will decide 

to four. The first is Senator Heineken 

Lokpobiri’s suit challenging the 

emergence of Lyon as the APC candidate 

while the second is Mr. Timi Alaibe’s case 

against the victory of Diri at the PDP 

primaries. The PDP candidate and his 

running mate also have a suit against Lyon 

and the Deputy Governor-elect, Senator 

Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo. 

Disqualification of 

Degi-Eremienyo 

Five days to the election, a Federal 

High Court, sitting in Abuja, the Federal 

Capital Territory, FCT, disqualified 

Senator Biobarakuma Degi-Eremienyo 

as sought by the PDP candidate on the 

grounds that he supplied false 

information in the CF0001 Form he 

submitted to the Independent National 

Electoral Commission, INEC, contrary to 

the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. 

The court ruled that the act amounted 

to giving false information in violation 

of Section 31(5) and (6) of the 2010 

Electoral Act. 

In its ruling, the court 

held that “the 

governorship primary 

conducted by the APC 

in Bayelsa State was not 

done in compliance 

with the guidelines and 

the constitution of the 

party, and, therefore, the 

party has no candidate 

The judgement compromised the 

candidacy of the APC candidate in view 

of Section 187 (1) of the 1999 Constitution 

(as amended). 

By virtue of section 187(1) of the 1999 

Constitution,’a candidate for the office of 

Governor of a State shall not be deemed 

to have been validly nominated for such 

office unless he nominates 

another candidate as his 

associate for his running for 

the office of Governor, who 

is to occupy the office of 

Deputy Governor and that 

candidate shall be deemed to 

have been duly elected to the 

office of Deputy Governor if 

the candidate who 

nominated him is duly 

elected as Governor in 

accordance with the said 

provisions. 

Disqualification 

of Lyon 

Two days to the election, 

another Federal High Court 

sitting in Yenagoa, the 

Bayelsa State capital, 

declared that the APC had no 

governorship candidate in 

the November 16 election. 

The court presided over by Justice Jane 

Inyang gave the ruling in a case filed by 

Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, one of the 

APC governorship aspirants. 

Lokpobiri, a former Minister of State 

for Agriculture, had approached the 

court, seeking a declaration, that he, and 

ALL THE RESULTS 

A – 1,339 

AAC – 174 

AD – 91 

ADP – 120 

ADAP – 30 

ANP – 21 

APA – 157 

APC – 352,552 

APGA – 98 

APN – 25 

APP – 149 

ASD – 22 

BNPP – 7 

CAP – 18 

CNP – 22 

DA – 9 

DPC – 148 

not David Lyon is the authentic candidate 

of the APC. 

In its ruling, the court held that “the 

governorship primary conducted by the 

APC in Bayelsa State was not done in 

compliance with the guidelines and the 

constitution of the party, and, therefore, 

the party has no candidate.” 

Appeal court gives Lyon, running mate 

lifeline 

However, in a twist, less than 30 hours to the 

election, the Court of Appeal in Abuja cleared 

the APC to participate in the election 

ordered a stay of execution of the 

judgement of the Abuja Federal High 

Court which disqualified the APC deputy 

governorship candidate over false 

information. 

The panel, chaired by Justice Stephen 

Adah, issued an interim order of stay of 

execution of the judgement of the Federal 

High Court of November 12, 2019, 

pending the determination of “the motion 

on notice for order of interlocutory 

injunction filed on 13 November, 2019.” 

The appellate court also ordered the 

INEC to maintain status quo ante 

bellum which existed on or before 

September 19, 2019 when the suit was 

filed at the lower court, pending the 

hearing and determination of the 

substantive matter by the court. 

Alaibe’s case against Diri 

Former Managing Director of the Niger 

Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and 

one of the 21 PDP governorship aspirants Chief 

Timi Alaibe Alaibe, approached the court on 

September 13, 2019, with an application for 

cancellation of the result of the primary won 

DPP – 96 

FJP – 24 

FRESH – 283 

GPN – 7 

HDP – 10 

KP – 61 

LM 

LP 

– 100 

– 79 

MMN – 14 

MPN – 9 

NCP – 30 

NDLP – 6 

NPC – 108 

NRM – 3 

NUP – 27 

PDM – 156 

PDP – 143,172 

PPA – 56 

PPP – 42 

PRP – 88 

SNC – 42 

UDP – 10 

UP – 25 

UPC – 37 

UPN – 5 

UPP – 37 

ZLP – 53 

Total no of registered 

voters – 922,522 

Total no of accredited 

voters – 517,883 

Total valid votes – 499,551 

Rejected votes – 6,333 

Total votes cast – 505,884 

by Diri over alleged procedural flaws. 

The suit filed pursuant to Order 3(9) of the 

Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 

2019, sought answers to questions 

bordering on obvious non-adherence to 

the Constitution of the Federal Republic 

of Nigeria, the Electoral Act 2010, the 

PDP Constitution and Election 

Guidelines, by the State Chapter of the 

party in the conduct of the Ward 

Congresses, inclusion of local government 

council officials in the delegates list and 

the procedure for inclusion of three adhoc 

delegates. Citing specific sections of 

relevant laws and guidelines, Alaibe 

asked the court to examine the entire 

processes that resulted in the primaries 

and rule in his favour in the light of 

violations committed in a desperate move 

to impose a pre-determined hand-picked 

candidate on the people out of 21 

aspirants. 

Currently, the case has been transferred 

to Abuja on Alaibe’s request and will no 

longer be heard in Yenagoa. 

Unfinished business 

Although, Lyon was on Thursday given 

his certificate of return as governor-elect 

by the INEC, much will depend on the 

how the courts resolve the cases. 

In essence, Bayelsa is faced with at least 

six scenarios regarding who takes over 

from Dickson. As it is the governorship 

lot could still remain with Lyon or fall on 

Diri, Lokpobiri, Alaibe, Diriyai and 

another candidate in the event of a fresh 

election. 

First, Lyon will retain his mandate if the 

courts dismiss Diri and PDP’s petitions; 

disagree with the lower court on 

the disqualification of his 

running mate; as well as on 

Lokpobiri’s case. 

If this does not happen, 

scenario two obtains with Diri 

of the PDP, who came second in 

the election, becoming the 

governor. 

Also, Diri would lose the seat 

to Alaibe if the courts agreed 

with the former NDDC 

managing director. 

In the event that the courts hold 

that the APC and PDP’s 

primaries were not conducted in 

line with the parties’ 

constitutions and they had no 

candidates, the lot will fall on 

the Accord Candidate, Ebizimo 

Diriyai, who came third in the 

election with a miserly 1,339 

votes. 

It is not clear if Diriyai’s 1,339 

votes will meet the requirement 

to be declared a governor or 

whether a fresh election will be 

ordered, if the matter gets to this 

stage. This is one of the reasons 

all eyes will be on the Judiciary 

in the days ahead.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019—11 

BAYELSA/KOGI: 

To Gun 

be the Glory 

By Omeiza Ajayi 

On April 9, 2019, the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission 

INEC had fixed 

governorship elections in 

Kogi and Bayelsa states for November 2, 

2019. However, following complaints by the 

Bayelsa state Government that the date 

coincided with its ‘Thanksgiving Day’, the 

electoral umpire then shifted the polls to 

November 16, 2019 in both states. 

For INEC to have fixed a date for the two 

elections, several months earlier, 

presupposes that the electoral commission 

was ready for the exercise. Between then and 

few days to the polls, INEC had constantly 

engaged various stakeholders including the 

media, signed Memorandum of 

Understanding MoU with the Air force and 

transport unions to take charge of logistics; 

then with anti-graft agencies to reduce the 

influence of vote buying and or inducement. 

It met with the Inter agency Consultative 

Committee on Election Security ICCES and 

severally met with politicians either directly 

or through their political parties. The 

commission also engaged the electorate and 

ad hoc staff. Unfortunately, most of the 

lapses experienced came from some of the 

stakeholders. Electoral materials, both 

sensitive and non-sensitive materials were 

deployed on time in both states ahead of the 

election. However, transporting some of 

them to the Polling Units on election day 

was an issue in some places where members 

of the transport unions engaged for that 

purpose failed to show up on time. 

On security, the Police alone deployed 

about 66, 241 officers and men in both states. 

Other security, intelligence and defence 

agencies also made thousands of 

deployments. So, it was with great 

embarrassment that the world witnessed the 

outing or conduct of security personnel, 

especially the police which is the lead agency 

for internal and election security. If their 

conduct was embarrassingly shocking, what 

was even more appalling was the excuse 

given by the Inspector General of Police, IGP 

Mohammed Adamu that fake policemen 

were used to disrupt the elections! Even if 

true, were those fake policemen also 

deployed in their thousands that the 

“original” policemen and other armed 

security forces could not match them? 

With a landmass of 29, 833km² and 21 

local government areas, Kogi is Nigeria’s 

13th largest state while Bayelsa with a 

landmass of 10, 773km² is 27th with eight 

local government areas. The 2006 census 

also puts the population of Kogi state at 

Three Million, Three Hundred and 

Fourteen Thousand and Forty Three (3, 314, 

043), while Bayelsa was put at One Million, 

Seven Hundred and Four Thousand, Five 

Hundred and Fifteen (1,704,515). The Police 

said it conducted its threat assessment and 

when deploying, it sent 35, 200 to Kogi 

and 31, 041 to Bayelsa! Even if it felt there 

would be the likelihood 

of having more arms in 

Bayelsa as a result of the 

many years of militancy 

in the region, the 

deployment of personnel 

in Kogi should still have 

been more than what it 

was, except ofcourse what 

the Police hierarchy 

deployed were just figures 

on paper and not boots 

on ground! This is more 

so as many observers and 

journalists reported the 

near absence of 

policemen in certain 

areas during the 

elections. Unfortunately, 

what they could not 

achieve by shooting thugs 

or preventing them from 

disrupting the polls, the 

police achieved by 

turning away some duly 

accredited and unarmed 

journalists from accessing the collation 

centre in both states. That is one irony in 

Nigeria’s security management - while 

miscreants and terrorists are sometimes 

pampered and negotiated with, law abiding 

citizens are most times dealt with even when 

there were no infractions on the part of the 

citizens! 

It also makes it 

mandatory for INEC 

to have an electronic 

database wherein all 

the results of an 

election would be 

transmitted 

INEC: A Post Mortem 

The electoral umpire had begun making 

preparations for the two off-season elections 

while preparing for the last general 

elections, but unfortunately, the elections 

still turned out in a manner repugnant to 

the democratic norms. 

What the nation witnessed was essentially 

a failure of other stakeholders, not the 

electoral umpire itself which had played its 

own part to the extent of even issuing 

appointment letters to its ad hoc staff, 

detailing their rights and privileges 

including their remunerations. This was 

done to guard against the last minute 

substitution of trained ad hoc staff for people 

brought from outside to come and claim 

the INEC stipends or do the bidding of 

politicians. It was also to avoid attempts by 

any Electoral Officer to 

shortchange the ad hoc staff 

in terms of payment. 

It is absurd to hear 

politicians lampoon INEC 

for electoral violence. It is 

even more disheartening 

that the electorate would 

blame the electoral umpire 

for electoral violence. If 

anyone is to blame, it is the 

politicians, the electorate 

and the security agencies, 

listed in order of 

precedence. 

The politicians who give 

peanuts to people to engage 

in violent acts; the 

electorate whose sons, 

brothers or other relations 

accept those peanuts from 

politicians; then, the 

security agencies whose 

duty it is to do conflict 

mapping, threat assessment 

and prevent violence or 

rein in the “bad boys” 

before, during and after the elections. 

Way Forward 

As it stands, Nigeria has a long way to go, 

seeing how security operatives who should 

enforce the laws were inactive during the 

two elections. There had been cases where 

they aided rigging. 

However, all hope is not lost. President 

Muhammadu Buhari would do well to 

ensure that, under his administration, the 

votes of the people count. One way of doing 

that is to create an Electoral Offences 

Commission. For now, INEC has no 

capacity to successfully ensure the 

prosecution of all electoral offenders. In 

every election in Nigeria, the electoral 

umpire has never succeeded in prosecuting 

up to five percent of offenders! 

Then, there is the Electoral Act 

Amendment Bill which the president refused 

assent severally in the last dispensation. The 

bill has been reintroduced in the 9th Senate 

and only on Wednesday passed Second 

Reading. 

One important aspect of the Bill is that in 

Section 52 (2), it provides for electronic 

voting. “The commission may adopt 

electronic voting or any other method of 

voting in any election it conducts as it may 

deem fit”, the Bill states. 

It also makes it mandatory for INEC to 

have an electronic database wherein all the 

results of an election would be transmitted. 

Aside this, the data of all accredited voters 

must also be transmitted, using the smart 

card readers, to the central database upon 

the conclusion of accreditation. These data 

are expected to be kept by INEC until all 

electoral disputes are concluded by the 

Judiciary. 

If the president had assented to the Bill as 

was presented to him by the 8th Assembly, 

perhaps the nation would not have witnessed 

the series of electoral malfeasance 

associated with the general elections and 

the just-concluded governorship elections in 

Kogi and Bayelsa states. The president may 

wish to, this time write his name in gold and 

assent to the Bill when forwarded to him. A 

lot can be achieved in sanitizing the electoral 

space before the conduct of Edo and Ondo 

governorship elections, next year. This is one 

sure way of changing the narrative from “To 

Gun be the Glory”, to, “To God be the Glory”. 

Or, from “In Gun we Trust”, to, “In God we 

Trust”. The era of seizing power through the 

barrel of the gun is long gone. The President 

and the political class must be reminded 

that Nigerians did not suffer in vain to 

replace military rule with jackboot 

democracy. Let democracy reign, not guns, 

not violence and rigging which have 

hallmarked our system as shown in the 2019 

gensral elections a d the recent ones in Kogi 

and Bayelsa.


How Dickson 

handed 

power to APC 

By Samuel Oyadongha, 

Yenagoa 

It was the literary icon, 

Professor Chinua Achebe of 

blessed memory who wrote 

in his epic novel, ‘Things Fall 

Apart’ that “Those whose palm 

kernels have been broken for 

them by benevolent spirits must 

not forget to be humble,” and if 

there is one man whose palm 

kernels were broken for him by 

benevolent spirits, it is 

incumbent Bayelsa State 

Governor, Hon. Seriake 

Dickson. 

The routing of the ruling 

Peoples’ Democratic Party 

(PDP) in the November 16, 

2019, governorship election 

in Bayelsa State by the 

opposition, All Progressive 

Congress (APC) marked a 

watershed. 

It signifies the end and 

beginning of a new area 

in the political annals of 

in the state. 

Interestingly, the APC 

which was repeatedly 

taunted by the ruling party 

in the build up to the poll 

as lacking the needed 

presence and structure to make any 

significant impact has turned around to 

dislodge the latter from Creek Haven, 

the romantic name for the seat of power 

in the predominantly riverine state where 

politics has remained the only thriving 

industry. 

Perhaps, the current blame game rocking 

the PDP in Bayelsa State could have been 

avoided if Governor Seriake Dickson had 

allowed stakeholders have their way during 

the September 3 primary of the party that 

produced Senator Douye Diri. 

The primary, according to some aggrieved 

party stalwarts, was designed to favour Diri, 

as against many of the stakeholders’ choice, 

Chief Timi Alaibe, whose popularity and 

acceptability cuts across the various segments 

of the state. 

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, 

who though did not openly 

endorse any of the aspirants 

jostling for the party ticket was 

said to be favourably disposed 

to an Alaibe candidature. But 

Dickson, according to informed 

sources had zeroed in on Diri 

as his successor, having worked 

closely with him over the years. 

He was also said to have 

The leader of 

the party 

became so 

powerful that 

he decided 

who got his 

patronage 

shunned entreaties from a 

former President, and other 

prominent Nigerians to 

support Alaibe. In a leaked 

audio recording that went viral, 

Dickson said he does not reward 

disloyalty and only 

governorship aspirants from his 

restoration caucus will succeed 

him. 

Saturday Vanguard check 

revealed that the refusal of the 

governor to shift ground was 

being exploited by his traducers, 

putting the blame of the party’s 

defeat at the door steps of his Restoration 

Caucus, (Dickson political family). 

Members of the group, who are mainly aides 

of the governor, regarded themselves as more 

PDP than those outside its fold, not minding 

the consequences of their action on the 

fortunes of the party, lamented Azi Enato. 

He noted with sadness that the leadership of 

the PDP in the state which could have allowed 

party supremacy reign over other interest 

groups within its fold, with a view to fostering 

party discipline and cohesion was helpless 

ostensibly because it was foisted on the entire 

members by the governor. Thus, the chairman 

and other executive members of the party 

looked the other way and egged on the 

Restoration Caucus when things were going 

bad. The leader of the party became so 

powerful that he decided who got his 

patronage. 

The Restoration family also 

boasted that the governor’s 

successor must come from 

within its fold thereby fencing 

out other gubernatorial 

aspirants who were considered 

outsiders irrespective of the 

sacrifice they have made for the 

party when many of the 

restoration caucus members 

were not even known to be 

members of the PDP. 

To some PDP chieftains, the 

loss of the state to APC after 

PDP’s dominance for the past 

20 years was chiefly as a result 

of Dickson’s foisting of Senator 

Douye Diri on the party through 

a flawed primary designed to 

throw up the latter. 

According to pundits, the 

people voted overwhelmingly 

for APC because Dickson as 

Diri’s sponsor did not show 

sufficient respect to Jonathan. 

In the first instance, Dickson did not consult 

with the statesman about Diri’s candidature. 

He just picked him in a stage-managed 

primary, aware that Jonathan was also 

interested in a different 

candidate, they claimed. 

The former Managing 

Director of the Niger Delta 

Development 

Commission (NDDC), 

Timi Alaibe, who is 

believed to have the 

backing of 

Jonathan and seen 

by many 

stakeholders as a 

tested technocrat 

with the 

requisite war 

chest to fly the 

party flag, 

came second 

in the primary. 

M a n y 

stakeholders were not impressed with the 

process that produced Diri and the party was 

hit by gale of defections. A large number of 

the party field commanders and tacticians 

moved on to the opposition party while several 

others who chose to stay back were indifferent 

to the party during the election. Even in the 

face of seeming trouble, Dickson was still 

boastful, adding that the defections to other 

political parties would have little effects on 

the fortunes of PDP on November 16. 

Alaibe was among those who took exception 

to the process that threw up Diri and chose to 

challenge Diri and PDP in court. The bad 

blood caused by the primary election was 

contagious as even some appointees of the 

governor began to throw in the towel one after 

another. 

Unruffled by the turn of events in the party, 

the PDP under Dickson watch was still upbeat 

about party victory at the governorship poll 

with or without those defecting to the APC, 

insisting that Bayelsa was a PDP state. 

The state chairman of the party, Moses 

Cleopas had in a statement said the Bayelsa 

people and followers were not with the 

defectors, who according to him, lacked the 

requisite character, principle and integrity. 

He bragged that the PDP won convincingly 

in the 2015 guber poll in spite of the defections 

and would repeat same feat without such 

“unstable characters.” 

Though Dickson promised that PDP’s 

candidate would emerge from within his 

government, nevertheless assured that he 

would not impose a candidate on them and 

advised aspirants waiting for him to anoint 

them and impose them on the people to have 

a rethink. He said any of the aspirants, who 

felt they had the experience and capacity 

should go and make their case to Bayelsans. 

He said: “I led a party to victory against a 

vicious opposition. I alone can lead PDP to 

battle, I have done it repeatedly. You saw the 

election; there will be no form of 

manipulation. People talking about 

manipulation are anticipating that they 

should be imposed. I’m not going to impose 

any of them. Any of them who feel they have 

experience and capacity should go and make 

their case to the people of Bayelsa State.” 

Dickson’s intransigence that he can 

overcome the mines on the path of the PDP 

without other stakeholders and deliver his 

anointed candidate, no doubt, presented the 

flood-prone state where the PDP’s umbrella 

had held sway for two decades, to the APC’s 

broom, on a platter of gold. 

Some political pundits have queried what 

happened to the three days prayer, fasting and 

vision which he subjected the people to 

partake, under the guise of seeking God’s 

intervention for his ‘predetermined successor’. 

They wondered how the former president, 

Goodluck Jonathan and other critical 

stakeholders who had made sacrifice to the 

keep the party afloat at its time of need were 

treated as strangers within the party because 

they were not members of the Dickson 

Restoration political family and such their 

inputs not needed in the choice of who succeeds 

the outgoing governor. 

“The PDP should blame itself for picking an 

unpopular candidate instead of blaming it on 

others. Crying foul and insinuating that 

Jonathan was used to cause PDP defeat is 

ridiculous and disrespectful,” said some top 

stakeholders. 

Also some stakeholders in Ogbia Local 

Government insisted that the not so impressive 

performance of the party in the area in the just 

concluded governorship election rested on the 

door step of the governor who they argued 

was fully in charge of the party structures and 

the entire machinery of the state. 

According to them, the party leadership 

failed to listen to the voice of wisdom that 

warned about the looming defeat, as a result 

of the shabby treatment meted to the area and 

sidelining of the former president and other 

critical stakeholders. 

“He called us out to the battle field by his 

actions, deeds and utterances. Ogbia 

brotherhood represents the daring spirit of the 

Ogbia Kingdom. Never will she waiver or 

retreat from any challenge no matter where it 

is coming from. Last Saturday was no 

ordinary elections in Ogbialand and Bayelsa 

state. 

“A revolution of the ballot and true to type, 

no blood was drawn across the land yet the 

tempest was roundly tamed. It was a contest 

to determine the true meaning of the 

brotherhood. It was a clash of wills, the idea 

of a fair and inclusive Ogbia kingdom over 

the tyranny of power and opportunity. From 

the beginning, it was never in doubt that the 

brotherhood of the Amangalas would 

triumph. 

“Now, as we prepare to relegate the past to 

history, another history beckons once again. 

The damaged psyche and fabric of the 

brotherhood must be repaired. Together, we 

must rebuild broken walls and the once 

revered decency and generous spirit of a 

kingdom we love must be reinvented. We 

have no better place to call home. Let us 

reinstate the pride and prosperity of a land 

that gave us the meaning of brotherhood,” 

said Macaulay Jokori, in a veiled reference to 

the spanking of the PDP at the poll. 

John Ebimobowei, a teacher, said he is 

saddened by the outcome of what he described 

as Dickson’s overconfidence which has cost 

the PDP the governorship. 

“I blame the party poor outing on Governor 

Dickson’s overconfidence and I think this 

should be a lesson to other governors. He 

singlehandedly chose an unpopular 

candidate from the Senate to become 

governor and also chose his running mate 

which is against the wish of the people,” he 

said. 

But Dickson at a world press conference in 

Yenagoa described the governorship election 

as charade and a carefully orchestrated plan to 

forcefully take over Bayelsa towards entrenching a 

one party system. 

“This was not the first time that we are having 

elections. People were killed, some ripped open and 

thrown into the river and up till now no arrest. As 

democrats, we believe in using democratic 

procedures in challenging what happened in Ogbia. 

“In Ogbia, there was no collation done. In most 

of the areas, at the conclusion of voting, the soldiers 

came and rounded up everybody and forcibly took 

them to Ogbia town and asked all PDP leaders to 

leave to enable them replace pre-written results. 

And so the results announced for Ogbia, like those 

for Southern Ijaw and Nembe were not real. What 

has happened in Bayelsa is one of the most 

brazen acts of distortion and rape of our 

democracy. 

“What took place was not a democratic 

election. It was a military coup. It was the height 

of conspiracy by the federal government and security 

agencies to subvert the democratic rights of our 

people for the sole purpose of foisting the APC on the 

people. 

“It has never been like this before. In 2015, it 

wasn’t as bad as this. In this case, not only was the 

Army directed to take over our place, but also to 

collude with the APC thugs to unleash terror on our 

people.” 

He however urged Bayelsans to be calm adding 

that the reprehensible acts against democracy would 

be addressed through democratic procedures. 

Dickson also described as balderdash, the notion 

being bandied about by APC leaders that it was 

disagreement between him and former President 

Goodluck Jonathan that led to their Pyrrhic victory, 

emphasizing that Jonathan remained a leader of 

the entire country whose image and reputation was 

too weighty to be dragged in the mud by the 

opposition party.


KOGI: 

Ugly side of the 

Guber election 

By Boluwaji Obahopo, LOKOJA 

The November 16 governorship election 

may have come and gone, but the 

exercise left bitter pills in mouths of 

many. Ballot box snatching, intimidation, 

killings marked the election. 

Only the 2007 election violence where the 

Egbira people from Central senatorial axis 

turned against themselves could compare 

to what happened last weekend. Then, 

facing an Igala man from Eastern 

senatorial flank, the Egbira rose against 

any of their kinsmen who did not support 

their ambition for power shift. They burnt 

and killed in the process, yet their son lost. 

Fast forward to 2019, it is ironical that the 

Igala seemed to have toed same line. 

IMPRESSIVE TURNOUT 

In spite of the scorching sun, Kogites went 

out last Saturday to elect a new governor, 

who would pilot the affairs of the 

Confluence State for the next four years. 

They defied apprehensions that the 

gubernatorial polls might be trailed by 

violence to exercise their civil responsibility. 

The turnout of voters in the morning hours 

was impressive and by midday the queues 

had become longer. They completed their 

accreditation without any wrong incidents. 

The electorate also cast their ballots 

peacefully. But by end of voting periods, 

violence erupted in Lokoja, the state capital 

and largely in the Eastern senatorial axis. 

Amidst the tale of violence and ballot 

snatching, the Independent National 

Electoral Commission announced the 

incumbent, Yahaya Bello as winner of the 

election. 

ETHNIC ANGLE 

The electorate voted according to tribal 

dictates. The Igalas who are the most 

populous voted for their sons, but could not 

enjoy their numerical advantage like in 

time past. Though they won seven out of the 

nine LGAs votes, the margin of victory paled 

in comparison to what the Egbira gave their 

kinsman, Bello in APC. 

PDP candidate, Musa Wada scored 

112,626 of the 202,403 votes cast in his 

district; giving him 63 percent, while Bello 

won with 236,005 out of the 244,698 votes 

cast in his zone, giving him 96.4 percent. 

Long before the election it was obvious 

that any attempt to canvass for a non - Ebira 

man in central senatorial axis was 

presumed to be death on arrival. The Igalas 

too openly supported their own with the 

hope of returning to power which they 

retained since creation of Kogi in 1999, but 

by nature lost in 2015 through the death of 

leading candidate in the election, Late 

In spite of the scorching 

sun, Kogites went out 

last Saturday to elect a 

new governor, who 

would pilot the affairs of 

the Confluence State for 

the next four years 

•David Perewonrimi Lyon 

Abubakar Audu. 

The voting pattern last Saturday further 

confirmed the ethnic cards played by the 

three major ethnic groups scattered across 

the three senatorial districts. 

CANCELLATION OF VOTES 

With reported cases of widespread 

violence, INEC presiding officer cancelled 

149,576, votes; the highest number of 

votes cancelled in the history of the state. 

But largely, the election went peacefully in 

Kogi West and Central senatorial districts. 

PRE ELECTION VIOLENCE 

There was violence, top of which was the 

burning of SDP state Secretariat in Lokoja 

barely a week to the governorship election. 

Hoodlums suspected to be political thugs 

in the early hours of the Monday before 

election day invaded the state secretariat 

of the Social Democratic Party, SDP and 

razed it down. 

The SDP state secretariat located 

opposite the Lokoja Local Government 

Secretariat near Paparanda Square, IBB 

Way, was first on Sunday vandalized. At the 

Sunday attack, the windows and doors of 

the Secretariat were shattered while 

banners, posters and other campaign 

materials were also destroyed. 

Also, the PDP candidate boycotted 

completely any campaign in Central 

senatorial district, citing security report of 

possible attack if they got close to the 

district. 

ELECTION VIOLENCE 

At the end of the exercise, seven persons 

were reported to have died in the exercise. 

Three at the state capital, two from Abocho 

in Dekina council area, one person in 

Aiyetoro Gbede, who incidentally was a 

nephew to the PDP senatorial candidate, 

Dino Melaye and a Kogi Poly Student who 

was acting as INEC Ad-hoc staff. 

The state Resident electoral 

Commissioner, Prof. James Apam 

confirmed the death of the ad-hoc electoral 

officer in a Boat mishap in Ibaji local 

government Area of Kogi state while on 

election duty on Saturday. According to the 

electoral commissioner, the deceased adhoc 

staff was a student of Kogi state 

polytechnic in Lokoja engaged for the 

governorship election in the state. One only 

hopes, that the insurance policy INEC 

promised its ad-hoc staff are still in place. 

POST ELECTION 

While the Egbira people were busy 

around the state celebrating victory of their 

son who broke the second term jinx, the 

Igala engaged themselves in fist cuffs. In 

another the ugly incidents, a 60 years old 

woman was burnt alive. 

Mrs. Acheju Abuh who was the Women 

Leader of Wada/Aro Campaign Council, 

Ochadamu Ward, was on Monday evening 

burnt alive in her home by suspected 

political thugs. The thugs, shooting 

sporadically arrived Abuh’s house at about 

2pm in the afternoon and surrounded the 

house, blocking every exit and escape routes 

from outside. They then sprayed the 

building with petrol and set it ablaze as 

terrified villagers watched from afar. 

She reportedly attempted to escape 

through a window but was prevented by the 

metal burglary proof. The blood thirsty 

thugs waited and watched while Mrs Abuh 

cried from inside the inferno until her voice 

died out. They reportedly left only when the 

entire house and Mrs Abuh had been burnt 

to ashes. 

PARTISAN CSO’s 

However, of greater worry were the Civil 

Society Groups who have been embedded 

in partisanship. Some of the observer groups 

acted as if they were working for one party 

or another. They also disagreed on the 

outcome of the election. While NGO’s like 

YIAGA spoke about violence and poor 

conduct of exercise, some other NGOs 

disagreed by saying the exercise went 

peacefully. YIAGA even called for 

cancellation of the exercise midway into 

conduct and collation of the election. 

Apparently, NGOs were influenced by the 

leading parties. 

SIDELINES 

While the state was still mourning, a 

petrol tanker compounded the state woes 

when it killed 8 persons, crushed many 

vehicles on the day the result was declared. 

Eight persons were confirmed dead on 

Monday in Felele, Lokoja metropolis of 

Kogi State following a morning road 

accident by a petrol Tanker which collided 

with other vehicles. 

Lyon, man of the moment 

By Samuel Oyadongha, Yenagoa 

he man of the moment in Bayelsa State is 

TDavid Perewonrimi Lyon, who until his 

emergence last Sunday as the governor-elect 

was unknown in the political circles of the oil 

and gas rich Bayelsa State. 

Lyon of the All Progressive Congress (APC) 

was declared winner of last Saturday governorship 

election in the state by the Independent 

National electoral Commission (INEC), 

thus altering the political equation of the state. 

The INEC said Lyon polled a total of 352, 

552 votes to defeat the PDP candidate, Douye 

Diri, who had 143, 172 votes. He swept six of 

the eight local governments in the state. 

The defeat has catapulted Lyon into national 

reckoning ostensibly because of the strategic 

place of the state in the nation’s oil and 

gas industry. 

Lyon is an indigene of Olugbobiri community, 

a rustic settlement in Olodiama clan of 

Southern Local Government Area of the state. 

His victory ended the 20 years reign of PDP in 

the predominantly riverine state. 

He had his early education in the creek of 

the Southern Ijaw council area at Saint Gabriel 

State School and Community Secondary 

School Olugbobiri between 1978 and 1988. 

The young Lyon later proceeded to Rivers 

State College of Education where he bagged 

the National Certificate of Education. 

He sits on board of several conglomerates, 

a feat attained through the dint of hard work. 

His shrewd business acumen has kept him 

afloat in the complex oil and gas industry, 

where he renders diverse services to oil and 

gas multinational companies. Lyon is a philanthropist, 

known for his open mindedness 

and generosity. His Igbogene residence has 

become a mecca for the aged, poor and needy 

every December as he doles out Christmas gifts 

and cash. 

The Governor-elect was said to have contested 

under the platform of the PDP as an 

aspirant to represent Southern Ijaw IV in 2011. 

He defected from PDP in 2015 to the APC. 

He is the CEO of Darlon Security and 

Guard, a private security firm in Bayelsa State 

which has employed thousands of Bayelsa indigenes. 

The company is also known for its 

role in assisting the nation’s security agencies 

in riding the vast swamp of the state of 

illegal refinery camps, thus boosting the state 

quota of crude oil production and its share of 

the 13 per cent derivation.


JONATHAN: 

As APC outdo PDP in 

goodwill messages 

...Hero abroad, commoner at home 

•Whither Wike 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

Nigeria’s immediate past President, Dr. 

Goodluck Jonathan morphed from 

a political orphan who lost an 

election, to a somewhat global symbol of 

democracy by conceding defeat to 

Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. By conceding 

defeat, the man averted what would have 

translated to bloodletting of a huge scale. 

Since losing power five years ago, the 

zoologist-turned politician has become a 

celebrated figure in Africa and indeed the 

world. If he is not monitoring elections in the 

African continent, he would be elsewhere 

sharing ideas on peaceful polls and 

constitutional democracy. 

Back home, however, Jonathan has since 

become a leader treated with little respect 

even by some leaders of his political party, the 

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. 

In the build up to the governorship election 

in his home state of Bayelsa which held last 

week; Jonathan had pushed and supported 

the aspiration of his political associate, the 

former Managing Director of the Niger Delta 

Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Timi 

Alaibe. 

However, outgoing governor of the state, 

Seriake Dickson had other ideas. Not only 

did he argue that only members of his 

“Restoration Family,” had the stuff of 

leadership acumen to succeed him, Dickson 

deployed resources to back Senator Duoye 

Diri, who eventually picked the PDP ticket but 

lost disappointingly to David Lyon, candidate 

of the All Progressives Congress, APC. 

Jonathan, a day the APC won the poll was 

captured alongside his wife, Dame Patience 

playing host to the APC contingent led by 

Jigawa state governor, Abubakar Badaru. 

With condemnation trailing the defeat, a 

worried Dickson in veiled attack on Jonathan 

flayed those who blamed him for the loss of 

Bayelsa. According to him, he consulted the 

former President and personally visited him 

16 times until penultimate Saturday’s poll. 

It appears that apart from Dickson, the PDP 

is not in the least impressed with Jonathan 

over the Bayelsa election. On Wednesday when 

he turned 62, only Governor Bala 

Mohammed deemed it fit to take a paid 

advertisement to celebrate a man he described 

in glowing superlatives. The PDP neither did 

this nor in the least, issue a statement in his 

honour. 

A chieftain of the party and former Minister 

who spoke with our correspondent said the 

“silence” that greeted Jonathan’s 62nd 

birthday is fallout of trust deficit. 

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the 

chieftain said, “The former President does not 

command respect from the party’s hierarchy. 

But he Jonathan is partly responsible for this. 

He does not attend party’s meetings and except 

when absolutely necessary, he does not speak 

as an ambassador of the party on whose 

platform he became President. So, that is an 

issue.” 

That said, the ex-Minister also blamed the 

party for according Jonathan little respect as 

would have been expected, saying “Whatever 

his faults, a former President deserves more. 

When it appeared he was not respected in the 

build up to the governorship race in Bayelsa 

by a man he brought from the House of 

Representatives, the leadership of the party 

ought to have stepped in and told Dickson 

some home truths,” he added. 

