...towards a better life for the people

N150VOL. 25: NO. 62697

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016**

Mr & Mrs

•P.19

Boutros-Ghali:The Africanchild •P.17

•Magu raises alarm, says 133 senior lawyers fighting EFCC•Says senior lawyers frustrating anti-corruption battle•Insists national interest, rule of law come first in crusade•NBA warns FG against abuse of constitution

Rivers Statecontroversy:So whatnext?

Continues on Page 5

GRAFT IN OIL SECTOR:

By ClaraNwachukwu,

Clifford Ndujihe,Charles Kumolu,

Sebastine Obasi &Marie-Therese

Nanlong

LAGOS—INQUESTinto shady deals in

the oil and gas sector isproceeding apace with thearrest and detention ofsome players in the sector.

Acting Chairman of theEconomic and FinancialCrimes Commission,EFCC, Mr. IbrahimMagu, disclosed,yesterday, that Mr.Olajide Omokore hasbeen arrested and hasbeen in the agency’scustody in the last threedays.

Omokore, who wasquizzed by the EFCC lastyear but later released, isChairman of AtlanticEnergy Drilling ConceptsNigeria Limited and adirector in Seven Energy

Convene emergencyeconomic confab,Soyinka tells Buhari

FG to further reducefuel price, saysoutgoing PPPRA boss

Rickey Tarfabribedjudge withN225,000,EFCC alleges

Anita finalisesdivorce fromPastor ChrisOyakhilome >10

Omokore, Diezani's cronyin EFCC net — MAGU

RECEPTION—President Muhammadu Buhari (left) with members of the Diplomatic Corps durng a reception he hosted forthem at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.

>8 >9

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ISTS:

2 — Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 , 2016

Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 , 2016 — 3

4 — Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 , 2016

POCKET CARTOONVanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 , 2016—5

IT'S UP TO YOUBY AYO ADIO

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

Omokore, Diezani's crony in EFCCnet — MAGU

SAYINGS OF OUR PEOPLE

Continues from Page 1

The secret of change is to focus all your energy,not on fighting the old, but on building the new

—Socrates

CHANGE means going from one state toanother. And this involves adjustments, which

in most cases means yeilding and letting go. In away, adjustments equal some sort of trouble. Butwhen you get to the other side, all of a sudden yourealize that things are better. That this life, this state,this new condition existed alongside the original oneall along.

IF a child does not grow before asking forwhat killed his father, what killed his

father may kill him.

MAKE Today count, do all you said you woulddo because in the real sense of it, all you

would ever have is Today. It's up to you.

International Limited.Atlantic Energy was one

of the greatestbeneficiaries ofcontroversial approvalsmade by former Ministerof Petroleum Resources,Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, under theformer PresidentGoodluck Jonathan’sadministration.

Magu disclosedOmokore’s detention,yesterday, during acourtesy visit toVanguard's head office inLagos. He also vowed toprosecute the war againstgraft to the letter, even ifit meant laying down hislife.

This came as theNigerian Bar Association,NBA, cautioned theFederal Governmentagainst abusingprovisions of theconstitution in the nameof anti-corruption war,claiming that thegovernment was doing

more of persecution thanprosecution.

Countering allegationsthat his commission wasselective in prosecutingthe anti-corruption war,the EFCC boss said:"People have the right tosay that we are selective.But any minister orgovernment official that isaccused of corruption willbe investigated. We willinvite the person to ouroffice. We are alreadyinvestigating the NNPC.Even now Omokore isback in cell. I don’t knowhow he managed thepublicity, he has been incell for three days."

We won’t spareanybodyHe said: "Corruption is

an attack on ourindividual and corporatesecurity. It is deliberateand calculated wickednessagainst our existence.Those stealing andabusing our commonpatrimony do not wish us

well. They do not wishour health, education,security, convenience,prosperity and posteritywell. They do not wish uswell among the comity ofcivilized nations."

Magu vowed to be"total, holistic andunsparing", in hisapproach to tacklingcorrupt practices.

How seniorlawyers arefrustrating the warHe also fumed that

efforts at recoveringstolen public funds andprosecuting allegedlooters were beingfrustrated by 133 seniorlawyers, describing suchas a conspiracy againstthe commission.

According to him, someexternal lawyers, who areworking for the EFCC arealso working against thecommission, adding thatfor the anti-graft war toyield desired results, thecommission must besupported by every one.

His words: "We are here(EFCC) due to divineintervention. I am here totell you that there isimpunity in the country,there is corruption andabuse of office. I am hereto tell you that the fightagainst corruption is notabout me, it is about thewhole of Nigeria. We areall stakeholders in thisbusiness. I am here to tellyou that corruption isfighting back. I need yoursupport more than beforebecause people steal ourcommonwealth and theyhire lawyers to fight us.

"I know that in everysphere of life, we have thegood, the bad and theugly. I am not saying wedon’t have bad onesamong us in the EFCC. Ihave realized that peopleare fighting us both fromwithin and outside. Butwe need to be committedto whatever we are doing;I am not saying that weare correct all the time. Iam not averse to criticism.I always welcome

criticisms; when you lookback it will help thesystem. I am saying thatpeople have money.

"Now, we have a gangthat is really fighting us.We have a gang of about133 lawyers that arefighting back in thesystem. They are fightingeverybody. If care is nottaken, this fight will turninto a fight between thehaves and have-nots,which is why I wanteverybody to support us.Most of these seniorlawyers don’t care. If youdon’t have money, theycan’t take your brief. Theyuse the proceeds ofcorruption to do theirbusiness. Otherwise whyshould someone carry 34SANs to court? Whatsense does it make? Andthen you discover thatonly one stands before thejudge. They are going forthe money. This story isreal. If you don’t havemoney, they won’t workfor you.

"What I am saying isthat Nigerians should joinus in the fight becausecorruption is fightingback. I don’t care, I amready to fight to the finish,because if there is anyreason, it is an honour thatwhen I die, people will saythat Magu died fightingcorruption. If there is anyother cause that I prefer, Iprefer to die fightingcorruption. That is why weare seeking for support sothat we will be on thesame page especially nowthat it is fighting back. Weare fighting for a betterNigeria so that ourchildren and grandchildren will have a betterNigeria because many ofus were lucky when wewere in the university.That opportunity does notexist again but we have achance.

"If things can be doneproperly you will see thechanges. These changesthat the President is tryingto do in the budget office,for instance, if things areproperly done, I think wewill not be talking aboutoil money. If we canrecover this stolen wealth,we will do well. So, ifthings can be doneproperly there is noreason for Nigeria not tobe good. That is why Ihave come to seeksupport not for me but forthe nation. We do thingswith the fear of God, wedo things within the ruleof law. But first with thefear of God, nationalinterest and the rule oflaw. I know we are allhuman beings, I am notclaiming any perfectionthat is why I need thesupport of everybody to dothis because it is a totalwar. If you can have agang of 133 SANs tryingto fight back, it is veryclear that they are fightingback. Let us fight them tofinish. In any case, at theend of the day, the peoplewill win, we will take theday so that our childrenwill laugh.”

On recovered lootMagu, who could not

disclose how much thecommission hasrecovered because theissues are still in court,said the EFCC has nobusiness with how therecovered loot isexpended.

"Our own is to recover.The cases are in court.Sometimes it is the courtrulings that will say whatto do with the proceeds ofthe crime. So we followstrictly the dictates of thecourt order. Sometimes,the judge may decide andask you to give the moneyback to the victim. It is notlike we collect money andgive it to any government.It has to go through theprocess and at the end ofthe day, whatever thecourt says, is what we willdo. The Tafa Balogunmoney was given to theFederal Government;there was a specific courtorder that (late DSP)Alamieyeseigha’s moneyshould be given to theBayelsa StateGovernment. There is acommittee on verificationof recovered assets.”

On perceivedlopsided nature ofthe warDismissing the

perception that thecommission’s anti-graftcampaign has politicalundertones, Magu saidthat no one is being witch-hunted, adding that theEFCC has evidence tosubstantiate all itsprosecutions.

"All the people we areinvestigating were inpublic positions, therewas looting. They havestolen public wealth. It isvery real, nobody isfaking anything. We don’tcook stories, there isevidence. If they are notinvolved, nobody willinvite them. So it is notpolitical, it is aboutNigeria. They use somebig lawyers to frustrate theproceedings in the courts.EFCC does not startarresting when someonebrings complaint, wehave to commencep r e l i m i n a r yinvestigations. We mightbe working on a case forsix months before weinvite that person andconfront him with thepetition. We conductprolonged investigations

before inviting anyone.We invited AlisonMadueke’s husband, doyou know how long weinvestigated him beforeinviting him? We want tobe corrected and arewilling to be supervisedbecause this thing isabout Nigeria,” he added.

NBA tasks FG onrule of lawMeanwhile, President

of the Nigerian BarAssociation, NBA,Augustine Alegeh, SAN,has tasked the FederalGovernment to upholdrule of law in the fightagainst corruption.According to him, doingotherwise will mean thatthe suspects are beingpersecuted instead ofprosecuted.

“NBA will continue tosupport the fight againstcorruption. We have zerotolerance for corruptionbut the fight againstcorruption should bewithin the ambit of the lawbecause there is no wayof fighting corruptionexcept relying on legalmeans,” he said.

Speaking in Jos,yesterday, at the NationalExecutive Committee,NEC, meeting of theNBA, he canvassedsanctions againstmembers who committedcritical failures that couldhave been avoided at thevarious elections petitionstribunals in the country.

Olajide Omokore, asynopsisOlajide Omokore is

known to have beenplaying entrepreneurialroles in key sectors of theNigerian economy since2010. He is involved in theupstream anddownstream activities ofNigeria’s oil and gasindustry with companies,which he either foundedor in which he has stakes.He is the chairman andfounder of EnergyResources Group.

He is also the Chairmanof Atlantic Energy DrillingConcepts NigeriaLimited, and a director inSeven EnergyInternational Limited. TheYagba, Kogi State-bornbusiness man is not newto controversy, ascompanies owned ordirected by him have beeninvolved in onecontroversy or the other.

MAGU VISITS VANGUARD—From left: Mr Kunle Adekoya,General Editor, Vanguard Newspapers; Mr Eze Anaba, Deputy Editor;presenting Vanguard 2016 Calendar to Ibrahim Magu, Acting ExecutiveChairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; while MrOchereome Nnanna, Chairman Editorial Board Vanguard Newspapers lookson during the visit of EFCC Chairman to Vanguard Newspapers Head Officein Lagos, yesterday. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele.

6 —Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 , 2016

Lagosians’ll start enjoying light rail servicesfrom Dec – AMBODE

SYNAGOGUE: New application stalls trustees,engineers' trial

INTERDENOMINATIONAL SERVICE: From left; Baba Aladura Israel,Lagos State Secretaryof CAN; Hon. Lola Akande, Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and PovertyAlleviation; Apostle Alexander Bamgbola, Lagos State Chairman of CAN; Mrs Abolanle Ambode,First Lady of Lagos State; Most Rev Magnus Atilade; Mrs Folashade Ashafa; Senator 'GbengaAshafa; His Eminence Joseph Otubu; Apostle Onanuga; Apostle babatunde Odele, during theCAN Interdenominational Divine Service at the Apostolic Church, Alapere Ketu Lagos.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni &Monsur Olowoopejo

Lagos Assemblyconfirms TrustFund boardnominees

Lagos inaugurates DangoteN10bn micro grants committee

LAGOS—GOVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode of

Lagos State yesterday, restatedhis administration’scommitment to ensure that theBlue Line of the Light RailProject is up and running byDecember 2016.

Governor Ambode, who spokeat the 5th Lagos CorporateAssembly, a forum for public-private sector engagement heldat the Banquet Hall of LagosHouse, Ikeja, while respondingto questions from captains ofindustries and members of theOrganised Private Sector(OPS), debunked claims thatwork had stopped on the firstphase of the project connectingMile 2 to CMS, saying theallegation was totally untrue.

“The truth is, you might notsee the contractors but they areactually working on the watersfor now and by December thisyear, the project will startrunning. So, work is seriouslyongoing,” Governor Ambodeassured.

He said that government wasabout concluding on thechannelization of the waterwaysin Lagos to improve on watertransportation so as to encourageinvestors and reduce the pressureon the road networks in the state.

He assured members of the OPSas well as would-be investors thatthe state is more than willing andready to create an enablingenvironment for businesses tothrive with the overall aim of

improving on the socio-economicwellbeing of the citizens.

The governor also said hisgovernment was ready to partnerwith existing and would-beinvestors for industrial growth sofar such investors are bringingvalue to the state.

While responding to issues

raised by captains of industry andmembers of the organized privatesector at the forum tagged “A+Meets Business”, GovernorAmbode said as part of measuresaimed at encouraging investment,his administration created the N25billion Employment Trust Fund togive soft loans to entrepreneurs

just at three percent, while theOffice of Overseas Affairs andInvestments otherwise known asLagos Global, the Office of CivicEngagement, as well as theMinistry of Wealth Creation andEmployment Generation wereequally established, all in a bid topromote investment opportunities.

...Promises to eliminate Apapa tank farms

LAGOS—ATTEMPT by theLagos State government

to arraign Trustees ofSynagogue Church of allNation, SCOAN, and twoengineers charged over thecollapsed guest house thatkilled 116 persons in thechurch was stalled yesterdayfollowing a new application byone of the companies.

The new application by HardRock Construction andEngineering Company, E.LAkpofure (SAN) was seekingto quash.

The Trustees of SynagogueChurch of all Nation, EngineerAkinbola Fatiregun and hiscompany, HardRockConstruction and EngineeringCompany, Engineer OladeleOgundeji and his companyJadny Trust Ltd are facing 110criminal counts ofinvoluntary manslaughter.

It could be recalled thatJustice Lateef Lawal-Akapohad on February 8 fixed

yesterday for arraignment ofthe defendants havingdismissed an earlierapplication challenging themanner which the courtsummons was served on thedefence.

When the matter was calledfor the arraignment it couldnot proceed as counsel toHardRock Construction andEngineering Company, E.LAkpofure (SAN) informed thecourt that he had filed anapplication seeking to quashthe charge.

Akpofure told the court thatthere was nothing in the proofof evidence linking his clientto the charges before the court.

A similar application wasalso filed by a lawyer, OlalekanOjo on behalf of his client,Engineer Oladele Ogundeji

Titilola Akinlanwo (SAN),Counsel to EngineerFatiregun, also told the courtthat her client had also filedan application for a stay of thecourt proceeding, whileinsisted that the court has theobligation of hearing theapplication before any

arraignment would take place.Prosecuting team led by

Director of Public Prosecution,DPP, Mrs Idowu Alakija didnot oppose the hearing of theapplications but asked forreasonable time to response toall the applications.

THE Lagos State Houseof Assembly, yesterday,

confirmed the appointments ofGovernor AkinwunmiAmbode’s nominees into boardof the State Employment TrustFund.

This came as the Assemblypardoned the six Tutors-General and PermanentSecretaries over allegeddisrespect to the invitation toappear before the HouseCommittee on Education.

The confirmed nominees onEmployment Trust Fund are:Mrs. Ifueko Omoguiyi, as theChairman of the board, whileMr. Akintunde Oyebode willserve as secretary.

In the case involvingpermanent Secretaries, theChairman of the EducationCommittee, Hon. LanreOgunyemi representing OjoConstituency II, informed theHouse of their refusal toappear before the Committee.

While appearing before theHouse, the spokesperson of theTutor Generals, Mrs. Iji Taiwoapologized to the lawmakerssaying, “I want to apologize onbehalf of my colleagues for theactions, it was not intentionalto disrespect the HonorableHouse and I promise not torepeat the same again”.

The Speaker of the House,Hon. Mudashiru Obasa whoaccepted the plea on behalf ofthe whole house, urged them“to go and sin no more.”

LAGOS State governmentthrough, the Ministry of

Women Affairs and PovertyAlleviation has inauguratedthe Local Government DangoteFoundation Micro Grants’Beneficiary selectioncommittee for women in theState.

The programme, beingexecuted in collaboration withDangote Foundation has setaside N10 billion nationwidefor the economic empowermentof vulnerable widows andsocially disadvantaged

women in the country.However, the sum of N400

million is being set aside forLagos project for samepurpose in the state.

The state Commissioner forthe Ministry, Mrs. LolaAkande at the inauguration inAlausa, Ikeja, said thecommittee is saddled with theresponsibility of selecting,nominating and presentingeligible candidates as prospectivebeneficiaries from ward level tothe state government for finalapproval before they canaccess the DangoteFoundation Micro Grants.

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

By Abdulwahab Abdulah

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

N3.7BN THEFT: Ex-NIMASA boss, others' trial adjourned again

By Innocent Anaba

LAGOS—THE prosecutionof the immediate past

Director-General of NigerianMaritime Administration andSafety Agency, NIMASA, Dr.Patrick Akpolobokemi and nineothers before a Federal High

Court sitting in Lagos oncharges of theft of N3.700,629 billion, has again beenadjourned till March 22.

The matter was adjourned torule on admissibility of adocument tendered by aCompliance Officer withZenith Bank Plc., Mr. Teslim

Adekunle, who is a witness tothe Economic and FinancialCrimes Commission, EFCC, inthe trial of the former NIMASADG and other accusedpersons.

At the hearing in the matteron Wednesday, Justice SaliuSaidu first ruled on thepending application, bygranting the prayer of theprosecution to withdraw adocument which it hadtendered on Wednesday asexhibit.

But counsel to the accusedpersons led by Dr. JosephNwobike, SAN, had objected tothe withdrawal of the documentand urged the court to mark thedocument as ‘reject.’ON March 24, 2014,

we published anarticle written by DeleShobowale titled “Theinheritors (4) ChiefAdeyemi Lawson”whichmade certain remarksconcerning Mr. KolapoLawson’s dealings withEcobank TransnationalIncorporated and whichwe now know to beincorrect about the personof Mr. Kolapo Lawson andhis late father, ChiefAdeyemi Lawson. Wehereby retract the saidarticle in its entirety andapologise profusely to Mr.Kolapo Lawson for anyinconvenience andembarrassment the saidarticle might haveoccasioned him and weassure him of our highestregards at all times.

— MANAGEMENT

Corrigendum

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 — 7

Olubadan-in-Council declaresEze Ndigbo title illegal

MEETING: From left; Chief Femi Okunronbi; Dr Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu; Rt Rev EmmanuelBolaji Gbonigi, Chairman of Yoruba Unity Forum, Y U F, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu and Chief kofoBucknor-Akerele, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State during the General Meeting of YorubaUnity Forum at Efunyela Hall, Awolowo House, Ikenne, yesterday. Photo by Shola Oyelese.

Ekiti APC leaders are Diaspora politicians — PDP

Airtel announcessenior levelleadershipchanges

IBADAN—THE Olubadan-in-Council has in a letter,

warned Dr Alex C. Alozie to stopparading himself as holder of thetitle of Eze Ndigbo of Igbos inIbadan and Oyo State.

Meantime, Alozie yesterdayprotested against the letter

The letter addressed to thePresident General, OhanezeNdigbo, marked LL8co/02/16 andsigned by one Oladepo AbiodunEsq states that “Our instruction isto make it clear to you that youraction and that of your group youpurport to represent in Ibadan andOyo State in general amounts toan act of insubordination,illegality and a calculatedattempts to cause chaos and breeda state of anarchy in the state.”

But, responding Dr. Anoziesaid, “We had informed the wholeworld in the past of a high courtjudgment over the Igboleadership tussle in Ibadan andOyo State which favoured Dr. AlexAnozie and our association,ACDA, affiliate of Ohanezeworldwide.

Making reference to the letterfrom the council, he said the

documents referred to weredocuments that featured between1997 and 2010 when most peoplewere confused by the deceit ofhis opponents.

While addressing newsmen athis ‘palace’ in Ibadan yesterday,he said “ the State High Court in

Ibadan had ruled on the 18th ofFebruary 2014 which no othercourt has vacated, that only me,Dr Alex Alozie should beparaded as Eze Ndigbo of Ibadanand Oyo State.”

He further stated that “ it isquite unfortunate that mostpeople were confused throughdisgruntled individuals who goabout deceiving people and

parading themselves against thejudgment of the High court inspite of the fact that the judgmentof the High Court has neitherbeen vacated, nor have they gotany stay of execution against thecase.”

He further clarified that the titleof Ezendigbo, Onyedu Ndigbo,Onyeisindigbo or Ochiigbo allmean the same thing in Igboexpression and that notwithstanding anybody or groupis at liberty to refer to him as anyof those mentioned Igbo titles.

By Ola Ajayi

‘Ondo youthprogramme,a model forNigeria’ Ekiti State Chapter of the

Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, has described the meetingin Abuja, by some leaders of theAll Progressive Congress, APC,leaders in the State as a furtherconfirmation that those leadingthe party in Ekiti State areDiaspora politicians, who havelost touch with the people.

The PDP, which noted thatserious politicians desirous ofwinning elections will not hold itsstakeholders meetings more than300km away from their state,added that no amount of Abujameetings will bring APC in Ekitiback from the land of the dead.

The State Publicity Secretary ofthe PDP, Mr Jackson Adebayosaid in a statement in Ado Ekitiyesterday that “Governor Ayodele

Fayose will for a very long timeremain the nightmare of the APCand its self-centered leaders.

“From the time Fayose joinedEkiti politics till now, the onlygovernorship election won by theAPC was the one in which Fayoseassisted the party,” he said.

Adebayo said; “Ekiti people willno longer succumb to the selfishwish of diaspora politicians, whowill only come to the State tocontest elections and runaway themoment they lose or are thrownout of government.

“Can any serious politician beplaying away game and leavingthe grassroot in the hand ofopponents? Isn’t that the reasonFayose who eats and dine withthe people will always defeat theAPC as long as the space permits?

''As much as they tried to patchup their differences, a majorstakeholder in the APC boycottedthe meeting.

The PDP also described thestatement credited to fomergovernor of the State, NiyiAdebayo that Ekiti State had beenturned to a pariah state as aproduct of a frustrated mind, saidany reasonable man would attestto the fact that the peace in thestate could not be matched by anyother state in the south-west.

“There is no state in thesouthwest that has been enjoyingthe kind of relative peace anddevelopment being enjoyed inEkiti State today and discerningminds can’t but laugh at a formergovernor refering to his own astate as a pariah state,” he said.

THE Ondo State HealthCommissioner, Dr. Dayo

Adeyanju has said that thesuccess of the state’s adolescentand youth friendly healthprogramme has made it a modelfor the country.

According to him; no fewerthan 1,000 secondary schoolstudents in the state have beentrained as health marshals tohelp drive the programme amongtheir colleagues.

“The successes we haverecorded is just too numerouswhich is why other states andeven the Federal governmenthave come to learn from ourlessons.

“We introduced the multi-sectoral approach programme tohelp challenge theresourcefulness of young peopletowards productive engagementinstead of destroying their futurewith youthful exuberance.

“Our other strategies include afunctional website, sensitizationof Medical Directors, ChiefNursing Officers and Adolescentfocal persons on Youth friendlyservices, training of AYFH clinicservice providers as well ascollaboration with Out-of-School youths in the State,”Adeyanju said.

BHARTI Airtel(“Airtel”), a global

telecommunications servicesprovider with operations in 20countries across Asia andAfrica, today announced toplevel changes for its Africaoperations to further enhancethe level of empowerment andenable faster decision makingas well as speed to market, theCompany also unveiled a newcluster based organizationdesign.

Christian de Faria, MD &CEO, Airtel Africa, has beenelevated to the position ofExecutive Chairman, AirtelAfrica. In his new role, he willcontinue to support the visionof Airtel Africa and lead allmatters relating to legal,regulatory affairs, shareholdersas well as Mergers &Acquisitions.

Raghunath Mandava, who iscurrently Director – CustomerExperience, India & SouthAsia, will take over as ChiefOperating Officer, Airtel Africa.Raghu will relocate to Nairobiand will be fully responsible forthe commercial operations.

By Olufemi Ajasa

LAGOS—THE President’swife, Aisha Muhammadu

Buhari, yesterday in Lagos, saidimportation of goods into thecountry had seriouslyundermined the nation’s growthand development, noting that itwas time Nigeria started lookinginward for its economy growth.

Mrs Buhari also commendedthe National Assembly fordefending the restriction onforeign exchange on some items.

Speaking at the commissioningof the Erisco Foods ‘TomatoesPaste factory , Aisha Buhari calledon local manufacturers to startutilizing local raw materials intheir production.

According to her, Erisco foods’tomatoes factory with installedproduction capacity of 45,000metric tonnes yearly wouldempower local farmers and create

jobs for millions of Nigerians.She commended National

Assembly for supporting theexecutive’s policies and reformsin stabilizing the economy as theleadership of the legislative armhad made it known tomanufacturers to look inward.

Earlier, chairman of EriscoFoods, Chief Eric Umeofia, saidthe factory would stop the annualwastages of 75% of the freshtomatoes across the country.

He said with the completion ofthe factory, said to be the biggestin Africa, Nigerians would be ableto eat fresher and healthier tomatopaste proudly grown and madein Nigeria.

According to him, “How can webe watching the efforts of ourremaining royal farmers beingwasted while importers areusing our scare foreignexchange to importsubstandard food products?”

Importation of goods hurting Nigeria'seconomy — AISHA BUHARI

By Jimoh Babatunde

Yoruba forumwarns Buhariover Naira’s fall

A BEOKUTA—THEYoruba Unity Forum

has raised an alarm over thedwindling economic situationin the country, warning thatmillions of jobs might be lostthis year if the free - fall of theNaira and the attendant risinginflation in the country are notchecked urgently.

The YUF, however, urgedPresident MuhammaduBuhari to put measures inplace to arrest the situation andalso restore investors’confidence, noting that year2016 would particularly bechallenging to Nigeria and thecitizens .

YUF’s new Chairman, Rev.Emmanuel Gbonigi, stated thisyesterday, in his address at thegeneral meeting of the groupheld at Efunyela Hall in theIkenne, Ogun state, home oflate Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

According to him, the textileindustries if revived are capableof not only restoring jobs lostin past decades but also addtens of billions of naira to theNational Gross DomesticProduct(GDP).

The meeting observed aminute silence in honour ofChief (Mrs) HIDAwolowo,who was until herdeath,the Chairman of YUFand the late Ooni of Ife,ObaOkunade Sijuwade.

By Daud Olatunji

By Rotimi Ojomoyela

8—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

Convene emergency economicconference, Soyinka tells Buhari

By Emmanuel Elebeke Census 2017:FG deploys1,214 personsto conduct EADin 29 states

By Chris Ochayi

ABUJA — AS part ofpreparations towards

conducting an accurate andreliable population census earlynext year, the FederalGovernment, yesterday,deployed 1,214 persons toconduct the Enumeration AreaDemarcation, EAD, across 29states of the federation.

The government, however,issued a stern warning tostakeholders to refrain from anyform of undue interventionduring the conduct of the secondphase of the EAD which isbeginning Monday, February22 to March 14, 2016.

Addressing newsmen inAbuja, Chairman of NationalPopulation Commission, NPC,Chief Eze Duruiheoma, said the1,214 personnel of the agencyshould be allowed to carry outtheir duties professionally andgive to the nation an EAD framethat will form the basis for asuccessful census.

Duruiheoma described EADas constituting the foundationon which the entire censusarchitecture stood.

The EAD is expected to takeplace in one local governmentcouncil in each of the 29 statesof Abia, Adamawa, Anambra,Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno,Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo,Ekiti, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna,Kano and Katsina.

Others are Kebbi, Kogi,Kwara, Lagos, Ogun, Oyo,Plateau, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe andZamfara.

Cautions on human rights abuse

VISIT: Prof. Wole Soyinka (left) and Minister of Information, Culture and Orientation,Alhaji Lai Mohammed during Soyinka's visit to the minister in Abuja, yesterday. Photo byGbemiga Olamikan.

ABUJA— APPARENTLYworried by the continuous

decline in the nation’seconomy, Nobel laureate, Prof.Wole Soyinka, yesterday,called on PresidentMuhammadu Buhari toconvene an emergencyeconomic conference forexperts to brainstorm on theway forward and future of theeconomy.

The Nobel laureate made thecall when he paid a courtesycall on the Minister ofInformation and Culture,Alhaji Lai Mohammed, inAbuja.

According to Soyinka, theconference became necessaryto enable experts diagnose theproblems currently facing thecountry and make necessaryrecommendations forgovernment to get theeconomy out of the woods.

He said: “I agree with thosewho say the economy is bad.It is obvious and it is so bad. Ithink the Presidency shouldcall an emergency economicconference where experts willbe enlightened.

“We really need anemergency economicconference, bringing expertstogether to march the nationforward. I think the economyis not encouraging. Quitefrankly, I think mosteconomists will agree withthis."

Don’t wait to see abonanza economy

While urging Nigerians to bepatient with the presentadministration, the Nobellaureate urged them not toexpect an end to the presenthardship as it would linger fora long time.

“Don’t wait to see a bonanzaeconomy in the next fewmonths to a year. Recovery isgoing to take time. But at thesame time, we have to rely onthe objective analysis ofexperts to tell the governmentwhen it gets bad, which mightcompound the problem andultimately left the people asvictims.

“At the beginning, thiscabinet had no Culture buthad Information ministry. Wehad to scream, before theMinistry of Culture latercame," Soyinka said.

Cautions on humanrifgts abuse

Asked to rate the performanceof Buhari’s administration, hesaid though it might be tooearly to assess theadministration’s performance,it would be right for thegovernment to recognise theprovisions of the law andconstitution of the land toavoid violation of thefundamental human rights ofpeople.

He said: “My attitude to theperformance of the present

administration is that therule of the law should befollowed. I belong to anygovernment which is verypatient to getting results. Ihave a very clear idea ofgovernance tempo.

"If that goal is attained byconstitutional means, ifnothing else, it would havemoved this nation forward.

“The tempo of motion, forme is very reasonable. Forme, I would say more thanreasonable. But on the

human right side, we have towatch very carefully to see ifthat can be achieved withoutforfeiting the fundamentalhuman rights of people,which form the basis wederive from citizenship.

“I will say, while the humanright is respected,governance should move on,which I believe mostNigerians approve.

"What is going on now is anexposure of open robbery in

‘Why there is artificial fuel scarcity’NNPC, marketers unable to meet import allocationPPMC intervenes with 80m litres of PMS

By Clara Nwachukwu,Sebastine Obasi, EdiriEjoh, Prince Okafor &Iloaze Blessed-Odidi

their faces, while thegovernment should damnthe consequences of itsaction, with ethical rigourwithout minding whose oxis gored.

“Government, for me, is avery complicated matter andthere is a lot of debris to becleared. Maybe, we need tobe a little bit more patientto see what theadministration will do.”

LAGOS — INABILITY of theNigerian National

Petroleum Corporation, NNPC,and its subsidiary, Pipelines andProducts Marketing Company,PPMC, and other oil marketers,including the majors and theindependents, to meet theirrespective product allocationshas created artificial scarcity inLagos and other parts of thecountry.

Recall that the PetroleumProducts Pricing RegulatoryAgency, PPPRA, for the firstquarter of 2016, awarded 78 percent of the premium motor spirit,PMS, or petrol import allocationto NNPC/PPMC and thebalance of 22 per cent to majorand independent marketers anddepot operators.

However, Vanguard  investigationsrevealed that neither the NNPC

nor the marketers are able tomeet their respective allocations,a development that hasincreased pressure on supply,which is heavily concentrated inLagos, thereby resulting indistribution shortages.

Scarcity of foreign exchange,FOREX, has strangulated effortsto import petroleum products asexpected. While the NNPC, asa national company, could fallback on the Central Bank ofNigeria, CBN, for FOREX, otherdownstream operators could not.

A marketer, who preferredanonymity, disclosed that “eventhe majors are unable to importbecause of FOREX scarcity;banks have constantly said theydo not have FOREX formarketers, while cries to CBNfor help have not yielded anyresult.

“Of the five major marketers,only Mobil Oil and Total are ableto bring in some productsbecause of their foreignaffiliations. The rest cannot

source for dollar at over N350to $1 to import since there isno longer subsidy on theproducts, and only these twocannot bring in all of the 22percent allocation.”

Throughputarrangements

But supply shortages todepots under throughput(storage) arrangements withNNPC in Warri, Delta State;Port Harcourt, Rivers State; andCalabar, Cross River state,meant they no longer hadenough PMS to supply tostations in the South-South,South-East, and Abuja, thenation’s capital.

Another marketer, whoconfided in Vanguard, said:“In the last two weeks, PMSsupply to these locations havedried up. With no furthersupport from Warri, PH andCalabar, everybody is rushingto Lagos to lift the product.”

NNPC intervention Already, the NNPC/PPMC is

making frantic efforts to ease thepressure with additional 80 millionlitres of PMS, half of which is underthroughput at the Yinka FolawiyoDepot in Apapa, Lagos, while therest are being brought in by somevessels waiting to berth at thejetties.

But rather than admitting to thesupply shortages, the NNPC in astatement during the week,attributed the supply shortages tointernal squabbles between theMobil Oil branch of PetroleumTanker Drivers, PTDs, and thenational leadership.

However, the National Chairmanof PTD, Comrade Salimon Oladiti,denied being involved in thecurrent scarcity crisis in Lagos orother parts of the country.

According to him, “I don’t recallany rift between my union andPPMC. If the product is available,we will distribute, except if it’s theother way round.

“So, if anybody links the scarcitywith PTD, that person is making amistake."

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—9

FG to further reduce fuel price — AhmedSaves N2.6bn from subsidy removal in one month

Mbaba takes over as acting PPPRA boss

By Michael Eboh &Grace Udofia

ABUJA — THE outgoingExecutive Secretary of the

Petroleum Products PricingRegulatory Agency, PPPRA, Mr.Farouk Ahmed, yesterday, statedthat the Federal Government wasconsidering a review of the pricingtemplate for Premium MotorSpirit, PMS, and might effect afurther reduction in the price ofthe commodity from April 2016.

