weekend observer 17 08 2013

THE WEEKEND

1 SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2013

Tribunal Dismisses Petition Against Edo LG Boss

PUBLISHED SINCE OCTOBER 6, 1990 • Vol.XI NO.3,197• SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2013 • N100.00

- Pages 10-11

Page 5- Pages 16-17

ENCOUNTER

PERSPECTIVE MOMENTSMOMENTSMOMENTSMOMENTSMOMENTS OF OF OF OF OF

SCRUTINYSCRUTINYSCRUTINYSCRUTINYSCRUTINYIs There ADarkness Over

The North?Lessons We

Fail To Learn

Armed Robbers, KidnappersNeed Window Of Repentance

DINNER: L-R: First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan; President Goodluck Jonathan and the President,National Council of Women Societies, Mrs. Nkechi Mba at a dinner in honour of committed promotersof Women Empowerment in Abuja recently.

Weekend

Resident Doctors protestkidnap of colleague

By OSE EHEBHA

Continued on page 4

RESIDENT Doctorsof Irrua SpecialistTeaching Hospital(ISTH), Irrua, EdoState yesterday took tothe streets of Ekpoma,Esan West LocalGovernment Area, toprotest the allegedkidnap of theircolleague, Dr. EdeaweOsahogie.

The protest took thedoctors through majorstreets of the universitytown, during whichthey equally visitedpalace of monarch ofEkpoma, EkpomaPolice DivisionalHeadquarters, EsanWest Councilsecretariat, amongstothers.

The WEEKEND

OBSERVER gatheredthat the kidnappeddoctor was abductedduring the week inEkpoma, while returninghome from work. TheChairman of theAssociation of ResidentDoctors (ARD), ISTHchapter, Dr. EmmanuelIghodalo who led theprotest appealed to thekidnappers to releasetheir colleague unhurtand unconditionally.

The protesting doctorssimilarly appealed to thepolice to play it role tosecure the release of thedoctor, just as theyappealed to members ofthe public not to withholduseful information fromthe security agents.

“We are out to protestthe kidnap of our

colleague. It has being aharrowing experiencesince he was kidnappedMonday. It isdisheartening that wethat are in the businessof saving lives wouldconstantly be targets ofkidnappers.

“We want to make apassionate appeal to theindividuals who haveabducted him to pleaselet him go. It isdistressing for anybodyto be kidnapped, and Ieven dare to say more sothose who are savinglives”, he said.

The Ekpoma DivisionalPolice Officer, CSPOkpako Omuohowo,assured the protestingdoctors that his menwere on top of the

THE Edo State Local GovernmentElections Petition Tribunal sitting in BeninCity has dismissed the petition filed byKingsley Mustapher Momoh of the LabourParty challenging the election of PrinceHassan Kadiri of the Action Congress ofNigeria (ACN) as Chairman, Etsako WestLocal Government Council. Deliveringjudgment, JusticeDaniel IyobosaOkungbowa, leadingJustice StephenOmonua and A.Ovbiagele of thetribunal held that the

evidence of thepetitions witnesseswere not sufficient tocancel the electionwon by Prince HassanKadiri. The tribunal

c o n s e q u e n t l ydismissed the petitionfor lack of merit andtherefore declaredthat Prince Kadiri wasvalidly elected. The tribunal has sinceconcluded its sittings.

2 SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 2013THE WEEKEND

Attempted Rape: Court JailsMan For 11 Months

Court Remands Wife For House Breaking, Theft

Court Convicts Man For Theft

N wse CRIME

Police Arraign Trader, 50, For Criminal Trespass, Mischief

Man, 48, Bags 2 Weeks ForAttempting Stealing

Police Arraign 4 For Causing PublicNuisance

AN Abuja Grade 2 AreaCourt, Kado, FCT hassentenced one Shaguri Isa to11 months imprisonment forcriminal trespass, causinghurt and attempting tocommit rape.

The convict was howevergiven an option of N8, 000fine.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr.Simeon Ibrahim, told thecourt that, one Philomena, ofEden Garden, Utako, Abuja,on August13, reported a caseof attempted rape to theUtako police station.

Ibrahim said the convict, alabourer, in the early hours ofAugust 12, criminally formeda common intention, andtrespassed into her room atthe above address.

The prosecutor said thecomplainant reported that the

A GRADE 2 Area Courtin Kado, Abuja, remandeda house-wife, Zainab Dan-Musa, for alleged house-breaking and theft.

The Presiding Judge,Alhaji Ahmed Ado,ordered that Dan-Musa,39, of No. 11, Ebitu UkiweSt., Jabi, Abuja, should beremanded in prison untilOctober 9.

Ado gave the orderwhen the accused failedto meet the bail conditions

MAGISTRATE RosemaryKanyip of a KubwaMagistrates’ Courtsentenced 48-year-oldLawal Abdullahi to twoweeks in prison forattempting to steal clothes.

Kanyip, who passed thesentence after the convictpleaded guilty to theoffence, however, gave himan option of N200 fine.

In his guilty plea, theconvict explained that hewas only admiring theclothes with the intention ofpurchasing similarmaterials.

The magistrate, however,warned him to desist fromsuch questionablebehaviour in future.

Abdullahi stood trial forattempting to steal theclothes belonging toMohammed Abdulazeez.

The police prosecutor,P.C. Arziki Kaura, had toldthe court that Abdullazeezreported the case at theKubwa Police Station,Abuja, on July 22.

Kaura said that on thatday the convict dipped his

THE police in Abuja havearraigned four men in a WuseZone 2 Senior Magistrates’Court for allegedly causingpublic nuisance.

The police prosecutor, Sgt.Francis Tanko, gave thenames of the four accused asMatthew Ehis, Suleman Idris,Aminu Haruna and AbdullahiIbrahim, all of no fixedaddress.

Tanko told the court that theaccused were arrested by ateam of police officers led byDSP. Mercy Essienekak

THE police havearraigned a 50-year-oldtrader, Sunday Ikeanyi, ina Kubwa Magistrates’Court for criminal trespassand mischief.

The police prosecutor,Cpl Egwusigo Charles,told the court that the casewas reported at KubwaPolice Area Command onAugust 5 by Christy Ezejiof Federal Ministry ofJustice, Abuja.

Charles said that on July30, the accused, a residentof Suleja, Niger, allegedlytrespassed into Ezeji’sland in Dankiwa, Abuja.

“While trying to lay claimto the land in question, theaccused destroyed thefence valued at N200,000,’’ Charles said.

The prosecutor said the

AN Abuja Grade 2 AreaCourt in Kado, FCT,sentenced HassanMohammed, 26, to fivemonths imprisonment forstealing from a mechanic’sworkshop.

The convict was howevergiven an option of N4, 000fine.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr.Simeon Ibrahim, told thecourt that, Mr. Abasi Akinpeli,of Bwari Area Council, Abuja,on August 8, reported a caseof stealing to the Utako policestation.

Ibrahim said the convict,who was a security man atJabi Motor Park, had, on thesame day, formed criminalintention and stole from amechanic workshop locatedwithin the park.

The properties stolen,according to the prosecutor

given by the court.The judge had granted

the accused bail in thesum of N250, 000 with twosureties in like sum.

He ordered that one ofthe sureties must beowner of a landedproperty in Wuse Zone 2,Maitama, Asokoro or Jabiwith the Certificate ofOccupancy.

Earlier, the PoliceProsecutor, Mr. SimonIbrahim, told the court

that, Mrs. AnabelOkuonghae, of No 11,Ebitu Ukiwe St., Jabi,Abuja, reported the matterto the Utako police stationon July 7.

Ibrahim said that whilethe complainant wasaway, some unknownpersons forced her dooropened and stole some ofher valuables.

He said the valuablesincluded: threeinternational passports,shoes, a bag containing12 different fragrances,clothes, iPad, threedifferent cheque books,costume, jewellery,pendants and a goldchain.

The prosecutor alsosaid, during investigation,

other things valued atN768, 440 werediscovered to have beenstolen, while part of theitems were allegedlyrecovered from theaccused.

He said the offencescontravened theprovisions of sections 287and 349 of the PenalCode.

Section 287 states that,whosoever commits theftshall be punished withimprisonment for a term,which may extend to fiveyears or be fined or both.

Section 349 stipulatesthat, whoever commitshouse breaking shall bepunished withimprisonment for a term,which may extend to one

year or with fine, whichmay extend to N100, 00 orwith both.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty to thecharge, and as a result,the judge adjourned thecase to Oct. 9 for furtherhearing.

include a Mercedes Benz’sgear box, a pathfinder ’sshock-absorber, regulator,springs and three motorbatteries, all valued at N200,000.

The prosecutor said theconvict confessed to thecrime and the exhibits wererecovered in his possession.

He said the offencecontravened the provisions ofSection 288 of the PenalCode and carried a five-yearmaximum sentence or withfine, or both.

Mohammed pleaded guiltyto the offence.

The Presiding Officer, Mr.Ahmed Ado, sentenced himto five months imprisonmentor to pay a fine of N4, 000.

Ado ordered acompensation of N50, 000 tobe paid to the nominalcomplainant.

offences contravenedsections 348 and 327 ofthe Penal Code.

Section 327 stipulatesthat whoever commitsmischief shall be punishedwith imprisonment or withfine or with both.

The accused person,however, pleaded notguilty to the charges.

Charles applied for anadjournment to enable himassemble witnesses.

The presidingmagistrate, Mrs. ElizabethJones-Wonnu, granted theaccused bail in the sum ofN200, 000 with tworesponsible sureties in likesum.

Jonnes-Wonnu orderedthat the surety must have

a fixed address in the FCTand must show evidenceof payment of utility bills.

The magistrateadjourned the case toSeptember18 for hearing.

convict started strugglingwith her with the intention toforcefully have canalknowledge of her.

In the process, Ibrahim saidthe complainant reported thatshe sustained injuries as aresult of biting from theconvict.

The police prosecutor saidthe offence contravened theprovisions of section 342,246 and 95 of the PenalCode.

When confronted with thecharges, the convictaccepted liability.

The Presiding Officer, Mr.Ahmed Ado, sentenced theconvict to four monthsimprisonment or a fine of N3,000 for the first charge ofcriminal trespass.

On the second countcharge of causing hurt, thepresiding officer sentencedMohammed to five monthsimprisonment or a fine of N4,000.

The presiding officer alsosentenced the convict to twomonths imprisonment or afine of N1, 000 for the thirdcount charge of attempt tocommit an offence.

Ado ordered the sum of N3,000 to be paid to the nominalcomplainant for medication.

hands into thecomplainant’s car, parkedat Dutse Market, andattempted to steal theclothes kept inside the car.

attached to Wuse DivisionalHeadquarters on August 5.

He said the accused werearrested at AdemolaAdetokunbo Crescent WuseII, Abuja while constitutingnuisance and causingannoyance to members ofthe public.

The prosecutor said theaccused could not givesatisfactory account for theiractions when they werequestioned by the police.

He said the offencecontravened section 183 ofthe Penal Code.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty to thecharge.

The magistrate, Mrs.Nafsat Ibrahim, granted theaccused bail in the sum ofN5, 000 with a surety eachin like sum.

Mrs. Ibrahim said the suretymust reside within thejurisdiction of the court andadjourned the case toSeptember 30 for hearing.

Suspects in the murder of four University of Port Harcourt students coming out of the High Court in Port Harcourtrecently.

THE WEEKEND


NDLEA Seizes DrugsN wseEdo Approves

Constitution OfState SUBEB

THE Chairman, NationalDrug Law EnforcementAgency (NDLEA), DrAhmadu Giade, has said thatthe agency seized drugsworth N62 billion in the lasttwo years.

Giade announced this in akeynote address at asymposium, with the theme:“Enhancing Capacity forSubstance Abuse, Researchand Interventions,” in Uyo.

Represented by Mrs.Josephine Obi, the NDLEACommander in Akwa Ibom,Giade said that 1,500 drugoffenders were convicted bythe agency annually.

He said that between theyear 2000 and 2012, theagency intercepted 3.4million kilogrammes ofnarcotics.

“This includes 2.8 million kgof cannabis, 178,120kg of

cocaine, 195,283kg of heroinand 233,699kg ofpsychotropic substance,” hesaid.

The chairman suggestedthat the best way to preventaddiction was not to take drugat all, adding that parentsshould prevent their wardsfrom drug abuse.

Every family has a role toplay because every addictbelongs to a family.

“Parents must effectivelycommunicate with theirchildren, listen to them,strengthen the bond betweenthem and live exemplarylifestyles for them to emulate,’’he said.

Giade said that efforts wereongoing to address problems

EDO State Governmenthas approved theconstitution of the StateUniversal Basic EducationBoard (SUBEB).

According to a statementsigned by the secretary tothe state government, Prof.Julius Ihovbere, ChiefStephen Alao will serve as afull-time chairman of theboard, while Dr. Ann AisosaAmadasun, Mallam Sule Ali

By QUEENNETH A.OROBEDO

of inadequate funding,logistics and manpower facedby the agency to sustain theirsuperiority over drugtrafficking cartels in thecountry.

Earlier, in his welcomeremarks, the Chairman of theCentre for Research andInformation on SubstanceAbuse, Prof. Isidore Obot,said that substance abusewas not just a problem ofindividual, but a societal one.

Obot said that 70 per centof those involved in drugabuse in the country wereyouth and advised them tostay off drugs.

He said that parents,guardians and employersshould be involved in theissue of drug control in the

country.In her goodwill message,

the state Director of NationalOrientation Agency, Mrs.Catherine Ekpo, said thatdrug abuse was on theincrease in the country.

Ekpo called on theparticipants to proffersolutions on the way ofcontrolling drug abuse in thecountry.

She said the agency wouldcontinue to enlighten thepublic on the dangers of drugabuse to discourage thepublic from abusing drugs.

Reports say that thesymposium was organised bythe Centre for Research andInformation on SubstanceAbuse in collaboration withNDLEA and NOA.

Otaru Turbans Two Islamic Scholars YEEI Apologised ToEDSG THE Otaru of Auchi, Alhaji

Aliru Momoh (Ikelebe III), hasturbaned two Islamic Scholarsof the kingdom who haddistinguished themselves inthe services of Allah as Imamof the Araf Mosque, Auchi,Etsako West LocalGovernment Area of EdoState, Nigeria. Performing the turbaningceremony in a well attendedfunction at his palace lastweekend, the Otaru said thetwo Islamic Scholars, SheikMurtala Sadiq and SheikMonic Momoh have being sodedicated to the promotion andpropagation of the Islamic faith

By FRIDAY OBANOR within and outside the AuchiKingdom. The Otaru who noted that theceremony was speciallydesigned for spiritual cleansingof the kingdom, Edo State andNigeria in general howeverstated that the social aspect ofthe one – day meet which wasoriginally designed to honourfive distinguished sons of Auchikingdom who have excel intheir various field of chosencareer has been deferred toanother date. Also speaking, the formerminister of Information andpresently National Chairman ofthe recently defunct Congressfor Progressive Change (CPC),

Prince Tony Momoh used theoccasion to appeal to thefederal government to as amatter of urgency come to theaid of Auchi people over thedevastating condition of theAuchi gully erosion. Prince Tony Momoh wholamented the threat theerosion problem has posed tothe entire Auchi kingdomhowever opted that it is only inAuchi that erosion has dividedtwo clans in Nigeria addingthat this development hasmade Auchi that was naturallybinded together by God to bedivided by gully erosionmenace. According to him, “Anybody

who want to be in governmentmust first come to Auchi to seethe devastating nature of thegully erosion or else Auchipeople will not give their vote ifsuch a person fail to visit theplace.” He therefore urged believersirrespective of their faith anddenominational background tothrive more harders to alwaysseek the face of God inanything they are doingstressing that it is God alonethat can rescue the nation fromits present predicament. High point of the occasion wasa Koran recitation by the twocelebrants that were turbane asImam of the Araf Mosque Auchi.

and Mr. Dove E. Momodu willequally serve as full timemembers.

Also to serve on the boardas part-time members are Mr.Patrick Egboboarhe Ikosomi,representing the NigeriaUnion of Teachers (NUT), Mr.Charles Osasuyi Faluyi,representing Academic Unionof Secondary Schools(ASUSS), and Mrs. DorothyIgbinovia representingParents Teachers Association(PTA).

The appointments takeimmediate effect.

THE YouthEmpowerment EducationInitiative (YEEI) hasapologized to the Edo StateGovernment and theUniversal Basic Educationfor the embarrassment thesale of teacher corpsscratch card must havecaused them in the state.

In a letter signed by theExecutive Director of YEEI,Christopher Edewor said,YEEI is responsible for thesale of the scratch card aspart of the administrative

By WINIFRED OSASOBO

charges for the teachercorps programmes in EdoState.

The letter furtherdirected the Access Bank atAkpakpava Branch to stopthe sale of the card pendingwhen the controversy isresolved and howeverapologized to the state andthe commissioner forUniversal Basic Educationfor the embarrassment thescratch card issues mayhave caused them.


N wse

German Envoy Visits Omo-Ojo

The World Needs Love ToBe Peaceful

ResidentDoctors protest

kidnapp ofcolleague

Esan Progressive Union In ItalyPresents Gift Items To Orphanage

Continued from page 1

By VICTOR OMOALU

By THOMPSONERHOMONSELE

From (right) Snr. Rev. Dr. (Mrs) Grace Osasuyi, Co-ordinator-General, Chosen Women International, MathidarUnuefe (centre) 1st Deputy and Easther Onaghise (left), 2nd Deputy Co-ordiator-General, Chosen Women Fellow-ship International Convention. Photo: MOSES OBOH.

Presentation of items to orphanage homes by Esan Progressive Union, Padova, Italy

situation, as they weremaking frantic efforts toaccomplish the doctor ’srelease, and also bring theperpetrators to book.

Genuine Love Will Heal TheChurch - Snr Apostle Unuefe

-IkhuiwuDIRECTOR of

Administration/1st ViceChairman Church Councilof Christ’s Chosen Churchof God International(CCCG) SNR. Apostle (Dr.)David Unuefe-Ikhuiwu hasadmonished Christian’sworld over to displaygenuine love towards oneanother if they want theChurch to be healed.

He gave the admonitionyesterday while delivering asermon titled “Healing the

By RICHARD EWEKA

Church through love” at the2013 Internationalconvention held in BeninCity.

Apostle Unuefe-Ikhuiwutook his admonition fromJohn 3:16 were heencouraged thecongregation to love Godand their neighbourssincerely as this is thegreatest commandmentgiven by God to mankind.

He said, “The reason whyChurches are sick isbecause there is no genuinelove. What we see today inour Churches is eye servicenot genuine love. A Churchwhere there is no genuinelove will not survive the testof time and will not grow.God wants to heal/makesthe Church healthy againand the instrument he wantsto use is you and I.

Speaking further hehighlighted the benefits oflove sighting Joseph, hisbrethren, David and Saulas a case study. He saidno matter how gifted,generous, knowledgeablea Christian is withoutlove; he/she will amountto nothing (1Cor 13:1-13).

Association OfResident DoctorCall Off Strike

In UBTH

THE Secretary, BeninMetropolitan Division Apostle(Dr.) Nosa Atoe has called onmembers and non-membersalike to increase their love fortheir neighbours, the church,state and the nation at large.

He made the call whiledelivering a welcome addressto the congregation at the2013 international conventionof Christ’s Chosen Church ofGod International (CCCG) inBenin City the Edo Statecapital.

Apostle Atoe said it is clearthat if we love ourselves as a

- Apostle Atoenation there will be peaceeverywhere in the countryand the world at large. Theworld today is passingthrough trying times becausewe don’t love ourselves; thishas brought disunityamongst us. There is no loveamongst us that is why wetake up alms to kill oneanother at the slightestprovocation.

He called on all to joinhands together with thespiritual leader of the churchto ensure love reign in thestate, nation and world atlarge. “Let us avoidbickering, quarrelling andtruly love as brethren,” heconcluded.

THE diplomatic tiesbetween Nigeria,particularly Edo State andGermany was further

strengthened as theChairman and Deputy Headof Mission in the GermanyEmbassy, Abuja, Mr.Clemense Monkeys paid avisit to Edo StateCommissioner for SpecialDuties, Oil and Gas,Ambassador Orobosa Omo-Ojo (JP). This is Mr. Monkeys firstvisit from Abuja to any otherpart of Nigeria and he wasaccompanied by thePresident and Founder of aSocial-Cultural NonGovernmental Organisation(NGO), Edo Benin CulturalArts, Music and TourismForum, Chief Arala of BeninKingdom, Prince OmolawalOsula and other officials ofthe organisation. Receiving the GermanDiplomat, the Commissionerfor Special Duties, Oil andGas acquainted him with abrief history of BeninKingdom and its rich culturalheritage as well as theagricultural, solid mineral, oiland gas natural resources inEdo State. He explained that thesenatural endowment couple

with Edo State occupying avintage location in Nigeriaand being a very peacefulenvironment have made ita safe haven attractinginvestors from within andoutside Nigeria pointing outthat Edo State Governor,Comrade AdamsOshiomhole is providingsocial infrastructure in allsectors of the economyacross the state as addedadvantages. The commissionerencouraged Mr. Monkeys toensure that Germanycomes to invest inagriculture, solid mineralsand oil and gas in Edo Stateparticularly in the productionand utilization of gas inorder to reduce gas flaringin the country in general andEdo State in particular. He commended ChiefArala of Benin Kingdom forprojecting Benin culturalheritage with his NGO. Earlier, the Chairman andDeputy Head of Mission inthe German Embassy inAbuja, Mr. ClemenseMonkeys hinted thatGermany was looking atNigeria as the biggest

country in African andexpressed the need forbilateral collaboration andfriendship between bothcountries with emphasis onthings of mutual benefitsand interest to both of themwith Edo State also in focus. While disclosing that hewas keen to know muchabout Benin City, Edo Stateand Nigeria, the DeputyHead of Mission saidthough Germany was notinto oil and gas industry, thecountry would be interestedin agriculture as well as gasproduction and utitisation. In his introductoryremarks, the President andFounder of Edo BeninCultural Arts, Music andTourism Forum, Chief Aralaof Benin Kingdom PrinceOmolawal Osula said thevisit was to explore areas ofcooperation between EdoState and Germany basedon bilateral agreementbetween Nigeria andGermany. Highpoint of the diplomaticcall was the exchange ofsouvenir between theCommissioner and hisvisitors.

GIFT items worth severalthousand of Naira havebeen presented to twoOrphanage homes inEkpoma, Edo State by theleadership of EsanProgressive Union inPadova, Italy. The two orphanagesinclude CourageOrphanage and CatholicOrphanage Homes bothin Ekpoma. The items includeToiletries and foodstuffs.Presenting the items onbehalf of the union, theSecretary General, Esan. Progressive Union,Padova, Italy, Mr. SamuelAihebhoria Ehigiator said,the Union is worried withthe plight of the less-privileged in the area anddecided to support them. Mr. Ehigiator stated thatEsan Progressive Unionin Padova, Italy is theumbrella body of all Esansons and daughters in that

city and promised toconsider their welfare atall times. He said the Union willwork out plans to supportEsan children at homewith basic educationalmaterials. Mr. Ehigiator urged otherclubs, Unions andAssociation abroad todesign programmes thatwill improve on the well-being of those living in therural areas in Edo State. He lauded Esanindigenes living abroadfor their peaceful conductand sued for itssustenance. Receiving the items,spokespersons for thetwo orphanage homelauded the leadership ofEsan Progressive Union,Padova, Italy, for thedonation. They promised to use theitems judiciously.

THE three day strike actionembarked upon by theNational Association ofResident Doctors, UBTHBranch has been called offwith immediate effect. The Secretary-General ofthe Association, Dr. OkataNkemakola in a release saidthe strike was called of afteran emergency meeting withher members yesterday. He however added that theaction was taken on theground that the Managementof the Hospital hasresponded positively to thedemands of the association. Activities have sinceresumed in full swing sinceyesterday in the Hospital, thestatement added.

Late Iyere’sBurial

CeremonyPostponed

THE burial ceremony oflate Mr Thomas Iyere, aretired staff of the CentralHospital, Benin City,scheduled to holdbetween Friday August 9and 10, 2013 in Unemen,Ugboha in Esan SouthEast Local GovernmentArea of Edo State hasbeen postponedindefinitely. Speaking withJournalists on behalf ofthe deceased family, Mr.Fidelis Iyere said thedecision for thepostponement becamenecessary due to somecircumstances that trailedthe earlier scheduledburial arrangements. He stated that a later daywill be announced soon.

By RICHARD EWEKA

THE WEEKEND


Lessons We Fail To Learn

Senator David MarkPresident Goodluck Jonathan

RECENTLY, I read apiece titled “just me…being self righteous” ina column “reality bite” byOlaitunji Ololade in TheNation. As I read the piece, Ibegan to wonder howmany of our people,particularly the rich andpowerful and also thepoor and the lowly oneswould try to understandand acknowledge whatthe intuitive writer hasbrought to humanity,and of what impact thetruth contained thereinwould have on ourconscience, if ever wehave any. By my humbledisposition, I have onnumerous occasionswritten such ideas to thepeople of the world,particularly to theBlackman whoseinordinate desire formaterial thingssurpasses everythingelse he/she may aspiretowards. Curiously enough, theBlackman is carelessabout the idea ofexistence, of God’s planand the underlyingpurpose behindcreation. Realistically, theBlackman has little or nounderstanding of thatgreat being or that entitywhich we call God, nordoes he have any realand lasting knowledgeof the Supreme Being. The Blackman bynature only tries tomimic religious theoriesand practices, withoutactually having had anyreligious experience assuch. The folly of theBlackman is his love forthing earthly, tangible,ephemeral, that whichhe can feel physically,touch physically and seephysically. He can neither idealizenor conceptualize the“unseen” “the unknown”

“the recondite”. Generally and widelyspeaking, the blackman’s idea of God or ofthe creator is still largelyprimitive, primordial andchildish, hence hethinks that he can eathis cake and have it andcan get away withmurder by praying forforgiveness. The Blackman forgetsthat what the sow thathe shall reap. And thisis an undisputed truth. Permit me to quotefrom Mr. Ololade’s pieceso that the reader mygrasp that which hesought to bring to ourleaders in particular andthe generality of thepeople. According to him:“Death will be thatundiscovered countrythat we shall all visit. Inthat country, everybodyshall be stripped of titlesand accumulatedwealth. Nobody shall bereferred to as “yourexcellency” “OON,CON, GCON” “Africa’srichest billionnaire” and

so on… Those of us thebillionaires who send so-called “prayer fullypowerful” Alfas on holypilgrimage to Mecca tofor Allah’s forgivenessand infinite mercies ontheir behalf shall realizethat they had simplybeen foolish. No amountof prayer-by-proxy,sacrifices and so on shallmove almighty Allah toforgive them and grantthem eternal peace andparadise if theirhandiwork is tantamountto evil. They shall all dieeventually. It wouldn’tmatter if they are buriedin Victoria courtcemetery or Atancemetery; it wouldn’tmatter if their remainsare unrecoverable in the

event of their demise ina ghastly accident ora s s a s s i n a t i o n .Immediately they passon, they shall begin topay for their handiworklike the rest of us. Theyshall not escape the trialof the grave. No Priest, high faultingceremony of absolutionfrom original sin,redemption and so onshall ennoble theChristians among uswith the “infinite grace”of Almighty God if theyremain evil at heart. Ifthey like, let them buildas many giganticchurches and templesas they like, let theirofferings and tithe towerbeyond the rafter andsky-high, it shall never

make them pious beforeGod. May it not makethem pious before God.No priest or Alfa canintercede with God onour behalf. We shall alldie: President, governor,first lady, specialadvisers, ministers,accountant, journalist,activist, dibias,babalawos and so on.And even our tiniestdepravity shall besummoned to witnessagainst us. Those whoprofess to be godly likethey answer to someblind, stupid and partialGod. Almighty Allah isnot stupid, silly or blind.Jehovah is neitherpartial nor handicappedby greed, houses,outlandish sacrifices

and exaggeratedhumility. Chineke, Olodumare issurely no pervertedwimp that we couldcorrupt by wile andinsincere tokens ofsacrifice and worship.May he judge us allaccording to ourhandiwork. In the face ofsuch imminent reality,it’s amusing me to seethe ruling classadminister our lives likethey are answerable tono one. It is even morebizarre to see many ofus, the youthparticularly, lendthemselves as willingtools to the antics anddesign of the rulingclass. Many a self-styledprofessor of truth andchampion of themasses’, right haveturned into a junk yarddogs and dung dogs forthe same ruling classthey used to critize…Besides a few good menand real heroes whohave staked their livesand personal comfort toprotest the grossineptitude and bestialityof the ruling class andthe society at large mostof us have accepted toremain acquiescent…” What more can I addto these engrossingwords coming directlyfrom an intuitive source. Surely Nigerians,Africans have a lot tolearn from the wisdombeing given out freelyhere. The struggle to trulyserve humanity by thefew inspired soulscontinues…

“Generally and widely speaking, the black man’sidea of God or of the creator is still largelyprimitive, primordial and childish, hence he thinksthat he can eat his cake and have it and can getaway with murder by praying for forgiveness.”

