24072021 - Dont Sign PIB return it to NASS for amendment

2—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 24, 2021 — 3
Tension as Lagos, Ogun hold
council polls today
*Observers task LASIEC on free, fair exercise
*6.5m voters to vote in 13,323 polling units in Lagos
*Lagos CP assures of security, vows to enforce movement
restriction
*Ogun PDP withdraws from poll, lashes OGSIEC
By Clifford Ndujihe,
Olasunkanmi Akoni,
Evelyn Usman, James
Ogunnaike, Olayinka
Ajayi & Gabriel Olawale
AFTER months of prepa
rations, Lagos and
Ogun states will hold local
council polls, today.
No fewer than 6,570,291
registered voters are expected
to exercise their franchise
across 13,323 polling units
in 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in
Lagos
In Ogun, the main opposition
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, has pulled out of the
exercise, accusing the Ogun
State Independent Electoral
Commission, OGSIEC, of undermining
it and trying to
factionalise the party.
Meanwhile, Lagos State
Commissioner of Police,
Hakeem Odumosu, has deployed
police personnel and
ordered them to ensure that
the Lagos State Independent
Electoral Commission,
LASIEC’s facilities, sensitive
materials, polling units and
collation centres are adequately
protected.
Also, an international election
monitoring group, Yiaga
Africa, said it is deploying
13,323 duly-trained observers
to monitor the process
and urged LASIEC to ensure
free, and transparent exercise
to boost citizens confidence
in LGA election process.
The group also feared voters’
apathy may mar the
exercise in view of the low
sensitization of the electorate
by the parties, candidates
and LASIEC.
Speaking during a pre-election
press conference in Lagos,
Director of Programmes,
Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu,
said that their roving
observers are expected to visit
a minimum of three polling
units each and report on
the conduct of the election.
Mbamalu, expressed regret
that the absence of periodic,
genuine and transparent
elections at the local government
level in Nigeria remained
a major threat to Nigeria’s
democracy.
“Twenty-two years after
democracy, local government
areas in Nigeria struggle
with poor governance,
the absence of periodic, credible
elections, and almost
non-existent governance
structures that promote citizen
engagement and accountability.
“The worst fate of local government
areas in Nigeria
remains the overbearing
control by state governors
and a select few (power brokers)
who have perfected a
system that both impoverishes
the people and denies
the people a voice when the
elections are rigged.’’
She explained that a recent
study by Yiaga Africa
on the challenges and prospects
of Local Government
elections in Nigeria taking
Oyo and Lagos states as case
studies, revealed that there
are opportunities for election
stakeholders to improve on
the process to guarantee the
sanctity of ballots and increase
citizens participation
in the process.
We’ll ensure credible
polls, upload results like
INEC – LASIEC Chairman
Meanwhile, LASIEC Chairman,
Justice Ayotunde Philips,
yesterday, reiterated the
determination of the commission
to conduct free and
fair polls and uphold the results
like the INEC.
She said smart card readers
would be used for the polls
and LASIEC would use polling
units it used in 2017.
If card readers malfunction,
she said incident forms
would be used to ensure no
voter is disenfranchised.
We ‘ll enforce restriction
of movement – CP
Addressing the policemen
at Lagos Police Command
headquarters yesterday, CP
Hakeem Odumosu, charged
them to work with other security
agents deployed for
same purpose, to ensure adequate
security, and to discharge
their duties according
to the Standard Operating
Procedure of the Nigeria
Police and extant electoral
laws.
He warned politicians and
their supporters, stakeholders
and Lagosians to play the
game according to the rules,
saying: “The police and other
security agencies deployed
for the exercise will
not condone any act of thuggery,
hooliganism, electoral
malpractices and criminality
in any part of the state
before, during and after the
Local Government Councils
elections.”
In addition, the Command,
according to him, had
put measures in place to enforce
the restriction of movement
order across the state
between the hours of 8am
and 3pm, today.
He clarified that “only
those on election duty and
essential services are exempted.
No faction in Ogun PDP,
despite OGSIEC’s attempt
to factionalize it -
Sikirulai
The Ogun State chapter of
the PDP has declared that
there is no faction within the
party in the state, saying it
has decided to withdraw participation
in today’s local government
election following
the alleged dubious stance of
the OGSIEC towards the party.
In a statement by the Chairman,
Sikirulai Ogundele, the
party said that following a
Court Judgement on Thursday,
July 22, 2021, the PDP
backed out of the race, accusing
OGSIEC of playing the
role of a dubious umpire.
Ogundele said the Commission
decided to create a nonexistent
faction in PDP, deliberately
handing over nomination
forms meant for party
candidates to an individual,
despite the fact that it had
an ongoing relationship with
the authentic Executive
Committee led by him as
recognized by the Independent
National Electoral Commission,
INEC.
He added that given the
fact that the legitimacy of all
materials for the election,
including voters registers,
are derived from INEC, common
sense should have
pointed OGSIEC to that direction.
He also alleged that the
OGSIEC “induced” factionalization
of Ogun PDP was deliberate
to forestall participation
of the party in the local
government polls in Ogun
State.
Ogundele also expressed
disappointment that the
OGSIEC also disregarded the
reconciliation agreement
signed by all parties in the
Senator Bukola Saraki led
Reconciliation Committee despite
the fact that this became
available as early as March
2021, which was the basis for
the Consent Judgement of
the Federal High in Abuja delivered
on 22nd June, 2021
that affirmed him as State
Chairman.
Tambuwal urges ASUU to devise other
means of industrial action, not strikes
By Musa Na'Annabi Sokoto
G
OVERNOR Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto state
has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) to deploy better ways of engaging the Federal
Government than the perennial strikes it often embarks on to
press its demands.
Tambuwal made the plea while receiving the new executives
of the Sokoto state University chapter of the union on Thursday.
He appealed to the union to develop some skills of negotiations
geared towards arriving at consensus and common ground
between it and governments at various levels other than the
strike.
Tambuwal said strike affects the general economy, wellbeing
of the university, states and the country at large. While
congratulating the immediate past executives of the union
for their exemplary leadership, he implored their successors
to embrace peaceful dialogue, engagement and negotiation
between the union, the university management and state
government in whatever issue that might come up.

4 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 24, 2021
Beninese court to FG: Provide evidence
against Igboho
*Nigeria, Benin Republic have no extradition agreement
*FG accuses activist of arms trafficking, inciting violence
*Allegations against him spurious, untenable, insufficient—Lawyer
*Abuja court orders DSS to produce detained aides
*Akintoye, Adebanjo react
By Dapo Akinrefon &
Ikechukwu Nnochiri
A
Beninese Court sit
ting in Cotonou, Benin
Republic, has asked
the Nigerian government
to provide on Monday,
whatever evidence it has
against Yoruba nation agitator,
Chief Sunday
Adeyemo, aka Sunday
Igboho.
The Nigerian government
is accusing the activist
of allegedly trafficking
in arms and inciting
violence capable of causing
social disturbance. He
was declared wanted by
the Department of State
Services, DSS, earlier in
July after his Ibadan
house was raided by operatives
of the DSS who
killed two of his aides and
arrested 12 others. The
arrested aides were paraded
in Abuja and an
Abuja court yesterday directed
the DSS to produce
them in court, July 29 to
show cause why they
should not be released on
bail.
Igboho was however arraigned
yesterday at the
Court D’Appel De Cotonou
in Benin Republic after
his arrest at the Cardinal
Bernardin International
Airport, Cotonou on
Monday night on his way
to Germany with his wife.
After yesterday’s court
proceedings at the Beninois
court, Igboho’s lawyer,
Mr Ibrahim Salami,
told theIlana Omo Oodua,
IOO, a group championing
the cause of Yoruba
nation that Igboho’s
case was adjourned till
Monday 26th July to allow
the Federal Government
of Nigeria bring up
whatever evidence they
may have to prove the allegations
against him.
The group’s Communications
Manager, Mr
Maxwell Adeleye, in a
statement yesterday said,
“ the court set Mrs
Adeyemo, Igboho’s wife
free on Wednesday since
it has been found that she
has committed no offence
and there’s no complaint
whatsoever against her.
Consequently, her German
passport was returned
to her.
“The lawyers handling
the case reported after the
proceedings that Chief
Sunday Adeyemo Igboho
cannot be extradited to Nigeria
for two principal reasons:
“That contrary to insinuations,
Nigeria and Benin
have no Extradition
Agreement. That Nigeria
has not been able to come
up with charges that
could lead the court to order
Igboho’s extradition to
Nigeria. “What Federal
From left: Siblings of the deceased, Mrs. Lola Akande (Lagos Commissioner for
Commerce, Industry & Cooperatives) and Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Deputy Governor,
Dr. Obafemi Hamzat; his wife, Oluremi; Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Tayo
Ayinde and Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during a funeral service of Bashorun
Rotimi Odugbesan, at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, Ikeja, yesterday.
Government came up with
were mere allegations
against Ighoho such as
trafficking in arms and inciting
violence that could
result in the social disturbance
without evidence
which the Government of
Benin Republic considered
spurious, untenable, and
insufficient to warrant extradition.
“The case has been adjourned
till Monday 26th
July to allow the Federal
Government bring up
whatever evidence they
may have, and Mr. lgboho
has been taken back to the
police custody.”
God wanted greater enthusiasm
from Yoruba people—Banji
Akintoye
Meanwhile, Leader of Ilana
Omo Oodua, IOO,
Emeritus Professor Banji
Akintoye said that the arrest
of Sunday Igboho was
a blessing in guise adding
that God wanted greater
enthusiasm from the Yoruba
people. Akintoye, who
spoke on ARISE TV, said
since Igboho was arrested,
the Yoruba people have
been united.
The Yoruba leader said:
“We have been receiving
calls both at home and in
the diaspora and they are
offering their support. They
are giving assistance not
just to Sunday Igboho
alone but to the whole
Yoruba Nation’s self-determination
programme. It is
as if God allowed this to
happen because He wanted
to get greater enthusiasm
from the Yoruba people
for the Yoruba nation.”
Nig govt terrified of Igboho’s
pouplarity— Ayo
Adebanjo
Also reacting to Igboho’s
arrest, Ayo Adebanjo, leader
of Afenifere, Yoruba socio-political
group, argued
that the Federal Government
has no right to seek
Sunday Igboho’s extradition
from Benin Republic.
In a chat with Arise Tv
on Thursday, Adebanjo
described Igboho as a “political
prisoner”, and said
the Federal Government
has “no right” to seek his
extradition.
The 93-year-old
Afenifere leader submitted
that Nigerian authorities
were only terrified by Igboho’s
popularity, saying
“the-power-that-be wants
to kill him because he’s
leading a popular revolt”.
He said, “Buhari may
depend on chariots and
everything, but we have
God.
“He [Igboho] is a political
refugee. He didn’t
commit any crime here. He
didn’t waylay or kill anybody.
He didn’t run away
from anybody after committing
a crime. He ran for
his life because the-powers-that-be
wanted to kill
him because of his agitation,
because he’s leading
a popular revolt.
“When they saw the
crowd that Igboho was
pulling at every meeting,
that was terrifying to them
them.
“You’re looking for somebody’s
life, and you ask
him to come and surrender
himself? Who will do
that? He has muzzled everybody:
the press can’t
talk, and there is a limit to
questions that broadcasters
can ask now if they
don’t want their stations to
be closed down. They are
keeping everybody quiet.
But I tell you, they may depend
on chariots and everything,
but we have God
because we are helpless.
“
Court orders DSS to
produce Igboho’s 12 detained
aides
Meantime, the Federal
High Court sitting in Abuja,
yesterday ordered the
Department of State Service,
DSS, to produce before
it, the 12 persons that
were arrested at the residence
of Sunday Igboho.
The court, in a ruling that
was delivered by Justice
Obiora Egwuatu, ordered
that the arrested persons,
who have been in detention
since July 2, be produced
before it on July 29
(next week Thursday).
Justice Egwuatu said the
order was to enable the
court to determine the circumstances
surrounding
their arrest, and for the
DSS to show cause why
they should not be released
on bail, either conditionally
or unconditionally.
The court further made
an order allowing the suit
marked FHC/ABJ/CS/647/
2021, to be heard within its
vacation period.
The ruling followed a
fundamental right enforcement
suit that lawyer
to the detained Applicants,
Pelumi Olajengbesi,
filed on their behalf,
pursuant to section 32(1)
and (2) of the Administration
of Criminal Justice
Act, ACJA, as well as
sections 6(6), 35 and 36
of 1999 Constitution, as
amended.
The 12 persons the
court ordered the DSS to
produce before it are;
Abdullateef Ofeyagbe,
Amoda Babatunde (Aka
Lady K), Tajudeen
Erinoyen, Diakola
Ademola, Abideen Shittu,
and Jamiu Noah.
Others are Ayobami
Donald, Adelabe Usman,
Oluwafelumi Kunle,
Raji Kazeem, Taiwo
Opeyemi and Bamidele
Sunday.
Counsel to the Applicants,
Olajengbesi,
while moving the motion
ex-parte dated July 8,
told the court the DSS
kept them incommunicado
since the day they
were arrested and subsequently
transferred to
Abuja. He told the court
Saraki congratulates Emir
of Ilorin, new traditional
title holders
IMMEDIATE Past Senate President, Dr. Abubakar
Bukola Saraki has congratulated the Emir of Ilorin,
Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari and the eight new traditional
title holders who were named into the Emirate
Council on Thursday.
Saraki who is the Waziri of Ilorin in a statement signed
on his behalf by the Head of his Media Office, Yusuph
Olaniyonu commended the traditional ruler for always
striving to bring development into Kwara State and seeking
the progress of indigenes of the Emirate.
The new traditional title holders are Sheikh Sulyman
Onikijipa (Grand Mufty), Sheikh Yakub Aliagan (Sarkin
Mallami), Sheikh Abdulkadir Oba Solagberu (Mallam
Ubandoma), Alh. Alimi Abdurasaq (Matawale), Alh.
Soliu Mustapha (Turaki), Alh. Muhammad Yakubu
Gobir (Madaki), Alh. Abolakale Kawu Agaka (Dan Iyan,
Alh. Abubakar Kawu Baraje (Tafida) and Alh.
Sakariyawu Onimago (Shetima)
Saraki noted that the appointment of the new traditional
title holders is another of the Emir’s ways of identifying
the great sons of the Emirate and giving them
due recognition so as to encourage others to continue
striving to excel in their various endeavors and in the
area of community service.
“The new traditional title holders should see the conferment
of titles on them as a challenge to work harder
for unity, development and peace in the Emirate, in particular,
and Kwara State, in general.
All our prepaid customers can
now enjoy 22X their recharge
value — Glo
TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant, Globacom, has
said that all its prepaid customers can now enjoy extra
value with its 22X bonus offer on every recharge they
make from N100 upward. The bonus customers received
on each recharge under this plan, will be valid for 7 days
from the recharge date and can be used to call ALL networks.
According to the statement released by the company
on the offer, “Customers who recharge with N100 will
be credited with N2,200 value. They will first get the N100
recharge amount in their main account, which they can
use on any Glo product as they desire. Added to this, they
will receive a bonus value of N2,100 for data and for voice
calls to all networks in Nigeria.”
“In the same vein, those who recharge with N1,000 will
receive N22,000 worth of value comprising N1,000 credit
in their main account, which they can use on any Glo product
as they wish, and a bonus value of N21,000 for voice
calls to all networks in the country and for data”, Globacom
further added.
The company disclosed that customers will receive confirmation
messages on their phones after every recharge,
while they can also dial #122# to view their 22X bonus
balance. Glo prepaid customers can subscribe to the 22X
plan by dialing *777#, selecting Tariff plan, Tariff information,
and 22X plan.
that DSS had since then,
denied them access to
their family members
and lawyers.
“My lord the Applicants
are Nigerian citizens
that are protected by
the Constitution. The
nature of our application
is such that the Applicants
have approached
this court to seek its refuge
and protection.
“The Applicants were
arrested since July 2 and
have been been kept incommunicado
and denied
access to their family
members and lawyers.
“Attached as an exhibit
in support of this application
is a letter that was
written to the Respondent
(DSS), requesting
access to the Applicants,
which was not granted.
It is attached in evidence.
The fact is that for
about 20 days now, Applicants
have remained
underground and have
been denied their right
of freedom.
“We pray that you consider
this motion very
important and compel
the Respondents to produce
the Applicants. My
lord, if issues raised in
this application are not
addressed, the sole purpose
for establishing the
judicial system, to protect
right and liberties of citizens,
will be defeated.
“The world is watching
how this noble arm of
government will revitalize
the consciousness of
Nigerians that there can
be safety and protection
of their rights by the
law”, Olajengbesi added.
The application which
was supported by an 8-
paragraphed affidavit
and an exhibit, was also
predicated on 8 grounds.
Ojajengbesi told the
court that another 11-
paragraphed affidavit of
extreme urgency, was
also filed on behalf of the
Applicants.
It will be recalled that
DSS operatives had in
the wee hours of July 2,
raided Igboho’s Ibadan
residence, an operation
the agency confirmed led
to the death of two persons
and the arrest of
others now in detention.
The DSS, through its
spokesman, Dr. Peter
Afunanya, said it carried
out the raid after intelligence
reports revealed
that Igboho stockpiled
weapons in his house.
Igboho however denied
the allegation describing
it another government
magic. The agency thereafter
launched a manhunt
for him.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—5

6 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 24, 2021
HARUNA
This is to confirm that the name; Joel
Haruna Gift and Musa Haruna refer
to me. I now wish to be known as
Musa Haruna. All former documents
remain valid. Authority concerned
and general public to take note.
WOKEKOKRO
FESTUS
I, formerly known as MISS LOYCE
ADIBA WOKEKOKRO, now wish
to be known as MRS LOYCE
BENNETH ATAKO. All documents
bearing my former name remain valid,
General Public please take note.
UDOH
I, formerly known and addressed as
Miss Udoh, Victoria Etim, now wish
to be known and addressed as Mrs
Thaddeus, Victoria Etim. All former
documents remain valid, general
public please take note.
AKAH
I, formerly known as Akah
Ndidi Glory, now wish to be
known as Olanipekun Ndidi
Glory. All former documents
remain valid, general public
please take note.
NYENGIBO
I, formerly known as Miss Nyengibo
Wokoma and Mrs Nyengibo Joseph
Abbey now wish to be known as Mrs
Nyengibo Abbey. All former
documents remain valid.General
public take note.
OTILIJE
I, formerly known as Miss
Otilije Ifeakanwa Precious,
now wish to be known as Mrs
Johnson Ifeakanwa Precious.
All former documents remain
valid.General public take note.
LUCKY
I, formerly known as LUCKY
MONDAY ERIURORE, now wish to
be known and addressed as
ODJEGBA DAVID ERIURORE. All
former documents remain valid.
General public please take note.
OCHEME
I, formerly known as Favour
Ocheme, now wish to be
known as Favour Imina. All
former documents remain
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EFFIONG
I, formerly known as MISS
LUCY ISONG EFFIONG, now
wish to be known as MRS.
LUCY SAMUEL FRIDAY. All
former documents remain
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OZUM
I, formerly known as Ozum Abigail,
now wish to be known as Samuel
Abigail Ogochukwu. All former
documents remain valid.General
public take note.
NWAUBANI
I, formerly known as Justina
Nwaubani, now wish to be known
as Justina Emma-Aguikwu. All
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General public take note.
CHANGE OF NAME
PAUL
I, formerly known as Miss Paul
Chika Nzoputachi, now wish to be
known as Mrs. Ugochukwu Chika
Nzoputachi. All former documents
remain valid. The authorities to
whom it may concern and the general
public to please take note.
FRIDAY
I, formerly known and addressed as
BEJI PRINCE FRIDAY, now wish to
be known and addressed as BEJI
P R I N C E - F R I D A Y
ORITSEGBUBEMI. All documents
bearing my former name remains valid.
General Public please take note.
EHIBOR
I, formerly known as Miss
Ehibor
Bridget
Enosomhanfoh, now wish to
be known as Mrs. Udoh
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remain valid, general public
please take note.
OJO
I, formerly known and addressed as
Miss Yetunde Itunu Ojo, now wish
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Yetunde Itunu Adeleke. All former
documents remain valid. General
public please take note.
CHUKWUNWEIKE
I, formerly known and addressed as
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Chibuzor now wish to be known and
addressed as Mrs Edeh Chiamaka
Chibuzor. All former documents
remain valid. General public take
note.
ABIENEKPEN
I, formerly known and addressed as
MISS CLEMENTINA O.
ABIENEKPEN, now wish to be
known and addressed as MRS.
CLEMENTINA EKHOMOGIAZIN.
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NYOBATA
I, formerly known as MISS
NYOBATA AKPEVWE
CATHRINE, now wish to be known
and addressed as MRS.
AGBELOGODE AKPEVWE
CATHRINE. All former documents
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IKEGBUNE
I, formerly known as Miss
Gladys Ebele Ikegbune, now
wish to be known as Mrs Ebele
Okechukwu. All former
documents
remain
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OT UWA
I, formerly known as UWA, AKON
GABRIEL, now wish to be known
as PETER, AKON SUNDAY. All
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I, formerly known as Mrs
Omotegbona Peter, now wish to be
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Polytechnic Otefe-Oghara and
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AKASSA
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AKASSA GLORIA MARTINS
OKUBORE, now wish to be known
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NWAEYIZIA. All documents
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AGBONIFO
I, formerly known and
addressed as Agbonifo Elvis,
now wish to be known and
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UGORJI
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Chidimma Judith, now wish to
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NWOGBO
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OKOUGBOH
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OJEH
I, formerly known and addressed as
OJEH CHUKWUEKE, now wish to
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EGBEWOH
This is to confirm that the
name; Egbewoh Paul and
Egbewoh Paul Stephen refer to
me. I now wish to be known as
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IKEGBUNE
I, formerly known as Miss
Catherine Uju Ikegbune, now
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Daniel Onyeanuna. All former
documents
remain
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OPARA OT
I, formerly known as Opara
Rita Uloaku, now wish to be
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I, formerly known as MISS SADIQ
KUBURAT OLAMIDE now wishes
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Armed herdsmen take over Benue
communities, IDPs can’t go home `
— Benue SEMA
...Says attack creating scarcity of food, high prices, flags
off distribution of food to IDPs
By Peter Duru, Makurdi
THE Benue State Emer
gency Management
Agency, SEMA, weekend
raised the alarm that it was
becoming difficult to return
the over one million Internally
Displaced Persons,
IDPs, taking refuge in camps
in parts of the state to their
ancestral homes because
the armed Fulani herdsmen
attacking the farming and
rural communities of the
state were occupying some
of the communities.
The Executive Secretary
of Benue SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel
Shior who said this
in Makurdi while flagging
off the distribution of trailer
loads of food items to the
IDPs said the government
had been overstretched by
the burden of providing for
the IDPs and called for support
from the Federal Government
and the international
community.
He said that Governor
Samuel Ortom had prioritized
the welfare of the IDPs,
saying that the state government
had been providing for
the needs of the IDPs in the
last three years as well as the
10,000 Cameroonian refuges
in Kwande LGA warning
that the renewed herdsmen
attacks on communities in
the state was worsening the
IDPs situation.
Lamenting the implication
of the attacks, Dr. Shior
said the development had led
to rising food scarcity and
increase in prices of food
stuffs in the state.
“The Internally Displaced
Persons, IDPs, have been with
us for over three years. We
have been struggling and
carrying the burden of taking
care of them. Today’s exercise,
which is food distribution
is going to cover
about eight official IDPs
camps and we are going to
extend that assistance to other
locations that are hosting
IDPs. “Recently, we received
another set of IDPs in Gbajimba,
we have them in
Agasha, in Udei Yuweze, in
Agagbe, in Aoundona we
have them in Agatu, Kwande
and some other places.
“It has not been easy for
the state government alone
to continue to cater for the
teeming population of IDPs
in Benue especially if you
look at the escalating cost of
food as a result of the continued
attacks on our farming
population in Benue
state," he said.
Farmers protest destruction of farms in
Enugu
By Chinedu Adonu
SCORES of farmers in
Umu-Ugwu Nwede
Orube in Omulor, Mgbuji,
Eha-Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local
Government Area of Enugu
State, have cried out
over the destruction of their
farms worth five million
Naira (N5m) by prominent
indigenes of the community.
The farmers lamented
that most pathetic aspect
of their ordeal was that
most of them obtained
loans from various sources
to buy crops for their
farms and wondered how
they would repay the
loans in the face of their
predicament.
The farmers, many of
them elderly men and
women, including widows,
had in a bid to attract
public attention to their ordeal,
demonstrated in
their community on
Wednesday.
They accused Enugu
State Commissioner and
others of allegedly sending
people they referred to
as “thugs” to destroy their
rice, yam, cassava, maize
and other crops in their
farms.
The angry village farmers
also accused one community
leader as among
the people who conspired
to destroy their farms.
Lamenting their fate
during the demonstration,
the angry farmers
marched round the community
with placards,
some with inscriptions as:
“Govt save us; they want
to kill us with hunger, they
have driven us out of our
livelihood”, among others.
They called on the Enugu
State government and
Isi-Uzo council area authorities
to come to their
aid.
Their spokesman, Elder
Silas Omi, said they were
surprised to discover that
their labour of many
months had just gone
down the drain.
“On July 3, 2031, Saturday,
we were in our farms,
we saw people that had
guns and they started
shooting. We ran away
and they began to destroy
everything in the farm,
rice, cassava, yam, maize,
beans and others. They
destroyed everything.
Continuing, Omi said
“What we want the whole
world to know is they are
chasing us out of our livelihood.
This is injustice.
“Some of us obtained
loans to buy seeds for our
farm including fertilizer.
Some cultivated their
farms from money they
saved from Isuzu thrift society,”
.
Narrating her own ordeal,
a widow and a mother
of five, Mrs. Regina Ebe
said the incident was
painful and a big loss she
could fathom.
“What they did to us is
painful. Nobody will be
happy to his or her farm
destroyed for any reason.
What shall we eat tomorrow
and train our children with.
“Government is encouraging
people to go into
farming but these people
are here destroying our
farms. What do they want
us to do”.
Okowa congratulates Obi at 60
•Says: He's reference point in
fiscal prudence, accountability,
transparency
By Nwabueze
OkonkwoNnewi
Governor Ifeanyi
Okowa of Delta has
described the former Peoples
Democratic Party,
PDP, Vice Presidential
candidate in the the 2019
general elections and immediate
past Governor of
Anambra State, Mr. Peter
Obi, as a reference point
in Nigeria.
In a congratulatory message
to Mr. Obi on his 60th
birthday, Okowa, said
that Obi’s tenure as governor
recorded outstanding
transformation of Anambra,
which had remained
a reference point
in the country.
Governor Okowa.’ In a
statement by his Chief
Press Secretary, Mr Olisa
Ifeajika, also commended
Obi for his outstanding
leadership and immense
contributions to the
growth and development
of the Anambra state, especially
when he bequeathed
lots of assets to
his predecessor and the
state.
Okowa’s statement read
in part, Mr Peter Obi’s
tenure as governor recorded
outstanding transformation
of Anambra, which
had remained a reference
point in the country, as he
clocked 60 on Monday,
July 19, 2021 we congratulate
the former governor
of Anambra State.
“Mr. Obi’s enviable success
as governor did not
come to many as a surprise
given his pedigree as a
consummate banker and
finance management expert.
His transformation
of Onitsha, the commercial
nerve centre of Anambra,
which hitherto was despised
by many for the
crime rate and other vices
in the city is commendable.
“Mr. Peter Obi demonstrated
immense courage
and determination to develop
Anambra State, in
spite of all the battles he
fought as governor of the
state.
“Your Excellency, your
selfless and impressive
performance as governor
of Anambra has already
distinguished you as a
great nationalist and
among the pride of our
great nation.

