21022021 - S/N govs. monarchs join forces against killer herdsman,crinimals

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PAGE 16—SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 21, 2021 Searching for Home in The Camp Title: The Camp Author: Livinus Jatto www.thecampbook.com Publisher: AuthorHouse Number of pages: 131 Year of publication: 2020 Category: Fiction By Adegoke Tope Mark ‘As the vehicle clambered up the last hill leading to Auchi town, the subtle petrichor of wet sand mixed with cow dung and the stench from overflowing dustbins lining the main road reminded him of home.’ The Camp, Livinus Jatto What tribe you belong to, your state of origin, religion is somehow what are used as yardstick to gauge a Nigerian. It doesn’t really matter his qualification or merit, these defining yardsticks or measures are the sentimental tools for sizing up a Nigerian. Thus, the Nigerian identity is very much troubled at home too; it begs the question, what or where is home truly? This is the story of Paul Badamosi in Livinus Jatto’s debut novel, The Camp. Through this character’s many obstacles and development, we witness the displacement of a person within his own country, and how systems that favours ethnic bigotry and religion and mediocrity up-ends him at different stages of his life and career. The novel is worked into eleven chapters, with every chapter short and titled to encapsulate the core theme it focuses on. In the opening chapter titled ‘A Camp Called Home’, it follows the origin of Paul Badamosi who became Faul Badamasi through the hand of the clerk who registered him into primary school: He didn’t notice that the Hausa teacher called him Faul, with his Hausa accent. Fani-Kayode opens up on ‘defection’: I am a lion that cannot be caged Continued from page 16 What more can they do to me that they have not done already? And what more am I looking for in life that I have not enjoyed over the years? Yet you say I am scared! And those that say so can barely endure one tenth of what I have endured. Some of them make noise from the safety of other countries and stay away from Nigeria out of fear of being locked up yet they mock those of us that live on the doorsteps of our oppressors in Nigeria and dare them to their faces. Some of them have not been able to face hardship or deprivation and neither can they bear it when their rights are being violated. Yet to many of us this has become the norm and we are used to it yet we still continue to struggle and fight the system regardless. Let me give you just one example. Do you know that I have not been able to travel out of Nigeria for the last 13 years because my passport was first seized by a PDP government for eight years and then by an APC government for five years? Do you know that I could not even go for medical check-ups outside the country because of that? Locked up with B/Haram suspects Did you ever hear me complain or did this ever stop me from speaking truth to power, standing firm against injustice or speaking up for the weak, the persecuted and the voiceless? Do you know I was locked up by both PDP and APC Federal Governments for no just cause? Do you know I was even locked up in Boko Haram detention centers with Boko Haram suspects? Do you know that only terrorists were kept in the facility that they kept me? Do you know that that place was worse than Gauntanamo Bay and that it was built by the British government? Neither was he aware of the future impact of the misspelling of his surname, which now read “Badamasi”. At first glance, Badamasi and Badamosi looked the same, but the politics of Nigeria made this almost innocuous difference a matter of survival. The Northerners spelt theirs Badamasi, while those from the Southwest, mostly Yorubas, and Binis in the Midwest spelt the same name Badamosi. Whichever way it was spelt, it meant approximately the same thing. (pg. 9) Paul who was born to a stern and disciplinarian father learned from the onset of his childhood the complexity of his identity. His parents migrated from Midwest Nigeria somewhere called Tabo Gido-Ora to seek a new life in the northern part of Nigeria called Badaka State immediately after the Civil War. Badaka is a fictional state but resembles any cosmopolitan urban centres in the north that has various ethnic groups domiciled there. The author here is leaving the setting blank thereby creating a kind of template anybody with similar experience can copy theirs on. This makes the story ring true and shows the history of a nation is knitted with its peoples: The difference between the North, the South, the East and the West replicated throughout the whole national life of Nigerians and defined Paul’s growth and development as it did the growth and development of the country. These differences determined who could legitimately claim to have a stake in the entity called Nigeria. It shaped Paul’s evolution. It also played an important role in the stunned growth of the country. Both Paul and other Nigerians conduct themselves as if they were internally displaced. (pg. 9) As the narrative is centred on Paul, it follows his frustrations and disappointments in his quest to arrive at a place or point where he can call home. When