“No Priest, high faulting ceremony ofabsolution from original sin, redemption andso on shall ennoble the Christians among uswith the “infinite grace” of Almighty God ifthey remain evil at heart.”


President Goodluck Jonathan BeforeThe Appointment Of A New NDDC Board

P liticso

• President Goodluck Jonathan

AS the people of the NigerDelta await the constitutionof a new board for NigerDelta DevelopmentCommission, NDDC, westakeholders in NigeriaDelta Region call onPresident GoodluckJonathan to appointpersons with good trackrecord, technocrats notpolitical nominees and arecommitted to thedevelopment of the long-neglected region.

This call becomesnecessary following intenselobbying for appointmentinto the board of thecommission. All previousboards have not lived up toexpectation except theshort-lived board underPastor P. Z. Aginighan, atechnocrat par excellence.A sound NDDC board isstrategic to the propermanagement of human andmaterial resources whichwould translate to thedevelopment of the region.

President Jonathanshould therefore shunlobbyists and politicalconsiderations to avoid themistakes of the past whichrobbed the nation of theneeded development.

Less than two months tothe dissolution of thecurrent board andmanagement of the NigerDelta DevelopmentCommission (NDDC), aheightened but discretelobby for top jobs in theinterventionist agency hascommenced amongstakeholders. Already,some governors in the oil-rich region who enjoy robustrelationship with thepresidency are engaged inwhat a source described as“zero-sum game” over juicyslots in the NDDC. Butlobbying stakeholders mayhave to contend with ahurdle. President GoodluckJonathan, who is said to be“sniffing for a fresh team”has vowed that the nextNDDC board andmanagement will bemanned by only competentand qualified persons, justas he has insisted oninsulating the interventionistagency from partisanpolitics. The governingboard of the commissionwas reconstituted inNovember 2011 byPresident Jonathanfollowing the exit of the MrChibuzor Ugwuoha-ledmanagement team, whichwas sacked as a result of

irreconcilable differencesamong the topmanagement shots, onSeptember 13, 2011.Sacked alongside theerstwhile board was AirVice-Marshall LarryKoinyan, who waschairman, as well as moststate representatives.

In place of the previousboard, Dr Tarilah Tebepahfrom Bayelsa State wasappointed as new chairmanof the commission. Othersare Dr Christian Oboh(Rivers, ManagingDirector), Mr L. E. J.Konboye (Delta, ExecutiveDirector, Finance andAdministration), Mr EdikanEshett (Akwa Ibom,Executive Director,projects), Mr Edward Orubo(Bayelsa, member), DrIbitamuno Aminigo (Rivers,member), Chief SolomonOgba (Delta, member), andIma Obong Johnson (AkwaIbom, member). The listalso includes Mr PeterEzeobi (Imo, member),Dominic Edem (CrossRiver, member), Mr. AloyNwagboso (Abia, member),Mr. Omogbemi Oladele(Ondo, member) and Mr.Osahon Imaru (Edo,member). Other membersof the commission who arefrom the non-oil mineralproducing states areSenator Garba Lado (North-West, member), RimaKwewum (North-East,member), and SenatorTunde Ogbeha (North-Central, member). JoeJakpa also made the list asa nominee by the oil majorsto represent their collectiveinterest in the commission.

The appointments of thecurrent team are subject torenewal by Jonathan, eventhough the initial mandatewas to complete the four-year tenure of theUgwuoha-led management,which expires inSeptember. By this, andbarring any unforeseencircumstance, Cross RiverState is expected to fill theposition of the NDDCchairman from Septemberthis year. For the positionof the MD, Akwa Ibomappears set to clinch theposition, going byproduction quota of the oil-producing states, exceptRivers which is aboutrunning out its term throughOboh. But the mostcontentious positions arethose of the executivedirector (projects) and

executive director (financeand administration)currently occupied by AkwaIbom and Deltarespectively. Current ED(F&A) Konboye from Delta,who was nominated by aserving minister, isstruggling to retain his job.In the ensuing intrigues, thefates of certain staterepresentatives on thegoverning board of theNDDC are uncertain. TheNDDC appointments areusually made by thepresident in accordancewith Section 2(1) of theNDDC Act of 2000, whichprovides for theestablishment of the

governing board,comprising a chairman, oneperson each from the NigerDelta member states, threepersons to represent thenon-mineral producingstates, one representativeof the oil-producingcompanies in the NigerDelta nominated by the oilproducing companies, oneperson each to representthe federal ministries offinance and environment,the managing director of thecommission, and twoexecutive directors.

If the Board is dissolve asexpected in September2013 we call on the FederalGovernment to take

precaution in the choice ofnew appointees, if thecommission is to succeed.“We implore Mr. Presidentto carry out serious searchfor capable and crediblepersons who will put theinterest of the people of theregion first in all theirconsiderations. We are ofthe belief that there willtransformation of theregion’s economy andsocieties, if this is donewithout any form of politics”.It is regrettable that NigerDeltans saddled with theresponsibility of improvingthe social andenvironmental conditions ofthe region and alleviation ofpoverty chose to aggravatethe scourge for the ordinary

Niger Delta people. Wesuggested that anyonewishing to be appointed asthe new managing directoror member of the board ofthe commission shouldcome up with and defend aproposal to that effect.

This, it stated wouldensure that a person whodisplays competence isgiven the shot. Reasonsbeing the regularcontroversy in Niger DeltaDevelopment Commission,NDDC, has no doubtremained a matter ofconcern to those who havethe interest of the NigerDelta region at heart. Wethe indigenes of the regionfeel that the only visibledevelopment or agent oftransformation that theformer President, ChiefOlusegun Obasanjobequeathed to the people ofan area that produces noless than 84 percent of thenation’s accumulatedwealth is the NDDC. Thecomposition of thecommission havingrepresentatives from thewest, the north, federalparastatal and non oilproducing areas besidesthose from the region, wasan idea contrived to die atbirth. Many Niger Deltacritics particularly thosewho are NDDC apologistshave always argued that thecommission is often starvedof funds. Some howeverargue that even with the“litt le” that has beenreleased to the commission,the necessary impact hasnot been felt many yearsafter it was established.

Back in 1958 when thecolonial government afterseveral efforts to salvagethe impoverished NigerDelta region, set up theHenry WillinksCommission, itpassionately appealed tothe conscience of the localauthorities to give theregion a “specialdevelopment attention”.The response of theNigerian government hadcome years after thesubmission of Will inksCommission report in theform of Niger DeltaDevelopment Board, RiverBasin Development BoardAuthority, Presidential TaskForce on Niger Delta, andof late, Oil MineralProducing AreasDevelopment Authority,OMPADEC. All of thesewere monumental failures.• David Mark, Senate President

By DR. LEWIS AKPOGENA

Continues on pg. 7

THE WEEKEND


P liticsoPresident Goodluck Jonathan

Before A New NDDC Board

In what appeared as an actof appreciation for theoverwhelming vote hegarnered from the south-south in 1999 and 2003,Obasanjo set up the NDDCto complement the federaland state governments’efforts to reposition theregion. The vision of thenew Commission wassimple: “to offer a lastingsolution to the socio-economic difficulties of theNiger Delta region”. And themission was to “facilitate therapid, even and sustainabledevelopment...” of that partof the country. More than adecade after itsestablishment, NDDC is stillgrappling with indecision.Seemingly, the commissiondoes not know what ordeliberately not having thepolitical will to do what itought to do.

The problem of the NDDChas always been blamed onlack of regional master-plan, poor funding, projectabandonment, internalleadership tussle and mostpotently, polit icalinterference. The pioneerboard of the NDDC led byOnyema Ugochukwu as thechairman set up the path forthe interventionist agency tothrive on its journey tomaking the region an El-Dorado. After that board,what later came up wereboards that were torn apartby leadership crisis andcorrupt practices. In thehistory of the Commission,stakeholders are of the view

that it was only in TimiAlaibe’s tenure as theManaging Director andChief Executive Officer, thatthe NDDC devised anagenda for regionali n f r a s t r u c t u r a ldevelopment.

Alaibe’s leadership qualitywhile he held sway in theCommission created noroom for any form of internalsquabbles and rancor asbeing witnessed in recenttimes. The Niger Deltacatchment areas enjoyedalmost equal dispensationof infrastructure baring anypolitical interference in agiven state. Things turnedout worse in theCommission whenChibuzor Ugwuoha becamethe next MD of theCommission. He was aRivers State candidate forthe post. There wereallegations of fraud underhis management. The brieftenure was also riddled withserious power tussle.Expectations were thatUgwuoha would make gooduse of the master-plan thatwas drawn up by theAlaibe’s board to developthe region but that was notto be. Consequently,President GoodluckJonathan ordered thedissolution of the board anda new one was constitutedheaded by Dr. ChristianOboh as the new MD.Oboh, also a Rivers choiceis to complete the state’sslot of Ugwuoha’s tenure.

Many recall the order thatwas handed the new NDDC

board by the SenatePresident, Senator DavidMark, when he charged it toperform within the first sixmonths of its inaugurationor face severe sanctionfrom the Parliament. Therehave been mixed reactionson whether NDDC underthe current leadership hassatisfied the mandate givento it by the nation’s senate.There is howeverinsinuations of contractsums being inflated andprojects awarded to thecronies of the top officials inthe system. Somecontractors who may notwant their names to bementioned in print allegedthat things have gone sobad in the Commission that“jobs are awardedaccording to man knowman”.

They further allege thatrelations of the top officialsof the Commission are busyexecuting mega projectsawarded them by theirbrothers. Only last March,the Presidential MonitoringCommittee on the NDDC,severely indicted theCommission of someshoddy deals to theexpense of the people ofthe Niger Delta. Chairmanof that committee, ChiefIsaac Jemide, saidmismanagement of funds,abandonment of projectsand poor execution ofcontracts featuredprominently in theoperations of thecommission. Jemide furtherstated that out of 609

projects monitored by thecommittee, 285 wereabandoned at variouslevels, 222 were completed,while 102 were on-going.The committee whilepresenting the report toPresident Jonathan in Abujadisclosed that the NDDCmanagement refused togive concrete explanationon why some projects wereabandoned and had notprovided evidence of anyattempt to recover the fundsusing appropriategovernment agencies suchas the Economic andFinancial CrimesCommission (EFCC) andIndependent CorruptPractices and OtherRelated OffensesCommission (ICPC).

He said the NDDC alsofailed to complete all CivicCentres, University HostelProjects and all shorelineprotection over anoperational period of 12years. The Jemidecommittee accusedcommission of engaging inunjustifiable introduction ofastronomical variations onthe contracts sums of mostprojects awarded by it overshort periods of time, sayingthat some of the variationswere effected prior toproject commencement.Another grave concernraised by the committeewas on the refusal of thecommission to sanctionincompetent contractorssuch as Messrs FountainConstruction Company Ltd

handling the Eket-Ibenoroad in Akwa Ibom state.

The Committeesuggested that the federalgovernment considers theimplementation of thereport, which it said, wouldassist in repositioning thecommission to ensure themeaningful development inthe region. What manyNigerians and indeed theNiger Deltans are moreworried about is why theanti-graft agencies havedecided to turn their search-light the other way when thecommission stinks ofcorruption and brazenembezzlement of funds.Nevertheless, stakeholdershave suggested that themajor way of eitherreducing or ending financialfraud in the system is whenthe NDDC is brought backto the office of the Presidentas it was the case beforenow.

It would be recalled that itwas during the brief periodof the late President UmaruYar’Adua that the NDDCwas taken to the office ofthe Secretary to the FederalGovernment, (SFG). It wasobserved that the thenSFG, Alhaji Yayele Ahmedcould not give sufficientsupervision to the activitiesof the commission hence itstarted to stink. “NDDC Actmust strictly be followedwhen it comes to theappointment of the board ofmanagement”, said Dr.Lewis Akpogena. Hecontinued that “NDDC

should be brought back tothe Presidency as it used tobe in the Obasanjo years foreffective monitoring”. A criticwho pleaded anonymityhad earlier insinuated thatNDDC was one of the majorsources of funds for theprosecution of everypresidential campaign inNigeria. It has thus beenrecommended that ifPresident Jonathan isserious about thedevelopment of the NigerDelta, he should pay moreattention to the activities ofthe Niger Delta Ministry andthe NDDC.

With the Ministry and theCommission synergy, it isbelieved that the problem ofthe East/West Road shouldhave been adequatelytackled long ago, given thatthe two institutions shouldbe capable of handling theproject with relative ease.As an interventionistagency that has seen morefunds than all the pastagencies put together,NDDC has no businesscrying for lack of funds as itdoes all the times, analystsinsist. It is when competenttechnocrats are appointedto hold the managementpositions of ManagingDirector, ExecutiveDirectors (Finance &Administration andProjects) that are insulatedfrom the politics of politicalgodfathers/parties thatnominated them that realdevelopment is born inNiger Delta Region.

Continues from pg. 6

• Namadi Sambo

• Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Reps


2015: Between The DevilAnd The Deep Blue Sea

By DIPO DOSUMU

P liticso

IN the days of yore, whenschools were still schools,this would have made aninteresting topic for a debateor impromptu speechcompetition of any school’sannual literary and debatingday. But then, just like manygood things that havedepreciated in our land,schools are no longer whatthey used to be, and it is“debatable” if there are stilldays set aside for literaryand debating eventscompetitions.

The literary giant,Chinualumogu Achebeasserted as far back as1983 that, “the trouble withNigeria is simply andsquarely a failure ofleadership. There is nothingbasically wrong with theNigerian character. There isnothing wrong with theNigerian land or climate orwater or air or anything else.The Nigerian problem is theunwillingness or inability ofits leaders to rise to theresponsibility; to thechallenge of personalexample which are thehallmarks of trueleadership.”

Some however argue thatfollowership is rather theproblem that the past andpresent leaders definitelyemerged from the crop ofbad followers and therefore,the leaders were products ofa dysfunctional followership.Only a terrible followershipcould have consistentlyproduced disappointingleaders that Nigeria hasbeen bedevilled with.Something is thereforefundamentally wrong, onemay conclude, with thissystem, which continuallyproduces bad leaders.

2015 is just around thecorner and the war drumshave started to be beaten.The gladiators are the rulingparty and the newlyregistered leadingopposition party. We havestarted hearing the electoraljargons - capture, defect,decamp etc. according toMr. Fix-It, while on a visit toa former President, theruling party will continue towin, using its time-testedformula. Is your guess asgood as mine?

Before the euphoria of theAPC’S recent registrationdies down, it is imperative towarn fellow Nigerians that “itis not yet Uhuru (freedom)”,even though the son of the

So what choice is therethen between the devil andthe deep blue sea? Somewould readily assert that the“the devil you know is betterthan the angel you do notknow”. My own take is thatfrom all their antecedents,perhaps the lesser evilshould be experimentedwith for now. It could belikened to two students, onewith a score of 39% andanother of 25%, which areboth failures inundergraduate courses butclearly the former hadoutperformed the other byone-and-a-half times.Change is said to be the onlypermanent thing, so it isimperative we use our votingpowers to change ourleaders from the worst set tothe worse, so as to send theright signals to our currentlameduck leaders that theycan be dispensed with, andfurther encourage goodmaterials to come out andeventually change oursituation to the bad, then thegood, then the better, theneventually the best.

I wonder if any of our livingpast and present leaders

creation of an enablingenvironment for job-creation, starting with fixingof electricity, which hasdefied all solutions up tillnow. There must also bereforms in the educationalsystem, police, lawenforcement / judicialadministration andtransparency in governance.There must also beemphasis on enhancing theproductive base of theeconomy, especiallyagriculture. The quick winswill be the drastic reductionin, and curtailment of thevery high recurrentexpenditure, which arose viathe ridiculous andembarrassing legislativeand executive jumbosalaries and allowances, aswell as abolition of securityvotes.

As we march towards2015, the opposition shouldbe reminded that those whohave held the nation captivewould not let go easily andwillingly. Just as Mugabehas defied all machinationsto leave the scene long afterthe ovation was loudest, theNigerian pharaohs havedeeply entrenchedthemselves for the past 14years, so no one should bedeceived that they will leaveon their own terms. Theleading opposition groupmust therefore come up witha fool-proof strategy to winvoters’ endorsement andalso counter rigging. Theother fringe oppositiongroups like Labour Partyand ideology-based partieslike Gani Fawehinmi-founded nationalconscience party need tomake deliberate efforts tostart wooing the youths andthe disillusioned in order tobecome the new futureopposition and perhapsanother government-in-waiting in years to come.

I wish to remind ourpresent crop of leaders ofthe quotable quote by DeleGiwa, the celebratedjournalist, editor and founderof Newswatch Magazine,who was killed by a mailbomb in his home on 19thOctober 1986 - “no evil deedcan go unpunished. Any evildone by man to man will beredressed. If not now, thencertainly later. If not by man,then by god, for the victoryof evil over good can only betemporary.”

naija o ni baje o.

attract curses or at bestindifference while on sickbeds. And I am certain thatthey would not be admittedto hospitals in Nigeria. Thatis a food for thought.

I really have neitheradmiration nor respect forleaders who could not say“amen” to anti-corruptionprayers, or who do not givea damn about being openabout their self-worth (theymust have something tohide if same was publiclydeclared four years earlier -what has changed?), it issuch disdain for ordinarycitizens that have madeaverage performances ofthe likes of governorBabatunde Fashola andSpeaker Aminu Tambuwalthe talk-of-the-town, ratherthan one-eyed kings in theland of the blind which theytruly are.

When elections becometruly free and fair, most ofthe charlatans in the corridorof power will not get there inthe first place. Nigerianvoters showed theirsophistication on June 121993, where the son-of-thesoil lost in his polling booth

puts a lie to the zoningmentality. To choose aleader based on accident ofbirth is the greatest error anysociety could make. No onehas ever had a choice as towhere he would be born orto whom he was born. I havenot seen anyone in need ofthe attention of a surgeon ora medical specialist insistingthat only the ones from histribal enclave must be thebest. Similarly, I have notseen any air passenger whochooses flights based on theethnic origin of the pilot. Aleader Nigeria needs nowcan be likened to a pilot or asurgeon. An error in choicecould be fatal. Competence,rather than ethnicbackground, should be theselection yardstick. I believethe average Nigerian voterwould vote for competenceover tribal affinity. Perhapsif the USA and France hadadopted zoning, Obama,Sarkozy and Rawlings,whose fathers were ofdifferent nationalities, wouldnever have had presidencyzoned to them.

The next steps for the nextadministration will be

the devil and the deep bluesea.

Let’s face it, there are verygood people in APC, and soare there some verycontroversial people. Somuch just like PDP. There isno vice that you will find inPDP that is not inherent inAPC. You will find in APCpeople who are Spartan,and waged war againstindiscipline and corruption,just as there are thosewhose source ofstupendous wealth isshrouded in mystery. Someof their leading lights havenot discharged themselvesequitably in their businessand personal dealings butwant to be trusted with thenational treasury. One oftheir prominent leaders evenused religion to justify hismarriage to an under-agedgirl of exotic species.Another was even anaccidental public servantwhile yet another was thefamed anti-corruption czar.

Talking of the ruling PDP,most rational people havelong given up on the party.A party that could makebarking, raving dogs out of

• Chief Bisi Akande • Bamanga Tukur

late Kenyan President,Jomo Kenyatta, who coinedthe expression, is thecurrent Kenyan president -Uhuru Kenyatta. Withoutmuch ado, the differencebetween APC and PDP islike between six and half adozen. it is l ike theproverbial choice between

a Ph.d holder and a medicaldoctor, both from an areathat first got in contact withthe missionaries westerneducation in the country, isprobably beyondredemption.

would attract so muchgoodwill, prayers and bestwishes like the Madiba,Nelson Mandela, has donein his current fight againstlung infection. I dare saymost, if not all would rather

in Kano. This was alsorepeated in 1999, where theson-of-the soil similarly lostin his polling booth inAbeokuta. When we get theelectoral process right,where true winners aredeclared, that will be thevery first step towardsNigeria’s re-discovery. This

THE WEEKEND


Lamido, Obasanjo’s BeautifulBride

By THEOPHILUS ILEVBARE

P liticsoTHE horse-trading ahead

of the 2015 electionsbarely two years away tookcentre stage onDemocracy Day as ex-President OlusegunObasanjo decided to showup else where instead ofthe Eagles Square he wasinvited alongside otherformer heads of state tocommemorate May 29. Weall saw the screamingheadlines that inundatedthe print and electronicmedia thereafter. Theheadlines of his speech atthe Jigawa State EconomicSummit almostovershadowed PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’s mid-term scorecard that alsodominated nationaldiscourse albeit for thewrong reasons in the daysthat ensued.

Pundits insinuated thatthe later part of Obasanjo’sremark that;“You can onlyhelp someone to get a job,you cannot help him to dothe job, if SOMEBODY(emphasis mine) cannot dothe job we have SuleLamido who is competentto do the job” may havebeen directed at PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, whomhe hand-picked as VicePresident to late Yar’aduaand later installed asPresident in 2011. “It wasObasanjo that convincedus to support Jonathan,”said a PDP foundingmember. “He convincinglysold Jonathan to us that wehad no choice but tosupport Jonathan. If hesold Jonathan to us and heis now disagreeing withhim, he should call us andtell us his reasons.” Hequeried.

Obasanjo told thegathering at the EconomicSummit; “…Once again, Icongratulate you and Icongratulate myself;because if you can say,yes, Obasanjo forced thisone (Governor Lamido) onus, it is a good forcing.” Hemade good use of thepodium in Dutse to singLamido’s praise to highheavens. He paralled theroad from Kano to Jigawaas better than thedeplorable condition of theNational malaise theLagos-Ibadan expresswayhas become, forgettingthat it was his protégé,Wale Babalakin whostalled work on the projectbefore the contract wasrevoked by the Jonathangovernment.

For the better part of theeight-years of his civilianadministration, he imposedhis wish on Nigerians. Healmost single-handedly,picked his successor andnow, President Jonathanas the PDP’s presidentialflag bearers of the rulingparty. What makes himbelieve without him thecountry will not get it rightis still a mystery to many.

If Sule Lamido and theembattled Rivers stateGovernor, Rotimi

queue ahead of those heconvinced to endorseJonathan’s candidature tobegin the long process ofpushing him out of office in2015. Looking back at howhe has dealt with Yar’aduaand now Jonathan whenhe was sidelined fromparty politics, we cansurmise that Obasanjo isalways ‘building to destroy.’Is Governor Sule Lamidoaware of this? For months,he has been trotting thecountry campaigningagainst same Jonathan heonce convinced partybigwigs to support for thepresidency in 2011. “Washe not the one whoendorsed Jonathan in 2011like he did Yar’Adua in2007?” Asked a bemusedparty member. Certainly,Nigerians and indeedLamido cannot afford torisk the country’s future onthe whims and caprices ofan erratic Obasanjo.

As President, Obasanjo

flagrantly disregarded therule of law,dismemberingwhatever was left of theinternal democracy of thePDP. His wishpredominated over that ofthe people. He’s wasgovernment by himself forthe people. States likeJigawa saw his owncandidate, Lamido,imposed on them. Theignominious reputationProf Maurice Iwu earnedstill taints him till this dayas he connived with his“Oga at the top” to conductthe most flawed electionsin the history of the country.The former military rulerdescribed elections as a“do or die” affair. He is stillan advocate of that brandof politics. Perceivedpolitical enemies wentthrough untold humiliationby Obasanjo and hisacolytes. The fault lines ofthe present crisis rockingthe PDP can be traced tothe former president. Healways used the word‘capture’ to imply PDP willwin states under control ofthe opposition and to showhis rigging prowess.Capture denotes force,coercion or impositionwhich has unmistakably,been the trademark ofObasanjo. The Ota farmer,strutted with a deportedmindset of an imperialpresident who gutted anypretence to respect fordemocratic mores withinhis party. To him unctuousservility was everything

abound across the country.After late PresidentYar ’adua becamesomewhat overwhelmedby the task of runningNigeria on a daily basis,former president Obasanjosold Jonathan to us. But itis surprising that Baba hasjumped in front of the

that mattered beforeholding or aspiring to anypolitical office in the PDP.He treated almosteveryone around him ashis vassals and minions,there to take the emperor’sbidding.

He settled for a Yar’aduaand Jonathan ticket in spiteof other candidates whomany thought could havedone a better job. For him,it has always been

Amaechi’s posters that hasstrategically surfaced atdifferent time in Jigawa,Abuja, Ogun and RiversStates in recent monthsare anything to go by, thetwo governors whom manyadjudged to have shownstrong leadership models,can give the incumbent arun for his money in a freeand fair primaries.Undoubtedly, Lamido hasgot the credentials andexperience to contest forany political office in theland. But as Yar’adua andJonathan have shown, theplum job requires morethan that.