I don’t need your kickbacks, Buhari tells
contractors
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
PRESIDENT Muham
madu Buhari has told
contractors and businessmen
that have benefitted from government
contracts to take
whatever appreciation they
have for corporate social responsibility,
CSR, instead of
bringing kickbacks to him or
government officials.
The president also stated
that he would have liked to visit
his home town frequently but
the cost of the movement was
high.
President Buhari stated this
yesterday in Daura, Katsina
State, when he visited the Emir
of Daura, Dr Umar Faruk
Umar, at his Palace.
He told beneficiaries of government
patronage to engage
in corporate social responsibility
instead of seeking to
favour individuals with gifts.
A statement issued by the
Senior Special Assistant to
the President on Media and
Publicity, Mallam Garba
Shehu quoted the president
as saying: “I don’t want your
cheque. Go and assist our
communities” instead of trying
to return kickbacks to
public officers, including my
office.
“We don’t want cheques
from anyone or organisation
as returns or influence of any
kind. Let them remember
their Corporate Social Responsibilities.”
The president noted that he
would love to visit Daura frequently,
but for the high cost
of presidential movements
and exposing security personnel
to the weather, assuring
that his heart remained
with the people.
“We are known for farming
and I have my farm here.
I could come every two
weeks and no one would stop
*Tells them to engage in CSR
*Explains why he can’t visit Daura frequently
me. But the cost of the movement
is high. I would rather
want it to be used to better
our schools, clinics and hospitals,”
said the president.
The President said the
grace of God had kept Nigeria
together as a country in
spite of differences that led
to 30 months civil war .
“We want to thank God always
for keeping us together
as a country. From January
15, 1966, the country was
thrown into a political crisis.
We had 30 months civil
war that resulted in the loss
of about a million lives.
"We still thank God for
keeping us together.We remain
grateful to all those
who showed interest in our
unity and progress. May
God continue to bless them,”
he added.
The President, who recalled
fond memories of visiting
the Palace as a military
head of State, expressed happiness
that the warmth and
hospitality of the traditional
institution had been sustained
over the years.
In his remarks, the Emir of
Daura, thanked the president
for always creating time to
visit his hometown and the
palace despite the tight
schedule.
“Your visit to Daura reflects
your good character
which we are very proud of. I
can assure you that men,
women, children, marketers
and artisans are always
pleased to receive you and
they will be praying for you.
“Today is not for speeches
but for appreciation. We
have been blessed so much
as a community because you
are the leader of the country.
You have brought honour to
our domain.
‘’As a community, we have
benefited a lot with increased
traffic of people and
organisations coming to
help us here. We know it’s
because of you.
“May the good Lord always
go before you and behind
you, and remove all
obstacles from your path,”
he added.
The Emir said the president
must remain focused in
getting results particularly in
securing the country.
Husband, wife, mother-in-law bag 60-yr jail term
for stealing depositors’ fund
By Adeola Badru
A
former bank cashier,
Ebenezer Adeolu
Alonge alongside his wife,
Isakunle Olamide Oyinlola
and his mother-in-law,
Isakunle Eunice Moradeke
were yesterday, convicted
of conspiracy and stealing
and sentenced to sixty
years imprisonment by Justice
Adekanye Ogunmoye
of Ekiti State High Court,
Ado Ekiti.
Their offence, which was
contrary to section 390(9)
of the Criminal Code Laws
Cap 16 Laws of Ekiti
State,2012, was brought
against them by the Ibadan
Zonal office of the Economic
and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC.
Justice Ogunmoye, in his
judgement, held that the
prosecution team led by
Abdulrasheed Lanre Suleiman
proved their case beyond
reasonable doubt and
that the convicts had failed
to extricate themselves
from the proofs before the
court.
EFCC, in the course of trial,
called two witnesses and
tendered several exhibits to
prove their case.
The convicts were found
From left: Oloro of Oro Kingdom, Oba Abdulrafiu Olaniyi Ajiboye; Alhaji Raheem Adedoyin;
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; President, Newspapers' Propriators
Association of Nigeria and Chairman International Press Institute, Mallam Kabiru
Yusuf; businessman, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim; APC chieftain, Alhaji Moshood Mustapha; and
Publisher of Premium Times, Dapo Olorunyomi during a public lecture to celebrate Adedoyin's
60th birthday anniversary, in Ilorin yesterday.
guilty on all the twelve
counts charge and sentenced
to five years on each count.
The cumulative sixty years
prison terms will, however,
run concurrently.
The journey to the dock
started when the illicit activities
of Ebenezer got exposed
through a petition to
the EFCC from one of the
new generation banks alleging
that one of her staff by
name Ebenezer Adeolu
Alonge was involved in
fraudulent activities.
It was alleged that sometime
in February 2018, the
bank received a complaint
concerning the financial impropriety
of the sum of N62,
400.00 in respect of a customer’s
account.
According to the petitioner,
on February 15, 2017, a
customer lodged the said
sum into her account, but
the transaction could not be
traced in the customer’s account
even after the customer
presented a copy of the
slip signed by Alonge.
In the course of investigation,
the said transaction
was allegedly traced to
Ebenezer Alonge’s wife’s account.
Further investigation
however, revealed that there
was a turnover of over N21,
000,000.00 (Twenty One
Million Naira) as deposit
from other customers in his
wife’s account. Also, it was
alleged that other sums were
traced to his mother-inlaw’s
account, who was also
a beneficiary of the fraudulent
act.
The court further ordered
Alonge to forfeit his house,
which shall be sold and the
proceeds used to restitute the
bank.
1,866 children orphaned through clampdown on our
members – Shi’ites
By Luminous
Jannamike, Abuja
MEMBERS of the Is
lamic Movement in
Nigeria also known as
Shi’ites, yesterday, said an
estimated 1,866 children in
Nigeria were orphaned as
a result of the Federal Government’s
alleged clampdown
on their activities following
the 2015 Zaria massacre.
They also revealed that
over 200 brethren of the sect
were arrested and property
worth millions of Naira
were destroyed since then.
Briefing journalists in
Abuja, the Secretary of
IMN’s Academic Forum,
Abdullahi Muhammad
Musa, blamed the government
for the situation,
claiming that President
Muhammadu Buhari’s administration
was complicit
in an attempt by a foreign
power to suppress the Muslim
group in Nigeria.
The text read by the IMN
scribe was titled, ‘Buhari’s
silence over Riyadh’s
claims: A conclusive proof
of his guilt.’
He said, “From its ruinous
execution to date, Zaria
massacre has become the
talk of the country.
“The savage killing of
brothers and sisters of the
Islamic movement; the subsequent
incarceration of our
leader, His Eminence
Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky;
the arrest of over two
hundred brethren and the
destruction of property
owned by the Sheikh have
rendered 1,866 children orphaned.
SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 24, 2021 — 7
Suspected cultists kill
soldier in Bayelsa
By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio, Yenagoa
Suspected members of a notorious cult group, iden
tified as Icelanders, Thursday night shot dead a
soldier attached to the headquarters of the security outfit,
code named Operation Delta Safe,OPDS, located
within Igbogene axis of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.
Although reasons for the dastardly act could not be
verified, however, it was gathered that the deceased soldier,
a corporal by rank, was reportedly shot some few
meters away from the OPDS Headquarters around 2am
over an alleged undisclosed deal that went awry.
It was gathered that the deceased soldier, a corporal
by rank, was a personnel of the 16th Brigade of the
Nigerian Army, Yenagoa detailed to the OPDS Headquarters.
A security source said the deceased soldier was shot
close to the Igbogene junction axis of the Melford Okilo
Road, and could not explain where the deceased was
going to at that odd hours.
Another community source said he overheard the gunmen
making a call to the deceased to come out from
the OPDS headquarters like a familiar person to them.
“They called him on the phone and when he got close
to them, they opened fire on him and zoomed off. The
way it happened it seems they have known one another.
But we cannot explain what happened.
Ebute Kekere community
petitions IKEDC over illegal
connection to its transformer
THE Ebute Kekere community in Igando/Ikotun
LCDA of Lagos State has petitioned Ikeja Electric
Distribution Company, IKEDC and copied the Igando
Police station DPO over activities of men of the electricity
company who illegally connected a mortuary from
another community to their transformer.
The community is spoiling for war if something is not
done urgently to check these men who go about connecting
people illegally to transformers.
In a petition signed by the Chairman of the community,
Alhaji Isiak Abisoye and secretary, John Aisien, the
community stated that “the new head of engineering (Mr
Idowu) (who) was just transferred to Igando IKEDC, illegally
added a new client who is the owner of a private
mortuary to the transformer (not) minding the fact that
they (the mortuary) use heavy equipment that require
higher consumption of units”.
Stressing that the community disconnected the mortuary
“to save the life span of the transformer following
earlier assumption by IKEDC Igando that the transformer
was overloaded, Alhaji Abisoye said that the mortuary
owner boasted after men of the IKEDC reconnected
him that he was ready to fight with the community “since
the new head of engineering IKEDC Igando (Mr Idowu)
is an in-law to him”.
The community has therefore offered the IKEDC Igando
two options:“Disconnect Ebute Kekere from the grid
and allow the mortuary owner to continue using the
transformer alone or Ebute Kekere should continue with
the usage of the transformer and the mortuary owner is
reconnected to where he was before”.

8 —SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 24, 2021
2023: Rivals pushing consensus
candidate to stop Tinubu
By Emmanuel Aziken
THE proposal by the
All Progressives Congress,
APC to adopt the consensus
method in choosing
its officials and candidates
in the forthcoming 2023
elections may have been
triggered by the failure to
pull down the structures of
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
party sources have disclosed.
Tinubu, according to insiders,
has established a
supremacy among presidential
aspirants that gives
him strong prospects as a
possible candidate in a free
and fair contest. Sources
say that the main obstacle
to him, however, is his
health which is outside the
control of men.
Saturday Vanguard reports
that the Caretaker/
Extraordinary Convention
Planning Committee
(CECPC) Secretary Senator
John James Akpanudoedehe
had made the proposal
on the use of consensus as a
way of fencing off what he
described as moles from
the opposition Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP.
The proposal has, however,
been openly opposed by
pro-Tinubu tendencies especially
in Ekiti where Senator
Tola Adeniyi, chairman
of the South West Agenda
for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu 2023 (SWAGA)
raised his opposition last
Thursday.
The proposal for consensus
in choosing party officials
and candidates according
to other party
sources follows the realization
by those opposed to the
former Lagos State governor
that he, (Tinubu) cannot
be easily stopped in a
free and fair contest.
Tinubu it was gathered
has made strong inroads
into Northwest and Northeast
states with heavy delegates’
count. Sources say
that the Tinubu camp is especially
strong in Kano,
Katsina, Kebbi and Borno,
states that are known to be
rich in delegates.
As a party source said,
“The constitution of the APC
provides that serving and
former members of the National
Assembly are statutory
delegates and this
means that all former lawmakers
from 1999 are automatic
delegates.”
“You can see that Tinubu
is very strong in Kano, Katsina,
Sokoto and Borno and
these are states that have a
rich base of delegates for the
convention and most of
them are aligned towards
Tinubu,” the party source
revealed.
That is besides the Southwest
states which have been
mostly in the hands of the
opposition where former
legislators have mostly
been aligned to Tinubu’s aspiration.
The Tinubu camp is also
said to be doing well in the
South-South especially in
Akwa Ibom and Delta
States.
However, the strong challenge
he has in Akwa Ibom
is Akpanudoedehe, the secretary
of the CECPC who
was until recently famously
known to belong to his
camp. In the absence of Akpanudoedehe,
Tinubu is
said to have mobilized an
alternative organization
with a focus in reaping from
the state which has the highest
number of Local Government
Areas in the South-
South.
A leading party chieftain
in Delta State spoke in the
same direction on Friday,
saying “Delta no dey carry
last, so we are for now looking
towards him.”
However, the adoption of
the consensus method it
was gathered, could see
Tinubu being shoved aside
by powerful interests
around the presidency determined
to stop him
through influencing the
choice of party officials and
delegates that would be automatic
delegates in the
national convention.
Tragedy in Ondo again; fisherman, labourer
drown
By Dayo Johnson Akure
TRAGEDY struck again
in Ondo town, headquarters
of Ondo West
council area of Ondo state
as two persons drowned
in a river.
This is coming barely a
week after two motorcyclists
were swept away by
flood from torrential rain
in Oka area of the town.
Eyewitness identified
the two victims, a fisherman,
God’sTime James
aged 34 and a labourer,
Boluwaji Akinade, aged
35.
They reportedly
drowned at Arigba river
behind Saint Andrews
Grammar School, along
Sir Olabanji Akingbule
road, Arigbabola street,
Ondo at about 6.30am on
Thursday.
Vanguard was told that
the fisherman had gone to
the river bank to fish while
the labourer also went to
the river to pack sands.
Their lifeless bodies
were later recovered by
local divers invited by the
people in the area.
From left: Mr. Oluwadare Faseyinde, brother of deceased, Mrs. Yemi Fagbonoye
and Mr. Rotimi Aseperi, during the Commendation Service for late Mrs. Omolara
Olutoyin Omonuyigbe(nee Faseyide), wife Dr. Dele Omojuyigbe, Deputy Provost
of Nigeria Institute of Journalism(NIJ), held at Ayobo-Ipaja LCDA Cemetery, Ayobo,
Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez
Sources hinted that the
fisherman was standing
by the river bank to catch
fishes while the labourer
was equally packing sand
to sell when the unfortunate
incident occurred.
The fisherman who reportedly
started sinking
raised alarm and the labourer
who was near him
rushed to rescue him but
instead also fell into the
river and they both
drowned.
An eyewitness, Christianah
Olugbenga said:
“One of the victims was
fishing in the river and
the other one was packing
sand at the other side
of the river.
“The one fishing started
sinking into the river
and shouted for help. The
other victim rushed there
to save him. But in the
process of trying to rescue
him, he too drowned
in the river.
Five in police net for alleged
sodomy in Kano
Take action on inmates on death sentence, Aregbesola tells
govs *Alerts on prison congestion, says 50,992 inmates awaiting trials
By Shina Abubakar,
Osogbo
MINISTER of Interi
or, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola has disclosed
that custodial centres
across the country were
congested by inmates
awaiting trial, constituting
numerous challenges for
correctional services.
This is as he charged
state governors to do the
needful to inmates on
death row to reduce pressure
on custodial facilities,
making case for those with
terminal illness or old age
to be set free on compassionate
ground and commute
others to either life
imprisonment or specific
terms.
Aregbesola who spoke at
the official commissioning
of Osun State Command
Headquarters of
Correctional Office Complex
in Osogbo, said
50,992 inmates are awaiting
trials while 17, 755 are
actual convicts.
He added that the maximum
capacity of the nation’s
custodial facilities is
57,278 inmates but which
at present are housing
68,747 inmates, adding
that in a bid to decongest
the facilities, Federal
Government last year introduced
presidential
pardon and amnesty programme
for inmates,
through which 5,000 inmates
have so far been released.
The Minister added,
“One main challenge of
the correctional service,
therefore, is congestion of
the custodial facilities.
The entire national custodial
facilities have maximum
capacity for 57,278
inmates. But by the last
count earlier in the week,
there was a total population
of 68,747 inmates,
made up of 67,422 males
and 1,325 females. We
have therefore shot above
the capacity by 18 per
cent.
“But I must add that the
congestion is an urban
phenomenon limited to
big cities like Lagos,
Kano, Port Harcourt and
others. There are facilities
in non-urban areas that
are underpopulated. It is
By Bashir Bello, KANO
NO fewer than five men have been arrested by the Police in
connection with alleged sodomizing of a 20-year-old
boy in Kano State. Nemesis caught up with the men when the
victim’s nephew lodged complaint to the police and which led to
their arrest.
Confirming the development, the spokesman of Kano State
Police Command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna said the victim complained
of stomach pain and upon interrogation revealed that
the men had at different times and locations had anal sex with
him. DSP Haruna said, “At about 1700 hours on 15th July,
2021, a complaint was received from a woman in Mandawari
quarters, Gwale LGA, Kano state that her nephew, one Tajuddeen
Hashim, 20 years old of the same address complained of
stomach pain.
“Upon interrogation, he (Hashim) stated that the following
five persons: Ahmed Inuwa, 34; Nasiru Isyaku Mohammed, 48;
Lawal Uba, 31; Auwalu Uba, 40; and Rabi’u Sharu, 33, deceived
and lured him to various places and had anal sex with him on
several occasions, as a result, he sustained serious stomach pain.
“On receipt of the report, the victim was rushed to Muhammad
Abdullahi Wase hospital, Kano where he was treated and discharged
after which the culprits were arrested.
“On preliminary investigation, all the suspects confessed to
the offence."
“Discreet investigation is in progress and all suspects will be
charged to court upon completion of the investigation,” the Police
Public Relations Officer, DSP Haruna however said.
Nigeria’s future lies on
synchronization of democracy,
technocracy — Edevbie
By Emma Amaize
PEOPLES Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspira
n t
in Delta State, Olorogun David Edevbie, has said the
nation’s development does not lie on a shift from democracy in
the conventional sense to technocracy, but in the manner that
democracy and technocracy were synchronized into a symbiotic
relationship. He, therefore, challenged Nigerians, particularly
Deltans, to be sensible about their choice of leaders ahead the
2023 elections. Edevibe, former Chief of Staff, Government House,
Asaba, gave the charge in his lecture at the 2021 Annual Public
Service Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association,
UIAA, Asaba Chapter.
The state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by the
Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Mrs. Kate Onianwa,
stressed the importance of technocrats in the realization of democratic
dividends. The governorship aspirant, who spoke on
“2023: The Role of Technocrats in Government,” said: “In
the last two decades of civilian governance in Nigeria, I have
seen the perspectives that some of us with private sector
corporate orientation brought to policy debates with our ‘core
politician’ colleagues with eyes constantly on whether a policy
would lead to the next electoral victory.”
“ In the circumstances, some policy options with long term
benefits to society are sacrificed for those with short term
credits, even if less beneficial in the long run. I also have firsthand
experience of some of the hindrances experienced by
technocrats, which include, insincerity or lack of political
will, poor perception as enforcers of bitter economic pills,
rough political terrain, mutual distrust between politicians
and technocrats, illogical political considerations, political
party intrigues, and the most debilitating of all, tribalism,” he
said.
Posing a question, have technocrats impacted Nigeria positively?
He asserted: “I would argue that they have, but not to
the extent they should or could have for the simple reason that
they have not taken the driver’s seat as president or governors
in appreciable numbers. In general, what technocrats have
done from 1999 to date is help to design or formulate policies
that are poorly implemented or even abandoned. Hence expectations
are ruptured by disappointments.”
“As a fledgling democracy, our system can benefit greatly by
a weighted consideration in favour of technical capacity in the
election of leaders like president and governors to enable them
in the urban areas that
most of the crimes are
committed and relevant
courts are located, leading
to the overstretching of the
facilities located in such
cities.
“It should also be noted
that 50,992 inmates, representing
74 per cent of
the total population of inmates
in our custodial
centres are awaiting trial
inmates while only 17,755
inmates which is mere 26
per cent are actual convicts”.
He added that the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led
administration is
making serious effort at
addressing the infrastructure
deficit through provision
of facilities and policy.
to integrate the dictates of political
aspirations of the people
with the realism of technical
requirements for optimal
realization of the aspirations
of the people,” he said.
Earlier, UIAA Asaba Chapter
Chairperson, Dr. Felicia
Adun, said the annual lecture
series which has spanned
over two decades was an initiative
aimed at building an
association committed to best
practices and robust articulation
of ideas to move the state
and the country to enviable
heights.
The lecture attracted personalities
such as former Head
of Service and Secretary to
defunct Bendel state government,
Chief Patrick Onyeobi,
former Commissioner for
Economic Planning, Chief
Clement Ofuani; former Vice
Chancellor of the University
of Benin, Prof Emmanuel
Nwanze; Bishop of Asaba
Anglican Diocese, Rev Justus
Mogekwu , among other dignitaries.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—9
Two attacks in two
nights decimate
Kataf villages
By Ifriam Koyan,
who was in Gora
SHRILLS of their frightened voices mixed
with the deadliness of the crackle of their
burning abodes were drowned by the
booming guns that ended their lives well
before the ashes of their houses ran cold. The
head count at dawn recorded nine people dead,
burnt beyond recognition, others fled to the
forests, some may never return.
The July 8 attack on Warkan, Gora District
of Zango-Kataf Local Government Area,
southern parts of Kaduna State, is one in a
series of attacks that have visited the area in
the past few months. Zango-Kataf strolled into
international memory 29 years ago when the
military government of the day jailed one of
its most prominent sons, Maj-Gen Zamani
Lekwot over attacks in the area, in which the
indigenes appeared to have had an upper hand
over their Fulani herdsmen opponents.
Nothing has been resolved in those years.
Countless attacks, government statements
that conceal the fact that government could
be overwhelmed, and a growing
inattentiveness that spins theories of
government bias, have spiked the incidents.
The death toll - Yohanna Atung, Ifraim
Ibrahim, Safiratu Ifraim, Enuch Habila (men)
and the women were Zipora Ifraim, Zisan
Ifraim, Nasara Ifraim, Janet Dauda, and Shitu
Yohanna. The Ifraim family lost four members
in the attack. Except for Mrs. Yohanna who
died from bullet injuries the other eight were
burnt beyond recognition, according to a
Kataf resident who asked not to be named
because of security concerns.
Thirteen houses were burnt down including
that of the Village Head Mr. Habila, who also
lost a relation, Enuch. The victims were buried
the next day.
Apart from Maj-Gen Lekwot, prominent
Kataf people include Bala Achi, historian,
writer, lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University;
Katung Aduwak, filmmaker, winner of Big
Brother Nigeria 2006; Rachel Bakam,
entertainer, TV presenter, Maj-Gen Ishaya
Bakut, former military Governor of Benue
State, former ECOMOG Commander;
Senator Isaiah Balat, entrepreneur, politician;
Lt-Col Musa Bityong, killed in the 1990
Gideon Orkar coup, Bishop Matthew Hassan
Kukah, Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese;
Kyuka Lilymjok, lawyer, writer, academic; Air
Vice Marshal Ishaya Aboi Shekari, former
military Governor of Kano State; Maj-Gen
Yohanna Madaki, former military Governor
of Gongola State; Andrew Yakubu, former
Group Managing Director of NNPC, and
Bishop Paul Samuel Zamani, Anglican Bishop
of Kwoi, one of the dioceses in Abuja.
“What are they supposed to do?,” one Kataf
chief asked when reminded
of the prominent people
from the area. “Are they
government? Many of them
have done their part, but the
killings persist.”
On 11 July another four
were killed and scores
injured and their houses
burnt as well as stealing their
cattle which the poor people
use for farming, a Kataf
indigene said.
“Our people need to be
protected,” he said
Reports were sent to the Kaduna State
Government on the incident.
“The latest now is that the whole of our land,
Katafland, has been evaded by Fulani in total
war, killing, burning homes and churches
including the personal home of our Paramount
Chief in Magamiya, his home town. These
also include houses of all his relations.
“Everyone is running into the bushes for
cover. People are in hiding places. That’s the
sad development,” another source reported
by phone on Tuesday, 13
July. The long drawn
disputes between the
indigenes and the Fulani
have gone through many
fruitless efforts at resolving
them. The dispute centres in
grazing land, water, and
destruction of farm lands.
A major complaint of the
Fulani herdsmen is that the
indigenes rustle their cattle.
Matters have gone beyond
that point. There are attacks
even when there are no clear
issues. During those attacks
in addition to the killings
and destruction, cattle on
the Kataf side are also
rustled.
“The killing of our people
has been on for years from
one town to the other. These
persistent attacks made our
Paramount Chief to
constitute a peace and
security committee
comprising Hausa, Fulani
and Atyap as well as other
tribes resident in Atyapland
to find a lasting solution leading to peaceful
coexistence,” an Atyap (Kataf) elder
narrated.
He said the committee was inaugurated 22
August 2020. “The committee is supported by
other agencies known for mediation,
negotiation and reconciliation for peace, but
it is sad to say that the attacks have been
ongoing. Sad as it may be, the Atyap youths
have been frustrated by these events. They try
to defend their communities but always fall to
the superior firing power of the attackers. The
question is where do these people acquire such
Nothing has been
resolved in those
years. Countless
attacks, government
statements that
conceal the fact that
government could be
overwhelmed, and a
growing
inattentiveness that
spins theories of
government bias, have
spiked the incidents
sophisticated arms?
“Several attempts have been made by the
peace committee to resolve the problems.
However, it appears there are merchants of
war from both sides who are benefitting from
the day to day uprising and are fuelling the
problems. This is our suspicion,” the elder
said.
Villagers helplessly suffer from one attack
after the other unprotected. In most cases such
help comes only after the attackers have left.
The security appears overwhelmed.
The attackers are daring. The Sector
Commander and entourage came under
attack at a town near Jankasa in Ungwar
Gaya District on Tuesday, said a security source
who revealed that the entourage’s vehicle was
damaged.
When the attackers came to Ungwar Ezekiel
of Gora District on the night of 11 July, they
killed Hauwa Daniel, David Daniel, Shadrach
Daniel, Isaac Daniel, all members of the same
family, and Naomi Wasika. They injured Rani
Wasika, Jummai Wasika, and Shafatiya
Daniel who were hospitalised.
The houses of Manasseh Garba, Emmanuel
Simon, Joshua Maisamari,
seven of whose cattle were
rustled, Atura Iliya, Sunday
Usman, Ishaya Inusa, Ezekiel
Magaji were burnt.
The Southern Kaduna
Peoples Union, SOKAPU, in
a statement by its spokesman,
Luka Binyat said the attacks
ran for seven days on Atyap
community with the death
toll, number of churches and
homes burnt rising. “They
took their time, looted the
village and loaded their
bounty into the five Hilux vans
they were driving in and burnt
down all the 19 houses in the
small village.” He listed more
places where the attacks
resulted in deaths.
Alhaji Haruna Usman
Tugga, in a statement for
Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders
Association of Nigeria,
MACBAN, said “We are all
aware, violent conflicts have
been ongoing in many of the
villages in Atyap Chiefdom of
Zangon Kataf Local
Government. Based on the information
available to our association, what triggered
the present round of disturbances emanated
from the attack on a family by unknown
bandits in Gora Gan village in the chiefdom
on 7th July 2021.”
He continued, “What is most needed at this
stage from SOKAPU and all other stakeholders
is partnership and cooperation that will lead
to durable peace and social harmony”.
Kataf people are waiting for the government
to resolve these matters, and hoping there
would be no further attacks.

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
N’DELTA TO BUHARI:
Don’t sign PIB,
return it to NASS
for amendment
•Militants return to creeks, await further directives
•Stakeholders disappointed NASS disregarded plight of oil communities
•Recall or vote out lawmakers who didn’t fight against passage of bill
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Sam Oyadongha,
Jimitota Onoyume, Festus Ahon, Egufe Yafugborhi, Emma Una, Harris
Emanuel, Chioma Onuegbu and Ozioruva Aliu
LEADERS, activists and other stakeholders in the coastal states of Niger-Delta have entreated
President Muhammadu Buhari not to sign into law the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, recently
passed by the National Assembly, but send it back to the lawmakers for modification in the
inclusive interest of the country.
Many of them expressed disenchantment that the policymakers subjugated national interest
in passing the bill. While some demanded recall of Niger-Delta lawmakers for their shoddy
performance, others argued they were outnumbered by their northern colleagues, who presented
a common front.
Meanwhile, commanders of the Niger-Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, a militant
group, have returned to the creeks, following the directive, Thursday, by their leaders on the
next line of action.
There have also been clandestine meetings by former militant leaders and other
groups in the oil-rich region, in the last few days, on how to tackle the provocation
and insult that was the PIB.
Don’t sign PIB —A’Ibom leaders
Informed leaders and constituents in Akwa Ibom, who
spoke to Saturday Vanguard, warned the
nation’s crisis would worsen
if President Buhari gives
assent to the bill.
One of them, an elder and
member Board of Trustees,
BoT, Eket Integrity Forum,
Chief Usoro. I. Usoro,
stated: ”Clearly if you ask
individuals, groups in the
Niger Delta, they will tell you
that we are not happy about
what happened. We totally
reject the PIB as passed and we
ask the president not to assent
to it because it will lead to more
problems in Nigeria. It will go
to buttress what is said about
the northerners not regarding
other people’s opinion.”
”It will lead to more issue of
injustice because injustice is the
bane of what we are suffering in
Nigeria today. It was injustice that
led to the militants taking up arms
to break pipelines and all that. So
we reject it and we advise that in
the interest of justice, the president
should not sign that bill because it
will lead to more crisis in Nigeria.
“If at the end of the day you dig
oil from my backyard and you use
the money to go and develop the
North, and now you pretend that you
want to make things better for us, to
compensate us and you are giving us
paltry 3 percent, but you approved
about 30 per cent for frontier basin
which is for the Northerners, who is
benefiting and who is losing? He
queried.
Recall collaborator —senators
On poor representation by Niger Delta
lawmakers, Usoro said: “The problem they
actually had was this so -called issue of
•Dr. Amen
Oyakhire, ex-
MILAD
•Barrister
Iniruo Wills
•Dr. Akpo
Mudiaga-Odje
•Senator
Aniete Okon
number.
The northerners and the
APC Senators were more so they carried the
day. Unfortunately some of our southerners
who are also members of APC that did not
want to be seen as voting in favour of the North,
were absent.
“So if it can be proven that some of them did
not support the interest of Niger Delta,
they should be recalled; if there is any
Senator from the Niger Delta (He or
She) whether APC or PDP member who
did not support the interest of the Niger
Delta, he or she should be recalled.
Since they were sent there to represent
the people, and they failed to do that,
there is no need for them to stay there”,
Usoro asserted.
Take a second look at
PIB – Mene, Delta APC
leader
Organizing Secretary, All
Progressives Congress, APC, Delta
state, Mr. Sunny Mene, asserted:
“My advice to Mr. President is that
signing without considering the
feelings and sensitivity of the people
that bear the brunt of oil exploration may
not go well with many. It might lead to further
agitation. “
“The President should take a second look at
the issue very well. The bill can be returned to
the National Assembly for another look.”
In his view, “Our lawmakers protested when
they were not satisfied with the way things
were going. I watched the proceedings like
many others but they were numerically
outnumbered. We were overwhelmed. “.
N’Delta govs, ministers
should meet Buhari
—Hon Eyiboh
However, a former member of the House of
Representatives, Hon Eseme Eyiboh, said the
blame should not go only to the National
Assembly members, but also to state governors
of the Niger Delta for their failure to
constructively engage their northern
colleagues.
”Whether the PIB is taking care of our
problem or not, what we are experiencing is
the outcome of poor leadership recruitment
process. When the bill went to committees,
after the committees, and then came to clause
by clause consideration, how many Niger-
Delta lawmakers participated in the process
deeply, engaging colleagues from northern
parts of the country?
“Also, how many of the Niger Delta governors
took particular interest in the PIB by engaging
their Northern colleagues, party
counterparts?
w e
•President Muhammadu Buhari
“So it is not all about the
National Assembly
members, it is also about
constructive
engagement. We must
learn how to grow the
kind of leadership that
want as a people”,
Eyiboh said
On way forward, Eyiboh
suggested that key
stakeholders of the
region, particularly state
governors and ministers,
could still engage
constructively with Mr.
President to look at those
issue very well and not to
sign the bill, stressing that
the PIB is within the
province of a national
power grid that could only
be treated with constructive
engagement.
He cautioned: “I will not
say we should resort to selfhelp.
Every Law has its own
time. Even if the PIB is passed
by National Assembly, that is
not the final stage, the president
can still look at it before given
his assent.”
“It will be wrong to say they
(Niger -Delta NASS
members) did not do
well. They did
well within
t h e i r
capacity,
they all have
t h e i r
individual
capacity and
some of them
brought
t h e i r
individual
capacity to
bear. But
s u c h
capacity
were not
strong
enough to
navigate
t h a t
corridor,” he
said.
3% too small- Oyakhire, ex-
MILAD
Former governor of Oyo and Taraba states
during the military reign of late General Sani
Abacha, Dr. Amen Oyakhire, who criticized
the role of lawmakers from the South-South
over the proposed allocation of three per cent
to host communities in PIB, called for a review
of the provision to at least five per cent.
Oyakhire, a retired police officer
asserted: ”Is Nigeria not our country? Any
pain to one of us is pain to all of us. If there is
a problem in the Niger Delta because of oil
spillage, should all of us not be concerned
about it so that we can fix it or find a solution
in the overall interest of this country? If people
in the Niger Delta are making sacrifices
because of pollution, is it natural? “Should
my brother in Sokoto, the one in Makurdi,
Bauchi and Yola not be concerned and show
interest and say let us find a solution because
what is happening in Niger Delta can also
happen in Sokoto tomorrow, it can happen in
Maiduguri tomorrow?
”To me, even five per cent is small but five
per cent would have been more reasonable. I
will suggest that we take it from there; I support
five per cent which is reasonable but if the
continues on page 11