he decides to visit his parents’ hometown, he discovers home is just an idea as he has become an alien in his parents’ state of origin. They come from a minority group as ‘Midwestern Northerner’. He also discovers that baggage comes with certain advantages and disadvantages. The advantage being that standard could be lowered for him to scale through educational challenges. The author writes that the pass mark for JAMB, a tertiary entrance examination in Nigeria, can be lowered for northerners to fulfil the federal quota or character as stipulated by the constitution. This, he attests, through the protagonist entry into the university. The advantage he thought he had soon turned into a big disadvantage as he couldn’t apply for a bursary from his Badaka State because he is not legitimately recognised there because his parents only settled there and therefore cannot lay claim to his place of birth. Do you know how terrifying that was and that I could have been killed or maimed whilst there? Yet did you ever hear me complain about it, submit, compromise, give up or back down from criticising the government or previous governments because of these trials and tribulations? How many of your so-called “relevant” and “great” leaders can bear such torment and injustice without cracking? Did you ever see or hear me crack? Did I ever break? Do you know what horrors my first wife Regina and my daughter Remi were subjected to by a PDP government? Do you know why they had to go into exile and live abroad? Do you know what hell my ex-wife Precious and first son Aragorn were subjected to by the APC government? Do you know the tears we shed secretly and the number of times we suffered and were forced to go underground for no just cause? Do you know the kind of stress and torment this put us through? Do you know that all our bank accounts were frozen for five years? Did all that stop me or stop us from standing? Did we not endure and bear it all with dignity for years and still continue to make our contribution to national affairs with zeal and passion? Yet leaders like me that make these sacrifices and speak truth you describe as having no relevance, no consistency and you hate. You mock, ridicule, insult and believe the very worst about us at the drop of a hat. Some even have the nerve and effrontery to say we are not politicians simply because we have not run for elective office. It is those who speak truth and that are courageous enough to expose and confront evil that you hate, judge and always think and assume the worse off at the drop of a hat. Do you know that despite facing the most vicious persecution and prosecution for seven long years the court found me not guilty of corruption whilst I was Minister of Aviation and Minister of Culture and Tourism and acquitted and discharged me? How many of your leaders can endure going to court for seven years before four different CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR: NPDC, NOSL remember Eastern Obolo communities, others T HE P e t r o Nigerian l e u m Development Corporation (NPDC), in conjunction with their partner, Natural Oil Field Service Limited (NOSL) (a subsidiary of Sterling Oil), reached out to host communities in Eastern Obolo during Christmas/New Year. 600 bags of rice, 66 cartons of noodles, 66 bags of salt, 66 cans of cooking oil and cartons of wine were handed over to Engr. Hope Etetor, son of the paramount ruler of Eastern Obolo LGA who represented Dr Charles Mboung, leader of the Local Government Committee on Oil and Gas, in the presence of other committee members, Mr. Uro Bills and Mr. Loveday Ekuyok, at the admin head office of NPDC in Eket. The NPDC team was represented by Mr Olutope Bello while Group Capt Ettete Ekpo (rtd) led the NOSL team which paraded Mr. Eugene Unwana, Mr. Ubong Eti and Mrs. Emem Thomas. About 33 communities from Eastern Obolo benefitted from the gifts. They include Akpabom, Elekpon, Atabrikang and Okoroete. Bills and Loveday lauded the kind gesture in spite of the adverse economic situation in the country, saying they got only rice in 2019 but got salt, cooking oil, noodles and wine in addition to rice in 2020. They urged NPDC and NOSL to continue to reach out to their communities, improve engagement with them to ensure a conducive environment for their operations. In a brief chat with the Base Manager, Mr Fabian Ebri, in his office, he said, in addition to the items given to the Eastern Obolo communities and neighbours, military and some governmental agencies got another 1,200 judges and in the midst of a vicious media witch-hunt in which most people who knew nothing about the case had declared me guilty? How many of you could have survived that without capitulating, cracking, begging and bending the knee? Do you know that I have been facing prosecution for the past five years in two separate courts for doing absolutely nothing wrong except leading a presidential campaign against Buhari and for Jonathan in 2015 and as a consequence of politically-motivated and malicious charges which were filed only because of my bitter and vicious opposition to the Buhari government? Do you know that under my tenure as Minister of Aviation there were no plane crashes whilst the