In the past, Obasanjo’schoices have beencalamitous for the country.Today, the leadershipatrophy of the PDP whichis tearing the party apartcan be attributed to hisdictatorial tendencies thatsuccessive governmentsimbibed. The aftermath ofhis succession choice

malleability over suitability,obsequiousness overcompetence. That MrYar’adua was sympatheticto his third term agenda putthem in good stead as TheFormer Minister of FCT,Mallam Nasir El-rufai’smemoir, The AccidentalPublic Servant revealed.But Obasanjo got ashocker when he was shutout by the late Presidentbarely months after takingover. Same with PresidentJonathan after winning the2011 elections. Today, heis everywherecampaigning for SuleLamido with variousshades of innuendos at theincumbent. His Gangnamdance steps would havebeen different if PresidentJonathan had given himthe latitude to run the rule

over his government. Hisalter ego cannot bearbeing shut out. Lamidomust take time out toresearch for himself whyObasanjo is always kept atarms length months afterhis protégés clinch power.

Katsina State of theformer President Yar’aduabear geographic andeconomic semblance toJigawa. Both receive verymeagre allocation from thefederation purse. The

rhetoric by Obasanjo at theJigawa state summit thatthe developmental stridesof Sule Lamido across allsectors of the economyand uncommontransformation of the stateas one of the poorest in thecountry to the investorspreferred destination canbe translated at the federallevel might not hold water.After all, same was said oflate President UmaruYar’adua.

Obasanjo is advertentlystrengthening the tug lineof the well publicized feudbetween PresidentJonathan and Rivers StateGovernor Rotimi Amaechi.There is none pushing thatticket other than the formerpresident. How far can hego in subverting thepeoples’ will yet again in2015, time will tell.

• Chief Olusegun Obasanjo

• Sule Lamido, Jigawa State

“Undoubtedly, Lamido has gotthe credentials and experienceto contest for any political officein the land. But as Yar’adua andJonathan have shown, the plumjob requires more than that.”


Armed Robbers, KidnappersNeed Window Of Repentance

E countern

Tell us about yourself?I am a Christian of the

Anglican Communion. I’ma knight of SaintChristopher. I was born onthe 16th of March 1967 inOgharefe in Delta Centralsenatorial district. Iattended primary school inOgharefe and mysecondary school wasthen Federal GovernmentCollege, Ugwolawo, thenBenue State and now KogiState.

That’s for my O’ level. Iproceeded to FederalGovernment College,Odogbolu in Ogun Statefor my A level.

After that, I joined theNigeria Police Force onthe 15th of March 1988 asan Inspector and I wastrained at the NigerianPolice Academy, Kano. Iwas the first set that wastrained by that institution.

My training took place inKano and Guoza in BornoState and also in SokotoState. Later I was alsotrained in Jos. And when Icompleted my training in

movement.When I finished from the

University of Benin, I wasdeployed to Ekpoma. Iwas the OC CIB in EdoCentral which comprisesof all the localgovernments in EdoCentral.

From there I wasdeployed to Delta Stateagain. This time I workedin the OperationsDepartment. And I waspromoted to AssistantSuperintendent of Policeand thereafter I wasdeployed to the DeltaState Government Housewhere I worked as theChief Security Officer tothe then Delta StateGovernor, James Ibori.Later I was Aid-de-Camp.

When I finished servingDelta State, I wasdeployed to PresidentialVilla as one of the guardcommanders.

From there, I wasdeployed to be in chargeof the security of theNational Assembly. Fromthere I was deployed toAnambra State, I was incharge of Records andlater I was in charge ofDiscipline.

At Anambra State, havenput in 20 years and sixmonths in the PoliceForce, approximatelyabout 21 years, I decidedto retire voluntarily fromthe Police Force. Andafter my retirement, I wentto set up my ownbusiness, a securitycompany- head office inAbuja.

While still in Edo Statethen, I met my wife and gotmarried to her and themarriage is blessed with

raised sir, are there otherthings you think thepeople of Delta Centralare lacking in terms ofgovernment present?

Yes! There are lots. Thisissue of unemployment iseverywhere. But it is very;very acute in Urhobo land.You see my people thatare graduates, riddingOkada. The issue ofunemployment of mypeople is very, very high.

So, what I am going todo when I get into office isto set up employmentgeneration system. Thereis a group we work withright now, it is calledUrhobo Forum. What wedo, we are trying to trainour people, to open aspace for them, to showthem availableopportunities bothnationally and locally.

You know it is not onlygovernment that canemploy. We have to letpeople know that there areother various avenues ofemployment. One greatthing I will do when I getto office is to show mypeople how to getemployment outsidegovernment.

I want to start a processthat people when theyleave school, they don’thave to go metgovernment looking forjob.

Another area where we

four children. Two girls andtwo boys.

May we know why youwant to become asenator?

I have served my people;that is, the entire countryin the various capacity.And I have looked at mypeople, the Urhobopeople, in the last fewyears; there have been alacuna in the service to mypeople. If you check from2011 till now at the federallevel, there is no Urhoboman. At the state level,we are really not there.

And if you look at Urhoboland, it is like we weredrifting. Unlike when youhave the likes of Felix Ibruwhen he was governor,James Ibori when he wasgovernor, then the Urhobopeople were in forefront ofeverything but suddenlythere was adisappearance of Urhobopeople from the comity inthis nation and we are thefifth largest ethnic group inthis country but on thescheme of things we arenowhere.

And some of us sat downtogether and said weneeded a changeirrespective of partyaffiliation, we needed atrue Urhobo person to takecare of our people.

So when Pius Ewheridocame out to contest forsenate, we had ourpreference and said look,Pius Ewherido is a personthat can take care ofUrhobo people.

And when Pius left, hedied prematurely; he hadserious programmes thatcould help bring upUrhobo people to go back

to learning their language,scholarship programme,programme to uniteUrhobo peopleirrespective of your partyaffil iation, it could cutacross board.

I’m a PDP man but wecould relate with him asUrhobo son. He neverdiscriminates despite thefact that he contestedagainst PDP in the lastelection and defeatedPDP. Immediately after hewon the election hebrought people togetherand said let talk aboutUrhobo land now.

So when he died we saidlook we need somebodywho could work acrossparty line, meaning,irrespective of our politicaldifferences, the personcould relate witheverybody. And I seemyself as that person. Bygrace of God, myrelationship with peoplecut across every group inDelta State. They haveseen my antecedent that Iam not discriminating. Anyissue that has to do withUrhobo, it’s something I dowith a passion.

My going to the senateis not to go there to go runpersonal agenda. I can’tgo there and shut down onthe people. I see myself asa uniting factor. I can bringtogether Urhobo people.

Aside these issues you

the Police Force and thePolice Academy; I wasdeployed to a policestation in Delta State, thenBendel State. Later I wassent to Warri Division.

While at the WarriDivision, I had an urge togo to the University. Ienrolled and I wasadmitted by the Universityof Benin to read Industrialmathematics. Therefore Iwas now transferred toEdo State where I workedin the Criminal IntelligenceBureau and I wasseconded to the Universityof Benin as the OCIntelligence.

There at the University ofBenin, my politicalactivism started. I was thepresident of the NationalAssociation ofMathematics Students ofNigeria, University ofBenin Chapter. I was alsoa leader of StudentChristian Movement whilein Benin. During my A levelat Odogbolu, I was thepresident of the Nigerianstudent Christians

“By grace of God, my relationship with peoplecut across every group in Delta State. They haveseen my antecedent that I am notdiscriminating. Any issue that has to do withUrhobo, it’s something I do with a passion.”

- Ex-CSOSIR Solomon Ejase-Tobrise Udele, aretired police officer who had his securitytraining and experiences across the countryis the Delta Central Senatorialelectioneering aspirant under the platformof Peoples Democratic Party in theforthcoming senatorial election in DeltaState following the demise of the DeputySenate President, late Pius Ewherido.

While fielding questions from journalistsin Benin City recently, Udele gives accountof how best the issues of kidnapping, armedrobbery and other acts of insecurity in thecountry can be solved.

In an encounter with OSAZUWAAKONEDO, he dwells more on thechallenges facing Urhobo people and howthe challenges can be brought to an end.

Excerpts:-

Cont’d on pg. 11

• Sir Solomon Ejese-Tobrise Udele

THE WEEKEND


‘. . . Kidnappers Need Window Of Repentance’lack is infrastructure. If youlook at the breadth andlength of Urhobo land, thefederal governmentpresent is notcommensurate with whatthe government is gettingfrom our land. We havethe Otorogu Gas Plant inUrhobo land, then, youask what it’s the level ofelectricity the people areenjoying, so what I intendto do when I get into officeis to lobby, strong lobby toensure that federalgovernment present inUrhobo land is enhanced.

Also, I will ensure thatthe education of ourpeople is paramount. Inthe forties, the UrhoboProgressive Union set upUrhobo College. Beforethat, there was a move toset up a scholarshipscheme for our people andthis has been watereddown. It has not been putin the front burner. The

Late Senator Ewheridocame up with a newsystem of awardingscholarship to people andhe had over 200 people onscholarship. When I getinto office I will improve onthat.

Another thing I want todo is that there are a lot ofcrime going on, if you goto Delta State today, thereare a lot of kidnappinggoing on. Of recent, myfriend was kidnapped buthas been released. Fromthe discussion had withhim, a lot of thosekidnappers are graduates.Some of them aregraduates who are intokidnapping because of nowork.

While in the police Icame across a lot ofgraduates who are armedrobbers who ordinarilywouldn’t do this thingbecause irrespective ofthe money they are

making from it, they knowthe day they are arrestedby the police; is death. Andthey are young peoplewho do not want to die.

So, I want to start ascheme that would takethese people out of crime.A good number of themare ready to live out ofcrime if they have anassurance of a better lifeoutside. So what I want tostart is a process that islikened to amnesty, get agun out of their hands andgive them something todo, that is, give themopportunity to start makinga living for themselves.The scheme willencourage people to leavecrime. It is a kind of givingan armed robber, akidnapper a window ofrepentance. I believegovernment should dosomething so that peoplewho want to genuinelycome out of crime can quitcrime.

If you get the senatorialticket from PDP, looking atthe likes of FestusKenyamo who are alsointerested in the senatorialseat, what are yourchances of winning theelection?

Very bright. Very, verybright. Like I said earlier,during my work, I hadfriends that cut acrossUrhobo land. I have donea lot of consultation and Ihave actually beingoverwhelmed by theresponses I got from a lotof people. When I went toUghilli, the responses I gotshows that the time ofmoney politics, the time ofpolitics of just talk is gone.

Last election the peopleof Delta Central voted forDPP Candidate againstPDP, this time around whydo you think the peoplewould vote PDP, like youalso confirmed the latesenator didn’t disappointthe people?

The last election waswon on the basis ofindividual person and notparty. Pius won theelection not because hewas a DPP candidate. Hewon the election becausehe was Pius.

Pius was a DeputySpeaker, Delta StateHouse of Assembly andwas also Acting Speaker,Delta State House ofAssembly under PDP.

So, Pius was a PDPman. And when he was aDeputy Speaker, he wasgenerally liked by a goodnumber of people in PDP.And when he came out tocontest the election, a lotof people voted for him notbecause he was a DPPman, but, they saw in himan Urhobo son who isopen minded.

This time around, PDPwill have a right candidatewhich is my humble selfand we are going to comeout victorious.

When did you startpolitics officially?

I started politics officiallywith PDP when I leftNigerian Police Force in2009.

Looking at NigerianPoliticians behaviour in anelection based on yourexperiences as a retiredpolice officer, what areyour chances of winning?

Very bright. I have beenin a very vintage position.Vintage position; thatmeans; I have been ableto work with politicianseven though I was notofficially a politician.

There is hardly apolitician today in DeltaState in any of the politicalparties, name it; that don’tknow me. If there is anyone I don’t have personalrelationship with, maybe15, 20 percent.

So, any politician from1999 till date knows me. Ifyou talk about the wayspoliticians behave, I knowall those tricks.

E counternCont’d from pg. 10

International NewsAs Crisis Deepens, Egypt Braces For More

ViolenceEGYPT is bracing for more

violence after the MuslimBrotherhood called fornationwide marches afterFriday prayers and a “day ofrage” to denounce thisweek’s unprecedentedbloodshed in the securityforces’ assault on thesupporters of the country’sousted Islamist president thatleft more than 600 dead.

The government hasauthorized the use of deadlyforce against protesterstargeting police and stateinstitutions while theinternational community hasurged both sides to showrestraint and end the turmoilengulfing the nation.

At least 638 people wereconfirmed killed and nearly4,000 wounded inWednesday’s violence,sparked when riot policebacked by armored vehicles,snipers and bulldozerssmashed the two sit-ins inCairo where oustedPresident MohammedMorsi’s supporters had beencamped out for six weeks todemand his reinstatement.

It was the deadliest day byfar since the 2011 popularuprising that overthrewautocratic ruler HosniMubarak and plunged thecountry into more than twoyears of instability.

The Health Ministry saidthat 288 of those killed werein the largest protest camp in

Cairo’s Nasr City district,while 90 others were slain ina smaller encampment inGiza, near Cairo University.Others died in clashes thatbroke out between Morsi’ssupporters and securityforces or anti-Morsiprotesters elsewhere in theEgyptian capital and othercities.

View gallery.”A man sifts through debris

at the burnt Rabaah al-Adawiya …

A man sifts through debrisat the burnt Rabaah al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo’sNasr City, Egypt, Thursd …

Violence spread onThursday, with governmentbuildings set afire, policemengunned down and scores ofChristian churches attacked.An angry crowd stormed thegovernor’s office in Giza, thecity next to Cairo that is hometo the pyramids. State TVblamed Morsi’s supportersfor the arson and broadcastfootage showing firefightersevacuating employees fromthe larger building of Giza’sgovernment offices.

As turmoil spread, theInterior Ministry authorizedthe use of deadly forceagainst protesters targetingpolice and state institutions.Egypt’s military-backedgovernment also pledged toconfront “terrorist actions andsabotage” allegedly carriedout by Muslim Brotherhood

members.The Brotherhood, trying to

regroup after the assault onits encampments and thearrest of many of its leaders,called for a mass rally Fridayin a challenge to thegovernment’s declaration ofa monthlong state ofemergency and a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

Also, the U.N. SecurityCouncil urged both theEgyptian government and theMuslim Brotherhood toexercise “maximum restraint”and work toward nationalreconciliation.

In Cairo, weeping relativesfilled the mosque-turned-morgue near the gutted pro-Morsi protest camp in NasrCity, spilled into the courtyardand the streets. Inside, thenames of the dead werescribbled on white sheetscovering the bodies, some ofthem charred, and a list with265 names was plastered onthe wall. Heat made thestench from the corpsesalmost unbearable as the icebrought in to chill the bodiesmelted and household fansoffered little relief.

View gallery.”Egyptian firefighters battle

flames at the Gizagovernorate …

Egyptian firefighters battle

flames at the Gizagovernorate building that wasstormed and torched by …

Many people complainedthat authorities werepreventing them fromobtaining permits to burytheir dead, although theMuslim Brotherhoodannounced that severalfunerals had been heldThursday.

A woman cradled the headof a slain man in her lap,fanning it with a paper fan.Nearby, an anguished manshouted, “God take revengeon you el-Sissi!” a referenceto the powerful military chief,Gen. Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi.

Slumped over the body ofhis brother, Ihab el-Sayyedsaid the 24-year-old wasgetting ready for his weddingnext week. “Last time I heardhis voice was an hour or twobefore I heard of his death,”he said, choking back tears.

Elsewhere on Thursday, amass funeral was held inCairo for some of the 43security troops authoritiessaid were kil led inWednesday’s clashes.Interior Minister MohammedIbrahim, who is in charge ofthe police, led the mourners.A police band played solemnmusic as fire engines borethe coffins draped in white,

red and black Egyptian flagsin a funeral procession.

Egyptian relatives andcolleagues of policemen who…

Egyptian relatives andcolleagues of policemen whowere kil led duringWednesday’s clashes carrycoff …

President Barack Obamacanceled joint U.S.-Egyptmilitary exercises scheduledfor next month, although hegave no indication that theU.S. planned to cut off its$1.3 billion in annual militaryaid to the country. The U.S.administration has avoideddeclaring Morsi’s ouster acoup, which would force it tosuspend the military aid.

“While we want to sustainour relationship with Egypt,our traditional cooperationcannot continue as usualwhen civilians are being killedin the streets and rights arebeing rolled back,” Obamasaid, speaking from hisweeklong vacation inMassachusetts.

Egypt’s interim governmentissued a late night statementsaying the country is facing“terrorist actions targetinggovernment and vitalinstitutions” by “violentmilitant groups.” Thestatement expressed“sadness” for the killings ofEgyptians and pledged towork on restoring law andorder.

The statement alsowarned that Obama’sposition “while it’s not basedon facts can empower theviolent militant groups andencourage them in its anti-stability discourse.”

The biennial Bright Starmaneuvers, long acenterpiece of the deep tiesbetween the U.S. andEgyptian militaries, have notbeen held since 2009, asEgypt grappled with thefallout from the revolution thatousted Mubarak. Morsi, amember of the Brotherhood,was elected president in2012 during Egypt’s firstdemocratic elections.

View gallery.”People try to identify bodies

of supporters of ousted …People try to identify bodies

of supporters of oustedPresident Mohammed Morsiat the El-Iman mosque …

Attackers also set fire tochurches and police stationsacross the country for asecond day Thursday.

In the country’s second-largest city of Alexandria,Islamist protestersexchanged gunfire with ananti-Morsi rally, leavingscores injured, witnessesand security officials said.Attempts to storm policestations in the southern cityof Assiut and northern Sinaicity of el-Arish left at least sixpolicemen dead and othersinjured.


By LAMAI CASSIUS

E ucationd

Dr. (Mrs.) Philipa Idogho, Rector, Auchi Polytechnic

2013 - 2017 Strategic Plan For AuchiPolytechnic IT is said that no organi-

zation or institution canthrive simply by reactingto each new developmentas it occurs. Taking ad-hoc initiatives will onlyresult in inconsistentacti™ons and uncon-trolled expenditure,having the organization orinstitution behind themore forward planningcompetitors. Any organization orinstitution that fails maynot have planned to fail,but failed to plan. This iswhy a strategic plan willno doubt enable anyorganization or institutionto create the enablingenvironments for realizingits articulated vision,mission and set objec-tives within a time frame.A strategic plan is adocument that outlinesthe major actions that theorganization or institutionproposes to take inresponse to develop-ments in the external andinternal environmentswithin a specific planperiod.Strategic planning istherefore the process ofexamining the externalenvironment to identify themajor threat andopportunities and theinternal environment toestablish the weaknessand strength of anorganization or institutionso as to determine the keyissues that would affect itsfuture. It would enable theorganization or institution tofocus on its distinctivecapabilities and thereaftercraft strategies to createthe enabling environmentfor meeting the articulatedvision, mission and setobjectives.Thus, Auchi polytechnic,Auchi have planned a 5year strategic plan of(2013-2017) as a follow upto the 2009-2012 planwhich captured the visionof the various organs of thepolytechnic and itsstakeholders, thus givingthe plan a broad-basedownership. It also takes intocognizance theinfrastructural and humancapacity developmentsachieved within the 2009-2012 plan period.Some of the achievementsunder the first strategic planof 2009-2012 to include theestablishment of PhilipaIdogho campus which is

second to the exiting one,progressive extension of aperimeter wall to cover theland area of the polytechnicto avoid anye n c r o a c h m e n t ,construction of a storeybuilding housing six largeclassrooms, construction oftwo block of three lecturehalls each, provision of astep-down transformer inPhilipa Idogho campus,construction of a bakery atthe department of foodtechnology. In fact, theseprojects are too numerousto mention. It is also the firsttime lecturers are beingsponsored for overseascourses in different parts ofthe world.During the 2009-2012strategic plan period whichcoincided with the first termof Dr. (Mrs.) Philipa Idogholed administration, Auchipolytechnic witnessed anunprecedented humancapacity and infrastructuraldevelopment resulting inidentifiable landmarkachievements ineducational servicedelivery andinnovativeness. Thepolytechnic has earned foritself national andinternational recognition asevidenced by the recentWebmetric ranking ofeducational institutions inthe world, wherein Auchipolytechnic was ranked asthe best polytechnic inNigeria.Little wonder therefore thatthe first tenure of madamRector recorded atremendous achievementthat are too numerous tomention in both humanand infrastructuraldevelopment as a result ofthe 2009-2012 strategicplan which serve as aworking document forimprovement. Thepolytechnic’s strengths,challenges, opportunities,threats, vision, mission,strategic goals andobjectives and the relevantaction plans were identifiedduring the series ofsensitization workshopsand meetings involving allsegments of thepolytechnic community.The preparation of the2013-2017 strategic planwas initiated by the Rectoras a follow up to thesuccessful completion andexecution of the 2009-2012strategic plan. This saw theappointment of a

committee headed by thedeputy Rector academicand other team of resourcepersons with provenacademic experience asmembers.This strategic plan is

therefore a veritabletestimony of themanagement collectivevision, mission andstrategies designed to turnthe institution around withinthe tenure of the presentadministration into amodern educationalinstitution comparable withthe best in Africa. This hasbeen the Rector’s dreamand on account of this, she

has promised to make theAuchi Polytechnic 2013-2017 strategic plan areference document forcontinuing developing thepolytechnic into a modelinstitution for enhanced

educational servicedelivery and technologicaldevelopment of Nigeria.The 2013-2017 strategicplans cover the secondterm of Dr. (Mrs.) PhilipaIdogho’s administrationand she intend to use it tocontinuing both human andinfrastructural developmentof the polytechnic to amodel tertiary institution inAfrica. The shared vision

and collective mission areto transform Auchipolytechnic to a world classtertiary institution andorganized to develop itsproducts to be creative,innovative, researchoriented and imbued withentrepreneurial and ICTskills so that they cancontribute positively indriving the much neededeconomic and technologydevelopment of Nigeria.The current strategic planprovides the road map toachieving AuchiPolytechnic vision andmission as it specifies thecritical decisions to betaken about the future ofthe polytechnic against thebackdrop of a dynamicenvironment as well asgiving allowance for theprioritization of its activitiesfor optimum relevance andperformance.According to the strategicplan document, by 2017,the polytechnic would beawarding Bachelordegrees and PostGraduate Diploma (PGD)in programmes being run atHigher National Diploma(HND) levels underaffiliation arrangement witha proximate university.As a result of this, thepolytechnic have adequateand quality staff, strong andclearly focused leadershipbacked with an effectiveand efficient administrationand professionalprogrammes. This is why;the school is highlyfavoured by studentsseeking admission into theschool because of itsfrontline position as thebest in the country and itshigh reputation due to thefully accredited academicprogrammes with qualifiedstaff.The school is howeverfaced with somechallenges such asdwindling public funding,rapid expansion of students

population, disruption inacademic calendar due tostrikes and securitychallenges prevalent in thecountry, inconsistentgovernment policies andpoor state of public utilitiesand infrastructure likeelectricity, good roads andreliable mode of masstransportation amongothers.Having said this however,the Rector’s vision for theschool is to see apolytechnic with modernarchitectural structures,effectively spread out inthree campuses in aserene clean and securedenvironment and wherefunctional utilities like goodroad networks, reliableelectricity, water supply,transport and wastedisposal system prevail. Apolytechnic that is fully ICTcomplaint and staff andstudents exchangeinformation on-line and withwell established staffdevelopment schemewhere hard-work,dedication andcommitment are rewarded.Most especially apolytechnic that producesgraduates relevant to thesocial, economic andtechnological developmentof the country and wherestaffs are known for theirdedication to duty, andwhose publication andworks are of internationalstandard finally, apolytechnic that collaboratewith other higherinternational and nationalinstitutions of repute and atpeace with its immediatecommunity.What else can be saidabout the Rector, Dr. (Mrs.)P.O. Idogho whosepersonal interest andconcern is to leave a lastinglegacy in the school thatchildren yet unborn wouldsee and appreciate herown efforts in making theschool among the best inthe country“The shared vision and collective mission are to

transform Auchi polytechnic to a world class tertiaryinstitution and organized to develop its products to becreative, innovative, research oriented and imbued withentrepreneurial and ICT skills so that they cancontribute positively in driving the much neededeconomic and technology development of Nigeria.”

THE WEEKEND


Achieving A Sustainable AgricultureThrough Research

P rspectivee THE quest for as u s t a i n a b l eagricultural system isbecoming a majorconcern of agriculturalresearchers and policymakers in bothdeveloped anddeveloping countries inrecent times.Agricultural researchand technologicalimprovements are andwill continue to beprerequisite forincreasing agriculturalproductivity. It plays atremendous role in thedeveloping ofagriculture in the worldtoday. Agriculture researchis a study undertakento discover facts orprinciples; an excel-lent source of infor-mation and guidancein improving andperfecting agriculturalmethods. Inagriculture, researchconcentrates onfinding solutions tofarmers’ problemsthrough systematicexperimental proce-dures.

Research inagriculture is dividedinto 2 main classes-strictly agriculturalresearch and scientificresearch. Strictlyagricultural research isconcerned primarilywith actual methods ofgrowing and utilizingcrops plants andanimal productione.t.c. The strictlyagricultural research

takes agriculturalmethods developedempirically andsubjects them toc r i t i c a lexperimentation. Italso utilizes preceptsdeveloped in sciences,or rather tests theiravailability for the usein actual practice bytrying them out in thefield. The scientificresearch deals withresearch in scienceswhich have a directbearing and are helpfulto the development ofagriculture andagricultural methods.These sciences areprincipally chemistryincluding physiologicalchemistry, physics,and soil physics e.t.c.Other branches suchas the science ofzoology, science ofentomology andbotany have alsocontributed toagricultural research inrecent times. In the world today,many industrialcountries havebenefitted greatly fromagricultural researchand development.Over the last decades,governments of theseindustrial countrieshave encouragedincreased participationby the private sectorsin agricultural researchand development. There have evenbeen various

organisations thatpromote agriculturalresearch in the world.Such organisation isthe ConsultativeGroup on InternationalAgricultural Research(CGIAR), an informedassociation of 52public and privatesector members thatsupports a network of16 internationalagricultural researchcentres. CGIARcontributes to researchthat promotesustainable agriculturefor food security indeveloping countries inAfrica. CGIAR is co-sponsored by theWorld Bank, the Foodand AgriculturalOrganisation of theUnite Nations (FAO),the United NationsD e v e l o p m e n tProgramme (UNDP),and the United NationsE n v i r o n m e n tProgramme (UNEP). As of today, Nigeriahas various agenciesthat conductagricultural researchwhich are under theAegis of theAgricultural ResearchCouncil of Nigeria(ARCN). Theseagencies are; NationalRoot Crops ResearchInstitute (NRCRI),National HorticulturalResearch Institute(NIHORT), NigeriaInstitute for Oil- PalmResearch (NIFOR),Rubber Research

Institute of Nigeria(RRIN) among others. From the researchactivities of these institutes over theyears, new andimproved varieties of anumber of crops havebeen developed.Better and moreeconomic ways ofcultivation have beenintroduced, and betteryields and qualities ofanimals evolved byselection and crossbreeding. These agriculturalresearches providenecessary informationfor policy makers andfunding agencies. Itprovides transfer of

research- inducedtechnology to farmerswhich are the only wayto measure researchbenefits to societies. Italso providesfeedback to scientistson which technologiesare successful at farmlevels. However, forresearch to bemeaningful thefarmers must beinvolved and it must berelevant to the farmers.The farmers must beallowed to participatefully in the identificationof their problem, fromthe planning stage ofthe research. This canbe achieved through

close contact betweenthe farmers and theresearch team. This isreferred to as “UpStream” research. Allfindings of theresearch should bedisseminated to thefarmers through theextension officers.These findings assistthe farmers in theiragricultural practice.The findings may benew ideas, methods,practices ortechniques, which mayhelp in achievingsustained increase infarm productivity andincome. Government all overthe world and mostly indeveloping countriesare therefore urged togive greater attentionto agriculturalresearch. Agriculturalresearch is the seedthat must be plantedand harvested globally,and all efforts must bemade to fully fund

Adewumi, Minister for Agriculture

“In the world today, many industrial countries have benefittedgreatly from agricultural research and development. Over the lastdecades, governments of these industrial countries haveencouraged increased participation by the private sectors inagricultural research and development.”

