04042021 - Tension as gunmen kill Miyetti Allah leaders in Nassarawa

PAGE 2, SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021, PAGE 3


Akwa Ibom Dep Gov, Mr Moses Ekpo, receiving certification card from Nurse Ekaette Ukpong after being 

administered Covid-19 vaccine, AstraZeneca. With them is the state Health Commissioner, Prof. Augustine Umoh 

CRIMINAL HERDSMEN IN S/EAST: 

Fish out Ebonyi killers within 72 hrs, 

Council Chairmen give police deadline 

•77-yr-old survivor relive killings 

By Peter Okutu 

THE killings carried 

out by suspected 

herdsmen last Monday 

night in four communities 

of Egedege, Umuhuali, 

Obegu and Amaezu, in 

Ishielu Local Government 

Area of Ebonyi State, has 

attracted condemnations 

across the country. 

There had been issues 

between herdsmen and host 

communities in Ebonyi 

before now, but the incident 

that occurred in Ishielu LGA 

has been rated on a different 

scale since the creation of 

the state on October 1, 

1996. 

On Friday, the 13 Council 

Chairmen in the state gave 

security agencies 72 hours 

ultmatum to fish out the 

perpetrators of the killings. 

Recall that over 15 

residents were hacked to 

death by rampaging 

herdsmen who were 

allegedly seen carrying 

cutlasses and AK-47 rifles in 

last week’s incident 

While some fortunate 

members of the affected 

communities ran for their 

lives into Enugu State, 

others fell miserably to the 

cold hands of death in their 

own land. 

A 77-year-old survivor, 

who spoke to Sunday 

Vanguard, explained that 

they (communities) began to 

have issues with the 

herdsmen when their cows 

started eating up their farm 

produce. 

She said: “I am a 77-yearold 

farmer and my name is 

Mrs Rosemary Ozara. I am 

from Obeagu-Egedegede 

community, Ishielu Local 

Government Area of Ebonyi 

State. 

“Currently, almost all the 

natives have run away for 

the sake of their dear lives, 

because nobody considers 

this community to be safe 

again. 

“For like six years now, we 

would plant but can’t 

harvest our farm produce. 

Each planting season, they 

(herdsmen) would uproot 

everything we planted and 

give it to their cows for 

feeding. 

“This had continued for a 

while and we approached 

them and said ‘since you 

people cannot leave our 

crops to grow, leave our 

community for us’. 

“After a while they left, but 

threatened that nobody 

would be in this community. 

They said they would deal 

with us and pursue us out of 

the community.” 

Skirmishes 

Sunday Vanguard 

reliably gathered that 

herdsmen attacked the four 


because of the skirmishes 

that had occurred in time 

past between them and the 

natives. 

Reacting to the 

development, the 

Commissioner of Police, 

Ebonyi State Police 

Command, CP Garba Aliyu, 

vowed to do everything 

within the ambit of the law 

to ensure that the suspects 

were arrested. 

“In fact, the Command is 

collaborating with other 

security agencies and 

stakeholders in various 

communities to avert future 

occurrence of that kind of 

incident in Ebonyi”, Aliyu 

said. 

“You know we have not 

experienced such an 

incident before. 

“Very soon, testimonies 

will be out on the efforts of 

the Police in that direction. 

“Police have been 

deployed at strategic 

positions within and 

around the affected 

communities.” 

Cause 

The Chairman of Ishielu 

LGA, Hon. Sunday Eze and 

Commissioner for Business 

Development in the State, 

Dr. Stephen Odo, who hails 

from the affected Council 

Area, led a team of security 

agents to the communities 

and condoled with the 

families of those killed in the 

invasion. 

They assured that 

government would 

investigate the immediate 

and remote causes of the 

dastardly act. 

‘Count us out’ 

Meanwhile, a leader of 

herdsmen in Ebonyi, simply 

known as Mr. Ali, who 

explained that none of his 

people was involved in the 

dastardly act, stated that 

“Ebonyi State Government 

doesn’t treat us badly”. 

Ali went on: “None of our 

people was there. That place 

is at the boundary with 

Enugu. No Fulani person in 

Ebonyi was there. 

“We cannot take the law 

into our hands. We in 

Ebonyi, our hands are not 

there. We are not quarreling 

with Ebonyi because Ebonyi 

State Government doesn’t 

treat us badly.” 

Ultimatum 

In a related development, 

the 13 Council Chairmen in 

Ebonyi State, at the 

weekend, condemned the 

killings by suspected 

herdsmen in four 

communities of Ishielu 

LGA. 

They pledged their 

unalloyed support for the 

law banning open grazing 

across the Local 

Government Areas, adding 

that the Council areas will 

not take lightly any act that 

would cause deaths. 

“We are giving security 

agencies in the state 72 

hours to fish out the 

perpetrators of the 

dastardly act”, they said. 

“We support the law 

against open grazing in 

Ebonyi. If you want to 

operate open grazing in the 

state, you should be ready 

to meet with us because 

both the Development 

Centre Coordinators and 

Local Government 

Chairmen in Ebonyi are 

already on watch to make 

sure that what happened in 

Ishielu does not repeat 

itself. 

“Again, we want to state 

categorically that security 

agencies have not done 

enough to provide security 

for people living in different 

localities to make sure that 

what happened in Ishielu on 

Monday does not repeat 

itself; we give them 72 hours 

to make sure that people 

who perpetrated that act are 

arrested and the victims get 

By Johnbosco 

Agbakwuru 

P RESIDENT 

Muhammadu 

Buhari has condemned the 

dastardly attack of 

Monday night in four 

communities in Íshíelu 

Local Government Area of 

Ebonyi State. 

A statement by the Senior 

Special Assistant to the 

President on Media and 

Publicity, Mallam Garba 

Shehu, said Buhari had 

directed law enforcement 

agencies to fish out the 

attackers and make them 

face justice. 

The statement further 

quoted the President as 

saying that the perpetrators 

of the “heinous attack” 

should not be spared. 

He sympathized with 

families and friends of 

those that lost loved ones, 

justice, while we appeal to 

the people living in different 

localities to remain calm to 

enable the security agencies 

carry out this duty that we 

have charged them to do 

today.” 

Public Relations Officer 

of the Council Chairmen 

and Chairman of Izzi local 

government area, Hon. Paul 

Nwogha, told Sunday 

Vanguard after their 

meeting in Abakaliki, that 

any herder that misbehaves 

should be ready to face 

them. 

He said, “We have met 

today and we are here to 

present to you what 

happened in the three 

communities in Ishielu 

local government area of 

the state on Monday. 

“It is totally condemnable 

as over 15 persons were 

killed in Obegu and 

Nkalaha communities of 

Ishielu local government 

areas of Ebonyi state by 

suspected herdsmen. 

“We condemn the 

unwarranted, unprovoked 

killings of innocent people. 

Nothing on earth will 

excuse the unwarranted 

attacks leveled against our 

people and we want to tell 

the general public that it is 

unfortunate because in 

Ebonyi we have been coexisting 

peacefully and that 

is the credit we give to the 

governor of Ebonyi, Chief 

Dave Umahi. 

“But, surprisingly, what 

we are paid back with is the 

killing of our people.” 

...Buhari to security agents: 

Unmask Ebonyi, Anambra murderers 

•Sympathises with Soludo over attack 

and to every member of the 


State traumatised by “these 

despicable acts of 

wickedness.” 

The statement also said 

that the President had sent 

a message of sympathy to 

the former Governor of the 

Central Bank of Nigeria 

and a member of the 

Presidential Economic 

Advisory Council, Professor 

Chukwuma Soludo, who 

survived an attack by 

gunmen in Aguata Local 

Government Area of 

Anambra State as he 

consulted with people on his 

political aspiration. 

Expressing concern at the 

influx of illegal weapons, 

Buhari assured Nigerians 

that ongoing efforts which 

had led to the recovery of 

illegal weapons and arrests 

of a large number of arms 

suppliers would be 

intensified. 

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021, PAGE 5 

A-Ibom Dep. Gov blames 

insecurity on Drug Abuse 

…asks NDLEA for help 

he National Drug Law 

TEnforcement Agency, 

NDLEA, has been challenged 

to take appropriate steps to 

assist Akwa Ibom State in 

tackling the menace of illicit 

drugs by identifying and arresting 

such criminal rings for 

immediate prosecution. 

The Deputy Governor of 

Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Moses 

Ekpo, who made the call 

while receiving the new state 

Commander of the NDLEA, 

Mrs. Obot Uduak Bassey, 

noted that the proliferation 

and trafficking of hard drugs 

was largely responsible for 

the escalation of criminality 

in our society today. 

According to Ekpo, most of 

the vices in our society, such 

as kidnapping, armed robbery 

and banditry, were fuelled 

by the abuse of hard 

drugs and illicit substances, 

and therefore required extraordinary 

measures and strategies 

to contain. 

He commended the Commander 

for her achievements 

in NDLEA as well as her international 

engagements 

which has distinguished her 

as a patriot, and therefore 

pledged the co-operation of 

his office towards the success 

of her tenure as well as the 

By Victor Ahiuma- 

Young 

he Minister of Labour 

Tand Employment, Senator 

Chris Ngige, says the Federal 

Government has substantially 

met the demands of the 

National Association of Resident 

Doctors(NARD) and 

faulted the rejection of the 

Memorandum of Action 

signed Wednesday March 31, 

2021 by the President of 

NARD, Dr. Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi. 

The Minister, who spoke to 

reporters, yesterday, explained 

that some of the demands 

by NARD were made 

in error as some of the issues 

were already conciliated and 

implemented hundred percent. 

He, however, stated the 

outstanding issues, which 

came up at the last conciliation, 

were timelined along a 

month life span of implementation, 

revealing that “ they 

are still work in progress .” 

“NARD made some of the 

demands in ignorance. They 

didn’t have the full picture . 

May be they wished for a 

strike or their president 

pushed them into strike so 

that his name will go into 

the annals of NARD as one of 

the presidents that have taken 

them on strike. That’s 

wrong,”he stated. 

Ngige faulted the unilateral 

repudiation of the Memorandum 

of Action by NARD’s 

President, describing it as unknown 

in labour negotiation. 

“He didn’t participate in 

most of the discussions last 

Wednesday because he fell ill 

not quite long after the meeting 

started and had to excuse 

himself . He handed over to 

his deputy, the Secretary General 

and other officers of the 

association, who fully participated 

. We spent seven hours 

and by the time we put our 

signatures to the papers , it was 

eight hours. 

“ Disowning the MOA duly 

negotiated is unknown to la- 

operations of NDLEA in 

Akwa Ibom. 

The Commander, Bassey, 

said she was fully committed 

to making the state drug-free. 

She called for an effective 

partnership and collaboration 

with the Akwa Ibom government 

through the setting 

up of a state committee on 

Drugs Prevention and Control, 

stressing that the state 

government has a collaborative 

role to play in ensuring 

that the state was drug-free. 

She disclosed that the state 

was ravaged by severe drug 

problems, especially cannabis, 

cocaine as well as other 

psychotropic drugs and 

substances. 

Consequently, the Commander 

said the State Command 

would soon carry out 

what she called ‘Operation 

Burn the Weeds’ considering 

the fact that about 2 million 

exhibits were currently with 

the command. 

Bassey noted however that 

the State Command was 

faced with a number of infrastructural 

issues that have 

hampered its operations. 

These include accommodation, 

vehicles, motorized 

boats for the rural riverine 

areas to effectively police the 

31 Local Government Areas. 

STRIKE: FG faults doctors 

for rejecting agreement 

bour . The two parties to 

the negotiation signed the 

MOA. Four officers from 

government and three from 

NARD signed the document 

and the President who was 

not at the meeting but fully 

represented by deputies went 

to NARD’s NEC and disowned 

the paper because 

they were signed by his deputy 

and secretary general . 

There is what is called transmission 

of power . He as the 

President fell sick and his 

deputies continued with the 

meeting . That’s allowed.” 

Even at that, the Minister 

averred that ab initio, it was 

wrong for NARD to impose a 

fait accompli on the Federal 

Government while negotiation 

was ongoing. 

“ When a trade dispute has 

been apprehended , no party 

imposes on the other, a fait 

accompli. We signed a memorandum 

that says NARD will 

go back to its members to 

educate them on what has 

been agreed, the timelines 

placed on them, with a view 

not to disturb the industrial 

milieu in the health sector. 

And we agreed to reconvene 

after four weeks,” Ngige said. 

According to him, the reason 

was to allow enough 

time to implement the issues 

in the timeline, some of which 

would take three weeks, before 

reconvening . He further 

expressed disappointment 

that NARD made a detour 

and mobilized members into 

action on the Eastertide, 

when Christians are observing 

the holiest week 

in their universal calendar. 

The minister dismissed as 

untrue, allegation that doctors 

in the public health 

institutions across the country, 

were not insured and 

said the Federal Government 

spent 13.3 billion 

naira in 2020, on Group Life 

Insurance not just for doctors 

and health workers alone but 

also for all workers in the federal 

civil and public service.

PAGE 6, SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021 

‘One Day 

Governor’ 

tours Lagos 

By Adesina Wahab 

he Lagos State Gov 

Ternment has been 

urged to improve on the 

welfare of teachers and civil 

servants because of their invaluable 

contributions to the 

nurturing of future leaders 

and the smooth running of 

the wheels of government. 

The One Day Governor, 

Miss Eniola Gloria Ajala, 

gave the advice while on tour 

of some government agencies 

and departments as part of 

her duties as an interim governor 

of the state. 

Miss Ajala won the Spelling 

Bees Competition in the 

year 2019 and apart from the 

monetary prize, is also expected 

to serve as governor 

of the state for a day. 

Ajala visited the Office of 

the Head of Service, the Office 

of the Chief Judge of the 

State, the Office of the Speaker 

of the House of Assembly, 

among others. 

The One Day Governor, 

while speaking at the Office 

of the Head of Service, noted 

that the contributions of 

teachers and civil servants to 

the society could not be overemphasised. 

“I would want to make a 

request that the welfare of 

teachers and civil servants be 

improved upon. Their contributions 

are invaluable and 

we must appreciate that. 

“I also commend the Head 

of Service for the various innovations 

he has brought into 

the system since he came to 

office. The contributions of 

the civil service as the engine 

room of the government are 

evident,” she said. 

The Head of Service, Mr 

Hakeem Muri-Okunola, 

said the event showed the 

commitment of the state government 

to education and 

youth development. 

At the State High Court 

Complex, Ikeja, the Chief 

Judge, Hon. Justice Kazeem 

Alogba, said Ajala was being 

celebrated for her hard work 

and implored youths to take 

a cue from that. 

The Director General, Education 

Quality Assurance 

Office, the Ministry of Education, 

Mrs Abiola Seriki- 

Ayeni, said since the spelling 

competition started about 20 

years ago, it was the first time 

that the winner would visit the 

heads of other arms of government. 

“The competition started 

about 20 years ago during the 

era of Senator Remi Tinubu 

as the First Lady of the 

state. 

By David Odama 

Gunmen suspected to 

be bandits attacked 

and killed two Chairmen 

of Miyetti Allah Cattle 

Breeders Association in 

Nasarawa on Friday at 

about 9.30pm. 

Mohammed Hussaini, 

state Chairman of the 

association, and 

Muhammed Umar, Toto 

Local Government Area 

Chairman, according to 

the police, were attacked 

and killed at about 9.30 

pm in Garaku market in 

Kakana LGA. The Police 

said a distress information 

was received alerting the 

Command of the attack. 

Nasarawa State Police 

Command Public 

Relations Officer (PPRO), 

ASP Ramham Nansel, 

who confirmed the 

incident, yesterday 

ODUMAKIN CONDOLENCE VISIT 

From left: Pastor Tony Okei; Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, widow; Oba Oladipupo Olaitan, 

Alago of Kajola Ago, Osun State and Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo during condolence visit to 

the residence of the late Yinka Odumakin, in Lagos, yesterday.Photo Lamidi Bamidele 

From right: Mr Sam Oghor, Vanguard Circulation Manager (step son), Mr.Nwoga Ikechukwu 

(staff member of Central Hospital Agbor), Mrs Nwoga Oyeisi, Mrs Glory Oghor, Mrs G. 

Ojei, Mrs Christina Ogbekide, Master Ikechukwu Divine, Mrs Orie, Mrs Patience Emefiele 

and Esther Ikechukwu. 

EFFIUM / EZZA EFFIUM KILLINGS: Row as 55 

suspects escape from police custody 

morning, said, upon the 

receipt of the 

information, the 

Commissioner of Police, 

Bola Longe, swiftly 

deployed Operation Puff 

Adder II personnel to the 

scene where two corpses 

were recovered and taken 

to hospital for postmortem 

examination. 

He said the bodies of the 

victims had been 

deposited at Anthony 

Memorial Hospital 

mortuary, Garaku. 

According to the PPRO, 

the Commissioner of 

Police had condoled with 

the families of the 

deceased persons and 

assured members of the 

public that the Command 

will do everything to 

bring the perpetrators of 

the dastardly act to book. 

How gunmen killed Miyetti Allah leaders in Nasarawa — Police 

•Fulani Peace Summit underway 

The police boss, while 

calling on members of 

the public to volunteer 

useful information, further 

assured that such 

information will be 

treated with utmost 

confidentiality. 

Miyetti Allah members, 

herdsmen, had been in the 

eye of the storm over their 

relationship with native 

farmers across the country 

as they have been blamed 

for allowing their cattle to 

eat farmers’ crops, leading 

to the killing of natives in 

subsequent conflicts. 

Peace 

Summit 

Meanwhile, the 

National President of 

Miyetti Allah Kautal- 

Hore, Alhaji Bello 

By Peter Okutu 

5 out of the 66 suspects 

arrested by a combined 

team of the Police and Army, 

yesterday escaped from Police 

custody in Effium Community 

of Ohaukwu Local 

Government Area of Ebonyi 

State. 

The suspects were alleged 

to be those behind the attacks 

and killings in Effium/Ezza 

Effium communities of the 

state. 

Ebonyi State government 

confirmed the escape which 

the police denied. 

Confirming the escape, the 

Commissioner for Internal 

Security and Border Peace, 

Chief Stanley Okoro 

Emegha, who condemned the 

development, alleged policemen 

collusion in the escape 

of the suspects. 

“The Governor is not sleeping 

over the crisis in Effium. 

There have been the deployment 

of 150 soldiers and 120 

mobile men, visiting team, 

not minding the presence of 

other personnel therein. 

“Our visit today was a major 

breakthrough as we arrested 

66 suspects. It is unfortunate 

that 55 escaped. The 

security agencies whose responsibility 

it is to guard the 

suspects to Abakaliki compromised. 

As we moved they 

released them. The Governor 

through the Deputy Governor 

has demanded for an explanation 

from the Commissioner 

of Police and the officer 

commanding the troops 

there. 

“The Commissioner of Police 

was there and he was reluctant. 

It was because of my 

insistence that the warlords 

were arrested. They said those 

arrested were vigilante. Vigilante 

again? When the Governor 

has announced a dusk 

to dawn curfew in the affected 

communities. Who constituted 

such vigilante? This is a 

compromise. The suspects 

were rounded up and handed 

over to them. We are not 

getting the necessary support 

that we are supposed to get 

from the police.” 

Reacting, the Commissioner 

of Police, CP Garba Aliyu 

denied any form of compromise 

adding that the Police 

came back with suspects as 

they were not up 66 in number. 

“We came back with 

some suspects. They are not 

up to 66,” Aliyu declared. 

The whereabouts of the 

said suspects were still not 

known as their disappearance 

occurred immediately 

after the Deputy Governor of 

Ebonyi State, Dr. Kelechi 

Igwe, the General Officer 

Commanding, GOC, 82 Division, 

Major General 

Taoreen Lagbaja and others, 

who were on operational 

tour of the war-torn communities, 

left the area. 

Abdullah Bodego, in 

collaboration with the 

Senior Pastor, Yoke 

Breakers Prophetic 

Ministry, Abuja, Most 

Reverend Ugokwe Prince, 

and other religious 

stakeholders in country, 

has finalized plans to host 

the Fulani National Peace 

Summit in Abuja. 

Making this known, the 

organisers stated that the 

conference was in view of 

deliberations on the 

national benefits of the 

summit to Nigerians, 

especially at this time of 

crises; to educate and 

enlighten the Fulani 

community including 

nomadic herdsmen, the 

importance of peaceful coexistence 

and interpersonal 

relations among 

farming communities and 

herdsmen in the country. 

Let’s live for one another, Glo 

pleads as Nigerians mark Easter 

Globacom has urged Nigerians to live for one an 

other through mutual love, togetherness and tolerance. 

This was contained in a goodwill message by the company 

congratulating Nigerian Christians on the Easter 

celebrations. 

The telecom company said the ultimate sacrifice made 

by Jesus Christ through his death on the cross should be 

a constant reminder for Nigerians to show love, peace 

and tolerance to all. This, it said, will help the country 

triumph over the current challenges being experienced 

in the country. 

“To the followers of Christ, the true message of Easter 

proclaims the greatest act of love known to man. God’s 

infinite love for mankind is symbolized by the sacrifice 

of his only son for the benefit of the human race, a love 

that will continue into eternity”, Globacom noted. 

Globacom assured Nigerians of seamless voice, data 

and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after 

the Easter celebrations, encouraging them to avail themselves 

of the various data and voice offerings on the 

network. Easter celebrations commence with the commemoration 

of the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ 

on Good Friday and culminates in Easter Sunday, 

which is regarded as Christ’s resurrection day. 

It marks the end of Lent whose Biblical purpose is to 

purify believers through prayer, sacrament, repentance 

from sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial. 

Develop other means of 

Transpor 

ransportation ation in Lagos, Prominent 

Indigenes Urge Sanwoolu 

agos State government has been urged to develop other 

Lmeans of transportation, particularly waterways, to 

alleviate the hardship commuters face daily on the roads. 

This suggestion was given by Lagos State Prominent 

Indigenes in a statement signed by their spokesman, Chief 

Adesunbo Onitiri, yesterday. 

“Lagosians now face more hardship in commuting in 

Lagos metropolis. You can hardly reach your destination 

without spending a whole day on Lagos roads”, the 

statement said 

“Many business opportunities have been lost and a lot of 

people frustrated by their failure to meet appointments to 

unending traffic hold-up on Lagos roads. “The stress on 

our roads is now becoming unbearable that it can trigger 

a mass revolution earlier than expected”. 

The statement noted that Lagos roads were now fast 

becoming inefficient in commuting Lagosians to their 

various destinations. 

“Closure of roads by the authorities is becoming rampant 

due to repair works which should not have been. 

“Lagosians waste economic hours commuting.” 

It pointed out that Lagos is an island surrounded by water. 

“Therefore our waters present an easier and cheaper means 

of transportation. 

“Most of the Lagos divisions can be easily reached 

through the sea, like Badagry, Epe, lkorodu and Lagos 

lsland. “A state that prides itself a Megacity should have 

developed its waterways and rails”. 

Sterling Bank reports 16% 

profit growth in 2020 

D 

espite the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, 

Sterling Bank Plc, a full service national 

commercial bank, has reported a Profit Before Tax (PBT) 

of N12.4 billion. The lender reported the Profit Before 

Tax on gross earnings of N138.9 billion in the financial 

year ended 31 December 2020 compared to a PBT of 

N10.7 billion on gross earnings of N150.2 billion in the 

same period of 2019, representing a 15.9% growth. 

In response to the pandemic and expected credit losses, 

Sterling Bank proactively increased the cost of risk by 

10 bps to 1.0% while moderating the Non-Performing 

Loan ratio downwards by 30bps to 1.9%. 

Commenting on the results, Abubakar Suleiman, Chief 

Executive Officer (CEO), Sterling Bank, said, “2020 was 

an extraordinary defined by the global pandemic. 

COVID-19 disrupted society and severely impacted 

economic activities. And during the year, we channelled 

our resources towards empowering our stakeholders to 

respond to the unprecedented disruption while 

supporting them to adapt to new banking methods 

through novel platforms like OneBank and Pay with 

Specta.” 

Reflecting market dynamics influenced by the 

pandemic, Sterling Bank’s NIBSS Instant Payments 

and transaction volume grew by 89.4% compared to the 

previous year on the back of investments in digital 

platforms. As a result, the Bank achieved a 6.0% 

growth in profit after taxes to reach N11.2 billion, a 

development that underpins a 13.5% growth in 

shareholders’ funds in a pandemic year. 

According to Suleiman, the bank’s gross earnings 

moderated by a 12.4% decline in interest income as yields 

trended low. Interest expense declined by 21.3%, resulting 

in a 160 bps drop in the cost of funds; this was driven by 

a 39.5% year-on-year growth in low-cost customer 

deposits. The bank also ensured that the cost-to-income 

ratio declined year-on-year to 77.4% as it recorded a 

2.5% drop in operating expenses despite rising 

inflationary pressures. 

Remarkably, Sterling Bank spearheaded efforts to 

contain the pandemic by encouraging innovation to 

increase COVID-19 testing capacity. The Bank also 

supported health care workers on the frontline. 

In the wake of the pandemic, Sterling Bank focused 

on retooling its employees to perform optimally while 

enabling a safe and conducive environment. For its 

agility and responsiveness, the bank capped the year 

with the ‘Overall Best Workplace in Nigeria’ in the large 

corporate category of the Great Place to Work Institute, 

a testament to the effectiveness of its employee welfare 

initiatives.


WORSENING UNEMPLOYMENT: 

Why jobs are 

disappearing in 

Nigeria, by experts 

•The way out! 

By Peter Egwuatu, Assistant 

Business Editor, Tunde Oso & 

Nkiru Nnorom 

Unemployment rate in Nigeria 

rose from 27.1 percent to 33.3 

percent from December to 

March 2021, according to the 

National Bureau of Statistics, 

NBS. 

The NBS explained that the number of 

unemployed Nigerians rose to 23.19 million 

in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020 on the back 

of job losses occasioned by the outbreak of 

COVID-19 pandemic and its stifling impact 

on businesses during the period. 

The Q4 unemployment rate report titled: 

‘Labor Force Statistics: Unemployment and 

Underemployment Report’, showed that the 

number is 6.5 percent higher compared to 21.77 

million. 

Ever since the report was released, there have 

been arguments back and forth on the true 

unemployment state in the country. 

While officials of the Buhari administration 

argued that the situation wasn’t the fault of 

government, others blamed what was described 

as the failings of the regime. 

However, in conversations with Sunday 

Vanguard, some experts presented the true state 

of unemployment in the country, saying the 

continuous increase wasn’t surprising. They 

identified reasons for the situation and proffered 

ways out. 

Managing Director/CEO, Highcap 

Securities, David Adonri, said the 

socioeconomic conditions in the country are 

responsible for the situation. 

Adonri said the increase in unemployment 

rate to 33 percent wasn’t surprising. 

Causal factors 

“The increase in the unemployment rate of 

labour to 33 percent in Nigeria is not surprising. 

The prevalent socioeconomic conditions in the 

country are precursors to this parlours situation. 

If things continue the way they are, the situation 

can get worse”, he said. 

“Nigeria degenerated to this dangerous level 

of unemployment owing to the absence of 

population control and excessive supply of 

unskilled labour. 

“As a result of population explosion due to 

lack of birth and migration controls, the 

economy is overwhelmed with excess liquidity 

of people. 

“Then, concerning the demand for labour, 

the economy lacks the required capacity to 

generate productive employment that can 

consistently mop up labour. 

“Due to the absence of engineering 

infrastructure, the economy is unable to sustain 

itself internally, thus exporting jobs through 

pervasive import dependence. “Nigeria is an 

agrarian economy, but the recent breakdown 

of the rural economy due to widespread 

insecurity has worsened the country’s 

unemployment rate. 

Challenges 

“Challenges to tackling rising 

unemployment rate are mainly from 

population explosion, absence of engineering 

infrastructure to support production and 

pervasive rural insecurity. 

“The first two are age-long while the third 

challenge assumed an unprecedented 

dimension since 2015. 

“While the first two challenges are inimical 

to full employment of labour and capital, the 

third factor deals with the employment of land. 

“Analysis of these factors shows very clearly 

that all the factors of production are massively 

underemployed in Nigeria.” 

Faulty 

Speaking on the effectiveness of strategies 

deployed to tackle unemployment, he said: 

“The instruments and strategies deployed by 

government to create jobs are faulty. They are 

not formulated to address the inherent 

weaknesses in the socioeconomic fuelling 

unemployment. They are taking ineffective 

panic measures. 

“They should start implementing policy on 

birth and immigration controls to lay the 

foundation for labour optimization. 

“They must start bridging the infrastructure 

deficit. This will mechanize the economy and 

enable it to become internally self-sustaining 

with a high multiplier effect. “There should be 

no room for rural insecurity if agriculture which 

forms the natural base for employment is to be 

revived. 

“Government has not been serious in these 

areas. The laughable policies of Tradermoni, 

meager cash transfer and temporary 

employment across all 774 LGAs are wasted 

resources. 

“They cannot form the kind of capital that 

can generate massive productive employment 

on a sustainable basis. 

Unemployment 

and insecurity 

“High unemployment rate and insecurity are 

mutually reinforcing evils. One can lead to the 

other. They are two devilish brothers born on 

the same day but insecurity, which is elder, is 

the most terrible.” 

On his part, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, a lecturer 

in Capital Market Studies at the Nasarawa 

State University, said since the GDP growth 

rate since 2015 has been weak and below 

Continues on page 10

PAGE 8—SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021 

23.2MILLION OUT OF JOB: 

Some Nigerians always 

focus on the negatives 

— Femi Adesina 

•Says s Buhari met t 30million unemployed ed people in 2015 

By Chris Onuoha 

Mr Femi Adesina is Special Adviser to the President on 

Media and Publicity. In this interview, Adesina speaks 

on issues bordering on the latest statistics from the 

National Bureau of Statistic (NBS) on unemployment in the country 

which puts the number of jobless people in Nigeria at 23.2million. 

•Adesina 

With regards to the 

unemployment and inflation in the 

country, what is Mr. President doing 

to arrest the situation especially 

when critics say this government 

lacks the capacity to handle the 

economy? 

I think, in any nation at any given time, 

it is not enough to focus on the negatives. 

If you want to focus on the negatives, there 

will be more than enough for you to see 

and talk about. But there are always 

silver linings in the sky. It is typical of 

Nigerians that when those silver linings 

come, we don’t talk about it. You talk 

about inflation at 17%, but when it 

dropped to 11% a couple of years back, 

we didn’t hear a sound. When we went 

into recession the second time, and we 

came out notwithstanding the Covid-19 

pandemic, not much was heard about it. 

Our budget performance at 97%, nothing 

was heard. All we hear from critics and 

from a section of the media are the 

negatives. The truth is that any country 

that wants to focus on the negatives will 

have more than enough to chew. Let’s 

realise that in Nigeria, there are positives 

in the economy, security and all spheres 

of lives. It depends on what you want to 

focus on. But if you want to focus on the 

positives and encourage our countrymen, 

there are enough things to focus on. The 

choice is ours. 

Talking about inflation, in 2016, 

inflation rate was 15.68%, in 2017 it rose 

to 16.5 and dropped to 12.09 in 2018; in 

2019 it was 11.4. If it is 17 now, are you 

saying Nigerians shouldn’t be worried 

about 

how this would affect their 

livelihood? 

You don’t have to misquote me. I didn’t 

say Nigerians shouldn’t be worried. What 

I said was that when we came to 11.4, 

critics didn’t talk about it. They didn’t 

make it a focus. But when we are at 17, 

that is when it is now a focus. Life is like 

being out in the seas. You take the rough 

and the smooth. Don’t talk about only the 

rough, talk about both. 

You just mentioned the situation of the 

economy and how we went into recession. 

For example, in 2015, Nigeria was not in 

recession, but went into recession less than 

two years ago. President Buhari during 

his campaign in 2014 and 2018 promised 

to create three million jobs yearly, later 

we were told 100 million would be taken 

out of poverty in a decade, but the latest 

figure shows that things have gone in the 

opposite direction… 

It takes us back to what I have just said. 

Yesterday, I heard a projection from the 

ITF (Industrial Training 

Fund) saying that by 2030, 

ITF alone will take seven 

million people out of 

poverty. And you have 

agencies of government like 

that giving their targets of 

what to do in a certain 

period. Why does that not 

become a talking point? It 

will never be, rather, 

accumulation of problems 

over decades has continued 

to be the focus. Let us focus 

on positive things for a 

change. It will help us and 

also accelerate whatever 

government is doing. It is not 

one government that will do 

it. If Buhari administration 

says it would take 100 

million Nigerians out of 

poverty in 10 years, that 

government would not be available up to 

that year. It has just about two years to 

go. It shows then that there is a 

progression in Nigeria. And the onus is 

on us, the media, social critics, opposition 

and civil societies to focus on things that 

can be done to achieve that goal, not 

things that are not being done. 

Unemployment rate has gone up to 23.2 

million Nigerians are looking for job. The 

statistics shows that over 80million 

Nigerians are poor. These figures were 

not there when this government came into 

power. We want to know what the 

president is thinking or doing presently 

in changing the trend? 

You didn’t quite get it. You will recall 

that in 2015 when APC was campaigning, 

the figure that was used by Buhari was 

that the minimum of 30 million Nigerians 

were out of job, particularly youths, and 

that his government would do something 

about it. That was in 2014 – 2015. So, 

don’t make it appear like a genie that 

came out of a bottle. It has always been 

there. As of 2014 – 15, the figure used for 

campaign was 30 million Nigerians. It is 

on record. 

With the promise so far, how many 

jobs has this government delivered? 

I wouldn’t have that at my fingertips. 

But there is a Ministry of Labour and 

Employment. If you can make an effort 

and ask the ministry about jobs generated 

over a period, particularly when the 

president promised that 100 million will 

be taken out of poverty in 10 years…you 

can now ask, by June 12, this year, it would 

be exactly two years when that promise 

was made. It is the duty of the media to 

find out what has been achieved in those 

two years. We have to work with facts and 

figures available in the ministries and 

agencies of government that are 

responsible for that. 

Our findings like you rightly said are 

put out there for you to see and they show 

that Buhari promised that the naira would 

equal to dollar in value if he was voted 

into office. But now we 

have double of that from 

2015 to now. The 

question is, what is the 

president doing in 

keeping to that 

You have a 

knack for 

bringing up 

people that carry 

bile in their 

hearts against 

their own 

country 

promise? 

But what you just said 

does not exist. It is fake 

and faulty. And the 

Minister 

of 

Information, Alhaji Lai 

Mohammed, has 

debunked that before. It 

was never said. If it was 

said, there will be clips 

and publications. It was 

a conjuration by some 

people and they did it 

for it to become an 

albatross around 

government neck and 

that was never 

promised. I challenge you to make 

available the clips where those promises 

were made. 

Former Vice President Atiku 

Abubakar has said that President 

Buhari doesn’t listen to the counsel 

of others on issues of employment 

and he feels that part of the 

problem is that government is not 

listening? 

The former vice president was in power 

for eight years. Now he is in the 

opposition to government. You can’t take 

what he says as a gospel. It can’t be. The 

question is when Atiku was in government 

with Obasanjo, where did they take and 

lead the country to? There are clips on 

social media where he said that some 

things they wanted to do, particularly on 

power; some people collected billions and 

did not deliver. The interviewer asked him 

whether he went after them, he said no. 

Atiku was part of the rot this country 

became. He can’t exculpate himself and 

sit in judgment over anybody. He played 

his part for eight years and left the country 

where it was. He can’t claim anything. 

So, invariably, the Presidency 

would not listen to Atiku Abubakar 

in this regard? 

That is not what I said. The president 

would always listen to words that are well 

founded. Anything that is well founded, 

not out of negative politicking, the 

Presidency would always listen. Isolate 

the good and bad and we would always 

utilise them. But anything that borders 

on ‘pull him down,’ we would not take it. 

The speaker would have the right to his 

words, but nobody is compelled to use it. 

With the latest figures on unemployment 

in relation to the Great Depression of 

1920s as relayed by Dr. Obadiah 

Mailafia, saying that considering the 

figures and indices, the situation led to 

people committing suicide. What is the 

Presidency saying about the latest figures? 

Well, you have a knack for bringing up 

people that carry bile in their hearts against 

their own country. The person you just 

quoted, we know his position and things he 

has said about this country, and whenever 

he is called out to explain, he will shout 

persecution. But there are also other people 

who can isolate these issues dispassionately 

without bile and hatred. Talking about 

Depression, did you also see the statistics 

that Britain has had its worst economic 

performance in 200 years? Did you see 

the report that Britain has borrowed more 

than ever in the country’s history? because 

of the pandemic, it is all over. Did you see 

the report of that quarter that Nigeria came 

out of recession? Did you see the report of 

other countries and where they are? Let us 

cut some slag and give Nigeria some credits. 

We are making progress. It could be slower 

than we want, but things are looking up. 

Not all gloomy as you said. Coming to NBS 

report as you said, NBS is an agency of 

government. Is it not to the credit of this 

administration that it never tampers with 

NBS statistics or tries to muzzle it? 

Whatever the agency found, it releases and 

government takes it in good faith, and uses 

it to work. The issue is a global 

phenomenon and not peculiar to Nigeria. 

• Interview first aired on 

channels Television


RISING UNEMPLOYMENT : 

Some people making 

huge money from 

insecurity – Amaechi 

…the rich have put all the money in their pockets 

•Why I opposed amnesty for N-Delta militants’ 

•Says Ruga would have stayed if he was Agric Minister 

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, in this 

interview, speaks on the unemployment crisis in Nigeria 

and the connection to insecurity among other issues in the polity. 

Excerpts: 

•Amaechi 

By Kennedy Mbele 

On criminality 

The reason there is crime in Nigeria is 

because the economy is not productive. 

Nobody is working. If everybody is working, 

there will be no reason for crime because they 

have sources of livelihood. When we came into 

power, we said we will take care of Boko 

Haram and we did. But, as we were doing that, 

oil price fell to 58USD per barrel. If oil price 

fell to 58USD per barrel, it means that the 

power of the Federal Government has been 

reduced drastically. The implication is that the 

economy will not grow at the level it was 

growing before, which was between 5% and 

6%. Now, we have 1% and 2% and that simply 

will impact on the pocket of Nigerians and 

they will not be able to put food on their tables. 

When that happens, people resort to crime. So, 

when you talk about sea ports, simple 

infrastructures are in place but how many 

Nigerians are producing? Why are they not 

producing? They are not producing 

because everybody has become 

contractors to NNPC, federal or state 

governments. Even those who make that 

money, if they had put it in production, 

establishing industries and 

manufacturing outfits, among others, 

things would have been better. If they go 

into agriculture, they would create 

employment for everybody and still make 

more money for themselves. But they won’t, 

just like politicians. When you hear that a 

politician left politician B, it is because 

politician B is out of government and his 

party did not win. For the politician, he 

must be in power until he dies. So, politics 

is no longer avenue from which people 

create opportunities and perform in such 

a manner that people are able to benefit 

from government. Politics has become an 

agency for employment and payment of 

salaries and the salaries are huge. 

Some people watching this 

programme would wonder if you are 

the one speaking because, from 

1999 to date, you have been in 

government and switched parties as 

well… 

(Laughs and takes a deep breath). I 

switched parties on principles and I am 

ready to argue it out anytime. I did warn 

the government that things were not going 

the way I expected. In a meeting with the 

president, I said let’s challenge what I have 

done. As a speaker, I turned out to be the 

best speaker this country has ever 

produced. If nothing else, USAID tried to 

make me meet former US President Bill 

Clinton because they saw my Assembly as 

one of the best that could come out from 

the Third World countries. When I became 

governor, I created employment. I had 

ideas on the need to focus on agriculture. 

I established farms and, by the time I left, 

Songhai Farm had over 300 to 400 

hectares of land. We created employment 

and hostels with hotel facilities so that 

people could come and carry out 

researches. We trained and empowered 

farmers to start their own farms. We 

created Banana Farm by entering into 

partnership with a Mexican company that 

was employing about 500 workers per 

day, even though they are no longer there. 

We also went into partnership with an 

Israeli company and paid our N3billion 

counterpart fund, but they were stopped. 

Who stopped them? 

All those have been stopped in Rivers 

State. We created what was called Cubits 

which is like Ruga. I started developing it 

before we got distracted by Jonathan 

Federal Government. In it, we had about 

10,000 acres of land where we put about 

1,000 people, provided accommodation 

and market for them, as well as schools 

for children of residents, church, 

everything they needed, including their 

own land and money to use on farming. 

That was what Ruga was all about but 

people opposed it, shouting that they will 

take herdsmen there. If I was still a 

governor, I can do ranching there and ask 

Rivers people to deal with animal 

husbandry. To be the president of Nigeria, 

you must take a decision and stand by it, 

when it turns out to be good, 

people will praise you when 

you have left the office. You 

don’t have to be a popular 

president while in office 

and I think the president is 

someone that takes that 

kind of stand. I would not 

have abandoned Ruga if I 

were the Minister of 

Agriculture. It is such 

things that create 

employment. There was a 

period in Nigeria when one 

could drive from Port- 

Harcourt to Kano without 

being stopped by 

policemen or criminals. I 

served (NYSC) in Abuja. As 

a student leader, there was 

a day I boarded a bus 11pm 

after a meeting in Kano for 

Port-Harcourt and arrived 

in the morning to write my examinations. 

You cannot try that now. This is caused by 

unemployment; the rich have put all the 

money in their pockets, denying the poor. 

When I was governor, I once said that if 

you didn’t create legitimate economy for 

the people, they will create for themselves 

illegitimate economy. Those who have 

carried and seized the legitimate economy 

cannot drive on the streets because that is 

the avenue for the illegitimate economy 

which is kidnapping and other forms of 

criminality. The rich men are in their 

houses while we, the poor, are on the street 

looking for food. 

We, the poor? I don’t think people will 

agree with you. 

That is their own business. Sometimes, 

it is exciting to hear people talk about 

insecurity; they should remember that 

insecurity is a product of mismanagement 

of our resources. If those resources were 

kept in place and properly utilized by 

turning Nigeria into productive economy, 

there would have been no security 

challenges because those who engage in 

the act would have been educated and 

now working. But now they are not 

working because their money has been 

seized. Everybody has become a 

billionaire in one week, just for knowing 

somebody in NNPC, federal or state 

governments. 

You implied that the reason people are 

not making use of the Port-Harcourt ports 

among others is 

because of crime on 

the seas thus 

congesting Lagos 

ports. But you also 

said recently that 

Those who have carried 

and seized the 

legitimate economy 

cannot drive on the 

streets because that is 

the avenue for the 

illegitimate economy 

which is kidnapping 

and other forms of 

criminality 

the Federal 

Government has put 

in place a security 

umbrella to deal 

with insecurity on 

the waterways… 

Yes, but the people 

who make money from 

insecurity have not 

allowed it to function. 

They petitioned me to 

EFCC, the Presidency, 

NFIU, accusing me of... 

I and the Defense 

Minister have 

inspected the 

installation. Didn’t you 

see the fight between NPA and a so-called 

security outfit? What is the so-called 

security outfit doing? Provide three boats 

for the navy and that’s all. They could not 

allow those Israelis to install the 

equipment and carry out their 

responsibilities. We will suffer as a country 

because the outfit is making 2,500USD 

per vessel that gets into the country and 

1,500USD after the first day. Nigerians 

are benefiting from insecurity. Insecurity 

is not just armed robbery, kidnapping, it 

takes more than that. To curb insecurity, 

we must deal with the issue of hunger 

because until you create a chance whereby 

those people you call criminals are able 

to fend for themselves, they will continue 

with the illegitimate economy. 

You are a prominent figure in the 

oil rich Niger Delta region where 

the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua 

put up an amnesty program over a 

decade ago. What can you tell us 

about the programme? 

What the people need is the ability to 

create employment. People need to put 

food on their tables. They need to know 

that the environmental conditions that 

exist in the Niger Delta should not continue 

to exist. They need to know that you must 

go by global standards on oil production 

.They need to know that they will have 

benefits but those benefits have two 

arguments. There are those who argue that 

huge sums of money have been sent to the 

Niger Delta and the development there is 

not commensurate with the amount of 

money that has been sent to the region. 

Correct. But both the Federal 

Government and the Niger Delta must 

hold their government accountable on the 

resources that came to the Niger Delta. 

Most governors believe that once you 

construct roads, finish. What about 

education and human capital 

development? When we were there as 

governors, we constructed roads, we didn’t 

invite anybody to come and commission 

them because, even my son, if you make 

him a governor, he can construct roads. 

What it takes to construct a road is just to 

pay the contractors. There are engineers 

in the state government to handle the 

design and other aspects of the project. 

What is a bit more difficult is human 

capital development and creation of 

opportunities for agitators to function 

when they return. Crime will reduce but, 

currently, that is not what is going on. Road 

is not an issue. You have to deal with 

power. When we were there, we had 

scholarship program for the poor in 

secondary schools. Primary and secondary 

education was free. The more you send 

people to acquire education, the better the 

economy. America, Japan, China, etc are 

where they are today because of 

technology. I opposed the amnesty 

program because I wanted it to be 

comprehensive. I believe that rather than 

continue giving out money, we should put 

infrastructures on ground that can grow 

the economy. 

• Interview first aired on 

Channels TV Newsnight


Why jobs are disappearing in Nigeria, by experts 

Continued from page 7 

population growth rate, the unemployment rate 

is bound to be high. 

“First, we have to recognize that sustainable 

economic growth, measured by GDP growth 

rate, is a necessary condition for economic 

development and by extension low 

unemployment rates”, Uwaleke said. 

“Sadly, GDP growth rate since 2015 has been 

weak and below the population growth rate. 

In this condition, the unemployment rate is 

bound to be high. 

“Second, it is equally important to realize 

that the quality of economic growth is critical 

to job creation. Before 2015, GDP growth rates 

were relatively high averaging about six percent 

in the preceding five years. 

“Yet unemployment and poverty rates were 

high. This is because the GDP growth rates 

witnessed during those periods were noninclusive 

in the sense that they were powered 

more by the oil sector than the employmentelastic 

sectors. 

“As you know, the oil sector employs an 

insignificant proportion of the labour force. 

“Third, poor infrastructure, especially power, 

insecurity and general hostile business 

environment has not encouraged 

entrepreneurship and micro businesses. 

“Fourthly, the educational system, which is 

non-functional and which promotes job seekers 

rather than job creators, is also to blame. 

“These are some of the factors responsible 

for the high rate of unemployment in the 

country. 

Reducing 

unemployment 

“This administration has launched so many 

job creation initiatives encapsulated in the 

Social Intervention Programmes. 

“These are complemented by the CBN 

interventions, especially in the agriculture and 

manufacturing sectors. “Some progress has 

been made no doubt, but the impact is what I 

may liken to a drop in a bowl of water. 

“The reach and coverage is far from what is 

desirable partly on account of government tight 

fiscal position. 

Way forward 

“Nigeria is said to have over 40 million 

MSMEs. Against this backdrop, I see the role 

of government as focusing more on making 

the business environment conducive, especially 

in the area of enabling infrastructure, while the 

CBN continues to ensure enhanced access to 

credit by small businesses.” 

By Olayinka Ajayi 

LADY Angela Johnson was the 

presidential candidate of Alliance for 

United Nigeria, AUN, in the 2019 poll. 

In this interview, she spoke on the state 

of the nation and offers the way forward. 

Her take on the state of the 

nation 

Nigeria's current situation calls for 

concern. From insecurity, infrastructural 

deficit, wholesale poverty, educational 

backwardness, disoriented civil service 

and epileptic policy regime, it is 

worrisome to put it mildly. I am 

particularly concerned because the 

current Nigeria is not the Nigeria of my 

dream. Over time, we have offered free 

•Lady 

Angela 

Dangerous path 

Analyst and Head of Investment and 

Research, Fidelity Securities Limited, Mr. 

Victor Chiazor, said Nigeria’s unemployment 

figure shows the country is heading on a very 

dangerous path. 

Consequently, he warned: “If nothing is done 

to reverse this disturbing trend, it may take 

decades for us to recover from the repercussions 

of this position. 

“We got here by failing to build buffers 

around the Nigerian economy and eventually 

exposed the country to external shocks during 

the first term of President Buhari when we saw 

oil prices drop on the back of a massive oil glut 

and the rising efficiency in U.S. Shale oil. 

“During the last two-quarters of former 

President Jonathan, unemployment rate stood 

at 6.4% and increased to 7.5% in Q1’2015. 

“Ever since, unemployment figure has been 

on the rise, hitting a high of 23.13% in Q3’2018 

close to the end of President Buhari’s first term 

and currently hitting a new high of 33.3% for 

Q4’2020.” 

Less 

wasteful 

Continuing, he said: “The 

reality is that until we decide to 

become less wasteful with our 

scarce resources by using what 

we have judiciously and also 

blocking some visible leakages, 

we may never truly recover.” 

On the reason for rising 

unemployment, Chiazor said: 

“The weak infrastructural 

investments, weak government 

revenue, weak manufacturing 

sector amongst other issues 

have all increased the level of 

unemployment in the country 

and all these areas need to be 

significantly revived to create 

jobs for the youths. 

“In the end, getting out of this 

position will be a tough task but 

not an impossible one but if this 

is not nipped in the board as soon as possible, 

we may not see a decent drop in the level of 

insecurity as it seems most of the youths have 

all embraced self-help, which will only make 

things worse for the economy.” 

Obstacles to investment 

growth, like insecurity must be 

removed –Yusuf LCCI DG 

Director General, Lagos Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry, Dr. Muda Yusuf, also 

speaking, said the growing unemployment in 

the country reflects the state of the economy. 

and sustainable advice to 

governments which were not 

adopted by successive 

governments. 

That technically informed 

my involvement in the 2023 

presidential race to right all 

the wrongs coupled with God’s 

divine instruction to me to go 

and rescue Nigeria that is 

bedevilled by coefficient inequality 

and organic administrative 

failure. 

You contested the 2019 

presidential poll on the 

platform of the defunct 

Alliance for a United 

Nigeria, AUN. What 

was the experience 

like? 