year before I came in there were five and 453 died in those crashes? Do you know that I put a stop to those crashes and that I am the only Minister of Aviation in Nigerian history under which there were NO plane crashes? Poll Do you know that despite all the challenges and persecution I was recently polled by 85% of the readers of Vanguard Newspaper that I was the loudest and most consistent voice of opposition against the Buhari government over the last five years? All this yet you label me a coward and someone that has achieved nothing? Do you know that most of those leaders you revere and love so much are cowards who are unable and unwilling to risk all and speak truth to power. All they are able to do is to mislead you and their followers to hate and insult those of us that really care for you. Joker Honestly some people need mental health checks and medical attention! And for anyone to say I will not be welcome in a party that I have not publicly expressed a desire to join amazes me. The joker that claimed I was rejected by the bags of rice as NPDC and NOSL considers them important stakeholders. Ebri said NPDC and NOSL will constantly reach out to all involved in making their operations smooth and peaceful. From left: Mr. Eugine Unwana, Group Capt Etete Ekpo (rtd), Mr Olutope Bello, Engr. Hope Etetor, Mr. Loveday Ekuyok and Mr. Uro Bills during the presentation. Some of the items donated. Ekpo, leader of the NOSL team, in a chat after the presentation, assured all that the company, as always, would continue to give attention to the welfare of host communities and other stakeholders. APC needs to tell me where and when I applied to join them and what my registration number was! Did I tell you I am leaving PDP for APC? Or did I tell anyone that I will stay in PDP forever no matter what happens or no matter what they do to me or to the country? You see, unlike most, I am a one-man army and riot squad and I am accountable to no man or party. I am only accountable to God! Unlike most, I do not do things in the dark and I do not shy away from speaking the truth or my mind once it is set. When and if I ever choose to make a move I will be clear and categorical and I will let the world know, so hold your hate fire till we get to that bridge. Yet know this: I owe no-one any explanation for what I will do or will not do tomorrow, I will gladly live with the consequences of my actions and decisions and I will defend myself and explain my actions when I choose to do so if I believe it is ever necessary. 2023 realignments, new alliances I do not know what the details are yet but, before 2023, there WILL be many realignments and new alliances. Both parties will see many shifts and many individuals will change sides. This is because we must get it right in 2023 and we must ensure that whoever takes power at the center, regardless of party affiliation, restructures our country and takes our nation to the promise land. We must build bridges and secure the peace, unity and progress of this country and most important of all we must avoid civil war and do all we can to save our nation from armed conflict and fratricidal butchery. That is the challenge before us today and that is the reality of Nigerian politics. Whilst others meet secretly and hide from the cameras in their quest to achieve these objectives, I will not. I am the beloved of the Lord and I am a LION! No man born of woman can silence my roar! I am who I am. I am FFK.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 21, 2021, PAGE 17 Must you confess to an affair? Most people want to keep their affair secret because they want to have both the marriage and the affair. According to Zelda West- Meads in her book: The Trouble With You: “Many people claim that an affair helps sustain their marriage, or provides a part of their needs that are not being met in the marriage. They are unhappily married, and they may recognize that the person with whom they are having the affair is not offering what they want on a full-time basis, but just providing something which is important at the time. There are some people who want their affair to be discovered, as a way of signalling to their partner that for them, the marriage is over. Or there are some people who want the affair to be discovered because of their guilt. They believe, foolishly, that if they tell their partner – and this is usually at the time when the affair is moving to an end or has just ended – they will be forgiven. But life is not like that and their partner is not into forgiveness at this stage – it’s too soon. So, the person who confessed, far from being forgiven, suddenly finds they are on the receiving end of outrage, anger, hurt, or even the desire to murder or destroy their partner or the other person involved. The desire to confess can be a selfish act if all you are trying to do is relieve your guilt. But if your partner suspects that you are having an affair, and insists they want to know the truth, it is fairer to admit it. If, on the other hand, an affair is over, and particularly if it is in the past, there is little point in suddenly telling your partner all about it, because for them, it will not feel over at all. Not only will this hurt