Speaking in Abuja, Ahmed, whoofficially handed over to the mostsenior officer of the PPPRA, Mr.Moses Mbaba, also disclosedthat as at February 3, about onemonth after the commencement ofprice modulation which led to thereview of the pricing template ofpetrol, the country had saved N2.6billion.

According to him, the decisionon the review of the price of PMSwould be taken next month by theMinister of State for PetroleumResources, after due consultationswith stakeholders and based onthe price of crude oil in theinternational market.

“Yes, wait till March, you will seebecause the minister is fair in thedecision he will take; because hewill take the decisionpragmatically,” Ahmedresponded, when asked about thepossibility of a likely reduction inthe price of PMS.

In addition, Ahmed stated thatdue to the current state of over-recovery, the PPPRA is recoveringsome money from the NigerianNational Petroleum Corporation,NNPC, and oil marketers.

He noted that as at February 16,2016, over-recovery was N13.81per litre, stating that an over-recovery of N13.81 meant that thelanding cost of PMS was lowerthan the selling price by N13.81.

However, as at the close ofbusiness yesterday, the over-recovery recorded by the countryhad dropped to N11.74 per litre,according to data obtained fromthe PPPRA website. Ahmed saidin instances of over-recovery, thePPPRA sent debit notes to everymarketers that fell within thatbracket to refund the excessmoney to the government, addingthat the fund was kept in anaccount recently opened at theCentral Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

He said: “There has been anaccount launched at the CBN,managed by the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF)where the over recovery funds aredeposited into. So there is noquestion of where the money goesto.

“As at February 3, 2016, theestimate in that account, becausewe are verifying based on whatwas imported, is just a smallamount of about N2.6 billion. Butthis is just the beginning becausesome of them are just arriving inDecember, that is why the subsidy

over recovery is low.”Continuing, he said, “The fact

is that whatever money that willbe put into that account, one day,which is our hope that the price

of crude oil will go up, therewould be more revenue inflowto the federation account. The oilsector will benefit. That excess,before you go to government for

any intervention, you go to thataccount and pull some moneyand compensate.”

However, he noted that theover-recovery might disappearif the price of crude oil rose bynext month.

By Laide Akinboade-Oriere

Arms probe:EFCC sealsAVM Adigun’splaza in Abuja

By Ben Agande

FG won’treverse sack of13 vicechancellors— Minister

ABUJA —THE Minister ofEducation, Malam

Adamu Adamu, yesterday,reacted to protests by someNigerians on the recent sackof 13 vice chancellors by theFederal Government, sayingthe decision would not bereversed.

The minister, who stated thiswhile addressing journalists atthe flag-off of the 2015/2016annual school census in Abuja,said though the ministry hadreceived some petitions andwas looking at them, theFederal Government wouldnot reverse its earlier decisionabout the sacked vicechancellors.

According to Adamu, “theFederal Government wouldnot reverse its decisionbecause somebody hascriticized them."

On census, Malam Adamusaid: “In order to facilitate thecollection of education data inNigeria, the Federal Ministryof Education has concludedarrangement to host theNEMIS software on theinternet for real-time onlinedata entry and processing."

ABUJA — THE Economicand Financial Crimes

Commission, EFCC, yesterday,sealed off the Hebron Plaza inGudu district of the FederalCapital Territory which issuspected to belong to formerDirector of Budget of theNigerian Air Force, Air ViceMarshal J. B. Adigun, who hasbeen in the custody of the anticorruption body for about twoweeks.

Operatives of the commissioncame to the plaza yesterdayafternoon and wrote on all sidesof the building, ‘EFCC! KEEPOFF.’

The officers, who came in twotruck loads of heavily armedsecurity operatives, went into theoffice which is on the secondfloor of plaza.

According to a source at theEFCC, who does not want to benamed, the decision to searchthe private office of the Air Forceofficer followed statements hemade to EFCC operativesinvestigating the matter.

“Our operatives took awaysome documents from hisprivate office which we thinkwould be useful to ourinvestigations,” the source said.

We've no reason to fail — BuhariPays tribute to pre-independence leaders

By Ben Agande

ABUJA—PRESIDENTMuhammadu Buhari,

yesterday, said his governmentcannot afford to fail the hugeexpectations of Nigerians, whoexpect it to lead the country togreater heights.

In a keynote address at thepublic presentation of a book,‘Nigerian Century’ written byDare Babarinsa at Shehu MusaYar'Adua Centre, Abuja,President Buhari said with theproper harnessing of abundanthuman and natural resources inthe country, it would attain itsgreatness.

The President, who wasrepresented by former governorof Ekiti State and deputychairman of All ProgressivesCongress in the South, SegunOni, noted that only a Nigeriacould have given meaning tothe indomitable spirit, boundlessenergy, collective creativity,cultural diversity and uniquesense of enterprise of Nigerians.

He said: “Yes, our land isblessed by providence withriches in oil and gas, iron ore,gold, limestone and almost allthe minerals of this earth.

"Our soil can grow almost anycrop and our vegetationsupports animal life as varied ascreation can manifest. Our riversand coast lines are rich withfishes and various kinds of life.Yet, despite these bounties fromnature, I have no doubt that thegreatest blessings of Nigeria arethe people of Nigeria, thewonderful people that giveexpression to the grandeur andmajesty of our beloved country.”

President Buhari recalled that

though Nigeria was born inadversity, nurtured toadolescence in the turbulence ofthe colonial period and itsmajesty was forged in thefurnace of hard experience of thepost-colonial era, the countryhad been able to overcome itschallenges to emerge as thebiggest economy in Africa.

He said: “Today, our countryhas the fastest growing economyin Africa and one of the fastestin the world. Our dominance isnot so much because of ourwealth, but because of thetremendous energy andresourcefulness of our people.

"How many countries of theworld can parade the likes ofProfessor Wole Soyinka, Jay JayOkocha, King Sunny Ade andAlhaji Aliko Dangote literallyunder the same roof?"

Pays tribute to pre-independence leaders

While paying tribute to thenation’s pre-independenceleaders, the President equallyhailed former PresidentsOlusegun Obasanjo, UmaruYar'Adua and GoodluckJonathan for nurturing thecountry’s democracy for the past16 years.

He said: “We are in debt to thefounding fathers of our Republic,Herbert Macaulay, Dr NnamdiAzikiwe, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello,Chief Obafemi Awolowo andmany other heroes of the anti-colonial struggle.

"They hoisted for us the bannerof freedom that we are stillenjoying till today. As President,the experience of each of mypredecessors as Chief of State

has provided a guiding mapfor us in moments of harddecisions and when we haveto embrace the loneliness ofpower.

‘’The 12 men: AlhajiAbubakar Tafawa-Balewa,General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi,General Yakubu Gowon,General Murtala Muhammed,General Olusegun Obasanjo,Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Shagari,General Ibrahim Babangida,Chief Ernest Shonekan,General Sani Abacha, GeneralAbdulsalami Abubakar,Mallam Umaru MusaYar’Adua and Dr GoodluckEbele Jonathan, each had theunique experience ofmodulating and moderatingthe sometimes turbulent temperof our great country.”

In his remarks, formerPresident Obasanjo, who wasrepresented by Prince JuliusAdelusi Adeluyi, enjoined allNigerians to contribute to thegreatness of the country.

According to Obasanjo, “aslong as Nigeria has life, weshould give it hope; we shouldall resolve to heal Nigeria.”

The chief presenter of thebook, former governor of LagosState and national leader of theAll Progressive Congress, BolaAhmed Tinubu, called on theNigerian government todiscourage the teaching offoreign history in Nigerianschools, noting that Nigerianchildren must be taught thehistory of their nation.

He said the 500-page bookwas a compendium bigger than419 and Boko Haram.

BOOK PRESENTATION: From left Hon. Babajimi Benson; Mr. Dare Babarinsa,author of the book; Mrs. Babarinsa; Prince Julius Adeluyi Adelusi, representing ChiefOlusegun Obasanjo; Ms. Okaima Ohizua, ED Transcorp Hotels; Mr. Segun Oni,representing President Muhammadu Buhari; and Obong Victor Attah, former Governorof Akwa Ibom State during the public presentation of a book, ‘Nigerian Century’ writtenby Dare Babarinsa, at Shehu Musa Yar'Adua Centre, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: AbayomiAdeshida

CMYK

10—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

Kidnappersrelease victim,shoot brother

By Emeka Mamah

LAWYERS to Anita, theformer wife of Pastor Chris

Oyakhilome, the founder ofChrist Embassy, have said thatshe had finalised her divorce tothe preacher, adding that shewas no longer a part of, orinvolved in, the church, alsoknown as Believers LoveWorldInc.

Anita Ebhodaghe, formerlyAnita Oyakhilome, a pioneermember of Christ Embassy,where she rose to become apastor, got married toOyakhilome in 1991, and theyhave two daughters.

A statement by her solicitors,Attwaters Jameson Hill, said thedivorce was finalised onFebruary 8 and hinted that shehad dropped Oyahkilome fromher name, while also severingall ties with the church.

The statement, published onthe United Kingdom-based lawfirm’s website reads: “We havebeen requested by AnitaOyakhilome to confirm that onFebruary 8, 2016 a decreeabsolute was pronounced in theHigh Court of Justice PrincipalRegistry of the Family Divisiondissolving her marriage toChristian OnehirokpeanaOyakhilome.

“Anita Oyakhilome would liketo confirm that she is no longerinvolved in or part of ChristEmbassy, A.K.A. BelieversLoveWorld Inc.”

In 2014, it was in the newsthat Anita had filed for adivorce, accusing her pastor-husband of indulging in illicitaffairs with female members ofthe church. This came to the foreafter months of rumourssuggesting that all was not wellwith the marriage.

In the following months, theirmarital crisis got messier as bothAnita’s lawyers andOyakhilome issued statementsthat suggested the damage tothe relationship was irreparable.

Shortly after, news of a suit for

Anita finalises divorce from PastorChris Oyakhilome

separation broke, images ofAnita, which were veryprominent on the church’swebsite, were removed with hername and image also missingfrom subsequent editions ofRhapsody of Realities, thechurch’s devotional, which shehad co-authored for years withher estranged husband.

Oyakhilome, at that time,dismissed reports about thedivorce including thosesuggesting that adultery wasone of the grounds for divorce,accusing the media of publi-shing a lot of “stupid things”. Chris and Anita

AN Ikeja Chief Magistrate’sCourt, yesterday,

remanded one AbdulsalamOlayinka, 20, in prison forallegedly raping a 14-year-oldorphan on Valentine’s Day.

Chief Magistrate TajudeenElias ordered that the accusedbe remanded in Kirikiri Prisonand adjourned the case tillFebruary 24 for ruling on thebail application.

The accused, a trader, wholives at 2, Amodu St., Agege,Lagos, is standing trial for rape.

The prosecutor, InspectorBenedict Aigbokhan, told thecourt that the offence wascommitted on February 14 at 5,Olanrawaju St., Agege.

Aigbokhan told the court thatthe accused went to his friend’shouse, but that the friend wasnot around; that he met the girl

in the house and raped her.Aigbokhan said: “The victim,

who is an orphan, screamed butno one in the house came to herrescue, except her agedgrandmother.”

The offence, according to theprosecutor, contravenes Section137 of the Criminal Law ofLagos State, 2011.

The accused, however,pleaded not guilty.

Man, 20, rapes 14-yr-old orphan

Troops at Mala Keri, Konduga Local Government Area, Borno State, razed by Boko Haramyesterday. Inset is four-year-old Muhammad Bulama, a survivor, who was rescued from aburning house. NAN PHOTOS.

ENUGU—KIDNAPPERSof a retired Permanent

Secretary, Mr. John Abugu,had reportedly shot arelation of the victim, whenhe took the ransom moneyto the den of thekidnappers.

The victim, who waskidnapped while returningfrom a funeral ceremony inEnugu Ezike, IgboezeNorth Local GovernmentArea of Enugu State, lastweekend, was later freed byhis abductors.

Abugu, a lawyer who hailsfrom Aji, Enugu Ezike, wasreleased yesterday morningat Ezagu area of the statewhere he was held in anunknown location for fivedays.

His relation, Mr. ChimaAdonu, who was said tohave taken an undisclosedamount of cash to thekidnappers in their den, wassaid to have been shotseveral times on one of hislegs and hands.

Police sources confirmedthe release of Mr. Abugu aswell as the shooting of hisrelation, who is said to be abanker.

O S O G B O — F O Rcollecting N600,000

from two parents in the guiseof offering admission to theirchildren, the managementof Obafemi AwolowoUniversity, OAU, Ile-Ife, hasarrested a middle-agedman, identified as TaiwoEzekiel Omodele.

According to a statementby the university’s PublicRelations Officer, Mr.Biodun Olanrewaju, thesuspect was arrested bysecurity operatives when heattempted to collectadditional N100,000 fromhis victims.

He said wheninterrogated, the suspectconfessed to the crime andblamed the devil for theaction.

Olanrewaju said:“Obafemi AwolowoUniversity wishes to statethat we do not ask parents,guardians or candidates topay for admission, or askthem to pay intoindividuals’ bank account tosecure admission.”

Man arrestedover OAUadmissionfraud

By GbengaOlarinoye

ABUJA—A man in his late50s, yesterday, slumped

and died at the House ofRepresentatives wing of theNational Assembly.

This is just as an onlinepublication has said that it wasthe Minister of Labour andEmployment, Senator ChrisNgige, that slumped at theNational Assembly during hisministry's budget defence.

Meanwhile, the minister, onhis Facebook account, debunkedthe death rumour, saying hewas hale and hearty.

The deceased, whose identitywas not known at press time,

reportedly slumped at the thirdfloor of the House ofRepresentatives about 10a.m.

An eyewitness told Vanguardthat the deceased slumped infront of the office of Chairman,House Committee on PoliceAffairs and efforts by a medicalteam to revive him failed.

Although an onlinepublication had mentioned thename of Senator Ngige as thedeceased, Vanguard was toldby sources around where thevictim collapsed that the mandid not look like the minister.

The witness, who spoke oncondition of anonymity, toldVanguard that the deceasedcollapsed as he tried to open anoffice of one of the lawmakers.

Another account had it thatthe deceased, who wasdescribed as lanky, fair and inwhite agbada, may have beena contractor as he was not partof the ongoing budget defence.

It was gathered that an aideto one of the lawmakers hadtried to revive the victim beforethe medical team from theSenate wing arrived.

It was further gathered thatthere was no ambulance to takethe person, described as a guestto the National Assembly, tohospital until he was taken in aprivate vehicle to the NationalHospital, Abuja, where he wasconfirmed dead.

Another account had it thatthe deceased came to see

Chairman, House Committeeon Police Affairs, Haliru Jika,but slumped while trying toopen the lawmaker's door.

It was further gathered thatthe hospital had wanted to carryout an autopsy, but his son saidno and took the body to Auchiin Edo State, for burialaccording to Muslim rites.

Meanwhile, Ngige wrote onhis Facebook wall, through hisPersonal Assistant, NwachukwuNgige: “Dear friends, pleasedisregard the wicked tissue oflies contained in an onlinepublication about an unfortu-nate incident said to have takenplace today at the NationalAssembly and in which I wassaid to have been involved.”

I'm alive, says Ngige; as man slumps, dies in National AssemblyBy Emman Ovuakporie

& Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—11

1,400 shops burnt in Kano market fire

TWENTY-four hours afterLagos State Government

confirmed the outbreak of astrange disease in Eti-OsaLocal Government that killedover 25 children, traditionalchiefs in Ikateland have put theblames at the door steps of theresidents and have commencedcleansing rituals.

The affected children weresaid to have developed rashessimilar to the symptoms ofmeasles, and died two to threedays after infection.

Speaking on behalf of thechiefs, Chief Opemilua Elegusiof Ikateland, in an interviewwith Vanguard, lamented thatthe unhygienic lifestyle adoptedby the residents of Otodo-Gbame community has dentedthe image of Ikateland.

He noted that prior to theoutbreak, the entire communitywas often filled with filth andstench. He said the residents,who are largely fishermen andtraders, do not engage insanitation even when thegovernment had declared lastSaturday of every month for theexercise.

He said the incident was abad omen which requires urgenttraditional steps by traditional

leaders, who have stepped into appease the gods of the land.

Earlier, while confirming theoutbreak of the disease,spokesman for the stateMinistry of Health, Mrs. AdeolaSalako, said no further deathhad been recorded sinceFebruary 10, when theepidemiological investigationteam, led by epidemiologistsfrom the ministry commencedinvestigation.

Death of 25 children: Lagos community commences cleansing ritualBy Bose Adelaja &

Monsuru Olowoopejo

KANO—OVER 200 shopsand 1,200 makeshift tents

were, yesterday, destroyed asan early morning fire guttedthe popular Singer Market inKano.

The state Director of FireService, Alhaji BalarabeKabara, who confirmed the fireoutbreak, said it occurred atabout 6a.m.

Kabara said: “We are yet toascertain the actual number ofshops destroyed, as we arestill battling to put out theinferno.”

However, an eyewitness whoidentified himself as AminuInuwa, said the fire startedaround 4:15a.m., and aparticular structure containingover 200 shops was completelyrazed.

Aminu said that the fire alsorazed a number of warehousesof foodstuffs and essentialcommodities near the market.

Meanwhile, there areconflicting reports over whattriggered the inferno. While aneyewitness attributed the fire toan explosion from gas cylinderof a pop-corn maker, anotherreport has it that the fire wastriggered by a live coalabandoned by a tea vendor inthe market.

Vanguard findings revealedthat the affected section of themarket was the hub of assortedgoods such as water-proof bags,sacks, rice, flower, pomade, softdrinks and other consumables.

Two prominent leaders of themarket union, Alhaji ImamYuguda and Alhaji Bature

Garba claimed over N3 billionworth of goods and cash werelost to the fire.

In his reaction, Kano StateGovernment called on theNational Emergency

By AbdulsalamMuhammad

Management Agency to assistvictims of the disaster.

THE Economic andFinancial Crimes

Commission, EFCC, in acounter-affidavit to the N2.5billion suit by Chief RickeyTarfa (SAN), before a FederalHigh Court sitting in Lagos,challenging his arrest anddetention, told the court thatTarfa allegedly bribed JusticeMohammed Yunusa of thesame court with N225,000.

EFCC, in the counter-affidavit, averred that Tarfa, onJanuary 7, 2014, transferredthe money to Justice Yunusaand that the judgeacknowledged the “bribe”with the words: “Thank youmy senior advocate.”

Attached to the counter-affidavit is MTN call log, filedby EFCC’s lawyer, Mr. WahabShittu.

Tarfa, charged before a LagosHigh Court, Tuesday, by EFCCon a two-count charge ofobstruction of justice andattempting to pervert thecourse of justice bycommunicating with a FederalHigh Court judge that washandling a suit filed by himagainst the commission.

EFCC alleged that onFebruary 5, Tarfa hid twosuspects, Nazaire SorouGnanhoue and ModesteFinagnon, both Beninoise, in

his Mercedes Benz SUV,thereby shielding them fromarrest and wilfully obstructingthe course of justice.

Tarfa’s suitIn Tarfa’s suit, he had asked

the court to compel thedefendants to release his twomobile handsets which he saidwere “deceitfully collected”from him for the purpose ofdestroying all information,data and other retrievablematerials stored on them.

However, EFCC, in thecounter-affidavit deposed toby Awolusi challenging thesuit, denied violating Tarfa’srights, saying that its operativereceived an intelligence reportof fresh criminal allegationsagainst Nazaire and Modestenot covered by the pendingcriminal proceedings.

The commission stated thatbased on the report, itsoperatives were directed toinvite Nazaire and Modestefor further interrogation andundertaking that they wouldnot escape from justice.

He averred that they wereasked to wait outside the courtpremises for the suspects andto also brief Tarfa on the newdevelopment. He said thesuspects were sighted outsidethe court at about 11:30a.m.

Awolusi said: “We explainedour mission politely and

courteously. The applicant(Tarfa) deliberately kept thesuspects locked up in his blackMercedes Benz SUV, andprevented the EFCCoperatives, including myself,from gaining access to thesuspects and also preventedthe suspects from honouringthe invitation.”

It was when theydisembarked that the suspectsalong with Tarfa were arrested.

Seized from TarfaAmong items seized from

Tarfa were his phones, whichAwolusi said was due tointelligence report that hecommunicated with the justice“in a desperate bid to pervertthe causeof justicein ane a r l i e rproceedingsinvolvingt h esuspects.”

T h eoperatives a i dw h e ndata onTa r f a ’ sm o b i l ep h o n e sw e r eanalysed,“startlingrevelations

about secret, unhealthycommunications between theapplicant and judicial officersemerged.”

Awolusi averred that theEFCC’s investigation of Tarfa’sbank account number “showsthat before the institution ofthe above proceeding,particularly on January 7,2014, the applicant bribedJustice Yunusa with the sumof N225,000.

“A copy of the applicant’sfirm account details, showingthe transfer of N225,000 fromthe applicant’s firm to JusticeYunusa, is hereby shown to meand marked Exhibit O.”

The case comes up today forhearing.

Rickey Tarfa bribed judge with N225,000, EFCC allegesBy Innocent Anaba

MILLIONS ofsubscribers on the

Globacom network havebeen urged to takeadvantage of the newlyintroduced internet movieplatform, Netflix to enjoygreat entertainment underthe company’s reliable datanetwork and pocket-friendly data plans.

Through Netflix, anonline movie-watchingsite, customers will be ableto access unlimited moviesand television shows overthe Internet,using computers, mobiledevices, television sets ona PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, orany other Netflixcompatible devices.

In a statement in Lagos,Globacom said all asubscriber has to do toenjoy this package is tosubscribe to any ofGlobacom’s bumper dataoffers and register as amember on the Netflixplatform after an initialfree trial period. All thedata plans are Netflixcompatible.

Glo unveilssuper-fastconnectionfor Netflix

12—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

By Innocent Anaba

EFCC seeks court's order to seize Tompolo'sproperty

Ijaw group faults call for Boroh's removalBy Tare Youdeowei

I’ll support youtill death,Ogbemudia tellsOshiomhole

$2.1bn arms probe: I’ve no case to answer, Metuh tells court

VISIT: From left: Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, former governor of defunct Mid-West and BendelStates; Governor Adams Oshiomhole and Mrs Yetunde Ogbemudia, during GovernorOshiomhole's visit to the Ogbemudias, Wednesday.

THE Economic andFinancial Crimes

Commission, EFCC, yesterday,brought an ex-parte applicationbefore a Federal High Court sittingin Lagos seeking for an order toseize all property belonging toformer Niger Delta militant leader,Government Ekpemupolo (aliasTompolo), pending his arrest andarraignment before the court.

The embattled former militantleader was recently declaredwanted by EFCC, following hisfailure to appear in court to facetrial on the charge preferredagainst him.

Tompolo and the former Directorof Nigeria MaritimeAdministration and Safety Agency,NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolokemiand eight others were accused byEFCC of converting the moneybelonging to the agency topersonal use.

Tompolo is yet to appear incourt, but had last week, throughhis counsel, prayed the court tovacate the bench warrant issuedfor his arrest.

The judge handling the case,Justice Ibrahim Buba, had onJanuary 12, issued a benchwarrant for the arrest of Tompolo.It renewed the order on February8, though counsel to Tompolo said

they had been unable to get acopy of the ruling to allow themappeal against same.

In the ex-parte application byFestus Keyamo, the EFCC isseeking for an order pursuantto Section 80 and 81 of theAdministration and Criminaljustice Act, 2015, to seize allproperty belonging to the formerNiger Delta militant leader.

The property are listed as

Property at No. 1 AgbamuClose, DDPA ExtensionEffurun, Warri, Delta State, allproperty of Mieka Dive Ltd andMieka Dive Training InstituteLtd, situated at No. 77, LiothStreet, ODPA Ugborikoko,Uvwie Local Government Area,Delta State, all property ofGlobal West Vessel SpecialistLtd, all property of MuhaabixGlobal Services Ltd and a River

Crew Change Boat namedMUHA – 15.

Other are: The property knownas “Tompolo Dockyard”, by theend of Enerhen Road, Effurun,Warri, the property known as“Tompolo Yard”, at the end ofChevron Clinic Road, next to NextOil, Edjeba, Warri, the DivingSchool in Kurutie, at EscravosRiver and the property known as“Tompolo House” at OporozaTown, opposite the palace.

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA—THE embattledNational Publicity Secretary

of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,Chief Olisa Metuh, yesterday,begged the Federal High Courtsitting in Abuja to quash theseven-count criminal charge theEconomic and Financial Crimes

Commission, EFCC, preferredagainst him.

Metuh, who was alleged tohave received N400 million fromthe former National SecurityAdviser, NSA, Col. SamboDasuki (retd), through hiscompany, Destra InvestmentsLimited, prior to the 2015

presidential election, arguedthat the EFCC failed to link himto the charge.

Instead of opening hisdefence to the charge as he wasearlier directed by trial JusticeOkon Abang, Metuh, yesterday,told the trial court that he haddecided to file a ‘no-case-

THE IjawMonitoring Group,

IMG, has faulted theAfrican Anti-CorruptionNetwork, AACN's,commentary on a radioprogramme, demandingthe immediate removal ofthe new boss of AmnestyProgramme, General PaulBoroh (retd), overallegations of corruption.

IMG, in a statement byJoseph Eva, said that allthe points raised by AACNwere the same baseless andmisleading report in anational daily publishedrecently as there were nonew facts given by thegroup to justify demand forGeneral Boroh's removal.

He said: “The threat byAACN to mobilize othercivil society groups to carryout demonstration againstBoroh if the presidency andEFCC or ICPC fails to reactto the said newspaperpublication, is childish and

an empty threat.“We are not defending corruption in

any sector but we will not fold our handsand allow mischief makers distract the

submission’.In the no-case-submission he

filed through a consortium of fourSenior Advocates of Nigeria, ledby Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, thePDP spokesman prayed the courtto in line with section 302 and 357of the Administration of CriminalJustice Act, 2015, discharge himand his firm on the ground thatthe EFCC did not establish aprima-facie case against thedefendants to warrant them to becalled upon to enter their defence.

The case was, yesterdayadjourned till February 25 forparties to adopt their writtenaddresses.

progress in amnesty office.Everybody is free to writepetitions to anywhere and theywill be treated based on merit."

13 political parties hail Gov Emmanuel’s S-Court victoryBy Tom Moses

UYO—THIRTEENpolitical parties in

Akwa Ibom State, underthe aegis of Conference ofNigerian Political Parties,CNPP, have commendedthe state governor, Mr.Udom Emmanuel, forsustaining his mandate asgovernor through the

Supreme Court.A statement by the

Chairman of the group, MrMartins Inyang in Uyo,yesterday, described theSupreme Court judgmentas a victory for democracyin the state and the nation.

The statement said that thedecision of the 13 politicalparties to congratulateGovernor Emmanuel was

in the spirit of fair play andto demonstrate that politicswas not a do or die affair.

The parties include theDemocratic People’s Party,Fresh Democratic Party,Independent Democrats,Peoples DemocraticMovement, ActionAlliance, KOWA Party, AllProgressives GrandAlliance and Labour Party.

By Simon Ebegbulem

B E N I N — F O Rtransforming the

face of governance in EdoState and for thedevelopmental projectsacross the state, a formergovernor of the defunct Mid-West region and BendelState, Dr. SamuelOgbemudia, has pledged tosupport Governor AdamsOshiomhole for the rest of hislife, saying, “I will continueto work with you until mygrave.”

Dr. Ogbemudia, during avisit by GovernorOshiomhole in hisresidence, in Benin City,said: “I have withdrawn mymembership of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, so, Iam at home as a non-partisan politician. But everyhuman being is a politicalanimal, and I cannot say Ihave left politics.”

Elated by the governor'svisit, he said: “But as I havesaid, I have been with youfrom the day you startedhelping me when I was theMinister of Labour. That dayI called you, and you askedme, ‘What do you want meto do for you?’ and I said, ‘Idon’t want strike throughoutmy tenure’, and you said,‘we were elected to causeyou discomfort, and if I don’tdo it again, it means I amfailing in my duty.’ I said,‘No, you won’t fail.’ Andthroughout my tenure therewas no strike and we workedwell together.

“So, as you have comehere, I didn’t see any otherway to thank you than tomake sure I work with you,and I will continue to workwith you until I go to mygrave.”

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—13

Why Tompolo may not surrender to FG —Ijaw group

By Emma Amaize &Simon Ebegbulem

Defection:Aniocha NorthPDP disownsOgoli-Egbuna

Edo 2016: Politicians cautioned againstreckless uttrances

Pa Okowalaudsrecognition byHeritage Plus

By Chioma Onuegbu

Youth leader's disappearance: Supporters protest toOlu of Warri

By Festus Ahon

By Tare Youdeowei

BENIN—THE Iwere PeaceMovement, a group made

up of Ijaw professionals andyouths in the Niger Delta,yesterday, alleged plans by theFederal Government to kill formermilitant leader, Chief GovernmentEkpemupolo, aka Tompolo, if hewas arrested and detained.

They warned that the continuedmilitarilization of the Niger Deltain the name of searching for theex-militant leader, will plunge theregion into another bloody war,appealing to PresidentMuhammadu Buhari to sustainthe prevailing peace in the regionby calling the Economic andFinancial Crimes Commission,EFCC and the military to order.

Whereabouts unknownAlso, there were no indications,

yesterday, that Tompolo will appearfor trial at the Federal High Courtsitting in Lagos, today, despite thebench warrant issued for his arrest,as his whereabouts are unknownto security agents saddled with thetask.

The court ordered his arrestpenultimate Monday while theEFCC, declared him wanted lastFriday , four days after.

However, there was calm,yesterday in GbaramatuKingdom, Warri South-West LocalGovernment Area, Delta State,despite apprehension that securityagents hunting for the formerNiger Delta militant leader maybombard the communities.

Residents in the area whospoke to Vanguard on phone,said there was no freshdeployment of troops to the areayet.

In Benin, Edo State, IwerePeace Movement in a statementby Mr Merie Oritsejolomi andJohnbull Omadeli, said: “We seethe EFCC charges againstTompolo as a ploy to arrest himand keep him in detention likethe leader of the IndigenousPeople of Biafra, IPOB, MrNnmadi Kanu and the formerNational Security Adviser, NSA,Sambo Dasuki, and murder him

in detention.“The Buhari government is in

shadow chasing as it seesanyone that stands by the truthas an enemy of the government.This action will not take thiscountry anywhere other thandestruction. The governmenthas practically abandonedserious and weightier issuessuch as creation of employmentopportunities and rejuvenationof the economy in pursuance ofperceived political enemies.

“This cannot be regarded asthe change the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, promised

Nigerians during its campaignfor votes in 2015. The APC-ledadministration is only interestedin the crude oil from the NigerDelta.

“Now, the only project, the gascity and deep sea port project inEscravos that would have createdthousands of jobs for the peopleof the Niger Delta andNigerians in general have beenabandoned. We want to advisethe government to be careful inthe case with Tompolo so that itwill not plunge the Niger Deltaregion into crisis while exploitingthe crude oil from the region.”

APC govt wants to kill Tompolo —Iwere Peace Movt

By Egufe Yafugborhi

WARRI—PROTESTS overthe disappearance of Ofe

Nene Pender, a youth leader inUgborodo, Warri South-WestLocal Government Area, DeltaState, yesterday, shifted to theAghofen Palace of the Olu ofWarri, HRM Ogiame Ikenwoli,where the angry youths drewthe attention of the Itsekirimonarch to the development.

The missing Pender is achairmanship contender in theforthcoming Ugborodo youthleadership election and hissupporters who stormed theOlu's Palace, alleged that someinterests within the communitymasterminded his suddendisappearance to deny himparticipation in the election.

Dogho Joseph and KennyNuko, who spoke to Vanguardduring the protest, said:“Regarding the forthcomingyouth election, some personswant to be returned unopposedhence the impunity against oneof our youth leaders mostfavoured to win. At some point,he was arrested and up till

now we have not heard fromhim. We don't know where hewas taken to.

“We have come here today

to report this matter to ourfather, the Olu of Warribefore we take furthersteps.”

They said that as far as theywere concerned, the electionwill be peaceful.

UYO—MEMBERS ofAkwa Ibom State House

of Assembly, yesterday, passedthe 2016 Appropriation Bill ofN425 billion for the fiscal year.

This followed the submissionof the report by the HouseCommittee on Finance andAppropriation during plenary.

Governor Udom Emmanuelhad, in December 2015,presented the 2016

By Gabriel Enogholase

A-Ibom Assembly passes 2016Appropriation bill

Appropriation Bill of N426 billionto the House of Assembly whichwas broken down to N245 billioncapital expenditure, N92.964billion recurrent and N88 billionconsolidated revenue fundcharges.

The House, however,approved N425 billion, N245billion for capital expenditure,N94 billion for recurrentexpenditure and N88 billion forthe consolidated revenuecharges.

BENIN—AHEAD of theJuly 2016 governorship

election in Edo State, chairmanof Edo State Peace and ConflictResolution Committee, ChiefEduwu Obasogie, has warnedpoliticians and some individualsin the state against makingwhat he called reckless andirresponsible utterances capableof causing a breach of publicpeace in the state.

Obasogie, in a statement inBenin, yesterday, said that apartfrom overheating the polity, suchunguarded statements werecapable of creating tension anddisaffection in the state.