In a dramatic twist however, it was the ruling 

party’s leading opposition figures who took 

out a few pages to felicitate with Jonathan on 

Wednesday- Minister of State (Petroleum), 

Timipre Silva, Bayelsa state governor-elect, 

David Lyon and Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in 

separate advertorials, celebrated 

Jonathan and prayed God to grant 

him good health among sundry 

wishes. Pray, where are the 

governors of the PDP? Has 

Jonathan lost it? Or rather, has 

PDP continued to lose it? 

What can this 

PDP do without 

Wike? 

Governor Nyesom Wike 

of Rivers state is perhaps, 

the Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, biggest asset 

today and in the past 

few years. Quite a 

significant number of 

people will opt for 

former Vice President and 

Presidential candidate of the party in the 

February 23, 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar 

in place of Wike. For those who see Atiku as 

the man (apologies to World Wrestling 

Entertainment, WWE super star, Seth Rollins); 

his vast political connections and deep 

financial war chest are sufficient to have him 

perch atop the pyramid of this ladder. 

Events in the past few years however showed 

that Wike, not Atiku has been the political 

figure(for good and for bad) of the party. For 

a party that produced President Goodluck 

Jonathan who lost his re-election bid in 2015 

to the then serial contestant, Muhammadu 

Buhari; one would have expected the toughtalking 

governor to at least play second fiddle 

in the pecking order. No: Wike is first and 

when he clears his throat, the party runs for 

cover until normalcy returns. So, how did this 

lawyer-turned politician become so powerful? 

The beginning 

Wike first came to the limelight with his 

appointment as Chief of Staff to the then 

Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi while 

they were both in the PDP. In what appeared a 

vote of confidence, Amaechi would later anoint 

him as ministerial designate in the cabinet of 

President Goodluck 

Jonathan, where he got the 

education portfolio. As it 

were, relationship broke 

down between Amaechi and 

Jonathan, leaving Wike as the 

ultimate beneficiary. 

The then First Lady, Dame 

Patience Jonathan saw in 

Wike a man fit enough to take 

over the governorship of 

Rivers from Amaechi, with the 

later not in the least 

impressed with the 

permutations coming from 

the first family. The rest 

became history as Wike 

succeeded Amaechi on the 

platform of the PDP. 

Following the loss of power 

at the centre coupled with the 

exit from the PDP of some A- 

listers such as Atiku Abubakar, 

Bukola Saraki, Aminu 

Tambuwal, Yakubu Dogara 

and a host of others; Wike 

nurtured the party to a 

respectable opposition 

platform that helped in no 

small measure in keeping the 

then newly formed All Progressives Congress, 

APC, on its toes. 

He funded the party almost single-handedly 

and ensured that its national secretariat, 

It appears that 

apart from 

Dickson, the 

PDP is not in 

the least 

impressed with 

Jonathan over 

the Bayelsa 

election 

Wadata Plaza, Abuja was not left in the cold. 

Thus in the build up to the 2019 election, the 

party had waxed so strong, vibrant and 

competitive, sufficient to bring back the likes 

of Atiku and Saraki who left the party owing 

to some reasons that are already public 

knowledge. 

The tiger bares his teeth 

In the December 2017 national elective 

convention of the party, a ‘unity list’ believed 

to have contained the names of Wike’s 

preferred choices for the various leadership 

positions of the party’s National Working 

Committee, NWC swept the polls at the Eagles 

Square, Abuja. Few hours to balloting, Prince 

Uche Secondus and Professor Tunde Adeniran 

were the front-runners for the plum office of 

the PDP national chairman. While Wike stood 

behind Secondus, prominent northern leaders 

including former Information Minister, 

Professor Jerry Gana rallied behind Adeniran. 

In the end, Secondus garnered 2,000 votes 

out of the total 2,296votes cast by party 

delegates, leaving Adeniran with a paltry 231 

votes as runner and Raymond Dokpesi with 

66 votes in distant third. With this feat, Wike 

became the de facto national leader of 

Nigeria’s biggest opposition 

party. 

The Port- 

Harcourt 

Convention 

As twelve aspirants left for 

Port-Harcourt, striving to 

outbid one another to pick 

the Presidential ticket of the 

party for the 2019 election; 

Wike had his plans. Of the 

dozen aspirants, he settled 

for Tambuwal and tasked 

the leadership of the party 

to host the event in Port 

Harcourt. Some of the 

aspirants kicked against 

the choice of the Garden 

City, leaving the leadership 

to temporary flirt with the 

idea of an alternative venue. 

But Wike reminded whoever 

cared to listen that he was the 

boss. “If they try it (takes the 

convention away from Port 

Harcourt), they will regret it. 

Let me warn the party, if you dare, Rivers State 

will teach the party a lesson. Those days have 

passed when they took Rivers State for 

granted. Nobody can use and dump Rivers 

State. No presidential aspirant can use and 

dump Rivers State.” 

A week later, Port Harcourt hosted the event 

and Atiku beat eleven others to emerge the 

pick of the party. As a mark of respect, 

Secondus took the former Vice President on a 

thank you visit to the peerless governor who 

though failed to deliver his anointed candidate 

(Tambuwal), savored the taste of his political 

ascendancy. 

House minority 

brouhaha 

The PDP NWC had in June this year 

mandated its members in the House of 

Representatives to vote for Honourable 

Kingsley Chinda as Minority Leader. Many 

described Chinda’s choice as one that had the 

blessing of Wike. However, in circumstances 

not far from political intrigues, Honourable 

Ndudi Elumelu emerged instead, fueling 

internal crisis within the party. Swiftly, Ndudi 

and his co-travelers were suspended even as 

some called for caution on the part of the NWC. 

A fortnight ago, the party issued a statement 

calling on Ndudi and six others not to take 

any decision on behalf of the PDP as “the 

suspension placed on some PDP members who 

connived with others to supplant the party 

decision with regards to party positions in the 

House is subsisting and has not been lifted.” 

The party also noted “that the NWC in its 

wisdom, knowing that nature abhors a 

vacuum and consistent with its position on 

the matter which has not changed, directed 

that the affairs of the PDP caucus of the House 

of Representatives be organized and managed 

by: Hon. Kingsley Chinda, Hon. Yakubu 

Barde, Hon. Chukwuka Onyema and Hon. 

Muraina Ajibola.” 

A party official who does not want his name 

in print said but for Governor Wike, “The PDP 

would not have been any different from the 

scores of mushroom parties we have today.” 

Many would disagree with him, saying that 

his role has even deepened the crisis in the 

party. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, 

the lanky fellow continued, “Give Wike 

some credit. He is the soul of the party. 

He is backbone of the PDP and you can’t 

call the bluff of the man who is paying his 

dues and more. Without him, it is difficult 

to imagine what would become of the 

PDP.” 

So, what becomes of him at the 

expiration of his second term in office in 

2023? Will he make the Senate his 

retirement abode in keeping with the 

tradition of former governors? Will he eye 

the big price as some are already 

speculating? What shape will PDP take 

then considering what they are facing 

now? Time will tell.



•Obaseki 

By Oteghe Adams 

Acombination of Comrade Oshiomhole 

and Godwin Obaseki under a sincere 

truce that trims the extreme edges, on 

both sides, will keep Edo within APC, easily 

for real consolidation. 

It is necessary to review the political situation 

in Edo and especially within the All 

Progressives Congress (APC) which has been 

in power and in government for the third 

consecutive electoral cycle. In the process, real 

tangible progress has been made, relative to 

the period before they wrestled power from 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), through 

electoral, and eventually, judicial process. 

Why is this progress under threat of 

implosion? The recent extensive interviews that 

were given by a key actor in the crisis, also, the 

National Chairman of the party, Comrade 

Adam Oshiomhole provide ample windows 

to X-ray the under currents and distill the real 

issues. 

In the final analysis, it is the primordial 

tussle between real change and certain existing 

subterranean, unbridled and blatant assaults 

on the paths and in the wheels of progress; the 

unhealthy encroachment of politics into 

government priorities to the entire citizenry. 

Power retention by the party and by the 

incumbent seeking reelection, are at the core 

of the agitations by politicians for 

empowerment, even though such 

empowerment is often “privatised” rather than 

deployed to building up the party. This is 

logical in a multi-party democracy with keen, 

even desperate contests for power. 

Unfortunately, the majority of voters, outside 

of real partisan politicians, hold shallow 

ideological positions and exercise their 

franchise on the whims, yet some and a 

significant number, carry on with apathy. 

As a matter of fact, even the political class 

has progressively become very fluid in 

switching parties. In this game, the politicians 

as the gate-keepers who can or cannot fly their 

party flags are in a very strong position relative 

to the silent or passive majority. A pragmatic 

balance is required between the imperatives 

of power retention through the political party 

and the financial responsibilities of an elected 

government to the people. 

In Edo today, there is an attempt by the 

Governor, to shift this balance towards the 

people, a tilt made more compelling by 

dwindling resources with a result of growing 

popularity. 

A government can be very popular within 

the political party but unpopular with the vast 

majority outside of the party; it is a question of 

•Oshiomhole 

OBASEKI VS OSHIOMHOLE: 

Cry My Beloved Edo 

where resources are steered. 

This has generated fault lines within the ruling 

party, years of enjoying the ubiquitous title of 

“party leader” or “my leader” has created 

another upper cadre of politicians who 

believe that they must have a direct 

bilateral one-on-one with whoever is 

the governor, capture him and be 

treated preferentially. 

Governor Godwin Obaseki has 

started building a new system, 

blind to cronies and fat cats 

feeding on public resources; the 

savings from these wrenching 

but laudable changes, have 

been channeled to deliver 

concrete results, through 

transparent templates to the 

people. The fall-out from 

these changes and reforms is 

the intra-party resistance that 

some few but vocal “party 

leaders” have mounted; and 

also, the Governor’s popularity 

has ruffled big feathers, in the run 

up to who becomes the new godfather. 

The internal opposition want a full 

return to Comrade’s 8-year tenure and 

appear to have found support in Comrade, 

who they mistakenly compare to Governor 

Godwin Obaseki, despite the obvious 

differences in style. 

In the recent interview, Comrade Adam 

Oshiomhole, made it clear that, for now, the 

Governor is not under any threat, but unless 

the Governor retraces his steps, then it will take 

a miracle for him to return for a second term. 

Let us examine some of the main, open issues, 

revealed in that interview. 

Adams Oshiomhole said that “Merchants 

of Confusion” are at work and responsible for 

the crisis. He did not name these “merchants”, 

leaving us to figure them out, so who are those 

benefiting materially from the crisis? The 

government in Edo State was configured at 

the highest levels by Comrade Oshiomhole 

who threw his weight behind Godwin Obaseki, 

and also chose Phillip Shuaibu and Osarodion 

Ogie, as Deputy Governor and Secretary to 

the State Government, respectively. This trio 

have forged a tight ship, ensuring that 

Comrade’s foundations were continued and 

consolidated. Are these two the “merchants”? 

Let us give Comrade the credit for creating the 

team and also, give Godwin Obaseki the credit, 

for running fast, smooth and not aggrandizing 

power but properly devolving them to his 

deputies in line with the constitution. 

The governor has set very high, even 

stretched standards, evidenced in 

unprecedented transformations in hard 

infrastructure and soft, fundamental reforms. 

The situation in Edo exploded with Comrade’s 

promotion 

to Abuja as 

N a t i o n a l 

Chairman. Before 

then, he worked 

behind the scenes as exgovernor 

and political leader of 

the party in the state, with all political 

meetings, held in his house at the Governor’s 

instance and insistence. Comrade’s promotion 

left two critical vacancies: leadership of the 

party in Edo State and Edo North. Adam 

Oshiomhole is straddling all roles, National 

Chairman, Edo State Leader and Edo North 

Leader, without allowing any latitude for other 

people, including the Governor of the State to 

operate un-fettered. 

This is the real “Merchant of Confusion”. 

By sidelining the Governor, other politicians, 

including pretenders, are working hard to fill 

Comrade’s withdrawn support by assuring the 

Governor that they can check-mate the 

National Chairman; these too, are Merchants 

of Confusion. 

For motor parks, Comrade Oshiomhole 

said they have a right to exist and should be 

accommodated. It is well known that Benin is 

one of the hottest hubs for transport business 

in Nigeria. The genuine transporters operate 

freely, even with the Transport Unions. They 

include Edegbe Line, Efosa Express, God Is 

Good Motors, to name a few. 

The issue is the role of motor park touts 

who have, over time encroached and 

dominated, revenue collections at the local 

government level, ostensibly on behalf of 

government, using opaque procedures and 

extortionist tactics; elected government was 

gradually becoming subordinated to unelected 

revenue warlords. The reforms by 

Governor Godwin Obaseki, to rescue the local 

governments in the state, created an epic clash 

with these people who have become part of the 

political system in view of their cash war chests 

and army of enforcers. 

The role of these Motor Park touts in 

mobilising for election victories and power 

retention cannot be over-stated given our stage 

in the developmental curve; on the other hand, 

progress with electoral reforms and culture, 

as well as the need to more transparently 

harness government resources, means that the 

overbearing power of these warlords must be 

curtailed and tilted down so that government 

can reclaim its crucial role as revenue 

collector. 

In the interview, Comrade appeared to agree 

that the Governor has not “carried politicians 

along”, even though he disagreed that the 

Governor is under pressure to share out money. 

But “carry along” is a euphemism for you 

know what. Comrade, who refused to name 

the Merchants of Confusion, has challenged 

Governor Godwin Obaseki to name those 

asking him to share the money. Throughout 

the interview, there were no references to the 

fact that the government has done marvelously 

well, under serious financial constraints and 

has demonstrated concrete continuity with the 

programmes of the APC, along the lines 

initiated by Comrade. 

Any government that puts priority on these 

cannot but redefine a different environment 

that will require genuine politicians to readjust 

away from the past culture which has evolved 

over time. 

There is the accusation of Governor Godwin 

Obaseki building a parallel political structure. 

Again, Comrade did not give out the name of 

the parallel political structure, not even a code 

name. The visible, even vociferous, parallel 

political structure, within APC in Edo, is the 

EPM, Edo People’s Movement, which is viewed 

with Comrade as grand patron. Analysts may 

go and read the issues canvassed by EPM in 

their various press releases, compare them to 

Comrade’s recent interviews, and you will 

agree, that Comrade came out in those 

interviews as the big masquerade, heavy lifter 

behind EPM. 

Throughout the interview Comrade spoke 

for EPM without mentioning their name. EPM 

has claimed victory for all the political 

appointments that have been made by 

Abuja; it seems that the accusations of 

starvation against party members 

have found an escape valve 

in Abuja. The exodus of 

elected House of 

Assembly members to 

Abuja was another 

example of the real 

parallel political 

structures. EPM is 

made up of two core 

groups, those that have 

complained of not being 

“carried along” and the 

Revenue Warlords, who 

now seem to finance and 

keep the parallel body 

afloat, until the recent 

appointments from Abuja. 

It is indeed EPM 

onslaughts that woke up 

the Governor to an 

imminent existential 

threat; the Governor seem 

to have relied fully on 

political cover from 

Comrade. 

One view is that having failed to 

fully control and remote the Governor 

through the executive branch, as originally 

programmed, the state House of Assembly 

became the next target to hijack in order to 

force the Governor to do three things: reinstate 

the Revenue Warlords, enter “carry along” 

undertaking and recognize Comrade in 

whatever role he wants. These conditions 

defeat the oath of office of a Governor and run 

centrifugally against his style. 

Answers to those posers, take us to the 

conclusion. Cry my beloved Edo! Edo has 

started rebuilding, it must not lose the 

momentum. 

Edo should build political parties that deliver 

mainly to the public and not private 

individuals. Comrade needs to demonstrate 

that he can resolve real political issues by 

learning to be a neutral and trusted mediator; 

and the Governor should re-balance the 

equation by closing ranks whilst continuing 

with his laudable reforms. 

The Abuja parallel tracks should be 

streamlined with the base in Benin so that Edo 

can benefit from being in the same party at 

state and national levels; for now, this 

advantage is being frittered away, in a show of 

dysfunction. It is sad but true, that mass 

movements tend to be more cohesive during 

real struggles than in power, where the spoil of 

office and how to share it can become sources 

of disintegration. 

A combination of Comrade Oshiomhole 

and Godwin Obaseki under a sincere truce 

that trims the extreme edges, on both sides, 

will keep Edo within APC, easily for real 

consolidation. Cry my beloved Edo, if the 

rescue that started under Comrade is 

splintered. 

Adams, a public affairs analyst, writes 

from Benin City, Edo State

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 — 17


What to expect 

at 2019 AFRIMA 

tonight! 

The 6 th All Africa Music Awards,AFRIMA, 

will go down tonight at the Convention 

Centre, Eko hotel and Suites, Victoria 

Island, Lagos. And like the Grammy version, 

the awards ceremony is all about celebrating 

the best of the best artistes from across Africa. 

As expected, it will be a night of energetic and 

intense entertainment as the line up of various 

African superstars slated to thrill the audience 

tonight speaks volumes about the ceremony 

as the biggest musical event across the 

continent. 

Take off time 

The star-studded awards ceremony will open 

with red carpet reception at 4 pm while the live 

broadcast will commence at 7.30 pm across over 

80 countries. Also, over 500 celebrities are 

expected to walk the red carpet looking 

nothing but elegant and stunning in their 

beautiful outfits. 

Who’s performing tonight 

Nigeria’s Legendary singer, 2 Baba will very 

likely sing some of his evergreen songs such as 

“African Queen” , “Amaka ft Peruzzi” , “ Oyi ft 

HI Idibia” among others. He will be joined on 

stage by Congolese star, Fally Ipupa; South 

African rapper, Nasty C; Tanzanian Afropop 

star, Rayvanny; Ghana’s Afro-pop, dancehall 

and reggae act, Stonebwoy; and Egyptian 

singer, Mohamed Rasadan. 

Also, Mauritanian songstress, Mallouma; 

Congolese Singer, Ferre Gola; Togolese 

Energetic duo artistes, Toofan and Moroccan 

favourite, Yann ‘Sine are expected to be on 

duty tonight. From South Africa is Electro 

music star, Master KG; Pop star Nadia Nakai 

and talented Hip-hop act, Tellaman; Star 

rapper, Kaligraph Jones; and songstress, Nikita 

Kering from Kenya; among various Nigerian 

superstars including Mr. Eazi; Teni; Fireboy; 

Praiz, Skiibi; and many more. The audience will 

expect nothing less than great performances 

and entertaining showmanship. It’s also good 

to know that most of the artistes billed to 

perform at the main awards are similarly 

impacting the creative industry of Africa just 

like AFRIMA is doing. 

Some of the nominees to watch out for 

tonight 

Expectations are the thief of joy. But 

tonight, it’s going to serve as a panacea for 

fans of the artistes who have been nominated 

in the 36 categories of the awards, are looking 

•Teni 

forward to the great 

moment. 

Nigeria’s Burna Boy 

who has been blazing 

the trail in recent times 

would be competing in 

five different categories 

including Best Male 

Artiste in Western Africa, Artiste of the Year in 

Africa, Song of the Year in Africa, Album of the 

Year in Africa and Best African Collaboration 

with ‘Killin Dem’ featuring Zlatan. And it’s 

expected that he will coast home to victory. The 

same goes to pop star, Davido who bagged six 

nominations such as Best Male Artiste in 

Western Africa, Artiste of the Year in Africa, 

Song of the Year in Africa, African Fans’ 

Favourite, Best Artiste, Duo or Group in African 

R’n’B & Soul, and Best African Collaboration for 

‘Blow My Mind’ with Chris Brown. 

South Africa’s Nasty C with nine nominations 

in the following categories; Best Male Artiste in 

Southern Africa, Artiste of the Year in Africa, 

Song of the Year in Africa, Producer of the Year 

in Africa, Best African Rapper/Lyricist, Best 

African Collaboration, Best Artiste, Duo or 

Group in African Hip-Hop, Songwriter of the 

Year in Africa and Best Artiste, Duo or Group in 

African R’n’B & Soul, may spring surprises. 

Who’s hosting the awards 

night 

South Africa-born actress Pearl Thusi and 

British-Congolese Eddie Kadi are the official 

hosts of the main awards ceremony. Thusi 

returns to host the award after hosting the 5 th 

AFRIMA main awards held in Accra, Ghana, 

last year, while Kadi is joining the train as a firsttime 

host. Their combination is expected to 

spice up the show. But who knows what 

tonight in reality will bring forth? 

Tope Alabi, David G, others set to storm 

Festac for ‘Real Worship’ concert 

O 

rganizer of Real Worship, a faith-based initiative 

targeted at rendering songs of worship through 

gifted gospel artistes to God as well as serve as a platform 

for harnessing and promoting the talents of young gospel 

artistes, The Redeemed Christian Church of God,RCCG, 

Lagos Province XI, has unveiled gospel singers that will 

thrill the congregation at this year’s edition themed ‘Set 

Time.” 

Leading the pack is top gospel singer, Tope Alabi, David 

G, Bukola Beekes, Efe Nathan, a notable figure in the 

RCCG National Choir among others. 

Unveiling the artistes during the week, Pastor incharge 

of Lagos Province XI, Pastor Alex Edosa 

Igbineweka said the artistes have confirmed their 

attendance, adding that the music concert which started 

in Lagos in 2012, has become a landmark transforming 

worship experience in Festac Town. 

According to him, the Assistant General Overseer, in 

charge of Administration and Personnel of 

the church, Pastor J.F Odesola will be the 

guest Minister at the event, which holds on 

November 29, at at FHA field 23/24 Road, 

Festac Town, Lagos. He, however, thanked the 

organizing committee for their dedication and 

commitment towards the preparation for this year’s 

event. 

Speaking further, Pastor Igbineweka said a crowd 

of not less than 10,000 worshipers are expected to grace 

the soul winning programme. This programme which 

has enjoyed massive publicity over the years, has hosted 

top rated gospel artistes including, Nathaniel Bassey, 

Chioma Jesus, Tope Alabi, Nosa, Sola Allyson, BJ Sax, 

Cobhams, Mercy Chinwo, Ada, Mike Abdul, Frank 

Edwards among others. Last year’s edition which had 

over 1000 persons in attendance is still the most talked 

about event in Festac Town and its environs. 

Teni: Feminist superstar on the rise 

Continues from page 17 

It's believed that Teni's success can be attributed 

to her effective deployment of social media to 

aggressively promote herself. On Instagram, 

where she routinely posts updates on her career, 

sprinkled with news on life milestones and 

gimmicky videos, she has hit over one million 

followers, and on Twitter, her followers number 

nearly 90,000, and the number is still growing 

per day. 

Recall that her début freestyle, 'Fargin' video 

reportedly had over 153,000 views, on Instagram 

alone. 

“I would say with social media, it’s a matter of 

consistency and putting yourself out there. 

Something is bound to take off. I believe that 

once you open your mouth to ask God for 

something, it’s a matter time before He gives 

it to you,” Teni said in one of her interviews. 

She reportedly took to music quite early and 

as a pupil, she sang alongside her sister, 

Niniola and played instruments to entertain 

politicians and government officials. After 

her education in the family-owned school, 

she moved to the United States to study 

pharmacy. Music was pulling her but not 

surprisingly, there was some friction with 

the family over this flirtation. Describing this 

pull and push in an interview, Teni said 

“Music is the easiest thing for me to do. I 

don’t want to live a sad life because I want to 

please my parents. I don’t depend on my 

parents financially anymore.’’ She 

eventually abandoned pharmacy and 

•Davido, Burna Boy and Nasty-C 

graduated from the American Intercontinental 

University, Atlanta with a degree in Business 

administration, after her music career had taken 

off in earnest. 

However, since she debuted on the nation's music 

scene, Teni's Instagram account has exceeded 

1.5 million subscribers and its videos on Youtube 

reportedly are close to 10 million views. Today, 

her tomboy side has no negative influence 

whatsoever on her personality. She's currently 

enjoying global acceptance as a feminist 

superstar. 

Signed to Nigerian producer, Shizzi's record 

label, and later released music through the 

Atlanta and Nigeria-based Dr Dolor 

Entertainment, Teni's other songs were not a write 

off. Her extremely danceable 

•Teni 

performing 

on stage 

*Dancers 

at last yeras 

awards 

•Tope 

song "Askamaya" was as good as “ Uyo Meyo.” 

just as the Nigerian World Cup kit craze-inspired 

track, "Fake Jersey," “Dreams do come true” and 

slow-rocking, Joni Mitchell-sampling "Rambo," 

were instant hits. Teni did not compromise her 

originality with the songs she released this year 

such as “Party Next Door”, “Sugar Mummy” 

and “Power Rangers.” 

Speaking on “Sugar Mummy”, the singer said 

“I want to make ‘Sugar Mummy’ a positive 

item.” Indeed, Teni is a woman with swag, always 

looking boyish, and she has never allowed herself 

to be intimidated, one who is proud to be 

different.” Her plus-size posture has not been a 

discouragement to the singer. Just as a feminist 

tomboy and sassy superstar has helped her to 

rise to fame despite the odds. Teni is the future 

of freestyle music in 

Africa. She may be 

dropping hits after hits, 

but her appeal is said to 

lie in her originality, 

cheerful nature and the 

confidence with which 

•Teni 

she carries herself both 

on and off the stage. Quite 

remarkable, while she's 

busy defining her own 

territory, thousands of 

fans find it easier 

identifying with her than 

they would identify with an 

established singer with an 

unmatchable record.




By AYO ONIKOYI 

08052201215 

onikoyi68@gmail.com 

Dino Melaye 

Dino Melaye 

gets first cinema 

movie role in 

‘Lemonade’ 

Senator Dino Melaye who has been hilariously touted 

as a candidate for Nollywood has finally clinched his first 

cinema movie role in a new Nollywood blockbuster titled 

‘Lemonade’ set to premiere December 11, 2019 at the Transcorp 

Hilton Hotel in Abuja. The Senator, who had had a taste of 

acting in a new TV series ‘Equity Unbound’ features alongside 

stellar cast of Kunle Remi, Joy Idoko, Ayoola Ayobami, Linda 

Osifo, Mofe Duncan, Real Warri Pikin, Chioma Idigo, Sean King, 

among others. This long anticipated movie is a stimulating 

account of affection, ambition and determination to succeed 

irrespective of the circumstances, with strong emphasis on 

courage, tenacity and diligence. 

A production of 100% Joy Media Productions and directed by 

prolific film maker, Lummie Edevibe of Filmcorp, it is the story 

of a single mum and aspiring writer who finds courage to leave 

a toxic relationship, and to pursue her dreams on her own. 

Decided not to get tangled in another heartbreak, she fends off 

all advances and eventually finds true love in a most unexpected 

way. 

The new movie, ‘Lemonade’ is touted to be one of the best 

movies to be released in 2019 judging by the reviews of the 

trailer, caliber of cast, crew and the script. The tickets for the 

premiere are already selling at designated centers in Abuja. 

MultiChoice Nigeria 

introduces new DStv, 

GOtv packages 

Africa’s leading video entertainment 

company, MultiChoice, has unveiled five 

new packages for its DStv and GOtv platforms 

to deliver more quality content at great value for 

customers during the upcoming festive season and 

beyond. 

From 1 December, DStv customers will have more 

entertainment options to choose from with the introduction of 

three new DStv packages: DStv Confam, DStv Yanga and DStv 

Padi. GOtv subscribers will also get two new GOtv packages: 

GOtv Jolli and GOtv Jinja. 

These new packages are exclusively and specially-curated for 

the Nigerian market and come upgraded with new channels, 

fresh content and Naija-centric names that contribute to a more 

enhanced viewing experience. In addition, the GOtv Max 

package will be revamped to include more channels, thus offering 

more value at an affordable price. 

Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, 

speaking on this milestone, said the introduction of the new 

packages customized for Nigerians will unlock a new level of 

entertainment and value for customers, giving them improved 

choices and a brand new DStv and GOtv experience. 

“We are constantly driven to ensure that customers are satisfied 

with the overall quality of our services. The new packages are 

exclusively curated from Naija and for Nigerians, driven by great 

programing and affordable prices,” said Ugbe. “With improved 

package options available to our valued customers, they can 

choose a subscription plan that best fits their needs and budget. 

We remain committed to give millions of television viewers in 

Nigeria the opportunity to enjoy world class entertainment.” 

Entertainment and content distribution in 

Nigerian is set to witness a major 

transformation following the official launch 

of Nvivo TV as part of the activities of the 

just concluded 9th Africa International Film 

Festival (AFRIFF), which held at the 

Landmark Event Centre, Lagos. It was an 

occasion that provided an opportunity for 

stakeholders in the movie and tech industry to witness firsthand 

the unveiling of the streaming platform from Envivo, a technology 

company that focuses on digital contents. 

The new Nvivo app is a free video on demand platform offering 

diverse short format content from some of the world’s best content 

providers, as well as locally created original production. According 

to the streaming service providers, it comprises a large bouquet of 

different kinds of television shows, mostly in short films from 

Nollywood that are original. Co-founder of nvivo and organiser of 

AFRIFF, Chioma Ude, noted that AFRIFF would attract a large 

group of people in the industry and thus a better platform to reach 

out to them. 

Nvivo TV is Pan-African and will showcase entertainment content 

from all over the continent. Ude spoke extensively about the unique 

lineup of original TV shows and shoots which the streaming service 

will feature. “Being in the industry and being on the best of all end 

of it, I have always wondered what happened to the short films; 

brilliant, beautiful short films and its money spent and basically 

they end up on youtube or nowhere. 

“Now, youtube is a great platform but I wanted something that 

will curate more of the contents so that you see what you are looking 

for, you know what you are looking for is right there and so Envivo 

came to mind. That was the beginning. 

The People’s Hero 

reality TV show: 

Team Ofuobi wins 

first round 

With a perfect fusion of singing, dancing, 

spoken word and acting, audience were taken 

on a thrilling journey down the memory lane at the 

People’s Hero live show last weekend as different 

groups performed artistic piece centred around the 

origin of the Igbo market days namely Eke, Orio, 

Afor and Nkwo in a tales by moonlight setting. 

The twenty finalists of The People’s Hero show 

had been divided into five groups of four persons 

comprising a dancer, singer, actor and spoken work 

artiste. The groups, Agwu, Obidike, Obinwanne, 

Ofuobi and Ichekwu were all given a task to 

work with the theme “Egwu-Onwa” known in 

English as “Tales by Moonlight” to create 

stories around the Igbo market days with 

each art playing significant role. 

Each group performed to thrill the 

audience and impress the judges who were 

very demanding and expected nothing short 

of excellent performances. The judges 

expected rich delivery of Igbo culture creatively 

expressed in the four arts. At the end of the 

performances, two of the three judges rated 

the Ofuobi group the best for the night and 

urged other groups to work harder and 

improve their skills. 

No eviction happened at the show as all 

the groups were pardoned and urged to go 

back to drawing tables and improve on their 

performances. The show is getting fiercer 

as eviction may commence from next week. 

Nvivo TV’s launch 

lights up AFRIFF 

MTN celebrates 

Indian ‘Diwali 

Festival’ in 

Lagos 

As part of its commitment to 

foster communal spirit 

among Nigerians as well as 

celebrate the unique diversity 

among its customers, MTN 

Nigeria supported the just 

concluded Diwali Festival of 

Lights, which took place at Tafawa 

Balewa Square, Lagos on 

Saturday, 16th November, 2019. 

Diwali, which means an array 

of lights, is the most important 

festival celebrated in India and 

symbolizes the victory of good 

over evil. During the annual 

celebration, friends and families 

gather to share love, food and 

happiness to others. For many 

Indians and non-Indians alike 

who attended the event, it was 

an amazing experience. 

The festival kicked off with an 

exhibition of various Indian 

cuisines, as well as other Indian 

products. The event also had in 

attendance over 4000 Indians and 

lovers of Indian culture, whose 

excitement lit up the venue. The 

crescendo was when popular 

Indian music trio, Shankaar 

Ehsaan Loy took to the stage, 

performing some of their hit 

Bollywood soundtracks. This 

heightened the much expected 

excitement from guests. 

Also present at the event were 

High Commissioner of India to 

Nigeria, Abhay Thakur; Chief 

Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria, 

Rahul De; President, Indian 

Cultural Association, Sanjay Jain 

and other high profile members 

of the Indian Cultural Association.


President of Cinema Exhibitors 

Association of Nigeria, CEAN, Mr. 

Patrick Lee recently opened up on 

why they are showing more foreign 

films than local ones in the Nigerian box 

office. 

Lee said their action become necessary 

following the high demand for foreign films 

by the theatre goers. 

CEAN boss was responding to Nollywood 

producers, who accused the cinema owners 

of not only rivalling them in terms of film 

production, but also, devoting more time 

and space to foreign films at the detriment of 

local ones in the country’s box office. 

However, defending the action of the cinema 

owners, while speaking at the maiden 

edition of Film4Life conference on the 

business of film making, organized in 

memory of late Chris Ekejimbe, which held 

recently in Lagos, Lee revealed that as 

business people they are responding to the 

needs of their customers. 

According to him, following a research 

carried out by them on the type of films 

people like to watch, over 50 per cent of the 

Ex Miss Nigeria, Helen Prest-Ajayi 

throws weight behind 

Miss Hotlegs Nigeria 

tylish lawyer and ageless former beauty queen Helen 

SPrest-Ajayi is stepping out to town next month to do 

what she knows how to do best. Helen Prest-Ajayi whose 

outing is usually characterized by grace and charm, will 

be the Guest Speaker at this year’s Miss Hotlegs 

Nigeria 2019 Grand Finale on the 8th of December in 

Lekki after having taken the pageant’s Masterclass 

Session on December the 5th. 

We understand that she will be speaking and teaching 

on pageant etiquette and general pageant tips, which 

by implication, definitely means that this year’s Miss 

Hotlegs will indeed be, a Coronation Ball. 

According to British-born Nigerian organizer of 

the beauty pageant, Mosy O’Ginni, the choice of 

Helen Prest-Ajayi as the Masterclass guest 

speaker, is as a result of her antecedents in 

time past. 

“Miss Hotlegs Nigeria has always 

attracted the movers and shakers of the 

entertainment industry, this year’s event 

is the fairytale edition, which promises to 

be a fun-filled evening packed with good 

music, comedy and lots of side attractions. 

And we know that the best way to kick start 

such an high brow pageant is a Masterclass 

adorned with the personality of a well acclaimed 

former beauty queen which Helen Prest-Ajayi 

perfectly fits into,” said Mosy O’Ginny. 

Helen Prest Ajayi was born in Lagos in 1959. She is a 

graduate of the Universities of Ife (OAU) Ile-Ife and 

Kings College (London) where she obtained the 

degrees of L.L.B and L.L.M respectively, thereafter she 

practiced law for over 15 years with the 

law firm of Kalejaiye, Prest Ogbogbo 

and H.P Davies & Co, after which 

she left practice to pursue other 

passions. 

•Emeka 

Rollas 

•Patrick Lee, 

CEAN President 

Cinema owners open up on why Hollywood 

films are dominating Nigerian box office 

•Former Miss 

Nigeria, Helen 

Prest-Ajayi 

respondents indicted interest in action 

movies, while 70 percent of others preferred 

to watch thriller and romance movies. 

“Based on the research, as an exhibitor, I 

have to take that information very seriously. 