By UTI ANIEKAN UDOH


By ODINUAKEZE NNENNA

Jungle Justice In NigeriaT e NationhJUNGLE justice is

justice that respects nolaw. It is also a form ofextra judicial killingwhere a suspect iscondemned on thestreet to death eitherby beating or burning.It is a mob form ofjustice. In some cases,some are not evencaught in the act butsuspected to haveparticipated in thecrime.

It is now a commonphenomenon inNigeria. It is a situationthat needs to beaddressed urgently.Almost on a dailybasis, there are casesof killings and abuse ofalleged criminals.People, who may havebeen accused wrongly,end up getting lynchedby angry mobs beforethe police arrive. Thisis very uncivilized,barbaric anddisgusting. Nobody isguilty of a crime untilproven guilty by acompetent court of law.This monster in Nigeriais a very weird way ofadministering justice. Itis very worrisome thatthe government hasdone nothing to rid thisevil known as junglejustice.

In recent times, therehave been videorecorded clips ofNigerians beingbeaten to death on thestreets. It is verycommon for onlookersto upload videos on theinternet for Nigeriansto view. How can onestand and film such

brutality melted out onanother human being?One baffling aspect isthat the mob alwayshas a free hand whileadministering thisbarbaric justice. Thepolice never show upon time until the deedhas been done. Oftentimes, many peoplewho have met theiruntimely andgruesome deathsunder this system, mayhave been innocentvictims who werenever allowed tonarrate their sides ofthe story. They arec o n d e m n e dimmediately theallegations are made.This mob is alwaysmade up of marketwomen and juvenileyouths. Jungle justiceis very barbaric andcrude

Though, illiteracy andignorance may be thecause of this ruthlessway of administeringjustice, but it cannotjustify the ruthlessmanner in whichjustice is melted out.

The practice of junglejustice has sinceflourished forsometime in Nigeriathat mere shout of “oleole” may put the life ofa victim to an end.Nigeria claims to be adecent country, yetjungle justice stillstrives.

If people are allowedto take the law intotheir hands, innocentpeople will end deadand also mischievous

individuals may see itas an avenue to settlepersonal issues.

Additionally, some ofthese victims are guilty,they are brutal, rob, killand maim. Nigeria is acountry where crimestrives. Citizens are

terrorized and robbedas if there is noinstitution on ground tocombat crime. Thepeople are then forcedto fight back with junglejustice. Mobsters havetaken it uponthemselves to captureand executesuspected robbers andkidnappers and to alsodestroy theirproperties. But there isno justification in all

these to murder themin such a way. Yes, it ismurder. Crime cannotbe fought by acting likecriminals.

Furthermore, it is veryimportant to pass a lawon jungle justicebecause hoodlums

have often times usedthis to continue theirevil works. Junglejustice has become amajor killer ofNigerians. The peopletake things into theirown hands. The mostpracticed form ofjungle justice here inNigeria, is burningpeople. Sometimeback, four universitystudents were burntalive on allegation of

theft whereas, theywere later found to beinnocent.

Anyone whoparticipates in junglejustice should bepersecuted andcharged withmanslaughter in factmurder. Gone are the

days when peoplecommitted a crime andwere taken before acourt, now, Nigerianson the streetadminister justicewithout fairness in thejungle way.

Most Nigerians, try tojustify this actionbecause of the rot inthe judicial system.When criminals arehanded over to thepolice, there would not

be a thoroughinvestigation and thecriminals sometimesbribe their way out ofthis. They also feel thecriminals are not beenadequately punished.This is true to an extentbut does not justify theidea of brutallymurdering a fellow

human being. It is asituation that needs tobe curbed.

Nigerians on thestreets, who seeJungle justice as theonly way of justice,should be educated toknow that it is not ameans to an end andthat it can never serveas a deterrent tocriminals. Everyonedeserves a secondchance.

“In recent times, there have been video recorded clips of Nigerians being beaten to deathon the streets. It is very common for onlookers to upload videos on the internet for Nigeriansto view. How can one stand and film such brutality melted out on another human being?One baffling aspect is that the mob always has a free hand while administering this barbaricjustice. The police never show up on time until the deed has been done.”

THE WEEKEND


Lagos Deportation And Crisis Of Citizenship

I suessTHE debate over

Lagos State’sdeportation of some Igboelements to AnambraState has done twothings at once. One, ithas underlined theshakiness of the idea ofone Nigeria. Then, two,in focusing too narrowlyon an ethnic explanation,the debate hasobfuscated what is amuch broader, andfundamental issue.

Initial reportssuggested that 70 ormore Igbo were herdedin one bus or several,driven across the NigerBridge, and dumped inOnitsha. Late last week,Governor BabatundeFashola of Lagos statedthat only 14 personswere removed. He alsoechoed other defendersof the policy bydisclosing that the“deportees” werevagrants, some of themwith varying degrees ofmental problems.

The governor’s was notan excellent argument.For one thing, povertydoes not – should not –vitiate citizenship.Nigerians who arepsychiatric cases are stilldeserving of the samebasic rights andprivileges of citizenship,unless they pose a threatto others. If Nigeriatranslates as a nation,then its citizens,including indigent – evenhomeless – ones oughtto be free to residewherever they choosewithin the 36 states andthe federal capitalterritory.

A policy that forciblyremoves “undesirable”citizens from their stateof residency to their stateof origin does graveviolence to the concept

ethnic reading of theLagos policy. It has sinceemerged that LagosState had sent otherostensible undesirables“home,” to a number ofnorthern as well assouthwest states. If the“deportation” policy is atodds with the idea of oneNigeria – and I suggestit is – then Lagos Statewould be an equal-opportunity abuser of therights of Nigerians, notjust those from Anambraor Igboland.

If the particular removalof Igbo has generatedthe kind of heat notwitnessed in the past, itis, in part, because Igbo– by their pattern ofdispersal within Nigeria –

unrealized, farfetcheddream of a Nigeriannation. Therefore, anytime it appears that theIgbo are being handed ared card in any part ofNigeria, the act ofrejection reverberates,reminding us all that weoccupy a space thatfalsely accuses itself ofbeing a coherent,cohesive community.

It all brings me round toa point that begs to bemade with regard toLagos State’s shockingpolicy. That point is this:that we are shoutingourselves hoarse at anaction that is a meresymptom, even as we failto address the core of theproblem.

means to call oneself aNigerian citizen. Wehave spent more thanfifty years in the game ofpretending to belong thesame nation. In fact, ourethnic identities remaindominant. Our ethnic tieseasily trump anyconsideration of anational identity. It’s notas if ethnicity, as a rule,is incompatible withnational cohesion. ButNigerians – at any rate,too many – have madean idol out of theirethnicity. For too manyNigerians, ethnicity is notmerely a virtue, it is thesole virtue. It is a case of– to adapt a popular ideain political ideology – “Myethnic group, right or

part of their (ethnic)number, in which casegraft becomes absolutelyexcusable, if not heroic.Besides, to readcomments on anywebsite frequented byNigerians is to witnessthe savage verbal bricksthat Nigerians – many ofthem holders ofadvanced degrees – hurlat each other acrossethnic lines. Name anyunprintable name, andyou’d find that Nigeriansuse it against theirfellows from other ethnicgroups in daily verbalwarfare. I fear that,should the occasionarise in Nigeria – Godforbid! – many Nigerianswould be quite ready tobutcher members of theethnic “other” with agenocidal glee thatsurpasses the horrorsthe world witnessed inRwanda.

Again, it’s all proof of acountry whose fault linesare numerous andturning into a maze ofchasms, a deeply riven,

fragmented patchwork ofa nation. In today’sNigeria, an Igbo who isborn in Sokoto and livesall her life there wouldstil l be expected –indeed, required – toenter her father’s Igbostate as her “state oforigin.” The same ruleswould apply to a Fulaniman born in Onitsha.Nigerians must face upto their failure to found anation within their sharedspace.

If the foregoing leavesan impression of ethnicsolidarity, thatimpression is – on closerexamination – a mirage.One or two Igbogovernors have venturedoutside their states tohire one or two aides. Butyou need only juxtaposethat kind of tokenismagainst Abia State’smass purge of civilservants from the otherIgbo states – and theportrait of intra-ethnicresentment is writ large.

There’s some irony inthe fact that GovernorFashola has done farmore than most Igbogovernors in recruitingpeople from other states,including Igbo, to work inhis government. But thatdoes not justify hisgovernment’s policy ofseizing Nigerians inLagos and deportingthem to their states oforigin.

To insist on the pointdoes not mean that onedismisses the profoundchallenge of running astate whose dramaticallyexploding population is astrain on resources. IfNigeria is to be achievedas a nation, then the likesof Fasholas ought torespect the right ofNigerians to residewherever they wish.Even so, some of Mr.Fashola’s critics mustalso decide whether theywish to committhemselves to buildNigeria into thesemblance of a realcommunity – or merelypostpone the day whenwe would all need visasto visit each other ’sethnic enclave.

By OKEY NDIBE

most deeply embody thenational spirit. Besides,they have shed moreblood than any otherethnic group in the nameof maintaining the

That problem is anidentity crisis, theemptiness of Nigeria asa nation – and,especially, with regard tothe question of what it

wrong.”There are Igbo, Hausa,

Yoruba, Efik, Ijaw, and soon who vehementlyabhor embezzlement ofpublic funds – unless theembezzler happens to

of national unity, to saynothing of the graveviolation of the affectedcitizens’ right ofmovement. In that light,one is appalled by thedeportations. And itdoesn’t matter if only oneperson was shucked off,as opposed to, say, 100.

Having made that pointof principle, it is meet tooffer a corrective to the

Gov. Fashola, Lagos State Gov. Peter Obi, Anambra -State

“Nigerians who are psychiatric cases are still deserving of thesame basic rights and privileges of citizenship, unless theypose a threat to others. If Nigeria translates as a nation, thenits citizens, including indigent – even homeless – ones oughtto be free to reside wherever they choose within the 36 statesand the federal capital territory.”


Is There A DarknessBy DR. PEREGRINO BRIMAH

seeking, senseless cultcomes shortly after a groupof four other youth in a video,claimed they had shot anddeposed of Shekau—thatother mad guy—and thatthey including one AbuZamira, were the new donsof Boko Haram.

I guess to prove who is thenew don, these two and the‘shot’ Shekau are going tocompete in who can provehis ownership of murder andmayhem. The reward forbeing the proprietor of thedeath cult is very promisingfrom our government wholove to reward terror, but hateand ignore good—like theCivilian JTF heroes, who are

predicament.Sheikh Gumi, known for his

fearlessness and clearcondemnation of terror andevil, in a Ramadan sermon,monitored and published bySaharaReporters, said: “I amnot surprised of how NigerianMuslims are dominated andsuffering; it is because of ouriniquities... God has placedpeople who don’t like usbecause of our atrocities andcomplete drift ing fromteachings of God. It is notabout population but servingGod truthfully.”

Ibrahim Waziri’s whoserecent article, “The NorthernKnot,” which investigated andexplained the Christian origin

of the Northern Arewainsignia, was simplybewildering, in a rejoinderarticle published yesterday inhis Kaduna Voice editorial,opposed Adamu Adamu’sclassification of the “Hausa-Fulani” north. Waziri said ofthe so-called Hausa-Fulanigroup: “There is no group inthe real sense, but a set ofconfused individuals. TheHausa Fulani are in truthhelpless and wandering inthe most uncooperativewilderness of history. Theyare an object of pity and inneed of most help.”

It is the truth. There hasbeen a lie. The Hausa-Fulanihas lived and supported thatlie and now as Gumi said,there is darknessovershadowing the land. Isthe lie true? We will neverknow, because the silenceout of the north has beentaken to mean complacence.The lack of self definitionfrom the north has made itaccept the definitions fromthose who choose to defineit. The north and Islam hasallowed itself to be spectacle.While crimes in the southescape as being merecrimes, in the north, weaccept them all to be labeledHausa-Fulani and Muslimcrimes.

The lie has come to life.Boko Haram terrorism is notthe problem in the north;Boko Haram is a merepresentation of theunderlying problem. Inmedical terms, we will callthat a symptom of thedisease. The disease is thelie that has been lived and thedarkness that has engulfedthe north of Nigeria. Thatdeadly quiet ‘Muslim leader,’the Sultan of Sokoto evenvoiced similar alarm, thatthere was some “plot toplunge the North.” Plot bywhom, if I may humbly ask?

Waziri presented the factthat there exists no Hausa-Fulani body, yet people throwall forms of accusations atthis so-called body, and inkeeping with the lie, thosewithin the so-called body,never seriously fend off theaccusations or reference tosuch diverse peoples andmany a times, to non Hausa-Fulani altogether, hencemaking the accusations stick.The elite have used this liefor their power and wealthpurposes, and the poor havelived with it for far too long,simply selling their tomatoand rearing their cattle till thedesert encroached andtomato business went south,and till the farmers took the

land from the cows and lefthunger and poverty andfrustration in the land, the rawmaterials for evil and morelies to grow.

Let’s look at the lie that hasbrought on the evil. They sayHausa’s ruled Nigeria longestand plundered the country.How true is this? Nobody’sfault, they allowed it to stick.Abacha with all his Kanurimarks, big and strong ethnicmarks ripping across hisentire face, a man clearlyfrom Borno or perhaps Chad,came in, claimed Kano (atown like Lagos that acceptsforeigners) and is branded asone of those Hausa-Fulani’swho ruled. The Hausa-Fulanieither tolerated this lie orallowed it to pass, becausethey cared less and the eliteused it for some businessadvantage. To me it does notreally matter where who isfrom, but it does to those whoclaim power must go here ornot go there. The Hausa-Fulani are clearly awelcoming people, notknown for ethnocentrism, butsometimes, especially whensome among you misuseyour openness and othersfrom without, destroy you byit, facts must be laid bare.One day Nigeria will maturepast the colonial implantedtribalism, but that day yet tocome.

Another lie is in the 9 yearstenure of that Muslim Hausa-Fulani Yakubu Gowon. Ofcourse we know YakubuGowon actually hails fromJos and is a Christian. Thehistory of how the Hausa-Fulani prompted him, aMiddle belt Christian,purposefully as a consensuscandidate is something someof us are familiar with. But tomost, he is another pureHausa-Fulani destroyer. Thenorthern-ness of the Middlebelt is another lie, but that’sfor another day.

And then we have thatHausa-Fulani IbrahimBadamosi Babangida man,who is Nupe actually fromNiger state and not Hausa-Fulani, and his 7 years rule.Little wonder he did notmaintain the railway systemto rescue the landlockednorth. Niger state andneighboring Abuja FCT werethe limits to his sights.

Even quite interestingly,Murtala Ramat Mohammedis only as Hausa-Fulani ashis mother, Ramat from Kanois. He is the son of PamAzatus Iyok, who was aChristian from Dogon-Gaba,near Vom in Plateau state.But who is going to tell us thisreal history of Nigeria and of

recognized the problems ofthe north and by extensionNigeria, in finding the rightrole models for the newgeneration of youth. Saldikaacknowledged that theresimply were none.

And with the lack ofnorthern role models, thescarcity of northern activistsand truthful historians, thefamine of northern writers,the bankruptcy of truereligious leaders and thepredominance only of awicked and selfish elite, thenorth is left with living a lieand having its history andfuture written of, by fanaticsouthern authors who writewar and publish holocausts.No, the media is not helping,far from it; they create allforms of calumnious storiesto write away what is left ofthe north and furtherpropagate the northern lie.Someone who taught me towrite from my heart and only

news-reporting has longsince been replaced bydiscord sowing, hatredspewing, malicious, fictitiousjunk journalism. Journalismthat is totally irrelevant to, nordoes it even come close toreflecting the plight andaspirations of the ruralcommon man and woman inNigeria. If positive change isever to succeed in Nigeria, itwould also have to happen inthe media. Just as the ‘oldbrigade’ must be cleansedfrom the military and fromGovt, our media is in direneed for a sanitary purge, ifNigeria is ever to meet thechallenges of a newmillennium and become aresponsible, civil izedorganised nation/group ofnations. On any given dayhere is what you get from ourmedia: NigeriaWeb.Com isjust one from many, casuallychosen for today’s example:all extracts from write-upsposted Feb 29, 2000...”

the northern rule? Not theHausa-Fulani because as wehave seen, some are busyselling tomato, some rearcows and the elite enjoythese things which help themmanufacture and sellcement, while leaving thepoor masses of the north andindeed the south, living liesand fighting over ownershipof Boko Haram.

There is yet another greatpiece in line with this problemthat I read recently, fromanother prolif ic, thoughcontroversial northern writer,who is on self-exile and nowwrites out of Dubai. AhmadSaldika, the former BokoHaram mouth piece, wrote“In search of role models,”last week, in which he

IN the news another youngnorthern man is claiming tobe the new boss of BokoHaram. MohammedMarwana bragged that toprove he was the new don,he had promised ahead oftime of the Kano bombings atSabon Gari that claimed overa dozen innocent l ives.Marwana’s claim to the titleof leadership over this death

largely abandoned andoffered no amnesty.

I saw a dark cloud hoveringover the north of beautifulNigeria. And as I ruminatedon how to meaningfullyconvey this pressingrendition, I saw two articlesfrom fellow northerners Istrongly respect. Authors andspeakers who are never shyto say it as it is, bothdescribing the same

the truth as I saw it, a brother,in 2000 wrote about theassassination being done tothe future of Nigerians bysurprisingly not the military orother government bodies, butthe media. Under his popularpen name, The African Slave,of blessed memory, he wrote:

“Some may blame themilitary for bringing Nigeria toits sorry state of affairs today.When the sad obituary forNigeria gets written, if ever, Ifail to see how the mediawould not be equally toblame for the past, presentand future bloodshed ofinnocent Nigerians.

On any given day, anexamination of articlespublished by much of ourmedia, shows how accurate

P rspectivee

• President Goodluck Jonathan

• Alhaji Namadi Sambo

He weall fromwhich denuddiscordquoted Fulani: “Araba“unity, done” adoes althougeggs. alcohoshare revenueneed althoumanuf“educaThe sajournalinorth a

of thenortherwomenOther son to d‘incorr‘magicauthor ahead tplan innation i“The letthe Presupportof its mhelp, aassist ifthat: “Itinform placed the ArCouncsupporArab northerChristithey wian Islanext yewhich

PeO

THE WEEKEND


ent on to post 5 storiesm that date’s report in

Hausa-Fulani wereed and seeds of

d sewn. One author hewrote of the Hausa-

“Spoilt child shoutsa” at one time anda task that must be

at another. Spoilt childnot l ike chickens

gh he must eat theirHe does not l ike

l, although he mustin alcohol sales

e. Spoilt child sees noto go to school,gh he mustacture his own

ational certificates.”me we read today asists declare the entire

as pedophile by virtue

fact that 80% ofrn marriages are ton younger than 18.stories he quoted wentdescribe the north asigible’s,’ others as

cal dreamers.’ Onethat fateful day, wentto describe a northern

n place to divide then 1989. He published:tter further alleged thattoria regime agreed tot the plan to use some

military equipment toand Libya offered tof need be. It concludedt is worthy of note to

you that all highlyMuslim members of

med Forces Rulingil of Nigeria are inrt of these plans byand OIC backed

rn Muslims to destroyanity in Nigeria, assh to formally declare

amic Republic earlyear [1989] [a course tothey are irrevocably

committed.” Today I still seethese preposterousconspiracies and lies in ourtop dailies.

But I am in no way blamingthese journalists and nonnorthern editors. They say itis his-story (history). If thenorth wished its own story betold, we should write itourselves. We have no oneto blame for the blood on ourhands, but ourselves. Weheld the dagger and wepoked it. They only narratedthat we killed twenty, whenwe killed one. And we did notdeny it. For too long, we havebeen silent as our so-calledleaders, traditional andreligious and our so-calledelite, claimed us and ourcommitment to them in

quests they pursued for thebenefit of their pockets andpockets alone. How didKanuri Abacha reward us forgiving him indigenship ofKano and accepting insults tohis regime, thrown against allof us Hausa-Fulani’s? Otherthan the PTF roads and thestrategic oil refinery, whatdoes the north have?

Do we have some ultramodern stadia? Do we havesuper-standard internationalairports in all northern states?Were even our indigenousindustries, textile andfarming, supported to thrivewhile we were ruled byYakubu Gowon, the so-claimed consensuscandidate or by Obasanjo,who we aided the selectionof? Only Dangote got richunder Obasanjo. The northeast and north west are someof the poorest places in theentire planet, comparing toEritrea and Chad, as formerCBN governor Soludo said.

Poverty levels in Jigawa(95.0%), Kebbi (89.7%) andKogi (88.6%) and an averagefor the north of 70% puts usin the north worse off thanneighboring Mali and otherarid Muslim predominantnations around us. Thanks tothe leaders and the lies.While in the South you havestates as rich as South Koreaand China as he said, withpoverty levels of just 20% inBayelsa, Anambra (20.1%)and Abia (22.3%).

So what reward have wemasses gotten from oursilence and living the lies?Suffering and terror. But I willnot stop at blaming the elitefor the woes and thedarkness that has eloped thenorth. I blame our parentswho have failed beyond limit.I recently wrote an article,‘the nuclear alms race,’ inwhich I relayed the almajiriproblem of northern Nigeriaand how the level of malechild abandonment was aplatform for terror. Many ofthese kids we see claiming tobe the don of Boko Haram.They have no parents.Literally, they do not. In Kano,there are documented to be1 million almajiri children.That is one tenth of thepopulation of Kano’sabandoned male children.That right there is a curse.Terror is the wrath of God forour sins. The prophet of Islamsaid, “Whoso opened untohimself the door of begging,God will open unto him thedoor of poverty.” Islam is100% against abandoningchildren, so where did ourparents get such an insaneculture from? 5, 6 year oldboys are heaped on amalam’s head and sent forthinto a life of begging, to neverknow their parents again.

What insanity? If weestimate for the north,perhaps 20-30% of thepopulation are almajiri’s, 60%of whom according tostatistics no longer know theirparents. Who will pay theirdowry? Who will marry themoff and who will marry them?Then you see youth fallingover each other to claimleadership of Boko Haram,selling drugs, criminal gangs,and you wonder whatbrought on this plague? Onlyin Nigeria!

That brings us to the femalechild abandonment, notmuch different from thealmajiri situation. Now, I ampro-choice, that is the choiceof any mature young man orwomen to choose if they wishto marry. That is clear. NoChild No Bride for me. Andcertainly Islam is totallyagainst forced marriages andselling children out of poverty.I recently read a press

release by a Muslim againstterror organisation in whichthey called such forcedmarriages and sellingdaughters, ‘terror.’ I agree.The prophet has been quotedin an instance when amaiden who was set up for aforced- arrangementwedding, was brought to him,to have sent for her husband-to-be and then told him to beon his way, “wedding is over!”He then told the maiden to goon her way and choose whoever she wished. Thenarration goes that sheactually agreed to themarriage but as she said, shesimply sought his reactionbecause she wanted us(today) to know that forcedmarriages are not allowed.When boys are discardedand girls sold, you havesuccessfully planted seedsthat will reap only poverty andterror. Children are our future.

Almajiri boys have alwaysbeen easy recruits fornorthern riots. These parent-less boys are let out in packsafter their Mualim is given afew coins, and it is they whoriot and burn sanctuaries,etc. Boys without families,home training in the sense ofthe term and with no ties toanything physical or bloodrelated on the entire planet.

Now, do not get me wrong,darkness is not only limitedto the north. There is muchand perhaps more darknessin the south, but the job ofevery activist, publiceducator and/or editor is tochoose his battles insuccession and deal withthem as he decides. Thenorth has been at timesselected to be the best statesto do business in Nigeria. Thenorth and so-called Hausa-Fulani Muslim northern partsof Nigeria have greatprospects and greatresources; however a radicalchange is necessary toreconstruct it withconsideration of its culturalpeculiarities.

Divide Nigeria, I care not;all I write for is to save anyand every life, today andtomorrow. Who to ruleNigeria next? I do not care,be he from the north, south,east or west, or evenimported; and it is time thetomato selling and cattlerearing masses seek theirown future and are quick todenounce their elite whohave sold them for personaloil wells, manufacturingcompanies and positions ofpower. It is not just about notbeing involved; it is aboutspeaking up to denounce liesand manipulations from so-called elite and leaders whohave betrayed us masses. It

is time a new youth eliteemerges in the north, who willsit down and chart a newdestiny. It is time FridayKhutbah’s deliver firmmessages that elevate thecommunity.

The Greeks invented theword, ‘idiot.’ Idiot, whichcomes from the word,‘idiotes,’ actually means,someone who does notinvolve himself in governingdecisions and the politics andeven economic decisions

that define and determine hislife. According to the Greeks,an idiot is a private citizen,one who does not involvehimself in things ofgovernment and publicaffairs, a citizen whoneglected his civic duties inthe ‘polis’ by not attendingassemblies, not voting, notserving in juries or the militaryand not a historian orjournalist forging his ownstory and history. Shall wenortherners not stop beingidiots?

P rspectiveeOver The North?

• Aliu Wammako, Sokoto State

• Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe State

• Kashim Shettima, Borno State


The Killing And Raising Of FAANA iationv

BATTERED and bruisedby negative impacts inflictedon it by pastmaladministration, theFederal Airports Authority ofNigeria, FAAN, strugglesback to balance under itscurrent leadership and in theprocess matching sometoes.