He said: “We cannot fold ourhands and watch individualstake the law into their hands by

conducting themselves inmanners capable of creatingtension in the state. While weappreciate the essence of theright to freedom of speech asenshrined in the constitution, it

is not also in doubt that whenviews are expressed deliberatelyto cause disaffection or to incitethe public, refuge cannot befound under the umbrella of theright to freedom of speech."

A S A B A —LEADERSHIP of

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,in Aniocha North LocalGovernment Area, Delta State,yesterday, said that the areahas never suffered fromterminal illness. Reacting to media reportwhere Ogoli-Egbuna and over300 persons were said to havedecamped from the PDP to theAll Progressives Congress,APC, the PDP, in a statementby its Chairman, in the area,Mr Moses Osuoza, said MrDada Ogoli-Egbuna and hisfollowers were never membersof the party.

He said: “The alleged massdefection of 300 members ofthe PDP never took place.Ogoli-Egbuna merely latchedonto the opportunity presentedby the crowd of people at asocial event in Onitcha-Olonato score cheap political pointby announcing that he wasdefecting from the PDP toAPC.”

He noted that PDP in thearea has been waxing strongersince the general election,adding that the councilChairman and the councillorswon their seats on the platformof PDP.

A foremost educationistand father of Governor

Ifeanyi Okowa of DeltaState, Pa Arthur Okowa, hasexpressed gratitude toHeritage Plus Group forrecognising his contributionsto education, by naming theproposed first on-campushostel in Delta State Collegeof Education, Agbor, DeltaState, after him.

He spoke at his Owa-Alerocountry home on therecognition. He called onwell meaning Deltans tosupport and encourageHeritage Plus in its bid tocontribute to societaldevelopment.

“I am humbled to knowthat I was picked out of anarray of educationists,” hesaid.

In January, the groupannounced its intention tobuild an ultra-modernresidential hall at theCollege of Education, aninstitution which has existedfor over 40years without ahostel.

VISIT: From left: Vice President, Financial Affairs, Babcock University, Mr FolorunshoAkande; President/ ViceChancellor, Babcock University,Prof Ademola Stephen Tayo andGroup Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr PhillipsOduoza, during a courtesy visit by the bank executives to Babcock University, Ogun State.

CMYK

14 — Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 , 2015

FG to test-run over $1bn Abuja - Kaduna railline March 31

BOKO HARAM: There arestill systematic violation ofhuman rights by NigerianMilitary — AMNESTY INT'L

By Favour Nnabugwu

FG, statesmeet toaddressemergingsocio-economicissues

By Soni Daniel,Northern Region

Editor

ABUJA—THE FederalGovernment yesterday

assured Nigerians that the overN200billion Abuja-Kaduna rail linewould be ready for test-run byMarch 31, 2016.

The rail line is also expected tobe flagged off by PresidentMuhammadu Buhari in May.

The Minister of Transportation,Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, whomade this known during aninspection tour of the 186-kilometre standard gauge rail linefrom Abuja (Idu train Station) toKaduna, pledged to ensure thecompletion of the rail line byengaging all parties to theagreement to ensure speedycompletion of the project.

“The essence of taking this tourto enable us assess whether we areready for commercial activities andI think we are. And we think thatby March we should the test runof the rail services and we think itshould be free for those who willrun between March and April.”

“We expect that the President willkindly accept to flag off of thecommercial activities of this rail by

May this year so as to ensure thatthose who want to go to Kadunaby rail can actually use our servicesto Kaduna,” he said.

He said the federal governmenthad to include fencing of the railline from Abuja-Kaduna, addingthat increased the initial sum totalof $849,750,903.00 (N170 billion)to over $billion (N200billion)

Lifts for disabled personsThe Minister promised to

provide lifts for disabled persons,saying “we just told CCECC toprovide lifts in all the stations sothat the disabled can access theplatforms.”

It will be recalled that formerPresident Goodluck Jonathansecured about $900,000,000.00from China Export and ImportBank, through the FederalMinistry of Transportation, with theactive support of the then FinanceMinister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The Minister also declined todabble into what led to the delayby the past administration.

He said: “I don’t want to be partof those who will join issues withthe past government; they came,

they made their contributions andthey have gone. It is for you toassess me from where I took overfrom.”

He said because of the two yearsdelay, the present administrationwould have laid new tracks andalign them without wasting time.

The Minister met with theManagement of Daughters ofCharity, Kubwa, whose hospitalbuilding obstructed some sessionsof the rail line along Kubwa andpromised to meet with all the partiesinvolved, including the Minister ofthe Federal Capital Territory (FCT)and the contractor on the issue.

“We have agreed already beforeI came there to pay N362m andgive them another plot of land.

Amaechi said: ‘’The onlydifference that happened today isthat we asked CCECC to do socialresponsibility by helping them tobuild the affected parts of thehospital and be paid the N362m orpay the compensation to thehospital to build the demolishedareas themselves.

‘’We have N120bn but we felt weneed more than that though thesituation is very bad and thePresident has taken the railway

construction as a priorityproject. So we have a total ofN150bn, N60bn is for theLagos-Kano rail line.

“We hope that we willcommence the Lagos-Kanonarrow gauge this year. TheN60bn is counterpart fundingas our own contribution whilethe Chinese Exim bank willmake their own contribution.

“Another N60bn for the Lagos-Calabar rail line as our owncounterpart funding, it is notcontract. When the NationalAssembly engaged me, theylook at it as if it was a contract, Isaid no.

‘’It is our counterpartpayment, the contract has beenawarded already but not by us.What we are doing in thiscurrent government is that weare implementing what we metin office. We are not amongthose who will introduce ourown ideas.

“It was awarded byPresident Obasanjo and weare flying with it. The Lagos-Calabar was awarded byPresident Goodluck Jonathanand we are flying with it.''

•To build railway varsity on Lagos - Calabar line

A B U J A —MINISTER of

Budget and NationalPlanning, SenatorUdoma Udo Udoma,yesterday in Abuja metwith Commissioners forEconomic Planning andBudget matters in the statesto address emerging socio-economic policy issues inthe country.

It was the first of suchmeetings, which isintended to be heldquarterly to exchangeviews and compare notesand address socio-economic issues, with aview to improving the stateof the Nigerian economyand the well being of thepeople.

The Minister said themeeting was also designedto review the extent ofimplementation of theresolutions reached at theJoint Planning Board (JPB)/National Council onDevelopment Planning(NCDP) held in Awka,Anambra State in Octoberlast year.

According him, thetheme of the meeting;''Addressing emergingsocio-economic issues” isapt and timely as it comesat a time the country isexperiencing dwindlingrevenues occasioned by thedeclining price of crude oilin the international market.

Senator Udoma notedthat this developmenthas resulted ingovernments at all levelsfinding it difficult to meetcertain financialobligations, a situation hesaid could hurt the nationaldevelopment process.

He was optimistichowever that a closeworking relationshipbetween the federal andstate governments couldcreate a better atmospherefor the articulation of policymeasures aimed atdiversifying the economyand reducingoverdependence on the oilsector.

‘’I am pleased to informyou that the currentadministration is takingsteps to address thevarious socio- economicchallenges in thecountry,'' he said.

A B U J A —A M N E S T Y

International yesterdaydisclosed that despite thegiant strides made by theNigerian Army and theadministration of PresidentMuhammadu Buhari toensure protection ofhuman rights, there werestrong evidences thatindicate the systematicviolation of human rightsand internationalhumanitarian laws by theNigerian military in itsoperations.

According to theDirector, Research andAdvocacy of AmnestyInternational, Mr.Nathanet Bilay who led adelegation to Armyheadquarters, “AmnestyInternational has beendocumenting for severalyears 60 forms of violationsof human rights andinternational humanitarianlaws in Nigeria.

Addressing seniorofficers, including theCOAS, Mr. Bilay said:“The report is a product ofyears of research.

“We have travelled to theNorth East, variousdestinations, weinterviewed victims,

detainees, militarysources as well and ourfindings suggested thatthere was, indeed, aserious concern by ourrespondents.

“We have publishedtwo reports; one of thembothers on the seriouscrimes committed by thearmed group, calledBoko Haram. We havecome here with a positivespirit, we have beenpleased with PresidentBuhari’s comments thatrespect for human rightswould be at the center ofthe military’s operationsin his administration.''

Army disagreesHowever, Chief of

Army Staff, Lt. GeneralTukur Buratai, in hisresponse, said: “Thoughthe world over, the roleof the military is tosafeguard human life;wars are foughtphysically not to killhuman beings, wars arefought for influence butalong the line sincehuman beings areinvolved, rules andregulations come to play.

“As uniform men, weare not only conscious ofmilitary laws, we are alsoconscious of civil laws.''

By Kingsley Omonobi

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 , 2016—15

BIAFRA: IGP warns agitators, IPOB againstunauthorized bearing of arms

By Emeka Mamah,Kingsley Omonobi,

Nwabueze Okonkwo &Ugochukwu Alaribe

•Anybody killing agitators is a murderer—Okeke, ex-PSC boss

•Video showing killings of IPOB members in Aba goes viral

•Dare security agencies and face the consequences—Arase

Detained leader of Independent Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, and Director, Radio Biafra, NnamdiKanu (middle).

ABUJA—FOLLOWINGmedia reports credited to

members of the IndependentPeoples of Biafra, IPOB,threatening to carry arms inself defence against theNigerian nation, InspectorGeneral of Police, SolomonArase has warned pro-Biafraagitators to reconsider theirstand on bearing of arms orface the wrath of the extantlaws concerning firearms.

Arase also warned thatanybody who dares securityagencies in the discharge oftheir constitutionalresponsibilities, and makeslife difficult for law abidingcitizens, will face direconsequences for theiractions.

In a statement signed bythe Force Public RelationsOfficer, ACP OlabisiKolawole, the IGP furthercautioned the IPOB membersto follow appropriateavenues in venting theirgrievances as anybody whosteps out of bounds will bedecisively dealt with.

Consequently, the IGPdirected all Zonal AIGs andState Commands CPs tostrictly enforce the lawsagainst the use of illegalfirearms across the lengthand breadth of the country.

The statement read: “Theattention of the Nigeria PoliceForce has been drawn to apublication credited to theIndigenous People of Biafra ‘tocarry guns in self defence.’

“The Inspector-General ofPolice, IGP Solomon Arase, hassternly warned members of theIPOB to reconsider their standor face the wrath of the extantlaws on bearing of firearms.

“Members of the groupshould therefore note that it isan offence punishable underthe criminal Law of theFederation of Nigeria for aperson to have in his possessionor under his control anyprohibited firearms withoutlicence or permit.

“Meanwhile, all Zonal AIGsand State Commands CPs havebeen directed to strictly enforcethe laws against the use ofillegal firearms across thelength and breadth of thecountry.

“The Inspector-General ofPolice has assured that theNigeria Police Force,complemented by other security

agencies in the country, willtirelessly and assiduously worktowards eliminating any threatto internal security and socialdisorder.

“He has reassured Nigeriansof his commitment to their safetyand security."

Killers and murderersBut in a swift reaction, Chief

Simon Okeke, formerChairman of Police ServiceCommission, PSC, hasdescribed anybody shootingand killing members of theMovement for the Actualizationof Sovereign State of Biafra,MASSOB or IndigenousPeople of Biafra, IPOB, who areagitating for the restoration ofBiafra as a murderer and shouldbe treated as such.

He said he had equally madesome inquiries from higherauthorities and was told that theshootings and killings of theBiafran agitators did not havethe blessings of even PresidentMuhammadu Buhari andservice chiefs, but rather, thekillers are applying excessiveuse of force on their own.

Okeke who spoke tonewsmen at his country home,Amichi in Nnewi South LocalGovernment Area of AnambraState, also called for immediaterelease of the leader of IPOB,Nnamdi Kanu on bail or elsethose who objected to his bailshould tell the world why heshould not be granted bail.

Okeke who, however, notedthat the agitation for restorationof Biafra is uncalled for becauseaccording to him, rather than

agitating for Biafra, the agitatorsshould concentrate on anagitation that would attractfederal government presence inthe South East zone.

According to him, “theagitation of the MASSOB orIPOB members is a reaction untoaction. The way Ndigbo aretreated with disdain in thiscountry is so bad. These youngmen and women have a genuinereason to revolt against lack offederal presence in the SouthEast region. As if that was notenough, in all the federalappointments, no Igbo man orwoman is in the kitchen cabinetof the present Buhariadministration.

“However, the FederalGovernment ought to haveestablished South EastDevelopment Commission toreconstruct the damage done toIgbo land during the civil war.

“General Yakubu Gowon didpromise at the end of the war thatgovernment would reconstruct,rehabilitate and re-integrate theSouth East zone into the mainstream but the reverse is the casetill date.

“I thought the agitators wouldhave been fighting forrehabilitation and reconstructionand attraction of federal presenceto the South East region, insteadof Biafra. South East governorsshould play a major role in therehabilitation and reconstructionexercise. The FederalGovernment should create apetrochemical industry in the oil-bed South East zone to createemployment opportunities for ourteeming unemployed youths

because unemployment is one ofthe major problems that leads torestiveness.

“These youths agitating for Biafrashould ask questions about whathappened during the civil war.Government should make historycompulsory as a subject in ourschools so that our youths will betaught what happened in the pastand the immediate and remotecauses of the civil war.”

Video showing killingsof IPOB members in Aba

Meantime, the Igbo YouthsMovement, IYM, has alertedNigerians over what it describedas “the degree of anger andbitterness in the hearts and soulsof eastern youths as they downloadand forward to each other’s handheld devices, videos of actualshooting and killing of IPOBmembers in Aba while praying ata school compound, last week.”

According to the IYM, “Thisvideo which elicits tears andheartaches is only achieving thevery opposite of what the peoplewho ordered the shootingenvisaged.”

Founder of the IYM and deputySecretary, Igbo Leaders of Thought,Evangelist Elliot Uko, raised thealarm in Enugu yesterday.

In a statement entitled, “Chenjiand the born to rule syndrome,”Elliot also accused some agentsfrom a section of the country of“ridiculing” and ejecting aglobally acclaimed artiste, OnyekaOnwenu from her office.

The statement read: “The forcefuland ridiculous ejection of globallyrespected artiste, Onyeka Onwenufrom her office by staffers from a

section of the country who openlycelebrated her removal, strikes achord with Nigerians. The beliefby this section of Nigeria that theyare born to rule others has beengiven practical force since May 292015.

“Their state of mind that Nigeriabelongs to them and we havetaken back our power, our birthright is only confirming to all, thatthe change mantra of 2015 generalelections is actually all aboutreturning power to where it shouldbelong.

“Whether this bragging abouttaking back our power is goingto unite or divide Nigeria more,will be seen as the weeks roll intomonths.

“The section of the country whowere jubilating and ridiculingOnwenu are probably of the viewthat Nigeria belongs to theirregion, it does not matter to themwhere the oil wells that actuallyoils Nigeria resides. What a great“Chenji”. Nobody probably toldthem that Onwenu does notbelong to the leeches and parasiteswho only depend on governmentpatronage to survive.

“She has been a globallyrecognized icon for more than 35years.”

On the videos showing thekilling of IPOD members, Elliotfurther stated: “Every student inEastern Nigeria (millions of them)now has and shares these videoson his or her phone, with pain andanger in their hearts swelling intogreater proportions. Only Godknows where and what theseemotions will lead to. It is quiteamazing, that the authorities choseshooting and killing as the onlysolution to the desire of a largearmy of young people who say theyare tired of the injustices visitedon them in Nigeria.

“Numbered in their millionswith branches all over the world,these young people believe theNigerian state hates and despisesthem.

“It is unbelievable that the sameNigerian state believes thatshooting and killing them in coldblood, will make them to suddenlyturn around and fall in love andbelieve once again in Nigeria. Ifanything, shooting and killingthem in cold blood is onlyconfirming to all that they wereactually correct in their earlierbelieve that Nigeria hates themwith passion.

“Whoever chose the strategy ofshooting and killing unarmedyoung people who say they wantOUT of Nigeria, has only takenthe road that will not onlyembolden the young men but alsowin them the sympathy of theirrelations and friends who hithertowere sitting on the fence.

“The blood of the martyrs ofBiafra, is only watering andstrengthening the struggle forBiafra. Those who chose shootingand killing them in cold blood asthe solution, are actually makinga terrible mistake.

“The result and theconsequences of these heart-breaking videos being shared bymillions of young people may takeNigeria by surprise sooner thanlater."

CMYK

16—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

2016 BUDGET: Auditor-Generaldisagrees with Buhari

By Henry Umoru &Joseph Erunke

ABUJA—THE Nigeriantroops on Wednesday

destroyed patent medicineoutlet and major marketoperated by Boko Haraminsurgents and rescued195 captives at variouslocations of Borno State.

This came as the Chief ofArmy Staff, COAS, Lt-Gen.Tukur Buratai, assuredmembers of the public aswell as local andinternational human rightsbodies that the Nigerian

•Says budget envelope-based, not zero-based

ABUJA—FRESH factshave emerged that the

national leadership ofPeoples Democratic Party,PDP, keyed into the agendaof its governors to appointSenator Ali Modu Sheriffas national chairman of theparty because it was afraidof losing any of the statechief executives.

This came on a day KanoState governor, Dr.Abdullahi Kanduje,lambasted the new nationalchairman of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, forboasting that his partywould unseat ruling AllProgressives Congress,APC, in 2019, calling hima “cross carpeter.”

A very senior member ofthe National WorkingCommittee, NWC, toldVanguard yesterday that itbecame imperative for theorgan to accept as a way ofrunning away from whathappened in the past whendue to some irreconcilabledifferences, somegovernors of the PDPdumped the party to be partof those who formed the AllProgressives Congress,APC.

Speaking to Vanguard,the NWC member, who didwhat his name mentioned,said that when it becamevery clear that Sheriff wasthe candidate of thegovernors, being a formergovernor, there was no way

By Henry Umoru &Levinus Nwabughiogu

MODU SHERIFF: We didn't want tolose any gov —PDP

Troops destroy Boko Harammarket, rescue 195 captives

the leadership of the partycould have sang a differenttune.

It would be recalled thatafter all the politicalintrigues, maneuvering,and horse trading, theNational Executive

Committee, NEC, of PDPon Tuesday rose from itsmeeting and ratified thechoice of erstwhile chairman,Board of Trustees, BoT, of thedefunct All Nigeria Peoples Party,ANPP, and former governor ofBorno State, Senator Ali ModuSheriff, as the new nationalchairman of the party.

By Kingsley Omonobi

ABUJA—AUDITOR-General of the

Federation, Samuel Ukura,has said that FederalGovernment’s 2016Appropriation Bill wasenvelope-based and notzero-based as believed insome quarters.

It will be recalled that thegovernment had said thatthe budget was prepared onzero-based template.Ukura told the SenateCommittee on PublicAccounts while defendingthe 2016 budget of his officein Abuja on Thursday thatthe N2.9 billion proposedfor his office for the yearwas handed down by theMinistry of Finance.

Reminded by thecommittee that hissubmission of envelope-based budget was contraryto the FederalGovernment’s position, hesaid: “This year’s budget is

envelope, and not zero-based in any way.”

Ukura explained thatalthough the initialintention of thegovernment was to adoptzero-based budgeting as atemplate, realities onground compelled theadoption of the usualenvelope system.

“Budgets of all Ministries,Departments and Agenciesof government this year areall envelope-based and notzero-based.

“It has been the case overthe years, including that ofmy office which is evenlargely done for us by thesupervising ministry.

“It is envelope; the zero-base budgeting theywanted to introduce was notadhered to at the end of theday.

“In zero-base budgeting,it is assumed that suchexpenditure does not exist;you start from zero andjustify why that

expenditure must be used.“So, it is a system which

is good and which wouldhave also helped to settargets, but that wasn’tapplied at the end of theday, perhaps, because itwas hurriedly beingintroduced.

“Budget proposal and byextension, defence, is notabout fighting butdiscussing on what is madeavailable for one to workwith,” he said

The committeequestioned why his officehad not audited theaccounts of the Departmentof Petroleum Resources,DPR, which alwaysbudgeted N32 billion foritself and with a staffstrength of 1,400.

The committee remindedthe auditor-general that thenumber of staff of DPR wassame with his office whichonly had a budget of N1.8billion for recurrentexpenditure.

Army under his leadershipwill investigate all cases ofhuman rights complaintsbrought before it.

A statement by thespokesman of NigerianArmy, Sani Usman, said:"Quite a number ofinsurgents were killed anda lot of items recoveredduring the raid.

“The troops discoveredBoko Haram terroristscamp, patent medicineoutfit and major market atGulumba."

PENSION FRAUD: Buhari urged toprosecute perpetrators

E N U G U — T H EPresident has been

urged to bring to justice allthose who defraudedpensioners of theirentitlements.

The president should alsoset up a mechanism formonitoring thedisbursement of bail outfunds meant for thepayment of arrears ofretirement benefits.

The South East zonalmeeting of leaders ofNigeria Union of

Pensioners made theappeal in a communiquesigned by the ZonalChairman, ComradeDamian Udeani, after itsmeeting in Enugu,January 29, 2016.

The union expresseddissatisfaction with theplight of retired primaryschool teachers in Abia,Ebonyi, Enugu and Imostates and urged thegovernment to clear thehuge amounts of benefitsowed them.

Pope Francis questions DonaldTrump’s Christianity

THE Pope hasquestioned US Re-

publican presidential can-didate Donald Trump’sChristianity over his callto build a border wall withMexico.

Pope Francis said “aperson who thinks onlyabout building walls...and not of building bridg-es, is not Christian”.

The New York business-man supports deportingnearly 11 million undoc-umented immigrants.

Calling himself a“proud Christian”, MrTrump blamed Mexico forthe Pope’s remarks, call-ing them “disgraceful”.

Mr Trump has allegedthat Mexico sends “rap-ists” and criminals to theUS.

Pope Francis made thecomments at the end oftrip to Mexico.

“A person who thinksonly about building walls,wherever they may be,

and not of building bridg-es, is not Christian. Thisis not the gospel,” hesaid.

He declined to say

ELECTION: Uganda blocksFacebook, Whatsapp

SOCIAL media hasbeen blocked in

Uganda on the day ofpresidential elections tostop people “tellinglies”, President YoweriMuseveni has said.

Mr Museveni, 71, isseeking to extend his30-year rule, in a racewidely seen as the tight-est in the East Africanstate’s history.

His main rival KizzaBesigye was briefly de-tained.

A foreign observergroup condemned theblockage of social mediaand lengthy delays inopening voting booths.

Interviewed on TVabout social media, MrMuseveni said: “Somepeople misuse thosepathways. You knowhow they misuse them- telling lies.

“If you want a rightthen use it properly.”

Many people havefound a way around thecontroversial restric-tions, including oppo-sition candidate Ama-ma Mbabazi whotweeted advice on howto do it:

A VPN - a Virtual Pri-vate Network - getsround government cen-sorship by redirectingyour internet activity toa computer in a differ-ent country.

Facebook, Twitter,Whatsapp and mobilemoney services havebeen blocked.

Despi te this , #UgandaDecides hasbeen trending on Twit-ter.

Kenya kills al Shabaab’shead of intelligence

KENYA has killed thecommander of an

elite unit within Somalia’sal Shabaab Islamist insur-gency, a man blamed formasterminding a deadlyattack on a Kenyan mili-tary camp in southern So-malia last month, the Ken-yan military said onThursday.

Kenyan troops, workingunder the African UnionMission in Somalia (AM-ISOM), killed Mohamed

Barack Obama to make historicvisit to Cuba

BARACK Obama, theUS president, is plan-

ning an historic visit to Cubanext month, which will makehim the first serving US pres-ident to set foot on the islandin nearly nine decades.

Obama’s visit in mid-March will be part of a broad-er trip to Latin America thatthe White House will an-nounce on Thursday, Obamaadministration officials toldnews agencies.

Obama and Cuban Presi-dent Raul Castro announcedlast year that they would be-gin normalising ties after ahalf-century of Cold War op-position.

On Tuesday, the two na-tions signed a deal restoringcommercial air traffic for thefirst time in five decades.

Immediately after signingthe commercial flights deal,the US Department of Trans-portation opened bidding byAmerican carriers on as manyas 110 US-Cuba flights a day— more than five times thecurrent number. All flightscurrently operating betweenthe two countries are charters.

Obama’s government is ea-ger to make progress onbuilding trade and diplomaticties with Cuba before heleaves office.

A normalisation of US-Cu-ban relations had seemed un-thinkable to both Cubans andAmericans for generations.

In August Havana andWashington formally re-newed relations and up-graded their diplomatic mis-

‘North Korea preparingattacks against S/Korea’

NORTH Koreanleader Kim Jong

Un recently ordered prep-arations for launching“terror” attacks on SouthKoreans, a top Seoul offi-cial said Thursday, as wor-ries about the North growafter its recent nuclear testand rocket launch.

In televised remarks,senior South Korean pres-idential official Kim Sung-woo said North Korea’s

spy agency has begunwork to implement KimJong Un’s order to “mus-ter anti-South terror ca-pabilities that can posea direct threat to our livesand security.”

He said the possibilityof North Korean attacks“is increasing more thanever” and asked for quickpassage of an anti-terrorbill in parliament.

Karatey, al Shabaab’sdeputy commander andhead of intelligence, ata graduation ceremonyfor insurgent fighters onFeb. 8, the Kenya De-fence Forces said in astatement.

“It is believed Karateyplayed a major role inthe recent attack on KDFtroops in El Adde by thedeployment of his sui-cide bombers,” KDF saidin a statement.

sions to embassies. Thepresidents of the US andCuba earlier last year met inPanama City, with Obamaannouncing a thaw in rela-tions by saying “the Cold Waris over”.

whether Americansshould vote for Mr Trump,who is leading the Repub-lican race for president.

CMYK

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, February 19, 2016 —17

Rivers State controversy: So what next?

THE Supreme Court re-cently decreed that Chief

Nyesom Wike, the PDP Gover-nor of Rivers State, should notbe ejected from his seat, de-spite allegations that he mas-terminded widespread violenceand rigged the 2015governorship election.

The judges’ decision is, weare told, final; but Dr DakukuPeterside, the disappointedAPC candidate – for whom Icampaigned for last year – haspublicly criticised the judges fornot calling for a re-run. Hissupporters regard him as cou-rageous for daring to challengethe legal establishment. Hisopponents disagree.

I personally witnessed someof the electoral irregularitiesand PDP-sponsored violencethat Dr Peterside complainedabout when he presented hiscase.

For example, I visited a vil-lage in the Tai segment of mynative Ogoniland with a Whitemale British journalist on theday of the Presidential election.When we got there, we saw apool of blood outside the APCleader’s house and were in-formed that an APC agent hadbeen murdered by PDP thugsjust before we arrived.

Deceasedvictim

The APC leader invited us tosee the corpse, which he hadmoved to the back of his com-pound, so the deceased victimcould be afforded some dignityand protected from the eyes ofgawping onlookers until hisfamily came to take him away.

I couldn’t bear the thought ofseeing a dead body, so I sat onthe verandah while my Britishcolleague followed the APCleader to the place where thecorpse lay.

When my colleagueemerged, his face was ashenand he was shaking his head.And he later showed me gorypictures that he had taken ofthe APC agent’s corpse.

And, by the way, when wewere leaving the village, acrowd of weapon-brandishingPDP supporters who had seen

us visiting the APC leader andregarded us as hostile wit-nesses to their crime sur-rounded our car and threat-ened us. It was so scary. Fortunately, our clever driversomehow succeeded in per-suading them to let us go.

Some PDP folks have told methat similar outrages werecommitted by APC people inother parts of the state. But Ididn’t witness any APC-spon-sored outrages; and even ifboth sides were guilty of mur-der and mayhem, the electionsin Rivers were extremelymessy on various levels; and,given that the Supreme Courtwas made aware of this fact,I’m very surprised that theydecided to let sleeping dogslie.

In the immediate aftermathof the Supreme Court judge-ment, I was sorely tempted tomake a huge fuss based on mybelief that the Rivers guberelection had been so blatantlyand badly messed up that are-run was necessary. But Igot over this belligerent frameof mind after a period of re-flection for two reasons:

Firstly, because making afuss would have been an ex-ercise in futility, given that theSupreme Court has the LastWord in real terms. Secondly,because I prefer peace to warat the end of the day; andmaking a fuss will prolongtoxic tension.

My home state has beenembroiled in poisonous anddestructive political conflictsfor too long. And, having spo-ken to MANY Rivers peoplewho are not actively involvedin APC or PDP matters, I thinkI can safely say that almosteveryone, except a minority ofjousting protagonists, is sickof the never-ending strife.

Dakuku Peterside

Responses to:donzol2002@yahoo.co.ukor to 0802 747 6458 OR0811 675 9752 (texts only).PLEASE KINDLY NOTETHAT UNLESS YOUREQUEST ANONYMITY,YOUR COMMENTS MAYBE PUBLISHED, WITHYOUR NAMES ANDCONTACT DETAILSATTACHED.

READERS RESPONSE

I asked Vanguard readersto share their opinions aboutthis controversy:-

08034661800 Dr EdemeThat Supreme Court ruling is

against natural justice. In the runup to the election entire familieswere wiped out. Where is justicefor those killed? How would thosejudges feel if it were their rela-tions that were killed? If youcannot go out to vote for fear ofbeing killed, then where are yourdemocratic rights?

08068337894Feyisetan Akeeb KareemThe Supreme Court messed up.

There is no moral justification fortheir decision to rule in Wike’sfavour because there was no cred-ible election in Rivers State.

08068232727Yinka OgunjobiDear Donu, no lesson has been

taught from what the SupremeCourt handed to the two gentle-men. That’s to say the card read-ers are of no use for future elec-tions? Killing and snatching ofballot boxes should continue un-abated? The Body of Benchersshould re-visit the case for our de-mocracy to grow and to preventthe legalisation of electoral offenc-es such as violence and riggingin future.

From Ifeka Okonkwo(ifekaokonwo@yahoo.com), aregular respondent:

Donu, Nigerian politicians nev-er fail to surprise me with theirantics! If judges do not favour

them at the Appeal Court, forexample, they condemn them. Ifthe judgements are later reversedat the Supreme Court, they turnround to praise judges, forget-ting that they have previouslycast aspersions on the judiciary.

Peterside and Wike behavedtrue to type by condemning andhailing the Supreme Court judg-es for the judgement they deliv-ered for and against each ofthem!

Our politicians should grow upand stop abusing judges when-ever their cases fail.

Having said this, our judgesshould endeavour to be aboveboard by delivering sound judg-ments without fear or favour, todeter litigants from abusingthem!

08141800696Zakariya KomnPeterside’s Oga (Rotimi Amae-

chi) was once the beneficiary ofthe same Supreme Court and heshould stop condemning thejudgement. He should join handswith Governor Wike and rebuildRivers State.

08037078751 Festus OdodoDonu, I know you might not

publish this comment becauseyou are an APC sympathiser, butI will still say it. I used to wantPeterside to win the election sim-ply because Wike is from thesame Ikwerre ethnic group asAmaechi, who was the Governorof Rivers State for eight yearsuntil 2015; and I felt that anoth-er ethnic group should be given

a chance. But Peterside’s com-ments make him seem desper-ate for power. Please tell him thatpower comes from God and heshould learn to respect the lawand if he is not careful he couldbe charged for libel.

08033166084 AnonymousWike and Peterside are politi-

cians taunting each other at theslightest opportunity to the dis-comfort of watchers… Personal-ly I am tired of negative com-ments. Efforts should now con-centrate on good governance

08033642438Ozonma Chike BosahPeterside should shut up, gra-

ciously accept the irreversibleverdict and move on. Nobodyrobbed him. APC was thorough-ly trounced at all levels in RiversState. Our politicians should besportsmen and imbibe the spiritof Goodluck Jonathan. If ourjudiciary is pulled down, espe-cially by past beneficiaries, thiscountry is finished.

GovernorNyesomeWike

There was nevera dull momentwhen Nike wasaround; she wasgenerous to afault; she wouldnever let yourbirthday or Christ-mas pass without agift and was al-ways surroundedby friends

18 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

OPINIONRRRRRemembering Muremembering Muremembering Muremembering Muremembering Murtala Mohammedtala Mohammedtala Mohammedtala Mohammedtala Mohammed

By Austin Braimoh

•Mr. Braimoh, SSA Media to Edo stategovernor, is the last child of Braimoh,younger brother to Dako Mohammed,father of Gen. Ramat Mohammed.

THE late General Murtala Mohammedwas an enigma. An iconoclast: The

stories of icons have no end. At everybeginning, there is an end and at every end,there is a beginning. Hence every year, sincethe callous murder of this ebullient Nigeria’sformer military ruler, the accounts of hisdos and don’ts have been ceaseless. This yearis not an exception. The deeds and misdeedsof the late General Mohammed will continueto flood our literature.

However, this is not a continuation of thosedos and don’ts. This piece is anauthentication of the paternal root of the latereformer as earlier reported immediately thesad event took place.

General Mohammed’s father, MallamDako Mohammed, was an indigene of IgbeVillage, in Auchi Kingdom of Etsako westLocal Government area of Edo State. ButMurtala Mohammed himself was born inKano to a mother from the Kano royal family.So, no one can deny him of indigeneship ofKano.

Mohammed (Muritala’s grandfather) wasa popular trader from Igbe quarters inAuchi, Etsako West local government areaof Edo State. His first wife could not bear achild for years. So, Mohammed went to theneighbouring village of Ayua in Uzairuekingdom to marry a second wife. The newwife gave birth to a first son and was namedDako Mohammed. When the new wife was

Kano State identity. As a result of thisreligious difference, he had insisted too, thatunless Braimoh returns to Islamic religion,he was a ‘KAFIRI’ and not permitted to see hiswife. Braimoh then relocated to the Catholicmission house in Obalende, Lagos to domenial jobs until he got appointment withthe then Public Works Department, PWD,in Lagos, on the recommendation of theCatholic Priest.