And so, when I’m doing my scheduling, I 

have to put that into consideration. For 

instance, if I have an action movie, be it a 

Hollywood film, the truth of the matter is 

that it’s what my customers want to see,” he 

explained. 

Explaining further, Lee said theatre goers 

usually pay for three things; the story line, 

excitement level of the films and the special 

effects and stars featured in the movies. And 

these attributes are not lacking in when it 

comes 

Hollywood 

movies. 

“That’s how 

the look at 

Hollywood 

movies,” he 

said, adding 

“Hollywood 

movies 

doesn’t have 

to have 

fantastic 

story line, 

but if it has 

very good 

special 

effect, the 

audience 

will pay to 

watch the 

Most actors don’t know what it entails 

becoming an actor —Emeka Rollas 

By Sylvester Kwentua 

he new elected president of the Actors guild of 

TNigeria, AGN, Emeka Rollas has accused some 

Nollywood actors of not knowing what it entails to 

become actors, thereby allowing producers to infringe 

on their rights and privileges. 

In a recent chat with NollyNow, AGN president 

regretted that actors who are supposed to be living 

large today, are not aware of their rights and 

privileges. 

“One of the major problems we have in Nigeria is 

that a lot of actors don’t even know what the 

profession is all about; some don’t know it is a craft. 

Some just feel it is an avenue to feed themselves. 

For instance, a producer approaches you to feature 

in his film and promises to pay you N10,000 for a 

job of N50,000. You go ahead and accept the job 

because your mind would tell you that if you don’t 

take it, you will die of hunger. No! This is not 

right. In this country today, everybody can just 

wake up and say he or she wants to be an actor 

without knowing what it entails. We need actors 

to know that acting is a serious business,”he 

said. 

*A scene 

from 

Nollywood 

movie 

*Chioma aka Chigul(m) Mr. 

Raymond Murphy, CEO of Mouka 

and veteran actress Sola 

Sobowale at the event 

Nollywood stars light up 

Mouka’s green gala night 

ollywood stars and On Air Personalities 

Ntook the centre stage last weekend, 

when Mouka, the nation’s leading mattress 

and other bedding products manufacturer 

On his election as the new president of AGN, Rollas 

said his agenda is to consolidate on the achievements 

of his immediate interim government. Our major 

concern is to protect the average actor and care about 

his welfare, either on location or anywhere else. We 

need to convince the actors that they now have a 

viable association that can fight for their rights and 

welfare, “ he stated. 

Speaking on how he was able to restore peace in the 

once troubled guild, Rollas said he reached out to 

everyone that matters in the guild to give peace a 

chance. “I had series of meetings with everyone. As a 

matter of fact, before the general election of the guild, I 

met with Emeka Ike and he gave me his blessings. 

Also, from Ibinabo’s camp, I found out that the then 

National Secretary, Abubakar Sanusi was interested 

in running for the president of the guild. I didn’t give 

up; rather I became more interested in contesting for 

the position. I tried closing up all the gaps, where we 

had factions. I went as far as visiting states that had 

factionalization issues, just to close up the gap and 

restore peace to the state guilds and ensure that we 

work as one family, under one leadership,” Rollas 

explained. 

film.” 

“Unfortunately, in terms of Nollywood, we 

haven’t gotten to that point of special effect. 

So, we have to compensate with something 

else. We haven’t reached the level, where we 

can pay huge amount of money to be able to 

get to that special effect level.” 

Lee, however, urged the federal government 

to subsidized the amount paid by theatre 

goers to watch movies in the cinemas at 

least for five years. This, he said will 

encourage the cinema owners to start 

showing more Nollywood movies in the box 

office. 

rounded off its 60th anniversary tagged, 

“Green Gala Night” in Lagos. 

Leading the pack was Sola Sobowale,a 

Nigerian film actress, screenwriter, director 

and producer. 

Sobowale, recently received the prestigious 

recognition in theAfrica Movie Academy 

Award for best actress in leading role as 

‘Alhaja Eniola Salami’ in Kemi Adetiba’s 

blockbuster, ‘King of Boys’. 

Other celebrities in attendance were 

Adebayo Davies, an actor (Baba Landlord in 

Flat mates), Chioma Omeruah, (Chi gul) an 

actress and comedian,Lotachukwu Ugwu,an 

actress (popularly known as Kiki in the TV 

series Jenifa’s Diary), Arese Ugwu, author and 

social media financial expert (popularly 

known as Smart money Arese), Sisi 

YemmieBlogger, Vlogger and all -round 

creativeto complete the galaxy of stars at the 

night. 

The night was anchored by Okechukwu 

Anthony Onyegbule, popularly known as 

Okey Bakassi, a Nigerian stand-up comedian 

and actor. 

Sobowale, while responding to journalists’ 

questions, described quality sleep as a 

necessary ingredient to a healthy and 

productive life of a busy professional like her, 

while thumbing up for the Mouka brand. In 

his welcome remarks, Mr. Raymond Murphy, 

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of 

the company explained that the last 60 years 

has been a long and successful journey for 

Mouka, adding that the company has built an 

enduring brand in the last six decades.


The ‘LionHeart’ saga 

and matters arising 

The furor surrounding the 

recent disqualification of 

the Nigerian film, 

‘Lionheart’ from the 

Academy Awards is still playing 

out in the public domain. 

There have been several 

opinions on the issue; some 

educated and others, outright 

emotional outbursts. 

First is the reaction of those, 

including the producer of the film 

Genevieve Nnaji, that since 

Nigerians could not have chosen 

their colonial master, which made 

English the official Nigerian 

language, it was wrong for the 

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts 

and Sciences AMPAS to 

disqualify a Nigerian film 

produced in English. There are 

those who have also argued that 

the film was disqualified for other 

reasons, but that the Academy 

simply wanted to be diplomatic. 

A few correct voices have come 

out to say that for the category for 

which ‘Lionheart’ was entered, 

English language was not 

allowed. 

Nigerians must first understand 

what the Academy Awards 

popularly known as the Oscars is 

all about. It started informally in 

1929, when the first award was 

presented on May 16th of that 

year. Since then, the Oscars have 

undergone 

several 

metamorphoses. The category for 

which ‘Lionheart’ was entered; the 

Best 

International 

feature(Foreign Language) Film 

was first awarded in 1957. Before 

then, foreign language films only 

merited Special Achievement 

Awards. 

The general category of the 

Oscars are awarded to films in 

English Language no matter 

where they are produced, but 

which were screened in America 

and must have opened at 

midnight of 1st January of the 

previous year to midnight at the 

end of 31st December in Los 

Angeles County, and play for 7 

consecutive days. The 

international category was only 

introduced as a complementary 

award to films screened in other 

lands and in languages other than 

English. It must also be a 

country’s official nomination. 

What the above means therefore, 

is that Nigerian films shot in 

English can enter for the general 

categories of the Oscars, as long 

as they meet the above criteria; 

being screened in Los Angeles 

County as prescribed above. This 

is how Indian films like Slumdog 

Millionaire and Life of Pi won the 

Oscars and worldwide acclaim. 

Films produced in the UK, 

Canada, Australia and other 

English speaking countries have 

entered these categories and won 

many awards in the past. 

It is also important to note that 

no individual film producer can 

submit a film on behalf of a 

country in the international 

category. All stakeholders, 

including the government via the 

ministry of culture or an 

appropriate agency, must 

sit down and make the 

judgment before the 

submission. 

When I first heard of 

Lionheart’s 

disqualification, the 

question that popped 

up in my mind was 

‘how much buzz did 

this film generate 

in Nigeria before 

being submitted?’ 

I know that the 

first award a 

foreign film 

should win 

must not be the 

Oscar. Before 

a foreign film 

can qualify 

and win the 

foreign 

language 

O s c a r 

award, it 

must have won several 

awards in its own country. 

In the case of Lionheart, I must 

confess that the Oscar controversy 

was the first time I was hearing 

about the film. Another issue of 

note is the matter of who officially 

cleared Lionheart as Nigeria’s entry 

for the Academy Awards. Was the 

Ministry of Culture in 

consultations with the Actors 

Guild, Directors Guild, film 

producers associations and other 

stakeholders involved? The attitude 

of Nigerians in the arts to first seek 

international approval before 

the Nobel Prize for Literature. By 

the same token, 

ChimamandaNgoziAdichie, 

was acknowledged as a great 

author only after her debut novel 

Purple Hibiscus had garnered 

international awards. 

It is therefore no surprise that 

Nigerians are usually in a hurry 

to conquer foreign lands before 

conquering at home, due to poor 

institutional framework across 

sectors. While conducting an 

academic research a few years 

ago, I raised the issue with 

celebrated Nigerian author 

Helon Habila, his response is 

instructive: ‘The arts is an 

industry, you have to have 

critics who review 

books (films) and 

publishers who 

publish the reviews, 

so it is more 

organized 

abroad. Over 

there, 

being 

recognized at 

home has always been of 

interest to me. I believe the lack of 

proper institutions in the various 

arms of the arts has given rise to a 

situation where honors are mostly 

administered by charlatans. 

If not, how would you explain a 

situation where a prominent 

banker who received the banker 

of the year award a few years ago, 

was convicted and sent to jail for 

•Genevieve 

fraudulent 

banking practices in 

the same year. This is why 

Nigerians seek foreign approval 

before being approved at home. 

Professor Wole Soyinka was 

awarded the national honor of 

Commander of the Federal 

Republic CFR, only after winning 

there is a standardized process 

where books are reviewed and put 

through certain tests if you like and 

then they emerge as good books. 

In our own case, it is possible to 

see a book that is not even good 

being launched and people giving 

money, and then you find a good 

book which nobody talks about. 

So because we don’t have that 

system, we don’t have the critics 

who are dedicated, whose job it is 

to discover good books, write 

about them, and talk about 

them, that is our main 

problem.’ 

We must realize that 

as with books, so 

with films, and when 

we take it in 

perspective, we can 

understand why the 

creative Nigerian 

would prefer a 

foreign honor to a 

local one. Be that as 

it may however, it 

would be great if 

people like 

Genevieve Nnaji, 

an icon of our film 

industry, would 

show a little more 

faith in our 

country. 

This they can 

do by first 

ensuring that 

before entering 

for a foreign 

award, their 

selected entry 

must have 

become a 

household 

product in 

Nigeria. Most 

films which win 

t h e 

international 

Feature 

category at 

the Oscars 

usually have 

the backing of 

t h e 

government 

of that 

country, 

stakeholders 

of the 

industry, and 

that of the 

o r d i n a r y 

citizens. 

We must also 

note that the 

Oscars though 

celebrated around 

the world, were 

created by 

Americans for 

America; they 

therefore have the 

right to make the rules 

the way they want. It is 

equally possible for us 

to create our own 

film awards 

and make 

them world 

class, or 

better still, 

Nigerian 

producers can 

enter the 

general category 

where they have a 

chance to 

compete with 

productions by 

giants like Martin 

Scorcese, Quentin 

Trantino, Woody 

Allen and a host of 

others. Ifby chance 

they succeed in 

winning among such a 

field; then we can all celebrate the 

fact thatNollywood has truly 

conquered the world.


Facebook lover 

defrauds widow 

of N2.4m 

•Promises her marriage, Lexus 

2019 model as wedding gift 

•Frustration pushed me into 

it—Suspect 

By Evelyn Usman 

Sometime in June 2019, a widow, 

identified simply as Chichi, 

received a friend’s request on her 

facebook page which she accepted. Sadly, 

her acceptance turned out to be her 

greatest undoing five months later, as the 

stranger turned out to be a fraudster. 

Before she realised what was happening, 

Chichi had been defrauded of N2.4 

million. The 25-year-old suspect, Sunday 

Ijegalu, who hails from Enugu State, has 

however been arrested by operatives of 

the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS. 

In her statement to the Police, Chichi 

explained that the suspect who claimed 

to be residing in Canada, kept chatting 

with her on Facebook daily, after 

receiving his friend request. 

She said, “He told me his mother lived 

in Calabar and that his only brother was 

in the United Kingdom. He asked about 

my marital status and my state of origin 

and when I told him I was a widow and 

from 

Anambra state, he screamed and said 

his father was from Anambra and that he 

was also a widower”. 

In the course of the continued 

conversation, she said that he proposed 

to her and fixed September 28, 2019 as 

the date for the traditional wedding. To 

further convince her, the suspect gave her 

Chichi a telephone number which he 

claimed was his mother’s. 

But during preliminary investigation, it 

was discovered that the telephone 

number the suspect claimed was his 

mother’s actually belonged to him but 

would change his voice to sound like an 

old woman’s voice anytime the victim 

called to speak with her supposed motherin-law. 

Crime Guard gathered that the suspect 

also sent the picture of a Lexus 2019 model 

to the victim, claiming he would present 

it to her as a wedding gift, when he 

returned to Nigeria to formalise the 

marriage. 

The plot 

However, shortly before the time he 

promised to return to Nigeria, Chichi said, 

“he called me on phone to say that his 

mother had been shot by armed robbers 

back home and that she urgently needed 

blood transfusion. He begged me to send 

N400,000 to his relatives for the hospital 

bill, that it was too late for him to go to 

the bank. He promised to refund the 

money when he returned to Nigeria and I 

did as he requested “. 

She further stated that he called her 

using a local number in the month of 

September, to inform her that he had just 

arrived Nigeria and that he was on his 

way to see his mother in Calabar, to know 

how far the family had gone about the 

preparation for the wedding. 

According to Chichi, “when he got to 

Calabar, he called me to speak with his 

mother. She greeted me, saying she could 

not wait to have me as a daughter-in-law. 

She told me that her son intended to buy 

some property in Calabar and Port 

Harcourt. But few day later, I received 

another call from a man who claimed to 

be my supposed mother-in-law’s driver. 

He told me that my fiance had been 

kidnapped. I was in panic and didn’t 

know what to do. I later received a phone 

call from a stranger who claimed my 

fiance was with them. I requested to speak 

with him and when they gave him the 

phone, he was crying and begged me to 

come to his rescue. He said that the 

kidnappers demanded N20 million as 

ransom. He said he had N18m and I 

should look for N2 million. I had to rally 

round to get N2m which I sent”. 

Immediately the money was paid, she 

said she did not hear from her supposed 

lover again. Effort to reach him on 

Facebook proved abortive as she 

discovered he had blocked her. At that 

point she rushed to the police, suspecting 

that something was amiss. 

Face-to face with the fraudster 

When Chichi met with the suspect after 

his arrest, she expressed shock at his 

unkempt appearance which she said was 

totally different from the picture he 

displayed on Facebook. 

During interrogation, the suspect, a 

primary school leaver, revealed that he 

used the picture of someone else on 

Facebook. 

He boldly declared that he was into 

online business when asked what type of 

job he did. 

Asked why he decided to go for such 

•Suspect 

fraudulent job, he responded, “I went to 

learn a trade on sale of machine parts in 

Eboyi state to enable me start mine. But 

barely had I started my own business in 

my home town than my shop was 

demolished by the state government. I 

bought a car which I was using for 

commercial transport but I was duped and 

forced to sell the car. After that, I started 

learning how to repair automatic gear 

box. After I gathered some money, I 

travelled to Austra in 2017 but the person 

who was supposed to pick me up at the 

airport didn’t show up and I was deported. 

Back home, I started work as a 

commercial bus driver but I was involved 

in an accident this year. 

Frustration made me to go for online 

business. I sent out friend requests to 

several persons but she was the only one 

who accepted it. 

“I only defrauded her of N1.4 million, 

not N2.4million as she claimed. She sent 

them at different times. She first sent 

N60,000 for my mother’s birthday, 

another N40,000 when she was sick and 

N1.2 million for my kidnap which never 

happened. 

“The picture of the Lexus jeep I sent to 

her was from the internet. My mother 

never spoke to her. I pretended as if it was 

my mother who was speaking whenever 

she called to further convince her to 

believe me. I used a small phone which 

has a device to change voice. You can only 

get that in small phones not android” 

•Suspect 

Police foil guard’s attempt to dump girlfr 

•I didn’t kill her, she drank concoction—suspect 


A25- year-old private guard, 

Shadrach Daniel, has been 

arrested by detectives of the State 

Criminal Investigation and Intelligence 

Bureau, SCIID, Yaba, Lagos, over an 

alleged attempt to dump the corpse of a 

lady into a lagoon in Elemoro area of Lekki. 

Recovered from him, was A Sports Utility 

Vehicle belonging to his boss, which he 

was using to escape was recovered from 

him. Sources said he conveyed the corpse 

in the vehicle and was at the verge of 

disposing it when a resident raised the 

alarm. 

Coincidentally, by the time an angry mob 

arrived the scene at Shapati Frajed, Ibeju 

Lekki, there were two other persons with 

Daniel. The angry mob which concluded 

they could be ritualists, descended on them. 

But for the swift intervention of some 

residents who alerted the police, Daniel and 

those with him would have been lynched. 

Crime Guard however gathered that the 

two persons with Daniel were owner of 

the vehicle and her friend who went to 

search for Daniel when they discovered 

that the SUV was missing. 

Also, the lifeless body was discovered to 

be that of a lady simply identified as 

Victory, the suspect’s girlfriend. 

In an interview with the suspect, he 

denied having anything to do with Victory’s 

death. Rather, he disclosed that she was 

pregnant for him and that he was prepared to marry he 

According to the Kaduna-State born suspect, “Victor 

was my girlfriend she worked as a maid in Lekki. Sh 

told me she was pregnant for me two months ago and 

asked her to leave the pregnancy that I would marry he 

“On Monday, October 28, 2019, she called me on th 

phone complaining that she had headache and I aske 

her to take pain relief medicine. The following day, sh 

visited and still complained of headache. I gave he 

paracetamol, she slept for a while and by the time sh 

was leaving for her place later that day, she said she wa 

okay. 

“Two days later, on a Thursday, I was washing m 

madam’s car, when Victory came holding her head an 

screaming. In my confused state, I took her in m 

madam’s car and drove to a hospital at Sangotedo bu 

they refused to attend to her. From there I took her t 

another one where the doctor told me she was dead. 

immediately called her mother who advised that I shoul

. 

y 

e 

I 

r. 

e 

d 

e 

r 

e 

s 

y 

How tracking device installed 

in inver 

erter 

ers gave thieves es away 

•We sell stolen inverter batteries for N20,000 each —suspect 


Telecommunication companies and 

outsourced operators have always 

complained about their inverter batteries 

used to power masts being stolen thereby 

leaving subscribers to bear the brunt of poor 

network, occasioned by epileptic power supply. 

To safe guard these batteries, tracking devices 

were therefore installed inside the batteries but 

some of these criminals still found means of 

destroying the device, at the point of vandalising 

the inverter batteries. 

But like everything that has an end, two 

members of a suspected gang that specialised 

in vandalising telecommunication masts were 

arrested by operatives of the Special Anti- 

Robbery Squad, Lagos State Police Command. 

The suspects: Kazeem Kareem, 27 and Sunday 

Joseph , 41, were arrested at the Arena 

Shopping plaza in Oshodi area of Lagos, at 

about 2.30am, Thursday, at the point of selling 

six stolen inverters to a ready buyer. 

Police sources hinted that they were traced to 

the spot through the tracking device installed 

inside two of the stolen batteries 

Information at the disposal of Crime Guard had 

it that the command received information on the 

invasion of a Mast owned by ATC company in 

Ikorodu. The Commander, SARS, CSP Peter 

Gana, was then directed to get the suspects 

arrested, consequent upon which they were 

traced to Arena. 

In an encounter with the suspects, one of them, 

Kareem disclosed that he belonged to a gang of 

four that was responsible for several stolen 

inverters. 

He said, “I joined the gang last year and we 

were three in the gang; Sunday, Colabo and 

myself. Since I joined them, we had 

vandalised telecommunication equipments six 

times: at Oyingbo, Ijora and Ikorodu areas of 

Lagos. 

“Sunday is the leader of the gang. Anytime 

we were going for operation, he would contact 

us on phone to tell us where we would meet. 

It was his job to look for where 

telecommunication masts were mounted. 

Thereafter, he would take us there. During 

operation, while Colabo and Sunday would 

be busy removing them from where they were 

fixed and thereafter bring them to the car, my 

job was to watch out for intruder or the Police. 

After vandalising them, we would take them 

to Arena market where they would be sold 

for N20,000 or N30,000 each and I would 

get N20,000 or N25,000. 

“We usually went away with all the inverter 

batteries found which were usually between 

eight and 12”. 

On his part, Sunday claimed he was an 

Uber driver. He said he went to drop off the 

suspects only to be arrested. However upon 

further probe, he disclosed that he had 

conveyed the suspects twice, from where they 

vandalised inverter batteries, to where they 

sold them. 

He said, “I work mainly at night, around 

clubs. They saw me on one occasion and asked 

me to take them to a place and wait for them 

outside. On the first day, after taking them to 

Arena, they paid me N15,000. But they were 

yet to pay me for this when the police swooped 

on us. Before the arrival of the police, they 

(suspects) attempted to remove the tracker 

from two batteries. Kareem had succeeded in 

opening the lock to remove the tracker when 

the police arrived”, said the Oyo- State-born. 

iend’s corpse into lagoon 

take her to her sister’s place but we did not meet 

the woman at home. 

“All the while, my phone had been ringing but I 

didn’t pick. By the time I picked, I discovered it 

was my madam who had been calling. She asked 

where I was and ordered me to bring back her car. 

She thought I stole it but I told her that I was heading 

back home. She met me on the road and asked me 

to take the person with me out of her car. Even when 

I tried to explain what happened to her, she 

wouldn’t listen but insisted I should leave the car. I 

brought out my dead girlfriend and held on to her 

body 

d man came but as and my said madam we should was quarreling not dump with the corpse 

me, a 

y 

t 

o 

I 

d 

in that community. He thought I wanted to throw 

the corpse into the lagoon that was close by. He 

alerted residents, calling us yahoo yahoo. Without 

waiting to listen to our explanations, some youths 

came and descended on me, my madam and her 

friend. I have nothing to do with Victory’s death. 

•Suspects 

She told me that she took some concoction to abort 

the pregnancy”, he said. 

Arrested alongside the suspect was one Olapade 

Jayeola, a commercial bus driver who admitted to 

have raised the alarm that alerted the mob which 

almost lynched the victims. He said he raised the 

alarm in order to save residents the trouble of 

paying for a sin they knew nothing about. 

He said, “I was returning home when I overheard 

them arguing about the dead body. I told them not 

to throw it into the lagoon because the Police would 

come for us in the course of investigation. But the 

woman among them did not listen. As she was about 

entering her car to drive off, I stood in her way. It 

was at that moment that people gathered and started 

beating them. They also destroyed the vehicle”. 

Investigation into the matter according to the 

Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP 

Elkana Bala, was still ongoing, to ascertain the 

circumstances surrounding the lady’s death. 


Bank Robbery: N25m, foreign 

currency carted ted away y as Police 

arrest t top management staf 

aff 

By Rotimi Ojomoyela 

Two top managerial staff of the old generation bank in Oye- 

Ekiti have been arrested by the police, Thursday. 

The bank staff were allegedly arrested in connection with a bank 

robbery that saw men of the underworld carting away with N25 

million and a huge sum of foreign currency recently. 

The Ekiti State Commissioner of police, Mr Amba Asuquo who 

visited the bank on assessment tour on Friday, alleged that “there 

was internal connivance between the bank officials and the robbers 

going by the startling revelations of the Close Circuit Television 

(CCTV).” 

According to the Commissioner, it was discovered the bank officials 

allegedly opened the bank strong room seven minutes before the 

robbers struck. 

He also alleged that the CCTV revealed how the bankers and a 

customer, who ran inside upon hearing the gunshots, had seized the 

robbery opportunity to stuff money into their pockets as they moved 

frequently into the vault before the bandits blasted the security door 

with over seven Improvised Explosive Devise(IED). 

The police boss disclosed that between the time the bandits attacked 

the Police Divisional Office, which was about the 300 metres away 

from the bank and the said time they struck, was enough for the 

bankers to have escaped after closing the vault, but refused for the 

sinister intention they allegedly harboured. 

He said: “The summary of it is that, there was internal connivance 

and it is unfortunate. There was a similarity between this robbery 

and the one we had at Ise-Ekiti recently. 

“It baffles me that there were suspected insiders’ connivance in the 

whole issue. Plus or minus, there was a missing link and it is that 

link that we are working upon, trying to investigate. 

“The banking policy does not allow us to post mobile policemen to 

the bank for a reason known to them and this started in 2016 based 

on the letter written by the bank requesting for only plain clothed 

policemen. 

“Between the time the robbers attacked our men and the time the 

robbery took place, the staff had enough time to escape through the 

exit door. They were captured by CCTV moving in and out of the 

vault. The vault was even opened before the robbers came. 

“Despite the opportunity, none of them made efforts to escape, they 

were stuffing money and there was evidence to prove this. 

“The staff opened the vault by 3:5pm and the robbers blew up the 

security door at 3.12pm, this gave a strong suspicion that there was 

internal collaboration in this matter, it showed complicit. 

“All these are the dynamics we are studying and that will form the 

basis for our thorough investigation.” 

Asuquo revealed that a carton was recovered by the police inside 

the bank containing over N2 million that was hidden by one of the 

bankers before the operation. 

He said: “The carton was hidden under the table within the banking 

hall. This should be part of the the loots from the strong room.” 

Meanwhile, the mother of the seven-year-old child who was shot 

dead during the robbery operation had been taken to her town. 

The deceased little child was said to be her only. 

However, the bandits who first attacked the Divisional Police station 

in Oye Ekiti before moving to the bank, burnt a police van used to 

block Ilupeju-Oye highway and killed a police sergeant in the 

process. 

IPMAN impounds adulterated 

petroleum products in A/Ibom 

By Harris Emanuel 

Uyo---Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria 

(IPMAN), in Akwa Ibom State has impounded petroluem 

products suspected to be adulterated and handed them to the 

Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). 

The items included; 25 Jerry cans of adulterated diesel, 32 

improvised plastic container bags, buckets and other accessories 

used in carrying out the illicit trade. 

Handing over the seized products to the Area Commandant of the 

NSCDC, Oron Zone, Iniobong Ekong, Head of Operations, 

Petroleum Products Crime of IPMAN, Sunday Ekwi said, the 

products were concealed in plastic bags and kept at a location in 

Afaha Ube, off Atiku Abubakar Avenue in Uyo to avoid detection. 

According to him, petroleum smugglers have devised new methods 

in carrying out their nefarious activities, by concealing drums of 

adulterated petroleum products in improvised plastic bags, so as to 

beat detection by the security agents. 

Ekwi assured that, IPMAN in Akwa Ibom would collaborate with 

NSCDC in eradicating all forms of petroleum products adulteration 

in the state. 

He said, "we are determined to assist law enforcement agencies in 

the state to fight petroleum products crimes because, it is an act of 

sabotage against the Federal government and an injury to our 

economy. 

"Adulteration and smuggling of petroleum products is a common 

crime around the riverine areas of the state, because of the terrain. 

And we promise that IPMAN team would soon embark on awareness 

campaigns in riverine communities on the dangers of adulterated 

petroleum products. " 

The Zonal Head of NSCDC, Oron, Iniobong Ekong while receiving 

the items, commended IPMAN monitoring team for assisting the 

agency in the fight against petroleum products crimes in the state. 

"We commend the effort of IPMAN team, which is barely a month in 

the State for assisting the law enforcement agencies in fighting 

petroleum products crimes, and do wish to assure that, you will 

continue to have our support," she said.

26— SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019

Vanguard, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019—27 

While her progenitors 

have favoured 

careers in 

Government, Politics and the 

Military, Orode Uduaghan’s 

passions are somewhat more 

sublime. 

The Human Resource 

management practitioner 

recently launched her second 

book, titled Abba, but the 

subject is certainly not her 

biological dad, former Delta 

State Governor, Dr Emmanuel 

Uduaghan. 

Following an extensive book 

tour, she intimates WW on why 

it was important to pen her 

thoughts. 

You have written a 

couple of books now. Did 

you always think you were 

going to be an author? 

No, I didn’t think I was going 

to write a book, it wasn’t my 

plan at all. I knew that at one 

point in my life maybe I would 

write a memoir, maybe when I 

am 60 or so; but it has been 

exciting being an author- very 

interesting. 

What part of it has been 

most exciting? 

I think first of all the ability 

to share my thoughts, not just 

in my journal at home or on 

instagram but being able to 

put it in a publication and also 

having people get access to 

how my mind works; allowing 

people in and also just getting 

the reception from people, the 

feedback, the sort of 

acceptance has really, really 

been amazing and 

overwhelming so that for me 

has been the exciting part 

about being an author. Having 

people sort of relate to how my 

mind works and accepts 

certain things that I have to 

say. 

So in this digital age 

when everyone just wants 

to face a screen, what has 

the reception been and 

why did you want a 

proper, proper book? 

Strangely the reception has 

actually been great but we also 

have the e-copies so we are 

ready for everybody. We have 

e-copies on Amazon, Kindle 

and some other platforms but 

there really is nothing like a 

hard copy. That smell when 

you walk into a bookstore, you 

can’t beat it no matter how 

digital the e’s become. There 

is just something about 

holding that hard copy so for 

me I really wanted that feeling 

of holding something I was 

able to burn. You can’t really 

get over the hard copy no 

matter what. 

You wrote about a father, 

yet not your father that 

everyone knows. Discuss. 

I knew people were going to 

think at first that I was writing 

about my earthly father which 

is why we titled it the way we 

titled it. But for me I had come 

into a phase of rediscovering 

myself in God, and not just as 

a Christian but coming into 

My father was nervous 

when he heard my y book’s 

title----Orode Uduaghan 

Orode Uduaghan 

the understanding of what it 

meant to be a child of God, not 

just as title but as an actual 

child. Recognizing God as 

your dad so having God do 

everything a father would do 

for you and to you. I 

discovered that not too long 

ago and that is what actually 

birthed the book because I 

have been a Christian all my 

life but then I’ve never really 

understood what it meant to 

have that kind of father/ 

daughter relationship with 

God. Coming into that 

understanding really opened 

my eyes to see God in a 

different light, almost like I 

wasn’t really afraid of him 

again- you know, the way we 

were taught to be. 

Understanding what it meant 

to actually having a 

relationship with him- being 

able to talk to Him, being able 

to depend on Him, being able 

to say no matter how sovereign 

this God is He is still Daddy. 

That for me is revelation on a 

whole different level that I 

wanted to be able to share 

because I know there are many 

people who still struggle to see 

God in that light. Many people 

see him as being so far away 

and unreachable. 

for me I had 

come into a 

phase of 

rediscovering 

myself in God, 

and not just as 

a Christian but 

coming into 

t h e 

understanding 

of what it 

meant to be a 

child of God 

And remote… 

So remote. You only need 

Him when you need a job or a 

car… 

Or who shows up when 

you’ve done something 

wrong? 

That’s not how it really 

works. There are so many 

dimensions of Him that we 

need to be able to discover and 

speak about that He actually 

wants to share. When I started 

understanding that aspect of 

God I wanted to share my 

experiences so that is how the 

book was birthed. So no, it had 

nothing to do with my earthly 

Dad in any way, shape or form. 

Did your Dad read the 

book and when he did, 

was he kind of jealous? 

He did. He knew I was 

writing a book but he didn’t 

know what it was about until 

seven days before the book’s 

launch but at first he was 

nervous. I didn’t know he was 

nervous until I watched an 

interview of him talking about 

it, that what this girl had gone 

to write because I said nothing 

to anyone. I really wanted to 

do this for myself. 

By the time he was done I 

think it also brought him to a 

better understanding of God 

as well. My mom was happy. 

When your mother has prayed 

all her life that you don’t 

deviate from the faith! Both my 

parents were happy. 

You shared some 

experiences with God in 

the book. What are some 

of them? 

The most profound thing was 

knowing that I could actually 

talk to this God. We grew up 

with the notion that prayer was 

just asking Him for things. He 

wants you to ask questions. I 

also found He was very 

interested in the details of my 

life; He is not just interested 

in the big things. He is 

interested in the very minute, 

ridiculous details like what I 

am going to eat and how I am 

going to do my hair. 

I also shared about the very 

disciplinarian part of who He 

is because that is what really 

makes Him Dad. Because 

there is really no father that is 

going to watch you go and ruin 

your life. He is not a wicked 

disciplinarian. Very minute, 

unassuming things. 

Yet in the book you wrote 

about your mother having 

the greatest influence on 

your life where such 

things are concerned... 

Contrary to popular belief we 

grew up in a very strict home. 

My mom started. Making us 

fast when I was five. My Mom 

is part of Intercessors in 

Nigeria so she prays 365 days 

a year. She is that deep. She 

believed that her role was to 

ensure we followed in that 

path which to some extent 

helped. But when you grow 

up to an extent you feel that 

you really want to discover 

these things for yourself so 

you become a bit rebellious. I 

had that phase as well. One 

thing that really helped was 

the seeds that were planted all 

those years. 

I have two kids and am 

learning not to force my 

children to be what I think 

they should be; I’m supposed 

to just guide them in to 

becoming what they are 

supposed to be of course with 

the help of God. I don’t want 

them to be me. I am a guide, 

not an enforcer. 

In this context what 

should be the role of 

parents in general, for 

you? 

The kids belong to God at the 

end of the day so your role is 

to always ask Him what He 

wants for them. If you want to 

know how to raise them go 

and meet the person who gave 

them to you. It helps me not 

to worry because I can worry 

for Africa. It helps me know 

that their lives are not in my 

hands but in someone’s hands 

that are greater than mine so 

however they turn out, it’s on 

Him.

28 — Vanguard, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 

Access Bank breaks 

record, appoints yet 

another female 

Chairman 

By Morenike Taire, Woman 

Editor & Josephine Agbonkhese 

History was again made on 

Tuesday, November 19, 2019, 

when Access Bank Plc 

announced the appointment of yet 

another woman, Dr. (Mrs) Ajoritsedere 

Awosika, MFR, as its new Chairman. 

To begin with, having a woman chair 

a bank isn’t common with Nigeria 

where womenfolk are conspicuously 

under-represented in corporate 

leadership, both in the private and 

public sectors. For example, since 1984 

when the United Bank for Africa, UBA, 

Plc, broke a longstanding jinx in Sub- 

Saharan Africa by appointing as its 

Chairman the late Bola Kuforiji Olubi, 

only a scantily few banks have had the 

heart to try their hands on women at 

that level. This includes Standard 

Chartered Bank Group which 

appointed Bola Adesola its CEO in 

2013 and then its Senior Vice Chairman 

in 2019; Access Bank with its 

appointment of its outgoing Chairman 

in July 2015; First Bank with the 

appointment of its current Chairman 

Ibukun Awosika in September 2015; 

and Standard Bank Group with its 

appointment of Sola David-Borha as 

CEO African Regions in 2017. 

While the rationale behind 

maintaining a female Chairman may not 

have been openly stated by the bank, 

this certainly would never have seen the 

light of day if the bank under-performed 

since 2015. While fielding questions 

from theafricareport.com earlier in June 

for instance on the bank’s proactive 

strategy towards the promotion of the 

advancement of women within its ranks, 

Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, Director of 

Sustainable Development at Access 

Bank, said: “…there is one reason. 

“Women bring a good balance. In reality, 

they are more risk sensitive, able to 

concentrate better… In management, 

they get better results.” 