The experience 

was good. I had 

everything in the 

right place to have 

won the election 

but we were 

constrained with time. In 2019, my 

party, Alliance for a United Nigeria, 

AUN, was among the last registered 

parties in August 2018. That left me with 

just six months to prepare for my 

presidential election. We did our best but 

because Nigeria is a very large country, 

the time was too short for us to cover all 

the corners of the country. This time, 

nothing is going to stop us from winning. 

But the party has been de-registered 

We are in court and we have high 

optimism that before the end of the year, 

that de-registration will be reversed. 

However, we have a very robust 

relationship with other political parties 

and alliance could be a way out for me to 

contest. Besides, I am getting involved 

“It is difficult for an economy in recession or 

an economy that is stagnating to create jobs. It 

is therefore important to ensure an effective 

stimulation of the economy to ensure that the 

economy regains momentum and arrests the 

worsening joblessness in the country”, Yusuf 

stated. “There is a strong relation between 

investment growth and employment 

generation. And for investment to grow, the 

business environment must be conducive, and 

investors’ confidence must be restored. 

“Obstacles to investment growth must be 

removed. These include the growing 

insecurity which is disrupting activities in the 

agricultural sector rendering many farmers 

across the country jobless. 

“The agricultural sector is a major employer 

of labour. The disruption accelerated the rate 

of unemployment in the country. 

“Investors are also grappling with numerous 

regulatory and policy challenges impeding the 

capacity of investors to create and sustain jobs. 

“Most regulatory institutions are 

disproportionately focused on revenue 

generation which meant 

additional burden on 

businesses. 

“It is important that we 

also have policy stability 

and consistency; we need to 

address the issues around 

foreign exchange policy 

High 

unemployment 

rate and insecurity 

are mutually 

reinforcing evils. 

One can lead to 

the other 

in the emerging Third Force. So, platform 

options are many. 

and management, 

especially with respect to 

liquidity crises and 

exchange rate volatility. 

“We need to ensure that 

we create an environment 

that reduces investment 

risks and addresses the 

structural challenges in the 

economy especially the 

high infrastructure deficit 

which has been inhibiting 

the growth of the real sector 

of the economy. 

“Logistics issues and 

bottlenecks at the ports 

remain very big factors in 

the job creation equation. 

“Above all, we need to fix the investment 

environment for SMEs. This is the segment of 

the economy that provides the largest numbers 

of jobs and is therefore very critical to 

accelerated job creation”. 

What was your experience based on 

the gender sensitive aspect of a female 

president? 

Initially, I did not consider gender as 

any issue, what was on my mind is how to 

emancipate Nigeria. Having said that, 

many people were not ready for a woman 

president then, people were more 

interested in monetary gain than listening 

to what will secure their freedom from 

businessmen politicians bidding to control 

the liberties of Nigerian citizens. The 

stakeholders were afraid to invest in 

women. I realised that the system is unlike 

the UK where your policies, character and 

knowledge give you a lead way to 

becoming the Prime Minister. Nigerian 

politics is more of cash politics, the person 

that floats more cash wins in Nigeria. 

On President Buhari’s routine medical 

trip to the UK as Nigerian doctors plan to 

embark on strike due to the sorry state of 

the nation’s health sector 

A true leader leads by example; 

President Buhari embarking on a medical 

trip to the UK shows his inept attitude 

towards his government. The doctors have 

the right of expression to strike, however, 

they should remember that when two 

elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. 

Our citizens are going through pains and 

whatever anyone, including the doctors, 

can do to alleviate the sufferings is highly 

recommended. Our opportunity to elect a 

credible leader is right before us, 2023, we 

must all do the right thing. 

What do you see as the way forward to 

save Nigeria from the brink as 

secessionists across the North, East, West 

and South are seriously calling for the 

regions to go their separate ways? 

True federalism is the way forward. The 

Long term economic plan, 

the key, says Gimba, lecturer 

In his own submission, economist and 

lecturer at College of Administration and 

Management Technology, CAMTECH 

Potiskum, Yobe State, Ahmad Suleiman 

Gimba, said many factors led to the huge 

unemployment situation and these include 

government should adhere to the 

application of principles of need, fairness 

and equity in the distributions of 

government appointments and projects 

across the federation. We are one people 

despite our cultural and religious 

diversity. No Nigerian is less a citizen 

than the other. 

On lingering insecurity, what are 

your thoughts? 

The government should follow the 

rule of law. The constitution was made 

as a guide to navigate the nation and 

should not be ignored. The government 

should smoke out the bandits; if possible; 

engage foreign expertise to direct 

operation. Sheik Gumi's idea of 

negotiating with the bandits is a no, no 

and not advisable. Banditry should not 

be seen as religious tolerance but threat 

to lives and property and the nation is at 

the brink of collapse. If the nation is at 

war with another, there shall be need for 

mediation and negotiation, not with 

deliberate law breakers. The high level 

of insecurity is already affecting our 

economy, farmers and traders are no 

more safe to carry out their normal 

businesses. Foreign investors have 

ceased coming to invest. The 

government should wake up from 

slumber and deal with the menace. 

On agitation for power shift to the 

South, major political parties in 

Nigeria are divided on this, what is 

the way forward? 

The sovereignty of our nation is 

under threat due to politicians’ greed, 

nepotism and selfishness. Since 

zoning is an individual political party 

agreement that is not in our 

constitution, electing a president 

should be based on the party manifesto 

and character. You don’t elect a criminal 

corruption, waste in public expenditure and 

short term approach to major national issues 

instead of middle or long term approach. 

“The nation’s economy managers in the past 

had neglected other potentially job-creating 

fields in order to feed oil”, Gimba said. 

“According to the World Bank, the oil sector 

provides for 95% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange 

earnings and 80% of its budgetary revenues. 

“Degree-holding Nigerians consequently 

have trouble finding positions in their field, and 

others lack access to vocational training that 

should otherwise allow them to find work in a 

number of industries. 

“In 1999, the unemployment rate was 3.79% 

and ten years later it reduced to 3.72%. However 

it continued to rise without any recourse. 

“And governments did not take the real course 

to hamper it. At the end of President Buhari’s 

first term in 2019, it was 8.10%. 

“This year, the unemployment rate has been 

estimated to reach 32.5% which is very 

outrageous. Government is doing its best; but, 

unfortunately, the rate is very high. “The 

President, in his 2021 budget speech, 

emphasized very well on Social Investment 

Programmes (SIPs) which is very good, but the 

methods of implementing it are not well 

articulated and advanced to meet up with the 

high unemployment rate. 

“Government must expatiate and be very 

specific in order to be as accurate as possible. 

“The specific challenges are the methods to 

reach the targets, and the targets are the 

unemployed portion of the populace. 

“We expect to see positive impacts and a slight 

indication in the number of those targeted. 

“How the government assessing the impact 

of the SIP on the unemployed is very relevant. 

What is on paper and what is practical are 

mostly different and amazes financial experts. 

“Insecurity is mostly an offshoot of 

unemployment anywhere in the world. 

“As a nation, we are not different and must 

take all the necessary precautions to avoid 

crime. “In fact, Nigerians must be kept well 

aware of the dangers of criminal acts. Presently 

there are many crimes exhibited such as online 

financial criminalities. 

“Crime, as explained by experts, is always 

ahead of security. Government must encourage 

experts to come up with ideas that can be 

practicalised in order to arrest or curb 

fraudulent activities before they mature. 

“Things can get better but, as a nation, our 

economic plan must always take cognizance 

of the global situations. 

“We are in a COVID-19 era and we have a 

high inflation rate, therefore, government must 

be proactive and the private sector must also 

be objective. 

“The country must work as a cell and ensure 

that the economy of the cell is safeguarded 

while the population gets protected.” 

STATE OF THE NATION: True federalism’ll end secession clamours — Lady Johnson 

simply because you want power to 

remain in a particular region. Elections 

should be based on merit, knowledge 

and accountability. However, 

considering the fact that since 1999, no 

president has emerged from the South- 

East, it will be advisable that the nation 

channel their efforts to elect a credible 

President from the East who will have 

the ability to unite and move Nigeria 

forward. 

The APC government said that the 

issues of insecurity and 

unemployment are global 

phenomenon not peculiar to Nigeria. 

What are your thoughts on this? 

The failure of the government to 

protect lives and property, which is their 

primary responsibility, has given rise to 

insecurity and unemployment in the 

country. This government failed 

woefully in providing adequate 

facilities, fair salary structures and 

maintenance for service men/women 

that are sent to combat the bandits. 

Our Police Force is treated in the most 

inhuman manner compared to other 

countries. Joblessness has become the 

norm amongst the citizens, this has 

led to many lives being lost in the sea 

amongst those trying to migrate to 

other countries for greener pastures. 

Government saying the situation is a 

global phenomenon is a show of 

incompetence and negligence on the 

matters on ground. The government 

failed to create jobs for our youths and 

graduates, failed to provide modern 

equipment with full intelligence to 

monitor activities for our forces. 

The government failed to reshuffle 

security heads that are not performing 

when needed, adequate training 

coupled with desire to work will bring 

insecurity under control.

Mr President ‘we lead 

by example’ statement 

“Yes, we lead by example…” 

- Buhari at Arewa House 

Lecture, March 27, 2021. 

The speech was read on 

his behalf by Professor 

Gambari. The topic 

was ‘Put Nigeria first’. To that 

I will return shortly to 

demonstrate how hypocritical 

it all was. Let me start with the 

claim (or was it admission?) 

that “we lead by example” to 

list a few well-documented 

examples which no Nigerian 

will ever want to follow. We 

draw from facts and figures 

since May 29, 2015 which 

prove conclusively that the 

current leadership can never 

be the one to emulate by 

anybody who wishes Nigeria 

well. 

Every nation rests on three 

fundamental pillars – security, 

economy and internal justice. 

Extreme weakness in any of 

them invariably results in 

social unrest, enduring 

discord and, ultimately, 

violence. One thing struck me 

most profoundly while 

compiling the VANGUARD 

BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, 

VBQ – it was how the most 

progressive nations were those 

which have managed to strike 

a neat balance between the 

three elements. I deliberately 

did not include democracy as 

an essential ingredient. To me 

democracy is the icing on the 

cake; it is not the real thing. At 

any rate, to a great extent 

“democratic” America is 

more unjust than “autocratic 

China”. At least in China 

everybody is treated the same 

for what is regarded as 

“illegal”. A policeman 

shooting any Chinese without 

cause will be prosecuted. In 

Email:biolasobowale@yahoo.com 

Phone Number: 07081372829 

Twitter:@DrDeleSobowale 

Instagram:delesobowalefranklyspeaking 

Website: www.delesobowale.com 

USA, policemen shoot 

hundreds of Blacks, for no 

reason at all, and get away 

with it. America uses all the 

propaganda at its disposal to 

promote its self-image as the 

champion of democracy 

worldwide. 

So, the focus in Nigeria, 

under Buhari, is social, ethnic 

and religious justice. Given 

the abundant evidence at our 

disposal on security, economy 

and justice, the Buhari 

administration is a serial 

failure – who nobody should 

want to copy. Economy first. 

“Jobs, stupid”. That was the 

answer which former US 

President Clinton gave to 

journalists when he declared 

to run for office; and he was 

asked what will be his first 

priority if elected. He made 

good on his words. America 

experienced the longest 

economic expansion since the 

Johnson years under Clinton. 

More jobs were created; new 

industries sprang up. Clinton 

needed no Ministers or 

Special Advisers to offer 

excuses on his behalf. Clinton, 

like Buhari, succeeded the late 

President Bush, who was 

seeking his second term like 

Jonathan. The US economy 

was already slowing down 

when Clinton took up the 

challenge. 

Buhari and his party 

promised economic growth 

and job creation in 2014/15. 

On his first full year in office, 

he led us to the second 

recession in Nigeria’s history 

since 1960. Millions of jobs 

were lost. He was not done with 

us. In no year was he able to 

grow the economy by up to 

three per cent – the same as 

population growth 

rate. In 2020, 

Nigeria was in 

recession once 

again. The growth 

rate was -1.92 per 

cent. Cumulatively, 

the Nigerian 

economy has grown 

less than 0.5 per cent 

in six years under 

Buhari; population by almost 

18 per cent. 

The total repercussion of all 

these was revealed by the 

National Bureau of Statistics, 

NBS. Now 23 million adult 

Nigerians are totally 

unemployed; and about 36 

million are under-employed. 

Consequently, close to 100 

million Nigerians now live 

Late Governor 

Jakande planned a rail 

line for Mile 2 to Iddo to 

ease traffic on that 

axis in Lagos, Buhari 

ordered Lagos State 

Military Governor 

Mudashiru to cancel it 

below the poverty line. Serial 

failure cannot be better 

documented. So, who would 

want to follow that example? 

PROMISES MADE AND 

UNKEPT 

“The woods are lovely, dark 

and deep/but, I have promises 

to keep/And miles to go before 

I sleep/Miles to go before I 

sleep” - Robert Frost, 1874- 

1963. 

Frost was the Poet Laureate 

of the Kennedy 

administration and the poem 

above led off President 

Kennedy’s inaugural address 

in January 1960 making it 

clear that the Presidency in 

any country is all about 

promises to the people which 

no leader should make 

frivolously and fail to redeem. 

If I am asked to name one 

thing which characterises the 

Buhari administration more 

than most others, it will be 

rendered in two words – 

broken promises. Again, let 

me serve you a few dishes from 

my inexhaustible kitchen. You 

will soon see why the 

President’s promises count for 

very little. 

In April 2017, the Federal 

Government launched an 

ambitious programme, 

promising things which 

could only have been dreamt 

up by fiction writers; not 

serious government officials. 

It was called the Economic 

Recovery and Growth Plan, 

ERGP. By the time you finish 

reading some of the promises 

made to Nigerians, decide for 

yourself if you can spot the 

difference between that socalled 

Economic Plan and 

plain economic fantasy. Here 

we go. 

“The Economic Recovery 

and Growth Plan, ERGP, 

which was launched in April 

2017, is finally getting off the 

ground with the 

announcement of a huge price 

tag for it. “According to the 

Federal Government, FG, it 

will cost an amazing $245bn 

with the government 

providing 20 per cent or 

$49bn and the private sector 

$196bn over the next four 

years. 

“It will constitute the 

boldest attempt to speed up 

economic growth and 

development in the nation’s 

history. FG also promised to 

create 15 million jobs…The 

ERGP promises Gross 

Domestic Product growth of 

4 per cent to seven per cent by 

the end of the fourth year 

[2020].” 

In case you missed the point, 

there were at least five clear 

promises made by Buhari in 

that short paragraph. One, the 

FG will invest $49bn. Two, the 

private sector, who one would 

presume were consulted, 

would chip in $196bn. Three, 

resulting from the mega and 

unprecedented investments, 

15 million jobs will be created. 

Four, Gross Domestic 

Product, GDP, which was -1.4 

in 2016, will shoot up to 4 per 

cent in 2017 and climb to 7 

per cent in 2020. Five, fifteen 

million Nigerians will be 

lifted from poverty. 

Instead, what was the result? 

Neither the FG, controlled by 

Buhari, nor the private sector 

made the investments 


promised. Millions of jobs 

were lost. Consequently, by the 

end of 2020, the NBS 

announced 23 million 

Nigerians were totally 

unemployed and 36 million 

under-employed. Growth 

rates were 0.8 for 2017, 1.8 

for 2018, 2.21 for 2019 and - 

1.92 for 2020 respectively. In 

no single year was over 3 per 

cent growth achieved. In 2018, 

Nigeria became the Poverty 

Capital of the World; and has 

added five million more poor 

each year since then. 

Obviously, only a 

pathological liar can 

proclaim to be a follower of 

someone with this sort of 

dreadful record of promises 

unfulfilled. So, for me, 

scepticism is my armour 

against Buhari’s promises. 

The more grandiose the more 

they are unlikely to be 

redeemed. Believe them; you 

will believe anything. 

WHEN HYPOCRISY IS 

PERSONAL AND 

GOVERNMENT POLICY 

“Hypocrisy is the homage 

paid by vice to virtue” - 

Rochefoucauld, 1613-1680. 

I was still writing this article 

on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 

when my vendor brought the 

papers. There on the front 

pages of four of them was the 

same story. The title of one will 

serve as proxy for the rest. 

BUHARI LEAVES FOR 

LONDON MEDICAL 

HOLIDAY AS DOCTORS 

SET FOR STRIKE. It brought 

tears to my eyes. What Buhari 

had done amounted to a reaffirmation 

of the hypocrisy 

which had characterised his 

conduct in office. To me, it was 

a personal blow. What 

attracted me to Buhari in 

2010, apart from late Tony 

Momoh’s request that I 

should help with the outlines 

of an Economic Blueprint for 

Governance in case Buhari 

won the election in 2011, were 

his criticisms of government 

officials going abroad for 

medical care while the people 

suffer. The second was his 

attack on Presidents for 

maintaining a fleet of aircraft. 

I thought we had a leader who 

cared for the people. Buhari 

has, since becoming President, 

proved beyond reasonable 

doubt that he is a hypocrite. I 

wish him safe return from his 

medical jamboree; but never 

again will I respect him after 

this trip. 

SEE WHO IS GIVING 

ADVICE TO NIGERIANS 

“He that gives good advice 

builds with one hand. He that 

gives good counsel and 

example builds with both 

hands. He that gives good 

admonition and bad example 

builds with one hand and pulls 

down with the other” - Francis 

Bacon, 1561-1626, VBQ p 5. 

If you add the twenty months 

he served as military Head of 

State to his nearly six years as 

elected President and look 

around, you will discover that 

Buhari has built next to 

nothing. All he has been doing 

amounts to completion of 

projects others started; and 

even demolition of what was 

work in progress the two times 

he took office. Late Governor 

Jakande planned a rail line 

for Mile 2 to Iddo to ease 

traffic on that axis in Lagos. 

Buhari ordered Lagos State 

Military Governor 

Mudashiru to cancel it. One 

needs very little intelligence to 

know that Lagos needs, not 

one but several, metro lines. 

But, our military leader 

stopped it and slowed down 

the growth of Nigeria’s 

economy. 

So, when at the Arewa 

House lecture, Buhari urged 

Nigerians to “put Nigeria 

first”, one is forced to ask: 

“who is giving this advice?” It 

can’t possibly be the serial 

failure who does not have the 

guts to quit if he can’t do better. 

It can’t be the Fulani man who 

came into office and under 

who Fulani herdsmen 

became one of the five major 

terrorist groups worldwide. 

It certainly cannot be the man 

who had “Northernised” the 

positions of Inspector General 

of Police, EFCC Chairman, 

Chief Justice of Nigeria, 

Comptroller General of 

Customs, DG DSS, Chief of 

Staff Presidency, National 

Security Adviser, DG NDLEA, 

Chairman INEC – but why go 

on? There is no single 

Christian among the list. The 

man’s ethnic, religious and 

exhibited personal bigotry has 

never been equalled and may 

never be surpassed by any 

other leader. 

Joyfulhomes 

2015@gmail.com 

Receive life by His Blood 

Happy Easter! Today we 

celebrate the victory of 

our Lord Jesus over death; we 

celebrate the power of 

resurrection that gives us an 

assurance that our God is 

alive. 

Today, we shout Hallelujah! 

We give glory to God for 

making available for us Jesus 

as our Savior, Redeemer, 

Advocate and much more. 

More importantly, we are 

assured that Jesus lives forever 

and ever. 

Brethren, I need not write 

about what Easter means and 

why we mark Easter but there 

is something significant about 

Easter, it is the Blood. 

Why is the Blood so 

important and whose blood 

are we talking about. 

The Holy Bible tells us in 

Leviticus 17 vs. 11 ( KJV) 

about the blood : “ For the life 

of the flesh is in the blood: and 

I have given it to you upon the 

altar to make an atonement 

for your souls: for it is the 

blood that maketh an 

atonement for the soul”. 

The Holy Bible also tells us 

that the bloods speaks 

Hebrews 12 vs. 24 is our 

authority. “ And to Jesus the 

mediator of the new covenant, 

and to the blood of sprinkling, 

that speaketh better things 

than that of Abel”. 

The Blood of Jesus speaks 

life, it speaks healing, it 

pronounced deliverance, and 

it is able to overcome any 

delay or challenges of life. It 

opens whatever is closed. It is 

different from that of Abel that 

cries for vengeance. 

The efficacy of the Blood of 

Jesus is confirmed in Rev. 12 

vs. 11 : “ And they overcame 

him by the blood of the Lamb, 

and by the word of their 

testimony; and they loved not 

their lives unto the death”. 

The one this is overcome or 

overpowered is Satan and the 

Lamb is the Lamb of God, 

Jesus Christ. 

So what has this got to do 

with child bearing? A lot. 

Remember the Blood of Jesus 

speaks life. His blood decrees 

life into a dead situation. 

Brethren, the Blood 

of Jesus is a strong 

weapon against the 

enemy for those who 

know how to use it 

The life of Abraham and 

Sarah confirm this. 

Romans 4vs. 19&20 : “ And 

being not weak in faith, he 

considered not his own body 

now dead, when he was about 

an hundred years old, neither 

yet the deadness of Sarah’s 

womb: 

He staggered not at the 

promise of God through 

unbelief; but was strong in 

faith, giving glory to God”. 

Brethren you know the story 

that Sarah’s womb that was 

dead received life and Isaac 

was born. 

Medical science might have 

concluded you can never be a 

mother but God is the creator 

of your womb not science . 

Therefore, as long as you truly 

believe that with his Blood all 

tears, all delays are overcome, 

you are on the path to your 

testimony. 

Our Lord Jesus shed blood 

for us that we might be saved, 

healed, receive life, delivered 

from the enemy etc. 

Since our Lord Jesus lives, 

his Blood lives. 

A certain woman was 

serially attacked in her dreams 

and was unable to conceive. 

Whenever she conceived, she 

lost the baby to the influence 

of negative dreams. She 

visited many doctors without 

results. They she decided to 

embrace Jesus and allow his 

Blood speak for her. 

After her evening prayers, 

she would continue to plead 

the blood of Jesus still she 

slept off. 

She often said, “ Blood of 

Jesus fight for me. Don’t let 

the enemy have the last say 

over my life. 

Is it not written in John 14 

vs. 13&14 : “ And whatsoever 

ye shall ask in my name, that 

will I do, that the Father may 

be glorified in the Son. 

If ye shall ask anything in 

my name, I will do it”. 

Brethren, the Blood of Jesus 

is able to turn around any 

situation. It speaks life into 

every dead situation. The 

Blood of Jesus is able to 

change your story from a 

mother of no child to the 

mother of many children. 

Why? This is because Jesus 

lives forever but you need to 

believe and use His name to 

get what you want. 

In the last two editions, we 

have discussed doubt and how 

it may hinder miracles but we 

also discussed that sometimes, 

one’s doubt may not be 

obstacle to his or her prayer 

because God is merciful. 

Romans 3 vs. 3&4 tells us 

about unbelief or doubts. “ 

For what if some did not 

believe? shall their unbelief 

make the faith of God without 

effect? 

God forbid: yea, let God be 

true, but every man a liar; as 

it is written , That thou 

mightiest be justified in thy 

sayings and mightiest 

overcome when thou art 

judged”. 

The above Bible passage is 

unambiguous . It assures us 

that whereas man may not 

be truthful to his words, God 

is ever faith to his words. 

The Holy Bible tells us 

more in Romans 4 vs. 17-21 

but for our purpose, we’ll cite 

verses 18- 20 : “ Who against 

hope believed in hope, that he 

might become the father of 

many nations, according to 

that which was spoken. So 

shall they seed be. 

And being not weak in faith, 

he considered not his own 

body now dead, when he was 

about an hundred years old, 

neither yet the deadness of 

Sarah’s womb. 

He staggered not at the 

promise of God through 

unbelief; but was strong in 

faith, giving glory to God”. 

For you to plead the Blood 

of Jesus, you must believe that 

it can turn your situation 

around. Your must believe 

that the Blood of Jesus can 

give life to that dead womb. 

Brethren cast out fear, raise 

up faith and let His Blood 

avail for you. 

Isaiah 53 vs. 5 : “ But he was 

wounded for our 

transgressions, he was bruised 

for our iniquities: the 

chastisement of our peace 

was upon him, and with his 

stripes we are healed”. 

His stripes produced blood 

by which we are healed. 

We are healed not only of 

infirmities but also healed of 

barrenness, poverty, failure, 

indebtedness, unfulfilled 

dreams etc. 

No challenge is beyond the 

Blood of Jesus . His blood can 

overcome any challenge but 

the question is, do you believe 

? If you believe, you will testify. 

As we mark Easter, may the 

power of the resurrection, give 

life to every thing that is dead 

in your body, in your life, in 

your finances, in your family 

and every aspect of life. 

Brethren, the Blood of Jesus 

is a strong weapon against the 

enemy for those who know 

how to use it. 

If you don’t know how to use 

it, let the words of Rev. 12 vs. 

11 be on your lips at all times. 

Say is regularly, mention the 

challenge you want out of 

your life and its will give way 

in Jesus name. Look unto 

Jesus, your Esther is on the 

way. Our Lord lives, our Lord 

reigns. 

Happy Easter.


SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021, PAGE 13


ADETUTU AUDU 

08023849036, 08112662587 

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021, PAGE 15 

•Otedola 

•Fatima 

Fatima 

Dangote 

celebrates 

third wedding 

anniver 

ersar 

sary 

Fatima, the gorgeous founder of 

Cupcake Factory Lagos and 

daughter of Africa richest businessman, 

Aliko Dangote, is definitely in her best 

moments. 

The mother of one who tied the knot 

with her boo, Jamil Abubakar, the pilot 

son of former Inspector general of 

Police, M.D. Abubakar, in an 8-part 

wedding ceremony, is celebrating her 

third wedding anniversary despite the 

crisis of her hubby’s love child which 

initially rocked their union. 

Their wedding was a grand display of 

tradition and love. 

The festivities kicked off in 

Kaduna where the mother of the 

bride hosted ‘mother’s dinner’. 

The next stop was the Kamu 

ceremony in Kano which was a 

colourful display of culture. 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

who served as the bride’s Guardian 

according to tradition led the 

wedding Fatiha in Kano which had 

dignitaries from across the 

country in attendance. 

The Lagos part had in 

attendance people from different 

walks of life including the world 

richest man, Bill Gates. 

Femi Otedola’s mindboggling 

philanthropy 

Billionaire businessman, 

Femi Otedola, has 

proved over and over 

again that philanthropy is 

another side of him, aside 

making money. 

The Epe, Lagos State born 

billionaire had also garnered 

many awards for his contribution 

to humanity. 

Otedola’s donation of N5 

billion to assist children of 

insurgency-ravaged North-East 

remains unrivalled. 

Prominent Nigerians such as Sadiq 

Daba, Victor Olaotan, both actors; 

and former Green Eagles Captain, 

Christian Chukwu, were rescued 

from the jaws of death by his 

philanthropic intervention 

Kayode Ajulo Throws 

Bash for His Team 

•Akinlade 

in their medical issues. 

In 2018, Otedola laid the foundation for 

the Faculty of Engineering building 

worth N2billion at Augustine University’s 

Fundraising and Founders’ Day event 

held at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos. 

He has made huge donations to the 

Michael Otedola University Scholarship 

Scheme which was established in 1985 

by his late father, Sir Michael Otedola, 

to give underprivileged students in Lagos 

State access to higher education. 

Since its inception, the scheme has 

benefited more than 1,000 students. He 

once donated N100million to the Otedola 

College of Primary Education in Noforija, 

Epe, while, in 2008, he donated 

N80million to the Faculty of Agriculture 

at the University of Port Harcourt. 

•Kayode Ajulo 

Cerebral lawyer, Dr. Olukayode 

Abraham Ajulo, is one of those 

lucky ones who are actually living 

their dreams. He was exposed to 

renowned and famous legal 

luminaries while growing up, he was 

fascinated and vouched to become a 

lawyer when he grew up. Today, Ajulo 

is not just a barrister at law but an 

excellent one who is also recognized 

and celebrated. 

Amiable Ajulo ensures he’s 

never caught napping, rather 

he’s deploys all it requires to 

stay on top of his game. It is 

in such spirit that the 

Akoko-born top politician 

deemed it necessary to 

upgrade his knowledge at 

the prestigious Imperial 

College London and 

Chartered Institute of 

Arbitrators, United 

Kingdom where he 

concluded two courses on 

Creative Thinking and 

Arbitration respectively 

early in the year. 

Ajulo, a former National Secretary 

of Labour Party and the Mayegun 

AreOna’Kakanfo of Yoruba, 

understands power of team play and 

as such he makes welfare of his 

subordinates a priority. 

It is in the same vein that he shares 

and dedicates wins of the chamber to 

his umpteen staff. 

The Principal Partner of 

Kayode Ajulo & Co 

Castle of Law recently 

invited friends and 

associates to their 

Maitama, Abuja 

office for a three-inone 

cocktail, dinner and open house 

party. 

The event, which is a way of celebrating 

the staff of the chamber, it was learnt, is 

also designed to provide an environment 

to interact, integrate and connect with 

members of the society and also to 

recognize, appreciate and celebrate 

specific successes and objectives achieved 

by the firm. 

Aside recognition that has continued to 

trail his name on the heels of his fight 

against injustice, he also floated 

Egalitarian Mission Africa, a platform 

he uses to defend people and help them 

claim their rights. 

Abiodun Akinlade’s unusual 54th birthday 

For the Federal Commissioner 

representing Ogun State at the Federal 

Character Commission (FCC), Hon. 

Abiodun Akinlade, it’s another milestone 

as he turned 54, March 21. 

Akinlade, who was a three-term 

member of the House of Representatives 

between 2003 and 2015, is a man to 

reckon with in the political scenery of 

Ogun. 

With his avid drive to ensure that 

youths and women in the state are 

gainfully employed and empowered, he 

has built a cult hero status and 

followership across the length and 

breadth of the state. 

Although the Baba Adinni of Yewaland 

is not presently holding an elective 

office, in his usual way of celebrating 

•Esther 

Esther Nnamdi- 

Ogbue Releases 

‘The Power of Five’ 

Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, ‘The 

Boardroom Boss, is taking 

leadership coaching by storm with the 

release of her power package for 

business leaders, entrepreneurs, top 

management executives and new 

entrants to the field. 

The books, according to her, when 

released, will help the aspiring 

boardroom leader learn from the 

wealth of experience she has gained 

across the legal, retail and economic 

sectors. 

At a time when the playing field has 

drastically changed, and the effects of 

the pandemic ravaging all aspects of 

life, it is essential to have guidance in 

building or reinforcing leadership in 

business or the corporate world. 

The answers needed to move from the 

boardroom to execution, build team 

spirit, increase client base, gain 

visibility and significance are contained 

in the books. 

They are not called the ‘Power Five’ 

for nothing. 

The books literally put the power to 

be in business and organizational 

leadership in your hands, reducing the 

time and effort that would otherwise 

have been expended on charting a 

navigation path through knotty issues. 

Esther’s desire to see more people 

successful and fulfilled is the reason she 

wrote the books. 

Though they carry independent titles, 

the ideas in one lean on the strength of 

the other to give a full, total continuum 

of knowledge delivery. 

Esther is a multi-level leader and 

skilled expert with over 17 years board 

experience and working with corporate 

leaders. 

She is popularly known as THE 

BOARDROOM BOSS. As a trainer and 

leadership coach, she works with 

individuals, professionals, corporate 

leaders, organizations and 

governments to become the effective 

leaders they truly desire and deserve 

to be. Her desire to help raise 

borderless leaders across several 

sectors is the reason she has written 

the books. 

his birthday, he chose the occasion to 

commission some infrastructural projects 

he personally sponsored within the Ogun 

West axis of the state. Some of the projects 

to be commissioned include, Information 

and Communication Technology Centre 

at Ado-Odo; sick bay centre at Iganmode 

Grammar School, Ota, and school hall at 

Area Community High School, Owode. 

Aptly described by his admirers and 

supporters as Baba Omo Kekeke for his 

large heart to the youths especially in 

Ogun West zone, Akinlade, who is a close 

ally of Governor Dapo Abiodun, has carved 

a niche for himself and his name within 

and outside the Gateway State rings out 

with a mythic quality, no wonder he earned 

the appellation, the Man, the Bridge and 

the Game Changer.


SUNDAY TRIBUTE 

Tinubu: A statesman at 69 

‘The true statesman is the one who is willing 

to take risks’— Charles de Gaule(1890-1970) 

By Mobolaji Sanusi 

It is not by human power 

but by the grace of Almighty 

God that in over two 

decades of the current democratic 

dispensation, Bola 

Ahmed Tinubu (BAT), has 

become a puzzle that power 

brokers in the nation’s political 

firmament have found a 

hard row to hoe. Tinubu, omo 

olodo ide, holds numerous 

important titles including the 

Jagaban of Borgu land, Asiwaju 

of Lagos and governor 

emeritus of Lagos State. Last 

Monday, March 29, 2021, he 

turned 69, yet remains an 

enigma that keeps waxing 

stronger and escaping, in the 

process, the unceasing traps 

of his ever mounting sociopolitical 

traducers. This unfaltering 

torchbearer of progressive 

politics, looks set, to 

remain for a long time to 

come, a mystery that fake 

friends masquerading as his 

genuine allies, and confessed 

foes alike will try, albeit unsuccessfully, 

to unravel. 

Tinubu, despite his unrivaled 

contemporary vilification 

by envious political gladiators 

and parasites, remains 

the most-sought-after politician 

and perhaps, one of the 

few most significant of the 

progressive hue in modernday 

Nigeria. The reality, even 

amongst those that hate to 

love Tinubu, is that he has become 

a veritable political 

brand that can be ignored at 

the peril of any noteworthy 

politician in the nation. Since 

1999, when this new political 

experiment was born, Tinubu, 

like Awolowo achieved 

until his death in 1987, has 

been the main issue in our 

current democratic journey. 

When his political party was 

in the opposition until 2015, 

the concerns of previous governments 

was what will be 

Tinubu’s reactions to their 

policies and actions: Now 

that his party controls the federal 

government, the concerns 

of those in government 

and also within the ruling political 

party’s topmost hierarchy 

is whether Tinubu is with 

them or how best they could 

tame his looming political 

image. Until he speaks on any 

issue of national significance, 

public opinion is not settled. 

That shows how purposefully 

powerful Tinubu has, so far, 

been to our body polity. The 

Asiwaju of Lagos has faced 

fears, betrayal and treachery 

but at the end of it all remain 

undaunted. 

Today , in our political firmament, 

Tinubu has become 

a political brand whose 

name, most politicians deploy 

to win support at national 

and state levels during electioneering 

periods. The question 

to ask any aspiring politician 

seeking public office to 

determine his prospects or 

seriousness is: Have you been 

endorsed by Tinubu or not? 

That is how politically turbulent 

the Tinubu phenomenon 

is in today’s Nigeria. 

This writer keeps observing 

how political ignoramuses 

deride him; the grovelers of 

centrist conservative elements 

impugn his character, 

but that is Tinubu, the enigma 

still standing like the rock 

of Gibraltar. No doubt, Tinubu 

has the skills of political 

liberation and he’s equally 

imbued with the power of intuition 

which makes him 

tower above adversaries. This 

•Tinubu 

Progressivism is 

indeed taking firm root 

in the country today 

because of the great 

political mind 

possessed by Tinubu 

man of unquantifiable knack 

for philanthropy has this uncanny 

nerve for discovering 

talent not minding the fact 

that most of these people turn 

out to stab him in the back. 

But Tinubu, at sixty-nine, 

must ask himself a self reassessment 

question to wit: 

Could it be genuinely said 

that his created talents are 

discovering fresh beneficial 

talents or just using the platform 

he created for them to 

pursue their selfish agenda? 

It has become imperative for 

Asiwaju to start paying attention 

to how he handles backstabbers 

and over-fed loyalists 

with diminished passion 

for what he stands for other 

than to continue to use his 

brand to extort, undermine 

and be envious of younger 

loyalists, creating avoidably 

in the process, more enemies 

for him. 

Out of sheer envy for Tinubu’s 

result-oriented political 

track record; his steadfast 

commitment to finding solutions 

to political challenges, 

most people that he helped to 

power later see him as serious 

threat to their ambitions 

to cling onto power. 

Some, out of steep spite of 

his large-heart and enormous 

goodwill, will query his 

source of wealth: And simply 

because the man is doing 

what they cannot ever do or 

are not privileged to do since 

they are not in a position to 

do it, they harbour the ache 

in their bellies. Some see him 

as being immoderate. But 

Benjamin Disraeli had an 

answer for the Tinubu-phobia 

when he said: ‘Moderation 

has been called a virtue 

to limit the ambition of great 

men, and to console undistinguished 

people for their want 

of fortune and their lack of 

merit.’ There are empirical 

examples of Nigerians, irrespective 

of tribes and especially 

among the Yoruba, the 

man’s cradle, that have benefited 

immensely from his political 

and pecuniary largesse. 

But sadly, these same 

people still hypocritically relish 

speaking ill of him. Surprisingly, 

Tinubu relishes welcoming 

such backstabbers 

back to his fold. Most of us 

see this as a weakness but he 

sees that to be one sacrifice of 

greatness that he must pay. 

One can only hope that this 

inclination of taking back 

dangerous backstabbers 

would not turn to be his undoing 

later in life. 

Whoever doubts Tinubu’s 

progressive credentials needs 

to embark on historical excursion. 

After not less than 

three failed attempts at the 

presidency, current president, 

General Muhamadu 

Buhari eventually clinched 

the coveted post in 2015 and 

2019 respectively because of 

the invaluable support and 

political ingenuity of Tinubu. 

Former President Goodluck 

Jonathan, whatever reservation 

he might have for Tinubu 

will forever be secretly 

grateful for the irreplaceable 

support that Tinubu gave him 

in 2011. Also worthy of mention 

is the fact that at a time 

that the Yoruba states of Oyo, 

Ogun, Osun, Osun and Ekiti 

were falling to the gangsterism 

of dethroned People’s 

Democratic Party (PDP) in 

2003 and 2007, it was only 

Asiwaju’s Lagos that stood to 

absorb the heat of conservatism 

before eventually 

launching, single-handedly, 

the worthwhile battle that liberated 

the former western region 

but Ondo, from the grips 

of rampaging agents of feudal 

politics. Progressivism is 

indeed taking firm root in the 

country today because of the 

great political mind possessed 

by Tinubu. 

Despite the sleaze of political 

mudslinging by mostly 

beneficiaries of his political 

large-heartedness, Tinubu’s 

democratic scorecard remains 

very glittering and unassailable. 

Tinubu is indeed and always 

politically determined 

to succeed. And it is this uncommon 

determination to be 

great and to politically liberate 

the people from the yoke 

of reactionary politics that 

compelled him to take with 

zeal, progressive politics, 

since year 2014’s merger of 

Action Congress of Nigeria 

(ACN) with other opposition 

parties – far beyond the west 

and to all parts of the country. 

This gave birth to All Progressives 

Congress (APC) that 

today controls the seat of 

power in Abuja. The move at 

that time generated spite, 

covetousness as much as cynicism 

from those who always 

see impossibility rather than 

possibility in Tinubu’s laudable 

political initiatives. 

The difference between 

Tinubu and the rest in the 

political arena is that he sees 

possibility where others predict 

doom. His often-talkedabout 

political superiority 

complex does not mean 

haughtiness; although it 

might appear to be so in the 

eyes of the mischievous 

among politicians who want 

to see it so. Tinubu feels a 

higher esteem over the obstacles 

he desires to surmount 

and he is blessed with the rare 

courage of overcoming them, 

with enough energy reserved 

for any eventuality. 

The positive roles of Tinubu 

in the successful political 

merger of the opposition parties; 

the outcome of the 2015 

general elections in favour of 

then opposition and the fact 

that a precedent has been set 

that makes it impossible for 

a ruling party, especially at 

the centre, to take others for 

granted in the political space 

have become a burden of 

envy in the minds of most 

politicians that see Tinubu as 

a threat. 

Continues on 

www.vanguardngr.com 

•Sanusi, a lawyer/journalist, 

is the immediate past MD/ 

CEO of Lagos State Signage 

& Advertisement Agency. 

NULGE to storm NASS over bill to delist LGAs 

from constitution, Minimum Wage 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

The National Union of 

Local Government Employees, 

NULGE, has threatened 

to storm the House of 

Representatives in protest 

against the proposed bill to 

delist local governments from 

the constitution and planned 

removal of minimum age 

from Exclusive List to Concurrent 

List. 

The union, however, stated 

that if in the next two weeks, 

the speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, 

failed to listen to the 

body, it would storm the National 

Assembly complex in 

Abuja. 

National President, Comrade 

Hakeem Ambali, made 

the remarks in Lagos, at the 

union’s headquarters, to deliberate 

on issues, including 

clamour for local government 

autonomy, delisting of 

Tompolo’s an 

astute leader, 

freedom fighter 

—- Gbaramatu 

youths 

The Gbaramaru Youth 

Development Association 

has described Chief Government 

Oweizide Ekpemupolo 

as an astute leader 

with a big heart. 

President of Gbaramaru 

the group, Comrade 

Shadrach Ebikeme, described 

Ekpemupolo also 

known as Tompolo as a freedom 

fighter. 

While expressing gratitude 

to God for good health and 

the 50th birthday of Ekpemupolo, 

he said April 4, 2021, 

has been slated for the celebration 

of Ekpemulo’s birthday 

at Oporoza town, the traditional 

headquarters of 

Gbaramatu Kingdom in 

Warri South-West Local Government 

Area, Delta State. 

According to Shadrach, 

activities lined up for the event 

include dancing competition 

among the various cultural 

groups in Gbaramatu Kingdom 

and other events. 

“There will be a lecture on 

the ‘Life, Journey and 

Achievements of Ekpemupolo’ 

by Dr. Ebikisei Stanley 

Udisi, a senior lecturer at the 

Department of Philosophy, 

Niger Delta University, Bayelsa 

State. Music is to be supplied 

by Famous Tenade 

Tiemo and his progressive 

music band”. 

Confusion as Court Bailiff seals off 

Hotel in Delta 

THERE was confusion as 

a High Court Bailiff, 

(nameswitheld) allegedly 

sealed off Maxin Lotus Hotel 

in Effurun, Delta State, in 

error after chasing out over 

31 guests that were in the hotel 

Ṡunday Vanguard gathered 

that the court order was meant 

for a piece of land situated 

along Effurun/Sapele Road, 

beside CFAO opposite Urhobo 

College, Effurun and not 

Maxin Lotus Hotel. 

It was further gathered that 

the court Bailiff reportedy 

conspired with one other person 

(names witheld) to seal 

off the popular Maxin Lotus 

Hotel. 

From the copy of the Enrolment 

of Order of the court, 

copy made available to Sunday 

Vanguard, the court upon 

a Motion/Ex-parte filed by 

Isaac Arigbe, the Claimant/ 

Applicant, the court clearly 

stated that: “An order granting 

leave to the Chief Bailiff 

of this Honourable Court to 

serve the warrant of possession 

of the defendants by substituted 

means to writ; by serving 

same on any adult occupant 

on the piece of land lying 

and situate at along Effurun/Sapele 

Road, beside 

CFAO opposite Urhobo College, 

Effurun”. 

Reacting to the development, 

Manager of Maxin 

Lotus Hotel, Abraham Ikolo, 

lamented that "despite all 

appeals to the Bailiff and his 

team for confirmation on the 

actual property they were 

local government as the third 

tier of government and minimum 

wage from Exclusive 

List to Concurrent List. 

The NULGE president, 

who expressed displeasure at 

the proposed moves by the 

House of Representatives, 

described it as an attempt to 

kill local government administration 

in the country. 

He said union leaders had 

been mandated to pay visits 

to members of the Lower 

Chambers in their respective 

constituencies as part of advocacy 

and engagement to let 

them know that they should 

stand by the people as their 

true representatives and not 

against them. 

He insisted that the union 

would take every step necessary 

to prevail on the lawmakers 

of the National Assembly, 

to jettison the idea of delisting 

local government administration 

from the constitution, 

adding that if the move 

failed, members of the union 

across the federation shall not 

only stage protest at the National 

Assembly, but at all the 

state Houses of Assembly 

across the federation. 

Ambali said the series of 

protests would be carried out 

to drive home their points 

with the lawmakers the importance 

of local government 

administration to the masses 

and advance reasons why 

it should not be scrapped, 

and should even be made autonomous. 

“House of Representatives 

is the house that should serve 

the commoners. We believe 

that is what it should continue 

to be. We believe that the 

House would still continue to 

stand by the people”. 

Group unveils app for gender-based violence 

A Non-Governmental 

Organisation, NGO, 

iGender Mobile Initiative, 

has concluded plans to 

launch a mobile app for the 

prevention of gender-based 

violence. 

The unveiling of the app, 

which would hold in Abuja, is 

expected to be attended by 

partner institutions and relevant 

agencies such as the Independent 

Corrupt Practices 

Commission, ICPC, National 

Orientation Agency, Committee 

of Vice-Chancellors, 

Ministry of Education and 

regulatory agencies, among 

others. 

The event would hold on 

April 27 in Abuja. 

A statement by the NGO 

said: “iGender Mobile Initiative 

is a non-governmental 

organisation established primarily 

to complement the 

policy and program effort of 

government and relevant 

stakeholders in eliminating 

sexual and gender-based violence, 

particularly in environments 

of learning. 

“As an organization, we 

have spent the last three years 

driving policy engagements 

towards deconstructing the 

norms and culture that enable 

power-centred harassment 

to thrive in environments 

of learning in partnership 

with the Ford Foundation. 

”Sexual harassment is 

gradually assuming critical 

dimensions in Nigeria’s higher 

education institutions”. 

More interesting is the significant 

difference in understanding 

what constitutes 

sexual harassment which 

partly accounts for the inability 

of persons to identify acts 

of sexual harassment as one. 

N-Delta artiste, TommyBlack launches new 

album 'Unstoppable' 

Upcoming Niger Del 

ta artiste, Tommy- 

Black, will be launching 

his second album, 'Unstoppable' 

and ' 'Listening 

Party / Video on Friday 

April 16. 

TommyBlack in a statement 

issued in Warri, Delta 

State, said, the event 

will be holding at Premium 

Arena, along Orhuwhorun 

Road, Warri, Delta 

State. 

He called on the general 

public, fans and music 

lovers to attend the show, 

assuring that other notable 

artistes would be 

performing, while tickets 

are already available for 

pick up. 

•TommyBlack 

asked to serve, they still went 

ahead to forcefully shut down 

the hotel. 

“I looked at the paper they 

presented and discovered 

that it was not actually this 

place because they said beside 

CFAO along Effurun/ 

Sapele road, and here is very 

far away from there. We don’t 

have any boundary with 

CFAO and there is nothing 

like Maxin Lotus mentioned 

in the court papers. They 

pushed out 32 guests and 

sealed up the place.” 

Maxin Lotus Hotel lawyer, 

Reward Ojekhekpen of 

Goode & Company Solicitors, 

said the Order which the 

court Bailiff acted upon was 

a judgment that was not "related 

to Maxin Lotus, or its 

owners", adding that it was 

between Isaac Arigbe, one 

other person and Matthew 

Oboh.


2023 PRESIDENCY: 

Despite Adebanjo’s 

attack, Afenifere 

will back Tinubu 

—SWAGA leader 

•‘Ooni, Alaafin, Ataoja, Alake, Akarigbo, Olu of Ilaro, others’ too 

•ON KANO OUTING: Why Asiwaju is courting the North 

•DECLARES: With or without power shift in APC, ex-Lagos gov ’ll emerge 

By Charles Kumolu, Deputy Editor 

In the last two weeks, National Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola 

Tinubu, has participated in three major events in northern Nigeria. The first was his visit 

to Katsina where he donated N50 million to victims of a fire incident. On the heels of that 

was his chairmanship of the 11th Arewa House Lecture in Kaduna. He thereafter held 

the annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Kano to commemorate his 69th birthday. The 

messages at the fora reverberated in the polity the same way the realignment of major 

political actors provided a glimpse of the emerging shape of 2023 presidential race. The 

choice of Kano as the venue of his birthday lecture, the gesture in Katsina and his choice 

as chairman of the Arewa House Lecture left the impression that Tinubu’s presumed 

presidential ambition is gathering momentum. Beyond the perception lie many 

questions on his perceived presidential ambition. In this interview, Senator Dayo 

Adeyeye, leader of South-West Agenda, SWAGA, provides the answers. SWAGA is a 

group of ex-lawmakers, ministers and other politicians of South-West extraction, 

sensitizing the public on what was termed the viability of a Tinubu presidency. 

•Adeyeye 

Tinubu has done three events in the North 

in the last few days. And they have been 

interpreted to mean that he is just courting 

the North because of his presumed 

presidential ambition. As someone pushing 

for a Tinubu presidency, what do you say 

about this? 

There is nothing wrong with that. If you want 

to be the President of Nigeria, you need to 

court all the various sections of the country. 

You also need to court people from every part 

of the country. Having said that, I want to say 

that being the National Leader of All 

Progressives Congress, APC, Tinubu is a 

national figure. He is a man who relates to 

various geopolitical zones in the country. He 

is at home with leaders from various parts of 

the country. Therefore, it is only proper for 

him to be involved in those events. He was an 

invitee at one of the events. He was invited to 

be the Chairman of Arewa Lecture. He had to 

take his birthday to Kano for the peace and 

unity of Nigeria. At a time people are 

unleashing various centrifugal forces all over 

the country, it is good to have a force that would 

douse the tension and cement better, the fabric 

of our national unity. I think it is very good for 

him to have held his birthday in Kano. And 

the reception that he got there also showed 

the people of this country are ready to bury 

ethnicity and queue behind him. They are just 

ready to bury religious differences and align 

with whoever they feel will make a difference 

in the society. 

Are you saying the turnout in Kano and the 

participation of some northern powerbrokers 

are enough to say that the North would 

support him if he formally declares? 

