IGP orders withdrawal of Police oderlies from politicians by Vanguard Media Limited

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IGP orders withdrawal of police orderlies from politicians, individuals *Says Nigeria grossly under-policed *Asks police commands to increase community policing By Wole Mosadomi (Minna) & Oghene Omonisa

ITH the debate over the need for state police still raging, Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase has lamented the inadequate number of police to provide adequate security for the country, and urged the various state Police Commands to embark on and strengthen community policing in their respective states to curb criminality in the country. This call is coming in the wake of increase in incidents of insecurity in the country, and brings to the fore the frequent debate over the level of adequacy and competence of the Nigeria Police to stand up to their statutory responsibilities and confront these challenges. The never-ending evil activities the country is presently embroiled under Boko Haram, the increasing rate of kidnapping and armed robbery, alarming social vices among other criminal activities all appear to overwhelm the nation’s security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, which by many indices have not been able to live up to their billing. These, no doubt, were factors which apparently spurred Arase to make his call for the strengthening of community policing. Community policing, it will be relevant to note, is anchored on a systematic relationship between the police and the entire citizenry, whereby police roles and functions are not simply law enforcement but also include tackling a huge range of community problems, with the assistance and cooperation of community security outfits like vigilantes. Arase’s call for more community policing, although a welcome idea in Nigeria, was an indication of the inadequacies of those entrusted with the security of lives and property in Nigeria for which the police are in the vanguard. His call should raise concern for the Federal Government especially as the old debate over state police rages. It regularly attracts condemnation by those who consider state police as a policy that will weaken the central government and strengthen the powers of state governments, therefore posing challenges to the continued unity of the country with renewed threats of secession from some agitators in the South-East. Arase who was in Minna, the Niger State capital yesterday, in con-

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tinuation of his nationwide tour of Police Commands told a large audience of security stakeholders in the state that there was the need for every Nigerian community to rise to the challenges of insecurity in the country by laying emphasis more on community policing. The IGP however added that the directive was not applicable to politicians holding top government offices like the Senate President, House Speaker among others. He disclosed that there were less than 8000 police to provide security for the entire people of Niger state, adding that from the land mass and population of the state, the police were grossly inadequate to man the state effectively

but assured that even at this, the police would rise to the challenges. The Inspector General said the inadequacies could be attributed to lack of recruitment into the Force in the past five years but which he said was being seriously looked into by the Mohammadu Buhari administration. Arase said he had given a directive that policemen on postings as orderlies to individuals including politicians be withdrawn immediately and redeployed to other more sensitive posts in order to provide the needed security across the country. He called on individuals, private organisations and communities to come to the aid of the Police in the country by providing

Senate President, Bukola Saraki appears before the Code of Conduct Tribunal in Abuja yesterday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan. logistics to them to facilitate their activities, pointing out that government could not shoulder the responsibilities of security alone. The IGP directed the state Command to embark

on periodic interaction with various stakeholders, including students in the state to know their feelings and problems and chart a new way forward. The stakeholders included religious leaders,

Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, National Union of Road Transport Workers, students, FRSC other security agencies among others.

Alleged false declaration of assets: Saraki’s fresh application stalls trial at CCT ....says charge was in bad-faith, against public interest .....as FG seeks dismissal of motion By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

HE Federal Govern ment, on Friday, opposed a fresh application by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, challenging the powers of the Attorney General of the Federation to prosecute him over the allegation that he falsely declared his assets. Saraki, in the application he filed through his consortium of lawyers led by a former AGF, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, asked the Justice Danladi Umar-led Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, panel, to hands-off the 13count charge the federal government entered against him. He argued that the charge against him was brought in bad-faith and not in public interest. Saraki maintained that the AGF did not fulfil all the condition precedents capable of conferring jurisdiction on the tribunal to try him. He therefore applied for the charge to be quashed, as well as an order discharging him. Meantime, spirited effort by Agabi to move the application was vehemently opposed by the prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, who accused the Senate President of engaging in “Judicial forum shopping” in a desperate bid to frustrate his trial. Insisting that the business of the day was for full-blown hearing to commence on the matter, Jacobs told the CCT panel that Saraki was yet to

serve him with a copy of the motion. He urged the tribunal to discountenance the application and proceed with hearing on the case, saying the witnesses were in court and ready to testify against the defendant. Jacobs contended that the issue of jurisdiction Saraki raised in his fresh motion was already decided by both the Supreme Court and the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal. “My lord this is nothing but another attempt by the defendant to frustrate this case. His argument before was that there was no Attorney General of the Federation when the charge was filed, now that there is an AGF in office, he has made a U-turn to say that even the AGF lacks the jurisdiction to file the charge against him. “These are issues that have been decided by the apex court. I urge this tribunal to resist this frivolous application”, Jacobs submitted. Placing reliance on section 396 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, the prosecutor argued that since the defendant had earlier entered his plea to the charge, any further objection he has against the proceeding ought to be considered at the end of the trial. After listening to both parties, Justice Umar adjourned the case till March 18 for moving of the motion and possible hearing of the sub-

stantive matter. The CCT also directed the defence lawyer to serve all the relevant processes to the prosecution before the next adjourned date. Meanwhile, FG had earlier disclosed that it has lined-up eight witnesses against Saraki, among

them detectives that investigated four assets declaration forms the Senate President submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB. Those expected to mount the witness box to give evidence that could make or mar the embattled Senate President are: Yahaya Bello, Michael Wetkas, Mustapha Abubakar Musa, Nura Ali Bako, Adamu Garba, Samuel Madojemu, Abdulrahaman Bayo

Dauda and Nwachukwu Amazu. Saraki who was a two-term governor of Kwara State b etween May 2003 and May 2011, was in the charge before the CCT, marked ABT/ 01/15 and dated September 11, 2015, accused of breaching section 2 of the CCB and Tribunal Act, an offence punishable under section 23(2) of the Act and paragraph 9 of the said Fifth Schedule of the 1999 Con-

Appeal Court dismisses Ibinabo Fiberesima’s case, uphold’s High Court Judgment By Onozure Dania

AGOS — THE appeal filed by embattled actress Ibinabo Fiberesima challenging the judgement of a Lagos State High Court, that sentenced her to five years imprisonment over the death of one Dr. Giwa Suraj, was yesterday dismissed by the Court of Appeal in Lagos, sitting at Igbosere. Fiberesima was sentenced to five years imprisonment by Justice Deborah Oluwayemi over reckless driving that caused the death of one Dr. Giwa Suraj who was a staff of one of Lagos State hospitals, in an auto accident along the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos. Dissatisfied, the actress filed an amended appeal through her lawyer, Nnaemeka Amaechina urging the court to set aside the five year sentence and restore the decision of the Magistrate Court. Delivering judgement yesterday, the appellate court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the Lagos High Court. In a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Jamilu Yammama Tukur the

court held that the trial Magistrate Court lacked the discretion to grant Ibinabo option of fine having been convicted. The Court further held that the appeal lacks merit and thereby dismissed it accordingly. Other members of the panel are Justice U.I. Ndukwe-Anyanwu (Mrs.) (presiding) and Justice Tijani Abubakar respectively. Immediately the judgement was delivered, Ibinabo who was visibly apprehensive throughout the proceeding burst into tears and wept profusely. The court had earlier ordered that the appellant, Fiberesima, should appear before it when judgement was to be delivered. Speaking on the judgement, her lawyer, Nnaemeka Amaechina said the judgment would be challenged at the Supreme Court, adding that a Notice of Appeal had been filed already. Fiberesima had earlier been awarded a N100,000 fine by an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, but the then Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Supo Sasore

(SAN), felt unsatisfied with the judgment and this prompted the state government to take its case to the Lagos State High Court. At the Lagos High Court, Justice Oluwayemi set aside the option of fine imposed by the Magistrate’s Court and sentenced Fiberesima to five years imprisonment for dangerous and reckless driving. In her judgment, Justice Oluwayemi had held that the trial Magistrate exercised judicial recklessness when he gave the convict an option of fine. The court had also held that the option of N100,000 given to the convict did not serve the purpose of justice in the matter and subsequently ordered that the N100,000 should be returned back to Ibinabo Fiberesima. Meanwhile, Saturday Vanguard gathered that the embattled actress has been in sober mood since the judgment was delivered. Her Personal Assistant, who spoke to our reporter said, “My boss has been feeling unwell since the judgment was delivered. We are afraid it doesn’t affect her health.”

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

27 escape death as LT 35 bus, BRT collide in Lagos By Sola Ogundipe

O less than 27 com muters escaped death yesterday when a loaded VW LT35 commercial bus in which they were being conveyed, collided with a Lagos State Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, at Costain roundabout in Lagos. Eleven of the victims of the road traffic accident which occurred at Costain roundabout, were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Ebute Metta, while six

others were taken to the General Hospital on Lagos Island. Vanguard gathered that the LT bus with registration No. KTY 963 XQ, had a brake failure, and in the process, crashed into the rear end of the BRT, with registration No. KTU 235 XK, causing all the passengers to sustain varying degrees of injury. One of the accident victims who spoke said the bus was travelling from Okoko to Lagos. He said the driver was on top speed and

that several warnings to get him to drive at a reasonable speed failed. The whereabouts of the driver and conductor of the LT bus could not be ascertained, but it was gathered that the driver of the BRT bus with registration No. KTU 235 XK, escaped with the bus from the scene of the accident but was later apprehended by the Police and is being detained at Iponri Police Station. Medical Director, FMC, Dr. Yewande Jinadu confirmed the in-

Group lauds Ambode over rescue of abducted school girls three young girls, from the den of the kidnap-

OURNALISTS of Lagos State Origin, JOLAG, has lauded Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on the release of the three abducted girls of Babington Macaulay Junior Seminary School in Ikorodu area of the state, stating that the feat would send signal that the state is no longer a safe haven for kidnappers. In a release signed by Co-ordinator of the group, Ishola Balogun, the group which comprises of journalists of Lagos

State extraction spread across media houses in the state praised the combined team of police, military and other security agencies for their promptness and tactical approach which led to the rescue of the three abducted school girls unhurt last Sunday. “We appreciate the prompt intervention of the governor, His Excellency, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode as well as the efforts of the combined team of security agencies in successfully rescuing these

pers. This goes to show that the state is no longer a safe haven for kidnappers. We seize this opportunity to charge all security agencies to deploy similar efforts in tackling other criminal cases in the state and make it safe for Lagosians.” With this development, and under a crime-freestate, we express optimism that the governor will deliver on his promise to further develop the state,” the group said.

cident. “The bus ran into the BRT. Many of the passengers have facial blunt injuries. We have mobilised 15 doctors and 26 nurses in the emergency. We discharged three of the patients after managing them. Five are currently being managed, three of which are in very critical condition. “The three critical cases have fractures and facial blunt injuries and are being stabilised. Others have fractures. We are coping but the facial blunt injuries will be referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, or the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. LASUTH. But we must stabilize them before referral.” Urging commuters to always carry an ID card which lists a Next- of- Kin or family contact, Jinadu further explained: “We experience situations like this 2-3 times in a week, arising from road traffic accidents, building collapse, fire, burglaries or robberies. Normally we have three doctors and four nurses in the A&E. There are two consultant traumatologists on ground and a blood bank that can cope.

By Evelyn Usman

N explosion rocked Tapa street on Lagos Island yesterday, destroying residential buildings in the resultant fire. Buildings affected included Andy Craft vocational centre and a customary court. At least 15 vehicles were completely razed in the inferno that was still being battled by the Lagos State Fire Service at about 8pm. The fire was caused by a tanker loaded with 33,000 litres fuel. Tragedy struck after the tanker veered off its lane and rammed into Tapa street, with a deafening sound, spilling its content on the ground. Time was 6pm. This was immediately fol-

Fire destroys buildings, vehicles in Lagos explosion lowed by fire which first engulfed the training centre and thereafter spread to the court. Residents scampered in different directions for safety while motorists abandoned their vehicles. It could however not be ascertained whether any life was lost as effort to contain the fire was still on as at time of writing this report. Director , Lagos State Fire Service , Rasaq Fadipe, said “ Serious outbreak of fire involving a fully laden fuel tanker and houses at Tapa st. Lagos Island.

Amosun offers 30 first class MAPOLY Students automatic employment

GUN State governor, Senator IbikunO le Amosun has pledged to give over 30 first class Students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta automatic employment . Amosun who was the moderator to the stateowned Polytechnic, stated this at the 14th convocation ceremony of six sets from 2010 to 2015 academic sessions. The governor who was flanked by Chairman, governing council, Iyalode

Alaba Lawson and the Rector of the Polytechnic, Prof. Oladele Itiola said he would not only offer the distinction students , employments, he would also sponsor them to further their studies. Amosun also disclosed that the state government in conjuction with the governing council has approached the National University Commission with a view to making the Polytechnic a degreeawarding institution.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016 — 7

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We’re no sex objects

Female lawyers attack Senate Leader on call for men to marry second wives By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

HE International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, has berated the Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, for encouraging the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Nigerian men to marry second wives. FIDA, which is the umbrella body of female legal practitioners in the country, insisted that such call from the lawmaker was “disparaging and meant to demean Nigeria women”. The association, in a statement it issued in Abuja on Friday, said it was outraged by the fact that Ndume gave the advice on the floor of the hallowed chambers of the Senate, saying such utterance portrayed women as “sex objects”, whose clamour for gender equality could only be realised by being married off by men. “May we remind the Senator that Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and his utterances negate the provisions of Article No 16 that ‘State parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations’ and

Collapsed Building: Court orders Lekki Gardens MD, contractor to be remanded for 30 days By Onozure Dania

N Ebute-Metta Chief Magistrate Court on Friday granted the request of the Lagos State Police Command seeking to keep the Managing Director of Lekki Gardens, Mr. Richard Nyong in custody pending the conclusion of on-going investigation into the collapse of a five-storey building under construction on Kushenla Road, Ikate Elegushi area of the state which killed no fewer than 35 persons. The court also ordered one of the contractors handling the project, Odofin Taiwo Henry to be kept in police custody at Panti alongside Nyong for the next 30 days. Magistrate Folashade Botoku, who granted the remand order, held that it was in the interest of justice and public safety. 34-year-old Nyong was apprehended on Thursday, while Odofin was arrested on Wednesday.

APC government is a deceit —Rep By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), in a group photograph with the Council of Obas & Chiefs in the State during a courtesy visit to the Governor at the Lagos House, Ikeja recently. the General Recommendation in Article No 21 which states that ‘polygamous marriage contravenes a woman’s right to equality with men, and can have such serious emotional and financial consequences for her and her dependents that such marriage ought to be discouraged and prohibited”, the group stated. It noted that whereas the Marriage Act defined monogamous marriage, sections 33, 39, 45, 46 and 47 prescribed punishments for polygamy for persons

married under the Act. “The Holy Bible which Senator Ndume referred to does not recognise polygamy as the wording of Mathew 19: 4-6 refers to the union of one man and woman to the exclusion of any other being. “FIDA Nigeria states that on March 8, 2016, men all around the world adopted policies to accelerate gender equality in support of the theme, ‘planet 50-50 by 2030:Step it up for Gender Equity. “We urge Senator Ndume and other distinguished

Senators to pledge for gender parity and not trivialise the role of women in the society”, read the statement signed by FIDA Country Vice President/National President, Mrs Inime Aguma. It will be recalled that Ndume, had during a debate at the Senate earlier this week, urged the Senate President, Saraki, to consider taking another wife, even as he also implored Nigerian men to marry more than one wife, a situation he said would enable them to show more care to women.

EPUTY Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Constituency Outreach, Rep Bede Eke has described the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a government that came into power by deceit and propaganda but lacked the capacity to fix the problems of the country. The lawmaker in an exclusive interview with Saturday Vanguard in Abuja said that instead of the APC government to fulfil the campaign promises made to Nigerians, the party has resorted to blame games, accusing the Peoples Democratic Party of 16 years misdeeds. Besides, Eke who represents Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency of Imo State said that the APC government in Imo State was a complete disappointment and has brought untold hardship to the indigenes of the state. Fielding questions on the allegation by the APC that the 16 years of the PDP in government at the centre was a disaster, he said. “ “APC came and told Nigerians that they can solve these problems within few months, why are they now saying that they never knew that the corruption had eaten deep to the extent that you can’t fix it within the period that you promised Nigerians.

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$2.1bn arms probe: Dasuki’s ex-aide seeks bail, demands N500m compensation •As court rules on Monday By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

High Court of the Federal Capital Territory at Jabi has slated Monday for judgment in a fundamental human rights enforcement suit filed by Col. Nicholas Ashinze, a former aide to the ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.). Ashinze who has been in detention since December 23, 2015, is seeking an order releasing him on bail. He equally beseeched the court for an order directing the respondents to tender a public apology and pay him N500m as compensation for wrongful detention. Cited as respondents in the suit were the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Chief of Army Staff and the Nigerian Army. Ashinze through his counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, alleged that he had been in custody of the respondents for no verifiable reasons. He urged the court to declare that his arrest and continued detention since

December 23, 2015 “without being given any reason and without granting him administrative bail within 24 hours or 48 hours of his arrest and detention, is illegal, wrongful, unlawful and unconstitutional.” Ozekhome argued that the action of the respondents against his

client constituted “a blatant violation” of the Applicant’s fundamental rights as enshrined in sections 34 (1), 35 (1), (3), (4) & (6), 36 (1), 37, 41 (1), 44 (1) and 46 (1) of the 1999 Constitution, as well as various provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’

Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap A9, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Even though the respondents shunned the suit, having failed to send any legal representation, Ozekhome, who noted that they were duly served with the court process, prayed Justice Yusuf Haliru to grant his client’s reliefs.

ILITARY and security operatives jointly invaded Ekpan, Ebrumede and two other suburbs of volatile Uvwie council area, Delta state yesterday in an exercise to check the spread of small arms in the area. Fear stricken residents said soldiers and mobile policemen simultaneously trooped into the communities in the early hours of Friday in a random break in and search operation that targeted homes of suspected gun runners and violent youths, resulting in sporadic shooting in the area. Brig. Gen. Farouque Yahaya, Commander, 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army and Alkali Usman, Delta state Commissioner of Police, CP, while parading 35 suspects arrested, a G3 rifle, one pistol and 20 rounds of ammunitions so far, described the exercise as successful, but some residents called it a flop. CP Usman further disclosed that two occupants in a tricycle, popularly known as keke, were feared dead after running into a truck while trying to evade security checks in course of the operation. Usman further said, “The exercise was carried out because of incessant complaints of criminalities in the area. Preliminary screening has taken place. We have been able to identify three of the suspects and released them.

By Akpokona Omafuaire, Warri

From left: Chief Risk Officer, Union Bank, Mr. Kaudolo Kasongo, Executive Director, Corporate Banking, Union Bank, Mr. Emeka Okonkwo, HRH, Eze Malachy Onu (Olele III of Agbala, Imo State), Group Head, Commercial Hub Aba/Owerri Uniuon Bank, Mr Augustine Anyanwu, and Transformation Director, Union Bank, Mr. Joe Mbulu at the unveiling of Union Bank branch Port-Harcourt Road, Owerri, Imo State.

•Guild of Editors President is new spokesman HE Nigerian National P e t r o l e u m Corporation(NNPC) has announced the appointment of the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, Mallam Garba-Deen Mohammed , as the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the corporation. According to a statement by the NNPC in Abuja, in addition to 53 other appointments, Deen-Garba takes over from Mr. Ohi. Alegbe, who is now the Group General Manager (GGM), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The NNPC said, “As part of the recent reorganization of NNPC, the management of the organization wishes to formally announce the following appointments, redeployments and secondments

By Egufe Yafugborhi

Land Dispute: Aladja leader calls for peaceful resolution

New Appointments in NNPC: Ohi Alegbe moves to Corporate Social Responsibility

Arms mop up: 2 guns recovered, 35 arrested as soldiers, police invade Delta communities

into key positions. These appointments take effect immediately. The new unit heads are expected to resume fully by April 1st 2016.” The appointments, the NNPC explained are as follows: Mr. Bello Rabiu, Group Executive Director (GED)/Chief Operating Officer (COO), Upstream; Mr. Henry Ikem–Obih, Downstream; Anibor Kragha, Refineries; Saidu Mohammed, Gas and Power; Babatunde Adeniran, Ventures; Isiaka Abdulrazaq, Finance & Accounts; and Isa Inuwa, Corporate Services. In addition, the NNPC stated that some Group General Managers, Strategy and Execution, who will support the GEDs and COOs include Downstream – Surajdeen Afolabi; Refiner-

ies – Ugochukwu Afamefuna Vitalis; Gas and Power – Yusuf Matashi; Ventures – Ladipo Fagbola; Finance and Accounts – Ahmadu Sambo; and Corporate Services – Modupe Bammake. Others are Strategic Business Heads, Upstream: Managing Director (MD), Integrated Data Services Limited, IDSL – Roland Ewubare; Downstream: MD Retail – Esther NnamdiOgbue; MD Nigeria Petroleum Marketing – Ahmed Farouk; GGM Marine Logistics – Dalhatu Makama. In Refineries, MD Port Harcourt Refining Com-

pany (PHRC) is Bafred Enjugu; MD Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) – Adewale Ladenegan; MD Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) – Idi Mukhtar; Gas & Power MD Gas & Power Investments – Samuel Ndukwe; MD NGMC – Mazadu Bako and MD NGPTC – Babatunde Bakare. Others are Ventures: MD Properties – Danny Sokari George; MD Shipping – Saidu Abdulkadir; MD NETCO – Aliyu Sikiru; MD NOFS – Lawrencia Ndupu; GGM RED/Frontier Exploration Services – Rabiu Suleiman and GGM Medicals – Oyetunde Olubunmi Oyekan.

S the land dispute between Aladja and neighbour ing Ogbe-Ijoh lingers on, the President General of Aladja Community Council, Mr. Elias Dogene has called for peaceful and speedy resolution of the issue to forestall a breakdown of law and order. Dogene stated this in a chat with Saturday Vanguard yesterday in Warri, Delta State while expressing shock over media reports on steps the leadership of Ogbe-Ijoh Community has taken with respect to the purported land dispute between them. He also accused Ogbe-Ijoh Community youths of allegedly attacking farmers, especially women, unlawfully.

Anambra moves to flush out illegal vigilante units By Nwabueze Okonkwo

NAMBRA state government has concluded arrangement to identify and flush out illegal vigilante units operating within the three senatorial zones of the state. Government also concluded arrangement to maintain accurate records of all active personnel of AVG in the three zones with special emphasis on identifying black spots, criminal elements, kidnappers’ den, drug dealers’ hideouts and secret cult hangouts. Chairman of Anambra State Vigilante Supervisory Committee and Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Vigilante Matters, Chief Ikechukwu Aduba, a retired Commissioner of Police disclosed this while announcing the appointments of a six-man retired police officers to coordinate the activities of the state Vigilante Group.