It is well documented that General MurtalaMohammed made efforts to reach out to hispaternal relations before his demise. Twomonths into his tenure as Head of State, hewas at Auchi to confer with the Otaru ofAuchi Alhaji Guruza Momoh. He invitedhim to join him to that year’s Hajj in Mecca.On his way out of Auchi, he directed that amosque be erected at Aviele, near Auchi in apredominantly muslim settlement. Themosque was completed after his death andnamed after him.

The visit to Auchi by his wife and childrenshortly after his assassination was widelyreported in Nigeria mass media. Thephotographs of his children with theircousons, nephews and surviving uncles inIgbe village of Auchi are still available in thefamily library.

As we fondly remember him, we thepaternal relations at Auchi wish all hischildren and grand children strength andsuccess in their life endeavours.

expecting the second baby, the first wifecould no longer live with what she regardedas shame as a result of her childless state.She beat up her pregnant mate, shaved herhair and drove her out with her son.Mohammed, their husband, was trading inthe Eastern part of Nigeria. He returnedseveral months later to hear that his newwife was sent packing to her parents by thefirst wife. By this time, the new wife had putto bed, a second male child whom he namedBraimah. He was advised to leave his secondfamily with the in-laws at Ayua for theirsafety particularly since he was alwaysaway.

Dako and Braimah Muhammed grew upat Ayua under Islamic clerics. Dako wasexceptionally brilliant in Arabic and Hausalanguage. However, his younger brotherUsman, was attracted to the Catholicmissionaries who had just arrived thevillage. He veered into Christianity.

Good fortune was said to have visited thefirst wife of Mohammed at Igbe village, Auchi,as she took in and had three sons insuccession. With that blessing, the secondwife was completely abandoned with the firsttwo sons, Dako and Braimoh at Ayua, theirmaternal home.

Dako started earning little money as aninterpreter and a guide to the early Hausaand Yoruba traders who came to the area tobuy Kola nuts and cocoa.

As destiny would have it, his youngerbrother, Braimah, got the favour of the early

Christian missionaries who sent him toschool up to Standard six and baptized himwith the name Patrick.

The young Dako took early Islamic lessonsin Arabic and Hausa languages. Like hisfather, he got involved in cocoa and kola nutstrading. He became an efficient nativeinterpreter and liaison between Hausatraders and the Afenmai natives. During theperiod, he became the trusted servant to theleader of the Hausa Community in Agege,Lagos. He became his adopted son whohelped to buy kola nuts from Midwest Regionand transport them to Kano market.Somehow, this leader of the HausaCommunity in Lagos, also known as SerikiHausawa of Agege, had no biological son. Hetherefore adopted the young indigent DakoMohammad and married him a wife fromthe Kano royal family where he hailed from.Upon the death of his mentor and adoptedfather, the Seriki Hausawa of Agege, Dakowas conferred with the title as he inheritedhis wealth and business.

That was how Dako Mohammed begotMurtala and the other siblings that are todayindigenes of kano.

The immediate younger brother of Dako,Braimoh Mohammad, tried to rejoin his elderbrother in Agege after his standard sixeducation. A report had it that Dako refusedto let him stay with him, citing religiousdifference and the fact that he would lose thewealth he inherited from the late SerikiHausawa if his identity as an Auchi manwas revealed with the presence of hisbiological younger brother. He advisedBraimoh to leave in other to maintain his

Northern govs and Saudi loan

We are not surprised at the dustbeing raised in the bid by thethree geopolitical zones of the oldNorthern Nigeria to obtain whatis described as “a multi-billionDollar” loan from the Saudi Ara-bia-based Islamic DevelopmentBank (IDB).

The Chairman of the NorthernGovernors’ Forum, Alhaji KassimShettima, who is also the Gover-nor of embattled Borno State, leda delegation to the Kingdom ofSaudi Arabia about a fortnightago. The governors in the entou-rage also included Tanko AlMakura of Nasarawa, Nasir ElRufai of Kaduna and MohammedBadaru of Jigawa States, as wellas some officials of the New Ni-gerian Development Corporation(NNDC) and other officials in thefields of agriculture, economicplanning, post-insurgencyprojects, among others.

Shettima justified the trip say-ing the North, being the poorest

part of the country burdened withthe headache of Islamist BokoHaram insurgency, needs the loanto boost economic activities andprotect the region from impend-ing social explosion which mighttake place unless ambitious, pro-active measures are taken by theleadership of the North.

Though we understand theneeds that are driving the bid forthis loan, we however, urge thegovernors to tread with caution.

It is imperative that they followthe due process by informing theFederal Government in detailabout what they want to do and

how they want to apply the loan.We will like them to listen close-ly to the Chairman of the SenateCommittee on Domestic and For-eign Debt, Senator Shehu Sani,who has raised alarm that the bidruns contrary to the provisions ofthe Debt Management Act of 2003,which stipulates that no state, lo-cal government or Federal agen-cy can borrow externally withoutthe approval of the Federal Gov-ernment.

This and other statutory provi-sions are geared towards check-ing indiscriminate borrowing thatwill overburden the country and

make our indebtedness out of bal-ance with what the nation’s econ-omy can handle.

We are, however, mollified byGovernor Shettima’s assurancethat the recent trip to Saudi wasstill an exploratory one, whichmeans that there is still enoughtime for the Arewa governors tomeet up with the due processes.

We also advocate for a strictmonitoring of the spending, if,and when the loan is granted.There is no doubt that the North(especially the North East) willneed this kind of financial boostto bring economic activities fullyback on stream at the end of theBoko Haram insurgency, resettlethe millions of displaced personsand rebuild devastated communi-ties.

The governors should workclosely with the Federal Govern-ment to ensure that this loan doesnot put an unbrearable burdenfor future generations.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—————1919191919

CMYK

Send Opinions & Letters to:opinions1234@yahoo.com

*Mr Udegbe, a lawyer, can be reachedat ceeaai@yahoo.com.

Does the Imo rescue mission needs rescue?

THE Holy Bible tells us that the devilhas three major assignments,

namely to steal, to kill, and to destroy,while Jesus Christ came to destroy everywork of the devil, and to give life tomankind , and life in abundance. Jesususes His Church, to do this work, and thechurch works with the Doctors and thosein the health sector.

The Church and Health workers, areknown to be on the rescue mission formankind, because of all gifts from God,the greatest is the gift of good health.

They have their fakes and quacks whoare under the torment from the devil, andthus need to be rescued themselves,which, the regulators and the Law do.

A rescuer who is not genuine willtherefore needs to be rescued, in his owninterest, to avoid his destruction and toreduce the collateral damage that hisfailed activities could precipitate on thesociety at large. This informs the thinkingby many that the Imo Rescue Mission,from all indications needs to be rescuednow, in its own interest and that ofImolites.

During the gubernatorial electioncampaigns in 2010, it was Chief RochasOkorocha of APGA versus Chief IkediOhakim of the PDP, the then incumbentgovernor of Imo State. Both contestantswere chronic party carpet- crossers, andhad their issues, but Okorocha had thegood image of philanthropist, added to thefact that Imolites seemed to preferanything but Ohakim.Former PresidentOlusegun Obasanjo, OBJ, told his listenersin Owerri, on prime television, that hewas presenting to them a smallerthief,(Ohakim), but they seem to be

asking for a bigger thief,( Okorocha).Withhis usual jesticulations OBJ warned, thatby the time this Okorocha has finishedwith the people, Imo women will berunning around the streets singing “ I cansee clearly now, the rain is gone …….”. Itis now almost five years, after, and fromexperience, Imolites should sit back now,and reassess OBJ's soap box warning , intheir own interest, before greater harm isdone.

Okorocha won that election andlaunched his Imo Rescue Mission. He hadcome to rescue Imo from massunemployment, poor health andMedicare, decayed roads andinfrastructure, neglected education,Industries and the list of Imo afflictionsfrom the mis-governance of the PDP atthat time was quite long.

He told the world that Imo State, hadtoo much money, he did not need toborrow, his Security Vote was enough togive the people the free education, whichhe launched.

He started off with extensive Roadexpansion and destroyed so many housesalong many roads, in Owerri and Orlutowns. He launched an Ambulance

Medicare quick or rapid Response vehicles.Chief Okorocha was all over the place,

and with a great gift of the garbs,heannounced his Love for Late Dim Ojukwuand commitment what Ojukwu stood forin Igbo Land as Owelle Ndigbo.He wantedto resuscitate and sustain all the legaciesof late Chief Sam Mbakwe, and we all,including yours truly fell for him, buttoday things have changed, and let us seehow.

First, he sacked all the 10,000 workersemployed by Ohakim, just before theelections, because it was fake, bad andcalculated to deceive the people, but tilldate has not reabsorbed those youngpersons; The roads he built, developed potholes within two months of theircommissioning, and most contractorswere not paid, till date Imo State is owingmany of them, some of whom died.

Mid way into the his first tenure, APGAcould not contain him again, it was aladder that had served its purpose andmust be broken.

He jumped out of APGA, tried to kill it,and jumped into APC, because he wantedto be President some time.He overlookedall the negative trappings of the APC andtook Imolites by the nose into a journeythat has messed up the rescue mission!

Backed by a poorly articulatedCommunity Government, which he usedto take power at the grass roots fromothers, he descended on traditional rulers,created divisions, multiplied autonomouscommunities, turned them into highlyweak but atomistic enclaves, Imo wascaged ! He owed workers salary formonths, and because the mouth of thestate was sealed with free education, hecontested for the second term and won!

Then, he became an Emperor, and

continues to treat Imolites like hispersonal servants; Same Imo that had toomuch money in 2011, now owes overN100billion, and we heard that Imo owesOkorocha over a billion Naira. I hope thatis a lie!

As soon as the N26 billion bail out moneywas paid to Imo, he organised a Jamboreeto turkey taking up to 100 persons along.Assuming government spent only $3000person excluding himself and family, thatis $300,000 or N80 million Naira spentto find investors from Turkey, but nonecame! Who will come to invest in abankrupt state ?

Most of the industries and projects setup by Chief Mbakwe, whom he claimed tolove so much, are held hostage by the topsy-turvy policies of the Imo Rescue Mission.They have no respect for MoUs, and havecornered the Local Governmentallocations, by running the places like lockup shops!

Then last year, he faced the healthsector, and dreamt of selling off all ourhospitals to whomever. He has no regardfor Medical Doctors, and when they triedto protest, they were shot at by Policeunder his watch.

Okorocha who won elections with thepromises of Jobs, Jobs and Jobs, started offwith the sack of 3000 workers! We hearthe APC Governors Forum asked him totry the sack saga first, which explainsthe visit from his party Chieftains, duringthe battle with Labour, last week.

If the Governors Forum, can useOkorocha to test the sack reaction, he canbe used by any person in power to try ortest anything on Ndibgo! He has becomevulnerable by his political desires, andneeds to be rescued before he commitsmore havoc.

By Clement Udegbe

AFRICA was virtuallyabsent in the League of

Nations which was founded onJanuary 10, 1920 following theFirst World War. Only fourAfrican countries were members.South Africa, a colony of whiteracists, was one, emergentEgypt, made the list as did theonly two African countries thatwere never colonised; Liberia andEthiopia, then known asAbyssinia. So Africa was on themargins. When after the SecondWorld War, the United Nations(UN) was created on October 24,1945, Africa remained a sea ofcolonies.

Thirty six years later, thecontinent, tired of being used asa foot mat and merely earning amention in the footnote, decidedit was time for it to produce theSecretary General of the UN.Hitherto, there had been fourscribes; Trygve Halvdan Lie wasNorwegian, Dag Hammarskjold,Swedish and Kurt Waldheim,German. The only non-European was U Thant fromMyanmar (Burma)

Africa had a very goodcandidate; a young, bright andmatchless 39-year old diplomatin Tanzania’s Salim AhmedSalim. He had made historywhen at 22, he was appointedambassador to Egypt by

Boutros-Ghali: The Africanchild

Zanzibar’s President AbeidKarume. He was emissary of oneof Africa’s most progressive andintellectually sound presidents,Mwalimu Julius Nyerere. Salimhad very good credentials andwith the overwhelming backingof Asia, Africa, Latin Americaand South Pacific, and a fairnumber of European countrieslike France, he seemedunstoppable. But the UnitedStates (US), uncomfortable withSalim’s progressive credentials,Pan Africanist and independentideas, decided to stop him , notthrough the ballot, but bywielding the veto power. Lackinga strong and credible candidateto defeat Salim, the US preferredKurt Waldheim who had alreadybeen UN Secretary General fornine years. Rather than allowSalim, US pushed for a thirdterm for Waldheim which Chinavetoed. In later years, it wasrevealed that Waldheim as alieutenant in the intelligencearm of the Nazi Army and hadbelonged to German militaryunits which executed thousandsof Yugoslav partisans in theSecond World War and was alsoresponsible for the deportation ofthousands of Greek Jews to deathcamps.

Back in 1981, Salim waspresented sixteen times in five

weeks to head the UN, sixteentimes did the US veto him. Tiredof the tantrums, he decided notto be presented again, whichpaved the way for theappointment of a compromisecandidate; Javier Perez de Cuellaof Peru.

In 1991, Africa presented a newcandidate in Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt, and he becamethe first African UN SecretaryGeneral. America did not vetohim perhaps because he was partof the Egyptian governmentconsidered pro-America. He hadbeen Minister of State for ForeignAffairs when President AnwarSadat negotiated and signed theCamp David Peace Accord withIsrael. Born on November 14,1922, his grandfather BoutrosGhali had been Prime Ministerfrom 1908 – 1910 when he wasassassinated; the same faith thatawaited President Sadat. Boutros

was a professor of internationallaw and president of the AfricanSociety of Political Studies.

He came to the UN with anagenda for peace, and indeed,grew the UN Peace Corps. But histenure was determined by fourwars which were also responsiblefor his being the only UN scribethat had no second term. TheSocialist Bloc had collapsedwhich gave birth to the bloodywars in the old Yugoslavia. TheJanuary 17 – February 28, 1991Gulf War had occurred the yearhe was elected, but therepercussions remained.

Boutros-Ghali formally tookover in 1992 and that was theonly year of respite he had. Thefractious war in Somalia hadbeen on, and the UN had in 1993,given cover to the US-ran UnitedNations Operations in Somalia(UNOSOM II). American troopshad then decided to go afterfactional leader, MohammedFarah Aidid. In a firefight onOctober 3, 1993, eighteenAmerican troops were killed.Shocked Americans watched ontelevision, corpses of Americansoldiers dragged on the streetsof Mogadishu. The US decided towithdraw its troops from thatcountry, and with that, the UNpeace operations collapsed.

It was a humiliation for the USand the Boutros-Ghali led UN.Six months later, the civil warin Rwanda escalated, and giventhe experiences in Somalia, theUN’s call for peacekeepers wasalmost completely ignored. Evenwhen countries like Ghanaresponded, the big powers refusedto provide basic equipment likearmoured personnel carriers, orair support.

A frustrated Boutros-Ghali onJune 19, 1994 made anotherreport on the Rwandan situationto the UN Security Councillamenting that “…none of thosegovernments possessing the

capability to provide fullytrained and equipped militaryunits have offered to doso…Meanwhile, the situation inRwanda has continued todegenerate and the killing ofinnocent civilians has notstopped”. But he was pointedlyignored, Rwanda was of nostrategic benefit. The powerfulcountries were primarilyinterested in talking aboutceasefire rather than stopping orpreventing genocide. Few UNtroops were sent with nomandate or power to stop theunfolding genocide. A few foreigntroops including the French,stood for a while beforewithdrawing, leavingRwandans to their fate. At least850,000 Rwandans weremassacred and many turnedround to blame the Boutrous-Ghali leadership of the UN forfailing to stop the genocide. Thenthere were the wars in oldYugoslavia which sealedBoutrous-Ghali’s fate. He opposedthe NATO bombings in Bosnia.An angry US decided thatcontrary to tradition, he mustnot get a second term. Soalthough Boutros-Ghali hadquite some support, the USvetoed his second term.

Some have argued that the UNfailure in Rwanda cost him asecond term; but if this were so,why did the UN appoint as hissuccessor, Kofi Anan who was hisHead of Peacekeeping Operationsduring the failed mission inSomalia and the Rwandangenocide?

In his old age, Boutros-Ghaliwatched an increasinglyfractionalised world defined by aglobalisation beneficial to a few,the rise of terrorism andunprecedented refugee crisis.Unfortunately, his country wasnot spared. This Tuesday,February 16, 2016, at 93, hebade the world, a final goodbye.

Some have arguedthat the UN failurein Rwanda costhim a secondterm; but if thiswere so, why didthe UN appoint ashis successor, KofiAnan who was hisHead ofPeacekeepingOperations duringthe failed missionin Somalia and theRwandangenocide?

If the GovernorsForum, can useOkorocha to test thesack reaction, he can beused by any person inpower to try or testanything on Ndibgo! Hehas become vulnerableby his political desires

TO the doctor who performedmiracles with his hands. To thefather who performed miracleswith his heart and dedication.To the brother who performedmiracles with his love. To the pro-fessor who performed miracleswith his words. To the uncle whoperformed miracles with hissmiles. To the survivor whoshowed miracles in his testi-mony…

MR. Soki Benibo wrotethose poetic lines for the

late Professor Difini Datubo-Brown who died on Thursday,January 7, 2016.

Those in the medical professionmay not worry so much about lit-erary finesse, but they appreci-ate the soft side of human be-ings. This much can be gleanedfrom the assessment of Profes-sor Christie Mato, the Provost,College of Health Sciences, Uni-versity of Port Harcourt, who re-members the late Professor DifiniDatubo-Brown more for his hu-mour.

According to the Provost, lateProf. Datubo-Brown’s wonderfulsense of humour never left himeven at very challenging timesin his life. “At the last Part IV MB,BS examination he participatedin (he had struggled up the stairsto that second floor seminarroom), his humorous self showedup with a ringtone on his phonethat got us all cracking up in themiddle of some debate in theDepartment of Surgery Seminarroom,” Prof Mato said.

Hilariousringtone

The hilarious ringtone whichgot the surgeons rocking withlaughter goes thus: “Junior wetinyou go drink? … I want to drinksmall stout…” The owner of thiscomical ringtone was Prof.Datubo-Brown, who was buriedon Saturday February 13, 2016,after solemn prayers in twochurches in Port Harcourt andOpobo. The other striking featureof Prof Datubo-Brown was hisgood looks. Prof Mato said in histribute: “In the University of PortHarcourt Teaching Hospital inthose days, Prof was what ournursing colleagues referred to as‘fine boy, no pimple’; some won-dered and aloud too, how a mancould be so good looking andconcluded that the Almightymust have taken time after theSabbath rest to create him.”

The Provost said further: “As thefifth Provost of the College ofHealth Sciences, he led the col-

20 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

JOURNEY TO OPOBO:

Niger Delta Diocese spared noefforts in setting the spiritual tonefor the homeward journey of thefine gentleman, who was alsovery religious. The ceremoniesstarted with a commendationservice at Our Saviour’s Chapel,University of Port Harcourt. In hissermon at the service, Most Rev.Dr. Ignatius Kattey, the Arch-bishop Province of the NigerDelta and Bishop of Niger DeltaNorth, said that the late ProfDatubo-Brown was committedand dedicated in his service toGod and humanity.

Bishop Kattey urged the con-gregation to reflect on how theywould want to be rememberedwhen they must have left thisearthly life, noting that peoplewere only remembered by whatthey did while they were alive.He said that when the late ProfDatubo-Brown lost his wife, heonce asked him why people takecare of widows but fail to do samefor widowers. He said that theonly explanation he could offerhim was that men were usuallybetter equipped to take care ofthemselves.

The commendation serviceopened the floodgates of tributesfrom family members and col-leagues in the medical profes-sion. One of his nieces, who en-joyed a special relationship withhim was Mrs. Ibim Semenitari,the Acting Managing Director ofthe Niger Delta DevelopmentCommission, NDDC. She de-scribed her uncle as handsome

and brilliant. “My uncle DD, mypride, standing tall and digni-fied, unbowed by grief, unbowedby pain, unbowed by suffering,undefeated by sickness. Yes, myuncle DD, my miracle worker, myvaliant soldier. I know heavenstood up as you entered,” shedeclared. Dr. Christie Toby, thebig sister to the late Prof Datubo-Brown said this of her brother:“Difini, you always stood out. Youstood out easily because you wereso handsome, well behaved,brilliant and God-fearing. It wasa thing of joy and pride to becalled Difini’s sister, to which Ialways proudly added, senior.”

Presence ofa gentle soul

A second sister to the late Prof.Datubo-Brown, Mrs. FuroBatubo, captured the gentlemien of their only brother. Shewrote: “Your gentle nature wasso perfectly moulded fromheaven that no matter how muchI tried, I could not get you to climbtrees with me. You would rathersearch for long “ogugu” to pluckyour fruits long after I hadmounted the trees and pluckedthe fruits that were rightly yours.”When the remains of ProfDatubo-Brown arrived the mainentrance of the University of PortHarcourt, it was as if some heav-enly beings ordered everyone tobe silent. Even the patients in thehospital wards seemed to havenoticed the presence of a gentlesoul that once managed the af-fairs of the hospital. It was in thatsomber mood that another roundof tributes came pouring in,prompting tears to well up in theeyes of many who loved the de-parted surgeon.

Prof. A Ojule, the Chief Medi-cal Director of the teaching hos-pital, laid a wreath on the casketbearing the body of Prof Datubo-Brown, before giving a tribute onbehalf of the hospital. He said:“Prof. D D Datubo-Brown was apioneer medical staff of the Uni-versity of Port Harcourt TeachingHospital, UPTH. He was ap-pointed a Consultant Plastic/Reconstructive Surgeon of thehospital in 1983, and had been

the Head of the Burns and Plas-tic Unit until he retired from serv-ice. He was also appointed Headof Surgery Department in March1994.”

Prof. Ojule did not fail to re-mark that Prof. Datubo-Brownwas one of the finest gentlementhat he ever met. “His goodworks will continue to speak forhim.” For Emeritus Prof. DagogoFubara, Prof. Datubo-Brownblazed a trail like a shooting starin the firmament of our Milkyway Galaxy.

He said: “The real essence oflife is to live, learn, love and leavea legacy. You were accomplishedin learning and hence you be-came the first Consultant PlasticSurgeon and Professor of PlasticSurgery of South-South Nigeriageopolitical zone extraction. Yetyou were humble, quiet and un-assuming as a Christian, born byparents of distinction, you lovedpeople, touched many lives andmentored several human beings.This is monumental legacy. Thetrue measure of your success isthe difference you made for goodin human hearts in your lifetime.”

Long convoy ofcars and buses

After the ceremonies at UPTH,the doctors lined up to bid a finalfarewell to their former colleague.They were evidently sorrowful asthe hearse carrying the remainsof Datubo-Brown made its wayout of the hospital premises. Itwas time to go home to his an-cestors in Opobo Kingdom ofOpobo/Nkoro Local GovernmentArea, lying in the southern partof Rivers State. The journey toOpobo was dignified as a longconvoy of cars and buses snakedthrough the Port Harcourt trafficfrom the East-West Road, throughRumuokoro, Eleme junction, Re-finery junction down toSaakpaenwa Junction in Ogoniland. Finally, at Kono Waterside,all the vehicles had to park forthe journey to continue on wa-ter.

At the jetty, several small boatswere already stationed for the 20minutes cruise to the ancientOpobo kingdom. For the sons of

the soil, as the indigenes wereoften referred to, the boat ridewas normal and nothing to beexcited about. But for the“Johnny just come” among thetravellers, it was an experiencethat holds both excitement andtrepidation. As one of the speedboats, carrying 10 passengerspulled out from the jetty, the en-gine roared to life and the mourn-ers checked to confirm that theirlife jackets were firmly tied totheir bodies. Initially, the move-ment was smooth and even ex-citing. However, the boat ridebecame progressively bumpy asthe boats meandered through thecreeks. Even that did not spoilthe feeling of swimming in thewomb of nature.

Undulatingbulges

The sight of green-colouredwaters, hedged by mangroveshrubs was soothing. But as soonas the boats entered the openwaters, the bumps turned intoviolent thuds that lifted passen-gers off their benches. At thispoint, the waves swayed in un-dulating bulges as the convoy ofsmall boats made their way to-wards the Opobo jetty.

On landing at the jetty, every-one, at least first time visitors,heaved a big sigh of relief. Theremains of Prof. Datubo-Brown,accompanied by two of his sons,also came into the jetty to a rous-ing welcome by a brass band. Theband celebrated the arrival of aworthy son of Opobo and the pallbearers lifted the casket anddanced with it as if they wereperforming a ritual for the waterspirits. They exhibited beautifuldance steps and gyrated so muchthat one was tempted to think thatthey were more interested in en-tertaining than in mourning withthe bereaved family. Steppinginto Opobo was an opportunityto come face-to-face with the his-toric sites that beckon on tourists.

It was a chance to see the oldcolonial court halls used by KingJaja and his compatriots; KingJaja Monument Square and co-lonial bells. It was obvious that

By Ifeatu Agbu

When the remainsof Prof Datubo-Brown arrived themain entrance of theUniversity of PortHarcourt, it was as ifsome heavenly be-ings ordered every-one to be silent

•From left: Mrs Ibim Sementari; Ibelema, Tonye, Bomsy and Apiribo Datubo-Brown at the burial of theiruncle and father, Prof Difini Datubo-Brown

Return of aGreat Surgeon

lege to new levels ofscholarship and pro-ductivity. He was anerudite scholar, a pio-neer in the field of Plas-tic and ReconstructiveSurgery, and a gentle-man; we consider it anhonour to have knownand worked with sucha great man.” The An-glican Communion,

Continues on page 43

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 —21

GOVERNOR AkinwunmiAmbode of Lagos State

yesterday said arrangementshad been concluded to set upa Microfinance Bank to aidartisans and small businessoperators.

Ambode disclosed this whileanswering questions from thebusiness community at the 5thedition of the LagosCorporate Assembly tagged“A-plus meets business” heldat the Lagos House BanquetHall, Alausa.

“We have met with the CBNgovernor and we believe weshould set up a Micro-financeBank quickly and get ourlicense running to help theSmall and MediumEntrepreneurs (SMEs) andartisans,” he said.

Ambode said that the bankwould be lending to the sectorat three per cent rate. Thegovernor said he waspassionate about locallyproduced goods, explainingthat the Employment TrustFund established by hisadministration and the Micro-finance Bank would boost thestate’s economy and reduceunemployment.

He said that the goal of thestate government was toimprove the ease of doingbusiness.

Ambode assured the sector ofhis administration’scommitment to maintain ab u s i n e s s - f r i e n d l yenvironment.

He also commended hispredecessor Mr BabatundeFashola (SAN), for creating

Lagos govt to establish micro-financebank — Ambode

Dinner- From Left: Adeola Adetunji, Managing Director Coca-Cola Nigeria Ltd, CarolAbade, Group CEO, Exp, and Gil Kemami, Managing Director EXP Marketing Nigeria at awelcome Dinner hosted by EXP Marketing Nigeria in Lagos.

the platform and promised tosustain it by holding it twice.Earlier in their presentation,the business community,including the Lagos Chamberof Commerce and Industry,Manufacturers Association ofNigeria and National

Association of Small ScaleIndustrialists complainedabout deplorable roads,multiplicity of taxes and trafficgridlock. They appealed to thegovernment to address thechallenges, saying they werehindering the growth of

businesses. In his address, theCommissioner for Commerce,Industry and Cooperatives, Mr.Rotimi Ogunleye, said thestate would continue to assistthe sector to maximise itspotential for greatercontribution to the state’s GDP.

CURRENCY BUYING SELLING

CBN Exchange rate as at 18/02/2016

US DOLLAR POUNDS EUROFRANCYENCFAWAUARENMINBIRIYALKRONASDR

196 196.5 197280.574c 281. 2898 282.0055218.5008 219.0582 219.6156

197.8799 198.3847 198.88941.7182 1.7226 1.727

0.3145 0.3245 0. 3345274.3321 274.0294 274. 7267

30.0245 30. 1016 30.178652.2458 52.379 52. 512329.269 29.3437 29.4184273. 6748 274. 373 275.0711

$113.70 -0.85

$2,900.00 22.00

$12.81 -0.35

$34.94 0.44

$31.16 0.50

By Babajide Komolafe

2m micro traders to access FG’s N500bn SPP fund

By Franklin Alli &Providence Obuh

THE Minister of Industry,Trade and Investment

(MITI) Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, said yesterday,that over two million micro

traders, farmers andartisans across thecountry will benefitfrom the FederalGovernment’s N500billion Social Protec-tion programme(SPP) Fund for 2016.

The minister dis-closed this whileunveiling his visionand action plans forthe industrial sectorof the economy overthe next four years,to Nigerians andforeign journalistsin Lagos.

According to him,as part of the Feder-al Government’sN500 billion SocialProtection pro-gramme for 2016,over two milliontraders, farmers and

artisans will receive micro-credit, through a fund to bemanaged by the Bank of In-dustry.

“Obviously, this fund is stillbeing rolled out, it is still in

the planning stage, so I am notin a position to say how mucheach company will get; sufficeto say that it is going to be arange, you know there is atrade-off of how wide and howdeep .

“So by saying two million weare targeting a substantialnumber of beneficiaries andyou will see the result, it alsomeans, the fund is not for largeenterprises rather it is for micro,artisans and traders. I expectthat the loan will range fromtens of thousands of naira andsome may get up to a millionin some cases but it will be inrange;

“Of course, you don’t givesomebody what he does notneed and you don’t underminesomebody by giving him toolittle. So we are going to givethe fund based on size andneeds of the beneficiary.

“MSMEs are the unsungheroes of our economy, current-ly contributing about half ofGross Domestic Product, andpossessing the potential to beeven more productive, giventhe right incentives,” he said.

EY urges FG toencourageentrepreneurshipto groweconomy

By Peter Egwuatu

AGAINST the dwindlingNigerian economy, Ernst

and Young, EY, has advisedthe Federal Government toencourage entrepreneurshipin order to grow the economy.

Speaking at the EY GalaAward Dinner in Lagos,Henry Egbiki, EY CountryLeader and RegionalManaging Partner for WestAfrica, said: “ For Nigerianeconomy to grow,entrepreneurs must beencouraged by thegovernment . Entrepreneursare critical for the health of theglobal economy. They createjobs, generate wealth andencourage creativity andcompetition. They also driveinnovations that address someof the world’s most pressingproblems. And they inspire thenext generation to innovate.”

He said that theentrepreneur helps to fulfillour purpose and to build abetter working world.

He added: “Entrepreneursdrive innovation andeconomic growth, and createjobs. And we focus on thefuture workforce, fromemployees to youngentrepreneurs, because weknow that the next generationis critical to global progress.”

Meanwhile, Kwabena Adjei,Chairman, KasaprekoLimited, emerged winner ofthe 2015 Master Category ofEY Entrepreneur Of The YearAward, while the EmergingCategory winner was KofiNsiah-Poku, CEO, ofKinapharma Limited, bothfrom Ghana.

Speaking, Bunmi Akinde,EOY leader in West Africa said:“The EY Entrepreneur Of TheYear award was instituted torecognize and celebrateunique sets of men andwomen in West Africa who usetheir entrepreneurial energyand passion to change theworld through creating jobopportunities.”

According to her, “over theyears we noted that one of themost exciting places whereentrepreneurial spirit is aliveis across Africa. We at EY willcontinue to celebrateentrepreneurs in our own littleway.”

Specifically, nine finalistsfrom Nigeria and Ghana wereshortlisted in the Master andEmerging categories.

MSMEs are theunsung heroes ofour economy,currentlycontributing abouthalf of GrossDomestic Product,and possessing thepotential to be evenmore productive,given the rightincentives

CMYK

22 — VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

CMYK

VOL. 1: NO. 17VOL. 1: NO. 17VOL. 1: NO. 17VOL. 1: NO. 17VOL. 1: NO. 17 FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19FEBRUARY 19FEBRUARY 19FEBRUARY 19FEBRUARY 19, 2016, 2016, 2016, 2016, 2016

CMYK

•Page 24 •Page 26

IN THIS EDITIONIN THIS EDITIONIN THIS EDITIONIN THIS EDITIONIN THIS EDITION

OGUN AT 40:

Continues from page 23

NAMING CEREMONY TRAGEDY:How 6 fromIbadan Polyperished

THE recent remarks by theAlake and paramount ruler ofEgbaland, Oba Adedotun AremuGbadebo declaring that the Ooniof Ife remains the highestranking Yoruba Oba is stirring upthe hornet’s nest.

Oba Gbadebo who stated thiswhile receiving the Ooni of Ife,Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusiin his Ake, Abeokuta, Ogun Statepalace, said the Ife monarch is thehighest of the five principal Obasin Yorubaland. The Alake, whohad postulated that there werefive principal obas in Yorubaland,listed the other Obas below theOoni to include the Alaafin ofOyo and the Oba of Benin insecond and third positions,respectively, in the order ofranking.

He, however, listed his own title,the Alake of Egbaland as thefourth while the Awujale ofIjebuland occupies the fifth.

The Egba monarch haspromised to provide proof of hisrating.

Perhaps, this might not beunconnected to a 1937 groupphotograph which depicts traditional rulers of the oldwestern region, with Sir BernardHenry Bourdillon, Governor ofNigeria (1935–1940) inattendance.

Ooni vs Alaafin

•Yoruba Obas in 1937: Ooni Adesoji Aderemi (centre).To his right is Colonial British Governor of Nigeria Bernard Bourdillon, next,ObaAkenzua of Benin and Oba Ademola, Alake of Abeokuta. To Ooni's left, Oba Oladigbolu, Alaafin of Oyo town, and Oba AdesanyaGbelegbuwa, Awujale of Ijebu Ode.