The turnout in Kano wasn’t a surprise to 

some of us. We knew that for some time now, 

there has been a gradual buildup of support 

for Asiwaju in the North and it was only a 

question of time for people to see the 

manifestation. He enjoys tremendous support 

in the North. I often say that he has planted 

seeds all over the country and the seeds have 

grown. The harvest time is now. I am sure if he 

goes to the North-East there would be a similar 

turnout. If he goes to Katsina, South-South,, 

or the South-East, you would see a similar 

reception. Asiwaju is a national figure who 

has built bridges across various ethnic, social, 

and religious divides. The crowd you saw in 

Kano wasn’t a rented crowd. It was a 

manifestation of the love they have for him. 

And the people would stand by him during 

the election and vote for him. That crowd 

would translate into massive votes during the 

2023 presidential election. 

Last year, SWAGA toured the South-West 

states, sensitising people on Asiwaju’s 

presumed ambition. What has happened 

since then and has SWAGA taken the 

sensitization beyond the South-West? 

As the name implies, it is essentially a 

South-West organisation. We had our 

inauguration last December in Ibadan. From 

Ibadan, we visited Osun and Ogun states. 

Next week, we are visiting Ondo State where 

we will spend four days. In all the places we 

have visited, the group was widely received 

and SWAGA is in every nook and cranny of 

the states. It is even present in areas we 

haven’t done a formal inauguration. SWAGA 

exists in all the polling units in the states we 

visited and the reception was massive. From 

Alaafin to Ooni of Ife, Ataoja, to Alake of 

Egbaland, to Akarigbo, to the Olu of 

Ilaro, they all received us. 

These are kings who 

usually maintain neutrality 

in matters like this because 

they are fathers to all. In all 

the places we visited, the 

I am one of the 

leaders of 

Afenifere and I 

can say 

authoritatively 

that Afenifere is 

not opposed to 

the presidential 

ambition of 

Asiwaju Tinubu 

monarchs were ready to 

speak for people to know 

their stand. All of them 

declared their support for 

Asiwaju. They went further 

to say he is the best person 

the South-West can produce 

at this moment and the man 

Nigeria needs at this 

moment. All of them said 

they have confidence in his 

ability to lead this country 

out of troubled waters. It has 

been a very pleasant 

experience for us. When we 

go to Ondo State, we expect 

the same result. From Ondo, 

we would proceed to Ekiti 

and Lagos states. We were 

in Akwa Ibom last week 

where a group, Akwa Ibom stakeholders for 

Asiwaju Tinubu was launched. It was modeled 

after the operating mechanism of SWAGA. 

This group invited me and three other leaders 

to witness the formal inauguration in Uyo. It 

was a great experience. There was massive 

support for Asiwaju in Akwa Ibom. What we 

started in the South-West is already spreading 

across the country. Part of the ripple effect is 

what we saw in Kano and Kaduna last week. 

Asiwaju donated N50 million to victims of 

Katsina fire incident but has been criticised 

for not doing anything for victims of herders’ 

attacks and the Sasha crisis in the South- 

West… 

The testimony of the Yoruba monarchs, who 

said Aiswaju has touched the lives of their 

various subjects, shows that Asiwaju has been 

extending such gestures to people in the 

South-West. He has been doing that to various 

segments of the Yoruba society unannounced 

without fanfare. The Katsina gesture 

generated fanfare because he had to travel to 

that area to donate. What of the thousands of 

such gestures that he has made to groups and 

individuals in the South-West unannounced? 

I have read some of the criticisms and I believe 

they came out of ignorance. People continue 

to testify to his generosity. They testify to the 

fact that he is always available to assist. 

Asiwaju is good at home and outside. If you 

want to be the leader of Nigeria, you don’t 

just have to be good at home only. People 

outside your area need to be 

convinced that you are there for 

them as well. 

A few weeks ago, it was 

reported that the relationship 

between Asiwaju and President 

Buhari is not as cordial as 

people think. Given the role of 

incumbency in whoever 

emerges President in this part 

of the world, don’t you think the 

report is enough to give the 

Aswaiju camp sleepless nights? 

A few days after the report, the 

Presidency came out with a 

statement, stating that there is 

no rift between Buhari and 

Tinubu. The Presidency said the 

relationship remains cordial. 

People are free to speculate, but 

the reply from the Presidency is 

a good response to the 

speculations. 

Tinubu’s presumed 

presidential bid doesn’t seem to 

enjoy the support of some key groups in 

Yorubaland. For instance, Afenifere leader, Pa 

Adebanjo, said Buhari is only deceiving 

Tinubu. How does SWAGA manoeuver 

around this opposition? 

The statement of Chief Ayo Adebanjo 

doesn’t imply that he doesn’t support Asiwaju. 

Maybe he is just being cautious by saying he 

doesn’t believe those people are sincere about 

his ambition. He is free to say that because 

he doesn’t know the inner workings of the 

relationship. As an elder statesman, he may 

be expressing fear that there might be no 

sincerity in the relationship. Afenifere has 

never come out to oppose Asiwaju because he 

remains a key member of the body. I was the 

National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere for 

many years. In the heydays of Afenifere under 

the leadership of Abraham Adesanya and 

Chief Bola Ige, I was the apogee of Afenifere. 

I know about Afenifere and I am Afenifere. I 

am one of the leaders of Afenifere and I can 

say authoritatively that Afenifere is not 

opposed to the presidential ambition of 

Asiwaju Tinubu. As for the Yoruba Council of 

Elders, YCE, I cannot speak for them. I don’t 

know what they are doing but they haven’t 

said they are opposed to it. I know some of 

these sociopolitical groups have come out to 

say the presidency isn’t their priority for now. 

They are saying that they are more concerned 

about the restructuring of the country. Some 

have even said they want Oduduwa Republic. 

Some are saying they are not interested in 

Nigeria anymore. My reply to them is that 

Nigeria remains one entity and we are part 

and parcel of that entity. If we believe one of 

our own can make a difference in the 

governance of the country, why not support 

him? That is better than fantasizing about 

unrealistic things. If you are talking of 

restructuring, Asiwaju is an apostle of 

restructuring. He has spoken about it and has 

even demonstrated his commitment to the 

devolution of powers. When he was governor 

of Lagos State, he challenged the Federal 

Government on the power of the state 

governments to create local governments. For 

that, he was punished through the seizure of 

the allocation to Lagos State for five years. 

He didn’t compromise nor shy away from the 

battle. He faced the matter headlong. He 

believes in the principle that the federating 

units in an ideal federal structure are the states 

and federal governments and not the local 

governments. The local governments are 

under the state. We have an abnormal 

situation that allows allocation to be given 

directly to the local governments. It is wrong. 

Perhaps, the military made the local 

governments a constitutional matter to favour 

a particular section of the country. Asiwaju 

challenged the federal government at the 

Supreme Court. A man, who has 

demonstrated such a courageous act, cannot 

be accused of not being committed to 

restructuring and devolution of powers, the 

two key issues Afenifere is advocating for. 

Now, the idea of restructuring is gaining 

ground all over the country. Those opposed 

to it are gradually accepting it. If that is the 

case, the man Nigeria needs to achieve that 

is Aswaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

•Continues on www.vanguardngr.com


2023: North has not 

forgiven Igbo for 

Ahmadu Bello’s death 

—Doyin Okupe (2) 

•Explains how Jonathan accepted defeat ‘despite winning’ 2015 election 

•2019: Why he wanted Saraki to be president 

•‘I survived Covid-19 but won’t take vaccine’ 

•Gay son story: The day I knew about it, I wept 


In this second part of his interview on Vanguard Live, former presidential 

spokesman during Obasanjo and Jonathan eras, Dr Doyin Okupe, speaks on the 

2015 and 2019 elections, his Covid-19 story, the chances of the Igbo ever becoming 

president and his gay son, Bolu. Excerpts: 

The Federal Government didn’t get 

her (Chibok school Principal) to 

account for the chaos on the 

abduction… 

Look, I am not saying government did right 

or wrong. I am telling you about events that 

happened that were not reported. The 

governor of the state was repeatedly warned 

by the Federal Government and WAEC not 

to allow children in that school to do 

examination but they went ahead and 

conducted the examination against security 

advice. And guess what, there was only one 

security guard in the school during the 

examination. You know that about 50 girls 

reportedly came back over time. Assuming 

the abductors carried 257 girls. In Lagos 

where we have molues (high capacity buses), 

you will need about five or six of them to be 

able to carry them. The bandits did not come 

with such vehicle. The girls told me they came 

with Canter which cannot carry more than 24 

children even if they were packed like sardines. 

The girl actually mentioned the word Gulf 

and I was stunned. How many Canters can 

carry 257 people and how can an entourage 

of 50 or 60 vehicles move without people in 

the vicinity noticing it? It is not true. The truth 

is that those that were kidnapped will reveal 

the truth in fullness of time. They were in 

Maiduguri for many days 

before being moved away 

and before Shekau was 

recruited to make a 

statement that he had these 

girls. 

That means that 

there are too many 

u n a n s w e r e d 

questions? 

There are too many 

questions. Let’s leave the 

matter 

Igbo cannot be 

president 

because the 

elites in the 

North have not 

forgiven them 

for killing the 

Sardauna of 

Sokoto 

What do you think 

was responsible for 

former President 

Goodluck Jonathan’s 

loss of the 2015 

presidential election? 

Number one, I know that 

this is not going to be a 

popular position, former 

President Jonathan did not 

lose the election. The 

election was rigged 

massively and majorly 

from Kano State and 

many people wanted to kill 

Elder Orubebe (man who 

openly protested election results) without 

knowing the facts. The results from Kano were 

being changed almost on hourly basis, 

depending on the results that were coming in 

from the states. Former President Jonathan 

was just a good man that God sent to this 

country to avoid conflagration. If he did not 

give way from his own perception, there would 

have been a major conflagration in the country. 

As you can see, people are now confessing 

that they were the ones that brought in foreign 

people, armed them and distributed them all 

over the country so that once the 

announcement was made, they would start 

chaos. That was what the former leader wanted 

to avoid and he was able to do so. You also 

heard the president of America make a 

broadcast and virtually telling Nigerians 

citizen who to vote for. 

Did it influence the result? 

That is not the issue. What is bad is not good; 

the president of America telling Nigerians who 

to vote for was an act of intimidation. The 

election was not lost but it was good that 

Jonathan accepted, and a new government 

came in place. The rest is history. 

Just before the 2019 general 

elections, you were pictured with the 

Bukola Saraki camp. Why did you pick 

that side of the PDP out of many other 

structures? 

Yes. Bukola Saraki is a quintessentially 

extraordinary human being. He is better than 

the rest of them. I just tell you that we are 

living like in a fossil 

generation. What are pulling 

this country back are ethnicity, 

religion and zoning. Nigeria 

is a 500 billion dollar worth 

investment. Which 500 billion 

dollar investment will be 

given to just anybody to run, 

without any question, without 

any back ground checks and 

capacity evaluation? Is it 

possible? Exxon Mobil, Total, 

and even Dangote don’t do 

that. Go and check Dangote’s 

executive structure, you will 

see people with high degree 

of management capability. 

He doesn’t just bring in his 

brother from Zaria, Kano or 

Ijebu Ode. No, because that 

is a multi-billion dollar 

investment. So, why are we 

treating the country as if it is 

a mama and papa shop? We 

are crazy people in this 

country and we want the 

country to be ok. 

Do you miss being in 

Aso Rock? 

No. I don’t. I take this world 

as a stage; you play your part, take a bow and 

go. For me, I have been exceptionally lucky 

and privileged. I am one out of my father’s 40 

children and see how far I have gone. I am 

satisfied and grateful to God for what I have 

been able to achieve, so far. I am done 

•Okupe 

politically. Truthfully, what I would like to be 

now is a life coach for people who want to 

make politics their profession, people who 

want to progress in politics, people who want 

to offer themselves for service in this country. 

I know where the pit holes and pitfalls are. I 

know where there are advantages and 

disadvantages. I have been in this game for 

40 years and I entered at the upper deck 

You are talking about the role of a 

godfather here? 

Not godfather. Godfather is somebody who 

wants you to be in position so you can… No. I 

want to be like a dean of a faculty whose 

business is ensuring you have the correct 

education, exposure and environment. I have 

so much to give. I am angry because they are 

making it look as if nobody can do anything 

about this matter. That’s why I said if by 2021 

the situation remains like this, I will contest 

for president. 

So should we take it that you are in the 2023 

presidential race? 

Yes and no. Yes because the signs I am seeing 

are not encouraging enough to suggest that 

things will be handled properly and if they are 

not handled properly, I will step out. 

Everyone is saying that power has to shift to 

the South in the PDP zoning arrangement. 

The South-East seems to be the favored in this 

matter. 

The disaster here is that not all the zones in 

the country have had a shot at the presidency 

which is painful. If things were to go normally, 

the South-East would. There was a time in 

this country when everybody’s hands were 

put at the back, and only Yoruba candidates 

were allowed to contest, that Chief Olu Falae 

and former President Obasanjo, that was when 

there was a major national consensus, may be 

that is what is required now for the South-East 

to produce the president but the configuration 

of the country there are incongruence in this 

country and antithetical issues. 

Let the truth be told, the core North has not 

forgiven the South-East for the death of 

Ahmadu Bello. Nobody is right or wrong. 

Since election is going to be by voting, if a 

very large group says we are not doing with 

this set of people, that issue must be resolved 

before we can have a South-East president. A 

large number of voters are holding those who 

are requesting to be president in unforgiveness. 

I am surprised that the Igbo are not talking 

about it; that is the problem in this country. We 

are a country of deceivers. We deceive our God, 

ourselves and our followers. We have a 

constitution that is a lie and anything that is 

based on lie cannot stand. We lie to 

ourselves. Only truth and righteousness can 

exalt a nation. This country is full of liars 

from top to bottom. Igbo cannot be president 

because the elites in the North have not 

forgiven them for killing the Sardauna of 

Sokoto. 

Continues 

www.vanguardngr.com 

on


I was wrongfully 

dismissed from 

the police 

…policeman begs Buhari, IGP 

Adamu, PSC for justice, 14 years on 

By Ozioruva Aliu 

In 2008, about 14 years ago, Alfred 

Eremen, from Ekpoma, Esan West 

local government area of Edo State, 

then a corporal in the Nigeria Police, was 

unjustly dismissed alongside two others for 

alleged extortion, but while the two other 

colleagues have been reinstated and now 

wear the Inspector rank, his case has been 

abandoned. 

He said the officer who led their team 

then on the Federal Highway Patrol has 

retired from service. 

Eremen said as of today, he would have 

been 29 years as a police officer and that, 

since his wrongful dismissal, he has been 

living from hand to mouth doing menial 

jobs to keep his family together. 

He called on President Muhammadu 

Buhari, Inspector General of Police Adamu 

Muhammed and the Police Service 

Commission (PSC) to look into his case, 

reinstate him and pay him all his 

emoluments and deserved promotions. 

Narrating his ordeal, he told Sunday 

Vanguard that they were subjected to orderly 

room trial at the Force Headquarters in 

2008 and discharged only for them to 

thereafter receive dismissal message and 

then their conviction backdated to 2006. His 

story: 

How it happened 

“My name is Eremen Alfred with Force 

Number 193849. On the 17th of June 2007, 

I was scheduled for morning duty together 

with my colleagues along Benin – Ore - Lagos 

Road as members of the Federal Highway 

Patrol team. 

“And it happened on that day in question 

that our patrol Jeep with registration 

number PF 689 HQ was not in good 

condition and it was under repair. 

“This made us to hire a vehicle from Benin 

to Okada village where we had our duty 

point instead of joining public vehicles, an 

act which is not proper and unsafe since we 

were carrying loaded firearms. 

“At that time, there was a standing order 

by then-commissioner of police that no 

reason whatsoever will prevent Federal 

Highway Patrol men from being on their 

duty posts and, if found absent, the team as 

a whole will be dismissed from the force. 

“It was in the light of this directive that we 

hired a vehicle to convey us to our duty post. 

“We arrived at our duty post along 

Benin, Ore Lagos Road at Okada 

Village just at about 10:13 am. 

“Before we went to start work we 

handed over our personal money, 

N7, 645, to our ASP Augustine 

Asekhamien for safe keeping and 

an entry was made to that effect 

according to ownership. 

“It was not up to 10 minutes of 

our handing over this money 

to our ASP that we saw 

three plain vehicles 

parked at our back 

right in place of our 

duty post and the 

occupants now 

came down from 

their vehicles to us 

and introduced 

themselves as 

IGP Monitoring 

Unit from Force 

Headquarters 

Abuja. 

“This team 

was led by one 

SP. Isa Danladi 

from Force CID 

Abuja. 

“They asked us 

to come for 

searching which we 

did and after 

searching us, they 

did not find anything 

in our pockets. 

“They entered their vehicles and, as they 

were about to leave, one of the inspectors 

named Sylvester Onuchukwu, now ASP, 

sighted a big traveling bag that was kept by 

the road side and owned by our ASP 

Augustine Asekhamien, now retired. 

“They now asked our (ASP) who owned 

the bag and he immediately told them that 

the bag belonged to him with his personal 

effects and the N7, 645 that was handed over 

to him by us immediately we arrived at our 

duty post and an entry was made to that 

effect according to ownership. 

Arrest and trial 

“From there, they took us to (Force CID) 

Abuja for investigation. After obtaining our 

statements, they put us in cell together with 

some criminals. 

“After spending one month and one week 

inside the cell, they took us to Force Provost 

Office at Headquarters for orderly room 

trial. After the trial, DSP Mr. Suleiman who 

tried us asked us to report back in one week 

time, to come and listen to the outcome of 

the orderly room trial. 

“They returned us to the Force CID cell 

for another one week making it one month 

and two weeks we spent in the cell just 

because of our personal money that was 

found right inside our (ASP) big traveling 

bag. 

“When we got to the Provost Office on the 

day of judgment, DSP Suleiman said as 

follows: That after going through our 

statement and the statement of the IGP 

Monitoring Unit during the orderly room 

trial, it was found that when they 

(monitoring team) arrived at our duty post, 

they did not see any of us collecting money 

from any motorist and that the money they 

found right inside our ASP’s bag which was 

(N7, 645) was neatly arranged according to 

ownership, with an entry on it. 

“He also stated that the money was 

‘presumed’ to have been extorted from 

motorists and members of the public, saying 

the presumption did not hold water as 

evidence led had clearly stated otherwise. 

Publication 

“After that, there was a newspaper 

publication of the dismissal of erring police 

officers. 

“The Daily Trust Newspapers that carried 

the news of arrested of police officers across 

the nation at that time headlined ‘17 

policemen dismissed for corruption” also 

enumerated the beat/location from where 

such officers were arrested tried and 

dismissed, and our state (Edo), beat, 

command were not found in the 

publication, so, we were therefore 

discharged and acquitted. 

“We now returned to our base in Benin 

City performing our normal duty along 

Benin-Ore-Lagos Road. 

Dismissal 

“After three weeks of our discharge and 

acquittal by the orderly room trial, we 

received another signal which dismissed us 

from the force. 

“We returned to Force Headquarter Abuja 

the following morning where we met DSP 

Suleiman, the Provost officer who tried us 

and gave judgment in our favour and we 

asked him the meaning of the signal. He 

told us it was the DCP Provost who reviewed 

our acquittal to conviction and dismissal. 

“Meanwhile the DCP Provost summarily 

awarded the punishment of dismissal on the 

30/1/06 at a time the offence was not yet 

committed or trial commenced; a power not 

vested in any DCP in the Nigeria Police. 

“The highest a DCP could do is to 

recommend NCO reduction in rank. I have 

written the IGP two times and the Chairman 

of the Police Service Commission two times 

for the redress of this injustice but up till 

now no positive result, hence I decided to 

seek justice from President Buhari and from 

all well meaning Nigerians 

“I have the orderly room proceedings with 

me and the statements made by us and that 

of the (IGP) monitoring team together with 

the photocopy of the front page of the Daily 

Trust Newspaper with the headline that 17 

policemen were dismissed, their states and 

locations of arrest, to present them to 

whoever it may concern when the need 

arises.” 

Igbo man may be next Inspector-General of 

Police – Ebigwei, Aka Ikenga leader 

Dr. Sylvan Ebigwei (MON) is the Iyasei of Okpanam Kingdom, Delta State and President-Emeritus 

of Aka Ikenga, the Igbo socio-political organisation. In this interview, he looks at the emergence of 

Prof. George Obiozor as the President-General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the insecurity in the 

country and other national issues. Excerpts: 

By Tony Nwankwo 

YOU are member of Ime-Obi of Oha 

naeze and you just elected Prof. 

George Obiozor as Ohanaeze President. 

How would you react to his leadership 

qualities? 

The emergence of Prof. Obiozor is a diplomatic 

feat for Ndigbo. Prof. Obiozor is a 

god diplomat, who can now be able to continue 

from where Nnia Nwodo regime 

stopped. Under Nwodo regime, we were 

able to advance publicity and enhance the 

image of Ohanaeze, not only in Nigeria but 

worldwide. We were able to attract relevance 

and respectability to the institution of Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo, because through Ohanaeze 

we jump started the unification of Southern 

Nigeria. Ohanaeze was able to bring together 

PANDEF Front, Afenifere and also the 

Middle Belt Forum under one fold, led by 

EK Clark and Bitrus Pogu and Ayo Adebanjo 

and Nnia Nwodo. Nnia Nwodo is no 

longer the President, but he has now been 

appointed the Director-General of Southern 

and Middle Belt Forum, so he is still 

very relevant there. So, what Obiozor is 

going to do now, which some of us have advised 

him to do, is to use diplomacy again 

to pursue the course of Ndigbo in Nigeria, 

not war. You can’t win anything by war or 

force of arms. To use diplomacy to make 

sure there is equity and balancing in all the 

*Ebigwei 

parts of this country. And also to pursue the 

issue of restructuring of the country, devolution 

of powers and also the issue of fiscal 

federalism. 

How do you react to the recent top security 

appointments announced by this government? 

I strongly believe that the security situation 

in this country is going to improve with 

the crack team recently appointed by the 

Commander-in-Chief. For instance, Gen. 

Lucky Irabor is a well trained officer, highly 

articulate and very cerebral. He knows the 

tactics of handling all these Boko Haram 

insurgents. And when you look at the history 

of what has been happening there, when 

he was Theatre Commander, Operation 

Lafiya Dole, he did a lot, because he formulates 

both offensive and defensive tactics that 

neutralised Boko Haram. I think it was 

when he left that Boko Haram started growing 

wings again. I think his appointment is 

a step in the right direction. But where we 

have to look into is the issue of the Police. 

The Nigeria Police appear to be overwhelmed 

in their duties. I believe the present 

Inspector General of Police has done some 

good work somewhere, but the multiplicity 

of criminals that invaded this country is overwhelming. 

So there is no way that they Nigeria 

Police can handle them except if they 

start encouraging community policing and 

state police, so that they can help the present 

police personnel to control certain areas. 

Many hoped that the President would appoint 

an Igbo from the South-East as Inspector-General 

of Police? 

Well, the Igbo man may still emerge because 

the C-in-C has not yet appointed anybody 

in the position. The IGP is still there 

for three months or thereabouts. But it will 

be good to decentralise security situations 

in the country. I think the government has 

started it. Irabor is not a Fulani man, he is 

a Christian, worships at Redeemed Church. 

He is Igbo from Delta State. The Yoruba 

has taken a slot, the Northerners have taken 

another slot, so we believe that the South- 

East should have the slot for the Inspector- 

General of Police for equity. And if you appoint 

an Easterner, an Igbo man from the 

South-East, I think there will be equity, because 

he is going to bring balance to the 

situation. And balancing all these forces 

and appointments will equally bring credibility 

to the security of this country. 

The insecurity in the country is so visible 

you can touch it. What is the way out? 

The current position of the country is very 

dire. Where does one start from? The most 

pressing problem now is the issue of security. 

No part of this country appears to be 

secured now. I can say the most secured part 

of Nigeria today is the South-East, probably 

due to the multitude of soldiers and policemen 

drafted to the area, that has made 

it to be secured. South-South is a little bit 

okay, but not quite, Many areas of the South- 

West, are not secured at all. The whole of 

the Northern Region, all the states there are 

not secured. From what we are hearing, 

North-East and North-West appear to be the 

most insecure areas of this country. From 

ongoing reported trends as regards security, 

and that has affected all facets of Nigerian 

population: travelling, commerce, tourism 

and development. Most of these things 

are quite stunted. Its only God that can save 

us from the present quagmire we are in today. 

I can summarize it by saying that the 

whole country is in conflict. 

Herdsmen menace seems part of the 

problem. Now we know some of these 

herdsmen were asked to come here from 

some other parts of Africa, and they have 

been killing, raping and kidnapping people. 

What do you say about the people who 

have been terrorising Nigeria? 

Calling them herdsmen, seems a beautiful 

colouration to paint a very ugly and dangerous 

statue. We have always had herdsmen 

in this country, we have lived amongst 

them, we have socialised with them. 

continues on:www.vanguardngr.com


Should an impotent husband seek the ‘help’ of a friend? 

FIDELIS got 

married late – in 

his early 40s. 

Two years into his 

marriage, he could no 

longer get an erection. 

“I’d had problems with 

my libido in the past”, he 

confessed, “and by the 

time I met Lisa, my wife, 

making love was very 

infrequent. She was only 

23 and I thought that she 

would be fertile enough to 

get pregnant with the 

infrequent time, I could 

have sex. 

But she didn’t. It wasn’t 

really her fault as my 

semen was often watery. 

I won’t bore you with the 

details of efforts I made to 

have a child. I have 

resigned myself to the 

reality of my impotence. 

“Unfortunately, I have a 

young wife who has a 

strong sex drive and 

always has a need for 

penetrative sex to achieve 

full satisfaction. So, my 

impotence has come as a 

big disappointment to her. 

As a result, we have both 

confided in Ade, a very 

close and trustworthy 

friend whom we have 

known for many years. 

He has four children but 

is currently separated 

from his wife. 

“After much discussion, 

he has offered to help. 

He is well-endowed and 

my wife and I are keen to 

accept his offer, as we 

believe this would solve 

our problems. I’m all for 

it as I feel that we could 

all get something from it. 

He lives alone as the wife 

has custody of their kids, 

and he needs sex too...” 

As Fidelis rattled on 

excitedly, I gaped at him 

in disbelief. Of course, 

we’ve heard of men who 

passed on pregnancies 

they were responsible for 

to their mistresses’ 

unsuspecting husbands. 

But to knowingly look for 

a stand-in lover to help 

impregnate your wife is 

pushing desperation to the 

limit. I told Fidelis that my 

gut reaction was that it was 

going to be a total disaster. 

What works as a fantasy 

often backfires. 

A sex expert I discussed 

it with was equally 

appalled. “Fidelis has to be 

made to realise that while 

we all like to pretend we 

can separate sex and love, 

our genitals and our hearts 

do inhabit the same body,” 

she explained. “Many 

weird and wonderful things 

happen when a couple start 

having sex. Powerful and 

intoxicating hormones 

transfer through skin-toskin 

contact. 

“Sex connects and bonds 

people. I wonder if Fidelis 

will still find it quite so 

exciting when his wife 

suddenly packs her bag, 

ready to move in with her 

husband’s friend. He hasn’t 

told you how things are 

going to work. Does he 

intend to watch while his 

wife is being serviced by 

his enthusiastic friend in the 

bedroom or would he 

watch the telly as if nothing 

is going on?” 

“Man sues neighbour he 

paid to get his wife 

pregnant but failed after 72 

attempts,” is a recent news 

item that shows the 

stupidity of Fidelis action 

The story – reads: “In 

Stuttgart, Germany, a court 

judge must decide on a 

case of honourable 

intentions in a situation 

where a man hired his 

neighbour to get his wife 

pregnant. It seems that 

Demetrius Soupolos, 29, said 

his former beauty queen wife, 

Traute, wanted a child badly, 

but Demetrius was told by a 

doctor that he was sterile. So 

Soupolos after calming his 

wife’s protest, hired his 

neighbour Frank Maus, 34, 

to impregnate her. Since 

Maus was already married 

and the father of two children 

plus looked very much like 

Soupolos to boot, the plan 

seemed good. Soupolos paid 

Maus $2,500 dollars and for 

three evenings a week for the 

next six months, Maus tried 

desperately, a total of 72 

different times, to impregnate 

Traute. 

“When his own wife 

objected, he explained,” I 

don’t like this any more than 

you do, I’m simply doing it for 

the money. Try and 

understand’. When Traute 

failed to get pregnant after six 

months however, Soupolos 

was not understanding and 

insisted that Maus have a 

medical examination, which 

he did. The doctor’s 

announcement that Maus 

was also sterile shocked 

everyone except his wife, who 

was forced to confess that 

Maus was not the real father 

of their children. 

“Now Soupolos is suing 

Maus for breach of contract 

in an effort to get his money 

back, but Maus refused to 

give it up because he said he 

did not guarantee 

conception, but only that he 

would give an honest 

effort!” 

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Boat operators, Jetty owners urges 

Okowa to caution Commissioner 

The Speed Boats 

Operators and Jetty 

Owners yesterday appealed 

to Delta State Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa to call his 

Commissioner for Transport 

to order, alleging that the 

Commissioner was trying to 

impose levies on them 

without creating a level 

playing ground for operators. 

This came after the office of 

the Commissioner for 

Transport on Friday issued a 

statement that the approved 

levies for speed boats and 

local boats were N5,000 and 

N7,500; and that a wide 

consultation with 

stakeholders and various 

maritime union were held 

before the implementation of 

the levies on Maritime sector 

and the approved sole 

consultant to carry out the 

collections. 

But the Speed boats 

Operators and Jetty Owners 

of Ogbe-Ijoh Waterside 

yesterday rejected the levies, 

saying that they were not 

aware of any stakeholders 

meeting held with any speed 

boats operators or jetty owners 

concerning payment of levies. 

In a statement signed by Mr 

Johnbull Smooth, Chairman 

Oghulagha Speed Boats 

Operators, Ogbe-ijoh/ Warri 

Branch, Madam Dorphin, 

Owner of Madam Dorphin 

Jetty/Speed Boats Operators 

Warri, Tibyti Bileke, 

Chairman Mila Waterside 

(Creek) Speed Boats 

Operators and Bolougbene 

Debole Godfrey, Chairman 

Ayakoromor Jetty/Speed boats 

Operators Ogbeijoh/Warri 

Branch, on behalf of the speed 

boats operators and jetty owners 

said; The speed boats operators 

and jetty owners have never held 

a meeting with the Commissioner 

for Transport concerning the 

payment of levis or tax revenue to 

the state government. The people 

he claimed to have held meeting 

with are maritime workers and 

not speed boats operators or jetty 

owners". 

Canadian varsity flags off online education 

Programme at Ozoro Polytechni 

By Akpokona Omafuaire 

IN its bid to curtail the 

effects of the COVID-19 

pandemic on the education 

sector, the University of 

Calgary in Canada has 

flagged off its online program 

at the Delta State Polytechnic, 

Ozoro as pilot of the scheme 

in the African continent. 

The official flag-off, which 

is the outcome of several 

months of careful planning, 

was supervised by the Online/ 

Offline Education team for 

the African region. 

Over 100 lecturers from the 

Delta State Polytechnic, 

Ozoro, the pilot institution, 

formally test-run the 

applications based online 

study system by uploading 

their courses to the app as at 

Tuesday, March 23, 2021. 

Meanwhile nearly 3000 

students made use of the app, the 

following day to perform 

assignments in some courses 

including English Language, 

Mathematics and Computer 

Science, at the end of which they 

were promptly issued online 

certificates directly from the 

Calgary University. 

The Rector of Delta State 

Polytechnic, Ozoro, Prof. 

Akpodiete commended the 

Online/Offline Education team 

for choosing the institution as 

pilot of the noble programme, 

which he said would go a long 

way to tackle the several 

problems associated with the 

Covid-19 pandemic, especially 

the effect on the education system. 

The Orosuen of Okere 

Urhobo Kingdom, 

Warri South Local 

Government Area, HRM 

Emmanuel Ono 

Okumagba , Okumagba 

11, has tasked Warri 

Urhobo politicians on 

unity. 

The traditional ruler 

gave the charge in his 

speech during the 

presentation of the leader 

of Warri Urhobo Political 

Class, High Chief Dennis 

Oghenebukome Omovie 

to him. 

He also urged them to 

always put the interest of 

the Warri Urhobo first 

before their personal 

interest. 

Okumagba 11 who was 

the immediate past 

National political leader 

of Warri Urhobo,warned 

that Warri Urhobo 

monarchs shall place a 

curse on any Warri 

Urhobo political leader 

that leads their people 

astray. 

The monarch who 

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presentation, urged them 

to make a similar 

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Okere-Urhobo monarch charges Warri 

politicians on unity 

of Agbarha Warri Kingdom 

While praying for the leader 

of the group, the Okere 

Urhobo monarch described 

the former Delta State House 

of Assembly member as a 

textbook of Warri South 

politics and therefore fit for the 

political leadership of 

Urhobos of Warri. 

High Chief Omovie had 

earlier in his speech , promised 

By Akpokona Omafuaire 

THERE was joy amongst 

residents and Traditional 

worshippers weekend 

as the high priest of BINI-EBI 

deity, High Chief Government 

Ekpemupolo a.k.a Tompolo 

completes the annual 3-day 

ritual for Fertility, Peace and 

Prosperity. 

The 3-day event was held at 

the ultra modern temple of 

BINI-EBI (water-blessings) 

deity at Ogulagha in Burutu 

Council Area of Delta State. 

The rituals which commenced 

on Monday featured 

among other things exhibition 

of clusters of masquerades 

(Owu), displaying their 

to take Warri Urhobo to the 

promise land and to ensure 

political equilibrium in the 

politics of Warri South Local 

Government Area of which he 

alleged there was 

marginalisation against the 

Warri Urhobos. 

He then vowed not to 

disappoint the Warri Urhobos 

and to also carry every 

patriotic Warri Urhobo along 

in the struggle. 

Joy as Tompolo completes 3-day annual 

peace/fertility rituals at Ogulagha 

dexterity and unique dancing 

skills to the excitement of the 

congregations. 

Tompolo also offered blood 

offerings of Goats, chickens 

and fresh water alligators. 

According to an ardent, the 

ceremony welcomes divine 

presence of Woyin (mother 

god), as it is believed that she 

comes with blessings and 

cleanse the land from all 

forms of darkness. 

To them, Woyin (the supreme 

mother) is believed to 

have manifested in different 

forms of appearances to the 

Ijaw people at various times, 

assuming the form of a water 

Deity is one of them.

April 4, 2021 

Easter 

Sunday 

style 

Delicious 


Recipes 

To Try 

Chris 

kwakpovwe 

Manna On Easter Morn

6 

7 

6 

IN THIS ISSUE 

email: allurefortheworld@vanguardngr.com 

HAPPINESS 

4 Cover: Chris E. Kwakpovwe; 

Manna on Easter Morn 

6 Sexmatics: Sex Etiquette @ 


CELEBRATION 

3 

7 

Fashion : Easter Sunday Style 

Foodie : Delicious Easter Recipes To Try 

04 APRIL 2021 

8 Instagram Moments 

WELCOME... 

It’s the resurrection morning! 

Christians today mark one of the 

most important dates on the church 

calendar—Easter. 

Regarded as one of the notable 

Christian festivals, Easter celebrates 

Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the 

dead, three days after he was 

executed by crucifixion. This 

shameful death usually meted out 

only to criminals, is regarded as the 

ultimate sacrifice God made through 

his son, Jesus Christ, in other to 

save mankind from eternal death. 

The Christian faith is hinged on the death, burial and 

eventual resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Without the 

resurrection, the Christian faith will be in vain. 

On this anniversary of the resurrection, Allure chatted with 

the General Overseer of the Manna Prayer Mountain 

Worldwide, Bishop (Dr.) Chris E. Kwakpovwe, Ph.D. The 

Pharmacist turned Prophet is a man accustomed to the 

issues of life, and one who once contemplated suicide. In this 

very down-to-earth interview, he talks about the significance 

of Easter and the blood that was shed. He also opens up on 

the challenges and burden often borne by men in ministry. Pg 

4-5 

Get your style right this resurrection Sunday. Pick the look 

that suits when you are going out. Your day to night made 

easy looks. Pg 3 

Make your Sunday lunch count. What better way than to 

gather round the dining table over lunch of jollof rice and 

barbecue salad. Follow our simple recipe and cook your own 

version. pg 7 

Our news page, Billboard, has some juicy stories you 

wouldn’t want to miss; including 

“Satan shoes”, a new pair of 

J . E 

sneakers currently causing ripples on 

Jemi Ekunkunbor 

social media. 

lookposh2017@gmail.com 

Enjoy every bit of this edition and 08052201126 

enjoy your Easter. 

Quotes 

“Miracles are not contrary 

to nature, but only contrary 

to what we know about 

nature.” 

- Saint Augustine 

“It is best to love wisely, no 

doubt; but to love foolishly 

is better than not to be 

able to love at all.” 

- William Makepeace 

Thackeray 

“If God wanted us to bend 

over he’d put diamonds on 

the floor.” 

- Joan Rivers 

“Never let a fool kiss you, 

or a kiss fool you.” 

- Joey Adams 

8 

EDITOR 

JEMI EKUNKUNBOR 

ASST. EDITOR 

YEMISI SULEIMAN 

REPORTER 

Josephine Agbonkhese 

COPY EDITOR 

DODOIYI WILLIAM-WEST 

PHOTO 

OSCAR OCHIOGU 

(08034746487) 

TEAM 

CONTRIBUTORS 

LINDA ORAJEKWE 

ADESUWA 

EWOIGBOKHAN 

BAMIYO ISELEMA EMINA 

LAYOUT / DESIGN 

OLAYIWOLA AJAGBE 

HEAD OF PRODUCTION 

CHARLES KAMMA 

HEAD MARKETING 

JANET NAJOMOH 

(08037156911) 

Printed and published by Vanguard Media Ltd 

Vanguard Avenue Kirikiri Canal; P.M.B 1007 

Apapa, Lagos.

Look 1 

FASHION 

Easter Sunday 

STYLE 


Morning 

service 

Easter morning 

service is all about 

looking good while 

staying decent. So 

choose a bright print 

or neon coloured 

dress, pair this 

dress with a bold, 

statement necklace, a 

pretty clutch bag and 

complete the look 

with a matching hat 

or fascinator. This 

no doubt will make 

you stand out at the 

church service. 

RED BELL 

SLEEVE 

Look 2 

By - Yemisi Suleiman 

Putting together an outfit for special occasions like today, 

Easter Sunday can sometimes prove to be a tiresome task, 

especially if you’re not sure what exactly you want to wear. 

To make it easy for you, we have put together three looks to help 

settle your day in style. So, whether you’re heading to church, 

going for Easter lunch with friends and family, or settling for a 

dinner date or evening party, here are three suggestions for 

you, so you won’t have to stress. 

Remember, whatever your Easter Sunday plan is; you 

need to stay stylish. 

Date Night 

This will make you appear 

elegant, cool, and absolutely 

stylish. Nothing makes a 

statement like a sequins 

dress, bright, eye-catching, 

and sparkly, you’ll have 

all eyes on you in this 

ensemble. But remember, 

when you are draped in 

sequins, you have got 

enough bling already, so 

keep your jewelry minimal. 

Just a pair of earrings will 

do, any additional sparkle 

will be overpowering and 

make your outfit look busy. 


Lunch Date 

flare 

floral 

pants 

This is an interesting 

outfit, a red blouse 

with bell sleeves, 

high waist floral 

pants and matching 

straw hat; a perfect 

outfit for the hot 

sun. It is all about 

keeping it simple 

yet, elegant at your 

afternoon gig. 

However, if you are 

not one for hats, you 

can do without it 

and just let your hair 

loose and finish off 

with a chain strap 

cross bag and a pair 

of platform heels. 

Look 3 

sequin 

dress 

gucci heel 

sandal 

Chioma 

Ikokwu 

April 4, 2021 / 3

INTERVIEW 

Chris E. Kwakpovwe: 

Manna on Easter Morn 

Words By - Jemi Ekunkunbor 

Bishop (Dr.) Chris E. Kwakpovwe, Ph.D is a Pharmacist, Prophet and the General Overseer of 

the Manna Prayer Mountain (MPM) Worldwide. 

The husband of Rev. Dr. Mrs. Ejiro Kwakpovwe, he is also the author of several books 

including, the popular daily devotional, Our Daily Manna. 

With millions of followers to his teachings and preachings, his ministry’s impact is not only felt in 

Nigeria, but also, in several other countries across the globe. 

On this Easter Sunday, the revered man of God sheds light on the death and resurrection of Jesus 

Christ, the impact of his death, the significance and import of the blood that was shed and sundry 

issues relating to the work of ministry. 

It’s Easter Sunday today. Before it gets referred 

to as mere a holiday, could you share with us the 

significance of Easter to Christians? 

Easter represents the bases and foundation of 

the Christian faith. Jesus was born but if he did not 

die and resurrect, his birth will be useless. Christmas 

is actually useless without Easter. Easter was the 

reason for His coming and the original plan of God 

for the ultimate deliverance of man. When Jesus rose 

from the dead, that was the day Christianity began. 

Why does it appear that this significance as 

well as the resurrection power is being lost on 

Christians? 

We are in the end time, iniquities are abounding. 

People are no more deep in the word of God. The old 

time religion has been lost. People are worldly now 

and more after ephemeral things. Jude 3:3b says: You 

should earnestly contend for the faith which was once 

delivered unto the saints. The resurrection power is a 

little down in today’s church because people have lost 

the love and the biblical way of the life of old. 

Today, you have fraudsters in churches, believers 

who don’t pray or read the bible. There is so much 

gossiping, in-house fighting, ministers fighting one 

another, jealousy, envy, competition etc. and all these, 

watered down the power of God in the church. 

The sacrifice and the shedding of the blood of 

Jesus once held strong relevance to the Christian 

faith, but even that has become something we 

chant casually and comedians even use for their 

jokes. Is the church losing relevance in this digital 

age? 

It is a pity that most churches are now jokers. I 

will call them Jokers Chapels. Majority of believers 

are now after the things of the world and not after the 

original power of God. 

You asked me whether the church is losing 

significance in this digital age, I would say yes. 

Jesus said in Mathew 24 that because iniquity will 

abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Why we 

have unbelievers joking with us is because the love of 

many has waxed cold. People are now after money, 

children, marriage etc. If truly we want to experience 

the power of God as of old, then we need to go back 

to our first love and the old time religion. 

In recent times, the kingdom of God has suffered 

violence; men of God have brought reproach to 

Christ while the genuine ones have also suffered 

reproach because of the activities of false 

prophets. How can false prophets be identified 

to save the flock from being scammed and God’s 

honour restored? 

We will always have bad eggs, fake ministers in 

our midst but I think one of the ways we can bring 

back God’s honour, is to seek first, God’s kingdom 

and His righteousness, and preach more of salvation 

messages than prosperity. What has brought 

reproach to the body of Christ in most cases has to do 

with occultists. There are lots of magicians on the altar 

than real pastors. 

The real men of God should stand in the gap 

and pray. Let the world see Christ in us, let them see 

miracles on our altars so they don’t run to the fake 

pastors. We must preach Christ, holiness, purity and 

when the world sees this, I think the fake can be 

easily separated from the body of Christ. 

Also, by the fruits of the fake ministers you shall 

know them. When a minister spends more time on 

money, and whatever that is not in the Bible, you will 

know he is fake no matter how he tries to interpret it. 

If it is not biblical, it is a no-go area. The Bible is the 

revealer of what is true or false. Every believer should 

study his or her Bible like the Berean Christians, to 

verify whatever their pastors tell them. 

Some men of God are called by God, others call 

themselves. Using your experience, can you 

share with us how you knew, you were called. 

If you are called, you will not rush into ministry. 

Check those who rush into ministry, something is 

wrong somewhere. When God called Moses, he tried 

to reject the calling. When God called me, I said no I 

am a pharmacist, that I will support pastors, pay my 

tithe, or just be assistant pastor, but I can’t do it full 

time. The Lord told me that if I do not leave pharmacy, 

He would kill me and God afflicted me with epistaxis, 

that is, bleeding of the nose. 

The day I resigned from my pharmacist job was 

the same day the bleeding stopped. I went right from 

the hospital to the church altar. I left my books and lab 

coat in the office. I never went back. It was much later 

that my late boss brought them to me. 

What aspect of this work of ministry do you find 

most challenging? 

Dealing with human beings; you cannot trust 

them. You can trust a mango tree to bring forth fruits 

at a particular time, likewise a pawpaw tree; but you 

cannot understand human beings, that’s my biggest 

challenge. They can tell you “yes” in the morning, and 

tell you “no” in the evening. They betray, deceive and 

are unfaithful. I have learnt to trust God alone. 

Elijah after killing the prophets of Baal ran from 

Jezebel and prayed to die. What should pastors 

do when they get to their wits end? 

Take time off. They that wait upon the Lord shall 

renew their strength; just take time off and trust God. 

The Bible says He is the present help in trouble. Go 

back to God, leave the work. There are times that 

you need to leave the altar. A pastor that is always on 

the altar will begin to loose power. There are some 

days you should be off the altar for prayers. We all 

go through it. People get betrayed, disappointed and 

sometimes, things do not go the way you planned 

it. Seek the Lord. The Bible says in quietness and 

confidence you shall find your strength. Such a 

challenging time is for you to be still. Don’t forget that 

still waters run very deep. 

At such moments, what kind of support system 

does a pastor crave? 

The support system you need at such a moment is 

4 / April 4, 2021

INTERVIEW 

that of your wife if you are married; otherwise, it’s the 

Holy Spirit. Also, go to God in prayer and if you have 

mentors and friends that can tell you the bitter truth, 

you can confide in them. 

How has life been as a preacher? 

It’s been challenging. Being in the limelight draws 

attention; both good and bad. Being a preacher 

provokes envy-my greatest battle. Pastors rising and 

using people against me. I have heard some pastors 

said: ‘Are you sure this man of God is using genuine 

power? ‘ 

There are people who believe that once you are 

a pastor in Nigeria, you have money. So, they come 

around expecting to get money from you. If you are 

not careful, they can even kidnap you. 

There has been an attempt to kidnap my child 

before. These are some of the challenges that I face 

as a pastor. 

If it were possible, would you do it again or you’ll 

choose a career path? 

I would never choose another path. This is the 

path created for me and I believe God has an agenda 

and greater plans ahead for me. 

When you are not preaching, where do you like to 

go to rest? 

My house. Where else would I go? Well, maybe 

if it’s summer, I will go abroad for a week or two and 

that is the way I rest. But most times, I am just indoors 

alone with God and my family. 

Beside the Holy Spirit, who are your mentors in 

faith and why? 

When I got born again many years ago in the 

Scripture Union, I worked with Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor 

of Word of Life. I served in the Soldier of Christ and 

I helped his late wife (Stella ) with house chores 

because I was a small boy then. Late Archbishop 

Benson Idahosa was his Pastor then. I got filled with 

the Holy Spirit through Idahosa and he was also one 

man that moved me. Pa S.G Elton of Ilesha was 

somebody that I learnt a lot from when I was at the 

university of Ife. We went to his house every weekend 

as members of the school fellowship. Pastor Kumuyi 

brought me up in the area of holiness as a young 

believer. 

These are people I learnt from and I used their 

materials and sometimes worshiped with them. 

What won’t you be caught doing as a pastor? 

I won’t be caught committing sin, preaching 

false doctrines, deceiving people in order to receive 

miracles. I won’t be caught following women or 

pursuing money. 

If you were Jesus who flogged out the money 

changers in his days, what category of people 

would you weed out of the church today? 

The hypocrites and the snakes in the church and 

they are many. Some are pastors who are there to 

kill even the General Overseer to get a position. Such 

people should be exposed. I’ll weed out politicians 

who come to use us to win elections and at the end, 

they dump the church. 

The third kind of people are those who are in 

churches to steal. They are not pastors or politicians 

but church members. Their aim is to steal, kill and 

destroy. Some women come to set up pastors, some 

come to plan kidnapping. 

The Bible says the heart of man is desperately 

wicked. Of my 45 years in the Lord, I’ve seen that 

those you think are sincere are evil. I will advise that 

pastors should go on their knees and ask God to 

shake the church. God knows how to do it best. God 

knows how to weed them out. He might even start 

from those you think are actually good. 

To the sick, homeless, hungry, and hopeless, 

what would you say to them this Easter and what 

should the church be seen to be doing? 

I will say to the sick, homeless and the hungry that 

there is hope.They should hold on and trust God they 

will make it. 

To the sick, there is healing; to the homeless, 

there will be shelter, the same for the hungry and the 

hopeless. 

Look at a man like me that wanted to commit 

suicide, before I discovered Our Daily Manna. I felt 

all hope was lost. But look at me today. They should 

hold on, after the pain, tears and the agony, triumph 

is coming. The same would happen to any man 

or woman who waits or endures. The Bible says 

in Isaiah 49 verse 23 ‘..for they shall not 

be ashamed that wait for me.” Whether 

you are sick, hungry, homeless, or 

abandoned, falsely accused, envied, 

betrayed, etc, wait upon the Lord 

and you will never be ashamed. 

The church should physically 

feed the hungry, cloth the 

naked. The church of Jesus 

Christ should go back to 

Jude 3- church is not just 

about building. One of the 

disturbing factors today 

is the way churches are 

trying to outdo one 

another in architectural designs. Wanting to have the 

biggest building in the world, in my view, is a mistake 

no matter who is doing it. 

Today, we have 500,000,000 auditorium, all these 

are structures that will come and go. Let us go back 

to the days of raising the dead, signs and wonders, 

purity, holiness. This madness of the biggest church 

in the world, my building must be more colourful than 

your building is flesh. 

The Apostles of old met in homes and miracles, 

testimonies were happening. They talk the talk and 

lived the life. I think we should go back to that. 

Unfortunately, our big fathers in the Lord are the 

ones encouraging us to begin the competition for 

properties and church buildings and that to me, is 

carnality creeping into the church. 

Of my 45 years in 

the Lord, I’ve seen 

that those you 

think are sincere 

are evil. 