them deeply, but they will want to know all about it. Equally, a one-night stand or a brief but regrettable encounter, would be deeply upsetting. Whichever way you look at it, discovery of an affair really does shake most marriages to their foundations. Some fall apart, others grind on unhappily, or continue and then break up several years later. Others, however, can recover and can end up being stronger and more loving than before the affair – although for most couples, this is a long, painful journey. Can the marriage be rebuilt after an affair? “If you really want to rebuild the marriage, and you’re both committed to this, it is possible, although not easy”, says the author. “It takes time and a great deal of talking. The person who has not had the affair usually needs to talk much more than the unfaithful partner tends not to want to be questioned about the details of the affair. They see a fresh start as a way to put the affair behind them and get on with repairing the ‘marriage’. But their partner has to be given time and the opportunity to express negative feelings of hurt, disbelief, anger, grief, rejection and loss of confidence and self-esteem. As well as this, some questions have to be answered honestly. Who the affair was with, how long it had been going on, who else knows, when they met, and what the affair meant to them. This is painful to hear, but if it remains unsaid, it gives their partner no chance to deal with what has been going on. What is usually not a good idea, however, is to talk about intimate sexual details, because these can really stay in the mind of your partner and haunt them for years. So, when they ask, as most do, it is kinder not to be explicit. If you say too much, it can get in the way in the future, particularly when making love. It takes time for these memories to fade. The next state in the recovery process is moving from the recriminations to starting to look at what went wrong and what led to the affair. This is often particularly difficult for the partner who has not had the affair. For them, it is often easier to stick with the thought that it’s all their partner ’s fault and to go on blaming them, rather than looking at what they might have contributed. It is only by discussing what was going on before the affair that you can begin to understand each other and then painfully and slowly start to rebuild your relationship. What about making love again? West-Meads believes it is usually better not to rush into making love too quickly after the discovery of an affair. Some couples do so because the person who has not been unfaithful and want their partner to stay, feels it is a way of keeping them or repairing the relationship. It’s more often a woman who thinks this. She sees it as a way of showing she still loves her partner, or as a way to compete with the mistress. It usually does not work. This is because the man is missing his mistress, feeling guilty, or both, which can result in loss of interest in sex or the loss of an erection, which then feels like further rejection to the woman. Or the woman is too plagued by thoughts of the mistress, or the relationship is still too tentative. Either way, both of you can end up getting hurt. So for both sexes, if you do make love fairly soon after the discovery of an affair, it may be all right but you are more likely to think of what your partner might have been doing with their mistress or lover. These flash-backs are always possible, but they do fade and die. However, in the early days, the memory or the imagination are likely to be very vivid and do not help the recovery process. It is better for most people to allow time for trust to be rebuilt before love again. 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DISCLAIMER! 08163952300, 08064744381 Richie 50, a civil engineer, in Delta state, needs a rich business lady, aged 35-50, for a relationship. 09038001942, 08164506853 Edmond 42, a graduate, resides in Benin City, needs an educated dark or chocolate in complexion lady, aged 24-38, for a serious relationship. 09134307612 Precious sexy, good looking, God fearing, caring, a graduate and employed, needs a lady for a relationship, that will lead to marriage. 07035588272, 08082730726 Andy 57, a widower with two children, in Delta state, needs a true born again Christian lady, who is employed, aged 40 and above, for marriage, a widow or single mother is also welcome. 07034362180 A man 48, from Delta state, needs a busty, fair in complexion lady, who is also based in Delta state, a Dear readers, please note that we neither operate, nor are we an affiliate of any match–making agency in or outside the country. Any reader who transacts business with any one claiming to be our agent does so at his/her own risk. Our mission is only to provide a platform for social networking. Also note that neither Vanguard, nor Yetunde Arebi will be liable for any error in the publication of requests which may result in any form of embarrassment to any member of the public. We therefore request that text must be sent through at least one of the numbers for contact. This notice is necessary to enable us serve you better in our refreshingly different style. You can send your requests