Militants return to creeks, await further directives
Continues from page 10
problem continues, we can resolve that in
future. Three per cent is too minimal
considering the enormity of destruction over
the years.”
On the appalling performance of
lawmakers from the region, he said “In
partisan politics, lobbying is important, it is
an effective weapon and in situations like this,
those who represent us should be seen to be
more active in lobbying others for the interest
of the people they represent. It should not be
left in a manner that voting will rob us of the
benefit that we are supposed to get from the
bill.”
“The bill is expected to become a law and a
law is to be operated for the benefit of the
citizens. A law is not just made for punishment;
a law enhances the dignity of people. Those
representing us must be seen to be talking to
their colleagues for any project or issues that
they want for their people because what
happens to the nose happens to the face. They
did not lobby enough and lobbying is an
effective weapon in a democracy. They could
have done better than what they did,” he said.
30% exposes NASS
deception- Wills, Ijaw leader
President, Ijaw Professional Association
(Homeland Chapter) said one of the leaders
of Embasara Foundation, an Ijaw think tank,
Barrister Iniruo Wills, told Saturday
Vanguard: ”The first point on the PIB is that
the National Assembly did not give primacy
of place to Nigeria’s national interest. There
are many pointers to this. Time will bear it
out fully, but one illustration is how the
provision reserving 30 % of NNPC’s profits to
frontier exploration rubbishes the pretense
that the PIB seeks to position NNPC for
commercial competitiveness.”
“That clause is classical command and
renter economics if not worse. Our statute
books are replete with such poorly framed
and anti-Nigerian laws, which is no surprise
because Nigeria possibly has the most
unpatriotic elite in the world.
“As for the Niger Delta, NASS and the
Nigerian ruling class has used the PIB to tell
the region to go to hell. The passed bill sets the
stage for intensifying the colonization of our
communities on multiple levels, including by
the oil corporations, foreign or indigenous,
with Niger Delta NASS members as willing
tools. It’s a return to the 19th Century British
Royal Niger Company’s creeping
colonization of kingdoms in our coastal
region, but now under PIB as the charter and
Nigerian State as grantor of the charter.
Esau generation of lawmakers
“The mentality that will describe oil
companies as “settlors “ in host communities,
simply another word for settlers, and
empowers companies to constitute
management teams for the communities tells
you the whole story. This is either daft or
callous. It is not mere semantics. “Again, this
crop of Niger Delta legislators in NASS proved
themselves yet again as an Esau generation,
ever ready to sell our collective birth rights for
a mess of pottage and still having the nerve to
ask us to celebrate the crumbs. It is a new
grade of shamelessness. The authentic
leadership of the region needs to take its destiny
into its own hands, which may be daunting
By Vincent Ujumadu
FACTS have emerged of how
several ladies, including
workers and students
residing in parts of Anambra State
headed to Oba to be part of the
unique celebration of the burial
of the mother of Obi Iyiegbu
popularly known as Cubana.
Though Cubana was very
popular and belonged to the top
bracket of the Nigerian elite, what
happened during the burial of his
mother last week had further
placed him at a higher pedestal.
Forty eight hours before the
event, the social media was awash with
the caliber of Nigerians being expected and
this attracted the attention of ladies in many
walks of life who headed to the sleepy town of
Oba that suddenly became famous.
The absence of the ladies in Awka was very
noticeable. The popular Abakaliki street that
is usually swarmed with women at weekends,
was virtually empty. As those who traveled to
Oba posted pictures of the happenings there,
many others headed in that direction.
Even the matriculation ceremony at
Nnamdi Azikiwe University the same day did
not witness the usual crowd as people focused
more attention at Oba where they became
part of the beneficiaries of the naira rain for
two days.
Nigerian celebrities like Davido, Phyno,
DBanj, Kanayo O Kanayo, Zubby Michael,
but is still very possible through lawful
processes,” he said.
Recall or vote them out – Gbemre, activist
Coordinator, Niger Delta Peace Coalition,
Zik Gbemre, who felt betrayed, said: ”It is
another confirmation that South- South
senators, lawmakers as a whole went to
legislate for selves and not for the common
good of the region. You realized that when it
came to issue of electronic transmission of
results, which directly affects their political
career, many had a walkout when they
realized non electronic transmission of
election results would be imposed on them. In
the lower house, it was rowdy as those in
favour of electronic transmission battled those
against it.”
“My worry is why did South- South senators
not engage in walkout when they realized an
unsatisfactory 3 per cent equity stakes for oil
communities and that an inciting 30 per cent
for frontier basin development would be
forced on them? We never heard of walkout,
heated protest or fighting. If it were for their
pockets they would have gone to any length to
express their displeasure.
“No one can advocate unlawful revolt
against the betrayer South- South lawmakers
over the unfavorable outcome of the PIB, the
reward for poor representation is rejection.
And the key lawful mode of rejection opened
to the South- South people is to recall the
betrayers or wait to vote
them out in 2023,” he
opined.
Gbemre, however,
added: “But we also know
that we have an electorate
that is too gullible to take
recall or vote out the
selfish lawmakers. At the
end of the day, they will
roll out money and buy
the gullible electorate
over in Nigerian elections
where incumbency or
highest bidder mentally
prevails against merit
and competence.”
Vote out failed
lawmakers
—Effiong, lawyer
Human rights activist
and constitution lawyer,
Barrister Inibehe Effiong,
accused leaders and
lawmakers from the
region of not having the
people’s interests at heart,
and urged the electorate
to vote them out in 2023.
He submitted: “Niger
Delta is in a precarious
state today largely due to
the irresponsibility, corruption and lack of
political foresight by leaders of the region.
Most leaders of the region are preoccupied
with self-aggrandizement, narrow-minded
interests and greed. They do not care about
the sufferings of their people and the
degradation of the environment in the region.”
“This is why the PIB was passed in the current
form without adequate provisions for the
region. People like some Ministers from the
region are only interested in themselves and
their families. That is why one of them could
among others were
present at the event and
most of the girls that
rushed to Oba without
invitation were said to
have targeted them and
other businessmen who
joined in painting the
town red with a lot of
money.
Also, some Anambra
politicians who have
secured the tickets of
their political parties for
the November 6 election were also at Oba,
apparently to market themselves and solicit
the assistance of many Anambra big boys who
were there in their hundreds.
The bill is expected
to become a law and
a law is to be
operated for the
benefit of the
citizens. A law is not
just made for
punishment; a law
enhances the dignity
of people
shamelessly declare that the PIB should be
passed, irrespective of the percentage of funds
allocated to host communities.
“I participated in the shambolic and makebelieve
public hearing in the House of
Representatives on the PIB. I observed during
the hearing that vested interests and disunity
on the part of the leaders of the region would
undermine the aspirations of Niger- Deltans.
“It is a shame that governors and
lawmakers from the region did not put up a
good fight for the region in the passage of the
PIB. I am hoping that the electorate in the
Niger Delta will punish these parasitic and
self-centered leaders by voting them out in
2023.”
Remove tyrannical provisions
—Mudiaga-Odje, lawyer
A front line human rights activist and lawyer,
Dr, Akpor Mudiaga-Odje,
stated: ”Absolutely, it is axiomatic the
National Assembly, specifically, the Senate,
did not consider at all the people, interest and
environment of the Niger Delta. They rather
further impoverished us by this obnoxious bill,
which pungently seeks to exterminate the
people and the region.”
“The vested interest from the northern block
and its oligarchy obfuscated the tiny voices of
our representatives. The north got 30 per cent
exploration frontiers; it is for them, not us,
exploration for the now is
more in the North than
south.
“The definition section is
so amorphous and wide
enough to include all
northern states as
becoming oil producing
communities; it is simply
despicable. Our people
must first unite for this one.
It is a bill planned to
become a law that will
regulate the spending of
the regions wealth.
“So we all need to be
proactive now or suffer
terribly for our inertia and
lethargy; total and
comprehensive
constitutional resistance
and picketing oil majors
and frustrating
oil exploitation in our
region. They should not
operate until these
despotic provisions are
expunged from the bill.
Regarding the dismal
performance of the
legislators, he said: “As for
our lawmakers, it is good
the electorate has openly
seen their performance on
this one. If we had a credible electoral process,
I think their people would have responded
adequately on this.”
“However, our electoral process is
fraudulent in nearly all spheres resulting in
unelected persons turning out to be the elected
or selected ones! Our people should demand
explanations from them as we beseech them
to expressly undertake to join our process to
undo this legislative bombardment of the
people and their resources of the Niger Delta,”
he intoned.
One unique thing at Oba was that all the
money sprayed by Cunana’s friends at the
ceremony were mint and people wondered
how they managed to get such large amount
from the banks.
Former spokesman to former President
Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Reuben Abati ,
speaking on
what Nigerians
did at Oba
said: ”Nigerian
banks will
hardly give you
a new naira
note when you
ask for it, but
they prefer to
give out rough
money to their
customers. If
you take a good
look at the naira
notes that were
sprayed at Obi
Cubana’s
mother’s burial
ceremony, you
will discover
that all the naira
notes are mint.
“That is to say,
there is more
circulation of
the naira notes at Oba, Anambra State over
the weekend than in the entire Nigeria
banking system”.
SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—11
Onuesoke insists on
amendment
Also, erstwhile governorship aspirant in
Delta, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, said: “I have
said it before that the recently passed PIB is a
rape on the people of Niger Delta, therefore,
not acceptable till all outstanding issues are
rectified by the joint session of the National
Assembly before it is sent to the President for
assent.
He maintained: “The Niger Delta people
must come together in one voice to reject the
bill and demand for its fair share because no
amount of compensation can atone for the
years of irreparable damages done to the
people of Niger Delta who are faced with the
sorry state of environmental degradation and
pollution brought about by activities of oil
exploration”.
His words: “Lawmakers from the Niger
Delta did their best in terms of inputs and
standing by the people of the region. You
know, at the end of the day resolutions are
brought before the entire floor for a final vote
and in most cases it could be that the numbers
did work in their favour and maybe betrayal
from other lawmakers may also serve as a
barrier to their demand. Sometimes issues like
this boils down to the game of number and
that is most unfortunate.”
Our lawmakers failed, recall them –
Nwauju, NDRA
Spokesman, Niger Delta Rights Advocate,
Darlington Nwauju, who spoke in Port
Harcourt, Rivers state, said: “I think the southsouth
caucus did a very poor job in coming
out with a united front and lobbying their
colleagues from other zones. The parliament
is a game of numbers. With serious
consultations within and without both
chambers of the NASS, I think favorable
results would have been achieved, especially
with regards to the 3 per cent versus 5 per cent
debate.
“The region in very many spheres is
balkanized in terms of pursuit of regional
interest. I think the Niger Delta would have to
wait for the 10th Assembly and elect very
patriotic sons and daughters who would do
what the likes of Senator Melford Okilo did
to liaise with other regions to get greater goods
for the region.
For him, those the lawmakers failed by their
actions and have conducted a referendum on
themselves, so the constituents should
consciously avoid re-electing failures.
Cheap blackmail, says Senator
Okon, A’Ibom leader
Nonetheless, Spokesman, Akwa Ibom
Leaders Vanguard, Senator Anietie Okon rose
stoutly in defense of Niger Delta legislators,
describing as cheap blackmail and
unacceptable insinuations in high quarters
that their palms may have been greased.
Okon said: “The bribery allegation is a
vicious statement made by the detractors of
our representation in the place. So, to come
today and accuse our lawmakers of accepting
bribe is cheap and not acceptable. It is a cheap
blackmail.
“This is why we are calling for the
restructuring of the country. Why should the
north who are physically and in reality is less
populated than the South have greater
representation? Have you thought about that?
“The only thing is that they did not want to
make it rowdy. But I wish I was there, I would
have preferred the option of rowdiness instead
of carrying on a dignified silence. So, it is
beyond them. It is even beyond the National
Assembly because these are grassroots
matters,” he added.
Continues on www.vanguardngr.com
Cubana’s mother’s burial: When ladies abandoned businesses, schools for Oba
Those close to the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka graduate said Obi Cubana is not cut
out for politics and may not even be interested
in sponsoring anybody to vie for political
office.
“He is more interested in empowering his
people to go into lucrative business and
become millionaires so as to give them the
opportunity of helping others. Most of the
people who made large donations during the
burial ceremony of his mother were people
who benefited from his generosity and large
heart,” a close associate of Cubana said in
Awka.
The Oba celebration was not without some
exaggerations and social media operators
were just coining things to mystify Obi Cubana.
For instance, there was this story in the social
media that 67 private jets landed in Anambra
State on the day of the burial, which was not
true, as most of the people who came by air
used the Enugu and Asaba airports for the
trip.
There was also the report in some quarters
that the Anambra State police command
invited Obi Cubana after the burial for
questioning on some of the things that
happened during the ceremony, including the
manner some of his friends handled the
Nigerian naira.
But a source at the police command said
the celebrity merely visited the Commissioner
of Police to thank him for providing adequate
security at Oba and in other parts of Anambra
State throughout the period of the burial
ceremony.

12—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24 , 2021
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor,
South-South, Sam Oyadongha,
Jimitota Onoyume, Festus Ahon,
Egufe Yafugborhi, Emma Una, Harris
Emanuel, Chioma Onuegbu , Emem
Idio and Ozioruva Aliu
Some Residents of South-South region
have said that their Senators who voted
against electronic transmission of results
by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, do not deserve to
represent them anymore in the Senate and
should vacate the Red Chamber.
Citizens, who spoke with Saturday
Vanguard, weekend, said the group of
lawmakers were not on the side of the people
and they have no reason tolerating them.
Former governor of Oyo and Taraba states
during the military reign of late General Sani
Abacha, Dr. Amen Oyakhire, said: “In a
democracy, there is time for election and when
that time comes, you consider them and throw
them out of the place because they are
supposed to act in the interest of the people
they represent, so if we see them not
representing our interest, in another election,
we vote them away. That is the way to behave
in a democracy.”
President, Ijaw Professionals Association
(Homeland Chapter), Barrister Iniruo Wills,
screamed: “On the stone-age vote against
electronic transmission of results, one wonders
if it is a confession by most NASS members
that they were not duly voted for. If not for the
abysmal awareness amongst the electorate,
the recall of some of them should have been
initiated. But the political class has
so weaponized mass poverty and apathy that
I would not hold my breath.”
Lawmakers‘re demigods
—Akene, ex-commissioner
Former Commissioner for Lands and
Survey in Bayelsa and Chairman, Board of
Trustees, BOT, Centre for Environmental
Preservation and Development, CEPAD,
Surveyor Furoebi Akene, said: “Poor
representation by Niger Delta legislators both
at the state and national is not new. Most of
them operate as demigods. They do not
communicate with their people to seek their
input in anything, even those who indicated
willingness to lend their expertise are always
rebuffed. They do not take calls neither do
they respond to text messages. They are there
for themselves and their families; no thanks
to our corrupt and incredible electoral system
and godfatherism”
“The people cannot do anything except if
there is a credible electoral system, then, they
should be voted out and vote in credible
people,” he added.
E-transmission will expose north
—Alhaji Unagha, APC chieftain
An outspoken All Progressives Congress,
APC, stalwart in Delta state, Alhaji Mumakai
Unagha, said: “A section of the country has
choked and still choking the country,
disallowing its development with their Britishimposed
population. It is very ridiculous that
they see any developmental plan as against
them. We are still fooling ourselves in pretence
that Nigeria is united. There is a very strong
wide gap between the various components in
the country between the South and the North
which cannot be re-mediated.”
“The recent display in the National Assembly
on the electronic-transmission of votes is
evident, that we are only pretending. They are
vehemently against electronic-transmission of
votes because at the end, it will expose the
population they are claiming to have. Yes, there
are insecurity and mobile services disrupted,
there is nowhere in the country where there is
no communication or internet connection.
”What happened in the National Assembly,
both in the upper and lower chambers, on the
electronics transmission of votes is an
indication that some person are not democrats,
they are just playing to the gallery or to
instruction of their pay masters that are always
arm-twisting the country to their whims and
caprices. Some of our senators from the South-
South go cap in hand begging favour from
their Northern counterparts. The northern
agenda thereby overwhelmed them making
them irrelevant.
“They made themselves second- hand
senators reducing their pride to nothing
because they may seek re-election or lobby
for juicy positions in the future because of their
selfish interest. Both the petroleum industry
bill and e-transmission of votes which they
voted against, is an agenda of the north.
Traitors
“They do not want its realization because
they consider it a threat which representatives’
members keyed into in disguise of party
interest. While the average northern senators
and representatives stick to true
representation, the ones in the south seems
gallivanting carrying the brief cases of their
Co- Northern Counterparts.
Ovie Omo-Agege Christopher Ekpeyong Bassey Akpan
Barry Mpigi Aniete Okon Dr. Amen Oyakhire, ex-MILAD
Dr. Akpo Mudiaga-Odje Barrister Iniruo Wills Alhaji Mumakai Unagha
We’ll vote out S’South
senators who voted
against e-transmission
—Constituents
•Senator Omo-Agege defends position
•Senator Ekpeyong, others stand tall
“They have forgotten that they will render
account of services to their people. In any case,
we are waiting for them, is obvious that we do
not have confidence in them any longer. They
have betrayed the Niger Delta and the South-
South in particular. We the
people of the Niger Delta
cannot trust or rely on these
self-representatives and
senators any longer.
NASS should put
e-transmission in the
law- Gbemre
Activist, Zik Gbemre, took
senators who voted against e-
transmission to the cleaners,
saying: ”It is not a question
of what people should be done
about senators who denied
the nation a veritable room
for credible elections, which
is electronic transmission of
results.”
”It is a matter of public
rejection of the NASS
imposition. People should
come and speak about mass
rejection of the Senate
position. If they are elected to
represent the people, they must not work
against the people. The majority of Nigerians
of voting age want electronic transmission.
What the majority wants is what NASS should
put in the law”.
Omo-Agege explains stand
Many of the senators from the South-South
declined to explain their anti-people position,
but Deputy Senate President, DSP, Ovie Omo-
Agege, representing Delta Central senatorial
district, strenuously tried to rationalize his
It is very
ridiculous that
they see any
developmental
plan as against
them. We are still
fooling ourselves
in pretence that
Nigeria is united
position.
His media aide, Efe Duku, in a statement,
said: “The distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-
Agege did not vote against E-Transmission of
election results. Rather, the Deputy President
of the Senate wisely and
courageously voted for an
amendment to Clause
52(3) of the Bill (on E-
Transmission) to guarantee
E-Transmission of all
election results and
uniform application of E-
Transmission everywhere
in the country, not just some
parts of it.”
The statement read in
part: “In simple terms, the
Obarisi of Urhoboland
voted to support an
amendment that ensures,
for example, that INEC
does not transmit only
election results in Urhobo
electronically while other
areas may have their results
transmitted otherwise and
safely. For him, all election
results must be treated
equally under a uniformly
applied standard.
“Indeed, Senator Omo-
Agege as an erudite lawyer knows that it is
unconstitutional for the National Assembly
to enact an Electoral Act that is inherently
discriminatory in its design and intended
application. For him, to pass the test of
constitutional validity, the law must apply
uniformly to all electoral domains in the
country, otherwise such a law could be easily
struck down by a court if taken for judicial
reviews by those who may be negatively
impacted.
Jalingo tears Senator Odey apart
Senator Stephen Odey, representing
Northern senatorial district in Cross River
state, who also voted against against
electronic transmission of election results was
not spared by one of his constituents, Agba
Jalingo,
Jalingo, obviously angry with his senator,
asked: “How did Stephen Odey arrive at his
nay vote? When did he do the sampling or
consultation or engagement to arrive at the
nay vote? Was his nay vote for himself and his
benefactor or was it for our senatorial
district? Can Stephen Odey say in all honesty
that his nay vote is a reflection of the wish of
majority of the people of Cross River North, in
relation to having more transparent elections
in the future? Can he explain what benefit or
impact his nay vote will have on the electoral
process and fortunes of Cross River North? Or
is it a case of godfather predation and
electorate vulnerability?
“Stephen Odey has his name in the dishonor
list as we will not forget the role he played at
this critical time in our national history. No
one who calls himself our senator, even if it is
for one week, should again think that we will
not keep records of their sojourn in office. We
must not tolerate Stone Age leaders who are
motivated by political considerations above
development and progress and demand an
explanation for how we missed this
opportunity,” he said.
All 3 A’Ibom senators voted e-
transmission — Senator Ekpeyong
Meanwhile, Senator Christopher
Ekpenyong, representing Ikot Ekpene
Senatorial district, confirmed to Vanguard
that all the three Senators from the state voted
in support of the electronic transmission of
election results.
The two others are Senator Bassey Akpan,
representing Uyo Senatorial district (Akwa
Ibom North East) and Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi,
representing Akwa Ibom South Senatorial
district (Eket Senatorial district)
“We could not have voted against the e-
transmission of results that will change
positively our electoral processes, and enable
INEC achieve free, fair and credible elections.
All Senators from Akwa Ibom state voted in
support of electronic voting, electronic transfer
of results. I voted my conscience, because I
was a product of transparent electoral
process”, Ekpenyong said.
Anybody against e-transmission is not a
Nigerian- Senator Mpigi
Senator Barry Mpigi, representing Rivers
South East senatorial district in the National
Assembly, told Saturday Vanguard that
anyone who kicked against electronic
transmission of election results does not mean
well for the nation.
Like Mpigi, other serving Rivers Senators,
all on the platform of the Peoples Democratic
Party, aligned with the position of Government
Nyesom Wike, who strongly demanded
that President Mohammadu Buhari and
National Assembly should ensure electronic
transmission of election results prevails come
2023.
Mpigi asserted: “Whoever is trying to usurp
takeover the powers of INEC is in conflict with
the constitution. I stand by what we did on the
Senate before the committee submitted its
report when we said ‘where applicable’, but
based on INEC’s directive because INEC is
the only authority vested with handling
election matters and not a matter of talking
about NCC or any other body.
”Everybody Nigeria is saying there must
be electronic transmission and I stand by
electronic transmission. And for whatever that
has been done, I continue to stand for
electronic transmission because it’s only a
credible election through transmission that
Nigerians can count.
”It’s going to reduce a lot of things, the
issue of ballots snatching, issue of thuggery,
military interference and all of that, so
anybody that is against electronic
transmission is not a Nigerian,” he said.
West calls for restraint
Rights activist and public affairs
commentator, Mr. David West, nevertheless,
called for caution in taking action against the
senators, saying: ”For instance, Chief
Biobrakuma Degi-Eremiyon, representing the
East Senatorial district, Bayelsa state, was said
to have voted along his APC ‘party line’ against
e-transmission
“Let us look at it from this angle, he belongs
to a political party and maybe the party must
have taken a decision to say this is the way we
want to vote, if the party has taken a decision,
he is bound to follow the decision of the party.
So maybe he must have voted according to
the party decision and they say party is
supreme.
“However, as an individual, he is still at
liberty to say, no I will not tow the decision of
the party. It is a personal opinion thing but it
concerns the people and whatsoever thing that
concerns the people we must keep the party as
the second stage and look at the collective
interest of the people and after all it is the
people that voted the party to be there.
If that is the case, I think Senator Degi voted
in favour of his party, he is a politician and
politician been what they are that is what they
are known for. I will not criticize or hang him.
Whether he voted for against it, the bottom
line is the senate has said that INEC is at liberty,
now it is left for us to say that they are ready,”
he said.
C
M
Y
K

By Emmanuel Aziken
It was in 2018 that the people of Akwa Ibom
saw what many at that time called the
Udom wonder when the price of garri was
crashed from more than N200 a cup to N100.
For a former top banker it was another move
that further crashed the idea that the Governor
Udom Emmanuel administration would only
be focused on the corn flakes eating elite class
in the state.
It was indeed a move that tended to project
Governor Emmanuel as a man of the masses
and one who was in touch with the feelings of
the masses. For a government that has opened
up the state to many industrial schemes and
turned the state into one of the major Foreign
Direct Investment, destinations in the country
outside Lagos, the task of keeping garri at low
prices was, however, a difficult task.
The government was faced with major
constraints. One was from the well organized
garri sellers’ unions. The second was the
structural disconnects in the agriculture value
chain.
The garri sellers in the state, Saturday
Vanguard learned, had organized themselves
in a way to sustain prices at high levels by
limiting supply. Given the increasing demand
for garri upon the increasing numbers of
Nigerians feeling the economic heat, keeping
the price at high levels appeared to be an easy
task for the unions.
By a joint agreement among the union
members, it was resolved to limit supply by
making the garri wholesalers trade on
alternative days.
The government’s initial plan was to burst
that racket by going round the unions to flood
the markets with garri.
However, that was to prove unsustainable
given the government’s unwillingness to turn
itself into another business concern.
So, after repeated moves to force down the
price of garri, the Emmanuel administration
has gone for the ultimate solution by opening
garri production and processing in a way that
stakeholders say would also create jobs and
boost the economy of the state through
involving locals in garri production.
Explaining the government’s scheme which
is now in its final stages in an interview, the
executive director, Directorate of Agricultural
Investments, Pastor Umo Eno said:
“The governor approved a plan to bring
down the price of basic food commodities in
the market and to engage our people and put
them to work.
“We have a programme called the end to
end cassava value chain production. You work
with the farmers. You work with the farmers
by giving them seedlings, giving them all the
things that they need and at the end you also
offtake,” Pastor Eno said.
Pastor Eno who was also recently appointed
by Governor Emmanuel as commissioner for
lands while also keeping his position at the
By Emma Amaize,
Regional Editor, South-South
WHEN the people of Opuama,
Ogbinbiri, Polobubor, Ofunama,
Ajakuruma and other communities
of Egbema Kingdom, Warri North Local
Government Area, Delta State, cried out, early
this month, over the siege to the riverine
territory by the military Joint Task Force, JTF,
little did they know that the soldiers were doing
them good.
The annoyance of the people led by the
President, Egbema Leaders of Thought, Elder
Edmund Doyah Tiemo, was understandably
justified by inconveniences that the unforeseen
lock-down caused the over 45,000 villagers,
who ran out of food and medical supplies.
On the other hand, fierce-looking soldiers
allegedly combing for an infamous militant
leader, sea robber, kidnap kingpin and his boys
suspected to have attacked a military
formation at Obodo, Warri South local
government area and some soldiers were
unwavering on their mission. They had
intelligence information that the gangsters
were taking cover in the kingdom.
The contention of most villagers was that
the law-abiding people of Egbema had not
committed any crime to merit the lock down
and JTF should rather cut off the criminals
and deal with them. It took the intervention of
the Chief of Army Staff and other authorities
for the military to lift the siege which started,
July 2, six days after, following the outcries of
the traumatized people. Nonetheless, soldiers
maintained regular patrol of military boats
Gov Emmanuel’s final answer to skyrocketing
garri prices in Akwa Ibom
•Garri Factory Ikot Ekpene Udo,
Nsit Ubium Local Govt Area
Directorate, said that the governor’s plan aims
to be mobilise farmers to produce and have a
guaranteed market for their products.
He explained that one of the major problems
for farmers, especially cassava farmers was
the fluctuation of prices of cassava from time
to time which made acted as a disincentive
for them.
Governor Emmanuel according to Pastor
Eno has now approved a plan to build three
processing plants in each of the state’s three
senatorial districts which will act as off-takers
for the cassava products produced by farmers.
The guaranteed prices are expected to keep
prices of garri at constant levels.
As Pastor Eno explained:
“One of the problems farmers have in this
area is who buys my products? So, it becomes
a buyers’ market. if they know that their
cassava is going bad they would be forced to
sell at any price, so next year nobody wants to
plant. But people don’t know that you can
make good money out of agriculture.”
“Government has approved the construction
on the Benin River axis, which still caused
apprehension.
Military blockade turns blessing
in disguise!
A week after soldiers eased the line of
defense, specifically July 15, the unimaginable
happened. The militant leader, who had gone
into hiding and his gang, took members of
Egbema Peace Keeping Force, a local
vigilante headed by Mr Camp Steve Ayebo,
which was on its routine patrol on the
waterways by surprise.
Reports said the leader of the group, Ayebo,
Tewei and five other peacekeepers working
with ex-militant leader, Government
Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, to sustain peace
in Warri, were shot dead, but information later
indicated that three of them were found alive
three days after. In the ill-fated routine patrol
were Ayebo, Tewei Kiti, aka Oyile, King Ceaser
Jeff Agbe, Chucks Worwei, aka Igwe, Police
Iteli and Ikiokenighan Gorroh.
Before the black Thursday, the suspected
militant leader, who had been engaged in a
running battle with leaders of Egbema
kingdom and the peace keepers for setting up
a militant camp in the area, had, June 18,
attacked the vigilante group and killed a
member.
Tension
Apprehension gripped the entire Egbema
kingdom as families of the deceased persons
and concerned villagers wept and demanded
vengeance.
Chairman, Concerned Egbema Indigenes,
of three warehouses
across the three
senatorial districts of
the state. the first one
is literally waiting
for commissioning.
Where you have
garri processing
mill and a big
warehouse and
all that off taking
I can now put it
in this warehouse.”
One of the factories which
is located in Ikot Ekpene Udo in Nsit
Ubium Local Government Area after the
installation of the plant is expected to produce
250 tonnes of cassava a day.
Part of the scheme is that farmers would be
given cassava stems to plant, they would also
be given some other inputs with the assurance
of a ready market in any of the three warehouses
nearest to them.
“Because you have controlled input, then
CEI, Silas Toruwei, condemned the attack on
the peace keepers, saying: “I will never
support this because it is very bad, I am so
ashamed of those deriving joy in killing each
other. Let us stop this killing and be in harmony
among ourselves, let love lead us.”
He urged security personnel to fish out the
perpetrators and bring them to face the full
wrath of the law.
Another community leader said: “The death
of Ayebo and others has thrown their families
and people of Egbema kingdom into
mourning and sleepless nights. The people
are crying because these were people who
volunteered to protect our lives at the risk of
their own. They have wives and children.”
Militant leader erected camp, refused to
vacate
A source told Saturday Vanguard: “The
notorious militant leader, who refused
entreaties to vacate Egbema kingdom where
he built a camp actually fled from Lagos,
following a bombardment on criminals by
soldiers and settled in Ondo state.”
“But some ex-militant leaders in
collaboration with security agents used one
of the boys working for his master to eliminate
his boss. Piqued, he organized and carried out
a retaliatory attack, killing the member that
led them to his master, after which he
relocated to Egbema kingdom.
“Initially, people did not know what he was
doing in Egbema until he set up a camp,
engaged in kidnapping activities, sea piracy
and indeed, foisted a reign of terror on the
kingdom. But all attempts to dislodge him
SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24 , 2021—13
you can control output including price,” Pastor
Eno said of Governor Emmanuel’s final
answer to the skyrocketing prices of garri.
Besides solving the problem of glut, the
government scheme is also expected to boost
employment and in turn raise the Gross
Domestic Product of the state.
The governor, he said, has also approved
the setting up of a microfinance bank, Ibom
Fadama Micro Finance Bank which is
expected to be used to facilitate the process.
“We have just gotten an approval in principle
from the CBN, the bank is already in place so
that whatever money government wants to
give to the farmers, goes through this bank
and the governor found that to be a good idea.
This he said, will address the issue of
unemployment and apart from that, the issue
of rural–urban drift will also be addressed.”
Pastor Eno informed that prior to the
upcoming agricultural revolution that the
government did an enumeration to establish
a database of all farmers in the state
Besides garri, the government
has also initiated a
scheme to revive the
Akwa Palm, a plantation
that has been abandoned
for more than 30 years.
Saturday Vanguard
learned that Akwa Palm
which was established by the
government of the defunct
Eastern State covering over
70 hectares and spanning
three local government areas
was the source of the palm
kernels taken to start palm
production in Malaysia.
“Akwa Palm has been
moribund for 30 years and there
is so much lying down. We have
been talking with CBN. That place
can employ over 500 persons,”
Pastor Eno revealed.
Just as the plans for garri, the
government he disclosed has already gotten
some major conglomerates to be off-takers
for the products expected from Akwa Palm.
“The CBN is prepared to loan us up to N10
billion but they said we must show good faith
and right now we are opening up the roads,”
he said.
•Gov Udom
Emmanuel
Militant leader leaves stream of blood, tears in Delta
•Hon Captain Smart Asekutu,
Warri North chairman
•Steve Ayebo •Tewei Kiti, aka Oyile •Member of Egbema
Peace Keepers
failed as he refused peace overtures from
Tompolo,” the source revealed.
Why we back 2nd lock down – Asekutu,
Warri North chair
Chairman of Warri North, Hon. Captain
Smart Asekutu, declared the local
government’s support for a second lock down
on Egbema kingdom by JTF.
Asekutu, in a statement, July 16, at Koko,
headquarters of the council, said: “The latest
lock down along our waterways was as a result
of a fresh fatal shooting along the Benin River
axis of our waterways, last Thursday night, by
some criminal elements who ambushed our
local vigilantes whereupon some of these
gallant men lost their lives in a very gruesome
manner.
“That in an attempt to help save the lives
and property of our people, security personnel
have launched this second blockade to enable
them go after these undesirable elements who
masterminded the ambush and killings of
these men.
“That the security men also wish to appeal
to the general public to show some
understanding, noting that the blockade on
the river way is not done to target anyone, but
was done in the interest of everybody as more
lives would be saved than lost under the present
operation, both the local government area and
the military will not be happy to see the ban
lifted today, while these same criminals take
over activities around our waterways so soon.
Mop-up operations
‘Frankly speaking, no responsible
government would take such risk and we,
therefore, appeal for some more time to enable
the uniform men do a thorough mop –up
operations to ensure some measure of safety
before committing anybody to the waterway.
“That the local government council wishes
to express her deepest condolences to the
families and colleagues of these gallant
vigilantes who were murdered in their prime
in the line of duty and promise not to forget
their efforts.
“Above all, while empathizing with our
people under this difficult time, we wish to
still plead that we keep the peace, avoid any
form of protest/procession, but to support and
cooperate with security agents to speed up
their job so the waterways can be opened very
soon for the good of all,” the local government
boss said.