By Dapo Akinrefon

SUPREMACY RATING:Obas at war?

Prior to this, the Alaafin of Oyoand the Ooni of Ife had beenengaged in a supremacy battlefor close to 79 years.

The late Ooni of Ife, ObaOkunade Sijuwade, whoascended the throne in December1980 had inherited an ongoingdispute over supremacy betweenthe obas of Yorubaland.

In 1967, it was believed thatcrisis had been resolved when thelate sage, Chief ObafemiAwolowo was chosen as theleader of the Yoruba.

Interestingly, in 1976 theGovernor of Oyo State, General David Jemibewon (retd), haddecreed that the Ooni of Ife wouldbe the permanent chairman of theState Council of Obas and Chiefs.

This development did not godown well with other obas, ledby the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who insistedthat the position should be onrotational basis.

The creation of Osun State inAugust 1991 calmed frayednerves but ill will still persisted.

The age-long feud between theOoni of Ife and Alaafin of Oyoreared its head in January 2009when the late Oba Sijuwadereportedly said that Oba Adeyemiwas ruling a dead empire (the Oyo Empire, which collapsed in1793).

In a swift response, ObaAdeyemi responded by citing“absurdities” in Sijuwade’sstatements saying the Ooni “isnot in tune with his own history.”

In his recent efforts at ensuringunity in the South-West, the newlyinstalled Ooni of Ife, ObaOgunwusi paid a historic visit tothe Alaafin of Oyo, during the45th coronation anniversarythanksgiving, held at theMethodist Church, Apaara, OyoState.

It is imperative to note that whilethe age-long supremacy battlebetween the duo lasted, bothmonarchs (Alaafin and the lateOoni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade),hardly saw eye-to-eye.

Oba of Benin rejects rating

The recent utterance of the Egbamonarch has ignited anothersupremacy battle especiallybetween the Ooni of Ife and Obaof Benin.

But in a move to set the recordsstraight, the Palace of the Oba ofBenin faulted the remarks madeby the Alake.

Its defense has, however, stokedcontroversy over the supremacyof Obas in the South-West.

Rising in defense of the Beninkingdom, the Esogban of Benin

and Odionwere of the Kingdom(traditional head), Chief DavidEdebiri, said the Alake ofEgbaland, goofed when he saidthe Oba of Benin was third in thehierarchy of Obas.

He argued that the Ooni of Ifewas a son of the Oba of Benin,but quickly added that the stoolof the Oba of Benin could not becompared with that of any YorubaKing.

Esogban, third in command inthe palace of the Oba of Benin,had asserted: “We wanted todiscard this report as somethingthat was not necessary at all. Wedo not see how the Alake ofEgbaland suddenly woke up tothink that the Oba of Benin is alsoa Yoruba Oba.

Edebiri said: “There is no basisfor such classification; Oba ofBenin has nothing to do with theYoruba Obas. It is simplyunnecessary, unless they simplywant to stir up an unnecessarycontroversy. “We are not inYorubaland. To be frank, it isbecause many of them are notwilling to come up with the truth,the word Oba is alien in the Yorubamonarchical lexicon; it is not partof their title from timeimmemorial. “For instance, theone they call the Oba of Lagos,these are recent adaptations. Inthe 50s, there was no Oba ofLagos, what we had was theEleko of Eko. That is the title ofthe King there. In Ibadan, youhave the Olu Ibadan. You cometo Abeokuta, you have the Alakeof Egba land. You come to Oyo,you have the Alaafin of Oyo. InIlesha, you have the Owa-Obokun of IIesha. So no Yorubamonarch had as part of his titlesthe word Oba except the Oba of

But in a move to setthe records straight,the Palace of theOba of Beninfaulted the remarksmade by the Alake,its defense has,however, stokedcontroversy overthe supremacy ofObas in the South-West

Friends, foesaward Amosunpass mark

24 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

OYO STATE

Continues from page 25

STAFF and students of thePolytechnic, Ibadan are

still trying to cope with thebitter pills of losing ninepeople in an auto crash. It isone accident too many.

That fateful day, Monday 8,2016 was supposed to be ajoyous day but it turned outto be a day they wished nevercame as their joy soonvanished into the thin air.

One of them was rejoicingfor the arrival of a new baby

SUPREMACY RATING: Obas at war?

•The bus conveying the passengers

How 6 from Ibadan

Poly perished

NAMING CEREMONY TRAGEDY:

By Ola Ajayi and as it is their custom tocelebrate with one another,they boarded a hired bus fromthe Department of QuantitySurveying to Oyo town torejoice with the family of thenew baby.

None of them had aninkling that their joy wouldsoon be sandwiched withsadness. They bade farewellto their loved ones notknowing it would be aneternal farewell.

They had left Oyo town afterthe ceremony and were very

close to Ibadan when theunimaginable incidenthappened.

The story that soon forcedtheir sun to set at dawnhappened when they got toOmotunde Village.

One of the tyres of the busburst and veered off the roadsomersaulting severally. Six ofthem were not lucky as theyreportedly died on the spot.Among the dead were threestaff, Mrs Fatola D.O, MrsAkintayo and one other.

Three others died in the

hospital. Now, five morevictims are said to be ondanger list at the UniversityCollege Hospital, Ibadan.

When South West Voice gotto the institution on Tuesday,it was indeed a black day asboth students and staff weptuncontrollably for thedeceased.

One of the staff who simplyidentified himself as Afolabiwas deep in sorrow describingthe three staff as nice people.

He said he was particularlysad over one of the deceased,who was a part time lecturer,Mrs. Akintayo D.O .

Another staff, Modupe said,“ this is very painful. You cansee everybody in thisinstitution are not in goodmood. To mourn the dead, the

management has declaredtwo-mourning for bothstudents and staff.

The Sector Commander ofthe FRSC, Mr Yusuff Salami,the Public Relations Officer,The Polytechnic Ibadan, MrSoladoye Adewole and theState Police Public RelationsOfficer, confirmed the suddendeath of the people.

Soladoye said, “I just got thenews not quite long. We havenot been able to ascertain thenumber of deaths, but wehave actually recorded somedeaths. Our Director ofMedical Services andRegistrar, Mr EzekielFehintola have gone to thescene. We have not been givenfull details of the incident”.

Ajisebutu told South WestVoice that six passengers diedof the ill-fated bus, whilethirteen others sustainedserious injured.

At the University CollegeHospital, Ibadan where thesurvivors were taken to, thePublic Affairs Officer, Mr. DejiBobade said they wereresponding to treatment.

According to him, somehave been discharged thismorning.

“Yes, they are responding totreatment. Some of them havebeen discharged while twowho had injuries to theirheads are still criticallydown”.

That fateful day,Monday 8, 2016was supposed to bea joyous day but itturned out to be aday they wishednever came as theirjoy soon vanishedinto the thin air

Benin.“That word Oba is indigenous

to Benin. It is only in recent timesyou find everybody bearing Oba.When the Western Regionalconference of traditional rulerstook place in Benin City in 1942,go and check the attendance,there was no other monarch inthe whole of the Western Regionthen that bore the title of Oba,except the Oba of Benin.

Continuing, the Benin chiefmaintained that “it is anunnecessary excursion, anunnecessary attempt to turnhistory upside down by theAlake by classifying the Oba ofBenin as third in the hierarchyof kings. “Our own traditionalhistory says that the Ooni of Ifewas a Benin Prince whowandered from here to Ife, settledthere and became the ruler there.That is the position, if they don’tknow, they should send peoplehere; we will teach them. We willshow them landmarks. So this isunnecessary misrepresentationof history. Maybe the Alakewanted to mention a differentplace and not Benin.”

He was quick to add that “themonarchical ruler-ship in thispart of the world started fromBenin during the era of theOgisos. It was the son of the lastOgiso, Owodo, that wanderedfrom here to Ife and he became aruler there, carrying everything

the origin of the Yoruba and Beninkingdom and submitted that factsmust not be distorted withsentiments.

Sowunmi alluded that thequestion is this. Can a son begreater than his father can? Orcan a river be greater than itssource? No. Otherwise it will dry.The source of Yoruba from Beninalthough appeared to be veryauthentic as presented by ObaEredua than Saudi Arabia orLamurudu, which cannot betraced in Saudi Arabian history.But the fact of history ofallegiance of Oba of Benin to IleIfe the cradle of Yoruba racebefore being crowned and afterdeath is an indication that Ife isthe source of both the Yorubas andEdo but the Yorubas andhistorians must come up with avery scientific and foolproofhistory to support this argument.This is an area the Ooni andother Yoruba writers have notdefended.

I’m not in supremacy battlewith anyone – Ooni

Refusing to be drawn in thesupremacy controversy, the Ooniof Ife, Oba Ogunwusi, said hewas not in a supremacy battlewith any monarch in the country.

He, however, restated hisdesire towards a more unitedYoruba race and peacefulNigeria.

The Ooni was reacting to thestatement credited to the palace

of the Oba of Benin, which waspublished in a national daily.

Director of Media and PublicAffairs in the Ooni’s palace, Mr.Moses Olafare, in a statementissued in Ile Ife, said the onlything that was paramount toOoni Ogunwusi at the momentwas ensuring unity and healthydevelopment among the Yorubasand the entire nation.

According to him: “Let meemphasise for the umpteenthtime that Kabiyesi Ooni is lessconcerned over any supremacyhullabaloo.

“He is only interested for nowin exploring measures throughwhich the collective interest andgenuine unity among Yoruba andother tribes within the largerHouse of Oduduwa can beenhanced.

“This informed his resolve tobuild bridges of harmony amongYourba Obas. I am resolutelycommitted to how Yoruba ethnicgroup can restore its glory andpride position among otherethnic inclinations in Nigeriaand don’t want to be dragged intosupremacy contest or join issueswith anybody.

“The statement credited to theAlake of Egbaland, did notemanate from us but the realityis that as a highly experiencedand well informed monarch,Kabiyesi Alake who is a bonafideOodua descendant is entitled tohis opinion based on his

about the Benin monarchicalsystem to that place. There is nobasis for such classification.

“The Ooni of Ife by historicalfacts, is a son of the Oba of Benin,so they are not in the same class.The Oba of Benin is the only onethat answers Oba, the rest don’t.But today, we hear Oba here andthere, they are all recentadaptations. I am sayingcategorically that the word Obais indigenous to Benin and notto the Yoruba nation.”

WikipediaAccording to Wikipedia, the

encyclopedia opined that “TheOoni is the traditional ruler of Ile-Ife, whose dynasty goes backhundreds of years. Ile-Ifè is anancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. ÌÍni Lajamisan,who was the 8th ÌÍni of Ile Ife,was a Son of ÌÍni Oranmiyan,(ÌÍni Oranmiyan was also Thefirst Oba of Benin, First Aláàfinof Oyo and the Father of Ocile ofOke- Ona Egba). ÌÍni Lajamisanthe son of ÌÍni Oranmiyan, wasalso the Father of ÌÍniLajodoogun, the 9th ÌÍni of IleIfe, through whom thegenealogy of all succeedingOonnis of Ile Ife until the lateOoni Okunade Adele Sijuwade,Olubuse 11, Arole Oduduwaand the Head of the YorubaNation, is traced down to ÌÍniOdùduwà, The Ancestral Fatherof the Yorubas Globally.”

Yoruba and Beninkingdoms

In an article by Mr Segun A.Fadipe entitled:”Yoruba andBenin Kingdom: ClassicalHistorical ‘War’ of Supremacy”,attempts were made to juxtaposethe similarities between the twoempires.

Fadipe, in his view, posited that“Oranmiyan - the famous andunequalled Yoruba prince andwarrior was the only Yoruba royalenigma to have ruled over BeninKingdom, founded and becamethe very first Alaafin of Oyo andlater came back to become theOoni of Ife! He, it was whorestructured Benin Kingdom,married in Benin, had two sonswho later became Oba of Beninmonarch. It is on record that theOgiso troubled dynasty wasdiscarded and subsequent kingsin Benin became known andaddressed as “Oba” till date,based on the order establishedin Benin Kingdom byOranmiyan. Even up to 1939,Yoruba language was the officialpalace language in Benin. Nowonder then that many Beninfamilies bear Yoruba names! Andwhat about designs of the Beninpalace after the renowned andhistorical Oduduwa palace in Ile-Ife?”

Perhaps corroborating Fadipe’sstance, Kunle I Sowunmi, in anarticle entitled: “Yoruba andBenin Kingdom: Ile Ife The FinalResting Place of History”, traced

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OGUN STATE

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 —25

•President Buhari, Gov Ibikunle Amosun, Alake of Egbaland and others duringthe 40th anniversary of the creation of Ogun State.

Friends, foesaward Amosunpass mark

By Daud Olatunji

RECENTLY, Ogun Statecelebrated forty years of its

existence. Ogun State is a statein South-Western Nigeria whichwas carved out of the old WesternRegion on February 3, 1976 bythe then regime of GeneralMurtala Mohammed andGeneral Olusegun Obasanjo.

The state was one of thenineteen states created out of theformer twelve states structure of1967.

The State which was namedafter the Ogun River that runsacross it from North to South, iscommonly called the”gatewaystate” because of its borderconnections to other states.

According to the 2006 census,the state has a total population

of 3,751,140 residents.Luckily for the incumbent

governor of the state, SenatorIbikunle Amosun, the state wascelebrating its 40 years during hisreign and it was lavishlycelebrated by the governor.

The celebration which attractedforty projects also drew PresidentMuhammadu Buhari , his Vice,Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, formerPresident Olusegun Obasanjo

and past governors both militaryadministrators and executivegovernors to the state.

However, some stakeholders inthe state such as four traditionalrulers a Senator representingOgun East Senatorial district,Buruji Kashamu and agovernorship candidate on theplatform of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, GboyegaIsiaka among others gave their

take on the celebration of fortyyears of existence by thegovernment.

Royal fathersThe four paramount rulers in

the state, such as the Akarigboand paramount ruler ofRemoland, Oba Dr. MichealAdeniyi Sonariwo, the Olu ofIlaro and paramount ruler ofYewaland, Oba KehindeOlugbenle, the Alake andparamount ruler of Egbaland,Oba Michael Gbadebo and theAwujale and Paramount ruler ofIjebuland, Oba Dr. SikiruAdetona spoke on the forty yearanniversary celebration of thestate, commended GovernorAmosun on his performancesince he assumed office asgovernor of the state.

According to them, thegovernor has done well in hismission of Rebuilding the State,the state is better off compared toits previous status , but, moreimprovement is still needed insome areas.

KashamuThe Senator representing

Ogun East Senatorial district,Buruji Kashamu in his reactionsaid: “ In the last 40 years ago,we know how the state lookedlike, except if we want to deceiveourselves, because the state hasdeveloped compared to the last40 years. I have to thank somegovernments which havecontributed since the time ofcreation till now, especially,Ibikunle Amosun who is thepresent governor of Ogun State.

“I will not tell you IbikunleAmosun is perfect, but, believe

me I can say it authoritatively thathe tries his best except if we wantto deceive each other, he hascontributed a lot. I will thank allthese governors ; GbengaDaniel, Olusegun Osoba, all ofthem have contributed their ownpart”.

IsiakaIn his assessment, the

governorship candidate in thestate on the platform of thePeoples Democratic Party,Gboyega Isiaka said the state isthe 4th non-oil economy inNigeria with GDP of $10.470billion and it’s per capita GDP is247.28.

According to him, “Ogun stateis the 5th highest state inInternally Generated Revenue asit generated N17.4 billion in2015. It’s poverty rate is 29.84 percent per day whileunemployment rate is 8.5 percent.

“Based on the above fact, OgunState has a progressive growthin GDP but not so reflected inhman development. It isunacceptable that despite a GDPof over $10.4 billion and literacylevels of over 66 percent, we stillhave a majority of our populationimmersed in extreme poverty.

While providing a way out tothe challenges, Isiaka anaccountant guru, said “ with thepotentials well established, mymessage is simple, we have whatit takes to make the giant leapforward. After forty years ofexistence as a state with all ourGod-given resources, Ogun isstill confronted with enormous

FOUR months after three men:Akinjemiyan Babayomi,

Akingbade Adewoleoye andanother whose identity isunknown aged over 60 yearswho used to work as securityguards in two secondary schoolsin Ondo State were gruesomelymurdered in cold blood, theirkillers have been apprehendedby the security operatives in thestate.

The suspects were arrestedwhen the mobile telephones ofthe murdered guards were foundin their possession.

Vanguard gathered that foursuspected killers of the securityguards are now in police custody.

The elderly security men werereportedly killed by the assailantswho invaded two separateschools in the state on November6, last year and burgled thecomputer room.

In the process, the killersaccording to a Police sourcecommitted the dastardly act whenthe security guards preventedthem from carting awaycomputers and other accessoriesfrom the school computer rooms.

The suspects namely AlhassamAbudu 20, Akinola Dada 28,Mohammed Ahmed 20 , OlotuAyoola 47, unleashed mayhem in

How teacher’s son led schools’ robbery in OndoBy Dayo Johnson Igushi/Eriji Community

Grammar School and OlofinAnglican Grammar School bothin Idanre area of the state.

Vanguard learnt that thesuspects made away with a largenumber of Laptops, value yetunknown.

The leader of the gang, AsigoroRotimi is still at large.

Findings by Vanguard showedthat two of the suspects werearrested while in possession ofthe mobile phones of themurdered security guards indifferent areas of the state andoutside the state.

The suspects after killing thesecurity guards went away withtheir telephones, convertingthem to their personal use.

Detectives later tracked thetelephones picking up two of thesuspects who led them to othersuspects.

It was discovered that one ofthe suspects Ahmed Muhammedwhose father was a former staffof one of the schools that wasburgled gave information to theleader of the gang that when hevisited his father in the school hediscovered that the stategovernment supplied newcomputers and other accessoriesto schools across the state.

Speaking with vanguard,Ahmed confirmed that he got to

know that new computers weresupplied to the school throughhis father.

The suspect who was anapprentice with an aluminiumfabricating company said that hegave out the information to hisfriend who assured him that theycould make “ good money if theystole the computers and sold themin Lagos."

He said that they would havesold the computers but for thename of the schools inscribed onthem.

"We were able to clean theinscriptions on some of thecomputers and about to sell themwhen we were arrested.

According to him: “We wereabout finishing with the removalof the inscriptions on thecomputers when the policedetectives came to arrest us."

Another suspect, AkinolaDada, said they never had theintention of killing the securityguards.

“When we arrived at the school,one of the security guards sawus and before they could get upto attack us we overpoweredthem and tied them to the treeso that we could do our job. Wedid not know they will die in theprocess’’ he said.

But police detectives said thesuspect was economical with the

•Pic of the suspects with the stolen computers

truth as the security guardswere strangled by the suspectson arrival at the school so as tohave a field day.

Vanguard learnt that thesecurity guards who were elderlymen hardly put up anyresistance.

Their bodies were discoveredby teachers the following daywhich was a Monday. Vanguardgathered that the suspects haveconfessed to the crime.

Seven public secondaryschools across Ondo state havebeen robbed by men of theunderworld within a spate of twomonths and hundreds of laptopssupplied by the stategovernment carted away.

Findings revealed that theirmode of operation were similarand the targeted schools werethe ones just supplied the stolenlaptops.

The robbery syndicate operatedin the other schools whichinclude Methodist high school,Idanre, Aqinas college, Akure,Fiwasaye Girls Grammar school,Akure and Methodist highschool, Okitipupa.

Vanguard gathered that thethree night guards that weremurdered in the two differentSchools may have recognizedthe robbers .

26— Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

T H E T E A MEDITOR:Adeleke Adeseri 08054682557 (sms only)

CORRESPONDENTS:Dapo Akinrefon LagosOla Ajayi IbadanGbenga Olarinoye OsogboDayo Johnson AkureDaud Olatunji AbeokutaOlasunkanmi Akoni LagosRotimi Ojomoyela EkitiMonsuru Olowoepejo

LAGOS STATE

•From Left: Fomer Deputy Gov. Mrs. Sarah Sosan, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, Dr.Yinka Ayandele.

•Dr and Dr(Mrs) Ayandele

•Dr. Sola Ayandele, Dr Yinka Ayandele, Mrs. Derin and Pastor & Pastor (Mrs.) Olugbola.

•Dr Yinka Ayandele, Tutor-General, Permanent Secretary,Lagos Education District 1: daughter of thedeceased.

•From left : Dr. Yinka Ayandele with HOS Mrs. OlabowaleAdemola and Dr. Sola Ayandele.

Events at the Christian wake keep, funeral service, interment and entertainment ofguests during the celebration of life of Pa Vincent Adereti Oludayo Ojutiku, an ex-Chief Accountant in Lagos State Ministry of Education .. held last week

•From Left: Former Deputy Gov. Mrs. Sarah Sosan, Mrs.Bolanle Ambode, and Dr. Yinka Ayandele

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—27

Headies awardhas helped toboost my profile— Aramide

28—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

THERE is no doubt thatwhenever Aramide

strums her guitar she evokesa musical melody that thrillsthe soul. Her star power cameto the fore when she clinchedthe Best VocalPerformance(Female)award atthis year’s Headies. Aramidesaid, the award came to heras a shock.

According to her, “I neversaw it coming and I amgrateful to God for thebeautiful surprise. Winningthe award has boosted myprofile and I know I have towork harder and always givemy best at all times.”

The Baseline artiste, madethis putting finishing touchesto the release of her lovethemed tune, “LoveMe,”featuring AdekunleGold. She was quick toexplain why the song was notreleased on Valentine’s Day,maintaining that “ it wasbecause I wanted to ensurethat everything was in placebefore releasing the song.”

“Love Me was inspired bylove, love stories and

By Kehinde Ajose

weddings basically. I tried tocreate something that wouldremind people about howbeautiful love is. We didn’trelease the song onValentine’s Day because wewanted to be ensure thateverything was in place andready for release. Also, wewanted to make sure thatthe song gets the attentionit deserves.”

•Charlyboy

IT’s going to be celebritycouples’ affair at the sixth

edition of the NigerianBroadcasters Merit Awards,NBNMA, as showbizimpresario, Charl Boy and hiswife, Lady Di have beennamed co-host of theforthcoming event.

They will be hosting theawards night alongside Isaacand Nneka Moses of GogeAfrica fame.

NBMA, the pioneer awardfor TV/Radio broadcasters andon-air personalities, will holdon Saturday February 27, atthe Grand Ballroom ofBarcelona Hotels, Wuse 2,Abuja.

The choice of Abuja,

according to the organizers, isimperative this time around,as all previous editions of theannual event were held inLagos. However, the eccentricDenrele Edun is alsoexpected to host the cocktailand red carpet session whileSouth African-based Nigerianturntable whiz kid, DJ Phyzwould be on the wheels- of-steel.

Some of the programmeslined up to add glamour to theevent include, live broadcast,a red carpet reception, dancedrama, fashion exhibition,command performances fromshining music and comedystars among other sideattractions.

Charlyboy, Lady Dimeet Goge Africa at

NBMA 2016

Why I featured Oritsefemi,Magneto in new single— Owen Bright

AFTER thrilling the ladieswith his unique style of

music in low key for over fiveyears, Owen Bright Okooboh,A.K.A Mr Arena, from EdoState, Benin City, has releaseda smashing hit single, ‘MyPlace.’

The hit single featuringOritsefemi and Magneto hasbeen receiving massive airplaysince it was released into themarket. The Malaysian-basedNigerian singer describedOritsefemi as ‘a great singer’,

explaining, however, that hedecided to feature him in thesong because of his style ofmusic which he said, inspireseveryone.

He also said that he decidedto feature Magneto because ofhis vocal ability.

The video of the song, whichwas shot by Mat Max in Lagos,would be released before theend of the month. Talking aboutthe song, Owen said, he got theinspiration while walking onthe street with his friend Tcon.

Evening ofsongs as Ama presents‘Success Don’t Fail’US-based Nigerian

educationist andmotivational speaker, Dr Amawho flew into the country lastweek is billed to host an eveningof songs and dances as shepresents her life-changing work,“ Successes Don’t Fail”, holdingtoday at Red Door Art Gallery,Bishop,Oluwole Street, Victoria

Island, Lagos.Ama is the creator of the “Live

Abundantly!®” , a brand whichencourages people to Live BetterLives - mentally, emotionally,physically, spiritually,professionally, personally, andfinancially...

She believes living authentically,mindfully and compassionately isthe only way to achieve truesuccess and nirvana in all aspectsof life.

Her latest accomplishment,“Successes Don’t Fail (2015)”highlights the essence of humanlife. She said the book is designedto “inspire others to liveabundantly”, adding that her visionis to use the book to “share thestrategies she used in overcominglife challenges and difficulty’s”. Ittook her eight years to write thebook.

She wants Nigeria youths toknow that if one knows who theyare, and discover their purpose inlife, they will then be able to achievegreat success in life.

Kcee returns with ‘Bureau De Changer’

Five star music act, Kcee during the weekdropped his first single of 2016 titled ‘Bureau

De Changer.’The banging new song was produced by Five star

In-House producer, Doctor Amir and it was mixedand mastered by Foster Zeeno.

The video for the song which has already beenshot in South Africa, according to a source clsoe tothe hitmaker, will be released in a couple of daysfrom now. Meanwhile, the limpopo crooner has anew name, Enter the life with the new Alhaji Naira!

•Ama

•Kcee

Owen Bright

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 — 29

Microsoft champions shift fromtraditional methods

•Smartclassroom

A NEW partnership between composite retail chain,

Yudala and Telecommunicationsgiant, Airtel has made it possiblefor customers to purchase the newXtouch E1 smartphone and payin instalments. Customers willalso get the full cash back onAirtel data plans.

With N5000 payment on thefirst installation, Yudalacustomers can get the Xtouch E1,along with N1000 package fromAirtel, and pay the balance overthe following three months.

The companies believe that thethree-month, zero percentage oninterest payment plan will makecustomer shopping experienceeasier and more enjoyable byallowing customers to purchasethe XTOUCH E1 with a flexiblerepayment option, catered to

their budget and lifestyle. Founder and Vice President of

Yudala, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh,speaking on the developmentsaid: “We have teamed up withXTOUCH and Airtel to providethe customer one more paymentoption, to elevate the shoppingexperience to an even higherlevel. Even though the countryis experiencing a currency crisisat the moment, we are still notafraid to take the risk of fixedpricing and testing the integrityof our esteemed consumers.”

Executive Director of Airtel,Tawa Bolarin said: “We alwaystry to make mobile internet moreaccessible and affordable for ournumerous customers. Workingwith Xtouch and Yudala to givecustomers full cashback on dataplans when they purchaseXTOUCH E1will greatly help us

deliver on our vision.”The XTOUCH E1 smartphone

comes with a 3,200mAh long-lastingbattery. It is powered by high energydensity technology, which can keepthe smartphone under one-day fulloperation, 15-hour phone call, evenfor 300-hour stand-by time. The 5-inch display, with a 5MP rear cameraand 2MP front camera, ensures astunning display and browsing effectas well as clear angle for capturingthe best moments in life.

Game lovers and musicenthusiasts will also undoubtedly fallin love with XTOUCH E1, whichhas a built-in 1GB RAM and internalstorage of 8GB which can be furtherexpanded to 32GB via microSD card.The 1.2GHz Quad-core Processoralso ensures longer usage with itspower saving settings, which allowusers the comfort to enjoy browsingthe Internet, playing games,

Yudala, Airtel partner to offerXtouch on instalment payments

BY the time the justconcluded Microsoft

Innovative Educatorsnational forum wasdrawing to a close, therewere positive signals thatthe paradigm shift fromtraditional to virtualclassroom has started inNigeria.

No fewer than 50educators from both publicand private institutions invarious states in Nigeriawere trained on how bestto use the latesteducational technology toteach students in theirvarious schools. Accordingly theparticipants were collectivelychallenged by Microsoft todirectly train 20,000 educatorsacross their geo-political zonesby 2017, using the Nigeria-specific content developedduring the forum.

Speaking to the participantsvia a Skype call, the VicePresident of WorldwideEducation for MicrosoftIncorporation, Mr. AnthonySalcito expressed his utmostgratitude to the educators whohad volunteered to implementchange in their society.

“This is not only to help yourstudents but to challenge thestatus quo,” he said “to becourageous enough to applynew technologies that willamplify all of your teachingtechniques. We are training awonderful community aroundthe world with the help ofpassionate educators. Your effortscombined with the support of

technology will help transformthe way students learn, henceenabling them to help build theskills needed for a 21st centuryworkplace.”, Salcito said. Earlierin her remarks, the event host,Microsoft Nigeria’s EducationPrograms Manager, JordanBelmonte said that “a teacherdoesn’t need a roomful of fancygadgets to make an impact, evensimple changes like re-arrangingthe way a classroom is setup, toencourage collaboration, canpromote the adoption of 21stcentury skills.”

Belmonte added that, “Whenwe do think about how to bestuse technology, a lot of theforeign curriculum which we areimbibing in Nigeria is not well-localized. Through this forum, wewill work on making all ourcontent relevant to the realitiesof Nigerian classrooms andensure it’s easier for Nigerian’sto teach and learn withtechnology.”

•Xtouch E1 smartphone

withPRINCE OSUAGWU

08050498513princeosuagwu@gmail.com

Innovative classroom:

By Emeka Aginam

By Prince Osuagwu

ETISALAT Nigeria, yesterday announced a

business deal with Vodacomebusiness Nigeria to boost its voiceservices and ensure itssubscribers continue toexperience voice clarity andsmooth internet services.

The deal means that Vodacomwill provide mobile voice anddata services as well as improvedenterprise solutions to Etisalatcustomers. The Partnershipenables Etisalat to provide pointto point and point to multi-pointconnectivity solutions to itscustomers, thereby offering thema one-stop shopping experience.It also enables Vodacom andEtisalat customers to be providedwith a single billing platform tonegate the trouble of dealing withmultiple communications serviceproviders. Commenting on the

partnership, Chief ExecutiveOfficer of Etisalat Nigeria,Matthew Willsher said, “In thefast paced telecommunicationmarket of today, the successfulcompanies will be those who buildthe right strategic partnerships toaccelerate innovation, growth,and offer customers more valuefor their money. Etisalat iscommitted to offering qualityservices both in voice and data,and to continuously providesolutions that help enterprises andstartups excel in their businesses.This partnership brings togethertwo outstanding industry leaders,with proven track record ofinnovation.”

With this Partnership, Vodacomis now well-placed to offer a fullerpackage of custom-madeenterprise class Mobile Servicesto businesses in Nigeria throughits Enterprise Mobile VoiceSolution.

Etisalat to boost voice serviceswith Vodacom Business support

THE Minister of Science andTechnology, Dr. Ogbonnaya

Onu has assured Nigerians thatthe Ministry will strengthen thecapacity for creative innovationand research in the science andtechnology sector. He made the promise when hehosted the Nigerian Academy ofScience led by its President,Professor Oyewale Tomori ona courtesy visit to his office. Onusaid the ministry hadcommenced the re-engineeringprocess in the sector with a viewto setting standards inprogramme implementation,and changing the nationalconsciousness of Nigerians toembrace the sector. For him,Science and Technology plays apivotal role in shaping the futureof youths. He urged parents to

support their wards to developinterest in science and technologyas this is one way to secure thefuture of our nation. He assuredNigerians of the Buhariadministration’s determination toharness both the human andnatural resources to build a betterNigeria by diversifying theeconomy, wealth and job creation,security and the rule of lawthrough the application ofinnovations in Science andTechnology sector.He added that, though, theNational Research andInnovation Council (NRIC) wasestablished over 30 years ago, it never met until January 7th thisyear and this according to himmeant there had been no effectivecoordination of all national effortsin the sector since that Councilwas meant to appropriately moveNigeria forward intechnological advancement.

FG promises more supportfor creativity, research

The forum impressed oneducators, the need to startteaching in a way thatcaptivates children, offeringlearning experiences that keepthem interest and engaged.

Commenting on the forum,Chief Education Officer,Secondary Education Board,Abuja; Veranique Obiakorexpressed her excitementtowards imparting all shelearnt in her region.

In her words, “I reallyappreciate this forum as it hasbrought about educators fromthe different hierarchy in oneroom to make the change inthe Nigerian educationsystem. I have learnt a lot fromthis forum, and I cannot waitto continue my insightfulevangelism in my region tomake more innovativeeducators thereby reshapingthe classroom for the nextgeneration.”

watching videos,listening to music andtalking on the phone forlonger periods.

“The Xtouch E1 isborn for the Nigerianmarket, it comes with apowerful battery and thelatest technology of fastcharging and with anaffordable price,” saidXtouch’s Vice Presidentof Commercial, Mr.Farhad Khan. Addingthat “the instalmentpayment plan will allowcustomers to own theXTOUCH E1 rightaway and pay for it insmall monthlyinstalments, making thishighly cost-effectivesmartphone even moreaffordable.

By Emmanuel Elebeke

By Laju Iren

Jumada Al-Awwal 10, 1437 A.H.

Ahmadiyya opened new mosque in Benin circuit recently. Standing in row is Dr Abdul Ganiy EnahoroNaib Amir, Deputy Head Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Nigeria Eastern Region. Barrister RizwanMuhammad, National Secretary, Tarrbiyya Education Secretary, Maulvi Ilori, Benin circuit CentralMissionary and others.

30 —VANGUARD, 30 —VANGUARD, 30 —VANGUARD, 30 —VANGUARD, 30 —VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

WELCOME to Muslim SoulMates in Vanguard. A uniqueplatform for single Muslims who wish to find their potential

marriage partners on this page. We have designed it to help youfind perfect soul mates every Friday.

