11042021 - Why AF, NEF others cant be trusted - S/West , S-South Leaders

PAGE 2—SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 11, 2021 

Abisola Aboaba, winner, MTF West Africa Academy New York Film Academy(NYFA) 8- 

week scholarship award; Joshua Tsotso, winner, MTF West Africa Academy MNet 4-week 

Internship Award; Julie Ako, winner, MTF West Africa Academy Nihilent 8-week internship 

award; Gbenga Gomes, MTF West Africa Academy Jasvo AVID Composer License award, 

and Igho Arusi Avuirovarie, MTF West Africa Academy Jasco Avid Pro Tools license award 

at the MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy 2020 class graduation ceremony, 

COMPARISON WITH BOKO HARAM: OPC blasts 

ex-Army chief, Dambazau 

By Dapo Akinrefon 

The O’odua Peoples Con 

gress, OPC, yesterday, 

lambasted former the Chief 

of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdurahman 

Dambazau (retd) for 

comparing the OPC with 

Boko Haram, saying the 

former Army chief must be 

suffering from acute dementia 

and gradually losing touch 

with realities. 

OPC, in a statement on Saturday 

by its Publicity Secretary, 

Mr. Yinka Oguntimehin, 

said such statements 

showed Dambazau as a 

northern irrendentist, who is 

renowned for his unguarded 

statements and utterances. 

According to OPC, “Dambazau’s 

statement that OPC 

and IPOB are very much the 

same as Boko Haram was 

made in bad faith and such 

statements have raised some 

fundamental questions about 

his intentions, interests and 

morality as a former COAS 

and minister of Interior. 

“Such high profile ex- military 

officer cannot be trusted 

in the fight against insurgency 

because he had on several 

occasion pleaded on their 

behalf. For such a person to 

have said that OPC is the 

same as Boko Haram is not 

only derogatory, but it is most 

unfortunate to say the least. 

“Boko Haram is adjudged 

globally as the third most 

dreaded terrorist groups in the 

world. And up till today it remains 

as such with various 

cases of killings across the 

Ekiti monarch shot 

Oba Adetutu Ajayi, the 

traditional ruler of 

Ewu Ekiti in Ilejemeje Local 

Government Area of Ekiti 

State, has been shot by hoodlums. 

The traditional ruler was 

shot on Friday night on his 

way to a neighbouring community, 

Ayetoro Ekiti in Ido/ 

Osi Local Government Area 

of the state. 

Ajayi, who however escaped 

with serious injuries on his 

legs, arms and stomach, is 

currently receiving treatment 

in an undisclosed tertiary 

medical facility. 

The Police Public Relations 

Officer (PPRO) in the state, 

ASP Sunday Abutu, confirmed 

the incident. 

Abutu said that the command 

was worried that such 

attack could be launched in 

spite of unrelenting joint security 

patrol and raiding of 

black-spots to dislodge criminals. 

The Prince Philip I knew, by Anyaoku, 

ex-Commonwealth Secretary-General 

•Late Prince Philip 

A 

former Secretary-Gen 

eral of the Commonwealth, 

Chief Emeka Anyaoku, 

says he received the 

news of the death of Prince 

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, 

with sadness. 

Anyaoku, who was Commonwealth 

Secretary-General 

between 1990 and 2000, 

in his condolence message to 

the royal family of England, 

titled: ‘The Master of the 

Household’, and dated April, 

9, 2021, wrote:. 

“Please accept the heart-felt 

condolence of my wife and 

myself at the death of HRH 

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. 

We received the news 

here in Nigeria with great 

sadness, and join the people 

of the United Kingdom and 

of the entire Commonwealth 

in mourning the passing 

of a truly great man who 

represented an inseparable 

part of the leadership of not 

only the United Kingdom but 

also of the Commonwealth 

of fifty four diverse sovereign 

nations for over sixty five 

years. As the International 

President of the World Wide 

Fund for nature, the global 

organization that he inspired 

and led for over sixteen years, 

he made immense contribution 

to conservation and the 

global effort to see that humans 

live in harmony with 

nature. 

“I am sure that all the people, 

including national leaders 

and the Commonwealth 

Secretaries-General, who 

were associated with him, will 

acknowledge his evident 

sense of a common humanity 

and ever admirable humour. 

Apart from seeing him 

North. 

“For instance, presently, 

Boko Haram and bandits 

have taken over four states in 

the North and Dambazau 

had never condemned their 

atrocities, he didn’t raise a finger. 

The OPC spokesman stated 

further that the group has 

since its existence in 1994 remained 

one of the most dependable 

organizations that 

has been defending the interest 

of the people of the south 

west. 

He said: “OPC has never 

been involved in any act of 

insurgency, including kidnapping 

or killings. Our 

group has been at the vanguard 

of supporting the police 

and providing information 

that can help the police 

in ensuring effective security 

at the grassroots. 

He however said the police 

command in the state was 

committed to ridding the 

state of criminal elements and 

assured the residents that the 

perpetrators would be 

brought to book. 

The PPRO said that the 

command would continue to 

work with sister security outfits 

to ensure that criminality 

was wiped out of Ekiti. 

Meanwhile, the Ekiti State 

Council of Obas has called 

on security agencies to apprehend 

the hoodlums and bring 

them to book. 

The Chairman of the council, 

Oba Adebanji Alabi while 

reacting to the incident expressed 

concern over the increase 

in banditry and other 

criminal activities in the 

country. 

He called on government 

and security agencies to increase 

their level of surveillance 

on the state with a view 

to reducing crimes. (NAN) 

at the biannual meetings of 

Commonwealth Heads of 

Government from 1966 to 

1999, one of the memories I 

recall with particular admiration 

and pleasure was his 

engagement in conversation 

about conservation policies 

with English and French 

speaking Heads of Government 

at a special dinner for 

twelve people hosted by President 

Biya of Cameroun in 

Yaounde in 1999. I pray that 

his noble soul rest in perfect 

peace”. 

Emameyan Foundation plans anti-cult 

rally in Sapele 

To curtail cult activities in 

Sapele, Delta State, the 

Rolex Emameyan Foundation 

is planning a peace rally 

to draw attention to the negative 

effects of cultism. 

In a statement, the founder 

of the Foundation, Ambassador 

Erhomo Rolex Emameyan, 

said: “The rally will sensitise 

all well-meaning sons 

and daughters of Sapele 

From left:Mr Habeeb Somoye, Marketing Director, Xiaomi Nigeria; Dr Seifullah 

Gaya, Managing Director, Rumacom Global; Harvey Deng, Country Head, Xiaomi 

Nigeria; Lin Chen, Chief Executive Officer, Rumacom Global Links Limited, and 

Austin Okocha, Xiaomi Brand Ambassador, at the inauguration of Xiaomi Redmi 

Note 10 series in Lagos 

From left:Santhosh Kumar Nair, Head, Marketing; Alhaji Ahmad Haruna Zago, 

Chairman, both of Aspira Nig. Ltd., presenting Viva-branded Jerseys to Alhaji Surajo 

Shaaibu Yahaya Jambul, Chairman of Kano Pillars FC, during the signing of 

MoU between the football club and Aspira. 

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State (right) presenting a symbolic gift to his Borno State 

counterpart, Babagana Umar Zulum, during the latter’s courtesy visit to Government House, 

Ibadan, yesterday. PHOTO: Oyo State Government. 

Resident doctors suspend strike 

By Chioma Obinna 

The National Association 

of Resident Doctors, 

NARD, yesterday, suspended 

its 10 days old strike. 

The National President of 

the association, Dr Uyilawa 

Okhuaihesuyi, said the strike 

community, both young and 

old to participate that it is 

more fruitful by talking to one 

another, that the killing and 

bloodshed will never solve 

our problems. 

“We want peace, unity and 

love. We are tired of seeing 

our youths die untimely. This 

is not a show of confidence or 

power but a show of love in 

its real existence, which is the 

beacon of our foundation….” 

was suspended due to their responsibility 

to Nigerians and 

the fact that the Federal Government 

has met some of 

their demands. 

According to him, the strike 

was suspended after series of 

long hours of meetings with 

various stakeholders in the 

health sector. 

“We have suspended the 

strike to show our patriotism 

to Nigerians. The government 

has met some of our demands 

and they have assured 

us that all our demands will 

be met. We are working on 

a press statement to that effect. 

Tomorrow we will be 

having a press conference,” 

he told Sunday Vanguard 

last night. 

Lalong furious as gunmen kill eight in attack in Plateau 

By Marie-Therese 

Nanlong 

Plateau State gover 

nor, Simon Lalong, 

has expressed sadness over an 

attack on a mining site in 

Kuru, Jos South Local Government 

Area of the state 

which left eight people 

dead. 

It would be recalled that the 

miners were ambushed and 

shot dead while others sustained 

fatal injuries at about 

7:00pm on Friday at a mining 

site behind Government 

Science School, Kuru. 

Dalyop Mwantiri, whose 

organization, ECCVN, is 

working with troubled communities 

in the state named 

those killed as Talatu Sunday, 

Jumai Useini, Davou Pwol, 

Gyang Nyam, Gabriel Nuhu, 

Nvou Dung, Mrs. Dung Monday 

and Mrs. Shabang. 

Apart from those killed yet 

to be identified, some people 

also sustained different degrees 

of injuries in the attack. 

Lalong, while speaking on 

the incident in a statement 

by his Director of Press and 

Public Affairs, Makut Macham, 

expressed anger over 

what he described as “another 

desperate attempt by 

criminals to destabilise the 

State and create fear among 

the people.” 

He said: “Government will 

not condone such attacks on 

innocent citizens” and directed 

security agencies to 

“fish out the perpetrators of 

this dastardly act which is 

capable of disrupting the substantial 

peace prevailing in 

the State.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 11, 2021, PAGE 3 

2021 Access Bank Marathon Race Photos: Bunmi Photos Azeez Lamidi & Akeem Bamidele Salau 

Participants at the starting point 

From left: Mr Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sport Development; Mr Olusegun 

Dawodu, Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Lagos State; Mr 

Herbert Wigwe, GMD/CEO, Access Bank Plc, and Sola Aiyepeku, Chairman, Lagos 

State Sports Commission. 

Participants at the finishing point 

A participant pouring water on his body 

Cross section of participants 

EMPOWERMENT: Lagos lawmaker urges youths to support govt 

By Olayinka Ajayi 

The lawmaker represent 

ing Amuwo Odofin 

Constituency 1 in Lagos State 

House of Assembly, MojisolaOluwa 

Alli-Macaulay has 

urged youths of her constituency 

to support the state government 

to enjoy more dividends 

of democracy. 

Fielding questions from 

newsmen yesterday, Alli- 

Macaulay, who debunked 

allegations that youths are 

Madam Nwogu 

for burial Apr 16 

Madam Nneoma Eve 

lyn Adaoha Nwogu 

(Nwanyiocha), of Obinihu 

Nkwerre in Nkwerre LGA, 

Imo State, is dead. She was 

93 

Ṡhe will be buried on Friday, 

April 16, 2021 after a funeral 

service at St. Paul’s Anglican 

Church, Nkwerre, in 

Nkwerre LGA, Imo State. 

She is survived by 8 children, 

14 grandchildren, 8 greatgrandchildren, 

5 sons in-law, 

which include Ambassador 

Alex O. Ohanwadi, daughter 

in-law and many relations. 

•Late Madam Nwogu 

By Tony Nwankwo 

A 

top contender in the An 

ambra State governorship 

election of November 6, 

2021, on the platform the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

Amb. Ike Oligbo, has lamented 

the indecisiveness 

and lack of cohesion on the 

zoning that has derailed his 

campaign and his quest for 

the contest. 

Speaking to newsmen in 

Awka, the state capital, the 

multi-millionaire, international 

security expert, lamented 

how he had personally 

tried to get the direction 

of the party with respect 

to zoning without success 

and this unsettled him in 

view of the the news all over 

the State that non-southern 

senatorial aspirants were 

billed not to stand in the 

election in order for the candidacy 

to go to the southern 

senatorial district of the 

party. 

Oligbo who was the first 

aspirant to declare his intention 

at the King David 

Hotel, Awka, on November, 

26, 2019, decried the confusion 

and infighting within 

the party in respect of the 

high on drugs, urged youths 

in her constituency to synergise 

with the state government 

in order to access the 

state government programmes 

and plans for the 

Amuwo Odofin youths. 

According to the lawmaker: 

“I never mentioned Amuwo 

Odofin in my statement. I 

said parents should also be 

blamed for some of these 

things going on as it is their 

duty to train up a child because 

the family is the smallest 

unit of a nation. We were 

talking about hoodlums at 

the time, not Nigerian youths. 

“They burnt several places 

in the state even the Lagos 

State Public Works (LSPW) – 

the same organization meant 

to carry out public works in 

the state including Amuwo 

Odofin - When I called them 

to help me do some things in 

Amuwo Odofin, they said 

they had no equipment due 

to the destruction. 

“If I had said something 

out of place, the Speaker 

would have called me to order. 

I also said that the National 

Population Commission, 

NPC should do another 

population census so that we 

could have an accurate data 

base to tackle certain issues 

in the nation because with 

data, a lot of these issues bothering 

the youth can be addressed.” 

Anambra 2021: Zoning has derailed my campaign 

— Oligbo 

zoning arrangement and 

advised the party leadership 

to be resolute in decision 

making to avoid endangering 

the fortunes of the party 

at both state and national 

levels. 

Oligbo, popularly known 

as Ike Edeke, has consistently 

challenged the party leadership 

over its position on 

zoning without getting any 

definitive answers as news 

were going round that non- 

southern senatorial aspirants 

would be disqualified / 

eliminated during screening, 

and the party has made 

no effort to confirm or deny 

the news. However, it was 

left for aspirants to decide 

whether to risk purchasing 

EOI nomination forms and 

risk being disqualified 

which is totally irresponsible 

and out of order on the 

part of the party leadership. 

Expert advocates better funding of 

health sector 

A 

biomedical engineer 

and a humanitarian, 

Mrs Chinenye Onuorah, 

whose NGO advocates for 

SDG3, good health and wellbeing, 

has called on the Federal 

Government to increase 

funding of the health sector 

so that medical staff can be 

more committed to their work 

and our hospitals can be better 

equipped. 

Speaking during a health 

talk organised by Regalo 

Hope Foundation in Lagos, 

Onuorah noted that medical 

tourism, brain drain and incessant 

strikes are due to poor 

funding and mismanagement 

of the health sector 

The health talk was to enlighten 

people on healthy living. 

At the event was also 

Nurse Pius Glory who added 

that those who want to enjoy 

sound health and live long 

must obey all the rules of hygiene, 

live right, eat right and 

do constant medical tests to 

monitor their sugar level 

blood pressure and other vital 

health indicators. It is in 

this regard she called on wellmeaning 

Nigerians to support 

the foundation which spent 

about N2.5million to provide 

free glucose check, free hepatitis 

test, HIV test, free blood 

pressure check, among others, 

at the event in commemoration 

of the World Health 

Day. 

Another set of participants at the finishing point 

Rugby stars shine on Glo-sponsored 

African Voices 

This week’s edition of the 

Glo-sponsored television 

magazine programme, 

CNN African Voices Changemakers, 

will be celebrating 

two Rugby players whose exploits 

in the game are serving 

as inspiration to youngsters 

across the African continent. 

The guests include Zimbabwe-born 

former rugby 

player resident in South Africa, 

Tendai Mtawarira, and 

another former Rugby player, 

Humphrey Kayange from 

Kenya. 

35 years old, Mtawarira, 

with 117 caps, is the most 

capped prop in South Africa. 

He started representing the 

country in 2008 and is also 

third most capped Springbook 

of all time. 

Popularly known as ‘Beast’, 

Mtawarira won the Rugby 

Ojumiri Cline-Cole for burial 

The Cline-Cole family 

has announced the burial 

arrangements of Dr. 

Ojumiri Cline-Cole, 76, as 

follows: April 14, 2021, Service 

of Songs @ Gbolahan 

Preparatory & High School, 

7AAsa Afariogun Street, off 

Osolo Way by Ozde Plaza, off 

M/M International Airport 

Road, Lagos; April, 16, Body 

lies-in-State @ 16/18 Christine 

Onyung Street, off M/M 

International Airport Road, 

Ajao Estate; Requiem Mass 

@ St. Peter Claver Catholic 

Church, Ajao Estate, off M/M 

International Airport Road, 

Lagos, and Interment @ Ebony 

Vaults and Gardens, 

Yaba, Lagos. 

Reception is at Gbolahan 

World Cup in 2019 and with 

160 caps, he is the most 

capped Super Rugby professional 

from South Africa. 

Kayange runs Atlas Foundation, 

which mentors Kenyan 

athletes and young 

sports prospects in his country. 

After graduating from 

Jomo Kenyatta University, 

Juja, Kenya where he read 

Organic Chemistry, 39 yearold 

Kayange became a professional 

Rugby player. 

After mastering the game, 

he made the Kenya team and 

was part of the Kenyan squad 

at the Rugby World Cup Sevens. 

The team progressed to 

the Semi –Finals of the competition. 

By 2009, he was 

nominated for the International 

Rugby Board Sevens 

Player of The Year, while in 

2008/2009 IRB World Series, 

he was also was awarded the 

Kenyan Presidential Order of 

Golden Warriors (OGW). 

Preparatory & High School, 

7A Asa Afariogun Street, off 

Osolo Way by Ozde Plaza, off 

M/M International Airport 

Road, Lagos. Colour Code is 

White & Blue. 

He is survived by children, 

grand children, brother and 

uncle. 

•Late Dr. Cline-Cole


Buhari salutes es Dangote e on birthda 

thday 

LASU student, 

others 

kidnapped on 

Warri-Benin 

Highway 

By Adesina Wahab 

An accounting student 

of the Lagos State University, 

LASU, Olowa Kehinde, 

was, at the weekend, 

abducted along with others 

along the Warri-Benin Highway 

while coming back to 

Lagos from a trip. 

Speaking in an interview 

with Sunday Vanguard yesterday, 

the Public Relations 

Officer of the LASU Students 

Union Government, Adams 

Zaenab Olawunmi, said immediately 

the leadership of 

the union got wind of the development, 

necessary contacts 

were made with security 

agencies. 

She assured members of 

the union that efforts were on 

to ensure that Kehinde is reunited 

with his family members 

and colleagues. 

“We got the information 

yesterday and we have swung 

into action. The incident 

happened somewhere along 

the Warri-Benin Highway 

while he was coming back to 

Lagos. We don’t know how 

many people were abducted”, 

Olawunmi said. 

“We have been in touch 

with the Director of DSS, Lagos 

State who has also been 

in touch with his colleagues 

in the affected areas. They 

assured us that they would 

discharge their duties and get 

our colleague back safely 

“We use this medium to assure 

the students of Lagos 

State University of our desire 

and efforts to bring Olowa 

Kehinde back home safe and 

sound”. 

Wale Edun 

lauds Duke of 

Edinburgh’s youth 

legacy 

Mr Wale Edun, International 

Board Member of the Duke 

of Edinburgh’s International 

Award Foundation and its 

Chairman in Nigeria, has expressed 

deep sadness on the 

passage of Prince Philip. On 

behalf of the Duke of Edinburgh’s 

Award in Africa and 

Nigeria, he offered condolences 

to Her Majesty the 

Queen and the entire Royal 

Family, particularly Prince 

Edward, Earl of Wessex who 

is the Chairman of the Duke 

of Edinburgh’s International 

Award Foundation. 

Edun paid tribute to what 

he described as the late Duke’s 

fantastic and enduring legacy 

of encouragement, support 

and empowerment of young 

people through the Award. 

This scheme, which Prince 

Philip founded in 1956 for 

young people aged 14-24, currently, 

operates in over 130 

countries and territories of the 

world including 17 African 

countries. In Nigeria, the 

Award currently operates in 11 

states and FCT with over 

28,000 young people having 

participated since it was relaunched 

here in 2014. Numbers 

continue to grow rapidly 

with the full support of government 

at all levels, led by 

the Federal Ministry of Youth 

and Sport. 

He is gone to rest but his 

legacy lives on, Edun said. 

•Edun 

1983 Set of African Church Comprehensive High School, Ikere-Ekiti, 

Ekiti State, yesterday, visited their alma mater. (3rd) from right front 

row is the School Principal, Mrs. Modupe Margaret Adebayo, with some 

of the Set members. 

Sitting from left: Mrs. Aisivbioje Nnenna, Customer Service Officer, 

Ringrazio Logistics Limited, Prince Victor Hallow Kosoko, Business Advisor, 

Mr. Eze Onuoha, MD/CEO, Mrs. Akinjo Adewunmi, Personal Assistant 

to the MD/CEO, and Mrs. Chinonye Onuoha, Head of Sales, Zenetti 

Limited, during the launch of Ringrazio Logistics Limited, a real estate 

company, in GRA Ikeja, Lagos. 

KONSHISHA ATTACK: Benue tribal 

leaders s blame criminal elements 

for murder of 11 1 soldiers 

By Peter Duru, 

Makurdi 

Leaders of Benue sociocultural 

organisations 

have blamed criminal elements 

for last Monday’s 

murder of 11 soldiers in 

Konshisha Local Government 

Area of Benue State. 

Their leader, Chief Iorbee 

Ihagh, who spoke on their 

behalf, condemned the action 

of bandits and appealed 

to the military to 

observe restraint in their 

quest to recover missing 

weapons of the murdered 

soldiers. 

The President General of 

Mzough U.T. (MUT) Worldwide, 

who spoke yesterday 

to Sunday Vanguard in 

Makurdi, regretted that the 

military personnel were deployed 

to trouble spots in 

the community had to pay 

the supreme price in such a 

dastardly manner. 

“We know how painful 

this could be but we are appealing 

to the military to 

restrain themselves from 

unleashing mayhem on innocent 

people who are also 

victims of these criminal 

elements”, he stated. 

“I sincerely advise that 

since we cannot unfortunately 

bring back the killed 

soldiers, we adopt the community 

based approach to 

investigate the matter to 

ensure that all the masterminds 

are arrested and all 

the confiscated weapons 

are recovered and returned 

to the military authorities. 

“We know that the military 

have suffered loses and 

are now in an operation to 

recover their missing weapons 

and in the cause of doing 

that have caused collateral 

damage in the community, 

we still urge them to 

realize that two wrongs 

cannot make a right. 

“Those behind the heinous 

By Peter Duru, 

Makurdi 

Governor Samuel Or 

tom of Benue State, 

yesterday, said the governors 

and leaders of the People’s 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

have revolved that they 

would not repeat the mistakes 

of 2015 that cost the 

party the leadership in the 

country. 

The governor, who spoke 

at the North Central Congress 

of the PDP held in 

Makurdi, commended the 

party for holding a rancourfree 

congress which clearly 

indicated the resolve of the 

party to ensure fairness in 

all its activities. 

“The success of the Zonal 

Congress would move and 

give inspiration to other five 

states in the zone, and by the 

grace of God come 2023 

North Central zone will be 

controlled by the PDP as was 

the case before”, he said. 

“I commend members of 

the party for ensuring a 

peaceful Congress. And I 

want to charge those elected 

into offices to ensure that 

issues of fairness, equity, 

and justice are accorded top 

murder of the soldiers were 

criminal elements and our 

common enemies who did 

not enjoy the backing of 

chiefs and stakeholders. 

That is why we are appealing 

for calm and restraint to 

allow the people help them 

fish out these criminals”. 

2023: PDP leaders s have resolved 

not to repeat the mistak 

akes of 2015 

—Ortom 

priority. 

“We must all work hard 

to respect and preserve the 

constitution of our party the 

PDP and also the constitution 

of the Federal Republic 

of Nigeria. 

“I want to assure you that 

as long as we keep to the 

oath of office we took, I will 

continue to stand with you 

and work with you and continue 

to encourage you until 

we reach our desired destination 

of wining all the 

states for PDP come 2023. 

“Today the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, is helpless 

and Nigerians have 

seen the difference. They 

have failed in security, failed 

in economy, failed in infrastructural 

development and 

failed in all spheres of life 

which they have also acknowledged. 

“That is why at the end of 

the meeting of PDP governors 

held in Makurdi, we 

all resolved that we will 

not go back to the mistakes 

of 2015. There is not 

going back to godfatherism, 

there will be no suppression 

of the people’s 

will and there won’t be imposition 

of candidates 

again’’. 

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru 

RESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated 

PAliko Dangote on adding a year to his age, describing 

him as a key partner and a “Corona Warrior” who continues 

to show consistent faith and belief in our dear country. 

The President felicitation was contained in a statement 

issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, 

Mallam Garba Shehu, in Abuja, yesterday. 

Buhari, according to the statement, said “the pandemic 

has placed enormous strain on many nations, but in our 

case, due to the support and cooperation of citizens like 

Dangote who display great empathy and sacrifice to mankind 

in their own ways, the burden has been made somewhat 

lighter for the citizens and the government.” 

He also commended the President of Dangote group for 

giving wings to the aspirations of many youngsters and 

professionals in Nigeria and the rest of the continent, urging 

him to continue to do more. 

Mounting insecurity troubles Ned Nwoko 

By Emma Amaize 

former member of House of Representatives, Hon. 

A Prince Ned Nwoko, has expressed fear over escalating 

insecurity in the country, warning that if uncurbed, it 

could threaten the existence of the nation with the lives of 

citizens already endangered. 

Prince Nwoko in a statement, ‘Insecurity and Nigeria: A 

call for Concerted Action to Secure the Nation’, in Abuja, 

said widespread incidents of banditry, kidnappings and 

murderous attacks had not only placed Nigeria in grave 

danger , but also dehumanized her citizens amidst killings 

and terrorism. 

“ Boko Haram insurgency and siege of ethnic separatists 

across the country are destructive tendencies, all threatening 

the foundation and moral fabric of the society. The 

savagery is unacceptable”, he said. 

“ I am doubly sure that President Muhammadu Buhari is 

not folding his arms in the face of the dangers posed by 

these groups. Facts are there to prove that maximum security 

forces including aerial raids are being deployed against 

the insurgents and other bandits. 

World Health Day: NAS takes free 

medical care to Abuja community 

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru 

As part of its activities to mark the 2021 World 

Health Day, the National Association of Seadogs, 

NAS, yesterday, rendered free medical services to the 

Ushafa community in Bwari Area Council of the Federal 

Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja. 

Although the World Health Day was celebrated on 

April 8, NAS said it decided to carry out the medical 

outreach, yesterday, so that people will have time to 

partake in the exercise. 

Speaking at the occasion, President of Zuma Deck, 

Abuja, Anderson Kolawole Oseh, said that the association 

discovered that a good number of people from the 

community needed medical attention but could not get 

any because of financial constraints. 

He said most residents of the rural communities hardly 

find drugs or even medical personnel in its primary 

health center, hence the association decided to bring the 

medical service to them to look at cases like malaria 

and other common ailments that could be handled at 

the center. 

Baby Naomi Essienawan 

Efana-Okon 

emerges Cussons Baby of the year 

…wins N2m 

By Juliet Umeh 

It was yet another successful grand finale of the 7th sea 

son of the PZ Cussons as Ms Naomi Essienawan Efana- 

Okon won the Cussons Baby of the Year with a N2 million 

consolation prize. 

Efana-Okon, who beat about 9,000 other entrants to the 

biggest prize, is also entitled to a year supply of Cussons Baby 

products. Baby Ojelade Daphne also emerged the first runner 

up, winning N1 million and six months’ supply of Cussons 

Baby products while the second runner up, Aliu Ayomide, got 

N500, 000 and six months supply of Cussons Baby products. 

The top seven finalists were not left out as the 4th-7th position 

walked away with N100, 000 and 3 months’ supply of 

Cussons Baby products each, while others got one month 

supply of Cussons Baby products. 

Foundation unveils programme to 

empower girls with cybersecurity skills 

CyberSafe Foundation, a leading Non-Governmental 

organization focused on improving cyber safety particularly 

amongst the vulnerable has recently announced 

the launch of a fellowship Programme, Cybergirls 

A statement from the foundation said that Cyber- 

Girls, a 1-year fellowship program was initiated to 

equip girls between the ages of 15 and 21 with globally 

sought-after cybersecurity skills, positioning them to start 

a career in cybersecurity and seize work opportunities within 

Nigeria and across the world. 

During the one-year fellowship, beneficiaries will be 

exposed to training in digital literacy, cybersecurity fundamentals, 

soft skills and career specific paths in cybersecurity 

which will include Networking, Cyber and IT 

Security Audit, Incident Analysis/Response, Penetration/Vulnerability 

Testing, Security Intelligence, Web Application 

Testing and Cloud security.


RESTRUCTURING WITHOUT ZONING: 

Yoruba leaders cautious on 

ACF 

CF, , NEF, , others’ move 

By Dayo Johnson, Ola 

Ajayi, Shina Abubakar 

Ojo, Rotimi 

Ojomoyela and James 

Ogunnaike 

Some Yoruba leaders, 

at the weekend, 

reacted with 

cautious optimism to the 

news that a coalition of 

northern groups was 

supporting the demand for 

the restructuring of the 

country but rejected zoning. 

“We keep our fingers 

crossed because this type of 

grandiloquent declarations 

are not new from the 

leadership of the Arewa 

Consultative Forum (ACF) 

and the Northern Elders 

Forum (NEF) which are the 

only known groups among 

those which issued the 

communiqué”, a chieftain 

of Afenifere and a member 

of the 2014 National 

Conference, Chief Olusola 

Ebiseni, said. 

On his part, a former 

National President of 

Yoruba Council of Elders 

(YCE), Dansaaki Samuel 

Adeleye Agbede, said, “If 

they truly and sincerely want 

to pursue the option of 

restructuring, they will get 

the attention of people.” 

Also reacting to the 

development, a notable 

Yoruba leader and former 

Nigeria’s envoy to the 

Philippines, Dr Yemi 

Faroumbi, disclosed that no 

President would succeed 

with the present 

Constitution of the country. 

The Yoruba of the South- 

West region have been at the 

forefront of the campaign 

for the restructuring of 

Nigeria in a way that more 

powers will move from the 

Federal Government to the 

states. 

The campaign became 

louder in the wake of the 

worsening insecurity across 

the country, leading to the 

demand for state police as 

against the present 

structure which provides for 

federal controlled police. 

Proponents of 

restructuring speak about 

fiscal federalism which will 

see state governments 

being given more 

responsibilities but control 

the resources in their 

domains, earn money and 

pay tax to the Federal 

Government. 

They point to the 

arrangement in place 

during the First Republic 

when the regions grew at 

their own pace with the 

Western Region making 

money from cocoa, Eastern 

Region from palm oil and 

rubber and Northern 

Region from cotton and 

groundnut, a situation that 

engendered healthy 

competition until the 

military came and foisted 

unitary government on the 

nation. 

NEF, ACF, Coalition of 

Northern Groups, CNG, 

and other conveners of the 

Northern Peoples Summit 

had, on Friday, said that 

restructuring the country 

was now a vital necessity 

for Nigeria’s survival as one 

united entity. 

The North, they, however, 

insisted, will not be 

stampeded or blackmailed 

into taking major decisions 

around rotating the 

presidency. 

While reading the 

communiqué after the 

Summit held at the Arewa 

House Kaduna, Prof. 

Doknan Danjuma Sheni, 

Chairman of the 

Communiqué Drafting 

Committee, said the 

Northern Peoples Summit, 

convened on the 7th and 8th 

of April, 2021 at Arewa 

House, Kaduna, discussed 

issues bedeviling the North 

and the Nigerian state. 

“These include security, 

restructuring, economic, 

politics and the survival of 

the Nigerian state”, Sheni 

said. 

“After two days’ intensive 

discussions, they resolved to 

sustain the Summit as a 

productive forum for 

utilizing Pan-Northern 

assets in the search for 

resolution of Northern 

problems”. 

According to him, they 

also resolved to encourage 

northern elites and political 

leadership to improve their 

levels of sensitivity to 

inclusiveness and 

management of the North’s 

pluralism. 

“The North will be 

stronger if it addresses its 

internal weaknesses 

particularly around ethnoreligious 

matters as it 

relates to its challenges with 

the rest of Nigeria. 

“Perception and practice 

of creating minorities and 

majorities among 

northerners should have no 

place in the North, nor is 

discrimination on the basis 

of place, faith or ethnic 

group of any Northerner. 

“The North believes that 

restructuring the country is 

now a vital necessity for 

survival as one united 

entity”. 

The communiqué was 

signed by Air Marshal Alamin 

Daggash for NEF, 

Amb. Ibrahim Mai-Sule for 

ACF, Dr. Usman Bugaje for 

Arewa Research 

Development Project 

(ARDP), Engr. Bello 

Suleiman for Code Group 

(CG), and Dr. Sadiq Umar 

Abubakar Gombe for The 

Northern Movement 

(TNM). 

Others were Comrade 

(Dr.) Innocent Ahure for 

Northern Dev. Resource 

Centre (NDRC), Alh. Bashir 

Othman Tofa for Kano 

Concerned Citizens 

Initiative (KCCI), Haj. 

Bilkisu Oniyangi for Arewa 

Initiative for Good 

Governance (AIGG), Dr. 

Rose Danladi Idi for 

Northern Initiative Forum 

for Dev. (NIFD), Nastrura 

Ashir Shariff for CNG and 

Yerima Shettima for Arewa 

Youth Consultative Forum 

(AYCF) 

Fingers crossed 

Speaking on the 

development, Ebiseni, a 

chieftain of Afenifere, said 

The National Leader, All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu(right), 

and Director, Arewa House Centre for Historical Research and Documentation of 

Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna, Dr Shuaibu Shehu Aliyu, during a thank you 

visit to Tinubu for chairing the 11th Arewa House Lecture at Asokoro, Abuja...at the 

weekend. 

his group would keep their 

fingers crossed until they 

were sure of the northern 

groups’ position. 

His words: “We keep our 

fingers crossed because 

grandiloquent declarations 

are not new from the 

leadership of the Arewa 

Consultative Forum and the 

Northern Elders Forum 

which are the only known 

groups among those which 

issued the communique. 

“They were delegates at 

the 2014 National 

Conference where decisions 

on restructuring the 

Nigerian state were taken 

by consensus only to sing 

new and discordant tunes 

since Buhari’s presidency 

came into office. 

“They sought relentlessly 

to confuse Nigerians by 

asking that the issues in 

restructuring be defined 

while the Southern Leaders 

and Middle Belt Forum 

insisted on the Resolutions 

and Reports of the 2014 

National Conference as the 

minimum template for 

peaceful coexistence and 

development of Nigeria, its 

land, nationalities and 

people. 

“We are not taken in but 

nevertheless encouraged by 

this born-again declaration 

by elements from the far 

North. 

“We only wait for more 

details in the hope that the 

nation may thereby be 

pulled back from the 

precipice”. 

Sincerity 

Agbede, a former 

National President of YCE, 

demanded sincerity on the 

part of the northern groups, 

saying, “This is what we 

have been advocating and 

advising. People should not 

leave a matter to an extent 

when it will be 

uncontrollable. 

“We are having problems 

all over Africa. Insurgency 

and kidnappings and other 

crimes things are 

spreading. The issue of 

unity should be put aside for 

now and let’s discuss if these 

people truly want us to live 

together because there is no 

way you will be dominating 

people and you continue to 

show you are dominating 

them. 

“Then you are talking 

glibly about one Nigeria. It 

is self-deceit and mere 

hallucinations because all 

...PANDEF 

ANDEF, , S’South stak 

akeholder 

eholders s suspicious of Nor 

orth’s agenda 

By Emma Amaize, 

Regional Editor, South- 

South, Sam Oyadongha, 

Festus Ahon, 

Emmanuel Una and 

Chioma Onuegbu 

PAN –Niger Delta 

Forum, PANDEF, 

the umbrella body 

of monarchs, leaders and 

stakeholders of coastal 

states of Niger-Delta, says 

it does not completely trust 

Friday’s declaration for restructuring 

by the Coalition 

of Northern Groups, CNG, 

Northern Elders Forum, 

NEF, Arewa Consultative 

Forum, ACF, while they opposed 

rotational presidency 

Anglican Bishop of Calabar 

Diocese in Cross River 

State, Tunde Adeleye, 

Chief Obun Ekanem, facilitator 

of Niger Delta Development 

Union, NDDU, Dr. 

Akpor Mudiaga-Odje, President, 

Ijaw Professionals 

Association (Homeland 

Chapter), Iniruo Wills 

and other South-South 

stakeholders, in separate 

interviews with Sunday 

Vanguard, also questioned 

the northern groups’ support 

for restructuring and 

contradictory resistance to 

rotational presidency. 

Why PANDEF 

is suspicious? 

Responding to the avowal 

of the northern groups, 

the National Publicity Secretary, 

Hon Ken Robinson, 

explained: “There is no 

doubt that restructuring is 

now not only a vital necessity 

but has become expedient 

for the survival of Nigeria 

as a united entity. 