Like a dead elephant, theFederal Airports Authority ofNigeria (FAAN), had playedfeast to all sorts ofgovernment in the past. It isa ready agency forcompensation to loyalists,cronies and lackeys ofgovernment who saw theentity as sea, that never rundry. Little wonder, therefore,that between 1999 and2007, during theadministration of ChiefOlusegun Obasanjo, FAANplayed host to no less thanfive Managing Directors,each coming with varyingagenda, skewed to get a fairshare of the juicy parts of thestrangled parastatal.

To make the deal easy, thegovernment of that timecame up with a brilliant ideato refocus the aviationagency to concern itself withaeronautical revenuegeneration while the non-aeronautical aspect weregiven out on concession toprivate hands in the drivetowards Public PrivatePartnership, PPP.

But rather than growing theFAAN through the PPPagenda, the once giganticagency was humbled fromits lofty height to the dustycarpet of insignificance.Contractors handlingprojects on behalf of theagency turned to pests.Those at the helms of affairsfrom the ministry down to theagency connived withcontractors to milk FAAN dry.When the milk dried, they

of the Nigeria Airways. Weshave resolved to right thepast wrongs and we aregoing ahead to do what weare doing to save our future.If we don’t wake up now toprotect what belongs to youand I, one day, our childrenwill ask us what we havedone when what supposedto be their inheritance isbeing taken away by aprivileged few. So, this iswhy even though some ofthese things are very painful,we try to operate within theconfines of the law.

“There are some formerministers who are paradingthemselves today that aresupposed to be in jailbecause it was under theirtutelage that some of theseagreements were enteredinto. In fact there was a courtseating where those whoclaimed to represent FAANwere not even from FAAN.And they sat down andentered into agreement onits behalf. It was based onsituations like this that theygot some of their rulings inthe past. What we are sayingnow is that those judgmentswere faulty because thepapers presented in courtthat were claimed to havebeen signed by FAAN werefaked.”

Things really appear to belooking up for the oncecrippled agency. The be-monstered FAAN isgradually donning a humanface. In the drive to catch upwith the rest of the world inthe forward match to

while passengers undergountold hardship wheneverthere is flight cancellationsmost of which are not faultof theirs.

“Today salaries are beingpaid on or before the 26ofevery month because we arenow overcoming thechallenges of sharp practicesby some of ourconcessioners. So much isbeing done to ensure thatpassengers’ rights arerespected. Sevenpassengers that were deniedboarding in Abuja on July 14this year were paid 250pounds each,” says Datti.

To Saliu Abdul Buba whoflew on Ethiopia Airline onFebruary 2012, hope hadlost on the amount he paidfor oxygen which heeventually did not use on thetrip. Reprieve however camerecently as a refund of Onehundred and twenty ninethousand naira(N129,000.00), wasawarded him under theincumbent management ofFAAN.

And according to Datti,“operators have to sit upsince the move we makeshall cut across bothdomestic and foreignairlines. The protection ofpassengers’ rights is veryimportant and we arebringing in the operators toensuring this. We havealready hit the groundrunning. We have to evolvelaws that will keep us at parwith what is obtainable indeveloped world,” hestressed.

By GBOYEGA ADEOYEcontinued to suck blood fromthe sagging breast of theonce fledgling agency in anattempt to snuff life out of itpermanently.

According to the GeneralManager, CorporateCommunications of FAAN,Yakubu Datti, about 300revenue points of the agencywere contracted out. Out ofthis array of revenue points,the juicy ones were targetsfor the thieving officials who,like locusts descended onthe aviation sector andheaded straight for its jugularin utter desperation toacquire enough to satisfytheir greed as a result of theinstability that was thehallmark of appointmentsinto the sector at that time.

In the attempt to restoresanity into the sector, AICNigeria Limited, owned bypolitician and businessmogul, Harry Akande,Fagbemi’s Maevis NigeriaLtd, Bi-Courtney, owned byWale Babalakin, a senioradvocate of Nigeria and PanExpress Limited, owned byPeter Pan Okezie had theagreement they entered withgovernment at various pointsaltered or out rightly revokedas the case may be.

Of the four concessioners,Pan Express seems to bethe only one that its casemay receive the attention ofgovernment after a review ofthe earlier terms as nostrong accusation of sharppractices has beenestablished against it byauthorities in FAAN.Investigation into the termsof some of the contractsreveals that while some ofthe concession agreementswere palpably designed torob Nigerians of theirheritage; other conditions insome of the deal are tailoredin such a way that it would

muzzle development as wellas put the commonwealthdestiny under the control ofsome privileged few.

According to Datti whosaid FAAN has over 300concessioners manningrevenue points for theagency in the twenty oneairports scattered acrossNigeria; “the fact that wehave issues to clear withabout four of them doesn’tcount.”

Stressing the financialhiccups being experiencedby the agency before themanagement decided toarrest the situation, notminding whose ox is gored,the FAAN spokesman says;“we found ourselves in asituation where we cannotexpand any longer simplybecause lands that havebeen earmarked for theexpansion of airports havebeen taken over by someindividuals. If we can’texpand, for instance, theMurtala MohammedInternational Airport, (MMA),in the next two years, theairport is dead as a result ofthe tremendous growth inpassengers’ traffic. And herewe are talking of 15 hectaresof land being given out toChief Harry Akande’s AICjust few meters away fromthe terminal building of theMMA. Because of overridinginterests, we have to revokeit. What is the essence ofhaving a hotel which shouldbe to help the airport when ithas become obvious that itspresence would kil l theairport? This is one of thequestionable concessionsthat have to go.

In the case of Bi-Courtney,Datti, who acts as head ofpublic affairs for the aviationagencies said theagreement with the

company was riddled withdistortions, consciouslysmuggled into the deal,ostensibly to gag the agencyas well as stagnatedevelopment in Lagos State.

“This is an agreement thata terminal should be builtand run for 12 years andsuddenly they came up withanother paper that it shall berun for 38 years, and that noform of airport developmentcan take place in Lagos inthe next 38 years except byBi-Courtney. When anairport was to be cited inLekki, the company went tocourt to challenge theapproval. Their position wasthat, going by the agreementthey have secured, noairport should be built inLagos, except by them.

“And considering the factthat Jigawa State whosepopulation is less than thatof two local governmentcouncils in Lagos is planningto have its own airport, it isdifficult to make anything outof such agreement. Weconsider this to be antipeople and development.

“On the issue of the hoteland the conference centre,Bi-Courtney was given 18months to complete theproject. Now we are runningto 16 years and it is stillunder construction.Something has to be done.That is why we terminatedthe agreement becausethere is a clause in theagreement that if you don’toperate by the agreement,we terminate. What we alsodiscovered is that many ofthe contracts were puttogether as conduit pipe tosiphon government money.”

Maevis, according to him,was a complete package offraud. “Maevis for instancebecame a government byitself where money meant forFAAN goes into its accountand they decide what goesto the agency which is atvariance with best practices.So, we are challengingissues that have to do withour survival. You will recallthat cases like these led tothe death of the nationalcarrier, Nigeria Airways.Today we have a lot of youngand experienced people outof job and wasting away.”

Commenting on theimplication of the anomaliesif allowed to continue, he hasthis to say;

“The situation became soterrible because thecompanies in question havepeople in government atvarious times of signing thecontract. But if people shouldcontinue to behave the waythey have done, there will be

no legacy to leave behind forthe incoming generation.“Because you have people inpower does not mean youshould deprive otherNigerians to enrich yourself.In other clime, if you rise tothe position of a senioradvocate, you use yourstatus to develop the society.But here, people use it todefraud the common people.FAAN must not go the way

bringing comfort and securityinto the nation gateways,FAAN is leaving no stoneunturned. This can be seenthrough the remodeling workgoing on in the nation’smajor airports coupled withthe recent improvement onpassengers’ right by thefledgling sector.

Before this time, it wasgathered that workers inFAAN used to have theirsalaries unpaid for months

• Mrs. Stella Oduah, Aviation Minjster

THE WEEKEND


Professionalising The ArtOf Lawmaking In Nigeria

O inionpTHE major problem of

modern lawmaking inNigeria is not theappendage oflawmakers to theexecutive arms thatoperate at federal andState levels per se.Rather, it is aboutparliamentary quackery,profligacy and tendencyto see lawmaking dutyas a businessenterprise. In organizedsociopolitical climes,lawmaking is highlyprofessionalized andrevered. Parliamentaryrascality, whichroutinely occurs inNigeria, must not bemixed with the doctrineof parliamentaryi n d e p e n d e n c e .Impeaching thepresident or thegovernor or issuance ofthreats of impeachmentis too far fromp a r l i a m e n t a r yindependence.

In Nigeria, legislativeparochialism, quackeryand mercantilism haveremained the stock intrade of the lawmakingprocess. In a standardlawmaking chambers,there exists competitionamong lawmakers.Such competition arisesfrom demonstration ofl e g i s l a t i v eprofessionalism andi n t e l l e c t u a l i s m .Unfortunately, what wehave in Nigeria iscompetition arising frommercantilism andmaterialism, especiallyin the area of legislativeoversight enquiries.Though, legislativeoversight enquiries arepurely civil and non-binding, but the targetagencies and firmsusually part with hugesums in the context of“corporate bribery” soas to be extricated. Thisarea is now a gold minefor Nigerian lawmakers.

An average

as a rich resource forprivate and publicoriented civil andcriminal inquiries, butalso center forformulation andsustenance of nationalinterest, public securityand safety as well asforeign policy anddiplomacy. Art ofmodern lawmakingrequires being a thinker,a virile agent of socialchange and a graduateof legislativestudentship.

The floor of au n i v e r s a l l ystandardized legislativechambers must alsocomposed of “AmicusCuriae” or a team ofexperts renowned innatural and socialscience disciplinesincluding gurus in theBench, Bar, Juridical,Criminology, SecurityExpertise, Medicine,Pharmacy, Sociology,Theology, Politics,D i p l o m a c y ,Environmental Safety,

unchecked executive-legislative-organizedlabour conspiracy, the

governance withshocking and crudeallocation of over 70%

numbering 17,500 andtheir daily officeattendants, leavingother 170 millionNigerians with paltry30%. This is why thereis consistent death ofbasic necessities of lifeincluding criticalinfrastructures. .

This further explainswhy our country ism o n u m e n t a l l ybackward and strife-prone. Nigerialegislative doors mustbe shut against sociallydownward and upwardquarks. This includesprofessional quarks andcompound quarks. Thatis to say those who are

educated illiterates anduneducated illiterates.There should beestablished graduateand post graduate levelInstitute in the country totrain prospectiveNigerian lawmakers.Nobody will qualify tobecome a lawmaker beit at State or Federallevel unless he or shepossesses theInstitute’s certificate.This should beincorporated into theINEC’s legislativeeligibility provisions.

To curb the perennialmenace of high costs ofpublic governance inthe country, all theallowances of Nigerianlawmakers andexecutive officials bothat Federal and Statelevels should be cut by60% so as to unclothethem of their presentinternational pariah togaor status of “world’shighest paidlawmakers” and recoverfunds traditionallymeant for developmentand empowerment ofNigerians includingthose the likes ofGovernor BabatundeFashola of Lagos Statechristened “destitute-Nigerians” . Alsoallowances paid annuallyto the country’s 12,788top LGA officials, whichis N550 Billion, should becut by 60% and N330Billion saved, channeledinto development andsustenance of thecountry’s critical socialsectors.

By EMEKA UMEAGBALASIinternationally ratedlawmaker operates aworld class legislativelibrary and laboratory,which serves not only

Human Rights, and soon. But in Nigeria,through consistently

country is steadily put inhuge indebtedness andhigh costs of public

of the annual fiscalaccruals for theservicing of infinitesimalpublic office holders

• Senate President David Mark • Aminu Tambuwal, Speaker, House of Reps

• Governor Babatunde Fashola, Lagos State

“. . . what we have in Nigeria is competition arising frommercantilism and materialism, especially in the area of legislativeoversight enquiries. Though, legislative oversight enquiries arepurely civil and non-binding, but the target agencies and firmsusually part with huge sums in the context of “corporate bribery”so as to be extricated. This area is now a gold mine for Nigerianlawmakers.”


Nollywood Actresses Nearly Stopped My MarriageW eKEND ENTERTAINMENTe

-Lancelot Imasuen

Zack Orji Condemns NollywoodFemale Satrs Indecent Dressing

A VETERAN Nollywood ac-tor and former Chairman ofthe Actors Guild of Nigeria(AGN), Mr. Zack Orji, havecondemned the level of inde-cent dressing among ac-tresses in the country. Mr.Orji, a pastor in the Power LifeAssembly Ministry, Owerri,made the statement inOwerri. He noted that movieswhich were originally meantto promote the people’s cul-tural heritage and disciplinewere being basterdised in thename of civilisation. “Most movies shown in re-cent times are capable of de-stroying the moral back-ground of children as theyhave become the most popu-lar movie audience.“Film production must beproperly checkmated beforecirculation because it is wrongfor an actor or actress to ex-pose his or her body to theworld in the disguise of act-ing,” he said. Mr. Orji said that some ac-

Celebrated Nollywooddirector and producer,Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, isone man you cannot butadmire for his professionalexploits. He got married to hislovely wife, Osas, some sixyears ago, at the age of 36years. The marriage isblessed with three kids.Lancelot says his initialdream was to get married atthe age of 27. The coupletakes us through theirmatrimonial journey. After six years of marriage,the journey has been excitingand memorable. “I and mywife are getting to know moreabout each other. Thoughmarriage comes with itschallenges, we thank God wehave come this far and it’sgetting really exciting. It’s notan easy thing for a woman tomarry somebody in ourbusiness because of thenature of the job. This is my18th year in Nollywood and32 years as an artiste. So, mywife understands the natureof the job I’m doing to earn aliving.’Late wedding! I married at the age of 36. But if you ask me what myregret in life is, I would tell youI have one or two. I wantedto pursue my academicprogram up to the Ph.D level.But that never happened. Again, I thought I wouldmarry at the age of 27. At 26,I was already contemplatingsettling down. But because ofthe extended family systemthat is peculiar with Africans,I couldn’t actualize thatdream. I have alwaysenvisaged a small but unitedimmediate family for myself.So, I wanted to see howmuch I could be of assistanceto my extended familymembers before setting outto build my own nuclearfamily. For me, late marriagecomes with its own price. Iwas into a relationship forseven years that did not workout. The ex-lover walked outof the relationship without anycause. It was so devastatingfor me. I never believed I couldr e m a i n abachelor beyond the age of29 or 30. But it wasn’t so. Theimportant thing is not how far,rather it is how well .For sixyears now, I have beenmarried with three kids. Mywife is a treasure to me .Overthe years, I have watched herperfect the art ofunderstanding the kind ofman she got married to. Each time she sees me,she’s very happy and I try asmuch as possible to play myrole as a husband to her.Finding a wife in Nollywood! There was no way I couldhave married an actress

because I’m somebody thatis greatly misunderstood. Icherish my wife so muchbecause if she had listenedto what my female colleaguestold her about me, perhaps, Iwouldn’t have been marriedby now. However, it was after ourwedding that I got toknow how muchsome actresses tried todiscourage my wife frommarrying me. I was shockedwhen one of them came tomy house after our whitewedding to apologize to me.I didn’t know she was mywife’s friend. She visited usin the house; while my wifewas in the kitchen, sheapproached me to confesssome of the negative thingsshe told her about me thatwere not true.The opposite sex wouldadmire more from a distance,but they thought I was toostrict to be called somebody’shusband. I suffered that fatebecause of the movieindustry. So, any woman thatcreates time to be with mecould not understand that I’ma man that has taken time tocreate a dichotomy betweenmy private life and my job. Itwas only very few ofthem who understood myposition.As a matter of fact, mydisposition to the job was toget to where I am today; tomake a name for myself andthe industry. My insistence onprofessionalism robbed me ofthe opportunity to beromantically linkedto my female colleagues inthe industry. In fact, anywoman I approached then would tactically avoid havinganything to do with me. But today, time is provingall that wrong. I have beenable to create thatdemarcation. When we areon location, all those professional ethics must beobserved; I don’t allowsentiment to come betweenmy job and love life, becauseif I’m emotionally attached toyou ,I wouldn’t want to getyou on the same productionthat I’m involved in .That’sme, and a lot of actresses didnot understand my position.In fact, when I was gettingmarried, they told my wife Iwas married with kids because, at the time I met mywife, I had travelled to over20 countries. And during thatperiod, people thought I hada family of my own. But theydidn’t understand theimportant of the sayingthat you must lay your bedthe way you want to lie on it.That has been my guidingprinciple.Tempted to quit I was of marriageable age

before I got married. I didn’tdabble into marriage. I wasready mentally,psychologically andemotionally. That’s not to saywe have not had our issues.But I’m never too proud tosay, ‘honey I’m sorry,’whenever I gaffe. And, on herown,

She never feels too proudto say, ‘daddy, I’m sorry,’whenever I’m able to provethat she has offended me.That has worked for us. Mywife is lovely, peaceful andextremely loyal to me. Sheloves what I do for a living andshe’s my number one fan andcritic. I’m always inquisitive tohear her comment on mynew productions. Most times, I believe thatmarriages to celebrities arealways for the wrongreasons. I did a thoroughresearch to come up with atitle of a film, “In Between theLines”, which is a promotionalfilm I did for the FederalInland Revenue Service. Thefilm is a love story on how andwhy most celebrity marriagesdon’t last. There is always amisunderstanding, especiallywhen men who are notNollywood practitioners,marry female celebrities.They watch a love scene, orsee their wives kiss in a film,they tend to misinterpret herrole in that film and real lifesituation. For us in theindustry, it’s always theproblem of never beingaround home. We arejumping from one movielocation to another. It takesthe grace of God anddiscipline for your spouse tounderstand yourpredicament.Our relationship had somany detractors — wifeAttraction Lancelot is somebody thatis very different from the wayhe looks. When I first methim, I had my impression

about him. More so, a coupleof other people had told mea lot of negative things abouthim. But despite that, I tookmy time to understudy him.Basically, he’s a nice person,very down to earth .He doesnot like anything to botherhim and he’s a sincereperson at heart.

How I met him I met him at a bus stationin Benin-City. I was on myway to Lagos, just like hewas. I sat beside him,somehow, we got talking and,along the line, we exchangedphone numbers. The rest ishistory. Familiar with his name! Yes, I think I wasparticularly interested in himand his works. This isbecause of where he comes

from (Benin). In fact, before Imet my husband, I wasn’t abig fan of Nigerian movies.But whenever I saw anymovie directed by him, Iwanted to watch that moviebecause I knew it would be agood movie.Moreover, my sister,who used to be a very big fanof Nollywood moviesencouraged me to watchmovies directed by Lancelot.That’s how I really got toknow him and his works onscreen. My reaction at the busstationActually, I sighted him from adistance. I had seen him acouple of times on television.I just said in my mind, ‘oh!This is Lancelot’. Then, Iwalked pass him and actedas if nothing happened.Fortunately, I was privilegedto sit beside him in the bus. Ididn’t allow the joy of sittingbeside a superstaroverwhelm me.Proposal Initially, I rejected hisproposal. But much later, Iaccepted him. Whathappened was that, at first, Ireally didn’t know much abouthis person. Again, becausehe was already a superstar, Ihad to seek advice fromfriends and wellwishers,who tried to discourage mefrom marrying him.Somehow, I was confusedbut, on second thought, I saidto myself, ‘let me get to knowmore about this man thateverybody is trying tocastigate’. And when I did, Idiscovered that he wasn’t that

kind of person many peoplethought he was. When I foundout he was much moredifferent and a nice person, Iaccepted his marriageproposal.But even during ourintroduction, some detractorstold me he was married withkids, but I was not bothered.What it takes to be his wife It takes someone who ispeaceful, kind and who willalways be there for him.What I don’t like about him I used to complain that he’salways busy and that hethrows his clothes around inthe house.Missing him In the early stage of ourmarriage, his not alwaysaround bothered me a lot,but, with time, theunderstanding is gettingbetter. Sometimes, it can belonely, but with the kidsaround, coupled with workingon my project, which isfashion designing; I’m busyand less bothered. I don’t feelit any more.Chance it’s been awesome. I give God the glory. If Ihave the chance to do it allover again, I will do it withhim. Yes, there arechallenges but I think it’s justa learning process. When youhave issues in marriage andyou have someone who tellsyou the truth about what goeson, you are bound to retraceyour steps. I thank God wehave come this far, and Iknow that we are going to betogether forever.

tresses were suspended dur-ing his regime as the chair-man of the AGN and advisedactors and actresses to leavelife worthy of emulation.

He said that in spite of minis-terial work, he was still activein the industry but could onlyaccept scripts that promotemorality.

Lancelot Imasuen

Zack Orji

THE WEEKEND


I Got Pregnant At 17- Clarion Chukwuka

W eKEND ENTERTAINMENTe D’Banj Message ForUpcoming Artists

I Was Battered By MyEx-Lover - Beverly Osu

Jokes: Akpo In Job Interview

Chika Ike Opens Up; ‘I Was A Victime Of Domestic Violence’

Stories By EDIONHON UYITHOMPSON

• D’banj• Clarion Chukwuka

• Chika Ike

• Beverly Osu (right) and 2shotz

NOLLYWOOD actress,Clarion Chukwura in a recentinterview shares her actingand growing up experience.

I lost my father when I was11 years and one week old;

ACTRESS Chike Ikepens an open letter to herfans; opening up about thephysical abuse she sufferedin the hands of the man shecalled her husband for fiveyears.

She said, the three yearshas been a very emotionalperiod for me, I focused myenergy on work and to buildback my self esteem. It’sbeen really hard for me tocome out straight and talkabout this becausesometimes I pinch myself towake up and not believethat I was a victim ofdomestic violence. I havebeen through a lot in my life,faced a lot of challenges butthis is one topic I have triedso hard to avoid and havebeen waiting for the righttime but I have come to aresolve that there’s really noright time because everysecond of the day, lives arebeing lost due to domesticviolence. I was a victim ofdomestic violence in mymarriage and that was thesingular reason I left mymarriage, aside otherreasons.

Growing up as a girl, I wasalways known as thesweetest kid on the blockbefore I got married, I havebeen through somerelationships and for onceno man had ever laid afinger on me. The first timeit happened in my marriageI didn’t understand itbecause I am not the typeof woman a man beats butI guess there are no types.It just happens and no

BEVERLY Osu, who wewill all agree is kind of talkingtoo much in the Big BrotherAfrica (BBA) House, claimedrecently that she wasbattered to the extreme by anex-boyfriend (rapper) andeven pulled up her shirt toshow a scar she got from oneof his numerous beating… toprove she wasn’t lying aboutthe abuse, (Women usuallydon’t lie about being abused.If anything, they try to hid it).

She said one time while hewas beating her she ran intothe bathroom to escape him,but instead of leaving heralone, he broke down thebathroom door and continuedbeating her.

Beverly didn’t mentionnames… she said rapperboyfriend… and some of us

know she once dated 2Shotzwho is a rapper. She mayhave been referring to2Shotz or another rapper shedated…. I really don’t knowbut some blogs believedBeverly was referring to2Shotz and called him out.

NIGERIAN hip-hop star,Dapo Oyebanjo, popularlyknown as D’banj recently inAbuja advice upcomingartistes to promote Nigeria’simage through their music.

When speaking, hedescribed music as averitable tool for thepropagation of the country’srich tourism, economic andentertainment potentialities.

The musician also said thewrong perception of the wayof life of Nigerians must becorrected. There has been alot of wrong perception abouthow we are and from the lifestyle of Nigerian citizens. ButI believe spending a wholefull day in Nigeria, you willunderstand from the food tothe culture to the weather alot of people look for this kindof weather around the world.

Then the music, the fieldthat I am from, I think thatright now music is veryuniversal and a lot of peopleglobally are even listening toAfrican music.

So I believe late FelaAnikolapo Kuti even said itthat afro beat the originalsound has a life.

Music is very spiritual so Iwant everyone to come andsee how great Nigeria is, letus not focus only on the oilwe have, yes we have plentyof oil and it will not finish inthe next 100 to 200 years.But people need tounderstand what we havefrom textiles like ‘Adira’ to theentertainment industry fromNollywood to other areas, wewill get to see a lot.

D’banj also described theentertainment industry as anemployer of labour, addingthat it was capable of keepingthe youths economicallyengaged and out of socialvices.

He said there was also theneed for the public andprivate sector to boost theNigerian music industry.

OFFICER EAZY: What is your name, AKPOS: M.P Sir,OFFICER EAZY: Tell me properly, AKPOS: Michael Peter Sir,OFFICER EAZY: Your father’s name, AKPOS: M.P Sir,OFFICER EAZY: What does that mean, AKPOS: Moses Peter Sir,OFFICER EAZY: Your native place, AKPOS: M.P Sir,OFFICER EAZY: Is it Makurdi Purum, AKPOS: No. Minna Port Sir,OFFICER EAZY: What is your qualification, AKPOS: M.P Sir,OFFICER EAZY: (angry) what is it?!, AKPOS: Metric Pass,OFFICER EAZY: So why do you need a job? AKPOS: M.P Sir,OFFICER EAZY: Meaning? AKPOS: Money Problem Sir,OFFICER EAZY: What is your personality? AKPOS: M.P Sir,OFFICER EAZY: Would you explain yourself and stop wasting my time, AKPOS: Monacrotic

Personality,OFFICER EAZY: I see… I will get back to you, AKPOS: Sir, how’s my M.P?,OFFICER EAZY: And what’s that again? AKPOS: My Performance,OFFICER EAZY: M.P!, AKPOS: Meaning?,OFFICER EAZY: Mental Problem!

it was only my mother that Ican say reacted when Istarted acting. But she wasnever against it. I actuallybegan acting in the universitycommunity. My mother spoke

with Bayo Oduleye (then alecturer at the University ofIbadan. She also spoke withYomi Shohunde.

My mother being aneducated woman did nothave problem when I beganacting, though she thought Iwould study law.

The fact that I became astar early did not let me havethe problem my pals werehaving. I became a star at 15.When I got pregnant, therewas a crack between me andmy mother – which anymother would react to. At thattime, I was 17, and anundergraduate. She felt itwas her fault, having lost herhusband; she had theresponsibility to look after usso that she would not loseany of us.

I started acting (stage andtelevision) in 1979 when Iwas 15 years old and I joinedthe Nigerian film industry in1982 with Ola Balogun’s

woman deserves it. As ayoung girl I thought it waslove or his way ofexpressing his emotions,after every beating hepleads, cries and says itwon’t happen again, onceagain I thought it was loveand made excuses for him.Over the years when it kepthappening consistently Istarted looking for otherdefinitions for it. I startedloosing my self pride, selfesteem, self worth and mostpainfully, I lost a pregnancy(Miscarriage) I almost lostmy life in the process then Irealized how serious andabnormal it really was.