True to this, theafricareport.com 

stated in the same report that under 

the leadership of Belo-Olusoga, the 

bank made 95 billion naira (•227m) 

after-tax in 2018 with a total balance 

sheet of 11.8bn. In addition to that, it 

boasts of a total of 350 branches in 

seven sub-Saharan countries and 

recently won the Africa CEO Forum’s 

Gender Leader Award in Kigali, 

Rwanda’s capital. 

“We have established principles of 

sustainability, nine in all, and the fifth 

is dedicated to the empowerment of 

women. …we also need to involve men, 

hence the establishment of the Male 

Champions for Women, a group of men 

dedicated to these issues. We want to 

create an environment that is 

conducive to women’s participation at 

the highest level. 

“Our philosophy, which focuses on 

the advancement of women, also applies 

to the services we offers: 

since July 2014, the W initiative, 

(“W” as in “woman”) has included 

products or programmes specifically 

designed for women, 

such as the W Power Loan, which 

addresses specific needs in three 

key areas: career, entrepreneurship, 

and family life, with, for 

example, loans, training courses, 

medical coverage, etc.,” Victor-Laniyan 

told 

theafricareport.com. 

Awosika’s appointment which 

takes effect from January 8th, 

2020, when the current Chairman, 

Mrs. Mosun Belo-Olusoga, 

will be retiring, obviously reaffirms 

the bank’s position on inclusiveness. 

Background 

The incoming Chairman, 

Awosika, joined the Board in 

April 2013 as an Independent 

non-Executive Director and has 

been the Chairman and Vice 

Chairman of the Board Credit 

and Finance Committee and the Board 

Audit Committee respectively in addition 

to membership of other Board Committees. 

She is an accomplished administrator 

with over three decades experience 

in public sector governance. She was 

at various times the Permanent Secretary 

in the Federal Ministries of Internal 

Affairs, Science & Technology and 

Power. 

Dr. Awosika is a fellow of the Pharmaceutical 

Society of Nigeria and the 

West African Postgraduate College of 

Pharmacy. She holds a Doctorate degree 

in Pharmaceutical Technology 

from the University of Bradford, United 

Kingdom. 

She is the Chairman of Chams Plc 

and Josephine Consulting Limited, and 

a non-Executive Director of Capital 

Express Assurance Ltd. 

Why North resists 18 as age of consent for girls —Emir of Shonga 

By Luminous 

Jannamike 

ABUJA - Emir of Shonga 

in Kwara State, HRH 

(Dr.) Haliru Yahaya, 

has blamed the North’s 

resistance to the Child Rights 

Act on the 18yrs cut-off age set 

for girls to become 

marriageable by the law, 

saying the region feels it is 

being gagged by that legal 

provision. 

He stated this at the 7th 

Annual Population Lecture 

Series organised by the 

National Population 

Commission on Tuesday in 

Abuja. 

The royal father, who chaired 

the occasion, said: “You hear 

the North is resisting the 

Child Rights Act. Only two 

out of 19 states and the FCT 

have signed it in Northern 

Nigeria. 

“The reason Northern states 

are refusing to domesticate the 

Act has to do with the 18yrs 

qualification for girls to 

become marriageable captured 

in it. The moment the North 

Emir-of-Shonga 

thinks it is being gagged, it 

jumps out of the idea. The 

implication is that all the other 

beautiful things in the law 

become meaningless. 

“So, why don’t we look at the 

issue of the age for girls to 

qualify for marriage, and do 

something about it? My take 

in that is this: 18 years is an 

arbitrary cut-off age informed 

by many factors. 

“Adulthood, ease of bearing 

children, and body size can be 

informed by age. So, 18yrs 

looks good but it is not 

absolute cut-off age, because 

it is true that a child of 14, 15, 

or 16 years can have a baby 

easily. 

“That’s why, we in the 

North, are thinking that the 

best antidote to the current 

situation is to focus on, and 

ensure compulsory education 

of the child to secondary 

level.” 

On the low-level adoption of 

family planning and childspacing 

practices in the 

North, the Emir blamed the 

strategy used in 

communicating the ideas to 

families in the region. 

“Don’t tell a Muslim to do 

family planning because of 

poverty. You will lose him. 

That means the strategy for 

getting the North to adopt 

family planning must 

change.” 

Speaking on the topic: 

‘Nigeria’s Population Issues: 

Harnessing 21amst century 

Innovations to Achieve 

Demographic Dividend’, Prof. 

Olarenwaju Olaniyan, the 

guest lecture, noted that 

Nigeria is yet to experience 

fertility decline despite global 

drop in fertility rate. 

He said Nigeria must 

prepare to build human 

capital for the projected 200 

million children tat will be 

added to country’s population 

in the next 30 years. 

“Nigeria has a very young 

population. Others see it as a 

problem but we can view it as 

opportunity. We should not be 

defined by the sensationalism 

of how bad the Nigerian 

population is. 

“Additional 200 million 

vibrant Nigerians that will be 

produced in the next 30 years 

is not a joke. It represents 

enormous opportunity. But this 

calls for stronger institutions, 

of the population of this 

country will translate into 

development,” Olaniyan said. 

In her remarks, the Ag. 

Chairman of National 

Population Commission, Mrs. 

Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said 

the focus of the lecture series 

was to highlight the emerging 

concerns that affect the wellbeing 

of Nigeria’s rapidly 

growing population as well as 

its development trajectory for 

the attention of policy makers 

and the people.


08033039599 

frediwenjora@yahoo.com 

I’ll be showing ingratitude 

to God by begging to survive, 

says double amputee 

•How he learned to live without his arms 

•He brushes his tee 

eeth, runs a block industr 

try, , drives his truck 

•Opens and drinks beer 

By Fred Iwenjora 

Lateef Shotunde is a survivor in every 

sense of the word. This is because he 

cheated death rising from the ashes to 

still be counted amongst the living. 

Nature had seemingly deliberately 

packaged all the bad odds for and 

against him but he vehemently and 

utterly rejected all of such natures’ 

hand out. 

A mysterious electric shock had 

melted his two arms in a freak factory 

accident causing him to battle for his 

life spending over 11months at 

National Orthopedic Hospital, 

Igbobi, Lagos. 

Shotunde popularly known as 

Oluaye by residents of Pakato, a 

community in Ogun state soon put the 

trauma behind him and learnt how to 

live perfectly without those arms. 

He grew from a manual labourer 

who scrounged for any kind of manual 

work at any kind of site to an 

entrepreneur who owns and runs a 

block making factory which employs 

many workers. 

He lives alone in a four bedroom 

bungalow he built and depends on no 

one for his daily life. 

He tells FRED IWENJORA how he came 

to be without his arms, how he learnt to do 

everything for and by himself, adding that he 

would be showing ingratitude to God by 

turning into begging like most other disabled. 

How did it happen? 

•Lateef Shotunde 

It is a long story. This accident happened to 

me on April 24, 2004. I was an apprentice 

learning how to be a panel beater at a 

workshop situated opposite asbestos factory, 

Sango area of Ogun state when the accident 

happened. 

On that day, one of the senior 

welders in the workshop asked 

me to get him some pipes. I 

pulled the pipes and boom I 

was struck like lightening. The 

pipes had contacted the high 

tension wire overhead. I woke 

up at Igbobi. I asked myself 

On that day, one 

of the senior welders 

in the workshop 

asked me to get him 

some pipes. I pulled 

the pipes and boom 

I was struck like 

lightening 

what I came there to do. I 

recalled how I had lifted the 

pipes. I looked in shock at my 

hands all melted and shrunk. 

It also took away two toes and 

burnt some parts of my lap. 

When you recovered from 

the unconsciousness, what 

first came to your mind? 

The first thing that came to 

my mind was to thank God. I 

said God I thank you 

o..because I am alive. I even 

saw patients who had worse 

cases. Some victims of petrol 

station fire were also brought the same day 

with me. Out of nine patients brought in on 

that day, I was the only survivor so I thank 

God. Today I am working, I set up a block 

industry and I’m running it. I can lift anything 

- cement, block, bucket etc. I can eat and open 

my drink by myself. I brush my teeth myself. I 

even play table tennis. The only thing people 

do for me is washing my clothes. I still try but 

it won’t be clean. 

How long did you spend at the hospital 

and what was going on in your mind 

throughout the time? 

I spent eleven months at the hospital with 

my mother by my side. She left her business to 

be with me. I am her last child. In my mind, I 

was wondering how I would survive without 

two hands. I couldn’t imagine being called a 

beggar. 

When and how did you learn to do 

everything for yourself? 

While recovering at Igbobi, a man would 

come to talk to us. The man is also an accident 

victim. He always came to tell me not to think 

too much. He first taught me how to eat by 

myself. 

What about the man who sent you on 

the message that caused you this 

accident? 

He visited me once at Igbobi but never came 

again. Years after, one day I went to deliver 

goods for someone, I saw him. He called out 

to me but I ignored him. 

You are a landlord here at Pakato, tell 

me the story of your settling down here? 

It was my mum that made it possible. After 

my accident and discharge from the hospital, 

I joined my mum in her retail business at 

Agege. I taught myself to drive even before the 

accident so after the accident, I perfected the 

use of my short arms to drive 

I would help my mum carry her retail goods. 

We regularly hauled cartons of biscuits and 

gallons of vegetable oil. I would also drive to 

Idumota Lagos to help her buy the goods. 

One day my mother called me aside and 

told me how happy and grateful she was to see 

me join and assist her in her business. She told 

me she wanted to be keeping aside a share of 

her profit for me. She said she wanted to put it 

into a local micro credit company until it 

matured. When it matured my mother called 

my attention. She said she wanted me to do an 

unforgettable thing with the money. 

For me an unforgettable thing is a 

bike. Okada. I wanted to cruise on a bike 

like others. How naïve I was. We spent days 

and nights arguing over that issue until my 

mum announced she had bought me a bike 

and would take me to where it was parked. 

While we entered a bus towards Abeokuta, I 

worried why we did not go towards Lagos to 

buy a bike. When we got here at Pakoto, she 

pointed to the plot and said this is the bike I 

told you about. It is better for you. I was shocked. 

One thing led to another and my mother 

suggested I relocate from Agege to Pakoto so I 

could protect it from land speculators and also 

think towards developing it. Now its nine years 

since I got to Pakoto. 

On arrival at Pakoto..? 

I rented a house, I got married to a girl I 

used to know. I was doing all kinds of manual 

labour from carrying sand, digging gutters and 

filling sand. It was the way I worked that made 

the people nickname me Oluaye. I have two 

sons from my wife despite that she has left me 

saying I am poor. 

How did you set up the block industry? 

One man who has a block industry was 

fascinated with what I was doing and suggested 

that I came to his block industry to work by 

watering the blocks. He said he would teach 

me the business if I was patient. I quickly 

agreed. After working for him for some time 

and saving up money, the same man suggested 

it was time I started my own industry. He took 

me to buy sand and cement with my savings of 

N50,000 and got molders to start molding 

handmade blocks for me. That was how I 

started. I have many customers most of whom 

want to buy from me because of my condition. 

I later bought the machine for molding blocks 

and I have a truck to deliver them. People 

also hire my truck for various forms of 

deliveries. 

I later acquired another piece of land and 

with the help of my friend who is a bricklayer, 

we built it. Life for me has been tough. But the 

struggle continues. 

Aside God, who else do you feel most 

grateful to? 

My mother… She is my everything after 

God. May her soul rest in peace. She died a 

few weeks ago, leaving me so sad and 

devastated. She was my helper in everything. 

She lived with me in the hospital for eleven 

months and I can’t tell how she borrowed over 

N6m to pay the huge bills at the hospital for 

me to be alive today. Haa, the woman strong 

well well o. No one loved me like my mother. 

She bought this land for me and set me up in 

business. 

Many people in the same condition 

like you are begging... 

It would be ingratitude to God on my part to 

resort to begging as a means of livelihood . I 

believe I am God’s own miracle on earth, so 

begging will be letting Him down. It will be 

like making a mockery of God. Rather, people 

still come to beg from me and I give. Even 

women flock around. It would not be in my 

character to beg. 

What would you want from people? 

Some artificial hand or… ? 

Artificial hand bawo.(no way).I do not need 

any artificial hand because I already know 

how to live without my hands, No oo… I want 

money for my business to grow bigger than 

this. I want money to complete my house and 

train my children. My block industry needs 

new machines and delivery vehicles. I want to 

be able to employ more workers and deliver 

my vibrated blocks as far as Abeokuta. That is 

what I want


TREMites celebrates es 30 year 

ears of KLWC 

The theme of the 2019 Kingdom Life World Conference (KLWC) of TREM which coincides with 

the 30th Anniversary of the conference was “LOVE THAT PASSES KNOWLEDGE”. The 30 years 

old conference which was attended by thousands of TREMites and other worshipers globally 

was graced by Pastor Mathew Ashimolowo, Bishop Tudor Bismark and other ministers of God. 

Delta’s leaders grace 

Pa Edevbie’s burial 

BURIAL ceremony of Late Engr. James Okpako 

Rangers Edevbie, father of Olorogun David 

Edevbie, Chief of Staff, Government House, 

Asaba took at Affiesere town, Ughelli, Delta 

State. The high and mighty of the State graced 

the occasion. Photos by Nath Onojake 

L-R: Bishop Peace Okonkwo, Pastor Mathew 

Ashimolowo and Bishop Mike Okonkwo. 

L-R: Rev. Segun Akingbuwa, Bishop Humphrey 

Erumaka, Arch-Bishop Osa Oni and Rev. Jane 

Onolapo. 

L-R: Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy Senate 

President; Governor Ifeanyi Okowa; Olorogun 

David Edevbie and wife, Ronke. 

L-R: Pastor Chichi Bismark (Zimbabwe), Bishop 

Tudor Bismark (Zimbabwe), Bishop Mike 

Okonkwo, Bishop Peace Okonkwo and Minister 

Genet Chenier (USA) 

L-R: Bishop Mike welcoming Pastor Mathew to the 

pulpit at Kingdom Life World Congerence 2019 

Mr. Kingsley Otuaro, Dep. Gov, Delta State with 

Chief and Mrs James Ibori. 

A panoramic shop of worshippers 

TREM Mass Choir-Ministering at the opening of 

the 2019 Kingdom Life world Conference 

At t 2019 ADVAN’ AN’ Awards for Marketing Excellence 

THE 2019 Advertisers Association of Nigeria 

(ADVAN) Awards for Marketing Excellence took 

place in Lagos recently. It was graced by its 

members and notable corporate executives. 

Photos by Akeem Salau 

L-R: Hon. Abel Oshevire and Chief Clement 

Ofuani. 

L-R: Mr Oluwafemi Adeniba, MD/CEO, MediaSeal 

Limited; Mrs Bunmi Adeniba, 1st Vice President, 

ADVAN; Hon Tunde Braimoh, Member, Lagos 

State House of Assembly, representing Lagos 

State Speaker and Dr Austin Eruotor, President, 

White House Hotel. 

L-R: Mrs Bukki Ogunnusi,Toyota Nigeria Limited 

and Mrs Bunmi Oke, CEO, Ladybird Limited. 

L-R: Mrs Sola Salako-Ajulo, SA to Ekiti State Gov 

on Communications & Strategy; Bridget 

Oyefeso-Odusami, Head, Marketing and Communications, 

Nigeria Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc 

and Oge Udeagha, Manager Media & Communications, 

Exxon Mobil.


08116759759 

Curvy Instagram 

'influencer' moans 

her 'profession' 

isn't respected and 

she's 'laughed at' 

in Australia 

Acurvy Instagram model 

who's collected more than 

2.7 million followers by 

posting racy photos and videos of 

herself has complained her profession 

is 'not seen as a real career' in 

Australia. 

Jem Wolfie, 28, has made more 

than $2 million from her social 

media accounts, where she shares 

modelling shots, fitness inspiration 

and healthy eating tips - usually 

wearing a bikini, lingerie or 

fitness bras. 

However, 

despite her 

claimed financial 

success 

and social 

media 

fame, Wolfie told the Los Angeles 

podcast No Jumper 'no influencers 

are respected' back in the 

'small town' of Perth. 

Wolfie said her home city was 

'so behind the times ... no influencers 

are respected there. What I 

do is sort of laughed at there. 

'If I'm ever in the headlines, the 

comments section is wild ... it's 

like, 'we're embarrassed to have 

you, Jem'.' 

Her comments surprised host 

Adam Grandmaison, who said 

Insta-models were treated 'like 

gold' in Los Angeles, and that 

influencing was a respected career 

there 

Wolfie replied: 'Yeah, it's not a 

real career where I'm from, believe 

me. But that's OK, because 

I don't need, like, validation 

from anyone for what I do.' 

She said Sydney and Melbourne 

were home to more influencers 

who had built full-time 

careers out of social media, but 

she never wanted to leave her 

family and rescue dogs behind 

in Perth. 

Wolfie was a full-time chef 

and competitive West 

Australia 

Basketball 

L e a g u e 

player prior 

to her career 

in social media. 

She discovered 

the 

potential of 

social media 

while 

nursing an 

injury, posting videos of her 

rehabilitation at the gym. She 

now sells e-books, merchandise 

and recipes online. 

Wolfie is also the biggest star 

on a subscription-based platform, 

OnlyFans. She reportedly 

Mum says s smoking weed after er her kids go to 

bed is no different than having a glass of wine 

rakes as much as $30,000-a-day 

from the service. 

As many as 10,000 fans pay a 

$15 monthly fee for her 'exclusive 

content', which includes 

steamy photos, but not nudity. 

'With Instagram becoming 

more and more strict with what 

can be posted sign up here for 

no restrictions,' her OnlyFans 

account says. 

However, Wolfie has admitted 

that social media fame comes 

with its downsides, previously 

telling LADBible she cops 

daily abuse on Instagram. 

'The worst thing is waking up 

every day and seeing comments 

and messages that are really 

horrible,' she said this year. 

'Some days it can be draining 

when you're constantly called 

fat. 

'It can be exhausting to have 

negativity constantly shoved down 

your throat every day.' 

Woman, 45, gives birth to own grandchildren 

so gay son can become a dad 

mum of two has sparked de 

A bate after saying that smoking 

weed every day makes her a 

better mum. 23-year-old Caitlin 

Fladager says marijuana helps 

with her anxiety and allows her 

to sleep better at night. She went 

on to say it should be seen as no 

different than having a glass of 

wine. Caitlin lives in Vancouver, 

Canada, where recreational and 

medicinal marijuana use is legal. 

She opened up about her weed use 

and struggles with her mental 

health to her 285k Instagram followers. 

‘It’s so funny to me how 

frowned upon marijuana is,’ she 

writes. ‘No one looks twice when 

a mom says she enjoys “mom 

juice”, aka wine, after her kids are 

in bed. But when a mom says she 

smokes weed, it’s a huge shock. 

‘I have never been the most 

patient with my two kids. 

‘Weed makes me a better 

mom, as I get a good 

night’s sleep after I smoke. 

I wake up well rested and 

with a clearer mind.’ 

Caitlin had her first child 

with her high school sweetheart 

Noah when she was 18. The 

couple have since married and 

now have two kids, Adriana and 

Jack. ‘It’s okay to smoke weed after 

your kids go to bed,’ Caitlin 

added on her post. ‘It’s okay to 

smoke it to help with anxiety. 

Mine has been SO much better 

since I started smoking.’ She 

added that she also smokes weed 

to help regulate her weight: ‘I’ve 

always been dangerously underweight. 

Now, I am at the healthiest 

weight I have ever been in my 

life. ‘Marijuana is my glass of 

wine. It’s my can of beer. ‘It’s my 

relaxation time. You can still be a 

kick ass mom and smoke weed.’ 

Sharing the post on both 

Facebook and Instagram, Caitlin 

has attracted thousands of likes 

and comments. Most of Caitlin’s 

followers supported her admission, 

but some people were critical. 

‘If you smoke weed every day 

or you drink every day this is a 

problem!’, commented one. ‘Regardless 

of whether you have children, 

if you’re responsible for another 

person you should not drink 

or smoke. Especially when you’re 

home alone with children.’‘If you 

smoke weed every day or you 

drink every day this is a problem!’, 

commented one. ‘Regardless of 

whether you have children, if 

you’re responsible for another 

person you should not drink or 

smoke. Especially when you’re 

home alone with children.’ 

Another added: ‘My kids drive 

me insane but never would I 

smoke weed. Not gonna blame 

my kids for an excuse to get high.’ 

But plenty of people were on her 

side, with some even voicing the 

opinion that smoking weed is less 

dangerous than alcohol. ‘Just as 

acceptable if not more so. Alcohol 

has many more negative side 

effects than weed. Love this post,’ 

said another woman. 

grandmother gave birth to her own 

A twin grandchildren so that her gay son 

could achieve his ambition to become a father. 

Valdira das Neves, 45, gave birth to the 

babies - a boy and girl called Noah and 

Maria Flor - at the Clinical Hospital of 

Ribeirao Preto in Sao Paulo on Tuesday. 

The twin's biological father is Valdira's son, 

Marcelo das Neves Junior, 24, a financial 

analyst, whose sperm was used to artificially 

inseminate eggs from an anonymous donor. 

Marcelo's mother agreed to carry her son's 

children as she knew he was gay and always 

wanted to become a father. 

The selfless grandmother, who is a teacher, had suffered a miscarriage at 

the age of 41 and began searching for a fertilisation clinic as she knew time 

was not on her side and the chances of her becoming pregnant again were 

slim. 

During the search for a clinic, Marcelo found out that he could become a 

father through artificial insemination and suggested to his mother that she 

could carry an embryo fertilised from a younger anonymous donor, increasing 

her chances of her becoming pregnant to 50 per cent. 

Gynaecologist Anderson Melo explained the main obstacle was in the 

fertilisation process due to the difficulty of implanting the embryo in the 

uterus. "In these cases, in addition to the supportive belly, which may be the 

mother or sister, aunt and cousin, daughter or niece, it is necessary to resort 

to an anonymous donor egg bank," he told thathi.com. 

After three failed attempts, she became pregnant in January 2019. 

Maria Flor was born nine days early weighing 

4lb 90z (2.25 kg) while Noah was slightly smaller 

at 4lb 8oz (2.19kg). 

Baby Noah was taken to the hospital's Paediatric 

Intensive Care unit after the birth, as he had a 

little problem breathing, but his father Marcelo, 

assured well-wishers: "He will be with us later." 

He told thathi.com : "Almost four years ago, my 

mother became pregnant with my father, but my 

little sister was born at seven months and died a 

week later," he said. 

She wanted another baby, but had little chance 

due to her age. In June 2017, the family talked as 

Marcelo wanted to be a father, and they hatched 

the plan.


SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, , 2019—33 

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 

DEALING 

A mother’s walk of shame out 

of her matrimonial home 

Buki grew up in a sprawling house 

– a very impressive one in the 

Yaba area of Lagos where the 

family home was situated. It was the 

only house in the vicinity with a 

semblance of security. Whilst other 

children played freely in the streets, 

Buki and her three siblings had each 

other for company. “We always looked 

different whenever we ventured out of 

the house,”Buki recalled. “The other 

kids always looked tatty and unkempt 

while we wore good clothes and shoes. 

“Rich man’s kids” some of the children 

spat at us but with a reverence look in 

their eyes. We felt privileged. It was a 

long time before I cottoned on, to what 

was going on in our house. My dad, a 

senior government official, lived in the 

front house with Big Mama who bore 

him no children. I was in the secondary 

school when the whole set-up became 

clear to me. After being unable to give 

our father children, Big Mama agreed 

for him to take a second wife – that was 

how my mother came into the house. 

She was a petty trader and never went 

to school. She was, therefore, no threat 

to Big Mama. But she was good-looking 

and intelligent, a mother of four lovely 

children. She also knew her place. 

Important dignitaries always went to 

the front house where dad received 

them with Big Mama by his side. We 

were never encouraged to play in their 

tastefully furnished sitting room – we 

had ours conveniently located near our 

mother’s apartment. Life was good 

though. We went to the best schools, ate 

well but dad remained something of a 

house master – overseeing to our 

welfare but seldom showing the love and 

With all the talks centering 

around sex and the various 

gadgets; and helps offered 

towards making the average man Mr. 

Macho and his partner a purring pussy cat 

in his hands, it’s little wonder that a lot of 

men are running scared of the bedroom. 

Especially if madam is waiting on the bed, 

a very expectant look on her face. These 

days, it is not the women feigning a 

headache to stave off amorous advances – 

sadly, it is their partners reaching for the 

painkillers with a not-tonight-darling 

groan. 

When a young man goes off sex, a woman 

tends to assume the worst, says a sex 

expert. He might blame the beer for the 

fact that things aren’t working too well. 

Or try to avoid the issue by staying up to 

watch late night television. Meanwhile, 

his partner thinks: “He doesn’t fancy me 

any more – he’s got someone else.” But a 

man who has stopped making moves in 

your direction may not be a cheating love 

rat. He could simply be suffering from the 

kind of problem that normally affects men 

of pensionable age. 

Experts now report that ED – Erectile 

Dysfunction – is increasing among young 

men – And it’s largely because of their 

lifestyle. They smoke too much. They 

drink too much. They take too many 

drugs. And then they can’t perform as well 

as they’d like in bed. Until recently ED – 

which can be an underlying symptom of 

heart disease was considered an older 

man’s problem. Indeed, over 50 per cent of 

men over 70 suffer from it. But that profile 

affection I found in homes of my friends who 

were in the same social class as we were. 

Whenever my friends visited, Big Mama 

would peep in once in a while – like a host. 

I had to explain to my friends that she was 

dad’s first wife – an embarrassing situation 

for me. Why couldn’t she play with us? 

Show us some affection? 

“In the mean-time, dad got a third wife. 

Would you believe it? What was his excuse 

this time? More children? This new wife was 

a fire cracker – an illiterate who had a sharp 

tongue in her head and it wasn’t long before 

she got Big Mama ranting. She was fertile 

too. In five years, she’s had five children – 

two sets of twins and a son. She was also a 

trader, dealing in textiles. Once in a while, 

she turned on mum too and you could hear 

both of them a mile off. Dad, poor thing, 

always stayed in his room whenever there 

were any fracas – as if by doing that, the 

problems would go away. I was 14 and in 

the second form at the secondary school 

when our mother left the house. She told us 

she was going away and would be back 

soon. She didn’t keep her promise. Months 

after she left, she came for me. Her younger 

sister was waiting for me at the school gates 

and she took me to where she was. I was 

confused. What the heck was she doing in 

this hovel? It a ten-room bungalow, she was 

holed up in one of the murky rooms. She 

looked so sad and embarrssed to see me. She 

then burst into tears, thrusting the baby she 

held in her arms at me. Haltingly, she 

explained that the man she was involved 

with before she was ‘arranged’ for our father 

tricked her into sleeping with him. After 

she got pregnant, she discovered he wasn’t 

as rich as he said he was and she had no 

clue as to how to get rid of a baby. It was the 

third wife who told our dad when she 

caught her retching a couple of times with 

mourning sickness. Dad then advised her 

to leave so she wouldn’t bring disgrace to 

the family. 

“I was too young to understand what was 

going on. How could our mother leave a 

beautiful home for this slum? Was she 

insane? Was she charmed? She tried to 

blame her plight on her old lover using 

charms on her – but now the baby was 

here, he seldom took care of them. Her 

savings were gone, but she was trying to 

get her shop going again. Falteringly, she 

asked if I could bring my post office savings 

book the next day so she could use the money 

to kick-start her trade. Dad had opened one 

for each child and I’d gazed in wonder as 

my money grew over the years. Yet, I 

couldn’t allow her to suffer this way. The 

The reason why erectile dysfunction (ED) is on the increase 

is changing. 

Dr. Goeffiey Hackett is a member of 

the British Society for Sexual 

Medicine. Every week, he says, he sees 

two new patients who are aged under 

30, yet are suffering from ED. 

According to him. Young men’s 

magazines tell them how good they 

have to be in bed, how long they should 

last and so on. No one is happy to be 

an average any more. Because of this 

pressure, younger men are worried 

and sick about being useless in the 

sack. Yet they are inducing their ED 

with their lifestyle, whether it is 

alcohol, smoking or taking cannabis. 

“As a result, the consequences for 

relationships can be serious. When a 

younger man starts to fail to get an 

erection, he begins to withdraw from 

sexual activity altogether, because no 

one enjoys doing something they are 

not good at. Where the ED sufferer is 

a 60-year-old diabetic, his wife is 

unlikely to leave him. But if a 

younger man starts failing to have 

an erection, then the first thing his 

partner thinks is that he has got 

someone else, and she may well leave.” 

“The said thing here is that there is 

also an influx of young men in their 

early 20s who are suffering from 

performance anxiety. If they are not 

able to have sex three times a night, 

they think they aren’t normal. If they 

have problems, they are often too 

embarrassed to discuss them and 

daren’t let on to their mates. This 

increases the problem tenfold. Young 

male clients tell me that they are 

looking for a relationship when they 

go out on a date but find that some 

young women are insisting on having 

sex straightway.” 

Sadly, women can be very 

dismissive if the man is unable to 

perform and this justifies his worst 

fears. If a young man has erectile 

problems, he is more likely to 

resolve them if he has a girlfriend 

who is committed to him rather 

than flirting from one woman to the 

other. I tell them to slow down and 

enjoy the journey rather than 

attempting to arrive at the 

destination too soon. 

Official figures of men under 30 

who suffer from ED do not take 

account of those too embarrassed to 

see their doctors. Instead, they 

resort to buying drugs like Viagra 

or Claus which are widely available 

at reputable chemists here in 

Nigeria. Those who couldn’t afford 

the very high prices of these drugs 

resorted to downing dangerous 

concoctions from herbalists that 

guarantee instant boost to their 

libido. Apart from the risk of being 

sold counterfeit tablets, it also 

means that underlying cause of 

their problem – such as low 

testosterone levels, or Type 2 

diabetes – may remain 

undiagnosed. 

next day, I went with her to the post office 

as I wasn’t legally allowed to take out 

the money. True to her promise, she started 

trading again and looked better whenever 

I called – which wasn’t often. I didn’t want 

to take the risk of being caught with her. 

“When the poor girl was about seven 

years old, she died from convulsion. 

Surprisingly, our mother wasn’t heartbroken. 

Neither was I. Was it poetic 

justice? She always looked anaemic and 

malnutritioned. Maybe her immune 

system wasn’t strong enough to fight the 

disease that eventually claimed her life. 

I was already an undergraduate when 

this happened and closer to my dad than 

I ever was. After my youth service, I 

didn’t know where I got the courage to 

discuss mum with dad. I told him it 

wouldn’t be to his credit if mum 

continued to live in squalor when we all 

lived in a sprawling house with some of 

the rooms empty. Could she come back 

to live with us just as our mother and 

not as his wife? Dad was pensive for a 

long time. He then urged me to discuss 

things with Big Mama without letting 

her know he was aware of the object of 

discussion. Big Mama was now frail 

anyway. She still looked pretty but 

suffered from severe arthritis. After I’d 

told her, I let her believe I didn’t have 

the courage to broach the subject with 

my dad. She said I should leave things to 

her. 

“Four months later, mum was back in 

the house but her effervescence was 

gone. She was glad though, to be 

amongst her children who were doing 

exceedingly well. Sadly, when dad 

passed on, she played no elaborate role 

in his funeral. Big Mama had died earlier 

and, as soon as I go married, I asked mum 

to come live with us. Dad’s third wife 

was always spoiling for a fight and, if we 

weren’t careful, the whole street would 

know why mum had to leave the house. 

We lost mum too two years ago and all 

my siblings, together with some of our 

half-siblings, gave her a wonderful 

funeral. I don’t know what hurt her 

more, her betrayal of her husband or 

the fact that dad never referred to her 

in his will, not even as the usual mother 

of my children used in such wills by 

these crafty lawyers. I’ve since turned 

my back on the family house as our halfsiblings 

have completely taken it over. 

After all, dad left it to them in his Will 

and all he gave my mum’s children was 

his own house. Talk about the sins of the 

parents being visited on their children...”


Growing up was a terrible 

experience for Michael 

Uzoma Nnadozie whose 

childhood entailed fleeing from jet 

fighters and bombers strafing innocent 

civilians including children and 

witnessing the worst form of 

starvation. 

Nnadozie survived Civil War in 

Biafra and relocated to the United 

States less than two decades after the 

crisis. His eyes were on flying and he 

studied courses that would lead to 

becoming a pilot. 

That dream was not realized but the 

young man succeeded in joining the 

United States Army. The decision 

turned out good as Lt. Col Nnadozie 

became the first Active Duty Doctor 

of Nurse Practice in the United States 

Army. 

From Isu, in the Nwangele Local 

Government Are of Imo State, Nnadozie 

landed in Omaha, Nebraska to begin a 

new life. Omaha is an Igbo name too 

and Imo had something to do with 

Nebraska. 

In the Second Republic, Governor 

Sam Mbakwe, chose to partner with 

Nebraska University to establish Imo 

State University in 1981. Dropping in 

Nebraska, Nnadozie must have heaved 

a sigh of relief. 

From Omaha, he relocated to 

Houston, Texas. In America, God’s own 

country, Jesus does not always feed the 

multitude. The new comer did not wait 

for manna from Heaven. Any job was 

better than no job, as long as it was safe. 

And education was vital. With an 

Associate degree in Aeronautical 

science from San Jacinto College, it was 

not going to be difficult to get started. 

So he thought. Nnadozie was not yet 

an American citizen. It worked against 

his ambition. 

Another degree, this time, in Aviation 

Management from the American 

Technological University was acquired. 

This was all in the bid to fly. That did 

Nnadozie's fir 

irst in US army 

not help either. 

In 1987, Nnadozie took a bold 

decision to join the Army. That of course, 

was a faster way to American 

citizenship. He was used to troops 

anyway. The last headquarters of the 

Biafra Army was Isu Grammar School. 

As a soldier, he became a medical 

supply specialist. It meant more 

knowledge had to be acquired. 

Nnadozie went to Perdue University for 

a second Associate degree. The soldier 

also bagged another degree in Nursing. 

Reward came in 1996 with an officer 

commission. Holder of four degrees, 

Nnadozie continued to acquire more. 

His fifth was in Family nursing. The 

climax came when he bagged a 

doctorate in Nursing Practice. 

That made him the first Active Duty 

doctor of Nurse Practice in the United 

States Army. I doubt if the Nigerian 

government celebrated this feat by one 

of us. This man should be of interest to 

Mrs Abike Dabiri and his Diaspora 

Affairs Department. 

The Foreign Affairs ministry 

apparently did not know that on 

February 5, 2008, President George W. 

Bush, sent a letter to the United States 

Senate asking that some officers be 

promoted to the rank of Major. One of 

them was Nnadozie. 

Some of the recommended officers 

bore the surnames of important world 

figures. There was a David Carter, a 

Sharon Blair and Kevan Weaver. Two 

SATURDAY Vanguard, , NOVEMBER 23, 2019—35 

of the female officers had their names 

ending with man: Stacey Freeman and 

Catracy Goodman. 

In 2015, Barack Obama was the one 

who wrote the US Senate to elevate 

Nnadozie and many others to the rank 

of Lt. Col. of the US Army. 

Nnadozie was not restricted to 

service in the United States. He was 

in Vietnam as part of the Defence POW 

[Prisoner of War]/MIA [Missing In 

Action] Accounting Agency [DPAA] 

involved excavation operations in Tay 

Ninh. 