“PANDEF, therefore, welcomes, 

but with caution, the 

declaration of support for 

restructuring by some 

northern groups, including 

the Arewa Consultative Forum 

and Northern Elders 

Forum. 

“However, against the 

background of inconsistencies 

and contradictions, we 

would rather take their declaration 

with a pinch of salt. 

For instance, how can they 

declare support for restructuring 

and then say they do 

not support power rotation? 

That is most illogical and 

creates room for doubt. 

“Both restructuring and 

power rotation are issues 

that border on making Nigeria 

a better, safer and 

more egalitarian country. 

“The northern elite and 

political leadership would, 

therefore, need to demonstrate 

to the rest of the country 

that they are sincere and 

serious; they should match 

their words with action. 

“We have been on this 

flawed system for 60 years 

and it has, largely, contributed 

to our being a sub-par 

nation, despite the country’s 

enormous human and material 

resources. 

“The stark reality is that 

Nigeria cannot continue in 

the present contorted and 

destructive trajectory, the 

federal government must 

heed the voice of reason and, 

without any further delay, 

institute a genuine dialogue 

process on the restructuring 

of the country, to guarantee 

harmonious and peaceful 

coexistence, for the benefit 

of present and future generations, 

before it is too 

late.” 

‘What FG should 

quickly do’ 

National Chairman, 

PANDEF, Senator Emmanuel 

Ibokessien, who personally 

spoke to Sunday Vanguard, 

stated: “In terms of 

restructuring, PANDEF has 

been the champion of restructuring 

of the country. 

That is one major item in 

our 16- point agenda. So I 

am glad that the northern 

elders groups have seen the 

need for restructuring of the 

country. It is a welcome development 

and PANDEF is 

happy with that resolution 

of the northern elders. 

“I do not think anybody 

want Nigeria to disintegrate. 

We all want to remain 

as one Nigeria but the problem 

is how do we remain as 

one Nigeria? That is where 

the issue of restructuring 

comes in very strong. 

“The West has already 

keyed into restructuring; 

recently, I read the Arewa 

Consultative Forum (ACF) 

saying they are ready for 

restructuring. PANDEF is 

ready for restructuring, 

Afenifere, Ohaneze are also 

ready and the Middle Belt 

Consultative Forum is 

ready for restructuring. 

“So now that all the regions 

have accepted restructuring, 

what is left now is for 

the Presidency and the National 

Assembly to ensure 

that they bring out modalities, 

put mechanism in 

place for all the people of 

Nigeria to sit together and 

restructure because, if we 

do not restructure it now, 

Nigeria will restructure itself” 

Responding to the rejection 

of rotational presidency 

by the northern groups, 

Ibokessien said because 

each party has its own 

Constitution, “therefore, the 

party should abide by that 

constitutional provision, for 

me, zoning of the presidency 

is a party matter” 

Discrepancies 

Adeleye, Anglican Bishop 

of Calabar Diocese, in 

agreeing with PANDEF, 

said: “The position of Arewa 

is fraught with inconsistencies. 

At one point we hear 

they do not want restructuring 

and, at another, they 

want restructuring. What 

this shifting position 

amounts to is shifting the 

goal post in the middle of 

the game. 

“They know it is the turn 

of the South to produce the 

President in 2023, but since 

they want to hang on to power, 

they are now speaking 

from both sides of their 

Continues on page 

mouths. 

“What the South should 

do is to put up a united 

front and demand for the 

president in 2023 to come 

from the South.” 

2023 chaos 

Also reacting, a community 

leader in Cross-River, 

Chief Obun Ekanem, stated: 

“What they are doing is 

calling for the fragmentation 

of the country. I see chaos 

in 2023. For them to say 

negotiations should take 

place with Boko Haram 

and bandits is to tacitly support 

insurgency and criminality 

which is quite funny. 

They want to use such criminal 

position to hang on to 

power and to continue to 

carry out nepotism. 

“The South should gird its 

loins and fight for what is 

theirs because allowing the 

North to perpetually produce 

the President will fragment 

the country along ethnic 

lines.” 

Roundtable 

Facilitator of Niger Del- 

Continues on page 6


'Our Moment Newspaper,' David Olanrewaju (right), presenting 2021 Lifetime 

Achievement Award to Victor Ani-Laju, CEO, e-pay Limited and a presidential 

aspirant, when Ani-Laju declared his intention on the 2023 polls in Victoria 

Island, Lagos. 

Yoruba leaders cautious on ACF, NEF, others’ move 

Continued from page 5 

these people having an 

illusion that they will 

overrun everybody, it will 

not happen as they think. 

“If they truly and 

sincerely want to pursue the 

option of restructuring, they 

will get the attention of 

people. 

“The younger ones don’t 

want to see us eye-to-eye 

because of the attacks, 

kidnappings and killings 

they are witnessing on daily 

basis. 

“We are witnessing 

unbridled nepotism on 

daily basis. These youths 

are looking at elders as if 

we have sold them out. 

“It is not so but we are very 

careful about the aftermath 

of violence. It is better we 

sit down at a round-table 

and discuss. 

“There is no way we are 

going to sit down and talk 

if these killings and 

kidnappings continue. So, 

we say let’s avoid genocide 

and needless murder of 

citizens of Nigeria. 

“My emphasis is on 

sincerity. If they’re sincere, 

they will have listening ears 

from the elders of other 

ethnic groups in the 

country”. 

People’s 

Constitution 

Faroumbi, a former 

Nigeria’s envoy to the 

Philippines, believed that 

no President would succeed 

with the present 

Constitution of the country. 

He said, “Unless we write 

a people’s Constitution for 

Nigeria, no matter who is 

the President, no matter 

where he comes from, he is 

not going to make much 

success. 

“Fundamental 

requirement today is a 

rearrangement of the 

Constitution, a reordering 

of our priorities, a reexamination 

of all the 

errors we have made in the 

last 40 years since we 

abolished federalism. 

“I believe that is the most 

critical thing that the nation 

requires. If we do that, we 

will find that the presidency 

is not as important to our 

lives as it is now. 

“If we reduce the 52 per 

cent of the total revenue that 

goes to the Federal 

Government to about 40 

percent or less, as 

recommended by the 2014 

National Conference, we 

may find that the presidency 

does not hold all of us by 

the jugular again. 

“If we reduce the number 

of items on the Exclusive List 

from 68 to the 22 that it used 

to be, then we you will find 

that all our lives will not 

depend on a President or 

on a central government. 

“So it might be in our 

interest to rearrange our 

Constitution, have a true 

federal Constitution, 

where the federation units 

will no longer be 

subordinate to the central, 

where the powers would be 

deposited nearer the 

people, that is, more 

powers at the local 

government and at the 

state level or whatever the 

federation units are, than 

at the centre. 

“If we do all of these, 

like we had until January 

1966, you may find that 

the clamour or the bitter 

struggle for the presidency 

wouldn’t be there, because 

the powers or resources 

will be nearer the people 

at the federation units”. 

The Yoruba 

position 

Also reacting to the 

communique, YCE 

Secretary General, Dr 

Kunle Olajide, described 

the issues raised by the 

northerners as a welcome 

development, saying it 

raised hope of a beginning 

to an end in the struggle 

for the disintegration of 

the nation. 

“For me, the Northern 

Peoples Summit is a very 

welcome development. 

Reading through the 

c o m m u n i q u é , 

immediately you get the 

impression that virtually 

all parts of this nation are 

not happy with the 

situation of things”, 

Olajide said. 

“We had our own 

summit in 2017 and we 

raised some of these issues, 

we had a long time ago 

identified some of these 

fundamental problems 

that have now snowballed 

into major crisis in the 

country today. 

“We must congratulate 

them. Though there are 

few items in the 

communique that need to 

be discussed, let me say 

it straight away, the 

position of the Yoruba 

nation is that we need a 

truly federal people’s 

constitution for this 

country because we cannot 

run away from the fact that 

we are different peoples 

that make up this country. 

And when the colonial 

masters 

were 

amalgamating us, they did 

not seek our consent, it was 

like a forced marriage. We 

are different peoples with 

different cultures and even 

up to this moment different 

beliefs. 

“So, let us begin from the 

beginning now, let the 

people of Nigeria sit 

together and jointly decide 

how they want to live 

together like the 

Americans did in the 

eighteenth century. 

“We must sit down and 

agree on the powers we 

want to concede to the 

Federal Government and 

the ones we want to give o 

the other federating units 

that make up the country, 

we will agree on them and 

put them in the new 

constitution”. 

Ebenezer 

Babatope: 

Decision a bit 

ta Democratic Union, 

NDDU, lawyer and activist, 

Dr. Akpo Mudiaga- 

Odje, who spoke to Sunday 

Vanguard in Warri, 

Delta State, on his part, 

said: “The great 18th century 

poet, Victor Hugo, stated 

that ‘no amount of a 

standing army can defeat 

an idea which time has 

come’. And so it is with the 

idea of restructuring, we as 

a people united against 

our will and consent need 

to now sit down together 

to seriously discuss how we 

now live together with our 

consent and collective will 

of the people. 

“And such forum or fora 

for discussion and its objects 

shall and most include 

rotational presidency 

to any issue that touches 

on the very fabric of the 

nation. 

“The ventilation of ideas 

from proponents to opponents 

will bring a very robust 

and prosperous template 

for our governance. 

We all meet at the roundtable 

with our best negotiators 

and representatives, 

a situation which will not 

allow for stampeding anyone 

ethnic group by another.” 

late, but ... 

Also speaking, a former 

Minister of Transport and 

a close associate of the late 

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, 

Chief Ebenezer Babatope, 

said: “No part of the 

country would gain from 

the nation’s break-up. And 

like the great sage, the late 

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, 

who fought for a united 

Nigeria, said the Yoruba 

nation is very desirous of 

realignment of the country 

to ensure that the nature of 

our federal structure is 

properly defined. 

“We cannot run away 

from the fact that we are a 

federation and we must 

ensure that we do 

everything to maintain our 

unity, no matter the cost. 

“The leaders today must 

realize that it is important 

to so do. We were born as 

Nigerians and we don’t 

want to live as people from 

different nations born out of 

Nigeria. 

“The northern groups, if 

they have realised the need 

for restructuring, though, a 

bit late, it is the right way to 

go. The pressure on who 

becomes the President will 

reduce drastically. More 

powers and resources would 

be within the federating 

units and more focus would 

be on good governance at 

that level”. 

Otunba Tayo Onayemi, 

Ogun State Coordinator, 

Yoruba Interest Group, 

reacted angrily, saying, 

“The fragmented and 

dubious North of Nigeria is 

at it again, dictating 

pompously. 

“The Fulani are using the 

Hausa and other willing 

members of the North to 

issue orders to the South on 

how to exercise their 

fundamental human rights 

while at the same time 

playing the victim. Were 

they alive when Gumi was 

educating us about the 

ethnic war declared on the 

South by Fulani? 

“Deceitful slave masters, 

the South will react shortly 

and appropriately. 

“Our focus is 

disembowelment of the 

contraption called Nigeria. 

“The 

forced 

amalgamation has expired 

since 2014. 

“Southerners will never 

again be dictated to by the 

North about how we will 

live our lives,where to go 

and who we will associate 

with. Never”. 

Chief Jimoh Olawale 

Taofeek, founder, Oduduwa 

United Peoples Association 

(ODUPA), also spoke. 

“Those groups calling for 

restructuring now as a vital 

necessity for survival are yet 

to wake up to the reality in 

Nigeria”, Taofeek said. 

“Let’s not shy away our 

responsibility. 

Restructuring is not the best 

option for the country in the 

present situation that we 

find ourselves. 

“Instead, the best solution 

is for each region to go on 

peaceful sovereignty 

without embarking on 

violence so as to design the 

way forward of governance 

towards the growth and 

development of each 

region”. 

...PANDEF, S’South stakeholders suspicious of North’s agenda 


From left: Former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs 

in Ogun State, Chief Jide Ojuko; Immediate past Chairman, All Progressives 

Congress (APC), Ogun State, Chief Derin Adebiyi; Lawmaker representing 

Egbado South/Ipokia Constituency in the House of Rep, Hon. Kola Lawal 

Mobolorunduro; and governorship candidate, Allied Peoples Movement (APM), 

Ogun State, Hon Adekunle Akinlade, during the empowerment programme and 

projects commissioning by Hon. Mobolorunduro for his constituents at Oke- 

Odan, Ogun State . 

Contradictory 

signals 

In Yenagoa, Bayelsa 

State, President, Ijaw Professionals 

Association 

(Homeland Chapter), 

Iniruo Wills, told our reporter: 

“The message of 

restructuring is a welcome 

one, but it is drowned out 

by the internal cacophony 

of contradictory signals 

from the release. Why bluff 

over rotational presidency 

which is a political convention 

and practically 

part of our soft law now? 

“Why promote banditry 

and terrorism as pedestals 

for negotiation? Will banditry 

liberate the North or 

any other region from the 

endemic poverty and vivid 

underdevelopment across 

the country? The northern 

elite like all other regions’ 

elites sounds averse to 

truth. 

“It is time for all regional 

elites, northern or southern 

or western, to tuck 

their tails between their 

legs, reconcile with hard 

home truths through thorough 

introspection before 

coming out to renegotiate 

Nigeria inter se. All this 

grandstanding is neither 

about Nigeria nor about 

northern Nigeria’s masses. 

It is about elite preservation, 

pure and simple.” 

Equal treatment 

National Spokesman, 

Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) 

Worldwide, Comrade, 

Ebilade Ekerefe, also 

said: “Nigeria is a multicultural 

society and, 

therefore, it is extremely 

important that political 

power is evenly distributed 

to the regions for the 

purpose of balancing and 

peaceful coexistence. 

“We cannot afford to run 

a democratic system of 

government where a particular 

region will dominate 

the political affairs of 

the country as we have witnessed 

under the present 

administration. 

“For us, after the north 

has done its eight years, 

power should naturally 

gravitate towards the 

South. That is why most 

northerners who want the 

political stability of the 

country are supporting 

such argument and we 

commend them. Nobody 

or region would blackmail 

the North. This is the 

best way to go and we are 

committed as Ijaw people 

to achieving that through 

constructive engagements 

with our northern brothers 

to deepen the conversation. 

“For the insecurity in the 

country, we have never had 

it this bad and it is gradually 

getting out of control. 

First we were dealing with 

Boko Haram terrorism, 

but today, there are different 

forms of insecurity 

challenges which is emboldened 

by the presidency 

for not condemning the 

acts of the rampaging Fulani 

herdsmen who are 

ransacking communities 

uncontrollably. 

“Killing and maiming 

innocent and defenseless 

citizens in the name of cattle 

grazing in their own ancestral 

communities, this 

is unacceptable. On top of 

this, banditry and kidnapping 

have also become a 

big business in the North. 

It is a sad commentary but 

if only the presidency has 

been decisive in clamping 

down on these monsters, 

they would have secured 

the country and we would 

not have had all the secessionist 

agitations. The 

presidency must rise up 

and begin to treat sections 

equally in this country and 

rebuild the confidence of 

the people.”


IPOB, ESN, POLITICIANS: 

How Imo became 

a battlefield 

•We 

By Chidi Nkwopara, 

OWERRI 

The Easter Monday morning attack 

in Owerri, obviously, took most 

residents by surprise. That was the 

candid opinion of most respondents 

who discussed the mayhem with Sunday 

Vanguard. 

Another truth that must be told is that it 

was not targeted at any private home or the 

multiple hospitality outfits in the town. The 

perpetrators carefully focused their 

operation on the Imo State Police 

Command Headquarters and the Nigerian 

Correctional Service Headquarters, both 

in Owerri municipality. 

The ugly incident may have become 

history, but it will, definitely, not be forgotten 

in a hurry. Put simply, it was a day Owerri 

bowed to criminals! 

To all those who live around Okigwe 

Road, Mbari Street, Works Layout, 

Ikenegbu Layout, the indigenous villages 

of Owerri and the adjoining Uratta and Orji 

communities in Owerri North local 

government area, it was almost a replica of 

what happened during the Nigeria/Biafra 

war. 

Indeed, Owerri ground to an abrupt halt, 

courtesy of a rampaging gang of 

unidentified armed hoodlums that brazenly 

stormed specific establishments in the 

municipality. 

The booming guns, which disturbed the 

silent night, betrayed a few things: It was 

not a small arms competition, by any 

military formation! It was equally not a 

mutiny. The attack was real. The different 

gunshot sounds proved that different brands 

of weaponry were deployed in the attack. 

People were forced to keep awake. 

They panicked and 

prayed. People’s blood 

pressure increased 

uncontrollably. Succour 

only came when the 

attackers 

had 

accomplished their 

mission and the staccato 

firing died down. But sleep 

disappeared completely, 

from their eyes. One 

resident, whose chose to 

remain anonymous, in fact 

said “with the explosions 

that rocked Owerri that 

night, we thought Biafra 

had started”. Another 

claimed it was some war 

of sort “because there were 

explosions throughout the 

night and we could not 

sleep or go out to see what 

was happening because of 

fear”. 

But at daybreak, it was discovered that 

the State Police Headquarters had been 

ravaged. Similarly, the Correctional 

Centre, which was also attacked, had been 

reduced to a ghost of its former self, while 

the inmates disappeared. 

Some people called it a jail break. Others 

preferred to term it “a forceful injection of 

hardened criminals into the society”. 

They (attacked 

facilities) are close 

to the Government 

House and the 

residence of the 

Commander of 34 

Artillery Brigade 

The implications of this development 

worried a lot of concerned citizens, 

especially as it was also discovered that 

suspected criminals in police cells, were 

also let loose. 

Discussing the incident, 

the State Secretary of the 

Peoples Democratic Party, 

PDP, Nze Ray Emeana, had 

a different thinking. 

He said: “How on earth 

could this attack be made 

possible considering the 

location of the federal 

establishments in the city 

centre? 

“They (attacked facilities) 

are close to the 

Government House and the 

residence of the 

Commander of 34 Artillery 

Brigade, as well as the Shell 

Camp Police Division and 

barracks. “The attackers 

must have carried out a 

careful surveillance of the 

facilities before storming the 

places. How come that 

nobody suspected movements around the 

targets? 

“Whatever happened to the over 4,000 

police personnel the Commissioner of 

Police promised to deploy during the Easter 

festivities, to ensure adequate security of life 

and property during the Easter festival? 

“It still beats the imagination of Imo 

people, how the rampaging hoodlums 

managed to outsmart the security 

thought 

another Biafran 

war had started 

—Resident 

personnel. Imo people are today, to say the 

least, afraid, uneasy and unsure of their 

tomorrow. 

“We are told that no life was lost. That 

may be true, but the hypertensive patients 

obviously, have a different story to tell. 

“There were lots of questions begging for 

answers, but the truth remains the security 

architecture completely failed under 

Mohammed Adamu, as the Inspector 

General of Police. 

“The former IGP was quick in blaming 

IPOB for the attack. Nobody knows the 

parameters he used in arriving at his 

preliminary investigation. “There was no 

arrest whatsoever. Today, the Governor says 

it is the handiwork of opposition politicians. 

When criminals unleash mayhem in the 

society, they don’t discriminate between 

APC or PDP. 

“Which opposition politicians is the 

Governor referring to? Is it PDP where I 

belong, or a faction of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, where he has serious 

opposition from within his party.” 

IGBO NATIONAL 

COUNCIL REACTS 

As news of the incident spread like wildfire, 

people and groups joined the fray, including 

the leadership of Igbo National Council, 

INC. 

Part of their press statement, signed by 

Chilos Godsent, read: “The Igbo National 

Council, INC, Worldwide has noted with 

heavy heart, the unprovoked wanton 

Continues on page 8


'We thought another Biafran war had started' 


coordinated attacks on the Federal 

Correctional Centre and Police Headquarters, 

Owerri, by unidentified gunmen on the wee 

hours of Monday April 5, 2021. 

“The most terrifying aspect of the devilish 

attack was the release of over 1,844 prison 

inmates into the society. While we condemn 

the attacks in its totality, we also urge the 

Federal Government to detrabilize the process 

of recruitment, training and promotion of the 

members of the Nigeria security operatives. 

“We are very surprised that that number of 

gunmen can move into the heart of Owerri 

Capital City with the number of vehicles they 

came with and yet could not be spotted by the 

police. 

“It is noteworthy that there are several police 

check points within the Government House 

Roundabout in Owerri. This is a complete 

failure of intelligence on the side of the security 

agencies. 

“The leadership of IPOB and ESN has also 

denied carrying out the attack. We therefore 

urge the Federal Government to carry out a 

thorough forensic investigation of the ongoing 

militarization of the South East Zone of 

Nigeria. We suspect that the attack has political 

under tone. 

“Finally, we demand for the immediate 

demotion, arrest and trial of all the heads of 

security agencies in Imo State, for suspected 

conspiracy and lack of capacity to effectively 

protect Nigerians of South East extraction.” 

An Owerri based public opinion analyst, Dr. 

Chuks Osuji, also bared his mind on the 

mayhem in Owerri. 

He captioned his position ‘Imo and a cloud 

of uncertainty without despair’. 

His words: “What happened was enough to 

tremble a community of people in Imo State. 

“Yet, in the early morning of Easter Monday, 

after the foundation of Imo community was 

shaken by volleys of bullets, the people woke 

up. 

“Although threatened and frightened, they 

gradually but steadily moved around to their 

various destinations, as if nothing happened. 

By Ephraim Oseji 

MEs are often seen as the 

Sbackbone of the economy as 

they account for the majority of 

businesses worldwide and are 

important contributors to job 

creation and global economic 

development. 

According to the World Bank, 

SMEs represent about 90% of 

businesses and more than 50% of 

employment worldwide. 

Formal SMEs contribute up to 

40% of national income (GDP) in 

emerging economies, with these 

numbers being significantly higher 

when informal SMEs are included. 

The World Bank estimates that 600 

million jobs will be needed by 2030 

to absorb the growing global 

workforce, which makes SME 

development a high priority for 

many governments around the 

world. 

No matter the size of your business 

however, one thing is inescapable for 

the 21st century progressive 

entrepreneur - Tech. For businesses, 

technology has both tangible and 

intangible benefits that help business 

owners make money, produce the 

results customers demand and 

leverage limited capital in smarter, 

more effective ways. 

In some cases, using technology 

provides greater efficiency and 

versatility, making it a natural 

progression for processes that may 

already exist in a business. 

Technological infrastructure affects 

the culture, efficiency and 

relationships of a business. It also 

affects the security of confidential 

information and drives competitive 

advantages. 

With more and more people 

opening small businesses, it is 

important to take advantage of every 

tool available to help run that 

business smoothly. With often no 

time to spare, finding the right tech 

tools to help in running a smoother 

business operation is essential for 

saving time and money, but for the 

most part these tools exist 

independently. 

There is an app for accepting 

payments which is often owned by 

banks, businesses make use of an app 

to create invoice, and a different app 

to manage stock. These multiple 

downloads, payments and usage of 

singular platforms for different 

business operations often brings 

about a feeling of SME Tech being 

costly and even too complex. 

“Without doubt, those volleys of bullets, 

which rattled the entire state capital were 

enough to force the population of Imo State 

capital to scamper for safety. Nothing of such 

happened. 

“With the exception of one or two bank 

robberies, which took place in the night, along 

Wetheral Road, without any loss of human 

life, Owerri has enjoyed peaceful atmosphere. 

“Painfully and unfortunately, the peace of the 

state capital was subjected to violent 

disturbance by some unidentified culprits 

who, according to some sources, operated for 

over three hours, destroying the state police 

headquarters, burning vehicles and buildings 

and also rampaging the correction center in 

the heart of the state capital. 

“In the process of this mayhem, several 

buildings within the premises of the police 

headquarters were torched and many vehicles 

parked in the premises were destroyed or even 

burnt. 

“By the time the attackers were through, 

they had no challenge of whatever kind. 

“As usual, tongues have started to wag as to 

who the suspects were. 

“Why there was no challenge from any of 

the security agencies, and why there was no 

slightest attack or challenge against the night 

marauders.” 

Osuji opined that while some of the 

questions were legitimate, many of them were 

misdirected because, planners of such attack 

must have perfected their strategies over a 

period of time. 

He said: “I do not share in the blaming of 

security apparatus for so many reasons. The 

planners of the attack were no fools because 

they were professionals in their strategies, in 

choosing their targets and identified the time 

of the night when they would strike. 

“Those who were blaming the security 

operatives, including policemen who live in 

the barracks and soldiers at Obinze, forgot 

that in every security command, that unless 

there is a raging war, no soldier or police 

officer can fire a gun at any target without 

his superior’s command to do so. At that 

period of the morning, from the chief security 

officer to the last recruit, none without the 

superior’s command can come out to mount 

counter attack on the marauders 

“The only blame that could be apportioned 

to security personnel in the state is on those 

not monitoring gatherings, which would 

have given them a fair knowledge on the 

Traction Apps: The new oil in Nigeria 

Adejuyigbe, one of the Cofounders 

of Traction 

In response to the challenges faced 

by SMEs in Nigeria and a need for 

Tech to be adequately integrated into 

the ecosystem, ex-Mckinsey staff 

Dolapo Adejuyigbe and Mayowa Alli 

came together to found a startup that 

addresses the question of “What is 

By Chris Onuoha 

Awriter and author of many 

books on the Yoruba history 

and culture, Prince Adelegan 

Adegbola has said that it will be 

difficult to correct the challenges of 

today without reflecting on the past, 

saying documentation of the past 

history will help to know how to 

tackle the issues of today. 

Adegbola said that many 

challenges Nigeria is grappling with 

today, such as kidnapping, banditry, 

herdsmen and farmers clashes 

including other crimes, can easily be 

sorted out if the people can recall 

histories in the past, and find how the 

ancestors dealt with such situation 

at that time. He said that history, well 

documented, can tell the truth while 

science can investigate and confirm. 

Speaking in Ibadan Oyo State on 

Friday during the launch of his new 

book titled; “Sooko Awodeyin” a 

historical book on the ancient 

Ogbooru dynasty - founder of Ita- 

Akun Kingdom in Osun State, 

Adegbola noted that in this current 

clime of uncertainty, where 

dissemination of falsehood is the 

order of the day, that he is convinced 

the people need to know more about 

the fundamentals of human 

the next tech solution for SMEs?” 

That answer comes in the form of 

Traction Apps - a payments company 

with payment solution offerings 

around POS, USSD and Bank 

Transfer. 

It also serves as a one-stop-shop 

management tool to run businesses, 

whether online or offline. There has 

been a wave of innovation in the 

SME space around Payment, E- 

commerce, Lending, Supply chain 

and inventory management. This has 

driven SMEs to use multiple 

solutions without being able to 

aggregate data. 

With Traction Apps, these solutions 

are aggregated on one app that 

allows for payment through POS, 

USSD, bank transfer and online 

payment. With Traction Apps, SMEs 

can manage inventory, create an 

online store for e-commerce, keep 

records of customers and record sales. 

This makes the life of business owners 

creation, race, existence history and 

civilization through books of record. 

“As a people, we cannot just 

continue living by lies, fallacies and 

deceit, and expecting the 

development of values to grow. The 

study of the past is necessary in order 

to unravel the mysteries of the present 

and constructive plan for the future. 

Without the past, the present is 

meaningless and the future 

uncertain,” Adegbola said. 

About the book, ‘Sooko,’ he said, 

“This is another of my contribution 

in keeping the legacy of Yoruba 

culture and heritage of the people. 

The past is necessary in everything 

including family life. The book is on 

Ita-Akun dynasty that encompasses 

many other kingdoms.” 

According to him; “Ita-Akun is a 

very fundamental history to the 

Yoruba people particularly in Ife. It 

was founded during the 

dethronement of one of the Ooni of 

Ife, Ooni Ogbooru, because the 

people think he lived longer than 

enough and had planned for him to 

die after 70 years on the throne. His 

subjects used an ‘Ifa’ fallacy theory 

to disposes him of his throne. 

Noticing that, he became devastated 

and left Ife to founded another 

kingdom with his sons that make up 

much easier and business operations 

smoother. 

Beyond aggregating essential 

business operation tools on one 

platform, Traction Apps can also be 

seen as the next innovation for inperson 

payment as several tech 

platforms are currently pushing 

online payment. However, regarding 

offline/in-person payment, there still 

exists a gap to be filled. With card 

payments for example there is still a 

major time lag in getting POS 

Terminals, a high rate of declined 

transactions, a need for multiple 

terminals equating to opening of 

multiple bank accounts by 

merchants, delayed confirmation of 

bank transfer payments and fraud 

alerts. 

Traction tries to fix these through 

same day settlement - by designing 

location-specific solutions for 

merchants to address connectivity 

linked payment issues, making 

attack. 

“But now, all is done and gone. They have the 

opportunity to show their class in intelligence 

strategy to unravel some of the mysteries and 

complexities surrounding this attack. It is only 

after a reasonable time has elapsed and 

nothing concrete is found out of these great 

assault and insult on the people of Imo State, 

by the security operatives that we can begin to 

apportion blames.” 

Continuing, Osuji canvassed that the citizenry 

should collectively blame themselves for not 

being able to pick up the slightest information 

about the impending attack. 

“Why did they not speak up? Here, there is 

concrete evidence of reciprocal blame on the 

people of imo State. That having been said, 

the people of Imo State have once more 

demonstrated resilience without despair. 

“According to Hubert Humphrey, one of 

America’s Vice Presidents, ‘the collective will 

of the people if united, can stop a raging 

hurricane with their hands wide open.’” 

Meanwhile, no fewer than six police facilities 

have, as at the last count, been attacked and 

destroyed by hoodlums. 

The latest police facility that was attacked 

and destroyed is located at Mbaitoli local 

government area. 

Reacting to the series of these attacks, a 

chieftain of Concerned Citizens for Good 

Governance, Mr. Duru Daniels, warned that 

“anarchy looms”. 

His words: “What we are experiencing today 

is what usually happens when the people are 

shortchanged in the social contract, suppressed 

and never listened to. 

“Regrettably, this is just the beginning of more 

attacks to come, if the leadership of the country 

does not act fast, and toe the path of fairness, 

equity and social justice, and not to proscribe a 

group of people with flags, while still 

negotiating with those maiming and killing 

innocent people. 

“Again, anarchy looms! Anarchy is at our 

door post! Anarchy is staring us in the face. 

The leadership of the country has refused to 

put out the fire on the mountain top, even when 

they see the river overflowing. May God help 

us!” 

available full details of payments, 

verification of each transaction and 

allowing for easy reconciliation. 

Dolapo Adejuyigbe, one of the Cofounders 

of Traction had this to say 

about the Nigerian FinTech space 

and the solutions being provided by 

Traction; “We’ve seen innovation 

across P2P, open and digital 

banking, savings, agency banking 

startups thrives in recent times. 

However, from a B2B point of 

view and what I mean by B2B in 

this case is like SMEs focused 

fintech solutions, I think there’s 

still a gap. We’re a market that 

has over tens of millions of 

MSMEs and I would say about 

5 millions are formal and semi 

formal SMEs. With Traction 

Apps, we are building the Square 

for Africa, where SMEs can 

engage directly with one partner 

to solve their financial and 

operational needs.” 

Tech is now believed to be the new 

oil in Nigeria and SMEs represent 

the backbone of the economy. 

We can correct the future by documenting the past — Adegbola 

the Ita-Akun Kingdoms” Adegbola 

added. 

Adegbola noted that the essence of 

the book is to bring out 

knowledgeable and educative facts 

about the history of Obaship in 

Yoruba land. According him, every 

King must be a custodian of history 

and heritage of the people. He said 

that Ita-Akun has established their 

history and have been building a 

sustainable legacy that will serve as 

peoples’ heritage. 

Also speaking at the launch, 

Barrister Irabo O.J, SAN, chairman 

of the occasion noted that 

documentation of people’s history 

has become important in order not 

to lose one’s identity and heritage. 

“I am so grateful for this book and 

what the Sooko descendants have 

done by writing this book, for children 

yet unborn will come to salute the 

effort. One thing about history is that 

if you document your history, nobody 

can dispute it. But if an outsider writes 

your history for you, he will write it in 

such a way it will favour him,” says 

Irabor. 

•From left: Chief Adeoye Dairo; Prof. Ogunfolakan Adisan,book 

reviewer; Barr. O. J. Irabor, chairman of event, and wife; Prince 

Adelegan Adegbola, book author, and Kola Olaniyi, during the 

book launch in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

Has Tinubu dumped Buhari? 

wishes were horses, 

beggars would ride.” 

“If Nobody rides horses 

anymore. This is the age of 

Ferrari and Rolls Royce 

Phantom. But the idea 

remains the same. What 

people wish for; and what they 

get are frequently different. 

Asiwaju, the National Leader 

of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, thrust himself 

into national limelight 

recently. The initial reactions 

most definitely were quite 

different from his 

expectations. But before going 

into the heart of today’s matter, 

permit me to relate a true story 

to which I was an eye-witness. 

Among my work 

experiences was working in 

the international sales 

department of POLAROID 

CORPORATION – a Fortune 

500 company based in 

Cambridge, Massachusetts, 

USA. I was among the people 

drafted to work during the 

Summer vacations in the 

holiday resorts of the 

Caribbean Islands – all 36 of 

them. Going on tourists’ 

fishing boats was a frequent 

part of the job. One day, sitting 

on the deck of one boat, I saw 

a ferry boat with passengers 

flying across the water. 

Suddenly, its engine sputtered 

and switched off. Carried by 

its momentum, the boat 

continued to move forward 

towards a reef, as if about to 

crash into it. Then, it slowed 

down. But, one passenger, 

assuming a crash was 

imminent jumped into the 

water and started swimming 

vigorously away from the boat 

in distress. Again, suddenly, a 

strong ocean current whipped 

the boat around; its engine got 

temporarily started. In less 

than a minute, the swimmer 

Email:biolasobowale@yahoo.com 

Phone Number: 07081372829 

Twitter:@DrDeleSobowale 

Instagram:delesobowalefranklyspeaking 

Website: www.delesobowale.com 

Joyfulhomes 

2015@gmail.com 

collided with the propeller of 

the boat. In less than another 

minute, pieces of human flesh 

were floating on blood red 

water for fishes to feed on. The 

boat eventually went down, 

but most of the passengers 

were rescued – except the 

Captain and a few of the crew 

who still thought they could 

get it started again. 

If Buhari needs any more 

proof that a lot of passengers 

are deserting the boat MV 

BUHARI, then the illdisguised 

departure of 

Asiwaju should serve as a 

wake-up call. Perhaps, it was 

a coincidence that Tinubu’s 

move came just as the 

President was packing his 

bags for another medical 

jamboree for which he 

excoriated his predecessors 

who enjoyed them. Nigerian 

hospitals are no longer good 

for him. We know. 

Tinubu has received a lot of 

flak since his 50 million Naira 

donation to Katsina State; his 

declaration that “Fulani and 

Yoruba are one”; and his 

political manifesto on 

economic recovery – 

especially recruitment of 50 

million youths into the army. 

I will come to those shortly. 

One thing I however find 

disturbing was the reactions 

of some of Tinubu’s critics to 

his stumbling and falling. 

Among them is a most senior 

member of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, in 

Lagos State. I found his 

delight absolutely distasteful. 

Anybody can fall. US 

President Joe Biden stumbled 

and fell on the steps of USA 

AIR FORCE ONE. None of 

his opponents made fun of 

him. I am a firm believer in 

the philosophy of the late 

Alhaji Waziri, the leader of the 

Make up your mind to rise 

rethren we are still in 

Bthe season of Easter. 

Congratulations! That you 

are alive is a pointer to the 

fact that you will soon be a 

testifier. 

As Christians, we have 

permanent joy in the fact 

that Christ lives forever. We 

have a popular song “ 

Because He lives I can face 

tomorrow…..”. You know 

the rest. 

Perhaps, there is couple out 

there wondering when they 

too will have an opportunity 

to dress up a child or children 

for a church service like 

Easter, I say be hopeful. As 

long as you hold on to God, 

it will happen. 

I was like that for years 

until God broke the yoke. 

This season, by the 

Anointing of the Holy 

Ghost, the yoke shall be 

broken in your marriage in 

Jesus name. 

Let your spirit man see you 

as a parent because what you 

see is what you will receive 

by the grace of God. 

Let’s take a few lessons 

from the resurrection story 

of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Matthew 28 vs. 1-8 ( KJV): 

“ In the end of the Sabbath, 

as it began to dawn toward 

the first day of the week, 

came Mary Magdalene and 

the other Mary to see the 

sepulchre. And, behold there 

was a great earth-quake: for 

the angel of the Lord 

descended from heaven, and 

came and rolled back the 

stone from the door, and sat 

upon it. 