April 4, 2021 / 5

PAGE A8 SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021, PAGE A7

PAGE A6 SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021 

DR. OBIOMA JAYNE ONWUMERE: 

A Visionary Creating 

Opportunities In Real Estate 

Though she doesn’t see herself as a 

realtor, but given her achievements in 

the real estate business especially how 

she has revolutionized the industry, it is not 

out of place to call her the amazon of the 

Nigerian real estate industry. 

Dr. Obioma Jayne Onwumere is the 

Group Managing Director and CEO of 

Property World Africa Network popularly 

known to as PWAN Group where she leads 

a team of 28 managing directors with over 

350 Staff members spread across 29 

Companies that make up the PWAN Group 

with over 80 thousand independent network 

marketing professionals also known as 

PWAN Business Owners (PBOs) spread 

across 17 states of the federation. 

The business which started as PWAN 

Homes by herself and her husband, Dr. 

Augustine Onwumere in 2012 was born at 

a time they were facing housing challenge 

and with zero capital, they took the bold 

step to pursue the vision which today has 

created a platform for quite a number of 

Nigerians to create consistent income. 

“I don’t see myself as a realtor. I am a 

visionary and entrepreneur who is using real 

estate in solving problems. Before PWAN, 

my husband had a business which failed, 

but I would say it was a learning process 

for us. After sometime, we became 

homeless and for two and half years we lived 

in 13 places. It was during this period that 

the dream for PWAN was born. 

“We are proud to call ourselves the first 

real estate network marketing company in 

the world and we have practically 

revolutionized the industry in Nigeria 

through the network marketing model. 

Today, most real estate companies in 

Nigeria have adopted the model given its 

success as demonstrated by us. One 

important feature of the model is that it 

spreads commission across board. At the 

early stage of PWAN Homes, I noticed that 

estate agents fight over commission and 

given my experience as a network marketer, 

I introduced the model so that when a sale 

is made, everyone in the network gets paid”, 

she informed. 

The quest to bring the vision of PWAN 

Homes to reality, led to the expansion of 

the company with the establishment of 28 

affiliate companies to date. The ownership 

of these affiliate companies is also the first 

of its kind in Nigeria as they are co-owned 

by employees of the parent company who 

have distinguished themselves over the 

years. Also included in the group is PHPAC, 

the company charged with the 

responsibility of raising and equipping the 

consultants and partners now known as 

PBOs. In the last nine years, PHPAC has 

trained thousands of people in real estate 

network marketing, entrepreneurship, 

management and leadership. 

According to her, “we understand the fact 

that there is a huge deficit for home 

ownership in Nigeria and we believe all the 

government needs to do is to create the 

enabling policies, such as making it easy to 

access land titles. To contribute our quota 

in this regard, we started establishing 

affiliate companies with different 

mandates. In these affiliate companies, we 

have a 50/50 sharing ratio with our directors 

who head those companies. They were 

hitherto marketers, but they have 

distinguished themselves and have been 

duly rewarded to lead those companies. 

This model also has helped us to provide 

home ownership across various states of the 

federation.” 

An inspiring character who believes in the 

concept of adaptability for business growth 

further informed that the PBO programme 

of the company became a reality during 

the lockdown period in 2020, as lots of 

people lost their jobs and they had nothing 

to fall back on. 

•Dr. Obioma Jayne onwumere 

“As an entrepreneur, I believe that to be 

successful in business, you must learn to 

adapt and reinvent because the 

environment is subject to change. For us, 

we have always positioned ourselves to 

adapt to any change that my come up in 

our environment. For instance, we started 

the PBO during the lockdown in 2020 and 

it has greatly contributed to our growth 

because we were able to expand our network 

from six to 17 states and before the 

end of this year, we would have 

extended our operations to at least 

20 states. So the essence of the 

PBO is to give our marketers a 

sense of ownership, such that 

they also own what they are 

selling and we have made it 

easy for them to pay in 

instalments”, she informed. 

Fondly referred to as 

Mama Africa given her 

philanthropic gestures, as 

Dr. Onwumere has 

improved the lives a 

hundreds of women 

through her 

Empowerment for all 

Women Program. 

Orphans are also not 

left out as she continues 

to reach out to them 

with food items and 

monetary gifts, while 

also paying the school 

fees of a number of 

children with the 

support of her 

husband. 

She was conferred with an Honorary 

Doctorate Degree by the European- 

American University, Commonwealth of 

Dominica in recognition of her 

contributions to making home ownership 

dream a reality for as many people as 

possible. 

Dr Jayne, a lifelong learner, is an alumnus 

of Lagos Business School and is presently 

in the Owner President Management 

Programme at the Prestigious Harvard 

Business School in Boston Massachusetts, 

USA. 

At Letshego, We Are Passionate 

About Growing MSEs 

Mrs. Tolulope Opayinka, CEO, Letshego Microfinance Bank 

•Mrs. Tolulope Opayinka 

She is an astute professional who 

has distinguished herself in 

the financial sector, Mrs. 

Tolulope Opayinka is the Chief 

Executive Officer of Letshego 

Microfinance Bank (LMFB), Nigeria 

where she provides strategic direction 

for the day-to-day operations of the 

bank which is part of a pan-African 

conglomerate. 

A financial expert with a track record 

of excellence in almost three decades of 

practice, she began her journey in the 

financial world at Capital Bancorp 

Limited where she mastered the act of 

stockbroking. Thereafter, she joined 

ARM Plc where she was introduced to 

the world of asset 

management and 

investment banking. She 

later joined First Bank 

Plc where she 

established herself in 

corporate finance. In 

March 2018, she 

joined LMFB and 

has since made 

some 

significant 

impact in 

stabilizing 

the bank. 

She is a 

graduate of 

Economics 

from the 

University 

of East 

Anglia, Norwich, 

England, Certified 

Microfinance Banker 

and a member of the 

L&D Network Group 

(Nigeria) of the ATD. 

She also serves on the mentoring 

platform of The Chartered Institute of 

Bankers of Nigeria. 

Her interests are centred on 

philanthropy and financial 

empowerment. She serves on the board 

of Haven for the Nigerian Child; a notfor-profit 

organization focused on 

improving the lives of children who live 

on the streets of Lagos. 

What would you describe as the 

greatest source of inspiration that has 

brought you this far in your career? 

The calibre of organisations that I 

have had the privilege of working for 

over the years have spurred my 

inspiration and motivation for personal 

growth and achievement. Their 

consistent and tenacious desire for 

excellence and impactful customer 

service has led to my own commitment 

to deliver excellence to each customer 

without excuses at all times. 

What are the factors that have 

contributed to the steady growth of 

Letshego MFB in Nigeria? 

Letshego is committed to increasing 

access to simple, appropriate and 

affordable financial solutions to mass 

and middle income segments, or what 

we call Micro and Small Entrepreneurs 

(MSEs). Our purpose is to improve the 

lives of individuals, by providing access 

to sustainable capital. No matter how 

seemingly small the value may be, 

funds that are used and spent correctly, 

can increase access to more funds, and 

improve one’s future income earning 

potential. The key enabler in Letshego’s 

steady incursion into the Nigerian 

financial space is the support of 

Letshego’s 21-year strong financial 

services brand, and presence in 11 sub- 

Saharan Africa markets. Letshego 

Nigeria has the advantage of 

leveraging our group’s regional 

experience, ongoing investment into 

digital systems and technology as well 

as focused product research and 

development. 

As a Pan-African company which has 

positioned itself as a vehicle for 

growing MSMEs, tell us about your 

products which are targeted at MSMEs 

in Nigeria and the impact they’ve had 

on SME development in Nigeria? 

Letshego Nigeria focuses its support 

around sustainable growth sectors of 

the economy, to enable us to contribute 

and support economic development for 

the long term. These segments include 

education, affordable housing, 

agriculture, health care as well as 

working capital for small businesses, 

that is, ‘Micro and Small 

Entrepreneurs’ (MSEs) 

Train a girl, train a nation goes the 

saying. How has Letshego MFB 

contributed to women empowerment 

in Nigeria? 

For the International Women’s Day 

celebrations, I reiterated the fact that a 

financially independent woman means 

a financially independent home. At 

Letshego, we are particularly supportive 

of women entrepreneurs as this is in line 

with our impact solutions and 

improving lives focus. As it stands, 40 

percent of our loan book is from 

women. 

What are your goals for Letshego 

Nigeria in the next five years? 

Last year (2020), Letshego launched 

its ‘Transformation Strategy’ which is a 

5-year strategy that will expand our 

reach, diversify and launch new 

products, develop our people, digitise 

our systems, access channels and 

platforms, and generate sustainable 

long term returns for all our 

stakeholders. This year we have 

already launched our milestone mobile 

platform called, ‘LetsGo’ – Nigerians 

will soon be able to access the benefits 

of LetsGo, without ever having to visit a 

branch. This is the first of many digital 

innovations our brand have in the 

pipeline.


PAGE A4 SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021 

T 

SPECIAL SECTION ON AMAZONS OF DISTINCTION IN NIGERIA – Part 1 

he long held belief that women deserve 

no formal education except the 

necessary training that makes them 

•Engr. Dr. Funmilayo 

Waheed-Adekojo 

In an era filled with lost opportunities and 

stifled dreams, she belongs to the future of 

Nigeria, the generation next that tells of 

the great promise and huge potential of this 

giant on the African continent. Young, 

articulate, brilliant, and resourceful, this face 

of Nigerian pride and future is already making 

her mark the male-dominated field of 

engineering. 

A relentless go-getter with a knack for 

excellence, Engr. Dr. Mrs. Funmilayo Waheed- 

Adekojo is the founder and chief executive 

officer of Funmi Ayinke Nigeria Limited; an 

engineering firm with specialities in project 

management, engineering and procurement, 

construction services, fleet management, 

consultancy, oil and gas support services as 

well as human resource outsourcing. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in 

Mechanical Engineering from Ladoke 

Akintola University of Technology 

(LAUTECH), Ogbomosho and a Master of 

Business Administration (Executive), from 

Babcock University, Ogun State. 

Though she wanted to be a medical doctor 

with the hope of surpassing the records of her 

father who was a doctor, but fate had another 

plan for her. “I was in my fourth year as a 

medical student when I lost my father. It really 

efficient and loyal housewives created a 

primitive perception of females in our 

society as second class citizens. 

•Hajia Bola Muse 

•Dr. Obioma Jayne onwumere 

A Thoroughbred Professional And 

Philanthropist t Par Excellence 

ENGR. DR. MRS. FUNMILAYO WAHEED-ADEKOJO 

CEO, FUNMI AYINKE NIGERIA LIMITED 

affected me because we were very close and I 

actually wanted to become a doctor for him 

so that he can see me surpass his records, but 

with his death, I lost interest in the medical 

profession. So I made a switch to mechanical 

engineering and the consequence was losing 

two academic years but to the glory of God, I 

graduated with a Second Class Hons (Upper 

Division)”, she recounted. 

With a strong will and dogged determination 

to succeed, Funmilayo brought her 

intelligence and professional skills to bear 

during her brief spell in the public sector, 

notably at the Federal University of 

Agriculture, Abeokuta where she was 

appointed as the head of mechanical 

engineering at the Works and Services Unit of 

the institution and also as a member of the 

university’s Tender Evaluation Committee. 

Notwithstanding the accolades she earned 

during this period, she knew she could offer 

more services to humanity by fully exploring 

her potentials towards the actualization of her 

dream in leading an engineering firm that 

would attain global recognition. This dream 

birthed Funmi Ayinke Nigeria Limited which 

today prides itself among the best engineering 

firms in Nigeria. 

“We are not just an engineering firm, we have 

However, with this practice long discarded, 

Nigerian women have been able to lend 

valuable expertise and ingenuity to the 

some of the best engineers 

in the country among our 

employees and we value 

our integrity. No matter 

how sweet a contract is, if 

it will make us 

•Mrs. Tolulope Opayinka 

compromise on 

professional standards, 

we won’t take it. We are 

also disciplined in our 

daily approach to work 

and as the CEO, I allow 

my staffers to explore their 

potentials by carrying 

them along and allowing 

them to bring ideas to the 

table, such that if I am not 

available, any of our 

employees can represent 

me at a meeting. The reason behind this is not 

far-fetched from that fact that I want the 

company to outlive me. Today, we hear of Shell 

and Chevron, but the truth is that someone 

started those companies. That is my ultimate 

goal for Funmi Ayinke Nigeria Limited”, she 

said. 

She is a fellow of a number of reputable 

professional bodies which includes the 

Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nigerian 

Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Institute 

of Management Specialists and the Institute 

of Management Consultants, Nigeria. She is 

also a certified mechanical engineer with the 

growth of businesses as well as political 

development. This paradigm shift has 

produced astute female entrepreneurs, 

administrators, politicians, judges, engineers 

and doctors among other rare professions 

thought to be exclusive terrain of men. 

Without mincing words, the Nigerian 

woman possess the intellectual ability, 

physical fitness and competence to thrive and 

achieve uncommon feats even in a maledominated 

society like ours. 

Indeed, within the fabric of the nation are 

women whose resourcefulness and abilities 

are capable of salvaging the country from its 

present woes given the fact that over time, 

these women have shown their worth and 

distinguished themselves as brilliant and 

result-driven amazons. Meet some of them 

in this report. 

Council for the 

Regulation of 

Engineering in Nigeria 

(COREN); Global 

Member, Project 

Management Institute 

(PMI), USA as well as a 

certified procurement 

expert by the Bureau of 

Public Procurement. 

To drive home her love 

for the suffering masses of 

this great country, she 

established FunmiAyinke 

Humanity Foundation; 

an organisation she has 

vigorously used to touch 

many lives through job 

creation, empowerment 

programmes for widows, 

single parents, 

abandoned children and 

children under the care of 

single parents. Till date, 

the foundation has 

empowered over 10,000 

women and sponsored more than 500 

undergraduates among other gestures. 

In the year 2020, she was honoured with the 

award of Honorary Doctor of Science, Honoris 

Causa (D. Sc. Hons) in Public and 

Organizational Leadership by the European- 

American University, Republic of Panama. 

She also holds an Honorary Doctor of 

Philosophy (Honoris Causa) Degree in Public 

Administration from the Universite 

Protestante De L2 Afrique De L2 Ouest, Port 

Novo, Republic of Benin. 

Aside philanthropy and engineering, she is 

also an award winning singer and song-writer. 

Gender Has Nothing 

To Do With Greatness 

Hajia Bola Muse 

Founder/CEO, Bomarah Group 

he is an exceptional team leader with 

Sexcellent problem-solving skills and a 

firm believer in the concept of goal setting 

and actualization of set goals. Hajia 

Bolanle Muse, the founder and chief 

executive officer of Bomarah Group of 

Companies is one of the Nigerian women 

who have broken the glass ceiling in maledominated 

professions. 

A professional freight forwarder with over 

20 years of experience, Hajia Muse is also 

the National Financial Secretary of the 

Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs 

Agents (ANLCA), making her the first 

female to hold an office at the national level 

of the association. 

She attended Baron 

School of Management, 

Kano where she obtained 

an HND in Secretarial 

Administration. 

Thereafter, she 

proceeded to Bayero 

University, Kano 

where she bagged a 

Post Graduate 

Diploma in Public 

Administration and the 

University of Calabar 

where she obtained an 

MSc in Business 

Management. 

Courageous and 

dedicated in her pursuit of 

excellence, she is not the 

type that would 

chicken-out in the 

face of challenges, 

rather, she sees 

every challenge as 

an opportunity to 

learn and achieve 

new feats. This 

attribute has greatly contributed to the 

growth of the company which started small 

as Bomarah Investment with interest in 

cargo handling, air and sea freight services 

as well as clearing and forwarding in 1995, 

but has today expanded with the 

establishment of other subsidiaries which 

includes, Bomarah Travels and Tours, 

Bomarah Farms, Bomarah Truck Park and 

Bomarah Foundation; a not-for-profit 

organization through which she has been 

helping the less privileged in the society. 

On what informed her interest in the 

freight forwarding profession, she said, “I 

worked at a freight forwarding firm after 

my OND where I developed an interest in 

the profession given the zeal that the job 

demands. As a woman, I love to task myself 

and growing up I wanted something 

different from the stereotypes, because I see 

myself as a lion, so I am not afraid of 

challenges. To the glory of Almighty Allah, 

this year makes it our 26th year in the 

maritime business. It shows that we are 

professionals in the industry and we are 

doing it right.” 

On how she has been able to influence 

more women to play in the industry, Hajia 

Muse who is the President of Women in 

Maritime Africa commended other women 

in the profession who have made it easy for 

more women to play in the industry. “I 

thank Almighty Allah for the leadership role 

I am occupying in the industry and I 

appreciate every women in the industry for 

their support in creating a path for other 

women to come into the business. The 

business in no doubt tasking, but I often tell 

them that the fact that we are women 

doesn’t mean that we cannot achieve same 

or more feats then the men. If I can be 

successful in the business, then every other 

woman who is dedicated and hardworking 

can also be successful”, she said. 

She further argued that the campaign 

against gender inequality in Nigeria is 

yielding great results and it is only a matter 

of time for more women to be at the 

corridors of power. “I can say that the 

narratives are changing even in those 

cultures where it was believed that sending a 

girl-child to school is a waste of resources, 

because women are now speaking up for 

themselves and we have quite a number of 

bodies both private and public who are 

raising the awareness for girl-child 

education. With women like Dr. Ngozi 

Okonjo-Iweala who recently became the 

first female and first African to head the 

World Trade Organization, as well as 

several other women at the national 

assembly, CEOs of government ministries 

and agencies as well as an increase in the 

number of successful female CEOs and 

entrepreneurs, it is very clear that gender 

has nothing to do with greatness, it is a 

matter of intelligence which God has given 

to both male and female”, she stressed. 

A member of the Chartered Institute of 

Transport and Logistics, she commended the 

managing director of the Nigerian Ports 

Authority, Hajia Hadiza Bala Usman for the 

thorough job she’s doing at the NPA. 

According to her, “the introduction of the 

Electronic Truck call-up system (eto) by her 

team is working for all, because prior to its 

introduction, you can spend several hours or 

days trying to access the port which was 

quite frustrating and amounted to loss of 

revenue, but with the e-call up system, it has 

brought about some sanity in this regard.” 

A devout Muslim and selfless 

philanthropist, through the Bomarah 

Foundation she has been able to empower 

quite a number women through skills 

acquisition, while also picking up the 

academic bills for a number of children 

from less privileged homes. 

Having received a license to operate a 

truck park, the maritime amazon disclosed 

that the company is hoping to celebrate her 

30th anniversary with its own terminal as 

part of its goals. “We are taking it one step 

at a time and our next goal is to have a 

terminal, which we hope to achieve by the 

time we celebrate our 30 years 

anniversary”, she said.


PAGE A2 SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021,

SPECIAL SECTION ON RESULT-DRIVEN CHAIRMEN 

OF STATES INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE 

The Internal Revenue Service as the 

name implies was established in 

each state of the federation with the 

mandate to manage the Internally 

Generated Revenue (IGR) of the states and 

also provide easy administration, 

As a crucial agency in any state of the 

federation, the Internal Revenue Service 

(IRS) is one that every government 

depends upon in growing its revenue for 

proper planning and budgeting. As such, state 

governors ensure that they appoint the best 

hands to lead the agency, because it is one 

agency of government that requires the 

prowess of thoroughbred professionals in the 

fields of accounting, taxation and auditing 

who wouldn’t compromise on their ethical 

codes. 

One of such technocrats is Dr. Zaid 

Abubakar, the Executive Chairman of the 

Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service 

(KADIRS). Young, innovation and resourceful, 

he has proven within two years of his 

appointment that Nigerian youths have the 

capacity to bring about growth in nation 

building when given the opportunity. 

Prior to the El-Rufai led administration in 

Kaduna State, the Internally Generated 

Revenue (IGR) of the state was below N10 

billion annually, but with the right policies 

and restructuring of KADIRS, the IGR of the 

state grew to N29.4 billion in 2018. With 

Abubakar’s assumption of the leadership role 

in 2019, the agency generated an 

unprecedented IGR of N44.2 billion, 

surpassing the N41.7 billion target for that 

year. Despite the lockdown in the country as 

occasioned by the corona virus pandemic in 

2020, the agency also surpassed its target of 

N43 billion by generating N50 billion into 

the coffers of the state. 

monitoring and coordination of all revenue 

activities in the respective states. 

Unarguably, the IGR generated varies 

from one state to another, depending on a 

number of factors such as the number of 

corporate bodies available and the number 

Our Goal Is To Ensure That Kaduna 

State Is Self-Sufficient Through IGR 

DR. ZAID ABUBAKAR, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, 

KADUNA STATE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE 

Dr. David Nzekwu is the Executive 

Chairman of the Anambra State 

Internal Revenue Service (AIRS). He 

holds a B.Sc. degree in Marketing of the 

University of Nigeria, Master of Business 

Administration (MBA) of the University of 

South Wales, Wales, United Kingdom and 

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Marketing 

of the University of Nigeria. He also holds 

various professional certificates including 

the Senior Management Programme 

(SMP) Certificate of the prestigious Lagos 

Business School and Certificate in 

Mortgage Advice and Practice (CeMAP) of 

the School of Finance, Institute of Financial 

Services, United Kingdom. He is a member 

of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of 

Nigeria (CITN) and Member of Chartered 

Management Institute, (MCMI) London, 

United Kingdom. 

With over 20 years of experience in 

banking and tax practice both at local and 

international levels, he has been able to 

bring his professional skills to bear in 

Speaking with this genius steering the wheels 

of KADIRS on how these feats have been 

achieved, he explained that reforms in tax 

administration, training of personnel based 

on modern skill sets and proper 

implementation of the Kaduna State tax laws 

have contributed greatly to the success of his 

team. 

“Our achievement has been a combination 

of professionalism, strong political will, 

consultation with tax experts, an 

implementation of a thoroughly designed 

plan; structural reforms and widening of the 

tax net to increase the number of tax payers. 

We have also been able to ensure total 

compliance by taxpayers which has helped 

in the recovery of outstanding taxes. As the 

sole collector of revenue for the state, 

we have been able to harmonize 

collections on behalf of all revenue 

generating agencies in the state. In 

addition, we have continuously upgraded the 

skills of our staffers through quarterly 

trainings, so as to ensure that they are up-todate 

with the requirements of the industry”, 

he said. 

In January 2020, KADIRS under the 

leadership of Abubakar introduced an 

automated platform which enable taxpayers 

to verify and retrieve their unique Tax 

Identification Number (TIN), file tax returns 

and compute tax liabilities, while those that 

are self-employed can compute, file and 

process their Direct Assessment. 

In addition to these benefits, taxpayers can 

turning around the fortunes of the AIRS as 

evident in the growth of the state’s IGR. Prior 

to his present office, he worked with UBA 

Plc, Eco Bank (Nigeria) Plc, Citizens 

International Bank (Nigeria) 

Limited, Barclays Bank Plc, UK 

and Fidelity Bank Plc where he 

held senior positions, including - 

Group Head, Retail Product Sales 

and Propositions (Country wide), 

Group Head, Loyalty Propositions 

(Country wide) and Regional 

Manager, Enugu/Ebonyi, South 

East. He also had a spell at 

Barclays Bank, UK where he 

served as a Mortgage Specialist. 

His love for the academic as seen 

him taking up a part-time 

appointment as a senior lecturer at the 

University of Nigeria Business School where 

he teaches Corporate Governance. 

Innovative strategies in 

repositioning AIRS 

Initially, we tried to obtain data from 

business owners for the purpose of tax 

administration, but we discovered that it 

was quite challenging because people had 

to visit our offices to obtain their Tax 

Identification Number (TIN). To alleviate 

the people of this stress, we introduced the 

Anambra State Social Service 

Identification Number (ANSSID) and we 

made it easy for anyone to register from the 

comfort of their homes using facial 

biometrics in collecting data. It has helped 

us to increase revenue and expand the tax 

bracket. Since its rollout, the database of 

taxpayers has grown from 2,148 in 2018 to 

300,000 as at January 2020 with a target of 

500,000 in two years and three million in 

of taxable population in these states. More 

importantly, the level of competence of the 

helmsman determines the amount a state 

generates into its purse internally. 

Due to the administrative ingenuity of 

some of these chairmen, the IGR in their 

upload Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) schedules, 

purchase number plates for vehicles and 

register or renew vehicle particulars. The 

platform can also be used for the filling of tax 

returns, self-assessment by taxpayers and 

issuance of electronic tax certificate that can 

be verified online by third parties. 

Commenting on how the state has fared in 

revenue generation amongst other states of 

the federation, the amiable chairman of 

KADIRS explained that the agency is leaving 

no stone unturned in its quest to ensure that 

the IGR of the state continues to increase. He 

four years – covering individuals both at 

home and in diaspora. 

Blocking leakages in revenue 

generation 

We have deployed the use of ICT in all 

our processes which includes the ANSSID 

project. The implication of this is an 

automation of the entire process of revenue 

administration in the state. In essence, from 

the point of enrolment to the final stage 

which is the issuance of tax certificate, it is 

fully digitized. We no longer issue tax 

certificate or receipts manually and by 

deploying technology, we have recorded 

significant improvement in terms of 

compliance. For instance, in 2020 we were 

able to dampen the effect of covid-19 on 

our IGR because as at 2019, our IGR stood 

at N26 billion, but in 2020, we closed at 

N28 billion. 

Tackling multiple taxation in 

Anambra State 

To a large extent, we have been able to 

tackle the issue of multiple taxation to the 

barest minimum because prior to the 

present administration in Anambra State, 

there were different bodies who go about 

collecting various levies from traders and 

other business owners. This actually started 

some years ago when traders in the state 

voluntarily contributed N3,000 each to 

support the state government in her projects 

and as time passed, the associations began 

to set structures that made them to be in 

charge of collecting these monies for the 

government which brought about the 

proliferation of associations that are 

interested in revenue collection. 

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021, PAGE A1 

respective states have continued to increase 

significantly over the years, thereby 

enabling the state government to address 

critical needs and also reduce borrowing. 

Meet some of these astute professionals in 

the first part of this special report. 

said, “it is not up to me to rate our 

achievements in comparison with other states 

of the federation, but I believe the monitoring 

agencies and the statistics board are doing 

that on a quarterly basis by ranking states 

based on their performance. It is not an easy 

task because we are not where we want to be, 

but we are putting all the machinery in place 

to ensure that we capture the expected revenue 

we should collect.” 

He added, “I honestly don’t think we are at 

70 percent of where we want to be. Probably 

we are between 50 to 55 percent, but we 

are pushing to see that we really 

achieve the goals that we have set 

for ourselves.” 

It is no gainsaying that under the 

leadership of Abubakar, KADIRS 

has become a more efficient public 

institution with a private sector 

orientation. Given all that the 

agency has been able to achieve 

within two years of his 

chairmanship, the state’s IGR has 

been projected at N51 billion for 

the current fiscal year, but 

Abubakar and his team are aiming 

higher. Specifically, KADIRS is 

targeting N60 billion as IGR by 

the end of 2021. 

According to him, “asides the 

allocation from the federal 

government, the first agency the 

government calls upon is the IRS, but we are 

trying to overturn that by ensuring that what 

we generate internally is what the state relies 

upon. Currently, we are among the ten states 

that least depend on federal allocation and 

this means that what we rely on is about 59.9 

percent from the federal government, while 

the rest comes from IGR.” 

“Our present goal is to generate up to 70 

percent of what the state requires, while our 

long term projection is that by 2030, Kaduna 

State will be self-sufficient through its IGR 

and we are working assiduously to make it 

happen”, he said. 

We Have Fully Digitized Revenue 

enue 

Administration In Anambra State 

Dr. David Nzekwu, Executive Chairman, Anambra State Internal Revenue Service 

However, we have been able to set up a 

hybrid system which is automated with the 

use of authorized agents who belong to the 

various trade unions. 

Contribution of IGR to 

planning and budgeting 

What we have generated in recent times 

in comparison with what was generated in 

2013 has been in three folds. Based on the 

budget of the state, the target we have 

always had is to ensure that at the very 

minimum, the IGR covers recurrent 

expenditure of the state and we are 

gradually heading in that direction. The 

target in 2020 was N27 billion but we 

eventually made N28 billion, this shows 

how the IGR has supported the state 

government in carrying out its functions. 

Projections 

For us in Anambra State, we believe that 

we should be self-reliant in terms of IGR 

that is required to run the state, so at AIRS, 

our projection is to have a situation where 

at the minimum, we generate an average 

tax of N50,000 per trader annually. As it is, 

we have an estimated 1.2 million traders in 

Anambra State, so if they remit N50,000 

annually, this means that we are looking at 

N60 billion annually which translates to 

N4,167 per month. 

Moreover, we haven’t done much in terms 

of property tax, so if we do more in that 

direction, we can be sure of generating 

enough revenue to take care of the state’s 

budget. It is a long call and we know it is 

difficult, but we believe that it is achievable 

and all we need to do is to continue in the 

current trajectory through further 

deployment of ICT and skilled manpower.

with Adesuwa 07052403531 | adesuwaewoigbokhan@hotmail.com 

SEX ETIQUETTE @ EASTER 

H 

ave you ever thought of sex 

etiquette? Am sure the answer 

is a capital NO. If you must 

know, there are do’s and don’ts 

of what you can and cannot do 

before, during and after sex in order to prevent 

uncomfortable and weird situations or to avoid 

a faux pas in the bedroom. 

The very first rule of sexual etiquette is to be 

clean - This doesn’t mean you have to run to the 

bathroom minutes before the act. This is about 

taking care of personal hygiene regularly because 

no greater turn-off than unpleasant odour and the 

unsightly appearance such as wearing the same 

under wears twice. Change the habit. 

Don’t be caught unshaven or unwashed on a 

date because, tendency to blow off your chances of 

having sex is high. 

*The second rule is to always start with 

foreplay - skipping this action will make you look 

like you only want to get it over with as soon as 

possible. Try not to rush to penetration after few 

kisses, understand her pace, wants and act 

accordingly. Foreplay does not mean kissing, 

followed by blow job and then sex. Pleasure her 

and don’t force a BJ, some ladies don’t like going down. 

So never dunk her head towards your manhood, it can 

be a major put-off and not gentlemanly. It is okay to ask 

but never impose it on her. 

Thirdly, practice safe sex and it really does not 

matter whether you are a lady or a gentleman- be sure 

to always have condoms with you and no sweet talks. 

This simply shows that you care about your sex life, and 

want to avoid sexually transmitted infections 

and unwanted pregnancy. 

Fourthly, experiment with permission 

-- you might love to engage in certain sex 

positions; but do not switch to them without 

running it by your spouse. It’s compulsory you 

ask her if she is interested in exploring 

something new and different. 

Some couples at times love to engage in 

rough sex, it will be nice to have a chat with 

your mate before performing a play in which 

you’re the lead actor. It is an undesirable thing 

to do when you roughly push your partner into 

your favourite erogenous zone. This can be a 

huge turn-off. Share your fantasy and it’s up to 

your spouse to accept it or not. The bottom line 

here is in an open conversation which is the 

only way to create enjoyable and pleasurable 

moment. 

Normal thing to do after intercourse is to 

cuddle, clean up and just relax. No need to 

hurry or rush off with putting your clothes back 

on. There’s a certain kind of charm in staying in 

bed after sex. Although most people shy to 

cuddle, relax and take it easy as moments 

after sex are great for bonding with a loved 

one. 

Very importantly, everything that happens 

stays between you and your partner. When 

everything is relaxed, pleasant and beautiful, at 

that moment, one must not forget 

the unwritten sex etiquette rules that 

couples have to abide by. That is, if 

they don’t want to scare a partner 

and destroy their chance for a little 

casual fun. 

Respect boundaries - If your 

lover ever says ‘no’ that means drop 

it. But most guys will start begging 

and often time, go ahead to do what 

their partners told them not to do. 

This can be the biggest turn off for 

women. 

Avoid a faux pas in the bedroom 

and the sex will be much better for it. 

purple 

PINK: Is associated with love and kindness. It also boosts creativity. 

GREY: Brings comfort and warmth. Completely versatile. Timeless and 

classic in lighter shades. 

YELLOW: It captures the joy of sunshine and it communicates 

happiness. 

BRIGHT WHITE: Brings calming effects. Makes the room feel more 

open and spacious. 

Beautiful Colour Scheme 

Ideas For Your Bedroom 

I will be the first to admit that waking up early and leaving a cozy 

bed isn’t always fun, but creating a bedroom that’s energizing and 

mood-boosting can make it a whole lot easier. Since colours and 

light affect our mood, there’s a strong case for a colourful bedroom. 

Whether you introduce these pops of colour with paint, bedding, or 

artwork, you’ll find something to emulate in the examples below: 

GREEN: Shade of green is fitting for the environment; it has a calming 

effect and relieves stress. 

BLUE: A soothing soft blue feels like a breath of fresh air when you walk 

into a room. It lowers blood pressure. 

PURPLE: Rich sophistication for darker purples. Relaxation for lighter 

6 

/ April 4, 2021 

BLACK, as an edge: Best used in small doses as an accent. Grounds 

your colour scheme and gives depth. 

The above colours should be soft and calmer shades. 

COLOURS TO 

AVOID IN YOUR 

BEDROOM: 

*Orange is a bright 

colour of energy that 

directly contradicts the 

relaxing mood of your 

bedroom. 

*Pastel blue can 

become unpleasantly 

chilly on the walls, 

especially in a room that 

receives little natural 

light. 

*Red in brighter 

shades can be a bit too 

severe.

Delicious 

Easter Recipes 

To Try 

By - Rita Okoye 

Last year, due to the 

lockdown, we missed 

the luxury of celebrating 

Easter. So, make this Easter 

celebration special with 

different delicious recipes 

and ideas. 

Here are some ideas for your 

Sunday lunch. 

Jollof Rice 

Ingredients 

• 7 medium sized red tomatoes, roughly 

chopped 

• 1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped 

• 2 medium sized onions, roughly chopped, 

set aside 

• 1 medium sized ginger 

• 4 garlic bulb 

• 4 scotch bonnet peppers 

• Garlic 

and Onion 

Barbecue 

Chicken 

Salad 

Another recipe you 

should try this Easter 

holiday is Barbecue 

Chicken Salad 

BBQ chicken on it’s own is a festive 

recipe that tastes extremely good, 

while chicken salad is an easy and 

delicious meal. It’s also a no-fuss 

way of being healthy. Better still, 

chicken salad is good and can be 

served any time of the day. For 

lunch or dinner, serve with jollof 

rice. 

Here is how you can make BBQ 

Chicken Salad that will hit the right 

spots. 

Ingredients 

• Barbecued chicken 

breast, coarsely chopped 

• 2 stalks celery, chopped 

• 2 red bell peppers, 

seeded and chopped 

• 2 green bell peppers, 

seeded and chopped 

• 1/4 cup chopped onion 

• 2 green apples, cored and 

chopped 

• 1/3 head lettuce, chopped 

• 5 tablespoons 

mayonnaise 

Lettuce 

Chopped Onions 

Lemon 

• 2 tablespoons Tomatoes Ketchup 

• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon 

juice 

Instructions 

• Chop the already barbecued chicken 

into small pieces 

• Combine the chicken, vegetables, 

and chopped apple in a large bowl. 

Set aside. 

• Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon 

juice, and ketchup in 

a separate bowl. 

• Add salt and 

pepper to taste 

(Optional) and then 

drizzle the dressing 

over the salad. 

• Toss the salad 

and dress together. 

Ketchup • Serve at room 

temperature or 

refrigerate for 3-5 

hours before serving. 

Pepper 

• Green Peas 

• Tomatoe 

Paste 

• 1/4 cup of groundnut oil 

• 3 tbsp tomato paste 

• 2 cups of parboiled rice 

• Chicken stock 

• 1 tsp salt to taste 

• 1/2 tsp curry powder 

• 1/2 tsp thyme 

• 1 tsp All purpose seasoning 

• 1 Chicken seasoning cube 

• Handful of Green peas (optional) 

• Groundnut Oil 

• Salt 

Instructions 

• Smoothly blend your tomatoes, red pepper, scotch 

bonnet peppers, garlic, ginger and onions. 

• In a medium sized pot, heat your oil on mediumhigh 

heat. 

• Add the onions you set aside and fry just until they 

turn golden brown. 

• Add the tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. 

Then add the blended tomato mixture, fry the 

mixture with the onions and tomato paste for 

about 20 minutes. Make sure you stir consistently 

so that the tomato mixture does not burn. 

• After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to medium, 

and add the chicken stock. 

• Mix and add your seasonings (salt, curry powder, 

thyme, all purpose seasoning, and the chicken 

stock cube). Add water enough to cook the rice 

continue to boil for another 10 minutes. 

• Add the parboiled rice to the pot. Mix it very well 

with the tomato stew. 

• Cover the pot, and cook on medium to low heat 

for 15-30 minutes. 

• When the liquid has completely dried up, sprinkle 

some chopped onions and green peas. Turn off 

the heat, mix thoroughly, and your Jollof Rice is 

ready to be served with Chicken. 

April 4, 2021 / 7

Stories by - Josephine Agbonkhese 

Lil Nas X 

Adesua showers praises, 

prayers as Banky turns 

40 

Nollywood star, Adesua Etomi- 

Wellington, penned down a beautiful 

note in celebration of her husband 

Bankole Wellington aka Banky W, as he 

joined the 40s club last week. 

Adesua, who took to her Instagram page 

to shower her husband with praises and 

prayers, thanked him for being there for 

her and their son, Zaiah, and confessed 

she is anxious to see Banky’s new 

behaviour going forward. 

She wrote: “My purpose partner. My life 

partner. 

A partner in every sense of the word. 

I thought I loved you before but my 

goodness; this past year has revealed 

so much more about the human 

being that you are and my heart 

muscles stretched even further.” 

The new mum recalled, among 

other things, how he helped 

to massage her back and feet 

throughout her pregnancy, and 

also confessed she looks forward 

to his “40+ behaviour.” 

Satan Shoes sells out in less 

than a minute 

All 666 pairs of a controversial sneaker designed 

by US rapper, Lil Nas X, in collaboration with art 

collective, MSCHF, using Nike Air Max 97 custom 

design, sold out last Monday in less than a minute. 

Dubbed ‘Satan Shoes’, the black shoes feature a 

bronze pentagram, and have “Luke 10:18” and “666” 

along the sides, while each shoe’s air bubble sole 

contains “one drop” of human blood and 60 cubic 

centimetres of red ink. 

They were priced at $1,018 a pair, a reference 

to the Bible passage Luke 10:18 that reads: “I saw 

Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” 

The controversial sneakers were released as 

part of the rollout of Lil Nas X long-awaited single, 

“Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” which has a 

music video that features him sliding down a stripper 

pole to hell to seduce and then kill the devil. 

The Satan Shoes, which bear on them Nike’s 

trademark, were however said to be produced 

without Nike’s approval or authorisation. Nike has 

since filed a lawsuit for trademark infringement 

Fans throll Regina 

Daniels over 

$10,000 waist bead, 

chocolate 

Cyber users are yet to recover 

from the viral video in which 

Nollywood actress, Regina 

Daniels, displayed ordered 

products worth over $10,000 

delivered personally to her by sex 

and relationship expert, Jaruma. 

In the video, both Regina and 

Jaruma were seen brandishing 

three waist beads ( kayanmata), 

each costing N500,000, and a box 

of love chocolate. 

The young mother of one who 

appeared very excited in the video, 

has continued to attract huge 

criticisms from social media users. 

“Regina, I love you. But this Jaruma you are 

associating with is not good for your brand. 

That girl has a bad reputation,” said another, @ 

sytle_and_trends. 

“500k waist bead...all my school fees from 

birth till I graduate naim you wan put for waist,” 

said one of the critics, @obrusmados.xx2. 

“Imagine...Regina receive sense biko. 500k 

for a waist bead...una duplex for hell dey well 

furnished,” said another, @amuche.rita.12. 

BBNaija’s Nengi is Nollywood’s 

newest star 

We thought we already had enough of former Big 

Brother Naija housemate, Nengi Rebecca Hampson, 

when the curtain fell on BBN Season 5. But no, Nengi 

won’t settle for less. 

The fair-skinned Bayelsa-born keeps breaking new 

grounds and proving that she is not just beautiful, but 

also, bears inside her loads of untapped potentials. 

Nengi has since BBN proved her mettle as a video 

vixen, brand ambassador, model and now, an actress. 

Her fans ‘Ninjas’, were allover cyberspace celebrating 

the Queen of Ninja’s newest win with the hashtag 

#Nengitheactress after she shared scenes from a movie 

she is currently featuring in. 

From scenes shared, Nengi apparently will be 

acting as IK Ogbonna’s girlfriend in the new movie by 

Annie Idibia as she tagged IK Ogbonna “Troublesome 

Boyfriend.

MULTIPLE OIL SPILLS IN N-DELTA 

Anger over death, sack 

of 20, 000 fishermen 

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME 

IN the last one month, it has been cases 

of oil spill across several Ijaw 

communities in Delta State with over 

20, 000 fishermen allegedly displaced. 

Tsekelewu (Polobubo) communities in 

Warri North Local Government Area were 

the first to cry out over the massive spill on 

their waters. 

Barely two weeks later, communities in 

Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West 

Local Government Area did same. 

President of Polobubo bloc of Polobubo 

communities, Mr. Paul Toruwei, told 

Sunday Vanguard that the oil spill, which 

they noticed on their waters about three 

weeks ago, allegedly resulted in the death 

of a nonagenarian, adding that at a time 

residents could not cook for fear that it 

could trigger off wild fire in the area. 

He said there had been wailing in the 

communities since the sad incident. 

According to him, the spill was from a 

ruptured major pipeline transporting crude 

from Opuama flow station in OML 40 

operated by the Nigerian Petroleum 

Development Company, NPDC/Elcrest E & 

P JV. 

The communities enjoined the state and 

federal governments to prevail on the oil 

giants to commence remediation activities 

Toruwei said residents were still afraid to 

cook in the community for fear that it could 

spark off a major fire outbreak from the 

spill deposit. 

SOS 

“The Minister of State, Petroleum, Chief 

Timipre Sylva, Governor of Delta State, 

Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, and the GMD of 

NNPC, Mr. Kyari, should come to the aid 

of the Polobubo/Opuama communities”, he 

said. 

“They should also prevail on the 

management of NPDC/Elcrest E&P JV 

to swing into action and take remedial 

actions by containing further spread of the 

spill, provide medical care, food, water and 

other necessities to save the lives of residents 

who have been denied their source of 

livelihood. 

“As you can see, residents are in sorrow 

and anguish; so many persons are already 

hospitalized while Pa Anthony Ebiogbo of 

Opuama community lost his life due to gas 

inhalation in the early hours of yesterday 

from the spill. 

“As I speak, economic activities have been 

grounded: as a matter of fact, residents 

couldn’t cook their food due to fear of fire 

outbreak as a result of gas exudates from 

the said pipeline that 

enveloped the whole 

vicinity”. 

The community leader 

appealed for urgent trucking 

of drinking water to the area, 

pleading that the National 

Oil Spill Detection and 

Response Agency, NOSDRA, 

Department of Petroleum 

Resources, DPR, and 

Ministry of Environment 

should also come to the aid 

the people. 

A week after the 

community cried out for 

relief materials and 

intervention from the 

Federal Government, 

Toruwei said there had been 

no response. 

According to him, the people had 

continued to live in misery, pain and 

anguish as fishermen could not go for their 

trade. 

The community leader said that their 

women who also trade in fishes had nothing 

to sell. 

He said several residents of the area had 

been sick from inhaling destructive air from 

the spill. 

Respiratory ailments 

Gbaramatu Traditional Council of 

Locals have had 

to abandon their 

fishing 

expeditions even 

as they develop 

respiratory 

problems due to 

the smell of 

fumes of the 

spill 


Chiefs, in similar vein, decried the oil spill 

on their waters, this time allegedly from 

facilities of Chevron Nigeria Limited, a 

major oil giant in the region but the 

company denied it. 

Spokesman for Gbaramatu Kingdom, 

Chief Godspower Gbenekama Fiyewei, said 

residents were battling respiratory ailments 

arising from the spill. 

He said the incident occurred about three 

weeks ago and had continued to massively 

pollute the environment. He further called 

for a joint investigation that would unravel 

details of the spill. 

His words: “We wish to 

observe and state as 

follows: 

our 

investigations show an oil 

spill which has 

meandered through and 

beyond the creeks and 

rivulets of Gbaramatu 

Kingdom owing largely to 

lack of immediate steps to 

curtail the spread. 

“Locals have had to 

abandon their fishing 

expeditions even as they 

develop respiratory 

problems due to the smell 

of fumes of the spill. 

“The oil spill, which 

occurred about six weeks 

ago, was promptly 

reported to Chevron 

Nigeria Limited believed to own the assets 

that produced the spill. The company, 

Chevron, has been in denial till now. 

“On Saturday, March 27, 2021, the 

company, through its General Manager, 

Policy, Government and Public Affairs, 

Esimaje Brikinn, denied that the oil sheen 

on the waters was from its assets. 

“We call for an immediate joint 

investigation team involving all 

stakeholders including the Nigerian 

National Petroleum Company, NNPC, 

Chevron, Delta State Government, 

NOSDRA and relevant agencies to 

ascertain the cause of the spill and 

determine the owner-company of asset. 

“We think that a unilateral aerial 

investigation reportedly conducted by 

Chevron is not reassuring as we know that 

assists passing through the site of spill are 

exclusively owned by Chevron Nigeria 

Limited. We wonder how an alleged aerial 

investigation could establish any 

meaningful fact. 

“As custodians of the welfare of our 

people, we hold and call on the FG , state 

government and oil companies operating 

in the area to rise up to the challenge of 

ameliorating the sufferings of the people, 

even before we ascertain blame. 

“The people are suffering. We call for relief 

materials to enable the local populace 

survive the economic displacement and 

conditions caused by the oil spill”. 

Legal means 

Gbenekama also said that Gbaramatu, 

being a law-abiding kingdom, will explore 

all legal means to unravel the owner of the 

assets and the cause of the spill. 

He maintained that the Chevron facility 

will remain closed in the meantime to 

curtail further spread of the spill. 

A statement from the General Manager, 

Policy, Government and Public Affairs of 

the oil giant, Brikinn, said the spill was not 

from their facilities. 

“Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), 

operator of the joint venture between the 

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation 

and CNL, is aware of a report in the media 

and some communities about an alleged 

oil spill from Abiteye, Makaraba and 

Utonana Fields in CNL’s western area of 

operations, Warri South West Local 

Government Area of Delta State”, he said. 

“CNL has investigated and continues to 

survey its Assets in the Abiteye and Utonana 

Fields including the 16” Makaraba- 

Utonana-Abiteye Right of Way (ROW) and 

confirms that there has not been any 

indication that the oil sheen on water is 

from its Assets in Abiteye, Makaraba and 

Utonana fields or from any other CNL 

facilities as alleged. 

“We take incidents of oil spill seriously. 

Our surveillance programme is an ongoing 

exercise engrained in our processes; and 

we respond to every report of a spill by 

following established industry regulatory 

processes, including engagements with 

communities and regulators, and Joint 

Investigation Visits (JIV), to determine 

source, cause and impact of such spills. 

These are ongoing in the current case. 

“We continue to engage the communities 

and communicate our findings concerning 

the alleged spill to the leadership of the 

community stakeholders. 

“CNL operates in strict compliance with 

relevant laws and regulations governing the 

Nigerian petroleum industry and remains 

committed to the protection of people and 

the environment. We will continue to 

conduct our operations reliably and 

efficiently, with utmost consideration for 

environmental protection”. 

Protest 

Meantime, women and other residents in 

Kokodiagbene community in the same 

Gbaramatu Kingdom have been occupying 

Otunana flow station in their area, 

demanding justice from operators of the 

facility. 

Chairman of the community, Mr Pedro 

Bekenawei, said they would not vacate the 

flow station, adding that they mobilized to 

occupy the place until they got assurance 

from operator of the facility to address 

challenges of neglect they suffer. 

He said they had been there for five days. 

“We will continue to be here. We are 

suffering neglect. See the oil spill, it has 

rendered our men and women idle. Nobody 

can go to fish anymore. We don’t have water 

to drink. We have chosen to remain here 

until justice is done”, Bekenawei said. 

“We demand adequate compensation for 

this massive destruction of our economy and 

life”. 

The community leader appealed for relief 

materials from government and its 

agencies to cushion the impact of the spill 

on the people.


A man who raises his fist to a defenceless woman needs psychiatric help! 

“ You wake up every 

morning wondering 

what ‘crimes’ you’ll commit 

today, and how your 

husband will punish you”, 

Tina, a victim of a violent 

husband laments. “A punch 

in the face for asking him 

for money for the children’s 

school fees? A slap in the 

face for saying hello to an 

old flame? A kick to the ribs 

for asking him to come 

home early for a change...” 

With so much 

enlightenment going on 

about marital violence you 

would have thought the 

wife-beaters would have 

faded into insignificance as 

we become a more civilized 

society – but the opposite has 

happened. And being an 

abusive partner has nothing 

to do with your status in the 

society. 

There have always been 

cases of battered wives who 

stay because they are used to 

the perks attached to 

marrying a well-heeled 

husband. “I came from a 

middle class family too,” Tina 

said “so it wasn’t as if I was a 

starry eyed pauper when we 

got married. The problem is 

my husband’s anger; it has a 

very short fuse and anything 

could set him off... There was 

the night he came home, saw 

the maid in the kitchen and 

exploded, ‘I’ve told you I don’t 

want all these scruffy – looking 

servants you employ touching 

my meals!’, he continued: 

“What exactly is your duty 

in this home? You don’t pay 

the rent, you have more 

money than you need and 

your kids want for nothing ...’ 

On and on, he went without 

giving me the opportunity to 

utter a word. When I 

eventually opened my mouth, 

his fist was in it. The sight of 

blood didn’t put him off as he 

flung the food across the 

dining area and the fridge and 

freezers were splattered with 

oily stuffs. The servants 

scampered. They’d learnt 

from past experience not to 

open their mouth in protest or 

they would be in for it. He’s 

verbally abusive too, forever 

telling me I was an ugly, 

horrible person and that if I 

left, he would replace me with 

a younger and prettier wife 

and would prevent me from 

seeing the children. Both my 

parents are dead and I don’t 

really have anywhere to run 

to. 