His brief was to search for two 

American servicemen, missing in 

action since 1967 following an L-19 

airplane crash. “The DPAA mission is 

to provide the fullest accounting for 

missing personnel to their families 

and the nation.” 

That is why America is different. 

They are still bent on accounting for 

their men who died in Vietnam while 

fighting the Viet Cong. The soil is 

tested and technology is applied in 

the search. 

Different specialists were sent to Tay 

Ninh. Staff Sergeant Samantha 

Brenneman is a mortuary affairs 

expert. Scott Watson is an 

archaeologist in the United States 

Army Corps of Engineers. Sergeant 

Bryan Ryder, an Infantryman. 

They also sent Capt. Lawrence 

Csazar, Sergeant Jesse Chelf and 

Sergeant James Earley. Servicemen 

from the US Air Force base in Guam and 

other units in the Far East were called in. 

It is was of interest that Nnadozie, a mere 

seven year-old boy in Biafra when the L- 

19 aircraft crashed in 1967, was called 

upon as an American officer in 2016 to 

search for the remains of service men. 

It reminded me of Captain David Brown, 

an American pilot whose DC 10 aircraft 

was shot down by a Nigerian Air Force 

MiG 17 on June 5, 1968. He was flying in 

food and other relief materials to Biafra. 

Brown was a Second World War veteran 

and his Red Cross plane was clearly 

marked. After taking off from Equatorial 

Guinea, the aircraft was destroyed around 

Opobo. The pilot died with a Swede and 

two Norwegians. 

I also remember August Harvey Martin, 

the first African American pilot in the 

United States. His Lockheed L 1049 G 

crashed in rainstorm at the Uli Airport on 

July 1, 1968. 

Harvey died with his second wife, 

Gladys, as they tried to fly food to starving 

Biafran children. He had joined the Army 

in 1943 and also flew a B-25 after he left 

the Navy for the Army. 

These were the pictures Nnadozie grew 

up with, little wonder he chose the United 

States and wanted to be a pilot. He must 

be a proud man today as an officer of the 

US Army. 

Lt. Col. Mike Nnadozie retired last year. 

In February 2018, an elaborate retirement 

ceremony was organized for him at the 

Fort Hoods, Texas Phantom Warrior 

Centre. 

Among the retirees were: Lt. Cols Edward 

Cooney, Tia Winston, Michele Reid and 

Major John Jun. 

Recently, Nnadozie was honoured with 

the Legacy Alumni Certificate by the A and 

M University, Central Texas. That name 

was adopted by American Technological 

University in 2009. 

Lt. Col. Nnadozie is retired but not tired. 

He lives in Kileen, Texas and has not 

forgotten his roots. This warrior is proudly 

Nigerian. 

By Dr. Abia Nzelu 

omedy is now a multi-billion naira 

Cindustry in Nigeria. A new couple could 

pay a comedian one million naira to perform 

at their wedding, but argue furiously against 

paying a surgeon one hundred thousand naira 

to perform a caesarian section to save two 

lives. Comedy is also the cheapest possible 

start-up, because the mouth is the sole physical 

investment of the trade. Thus a popular 

comedian rejoices in the name of Basket 

mouth. Another is called Elenu, meaning 

‘mouth owner’ in the Yoruba / Anago 

language. But although we are not all 

comedians, we are all elenus – we all have 

mouths and our mouths are far more 

important for our overall health than we may 

realize. 

October is dedicated to advocacy and 

creating awareness on Breast Cancer, the most 

common cancer in women globally 

(including Nigeria). Breast cancer also occurs 

in men, but it is 100 times more common in 

women. However, because most people are 

not aware that breast cancer can occur in men, 

the disease tends to be picked up much later 

and is often more fatal in men than in women. 

According to the International Agency for 

Research on Cancer (IARC), over 18 million 

people develop cancer yearly with 9.6 million 

deaths. Unfortunately, 70% of cancer deaths 

occur in developing countries like Nigeria, 

due to late detection. Latest WHO data shows 

that globally, there were over 2 million new 

cases of breast cancer and over 600,000 deaths 

from the disease, in 2018. Every day, Nigeria 

records 32 deaths from breast cancer. 

It is necessary to look at an aspect of the 

disease of which most people are unaware – 

the relationship between breast cancer and 

oral hygiene. 

The better known risk factors for breast 

cancer include: female gender, increasing age, 

family history of breast cancer, early onset of 

menses, late menopause, ethnicity and 

alcohol/tobacco use. 

However, scientific research has recently 

demonstrated a link between breast cancer 

and oral health. Women with poor oral 

hygiene and periodontitis (inflammation of 

the gum), are up to three times more likely to 

develop breast cancer. The risk is greater in 

smokers. 

Poor dental hygiene and gum disease has 

also been linked to increased risk of other 

cancers (including prostate cancer, throat 

cancer, lung cancer, gallbladder cancer, 

melanoma and pancreatic cancer) and of 

several general health conditions (such as 

pneumonia, stroke, heart disease, problem 

pregnancy and Diabetes mellitus). 

The prevention and early diagnosis of 

We all have 

mouths! 

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BREAST 

CANCER AND ORAL HYGIENE 

periodontitis are therefore, very important not 

only for the patients’ oral health, but also for 

their overall wellbeing. 

Periodontitis is a serious bacterial infection 

of the gum that damages the soft tissue and 

destroys the bone that supports the teeth. In 

the early stages, it often presents as bleeding 

or swollen or painful gums (gingivitis) and 

sometimes as halitosis (bad breath). The main 

causes of periodontal disease are poor oral 

hygiene and tobacco use. The bacteria most 

often associated with periodontitis 

(Treponema denticola and Porphyromonas 

gingivalis) enter the bloodstream through the 

gum. Later, the bacterial infections become 

associated with co-infection by viruses such 

as Epstein-Barr virus and Cytomegalovirus. 

These viruses act together with the bacteria to 

suppress the body’s immune response, leading 

to a proliferation of cancer cells in the body. 

Fortunately, it is possible to prevent the 

occurrence of periodontitis which may 

predispose to cancer. The best way to achieve 

this is by following the 2-2-2-2-2-2-2 rule of 

dental hygiene, including: 

1. Brush your teeth 2 times a day – last 

thing at night and at least one other time 

during the day 

2. Brush your teeth for at least 2 

minutes each time 

3. Use 2 tools for personal oral 

hygiene – a fluoride-containing toothpaste 

and medium textured tooth brush 

4. Each time you brush clean between 

the teeth with dental floss or an interdental 

brush, which ensures that bacteria are 

removed from all areas of the mouth. 

5. Go for a dental checkup at least 2 

times a year 

6. During your dental checkup, have 

your teeth professionally cleaned (scaling 

and polishing or S & P) 

7. Your child should start brushing his 

own teeth and visiting the dentist from the 

age of 2 

Observing the following DONTS OF 

DENTAL CARE would further enhance your 

oral health: 

Don’t use a hard toothbrush – use a 

medium texture toothbrush for adults and a 

soft texture toothbrush for children 

Don’t use toothpick – use dental 

floss instead 

Don’t open bottles with your teeth 

Don’t wait until you have dental 

problems before you visit your dentist. Visit your 

dentist every six months for a dental check-up and 

S&P. Also, consult your dentist if you have 

toothache, bad breathe, cracked teeth, holes in 

your teeth and between gums and teeth, or if you 

notice any strange thing in your mouth. 

In addition to predisposing you to other cancers 

(such as breast cancer), poor oral hygiene also 

predisposes to cancers that occur primarily in the 

mouth and throat, with tobacco, alcohol and 

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections being 

among the leading risk factors of oral cancer. 

Human Papilloma virus also causes cancer in 

more than twelve parts of the body, including the 

cervix (cervical cancer). 

Moreover, there are over 120 medical 

conditions, which can be detected in the early stage 

by dentists. Therefore, the dentist can be the first 

line of defense against gum disease and other 

systemic diseases including cancer. 

It is for this reason that mass medical 

mission, a foremost champion for preventive 

health care and national cancer control, now has 

dental aspect of its free outreaches. This involves 

the use of the Mobile Dental Centre (nicknamed 

the PinkDentist), to facilitate access to preventive 

dental services for all. 

Other life-saving initiatives of mass 

medical mission include: 

Mission PinkCruise (free community-based 

health outreaches with the PinkCruise) 

Mission PinkVISSION (the eye aspect of the 

free community outreach using Mobile 

Ophthalmic unit aka PinkVISSION), where 

“VISSION” stands for Voluntary Integrated Sight 

Saving Initiative Of Nigeria) 

Free screening at the Lagos centre every 

Wednesday (Wellness Wednesday) and Friday 

(Family Friday) 

Vaccine Fair to promote access to the 

quadrivalent vaccine which can prevent the 

various cancers caused by HPV (this Fair holds 

every last Friday and Saturday of the month at 

the Lagos centre). 

To mark the International Cancer Awareness 

Month and World Sight Day, members of the 

general public are invited to the ongoing free 

cancer, eye and dental screening taking place every 

Wednesday and Friday at mass medical 

mission House, 31 Bode Thomas Street, Surulere, 

Lagos. 

Groups could also apply to be included as hosts 

in the 2020 schedule of the free community-based 

outreaches (Mission PinkCruise), by sending an 

email to info@pinkcruise.org. 

Dr Abia Nzelu, info@pinkcruise.org 

C 

M 

Y 

K


The dust is settling. The autopsy must 

begin. 

And we can start with Mbaise, Okene, 

Southern Ijaw or Obio Okpor. 

Long ago, during the Maurice Iwu days, I 

once went to my village to vote. On election 

morning, I went to the polling unit beside 

my family house. I met a bemused presiding 

officer and two other officials. Some people 

clustered around them. The story was 

simple. They had arrived with the election 

materials . Before they could settle down, two 

thugs with machetes jumped out of the 

bushes, slapped them and seized the ballot 

papers and the result sheets. And 

disappeared. I waited a while and exchanged 

banters with village folks. As we waited, some 

other thugs arrived on two motorcycles. They 

came with machetes. But they came late. 

The materials they came to steal had been 

stolen by another group. They left frustrated. 

We joked about the rivalry of the wolves. 

We wondered why the government bothered 

with the empty rituals of elections. The 

presiding officer joined us in throwing curses 

around. Later that night, I met the thugs 

that hijacked the election materials. They 

said they took the ballot papers to their house 

for thumb printing. They filled the result 

sheets too. They brought them back to the 

polling booth later in the evening. And they 

went with that presiding officer to the 

collation center where he tendered them as 

authentic results. They were commissioned 

by a politician. They settled everyone 

involved. They said that was ‘how it was 

done’ . 

I understood ‘how it was done’. 

That was the Obasanjo / Maurice Iwu era. 

That was the season of ballot box stuffing. 

When INEC made the use of card readers 

compulsory we jubilated. No one could hijack 

ballot papers and thumb print and stuff the 

boxes any longer. But our joy was short-lived. 

Vote buying crept in and became the 

dominant evil. Vote buying meant that 

voters rather than thugs would be paid. That 

was perhaps a lesser evil. But it appears that 

vote buying has even become a little 

outdated. Some old demons have returned. 

Ballot boxes are again being rampantly 

hijacked. But they are smashed rather than 

Mbaise, Okene, Nembe, Obio 

Okpor: The Electoral 

Abracadabras of 2019 

stuffed. The idea is to damage the contest 

wherever you may be beaten silly. We 

saw it in Lagos around Ago Palace road. 

We have seen many clips of Kogi where 

armed youths stormed polling units and 

smashed ballot boxes and shredded ballot 

papers. 

But these demons alone cant account 

for the miracles that have become 

rampant. These are destructive demons. 

The miracles are perhaps works of more 

creative demons. These creative demons 

seem capable of turning mole hills to 

mountains on paper. 

The INEC, the police and the DSS must 

huddle together in a locked room and 

tease apart , and dig. 

Take Okene for instance . There was 

near total PVC pick up. 95% percent of 

those who collected personal voter’s cards 

(PVC) turned up to vote. One party got 

almost all the votes. Let’s put Okene in 

proper perspective. Before the Lagos 

governorship elections in march , about 

5.4 million people collected PVCs. Only 

about one million people voted. So less 

than 20% of those with PVCs turned out 

to vote. 

In Enugu, by march, about 1.8 million 

people had collected their PVCs. During 

the Enugu governorship election only 

about 450,000 people turned out to 

vote. That means only about 25% of 

those who collected PVCs bothered to 

vote. These elections were equally 

hotly contested. So we have to study how 

Okene managed to conjure a 95% voter 

turn. We could learn something from 

that research which could be used to 

stimulate apathetic voters elsewhere. 

Obio Okpor was perhaps more colorful 

than Okene. But Obio Okpor has a 

reputation. So we can say that Obio 

Okpor is the theatre of electoral magic. 

In Imo, the largest local government 

in population is Mbaitoli. But in the last 

governorship elections, it was in Abhor 

Mbaise that magic happened. The three 

Mbaise local government areas have a 

combined total population of about 

700,000. Imo has an estimated 

population of about 5 million. Imo has 

27 local government areas. The three 

Mbaise local governments gave a 

certain candidate about same number 

votes that the other 24 local 

governments gave him. We know these 

things can happen, his kinsmen could 

have shown extra ordinary solidarity. 

Or they could have sworn to an oath to 

vote, and to vote only him. But INEC 

and security agencies must study these 

miracles and understand them. They could help 

deepen democratic participation. 

In Bayelsa, a few days ago some miracles 

happened too. Nembe and Southern Ijaw turned 

in some results that astounded everyone. These 

results may meet legal requirements for 

validity but they create credibility problems 

for the electoral process. In a state controlled by 

one party , another party scores 95% of the votes 

cast in a local govt area in a hotly contested 

governorship election. Not only are the votes 

mopped up so exclusively , the quantity of votes 

gathered fits no projections. 

Some creative demons have been fingered. 

These creative highway demons are thought to 

operate somewhere between the polling units 

and the collation centers. They step in and 

simply alter the result sheets or replace them 

with new ones, and step aside. That is a plausible 

explanation. That could be why even without 

committed efforts at vote buying, a 95% turn 

out amongst those with card readers can be 

achieved. 

We can allow the INEC , Police and DSS huddle 

together and do an autopsy. And find out how 

these things happen even though INEC has 

compulsory card reader accreditation in its 

guideline. 

Then there is this other demon. It may have 

operated the day Imo governorship election 

results were announced. It’s an irresponsible 

demon. I don’t know what else to call it. The 

returning officer of Imo governorship elections 

is a professor. Imo state has 27 local government 

areas. The constitution requires that the 

candidate with a majority of votes can only be 

announced a winner if he has 25% of votes cast 

in at least two thirds of local governments areas. 

The Imo returning officer who is a professor 

announced a winner. The candidate whom he 

announced as winner has 25% of votes cast in 

only about 12 states instead of 18. INEC accepted 

that announcement and asked aggrieved persons 

to go to court. 

I haven’t been able to understand how the 

professor worked out his own math (2/3 x 27) . 

He has left millions of school children baffled. It 

possible that some plantain mathematics is used 

in Banana republics to solve simple election 

questions. 

I believe these miracles have to be studied and 

understood. They could be the key to the 

unlocking of our great potentials. 

Iread with shock the story of a woman 

who requested her husband to allow 

her sleep with his friend to get 

pregnant since the husband had low 

sperm count. You want your husband to 

give you permission to sleep with his 

friend. What a request? As I was still 

thinking about it, I saw a comment on 

Facebook that “before the advent of the 

whiteman, this was a standard solution 

in Igboland for impotence in men. The 

Igbo culture tolerated it because 

fatherhood belongs to the man who… 

paid the bride price and not the sperm 

donor.”If I may ask, if truly such a 

culture existed, did it also detail the 

woman, as this woman did, to specify the 

man to impregnate her? 

On a number of occasions since this 

column started, I have thought of writing 

on childlessness, but I always jettisoned 

the idea. I always feel that, since I am not 

in their shoes, I might not be able to 

capture the pain and frustration of 

childless couples. My closest experience 

to childlessness was when a close female 

friend (a very baaad girl) of mine, during 

our single days, asked me if I had ever 

impregnated a girl. When I answered in 

the negative, she told me it is possible I 

had low sperm count. The thought 

haunted me and only stopped when my 

wife got pregnant with our first baby. In 

the last twenty five years, as people of 

my generation started getting married, I 

had close friends in childless marriages. 

Happily at least 90 per cent of them went 

on to have children after waiting 

sometimes for 16 years. One of them 

adopted, while one is still childless. 

Children are a handful. At every stage 

of their lives you have to deal with issues. 

Between when they are born and when 

they start talking, you must figure out 

what they want at any time. Very few 

things frustrate a parent as a child crying 

and you are unable to figure out what the 

issue is. You do everything possible, yet 

the child is still crying. Or is it babies who 

stay and keep parents awake all night, 

then by 6am they start sleeping? 

Meanwhile, parents have to go to work. 

How can you be effective in the office 

Handshake beyond the elbow 

when you had a sleepless night? 

By the time they are toddlers, they 

are going all over the place and you 

have to keep an eye on them always 

before they come to harm. There are 

issues at every developmental stage of 

children. Parents scarcely breathe until 

children become adults. Thereafter, 

parents still keep an eye on them. 

Parenthood is a lot of “hassle.” 

Notwithstanding, children bring 

enormous joy and fulfillment; they keep 

On a number of occasions 

since this column started, I 

have thought of writing on 

childlessness, but I always 

jettisoned the idea. I always 

feel that, since I am not in their 

shoes, I might not be able to 

capture the pain and 

frustration of childless 

couples 

the house warm; they make life feel so 

complete. There is scarcely an African 

couple who does not want children. 

Childlessness is still seen as an 

aberration in this part of the world. The 

pressure and taunts are enormous. 

So the desire of every couple to have 

children is understandable. 

Once in a while, I have tried to 

empathise with childless people to see 

if I will be pushed to do some of the 

funny things some of them have done. 

I know for certain, that even if I had 

low sperm count, as my friend 

suggested, I would NEVER encourage 

my wife to sleep with someone else to 

get pregnant. As an Urhobo man, it is 

repulsive; as a Christian, there is no 

place for it. How do I parade the 

children as mine when I know they 

are not mine? How do I sleep well? 

This woman talked about sleeping 

with her husband’s friend as if it is that 

straightforward. Unless she was 

already sleeping with the guy, who 

told her that the guy will flow with 

her plans? Even if the guy sleeps with 

her and she gets pregnant, then nine 

months later, she is delivered of a 

baby, he will notice the coincidence 

unless he is dumb. Then he will begin 

to watch out as the baby grows. If he 

has strong genes, the baby will look 

like him or have one of his features 

(complexion, lips, nose, ears, shape 

of head, etc.). Then it is not only he 

that will know, family members and 

circle of friends will also notice the 

resemblance. Over time, a paternity 

case will arise and you know where 

the pendulum will swing. 

There are many people 

unknowingly answering surnames different 

from their biological fathers’. Over time in 

history, some hidden secrets have been 

revealed. Some were very messy. It is not 

the kind of mess you want to be entangled in. 

This lady was too hasty. They have only been 

married for a few years. There are couples 

who waited for 25 years or more before 

having children. If her husband’s problem is 

actually low sperm count, there are modern 

solutions and some of them are very natural. 

All you need is patience. Over time, the sperm 

count increases and the man is able to make a 

woman get pregnant. 

Unfortunately, patience is not one of her 

strongest points. Apparently, the husband is 

rich and she is worried about the riches. She 

is worried that, without children, her place in 

the family is shaky. Relatives of her husband 

might undermine her and inherit their wealth 

if anything happens to her husband. This 

obscene attachment to material things is what 

has led her into this mess. She said she 

“needed a child to consolidate on my 

marriage.” The marriage she wanted to 

“consolidate” is what is now slipping through 

her hands. How can a normal woman in this 

age ask for permission from her husband to 

sleep with his friend? Let me ask the 

womenfolk; even as patrilineal as Nigeria is, 

how would you feel if your husband asked 

you for permission to sleep with that your 

beautiful, sensuous and well-endowed friend? 

You can see humans have problems. Here 

is a wife of a rich man, who probably has all 

her material needs catered for, doing dumb 

things as a result of childlessness. But I can 

also assure you that there is a woman out 

there with children, whose husband is not well 

off, doing or looking forward to doing dumb 

things to get money. Sometimes, we need to 

ask ourselves what we really need. 

Even though her husband refused, adoption 

would have been more honourable, but our 

society also stigmatises the act. Does the 

extended family accept adopted children as 

their grandchildren, cousins, nephews and 

nieces? Our society places too much burden 

on people and force them to do stupid and 

dumb things. But it is still up to the individual 

to do the right thing. Meanwhile, I just hope 

that her husband would reconsider, forgive 

her and take her back.

C 

M 

Y 

K 

My phone ‘died’ on me for 

nearly two weeks last 

month. It was an 

unnerving experience. Unnerving 

because I didn’t realise how 

dependent I am - we all are – on that 

little flat gadget we can’t seem to let 

out of our sight for a second. It is, for 

many, more faithful than a dog, more 

intimate than a lover and more efficient 

than a secretary. Unfortunately, it 

could also be more addictive than 

cocaine. It is the ultimate alter ego. 

Embedded in those tiny chips is the 

entire life of their users including 

secrets they would not want even their 

best friends to know. Phones come in 

various shapes and sizes. But 

whatever the shape or sophistication, 

the aim is the same; to take over the 

life of their owners. And we willingly 

let them. To the extent that all you need 

is a day with someone’s phone and 

you would be able to profile the person 

accurately enough to live in that 

person’s world comfortably. 

The second reason it was unnerving 

is because it happened when I 

desperately needed to be reached. 

The first sign of trouble occurred so 

innocuously that I didn’t realise the 

gravity of it. My brother had called 

to say he couldn’t reach me on my 

regular number. I use a phone with 

dual sim for convenience but hardly 

use the other number. I looked at the 

phone. The known number showed 

no network. I shrugged thinking it was 

a temporary thing and continued 

watching my Saturday sports 

programme. Thirty minutes later, my 

wife said she was on her way. She had 

a function her friend had called to pick 

her for. An hour later, I was dressed 

for my own outing. I went downstairs. 

The car was there but the driver was, 

as usual, nowhere to be found. 

Impatient and slightly imperious, I 

reached for my phone. The two 

numbers had no network. I booted; 

no response. I switched off and on; 

no response. I had to humbly beg a 

security man to use his phone. The 

driver came scampering from 

nearby. He had naturally assumed I 

would call him. I got into the car 

Fact 

actor 

ory y setting 

wondering how we used to get around 

without a phone. I also realised I could 

neither reach nor be reached by anyone. 

And that made me uncomfortable. I 

switched off the phone for about ten 

minutes hoping it would reset itself. It 

didn’t. Just then, the driver’s phone 

started ringing. He ignored it as he had 

been told to do when driving. But the 

persistence of the caller made both of 

us uncomfortable. He glanced at the 

phone. ‘It’s madam’ he said. I took the 

phone from him. My wife had been 

involved in a serious accident near the 

stadium in Surulere. An out-ofcontrolvehicle 

had leapt over the kerb 

and railings from a side road and 

landed on the roof of their moving car 

smashing the glass and compressing 

the car.The driver of the offending car 

tried to run away on realising the 

gravity of his action and the possibility 

of casualties. He was quickly 

apprehended by onlookers. The 

disoriented driver was, wait for it, a 

policeman. My wife had tiny cuts on 

her body but there were no fatalities 

from either car. They were on their 

way to the police station at Alaka, 

Surulere. I looked at my phone again. 

The two numbers still showed no 

service. I felt impotent. If there was 

ever a time I needed to make calls, to 

reach out, it was then. What a time for 

a phone to die. 

Monday found us first at the police 

station for statements and later at the 

doctor’s for a checkup.Not to our 

SATURDAY Vanguard, , NOVEMBER 23, 2019—37 

surprise, the traffic officers wanted us 

to pay for towing the vehicle. Nobody 

didany ‘on the spot marking’ of the cars. 

Nobody attended to the victims except 

sympathetic bystanders who brought 

water, ice blocks and analgesics. The 

car was a write-off but it didn’t matter. 

Somebody could have needed urgent 

medical attention but it didn’t matter. 

No first aid was administered. None was 

thought of. That is how unfeeling and 

unprofessional our law enforcement 

officers are. Not to our surprise, the 

police were up to their usual games. We 

should be happy nobody died, they 

said. We should be happy the car was 

comprehensively insured, they said. 

We would have to pay a certain amount 

to get a police report and a VIO 

report.We were the victims, but we 

were to pay for towing. We were to pay 

for reports. We were to pay our 

medical bills. That is our Lagos. That is 

our Nigeria. Meanwhile, the drunken 

police officer who happens to be a 

MOPOL officer was not impressed on 

to pay for anything. In fact, he might 

get away free from the look of it. The 

police seem obviously unwilling to 

prosecute or even discipline him. This 

is unfortunate because he is an unstable 

officer – his wife confessed to spells of 

incoherence - and it could happen 

again. Next time it could be fatal. Next 

time the victim could be a top 

politician’s wife. Or a top policeman’s 

wife. Or even the DPO himself. 

Put together, the phone must have 

The first sign of 

trouble occurred so 

innocuously that I 

didn’t realise the 

gravity of it 

come to life for maybe four hours in those 

three days. I took it to where I bought it 

from because it was still under warranty. I 

was told it would have to be sent to the 

owners of the brand for repairs. But it had 

to revert to factory setting. This meant 

returning it to its original state. It meant 

transferring all the stuff in the phone’s 

memory to a computer in theirshop. I 

thought of all the sensitive, saucy and 

raunchy stuff on the phone not to talk of 

personal information which could now be 

available to the operator should he decide 

to be curious. Suppose he decided to sell 

stuff to a ‘yahoo boy’? I felt vulnerable and 

slightly naked. 

It also meant that my life had 

temporarily gone back to factory setting 

as well - what it used to be before phones 

entered it. I went back to my first love, 

the written word. The first three of the 

promised seven days were sheer bliss as I 

had time to read things I had filed away. 

But then it meant no messages to check 

first thing in the morning, last thing at 

night and a few hours in between. I started 

to feel cut off from my world as I had 

grown to know it - the world I felt was too 

flirty and shallow. By the end of the week I 

was craving for my phone like a man 

needing a fix and was willing to buy 

another phone if it wasn’t going to be 

ready. I thought I could do without those 

phone Apps because of the distractions of 

the social media even if that wasat the 

expense of a convenient access to 

information. But those ten days proved 

me wrong. 

The murder of Nigeria’s 

electoral conscience did not 

start when Mrs. Salome 

Abuh was locked inside her home 

and burnt alive because of her 

opposition to a second term for 

Governor Yahaya Bello. 

It also did not start with those 

policemen who flew the helicopters 

that threw teargas canisters to 

disperse voters who believed that 

they were supposed to come out to 

vote. Or with the policemen who 

surrendered their authority to “fake 

policemen” who reigned terror on 

the citizenry in Kogi and Bayelsa last 

Saturday. 

It certainly did not start with those 

‘civil society businessmen’ who till 

last Tuesday were hanging around 

Government House, Lokoja to be 

mobilized to address the media in 

support of a free and fair election. 

The murder of conscience started 

well before. It started with the 

electoral umpire who told Nigerians 

that it was going to conduct a free 

and fair election but in the end 

conducted the worst election in the 

history of the country. 

It is telling that the umpire of the 

war that took place a week ago has 

yet to invent a phrase to exculpate 

itself from blame for what is 

unquestionably the worst election in 

the history of Nigeria. 

Until 2019, the 2007 General 

Election conducted by Prof. Maurice 

Iwu was generally regarded as the 

reference point for election 

irregularities. However, no more! 

With what happened last week, 

Prof. Iwu’s record may well have 

been sanitized with the consequence 

that the blueprint for electoral 

success in Nigeria may have been 

See No Evil, Hear No Evil INEC 

wholly redefined. 

It is now being said that those who 

are interested in politics will no longer 

have to campaign. What need is there 

for you to campaign when it is not 

likely to help you. 

Strategists are now saying that the 

easier path to victory is for candidates 

to stock arms, compromise election 

officers, and buy up the security 

agencies. Pronto, INEC will return 

you as the winner. Those who protest 

can go to court! 

Indeed, the refrain from election 

managers has been to assert that 

INEC was not responsible for the 

security meltdown in the two states. 

Indeed, it has been a pity watching 

one of Nigeria’s finest souls, Mr. 

Festus Okoye who distinguished 

himself as a genuine civil rights 

advocate right from Kaduna acting as 

a spokesman for the electoral chaos 

that happened in Kogi and Bayelsa 

last weekend. 

Remarkably, Mr. Okoye’s vacant 

position in the civil rights community 

is now being taken over by the 

charlatans who hang around 

Government Houses negotiating 

against the truth. 

What a sweet thing it would have 

been if Mr. Okoye had taken the 

consistency of truth to INEC in a way 

that Mr. Mike Igini has been globally 

acknowledged to have done. 

Remarkably, the developments in the 

two states where election took place 

happened as President Goodluck 

Jonathan celebrated his 62nd birthday. 

Dr. Jonathan was celebrated this 

week as the man who affirmed that his 

political aspiration was not worth the 

blood of a single Nigerian. 

How remarkable it would have been 

if the echo of such had continued at 

the highest levels of government. 

However, the question remains as to 

whether the outcome of the election 

would have been different if the two 

states were not turned into war zones? 

In Kogi for example, Governor Bello 

had everything going for him after the 

fiasco of the PDP governorship 

primaries. 

The same violence that the PDP 

campaign complained was used 

against it in the main election was 

apparent in the PDP governorship 

primaries. 

Even the mannerism of the PDP 

candidate was something that oozed 

Strategists are now saying 

that the easier path to 

victory is for candidates to 

stock arms, compromise 

election officers, and buy 

up the security agencies 

arrogance that brought some to ask 

whether it was not better holding on to 

Bello with all the baggage than allowing 

another untested person. 

Similarly, in Bayelsa State, the defeat 

of the PDP candidate in the hands of 

David Lyon who many did not hear make 

a campaign pitch was against the 

background of the personal political 

permutations of the outgoing governor, 

Seriake Dickson. 

Could Lyon have won without the 

violence that shadowed the contest last 

Saturday? The answer remains in the 

realm of uncertainty given the cold 

shoulder the majority of the Bayelsan 

elites gave to Dickson’s political foibles. 

The answers remain hazy. 

But what is not hazy is that in Bayelsa 

and Kogi scores were killed on election 

eve, during the election and pitiably for 

Mrs. Abuh even after the election. 

In a saner society, the blood of Mrs. 

Abuh should have triggered a revulsion 

across political boundaries to birth a new 

system. But not with folks whose 

consciences have been deadened!


It takes a lot to be an inventor. It 

takes a lot more to manage 

innovations and innovators. From 

Nigeria’s bitter and unfortunate civil 

war, we were only able to keep some of 

the relics at the Umuahia war museum. 

Nigeria could not seek to harness the 

skills and resources of the team that was 

behind the innovations in the civil war 

for technological development. The 

Biafran enclave survived on various 

petroleum products that were not 

imported for 30 months before the 

collapse. For almost 30 years now 

Nigeria has been surviving on imported 

petroleum products and now shopping 

for downstream investors in roadshows 

across the world. The United States, the 

United Kingdom, France, Germany, 

Japan, other G7 members and indeed 

other Organisation for Economic 

Cooperation and Development, OECD 

countries are out of our refining palaver 

but may be interested in supplying 

Nigeria petroleum products. We are now 

left with Russia, China, India, Saudi 

Arabia and some others in the 

Organisation for the Petroleum 

Exporting Countries, OPEC and OPEC+ 

for refining talks. 

We may have been utterly profligate 

and not prodigiously stupendous in 

using the proceeds from crude oil. And 

we have consistently flared the gas 

component. Oil is an exhaustive 

commodity that its use is now being 

determined by the influential nonproducer-consumer 

nations that have 

started a countdown. These countries 

are heavily subsidising Plug-in electric 

vehicle as a veritable substitute for fossil 

fuels. In the words of the South African 

born Israeli statesman Abba Eban 

(1915-2002), History teaches us that 

men and nations behave wisely once 

they have exhausted all other 

alternatives. And the craze now is for 

renewable energy. When Thomas Alva 

Edison (1847-1931) foretold that 

renewable energy and not oil was the 

future, he was misunderstood because 

The challenges of innovat 

ator 

ors 

in global development 

of the cost outlay then. The quest for 

innovation and the dependence on 

fossil fuels drove him to think about 

solutions in natural energy that was 

not exhaustive. He developed a 

suitable storage battery that could 

Nigeria’s poor record in 

discovering and 

supporting innovators, 

patenting and protecting 

intellectual property rights 

may give out Obasanjo’s 

technology 

power what was the first electric car 

in 1912. 

The system Edison developed was 

abandoned for the gasoline-powered 

internal combustion engine which 

cost was half the price of his electric 

car valued at between US$500 and 

US$750. Edison’s thought on oil and 

solar (renewable) energy in the 19th 

century was that he would put 

money on solar, an inexhaustible 

source of power and hoped we do 

not wait until oil and coal run out 

before tackling the problem. Today, 

global demand dynamics and 

geopolitics of oil reduction is giving 

a policy shift to the electric vehicle 

that Edison had the breakthrough 

over a century ago. More 

governments are now committing 

to fossil fuel car bans to meet their 

Paris Agreement commitments. But 

we know that petroleum would still 

be relevant for more than a century 

to come even if fossil fuels are 

jettisoned. It is all about innovation 

to reduce carbon emissions. 

Nigeria’s case is becoming a matter 

of emergency. Necessity they say 

is the mother of invention. There 

are very many innovative minds 

like Thomas Edison in our country 

that are not given opportunities and 

right environments to express their 

endowments. 

Our survival as a nation is in the 

hands of the downtrodden masses 

that toil day and night to eke out 

bare existences. The Wright 

Brothers, Wilbur and Orville Wright 

that had little formal scientific 

training, solved a problem as 

complex and demanding, which had defied 

better-known experimenters for centuries 

and invented the aeroplane in 1903. 

These seemingly ordinary bicycle 

repairers in the United States emerged to 

change the world. The Wright Brothers not 

only solved a long-studied technical 

problem but also helped create an entirely 

new world beyond measure. The account 

of Durojaiye Kehinde Obasanjo and many 

more may indeed solve Nigeria’s 

numerous problems. Obasanjo developed 

a sea craft or hydroplane but could not 

get funding. His jet car can run on the land, 

sea and in the air. When the CNN 

interviewed Obasanjo on April 12, 2017, 

he said: “We want the whole world to know 

it is possible to have a kind of machine that 

can move on land, on the sea and fly and 

perhaps move under the sea. That’s my 

ultimate goal,” he explained. Obasanjo 

was thinking about Lagos city’s heavy 

traffic and congestion woes to come up 

with this solution. In January 2019, he 

drove the amphibious car which runs on 

fuel and solar energy alternatively, for 15 

hours from Lagos to Abuja to seek the 

attention of Nigerian authorities. Did he 

succeed? 

Nigeria’s poor record in discovering and 

supporting innovators, patenting and 

protecting intellectual property rights 

may give out Obasanjo’s technology. The 

KennyJet might have been produced 

about 10 years before the CNN traced him 

to Obadia in Yaba, Lagos for interview. 