His countenance was like 

lightning, and his raiment 

white as snow: And for fear 

of him the keepers did shake, 

and became as dead men. 

And the angel answered 

and said unto the women, 

Fear not ye: for I know that 

ye seek Jesus, which was 

crucified. He is not here: for 

he is risen, as he said. Come, 

see the place where the Lord 

lay. And go quickly, and tell 

his disciples that he is risen 

from the dead; and behold, 

he goeth before you into 

Galilee; these shall ye see 

him; lo, I have told you. 

And they departed quickly 

from the sepulchre with fear 

and great joy; and did run 

to bring disciples his word”. 

Let’s consider the words “ 

rolled back the stone from 

Great Nigeria 

Peoples Party, GNPP, 

during the Second 

Republic – ‘Politics 

Without Bitterness’. I 

am happy Tinubu 

got up and went on 

with the programme. 

I wish him well on 

that score. I fell last 

year about this time 

and was hospitalised for five 

months on account of prostate 

cancer. I know how it feels to 

suddenly to find yourself on 

the floor in full view of other 

people. Nothing funny about 

it! 

That said, I return to what I 

regard as Tinubu’s not so 

subtle declaration for the 

presidency; and to warn him 

If Asiwaju really 

intends to lead Nigeria, 

he should employ an 

Economic Adviser to 

save himself from 

more embarrassments 

about the dangers ahead. I 

don’t wish him to collide with 

the propeller of MV 

BUHARI. Right now, what 

Buhari and all those who 

helped him to bring the ship 

of state to this tragic situation 

are looking for is a scapegoat. 

They are in search of someone 

to carry the blame for the 

inevitable downfall of APC. 

In that case, Asiwaju has not 

done himself a favour. On the 

contrary, he had opened 

himself to attacks from all 

sides. And, very little support 

from anywhere. First, he had 

committed a blunder for a 

presidential candidate early 

in the game. Despite the 

spirited attempt to correct the 

“50 million” to five million, 

he has made himself the 

object of scorn. He will 

henceforth have to work twice 

as hard to erase the 

impression of a fumbler! The 

error was made probably 

because he had absolute trust 

in his speech writers. That, in 

itself is a mistake. No Chief 

Executive should ever step 

forward to read a speech he 

had not gone over – even until 

As you raise you 

faith level, you will 

rise and shine in 

Jesus name 

the door”. Anything that 

stops you from moving 

forward is a barrier. Barrier 

in spiritual terms, could be 

sickness, barrenness, 

poverty etc. indeed any issue 

that keeps you stagnated is 

a stone that must give way 

for your joy to manifest. 

Whatever you are going 

through, should not keep 

your faith or spirit down. 

Our Lord Jesus was 

persecuted, he was rebuked 

even for healing, he was 

betrayed, he paid the 

ultimate price of death on 

the cross but he resurrected. 

Brethren, are people 

mocking you because you 

are yet to have a biological 

child? Is your wife being 

called a man because of 

delay in child- bearing? 

Have you been told you can 

never be pregnant, let alone 

have a child? Whatever it is, 

all of these issues are 

nothing compared with 

what our Lord Jesus went 

through. 

In the name of Jesus every 

stone, physical or spiritual 

placed in your life by 

anybody or forces of 

darkness will be rolled 

away very soon. 

However, you too must be 

ready for a break through. 

the last minute. The reason is 

simple. Once you utter the 

words, they become yours – 

not the speech writer’s. 

Perhaps, he would have 

spotted the error and corrected 

it. Unfortunately, that is the 

mildest criticism of the 

thoughts and ideas contained 

in the short document. 

Some of the most important 

can be framed in a few 

questions. First, since Tinubu 

is aware that the APC 

government since 2015 till 

now has been “murdering” 

jobs instead of creating them, 

his proposal amounts to a 

rebuke of Buhari’s 

performance as President? 

Second, even if elected, 

Asiwaju will not be President 

until May 2023, why has he 

not considered it patriotic to 

let Buhari into the secret of job 

creation now and save “50 

million” or “5 million” 

unemployed Nigerians from 

agony? Third, according to 

the National Bureau of 

Statistics, NBS, 23 million 

Nigerians are totally 

unemployed; 36 million are 

under-employed. When you 

add what economists know 

from universal experience 

those who have given up 

searching for jobs, then you 

probably are looking at close 

to 75 million Nigerians in 

need of full-time employment 

in 2021. At the rate the Buhari 

administration has been 

“murdering” jobs, the 

numbers in all three 

categories would have 

jumped significantly. How 

will creating 5 million jobs in 

2023 solve the problem then? 

Fourth, for now, how did he 

arrive at the number of jobs to 

be created – irrespective of 

whether 50 million or 5 

million? The last question is 

vital for a number of reasons. 

“Promises, like pie-crusts, 

are made to be broken” - 

Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745. 

That would appear to be the 

policy of the Buhari 

administration which Tinubu 

made possible; and for which 

he will be held partly 

responsible. Is the former 

governor of Lagos State again 

aware that, in 2017, the 

government launched the 

Economic Recovery and 

Growth Plan, ERGP, and 

promised to create 15 million 

How? You need to take some 

steps in line with the word of 

God. Matthew 11 vs. 12: “ 

And from the days of John 

the Baptist until now the 

kingdom of heaven suffereth 

violence, and the violent 

take it by force”. 

Brethren you may need to 

combine violent faith with 

violent prayer. We are 

familiar with the story of 

Blind Bartimaeus who cried 

for mercy. He didn’t bother 

about the crowd. He just 

wanted to get the attention 

of Jesus and he got it. He 

was sure that he could 

regain his sight and his goal 

was achieved. 

Are you just praying, 

because you must be seen 

praying? Are you praying 

with great expectations? 

If indeed you are praying 

with expectations, act it. 

Devout more time to 

prayers, get the baby clothes 

of the gender of the baby or 

babies you want, lift it up as 

you pray and declare to 

yourself “ These clothes are 

for my baby from my body. 

I will not give it out to 

anybody’. As you do this, 

you need to remind the Lord 

of his command for you in 

Genesis 1 vs. 28 : “ And God 

blessed them, and God said 

unto them, Be fruitful, and 

multiply, and replenish the 

earth, and subdue it:……..”. 

As you remind the Lord of 

his command, prayerfully 

ask him for your child. 

Delay in child- bearing is 

a stone that must be rolled 

away and when it gives way, 

as the women departed with 

great joy to spread the news, 


jobs by 2020? Certainly, he 

now knows that the promise 

was totally unfulfilled. On the 

contrary, millions of jobs were 

lost during the period. Given 

this scenario, how does 

Jagaban expect Nigerians to 

believe his promises? 

“Success is one per cent 

inspiration and 99 per cent 

hard work” - Edison, US 

inventor. As an economist, I 

happen to agree with Asiwaju 

that massive job creation is 

inevitable if Nigeria is to avoid 

deepening anarchy. But, 

several pertinent issues need 

to be considered. These 

include but are not limited to: 

How many? What type of 

jobs? Where? How will the 

jobs be distributed? How 

much to pay? How do you 

raise the financial resources 

to pay those engaged? If the 

most rudimentary study had 

been conducted and the report 

submitted to Asiwaju, he 

would not have committed 

the blunder of announcing 50 

million jobs arbitrarily. Even 

now, the 5 million jobs 

promised remain the 

outcome of guesswork and 

wishful thinking. If Asiwaju 

really intends to lead Nigeria, 

he should employ an 

Economic Adviser to save 

himself from more 

embarrassments. His 

utterances will from that point 

be research-based. He can 

even do better; and I know he 

can afford it. He should gather 

five experts and give them 

three months to come up with 

a guideline for his economic 

policy decisions. Then, his 

promises will no longer 

appear as ordinary 

politicians’ promises; which 

only fools will believe. 

BREAKING NEWS: 

BUHARI APPOINTS NEW 

IGP 

“Buhari appoints Usman 

Alkali Baba as Ag Inspector 

General of Police” - News 

Report, April 7, 2021 

If you were surprised that the 

new Inspector General of 

Police is another northerner, 

Fulani and Suni Muslim, 

then you still don’t know 

Buhari. You also don’t know 

that he preaches unity, yet 

repeatedly demonstrates the 

injustices threatening that 

unity. 

you too will be filled with joy 

and the news will spread. 

If you have tried medical 

options and results aren’t 

forth coming, just know that 

what you have is a spiritual 

problem. 

I’ll share with you the story 

of a woman who hired a 

house girl. Unknown to her 

the girl was an agent of the 

forces of darkness.She 

linked up with Madam’s 

husband’s relations and they 

began to jointly attack the 

lady. 

All the woman noticed was 

that she had very badly 

dreams almost every night. 

One day, the house-girl 

committed and offense and 

Madam decided to send her 

away. The girl looked at her 

and told her boss that she 

would go but that she was 

going with her womb and she 

would never have a child. 

Note that forces of darkness 

are sometimes bold and 

boastful. Have you forgotten 

the boastful goliath? 

What about you as a child 

of God, are you timid? If you 

are, then the stone they rolled 

against your life will remain 

with you for long. 

You have to be bolder and 

take authority from the word 

of God. The word of God is 

your weapon. The more you 

are equipped with it by 

creating time to read the 

word, using every opportunity 

you have to pray, and creating 

time to attend church services 

and prayer meeting, the more 

you are in contact with the 

Comforter, the Holy Spirit of 

God. The Holy Spirit 

empowers you to defeat the 

For the record, Buhari has 

appointed three IGPs since 

2015 – all northerners and 

Muslims. His spokesmen in 

Aso Rock will soon try to 

convince themselves, not us, 

that it was all based on merit. 

It would be interesting to 

know the basis for judging 

merit in Buhari’s Police Force 

which no single northern 

Christian or southerner 

possesses to make it possible 

for him to have made it three 

in a row for his brothers. We 

need to bear in mind that no 

other President who had 

opportunity to appoint two 

IGPs had found it convenient 

to appoint two of his kinsmen 

in a row. Why Buhari? 

“Habit is stronger than 

reason” - Professor William 

Dorfman, US Economist 

When leaders of the Action 

Congress, APGA, All Nigeria 

Peoples Party, some members 

of Peoples Democratic Party 

and Congress for Progressive 

Change decided that Buhari 

would lead the coalition – All 

Progressives Congress, APC – 

I had one serious doubt in my 

mind. And I asked two of the 

leaders – names withheld: 

“Are you aware of the belief in 

some quarters that Buhari is 

a Fulani-Muslim 

fundamentalist whose bigotry 

might get Nigeria into 

trouble?” Both gave me same 

assurance. “Buhari’s CPC is 

the smallest among the legacy 

groups, the others will not 

allow him to go astray.” I was 

not totally convinced; because 

the Nigerian President is 

almost an elected dictator. I 

called one of the two – a 

southern Christian – after the 

new IGP was appointed. I 

asked him a question. “Are the 

legacy groups’ members still 

controlling Buhari after the 

third straight northerner as 

IGP?” He could not speak for 

minutes. Finally, he mumbled, 

“Dele, God forgive us our 

blunder in imposing Buhari 

on Nigerians. I never thought 

it would get as bad as this.” 

Now, we all know how bad 

it is. What we don’t know is 

how bad it will get. But, 

remember this. When Buhari, 

Osinbajo and the leaders of 

APC went around talking 

about NEXT LEVEL, I warned 

Nigerians that NEXT LEVEL 

IS PURE ANARCHY in May 

2019. We are at Buhari’s Next 

Level and Anarchy is here. 

Keep reading, I have more 

prophecies for you. 

boastful goliath in your life. 

True to the word of this house 

girl, madam who had a son 

didn’t have any other child but 

she didn’t stop praying, 

worshipping or serving God. 

Eighteen years after she had 

her son, God blessed her with 

a baby girl that looked very 

much like her husband. 

Joy filled their home. In the 

name of Jesus, the joy of the 

Lord will replace everything 

that has been causing you to 

weep this season. 

On the day of the naming 

ceremony, many of her 

husband’s relations refused to 

eat. One of them even told 

her that she came to see if it 

was true she had a baby. 

Brethren, as you raise you 

faith level, you will rise and 

shine in Jesus name. God is 

able to pleasantly surprise 

you and shut the mouth of 

your mockers forever. 

Look you are serving a 

living God. You are serving 

God that answers prayers, 

God with whom nothing is 

impossible. What then are 

you afraid off? Why should 

you decided to live with a 

challenge. You must rise up 

to defeat that challenge. It 

doesn’t matter how long you 

have had a challenge or a 

delay, it has an expiry date. 

The power of God will 

terminate that delay in Jesus 

name. 

The resurrection of Christ 

should embolden you to rise 

above that challenge and with 

God on your side; you will rise 

and shine in Jesus name. 

Shalom!


How Yinka 

Odumakin 

attended 

to Yoruba 

issues 

on sick 

bed 

…in-laws, driver, 

associates, 

others relive the 

late Afenifere 

spokesman’s life 

By Kennedy Mbele 

At the main gate of the popular 

Omole Estate, Ojodu, Lagos hung 

a portrait of the frontline human 

rights activist, Yinka Odumakin, 

confirming the news of his sudden death 

at 59 last Wednesday. 

At the Odumakins’ residence inside 

the estate, also hanging at the 

entrance was an upright banner 

bearing the picture of the late 

Afenifere spokesman, clutching 

communication tools: books, a diary 

and a pen, which had become part 

and parcel of him until that black 

Saturday of April 3 when he passed 

on to eternal glory. 

Sympathizers trooped in and were 

ushered into the modestly furnished 

living room of the Odumakins where 

they condoled with the widow, Joe 

Okei, and other family members. 

One of the sympathizers, Professor 

Wole Soyinka, a Nobel laureate, did 

not hide his mood. 

Speechless, he merely waved to 

journalists who had accosted him for 

a word on the deceased's activist as 

he (Soyinka) sauntered into the 

•Johnson 

ALUWAFEMI 

•Late 

Odumakin 

•Wasiu 

Akande 

•Emmanuel 

Okei 

•Gbenga Ganzallo 

No one went 

to them 

crying went 

back home 

crying 

Odumakins’ residence. 

Soyinka left after speaking with the 

widow and family members. 

Other eminent Nigerians who had 

visited the bereaved family as of that 

Wednesday include the National 

Leader of All Progressives Congress, 

APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu; a 

former Speaker of the House of 

Representatives, Mr Dimeji 

Bankole; former Governors 

Ibikunle Amosun and 

Gbenga Daniel of Ogun 

State; 

Are 

Onakakanfo of 

Yorubaland, Gani 

Adams; and Mr 

Bisi Olatilo. 

Also at the 

Odumakins’ 

house was a 

delegation 

f r o m 

Vanguard 

M e d i a 

Limited 

where the 

deceased 

wrote a 

weekly 

column. 

In the 

delegation 

were the 

G M / 

Editor-in- 

Chief of 

Vanguard, 

M r 

Gbenga 

Adefaye; 

Editor, Mr 

Eze Anaba, 

a n d 

Deputy 

Editor, Mr 

K u n l e 

Adekoya. 

Benefactor 

Olasukanmi Adeleye, a Program Officer 

at Women Arise for Change Initiative, an 

NGO founded by Joe Okei, shared his 

relationship with the deceased with 

Sunday Vanguard. 

He wept profusely as he spoke. 

Saying he is married to the younger 

sister of Joe Okei, Adeleye described the 

late activist as his “brother, father, mentor, 

benefactor, everything”. 

Recalling the origin of their 

relationship which, according to him, 

started in a meeting with Yinka at his 

office about 12 years ago, he explained 

that the deceased welcomed him as if they 

had known each other before, pointing 

out that he (Yinka) didn’t know how to 

segregate, tell lies or hide something. 

“Whenever he saw black, he would call 

it black and if it is white, he would call it 

white”, Adeleye said. 

Struggling to describe the late 

spokesperson for Afenifere, the Program 

Manager said he was his benefactor and 

a friend of the people. 

Adeleye pointed out that the 

preoccupation of the late activist and wife 

Continues on page 11


Amputation, bloody home accident…Yinka 

Odumakin fought many battles – Joe Okei, widow 

•‘We thought Covid was going to be another passing moment’ 

•Relives sad moment news of death was broken to her 

•Laments husband died planning a new Nigeria built on equity 

•Okei- 

Odumakin 

By Olayinka Ajayi 

Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, 

widow of the late Afenifere 

spokesman, Mr Yinka 

Odumakin, reflects on life and times 

with her late husband. Excerpts: 

Amid activism and agitation for a 

better Nigeria, how would you 

describe the life and times of your 

late husband, Yinka Odumakin? 

The life of Yinka cannot be described 

within the limited space available here 

and this will definitely be done in 

detail as the time becomes ripe. But I 

can only say he lived one of the most 

impactful lives anyone would have 

wished to live, going by his welldefined 

roles in the growth of 

humanity and his untiring 

was to ensure that the masses get the best 

welfare, adding that they would go out of 

their way to satisfy other people. 

“No one went to them crying went back 

home crying”, he stated, stressing that they 

would inconvenient themselves to satisfy 

people seeking for assistance. 

On Yinka’s religious life, he said that 

even with his busy schedule, he did not 

joke with anything pertaining to God, 

noting that his best song was “I have 

confidence in you Jesus”, a song he tried 

to sing but broke down again in tears. 

Adeleye noted that the late activist loved 

his family and as such created enough 

time for them, irrespective of his busy 

schedule. 

Past tense 

Gbenga Ganzallo, the Head of 

Secretariat at Women Arise, said it was 

difficult for him to talk about the late 

activist in past tense. 

Ganzallo described Yinka as a 

wonderful person, stating that he was 

interviewed by the deceased before he 

joined Women Arise years ago. 

He noted that he learnt what true 

leadership means from the deceased 

whom he said followed his heart in all he 

commitment to nation-building in 

which he made his voice loud and 

clear at every chapter of its evolution. 

Yinka was a firm and resolute man 

while fighting for a cause. He knew 

how to demarcate spiritedly between 

what the masses desire and the 

interest of the few. 

You described him as a part of you 

that is gone. How do you mean? 

Of course, for a man I have spent 

every day of my life with for over two 

decades, a man I met within the walls 

of prisons, who shared all my pains 

and struggles without hesitation, he 

was definitely a greater part of what 

constitutes my spirit, soul and 

existence. 

You also mentioned that you are still 

in shock of his death as he 

did. 

“He was a man of conviction. Whenever 

he was convinced about a cause, he 

followed it; he hated deviation”, he said. 

The Secretariat Head said Yinka 

cherished good governance more than his 

other things, explaining that he loved a 

plural society where there is justice. 

“He always said that he wanted to see 

Nigeria as a plural society where nobody is 

humiliated and where justice reigns”, 

Ganzallo stated. 

He explained that Yinka liked team work 

and that even when he wrote a communiqué 

in Afenifere and other groups he belonged 

to, he wouldn’t sign it single-handedly 

because he wouldn’t like to take the credit 

alone. 

Sick bed 

An in-law, Emmanuel Okei, also spoke to 

Sunday Vanguard about the late 

Odumakin. Okei, 40, recalled that he joined 

the Odumakin family when he was in JSS3 

and, today, he is the General Manager of 

one of the family’s organizations, Petals 

Media. 

He described his late in-law as a simple 

but result oriented person who believed in 

ability to deliver. 

Emmanuel recalled how the late Afenifere 

spokesman called him from his sick bed to 

correct an error on a program of the 

survived severe medical 

conditions worse than Covid-19. 

Can you recount at least one or 

two of such conditions because 

we gathered he was already 

getting better before events took 

a dramatic turn and he passed 

on? 

Yinka fought many battles and one 

of such was when he had challenges 

with his health arising from a major 

injury on his hand, 

which nearly got him 

amputated, but with God 

and the fighting spirit of 

my husband, he 

defeated the condition in 

a successful surgery to 

the surprise of many. 

Also there was a recent 

accident he suffered 

while I was away from 

home, when he was 

rescued after losing so 

much of blood, yet God 

saw him through again, 

which was why we had 

hoped that his last health 

travail (Covid-19 

infection) was going to be 

another passing 

moment. 

You mentioned how someone in 

the US was the first to break the 

bad news to you. How did it 

happen? 

I had spent the greater part of his 

last days monitoring his condition in 

hospital and, in close contact with the 

medical team whenever I was away 

from the hospital. But having done 

that till the later part of that Good 

Friday, I retired home hoping to follow 

up the next day. Then at about 3am, an 

old friend of his called from the US, 

asking to know if the news of Yinka’s 

passage was real. I didn’t take his call 

with any seriousness neither did I 

hesitate to drop it as I merely thought 

he was unwell with such thought coming 

from him. That was how unaware I was 

until few hours later when the doctors’ 

team from the hospital got across to me, 

asking that I send one of his caregivers 

Yoruba Agenda “I was printing it shortly 

before his death”. 

He further said that the death still 

appeared to him as a dream and that he 

wept every time he realized that it was 

not a dream but a reality. 

Driver of the late activist, Wasiu Akande, 

who said he had been with his late boss 

for 17 years, described Yinka as a very 

courageous man whom many approached 

for counseling. 

Akande noted that many who lived even 

100 years and above did not do half of 

what his deceased employer did for the 

country and the Yoruba race. 

He recounted how Yinka and his wife, Joe 

Okei, supported him to procure a piece of 

land and how he (Yinka) always 

encouraged him to save, adding that his 

master liked showing people how to make 

money and achieve their legitimate aims. 

Describing his late boss as a good man, 

the driver narrated how the deceased 

once called a state governor to address 

an issue affecting an aide’s community 

which was brought to his attention. 

He said he would always remember his 

departed master as someone who taught 

him hard work and noted that he was 

always ready to work and attributed that 

to the reason he was always called upon 

by many. 

His biggest 

aspiration had 

always been to 

witness a new 

Nigeria that is 

built on equity 

over, for certain issues, and this had 

been a normal thing since he was 

transferred to the ICU of the Lagos State 

University Teaching Hospital. It was 

when the person got to the hospital that 

the news was broken to me, something 

that still sounds like a dream till now. 

What part of Odumakin would 

forever remain part of your life? 

Everything Yinka lived for will forever 

be memorable, every 

part of his life was 

impactful and 

unforgettable. 

What do you think 

Yinka would have 

loved to witness if he 

had the chance? 

His biggest aspiration 

had always been to 

witness a new Nigeria 

that is built on equity, 

fairness and justice, 

which he strongly 

believed is achievable if 

the country is 

restructured. This was 

one crucial thing Yinka 

spent the greater part of 

his latter days working on. 

You described him as multi-tasking 

to a fault. How do you mean? 

Yinka was dutiful just like you heard 

President Buhari described him. This 

I can say is because Yinka never gave 

an excuse for not doing whatever had 

to be done, no matter how inconvenient 

it was. His ability to combine several 

responsibilities distinguished him and this 

was a matter of lifestyle for him. 

What lessons would you advise 

young activists to emulate from him? 

It is very simple, people must be 

committed and known to be associated 

totally with whatever they profess at all 

times. Yinka was a man of deep conviction. 

He never compromised whatever is right, 

for the sake of his personal comfort to the 

detriment of others. 

'How Yinka Odumakin attended to Yoruba issues on sick bed' 


Shock 

An activist, Comrade Aghodo Kehinde 

Stephen, who also spoke to Sunday 

Vanguard at the Odumakins’ residence, said 

he was still shocked about the sudden death of 

his boss Yinka whom he described as a brother 

and mentor. 

Stephen recalled his first meeting with the 

deceased and his wife in Ojota, Lagos in 2012 

when the couple led the protest against fuel 

subsidy removal. 

He revealed that he always feared for the 

safety of his boss as an activist particularly 

during the military era and regretted that the 

deceased passed on when his attention was 

needed most. 

Stephen said he will never forget how the 

late Afenifere spokesman encouraged youths 

to remain resolute at Ojota even when they 

got information that security forces had been 

sent to attack them. 

Oluwakemi Johnson, a sympathizer who 

also spoke to Sunday Vanguard, described 

the deceased as a man of his words who fought 

for justice. Johnson said his relationship with 

Yinka spanned over three decades, pointing 

out that his friend restored many lives by 

teaching them how to fish and not just giving 

them fish. Describing the deceased as a voice 

of the voiceless, he said he was aware that his 

friend had lung issues and that when he learnt 

about his being put in intensive care unit in 

hospital, the only option opened to him 

was to pray fervently, which they did, only 

to hear that he had passed on.

PAGE 12 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 11, 2021 

At least by now, Davido’s woman, 

Chioma must have realised 

“Water won’t carry Davido” 

anywhere now or later and 

“Assurance” that came with a Porsche 

car gift has no insurance attached 

to it. The romance that 

surrounded the duo was 

breathtaking and 

overpoweringly fantastic 

and no one should 

blame the poor girl 

for putting her 

education on hold to 

follow the OBO. 

Fame is just as 

irrepressible as it is 

confounding. 

No one should 

castigate the 

Rowland family 

either, they were 

against their 

daughter not 

finishing her 

education but 

Davido was just too 

“Sweet in the 

Pocket”. But her 

nativity that the song 

would continue 

forever to “Blow Her 

Mind” is what would 

never give her “A Better 

Time”. Sadness would 

only come in wanting to be 

the only one in the life of a 

male artiste. 

She was never the 

first woman in 

Davido’s life and she 

would never be the 

last. No woman is 

ever going to be in 

the driving seat in a 

r o m a n t i c 

relationship with a 

male musician. 

In fact in a 

previous interview 

with Potpourri, the 

living Fuji legend, 

Chief Kollington 

Ayinla succinctly 

made it clear that a 

male musician 

cannot stay without 

women 

“Musicians can’t 

do without women. 

This is not peculiar 

to Fuji musicians but 

the entertainment industry at large. A large 

percentage of our fans are women and this 

can be tempting because we have blood 

running in our veins,’’ so says Baba Alatika. 

Perhaps, Davido was too much of a 

romantic who got the hapless Chioma 

walking on the cloud. Wizkid has been 

emphatic on relationships with women and 

why no woman can be the only one in his 

life. He said he has many girlfriends and 

that all his girlfriends know he has other 

girlfriends. 

“It will be hard because I have a lot of 

women that are really, really dear to my 

heart” he had said. 

Of course, Chioma is dressing to the sixes 

and nines with Davido, given her recent 

raunchy posts on social media, perhaps, to 

relaunch herself and match her supposed 

rivals seduction for seduction but that won’t 

stop the “Jowo” hit maker from having few 

glances here and there. 

žDJ Kaywise 

žDavido 

and Chioma 

Davido-Chioma 

romance saga: 

Lessons for 

Chioma 

I want to create next line of 

generational DJs —DJ Kaywise 

ith over five years of nurturing, 

W teaching and creating 

platforms for aspiring DJs in Nigeria, 

founder of Kaywise Academy, 

Ayorinde Okiki, popularly known as DJ 

Kaywise has said the success recorded 

by the academy over the years has 

reassured him that with proper 

structure, Nigerian entertainers will 

succeed. 

Worried about the continued 

lack of structure that keeps 

hindering the growth of 

aspiring music DJs, DJ 

Kaywise said in a chat 

with Potpourri that 

he floated his 

academy to groom 

young minds whose 

interest lies in disc 

jockeying, adding that he has 

always been passionate about 

creating conducive environment of 

learning for his students. 

With over five branches in 

A budding singer by the name of 

BlaqBonez captures the whole drama 

acutely in his recent tweet; 

“Cheating rumours and outrage 

everyday, that’s the whole 

point in my album. Human 

beings are not wired to have 

just one sexual partner. The 

earlier we understand this 

the better for us. I don’t care 

who you are, I must f**k 

someone else too.” 

Chioma Rowland or 

Chioma Adeleke must 

look beyond Davido 

and see others like 

KSA, Pasuma, Fela, 

Ayinla Kollington, 

Sikiru Ayinde 

Barrister, K1 De 

Ultimate, and learn 

her lesson. 

žIni Edo 

žBBNaija 

Nina Ivy 

Nigeria, Kaywise hinted that the academy 

has graduated over 600 students, who 

according to him, have become 

successful DJs across different parts of 

Africa and impacting lives of others 

positively. 

According to him, “I grew up in an 

environment where there was and still 

no proper structure that would 

guarantee success of stakeholders in 

the industry and I was moved to žKing David 

contribute my part to correcting the 

problem, hence the birth of Kaywise 

Academy.” 

“My mission is to create the next 

line of generational DJs that would 

show the world that Nigeria has 

what it takes to be one of the best 

when it comes to music and 

sounds. We can’t continue to wait 

on those who will not help our 

situation, so my academy was 

floated to contribute my quota and 

give hope and voice to the 

people,” he said. 

What I cannot step 

out without —Ini Edo 

Stunningly beautiful and alluring actress, Ini Edo, has 

revealed what she cannot step out without. She said 

that no matter what happens, she can’t step out of her 

house without applying her lipstick. 

In a brief chat with Potpourri, she spoke a bit on 

fashion, “My most valuable fashion accessory is lip 

gloss and lipstick, and my favourite colour of that is 

red, while I can never be caught wearing black 

lipstick. I can’t step out without wearing a 

lipstick” 

On how long it takes her to get ready for 

events, she enthused, “It depends. 

Sometimes, it takes about an hour or 

two.” 

Ini Edo (born 23 April 1982) began 

her film career in 2000 and has 

featured in more than 100 movies 

since her debut. 

She was the second runner-up 

of the maiden edition of 

Vanguard’s Sexiest in 

Nollywood behind Genevieve 

Nnaji who was the winner and 

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde who 

was the first runner-up. 

Beauty is the flame 

of self-confidence 

— Nina Empire’s Nina Ivy 

ig Brother Naija Season 3 finalist, Nina Ivy 

Bborn Nina Onyenobi has found her space as 

the Chief Executive Officer of a beauty brand 

called Nina Empire, a brand being hailed as a 

true luxury brand in the enhancement of ethnic 

hair worldwide. 

The reality TV star while discussing her new 

found passion and the inspiration behind it revealed 

her own notion of beauty. For a woman who lives, 

dreams and sells ‘beauty” the mother of one sure 

knows her onions when it comes to beauty. 

According to her, “Beauty is the flame of selfconfidence 

that shines from the outside. Beauty has 

a lot to do with confidence, owning and loving who 

you are.” 

Operating in Nigeria and the United States of 

America where the reality TV star is based 

with her husband and son, her online 

clientele stretches across borders 

as they provide genuine, quality 

control checks , virgin and donor 

hair extensions. 

Nina Empire was founded 

May 31, 2018, during the 

birthday celebration of Nina 

Onyenobi, the Chief Executive 

Officer of the company. 

Nina Onyenobi (Nina Ivy) is 

a successful hair and beauty 

entrepreneur from Nigeria. 

Behind the stunning 

Instagram appearance, she 

is a dedicated and 

a m b i t i o u s 

businesswoman. She owns 

several high performing brands 

including Nina Empire. 

King David introduces 

Slovakian rapper, Kaidzas 

to African music scene 

L 

ondon-based Slovakian rapper, Kaidžas has 

continued to soar in the music industry 

worldwide. 

In 2005, he became a Slovakia national 

champion in freestyle battle rap, subsequently, 

Kaidžas released 3 Solo 

albums(2009,2013,2018), Solo EP (2012), 1 

EP with his group “Darebáci”(2010), followed 

by 4 mixtapes with his brother DJ Lucco. 

He is not only known for his battle rap style 

but also for radio hits and club bangers like 

Nehaj hudbu hraž, Vynikajúce, Celé Dobre etc. 

Kaidžas, was however recently introduced 

into the African music scene with his new single 

titled “Immigrant K”, featuring Nigerian UKbased 

artist, King David the Great and US Jay’z 

ROC Nation signee; Jadakiss and Ogaboss. 

King David who is known as a ghost songwriter 

& producer for other major UK and American 

musicians also has a series of upcoming singles 

featuring Ghanaian super star Stonebwoy , Sizzla 

Kanloji and few others. 

In 2019, King David also composed a ring walk 

song for Anthony Joshua, titled AJ Bomaye, 

predicting that the boxer would be undisputed 

heavyweight champion of the world.


Veteran actor, Jide Kosoko, 

on fame, polygamy 

Prince Jide Kosoko has been an actor for more than 6 decades. He has 

not only been in Yoruba films but also English-speaking ones with the 

presence of a colossus. He is so talented that he is considered by 

colleagues to be a chameleon when it comes to assuming characters to 

translate his roles. The iconic actor is being undressed here on a 

number of issues, regarding the industry and his personal life. 

•Jide Kosoko 

Bad press 

Bad reporting is just bad. I can’t place 

my hand on the worst. I have decided 

not to react because I believe I am 

bigger than them. Also, the more I react, the 

more copies they sell. I need not cry over spilt 

milk at this level. 

Actors as philanderers 

That is far from the truth. In 

fact, ours is one of the professions 

whose members are very 

disciplined. People tend to make 

noise out of everything we do as 

public figures. That is not to say 

we do not date or sleep with one 

another. The profession is a 

blessed one and people should 

please see the good side of our 

profession too. We educate, entertain, 

admonish, enlighten the world through 

our artistic works. 

Fame 

One film doesn’t bring an actor to the 

limelight rather continuity does. When people 

see a particular face in good productions, they 

will note the face and as time goes on, they 

will reckon with the face. And that is how the 

fame comes. That is why I detest some of my 

colleagues who believe they can turn one actor 

to a celebrity overnight. A continuous process 

of quality film productions brought me to 

limelight. 

On being a public figure 

It has robbed me of my privacy. The moment 

you become a public figure, your life becomes 

other people’s business. You have to pretend to 

be a gentleman even when you are a rascal. 

We learn to stage-manage our lives even when 

we are not on set. Many of us have learnt to 

live a fake life to suit and keep our fans, people 

who see us as role models. 

Life as a polygamist 

I never envisaged being a polygamist though 

I am a product of one. My parents didn’t support 

it either. My first wife was a business woman. 

I craved for somebody who was in the same 

field with me. In those days, the best advice 

you can get is from your better half and that 

was how the second woman came to be. Along 

the line, I lost the two to child births within 

11months interval. I had seven children at that 

time, so I didn’t plan remarrying or having 

more children again. But after much persuasion 

from my doctor and relatives, I decided to have 

a woman with the agreement of not having 

more children but a complete African woman 

will not agree to that. One thing led to the other 

and I got two women again. So being a 

polygamist is not intentional but God’s design 

which I do not have a right over. 

Actress Onyi Alex reveals 

secret of her beauty 

Stunningly beautiful and captivating 

Nollywood actress, Onyi Alex who has 

captured the attention of so many people 

with her spotless and milky skin has 

revealed her secret. The curvaceous 

actress made the revelation during her 

unveiling as a brand ambassador for 

Hush’D Makeover owned by Ahmed 

Omotunde Abiola known as one of the best 

skincare specialists in Nigeria. 

Onyi Alex who was unveiled 

alongside two other colleagues, 

Eniola Ajao and Mike 

Godson expressed her 

excitement as an 

ambassador for the 

premium skincare 

brand, adding that the 

brand had been her 

beauty secret for the 

past two years. 

“I’m delighted to 

announce my 

partnership with 

Nigerian foremost 

skincare, beauty and 

wellness company 

@hushd.ng. Having 

used their products for 

over two years, I can 

now comfortably 

influence for them and 

let you guys in on my 

beauty secret. I’m happy to 

be on this journey with the 

brand because their products 

make my skin do the 

talking. Guys, help me bombard them 

with love and orders,” she enthused. 

Hush’D Makeover Limited, is 

Nigeria’s leading skincare and 

cosmetology company with varieties of 

cutting edge and effective beauty 

products. 

•Onyi Alex and 

Hush'D boss, Ahmed 

Giant strides of Michael Adebiyi 

of Bigmike Enter 

ertainment 

Michael B Adebiyi, an entrepreneur, 

a show promoter, an ambassador 

and humanitarian is the Chief Executive 

Officer of Bigmike Entertainment, a 

company committed to uplifting the lives 

of the youths by building their talents and 

giving them the platform to showcase the 

talents. 

His company, Bigmike Entertainment 

was established in 2011 and has since 

been building, promoting and 

developing young talents in the 

entertainment world. 

He has worked with the likes of 

Davido, Olamide, Tuface Idibia, 

Basketmouth, Naira Marley, Tiwa 

Savage, Daddy Showkey, and so many 

other award-winning artistes. His 

company has organized multiple sold 

out concerts across cities in 

America. 

Apart from his 

exploits in the 

entertainment 

space Bigmike 

Entertainment 

through the 

vision of 

Adebiyi has 

created 

o t h e r 

platforms 

for African 

youths to 

express 

themselves 

to achieve 

success. 

His vision 

for spotting talents of great promise is 

almost legendary and he has motivated 

many to achieve success in their fields of 

endeavour. 

As humanitarian, Michael B Adebiyi 

who hails from Ekiti State in Nigeria has 

touched the lives of many less-privileged. 