“The kids are doing very 

well and I thank my stars he 

doesn’t extend his violence to 

them. Of course, they know 

what is going on, and he said 

they didn’t protect me because 

they hated me. But that is not 

true. When he’s not 

there, they give me their 

support but I know things 

couldn’t go on this way 

indefinitely. A couple of 

nights ago, the violence got 

so bad that I ran out and drove 

to a police check-point near 

the house, cowering behind 

the men like a scared rabbit”! 

Why didn’t she leave? Surely 

anything was better than the 

loss of her dignity? “He’d hunt 

me down and beat me up. 

Whoever it was that took me 

in would quickly ask me to 

leave as they didn’t want any 

The Igbo do not t want ant to 

be president anymore 

A 

new development is 

now taking place in the 

East of Nigeria: Police and 

personnel of the Armed 

Forces are now targeted for 

execution by an increasingly 

faceless and ferocious group. 

The latest is the example this 

week of the attack on Charles 

Soludo, Professor of 

Economics, and former 

Governor of the Central Bank, 

and contender under the 

APGA for the Governorship of 

Anambra State. This is 

dangerous at so many levels. 

It is true that Easterners have 

long suffered under the 

brutality of soldiers and 

policemen who have become 

visible symbols of a failed 

state, targeting them however, 

must stop. Such acts of 

political vengeance will spiral 

out of control, and grow into 

its own beast. But it is 

important to examine the 

roots of this growing attack on 

state institutions. The current 

generation of the Igbo are 

spiritually and emotionally, 

uncoupled from Nigeria. It is 

a terrible situation, and indeed 

a tragic turn of event. It is 

more so, because the Igbo are 

the spine of this federation. If 

you break the spine of the 

nation, it becomes crippled. 

When you go up and down 

Nigeria, the Igbo constitute the 

most active economic and 

cultural force that welds 

Nigeria. These people driven 

by an independent and free 

spirit, whom anthropologists 

have described as “freedom 

loving people.” The real 

character of the Igbo has very 

often been mistaken by those 

who do not understand them, 

or who hardly study them. 

They accuse the Igbo of 

extreme “individualism.” 

That is a false misreading. The 

Igbo are driven by what I call 

the “liberty-impulse.” That is 

what their adversaries mistake 

for “individualism.” There 

are two connected domains or 

spaces of the self in the Igbo 

psyche: there is the “onwe m” 

– the single autonomous, selfacting 

agent, and there is 

“Onweanyi” – the idea of the 

“collective self.” The idea of 

the “onwe” – self, has roots in 

the Igbo word, “inwe” – to 

own. In other words, the “self” 

in the Igbo conscious 

articulation of that 

hermeneutic is an 

autonomous condition, which 

cannot be intruded upon by 

any external force. The 

“collective selves” – 

Onweanyi – contains a unity 

of these seamless conditions 

of autonomous beingness. 

That is why nobody can claim 

to speak for the Igbo with 

absolute authority. Every Igbo 

is defined by a self-interest 

which must be fully 

acknowledged within the 

larger interest. The Igbo are 

liberated culturally from the 

trouble,” she said. 

“Abuse can take the form of 

violence, but it can also be 

psychological,” explains 

Teresa, a counsellor who’d 

worked with abused women 

for years. 

“For example, constant 

criticism, verbal abuse or 

isolating the woman from her 

friends or family by telling her 

lies or not allowing her to call 

them. And it’s not just the 

woman who suffers. 

Domestic abuse taints the lives 

of children and destroys the 

hopes of wives and partners. 

It thrives whenever the bullied 

are too terrified to speak out. 

The parent might think the 

child doesn’t know, but 

children do. They feel 

fear of an overwhelming 

power or authority since 

traditionally, every Igbo is an 

authority unto himself/herself. 

The Igbo self is the guide to 

any moral or material 

aspirations. The Igbo do not 

make kings. They have 

consistently told this to the 

world: “Igbo Enwegh Eze.” 

The Igbo make no kings. The 

Igbo have no King. In spite of 

some pretenders today who 

call themselves “Royal 

Majesties” and “Royal 

Highnesses,” (a rather witty 

fellow did add “royal high 

arses,”) who dress and appear 

in all kinds of ridiculous 

masquerade costumes in 

public, with certificates signed 

by Local government 

chairmen making them 

“Igwe’ or “Eze” or some such 

aberration over Igbo 

“Autonomous Communities,” 

the true Igbo continue to 

maintain their self-aware, and 

autonomous, and often 

inviolate independence. 

They amuse themselves 

occasionally by the royal 

theater of these pseudomonarchies. 

But that is all 

there is to it. Theatre. To the 

Igbo “Chukwu Wu Eze Ndi 

Igbo” – only God is King of 

the Igbo. No human is king to 

the Igbo. And sometimes, they 

say, “Oha Wu Eze.” When Igbo 

people gather, they constitute 

the Igbo sovereign. This 

probably has roots in that very 

republican idea often 

mistakenly attributed to the 

Athenians; or in that Latin 

conception of people’s power: 

“Vox Populi, Vox Dei.” The 

voice of the People is the voice 

of God. The Igbo have always 

known these, and had 

organized the idea of the 

Republic, thousands of years 

before Solon, the founding 

father of the Athenian state 

returned to Athens and 

responsible, but they don’t 

know what to do.” So why 

does abuse happen. “In my 

experience,” Teresa explains, 

“abusive men think they have 

the right to have absolute 

control over their families. I 

must stress though that it’s 

important to remember that 

not all men are abusive. 

Many women who have been 

abused go on to have 

wonderful relationships with 

other men...” 

Tackling the epidemy of 

wife abuse isn’t an easy task. 

People need to be educated 

about healthy relationships 

and show positive role 

models. 

Hopefully, this will reduce 

abuse in the future. A man 

The current 

generation of the 

Igbo are spiritually 

and emotionally, 

uncoupled from 

Nigeria 

introduced this system of 

government, which he learnt 

from the Egyptians as the 

practice of a more ancient 

civilization by people who 

lived in the lands heading 

South, towards the rise of the 

sun in the Atlantean direction. 

I have outlined all these to 

assert two primary 

conclusions: one, those who 

have mistaken Igbo sense of 

freedom and the impulse of 

liberty for extreme 

individualism misjudge Igbo 

capacity for collective action. 

To the Igbo, the individual self 

(onwe m) is “primary” but the 

collective (onweanyi), once 

fully constituted, is “prior.” 

This Igbo theory and practice 

of the complimentary selves 

is what often confuses Igbo 

adversaries. The individual 

self very frequently is 

subsumed into the collective 

self, after a long, tedious, 

repetitive, and sometimes 

mind-twisting process of 

disputation that often leaves 

people unfamiliar with Igbo 

consensus building impatient 

and dispirited. The Igbo are 

slow to agree on anything, and 

argue over everything under 

the sun. For every topic, if 

there are one thousand Igbo 

in a room, there is bound to 

be one thousand points of 

difference and opinions on the 

same issue. But that is where 

who raises his fist to a 

defenceless woman needs 

urgent psychiatric help. 

Who No Like Better 

Thing?! (Humour) 

A local paper in Lagos 

carried an advert for the job 

of a ‘fanny shaver’. A young 

hopeful rings up the number 

shown, and the man answers 

the phone and asks him some 

questions. “First thing first,” 

he says. “Are you single?’ 

“Oh yes,” says the applicant. 

“That’s good,” says the man. 

“We’ve had a lot of trouble in 

the past with people who are 

married. Their wives get 

annoyed. Now, secondly, do 

you have a current passport?” 

“Yes,” says the applicant. 

“Brilliant,” says the man. 

people often misunderstand 

the Igbo. That is where the 

strength of the Igbo lie. It is 

that process that allows the 

Igbo to embark on the difficult 

process of introspection and 

self-questioning in order to 

find a common ground 

towards collective action. The 

Igbo is free to disagree with 

the rest of the Igbo. But once 

an agreement is reached in 

what the Igbo call, “Ikwe ko 

rita,” which is by inclusive 

discussions and negotiations 

that are tedious and 

diplomatic, the true Igbo is 

bound by such agreements. 

Once the Igbo raise the call, 

“Igbo Kwenu! KweZuonu!” 

through an appointed 

spokesman who articulates 

the points of agreement, every 

Igbo irrespective of title or 

social standing, becomes 

bound to the collective will 

and its objective. It is here that 

individual interest becomes 

inferior to the collective 

interest. It is left then to each 

household of the Igbo to 

enforce the Igbo compact, at 

the risk of ex-communication, 

at the very least. This is the 

Igbo way. 

Thus far, the general mood 

in Igbo land is disinterest in 

the affairs of Nigeria. Every 

Igbo household accepts this. 

A vast number of the Igbo are 

disaffected and alienated 

from Nigeria, and those Igbo 

middlemen who go about 

claiming to speak for the Igbo 

must tell the Nigerian 

authorities the truth. Inside 

Igbo land today, a debate is 

raging about the future of the 

Igbo in Nigeria, and many of 

these folks have no control 

over it. They must therefore 

be careful in laying it all out 

there because this mood is 

new and dangerous. It has 

been said that some folks met 

recently in Owerri to “chart 

the course for an Igbo 

“Often find that people have 

a problem travelling all over 

the globe. They seem to find 

the strain of jetting from Lagos 

to London to 

South Africa, staying at topclass 

hotels a little bit too 

much to take”. “Oh no, not 

me,” says the young hopeful. 

“I love to travel.” 

“Great,” says the man. “And 

what about super models? Do 

you think you’d have a 

problem getting close to some 

of the most beautiful women 

in the world? You might even 

have to party with them and 

keep them company. How 

would you deal with that?’ 

“I’d be fine,” says the 

applicant. 

“I love talking to women 

and I don’t think I’d be 

intimidated.” “Excellent,” 

says the man. “Now, what 

about the shaving of the fanny? 

Would you get flustered 

peeling bikini bottoms off 

beautiful women, foaming 

them up and shaving their 

pubic regions? This sort of 

intimacy can often make a 

man all fingers and thumbs, 

you know?” “No way,” say the 

young man. 

“I have no problem with 

nudity or intimacy with 

gorgeous women. I’d be both 

discreet and charming.” 

“Well,” says the man, “you 

sound as if you could be just 

right for the job. I’ll post you a 

luxury bus ticket to Ibadan.” 

“Is that where my first job is?” 

asks the applicant. “Oh no,” 

says the man. “That’s where 

the queue for the interviews 

starts.” 

presidency.” But do the Igbo 

want the presidency? Clearly 

some do. Some don’t. Listen 

to a man like Mr. Achike 

Udenwa, for instance, former 

governor of Imo state. In his 

interview recently in the Sun 

Newspaper. He very clearly 

said the Igbo are not interested 

in the presidency. They want 

a restructuring of Nigeria first. 

What kind of president would 

it be, in the current political 

system? Clearly, two main 

factions have emerged in Igbo 

land today as I feared they 

would: there is the militant 

separatist movement, whose 

main arrowhead today is the 

IPOB. They are driving a very 

youthful militant uprising 

which is creating a political 

storm in the old East. This 

neo-Biafra movement rests 

squarely on unsettled 

grievances; it began to 

assume new militant 

dimensions because of the 

failed politics of 

Muhammadu Buhari whose 

policies and doctrine of 

nepotism drove a permanent 

wedge with long-suffering 

Igbo youth. The serial acts of 

misgovernance by this 

administration only added 

lint to the fire. There are the 

“One Nigerianists” – who, 

though disenchanted with 

Nigeria, do not see separation 

as much of a political choice. 

Their argument is quite 

simple: Nigeria is a work in 

progress; Buhari’s time will 

come and go; the Igbo have 

invested too much in Nigeria 

to allow it perish; it is therefore 

in the long term strategic 

interest of the Igbo and other 

Nigerian ethnicities to work 

together and revamp Nigeria 

to fulfill the terms of its 

founding as Africa’s superstate. 

•Continues on 

www.vanguardngr.com

DOCTORS' EMIGRATION: 

Collapse of health sector looms 

—CMD UBTH 

By Chioma Obinna 

t is no longer news that healthservices in all regions are struggling to both 

Itackle COVID-19, and providepeople with the necessary care. According to the World Health 

Organization,WHO, countries need to advance health for all asone of the clearest lessons the 

pandemic has taught the world is the consequences of neglecting the health systems. 

To ensure better healthcare, oneof the Nigerian hospitals that is changing the narratives of 

the health systemand working towards making Nigeria a destination of choice f o r 

medical tourism,is University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH. The four – 

yearstrategic plans of the Hospital, under the current ChiefMedical Director, 

Prof Darlington Obaseki has brought in new innovation rangingfrom 

computerization of the hospital, the introduction of advanced surgeries, 

patientssatisfaction, manpower training and development, staff satisfaction, 

researchand technological innovation, inward medical tourism and 

funding. Lastweek, Professor Obaseki spoke to journalists on his strategicplans 

shortly after a media tour of the hospital. Sunday Vanguard was there. Excerpts: 

Will you say you are happy you have 

achieved yourstrategic plans? 

We are very proud of our work here. We think 

we’re one ofthe top-performing agencies, not 

just in health in this country. We are 

veryconfident about that. People have come 

and are wondering, regulatory bodiessend 

people here and they keep asking ‘what do 

you give your staff? ‘Why arethey working so 

hard? ‘You people don’t operate like a 

government agency.’ Ifyou come here by 7:30 

am or 8:00 am, everywhere is buzzing, staff 

are atwork. So we’re very proud of that. 

Someof these jobs are not about buildings. 

Some say they judge themselves by howmany 

buildings they’ve put up whether the buildings 

are functional. We judge ourselvesby the 

functionality of the processes of our system 

and the joy of our workers. 

When we came onboard, we deliberately 

said, in the health care system, the focus is on 

patient care because they bring us to 

work.We’ve told ourselves that looking after 

that patient for a healthcare worker is very 

demanding, so thepeople looking after them 

must, first of all, be happy. 

Before we came on board, I was a member 

of the previousadministration that’s how I 

know, fortwo and a half years it was war 

every day. Almostevery two months, one 

union or the other is on strike, not just UBTH, 

almostall over the country, till now it’s still 

happening. But the fact that we’ve not had 

that is a testimony to thekind of relationship 

and unity and purpose that we’ve built in the 

staff andthis comes from the fact that we’ve 

•'We spend N40M monthly 

to generate electricity' 

focused on looking after them, theirwelfare 

we focused on crafting a vision where we have 

common goals. What bringsus together? We 

want to make UBTHthe leading provider of 

quality caresolutions in West Africa. So we’re 

very proud of what we’ve done andthat in itself 

makes me high and keeps me going 

Again, the greatest problem I have with my 

staff now isnot whether I care about them or 

whether I provide things for them. That is 

theproblem, so in terms of IGR, when we came 

on board in 2017, our IGR was N100 million. 

Now, it’s about 300million per month. We are 

thebusiest teaching hospital in Nigeria. We 

arevery confident about that, the only hospital 

I probably will suspectthat is close or better 

than us is probably Kano with a population of 

N20 million but most other hospitalsdon’t 

even come close. So, we are very busy, if you 

come to our A& E attimes it’s like a market, so 

it’s very challenging carrying this burden, it’s 

aburden but we have to do it. 

Power supply 

We run afunctional system since I came on 

board I don’t think we’ve ever had a 

daywithout power in UBTH, even 1 hour. It’s 

a lot of work and money; you can’t run a 

hospitalwithout power. If the light goes off for 

one hour in your hospital, somebody dies; it’s 

as stark as that, if youlook at it from that point 

of view, any hospital you see that there’s no 

poweris dangerous. When we came on board 

we focused on the basic things, power,water 

and consumables - thingsthe doctors and 

nurses need to work with. Those are the basic 

minimum you muststart 

with, if you can’t provide 

those things you aren’t doing well. Any 

hospital that cannot provide thoseshouldn’t 

be thinking of any other big thing. So, for us, 

we hadto invest heavily in generators. 

We have so many generators - over 30 

industrialgenerators - across the length and 

breadth of this hospital. We spend about N12- 

N18 million ondiesel every month. BEDC 

billused to be N15 million every month but 

sinceNovember, they have increased their tariff 

now and it’s an average of N25 million. So, 

for power alone,between diesel minus cost of 

maintaining generators and running it, 

betweendiesel and electricity bill we spend an 

average of N40 million a month just tokeep 

the power on. So it’s challenging. 

Computerisation is not just the records; we 

have computerizedour clinical services, 

complete end to end from when the patient 

comesin to when they leave. 

In that whole set of a very busy clinic, if the 

lightgoes off for 5 minutes and the computer 

shuts down you can imagine the delay itwill 

cost - like an hour or two hours delay so what 

we’ve done is to provide three layers of back 

up. The public power supply will storeseries 

of inverters that can keep those things on for 

an hour or more. So, thereare three layers of 

backup, but to be fair to BEDC, they’ve really 

prioritizedUBTH now so we get an average 

of 20 hours of light a day unless they have a 

local problem, which they alsorespond to us 

fast, Since almost six months they gave us a 


dedicated line, sowe have a very good 

relationship 

Overwhelming financial 

burden 

Since I came on board 

we’ve not added the cost 

to thepatient in our 

prices. All we’vedone is 

to increase the 

efficiency of our 

connections draw 

loopholes whatpeople 

are supposed to be 

payingfor that they’re 

not paying, wemake sure 

they pay. For example, we 

weren’t charging for our 

oxygen before but we 

looked at it, we know 

how muchthey’re 

charging a cylinder of 

oxygen in Lagos so we 

just had to add money. 

Butwe are mindful of 

the impact on the 

patients. Like I said 

earlier, it’s aboutmy 

people, not just my 

people it’s also about 

the economy. I’m very 

much part of my 

society, I can’t 

bedisconnected so 

these are the things that 

push me to take some 

of thedecisions. But it’s 

tough, especiallythe 

COVID year that 

everythinghas gone up. 

We were sharing a 

facemask with 

everybody in UBTH 

b e f o r e COVIDwas N500 for a 

pack of 50. At the peak of July last year it got 

to about N17, 000. Yet, we never stopped giving 

itto our staff one day, because here, every 

decision we take is a life and deathdecision so 

you must have a way to go about it. 

•Obaseki 

Brain drain in UBTH 

The country doesn’t know what we’re facing. 

Right now, the health system inNigeria is 

facing a collapse if we don’t tackle this issue 

of doctors’ emigration frontally. We 

aretraining doctors for other health care 

systems elsewhere in the world. I justtold you 

now, the government of Nigeria spends lots of 

money training me towhere I am today and I 

went abroad for training. I never felt inferior 

to my colleagues; in fact, they kept askingme 

if I trained in Europe I would say ‘No, I trained 

in Nigeria.’ They didn’tbelieve because of the 

quality of training and education the federal 

governmentgave me almost free of charge, 

then I’ll just wake up one day carry my bag 

andvamoose so I don’t know how, but I think 

there needs to be a major discussionon doctors 

leaving Nigeria. There are some factors 

involved - there’s the pushand pull factor, there 

are things pushing them away so many of our 

doctors willtell you insecurity, many have been 

kidnapped, and they want to go to a 

countrywhere they don’t have to worry about 

light or water 

I have natural entrepreneurial spirit 

workflows, reports, and most importantly, 

working on tech standards and processes for 

the company. 

—Okpala, Kobobid CTO 

*Says Kobo Auctions here to stay 

r. Chiedu Okpala is the Chief Technol 

Mogy Officer (CTO) of Kobobid. In this 

interview, Okpala speaks about growing up, 

his professional background and his role as 

Kobobid CRO. He also speaks on the firm’s 

core principes and Kabo Auctions. 

Let’s start with a dive into your personal 

and professional backgrounds. 

Maybe go for the one that’s more interesting 

to you first? Tell us everything! 

I was born and raised in Nigeria and moved 

to the United States to pursue a degree in 

Computer Science at the age of 15. I have 

natural entrepreneurial spirit and also hold 

an MBA. So, each time I’m involved in building 

a product, I always look at it from both 

the technical and business perspective. 

I have worked as a programmer for over 20 

years. From my first job at the age of 16 at an 

e-commerce startup in Connecticut to starting 

my own tech marketing company after 

college, and then pursuing experience in an 

established technology company in order to 

learn how to work with many teams and build 

products in a structured environment, I’ve done 

quite a bit of it all. 

How did you come to take on the role 

of CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for 

Kobobid? 

I think it was fate. The role was always meant 

for me, but we didn’t consider it initially because 

I was really busy,and we weren’t sure it 

would be a good fit. Over time, I ended up 

lending my advice here and there to the CEO 

and COO as to how they should go about 

building the product. I was even involved in 

the recruiting process for someone 

else to be the CTO, but as 

fate would have it, we eventually 

realised I needed to be part 

of the company. They asked, 

and I said yes! 

What does 

your role as 

the CTO entail? 

I spend most 

of my days architecting 

and 

reviewingfeatures 

and 

projects for 

my team, reviewing 

different 

concepts, 

code 

and working 

products. I 

tend to also 

willingly dip 

my toes into 

writing code 

(because I truly 

can’t help myself), 

but now that 

the product has 

launched, I am 

slowly beginning to 

spend more of my 

time on managerial 

tasks: emails, creating 

•Okpala 

What were some of your biggest challenges 

getting the technology for bidding 

on Kobobid off the ground? 

Nigeria has its fair share of challenges with 

internet connectivity, especially in the smaller 

towns and cities. So naturally, our biggest 

challenge so far has been figuring out how to 

overcome this and provide all users a fast experience. 

How have I been able to achieve 

this? I’ll keep that little secret to myself, but 

what I can tell you is that I always look at 

every challenge in the tech industry as an opportunity 

for improvement. 

The technology seems rather 

sophisticated. Can you share 

how difficult it was to execute? 

Every technology that depends on 

the support of teams and tools that 

are expected to run 24/7 will always 

be sophisticated to execute. With 

that said, I have years of experience 

working in industries that deal 

with high traffic and high customer 

demand, so I was well suited to 

execute this sophisticated challenge. 

What would you say the 

level of complexity is when 

it comes to bidding on Kobobid? 

Kobobid has been created to 

be very user friendly. Everything 

is right at your fingertips; there 

are not a lot of distractions. It’s 

simply sign up, top up, bid, win 

some, lose some, have fun, rinse and 

repeat. 

Kobobid touts transparency as 

one of its most prominent core 

values. How specifically do you mean? 

Also, what part does technology play 

in this, if any? 

Transparency is one of our core principles, 

and that’s why all the bidding action and subsequent 

results of our auctions are immediately 

available for everyone to see. It was very 

important for us to give users the ability to see 

who they’re bidding against, so they know they 

can trust the system. Bids are often being 

placed within seconds and milli-seconds of 

each other, so of course, the level of technology 

and tools we put in place play a major role 

in ensuring that this feat is possible. 

How do you feel about the work your 

team is doing at Kobobid given the 

level of attention the platform is currently 

getting? 

Based on the feedback so far, I believe we’re 

on the right track. The level of detail we’ve put 

into our product is quite apparent, if I say so 

myself. We went into this venture knowing that 

we wanted to serve up quality product and 

technology to the Nigerian community. 

Do you think kobo auctions will be 

around for a long time? 

Penny auctions have existed abroad for 

many many years now, but kobo auctions are 

just starting to gain popularity in Nigeria. 

There are so many opportunities for growth 

in our country and a longing for the access to 

quality products that a platform like Kobobid 

brings to the table, along with incredible 

prices. So, the answer is yes. Yes, I think kobo 

auctions are here to stay. 

When it comes to bidding on Kobobid, 

what are a few things you wish 

potential bidders would bear in mind? 

Speaking from a technical perspective, they 

should know that their data is always safe and 

their user experience will continuously improve, 

as we roll out new features.

PAGE 24 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021 

I’ve never dated anyone in the 

industry – Ayo Adesanya 

Veteran Nollywood actress, Ayo Adesanya used to be 

known as the wife of another well known 

thespian, Goriola Hassan. But contrary to what 

many may hold as the truth that duo met in the industry, 

the “Amope Alasela” star has revealed they never met in 

the industry. 

“I’ve never dated anyone in the industry; my baby’s 

father was not in the industry when I met him. I 

actually brought him into the industry so it’s not as if 

I met him in the industry. I don’t like dating people 

in my industry. I don’t believe two famous people 

should be together because there will be clashes of 

ego and their lives would be in the center page of the 

newspapers. For my job or for my showbiz life, 

publicity is good but for my private life, I love to 

keep it really private. I don’t think two celebrities 

should be married to each other, it is always very 

tedious,” she declared to Potpourri in an interview. 

The actress has affirmed that she’s not searching 

but has never ruled out love coming knocking 

again. She knows all the rules in the book and 

impressing her with flashy things of life may just 

be off the rail with her. 

“I don’t care what you look like. I love to 

laugh a lot, so I like happy people, really happy 

people, not people pretending to be happy. I 

don’t care if you’re short or tall, fair or 

dark; it is the inside of your heart that 

matters to me. I’ve gone through a lot 

and I’ve seen a lot; even the simplest 

of things touches me. I’m your 

everyday happy-go-lucky person, 

when you’re sweet, when you’re 

cool, when you’re calm, It works for 

me. But then, please I am not 

searching,” she said on the question 

of a man that may catch her fancy. 

What inspired me to write ‘Suga Suga’— Actress 

Priscilla Okpara 

It’s no news that beauty queen turned 

Nollywood actress, Priscilla Okpara 

has recently evolved amongst the leading 

and most celebrated faces in the Nigeria 

film industry. 

After her debut appearance in Love 

Bane, the movie with which she crossed 

from the regular Nollywood TV films to 

the big screen and box office movies, she 

has since been seen in several high 

profile cinema jobs some of which she 

didn’t just star in, but also wrote, which 

include, Fracture, Olaedo The Fisher 

Girl, Bushman I love, Stolen Wives, 

Crosswords, Finding Rays, Three 

Daughters of Eli, In The Deep, 

Daydream, Winning Walker, Almost Had 

You, Suga Suga, which is set to hit the 

cinema soon from the stable of G- 

worldwide production and directed by 

Richards Omos Iboyi. When asked about 

what inspired her to think Suga Suga she 

disclosed thus: 

“The film’s storyline came from 

•Priscilla Okpara 

imaginations and I intend to use it as a way of teaching people the 

power of repentance and forgiveness in marriage.” 

The Imo State-born reveals that she has a lot in stock to be 

released, including the highly anticipated Silent Baron, an NDLEA 

story, and an Ekwe Nche production directed by the arch director 

Richards Omos Iboyi. 

Actress Priscilla Okpara is currently preparing for yet another big one, 

Broken Roads, from the stable of SBE production, the maker of “Love 

bane”, also directed by Richard Omos Iboyi. 

Music is made for me —MaXimo 

As Nigeria music industry keeps 

unveiling new acts and sounds that 

appear to be redefining the music 

space, budding singer and songwriter, 

Ibrahim Pemisire Lukman, otherwise 

known as Maximo, has disclosed that 

music is made for him and that he 

would shock the scene with his sound. 

Over the years, MaXimo said he had 

taken his time to study the music 

industry and was greatly influenced by 

top acts within and outside Nigeria 

including 2Baba, D’banj, Wizkid, P- 

Square, 2Pac, Eminem, Meek Mill, 

among others, adding that he picked 

something from every musician that has 

crossed his path. 

MaXimo, while speaking about his 

fast-rising career that has seen him 

release top notch songs that ruled the 

airwaves, hinted that making music 

and keeping his fans entertained over 

the years have helped him to 

understand the tune they want and 

what to release at the right time. 

With popular songs like Binary, Know, 

My Girl, featuring Chuddy K and Good 

Vibes which featured Oyinkanade, 

•Ayo 

Adesanya 

•Dami Adenuga and P Clothing 

•Ronke 

Tiamiyu 

MaXimo said he has more in store as 

he prepares his fans for the release of 

his debut EP. 

“The plan is to remain relevant in the 

music industry and to continue giving 

my fans good music that will outlive 

me. This is new rave for Afrobeat acts 

and I am glad to be part of those 

redefining the music scene. This is our 

time and we have to take it now,” he 

said. 

From making a name for himself in 

the entertainment circle as a 

media strategist to emerging as one of 

the highly rated public relation experts 

in Nigeria, Dami Adenuga seems to 

have knack for success. 

Adenuga who doubles as the Media 

Head and Manager to Senior 

Special Assistant on Entertainment to 

Kogi State Governor, Juwon Olorunipa 

(Jumabee), days back, was unveiled as 

the brand ambassador for P Clothing, a 

fashion line that has become the 

favourite of many celebrities within 

What turns me on, off 

about entertainment 

industry – Ronke Tiamiyu 

Ronke Tiamiyu, ex beauty queen and actress 

who hit stardom after clinching the Miss 

Charismatic crown at the 2013 Most Beautiful 

Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) has expressed her 

disenchantment with the entertainment 

industry even as much as she loves what she 

does. 

In a chat with Potpourri, she said the only 

thing that turns her on is the ability to be 

creative and express herself in different 

dimensions. 

“To be able to step into a character’s shoes 

and bring her to life,” she said. 

On what turns her off : “What turns me off 

is all the drama and gossip that surrounds 

the industry. The negative stereotypes 

people place on you because you are 

succeeding. Entertainment is a 

serious and successful business not 

unlike many other industries, but 

you never see this level of 

hatred, jealousy, drama and 

gossip in other 

businesses.” 

On the difficulty of 

entertainers finding true 

love. Ronke said it applies to 

everyone but admits it is a bit testy for 

entertainers 

“I think it’s hard for anyone to really find 

true love, not just entertainers. The 

difference is that our personal and dating 

lives have become public news, whereas 

other people in other businesses get to 

live their love lives outside of the public’s 

eye. When we date, fall in love, have a 

lover’s fight, get our hearts broken, it’s 

all over the gossip sites. This fact 

probably does make it a little harder to 

date in entertainment because you have 

to keep your guard up,” she said. 

Apart from owning her own pageant 

called Miss Charismatic Nigeria 

pageant, Aderonke Tiamiyu has made 

the cover of House of Maliq and has 

featured as guest star in Flatmates as 

well as many shows. She’s an actress 

and a model too. 

•MaXimo 

Dami Adenuga bags endorsement deal with P Clothing 

and outside Nigeria. 

At the unveiling, Adenuga described 

his new deal with P clothing as 

one that proved that with hard work 

and dedication, the journey to 

success may be hard, but it will pay off 

sooner. 

He added that giving his best to 

whatever he’s committed to has 

added value to his career as those who 

have worked and still working with 

him know that with Adenuga on their 

brand, it will make the headlines. 

Adenuga, who is also the Media 

Strategist to the Secretary to the Kogi 

State Government (SSG) was described 

by the founder of the clothing line, 

Ibuaka Peterson Akoko as one of the 

young Nigerians whose influence on 

the entertainment and social spaces 

could not be overlooked. 

“We are excited about this 

development and this shows how much 

our brand has grown over the years. 

We identify with Dami Adenuga 

because we know the weight of his 

brand and infleunce and we hope he 

would use same to push our business 

to the next level”, he said.


I don’t like every woman’s 

man – Opeyemi Adetunji 

Opeyemi Olumide Adetunji has come a long way from that greenhorn that would 

jump at anything thrown her way. She has stamped her feet on the landscape 

and pretty much in control of almost everything around her. She’s a 

producer of five films and still counting. In this interview with AYO 

ONIKOYI she shares her journey in the make-believe world where she 

ekes out a living. 

Life as a producer 

Being a producer is not an easy 

task. You have to take care of 

everyone on your production and be 

fair to all. I have produced five 

movies, namely Mope, Voice, Pinch, 

Selflessness and Awo. I have also 

featured top stars like Funsho 

Adeolu, Adedimeji Lateef, Bimbo 

Oshin, Olaide Bakare, Aisha Lawal, 

Afeez Eniola, Toyin Adegbola, 

Bukunmi Oluwashina, Adeniyi 

Johnson,Yewande Adekoya Abiodun, 

and many others in my productions. 

Challenges 

It has not been a smooth ride I must 

say. Before I joined the movie 

industry I thought it was as simple as 

we used to see on TV. Money is one 

major challenge because you go for 

rehearsals, locations and you don’t 

get paid because you are just 

learning but they forget you need 

money to feed and sustain yourself. 

Another, is how to get directors 

and producers to believe in your 

craft because most producers prefer 

known faces. And another challenge 

is the issue of unpleasant rivalry. I 

am grateful for lessons learnt 

because I believe in the saying “Life 

is about accepting the challenges 

along the way, choosing to keep 

moving forward and savoring the 

journey.” The challenges helped me 

sit up and most importantly, made 

me a producer. 

High and low moments 

I have had lots of high and low 

points in the course of my career but 

in all I have learnt few lessons. The 

biggest lesson of all is not to trust too 

much, especially people of my 

gender. I have also learnt that 

staying focused and self-discipline 

go a long way. And above all, 

believing in yourself is supreme. 

Intimate beliefs 

I believe it takes two to tango in a 

marriage, but marriage is not for 

everyone. Not everyone would find 

•ThaCutegeminme 

love in marriage and I believe if it is not 

working it is better to walk away instead of 

staying in an abusive marriage. 

Being sexy to me, is self confidence and 

looking good. A woman is free to flaunt her 

endowment if she so desires. The body is 

hers and she can do whatever pleases her 

with it. 

Social media 

Social media is a major PR for our job, 

especially when you are a movie producer 

like me. It helps me to reach out to my fans 

easily. My movie ‘Pinch’ got 1million views 

in one month and it is only with the help of 

social media I could go that far in such a 

short time 

Crazy moment 

My craziest moment was with a fan who 

wanted to kiss me at all costs when he saw 

me. He said I kissed very well in one of the 

movies I featured titled “Every woman”. He said 

ever since he watched the movie he had been 

looking for me to have a kiss. 

Kind of man 

I love men with high intelligence. When a man 

is intelligent he turns me on easily. And when he 

is intelligent with good looks I’m almost done for 

him. But talkative men and flirts turn me off. I 

can’t date a man who 

is every woman’s man. 

I hate men who want 

to see under the skirt 

of every women. It’s a 

major turn off for me. 

and plus size singer, Maria Benjamin is 

Heartbreaks 

My heart has only 

been broken just once. 

It was his choice to 

pick a mere stone over 

a diamond. Life goes 

on. Having a man is 

not the greatest 

achievement in life. 

The amount of effort I 

put into my career as a 

woman is what matters 

most to me. From 

being career-oriented 

to striving for the 

unreachable heights to 

achieve my goal is my 

ultimate dream. 

I want to make short models walk the 

runways someday – ThaCutegeminme 

Vivacious from Benue State, same as Nigeria’s Afropop icon, 

Innocent Idibia, famously known as 2Baba. Beyond 

their common state of origin, the duo make good 

music. While 2Baba is a legend in the music industry, 

Maria Benjamin is a rookie, silently and diligently 

making a name for herself as the ‘Queen of Patwa” 

fusing Afropop with RnB. Little wonder, the ‘African 

Queen’ music giant had no qualms joining forces with 

her on her first single “Imi” which she dedicated to 

couples to stick together through thick and thin. 

Maria Benjamin who is back with a new song titled 

“419” off the EP she is currently working on explains 

why she featured the iconic singer in her debut 

single. 

“ Everyone knows 2Face is a legend and the most 

inspiring musician of our time. 2Baba doesn’t just 

sing, his music inspires. His music inspires me. He is 

not only the biggest brand locally but also 

internationally out of Africa. Working with him was a 

Model Thacutegeminme has said that her aim is to become a 

globally recognized model and project Nigerian models on the 

world stage. 

The University of Lagos undergraduate said in a chat with 

Potpourri that models in Nigeria are not given their dues and are 

under-paid, adding that she wants the people to change the 

perception of models and modelling in the country. 

On what motivated her to get into modeling, she said her’s is 

inborn and that she naturally just loved watching fashion shows 

on television as a kid and also watching her sisters do it. 

She added that she has always loved to be a model, “Especially 

a runway model, but my height could not get me that because I 

am 5’3. So I just went for face modeling instead; I got interested 

because I really like flashy lifestyles, cameras, photo shoots, 

looking different all the time and all because as a model, it is 

like you are a thousand people in one person because you get 

to change your looks and all and also to improve my esteem 

because I was a really shy person growing up.” 

The Instagram queen stated that she aims “to own a 

modelling agency for petite models like me and by God’s 

grace make sure short people are able to walk the 

runways someday because I feel everyone should have 

that opportunity.” 

•Opeyemi 

Adetunji 

Why I featured 2Baba in my first single 

– Patwa Queen, Maria Benjamin 

•Maria Benjamin 

big honour and a whole new experience 

for me. The single “Imi” is a song to 

inspire married couples, that no matter 

what they are going through they should 

stick together and try to make things 

work,” she said. 

On her new single “419”, Benjamin 

revealed that it was inspired by a 

situation between two girls and a boy he 

experienced at an eatery sometime ago. 

“I was in an eatery and a lady walked 

in, after sometime a guy and a girl 

walked in too. Shortly after, I found out 

that the guy is dating the two girls. He 

seems to love one very much and appears 

to be collecting money from the other. I 

saw he was keeping the two girls for love 

and money. When I got home that day the 

whole drama came back to me. That is 

how the song “419” was born. It’s about 

what evil men do in the game of love 

and lust,” she narrated. 

With the talent she has displayed in 

the music-making craft, Maria 

Benjamin believes it was music that 

chose her and not the other way 

round. She started music back in 

school as a member of a group known 

as “The White Doves” and they went 

as far as dropping an album. 

Her first musical effort was the 

cover of the Brick and Lace 

hit “Love is Wicked”. When 

she did a Nigerian 

version of it, putting her 

Patwa to good effect and 

gaining wide acceptance she 

knew she has a fruitful future 

ahead of her. And the best point 

that could have underscored her 

conviction is to get 2Baba to 

endorse her career by featuring 

on her single. 

Maria Benjamin has two 

other singles to her name, 

namely; “Gudu” featuring 

2Tight and “Nnamdi’. Her 

two greatest musical mentors 

are Tiwa Savage and 2Baba.


Code of Conduct in the 

Market-place 

The Chairman of 

Nigeria’s Code of 

Conduct Tribunal CCT, 

Danladi Umar was for 

wrong reasons in the news 

for much of last week. 

Interestingly, the issue at 

stake had nothing to do 

with his assignment of 

determining the level of 

adherence of public officers 

to the official code of 

conduct required of them. 

Instead, the story was about 

his interaction in a marketplace, 

with oneClement 

Sargwak,a security guard 

at the Banex Plaza in Abuja. 

Umar had gone there in his 

private capacity as a citizen 

to transact some business 

which ended up in a case of 

assault. Several analysts 

who have dwelt extensively 

on the story have placed 

sufficient focus on blame 

game, making it 

superfluous to further 

engage in a rehash of that 

line of thought. What is yet 

to be done, is to enumerate 

the effects of the story on our 

nation’s growth and 

development. This is 

precisely what this piece 

seeks to do today in the hope 

that some useful lessons can 

be learnt by us all. 

The first and perhaps the 

most important issue which 

the story throws up is the 

inability of powerful 

Nigerians especially policy 

makers to comprehend and 

appreciate not just the 

power of the social media 

but the role it can play in 

reforming society. With 

increasing population and 

corresponding increases in 

societal activities, the 

under-equipped, understaffed 

and underremunerated 

conventional 

media can hardly cover a 

substantial portion of daily 

events. Much of what 

happens in the country is 

thus under-reported. In 

which case,were it not for 

the social media, not many 

would have had the 

privilege of knowing what 

transpired at Banex Plaza 

last week. What this 

suggests is that contrary to 

the belief of many highly 

placed individuals, 

especially some legislators 

who have been anxious to 

make laws against what 

they see as the evils of the 

social media, the platform 

has its own advantages. 

For its interactivity, 

portability, speed of 

information dissemination 

and international context, 

Nigeria certainly needs the 

social media. Of what use 

is any medium of 

communication which 

covers only segments of a 

few events that the people 

may, as a result of many 

challenges, never get to 

know about? Yet, ours is a 

developing society that is in 

dire need of public 

enlightenment. Indeed, but 

for the social media which 

enabled the instantaneous 

dissemination of how the 

entire Banex Plaza incident 

happened, denials, claims 

and counter claims would 

have completely rendered 

the 

event 

incomprehensible. We can 

only hope therefore, that 

our leaders will begin to 

see the need to depart from 

the desire to kill the social 

media which in every other 

nation is employed as a 

veritable tool for 

d e v e l o p m e n t 

communication. This 

underscores this column’s 

earlier submission that 

replicating harsh 

regulations as well as 

increasing the powers of 

regulatory bodies can only 

impede information 

management, they can 

neither resolve nor alter the 

propensity for fake news. 

The viewpoint that 

Nigeria’s current 

information management 

framework is probably not 

far above the stone age 

level is visibly represented 

by the press statement 

issued by the CCT to 

‘inform’ Nigerians on the 

incident through a 

narration of the version of 

its boss. The statement left 

people to wonder about the 

briefing or induction course 

designed by the Ministry of 

Information for press 

officers assigned to 

g o v e r n m e n t 

organizations.At what 

point are they to speak and 

what format is devised for 

the statements they issue 

about their organizations 

and their activities? There 

are two speculations 

provided by the statement 

issued by Ibraheem Al- 

In the last few years, 

the fear that the 

congestion of Lagos 

can easily be 

surpassed has become 

a possibility that Abuja 

residents are imagining 

every day 

Hassan, the Head of the 

Press and Public Relations 

Unit of the CCT. The first is 

that the press officer is 

probably not a 

professional. The second is 

that in line with what 

happens in many parts of 

our country, where 

everyone thinks that the job 

of 

information 

management is an allcomers’ 

game, the press 

officer was told what to 

write and in fact how to 

write it, without regards for 

the absurdity that such 

statements may convey. 

Another interesting 

dimension of the story is 

the light which it has 

thrown on what Governor 

Bala Mohammed of 

Bauchi state, rightly 

decried the other day as 

ethnic profiling. Attributing 

the source of conflict to 

those the Umar side 

described as ‘Biafran boys’ 

clearly illuminates the 

dangers of condemning one 

ethnic group because of the 

actions of one or a subgroup 

of the relevant ethnic 

category. By resorting to 

profiling, the story-teller 

instinctively gave the 

impression that the 

disagreement was 

premeditated; and that the 

so-called Biafra boys knew 

the movement of the CCT 

boss and actually awaited 

his arrival to unleash an 

attack on him. If so, how 

often is such behaviour 

portrayed in that location 

and how many Umars have 

been so attacked to justify 

the generalisation? The 

truth in our considered 

opinion is that the incident 

was a petty conflict 

concerning the 

management of space in the 

crowded Plaza. 

It has however served to 

remind us of the challenges 

of maintaining the Master 

Plan of Abuja. One of the 

factors which informed the 

decision to build a new 

federal capital was the 

intolerable congestion of 

Lagos- the old capital city. 

In the last few years, the fear 

that the congestion of Lagos 

can easily be surpassed has 

become a possibility that 

Abuja residents are 

imagining every day. 

Commercial businesses 

have sprung up so rapidly 

beyond what was planned 

for the spaces available. 

Banex Plaza and other 

locations 

now 

accommodate far more 

persons and activities than 

envisaged. What happened 

to the CCT chair was an 

everyday occurrence to 

virtually anyone visiting 

the place where traffic 

control is left in the hands 

of young persons who have 

little regard for anyone. In 

the circumstance, it is likely 

that Sargwak, the guard 

may have been annoying 

rude to a big man who 

thinks his status can be used 

to alter the established 

order of human and 

vehicular movement 

anywhere, Banex Plaza 

inclusive. Hence the 

incident in which one of the 

parties inflicted injury on 

the other. 

On the issue of law 

enforcement, the narrative 

was that the guard who 

happened to be the injured 

party was the one arrested 

by the police and held until 

a bail was granted.Who 

reported the matter to the 

police and how was guilt 

established to warrant the 

detention of Sargwak? If no 

one is surprised at the turn 

of events, what light does it 

throw on Nigeria’s type of 

rule of law? Who was the 

agent provocateur? Who 

injured the other? Why was 

it only the guard and not the 

two parties that were 

summoned to the police 

station to write statements 

which can assist the police 

in its investigations? 

Answers to these questions 

are likely to confirm that 

the Banex Plaza incident is 

a typical true story of daily 

living in our clime in which 

there is hardly any room for 

accountability by the highly 

placed. To those who are 

unable to understand our 

type of democracy, the 

Banex Plaza incident is a 

sad reminder that the 

people who should be 

sovereign and ministered 

unto by those elected or 

appointed to serve them 

have remained for longer 

than makes sense, the object 

rather than the subject of 

democracy 

PhD,Department of 

Philosophy, 

University of Lagos 

It must be mentioned in 

passing that the foremost 

pre-independent political 

party formed by the Sardauna 

of Sokoto and his cohorts was 

the Northern People’s 

Congress (NPC) whose motto 

of ‘One North, One People,’ 

according to Max Siollun, 

gave an entirely accurate 

description of its parochial 

objectives. Ahmadu Bello was 

not just an arch Fulani 

irredentist, he was also a 

hardcore tribalist. It is utterly 

disgraceful that either out of 

ignorance, deliberate attempt 

to massage bloated egos of the 

northern elite or plain 

stupidity some purportedly 

educated Nigerians rank the 

Sardauna alongside Dr. 

Nnamdi Azikiwe, the greatest 

Pan-Africanist advocate of 

One Nigeria, to the extent of 

describing him as one of the 

country’s founding fathers 

and pioneer nationalists.Only 

an hardened ethnic jingoist 

would, as the Sardauna did 

during an interview with a 

British journalist, that he 

would rather employ 

foreigners to fill vacant 

positions in the north than 

compatriots from Igboland if 

there were no northerners to 

occupy them. On the other 

hand, had Azikiwe not 

allowed his naïve dream of 

One Nigeria to trump his 

sense of pragmatic realism 

and read the Fulani 

handwriting on the wall 

accurately, there probably 

08116759758 It is ironic that the 

opuruiche2000@gmail.com 

On the alleged non-negotiability and 

sacrosanctity of One Nigeria(2) 

might not have been a country 

called Nigeria beyond 1956 

where Fulani supremacists 

such as Alhaji Maitama Sule, 

Ango Abdullahi, Nasir el- 

Rufai and other nouveaux 

riches from the north would 

be talking about nonnegotiability 

of One Nigeria 

or the purely fictional divine 

right of northerners to lead, 

and threatening those who 

demand a nation of their own 

because they are thoroughly 

fed up with the Lugardian 

contraption which seems to 

have been designed to keep 

them perpetually under 

political bondage. 

An attentive reading of 

available historical records 

reveals that even before 

independence Britain wanted 

to hand over political 

leadership to a northerner. In 

previous essays, I have 

detailed how and why that 

happened. Of course, 

southern politicians led by 

Azikiwe who worked tirelessly 

to end colonial rule 

unwittingly played into the 

hands of northern leaders and 

their British allies by not 

putting aside their petty 

personal squabbles and insist 

on independence for the south 

when Anthony Enahoro 

moved the motion for it in 

1953. The major reason given 

by northern representatives 

for rejecting the motion was 

that their region did not have 

a developed modern 

administrative machinery 

and sufficient number of 

very region which 

consistently 

opposed closer 

integration with the 

south and 

procrastinated about 

independence for the 

country ended up 

producing the first 

prime minister 

educated workforce that can 

function independently from 

British 

colonial 

administrators. But that was 

largely a self-inflicted 

problem occasioned by 

Islamic insularity, misguided 

reluctance of northern rulers 

to permit modern western 

education to penetrate the 

region, and indirect rule 

system which allowed Britain 

to concentrate on its economic 

agenda leaving existing 

outdated sociocultural order 

in the north undisturbed. 

It is ironic that the very 

region which consistently 

opposed closer integration 

with the south and 

procrastinated about 

independence for the country 

ended up producing the first 

prime minister.As Prime 

Minister Alhaji Tafawa 

Balewa was a stooge or 

puppet of both the Sardauna 

and British colonial officials. 

Consequently, it is a matter of 

conjecture the extent to which 

his odious northernisation 

policy was his or a reflection 

of the Sardauna’s and his 

British backers. Nonetheless 

there is no doubt that 

northernisation negated the 

very idea of a unified country 

and triggered the descent 

from meritocracy to 

mediocrity at the federal level. 

It must be admitted that 

southern politicians of the 

First Republic were deceived 

by their superior educational 

qualifications and exposure to 

modern western lifestyles, 

which caused them to 

underrate their northern 

counterparts. Siollun was 

right again when he 

commented that after British 

officials had bowed to the 

demands of the north on 

several occasions southern 

leaders belatedly began to 

appreciate the fact that 

northern politicians were not 

as backwards as they thought. 

Ahmadu Bello and his 

lieutenants were actually 

playing smart Machiavellian 

politics using blackmail and 

threats of secession to get what 

they wanted. So it is wrong to 

blame northerners alone for 

the tottering and eventual 

collapse of the Nigerian 

colonial edifice in 1966 

because if leading southern 

politicians had insisted on 

leaving the north behind to 

form their own country, the 

bloody coups and pogroms of 

that ominous year would not 

have occurred. Besides, as 

Frederick Forsyth correctly 

noted, “the traditional form 

of parliamentary democracy 

worked out in Whitehall 

proved to be unsuitable for the 

existing ethnic group 

structure, incomprehensible 

even to its local practitioners, 

inapposite to the African 

civilisation 

and 

impracticable in an 

artificially created nation 

where group rivalries, far 

from being expunged by the 

colonial power, had been 

exacerbated on occasion as a 

useful expedient to indirect 

rule.” In other words, given 

the quicksand on which the 

foundational structure of 

Nigeria was built, it was only 

a matter of time for the edifice 

to crumble, which actually 

happened less than six years 

after independence. 

The major highlights of 

1966, the crucial turningpoint 

in Nigerian history with 

serious implications for the 

country’s unity, were the 

failed military coups of 

January and July, and 

pogroms against the Igbo 

domiciled in the north. All 

this led to a profound change 

in the thinking of Igbo 

political leaders and 

intelligentsia about the future 

political structure of Nigeria. 