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
APC must respect
its agreement
on zoning — Yari
•How military aided OBJ
•Govs’ gang up against me will not stop my APC chairmanship race
By Omeiza Ajayi
eyond being a member of the House of
BRepresentatives, state party chairman,
governor, why do you feel so certain that your
political experiences really stand you out as
a candidate for the National Chairmanship
of the All Progressives Congress?
Let me start by giving thanks to Almighty Allah
who gave me the opportunity to serve our
people in various capacities. Number one, let
me point out that even before the formation of
APP, AD and other political parties – that is,
during the period of the defunct UNCP and
DPP - I contested under the platform of DPN
for the membership of the House of Assembly.
You know how the military behaved at the time.
The elections were not concluded before the
parties became defunct immediately General
Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and had his
transition programme which went on for nine
months and culminated into handing over
power to a democratically-elected government
in 1999.
Then, two parties emerged and I was part of
negotiations for the formation of APP. We went
into the convention despite my young age and
we were part of the scheming that took place
until the exit of the South West through the
covert influence of the military because they
knew that if the South West at that time and
the northern bloc came together as a political
party for sure, the PDP will not have a chance
to install a leadership.
The government of the day and the military
had made up their minds about what they
wanted to do for the so-called stability of the
country - they were going to give the Presidency
to a particular section of the country which
was the South West. It was not only about
shifting power to the South West but to a
particular person, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
and this did not go down well with us. We tried
to reach our best to reach out to our seniors
like Chief Alani Bankole, Chief Bode George
and others in the South West, for them to know
that there was a game that was being played
out. Even the late former Governor of Oyo State
and former Minister of Power, Chief Bola Ige
too; we told them that the military was playing
a game, influencing several minds and that
we should not insist on putting their demand
for presidential ticket into the party’s
constitution. That demand, subtly encouraged
behind the scenes, became what brought about
the division that led to the exit of AD leaders
from APP. The northern bloc of the leadership
agreed that yes, the APP Presidential candidate
is coming from the South but what the South
West which later became the AD power bloc
was looking for, was an emphatically explicit
documentation that what should be in the
constitution of this party is that the Presidency
is coming to the South West.
But you can’t play politics like that; the
northern bloc would not like to start with such
explicit indications that could discourage the
followership and cause feelings or assumptions
in the North, right from the beginning that
people were only being mobilized to play
second fiddle. Our elder, Marafan Sokoto and
others argued and argued to a point that they
reached a deadlock. The South West bloc then
exited and formed the Alliance for Democracy
(AD) the next day. We had to do our convention
•Yari
and launch APP on the Parade Ground which
was successfully done because preparations
had taken much time and several meetings.
Some of them agreed, people like Alani
Bankole, Chief Olabode George agreed to stay
with us and others went to stay with AD.
In all these, my experiences and the lessons
learnt about bringing together divergent
interests for national cohesion and party
success are very significant; I did not learn as
a mere onlooker but as someone who has been
part of the real process that birthed the current
democratic dispensation in Nigeria. I feel
much empowered to lead in the national
interest and lead a truly national party to much
success nationwide.
You were very young, below the age of 30
when you were given the chance to play
critical roles during the formation of various
political parties even before the current
democratic dispensation began. Now, where
do you stand regarding the clamour for young
people’s increased involvement in
governance?
Seriously, one of the major things that qualify
one for pursuit of national leadership position
in a political party is dynamic experience and
as one who was lucky to start garnering such
experience in my 20s, I wholeheartedly support
the involvement of the
young generation.
I have given a
background of how we
started political
mobilization, long before
contesting for office. I was
under 30 and it is a matter
of what you can get done.
In any case, several of the
governors at that time
(1999) were in their early
30s, so it is not really the
age that matters but what
you are able to deliver.
Sometime in 1999, I
became party secretary in
my state and we worked
hard, preparing for
elections but when we had
the election, we were
overwhelmed because our
thinking or calculation
was based on the fact that
we were solidly on ground
but the unexpected
influence of those at the
centre and other factors
made us to end up sharing the local
governments equally, with seven each. Our
earlier analysis made us not to expect the PDP
to win more than three local governments. It
was surprising. We identified two or three LGAs
where PDP could make impact but
unfortunately, we didn’t know how they did it
despite the support we had. All of a sudden, we
lost more councils than expected but we came
out with a huge vote margin. If that local
government election that was held in 1998 was
the governorship, we would have had our way
but that was how it happened. They took seven
and we took seven but when it came to the
government, we had taken the lead we worked
The elections were not
concluded before the
parties became defunct
immediately General
Abdulsalami Abubakar
took over and had his
transition programme
which went on for nine
months and culminated
into handing over power
to a democraticallyelected
government in
1999
Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari was a former two-term Governor of Zamfara state
and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC. Before
serving out his term in 2019, he was the Chairman of the influential
Nigeria Governors’ Forum NGF.
The former federal lawmaker in this interview speaks on the forthcoming
National Convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, and
dismissed concerns about a gang up by some current and former Governors
in the Northwest geopolitical zone to frustrate his ambition to become the
National Chairman of the party, saying their political dalliance will come
to nought. Excerpts:
hard for; thus, in the National Assembly
election which followed, we took all three
Senate seats and then we took five House of
Representatives seats; we lost only Anka
Federal Constituency but Shinkafi/Zurmi we
cleared it, Birnin-Magaji, we cleared Maru /
Bungudu, we cleared Gumi and Bukkuyum,
we cleared Gusau/Tsafe – all that was in 1998.
When it came to the governorship elections,
we led our party to victory in 19 out of 24 local
government areas of Zamfara state. Five of
them were PDP, that’s where we had been until
2003.
What is your response to the clamour for a
power shift to the South?
Well, I have no personal position beyond the
party’s official stand. If the top leadership of
the APC made a promise that power should
move to any place, we should respect it. We
would have no reason not to oblige. But we
should look at this and all other things critically
so that APC can survive and succeed further.
Don’t you think that
leading a party towards
nationwide general
elections involves
weightier responsibilities
than being a young, lucky
politician?
In 2003, I became party
Secretary in my state, I was
the Director-General of the
Muhammadu Buhari
presidential campaign as
well as that of governorship
campaign and that of every
other person who was
contesting on the platform
of the defunct ANPP. We
won the seats in the State
House of Assembly and
National Assembly 100 per
cent and we won the
governorship. In 2004, I
became the State
Chairman of the party and
our success stories
continued. Although there
were intense calls from
people urging me to
contest for the governorship seat and succeed
Governor Ahmad Sani, there was a logical
reason why that could not be done; I clearly
understood the perspective of the governor that
since we are almost from the same Local
Government - he is from Bakura and I am
from Talatan Mafara – so, it was not practical
for the governorship ticket to remain within
that axis. If you recall, Bakura was carved out
of Talatan Mafara local government so,
technically, we are from the same local
government. The then governor said no, let us
take it to another zone so that we can get their
buy-in, so that ‘you are going to be the Deputy
Governor.’ There was a misunderstanding so I
decided not to go for the position of Deputy
Governor and came to the House of
Representatives after finishing my term as
party chairman. I was in the House of
Representatives when the then governor, Aliyu
Shinkafi defected to the PDP and we remained
in the ANPP.
The PDP had everything - President
(Goodluck Jonathan), oil money and federal
power but God had decided the destiny that I
would win and be governor of zamfara state
in 2011. I became the governor and then came
the process of merger to form the APC. We
were then 11 governors: Borno, Yobe, Zamfara,
Nasarawa, Edo, Osun, Lagos, Oyo, Ekiti, about
eleven of us including one from APGA. That’s
how we started the merger process. We wanted
to be the progressives in the sense that we
wanted to bring all the opposition on board.
Ondo was a Labour Party member, Anambra
was APGA, but Anambra and Ondo defected
to PDP finally and then we remained 11. That’s
where we started this struggle up to 2013 when
the PDP had their congresses and we had the
New PDP joining us, with four states: Kwara,
Rivers, Kano and Sokoto states and we became
14. We started this process of merger and then
in the 2015 election, we won all the state’s seats
in the National Assembly and also, our party,
APC won the Presidency.
This is where we are today and at the same
time in 2015, my colleague governors
unanimously accepted me to be the chairman
of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF). If you
look at what we have done in the past and
what is on ground now, the issue or
responsibilities of chairmanship will not be a
difficult task for me to deal with because I know
the right buttons to press to bring the people
together and win elections.
You said running for party chairmanship or
leading your party shouldn’t be a difficult
thing but one notices that things are being
said about you, including an allegation
published few weeks ago by a little-known
online website alleging that N8 billion gold
bars owned by you has been seized at Kotoka
International airport in Accra. How do you
react to this?
Publishing absolute rubbish can easily get
quacks into big trouble when a maligned or
libeled person decides to sue. I never knew
anyone in that place and contrary to a few
person’s very wild speculations, I never had
any such gold. The baseless allegation easily
fizzled out because genuine publications which
had colleagues and other contacts in Ghana
found that there was no substance to it.
Well, some persons can fabricate lies but at
the end of the day, the truth will prevail.
They have circulated rumours that I got
money from the London Paris Club, that I
robbed the state and did this, that and that but
I challenge anyone either in the Governors’
Forum or in the state – anybody!
read more on www.vanguardngr.com

STATE OF THE NATION:
How insincerity of leaders
fuels insecurity —Okupe
By Clifford Ndujihe
Mr. Joko Okupe, social crusader and
founder and Convener of Mindshift
Advocacy for development Initiative
has been a brand strategist and a marketing
expert for over three decades. In this interview,
he speaks on the state of the nation and how
Nigeria can wriggle out of insecurity.
On raging insecurity in Nigeria
It is a very complex situation to analyze. But
my opinion is that the insecurity that we have
in the nation now is as a result of insincerity of
leadership in relaying matters exactly as they
are, confessing their weaknesses and
limitations, and relating with citizens with
openness. There’s also insincerity of leadership
in saying one thing and doing exactly another.
If we look at these things that I’ve outlined,
they give birth to many ugly children. When
we talk about insecurity, we need to have a
little mind shift because we look at security
and insecurity in terms of protection of lives
and property.
The government needs to protect citizens
with the whole gamut of security apparatussecurity
personnel, arms, ammunitions, as it
were.
Currently, as a nation, there are many areas
of our lives being threatened that do not seem
to receive adequate attention.
What about food insecurity? What about
insecurity of the infrastructure that we operate
and live in? In the last couple of years we’ve
had more states in the nation getting flooded,
like they never used to be. Erosion has eaten a
lot of lands in eastern states. People’s houses
are collapsing and lives are being lost.
What about insecurity to our lives due to
lack of proper handling of counterfeiting and
adulteration of products in Nigeria – a
situation in which many Nigerians are using
fake drugs, eating poisoned foods, using fake
vehicle parts, fake building materials and so
on? We hear of houses collapsing in some parts
of the country. Why are the houses collapsing?
Probably, because some of the building
materials used to build these houses were of
inferior quality.
Guns and bullets cannot solve these
problems of insecurity that I just spoke about.
Why is there so much insecurity? A good
number of the people engaged in acts of crime,
banditry, and terrorism are available tools in
the hands of some people who use them at
will to carry out their evil plans because most
of these young people are not gainfully
engaged.
How did we get to a point where a bulk of
the population is not gainfully engaged?
Something went wrong somewhere! When we
look at this insecurity, my personal opinion is
that it is caused by the insincerity of leadership.
When you operate in sincerity, there is no
deception or hidden agenda, where if you’re
going to the right, you make people believe
you’re going to the left.
The President Muhammadu Buhari
Administration has been there for six years.
Can you assess it in relation to what you’re
talking about sincerity?
The government has not been sincere with
us. We should never see telling the truth or
accepting our faults publicly as a weakness or
failure. There is greater weakness in deception
and insincerity. In many nations, it is not
unusual to see Government officials
apologizing publicly to the citizens on errors
of judgement or implementation of policies.
What do you think makes the government
•Okupe
not to be sincere?
Hidden agenda! Make-belief! Deception!
In many situations, there is a deliberate act to
deceive and misinform. You know you can
deliberately deceive. You know that the things
you’re saying are not true, You know that you’re
not going to fulfil your promises, you don’t
even intend to make any effort in that direction,
but you make people believe you’re going to
do it, just to get your way. This is what has
strengthened the notion in people’s minds that
politicians never think of the people’s good.
Does what you’re saying apply to the
refusal of the Federal Government to
restructure the country and devolve power
SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—15
as it promised while campaigning in 2015?
As I mentioned earlier, insincerity is a
deliberate attempt to deceive. Whenever there’s
ambiguity in communication and in
expression, the majority of the time, it’s because
there’s a hidden agenda. So, we have a lot of
unclear communication by leadership
because there’s a deliberate and calculated
move not to make emphatic promises that
can be held on to. These things can cascade to
any level. A lot of Nigerians are insincere; in
homes, in families, in businesses, in
transactions, in just about everything. Those
in leadership didn’t fall from heaven.
Where does this sort of behavior come from
– attitudinal, the society or social?
It is just our mindset as a people. In every
home, facet of our life, you see this thing at
play. I see and hear a lot of people talking
about restructuring. I am not against
restructuring, but I keep on asking a
fundamental question; let us assume for a
moment that those asking for selfdetermination
or restructuring get their wish
or desire, as long as we remain who we are
now as a people and do not restructure our
minds and our present pattern of thinking,
even if Nigeria becomes 10 countries, we will
just replicate the present problems of Nigeria
in 10 places.
If we are still the way we are -greedy, selfcentered,
nepotistic, dishonest and the likes,
we shall then begin to witness the inter-play of
the problems of Nigeria as intra-play within
those new entities.
The average Nigerian has an “oppressor’s
mindset” and just desires to oppress his fellow
citizens. The oppressor mindset cuts across
all socio-economic strata. So, whether he’s a
gateman or a managing director, he just
desires to be an oppressor. He wants to lord
something over the next man.
Are you saying there’s no merit in asking
for the restructuring of Nigeria to promote
balance among the six regions?
There’s a need for balance, don’t mistake
me. There’s a need for restructuring. In life, at
a point in time, restructuring is always
necessary to advance and get better. Why do
businesses do strategic reviews every year? To
do better. The strategic review sessions in some
of these small, medium sized companies take
days. So, sometimes when I hear that the
Executive Council meetings of the nation meet
once a week for a few hours, I ask myself what
could they really be discussing there? If
businesses with small operations hold
management review meetings for days,
sometimes to address issues, we should begin
to ask; where is the thinking function for the
country?
Read more on www.vanguardngr.com
Okowa won’t allow crisis in Delta
PDP over rotational agreement
—Majemite
By Kenneth Oboh,
Deputy Online Editor
Olorogun Fred Majemite, a chieftain
of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in
Delta State, was two-time
commissioner and currently a member of
DC-23, a pressure group working towards
a governor from Delta Central. The
philanthropist, legal luminary-cumpolitician,
in this interview, spoke among
others on the politics of Delta and the need
for continuation of power rotation system
because it has engendered peace in the
state.
At the last DC-23 meeting in Asaba,
you declared your intention to contest
the governorship of Delta State in 2023...
It is true that I have indicated my interest
to run for the governorship of Delta State
in 2023. If you look at my antecedent,
you will know that I have worked for the
party and have remained loyal and very
steadfast. I have never jumped at any time.
I have attempted the Senate twice, but
due to the differences within the party and
the leadership of the party, I withdrew
unconditionally. However, I supported
those who were privileged to run in my
stead. This time around, we believe that
the governorship is coming to Delta
Central.
And by the grace of God, we have a small
lobby group, because if you look at our
constitution many people are qualified
to run for the governorship so long as you
are of age and, of course, you meet the
requirements, whether you are from Delta
Central, Delta South or Delta North.
But what we are saying is that the
understanding we have that the
governorship should be rotated from one
senatorial district to another should be
adhered to so that it can bring sanity to
our state and also, for us to continue to
enjoy peace as we are enjoying at the
moment.
For now, what we are doing is not to
• As governor, he hit the ground running
heat up the polity but to embark on
consultations. Let your leaders know of
your interest, let them assess you and if
you put yourself on a scale and you find
out that you weigh well, you can now
declare formally.
So, we also use this opportunity to tell
our brothers in Delta South and Delta
North that they should join forces with
Delta Central to get the governorship in
2023 and after eight years it will go to the
next senatorial district. As for DC23, it is
just to let others know that they should
support Delta Central for 2023.
A few months ago, Governor Okowa
was quoted as saying that there was no
agreement for senatorial zoning of
governorship in the state. This has
generated a lot of controversy. What is
your take on this?
There was no written paper or
agreement and that was why I used the
word, ‘understanding.’ During the
administration of Chief James Ibori,
there were different groups outside Delta
Central such as Equity, G3 and so on. All
those were lobby groups set up to ensure
that power moved from Delta Central to
other senatorial districts. And of course,
it did move. And because we said it should
move, the candidate from that senatorial
district was voted for.
I was one of those who said it should go
to the South. Also, after the
administration of Dr. Emmanuel
Uduaghan, there was agitation that the
governorship should move from the South
to the North. And I was one of those who
said that it should go to the North.
Though somebody from Delta Central
actually contested, we voted for the
candidate from the North in line with the
rotational arrangement among the three
senatorial districts.
So, this time around, it is the turn of
Delta Central as far as I’m concerned. I
am not saying other people should not
contest because they have the
constitutional right to contest. But if we
•Majemite
agree that it should be the turn of Delta
Central again, when Delta Central
aspirants come out, I’m sure the
leadership of the party and well-meaning
Deltans will vote for the aspirants from
Central.
By the time it goes round again, we
would have been well grounded. So, all
this talk that the governor said there is no
rotation or there is rotation, I believe that
His Excellency, the governor is a bottomup
man. You can take anything from
Okowa, but not politics.
I know that the governor means well for
the people of Delta State. Whether you
like it or not, Senator Okowa is one man
who understands Delta politics. He is one
man that, if he gives you his word, he will
keep those words. Maybe that is why they
call him ‘Ekwueme’. Some have
overblown what he said. But if you recall,
in one of those campaigns, he had made
it clear on one or two occasions that the
governorship was coming to Central.
So, I believe that in 2023, the governor
will come from Central and we are going
round now, lobbying leaders from other
senatorial districts for their support for
Delta Central. So far, all the people we
have visited have not given us room to
believe there will be any problem.
If it is zoned to Delta Central, which of
the three federal constituencies in Delta
Central should it go to?
What we are concerned about now is for
the governorship to come to Delta
Central. We have eight local government
areas in Delta Central and the governor
can come from anywhere in Delta Central
as far as we are concerned. That is the
wish and dream of DC23.
The idea of saying which area it should
come from will polarise the system, so let
us not go into that because we believe that
anybody from Delta Central who is
qualified, can contest the election. It is
left for the people to pick whoever they
want from Delta Central. We will not
discriminate against anybody. We are all
from Delta Central as far as we are
concerned.
You are very passionate about the
things of Urhobo. How would you deal
with the issue of Urhobo unity as far as
the 2023 governorship election is
concerned?
When DC23 started the lobbying, we first
of all visited the Urhobo kings in all the
kingdoms. And we told them of the need
for them to support an Urhobo son to be
governor. We also told them that there is
the need to work together as a team and
that there should be no division among
the Urhobo at all. This is because a house
that is divided cannot stand at all.
And unless we are cohesive as a body,
we may not be able to get the kind of
development we wish for our people. First
of all, our Urhobo national anthem,
‘Urhobo Ovuovo’, should always be at the
back of our minds. Once we do that, you
will see everybody as your brother’s
keeper; you will see somebody from
Oghara, Ughweru or Okpe as your
brother.
What touches one, touches all. And by
the grace of God, any governor that will
be produced from Delta Central come
2023 should ensure that every kingdom
is carried along without short-changing
other local government areas in the state.
Read more on www.vanguardngr.com