Wike, Obuah, PDP should apologize not Senator Abe — Committee were always clowning in

HE Media Committee of Senator Magnus Abe campaign organization has said that it was Governor Nyesom Wike, Mr. Felix Obuah and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that should apologize to Ogoni people and not Senator Magnus Abe for orchestrating the military invasion, which led to the killing of innocent persons

in Ogoni land. In a statement issued in Port Harcourt and signed by the chairman of the committee and spokesperson to Senator Magnus Abe, Mr. Parry Benson while reacting to a comment in the media by Mr. Felix Obuah, Chairman, Rivers State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) urging Senator Magnus

Abe and Hon. Bari Mpigi to apologize to Ogoni people and families of the victims of the recent killings in Yeghe and Bori, said the military invasion was a plot to malign Senator Abe and the APC and hoodwink the people for their votes. The committee stated that it would have ordinarily ignored the tantrums of Obuah and PDP as they

the media on very serious issues requiring vivid explanation, discussion and correction of misconception, but chose to put the record straight for the sake of posterity. The committee observed that the reaction of Obuah could be a grammatical blunder of mal-appropism of the word apologize instead of commiserate.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016 — 9

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Buhari backs Western Sahara on self-determination from Morocco *Says he presided over the matter as Military Head of State in 1984 *Vows to unleash Nigeria’s might in accordance with AU’s resolutions By Levinus Nwabughiogu

RESIDENT Mu hammadu Buhari has thrown his weight behind the people of Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, SADR, otherwise called Western Sahara, stating that Nigeria would ensure the realization of their self-determination and independence. He however said the secession would be pursued in full recognition of the several extant resolutions of the African Union, AU, on the right of the Sahrawi people for self-determination. Checks by Vanguard indicated that the SADR is a partially recognized state that controls a thin strip of area in the Western Sahara region and claims sovereignty over the entire territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. According to Wikipedia, the country was proclaimed by the Polisario Front on February 27, 1976, in Bir Lehlou, Western Sahara. The SADR government controls about 20–25% of the territory it claims and calls the territories under its control the Liberated Territories or the Free Zone. On the on the hand, Morocco controls and administers the rest of the disputed territory and calls the lands its Southern Provinces. While SADR government considers the Moroccan-held territory to be occupied territory, Morocco also considers the much smaller SADRheld territory to be a buffer zone. The claimed capital of the SADR is Laayoune,

while the temporary capital which was due to the government incursion is Tifariti also previously known as Bir Lehlou. Following the Spanish evacuation of Spanish Sahara, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritania signed the Madrid Accords on November 14, 1975, leading to both Morocco and Mauritania moving in to

annex the territory of Western Sahara. But because the United Nations did not recognize the development, Spain remained the administering power of Western Sahara. Unfortunately, the lack of international recognition of both powers prompted war with the independence-seeking

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HE Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli would be arriving Lagos tomorrow for thank-you visits to the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu. The Itsekiri monarch, who would be received by Itsekiri sons and daughters resident in the city, would be hosted by all Iwere indigenes after the visits at Ritalori hotels on Monday evening. It was gathered that the revered traditional ruler is primarily coming to appreciate the support rendered by the eminent leaders during the demise of his predecessor and his ascension to the throne. The visit would further strengthen the ties between the Yoruba nation and the Itsekiri.

Go and face EFCC eye ball to eye ball, Kokori tells Tompolo By Godwin Oghre

From left: First President, Ife Club 1 Lagos Branch, Chief Oyewole Olowomojuore; President, Mr. Moses Olaobaju; Ooni of Ife, His Royal Highness Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Hon. Ipoola Omisore and Chief Opeyemi Odunyemi, during a presentation of plaque to Ooni of Ife as the grand patron of Ife Club 1, in Ile-Ife…… recently

Ibori: Court orders documents suggesting British Police corruption released to Ibori

BRITISH Crown Court has ordered the immediate release of documents and other materials uncovered by James Ibori’s former solicitor GohilBhadresh suggesting British Metropolitan Policer Officers investigating James Ibori, fraudulently obtained materials and documents against GohilBhardesh and James Ibori. A press statement from Tony Eluemunor, Chief Ibori’s Media Assistant,

said that His Honour Judge Tester of Southwark Crown Court on Friday directed the prosecution to comply with his order made on January 21st this year and release to James Ibori’s counsels the documents. The prosecution had initially refused to release the documents and other materials which suggested police involvement in corruption and fraud in the James Ibori’s and GohilBhadresh’s case.

FG to upgrade Customs equipment to increase efficiency She therefore pledged HE Minister of Fi nance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has restated the commitment of the current administration to empower the Nigerian Customs Service to enhance its performance and increase revenue generation. The Minister made this pledge during a one-day inspection of Customs facilities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Friday. Adeosun, who was accompanied by the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hammed Alli, lamented that one of the reasons for the consistent drop in revenue collected by Customs is the use of outdated equipment.

Polisario Front, claiming to represent the Sahrawi people. The creation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was announced in Bir Lehlou in Western Sahara on February 27, 1976, as the Polisario declared the need for a new entity to fill what they considered a political void left by the departing Spanish colonisers.

Olu of Warri commences thank you visit to Lagos tomorrow

She also faulted the absence of modern container scanning equipment at the nation’s airports, seaports and land borders, explaining that one of the major means of detecting contraband goods at these borders is through the deployment of container scanners. She reiterated the determination of the current administration to boost revenue through the provision of enabling tools and equipment that will aid the various revenue agencies. According to her, the use of obsolete equipment negatively impacts revenue collected by the agency and promotes inefficiency.

that the Federal Government would as a matter of priority ensure that all the outdated equipment being used by Customs in the discharge of their duties at the nation’s airports will be overhauled. Government, she said, would ensure the provision of modern equipment, in line with international best practices. In his remarks, Col Alli said the equipment needed for the nation’s international airports would cost N20 billion. He said the Customs Command would soon meet with the Minister to discuss the funding requirement of Customs in detail and he expressed confidence that with the

This order followed the dramatic turn of event in the case brought by the Crown Prosecution against Gohil accusing him of attempt to pervert the course of justice but which the crown prosecution dropped following damaging and incriminating documents uncovered by GohilBhadresh which the prosecution had denied. The allegations of corruption and documents suggesting thousands of pound sterling were paid into the bank account of the investigating police officers involved in the case and attempt by both the crown prosecution and the British Police to cover up this grave misconducts have greatly damaged the credibility of materials and documents relied upon by the crown and police in this case. Subsequently, all the crown prosecutors and police officers handling the case have been removed from the case. According to the statement, a new vista has opened in the Ibori London trial, as James Ibori’s former solicitor, GohilBhadresh has approached the court of appeal to quash his conviction because the Police and the crown prosecution may have misled the court and have been neck deep in corruption.

ORMER Secretary-General of the Nigerian Un ion of Petroleum Energy and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Chief Frank Ovie Kokori has challenged former Niger Delta militia leader, Government Ekpemukpolo, aka, Tompolo, to come out of hiding and face the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, eye ball to eye ball, in the court to prove his innocence in his ongoing trial by the agency over an avalanche financial crime. Chief Kokori, a leader of the Delta State wing of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard yesterday in his Ovu country home, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta state, has also absolved the financial crime commission and the federal government from allegation by a section of the Ijaw nation, that the former militia leader is being witch-hunted and treated with bias by the antigraft commission, at the instance of the federal government. He said, “Tompolo’s trial for gross financial crime is only infinitesimal of President Buhari’s war against the mammoth financial crime committed by the immediate past federal government of the Peoples Democratic Party. The agency is not witch-hunting him. After all, there are others like Tompolo currently facing trial and more people will be subsequently charged. So let Tompolo come out of hiding and face EFCC eye ball to eye ball in court.”

Edo 2016: ‘Why we are backing Obaseki to succeed Oshiomhole’

socio-political organization in Edo state, the Edo Voice Group says it is throwing their weight behind the governorship aspiration of Mr Godwin Obaseki because of its belief that he will not abandon the developmental strides of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole led administration. President of the group, Mr Osazee Osemwingie Ero, who declared this when they paid a visit to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, noted that haven worked for over seven years as the Chairman of the state Economic Team, Obaseki had acquired the necessary experience needed to take Edo state to the next level. According to him, “ Edo Voice have looked at the credentials of Obaseki particularly after working in Edo state over seven years without salary, his experience in the financial world and his immense contribution to the developmental strides of the governor Adams Oshiomhole led administration, it is our strong belief that you remain the best man to take over from your boss Oshiomhole.”

Ekweremadu denies alleged secret zoning of PDP national offices By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

EPUTY Senate President,Ike Ekweremadu, has dismissed as baseless and untrue the report of purported tension within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over alleged secret zoning of national offices of the party, supposedly by some leaders of the party. Ekweremadu, in a statement by his Senior Special Adviser, Media, Uche Anichukwu, said such was sheer illusion of authors of confusion; people who did not wish the party well and were scared of PDP’s steady resurgence after the 2015 general elections. He stressed: “There is, so far, no meeting, secret or open, where all or a few PDP party leaders met to zone the National Working Committee, NWC, offices of the party. The PDP’s constitution is clear on how the party can arrive at a zoning formula.

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

What have the parents done? • Experts blame societal ills on faulty parenting

BY ISHOLA BALOGUN, LAJU ARENYEKA, ANOZIE EGOLE, ADERONKE ADEYERI, CHARLES ADINGUPU & OGHENE OMONISA

he impropriety of the love story or rather infatuation between Yunusa Dahiru, 25year-old Muslim tricycle operator from Kano, and Ese Oruru, 14-year-old Christian student in Bayelsa has brought to the fore the role

of parents in building society. Why would a youngster elope with (or abduct) a minor lover from Bayelsa to faraway Kano to be married? Why would the minor agree to elope (or be abducted)? What role did the parents of these lovebirds play in their behaviour? The young girl is a minor and could have been lured especially going by the unfolding circumstances which are questioning proper parenting on both sides. Could Yunusa have abducted a 14year-old girl if he went through

proper parenting? And why did Ese’s mother ask of Yunusa immediately her daughter went missing? Did she know of any illicit move and still failed to talk sense into her daughter and rebuke Yunusa? Sociologists have since proved that the human society is made up of people and their behaviour is basically determined by their parents: How they are nurtured from childhood and the role the parents played in their formative years up to

adulthood. This, no doubt, is the process by which social deviants – commercial sex workers, armed robbers, fraudsters, terrorists, kidnappers, and most recently minor elopers – could be formed. They have a common denominator: They all have their origins in families and presumably raised by parents. Aside the Yunusa/Ese tango, there are also recent incidents of social deviance, like the

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SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016—11

getting involved in prostitution, insurgency, armed robbery, kidnapping, internet fraud, examination malpractices, rape, thuggery, and various other anti-social behaviours, bringing the nation to its knees.”

Single parenting

How parents breed immorality, raise armed robbers Continues from page 10 report that a student of a foremost private university stabbed his father to death. These, no doubt, may not be isolated incidents as there have been similar cases of children slaughtering their parents and boys even raping their mothers. The entire scenario may justify the popular slogan that such people are not spirits. In this report, Saturday Vanguard examines the issue of social deviance and the conclusions appear to be that, like charity, crime and related cases of abnormal behaviours, begin at home. The question therefore is: What have parents done to society? Have they produced decent children or deviants? Or at what stage did their once lovely children become deviants? Whose fault is it? Findings show that matters of up-bringing, even as bad as some cases, may not be attributable to parenting.

How parents breed immorality, raise armed robbers

“A great moral confusion is sweeping across the country,” according to Muyiwa Babajide, an education consultant in Ibadan. Apart from the state of insecurity especially from activities of the Boko Haram insurgent group in parts of the North, “the next serious issue facing our nation has to do with family and moral

decline.” He continued: “Without doubt, there is a palpable yearning among young people, even children, for some kind of unifying vision, a set of ideals to effectively tackle greed, corruption, selfishness, ethnic sentiments, immorality, loss of traditional values which seem to be taking over the entire landscape.” He explained that the greatest gifts parents can offer to their children apart from unconditional love is a set of values that the parents must encourage and also live by example. “Values give meaning to life. They establish templates. They set moral standards and define rules of behaviour. Society is moving towards sexual laxity and unbridled freedom, giving vent to equally unbridled individual. This is no doubt as a result of many parents abdicating their roles and giving room to television, bad company, and other agents to influence their children,” Babajide said. A delegate to the 2015 National Conference, Ms Temitope Ajayi, popularly known as Mama Diaspora said: “The best way parents can instill good values into their children is to show good example to the children. According to her, “You can only show your kids the right way by living the right way. While

encouraging them to be honest and truthful, you have to show truthfulness in all your ways. Your child takes his cues from you, so it’s important that you try to avoid any kind of deception, even a seemingly innocuous one. Whenever they err, encourage them to stop the blame game and let them cultivate the habit of accepting responsibility. “Parents should have regular discussions with their kids at home, send them to school to acquire education so that they will be responsible, get good employment so as to be able to care for their parents at old age. Always pray with the kids at home. For the mother, she begins to form a bond with her child while it is still in the womb. A good mother is never too busy. She makes time for the kids under tight working schedule. It is tough, but I still try. “Parents should be involved in the development of their children from infancy to adulthood. They are required to monitor these children from nursery, primary, secondary to the tertiary institutions, checking their performance and movements. But only a few parents believe that they have a role to play in seeing their children through. It is therefore no surprise that many young people have become victims of cultism,

With a high mortality rate, increasing divorce rate, alarming increase in rape figures and more children being born out of wedlock in Nigeria, single parenting has virtually become the norm in our society. Saturday Vanguard investigations show that a higher percentage of children found in most correctional centres in Lagos State are products of single parenthood. Madam Ngozi Okon, a trader in Lagos, believes that, for the proper upbringing of a child, all hands must be on deck. According to the mother of three, “to me, both parents need to join hands together to train the children. My husband is a trader like myself. He comes home late at night from Monday to Friday. Though he hardly has time for the kids, they tend to be afraid of him and that helps in instilling discipline in them. Anytime I threaten to report their wrong actions to their father, they desist from the act immediately. “Though he hardly beats them, he has a way of punishing them. You know we mothers, we always love to pamper our kids. So, you see, if my husband was absent, I wonder what they will be like.” She noted however that, in some cases, training a child under the close supervision of both parents is not a guarantee that the child will grow up to be a very responsible person. “Some kids can be stubborn no matter who trained them. I am not saying that, any child trained by both parents will be a perfect person but the possibility is higher,” she said. But a 48-year-old quantity surveyor, Mr. John Paul Eji, believes that a child who wants to be good will definitely be, no matter how he or she was trained and who trained her. “I have seen kids from divorced homes who are doing very well,” he said. According to him, “they are obedient and very responsible. Being trained by the two parents does not guarantee a good child. So, I do not believe in the saying that a child who is being trained by the father or the mother alone might not grow up well. All you need do is to teach the child the right thing at the right time and pray to God for the gift of wisdom and protection. The fact that you are from a divorced home and you were left to be trained by your mother or father alone does not mean you will

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12—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

Continues from page 11 grow up to be irresponsible. It is all by God’s grace,” he explained.

Parents have their blame

“Parents have their blame”

Commenting on the Yunusa/Ese saga, and the fact that the minor’s mother ought to be aware Yunusa’s advances to her daughter at such an age, Chairman of the Bayelsa State Chapter of Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Nuhu Ibrahim said: “What Yunusa did was very bad and condemnable. I married from Bayelsa and my wife is from here. We have been living together peacefully for a very long time until this unfortunate incident. We should not allow this sad incident to tear us apart. “As leaders of the Hausa community, we were not happy with what happened and we worked to see that things did not get out of hand and we thank God that she is back. “This incident shows that there is need for everyone to brace up to their responsibilities; all hands are pointing at Yunusa and no one is looking at others. “The parents have their blame as well as all others that had one role or the other to play in all these. I also did my own investigations before briefing the national headquarters of the ACF in Kaduna on this matter. Yunusa was not a stranger to the Orurus. He is well known to them and that brings the issue of parental care and vigilance which is lacking in our society today.”

Pastors, Imams speak

Religious leaders who spoke to Saturday Vanguard on the role of parents in what a child emerges to be in society, reiterated that good training is not only a religious duty but a divine responsibility thrust upon the parents and guardians by God. Pastor (Mrs) Taiwo Enioye, an Assistant Area Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, who is also an educationist told Saturday Vanguard that, “In Christianity, children are the heritage of God but kept in the care of their parents to nurture them in the ways of the Lord to enable them fulfill their God-given dreams in life. Our society also believes that parents owe their children that responsibility of training, sound upbringing and

caring for them. Every parent must aspire to inculcate the act of respecting elders, good behaviour, how to show appreciation, I mean the use of thank you, hospitality, discipline, meekness, humility and many others into his or her children right from their tender ages. It is not when a child is close to his puberty stage rather from the day of that child’s birth. If a child exhibits all these attributes, then the parents have carried out their responsibility in giving the child a proper and sound upbringing. “Also, parents should not just teach their children but give close monitoring to the attitude of their wards especially to strangers and also make use of the cane when needed. Although there are cases where a child derails from the teachings of his parents may be as a result of influence of peer groups and other external factors, the mother in particular should create more time for such a child. A frontline and popular scholar in Islam, Sheikh Mustapha Zuglool says parents have a lot to do in terms of what they teach their children and accordingly how their children grow up as adults. “It is the responsibility of the father to provide the wherewithal in terms of finances, security, good and healthy environment, shelter, food and other basic things, while the mother takes care of the children and ensures that they grow in the right

direction.” Zuglool who is the founder of Arabic and Islamic Center in Lagos said a working mother should do everything possible to monitor closely the welfare of her children even if she has to stay away for some time, adding that both parents have a lot to do in the proper upbringing of the children. According to him, Islam holds parents responsible for steering the upbringing of their children based on guidelines of the Quran and the Prophet’s traditions. As he put it, “ the Prophet said that Allah will ask every caretaker about the people under his care, and the man will be asked about the people of his household.” Another cleric, Ustaz Abdulwaheed Olowo also added that parents should show love and attention to their children. He said, “If you are not there to show love and affection to your children, another person will do it for you and the result could be catastrophic. All children within a family have their own rights to be treated fairly; parents also have the obligation to show love and mercy to their children. Parents should also help and guide their children in choosing their role models. If they choose the right model, it will help them in developing good behaviour and character after those personalities.” In a distressed economy, even families with loving parents who hope to instill the right values into their children are sometimes at a disadvantage. To give their children the kind of comfort they deserve, the situation in many homes is now for both mother and father to work long hours and make more money. As a confidential secretary in an insurance

company at Lekki, Mrs. Dideolu Yusuf, puts it this way: “Many working mothers are married to their careers, at the expense of their homes, leaving the children to the care of housemaids. They don’t even bother about the right values that the children should have to prepare them for the future. There are many things mothers can do for their kids. But if they don’t spend significant time with these children, they may lack love and may not develop passion towards their parents since they feel that their jobs or professions or business interests are more dear to them. However, there are some mothers who teach their children many life skills like cooking, washing clothes, plates, sweeping and cleaning the home, gardening, fetching water, which are education for life. “God and Christianity support a woman working but not at the detriment of her home and her relationship with God. A Christian woman must support her husband, family and the church of God Money has a role in being a good wife, mother, a good Christian and a responsible citizen to your country.” Charity begins at home. If the Nigerian society is devoid of it, then the fingers must point to the home.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016—13

By Jimitota Onoyume

part from its designation as “oil-rich,” recent reports indicate that Rivers State in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region may have also acquired an inglorious tag of Rivers of blood as unknown persons have turned parts of the state to killing fields, snuffing out lives of unsuspecting residents and employing an eccentric style of beheading their victims. On February 12, about 17 persons were reported killed at Omoku, headquarters of Ogba Egbema Ndoni local government area. The attackers disappeared with some of the severed heads of the deceased. This incident came on the heels of the murder in Port Harcourt of a former member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr

Monday Eleanya, who represented the Omoku constituency. Some of the residents interviewed estimate that no fewer than 30 persons from the local government have so far lost their lives under similar circumstances. The figure may include last Saturday’s brutal murder in Omoku of a man, his wife and their 18 years old son. The late Mr. Franklin Obi and his family had retired indoors that fateful evening when the gunmen, also wielding axes and other dangerous weapons, struck at their residence at about 10 pm. “I peeped from the curtain in our room and I saw the killers cutting my father’s neck,” 16 years old Victory who survived the attack later told the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mr Musa Kimo. She sobbed as she further narrated that the killers took away her father’s decapitated head. According to Victory, “my mum was in the parlour

•Gov Wike

shouting for help when the killers went to her and shot her dead. Later they came to us the children, ordering us outside. They shot my elder brother, Bestman, as he was going. They shot him twice. I managed to escape from them and started banging on the doors of neighbours for help but nobody came out. My brother was still talking after the killers left. The Police that came later rushed him to the hospital and it was there he gave up the ghost.” Victory believes that if neighbours had responded to her cry for help, her brother could have been saved because he would have made it early enough to the hospital.

We made frantic efforts to locate the place

The police boss who was almost moved to tears as Victory narrated account of what happened said nobody contacted the Police in Omoku while the assailants operated. According to him, it was after the brutal murder that some persons told him they took note of three masked youths on the street earlier. “I am sure the killing would have been averted if those who saw the strange faces had alerted the police,” he said, adding that, “my men would have apprehended the boys and foiled their mission.” He said that he

alerted his men in Omoku of what was happening and when they got there they found the elder brother of the girl, Bestman, still breathing and rushed him to the hospital. “Honestly if they had called my men, the killers would not have escaped. I am sure they operated for at least 20 minutes. There is a police station in Omoku. That night, the DPO in Omoku had to frantically engage somebody in Port Harcourt to locate the house. The house is in an obscure place. It took a Hilux to get to the place,” Kimo said. The Police Commissioner who spoke at the palace of the Omoku pleaded with the community to synergise with the police to fight crime to a standstill in the area. According to him, “I plead with you to abide in us as we abide with you. Have vigilante around you. It is your right to have the phone number of the DPO. I plead with you. Enough is enough. We can only succeed if we work together.”

Monarch says killings bizarre

The Eze Oba of Ogba land, Dr. Chukumela Nnam Obi II, lamented the killing in his Kingdom, describing them as

Continues on page 14

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

Shame as Enugu lawmakers abandon Cattle Rearing Bill BY FRANCIS IGATA,ENUGU

n Enugu State,the unbridled activities of Fulani Herdsmen have inflicted pain,displaced individuals and communities even as there is growing perception of active connivance with the police which accounts for the lackluster disposition police adopts whenever there is an incident. The Enugu State House of Assembly had in 2014 introduced a bill that seeks to regulate cattle rearing in the state. Herdsmen who take their cattle to unauthorized areas would be guilty of a criminal offence. Grazing areas would be marked and any grazing outside the approved areas would amount to breach of the law and punishable

under the law. The bill entitled ‘A law to make provisions for the control of nomadic cattle rearing in Enugu State and other matters related thereto’ was sponsored by the Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture, and member representing the Nsukka East Constituency, Chinedu Nwamba. The bill made provisions for the establishment of grazing reserves for cattle rearers in all the 17 local government areas of the state. The then Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Eugene Odo, had dispelled insinuations that the bill was just targeted at Fulani herdsmen. Odo rather said

Continues from page 13 strange. He pleaded with security operatives to do more to secure lives, promising the cooperation of his people with them. Although it is not clear why the assailants behead their victims but some Omoku residents describe it as the trade mark of a cult group.

“They take the head back to their base as the whole essence is to further humiliate their victims in death,” one resident said. Another resident who also pleaded anonymity said the issue was beyond politics even though some of those killed were members of various political parties. According to her, “I don’t think the killings are all about politics. If it is so, why is the killing more in Omoku. Is the general election holding only in Omoku? Wike is from Obio Akpor, Dakuku Peterside is from Opobo. Why are there no much killings in their areas, after all they are the faces of the two leading political parties in the state.”

The oil connection

Another source at Omoku said the local government is home to two major oil companies noting that fight over contracts and packages to host communities from the

the proposed law was aimed at promoting peace, mutual cooperation and security in Enugu State. Odo had said, “I want to assure everybody that this bill is not meant for any section of the country; it is not meant for any tribe or any clan. “The motive is not against any tribe in this country. “It is solely meant to control nomadic cattle rearing in Enugu State and all of us know that people from all parts of the country are involved in cattle rearing. Down here, our people rear our own specie of cattle, so they are equally involved. “This bill is not against the Hausas or the Fulanis; that is why we have called all the stakeholders so that we discuss, get your input before the bill is passed.” “We are all witnesses to the reports we get on daily basis on the menace of cattle rearers; some of them are said to be involved in robbery, raping of women and all sorts of crime.