Without a doubt, Ndigbo 

were the primus inter pares in 

the quest for an independent 

unified Nigeria. And more 

than indigenes of other ethnic 

nationalities they actually put 

into practice the idea of one 

country by living and 

contributing to the 

development of other areas 

outside Igboland, which is 

why they are often described 

as “the Jews of Africa.” The 

respected historian, Prof. 

Tekema Tamuno, affirmed 

that Ndigbo are the makers 

of modern Nigeria. It is fair 

to say that despite incendiary 

attacks on them during the Jos 

and Kano riots of 1945 and 

1953 respectively, they 

remained the staunchest 

believers in a strong central 

government as the only way 

to unite the country. However, 

about four months after the 

northern revanchist coup in 

July 1966 Igbo leaders did a 

complete ideological 

turnaround by proposing a 

loose federation of states with 

a considerable degree of 

autonomy for each federating 

unit, a structure remarkably 

similar to what leading 

northern leaders had been 

clamouring for all along. That 

ideological volt-face was 

clearly on display during 

discussions about the position 

each region would adopt at 

the forthcoming Ad Hoc 

constitutional conference 

slated to begin on September 

12, 1966 by Lt. Col. Yakubu 

Gowon after he become 

supreme commander due to 

the gruesome murder of Maj. 

Gen. J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi.At 

the conference the north still 

stuck to its position of a weak 

centre and relatively strong 

regions, and in order to 

eliminate any possible 

ambiguity about its position 

attached a detailed 

memorandum about the East 

African Common Services 

Organisation as a model. 

Keep in mind that Ironsi’s 

Unification Decree 34 of 1966 

was used as alibi to massacre 

tens of thousands of Ndigbo 

living in the north; it also 

triggered hysterical demands 

for araba or secession, the 

longstanding wish of a 

considerable percentage of 

northerners. Those who 

eulogise Gowon as a 

statesman for being a strong 

champion of One Nigeria 

probably do not know that the 

initial draft of the first speech 

he was to read on August 1, 

1966 after becoming head of 

state included a passage 

announcing secession of the 

north. Unfortunately, at the 

last minute high-ranking 

British and American 

diplomats, citing the potential 

negative economic 

repercussions of such a move 

on the north, dissuaded 

Gowon, Lt. Col. Murtala 

Mohammed and others from 

going ahead. These two men 

and other northern military 

officers who not only 

participated in the coup of 

July 1966 but later became 

heads of state are hypocrites 

and crude opportunists. 

To be continued

HARVEY IGBOANUGO: 

No regrets at 40 


Founderand CEO of Zelo Homes, a 

major real estate player, Mr. Harvey 

Igboanugo, whoclocks 40 tomorrow, 

relishes his journey so far, saying he is 

fulfilled at 40. 

Youwill be 40 tomorrow, how do you 

feel? 

I feelfulfilled coming this far. I thank God 

for bringing me this far in good health.Many 

people wish to celebrate this day and I thank 

God I am among the peopleGod has chosen 

to be celebrated. It is all fun for me and I 

must be grateful toalmighty God who has 

given me sound health to witness this great 

day. Lookingback in the last 40 years it 

hasn’t been an easy journey. 

Can you share your growing up story 

and some of the things you have been 

able toachieve that make you feel 

fulfilled? 

My lifehas been a testimony. As a kid, I 

had this big dream that I would be 

somebodygreat. Today, as I said earlier, I 

feel fulfilled because most things I desiredin 

life have been accomplished beyond 

expectations. It is a very big testimonyfor 

me. And my accomplishments are not things 

I can start naming one by one. Iwouldn’t 

start telling you how I have been progressing 

in my business. I amstill in business despite 

the tragedy that has befallen the world, 

includingCovid-19. 

Youhave successfully done some 

empowerment programmes in your 

community. Whatinspired you? 

I amnot a politician and I don’t intend to 

be one someday. Whatever I do for 

mycommunity is out of love. I love my town 

a lot. Since I was born I have neverspent 

Christmas holiday anywhere in the world 

apart from my community. 

This ishow much I cherish my town. And I 

have so many friends who visit me. Some 

ofthem come in exotic cars and complain 

that we don’t have good roads. Iconsidered 

it as a priority to fix the roads leading to 

some of the villages inmy town and thank 

God we have been able to do a lot to make 

sure we develop ourtown. We can’t just be 

developing cities whereas our town is in 

ruin. 

Youhave been able to register your 

name in the heart of the people no 

doubt. Canyou say at 40 you’re proud 

of yourself? 

I havebeen able to manage my 

relationship with people. If you have been 

able tocreate good relationships with so 

manypeople in the last 40 years, it means 

the next 40 years would be better. I amnot 

content with what I have done in the last 40 

years, but I am happy withwhat I have 

achieved in the last 40 years and I pray that 

the next 40 will bebetter than the previous 

40. 

You’reone person that is loved by 

virtually all your friends. What is the 

secret? 

Ibelieve there is great value in friendship. 

I havebeen to so many places where people 

I don’t even know helped me. We startedbeing 

friends and those relationships yielded great 

fruits in my life andcreated a great impact 

on me 

I valuefriendship a lot. I am the kind of 

person who gives friendship 99 percent. Ithas 

always favoured me most times. Everything 

must not always go the way youwant it, but 

I can tell it pays to invest in relationships. 

I haveso many friends who have stood by 

me in times of difficulties. 

I valuefriendship. I have friends spread 

all over the world. 

Doyou have regrets at 40? 

At 40,as I said earlier, it is all about 

testimony. I don’t have any 

regrets.Everything about me has been the 

way I wanted it. God has been so kind to me. 

Ihave three beautiful kids. I have a boy and 

two girls including my wife. 

Canyou share your happiest moment 

in life? 

One ofthe happiest moments was the day 

I had my son. I felt like I had got the 

wholeworld because that was the only thing 

left for me at that moment. 

Themoment my child arrived, I felt 

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021,PAGE 27 

fulfilled. It wasa day of joy. I can’t just erase 

and he has been making me proud to date. 

Whatare your hobbies? 

I knowhow to do a lot of things. 

Iremember back in secondary school, I 

used to be the best prefect. I could run,play 

tennis, football, badminton and javelin. 

Today, one of my favourite gamesis car 

racing (Formula1) 

I lovecars and I love F1. 

I knowall the rules. I followed them a lot 

as a kid. 

Formula1is a game I cherish a lot maybe 

because when Hamilton came on board, he 

was thefirst black man in the race. And he 

started making us proud 

I havebeen following him and other good 

drivers like Lighting. 

Canyou share your happiest moment 

with your wife? 

My wifeis a unique person and meeting 

her was unique. 

I havebeen in a wonderful marriage. 

Shemakes me happy. She gave me a 

boy and two girls. Of course, I have to 

adoreher. 

I makesure she is happy too. I celebrate 

her always. I know it might sound 

surprisingwhen I say things about my 

son. As a younger person, I had girlfriends. 

When Igot married, it was different from 

having a girlfriend. There is a bond. 

How has your wife inspired you? 

She ismy number one leader. She puts 

me on “gear 5.” She always ensures I get 

thingsdone 

Shelooks out for me whenever I’m 

depressed about business. She calls 

everybody inthe office to know what is 

happening. She is considerate and 

notmaterialistic 

I cantell how many things she has asked 

me to buy for her. I fight to buy things forher 

What isyour advice to young 

people?* 

Thislife is all about focus. 

Myadvice to young people is for them to 

keep their heads up. If you are amechanic, 

know that you have to be strong and 

determined to do the work well. 

You canbe a car manufacturer tomorrow 

if you understand the mechanism of how 

the caris produced. 

Buttoday everybody wants to be in the fast 

lane. 

When Istarted real estate, I started with 

just one plot of land. Every morning Ivisited 

the site to count my materials to be sure the 

supplier supplied theright quantity. I was 

just steadfast in what I was doing. Iresumed 

very early to ensure everything was in place, 

but I can tell you todaythat I don’t go to 

most of my sites 

Whateveryou’re doing, give it attention. 

Nobody can add value to your own 

businessexcept you. 

Glazia Magazine’s revealing conversation with Alex Unusual 

By Nmandi Ojiego 

For Glazia Magazine’s latest 

issue, filmmaker and 

mediapersonality, Alex 

Asogwa, popularly known as 

Alex Unusual, graces the 

cover.Alex Unusual is confident, beautiful, sexy 

and alluring. 

She is a woman with a powerful voice who 

wants to make animpact. 

For the cover of Glazia Magazine’s first 

quarter issue, she talks tothe magazine’s Editorin-Chief, 

Omawumi Ogbe. about life, love, her 

desire tomake a meaningful impact and the 

importance of owning her voice. 

Born Alex Amuchechukwu Asogwa, she 

made her big-screendebut as a 6-month-old 

child model in a Nestle baby food advert. 

The first of three children, Alex who has 

always enjoyedthe limelight in her corner of 

the world, grew to continental fame 

afterparticipating in the 2018 Big Brother 

Naija reality TV show where she emergedthe 

third runner-up. 

From acting in Nollywood to hosting some 

major events inNigeria and representing some 

of the country’s biggest brands, Alex Unusual 

hascome a long way from the housemate you 

saw on BBNaija and she is not holdingback on 

the latest cover of Glazia Magazine. 

The new cover which arrived on digital 

platforms on March31, 2021, has been 

making all the waves on social media and 

Sunday Vanguard hada chat with both the 

cover girl and the woman behind the scenes, 

Omawumi Ogbe. 

Alex Unusual has a lot to celebrate as she 

recentlyreleased her short film, Nucleus, to 

positive reviews. 

Influential 

On the significance of starring on the cover 

of Glazia’sfirst quarter issue, Alex revealed that 

this is her “first magazine cover in awhile. It 

was good to experience the entire process of 

creating a cover again.It was also a bonus that 

from glam to photography, styling and more, 

everyoneon set was nice. Glazia is a 

professional, classy and very organized 

magazineand I am excited to be a part of this 

landmark issue.” 

•Igboanugo and family 

With a photoshoot crafted by Praise the 

Photographer anda pretty intimate cover 

interview to boot, the editorial images were 

shot inVictoria Island, Lagos and feature Alex 

where she seems most comfortable inexquisite 

fashion ensembles by one of Africa’s most 

influential design houses,ATAFO, led by the 

renowned Mai Atafo. 

Theinterview, unlike previous magazine 

features, is in-depth and honest, with 

Alexshowing that she’s not quite the girl many 

people think she is. 

For many Nigerians, the past few months 

have been tryingtimes, and Alex has been an 

all-around inspiration. 

When youths staged one of the biggest mass 

protests tokick against the excesses of the now 

disbanded Special Anti-Robbery 

Squad(SARS), she was at the forefront both on 

social media and the protest ground.She 

helped organize the grounds and showed 

leadership. 

“When the protests started, I wasn’t going 

to getinvolved. I still wanted to say oh, it is not 

my business. Then I went out forthe first time 

because all my friends were going out and for 

the first time Icould see people, I could feel 

their emotions. I saw people that this 

issuemeant a whole lot to, people who take it 

personally,” she added. 

Barriers 

Alex goes down memory lane about her 

formative years andadmits that women today 

are shattering barriers that were hitherto 

standing intheir way. 

She said: “Being a woman in today’s world 

meanspower because I feel like women are 

beginning to take charge of what they 

aresupposed to have taken charge of while 

growing up.” 

On her new short film Nucleus, which has 

received greatbuzz, the New York Film 

Academy graduate said she created the film 

to pass amessage to people. 

”I feel like we love but we don’t love 

enough. Iwanted people to 

understand that they should 

appreciate the people they 

have intheir lives now 

before it is too late. I have 

lost a few people that I 

feltthat I did not love enough, 

especially a little cousin. This is me trying 

tohelp people not to be in the same shoes that 

I am in because I found it hard toforgive myself 

till now. Love is the midpoint of every single 

thing we do. Thenucleus of our existence is 

love.” 

On how people have reacted to the film, Alex 

said Nucleushas been appreciated and 

accepted by a lot of people. 

“Surprisingly, in just a few days I had over 

35,000 viewson my YouTube page that I wasn’t 

using. It is a different thing if my YouTubepage 

was active before now, but it 

wasn’t and I just posted 

something there andI am 

getting 35,000 views in just 

a few days. It has been 

amazing, I havereceived 

a lot of reviews and I 

have not had a bad 

review even 

fromprofessionals 

in the industry and 

my teachers 

abroad.” 

Amends 

The budding 

filmmaker 

revealed that the 

film 

pushedmany 

people to 

m a k e 

amends 

with the 

people 

i n 

•Igboanugo 

has 

•Alex 

t h e i r 

lives. 

“I had two 

friends who haven’t 

spoken to each other in 

awhile and after watching 

the film, both of them called 

me crying and I was likewhy 

don’t you reach out to this person? 

And they said they did that even 

beforecalling me. It is very 

impactful. I love the reception; it is very 

encouragingbecause I didn’t think people 

would appreciate a love movie such as this 

one.People love to see a boy and a girl in love 

and all, not the love withoutromantic feelings 

attached. I needed to show love in a different 

light and Idid that,” she noted. 

Even as she continues to dabble in other 

creative outletsand industries to expand her 

empire, fans shouldn’t be worried, as Alex 

doesn’tforesee herself stopping anytime. She 

intends to contribute positively to 

herfatherland. 

“I want to see changes in Nigeria. I am not 

going tohave the power to change things and 

then I will go to another country and justput it 

there. Since I have the power to tell unique 

stories, why not use thosestories to uplift my 

country?” 

On her part, Omawumi Ogbe said: “For this 

issue, wewanted to show the woman in all her 

essence - the different domains 

ofwomanhood. It portrays her as a sultry 

woman who is also a boss, delicate yetso 

strong, vulnerable but oh so courageous. 

And this, I am glad that our covergirl, 

Alex embodies. 

“Listening to Alex answer my 

questions brilliantly withthe 

assurance of a 25-year old 

who has come into her own, I 

was struck by herconfidence, 

self-awareness and 

emotional intelligence. In 

my interactions with 

herthis year (first in 

January for a 

strategy meeting 

and now for the 

magazinecover), I 

see that Alex is not 

interested in the fluff, 

she is about 

substancein a way 

that is refreshing for 

someone with over 

three million social 

•Ogbe 

mediafollowers, 

living in a world 

where the superficial 

reigns supreme.’’

PAGE 28—SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021 

The principles of the Christian marriage 

Marriage is not man-made; neither is it 

subject to human design. God is the 

author of marriage, meaning marriage was 

made in heaven. The greatest marriage of all 

is that between God the Father and Jesus the 

Son. Theirs is the supreme love story; one that 

is eternal and everlasting. God loved Jesus 

before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24). 

The relationship between God and Jesus is 

the Christian model for the ideal marriage relationship. 

It gives us the exemplary insight of 

how husbands and wives should relate to one 

another. Jesus’ prayer for the Church is also 

applicable to the husband and wife in the Christian 

marriage. He says: 

“I pray that they all may be one, as you, Father, 

are in me, and I in you; that they also may 

be one in us. That they may be one just as we 

are one: I in them, and you in me; that they 

may be made perfect in one, that the love with 

which you loved me may be in them, and I in 

them.” (John 17:20-26). 

Family of God 

At the dawn of creation, God said: “Let us 

make man in our image, according to our likeness.” 

(Genesis 1:26). The plural community 

that reflects God’s image is the special community 

of the husband and the wife. When 

God created man in his image, he created a 

marriage; a family relationship: “God created 

human beings, making them to be like himself. 

He created them male and female.” (Genesis 

1:27). 

The marriage community is a sacred reflection 

of the family of God. Its identity, life and 

power come from God. Paul says: “For this 

reason I bow my knees to the Father of our 

Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family 

in heaven and earth is named.” (Ephesians 

Success in life, ministry: Exercising self control (4) 

IT IS REQUIRED FOR ETERNAL RE- 

WARDS 

When our eyes are set on the finishing line 

always, we will want to finish well and strong. 

This is a desire of many people, but the reality 

is that not many finish well and strong. A survey 

of the Bible characters shows that only onethird 

actually finished well! This is a statistical 

survey taken over several thousands of years 

of Bible characters study. It means that onethird 

of the people in our own contemporary 

world today will also likely finish well, and 

only those who finish well are entitled to eternal 

rewards. Will you be among them? The 

tool you will need to engage is self-control. 

Let’s round it up with Apostle Paul’s admonition 

on this. “And everyone who competes for 

the prize is temperate (egkrateuomai) in all 

things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable 

crown, but we for an imperishable crown….But 

I discipline my body and bring it into subjec- 

INTRODUC- 

TION 

We 

have 

seen, 

from the last serial, 

the importance 

of this requirement 

in the 

appointment of 

spiritual leaders, 

and how, as spiritual 

leaders of to- 

Pastor Akinola 

day, majority have failed this crucial litmus 

test of leadership. In this serial, we shall still 

continue to look at other reasons why, as people 

who want to finish well and strong, should 

have self-control. 

The relationship between 

God and Jesus is the 

Christian model for the ideal 

marriage relationship 

3:14-15). 

The following aspects of God’s relationship 

with Jesus is the blueprint of the ideal 

husband/wife relationship. 

Love and devotion 

Jesus says: “The Father loves the Son.” 

(John 5:20). As the Father loves the Son, so 

must the husband love his wife. This love 

must not be hidden but should be openly 

displayed. Jesus says: “The world must 

learn that I love the Father.” (John 14:31). 

The wedding ceremony gives the husband 

and the wife the imperative from thenceforth 

to show the world their love for one 

another. 

The days of pretence and coyness are over. 

No more: “If I call him on the phone he 

might think I am running after him.” “If I 

phone to tell her where I am; my friends 

might get the impression that I am tied to 

her apron-strings.” Let everyone know you 

are head-over-heels in love with your 

spouse. Let your friends know it. Let your 

parents know it. Let your children know it. 

The marriage relationship is all about love. 

Express it to the full. 

Husband and wife must be devoted to 

pleasing one another. Jesus says: “He who 

sent me is with me. The Father has not left 

me alone, for I always do those things that 

tion, lest when I have preached to 

others, I myself should become disqualified” 

(1 Cor. 9:25, 27). 

So, to obtain “an imperishable 

crown”, which metaphorically 

means eternal reward, you must be 

temperate (or self-controlled) in all 

things. Paul disciplined his body, 

and brought it under control to 

avoid being disqualified from receiving 

his eternal rewards. You too 

cannot do less today if you want to 

have your eternal rewards. Failure 

to control all aspects of your life 

that is within the human volition 

will disqualify you from your reward. 

Distraction is the greatest 

hindrance to accomplishing God’s 

will. Exercise self-control to stay in 

focus with what you must accomplish. 

HOW TO EXERCISE SELF- 

CONTROL 

Someone may ask, “the requirements 

of self-control is too stringent, 

how then can someone successfully 

exercise it and finish well 

and strong?”. Yes, certainly it is 

stringent, but it is not outside our 

means and ability which God has 

bestowed upon us. We only need 

the will power, and the rest will be 

graciously supplied by the Lord. 

You can actually exercise self-control 

on all aspects of your life that 

are within the human volition. We 

shall be considering three major 

areas of operation in this respect, 

viz, 

please him.” (John 8:29). The husband should 

be his wife’s faithful companion. So also should 

the wife remain steadfast beside her husband. 

Even when they are apart, they must remain 

mindful of one another. Moreover, they should 

always do things to please one another. 

Harmony and unity 

Husband and wife have different roles and 

accomplish different functions in marriage. The 

assignment of God the Father is different from 

that of God the Son. Jesus says: “My Father 

loves me, because I lay down my life that I may 

take it again.” (John 10:17). The Son does not 

begrudge the Father his role. Neither does the 

Father begrudge the Son. The same should apply 

between husband and wife. Jesus acknowledges 

the headship of God. He says: “My Father 

is greater than I.” (John 14:28). 

Marriage is the union between husband and 

wife. Therefore, they are required to live together 

in unity of mind and purpose. Jesus says: “I 

and my Father are one.” (John 10:30). So should 

be the husband and the wife. Jesus says: “I am 

in the Father and the Father is in me.” (John 

14:11). This is the most profound expression of 

intimacy that is possible. Physically, it can only 

take place between husband and wife. Spiritually, 

it means the husband and the wife carry 

one another along wherever they go and in whatever 

they do. 

They should also have all things in common. 

Jesus says to God: “All I have is yours, and all 

you have is mine.” (John 17:10). There is no 

private property anymore. No more should one 

say: “My salary is mine but your salary is ours.” 

Communication 

Communication is an essential element in 

marriage. There must be no silent treatment 

between husband and wife. Jesus says: “Father, 

I thank you that you have heard me. And I know 

that you always hear me.” (John 11:41-42). 

Husband and wife must always listen to one 

another. The one should never be too busy to 

listen to what the other has to say. They should 

allow one another to finish their sentences. They 

should always be sending each other love notes 

and text-messages. 

They must share everything. Jesus says: “The 

(a) Moderation in action 

(b) Controlling the tongue, 

and 

(c) Fleeing youthful lusts. 

We shall be studying these in detail 

in the next serial, and His grace 

is sufficient to carry us through life 

successfully. 

CONCLUSION 

The element, self-control is a fruit 

of the Holy Spirit, which is lacking 

in the lives of many, and may eventually 

make or mar their success in 

life and destiny. Being full of Bible 

knowledge or having an experiential 

knowledge of God, without selfcontrol 

leads to an attitude of arrogance. 

Declare your vulnerability 

today before the Lord like Apostle 

Paul did openly, and God said His 

grace is sufficient for Him. Those 

who think they stand should take 

heed, lest they fall. God resists the 

proud, but gives grace to the humble. 

Let the Lord temper you down 

with His grace today, and you will 

be a vessel of honour in His Hands, 

and subsequently become the success 

you had been longing for. 

J.K. Akinola. (Senior Pastor) 

The Gospel Faith Mission International 

(GOFAMINT), Ibadan, 

Nigeria. 

E m a i l : 

flprofenassociate@gmail.com 

Pastor (Dr). E.O. Abina – General 

Overseer. 

Unity building 

Psalm 133:1 

Unity in the country, in the 

church and mosque, unity 

in the association of people 

and unity when making speech, 

the Lord wants us to be united. 

The word of God in Psalm 133:1 

says; how good and how pleasant 

it is for brethren to dwell together 

in unity. Dwelling together 

in unity among people of all 

languages closes the gap of disunity 

and embraces love which 

builds strong relationship in the 

life of someone who also see himself 

or herself relevant among 

others. To maintain unity, you 

must condemn and strongly 

avoid lopsided consideration of 

people in favour. You must avoid 

spirit of hatred, abnormal gathering, 

consider 1 Cor 1:10 which 

says; i beseech you brethren, that 

there be no divisions among you 

but be perfectly joined together 

in the same mind, let things be 

done worthy of honour. 

Father loves the Son, and shows him all things 

that he himself does; and he will show him 

greater works than these, that you may marvel.” 

(John 5:20). There must be nothing hidden 

in the husband/wife relationship. No hidden 

letters or bank accounts. No holding back. 

Everything must be laid bare. Each partner 

must stand naked and unashamed before the 

other. (Genesis 2:25). 

Interdependence 

Husband and wife must do everything together. 

Jesus says: “The Son can do nothing 

by himself.” (John 5:19). Marriage means 

that both husband and wife have chosen to 

lose their independence. They are now a team. 

Jesus says: “I do nothing of myself; but as my 

Father taught me, I speak these things.” (John 

8:28). 

Seek each other’s counsel in everything. 

Don’t start a business without consulting your 

wife or your husband. There is a peculiar wisdom 

that God has given to your wife. There is 

a peculiar wisdom that God has given to your 

husband. One completes the other. One complements 

the other. There is no competition. 

The wife submits to the husband, and the 

husband loves the wife. Jesus says: “I have 

kept my Father's commandments and abide 

in his love.” (John 15:10). Submission reinforces 

love and love reinforces submission. 

The more the husband loves his wife; the more 

he expresses love for his wife, the more she 

will submit to him. Similarly, the more the 

wife submits to her husband the more he will 

love her. 

Husband and wife esteem one another. 

Jesus says: “If I honour myself, my honour is 

nothing. It is my Father who honours me.” 

(John 8:54). Husband and wife must operate 

as a kind of mutual admiration society. They 

must be one another’s major cheerleaders. 

Where the husband disrespects his wife, the 

marriage does not last, and where the wife 

disrespects the husband, the marriage does 

not last. 

Solomon says: “He who finds a wife finds a 

good thing, and obtains favour from the Lord. 

(Proverbs 18:22). 

BISHOP MACRRAN 

RANSOM KELNANAH 

The Apostolic Christian Chapel 

3, Shoyinka Street, Itire 

08035130729 

Disunity is the power of separation 

in all standards. Avoid disunity 

among people, let there be 

peace and love in churches and 

mosque, there should be no antagonist. 

The word of God says in 2 

Cor 13:11. Finally brethren, farewell, 

be perfect, be of good comfort, 

be of one mind, live in peace 

and the God of love and shall be 

with you. To whomever the maker 

of love and peace dwell with, such 

is a great privilege. If you know your 

creator, the Lord Jesus Christ your 

Savour all are perfectly well with 

you, in Jesus name. 

How to work at keeping Unity; 

Eph 4:3-6 

Endeavour to keep the unity of 

the spirit in the bond of peace Col 

3:14. There is one body and one 

spirit, even as you are called in one 

hope of your calling; One Lord, One 

faith, one baptism, one God and 

father of all who is above all and 

through all and in all. Phil 3:16 the 

word of God says that we should 

walk by the same rules, lets mind 

the same thing, therefore, we 

should think of the same thing. In 

all things on earth, we must know 

that the life we live and the air we 

breath are own by someone, these 

two things are highly essential that 

if one is absent, you cant survive. 

Covid-19: Saints of God, have faith in God, not in vaccine 

JESUS said, “Have faith in God." --Mark 

11:22. Healing and immunity comes 

only from God through Jesus, the Truth. 

Obedience to the truth, is the shield and buckler 

against any deadly and noisome pestilence, 

such as COVID-19. —Psalm 91:4. 

It is not the “social distancing” or the “wearing 

of masks” or the “lock-down order” decreed 

in various countries of the world, that 

saved the lives of majority of the inhabitants of 

the world, but it is the mercy of the Lord, who 

shows mercy to whom He wills. —Lamentations 

3:22; Romans 9:15. 

COVID-19 is one of the judgments of God 

upon the inhabitants of the earth, because 

they do not fear Him. These judgments are 

to make them to fear God and to learn righteousness. 

—Isaiah 26:9b. 

And the whole duty of man on earth is to 

fear God and obey His commandments. -- 

Ecclesiastes 12:13. 

No vaccine or medicines can stop the 

judgments of God upon the inhabitants of 

the earth except they repent of their wickedness, 

and thereafter look up to Jesus for 

their salvation. In Jeremiah 46:11b, it is 

written, “in vain shalt thou use many medicines; 

for thou shalt not be cured.” 

Vaccination is vanity, when the wrath of God 

is upon a people! The untimely death of mankind, 

is majorly as a result of the sin of man. -- 

Romans 6:23a. No man hath power in the day 

of death. —Ecclesiastes 8:8a. 

Neither hath vaccine power in the day of death 

of those, who because of the fear of death, take 

this vaccine. But perfect love casts out the fear of 

death. --1 John 4:18. This perfect love is to keep 

the truth. —1 John 2:5a. 

COVID-19, one of the evil diseases of Egypt, 

is not the portion of the righteous nation, who 

keep the truth. —Exodus 7:12-15. 

As righteous nation, our safety is in running to 

the name of the Lord, which is the truth.—Proberbs 

18:10. There is no safety in running to 

COVID-19 vaccine. Therefore, have faith in 

God and in His Son, Jesus, who has the keys 

of hell and of death. ---Revelation 1:18. Whatever 

any authority says about COVID-19 and 

its vaccine, will only come to pass, when the 

Lord commands it. And the Lord will not command 

COVID-19 to kill the righteous nation, 

who keeps the truth! God forbid! 

Christian Gospel Church 

(The Truth Centre), 4 Christian Gospel Avenue, 

Beside Psychiatric Hospital, Uselu, 

Benin City, Edo State 

Email:cgc.com.ng@gmail.com 

Telephone: +234(0) 7052061135, 

+234(0)9030731406 

Website: www.cgc.thetruthcentre.com

Through the resurrection power, 

that problem shall be over 

Instant healing of 17 years paralyses after pastor's prayer caused woman 

to abandon wheechair 

Beloved, today is a 

special day in the 

sense that Christians 

all over the world are 

demonstrating their appreciation 

for what our 

Lord Jesus Christ did for 

humanity. He came and 

died a sacrificial death for 

our sin, was buried and on 

the third day 

resurrected in order to 

rescue us from the impending 

doom occasioned 

by the sin of Adam and Eve. 

He laid down His life for 

the love He has for mankind 

and was not coerced 

into it for He has power to 

give it up and take it back. 

Jn 10: 17-18 says, 

“Therefore doth my Father 

love me, because I lay 

down my life, that I might 

take it again. No man taketh 

it from me, but I lay it 

down of myself. I have 

power to lay it down, and I 

have power to take it 

again. This commandment 

have I received of my 

Father.” 

The power of resurrection 

which we are appreciating 

today opens door for 

our salvation, deliverance 

and all the gifts of life. We 

want to let people realize 

that the essence of His coming 

to die and resurrect is 

nothing but that we might 

be abundantly blessed. And 

these blessings are not limited 

to Christians alone but 

to as many as will accept 

Him as Lord and personal 

Saviour. 

As we celebrate the power 

of His resurrection today, 

the challenges of humanity 

including physical, spiritual, 

political and economic 

challenges that are distorting 

the progress of man 

shall by this divine program 

become eradicated. That is 

more reason I am urging all 

to use the occasion of this 

Easter and come to Jesus so 

that their problem shall be 

no more. 

Beloved, the resurrection 

of Christ brings that optimism 

that no matter how 

difficult or how challenging 

our situation may be, as 

long as there is resurrection, 

there will be a restoration 

and since Jesus has 

defeated death, then all 

things are possible. This 

also suggests that as bad 

as the prevailing situation 

in our country might 

appear, there is the expectation 

that things will get 

better if we can boldly 

come on His throne of 

grace to obtain 

mercy. We should understand 

that His victory 

over death is our victory 

over sin and Satan, over 

sicknesses and diseases, 

barrenness and poverty, 

and restoration of all we 

loss in Adam. If you believe 

it, I am assuring you 

that your entire problem 

shall be over in Jesus 

name 

God who is full of compassion 

has decided to 

end the suffering of man 

through the death and 

resurrection of His only 

begotten son so that the 

problem of man shall be 

completely over. 

God who is full of compassion has 

decided to end the suffering of man 

through the death and resurrection of 

His only begotten son 

That is why the Scripture 

says, “For God so 

loved the world, that he 

gave his only begotten 

Son, that whosoever believeth 

in him should not 

perish, but have everlasting 

life” (John 3:16). God 

made a way for man to be 

free from Satan and by 

extension, suffering, afflictions, 

satanic bondage 

and every consequence of 

sin through Jesus Christ. 

If you are outside the 

kingdom of God, a backslider, 

afflicted and or 

oppressed by the kingdom 

of darkness, Christ 

has come for you and you 

must be free, saved and recovered. 

No matter what 

your problem may be 

God will deliver and save 

you and everything you 

have lost from the beginning 

shall be restored to 

you in Jesus name. 

Remember, it is never 

the will of God that any 

soul should perish or remain 

under satanic slavery 

or suffering, affliction 

nor bondage of any 

sort, but all shall come to 

repentance and become 

free because God has determine 

that your problem 

will be over this Easter. 

However, it is only the 

acceptance of our Lord 

Jesus Christ in your life 

and family that will mark 

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021,PAGE 29 

Brother joyfully lifted walking aid after receiving 

healing of 5 years paralyses during the Sunday 

programme at Lagos headquarters. 

the end of your bondage, 

sufferings and sorrows. 

John 8:36 says, “If the Son 

therefore shall make you 

free, ye shall be free indeed.” 

Jesus in your life will certainly 

and completely make 

you free and never to remain 

in sin, sorrow, affliction, 

poverty or crisis anymore. 

TESTIMONY 

10 YEARS YOKE OF 

SMOKING BROKEN 

My name is Sister Ngozi 

Ndukamma. I want to testify 

how God broke ten 

years yoke of smoking in my 

life and granted me salvation. 

Prior to receiving my 

salvation I was into beerparlour 

business for more 

than five years without an 

inkling that I was in sin. 

While I was into this business, 

I was also smoking 

and in a day could smoke 

about three packets of cigarette. 

But on a fateful day 

a woman living on same 

street where I was doing 

that business invited me to 

their church. When I asked 

the church she was attending. 

She replied “The 

Lord’s Chosen”. As at that 

time, I was attending a 

church with its headquarters 

at Sango-Otta. The sister 

said that God specifically 

sent her to invite me to 

The Lord’s Chosen program. 

I bluntly told her I 

did not want to go to The 

Lord’s Chosen. But everyday 

she would come to that 

beer-parlour to preach to 

me. On a particular visit, 

she made a statement that 

she would not cease inviting 

me until I honoured 

the invitation to The Lord’s 

Chosen. 

When I asked why she 

was determined to see me 

in Chosen, her response 

was that it was God who 

sent her. After hearing her 

that day, I suddenly became 

anxious to attend 

Lord’s Chosen program. 

But I was in a dilemma 

because as at that time, I 

did not have a single gown 

and the Chosen Church 

frowns at women wearing 

trousers, So I pondered on 

what to do the woman said 

if I came to The Lord’s 

Chosen, I would see what 

God would do for me. I 

asked her if I could wear 

trousers and come since I 

had no gown, she said no. 

Then I took decision to attend 

the Church program 

and also let her know of 

my conclusion. 

She directed me to where 

I would go and join the 

church bus, but as I did not 

wake up on time, the 

church bus left. However, 

that afforded me the opportunity 

to go to my sister 

to borrow a gown from 

her and wear. Before my 

sister gave her gown, she 

asked why I wanted to 

wear gown, because she 

had been telling me to 

wear gown to no avail. I 

told her that a Chosen sister 

invited me to her 

church. My sister raised 

her hands and began to 

praise God on my behalf 

because from my youth to 

adult age, I had been putting 

on trousers; I had never 

worn skirt or gown for a 

very long time. 

After putting on the trouser 

and getting to the busstop, 

I saw a bus with the 

inscription “The Lord’s 

Chosen”. I boarded the bus 

and it took us to the 

Church. 

Not quite long we arrived 

and took our seats, I 

heard the General Pastor 

said “You that woman that 

is into smoking, I break 

that yoke in the name of 

Jesus” and immediately I 

felt something left me, and 

my body started shaking. 

The General Pastor continued 

and said, ‘those 

women wearing trousers 

should know they are into 

sin, same thing with those 

committing fornication. 

As many as are hearing my 

voice, whether new or old 

member, I want you to understand 

that there may be 

something you are doing 

and may not know you are 

being controlled by demonic 

spirit, and because 

you do not know there is a 

spirit behind it that is why 

you find it difficult to renounce. 

Today, that yoke 

will be broken in Jesus 

name” Behold as the General 

Pastor prayed for us 

that day, it was like a big 

load was lifted off me. 

Even in the village, they 

know I was into smoking, 

whenever I wanted to 

smoke I would hide and 

smoke, yet when I came out 

from my hiding place, they 

would know that I had 

gone to smoke. But Pastor 

prayed that first day the 

yoke is broken. Moreover 

God of Chosen has 

changed my business, I am 

very happy to be a Chosen.

PAGE 30—SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021 

We must not jeopardize our unity, 

Achbishop Martins warns at Easter 

By Sam Eyoboka 

NIGERIANS from all 

walks of life have been 

urged to unite and work assiduously 

to build a peaceful 

and united country, particularly 

at this period of growing 

insecurity, fear and anxiety 

in the land. 

This was the submission of 

the Catholic Archbishop of 

Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale 

Martins in his 2021 Easter 

message signed by the Director 

of Social Communi- 

Acceleration for the achievement 

of purpose though prayers 

TEXT: 1KINGS 18:42- 

46 

42 

So Ahab went up to eat 

and to drink. And Elijah went 

up to the top of Carmel; and 

he cast himself down upon the 

earth, and put his face between 

his knees, 43 And said to his 

servant, Go up now, look toward 

the sea. And he went up, 

and looked, and said, There is 

nothing. And he said, Go again 

seven times. 44 And it came to 

pass at the seventh time, that 

he said, Behold, there ariseth a 

little cloud out of the sea, like a 

man’s hand. And he said, Go 

up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy 

chariot, and get thee down that 

the rain stop thee not. 45 And it 

came to pass in the meanwhile, 

that the heaven was black with 

clouds and wind, and there was 

a great rain. And Ahab rode, 

PASTOR O.C. CHUKWUEZIE. 

CAC Madaiyese Regional Headquaters 

Plot 701/702 Durumi District 

P.O. BOX 2577 

Garki, Abuja. 

Contact us on: 08155555048, like us on 

facebook @cacdurumi 

and went to Jezreel. 46 And the 

hand of the LORD was on Elijah; 

and he girded up his loins, 

and ran before Ahab to the entrance 

of Jezreel. 

“Ordinarily no man can outrun 

a Chariot. You cannot 

compare the strength of a man 

with that of a Chariot neither 

can you compare their speed. 

“But with God nothing 

shall be impossible.” The 

Bible records that “Elijah got 

to the city before Ahab 

who was on the Chariot…” 

he ran before 

Ahab….amazing! This is a 

miracle. It is supernatural 

speed. This week you can enjoy 

speeds through prayer in all 

your life’s endeavours. 

“There is no other activity in 

life some important as that of 

prayers. Every other activity in 

His glorious resurrection and ours 

The quest for God in the 

heart of man ought to 

be unabated and unappeasable. 

Quest in the wrong 

direction has and will always 

impoverish the soul, leaving a 

deep blight on the life, and with 

a miserable and dejected hope. 

This is because such heart has 

trusted in the vanity and fickleness 

of created things; this is 

idolatry, and idols are nothing 

– 1 Cor. 8:4. It therefore behooves 

us to cultivate the heart 

that contemplates on God. 

Sin has warped our faculties 

and destroyed our capacity for 

God, alienating us from Him, 

this has robbed us of our true 

image and personality as God 

ordained it – Gen. 1:26-27. In 

Jesus Christ, however God has 

cations, Rev. Fr. Anthony 

Godonu. 

Archbishop Martins also 

called on the country’s leadership 

at all levels to be more 

proactive and sincere in tackling 

the numerous challenges 

plaguing the nation such 

as "insecurity, endemic corruption, 

economic woes, ethnic 

agitations, worsening unemployment, 

amongst several 

others. Failure to urgently 

address these problems, he 

warned, was capable of 

plunging the entire nation in 

President of UACC, Rev Dr. James Bayo Owoyemi 

exchanging pleasantries with the President, PFN, 

Bishop Francis Wale Oke during the visit. 

Rev. Emmanuel Awazie 

*Assemblies of God Church 

Nigeria, 111 Clegg Street, 

Surulere, Lagos. 

undertaken to fully restore all 

who will believe; that is the reason 

Jesus came and died. 

It was necessary for Him to 

die – LK. 24:46 so that He 

might bring perfect redemption 

– Heb. 2:17. Our Lord Jesus 

Christ became one with the 

human race by identification, 

one with a sinful race that was 

condemned to die – Rom. 

6:23; He never partook of our 

transgression – Heb. 4:14-15; 

for the purpose of death, He 

was made sin – 2 Cor. 5:21. This 

was in total obedience to the 

will of the Father – Matthew 

26:39; Heb. 10:7; by His loving 

identification with a powerless, 

rebellious and doomed 

humanity, Christ put on the 

sinful flesh and there, and for- 

the path of disintegration." 

He congratulated Christians 

and indeed all Nigerians 

on the successful completion 

of the 40-day Lenten season, 

a period set aside to prepare 

them for the celebration 

of Easter, the most important 

Christian feast. He urged all 

Christians to allow the spiritual 

gains of the Lenten season 

to continue to take effect 

in their daily lives. 

The prelate also stressed 

the need for all Nigerians to 

continue to live in true brotherhood, 

adding, however, 

"that this can only be reinforced 

when there is love, 

mutual respect and tolerance. 

Be humble, PFN President, Oke tells Christians 

The President of 

Pentecostal Fellowship of 

Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Wale 

Oke has urged Christians to 

be truthful, sincere and 

emulate the humility of Jesus 

Christ in whatever they do. 

Oke, who gave this advice 

when the President of the 

United Apostolic Church of 

Christ (UACC), Dr. Bayo 

Owoyemi, paid him a visit in 

his office, also warned 

Christians against divisions 

but work together for the 

good of all. 

He said: “We can do nothing 

except by the help and mercy 

of God, the flesh cannot do 

the work of the spirit.” 

The PFN leader thanked 

Owoyemi and his team for the 

visit and prayed for God 

blessings upon them. 

Earlier in his speech, the 

UACC President, Owoyemi, 

said the visit was to 

congratulate Bishop Oke on 

his elevation as PFN 

President and to appreciate 

him for the role he played 

during his (Owoyemi) 

ordination as the UACC 

leader. 

He also used the occasion to 

solicit the support and advice 

of the bishop to successfully 

pilot the affairs of UACC and 

take it to a greater height. 

life depends on prayers for its 

best efficacy” (E.M Andross). 

God in the mystery of prayers 

has entrusted us with a force 

that can move the heavenly 

world and bring its power 

down to earth. With prayers, 

there is no loss of hope. It does 

not matter how far behind you 

are in your family or among 

your colleagues in your career, 

you can still come forward. The 

Lord can still accelerate your 

speed or achievement in life. 

This, is what prayer does. It 

gives you divinespeeds. What 

took others months or years to 

achieve can take you days or 

hour to accomplish as a result 

of the investment of prayers. 

Are you expecting something 

from the lord which appears 

to be getting too long to come 

through? Just set in motion the 

weapon of fervent prayers and 

you will experience the release 

of wisdom and grace that will 

double up your speed for 

breakthrough, the obstacles 

and hindrances will be totally 

removed by the supernatural 

hands of the Almighty God. 

Everyone thought that the end 

had come for Jonah because 

he disobeyed God. But a miracle 

took place when he repented 

and prayed (Jonah 3:3-4). 

Jesus is the same yesterday today 

and forever more. 

ever, He destroyed sin as the 

principle of human existence – 

Rom. 8:3. When He died, He 

destroyed the power of death, 

which is sin and completely 

annulled it – 1 Cor. 15:56; Heb. 

2:14. 

Our Lord was raised, is glorified 

and restored to His position 

in the God-Head; by His 

redemption, He has made the 

way open for the restoration of 

all who would believe. To enter 

into His glory, He had to bear 

the agonies of sin and death – 

Luke 24:26; death was and still 

remains the very spot where sin 

and corruption must be dealt 

with, abolished and done away 

with before there could be the 

glorious resurrection of the 

Righteous One, and then for 

those He makes righteous by 

their faith in Him. – 1 Cor. 

15:42-44. God who "raised 

Him (Christ) from the dead 

and seated Him at His right 

hand in the heavenly places, ... 

also made (you) alive, who 

were dead in trespasses and 

sins,...." Eph. 1:20; 2:1. 

A'Ibom Police exhume corpse of 36-year-old 

kidnap victim 

By Chioma Onuegbu 

HE Akwa Ibom State 

TPolice Command has 

exhumed the decomposing 

corpse of Onyeka Ezewulu, a 

36-year-old businessman 

who was buried in a shallow 

grave near a stream in Mbiaso 

community, Nsit Ibom 

Local Government Area of 

the state 

The corpse of the Chinabased 

businessman who deals 

in exotic boxes and clothes 

was exhumed on March 29, 

2021, four days after kidnappers 

collected the sum of two 

Monarchs want roles included in 

constitution 

By Etop Ekanem 

he National Council 

Tof Traditional Rulers in 

Nigeria, NCTRN, has 

called for the inclusion of 

its roles in the constitution. 

The council made this 

appeal when its members, 

led by Etsu Nupe, HRH Yahaya 

Abubakar, met with 

the Senate President, 

Ahmed Lawan, during the 

submission of a memorandum 

to the Constitution Review 

Committee. 

The memorandum was 

signed by the Chairman of 

NCTRN, Alhaji Muhammad 

Sa’ad Abubakar, the 

Sultan of Sokoto and the 

co-Chair, His Royal Majesty, 

Oba Adeyeye Enitan 

Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife. 

The Etsu Nupe lamented 

that under the present arrangement, 

traditional rulers 

do not have the constitutional 

or other legal backings 

to perform effectively 

as they are not even mentioned 

in the 1999 constitution. 

“This is a great departure 

from all earlier Constitutions 

that recognised us and 

even gave us some functions 

to perform. No community 

or nation will thrive without 

due consideration of its 

historical evolution, customs, 

values and beliefs”, 

he stressed. 

Reacting, President of the 

Senate, Ahmad Lawan, expressed 

the belief that the 

traditional institution 

needs to be given constitutional 

roles to combat issues 

like insecurity in the country. 

Oyo State deputy governor, Engineer Rauf Olaniyan 

presenting plaque to the Chairman/CEO, Total Grace 

Group, Dr. Henry Mobolaji Akinduro after he was decorated 

as Oyo NUJ patron on Sunday, at NUJ secretariat, 

Iyaganku, Ibadan. With Finance director of total grace 

oil and Gas Mr Andrew Adu 

Petroleum Institute, Effurun 

elevates Adegbite 

he Petroleum Training 

TInstitute, Effurun, Delta 

State has appointed Dr. 

Michael Adegbite, as the Director 

of Engineering, DoE, 

of the institute, with effect 

from January 1, 2021. 

The Institute’s Governing 

Council ratified the promotion 

at its 142nd meeting held 

on March 4, 2021, in Abuja. 

Prior to his promotion, he 

was the Head, Quality Management 

System (QMS) of 

the establishment. 

Adegbite joined the employ 

of the Institute on March 2, 

1989, as then lecturer in the 

Department of Welding Engineering 

and Offshore Technology. 

He holds a Bachelor’s degree 

(B.Sc.) in Metallurgical 

and Materials Engineering 

from the now Obafemi 

t’s a good thing to always 

Igive back to the society 

as your own little way of supporting 

the well-being of the 

under privileged people. 

This is what Amb. Wisdom 

Madukwe intends to do, on 

Thursday, April 8, as he marks 

his 45th birthday anniversary 

Ṁadukwe through his 

foundation, Tehilla Ambassadors 

Foundation (TAF), an 

offshoot of Aba, Abia statebased 

Tehilla Arena Gospel 

Centre, will be empowering 

the widows, the sick and physically 

challenged, on his special 

day. 

During the COVID-19 lock 

down, Madukwe empowered 

both the young and old indigent 

people in the society, by 

Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 

1987, two Masters of Science 

(M.Sc.) in Welding and Adhesive 

Bonding of Engineering 

Materials, and Offshore 

and Ocean Technology (Offshore 

Material option) from 

Brunel University, Uxbridge, 

London, United Kingdom, 

and Cranfield University, 

Cranfield, United Kingdom, 

in 1993 and 2003 respectively. 

He also holds a doctorate 

degree (Ph.D) from Cranfield 

University, United Kingdom 

in 2014. 

Adegbite 

Wisdom Madukwe gives back to society 

on his 45th birthday 

providing food items and 

medical supplies to them. 

In statement, Mr. Michael 

Ofuonye, manager, Tehilla 

Ambassadors Foundation, 

said Amb. Madukwe is poised 

to use the opportunity offered 

by his 45th birthday celebration 

to empower more widows, 

aged people, youths and 

physically challenged people 

in the society. The event is also 

expected to feature side attractions 

such as raffle draw, 

dance and thanks giving service. 

•Madukwe 

million naira ransom from 

his family. 

Late Ezewulu, who hailed 

from Anambra State was kidnapped 

on March 5, 2021, by 

a four-man kidnap gang 

comprising three males and 

one female-identified as Deborah 

Sunday along Idoro 

Road, Uyo. 

Deborah Sunday led the 

Special Tactical Squad, 

(STS) team, and other police 

officers to their hideout and 

the shallow grave 

The other three members 

of the kidnap gang were, however, 

gunned down when they 

engaged the STS team led by 

CSP Julian Igbodu, in a gun 

duel at the hideout. 

Deborah Sunday who is 

now in Police net told newsmen 

at the scene where the 

body was exhumed that the 

victim died on March 6, 

2021,as a result of loss of 

blood from the bullet wound. 

Industrialist tasks 

media on resilience 

in face of trial 

By Tunde Oso 

arring the challenges 

Bof insecurity and hazards 

of discharging their duties, 

journalists have been 

tasked on the need to deliver 

their duties in keeping with 

the ethics of their profession. 

The Chairman/CEO of Total 

Grace Group, Dr. Henry 

Akinduro, gave the charge in 

Ibadan, the Oyo State capital 

on Sunday while being invested 

as the patron, Nigerian 

Union of Journalists, Oyo 

State chapter. 

Akinduro noted that the 

with the challenges of insecurity 

and the COVID-19 

pandemic, coupled with challenges 

faced by media houses, 

it becomes difficult for 

professionals to adhere to 

ethical standards. 

He said, “It is the responsibility 

of the leadership to protect 

the political, social, and 

economic interests of the citizens 

in the process of nationbuilding 

while journalism 

helps to remind those in authority 

of their obligations to 

the people which include finding 

solutions to difficult problems, 

stabilising the polity 

and guiding the society to 

peace and prosperity. 

“What most of our political 

office holders forget is that 

it is the responsibility of journalists 

to shape the national 

conversation by providing insights 

on critical issues as they 

affect their various audiences". 

Xerde introduces 

app for social 

funding 

N 

igerians looking to 

host their social events 

including parties and charity 

drives have a reason to smile 

as fintech outfit, Xerde Limited 

has rolled out its innovative 

application, Tudo. 