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24 , 2021
The return of Anambra’s
quadrennial tension
—soaked governorship poll
•Judges, lawyers having a field day as usual
By Vincent Ujumadu
ANAMBRA State made history in
Nigeria’s democracy when the Supreme
Court, the nation’s apex court, decided
in 2007 that the four -year tenure of a state
governor begins on the day he is sworn in,
thus pioneering the staggered governorship
election in the country. Before that landmark
decision, the court had nullified the 2003
election that brought Dr. Chris Ngige of the
then Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, into office
and declared that Mr. Peter Obi who contested
on the platform of All Progressives Grand
Alliance, APGA, in that election, was the duly
elected governor. The legal battle lasted for
almost three years and on March 17, 2006,
Obi was sworn as governor of the state.
The following year, 2007 was the normal
election year and like in other states, the
governorship election was conducted in
Anambra State and Dr. Andy Uba was
declared winner and sworn in. Obi, who was
barely a year in office, had to step down. He
however headed to the court, insisting that he
was sworn in for a year - tenure and therefore
urged the court to declare that the Independent
National Electoral Commission ought not to
have conducted election in Anambra State in
2007.
After another round of legal battle, the
landmark interpretation that an elected
governor has to serve for four years before
another election could be held in his or her
state was delivered by the Supreme Court,
citing section 180 of the Nigerian Constitution
and Uba had to leave office after only 17 days
as governor. That was how Obi continued in
office until 2010 when he had to face the
electorate again for reelection. Since then,
Anambra’s governorship election has been
taking place ahead of the country’s general
elections.
By the INEC timetable, another election will
take place in the state on November 6, 2021
to elect Governor Willie Obiano’s successor
who will be sworn in on March 17, 2022.
Eighteen political parties have nominated
candidates for the election, although
indications are that some of them are holding
the tickets in proxy for some people who lost
in the primaries of the major political parties.
For now, the candidates whose names were
published by INEC were Ekene Nwankwo
for A Party, Ifeoma Maduka –Arisa for AA,
Sylvester Chukwudozie for AAC, Akachukwu
Nwankpo for ADC, Douglas Umeozeoke for
ADP, Andy Uba for APC and Chukwuma
Umeoji for APGA under controversial
circumstance.
Others are Chukwuma Eze for APM,
Azubuike Echetabu for APP, Jerry Okeke for
BP, Emmanuel Agbasimelo for LP, Leonard
Ohajinkpo for NNPP, Adaobi Opkeke for
NRM, Nnamdi Nwawuo for PRP, Arinze
Ekelem for SDP, Ifeanyi Ubah for YPP, and
Uchenna Ugwoji for ZLP.
The PDP was the only political party that
did not have a candidate at the time INEC
published the list. However, an Anambra High
Court sitting in Awka ordered the Commission
to enlist Senator Ugochukwu Uba as the
candidate of PDP, thereby generating further
tension in the party, especially when the
Federal High Court also sitting in Awka said
it never ordered that the name of Val Ozigbo
should not be listed by INEC as the candidate
of PDP.
As it is, the judges and lawyers across the
country have been having a field day over the
Anambra poll. For instance, while the
Federal High Court in Awka was deciding on
a case concerning the authentic candidate of
PDP, another Anambra High Court at the
instance of Ugochukwu Uba was deliberating
on the same matter. In the case at the Federal
High Court, one of the aspirants of PDP, Mrs.
Genevieve Ekwochi, in a case against PDP,
INEC and 17 governorship aspirants of the
party wanted the court to pronounce Ozigbo
as the candidate of PDP for the election. But
Justice H.A. Ngangiwa said: “For the
avoidance of doubt, there is no order made
restraining anybody, including INEC, from
doing any act”, adding that “the parties are
made to maintain status quo pending the
hearing and determination of the originating
summons.” At that sitting, Mrs. Wendy Kuku,
counsel to INEC submitted that there was an
order that INEC should not take any further
step, arguing that it was based on that that the
Commission did not publish the name of Val
Ozigbo as candidate of PDP.
At the same time Justice Ngagiwa was
sitting, another case brought by Senator Uba
was being heard at the state High Court where
Justice Obiora Nwabunike delivered a
judgment directing INEC to list Uba as the
candidate of PDP. Justice Nwabunike also
awarded N10 million damages against the
defendants namely, the PDP and Mr. Val
Ozigbo, the other candidate of the party
produced at the primary supervised by the
leadership of PDP.
According to the judge, the primary that
produced Uba was authentic because there
was a court ruling by Justice Adeniyi of the
High Court of the Federal Capital Territory,
FCT, which had not been vacated.
“An order of court, whether it is right or
wrong, must be obeyed until it is vacated. The
peculiarity of this case is that there was an
existing court order that is still alive” he said.
He said the plaintiff, Uba, relied on the
judgment of the FCT High Court to conduct
the PDP primary that took place at Paul
University, Awka on the 26 th of June,
explaining that since the PDP did not like the
judgment of the FCT High Court, it should
have endeavoured to vacate it before deciding
to use super delegates during the primary that
produced Ozigbo.
He added: ‘Super delegates are officials of
PDP. It is their right to serve as delegates, but
the issue was that there was a court judgment.
Having conducted the primary, this court
notes that it was not done according to the
law, which might be why PDP appealed
against it. The court order, which produced
Senator Uba is still existing.”
The decision did not go down well with the
leadership of PDP, which argued that Justice
Nwabunike’s decision was meant to derail the
course of justice by making away with the case
file on the Senator Ugochukwu UBA Vs PDP
& Ors in a desperate bid to frustrate an appeal
against his judgment on PDP Anambra state
governorship primary election.
National publicity secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola
Ologbondiyan, while reacting on the
development charged Nwabunike to
immediately release the case file, as the
compromises in the case were already known
to the public, especially the people of
Anambra state.
The PDP image maker
said: “The only reason
Justice Nwabunike
disappeared with the case
file and refused to make
copies of his judgment
available to the PDP and its
candidate, Valentine
Ozigbo, is because he
(Justice Nwabunike) is
aware that his perverted
judgment cannot stand in
any appeal.
“On July 5, 2021, Senator
Ugochukwu Uba, who did
not participate in the PDP
primary, instituted a suit
against the PDP, our
candidate, Valentine
Ozigbo and INEC, wherein
he challenged Ozigbo’s
candidature for the
November 6, 2021
governorship election.
“Barely 24 hours after
Senator Uba instituted the
suit, Justice Nwabunike
curiously granted an ex
parte injunction restraining
INEC from carrying out their constitutional
duty and also abridged the time within which
the Defendants are legally obliged to file their
defense from 42 days to only 3 days in violation
of Order 16 Rule 1(2) of the Anambra State
By the INEC
timetable, another
election will take
place in the state on
November 6, 2021
to elect Governor
Willie Obiano’s
successor who will
be sworn in on
March 17, 2022
•Soludo
•Val Ozigbo
•Ugochokwu Uba
High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019.
“Despite the obvious hardship created by
this strange ex parte order, the judge, on the
day of hearing, being the
16th of July 2021, denied the
defendants time to respond
to the processes served on
them and proceeded with the
hearing of the Plaintiff’s case.
“Regardless of the 180
days provided by the
constitution for the hearing
and determination of
preelection matters, the
Honorable Court hastily
concluded proceedings and
delivered judgment within
14 days.
“The most unfortunate
part of this episode is that the
judge, after hastily delivering
the Judgment, made away
with the case file and refused
to release copies of his
judgment to the defendants
despite their application in
the open Court as well as the
officially written application
to the judge.
“However, to the chagrin
of the defendants, the Court
has gone ahead to issue
copies of the Judgment to the plaintiff,
Senator Uba.
“Moreover, the trial judge has been making
every effort to frustrate the notices of appeal
filed by the PDP and her candidate, Valentine
Ozigbo.
“The PDP notes that the reason Justice
Nwabunike is employing these legal
shenanigans is to frustrate the defendants’
appeal against his judgment, which was aimed
to assist an individual who did not participate
in our primary to distract our party ahead of
this crucial election.
“We therefore call on the Chief Judge of
Anambra State, Honorable Justice O.M
Anyachebelu and the National Judicial
Council (NJC) to quickly call Justice O.A
Nwabunike to order as there must be an end
to judicial abuse.
“Justice Nwabunike must be made to
release the case file, as well as the copies of the
judgment because his continued refusal is
capable of pitching the Judiciary against the
people of Anambra, whose mandate, as being
expressed in our candidate, Valentine Ozigbo,
is being undermined.” At the last count, there
were about 10 pending cases in various courts
concerning PDP’s governorship ticket.
While Ozigbo and Uba are battling for the
ticket of PDP, the case in the ruling APGA is a
bit different. In the buildup to the primaries of
APGA, tension was so much that the party’s
aspirants were attacking each other through
their media aides. In APGA, there is this
recurring issue of people who claim to be
members of the party from outside Anambra
State usually infiltrate the party hierarchy and
cause so much disquiet by creating parallel
structures which serve as conduit pipes used
in milking some governorship aspirants.
After the decision of the screening committee
that disqualified Hon Chukwuma Umeoji, a
member of House of Representatives and
others and cleared a former governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Professor
Charles Soludo and three others, the bubble
burst in the party. Two persons, Mr. Edozie
Nkoku from Imo State and one Jude Okeke
started laying claim to the national
chairmanship of APGA on the basis that the
national chairman, Chief Victor Oye had
allegedly been removed from office. As the
Oye –led APGA nominated Soludo as its
candidate in a primary that took place at the
Dora Akunyili Women Development Center,
Awka, Nkoku said he had been nominated as
the candidate of the party, stating that
although he is from Imo State, he is qualified
to contest for the governor of Anambra State
because he had contested elections previously
in Anambra State. Elsewhere, Jude Okeke –
led faction of the party announced the
nomination of Umeoji as its candidate and
so, three candidates emerged from the party.
A major surprise was to come when Umeoji
obtained a court order from a Jigawa State
High Court declaring him as the candidate of
the party a day before INEC was to publish
names of candidates for the 18 political parties
participating in the Anambra election. And
when the list was eventually made public on
July 16, Umeoji’s name appeared for APGA
as the candidate of the party, while the name
of Soludo was conspicuously missing.
As expected again, Soludo and his lawyers
went to Court of Appeal to vacate it, while
another court in Awka presided over by Justice
Chukwudi Okaa was hearing a case instituted
by APGA and Mr. Sylvester Ezeokenwa, a
lawyer, on the same issue. Those dragged to
court as defendants were Edozie Njoku, Okoro
Benedict and INEC. In the judgment, Justice
Okaa ruled that the national officers of APGA
elected in the national convention of the party
on May 31, 2019 are validly in office and are
therefore entitled to carry out all the necessary
activities and steps, including the conduct of
primary election for the selection of the APGA
governorship candidate in the forthcoming
November 21 election.
The judge restrained Njoku and Okoro from
taking any action relating to the leadership of
APGA and conducting any primary on behalf
of the party. He also restrained INEC from
according any recognition to anybody
claiming to have been elected for the purpose
of selecting any person as the gubernatorial
candidate of APGA for the November election
and ordered the electoral umpire to publish
the name of Professor Soludo for the 2021
governorship election.
After he was declared candidate of APGA,
Soludo said the exclusion of his name from
the list published by INEC came to him as a
surprise, adding however, that he was consoled
by the outpouring of support from the over
20 million Anambra indigenes both within
and outside of the country.
Soludo said: “When it came last week, I was
a little bit surprised, though not terribly so
because I have been through this road before.
When I ran in 2010, we had about 13 court
cases in three months and thank goodness,
the Nigerian judiciary stood firm and came
through in the end.
“Surprising that INEC could take that
seemingly surprising decision, but not
surprising because we see this all the time
around the country. What happened was a very
important step in the whole process.
“Of course, those other court judgments have
been appealed appropriately. One is confident
that the Court of Appeal and probably, if it
ends in the Supreme Court, will do the sound
justice.”
INEC National Commissioner and
Chairman, Information and Voter Education
Committee, Chief Festus Okoye, however,
explained that the commission took the
decisions in obedience to court orders served
on it in relation to the primaries of the affected
political parties.
Though the All Progressives Congress, APC
read more on www.vanguardngr.com
C
M
Y
K

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—17
2023:
By Dirisu Yakubu
•Pat-Utomi
Ahead of the 2023 Presidential
elections, Nigerians are already
being treated to daily commentaries
of what to expect by men in the corridors
of power. Eid-el-Kabir, the Muslim
festival earlier in the week, afforded
Nigerians a free trip to the thinking faculty
of the Presidency pertaining to the next
election cycle, particularly as it concerns
the plum office of the President.
Addressing members of the National
Youths Service Corps, NYSC, observing
the mandatory one year of national service
in Daura, President Muhammadu
Buhari’s hometown in Katsina recently,
Senior Special Assistant to the President
on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba
Shehu emphasized the significance of the
first citizen in the nation’s political
equation post 2023. According to him, no
political party including the main
opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
has what it takes to take over power in the
next election, citing Buhari’s growing
popularity amongst sundry factors to
justify his position.
He said, “You have seen people lining
the streets, shouting, “Sai Buhari, Sai
Buhari.” That tells you that the President
is very well entrenched politically. He is
such a strong factor in the politics of this
country, and nobody can wish him away,
using tweets. I think that is in the interest
of the opposition particularly to admit that
the President matters a lot to the people of
this country. He matters to the party and
the unshakeable support he enjoys not
only in Daura but across the nation cannot
be wished away, whether you are using
digital media or propaganda.
“We’ve seen that PDP are nursing the
false hope of taking over power in 2023.
The masses will never abandon President
Buhari’s leadership and I am sure that by
2023, they are waiting for him to show the
way. What he has started to do for the
country in terms of infrastructure and the
economy and the well-being of the young
people of this country, nobody will put that
at risk, by inviting another party to come
and take power in 2023.”
As the dust occasioned by that
Presidential remark was yet to settle, a
chieftain of the APC and former Minority
Leader of the House of Representatives,
Hon. Adamu Farouq Aliyu re-echoed
Shehu’s boastful declaration, adding that
the APC had become a magnet, attracting
the best from the PDP, which he said, is
suffering from absence of credible leaders
within its ranks.
Appearing as guest on Politics Today, a
•Garba Shehu
APC, PDP trade tackles
over jostle for power
...PDP is leaderless, finished —APC chieftain
...Nigerians will shock ruling party —Ologbondiyan, Sowunmi
...Tackle insecurity first —Utomi counsels FG
...APC can’t win even with rigging —YPP
political affairs programme of Channels
Television, Aliyu described Buhari as an
enigma who is ready to keep the APC in
power even after his exit in 2023. Baring
his mind on what makes the President
such a huge factor in the politics of 2023,
Aliyu had this to say:
“Buhari is the President today and even
when President Goodluck Jonathan was
in power, Buhari was a force to reckon
with. Buhari stood for election many times
and you could see the consistency of the
votes that he garnered at all times,
meaning that the people of this country
still have confidence in him. This means
that whoever the party, APC put forward
as a candidate, will enjoy the support of
President Muhammadu Buhari, the
development strategies that we have put
in place, the cohesion of governance in
this country and the transparency in how
we do things. These are some of the things
that we are going to carry forward. You
can see the number of
persons in the PDP that
keep coming to the APC
in droves due to the
leadership of President
Muhammadu Buhari,”
he said.
His remarks did not
however go down well
with Segun Sowunmi, a
chieftain of the PDP
and former spokesman
of the party’s 2019
Presidential
Candidate, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar. Sowunmi
noted that but for Bola
Ahmed Tinubu, Buhari
wouldn’t have been
President in 2015 let
alone getting re-elected
in 2019, saying, “When
I listened to what Garba
Shehu said, I asked
myself, what prompted
this arrogance? Buhari
had an election in
2003, got 12 million
votes and lost. He had
another one against
Shehu Umaru
Yar’Adua, got 6 million votes and lost. He
had another one, got 12 million votes
against Goodluck Jonathan and lost.
What changed in 2015 (What I don’t like
about the APC is that they don’t do enough
research about their situation), was that
the former governor of Lagos, Bola Ahmed
Tinubu brought his political machinery
and sophistry to them and they won. When
everyone left him, Tinubu stood by him
and he won again in 2019.”
See how we are
trying to improve
the economy,
despite the fact
that whole world
is under
recession
•Ologbondyan
He continued: “The question you then
ask is, if Buhari on his own lost three
elections, without a handshake to the
South-West, and Buhari is not going to be
on the ballot in 2023 and they boastfully
claimed that the election is over; could it
mean that they were not part of this
country when Nigerians chose to dump a
sitting President for them? Therefore, when
you look at all the indices in the country,
you will have to ask few questions:
“Do Nigerians feel safer in their country?
Is the cohesion that makes Nigeria a
country still intact? How is the economy
doing? Is there a lot of poverty in the land
or is there a lot of prosperity? What is the
level of unemployment and what have they
been doing with debt relative to the
revenue they are getting? The reason APC
is throwing all these red herrings is
because they imagine that the coercive
power of the state can help them rig. But
they underestimate the Nigerian people.
2023 will not be so much
about APC, neither will
it be about PDP solely but
it will be about Nigerian
people taking a stand
and doing a major
referendum on how they
think their lives have
been. Let people build
castles in the sky, I can
guarantee to you that
they are not doing a deep
down narrative and audit
of what the people in the
country are feeling. If
they do not intend to
cheat and the Nigerian
people resist them, they
will find out that Buhari
and his APC have served
for too long and go they
will and must come
2023,” he noted.
Sowunmi further
chided the Presidency for
fixating on elections
when the peace in the
land is under existential
threat owing to activities
of Boko Haram, bandits
and kidnappers.
“PDP is not yet at that level where we
are talking about candidates and all of
that. We are sitting nervously, looking at
how the country is bleeding and we would
have expected from those who are in
charge of the country to figure out how we
can have a country first before talking
about 2023. Now that they have jumped
the gun, we will tell them that come 2023,
Nigerians and PDP will defeat them
resoundingly,” he added.
On Defections
According to Sowunmi, only those who
left for APC can advance reasons for their
actions, stressing that “we have lost a few
governors who are in their second term
and one who is in his first term. Is it that
you do not trust your ability as a governor
to connect with your people to such a level
that you can provide leadership for them
until you run to another party? Or if you
were that convinced about the popularity
of Muhammadu Buhari, why didn’t you
follow him before PDP gave you our ticket?
A political party like the APC that has not
been able to have its convention, set in
motion a proper Executive Council that
keeps changing the goal post that has
literally castrated its principal partners,
would learn that in politics, 24 hours is a
very long time.
An imminent explosion
The PDP chieftain predicted doom for
the APC ahead of 2023, adding that when
that happens, the PDP would be
magnanimous to disgruntled member of
the ruling party to its fold.
“We expect their cacophony to come
falling over them, and we expect an
implosion. And the PDP will open its arms
to bring them in because nobody must
succumb to the manipulation of someone
who is dictating against their goodwill. I
do not believe that PDP’s effort alone is
enough to beat an incumbent. APC alone
did not beat PDP in 2015; they beat PDP
in 2015 because Nigerians chose that they
were not going to go that away again. I
believe very soundly except they are
suffering from sort of Stockholm
Syndrome or some kind of circle of
oppression where they are now going to
clap and yell and thumbs up for somebody
that is making their lives difficult, I expect
that Nigerians will follow the right path
and come to a party that has at least, kept
Nigeria united, made everybody feel a
sense of belonging and made life more
abundant for all Nigerians,” he
maintained.
PDP, an amalgamation of
frustrated persons
Not ready to make Sowunmi have the
last say, Aliyu fired back, describing PDP
as a party peopled by frustrated politicians.
“I can understand Sowunmi’s frustration,”
he continued, “because PDP is probably
not a party today. PDP is probably a
combination of frustrated persons who are
so angry amongst themselves that they are
bleeding because members of their party
are leaving in droves. They are leaving
because there is no leadership in PDP,
because there is nobody there to look up
to. In our party, we have the President who
no matter what people will say, cannot be
compared with other Presidents that have
ruled this country under the PDP. Buhari is
a person of impeccable, proven integrity.
Look at the kind of infrastructure this
government is trying to put in place, look
at the amount of money we are putting to
ensure that farmers go to farms. See how
we are trying to improve the economy,
despite the fact that whole world is under
recession. PDP has collapsed. Like our
secretary said, we either come by
consensus or by whatever means to make
sure we bring out a candidate that will be
acceptable to Nigerians that will continue
with what President Buhari is doing and
get the backing of Buhari to ensure that
APC remains in government in 2023,” he
added.
In a chat with Vanguard, national
publicity secretary of the PDP, Kola
Ologbondiyan dismissed Aliyu’s
comments as figment of his imagination,
stressing that the PDP is home to many
distinguished leaders committed to the
growth and development of the country.
“It is strange and unfortunate for Hon.
Aliyu to describe the PDP as a party without
leaders. We have leaders who are acting
responsively and responsibly towards the
party. There are a lot of delusions going on
in the APC. They are using the powers of the
Presidency to coerce and harass Nigerians
into their party. That is why they think their
party is doing well. The ordinary Nigerians
bearing the brunt of their mishap of
governance know the pain and feeling this
administration has heaped on them. The
battle ahead in 2023 is going to be between
Nigerians, the APC as well as President
Muhammadu Buhari.
“They tested the waters by coming out with
that statement and James Akpanudoedehe
and Aliyu are struggling to wriggle out of it.
The APC is a rejected political party. Who
are Mr. President’s friends across the Niger
and the entire country? What structure have
they built from 2015 till now? It is not enough
to use the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC to harass governors. We
challenge Shehu to come out openly to say
that Buhari has a self-succession plot and
see how Nigerians will react to it,” he said.
Although a member of the ruling party,
Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi
sees no sense in the 2023 political
permutations when the nation is literally up
in flames owing to the activities of bandits
and terrorists.
read more on www.vanguardngr.com

18—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
Ayoung man chose lavishness for the
funeral of his 75-year-old mother.
He waited eight months to find
ambiance and rhythm. At some rough
patch in his life, he must have sworn to stuff
sand into the mouth of poverty. Perhaps he
has never begrudged ostentation.
Unfettered by hypocrisy, therefore, his
friends came energetically to support his
exhibitionism. They revelled in their
exuberance of youth and dismantled a few
boundaries. In their hearts, there was
neither malice nor mischief. While
viewpoints define boundaries, the
consensus soon was that they left a
celebration of life for a festival of money
and hedonism. Carnival is revelry, a riotous
mix of things. A carnival for a funeral is
not anathema in Africa. With a perfect mix
of money, revelry and personality cultism,
a thunderstorm hit sedate Oba and left the
rural folks gawking and telling tales. In
the aftermath of the lockdown and social
distancing, a jamboree by the healthy for
the dead could be restorative. So why all
the fuss?
The lights were too bright. Transparency
which is naturally scarce in the country,
engulfed Oba town. The casket was costed
and published. Burial contributions were
collated, and figures circulated.
Condolence cows were numbered and many
counted. The price tags of exotic drinks
were announced. The poor were
admonished to eschew envy and find
wealth. The crates of monies to be splashed,
sprayed and thrown around were advertised
days in advance. Those who didn’t attend
were supposed to feel bereaved, at least
unfortunate. Vulgarity had been suspended.
It was said that happenings in Oba were
sufficient to entice women out of their
marriages into a weekend of whoredom.
People screamed obscenities. Those who
said these things were role models who had
surrendered courage and scruples
momentarily to primal instincts of the id.
We can thump our noses but nothing
more.
After the burial, some emerging
philosophers began describing Oba as the
centre of the rottenness of a country that
started stinking before 1960. Oba became
where sybaritism and get-rich-quick
malaise frolicked with hyperactive social
media that runs on vanity turbines. Oba
was redefined as the normalization of the
money-worship that had lived like a refugee
in churches, in banks, in politics, in every
facet of society. Overnight Oba was saddled
with the cross of a sleazy country as it
became the realization of all the
debauchery that had stalked a religious
The Oba funeral and the moral
Police
country. Some remembered the CBN and
the prohibition on the mistreatment of
currency notes. They said naira notes,
especially new notes, needed protection.
The very notes that are sold at the fringes
of every owambe party. Oba was also
accused of promoting the objectification
of women as money and fun-seeking
sluts. Soon Oba would be blamed for
and mass failure of students
in their next School cert
exams.
Times are truly hard. And
hardworking
Nigerians scratch to eat. So
any conspicuous picture of
youngsters treating money
with disdain would excite
many emotions, including
envy and righteous
indignation. Money ought to
be respected. Because money
is toil, sweat and blood. So
Oba should and did grate
nerves. The rich flaunt
wealth sometimes for same
reason. Money is precious. It
fetches accolades, respect
and status, which are the
rewards of hard work.
Besides milking accolades,
Obi Cubana and his friends
might have believed a
carnival would help the
poor. Yes, entice the lazy to
work hard. You know the rich
think like that sometimes. So why the
fuss?
If Oba was anything, it was where the
truth was told. And all pretensions were
cast off. Money talked. Bullshit walked.
Nothing was hidden. Saints relished the
video clips, branded them obscene, and
watched some more. Things routinely
done at nightclubs and indoor parties
were done in the open. Those who have
enjoyed being sprayed naira notes
complained about bundles of naira being
thrown at Obi Cubana. Fortunately,
monies that were spent and sprayed didn’t
come directly from government coffers.
So let’s contain ourselves.
Oba wasn’t the venue of a political
gathering. Political party delegates didn’t
come for a jamboree
called a convention
where their agbada
pockets would be
stuffed with brand
new foreign currency
notes in exchange for
their votes. The crowd
Let’s not go
for the speck
in the eye of
Oba and forget
the logs in our
eyes and the
eyes of our
country.
in Oba wasn’t rented.
Obi Cubana said the
crowd couldn’t have
been bought with
money. It was bought
by many years of
goodwill and
friendship. Isn’t that
virtue? Many of the
other ladies came
voluntarily, perhaps
in the furtherance of
women liberties and
empowerment. They
weren’t bussed
there to be served as
refreshment for some
party delegates.
Some poor folks
weren’t asked to donate to service the posh
lives of their bishops. Obi Cubana and his
friends did not depend on any brown
envelopes from government officials to
fete the crowd. So why the fuss?
A young boy who came out of poverty to
own over ten nightclubs buried his mother.
He decided to spare neither money nor
scruples. A grounded young man born into
Can Nigerians emulate what
happened in Ghana this week?
By Prisca Sam-Duru
Take back your fish, and teach us
how to fish, is exactly the message
youths of Damongo town, Ghana,
sent to not just their lawmaker, Samuel
Abu Jinapors but also the entire country
of Ghana.
The young Ghanaians in a viral video
that began trending on Monday, were
seen, heaping bags of rice into a white
Hilux van, gifted them by NPP
politician, Jinapors, who represents
their constituency in the country’s
parliament. They demanded for jobs
and not rice! And that, they believe, is
the best way to go.
No doubt, Ghana has in recent times
has had economic problems but they
have been doing incredibly better when
compared with Nigeria. But the action
of these youths, an indication that they
must have persevered in the face of
some level of hardship while politicians
swam in opulence, is a clear
reawakening. The younger generation
in Ghana appears set for the birth of an
entirely new nation. Can that be said of
Nigeria?
The highly commendable show of
integrity by the Ghanaian youths is
completely opposite of what occurs in
Nigeria especially during elections and,
what may still happen as we get set for
the next general elections come 2023.
This is in spite of how badly the masses
have been battered due to politicians’
ineptitude and massive looting of
national treasury.
During the 2019 general elections,
there were reports of how party officials
were luring voters with cash as meagre
•Buhari and Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo
as one thousand naira, to buy their
votes. Branded food items were also
distributed to people while some
party agents went round streets prior
to the elections, collecting peoples’
voter’s card numbers and bank
account details, promising to pay
some amounts of money to them.
Today everyone, including some
stakeholders, who connived with
unscrupulous party elements in the
game of vote buying, would narrate
better, its impact on the people and
the polity in general. There are no
two ways about it; “God cannot be
mocked, whatsoever a man sows, so
shall he reap”, says the Holy Bible.
It does appear that Nigerian youths,
even with the example Ghanaian
youths have displayed, have not
learned anything. Due to so much
hunger in the land, some Nigerians
have said if confronted with the same
scenario, they’ll take the rice and vote
for somebody else. What’s the need?
Would it not make better impact if the
devil’s gift which is never without
strings attached, is thrown back to his
face? The problem of Nigeria honestly,
has gone beyond just leadership but
more about followership. We ask
ourselves, are the followers doing the
right thing? Are they encouraging the
massive corruption going on among
a culture where the burial of aged parents is
designed to be loud and could confer bragging
rights and honour. He didn’t create that funeral
culture. A young nightclub proprietor and his
billions. Nightclubbing thrives on razzmatazz
and glitz. Though Nightclubbing likes gender
equality, it’s nothing without women and their
magnetism. Nightclubbing isn’t prodigal, but
it recognizes that sometimes ostentation
should supersede frugality for the momentary
excitation of the hypothalamus and for the
acquisition of certain kinds of self-esteem.
Those who know the man attest to his industry
and generosity. In Oba that weekend, he
espoused a lifestyle, a showbiz lifestyle. He
didn’t set out to patch the tattered moral fabric
of society. He is not the missing-in-action head
of the National Orientation Agency. Yet he took
time to advise the youths to work hard if they
wanted to play loud like him. So why the fuss?
A bank’s chief executive or a university
professor won’t be expected to relish the
conversion of naira notes into confetti by
friends for the acquisition of bragging rights
or social recognition. They might love the
revelry but won’t allow a public display of it.
That might urge their friends to build a modern
library which every city in Nigeria currently
lacks. But that constrained appetite cant be
forced on a musician, a boxer or nightclub
proprietor. Okay, they drank bottles of wines
that cost N3.5M a bottle in a developing
country like Nigeria. Tastes differ. They could
fund their appetite.
By our remarkable standards of greed, Obi
Cubana is tame. A bit loud but tame. He is not
an illiterate head of a road transport union
who rides a Rolls Royce. He has a UNN degree
in political science. Money was thrown at him
obscenely. But he let even passers-by pick up
some of the money. He didn’t take the glory
and take the money. He enjoyed the pride of
gifts of cows and gave out the cows. Folks who
contributed money for the funeral published
the funds, but he has asked that 300 million
naira be distributed to unemployed youths of
Oba.
Let’s save the contempt we have for yahooyahoo
and drug dealers for those criminals.
Let’s condemn the worship of money
everywhere. Let’s discourage obscenity and
exhibitionism. They are no virtues. But let’s
not foist our moral choices on others. And let’s
not judge like those villagers who think every
wealth comes from money ritual. Let’s resist
the temptation to become that pastor who
criticized Obi Cubana for not paving all Oba
roads with the cows he received at the funeral.
Don’t see Obi Cubana and Friends and start
castigating tax collectors. Go and pay your
tax. Let’s not go for the speck in the eye of
Oba and forget the logs in our eyes and the
eyes of our country.
the rulers, hence, their continued
exploitation of the masses? Nigeria’s
leadership is bad because the country’s
foundation is bad and that only means the
followers are equally bad since the
leaders were once followers. It is obvious
that these Ghanaian youths who have
presented themselves as honest followers,
will never agree to hijack ballot boxes
with cutlass and guns, to enthrone any
politician for whatever price.
Jinapors will forever be haunted by the
shame brought upon him by his own
action; a condition which may evaporate
only if he dedicates effort towards youth
empowerment.
Considering how richly endowed with
diverse resources Nigeria is, it’s crystal
clear that politicians who have
consistently mismanaged these resources,
have deliberately plunged the masses into
severe hardship with the intention to win
their votes by throwing peanuts at them
during elections. Sadly, unlike the
Ghanaian youths who threw back bags of
rice to their lawmaker, many Nigerian
youths have been notorious for
exchanging their future with pots of
porridge and; presented themselves as
worthy and willing tools with which
politicians rig elections.
The sad reality is that it’s still the same
youth and of course, the masses that will
suffer the resultant effect of selling their
votes; no access to quality education and
health care, lack of food and employment
while at the same time, contending with
insecurity and housing challenges as
many reside under bridges and shanties in
slums, with no water, electricity and, good
roads. In contrast, the politicians who buy
their votes all live in affluence; their
children enjoy sound education abroad,
they embark on medical tourism and, do
not even pay for their air time how much
more, paying through their noses to buy
simple meal like the poor masses do.
Even the sufferings encountered on the
roads daily due to gridlocks, do not affect
these slave masters.
Hopefully, the protest by the Ghanaian
youths would constitute a catalyst that
will ignite a renaissance in the whole of
Africa.