I have heard and read alot of accusations fromignorant people who don’tknow my story, I guessthat’s why they are ignorant,I was 20 years old and very

naïve to the world when Igot married. “They said Imarried for money”. I wasmarried to a corporate guywho had a 9-5 job in a bank,lives in a rented 2 bedroomapartment at Egbe… So dothe maths! I married forlove. I did a traditionalwedding, a white weddingand a court wedding. Sothat’s how much I wanted tobe married forever. For fiveyears I hoped, prayed andwished that one day it willall change. But the laststraw that broke thecarmels back was during aheated argument he threwa glass jug to my face and Idogged it and it shatteredon the wall. I saw deathflesh before me and I madea decision to save my life. Ileft my marriage.

Am not saying this to draw

Money Power. But if you wantto talk about home video, Ijoined the home videoindustry in 1994. I was thelead female character in thefirst attempt at home videoproduction in Nigeria by JimiOdumosu, Fiery Force in1986.

pity from anyone becausewe are entitled to ouropinions and believes. I amnot also saying this todiscourage people fromfalling in love because it’s a

beautiful feeling and I stillbelieve in it. I am saying thisto educate, share and talkabout my experience as avictim of domestic violencebecause it is real.


With

O.C.MaduGSM: 08056379608

Historical Foundation Of Counselling In Developing CountriesTHE write-up traces the

historical foundations ofcounseling in developingcountries and to examineparticularly the words,phrases and aphorismsused, the climate set andthe personality of theprofessional in the practice.

Furthermore, sincestudies now show that thetraining and method ofindigenous practitioners aresound and that theirphilosophy and practicehave much in common withwestern approaches, thewrite-up attempts toencourage indigenous skillsto fuse with western mentalhealth practice.

Guidance counsellingexisted in developingcountries before theintroduction of westerneducation. The role oftraditional Africanpractitioner in preventing forexample suicide attemptsand in counseling forchange of behaviour.Besides, the perpetuationand creation of theextended familyatmosphere to relievefeelings of loneliness andhelplessness, the use ofpsychological checks andbalances, the use of Africanpoetry, music and danceand religious therapy, will beemphasized. Therefore,guidance and counseling forindividuals have alwaysformed part of the Africanstrategy for combatingsuicide attempts and otherpersonality problems.

Indigenous CounselingPractitioners

To date, the followingindigenous counselingpractitioners have beenidentified, “Uzenakpo”(those who help people outof problems) among theIbibio, “dibia”, “Bokaye” and“Ogbafa” among the Igbo,“Omufunmu” among theBugisu-Uganda, “Nganga”in Tanzania, “sikidy” inMalagasy, Babalawoamong the Yoruba andObazi among the Igala – Tiv,just as the babalawo is thepoetry. Laureate of ancientwisdom of the Yoruba, so

intellectual, emotional,moral and social. Counselbelieves in helping others todevelop not only in thephysical and developmentalsense, but also, to developphilosophical andquestioning minds throughthe provision for afavourable or conduciveclimate.

The all-pervadingobjective of guidance and

a few high schools, collegesand universities will close upat such sessions, while theyare ‘opened’ before thesetraditional helpers(Makinde, 1973).

In traditional Nigeriancommunities; these ‘demi-gods according toMankinde, (1976) can helpa great deal. A client whowanted to become wealthyquickly went to the

confusion we have abouthim is that he is not only acommunity counselor butalso, someone whopossesses ‘supernatural’knowledge of the universe,which is far beyond the kenof ordinary humans. Heenters the apprenticeship ofthe profession throughfamily connections,supernatural call ing orthrough his own or parental

counseling as in all otherhelping professions, socialwork and psycho-analysis isfor a change in behaviourthat is self initiated whenalternatives are provided bythe professionals.

The majority of Africanswho live both in the villagecommunity setting (notrural) and in urban areas aswell regard them highly inthe performance ofcounseling services. Theysometimes call them demi-gods and they believewholeheartedly in theirpractice and therapy. Evenstudents who are nowexposed to moderncounseling and guidance in

community practitioner forhelp and information. Hewas told to go back to thefarm and find the treasurethat his father buried undera palm tree before he died.

Indirectly, he was beingtold to change his attitude towork. To cultivate the land,to rise up early in themorning to his farm, to workhard day and night and thathe would soon get rich, wecould explain the counselingof a typical indigenouspractitioner from his practiceof wishing to achieve adesired effect on all mattersfor everybody at all times(Mankinde, 1990).

The only potential

C unsellingo

interest. According toMankinde (1990) the ‘;babalawo’ is able to helpclients awaken toconsciousness with the useof esoteric devices,incantations and ‘wonder’words, knowing fully wellthat certain sounds arelinked with creativeprinciples of nature, helearns and uses thesesounds and wordseffectively. The “unwrittenBible” he recites from

according to Mankinde(1990) is called ‘Odu Ifa’,which has sixteen volumesand 256 chapters.

These comprise a vastcompendium of knowledge.In this, Mankinde says is thedeepest wisdom andphilosophy of the Yorubaethnic group found.

To explain a typicalbabalawo further, we mustexplain Ifa whose legendaryand factual historiesMankinde assets supportthe evidence of counselingin the inception of Africanculture. Wisdom Mankindesays is known as Ifa.Knowledge is the othername for Opele Ifa. It isbecause, we are bound tohave problems. To beinformed about somethingwe are ignorant of, that Ifaexists to help us. Mankindegave an example from theIfa, that the wise does not

install himself on the throneof power, unless, on theadvice of the elders.

It is pertinent to knowthat the babalawo in eachcommunity or extendedfamily is a man with faithand confidence, a faith in hisclient’s potential for growth,a belief that problems canbe solved and a belief thatchanges are possibleprimarily if the clients makesan effort coupled withguidance from thepractitioner ’s wealth ofknowledge and experience.

Therefore, quite a partfrom their divinatoryfunctions the babalawoalso, practices counseling.As Mankind (1990) puts it:‘To learn Ifa is to learn howto understand the problemsof men and how Ifa couldhelp to guide men into thesolution of such problems.The babalawo oftencombines counselling withdivination and telepathy. Heis likened to the Africanteacher who for years hascombined teaching withcounseling, schooladministration anddiscipline.

The typical babalawohas been studied byresearchers like Clarke(1939), Bascom (1969),Abimbola (1969) and othersin the areas of divinationand telepathy, not in thearea of counseling. It wastheir counseling functionssuch as information –giving, consultation andcareful diagnosis ofproblems that have led themto the more intricate andsophisticated modesassociated with divinationand hyper aesthesia.

Of course,hyperaesthesia – whichmeans a sense ofperception and feeling ofsensations, cannot bedivorced from counseling. Ifmodern counselors are tobe credited for usingpsychological tests topredict the futureperformance of students incolleges or elsewhere, thenwe cannot completelyrebuke the traditionalpractitioner for engaging indivination, which is a formof prediction withoutscientific testing.

are his counterparts all overAfrica (Makinde, 1990).

The writer uses the wordbabalawo for all indigenouspractitioners. Wherever theyare located, because, theword is a generic name forthose operating incounseling psychotherapyand traditional medicine.

A typical African, like thewestern counterpart,believes that counseling isan art as well as a science.It is very much knowledge– based and full of activitiesin search of the meaning oflife. It believes in the wrothof an individual and in theawareness of the conceptsof growth and development,physical, mental,

“To date, the following indigenous counseling practitioners havebeen identified, “Uzenakpo” (those who help people out ofproblems) among the Ibibio, “dibia”, “Bokaye” and “Ogbafa”among the Igbo, “Omufunmu” among the Bugisu-Uganda,“Nganga” in Tanzania, “sikidy” in Malagasy, Babalawo among theYoruba and Obazi among the Igala – Tiv, just as the babalawo isthe poetry. Laureate of ancient wisdom of the Yoruba, so are hiscounterparts all over Africa (Makinde, 1990).”

THE WEEKEND


Non-Payment Discourages WritersIn NigeriaLIKE a marriage

celebrated in heaven, thatwas how I felt when I saw thereport on the Internet:“Farafina Trust holds its 2011creative writing workshop inLagos, from June 23 to July2 2011.” I was so elated whenI saw that it was organized byaward-winning writer andcreative director of FarafinaTrust, Chimamanda Adichie.Adichie, who quotes in hernovel, Half of a Yellow Sun:“Death would be a completeknowingness, but whatfrightened him was this: notknowing beforehand what itwas he would know”, “Thiswas love: a string ofcoincidences that gatheredsignificance and becamemiracles”, “There are somethings that are sounforgivable that they makeother things easilyforgivable”, and on and on.The workshop sponsored byNigerian Breweries Plc.,guest writers included theCaine Prize winning Kenyanwriter, Binyavanga Wainaina,would co-teach the workshopalongside Adichie. The aim ofthe workshop was to improvethe craft of Nigerian writersand to encourage publishedand unpublished writers bybringing differentperspectives to the art ofstorytelling. Participation waslimited only to those whoseapplications were accepted.Going to take the form of aclass, the workshopparticipants would beassigned a wide range ofreading exercises and dailywriting exercises.

My brain became like awriter’s notebook that he orshe writes many things afterconsummating the aboveinformation. I had therequirements already in myInbox, so I didn’t waste anytime reading protocol thancopy and paste all the entryrequirements in the body ofthe e-mail. Pasting the entrywas one of the rules to qualifyfor the contest. “Please DoNOT include anyattachments in your e-mail.Applications withattachments will beautomatically disqualified,”one of the entry rules read. Iwas about pressing mymouse to send my entrywhen Brother walked into thecyber cafe. I was agape.

A rare and powerful energylocks in Brother when itcomes to writing. I called himBrother and he called me Mr.Prose, because we worshipon the altar of writing. We arecountrymen whom writingbecame their first religion. Hehad seen what I was workingon, needless to acquaint him.

“Deadline for submissionsis April 27 2011. Only thoseaccepted to the workshop willbe notified by June 15 2011.

Accommodation in Lagos willbe provided for all acceptedapplicants who are able toattend the ten-day durationworkshop. A literary eveningof readings, open to thepublic, will be held at the endof the workshop on July 2,2011,” Brother read loud ona different web page anddrew the attention of othercyber café users. “Forgetsending this!” he warned, anddidn’t tell me reason, even asI seriously enquired to know.I was aghast. I suspendedsending; now ruminating onwhat prompted his coming tothe café by this time of themorning.

Fifteen years Brotherworked as food engineer inLondon before he returned toNigeria five years ago; henever missed to write ontopical issues concerningNigeria. His write-ups havebeen published in the localand internationalnewspapers and in theInternet. But I am much head-buried to my prose worksthan I am head-buried tonewspaper works, because itis not easy surviving as afreelance Journalist inNigeria. But Brothercontributes to thenewspapers and editors callhis works in any website theysee them and publish withoutseeking his permission andwithout a dime for him.Brother is never worriedabout that because this is thesystem that plays in Nigeria.So, every Opinion writerknows this.

“In London, anything that afreelancer contributed thatwas published in thenewspapers would at leastplace a plate of food on thetable of the freelancer,”Brother told me. But theexcuse he gives as thereason he did not contributearticles in Londonnewspapers, is hinged on theattendant joy he said that hederives from writing aboutNigeria. And I wonder mosttimes why he writes. At thispoint, when he saw that I wasnot curious to send thecomposed mail, he said:“Would the workshop warrantthe publishing of yourmanuscripts?” This is amillion question! It will not.“What is the need acquiringskill that will not give theperson succour?”

Brother writes more thanChinua Achebe but lesspopular than Achebe:

Brother began to tell methat he writes virtually on adaily basis, because Nigeriais news in every minute.“Cement price will soon godown”, “Don’t rig for me, noelection worth the life of anyNigerian”, among otherthings, were headlines thatgraced many Nigerian

insignificant in the world ofNigerian writers compared towriters like Professor ChinuaAchebe, Helon Habila,Chimamanda Ngozi Adichieand Professor Wole Soyinka,and the rest, who have notonly dominated the Nigerianintellectual scene but world ofintellectuals; these bignames do not deter him. Thewriters mentioned, however,occupy the three genres ofliterature – Drama, Poetryand Prose – and occasionallywrite articles for newspapers.Upon that the named writerscontribute to newspapersoccasionally, yet they arewidely known than Brother.

Chinua Achebe has madea name with his novel, ThingsFall Apart, Helon Habila hasmade a name with hisWaiting For An Angel,Chimamanda Ngozi Adichiehas made a name with herPurple Hibiscus, and WoleSoyinka has made a name bywinning the Nobel Prize forLiterature.

Things Fall Apart has beentranslated into more than fiftyforeign languages. In 2008,its fiftieth establishment wascelebrated. Wole Soyinkawon the Nobel Prize inLiterature in 1986. The NobelPrize is an internationalaward administered by theNobel Foundation inStockholm, Sweden. He isamong the recipients of theoutstanding prestigious prizeestablished since 1901,which has been awardingprizes for achievements in

in 2007. Brother has not wonany prize, but he has kept onwriting.

Brother’s consolation forwriting:

Brother quotes a lot fromMark Twain letter to GeorgeBainton, 1888, (Thanks,Andrew & Barbara), variationof Josh Billings, whenever hewas compared with thosefamous Nigerian writers as aweakling: “The differencebetween the almost rightword and the right word isreally a large matter – it’s thedifference between thelightening bug and thelightening. Don’t mistakevivacity for wit, thare iz aboutaz much difference az thareiz between lightening and alightening bug.” He also saysthis to me whenever I amworried that he writes toomuch without any materialgains.

I was overzealous on histireless habit for writing thatdoes not pay, he told me ofhow a rare and powerfulmeeting took place at theRoyal Court between youngtheatre writers from Nigeriaand British actors anddirectors in 26th October2009. He told me that in May2006, the Royal Court beganworking with young, talentedplaywrights in Nigeria withthe support of both theGenesis Foundation and theBritish Council.“Considerable talents werediscovered in Lagos, Jos,Ibadan and Abuja, whenElyse Dodgson, Head of the

F cusoBy ODUMEGWO ONWUMERE

International Playwrights atthe Royal Court, travelledthroughout Nigeria. So, Ibelieve that I would bediscovered by Elyse oneday,” he said, with laugh,because we were no longer“Young Talents”.

The problem with Nigerianwriting:

Newspapers, political andreligious literature constitutedthe load of publishing activityin Nigeria when the firstprinting outfit was

established in Calabar, thecapital of the present dayCross River State in 1846.Over a century from that year,Brother had wondered thatNigeria has got over onethousand publishers, with notmore than one hundredregistered member-firms inthe Nigerian PublishersAssociation, yet theexpectation that they wouldserve writers in Nigeria betterwas betrayed. For instance,I have not had any of mymanuscripts published by theNigerian mainstreampublishers. I published mytwo books via vanitypublishing. Vanity publishingbecame a form of art andculture among Nigerianwriters. Very essential, andmany people are into it.

“There are many writerswho do not earn a living fromwriting like me, they write forthe fun and here you arepreparing for workshop,” hestarted to laugh again. “WhileNigeria is replete with writersand publishers, the burden ofbeing a writer in the countryis ruminated with crestfallen,because of misgivings onNigerian writers by theenvironment they foundthemselves.” Brother wascorrect after all, formalGovernor of Bayelsa State,Chief Timipre Sylva, oncesaid in the newspapers thathe ran away from writingbecause of his fear of beingpoor. Or better said, he wouldhave been like NobelLaureate Professor Wole

newspapers he hadcommented on in the recentpast. He told me that he iswriting, not because he isoutstanding in writing, butbecause of the fulfillment hederives from it. Not mindingthat he is very much

physics, chemistry,physiology or medicine,literature and for peace.Helon Habila is the winner ofthe 2001 Caine Prize.Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,the winner of the OrangeBroadband Prize for Fiction

Soyinka in writing, but for thefear of being poor, he joinedpolitics. Many Nigerians whocould have found talent inwriting ran away frompracticing because of what Icall povertyphobia likeGovernor Sylva did.

Difference between theyoung Nigerian writers andthe old ones:

Unlike us writing for fun,Brother told me, the first andsecond generation ofNigerian writers benefittedmuch from writing becauseorganisations andgovernment paid heed tointellect in the 50s and 60s,by developing intellectuals’artistic talents. Theybenefited from grants andtalent hunts, but here we areattending writing workshops.We are “throwaway”. Theseearly Nigerian writers hadtheir books published for freeand were paid royalties.Many of the publishing outfitsthen were European owned.Today, an author writes, dothe editing, proofread andcritique his or her work, yetthere is no notable publishingoutfit in Nigeria that willpublish the writer. Paying ofroyalties is a tall dream.

“The debacles of writers inthe country today are notsugarcoated story,” Brothersaid. “Sometimes I pity you,Mr. Prose. Was it this difficultwith Nigerian writers in thosedays and Chinua Achebe hadhis Things Fall Apartpublished by the HeinemannAlan Hill’s African WritersSeries (AWS), theHeinemann Publishers in1958? Today, artistic andliterary creations dependmostly and solely on theindividual initiatives andhardly with any federal, stateor local government support.”

“I paid heavily to get my twopublished works out. Eventhe mainstream publishingoutfits, many are just good atsmiling to the bank with themoney of their acceptedwriters who are mainly basedoverseas. Many of thepublishing outfits operatewithout an editorial team.One of my friends overseas,John, has to edit his workelsewhere and evendesigned the cover, becauseof that, yet his work wasaccepted,” I said.

We have noticed thathardly do Nigerian art andculture ministry offerassistance to younger writersin the provision offellowships, study grants fortravels and purchase of theneeded materials. I asked ofwhen writers in this countrycould be helped so that theycan stop depending onEuropean cultural industriesthat are directly involved ininfluencing artistic andliterary creation of Nigerians.


The Thing AboutDemanding Partner

IS there anything wrongwith an over demandingpartner? Some may say,there is nothing wrong withan over demandingpartner, while others willdefinitely say the opposite.When this very topiccrossed my mind, I startedto wonder and ponderabout what is wrong withsuch partners? Theanswer that runs into mywondering mind is‘‘everything is wrong with

demanding.Like the Holy Bible says,

one shall pursue athousand, while two shallpursue ten thousand.Anything that must beachieved well andpeacefully in are la t ionship/marr iagewould be one viacooperation and notcoercion. Some marriageshave no doubt lost it sweettaste because of

greater pain.People who make

demands don’t seem tocare how others feel. Theythink only of their ownneeds. A demand dependson power. Demands don’twork unless thedemanding one has thepower to make good on

spouse often strikes back,fighting fire with fire, powerwith power. Suddenly, it’sa test of power; who willwin the other?

If the demanding partnerdoes not have enoughpower to follow throughwith the threat, he/sheoften receivespunishment, at least, in a

By EGHWRUDJE PRAISEform of ridicule. But ifpower is fairly equalbetween a husband andwife, a battle ranges untilone or the othersurrenders. In the end, theone meeting the demandfeels deep resentment andless likely to meet the needin future. When thedemands are not met, bothspouse, feel resentment.

It is important for eachspouse to get from eachother what he/she needsthe most in the marriage.You should meet eachother’s emotional needsand be there for each otherwhen you need help.Spouse should take intocognisance the fact thatdemands will not get thejob done. When you askyour spouse to dosomething for you, he/shemay agree cheerfully to it,or may expressreluctance. This reluctancemay be due to any numberof things, it could be theirneeds, comfort level, orsense of what is wise orfair.

When you push yourspouse making a demand,what are you doing? Youare trying to override yourpartner’s reluctance. Youare declaring your wishesmore important than his/her own feelings. And youare threatening to causehim/her some distress ifthey don’t do what youwant. At a point, you areputting your partner in atied corner with only twochoices to choose from;either to accept thepunishment that comeswith not carrying out thedemand, in-order to dowhatever made him/herreluctant, or he/she mayultimately carry out the

demand, but would not behappy about it. And willmost certainly feel used.

Some spouse feels ifthey don’t make demand,things would always beworking in favour of theother partner, while theyare at the suffering end.This is enough reason,spouses need to find aneffective ways to motivateeach other to meet theirneeds. Demands arenothing short of abuse; ina real sense, it is usuallythe first stage of verbalabuse that ultimately leadsto fights in marriages.

If you make demands ofyour spouse and expectobedience, you are beingcontrolling andmanipulative. Your spousewould definitely try toescape your abuse, andinstead of becomingresponsive to your needs,he/she will have as little todo with you as possible.Demands and other formsof manipulation do notbuild compatibility inrelationship or marriage;they build resentment. Andnobody wants arelationship that startedwith love to end inresentment.

There is an alternative toselfish demands, and thatis thoughtful requests. Thisapproach to getting whatyou need from each otherbegins by simplyexplaining what you wouldlike and asking yourspouse how he or shewould feel fulfilling yourrequest. If he or sheindicates that the requestwould be unpleasant tofulfil, discuss alternativeways your spouse couldhelp you that would not beunpleasant.

S cietyo

an over demandingpartner.’’ It could be themanner the help is beingasked for, either the tone(in a commandingmanner), or bodylanguage, it could be thefrequency of such requestor the time the request ismade.

One thing every spouseshould know is that, inrelation, both partnerscompliment each other,they rely on each other toachieve a goal becausewe are human beings, andhumans by nature,sometimes get weak,angry, frustrated, tired,sensitive to words, andmost importantly, humansare emotional. In getting ajob done, it is important toconsider all these before

demands. Demand forsex, money, food, time andmany other things thathave torn families apart.The issue with demand isthat, it comes from onedirection to the otherpartner and it soundsauthoritative and pushy.

We were born withinstincts to help us survivethe trials and travails of life.Some instincts are veryhelpful and others arecontrolling and abusive.One of the most controllingand abusive instincts,especially in marriage, ismaking demanding.

If we make a request forsomething we want orneed, and the request isturned down, our instinctswill encourage us to take

more forceful steps. Andthe first thing that comesto mind is demand.

Demands carry a threatof punishment, it’s likesaying; ‘‘if you refuse me,you would regret it.’’ Inother words, you maydislike what I want, but ifyou don’t do it, I will see toit that you suffer even

his/her threat.But who has power in

marriage? Ideally, there isshared power, thehusband and wife workingtogether to accomplishmutual objectives. Butwhen one spouse startsmaking demands, alongwith threats that are atleast implied, it’s a powerplay. The threatened

“We were born with instincts to help us survive thetrials and travails of life. Some instincts are veryhelpful and others are controlling and abusive. Oneof the most controlling and abusive instincts,especially in marriage, is making demanding.”

THE WEEKEND


Handling Bad BreathBy EGHWRUDJE PRAISE

H althe

unhealthy life style habits.Mouth odour refers to

the condition of the mouthoozing out unpleasantsmell. The cause of somecases of bad breath isbacteria that live in thedeepest pockets of thetongue and gums, somouth wash and toothbrushing does not alwaysget to them. The bacteriaproduces volatile sulphurcompounds, and if there isenough build up of thesesulphur compounds, theresult can be bad breath.Some other causes ofmouth odour include:smoking, diseases, drymouth, food, poorhygiene, dental problem.

Most people’s mouthdoes not smell fresh whenthey wake up from bed.This is normal. If you brushyour teeth before going tobed, the early morningsmelly mouth will not betoo bad in fact some

the odour temporarily. Theodour will not go awaycompletely until the foodshave passed through yourbody.

Top causes of mouthodour:

According to Dr. RichardH. Price spokesman forAmerican DentalAssociation, ‘‘ninetypercent of mouth odourscome from mouth itself,either from the food youeat or bacteria that isalready there.’’ Mouthodour is like any otherbody odour, which is theresult of microbes living inthe body giving off by-products in the mouth.This means that bacteriathat normally live in themouth interact with foodparticles, blood, tissue,etc., to create volatile (i.e.,stinky) sulphurcompounds. If you don’tclean properly, thebacteria build up, and next

bad breath. Saliva helpflush out the mouth,keeping bacterialsmoving, so they don’tsettle down and multiply,while drier mouth is abreeding ground forBacteria.

Stinky foods: if it stinksgoing in, chances are it’sgoing to stink coming out.The obvious offenders areonions, garlic, alcohol andtobacco. And foods don’tonly create a stench in themouth. ‘‘plant oils areabsorbed and the by-

protein, low-carbohydratediets causes your body toburn stored fats for fuelinstead of carbohydratesand can lead to a conditioncalled ketosis (a conditioncharacterised by raisedlevels of ketone bodies inthe body, associated withabnormal fat metabolismand diabetes mellitus). Asfat burns, ketones build upin the body and some arereleased through breath,explains Moloo.‘‘unfortunately ketones

don’t smell particularlygood.’’

Illness: occasionally, badbreath can be a sign of amore serious illness. Themost common systemiccauses of bad breath arediabetes or GERD (gastroesophageal refluxdisease). Diabetes canalso cause ketosis, andthe resulting bad breath issometimes one of firstsymptoms that lead todiagnosis. GERD is abackflow of acid from thestomach to theesophagus. Less commonbut possible are liver orkidney disease; whentoxins from these organsare excreted through thelungs, causing bad breath.

Why do poor habitscause bad breath?

If you don’t brush andfloss teeth daily, foodparticles can remain inyour mouth, whichpromotes bacterial growthbetween teeth, around thegums, and on the tongue.This causes bad breath.Antibacterial mouth rinsescan also help reducebacterias. In addition,odour-causing bacteriaand food particles cancause bad breath ifdentures are not properlycleaned.

Smoking and chewingtobacco-based productscan also cause badbreath, stain teeth, reduceyour ability to taste foodsand irritates the gums. Themost effective treatmentfor bad breath starts witha trip to the dentist.

A simple way test youcan do yourself is to lickthe inside of your wrist andwait for the saliva to dry. Ifthe area you licked smellsunpleasant, it is likely thatyour breath does too. Youcan get a very good friendto be absolute honest, butdo make sure they are a

true friend.Bad breath treatment

(self care at home)People who suffer from

bad breath want to knowhow to get rid of badbreath. Some examples ofmeasures an individualcan do to prevent or get ridof bad breath include:

The practice of good oralhygiene which include,brushing at least twice aday with fluoridetoothpaste; brush theteeth after meals, brushthe tongue, replace yourtooth brush every twomonths. Use dental flossregularly, dentures shouldbe removed at night andcleaned thoroughly beforebeing placed in yourmouth (this is actually forthose using artificial teeth/tooth).

It is very important to seeyour dentist at least twicea year. Your dentist canadvise you on how toimprove your oral healthand can refer you forfurther investigation if theythink there may be anothercause for your bad breath.It is also advisable forsmokers to quit smokingand chewing tobaccobased product. Keep yourmouth moist by drinkingwater and chewingsugarless gum or hardcandy to stimulate theproduction of saliva. Avoidfoods such as onions orgarlic which may causebad breath.

For natural remedy,honey and lime juicemixed together, then washyour mouth with themixture, two times daily(morning and nightalways). Mouth washprovides a temporary wayto mask bad breathodours, but it may not treatthe underlying cause.Natural bad breathremedies include chewingon mint or parsley.

thing you know, badbreath starts out.