“They equally use the cattle to cause obstruction on the highways and in such cases one will be left to wonder the grass they are looking for on the highway.” The sponsor of the bill, Nwamba, said when passed into law, the bill would “promote peace, provide job opportunities •Gov Ifeanyi as well an avenue for Ugwuanyi industrial revolution.” He added that, beyond the security implications, the bill was also informed by the health hazards occasioned by unregulated cattle rearing. Nwamba said, “Ebola Virus Disease came from animals, if we can’t control animals – they can transport diseases from one place to another. “We are not saying we don’t want cattle rearing in Enugu State, but it has to be regulated.”

This bill is not against the Hausas or the Fulanis; that is why we have called all the stakeholders so that we discuss, get your input before the bill is passed

THE BILL DEAD ON ARRIVIAL Saturday Vanguard investigation at the Enugu State House of Assembly showed that

the political will to pass the bill was far from being near which culminated in the abandonment of the bill. An insider said the fulani herdsmen activities are bombs waiting to explode while advocating that the best bet was for the herdsmen to buy land and graze their cattle within a confinement. Continuing,he however revealed that the bill died with the expiration of last House adding that for it to resurrected,it has to start afresh and pass through legislative therapy in the present House. The bill received kudos when it was presented and some states planned to emulate Enugu. Indigenes are now expressing disappointment that the lawmakers did not only fail the state but also failed to set the pace in curtailing the menace of Fulani herdsmen whose threat to national peace and security has become alarming MENACE CONTINUES UNABATED Last Thursday,tragedy struck in Abbi,Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area as Fulani herdsmen killed a brother and sister at about 6:30 PM. The herdsmen burnt down 7 houses and several motorcycles while many people were hospitalized with machete wounds. About 19 people are still missing. It was gathered that the Fulani herdsmen numbering over 30 emerged from the bush, and began to attack the people in the community, killing their victims and maiming others with machetes before fleeing into the bush unharmed. The two relations who were killed were identified as Fidelis Okeja, 45, and his sister Mercy, 50. Fidelis and Mercy were sitting outside their compound about 6.30 pm discussing when suddenly, about 30 masked Fulani herdsmen emerged from nowhere and pounced on them. They later went ahead and attacked other members of the community with machetes, burnt some houses before retreating into the bush. A reliable source told Saturday Vanguard that police and local vigilantes were taken aback by the attack, and investigations are still going on, with no leads on them.

‘Why killings may persist’

Victoria telling Police Commissioner she saw them behead her father companies may have given rise to various armed groups all battling for territorial control. Moreover, the source further alleged that politicians in the area recruit cultists and armed them with sophisticated weapons to intimidate, maim and kill opponents during elections. The source said that, “politicians are part of the problem. They don’t want to lose elections in their areas, so, they arm boys with guns to snatch ballot boxes and rig elections. These cult groups remain firmly on ground after general elections,

terrorising communities with the arms they got from their political masters. The oil companies also do not properly manage the jobs given to

the youths. This is part of the problem. There is packaged money running into millions from the companies to the communities but sometimes those in charge of the money don’t spread it out well. So it is part of the problem you see. Sometimes too, leaders of the communities sell to outsiders, job slots meant for the communities. These are part of the provocations.”

Why killings may persist

Some non-indigenes resident in Omoku fear that the killings may continue as one of them said that, “we hear people say that they can’t kill my brother,

behead him and expect us to be calm. We must revenge. This is what you hear on the streets every day. Indeed, Saturday Vanguard gathered that some of the killings have been largely reprisal attacks by those whose loved ones were killed in the past. “This evil is likely to continue. This is not our home so we want to move out.” some other nonindigenes feared.” However, as part of measures to check the recurrent incidents of killings, Governor Nyesom Wike has since held a meeting with various stakeholders during which he expressed worries with the security challenge in the area. Wike barred commercial motorcycle operators from engaging in the trade from 5 pm to 8 am in the local government and three other areas. He also held a meeting with stake holders in four local government areas in Omoku on how to tackle the security challenge.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Vanguard , MARCH 12, 2016—15

By Esther Onyegbula & Oghene Omonisa

he instigations for the two young women’s journey are familiar: To seek greener pastures and start a new life in the Western world, from Europe to America. 19year-old Lamidi Basirat from Oyo, was promised a hairdressing career in the US, while Yusuf Hafsat Omobolanle, aged 32 and a trained nurse based in Lagos, was assured of a lucrative nursing job also in the US. But both women, like others they met over there, were only being lured into prostitution in Libya. Despite the stringent laws against human trafficking in the country, and the fight against this racket by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the illegitimate business still flourishes in different cities and hinterlands, with a huge syndicate of human traffickers specialised in luring young girls from indigent homes with the promise of greener pastures which eventually turns out a prostitution ring. That was the fate of Basirat and Omobolanle until the NGO, Alliance for Rights Defender came to their rescue. “Madam Ebunoluwa promised to help me travel to the United States” Recounting her experience, one of the victims, Basirat revealed to Crime Guard that her ordeal started when one of her father’s former tenants in Oyo, Amokeyemi, promised to help her travel to the United States of America. “I had not finished secondary school when I travelled to Libya last year December. I was just in SS2. It was Amokeyemi, one of our former tenants, that told me that Madam Ebunoluwa lives abroad and would assist me to travel to America, and my parents agreed. After that, they collected N520,000 from my parents which they said was for the procurement of my travelling documents. They told me that I would be a hairdresser. “Amokeyemi and I thereafter travelled from Oyo down to Lagos. And both of us went to the National Theatre in Lagos to meet Madam Ebunoluwa, who was also simply addressed as Alhaja, and her parents: Alhaji Muritala and Alhaja Latifat, his wife. “Initially, they said I would board a flight to America, but when the journey actually started, I found out that it was through land that I would be travelling. We took a night bus to Kano, from there boarded another vehicle to Agadex, in Niger Republic. “On our way, I met other girls. We sat at the back of a Hilux jeep. We were given garri, groundnut, five litres of water and sugar. There were about 25 of us inside the jeep, and there were over 30 jeeps conveying people to Libya. “Madam Ebunoluwa gave us blankets, head warmers, socks

•Basirat

•Omobolanle

Our America dream turned to prostitution in Libya

•Our patrons used sex-enhancing drugs; they didn’t use condom •Ourmadamensuredterminationofeverypregnancy •Drama as NGO rescues human trafficking victims and hand gloves. We met security officials of Niger, who beat us up, collected our valuables and money and raped some of us too, while using their phones to take pictures of our nakedness. According to them, the reason they beat us up was because they knew that most of us were being trafficked to Libya for prostitution. “When eventually we got to Tripoli, in Libya, I met a relative of Madam Ebunoluwa, and I saw over a hundred girls of different ages.” “It was a terrible journey and several people died” The second victim, Omobolanle, who travelled with Basirat informed Crime Guard that “Before I

travelled, I already had a child, and was working as an auxiliary nurse in a private hospital. “Three years ago, my sister’s husband who is an Alfa, called me that he had someone, Amokeyemi, who lives in Cairo and who comes to the mosque for prayers; and that Amokeyemi had promised to assist them if they had any sister who was interested in travelling to Cairo, Egypt. My in-law claimed that Amokeyemi was working as a maid and since I was already a nurse, I could also work there. “So, Amokeyemi tried to process my travelling papers for me. Later last year, she ( Amokeyemi) called to say that her job was no more

lucrative, that she would be coming down to Nigeria and that she would like to take me to the US instead. So she came to Nigeria and we met. She explained that her uncle, Alhaji Muritala, and his wife live in America and that she wanted to travel there and that if I was interested, she would talk to her uncle for me. “Later, she called me to say that Alhaji would collect N500,000 for travelling documents and processing. I went to my parents and explained to them and they said America had a lot of opportunities for me to continue

Continues on page 16

16—SA TURD AY 16—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard , MARCH 12, 2016

Continues from page 15 with my education as well as work. “At about 3pm on the appointed day, Amokeyemi and I went to the National Theatre to see Alhaja Latifat and her husband, Alhaji Muritala. We gave them the money, N500, 000, raised by my family. That was in October and she said that I should get prepared and that in December, I would be travelling. “So on December 15, Amokeyemi called that I should get ready to travel to America. She said I should pay another N500,000 for my apartment. When I told my parents, they almost lost interest, but concluded that as we had started the process, there was nothing we could do but to complete the balance, provided I would be comfortable over there. My father invited her to his office in Owena in Ojota area of Lagos, where they paid her another N500,000. “On that December 18, Amokeyemi called me in the morning to get set to travel, and not take any luggage. My father then gave me another N20,000 as pocket money. “During our second meeting, also at the National Theatre, Alhaji Sanni and his wife offered us food because they were in a hurry after collecting the money. Alhaji assured me that he would give me one of his agent’s contact, Mr. Tijani’s phone numbers, that he would assist us to our destination. “When we got to Kano at about 6pm, I called the number, and Tijani came with a vehicle which we boarded. When I questioned him, he said I should keep quiet, that we were passing via Boko Haram territory in the desert. I pleaded with him to let me get down, that I was no longer interested in continuing with the journey, but he refused. Later I noticed that he was communicating with another driver. “When we got to a point, he stopped and trans-loaded us to another vehicle where we met other travellers before we got to Niger. When we got there, I bought a SIM card to enable me call family members and tell my parents where I was. “We got to Niger at night so we were asked to sleep in a hall with a lot of people lying down on the ground. I fainted twice after receiving beating from soldiers for refusing to sleep with them. “At about 5pm, we continued the journey with another agent carrying us to Agadex, where I met over 500 young girls with about 50 young men. Most of the young men wanted to cross from Libya to Spain and Italy because it is easy for them there. “I was like, was this really a journey to America? It was a terrible journey and several people died as they fell off the jeep because it was a desert terrain. One young girl fell off the vehicle and the sand covered her. I kept praying that God should deliver me. “From Agadex, we travelled to Gatrun, a town in Libya, and met one Baba Mary and Iya Mary who

Drama as NGO rescues human trafficking victims

•Barrister Omowale

are also agents. They called Alhaji Sanni to tell him that his visitors had arrived. So they put us in a vehicle that would take us to Alhaji’s Sanni’s house in Libya. We got there on December 25, 2015. We got there in the night so we had to stay in a ghetto till dawn and we had to stay awake not to be raped. “From there, we got to Saba, another town in Libya before we were taken to Alhaji Sanni’s house. At Saba, they collected our phones. The strange thing was that the drivers were all Arabs, who instructed us to cover our body as the authorities must not see us. Inside the Space bus, we were not allowed to sit, rather we squatted inside the bus while they used blankets to cover us, and put our luggages on our body to prevent the authorities to know that we were inside the vehicle. “We finally got to the house, a hotel, with the inscription Welcome to New York. The garage was Alhaji Sanni’s house. In front

of the house, they have a tailoring shop, a hair dressing and barbing saloon, and a cosmetics shop, which they use as camouflage to wade off suspicion. When we got there, we met Alhaja Latifat’s brother, AZ, who supervised the place. He gave us bathing soap, shampoo and body cream. He asked us to have our bath, and they gave us food. With AZ’s phone, I called Alhaji Sanni and told him where I was. He said that was his house and that that was my final destination. I said no, that was not true. He asked if AZ had not given me my job description, and that if I could not see younger girls working. I told him I didn’t know the job they were doing, that I would wait for him to come, then explain to me. Immediately, I called my father and told him what was happening. “Later, some other girls who saw how uncomfortable I was, came to ask me why I came to Libya. Instead of replying, I

asked them why they came. They asked me if I took oath. In shock, I said no. Then they said I was lucky; that they were all under oath. They told me they were taken to one herbalist called Eye in Abeokuta, where their photographs, pubic hair, armpit hair, full names, mothers’ names were all taken. “Finally, they revealed what I was most scared of: They had all been forced into prostitution and Alhaji and Alhaja have four connection houses in Libya! “Because of the authorities in Libya, the girls could not go out. So Niger men would come to the hotel and sleep with them. They have a record book which they use to record their prostitution work. One of them must sleep with about 15 men daily. The men use sex-enhancing drugs before engaging in sex with any of the girls. And each of them would pay ten denai, which is equivalent to N1,000; while the men pay fifty denai for all-night sex, which is N5,000. “The men don’t use condom. The girls also said that Alhaji collects the money each client pays for sleeping with them. I also met a girl named Abigail who works for Alhaji as a nurse; she helps the girls who get pregnant to terminate the pregnancies. “We were only given food once a day; no food in the morning, no food in the afternoon. We ate Banku only at night, which is made like Semovita. “On Saturday, January 9, Alhaji asked me why I was not working, and why I was not allowing Basirat to work, that I was a very pretty lady and that I would make it in this job. “I said that was not our arrangement and that I couldn’t do prostitution. I begged him to help me get another job even if it was housemaid. Alhaji called his herbalist to find out if I would be successful in prostitution. And the herbalist said I would make it. However, when Alhaji realised I was determined to return to Nigeria, he said my family would have to offer him two million naira. I told him yes, that would be done.” Rescue She concluded: “That gave me an opportunity to call my family who contacted Prince Tunji Osokoya, a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, USA. He was the one that informed the Director of Alliance for Rights Defender, the NGO that also contacted the parents of Basirat, informing them of their daughter’s plight, that the America she travelled to had turned out to be Libya and nursing work had become prostitution.” It was gathered that the NGO helped to arrest Madam Ebunoluwa, and her mother, Alhaja Latifat Sanni. Unfortunately, Alhaji Muritala Sanni escaped while daughter and mother were handed over to NATIP operatives for further investigations.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Vanguard , MARCH 12, 2016—17

Vandals boast to Saturday Vanguard •Govt cannot stop us •We’ll match them gun for gun, money for money

•President Buhari

By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor

he success recorded by security agents recently, over the abduction of three students at Ikorodu Lagos, has sent shock waves amongst different gangs that hibernate the creeks around Arepo, Ikorodu and Mosimi areas. Security sources hinted that while the most dreaded ones amongst the numerous gangs that litter the creeks are nursing the wound inflicted by the easy rescue of the students which they see as an affront that has punctured their invisibility, others believe that the time was up for them to relocate based on the tactic used by security agents in tracking the abductors. Anger over non-payment of ransom Worse still, the fact that the anticipated ransom did not eventually materialize is said to have pained their ring leaders who normally benefit from the proceeds, whether they participated in the operation or not. A source close to the vandals intimated Crime Guard that the vandals doubted claims by the police that they have rescued the girls and arrested some of their members until the last minute after the suspects were paraded. This, according to the sources, sparked off serious disagreement amongst the leaders as they kept on blaming each other for the loop hole that made it possible for security agents to demystify them. This is because, all along, they have been claiming that their abode in the creeks is a nogo area and highly impenetrable by any force. Shocker by security agents C M Y K

But this time, a combined force of the police, DSS and the military were able to penetrate into one of their main bases inside the creeks and that was how they succeeded in arresting the first suspect, Arigidi, who then led them to expose others leading to the release of the abducted girls. So far, it was gathered that the arrest of some of their gang members caused commotion in the creeks to the extent that there was fierce infighting amongst their leaders. This has resulted in mass desertion of members from the creeks especially, after the police stated unequivocally that they were still on the trail of other fleeing members of the 12-man gang that kidnapped the students. Crime Guard learnt that members of one of the most notorious gangs which belongs to General Osy have, however, vowed never to move an inch from their camp. They had earlier in a telephone call made to Vanguard denied complicity in the abduction but the revelation from one of the arrested suspects proved otherwise. The call from the Creeks At exactly 2.30pm, after Saturday Vanguard hit the streets with a bold, incisive story captioned,’Abductors of Lagos Students behind past killings of security operatives, bank robberies’, a call came from the creeks. The caller who identified himself as ‘De Don’ spoke with cautious optimism but bared his mind in unmistakable terms over the vexatious issue of vandalism and militancy in Nigeria. The conversation with our Crime Editor ran thus; De Don: Mr. Emma, this story you wrote today saying that General Osy’s gang are responsible for the kidnap of these

Ikorodu girls, why did you do that? Editor: Its from our investigation. Who are you? De Don: I am De Don, a vandal. I am speaking from the creeks, inside the forest. Editor: What! Are you proud of being a vandal? De Don: Yes, very proud. Why did you say we did it? We do not kidnap or abduct people. What we do is to reap from our natural resources, that is our oil. We belong to General Osy militant group. You people are fond of attributing all sorts of criminality to us. This is wrong. Editor: But you know that vandalism is a crime. Why do you people abduct, kill and maim innocent citizens of this country including security agents? De Don: What do you expect from us, after suffering to go to school, no job, poverty everywhere? Yet, few individuals are benefiting from our natural resources. This is the crux of the matter. We are poverty-stricken and members of our families are suffering. Most of us here, inside the mosquitoe-infested creeks are graduates that passed out with flying colours yet, nothing to show for it. Every time, they say Niger Delta militants, are we not the g ooze that lay the golden egg? Yet, we are dying. Editor: Is that enough for you people to be killing Nigerians and terrorizing all of us? De Don: We don’t kill deliberately. But, if you block our way, we will not have any option and nobody, including security agents, can stop us from engaging in vandalism (shouts of yessooo, yessoo in the background). We do not kill unless you confront us. All I am saying is that we did not kidnap those girls as you wrote in your paper which we bought but we are vandals and we must continue with our trade and government cannot stop us. We can match them money for money, gun for gun. I am warning you to be careful

•IGP Arase with what you write because we can easily fish you out. Editor: That will not stop others from writing. De Don: We know but we can use you to show example to others that tell lies against us. Editor: Let me advise you, you can see my e-mail in the publication. You are at liberty to state your own side of the story and tell the world why you do what you are doing. I assure you we will publish it. De Don: Are you sure? ( good, that”s better from voices in the background). Ok, we have agreed and we are going to do a comprehensive write-up and send to your mail. Please, publish our story so that people will know why we are doing what we are doing and the way forward. Expect the write-up on or before Monday next week. Editor: That’s better. Please include your photographs. De Don: Which photograph? Save this my number as De Don of Vandals in Nigeria. If you like, give it to security agents, they cannot do anything. They know where we are in the creeks but they cannot come there. Till then. (call ends)

18—SA TURD AY 18—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard , MARCH 12, 2016

By Evelyn Usman

he excitement on the faces of worshipers at Jesus Christ the Healer Church of All Nations, aka Ten Commandment Church, in Itedo crescent, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, knew no bounds , as the church went agog in celebration over the release a vessel belonging to one of its members by the Nigerian Navy. The Togolese flagged vessel, MT Sapphire 1, was arrested on February 18, 2014 by the Nigerian Navy, offshore Agbara and taken to Fomoso in Bayelsa State, with the crew members, over an alleged bunkering. But the ship owner, Mr Osita Onumonu , explained that the vessel was attacked by pirates shortly after it was engaged in a Ship-to-Ship transfer operation, adding that through the Automatic Identification System, AIS in the vessel, the captain was able to alert the Navy, which consequently arrested the

vessel but refused to let it go. He said “MT Sapphire 1 was under arrest by the Nigerian Navy since then. I trade with the vessel. Sometimes, I take AGO products for individuals and companies including the company working on the construction of Bar Beach.

Jubilation in Lagos church as oil vessel is released two years after seizure

•Prophet Charles Anekwe and Osita Onumonu jubilation over the release of the vessel)

“On one of such occasions, my company sought a Naval clearance from the Nigerian Navy for an STS off Agbara Offshore on two

badges. We finished the STS and unfortunately we were attacked. In the course of the attack, we alerted the navy. At their approach, the pirates absconded and abandoned the vessel. The Navy took over the vessel, carried out their investigation for one month. Thereafter, they took all my crew and detained them at their base. After this, they came up with their

report which was sent to Abuja. Yet, nothing was done. They did not charge the crew to court, rather they detained them for seven months. When the heat was much, they transferred the case to the Nigerian Civil Defense Corps, which carried out another round of investigation at they end of which they ordered for the release of my crew and the vessel. They wrote to the Navy to this effect but they refused to disembark from my ship” Osita said, in a bout of maudlin self pity.

In his fight for justice, Managing Director of Mercury Oil Limited, took the case to court , consequent upon which a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered the Nigerian Navy to pay Mercury Oil Limited, the sum of N200 million as damages for illegally detaining its vessel and siphoning 280,000 litres of Automated Gas Oil contained in the said vessel. It took Osita two years in court before judgment was passed in his favour and his vessel released. This was the reason for the jubilation at the auditorium of the church as everyone got lost in the euphoria of the moment. In his brief testimony which was however punctured with choruses of praise by the ecstatic members , Osita, lauded the efforts of his Pastor and General Overseer of Jesus Christ the Healer Church of All Nations, Prophet Charles Anekwe, in the release of his vessel. Describing the two years of endless wait for the release as the most trying moment of his life, he stated that the encouragement and words of prophesy from Prophet Aniekwe kept his hope alive.

35 kidnap,armed rrobber obber obberyy,secre ,secrett cult suspects arres arrestted in Enugu BY FRANCIS IGATA

NUGU—No fewer than 35 armed robbery,kidnap and secret cult suspects were paraded by the Enugu Police Command this week following their arrests by various operational units of the command through its intelligence policing strategy adopted by the newly posted Commissioner,Nwodibo Ekechukwu. While briefing newsmen at the command’s headquarters,Commissioner Ekechukwu revealed that a three-man kidnap gang that specializes in terrorizing residents of Nsukka and its environs has been arrested by the operatives of the Anti Kidnap Squad of the command.

•Suspects

The suspects, Emenike Onoyima,27,Jude Mamah,22,Mba Chinedu,25,all from Umuezejor,Obollo-Afor,in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State were arrested on March 3, at about 8.05 AM in their hideout, located at No 1 Timber road,Isiakpu,Nsukka having held their victim, Mrs.

Makata Elochukwu,29, and her Driver,Bernard Ameh,60, hostage for four days. Items recovered from the suspects included; one locally made gun with three live cartridges and a Nokia phone suspected to the property of their victim. Continuing,the Police Boss said,”Operatives of the New Haven Division have arrested one Sunday Oka,from Ezeagu in Isielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi

Apprentice absconds with emplo .9m employyer’s N1 N1.9m By Evelyn Usman As he walked into the Kirikiri canal, Apapa, Lagos corporate headquarters of Vanguard Media , it was obvious that all was not well with Mr Tony Nsiamuna, as later identified , following the conspicuous gloomy expression on his face. This was followed by his starling disclosure of how one of his apprentices bolted away with N1.95m , last October. His tale depicted that of betrayal of trust and confidence by the fleeing apprentice . Distraught Nsiamuna traced the genesis of his encounter with the fleeing suspect ,Peter Ekene Okwuazu, to three years C M Y K

•Police declare him wanted

ago ,when he discovered they is apparently living large with were from same state, Delta. his benefactor’s N1.95 m. Moved by compassion , Narrating how Okwuazu coupled with plea from his allegedly absconded with his wife, he agreed to money, despondent assist Ekene with a Nsiamuna, said “ surgery of a turmoil After taking him to in his mouth, the hospital where without any the tumour was suspicion that his surgically removed kind gesture was and his health only an invitation restored, my wife and for trouble ahead. I decided to employ One would have him in our cold room ordinarily expected . We did this out of Okuwazu, 24 , to pity because his •Suspect reciprocate this uncle who was his gesture but as you guardian had passed read this piece , he away.