His heart of gold has been felt by many 

hospices such as Grace 

Orphanage and Children 

Home, Hope 

Orphanage Home 

Akure, Living Fountain 

and others. 

He is a graduate of 

Tuskegee University in 

Alabama with degrees in 

Accounting and Business 

Administration. 

However, his excellence in 

the university was not limited to 

academics alone as he 

distinguished 

himself in 

extracurricular 

activities too. He 

was offered a full 

scholarship to 

play football in 

college and also 

r e c e i v e d 

numerous 

•Michael 

Adebiyi 

awards from 

honorable and 

reputable 

organizations 

such as ECOWAS 

and Youth 

Council of 

Nigeria.


Nigeria’s unending Memorandum 

of Understanding (MoU) 

Any person visiting 

Nigeria in the last 

couple of months 

would likely form two 

unquestionable 

impressions. The first is that 

the nation is under siege 

from criminal elements 

while the second is that she 

is facing an overwhelming 

number of strikes by public 

workers. None of the two can 

be said to be older or more 

prevalent than the other. 

Although the strikes do not 

involve killings which hold 

sway in the case of 

insurgency and armed 

battles, the impact which the 

paralyzing strikes have had 

on the nation are no less 

impactful. When agitations 

for restructuring or 

succession are added to the 

troubles of running Nigeria, 

one wonders why some of 

our citizens are not in any 

way dissuaded from the 

struggle to become 

candidates at the next 

general elections of 2023. Of 

course, because it is 

practically impossible to do 

justice to all these issues in 

one article, the goal today is 

to pick one of the issues - 

strikes and attempt to 

examine its core 

dimensions. 

At the last count the major 

strikes that were on-going 

were those by Judiciary 

workers, Resident Doctors 

and Polytechnic lecturers. 

No one knows yet if the 

Academic Staff Union of 

Universities, ASUU which 

holds the gold medal in 

strikes in Nigeria will soon 

declare another round of 

strikes. Perhaps it might not; 

following a crucial meeting 

scheduled for last Monday 

between ASUU and 

Education Minister, Adamu, 

Adamu. But then the point 

to worry about is that 

considering that strike 

connotes a breakdown of 

relationships, why are such 

breakdowns so rampant in 

Nigeria? However, the 

frequency of strikes these 

days has altered the old 

propaganda that Nigerian 

workers are forever fighting 

for increased salaries. In 

truth, a fair review of the 

issues at stake in our strikes 

would clearly establish that 

the real problem is the 

unending nature of the 

insincere agreements 

between the government and 

workers. 

In the case of the National 

Association of Resident 

Doctors NARD, there is a 

consensus that no time is 

good for doctors to go on 

strike in view of their 

fundamental service to 

humanity. Certainly, with 

security challenges in parts 

of the nation coupled by high 

unemployment rates, 

inflation and the COVID-19 

pandemic, this is the most 

inauspicious time for a 

doctors’ strike. Yet the 

country’s managers 

willfully allowed NARD 

made up of majority of our 

doctors to down tools. Our 

finding is that poor funding, 

obsolete and insufficient 

working facilities and low 

remuneration are not all 

that our doctors are made 

to endure. They are also, now 

and gain, served with 

demoralizing stories - tales 

that harden the aggrieved to 

never back down. 

Those who often 

blackmail doctors with the 

‘Hippocratic Oath’ forget 

that the oath is meant for the 

living and not dead doctors. 

In other words, one has to 

be alive to adhere to the 

ideals of the oath, certainly 

not in the midst of salary 

arrears. When government 

first introduced the 

Integrated Personnel and 

Payroll Information System 

IPPIS, it was described as a 

technology that could 

efficiently and indeed, 

SWIFTLY deal with identity 

issues concerning the 

payment of salaries unlike 

the old analogue system 

that was marred by ghosts. 

If so, how come, doctors and 

other professionals are 

victims of the IPPIS 

framework? Interestingly, 

government officials who 

keep blaming systemic 

hitches on the IPPIS, hardly 

realize that it makes little 

sense for a technology 

brought in to reverse 

analogue drawbacks, to 

take months to add a 

correctly processed new 

appointee to a staff list. 

Polytechnic lecturers have 

had the same fate with 

ASUU and NARD. They are 

now aware that 

explanations made during 

any strike takes the same 

The chorus that 

officials sing every 

time there is a strike 

is now unpopular 

and we have a duty 

to say so 

pattern. First, the workers 

continuously draw attention 

of the relevant supervisory 

authority to an existing 

agreement yet to be 

implemented and get no 

response. Second, they issue 

an ultimatum to begin a 

strike. A few hours to the 

deadline, the relevant 

workers’ union is invited to 

a meeting where 

government explains how 

ready she is to handle the 

observed grievances. Irked 

that the government is 

playing on their intelligence, 

the union stubbornly 

continues with the strike. 

Thereafter, the government 

evolves what it calls 

Memorandum of Action 

(MOA). Some of the workers 

are prevailed upon to have 

pity on those who would 

suffer mostly from the strike, 

such as students or patients. 

Then the strike is suspended 

but not cancelled because 

they know the MOA is a 

smokescreen. 

During this period, Labour 

Minister, Chris Ngige, who 

in fairness has almost 

become an encyclopedia of 

labour relations begins to 

tutor everyone on the 

statutory processes and 

procedures for strikes. 

Unfortunately, Ngige 

convinces only a few 

because though he is 

supposedly a conciliator 

between the parties, he is 

also a Minister in the same 

government the workers are 

dissatisfied with. For 

example, he is usually quick 

to remind adamant workers 

of the ‘no work no pay rule’ 

but always silent on which 

work he is referring to – is it 

future work or the one done 

in the past that was yet to be 

paid for? In the case of the 

Resident Doctors, he is now 

blaming, the President of the 

Nigerian Medical 

Association (NMA) 

Professor Innocent Ujah for 

failing to play his expected 

role, yet he knows that apart 

from the fact that the striking 

doctors would hardly listen 

to the man, he is currently 

preoccupied with a new 

assignment as Vice 

Chancellor of the new 

Federal University of 

Medical Science, Oturkpo, 

Benue State. In any case, it 

is only the doctors in 

government that are on the 

same page with the 

authorities against their 

striking younger 

colleagues. No one else is. 

So, the chorus that 

officials sing every time 

there is a strike is now 

unpopular and we have a 

duty to say so. To the health 

sector which the other day 

produced a story of missing 

billions of naira, we demand 

that it should be found and 

used judiciously for the 

sector. As for the Judiciary 

workers who are on strike 

over the refusal of state 

governments to allow for 

judicial autonomy many are 

with them because without 

autonomy justice is 

impossible. Even the 

opinion of the Nigerian Bar 

Association (NBA) that the 

strike was ill-timed suggests 

support. Already the Chief 

Justice of Nigeria (CJN) 

Justice Tanko Muhammad 

appears exhausted over the 

drama the political class is 

playing with judicial 

autonomy. Last Tuesday at 

a meeting with the Judiciary 

Staff Union of Nigeria, 

(JUSUN) in Abuja, Tanko 

said he would ordinarily 

have spoken to the 

individual 36 state 

governors, but couldn’t do 

so because it would “amount 

to asking for their favours, 

and that some of them 

would ask him to do 10 

favours in return.”. 

With a court judgment as 

far back as 2014 in favour 

of judicial autonomy and the 

2020 directives of President 

Buhari that local councils as 

well as the judiciary and the 

legislature in the states 

should all enjoy financial 

autonomy, what else can 

anyone do? Last week, the 

House of Representatives 

Committee on Health Care 

Services, having identified 

Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, 

Registrar Medical and 

Dental Council of Nigeria 

(MDCN) as one of those 

toying with the Resident 

Doctors’ matter threatened 

to arrest him. Who will they 

threaten over the nonimplementation 

of the 

judicial autonomy issue? 

Certainly, 36 MOUs and 

MOAs can’t help; may be 

judiciary workers should 

organize their strikes during 

election petitions!!! 

PhD,Department of 

Philosophy, 

University of Lagos 

08116759758 

opuruiche2000@gmail.com 

On the alleged non-negotiability and 

sacrosanctity of One Nigeria (3) 

Because the general 

mood in northern 

Nigeria in the mid-60s was 

decidedly in favour of 

secession (araba) it is very 

likely that Yakubu Gowon, 

Murtala Mohammed, 

Muhammadu Buhari, 

Ibrahim Babangida and Sani 

Abacha who participated in 

the revanchist coup of July 

1966 supported it. A powerful 

corroborating evidence in 

that regard is the secession 

passage contained in the 

initial draft of the first speech 

Gowon read after coming to 

power.Having consolidated 

his position, he began 

proclaiming the myth that 

Nigeria’s unity is nonnegotiable 

and sacrosanct, an 

unwise claim which the 

succession of northern 

military dictators and civilian 

presidents have reaffirmed 

sheepishly ever since. The 

digression about Fulani 

caliphate colonialist agenda 

of secession sets the stage for 

what can be described as the 

second consequential 

ideological turning-point in 

the country’s political 

evolution after independence, 

this time around by the 

dominant political class from 

the north. I have already noted 

the profound change in the 

type of political structure 

proposed for Nigeria by 

leaders of the eastern region 

which was in tandem with 

what the northern militarycivilian 

establishment had 

always wanted, namely, a 

political arrangement very 

close to confederacy. To be 

clear, although the idea of a 

weak centre and strong 

federating units or regions 

was more realistic than the illadvised 

One Nigeria project 

Dr.Azikiwe and his ardent 

followers pursued relentlessly, 

its advocacy by northern 

leaders was not the result of 

an altruistic understanding or 

appreciation of what was best 

or most suitable nationally 

considering the deep 

historical, socio-cultural and 

religious differences between 

the ethnic nationalities in the 

country. Instead Ahmadu 

Bello and his cohorts believed 

that a loose federal system will 

not hamper in the slightest 

Fulani’s long-standing 

strategic plan of conquering 

the south sometime in the 

future after British colonial 

rule might have ended, as 

explained byTafawaBalewa 

in 1947 and reiterated by the 

Sardauna less than two weeks 

after independence. Therefore 

it was quite surprising to close 

observers of Nigeria’s 

experiment with self-rule after 

the second military coup that 

during the 1966 Ad Hoc 

constitutional conference 

convened by Gowon the 

northern delegates(most 

likely acting on advice from 

the British High 

Commission) presented a set 

of proposals completely 

different from their 

traditional standpoint on the 

The Aburi summit 

of 1967 provided a 

neutral platform for 

renegotiating the 

principles of 

Nigerian statehood 

after the terrible 

events of 1966 

suitable political system for 

the country. They now wanted 

a strong and effective federal 

government (which means 

drastically reduced regional 

autonomy), creation of states 

(an idea Ahmadu Bello, 

several emirs and some 

prominent northern 

politicians had vehemently 

opposed in the past), and 

dropped the idea of secession 

completely. That the north 

and the east have swapped 

positions is indicative of the 

absence of coherent 

ideological consensus 

between the leading Fulani 

political class and their 

southern counterparts. The 

northern volte face was partly 

because power had reverted 

back to the north, a point 

Gowon alluded to in October 

1966 while appealing to 

fellow northerners to stop 

killing easterners in their 

midst: “You all know that since 

the end of July God in his power 

has entrusted the responsibility 

of this great country of ours to 

another northerner.” In 

addition the north had 

consolidated its dominance 

of infantry units of the army 

and usurpedsenior military 

positions vacated by Igbo 

officers after the revanchist 

coup.Keep in mind that at 

independence Ndigbo 

occupied top positions in the 

federal civil service and the 

military mostly on merit, and 

could also be found 

everywhere contributing to 

national development. 

Although the people have a 

tendency towards what late 

Prof. Chinua Achebe called 

noisy exhibitionism and 

hubris derived from material 

success, no other ethnic group 

has practically manifested 

belief in One Nigeria more 

than the Igbo. That is probably 

the major reason why Dr. 

Azikiwe favoured a strong 

central government which 

would protect all citizens and 

enhance national unity. But 

Azikiwe’s vision, pregnant 

with exciting possibilities for 

the “uppity Igbo,” was too 

sanguine and idealistic. It did 

not reckon with the deep 

contradictions between the 

hegemonic Islamic 

theocratic political outlook of 

the ruling northern powerblock 

and the egalitarianrepublican 

weltanschauung 

of the south, especially the 

eastern region. After all, water 

and oil do not mix, which 

means that Nigeria’s 

foundational edifice is 

intrinsically prone to 

catastrophic political and 

ethno-religious seismic 

movement right from the 

beginning. 

The ideological 

turnaround of eastern leaders 

in favour of a relatively weak 

centre and stronger federating 

units after the July coup was 

primarily a response to the 

decimation of high-ranking 

military officers of Igbo 

extraction, Ahmadu Bello’s 

and TafawaBalewa’s nativist 

anti-One Nigeria 

northernisation policy, and 

pogroms that led to the killing 

and maiming of over one hundred 

and fifty thousand Igbo 

people resident in the 

north.On the other hand, a 

very significant but often 

overlooked dimension that 

sheds more light on why the 

north abandoned araba and 

opted for unitarism is 

this:immediately after 

independence northern 

domination of the army 

gained momentum as a result 

of federal government’s 

discriminatory nepotic 

policies which allowed 

northerners without 

appropriate educational 

qualifications and experience 

to be enlisted in the army and, 

as I pointed out earlier,fill 

vacancies created by the 

forced exit of Igbo officers. 

Meanwhile before southern 

leaders realised what was 

happening their northern 

counterparts, having 

recognised that the military 

could be used as a potent 

instrument for the capture and 

monopolisation of political 

power,ensured that the federal 

government relied heavily on 

the army, which was already 

evolving into a tool in the 

hands of Fulani caliphate 

colonialists for that very 

purpose. Thus it is false to 

claim that the Nigerian 

military has always been 

professionally organised and 

apolitical since politicisation 

of the army started in earnest 

after independence. And as 

the devastating civil war and 

the alacrity with which the 

current Buhari regime 

deploys disproportionate 

military force to deal with 

agitations for selfdetermination 

in the south 

while treating murderous 

Fulani terrorists with kid’s 

gloves indicate, the Nigerian 

army is considered by many 

southerners as a core 

component of the Fulani 

colonisation project started 

more than two centuries ago 

by Dan Fodio. 

The Aburi summit of 1967 

provided a neutral platform 

for renegotiating the 

principles of Nigerian 

statehood after the terrible 

events of 1966. But it was 

scuttled by Gowon and his 

advisers, with British officials 

working behind the scenes to 

maintain the status quo which 

was very economically 

favourable to their home 

country. Emefiena Ezeani has 

explored this theme 

thoroughly in his thoughtprovoking 

book, In Biafra 

Africa Died: The Diplomatic 

Plot. The unfortunate aspect 

of the Aburi saga is that highranking 

federal civil servants 

from the south led by 

Solomon Akenzua convinced 

Gowon to unilaterally 

repudiate the Aburi accord. 

Reflecting on the historical 

significance of the failure to 

implement the agreements 

reached in Ghana 

Gowon,Ojukwu and their 

advisers made wrong choices 

that led inevitably to armed 

conflict.Max Siollun makes 

the same point explicitly by 

suggesting that “…the all or 

nothing approach to them 

taken by the protagonists was 

myopic.” It is evident that Lt. 

Cols. Gowon and Ojukwu 

were too young and 

inexperienced to navigate 

successfully the turbulent 

murky waters of Nigerian 

politics. Again Ojukwu and 

his advisers underestimated 

the length northern leaders 

were willing to go to maintain 

their military-backed 

political advantage which 

was supported by Britain. 

Soboth sides failed to make 

the unpalatable but necessary 

concessions required to avoid 

further confrontation between 

eastern region and the federal 

military government. 

To be continued

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 11, 2021,PAGE 15 

ANAN is unique, does 

not operate like ICAN 

—Fasua, DG, College of Accountancy 

By Rotimi Ojomoyela 

Kayode Fasua, Director General, Nigeria College of Accountancy, the 

training arm of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria 

(ANAN), in this interview, explains the age old rivalry with the Institute 

of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), exonerates accountants 

from the pervasive corruption in Nigeria. Excerpts: 

•Fasua, DG, College of Accountancy 

What do you do as DG of the 

college? 

As the Director General, I 

administer the affairs of the college. The 

college is a training ground of the 

Association of National Accountants of 

Nigeria (ANAN). ANAN is one of the two 

statutorily recognised professional 

accountancy bodies in Nigeria and 

ANAN is also a member of the 

international Federation of Accountants. 

ANAN is the only professional 

accountancy organization in the world 

that has a college that trains its candidates 

for the examination of the association. 

The way the college operates is that 

anyone who wants to be a member of 

ANAN must, first and foremost, be 

admitted into the college either for a fulltime 

programme that we run in 9 months 

or a part-time programme which we call 

Mature Program that runs for 21 months. 

When the candidate successfully 

concludes at the college, the college will 

now present him for the examination of 

ANAN. The college is situated in Jos. 

Do you operate like ICAN? 

ANAN does not operate like ICAN. 

ANAN is quite unique among all 

professional accountancy bodies in the 

world for simply having the Nigerian 

College of Accountancy. Before you can 

come in as a student into the college, you 

must, first and foremost, be a graduate of 

accounting or aligned discipline. The 

accountancy profession has taken a cue 

from accountancy training in the United 

Kingdom (UK). In the UK alone, there are 

about nine professional accountancy 

organizations that are all members of the 

International Federation of Accountants. 

The founding father of ANAN believes 

that if there is no competition, there will 

be some level of mediocrity in the 

production of professional accountants 

in Nigeria. Secondly, at the rate ICAN 

was producing 

accountants at that 

time, it wasn’t 

commensurate with the 

development of the 

nation. All companies 

quoted in the Nigeria 

Stock Exchange, for 

instance, must have 

professional 

accountants and all 

through that period, 

probably ICAN was able 

to produce 20% of the 

accountants we needed. 

Of course their reason 

was that they have 

standard and the 

standard must be met. 

Generally, all over the 

world, there are general 

standards for everything 

and so ANAN came on 

board, observed what 

ICAN was doing and 

believed that we can 

Among all 

Accountants 

General of states, 

ANAN has nothing 

less than 70% of 

them and Auditors 

General of states, 

nothing less than 

70%. 

complement the 

production of accountants in Nigeria to 

contribute to the development of the 

economy. ANAN decided to come in with 

something superior and so, first and 

foremost, for you to become our member, 

you must be a graduate, so you can’t be 

talking of low standard when you are 

bringing graduates as the foundation or 

the raw material of your end products. 

ANAN does exchange visits with ICAN at 

the council level, invitations are given to 

ICAN; to ANAN, when both have 

programs and at least there has been 

collaboration between ANAN and ICAN. 

So, technically speaking, I will say there 

is no war for now. 

There is this belief that ANAN is just 

like NECO to WAEC, that when you have 

shortcomings in passing WAEC, you 

proceed to register for NECO. What can 

you say about this? 

You have somebody who is already a 

graduate of accounting, he is writing 

ANAN and you have somebody who is a 

graduate of history or who is a school 

certificate holder on religious studies 

who is writing ICAN and the 

accounting student of ANAN passes 

his exam and the history graduate of 

ICAN fails his exam and you say that 

exam is not important. As a matter 

of fact, the two sets of people writing 

the exam are not on the same 

pedestal. It’s just like going to law 

school, you must be a graduate 

student of law before you can go to 

law school, but the standard of 

professional accountancy is 

regulated by the International 

Federation of Accountants and 

ANAN is a full member and there is 

a group in International Federation 

of Accountants called Edibong 

Group which ANAN is also a 

member of, and this organization is 

the one that regulates accountancy 

profession all over the world and you 

now say one of them is inferior to another, 

it’s just trying to find something to say. 

So, it’s not true. ANAN is everywhere, we 

have members who are bank managers, 

bank directors; we have 

them in the public sector 

as well. For instance now, 

among Accountants 

General of states, ANAN 

has nothing less than 70% 

of and Auditors General of 

states, nothing less than 

70%. The Accountant 

General of the Federation 

is ANAN member, 

Minister of Finance is 

ANAN member, don’t tell 

me that all those guys are 

not sound. Go to 

academics, among all the 

professors of accounting in 

Nigeria, ANAN can boost 

of over 60% of them. It is 

ANAN that believes in the 

education aspect of 

training from the 

beginning to the end 

above our sister bodies. 

Our sister bodies used to 

say in those days that 

“accountancy cannot be 

learnt in the classroom” but, today, we 

know that it can be learnt in the 

classroom. So, ANAN started by saying 

accountancy can be learnt in the 

classroom and started reckoning with 

PhD holders in accounting, professors of 

accounting and academics in accounting. 

So, you won’t just come and tell me about 

practice, any practice that is devoid of 

the foundation of theory is going to be a 

whitewash. ANAN takes both the theory 

of accounting and the practice of 

accounting together to have what we call 

professional accounting. 

Why is it that employers prefer ICAN 

graduates to ANAN’s? 

I will dispute that. It’s probably because 

of the perspective of those employers. For 

instance, the law of the Federal Republic 

of Nigeria says there are two professional 

accountancy organizations in the country. 

These two organizations recognised by 

the law of Nigeria are also recognised 

internationally. So, if I own a company, 

XYZ Nigeria Limited, and I decide to 

have preference for ICAN members, I 

must have had my bias. My bias could be 

that I have a friend who is an ICAN 

member for instance or it’s because of 

what I have heard. That’s XYZ Nig. Ltd. 

You will not find that in institutions that 

are created by law because they also obey 

the law; you will not find such 

organizations saying that it must be only 

ICAN members. CBN will not do advert 

and tell you they need only ICAN, but 

ICAN and ANAN; NNPC will tell you 

ICAN and ANAN; FIRS will tell you ICAN 

and ANAN. So, sometimes I see as part of 

the mischief on the part of people showing 

preference for ICAN or misinformation 

on their part. 

What are you doing to bring ANAN to 

public consciousness? 

The truth of the matter is that the public 

awareness is as strong as it should be. 

There is no organization that is worth its 

salt that does not know that ANAN is in 

existence. ANAN is a pacesetter in most 

states in Nigeria. Today, most 

professional organisations do what they 

call CPD, mandatory continue 

professional education, ANAN pioneered 

that program as far back as 1995, 1996; 

every other body is doing it including our 

sister body but we started it. When we do 

that program, we take it across the states 

in Nigeria. For instance, in this year, 2021 

program, we have done the one for South- 

South, we were in Calabar for one week, 

we are doing the one for North-Central 

in Lafia immediately after Easter, the next 

one we will be doing in Owerri for South- 

East, we will be doing in Kaduna and 

probably for Kebbi and finally in Ado- 

Ekiti for South-West by December. 

Tell us the prospect for ANAN 

graduates in the labour market… 

The prospect for ANAN in the labour 

market is the same prospect that 

everybody in the labour market has. 

When your proficiency is there, the first 

thing you need in Nigeria today is the 

requisite qualification and our products 

have the requisite qualification. Just like 

I said earlier, if an employer of labour 

has sentiment against ANAN, he is not 

going to make ANAN qualification as 

requirement for employment in the 

organization but I am saying that, 

generally speaking, the generality of 

labour market operators will always 

consider ANAN and our graduates have 

been getting jobs both in the private sector 

and the public sector and, mind you, 

many of them are already workers, they 

just need certification to progress in their 

disciplines, that is why they are getting 

professionalised. 

Continues online at 

www.vanguardngr.com


Gun salutes mark death of 

UK's Prince Philip 

GUN salutes across 

the U.K., in 

Commonwealth 

countries and at sea are 

marking the death of 

Britain’s Prince Philip 

on Saturday as military 

leaders honor the 

former naval officer and 

husband of Queen 

Elizabeth II. 

Batteries of cannons 

in London, Edinburgh, 

Cardiff, Belfast and 

other cities were set to 

fire 41 rounds at oneminute 

intervals 

starting at midday. The 

Australian Defense 

Force offered its salute 

at 5 p.m. local time 

outside Parliament 

House in Canberra, and 

New Zealand planned to 

give an artillery tribute 

celebrate on Sunday. 

“His Royal Highness 

leaves us with a legacy 

of indomitable spirit, 

steadfastness and an 

unshakeable sense of 

duty,’’ said General 

Nick Carter, chief of the 

U.K. Defense Staff. 

“From all of us who 

serve today and who 

have served, thank 

you.” 

Also known as the 

Duke of Edinburgh, 

Philip served in the 

Royal Navy during 

World War II and once 

had a promising 

military career. He 

joined the Royal Navy 

as a cadet in 1939 and 

won mentions during 

the war for his service 

aboard the battleship 

HMS Valiant at Cape 

Matapan, on Greece’s 

Peloponnesian 

peninsula. He rose to the 

rank of commander 

before he retired from 

active duty. 

Two years after the 

war ended, Philip 

married the future 

queen at Westminster 

Abbey when she was 21 

and he was 26. His 

naval career came to an 

abrupt end when King 

George VI died in 1952 

and Elizabeth became 

queen. 

At the queen’s 

coronation in 1953, 

Philip swore to be his 

wife’s “liege man of life 

and limb” and settled 

into a life supporting the 

monarch. The couple 

had four children — 

Charles, the heir to the 

throne, Anne, Andrew 

and Edward. 

Members of the public 

left flowers outside 

Buckingham Palace and 

Windsor Castle on 

Saturday, ignoring 

appeals from authorities 

and the royal family to 

refrain from gathering 

because of the COVID-19 

pandemic. 

“Oh, I think everyone’s 

in shock,” Maureen 

Field, a 67-year-old 

Staines resident, said. “ 

I think everyone would 

like to pay their respects. 

Because of the virus, a 

lot of people have to stay 

away. He didn’t want a 

big funeral. He wanted 

a very private time with 

his family to say their 

goodbyes. So, we’ve all 

got to respect that.” 

•Members of the Honourable Artillery Company fire a 41-round gun salute 

from the wharf at the Tower of London, to mark the death of Prince Philip, 

in London, Saturday, April 10, 2021. Britain's Prince Philip, the irascible 

and tough-minded husband of Queen Elizabeth II who spent more than 

seven decades supporting his wife in a role that mostly defined his life, 

died on Friday. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP). 

Adefulire: Honour for Distinguished Retired Jurist 

By Desmond Utomwen, 

Abuja 

GLITZ, 

glamour 

mixed with palpable 

excitement as Nigerians 

from all walks of life 

converged in Ile Oluji 

town, Ondo State in 

honour of distinguished 

academic, lawyer, retired 

judicial officer and 

businessman, Chief 

Abiodun Adefulire, 

Saturday, 3 April. 

The distinguished guests 

were in the town to witness 

the conferment of the 

chieftaincy title of the 

Itagbuyi of Ile-Oluji 

Kingdom by His Royal 

Majesty, Oba (Dr) 

Olufaderin Adetimehin, 

FIIN, FCIB, Jimoko II, 

Jegun Olu-Ekun and 

Paramount Ruler of Ile- 

Oluji Kingdom on Chief 

Adefulire. 

In many ways, Chief 

Abiodun Adefulire is a chip 

of the old block with the 

•Chief Adefulire 

conferment of the 

chieftaincy saw him 

following the footstep of his 

father, Chief Samuel 

Adefulire, who was High 

Chief in Ile-Oluji between 

1962 and 1995 when he 

passed on to glory. 

The well-attended 

glamorous chieftaincy 

conferment ceremony was 

held at the King’s Palace 

while the guests were later 

entertained at Ile-Oluji 

community hall. 

The award was in 

recognition of the 

contributions of the scion 

of Obolubode to the 

development of Ile-Oluji 

town. An advocate of social 

justice, child rights 

education 

and 

development, Chief 

Adefulire is a humble man 

with love for humanity 

and 

communal 

development. 

He has extensive 

experience in the education 

sector having worked as a 

teacher and Examination 

Officer at the then 

University of Ife, now 

Obafemi Awolowo 

University before delving 

into law profession. 

The Itagbuyi of Ondo 

took a giant step into the 

legal profession when he 

gained admission to read 

law at the prestigious 

Ahmadu Bello University, 

Zaria and was 

subsequently called to the 

Nigerian Bar in 1986 after 

completion of his Law 

School programme. He 

later beefed up his 

knowledge with Lagos 

State University Masters 

in Law. In addition, he 

obtained Certificate of 

Eligibility under the 

Qualified Lawyer Transfer 

Regulations, No. II, United 

Kingdom in 2009. 

He began his legal career 

as a private legal 

practitioner before joining 

the lower Bench, as a 

Magistrate. During his 

career on the Bench, Chief 

Adefulire served as the 

Chairman, Rent Tribunal 

and member of the Policy 

and Strategy Committee of 

Lagos State Judiciary. 

As a Magistrate, he 

attended many workshops 

in and outside Nigeria. He 

also authored different 

works in which he 

adumbrated on the 

provisions of Nigerian 

Constitutions on 

Marwa is winning big in the war against illict drugs 

By Mahmud Isa, Yola 

THE 

Chairman/ 

Chief Executive of 

the National Drug Law 

Enforcement Agency, 

Brig. General Mohamed 

Buba Marwa (Rted), has 

proven to be the new 

sheriff in town. Nigeria is 

witnessing the rise of a 

new National Drug Law 

Enforcement Agency, a 

resolute organization 

that is now taking the war 

to the barons’ doorsteps. 

In less than two months 

after taking office, the 

NDLEA has confiscated 

more than N60 billion 

worth of illicit drugs from 

drug barons and 

suppliers attempting to 

smuggle or transport the 

drugs into or out of the 

country. 

Drug addiction is a 

global problem, and the 

drug war should be a 

source of concern to all 

Nigerians. No family in 

Nigeria is immune to the 

effects of drug abuse. It 

is right in front of us. The 

menace has obliterated a 

significant portion of our 

youth’s potential. Many 

people’s lives have been 

destroyed by hard drugs, 

which have shattered 

families and wreaked 

havoc on society. It’s 

hard to overstate the 

connection between 

drug abuse and criminal 

behavior. Boko Haram, 

pirates, kidnappers, 

armed robbers, and 

other criminal 

masterminds use hard 

drugs to carry out their 

murderous actions 

against Nigeria’s lawabiding 

people. 

Marwa issued marching 

orders to NDLEA men 

and officers on his first 

day at the Headquarters. 

•Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rted) 

The retired Army 

General tasked them with 

combating the opioid 

addiction epidemic that 

is posing a serious threat 

to the country. He didn’t 

just issue marching 

orders; he also promised 

his men that he would reestablish 

the agency’s 

reputation. Marwa then 

formed a harmonization 

committee to look into 

rank stagnation, 

promotion, and other 

issues bedeviling the 

agency a few days later. 

This move is said to have 

given the Agency hope. 

Marwa’s leadership at 

the NDLEA ushered in a 

new era in Nigeria’s battle 

against substance abuse. 

On a regular basis, we see 

illicit drug dealers 

arrested. The use of hard 

drugs is being curtailed. 

Every day, smuggled 

drugs are intercepted. 

Cannabis farms are being 

destroyed all over the 

country. The availability 

of hard drugs and opioids 

has been drastically 

reduced. 

Marwa was quoted as 

saying during a 

presentation at the 

Nigerian Defence College 

that for every kilogram of 

hard drug seized is one 

kilogram less in society. 

Marwa doesn’t just cut 

off the supply of drugs; he 

even confronts the 

addicts. He recently 

spoke passionately about 

the need for 

rehabilitation centers 

across the country at a 

commissioning of a 

rehabilitation center 

constructed by a nongovernmental 

organization in 

guaranteed rights to 

Freedom of Movement, 

Copyright Infringement 

and Remedies, as well as 

Mode of Exercise of 

Admiralty Jurisdiction - 

Doctrine of Pre Action 

Notice, Repress/ 

Exhaustion. 

He rose through the 

ranks to become a Chief 

Magistrate before retiring 

in 2018. 

The new Itagbuyi of Ile- 

Oluji kingdom is presently 

the Principal Partner, 

Eminence Chambers and 

Chairman /CEO of Cladef 

Interests Nigeria and 

Eminence Crystal Ice Blocks. 

He is happily married to 

former Deputy Governor of 

Lagos and the Senior Special 

Assistant to the President on 

Sustainable Development 

Goals, Princess Adejoke 

Orelope Adefulire. The 

marriage is blessed with 

children. 

• Utomwen is an Abuja 

based journalist 

Ogbomoso, Oyo state. He 

said that with more 

recovery centers, there is 

hope for drug addicts. 

When you look at an 

addict’s life, you will note 

not just the irrationality 

of their attitude and 

actions, but also their 

powerlessness over their 

addiction, and they will 

have no hope until they 

obtain organized 

support. Marwa is 

unquestionably making 

strides in Nigeria’s fight 

against substance abuse. 

The NDLEA has been 

repositioned, and both 

the barons and traffickers 

are being apprehended 

on a regular basis. Nigeria 

is actually on the verge of 

triumphing in the war on 

drugs. 

•Mahmud Isa Yola 

is Special Assistant to 

Brig. General MB 

Marwa (rtd) on Social 

Media.


By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

Zacharys Anger Gundu, a professor of archaeology, is the 

Pro-chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of 

Benue State University, BSU, Makurdi. He is also the 

Chairman of the powerful Tiv Professionals Group, TPG. In 

this interview, Gundu speaks on the position of the TPG on 

the recent assassination attempt on Governor Samuel 

Ortom. He also speaks on the purported plan by herders from 

around Africa to take over Nigeria and lots more. Excerpts: 

On the assassination attempt on Governor Samuel Ortom 

The attempt to assassinate Governor Ortom was orchestrated by armed men 

who ambushed him on his farm at Tyo Mu, along Makurdi-Gboko Federal 

Highway. His security details repelled the attack and gave him cover to run into the road 

where his entourage had parked. Within hours of the attack, a Fulani group that goes by 

the name of Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM) claimed responsibly for the attempt 

on the governor’s life. In a statement released by one Umar Amir Shehu, the movement 

boasted that Ortom escaped only because of a communication error and that, next 

time, he would not be so lucky. FUNAM also threatened to carry out attacks 

on what they called ‘strategic human assets and material assets of state 

and non-state’ actors and individuals known to harbour anti-Fulani 

sentiments. While it is horrendous that a sitting governor will be 

attacked on his farm, we in the Tiv Professionals Group are 

deeply alarmed that in Benue State, each sitting governor, 

since the current dispensation, has been attacked at one time 

or another. In 2004, for instance, armed men attacked Dr. 

George Akume, the current Minister of Special Duties and 

Inter-Governmental Affairs, on the Lafia-Akwanga Highway. 

Though he escaped death by the whiskers, Chief Andrew 

Agom, who was in the same vehicle with him, was not so 

lucky. Governor Gabriel Suswam, who is now the Senator 

representing Benue North-East, ran into an ambush by 

herdsmen on March 11, 2014. He had gone with security 

chiefs to assess the damage caused by herdsmen in Guma 

Local Government Area and was attacked at Tse Akanyi. In 

the ensuing exchange of gunfire, several 

people were killed but he also escaped 

unhurt. The attempt on Ortom’s life 

underscores the state of insecurity in Benue 

and the country as a whole. It also 

underscores the failure of the Federal 

Government to act decisively against terror 

rings that have taken over ungoverned 

spaces, highways and forests to terrorize 

law-abiding citizens. The attack on Ortom 

is one too many to be ignored. We note with 

sadness that all the attacks on our governors 

from Akume to Ortom happened against 

the backdrop of sustained Fulani herdsmen 

invasion of Benue communities. Benue 

citizens, irrespective of ethnic affiliation, 

tongue, religion and political affiliation, 

must close ranks in brotherhood to 

condemn in the strongest terms this 

assassination attempt. 

On the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore threat 

and alarm raised by Governor Ortom 

Ortom has repeatedly drawn attention to 

the threat on his life and the insecurity in 

the Benue valley. After he signed the Open 

Grazing Prohibition and Ranches 

Establishment Law, which came into effect 

in 2017, the governor was openly and 

repeatedly threatened by Miyetti Allah 

Kautal Hore whose national leaders had 

warned that blood would flow if the law 

was not repealed. They vowed to mobilize 

their members to resist the law which they 

described as ‘wicked, obnoxious, repressive 

and a deliberate attempt to enslave them.’ 

The implication of this threat from a group 

representing herdsmen who have been 

ranked by the Global Terrorism Index as 

the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the 

world after Boko Haram, ISIS and El 

Shabab should not be lost on Nigerians. 

On armed herders attacks on Benue 

communities and the casualty 

Benue has continued to suffer herdsmen 

burden of unimaginable proportions. 