Was it coincidental that Aerospace giants, 

Boeing in November 2017 acquired 

Aurora, which specialises in unmanned 

flight, established in-house autonomous 

flight research unit Boeing NeXt in 2018 

to develop the autonomous passenger air 

vehicle? On January 22 2019, Boeing said 

it completed the first electric vertical takeoff 

and landing (eVTOL) flight that lasted 

less than one minute. Other aerospace and 

auto giants are now jumping into the 

market. Relevant agencies should pay 

attention to Durojaiye Kehinde Obasanjo’s 

innovations before other more developed 

countries take him away. 

For the past four weeks or so, I had 

cast a glance, over a gulf of more 

than a decade, at the preposterous 

claim Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, the founding 

Chairman of the Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, made and which 

Nigerians swallowed most credulously, 

like crazed simpletons. Years down the 

line, with books having been written 

(where that claim received some 

comments), and sundry events have taken 

place that opened new vistas of looking at 

that obvious but audacious falsehood 

backed by no iota of evidence anywhere, 

I have felt the time was ripe to take on all 

those who pledged themselves to work as 

knights in the service of Satan, by 

replicating that obvious whopper. 

Always, I used Police Statements made 

by Ribadu himself, his second – incommand 

at the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim 

Lamorde and the Central Bank of Nigeria 

(CBN) staff that was seconded to the EFCC, 

to prove the incorrectness of their pro- 

Ribadu claims and to the politics behind 

such stances – calculated fabrication to 

harm the person Ribadu and the 

Obasanjoists were up against; James 

Onanefe Ibori, the former Governor of 

Delta state. I wanted to also link it with the 

newspaper with the old Bendel state area 

that may be buying a used printing press 

masked as a new one and more 

shenanigans in Daily Independent. 

This time, I had tasked myself to remain 

focused on just one man and his one book; 

PROF WALE ADEBANWI AND HIS A 

PARADISE FOR MAGGOTS – THE STORY 

OF A NIGERIAN ANTI-GRAFT CZAR. But 

then, several things intervened; first, I saw 

the video where that lady who was 

kidnapped with her husband and nine – 

year old daughter while they were visiting 

Nigeria from Britain, recounted her 

family’s ordeal. 

That video arrested my attention. No, it 

was not just that she offered to be raped 

instead of her teenage daughter and her 

husband or that her daughter is still being 

haunted by that experience and would 

wake up at night screaming as though she 

was still a prisoner of the kidnappers, or 

that she claimed that her family has agreed 

never to set foot on Nigerian soil again, 

Who Protects Nigeria’s 

Interest? 

and that not even their dead bodies 

would be returned to Nigeria for burial 

as they had irrevocably broken every 

relationship with Nigeria – a country 

that broke every covenant or 

responsibility she had for and towards 

them. 

I was still trying to come to terms 

with debating whether it was realistic 

for a citizen to expect his country to 

offer him adequate security or any 

other service, when I remembered that 

Lagos had been ranked as one of the 

most dangerous cities to be a woman 

in and that Nigeria as a whole came in 

for strong reckoning when nations as a 

whole were considered. 

Thomas Reuters Foundation, not the 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did the 

ranking. The news that followed that is 

that Nigeria was also adjudged the third 

Most Dangerous Place To Live In The 

World 

Anyone would be right to argue that 

the indices that led to such abysmal 

rankings accumulated during the years 

preceding the All Progressives 

Congress (APC) ascendancy into 

political power, and that person would 

be right. I don’t want to argue that such 

reductionist arguments have their 

limits, or should have or they would 

invariably touch on a year like 1984/ 

85 when a Major-General Buhari was 

in power inside Dodan Barracks. 

What really got Prof Adebanwi off my 

sights this week was the reported 

killings that trailed the governorship 

elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states. 

Is it not the fifth year a messianic 

party, the APC, and its more 

messianic flag-bearer, President 

Mohammadu Buhari were voted into 

power? If yes, how many years 

should it take to organise free, fair and 

peaceful elections? 

Some people had made us believe 

that if only Prof. Maurice Iwu was 

removed, Nigeria would change. 

Now, that man has been gone from 

that office for almost a decade. So, 

why does the electoral problem 

continue? 

Why is it that though the APC came 

into power in 2015, by November of 

2019 it has not been able to provide 

something as ordinary as electronic 

voting? Instead, election times have 

been turned by hoodlums into times 

of blood-letting. The part that really 

frightened me was that the Inspector 

General of Police was quoted by some 

newspapers as saying that some 

criminals in fake police uniforms 

tainted the election. Really? How 

many of them were arrested? If 

criminals could wear fake Police 

uniforms to maintain their own 

version of order during an election in 

which security personnel were 

adequately mobilised, then all hell has 

broken loose in Nigeria. 

And that election took place in just 

two out of 36 states of the federation! 

Please, has anybody noticed that it 

took just a matter of days into the life 

of this present Republic for some 

heroic PDP members of House of 

Representatives to have formed an 

opposition arm of the party, as it were, and 

began to rein in an Obasanjo who had little 

regard for either the constitution or the 

National Assembly? Former Govs. James 

Ibori, Uzor Orji Kalu, Victor Attah, etc 

opposed Obasanjo as they called for internal 

democracy. Ghali Umar Na’Abba led the 

gallant Representatives such as Nduka 

Irabor, Chidi Duru, Sadiq Yar’Adua, etc. Then 

a power drunken PDP, annexed by Obasanjo 

himself and Obasanjoists ensured that people 

like Na’Abba and Irabor did not return to the 

National Assembly. Irabor narrowly escaped 

assassination attempt; someone shot a bullet 

through his roof and into his bed – at night! 

Well, the PDP character of internal 

opposition to their strong men continued 

when people like the immediate past Senate 

President, Bukola Saraki, rather than 

surrender their staunch beliefs, joined the 

opposition APC and helped it into power. 

Then, when APC proved as dictatorial to them 

as PDP, they raised their rebellious flag once 

again. But this time, to no effect. They received 

the treatment the Irabos and Na’Abbas got 

in 2003. They could not retain their posts. 

Ibori and Kalu, for instance had to barely 

scrap by to retain their posts in 2003. And 

since then, they have been faced with 

constant battles. 

Well, Nigeria has had a STRONG President 

in Obasanjo, and she has one now in Buhari. 

What happens when a RENEGADE president 

gets into Aso Rock? Perhaps we don’t even 

need to get such a man for disaster to strike. 

James Bryce visited USA in the 1880s and 

concluded that the real danger to American 

democracy may not even come from a 

renegade President as the real danger to the 

constitution would come when “A bold 

President who knew himself to be supported 

by a majority in the country, might be 

tempted to override the law. He might be a 

tyrant, not against the masses, but with the 

masses”. 

Some Americans fear that they have such a 

President in Donald Trump. But to guide 

against our getting there, some Nigerian 

politicians must think Nigeria first – above 

their ethnic groups and political parties. They 

must begin to rally together as patriots - for 

Nigeria’s sake.


PDP And Failure 

of Leadership 

Shamsudeen Abdallah 

The palpable anger and frustration 

expressed at the leadership of the 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by 

its members and concerned Nigerians in 

recent times, peaked following the 

avoidable electoral disaster and 

humiliation in Bayelsa State to the All 

Progressives Congress. Bayelsa is not like 

any other State. It is PDP’s enclave and 

home of former President Goodluck 

Jonathan for that matter. 

It is not as though PDP’s leadership 

crisis started today. PDP’s problem began 

when the party was snatched from 

accomplished statesmen and political 

thinkers behind it’s founding. Substituting 

eminent personalities like the highly 

cerebral Dr. Alex Ekwueme with a chain 

of PhDs, Chief Solomon Lar, Chief 

Sunday Awoniyi etc. with a band of 

fortune-seeking political hustlers was 

PDP’s entry point into troubled waters. But 

for a successive reinforcement of a regime 

of impunity, disrespect for party 

constitution, internal party democracy, 

and key principles like zoning/rotation, 

the PDP may have remained in power till 

date. 

Unfortunately, Prince Uche Secondus, 

current party Chairman, who has been 

part of the PDP national leadership 

structure since 2008, when he was first 

elected the National Organizing 

Secretary, has failed to translate the vital 

lessons of the past for the much-desired 

self-re-invention. Clearly, the Secondusled 

PDP leadership has learned nothing 

and forgotten nothing. In fact, never in 

PDP’s history has its leadership been this 

lethargic, rudderless, conceited, lawless, 

self-destructive and bereft of strategic 

political sagacity to 

confront the electoral 

challenges of contemporary 

times. 

Following the resignation 

of Adamu Muazu as 

National Chairman in the 

aftermath of PDP’s loss of 

power at the centre, Uche 

Secondus, his then deputy, 

stepped in as Acting 

National Chairman. He was 

the Acting National 

Chairman when Governor 

Nyesom Wike and former 

Governor Ayo Fayose (to 

some extent) unknowingly 

imported alleged to be 

APC mole, Senator Ali 

Modu Sheriff, to complete 

what remained of North 

East’s tenure despite 

protests. This political 

misadventure cost the PDP 

the Edo and Ondo 

governorship seats. 

Again, the Secondus-led 

PDP had an opportunity to 

re-launch itself back to the national 

reckoning in the 2019 presidential 

election. However, that was not to be as a 

result of the flagrant display of lack of 

responsible thinking or better still, the 

outsourcing of its leadership 

responsibility. Party veterans, who fought 

from the trenches for PDP’s survival after 

it lost power at the centre in 2015 were 

shut out. The emergence of Peter Obi as 

the Vice Presidential candidate was so 

poorly handled that the party never 

recovered from it. Rather than an honest 

effort to assuage feelings and build 

bridges, those who expressed genuine 

concerns over their contemptuous 

treatment and revival of politics of 

exclusion were automatically fenced off, 

denied their rightful place in the 

Presidential Campaign Council, and 

condemned to peeping through the 

windows. All these contributed to PDP’s 

loss to APC. 

While Secondus did not introduce the 

evil of anointment of candidates and 

trading of party’s tickets to the highest 

bidders, commonsense dictates that PDP 

should not fiddle with such luxuries again 

as opposition. Yet we saw the 

manipulations and political bulldozing 

that threw up Olusola Kolapo as PDP 

candidate in the 2018 Ekiti gubernatorial 

election. Former Governor Ayo Fayose 

was allowed to tear Ekiti PDP apartliterarily. 

PDP lost the gubernatorial 

election and until the recent return of 

Senator Biodun Olujimi to the Senate 

through the courts, Ekiti PDP couldn’t 

boast of a single National Assembly seat 

after the 2019 election. Interestingly, 

Fayose openly campaigned against her 

candidature. 

The electoral robbery in Osun 2018 

governorship election notwithstanding, 

PDP leadership didn’t demonstrate the 

hunger to win. It was more of individual 

efforts of the Adeleke family and allies. 

For instance, when the rerun in Iyola 

Omisore’s stronghold became the game 

changer, APC National Chairman, Adams 

Oshiomole, mobilised several APC 

governors and chieftains to Omisore’s 

country home to court the beautiful bride. 

But Secondus stayed put in Abuja. Only 

Dr. Bukola Saraki flew to Osun as the 

Chairman of the Osun Governorship 

Campaign Council to persuade Omisore. 

Why should anybody blame Omisore for 

cutting deal with the more serious suitor? 

The violence, manipulations, and abuse 

of federal power that happened in the 

November 16 Bayelsa governorship 

election was a child’s play compared to 

the election that returned Governor 

Seriake Dickson for a second term. Yet 

PDP prevailed because they were of one 

mind. But the primary for the last election 

was a sham dogged by allegations of 

trading-off to the sitting Governor against 

popular wish of party faithful. Defections 

and resignations from 

Dickson government 

followed. Also, Secondus 

was aware of the frosty 

relationship between 

Jonathan and Dickson 

and their supporters. But 

the party leadership 

appeared more 

interested in the proceeds 

from the nomination 

forms/primaries than in 

brokering peace and 

strategies to win the 

election. A fragmented 

PDP gifted a very 

symbolic, strategic, 

rich, coastal, and agelong 

PDP stronghold to 

APC on a platter of 

gold. 

The scenario was not 

exactly different in Kogi 

where the primary was 

marred by gun battle, 

but only for PDP to 

announce Musa Wada as 

the candidate. Senator 

Dino Melaye, who was 

initially nominated to head the 

governorship campaigns, declined in 

obvious protest. Commonsense should 

have told the party leadership that a 

credible primary was a prerequisite to 

boost their chances against a volatile and 

desperate Yahaya Bello backed by 

complicit INEC and security agencies 

with a N10 Billion windfall to boot. Some 

key political players believe PDP could 

still have won had Wadata Plaza rallied 

everyone that was supposed to be involved 

to fashion the right strategies to counter 

the APC. PDP couldn’t even mobilise its 

national youth wing to campaign in Kogi. 

Secondus was not seen on national 

television and radio talk shows. He didn’t 

mobilise the conscience of Nigerians and 

the international community against the 

well-anticipated electoral banditary in 

Kogi. He couldn’t lead peaceful protests 

in Abuja before the forged results were 

announced. Secondus wasn’t even at the 

post-election media briefing by PDP 

candidate at Wadata Plaza. Instead, while 

APC was running riots in kogi, some PDP 

NWC members were allegedly holidaying 

abroad, obviously on the proceeds of the 

The electoral 

robbery in Osun 

2018 governorship 

election 

notwithstanding, 

PDP leadership 

didn’t 

demonstrate the 

hunger to win 

•Secondus 

Bayelsa and Kogi primaries. 

Also, while Rome burnt, Secondus was 

busy granting interview against Minority 

leaders of the House of Representatives 

in a matter that he is so straightforwardly 

wrong. Secondus wrote to the Speaker on 

21st June 2019 appointing Hon. Kingsley 

Chinda, Hon. Yakubu Barde, Hon. 

Chukwuka Onyema and Hon. Muraina 

Ajibola as leaders of the Minority Caucus. 

But over 100 of the 147 opposition 

lawmakers elected Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, 

Hon. Toby Okechukwu, Gideon Gwani, 

and Adesegun Adekoya and all signed a 

letter presenting them to the Speaker, 

Femi Gbajabiamila. 

Rather than find solutions to the issues, 

Secondus hurriedly suspended the four 

lawmakers and a few others. Conversely, 

Chinda and the three others were made 

to begin to sign statements as Minority 

Leaders and Whips. It was only when their 

parliamentary actions recently became a 

subject of legislative inquest that the 

National Publicity Secretary, Kola 

Olagbodiyan, issued a statement 

claiming they were just PDP Caucus 

Leaders- which is still wrong because 

leaders of Minority/Majority Caucus also 

head their respective party caucuses. 

Meanwhile, Section 60 of the 1999 

Constitution unmistakably provides that 

“Subject to the provisions of this 

Constitution, the Senate or the House of 

Representatives shall have power to 

regulate its own procedure”. Order 7 Rule 

8 of House Standing Rule unequivocally 

provides that “Members of the Minority 

Parties in the House shall nominate from 

among them, the Minority Leader, 

Minority Whip, Deputy Minority Leader, 

and Deputy Minority Whip”. So, the 

House Minority Caucus, comprising nine 

political parties (PDP, APGA, ADC, LP, 

SDP, PRP, AA, APM, ADP) acted 

legitimately. Parties’ role is limited to 

zoning the various minority/majority 

leadership offices, not to appoint. APC’s 

attempt to impose leadership on the 

majority caucus in 2015 was successfully 

opposed by their Senators. 

Ironically, Secondus, who was PDP 

Acting National Chairman at the time, 

attacked APC over what he termed 

lawlessness and breach of legislative 

independence. But today, behold the same 

party Chairman traveling the same road 

he spat on and also branding his party 

faithful as disloyal for obeying the 

dictates of law rather than those of a 

clearly overreaching party Chairman and 

his overbearing godfather. 

Meanwhile, it is puzzling that Secondus 

leadership has refused to consider the 

reports of the various panels set up by the 

PDP to investigate the matter even after 

four months. The report of the Committee 

comprising former Senate Presidents/ 

Deputy Senate President like Adolphus 

Wabara, David Mark, Iyorchia Ayu, and 

Ibrahim Mantu should be able to settle 

the matter because they are authorities 

in legislative practice. But Secondus 

doesn’t appear to be interested in 

solutions. 

Leadership should be about proffering 

solutions, not winning arguments; it 

should be about building bridges, not 

breaking them. It is about dialogue, 

negotiation, and settlement. Or what does 

Secondus leadership stand to gain from 

creating opposition within opposition? He 

criticised APC in 2015 for impunity for 

trying to impose majority leaders. Now, 

have the 1999 Constitution, House Rules, 

and parliamentary traditions changed? 

Why the desperation to foist Chinda on 

House Members? Shouldn’t the imposition 

of a fellow Rivers man as Minority Leader 

when he (Secondus) is the party’s National 

Chairman make Secondus feel morally 

uncomfortable? 

Lastly, no democracy prospers without a 

formidable opposition. The steady decline 

in PDP leadership should therefore, concern 

all Nigerians because the emerging one 

party system, more so an incendiary party 

like APC, will spell doom for the country. 

Where are the elders of the party? Where 

is the conscience of the party? The 

National Executive Council (NEC) has 

not been convoked to review the 2019 

elections and also receive account of the 

billions raked in from sale of nomination 

forms. The position of Deputy National 

Chairman (North) has been vacant since 

January 2019. It means the 19 northern states 

and FCT are not fully represented on the 

NWC? Isn’t it high time PDP was repositioned 

to save Nigerians from APC misgovernance? 

But how can PDP remove the straws in the 

eyes of APC when they have not removed the 

log in their own eyes.


NATIONAL CARRIER: 

Please Ignore AMCON 

•Serika, Aviation Minister 

By Chris Aligbe 

This piece has become necessary 

following the recent proposal by 

the CEO of the Asset Management 

Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to the 

National Assembly that the Minister of 

Aviation should merge Arik and Aero and 

use them to float a National Carrier rather 

than starting a brand new one, which has 

been on the works for the last four years. 

This suggestion made by Ahmed Kuru 

during his budget defence has, as expected, 

elicited a flurry of comments and 

interventions by well-meaning industry 

analysts and stakeholders; with some 

supporting AMCON’s position and others 

opposing it. 

Before now, the challenge was that many 

stakeholders were not convinced of the 

need for a new national carrier. But stark 

realities of our national losses in terms of 

humongous capital flight of over 

US$1.3billion annually on ticket sales 

alone by foreign airlines as well as the 

fact that countries like Uganda, Tanzania 

and Ghana, even Republic of Benin are 

set with the floatation of their national 

carriers with varying degrees 

of government equities have 

undermined the position of 

some stakeholders who 

hitherto argued that 

national carriers are now out 

of fashion. This, coupled with 

the fact that, try as they may, 

the collective operational 

strength and effort of our 

domestic airlines has proven 

grossly inadequate, albeit, 

unable to provide any anchor 

for redemptive hope. 

And so today, virtually the 

entire industry and, indeed, 

the vast majority of 

stakeholders are either 

clamouring for or desirous of 

a befitting national carrier. 

At least now, after many 

years of cacophony of 

clanging ideas, we have 

moved a step or two forward 

towards the quest for 

redemptive action in the 

airline sub-sector. We are no 

longer arguing whether or 

not, but rather, what will be 

the nature of the desired 

national carrier. Even 

AMCON, whose authorities did not 

support the idea when it acquired Aero 

and Arik, today, wants to key into the idea, 

though to achieve a corporate, rather than 

national motive. 

There are still a few who believe that 

Aero and Arik are airlines that belong to 

the government. It is not true. If they were, 

they would be under Aviation not AMCON 

that has no statutory responsibility on 

aviation but rather on debt collection. Any 

attempt to move outside this statute will 

occasion international litigations that 

could be unresolved for many years. This 

is because both the original owners and 

creditors will head to court to challenge 

the Federal Government. 

Even the idea of merging two airlines 

which the proponents have acknowledged 

“are not doing well” to form a new 

national carrier is fraught with so many 

intractable challenges that will make the 

product a disaster abinitio. Some of 

those include, but not limited to the 

following pertinent questions. 

1. Can any healthy and virile 

establishment be founded on the back of 

unhealthy and struggling entities? 

2. Will any sensible investor invest 

in such establishment? 

3. Where no investors come, such a 

national carrier will exist on 100% 

government equity, just like the liquidated 

Nigeria Airways. Have we so soon 

forgotten the bane of Nigeria Airways? 

4. Can AMCON’s liabilities from 

Aero and Arik, vicariously or inferentially, 

be assigned simplicter to the Federal 

Government? Ditto the assets? 

If not, then the argument of Federal 

Government owning two airlines – Aero 

and Arik fails to sail. 

Have AMCON and Supporter – 

Proponents stopped to consider the 

“Outline Business Case” (OBC) of its 

proposition on the use of Aero-Arik merger 

to float a national carrier? I ask this 

because in our present dispensation, all 

such Proposals/Promoters must first 

submit an OBC to the 

Infrastructure 

Concession and 

At least now, after 

many years of 

cacophony of 

clanging ideas, we 

have moved a step 

or two forward 

towards the quest 

for redemptive 

action in the airline 

sub-sector 

Regulatory Council 

(ICRC) for evaluation, 

guidance and approval. 

For those who are not 

aware, the Nigeria Air 

national carrier project 

had gone through this 

process, passed two to 

three approvals by the 

Federal Executive 

Council (FEC), 

successfully concluded 

the Development stage 

and was at the 

Procurement stage in 

compliance with ICRC 

approvals and guidance. 

In the entire three-year 

period of due process, 

Arik and Aero were never 

in consideration. 

AMCON’s proposal is 

therefore an unnecessary 

distraction at best and, at 

worst, an uncanny step to 

truncate the Nigeria Air 

Project. Kuru took his 

proposal to the National 

Assembly, having failed to secure consent 

from the Ministry of Aviation. Was it in 

good faith? Or an attempt to arm-twist? 

Any which way, the NASS has no statutory/ 

constitutional right to compel the 

Ministry’s acceptance of Kuru’s fantasy. I 

wish public officials should know and act 

within statutes. Kuru’s push is outside the 

oversight role of the NASS. 

I had thought that many a commentator, 

particularly the Support-Proponents of 

AMCON should have asked few questions 

based on Ahmed Kuru’s statement that 

“Arik is now positioned for profitability”. 

First, is Kuru sincere in his avowal? 

What are his indices of Arik’s profitability? 

AMCON took over Arik with 15 aircraft. 

How many aircraft has the airline now? 

What is the debt profile of Arik as at today? 

How much has AMCON recovered since 

it took over Arik. What is the operational 

status of Arik in terms of route network 

and schedule integrity? What about 

maintenance integrity which Arik had the 

highest rating on before AMCON’s 

takeover? 

We can ask on and on. But suffice it to 

remind us that at the time of takeover, 

AMCON was not only loud, but also 

voluminous with words in its effort to 

convince Nigerians on the way of Arik’s 

takeover. Every day, the deluge of 

information and “facts” of Arik’s 

indebtedness were deafening as they 

poured out like the unceasing sound of a 

pounding cataract. 

AMCON cannot therefore just take us 

for a ride by telling us at the National 

Assembly that “Arik and Aero are now 

positioned for profitability”. AMCON 

should publish its score-card to show the 

“great success” it has achieved so we can 

clap for it. I dare AMCON to do so 

because, as at today, what is known is that 

Aero is keeping faith and in about four 

years’ time, its close to N30billion 

outstanding debt will be paid off while 

Arik is not anywhere close. I am not 

surprised because as at when AMCON 

took over Arik and Aero, in all my public 

and media engagements, I described 

AMCON as an “undertaker” that had no 

modicum of competence and neither 

developmental vision nor growth plan to 

turn the airlines around. 

AMCON, in exercise of its statutory 

responsibility, applied the classic, albeit, 

the simplistic takeover model with 

features of general principles – seek court 

order, announce take-over, appoint 

Receiver-Manager, sack Management and 

replace CEO with its own appointee. 

Unfortunately, airlines are much more 

complex as they usually require a much 

more in-dept study and understanding of 

their state and what is required to enable 

the achievement of required objective(s). 

Airlines in the states of Aero and Arik at 

the time of AMCON takeover, first and 

foremost, required a turnaround. And 

since AMCON does not possess, and is not 

expected to possess turnaround 

competence for complex organizations 

like airlines, AMCON, knowing this, 

should have engaged renowned firm of 

Consultants or Turnaround Management 

Team to engineer their quick (usually 5 

years) turnaround. If AMCON had taken 

this road, it would have found that at the 

time of take-over, Aero exhibited more 

turnaround symptoms than Arik, despite 

the fact of by “far larger volume of Arik’s 

debt”. Aero required a complete 

turnaround in every material particular; 

from Management, equipment, market 

share/positioning, work culture/morale, 

operational integrity, rundown facilities, 

safety standards, declined assets overall 

and impaired and mutilated vision 

arising from internal (Ownership- 

Management) wrangling. Arik on the 

other hand, was not a candidate for a 

holistic turnaround. This is because, 

although Arik was plagued, like Aero with 

all the afflictions (external and internal, 

most cases self-inflicted), ailments that 

over the decades have been and are still, 

the bane of airline operations in Nigeria, 

Arik had great assets, healthy and modern 

facilities, very young fleet, world standard 

maintenance and safety records as well 

as a vision that was not disjointed. Unlike 

Aero, what Arik needed was a laser beam 

on Management, Corporate governance 

and work culture that would appropriate 

all the positives to reverse the negatives. 

I have no doubt that both Captains Roy 

Ilegbodu and Ado Sanusi are doing their 

best at Arik and Aero respectively. All that 

I am saying is that if AMCON had studied 

the turnarounds of post-apartheid South 

African Airways by Coleman Andrews and 

his team, the post-Privatisation of Kenya 

Airways by Speed-wing, the IFC approach 

to pre-Privatisation of Nigeria Airways 

and the British Airways pre-Privatisation 

turnaround by the Lord King/Collin 

Marshal team, it would have understood 

the superiority of a Turnaround Team to 

classic use of Receiver Manager/CEO 

model. 

When I raised objections to AMCON’s 

approach in its take-over of Arik and Aero, 

I was not speaking apriori because I had 

seen how AMCON managed the assets of 

Virgin Nigeria/Nigerian Eagle after 

acquiring its N35billion debt. Its assets 

were left to rot away. Today, AMCON has 

not publicly rendered any account on that 

take-over. Yet, it is public funds, albeit, 

taxpayers’ assets and money. 

Is it not thought-provoking and 

informative to us – Aviation Stakeholders 

- that even at the time Kuru was trying to 

push its burden of Arik and Aero to Sirika, 

he was already working with Ernst and 

Young, CBN and NDIC for the liquidation 

of AMCON? Kuru in a just-concluded 

retreat told the House Committee on 

Banking and Finance just last week that 

of the 12,743 Eligible Bank Assets (EBAs) 

AMCON bought over which brought the 

Banks Net Book Value (NAV) to zero, only 

4000 EBAs have been resolved while 8000 

remain unresolved. He further confirmed 

that 71 of them are under receivership, 

which no doubt include Arik and Aero as 

we know. AMCON has only achieved 

about 31% of its assigned role. 

It is hoped that if the CBN and NDIC 

buy over AMCON’s N6.3trillion debt and 

sell it off internationally at a discounted 

rate as proposed by Kuru, then Arik and 

Aero may come fully alive again and 

become formidable. This will be great 

since our country is in dire need of at least 

3 to 4 virile airlines to cope with the 

SAATM and the travel requirements of our 

people. 

Given the above position, it is therefore 

intriguing why Kuru was pushing his idea 

of Arik-Aero-based national carrier. 

I am sure by now Supporter-Proponents 

of Kuru’s unconvincing and unflyable kite 

know better. 

My simple advice to the Minister of 

Aviation is to just ignore Kuru and his 

AMCON and move on. 

The only and major success of AMCON 

as an institution has been to give the banks 

a debt-clean slate. Since CBN and NDIC 

can do this better, AMCON is an 

unnecessary and poor duplication. It 

should be wound up. 

•Chris Aligbe, Aviation Consultant 

Belujane Konzult Limited

Ojukwu and 

Contemporary 

Biafra Agitations 

By Kanayo Nnabuchi 

Makurdi, Nigeria (late Sept. 1966) were 

N 

foreshadowed by months of intensive anti-Ibo 

ovember 4 2019 was the posthumous and anti-Eastern conversations among Tiv, 

birthday of Dim Chukwuemeka Idoma, Hausa and other Northerners resident 

Odimegwu Ojukwu. The flurry of in Makurdi, and, fitting a pattern replicated 

events and discourses around his birthday leave in city after city, the massacres were led by the 

no one in doubt that even in death, Ikemba is Nigerian army. Before, during and after the 

still involved with the nation’s affairs. slaughter, Col. Gowon could be heard over the 

Expectedly, his roles, especially the events radio issuing ‘guarantees of safety’ to all 

surrounding the civil war, are always a subject Easterners, all citizens of Nigeria, but the intent 

of debate on such occasions. 

of the soldiers, the only power that counts in 

Because the victors write accounts of war, it Nigeria now or then, was painfully clear. After 

is not surprising that the narrative that Ndigbo, counting the disemboweled bodies along the 

nay Ojukwu, waged war against Nigeria Makurdi road I was escorted back to the city 

persists among a section of Nigerians. Also, by soldiers who apologised for the stench and 

despite the benefits of commonsense as well as explained politely that they were doing me and 

accounts by non-Igbo key players in the the world a great favor by eliminating Igbos”. 

January 1966 coup like Major Ademola Yet, Nigeria would never accept there was 

Ademoyega of “Why We Struck” fame or genocide. Neither would the victors agree that 

someone like Major-General Olufemi with the influx of lucky survivors (my parents 

Olutoye, Rtd. (Oba of Ido-Ani who, though not inclusive) with horrific tales, coupled with the 

a participant, was privy to the coup) that the subsequent collapse of Aburi Accord, duty 

objective of the condemnable 

called on Ojukwu to declare an independent 

multi-ethnic military putsch 

Republic of Biafra and he inevitably did. 

was to release Obafemi 

Nor would they direct their minds to the 

Awolowo from prison and 

fact that the Nigerian troops led by Col. 

install him as Prime Minister, 

Mohammed Shuwa launched the first 

the victors still tag it an Igbo 

offensive against Ndigbo at the Nsukka 

coup. It does not matter that 

end on July 6, 1967 to signal the 

Ndigbo were too well 

positioned in the political and 

economic scheme of things at 

the time to want to upset the 

apple-cart. It does not also 

matter that it was Igbo officers 

- General Johnson Aguyi- 

Ironsi, Col. Emeka Ojukwu, etc. 

- that foiled the coup. 

While I readily admit that 

General Johnson Aguyi- 

Ironsi’s delay in trying and 

punishing the coup plotters was very suspect 

and indeed a huge blunder that aggravated 

the hurts of other parts of Nigeria, which lost 

their cream of military and political elites, the 

victors would never see the failure of the 

General Yakubu Gowon-led government to 

protect the over 80,000 Ndigbo and their 

Eastern brethren (military officers and 

civilians alike), who knew nothing about the 

coup, but were nevertheless murdered in cold 

blood with about two million forced to flee 

back home, as the real cause of the war. 

Charles Keil, an American author and 

ethnomusicologist, who also researched a lot 

about Tiv ethnic group, was visiting Nigeria 

at the time. He narrated how thousands of 

fleeing Ndigbo, who got as closer home as 

Benue, were slaughtered by their neighbours. 

His words: “The pogroms I witnessed in 

It does not also 

matter that it was 

Igbo officers - 

General Johnson 

Aguyi-Ironsi, Col. 

Emeka Ojukwu, etc. 

- that foiled the coup 

Shortly after the court of appeal 

judgement which upheld the election 

of Emeka Ihedioha as the governor 

of Imo state, the Director of Media in the 

Uzodimma campaign Organisation, Declan 

Mbadiwe Emelumba, told Saturday Vanguard 

in this brief chat why Uzodimma is heading 

to the supreme court. 

Emelumba, a two time member of Imo state 

House of Assembly, explained that the issue at 

stake is about the grievous omission of 

Uzodimma’s results from 388 polling units, 

which he said is an unpardonable electoral 

offence that can only be remedied by crediting 

the results to the candidate. Excerpts 

The court of appeal has just given 

judgement on the case of your 

governorship candidate, Sen Hope 

Uzodimma and Emeka Ihedioha and 

your candidate lost. What’s your next 

step? 

First of all I don’t think it is correct to 

say that we lost. Four out of the five judges of 

the appeal panel upheld the judgement of the 

election petitions tribunal in favour of the 

declaration of Emeka Ihedioha as the winner 

of the governorship election by INEC, but as 

you know one of the Judges, who I understand 

is a senior judge, disagreed with his colleagues 

and gave judgement in favour of 

Uzodimma and the APC and ruled that Sen 

Hope Uzodimma of the APC won the 

governorship election and ought to have been 

declared the winner of the election. So you see 

there are two judgements, one in favour of 

Ihedioha and the other in favour of 

Uzodimma. So you can’t really say we lost 

or that any side won outright 

commencement of hostilities to compel 

back to Nigeria the same people clubbed, 

mauled, quartered, and practically 

chased out in the pogroms spirit of 

“araba” (meaning let’s separate). A war 

ensured. The rest is a horrible history I 

hate to retell. Or you want me to recall 

that on fateful Eke market day, in a war 

between brothers, a Nigerian warplane 

flown by a Whiteman, descended low and 

dropped bombs in the centre of my town’s 

market brimming with civilians? 

No, what matters to me is for Nigerians, 

especially the younger generations, to recall 

the dire circumstances in which Ojukwu acted 

and why he remains a “god” among his people. 

Unlike the so-called Biafra “champions” of 

today, who grow stupendously rich on the 

contributions of their gullible followers, 

Ojukwu sunk his patrimony into Igbo’s survival. 

Therefore, that he fought a good cause is one 

thing virtually every full-blooded Igbo is ready 

to live or die defending. 

However, it is disturbing that many, 

especially the younger generation, who 

venerate Ikemba, do not know that he did not 

die a rebel. He died a Nigerian. Those who 

cash in on the mistreatment of Ndigbo, 

brainwash our people that they are out to 

complete what Ojukwu started. This shows 

IMO: Why y Uzodimma is going to Supreme Court t – Mbadiwe e Emelumba 

But what you have is a minority judgement. 

The PDP and Ihedioha have the majority 

judgement so we can say they won and you 

lost 

You are free to see it the way you want to but 

that does not make it right. Yes, Ihedioha and 

PDP may have the majority judgement but the 

benefit of history has shown that the majority 

is not always right or ultimately triumphant. 

A case at hand is many centuries ago when 

Thomas Hobbes came up with the theory of 

separation of powers in governance. The idea 

was roundly rejected by a vast majority of 

British people. In fact the British parliament 

banned his book and publicly burnt it as a 

sign of total rejection. Today, that theory applies 

not just in the governance of Britain but almost 

in all the countries of the world. So the majority 

was wrong after all. So in the instant case 

who says the majority is ultimately right? Let 

us wait for the supreme court to decide that 

So Uzodimma is going to be supreme 

court then? 

Absolutely. What is on ground today is that 

two judgements emanated from the court of 

appeal. We are definitely appealing against 

the one against us and I am certain that the 

PDP and Ihedioha will be appealing against 

the judgement that did not favour them. So 

this time around Ihedioha and PDP shall be 

appealing against a judgement because that 

judgement categorically stated that 

Uzodimma won the governorship election. 