State,residing at Mmakwum,Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State who specializes in trafficking fake currency. “He was nabbed on February 26, allegedly dressed in Nigeria Naval T. Shirt with a faze cap at New Haven Police Station where he had gone to secure the release of his associates Abea Johnson and Henry Nwankwo all from Ezeagu in Isielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State who were apprehended for being in possession of fake currency. “They went to a shop at Nanka Street, New haven,Enugu to buy things with thirty-five pieces of fake one thousand Naira notes and through that process got the real currency note as a balance. However, the owner of the shop having observed the situation,raised alarm which attracted the attention of the security operatives. “Also,one Friday Nwachukwu,26, of Isu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State was arrested at Otigba junction,New Haven having robbed a victim of N60,000 and other valuables at gun point.”

“ But on October 26, 2015, I sent him to a bank very close to my place of business to make a deposit of N1, 994.000. Instead of making the deposit as instructed, he absconded with the money. Apprehension set in when he did not return . I called his mobile phone but discovered it was switched off. “That same day, the matter was reported at the Ikotun Police Station. The Police swung into action by visiting his apartment at Olu Oluwawunmi street, by Praise bus-stop, Ijegun ,Lagos. A search was conducted , only to discover that he had moved his belongings”. Crime Guard gathered that preliminary investigation

showed that the suspect could have conceived the act long ago, as a visit to the network provider revealed that he registered his telephone number with a fake name and address , as well as the photograph of another person. All effort to trail him has been hampered by this development . Consequently the police have declared Okwuazu wanted. A statement by the Lagos State Police Command to this effect, read “Ekene Peter Okwuazu is 24 years of age, 5ft tall, fair in complexion, a stammerer and hails from Ubulu-uku in the Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta state. He speaks Igbo, Yoruba and English. Anyone with information on him should report to the nearest police station “.

SA TURD AY Vanguard , MARCH 12, 2016—19 SATURD TURDA

outh Africa no longer surprises us. In the heat of the on-going attempt at ripping us off massively, Jacob Zuma, the country’s President blandly pays us a visit. He was once his country’s representative here. So what else is new? His predecessor in office also preceded him here. It was not entirely coincidental, because Nigeria was one of their closest allies against apartheid when the policy of “apartness” barred the black people from the inalienable rights of humanity—freedom as a human being, and equality as citizens of the same country. The struggle was fierce and furious with the deprivation of liberty leading to the loss of many lives. Nigeria, having hardly earned her freedom from the same odious stock, totally committed herself to the fray, boldly and relentlessly. This was acknowledged by the African National Congress, ANC, discounting the physical distance between the two countries, to name Nigeria as one of the “frontline states”. We proved to be more than that in name only. While many nations recognized “apartheid” as the monster that it was, most of them only said so by word of mouth. We put our money where our mouth was. This was exemplified in the instance of the oil sanction and the ban on gun sales which the so-called “ world bodies” imposed on the apartheid government, and which the members broke at will. Nothing else seemed available to bring the exponents of “separateness” to heel. One thing remained: sports.

outh Africa had always been eager to fit in squarely into the comity of nations as a full-fledged nation, since her independence from Britain in 1948. One of the steps adopted for the ascent was sports. It had become a nation to be reckoned with in cricket, tennis, rugby and swimming in the international arena. This Achilles heel was somehow discovered by the Nigeria Olympic Committee, under the chairmanship of Sir Adetokunboh Ademola, who played the card for all it was worth. Already, at that time, Africa could boast of staunch anti-apartheid members like Kenya, Liberia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and other African and West African countries within the fold of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa. This was not just an international, but a “supranational’ body whose word was law. And so, that was how Nigeria, with the support of all the African nations took a decision to boycott all South African participation in sports. The decision went further: the Africans, by the same token, also foreswore to participate in any sports competition involving South Africa, or a country that was

C M Y K

*how Nigeria broke the back of apartheid

•President Jacob Zuma

The sacrifice of the Montreal Boycott was, to Nigeria, rather severe known to have sporting links with South Africa. To give this the necessary bite, it was first of all important to get South Africa expelled from the Olympic Games Committee. It all seemed a beautiful gesture, but no more than a gesture, all the same. That was what most people thought until the beginning of the Munich Games in 1972 when Nigeria protested against the participation of South West Africa which later became known as Namibia. The South Africans, having been barred from the Olympic Games, simply filled the ranks of the South West African team with their athletes, but the Africans were not fooled. They simply offered a simple ultimatum: either the South West Africans left or the African

nations would. After a prolonged meeting lasting barely hours before the opening of the Games, the South West Africans withdrew. But a stiffer test lay ahead. This was at the Munich Games, and this time it involved New Zealand which kept sporting links with South Africa. A towering confrontation rose with the arrival of the New Zealanders in the village. They expected the opposition of the Africans but were ready to contain it. Another meeting ensued the following day. The Executive Secretary of the SCSA was A.A. “Antiapartheid” Ordia of Nigeria.

ventually, the Canadian government made a direct plea through him to General Olusegun Obasanjo, who was then the Head of State. Ordia chose to conduct the delivery of the request by a telephone with the attachment of a loudspeaker at an open-air press conference, attended by almost all the African sportswriters at the Games. “Anti-apartheid” Ordia lived up to his name. Without actually saying so, he let the Head of State know that it would always be in the minds of the other nations that African nations could not live up to their decisions. Obasanjo did not

hesitate. “Come home at once,” he ordered, while the Africans journalists and sportsmen cheered. All African nations, except one, headed for home. The Montreal Games frightened several other nations apart from South Africa itself, because so many of them had sporting links with African nations through several competitions in a host of disciplines, and also at regional levels like the Commonwealth Games. Competing with South Africa would alienate them from the good graces of other nations, since it would also tend to identify them as supporters of apartheid. The issue was at the very root of the social well-being of the “apartheid” nation as a country. And that, believe it if you please, led to the unravelling of apartheid. South Africa had to yield. The master stroke was dealt by Nigeria. The sacrifice of the Montreal Boycott was, to Nigeria, rather severe. The Eagles earned the epithet of “Super” to their name during this period. They were winners and would have been the first generation of a dynasty that could have lasted till this day. They were so good, “Pa” Tiko, their excellent coach, sometimes had to warn them off scoring goals whenever the tally was becoming embarrassing— as it happened in their warm-up match against Canada, the host country, before they were sent home with the contingent. “Pa” Tiko had to bench Thompson Usiyen when he scored the fourth goal— against instructions. That team was so sharp they made it all look easy. The trail of development was subsequently almost destroyed when South Africa later became embroiled in a diplomatic situation with Nigeria, just before the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations which South Africa was to host that year, and the Head of State, General Abacha simply ordered Nigeria to stay away from the event. The coach had never recovered from the disappointment of Montreal. “Pa” Tiko could not stay with the Eagles. Many of them, including Thompson, also soon faded off.

It was the same stroke of frustration that cast several of the athletes down after Montreal. Modupe Sokoya probably missed the Gold in the long jump, and the Silver in the pentathlon which she had spent two years of intensive training to re-capture from her feat at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games. That was the intervening period between the two Games at which she had reached her peak only to see all her efforts blown away in the wind. Whatever the merits of the imbroglio with Nigeria could have been at that time, many of us felt that South Africa had approached the matter from a high ground of arrogance, and so we supported the decision of the government. What one felt at that time, and said out loud too, was that South Africa had proved to be ungrateful to Nigeria. I even suggested on this page that, instead of being so temperamental with Nigeria, they should have been busy building a monument to Abraham Ordia, who had fought valiantly against apartheid, or named a street in Pretoria for Modupe Sokoya whose magnificent career had fizzled out for her country’s stand on behalf of South Africa’s freedom. Of course, the two countries have mended fences to the disadvantage of Nigeria. No surprise. The South Africans have openly defrauded us, and bullied us with insults. It was perhaps more tolerable in the days of the Mandela government or those of Thabo Mbeki, but this man, Jacob Zuma, whose public bridal dance with his fourth or fifth wife has been about the most noticeable achievement he has to his credit so far, simply does not make the honey flow. He comes here straight from scraping through a vote of no confidence, after sacking two Finance Ministers in a matter of barely as many weeks, to “fix” the mess that a large commercial firm from his country has made. And so he would also “fix” the xenophobia that has his country in thrall, and also “fix” the harm that is daily inflicted on Nigerians in his country, just because they are Nigerians….and what else besides? A two-day trip will not “fix” that. Time out

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

Ese Oruru and other dangerously pregnant matters

•Ese Oruru

n unwanted pregnancy is an exceptionally gruesome burden. In a 14 year old it isn’t just a blemish, it is a blight. The medical and social complications of childhood pregnancy are potentially grave and crippling. We have collectively failed that child, severally. We must begin to mitigate the proliferating consequences of our degenerate system. We must now envelop her with comprehensive perinatal care. Because she lacks the psychological maturity to be a mother, because the pregnancy was forced on her, we must not let her lose her mind. Tomorrow is in the stranglehold of pedophilia, it must be rescued. Accepting the child by all around her, and cushioning her life back onto an educational track will go a long way in keeping the demons away. While our focus rests on her wellbeing, we must scan this tragedy and cure sick minds. And let many culpable heads roll. Big heads must roll, more for deterrence than retribution. Yinusa’s is too small, too small to shoulder the weight of this atrocity in which many conspirators, aiders and abettors abound. But if any heads must be spared, it must not be the cowardly heads of those in whom we vested the powers to check crime; who attended to the helplessness of Ese’s parents with confounding gross negligence and criminal cowardice. The extent to which law enforcement deferred to cultural and religious institutions must be determined. What should not happen however is, the demonization of any culture or religion and the fanning of the embers of bigotry.

C M Y K

Ese is important beyond her particular and exceptional agony. She has exposed, scandalously, the lack of functional youth protection and justice structures in this country. The rights of the child are enshrined in our domestic laws and in international conventions in which Nigeria is a signatory. They should be enshrined in our hearts .The child’s primary protection and guidance is offered by the parents/guardians and relatives but every child has a superarching protection of the state. Because every child should be in school, the teachers who see the child every day are additional eyes of the state on the child. The criminal justice structures- youth social workers, police and the courts are the last line of defence for the child. In Ese, everything failed, fell apart. It is difficult to assess the quality of care she received from her grieving parents. Parents’ right to the custody of their children is qualified. They must be willing and able to render proper parental supervision. But where the state is dysfunctional children are imperiled, stuck with unfit parents. Children can help their parents but children aren’t supposed to be exposed to strangers and dangers in the manner that selling in a public canteen after school would. But realistically, no one would blame any poor parents who got helping hands from a 13 year old in a roadside canteen after school hours in Nigeria. But the parents should have been much more careful, much more vigilant. Allowing a 13 year old girl play with a 25 year old man and achieve a familiarity that can harbor so much evil isn’t just reckless , it is patently stupid.

Nothing here seeks to be accusatory. Nevertheless, there is almost no doubt that Yinusa was given more than enough room to lure that child and impose on her devilish imaginations. Ese’s parents may have provided lax supervision but should be spared accusations of damnable negligence. Pedophiles are dangerous snakes. Having reported to the police, could they have done more? Yes. In Kano. It’s shocking the mother found the energy and sanity to leave Kano without her child. Nigerians

the ministry of education and the commissioner should have orchestrated the political pressure needed to force action. The school in being a public institution located in a state capital has more gravitas than a couple handicapped by poverty. They could have done much more. But do schools in Nigeria know their duties towards their pupils? Have the ministries of education provided the right orientation? This scandal should not blow over without raising the right consciousness. It is difficult to understand how this didn’t end when the police intervened in August 2015. This spectacular failure was, even by their unenviable standards, a bit strange. The suspect is poor, lacks the capacity to entice; the offence is so grave , morally and legally, it didn’t leave room for ambivalence; the victims – parents of the child were desperate, so the police had sufficient pressure and motivation. So how did the police get to Kano, see the abducted child, the tears and pleas of a distraught mother, and not effect a retrieval? How did those officers from Bayelsa fail to take the child and arrest the taxi driver? Dwelling on the woefulness of the police may not yield more than devastation and hopelessness. Interrogating the factors that lent mundanity to this evil , stripped it of repugnance, would help the society better. And perhaps the police’s despicable conduct may become less inscrutable. Betrothals of girl children to adult men are common in northern Nigeria and permitted by Islam. And the Nigerian police are always wary of crossing certain religious lines. That is not to suggest that any cleric obstructed them. We must never be in a haste to suggest that other cultures are barbaric. Islam makes parental consent mandatory in these circumstances, but the fact of the existence of such a cultural practice must have made this less of pedophilia and less of an abduction from a certain perspective, which may include Yinusa’s. If this wasn’t so, that Yinusa’s long process of marital approval that reached the Emir’s desk would have attracted moral outrage and curses at its very first mention. No one thinks that these traditional child marriages have anything to do with love, at least not from the child’s view. And that is why the absence of parental consent in all circumstances must render any such dealings with a

Ese’s parents may have provided lax supervision but should be spared accusations of damnable negligence should learn to stand and fight for moral causes and parents should learn to surrender even their lives for their children. The school community is an important part of the child’s life. And the school authorities have the duty to notify the relevant agencies of any signs or events that pose a threat to the well being of the child. How did the school treat Ese’s disappearance? Did they respond as one who owed the child a protective duty or as just a sympathetic third party? Reports suggest they showed concern, prayed and perhaps cried. Was that enough? No. The school authorities should have written to

child abominable. If the cross cultural context of Ese’s case is appreciated then you have to wonder how she ended at the sharia council? Kano may not have domesticated the Child Rights Act but we have laws that prohibit abduction and sexual exploitation of children. It is important that in a plural society common protocols of association are not made subservient to customary or religious laws. If any one was made numb to this atrocity by any cultural practice, the arrival of Ese’s parents to retrieve their daughter should have pricked them back to consciousness. If any was

conflicted, the appearance of a desperate and weeping mother should have presented the stark criminality of taking away a 13 year old child in all its nakedness. If anyone doubted the age of the child , and was stupid enough to doubt the mother, the fact of Ese being a JSS student should have confirmed the girl’s child status. If it isn’t moral wretchedness then it must be pitiable, breathtaking , ignorance that allows the entertainment of the possibility that Yinusa and Ese were love birds. It is cruel to imagine that a 13 year old girl child can fall in adult love; can fall in love with a scheming and lecherous taxi driver? The very idea that a 13 year old can elope with an adult is utterly reprehensible and shameful. And that ludicrous thinking perhaps informs why many have failed to see this as a grave crime but as reckless amorous escapade. Any child can be easily lured by foolish promises. A child is in no position to understand her situation and the implications of her choices. And that is why the society denies their consents legitimacy. This society is filled with wolves. The wolves include those in high places who think Ese is a Julliet and Yinusa her Romeo! Some conclude that Ese’s initial reluctance to return to Bayelsa corroborates a love story. That’s preposterous. She, rightly, feared rejection at home. Let’s assume Ese fell for the paedophilic seductions of an adult. Ese would feel she has committed an unpardonable evil, even 3 year olds have such sense of shame and responsibility. Ese would naturally be worried about her safety at home. If she was already pregnant at the time , she would see Bayelsa as extreme hopelessness. The police was rightly hesitant about returning the child to a place she was resolutely paranoid about . But the police’s decision to let strangers of the sharia council keep the child for months is not made less sacrilegious by Ese’s fears. The police should have called in a child psychologist. And Ese could have been in temporary custody of the state. A return to the sharia commission was not an option. Scandals are important tools in societal reformation. They generate sufficient public consciousness and opprobrium to allow an auditing of moralities, policies and processes. A national enquiry through a televised public hearing must be instituted. The hearing won’t be to meet the cravings of the drama loving, Nollywood would definitely quench that thirst. But a hearing will review this calamity holistically, undermine unhealthy assumptions, expose egregious lapses and reform the society. Hopefully bigotry and misconceptions would be cleared. A public enquiry would inform and mollify a suspicious and divided polity. Justice rendered manifestly helps the course of peace immeasurably. So much could turn on Yinusa’s age. The importance of a reliable national data base could be made palpable. A routine police investigation will be too narrow, too superficial, too opaque. The failure of the police was systemic and the audit of their processes must be external. Criminal prosecutions can begin after the hearing. Such a public enquiry would take complaints from other victims of other such abductions. Only the institution of a televised public enquiry would turn this into a reformation opportunity. A criminal trial of Yinusa and another at large will yield too little.

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he Ogun State chapter of the medical association went on a warning strike during the week. In doing so, it followed the footsteps of its Osun State cousin which has been at logger heads with its state for over a year now and has been on strike for about half as long. At a point, the entire Western zone threatened to join in solidarity to enforce a class interest irrespective—or in anticipation of the expected repercussions. Much of the Fashola years as Governor of Lagos State was bedevilled with doctors’ strikes over one thing or the other. As we speak, one or two state chapters of the association in the South-Eastern Zone are either downing tools or have downed tools. The South-South too has had its own share. In fact, it seems to me that there is no time during the year that at least one chapter of the medical association is not on strike. Although this issue pre-dates the democratic era, it seems to be getting worse by the year. I’d like the leadership of the national body to correct me if I am wrong, but I have not read of a medical body anywhere in the world that downs tools as often as Nigerian doctors do. It would have been easy to understand why they keep going on strike if previous strikes had brought significant improvements to the health care sector. The fall out at least to people outside the profession, is that the medical profession is worse off by the incessant strikes. Almost everybody can see it except the doctors themselves. The hospitals are still consulting clinics in terms of supply of medical equipment and drugs. And they have actually deteriorated in terms of the quality of personnel from the time soldiers first used the term ‘hospitals are now consulting clinics’ as a coup alibi. Doctors are not as respected at home or abroad as they were in the 70s. They are

Strikes without end certainly not as competent. Significant medical advancement in terms of technology, surgery and skill level has long left us behind. Nigerians who train abroad are no longer keen to come home, limiting cross fertilisation of ideas and skills. It is no wonder that Nigerians spend billions of dollars on medical tourism every year even on something as basic as a medical checkup. But worse hit is the attitude of an average doctor towards his profession. I once went to a wing in a teaching hospital in Lagos and was impressed by the transformation that had taken place. Unfortunately, the transformation did not reach the hospital personnel. It was like putting old wine into a new wine skin. There was this slow, slovenly attitude among the nurses and doctors. They were polite, but unhurried and seemingly unconcerned about the pain and discomfort around them. You compare that with the brisk and professional attitude of even an average hospital abroad

the family after six months of excruciating pain. He walks with a very noticeable limb today. And the doctor who did the surgery is still let loose to perform ‘ wonders’ on hapless victims. A friend’s sister was diagnosed with an advanced form of breast cancer and immediate surgery was recommended. A lone but influential voice called for a second opinion. A hospital in the UK took a look at the Xray and said she could not possibly be on her feet if the X-ray had belonged to her. She was lucky she could afford a second opinion. How many people have died due to wrong diagnosis, wrong drugs and on the operating table? An uncle developed a Parkinson disorder due to wrong drugs. A friend’s aged mother died because the prescribed drugs were either too strong for the ailment or her body. All he got by way of compensation was an apology. In Nigeria, doctors bury their mistakes. Or worse, relatives bury the mistakes of doctors without as much as a protest. Accident

and you realise that the hood does not a monk make. Yet, in spite of all this, Nigerian doctors are among the most pampered. They literarily and often get away with murder. A nephew was operated upon at a teaching hospital where a wrong screw was used on his hip bone. He was finally sent to the US at a huge cost to

cases and emergency ailments that many would see as 50-50 are almost fatal here. A friend just survived such a ‘touch and go’ situation in the US after six months of slipping in and out of operating theatres. There is a thanksgiving rather than a funeral service for him in Ondo this weekend. So why go on if nothing but

In Nigeria, doctors bury their mistakes

was at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Bar uwa, Iyana Ipaja, L agos, on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the instance of the Priestin-Charge, Rev. Fr. Theodore Martinos, to give a talk to kick start the parish’s Family Reconciliation Week. The talk was a cocktail of Conflict Resolution, Marital Communication and Forgiveness, three topics we have treated in this column. But the questions and answers session threw up issues affecting married people generally and I want to share some of them with you. One woman asked, “What happens when relatives, who live with you, interfere and come between you and your spouse.” I responded with a quote: “Jesus answered…a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:5-6). The problem many married people have is that the import of leaving father and mother and cleaving to a spouse has not fully dawned on them. The mystical one plus one equal to one means you are one with your spouse and anything or person that threatens the mathematical equation must be cast aside. The earlier you imbibed this, the better for your marriage. The other problem is that relatives do not easily let go. They cannot understand why Peter’s property is no longer theirs just because “he married that stranger.” They do not understand that they can no longer go into Peter ’s kitchen to help themselves the way they use to do before he got married “to that girl.” Well, you are now extended family. Peter now has a new nuclear or immediate family comprising himself, his wife and children. C M Y K

Re: family reconciliation

It is not an easy situation for relatives to accept, especially within the African set up, but that is the way it is. Our only appeal is for spouses to accept, accommodate and tolerate members of their spouses’ family because in Africa, you do not marry only your spouse; you marry his/her family. But family members must know their boundaries and if a family member threatens the survival of the marriage, he/she must give way. Pleasing God by protecting your marriage is supreme over pleasing His creation, your relatives. St. Paul likens the union between spouses to that of Christ and his church. Can you separate Christianity from Christ? Guard your marriages jealously. But as I said some time ago your heart should be large enough to accommodate your spouse and children; your parents, siblings and other relatives, if you have the wisdom and maturity. Next, I had told them to refrain from talking when they are angry so that they do not say rash things in a fit of anger. A woman then asked, “What do you do if your spouse wants a response from you and would be offended if you refused to talk?” I responded: “Tell him you are not in the right frame of mind to talk now and would rather talk later.”

That for me sounds polite and respectful enough. After the second mass, a parishioner walked up to me and asked why “ you motivational speakers” always avoid Paul’s teachings on the relationship between husband and wife. One of the portions of the Bible he is talking about is Ephesians 5: 21-33. It starts with “submit yourself to one another because of your reverence for Christ.” The instruction, to me, sounds like a two-way traffic, mutual submission, guided by reverence for Christ. Then verse 24 says, “and so wives must submit completely to their husbands just as the church submits itself to Christ.” God forbid that our wives should submit to us as we (husbands) submit to Christ. If that happens, we will be finished and the marriage institution will be doomed or at best endangered because we have been most unfaithful to Christ. In large part we honour him with our lips, but our hearts are far away. My prayer for all of us is that God should not deal with us according to our sins. Some men want wives who will be at their beck and call, women who will say yes to everything. They want to recreate their growing up when their fathers were all in all. The truth is that many of what we called stable and successful marriages in those days were one-sided

retrogression has been achieved after four decades of incessant strikes. Why would an otherwise brainy class of people continue on a beaten path that has not advanced its cause? The answer seems simple to me; it is an easy option and it massages the ego especially seeing how panicky it makes everybody. It also looks like a win-win situation. You take time off to rest and attend to your private practice. And you still get paid for your time off. I agree that it offends the senses when you see how well remunerated our politicians, many of whom could not carry your books in school are. It makes you indignant when you see our propensity as a nation towards mediocrity. But these are base instincts as elevated minds should not be motivated by money and comfort alone, and many of life-changing achievements have been made during periods of adversity. Success is about intangible things like making a place better than you met it. Doctors with their Hippocratic oaths should understand that more than many. Strikes by the medical profession not only wastes lives; they waste a nation. And they have so far not advanced the cause of the profession. Doctors as a group have well above average intelligence and thus capable of figuring out a plan B. They need to look inwards and deliberate on how to elevate their profession to serve and not to decimate the nation. Our political leaders must also realise that the medical profession is a wellrespected and well remunerated profession anywhere in the world and must be so treated here. But while a decent and mutually acceptable negotiation is going on, a ground rule must be established; no professional body or trade union should be paid for the period they are on strike. It is ethically and morally indefensible to be paid for work not done. It is even worse in the case of doctors where lives that have been lost due to strikes can never be brought back. marriages where the women suffered and even died in silence. That era is gone. Today ’s woman is educated, enlightened and somewhat assertive. Some are not just helpmates, but breadwinners. Or we want wives who will contribute to the family upkeep but have no say about how the money is spent? I certainly do not want my two daughters to grow up timidly to become such yes-wives. Verse 25, tells men to love their wives just as Christ loves his church. Christ loved (and still loves) his church and paid with his life to set us free; not every man can die for his wife? Have you not heard of the man whose wife was consumed in an inferno while he watched helplessly? Or the one whose fat wife drowned because he was worried he would drown with her if he tried to rescue her? St. Paul’s writings on the relationship between spouses should give men real concern because he set the bar too high; very few men can make the cut. These St. Paul’s privileges for men have concomitant responsibilities. For instance, “ wives must submit completely to their husbands” is a Greek gift with steep conditions attached: “just as the church submits itself to Christ.” St. Paul did not do men any favours at all, if you ask me. Over all, the relationship between spouses should be understood by Christians in the light of the relationship between Christ and the Church. It is an ideal we should all strive to attain. Meanwhile, husbands and wives need to sit down and find a win/win formula for their marriages. The lopsidedness or over lordship that some men crave is outmoded.