A mouth out of balance:Certain mouth conditionsexacerbate bacterialgrowth and odour, such asgum disease and drymouth. Gum diseasecauses bloody gums,causing more elements forpesky bacterial to putrefy.But it is a dry mouth thatis more common cause of

products enter yourbloodstream so you areactually breathing theodours out via your lungsthree to four hours later,’’Jeanie Moloo, a registeredDietitian andspokeswoman for theAmerican DieteticAssociation.

Not EnoughCarbohydrate: high-

BAD breath, also calledhalitosis, can be anembarrassing problem.Halitosis is the medicalname for bad breath,which is a result of poordental health habits andmay be a sign of otherhealth problems.Occasionally, bad breathis the result of an infectionor illness, or taking somekinds of medication. Badbreath can also be madeworse by the types offoods you eat and other

people don’t smell at all.How does what you eat

effect breath?Basically, all the food

eaten begins to be brokendown in your mouth. Asfood are digested andabsorbed into the bloodstream, they areeventually carried to yourlungs and given off in yourbreath. If you eat food withstrong odours (such asgarlic or onions), brushingand flossing, even mouthwash, merely covers up

“According to Dr. Richard H. Price spokesman forAmerican Dental Association, ‘‘ninety percent of mouthodours come from mouth itself, either from the food youeat or bacteria that is already there.’’ Mouth odour is likeany other body odour, which is the result of microbesliving in the body giving off by-products in the mouth.”


H altheDonate Blood, Save Lives

By JACINTA NWACHUKWUBLOOD is the fluid ofhealth which transportsd i s e a s e - f i g h t i n gsubstances to the tissueand waste to thekidneys, according tomedical experts.

Therefore, when thehuman body loses a lotof blood throughsickness, surgery oraccidents, the blood hasto be replaced via bloodtransfusion from otherpeople.

It is somewhat astatement of fact that“blood is life’’ and this, inessence, means that

need for safe blood andblood products. It is alsoto commend voluntaryblood donors for theirlife-saving gift of life.

In spite of theimportance of blooddonation, Dr BabaAhmed, a public healthphysician, observed thatthere had beeninadequate supply ofsafe blood and bloodservices in Nigeria.

He said that thechallenges facing thisarea of health caredelivery ranged frominability to get enoughblood donors to inability

anybody from 18 yearsto 65 years old candonate blood.

“The body mass of adonor must be above 50kg, we also check his orher haemoglobin levelbecause blood donationis given from the excessthat is in your body,’’ hesaid.

He noted thataccording to WHOprescriptions, therequired haemoglobin orblood level of a donorshould be higher than 12grammes per decilitre,insisting that anythingbelow that level mightnot be suitable for blooddonation.

Ubarieke, however,said that a man coulddonate blood every threemonths, while a womancould donate bloodevery four months.

He also warned thatpersons who were takingvaccines or drugs werenot free to donate bloodbecause the recipient ofthe blood might besensitive to the drugswhich the donor wastaking.

“During menstruation,a woman should notdonate blood on the firstand second day;however, she can donatefrom the third day afterexamining herhaemoglobin level,’’ hesaid.

Interestingly, Ubariekesaid that periodic blooddonation could slowdown aging and fightcancer as well as highblood pressure.

Analysts, therefore,underscore the need forNigerians to have properunderstanding of blooddonation and its benefits,as the world celebratesthe Blood Donor Day.(NANFeatures)

donors to have freeaccess to medicalcheck-ups.

“Medical experts willcheck your weight, bloodpressure; whether or notyou have enough bloodin your system andcheck other things youmay spend money toknow. To me, that is anadvantage.

“So, it is surprising thatmany people do not liketo donate blood and thesame people often find itdifficult to pay for regularmedical check-ups.

celebrate World BloodDonor Day; bringing tothe fore the importanceof blood donation andappreciating thosepeople who donateblood,’’ he said.

Ahmed stressed thathuman blood was amedium for themanagement of criticalhealth situations and thetreatment of variousillnesses, adding that ithad no substitute.

“Voluntary blooddonation is the mostimportant and most

only way I can helphumanity is to donateblood, which was givento me free by God,’’ hesaid.

However, some peoplegive several reasons fortheir apathy towardblood donation.

Miss Regina Chukwu,an Abuja-based civilservant, said that shecould not donate bloodbecause of her thinstature, while MrsBlessing Ajah, a trader,said that she simply hada phobia for blooddonation.

The importance ofblood to health caredelivery notwithstanding,the National BloodTranfussion Service(NBTS) cautions thatincompatible bloodtransfusion can lead todeath.

Mr ChukwudiUbarieke, amicrobiologist in NBTS,said: “A person withBlood Group ‘A negative’should not receive ‘Apositive’ blood and if theperson should receivefrom universal donor ‘O’group, it must be ‘O’negative’’.

“In blood grouping, ifyou dare transfuse theblood that is notcompatible with one’sblood group; there isnothing to counteract it,it is going to lead todeath.’’

Ubarieke said thatwithin 24 hours ofdonating blood, watershould be given to thedonors to ensure thereplenishment of theirbody fluid because about55 per cent of blood iswater.

“It will take about threeto four weeks to regainred blood cells afterblood donation; and

blood donation amountsto a gift of life.

Medical expertsacknowledge that bloodfrom donors can sustainpatients who aresuffering from life-threatening conditionsand enable them to livelonger, quality lives.

The importance ofblood to humanexistence is widelyrecognised and themyriad benefits of blooddonation, perhaps,compelled the UnitedNations (UN) to fix June14 as the World BloodDonor Day.

The day is to raisepublic awareness on the

to ensure the quality andsafety of donated blood.

Ahmed said thatadequate blood supplycould only beguaranteed via regulardonations by voluntaryblood donors, addingthat the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) hadset a target for allcountries to obtain alltheir blood supplies fromvoluntary donors by2020.

“The WHO has themandate to ensure thatthe people of the worldare protected and keptsafe in matters relating tohealth issues.

“So every June 14, we

accepted means ofgetting blood anywherein the world today,’’ hesaid.

But what has been theattitude of some peopleto free blood donation?

Mr Hyginus Eze, avoluntary blood donor,said that blood donationsomewhat enabled the

“Donating bloodcreates an avenue oropportunity for one tocheck and ascertain hisor her health status orcondition; I startedvoluntary blood donationin 2010 and I have donethat nine times so far.

“I learnt that it’s good tohelp humanity and the

“Ahmed said that adequate blood supply could onlybe guaranteed via regular donations by voluntary blooddonors, adding that the World Health Organisation(WHO) had set a target for all countries to obtain alltheir blood supplies from voluntary donors by 2020.”

THE WEEKEND


The Solemnization of marriage between former Miss Sobiecki Gisela Alice (based inGermany) and Mr. Udo Obum Francis (a Trader) took place on Wednesday 14th August,2013 at the Oredo Local Government Council Marriage Registry in Benin City. Amongstthose present were Mrs. Grace Udo, Mr. Chibest Eze, Mr. Obinna Onuorah, Mrs. MarianOnuorah, family members, relations, friends and well wishers. Picture shows the couplea t the Registry. Congratulations. Photo: SONNIE .E.

The solemnization of marriage between former Miss Osariemen Justina Oshodin (Ahair stylist) and Mr. Sammy Briggs (based in UK) took place on Thursday 15th August,2013 at the Oredo Local Government Council Marriage Registry in Benin City. Amongstthose present were Mr. Anthony Uwaila, Mr. Paul Omorogbe, Mrs Juliana Aworunse,Mrs. Elizabeth Oshodin, family members, relations, friends and well-wishers. Pictureshows the couple at the Registry. Congratulations. Photo: SONNIE .E.

JUSTINA WedsSAMMY

The Solemnization ofmarriage between formerMiss IsimawmenAikhuele (A Hair Stylist)and Mr Asemota Hope(based in Italy) took placeon Friday 16th August2013 at the Oredo LocalGovernment Councilmarriage Registry inBenin City. Amongst those presentwere Mr. Uwalia Victor,Mr. Aikhuele Clement,Mr. Greg Asemota, Mr.Frank Omorogieva,family members,relations, friends and wellwishers.Picture shows the coupleat the Registry.Congratulations. PhotoSonnie. E.

Isi weds Hope

ALICE Weds FRANCIS

Most Snr. Apostle Dr. Joshua Osasuyi, spiritual leader/Chairman, Church Coun-cil, Christ Chosen Church of God preaching during 2013 International conven-tion at central cathedral complex, Benin City. PHOTO: MOSES OBOH.

CHANGE OF NAMECHANGE OF NAME

CHUKWU – I formerlyknown and addressed asMiss Eunice ChikaChukwu now wish to beknown and addressed asMrs Eunice Chika Itse.All former documentsremain valid. Concernedauthorities and the generalpublic should please takenote.

OHENHEN – I formerlyknown and addressed asMiss Evelyn OsasereOhenhen now wish to beknown and addressed asMrs. Evelyn OsasereCole. All formerdocuments remain valid.Concerned authorities andthe general public shouldplease take note.

ETAKIBUEBU – Iformerly known andaddressed as Miss MarthaEtakibuebu now wish to beknown and addressed asMrs Martha OghaleIlevbaoje. All formerdocuments remain valid.Concerned authorities andthe general public shouldplease take note.

I, Mrs. Etinosa Sandra Adenuga wish to bring for theinformation of the general public that I am the same personcalled Guobadia Etinosa as appeared in my birth certificateand Guobadia Sandra Etinosa also as appeared in my WAECcertificate and to state that ‘SANDRA’ not in my birthcertificate is my adopted English name when I sat for theabove mention WAEC in June 2005. However, I am now properly called Mrs. Etinosa SandraAdenuga as a result of my marriage. All former documentsremain valid. West African Examination Council, concernedauthorities and the general public should please take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

CONFIRMATION/CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

ADJARHO – I formerlyknown and addressed asMiss Adjarho Iroro nowwish to be known andaddressed as MrsOsawe Iroro. All formerdocuments remain valid.Concerned authoritiesand the general publicshould please take note.

CHANGE OF NAMEEHIAKHAMEN – Iformerly known andaddressed as MissEhiakhamen Maria nowwish to be known andaddressed as MrsAreghan EnoguekhianMaria. All formerdocuments remain valid.Concerned authorities andthe general public shouldplease take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

OBASUYI – I, formerlycalled Miss ObasuyiItohan Divine is nowknown and called Mrs.Edobor Itohan Divine.All former documentsremain valid. Concernedauthorities and the generalpublic should please takenote.

RECONCILIATION OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAMEEVBOWE – I, formerlycalled Miss EnorenseJuliet Evbowe is nowknown and called Mrs.Enorense JulietEwanseha. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Concernedauthorities and thegeneral public shouldplease take note.

I, Precious Opu wish to bringfor the information of thegeneral public that I am thesame person as Sunday Feliciaas appeared in my First SchoolLeaving Certificate. It shouldbe known therefore that I amproperly known andaddressed as Precious Opu.All former documents remainvalid. State Universal BasicEducation Board (SUBEB)and the general public shouldplease take note.

CHANGE OF NAMEIMADE – I, formerly calledMiss Imade BeautyOmoyemwen is now knownand called Mrs. BeautyOmoyemwen Godwin. Allformer documents remainvalid. Local GovernmentService Commission,Orhionmwon LocalGovernment Council,concerned authorities and thegeneral public should pleasetake note.

CORRECTION OF NAME

I , O S E M W E K H AEKENAKEMA wish tobring to the information of thegeneral public that I am thesame person as OsamweghaeEkenakema. But my namewas wrongly spelt in myPrimary School LeavingCertificate as OsamweghaeEkenakema. Henceforth, I amnow known and addressed asOsemwekha Ekenakema.All former documents remainvalid. Concerned authoritiesand the general public shouldplease take note.


R flectioneFrom Chinua Achebe To Eternity

By UZOR MAXIM UZOATUCHINUA Achebe died atexactly 11:51pm (US time),that is 4.51am (Nigeriantime), on Thursday, March 21at the Harvard UniversityTeaching Hospital,Massachusetts, USA, aged82. It was one death thatshook the entire world astributes came pouring in fromall the continents of the world,from presidents down topaupers. For some of hisadmirers, the world stoodstill, yet for orders eventsmoved at a frenetic pace,culminating to the Thursday,May 23 interment of the iconin his native Ogidi, AnambraState.

The one-storey home ofChinua Achebe looks quitemodest from the outside butit has a lift inside. Thebuilding for me captures theessence of the greatprogenitor of Africanliterature: the quality of whatis within is greater than anyshowiness outside. Themausoleum constructed tothe side of the frontage of thebuilding bears the heavyburden of the memory ofMother Africa in the buriedremains of Professor AlbertChinualumogu Achebe, theinimitable author of ThingsFall Apart.

Achebe was interred at4.30pm in a marble tomb inhis Ikenga village ancestralhome of Ogidi town in IdemiliNorth Local GovernmentArea of Anambra State. Hewas given an elaborateChristian funeral service atSt. Philips Anglican Church,Ogidi, as opposed to theAfrican mores hechampioned in his novels.

President Goodluck EbeleJonathan made his presencefelt in the distinguishedcompany of GhanaianPresident John DramaniMahama. Governor PeterObi of Anambra State wasakin to a chief host and evendoubled as the Master ofCeremonies along the line.The polit icians actuallydominated the scenes, withthe writers dwarfed out ofsight. The many contendersfor the forthcominggubernatorial elections inAnambra State, notablySenator Chris Ngige, Dr AndyUba, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, DrObinna Uzoh etc jostled forspace with their supporters.

President Jonathan sangthe praises of Achebe as aphilosophical writer whoseinsight tore through the heartof Nigeria’s nationalproblems. He cited Achebe’s“The Trouble with Nigeria”and “There was a Country”as works that fearlessly heldto account the polit icalleadership that sent thecountry on the backwardspiral since independence.He read an excerpt fromThere was a Country, citing

the considerableimprovement in the electionsin Nigeria as opposed to theimpunity that was the rulebefore the advent ofPresident Jonathan.

According to Jonathan, “Itis for us to work very hard sothat by the time the littleAchebes will write again, theywill write that there is acountry and not that therewas a country.” Hehighlighted his recognition ofAchebe as “one of thegreatest writers of his timeand indeed all t ime, anembodiment of high valuesand a man of principle anddeep convictions who took afirm, unequivocal stand onissues, however high thestakes, and regardless of therisk involved.”

Ghanaian PresidentMahama stressed that withthe death of Achebe “writersin the African continent andthe Diaspora have lost amentor and literarygodfather.” According toPresident Mahama, “In thesame way that ChinuaAchebe’s books helpedfoster the talent of countlesswriters in Africa’s post-colonial era, they alsoinspired a number of Africa’scurrent political leaders.Achebe had such influenceon the African polit icallandscape that three yearsago he started convening anannual colloquium at BrownUniversity, where he was aprofessor, that broughttogether leaders, scholarsand artists to discuss‘strengthening democracyand peace on the Africancontinent’.

When I was introduced toAchebe’s writing in the1970s, during secondaryschool, there seemed to beno discernible separation inAfrica between politics andthe arts. We attendeddemonstrations almost asfrequently as we attendeddiscos. The music that welistened to, from Fela Kuti toJames Brown, was filled withracial pride and politicalprotest. It was, however, theliterature of Achebe, namelyhis classic novel Things FallApart, that provided me witha larger context for thevarious maladies that weretaking place on the continent.Reading that book was like arite of passage.” Hedescribed Achebe as avisionary truth-teller whogave Africans confidence inthe world community,stressing that “Achebe willnever die having left behinda legacy that will keep hisvoice alive forever.”

South African PresidentJacob Zuma sent acondolence message read atthe funeral. In PresidentZuma’s words, “ChinuaAchebe was indeed Africa’s

entitled “Professor ChinuaAchebe — A Parable to theNigerian Nation” made theclarion call on Nigerianleaders to emulate the lateAchebe’s attachment to thegospel as his foundation inlife. He argued that Achebebelieved so much in Nigeriasuch that he did not allow thenegative forces in the countryto deter him from attainingthe status of anaccomplished manacknowledged all over theworld.

He makes the case thatAchebe in his last book,There Was A Country,undertook the task ofenlightening Nigerians thatdespite the many forces ofretrogression the country canattain any height that it wants.He defended Achebe’srefusal to accept nationalhonours, averring that it wasnot because he did not likeNigeria. Rev Dr Nwosu said:“Achebe believed thoroughlyin Nigeria; the only thing isthat we all believe inrighteousness but some

Governor Rochas Okorochaof Imo, host Governor PeterObi of Anambra State,ministers and senators inattendance.

Crowd control proved quitedifficult for the many securityoperatives who meted outbrutality on the ordinarypeople. Most Rev Nwosu hadto admonish the potentatesthat it was wrong to punishthe people they ought to beprotecting.

Achebe’s first son DrIkechukwu Achebe gave thevote of thanks on behalf ofthe Achebe family, salutingPresident Jonathan andPresident Mahama of Ghana,Nigeria’s National Assembly,governors, the literarycommunity, high chiefs, andthe multitudes of admirers ofhis lionized father for theoutstanding burial.

The elaborate burialprogramme for Achebestarted on Sunday, May 19,with a day of prayers andreligious worship at theNational Christian Centre,Abuja. Then the Association

of Nigerian Authors (ANA)which Achebe founded helda symposium on the life andtimes of the legendary authorat the InternationalConference Centre, Abuja inthe morning of Monday, May20. This was followed with anevening of tributes by thepoliticos and the literati withmany cultural troupesperforming.

Achebe’s remains arrivedat the Nnamdi AzikiweInternational Airport, Abujaon Tuesday, May 21, drapedin the Green-White-Greenflag of Nigeria andaccompanied by his wife ProfChristie Achebe and childrenDr Chinelo Ejeiyutche, Dr IkeAchebe, Dr Chidi Achebe andProf Nwando Achebe. TheSecretary to the Governmentof the Federation ChiefAnyim Pius Anyim was at theairport as the head of theFederal Governmentdelegation.

Governor Peter Obiaccompanied the Achebe’sfamily in the flight from Abujato Akanu Ibiam InternationalAirport, Enugu, where thebody was received by theGovernors of the SoutheastStates and leaders of thepan-Igbo organizationOhanaeze Ndigbo.

The University of Nigeria,Nsukka where Achebe wasEmeritus Professor held aSpecial Senate Session at itsEnugu Campus in honour ofthe iconic author. In thetrademark tradition ofUniversity Senate meetings,the University RegistrarOgbueshi Anthony Okontacalled out names of membersof Senate present. Everyonepresent answered his name.When he called EmeritusProfessor Chinua Achebethere was pin-drop silence.He made another call of thename. There was again noreply. He uttered a final calland still heard only silence.It was after the third and finalcall that the very personableVice-Chancellor of UNN ProfBartho Okolo stated that itwas “unusual for Achebe notto answer to his name.” TheVC on his own calledAchebe, staring at hisremains in the casket in themiddle of the Main Hall of theinstitution. As Achebe did notstill answer, VC Okolo said:

“Truly, this is a solemnconfirmation that the earthlysojourn of our reveredcolleague, EmeritusProfessor ChinualumoguAlbert Achebe, ourcompatriot who rose tobecome a citizen of the world,has come to an end. It istherefore with profound griefand regret that I preside overthis special Senate in hishonour.”

A celebration of life carnivalwas staged at the AlexEkwueme Stadium, Awka on

Wednesday, May 22, whilstANA put up a festival of life.

Renowned Jamaicanscholar Professor EkwuemeMichael Thelwell had thesingular honour of deliveringthe almost four-hour buriallecture entitled “Ikejemba: HeHad In Him The Elements SoMixed”. According toProfessor Thelwell:“Language is our father: thefather of culture; the creatorof collective consciousnesswithin which humanity canunite to raise our voicesagainst all that is evil in thisworld. This is the power oflanguage, and yet you, Mr.Achebe, grant this power tolanguage. Mr. Achebe,Owner of Words, you are thecreator of language.”

Shortly after Achebe’sburial, Achebe’s second sonDr Chidi Achebe whiledirecting me to the tent inwhich dignitaries were feted,said: “My father is not a saintbut he indeed lived aremarkable life. Nobody hascome here to tell us, forinstance, that he had a lovechild for my father!”

For a man of suchdistinction, Achebe lived ascandal-free life. His legacyis assured, as attested to byThe Economist of March 30,“Mr Achebe was widelyhailed as the father of Africanliterature; but, smiling overhis heavy bifocals, herejected that. Instead, herepeated his favouriteproverb: ‘Until the lions havetheir own historians, thehistory of the hunt will alwaysglorify the hunter.’ Smallthough he was, he turned outto be the African lions’ earliestand most importanthistorian.”

For Achebe’s distinguishedcolleague, the Kenyannovelist Ngugi wa Thiong’o:“Achebe bestridesgenerations andgeographies. Every countryin Africa claims him as theirown.” In Nelson Mandela’sringing words, Achebe isdepicted as “The writer inwhose company the prisonwalls fell down.”

Let me reserve the lastword to American PresidentBarack Obama and FirstLady Michelle Obama: “Arevolutionary author,educator, and culturalambassador, Chinuashattered the conventions ofliterature and shaped thecollective identity ofNigerians throughout theworld. With a dream of takingon misperceptions of hishomeland, he gave voice toperspectives that cultivatedunderstanding and drew ourworld closer together.

His legacy will endure in thehearts of all whose lives hetouched with the everlastingpower of his art.”

greatest literary export and alegend of African Literature.It was in his famous novelThings Fall Apart that manyAfricans saw themselves inliterature and the arts at atime when most of the writingwas about Africans but not byAfricans. Africa owes a debtof gratitude to Achebe.”

Chief Emeka Ihedioha, theDeputy Speaker of the Houseof Representatives,represented the NationalAssembly, depicting Achebeas “an iroko and ambassadorextraordinary whoseaccomplishments only ranksecond to former SouthAfrican President NelsonMandela.”

The Anglican Archbishop ofAba Province, Most Rev DrIkechi Nwosu, who deliveredthe sermon at St Philip’sAnglican Church, Ogidi

people defined it in a wayProfessor Achebe could notunderstand.”

President Jonathan rose upto make a second speech atthe funeral in which heannounced that both theNigerian and Ghanaiangovernments will completelyreconstruct St Philip’sPrimary School in Ogidiwhich Achebe had attended.

The church service startedat a few minutes after 11amwith President Jonathan,President Mahama of Ghana,former Vice-President DrAlex Ekwueme, formerCommonwealth Secretary-General Chief EmekaAnyaoku, Minister of FinanceDr Okonjo-Iweala, DeputySpeaker of the House ofRepresentatives Ihedioha,Governor EmmanuelUduaghan of Delta State,

• Late Chinua Achebe

THE WEEKEND


Roma FansForce PabloOsvaldo Out

Atletico Madrid Set ForLate Transfer Business

...Messi Doubtful ForLeague Opener

Barca Start Season With Tricky LaventeLionel Messi

PABLO Daniel Osvaldohas been pushed further outof the Roma door by angryfans who scrawled an insulton the pavement outside hishome.

The Italy international haslost respect among a vastproportion of Giallorossisupporters, who tookexception to his conduct onand off the field last season,and made him a scapegoatfor their lack of success.

He was confronted byfrustrated fans at the start ofpre-season training and hasbeen given a frosty receptioneach time he has played forthe Roma this summer, evenreceiving boos when heplayed for Italy in the capitalon Wednesday night.

This latest episode has alsoangered his girlfriend, wholaunched a scathing attack onthe “louts” who are trying tomake their lives a misery inthe Eternal City.

“Pathetic louts, get a life.Your immaturity andignorance is pitiful,” JimenaBaron posted on Twitter,before adding, all in hermother tongue: “Go and learnsome Spanish, then maybeyou will understand thisTweet.”

That tweet was followed byanother, with a picture of araised index finger. “I justwanted to say somethingwhich is universal for all youlouts who are molesting meand my partner.

BARCELONA will look tokick off their La Liga titledefence on a winning notewhen they host Levante atthe Camp Nou on Sundaynight.

The Catalans werecrowned as Spanishchampions with games tospare last season as theyfinished 15 points clear oftheir rivals Real Madrid.

Levante on the other handwere unable to build on theirsuccessful 2011/12campaign as they finished in11th place.

Barca have not tamperedmuch with their squad during

BARCELONA’s forwardLionel Messi remains doubtfulfor Sunday’s league openeragainst Levante due to injury.

The Argentine missedBarca’s final match of theirAsian tour against a MalaysiaXI due to a thigh strain andwas also forced to miss theinternational friendly betweenArgentina and Italy.

The injury is said not to beserious but he is yet to returnto full training with the squadand has spent the weekworking with the club’sphysiotherapist.

The Catalans will also be

DIEGO Simeone hasadmitted that Atletico Madridcould do some business latein the transfer window, whilecalling Fiorentina’s AdemLjajic a good player andsuggesting Martin Demicheliscan leave for ManchesterCity.

Asked about possiblebusiness after training onWednesday, the Argentinesaid he did not see his squadas finalised yet.

“Until the market closes weare open to exits andarrivals,” Simeone wasquoted as saying in AS. “Thatis football. We are used to it.”

Reports in Madrid suggestthat Atletico are negotiatingwith Fiorentina for Ljajic, forwhom Milan are thought tohave had an 8 million Eurosbid rejected.

Questioned on reports thata deal could be done to bringthe Serbian playmaker toAtletico for about 10 millionEuro, Simeone claimed to bejust concentrating onSunday’s La Liga opener atSevilla, while letting slip thathe did rate the player.

“I do not talk about peoplewho are not with us,” he said.“I am only concerned withSevilla. He [Ljajic] is a goodplayer. All the players whichbig teams are interested inare good players.”

Rumours that Argentinedefender Demichelis, whojoined Atletico from Malaga inJuly, might be set to leavealready to rejoin his formercoach Manuel Pellegrini inEngland, were not rejectedout of hand.

“I do not talk aboutspeculation, about differentversions,” Simeone said. “It isnormal that you hear thingsabout an important team likeours until the window isclosed.

the transfer window but theydid reinforce their strikeforcewith the signing of Brazilianrising star Neymar, who will beexpected to partner up withLionel Messi in the newseason.

However, Messi was forcedto pull out of the Argentinasquad ahead of Wednesday’sfriendly against Italy due to athigh muscle strain and isunlikely to take part in theleague opener.

The good news for newcoach Gerardo Martino is thathe is likely to have the duo ofCesc Fabregas and PedroRodriguez in his squad when

he takes charge of his firstLa Liga match after bothplayers returned to trainingon Wednesday.

Although Martino joinedthe team midway throughtheir preseason, he hasbeen able to take charge andhis side have continued toscore freely.

Levante also enjoyed adecent run duringpreseason, winning six oftheir eight friendly matches,

and coach Joaquin Caparrosis expected to continue withhis brand of attacking football.

The Granotes have alsobeefed up their squad with thesigning of forward DavidBarral and Cameroonianstriker Ayols Nong, whoscored nine goals in theBelgian league last season.

The last time the two sidesmet at the Camp Nou sawCesc Fabregas scoring late inthe game to hand Barcelonaa 1-0 win.