We will also give counsel where necessary in order to keep withthe halal standard. Our aim is to further develop couples thatcould be blessed, compatible, enduring following Islamicinjunctions. It promises to be a rewarding service just as we willtreat all inquiries and submissions in confidence.

Send your profile, contact and details of who you want, notmore than 75 words to isholaism@yahoo.co.uk. Names andcontacts will not be published.

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PROFILE 06: A Muslim divorcee, (female) 38, Hausa,Yobe State, 5ft.2inches tall with OND wants a Muslim andGod fearing man, single for marriage. He must be Hausa,gainfully employed and based in any part of the country.

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For those whose profile are published, they are advised tocheck their emails as we will revert to them for furtherinformation.

Prophet shows the way to preventLassa fever

PREVENTION ofLassa fever hangs on

promoting good “communityhygiene” one that candiscourage rodents fromentering homes. Effectivemeasures include storing grainand other foodstuffs in rodent-proof containers, disposing ofgarbage far from the home,maintaining clean householdsand keeping rats away fromhomes.

There is nothing wrong inkilling rats in Islam. In fact it ispart of sunnah not to allow ratsin your homes. ‘Abd-Allaah ibn‘Umar (may Allaah be pleasedwith them both) narrated thatHafsah said: the Messenger ofAllaah (peace and blessings ofAllah be upon him) said: “Thereare five animals for which thereis no blame on the one whokills them: crows, kites (hawk-like birds), mice/rats, scorpionsand mad dogs.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari,1828. (Translators’ note: theArabic word fa’rah may refer torats or mice, so both arementioned in the translation).Al-Qaasim ibn Muhammadsaid: I heard ‘Aa’ishah, the wifeof the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allah be uponhim), say: I heard theMessenger of Allah (peace andblessings of Allah be upon him)say: “There are four thingswhich are faasiq (corrupt) andmay be killed at all times,whether one is in a state ofihraam [for Hajj and ‘Umrah]or not: kites, crows, mice/ratsand mad dogs.”

Harmfulcreatures

Narrated by Muslim, 1198.Dragging the wick Mice andrats are harmful creatures, asthe Prophet (peace andblessings of Allaah be uponhim) explained: Ibn ‘Abbaassaid: a mouse (or rat) came andstarted dragging the wick (ofthe lamp). It threw it in front ofthe Messenger of Allah (peaceand blessings of Allah be uponhim), onto the mat on which hewas sitting, and it burnt a holethe size of a dirham.

He said, “When you go tosleep, extinguish your lamps,for the Shaytaan will tellcreatures like this to dosomething like this so that youwill be burned.” Narrated byAbu Dawood, 5427. The miceor rats that may live in people’shouses are among the harmfulcreatures or vermin(fuwaysiqah) which the

Prophet (peace and blessingsof Allah be upon him)commanded us to kill rats inall situations, whether we arein ihraam or not.

The root of the wordfuwaysiqah (fasaqa) means todeviate from the right way andto do harm; hence a sinner isdescribed as “faasiq”, andthese animals are calledfawaasiq, as a metaphor fortheir evil nature; or it was saidthat it is because it is notharaam to kill them, whetherone is in ihraam or not, for theyhave no sanctity or protectionin any circumstances.

Blessingsof Allaah

Al-Tahaawi narrated inAhkaam al-Qur’aan with hisisnaad from Yazeed ibn AbuNu’aym that he (Yazeed)asked Abu Sa’eed al-Khudriwhy mice/rats were calledfuwaysiqah.

Burn down the house Hesaid: the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allaah be uponhim) woke up one night andsaw that a mouse/rat had takenthe wick of the lamp to burndown the house of theMessenger of Allaah (peaceand blessings of Allah be uponhim), so he got up and killedit, and said that it waspermissible to kill themwhether one is in ihraam ornot.

This was mentioned by al-‘Allaamah al-Dumayri. Al-Bukhaari and Muslimnarrated in their Saheehs thatAbu Moosa al-Ash’ari said: A

house in Madeenah burneddown with its people inside.When the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allahbe upon him) heard about this,he said: “This fire is an enemyto you, so when you go to sleep,extinguish it.” Al-Bukhaarinarrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah said: the Messenger ofAllaah (peace and blessings ofAllaah be upon him) said:“Cover the vessels, for themouse/rat may drag out the wick(of the lamp) and burn theoccupants of the house.

“Something similar wasnarrated by Muslim, in whichhe says: “For the fuwaysiqahmay start a fire and burn thehouse and its occupants.” Al-Tabari said, explaining thesehadith: if a person wants tospend the night in a house inwhich there is no one else, andin which there is a fire or alamp, it is a duty on him toextinguish it before he sleeps…

The hadith was narrated byal-Haakim; he said its isnaadis saheeh. (From ‘Awn al-Ma’bood Sharh Abi Dawood).

Now that we know Islam callsmice and rats fuwaysiqah (evil)and allows us to kill them evenin Makkah, and that they are ameans which the Shaytan triedto use to burn down the houseof the Prophet, and we knowthat they are one of the ways ofspreading the virus throughfood con termination, do notallow them. Save yourself andfamily from the virus. JumuahMubarak!

There are fiveanimals for whichthere is no blameon the one whokills them: crows,kites (hawk-likebirds), mice/rats,scorpions and maddogs

THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), saidSaudi Arabia was yet to pay compensation to families/victims of

the crane mishap that occurred during the 2015 Hajj.Dr Saleh Okenwa, the Commissioner of Planning, Research, Statistic,

Information and Library Service of NAHCON, stated this in aninterview with newsmen in Abuja recently.

“NAHCON is yet to receive information about the compensation ofvictims of the crane crash from the Saudi authority.

“But the Nigerian Consulate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ismonitoring developments and Nigerians would be fully informedabout any development.

“I am confident that the Saudi Arabian Government will keep to itspromise because they are people of their words”, Okenwa said.

He added that NAHCON officials would be visiting Saudi Arabiain later in February to get an update on the issued.

Okenwa said the commission would meet officials of the SaudiArabian Ministry of Hajj as part of efforts to ensure early preparationand success of the 2016 hajj. Okenwa said the meeting was a followup on the earlier ones held in Saudi to sign agreement withaccommodation and food providers in Mecca and Medina.

No fewer than six Nigerian pilgrims lost their lives in the tragiccrane incident that occurred at the Grand Mosque in Ka’abah, Mecca,Saudi Arabia on Sept. 11, 2015, while 274 Nigerians died during astampede in Muna where the devil is traditionally and symbolicallystoned by the pilgrims. Also 35 pilgrims were declared missing duringthe 2015 hajj.

Crane mishap: Saudi Arabia yet tocompensate victims — NAHCON

Jumada Al-Awwal 10, 1437 A.H.

VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—31—31—31—31—31

Ahmadiyya launches Islamicradio

MUSLIM Public AffairsCentre, MPAC and

Nasrul-lahil-Fathi Society ofNigeria Agency for Zakat andSadaqat (NAZAS) haveconcluded plans to distributerelief materials to the over 2.2million Internally DisplacedPersons, IDPs in North East ofthe country.

The United Nations HighCommission for Refugees,UNHCR had last Novembersaid the population of IDP inthe North Eastern part of thecountry had risen to2.2million.

They disclosed this aftersigning a Memorandum ofUnderstanding, MOU inLagos on the involvement ofboth organizations on how toassist victims of Boko Haraminsurgency in the country.

They lamented: “IDPs arefacing hunger, affliction ofvarious illnesses due toinadequate medical care andexposure to inclement weather

NASFAT, MPAC distribute reliefmaterials to 2.2m IDPs

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

THE Ahmadiyya MuslimAssociation in the UK,

has launched a new radiostation called 'Voice of Islam .

The Digital radio stationlaunched by the World Head ofthe Ahmadiyya MuslimCommunity, Hazrat MasroorAhmad, Khalifatul Masih 5that Baitul Futuh, MordenLondon, will focus on Islamicsounds.

The station known as Voice of Islamhas been described as “giving apositive outlook of Islamic teachingsand their relevance in today’smulticultural society, with the aim ofnurturing a harmonious society.

The schedule will be made upof thought provoking discussionsand programmes on religious,moral and social issues of greatrelevance to both Muslims andnon-Muslims audience fromdifference cultures andbackgrounds.

We gathered that its content willnot be limited to religiousprogrammes but to also includeeducational, political and ‘publicinterest’ shows from internationalcontributors, for listeners of allages as well as news and sportsstories from around the world willalso feature.”

Guiding your tongue is Guiding your tongue is Guiding your tongue is Guiding your tongue is Guiding your tongue is ibadah

THE Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said, “Guard your tongue,stay in your homes and weep over your sins.” - Related by

Ibn Mubarak in az-Zuhd (no.134), Musnad Ahmed bin Hambal(5/259), Sunan at-Tirmidhi (2531) and authenticated by al-Albaanee in as-Saheehah (no.890)

Also, the Prophet stated (s.a.w), “Most of the sins of the childrenof Aadam are from the tongue.” - At-Tabaraanee (3/87/1-2).

In another related hadiths, the Prophet (s.a.w) said: “Thosewho do not harm the Muslims with their tongues and hands.” -Saheeh al-Bukhari (1/10) and Saheeh al-Muslim (1/64)

Sahl ibn Sa’ad - radiAllahu’ anhu - reported that the Messengerof Allah said, “Whoever guards what is between his jaws andlegs. I shall guarantee him paradise.” - Saheeh al-Bukhari (8/481). A similar narration can be found in Muwatta of Imam Malik(56/11) and Sunan at-Tirmidhi.

When the Companion of the Prophet, Mu’adh ibn Jabal -radiAllahu’ anhu - asked the Prophet - (s.a.w)- about that whichwould entitle him to enter Paradise and save him from the hell-fire, he said - mentioned the pillars of Islam and informed Mu’adhof the importance of the night prayers and of Jihaad. He thensaid, “Should I not inform you of the sheet anchor of all this?”,and then took hold of his tongue and said, “Exercise restraint onit.”. Don’t choose to be like one of the As-habu towilu-lisanni,during the days of the Prophet. (s.a.w)

Continued from last week

From left: Naib Amir Special Duties of AhmadiyyaMuslim Jama’at Nigeria, Alhaji Engr. Hamed Al-Hassan; Amir, Dr. Mashuud Aderenle Fashola; NaibAmir and Missionary-in-charge, Maulvi AbdulKhalique Nayyar and Sadr. Majlis Ansarullah,Alhaji Mikail Odukoya, during the commissioningof new hostel building of Fadl Omar ComprehensiveHigh School, Ojokoro Lagos, recently.

From left: Chief Missioner/Founder JIMSN Worldwide,Sheik Alhaji Salaudeen Omotayo, Baba Adinni (JIMSN),Alhaji Lukman Anigilade and others, during the NewYear Prayer at JIMSN Headquarters, Ijesha, Lagos.

arising from the makeshiftaccommodation they have intheir camps and as suchrequire assistance to feed andtake care of themselves at theCamps established by theFederal Government.”

The organizations assured tomake made available itemsinclude clothing items,footwear, sanitary and toiletryitems, household items, toys,books, medics and others, fordistribution to the IDPs.

The Executive ViceChairman of MPAC, Mr. DisuKamor state that the MoUcovers a period of one year andcould be reviewed, saying“there was no certain amountof money dedicated to thescheme by both groups withinthe time frame of theagreement.”

His words “The interestingthing is that the programmewas designed to touch lives ofIDPs and others (Muslims andnon-Muslims) in thecountry.”

THE ability to learn,protect and preserve the

rights of your spouse is one of theways of ensuring a happy home.Most crashed marriages couldhave been as a result of disrespectto each other especially whendealing with tough situations.

Every marriage, no matter howstressful, boring, or happy it maybe can give it a boost.

The first thing to note is that youhave to take cognizance of yourspouse’s rights as obligated on usby Allah and His prophet (peacebe upon him.) What marriedcouples often forget is that“Muslim marriage”, just like theentire life of a Muslim, isgoverned by the laws of Islam.These divine laws werecommunicated, commanded, andtaught to us by the prophet (peacebe upon him) through the Quranand the traditions of Hadith.

So, the first reminder is nothingmore than to become everconscious that the moment youentered your marriage, youbecame obligated to respect yourspouse’s rights as defined underthose divine laws. Claimingignorance about those rights oryour lack of resolve in upholdingthose rights therefore is not avalid excuse.

The problem in this regard isusually two fold. First, manycouples simply aren’t even awareand knowledgeable about therights that both husbands andwives have over each other. It’snot uncommon for many to rushinto marriages with all the fanfare

How do you preserve your marriage?but neglecting to learn Islamicteachings regarding marriageand the rights that husbands andwives have over each other. It’sonly when they hit roadblocks intheir marriages that they startseeking those answers. Problemssurface because each spouseassumes certain rights over theother and each spouse’s personalinterpretation of what’s right orwrong complicates relationshipseven further.

The second problem is thatwhile many of us may take thetime to understand how theirpartner is not meeting theirindividual rights, they oftenneglect to learn their obligationstoward the other spouse. Drivenselfishly, each spouse getspreoccupied with how theirpartner isn’t contributing to therelationship rather than realizinghow one is deficient in fulfilling

their own obligations.In the daily routine of give and

take therefore, if your relationshipis hitting hurdles, both of youought to invest the time and effortto learn about those rights andobligations. Use this reminder tomake a permanent mental noteto help you become conscious ofhow knowingly or unknowinglyyou transgress and violate yourspouse’s rights. Remember, youwill be questioned about them.

Again, every relationship isbound to have disagreements,day to day challenges pertainingto a family life, or your spousejust having a “bad day.” Theseshouldn’t be mistaken for a badrelationship. When relationshipsgo sour, it means couples don’trespond to situations. Whenresponse to such situationsinvolves disrespect for the otherindividual, cracks start appearingin relationships.

Full fledgeddisputes

This “disrespect” includes butisn’t limited to putting down theother individual, disregard forthe others opinions, raising one’svoice disrespectfully, etc. Thisthen leads to a communicationsbreakdown where disagreementsturn into full fledged disputes,small mistakes by one areperceived as crimes by the other,and just an ordinary “bad” dayturns worse by spouses endingup in major fights – sometimesclimaxing to points of no return.

We should recognize that Allahcreated us humans and hascodified dignity and respect partof our being. Therefore, when wetrample over partner’s rightsleaving him or her feeldisrespected, we are bound toinvoke an equal or worseresponse from our spouse sowingin their hearts the seeds ofanimosity, hatred and mistrust.Every action begets reaction.

So, remember that a happymarriage is one in which couplesfind ways to tackle and resolvechallenges without beingdisrespectful to the other. You canhave your tough talks as long asyou don’t cross the lines indisrespecting each other.Remember that Islam’s teachingsnever sanctioned to denigratehuman dignity even in times ofwar. The Prophet (s.aw) said:“The entire world is full ofresources, and among them thebest resource is a RIGHTEOUSWIFE.” (Reported by: Abdullahibn Amr (r) Source: SahihMuslim, Vol. 2, #3465) Again,he said:“The most completebeliever is the best in character,and the best of you is the BESTTO HIS WOMENFOLK.”(Tirmidhi #1162 and verified)

We shouldrecognize that Allahcreated us humansand has codifieddignity and respectpart of our being

VIRGINIA

KAPTAIN AFRIKA in “HEY’ By Andy Akman

dadadekola@yahoo.com

TERROR MUDA in “Scavenger Elite” By Lanre Kehinde

HOME & ABROAD By Lawrence Akapa

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLINGSend ySend ySend ySend ySend your datour datour datour datour date and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bire and place of bir th tth tth tth tth to the Aso the Aso the Aso the Aso the Astrtrtrtrtrologicalologicalologicalologicalological

Counselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, PCounselling, P.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 1.M.B 100000000007, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos7, Apapa, Lagos

YOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAYYOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139L E I S U R ETHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAYTHOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

32 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

SAGITARIUS; Although there will be challengeshere is a day when things will eventually go accord-ing to your plans. Don’t take friends for granted.

CAPRICORN; From now until next few days youwill need to be as practical as possible along yourcareer line; this is the wrong time to experiment withnew ideas.

AQUARIUS; You may not be in total control of yourmind till around 5.36pm. That is to say you will needpractical approach in all you do today. Be more care-ful.

PISCES; Continue to be more careful about propos-als having to do with joint ventures. Yet that is not tosay you can not take good advice. Prepare to workharder.

ARIES; You stand good chance to extend favourableevents of yesterday both at work and on matters-of-the-heart. Watch what you sign before 5.36pm.

TAURUS; Young-at-heart may be willing to givepriority attention to sentimental related issues prob-ably because of yesterday’s success.

GEMINI; Refuse to become mentally arrogant orelse you would be working against your own interest.Your love life will continue to enjoy favourable as-pects.

CANCER; Financial success is within your reach,especially if you back your old plans early in the day.The more family minded you are the better for you.

LEO; It is important you don’t allow others to mis-lead you in the name of giving you good advice be-fore 5.36pm. Those travelling or moving around insearch of love may be in for both an exciting andpleasurable day.

VIRGO; You will be in better position to consolidateon progress made yesterday. And it is wrong to takepeople for granted today.

LIBRA; Many people may be disappointed becauseof broken promises, therefore you will need to pre-pare your mind accordingly and refuse to take othersfor granted

SCORPIO ;You can make it a good day as bothcareer advancement and financial success are closerto you. Secret lovers are in for an exciting day.

What is my love life?Dear Joshua,I want comprehensive Astrological analysis of

my life, especially my love life and what I shouldexpect from social activities around me.

Lekan, Lagos.

Dear Lekan,What space can take will be given here-under.

You were given handsome and magnetic body.Many planetary placement in Leo particularlythe conjunction of magnetic Uranus, sexual Marsand romantic Venus are pointer to very active lovelife. Certainly romantic fun with beautiful womencan not elude you, but you must always be care-ful.

Major challenge of your love life is coming fromdifficult aspect from Jupiter in death related Scor-pio to the conjunction of Mars, Uranus and Venusin child bearing Leo, if this is not well managed itcan cause avoidable death either of a spouse or achild. But your being spiritual can take good careof this tough challenge of your love life.

Here is an incurable LOVER OF TOTAL FREE-DOM. But fortunately on one hand Saturn madeit very difficult and rough at the initial stage andinstilled discipline into your inner-self, but unfor-tunately on the other hand the same difficult Sat-urn killed some of rascally useful traits in youcapable of making you a big time freedom fighter.Let me say this here, the truth is as much as someof wicked witches and wizards would like to harmyour FAME your natal affiliation to them throughyour Neptune in Scorpio at positive angle to yournatal Sun in homely Cancer will not allow them;then that does not mean you should leave yourdefence open unnecessarily.

God is watchingunder the water andunder the dark, hop-ing and praying thatwe will not be caught.We live a lie. We for-get that air bear wit-ness to our cruel act;

the sun by ourshadow takes ourphotograph, and ourconscience convictsus daily.

Beware, God iswatching. Your sinswill find you out.

Think about it!

RIGHT from agesman has contin-

ued to look for ways ofclothing his naked-ness. Nakedness doesnot just mean notwearing clothesalone. It includes cov-ering our evil deeds,

wicked acts, waysand sins etc.

As it was the days ofthe biblical Adamand Eve, so it is today.When we commit hei-nous crime, we run forcover under the stone,

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—33

N-Delta crisis: Solution lies in dialogue nottroops deployment —IYC

By Tare Youdeowei

Delta govtrepositionsmortgage firm

By Samuel Oyadongha

By Alozie Egole

Ecological challenges: CGGEJ lauds Okowa's approval ofN500m counterpart fund

Be fair in the fight against corruption, Anyanwu tellsBuhari

By Festus Ahon

Relocate yourheadquartersto Delta,Ndokwa youthstell oil firm

By Ochuko Akuopha2019: UPU, Igbuya differ on Okowa's endorsementBy Emma Amaize

YENAGOA—THE IjawYouth Council, IYC,

worldwide, yesterday faulted theFederal Government's decision todeploy more troops in the NigerDelta to protect oil installations,saying that the move would notstop oil theft, kidnapping andpipeline vandalism.

Spokesman of IYC, Eric Omare,in a statement in Yenagoa, BayelsaState, said that the solution to theproblem lies in the constructiveengagement of the people of theregion.

He said: “From our experienceof attacks on oil facilities in theNiger Delta region, sending moretroops to the region will not solvethe problem. It is commonknowledge that incidents of oiltheft, kidnapping and attacks onoil pipelines have been on theincrease despite the presence ofmilitary men around oilinstallations and communities inthe Niger Delta region.

“The IYC has always maintainedthat in some cases, securityagents, contractors and even multi-national oil company workers areinvolved in these illegalities goingon in the Niger Delta region.

“The Federal Governmentcannot claim ignorance of this factwith the security apparatus at its

disposal. Instead of sendingmore troops who would comeand commit moreinconveniences to the people ofthe region such as intimidation,harassment of innocent villagers

and unnecessary arrests, wecall for quality intelligencegathering on the role of oilcompanies’ workers, contractorsand security agents on theattacks on oil facilities.

“Ultimately, the solution to theproblem of attacks on oil facilitieslies in constructively engagingthe people and communities ofthe Niger Delta where oilfacilities are located.”

COALITION for GoodGovernance and Economic

Justice in Africa, CGGEJ,yesterday, commended GovernorIfeanyi Okowa of Delta State forapproving N500 million ascounterpart fund for the WorldBank to address ecologicalchallenges across the state.

CGGEJ's Media Coordinator,Mr. Patrick Omene, in a statement,said, “We commend GovernorOkowa for his takeoff policies sinceassumption of office and the on-going efforts to put Delta State onsound economic footing in theseuncertain times.

“We laud the governor for hisexpression of commitment inapproving the N500 millioncounterpart fund which is aconviction of his resolve to addressthe enormous ecologicalchallenges facing the state. Thisis commendable and must bepursued with zest. In addition, hisfar reaching reforms gearedtowards re-invigorating andrestructuring the economy of thestate, anchored on accountability,transparency and fiscal prudenceis no doubt a sure way of tellingwhat manner of governance weshould expect.”

The group urged the governorto remain focused and beundistracted in delivering thedividends of democracy to the

people, saying “There is time foreverything; time for politics andtime for governance. Thegovernor must keep his eye on

the mark so as not to be swayedfrom the purpose of governance,since the Supreme Court whichis the final arbiter in the

governorship election hasdelivered judgment and there isnothing anybody can do aboutit."

A S A B A — U R H O B OProgress Union, UPU,

umbrella group of the Urhoboethnic nationality in Deta Stateand Speaker of Delta StateHouse of Assembly, Mr MondayIgbuya, an Urhobo son, havedisagreed on the blanketendorsement of the stategovernor, Senator IfeanyiOkowa, for the 2019governorship election.

The differences emerged onWednesday when the PresidentGeneral, Interim Executive ofUPU, Chief Gabriel Ofotokun,led other members on acourtesy visit to the Speaker, inAsaba.

Okowa is from Delta North(Anioma) senatorial districtwhile Urhobo is in Delta Centralsenatorial district.

Igbuya, sanctioned along withother politicians in the past bya previous UPU leadership for

canvassing for Anioma governorin the person of Okowa, restatedhis now famous second term forOkowa when the UPU teamvisited and urged them toendorse Okowa for 2019.

Ofotokun nullified thepurported sanction againstIgbuya and others, last year.

However, the UPU leadercounteracted Igbuya’s position,saying, “Whoever is going totake over from Okowa must bean Urhobo.”

A S A B A — S E N AT O RChris Anyanwu has

charged PresidentMuhammadu Buhari to be fairin his fight against corruption.

Anyanwu, the chairperson ofSpectrum Broadcast NigeriaLimited, owners of Hot FMchain of radio stations, statedthis in a chat with newsmenshortly before thecommissioning of Hot FM 96.5station in Asaba.

She said: “I think the idea of

anti-corruption is very good. Ithink we got a little bit tooextreme in our carelessness,in our practices, so there isneed to apply breaks on whatwe do in the system.”

On the radio station,Anyanwu said that besidesAsaba being an expanding citywith a lot of potentials and amajor player in the NigerDelta and Nigerian economicdevelopment, themanagement of Hot FM wascontributing to thedevelopment goals of DeltaState Government by

providing employment to itsindigenes.

She said that the stationwould give its audience clear,concise and credible news aswell as best entertainment,informative, interactive andengaging programmes.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowawho spoke whilecommissioning the station,said: "Radio remains the mosteffective medium of masscommunication in societieswhere sustainabledevelopment is paramount.”

MANAGING Directorof Delta Trust

Mortgage Finance Limited,DTMF, Mrs. Ruby Okoro, hassaid that in pursuance of theSMART agenda programmeof Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,the state government hasfinancially repositioned themortgage bank to supportDeltans in their quest to owntheir homes.

Mrs. Okoro, during theground breaking of EkpanBetter Life Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society HousingEstate at Ewhere, Agbarho, inUghelli North LocalGovernment Area of the state,said: “DTMF is a primarymortgage bank wholly ownedby the state government whichDeltans can call their own.”

She called on Deltans andNigerians who reside in thestate to avail themselves of thevarious windows available inthe bank.

Mrs. Okoro said that she wasexcited that the stategovernment had kept to itspromise by ensuring that thebank was recapitalized to thetone of N2.5 billion which ithas been using to supporthousing development in thestate.

O L E H — P R O T E -STERS, yesterday,

barricaded the entrance tothe office of Sterling EnergyExploration Company,SEEPCO, at Kwale,Ndokwa West LocalGovernment Area, DeltaState, demanding therelocation of the company’soperational headquartersfrom Lagos to Delta State.

They also kicked againstthe company ’s use ofvessels to haul crude oilfrom Ndokwa and itsalleged unwillingness tocomply with the provisionsof the Local Content Act.

Gathered under the aegisof Pages GroupInternational, PGI, theplacard carrying protesters,comprising mainly ofyouths of Ndokwa nation,condemned the allegedrefusal of the company tocomply with the directive ofthe Federal Government tomultinational oil companiesto relocate theirheadquarters to their statesof operations.

MOU: From left: The Principal Assistant Registrar/ Head, Information, Protocol and Passages,Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo; Vice Chancellor andExecutive Secretary, African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education,ANAFE, based in Nairobi, Kenya, Professor Aissetou Yaye; and Vice-Chancellor of FUTA, ProfessorAdebiyi Daramola, shortly after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to facilitatepartnership and collaboration in agriculture, agroforestry and natural resources management,research and community outreach.

34—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19 , 2016

PEOPLE SPEAKBy Bartholomew Madukwe

(08102479985)nwamad@yahoo.com

On sack of Gusau as D-G of BudgetOn sack of Gusau as D-G of BudgetOn sack of Gusau as D-G of BudgetOn sack of Gusau as D-G of BudgetOn sack of Gusau as D-G of Budget

700 babiesdie daily inNigeria—FMH

By Vincent Ujumadu

The revelation fromthe budget padding

mess is in sync with theculture of corruptionentrenched by the suc-cessive PDPadministrations, soNigerians are actually gladPresident Buharidismantled the cartel in thebudget office. Mr ImoniJesukri, Journalist

If President Buhari wakesup each morning and

sacks chief executive offic-ers of Federal parastatal,agencies and commissionbecause he feels they areincompetent, what willhappen to those 'badeggs'still in some agencies?Miss Temmy Adeife,Student

There has never been aNigerian budget with

duplicate items beforenow, or one that containsfigures for rent paymentfor Aso Rock! What a pain-ful comedy that Nigeriahas been reduced to! Thatis what I want to say. MissConstance Nduba,Model

The direct caterpillarsof corruption who are

capable of fooling even thesmartest of ministers arethe civil servants. Budgetis collated and aggregatedas well as harmonised by adifferent team at the na-tional planning office. MrSunday Ajiboye, MusicDirector

Why should he sackthem? Did he not

read the full budget beforehe submitted it to the na-tional assembly? Now thatPresident Buhari sackedthem, Nigerians shouldstart thinking that his ac-tion was based on thebudget errors. MissChika Dike, Graduate

Nigeria won’t grow witheach one of us on each

other’s throat. We need tocome together as one tomake Nigeria a great coun-try for us and our futuregeneration. If the presidentfeels the DG messed up,then they can be sacked. MrChuks Madueke, Self Em-ployed

We're not aware of Gov Ikpeazu's handof friendship —Abia APGA chair

Kidnapped ex-perm sec regains freedom

ABIA NORTH RE-RUN: Group drums support forAPC candidate

Fed parastatals, private agencies owing usover N2bn —Edo Revenue Board

By Eric Ugbor

By Eric Ugbor

By Emeka Mamah

ABA—THE Abia Statechapter of All Progressives

Grand Alliance, APGA, has saidit is not aware of the alleged handof fellowship Governor OkezieIkpeazu extended to the partysince the outcome of the supremecourt judgment in which APGAlost to the Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP.

The party’s chairman in AbiaState, Rev Augustine Ehiemere,who disclosed this in an interviewin Aba, said: “Rebuilding Abia isthe priority of Dr. Alex Otti andAPGA but for the olive branchextended, I am yet to be aware ofit. I need to consult with the eldersof my party and leader before Ican answer that.”

Ehiemere said the party is stillcommitted to the progress of AbiaState although it is not in power.

Asked if the party would acceptthe hand of friendship extendedto it by Governor Okezie Ikpeazuand the PDP , he said he wouldhave to ask his party for theirresponse.

He said the mechanism to

realize their plan has also beenworked out so that they would beon a new page with interestedstakeholders in the state.

Ehiemere, however, could notsay how realizing APGA’s dreamof rebuilding Abia would be

possible without joining handswith the ruling party in the state.

The Secretary to AbiaState Government, SSG, Dr.Emelike Okoro had said recentlyon Abia State radio that he hasreached out to the APGA to joinhands to rebuild Abia.

AWKA—MORE than 700babies die daily in Nigeria dueto lack of hygiene to ward offpreventable infections at birth,an official of the FederalMinistry of Health, Mrs.Evelyn Agbanyim has said.

She identified the majorcauses of neonatal deaths inNigeria to include low birthweight, birth asphyxia andinfections, which account for80 per cent of deaths amongchildren.

Agbanyim, who spoke at anawareness seminar in Awka onhow to stem the tide of neonatalmortality in Nigeria, attributedthe development to ignorance,poor funding and ineffectiveapplication of life-savingneonatal commodities forwomen and children’s health.

According to her, the FederalGovernment decided to carrythe campaign to the relevantstakeholders in the countryfollowing the worrisomesituation, adding that thosetargeted were policy makers,religious and traditional rulers,professional associations andregulatory bodies and themedia.

She said: “Over the lastdecade, progress inaddressing the high rate ofneonatal mortality in Nigeriahas been rather slow due toskills gap, poor referralnetwork, inadequate trainingof health personnel, poorpolicy implementation andinadequate supply of thecommodities.”

According to her,maintaining the current trendwill not significantly reduceneonatal mortality and so, there isneed to accelerate efforts towardsadequate funding to redress thesituation.

MR. EZEKIEL NdubisiOkereafor, 66, of

Ubachukwu Amala in NgorOkpala LGA of Imo State, is dead.

Christian wake will hold onSaturday, February 20, at 86,CDA, Ita Sani, Shagamu, OgunState, while lying-in-state holdson February 26, 2016, atUbachukwu Amala.

He is survived by a widow,Chinyere Okereafor, six childrenand other relations.

Late Ezekiel Okereafor

Okereafor forburial

ENUGU—A retired PermanentSecretary, Mr John Abugu,

who was kidnapped whilereturning from the funeralceremony in Enugu Ezike,Igboeze North Local GovernmentArea of Enugu State last weekendhas been freed by his abductors.

Abugu, a lawyer who hails fromAji, Enugu Ezike was releasedyesterday morning at Ezagu area

of the state where he was held inan unknown location for fivedays.

However, his relation, MrChima Adonu, who was said tohave taken an undisclosedamount of cash to the kidnappersin their den was said to havebeen shot severally on one of hislegs and hands respectively.

Adonu who was said to havemobilised and taken funds to the

kidnappers as demanded waslater admitted at a hospital inEzagu, before policemen rushedhim to Enugu for better treatment.

Police sources confirmed therelease of Mr Abugu as well asthe shooting of his relation, whois said to be a bank worker.

It was not immediately knownwhether the Police were informedabout the ransom which wastaken to the kidnappers’ den.

ABA—AHEAD of theMarch 5 rescheduled INEC

re-run election for Abia NorthSenatorial zone of Abia State, agroup known as Mandate ForGood Governance in Abia North,MAGGN, has called on theelectorate in the zone to supportthe candidature of NnennaLancaster-Okoro of the All

Progressives Congress, APC, fora change that wouldtransform and connect the zoneto centre politics.

In a statement issued by itsChairman, Orji Eke Udensi andSecretary, Mark Arohrespectively and made availableto newsmen after their meetingyesterday, at Ohafia, the groupsaid the APC candidate isoutstanding in all ramifications

and stands a better chance ofeffective representation of thezone if voted for.

It read further: “Abia NorthSenatorial zone has sufferedunder the hands of ineptpoliticians whose onlyachievements have been to enrichtheir pockets while the zone continuedto wallow in abject poverty and underdevelopment since the advent of thepresent democratic dispensation in thecountry."

BENIN CITY—THE Edo Stategovernment disclosed

yesterday that FederalGovernment agencies andparastatals as well as privateinstitutions have failed to remittheir respective taxes whichamounts to over N2 billion to thecoffers of the state government.

The Edo Board of InternalRevenue Service disclosed thisduring a one-day sensitisation

By Victor Otigbu programme for heads of federalMDAs in Benin City. TheExecutive Director (Enforcement)of the revenue agency, Mr.Emmanuel Usoh, explained thatthe tax debtors were in arrearsfor 2014 and 2015.