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BY IYABO AINA

Celebrity couples constantly romancing controversy It is believed that celebrities make a living from being in the public eye, and as such they are commoditised, in the sense that their tales sell magazines, make the paparazzi rich and cause endless controversy as long as the concept of “Celebrity” still exists. Also, there are many different ways that a celebrity couple can be controversial: from incidents of bad behaviour or even abuse to common public disapproval. Check out our list below to find out the Most Controversial Celebrity Couples in history.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian

Beyonce and Jay Z Recall that reports once claimed that Beyonce and Jay Z are going to divorce over Beyonce's alleged failure to conceive. The latest laughable report has it that not only are they having marital problems, but Jay Z and Beyonce have secretly separated. According to Hollywood Life, the divorce rumours have to do with Beyonce struggling to become pregnant. There were also controversial reports that the couple now called Jayonce are trying everything to save their marriage, including therapy and attempting to have another baby. Meanwhile, Jay Z finds himself in hot water yet again. This time, the rap icon is getting slammed for using the names of Freddie Gray, Mike Brown and Eric Garner in an effort to defend his new streaming service Tidal.

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon Mariah Carey married Nick Cannon in 2008; a relationship that at first made headlines simply because of their age difference. But after having two kids together, the couple later filed for divorce in August 2014 amidst several controversies.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are two of the most well-known celebrities in the world, but it goes without saying that the pair has a vast number of haters out there. While Kanye has faced controversy for his arrogant attitude, Kim has suffered a tirade of online and media abuse for being world-famous without any actual credentials; this is despite the success of her reality •Kanye West TV series ‘Keeping and Kim Up With The Kardashian Kardashians.’ Kim first became a household name after her role in a sex tape with thenboyfriend Ray J.

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart began their scandalous relationship when Smart was a backup dancer for Lopez. Though many assumed the relationship would be a quick fling, but surprisingly, the couple is still seen together today *Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart C M Y K

•Beyonce and Jay Z

•Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt shocked everyone when he left his former wife, Jenifer Aniston, for rumoured co-star Angelina Jolie. While they’ve never admitted it, we eventually understood that Angelina was the better fit for him. While Jennifer Aniston was a good wife, it was Jolie that gave him life. We never love the side chick, but there’s always an exception to the rule. •Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith We have always loved this couple even if tabloids are rooting for their downfall. They are a good example of Black love and they try their hardest to maintain face through every issue thrown their way. A couple like this is rare in Hollywood and we want them to continue to upset the naysayers.

•Will Smith and Jada Smith

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Rotimi Agbana 08137741609

I expected Davido to abuse me — Dele Momodu M edia mogul and CEO of Ovation International, Dele Momodu, has finally come out to bare his mind on Davido’s lyrics in Humblesmith’s Osinachi remix. Recall that there was a messy drama between Davido and his babymama, Sophie, who is Momodu’s niece, over the custody of their baby girl, Imade, that led to a bitter disagreement between Davido and the family of the Ovation Boss? Not too long after the rift had been resolved, HKN boss, Davido, jumped on a remix of Humblesmith’s hit single Osinachi to throw jabs at the popular entertainment personality. Reacting to Davido’s lyrics in a recent interview, Dele Momodu had this to say: ‘I actually thought he was abusing me and I expected him to abuse me, but when someone is like your son,

Inside AMV CA’s red AMVC car pe carpe pett The Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) is usually a platform to make entertainment and fashion statements, where celebrities upon late arrival at the venue, patiently and graciously wait to display their gorgeous dresses on the red carpet and possibly grant one or two interviews. The 2016 edition of the AMVCAs was an exception, as the celebrities were early birds. Unfortunately for many of the dapper celebrities who drew admiring glances from all over the venue of the awards; it was a disappointing show as many of them displayed some level of madness on the red carpet. According to ace journalist, Kehinde Ajose, ‘Showbiz is a business of visibility,’ which obviously came to play on the red carpet at the AMVCAS. Upon arrival, each celebrity wanted to be seen and be in the spotlight. There was a mad scramble as celebrities hustled to be next in line for snapshots and interviews. In fact, some female celebrities on the queue complained of their makeup being messed up because they were sweating as a result of the star-studded crowd on the red carpet. What was all that for? Many wondered aloud. Was there a new need to reassert their presence and relevance in the entertainment industry through the snapshots and interviews? Or it was just a mere rush to get over the red carpet thing and secure a front row seat? After the red carpet madness came the disgrace of some celebrities as they were bounced at the entrance to the main event of the day. Prior to the awards, entry cards had been issued to all award nominees and invited guests. But on getting to the entrance, some very popular entertainment celebrities were bounced by the bouncers because they didn’t have the entry card. Obviously seen sitting at the entrance and making an SOS call was former MMMG act, Emma Nyra. The gorgeously dressed artiste was prevented from entering the hall without the entry card. Popular Yoruba actor, Jide Kosoko was also bounced at the main entrance to the red carpet because he wasn’t in possession of the entry card. To worsen the already precarious situation, organizers of the awards barred pressmen from having a glimpse of the main event. The press tag issued to pressmen upon arrival restricted them to the red carpet vicinity only.

you just have to let it pass. His dad and I have known each other like forever. The devil is a liar; when good things are happening, the devil will want to come in between it and all. I saw it online first as people were tweeting about it and I initially said well, he is abusing me, no problem. You know several times in the past, he will attack me and apologize. I understand how he feels; he feels I am supporting my cousin against him and that is not it. All I wanted was just peace and we got it. Well, everybody is fine. All we wanted was just for them to acknowledge the mother of the baby.’ Hopefully, this will bring to an end the cold war still in existence between Davido and Dele Momodu’s family.

Korede Bello dr ops drops ar ‘Mungo PPar ark’ k’ video avin Records scintillating act, M Korede Bello has once again presented his fans and music lovers with the

visuals to his newest single titled Mungo Park, produced by Don Jazzy. The award-winning Romantic crooner this time presents visuals with a funny and hilarious concept to back up the content, with cameo appearances from Mavin Records boss, Don Jazzy and comedian, Seyi Law.

Julius Agwu set to become a pastor: begins Bible School Olamide set to launch street soccer competition

EO of YBNL Nation, Olamide Adedeji, a.k.a Badoo i s set to give back to the streets, not musically this time but sports wise. The award-winning indigenous rapper earlier this week announced on Instagram, his plan to launch a street soccer competition. The street king posted a photo and captioned it, ‘Not Everyday Music! Coming Soon! For enquiries and sponsorship call us on 08097548700 #YBNLStreetSoccer”.

eborn Nigerian comedian, Julius ‘the genius’ Agwu, who recently escaped death by the whiskers, seems to be preparing for a call to ministry. The recently born-again comedian shared a picture of himself in front of a bible school in Port Harcourt on Instagram on Monday afternoon. He

captioned the photo “#TODAY in PORT HARCOURT..My 1st Day in #BIBLE School… Almighty GODISDOING A NEW THING IN MY LIFE #LIFEasIseeiT. Meanwhile, the ace comedian will not be the first entertainment celebrity to venture into God’s work. Going down memory lane, you will recall that some entertainment celebrities have resorted to becoming ministers of God after their careers suffered little setback. Are you as curious and expectant as we are to see the rib-cracking comedian mount the altar of God and minister for the first time?

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SHIRLEY OFOU REVELATIONS •I used to see RMD in my dreams every night •I’m not going to let anyone touch my boobs for now BY DAMILOLA SHOLOLA

IVACIOUS and voluptuous Shirley Oke Ofou, half-Isoko, half-Urobho, has seen her own good share of successful moments in Nollywood. With flicks like Coming to Lagos, Family and Friends, Wanted Girls, Chess Players, to name a few, to her credit, the exquisitely refreshing beau can hold her own with the best in the industry. In this chat with Showtime Celebrity, she lets us into her secret world: “I’ve been in the industry since 1999 but somewhere along the line I had to put my career on hold to further my education,” she explains her break in the industry here in Nigeria that certainly was for her own good. But she was not entirely out of it. “From Ekpoma I moved to London to continue my education. While schooling, I was working as well. I was working with a record label where I met many people from the entertainment industry in Nigeria. So, while I was in London I never really lost contact with most of my colleagues back here and when I got back it was rather easy for me to reconnect and establish myself.” She recalls the movies that made her popular and picks one because of a respected colleague and the character she played. “Coming to Lagos was something else because Funke Akindele also starred in that movie. My husband in the movie used my character for rituals so I think that’s the one because when I got back home people started saying “I watched you, Where they killed you and used you for rituals” Some have talked about boolies in the industry or even those who harass actresses for different reasons. Some fall to this. Is it different with her? “Normally, they would want to but because of the way I got into Nollywood, the people I’ve met and the movies I’ve done, I’ve not really faced any harassment. But there was a guy someone introduced to me that tried pulling a fast one on me. One day, he just called me out of the blues and made out like he wanted to offer me a movie role. He called to tell me that I should meet him at a hotel with some office clothes and I said okay. I smelled a rat when he called me five

Who is Shirley’s role model? And has she had crush on any actor? She laughs and says ‘Yeah, a couple of them; there was a time that I had a terrible crush on Uncle Mofe Damijo, to the extent that I always saw him in my dreams. I am not kidding, I was so obsessed with him there was no night I slept without seeing him in my dream. Each morning when I woke up I asked myself why I kept dreaming about him but the same thing kept happening night after night until I grew out of it. Apart from him, I also I had a crush on Van Vicker.” Shirley looks forward to working with Majid, Genevieve, Uche Jumbo and loves a man who has the fear of God in him. Shirley is beautiful and appreciated it when the compliments were passed. She said this of how she maintains her beauty: ‘Thank you for telling me that. I just try to get some rest and eat right but I don’t go to the gym, though I want to start. So far, I just manage to eat right, eat lots of fruits and I just rest and I don’t go into the sun unless I have an important thing to do.”

minutes later to tell me he was missing me. I was taken aback and wondered how ‘missing you’ came into the picture. Then I called him to ask him what he meant by that and he stammered and said he just wanted me to come and chill with him in the hotel. I said I was sorry, that, I could not do that. They come for you in all sorts of manner but it is up to you accept or reject.” The roles stars play distinguish them when they play it well. It was so for Shirley withComing to Lagos. ‘Coming to Lagos was a daring role because we shot it in a proper forest in Badagry. I was so scared because I kept thinking there could be big snakes in the forest. It was a really big forest. After the film came out, my younger brother who saw it pinged me that I should be careful the kind of roles I take. I had to assure him that it was only a make-believe, that, I was never really alone at any point in time during the shooting of the film. Even though it was scary, I had a really good time. I am even looking forward to more challenging roles” And would she take a sexual role in a movie? “I can do a little bit of kissing and romance but I’m not going to go nude. I’m not going to let someone touch my boobs for now. Of course, there are hugs and kisses when you’re playing the role of a wife or a

girlfriend but I’m not going to go to the extremes, not for any reason I can wear lingerie but I’m not going to be naked. I’m not going to wear pant and bra because we’re Africans whether we like it or not; there are some things we Africans cannot do Shirley knows that people would always talk about stars. There are those who commend them and those who criticise them. ‘People will always talk whether you do good or bad, anyways, it’s just me, it’s just who I am and I don’t think I can actually go totally nude. I can wear a dress, maybe show a bit of my cleavage or wear something sexy and crazy without being naked and having my boobs out

•Shirley Oke Ofou

There was a time that I had a terrible crush on Uncle Mofe Damijo, to the extent that I always saw him in my dreams.

And her views on Nollywood? ‘Nollywood has come a long way. I’ve been around since 1999; then we used to go to Winis in Surulere, so comparing then to now, they’ve really grown. So many people complain and say they don’t watch Nigerian movies; I always try to make them understand if we don’t appreciate our thing it can never grow. This is your home, these are your people, support them, not criticize them’. Yeah, they have some bad movies, no doubts, but they also have some brilliant ones.

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(Text Only)

• Spread Eagle

Some stretches and a rest posture Spread Eagle Technique:

it down and spread the legs out as much as possible. Holding the legs just below the knees, lower the trunk while sliding the hands down to the ankles and resting the chin on the floor. Remain very still and breathe normally for a

few seconds and then straightening up the trunk, bring the legs together and lay on your back for a brief rest. Benefit: The Spread Eagle stretches the spine, rejuvenating the nevous system.

•Spread Eagle variation

The Triangle Technique:

Legs Raise Technique:

Lie on your back with the feet raised up and placed against a wall. Interlace the fingers and resting the back of the head on them, breath in deeply for about 10 times in this position. When you're done with your practise, the next step is to lie flat down and remain still, quite and relaxed on your mat for a few minutes. This is to allow the body to soakup what you've just done and also afford the body a bit of proper rest of body and mind.

Stand with the feet very wide apart and turning the trunk to the left, bend the left knee as much as possible while the right leg is straightened at the same time,and both hands are raised up straight. Stay in that position. Breathe normally and retain the position between five and 15 seconds and then repeat. Benefits: The Triangle like the chair strengthens the leg muscles. It also stretches the spine and trunk muscles. It tones the spinal nerves and abdominal organs. It reduces or eliminates back pain.

• The Triangle

Yoga Classes •Legs Raise

@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island Lagos. 10.00am — 11.00am on Saturdays

32—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

08 1 1 6759 759 081 6759759

Breaking down barriers

odel, Instababe and down-to-earth girl from Darwin. If you don’t yet recognise the Northern Territories beauty, Mahalia Handley, you soon will. Despite being just 23 years old, the Aussie model is a force to be reckoned with, having just scored a top secret major European modelling contract and already modelled for the Kardashians' clothing line. ‘The fashion industry can be a challenging place to cut your teeth,’ Mahalia says. ‘And some people find it hard to deal with the fact that curvy models are becoming more commonplace. ‘Luckily, I have a really supportive team of agents, many of whom are my role models. Agents work a LOT and don’t get the credit for what they do because people don’t see them. 'I saw a saying recently which reads “behind every successful woman is a tribe of successful women” and I totally believe that.’ While it may seem that Mahalia is well and truly breaking down barriers, both because she is a plus-sized model and of mixed race of Irish and Maori heritage, she says it hasn’t always been so easy to feel accepted. ‘Everyone is beautiful is the message I would like to convey to girls around the world,’ she says. ‘Mixed race, plus size women are also confident and beautiful women. Women derive so much confidence and power from models wearing swimsuits and lingerie – it’s massively important to me that I keep spreading a positive

message and continue to represent a very real diversity in fashion.’ With big campaigns like Target, Cosmopolitan, Yours clothing and the Kardashian clothing line already under her belt, Mahalia is fast on her way to spreading a hugely positive global message. ‘My parents always encouraged me to be independent and to take things in my stride,’ she says. ‘And while it’s obviously so exciting to see how far I’ve come, there’s so much more I want to achieve in the future. In 10 years, I’d love to see myself standing beside some of my idols like Robyn Lawley and Ashley Graham and be seen as someone who broke boundaries. ‘I’d love to work with young girls with self-esteem issues, and I’d like to see that my message had got through to people, even just two of them!’. From flying around the world and working on campaigns in both the UK, the US and Australia, Mahalia may not be as far away from achieving her ambitions as she might think. But most importantly, she say, life is a total balancing act: ‘Staying healthy physically is staying healthy mentally – I totally believe in balance,’ she says. ‘I believe in nurturing my body. I do go to the gym, but not every day. Sometimes I’m tired and just need to go for a walk rather than work out. ‘Having said that I have been doing Krav Maga, a kind of Israelian Jiu Jitsu, for the past two and a half years. It’s full on but really good for the mind and a lot of fun!’. Based in the UK for the next six months, working on a soon-

to-be-revealed top secret project, you better get used to seeing Mahalia’s face. ‘I miss home a lot, obviously,’ she says. ‘But I do love being on the road as there’s something beautiful in every country. I can’t wait to pop home to Darwin in a couple of weeks. That’s one thing I really do miss about Australia and home – the weather!’.

punching them. All the men had the same quote on the

Hit me baby one more time?

everal husbands in China have offered themselves as human punch bags ahead of International

Women’s Day. The men were pictured in a village square in Laojunshan, Henan Province on Monday, surrounded by dozens of women going in for a hard

punch, reports the People’s Daily Online. Signs were written on the backs of the lifesized blue punch bags that said: ‘If you’re angry please hit me.’ The women are

given a once-in-a-year chance to ‘let off some steam’ by punching their spouses in the gut. As the men lined up in the square, the women took it

turns to punch their husband’s as hard as they could while wearing boxing gloves. The event was not taken too seriously as they were seen laughing and joking with the men who were constrained by their punch bags. Some of the women even kissed and hugged their husbands after

back of their bags except one which said: ‘A love punch bag.’ According to Chinese media reports, the event was organised to promote forgiveness between husbands and wives, empowering women on the lead up to International Women’s Day. In particular, it is seen as an opportunity for the husbands to apologise to their wives for any misdeeds they may have committed during the past year. International Women’s Day falls on March 8 each year. According to the United Nations, it is a time to reflect on progress, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities.

Woman slices off her brother-in-law's genitals ‘as he raped her' then hands the severed member in to police as evidence in India

MOTHER-of-three chopped off her brotherin-law's genitals before handing them in as evidence at a police station in India. The 32-year-old woman stunned officers when she entered the station in the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh, clutching the severed organ. The woman, who was accompanied by her three children, told officers that it was the only way to stop her brother-in-law attacking her. The woman was staying with her brother-in-law as her husband worked more than 700 miles away, in Nashik, Maharashtra. But he had allegedly

assaulted her many times while she stayed in his house. She told police that she faked consent when her brotherin-law attacked her, before hacking off his privates with a sickle. Before the police were able to get medical support to the injured man, he had already committed suicide, reported the Times of India. His body was reportedly found hanging from a tree near their house. According to Sidhi police spokesman Abid Khan, the woman has been charged with attempted murder. ‘This is a rare case and has to be investigated for a proper chargesheet,’ he said. Police said the woman is mentally stable and does not regret her actions.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 12, 2016 — 33

Champions League:

Enyimba, Warri Wolves eye goal rush against Vital’O, El-Merrikh

igeria’s representatives in the CAF Champions League, Enyimba and Warri Wolves say they are in tip-top shape for tomorrow’s first leg, first round ties against Vital’O.of Burundi and ElMerrikh of Sudan respectively. Enyimba Coach Paul Aigbogun, while noting that the two-time CAF Champions League winners are still a work in progress in terms of perfecting the art of goalscoring, said he believes

•Itoya •Udoh

his strikers will come good against the visiting Burundian champions at the at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt. “The problem of scoring that we are experiencing is not not peculiar to Enyimba. I think most Nigerian sides struggle with that problem, but hopefully, we take our chances on Sunday,” Aigbogun said. The return leg holds at the 22,000 capacity Prince Louis Rwagasore Stadium in Bujumbura and Aigbogun feels the playing the second leg in Burundi would not count against the Nigerian champions. “The fact that we are playing at home this weekend does not give the opposition any undue advantage over two legs. We are looking forward to the game tomorrow. We know that we have to come out and give 100 per cent to make the fans happy”, said the former Warri Wolves coach. Meanwhile, Warri Wolves winger, Kelvin Itoya said they are ready to take down Sudanese side, El Merrikh at the Warri City Stadium. Speaking yesterday, Itoya said: “this is our first time playing in the Caf Champions League and we’ve resolved to make the most of this opportunity. We are well prepared for this side, who we have heard so much about. “They are definitely a good side but we are physically and psychologically ready for them even though we know we have to be at our best to beat them.”

Appreciating the dignity of Enugu Rangers By Louis Amoke y recent encounter at M Agubuowa, in Ezeagu Local Government Area of

Enugu State, where I attended the funeral rites of late Mr. Thomas Ezenwa Anibeze, elder brother to Onochie Anibeze, Saturday Editor of Vanguard Newspaper, was not only nostalgic but also a memorable one. It was a day I had the rare opportunity of meeting an array of ex-Rangers International Football Club players, who gathered at the ancestral home of the Anibezes in Ozom, Agubuowa, Ezeagu L.GA. to sympathize with them over the demise of their brother, Thomas. The encounter was a worthwhile experience as it pulled my memory back to the glorious days the pride of the Igbo man was tied to the anthems of the Enugu Rangers International Football Club. The club’s performances then brought tremendous joy and excitement not only to the fans of the club, but also to the Igbo man who appreciated the commitment, zeal and tenacity of the players. When I arrived at the venue of the event, I sighted the ex-Super Eagles player and Coach, Christian Chukwu, seated with other guests in a canopy adjacent to the entrance gate of the family compound of the Anibezes. His presence drew my attention to the canopy. I exchanged pleasantries with him and had to occupy a seat there. Apart from Chukwu, I was not familiar with any other person in the canopy, until the Master of Ceremony (MC) started the introduction of dignitaries. I was amazed to realize that the group of people C M Y K

Ex-Rangers International footballers during the burial ceremony of late Thomas Anibeze held in his home town in Aguobu Owa of Enugu State recently seated in the said canopy were ex-players of Enugu Rangers International Football Club. I was thrilled when the MC recognized Arthur Egbunam. As I eagerly looked around, I saw as he stood up beside me and greeted the crowd. When the MC announced the presence of Sylvanus Okpala, I anxiously peeped through the crowd and equally saw him standing up to greet the crowd. The rest of the episode continued the same way until I was able to have a glance of a legion of the ex-Enugu Rangers football players, such as Harrison Okagbue, Francis Nwosu (German War), Stanley Okoronkwo, Mike Ogbuodudu, Fancy Ewulu, Dr. Johny Egbonu, Godwin Nosike among others including Louis Igwilo who later visited. I appreciated their presence and the opportunity to meet them on a face value. The reason was not only because

they brought dignity to the Igbo man through their outstanding performances that lifted Enugu Rangers to an enviable height in the country and beyond, but also for their unifying roles that brought joy and unity to the entire Igbo nation. They gave the easterners a sense of belonging and left footprints that were worthy of emulation by the new generation footballers. One can only appreciate the strong union that has kept these great warriors together and the secret of their success story. One can equally appreciate the joy the explayers brought to families, among peers and friends, even enemies each time they played and won their matches. While seated at the event with some of these gallant warriors, I remembered vividly those days of my tender age when my dad would happily

analyze Rangers matches at the end of each day, with our neighbours. They would engage the entire compound with sensational analyses of the matches, echoing their voices to the mountain of Kilimanjero in appreciation of the impressive performances of the Rangers players, such as Christian Chukwu, Emmanuel Okala, Ernest Ufele, Amaechi Igwobi, Felix Emordi, Nnamdi Nwokeocha, Louis Igwilo, Arthur Egbunam, Sylvanus Okpala, Francis Nwosu, popularly called the German War, Mike Ogbuodudu, Dr. Johny Egbonu, among others. These names have not left my memory and one could imagine how I felt when I saw myself seated with some of these great players at the event. My heart was thawed and I couldn’t hide my feeling as I devoted most part of my stay appreciating their

presence. I saluted their gallant efforts towards the success story of the Rangers International Football Club, during their time. I appreciated God for keeping them healthy and together as one strong and unified family with all the attributes of statesmanship. I left the venue of the funeral ceremony a fulfilled man but saturated with so many worries in my heart concerning the club’s fate since the departure of this set of players over 30 years ago. Rangers have suffered tremendous neglect but Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration has started moves to reposition the club and return it to its original formation of winning glory. The governor has shown interest in the progress of the club and has demonstrated his commitment towards its success. One appreciates the interventionist moves he made shortly after his inauguration when he resolved the dispute between the management of the club and its players over the non-payment of their salary arrears and other incentives. He made sure that they were paid. And as the new football season kicked off few weeks ago, Rangers have, through their performance so far, shown the spirit and character Ugwuanyi wants them to display throughout the campaign. Although they have not won any silverware recently they remain the club yet to face relegation. They have faced challenges but their dignity is still in tact. ..Amoke is the Senior Special Assistant to the Enugu State Governor on Media

34 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 12, 2016

Salah would be a handful for Eagles — Cuper pics/salah

gypt national soccer coach, Hector Cuper is brimming with confidence that his foreign-based stars can get one over a Super Eagles side still coming to terms with their abrupt exit of Coach Sunday Oliseh. With just about 12 days to the potentially decisive March 25 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, Egypt, who top Group C with six points from two games as against Eagles haul of four points are desperate to qualify for the continent’s flagship tournament since their last appearance in 2010, which they won. In an interview with AlMasry Al-Youm, Cuper tipped his foreign stars like Mohamed Salah of Roma and Mohamed Elneny of

Eagles gather steam for Egypt clash

Arsenal to bring their wealth of experience to bear in the looming tago with Eagles. “Salah and Eleny would prove a handful for the Nigerians. I am sure their wealth of experience playing for two top teams in Europe will count over the two matches against the Eagles”, said the Argentine-born coach. Cuper praised Salah as “an exemplary professional, who excels with his own club and replicates his performance with the national side. That’s quite proven by the number of goals he scored in the World Cup qualifiers to top the scoring charts. He’s exactly like Amr Zaki and Mohamed Zidan who were impressing with both their respective foreign clubs and Egypt.”