to 33055. For enquiries, text or call 08026651636, or 08054700825 Coca-Cola Foundation awards $85,000 grant to Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative By Josephine Agbonkhese The Coca-Cola Foundation, TCCF, has awarded a grant of $85,000 to a non-governmental organisation, Aid for Rural Education Access Initiative, AREAi. According to the Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe, the grant will be used to curb plastic pollution in six states across the federation, through recovery and repurposing of 600 tons of PET Bottles in 12 months. Speaking to Vanguard, Gideon Olanrewaju, Founder, AREAi, said beneficiaries of the project will include over 60 communities in the Federal Capital Territory, Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Kwara and Oyo states, where periodic recycling activities will take place and over 300 women will be recruited as waste pickers and sorters. "These female waste collectors will be trained on financial literacy and environmental safety practices, equipped with Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, and empowered through a trash-for-cash recovery scheme. "Recycling stations would be instituted across these states, with public recycling bins also distributed to strategic locations to drive effective recycling processes and activities in the various communities," he explained. Reiterating Coca-Cola's commitment towards addressing the issue of plastic pollution, Onyemelukwe said: "Coca-Cola remains committed to addressing the issue of plastic pollution across the world. Our vision for a World Without Waste focuses on recycling and behavioural-change initiatives. Peaceful coexistence: Uvwie monarch lauds Arewa community His Royal Majesty Emmanuel Ekemejewa Sideso, Abe 1, the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom has commended Arewa people in Uvwie kingdom for their peaceful and friendly disposition since he ascended the throne. The Uvwie monarch made the commendation in his remarks at his 13th coronation anniversary, noting that Arewa people under the leadership of Alhaji Suleiman Jauro had always identified with his palace and indeed the kingdom in ceremonial activities in wonderful ways. The traditional ruler also noted that there had never been issues of menace of herdsmen or clashes between Arewa people and his subjects under the Arewa leadership of Alhaji Jauro in Uvwie kingdom. While assuring Arewa people and other non indigenes of their peaceful stay in Uvwie, Abe 1 urged the Arewa community and other non indigenes to sustain their cordial relationship with the Uvwie people. Alhaji Jauro, the Arewa leader in Uvwie, in a chat with our correspondent shortly after the event, expressed delight over the remarks of the Uvwie monarch, vowing that the remarks would spur them to build more cordial relationship with Uvwie people. While pledging his continued loyalty to the Ovie of Uvwie kingdom on behalf of the Arewa people in the area, Alhaji Jauro remarked that the Uvwie monarch has always carried the Arewa people along in his rulership of Uvwie kingdom. "That is why we always feel at home. We pray that Allah should blessed him (Abe1)with more peaceful and prosperous reign, " he added. university graduate, not circumcised, very tall, aged 26-35, for marriage. 08030722412 Sugar Cares Searching Male Tobi from Lagos, needs a sugar mummy. 08069507747 Charles,30, resides in Port Harcourt, needs a sugar mummy. 07033269120 Raph 27, needs a nice and caring sugar mummy, for a fun and romantic relationship.07040373580 Ability 35, chocolate in complexion, from Akwa Ibom State, but resides in Lagos, needs a sugar mummy who is very romantic and hot in bed, that can take good care of him financially and who also resides in Lagos.07083705933,08133619244,0 9083189549 Solomon 40, handsome and God fearing, from Anambra state, needs a rich and sexy sugar mummy, aged 35-55, that can help h i m financially.09034546162 Uc, 37, 5.7ft tall, chocolate in complexion, slim, matured, good looking, romantic and resides in Benin City, needs a sugar mummy. 09077860905 Kay, need a sugar mummy, for a romantic and sexual relationship. 07067030745 Ovie 24 needs a caring sugar mummy, for a relationship. 07058429075 Eko Club: Again, Fanimokun wins at Appeal Court The Court of Appeal, Lagos, has dismissed the case filed by the Eko Club Board of Trustees and Guardian Council of Eko Club against Chief Babatunde Fanimokun over his third term as President of the club. Fanimokun was the president of Eko Club from February 2017 to February 2019. However, his attempt to vie for a third term was opposed by Eko Club and the Guardian Council. Meanwhile, the Club and Council brought a candidate, Dr. Shamsideen Dosumu as their preferred choice. The Federal High Court, Lagos, presided over by Justice C. J. Aneke, on Monday, March 9, 2020, held that Fanimokun has every right to vie for selection as the President for a third consecutive year. But the Board of Trustees and Guardian Council challenged the judgment at the Court of Appeal. In her ruling on Wednesday, February 17, 2021, Justice Otisi, dismissed the appeal and upheld the judgment of the lower court.
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