Diego Simeone

sweating over the fitness offullback Dani Alves,who ickedup a knock on his ankle duringthe Switzerland-Brazil friendlyon Wednesday, as well asgoalkeeper Victor Valdes,who also trained on the sideon Thursday.

Nonetheless, there aresome good news for GerardoMartino’s side as PedroRodriguez and CescFabregas trained with theirteammates after shaking offsome injuries, while captainCarles Puyol has also startedtraining on the pitch followinghis knee surgery.

Robben Hails ‘Top Coach’GuardiolaARJEN Robben has

praised new Bayern Munichcoach Pep Guardiola,insisting his team-mates arepleased to learn from a coachwho made Lionel Messi evenstronger.

Much to the surprise ofmany, Robben has so farbeen one of the key playersunder Guardiola. The first fewweeks of the formerBarcelona man’s tenure havebeen described as a “culturerevolution” by some mediaoutlets, but Robben believesthat this is not the case.

“Every new coach doesnew things and Pep tries toteach us many great things,”Robben told Bild. “He is a topcoach and we are happy andproud that he is with us now.We benefit from him greatly.

“[He is] a man who madeBarcelona play fantasticfootball and who made Messieven stronger. You just haveto learn something from thatman. I had many greatcoaches, but every day Ilearn from him, I have a goodrapport with him. I feel greattrust.”

Bayern will take on Chelsea

in the European Supercup inPrague next week.

“I want this title on mybusiness card, just like I wantthe Club World Cup on it,” headded. “The longer the list thebetter. Those finals are therewards for our historic lastseason. We should bethankful and win them.”

Robben is also delighted tofinally have Mario Gotze onboard.

“He is a super footballer. Itwas our strength last year thatwe did not lose any qualitywhen somebody wassidelined. You should bank oneach other and not fear thecompetition.”

When Robben looks backon his career one day, 2013will most definitely stand outas one of the best and mostsuccessful years of his career.

The Netherlands wingerentered 2013 with majordoubts about whether heshould continue his injuryprone career. In October2012, he told Dutch TV hehad considered ending hiscareer. At that time, Robben

had only played threeBundesliga games in theseason

In the second half of lastseason, Robben only played 7out of 17 Bundesliga games.But that was mainly down tothe fact that he was part of theBayern starting XI that stormedthrough the ChampionsLeague.

On that night at Wembley,Robben scored the triumphantwinner against BorussiaDortmund, a club he fearedplaying against the twoprevious seasons.

Not only did he score the lastminute winner in theChampions League final butthe Netherlands winger’s goalin the DFB Pokal quarter-finalin late February erasedDortmund’s chances ofrepeating their 2012 cuptriumph.

The season before, Robbenhad handed the championshiptrophy to Dortmund when hemissed a late penalty inBayern’s 1-0 defeat at theWestfalenstadion in April. Afew weeks later Robben wouldmiss an extra time penalty inBayern’s Champions Leaguefinal against Chelsea.

Luiz Gustavo

Luiz GustavoJoins

WolfsburgARSENAL’s target Luiz

Gustavo has signed forWolfsburg from BayernMunich for a reported fee ofaround 20 million Euro.

Gustavo, 26, has agreed afive-year deal with Wolfsburgas he looks to secure regularfirst-team football ahead ofnext year’s World Cup.

The Brazil internationalhad been strongly linked withArsenal, who are in themarket for signings, but hehas opted to remain in theBundesliga.

Following the summerarrivals of Mario Gotze andThiago Alcantara, Gustavo’splace in the Bayern peckingorder had slipped, leading toconjecture over his future.

“I need to play, play, play,”Gustavo, who was alsolinked with Napoli andBarcelona, had said lookingahead to the 2014 WorldCup.

Gustavo signed for Bayernfrom Hoffenheim in 2011 andhelped the club claim ahistoric Treble last season.


Globacom League: Ogunbote OptimisticOf Sharks FC Improvement

Owolabi, Ogunjobi,Others Hail Eagles

Michael Eneramo now plays for Besiktas of Turkey

Eneramo Tips Besiktas ToBe Champions

Emmanuel Emenike

BalotelliBoost ForAC Milan

Emenike Aims To ShootDown Arsenal

...Dolphins’ Manager HailsSharks Performance

FENERBAHCE strikerEmmanuel Emenike has toldMTNFootball.com he hopes toscore against Arsenal in aChampions League play offon Wednesday. Last season’s Turkishleague runners-up will hostArsenal in the first leg playoffand the former SpartakMoscow striker has beenlisted for the game. “I will do my best againstArsenal to help my teamFenerbahce reach the groupstage of UEFA ChampionsLeague,” Emenike toldMTNFootball.com “The Arsenal match is on mymind, it is very important tome, I can’t wait to play thegame, score goals to earnvictory.” Arsenal’s last visit toFenerbahce was in the 2008/2009 UEFA ChampionsLeague group stage and theEPL outfit came out tops 5-2to end Fenerbahçe’s 15-match unbeaten home run in

Europe. Emenike, who has baggeda four-year deal at Fener, isalso in line to debut forFenerbahce in league openeron Saturday againstKonyaspor. He has looked sharp intraining since he first workedout with the rest of the squadon Tuesday.

THREE players of thedefunct Green Eagles onThursday urged the SuperEagles to look beyond its 2-0victory over Bafana Bafana ofSouth Africa in the MandelaChallenge. The ex-internationals, FelixOwolabi, Taiwo Ogunjobi andAjibade Babalade, inreactions to the Eagles’victory in the match played onWednesday in Durban, SouthAfrica, said the victory was apointer to improvement. They told the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN) on telephonethat the international friendly,a build-up to Nigeria’s WorldCup qualifier against Malawiin September, would furtherboost Eagles’ FIFA ranking. They, however, warned theEagles against relaxing in theeuphoria of the victory, sayingpreparation for the qualifiershould begin immediately. Owolabi said that the victorywas a good one for the currentAfrican champions, but thatthe team should not relax untilit got the three maximum

points against Malawi in thequalifier. “The victory is a gooddevelopment for the SuperEagles who have continued towax stronger, however, thevictory is not the mostimportant, but a continuousreconstruction,’’ Owolabi said. Ogunjobi, the Chairman,Prime FC of Osogbo, notedthat the team’s victory hadfurther showed that theEagles were a force to bereckoned with in Africa. “The team’s victory againstBafana Bafana has furtherconfirmed the Eagles’ ratingas the African champions,”Ogunjobi who doubles as theChairman, Osun FA, said. He, however, urged CoachSteven Keshi not to relent inits preparation ahead of thequalifier. The chairman also urgedKeshi to continue to give otherplayers in the team theopportunity to contribute theirquota to the success of theteam.

AC Milan have beenboosted after Mario Balotellicame through trainingunscathed yesterday. Balotelli missed Italy’s 2-1loss to Argentina duringmidweek with a kneeproblem, leading to concernshe could be absent for thestart of Milan’s season. But the forward, who scored12 goals in 13 games for theclub following his arrival fromManchester City, looks set tobe available for the team’sChampions League meetingwith PSV Eindhoven nextweek. “Mario should be fit,” Milan’svice-president AdrianoGalliani said in the Gazzettadello Sport. “His knee is responding welland I’ve spoken to (coachMassimiliano) Allgeri and hesays he should play. “The team is readyphysically and mentally. I sawus play in Germany and theUSA and it seems like we’rein good shape, but we’ll justhave to see.”

MICHAEL Eneramohas tipped new clubBesiktas to challengeGalatasaray andFenerbahce for theTurkish league title. The ex-Esperanceskipper said Besiktashave a good team to becrowned championsagain after their lastconquest in the 2008/09season. We are a good teamand we can win theLeague, cup and evenin Europe. We will playto win every match. Wehave a team of qualityplayers and goodcoaches who have all ittakes to challenge otherteams for trophies thisseason,” Eneramo toldMTNFootball.com “I feel at home here, Ihave been here for overtwo years with goodexperience in thisbeautiful country. I havefriends. I am glad to joinBesiktas, it is such agreat club, I am veryhappy to be part of agreat team.” The former Sivassporstriker also allayed fearsover his fitness. “There’s nothing toworry about my fitness.

I will be completelyready for action in aweek or two, and willcontribute to the team’ssuccess,” he assured. “I played two seasonsat Sivasspor, I will fit ininto any pattern eitherusing double or a lonestriker, I have noproblems.” He again restated hisquest to surpass theexploits of DanielAmokachi at theIstanbul club. “Amokachi was a greatplayer for Besiktas. Ihave been told a lotabout his achievementhere, I will do my best tomake this team greatand also make name formyself, I am ready to domore for Besiktas,”Eneramo said.

COACH Gbenga Ogunbote of Sharks FC of Port Harcourtyesterday expressed optimism that the club, now out ofrelegation zone, would end well in the ongoing 2012/2013Globacom Premier League.

Ogunbote told newsmen ontelephone that the club’s 2-1victory over city rivals,Dolphins FC of Port Harcourt,

in week 25 of the league wasencouraging. The coach said that theteam’s epileptic start in theseason had not in any waydampened the player ’smorale as they were, instead,striving to improve in everymatch they played. “The club did not start on agood note; that is one of thereasons we are in this currentposition. “Before, we occupied thelast rung of the league table,but now, we are in the 12thposition after 25 matches with33 points. “Our intention is to workharder to improve; and I am

certain that the team will dobetter and end in a goodposition at the end of theleague,” he said. Ogunbote, a former coach ofSunshine Stars FC of Akure,added that Sharks would doeverything within their meansto either improve or retaintheir present position in theleague. “I want the club supportersto be at rest that certainly, the

club will not be part of theteams that will be relegatedat the end of the seasonbecause all hands are ondeck. “Our supporters shouldcontinue to pray for us andkeep tolerating us as they hadalways done. Definitely, wewill not disappoint them,” hesaid. Reports say that the leaguehas 13 matches to go for thecurrent season.

DOLPHINS of PortHarcourt Manager StanleyEguma has praised cityrivals, Sharks FC of PortHarcourt, for their 2-1 victoryover his side in a midweekGlo Premier League match. “Sharks played well anddeserved to win, even thoughwe played at home. Sharksdid well and took theirchances,” Eguma had toldnewsmen shortly after thematch on Wednesday. “However, my players triedtheir best in spite of playingwith only 10 men for morethan 70 minutes. “I have no complaintsagainst the red card given tomy player because thereferee made the decision,”he said. Dolphins’ midfielderChidiebere Okolie wasissued a red card in the 19thminute after being booked foran earlier offence. Dolphins’ Isiaka Olawalehad shot his side aheadwhen he converted a penaltyin the 50th minute. Sharks equalised throughJonah Abutu in the 76thminute while ChristianPyagbara scored the secondgoal for Sharks in the 90thminute. Ere Dokubo, Sharks coach,said he was not surprised atthe victory because his teamprepared well for the

encounter. “Our target now is to finish

Mario Balotelli

IYAMU - I formerly MissEsther Iyamu, now wishto be known, called andaddressed as Mrs.Esther Iyamu Iliya. Allformer documents remainvalid. NYSC, otherconcerned authoritiesand general public shouldplease take note.

CHANGE OF NAME CHANGE OF NAME

IKIENU - I formerly MissIkienu Wasilat, now wish tobe known, called andaddressed as Mrs.Muhammed IkienuWasilat. All formerdocuments remain valid.NYSC, other concernedauthorities and generalpublic should please takenote.

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among the top nine clubs atthe end of the season,” hesaid.

THE WEEKEND


Save As: Emenike Pg30 (Sat F)

Mandela Challenge:

FIFA’s Valcke In Brazil NextWeek For Stadia Inspection

Cardiff OwnerWon’t Rule

Out ChangingClub Name

Moscow 2013Gemili Fastest To Qualify In 200m, Bolt Cruises

Through

Britain’s Adam Gemili wins 200m Heat at World Athletics championships in Moscow.

FIFA FinesBrazil FA OverDoping Probe

Asia Football Chief BacksEmbattled Qatar World Cup

FIFA said Thursday itssecretary general JeromeValcke will visit Brazil nextweek to tour host cities fornext year ’s World Cup,including Sao Paulo.

It will be Valcke’s first visitsince the Confederations Cupin June and he will alsoinspect host stadiums in thenorthern city of Manaus andin Curitiba in the south,football’s world governingbody said in a statement.

Monday, Valcke is due inSao Paulo to inspect theItaquera arena that will hostthe opening game of thetournament next June 12.

The stadium is 82 percentcompleted.

The statement said Valckewould be accompanied bySports Minister Aldo Rebelo,ex-Brazil squad starsRonaldo and Bebeto, bothmembers of the Cup’s LocalOrganizing committee (COL),and local officials.

Also Monday, Valcke willinspect the Curitiba stadium,which is 71.4 percentcompleted before touring theManaus arena, which is 76.18percent finished, the next day.

The FIFA official will wrap

up his tour in Rio to reviewprogress in talks with Cuporganizers.

The World Cup will beplayed in 12 host arenas, sixof which were delivered forthe Confederations Cup inJune.

The other six are to becompleted by late Decemberunder a firm deadline set byFIFA.

Tuesday, Rebelo saidwork on five of these stadiumsmust be speeded up.

“We have the conditionsfor meeting (FIFA’s Decemberdeadline, but “this will requirea faster pace of work,” he toldsenators.

CARDIFF City’s Malaysianowner Vincent Tan onThursday admitted he hasn’truled out changing the newly-promoted Premier Leagueclub’s name.

Tan oversaw Cardiff’scontroversial change to a redhome kit from their traditionalblue last year, as well as theintroduction of a new badgeprominently featuring a reddragon alongside a bluebird.

In February, the tycoonhad to deny reports he mayseek to further rebrand theclub by renaming them asCardiff Dragons.

But Tan, speaking at apress conference for his‘Thanks a Million’ initiative,which has seen Cardiffdonate £1 million(US$1.56m) to local charities,again broached the subject ofa name change when askedabout Hull’s recentrebranding as Hull CityTigers.

“I read a bit about HullCity’s name change. Theyare back in the PremierLeague and I admire theirowner Assem Allam for whathe has done,” Tan said.

“One thing that I read thatI liked is he says there are somany teams with the namecity.

“There is Hull City,Leicester City, Cardiff City,Bristol City - everyone iscalled City.

“Who doesn’t knowCardiff is a city? Who doesn’tknow Hull is a city?

“I think that his strategy isgood but I’m not saying thatwe are making any similarchanges.

“I don’t want nasty e-mailswritten to me tomorrow but Ialways say ‘never say never.’

“Businesses need toevolve. If we all stayed thesame there would be nointernet today and we wouldall be living in caves.

“But definitely we are notchanging anything now.”

The Bluebirds arepreparing for their firstseason in the top-flight for 51years and the campaign getsunderway with a trip to faceWest Ham United at UptonPark on Saturday.

Tan has backed managerMalky Mackay in the transfermarket, breaking the club’stransfer record three timessince last season’s promotionwith the acquisitions ofAndreas Cornelius, StevenCaulker and Gary Medel.

And he expects to see areturn on his investment oncethe season gets under way.

“I thought £25 millionwould be a nice number tospend on players,” Tan said.

FIFA has fined theBrazilian FootballConfederation around 8,000Euro after it failed to provideinformation relating to adoping case.

In a statement, FIFA saidthe fine had been imposed for“not complying with therequest from the FIFADisciplinary Committee’’.

World football’s governingbody said information relatingto the case had not beensubmitted “within thedeadline’’. It has not namedthe player involved.

BRITISH sprinter AdamGemili smashed his personalbest to qualify joint-fastestfrom the heats for the 200mat the World Championshipsin Moscow.

Gemili produced thefastest time from a Britishathlete in the event since2005 as he won his heat in atime of 20.17 for the joint-fastest time of the round alongwith South Africa’s AnasoJobodwana.

The time put him in fifth onthe UK’s all-time list andsecond in the U23 category as

the 19-year-old from Londonmade an impressive start tothe event, along withcompatriot James Ellington,who also won his heat.

“Maybe I didn’t expect itthis early but coming into the200m I knew I was in shapeand I just wanted to execute,”said Gemili, who wasfrustrated not to make the100m team.

“I looked across andthought someone else musthave got it but there’s moreto come and I just want to hitit this afternoon.”

Two-time defendingchampion Usain Bolt joggedthrough his heat to win it in acomfortable time of 20.66.

Bolt, who took gold in the100m on day two of thechampionships, pushedBritain’s Delanno Williamsinto second.

The 26-year-oldJamaican, who won the 200mtitles in Berlin in 2009 andDaegu in 2011 and is also

double Olympic championand world record holder inthe event, clocked an easy-going time as he cruisedaway from the field.

“I’m not really a morningperson so I’m just happy toget through,” Bolt said afteradvancing as the 21st-fastestqualifier.

“My foot is feeling better.It was sore but we’ve beenworking on it for four days.”

Bolt, who set the currentworld record of 19.19 inBerlin four years ago, is the

Tiny, oil-wealthy Qatar’shosting of the 2022tournament has beencontroversial since it wonhosting rights in 2010 after abidding process hit bycorruption allegations.

Shaikh Salman waselected president of the AsianFootball Confederation(AFC) in May after thedeparture of Qataribusinessman Mohamed binHammam, who is battlingcorruption claims and wasalso involved in his homecountry’s World Cup bid.

Shaikh Salman, amember of the royal family inBahrain, which neighboursQatar, also raised theprospect of an Asian winnerfor the Qatar tournament.

“Based on theperformance andachievements of Asiannations in all FIFAcompetitions and the recentOlympics in both the maleand female categories... weare now world-beaters andworthy contenders for anycompetition, and why notwinning it in 2022 in Asia?”he said.

fastest in the field this seasonwith 19.73 in Paris six weeksago.

He will be joined by all themain favourites in Saturday’ssemi-finals, with the final toround off the evening sessionof day eight of action at theLuzhniki Stadium.

Jamaica team-matesWarren Weir, the Olympicbronze medallist from London,Nickel Ashmeade anddebutant Jason Livermore allwent through.

ASIA’s football chief hasunderlined his support forQatar’s hosting of the 2022World Cup after Englishofficials suggested the eventshould be moved elsewhere.

Shaikh Salman binEbrahim Al Khalifa saidQatar would “make Asiaproud” with the tournament,despite ongoing concernsover playing it in the harshGulf summer.

“The AFC is confidentthat Qatar will host amagnificent World Cup,under the guidance of FIFA,and with it only being thesecond time that Asia playshost to a FIFA World Cup,”Shaikh Salman said in astatement. “We are sure thatQatar will make Asia proud.”

The timing of the eventhas become a vexed issuewith FIFA and UEFA, theworld and Europeangoverning bodies, andfootballers’ union FIFPro allcalling for it to be heldduring the winter.

Greg Dyke, the newchairman of England’sFootball Association, saidthe tournament could alsobe moved away from Qatar,a view endorsed by EnglishPremier League chiefexecutive RichardScudamore this week.

“At the end of the day,FIFA made a decisionwhich is for none of us tocomment on,” Scudamoresaid on Thursday. “Theydecided the World Cup willbe in the summer in Qatar.

“Our view is, if that isdeemed not possible byFIFA, they need to movethe location. We can’t just,on a whim, decide to moveto the winter.”

South Korea and Japanco-hosted the 2002 WorldCup in the hot East Asiansummer, the only time theregion has hosted football’sshowpiece event.

Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa


CMYK

Printed and published by Bendel Newspapers Company Limited, 24, Airport Road, P.M.B. 1334 Benin City. Telephone; Lagos: 01 4930929, Benin: 052 257492, 257531Editor: HENRY BALOGUN (08058767088), Deputy General Manager, Marketing (08023457566), Assistant General Manager, Advertisement (08023808856) Lagos Office: 3/4 Amode Close, Kudirat AbiolaWay, By Olushosun Bus Stop, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. Abuja Office: Floor 1, Edo House, 75 Ralph Shodeinde Street, Central Business District, Abuja. Tel/Fax: 09-5237631.

All correspondence to: 24 Airport Road, Benin City. E-mail: [email protected] (ISSN 0331-2674)

Weekend Sport

Villas-Boas Says Bale NoLonger Talk To Anyone At Spurs

Man Utd Contacts Real Over Ozil, Modric

Luiz Suarez Saga Won’tRuin Red’s Start

Gareth Bale

Lescott Wants New City Deal

TOTTENHAM’s manager Andre Villas-Boas hassaid he has no idea what Gareth Bale wants becausethe player is not speaking to anyone at the club.

stage.“Nobody knows

Gareth’s state of mindbecause he doesn’tspeak,” Villas-Boasadmitted.

“The only thing we seeis the player arriving inand out of the trainingground. But it’s fine.Ideally we’d like him to

stay here. This is wherehis future is.”

The absence until nextmonth of Walesinternational Bale,thesubject of a world recordbid of more than areported £85 million fromReal, means he couldhave played his lastgame for Spurs if he joins

Madrid.Villas-Boas said the 24-

year-old will not be fit untilthe league game at northLondon rivals Arsenalwhich is scheduled to beplayed the day before thetransfer window closeson September 2.

Bale will missTottenham’s Premier

League opener atpromoted Crystal Palaceon Sunday, the EuropaLeague playoff first leg

League launch in Londonon Thursday.

“I’m confident we’ll haveplayers in before the start,”he said. “We’re involved inseveral players we’relooking at and that willcontinue. Will we get thembefore the deadline? Ihope so, but we’re workingvery hard to do so. It wasalways going to be adifficult window for mepersonally. I joined on July1, which has given me ashort period.”

As first reported in theDaily Telegraph, theEnglish champions retainan interest in CescFabregas. Although theBarca playmakerappeared to have madehis refusal to leaveBarcelona unequivocalwhen he told the mediaearlier this month that hehad “never consideredleaving”, United haveagain been sufficientlyencouraged that hisomission from any of theside’s August games couldchange the situation, andthat the Catalans may beminded to accept an offerof over £40 million.

As it stands, though,United’s best chancewould appear to lie withMadrid star Modric.Although it has emerged

that there have beenlines of dialogue openwith Ozil’srepresentatives sinceJune, the Germanyinternational — whom SirAlex Ferguson tried tosign in the summer of2010 — is known to beone of Real Madridpresident FlorentinoPerez’s favouriteplayers.

At the same time, theSpanish club’s publicpursuit of Gareth Balecould radically alter thecircumstances. DespiteReal’s utter confidence inhaving the funds toeventually capture theTottenham Hotspur starthis summer, they mayseek to ease the financialburden by offloadingmore players.

the five-year deal hesigned when he joinedfrom Everton in 2009.

Although the Englandinternational lost hisplace in the team toMatija Nastasic lastseason, he is eager toextend his stay at theEtihad Stadium.

“I’m in the last year ofmy contract now, so I’vegot to get my head downand try and earn a newone here and remainhere,” he toldTalkSPORT.

“It’s nice to be a part of

L I V E R P O O L ’ smanager BrendanRodgers expects his sideto be more competitive inthe Premier League thisseason.

Brendan Rodgers isconcerned that the LuisSuarez transfer sagacould “sabotage” theclub’s start to the season.

Sign up for ESPN FC’sfree fantasy league gamefor the Premier League.Pick your 15-man squadand take on your friendsand colleagues right now.Play

In his press conferenceon Thursday, Rodgerssaid he would not beanswering any morequestions on the matteruntil after the striker’sten-match suspension forbiting Chelsea defenderBranislav Ivanovic iscompleted next month.

Before that self-imposed silence on theissue came into effect,however, Rodgers saidhe was determined thathe would not let his pre-season preparations bedisrupted by the focuson one players’ future.

“There’s too muchgood work gone on herefor it to be overtaken byanything else,” he saidahead of Liverpool’sopening fixture of thecampaign against Stokeat Anfield on Saturday.“The players haveworked so hard, theirconcentration has beenbrilliant and we are allvery determined thisyear. I can’t let anythingdetract from that.

“Nothing can sabotagewhat we are trying to do.I don’t really want to goon about it.

MANCHESTER Unitedhave made contact withReal Madrid aboutsigning one of LukaModric or Mesut Ozil, OldTrafford sources havetold ESPN.

The move signals anescalation of United’sattempts to finallycomplete transferbusiness in what hasbeen a frustratingsummer.

ESPN FC has beeninformed that the club isstill intent on makingthree signings before thetransfer window closeson September 2, with anall-round creativemidfielder the top priority.It is for this reason thatUnited are nownegotiating on a fewfronts.

David Moyes alluded towhat one source hasdescribed as the club“keeping several platesspinning” at the Premier

Villas-Boas confirmedthe Welshman will besidelined untilSeptember with the footinjury that has kept theReal Madrid target out ofthe Premier Leagueclub’s pre-season build-up but it remains to beseen whether he will stillbe at the club at that

Joleon Lescott

...Gareth PursuitQuestioned In Spain

have led many to questionwhether the move — whichthe Daily Telegraphbelieves would cost £200million in transfer fee andwages — makes sense.Pundits, meanwhile, havewondered where the Walesinternational would fit in,given the excellent pre-season form of Isco, andthe success of thepossession-based midfieldstyle new coach CarloAncelotti has been using.

Marca remains convincedthe deal will go through,announcing on its cover onFriday morning that Balehad three possible teamsfor the coming season:Madrid, Madrid or Madrid.However, rival newspaperAS featured a piece fromeditor Alfredo Relanoexpressing his growingconcerns about the transfer.

“As the days pass, it

seems Bale’s signing forMadrid comes closer andcloser in an inexorableway, and each day I hearmore doubts,” Relanowrote.

Liverpool Agree Cissokho Deal, Target Willian

QUESTIONS continueto be raised in Spain overthe wisdom of RealMadrid’s pursuit ofTottenham Hotspur starGareth Bale.

It is expected that Balewill make a world-recordmove to the Bernabeubefore the close of thetransfer window, withSpurs head coach AndreVillas-Boas revealing thatthe player is currentlygiving the club the silenttreatment.

However, Villas-Boasalso said that “ideally” Balewill remain at White HartLane, and negotiationsover the fee and paymentschedule between Madridpresident Florentino Perezand Tottenham chairmanDaniel Levy have beentough.

Madrid’s huge debts

Rodgers has beenlooking forreinforcements at left-back as Jose Enrique ishis only senior player inthat position and hasidentified the Frenchmanas a viable option.

Cissokho is expectedto travel to Merseyside inthe next week to undergoa medical and agreepersonal terms, althoughit is understood Liverpooldo not believe that will bean issue.

An agreement is inplace for the club to signCissokho permanentlyshould his season-longstay be successful.

Rodgers is keen to adda couple of players to hissquad before the end ofthe transfer window andwants to furtherstrengthen his attackingoptions.Aly Cissokho

this club, and it’s nice toknow that I came at thestart when the club werein transition and as theystarted winning things.”

JOLEON LESCOTT isdetermined to earn anew contract atManchester City as heenters the final season of

LIVERPOOL haveagreed in principal tosign Valencia defenderAly Cissokho on loanwith a view to permanentdeal, Press AssociationSport understands.

Manager Brendan

Ozil Mesut

weekend observer 17 08 2013

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