Barca unleash MSN on Getafe

arcelona will attempt to make it 37 games unbeaten in all competitions when they welcome struggling Getafe to Camp Nou in La Liga today. The Catalan giants will enter the match eight points clear of second-place Atletico Madrid, while Getafe sit just above the relegation zone in 16th having lost seven of their last eight top-flight matches. Barcelona will have Neymar back from a onematch suspension this weekend and the Brazilian is expected to return to the front three alongside Suarez and Messi. Andres Iniesta i s a l s o expected to return to the starting XI after sitting out the clash with Eibar last weekend, but Dani Alves and Jordi Alba could both be rested ahead of next week’s Champions League clash with Arsenal. As for Getafe, Damian Suarez and Roberto Lago remain on the sidelines, which could once again mean starts for attackers Karim Yoda a n d Emiliano Buendia in the full-back positions. C M Y K

Pedro Leon i s a l s o pushing for a return in an attacking area, but Moi Gomez a n d Bernard Mensah are expected to continue on the bench. Barcelona have won eight and drawn three of the 11 league meetings between the two teams at Camp Nou. What’s more, Getafe have not scored in their last three with the Catalan outfit in Spain’s top flight. In terms of the more recent clashes, Barcelona recorded a thumping 6-0 victory at Camp Nou in the corresponding

m a t c h last season and were also 2-0 winners in the capital earlier this term. Overall, the pair have met on 27 occasions since the 2004-05 season and Getafe have only won three times - all of which came at home. It is very difficult to predict anything other than a comfortable Barcelona win this weekend. The Catalan side’s unbeaten run is going to end at some point, but we do not think it will be this weekend. Getafe are on a rotten run of form and will surely be on the receiving end of another defeat at Camp Nou.

hree-time African champions, Nigeria are reaching new heights as they prepare for a make or break 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier with sevent i m e record winners Egypt on March 25 at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna. Egypt are on top of Group G of the Nations Cup qualifiers with a maximum six points after wins over Tanzania and Chad while Nigeria are second with four points. A Nigerian win will see the Eagles leapfrog the Pharaohs by a point going into the return leg in four days time in Alexandria, w h i c h stand-in C o a c h S a m s o S i a s i a believes his charges will win without breaking m u c h sweat. A n d speaking on his s i d e ’ s readiness for the crunch Fr i d a y n i g h t fixture on March 25, the former B e i j i n g Olympic silvermedal-winning coach said he was impressed with the players’ progress at the Bolton White Apartment camp of the Eagles. “The boys are coping with the routines we have been introducing to them and I am happy with their progress. The match with Egypt presents us with an opportunity to show our fans how committed and determined we are in our pursuit of the ticket to play in the Nations Cup next year in Gabon. “I am quite hopeful that we will overcome them because we have gathered enough steam in the past five days of training ad with another round next week, I am sure our steam level would have gone up as we await the arrival of the players in Europe in camp for this very important match”, added Siasia.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 12, 2016 — 35

Oriental classic in Umuahia as Rangers battle Abia Warriors T

HE battle for top spot on the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) table will heat up as Week 6 of the season takes centre stage this weekend. Leaders Rangers will face high-flying Abia Warriors in Umuahia as they seek to consolidate their leadership of the table. Ghanaian goalkeeper Nana Bonsu has returned from a rib injury which kept him out against Wikki, while midfielder Emeka Eze is expected to return to training this week after recovering from a groin injury.

It promises to be a difficult match as hosts Abia Warriors are yet to lose a game out of the five they have played so far. A win for Rangers keep

them top of the table with 13 points, while victory for Abia Warriors could shoot them to the top with 11 points, depending on the outcome of the game between Lobi Stars and Pillars.

Sharapova’s sponsor kicks against banning meldonium

ARIA Sharapova’s racket supplier says the drug she tested positive for at the Australian Open shouldn’t be on the banned list. “We question WADA’s decision to add meldonium to its banned substances list in the manner it did,” Head CEO Johan Eliasch said Friday, one day after he publicly backed Sharapova and announced a new racket deal with the five-time Grand Slam champion, who has been using the equipment since 2011. Eliasch said the World Anti-

Doping Agency should have imposed “a dosage limitation only” on meldonium instead of completely banning it as of Jan. 1. According to Eliasch, Sharapova was taking the substance in such low doses that the drug couldn’t possibly have improved her performance. “In the circumstances we would encourage WADA to release scientific studies which validates their claim that meldonium should be a banned substance,” he said.

FA Cup: Everton set for Chelsea showdown

OBERTO Martinez has dismissed suggestions Everton ‘s season rests on the FA Cup showdown against Chelsea today but insists his side are ready for the game. The Blues take on the Londoners under the Goodison lights this evening with a place in a Wembley semi-final at stake. “I don’t see it as make or break,” said Martinez. “I see it as the type of game we want

to be involved in. It’s a quarter-final of the FA Cup and we have the advantage of playing at Goodison. We can achieve something really special. “After what we’ve had to go through this week, it’s the type of game we can use to our advantage. It’s an opportunity to show what we can do. Nothing should distract us from our focus.”

Pizarro returns to face Bayern

ONSIDER the top scorers in the Bundesliga and two names invariably spring to mind first: Robert Lewandowski a n d PierreEmerick Aubameyang. The pair are blazing a trail at the top of the scoring charts, with 23 and 22 goals respectively. But what if the season had commenced only in January? The hunt for the coveted Torjägerkanone Torjägerkanone would then be led by another man; a man of great experience who was already tormenting Bundesliga defenders before Lewandowski and Aubameyang had made their professional debuts. That man is Claudio Pizarro, SV Werder Bremen sharpshooter and the Bundesliga’s all-time top foreign scorer with 187 goals. With nine strikes since the turn of the year, he has one more than Lewandowski and five more than Aubameyang since the winter break – an unrivalled haul.

Nadal accused of doping by ex-Sports Minister F

ORMER French minister for health and sports Roselyne Bachelot has accused Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal of doping without providing any evidence She based her allegation on the player ’s absence for C M Y K

months in 2012 due to a knee injury, reports Efe. The former minister explained that when tennis players stop competing for several months, they have tested positive for banned drugs, noting that these cases are not regular, but “very of-

ten.” Bachelot’s accusation was not the first against Nadal by sporting figures in France, as Yannick Noah, current captain of the French team in the Davis Cup, previously hinted at the possibility that the Spanish player may have tested positive for banned drugs.

Siasia: I’m yet to see hunger in Eagles

UPER Eagles head coach Samson Siasia has challenged the Super Eagles home stars to show they can be relied on to deliver the goods in crucial matches whenever the need arises. “We have to step up our commitment level and show more seriousness,” the Coach opened up to his players. “I am yet to see that hunger in all of you in all the friendly matches we have played so far since we opened this camp. We are facing Egypt in about two weeks and we will not stand

any chance against them if we do not change our attitude,” Siasia said. He added: “How can we, the Super Eagles, play against this NNL team and fail to create one clear –cut goal scoring opportunity? If we cannot create chances in this kind of games, when and where will we be able to create them? I know we are far better than this performance and will improve but we have to do so very quickly because there is no time.”

Newcastle axe McClaren

Match of the Day presenter EWCASTLE United have sacked head coach Steve Gary Lineker tweeted: “Newcastle have finally put Steve McClaren. The former England boss won McClaren out of his misery. “The running of that great just six of 28 Premier League games in charge of the Mag- football club is beyond shampies, who are just one place bolic.” off the foot of the table. McClaren and his team were booed off following Saturday ’s 3-1 loss to Bournemouth at St James’ Park - their third successive league defeat. Former Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss Rafael Benitez has been tipped to take over. McClaren’s future has been a source of almost constant speculation since the defeat to the Cherries. McClaren

36—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

Oba Dapo TTejuoso ejuoso mar ks 78 marks OBA Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso, Karunwi III Oraniyan, Osile Oke-Ona Egba, marked his 78 th Birthday Anniversary with Special Service recently at his GRA, Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta, Ogun State. It was a family affair but few friends and organisations dropped in to pay the monarch, respect. Photos by Wumi Akinola

Oba Dapo Tejuoso, his Oloris and the Omobas jointly cutting the birthday cake

R-L:Mrs. Emi Alawode, Federal University of Agriculture, Alabata, Abeokuta's PRO, presenting card gift to celebrant, Oba Dapo Tejuoso during the Service, while Olori Yetunde and Omoba Tejuoso looks on.

L-R: High Chief Doja Adewolu, Hon. Justice A. Adewolu (Rtd), Dr. Ajibola Jiboku and Oba Reuben Oluwole.

Rex Chinedu weds Christina Ekeoma

Rex Chinedu, a Vanguard staff recently wedded Christina Ekeoma at Christ Resurrection and L i f e Ministry, Obanikoro, Lagos. Their families and friends were there to wish them well. Photos by Sola Oyelese

L-R: Rev (Dr) Henry Ibe, Pastor Ogbona Benjamin, representing bride's parents, the couple, Mr and Mrs Rex Chinedu with Mr Francis Akaribee, representing the groom's parents.

L-R: Ms Titi Jolaoso of Vanguard, the couple, Mr and Mrs Rex Chinedu with Helen Arowolo of Vanguard.

Lessons fr om Lions da ed Nations from dayy with Unit United

entorship, leadership and self reliance has been identified as key and way forward for the Nigerian youths and future leaders for a better Nigeria. Dr. Ken Onyeali-Ikpe, the guest speaker and a lecturer at the Pan African university said this at the ‘Lions day with the United Nations’’ held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs NIIA recently. Speaking on the topic “Leadership deficit and youth Development”, he said “ leadership is not about position but vision, Integrity, perseverance, development and empowerment “. He went further “leaders must always exude confidence, passion and enthusiasm. Leaders cause chan and they use people to bring about change. They look for great people and challenge them to keep them great. The chairperson Dr. Mrs Onikepo Akande opined that the theme of the event “Achievement of UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through Youth Development and Empowerment” presents a laudable L-R: Nicholas Otumun, Mr Olushola Ojo image of a forward looking organization. According to her “the need to constantly develop our youth Mr Sam Irogbulaem. cannot be over emphasized and I am pleased that the topic for today’s lecture “Leadership Deficit and Youth Development” seeks to identify areas which require attention. It is my hope that collectively we can identify and proffer solutions to more problems for immediate attention of the relevant agencies and organizations’’.

and

District governor and host, Lion Omolola Anobili appreciated everyone present and encouraged other Lions to remain focus on the goals of the NGO .

Cross section of the audience C M Y K

Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande

L-R: Lion Omolola Anobili, DG, Lions Club 404B1, Lion Stella Agbogun, Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande, Dr. Ken Onyeali-Ikpe, the guest speaker, HOB Lawal, past Int'l director, and Lion Yemi Olawepo, protocol officer.

SA TURD AY SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016—37

Why Cervical cancer is on the increase By Victoria Ojeme & Vivian Yiye

r. Onwufor Uche [MB.BS, F WACS] is a Consultant Obstetrician/ Gynecologist and Executive Director, Gynae Care Research and Cancer Foundation [GRCF], a registered NGO based in Abuja, Nigeria. He had his postgraduate training at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (U.B.T.H.) where he spent two years in the Oncology Department of the Hospital and was planning to travel overseas for Specialist Training in Gynecological Oncology. However, while in training he noticed with dismay the alarming death rate in cancer patients and the fact that more than 80% of these patients present in advanced stages of the disease, when only palliative (end of life care) is possible. Majority of these patients never had any form of screening to pick up these cancers in the precancerous stages as most of them lacked awareness about cancer and its predisposing factors. He also noted that our cancer centers were not properly equipped with the facilities for managing the increasing number of cancer cases in Nigeria. In 2013, he travelled to Dubai for a course in Cancer prevention and this sparked off a desire in him to establish an organization to increase public knowledge about the several cancers and how they can be prevented. He does this through advocacy, conducting free medical outreaches to religious organizations, corporate organizations, schools and communities. Medical screenings for cancers are also carried out during these outreaches. He spoke with us. Excerpts: What are the causes of cervical cancer? Cervical cancer is caused by the Human Paploma Virus. 100% of patients who have had cervical cancer had virus found in them. The Human Paploma Virus is not the same as HIV. It is the commonest virus around which is sexually transmitted; men transmit it to C M Y K

women, women can transmit it to men but for the women the HPV could lead over time from 10 – 20 years to cervical cancer. The bad part is that this HPV doesn’t just cause cervical cancer it can also cause cancer of the vagina, the vulvae, the anus and the throat. Another cause of cervical cancer which we call risk factor is early age of sex. So if a woman has started having sex like around age of 12 or 13, it is a risk factor. Multiple sexual partners are risks. Having too many kids is also a risk. Some people talk about the hormonal•Dr contraceptives which are also Onwufor risk factors for cervical cancer but the main risk Uche have been tied to the Human Paploma Virus. Do you carry out treatment free as well? For now we have had people on follow up. Our vision is to administer the treatment free especially to those who can’t pay but the screening is free. Voluntary support is also welcome. For the treatment we are planning to introduce a little fee to help us recuperate and hoping that when we get enough funding we will make it free for as many who can’t pay for it and of course for those who can pay we will charge a nominal fee that they won’t get anywhere else. What is the link between cervical cancer and HIV/ AIDS? HIV/AIDS reduces the immunity of an individual to fight infections. In clients who have HIV it is possible they have also been infected with the HPV and if they have been infected with the HPV the body’s immune system won’t be able to respond adequately to the HPV so in this person cervical cancer develops faster. Actually cervical cancer is one of the 8 defining criteria; you have a patient with HIV having cervical cancer then it is AIDS already so that is the link, the immune system going down may not be able to fight the Human Paploma Virus. Like I said most of us will be able to clear out the virus if the

Dr. Uche immune system of the body is intact but in HIV patients the ability of the immune system been able to fight the virus is reduced so they are more at risk of cervical cancer and that is why HIV patients should actually have a specific program where they go for screening regularly more than the normal population because they have an increased risk of developing the cancer. What is the surviving rate of patients with cervical cancer? The survival rate depends on the stage at presentation. At stage 4 up to 70 percent of them will be dead in the next 5 years. The more advanced the stage the less the chances of survival and that is why we keep saying that if you can pick it up on time something can be done about it. Most of our clients come in when the cancer is advanced and it is only palliative care you can carry out; end of life care to make life more tolerable; reduce pain, diagnosis and all that, just to help the person die with less pain. Can cervical cancer be treated with chemotherapy? Usually at the early stage you can remove the uterus and do what we call chemo radiation but at the advanced stages they are usually difficult. I think the opinion of people differ depending on their level of exposure and where they were trained and their experience also but basically one of the ways of treating cervical cancer is what we call chemo radiation drugs and radiotherapy to manage it. We have done that with some good effect but like we said most of the drugs we get are from India where you don’t have control over the actual dosage of the drugs because there are cheaper and affordable for the patient most times the patient goes for it. On the recent awareness of cancer in the country, has there been any improvement on people turning out for tests? I will say yes and no. Urban population still has 80% of women who have never had any form of screening. It is

worse in the rural areas. I know national hospital did that some time ago, Garki did that they had some funding for that but we still carried some outreach and people where still not aware and some who were aware felt maybe it was not convenient for them going there that they may have to pay. Some things are involved like the lack of trust for the health care system which I’m sure makes people shy away from going for such screening. For some persons they may have some cultural beliefs, religious beliefs and all that. So for us it is an uphill task, we still have many who need to do screening. I also think there will be need for women advocates to go into this, religious leaders should also talk about these things. Recently when we go on air to announce for people to come we have 80% of the callers who are men asking for information for their wives and most of these women finally turn up so if the men get involved especially the Muslim men their women will come for such and the turn out will be better.

Usually at the early stage you can remove the uterus and do what we call chemo radiation but at the advanced stages they are usually difficult

Cancer treatment is expensive and many poor people explore herbal treatment, is there any herbal cure we speak? Cancer is something that happens to anybody; rich and poor but when you talk about the treatment yes it is quite expensive. In some places three weeks treatment of cancer can cause almost half a million naira and we are talking of a country where most times our machines are breaking down so we find most of our clients travelling out and when they come back they tell you the amount is in six digits, running into millions. The herbal medications are upcoming and I think where they have a problem is they have not passed all the stringent rules that the orthodox drugs have passed through because in formulating a drug it goes through physics of development; they test it, they know the side effects, they know the active components and know how much a patient can take but with the herbal drugs there are usually no dosages, they haven’t

Continues on page 38

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Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

Why Cervical cancer is on the increase

Continues from page 37 passed the stringent processes like the orthodox drugs and I won’t say I would recommend it because we are not sure they are treating what you say they are treating. And now we are also talking about not only treatment but also preventive options. Do you see that option as remedy? Yes. Preventive care is still the best because like cervical cancer up to 95% cases of it can be prevented. There are vaccines now and if you vaccinate all the young girls before they start engaging in sex you reduce the rate by 50% already. But the issue is this, the vaccines are a little bit expensive and they are not free. Secondly if every woman does her screening we can reduce the rate because we pick up those who have the virus and they can be treated and the treatment is much cheaper than going for treatment of cancer. So with the pre cancer it can be treated with less than 30,000 naira and it won’t need to progress to cancer. How many Oncologists do we have in Nigeria? Presently I won’t have the

full statistics but put it to about 250 and that is a country where we have 48 million women who are above the age of 15 so it is

SEXUAL ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS Do you know that a man has about eleven erections a day? Which explains, well, everything and about nine of those happen at night which is why something is ALWAYS poking you in your sleep. Men actually need to ejaculate to remain “healthy.” A fact that will obviously be used against us every time we aren’t in the mood. According to every guy everywhere, the underside of the penis head is the most sensitive spot and there are at least fortytwo different types of bacteria that live on the pork sword. Hello, im a 65 year old man, I do enjoy having sex but I have very weak erection and premature ejaculation due to the diabetes that am treating. One of my friend who suffers the same fate got Xzen 1200 from you guys, can I also get Xzen 1200 or what do you suggest I take? Caleb Mr Caleb, Xzen 1200 is a potent herbal supplement that gives very strong erection on demand; but I will advise you take Vigrx plusif you want to correct both weak erection and premature ejaculation simultaneously. Vigrx plus is also a herbal supplement that really helps erectile dysfunction especially for men that are diabetic or hypertensive and it gives no side effect even to men who have no health issues. I have been using Vigrx plus and plump cream for the past three months and I got an increase of 2inches to the length C M Y K

quite frightening and the number of cancer cases ... like cervical cancer alone we have 14,000 cases every year and 10,000 women

dying from it every year and part of the reason is because we don’t have centres. We just have six centres and about three

years ago the government came up with the news of creating about 10 more centres but we are still waiting and we are still hopeful that those centres will function. Do you see the rate of cancer increasing or decreasing? The international cancer centres has predicted an increase in cancer rate. Like cervical cancer there is an increase in HPV sexually transmission, girls are becoming sexually active quite early so we expect an increase in rate and then there is an increase in population and we don’t have facilities on ground to cater for them health wise, there is no culture of screening. In some hospitals they don’t carry out screening for cervical cancer. You have to go to another hospital to get that and then environmental factors are coming too. We have a lot of radiation around now, sedentary life style is also a threat and of course we talked about environmental degradation, environmental pollution from cars, we are buying a lot of second hand cars, the fumes and damage to the system is much.