C
M
Y
K
APresident in jail is not a
common sight. An African
President in jail is even a
rarer sight. A glimpse of a President,
sitting or former, White, Black or
Brown, in a prison uniform staying in
line for food is not a sight to behold.
The sight of Jacob Zuma, the fourth
President of a democratic South Africa,
arguably the most advanced country
in black Africa if not the whole of
Africa, in a prison jumpsuit, queueing
stoically behind another prisoner for
his food ration, must evoke some
feelings no matter how hard hearted
one is. It is the ultimate lesson in the
transience of power. One minute you
are surrounded by courtiers. One
minute you have the world’s most
powerful people at the end of your
phone. One minute you have the
wherewithal ‘to do and undo’ in the
affairs of your country. One minute you
can have some of your country’s
prettiest women as escorts. The next
minute you are stripped completely of
power, privacy, and dignity. You can’t
even make a phone call to your wife
without permission. It is a mighty,
unimaginable crash from the height
of political power to the depth of a
lowly commoner; from the splendour
of presidential palace to an austere,
dingy prison room. I wonder what
goes through Zuma’s mind as he
contemplates his new life among
criminals - some of whom he might
have played a role in putting there. I
wonder if the inmates treat him with
respect or insult him at every turn. I
wonder if he gets special treatments
or he is subjected to the same harsh
rules as others. But no matter how he
is treated, the hardest thing to adjust
to more than the loss of privacy, or
dignity, is the total loss of freedom.
When the prison door closes behind
you, it closes out your life as you know
it. You begin to learn new lessons about
life…..
At seventy nine and as a two term
President, Jacob Zuma should have
earned the right to indulge in the
things he loves – culture, tradition,
After much dithering
procrastination on the role
he would play in the
emergence of his successor,
President Muhammadu Buhari has
vowed to play a decisive role in the
forthcoming 2023 presidential
elections.
Indeed, rarely has it been seen that
a president anywhere did otherwise.
The only idea of a president in
Nigeria playing a role in the
emergence of his successor was
President Olusegun Obasanjo, who
is so far, the only one of the four
presidents of the Fourth Republic to
have completed two terms in office.
Nigerians, indeed cannot forget
the viciousness with which Dr.
Obasanjo carried out his agenda to
foist President Umaru Yar‘Adua as
his successor.
So brutish was the election that
brought in the new president that
Yar‘Adua on his inauguration
confessed that his election was
marred by irregularities. That
confession was what kick-started the
nation’s path towards progressive
electoral reforms that have now been
severely eroded by the present
National Assembly leadership.
Perhaps, the only election that was
so marred by malpractise as the 2007
election was the 2019 election. The
National Assembly and President
Buhari had an opportunity to
advance the electoral reforms prior
to the 2019 election, but thrice the
president vetoed the new Electoral
Bill.
President Yar‘Adua had kickstarted
the process of electoral reforms that
brought in credible elements from the
civil society like Justice Mohammed
Uwais, Prof. Attahiru Jega and
Barrister Mike Igini.
It is reflective of the reverses
The Zuma in African leaders
politics, dancing and women. He
should have earned the right to put his
grandchildren on his knees and teach
them the history of the apartheid
struggle of which he was a worthy
participant and of African traditions of
which he was an acclaimed celebrator.
He should have earned the right to
write his memoirs to celebrate the
heights that fate
propelled him into given
his modest background.
Or he should have
earned the right to
simply put his feet on
the coffee table and
admire his beautiful
chandeliers or potter
around his elegant
house to enjoy the
wonders which the
a l l e g e d l y
misappropriated funds
have wrought. Instead
he is lying on his back
in a dimly lit prison
room staring at the stark
ceiling as he ponders
why his sunset years
have darkened into an
uncertain future and his
dreams have turned into
nightmares.
He may still write his memoirs. But it
will be of a different hue, tainted by his
jail term however politically motivated
it is. He may still tell the story of his
imprisonment. But it will not be as a
prisoner of conscience like Nelson
I wonder what goes
through Zuma’s
mind as he
contemplates his
new life among
criminals - some of
whom he might
have played a role
in putting there
Mandela, his friend and mentor. Should
he tell his story honestly, it would be a
story of political intrigues, corruption,
impunity, abuse of due processes and
disregard for the rule of law. Yet Zuma’s
story is the story of African leaders in
and out of politics. The things they
accuse incumbents of while in
opposition are the very things they
would indulge in once
they assume the reins of
power. Rare is that
African leader who is
not high handed or
inpatient with due
processes and rule of
What consensus means for
President Tinubu
suffered since the advent of those
reforms under the Buhari era that it
would be suggested that a presidential
aide in the person of Lauretta Onochie
would be brought in to join the
electoral team to midwife his
succession.
While many Nigerians in the
Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP and
the ruling All Progressives Congress,
APC had believed that President
Buhari was contemplating being
detached from the succession
programme, his spokesman, Garba
Shehu last Tuesday came out to
rubbish that idea.
Speaking to newsmen after the
Sallah prayers, Shehu said that
President Buhari would take an active
role in determining his successor who
he inferred would definitely not come
from the PDP.
Noting that Buhari would constitute
an obstacle to the PDP’s dreams of
regaining power, Shehu said:
“We see PDP nursing the false hope
of taking over power in 2023. The
masses will never abandon President
Buhari’s leadership. I’m sure in 2023,
they’re waiting for him to show the
way,” Shehu had said.
The assertion is one that is loaded
with trepidation within and outside
the APC.
SATURDAY Vanguard, , JULY 24, 2021—19
law. Rare is that African
leader who has not
blurred the line
between private purse
and public purse. The
very tools that make
democracy succeed as a
form of government are
often treated as
expedient by many of
our leaders. Opponents
or the media who harp
on them are treated as
irritants. There must be
something in our genes
that makes
accountability difficult for our leaders
either in political or corporate world. We
just don’t like to be held accountable.
Not by law; not by norms; not by morals.
Even church and social club leaders find
accountability a difficult hurdle to leap
over. The situation is not helped by
For the PDP, the assertion
presupposes that the 2023 election
could go the way of the 2019 or 2007
elections that were adjudged to be
among the worst in the
nation’s history. If it goes
that way, it means that by
hook or crook and
whether Lauretta
Onochie is there or not,
that the elections would
go the way the
incumbent desires.
The claim that the
president’s stock of 12
million votes would be
available to push his
succession agenda is an
imagination that is far
from reality. It is as such
not a surprise that the
APC has as a policy
adopted the unpopular
chorus against electronic
transmission of votes and
is supportive of the
retention of collation centres – the axis
of evil where election results are
altered with brute force.
It is remarkable that just about the
same time that Mallam Shehu echoed
the president’s succession agenda,
that the national secretary of the APC’s
With support in key
states in the Southwest,
Northwest and Northeast
and the South-South,
Asiwaju is about the
most potent force in the
APC presidential race
that the only way to stop
him is the adoption of a
consensus strategy.
followers who fawn over these leaders
expecting to benefit through proximity to
them. Or people who read ethnicity into
calls for accountability.
It might be a defence to state that
democracy as practiced by the Western
world was not our traditional way of
governance. We had our feudal and
monarchical systems. Both operated largely
on a master/ servant relationship.
Traditionally, our Kings don’t do wrong –
until they do wrong. They were allowed to
take the best of the spoils as long as they
let us take the crumbs. They were allowed
to be rich as long as they didn’t make us
poorer. They were allowed to take the
fairest of women as long as they didn’t take
our wives. The caveat was that they had to
be just, equitable and empathetic. The
Kings were second only to the gods.
Whereas in a democracy, we are all equal
joiners. We come together to pick a man
among us to lead us subject to the rules of
engagement. Those rules of engagement
are largely encapsulated in the constitution
and the statute books. He is also
accountable to us. These are concepts our
leaders pay lip service to when seeking
office but find difficult to adhere to once
they assume office.
Jacob Zuma is a traditionalist. Like many
African leaders, he is confused by the
enormous powers of traditional African
leadership and the limitations of democratic
leadership. He cannot understand why an
elected leader (King) has to answer to an
appointed official. He cannot understand
being subject to the dictates of a judge he
could hire and fire. Neither can he
understand how refurbishing his home
with alleged State funds should be a crime.
After all, he was the Head of State. Jacob
Zuma is said to be a nice man. Even
according to some of his critics. I read an
article by one of those in opposition who
hounded him into prison. She had nothing
but nice things to say about his person.
According to her, he always felt a deep
empathy for those, including opposition,
going through tough times and often tried
to connect with them. It is unfortunate that
this had to happen to him. But it has been
long coming. African leaders just have to
learn to subject themselves to the rules of
engagement.
National Caretaker Committee, Senator
John James Akpanudoedehe came out to
say that the party would adopt the
principle of consensus to choose its
candidate.
Remarkably, the option of consensus is
one that is built into the constitution of
the party. The other options are direct
primary and indirect primary.
The option of consensus becomes
tenable when all aspirants agree among
themselves to the adoption of one of them.
It is a principle that is bound to prove
risky, contentious and possibly rupture
the party. But with the presidential baton
in hand, it is expected that all possible
rebellions would be squashed.
The adoption of consensus suggests that
those driving the presidential succession
agenda have not been able
to browbeat those they do
not want to succeed Buhari
into submission.
It is now universally
known that Asiwaju Bola
Tinubu is about the most
potent force that is in the
presidential race in the
APC. Your correspondent
now understands that
Asiwaju’s strategies have
given him an edge in a
free and fair contest to be
reckoned with as a possible
winner in a presidential
primary, indirect or direct.
With support in key
states in the Southwest,
Northwest and Northeast
and the South-South,
Asiwaju is about the most
potent force in the APC presidential race
that the only way to stop him is the
adoption of a consensus strategy.
In that direction, your correspondent
predicts that in few weeks time more overt
moves to curtail the Jagaban of Borgu will
commence.

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
Iwatched a short video some
time ago. A man was in the
bathroom when the wife
requested to use his car. He
agreed, but shortly after, he
remembered that he left his phone
in the car. He ran out of the
bathroom with only a towel
around his waist and soap lather
all over his body. He and his
maiguard (security guard) ran after
the wife until they caught up with
the vehicle in their street and he
retrieved the phone with great
relief. Before now, I have seen
similar short videos from America,
Europe and India, where husbands
lose their bearing if their wives get
access to their phones. The fact
that the jokes are universal tend to
reinforce the myth. There are two
issues here. One, are men actually
scared of their wives handling
their phones? Two, if yes, why?
I called a very successful person with my
professional and a chairman of a trailer-load of
top government agency one day. A
female, I shortly recognised to be
his wife, picked the phone. We
chatted for a while before her
husband came and took over. My
deduction: the wife has access to
the husband’s phone.
I called another friend on two
occasions and the wife took the
calls. She said her husband went
out, forgetting to take along his
phone. My deduction: the wife has
access to his phone. I know
another man, whose phone screens
are permanently cracked because
his wife and children play games
with them.
I also see men in the church and
at social gatherings give their
phones to their wives to keep in
their handbags for safe keeping.
My deduction: the wives probably
have access to the husbands’
phones.
Two weeks ago, when I wrote
about side chicks, my brother,
Michael Owhoko, pointedly asked
me on my Facebook page, “but
you nor tell us whether you get side
chick or not.” My deduction is that
some readers not only want to
know my thoughts, they also want
The wives and husbands’ phone myth
to know what I do. Let me clarify,
the issues I raise in my column are
not personal; they are not really
about me or meant to validate me
or prove anything. I am just like
any other regular
frailties. The topics
I discuss are just
societal issues, but I
take up Owhoko’s
challenge today
while dealing with
this topic. Does my
wife have access to
my phone? Yes!
I have a wife
w h o s e
interpretation of
“they are no longer
two but one” is
extreme and total.
After marriage, we
were using the same
toothbrush, courtesy
my wife, until I
revolted. I did that
because each time I
brushed and saw
what came out of
my mouth, sharing a toothbrush
did not make sense. But
sometimes, I think my revolt was
misplaced because the two
mouths also kiss and exchange
fluid and other mouth contents, so
what is the big deal about sharing
toothbrush?
I was also not comfortable with
using the same towel with her,
especially at certain times of the
month. She saw my body language
and also stopped. MY discomfort
was caused by what my mother
said in the
70s. She
rebuked an
older cousin
for saying
she would
share the
same towel
So, it is not true that
married men are
scared of their wives
handling their
phones. True, there
are some men who
do not want their
wives to have access
to their phones
with her
future
husband.
My mother
(traditional
Urhobo
woman)
said a towel
used by a
woman
should not
touch a
man’s face.
But when I
think of
what goes
on between
husbands
and wives in the bedroom, I just
wonder. These days, I use any
towel that is handy, including my
children’s.
Sorry for the digression, but
coming back to phones, my wife
has “owned” my phones from the
beginning when mobile phones
debuted. I hate reading manuals,
especially because of the small
prints and volume, while she loves
it. So she reads the manuals, sets
up the phones (and other gadgets
in the house) and tells me what to
do. But I still insist that phones
are personal gadgets and she (and
my children) must tell me before
taking or using my phone.
Moreover, I expect her to respect
my privacy while handling my
phone. Everyone needs some bit
of privacy.
So, it is not true that married
men are scared of their wives
handling their phones. True, there
are some men who do not want
their wives to have access to their
phones. The question is why?
Many people assume that it is
because the men have side chicks
and do not want their wives to
know. It is possible that some men
keep their phones from their wives
because of side chicks, but
assumption and stereotyping are
dangerous.
I know someone who does not
allow his wife near his phone or
laptop because he does not want
the wife to know his bank
balance. If she does, she will
remember that they have not
travelled for two years now due to
the COVID-19 Pandemic, she will
remember that her car is due for
replacement, etc. And once she
starts nagging, it is suffocating
until he grants her what she wants.
Some men hide their phones
because they are just naturally
secretive. Some men also keep
their phones away from their wives
because of the kind of wives they
have. Some women are very
selfish. They do not want their
husbands to support their parents,
siblings and friends, or engage in
charity. It is just my children and I
(maybe her family members).
Meanwhile, the husband is a
charitable person and derives joy
from it. So what does the husband
do to have peace in the house? He
keeps his philanthropic activities
away from the wife. Some wives
are also unnecessarily sensitive,
cantankerous and suspicious. So,
the husband keeps his phone away
to avoid unnecessary and
sometimes annoying
interrogation. There is also a man
who is a porn addict; meanwhile
his wife has a morbid hatred for
porn. She would never understand
why her husband would feast on
porn videos/photos, when she is
available, flesh and blood. At the
end of the day, why a man hides
his phones from his wife is best
known to him. It might not
necessarily be due to side chicks.
But not all men with side chicks
hide their phones. There is a man,
who has side chicks, but does not
bother to hide his phone. One day,
the wife pried. She has not
recovered from the trauma. When
she confronted the husband, he
asked her what she was doing with
his phone. “Na so I dey check your
own?” Sometimes curiosity can
kill the cat. Also, sometimes for
the sake of your sanity, you should
allow some sleeping dogs to lie.
Meanwhile, hiding of phones is
not exclusive to men. Women also
do it. There is a woman who hides
her phone from her husband
because once the husband knows
she has money, there will be
mayhem in the house until she
surrenders the money. Another
woman had two phones, but
always kept one and used it only
in the office. The husband later
found out. What was she hiding?
Iam on my way to INEC head office
Abuja to submit Obinna Iyiegbu’s
name as the next governor of
Anambra State. Forget about deadline
and party affiliation. Politics in Nigeria is
Yahoo Plus. One does not need the
Electoral Commission to win elections.
My move will shock many compatriots.
That is exactly what I want to achieve.
Iyiegbu, who chose the nickname , Obi
Cubana is the latest fad in town. Suddenly,
we forgot about bandits in high places
and the forests. Just because this young
man buried his mother in Oba, we left
our oppressors and began to chase
shadows.
Some politicians loot our treasury and
do grand burials. They steal in trillions
and you may never know how much they
budget for rigging elections. Cubana
burried his mom, all expenses paid.
Many politicians bury Nigerians through
maladministration.
Top men in government, politicians and
bureaucrats, fly mammoth crowd to Dubai
in the guise of birthday parties. Their
children play big as students overseas,
flying from London to Paris, Milan to
New York, to all the beaches around the
West Indies.
Nigerians should query their leaders
about our Commonwealth which they are
plundering and shipping overseas like
Dealtry Lugard and his Imperial army.
Questions should be asked about
allocations to States and Local Councils.
Cubana is not a problem at all.
As an Igbo, I hate this culture of
flagrantly displaying one’s wealth.
Spraying of cash is alien to Igbo culture.
However, it is no crime to choose to bury
parents in the best way possible. You can
overlook such stupendous outing since it
does not happen often.
My findings reveal that Obi Cubana is
the quiet type. Honestly, I thought he was
a masquerade all along. The one they
call Chief Priest was more visible, until
the Oba funeral. That says a lot. Those
I’ll vote Obi Cubana!
who made most noise were like Otimkpu.
Now that Ijele has unmasked himself,
the ground is quaking.
Critics charged him to go build schools,
roads and hospitals instead of throwing
cash about. That does not sound sweet.
The same politicians that should build
roads, hospitals and
schools are busy
junketing with our
trillions and we hail
them as honourable.
Some want to know
how Obi Cubana made
his millions. Why are
people not asking
politicians how they
made their money ?
Most of the billionaires
we have today, made
money in politics. Some
of them were unable to
maintain a car in 1998.
These are the people
awaiting EFCC
attention. Unfortunately,
gullible Nigerians have
allowed jumbo robbers
to buy over their souls
and are defending the
same people who have
kept them in unprecedented poverty. I
weep for our people.
NDLEA should be left out of this. It is
not Obi Cubana that empowers junkeed
thugs with AK-47 during elections to
maim and kill innocent Nigerians. Why
should we follow the trend that every
young Big Boy is into drugs and allow
thieving politicians drug us with penury?
Some of my people around the Niger
are not happy that
hundreds of Fulani
cattle were
Nigerians should
query their leaders
about our
Commonwealth which
they are plundering
and shipping
overseas like Dealtry
Lugard and his
Imperial army
slaughtered. I
understand their
pain. However, we
must think straight.
The Igbo man has
no problem with
Fulani. The
problem is the
known herder who
goes about
wielding automatic
weapons.
The real Nigerian
Fulani is not a war
monger. And they
lived peacefully
with the Igbo. The
first elected Mayor
of Enugu, Umaru
Altine (1952- 1958)
did not habour
Gunmen. Nor did Umaru Yushau, as
member of the Eastern Region House
of Assembly in 1959.
Check the records. There was no Fulani
GOC or even Brigade commander during the
Civil War. Benjamin Adekunle and Olusegun
Obasanjo, were Yoruba. Mohammed Shuwa
was Kanuri, Murtala Mohammed, Afenmai.
Iliya Bisalla was Berom, Ibrahim Haruna
hailed from Garkida, around the same
Bachama axis of Gibson Jalo.
For the sake of Felix Okonkwo, Special
member, Northern Region House of Chiefs
whose name turned to Kwankwaso and
Barrister Agbamuche who defended Ahmadu
Bello when he was jailed over tax matters in
Gusau in 1946, business with peace loving
Fulani will continue.
It is instructive that while human beings
were slaughtered by bandits in some parts of
the country, cows were slain in Oba. Cubana
is a businessman, do not swallow all you read
in the media. Some of those cows were
represented by ropes.
How some people could not read between
the lines baffles me. If you believed all that
glittered in Oba, I pity you. Obi Cubana is
into Showbiz. Everything was done for effect.
Kanayo O. Kanayo slapped money, Alex
Ekubo showed machine on wheels. Pure
drama.
For God’s sake these are Nollywood guys.
Ned Nwoko is always news. E- Money and
Kcee are glamour brothers. Davido, D’banj,
Shina Peller and Emmanuel Emenike are big
players in the Entertainment industry. They
all ganged up to hype their buddy, Obi
Cubana.
Now you know more of Oba. And you are
familiar with Obi Cubana. It is symbolic. Oba
was never conquered during the Civil War. It
was the Tactical Headquarters of Biafra’s 11
Division. Major Jonathan Uchendu’s battalion
moved from there to destroy Nigeria’s
Second division in Abagana, on March
31,1968.
What Obi Cubana did 53 years later, was to
bring Nigerians together in Oba. There was
peace. No Kidnap. No Unknown Gunmen.
All jets were private. No fighter jets. There
was no war. That is pure business. And,above
all, no borrowing from China, or anywhere.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021 —21

22—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
By Juliet Ebirim
Glitz, grandeur, as dignitaries
storm Vanguard Awards
Dignitaries from various walks of
life, last Saturday thronged the
Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, for
the 2019/2020 Vanguard
Personality of the Year Award. It was a
show of class, glamour and grandeur, as
the cream of the political class mingled
with the top echelon of the business
community.
The event recognised achievers from
2020 and 2019. The 2019 event could
not hold last year due to the lock down
occasioned by the COVID 19
pandemic.
Among the various categories was
the award for The Vanguard
Personality of the Year, 2019/2020,
which was presented to Femi
Otedola for 2019 and Dr. Babagana
Umara Zulum, Governor, Borno
State and Lagos State Governor
Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the 2020
award. They were honoured for
their outstanding contributions to
the growth of the public and private
sectors. Rosemary Osula-Atu, Sijibomi
Ogundele and Mr Jack-Rich Tein emerged
Entrepreneurs of the Year.
Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi
and his Ondo, Kaduna and Abia State
counterparts; Rotimi Akeredolu, Nasir El
Rufai and Okezie Ikpeazu were recipients
of the the Governors of the Year award.
s part of its commitment to bringing
Avalue to its partners and enriching the
lives of Nigerians, Sterling Alternative
Finance has partnered with Bridgeways
Global Projects Limited and Coalition of
Associations in Computer Village
(CACOVI) in the development of the Lagos
ICT Business Park in Katangowa.
Speaking on the historic edifice, Dr Idris
Salako, Honourable Commissioner,
Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban
Development said “the administration of
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is determined
to successfully accomplish the Computer
Village relocation to a more conducive
and business-friendly environment. This
would help to address the environmental
challenges created by the market in Ikeja.”
•Sanwo-Olu
receiving his
award
The
event which was
anchored by popular comedian,
Tee-A and TV host, Bolanle Olukanni had
music superstars Timaya, Chike and
Mayorkun scintilating guests with
electrifying performances.
Lagos ICT Business Park kicks off in
Katangowa
On his part, the MD/CEO, Bridgeways
Global Projects Limited, concessioners
to the project said the Lagos ICT
Business Park, Katangowa is the first
of its kind in Africa and will elevate the
status of Lagos as a global technology
location. “It is far beyond providing
real estate for the development of
another ‘computer village. The ICT
Business Park will provide the
infrastructure to incubate and
accelerate the development of
technology solutions that can
improve development outcomes on
the African continent.”
Sterling Alternative Finance offers
attractive financing opportunity to
eligible traders under the umbrella
of Coalition of Associations in
Computer Village (CACOVI) who
are currently hosted in Computer
Village, Ikeja.
Ibidunni Ighodalo
lives on
A
•Ibidunni
Ighodalo
great and noble soul leaves such a
remarkable trace in the world that it will
continue to live in the hearts of many even after
his or her death. Ibidunni Ighodalo is one of
such rare souls.
Recall that the ex-beauty queen died in the
early hours of June 14, 2020, a month to her
40th birthday.
Prior to her death, the events planner who is
also the founder of Ibidunni Ighodalo
Foundation (IIF) pronounced that her 40th
birthday wish was to gift 40 IVF grants to 40
couples.
Despite her demise, her husband, Pastor
Ituah Ighodalo decided her wish must be
granted. The foundation has therefore
announced the second cycle of the project to
commemorate the first year anniversary of the
IVF grant.
This second cycle which commenced on
Ibidunni’s birthday anniversary, July 19th,
2021 was in fulfillment of her wish.
In collaboration with renowned fertility
medical partners, IVF treatments have been
administered to beneficiaries of the first cycle,
resulting in a number of couples currently
undergoing their gestation period.
•Lagos ICT Business
Centre in Katangowa
Kelec
elechi Amadi-Obi, Ali Nuhu join Vent
ento family
enowned photographer, Kelechi
R Amadi-Obi and Kannywood star, Ali
Nuhu have been unveiled as brand
ambassadors to Luxury Furniture brand,
Vento Furniture. The duo will be joining
actors Bolanle Ninalowo and Mary
Lazarus who were signed at an elaborate
ceremony in Lagos last year.
During the signing which took place at
the main showroom in Lagos last week,
an elated Amadi-Obi stated that he
decided to work with the brand because it
aligns with his personal mantra. “It is
about paying attention to details and
distinguishing yourself in excellence and
service offering and those are some of the
things I observed about this brand. The
first time I entered their showroom,
everything stood out perfectly for me.
When I was approached to represent the
brand, they didn’t even need to talk too
much because I has already experienced
the brand first hand. Furniture is an
excellent way to show your personality to
the world; it helps define you and tells
people whom you are.
Nuhu said he first came across the brand
at the airport when he was traveling to
Abuja. “I was fascinated by what I saw and
it wasn’t long after this I got a call that
they wanted me to join their team as brand
ambassador which I appreciate and i’m
thankful for. As ambassador, I would use
my social media presence to push Vento
in the North and into everyone’s
consciousness.’’
Speaking on behalf of the brand, MD,
MBR Signature, Stanley Ezeani stated
•Vento ambassadors; Bolanle
Ninalowo, Mary Lazarus, Kelechi
Amadi-Obi and Ali Nuhu
that the new ambassadors are
strategically geared towards
reinforcing the brand’s core message
of redefining and providing
affordable luxury for all. “These new
ambassadors are able to resonate
well with everyone. They embody
affordable luxury and class. Amadi-
Obi and Nuhu are masters in their
respective fields and tell compelling
stories in their own rights through
their crafts. “
•Tonto
Dike
How heaven re-wrote
my stor
ory —Tonto Dike
It is no longer news that
Nollywood actress, Tonto
Dikeh, has found love again
in the arms of a politician
cum anti-corruption activist,
Prince Kpokpogri.
The actress, who has
apparently been seeing Mr
Kpokpogri for a while now,
broke the news on her
Instagram handle on
the occasion of his
birthday recently.
It was reported
that Tonto’s new
man, Prince
Kpokogri,
accompanied her
to the ceremony
and the actress
couldn’t hide
h e r
excitement
as she took
to social
media to
share
her joy.
According to her,
attending school events
without a man by her
side had become a norm
for her but now heaven
has rewritten her sorry
by bringing Prince
Kpokogri into her life.
Sharing the photos,
she wrote, “Doing this
for years without a man
in my life was becoming
my norm and that of my
son’s. @kpokpogri You
can’t describe the
emotions that run
through my mind as you
walked with me to
change this narrative
that was becoming my
norm…. God honor you
“oko mi’. Indeed heaven
rewrote my story and
made it even better. God
has answered my
prayers..” she enthused.

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—23
08116759759
Pupils forced to climb trees to get
internet for online classes in Sri Lanka
Home schooling has been
a challenge for millions
of families during the
pandemic.
But in one Sri Lankan village,
just getting an internet signal
brings a whole new set of
problems.
After trekking through dense
bushes — often visited by
leopards and elephants — the
teachers and 45 children in
Bohitiwaya climb more than two
miles up a rocky slope to sit on
tree branches.
There, IT teacher Nimali
Anuruddhika finds a signal to
upload lessons.
Other students from the village
join them, many sharing one
laptop or device.
H.M. Pathmini Kumari, who
accompanies his 11-year-old son,
said children make the climb
twice a day and safety is a big
concern.
Other parents, most of whom
are farmers, often accompany
their children.
The village in eastern Sri
Lanka lacks basic amenities, and
the local school — closed since
March 2020 due to the Covid
crisis — is ten miles away.
Nearby, In the village of
Lunugala, about 37 miles away,
adults also escort schoolchildren
to a mountaintop treehouse in a
forest reserve.
It is about 30 feet high and has
internet access. They take turns
to upload their homework and
‘Daring’ explorer, 32, dies after falling while taking
a selfie at a waterfall
download lesson plans.
Ceylon Teachers’ Union leader
Joseph Stalin said just 40 per cent
of the country’s 4.3million
students can take part in online
classes, while most lack access
to devices or connectivity.
On Monday, Sri Lanka’s
government began a campaign
to vaccinate all teachers with a
view to reopening schools soon.
Fireman cut diamond engagement
ring off woman’s finger after it was
stuck for a month
ofia, 32, who was an active
Ssocial media user, had
previously shared many images
of herself on cliff edges and
mountaintops overlooking steep
drops below
A daredevil explorer has fallen
to her death while taking a selfie
at the edge of a waterfall.
Sofia Cheung, 32, slipped and
died at the scenic hotspot in
Hong Kong at the weekend.
The 32-year-old, who was an
active social media user, had
previously shared many images
of herself on cliff edges and
mountaintops overlooking steep
drops below.
She set off with three friends to
the scenic nature area of Ha Pak
Lai at about 11am on Saturday.
At about 5pm, she was taking
photos at the waterfall at Tsing
Dai stream and lost her footing,
tumbling into the five-metre deep
pool below.
Her friends called the
emergency services and first
responders arrived on the scene.
The woman was taken to the
Pamela Youde Nethersole
Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan in
Hong Kong where she was
declared dead on arrival.
The area of Ha Pak Lai,
situated near Pineapple
Mountain, is a popular spot for
hikers, especially at sunset.
The victim’s Instagram page,
under the name Sophia Cheung,
which had over 6,000 followers
at the time of her death, lists
hiking, kayaking, exploring,
outdoor activities, and
photography as her main
passions.
Many of the images show her
seemingly standing over perilous
drops would she then shared with
her online followers.
She says in her biography: “Life
should be fun not dumb.”
She accompanied a photo of
her kneeling on the shore with a
yellow boogie board with the
message: “Better days are
coming. They are called
Saturday and Sunday!”
Instagram
user
‘Ellah_d_explorer’ said: “I
thought better days are coming
with Saturday and Sunday? I will
miss your chat every day. I love
you always. Rest in peace my
pretty Sofia.”
The school teacher tried
sliding the accessory off
lathering it with soap and then oil
but without success so she called
the emergency services for help
Firemen had to cut a diamond
ring off a woman’s finger after it
was stuck on for a month.
Supachaya Kraipoch, 28, had
been wearing her gem-encrusted
engagement ring when she felt her
finger swelling upon waking up at
home in Chonburi province,
Thailand.
The school teacher tried sliding
the accessory off lathering it with
soap and then oil but without
success so she called the
emergency services for help.
Supachaya said: “This
engagement ring is very precious
to me because this was also my
husband’s gift to me.
“I used to take it off at night
before going to bed but since I was
afraid it would be lost I have been
wearing it for a month straight.”
When the rescue team arrived,
they immediately used a metal
cutting disc to pierce through the
accessory as it had been preventing
blood flow on the woman’s finger
from being too tight.
A volunteer carefully held the
cutting tool so that the teacher
would not be wounded from the
sharp disc.
After almost half an hour, the ring
was removed and the woman was
given a first aid treatment for the
scratches on her fingers.
The delicate procedure involved
a team of firefighters and medical
staff who were on hand should any
of the process go wrong.
The relieved teacher said: “I
never thought the ring could be
stuck like that. I want to thank the
rescuers for their prompt
response.”
The ring was returned to the
woman who will now have it
repaired and extended to create a
larger size for her finger.