He said: ”Both individuals andfederal MDAs, in particular, aredefaulting. Also individual debtsare up with over one billion nairafor last year (2015).

“We have others for last two

years that we have got courtorders against federal MDAsthat have been taken over by theOffice of the Accountant-Generalof the Federation, grossing closeto N1.8 billion.”

Usoh noted that the agencywould, however, not hesitate topress criminal charges againstdefaulting institutions in order toensure that the state improves itsrevenue generation amidst thedecrease in federal allocations.

CMYK

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 — 35

Police seals off Kogi House of Assembly CAC holds2-week trainingfor executiveofficers

...Deploys 5,000officers forBenue senatorialre-run

Gaidam signs N89.9bn 2016 budget into law

By Ndahi Marama

DISCOS: Textile union lauds NASS’ stance on new tariff

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

By Christopher Njoku

M E M O R I A LLECTURE: Fromleft; GenderOfficer, NUPENG,Mrs Ngozi Obi;NUPENG WomenCommittee Leaderin Kaduna, MrsStella Amako withthe chairperson,NUPENG WomenC o m m i t t e eKaduna State, MrsHanatu Bako andwife of KadunaState DeputyGovernor, MrsLadi Bala Bantex atthe memoriallecture in honourof late ComradeFati Bilma Usmanin Kaduna. Photoby Olu Ajayi.

DEACONESS SusannaAdekunte Arowolo (nee

Ogundele), of the Arowolo andOgundele family of Wakajaiye,Gbongan, Ayedaade LocalGovernment Area, of OsunState, is dead, aged 85.

Arowolo’s Christian Wake-keep/Lying-in-State heldyesterday at her residence inOke-Church, opposite St.Matthew Anglican PrimarySchool, Wakajaye, Gbongan,while her Funeral Service holdstoday at The Apostolic Church,Wakajaye, Gbongan. HerInterment follows immediatelyat St. Matthew AnglicanPrimary School Playground,Wakajaye, Gbongan.

DeaconessArowolo is dead

Late Deaconess Arowolo

LOKOJA—THE crisisrocking the Kogi State

House of Assembly yesterday,turned a new twist, as theassembly complex was sealed offby the police,

The Speaker of the assemblyallegedly impeached on Tuesday,Momohjimoh Lawal, haddismissed the purportedimpeachment as huge joke andsaid 15 legislators including himout of the 20 members house,would resume sitting yesterday.

Though they could not sit,Vanguard was unable to confirm,whether the police seal-offprevented their sitting.

In a replica of the 2012assembly crisis, stern lookingpolicemen, who claimed theywere acting on ‘order from above’,chased out the workers andsealed off the premises.

They also padlocked the frontgate of the Assembly complexlocated along Hassan Katsinaroad .

Commissioner of Police, BesanGwana, said the seal-off becamenecessary following informationthat some persons were comingto the Assembly complex tofoment trouble.

The embattled Speaker had onWednesday led other 14members to Abuja to lodge apetition with the House ofRepresentative over the crisis.

Lawal had also accused thegovernor, Yahaya Bello ofwithdrawing his securityattaché, thereby exposing himand other members to danger ofpossible attacks.

However, the Special Adviseron Media to the embattledSpeaker, Felix Udebu, disclosedthat some of the securitypersonnel withdrawn on

Tuesday were returned to theSpeaker ’s residence onWednesday night.

Vanguard gathered that thosesecurity operative were returnedto Lawal’s residence on order ofthe Inspector General of Police,Solomon Arase.

Governor Yahaya Bello hashowever, distanced himself fromthe assembly crisis, noting henever interfered in the affairs ofthe legislature in line with hisdetermination to promote the ruleof law and strict adherence toseparations of power.

M A I D U G U R I —GOVERNOR Ibrahim

Gaidam of Yobe State yesterdaysigned the 2016 budget ofN89,932,740,000.00, into law, evenas he swore in newly appointedCaretaker Committee Chairmen ofall the 17 councils of the state.

The assent on budget followedthe passage of proposal hesubmitted to the House ofAssembly on 31st December 2015.

The twin events of the signingbudget into law and swearing-inof the caretaker chairmen tookplace at the WAWA Hall,Government House, Damaturu,

Speaking at the signing

ceremony, Gaidam said, eventhough the country was facingeconomic challenges, withimprovement in the securitysituation in the state, he wasoptimistic that the appropriationBill would be sourced/financedthrough adequate utilization ofthe Internally GeneratedRevenue, apparatus in the state.

KADUNA—NATIONALUnion of Textile,

Garment and TailoringWorkers of Nigeria,NUTGTWN, yesterday inKaduna, commended theNational Assembly fordirecting Nigeria ElectricityRegulatory Commission,NERC, Federal Ministry ofPower and ElectricityDistribution Companies,DISCOs, to suspend theimplementation of the 45 percent increment on electricitytariff and revert to the statusquo.

The union in a statement inKaduna, called on theauthorities particularly theNERC, DISCOs andGeneration Companies,GENCOs, to obey thelegislative order and revert tothe old tariff

According to the statementby Issa Aremu, GeneralSecretary, NUTGTWN andChairman, IndustriALL GlobalUnion, Sub Saharan Africa,stakeholders should also take

the advantage of the proposedpublic hearing to bring to thefore all the issues dealing withthe value chains in the powersector.

While insisting that with thesingular exhibition of promptoversight responsibility theNational Assembly had shownthe parliament was a vent forpublic grievances, theunion’s statement read in part:“We call on the authoritiesparticularly the generatingand distribution companies toobey the legislative order andrevert to the old tariff.

''Also we call on the stakeholdersto take the advantage of theproposed public hearing to bringto the fore all the issues dealingwith the value chains in the powersector. The point cannot beoverstated; Nigeria shouldmove from power poverty topower prosperity and thesolution lies in increased publicinvestment in generation anddistribution.

MAKURDI—BENUEState Police

Command, yesterday said ithad mobilized and deployed no fewer than 5,000 policemen to the Benue South zone,ahead of tomorrow ‘ssenatorial rerun electionbetween Senator David Markof the Peoples DemocraticParty and Daniel Onjeh, of theAll Progressives Congress,APC.

State Police Commissioner,Paul Yakadi, who made thisknown in Makurdi, the statecapital, said other sistersecurity agencies wouldcomplement the efforts of thePolice on election day.

According to him, the forcehad enough personnel toprovide adequate security, beforeduring and after the polls andsolicited for the cooperation ofstakeholders in the area toensure a peaceful process.

DEPRESSION will be thesecond deadliest disease

by 2020, and the number onekiller by 2030, Mr. Lanre Olusola,a psychologist has said.

The psychologist, who spoke onemotional brand master class, athis coaching academy, said basedon the recent revelation by theWorld Health Organisation,WHO, people could take controlof their lives, only when theymaster their emotions.

According to him, ''A depressedperson becomes dysfunctionalwhen he/she doesn’t want to eat,bath or do any other thing.Depression eats at the heart of a

person’s existence, and kills aperson slowly, which is why thepsychologists call it the slow killer.What they are saying is youremotions kills. There are specificemotions that create specificdiseases in people, so you are nota victim to disease, you are a co-creator of disease, depending onthe kind of emotions that youharbour.''

He also noted that a workshopwill be organised on February 27,2016 in Lagos on emotionalintelligence and branding.

He said the event will focus on,how to use emotions, the powerof psychological and emotionalbranding with a perspective onthe future of personal andcorporate branding.

By Boluwaji Obahopo

‘Depression'll be 2nd deadliest diseaseby 2020'

By Peter Duru

AS an agency of Government, the

Corporate AffairsCommission, CAC, indischarge of its statutoryobligations under theCompanies and AlliedMatters Act 1990 and inresponse to the call for thefight against corruption, hasorganised training for itsexecutive officers in Lagos.

The two weeks training byParamount Global ConsultLimited, an internationalconsultancy firm, wasfocused on the coreprinciples of effectiveleadership and corporategovernance.

According to Mr. DupeDerby, CEO of ParamountGlobal Consulting Ltd (UK) “itis now imperative for all seniorexecutives of public institutionsin Nigeria to have a thoroughunderstanding of the essentialsof effective leadership,corporate governance andworkplace ethics and applythese principles in their day today formulation of policies,processes leading to thedesired cultural and socio-economic development inline with the ethos of thenew Nigeria.”

CMYK

36—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

MAMADOR PROMO: From left— Marketing Manager, PZ Wilmar,Mrs. Bukky Bandele; Brand Manager, Mamador Cooking Oil, Mrs. ToyinPopoola-Dania; a star prize winner Hyundai Accent in Mamador Cook &Cruise promo, Mrs Gladys Ogboma, and Regional Sales Manager, PZ Wilmar,Amit Mishra, at the prize presentation in Port Harcourt.

POWER BITTERS: From left— Group Managing Director, SonaGroup, Mr. Ajai Musaddi; CEO, Emma Ogbata and Sons, Mr. Emma Ogbata;Managing Director, S. L. Abiodun and Son, Alhaja Nimota Saka, and GroupChief Operating Officer, Sona Group, Mr. Ashok Manghnani, at the unveilingof Power Bitters drink by Euro Global Foods and Distilleries in Ota, OgunState. PHOTO: Akeem Salau.

MEDVIEW: From left— Head of Engineering, Mr. Lookman Animashaun;MD, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, both of Medview Airline, and Director of Sales,Air Atlanta, Mr. Magnus Asgeirsson, during the signing of aircraft B747 400agreement between Medview and Air Atlanta in Lagos. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.

VISIT: From left— Mrs Tourism United Nations World 2015, EbelechukwuEnemchukwu; her Personal Assistant, Ifeoma Eze; PR Executive Silverbullet,John Okoro, and Publisher ATQ News.com, Ikechi Uko, during Mrs Tourism'sto ATQ Magazine in Lagos.

ORIJIN: From left— Brand Manager, Orijin, Gbemileke Otun; Director,Lager & RTD Portfolio, Eyitemi Taire, both of Guiness Nigeria Plc; OrijinBrand Ambassador, Reminisce, and his Business Manager, Ibrahim Okulaja,during Reminisce's contract renewal, in Lagos.

VIVIAN FOWLER: From left— Director, Mrs Olufunke Fowler-Amba;Miss Kigibola Charles-Ambaiowei, student; Mr. Segun Dada, guest speaker;Miss Olamide Akinyemi, student, and Marketing Mgr, DIFC/guest speaker, Mr.Ray Halpin, all of Vivian Fowler Memorial College for Girls, at its AnnualContinuing Education and Counselling Fair in Lagos. PHOTO: Biodun Ogunleye.

CSR: From left— Chairman, Total Health Trust Ltd, Dr. Ladi Awosika,presenting gifts to one of the pupils of Ojuwoye Community Primary School,Mushin, and his mother as part of corporate social responsibilty in Lagos.

GRADUATION: From left— Pastor Friday Hanson, Evangelist MercyEmmanuel and Lt.-Col. Joseph Akpan, all doctorate degree graduands ofLight of the World Bible College and Theological Seminary, during its 7thmatriculation and graduation ceremony at The Holy Church of Zion Mission,Ikate, Surulere, Lagos.

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—37

IS it a script gone awry? The emergence of Senator Ali

Modu Sheriff, SAS, as thenational chairman of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, wasenvisaged by associates of formerPresident Goodluck Jonathanand his allies among PDPgovernors to be the energiser toforce the party back to reckoning.

The inner camp of the formerpresident working along withsome believed that the partyneeded somebody with grit andgutter instincts to lead it at thistime against the ruling AllProgressives Congress, APC.

Politicalbulldozer

Governor Ayodele Fayose ofEkiti State, who had showedsuch streak in his recentassertions against theMuhammadu Buhariadministration and appeared tosome as the better for it,reportedly was at the head of theinitiative that forced Sheriff as thenew national chairman.

SAS, as he is popularly knownamong the political class, hadwon a reputation as a politicalbulldozer stretching back to hisfirst political outing in the ThirdRepublic.

As a young politician, he wonnational acclaim at that time whenin the contest for the BornoCentral Senatorial district, hedefeated Kolo Kingibe, the wifeof the popular national chairman

•Sheriff: Can he lead the PDP?

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

THE new national chairmanof the PDP has run aneventful political course thathis supporters claim putshim in good stead tofrontally confront the APC.

SAS’sizzlingstory

of the Social Democratic Party,SDP, for the Senate seat. He wasto win the same seat on theplatform of the United NigeriaCongress Party, UNCP, in 1998during the ill-fated democracytransition of late Gen. Sani Abachaand again in 1999 at the adventof the Fourth Republic on theplatform of the All Peoples Party,APP.

In the Senate between 1999and 2003, SAS’s deft politickingand capacity for conspiracy cameto national renown when heclubbed around with otherminority senators, notably, thelate Senator Mamman Ali todepose the famed SenatorUsman Al-bashir as SenateMinority Leader.

Whether he really projectedthe interests of the minorityparties was an issue forstakeholders especially given hischummy relationships withvested interests in the majorityPDP. Using the platform of hisoffice as minority leader, SASfollowing the ousting of Al-bashirwas also preparing himself for the2003 governorship contest.Many saw it is a difficultchallenge, but not for a deals manlike SAS. He successfully tookthe ticket of the APP from theincumbent governor, MalaKachalla and also defeated himin the main election when thegovernor defected to the Alliancefor Democracy, AD.

Sheriff’s role in the decimationof the defunct All Nigeria PeoplesParty, ANPP, remains largelyunknown but what is known isthat between 2003 and 2007 his

party largely fell into lethargy andfactions at the national level evenwhile he and a few selectedgovernors consolidatedpolitically in their states.

It thus became an issue in 2007as he sought re-election that thefamed political godson ofPresident Olusegun Obasanjo,Alhaji Kasshim Imam emergedas the governorship candidate ofthe PDP to confront SAS.

By most accounts, the 2007elections were the most riggedin the Fourth Republic and thePDP it seemed had pencilleddown some states for takeover byhook or crook. The overbearinginfluence of the PDP wasmanifested in states like Imo andRivers. In Imo state, the partydisowned its candidate, IfeanyiArarume and allowed in themore biddable candidate of thePeoples Progressive Alliance,PPA, Ikedi Ohakim. In Riversthe party dismissed the outcome

of the primaries won by RotimiAmaechi supposedly because ofa K-leg and allowed CelestineOmehia.

Associates of Alhaji Imam, thePDP candidate had also hopedfor the help of state apparatus inseeing off SAS in the 2007election. Imam had well provedhimself as a political errand boyfor Obasanjo especially in theNational Assembly.

However, they did not reckonwith the extensive tentacles ofSAS within the inner caucus ofthe Obasanjo political family.That was demonstrated by hisknown support for the third term.

Relationshipwith Obasanjo

Whereas Imam drew hisrelationship with Obasanjo fromthe Fourth Republic, SAS drewhis relationship with Obasanjofrom childhood given his father’sbusiness dealings with the Gen.Olusegun Obasanjo militaryadministration. “SAS was like apart of the Obasanjo householdand had grown up seeingObasanjo as a godfather who washis father’s benefactor given theextensive construction works thesenior Sheriff did for the military,”a source disclosed.

“So while Kashim did his plotsahead of 2007 to put SAS introuble, SAS easily got wind ofsuch plans through his familyrelationship with Obasanjo andit was not difficult that plans touse the security agencies easilyscattered,” the source furtherarticulated. SAS's easy road to re-

election inevitably caused abreach in the relationshipbetween Kashim and Obasanjoand it was not too long thatKashim was forced to seekpolitical accommodation withSAS.

The 2007 victory also stokedassertions of collaborationbetween SAS and street urchinshe had empowered whosubsequently found home withthe Boko Haram sect after theelection.

However, as his second termwore on, the charming politicalstory of SAS began to fade away.Was it the absence of Obasanjofrom power? No one can reallysay. But as the 2011 electionapproached, SAS eitheroverplaying himself or forwhatever factors began to losepolitical bearing.

In the March 2011 electionSAS had taken the Borno CentralSenatorial ticket of the ANPP forhimself given his ineligibility fora third term as governor. For thefirst time since 1991, the seatwhich SAS had either won forhimself or placed a lackey wastaken from him as he wassoundly defeated in the electioneven as an incumbent governor.

He, however, recoveredhimself to push through ananointed successor in the personof Kashim Shettima.

Following that, he emerged asthe Board of Trustees, BoT of theANPP in 2012 and became anactive participant in the collapseof the party into the AllProgressives Congress, APC.

For a man used to bestridingthe political stage as a king, itwas not too long that playingsecond fiddle to the likes ofAsiwaju Bola Tinubu turned intoan issue for SAS. Senior APCfigures alluded to fears and it wasnot too long just before theconcretisation of the merger thatSAS eased himself out with hisdefection to the PDP.

When he returned toMaiduguri for the first time inyears in 2014 the GoodluckJonathan administration openedthe airport hitherto closed tocivilian traffic for him. Aseemingly triumphant SASboasted that he would chase outhis former political godson,Governor Kashim Shettima outof the Government House.

Alas, the election cameShettima undoubtedly ridding onthe coattails of MuhammaduBuhari and his ownachievements rubbished the SASpolitical legacy. In the end, thePDP won no elective office inBorno State.

It was against the backgroundof the seemingly fading SASmystique that many werebemused with the decision of thePDP kingmakers to pick theformer governor as the newnational chairman. But as a partysource disclosed, the party hasdecided to go for broke using thehardened political fighter.

SAS as he ispopularly knownamong the politicalclass had won areputation as apolitical bulldozerstretching back tohis first politicalouting in the ThirdRepublic

38—VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

By Emma Ujah, AbujaBureau Chief & Gabriel

Ewepu

NIGERIA is regarded asthe giant of Africa but those

of us in Nigeria know that thiscountry is far from where itshould be, when compared withother countries that gainedindependence about the sametime with Nigeria. What inyour opinion is wrong withNigeria?

Nigeria’s core fundamentalproblem is structural. It has toreturn to operating “true fiscalfederalism” as was the case inthe First Republic.

The founding fathers ofNigeria, (Nnamdi Azikiwe,Obafemi Awolowo, AhmaduBello, and others) fought forindependence, freedom andjustice. In their wisdom, theyopted for true fiscal federalism toguarantee these goals for thepeoples of Nigeria.

What should be different todayis that we cannot return toregional governments becausestates satisfy better theaspirations of sub-groups withinthe territory for some kind oflimited autonomy/self-determination.

Criticalchallenges

It is my considered opinion thatstates need to be increased to 48or more, with each of the existingsix geo-political zones havingeight states or more, while Abujaremains the Federal Capital.

Today, Nigeria faces manycritical challenges and if they arenot sincerely addressed, thechallenges will address usbecause, for too long, we havelived in denial of their existence. At the core of these challenges isthe structure of Nigeria. It is abouttime “we walk the talk” becauseno federation of diversities likeNigeria in the world today is runin the strangling centralisationmanner that Nigeria is run.

The Federal Governmentshould have reduced functionswith responsibility for defence,foreign affairs and any otherservices, as the states andpeoples of Nigeria willdetermine. States shall exercisethe right to explore mineralresources in their territory andpay taxes to the FederalGovernment.

Dr Kayode Fayemi, presentMinister for Solid MineralsDevelopment should thereforeinvolve the states where solidminerals are found in thedevelopment of such minerals, assuch development should not beleft solely to the FederalGovernment in view of therestructuring we are talkingabout.

The governments of states withsolid minerals ought to showinterest in their development,otherwise they will findthemselves in similar situation aspresently is the case with the oilproducing states.

All existing decrees, edicts andlaws which militate againstengaging and involving states inthe development of mineralswithin their territory should berepealed and expungedforthwith.

What purpose do you thinksuch a structure can serve?

Tension will reduce in thepolity because control of theFederal Government will nolonger become a “do or die”affair. Also, development shallproceed at the drive and pace ofconstituent units, which will notbe condemned to coming toAbuja ever now and then to pickup allocation money toadminister their states.

How can we go about thechange that the MuhammaduBuhari administration haspromised Nigerians, do you seehim implementing therecommendations of theNational Conference organizedby the Jonathan administration?

Since Gowon to the presenttime, Nigerians have neverceased talking in conferencesabout their situation. What hasbeen lacking is “walking thetalk”.

Also missing is the vigorousaction by civil society, conferenceattendees, trade unions andmedia that featured alongsidepre-independence conferencesby contrast to the laid-backattitude of the same critical sectorstowards the post-independenceconferences.

Still on fiscal federalism, whatis your take on the existingrevenue sharing formulabetween the three tiers ofgovernment?

The funds allocation formula ofthe Nigerian federation shouldbe reviewed in such a way thatmore money can get to the statesand local governments. This isbecause development is aboutpeople and large chunk of theNigerian peoples are domiciledmore in the states and localgovernment areas. The currentsituation in which the FederalGovernment takes more than halfof the federation revenue cannotserve the wellbeing of the nationand welfare of Nigerians.

In addition, a separate office ofthe Accountant General of theFederation from that ofAccountant General of theFederal Government should be

created to ensure equity, greateropenness and transparency inthe collection and disbursementof the wealth of the federationbetween the constituent parts.

Talking of corruption, howcan it be effectively tackled in thiscountry?

Of course, cleaning out the filthin the system by reducing corruptpractices across board will benecessary and is vitally needed.But that will be facilitated by themaking of laws with clearly spelt-out harsh, deterrent punishmentsand a court system in which“incorruptible judges” with anindependent cast of mind”predominate.

Corruption fighting agenciesshould do their job effectivelywithout external control, carry outin-depth investigations, andprovide convincing evidence inthe prosecution of suspectedcorrupt persons.

Corruption in the educationsector bleeds the country badly,especially as this sector is toprovide the polity with humanmaterial that will drive Nigeria’sdevelopment and progress in acompetitive globe.

To become competitive in the21st century, Nigeria must reviewand re-design the educationcurricula of our primary,secondary and tertiaryinstitutions.

We need to simplify and fast-track the acquisition of core andrelevant knowledge in criticaldisciplines for future generationsof Nigerians in a shorter periodof time than it took our presentgeneration to be acquainted and

Nigeria’s corefundamentalproblem isstructural. It has toreturn to operatingtrue fiscalfederalism as wasthe case in the FirstRepublic

familiar with them, includingteaching them in our locallanguages.

I agree completely withNigeria’s Jimanze Ego-Alowes in his latest thought provokingbook, Economists as Assassins -The Nigerian Collection, that,“We have not domesticatedEuropean knowledge, we arestill copy artists; you domesticateby innovating and not bylearning and applying; youcannot even apply what youhave not innovated; to innovateis to have learnt and to havelearnt is to innovate.”

Learning andapplying

The advanced nations of theworld today are constantlyengaged in comprehensive re-conceptualisation and re-designing of new universitiesand centres of research andinnovation. They also learn intheir own languages.

Our tertiary institutions mustbecome platforms for knowledgeproduction and innovation thatis critical to our well-being andcompetitiveness for that is theonly way, they can serve and fulfilthe function for which they werecreated in Nigeria.

Most people see education asa means for getting out ofpoverty; does that have anyimplication in our society withrespect to corruption?

With respect to the intention ofGod and nature, talents and giftsare to be used for public goodand not for self aggrandisement.

We know that knowledge poweris critical to growing nationalpower. Education is key to thedevelopment of all the powersthat drive national power suchas technological, industrial,manufacturing, scientific, andother powers.

So when your educationsystem is corrupted andmanaged by people who seetheir “certificates”, as a privilegefor themselves and not for thebenefit of the larger society, youhave a big problem. We are ina competitive world where theother peoples are producingthings which we aspire to ownas luxuries.

The producers of these luxuriesare our mates in their collegesand graduate programmes. Butwe have nothing to show despiteacquiring big certificates. InNigeria, we have severalgenerations that have gonethrough secondary and tertiaryeducation.

The way the earlier generationwere taught chemistry, physics,mathematics and other criticalsubjects is the same way theyteach it today even after 50 yearsof independence.

The question to ask is, if ourchildren and grandchildren aregoing to compete globally, isthere no way of fast-tracking theirknowledge of science,technology and all the things thatmatter in modern society, so thatthey would not wait for the lengthof time our generation waited tograsp these disciplines?

Furthermore, is there muchdifficulty in reconsidering and

Solution toNigeria'schallenges isabsoluterestructuring— ENEJERE

•Enejere: We must return to fiscal

DR. Emeka Enejere, a political scientist, former university don and Deputy Director for PoliticalEducation in the Directorate for MassMobilisation for Social and EconomicReconstruction, MAMSER, under the IbrahimBabangida regime, in this interview saidNigeria’s fundamental problem is political whichhave been ignored for too long. The nation hasnot made a determined effort to lay a firmfoundation for national cohesion and unity,rather it has spent much time trying to address itseconomic problem on a foundation resting onquick sand. Excerpts :

CMYK

VANGUARD, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—39

federalism

redesigning curricula in oureducation system so we canteach all these things at alllevels?

It is an eye sore watching vice-chancellors and professors ofNigerian universities recruited byINEC serving as ReturningOfficers to merely add up figureson prime television that havebeen collated from constituencywards and may have beenfabricated or doctored along theprocess, merely to give legitimacyand veracity to our elections. That is a colossal waste ofmanpower and some would say,“419 in action paid for with statefunds”.

Do you agree with the viewthat Nigeria has not beenfortunate to have good leadersthat could provide goodgovernance in the country?

The problem of good leadershiphas been a thorn in Nigeria’sflesh. Good governance in thekey sectors of public institutions,including our education systemhas become an increasinglyendangered specie, whileexecutive impunity, like a bull ina China Shop running amok,unchecked everywhere. It is aself-evident truth that throughouthuman history, national progresshas been driven by honest,focused, dedicated leadershipand that national power, drivenby knowledge power, in turndrives skill acquisition,manpower development,industrial-technological-manufacturing power, socialintegration-cum-cohesion, value

representation, participatorydemocracy, et cetera.

In addition to guiding humansociety in moderating conflicts ofinterest, these principles havealso ensured social stability andprogress. They equallyguarantee that organs ofgovernment work in synergy toachieve the goals of society.Without the principles, life willreturn to a state of nature of “Warof all against all” and will be“brutish, short and nasty.”

Flowing from that, how wouldyou assess the Nigerian politicalelite?

When political elites areirresponsible, a people andsociety suffer. After 50 odd yearsof gaining politicalindependence from Britain, wehave ourselves to blame for ourpresent quagmire. I amincreasingly driven to the viewthat the major reason, Nigeria’scase has been pathetic if not a

“basket case” is because amajority of “certificated-educated” Nigerians instead offulfilling the role of “the talentedtenth” for our country, conductthemselves as privileged personsthat society must reward for theirtalents.

We must rise above ourstomachs. The elite forget thattalents, public positions et ceteraare “gifts” from God to be usedfor a purpose, which is publicgood and not solely for self-serving agenda. This seems tohave been the main driver ofcorrupt practices, alongsidegreed, covetousness and the lackof fear of God that most of usclaim to worship.

To what extent would you saythat value orientation ofNigerians has a bearing onnational development?

Conscious and determinedeffort should be made by FederalGovernment to promote “nation-feeling” and protect citizenshiprights throughout Nigeria.

We need to consciously createa “we-feeling” among thepeoples of our country.MAMSER did a marvellous jobidentifying political, social andother values to drive this effortin a number of its publications;in particular, it’s PoliticalEducation Manual.

The contents of MAMSERwork, with improvements hereand there, can provide thecountry with new curricula forcivics education through ourprimary, secondary and tertiaryeducation sub-sectors.

A culture for respect of theprinciple of separation of powersmust be enthroned at all levelsof governance. The

nation.All governance shall be

conducted under rule of law andin the overall interest of thepeople. The changes and reformsNigeria require would need awell-organized social movementand a sustained struggle by thepeoples of Nigeria to bring itabout.

A major problem of theNigerian nation state is the levelof impunity of our leaders at alllevels. What can be done toend this ugly situation?

The impunity at all “executive”levels of institutions in ourvarious sectors, if not reined inwill compound our corruptionproblem. In our time we haveseen and with our “korokoro eye”the Federation of Yugoslaviadisentangle, dissolve anddisappear.

Obsessiveacquisition

Delay in addressing ourproblems could threaten thefuture existence of the entitycalled Nigeria. Nigerians shouldprioritise now on the basis ofimportance, what problems toaddress.

The Nigerian peoples, throughtheir civil society organisations,must be prepared and ready todefend their interests, goingforward; for that is the surestguarantee that accountability,good governance shall bedelivered in our time and forfuture generations of Nigerians.

Delay is dangerous because itcontinues to postpone theactualisation of Nigeria’s destinyas well as “African and Blackpossibilities” in our world that

Nigeria is expected to propel andcatalyse.

We readily parrot or ad-lib theaphorism:”to whom much isgiven, much is expected”, whileour wrong understanding of andperspective on life, predisposemany of us to focus on obsessiveacquisition of wealth andmaterial things, totally obliviousof the fact that good living doesnot consist solely in theabundance of material things thatone flaunts.

We steal public funds under ourcare to acquire luxuries madeand produced in other moreserious and better organizedcountries through the knowledgeof our counterparts in thoseclimes. It is about time we put onour thinking caps, feel ashamedof ourselves and get our actstogether.

The place to start is to humbleourselves and acknowledge-cum-recognize that there isnothing special about whatevertitles we bear or material wealthand worldly possessions wehave; that every day we go to bed,we lose some degree ofconsciousness; and that if wewake up, it is not our own doing.

It is a bonus, gratis donated tous; that even the most “powerful”living human being incontemporary world (by humanstandards), that is, the AmericanPresident is not exempt from thisoccasional loss of consciousnesslike all human beings.

Power is ephemeral and allpossessions are vanity uponvanity. All the more reason, wemust conduct ourselves in anyposition of responsibility orauthority with exceptionalhumility.

orientationand re-orientation.

A l s o ,because ofh u m a nf r a i l t i e s ,limitationsand short-c o m i n g s ,m a n k i n d ,through itshistory, hasdeve lopedacceptableprinciples andp r a c t i c e sw h i c hm o d e r a t eexcesses int h e i rinteractionsa n dengagement.T h e s eprinciples andp r a c t i c e si n c l u d ej u s t i c e ,f a i r n e s s ,e q u i t y ,division oflabour, check-and-balances y s t e m ,separation ofpowers, duep r o c e s s ,accountability,o p e n n e s s ,transparency,dialogue, ruleof law,

independenceof theLegislature,Judiciary andExecutive mustbe assured andpractised inboth substanceand processes.

T h elegis la turemust performits function oflawmaking,not passing ofresolution, andcarry oute f f e c t i v eoversight andnot become an“errand boy”of thee x e c u t i v e .Lawmaking isto serve as thelever for thepromotion ofsocial change.

It will not beout of place ifthe legislaturecan also do usa patriotic actby voluntarilyreducing itsf r i v o l o u sallowances inthe largerinterest of the

The changes andreforms Nigeriarequire would needa well-organizedsocial movementand a sustainedstruggle by thepeoples of Nigeriato bring it about

CMYK

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O L A D O S U — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOladosu BukolaDeborah, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Ajiboye BukolaDeborah. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

EMELE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss EmeleChizaram Jane, nowwish to be known andaddressed as MrsOkey Chizaram Jane.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

LAWAL—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OmololaLawal Nurat, nowwish to be known andaddressed as MrsOmolola Isyaku Nurat.All former documentsremain valid. Ecobank,Diamond Bank andgeneral public pleasetake note.

AKPAN—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Uduak EdemAkpan, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs UduakUwemedimo Akpan-Umoh. All formerdocuments remainvalid. First Bank,Guaranty Trust Bank,Ecobank and generalpublic please takenote.

E B E N E Z E R — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissJennifer Ese Ebenezer,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Jennifer Ese Hillary .All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

AKPOKOMUAYE—I, formerly knownand addressed asMiss SylviaAkpokomuaye, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Sylvia Adeniyi.All former documentsremain valid.General publicplease take note.

OKOTIE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss HannahOdemi Okotie, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Hannah Oghomienor.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

EKEH—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss UchechukwuBlessing Ekeh, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Uchechukwu BlessingOlajide. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

I D U N D U N —I,formerly known andaddressed as IdundunAni Juliet, now wish tobe known andaddressed as IdundunAni. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

E F I J E M U E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissEfijemue BridgetEmeoghene, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Okiemute BridgetEmeoghene. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

U G U E M A H — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissMargaret OniozaUguemah, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Margaret OniozaIkharedia. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

AGHO—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as MissAgho Nogie, nowwish to be knownand addressed asMrs. AsoronyeNogie. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

U K A M A K A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissEzemah AgathaUkamaka, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Abah AgathaUkamaka. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

Correction of Name

I hereby state that my

correct name is Ajara

Taofeek Anike, and not

Ajara Taofik Anike. All

forrmer documents

remain valid. General

public please take

note.

Correction of NameI hereby state that myaccount name waswrongly written asAdeboye JohnathanSunday, instead ofJonathan SundayAdegboye. All forrmerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

O N O N E N Y I — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissO n o n e n y iKenechukwu Felicity,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.E n e c h u k w uKenechukwu Felicity.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

ALABI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Alabi AtinukeAzeezat, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Lucas Atinuke Azeezat.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

FRANK—I, formerlyknown andaddressed as IrorohFrank, now wish tobe known andaddressed as IrorohFrancis Ado. Allformer documentsremain valid.General publicplease take note.

MOSES—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Moses MercyKehinde, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Daramola MercyKehinde. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OTALOR—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OtalorAnthonia Uche, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Anthonia Uche Odiete.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

E G I K E M E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissJemima ChinazamEgikeme, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Jemima ChinazamOkuwhere. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OKAFOR—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Veronica I.Okafor, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. Veronica I.Umeh. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

UMOH—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Umoh E.Patience, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Ogundeko PatienceIme. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

A N Y A D I K E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissAnyadike ChidimmaCharity, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.E z e a n o i k w aChidimma Charity.All former documentsremain valid.General publicplease take note.