TRUE FACTS ABOUT THE PENIS III

and about an inch to the width. Do I need to continue using or should I stop cos Im happy with the result I got – Ola Dear Ola, am glad you are happy with the increment you got on your penis. Since you are ok with the result you got with Vigrx plus and Plump cream which gives a fast and permanent enlargement, you don’t need to continue using. However, I’ll advise that if you want to maintain the result you got, you need to get a pack of Vigrx plus once in 6 months. I have been reading about your article,im a 38 year old woman and I always have very painful intercourse which I never enjoy, what can you advise I take? Bola Hello Bola, I wouldn’t know if you have given birth or not, but if you have had children, your libido and urge for sex will drop totally.i ‘ll advise you take the Germany Sex drops which isa liquid you put in drink some 30 minutes before sex to arouse you. The work of Germany sex drops is perfected when combined with an arousal gel like Spot on gspot, Mood arousal gel,69 lick me when you massage just a little quantity on the clitoris. I believe if you are well aroused, you will be in the mood and enjoy the sex; you can also get lubricants like Mood, Moistetc to wet your vagina in case you become dry in the process of lovemaking to avoid pain. Viewden,pls do you still

havePlant vigra and Rhino 7? These two work like magic for me andIcant seem to get them anywhere- Bright Bright, Rhino 7and Plant Vigra are both readily available. Most people like Rhino 7 because just one capsule work in their system for 5 days and keep them active. Plant Vigra on the other hand gives very strong erection on demand and the effect of one capsule last in the body for 3 days. Thank you so much Viewden, I used Prosolution for two months and now i don’t experience premature ejaculation again and I can even go more than one round if I want,cos I recover quickly after any ejaculation - Titus Mr Titus, you are highly welcome. We at Viewden feel fulfilled when our recommended products gives a satisfying result to the customer that uses them. Prosolution is a very potent and effective herbal supplement that handles premature ejaculation. Hi , Im a 49 year old man, pls can you give me your top five products that can give strong erection on demand; I want to try them all and know which one works better for meChris We retail a lot of erection enhancers for men. However, we have some top scorers that don’t readily select the body they work in and are very effective. They include- Xmen, Xzen 1200, Libmax plus, Rhino 7, Libigrow, Plant Vigra and many more. We’ll be expecting your order soon. These are all we can take for today. Adults who needs any of these aphrodisiacs can call us on 08034666358, 07059294782 between 8am to 6pm (weekdays) and 10am to 3pm on Saturdays or place your orders at www.viewden.com. For further enquiries, send us an email at vieweden@yahoo.com, viewden@ymail.com Kemi Fawole (MD)

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016 — 39

Stakeholders call on Nimet to commercialise services By Lawani Mikairu

TAKEHOLDERS in the agricultural, engineering, and construction sectors in the country have called on the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Nimet, to fully commercialise their weather prediction services which the agency has been rendering almost free to users. The call was made in Abuja at this year’s Seasonal Rainfall Predictions by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Nimet. This year event which has as its Theme: “The Impact of Weather Variability and Climate Change on Tr a n s p o r t a t i o n Infrastructure and Agriculture in Nigeria” was witnessed by the Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of State (Aviation), Senator Hadi Sirika, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,

Chief Audu Ogbe. The Director General ,Nimet, Dr Anthony Anuforom in his welcome address said there will be “late on set, early cessation and lower than normal rainfall in many parts of the country in 2016 and the late on set of rainfalls will hit the northern parts seriously. Moderate harmattan is expected to affect air travel with lots of delays and cancellations. The dry spells during the rainy season may be more frequent and severe in many parts of the North while the little dry season (August Break) in parts of the South will be pronounced.” Calling on Nimet for commercial partnership, the Director General / CEO, National Biotechnology Development Agency, NABDA, represented by Dr Gloria Obioh, Acting Director/Head Environmental Biotechnology and Bioconservation

Department said “ The lessons from weak investment and capacity building in fossil technology domestication must be brought to bear on the development of Climate Smart Agriculture, Vaccines and Bioenergy. Institutions must be strengthened and the right incentives put in place to guarantee indigenous capacity to produce smart and efficient systems for the practice of safe biotechnology and climate forecasts to enable the sectors contribute adequately to meeting the post 2015 SDG targets.” “You will recall that the 17th Sustainable Development Goal centres on “Partnership”. Nimet is therefore invited to partner with NABDA and together Nigeria would make the needed difference. It is thus imperative that Nimet be further supported to deliver the level of forecast required by the nation as we progress into the mid-21st century climate regime “.

Katsina APC is securing not mortgaging the future — Gov Masari

HE Governor of Katsi na State, Aminu Bello Masari said the loan approved for the state by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, rather than mortgage, is securing the future of the state and its children. Chairman of National Conscience Party, NCP,one of the opposition parties in the state, Mallam AbdulMumin Sani had criticised the loans secured by the Masari led APC government as mortgaging the state and it’s children. According to the governor’s Senior Special Assistant, Media, Abdul Labaran

Malumfashi, the loans, apart from the fact that there is a compelling need for taking them, they are offered by the CBN to bail out the states from the financial dire straits they have found themselves, as a result of which many of them were unable to pay workers salary for months and or pension and gratuity. “These loans, which attract a single digit 9% interest and are payable in 20 years, are the N11.7 billion for the payment of pension and gratuity arrears, the N2 billion for small and medium enter-

prises and the N10 billion for infrastructure development, which is broken down thus; Education, N3 billion, Health, N2 billiion, Water, N2.5 billion and Agriculture, N2 billiion. “This administration would not have found it necessary to resort to taking these or any other loans had the previous administration in the state made judicious use of the over N1 trillion it had earned as revenue from the Federation Account and Internally Generated Revenue in the eight years it had been in office.

Lagos Assembly calls on Buhari to resuscitate WAI the indisciplined acts, he By Ebun Sessou

HE Lagos State House of Assembly has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resuscitate War Against Indiscipline, WAI, to restore orderliness, sanity and discipline in the country. This call followed the joint motion moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Lanre Ogunyemi, and seconded by the Chairman, House Committee on Finance, Yinka Ogundimu. The lawmakers decried the break down of law and order, good behaviour and sanity in the society. Ogunyemi said that the programme would help build the culture of cleanliness, humility, dutifulness, honesty among oth-

ers in the country. According to him, “There is no more sanity in the society, people don’t see anything bad in evil and indiscipline again. Abnormal things have become normal in our society,” he said. Highlighting some of

said, defecation in open space, street fighting, disobedience to traffic lights, littering roads, blocking of drainages with waste, failure to use pedestrians bridges, beating of security operatives among others.

40—SA TURD AY 40—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, MARCH 12 12,, 2016

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Agonies and joys of a septuagenarian father W

hat madness possesses pensioner in his 70s to start a second family when all his other children are full adults? Christopher, a fairly successful publisher was in his early 70s when he met his third wife, Clair who was then in her late 30s. By the time he was 76, they’d gone ahead to have two lovely children—a boy and a girl. According to Chris, “Besides the occasional blip, raising a child, no matter your age, is a huge pleasure. Feeding a baby its bottle is one of the great joys of life for a father, and one of the few things one ever does that is unquestionably useful. “Only, when you are in your 70s, levering yourself out of a deep settee afterwards and transferring the baby to its cot without waking it is quite a physical achievement. There’ve been many moments I have shared with my young children which never fail to bring a smile to my face—mainly because I never dreamt I would be experiencing such moments at this age, despite the fact that I have four grown up children and six grandchildren. “A few months back, one of my grandchildren had her fifth birthday at a restaurant and a number of us went. At a few tables away, an ugly looking woman who was with her children stopped by on her way to the bathroom, and wanted to know more about this lively family. I told her proudly: ‘This in my son, Daniel—he is 45, and this is my son Bob, he is two. “The inquisitive smile on her face faded as she went away, a disapproving look on her face. We all laughed. As a matter of fact, the gap between my oldest and youngest daughters is even bigger—49 years! “Thankfully, the older children are very happy about the new arrivals and couldn’t wait to see them. The eldest of my six grandchildren, who is 14, sent his new-born uncle, Bob a note welcoming him to the family. The biggest drawback with a baby at this age however, is the freedom it steals. The new arrival needs constant attention. Whereas before I could write if I feel like it, drop by at the office or read a book before watching a bit of sport on TV, there is now a prior, and sometimes rather

insistent call on my time. Even though you have been through it before, there are always anxieties with tiny babies. Before Bob was born, we were warned he might not survive due to medical condition suffered by my young wife. When he arrived fit and healthy via Caesarean, the doctors had to give my wife a lot of pain relief for several hours

I have to admit that it can be a strange and unsettling experience being so old a new father

during which time her mother, who was younger than me of course, and I were left taking turns holding the baby. “Thankfully, both our babies emerged none the worse for their respective ordeals. There had always been a nagging doubt in our minds that given

our ages, there was a risk of abnormality, but both our children are strong and beautiful. And along with the inevitable anxieties, there are many small pleasures of latelife parenthood—the warming smile of recognition in the morning, that look of unconditional love, the noisy ecstasies of splash-time in the bath assisted by the househelps—and the heart-bursting pride as the baby takes its first steps. However, the sheer physical effort of coping with children at my age can be demanding. So much so that I have to take a brisk daily walk and use an exercise bike and some modest weights to revive my shrinking muscles. After all, toddlers can be heavy and buggies even heavier! There’s also a sadder side to having tiny children at my age, in that I won’t live to see them as adults, maybe not even in their teens. I also have to face the fact that they

may hardly remember me at all in later life. For them, too, there is the inevitable trauma of losing a parent while they are young. “But some children lose their parents any way. I have known two fathers who died at 51, one of them before seeing his child. To say that I should not have had children at my age would have left my wife childless, for she has not been married before nor had any previous children. That is a big call for anyone to make about other people’s lives. I have to admit that it can be a strange and unsettling experience being so old a new father, especially when both children look a lot like me! You can’t help thinking:’In my end is my beginning.’ “Whatever happens, one can only hope that these late-comers will get as much fun out of life as their old man.”

Why row about little things that prolong your marriage?

F you find yourself getting more and more irritated with your beloved, then common sense would suggest that it’s best to hold your tongue. But in this case, at least, it appears common sense might be wrong. Because according to researchers, it’s much better for your marriage to speak up rather than let your problems fester. Dr. Harnnah Fry, a mathematician at University College, London, reviewed scientific studies about relationships for her book; The Mathematics of Love. She claims that maths can help find answers to common love-life dilemmas. For example, according to her research, women who tend to approach men are more likely to get a husband or boyfriend who they get on with —compared to those who simply sit and wait to get asked out. And crucially, she found that couples who have a low negativity threshold—or in other words complain about things that annoy them readily, are less likely to trouble the divorce courts. According to Dr. Fry, “I thought that a high threshold of negativity, where you let

things go on and let your partner be themselves would be more successful. But the exact opposite is true. The couples who end up doing best have a really low negativity threshold. When things bother them they speak up immediately and don’t let small things spill out of control.’ She based her view on research led by Dr. John Gottman in Seattle, USA.His team measured everything from facial expressions to heart rate and blood pressure—and then rated comments made by each spouse for joy, humour, affection and interest. The experiment was carried out on newlywed couples and lasted for several years. The team found that a key point was the ‘negativity threshold’—or the point when the other partner feels compelled to speak up. The scientists found that when a partner reacted to a negative comment without a great deal of provocation, the relationship tended to be very successful. And looking at the negativity threshold helped the researchers predict which couples would get divorced with an impressive 90 per cent accuracy. The researchers

compared ‘repairing’ problems in a marriage to treating a small scratch early, which is better for your health than dealing with it when it has become badly infected. The team said it was less damaging to have a minor argument rather than give each other days of the silent treatment—which only made the problem worse. Dr. Fry said that couples who had a lower risk of divorce also had a ‘deep-seated positive view’ of their partner and would view any annoying behaviour as temporary rather than permanent. She went on to say:’But highrisk couples were exactly the opposite, they have a deep-seated negative view of their partner and any bad behaviour reinforces that idea.’ However, she also warned couples that they should do their best to resist the temptation to let rip. She said it was extremely important that when you bring up something that you find irritating about your partner, you make the comments gently and supportively rather than aggressively.

SATURDAY

Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016—41 YETUNDE AREBI Yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk tweeterhandle@yetundearebi 08054700825

Ese Oruru: Unanswered questions on my mind (1)

t is obvious, that we are yet to hear the last of the Ese Rita Oruru and Yunusa Dahiru, a.k.a. Yellow. In the next couple of weeks when proper hearing should begin, we are surely going to be entertained to our hearts delight, from the ridiculous to the morbid and out rightly outrageous. But while we await these, there are still several questions in my mind begging for answers that may never be provided, at least, with the way many issues seem to have been twisted and wounded together, leaving one gaping in bewilderment and confusion. I have heard, witnessed and intervened in several run-away cases and I can assure you that every one has a peculiar twist of its own, Ese’s inclusive. Unfortunately, several issues compound Ese’s case, making it stand out like a sore thumb and a spectacle for the theatres, allowing our hypocrisy as a people rise to a ridiculous level. The Authorities While everyone has been trading blames back and forth on this Ese saga, the final buck seem to have been deposited at the stable of the IGP who obviously, by simple reasoning, must have been the last person on the list of persons in authority to be briefed. As I early suggested, it is possible that the Orurus believed it was a case of simple elopement that could be solved amicably without it becoming public knowledge and this must have resulted in their failure to lodge a formal complaint at the nearest Police station to them in Bayelsa State at the beginning. But the gaffs between the Police in Kano, the Emir’s office and the Islamic body trusted with the implementation of the Emir’s directives cannot be swept under the carpet. While it is safe for us all to pass the blame on others but ourselves, it is honourable and dignifying for us as individuals to accept responsibilities for our actions and inactions and to correct whatever we can, especially as a people. In a highly politicised society such as ours where problems have been further compounded by religious and ethnic bigotry and considerations, it is sheer hypocrisy for anyone to ignore the peculiar nature of our justice system. In a country where we have two different approved laws governing two different parts of the country, surely, this has set the tone for the quality of justice that will be available to the citizens. Pray, was it not under our collective watch that certain “watchers” approved the establishment of Sharia laws in governance of some sections of the country? What happened thereafter? Scores were amputated for committing petty crimes, including the C M Y K

The truth is, too many cooks are spoiling the broth of Nigeria's law enforcement and justice system

amputation of a child bride who was caught while attempting to run away from her forced marriage, while the rich and powerful got away with dare devil pen robberies and other atrocities? But for the intervention of the International community, Amina Lawal of Katsina State would have been publicly stoned to death on the orders of the Sharia court, despite the protest of local Human Rights activists. Her offense was that she was found guilty of fornication, being a single and pregnant female. Her male co-traveller walked away with only a pat on the wrist, after all, it is a man’s world. Where were we when late Abubakar Audu allegedly took a child bride to add colour to his proposed return as executive governor of Kogi State? Why could we only make noise when Senator Yerima imported a little girl from Egypt as bride under the watch of our NGOs and social critics, but failed to wrestle her out from under Yerima’s babanriga? The Emir himself is allegedly reported to have some skeletons in his rich wardrobe. What did we do about the clause in the amended constitution that a child bride automatically qualifies as an adult by virtue of marriage after it was passed? Where there are no laws, there are no crimes committed, and the society becomes a jungle and the people, animals. Same applies where there are laws that cannot be effectively enforced to ensure that justice is seen to be done. The truth is, too many cooks are spoiling the broth of Nigeria’s law enforcement and justice system. Here, everyone has taken the law into their own hands, interpreting

and administering it as they please. From the traditional local chiefs to Obas, to ethnic militias and local government leaders and thugs, to the local politicians and their leaders, the customary courts, the Sharia courts and influential individuals, all competing with the Police in law enforcement and pursuit of supposed justice, leaving an appalling trail of confusion and oppression everywhere. Yet in the face of all these, some are still calling for the establishment of state police. Haba! While Nigeria is a signatory to the international Child’s Right Law and have domesticated same at the centre, several years after, many States of the North are yet to comply, citing custom and religion as excuse and challenge from doing so. So far, only 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states have passed the bills into law, Jigawa, Yerima’s haven, Enugun and all states in North Central Nigeria have refused to touch this bill. Besides Lagos, Akwa Ibom and probably Ogun, how many of those who have passed this bill are actually implementing it to the letter? Again, the hypocrisy of the whole religious drama is evident in the extraordinary achievements of the former governor of Katsina State, Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema as opposed to the crass and archaic position of the likes of Senator Yerima in terms of girl child development. While Yerima would rather encourage the enactment and enforcement of laws that will abuse and dehumanise the girl child by marrying them at a tender age, Shema encouraged them to go to school and even supported their parents with an annual grant of N50,000 for each year spent in school. His reasoning was that since the usual excuse for marrying off young girls was lack of funds for their education and up keep, then the N50, 000 should cover for the financial loss of retaining the girls in the parents’ homes. Surely, religion has nothing to do with abuse. Universally, God signifies love and love does not hurt, much more, kill. PMB’s appoints Orelope-Adefulire as SSA on SDG While all the drama about the exploits of Ese and Yunusa played out during the week, President Muhammadu Buhari announced on Monday, the appointment of former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Hon. (Mrs.) Victoria Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire as his Senior Special Adviser (SSA) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), also known as the Global Goals. The SDG is designed to build on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) which targets eight anti poverty goals to transform our world by 2030. Going by this Ese case and many more that have sprung up since then, Adefulire’s appointment is not only timely, it is well deserved and fits perfectly the cliché, a round peg in a round role. A loving, dedicated and focused woman, mother and politician, Adefulire is an achiever of many feats and firsts. A onetime member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, a former Hon. Commissioner in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation and former Deputy Governor presiding over the Ministry of Women Affairs because of her great knowledge and grasp of the Ministries policies and workings, rather than the usual education portfolio for female deputy governors. There is no doubt that Adefulire is a walking encyclopaedia and authority in the field of women and children development policies as well as poverty alleviation programmes. To her record achievements is the domestication of the Child’s Rights Law in Lagos State, making her ministry, the first to do so in Nigeria. She designed and made available to every child in Lagos, a simplified version of the Child’s Rights Law, popularly known as the Yellow card. A feat that received the recommendation of the United Nations as well as other International bodies. To her credit also is the designing of the Red Card, a follow up to the successful and famous Yellow Card. It was also during her tenure that Lagos witnessed the reopening of abandoned vocational centres in many parts of the state, the construction of public toilets at market places, in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment, as well as several other poverty alleviation schemes and girl child empowerment skills. It is my belief that this great woman will bring her expertise and much more to the centre and help to change the fate of our women and children for good in Nigeria. I wish Hon. Orelope-Adefulire a successful outing filled with more laudable firsts and successes. Congratulations ma!

42—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

Edo 2016: APC and the politics of ghost delegates By Omeiza Ajayi

to have assured them on the sanctity of the delegates’ list, asserting that it would not be tampered with. “He told us that if the list was not tampered with in Bayelsa or Kogi that why should we tamper with the list in Edo State,” one of the aspirants present at the meeting told Saturday Vanguard.

head of the June governorship primaries in Edo State the various tendencies in the party are positioning themselves to gain advantage through different schemes. The alleged plot to alter the delegates list is a raging issue For years, Nigeria has had to grapple with the menace of ghost workers whose presence in a nation’s payroll had often made nonsense of every effort to reduce recurrent expenditure in favour of capital expenditure. However, with the decision of former President Goodluck Jonathan to introduce the Integrated Personnel Payment and Information System IPPIS, many of those ghost workers have been uncovered and more continue to be found out. Only recently, the Federal Government also announced that it uncovered over 23, 000 of such ghosts. Interestingly, the incidence of ghosts is not peculiar to the public service alone, as politicians have now taken it to another dimension. Remarkably, before the advent of the smart card readers and Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs the presence of ghosts during elections was a raging phenomenon in Nigeria. Those ghost voters, usually sent by their political ancestors from the spirit realm almost even in some cases far exceeded both the total number of voters that were accredited and or registered. The forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo state has thrown up another issue - Ghost delegates. But before then, there was a precursor of the ghost phenomenon in neighbouring Delta State. In Delta, officials of the All Progressives Congress APC, in the aftermath of the primaries ahead of the 2015 general elections were widely reported to have declared one of its candidates dead. The APC reportedly substituted Christopher Anirah as its candidate for the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie Federal Constituency election into the House of Representatives by claiming he was dead. In his stead, the party listed Gibson Akporehe as its new candidate for the election. Party officials, armed with several documents that were later acknowledged by the party to be fake - including death certificate and supposed confirmation of same by the family - had allegedly convinced the Independent National Electoral Commission to delete Mr. Anirah’s name. C M Y K

•Governor Adams Oshiomhole The “deceased” when he resurfaced, petitioned the police and asked for the arrest of all those involved in “killing” him. The issue is still subsisting as a moral deficit to the party in Delta State. The situation, in Edo State, however, is raising, even more, concern according to party insiders, especially given that its national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun hails from the state. Edo’s list of controversy The bone of contention is that a section of the party in the state believes that there is a surreptitious plot to alter the authentic delegates’ list which is expected to be used in the election of the party’s governorship candidate for the September 2016 election. The suspicion has led to growing discontent among some stakeholders of the APC in the state over plans by the party to substitute the list ahead of the gubernatorial primary elections slated for June. Indeed, multiple sources in the party claim that party officials from the state presented a list of about 970 names said to be delegates elected after the membership registration exercise that followed the advent of the party who they claimed had either died or had left the party. The sources alleged that that was, however, a decoy as it was a way of projecting a favoured aspirant, as those pencilled down for replacement on the delegate list were mainly delegates who

•Chief John Odigie-Oyegun the state leadership of the party believe they cannot control. “The plan is to make the National Working Committee NWC of the party to strike out such names so that they can be replaced with people who are malleable to a certain aspirant said to enjoy the blessing of the party establishment in the state,” a gubernatorial aspirant who pleaded anonymity for fear of political victimization told Saturday Vanguard. “Yes it is true that some delegates have left the party or have died, but it is by no way near the 970 that is being claimed,” another one of the aspirants said. Another aspirant told Saturday Vanguard that the plot would not work, for reasons he said borders on the determination of the Chief Odigie-Oyegun to ensure the sanctity of the process. The aspirant, however, said anyone pushing the plot must be ready to announce to the whole world the names and other particulars of the dead delegates. “They must show us the death certificates of the people whose names are on that list. They must also publish their names in some national dailies. “During the primaries, we are not going to allow people with government identity cards or just anyone to vote. We shall insist that delegates must come out with their international passports or driver’s license before they can be accredited to participate,” he vowed. At a meeting of the party leadership and the aspirants few weeks ago, Odigie-Oyegun was said

APC reacts, dismisses claims of substitution The party has however dismissed the allegations that it plans to doctor its list of delegates. It also said it was not working for any “anointed” aspirant or set out to do the bidding of the governor. Its Vice-Chairman, South-South, Mr Hilliard Ettah, denied the allegation alongside the National Organising Secretary of the party, Senator Osita Izunaso, at a stakeholders meeting with governorship aspirants of the party and its leaders. They also condemned the seeming attack on Governor Oshiomhole by some of the aspirants, who accused him of backing the aspiration of Mr Godwin Obaseki, informing them that as a leader of the party, the governor deserves the right to have his preference for an aspirant but that the party will ensure that due process was followed in the conduct of the primaries. At the meeting which was attended by Mr Oshiomhole, his deputy, Dr Pius Odubu, who is also one of the aspirants, Hon. Blessing Agbomhere, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere, Engr. Chris Ogienwonyi, Osarodion Ogie, Godwin Obaseki and Peter Esele, among others, Mr Ettah commended Gov. Oshiomhole’s developmental strides in the state. He reminded the leaders that Edo remains the only APC state in the South-South and that the leadership of the party has no intention of losing it to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as he appealed for peaceful campaign, assuring that while the party will provide a level playing ground, the aspirants too must support the party no matter who wins the primaries. “And let me also say that nobody is changing the delegate list. Unlike some parties where they always elect their delegates prior to every primary, the list of APC delegates is already known by everybody because they have been there for four years,” he said. Speaking at the parley, Hon. Agbomhere pledged the readiness of the aspirants to work harmoniously in the interest of the party. He said he does not believe that the state executives in concert with the governor would want to alter the delegate list, saying the governor as the father of the party has the onerous task create a level-playing ground and also ensure the success of the party at the polls.