Founder of the startup, 

Khadijat Abdulkadir said the 

app provides solutions to social 

funding while driving digital 

transformation and providing 

quality and accessible 

solutions to Africa. 

According to Khadijat, who 

holds a double Masters in 

Business Engineering and 

Management Science, Tudo 

is a Social Fintech which enables 

financial collaboration 

by providing users with an alternative 

way to achieve social 

financial goals by creating 

and then sharing them 

with contacts to achieve them 

faster with the contribution of 

each individuals’ extended network. 

“This is really just to solve 

the social day-to-day things 

that we do quite more often 

but do not have a wholesome 

platform to handle. The whole 

idea is to support you to gather 

the funds as an organisation, 

we take service from end to 

end".

Viewpoint 

By Dennis Akpotu 

Following the courtesy visit by the Deputy 

Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege 

to the Delta State APC leader, Olorogun Otega 

Emehor in his country home recently to mend 

fences and forge a common front for the party is 

a testament to the good tidings that awaits the 

party in 2023. 

It is no fallacy to say that the party, the All 

Progressives Congress, APC in Delta State had 

been factionalised and disunited these sundry 

years. As the popular saying goes “A house divided 

amongst itself cannot stand”.The APC has 

to go into the gubernatorial race in 2023 with a 

united front and to rally around a common candidate 

whosoever emerges as the flag bearer of 

the party. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, 

having been in governance since the inception 

of the 4thRepublic have developed tap roots 

which would require a quantum of force to dislodge. 

Deltans cannot know how far they have been 

misruled, mismanaged and robbed of its natural 

endowments until they inevitably seek another 

alternative political platform. It is then 

they would know how far they have been short 

changed. 

It is quite said and appalling that Delta State 

By Kennedy John 

The importance of Bureau De Change, 

BDC, operators in Nigeria’s Foreign 

Exchange, FX, market can’t be 

overemphasised. In a dollar-dependent 

economy such as ours, their existence and 

operations have become part of the main 

arteries that keep the economy running. 

Ever since the entry of BDC operators in the 

financial space, the FX system has been 

broadened, leading to improved access to 

foreign currencies. 

It is important to note that the origin of BDC 

could be traced to the period Alhaji 

Abdulkarim Ahmed was the governor of the 

Central Bank of Nigeria. Hence the legal 

backing they enjoy from the CBN.. 

There are several sources of FX in Nigeria. 

They include the CNB, the Investor and 

Exporter (I&E) FX window, commercial 

banks, and Bureau De Change Operators. The 

CBN mostly gets foreign currency from our 

crude oil exports, while exporters and investors 

get FX from business dealings with foreign 

counterparts. The commercial banks mainly 

acquire theirs from domiciliary account 

deposits, and they also buy foreign currencies 

from the CBN. 

By Femi Ezekiel 

A 

week after he took over the mantle of 

leadership as the fifth democratically 

elected Governor of Ogun State and paid an 

unscheduled visit to the Olabisi Onabanjo 

University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, 

Prince Dapo Abiodun had expressed 

shock at what he described as “the deplorable 

condition” of the state-owned health institution. 

As it were then, when the current administration 

came on board on May 29, 

2019, the institution seemed to have become 

a shadow of its old self and almost a death 

trap. The sorry state of the decrepit structures, 

obsolete and non-functional equipment, 

and offensive odour emitting from the 

mortuary, due to lack of maintenance, spoke 

volumes of the glacial insensitivity, resulting 

from several years of neglect. Lack of funding, 

inadequate training and poor remunerations 

for the medical personnel also account- 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

For Edo State-born politician, philanthro 

pist and business mogul, Captain Hosa 

Okunbo, it was a sigh of relief when he was 

cleared of the alleged theft and criminal diversion 

of company funds leveled against him 

by a former Chairman of the defunct Skye 

Bank, Dr. Tunde Ayeni. 

Okunbo was Ayeni’s erstwhile business partner. 

The bone of contention was whether Okunbo 

lawfully acquired Ayeni’s interest in Ocean 

Marine Solutions Limited, OMSL, an issue that 

generated so much heat. 

The Nigeria Police, however, laid the matter 

to rest as it exonerated the Edo-born business 

in the matter saying he (Okunbo) was 

blameless 

Upon a thorough investigation, the police in 

a letter to Okunbo’s lawyer, Mr. Augustine 

Alegeh, SAN, copied to the Attorney-General 

and Minister of Justice as well as the Chairman 

of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, said the petition by Ayeni 

against Okunbo could not be established. 

Ayeni’s petition 

Ayeni had through his lawyer, Mr. Femi 

Falana, SAN, filed a petition on December 7, 

2020, with the police accusing Okunbo of theft 

DELTA APC: On the march again... 

Breathe of life at OOUTH 

ed largely for the sharp decline. The unsavoury 

development, to a large extent, adversely affected 

the morale boosting of the personnel who 

had relapsed into a slough of despondency, culminating 

in brain-drain of capable hands 

abroad in search of greener pastures. Apart from 

the poor pay, the quality of life of the medical 

workers and their family members were nothing 

to write home about. The bulk of the blame 

could be laid on the doorstep of previous administration 

which had paid lip service on the 

welfare of the staff and also, when it couldn’t fill 

the vacant positions, on account of increasing 

wage bill and absence of subventions. Though 

staff wages were paid regularly, it was regrettable 

that the poor funding of the institution was 

identified as the major problem, because the 

capital budget that should have been released 

to upgrade the facilities were not forthcoming. 

The entire rot was a systemic failure. While taking 

cognizance of the dream of the founding 


OMSL palaver: How Okunbo floored Ayeni 

of the funds of Ocean Marine Solutions Limited, 

a company they, in company with others, 

had formed. 

The former chairman of the defunct Skye 

Bank (now Polaris Bank) had last year, 

dragged Okunbo (his business partner) to the 

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, for alleged mismanagement, stealing 

and diversion of funds from their company – 

Ocean Marine Security, OMS, Limited. 

Ayeni’s decision elicited angry reactions 

from sources privy to the business deals between 

the two. 

Ayeni, in the petition by his counsel, Mr. 

Femi Falana, alleged how Okunbo attempted 

to scheme him out of the company, saying he 

had since discovered “a lot of stealing and diversion 

as well as gross mismanagement of 

large sums of money belonging to the company.” 

The former bank boss also alleged that Okunbo, 

whom he said had been his partner since 

2003, deceived him and took over control of 

the company while he was undergoing a court 

trial, which he claimed had distracted him. 

Besides, Ayeni said he and Okunbo invested 

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege 

being one of the major oil producing states of the 

country stands as huge joke to its contemporaries 

as regards administration,infrastructure and social 

amenities. Its time for the alternative. 

The closest alternative political platform is the 

All Progressives Congress, APC. Is the APC ready 

to wrest power from the PDP in Delta State in 

2023? This is the million dollars question that is 

agitating the minds of concerned citizens in Delta 

State. It cannot be business as usual for the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP. The time for change is 

at hand – The PDP days are numbered. That is, if 

the All Progressives Congress, APC can put their 

house in order before the election of 2023. 

According to the unwritten constitution of the 

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Delta Central Senatorial 

District is expected to produce the next governorship 

candidate for the election in 2023. There 

is nothing wrong for the All Progressives Congress, 

APC, to align their thoughts towards this 

direction. The candidature of Chief Great Ovedje 

Ogboru should not be ruled out completely despite 

the fact that he had contested severally and 

lost out. True enough some wrong sand mistakes 

have been made in the past but this is not the time 

to lay blames on anybody. Great Ogboru should 

be encouraged to go in for the kill for the last time. 

This time might just be right for him to succeed. 

With the supposed united front of the APC in all the 

Senatorial districts, he will surely make it. Chief 

Great Ogboru has something precious to offer 

Deltans, that is probably why he had been gunning 

for the guber race all these years. He cannot 

do it alone. He needs the absolute support of the 

inherent APC members in all nook sand crannies 

of the state to actualise this dream. The obvious 

fact that Chief Ogboru is a very popular man in 

fathers of the institution towards providing excellent 

healthcare to the people, with a strong 

emphasis on emergency services with modern 

equipment, Abiodun, when he visited the 

OOUTH, Sagamu, on Sunday, June 9, 2019, 

had expressed disappointment and displeasure 

over the deplorable state, saying, “the hospital 

was unfit to churn out qualified and competent 

medical personnel, considering the institution’s 

poor condition which required urgent attention. 

This new administration attaches a high importance 

to the health sector and we cannot 

fold our arms, while the only teaching hospital 

in the state continues to degenerate. 

“I don’t see how this place can produce good 

doctors; we shall go back to the drawing board. 

“This place is sub-standard. This hospital is 

in a depressing state. We shall improve the 

facilities and work on the personnel. 

“I am putting up a team that will swing 

into action as soon as I get the final report from 

in the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, 

IBEDC, but his partner moved the company’s 

account to another bank and abandoned 

repayment of a $100 million loan used to fund 

the acquisition of the power firm. 

The petition reads: “Subsequently, Capt. 

Hosa Okunbo told our client that all accounts 

of the businesses that he was involved in for 

which he was a signatory, was being rumoured 

to be closed because of the trial our 

client was facing, and it was important for 

him to step aside from the Ocean Marine and 

its subsidiaries structure and hand over to him 

so that he could protect the income sources as 

that was the only source of income with which 

to fund the faithful repayment of the gross 

liabilities, which were well over $150 million 

owed to a consortium of banks led by Polaris 

Bank over the acquisition of the IBEDC and 

the YEDC DisCos as at the time. 

“Our client agreed to the advice and did not 

doubt Capt. Hosa Okunbo’s sincerity and intention 

to act in good faith, based on the trust 

our client had in him as they had both been 

working and partnering together since July 

2003. 

Delta State should not be lost on anybody. There 

should be no rancour about the personality of 

Ogboru. 

Great Ogboru already has all the paraphernalia 

and structures in place which would be reignited 

seamlessly in 2023. In quoting the holy scriptures, 

it tells us in Proverbs 24:16, “For though the 

righteous fall seven times, they shall rise again.” 

Great would surely rise again! Great Ogboru is a 

lion hearted human being. His ultimate passion 

to see the downtrodden elevated in Delta State 

knows no bounds. This time around stumbling 

blocks would be turned into stepping stones. Those 

close to Ogboru know too well that the man is a 

dogged fighter, one that never gives up on his 

dreams and aspirations so easily. 

Chief Great Ogboru has been known as a business 

manager, an administrator and a very 

successful industrialist. Also, for his creativity 

and innovation. 

The overwhelming under performance of the 

present administration should pave way for 

the APC to seamlessly takeover control of the 

state in 2023. 

•Akpotu lives in Asaba, Delta State 

CLAMPDOWN ON BDC OPERATORS: X-raying effects on northern economy 

But, the BDCs have three sources. The first 

avenue is through limited forex sales allocation 

from the CBN. Then they also rely on supply 

from local businesses with revenues in foreign 

currency. Finally, BDCs get FX supply from 

recipients of remittances who get it from family 

and friends in the diaspora. 

The licensed BDCs and their street traders 

are the major suppliers of foreign currencies 

to individuals and small businesses. The long 

processes, complicated forms, and poor service 

quality from the commercial banks created 

huge opportunities for the BDCs in Nigeria. 

Although their entry into the Nigerian 

financial system in 1989 was to broaden the 

foreign exchange market and improve access 

to foreign currencies, their existence is not 

without the help of the CBN who licenses and 

supervises them. 

There is no gain saying the majority of 

BDC operators are of northern Nigeria 

extraction. 

This largely due to their early embrace of 

the business when the rest of the country 

shunned it in the 1980s. 

Though the CBN had expanded the space by 

creating opportunity for new operators from 

other regions, northerners remain the 

dominant players. The BDC sector is 

regulated by the CBN through its various 

enabling laws which applies to all financial 

institutions. 

Over 15,000 Nigerians are known to operate 

in this sector. As of November 1 2020), 1,777 

were registered in Lagos and the entire Southern 

Nigeria, while the remaining 1,214 were 

registered in Northern Nigeria. 

The dominance of northern operators is not 

just an advantage to the Nigerian economy 

already alone, but also to the northern 

economy. It is a multiplier effect that doesn’t 

benefit the operators alone, but also their 

immediate communities and the northern 

region. 

To understand this, we have to understand 

the life of an average northern BDC operator, 

who carries his kith and kin along in the 

business wherever he is. It is easy to find a 

northerner with little or no education working 

as a BDC operator. 

Note that the business may not belong to him 

as he may have been employed to provide 

Continues on www.vanguard.ngr.com 

services. Given the African prioritisation of 

assistance to extended family members, the 

operator may have a lot of people dependent 

on him to survive. In the event that such an 

operator is out of business for any reason, not 

only his dependents suffer, the economy of the 

region bears the brunt as the services 

contribute immensely to the informal sector. 

It is noteworthy to say that northern BDC 

operators have supported the federal 

government’s growth agenda in the northern 

region. 

They have played stabilizing roles in the 

retail end of the nation’s foreign exchange 

market. Now, imagine what becomes of these 

contributions in the light of current 

clampdown on operators in the region. 

The truth is that the foreign exchange market 

in the north would be left to suffer, while 

major businesses in the region that require FX 

to survive may also experience similar fate. 

•John, an economist, writes from 

Kaduna 

the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the institution 

and we shall restore the lost glory of this 

hospital”, said Abiodun. 

During the inauguration of the committee, 

the Governor charged members to assess the 

operational modalities of the hospital and to 

suggest ways on how to improve the standard, 

in line with acceptable universal standard for 

medical training, research and tertiary healthcare 

services. Also, he charged the committee 

to determine the state of facilities of the various 

units and departments and make recommendations 

to the state on the steps necessary to 

ensure sustainable operations in the institution 

and determine quick wins and palliative actions 

to stem further degeneration of the institution 

and facilities. 

•Ezekiel is resident in Abeokuta 

Continues on www.vanguard.ngr.com 

Okunbo invites Ayeni 

It was also gathered that Okunbo invited 

Ayeni on the board of OMS where he acquired 

a 35% stake in the company. 

But following his exit from Skye Bank, Ayeni 

had approached Okunbo that he would like 

to sell off his shares and cease to be a director of 

OMS. 

A special resolution of the board of Prime 

Union Investment Limited, signed by Ayeni 

and his wife, Biola, confirmed the sale of shares 

in mid-August 2018. 

Following this agreement, Okunbo, on November 

26, 2018, duly authorised the transfer 

of N1billion to Ayeni’s Olutoyl Estate Development 

and Services Ltd’s Sterling Bank 

account. 

The balance was, however, mutually 

agreed to be paid on a monthly installment. 

It was further gathered that the board of 

OMS went ahead to notify the Central Bank of 

Nigeria, CBN, and the Office of the Vice-President 

about Ayeni’s resignation of his membership 

of the board of the OMS and its affiliate 

companies. 

Continues on www.vanguard.ngr.com

PAGE 32, Vanguard, SUNDAY, APRIL 4, 2021 

Abisogun Leigh exposes origin of offensive 

…speaks of plan to make the south 

memo on JAMB wait for 20 years while the north grows 

By OsaAmadi, 

Arts Editor 

It was just an opening remark 

as the Chairman of the 5th 

Idowu Sobowale International 

Conference. But Professor 

Abisogun Leigh, former Vice 

Chancellor of the Lagos State 

University (2001-2005) in that 

remarkable short speech delivered 

extempore, touched on the wonders 

of social and online media, 

dissected Nigeria's problems and 

awoke the hibernating spirits of 

the Lagos State University. Enjoy 

him: 

The Vice Chancellor, Lagos 

State University. The guest 

speaker of the day, the pioneering 

dean - that is the man we are 

celebrating today; All the other 

professors in this great Faculty, 

The School, Students, Visiting 

Professors. Its is a great pleasure 

for me to be among you to act as 

the chairman (of the 5th Idowu 

Sobowale Conference). 

When I got the letter of 

invitation, I considered it as a 

binding duty to attend it. Despite 

the fact that our children - thatis 

children of people in my own 

category - havetold us to sit at 

home, saying,'don't go 

anywhere';That's why Sobowale 

is not here today. 

But LASU is my own thought; it 

is a place I know I can go; and I 

know that everyone here healthy. 

So, I am very happy to be here, 

particularly to celebrate a man 

that I will be talking to you about 

shortly. You may not know many 

things that your former dean did, 

and it is an opportunity today to 

set record straight.Because like 

the Yoruba would say; the broom 

is losing membership.One-byone, 

the strands are falling off. It 

is important that we capture it as 

it is, so that the young ones can 

know what the true story about 

Sobowale is. 

The media frightens me now 

The title of the 5th Conference 

excites me: "Media, Public 

Opinion and Governance". I 

believe we are talking about good 

governance,not just any 

governance, in Africa. 

The media is so broad now. I 

am not a professional in that line, 

but I have able people who can 

talk about it. 

The media frightens me now, as 

an ordinary person. Apart from 

the broad publishing houses, we 

now have online media where 

many things are going on, both 

positive and negative. But I want 

to say that I will concentrate on 

the positive. 

The social media is giving us 

opportunity, giving voice to 

people of the world, to Africans 

to air their views, their grievances, 

their praises, their idiosyncrasies 

about the government; and they 

can say it sometimes without 

detection. But I am happy that we 

have it. Let me give an example: 

Dr. Jubril Aminu'soffensive 

memo 

Way back, when I was 

commissioner for education in 

Lagos State, a document was sent 

to me by our respected Professor 

Chike Obi, the great 

mathematician of the University 

•Chairman, Prof. Abisogun Leigh (right) and keynote speaker, 

Prof. Adigun Agbaje @ the 5th Idowu Sobowale Conference hosted 

by LASU on March 30-31, 2021. 

•From right: Dr. JideJimoh, HOD of Journalism, LASU; Prof. Lai 

Oso, former Dean, LASU Sch. of Comm; Dr. Kehinde Oyesomi, 

HOD, Mass Comm, Covenant University; Dr.OmotayoOkeya, Ajayi 

Crowther Universityand other paper presenters at the syndicate 

session, Group One @ the 5th Idowu Sobowale Conference hosted 

by LASU. 

of Lagos fame. And the document 

was about a memo to establish 

JAMB (Joint Admission 

Matriculation Board). The 

author of that document was at 

that time, Dr. Jubril Aminu,who 

later became a very respectable 

professor and, without mincing 

words, a great scholar. 

But what has that got to do with 

the media? 

My senior friend at that time, 

Professor Chike Obi, said to me, 

Bode, you are the commissioner 

of education for Lagos State. 

Look at what this man has 

written. 

The terrible part of that memo 

was a paragraph which I marked 

and marked and marked, 

because - to paraphrase the 

statement, it is saying that they 

will establish this new body to 

organize entrance to tertiary 

institutions, to universities; and 

he believed that some section of 

the country must be willing to 

make two decades of sacrifice for 

the other part to grow. 

I believe that was why Chike 

Obi sent it to me. And in my 

naivety - Iwas so naïve at that 

The media 

frightens me now, 

as an ordinary 

person. Apart 

from the broad 

publishing 

houses, we now 

have online media 

where many 

things are going 

on, both positive 

and negative. But 

I want to say that I 

will concentrate 

on the positive 

time; I wasn't a shewed 

politician that I later became - I 

just took the paper straight to my 

governor. And the governor of 

Lagos State then was the nowlate 

Rear Admiral Ndubuisi 

Godwin Kanu. 

I said, "Oga, look at what 

somebody is writing. If you are 

going to do it, why do you have to 

hold somebody back for two 

decades?" 

If I had the opportunity of the 

social media at that time, that 

document would have gone so far! 

We would have put it there and 

more people would have been 

able to read it! To know that 

(someone is saying) 'yes, we are 

going to create an agency, but 

part of the assumptions, or the 

things that must be sacrificed, 

was the interests and progress of 

another section of the country'. We 

are live-witnesses today.Weknow 

what we are talking about.Wecan 

see what is happening now. That 

is about media. 

Public Opinion 

Public opinion; that's where 

Professor Sobowale cut his tooth. 

He was a pioneer in that field.But 

as everything in Nigeria, it's not 

possible to expand that, because 

I am sure it will take a lot of 

resources and determination. 

And it just fizzled out. He didn't 

do it. 

But in other countries of the 

world, policy making is driven 

mainly by evidence, and how do 

you get evidence? We have to rely 

on you journalists, those of you in 

the media profession, to gauge 

the opinions of members of 

society who cannot otherwise 

have opportunity to say anything 

to government. 

And based on such evidence, we 

can tilt the intendments of bills 

or policies, but all with the 

overall view of good to society. 

Products of Baptist Academy 

I met Dr. Idowu Sobowale 

many years after we had both left 

Baptist Academy. Professor 

Sobowale, I am sure you are 

listening (online, via Zoom). I left 

Baptist Academy in 1959. He 

joined in 1960.So, he didn't even 

meet me in that college. But 

because we had had that rapport 

(between) the seniors and juniors, 

we were always monitoring the 

progress of one another. 

Baptist Academy was one of the 

five grade 'A' schools in the 

Colony of Lagos at that time. You 

had Baptist Academy, St. Gregory 

College, the Kings College, 

Methodists Boys High School, 

Methodist Boys & Methodist 

Girls joined together, and CMS 

Grammar School. 

If you pick up a Forbes 

publication, you probably will 

find list of Nigerians - 

millionaires and billionaires - 

but it is very likely that you will 

never find a Baptist Academy 

graduate on that list. But if you 

are looking for a list where the 

main criteria are honor, simplicity 

humility, service and integrity, 

you will fill find many, many, 

many, Bapt-Acads! 

And Professor Idowu Sobowale 

- my very, very good friend - is an 

exemplary individual that you 

can point to in such school. At 

that time, you were not trained to 

go and make money by hook or 

crook. You were trained to be a 

solid citizen; make your 

contribution so that your country 

can progress. Andthat's what 

Professor Idowu Sobowale has 

done. I think he deserves a round 

of applause. 

The moving spirits of LASU 

I am not the lecturer, but I am 

sure they brought me here today 

for a purpose. And I will not allow 

this opportunity to slip by without 

nailing it on the head. 

We are always talking about 

the founding fathers of the Lagos 

State University, LASU; 

Founding Fathers; Founding 

Fathers. Founding Fathers. Who 

exactly are the founding fathers 

of your LASU? Who founded 

LASU? 

Anything must start from the 

level of ideation; somebody must 

have the conception in the brain. 

In your mind, you must conceive 

of something. Without that, you 

cannot make a physical 

accomplishment of that project. 

So, the man who had the concept 

in mind is the Baba, the Oga that 

just passed away recently -Aljhaji 

Lateef Jakande. 

But there were two people who 

instigated that thing (idea); they 

pestered the man so much that he 

had to agree to continue the 

program, and one of them is 

Idowu Sobowale. The other 

person is the late Professor Femi 

Agbalajobi. 

So, any time you are talking of 

founding fathers of LASU, these 

people definitely must be 

captured; they are the moving 

spirits behind the conception, 

ideation, the evolution, the 

planning of LASU. Myself and 

Idowu, we had been doing a race 

of baton changing. I was 

commissioner for education; he 

was in the industry; I left office; 

he became prominent in politics; 

he was in the ministry of 

education as a special adviser. 

I want to salute you (Professor 

Idowu Sobowale). Youhave done 

so much without making noise. 

And that is what Baptist Academy 

people are known for: Do your bit 

in the back corner, and leave 

those who want to be claiming 

things to keep claiming things. 

We know who is who. 

In founding LASU, Idowu 

Sobowale played a very, very 

significant role. We decided LASU 

was going to be a non-residential 

university. And Idowu was still 

pestering our governor, saying, 

'sir, let's find out; what are we 

going to do with many of these 

students who are not going to be 

in residence; what would they be 

doing? 

Jakande conceded and sent a 

delegation led by him; I was on 

that committee to Cameroon, 

Yaoundé. The Yaoundé University 

is probably the best nonresidential 

university in Africa. If 

you have opportunity, go there 

and study it. Professor Idowu 

Sobowale led that delegation, 

and our report added positively 

to the implementation of LASU 

of our own time. 

Celebratingliving legends 

Ladies and gentlemen, the Vice 

Chancellor sir; when an 

opportunity like this comes, we 

must seize it to give praise to 

whom praise is due; particularly 

when they are still alive. In the 

academia, the tendency is to wait 

for people to pass away, and then 

we begin to say all sorts of things 

which they cannot hear. They 

don't even know how much you 

miss them. If we are going to miss 

them, let's miss them now; let's tell 

them that we are missing them. 

Professor Idowu Sobowale, we 

appreciate you. The role you 

played in Lagos State education 

is well on record. God almighty 

will grant you good health, peace 

of mind, and the little resources 

you need to manage this critical 

time of your life. 

And for the organisers of this 

conference, I want to thank you. 

You have been doing it, you will 

continue to do more. We thank 

you so much.

Chief Joe Omene is the President 

General of Urhobo 

Progress Union, UPU, the socio-cultural 

umbrella body of 

the Urhobos at home and in 

Diaspora. In this interview, 

Omene speaks on issues affecting 

the Urhobo nation. 

Excerpts: 

By Simon Adewale 

The economy seems to 

be biting hard in Delta 

State. What do you have to 

say? 

Let me start by saying that 

no one, no matter how rich or 

how highly connected, can 

destroy the Urhobo nation. 

However, there are people 

who are hell bent on destroying 

Delta Central Senatorial 

District which is the domain 

of the Urhobo people in the 

state. Some of them are even 

bent on ruling the UPU by 

proxy. They even set a factional 

UPU Exco and made a selfconfessed 

Ijaw man their President, 

but they forgot that no 

one can take over the leadership 

of UPU by force. 

Are you in a position to 

mention the people, and 

how they are bent on destroying 

the Urhobo nation? 

The state governor is the 

major person giving the 

Urhobo nation a big challenge 

and there are others 

who are Urhobo people. They 

have promoted so much injustice 

against the Urhobos in 

the governmental structure 

and administrative mechanism 

in the state. For instance, 

take a look at the creation of 

three more universities in the 

state out of which they took 

two to Delta North and one 

to Delta South, and left Delta 

Central with none, not even a 

campus of any of the three 

was giving to the Urhobo. 

Meanwhile, they have balkanized 

the only university in 

Delta Central as the university 

campuses were taken to 

Delta South and Delta North. 

Two major faculties, Engineering 

and Law, went to Delta 

South while other major 

faculties were taken to Delta 


OSHIOMHOLE AT 69: Charismatic figure who speaks 

masses’ language — Mayaki 

By Gabriel Olawale 

An All Progressives Con 

gress, APC chieftain in 

Edo State, Prince John Mayaki 

has described the former 

National Chairman of APC 

and two-term Governor of 

Edo State, Comrade Adams 

Oshiomhole as a terrific mobilizer 

and a charismatic figure, 

who speaks the language 

of the masses 

Showering encomium on 

his 69th birthday, Mayaki 

hailed Oshiomhole as people’s 

Comrade whose fearlessness 

and uncompromising 

devotion to social justice 

seared the soul of corrupt administrators 

and endeared 

him to millions across the 

globe. 

“Born on this day, the 4th of 

April, in 1952 at Iyamho, a 

town in Etsako West Local 

Government Area in Edo 

North, Adams Oshiomhole 

rose from a humble background, 

proverbially picking 

himself up by the bootstraps, 

defying difficult odds and exceeding 

all expectations to 

become a celebrated national 

icon, the defender of the 

downtrodden, and a hero of 

democracy. 

“In ‘Adamant Adams’ as 

Adams Oshiomhole was 

called in press reports that 

praised his stubborn refusal 

to compromise on the demands 

of Nigerian workers 

across the country, the 

Obasanjo-administration 

found more than its match as 

They created universities, none 

for Urhobo – Omene, UPU leader 

•Chief Omene 

South, leaving no major faculty 

with Delta Central. This 

is the most recent injustice 

they did against the Urhobos. 

What is your comment on 

the activities of killer-herdsmen 

across many parts of the 

country? 

I will not talk about another 

killer-herdsmen . We have 

lost count of people who have 

died from starvation, joblessness, 

poor health care in Urhobo 

land. Our youths now have 

‘keke’ and motorcycle commercial 

driving as their only 

means of livelihood. Just 

check around the state, in 

spite of the enormous income 

and monthly federal allocations 

coming into the state you 

will not find any industry or 

any job creation activity anywhere. 

There is completely no 

presence of any state government 

activity in Delta Central, 

which is Urhobo nation. The 

situation here is worse than 

killer-herdsmen. 

Let me say here that some 

other PDP governors have 

built roads and industries but 

in Delta, Okowa has built 

none. Aside roads and bridges 

constructed by NDDC, we 

have neither roads nor bridges 

in Delta Central. 

How will you comment on 

the Asaba Airport that has 

been conceded? 

First of all, the former government 

of Chief James Ibori 

planned to build and complete 

that airport at the cost 

of N6b. That of the former 

governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, 

also planned to build 

the Oshiomhole-led NLC 

went toe-to-toe with the government 

on several crucial 

grounds. 

Mayaki maintained that 

his impressive record informed 

the call by his people 

to lead Edo State in 2007, “he 

contested and won the Edo 

State Governorship election 

on the platform of the Action 

Congress of Nigeria. But his 

victory would be delayed and 

he returned to the trenches 

Old students appeal for bus for 

St. Kevin's College 

St. Kevin's College Old 

Students Association, 

Kokori, Ethiope East Local 

Government Area has made 

appealed for the purchase of 

a 33-seatter bus for their alma 

mater. 

The appeal was contained 

in the keynote address of the 

national president of the association, 

Mr. Edafeghwara 

Ogbevire Joseph during the 

fund-raising ceremony for the 

bus at St. Kevin' s College. He 

appealed that all donations 

should be on or before November 

2021. 

The Principal of the college, 

Rev. Fr. Peter Nzekenze 

Konsunye, in his 

speech,thanked the association 

for responding to his 

appeal,explaining that the 

appeal was necessitated by 

the need to enhance vehicular 

movement of the students. 

and complete it at the cost of 

N12b. But Okowa budgeted 

and completed it at N30b. So 

how come the same government 

said it conceded it to a 

private company at N3b, out 

of which it claimed it has received 

N1b? Is that a good 

business? Can a good business 

man invest N30b in a 

project and concede the same 

project for N1b, N2b or N3b? 

From the way you have 

described the governor, how 

come that you people voted 

him in as governor for first 

and second tenures? 

The Peoples Democratic 

Party has seized power in 

Delta State for over two decades 

now. He is the PDP candidate 

in both elections. All 

the same, at the governorship 

primary in 2015, Engr. Victor 

Ochei, who was a former 

Speaker, almost defeated 

Okowa if the Urhobos had 

not come to his assistance. 

Urhobo left our own son, 

David Edevwie, and worked 

for Okowa. He got his winning 

votes, both at the primary 

and at the general elections, 

from Urhobo, particularly 

from Sapele, Okpe and 

Ethiope West Local Government 

Areas. By so doing we 

all thought he would develop 

the Urhobo nation but he 

turned around, after winning 

his first tenure, and ensured 

that we get no state projects 

and, now, his party fielded 

him for second tenure and he 

is dealing more blows on us. 

How is UPU presently? 

We are doing our best now. 

Some people wanted to destroy 

UPU but God did not 

accept that. When I came into 

office as President General, 

UPU had 26 branches worldwide, 

but now we have up to 

78 branches. If there had been 

no interference with UPU, by 

now we would have been able 

to summon our own politicians 

for progress meetings 

with them. I will call on the 

youths to think of what will 

happen to the Urhobos in 

2023, and not be fighting 

over political party divides. 

with the people who freely 

gave him their mandate. 

“The PDP grabbed a victory 

they never earned until the 

courts ordered a reversal a 

year later and Oshiomhole 

was finally propelled to Osadebey 

Avenue. In the history 

of Edo State politics, perhaps 

nothing compared to the organic 

and state-wide outpour 

of joy, frenzy and celebrations 

that trailed the restoration 

of Oshiomhole’s 

mandate”. 

Rev Konsunye who is also 

the Catholic priest of St John 

Church, Kokori disclosed 

that the college was hiring 

buses for students’ vehicular 

movement. 

The chairman of the 

School Management Board, 

Mr Joseph Umude, charged 

old students and parents of 

the students to contribute to 

the project as he commended 

the school’s principal for 

taking the school to greater 

heights. 

The National President of 

the association, Col Dr Wilson 

Ijide(rtd) narrated how 

the first bus was donated to 

the school by then military 

governor of the defunct Bendel 

State, late Brigadier - 

General Samuel Ogbemudia, 

owing to the brilliant 

sports performance of a student, 

Kosin John Edafe, in 

1972

PAGE–34, SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 4, 2021 

THE ODUMAKIN PASSAGE 

Black Easter for Yoruba 

...as foremost activist 

and Vanguard columnist, 

Yinka Odumakin, dies 

•How he died of COVID-19 complications — Wife 

•Buhari, Obasanjo, Jonathan, govs, Tinubu, Fani- 

Kayode, ACF, YCE, Arewa youths, others mourn 

•Afenifere delegation visits deceased’s 

parents in Ife today 

Late Odumakin 

By Dayo Johnson, Dapo 

Akinrefon, Henry 

Umoru, Peter Duru, 

Rotimi Ojomoyela, 

Dirisu Yakubu, Olayinka 

Ajayi 

TRIBUTES, yesterday, poured 

in for the late spokesman for 

pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, 

Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, 

whose death left many Nigerians 

in state of shock. 

The news of his demise, which 

broke at about 10: am, left people 

of different political, social, ethnic 

and professional leanings 

mourning as Christians across the 

world mark Easter. 

Specifically, governors, statesmen, 

political leaders, human 

rights community and traditional 

rulers, among others, mourned 

the passage of Odumakin, who 

was described as a patriot. 

His wife, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, 

who confirmed the development, 

said the Afenifere scribe 

died of COVID-19 complications. 

She said her husband died at the 

Intensive Care Unit of Lagos State 

University Teaching Hospital, LA- 

SUTH, where he was being treated 

for respiratory issues due to 

complications from COVID-19, 

adding that he had recovered from 

the ailment a week ago. 

I mourn my irreplaceable 

soul mate —Wife 

Joe Odumakin said her husband 

is irreplaceable soul mate in a 

brief statement titled: A Part of 

Me is Gone. 

The statement reads: “With gratitude 

to the supreme being for a 

life well spent, I announce the 

passing on of my beloved husband, 

Comrade Yinka Odumakin, to the 

great beyond after a brief illness. 

“The sad event happened this 

morning (Saturday, 3/4/2021) at 

the intensive care unit of LA- 

SUTH where he was being managed 

for respiratory issues due to 

complications from COVID-19 

which he had recovered from 

about a week ago. I appreciate the 

outpouring of grief and sympathy 

from home and abroad as I mourn 

my irreplaceable soul mate. I 

urge us all to remain steadfast in 

the cause of the masses to which 

he dedicated his life. Burial arrangement 

will be made public in 

due course.” 

Obasanjo 

Meanwhile, former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo paid a condolence 

visit to the Lagos home of 

Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, 

who was devastated by the 

news of the demise. 

Sunday Vanguard also learned 

that a delegation of Yoruba leaders 

would visit the parents of Odumakin 

in Ife today. 

The team would be led by the 

deputy leader of Afenifere, Oba 

Oladipupo Olaitan, alongside 

Chief Akin Osuntokun and others. 

Odumakin, who died at the 

age of 59, until his death, was a 

columnist in Vanguard Newspapers. 

He treated contemporary sociopolitical 

issues in his weekly column. 

He had more to 

contribute —Buhari 

President Muhammadu Buhari, 

in his reaction to the demise, described 

Odumakin as a man of 

conviction, saying the late 

Afenifere scribe had more to contribute 

to the nation. 

Buhari spoke in a statement by 

his Senior Special Adviser Media, 

Femi Adesina. 

The statement reads: “President 

Muhammadu Buhari condoles 

with the family, friends, and acquaintances 

of Yinka Odumakin, 

spokesman of Yoruba socio-political 

group, Afenifere. 

“Odumakin was also spokesman 

to the then Gen Buhari in 

2011 when he ran for President on 

the platform of Congress for Progressive 

Change (CPC), now defunct. 

The President recalls Odumakin 

as dutiful, and a person of 

conviction, expressing sorrow at 

his demise, when he had a lot 

more to contribute to society and 

the nation at large. President Buhari 

prays God to grant repose to 

the soul of the departed activist, 

and comfort all those who mourn 

him.” 

Great voice for equity 

is gone—Jonathan 

Ex-President Goodluck 

Jonathan also expressed sadness 

over the death of Odumakin, describing 

it as shocking. 

He said the late Afenifere chieftain 

was a courageous patriot and 

rights crusader who contributed 

so much to the development of the 

nation. 

Jonathan, in a statement titled 

‘A Great Voice for Equity is Gone’, 

described Odumakin as a man 

with rich democratic credentials 

who “played active roles in the 

years of activism that birthed and 

stabilised civil rule in our country.” 

He was a great 

nationalist 

—Sanwo-Olu 

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide 

Sanwo-Olu, described 

Odumakin as a great nationalist, 

passionate leader and champion 

of a true Nigeria that would work 

for every citizen. 

Sanwo-Olu who said this in a 

statement by his Chief Press Secretary, 

Mr. Gboyega Akosile, said 

the Afenifere spokesman lived a 

selfless life, adding that he would 

not be forgotten in a hurry. 

According to him, “it is with a 

deep sense of sorrow but with a 

heart full of gratitude to God for 

a good life spent by the late Yinka 

Odumakin that I write to commiserate 

with the family, friends and 

associates of the late Yinka Odumakin. 

“Odumakin was undoubtedly a 

great nationalist, passionate leader 

and champion of a true Nigeria 

that would work for every citizen. 

“Odumakin as a civil rights activist 

was selfless. He spent the 

greater part of his life in the service 

of humanity, particularly the 

emancipation of the Yoruba people, 

the development of the South 

West region in particular and the 

nation in general. Odumakin 

stood firmly for the attainment of 

constitutional democracy and fiscal 

federalism as the basis for sustainable 

development and lifting 

the masses out of poverty.” 

Yinka was a true fighter 

for Yoruba cause 

—Makinde 

Similarly, Oyo State governor, 

Seyi Makinde, described Odumakin’s 

death as a personal loss. 

A statement by his Chief Press 

Secretary, Taiwo Adisa, said the 

news came as a rude shock that 

has left him in a sad mood. 

He commiserated with Dr. Joe 

Okei-Odumakin, wife of the late 

Afenifere chieftain, the Odumakin 

family, members of Afenifere and 

the entire Yoruba nation. 

Makinde described the late 

Afenifere spokesman as a true 

Yoruba son, who embodied the 

ethos of Omoluabi, a dogged and 

true fighter of the Yoruba cause 

and an advocate of good governance. 

The governor said: “Words 

failed me when I received the 

news of the death of a wonderful 

brother and friend, a true Yoruba 

son and a true fighter of the cause 

of our nation, Yinka Odumakin. 

This is a personal loss to me, a 

huge loss to the Yoruba nation and 

Nigeria, because Odumakin, 

apart from being a true Yoruba 

son and an embodiment of the 

Omoluabi ethos, is an advocate 

of good governance and true federalism.” 

He was dogged 

against herdsmen attacks—Ortom 

Mourning the late Odumakin, 

Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, 

said his death was painful. 

According to Ortom, “Mr. Odumakin 

was a voice of reason and 

a respected human rights activist 

whose contributions during the 

days of National Democratic Coalition 

(NADECO), leading to the 

country’s return to civil rule in 

1999 will always be remembered. 

“I recall in particular, the 

dogged stand of Odumakin 

against herdsmen attacks on innocent 

people in Benue and other 

parts of the country when he fearlessly 

spoke the truth to power calling 

for justice and insisting that 

all Nigerians be treated as citizens 

with equal rights and privileges.” 

He defended the 

defenceless—Abiodun 

Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, 

described the death of Odumakin 

as painful. 

He said: For those of us who 

have followed Odumakin’s trajectory 

in journalism and activism, 

he lived a good life and fought 

doggedly to defend the defenceless. 

He and his wife were always 

at the forefront to protest against 

oppressive government policies. 

“As the spokesperson of the 

Afenifere, he discharged his duties 

diligently and defended the cause 

of the southwest passionately.” 

He was a nationalist 

—Akeredolu 

Also expressing shock at the development, 

Ondo State governor, 

Rotimi Akeredolu, said Odumakin 

was a nationalist who gave 

his all to Nigeria. 

In a statement by the state Commissioner 

for Information and 

Orientation, Donald Ojogo, Akeredolu 

said Odumakin was a true 

nationalist who placed the Yoruba 

race on a pedestal of honour 

and high regards. 

“His roles in the enthronement 

of popular democracy, as well as 

his fiery advocacy for the rule of 

law, remain undoubtedly legendary. 

“He represented a memorable 

era having participated actively 

in the passion and action for 

a better Nigeria in his lifetime. 

Those left behind will find great 

inspiration in Yinka’s legacies to 

continue with the struggle.” 

Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin 

Obaseki, also mourned the 

passing of Odumakin, describing 

him as a great patriot and champion 

of democracy. 

He defended the ordinary 

people —Atiku 

Former Vice President Atiku 

Abubakar said the late Afenifere 

spokesman was a patriot and 

strong believer in the promotion 

of good governance, democracy 

and the rule of law. 

Atiku said: “I sympathize with 

all Nigerians who share these 

same values with Odumakin, especially 

the Afenifere group of 

which Yinka was the publicity secretary 

– a role he played with so 

much commitment and admiration. 

“Much as our heart grieves 

over this unpleasant development, 

we must take solace in accepting 

it as an act of God and acknowledge 

the fact that Yinka lived a 

life of purpose in defence of the 

ordinary people of this country 

and to enthrone a better Nigeria.” 

Odumakin was true 

definition of a patriot—Tinubu 

Expressing shock at the death of 

Odumakin, National Leader of 

All Progressives Congress, APC, 

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, said he was 

a true definition of a citizen and 

patriot. 

He said this in a statement titled: 

Yinka Odumakin: Premature 

Departure of a Bright Star. 

The statement reads: “Like millions 

of Nigerians, I received with 

profound shock the news of the 

death early this morning of Mr. 

Yinka Odumakin, spokesman of 

Afenifere, committed fighter for 

democracy, dedicated civil society 

activist, a courageous and 

Continues on page 35


THE ODUMAKIN PASSAGE 

Nigeria mourns Afenifere spokesman 

Continued from page 34 

outspoken defender of whatever ideals 

and principles he believed in and a patriotic 

citizen in every sense of the word. 

Ever since his student days, Odumakin had 

been fearless and unrelenting in speaking 

up in promoting the cause of justice and 

what he perceived as the best interest of the 

citizens of Nigeria. He participated actively 

at the forefront in the various students 

and youth struggles against successive military 

dictatorships in the 1980s and 1990s. 

In the process, he was arrested, harassed 

and even detained several times. Yet, he never 

allowed himself to succumb to tyranny 

or be pressured into submissive and pliant 

silence. 

“In the struggle against the annulment of 

the June 12, 1993, presidential election and 

the perpetuation of military dictatorship, 

Odumakin was never found wanting. He 

was at the vanguard of the battle even at 

the risk of his life and liberty. It is impossible 

to credibly tell the story of the emergence 

of the democracy we enjoy in this dispensation 

today without emblazoning 

Odumakin’s name in gold. He was a doughty 

fighter for freedom and the rule of law. 

He was rock solid in his commitment to 

Afenifere, the Yoruba people, and several 

other civil society groups in which he played 

active roles”. 

He was a great warrior 

—Fani Kayode 

On his part, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode 

said: “I am deeply saddened that we have 

lost Comrade Yinka Odumakin, one of our 

brightest and best. 

“He was a great warrior who feared 

nothing and who stood for truth and 

justice right to the end. 

“The South West and indeed Nigeria has 

lost one of its greatest sons and brightest 

stars. 

May the Lord forgive him of all his sins, 

May He honor him with a place in 

Heaven and May his great and mighty 

soul rest in peace. Adieu great warrior, 

until we meet again” 

Odumakin was a courageous 

federalist —Ekweremadu 

A former Deputy President of the Senate, 

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, described 

the death of Odumakin as a big loss, not 

only to the Yoruba nation but also to the 

entire country. 

In a statement yesterday by his Media 

Special Adviser, Uche Anichukwu, the 

former Deputy President of the Senate 

who condoled with the pan Yoruba group, 

Afenifere, expressed shock over the development, 

said Odumakin was a courageous 

leader and federalist, who worked 

tirelessly for a peaceful, equitable, and 

prosperous Nigeria. 

He said, “This is hard to believe and it is a 

very grave loss to not only the Yoruba ethnic 

nationality but also Nigeria as a whole. 

“Yinka was a federalist, patriot, pan-Nigerian 

and a courageous leader, who 

longed for a peaceful, secure, equitable, and 

prosperous Nigeria and worked hard and 

tirelessly towards achieving it.” 

Yinka died fighting for justice, 

equity —Fayose 

Former Ekiti State governor, Mr. Ayodele 

Fayose, in a statement said the late Afenifere 

chieftain lived a life of justice, fighting for 

justice and equity for all. 

According to Fayose, Odumakin would 

be remembered for his undiluted love for 

the Yoruba race and Nigerians in general. 

Yinka should not have gone 

at this time — Afenifere 

Reacting to Odumakin’s death, Secretary 

General of Afenifere, Basorun Sehinde Arogbofa, 

said: “it’s a terrible blow. It is a terrible 

blow to me as a person because we have 

been so intimate. 

“He has been my right-hand man in 

Afenifere management. It is terrible. 

Yinka should not have gone at this time. 

It is a terrible blow to Afenifere and Nigeria. 

“We have lost a brilliant chap with intelligence 

and brilliant ideas. This is sad, very 

sad. 

“What a pity. I pity his wife, Joe.” 

From left: Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Afenifere leader, Pa 

Ayo Adebanjo, former Political Adviser to Obasanjo, Mr. Akin Osuntokun, and 

another guest during the former president’s condolence visit to the Afenifere leader’s 

house. 

We lost a credible voice for 

true federalism—Ibori 

A former governor of Delta State, Chief 

James Onanefe Ibori, expressed shock at 

the death of Odumakin. 

Ibori, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, 

Mr. Tony Eluemunor, described 

Odumakin as the kind of gadfly that any 

nation would need. 

He said though Odumakin was not 

among his supporters, and their paths rarely 

crossed, “yet, that did not blind me to the 

fact that he was gradually becoming a credible 

voice for true federalism and fiscal restructuring 

which Nigeria needs badly. I 

always wished him well. Now, I will miss 

him very much. He remained an activist 

till the bitter end.” 

It’s a great loss to Nigeria, 

Yoruba nation—YCE 

Secretary of Yoruba Council of Elders, 

YCE, Dr. Kunle Olajide, described Odumakin’s 

death as a loss to Nigeria and the 

Yoruba. 

In a telephone conversation with Sunday 

Vanguard he said Odumakin was a 

committed Nigerian, a true patriot, and energetic 

fighter for justice, equity and fairness 

in Nigeria. 

Olajide said:” Odumakin loved this country 

almost to fault. He was very dedicated 

and richly endowed with great intellect, 

enormous energy, courage boldness and respect. 

He deployed all these for the good of 

the country, Yoruba nation and his family.” 

.We lost him when he was 

needed most — Arewa Youths 

On its part, National President, Arewa 

Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shetimma, 

while mourning Odumakin, said Nigeria 

has lost one of its best. 

Shetimma said: “It is a great loss. Yinka 

was one of our finest. In the Arewa community, 

we have lost one of our best. He was a 

shining and leading light in our struggle. It 

is a loss to the family and the country. We 

lost Yinka at a time we needed him most. I 

am still in shock.” 

I’ve lost a friend—Osuntokun 

Also mourning, former Political Adviser 

to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. 

Akin Osuntokun, said he has lost a friend. 

Osuntokun said: “I have lost a friend. The 

vacuum he has left behind, may God help 

us to fill. God knows best.” 

Yoruba have lost a 

good fighter —ARG 

On his part, National Chairman of 

Afenifere Renewal Group, ARG, Mr. Wale 

Oshun, described the late Odumakin as a 

good fighter. 

Oshun, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard 

said:”He was a great Yoruba man, a great 

fighter for justice and for the Yoruba nation. 

For me, I have lost a friend in the struggle 

for equity for the Yoruba. He really believed 

in devoting his time and energy to 

equity and justice in the interest of the Yoruba 

man.” 

We’ll miss his bravery 

— Gani Adams 

Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba 

Gani Adams, described the death of Odumakin 

as one death too many. 

Aare Adams, however, said Odumakin’s 

death had dealt the Yoruba nation a big 

blow, leaving in its wake, sad memories. 

Adams, in a statement by his Special Assistant 

on Media, Kehinde Aderemi, described 

the late Odumakin as a true Yoruba 

son, a committed fellow, and the voice 

of the people, especially the downtrodden. 

The statement reads:”We’ll all miss his 

voice. We’ll miss his commitment, we’ll miss 

is bravery because the late Yinka Odumakin’s 

fearless image loomed larger than 

what we can easily forget in a hurry. He 

was a phenomenon that spoke truth to power.” 

He was a defender 

of Yoruba —Oke 

Also, a former Secretary of Afeniferè in 

Kwara State,Chief Wole Oke, said:”The 

death of Yinka Odumakin is very shocking 

and most unfortunate. The mystery 

of life is that death will come at God’s appointed 

time and take people 

away.Yoruba nation has lost a true and 

genuine defender of her cause.” 

S-West states, CSOs should 

imortalise him — HURIWA 

Human Rights Writers Association of 

Nigeria, HURIWA, likened the death of to 

a political earthquake. 

In a condolence statement signed by its 

Executive Director, Emmanuel Onwubiko, 

HURIWA called on governors of the South- 

West states and civil society organizations 

to immortalize the famous activist as a way 

of keeping his legacies intact for generation 

yet unborn. 

His words:”The death of Mr. YINKA 

Odumakin, one of the fiercest nationalists 

and federalists, who campaigned vigorously 

for the enthronement of social justice, 

transparency, equity, equality of rights and 

respect to the principles of the rule of law is 

very sad and tragic. That this is happening 

at a time of the worst kind of dictatorship 

and the rise of tyranny that has no conscience 

or feelings for the well being and 

welfare of the nation state and her citizens, 

makes his death even more very 

sad. The tribe of the outspoken patriots in 

Nigeria has shrunk with his passage.” 