Between 2013 and 2020 alone, herdsmen 

killed more than 3,000 men, women and 

children in cold blood, from 12 LGAs of the 

state with another 1,000 plus seriously 

wounded while several hundreds are still 

missing. Over 100,000 households have 

been affected in Benue leading to the 

displacement of thousands of people, who 

are permanently being housed in IDPs 

camps and exposed to hunger, poor 

healthcare and other forms of deprivation, 

including the vagaries of the elements. This 

is besides the painful fact that properties 

worth billions of naira have been destroyed 

through a brutal scorch-earth strategy by 

the heartless invaders. 

On the demand for grazing reserves and 

routes by herders 

Fulani leaders with an inordinate sense 

of entitlement have continued to violently 

ask for grazing reserves and stock routes 

across the country. Herdsmen have equally 

ORTOM GUN ATTACK: 

Gunmen also tried 

to kill former govs 

Akume, Suswam 

—Prof Gundu, Benue Varsity Pro-chancellor 

• ‘How they survived separate attacks but many died’ 

• On police investigation: We won’t accept cover-up 

• ‘Bandits of all colours merging with Boko Haram’ 

confessed a commitment to rapid punitive 

responses from the Fulani of the whole 

world against parts of the country resisting 

their atrocious open 

grazing to ensure complete 

destabilization of 

communities as a way of 

creating criminal nuisance 

and vortex to gain political 

traction. 

On the claim that 

herdsmen want the country 

for themselves and others 

from across Africa 

Today, Nigeria is sadly 

overwhelmed by the 

impunity and intransigence 

of herdsmen in their 

subversion of the core values 

of the nation-state 

including, private property, 

modern boundaries and 

territorial laws. They are 

attempting to roll over 

unwholesome privileges 

appropriated under the 

Sokoto Caliphate and colonial Nigeria 

into independent Nigeria. They are foisting 

a violent sense of entitlement over the whole 

country and inviting the Fulani of the whole 

world to make Nigeria their new home. 

They have continued to claim by murderous 

force, the right of way for their animals 

against crop farmers without any thought 

as to what will become of the polity if every 

citizen makes the same claim they are 

making. Our understanding continues to 

be that the herdsman wants to stake bloody 

We are in a state 

of insurgency 

where bandits of all 

colours are 

merging with Boko 

Haram and 

international Jihadi 

groups for a final 

offensive on the 

country 

•Prof Gundu 

and violent claims to our ancestral lands in 

Benue and elsewhere for usufructuary 

rights transferable to the Fulani of the 

whole world. Their claims 

have been extended to all 

parts of the country and are 

being driven today by 

bandits and criminals both 

within and outside the 

country. We are in a state of 

insurgency where bandits of 

all colours are merging with 

Boko Haram and 

international Jihadi groups 

for a final offensive on the 

country. 

On why herders would be 

held responsible if Ortom is 

harmed 

Even though our lives are 

ultimately in the hands of 

God, the attempt on the life 

of Ortom has crossed the line 

of sanity. Now that FUNAM 

has claimed responsibility 

for the attempt on his life and 

is even boasting that, next time, he would 

not be so lucky, the whole country must 

know that the Fulani of the whole world 

will be held to account if anything happens 

to him. The attempt on Ortom’s life might 

have been the trigger to dismember the 

country. Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike 

has rightly warned the country of the dire 

consequences that would befall Nigeria if 

anything were to happen to Ortom. As a 

group we align ourselves with Wike’s 

warning and add that the people of the state 

are fully behind Governor Ortom and his 

principled rejection of indiscriminate open 

grazing based on grazing reserves and stock 

routes. We are of the belief that grazing 

reserves and stock routes are a skewed 

colonial livestock infrastructure designed 

to privilege the Fulani at the expense of 

other nationalities in the country. Attempts 

by the government of Northern Nigeria to 

establish more grazing reserves and stock 

routes across the Region in 1965 failed. 

Similar attempts by the Military 

Government with the support of the United 

States Agency for International 

Development (USAID) in 1976 also failed. 

The failure of grazing reserves in postindependent 

Nigeria is because they have 

continued to be seen as a distortion capable 

of creating distinct territories and 

sovereignties within the country. 

The concept is not only 

unconstitutional; it is 

also unprofitable 

and unhealthy. 

On police 

investigation into 

the Ortom 

assassination 

attempt 

We welcome the 

police investigation 

into 

the 

assassination 

attempt on 

Governor Samuel 

Ortom. It is hoped 

that 

the 

investigation will 

not be a cover-up 

but a thorough and 

transparent inquiry 

that will identify the 

perpetrators of this 

dastardly act so as 

to bring them to 

book. No one 

should ever attempt 

to take Benue for 

granted, not the governor, not the people, 

not our ancestral lands. 

On the call on President Buhari to take 

stand on the herdsmen crisis 

We are also once again calling on 

President Muhamadu Buhari, who is a life 

patron of MACBAN, to take an 

unambiguous stand on the murderous 

activities of herdsmen. He must be boldly 

patriotic and should also be seen to be 

faithful to the letters of the Oath of 

Allegiance and Oath of Office he took, as 

contained in the Seventh Schedule of the 

Constitution. He must not be seen as 

wilfully abdicating his constitutional 

responsibility with regards to upholding the 

provisions of Chapter 2, Section 14[2b] of 

the Constitution; indeed, this Section sees 

the security and welfare of the people as the 

primary purpose of government. He should 

treat Fulani militia herdsmen as terrorists 

and contain their criminal activities aimed 

at securing usufructuary rights to the 

ancestral lands of other Nigerians. President 

Muhamadu Buhari, Fulani leaders and all 

sponsors of Fulani terrorism must pause to 

consider the multiple ways herdsmen 

terrorism is threatening the unity and 

security of the country. We call on President 

Buhari to align with the Global Terrorism 

Index and designate armed Fulani 

herdsmen as a terror ring and proscribe 

MACBAN, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and 

GAN Allah Fulani Development 

Association as terrorist organizations. Their 

links with the Islamic State in West Africa 

(ISWA) and international Jihadi groups 

should also be thoroughly investigated. 

On the ban of open grazing by state 

governments 

We encourage states ravaged by Fulani 

terrorism to immediately legislate and 

regulate open grazing. States, nationalities 

and communities at the receiving end of 

herdsmen terror must realise that it is their 

duty and their right to defend themselves 

for as long as the Nigerian state is unable 

to protect them and respect their rights to 

livelihoods on their ancestral lands. 

On support and assistance for IDPs 

Those displaced must also be empowered 

to go back and reclaim their lands. They 

must be compensated and supported to pick 

up their livelihoods. Benue State must be 

on red alert because an attack on Governor 

Samuel Ortom is an attack on all of us.

PAGE 18, SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 11, 2021 

COVID-19: 

No entitlements for 

families of 17 doctors 

killed, NARD President 

alleges 

•Tells Nigerians: We feel your pains but blame 

FG, govs for strike 

•‘Our hazard allowance is N5,000, each senator 

collects N1.2m’ 

By Chioma Obinna 

T 

he Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, convened an 

extraordinary National Executive Council meeting on April 7, 2021 to 

review their ongoing strike and the offers of the Federal Government so 

far. 

The NEC, attended by over 100 members from more than 60 centers across 

the country via zoom after deliberations, voted unanimously that the “total 

and indefinite strike”, which started on April 1, be continued until the federal 

and state governments meet their demands. Sunday Vanguard spoke with 

the National President of NARD, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, who said that, 

despite efforts of the national officers of NARD to ensure that the Federal 

Government does the needful to prevent the strike, government has 

continued in their insincerity of promises hence the current stalemate. 

Excerpts: 

Why NARD is on strike 

It is no longer news that government 

appointees have continued to renege on the 

MOU signed by them over the years. This has 

culminated in fatigue among our ranks and 

has further worsened brain drain in our 

country. NARD gave a two -month ultimatum 

before declaring her industrial action when it 

became apparent that the Ministry of Health 

was not interested in any form of settlement to 

avert the avoidable action. This is at variance 

with the falsehood being peddled by the 

Honourable Minister. 

The Memorandum of Action, MOA, signed 

was after 12 midnight on March 31, 2021 

when the ultimatum had elapsed. Without 

prejudice to our labour laws and other extant 

laws of the land, the industrial action had 

already begun before the MOA was signed 

and, as such, not tenable. 

For over 30 years, NARD has had to contend 

with harsh working conditions, poor 

infrastructure and poor remunerations and 

brain drain. In 2020, the country was hit by 

pandemic, causing health workers to lay their 

lives for humanity. This was applauded the 

world over because everyone knows the poor 

health indices in Nigeria and Africa at large. 

Again, our demands are legitimate and 

government has acknowledged that. The Hon 

Minister of State for Health, Dr Mamora, 

wholeheartedly agreed that all the issues 

raised by NARD are germane and legitimate. 

He admitted that bureaucratic bottlenecks in 

government led to delay/ non-implementation 

of previous memoranda signed with NARD. 

What are these demands? 

Our first contact to any sickness or disease 

who we call House Officers have been working 

tirelessly and, for four months now, they have 

not been paid salaries knowing the harsh 

economic realities in the country, worsened 

now by COVID-19. This was caused by the 

ineptitude of the Registrar of the Medical and 

Dental Council of Nigeria. 

Our members on the payment platform 

called GIFMIS otherwise known widely as 

non-regular payment platform has not been 

paid for over four months. Is this not the height 

of wickedness? During the outbreak of the 

Covid pandemic, Nigerians called on doctors 

to help combat the spread, this we did with 

zeal. In this process, we lost 17 of our members 

while in the frontline of the menace caused by 

the pandemic. So, we said “please pay the 

loved ones they left behind”, but all we hear is 

government has released money and yet none 

of these loved ones have been paid. We cried 

out and said our hazard allowance is just a 

paltry sum and the worst in the country. People 

are paid 1.2million for hardship allowance 

where they sit down and do 

nothing, yet the ones who face the 

real day-to-day hazard are paid 

nothing if you ask me. The 

specialist allowance for our 

specialist cadre is still not paid 

despite the MOU signed in 2017. These are 

just a few of our demands and government 

has reneged on them despite being told since 

2017. 

Our members in the state tertiary health 

institutions are impoverished. We said this is 

an emergency and government has done 

absolutely nothing. How do you owe over 20 

months short payment and you expect our 

members to keep quiet? Abia owes 20 months, 

Imo is owing several months, how do you 

reconcile that? The strike has been total and 

indefinite and our members have been 

compliant. We are demanding immediate 

payment of all salaries owed to all house 

officers including March salary (regardless 

of quota system) before the end of business on 

March 31, 2021. As of today, although 

payment has been made to some of them, the 

payment is marred with so many irregularities. 

Most of them are still not paid. Also, we want 

immediate payment of all salary arrears 

including March salaries for 

our members in all federal 

(GIFMIS platform) and state 

tertiary health institutions 

across the country. None of 

these doctors who have 

worked for over four months 

has been paid. Our members 

in ABSUTH (Abia), 

IMSUTH (Imo) and 

UNIMEDTH (Borno) are still 

asking for upward review of 

the current hazard allowance 

to 50 per cent of consolidated 

basic salaries and payment of 

the outstanding COVID-19 

inducement allowance. The 

hazard allowance has 

remained N5, 000 for over 30 

years. For the Honourable 

Minister of Labour & 

Employment to feign 

ignorance of this on national 

television leaves a lot to be 

desired. This is an all-time low 

coming from someone who has been in the 

Senate where the monthly hardship allowance 

for senators is N1,242,122.70. For the 

government to be asking for five weeks for its 

review despite the ongoing strike is really 

shameful. A sincere government should 

immediately call all stakeholders together to 

address these issues once and for all. We are 

also demanding payment of death in service 

Government 

appointees signed 

MOU, the people 

pleaded with doctors 

to resume, we 

listened and 

suspended strike, 

then government 

goes back to sleep 

insurance for all health workers who died as a 

result of COVID-19 infection or other 

infectious diseases in the country. This 

legitimate demand has been left unattended. 

On the payment of salary shortfalls of 2014, 

2015 and 2016 to our members in federal 

institutions including state-owned institutions 

as earlier agreed with NARD, nothing has been 

done in this regard. Again, there is the issue of 

the universal domestication/implementation 

of the 2017 MRTA by all federal and stateowned 

training institutions to ensure proper 

funding of residency training in the country 

as stipulated by the Act. Nothing has been done 

about this especially by state governments. 

For the records, the Medical Residency 

Training Act was signed into law in 2017. Our 

members have been crying since then that they 

should pay us the incomplete sum they signed 

and no government has not done that. 

In 2020, following the intervention of Rt Hon 

Femi Gbajiabamila, we 

had N4 billion approved to 

kick-start the process of 

payment. Now, this 

payment was epileptic and 

we approached them and 

asked it be looked into 

because we have our 

members from 2017 till 

2020 who weren’t paid. 

They said they couldn’t pay 

the backlog we met and 

agreed and we said pay 

from 2019 till now but 

nothing has been paid. Our 

members are due for exams 

now in 2021 and yet they 

have not been paid. We are 

also demanding the 

abolition of the exorbitant 

bench fees paid by our 

members on outside 

postings in training 

institutions across the 

country with immediate 

effect. 

This is the only positive result from the 

conciliatory meeting with government, but 

there is no circular yet to back the abolition. 

We asked for immediate payment of 2019, 

the balance of 2020 and 2021 Medical 

Residency Training Funds (MRTF) to our 

members including those under state 

government employment. Despite our 

•NARD President, 

Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi 

constant engagement with the Federal 

Ministry of Health on this issue, it was 

shocking to us that it took the conciliatory 

meeting by the Ministers of Labour and Health 

to be instructed to go and check if funding for 

residency training was captured in the 2021 

budget. We were disappointed over the 

misinformation spewed out by the 

Honourable Minister of Labour and 

Employment. For the avoidance of doubt, 

NARD is not a financial arm of government 

and, therefore, not involved in any form of 

payment of residency training funding as was 

alleged in the meeting called at the instance 

of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. 

To set the record straight, the offices and officers 

involved are the National Postgraduate 

Medical College of Nigeria and her Registrar 

as well as the Office of Hospital Services and 

her Director. When the errors in payment were 

noticed, NARD informed both bodies 

appropriately for further action as may be 

necessary. 

We also demanded the immediate review of 

the Act regulating Postgraduate Medical 

Training in Nigeria in line with international 

best practices to remove the unnecessary 

rigours in residency training in Nigeria, one 

of the factors attributed to brain drain in the 

health sector. Nothing also has been done here. 

The reintroduction of medical super salary 

structure and specialist allowance for all 

doctors as already approved for some other 

health workers, no mention was made about 

this very germane demand of our members. 

We view this as insincerity amongst 

government officials which has stalled 

meaningful negotiations in the wake of the 

current impasse. 

You said some of the demands have been 

there for 30 years. What exactly has 

government done to address the issues? 

This is the question we enjoin well-meaning 

Nigerians to ask government. Government 

appointees signed MOU, the people pleaded 

with doctors to resume, we listened and 

suspended strike, then government goes back 

to sleep. This has been a recurring decimal. 

Government claiming to be doing something 

is laughable and should be featured in a 

comedy skit. They have acknowledged that 

the demands are legitimate but have not done 

what they ought to do hence the stalemate we 

are having. 

continues on www.vanguardngr.com


An ambitious woman knows what she wants and how to get t it! 

Faith represents the crop 

of highly ambitious 

young women the 

society is suddenly grappling 

with. Pretty with a degree 

under her belt, she was very 

lucky to be employed by one 

of the mobile phone network 

companies. Her boyfriend of 

almost six years, with whom 

she went to the university, 

wasn’t so lucky with 

employment. He now teaches 

at a private secondary school. 

“We’re so close I couldn’t 

imagine my life without him”, 

Faith told me smugly as she 

celebrated yet another 

promotion in her job. As the 

get-together progressed, a 

casually dressed gentleman 

made a brief appearance. 

Faith and Justus, her 

boyfriend, made a fuss of him 

but he was out of the venue in 

minutes – he said he only 

called to be part of the 

celebration, albeit briefly. 

Poor Justus couldn’t read the 

body language between Faith 

and her boss. He was too busy 

entertaining the august guest 

and gushing over his every 

word. 

“Are you sleeping with your 

boss?” I asked Faith outright 

the next time we were alone 

together. She’s one of my 

adopted ‘sisters’ who believe 

I’m so worldly-wise I would 

have answers to any thorny 

problems they could come up 

with. She smiled an ‘I knowmy-secrets-are-safe-with-you’ 

smile before starting with a 

lecture: “As you well know 

aunty, sex for most women is 

more than a lust-fuelled 

mechanical act. In other 

words, making love is simply 

about love and it’s supposed 

to strengthen the deep 

emotional connection 

between two people. And I sort 

of go with that flow. As a result, 

whenever I’m with Justus, it is 

that way too. Sex with him is 

lovely but we’ve sort of settled 

into a rut and it’s sad. We’re 

still so young, but sadly, for 

us, it now feels like sex is 

middle aged and I miss the 

wild sex we used to have in the 

early days when we’d virtually 

tear the clothes off each other. 

I’ve made more than enough 

efforts to get our romance 

back without much luck. 

“Then I got this fantastic job 

and my restlessness must have 

been one of the reasons I fell 

for my boss. But if I were to be 

honest, the main attraction is 

that the affair is a practical, 

profitable arrangement for 

me. Apart from being my boss, 

Emeka is also the area 

manager of the company, so 

he wields a lot of power. He’s 

happily married with four 

children and reasonably sexy 

for his age. When he started 

flirting with me, what I saw 

was the power I would have 

over someone who could 

potentially be so influential in 

my life and my career. And 

there was no longer need for 

either partner ending their 

current relationship – he was 

a married man and I was 

engaged to be married. 

“This might sound 

scheming to most do-gooders 

but Emeka was hardly being 

moral himself – making it 

clear he’d be prepared to cheat 

on his wife. Heaven only 

knows how often he’d done 

that before I became his 

‘matter-of-the-moment’! He 

came at the right time too – I 

was pissed off with struggling 

to pay the rent of the flat I 

shared with Justus along with 

the utility bills – his teacher’s 

The Igbo do not want to 

be president anymore (2) 

Let me be clear: the Igbo 

are the makers of 

modern Nigeria. Let no 

one quibble about this. But the 

Igbo project of nation-building 

stalled in 1966 when the 

republic was overthrown, and 

a violent civil war levied 

against the Eastern Region, 

where the Igbo were 

dominant. The massacre of 

mostly the Igbo, including the 

Western Igbo across Nigeria 

leading to that war however 

made it very clear that the 

Nigerian civil war was not a 

war simply against the Eastern 

region; it was a war mostly 

against the ethnic Igbo, whose 

insurgent rise in the new 

nation constituted a great 

challenge, and a source of 

great fear to their neighbors 

and adversaries for power in 

the contested space called 

modern Nigeria. Very few 

people recollect today that the 

Igbo were not only the main 

group in Eastern Nigeria, but 

that they were also a very 

prominent group, and part of 

Western Nigeria. Aside from 

their huge presence in Lagos, 

the boundary between the West 

and the East was at Asaba, by 

the lordly Niger. That is why 

the Igbo could play prominent 

political roles in the Western 

region because the Igbo were 

part of the Western Region. 

They were the largest minority 

group in the Western region, 

capable of competing, and 

contesting for power in 

alliance with other minority 

groups against the majority 

Yoruba in the Western region. 

That fact on the ground has 

not changed. The Igbo were 

the dominant ethnic group in 

the Midwest thus, when that 

region was created out of the 

western region. Very many 

Igbo communities were ceded 

to the Northern region too. But 

what makes the Igbo a 

formidable national political 

force is their potential 

dominance of urban cities – 

the epicenters of political 

action in Nigeria. Igbo 

presence in great numbers in 

key urban epicenters in 

Nigeria is a source of great 

unused political power. Let 

me extrapolate a bit, and 

highlight this fact. T.Adogbeji. 

Salubi records in his essay, 

“The Origins of Sapele 

Township” published in the 

Journal of the Historical 

Society of Nigeria of 

December 1960 that the 

African population of Sapele 

Township in 1952 was 33, 638, 

comprising 14 “Tribes.” Of 

salary didn’t stretch that far 

and I hadn’t realised 

responsibilities and sacrifices 

would play such a part in my 

life. I bitterly resented not 

spending my money on 

myself. That was when I 

reckoned that anything that 

would get me a raise was a 

good thing. When I left the 

university, it was with high 

hopes of working my way to 

being glamorous, exciting 

and a jet setter. How naive 

can you be? The harsh reality 

of my lot fell far short of my 

expectations. Then in stepped 

Emeka and an affair with him 

sounded thrilling – and it 

could also help me move up 

the career ladder. He was a 

master of the game too – he 

would complement me on 

how ambitious and talented I 

was, and how I was destined 

for a much more successful 

this number, the Igbo 

constituted the largest 

inhabitants of Sapele with 11, 

974, accounting for 35.6% of 

the total population of Sapele 

as far back as 1952. Following 

the Igbo in an “order 

magnitude” were the Urhobo 

(7,657), the Itshekiri (4,825), 

the Edo (3,335), the Yoruba 

(2,428), Isoko (831), Ijaw 

(685), Hausa (615), Ibibio 

(333), Nupe (78), Tiv (38), 

Fulani (20). Salubi’s source 

was the 1953 census figures. 

Sapele was clearly long an 

Igbo town. If a scientific count 

is taken today, it will still 

clearly show that the Igbo 

constitute at least 47% of the 

population in the Sapele/Warri 

urban corridor. Port Harcourt 

is of course an Igbo city, to the 

effect that if the mainland 

Igbo decide that nobody else 

will be governor in Rivers 

state, they have both the 

resources and the numbers to 

effect it. The Igbo constitute 

half of Yenegoa. The density 

of the Igbo population in 

Benin City is an open secret. 

The population growth of the 

Aba-Ikot Ekpene-Uyo 

conurbation with the Igbo 

constituting an effective 

majority is one the most 

interesting demographic 

developments, of the last 

twenty-five years. This 

number is an amalgam of 

new settlers, some from those 

displaced in the North, and 

those from Aba spilling into 

Uyo as it assumes a new 

urban status and possibilities. 

Going Westwards, it has often 

been said that the Igbo 

constitute 45% of Lagos. This 

is a very conservative estimate. 

Any scientific census will show 

that the Igbo, who grew from 

and lucrative life, wrinkling 

up his nose at how a teacher 

husband could drag me down. 

I quickly let him realise I loved 

Justus but was open to being 

propositioned. 

“We both knew what was in 

stock for me – it would be a 

straightforward trade. He’d 

get his lust for extra-marital 

sex and I’d get a leg up the 

ladder of success. The fact 

that our affair would be almost 

like a business transaction was 

a turn on for me. It made me 

sound like a femme fatal! The 

first time it happened, we were 

in the company car, on the way 

to a different branch. The 

traffic was horrible and the 

longer we were stuck together, 

the more charged the 

atmosphere. Then he turned 

and looked at me, smiling 

slowly as he caressed the thigh 

next to him. I was so turned 

on I could hardly breathe. At 

What makes the 

Igbo a formidable 

national political 

force is their 

potential 

dominance of 

urban cities 

291 from the Lagos 

enumerations of 1911, to 31, 

887 by 1953, by today’s count 

is nearly half, if not slightly 

more than half of the 

population of Lagos, 

depending on who is 

counting. The more 

unrevealed truth is the 

number of the Igbo in places 

like Abeokuta, Ondo/Akure, 

or Ekiti. The Igbo presence in 

Ilorin is massive and cultureshifting. 

It is a mind boggling 

number. A huge demographic 

network, that is in political 

terms, a sleeping cell of voters. 

The great city of Ibadan has 

always had a good, active 

Igbo population – active in all 

things, except in politics since 

1966. But of all these, the key 

is in the Igbo population in 

the North. The Igbos of 

Northern Nigeria fully 

activated are a great political 

force. Let us take the city of 

Kano as an example – the great 

population cauldron of 

Northern politics. In his 

Trends of Migrant Political 

Organizations in Nigeria 

published by IFRA, the 

Ibadan political Scientist, 

Eghosa Osagie notes: “(T)he 

number of Igbo in Kano was 

estimated at 2.5 million at the 

the first opportunity, he 

quietly turned off the road into 

a very deserted, half built-up 

area. There, he unfastened my 

blouse while I did my own 

undressing. In minutes we 

were both panting as he 

reclined the passenger seat 

before pulling out a condom. 

Then the sky exploded. It 

might be an uncomfortable 

and undignified position for 

sex but it was also the most 

thrilling I’d had in years. 

When I finally got home I was 

still on too much high to feel 

guilty as Justus kissed me, 

wanting sex ... I wondered if 

Emeka would also have sex 

with his wife that night as 

Justus and I retired to the 

bedroom. That would mean 

the two of us sleeping with two 

different partners in one day! 

“I haven’t regretted my 

decision to bonk Emeka. 

Wherever he had to book 

hotel rooms for official 

purposes, we would be the first 

to test such rooms! Other 

times, we’d snatch quickies in 

his car but our fun-place is his 

office after everyone must 

have gone home. And as I 

envisaged, pay back time soon 

arrived. Emeka then 

recommended me for 

promotion and I was 

delighted. It meant I could 

afford nicer clothes and clear 

some of our debts. Justus and 

I even bought a tokunbo car! 

“I’ve recently just had 

another promotion which 

means another pay rise, I 

never push Emeka for 

anything unreasonable – I’m 

too cautious for that. As long 

as I’m progressing, I’m happy. 

Do I feel like a scheming 

mistress? Never, I’m just an 

ambitious woman who 

knows exactly what she wants 

end of 1993, making it the 

preponderant migrant ethnic 

group in the state.” This 

number is important, and we 

must keep an eye on it. The 

estimated population of 

Kano state as at 2021 is 4.13 

million people. The largest 

area of the modern city of 

Kano is the Sabon Gari – the 

Settlers quarters. It is by far 

larger than the old walled city 

of Kano. And the Igbo are the 

dominant forces in Sabon 

Gari. If Osagie’s population 

figure holds true, it means that 

the Igbo constitute more than 

half of the population of Kano. 

This city has been a great 

gathering zone of the Igbo, 

and the Igbo alliance with 

Aminu Kano from the ‘50s 

always ensured Igbo political 

influence in Kano. Whoever 

the Igbo votes carries Kano. 

Okonkwo Kano was elected 

to the Northern House of 

Assembly from Kano. The 

Igbo, according to Kate 

Meagher’s study, had 

become substantial 

minorities in Jos, Lafia, 

Gusau, Kafanchan, Zaria, 

Markurdi, Kaduna, etc, as far 

back as 1953, and this remains 

even more so today with 

contemporary Igbo 

migrations. Igbo have a 

substantial population 

presence between Abuja and 

Minna, enough to cause 

political upsets should they 

choose to organize it. Indeed, 

Abuja today, is a city 

dominated by an Igbo 

presence; a fact which any 

simple demographic test can 

verify. It is a fact of Igbo 

history today that 65% of the 

Igbo ethnic population in 

Nigeria live outside of 

traditional Igbo land. In other 

words, the Igbo network is, 

and how to get it.” 

The Virgin Trap! 

(Humour) 

A young woman goes to see 

the doctor to ask his advice 

on a very sensitive matter. 

“I’m getting married on 

Saturday,” the distraught 

young lady cries, “and my 

husband is convinced I’m a 

virgin. What he doesn’t know 

is that I lost my virginity years 

ago. Is there any way I can 

convince him that I am still a 

chaste?” “Medically no,” the 

doctor replies. 

“But I do have a suggestion 

which may help. On your 

wedding night, when you’re 

getting ready for bed, slide an 

elastic band around your 

thigh. 

When your husband enters 

you, simply twang the band 

with your fingers and tell your 

husband the sound is your 

hymen snapping.” 

On the big day, the newly 

weds go up to their 

honeymoon suite. The bride 

goes into the bathroom and 

slips the elastic band around 

her thigh. 

The couple then get down 

to some serious married sex. 

Just as her husband enters her, 

the bride snaps the band and 

moans with what she thinks is 

a mixture of ecstasy and pain. 

“What the hell was that?” her 

husband cries. “Oooh,” the 

woman moans. “That must 

have been my virginity 

snapping, honey.” “Well,” 

shouts her husband, “snap it 

back again. It’s caught round 

my tackler!” 

properly mobilized, a 

national political force. 

Should the Igbo choose, they 

have the capacity, and the 

numbers to elect at least one 

Igbo into the House of 

Representatives from every 

state of the federation outside 

of the traditional Igbo states. 

The Igbo have the capacity to 

elect at least a senator from 

Lagos; indeed should the Igbo 

organize, they have both the 

resources and numbers, given 

proper alliances, to field and 

elect an Igbo as the governor 

of Lagos. These are clear facts 

on the ground. In fact, it can 

justifiably be said that today, 

all of Nigeria is “Ala-Igbo.” 

But with these facts at hand, 

why is Igbo political fortune 

in the doldrums? Fact one: the 

Igbo became very cynical 

about Nigeria at the end of 

the war. Their alienation 

following the war was 

exacerbated during the 

military era when the Igbo felt 

silenced and marginalized. 

The 4 year interregnum 1979- 

83 nearly re-awakened them, 

but they were swathed down 

by a relay of proconsuls under 

military rule from 1984 to 

1999. Since 1999, the political 

leadership that has emerged 

in Igbo land has been second 

rate. There are no Igbo 

politicians today of the 

sagacity and political training 

and acumen of Azikiwe and 

his generation of Igbo 

political leadership. The new 

leadership of the Igbo, many 

of whom saw war, entered the 

current political fray still 

frightened of war. They forgot 

that politics is war by other 

means. 

Continues on 

www.vanguardngr.com


SIJIBOMI OGUNDELE: 

At 40, my story of 

victory, vision 

By Charles Kumolu, Deputy Editor 

Literally, his dreams are taller than the Burj Khalifa, tallest building 

in Dubai. Mr. Sijibomi Ogundele, is a 40-year- old entrepreneur, 

who nurtured his company, Sujimoto Group, into a luxury construction 

behemoth in Africa, focused on building extraordinary luxury edifices in premium 

neighbourhoods across Africa. 

With a current project portfolio of over $450 million, Ogundele is not slowing down 

anytime soon as he has risen above his environ to start planning projects in the Middle 

East. Despite economic barriers and other challenges, the 40-year-old keeps 

embracing new and more challenging projects not only in Africa but also in Dubai, 

Miami and Turkey. 

Meet Sijibomi Ogundele, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto Group. 

Could you tell us about background... 

My name is Sijibomi Ogundele. I am the 

Chief Executive Officer of Sujimoto 

Construction. We are based in Lagos, Nigeria. 

I was born into a dynamic family where 

my father worked 9-5 as a manager and my 

mother was a full-time entrepreneur. 

I grew up on the streets of Agege and attended 

state owned schools – Oko-Oba primary 

School, Ijebu-Ode Grammar School, Model 

College and finally Anglia Ruskin for my Law 

Degree. As the son of a woman who happens 

to be a trader, I was nurtured within the walls 

of Oke-Arin market, which was filled with 

enterprising Igbo traders—and that 

influenced my passion for business. 

I consider myself a multi-tribal Nigerian 

and multi-linguist. I speak Hausa, Yoruba, 

French, Spanish, a little bit of Arabic and 

Japanese. I am a Pan-African and a global 

citizen. 

I grew up in Oko-Oba, a neighbourhood 

where only two households had a generator 

set in a street with over 19 houses, so I made a 

decision that I was never going to be poor. 

Poverty has remained a major driver for me, I 

have always consciously driven myself to excel 

and surpass my last big success. 

What does 40 mean to you? 

It is a landmark age, not many people make 

it to 40 but here I am, strong and healthy. I 

remain grateful to God for bringing me this 

far and for enabling me win the ovarian lottery 

in the first place. I am profoundly grateful to 

my mother who took time to nurture me and 

impacted in me life-changing principles that 

have brought me thus far, though I wasn’t born 

with a silver spoon but God gave me a 

diamond in the coal. 

For me, 40 is significant because it is the 

end of one era and the beginning of another. 

Our parents gave birth to us and planned most 

of our first 20 years, then life plans the 

remaining 20 years. So for me, one of my 

greatest responsibilities is to take full charge 

of the next 40 years if God gives me the 

privilege. 

40 to me means more expansion and 

diversification. This year, more than ever, I 

see my life taking shape and my vision taking 

direction. This new age gives me the 

opportunity to see the world as a marketplace 

and export my vision to all corners of the world 

because, what seems incomplete has now 

become abundant, the sky is the starting point 

for us at Sujimoto. 

Tell us some of the major events that shaped 

your childhood? 

First, I will say winning an ovarian lottery 

and being born by a champion like Idayat 

Adebukola. My mum wakes up at 4am, sleeps 

at 10pm and on weekends you will see her 

working, calculating and counting her goods. 

Also, growing up in a business environment 

like Oke-Arin which was dominated by Igbo 

traders, helped shape my interest in 

entrepreneurship and my drive for success. 

Growing up and supporting my mother in 

the busy market greatly influenced by passion 

and interest in business. There, I watched my 

mother move from being a small trader to 

become a major distributor for Nestle. 

Through the exposure to open market 

principles, I learnt some vital business lessons 

such as integrity, negotiation, hard work and 

passion for what you do. 

I also learnt the art of persuasion from my 

mother because to her, no means nothing. She 

has a unique ability to persuade customers to 

patronize her and as a result, I learnt that 

anything I set my mind to do, I can achieve it. 

She also taught me that my growth or 

stagnation in life is dependent on my capacity 

to dream big or small. 

Do you think being highly connected or 

coming from an influential family is a 

requisite for success? 

Success is not served a la carte, it is a buffet. 

You have to go for it. Coming from an 

influential family or having the right 

connection with people at the top is not a bad 

recipe for success, but it is not a guarantee! 

I was not born with a silver spoon. In fact, 

I had no spoon at all! But my mother always 

say to me that if I should go to school, work 

hard, and stay committed, I would be able to 

build a successful business. 

Life has taught me that your location does 

not determine your allocation and the only 

remedy for success is hard work and an 

annoying spirit of never-giving-up! 

Mr. Ogundele, what drives you? 

Poverty and the desire to make an impact. 

Acquiring wealth is ultimate but for me when 

your neighbour is hungry, of course, your 

chicken is not safe. So, a rich man in the midst 

of the poor is also poor and has been enslaved 

with mental poverty. At the tender age of 5, my 

mother would wake us up very early in the 

morning while my mates are sleeping and 

she would say to me: “Ajaniogun wakeup, 

wake up! Ise l’ogun ise” meaning Ajaniogun, 

wake up, wake up! Hard work is the cure for 

poverty. During the holidays, while my friends 

were busy playing Nintendo and going on 

holidays, I would have to resume work at my 

mum’s shop in Oke-Arin, gradually learning 

the ropes and charting the path for my future! 

My mother’s words have been my driving 

force. 

Value creation also drives. Nobody likes 

anyone who doesn’t give them value. If you 

are my brother and you are not adding value 

to me, I am not ready to do business with you. 

Though I grew up in Oke-Arin and in the slums 

of Agege, I have travelled to over 

40 countries. I have had the 

privilege of staying in some of the 

best hotels, experienced 

exceptional customer service and 

have seen some of the best 

architectural structures. This 

exposure has consciously elevated 

my standards and expectations in 

life. This is why when I go 

anywhere and things are not done 

up to the highest standard, I can’t 

resist voicing my discontent, and 

in most cases, I refuse to pay the 

bill for mediocrity. 

Any regrets at 40? 

Regrets? None! I see every event 

in my life as an opportunity for 

learning and improvement. Every 

setback has been a strategic way 

of God setting me up for greater 

opportunities. 

What is your company’s biggest strength? 

Sujimoto is built out of the abundance of 

vision to set a new paradigm in luxury real 

estate. We studied projects from France to Italy, 

Dubai to New York and we decided to beat the 

best. Our vision for the next 10 years is to 

remarkably rebuild and turn Nigeria into a 

world-class country when it comes to luxury 

edifices. We are holding this vision dearly and 

working on it firmly. 

I always say that we shall lower our standard 

for no man and I mean it. This means that 

from foundation to chandelier, compromising 

Every 

setback has 

been a 

strategic 

way of God 

setting me 

up for 

greater 

opportunities 

quality is not an option. When we started 

Sujimoto, we founded it on two fundamental 

principles, integrity and quality. Combining 

these two philosophies, we know that the sky 

is the limit. 

I learnt from watching inspirational videos 

that if you want to go far in life and business, 

avoid bureaucracy as much as possible! Pull 

down every stronghold of bureaucracy before 

it pulls your business down. At Sujimoto, we 

like to describe our decision making system 

as a speed boat rather than a ship. This is 

because while a speed boat is capable of 

making quick and swift turns, a ship on the 

other hand is incapable of such flexibility. Swift 

decision making in 21st century workplace 

can be the difference between whether a 

business succeeds or ceases to exist The choice 

is yours. 

What is your most memorable experience 

within the last 40 years? 