A B I O D U N — I ,formerly known andaddressed asOgungbenro LateefAbiodun, now wish tobe known andaddressed asOgungbenro LateefOlawale. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Kwara StatePolytechnic, GT Bank,Diamond Bank andgeneral public pleasetake note.

PRINCE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Emem PrinceCharles, now wish tobe known andaddressed as EmemCharles Chukwuma.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

AUDU—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Mrs. Audu EnioaModinat, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Ms BelloEniola Modinat. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

SOYINKA—I, formerlyknown and addressed asMiss ComfortOghenewemu Emegbo,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Soyinka OghenewemuComfort Emegbo. Allformer documents remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

FELICITY—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Ebiai ElohorFelicity, now wish to beknown and addressedas Ebiai Elohor Peace.All former documentsremain valid. FirstBank Plc and generalpublic please take note.

IYENGUNMWENA—I,formerly known andaddressed as MissAmenaghawon FavourIyengunmwena, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Amenaghawon FavourIsaiah. All formerdocuments remainvalid. The authority towhom it may concernand the general publicto please take note.

Confirmation of NameI am by name Agba C.Ugiosomi and that myinternational passportwith No. A01801771 isbearing Musah ChristineUgiosomi and the namein the Nigerian BreweriesPlc Share Certificatewhich I bought is AgbaC. Ugiosomi. That AgbaC. Ugiosomi and MusahChristine Ugiosomi isone and same person. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

AJUSI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Ajusi VictoryNkeonye, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Chimekwele VictoryNkeonye. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

IKOGHO—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss FeliciaAjomudhe Ikogho,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Felicia AjomudheAriole. All formerdocuments remainvalid. PrimaryEducation Board,Asaba and generalpublic please takenote.

N N O R O M — I ,formerly known andaddressed as AmakaNnorom, now wish tobe known andaddressed as AmakaOnedibe. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OLALEYE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OlaleyeYetunde Precious, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Kolade YetundePrecious. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

A K I N L A J A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOluwatoyin EstherAkinlaja, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Oluwatoyin EstherAkinmade. Allformer documentsremain valid.General publicplease take note.

ANOSIKE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Anosike EstherOnyekachi, now wishto be known andaddressed as Mrs.Mbah EstherOnyekachi. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

CHRISTIANA—I,formerly known andaddressed as OgelezaChristiana Idorol, nowwish to be known andaddressed as OgelezaChristy Idorol. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

OFOCHE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss UchechukwuChikodili Ofoche, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Uchechukwu ChikodiliUdochukwu. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

Confirmation of NameThis is to confirm thatJubilee Odiezor, JosephJubilee Enifomhe is thesame person as JubileeOdiezor Joseph,henceforth wish to beknown and addressed asJoseph Jubilee Enifomhe.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

S H E D R A C K — I ,formerly known andaddressed as ShedrackFunmilayo Ruth, nowwish to be known andaddressed as GaniyuFunmilayo Ruth. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

O B I G H O — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOmoye QueenObigho, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Omoye QueenOtoide. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

40—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

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O N A O L A P O — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissAriyike MopelolaOnaolapo, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Ariyike Ola-Daramola.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

O M O K H U A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissJudith EnimienOmokhua, now wishto be known andaddressed as Mrs.Judith EnimienOzegbe. All formerdocuments remainvalid. NMCN andgeneral public pleasetake note.

E G U A K U N — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissEsther OsamuyiEguakun, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Esther Osamuyi Efe.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

A W O F O D U — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissA w o f o d uOlufunmilayo Folake,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.F a g b o h u nOlufunmilayo Folake.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

B L E S S I N G — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissO b i a n u g b aN g o z i c h u k w u k aBlessing, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.E g w u o n w uN g o z i c h u k w u k aBlessing. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

SONIA—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OgboruAfokeoghene Sonia,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.A m e r h o v w eAfokeoghene Sonia. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

LILIAN—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss LilianAkpovwovwo Okuse,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Lilian AkpovwovwoEbinum. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

HOPE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss AniefunaHope Uzoma, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Chinemelu UzomaHope. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OVOKE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Ovoke BunmiAzekewho, now wishto be known andaddressed as Mrs.Ovoke Bunmi Iruaga.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

IYARE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss NancyMorgan Iyare, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Nancy IgbinewekaEgbon. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

U K A I G W E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOgechi GraceUkaigwe, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Ogechi Grace Ile. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

E K A P O N G — I ,formerly known andaddressed as EkapongEkpo Bassey, now wishto be known andaddressed as EffiongEkpo Bassey. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

EKPA—I, formerlyknown and addressed

as Ekpa Barry Dick,now wish to be knownand addressed asBarianemedum. Allformer documentsremain valid. General

public please take note.

AJAYI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Ayodele OlaseniAjayi, now wish to beknown and addressedas Ayodele OlaseniOpesanwo. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

GRACE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Grace Ayenor, nowwish to be known andaddressed as GraceJolomi Tatie. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

PRAISE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Iwara Daniel Praise,now wish to be knownand addressed asIwara Daniel Abam.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

A F U E C H E TA — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOgochukwu VeronicaAfuecheta, now wishto be known andaddressed as Mrs.Ogochukwu VeronicaOnyegbula. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

J A I Y E O L A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissEtana Joy Jaiyeola,now wish to be knownand addressed as MrsEtana Joy Olotu. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

A G U B U I K E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissAgubuike FranciscaOsitadinma, now wishto be known andaddressed as Mrs.Samuel FranciscaOsitadinma. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

B L E S S I N G — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissBlessing Teina Ugedi,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Rita Tomaye Ugedi. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

Confirmation of NameThis is to confirm thatDivine Apiyanteideand IbiminaApiyanteide refer toone and the sameperson, henceforthwish to be known andaddressed as IbiminaApiyanteide. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

IKE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Julie Kpanmi Ike,now wish to be knownand addressed asJulie KpanmiOnochie. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OGOCHUKWU—I,formerly known andaddressed as MissAssumpta ObianujuUgochukwu, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Assumpta ObianujuOkwuike. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

Confirmation of NameThis is to confirm thatMustapha Love Enitanand Ademola OwolabiEnitan refer to one andthe same person,henceforth wish to beknown and addressedas Mustapha LoveEnitan. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

M I C H A E L — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissMichael Eremiepre,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Eremiepre EbiakpoRaphael Garrrie. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

SAMBO —I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss AbhokasiGrace Sambo, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Grace Godwin. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

OYADONGHA—I,formerly known andaddressed as MissOyadongha DesireSelekumo, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Ebikorogha TariebiSelekumo Desire. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

AGIDI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Karipiri SapaAgidi, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. Karipiri EsidoYidougha. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

A N U G W E J E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissVivian Anugweje,now wish to be knownand addressed asMrs. Amarachi VivianEgemba. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OKAFOR—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OkaforN g o z i c h u k w uTobechukwu, now wishto be known andaddressed as Mrs.A n u m u d uN g o z i c h u k w uTobechukwu. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

DANIEL—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss IbinaboDaniel, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. Ibinabo OdoPeter. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

UGOCHUKWU—I,formerly known andaddressed as MissUgochukwu TheodoraEchezona, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Dike TheodoraEchezona. All formerdocuments remainvalid. NYSC andgeneral public pleasetake note.

B A L O G U N — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissBalogun LouisaQueen, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. Queen LouisaInimoye Zibima. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

M E M B E R — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissMember StephanieIselekumo, now wishto be known andaddressed as Mrs.Onini StephanieIselekumo. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

Confirmation of NameI, Tuzimo Silas FestusPinaowei do herebyconfirm that the nameSilas Festus Pinaoweirefer to one and sameme. All formerdocument remainvalid. UBA Plc andgeneral public pleasetake note.

JINADU—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss RebeccaTemitope Jinadu, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Rebecca TemitopeAjibade All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

E M E C H E T A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissChikaodi L. Emecheta,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Chika LouimarieDaniel. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

O N Y E A M A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOnyeama JulietIjeoma, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. Nwafor JulietIjeoma. All formerdocuments remainvalid. NYSC andgeneral public pleasetake note.

AMADI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss AmadiMartina Ijeoma, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Osuala MartinaIjeoma. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

UZOR—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Uzor UgochiChimara, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Iwuanyanwu UgochiChimara. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

M O M O H — I ,formerly known asMiss MomohEmoshioke, now wishto be known andaddressed as MrsIkhayere Emoshioke.All former documentsremain valid.Ambrose AliUniversity Ekpoma,NYSC and generalpublic please takenote.

ESSIEN—I, formerlyknown as Miss EssienAniekan Abasi, nowwish to be known andaddressed as MrsA n i e k a n - A b a s iEsijemide DoreOwumi. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—41

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EZE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Eze Joanas C.,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Uwakwe JoanessChioma. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

Confirmation of NameThis is to certify thatthe names MissEzeamaku NwamakaAlfreda, GabrielNwamaka Alfreda andIfebi NwamakaAlfreda, refer to oneand the same personbut wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Ifebi NwamakaAlfreda. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

NWABUNWANNE—I, formerly known andaddressed as Mr.Ejimadu AzubuikeNwabunwanne, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mr.Ejimadu AzubuikeVictor. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

ONOVUAKPOR—Iformerly known andaddressed as MissE l i z a b e t hOnovuakpor, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Elizabeth Isagba. Allormer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

TEFUE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Gladys Tefue,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Gladys Okiki. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

OHARISI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss ElohoChristabel Oharisi, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Eloho ChristabelEvuetapha. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

E R H A B O R — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissErhabor AdesuwaTheresa, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Adesuwa TheresaNosakhare. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

ENYI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Mercy UkamEnyi, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. MercyEmmanuel Bassey. Allformer documentsremain valid. NYSCand general publicplease take note.

S A T U R D A Y — I ,formerly known andaddressed asSaturday Oputu, nowwish to be known andaddressed as StevenEfe Oputu. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OLIE—I, formerly

known and addressed

as Mrs. Vero Olie,

now wish to be known

and addressed as Vero

Owhofasa. All former

documents remain

valid. General public

please take note.

O D E G O B E — I ,formerly known andaddressed asOdegobe GbadeOlugbade, now wishto be known andaddressed asOlugbade OdejobiJames. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

D A N J U M A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as VictoriaDanjuma, now wish tobe known andaddressed as VictoriaHassan. All formerdocuments remainvalid. Ecobank, UBAand general publicplease take note.

ONAH—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OnahCordilia, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Cordilia Peace Osirim.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

E L O S I U B A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissChioma Elosiuba, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Chioma EbikereUgedi. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OMOKO—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss OmokoChristiana, now wishto be known andaddressed as MrsOkpako Christiana. Allformer documentsremain valid, Zenithbank, First bank, Ecobank and generalpublic to take note.

EHON—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss EhonEhinomen Millicent,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Ehinomen MillicentAdun. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

N K W E K E Z E — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissNkwekeze HopeAnwuri, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Orduchris HopeAnwuri. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

OSAKWE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss Blessing NkemOsakwe, now wish to beknown and addressedas Mrs. Blessing NkemOnyejose. All formerdocuments remain valid.General public pleasetake note.

IGWE—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss IgweOluebube Peace, nowwish to be known andaddressed as Mrs.Amamchukwu VincentOluebube Peace. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

O Z O C H I A M A — I ,formerly known andaddressed as MissOzochiama DeborahNgozika, now wish tobe known andaddressed as Mrs.Ozochiama-MamahNgozika Deborah. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

T E S I L I M I — I ,

formerly known and

addressed as Tesilimi

Kemi, now wish to be

known and addressed

as Obi Lisa Kemi. All

former documents

remain valid. General

public please take note.

ORUYAI—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Oruyai YellowTuwon, now wish to beknown and addressedas Akpe MosesTuwon. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

EYIDE—I, formerlyknown called andaddressed as MissDoris Ebisan Eyide,now wish to be known,called and addressedas Mrs. Doris EbisanKpogho. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

JINADU —I, formerlyknown called andaddressed as MissErica Jinadu, now wishto be known, called andaddressed as Mrs. EricaEtchie. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

Confirmation of NamesThis is to confirm thatA t s e g o rOritseweyinmi is thesame person asTaghansemito BridgetOritseweyinmi. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please take note.

Confirmation of NamesThis is to confirm thatthe names Owheri Tracy Nino and OyasiEdirin Tracy refers toone and the sameperson – me, but I nowwish to be known,called and addressedas Oyasi Edirin Tracy.All former documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

O N A K O F A — I ,formerly known,called and addressedas Miss DorothyOnakofa, now wish tobe known, called andaddressed as MrsDorothy Etebe. Allformer documentsremain valid. Generalpublic please takenote.

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Confirmation of NameThese names SimeonEghubare Onoyowareand Eghubare Simeonis one the same person,now which to be knownand addressed asSimeon EghubareOnoyoware. All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

UKANWA—I, formerlyknown and addressedas Miss. UkanwaJosephine Ugochi,now wish to be knownand addressed as Mrs.Okupa JosephineUgochi . All formerdocuments remainvalid. General publicplease take note.

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42—Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

VanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardVanguardCLASSIFIED

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ISAAC—I, formerly

known and addressed

as Boma Isaac, now

wish to be known and

addressed as Origbo

Boma Bright. All

former documents

remain valid. General

public please take note.

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OTUU—I, formerly

known and addressed

as Otuu Raphael Eze,

now wish to be known

and addressed as

Nnam Raphael Eze.

All former documents

remain valid. General

public please take note.

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016—43

Opobo Kingdom, whichcomprises coastal commu-nities that were involved incolonial trade and nation-alist struggle, has abun-dant sites and relics toshow case to tourists.

Before the spirit of adven-ture could take over, thevisitors joined the proces-sion to the church for yetanother funeral service atthe St. Paul Church,Opobo Town.

The old church buildinghugged the waterfront, giv-ing it a serene atmospherethat can only be pleasingto the Almighty Father inhis heavenly abode. Here,the worth of the late Prof.Datubo-Brown was againmade manifest as a galaxyof who-is-who in Nigeriagathered to say goodbye tohim.

The preacher, VenerableS. T. Ngbete, pitched hissermon on the theme:“The anatomy of theGodless.” He emphasizedthe need for theenthronement of justice inthe affairs of our country,stating that the AlmightyFather is a God of justiceand righteousness.

He lamented that therewas so much wickednessin the world and stressedthe need for all men to re-turn to God.

Reconciling theirreconcilable

Ven Ngbete decried thesexual perversion that wascurrently choking theworld and subverting theChristian faith, with menmarrying men and womenmarrying their fellowwomen. He said that somepriests who support thisperversion seem to be con-fused as they were oftencaught in the web of thecontradictions that sur-round gay marriage.

He cited an instancewhere a priest who wasjoining two men in mar-riage got entangled in themess of reconciling the ir-reconcilable.

According to him, thepriest did not know whatto say when it got to thepoint where he would say:“I declare you man andwife.” “Not knowinghow to describe the union,the confused priest said, Ideclare you Man United”.

The church roared inlaughter and Ven. Ngbetereminded the congrega-tion that he did not meanto ridicule the fans of Man-chester United in the Eng-lish Premier league.

Return of aGreat Sur-geonContinues from page 20

JOURNEY TOOPOBO:

44 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

with Bayo Akinwamide

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Toriola

BETOGLO (TOG), inKhartoum, Sudan, Toriola joins table tennislegends Jean-MichelSAIVE (BEL), JorgenPERSSON (SWE) &Zoran PRIMORAC(CRO) in an elite groupof players who haveplayed at seven OlympicGames.

An overwhelmed Pres-ident of Nigeria TableTennis Federation,Barrister Enitan Oshodishowered him withplaudits for his gallant-ry. “I’m very proud ofhim for his achievementsfor Nigeria. It is no meanfeat to join the eliteClub of players whohave played in 7 differ-ent Olympics. By thisrecord, he is Africa’sonly man with suchrecords. It goes withhard work anddiscipline. We’re indeedproud of him”, Oshodi,

who brought a rapidtransformation of thegame in Nigeria, said.

After achieving theamazing feat, the fourtime All-African Gameschampion, who made hisOlympic debut back atthe 1992 BarcelonaOlympic Games toldITTF: “I am very excitedabout this achievement,I never thought I couldbe playing a seventhOlympic Games in mycareer. I am honouredthat I made history asthe first African toachieve this feat.”

“It was a little difficultfor me because I playedunder a lot of pressure,I was the favourite forthis tournament, and Ihad to be cautious in mygames as most of theplayers wanted to beatme. I ensured I was nottoo confident in all mymatches and play themcarefully.”

“I am glad that I madeit and I hope now tofocus on the preparationfor Rio, which is veryvital for me!”

be an entirely newcoaching crew to nowlead the world champi-ons.

It was specially gath-ered that this weekManu rejected the Ea-glets post when he wasoffered it by the techni-cal committee, who ar-gued he could again re-peat the magic of 2013when the team won theFIFA U-17 World Cup instyle in Abu Dhabi.

Manu will later getback to the technicalcommittee to say he hasconsulted his assistantsand he was ready to re-turn to the trenches withthe Eaglets.

However, by the timethe coach rescinded hisdecision, the NFF hadalready contacted othercoaches to take up theposts.

“Manu will not be thecoach of the Golden Ea-glets after he first turneddown the job. He laterhad a rethink, but bythen it was too late asother coaches had beencontacted for the sameposition,” a top NFF of-ficial disclosed.

Garba

Continued from backpage

Oliseh

Continued from backpage

have now disclosed theSuper Eagles coach hasput his foot down thathis employers do nothave a say on the twopersons he could em-ploy – an assistant coachand a personal assistant– as contained in thecontract he signed.

“Oliseh has askedquestions on thereported dismissal of hispersonal assistant as noreason was given fortheir decision,” a sourceinformed.

“He has insistedBabangida remains hispersonal assistant as

long as he has a contractwith the NFF.”

Another source said:“Oliseh is the realtarget, but they are nowafter the soft targetsaround him likeBabangida.”

I n t e r e s t i n g l y ,Babangida’s contract istied to Oliseh’s contract.

The NFF agreed topay the former interna-tional winger 600,000Naira a month whenthey engaged Oliseh inJuly 2015.

However, he has yet toreceive a kobo sincethen, not even when alltheir coaches were paida month’s pay inDecember.

Continued from backpage

16 Universities forAdeboye’s 74thBirthday Games

NOT less than 300students - players,

male and female from 16Nigerian Universitieswould later this monthstorm the Redemptioncamp of RedeemedChristian Church of God(RCCG) in Lagos toparticipate in a sportsfiesta which is part of the74th birthdayanniversary of PastorEnoch Adeboye.

The games (Volley Balland Futsalcompetitions), is to runfrom Monday February29 to March 5th.

Speaking at a pressconference in Lagosyesterday to announcethe commencement ofthe Games, the Directorof Sports, Redeemer ’sSports Directorate,RCCG, Paul Bankole,explained that thegames, which would beguided by 70 officials,would be sponsored bythe Governors of Ondoand Lagos States,Olusegun Mimiko andAkinwumi Ambode, whoare the spiritual sons ofthe RCCG GeneralOverseer.

Bankole, while

defending the choice ofVolleyball and Futsalgames for thecelebration said it is tounderscore the theimportance of the gameof volleyball to theGeneral Overseer, whoplayed and coached thesport while he was at theUniversity.

From left 1st Vice President, Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA),. Eme-ka Ogbu, Director of Sports, Redeemers Sports Directorate, Paul Bankole and scribeNUGA, Bola Orodele at the news briefing on the 74th birthday anniversary games inhonour of GO RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye in Lagos.

9,000 schools for 18th Milo Basketball Championships

By Jacob Ajom

ALL is now set for the18th Milo

Secondary SchoolsB a s k e t b a l lchampionships with thestate preliminariesbilled to dunk off fromFebruary 22 through 26.

Announcing this inLagos yesterday,Managing Director andChief Executive, NestleNigeria, DhanershGordhon said, “Thisyear ’s championshipwill involve 9,000secondary schoolsacross the 36 states of thefederation and the FCTas we continue thesearch for that potential

talent that will begin thequest to reach his or hergoal in life.”

In the same vain,Olufemi Akintola,Category ManagerNestle Nigeria said,state champions willclash with theircounterparts in thezonal stage whichbegins 21 April to 19May.

According to him,competition in theWestern Conferencewhich has Lagos as host,will flag off betweenApril 21 and 27. Thiswill be followed byCentral Conference withIlorin as centre from

April 27 to May 4, whilethe ConfluenceConference with Lokojaas host will hold itscompetition betweenMay 5 and 12.TheEquatorial Conferencewill be hosted by Enugu

between May 13 and 19.For the first time in the

history of thechampionship, thenational finals will beheld outside Lagos andAsaba, Delta Statecapital is thedestination.

2016 Lagos Intl’Polo: Zippy,Eleyele win,Goodfellow/Shoreline out

THE race to get thetop prizes at stake at

the ongoing 2016 NPALagos International PoloTournament intensifiedyesterday as the men arenow being separatedfrom boys with LagosZippy among the teamsthat qualified for theknockout stage of theOpen Cup.

Zippy added LagosMUK to their list of ca-sualties with a 7 1/2 - 2scoreline while IbadanEleyele beat Kano Sea-mans 5 - 2 1/2 to alsostay on course for the ti-tle.

Elegbeleyeinstalled Otunbaof Ikareland

FORMER DirectorGeneral of the

National SportsCommission Hon GbengaElegbeleye will onSaturday be installed asthe Otunba of Ikareland byHis Royal Highness ObaAkadiri Momoh , theOlukare of Ikareland andthe Olukare in Council.

The former legislatorwho succeeded ChiefPatrick Ekeji as the DG ofthe National SportsCommission was singledout for this honour inrecognition of his selflessservice to the nation,Ondo State andIkareland.

Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 , 2016 — 45

46 — Vanguard, FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 , 2016

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016 —47

Day Chukwu, Okpala, Egbonuled Rangers to my village

Immediately I saw ArthurEgbunam I rememberedhis 1979 story that has

not been written till date.He had left Enugu Rangers

with Okey Isima andHumphrey Okechukwu andthe trio joined Standard of Jos.Remember that transfers werenot common in those dayswhen the Nigerian leagueenjoyed the kind offollowership we now associatewith the English Premiership.

To Rangers fans, the transferof their stars wasunbelievable. And theyexpressed themselves the daythat Standard were at Nsukkato play Rangers. EnuguStadium, Rangers homeground, was undergoingrepairs. Fans laid siege toPremier Hotel whereStandard lodged.

Late popular musician,Oliver De Coque, was inNsukka to play and at thesame hotel. When he saw acrowd of people outside thehotel, he first thought he wasthe attraction until he noticedthat the fans were sendingemissaries to room 202 andnot his room 203. Arthur andIsima were in room 202. Thefans were there to plead thatthey return to Rangers. Andafter the match more fansbesieged Premier hotel. Tothem, Arthur and Isima, oncebrilliant stars of Rangers, hadcommitted an abomination.They had betrayed the Igboman and damaged the onlything that gave a befittingname to their identity.

Rangers was the name ofBiafra’s guerrilla groupduring the Nigerian civil war.It was a deadly group thatcaused nightmares to thefederal troops, sneaking intotheir camps to main and kill.They were guerrilla fighters.And when the war ended, theeasterners named theirfootball team Rangers.Rangers were, therefore, morethan a football team to theIgbo man. It was a movementthat gave them identity, thatboosted their ego deflated bythe war defeat. It wastherefore very exciting to theIgbo man that Rangersbecame a hit on formation in1970, winning the league in1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982and 1984 and five ChallengeCup victories.

In fact, they dominatedNigerian football with IICCShooting Stars and BendelInsurance. Rangers lifted theIgbo man. It became theirpride.

So, you can imagine theoutrage when ArthurEgbunam laid superb assiststhat saw Bala Ali firing the firstgoal for Standard andHumphrey Okechukwusealing victory for the Jos sidein the league cracker thatended 0-2 in favour of thevisitors. Okey Isima played inthe defensive midfield or whatwas called 4, HumphreyOkechukwu 8 and Arthur injersey number 10. Theytormented Rangers and werea real delight to watch in themidfield. Tunde Adedara wasin goal for Standard,

•The untold story of Arthur Egbunam

Onyebuchi Abia and Sola Popo manned thefull back positions. Musa and Achampongwere in the central defence while James Neto,another Ghanaian in the team, played fromthe right flanks. Kola Adejide was on the leftwhile Bala Ali was the central striker. It wasan average squad but with strong character.However, they were no where in the class ofRangers. But that day in Nsukka, the formerRangers boys in Arthur Egbunam, Isima andOkechukwu played as if they were possessedand the story was a shocking 2-0 defeat ofalmighty Rangers that had Emmanuel Okalain goal, and the likes of Christian Chukwu,Amaechi Igwobi, Paulinus Ezike, MichaelOchiagha, Adokiye Amiesimeka andChimezia Ngadi in the line up. It was ashocker.

Arthur Egbunam’s father worked in EnuguSports Council at the time. He was transferredto Onitsha and he went to work from hishome, Obosi. That appeared not to be enoughpunishment and he was further transferredto Abakaliki. I wouldn’t know if it was a merecoincidence that his transfer cameimmediately his son led a Jos team to beatRangers at home. But there was a campaignfor the trio to return to Rangers. That’s theuntold story of Arthur Egbunam’s father.

Last Friday, February 12, Arthur Egbunamwas among the array of stars that visited myvillage in Aguobu-Owa in Ezeagu LocalGovernment Area of Enugu State for the burialof my elder brother, Thomas Anibeze.Immediately I saw him, I remembered hisfather’s story.

There were many big names in Nigerian

football whose presence thawedmy heart. Chairman ChristianChukwu led the team that had Dr.Johny Egbonu, StanleyOkoronkwo, MichaelOgbuodudu, Francis Nwosu aliasGerman War, Harrison Okagbue,former national team coach ofUganda, Quick Silver SylvanusOkpala, Godwin Nosike, FancyEwulu. There were alsoBartholomew Izozuru, CollinsUdeh, Onumonu Aparadede,Christian Kubah, NapoleonHandsome and the currentspokesman of Enugu Rangers,Foster Chime.

They came in a Rangers Busand added colour to the burial

ceremony. Later, Louis Igwilo, thecommander of Super Eagles midfield in histime came. It was amazing. Ex-Rangersplayers have a strong union that keeps themtogether. Only last year, they held theirconvention in Atlanta, USA. They alwaysattend weddings and other functions as ateam. They are still united in retirement. Idid not play for Rangers and I couldn’timagine the honour, last Friday. Okagbue,as usual, thrilled all with his dance stepswhen the sound of the gongs charged theatmosphere. Interestingly, Okagbue gave methe chance to be noticed in football. Rangershad come for training at Enugu campus ofUniversity of Nigeria and somehow, theywere not complete. Mmimi, as Okagbue isfondly called beckoned me to complete them.I was among the players who left the field togive way to Rangers for their training. Mmimihad seen me play a few times and amongthe young players around he called me tocomplete the team. That chance to train withRangers, to me then, was like playing forNigeria. In one move that I blocked AloysiusAtuegbu, known for his physical attributes,he fell to the ground, their coach MathewAtuegbu yelled “Ebe ka onye nka sikwe bia”(Where did this one come from?). Mmimi wasa fine central defender and now a fine MCwhose jokes entertain people at events. Mybrother’s burial brought them to my village.

I asked Mike Ogbuodudu about SegunOdegbami. He just smiled. I did not expectan answer. He became a national star forsuperbly checking the forays of Odegbami

in the 1977 Africa CupWinners semi-final tiewith IICC Shooting Stars.Odegbami was a thriller atthe wings and Ogbuodudumarked him well. Fanssang songs with his name.He became an instanthero for marking outOdegbami. Rangers wenton to win the Cup.

I thank them all for thehonour. Special thanks toSylvanus Okpala, who wasso good in Portugal thatlate Rashidi Yekini told methat years after Okpala leftPortugal fans still talkedabout him. He excelledplaying for Moritimo,Uniao and when he wasinjured at Nacional theyoffered him a coaching jobbecause of his brilliance.He preferred to returnhome. He is a brilliantcoach. When Maigaridisengaged him asStephen Keshi’s assistantwe all saw of what becameof the team, Super Eagles.

The presence of thesesuperstars of Nigerianfootball in my villagereally meant a lot to ourfamily. My late brothermust be happy where heis. Chukwu and his teamwere also delighted tomeet their senior in myuncle, Ben Anibeze fondlycalled Little Ben when heplayed for the Railwaysand the national team longbefore them.

Little Ben was later to bechairman of EnuguRangers and Chukwu ledthe stars to greet him at hisstand where the Igwes sat.My village had neverseen such array of starsand I lack words todescribe how grateful ourfamily is to these greatmen. Commissioner forLocal GovernmentMatters, Chijioke Edeoga,was there. So was formerCommissioner for SpecialDuties, Emeka Ugwuokpa.Current Deputy Governorof Enugu State, CeceliaEzeilo was also there.Chris Orji came with theOkwomma group whosegongs charged up theatmosphere. Chief BenEzeibe, the tennis buff alsosurprised us. He read thetribute I wrote inVanguard that Friday,February 12 and dashed tomy village. Louis Amoke,the Special Adviser togovernor Ugwuanyi onmedia was there too.There were many friendsof my brother, ProfessorChike Anibeze. Space maynot allow me to mentionall of them. But specialthanks to JohnyAdimkpaya, Emma Eneoliand Tony Igboji. When Itold Tony Ubani, our sportseditor how successful theburial was and the array ofstars that attended, he said“part two of the tributemust be written”. Andhere we are. Manpass, mylate brother, is reallyresting in peace.

From left, Harrison Okagbue, Arthur Egbunam, Sylvanus Okpala, Francis Nwosu(German War), StanleyOkoronkwo, Little Ben Anibueze, Ikenna Obu, Christian Chukwu, Dr. Johny Egbonu, Mike Ogbuodudu. FancyEwulu is 3rd from right.

From left, Francis Nwosu, Godwin Nosike, Onochie Anibeze, JohnyEgbonu, Sylvanus Okpala, Christian Chukwu, Ikenna Obu, ProfessorChike Anibeze and Mike Ogbuodudu.

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. Advert Dept Hotline: 01-4544821. Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. E-mail: editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, letters@vanguardngr.com. Advert:advertproduction@yahoo.com

Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: MIDENO BAYAGBON. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

How to Play Sudoku

Place a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line canhave two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (alsonine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within abold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1through 9. This means that no number can appear twicein any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, divisionor multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

FRIFRIFRIFRIFRIDDDDDAAAAAY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSY'S ANSWERSWERSWERSWERSWERSTTTTTODODODODODAAAAAY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLEY'S PUZZLE

Vanguard, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2016

CMYK

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS

ACROSS1 Avarice (5)5 Method (6)8 Elbow (5)10 Sofa (6)11 Parched (4)14 Tell (6)15 Shortage (7)18 Tankard (3)19 Fish (3)21 Remainder (4)23 Skirmish (5)24 Minus (4)27 Fellow (3)29 Gratuity (3)31 Denied (7)32 Staggered (6)34 Fruit (4)35 Coma (6)38 Yearned (5)39 Aristocracy (6)40 God (5)

DOWN2 Regret (3)3 Involve (6)4 Owing (3)5 Scorch (4)6 Seaman (6)7 Demure (6)9 Determined (7)12 Material (3)13 Fruit (4)16 Relax (4)17 Claw (5)20 Under (7)22 Secure (4)24 Enticing (6)25 Pace (4)26 Noiseless (6)28 Show (6)30 Vegetable (3)33 Cart (4)36 Colour (3)37 Sever (3)

ACROSS: 1 Aviary 5, Beat 8, Piled 9, Rid 10,Dial 11, Life 12, Limit 13, Locker 16, Mere18, Vast 20, End 22, Van 23, Elk 24, Late 25,Once 28, Enrage 30, Tooth 32, Emit 33, Iota34, Ice 35, Meant 36, Seed 37, Penned.

DOWN: 1, Airily 2, Indecent 3, Redeem 4,Diligent 5, Believe 6, Editor 7, Teem 8, Pal14, Revolting 15, Ask 17, Ran 19, Alsatian20, Eat 21, Devoted 26, Engage 27, Defend29, Mess 30, Time 31, Hot.

Babangida’s sack:Oliseh dares NFF

Toriola makes history,qualifies for 7th Olympics*Oshodi praises him

NIGERIA’s SegunToriola has shot

himself into the recordbooks by becoming thefirst African to play inseven Olympic Games inany sport by picking a

ticket to represent Niger-ia at this year’s OlympicGames in Rio, Brazil.

This uncommon recordhas also catapulted Tori-ola to the exclusive “7Club” , the elite group ofplayers who have playedat seven Olympic

Games.With the 41-year-old’s

11-7, 12-10, 11-9, 11-6win over Mawussi AG

*Insists Babangida’s part of his contractSUPER Eagles coach

Sunday Oliseh isset for another slug-outwith the Nigeria FootballFederation (NFF) afterhe insisted Tijjani Ba-bangida remains his per-sonal assistant and hasnot been sacked.

This week, the NFFhave issued a final warn-ing to Oliseh to keep hiscool after his recent“YouTube rantings”.

However, top sources

Continues on Page 44

GarbalosesEagletsjobCOACH Manu Gar-

ba will not headthe Nigeria U-17 team,the Golden Eaglets, af-ter he initially rejectedthe post.

And his rejection hasmeant it will most likelyContinues on Page 44

By Tony Ubani

*INSEPARABLE: Oliseh (r) sticks with Babangida.Continues on Page 44

*HISTORY MAKER... Segun Toriola

*Garba