Am sure you will agree that, that says volumes 

and brings a whole new scenario into the 

bargain 

But you people lost at both the tribunal and 

at least majority of the appeal court Judges 

also dismissed your case. What makes you 


Gburugburu will forever be celebrated, not 

only among Ndigbo, but Nigerians and 

students of history the world over, as one of the 

few patriots in contemporary history, who 

rallied his people for self defence, yet mobilised 

them for a fast-paced reintegration into the 

mainstream social, political, and economic 

life of their nation. 

“Our dear nation and her leaders owe it to 

the memory of Dim Chukwuemeka 

Odumegwu-Ojukwu, therefore, to strengthen 

Nigeria as an indivisible political entity where 

justice, peace, love, and unity reigns; where 

national interest is supreme; and where every 

Nigerian is free and able to actualise his or her 

legitimate dreams and aspirations unmolested 

in any part of the country, irrespective of 

religious, political, and tribal affiliations and 

origin. This is indeed the greatest honour and 

tribute he can get from us”. 

Also, Ojukwu left words on the marble at 

2nd The Sunday Newspaper (TSM) Diamond 

Lecture, which he delivered on February 22, 

1994. He said: “I do not deny the fact of 

secession in 1967 - this is a historical fact. What 

I deny is that the Igbo community to which I 

belong has been planning for SECESSION. 

Secession is not like COCAINE - it is not 

addictive. Today other people are feeling the 

pangs of what I felt some twenty-five years ago. 

These people have my sympathies. These 

people not having the guts to say so have 

continued to murmur the word in the hope 

that I will take up the refrain. I will not. Today 

I have more reasons to seek a better Nigeria”. 

Nevertheless, Ojukwu preferred the type of 

unity obtained in holy matrimony, one based 

•Ojukwu 

on social justice, not the unity of Jonah in the 

belly of the whale, as he described it. He said 

the former would lead to growth and happiness 

of citizenry, while the latter would only result 

in defecation – abortion of the nation. To him 

the extreme harms Nigeria’s failure to teach “Unity for Nigeria holds out the best chance 

history in our schools for many years has done for progress when that unity is a unity of 

to us. Going through picture and stories purpose…. Nigeria can most certainly remain 

published on 2nd Ojukwu Memorial Lecture one if oppression ceases and if the Nigerian 

organised by the Dim Chukwuemeka polity is adjusted to accommodate the 

Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, legitimate aspirations of every group in Nigeria 

Anamabra State, to mark his posthumous and if the members of every constituent group 

birthday, one read some comments pouring feel equal and secure in Nigeria”. 

invective on the organisers for decorating the By an “adjusted” Nigeria, Ikemba meant a 

birthday cake in Nigerian national colours. “restructured” Nigeria. Unfortunately, 

Obviously, they did not know or remember that whereas Ndigbo have continually declared 

Ojukwu was not only buried in the same their readiness to work for a united and 

colours, but was given a state burial by the restructured Nigeria as we saw at the Awka 

Federal Government. They did not know that Summit where they proffered a 10-point 

on return from exile in 1982, Ikemba joined template to that effect, the laissez-faire and 

the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) viewed as dismissive attitude of the Nigerian State to the 

a northern party instead of the Dr. Nnamdi sensibilities of Ndigbo and the urgent need to 

Azikiwe-led Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) restructure for a viable nation popularise 

viewed as an Igbo party. He also ran for the message and messengers of secession. But 

Senate on NPN platform. Ojukwu contested Ndigbo must ignore these messengers and fight 

for the Nigerian presidency on the platform of for that which Ikemba believed in- a 

APGA in 2003 and came third with 1,297,445 restructured Nigeria. 

votes. He vied again in 2007. His wife was With Igbo’s investments and populations 

also Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain. outside Igbo land unrivalled by any other tribe, 

Meanwhile, one does not think that Ojukwu with their enormous contributions to the 

nursed any illusions that the powers that be development of parts of the country other than 

would allow him to rule Nigeria. His actions their own unmatched by any other, Ndigbo 

were more symbolic than political – to make a have nothing more to prove as to their 

statement on his belief in Nigeria and to keep acceptance of Nigeria and commitment to her. 

Igbo’s equal stake in Nigeria alive. Nearest to The bible says that where a man’s treasure is, 

it in recent times was Senator Ike there also lies his heart. The real question is 

Ekweremadu’s decision to run for the Deputy whether Nigeria has accepted Ndigbo. And it 

Senate President in 2015 and 2019 when it is this feeling of exclusion among the Igbo 

became obvious that the Igbo had zoned Igbo masses that the pro-Biafra businessmen are 

APC members out of major political offices. feasting on. Instructively, Ndigbo do not 

Ojukwu’s commitment to Nigeria could demand a preferential treatment. All they 

further discerned from his widow at the earliermentioned 

memorial lecture. During her true political reintegration, and an enabling 

demand is justice, equity, level-playing ground, 

glowing tribute, she read in full Ekweremadu’s federal system to pursue their happiness, 

tribute to Ojukwu during his funeral seven years actaulise their potentials, and contribute to 

ago. According to her, the tribute not only national development- exactly what Ikemba 

eulogized, but also captured the person, wanted. Or is that too much for Ndigbo to ask 

essence, and ideologies of the ex-warlord. for? 

Excerpts of that tribute read: “Ezeigbo Nnabuchi lives in Awka 

think the supreme court will be different 

We remain very confident that we have a 

good case. We know that Sen Hope 

Uzodimma won the March governorship 

election in Imo state and we are confident 

that no matter how tortuous the road to Justice 

may be we will get there and Uzodimma’s 

guber victory shall be restored. The fact that 

the tribunal and majority of the appeal 

court Judges disagree does not really 

detract from the sacrosanct appeal of our 

case and it will never deter us. We are 

talking of omission of results from 388 

polling units which when added makes 

Uzodimma the winner of the governorship 

election 

Now at the tribunal results from these 

polling units were tendered and admitted 

as exhibits. All the agents of other political 

parties duly signed and authenticated these 

results. The police was subpoenaed by the 

tribunal and they brought copies of their own 

results which corroborated what we tendered.. 

Neither INEC nor PDP brought any other 

results to contradict what we tendered and 

which were accepted by the tribunal. As a 

matter of fact the tribunal ruled and admitted 

the results formally only to upturn it’s own 

ruling at judgement 

But the crux of the matter is that this is about 

omission of results and no amount of 

technicalities should sweep it under the carpet 

because any type of omission in our electoral 

process is like an abomination. This is why 

when a party’s logo is omitted in the ballot 

paper the election becomes a nullity. Omission 

of results of a candidate is no less serious 

because it is a very grievous matter and 

unpardonable. It’s akin to sin against the holy 

spirit, in Christendom, which is unforgivable. 

The only remedy is to add the omitted results 

for the candidate not to sweep them under 

the carpet of technicalities. The good news is 

that a senior appeal court Judge has given 

life to this position and we are strengthened by 

his courage to stand for the truth 

So we are hopeful that the supreme court 

will not allow such a grave issue as omission 

of results to be slaughtered and sacrificed on 

the altar of trumped up technicalities. To 

answer your question directly we are not 

deterred by the instances you have 

mentioned but are confident that Justice 

will be served at the end of the day 

Was INEC not in court? 

A Thank you for this question. Yes INEC 

was represented in court by a Director who 

actually admitted in court that elections 

held in the 388 units and that resulted were 

collated at the ward Level but omitted at 

LGA level 

Did he say why? 

He had no explanation for that 

But did he disclaim the results you 

tendered? 

A No he did not because he didn’t 

bring contrary results .Rather, he in fact 

identified our results as the correct results 

from the units 

But some Imo people think that you 

people should let Ihedioha be because it 

is the turn of owerri zone to be governor 

This is unnecessary sentiment which 

falls flat on the face of reason. Imo people 

voted for Uzodimma across the three geo 

political zones in the state. I think what 

Imo people need is good governance not 

government by zone. So let’s leave the 

sentiments and face reality


Sterling Bank partner 

tners Icreate e to 

create e 5m jobs in fiv 

ive year 

ears 

Stories by Moses Nosike 

Sequel to the successful hosting 

of Icreate Africa Skills Festival 

in Kaduna and Enugu regions, 

Sterling Bank Plc and other 

sponsors of the project have 

concluded arrangement to host the 

grand finale of the second edition 

in Lagos next month. 

Speaking at a press in Lagos to 

announce details of the event, Chief 

Client Engagement Officer of 

Sterling Bank, Mr. Moronfolu 

Fasinro, said that the bank is 

partnering with Icreate Africa 

because it is committed to solving 

the unemployment challenge on the 

African continent. 

Fasinro said that the way to 

resolve the unemployment 

challenge going forward is through 

skills acquisition by youths rather 

than focusing on white-collar jobs. 

“We know that youth employment 

is a key part of creating a society 

that is harmonious and productive.” 

He noted that vocational jobs are 

what move an economy in its dayto-day 

operations and Icreate was 

bringing various people together to 

work on how to change the 

narrative about the labour market. 

“We are very happy to partner 

with Icreate to produce this sort of 

opportunity so that these people 

could change the face of 

employment on the continent in the 

future. 

Also speaking, Founder and Chief 

Executive Officer (CEO) of Icreate 

Africa Skills Festival, Mr. Bright 

Jaja, explained that it was clear to 

him at the beginning of the journey 

that the idea of the festival was 

different, unique and would 

probably not make sense to a lot of 

people. “But we were consistent 

Tell us all about Tingo Airline and 

why you decided to venture into 

aviation business? 

Tingo airlines was created to cater 

for the unique needs of African 

travelers, providing them with a 

familiar, safe, comfortable and 

affordable means of connecting to 

cities in Europe, America, and other 

destinations. 

Venturing into aviation business 

involves a lot of money, are you into 

partnership to ensure seamless and 

quality service delivery? 

Yes, we have our own funds and 

as well have partnered with 

renowned global institutions 

involved in financing businesses 

like aviation to ensure that seamless 

operations and longevity of the 

airline. 

We want you to talk about its 

registration and method of 

operation? 

Tingo Airlines is currently 

registered under the laws of 

England and Wales and is in the 

process of obtaining our UK Air 

Operator’s Certificate(AOC). We are 

also in the process of establishing 

our presence locally in Nigeria 

because we understood the concept 

and background, having done a 

thorough research on the 

employment situation in Nigeria 

and we realised that the only 

solution to the challenge was to 

rebrand jobs away from the 

existing perception and notion that 

if one is not a medical doctor, lawyer 

or an engineer, he has failed”. 

Jaja noted that over time, a lot of 

young people had to go through 

tertiary education under stress and 

depression even though they knew 

that was not what they were 

interested in. 

He added that the objective of 

Icreate was to create five million 

jobs in five years by empowering 

about one million people who 

would, in turn, employ at least five 

We are counting on 

experience to make 

the difference 

erence —Charles 

Omiete Iyenemi Charles is the Acting CEO, Tingo 

Airline Limited. He is an airline pilot professional 

with over twelve years of experience in the 

aviation industry in various capacities including 

operational and management. In the pursuit of 

knowledge also, he became an IT professional 

and as well an entrepreneur. 

In this interview with Nosike Moses he 

discussed the challenges of aviation business 

in Nigeria and the way forward. 

L-R: Managing Director, The La Casera Company, Mr Chinedum 

Okereke; 43” Smart TV Winner of La Casera Refresh and Connect 

promo, Mr Izuagbe Emmanuel Achagaba, and La Casera Dealer, 

Mrs Nkiru Nwafor during the prize presentation of the first Grand 

Draw in Port Harcourt. 

through a 

strategic 

partnership 

with our 

Nigerian 

airline 

partners and 

intend to 

massively 

disrupt the 

Nigerian 

market with 

the Tingo 

brand. 

We will 

operate a 

mix fleet 

of Airbus 

A330, 

Airbus 

A321, Embraer E190, Gulfstream 

G650, and Boeing 737F freighters. 

Currently we have acquired an 

Airbus A321 which is currently 

being painted in the airline’s livery, 

with five more aircraft on order. 

We also intend to start skeletal 

operations at the end of the month 

and commence full operations from 

next year. 

How are you positioning to face 

challenges in the aviation industry 

people in their businesses. 

He said, “the strategy is to 

rebrand the way society perceives 

vocational skills and get young 

people to be interested or attracted 

to what they have passion for in the 

overall interest of the economy. 

The Icreate Skills competition is 

a platform that promotes skills 

excellence, showcases skills 

standards and careers, 

demonstrates benchmarks of 

excellence in teaching and learning 

and creates interest in public sector 

agencies and private organisations 

to invest in skills development. 

Malissa Onojo, one of the 

champions of Icreate said the 

competition has exposed and 

helped her to be very confident and 

proud of her trade as a fashion 

designer. 

Charles 

especially our environment? 

Some of the major problems 

affecting Nigerian carriers is a 

paucity of access to things like 

financing, foreign exchange for 

procurement of equipment and 

parts, and inability to procure 

airplanes. Due to our unique 

position as an international 

company, we have access to 

resources that will mitigate these 

factors. 

Hayat Kimya’s top brands win big 

at ADVAN Awards 2019 

I 

t was a day of big harvest for Hayat Kimya Nigeria Limited last weekend at the 

2019 Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN) Awards for Marketing 

Excellence where its flagship brand, MOLFIX baby diaper and its new sanitary 

pads brand, MOLPED emerged winners in five categories. 

The event, which is the most prestigious awards in the Nigerian marketing 

community, saw MOLFIX bagging back-to-back, the biggest award of the night: 

Brand of the Year West Africa. 

For the third time since 2017, the product also emerged, winner, Experiential 

Marketing, while it also came top in the Corporate Social Responsibility category. 

In the Digital Marketing category, it came second, just like MOLPED, in the 

New Brand category. 

Managing Director, Hayat Kimya Nigeria, Mr. Hakan Misri, maintained that 

the harvest of awards is a testimony to the quality of the top-range brands coming 

out of Hayat Kimya. 

He added for instance that MOLPED Sanitary Pads which was launched into 

the Nigerian market in April 2019, has changed the narrative of the feminine 

care category in Nigeria as it has enjoyed growing presence in traditional and 

modern trade channels. 

ADVAN First Vice President, Bridget Adeniba affirmed that the Awards winners 

are acknowledged “as industry leaders and named the elite in their industry.” 

She added that the ADVAN Awards have evolved over the years in response to 

new developments in marketing theory and practice, to reflect the growing 

appreciation of the critical role of marketing as the vital source of value creation 

for business. 

Chivita 100% wins Most Innovative Juice Brand 

L 

eading fruit juice brand, Chivita 100% has won the Most Innovative Fruit 

Juice Brand of the Year Award at the recently held 2019 Marketing World 

Awards. 

The award re-affirms the brand’s dominance in the Nigerian fruit juice segment 

and is seen as a deserved recognition for the brand’s category leadership which 

it has earned through superior product quality and its innovative approach at 

deepening conversations on the role of 100% fruit juice in daily wellness. 

According to Akin Naphtal, CEO, Instinct Wave, organizers of the Marketing 

World Awards, Chivita 100% Fruit Juice has demonstrated a commitment to 

excellence and an uncommon innovativeness for market leadership. 

“In the last 12 months, through monthly advocacy and engagements, Chivita 

100% has been at the forefront of enlightening and promoting daily the fruit 

juice consumption for everyday wellness. The brand’s October 17th celebration 

of Chivita World Juice Day, the first of its kind in Nigeria, was a highpoint and 

competitive edge for recognition in this category”. 

The Marketing World Awards celebrates brands, organizations and individuals 

that have delivered superior product values to the market and exhibited excellence 

in upholding concrete marketing strategies. 

Speaking on the award, Managing Director, Chi Limited, Mr. Deepanjan 

Roy commended and appreciated the organizers for recognizing Chivita 100%’s 

strides in innovativeness for market leadership. 

“We would continue to ensure the innovative excellence which has seen 

Chivita 100% win the Most Innovative Juice Brand of the Year Award. This 

award is a recognition of our efforts at taking the lead in superior product 

quality and drive for awareness on the role of 100% fruit juice in everyday 

wellness”. 

Ideal for health, nutrition and refreshment, Chivita 100% is made from real 

natural fruits with no added sugar or preservatives. 

Nestoil Boss reminisces 

on early beginnings, unveils 

new corporate identity 

he Group Managing Director, Nestoil Group, Dr Ernest Azudialu- 

TObiejesi, on Thursday, walked a gathering of audience comprising 

industry leaders, traditional leaders, media professionals through the 

journey of the company, noting that vision and a daring spirit were the 

most valuable assets it had 28 years ago when it started in a one- room 

office at Idumagbo, Lagos. 

Dr. Azudialu-Obiejesi spoke at the Civic Centre, Lagos, during the 

unveiling of the company’s new corporate identity, which includes a new 

logo and tag line – ‘delivering exceptional value’. The event was witnessed 

by an ex-Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; the Ooni of Ife, His 

Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; His Royal Majesty, 

Emeka Okezie, Oka Ije II of Okija and several other personalities. 

In his speech entitled ‘The Beginning – An Unlikely Vision’ described 

the making of Nestoil as “the story of impossibility made possible,” 

buttressing his statement with Napoleon Hill’s famous quote: ‘Whatever 

the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve’. 

According to him, the company held tenaciously to the grand vision of 

building a world-class business that is rooted in innovation and 

leadership against all odds. “The birthing of Nestoil did not fit into the 

grand nature of what it is today. The company faced enormous setbacks 

when it started but chose to believe and pursue its vision with absolute 

commitment. 

“We had a vision to grow a value chain linkage across the oil and gas 

industry starting with engineering, procurement, construction and 

commissioning services. We started at a time when the industry was 

dominated by international service companies who had experience, 

technical know-how and access to funds, which could not be matched by 

indigenous startups like us. Ours was, indeed, an audacious vision without 

corporate muscle, track record or financial wherewithal. Yet, we chose to 

believe in that vision, and not only believe in the vision but to fight for 

that vision and to bring it to pass. The celebrated entrepreneur said the 

new corporate identity unveiling represents focus, determination and 

vision”. 

Globally recommended facilities 

are necessary in aviation 

business, how prepared are you? 

We also through our 

partnerships will invest in 

aviation infrastructure, as a way 

of improving and increasing 

capacity and also to generate 

revenue for the airline. We are in 

consultations on plans to build and 

operate a passenger terminal to 

provide a better experience for the 

flying public. 

How do you ensure quality 

personnel recruitment to achieve 

your set goals and competition? 

We have hired the services of a 

world renowned aviation personnel 

consultant in conjunction with our 

capable in-house human resources 

team to ensure only the best 

individuals are hired to work for 

Tingo Airlines. 

Tell us some challenges of 

aviation business in Nigeria and 

what do you think is the way 

forward? 

As highlighted earlier, there is a 

serious lack of access to funding 

and equipment and an environment 

that is not so friendly to airline 

operators, but things seem to be 

improving and we are optimistic the 

Nigerian aviation industry will get 

there eventually.

2019 Lagos Women Run: 

Celebration of healthy living and tourism 

•Cheptoeck-Careen, winner of the 2019 Lagos Women Run 

By Jacob Ajom 

The 2019 Lagos Women Run 

held Saturday, November 9 

scored many firsts and to say 

the least a huge success. The 

10km race saw a huge leap in 

participants, from about 17,000 

that took part the previous year 

to over 35,000 this year. 

Prominent among the 

participants was the wife of the 

Lagos State Governor, Mrs 

Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who flagged 

off the race from the National 

Museum, Onikan; the first flag off 

by a First Lady. 

And for the very first time, in its 

four year history, the 2019 Lagos 

Women Run race opened its doors 

to participants from outside of 

Nigeria. The race was eventually 

won by a Kenyan athlete, 

Cheptoek Careen, who returned 

a time of 28 mins 55 secs. She was 

followed by Deborah Pam and 

Elizabeth Nuhu Power both from 

Plateau State, Nigeria. 

Careen, the champion got 

N750,000 for her effort while the 

first and second runners up got 

N500,000 and N300,000 

respectively. There were also 

prizes in the veterans category. 

Beyond the monetary gains, the 

biggest benefit to all the 

participants was their 

involvement in a new movement 

which places importance on 

healthy living through sport. 

Initiator of the annual race, a 

former athlete(Martial Aets), 

Tayo Popoola said the motive was 

to engender mass participation of 

women in sports. “This is aimed 

at building a helathy society and 

the benefits are enormous both to 

the individual and the entire 

society.” 

With emphasis on healthy living, 

organisers arranged for free 

special medical checks for willing 

participants. Most of them 

underwent check ups on breast 

cancer and their HIV status/ 

Perhaps, one of the sectors that 

gained quiet tremendously from 

the 2019 Lagos Women Run was 

the tourism sector. The race was 

deliberately routed through 

iconic places of interest in Lagos. 

From the starting point, which 

was the National Meseum, 

through the Muson Centre, Race 

Course, Apangbo, the National 

Theatre, Costain, the National 

Stafium and terminated at the 

Teslim Balogun Stadium in 

Surulere. 

“The race was excellent,” said 

the champion, Cheptoek Careen, 

after the event. She told Sports 

Vanguard that she was impressed 

by the level of organisation but 

was quick to attribute her “easy” 

victory to the absence of other 

Kenyans or east Africans gnerally. 

“I actually believe the absence of 

my fellow east Africans made the 

victory more assured for me and I 

enjoued the course,” she said, 

adding jovially, “the Abeokuta 

race was tougher and I don’t think 

this(Lagos Race) was up to 

10kms.” 

The Kenyan who finished 

second at the maiden JAC Motors 

Abeokuta Road Race told our 

Abeokuta Golf Club honours Alake, 

take to the course 

The 14th Coronation 

Anniversary Golf Tournament 

takes place today at the Abeokuta 

Golf Club, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta 

has reached an advanced stage. 

The competition which is 

promoted by the club and 

sponsored by the Oil Giants, 

Oando Plc, is featuring no fewer 

than one hundred amateur golfers 

from different golf clubs within the 

South-West zone, and other parts 

of the country. 

Captain of the club, Adewale 

Adeogun revealed that the 

tournament was organised to 

commemorate the fourteenth 

anniversary of the coronation of 

His Royal Majesty Oba Adedotun 

Gbadebo Okukenu IV CFR, Alake 

and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland. 

Furthermore, the captain 

disclosed that the golf course is in 

good shape, adding that this 

edition would be better organised 

than the previous editions. “We 

have received enormous support 

from Oando, being the main 

sponsor of the tournament, and it 

is anticipated that to whom much 

is given, much is expected. 

“Over a hundred golfers across 

Nigeria are taking part,” he said, 

adding that the tournament was to 

honour and celebrate Kabiyesi, on 

the 14th coronation anniversary of 

his ascending the throne.” 

He stated: “It is an amateur 

tournament comprising of men’s 

and ladies categories, veteran and 

super veteran in both categories. 

•Tayo Popoola 

reporter that after the Abeokuta 

race, she went to Jos, Plateau State 

and trained for four days for the 

Lagos race. “Jos is a very good 

place to train for long distance 

races. It is a place with the right 

weather condition and the 

topography there is right for the 

sport. She advised any Nigerian 

who want to make it in long 

distance race to establish a camp 

in Jos for the special training. 

Careen said Lagos was 

beautiful, “but very hot. I also 

enjoyed the food but the only 

problem I had was too much 

peper.” 

One of the highpoints of the 

2019 Lagos Women Day Run was 

the participation of the Oluwaseyi 

sisters. Bimpe(10) and 

Damilola(8) went the entire 

course and breasted the tape 

before most adults who ran 

alongside them. With their father, 

Abioye Oluwaseyi behind them, 

the two kids stunned other 

participamts, “They showed 

determination and a high level of 

endurance that was far beyond 

their ages,” one of the runners 

said, while appraising their 

performance. But their father, 

Abioye said he was not surprised 

because the girls started running 

as soon as they knew how to walk. 

“I am an athlete. It happens that 

each time I left home to train, they 

cry until I come back. They 

always want to train with me, so I 

decided they go out with me for 

training each time I have a 

session.” 

The elder of the two sisters, 

Bimpe said she was excited 

finishing the race. “I wanted to 

finish first but I failed. Maybe next 

time,” she said with optimism. 


Remo Ultra Race: African Ultra Runners president 

commends Gov. Abiodun 

The president of the African 

Association of Ultra Runners, 

Chief Solomon Ogba, has 

commended the Executive 

•Azeez 

•Chukwueze 

Governor of Ogun State, Mr. Dapo 

Abiodun, for his giant strides 

towards sports development in just 

a few months after getting into 

office. 

The former president of the 

Athletics Federation of Nigeria, 

was full of plaudits for the governor 

for accepting to host the first ever 

African Ultra Race Championship 

in Ogun State. 

“The Ogun State government 

has been so supportive and has 

given us all the cooperation to 

ensure a successful hosting of the 

African Championship on 

December 7, 2019. 

“Dapo Abiodun, showed us great 

understanding of his knowledge 

about sports development. This has 

spurred us on to strongly believe 

that, the Valuejet Remo 50km 

Ultra Race would in a very short 

time become one of the best in the 

world, especially as Ogun state is 

hosting the very first edition in the 

African continent.” 

Ogba, who is currently a board 

member of the AFN, noted that, the 

success of the first edition of the 

JAC Motors Abeokuta 10km Road 

Race on November 2, 2019 was a 

By Jacob Ajom 

The Nigeria Boxing Federation 

has floated a national league 

which will see boxing clubs 

competing among each other on a 

fortnightly basis. 

President of the Nigeria Boxing 

Federation General Kenneth 

Minimah(rtd) told a packed-full 

hall at the seminar which was 

organised as part of preparations 

to usher in the Nigeria Series 

Boxing that what they were 

introducing would become a 

model for other countries to 

emulate. 

“To be the first in anything is a 

lifetime achievement,” he told the 

participants, adding, “our 

objective is to keep our boxers in a 

combative mood and enhance the 

country’s medal chances at 

international tournaments.” 

He also counted the gains the 

country stood to make when the 

league begins in December. “The 

scheme would ensure boxing 

great indicator that the December 

7, 2019 Valuejet 50km Remo Ulta 

Race will be a huge success. 

“The president of the 

International Association of Ultra 

Runners, Nadeem Khan, came 

from the United States of America 

to witness the Abeokuta 10km 

Road Race, and he was marvelled 

at the commitment of the Ogun 

State government towards sports 

development. 

Nigeria Boxing Federation floats 

league 

•To kick off December 7 

By Ben Efe 

aLiga Delegate in Nigeria, 

LGuillermo Perez Castello 

has backed Nigerian stars 

Samuel Chukwueze and 

Ramon Azeez to make great 

impact in the 2020 season. 

Chukwueze has not been 

able to replicate the form that 

saw him soar high last season 

with Villareal, and Azeez after 

a bright start for Granada 

seems to have faded out of the 

spotlight. But according to 

Castello who spoke in Lagos 

on Thursday, the two players 

have potentials to do well in a 

very competitive Spanish 

LaLiga this season. 

“Chukwueze and Azeez are 

playing in a LaLiga that is very 

•Ogba 

becomes popular as the media will 

be writing stories on the boxers 

every week. Apart from increase in 

media interest, the programme 

will bring about more career 

boxing trainers, more youths will 

take to boxing and the country 

would be better for it.” 

The League will take off with 

four clubs nmaely the Navy Boxing 

Club(Sea Warriors), Rock Boxing 

Club from Abeokuta, Ogun state, 

Delta Force and the Eko Boxing 

Club of Lagos. 

According to a technical official 

of the federation, each club will 

present eight boxers both male and 

female in each weight category. 

They will fighting on home and 

away basis every two weeks. “In 

this pilot edition, the whole teams 

will have to fight in Lagos but still 

on the home and away theory. 

From next year, they can be 

travelling to different parts of the 

country to fight their opponents,” 

the official said. 

Chukwueze, Azeez will sparkle in 

LaLiga, says Castello 

competitive this season,” 

“I expect them to bring out their 

best as the games get more exciting 

and unpredictable.” 

Castello stated that the LaLiga is 

proving to be the best league in the 

world based on the out come of the 

matches that have been decided so 

far. 

“It is important for a league to be 

competitive, hence the reason we are 

proud of the turn 

of events this season. With teams 

like Granada and Real Sociedad 

fighting to be at the top of the 

table, the games are getting more 

exciting. 

“We want to let Nigerians know 

that Spanish soccer is much more 

than just Real Madrid and 

Barcelona as LaLiga has so many 

strong teams all fighting to be at the 

top of the table.”


By Jacob Ajom 

There is a big gap between 

Super Eagles Team A and the 

CHAN Eagles. This is best 

underlined by the results being 

posted by the two Eagles. One set of 

Eagles is so super and the other is so 

so low. While the Super Eagles Team 

A are made up of foreign based 

players, the CHAN Eagles are 

peopled by players who ply their 

trade in the domestic league. Of late, 

there has been a growing call for the 

inclusion of home-based players in 

the main national team which is 

managed by Coach Gernot Rohr. This 

has put a lot of pressure on coach 

Rohr whose continuous indifference 

to the fate of the local players in the 

main Eagles is beginning to irritate 

even his employers, the Nigeria 

Football Federation. 

Right now the coach is in contract 

talks with the NFF and insiders say 

the aspect of having home based 

players in the national team is 

rearing its head in the negotiations. 

We could not, however confirm the 

validity of such talks or the actual 

position of the football house on the 

matter. 

Be that as it may, Rohr is never 

afraid to discuss the issue, each time 

he is faced with questions on the 

matter. After the Super Eagles came 

from behind to beat the Squirrels of 

Benin Republic in Uyo, a reporter 

asked when Nigerians will start 

seeing their home stars shine for the 

Super Eagles. Rohr's answer was 

sharp and short. “The Super Eagles 

standard is too high for any homebased 

to match now,” he said. 

One may be tempted to sympathise 

with the German tactician as one is 

aware that the Nigeria Professional 

Football League which went on 

recess since May this year and have 

been battling challenges that have 

badly affected its standard. They just 

just resumed about two weeks ago. 

Most of the players have been match 

rusty. Nigerian teams in continental 

competitions have suffered one form 

of indignity or another. CHAN 

Eagles failed to move from the group 

stages of WAFU Cup of Nations in 

Senegal, They lost the CHAN ticket 

to Togo and the U-23 Eagles failed to 

qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Fivetime 

world champions, the Golden 

Eaglets put up an embarrassing 

show in Brazil and were eliminated 

from the U-17 World Cup like 

beginners in the game. Nigeria 

football has actually suffered its worst 

decline in recent years. It shows 

clearly that without a solid league, 

there cannot be a good national team. 

With these antecedents, could 

anything good come out of the 

domestic league? Should Rohr be 

armtwisted to selecting from players 

that would go to the national team to 

start learning some basic elements of 

the game of football? Which area in 

the present Super Eagles squad can 

a home based star do better than any 

of the foreign based stars? 

Former assistant coach of the Super 

Eagles, Sylvanus Okpala is 

disagreeing with Rohr on the quality 

of home based players. He is 

insisting that the Nigeria 

Professional Football League still has 

some very good players that can hold 

their own anywhere, anytime, “if 

given proper training.” 

Going back memory lane, to when 

Nigeria won her last AFCON trophy 

in South Africa, Okpala said, 

“Stephen Keshi and I did it in 2013 

when we took five home-based 

players to South Africa and won the 

tournament.” 

He explained, “we brought them 

in. I for one, encouraged Keshi and 

we gave them intensive training 

alongside their foreign based 

counterparts. What we achieved was 

beyond anybody's imagination. 

Again Eagles took them to the World 

Cup in Brazil and we got to the 

•Okpala 

Stephen Keshi 

and I did it in 

2013 when we 

took five homebased 

players 

to South Africa 

and won the 

tournament. 

second round. We can still find some 

in Nigeria who can do well, if they 

are given the chance. All they require 

is training.” 

Okpala said his grouse with Rohr, 

who he observed, “was a very good 

coach,” is that he does not want to 

take responsibility. He always 

appears dodgy, and attempts 

distancing himself from poor results 

instead of him to stand by his players. 

“Look at the case of Akpeyi whom 

Rohr blamed for Algeria's 1-0 victory 

over the Super Eagles in the semi 

final of the 2019 AFCON. Today he is 

back as his number 1. Why did he 

bring him back if he was not good? 

“I want to say it here again, 

because I have said it before, the free 

kick scored by Ryadh Marhez at the 

Nations Cup semi final match was 

•Amapakabo 

Rohr: Super Eagles' 

standard too 

high for home-base 

players 

•Okpala disagrees, counsels him 

not due to Akpeyi's fault. It was 

bound to happen because, as a 

former free kick specialist, I can tell 

you that a set piece from that position 

has a 99.5% chance of conversion. 

The goalkeeper has only .5% chance 

of stopping it. The blame should 

rather go to the player who fouled 

the Algerian at that dangerous point. 

But I don't blame individual players 

when a team loses. It is a collective 

game. Football is not about an 

individual player. For Rohr to have 

dropped Akpeyi from the team after 

AFCON meant he actually felt 

Akpeyi was culpable, which was 

wrong.” 

Head coach of the Squirrels of 

Benin Republic, Michel Dussuyer 

was sympathetic with his Nigerian 

counterpart when he advised 

Nigerians to have confidence in their 

coach. Said he, “let the coach decide 

who plays for the country. The best 

should represent the country, not 

whether you are based at home or 

not. Nigerians must respect the 

judgement of the coach because he is 

here to achieve results.” 

Imama Amapakabo has failed our footba 

By John Egbokhan 

o other Nigerian football coach 

Nhas failed to achieve the 

simplest of tasks like Imama 

Amapakabo has done in recent history. 

\The 50 year old has punched far 

below his weight in the national 

assignments he has been saddled with, 

failing on all three fronts, the CHAN 

qualification, WAFU Nations Cup and 

2019 U-23 AFCON, which also 

served as the qualifying series 

for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. 

Failure by the men's 

football team to qualify 

for next summer's 

Games, from which 

they won bronze 

the last time out in 

Rio Olympics, the 

only medal that 

Team Nigeria got 

at the biggest 

multi-sports fiesta. 

For many football purists, it is 

inconceivable that Nigeria will not be 

playing in the Olympics, from which 

the Dream Team famously won Africa's 

first soccer gold at the 1996 Games in 

Atlanta. 

Between 1996 and now, Nigeria failed 

to qualify for the Olympics twice, 2004 

and 2012 and the upcoming 2020 edition 

in Tokyo, with the latest coming under 

Amapakabo's watch. 

In situating how Amapakabo has 

punched way below his weight and 

should not be allowed to stay a day more 

in the position of national U-23 team 

coach, one only needs to recall how the 

former Rangers gaffer failed last month 

to qualify the Super Eagles B Team for 

the 2020 African Nations Championship. 

No thanks to Amakapabo, the Local 

Eagles side were shock casualties in the 

CHAN qualifying series last month, 

despite a 2-0 home victory over Togo in 

the second leg of their regional tie. 

Sikiru Alimi scored twice in Lagos 

for the Super Eagles B team, but it was 

not enough as Togo qualified for the 

finals 4-3 on aggregate. All thanks to 

Amapakabo lack of tactical guile, this 

will be the first appearance that Togo 

will qualify for the tournament,, which 

is restricted to footballers who play in 

their country of birth. 