There are two days that are memorable in 

my life; the first was the day I left Zaria to 

Lagos because I was missing my mum. I was 

only seven years old. That decision changed 

my life forever. All my siblings were in the 

North, but the love I have for my mother made 

me board the bus. After school, my mother 

had no other choice but to take me to the 

market with her. What looked like a 

punishment then was a business 

apprenticeship that shaped my destiny forever. 

The second was the day I left Nigeria in 

search of greener pastures. I was only 16 years 

old. It is memorable because that experience 

opened me up to the world and shaped my 

view and perspective about life, my experience 

and introduction to luxury. 

As the CEO of Sujimoto, can you share 

some of your achievements with us? 

About six years ago, I declared my intention 

to redefine luxury living in Africa, starting 

from Lagos. We started with just 6 staff 

members and 1 project, but today, we have 

numerous projects all in Lagos, Abuja and 

Dubai. 

We are taking Abuja by storm with a Luxury 

Residential Tower- QueenAminaBySujimoto 

- the tallest residential building in the North; 

Sujimoto Diamond City (SDC), a 38,000m² 

development in the middle of Victoria Island 

and the S-Hotel. We are also looking at 

developing a new estate of 520 exceptional 

luxury villas. We also have a world-class 6-in- 

1 Mall coming up in the heart of 

Ikoyi; and our Sujimoto Dubai 

Project! All set to launch officially 

in 2021. 

We have built our team from six 

staff to over 200 professionals 

comprising a team of 

International and local experts, 

over 100 skilled individuals, 

putting in approximately 584,000 

hours of hard work annually. 

We have adopted a clientoriented 

customer addiction 

perspective to feed the ever 

evolving appetite of our clients, 

putting integrity, value creation 

over profit maximization. We’ve 

made Home Automation the 

minimum standard for luxury 

development and brought the 

immersive experience of an IMAX 

Cinema to the comfort of 

customers’ homes. 

What were some of the challenge the 

SUJIMOTO Group has faced? 

I started Sujimoto Construction in Nigeria 

over six years ago and it has been the most 

difficult period of my life. Since I wasn’t born 

with a silver spoon, I had to prove myself three 

times over, work harder three times, and keep 

proving myself over and over again. Life will 

always challenge you but as a man, you must 

be courageous. Courage is not the absence of 

fear but the ability transform your challenges 

into opportunities. 

Continues on www.vanguardngr.com

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 11, 2021, PAGE 21 

INSECURITY : 

Emerging threats in Delta, Edo, Rivers, 

A-Ibom, Bayelsa, C/River, by Asuni, 

Nigerian-American peace expert 

• Says govs, security agencies informed 

• Speaks on Calabar street children committing crime 

• ‘If not for dialogue, things would have fallen apart in Niger Delta’ 

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME 

Dr Judith Burdin Asuni is the Executive Director, Academic 

Associates Peaceworks and Convener/Chief Facilitator of the Niger 

Delta Dialogue, NDD, with support from the European Union, EU. 

An American by birth and a Nigerian by naturalization, Asuni has 

been in the Niger Delta researching on peace building and conflict 

management for over 47 years. In this interview, she speaks on 

sustaining peace in the oil rich region. Excerpts: 

You just concluded one of your 

programmes under the auspices of 

the Niger Delta Dialogue, NDD, 

during which you brought government and 

key stakeholders in the region together 

to ensure sustainable peace in the region 

and the Gulf of Guinea. What informed 

the dialogue? 

In 2016 when the Niger Delta was on fire 

and the Avengers were attacking facilities 

across the region, we thought about who 

was talking to the people and government, 

who was bringing them together. And that 

was the beginning of the Niger Delta 

Dialogue in June 2016 at Uyo, Akwa Ibom 

State. The dialogues were created to fill the 

gap by bringing key parties, government 

and the civil society to the Niger Delta to 

work together to restore peace and security 

to the region. The European Union, EU, and 

the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation 

Programme, NSRP, provided funding for the 

first meeting. After that, the EU provided 

funds for all other meetings. We focused on 

militancy in western Delta, evolving a new 

development agenda for the region as well 

as addressing maritime insecurity in the 

Gulf of Guinea and its implications for 

stability in the region. For the Presidential 

Amnesty Programme, PAP, to be more 

impactful, the NDD, among others, 

recommended urgent need for the Federal 

Government to reform it to achieve its 

mandate of reintegrating ex-militants in the 

region. Government should conduct a 

verification exercise to determine the actual 

number of persons registered under the 

Amnesty Programme. The Amnesty Office 

should also conduct a labor market 

assessment in the Niger Delta. It should 

show what the labor market needs as this 

will help in designing training programmes 

for the ex-militants being reintegrated. The 

•JUDITH 

ASUNI 

Niger Delta Dialogue has continued to meet 

to discuss specific issues in the region. In 

2017, we met in Abuja to discuss insecurity 

in the Gulf of Guinea. 

Piracy has become a major problem in 

the Gulf of Guinea more than anywhere in 

the world. It has moved 

from Somalia to the Gulf 

of 

Guinea. 

Recommendations were 

made. If the 

recommendations had 

been implemented, there 

would have been less 

insecurity in the Gulf of 

Guinea. We launched a 

book titled, Insecurity in 

the Niger Delta, a report 

on emerging threats in 

Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, 

Cross River, Delta, Edo 

and Rivers states. The 

book captures insecurity in 

the South-South six states. 

We distributed it to 

security bodies, the 

Amnesty Office, governors 

and other key 

stakeholders in the Niger 

Delta. We are going to do 

a presentation on the book 

at the National Assembly. 

We are distributing the 

book because it is the 

If the 

recommendations 

had been 

implemented, 

there would 

have been less 

insecurity in the 

Gulf of Guinea 

responsibility of 

government to reduce insecurity. We found 

out during the dialogue series that there 

are a number of street children in Calabar 

that commit street crimes. I had thought 

Calabar was relatively peaceful. But 

stakeholders from there spoke about 

insecurity there. There are the Lakasari 

Babes and the Onombo Boys in Calabar 

going round and terrorizing people. There 

is also the problem of internally displaced 

persons, IDPs. We still have people from 

Bakassi that have not been settled. We have 

people who have left southern Cameroon 

because of the crisis for the country. I was 

surprised to hear about cultists from Edo 

State moving to Italy and controlling 

human trafficking trade to Libya. I would 

never have thought of that. There have been 

lots of cult problems in Edo recently. 

Interesting thing that I never knew was that 

people from Bakassi moved to Cameroun 

and people from Bayelsa did too. If you look 

at the map, you can see that it is a short 

distance between Bayelsa and Cameroun. 

They are both low points into the Atlantic 

Ocean. So people use small boats into 

Cameroun and back. Many of them have 

taken into piracy and they move around 

the Gulf of Guinea. I just spoke on television 

on the need for security agencies to come 

together to fashion a united and 

consolidated approach to these problems. 

Among the security agencies there is little 

coordination. The insecurity situation in the 

country is so bad now that we will need to 

get all the security agencies working 

together as one, rather than taking 

territorial approach to things. 

You are familiar with the region. What 

are areas you think the Petroleum 

Industry Bill, PIB, should focus on? 

To be honest, I don’t know much about 

the PIB. It was introduced when I was a 

visiting scholar in Washington about ten 

years ago. But I will say that we funded four 

young men to go to Abuja to present the 

position from the Niger Delta Dialogue. 

The Niger Delta Dialogue has come to 

an end. And it contributed largely to peace 

in the Niger Delta. How can this 

atmosphere of peace be sustained? 

If not for the dialogue, 

things would have fallen 

apart. Even though you 

can’t quantify what has 

been done, you can talk 

about what has not been 

done. I picked up early 

warning signs on attacks. 

The last event of this project 

was a meeting in January 

in Port Harcourt. We 

brought civil society 

groups, security agencies 

and traditional rulers 

together to look at how 

traditional rulers can work 

together with security 

agencies to reduce 

insecurity. Traditional 

rulers said they will like a 

larger role in security 

issues. They know their 

kingdom, they know the 

trouble makers, they can 

identify them. Many times 

security officials will come 

into their kingdoms without 

telling them what they are 

doing. They said they are 

willing to work with security agencies, they 

have data base of trouble makers; they can 

assist security people to keep them under 

check. One thing they do need is protection 

and anonymity. They want to ensure that 

nobody will come to harass them. Again 

there is this thing about immigrants coming 

into the region. Are they real Fulani? Are 

they foreigners? These questions need 

answers. We have traditional rulers all over 

the Niger Delta who should be in touch with 

the grassroots. Traditional rulers can really 

work with security agencies to achieve 

results. But I think traditional rulers, 

political leaders and religious leaders are 

sometimes involved in sponsoring criminal 

activities. Here in the Niger Delta it is not 

much but maybe in the North. Traditional 

rulers can help security operatives get the 

nation out of this problem of maritime 

crime. We already know that sea pirates 

operate in groups; each piracy group has a 

colony. Your colony may be in Bayelsa and 

you launch and bring your hostages to your 

colony, bring your stolen goods to your 

colony. So, the king should know what is 

going on in their domains. They can happily 

be part of stopping these crimes. Honest 

traditional rulers know that the problem of 

insecurity is a problem of everybody 

including themselves. Most of the 

traditional rulers especially the honest ones 

will like to be involved in effort to stop 

criminality in their areas, piracy, armed 

robbery, kidnapping. They will need 

government support. Government has to 

involve them in security plans. Government 

can’t think they can do everything 

themselves. We are the citizens; it is our 

protection they want to ensure. This is where 

traditional rulers come in, “it is my 

kingdom; I should be able to protect it in 

partnership with security people”. We have 

great educated people now as traditional 

rulers. They have a big role to play in 

securing their kingdoms and the entire 

country at the end of the day. 

Do you think the peace in the Niger 

Delta is fragile? 

Absolutely. I pick up early warning signs 

all the time. Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger states, 

they are very insecure. The Niger Delta 

looks peaceful but it is a temporary peace. 

Fundamental issues have not been 

addressed. One thing that concerns me is 

the influx of immigrants into this region. 

We have been identifying over a year now 

the influx of young men who come in. 

People say it is economic, I don’t think it is 

just economic. We all have a responsibility 

of ensuring our security. We should 

encourage security agencies to work 

together, civil societies should work 

together. People assume everything is 

peaceful in the Niger Delta but it is not. 

Government needs to address a number of 

issues in the Niger Delta and not just 

sweeping them under the carpet. 

Kidnapping is now in the North but it is 

also here. 

We already see tension building up 

ahead of the 2023 elections. Any worries? 

I am worried because every single election 

sees young men being mobilised as political 

thugs. And at the end of the day, the guns 

are not taken from them. People are armed 

and they are never demobilized. That is how 

I got involved with cult groups in the Niger 

Delta. In 2003 we had some persons that 

were armed in elections and nobody took 

the guns from them after the elections. We 

know how devastating it was at the end of 

the day. We see the current spate of 

kidnapping. I pray the 2023 presidential 

election is not extremely violent, especially 

with some parts of the country saying it is 

their turn and others saying no. So I think it 

is going to be a very hard election.


Could this affair save her marriage? 

PROBLEMS 

have 

ways of getting 

solved, especially when 

you don’t really see 

solutions on the horizon. 

We were at Lizzy a close 

friend’s house some couple 

of years back when 

Precious, her niece, wanted 

advise on how best to put 

some hair extensions into 

her real hair so it wouldn’t 

look garish. “Anthony is 

your man,” another friend 

had offered. 

“He works with one of 

these highbrow salons 

where you book for weeks 

before you could be 

attended to. But he does 

home visits. He is one of 

their top stylists. Very good 

and cheap if he calls at your 

house. You could buy your 

own products or he would 

offer you good options.” 

Precious collected 

Anthony’s details and left. 

From then on, I noticed this 

dramatic change in 

Precious. Her hair was 

always well-groomed and 

she looked contented. She 

called at my place once and 

I told her she should let me 

in on the secret of her inner 

glow. Surely, it wasn’t 

down to just the hair 

extensions? “Aunty C, 

you’ve come again with 

your questions,” she 

squealed. I could see she 

was dying to spill out her 

guts, so I smiled with some 

encouragement. “You 

know Zachari (the 

husband) and I have been 

married for 15 years and all 

the three children are in 

good boarding schools. He 

works as the sales manager 

for an industrial cleaning 

firm and is always putting 

in long hours. The first 

time Anthony came to the 

house to fix my extensions, 

I was quite interested in 

what I saw. Tall and good 

looking, he wore a black T- 

shirt and a chain round his 

neck. His jeans hung low 

and the after-shave was 

very spicy! 

“I offered him a can of 

beer and I showed him the 

natural hair I bought as 

extensions. It was very 

expensive and he 

commended my taste. 

Two hours later, I was 

thrilled with the result. The 

extensions made my whole 

hair as thick as I’d wanted. 

I’d made another 

appointment right away. 

Gradually, over the next 

few months, as he worked 

with my hair we became 

closer. He confided in me 

about his girlfriend. ‘She 

wants to get married now 

so we could start a family’, 

he’d said once, ‘but I’m just 

not ready for that. I want to 

start my own salon first’. I’d 

sympathised, made it easy 

for him to continue to 

confide in me. Soon, our 

hair-dressing sessions had 

become quite intimate. I 

knew his girlfriend taught 

at a private secondary 

school, didn’t always want 

to go out with him as she 

needed to prepare next 

day’s lessons. “When I get 

back, she’s often asleep”, 

he’d said. I sensed 

frustration in his voice. 

“You poor thing,” I 

replied. The truth was, I did 

that with my husband. 

By the time he came back 

from the long hours he 

worked at his office and he’d 

had his supper, I was 

already tired and in bed. 

Only I didn’t tell Anthony 

that, instead, I gradually 

manufactured ways for him 

to get closer to me. One 

time, he accidentally 

sprayed some shampoo on 

the collar of my T-shirt when 

he was washing my hair 

over the sink. 

“I’ll have to change”, I 

said and went to the 

bedroom, leaving the door 

slightly open. I lingered in 

my bra, loving the thought 

of him seeing my body. 

Another time, I wore a low 

buttoned blouse. As he 

worked on my hair, I knew 

he could see my full 

cleavage. 

“Then, one morning, we 

both had a can of beer each 

in our hands and I smiled 

at him, looking him full in 

the eyes. Then, I moved 

closer to him. He looked 

away and I thought I’d 

blown it. Then, he looked 

back. 

“You know if we have sex 

now, I’ll want it every time,” 

he said. What a stroke of 

luck! I took his hand and 

led him to the bedroom. He 

came willingly. He’d 

obviously been looking 

forward to this rump as 

much as me. 

“I pulled the curtains and 

my hands slid under his T- 

shirt. He didn’t even bother 

to get undressed, just 

pushed his jeans down and 

lifted my shirt. We were 

kissing, lying on the bed 

with the covers still on as 

his hands roamed into my 

intimate areas. Fleetingly, 

I thought of Zachari and 

the kids but my body was 

on fire and nothing was 

going to stop me having this 

hunk I’d just landed! 

“It was an electrifying 

experience. I gave him 

good sex because I felt so 

turned on. He obviously 

was starved of sex too and 

was panting for it. 

It was such a wonderful 

experience that I wasn’t 

embarrassed. Back in the 

living room, Anthony 

finished doing my hair. ‘We 

shouldn’t have done that,’ 

he said. ‘You are a married 

woman’. What a time to 

show a bit of conscience! 

But had he enjoyed the 

experience as much as I 

had. 

Did he like me? 

“There were no answers 

then and to this day, even 

after all these months, there 

still aren’t. I know there 

never will be. All I know is 

that I’m the type of woman 

he needs right now. I know 

he only wants me for sex. 

But then, isn’t that what 

I want too? These days, I 

don’t bother to wear any 

fancy clothes. Just wear a 

dressing gown over my 

sexy underwear to 

welcome him. I’m 

committing adultery but my 

husband’s never going to 

find out as I’m often indoors 

– not lurking around some 

cheap motels ... 

“Ironically, my moments 

with Anthony has made me 

a bit sympathetic towards 

Zachari and I often make 

time for love making when 

he wants it. He’s happy 

slaving away at his sales 

manager’s job and I’m 

happy being the contented 

wife.” 

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Dear readers, please note that we neither operate, nor are we an affiliate of any match–making agency in or outside the 

country. Any reader who transacts business with any one claiming to be our agent does so at his/her own risk. Our mission 

is only to provide a platform for social networking. 

Also note that neither Vanguard, nor Yetunde Arebi will be liable for any error in the publication of requests which may 

result in any form of embarrassment to any member of the public. We therefore request that text must be sent through at least 

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Delta 2023 guber: Esievo, a unifying factor 

By Etim Nwanfor 

A 

gold fish they say has 

no hiding place. This 

axiom is true about Chief Abel 

Ogheneovo Esievo since he 

retired as Delta State Auditor- 

General, Local Government, 

early this year. In fact, all eyes 

have been on him as a 

manager of people , tipping 

him as the best to take over 

from Governor Ifeanyi 

Okowa of Delta State. 

A non political group with 

members across Delta and 

beyond, codenamed; Delta 

Study Group, has joined 

several other groups in urging 

Chief Esievo to run for the 

Delta State governorship seat. 

According to them, the call 

became necessary having 

watched the political terrain 

with keen interest from 1999 

till date and why the likes of 

Esievo with credibility should 

be given the chance to run the 

affairs of the state. 

"The Delta Study Group has 

• Chief Abel Esievo 

painstakingly viewed several 

others eyeing the Delta State 

governorship seat and 

without mincing words, 

singled out the former Local 

Governments Auditor- 

General, as the best choice 

for the governorship seat 

come 2023". 

It is important not to sell 

the position to the highest 

bidder or gamblers, whose 

interest is fame and wealth 

without considering the 

common man, hence Deltans 

should look at the likes of 

Chief Esievo, who has through 

his career, built bridges of 

friendship across the 25 local 

government areas as the 

immediate past Delta State 

Auditor-General, local 

government. 

A state like Delta with 

different ethnic nationalities 

and diverse views can only be 

left in the hands of those that 

are familiar with the terrain, 

and not political office seekers 

who see nothing beyond the 

wealth and power they will 

acquire without recourse to 

those who may have given 

them their mandates. 

In a joint statement, the 

Principal of the group, Mr. 

Elliot Ebeizimor, Delta South, 

Principal Secretary, Ms Juliet 

Oniocha, Delta North and the 

Facilitator, Survey Philips 

Emuejevoke, Delta Central, the 

group said their choice of 

Chief Esievo resulted from 

voice votes among other 

nominees. 

"Chief Abel Oghenevo 

Esievo was born into the 

family of Chief Wilson 

Sunday Esievo of Ekpan-Ovu 

of the Agbon Clan in Ethiope 

East local government area 

of Delta State,had his 

elementary education at 

Nana Primary School, Warri, 

where he obtained his First 

School Leaving Certificate. 

He then proceeded to Okotie- 

Eboh Grammar School, 

Sapele, where he obtained the 

West African School 

Certificate. 

"His first degree was at the 

University of Benin from 

where he graduated with 

B.Sc. honours degree in 

Business Administration. He 

later obtained a master’s 

degree in Business 

Administration (MBA) at the 

same institution. 

"He later enrolled into the 

Nigerian College of 

Accountancy, Jos, where he 

qualified as a Certified 

National Accountant 

(CNA),inducted as an 

Associate , Chartered Institute 

of Taxation of Nigeria (ACTI). 

He was later called into the 

Fellowship of the Association 

of National Accountants of 

Nigeria (FCNA). 

"In his quest to improve his 

professional and leadership 

skills, he enrolled for ‘Finance 

for Senior Executives’, under 

the Executive Education 

Programme of the 

prestigious Harvard Business 

School (HBS), as well as 

obtained training on ‘Leading 

and Managing People’ at the 

Wharton University of 

Pennsylvania, both in the 

United States of America 

(USA). 

"Upon completion of his 

first degree, Esievo served the 

mandatory one year National 

Youth Service (NYSC) before 

joining his civil service with 

the defunct Bendel State Civil 

Service, now Delta State Civil 

Service, as Audit Officer II. 

He later rose through the 

ranks and until his retirement 

on 26th January, 2021, he was 

the Auditor-General, Local 

Government, DeltaState. 

•Nwanfor, is a Lagos-based 

political analyst. 

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I will win a Grammy 

like Burna Boy 

—Yung Bos 

By Victor Arjiromanus 

17 years old new signee, 

Yung Bos, says he is 

following the landmark 

made by musical giant, Burna 

Boy to win a Grammy Award 

in the future. 

Ebosetale Solomon 

popularly known as Yung Bos 

was recently signed to major 

music record label, *Jamika 

Entertainment* 

Showing appreciation for 

the opportunity to be signed 

by the company, the young 

artiste vowed to bring home 

the prestigious Grammy 

award like Burna Boy did. 

The label's Head of 

Operations, Mr Stanley 

Ihensekhien spoke of high 

hopes the company has for 

their new acquisition making 

a name for himself and 

breaking into the well revered 

Nigeria music industry.

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 11, 2021,PAGE 23 

The hope of righteousness (1) 

Paul says the hope the believer has in 

Christ Jesus does not disappoint. (Ro 

mans 5:5). In Jeremiah, God says: “I 

know the thoughts that I think toward you, says 

the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to 

give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

But what precisely is the hope of the believer 

in Christ? Peter enjoins us that we should: “Always 

be prepared to give an answer to everyone 

who asks (us) to give the reason for the 

hope that (we) have.” (1Peter 3:15). 

So, what is this hope that we have? If according 

to Jesus it has been given unto us to know 

the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, then 

we must know the hope that is laid up for us in 

heaven. 

For this reason, Paul prayed for the Ephesian 

church: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of 

wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of 

Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; 

that you may know what is the hope 

of His calling, what are the riches of the glory 

of His inheritance in the saints.” (Ephesians 

1:17-18). 

In short, what is the harvest that God wants 

to reap in the believer? What are the returns 

that God expects from His investment of Christ 

in our lives? 

Dividends of righteousness 

The glory of God’s inheritance in the saints is 

Christ’s righteousness. The hope that the believer 

has in Christ is the hope of righteousness: 

“We through the Spirit eagerly wait for 

the hope of righteousness by faith.” 

The crown that God has prepared for us is 

not of gold, or riches, or wealth. It is a crown of 

righteousness: “Henceforth there is laid up for 

Success in life, ministry: The incomparable Christ of Easter 

INTRODUC- 

TION 

Today is Easter 

Sunday! 

Praise God that we 

are celebrating the 

success of the Man 

of Galilee, the 

Lamb of God, who 

took away the sins 

of the world and 

became the Lion of 

Pastor Akinola 

the Tribe of Judah! 

We celebrate Him as the Lord of Lords and 

King of Kings. He came from Heaven to earth, 

to show the Way; from the earth to the cross, 

my debt to pay; from the cross to the grave, 

from the grave to the Sky, to sit down at the 

right Hand of God thereby interceding for 

us!(Psalm 110:1; Rom. 8:34). What a demonstration 

of Victory and success through 

perseverance!We began the study of Perseverance, 

in the last serial, as a needful element for 

ultimate success in life and 

ministry.Perseverance or patience must be 

learnt through suffering, because according 

to the last serial, perseverance in Greek is, 

‘hupomone’, which means, ‘abiding under’. The 

implication of this is to remain steadfastly 

under a situation, and hold on, especially very 

unfavourable or odd situations. 

THE SUFFERING MESSAIH AS OUR 

PERSEVERANCE EXAMPLEFOR SUC- 

CESS 

Heb 2:9-10 

9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little 

lower than the angels for the suffering of death, 

crowned with glory and honour; that he by the 

grace of God should taste death for every man. 

10 For it became him, for whom are all 

things, and by whom are all things, in bringing 

many sons unto glory, to make the captain 

Taboos and superstitious beliefs of the land 

AMONG the Gentile nations of the world, 

including Nigeria, there are various taboos 

and superstitious beliefs that keep passing 

on from one generation to another. And the 

devil uses these superstitious beliefs to instil 

fear into the hearts of the people in their localities. 

These taboos and superstitious beliefs vary 

from tribe to tribe and from nation to nation. 

Taboos are things that are forbidden amongst 

the people of these Gentile nations, who are 

subject to ordnances of touch not; taste not; 

handle not; after the commandments and doctrines 

of men(Colossians 2:21-22) 

Some tribes forbid to eat snails, pork or a 

What are the returns that 

God expects from His 

investment of Christ in our 

lives? 

me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, 

the righteous judge, shall give me at that 

day: and not to me only, but unto all them 

also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 

4:8). 

The born-again Christian is not yet fully 

righteous. We sin, repent, and sin again. Nevertheless, 

the righteousness of Christ is imputed 

to us now by faith. But the time will 

come when Christ’s righteousness will be 

imparted to us. Then, we will be sinless, 

exactly like Christ. 

Hopeless unbelievers 

If you ever see an unbeliever with anything, 

know that that thing is worthless. If 

he has money, wealth, property, position, 

education, fame; know that it is because 

those things have no value in the sight of 

God. God will never give anything of value 

to the unbeliever. 

God will never give anything that pertains 

to his kingdom to those who belong 

to the kingdoms of this world. Flesh and 

blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. 

One of the main things that differentiate 

a believer from an unbeliever is that the 

unbeliever has no hope, while the believer 

has hope. When a man feels rejected and 

dejected, it is because his hope is in things 

of their salvation perfect through 

sufferings 

A TRIBUTE TO THE INCOM- 

PARABLE CHRIST 

Almost two thousand years ago 

there was a Man born contrary to 

the laws oflife. This Man lived in 

poverty and was reared in obscurity. 

He did not travel extensively. 

Only once did He cross the boundary 

of the country inwhich He 

lived; that was during His childhood 

exile. 

He possessed neither wealth nor 

influence. His relatives were inconspicuousand 

He had neither training 

nor formal education. In infancy, 

He startled aking; in childhood, 

He puzzled doctors; in manhood, 

He ruled the course ofnature, 

walked upon the billows as if pavement, 

and hushed the sea to sleep. 

He healed the multitudes without 

medicine and made no charge 

for His service. 

He never wrote a book, and yet 

all the libraries of the country could 

nothold the books that have been 

written about Him. 

He never wrote a song and yet 

He has furnished the theme for 

more than allthe songwriters combined. 

He never founded a college, 

but all the schoolsput together cannot 

boast of having as many students. 

He never 

practiced medicine, and yet He 

has healed more broken hearts 

than all the doctors far and near. 

He never marshaled an army, nor 

drafted a soldier, nor fired a gun, 

yet no leader has more volunteers 

particular meat. Even a few religious sects 

forbid to marry. 

Believers in Christ who have come to the 

knowledge of this truth, should know that 

forbidding to marry or forbidding to eat 

certain meats, which God has created to be 

received with thanksgiving, is one of the 

doctrines of devils. (I Timothy 4:3-4) 

The only thing that should be forbidden 

by believers in Christ is SIN as written in 

Romans 6:1-2: “What shall we say then? 

Shall we continue in sin, that grace may 

abound? God forbid. Shall we, that are 

dead to sin, live any longer in sin?” 

and not in God. When a man is depressed, know 

immediately that his hope is not in God. 

The psalmist asks himself: “Why are you cast 

down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted 

within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise 

Him for the help of His countenance.” (Psalm 

42:5). 

The bible reveals that the unbeliever has no 

hope. He is: “Without Christ, being aliens from 

the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from 

the covenants of promise, having no hope, and 

without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12). 

Even where an unbeliever is said to have hope, 

his hope is hopeless. The unbeliever certainly 

hopes for many things, but this hope is vain. It 

comes from the figment of his imagination and 

not from the promise of God. 

He hopes for what he desires, most of which 

never come to pass. Even when they do, they are 

soon terminated. He dies and leaves everything 

behind. Therefore, his hope is illusory. Indeed, 

his hope is hopeless. It is hope that will soon be 

cut off. 

But there is a hope that can never disappoint. 

That is the hope that is in Christ which laid up 

for the believer in heaven. 

The bible says: “Eye has not seen, nor ear 

heard, nor have entered into the heart of man 

the things which God has prepared for those 

who love Him. But God has revealed them to us 

through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all 

things, yes, the deep things of God.” (1 Corinthians 

2:9-10). 

Let no one deceive you. The eye has seen money, 

houses, lands, and property. The ear has heard 

about wealth and riches. Everything that man 

has made, or will ever make, comes through the 

hearts of men. Indeed, everything man-made 

comes from the tree of the knowledge of good 

and evil, ensuring that it has the good and the 

evil in it simultaneously. 

The airplane is a wonderful means of transportation; 

it can take you from Cape to Cairo 

and from Buenos Aires to New York. It can also 

fall from the sky and kill you. Electricity is a 

wonderful tool; we use it to light appliances and 

power all kinds of gadgets, but it can also shock 

and kill. 

who have under His orders, make 

more rebels stack arms, and surrender 

without a shot being fired! 

He never practiced Psychiatry, yet 

He had healed more broken hearts 

than all the doctors far and near. 

Every seventh day the wheels of 

commerce cease their turning and 

multitudeswend their way to worshiping 

assemblies to pay homage 

and respect to Him. 

The names of the past proud 

statesman of Greece and Rome have 

come andgone. The names of past 

scientists, philosophers, and theologians 

have come and gone; but the 

name of this Man abounds more 

and more. He never raised a battalion 

of soldiers, but all the armies of 

this world put together cannot match 

the spiritual force of the His worldwide 

army. Though timehas spread 

two thousand years between the people 

of this generation and the scene 

of His crucifixion, yet He still lives. 

Herod could not destroy Him, and 

the grave could not hold Him. 

He stands in Heavenly Glory, proclaimed 

of God, as the living, personalChrist, 

our Lord and Saviour. 

HALLELUYAH! HALLE- 

LUYAH!! HALLELUYAH!!! 

JESUS IS ALIVE! 

J.K. Akinola. (Senior Pastor) 

The Gospel Faith Mission International 

(GOFAMINT), Ibadan, 

Nigeria. 

Email: 

flprofenassociate@gmail.com, 

08033376660, 08055405095 

Pastor (Dr). E.O. Abina – General 

Overseer. 

•Pastor Kumuyi 

THE foundation and ba 

sis for the sermon of 

today will be Jeremiah 

32:17, which says, "Ah Lord 

GOD! behold, thou hast 

made the heaven and the 

earth by thy great power and 

stretched out arm, and there 

is nothing too hard for thee:" 

Superstition is a belief that certain things will 

bring good or bad luck. This is a contradiction 

of grace and truth that came by Jesus Christ. 

(John 1:17). Taboo and Superstition are demonic 

doctrines, that corrupt the minds of believers 

in Christ, turning them away from the truth, 

which sets the people of God free from Satan’s 

captivity. (John 8:32) 

Most heathen tribes in this nation, for example, 

have that superstitious belief that kola-nut 

gives life, hence the breaking of kola-nuts in all 

their traditional ceremonies. It is God that giveth 

life to all men. (Acts 17:25) 

Believers in Christ must be transformed from 

these worldly rudiments of the ordnances of taboos 

and superstitions by having their minds 

But the blessing of the Lord, it makes one 

rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. (Proverbs 

10:22). 

Godly hope 

The hope in Christ is beyond human imagination. 

No man in his right mind presumed 

to be sinless, even for one hour. No mere mortal 

could ever presume to be a partaker of 

God’s divine nature. 

That is the reason why eternal hope had to 

be revealed to us by the Lord himself, for we 

would never have known it otherwise. The 

central feature of the Christian hope is based 

on the promise of the Lord himself. It is the 

good news we never expected. It came by hearing 

the gospel and it is exclusively the work of 

God. 

It does not come from our industry or selfexertion. 

It does not come by sacrifice or by 

penance. It does not come from savings and 

investment. It comes through the completed 

work of Christ. It comes by the indwelling and 

in-working of the Holy Spirit. It is God that 

works in us both to will and to do of his good 

pleasure. (Philippians 2:13). 

When God saved the Israelites from Egypt, 

what they were hoping for was different from 

what they encountered. They expected a life of 

eating, drinking, and being merry. But going 

through the wilderness, God humbled them 

and suffered them to hunger. He gave them 

manna to eat instead of pounded yam. Therefore, 

they were soon disappointed and wanted 

to return to Egypt. 

Similarly, today’s Christians are being 

wrongly socialised to hope for the good life in 

this world. Many are hoping to get married, 

have a family, and have a good job because of 

their faith in Christ. In effect, Christians are 

being socialised to no longer be believers. We 

are being socialised to hope for the vanity of 

vanities. (Ecclesiastes 1:2). 

Paul says: “If in this life only we have hope 

in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” 

(1 Corinthians 15:19). 

CONTINUED 

Salvation is free (1) 

It reveals that God has the 

complete recipe and remedy 

for the problems the devil 

has initiated to harass man 

on earth. This goes to say 

that the only way man can 

successfully negotiate these 

challenges is by realising his 

need for God and the undying 

reason to seek divine intervention 

in all spheres of 

his life. 

In fact, without quality relationship 

with God, man (be 

it the male or the female gender) 

created by God and living 

on earth, cannot stand 

the chance of fulfilling his 

or her life's ambitions. This 

exposé should drive everyone 

into seeking after God 

because the solution to everyone's 

problem on earth begins with 

God. 

Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the 

kingdom of God, and his righteousness; 

and all these things shall be added unto 

you." 

You can only begin to break barriers 

in life the moment you have the complete 

understanding that the nature of 

sin troubling and hampering your prospects 

must be taken care of and your 

soul saved: that is the vanguard which 

will herald the great possibilities inherent 

in the promise and provision of God 

for your life. 

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I 

will answer thee, and shew thee great 

and mighty things, which thou knowest 

not." 

If you have been praying in the past 

and your prayers seem not to have been 

answered, as you take the decision to 

accept Jesus as you Lord and personal 

Saviour, those prayers will receive the 

desired attention they deserve. 

This is because God is generous and 

an awesome giver of great gifts to all 

who believe on His saving grace. This 

is because when you come to Him with 

a sin infested life, He would graciously 

receive it, clean it up from all iniquity 

through the immaculate blood of Jesus 

and fill it with something most remarkable. 

The truth is, He is ready to give you 

everything that you so desire. But, first 

things first: you need to give your life to 

Jesus Christ in order for you to benefit 

from the boundless blessings of God. 

To be continued 

renewed through the knowledge of the truth. 

(Romans 12:2). Paul at Athens observed the 

superstition among the Athenians, a Gentile 

nation. He had to enlighten them through the 

scripture of truth. Acts 17:22, and commanded 

them to repent. (Verse 30) 

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the 

Spirit saith unto the churches. 

CHRISTIAN GOSPEL CHURCH 

(The Truth Centre) 4, Christian Gospel Avenue, 

Besides Psychiatric Hospital, 

Uselu, Benin City, Edo State. 

Email:cgc.com.ng@gmail.com 

Telephone:+234(0)7052061135, 

+234(0)9030731406 Website: 

www.cgc.com.ng.

PAGE 24—SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 11, 2021 

Living for Christ (1) 

1Cor.6: 19-20 says, 

What? Know ye not 

that your body is the 

temple of the Holy Ghost 

which is in you, which ye 

have of God, and ye are not 

your own? 20 For ye are 

bought with a price: therefore 

glorify God in your 

body, and in your spirit, 

which are God’s”. 

Beloved, being a Christian 

means that you have 

been purchased by the 

Blood of Jesus Christ. And 

having been purchased, 

ransomed, redeemed, you 

are expected to devote 

yourself to God only, keep 

His commandment and be 

employed as He directs. Of 

course, there was no price 

which a sinner could pay 

or atonement which he 

could make that would 

have been acceptable and 

make him be absolved 

from being the slave of sin, 

and the servant of the devil 

forever if not the blood 

of Jesus. So the blood of 

Jesus was the only thing 

that was appeasable to 

God Almighty and which 

could stand as an offering 

and a ransom for our sin. 

Now, if we are purchased 

by Him, we ought to do His 

biddings. 

Gal. 2:20 says, ”I am 

crucified with Christ: nevertheless 

I live; yet not I, but 

Christ liveth in me: and the 

life which I now live in the 

flesh I live by the faith of 

the Son of God, who loved 

me, and gave himself for 

me”. 

Anybody who is not living 

for Christ is without 

doubt living for Satan. 

Those who do not yet know 

the life they are living for, 

do not know the worth of 

their lives because no matter 

what purpose you are 

living for as far as it is not 

for Christ, you have no 

life. It does not matter 

whether you are black or 

white or living in the east, 

west, south or north, as 

long as your life is not depending 

on the finished 

work of grace brought to 

us by our Lord Jesus 

Christ, you are not living 

for Christ. If you are in this 

world and not living in 

Christ, you are in crises because 

the purpose of your 

creation is appreciated in 

Him, for you cannot triumph 

successfully in this 

world except by His grace. 