Odumakin lived for 

Nigeria —PDP 

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also 

described the death of Odumakin as a huge 

loss to the nation. 

In a statement signed by its spokesman, 

Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said Odumakin 

was consistently focused in fighting 

for a nation in which the principles of equity, 

fairness and justice thrive. 

“He dedicated his life as a journalist, human 

right activist and social crusader for 

improvement in every phase of the live in 

our country.” 

Southern, Middle Belt 

Leaders, PANDEF mourn 

Elder statesmen from four of the six geopolitical 

zones in the country, under the aegis 

of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders 

Forum and the Pan Niger Delta Forum, 

PANDEF have described the death of 

Odumakin as a heavy loss. 

A statement signed by the leaders of the 

Middle- Belt, Ohaneaze, Pan Niger Delta 

Forum, PANDEF, South-South and 

Afenifere, the groups described late Odumakin 

as its backbone who worked tirelessly 

for the group. 

Crusader for better Nigeria goes down fighting 

By Clifford Ndujihe, Politics Editor 

NIGERIA lost one of her best lovers, 

Mr Yinka Odumakin, yesterday. 

By written and spoken word, Odumakin, 

a rugged pro-democracy activist, who 

died at 59, fought until his last breathe for 

a Nigeria that works for all Nigerians. 

One way of doing this, he argued repeatedly, 

is to restructure the country, devolve 

power to the federating units and enthrone 

fiscal federalism. 

For close to 30 years, the Obafemi 

Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Political Science 

graduate was in the trenches with a 

host of other pro-democracy and human 

rights activists battling to save Nigeria, 

first from the murderous clutches of military 

rule, and later, to deepen and entrench 

democracy. 

He teamed up with the Campaign for 

Democracy, CD, led by the late Dr. Beko 

Ransome-Kuti, in the 1990s to fight the 

military to a standstill, leading to the return 

of democratic rule on May 29, 1999. 

Odumakin, alongside his wife, Dr. Joe 

Okei-Odumakin, was one of the founders 

of the June 12 Stakeholders, which morphed 

to the June 12 Pro-democracy Movement 

that fought for the revalidation of 

the June 12, 1993 presidential mandate 

of late Chief MKO Abiola, which was annulled 

by the military regime of General 

Ibrahim Babangida. 

Military rule out of the way, Odumakin 

continued his crusade for a just and equitable 

Nigeria. 

He succeeded Chief Ayo Opadokun as 

the national publicity secretary of the Pan- 

Yoruba Socio-Political and Economic organisation, 

Afenifere. He was a member 

of the 2014 national conference that made 

no fewer than 683 recommendations to 

save Nigeria. 

The refusal of the President Muhammad 

Buhari’s Administration to implement the 

confab recommendations elicited sharp 

criticisms from the deceased activist. 

Indeed, Odumakin was one of the fiercest 

members of the pro democracy movement. 

He was always writing and granting 

press interviews on burning national 

issues. 

Odumakin maintained a regular weekly 

column, ‘Candid Notes’ in Vanguard 

Newspapers and worked until he became 

very ill on March 10, 2021. 

His last article, ‘Decoding the no flight 

zone’ was published on March 9, 2021. 

In his column published on January 26, 

2021, Odumakin warned that the country 

might become like many big countries 

that disintegrated, if not restructured. 

Titled: ‘The last days of Nigeria?’, Odumakin 

said: “It’s only those who are too 

daft to read societies on anomic drifts that 

would not be able to decode that Nigeria 

as presently constituted is nearing its last 

days, the way Yugoslavia, USSR and other 

once-upon-a-time countries exhausted 

their possibilities and became history. 

“If Nigeria fails to restructure as has 

been strongly canvassed and goes under 

in the alternative, President Muhahamadu 

Buhari may have the unenviable 

record of presiding over the liquidation 

of the country in its years of ‘change.’ 

“We pray the words of General Yakubu 

Gowon in 2011 at the peak of ‘monkeys 

and baboons being soaked in blood’ by 

supporters of Mr. President are not fulfilled 

in the season of madness being foisted 

over Nigeria at a frenetic speed.” 

In his second to the last article, ‘Republic 

of Bandits’ published on March 2, 

2021, he said: “How fast a country can 

degenerate into a failed republic is presently 

playing out in a Nigeria that is tottering 

towards the edge, unhinged in the 

hands of leaders willing to do this without 

remorse. The same people who were 

promoting change six years ago and their 

counterparts under the umbrella, including 

their soulmates who were pretending 

to belong to the clergy are all out now 

with their daggers drawn to murder the 

country as fast as they could and unless 

the enlightened world rises in its self-interest. 

But it might be too late to save Nigeria 

from one of the worst cataclysms 

that the world would have witnessed in 

recent times.” 

With his expiration, Nigeria has lost one 

of those fighting for her survival. It is to 

be seen if Odumakin’s labours would be 

in vain or bear fruits.


Igbo will not be president in 2023 — Bishop Onuagha 

By Chimaobi Nwaiwu 

The Bishop, Methodist 

Church Nigeria, Diocese 

of Onitsha (Eastern Gateway), 

Rt Rev Livinus Onuagha, 

yesterday, doubted the 

possibility of Nigerian President 

of Igbo extraction in 

2023, saying it is not feasible 

following alleged treachery 

and hatred other parts of Nigeria 

and the British have for 

Ndigbo. 

Onuagha, therefore, 

urged the Igbo to remove their 

minds from the pursuit of 

Igbo President in 2023 because 

the possibility is not 

there. 

Addressing newsmen shortly 

after his Easter message, 

he wondered why Ndi Igbo 

could be sincerely allowed to 

produce a President of Nigeria 

when they were considered 

not qualified to produce 

the Chief of Army Staff, Chief 

of Naval Staff, Chief of Air 

Staff, Inspector General of 

Police, Comptroller General 

of the Customs and Immigration 

or any of the sensitive 

positions at the Federal level. 

Describing the entire setting 

as “hoping against hope” 

Onuagha said that the present 

Nigeria as constituted and 

governed will never contemplate 

allowing an Igbo man 

to be a President of the country 

because there is so much 

hatred against the Igbo by 

other sections of the country. 

“My problem with you 

journalists is that you people 

don’t write or say what I say 

because you are afraid. When 

you go back, you doctor and 

doctor everything i said because 

you don’t want to lose 

your jobs,” he said. 

“Quote me. Nigeria is not 

working and can never work. 

The truth is that we are not 

culturally, religiously and socially 

the same as people who 

insist on Nigeria and oneness 

of this country. I doubt the 

possibility of a Nigerian President 

of Igbo extraction in 

2023. Those who keep telling 

us that an Igbo man will become 

president of Nigeria in 

2023 are not telling us the 

truth. 

“Nigeria is a failed state. 

Nothing is working in Nigerian. 

Let them go and allow 

us to go. Why are they forcing 

the nation on all of us when 

they know we are not one and 

can never be one. 

“We have nothing in common 

with those who think the 

leadership of this country is 

their birthright. Nigeria is already 

a failed State, I repeat. 

We are Isrealites. Let them 

continue to persecute us, but 

one day it will end and we will 

go our separate ways.” 

From right: Director Relief and Rehabilitation, National Emergency Management 

Agency, Mr Kayode Fagbemi; Director General, AVM Muhammadu Muhammed 

(retd); Deputy Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Nigeria; Mr Ibraheem 

Alghamedi; and Hajiya Fatima Kasim; Acting Director Planning Research and 

Forecasting, NEMA; during the visit of the Saudi Arabian Deputy Ambassador to 

NEMA headquarters in Abuja. 

Do more to secure Nigerians, PFN tells Buhari 


Pentecostal Fellowship 

of Nigeria (PFN) has 

told President Muhammadu 

Buhari to do more 

to secure Nigerians, saying 

the country has been polarised 

along ethnic, religious 

lines. 

The PFN spoke in an Easter 

message on the heels of 

worsening insecurity in the 

country that has, of recent, 

seen several cases of kidnappings 

and banditry, including 

the abduction of eight members 

of the Redeemed Christian 

Church of God (RCCG), 

a member of the Fellowship. 

In the message signed by 

the PFN President, Bishop 

Wale Oke, National Deputy 

President, Archbishop John 

Praise Daniel, National Secretary, 

Dr. Cosmas Ilechukwu, 

and National Publicity Secretary, 

Bishop Emma Gospel 

Isong, the Fellowship urged 

Buhari to live up to his promise 

to guarantee the security 

of all Nigerians irrespective 

of ethnicity or faith. 

It also called on the National 

Assembly to address the issues 

of insecurity, unemployment, 

infrastructure deficit 

and the rot in the education 

and health sectors, while the 

judiciary should live up to the 

tenets of fairness, transparency, 

equity and justice in all 

that they do. 

The PFN told state governors 

to pay more attention to 

the needs and welfare of their 

citizens. 

On violent non-state actors, 

the PFN urged them to stop 

wanton killing of Nigerians. 

The PFN message reads in 

part: 

“To the President: We call 

on the Federal Government 

of Nigeria to do more to secure 

the lives and properties 

of all Nigerians. We appreciate 

the sacrifices being made 

by the Police, the Armed and 

paramilitary forces to ensure 

the safety and security of all 

Nigerians. 

We urge President Muhammadu 

Buhari to live up to the 

promise to guarantee the security 

of all Nigerians, irrespective 

of ethnicity or faith. 

We appeal to him to do more, 

as the Father of all, to rally 

Nigerians and ensure that the 

walls of divide that has polarized 

Nigerians are brought 

down. 

“The National Assembly: 

The Pentecostal Fellowship 

of Nigeria (PFN) calls on the 

National Assembly to do 

more in addressing the issues 

of insecurity, unemployment, 

infrastructure deficit, the rot 

in education and health sectors, 

especially the issue of 

out-of-school children. We 

believe that the legislature 

can do much more to deliver 

better governance through 

the use of its oversight powers, 

rather than dissipating 

energy on diversionary bills 

that do not address the challenges 

holding Nigerians 

back. 

“The Judiciary: The Pentecostal 

Fellowship of Nigeria 

(PFN) appeals to the Judiciary, 

at all levels, to continue to 

live up to the tenets of fairness, 

transparency, equity and 

justice in all that they do. We 

restate our position for a balance 

in terms of appointments 

into the Judiciary at the 

national level, so that there is 

representation across the different 

states, geo-political 

zones and religions, to ensure 

that justice is not only done, 

but seen to be done by everyone. 

“The State Governors: The 


Nigeria (PFN) urges all the 

state governors to do more in 

guaranteeing the security of 

their people and pay more 

attention to the needs and 

welfare of their citizens. We 

believe that there is a lot more 

that can be done at the State 

level, especially in areas such 

as Education, Health, where 

they have concurrent constitutional 

responsibilities”. 

Police arrest Aiye Confraternity leader for killing rival 

By Bose Adelaja 

A suspected leader of Aiye 

Confraternity in Bariga area 

of Lagos, Segun Ezekiel, has 

been arrested following the 

killing of his rival, Taye Gbalagbala, 

also in Bariga on 

March 28, 2021. 

Segun was arrested by police 

operatives attached to 

Bariga Division of Lagos 

State Police Command. 

24-year-old Segun has reportedly 

confessed to the 

crime and that he carried out 

the gruesome murder of the 

deceased in company of three 

other members of Aiye Confraternity 

in his domain. 

The Commissioner of Police, 

Lagos State, CP Hakeem 

Odumosu, has ordered that 

the suspect be transferred to 

the State Criminal Investigation 

Department for proper 

investigation and possible 

arrest of fleeing suspects. 

In a related development, 

police operatives attached to 

Ikorodu Division and local 

security operatives, in a combined 

operation, on March 

29, 2021, at about 4.50am, 

engaged some suspected 

armed robbers operating in 

military camouflage at No 

41, Menulo Street, off Elepe 

Ikorodu, in a gun battle and 

neutralised them. 

The suspected armed robbers 

had laid a siege on the 

block of flats at the address, 

cut the American fence wire 

and broke into the flats in the 

compound. 

Former Delta acting governor Sam Obi dies at 61 

By Festus Ahon 

ORMER Acting Gover 

Fnor of Delta State, 

Prince Sam Obi, is dead. He 

passed on early yesterday at 

the age of 61. 

A close family source said 

the deceased had been ill, 

adding that he was struck by 

stroke recently. The source, 

who pleaded anonymity, disclosed 

that the late Obi had 

been suffering from some ailments 

and added that he did 

not fully recover from the 

stroke until his death. The 

source also told Sunday Vanguard 

that his body had been 

deposited in an Asaba mortuary. 

Obi represented Ika North 

East State Constituency in 

Delta State House of Assembly 

for three terms (2003- 

2015) and became Acting 

Governor in 2010 after the 

Court of Appeal, Benin City, 

Edo State nullified the 2007 

election of former Governor 

Emmanuel Uduaghan and 

ordered a rerun. 

Until his death, he was the 

General Overseer of Oracle 

of God Ministry, Asaba. He 

was appointed by Governor 

Ifeanyi Okowa as a Special 

Adviser in 2015, but he was 

not reappointed into any political 

office until his death. 

He hailed from Ute-Okpu in 

Ika North-East Local Government 

Area of the state. 

Expressing shock and disbelief 

over his death, Speaker 

of the Delta State House of 

Assembly, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, 

in a statement by his 

Chief Press Secretary, Mr. 

Dennis Otu, lamented his sudden 

death, stating that he died 

at a time when his wise counsel 

was most needed. 

•Late Sam Obi 

OWHEFERE’S DEATH: Isoko 

group wants Majority Leader 

position retained in zone 

By Abel Owoyemi 

Isoko United Parlia 

ment, Asaba (IUPA), 

has said that the vacancy 

created by the death 

of Majority Leader in the 

Delta House of Assembly, 

Honourable Tim Kome 

Owherfere, has be filled by 

an indegene of Isoko Federal 

Constituency in line 

with the zoning arrangement 

earlier made. 

The body stated this after 

a meeting of its members 

drawn from the two 

local government areas of 

the Isoko ethnic nationality, 

including Isoko speaking 

communities in Ndokwa 

and Bayelsa State, 

pointing out that the demise 

of Owhefere, Isoko 

had resulted in loss of 

front line positions in the 

legislative arm of the state 

government. 

The union explained that 

neither the executive arm 

nor the judiciary has an 

Isoko son or daughter in its 

front line position such as 

Governor, Deputy Governor, 

Speaker, Deputy 

Speaker, Chief Judge, Accountant-General, 

Senate, 

Secretary to the Government 

of the State, et c, It 

described Isoko a an rich 

oil producing area that 

has sustained the state 

from inception till date. 

The group said that it 

Group alleges marginalization of 

Ndokwa/Ukwuani land 

By Henry Ojelu 

A 

N10 billion fundamen 

tal enforcement suit has 

been filed against the Delta 

State Government at a Federal 

High, Lagos over alleged 

the marginalization of Ndokwa/Ukwuani 

land. 

The applicants in the suit 

are the President, League of 

Ndokwa Professionals (LNP) 

Chief Tony Amechi and Legal 

Adviser, Evans Ufeli, on behalf 

of the people of Ndokwa/ 

Ukwuani land of Delta State. 

Delta State Governor, Delta 

State Executive Council, 

Delta State House of Assembly 

and the Attorney General 

of the state are respondents in 

the suit. 

The applicants are seeking 

an order of the court for the 

enforcement of the fundamental 

rights of the people of 

Ndokwa/Ukwuani nation of 

Delta State as entrenched in 

Chapter IV of the Constitution 

of the Federal Republic 

of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). 

In the suit filed through an 

originating motion, the plaintiff 

are praying the court for a 

declaration that the deliberate 

exclusion of Ndokwa/Ukwuani 

land from the developmental 

projects of the 1st respondent 

is discriminatory 

and amount to a violation of 

the fundamental rights of the 

applicants and the entire people 

of Ndokwa/Ukwuani in 

Delta State as protected and 

guaranteed by Section 42 of 

the 1999 Constitution of the 

Federal Republic of Nigeria 

(as amended). 

Popoola resumes as CBAN chairman 

In line with the rules guid 

ing the operations of 

Credit Bureau Association of 

Nigeria (CBAN), Dr. Tunde 

Popoola, the Managing Director/Chief 

Executive Officer 

of CRC Credit Bureau 

Limited, has resumed as the 

chairman of the association. 

His tenure will run for a 

term of one year. 

The leadership of the association 

rotates among the 

Managing Directors/Chief 

Executive Officers of the three 

licensed Credit Bureaus and 

runs for a period of one year. 

Before now, he was previously 

the chairman of the association 

in 2015 and 2018. 

Popoola is a Nigerian banker, 

accountant, economist, 

entrepreneur and business 

executive. He has over thirty 

years of cumulative work experience 

spanning the public 

and the private sectors of 

the Nigerian economy. 

Chief Bassey Onwe dies at 112 

Chief Bassey Uguru 

Onwe has passed on, 

aged 112. According to a 

statement by his eldest son, 

Paul Uguru Onwe on behalf 

of the family, Bassey, an accomplished 

builder, died on 

December 10, 2020 following 

a brief illnesses. 

He will be buried on April 

9, 2021 at his compound in 

Elegu Umota, Eka-Awoke, 

Ikwo LGA, Ebonyi State after 

a funeral service. 

was in view of the above 

that the ruling party 

agreed to concede the reverend 

position of the Majority 

Leader to Isoko Federal 

Constituency, adding 

that it was in respect of this 

arrangement that Hon. 

Johnson Premier Erijo another 

Isoko son was elected 

on the 12th of May, 

2017 to replace Owhefere, 

who was impeached 

alongside the then Speaker, 

Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya,. 

Citing Rt. Hon. Francis 

Megbele to Rt. Hon. JFK 

Omatsone (Itsekiri), Rt. 

Hon. Victor Ochie to Rt. 

Hon. Peter Onwusanya 

(Aniocha/Oshimili) Rt. 

Hon. Monday Igbuya to 

Rt. Hon. Chief Sheriff 

Oborevbori (Okpe/ 

Sapele), Rt. Hon. Friday 

Osanebi to Rt. Hon. Ochor 

Christopher Ochor (Ndokwa/Nkwuani) 

as examples, 

the body noted that 

the practice in the Assembly 

had always been that 

Principal positions are 

zoned to federal constituencies 

and that when a 

Principal officer is removed 

or dies, another 

member from the same 

Federal Constituency is 

elected or appointed into 

the vacant position and 

urged political leaders in 

the area to apply the same 

principle 

•Late Chief Bassey Onwe


EASTER: We’re better 

er, , stronger as a nation, Buhari, 

Lawan, an, Govs, others tell Nigerians 

…as Catholic bishop tells secessionists to work for unity of Nigeria 

By Our Reporters 

s Christians all over the 

Aworld commemorate 

the death and resurrection of 

Jesus Christ, Nigerians have 

been urged to imbibe the 

virtues of Christ and live in 

peace and unity with one 

another. 

This is as the Catholic 

Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, 

Dr. Peter Odetoyinbo called 

on those agitating for the 

disintegration of Nigeria to 

jettison the idea and work for 

its unity, progress and 

development under a united 

entity. 

The call for peace and unity 

in Nigeria took centre stage 

in this year’s Easter messages 

following clashes and calls 

for separation from some 

parts of the country. 

There is also heightened 

fears that more regional 

activists in the mould of 

Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi 

Kanu would rise. 

In the face of this existential 

threats, political and 

religious leaders across the 

country believe that there was 

no better time to preach unity 

and peaceful co-existence 

than this period that 

Christians celebrate Easter. 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari, who led other leaders, 

in felicitating with Nigerians, 

described the season as an 

opportunity to renew hope 

and faith, show love and 

appreciation to one another 

and not to despair, no matter 

the challenges of the period. 

The president, in his Easter 

message to Nigerians by his 

media adviser, Mr. Femi 

Adesina, urged Nigerians not 

to allow “few mischief 

mongers to destroy the 

country’s unity. 

He said: “We should not 

allow the antics of a few 

mischief mongers to 

fragment the unity and faith 

that the vast majority of 

citizens of this country cherish 

and believe in. As I’ve said 

before, we are better and 

stronger as one nation under 

God.” 

While rejoicing with 

Christians, Buhari recalled 

that a year ago, “in most of 

our major cities, our 

celebrations were somewhat 

subdued, as we battled the 

effect of the deadly COVID- 

19 pandemic. 

“The restrictions meant 

that our brethren could not 

attend traditional church 

services as they would have 

wished. I salute their 

resilience and understanding. 

Today, we can congregate 

and worship together, 

cautiously. 

Lawan harps 

on tolerance 

President of the Senate, Dr 

Ahmad Lawan, in his 

goodwill message, stressed 

the importance of peace and 

love in promoting national 

unity. 

Lawan urged Nigerians to 

use the occasion to preach 

religious tolerance, love for 

neighbours and commit to 

civic responsibilities. 

According to him, building a 

great nation requires 

sacrifice, endurance and 

hope, especially in Nigeria 

where diversity in tongues 

and faiths make the task 

complex. 

He assured the people that 

the National Assembly would 

continue to work for them, in 

their legitimate pursuit of 

peace, happiness and 

prosperity. 

Pray against 

insecurity – Okowa, 

Oborevwori 

From left: Budweiser brand ambassador, Mr Ebuka Obi-Uchendu; 

Marketing Director, International Breweries Plc, Tolulope Adedeji; 

Budweiser Smooth Kick-Off promo Mercedes-Benz winner, Mr Emmanuel 

Effiong; and High End Sales Director, IBPlc, Carlos Coutinho, during the 

presentation of prize to the winner of Budweiser Smooth Kick-Off promo 

in Lagos. Photo: Akeem Salau 

Delta State Governor, Dr. 

Ifeanyi Okowa, and the 

Speaker of the State House 

of Assembly, Chief Sheriff 

Oborevwori, have called on 

Christians to use the period 

of Easter to pray for the state 

and the country, lamenting 

that insecurity and other 

socio-political inadequacies 

were threatening the nation’s 

stability. 

Okowa in a statement by 

his Chief Press Secretary, Mr 

Olisa Ifeajika, said, “This 

Easter is an opportunity for 

Christians to seek God’s face 

in prayers to settle the myriad 

of security issues and 

widening division of 

Nigerians along religious 

and tribal lines. 

Oborevwori in a statement 

by his Chief Press Secretary, 

Mr Dennis Otu, said Easter 

exemplified the ultimate 

sacrifice made by Jesus 

Christ to save mankind and 

called on Deltans to rededicate 

themselves to the 

service of the state as they 

reflect on the ideals of Easter 

celebration. 

Embrace virtues 

of sacrifice - Diri 

Governor Douye Diri of 

Bayelsa in his Easter message, 

implored citizens of the state 

to embrace the virtues of 

sacrifice, love and hope that 

the Easter season typifies. 

Diri said Easter not only 

embodied the culmination of 

the perfect plan to reconcile 

humanity to divinity but that 

it also reminds mankind of 

the unique love of God, the 

supreme sacrifice of Jesus 

Christ and ultimately the 

hope for redemption for those 

who accept the gift of 

salvation. 

He urged the people to see 

the sacrificial death and 

unstoppable resurrection of 

Jesus as a pointer that hope 

was available to those who 

believe. 

Ugwuanyi urges 

faith in God 

Also, Governor Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has 

called on all Nigerians to 

take advantage of the 

significance of the 

resurrection of Jesus Christ to 

advance peace and commit 

themselves to God. 

The governor, who 

maintained that Easter is the 

hallmark of Christianity, 

stressed that the celebration 

of Christ’s resurrection and 

salvation offers Nigerians a 

great opportunity to come 

closer to God and promote 

all virtues that would 

enhance peace, love, unity 

and progress of the country. 

Emulate virtues of 

Christ- Sanwo-Olu 

Similarly, the Lagos State 

Governor, Babajide Sanwo- 

Olu, through his Chief Press 

Secretary, Mr. Gboyega 

Akosile, said, “good 

neighbourliness, selflessness 

and patience were among the 

several lessons taught and 

exemplified by Jesus Christ 

and his resurrection. 

“As we mark this event, I 

want to urge Christian faithful 

in the State to continue to live 

in peace and harmony with 

believers of other faiths. We 

should emulate virtues of 

humility, perseverance and 

compassion as exemplified 

by Jesus Christ.” 

Join Hands to 

rebuild Kwara - 

AbdulRazaq 

Meanwhile, the Kwara 

State Governor, 

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, 

has appealed to citizens to 

join hands with his 

administration in its efforts to 

rebuild the state to become 

the regional and national 

reference point for human 

capital development and 

sustainable growth. 

In his Easter message by 

his Chief Press Secretary, 

Rafiu Ajakaye, AbdulRazaq 

urged Kwarans to “renew 

our hope, embrace one 

another and purposefully 

forge ahead with unity in 

diversity”. 

Abiodun harps 

on unity 

Ogun State Governor, Dapo 

Abiodun, has called on 

Nigerians, especially 

residents of the state, to 

embrace peace, love and 

unity as the world celebrates 

Easter. 

The governor, in a 

statement by his Chief Press 

Secretary, Kunle Somorin, 

said the resurrection of Jesus 

had indeed shown that the 

country has a great hope to 

rise from the present ashes to 

a powerful nation. 

He noted that the country 

was going through 

challenges and implored the 

people to emulate the love 

Christ showed while being 

crucified, to move the country 

forward. 

Obaseki preaches 

forgiveness 

The Edo State Governor, 

Mr. Godwin Obaseki has 

charged Christians to imbibe 

the exemplary life of love, 

selfless service and 

forgiveness, which Christ 

demonstrated in his death 

and resurrection. 

Obaseki, in his Easter 

message, urged the Christian 

community to emulate Jesus 

Christ by making sacrifices 

that would advance the cause 

of development and reflect on 

the purpose of Easter. 

Ortom assures of 

security of lives, 

property 

For Governor Samuel 

Ortom of Benue, the death 

and resurrection of Jesus “is 

a period when Christians 

should draw closer to God to 

reap from His grace and 

mercy in the face of 

adversities.” 

The Governor, in a 

statement by his Chief Press 

Secretary, CPS, Terver Akase, 

assured that his 

administration would 

continue to place priority on 

the security of lives and 

general welfare of the people. 

Fayemi urges 

peaceful coexistence 

In his felicitations, the Ekiti 

State governor, Dr. Kayode 

Fayemi, urged Christians to 

imbibe the spirit of tolerance, 

peaceful co-existence and 

sacrifice for the common 

good. 

Fayemi stressed that 

development and growth can 

only take place when the 

people are united, and called 

on Christians to pray for 

God’s intervention in the 

country’s efforts at tackling 

various challenges, especially 

insecurity. 

Expect better 

tomorrow, Ikpeazu 

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu 

of Abia State has urged the 

people of Abia State to expect 

better days ahead. 

In his Easter message, the 

governor told Abians to draw 

inspiration “from the 

significance of the season 

which is synonymous with 

fresh hopes and a brighter 

tomorrow.” 

He assured the people that 

Abia is on a journey towards 

rediscovery to a destination 

that is sure and settled - the 

Abia of our dreams 

U z o d i m m a 

preaches sacrifice 

Likewise, Governor Hope 

Uzodimma of Imo State has 

advocated the need for 

Christians to be prepared to 

make sacrifices for the good 

of their neighbours and the 

larger society. 

Uzodimma, in his Easter 

message, urged the people to 

reciprocate the love of Christ 

by joining hands to create a 

better society and country for 

all regardless of religious and 

political affiliations. 

He said, “Let us, therefore, 

resolve during this Easter 

celebration to truly love our 

country and state by thinking 

more of what we can do to 

make our state and country 

better than thinking more of 

what we can get out of our 

country and state”. 

Imbibe love for 

country - Agba 

Also, the Minister of State 

for Budget and National 

Planning, Prince Clem Agba, 

has called on Christians to 

imbibe the spirit of love for 

country and good 

neighbourliness, which the 

teachings and lessons of the 

death and resurrection of 

Jesus Christ exemplified. 

Agba said in an Easter 

message, encouraged 

Christians to show tolerance 

and embrace peace, 

understanding and other 

virtues that unite humanity, 

strengthen friendship and 

deepen brotherhood. 

Pray for leaders 

- Gbajabiamila 

On the other hand, the 

Speaker of the House of 

Representatives, Femi 

Gbajabiamila, has urged 

Nigerians, especially, 

Christians to pray for the 

country. 

In a statement by his media 

aide, Lanre Lasisi, 

Gbajabiamila said despite the 

challenges facing the country, 

there would be light at the end 

of the tunnel, hence the need 

for prayers now and always. 

Mark, 

Ekweremadu, 

Nnamani too 

Former President of the 

Senate, Senator David Mark, 

his then deputy, Ike 

Ekweremadu, and former 

governor of Enugu State, 

Senator Chimaroke 

Nnamani have urged 

Nigerians to imbibe the 

culture of religious tolerance 

and peaceful coexistence. 

In their separate Easter 

messages, the senators 

canvassed for a harmonious 

society that guarantees a winwin 

situation for all. 

“Let us work towards 

building trust and confidence 

between and amongst our 

people to stimulate a 

harmonious relationship. We 

are stronger together and we 

can surmount our difficulties 

as a people.” 

Odetoyinbo counsels 

secession agitators 

Odetoyinbo, while 

condemning the issuance of 

ultimatum to some Nigerians 

to vacate a section of the 

country, said, “every Nigerian 

must have a sense of 

belonging and should be free 

to live in any part of the 

country”. 

The Catholic bishop made 

this appeal in his Easter 

Message. He noted that “the 

calls for the disintegration of 

the country or secession by 

some nationalists in the name 

of restructuring must be reevaluated 

particularly when 

it is tainted with hate and 

resentment. 

”Such rights should be 

exercised with respect for the 

rights of other citizens and the 

constitutional provisions of 

the government. A 

detribalized Nigeria should 

be our dream where people 

are not judged by their tribes 

but by the quality of their 

person, character and 

competence”. 

Address insecurity 

now, Martins tells 

FG 

Similarly, the Catholic 

Archbishop of Lagos, 

Adewale Martins, has 

charged the government at 

all levels to be more proactive 

and sincere in tackling the 

numerous challenges facing 

the nation such as insecurity, 

corruption, economic 

downturn, ethnic agitations, 

unemployment, among 

others. 

Martins made the call in a 

statement by the National 

Director of Social 

Communications, Catholic 

Secretariat of Nigeria, Fr. 

Mike Umoh, in Abuja. 

While calling on Nigerians 

to unite and work assiduously 

to build a peaceful and united 

country, the prelate warned 

that failure to do something 

urgently and address these 

problems could adversely 

affect national development. 

Methodist church 

prays for peace 

Bishops of the Methodist 

Church, Nigeria, have called 

on Nigerians to embrace 

peace and love for the 

country to move forward. 

In their separate Easter 

messages, Bishops Owen 

Nwokolo, Henry Okeke, and 

Livinus Onuagha of Diocese 

on the Niger, Diocese of 

Ideato, Imo State, and 

Diocese of Onitsha, Anambra 

State, respectively, charged 

Nigerians to be patient in the 

face of prevailing hardship 

and insecurity in the country. 

They noted the hardships 

Nigerians were going 

through and urged them to 

trust in God, as He would not 

forsake them. 

The prelates, who regretted 

the number of lives and 

properties lost to terrorism, 

said Easter is a time to seek 

the face of God for possible 

positive changes in the 

nation’s political, economic 

and social life. 

Adeboye, Kure 

pray for Nigerian 

children 

The General Overseer of 

Redeemed Christian Church 

of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch 

Adeboye and the immediate 

past General Secretary of 


Nigeria, PFN, Apostle 

Emmanuel Kure have asked 

God to insulate Nigerian 

children from any harm. 

Adeboye, during the special 

virtual monthly Holy Ghost 

service for children, urged 

Nigerian parents to pray 

against another wave of the 

coronavirus pandemic. “I 

believe there shall be a 

Passover for Nigeria. 

Government at all level must 

use this period to see how they 

can practically allay the fears 

and tension all over the 

place.” 

Speaking in the same vein, 

Kure said he believe that a 

healing balm for “our nation 

is coming. Christians must go 

back to living the life of 

Christ. We have lost it there.” 

CUPP urges 

for prayer 

Equally, the Coalition of 

the United Political Parties, 

CUPP, has urged Christians 

to use the occasion of the 

Easter celebration to pray for 

Nigeria, noting that the 

country was in a very terrible 

state, which required urgent 

divine intervention. 

The CUPP in a goodwill 

message to Christians by its 

Chairman of Contact and 

Mobilization Committee, 

Rev. Olusegun Peters, called 

for fervent prayers for God’s 

intervention to redirect the 

ship of the nation from its 

current perilous course.


LOCAL LAGOS 

Managing Lagos traffic 

is tough, we were 

attacked 45 times 

— Oduyoye, General Manager 

• ‘Technology to stop physical impounding of vehicles coming’ 

• Says ethos system will clear Apapa gridlock 

By Bose Adelaja 

General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Agency, 

LASTMA, Olajide Oduyoye, in this interview, speaks on the 

traffic gridlock in Lagos and various challenges associated with 

traffic management. 

How have you been managing the 

traffic situation in Lagos? 

I was sworn in as the General Manager 

of LASTMA in 2019. Incidentally, the job 

of LASTMA is to ensure the free flow of 

traffic in Lagos State. It behooves the 

leader of the agency to ensure the free 

flow of traffic. 

This is achievable mainly because the 

state government ensures that LASTMA 

officers are paid hazard allowances. This 

goes a long way to convince the officers 

that government is interested in their 

welfare. The state government ensures 

that an insurance policy is in place to cater 

to the officers where applicable, 

especially when we record injuries or 

death. Also, comments have been coming 

from members of the public that the 

officers now look more presentable in 

terms of their outlook. Apart from the 

officers’ outlook, one can truly say that 

traffic is always fluid and it is not all about 

LASTMA but about what goes on. For 

instance, when we had the #EndSARS 

protests across the state, traffic chaos was 

felt all over because officers could not go 

out as expected of them. This has 

demonstrated the importance of who we 

are or what we do. However, we have 

learnt a lot of lessons and the need to 

apply technology to our jobs. We are 

working on how to introduce technology 

that could prevent LASTMA from 

physically impounding vehicles. 

Government has engaged a consultant 

that will provide all the hardware and 

personnel to put this to work. 

Does that mean you have not started? 

We have not technically started but the 

pilot scheme has commenced in the last 

six months. 

There is an agreement involved that 

needs to be ratified by the Lagos State 

House of Assembly, once this is done, we 

are good to go. 

In what way do you think this will 

enhance traffic management in the 

state? 

It will enhance it in the sense that 

LASTMA will be more focused. The 

technology is opposed to the practice of 

physically arresting offenders. We need 

to get hold of those who obstruct the free 

flow of traffic and effect arrests according 

to traffic law but when technology comes 

up, less time would be spent on this 

because penalty charge notices will be 

sent to the owners of vehicles. 

You have been talking about the free 

flow of traffic in Lagos, but traffic 

gridlock is getting worse in the state… 

The free flow of traffic in Lagos is 

subject to so many things. For instance, 

when repair works are being carried out 

on the Third Mainland Bridge and Apapa/ 

Tincan Road, one should expect that 

traffic will not be free on that axis. Road 

users need to be patient. As we speak, 

construction works are ongoing at 

Ozumba Mbadiwe Road, Bonny Camp 

and other areas. All these require 

patience because motorists out of 

desperation may want to drive against 

traffic and this will create additional 

tasks for LASTMA. In the absence of a 

viable public transport 

system, a city as large as 

Lagos with a population of 

over 21 Million 

population, the traffic 

flow will be affected in the 

sense that people have 

fewer choices for 

mobility. Thank God 

for the Bus Rapid 

Transit,BRT, which the 

state government has 

introduced but this is 

only on two major 

corridors and 

many people need 

travel patterns in 

the state. In the 

absence of a 

r e l i a b l e 

transport system 

like rail and 

water systems, 

many people 

use their cars 

and this causes 

more vehicular 

movement in 

the state, which 

automatically 

increases the 

volume of 

traffic. 

It is almost 

becoming a 

regular feature 

for commercial 

motorcyclists to compete with BRT on 

their corridor, thereby obstructing free 

flow of traffic. What is LASTMA doing 

about this? 

The state government does not support 

it. I believe that with the help of 

stakeholders, this will be put under 

control. Government has introduced a 

policy that prohibits Okada operations 

on the highways and I believe this will be 

strictly followed up to enable LASTMA 

to do its job effectively. This government 

has never supported Okada as a means 

of public transportation in the state. 

LASTMA as an agency whose men bear 

no arms is exposed to dangers. For 

instance, if an officer wants to go out to 

arrest violators of BRT corridor, the riders 

may escape not minding that he 

endangers the lives of the passengers. This 

is where the Police come in to enforce the 

law. Ideally, there are two BRT corridors, 

and the first one which is Ikorodu to CMS 

•Oduyoye 

Terminal is over 23 kilometers with 

various intersections. How many Police 

patrol vehicles can we station on that 

corridor without disrupting free flow of 

traffic to checkmate the activities of 

Okada riders alone? Don’t forget that 

there are other means of transportation 

like tricycles, cars, buses and articulated 

trucks on the roads? 

Every profession has its peculiarities 

in terms of hazards. How does LASTMA 

cope with such? 

I don’t think coping with injuries and 

deaths is something that can be easily 

embraced. So many officers have ended 

up in hospitals, some with broken arms 

or legs while others are dead. 

This may not be direct because of 

motorists but could be as a result of 

dangers and hazards of the job. 

Government fulfills its part by creating a 

welfare department within the system to 

provide succor to the officers whenever 

the need arises. There were 45 attacks on 

our men from 2019 to date. 

How do we forestall future 

occurrences? 

At the moment, the protection we have 

is from the Police but the ratio of the 

Policemen attached to LASTMA is very 

low compared with the number of 

LASTMA officers on the ground. LASTMA 

covers the entire Lagos State from 

Badagry to Epe, Ikorodu, Alimosho, Lagos 

Island and Mainland with thousands of 

junctions, intersections and check points. 

There should be an armed officer at every 

check point. Whether the Nigeria Police 

Force has such capacity is something we 

have to look at. 

How do you ensure the safety of 

LASTMA officers or reach out to the 

affected families in case of the hazards 

on the job? 

LASTMA officers are trained regularly 

on self-defense and keeping the stage alive 

because you must be alive before you can 

work. As you operate on the road, don’t 

be blind to the issues of loose tyres, bad 

breaks, drunk drivers, protests, 

dangerous driving and articulated 

vehicles. All these can cause 

accidents on the road. Recently, a 

truck ran into a traffic control post 

made of metal and injured a 

woman who was hospitalized. 

Areas like Ajah, Sangotedo, 

Bogije, Mosalasi, Kola, Abule- 

Egba, Oke-Odo, Agege, Iyana- 

Ipaja, Ketu, Ojota, Mile 12, Apapa, 

Lagos/ Badagry Expressway among 

others are gridlock prone. What is 

LASTMA doing about this? 

LASTMA is aware of all these but we 

need to realise that people are usually 

heading towards the same directions at 

peak hours and because many motorists 

don’t have the natural gift from heaven 

to be patient, this usually leads to 

confrontations on the roads. 

There is little LASTMA 

officers can do because 

we have to concentrate 

on intersections to 

minimize accidents. 

We have more than 

3,000 men. 

Are there plans to 

introduce night shift? 

We have two teams 

which are rescue and 

enforcement teams. 

They are always 

called upon while 

senior officers are 

always on air to 

intimate people 

with the 

happenings on the 

road. These can 

easily be called 

upon anywhere 

their attention is 

needed. The 

rescue team goes 

around to attend 

to broken-down 

vehicles while 

t h e 

enforcement 

team goes 

about to 

enforce the 

law. 

Let’s talk about Apapa gridlock… 

The state government has set up a traffic 

management team comprising four 

people headed by the Special Adviser to 

the Governor on Transportation, Toyin 

Fayinka. The governor has mandated us 

to provide a lasting solution to the traffic 

gridlock in Apapa and environs. We 

have started work and mobilized law 

enforcement agents like Federal Road 

Safety Corps (FRSC) and the 

enforcement arms of Nigeria Ports 

Authority. This is a lot of work and we 

have introduced the ethos system 

which brought about the call-up system 

that is being experimented with. The 

whole idea is to get trucks off the axis. 

It is an ongoing exercise and new 

technology is being introduced which 

we call the ethos system. This means you 

have to park at the terminal yard, get 

documentation, and get called upon 

before you are allowed in.


Iheanacho happily signs new Leicester deal 

*Iheanacho 

Juventus to offload Dybala 

in a hurry 

Juventus have re 

portedly placed Paulo 

Dybala on the transfer 

list and are determined 

to sell the Argentina international 

during this 

summer’s window. 

The 27-year-old has 

only scored three times 

for the Old Lady during 

the 2020-21 campaign, 

missing long spells of 

action due to a troublesome 

knee problem. 

Dybala has been suspended 

by Andrea Pirlo’s 

side, meanwhile, following 

reports that he 

attended an illegal lockdown 

party at the home 

of teammate Weston 

McKennie. 

According to the Daily 

Mail, Juve feel betrayed 

by the South American, 

having stood by him 

while he addressed the 

source of his knee pain. 

The report claims that 

the Old Lady are fearful 

of Dybala leaving on a 

free transfer next summer 

and are therefore keen 

to offload him in the upcoming 

market. 

Manchester United, 

Arsenal and Tottenham 

Hotspur have all previously 

been credited with 

an interest in the Argentine, 

who has scored 98 

goals in 244 appearances 

for the Italian champions. 

Super Eagles striker, 

Kelechi Iheanacho 

said he was happy signing 

a new Leicester City deal 

that will keep him at the 

King Power Stadium until 

2024. 

Iheanacho joined the 

Foxes in 2017 from 

Manchester City and has 

been in good form this season, 

scoring 12 goals and 

providing five assists in 28 

appearances across all 

competitions. 

“I can’t express how I’m 

feeling. I’m excited, I’m 

happy, I’m overwhelmed! 

It’s a great moment and I’m 

happy that Leicester City gave 

me a new contract,” Iheanacho 

told the club website. 

“It’s been a great time here. 

It’s not been easy, but there’s 

a lot of people here that are 

good people, great people to 

work with. 

“They are nice people and 

they make me feel comfortable 

and welcome since I 

came in. 

“It’s been really great being 

here. It’s like a family. I’m 

happy being here and hopefully 

I can stay here many 

more years.” 

Osimhen tops Nwankwo 

in Napoli, Crotone seven 

goal thriller 

Napoli yesterday 

beat Crotone 4-3 

in a thrilling Italian Serie 

A clash at the Diego 

Armando Maradona Stadium 

in Napoli. 

Osimhen and his Super 

Eagles team Simeon 

Nwankwo were in the 

score sheet. Osimhen 

fresh from national team 

duty scored Napoli’s second 

goal, while Nwankwo 

who was not in Lagos 

for the Africa Cup of Nations 

qualifiers scored 

two for Crotone. 

Simy has been in astonishing 

form in the Italian 

top-flight this season 

and has found the net in 

each of his last five 

matches in the division, 

taking his tally to fifteen 

goals from 29 matches. 

On the other hand, 

Osimhen has struggled 

in his first season in Italy, 

largely due to injuries, 

and his 22nd minute 

strike against Crotone 

today was his fourth goal 

from 20 appearances in 

all competitions. 

Rohr rules out new players for World Cup 

qualifiers 

Super Eagles coach 

Gernot Rohr said 

he would stick to the 

players that won African 

Cup of Nations qualification 

in prosecuting the 

FIFA World Cup 2022 

qualifiers starting in 

June. 

Nigeria, Liberia, Central 

Africa Republic and 

Cape Verde are drawn in 

*Super Eagles players led by Paul Onuachu 

group C for the World 

Cup qualifiers. 

The Eagles finished 

their AFCON qualifiers 

without losing a match 

and they are expected to 

continue in the same 

vein when they face 

Liberia in the first week 

of June. 

“The World Cup qualifiers 

will start soon and 

I think we will be able to 

do well, and we should 

Rivaldo urges Barcelona to sign Aguero this summer 

Former Barcelona for 

ward Rivaldo has 

urged Ronald Koeman’s 

side to sign Manchester 

City forward Sergio Aguero 

on a free transfer this 

summer. 

Aguero will be leaving 

the Etihad Stadium when 

his contract expires at the 

end of June, and Barca 

have allegedly already 

opened talks with the 32- 

year-old over a potential 

move to Camp Nou. 

Rivaldo has said that 

signing the Argentina international 

“could be a 

coup” for his former club 

and would represent better 

value than Borussia 

Dortmund’s Erling Braut 

Haaland. 

“Signing Aguero on a 

free transfer could be a 

coup for Barcelona,” Rivaldo 

told Betfair. “He 

has a good relationship 

with Lionel Messi and, 

with Barca missing Luis 

Suarez this season, Aguero 

would probably go 

straight into the starting 

XI. 

“His arrival could also 

[help] new club president 

Joan Laporta persuade 

[Lionel] Messi to stay at 

the club. Memphis Depay 

and possibly Erling Haaland 

are said to be in con- 

Neymar’s 

longawaited 

return 

from injury did not go to 

plan on yesterday - with 

the Brazilian picking up 

a late red card in Paris 

St-Germain’s 1-0 defeat 

at home to Lille. 

The French champions 

slumped to their eighth 

loss of the season 

against Christophe Galtier’s 

high-flying side, 

coming unstuck in an illtempered 

affair which 

ended with both teams 

being reduced to 10 men 

at the Parc des Princes. 

Jonathan David turned 

expect good football 

again on a good pitch,” 

Rohr told the media. 

“We can’t try new players 

now, it is too late and 

it is getting more serious 

because it is World Cup 

qualifiers. 

“The Afcon qualifiers is 

over and we need to get 

the same result like in the 

World Cup qualifiers. We 

need to continue doing 

our job – the officials. 

“ 

Neymar’s PSG return ends in red 

in what proved the winner 

after 20 minutes, 

tapping home from 

Nanitamo Ikone’s cross 

to move Lille to the top 

of Ligue 1 with seven 

games to play. 

But after huffing and 

puffing to no avail, 

things turned ugly for 

the hosts when Neymar 

was brandished a second 

yellow card in stoppage 

time for retaliating 

to a challenge from Tiago 

Djalo. 

Neymar and his fellow 

PSG stars must now regroup 

ahead of their 

Champions League 

quarter-final showdown 

with Bayern Munich at 

the Allianz Arena on 

Wednesday. 

*Neymar 

Gang-ups can't stop 

Delta, says Okowa 

Delta State with 814 the highest number of delega 

tion to the National Sports Festival are out to dominate 

Edo 2020, despite schemes to hinder the State’s 

athletes. 

Delta State Sports Council executive chairman 

Tonobok Okowa, made the charge while reacting to suggestions 

that Delta State athletes could be disqualified 

for not adhering to Federal government directives that 

all athletes must be vaccinated to safeguard against 

Covid’19. 

Chief Okowa maintained that all Team Delta Athletes 

and officials going for the Edo 2020 games have been 

vaccinated a week before the games. He assured that 

Team Delta would return as champions despite the expected 

intrigues it might face in Benin City. 

He also revealed that seven Team Delta Athletes would 

be representing the country at the Tokyo Olympic Games 

in July. According to Chief Okowa, Nigeria leading female 

athlete Blessing Okagbare, Ese Brume, Divine Oduduru, 

Raymond Okewo, Raymond Ishekiri, Favour Ofili 

and Grace Okocha have all qualified for the Olympic 

Games. He said more Team Delta Athletes would be representing 

the nation at the quadrennial sports fiesta in 

July. 

NSF: Chase for medals begins with 

Cycling Road race 

The chase for medals at the 30th National Sports 

Festival tagged Edo 2020 begins today with the 

80km Road race in the female category. 

Technical Director of the Cycling Federation of Nigeria, 

Bashir Mohammed said the race will hold on 

the Benin-Ifon road beginning from 8am. 

According to him, only 13 states namely Edo, Delta, 

Rivers, Bayelsa, Oyo, Kano, Kaduna, Ogun, Borno, 

Gombe, Nasarawa, Plateau and Katsina are registered 

for the race. 

Bashir, recently appointed Secretary General of the 

Confederation of African Cycling, CAC reminded the 

athletes and their officials that the federation will not 

spare any cyclist who tries to cheat, as he assured that 

measures have been put in place to ensure a hitch free 

event. 

Meanwhile secretary general of the Federation, 

Shammah Makpa warned that any state which hasn’t 

paid its affiliation fee will not be allowed to present 

any cyclist for the race. 

WA gives BetKing/MoC grandprix 

high marks 

World Athletics has given high marks to the 2021 Mak 

ing of Champions grandprix meet, which was concluded 

last Thursday at the Yaba College of Technology sports 

centre. 

Top Nigerian athletes and others notably from Kenya participated 

in the meet searching for the performances that will 

hand them a ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. At the end of 

the day, Nigeria’s up and coming sprint sensation Grace 

Nwaokocha, with a time of 11.11seconds and Kenya’s Ferdinand 

Omanyala booked qualification for the Olympics in July. 

The WA rated the meet sponsored by BetKing 12th in the 

world and 2nd in Africa with overall scores of competition 

75251, participation 50 and result 7520. 

“The rating shows that there have been some remarkable 

improvements. Two athletes qualified for the Olympics in the 

meet. 

“If not for the covid’19 restrictions we expected more turn out 

by countries. Hopefully next year, we would be having a fuller 

foreign participation,” said Bambo Akani Making of Champions 

chief executive.

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 4, 2021 

SEE SOLUTION PAGE 5 

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Advert Dept: 01- 7924470; Hotline: 01-4544821; Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. 

E-mail website: sundayvanguard@yahoo.com, editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, sunvanguardmail@yahoo.com. Advert:advert@vanguardngr.com. Internet: www.vanguardngr.com 

(ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: WALE AKINOLA 08023145556. All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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