24—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
Victim of suspected
ponzi scheme
commits suicide
•More than 2000 Nigerians affected
•I drank poison to take my life —undergraduate victim
•Investors alert EFCC, others to assist get their money
By Evelyn Usman
They looked forlorn and despondent.
One of them has already committed
suicide while some narrowly escaped
suicide attempts. They are still in a state of
shock, unsure of what to do.
These are victims of an investment that
went down the drain.
More than 2000 Nigerians invested in a
promised mouth watering Return on
Investment ,ROI with a Lagos-based at
different times.
Some of the victims told Crime Guard
that an advertisement was placed by the
company on radios, podcasts
and through other social media
influencers, calling for investment of
funds into the company’s various
investment plans which included: logistics/
bike investment, Customer Relationship
Management Investment, CRMI;
Education Virtual Reality for Students
Investment, VR;. Location Sponsorship
Investment; Real Estate and Independent
Investment.
They were expected to get a Return on
Investment, ROI hovering between 60% to
110% depending on the investment plan
and duration.
To ascertain the authenticity of the
investment, the investors said they visited
the company’s Ikeja and Lekki offices in
Lagos and in Abuja office too,
depending on the part of the country they
resided.
They said some staff and few motor
bikes were seen within the premises and
along the road, which gave them the
impression that they were investing in a
proper company.
They said their confidence was further
strengthened with the well-publicized
remittances made to the earlier investors.
Danger
The first signal that indicated trouble
ahead for the investors occurred last year,
when the company, according to the
investors, started giving excuses on payment
of the promised mouth watering Return on
Investment, ROI.
When it finally dawned on them that it was
a ponzi scheme, one of the investors
identified simply as Stephen, reportedly
committed suicide. The deceased was said
to have taken a loan of an undisclosed
millions of naira from the bank which he
invested into the company.
About three other investors, among them,
David Oyase, also attempted to take their
lives when they could not withstand the
pressure from their banks, where they took
loans.
Among those who invested millions into
the company were : Agboniffo Ohis
Iyawere (N3,340,000), . Victor
Okinedo (N15,340,000), Chibueze
Amuchie( N800,000), Bazuaye John and
family (N25, 081,000) and Obiakor
Elochukwu Pious and wife (N44,900,00).
Lamentation
Another victim is Enokela Monday, a
100 level student of Air Force Institution
of Technology , Kaduna. He disclosed that
he invested N1.5 million, an amount meant
to pay his school fees , rent and loan he
collected from his friend, into the company.
Narrating his experience, he said, “ The
business was introduced to my brother
who stays in Dubai, when he came visiting.
I accompanied him to Ikeja where he paid
for the investment.
“He gave me money for house rent, school
fees and pocket money . He also gave me
some money for my mum and siblings. I
begged him to add some money for me so
that I could also pay for the CRMI
promotion investment. He obliged. I
invested all the money given to me into the
company , in addition to a loan from my
best friend in the Nigeria Defence
Academy, to make the money mature for the
investment. The total amount I paid into the
company’s account was N1.5 million.
Today, my friend sees me as a bad person,
he thinks I fooled him.
As I speak, I can’t afford my school fees,
house rent and money to offset the loan I
collected from my family including my
friends.
Suicide experience
“In my frustration, I drank some quantity
of poisonous substance. But for the help of
my girlfriend who was around I would have
been a forgotten issue. She gave me
enough palm oil that revived me.
My brother could not return to Dubai.
He stayed behind to monitor the situation.
He said he can’t return to Dubai because
some of the money he invested in the
business was a loan he collected from his
friends over there. My family is restless, we
can barely feed. Depression is setting in”, he
stated.
Trouble
In a move to get their
money back, some of the
aggrieved investors have
alerted the Economic and
Financial Crimes
Commission, the
Presidency, the House of
Representatives and
Senate Committees on
Public Complaint, and
Securities and Exchange
Commission, among
other relevant
government bodies.
In an open letter to
the EFCC chairman,
Mr Abdulrasheed Bawa,
some of the aggrieved
investors said, “ the
unraveling of the
suspected Ponzi scheme
all started in the first
week of October 2020,
when suddenly, the
company started giving
excuses why it could not
pay. At first, it stated that the Customer
Relationship Management Investment,
CRMI was oversubscribed and that the
company wanted to refund the excesses
before payment could resume (however, they
still accepted funds from some investors).
Later, it said that the SEC has ordered it
to refund all CRMI investors. After that, it
The total amount I
paid into the
company’s
account was
N1.5 million.
Today, my friend
sees me as a bad
person, he thinks I
fooled him
was one story or the other and
the managing Director/Chief
Executive Officer actually went
underground, claiming to have
been involved in an accident, and
continued hiding until it was learnt
that EFCC officers had arrested him.
Arrest by EFCC
Part of the letter the investors wrote to
EFCC chairman read: “EFCC officers
held him in a detention facility at its
Okotie-Eboh Office, Ikoyi for
about a month and then
released him on
December
22,
•EFCC chairman Bawa
2020. Prior to his release, he gave investors
his word that as soon as he is released, he
would sell some of the assets he diverted
investors’ monies into and pay up investors.
“To the chagrin of investors, after he was
released, he stated clearly that EFCC
instructed him not to meet or communicate
with investors. This,the EFCC denied.
Again, he stated that the EFCC has not
unfreeze the company’s account as well as
his personal account.
It’s worthy to note that the Director, on
several occasions, clearly
stated that he was not the
enemy. That rather, our
common enemy being the
EFCC, is the reason he
has not paid investors. He
was encouraging the
investors to stage a protest
against the EFCC at
Okotie-Eboh Office,
Ikoyi, to release his assets
and unfreeze his
company’s accounts and
his personal account”.
“Chairman sir, with
about 7.5 billion naira
investors’ funds , still
under his firm grip. EFCC
Lagos has been on the
matter for months without
prosecution, claiming
they’re still investigating
him. We implore you to
kindly act in the interest of
the innocent investors”.
Furthermore, the man
admitted using some
people’s bank accounts to
receive funds since EFCC
had restricted his bank
accounts. He also admitted that he used
investor’s funds to invest heavily in
properties. It will interest you to know that
on three occasions, the investors have
offered to help him release his properties
which he claimed to have been seized by
EFCC, but he only accepts verbally, but
never comes forth with the conditions given
by investors. These conditions are as
follows: That he will provide an MoU
making commitments for payments, using
the assets as collateral if he fails to make
payments afterward; That he includes
payment plan in this MoU and that he sends
this MoU to our various lawyers to review
before adoption
”He may just disappear with the
entirety of the money should EFCC release
the assets and unfreeze his account without
the investors being carried along especially
in the light of both his company and himself
holding investors incommunicado. While
there is no doubt that EFCC has no
collaboration with him and his company(
names withheld) to do away with investors
funds, the agency’s long delay to either
prosecute him or release/unblock the
investors’ funds and the assets purchased
with investors’ funds so as to alleviate
investor’s plight is making a lot of investors
believe otherwise”.
“ We the investors are appealing to the
Chairman of EFCC, Mr. Abdulrasheed
Bawa, to come to our aide as our only hope
to get justice for the investors to ensure that
every investors’ monies are refunded. Due to
the current hardship in the country some
investors have lost their lives through
suicide, depressions, and shock on how they
are going to pay back the loans they
collected with collaterals, many can’t afford
to pay their rent anymore, many have
relocated to their villages and many have
been sent out of schools due to tuition fees
not paid and many marriages broken.
Futile efforts
Efforts to reach the company’s MD/CEO,
on his mobile line failed , as it was switched
off. That of his wife’s was also switched off.
When the EFCC’s Head, Media and
Publicity, Mr Wilson Uwujaren was
contacted, he said, “ The most I can say is
that the case is still under investigation”.

‘You’ll live to regret this vote against
democracy’
By Prisca Sam-Duru
Following the vote against electronic
transmission of election results in Nigeria
by some members of the National
Assembly, more stakeholders have joined in
condemning the act, describing it as a ploy to
scuttle the country’s democracy as well as
action NASS members will live to regret.
Recall that members of the Senate and
Federal House of Representatives, especially
those of the majority All Progressives Congress
(APC), last week, voted against electronic
transmission of elections in the forthcoming
General Elections in 2023, citing lack of
network coverage in some parts of the country.
Not even the assurance from INEC through
its National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, that
it has capacity for e-transmission of results in
remote areas, more so, it recently successfully
conducted two off season governorship
elections in Edo and Ondo states, in which it
transmitted election results electronically to
the satisfaction of contestants, electorates and
civil society organisations, could stop majority
of the members of the 9 th Assembly from
voting against real-time transmission of
results.
Consequent upon the development,
opposition parties, and indeed, many
Nigerians, have condemned the outcome of
the vote, saying it was done to satisfy the selfish
interest of those who are still prepared to
undermine the country’s democracy.
The National Chairman of Young
Progressive Party (YPP), Bishop Amakiri, during
an interview with Channels Television’s current
affairs programme, ‘Sunday Politics’, labelled
NASS members who voted against the
electronic transmission of election results by
Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC), as a group of individuals who are
against deepening democratic ethos in the
country.
Bishop Amakiri said it was a shame that
NASS members chose politics over the interest
of Nigerians by voting against democracy in
the country. “It’s a shame to all of us including
myself as politicians, but that’s not to say its
irredeemable, no, the future is really bright
once we can get progressive minds onboard
… this thing is all about 2023 election. Some
people think that the only game they know
about winning election is rigging. The
consequences of what is happening today in
the national assembly, I think most of them
don’t understand that there are people like us,
•Senate President Lawan and Speaker Gbajbiamila
people like me seated here, if my life will be
taken or I go to jail, on this particular subject
matter, I’m prepared for that, because I don’t
think I’m ready to explain to my younger
generation and my children that I was alive
when all these shenanigans were taking place
and I did not contribute my quota.
“YPP supports e-transmission of election
results in Nigeria…If they no wan do wetin
Nigerians want, Nigerians will show them the
way”
Also, former Deputy Governor of Central
Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and a presidential
candidate in the 2019 Presidential Election,
Professor Kingsley Moghalu also criticized
Nigeria’s Senate and Federal House of
Representatives members, for voting against
electronic transmission of election results in
Nigeria. Moghalu who was at the same
programme with Bishop Amakiri, stated
categorically that the 9th Assembly members
will live to regret voting against the
transmission of election results in the 21st
century Nigeria. “INEC should be allowed to
do its job period! And, it is very clear that some
people do not want it to do its job.
“I was Deputy Governor of Central Bank
and I supervised the introduction of the Bank
Verification Number where you now have
reliable 40 million Nigerians with their data
being able to undertake efficient payment
transactions. We created the POS, and
electronic banking. So every aspect of life in
this country is moving digital, even in my
village. And somebody in the National
Assembly is telling me about no coverage there,
coverage here, common, tell that to a two
month old baby. It is not true that there is not
enough network coverage in Nigeria hence
INEC should not transmit election results
electronically. Even in the United States of
America (USA) that is technologically
advanced, there is no network coverage in
certain areas, if you are moving from one place
to another, there are times you are out of
network area. So what are they talking about?
“INEC has assured us that they have different
alternative ways as backups to ensure a fair
outcome for everybody in the country,…that
assurance from the body that the country has
given the mandate to see to it that our elections
are credible should be enough. Nigerians are
upset about this and I think we have not seen
the end of the story.
“The problem is, Nigeria by this decision of
the national assembly, is clear that what we
have as democracy is government by politicians
for politicians of politicians. They want this to
be selections not elections and some people
clearly want to continue to come back to power
through rigging elections. It’s such a shame,
this day will live in infamy, go and mark it
down that this decision that the NASS has
taken, the consequences of it will reverberate
far into the future and they will find out when
it’s too late, that they shot themselves in the
SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—25
foot”.
Muoghalu who declared earlier in a
statement published by Daily Post, that
“Electronic transmission of election results is
a popular demand by Nigerians who are keen
to see significant improvements in the
country’s electoral processes and outcomes”,
stressed that “To pass a law to deny the wish of
the people is tantamount to a legislative coup
by the National Assembly. This must be
avoided”.
On what the Senate passed, he said;
“There is a massive contradiction because
INEC is a body established by the constitution
and it is given its powers and functions by the
constitution. So, there is no law that if it
contradicts the constitution that should be able
to stand. The National Assembly may make
laws but they should make laws consistent with
the constitution. If the INEC is an independent
electoral body, you cannot subject its work to
the say so of another body of the government,
in this case, the National Communications
Commission (NCC) and, even more
unbelievably, the National Assembly itself.
So, the National Assembly wants to be a
referee in a match in which it is one side, a
player because INEC oversees election results
into the national Assembly. So for those results
to take place, INEC has to go to National
Assembly to certify that it can use electronic
transmission of results. It is obviously not a
reasonable situation. I do see a problem legally,
constitutionally with this because, in this case
the National Assembly is making itself a judge
in its own court. So that’s one fundamentalthe
independence of institutions in our own
country is being excavated by these contorting
decisions. Now, practically speaking, INEC
itself has told you, has told the whole country
that it can transmit results electronically and
they have given examples of what they’ve done
and some people are telling us otherwise.
I foresee that except the harmonisation
committee creates a clean bill that removes
the conditions that the NCC and the National
Assembly having to certify something before
INEC can play its constitutional role, if that is
not done, any legislation that carries this type
of fundamental contradiction can be
challenged up to the Supreme court and it
should be challenged. And I believe the
Supreme court ought to rule such a law
unconstitutional.
APC Chieftain, Senator Ayo Arise in an
interview with Arise TV on Tuesday edition of
‘The Morning Show’, described the NASS vote
against e-transmission of results as a deeply
troubling development. “It’s deeply
troubling… it’s not unique to APC but I was
hoping that my Party would look more into
the future. Everybody has a right to vote
anyway he desires but, this particular topic
…for me there’s no way we can make a general
improvement on the way our results are
released.
“We know that naturally the only way a
person who wants to perpetrate rigging is to
ensure, that is carried out between the polling
unit and maybe state or federal agents. The
electronic transmission would have been the
best for this country. If it is not done now it will
still have to be done in the future”.
Yetunde Arebi
Twitter: @yetundearebi
yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk
08054700825
Hi, below is the concluding part of
this article. Please visit the
Vanguard website for the first part
if you missed it. cheers.
The days leading to the party would
reveal what lay ahead. Ayinke said she began
feeling like a stranger in what was supposed
to be her own house. Everyone except her
knew what was going on and when the events
would take place. Kamal assured her that
all was well and she was to use the visit as a
well deserved holiday, since he had taken
care of everything. On the morning of the
event, Kamal’s aged mother arrived and
while taking a tour of the building showered
praises and prayers on her son to the
exclusion of his wife. In fact, Ayinke said she
felt a tinge of restraint in the old woman’s
voice whenever she addressed her, as if she
was the enemy. When the prayers started,
the group of Alfas that came only continued
to emphasise the fact that Kamal had built
a house for the family and his sojourn in
Oyinbo land had not been in vain. His
mother was also praised as a very fortunate
woman, whose prayers had been answered
by God. The house was not announced as a
joint project by husband and wife. No one,
recognised her position and contribution to
the project other than she being the wife and
mother of Kamal’s children. Several times,
she tried to catch her husband’s glance, but
he appeared determined to ignore her.
Unable to control her troubled emotions,
Ayinke left the prayers to calm herself in her
room. Shortly after, her first daughter went
up to join her, then returned to invite a couple
of friends up with whom she shared her fears
and doubts, insisting there was something
wrong.
Ayinke would find out the truth, a few days
after returning to London. Kamal had taken
How do you win a
lost battle (2)
a second wife in Nigeria. All the while he
was travelling back and forth between
Nigeria and London, he was involved in a
relationship with another woman. He never
stopped to think about his devoted wife who
actually was the major financier of the
project he was supervising.
The one who had been the
back bone of the family,
propping and supporting
him all of 30+ years.
Initially, he’d begged Ayinke
that it was a mistake and
that he would only accept
the child but not the mother.
But when she discovered
that the woman was a close
friend of Kamal’s niece, she
knew she was only being
fooled.
Ayinke has been besides
herself since Easter.
Solicited and unsolicited
pieces of advice have been
pouring in from close
friends who have heard
about Kamal’s goof. Many
are of the opinion that
Kamal had never really
loved and appreciate
Ayinke all these years, he only loved the fact
that having her in his life made life easier
for him. She loved and respected him for
She wants her
husband back but at
the same time, wants
to be acknowledged
for the role she’d
played in his life,
especially with
regards to the house
in Nigeria which she
now fears that the new
wife will usurp
obvious reasons, while he saw her as his
meal ticket. So, it was not too difficult to
throw her under the bus when he needed to.
The children were of no great consideration
too as they are old enough to reason things
out for themselves. As if there was not
enough problem already,
last month, Kamal moved
the young lady and her new
born baby girl into the
family house in Nigeria. He
said his mother insisted, so
that the lady could help him
take care of the house. So,
what are the two relatives
already resident there
doing?
Now, Ayinke has become
a shadow of her old self. She
says her life is over as all
she has worked for has been
taken away from her. She
wants her husband back but
at the same time, wants to
be acknowledged for the
role she’d played in his life,
especially with regards to
the house in Nigeria which
she now fears that the new
wife will usurp. She wants
Kamal’s family and his new baby mama to
know that the house, the money and of course,
Kamal, all belong to her. Her children are
in support, but Kamal has other opinions
and is not backing down. He says though
Ayinke makes more money than him, he has
been the manager of the resources and had
devoted much time into grooming her into
the success that she has become. He says
they are Muslims and their religion permits
him to marry more than one wife. He thinks
there is no problem with their situation,
because the new woman is just a little girl
and cannot compete with Ayinke in any way.
He insists Ayinke is only making a mountain
out of a molehill because the lady and her
child will remain in Nigeria while he and
his family are in London. The two women
do not have to see each other if Ayinke and
her children do not want it.
Despite all that has happened, Kamal
insists he is still Ayinke’s husband and father
of her children and the head of the family.
He says the house will eventually go to their
children so there is no need to start telling
anyone who owns what. If Ayinke insists on
declaring herself the owner of the property
both in London and Nigeria, then he will
walk out of their marriage.
I am not Ayinke’s intimate friend. My
sister is. However, there have been many
discussions around Ayinke’s options in this
situation. It’s either she cuts her losses and
end the marriage, remain in the marriage
and channel her money elsewhere, or call
Kamal’s bluff by staking her claims on what is
hers. However, the kind of relationship Ayinke
and Kamal share has not really made it
possible for her to stand up to him. She believes
she needs him in her life for reasons best known
to her and cannot even imagine herself not
being married him. Without Kamal, there is
no Ayinke. So, the status quo remains!
Do have a wonderful weekend!!

26—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk
Why men will continue to be potty in the hands
of well-endowed women!
In the battle of the sexes, one
advantage women will
always have over the men is
their boobs! Simple as it is, it is
very comical how seemingly
intelligent men turn into
whimpering teenage boys at the
sight of a well-stacked women. I
thought I’d heard and seen
everything for and against the
mammary gland until recently
when I was in the midst of
‘matured’ men who amused
themselves by analysing the
anatomy of female guests at a
wedding.
“What’s so special about a pair
of boobs?” I asked Supo, one of
these men. He had bragged he was
strictly a boobs man. Actually,
most men do. I agreed with him,
swearing that a woman without
more bounce to the once’, has
virtually lost her femininity! “Are
you serious?” he wanted to know.
“Do you know of any other
aphrodisiac that’s been around
since God created man that
generates as much excitement as
a pair of boobs? It is not as if
they’ve suddenly arrived out of
nowhere you know? All warm. All
soft. And pleasing to touch! New
toys for the beautiful generations
to play with! To make it more
interesting, you get them in
various shapes and sizes.
“My first fascination with boobs
started in my second year in
secondary school. I was only 14
then and our housemaid allowed
Fidelis got married late – in
his early 40s. Two years
into his marriage, he could no
longer get an erection. “I’d had
problems with my libido in the
past”, he confessed, “and by the
time I met Lisa, my wife, making
love was very infrequent. She
was only 23 and I thought that
she would be fertile enough to
get pregnant with the infrequent
timep I could have sex.
But she didn’t. It wasn’t really
her fault as my semen was often
watery. I won’t bore you with the
details of efforts I made to have
a child. I have resigned myself
to the reality of my impotence.
“Unfortunately, I have a young
wife who has a strong sex drive
and always has a need for
penetrative sex to achieve full
satisfaction. So, my impotence
has come as a big
disappointment to her. As a
result, we have both confided in
Ade, a very close and trustworthy
friend whom we have known for
many years. He has four children
but is currently separated from
his wife.
“After much discussion, he has
offered to help. He is wellendowed
and my wife and I are
keen to accept his offer, as we
believe this would solve our
problems. I’m all for it as I feel
that we could all get something
from it. He lives alone as the
wife has custody of their kids,
and he needs sex too...”
As Fidelis rattled on excitedly,
I gaped at him in disbelief. Of
course, we’ve heard of men who
me to do it to her. She must have
noticed me lusting after her and
decided to take me out of my
misery! There I was, a pubescent
boy confronted with a pair of
knockers. She was huge. Just
huge! I had never seen a pair of
boobs like hers in all my life. And
I’d seen my mother’s and my elder
sister’s. Her own (the maid’s) just
bulged from everywhere. Over,
Under, Between, Great trembling
folds of flesh like a set jelly that
you shake around. Terrific! You
could put your head between them
and blot out the world!
“She never bothered to keep
them under wraps either, always
throwing open her wrapper to retie!
She taught me how to hold
them. Kiss them, the biggest ice
cream ever invented! It was years
later that I wondered where she
learnt the tricks from – my dad or
my brother? Like I said, the
housemaid made sure that I
enjoyed the wonder of her boobs.
She wriggled as I eagerly
followed her lead. The heat of the
excitement I felt sent a shock right
through my school-boy’s body. I
was a man. I had made it! Her
buba opened and wrapper tossed
aside with careless abandon. I
held my first whole woman
cushion against my chest and I
was drunk with lust.
“And I think I hung on to her
breasts all the way through my
bumbling sex act. Hung on like
my whole life depended on it. Eyes
screwed tight and shut in ecstatic
wonder, I had absolutely no
technique. But we got by. From
that day on, I was hooked. I stole
food and money for her and gladly
helped with some of her chores –
and she was generously grateful!
Muti (that’s the maid’s name),
wherever you are today, I thank
you for my first launch through
space. Since her, and that was a
couple of decades back. I’d been
hooked on boobs. If you haven’t
got them, forget it. Having no
boobs is like having a bottle of
wine without a cork-screw – how
Should an impotent husband seek the ‘Help’
of a friend?
passed on pregnancies they were
responsible for to their
mistresses’ unsuspecting
husbands. But to knowingly look
for a stand-in lover to help
impregnate your wife is pushing
desperation to the limit. I told
Fidelis that my gut reaction was
that it was going to be a total
disaster. What works as a fantasy
often backfires.
A sex expert I discussed it with
was equally appalled. “Fidelis
has to be made to realise that
while we all like to pretend we
can separate sex and love, our
genitals and our hearts do
inhabit the same body,” she
explained. “Many weird and
wonderful things happen when
a couple start having sex.
Powerful and intoxicating
hormones transfer through skinto-sin
contact.
“Sex connects and bonds
people. I wonder if Fidelis will
still find it quite so exciting when
his wife suddenly packs her bag,
ready to move in with her
husband’s friend. He hasn’t told
you how things are going to
work. Does he intend to watch
while his wife is being serviced
by his enthusiastic friend in the
bedroom or would he watch the
telly as if nothing is going on?”
“Man sues neighbour he paid
to get his wife pregnant but failed
after 72 attempts,” is a recent
news item that shows the
stupidity of Fidelis action The
story – reads: “In Stuttgart,
Germany, a court judge must
decide on a case of honourable
intentions in a situation where a
man hired his neighbour to get
his wife pregnant. It seems that
Demetrius Soupolos, 29, said his
former beauty queen wife,
Traute, wanted a child badly, but
Demetrius was told by a doctor
that he was sterile. So Soupolos
after calming his wife’s protest,
hired his neighbour Frank
Maus, 34, to impregnate her.
Since Maus was already married
and the father of two children
plus looked very much like
Soupolos to boot, the plan
seemed good. Soupolos paid
Maus $2,500 dollars and for
three evenings a week for the
next six months, Maus tried
desperately, a total of 72
different times, to impregnate
Traute.
“When his own wife objected,
he explained,” I don’t like this
any more than you do, I’m
simply doing it for the money.
Try – and understand’. When
Traute failed to get pregnant
after six months however,
Soupolos was not understanding
and insisted that Maus have a
medical examination, which he
did. The doctor’s announcement
that Maus was also sterile
shocked everyone except his
wife, who was forced to confess
that Maus was not the real father
of their children.
“Now Soupolos is suing Maus
for breach of contract in an effort
to get his money back, but Maus
refused to give it up because he
said he did not guarantee
conception, but only that he
would give an honest effort!”
do you get to enjoy the wine?”
In case you men out there have
conveniently forgotten, boobs are
not really for your benefits, you
know? Actually, they are to
nourish your offsprings into
reasonable adults.’ Instead of
latching on to your partner’s
boobs all of the time, consider the
poor mite for whose sole purpose
the boobs are intended.
“I’m a boobs man” Ike, a
mechanical engineer bragged,
“and when my wife had our first
son, I became jealous of him. Her
boobs were full and oozing milk
and he was attached to her chest,
sucking away with careless
abandon. Could breast milk be
tastier than the milk we all knew?
Why was the baby in such rapture
– over his milk? I was itching to
find out. That night, I crawled up
to my wife in bed, sort out her
boobs and tried sucking them as
our son did, hoping to get as much
pleasure as he did from her milk.
“Yuck! The milk tasted very
unpalatable and I almost spit it
out. What could anyone find
enjoyable in that?” I gently
reminded him that boobs are to
provide infants with nourishment,
not give grown-up kids the time
of their life!
From Left; Ms Latunde Dada, Communication officer, Lagos State
Food Initiative, Mr Femi Taiwo, Executive Director, Leadership
Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism (LEAP) Africa, Mrs
Olaife Ilori, Communication Officer, Nigeria Network of NGO, and
Mrs Juliana Olamide, Grant& Partnership Officer, Donors of African
Foundation, during the Press Briefing Leadership Effectiveness,
Accountability and Professionalism inLagos. PHOTO; Kehinde
Gbadamosi
From Left: Rotimi Ogunwede, Head, Media and Marketing, Patricia;
Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa channels,
MultiChoice Nigeria; Martin Mabutho, Chief Customer Officer,
MultiChoice Nigeria and Ayo Akinola, Head of Business Development,
Abeg App at the Big Brother Season 6 Media Briefing in Lagos. PHOTO;
Kehinde Gbadamosi

SECL, LESTF and USADF empower
youths, women on free vocational
training
Stories by Moses Nosike
To
tackle
unemployment
among youths and
women in Lagos State, the Lagos
State Employment Trust Fund
with support from the United
States African Development
Foundation had just concluded
the first batch of its vocational
training on professional cleaning
service skills, janitorial and
facility management for
employment purposes held at
Simply Exponential Vocational
Training Centre.
Speaking at the free vocational
training graduation ceremony,
CEO/Founder, Simply
Exponential Vocational Training
Centre, Mrs Fayo Williams, said
that the graduation of today is for
janitorial services batch one. “This
is a batch of young people who
were previously unskilled or
underemployed, who have been
taken over a six-week period to
equip them with professional
cleaning service skills, janitorial
and facility management skills.
We also gave them basic digital
literacy skills and soft skills like
communication, report writing,
financial literacy and leadership
which they would need in their
places of work.
As it is well known that
unemployment rate in Nigeria is
over 30% according to
Nigeria Bureau of statistics, this
is very worrisome. Hence, the
purpose of training is to equip
youths with marketable skills. It
is not all about knowledge, but the
employer of today wants to know
what you can do with your hands,
and what you can achieve at the
end of the day, and help add value
to the company. Right now we
need them to serve internship
position to get better and know
more about the industry. We are
also grateful to Dr.TundeAyeye
who presently is the National
President of Cleaning
Professional Association of
Nigeria. He gave us the keynote
address at this graduation
ceremony. It is going to be the first
of many with the kind sponsorship
of Lagos State Employment Trust
Fund and United States African
Development Foundation
(USADF), we propose to run at
least four batches of this Janitorial
Founder of My Girlfriend’s
Closet, Uche Ajene in this
chart explains what adoption of
sustainable fashion in the
Nigerian Fashion industry is all
about and how her outfit is
promoting it.
According to her, the world’s
trends are changing, and the
fashion industry is not an
exception. She discovered that
like any other sector in the global
business competitiveness was
affected by the advent of COVID-
19 pandemic, the fashion
industry was also disrupted, with
retail shops closed, production of
new fashion items slowed down,
supply chains shut down while
consumer’s spending reduced.
“People could not shop their new
favorite designers’ items or do
any international fashion
shopping to change the look of
their closets”.
Ajene said that for an industry
that contributes over $2.5 trillion
in global annual revenues before
the pandemic, this was a major
blow to the fashion industry, but
it was also a moment to slow
Centre left is the CEO, Simply Exponential Consult Ltd, Mrs Fayo
Williams flanked right is the CEO, Delonix Management Services,
Mrs Jumoke Olatunji and graduates of the 1st batch janitorial and
free vocational skill acquisition during their graduation ceremony
in Lagos recently.
services”.
In addition, one of the
facilitators, the CEO, Delonix
Management Services, Mrs
Jumoke Olatunji, said, “We are a
cleaning and pest and control
company. We are here today to
celebrate the graduating students
who just completed their janitorial
training at Simply Exponential
Vocational Training Centre. We
came on board to impactlives,the
programme is an avenue to train
young citizens to provide
janitorial services in a professional
way. Professionalism is what we
have taught them so that they can
also go out there and add value to
the nation.”
According to Mrs Olatuji,
janitorial services involves a lot.
It is a profession you can be proud
of so far it pays your bills and
brings food to your table, you can
ensure a cleaner and safer
environment. It is a profession
that requires capacity
building,training and research
especially in this era of COVID-
19 Pandemic. It is a profession
that organisations seeks because
there is nobody that wants to live
in a dirty environment. The whole
idea is to get them employed
because they have been
empowered and that is tell us that
the rate of unemployment is
drastically reducing in Lagos
State”.
The best graduating student,
Janitorial Batch one,
OlayinkaAwonusi said, “I was
doing business but the business
collapsed at the advent of COVID-
19, and I was at home doing
nothing when I saw a link on
LSETF’s website and I enrolled.
Initially I thought it was not real.
Weeks later I was called for
interview and after that I was
admitted for the training.
I’m happy for the opportunity
given to me to participate in this
training programme which lasted
for six weeks. Skill acquisition is
very important in our environment
today where there no available jobs
for the youths”.
In addition, another graduating
student BamideleAdedayo
narrating his experience during
the training said, “. I love cleaning,
it has been part of my life. So, I
told myself if I must go far on
cleaning profession, hence I must
embark on professional training.
So, I got this opportunity from a
friend who introduced this
programme to me and I applied
online. I thank the organisers of
this training programme, Simply
Exponential Vocational Training
Centrefor the opportunity given to
me to go higher in cleaning
profession and this initiative to the
youths. I have learnt a lot in this
training”.
Expert, Uche Ajene discusses changes in fashion
business
down as the issue of
environmental degradation was
increasing since over 87% of
used fashion items end up in
landfills.
She said, “The fashion
industry contributes about 10%
yearly global carbon emissions,
more than international flights
and maritime shipping
combined and will surge more
than 50% by 2030. This has
forced fashion retailers to
confront the issue with focus to
embracing ‘Sustainable
Fashion’.
Continuing she said, “In 2019,
McKinsey identified
sustainability as one of the key
priorities for the fashion
industry. Nigeria, being the
biggest consumer of fashion in
Africa has been forced to take
advantage of this growing
opportunity of ‘sustainable
fashion’ to tackle the growing
nuisance constituted by
pollution and waste in the
country. This has helped
reposition Nigerian fashion
brands better since in the bid to
conform, the people now buy
locally produced fashion
designed from locally sourced
materials. However, while this is
a positive adoption, people still
enjoy buying foreign designers’
item to complement local brands.
To encourage fashion buyers, join
our campaign for sustainability,
the whole new concept of ‘resale
and reuse’ was introduced.
In Uche’s word, “The MGC
Brand has identified a challenge
and we want people to be
comfortable in using high-class
second-hand products with full
assurance that they got it from
the very best.”
But what exactly does
‘Sustainable Fashion’ mean? Is
it just a new buzzword to get
people excited? Or is it a
marketing term used by fashion
industries to influence buying
decisions?
read more on
ww.vanguardngr.com
SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021—27
Stanbic IBTC Bank identifies
opportunities for SME growth
in Nigeria
Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, a subsidiary of Stanbic IBTC
Holdings PLC, recently hosted a webinar where it reiterated
its zeal and commitment to assisting the Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) ecosystem in Nigeria.
The webinar themed ‘Scaling Your Business in Challenging
Economic Times’, was well attended by enthusiastic entrepreneurs
looking to overcome the economic challenges currently faced by
their businesses.
In his opening remarks, Wole Adeniyi, Chief Executive, Stanbic
IBTC Bank, listed the COVID-19 pandemic, dearth of innovative
solutions and lack of access to adequate business finance as some
of the challenges that have plagued the SME sector in Nigeria in
recent times. Adeniyi said: “As a business entity, Stanbic IBTC
understands that running a business is not a bed of roses and that
challenges differ from one business ecosystem to another. For this
reason, Stanbic IBTC Bank is always in search of solutions to
solve business challenges as they arise.”
Adeniyi also advocated for the diversification of the economy
through policies that will be aimed at driving commercial growth
in various sectors as SMEs are vital to the vast business ecosystem
of any economy. According to him, this would boost economic
growth and lead to an improved standard of living for the citizenry.
He further advised SMEs to monitor their expenditure and make
the necessary adjustments closely.
Speaking on how the pandemic affected SMEs and the outlook
of the post-pandemic era, Ayodele Ojosipe, Head, Enterprise
Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, explained that challenges faced by
SMEs during the lockdownstill have profound effects on their
businesses to date. He added that whilst these challenges have
resulted in increased costs of doing business, the inability of most
SMEs to pass these costs to their customers has led to margin
compression and outright losses in most cases thereby threatening
their business sustainability.
read more on
www.vanguardngr.com
Tot
otal Health Trus
rust, Rot
otar
ary Club provides
free eye surgery to Lagos residence
Rotary club of Lagos in
partnership with Total Health
Trust (THT), Nigeria’s leading
Health Maintenance
Organization recently offered
free eye surgeries to 1800
beneficiaries as a contribution
towards addressing the
growing need for health
services across the country.
According to the Head of
Marketing, Brand and
Communication at THT,
Olufemi Olulana the
partnership is one of the
numerous ways to give back
to the society as part of its
commitment to make Nigeria
healthier.
Olulana thanked The Rotary
Club of Lagos, Palmgrove
Estate (RCLPGE), for
providing services to the less
privileged in the society, by
regularly conducting health
camps, blood donation camps,
vocational training, as well as
medical sponsorships.
“We understand that little
Firm launches new campaign, rewards
consumers with bedroom makeover worth
N1 Million
Mouka,
Nigeria’s
leading brand of
mattresses and pillows has
launched a new campaign to
encourage consumers to buy
the right Mouka mattress
based on their unique needs.
The “Get the Mouka for
You” campaign seeks to
educate consumers about the
need to consider their age,
body build, lifestyle and
budget before choosing the
right Mouka mattress. The
campaign also features the
leading associations in the
bedding industry, Nigeria
Society of Physiotherapy
(NSP) and National
Association of Orthopaedic
and Manual Therapists
(NAOMT).
According to these experts,
sleeping on the right
mattress is paramount for
proper body alignment,
drops of kindness can make a
difference in our nation and we
will continue to contribute
immensely through remarkable
programs like this sort. We
consistently seek out likeminded
organizations to
partner with as we continue
towards impacting lives
positively.
The eye is a very important
organ of the body. We believe
that no one should go without
needed cataract surgeries due
to finances. These surgical
interventions will help to restore
sight, improve productivity of
the individual as well as boost
the possibility to contribute to
the society.
For the 11th year, RCLPGE,
will conduct approximately
1800 Cataract Eye Surgeries to
the vision impaired in Lagos
and Kano. This partnership
further demonstrates that Total
Health Trust (THT) is a
preferred Health Maintenance
Organization (HMO) provider
for the everyday Nigerian”.
support and relief from
pressure points. These are all
needed for quality sleep to
enable the individual to wake
up refreshed the following
day.
To further entrench this “buy
right” behaviour, Mouka has
rolled out a competition in
which one lucky consumer
gets to win a bedroom
makeover worth up to N1
million.
To participate, consumers
visit the Mouka website to fill
an online questionnaire that
tells them the right Mouka
mattress for them. Afterwards,
they take a screenshot and
post it on social media using
the
hashtag
#IFoundMyMouka. They
also need to tag
@MoukaLimited and
challenge two friends to find
their Mouka as well.