So having a successful life 

means living for Christ, 

which entails putting aside 

the old sinful life and embracing 

a new life in righteousness 

with Christ. By 

the status of your new life 

you are not expected to do 

anything that will injure 

the cause of Christianity 

in the eye of the world such 

as indulging in fraud, deception, 

fornication and 

other vices. These negative 

principles shall lose their 

power over you and cease 

to influence you. 

John 15:4-5 

says, ”Abide in me, and I 

A 5-year-old walking for the first time since birth 

after Pastor's prayer during the Easter 2021 

Crusade, titled: God's Covenant of Peace and 

Blessing at Lagos headquarters. 

in you. As the branch cannot 

bear fruit of itself, except 

it abide in the vine; no more 

can ye, except ye abide in 

me. 5 I am the vine, ye are 

the branches: He that 

abideth in me, and I in him, 

the same bringeth forth 

much fruit: for without me ye 

can do nothing”. 

Jesus Christ is the fountain 

of life, the original 

source of life and any life 

not attached to Him cannot 

be sustained. All spiritual 

fruitfulness has been ascribed 

to living with Christ. 

It is when we are united with 

Him, that strength will flow 

from Him to us, and thus, 

we receive help as we need. 

If you are in Christ you are 

empowered to actualize 

your dream because He is 

the tree of life whereas 

when you are not in Him 

your life is in disarray. God 

can do without man, but 

man cannot do without 

God, for a branch to live, 

thrive, and bring forth fruit, 

it must not be separated 

from that tree from which 

it not only derives its juices, 

but its very existence also. 

Likewise, as many that are 

claiming to be Christians 

must endeavour to live for 

Christ so that the purpose 

for which Jesus Christ came 

into this world would be fulfilled 

in their lives, and they 

would not only be joyful in 

this world but also make 

heaven at last. So if you 

are a Christian then you 

must undertake to live your 

life in Christ and for Christ. 

When anyone is living for 

Christ he must be after the 

will of God in all things and 

do what pleases Him. 

If any man is 

living for Christ he 

must do the will of 

God and will 

always affirm the 

pre-eminence of 

God in everything 

and not to give 

glory to himself 

Sister Gift glorifying God for her deliverance from 8 years torment by the 

spirit of death during the Easter 2021 Crusade. 

Such a person should always 

endeavour to be holy 

within and without as to 

please the master, and 

must follow after the footsteps 

of our Lord Jesus 

Christ. 

John 4:31-34 says, ”In 

the mean while his disciples 

prayed him, saying, 

Master, eat. 32 But he said 

unto them, I have meat to 

eat that ye know not of. 33 

Therefore said the disciples 

one to another, Hath 

any man brought him 

ought to eat? 34 Jesus 

saith unto them, My meat 

is to do the will of him that 

Youth choir ministering during the Easter 2021 Crusade 

sent me, and to finish his 

work”. 

If any man is living for 

Christ he must do the will 

of God and will always affirm 

the preeminence of 

God in everything and not 

to give glory to himself. In 

the response of Jesus to His 

disciples, He made them 

understood that the primary 

purpose of coming to the 

world is to do the will of 

God. Although He was assumed 

to be famished but 

when an opportunity of doing 

good presented itself, 

He forgo His fatigue and 

hunger, and found comfort 

and joy in seeking to save 

a soul which is the will of 

the Father. Doing the will 

of God made him forgot 

his weariness and the 

wants of nature. 

Consequently, living in 

Christ should make all 

Christians to rise above fatigue, 

hardship, want, and 

bear all with pleasure in 

seeing the work of God is 

done. We must understand 

that the main business of 

life is not to seek the supply 

of our temporal wants, 

but to do the will of God. 

Winning souls is what we 

ought to do if we live for 

Christ.

Bishop Akinola proposes ways to 

end insecurity 

By Sam Eyoboka 

AS insecurity challenges 

spread nationwide the 

Presiding Bishop of Rhema 

Christian Church and Towers, 

Sango Otta has proposed 

a three stage solution to the 

nation's insecurity issues and 

called authorities to demonstrate 

the political to implement 

same. 

Ahead of a three dimension 

special services, Easter which 

coincided with his 45 anniversary 

and a scholarship to 

five University students, Bishop 

Taiwo Akinola called on 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

and the leadership of the 

National Assembly to bequeath 

a peaceful and united 

nation to the next generation 

of Nigerians. 

According to him, there 

should be a national spiritual 

repentance as the first step. 

"From militancy, to Boko 

Haram, to kidnapping, to 

banditry and now Fulani 

Herdsmen: the problem of 

insecurity has continued to be 

a big challenge, and hardly 

does a day pass without reports 

of insurgence in one 

area of the country or the other. 

Even some major highways 

are now being avoided 

by travelers for fear of being 

kidnapped. Interestingly, albeit 

weird, criminality in the 

form of kidnapping and banditry 

is fast becoming the 

The power of focus 

TEXT: 2 KINGS 2:2 – 15 

2:2 Then Elijah said to 

Elisha,”stay here, please, for 

the LORD has sent me on to 

Bethel. “But Elisha said, “As 

the LORD lives, and as your 

soul lives, I will not leave 

you!” So they went down to 

Bethel. 

2:3 Now the sons of the 

prophets who were at Bethel 

came out to Elisha, and said 

to him,” Do you know that 

the LORD will take away 

your master from you today?” 

And he said, “Yes, I know; 

keep silent!” 

2:4 Then Elijah said to 

him,” Elisha, stay here, 

please, for the LORD has sent 

me to Jericho.” But he said, 

“As the LORD lives, “I will not 

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 

leave you!” So they came to 

Jericho. 

2:5 Now the sons of the 

prophets who were at Jericho 

came to Elisha and said to 

him, “Do you know that the 

LORD will take away your 

master from over you today?” 

So he answered, “Yes, I know; 

keep silent!” 

2:6 Then Elijah said to him, 

“Stay here, please, for the 

LORD has sent me on to Jordan.” 

But he said, “As the 

LORD lives, and as your soul 

lives, I will not leave you!” So 

the to of them went on. 

2:7 And fifty men of the sons 

of the prophets went and stood 

facing themat a distance, 

while the two of them stood 

by the Jordan. 

His glorious resurrection and ours(2) 

He is Risen is the high 

point and the watchword 

of the Church for all 

generations. That was the 

proclamation of the Angels, 

and that remains the joyful 

tune of the redeemed - Matthew 

28:6; 1 Cor. 15:14,20. 

Sin, death and Satan have 

been defeated; Victory is ours 

in Christ. The most damning, 

heart rendering and painful 

cry ever to escape from mortal 

lips is, “I have sinned...” – 

Matthew 27:4; 2 Sam. 12:13. 

Sin displeases God, it is rebellion 

against God. Because 

“all have sinned...”, Rom. 

3:23, all therefore, have become 

God’s enemies and are 

separated from His love – Isa. 

Rev. Emmanuel Awazie 

*Assemblies of God Church 

Nigeria, 111 Clegg Street, 

Surulere, Lagos. 

59:2. 

Sin entered into the world 

through Adam – Gen. 3:1-24; 

Isa. 43:27; Rom. 5:12. The 

devil by deceiving Eve – I Tim. 

2:14, got Adam, the head of 

the human race to sin – I John. 

3:8; John 8:44. Every person 

born into the world is a sinner. 

Even the most beautiful, 

innocent-looking baby will 

inevitably sin, because we all 

carry the sinful nature in 

which we are born -- Ps. 51:5. 

The natural human life is sinful 

because it is centered upon 

self rather than upon God. 

Sin is the source of human 

misery – Job 15:20; Prov. 

13:15; Rom. 2:9. It separates 

man from God Gen. 3:23-24; 

Isa. 59:2. And it excludes the 

country’s most lucrative business 

for the criminal minded. 

"Nigerians everyday in the 

present times are being inundated 

with reports of killings, 

herdsmen/farmers clashes, 

robbery, communal strife, 

ransom-taking, with resultant 

disasters and economic 

depression. Farms are being 

emptied and the means of livelihoods 

of many citizens destroyed 

in many parts of the 

country. 

"In fact, banditry, kidnapping 

and other forms of terrorism 

have escalated in the 

nation in recent times, with 

school children and students 

being traumatized with harrowing 

experiences in the 

hands of these criminals. 

"The impression all these 

give is that our Government 

is so helpless, despite the fact 

that the duty of securing lives 

and property should be the 

number one duty of government. 

"Some arms of government 

now rather talk from the differing 

compasses of their 

mouths, and some even sit at 

tables negotiating with kidnappers, 

bandits and terrorists. 

"This is a very strange development, 

and for the kidgloves 

responses of government, 

these evil occurrences 

have attracted diverse global 

condemnations. At this precarious 

time, I believe that 

Government at various levels 

need to take heed to godly 

advice and go ahead to take 

decisive actions to let the 

whole world know that they 

are in truly charge of governance 

in Nigeria. 

"Nobody knows it all, and 

it is humility and a due sense 

of our common humanity to 

take due cognizance of that 

important fact. General security 

of lives and properties is 

a primary role and should be 

a top priority of Government. 

However, it takes the collective 

input of masterminds to 

achieve this. 

"In this direction, we have 

some well considered recommendations 

that we believe 

would bring speedy resolutions 

to these security challenges 

at hand: Urgent National 

Prayers and Repentance: 

Dealing ruthlessly with 

criminals, without consideration 

for ethnicity and 

Passing of legislations to 

criminalize ransom payments." 

According to the bishop, 

prayers urge God’s Hand for 

Supernatural interventions in 

the affairs of men, more so 

when coupled with humble 

hearts and genuine repentance. 

"It is important to emphasize 

that all Nigerians contributed 

one way or the other 

to the national mess we are 

currently experiencing. We 

all therefore must repent and 

seek the face of God, asking 

for His mercy upon our land," 

he said". 

2:8 Now Elijah took his 

mantle, rolled it up, and 

struck the water; and it was 

divided this way and that, so 

that the two of them crossed 

over on dry ground. 

2:9 And so it was, when they 

had crossed over, that Elijah 

said to Elisha “Ask! What may 

I do for you, before I am taken 

away from you?” Elisha 

said, “Please let a double portion 

of your spirit be upon 

me.” 

2:10 So he said, “You have 

asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, 

if you see me when I am 

taken from you, it shall be so 

for you; but if not, it shall not 

be so.” 

2:11 Then it happened, as 

they continued on and talked, 

that suddenly a chariot of fire 

appeared with horses of fire, 

and separated the two of 

them; and Elijah went up by 

a whirlwind into heaven. 

2:12 And Elisha saw it, and 

he cried out, “My father, my 

father, the chariot of Israel 

and its horsemen!” So he saw 

him no more. And he took 

hold of his own clothes and 

tore them into two pieces. 

sinners from heaven – I Cor. 

6:9; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:5- 

7; Rev. 21:27. It brings God’s 

curse, Gen. 3:16-19; Job 14:1. 

It has brought all creation 

into bondage – Rom. 8:21-31. 

Sin is the reason for all human 

and natural calamities 

such as Drought – Jeremiah 

5:24; 2 Chron. 6:26-28, Wars 

– 2 Chron. 6:36-39, Sicknesses 

– Ps. 38:3, National problems 

– Prov. 14:34; Jeremiah 

8:14-16, and so on. 

The Good news is that 

Jesus Christ came. He died 

on the cross for our sins to get 

mankind back to or restore 

our broken relationship with 

God. Jesus is the Saviour, who 

came to save us from the penalty 

of sin (death) and the 

power of sin (bad habits and 

other bondages). Through 

faith in Him and the victory 

He won through His death, 

burial and resurrection, we 

are reconciled to God – I Cor. 

15:1-4; Heb. 2:14-15; Rom. 

3:21-26. 

UN affiliate to build $3.5B homes for Nigerians 

The member represent 

ing Warri Federal Constituency 

at the National Assembly, 

Chief Thomas Ereyitomi 

and a former member 

of Delta State House of Assembly, 

representing Warri 

Constituency 11, High Chief 

Dennis Oghenebukome 

Omovie held a fence mending 

meeting at the residence 

of the later . 

The immediate past Chairman 

of the Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP) Warri South , 

By Ibrahim HassanWuyo 

Determined to bridge 

the housing supply 

gap in Nigeria,an affiliate of 

the United Nations,the UN 

Rescue Services / 

Favour&Marvel Ltd has 

commenced the Hope Shelters 

Project to provide affordable 

houses to Nigerians who 

might have lost hope of owning 

their own houses. 

Speaking in an interview 

shortly after the organisation 

awarded some distinguished 

Nigerians with the UN Rescue 

Ambassador award,the 

Global Chairman and CEO 

of 

the 

organization,Ambassador 

Steve Midallah said having 

realized that the housing supply 

gap in Nigeria was in the 

shortfall with over 22million 

houses,it is apparent that providing 

sustainable housing in 

Nigeria has been an uphill 

task which cannot be serviced 

by governments alone. 

Those who received the 

award were among 

others,famous Nollywood 

actress,Ambassador Tontoh 

Dikeh,Ambassador 

Lawrence Emenike Onwa 

Ogbunka and other prominent 

personalities who had 

distinguished themselves in 

the service for humanity. 

He said they selected citizens 

and humanitarian workers 

known to have rendered 

social services to the country 

through diverse means like 

providing food stuffs to the 

hungry,health care services to 

the needy,construction of 

boreholes and lots more,and 

awarded them for their sacrifice 

and services to humanity. 

Host communities honour FUPRE VC, Rim-Rukeh 

The Ugbomro and Itereg 

bi host Communities to 

the Federal University of Petroleum 

Resources Effurun, 

FUPRE, Uvwie local government 

area of Delta State, have 

honoured the Vice Chancellor, 

Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh 

with award of trophy as symbol 

of appreciation for his 

contribution to the development 

of the institution. 

The leadership of both Ugbomro 

and Iteregbi communities 

while presenting a trophy 

to the Vice Chancellor in 

his office, pledged their commitment 

to work harmoniously 

with him and authority 

of the institution. 

They also appealed to the 

Federal Government to increase 

the funding for the 

University in order to meet up 

its academic work and research 

and also urged FG to 

bring FUPRE under the Petroleum 

Ministry so as to perform 

optimally to its expectations." 

In an address presented by 

Mr. Obakpororo Olughor on 

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 11, 2021,PAGE 25 

Amb Steve Midallah (right),presenting the UN Noble Ambassador 

plaque to Nollywood's Tontoh Dikeh. 

From left: Actor & Producer, Eku Edewor; Founder, Redbox Events, Director, The New 

Normal Movie, Teniola Olatoni; Actor & Producer, Efe Irele; Amaka Akukwe; Actor & 

physiotherapist, Jemima Osunde; Actor & Presenter, Michelle Dede; Co-founder, Inkblot 

Productions & convener, IWIF, Zulumoke Oyibo; Actor & TV Host, Nancy Isime; Managing 

Partner, GLG Communications, Omawumi Ogbe; Insurance Brokers at SCIB, Ibukun Omisore 

& Dr. Funmilola Odubitan and Lawyer at Jackson Etti & Edu, Joy Azumar at the April 

edition of Inkblot Women In Film (IWIF). 

Ereyitomi,Omovie hold fence-mending meeting 

Hon. Amah Agbajoh was 

present at the meeting. 

Omovie who was overwhelmingly 

endorsed as the 

national political leader of 

Warri Urhobo by members of 

Warri Urhobo Political Class 

recently, in a media chat with 

our correspondent , expressed 

optimism that the meeting 

would boost his relationship 

with the federal lawmaker. 

While maintaining his call 

for political equilibrium in 

the politics of Warri South be- 

tween Warri Uthobo and Itsekiri 

in the area, he stated 

that he would extend his hands 

of fellowship to the Itsekiri 

as the national leader of Warri 

Urhobo. 

"It is by providence that the 

Itsekiri and Warri Urhobo are 

in the same local government 

area . So there is the need for 

us to live as good neighbours," 

he added 

Omovie also commended 

Chief Ereyitomi for his humility 

and friendly disposition. 

behalf of both communities, 

said since assumption of office 

by the Vice Chancellor, 

Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, 

the institution has witnessed 

an accelerated growth and 

development in all ramifications. 

Responding, Prof. Rim- 

Rukeh, on behalf of his top 

management staff, expressed 

gratitude to the host communities, 

stating that since his 

assumption of office, he has 

enjoyed a robust working relationship 

with them and the 

commended leadership of 

both communities for their 

exemplary qualities. 

He also promised to carry 

them along, even as he 

pledged to take the institution 

to an enviable height 

amongst its contemporaries 

in the world. 

FUPRE VC, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Ruke (middle), Mr. Gabriel 

Ejoba, PG, Ugbomro Community(left), and Chief Ikpi 

Bernard, during the presentation of award to the VC.


Akwa Ibom industrial revolution 

gathers steam 

By Inemesit Udoh 

The last time the people 

of Akwa Ibom State witnessed 

anything close to what 

is happening now in the area 

of industrialization was during 

the Second Republic, 

when the late Dr. Clement 

Isong was the governor of the 

then Cross River State. In 

his four-year stay in office, 

Isong set up industries across 

what was then the mainland 

part of Cross River, to ensure 

almost every part had an industry. 

In the 27-year history of 

Akwa Ibom before Udom 

Emmanuel assumed office, 

the state had only one functional 

industry out of the 

many that Isong built – 

Champion Breweries – which 

was actually revived and 

privatized by the Victor Attah 

administration. The only industry 

that survived from the 

Isong era – the Peacock Paint 

Industry at Etinan – remained 

a shadow of its former self, 

on “life support” 

There was no semblance of 

the presence of the private 

sector investment and collaboration 

which left the state a 

basically civil service subnational 

that relied only on 

federal allocations and the 

good fortune of being the biggest 

oil-bearing state in the 

country to cart home, every 

PIPELINE VANDALISM, OIL BUNKERING: Public, private 

sector teamwork can win ‘war’— IPMAN chief 

•Eshanekpe 

By Tunde Oso 

Ex-militant leader, Es 

hanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro, 

National President of 

the National Coalition of Niger 

Delta Ex-Agitators and 

Coordinator of Sector ‘C’ Command 

of Surveillance and Enforcement 

Team of the Independent 

Petroleum Marketers 

Association of Nigeria, IP- 

MAN, Delta State. Eshanekpe, 

in this interview with Tunde 

Oso, said the organised private 

sector and government 

should collaborate in the fight 

against criminality in the oil 

sector. Excerpts: 

Since your recent appointment, 

how have your operations 

been? 

On resumption of duty, my 

27-man intelligent squad 

mapped out the black spots 

and we carried out surveillance 

of the areas and I tell 

you, the volume of trade in 

illegal oil bunkering, oil theft, 

product adulteration, pipeline 

vandalism et c is worth 

over N50 billion in the state. 

So, we moved into action and 

with the cooperation of the 

Nigerian Army through Operation 

Delta Safe, OPDS – 

Sector 1, Command Effurun 

Barracks, we arrested some 

culprits. 

What happened to them 

after arrest? 

They are with the Army till 

this moment where a thorough 

and wider investigation 

of their criminal activities is 

ongoing. We have been able 

to destroy over 2,000,000 litres 

of AGO in all. You know, 

burning of product is no more 

in vogue due to its adverse 

effects on the environment so, 

we destroy the products that 

were often in drums and in 

trucks we impound. 

Describe your activities in 

details 

I have the mandate of President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

through the National President 

of IPMAN, Elder Chinedu 

Okoronkwo, to wage total 

war on criminals in the 

distribution chain of petroleum 

resources and we have 

been doing and the war remains 

total. We arrested 

thieves who specialise in 

breaking into oil company 

facilities, carting away wellheads, 

an action, which automatically 

grounds the activities 

of oil companies. It was 

the first time they were being 

arrested because over the 

years they had been escaping 

arrest having mastered the art 

of evading security operatives, 

but with the actionable intelligence 

and detective acumen 

of my team, we were able to 

break through their network. 

They were arrested with wellhead 

and they told us that they 

are the notorious gang that 

has been operating in the region 

who have been breaking 

through the companies’ 

facilities and succeeding. 

They confessed to have a 

spread from Delta to Port 

Harcourt and Bayelsa but 

that Delta State is their main 

operational area. 

Who is funding your activities? 

Ours is a self-funding organization 

at the moment, but 

we’re soliciting financial assistance 

from corporate organisations 

including government 

agencies and parastatals. 

We have called on the 

President of Longrich In 

ternational Markets, 

Jia Dian, has described Nigeria 

as the gateway to African 

business. 

Dian spoke on the sidelines 

of the launch of a book on 

Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha 

Buhari, at the Presidential 

Villa, Abuja, on Thursday. 

The 46-page book, Aisha 

Buhari – Being Different, was 

written by Hajo Sani, senior 

special adviser to the president 

on women affairs and 

administration. It is a memoir 

of the First Lady from 

childhood to date. 

Speaking at the book 

launch, Vice President Yemi 

Osinbajo described the First 

Lady as a worthy partner of 

the Federal Government 

headed by her husband, President 

Muhammadu Buhari. 

“History has shown that it 

doesn’t matter how many degrees 

you have or how many 

titles precede or honours follow 

your name, or how high 

the position you hold. The 

rare privilege of public service 

can only be justified by 

courage, integrity and selflessness. 

To these, Aisha Buhari 

adds being yourself, being 

different,” Osinbajo said. 

He said the book seeks to 

document the practical work 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC and its 

JVC partners, Niger Delta 

Development Commission, 

NDDC, Presidential Amnesty 

Programme, PAP, Niger 

Delta ministry and NIMASA 

to come to our aid in the fight. 

Since you are self-funding 

for now, how do you cope? 

We try to make ends meet. 

To operate above board, I 

make my menswear to an 

oath of allegiance to the principle 

of zero corruption and 

anyone caught will be made 

a scapegoat and shown to 

members of the public. Ours 

is a human interest service in 

absolute patriotism and solidarity 

to the Nigerian state. 

Our duty is to the Nigerian 

people and government. 

How do you think the FG 

should fight oil theft? 

You know in our clime, the 

President needs to issue an 

executive order before the 

needful is done. A marching 

order of the President to the 

Nigeria National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC will go 

a long way to take the war to 

new heights. The terrain is 

difficult, we need logistics to 

carry out our activities and 

they are not beyond what these 

Nigeria gateway to African business, says 

Longrich president 

the First Lady has done in the 

past five years, “but it begins 

with a detailed and sensitive 

chronicle of childhood years 

and her growth as a woman, 

wife and mother”. 

Speaking on the sidelines 

of the event, Dian said he felt 

specially honoured and privileged 

to be at the book 

launch. 

“I feel like a Nigerian and 

organisations can do and 

that’s the reason we need the 

President’s intervention. 

There’s no doubt you will 

be facing attacks by the 

wheelers and dealers in 

adulterated and stolen products, 

is this true? 

Normally, there would be 

reactions from hoodlums 

whose illicit trade is being 

hampered by our activities 

and that has been our experience. 

Corruption has the tendency 

to fight back but evil 

can never prevail over good. 

They have been threatening 

to kill me and my team members 

but we remain resolute. 

They are criminals who had 

operated in the state for a very 

long time, their criminal activities 

are deeply rooted. 

Assess the tenure of President 

Buhari so far? 

We have the patriotic duty 

to sustain our support for the 

President and the Republic of 

Nigeria and that we have 

been doing unrelentingly. 

When God’s time comes, the 

President will remember to 

reward those who stood for 

him in time of need. I invested 

fortunes to enthrone this 

regime and I have no regret. 

doing responsible business 

in Nigeria. Nigeria is 

indeed the gateway to 

African business,” he said. 

At the launch, Longrich, a 

manufacturer of a wide 

range of products including 

toothpastes, bathing soaps, 

sanitary napkins, panty liners, 

natural antibiotics, cooking 

pots and many other 

products, announced a donation 

of N15 million. 

Left—Mr Alex Jia Dian, Longrich President International 

Market; Mrs. Dame Pauline Tallen OFR, Minister 

of Women Affairs; Mrs Titi Ejimagwa, Longrich 

International Director 

month, huge amounts of 

money as its own share of the 

13 per cent derivation. Perhaps 

the easy and generous 

revenue from derivation was 

the reason the previous administration 

did not bother to 

look in the direction of industrialization 

for eight years, 

despite the promise of setting 

up one industry in each of the 

31 local government areas of 

the state – a promise that was 

never fulfilled. 

Since coming to power, 

Governor Emmanuel has 

approached the issue of industrialization 

with the painstaking 

effort of a far-sighted 

builder who knows how to go 

about placing one block on 

another to put a house in 

place. He first of all focused 

on the basics by laying the 

foundation for a complete 

turnaround of Akwa Ibom 

from a civil service, monoeconomic 

state to one that 

would be Nigeria’s industrial 

hub. Having ‘grown up’ in 

the private sector, he knew 

better that the developed societies 

of the world were not 

built by the public sector efforts. 

As such, no matter how 

much money came into the 

state’s coffers as benefit of its 

contribution to the nation’s 

wealth, its own economic 

growth would remain stunted 

without an industrial base. 

He began with the creation 

of an enabling environment 

that would make the state attractive 

for investment. He 

addressed the challenge of 

insecurity with the carrot and 

stick approach of opening the 

door to criminals and cultists 

who were ready to turn a new 

leaf and renounce crime, and 

also enacting a law to take 

care of the stubborn ones. The 

approach worked, as some 

parts of the state that were 

previously hotbeds of criminality 

and violence became 

peaceful; places where people 

could sleep with their two 

eyes closed, and visitors could 

go in and out without fear for 

their safety. 

He stepped up provision of 

critical infrastructure by either 

completing projects he 

met at different stages of 

abandonment or building 

new ones. He rolled out incentives 

that investors could 

not ignore. The results of 

these initiatives manifested, 

in just a few years, in the emergence 

an Akwa Ibom that is 

totally different from the one 

he met. 

Almost six years down the 

road, the structure of the industrial 

blocks Governor 

Emmanuel laid shortly on assumption 

of office is standing 

in the form a state that is 

one of the most peaceful, safest 

and secure in the country; 

a state that beckons on investors 

from within and outside 

the country; a state with industrial 

strides that are beyond 

the everyday description 

of giant – more than 15 fully 

functional industrial establishments 

that are stimulating 

economic growth 

through the formal and informal 

sectors. 

Akwa Ibom has since begun 

the march towards industrialization 

with a number 

of big industries that indicate 

the status the state is 

about to assume, not just in 

Nigeria, but in Africa as well. 

Take, for instance, the Jubilee 

Syringe Manufacturing 

Company, which is reputed to 

be the largest on the African 

continent. 

Continues on 

www.vanguardngr.com 

*Udoh is an Uyo-based 

public affairs analyst 

Global Business 

Alliance 

recognizes 

Ericsson for 

COVID-19 

response 

leadership 

By Princewill Ekwujuru 

he Global Business Al 

Tliance (GBA) has recognized 

the efforts of Ericsson 

for its contribution to combating 

the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Throughout the pandemic, 

GBA members utilized their 

expertise, resources and dedicated 

employees to combat 

the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Awards, which were 

presented by GBA in a virtual 

event streamed live, showcased 

the significant contributions 

that international 

companies make to local US 

communities. 

Many international companies 

offer their employees 

the opportunity to volunteer 

and help direct the company’s 

corporate social responsibility 

efforts. 

President and Chief Executive 

Officer, GBA, Nancy 

McLernon said: “What’s 

amazing about Ericsson’s 

story is how they mobilized 

their highly-skilled workforce 

to share their technical expertise 

in deep learning to help 

researchers better understand 

this disease.” 

“At the onset of the pandemic 

in the U.S., more than 350 

Ericsson employees came together 

virtually as a volunteer 

team, leveraging automation 

and artificial intelligence (AI) 

techniques to create tools to 

accurately utilize the evergrowing 

set of academic papers 

published on the COV- 

ID-19 virus. 

Nigeria Volunteers 

Network launches 

17 stories’ 

campaign to drive 

progress on SDGs 

By Princewill Ekwujuru 

The Nigeria Volunteers 

Network (NVN) with 

the support of the United Nations 

Information Center 

(UNIC) Nigeria and Ewalewa 

Gallery launched the 17 

Stories campaign to raise 

awareness on the need for 

action on the Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs). 

The official launch took 

place at the Ewalewa Gallery, 

Lagos, Nigeria. 

17 Stories is an SDGs Action 

Campaign. 

The Action campaign introduces 

the SDGs stories in 

a dynamic style with a focus 

on education and motivation 

as a key approach. 

The Nigeria Volunteers 

Network (NVN) is a nongovernmental 

organization 

initiated to provide the much 

needed support platform for 

volunteers across the thirty six 

states and Federal Capital 

Territory of Nigeria championing 

the seventeen Sustainable 

Development Goals. 

According to the Project 

Lead, Vincent Odigie “each 

of the 17 sustainable development 

goals tells a unique 

story that needs to be heard, 

and we are positioned to ensure 

that these stories get to 

communities and schools 

across Nigeria”.

Viewpoint 

By Abdul-Yekin Alli 

WATCHERS of developments in the 

country’s political landscape must 

have been thrilled with last weekend’s 

pronouncements by the Ogun State governor, 

Prince Dapo Abiodun, reiterating his 

administration’s commitment to completing 

the road projects awarded but abandoned by 

the immediate-past administration of Senator 

Ibikunle Amosun. As the governor promised, 

special attention would be given to such roads 

that have direct socioeconomic impact on 

residents of the state, just as more funds would 

be allocated to the ongoing construction of the 

53 kilometre Lafenwa-Ayetoro Road to ensure 

its early completion. Governor Abiodun made 

the declaration while inspecting three key 

road projects, including the Lafenwa-Ayetoro, 

Panseke-Adigbe-Opako and Oke-Lantoro- 

Elite-Idi Aba roads in Abeokuta, the state 

capital. The projects awarded by his 

predecessor, he observed, ought to have been 

given more priority than they were , being 

major arterial roads between Ogun Central 

and Ogun West. His words: “We are committed 

to the quick completion of Lafenwa-Ayetoro 

Road, because it accounts for thousands of our 

citizens traveling between Ayetoro and 

By Abdul Jelil 

THERE are 774 local government coun 

cils in the country according to the 

amended 1999 constitution, but there are 

several Development Areas which are creation 

of state governments from existing local 

government areas, scattered in most 

states in the country. Irrespective of the yardstick 

used for assessment, Abuja Municipal 

Areas Council, AMAC stands shoulder high 

above all. 

AMAC has the enviable priviledge of housing 

the federal seat of power, the Aso Rock. It 

also has most of the embassies in its domain, 

and virtually most federal ministries are located 

in the council. In Federal Capital Territory, 

FCT, there are six 6 local governments 

which are referred to as Area Councils and 

out of these again, AMAC remains on top. 

One can say without iota of doubt that Abuja 

Municipal Area Council, AMAC is one of 

the richest local government areas in the 

country in terms of revenue generation. But 

By NORBERT CHIAZOR 

AGBOR an old town which lays strad 

dled on the northern fringes of Delta State 

is on the cusp of urbanization. 

Good fortune is rapidly affecting Agbor, the 

most famous Ika - speaking suburb with iconic 

images of yester years. I witnessed the story of 

the child king, born world youngest monarch 

in Agbor, the land of famous Mary Mount college, 

Olikeze glory,Oscar motors, NITEL and 

Orogodo River which divides part of the city 

into two like the River Liffey I once saw in Dublin, 

Ireland. 

I saw female motorcycle riders, first time in 

Agbor in the 80s,women cruising on small 

but elegant “ladies bikes“, This enchanting 

spectacle vividly recalls in frozen memory 

“Agbor Dancer” the powerful poem by the legendary 

JP Clark. 

Celebrating Agbor and her culture through 

a woman entertainer, the artistic maestro 

applauds her as she dances with her “limbs 

like fresh foliage in the sun” totally in trance 

“caught in the throb of a drum” from the “magic 

maze of music” 

However, the charming outlook of the “Agbor 

dancer”romanticized by the late Clark had 

been a sad contrast to the notorious topogra- 

Why Ihejirika is in Politics 

By Charles Uzoukwu 

IN a regime of propaganda, self-adulation 

and engagement of media gurus for profiling 

of public office-holders, including Army Generals, 

it is important to welcome the former Chief 

of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen Azubuike Ihejirika 

back to the arena. A humble but brilliant 

officer, who distinguished himself with measurable 

achievements and panoply of awards, 

he deserves a second chance to serve Nigeria 

again as a civilian in the political terrain. 

A thoroughbred officer, his conservative approach 

to publicity is best captured by the English 

proverb: Good wine needs no bush. Which 

is defined as, “there is no need to advertise or 

boast of something of good quality, as people will 

always discover its merit.” First, despite the controversy 

that trailed his commitment to fight 

Boko Haram terrorists, which led to some Northern 

leaders accusing him of genocide and threatening 

to report him to the International Criminal 

Court, he never reacted to the charge. At 

the same time, he was also accused of sponsoring 

the same terrorists. The authenticity of the 

allegation generated a lot of reactions across the 

nation and some part of neighbouring countries. 

Regardless, the State Security Service 

(SSS), however, absolved General Ihejirika. Till 

date, he never reacted nor hired anyone to explain 

his position. Good wine. 

In February, 2020, when he yielded to political 

pressure and declared for the ruling All Progressives 

Congress (APC), despite his status and 

socio-political reach as a retired COAS, Ihejirika 

chose his Isiukwuato constituency to make his 

declaration, rather than the nation’s capital, 

Abuja, where all the media houses and news 

pegs would have graced the occasion. 

In an unscheduled interview with Vanguard 

Newspapers in November, 2019, Ihejirika was 

asked his greatest achievement as Chief of Army 

Staff. Without equivocation, he responded thus: 

“The most important achievement is that we 

were able to measure and identify the complexity 

of the problem. We went ahead to quickly 

increase the strength of the army by as much 

as 25 per cent within a span of three years; and, 

without that, it would have been a major disaster, 

because of several commitments, both internally 

and externally, when Nigerian Army 

was involved in foreign operations.” 

His next most valuable achievement was the 

language institute, which was intended to give 

the Nigerian Army capacity to be able to collaborate 

with its Francophone neighbours. Always 

appreciative of others’ efforts, Ihejirika, 

while commending the incumbent Chief of 

Developmental strides of AMAC 

as expected with most local governments, 

they are seen as an extension of the state governments. 

This has affected performances of 

most councils. Despite these interferences, 

AMAC has been able to weather the storm 

and remains one of the best run local governments 

in the country. 

Our focus is review of the past 5 years and 

the present helmsman that has set the pace 

for the exceptional performance is Abdullahi 

Adamu Candido. It is on record which are 

verifiable that before now, no former council 

chairman of AMAC can beat his record and 

there are fears that those who might come 

thereafter might find it difficult to wear the 

shoes of performance of the present leadership. 

Candido has so much firsts on his sleeves 

that residents and indigenes have lost count 

of projects that have been distributed to every 

crannies of the council. AMAC has 12 

wards, and it is on record that there is no ward 

Okowa, power and Agbor 

phy and haphazard town planning of Agbor. 

Seen from her hilly cascading landscape, Agbor 

had laid scattered like broken porcelain 

chinaware. 

For years, Agbor was an ugly city. Menacing 

gully erosion, with gaping mouth like 

steely crocodile waiting to swallow anything, 

was its worst undoing,even with the noticeable 

strength of Agbor as a city of enterprising 

commerce and thriving local economy.At the 

slightest rainfall, flooding had submerged 

buildings and properties and swept people 

away in ruins. 

The destiny of one man Senator Dr. Ifeanyi 

Okowa as Governor, beginning from 2015, 

would greatly change the fortunes of Agbor, 

the biggest town in Ika Nation. 

Driving from the busy Benin-Asaba dual 

carriage way, Agbor main town once accessed 

by a narrow road, ever dusty and bumpy, 

now opens into a solid smooth four lane fitted 

with street lights and drainages. 

Whenever the sun goes down, giant street 

lights hit the skyline, illuminating the sprawling 

town in brilliant beams. 

In 2021, Agbor became a university town 


PROJECTS: Ogun and governance-as-continuum paradigm 

•Gov. Abiodun 

Abeokuta for commerce, school and work.” 

Abiodun also gave assurances on the Oke- 

Lantoro-Elite-Idi Aba Road, saying the power 

transformer serving the area would be fixed 

before the Easter celebrations. 

There can be no doubt that project 

discontinuity has been one of the major 

afflictions of the country’s democracy since the 

onset of the Fourth Republic in 1999. Across 

the six geopolitical zones, there have been 

ceaseless complaints of abandonment of 

projects by governors unwilling to associate 

with anything that has to do with their 

predecessors, including projects, in the 

mistaken belief that shared credit for work 

done would somehow detract from their 

credibility. Indeed, in 2007, a governor in one 

of the North Central states was on record as 

saying that he would not complete the projects 

initiated by his predecessor because the latter 

was a thief. The project in question, an 

overhead bridge connecting a local 

government area to the rest of the state, was 

left to rot because the initiator had been 

impeached and was facing trial for graft. 