Nigeria, losing finalists in the 2018 final, 

were seeking a fourth consecutive 

appearance at the biennial 16-nation 

championship. They needed to find the 

back of the net at least three times, without 

shipping in any, after a shock 4-1 first 

leg loss in Lome but because of 

Amapakabo, who lacked the x-factor, they 

missed out on the ticket, thereby denying 

this set of players the opportunity to 

showcase themselves at the CHAN 

tournament next year, from where better 

offers from foreign clubs can be gotten 

by deserving ones. 

As if that was not enough, 

Amapakabo's team also suffered an 

embarrassing early exit at the regional

d 

ll 

•Aribo 

•Okoye 

Wafu Cup tournament in October, 

losing to Togo in Thies, Senegal. 

The final straw that broke 

Amapakabo's back unfolded last 

weekend in Egypt, where the team 

played a barren draw with South Africa 

to crash out of the 2019 U-23 AFCON, 

which serves as the qualifying series 

for next year's Olympics in Tokyo. 

Three missions, three failures and 

Amapakabo has found himself in the eye 

of the storm, with no serious minded 

person begging for him to be retained at 

the helm. Despite his efforts to defend 

himself, Amapakabo's job is untenable 

and his employers, the Nigeria Football 

Federation (NFF) should lay him off and 

stop any further defence of someone who 

represents the face of failure. With 

another coach in charge, the story would 

have been different for the CHAN 

Eagles, WAFU Team and national U-23 

side, who were all led ingloriously to the 

slaughter ground by Amapakabo's lack 

of match-reading and poor tactical 

depth. 

On hindsight, the NFF should have 

known better not to hire Amapakabo 

in the first place, given the way 


Aribo, new Eagles sensation speaks 

on his debut .Says I'll never compare myself with Okocha 

By Jacob Ajom 

Joseph Oluwaseyi Temitope Ayodele-Aribo made his first competitive appearance for Nigeria when the Super Eagles took on the 

Squirrels of Benin Republic in a 2021 AFCON Qualifier in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on November 13. Although Aribo is young both in 

age and in his international career, a lot was expected of the Rangers of Scotland midfielder. In his two previous appearances for 

the Super Eagles, Aribo had been consistent in his performances, scoring a goal each in the friendly matches against Ukraine 

and Brazil. 

Born 21 July 1996, Aribo has shown glimpses of a great footballer that could be depended upon by his coaches, team 

mates and countrymen. Apart from the goals he has scored for the Super Eagles against very difficult opponents, Aribo is 

a midfield general whose combination with Ndidi has given the team a lot depth and an attacking edge. He compliments 

the strikers as the likes of Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze have found an exciting partner who comes at defenders 

headlong. 

In Uyo, Aribo was a surprise inclusion in the starting line up as he had just arrived the Akwa Ibom state capital 

barely 24 hours before the match. “I spoke with him in the morning of the match day and he said he could start,” 

Coach Rohr had said, in a post match briefing in Uyo. And Aribo did not disappoint. He was indeed, a marvel to 

watch. And the Uyo crowd appreciated the efforts of the newest Eagle who they a re bound to see many more times. 

Aribo obliged Sports Vanguard a brief interview at the Le Meridien Hotel, Uyo, just before they jetted out to 

Maseru, Lesotho. Excerpts 

It was your first game in 

Nigeria, did you feel any 

jitters? 

I wouldn't say jitters, but 

nerves. I felt nerves. 

Nerves, at times, are good 

because it was the first time 

in front of every one. I knew they may 

have seen me play previous games but 

this was different, playing in front of them 

live. You just want to impress and play 

well so that they could have good things 

to say about you. 

Before you came to Nigeria for the 

game what were you expecting and 

did you meet your expectations? 

Yes I knew it, I know how the fans in 

Nigeria love football. So I expected it 

and it wasn't a big shock to me. 

Except for those who are 

following European football, you 

just emerged from nowhere and 

suddenly you are playing for the 

Super Eagles. Who is Joe Aribo? 

I am just a quiet humble person 

who keeps to himself. I am a shy 

person who doen't like going outside. I had been 

at Charlton from 18 to 22 and now I play for 

Glasgow Rangers after signing for them this 

summer. 

After your games against Ukraine and Brazil, 

one thought you were going to be the 

playmaker for the Super Eagles for a long time 

to come. You have heard of others who played 

that role in the past like Austin Jay Jay Okocha, 

Etim Esin, Henry Nwosu among others. Are 

you in any way comparing yourself with any of 

these all-time greats? 

I will never compare myself with Okocha 

because everyone knows how good he was. I 

would just like to be the best I can and for people 

to say he is very good. And he earned the right to 

wear the jersey he is wearing. 

How do you see your future in the Super 

Eagles? 

I hope that we will play in many tournaments 

and progress as far as possible in these 

tournaments. We have a good team between us 

and that being the case, I would like to play for 

Nigeria for many years to come. 

Were you at any point torn between playing 

for Nigeria and any other country? 

No. Never, because I knew what I wanted 

to do from the onset. The backing from the 

fans and the culture made it easier for me to 

want to play for Nigeria. 

After having your first feel of African 

football against Benin, how would you rate 

it? 

I knew they would be a strong opposition 

and it's nothing I am not used to. It was not a 

shock to me. It is a good standard and they 

shocked us by scoring an early goal, but we 

just had to keep calm and came back into 

the game and did all we could to get the 

win. 

Did you ever feel fatigued from jetlag 

before the game? 

Not really. But it is hard ofcourse, when 

you play a game on Sunday and you got to 

travel a long distance a few days after. But it 

was not really a problem to me. 

You said you are going to have a long spell 

with the Super Eagles. When you finally 

decide to hang your boots, what would you 

want Nigerians to remember you for? 

I want to win laurels with Super Eagles 

— Maduka Okoye 

Youthful Super Eagles 

goalkeeper Maduka 

Okoye has not lost his 

Nigerianness even as he 

has spent all his life in 

Germany, his country of 

birth. The only thing he 

would have to learn all 

over again is how to cope 

with the hot tropical 

Nigerian weather. At 38 

degrees Celsius the 20 yearl 

old Okoye said “it's like hell 

here. In Germany it is 8 

degrees. You can see what Iam 

going through,” he said, as he 

tries to dry his face with a face 

towel. 

Depite the heat, Okoye loves every 

bit of his stay in Nigeria. He loves the 

people and music. During his initiation 

after his arrival at the Super Eagles camp, he 

entertained with a song titled Madu by Nigerian 

Rangers almost drifted into relegation 

under his tutelage the season after he 

guided the Flying Antelopes to claim 

the NPFL title. That he led Rangers to 

win the biggest title in Nigerian 

football after 32 years called for big 

celebrations but his reputation 

dimmed the year after when Rangers 

flirted with relegation and it took his 

dismissal by the board of the Flying 

Antelopes for Rangers ship to be 

steadied again. 

In all fairness to the Amaju Pinnickled 

NFF board, Amapakabo was given 

all the tools required to qualify the U-23 

team for the Olympics but in retrospect, 

it seems the missing link was in his 

appointment. Maybe, the footballgoverning 

body felt that with Amapakabo 

being named among Coach Gernot 

Rohr's assistants that the feel-good factor 

would rub off positively on the 50 yearold 

Nigerian gaffer but that certainly did 

not happen as he messed up big time. 

And the painful aspect of this is that 

Amapakabo has not been man enough 

to eat the humble pie and accept that 

he the blame for the trio of failures the 

artiste, Kizz Daniel. “That was what I sang to entertain 

the players during my initiation,” he said. 

Looking back when he started playing football, 

Okoye said, “may be four or five years old. I started as 

a striker. One day our goalkeeper was having cold and 

couldn't keep. Our academy coach called on me to keep. 

From that day I have never left the posts again.” 

Maduka Okoye is having a swell time as a footballer. 

What else is there for a young professional playing in a 

lower league in Germany who is already having a rare 

opportunity of featuring in the Nigerian national team. 

“It's a dream come true for me to play for the national 

team of Nigeria. My target is to do well and win laurels 

with the Super Eagles. I want to make Nigerians proud 

and also make even those who did not believe in me 

happy.” 

Coach Gernot Rohr has scored high, in the aspect of 

scouting young talents of Nigerian origin, bringing 

them home to play for the country. The likes of Bryan 

Idowu, Jamiu Collins, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Joe Aribo 

among others came in as part of the coach's approach 

to national team building. It is clear he admires players 

who passed through European developmental models. 

national team recorded under his guidance. 

When the home Eagles side crashed out of the CHAN 2020 

qualification race, Amapakabo blamed the players for the loss, arguing 

that they were not able to implement his sophisticated tactics on the 

pitch. A similar script played out when the team exited the regional 

WAFU tournament in Senegal, with the former youth international 

attributing the blame on the rustiness of the players due to the late 

kick-off of the domestic league. 

And when the biggest fall happened at the weekend in Cairo, Egypt, the 

jammed up coach blamed it on ill-luck, noting that, ''we gave our all but 

were unlucky not to get to the semifinals of the tournament''. 

But for observers who have monitored the coach closely, the verdict is 

that he certainly does not have the temperament and know-how to handle 

any national team, making him the biggest flop of the Nigerian coaching 

scene. 

There is no need to give him any further chance to redeem his image as 

he is way behind what it takes to manage a national team, having given the 

worst possible advertisement for the local coaches by messing up the gains 

that the Pinnick-led NFF executive board has made in the last years, giving 

credence to the truism that he is surplus to requirement. 

And the NFF President would do himself a world of good to throw the 

baby and the bath water away quickly and stop defending a man who failed 

in all three tasks assigned to him. If Amapakabo has failed, then he should 

be shoved aside and replaced by a competent hands-on coach like Sylvanus 

Okpalla or Emmanuel Amuneke, two coaches who have proved beyond 

all reasonable doubts that they can pull the chestnut out of the fire at the 

shortest possible notice. 

Given the near hopeless situation in which 

Rohr found himself after the sudden 

retirement of Carl Ikeme due to illness the 

search for an immediate replacement began. 

In November 2017, Gernot Rohr talked 

about his plans to invite a young Nigerian 

goalkeeper with Fortuna Disseldoff 11, a 

second division team in Germany named 

Maduka Okoye to the Super Eagles. That 

was before the 2018 World Cup. The plan 

did not go through. 

In July 2019, Gernot Rohr, hinted that he is 

shifting his focus to Maduka as he looks to 

solve the goalkeeping crisis that had rocked 

his team since Carl Ikeme quit. 

In August Rohr invited Maduka for a 

friendly against Ukraine. The match was 

played on 10 September 2019 in Dnipro- 

Arena. He was an unused substitute. 

On 13 October 2019, Maduka Okoye 

made his international debut as a substitute 

in a friendly match against Brazil. 

He said that debute against Brazil was the 

highest and most memorable point of his 

football career so far “It was fantastic making 

such a huge start to international football. A 

pleasure to face world stars like Gabriel 

Jesus, Firminho, Courtinho among others. 

Indeed, it was a great moment for me.” 

On his part, Okoye said he had always 

been ready to play for Nigeria. “I have always 

been ready for Nigeria. My father was of 

big influence in my choice for where to 

commit my international future to. He told 

me 'everything is possible' and that is the 

spirit I come to the national team with,” 

Okoye told Sports Vanguard in Uyo. 

The 6 ft 6 goal tender said his areas of 

strength as a goalkeeper were his height, 

his presence between the sticks. “I like oneon-one 

duels,” he said, adding, “that brings 

out the best in me.” 

Okoye praised the Super Eagles defence 

line, which he admitted inspires him. “Super 

Eagles backline inspires me. They are great 

defenders in their own right.” 

He said the three golkeepers in the team 

complement eachother. “We are for eachother 

and work together for the good of the team.


Football versus Racism: 

One match that FIFA must win! 

Recent developments around rea it ugly head to deface the 

football, especially in beautiful game. 

Europe, reveal that FIFA may only Towards the end of his long reign 

be play acting and paying lip as president of FIFA, Mr. Sepp 

service to the issue of racism in Blatter, as part of his strategy to 

football. 

secure the support of the 53 African 

The body responsible for football football federations, set up a 

in the world, a sport that has tamed special task force to address the 

bridged human differences, issue of discrimination against 

including religion, has failed in the Black players around the world. 

battle against the worst scourge in The body was to investigate the 

human history – slavery. 

issue and make recommendations 

Racism is an extension of the to stem the tide of the growing 

vestiges of slavery, festering in a menace that is introducing a 

different form. 

dangerous new dimension to 

It is, indeed, a big shock that football. 

football, probably the most The case of Kevin-Prince 

powerful ‘weapon’ in the world, a Boateng, the Ghanaian 

simple game that has conquered international playing for Inter 

most known prejudices, has been Milan, triggered FIFA’s reaction. •Boateng 

largely ineffective against the Kevin had walked out of the field 

discrimination of Black persons in the middle of a friendly football 

(for that’s what racism really is) in match with Pro Patria, following Yaya Toure of Manchester City. 

the world of football. 

racial chants and abuse by some The task force met only three 

This is the 21st Century and spectators in 2013. His action was times in three and half years! 

racism is a reality on the football unprecedented. It could trigger an As soon as Giovanni Infantino 

grounds of several big and small avalanche should it escalate and became President of FIFA, the 

clubs and countries, particularly in become a new trend. 

body was terminated. FIFA 

Europe. The Black person is the Other Black players joined in the claimed that the task force had 

most affected by the scourge, either chorus of condemnation and completed its work and that all its 

as a pawn, a victim, or a hopeless called for action. 

recommendations had been 

onlooker in the battle of White and Sepp Blatter seized the moment and implemented. Nothing could be 

Coloured races. 

set up the Anti-Racism Task Force. farther from the truth. 

It appears that FIFA maybe Members of the adhoc body included According to Osasu’s report in 

treating the issue that is escalating South Africa’s Tokyo Sexwale, AIPS 2016, Lillian Thuram, a 1998 

and threatening the future of the President Gianni Merlo, FIFPRO’s World Cup winner for France, 

body and of football itself without Theo Van Seggelen, Football- wrote “I am extremely shocked 

the desired seriousness. 

Against-Racism-in-Europe, FARE’s that such an important 

Racism in absolute reality may President, and Howard Webb, former organization that can reach 

be targeted at all people of colour, renowned EPL Referee, international millions of people, especially 

but it is mostly at those of black Nigerian journalist, Osasu children, can say, in 2016, in this 

African descent, their dark skin the Obayiuwana and Kevin-Prince global political situation, that ‘the 

defining element. 

Boateng. 

job is done’, referring to the work 

Slavery would just not go away Some players were coopted into of the task force. 

from the human race. Some races the task force but could not The only things done by FIFA 

cannot easily shed prejudices contribute to the discussions were “‘stiff’ sanctions against clubs 

embedded in history, and accept because meetings coincided with and fans, and a program of 

that all men are equal. 

their match fixtures in their various education for global fans to 

FIFA should have tackled racism clubs, rendering their change their attitude and 

in football and eradicated it from contributions zero. They included eliminate prejudices”. 

the face and lexicon of world Serey Die, of Cote D’Ivoire, Jozy These yielded nothing. 

football immediately it started to Altidore, a USA International and Infantino’s words have not been 

Let’s catch them young! 

Last week, I was opportune to 

spend two days watching 

students from more than 50 

secondary schools in Lagos 

compete with each other at the 

Teslim Balogun Stadium during 

the 2nd edition of the Channels 

Track and Field Classics. 

The excitement in the air was 

palpable, and just watching these 

kids display their skills or the lack 

of it on the track brought back fond 

memories of my childhood, 

because my love for sports was 

ignited right from my primary 

school days when we used to 

participate in Physical Education 

classes and the usual inter-house 

sports. We all looked forward to 

those times because it was also an 

avenue to escape from class and 

just play for as long as we were 

allowed. 

Back then too it was normal for 

schools to have playing grounds 

and fields with enough space to 

run, play football or partake in any 

other physical activity that caught 

our interest. It was the same thing 

at home as we had enough space 

to indulge in as much physical 

activity as we had time for, such as 

riding bicycles, climbing trees and 

so on. So engaging in physical 

activity was a normal part of 

growing up back in the day. 

It is no coincidence that a lot of 

our Athletics greats were products 

of school sports: the Mary Onyalis, 

Falilat Ogunkoyas, Deji Alius, 

Glory Alozies, Yusuf Allis, Henry 

Amikes, Osmond and Davidson 

Ezinwa, and a host of others. Each 

of the above-mentioned 

individuals went on to dominate 

their events at the national and 

global level. 

These days, I see a lot of schools 

springing up all over the place 

without proper facilities, and with 

cramped buildings, leaving little 

or no place for the students to 

engage in physical activity. How 

then do we raise future champions 

for our country? I believe that it 

should be made mandatory for 

every school to have playing space 

for its wards, and for sports to be 

made an integral part of the 

curriculum for primary and 

secondary schools. 

In the words of Dr. Oluyomi 

Oluwasanmi, the Director, School 

Sports Directorate of the Lagos 

State Sports Commission (LSSC), 

“Apart from talent discovery and 

the empowerment School Sports 

provides, it is also a platform to 

reduce juvenile delinquency.” 

Indeed the benefits of catching 

them young far outweigh whatever 

perceived concerns there may be. 

Last week, it was enthralling to 

watch the boys and 

girls compete in the 

100m, 200m, 400m, 

800m, 100m 

Hurdles, 110m 

Hurdles, Shot Put, 

Long Jump, High 

Jump, 4x100m and 

4x400m relays. For 

some of these 

students, this was their first time of 

participating in events like the 

throws and hurdles, yet they braved 

all odds to make their efforts count. 

So many promising talents were 

unearthed, having been provided 

a platform to showcase their gifts 

and potential. Imagine the level of 

progress they will attain if they are 

properly groomed and trained by 

the right coaches. 

Take for instance 17-year old 

Olaolu Olatunde of Temple 

Secondary School who won the 

Boys’ 100m, 200m and Long Jump 

with 10.96sec, 22.16sec and 6.49m 

respectively. Or the lanky 15-year 

old Victoria Ejembi of Federal 

Government College Ijanikin who 

on her first attempt at doing the 

Long Jump, won the event with 

5.00m? She also finished 2nd in 

the Girls’ 100m and 200m 

respectively. Muhammed Kabiru 

backed by any strong resolve to do 

more than it is doing already. What 

followed were slaps on the wrist of 

perpetrators of these ugly acts, 

‘slaps’ too feeble to effect the kind 

of change that would halt the 

taunting of Black players, the 

chanting of monkey sounds and 

the depiction of ‘banana-eating’ in 

the African jungle. 

Why has racism defied every 

intervention of FIFA and is still 

festering in football? 

Osasu’s report written after the 

task force was dissolved in 2016, 

showed that although they went 

about their assignment seriously, 

three years down the line, they had 

to conclude that FIFA were not 

serious and the project was not 

designed by FIFA to succeed. 

I have reluctantly reached that 

same unfortunate but realistic 

conclusion - world football 

administration, like the rest of the 

world systems, is not designed so 

that any Black country or Black 

person should enjoy equality and 

succeed. Racism and 

discrimination are the major tools 

that can stop that actualization. 

European football is being 

blatantly and seriously inflicted 

with a fresh dose of Racism and 

discrimination. Racial chants and 

abuses are increasing and 

spreading to several countries 

beyond the most notorious ones of 

Russia, Italy, Spain, and a few 

others. 

On October 14, this year, against 

Bulgaria in Sofia, England’s 

Raheem Sterling and his other 

Black English colleagues, were 

victims of Nazi and racist chants 

by segments of the spectators. 

Such stories are becoming more 

rampant against the claim by FIFA 

that it is doing all it can to arrest 

the plague. 

The reality is that the Black 

person is not the most loved race 

in the world. Every other race 

claims and assumes intellectual 

superiority over them, even though 

the facts on ground and history 

stand those on the head. 

Simply put, racism in football is 

a continuation of 600 years of 

of State Senior High School 

placed 2nd in both the 100m and 

200m and also scooped Bronze in 

the Boys’ Long Jump. There was 

also the talented Alaere Peterside 

of Chrisland Secondary School 

who won the Girls’ High Jump 

event with 1.57m and also claimed 

a Silver medal in the Long Jump 

with a leap of 4.89m. 

I can go on and on about the 

many gifted athletes I saw, but then 

these questions got me thinking: 

what is next for these youngsters? 

Will there be more competitions 

slavery, colonialism, and neocolonialism 

against those of 

African descent. Blacks must 

appreciate this and change their 

attitude and strategy in fighting the 

ugly scourge. 

They must not allow racism to 

establish any firm roots in the last 

and powerful frontier - football. 

FIFA’s professed efforts have not 

yielded positive results because 

they are not designed to do so. 

Otherwise, why would the power 

of football, the power that Nelson 

Mandela professed in 1995 could 

change the world, fail when 

deployed to get rid of racism in 

football? The weapon is not well 

deployed. 

FIFA, represented mostly by 

people of the dominant race in the 

world, lack the cultural will to 

undertake this effective 

deployment. So they bluff and play 

games. They must be ‘helped’ and 

forced to do what is right and just 

and effective by the aggrieved 

victims. 

The solutions do not lie in FIFA’s 

half-hearted, cosmetic, publicity 

stunts that have largely failed. 

So far, perpetuators in the 

terraces are treated with kid gloves. 

There must be a strong resolve to 

maximize punishment and 

escalate the cost to those engaging 

in any racist practice in football 

all over the world. 

Racism is a return to slavery and 

must be stopped by all means and 

at all costs. 

National Football Federations 

lack the capacity, resources, 

political power and will to deal 

with the global problem. 

It is only FIFA that has the might 

and the means and can do it, yet it 

won’t. 

Black countries around the world 

(through their federations) must 

raise the ante and fight the racism 

war differently. They did it in 

Montreal, Canada, and changed 

the face of South Africa for good, 

forever. They can do it again. 

Do not ask me how on these 

pages. 

What I know is that the way 

things are going now, football’s 

power to tame the tiger is been 

whittled down by a silent 

complicity of FIFA to keep things 

the way they are. 

I don’t think there will ever be a 

complete end to the battle of the 

races. It has always existed. It exists 

now. It will always exist in the 

future. 

Yet, football must find a way to 

be free from the blight of racism. 

to help them improve, because of 

what importance is the talent if 

there is no platform to showcase 

it? Do we have a structure in place 

to monitor their progress and 

ensure that there is a smooth 

transition into the national youth 

teams? Are scouts and coaches of 

the Athletics Federation present at 

events such as these to identify 

young boys and girls who have 

shown great promise, and who 

have the potential of making it big 

in Athletics? 

Going by the population of our 

country, we are meant to be 

dominating every event, but that’s 

only if we are willing to put in the 

work and shun our culture of 

cutting of corners. If a country like 

China has found a way to use its 

population to its advantage as seen 

by their participation in almost 

every sport at the Olympics, why 

can’t we do same? It’s time to get 

back to the basics.

Mourinho 

targets flying 

start with Spurs 

After the international football 

break, European club football 

will return this weekend on Supersports 

on DStv with some mouth-watering 

fixtures in England, Spain and Italy. 

English champions Manchester City 

welcome Chelsea to the Etihad 

Stadium. The match is a must-win for 

Pep Guardiola’s boys who must remain 

defensively solid against a very young 

and creative Chelsea side. After losing 

3-1 against Liverpool, City will hope 

to get back on track with a win at home 

and reclaim 2nd position should 

Leicester fail to win at Brighton. 

Newly appointed Jose Mourinho 

will look to halt the run of Tottenham’s 

bad results as he takes over his first 

game as manager against a West Ham 

team that is in dire need of a win. 

Mourinho promised Tottenham fans’ 

passion and will hope to begin his reign 

as manager with a win at London 

Stadium. 

In the Serie A, defending champions 

Juventus visit high-flying Atalanta who 

sit fifth on the Serie A table. Juventus 

will hope to continue their unbeaten 

run in Serie A and extend their lead on 

Antonio Conte’s Inter with a win at 

Atalanta. Juventus will hope that their 

star player Cristiano Ronaldo, coming 

off the 4 goals scored for Portugal 

during the international break will 

inspire them to another Serie A victory. 

Another exciting match to look 

forward to this weekend is AC Milan 

vs Napoli. 7th place Napoli travels to 

the Italian capital to face fellow 

strugglers AC Milan who occupy the 

14th position on the table. Napoli will 

travel with their “rock solid” 

Senegalese defender, Kalidou 

Koulibaly who starred for his national 

team during the international break. 

In Spain, Real Madrid will hope for 

a full 3 points as they square up against 

a very tricky Real Sociedad side. The 

capital club sits 2nd on the table with 

25 points and will want to maintain 

the pressure on leaders Barcelona who 

travel to Estadio Municipal de 

Butarque, to face bottom side, Leganes. 

Celta Vigo to battle Galatasaray for Onyekuru 

Celta Vigo are the latest club 

being linked with a move for 

former Everton player Henry 

Onyekuru in the January transfer 

window. 

Turkish media outlet Ajansspor 

claims Celta Vigo are on the trail 

of the Nigeria international but 

have to see off competition from 

Galatasaray to sign the Monaco 

striker. 

Onyekuru has failed to live up to 

expectations since his summer 

move to the Principality outfit, 

making just two starts in Ligue 1 

with no goals to his name and could 

be shipped off on loan in the winter 

transfer market. 

The likes of Gelson Martins, Ben 

Yedder, Baldé and Islam Slimani 

are ahead of the Nigerian in 

manager Leonardo Jardim’s 

Ambrose Alli University pencils 

Buhari, Ighalo, others for honours 

Ighalo 

The management of Ambrose 

Alli University Ekpoma, 

Edo says it will need about 

N500million to construct a 

befitting mini stadium in the 

school environment in honour of 

the country’s sports men and 

women who graduated from the 

institution. 

Vice Chancellor (VC) of the 

University Prof. Ignatius 

Onimawo disclosed this to 

newsmen in Abuja, while 

speaking on preparations for the 

institution’s maiden Pillar of 

Sports Award/Endowment Fund 

scheduled to hold on Nov. 28 in 

the university premises. 

Onimawo who was represented 

by Prof. Aigbokhavbolo Oziegbe, 

Deputy Vice Chancellor 

(Academic) of the University said 

the aim of constructing the mini 

stadium was to ensure a steady 

development of sports in the area, 

and the country in general. 

The VC noted that prominent 

Onyekuru 

Edo indigenes including Super 

Eagles striker Odion Ighalo and 

renowned boxer Bash Ali would 

be honoured for their 

contributions to sports 

development in the state and in 

the country. 

“We want to begin to reward 

excellence in sports every year and 

for this to happen we need 

infrastructure where people can 

display their talents; this is why 

we need a mini stadium and we 

need N500million for it to be 

achieved. 

“Ambrose Alli University has 

come of age; it came into 

existence in 1981 and since then, 

it has produced great people of 

this country including the First 

Lady Mrs Aisha Buhari. 

•Mourinho 

pecking order of strikers at 

Monaco. 

Despite his limited playing 

opportunities, Onyekuru is not 

lacking suitors with CSKA Moscow 

and Lokomotiv Moscow also 

credited with an interest in the 22- 

year-old. 

Celta Vigo have scored the least 

number of goals in La Liga this 

season, seven in total from 13 

games, and might consider signing 

a striker in January. 

Onyekuru showed his goalscoring 

credentials at Eupen, RSC 

Anderlecht and Galatasaray, 

netting 56 goals in 132 competitive 

matches. 


2021 AFCON Qualifiers: 

Rohr: Conceding 3 goals in 

two games unacceptable 

•To analyse mistakes with assistants, players 

Super Eagles coach Gernot 

Rohr has bared his mind on 

the last two 2021 Africa Cup of 

Nations qualifiers played by the 

national team in which they 

conceded three goals. 

The Franco-German has 

revealed that he’s not going to 

forget about the two games and 

his assistants will analyse the 

mistakes and show the players 

when they meet again in the next 

FIFA window in March 2020. 

An error from Chidozie 

Awaziem led to the Super Eagles 

conceding an own goal in the 

closing minutes against the 

Crocodiles but Rohr refused to 

blame the CD Leganes defender. 

‘’When we concede three goals 

it is a little bit too much, from the 

three goals we scored one 

ourselves, it was unlucky but the 

first one against Benin and the 

first one we conceded against 

Lesotho there were some 

mistakes, we have to work on it, 

so all the time we do that,’’ Rohr 

said. 

‘’Speaking about the mistakes 

we can improve, that’s what we 

have been doing since three years. 

It’s not only we win and we forget 

and look forward. We want to 

analyse what went wrong.’’ 

On a more positive note, Rohr 

was delighted with the Super 

Eagles performance in attack in 

the two matches and felt they 

deserved to score more goals, 

especially against Lesotho. 

‘’There are much more positive 

things we have to see and we have 

to analyse also, we have for 

example six goals in the two games, 

an attack scoring goals and even 

we could score more. 

‘’We hit the bar, there was two or 

three situations we had in the 

second game which could be a 

goal also,’’ he added. 

Ndidi is Nigeria's highest-paid player in Europe 

•Iheanacho places second 

A 

new study has revealed that 

a former teenage wonderkid, 

presently struggling to find his 

footballing feet once again is one 

of the highest paid Nigerian 

players in Europe. 

Five stars in the English Premier 

League, Two in the Serie A, another 

two in the Turkish Super League 

and one in the La Liga completes 

the list of top ten earning Super 

Eagles players in Europe. 

Leicester City’s forward and 

Super Eagles star, Kelechi 

Iheanacho is reportedly the second 

highest paid Nigerian footballer in 

Europe, according to a study by 

Spotrac. 

The 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup 

winner and receiver of the said 

tournament’s Golden Boot award 

2019 Nigeria Bankers Games enter 

penultimate Week 

The 2019 Nigeria Bankers Games continues tomorrow, at the 

YabaTech Sports Complex with the football event in the semifinal 

stages. Scrabble and Athletics events will also begin. 

In Athletics spectators will witness heat races in 100m, 200m 

and the new inclusion – 400m in both male and female categories. 

The semi-final ties of the football event have mouth-watering 

fixtures as defending champions, UBA take on Union Bank. 

Union Bank who have been victorious in their last two matches 

in the competition will be looking to continue their winning form 

and cause an upset. The second match will see FCMB take on last 

year’s finalists – Fidelity Bank. Both teams will be looking to book 

a place in the final. 

Nigeria’s Ukandu wins WorldRemit/ 

Arsenal Future Stars coaching course 

Nigeria youth coach, China 

sa Ukandu, at the weekend 

emerged the winner of the second 

edition of WorldRemit and 

Arsenal FC organized Future 

Stars coaching programme. 

The Online money transfer 

company alongside the English 

Premier League side at the 

weekend announced Ukandu 

alongside Luis Alejandro 

Castañeda from Colombia as the 

two winners. 

The youth football coaches will 

fly to London for a personalised 

training session with Arsenal 

Football Development coaches 

with the sponsored by 

WorldRemit. 

Ukandu and Castañeda were 

among eight finalists, four 

women and four men, who were 

Ndidi and Iheanacho 

has endured a tough start to the 

new season having not featured at 

all in the Premier League as the 

highflying Brendan Rodgers side 

climb above champions 

Manchester City to second on the 

league table. 

Yet the former Manchester City 

striker, who joined the Foxes for 

•27.7 million in the summer of 

2017 earns a cool £60,000 weekly, 

about £3.12m per annum. 

Sitting atop the chart, however, 

for the highest-paid Super Eagles 

player in Europe this season, is 

Iheanacho’s compatriot and 

fellow Foxes teammate Wilfred 

Ndidi. 

The midfield enforcer was the 

Premier League’s top tackler of 

the 2018/19 season and has 

•Ekong and Awaziem 

selected by a panel of judges from 

WorldRemit and Arsenal for their 

commitment to using football to 

empower young people and 

benefit their communities. 

Andrew Stewart, Managing 

Director Middle East & Africa at 

WorldRemit said: “At WorldRemit, 

we are inspired every day by our 

customers, who work hard to send 

money home to support their 

communities. 

•Ukandu 

maintained those high standards 

this term as Leicester City has 

emerged as a surprising league 

title challenger. 

Ndidi, 22, a key member of 

Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles squad 

that earned two consecutive 

victories over Benin and Lesotho 

last week, is reported to earn about 

£75,000 a week (£3.9m per 

annum). The former Genk 

midfield general joined Leicester 

City for £17m in 2016. 

Next on the Super Eagles top 

earners list is Everton’s playmaker 

Alex Iwobi who swapped Arsenal 

for the Toffees over the summer. 

The former Gunners Academy 

graduate cost Marco Silva’s side 

£40m and is weekly paid £50,000 

(£2.6m p.a.) for his exertions. 

Trabzonspor’s forward Anthony 

Nwakaeme and Watford’s Isaac 

Success completes the Super 

Eagles top five earners list in 

Europe with both earning £32,000 

and £30,000 respectively weekly. 

Retired Nigeria international 

and former Super Eagles skipper 

Mikel Obi picks up a weekly 

package of £30,000 to occupy the 

sixth position while the defensive 

duo of Torino’s Ola Aina and 

Kenneth Omeruo pocket £20,000 

every week each. 

In ninth and tenth positions are 

the centre back pairing of 

Udinese’s William Troost-Ekong 

and Brighton’s Leon Balogun 

whose weekly earnings are 

£19,500 and £18,269 respectively.

C 

M 

Y 

K 

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 23, 2019 

ACROSS 

1)Ogun State Chief Judge, Justice Mosunmola – (7) 

5)Vice President, Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), 

Mallam Shehu – (5) 

8)Greek Alphabet (3) 

9)Finnish Municipality (7) 

10)Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr. Aloysio – (5) 

11)Zodiac Sign (3) 

12)Leicester City Coach, Brendan – (7) 

16)German State (5) 

17)L.G.A in Gombe State (4) 

19)Former Managing Director, Lagos State Waterways 

Authority (LASWA), Mrs. Abisola – (6) 

22)French City, Prefecture and Commune (6) 

25)L.G.A in Jigawa State (4) 

27)Fourth Month of the Year (5) 

28)Former United States National Security Adviser, Mr. 

Thomas – (7) 

32)Super Falcons Skipper, Onome – (3) 

33)Nigerian Federal Capital City (5) 

34)Traditional Ruler of Egbaland (7) 

35)Former Minister of Education, Mr. Wada – (3) 

36)English Town (5) 

37)Algeria “Desert Warriors” Striker, Islam – (7) 

DOWN 

1)Senegalese Capital City (5) 

2)British Currency (5) 

3)Chairman of Information and Voter Education, Independent 

National Electoral Commission (INEC), Barrister Festus – (5) 

4)Kazakhstani City (6) 

5)Former Irish Finance Minister, Mr. Paschal – (7) 

6)Former Ghana “Black Stars” Goalkeeper, Richard – (7) 

7)Swedish Premier League Club (7) 

13)Traditional Ruler of Benin (3) 

14)Vapour (3) 

15)L.G.A in Kano State (4) 

18)Ethnic Group in Sierra-Leone (4) 

19)American River (7) 

20)Solar Planet (7) 

21)Canadian Suburb (7) 

23)Cameroun “Indomitable Lions” Central Midfielder”, Daniel 

– (3) 

24)State in Nigeria known as “The Heartbeat of the Nation”? 

(3) 

26)Senegalese Village (6) 

29)Mozambique’s President, Mr. Felipe – (5) 

30)Asian Ox (5) 

31)L.G.A in Anambra State (5) 

CROSS WORD PUZZLE 

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE ON PAGE 46 

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Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X). EDITOR: ONOCHIE ANIBEZE. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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