28—SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021

C
M
Y
K
SEGUN ODEGBAMI:
An Eye over Tokyo
2020 - A daily diary
of the Olympics.
Background.
That was an incredible
opening ceremony of the Olympics
yesterday in Tokyo -
simply out of this world!
I should be in Tokyo, Japan,
by now, but I am not.
I readily accepted an invitation
to attend the 32nd Olympiad
as an observer when
it was offered me. That was
over a month ago.
For the first time since Atlanta
’96 I looked forward to
going to the Olympics again.
My motivation this time is the
historical significance of Tokyo
2020 as a result of the global
circumstances that have
changed not only the world
the way we knew it but have
also birthed a completely alien
ambience around the
Games that makes them, potentially,
an Olympics like no
other in history.
For that reason alone, it is
worth being in Tokyo to experience,
record and document
for posterity.
This is the Olympic Games
without the usual sea of travelling
tourists, without home
fans, with everyone with a
face mask looking like Superman,
with as many cameras
as there are people covering
every inch of the Games.
The sale of alcohol is banned
in bars and restaurants everywhere,
with the threat of the
Belated and beleaguered,
Coronavirus-delayed Tokyo
Summer Olympics finally
opened Friday with cascading
fireworks and made-for-TV choreography
that unfolded in a
near-empty stadium, a colorful
but strangely subdued ceremony
that set a striking tone to
match a unique pandemic
Games.
As their opening played out,
devoid of the usual crowd energy,
the Olympics convened
amid simmering anger and disbelief
in much of the host country,
but with hopes from organizers
that the excitement of the
sports to follow would offset the
widespread opposition.
Mostly masked athletes
waved enthusiastically to
thousands of empty seats and
to a world hungry to watch
them compete but surely wondering
what to make of it all.
dreaded Delta variant of the
Corona virus hanging over
the heads of the 80,000 visiting
athletes and officials
within the bubble of the Olympic
Village that could become
super-spreaders to the
204 countries from all over the
world that have sent contingents
here when they return
to their countries.
Unfortunately, the health
threat posed by the increasing
scourge of the Covid -19
pandemic in the city of Tokyo,
would not allow that my unofficial
assignment is a good
enough reason to be granted
a visitor’s visa and allowed
into the Olympic bubble.
In short, my clout in sports
amounted to nothing when it
came to the issue of visa
clearance to attend the
games. I have had to shelve
the idea of physically attending
an Olympic Games that
had created historical antecedents
even before it began.
However, my idea of documenting
the Games, if only
for posterity, is to cover, at
least, the behind-the-scene
activities of the Nigerian contingent,
and to keep the
records in trust for future generations.
Now that I will not be in
Tokyo, my imagination and
creativity are being tested
and I have to come up with
new out-of-the-box possibilities,
using new technological
tools available today that
were not even in the realm of
imagination some 41 years
ago when I went to my second
Olympics and we were
faced with a slightly similar
situation, in the need to document
history.
Lessons from Moscow
1980
At the Olympics in Moscow
in 1980, when the USSR was
still a pure communist enclave,
and its relationship
with the USA was at its lowest
ebb because of Russia’s
invasion of Afghanistan, the
games were organised under
the strictest and most bizarre
conditions.
The fear of terrorism had
been engraved in the Olympic
Games since the Munich
’72 massacre of Israeli athletes,
and was still lingering
in the air by the summer of
the Moscow Olympics. So,
the games were held in a secluded
bubble, with the tightest
security architecture imaginable.
Security cameras
were everywhere including
in athletes’ rooms. Nothing
escaped the prying eyes of the
KGB, the secret service of the
USSR. There was no absolute
freedom of movement even
within the games Village
with restrictions of visitors
and venues.
Challenge for the media
Under those conditions, it
was almost impossible for any
reporter to do much work during
the games. Nigerian journalists
were restricted to
match venues, the media centre
and their hotel rooms only.
We never saw a single Nigerian
journalist, or any journalist
for that matter in our
Games Village throughout
the entire Olympics. The only
place you saw them from a
distance was at the competition
venues.
Owolabi Ilori and ‘The Telephone’
So, with only a telephone
in his bunkered hotel room in
Moscow in 1980, a Nigerian
journalist, late Owolabi Ilori,
a well known columnist
came up with the idea of a
daily diary of the Olympics.
Confined to the narrow world
of the 4 corners of his hotel
room, he had to be ingenious
to make the best of the situation
to get any reports.
The entire environment of
the Games Village was perfect
for anything but memorable.
It was boring, restrictive,
oppressive and devoid of
any serious sporting activity.
It was fertile for a creative
mind to start to imagine what
could be going on behind the
curtains in the Games Village,
the centre of all activity.
Tokyo Olympics begin with muted
ceremony in an empty stadium
Some athletes marched socially
distanced, while others clustered
in ways utterly contrary
to organizers’ hopes. The
Czech Republic
entered with other
countries
even though its
delegation has
had several positive
COVID
tests since arriving.
“You had to
face great challenges
on your
Olympic journey,” Bach told
the athletes. “Today you are
making your Olympic dream
come true.”
“Today is a moment of hope.
Yes, it is very different from
what all of us had imagined,”
IOC President Thomas Bach
said. “But let us cherish this
moment because finally we
are all here together.”
“This feeling of togetherness
— this is the light at the end of
the dark tunnel of the pandemic,”
Bach declared. Later, Japanese
tennis star Naomi Osaka
received the Olympic flame
from a torch relay through the
stadium and lit the Olympic
cauldron.
Oshonaike, Edem, Omotayo begin medal race
Funke Oshonaike will
take on Liu Juan of the
U.S. on Saturday as Team
Nigeria begin their quest
for a first-ever medal in the
Olympic Games’ tennis
event.
Oshonaike will be playing
in a preliminary round
match in the women’s singles
event of the competi-
tion at the Tokyo Metropolitan
Gymnasium.
The game is billed for 9
a.m in Tokyo.
Oshonaike’s younger
teammate, Offiong Edem,
will also join the fray in the
women’s singles round one
later today. She will take on
Hungary’s Dora Madarasz.
Also, Olajide Omotayo
Minifootball: Egypt ‘re African champions
•We have proved we can host the world - Ilaji COO
The Egyptian national
minifootball team has
been crowned champions of
the 2021 African Minifootball
Nations’ Cup competition
hosted by Nigeria.
The 2nd edition of the tournament,
which kicked off
July 8th took place at Ilaji
Hotels and Sports Resort
Minifootball Stadium,
Ibadan, the Oyo State capital
Ṫhe tension-soaked final
was brought to an end by a
dramatic late strike from the
Egyptian forward, Ehab-
Taha, who converted from a
set-piece built-up by Mahmoud
Gamal in the second
half of extra time after both
teams played a goalless draw
after the regulation time.
Speaking after the Saturday’s
final, the Chief Operating
Officer of Ilaji Hotels and
Sports Resort, Prince Araoye
will be in action about the
same time in the round one
of the men’s singles event at
the same venue against Tiago
Apolonia from Portugal.
Nigeria’s biggest medal
hope in the competition,
Quadri Aruna, will only be
joining action in the men’s
singles on Tuesday in round
three.
Adesina, expressed gratitude
to the federal and state governments
for the successful
hosting of the competition.
The Ilaji COO attributed
the success to the support
and commitment of every
member of the organizing
committee, who gave in their
best to ensure it was a hitchfree
competition.
He maintained that the
successful hosting of this
SATURDAY VANGUARD, JULY 24, 2021 — 29
The Olympic Scandal
The Nigerian camp became
a theatre of crisis for
some reason - the issue of a
particular female athlete, a
beauty queen in Nigeria, that
some athletes argued did not
deserve to be in the Athletics
team but was selected because
of her multiple relationship
with a doctor, and some
other official in the contingent,
provided the ingredients
for unhealthy rumour.
It became a perfect setting
for a scandal. To compound
matters, Nigerian athletes
were not winning anything
anywhere to report. Even the
football team, African champions
before the games
were shadow of themselves.
When rumour combines
with poor performance the
result is a perfect menu for
a scandal.
Owolabi Ilori seized upon
the opportunity of that situation
and escalated it into a
major crisis in his report. By
the time he added some fiction
and spiced it all up he
had the reading public in
Nigeria salivating.
With only the telephone in
his room that he had to pay
for through the nose, considering
how expensive it was
then, as his tool, Owolabi
was in a foul mood. He started
to work the phone to contact
anyone ‘contactable’ in
Russia - some athletes, officials,
members of disgruntled
government officials
who could not gain access
to any part of the games, and
coaches. He never revealed
the identities of those that
fed him with his stories.
Through the motley of these
contacts, he created mouthwatering
scenarios of things
going on in the games village
straight out of ‘The
School of Scandal’.
That gave birth to “The
Telephone” , Owolabi Ilori’s
masterpiece of creative writing.
It won awards. The tragedy
is that most of it was fiction.
The greater disaster is
that it became the cause of
the disintegration everything
that was designed for
sports development by the
National Sports Commission
under Isaac Akioye,
who was in charge of Nigerian
sports at the time. The
iconic sports admnistrator
became Moscow Olympic’s
Esther Toko became the
first Nigerian athlete
to compete at the ongoing
Tokyo 2020 Olympics, taking
to the water at the Sea
Forest Waterway early on
Friday morning in the wom-
year’s edition of the African
Minifootball Nations’ Cup
has shown the capability of
Ilaji Hotels and Sports Resort
to host the minifootball
World Cup.
The COO, therefore,
called on government at all
levels and relevant stakeholders
to support the development
of the new initiative
in minifootball in Nigeria.
first and major ‘casualty when
the contingent eventually returned
to Nigeria.
Akioye lost his job as a result
of the commission of inquiry
that was set up to probe
the Moscow Games.
Until he died Isaac Akioye,
the greatest sports administrator
in Nigeria’s sports history,
never forgave the country for
the treatment meted out to him
after Moscow ’80. He retired
from society, started to live a
reclusive life, and died with
bitterness in his heart. It all
started from Owolabi Ilori’s
‘The Telephone’ series, reports
from his hotel room at the Moscow
Olympics in 1980.
What all this means is that
no matter how restrictive the
Olympics may be, a creative
mind would always find a way
to bring reports that would interest
the people. It does not
always have to be negative any
way before it is interesting.
That is the setting we now find
in Tokyo 2020.
Where would the stories
come from of what is a history
Games even before it starts?
I am determined to be a part
of it only to document it for posterity.
I cannot be there physically.
Yet, I have to be there,
somehow, to feed Nigerians
with the diet of great stories
that will come from a unique
Olympic Games in human history.
That is what this is all about.
I shall be deploying all the
tools available to an adventurous
writer to keep a daily diary.
The ‘Fly on the wall’ of the
Super Eagles at the last African
Cup of Nations did a fantastic
job (remember?).
This time, I am deploying an
‘Eye’ perched on an Eagle that
will hover over the Olympic
Village in Tokyo, and over the
athletes from Nigeria, to bring
you entertaining reports. No
scandal this time, hopefully, I
assure, just the fascinating stories
of the life of athletes at the
Olympics.
Watch out for the ‘Eye on Tokyo
2020" a daily diary on several
media platforms.
Rowing: Toko
opens Team
Nigeria’s account
at Olympics
en’s Singles Sculls of the
Rowing event.
Making her Olympics debut,
Toko finished 5th in heat
1 of her event, clocking a time
of 8:58.49 as she settled for a
place in the Repechage, finishing
outside the top three
positions that would have
granted automatic qualifications.
A Repechage is a contest
in which the best-placed
of those who failed to win
heats compete for a place in
the final.
The top three finishers in
each heat will automatically
make the quarterfinal, while
the remaining crew will go into
the Repechage for another
crack at making the latter
stages of the competition.
Speaking after the event,
Toko said despite the lockdown
she kept on training and
working hard for the
games.”It means a lot to me
because this is my first outing
in the international game and
my first at the Olympics, I’m
glad.
“When lockdown started I
returned home and relied only
on personal exercises.
“After the lockdown I returned
to Abuja to train.
“For Repechage event tommorow,
I will do all my best to
qualify for the semi final,” she
said.

30 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
By Ben Efe
IT’s another Olympics and all
participating nations are
counting on their athletes to make
podium performances to boost
national pride.
While top sporting nations like
the USA are banking on
individual athletes, like Olympic
all-round defending champion in
gymnastics, Simone Biles to win
as many as seven gold medals,
Nigerians are counting on their
fingers, which athlete can even
win one individual gold.
In Rio 2016, it was the Nigerian
U-23 men football team that
rescued a bronze medal for the
country. They woefully failed to
qualify for Tokyo 2020. Nigerian
sports officials usually, on return
from every failed Olympics,
always spoke about ways to boost
the country’s chances to win at
least five podium achievements in
future games. However, it has
always been all talk and no action
in all four years; and now five
years of preparations for Tokyo
2020. So from all reckoning it is
going to be another wait, pray and
hope for the over 60 Nigerian
athletes in Tokyo ready to compete.
Events involving Nigerian
athletes began yesterday.
Athletics, basketball and
wrestling are the three major
sports the country’s top shots are
betting their money on to win a
medal and justify the spending
that have been made, even as the
country’s medal hopes can beat
their chests, their training and
build ups to the Games did not
receive any form of financial boost
from the sports authorities.
In athletics, Ese Brume can be
on the medal presentation
assemblage of the women long
jump. Brume recently wiped out
Chioma Ajunwa’s 25 years old
7.12m Atlanta’96 gold medal jump
with a 7.17m leap. She established
herself as a medal potential; her
7.17m jump is the best so far this
season. At the Doha 2019 World
Championships, she won bronze
behind Maryna Bekh-Romanchuk
in a tightly contested competition.
Germany’s Malaika Mihambo
won the gold. Brume needs to
come up with another big jump to
clinch the gold. Tokyo 2020 seem
to be wide open for the athlete that
can come up with the best
performance. Six women have
done 7.00m this season, they
include American Tara Davies
7.14m, and veteran Brittney Reese
with 7.13m. Mihambo is yet to find
the form that gave her the gold at
Doha 2019 with 7.30m, her best
effort is 6.92m and a wind-assisted
7.02m
Blessing Okagbare is also in
good form, she has gone under
11.00 seconds thrice in the buildup
to the Olympics including a
wind-assisted 10.63seconds,
which raised a lot of dust around
the world. She will be facing the
toughest contest of her Olympic
career at Tokyo 2020 with a strong
field featuring Jamaicans Elaine
Thompson Rio 2016 defending
champion, ShellyAnn Fraser-
Pryce London 2012 double sprint
champion, Shericka Jackson all
who have done 10.7 this season.
There also Cote’d Ivoire’s Marie
Jose Talou with a season best of
10.86 sec and Britain’s Dina Asher-
Smith. Okagbare practically
needs to clock a 10.7 to be assured
of a medal in this likely explosive
contest. Fraser-Pryce leads the
world with 10.63secs.
In wrestling all eyes will be on
Odunayo Adekuoroye. She is in a
pole position to make history as
the first Nigerian woman to win a
gold medal in the 57kg category.
She is ranked number two in her
category.
The 27-year-old Adekuoroye
demonstrated that she can be a
world beater in the recent ranking
series tournament in Warsaw,
Poland by claiming the gold. She
will be facing top contenders like
Belarus’ Iryna Kurachkina and
American Helen Marouli.
Other Nigerian women
wrestlers poised to do the country
proud include Blessing
Oborududu and Aminat Adeniyi.
Oborududu is ranked 8th in the
world in 68kg category, while 2014
Commonwealth Games gold
medalist, Aminat Adeniyi, is
ranked 11th in the 62kg category.
Nigeria’s men basketball team,
D’Tigers sparked excitement all
over the world of basketball, when
they beat their USA counterparts
in warm up game ahead of the
Olympics. They topped it with
another victory over Argentina
Team Nigeria to
Tokyo Olympics
ATHLETICS:
Athlete/Event
100 m Bye
Enoch Adegoke
Usheoritse Itsekiri
100 m
Divine Oduduru
200 m N/A
WOMEN
100 m hurdles
Tobi Amusan
100 m
Rosemary Chukwuma
400 m
Patience Okon George
200 m
Favour Ofili
Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha
100 m / 200 m
Blessing Okagbare
4 × 100 m Relay
Rosemary Chukwuma
Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha
Favour Ofili
Blessing Okagbare
Knowledge Omovoh
4 x 400m Relay
Samson Oghenewegba
Chidi Okezie
Glory Patrick
Imaobong Nse Uko
Men’s shot put
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi
Ese Brume
Women’s long jump
Annette Echikunwoke
Women’s hammer throw
Chioma Onyekwere
Women’s discus throw
Ruth Usoro
Women’s long jump
Women’s triple jump
TOKYO 2020 OLYMPICS:
Nigeria aiming
to break from
the past
•Adekuoroye
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi
before being given a reality check by Australia.
With that performance, D’Tigers the second team after the
USA to have a collection of NBA stars, indicated that the
basketball contest beginning on July 25 will be an interesting
prospect.
D’Tigers will face Australia and Nigerian officials are hoping
on the team to at least be in the final three of the tournament
and secure a medal.
Badminton
Nigeria entered three badminton players for each of the
following events into the Olympic tournament. Godwin Olofua
and Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori (men’s doubles), with Dorcas
Ajoke Adesokan on the women’s side, topped the field of
badminton players from Africa to lock the places on the
•Ese Brume
Nigerian squad in their respective events based
on the BWF Race to Tokyo Rankings.
Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan
Godwin Olofua
Anuoluapo Opeyori
D’Tigers raring to go
Eight of the 12 Nigeria players in the D’Tigers
squad featured for National Basketball
Association (NBA) teams last season, while Ekpe
Udoh who built his name for himself in Europe,
has also played in the league. Some of the stars to
watch in the Nigerian squad include:
Precious Achiuwa:
Precious Achiuwa used the viral caption “You’re
not that guy, pal. Trust me, you’re not that guy.” to
describe his unreal block in the game against the
USA when he met Kevin Durant at the rim and
showed him that he IS that guy, pal.
Achiuwa checked in on 61 occasions in his
rookie season with the Miami Heat, and showed
enough promise to remain a long term project for
the franchise. The same goes for Nigeria, a new
fairy tale in the basketball world, a team that will
rely on Port Harcourt native’s rebounding and
defense for the next 15 years, for sure.
Jahlil Okafor in
Tokyo for a medal
Team USA opened exhibition play for the Ol
ympics with a shocking loss to Nigeria.
However, it’s only shocking if you don’t pay much
BASKETBALL
... D’Tigers
Precious Achiuwa
Calab Agada
Obi Emegano
Chimezie Metu
Ike Nwamu
Jordan Nwora
Jahlil Okafor
Josh Okogie
Kezie Okpala
Miye Oni
Ekpe Udoh
Nnamdi Vincent
Okpala (Stanford).
The D’Tigers are also
coached by NBA veteran
coach Mike Brown who was
the NBA Coach of the Year
in 2009. Essentially it’s an
NBA team with an NBA
coach.
One name will really
jump out though: Jahlil
Okafor, who was Duke’s big
man on the 2015 national
championship team, is on
Nigeria’s roster for the
Games.
Okafor of course has
struggled in his NBA career.
He had some serious perattention:
Nigeria has eight NBA players,
which may be more than any team except
the US.
Duke fans will probably recognize names
like Josh Okogie (Georgia Tech) and Jordan
Nwora (Louisville) and may recognize
Precious Achiuwa (Memphis) and KZ

SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021 — 31
•Okagbare
sonal issues in his rookie year and has
played for Philly, Brooklyn, New Orleans
and, currently, Detroit. His best year was
his first and this past season, he averaged
19 mpg, scored 10.4 ppg and pulled down
4.7 rpg. He’s still listed at 270 but has put
a tremendous amount of work in to refine
his body and doesn’t look at all like the
same player he was at Duke.
The thing is, Nigeria has a legitimate
shot at winning. After all his struggles,
wouldn’t it be amazing to see Okafor
celebrate gold with Africa’s first
championship team?
Obi Emegano is a Nigerian professional
basketball player who plays for
Fuenlabrada of the Spanish Liga ACB.
He plays shooting guard position.
During the 2018-19 season he played for
French Pro A side JDA Dijon.
He signed with Le Mans Sarthe in July
2019. Emegano averaged 13.1 points, 3.1
rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. On
May 25, 2020, he signed with Fuenlabrada.
During the 2020-21 season he averaged
9.9 points per game. Emegano re-signed
with the team on July 15, 2021.
Chimezie Metu
Chimezie Metu is a 6-foot-11, 225-pound
junior forward who affects the game on
both ends of the court. His athleticism and
length makes him especially impactful on
the defensive end. Ranks seventh all-time
in blocked shots by a Trojans with 109.
When are the key events?
The opening ceremony took place yes
terday, but the baseball,
softball and football
competitions began on
Wednesday 21 July.
The first gold medal is
expected to be awarded in
the women’s 10m air rifle
early on Saturday 24 July,
with the cycling road races
following later that day.
The athletics events begin on Friday 30
July, with 10 days of action culminating
with the men’s marathon, which ends on
the final day in Tokyo, Sunday 8 August.
The women’s 100m final is on Saturday
31 July, and the men follow on Sunday 1
August.
The swimming events run from Saturday
24 July to Sunday 1 August, then attention
moves to the velodrome for seven days of
track cycling events from Monday 2. The
closing ceremony begins at 8pm Tokyo
time on Sunday 8 August.
Tokyo Olympics offers Nigeria
best medal hope – Oboh
FORMER British and Com
monwealth middleweight
boxing champion, Peter Oboh has
urged Team Nigeria to perform at
their best and excel at Tokyo 2020
Olympics by winning medals and
glory for self and country.
Speaking on Nigeria’s
participation and medal chances at
the coronavirus-striken Olympics,
Oboh reckoned that Nigerian
athletes should see the challenges
posed by the ravaging pandemic
as motivation for better
performance.
D’Tigress
journey to Tokyo
Olympics
Nigeria qualified for Tokyo
after finishing third in
Group A at the 2020 Olympic
Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade,
Serbia. After being grouped
with fellow African pre-qualifying
tournament qualifiers Mozambique,
they defeated their continental
opponents 85-51 before losing
to Serbia by six points and the
United States of America by five
points.
Prior to Tokyo, D’Tigress have
made one Olympic appearance, at
the 2004 Games. They lost all five
group matches in Athens, before
posting a classification match
victory against the Republic of
Korea to finish 11th out of 12
teams.
After a winless debut at the
World Cup [formerly the world
championship] in 2006 where they
finished last of 16 teams, Nigeria
improved significantly at their
next appearance in 2018. In the
group stage they recorded wins
over Turkey and Argentina
alongside a defeat to Australia,
before edging Greece by a single
point in the first knockout round.
They then lost their quarterfinal to
eventual champions the United
States of America, and were
beaten by a single point against
Canada in the seventh place playoff
to finish eighth overall.
At continental level Nigeria won
the AfroBasket tournaments in
2017 and 2019, defeating Senegal
in the final on both occasions. As
of 2019 their four titles at the
tournament is second only to
Senegal’s 11.
“If there was any Olympic
Games Nigeria had the best
opportunity to do well and bring
home the much sought-after
Olympic gold medals, it is the
Tokyo Olympics that have
witnessed so much
apprehension and uncertainties
even before the events
commenced.
“I believe with the ‘I can do it
spirit, typical of Nigerian
athletes, the sky will be the
limit,” Oboh said.
“It is a shame that since
Nigeria’s first appearance at the
1952 Olympics the country has
SAT JULY 24
T/Table Tennis
Women’s Singles(Preliminary Round)
Funke Oshonaike vs Liu Juan(USA)
won only three Olympic gold
medals. I believe with the right
attitude and direction, our
athletes can achieve more,” he
said.
The former WBA
Intercontinental Champion urged
officials led by the Minister of
Sports and Youth Development,
Mr Sunday Dare to ensure the
athletes were well motivated by
providing them with all they
require for greater performance.
“It is one thing to have good
athletes, but to get the best out of
them, requires good manmanagement
and providing them
1 pm
Badminton
Men’s Doubles Group Play)
Endo Hiroyu (JPN) vs Oluwua Godwin 12 pm
T/Tennis
Women’s Singles (Round 1)
Madarasz (Hungary) vs Offiong Edem 12.15 PM
Men’s Singles (Round 1)
Apolinia (Portugal) vs Olutayo Omotoya 1.45 pm
SUN. JULY 25
Basketball
Men’s Preliminary
Australia vs Nigeria 9.20 am
MON. JULY 26
Wrestling
-67 kg (Round of 16)
Anyanacho (Nig) vs Tatar (Turkey)
EVENTS SCHEDULE
2 pm
•Oboh
with the desired motivation for
them to remain focused for the
task ahead of them.”
TUE JULY 27
Basketball Women
Nigeria vs USA
5.40 pm
WED JULY 28
Basketball Men’s Preliminary Round B
Nigeria vs Germany
2 pm
Swimming
Women’s 100 mtrs Freestyle
Ogunbanwo Abiola
11.02 am
FRIDAY JULY 30
Women’s Basketball
Nigeria vs France
9.20 pm
SAT JULY 31
Men’s Basketball
Nigeria vs Italy
5.40 pm
MON AUGUST 02
Women’s Basketball
Nigeria vs Japan
2.pm

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SATURDAY Vanguard, JULY 24, 2021
CROSS WORD PUZZLE
SOLUTION ON PAGE 7
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