Admittedly, though, there is another side to 

the coin: some predecessors actually set booby 

traps for their successors by initiating white 

elephants simply to create problems for their 

predecessors. They award contracts to persons 

without a track record and without any known 

office (s) merely to siphon money and hobble 

the capacity of their successors to execute 

that has no tangible projects to point at. The 

wards are City Centre, Garki, Wuse, Karu, 

Nyanya, Gwagwa, Karshi, Jiwa, Kabusa, 

Orozo, Gui, and Gwarinpa 

To be candid and fair to all, there was no 

former chairman that did not play his role in 

the development of the council while in office, 

but the present council chairman, is leaving 

behind a landmark that those coming 

after him, might find difficult to fill the remaining 

vacuum. 

He is noted with so many firsts in terms of 

developmental programmes. He is the first 

council chairman of AMAC to have established 

a community radio, the first to have a 

security outfit called AMAC Marshals, the first 

to establish a micro finance outfit and also 

the formation of environmental marshal. 

And that certainly wasn’t all as he has and is 

establishing more local but modern markets 

scattered in the 12 wards. 

He has also opened up various avenues for 

Defence Staff, and other service chiefs for their 

patriotic duty to the nation, expressed satisfaction 

that “some of the efforts we made have 

stated yielding fruits.” 

Born on February 13, 1956 in Isuikwuato 

Local Government Area of Abia State, South- 

Eastern Nigeria, the young Azubuike attended 

Williams Memorial Grammar School, Afugiri 

in Umuahia North Local government Area, 

where he obtained the London GCE in 1975 as 

well as the West African Senior Certificate with 

a Grade 1 Distinction. 

He enlisted into the army as a member of 18 

Regular Combatant Course of the Nigerian 

Defence Academy, Kaduna, after which he was 

commissioned Second Lieutenant into the corps 

of Nigerian Army Engineers (NAE). He later 

acquired a Bachelor of Science degree in Quantity 

Survey from the Ahmadu Bello University, 

Zaria. 

Ihejirika was on the directing staff at the Command 

and Staff College, Jaji and Principal Staff 

Officer at the Defence and Army Headquarters. 

He also held various command positions, 

such as Commander 42 Division Engineers; 

Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 

Division and GOC 81 Division. He crowned his 

brilliant career with the appointment, on September 

8, 2010, as Chief of Army Staff by President 

Goodluck Jonathan, even though informed 

sources said it was on the advice of former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo. 

Again, before he was decorated as Commander 

of the Federal Republic (CFR) he had bagged 

the whole five service awards of the Nigerian 

Army, namely: the Forces Service Star (FSS), 

Meritorious Service Star (MSS), Distinguished 

Service Star (DSS), Grand Service Star (GSS); 

and having passed Staff College Dagger (PSC), 

he is also a Fellow, National War College (FOC). 

And to crown his unprecedented successful 

military career in a post-civil war Nigeria that 

systematically subdued the efforts and performance 

of Igbo officers in the Nigerian Army, 

Ihejirika was honoured with a chieftaincy title: 

Dike Abia, that is, the Warrior of Abia. 

The forgoing rich background would actually 

be wasted in a farm or other endeavours 

that would not challenge his public serviceoriented 

intellect and performance mind-set, 

hence he bowed to the pressure of his people 

who would appreciate his replication of what 

he gave to the Army in his immediate constituency, 

Isiukwuato and Abia State, and Nigerian 

polity, as political circumstances may dictate. 

•UZOUKWU is resident in Abuja 

Continues on www.vanguard.ngr.com 

projects. Some in fact go as far as obliterating 

the credit worthiness of their states through 

excessive borrowing and without anything on 

the ground to justify such humongous debt. 

In the case of Ogun State, the Abiodun 

administration is on record as detailing the 

atrocities that went on in the state in the name 

of contract awards by previous 

administrations, but this has not deterred it 

from completing the abandoned projects. 

It is in fact difficult to find an administration 

across the entire country that has significantly 

bettered the record of the Abiodun 

administration in striving to ensure that 

abandoned projects do not become moribund. 

For instance, the first phase of the Agro-Cargo 

Airport at Illisan-Remo in Ikenne local 

government area of the state is scheduled for 

completion by May next year. The project was 

initiated by the Gbenga Daniel 

administration in 2007 but had been 

abandoned by the Amosun administration. 

•Alli contributes this piece through 

yekinalli@gmail.com 


raking in more revenue for the council through 

massive innovation that has upped the financial 

ante. Certainly, when developmental yardstick 

are to be used, he stands shoulder high 

among his colleagues not only in FCT but 

among the 774 local government areas nationwide. 

The strides include the development of an 

improved Educational sector, same goes for 

Energy/Power -Rural Electrification. He is 

not lacking in improved Primary Health 

Care Services in the 12 wards, what about 

Potable Water Supply or is it Public Convenience 

and Sanitation, what about Provision 

and Maintenance of Cemetery. He has 

touched 

In terms of Road Construction and Maintenance 

he is leaving a laudable mark. 

•Jelil lives in Abuja. 


as the old college of Education got handsome 

upgrade into a degree awarding school. Sister 

Ika settlements from Igbodo, to Owa Oyibu to 

Owa Aliero among many others have been 

impacted for good with diverse social 

infrastructure,a s Okowa takes strides on the 

saddle. A sprawling magnificent Teachers’ 

professional development centre in Owa Oyibo 

was unveiled with fanfare by Governor 

Okowa in company of his Abia state counterpart 

Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu on Tuesday 30th 

March, 2021. It would have been uncharitable 

for Okowa to leave Agbor and indeed Ika 

communities in endemic underdevelopment. 

The point is that for goodwill to have meaning, 

it must emanate from home. Okowa took 

his nurture from Ika ancestral land. It is fair 

and natural that Ika’s most famous son in recent 

history should put his place in the highest 

of glory. Ditto for Anioma area, where the Governor 

had recorded historic milestones, especially 

in road rehabilitation and other physical 

projects. 

This is not an endorsement of nepotism or 

clannishness. No. Okowa was elected to be the 

governor of Delta. Ika nay Anioma, Isoko, Itsekiri, 

Izon and Urhobo. Every part of Delta 

deserves development, including my village, 

Idumuje unor. 

The Governor has a moral duty to develop 

and grow other constituent parts of the state. 

Discerning Deltans however believe he is 

making efforts to address development issues 

across Delta. 

But critics view his focus on the Ika axis as 

favoritism and corrupt pamper. More vocal 

traducers have censured him for pandering 

more to anything Ika. Dissent is welcome in a 

democracy . Nonetheless his zeal on Agbor 

and related areas under review, cannot be 

rigidly held against him as overreaching or 

unbecoming. 

Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi 

Awalowo, Alhaji Tafawa Belewa and Ahmadu 

Bello were national figures but remembered 

more today for thinking home. 

When Nigerians imagine East till date,Zik’s 

imprint emerges,just like Awo’s West and 

Belewa/Bello’s North. 

•CHIAZOR is a media aide to Governor 

Okowa. 

Continues on www.vanguard.ngr.com

PAGE 28 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 11, 2021 

BY TUNDE 

RAHMAN 

IF the 12th Bola Tinu 

bu Colloquium to celebrate 

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s 

69th birthday was 

organised in the ancient 

and progressive city of 

Kano purposely to demonstrate 

the unity and oneness 

of Nigeria, it would 

appear that, that purpose 

was achieved bountifully 

given the huge success of 

the conference. Not only 

was the colloquium immensely 

successful with a 

rich collection of important 

dignitaries and firstclass 

panelists in attendance 

and the high quality 

of ideas and recommendations 

thrown up on the 

pressing issues facing the 

country, the selection of 

Kano as host city for the 

colloquium was also highly 

praised. 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari, who chaired the 

conference virtually from 

the Aso Rock Presidential 

Villa, said taking the 

event to Kano demonstrated 

true statesmanship on 

the part of Asiwaju Tinubu, 

the former Lagos State 

governor. Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo said it was 

a pointer to the fact that 

Nigeria’s diversity is better 

harnessed as strength 

to further unite Nigerians. 

Commending Kano 

State Governor, Abdullahi 

Umar Ganduje, for 

hosting the colloquium, 

Osinbajo said the gesture 

would further deepen the 

essence of national unity. 

For the Emir of Kano, Alhaji 

Aminu Ado Bayero, 

the selection of Kano to celebrate 

Asiwaju’s birthday 

was a “testament to his 

love and quest for a united 

Nigeria.” 

Monday March 29 was 

the first time the colloquium, 

that has over the 

years become a veritable 

platform for the fraternal 

exchange of ideas and 

views about issues plaguing 

the country, was 

staged in the core North. 

For the first time in its 12 

years of commencement 

also, the colloquium was 

BY BINAY SINGH 

WHAT comes to 

your mind when 

you think of Nigeria? Is it 

how massive and populated 

Nigeria is? It is not just 

the most populous nation 

in Africa, but it is also the 

most popular nation in Africa! 

What exactly is the 

most famous country in 

Africa renowned for across 

the globe? It is Oil. 

Africa’s giant, Nigeria, 

remains the largest oil 

producer in Africa. Oil 

plays a major role in the 

country’s economy. On 

the other hand, Nigeria’s 

coastline stretches approximately 

853 km and is apparently 

the richest in 

biodiversity and mineral 

resources. Nigeria is 

blessed with a vast coastline 

that many other countries 

could only wish they 

have. However, with so 

much diversity and richness 

of freshwater, natural 

gas, petroleum, iron, zinc, 

the region is still among 

the most degraded and less 

conserved. 

Recently, I read an article 

that stated “Nigeria is 

a super power with no 

Issues in the 12th Bola Tinubu Colloquium 

planned as a hybrid, taking 

place simultaneously 

at the Bourdillion, Ikoyi, 

Lagos residence of Asiwaju 

Tinubu, International 

Conference Centre, Abuja, 

and, of course, Kano. 

However, there was no 

doubt that Kano was the 

centre of attraction. Physically 

present in the city 

for the conference were 

dignitaries, which included 

the Chairman, Caretaker 

Committee of the All 

Progressives Congress who 

is also Yobe State Governor, 

Mallam Mai Mala 

Buni; the host, Governor 

Ganduje; former Interim 

Chairman of APC & ex- 

Osun State governor, Chief 

Bisi Akande; the celebrator, 

Asiwaju himself, 

Chairman of Tertiary Education 

Trust Fund, Alhaji 

Kashim Ibrahim-Imam; 

former Chairman of the 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, Mallam 

Nuhu Ribadu, former 

National Vice Chairman, 

South-west of APC, Chief 

Pius Akinyelure; former 

governors, many senators 

and House of Representatives 

members. 

Vice President Osinbajo, 

House of Representatives 

Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, 

Secretary to the Government 

of the Federation 

Boss Mustapha, four state 

governors namely Dr. 

Kayode Fayemi (Governor 

of Ekiti State & Chairman 

of the Nigeria Governors’ 

Forum), Mr. Babajide 

Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Prince 

Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and 

Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola 

(Osun) as well as some 

former governors, ministers 

and senators who were 

on their way to Kano were 

forced to halt the journey 

at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International 

Airport, Abuja 

because of the inclement 

weather which disrupted 

flights. The governors 

instantly joined the 

colloquium by virtual 

means at the airport while 

others simply headed back 

to their offices to hook up. 

Among the panelists 

were President George 

Weah of Liberia and 

former President Ernest 

Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone. 

Others on the impressive 

panel were Madam 

Finda Koroma, Vice President, 

ECOWAS Commission; 

Professor Dani Rodrick, 

Ford Foundation 

Professor of International 

Political Economy at John 

F. Kennedy School of Government, 

Harvard University; 

Prof. Funmi Olonisakin, 

Professor of Security, 

Leadership & Development 

King’s College, 

London; Mr. Mohamed 

Yahya, Resident Representative 

in Nigeria, 

United Nations Development 

Programme 

(UNDP); Ms. Amaka 

Anku, Practice Head, Africa 

Eurasia Group, and 

Ms. Namdir Charity 

Namsoh, Founder/CEO, 

HoP Africa, Jos, Plateau 

State. 

Another remarkable aspect 

of the colloquium is 

the high quality of ideas 

and valuable interventions 

on national issues 

thrown up this year as in 

previous ones. For instance, 

President Buhari 

who stated that the theme 

of this year’s colloquium 

was very apt and timely 

emphasized the need for 

the country to remain together 

notwithstanding 

its challenges. Chairing 

the conference, the president 

noted that despite occasional 

tension in the 

nation’s history characterised 

by diversity of ethnicity, 

culture, language 

and religion, “Nigerians 

are better off and stronger 

together.” 

Lauding Asiwaju, the 

president said the former 

Lagos governor had always 

been an advocate of unity 

and cohesion in Nigeria. 

“This has been a constant 

factor in his outstanding 

political career, from the 

time he served in the shortlived 

Senate of the Third 

Republic to his involvement 

in the struggle for the 

actualisation of the June 

12 mandate of the late Chief 

MKO Abiola, to his muchacclaimed 

period of service 

as Governor of Lagos State 

from 1999 to 2007,” the 

president said. 

“The ranks of Asiwaju’s 

political collaborators, 

whether as party members, 

comrades in the struggle, 

members of his cabinet, 

or his advisers, assistants 

and political associates, 

have always reflected a 

pan-Nigeria attitude. I believe 

all of us can also confirm 

that the same outlook 

of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and 

other like-minded Nigerians 

eventually made possible 

the coalition of four 

political parties into what 

we now see as our great party, 

the All Progressives 

Congress,” he added. 

Vice President Osinbajo 

spoke in the same vein too. 

According to him, what the 

country needs presently 

are patriots who are ready 

to work resolutely for a new 

Nigeria, “a tribe of men and 

women who are prepared 

to make the sacrifices and 

self-constraints that are 

crucial to building a strong 

society; who are prepared 

to stick together, fight for 

equity and justice side by 

side. A tribe consisting of 

professionals, businessmen, 

politicians, religious 

leaders and all others who 

believe that this new Nigeria 

is possible.” He said despite 

the various socio-economic 

challenges worsened 

by the fallouts of a global 

pandemic, Nigeria should 

avoid stoking tendencies, 

viewpoints and opinions 

that threaten the federation 

and Nigeria’s unity. 

Some of the eggheads at 

the conference also harped 

on this matter of cohesion. 

Prof. Rodrik, in his keynote 

address, noted that 

the lack of social and national 

cohesion is a challenge 

for economic 

growth, explaining that 

although this problem is 

not limited to Nigeria or 

Africa as other advanced 

democracies also experience 

it, Africa only suffers 

more because of its ethnicreligious-linguistic 

divisions. 

Professor Rodrik spoke on 

the topic: “Social Cohesion 

in Divided Societies. Answering 

the question “Is 

Diversity a Curse?” the 

Professor said the countries 

that are much more 

diverse or fragmented in 

terms of ethnic or linguistic 

groups tend to perform 

worse in terms of economic 

development. “The general 

message is that counties 

that are more fractionalised 

in terms of ethnic 

groups or with much more 

ethnic heterogeneity tend 

to have high levels of poverty 

and deprivation and 

low levels of economic 

growth and productivity. 

Many African countries 

fall in this group. There is 

evidence that ethnic-religious-linguistic 

divisions 

leads directly to racism, 

discrimination, low trust, 

poor social outcomes, under-provision 

of collective, 

public goods, inequality, 

low growth ethno-national 

chauvinism, divisive 

politics, nativist (rightwing) 

populism and bad 

politics.” 

According to him, “On 

average, participatory democracies 

produce greater 

economic stability and 

(perhaps) higher economic 

growth. They are better 

at avoiding large mistakes 

and they respond to external 

shocks better, especially 

in divided societies.” 

While arguing that democracy 

is the best way to 

ensure national cohesion, 

using the example of how 

democratic countries had 

How Nigeria can actualize maritime potential 

power” and it made me 

think. Nigerians are found 

in every part of the globe 

greatly representing the 

nation in different sectors 

such as entertainment, 

education, and business. 

As a country, Nigeria has 

a lot to offer visitors with 

its own hidden treasures 

but why is it still not thriving? 

The maritime industry 

in Nigeria since the early 

1990s has been on a downturn 

pivot. Nigeria has no 

reason not to be a force to 

be reckoned with in the 

global maritime community. 

I see many challenges 

that are hindering Nigeria’s 

growth at the moment. 

However, years of 

neglect has damaged the 

system badly. 

That said, the maritime 

sector is definitely going 

through a tough time but 

there are no challenges 

that are impossible to resolve. 

Nigeria is very close to 

my heart. I see immense 

potential in the country. 

Its natural resources and 

the remarkable citizens of 

•Tinubu 

•Singh 

the country have the 

ability to change the dynamics 

of this world. I am 

a humble servant of the 

Maritime Industry and 

it’s my vision to see Nigerian 

citizens happy and 

successful. Keeping that 

in mind, I launched my 

company, Global Seafarer 

Recruitment – New 

Era of Seafarer (GSR) in 

Nigeria in 2020. Nigeria’s 

seafarers are unarguably 

among the best in 

the world and not utilizing 

their capabilities can 

be a big blow to Nigeria as 

a country. 

There are a few areas 

the country must focus 

on. Below are some of my 

suggestions: 

Due to lack of education 

and international certification, 

the younger generation 

is unable to make use 

of their full potential. Education 

plays a vital role in 

the development of any 

country especially where 

the population is dominated 

by rhe youth. 

Lack of concrete fleet including 

training fleet-We 

need to emphasis on the 

corrective and preventive 

measures to address this issue 

Lack of legal ground for 

the protection of seafarers - 

Seafarers play an essential 

role in international trade 

and supply chain. Therefore, 

the need to ensure the 

protection of their rights 

have become crucial in the 

wake of COVID-19 regardless 

of their nationality and 

that can’t be overemphasised. 

The amount of work 

done and risk exposure to 

ensure goods are transported 

safely from one country 

to another puts severe 

strain on the health and 

welfare of seafarers. 

Lack of CBA (Collective 

Bargaining Agreement) - 

The CBA is the result of an 

extensive negotiation process 

between an employer 

and an employee regarding 

topics such as wages, 

hours, and terms and conditions 

of employment. 

This should be given utmost 

importance to prevent 

any issues at sea, 

Lack of proper maritime 

management – We have 

seen malpractices in the 

system due to neglect and 

it looked like nothing has 

been done in this sector. 

Several issues faced by the 

shipping industry have 

made seafarers’ lives at sea 

extremely difficult. The 

methods in which several 

issues are being handled 

by the maritime authorities 

have led to aggravation 

of problems which 

needs to be solved as soon 

as possible. 

Though every system 

have issues and any system 

can be changed, but 

we must understand that 

these conflicts are not only 

hampering one nation but 

the entire globe. . Our future 

is our youth. We are 

responded better to the 

COVID-19 pandemic than 

authoritarian regimes, 

Prof. Rodrik noted that democracy 

is not only about 

elections, “it is about protecting 

the rights of the 

minority including the 

rights of the ethnic and religious 

minorities”. While 

arguing that the infusion 

of social conflict is not necessarily 

disruptive to any 

society, the professor advocated 

inter-ethnic equity, 

spatial integration and an 

all-embracing politics as 

panacea for peace. 

Prof. Olonisakin from 

King’s College, London 

urged Nigeria to listen to 

the conversation from the 

youths, from the streets in 

building cohesion. Recalling 

the EndSARS protests 

by youths, she pointed out 

that by their protests and 

demonstrations against 

the excesses of the police 

and their demand for radical 

change, the youths 

were passing a message. 

“The Nigerian government 

should listen to and 

hearken to this conversation.” 

In his remarks, the celebrator, 

Asiwaju Tinubu, 

urged the Federal Government 

not to inflict stiffer 

economic policies on Nigerians, 

pointing out that 

the citizens were already 

going through devastating 

pressure. Speaking extempore, 

he said: “What 

Nigerians need is economic 

stimulus and not austerity 

measure capable of 

driving the country deeper 

into poverty. Nigeria is 

under-policed. We are 

competing with armed 

robbers and bandits to recruit 

from the youths who 

are unemployed. Nigeria’s 

unemployment rate 

recently hit a new record 

high at 33.3% in the 

fourth quarter of 2020. 

Continues on www. 

vanguardngr.com 

•Former Editor, Thisday 

on Sunday Newspaper, 

Rahman is Media 

Adviser to Asiwaju 

Tinubu. 

at a crisis point in relations 

to the world’s young people 

and Nigeria is an example 

of this. 

My advice to the youth 

in Nigeria is – Spend your 

time wisely. Take up courses 

that will enhance your 

capabilities both personally 

and professionally. My 

mission and vision in life 

is to serve this eponymous 

industry and create 100% 

employment for seafarers 

across the globe. Fostering 

dreams of these young 

seafarers is my dream. 

Some people don’t believe 

in giving opportunities to 

others and helping them. 

I believe I can help myself 

by helping others. The 

world can never flourish if 

we don’t work as a team. 

Ukraine, India, Nigeria or 

The Philippines will remain 

just another country 

if we the people will not 

take action and change it 

for the world to see that together 

we are great! 

•Singh is a maritime 

expert based in Odessa, 

Ukraine.


Leah Sharibu’s 

parents hurting 

—Rev Para-Mallam 

...as reports of kidnapped 

girl’s second child swirl 

* Recalls Buhari’s 2018 telephone 

call with teenager’s dad and mum 

By Sam Eyoboka 

The Rev (Dr.) Gideon Para-Mallam, a global mission leader, 

peace & social justice advocate, is the President of The Para- 

Mallam Peace Foundation. Para-Mallam claims to have been 

in contact with the parents of Leah Sharibu, the Dapchi, 

Yobe State girl who was among the over 100 schoolgirls 

kidnapped by suspected Boko Haram terrorists on 

February 19, 2018 but held back by her abductors when 

they released her colleagues because she refused to 

renounce Christianity for Islam. He speaks in this 

interview on reports that Leah may have given birth to 

second child in captivity. 

Is there any truth to the rumors 

around Leah Sharibu? Reports 

said she has given birth to the 

second child in Boko Haram captivity. 

How do her parents feel? 

Rumors will always be rumors laced 

with unsubstantiated facts. What is 

being reported as rumors has been 

known by some of us much earlier. I 

received hints of what is now rumors 

back in March 2020. Leah deserves 

better than being gossiped on the 

pages of Nigerian newspapers and 

other international dailies, 

surprisingly, including BBC Pidgin. I 

was very disappointed to read these 

rumors. Both Leah and her parents 

deserve dignity. Has anybody ever 

thought about the psychological and 

health implications of these rumors on 

Leah and her parents? They are 

hurting. Flatly there is no need in my 

opinion, to report such unfounded 

stories. Should we focus on such 

rumors or working hard to get Leah 

out? l have received and still receive 

such occasional and confidential 

updates on Leah since November 

2018. I decipher what to share with her 

parents and others; and what I will 

never utter out to journalist or the 

public until she is released. Her 

release is my prayer and priority right 

now as we work with others such as 

the Leah Sharibu Foundation and some 

credible groups at home and abroad 

to actualize and at the same time 

protect her parents. 

Leah’s parents feel really bad. 

Should they worry about the state of 

their daughter in captivity – now over 

3 years or be reading about such moral 

killing rumors? April 

1st, I was on the phone 

again with her parents 

to encourage her dad 

in particular and the 

mother. They are not 

happy but remain 

hopeful that their 

daughter is set free. 

Let’s in respect to Leah’s parents 

restrain ourselves from reporting these 

rumors. Strategic silence is needed in 

every struggle. Instead, efforts should 

be geared more 

towards pressuring 

the President, 

Muhammadu 

Buhari, to fulfill his 

promises and the 

assurances he has 

made to Leah’s 

parents and the 

nation; to secure 

Leah’s parents 

feel abandoned 

by the 

non-committal 

body language of 

this government 

Leah Sharibu’s 

release. One of 

those promises was 

made in a phone call 

to her mother in my 

presence when she 

spent some days in 

our home in 

September/October 

2018. The President 

empathized with her 

and was upbeat in 

promising to do all 

within his power to 

bring Leah out. Mr. President, I still 

believe you need to do more to get 

Leah out captivity. Those who counsel 

that the rest of us should just keep 

•Rev Para Mallam 

quiet and say 

nothing are misleading themselves, 

the President, and the nation. 

Protesting and speaking out to bring 

Leah and others out of 

captivity is legitimate 

and government 

should instead silence 

us, by bringing Leah 

and others out. YES, it 

is within their power to 

do so. I believe this. 

Leah’s parents feel 

abandoned by the 

non-committal body 

language of this 

government. 

Her classmates are 

continuing with their 

studies... 

If you consider my 

first answer on the 

impact of insecurity on 

the education of our 

children, you will off 

course agree. Her 

classmates are 

continuing their studies but not Leah. 

They should perhaps be rounding up 

their secondary education now, but this 

isn’t the case with Leah. SAD!!! 

Apart from Leah are there other like 

Alice Ngaddah, still in captivity... 

Yes, there are others, at least that we 

know and there are several others we 

do not know. Alice Ngaddah the 

UNICEF Nurse Aid Worker has like 

Leah spent 3 years in captivity as at 

March 1st. Leah precede her by less 

than 2 weeks. There is Grace Tuka 

picked up since July/August 2019, the 

Lilian Gyang Daniel, a 100 level 

University of Maiduguri Zoology 

student picked up on January 9th, 

2020. Then October/November last 

year Pastor Polycarp Zongo of Church 

of Christ in Nations is in captivity. We 

hear that there are 5 others around 

where he is being kept with one 

Jummai. We are by God’s grace in 

touch with all these families but one. 

The Federal Government of Nigeria 

should arise and free these captives. 

Nigerians need to be positively angry 

enough to spur action on the part of 

government beyond social media 

outburst. Abusing the government 

won’t free our fellow Nigerians. Let’s 

do more: constructively, objectively 

and productively until we get results.

PAGE 30 SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 11, 2021, 

Orukpe's hat-trick dream ends 

in agony 

Stories By Ben Efe 

Edo State's Eraiyokan 

Orukpe crashed out 

of the men's 400m 

after he picked up injury 

during the heats. 

He was tipped to easily 

win the gold medal to 

complete a hat-trick of 

National Sports Festival 

from Eko 2012 to Edo 

2020. 

In his absence Ifeanyi 

Ojeli, has emerged as the 

athlete to beat in the final 

to be decided today. Ojeli 

competing for Lagos State 

ran a personal best of 45.99 

and he had Chidi Okezie of 

Delta, Samson Nathaniel 

and Sikiru Adeyemi all who 

posted 46 seconds runs to 

contend with. 

In the women's race 

Patience Okon-George and 

Abuja 2018 Champion, 

Imaobong Nse Uko are set 

Ronaldo to 

replace 

Mbappe in 

PSG if.. 

C 

R I S T I A N O 

RONALDO could 

join Paris Saint-Germain 

in a shock transfer if Kylian 

Mbappe leaves for Real 

Madrid, according to 

reports. 

The Juventus superstar, 

36, may leave the Italian 

giants this summer as the 

club's struggles on and off 

the field mount. 

Andrea Pirlo's side look 

set to surrender their nineyear 

grasp on the Serie A 

title with Inter Milan top 

of the league while they 

suffered another early exit 

from the Champions 

League. 

And the club have been 

hit hard financially by the 

coronavirus pandemic 

with major money-saving 

cutbacks required as soon 

as possible. 

That has led to 

speculation the £540,000- 

a-week Ronaldo could be 

sold for as little as 

£25million - three years 

after moving to Turin for 

£99m. 

According to Tuttosport, 

that could see PSG swoop 

for the five-time Ballon 

d'Or winner, who has won 

trophies in England, Spain 

and Italy, should Mbappe 

go. 

Ronaldo would help 

replace the goals lost - he 

has 32 in 36 this season 

while Mbappe has 32 in 

38. 

•Ronaldo 

•As Okon-George, Nse Uko battle for 400m 

gold 

for a show down. The up 

and coming Akwa Ibom 

youngster ran 53.23 in her 

semi final and she would 

need to produce a low 52 to 

Edo overtakes Delta 

on the cycling 

medals table“ 

The rivalry between Edo and Delta 

states continued yesterday in the 

cycling event with host Edo overtaking 

Delta on the medals table.“With the two 

gold medals won in the 3,000 Team 

Pursuit for women and 4,000 Team 

Pursuit for men, Edo now has 5 gold 

medals, one more than Delta who have 

won four, all through their golden girl 

Ese Ukpeseraye.“Bayelsa are third on 

the medals table with three gold 

medals.“In Saturday's race,v Edo 

women's team finished the 3,000 Team 

Pursuit in a time of 4 mins, 25.57secs, 

their Delta counterparts finished second 

in a time of 4 mins, 28.38secs while Oyo 

got the bronze with a time 4 mins, 

32.32secs.“Edo men clocked 5 mins, 5 

mins 15.44secs to win gold, Delta got 

thesilver with a time of 5 mins, 16.68secs 

while Ogun placed third to win the bronze 

with a time of 5 mins 18.30secs. “Today, 

the men will contest for the 160 

kilometres road race gold on the Benin - 

Ifon road.“Cycling events at the National 

Sports Festival will be concluded on 

Luis Suarez is considering leaving 

Atletico Madrid in the summer 

transfer window to return to his former 

club Liverpool, according to reports in 

Spain. 

The striker has fired the team to the 

top of LaLiga with 19 goals during a 

superb first season in Madrid, but it is 

believed the Uruguayan's 'difficult' 

relationship with manager Diego 

Simeone could cause him to leave. 

Suarez – who included a clause in his 

Atletico contract which stated he would 

be allowed to leave in the summer of 

2021 without any type of penalty – has 

beat Okon-George. "If everything 

goes on well I expect 

the winner to run 51 

seconds, " said African 

women record holder Falilat 

Ogunkoya. 

" I'm tipping Okon- 

George to win, she is in 

good form, she has been 

there for a long and she 

would use her experience to 

beat Nse Uko." 

•Bayelsa male team with Caleb Kalizibe 

Monday with the elimination race for both 

men and women. 

Suarez considers Liverpool return 

Tyson Fury insists he will smash 'big, 

useless dosser' Anthony Joshua when 

they meet in their heavyweight 

showdown, scheduled for later this year. 

All the heavyweight belts will be on the 

line in the all-British clash, with the 

winner being able to achieve the same 

feat managed by Lennox Lewis 22 years 

ago. 

And speaking on a video posted to his 

Twitter account, the Gypsy King 

confirmed this weekend's meeting with 

Hearn and revealed that - as reported by 

Sportsmail - Saudi Arabia and Qatar are 

among the 'big offers on the table' for the 

Battle of Britain fight. 

also been offered the opportunity 

to spend 2-3 seasons at Inter 

Miami, as reported by Spanish 

outlet Todofichajes. 

The striker has become 

'physically drained' with 

Simeone's style of football, 

which involves a lot of 

pressing and high energy. 

As a result, Suarez could 

entertain transfer talks with 

Liverpool and Inter Miami 

this summer, the report 

adds. 

Fury vows to smash Joshua 

Man City lose at home 

to 10-man Leeds 

eeds United pulled off a remarkable 2-1 win away to 

Lchampions-elect Man City with Stuart Dallas at the 

double, despite playing with 10 men for 45 minutes. 

Pep Guardiola's men needed just 11 more points to 

secure the Premier League title but were met by a 

resilient Leeds side, who took the lead at the Etihad 

Stadium when Dallas found a way through (42). 

The game swung in City's favour just before the break 

when Liam Cooper was dismissed for an ugly lunge on 

Gabriel Jesus which was upgraded from a yellow card 

to a red after VAR had instructed Andre Marriner to 

review the decision on the pitchside monitor. 

City set up camp in the Leeds half with the extra man 

but Marcelo Bielsa's men were dogged in their 

defending and it took until 14 minutes from time to 

level it up when Ferran Torres struck. 

The game only looked like going one way from that 

moment but Leeds continued to dig in and sensationally 

staged a devastating counter-attack which was finished 

off by the tireless Dallas (90+1) as Leeds managed to 

win despite having just two shots on goal to City's 29. 

'Just had some big 

news, three or four big 

offers on the table, interest 

from Saudi Arabia, my 

gypsy brothers in Qatar, 

Uzbekistan, Russia, 

America and England,' Fury 

said. 

'Some big, big offers on 

the table. I am gonna go 

through them on Sunday and hopefully we 

get this big fight on. 

'Let me smash this dosser, big, useless 

dosser let me say. Because when I get him, 

I'm gonna give him that [raises right fist], 

you big dosser.' 

Adegoke, Nwaokocha are Edo 

2020 fastest man, woman 

Confederation Cup: 

Enyimba target three 

points at ES Setif 

By John Egbokhan 

he final of the men and women 100m lived up to 

Texpectations, though no Olympics standard performances 

were achieved, Enoch Adegoke and Grace Nwaokocha put 

up a show to prove their dominance so far in the season was 

no fluke. 

Adegoke still chasing Olympics qualification beat a strong 

field including Itseoritse Itsekiri to win the gold at 10.28 

seconds. Alaba Olukunle also representing Edo State came 

second with 10.29. Jerry Jakpa was third with 10.33. 

In the women's race Grace Nwaokocha, was given a lot of 

work to do by Joy Udo Gabriel of Lagos State. Udo Gabriel 

had a good start and was chased down to finish by Nwaokocha 

who clocked 11.42seconds to win the gold, Udo Gabriel 

finished at 11.44 for the silver. Bayelsa's Godbless Tima took 

the bronze with 11.61seconds 

In other results of the day, Abasino Akpan of Akwa Ibom 

won the women 400m hurdles with 57.63, Comfort Ekue of 

Cross River won silver with 58.68. Sarah Chigbo settled for 

bronze with a personal best of 58.91. 

Tim Emoghene of Delta won with 50.06seconds Henry 

Okorie of Edo State ran 51.03 for silver and Steve Elogi of 

FCT settled for Bronze with 51.12seconds 

Nigerian league record 

champions, Enyimba, will 

today in far away Algeria, 

attempt to consolidate 

their grip on the top 

position of the CAF 

Confederation Cup Group 

A, when they confront ES 

Setif in a match-day four 

fixture. 

The first leg in Aba, saw 

the first ever clash 

between the pair, with 

Enyimba FC beating ES 

Setif 2-1 at the Enyimba 

International Stadium. 

That victory shot Enyimba 

to the top of the table with 

six points from three 

matches, while ES Setif 

stay rooted to the base of 

the group with a solitary 

point from three games. 

The last time Enyimba 

went to Algeria for a 

continental engagement 

was in 2019 and it ended in 

a 1-0 loss to Paradou AC in 

the group stage of the 

Confederation Cup. 

But this time around, it 

seems the lines are falling 

in pleasant place s for the 

two-time Champions 

League champions, as 

Enyimba coach, Fatai 

Osho will be boosted for 

today's clash with the return 

of combative midfielder 

Anthony Omaka to th fold 

of the People's Elephant 

On the flip side, Nelson 

Ogbonnaya who limped off 

and Samad Kadiri, who 

picked up a knock in warmup 

in the first leg, join Sadiq 

Abubakar, Hassan 

Abubakar, and Imo Obot in 

the treatment room while 

Farouk Mohammed 

misses today's game 

through suspension, after 

accumulating three yellow 

cards. 

NSF: Team Rivers Stella 

wins three gold in 

weightlifting 

Stella Kingsley Peters of Team Rivers won 

3 Gold medals in the Women 49kg 

Weightlifting event. 

Stella snatched 74kg, Clean and 

Jerked 105kg, a record in (49KG) to 

pick the 3 available Gold. 

It will be recalled Stella at the last 

National Sports Festival in 2018 

finished fourth in the same category. 

"At the beginning, it was not easy. I 

worked very hard with the support of my 

coach Ojadi and Uche. I thank God for 

giving me the 3 gold medals, may his name 

be praised'', Stella said. 

Edo 2020: Bayelsa 

targets top 3 

Bayelsa State has set a target of finishing among 

the top 3 states at the 20th national sports festival.“The 

commissioner of sports and president of Nigeria 

wrestling federation, Hon. Daniel Igali said the 

government has given them a target of not finishing below 

the fourth position at the Games though he is setting his 

sight on finishing between second and third at the festival. 

•Bayelsa State Sports Commissioner, Dr Daniel 

Igali flanked by his swimming golden sisters, 

Ifiezebe Gagbe(left) and Doutimi Okoko 

Gagbe. Ifiezebe has won a total of seven 

individual gold medals while her sister, 

Duotimi has won one at the on-going 20th 

National Sports Festival tagged Edo 2020. 

Photo by Patrick Omorodion

SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 11, 2021,PAGE 31

SUNDAY Vanguard, APRIL 11, 2021 

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