Hard lessons on loyalty from the Edo Governorship contest

Issues arising from the governorship succession in Edo State are bound to raise lessons in loyalty and political fidelity. The difficult relationship between one of the major contestants, Pastor Osaze Ize-Iyamu and a one-time political protégée and the incumbent deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, is a case in point. Pastor, as he is well known, was the major backbone behind the Grace Group, the political machine that threw up the comrade governor, Adams Oshiomhole. He was assisted in the group by such political enforcers as Osarodion Ogie and Philip Shuaibu in the project. The group with its singsong, No Man is God successfully decimated the political machine of Chief Tony Anenih to produce Oshiomhole as governor of the state, albeit vide the courts in 2008. IzeIyamu was at that time believed to have also produced the deputy governor and had sought a soft and relatively obscure politician who would

Observation He will probably go head-tohead in the race for the White House with Hillary Clinton in November. Trump’s website has just five clear policies – a tax cut, reduced immigration, protecting gun rights, looking after veterans and growing the economy. According to him, “When I’m president, I’m a different person. I can do anything”, “I can be the most politically correct person you have ever seen.” Yet he faces huge problems, with no political experience and few allies in this own party to help him pass new laws. Gun laws Trump will repeal Obama’s tough gun laws. “Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice,” he said, adding only criminals and “deranged - madmen” should be taken off the streets. He suggests mental health reforms, but says “law-abiding” citizens can carry assault rifles or concealed handguns to kill “the other guys”. Crime Trump wants to keep Guantanamo Bay detention camp open and load it up with some bad dudes. He claimed it cost $40million a month to maintain and he could run it for $3million or maybe, like, peanuts. The base really costs just $4,085 a year to rent and the Cuban government hasn’t cashed US cheques for 55 years. Health Trump will repeal Obama Care, which gives cheap medical insurance to millions of Americans. He will not change social security or the Medicaid programme for the very poorest, but under Trump the - average Joe will feel the brunt of the changes. Foreign policy America will probably lose allies. He promised to tear up the nuclear treaty with Iran. ‘Back Putin 100 per cent over Syria’, and ‘bomb the hell’ out of America’s C M Y K

not in any way obscure his long term political project of succeeding Oshiomhole in 2016. A relatively calm Dr. Pius Odubu was presented supposedly by Ize-Iyamu as deputy to Oshiomhole. However, not long after, the story changed as Odubu allegedly started having his sight on IzeIyamu’s seeming ‘birth-right,’ and hence the dirty fight within the then Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN just before the 2012 election between Ize-Iyamu and Odubu to remove the later from the Oshiomhole re-election ticket. Put in a difficult position, Oshiomhole sided with his troubled deputy and was helped through by the group, Edo in Safe Hands, the group which came out of the Grace Group. Remarkably, Odubu now bent on having the big pie for himself apparently against the desire of the comrade-governor is now said to be at odds with Oshiomhole. The deputy-governor has now been stripped of his major assignments including the very significant portfolio of local

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016—43 government administration. Indeed, first person he called after his mother died last he may well have been relegated to week was Kwankwanso, but the senator as is reading newspapers for the price of wont did not pick the call. A text message was disloyalty. equally not replied. Some allege that had Pastor IzeHowever, when Kwnakwanso finally came to Iyamu remained steadfast in the Kano on Thursday, he was said to have been APC that he would almost have heralded by a long convoy on the condolence become a natural successor to visit to Ganduje. On the way, his entourage was Oshiomhole. said to have engaged in loud denunciations of It is now generally believed that the Ganduje regime with the Kwankwanso Odubu who may have come out supporters reportedly loudly demanding that he, unscathed in his rebellion against Kwankwanso, should come and remove the Pastor Ize-Iyamu surely has a more governor for them. difficult hurdle to cross in putting his Angered by what it called the insolent action, aspiration against the desires of the the party leadership in the state under the comrade governor. chairmanship of Alhaji Haruna Umar Doguwa who has now put his loyalty to Ganduje has now moved to do the once unthinkable; to wit, to No more pretence for sanction Senator Kwankwanso. Kwankwanso and Ganduje He told reporters on Thursday that "the case of The pretence of cordiality in Kano has party indiscipline by Kwankwaso would be finally been put aside, and the gloves thoroughly investigated and dealt with in are on as Governor Abdullahi Ganduje accordance with the constitution of our party." and his long-term political associate, nay benefactor, Senator Rabiu Little consolation in Rivers APC Kwankwanso settle into a long Many supporters of the APC in Rivers State predicted fight. would see the appointment of Dr. Dakuku The cordial relationship between both Peterside as the director-general of Nigerian men began to wane just days after Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Ganduje took over the mantle of office NIMASA as a worthy consolation for the from Kwankwanso especially after bewildering loss of the governorship in the Ganduje appointed a long term critic courts. of Kwankwanso as an aide. That appointment following the appointment Kwankwanso was said to have been of Mrs. Ibim Semenitari as the acting chief outraged and since then did not visit executive of the Niger Delta Development Kano, playing his politics from Abuja. Commission, NDDC may be prized positions, However, when it became incumbent but the view of many remains that the two for him to visit Kano after the death of positions, however, cannot pay for the blood his successor’s mother, the visit turned of many supporters and the collective mandate into a political maelstrom. that was lost to the PDP. Ganduje is said to be peeved that the

Race for the White House:

Imagine America elects Donald Trump as its 45th President

enemies. Economy Many Americans believe a Trump presidency would be good for the economy, because he is

worth up to $4billion. But if he had put the money left him by his millionaire father in a safe investment fund and ‘spent his career finger-painting’ he would have $8billion. His economic policy includes removing 75 million Americans from income tax, a top tax rate of just 25 per cent, 15 per cent corporation tax and no death taxes. The gain would be offset by Trump’s promise to heavily tax all foreign imports. Economists say it would kick off a global trade war, adding $34trillion to the USA’s debt. Immigration Trump promises to ban all Muslims from entering the USA,

''Islam hates us''

their last debate before important primary Iandn Tuesday’s caucus contests in Florida,

Illinois, Missouri and Ohio, Republican presidential candidates split over a host of key issues, including worker visas, Social

Security, Islam and foreign policy. The GOP front-runner, Donald Trump stirred up fresh controversy when he said in an interview , “I think Islam hates us.” He claimed that there was “tremendous hatred” that partially defined the religion, and

Woman hides child in carry-on

woman was arrested upon arrival at the Paris-

Charles de Gaulle Airport after she tried to conceal a child inside a carry-on bag on a flight that came from Istanbul, Air France said in a statement . The woman, whose identity was not revealed, was involved in a process to adopt a Haitian girl, according to multiple French media reports. The child, who was traveling without a ticket, is between 2 and 4 years old, the Air France

press office said. After spotting the child coming out of the bag,

build a wall on the Mexican border, and deport 11milliom illegal migrants. Islamic converts Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali might object, and millions of tourist dollars would be spent at Disneyland Paris instead. ‘Rounding up all the illegals’ would cost $600billion and take 20 years, removing - millions of cheap workers from agriculture and meat-processing. Religion Trump upset the Pope, who said a person who ‘thinks only about building walls and not building bridges, is not Christian’. Trump, a Presbyterian, responded that if ISIS attacked the Vatican the Pope might change his mind.

that while the United States is focused on fighting radical Islam, “it’s very hard to define. It’s very hard to separate. Because you don’t know who’s who.” When debate moderator Jake Tapper asked Trump to clarify those remarks and whether he was referring to all Muslims, Trump responded: “I mean a lot of them.” passengers alerted the cabin crew onboard Air France Flight 1891, according to the press office.

South Sudan army 'suffocated 60 in shipping container,' Amnesty Int'l reports

human rights group says it has A uncovered evidence that South Sudanese government forces

deliberately suffocated more than 60 men and boys in a shipping container. Witnesses interviewed by Amnesty International reported that government soldiers arbitrarily

arrested dozens of men and boys in the villages of Luale and Leer in October of last year. They then forced them into unventilated shipping containerswiththeirhandstiedbehind their backs, according to a report released by Amnesty International.

Embattled Brazil’s Ex-President Lula, hero to millions, in corruption probe

ormer Brazil President, Luiz F Inacio Lula da Silva, the most hated and loved man in

Brazil is facing charges which are related to a major corruption scandal at state oil company, Petrobras. Lula denies any wrongdoing, even as he was invited by authorities to give a statement in court about a series of properties that it is alleged were gifted to him by corrupt executives. Rising from a shoeshine boy to become Brazil’s first working class president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is a hero to millions of Brazilians and the very face of change in Latin America’s biggest country. A 70-year-old metalworker and union leader who governed Brazil from 2003 until 2010, Lula presided over an economic boom that raised Brazil’s profile on the world stage, lifted more than 40 million people out of poverty and enabled him to hand-pick a successor candidate, President Dilma Rousseff. But that has all fizzled, with Brazil in recession, Rousseff scrambling for political survival and millions of Brazilians lamenting a lost chance for their country to enter the ranks of developed nations. Now, prosecutors allege that Lula’s administration oversaw a huge kickback scheme through Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) that provided funding for the campaigns that kept his Workers’ Party in power for the past 13 years. His detention for questioning in a massive corruption probe may also make him a symbol for many Brazilians of another trend, the end of impunity for the nation’s powerful.

44—SATURDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 12, 2016

Etisalat: Driving entrepreneurial sustainable de vt via education devt

(L-R) Corporate Affairs Director, Unilever Nigeria, Soromidayo George, Vice President, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, Etisalat Nigeria, Ibrahim Dikko, Lead Consultant, Thistle Praxis, Ini Onuk, MD/ CEO, Galaxy Backbone, Yusuf Kazaure and Acting Regional Coordinator, Africa, UN Millennium Campaign/SDGs Action Campaign, Hillary Ogbonna at the Sustainable Conversations thought leadership series sponsored by Etisalat Nigeria in Abuja recently.

vidence has shown that industralised nations of the world embarked upon education empowerment. And this is the way forward for developing countries especially African continent. Considering this, however, contributing sectors of the Nigerian economy, SMEs, entrepreneurs, manufacturing, IT, Oil and Gas etc. have realised the need for education if there must be a sustainable development in Nigerian economy. This was the push of the country’s most innovative telecommunications operator, Etisalat, partnering Thistle Praxis Consulting, during the last edition of the thought leadership series, Sustainable Conversations, organised by the latter. With a notable team of discussants from various sectors including ICT, academia, business and government, discussing on the theme: Sustainable Development Goals: Fast-tracking targets through technology and education, the stage, no doubt, was insightful, creative as the discussants left no stone unturned proffering

solutions on the nation’s potentials and enabling capacities for the achievement of the UN-backed 17goal sustainable development agenda. In 2000, the United Nations drew up a 15-year development agenda termed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which were designed to enable member nations streamline and deliver on critical needs with an overriding goal of bridging the gap between the developed nations and the developing nations as well as the under-developed ones in various areas that are critical to human life. After fifteen years, the Millennium Development Goals were rested, and in their stead, a new development agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), came into effect in 2015 to pick up from where the MDGs left off, and cover even more ground. According to the acting Regional Coordinator, Africa, UN Millennium Campaign/SDGs Action Campaign, Hillary Ogbonna, “This paradigm shift became necessary due to the inadequacies and the

ultimate failure of the MDGs to provide answers to certain critical development needs.” “The MDGs were proclamations, minimalist in nature, and did not talk about how they would be implemented. We have seen a lot of changes in the world that the MDGs forged, however there are critical areas they left unaddressed. Chief among these are environmental degradation and climate change. There should be an overarching development agenda that should combat this. The world needed to bring up another development agenda that would build on the successes of the MDGs, whose timeline ran out in 2015, learn from its lessons and broaden the stakeholders that are involved in development, which the MDGs did not recognise,” he said. Interestingly, Etisalat Nigeria, has given heed to this clarion call well ahead of other well-meaning stakeholders with first-of-its-kind expansive interventions that cut across all levels of education. Notable among these is the Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Postgraduate Program (ETEPP) which it runs in partnership with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Plymouth University United Kingdom and the Etisalat Academy in the United Arab Emirates. It is the first-ever postgraduate degree course in Telecommunications Engineering in West Africa. Etisalat Nigeria’s Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Ibrahim Dikko, while speaking on the company’s commitment to fasttracking development using technology, said the idea behind education providing a basic foundation for development readily resonates with the company as it has shown through various intervention efforts in the education sector. “Education is the bedrock of development; it opens doors in the minds of the citizenry and that determines the rate and extent to which the nation can evolve. When

we started operations in 2008, we realized that in our Universities were the core engineering courses, but no telecommunications st engineering. In this 21 century, there is no way we can go forward and build capacity if we did not try and address that. So we started the Etisalat Telecommunications Engineering Post-Graduate Programme which we instituted in partnership with ABU, Zaria, the Etisalat Academy, UAE and Plymouth University, UK for technical expertise. We are also training some lecturers at PhD level so there can be capacity for knowledge sharing,” he said. Etisalat’s modelled examples of partnership for sustainable development transcend education; they also cover such sectors as environment and health where it has forged a reputation for innovative development of ICT solutions to infant and maternal health challenges. As the nation, its leadership and citizenry embarks on the tasking but hugely rewarding work of achieving all-round development, it is gratifying to know that Etisalat Nigeria and its partners have undertaken to chart the course use of the nation’s impactful delivery on the SDGs. The new development agenda called, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) consists of 17 goals, 169 targets and about 450 indicators. These goals include strategic focus on infrastructure, energy, security, inequality, hunger, etc. with an open provision for participation by every segment of the society. Unlike the MDGs, it has also recognised and articulated the drivers of development like equal opportunity, peace, security, access to justice, etc, as well as the means of implementation and guidelines on how they would be implemented including financing, partnerships, technology transfer, innovations, etc. The SDGs agenda also identified education, and partnership with key segments of the society as part of the solution-oriented approach to the myriad of identified development challenges. L - R : Absolut Brand Ambassador, Mimi Lola Marcus and Artist, Abba T Makama, at The Absolut Hypnagogia Exhibition by A b b a Makama, held at IAMISIGO Showroom Victoria Island Lagos recently.

Joza Global wins NB Plc awards for the 4th time oza Global Logistics, a comprehensive and modernised fleet management solution Jprovider and one of the biggest privately owned

He noted that this year certainly will be a tough one, but reassured all that they were going to overcome the situation. haulage and logistic firms in Nigeria, has won In his remark, the the Nigeria Breweries Plc’s Best Transporter Managing Director, award for 2015 held at the prestigious Oriental Nigeria Breweries, Mr. hotels, Victoria Island, Lagos. Nicholas Vervelde, This is the fourth consecutive time the company thanked their partners, is achieving this feat which placed it above other saying that their big players in the transport industry. Currently, group of entrepreneurs, support have helped in the transport giant is also the biggest transporter Social Enterprise Network placing their various in the rating of Nigerian Breweries, Unicem and Nigeria (SENN) set up in Lagos brands as the ultimate PZ, with more than 400 trucks in active fleet. to impact lives through premium market Speaking at the occasion, the Nigerian sustainable social initiatives has leaders. He presented Breweries Sales director, Mr. Hubert Eze, announced plans to empower the award plaque to about 100,000 Nigerians commended all their business partners who have Mr Usiakpor annually especially youths. been with them through thick and thin and also Emmanuel, MD/CEO Seeing that government alone restate their unwavering commitment to of Joza Global can’t do all, this network with a continuously reward its outstanding partners for logistics, who also combination of young individuals growth. received a brand new who are using their skills, Toyota Hilux as part of resources and network to the award. creatively provide solutions to Joza global has society’s most pressing needs, was contributed initiated in February 2015 after immensely in helping La Roche Leadership and to reduce Education Foundation, identified unemployment in and rewarded them for their hard Nigeria by providing work. gainful employment Also, the network’s sustainable in different job strategies to tackle key issues categories spreading include: promoting and improving a reading culture over nine states in among the populace; reducing Nigeria, for over a environmental degradation; thousand people. Mr Usiakpor Emmanuel, MD/CEO, Joza Global Logistics equipping unemployed youths receiving an award from Managing Director, NB Plc, Mr. with work place skills and Nicholas Vervelde.

Group ready to empower 100,000 Nigerians annually through social network

C M Y K

experience; eradicating illiteracy and promoting adult education; ending rape and securing justice for its victims; facilitating mentoring for children from disadvantaged background; promoting the education of the girl child and equipping them with ICT skills etc. In a media chat in Lagos, Coordinator, SEEN, Mr. Famakinwa Oluwadamilola, said, the awardees were encouraged by the present Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, before he became governor to form a network and develop framework that will make it easier for government to partner with them to achieve mutually beneficial goals. According to Oluwadamilola,”with a vision to directly impact 100,000 people in various states of the country every year by providing an enabling environment for social enterprises in Lagos and a mission to impacting lives through

sustainable social initiative, the benefit of social enterprises are increased when they are adequately supported by public policies and funding.” Among those that grace the occasion are, CEO, Stand to end Rape, Ms. Oluwaseun Osowobi,CEO, Fair Life Africa Foundation, Mrs. Ufuoma Emerhor, CEO, Slum to School, Mr. Otto Orondaan, CEO, West Africa Vocational Educational, Noella Morshi, Pyramid Educational Advancement Foundation, Mr. Adedapo Conde, CEO, WECYCLERS, Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, CEO, Easyshop, Mrs. Saudat Salami, among others. Moshi however, said that vocational education is the practical solution to unemployment in Nigeria, while Abiola stressed that waste is not a waste but a resource, “Nigeria for too long have ignored waste management, let us look at waste as resource.

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016—45

Married woman defeats personal misfortunes to make First Class after 16 years

not reading and read like I was not reading. ‘’

•Graduates after attending four universities for one degree BY CHARLES KUMOLU

ALL it phenomenal and you may not be faulted as it comes as a story of travails, vision and triumphs. Powered by the desire of a young lady, Mrs. Oluwamayo Ojumah to translate 16-year old personal misfortunes into success stories, the narrative is hardly possible in the Nigerian society where the virtue of perseverance has lost its practical meaning. Ojumah’s experience is such that motivational speakers and writers would find handy in buttressing their ‘’better yourselves” topics. Imagine spending 16 years in pursuit of a university degree at four different universities within and outside Nigeria, only to be gravely challenged at defining moments. Critical were these trying stages that the average Nigerian youth would have given up but the Oyo State born Ojumah audaciously turned every particular obstacle into an opportunity in her attempts at becoming a medical doctor. Even though her relentlessness in the face of setbacks begot more hurdles, she remained steadfast for nearly two decades resulting in a First Class degree in Biochemistry at the University of Lagos. Decision after failed attempts Interestingly, making a First Class degree, did not come accidental to her as many highflyers often claim, it was a decision taken after several failed attempts at studying medicine. Indeed, it was a project envisioned by her pastor father, Mr. Johnson Ajibade, nurtured by a husband, Mr. Felix Ojumah, who is a Petroleum Engineer and ultimately actualised by her. Feeling Saturday Vanguard in on the experience that saw her going from Ago Iwoye, United Kingdom, Okada, Lagos and nearly to Saint Kitts in the Americas for a university degree that was largely elusive for 16 years, she exclaimed; ‘’I am still in shock.” Continuing, the obviously excited Ojumah, who recently had her convocation at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, flashed back recalling how her wasted years in pursuit of the degree paid off with a Cumulative Grade Point Average ,CGPA, of 4.51. Expounding this at her home in Lagos, she said: ‘’I left secondary school in 2004 and in that same year I got admission into Olabisi Onabanjo University ,OOU, for Applied Zoology and the agreement was that if I performed well they were going to transfer me to Medicine. ‘’I had wanted to study Medicine. I didn’t C M Y K

really get the scope of the course, so I was not doing well. I think I left in 200 levels. So my parents said I should go abroad and study Medicine. Unfortunately it was quite expensive and I didn’t want to get them into those strains of providing that kind of finance every year. So, we reached an agreement to come back home and go to Igbinedion University, Okada. That was in 2009. ‘’ I went to the UK and came back. In the UK they were not ready to admit me to read Medicine. I needed to do a lot of courses before and then thinking about the financial implications I had to come back home. Since Igbenedion was better and they said they were going to allow me read Medicine, I came back home. So, when I got to Igbenedion I was admitted into 200 levels with my transcript from OOU. I did 200 levels and 300 levels but at the level of my MB, I failed two courses, I passed Biochemistry and failed Anatomy and Physiology. By the time I did my resit, I think I failed Anatomy and failed the other. ‘’ Failed anatomy and physiology Ordinarily, many would opt out at this time, but Ojumah embraced the options that came her way. ‘’The option was either to repeat the class, take a transcript and go abroad either to Ukraine or to Saint Kits in the Americas,” she stated. Considering that it would be less burdensome financially for her comfortable parents, she opted to go to Saint Kitts, an Island in the Americas formerly known as Saint Christopher. ‘’ It was not as expensive like going to the UK. And just within that period while processing the passport; I had a little problem with immigration. It took a little while. Unfortunately, by the time I got my passport, the border had been closed. Unfortunately, my mother passed away in March

•Mrs. Oluwamayo Ojumah 2011 and I couldn’t go abroad any more. ‘’They wanted me to go and I told them that it did not make sense going abroad again. The only option was to go to University of Lagos. Now that was the fourth time of starting all over again and I did not want to sit for JAMB. The only option was to do the foundation programme from 2011 to 2012 after which I took Direct Entry into 200 levels.” Narrating her experience at UNILAG, she said the disposition of her lecturers and students towards her were not outside the ordinary. ‘’The Biochemistry lecturers of the University of Lagos are okay. They gave their best. At least I have been to other institutions and know the kind of things other students go through. My supervisor Dr. Lawal was supportive. The day I knew he was proud of me was the day he said I was graduating with a First Class. And when they discovered that I was married, I had a better relationship,” she added. Asked if there were exceptional methods applied to achieve the feat, she said: ‘’ I didn’t just depend on class notes. I used Yutube and downloaded most things that had been taught from Yutube and I read a lot. I can read from 8pm to 6am. My husband was also supportive because I used to watch movies a lot but he ensured that I did not fail to read because of movies. He would wake me up at night and even sometimes compel me to read. I read a lot, prayed a lot. In fact, I prayed like I was

I am still in shock Continuing refreshingly, she said:‘’The summary of it all is that God saw me through. I think God just wanted to honour me. I did a lot of work. People are talking about me that I came out with a First Class after all I have been through. It feels great. I already knew I was going to get First Class in October when the results came out. I think I have been in shock until the day of graduation. I just don’t believe that this is me. I am not a genius. Some think I read a lot. People don’t remember my past stories, but I have a cause to thank God.” On his part, her husband, Mr.Ojumah, explained that he ensured she didn’t lose sight of the fact that getting a First Class was a project. First Class was a project ‘’It is actually great. For me it is like a dream come true. After we got married, my father inlaw told me that I should make sure she comes out with a First Class. I called her to ask what it will take to get that. Looking at it, I just felt it is possible, that is why each time she comes to say she was tired I will tell her she is wasting her time, ‘’ he said. In addition the Delta State born Ojumah, added thus: ‘’I know there had been times when she felt we should drop the idea of First Class and settle for a 2.1 but I felt she was wasting her time. That is why I had to stop her from watching movie. Even when I will be watching a movie by the time she comes back I will stop. I felt we had a goal and must meet that goal. One of the easiest ways to get to our goal was to stay focused. During examinations, I often told her to relax while I do the cooking. ‘’For me, it is like a dream come true. I never knew that people will find it inspiring because to so many it is like a challenge that having gone through all these, a married woman came out with a First Class. We are happy that people, who feel that they can’t make it would find it encouraging. I just want to bless God for being there for us. The lesson for people is to stay focused and remain determined in spite of difficulties. Sometimes I had to keep her awake just to read not because I had examination to sit for. There is need for people to utilise any opportunity at their disposal to actualise their goal.”

46—SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

WORKING WITH IBRU, IBORI, UDUAGHAN, OKOWA:

My magic wand

—Rev Omatsola Williams, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, Delta

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South & Festus Ahon (Asaba)

NE woman, who has being around with four successive governors of Delta State, starting with the first civilian governor, Olorogun Felix Ibru, Chief James Ibori, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and the incumbent, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, is the present Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development in the state, Rev. (Mrs.) Omatsola Williams. There appears to be something inimitable about her that past and successive governors of the state observe, which people afar do not immediately know. Married to Chief Saka Adebowale Williams of Lagos State and blessed with a son, Rasheed Adebowale Williams, the four governors tested her in different capacities and she proved her mettle. Olorogun Ibru appointed the seasoned administrator, scholar, professional nurse and nurse-educator as Member of the Delta State Sports Council Board from 1992-1993 before she bowed out as a Director of the Delta Civil Service in 1994. A military putsch threw the then civilian government out of power and when the whistle for democratic rule was blown again, she launched into full-time politics as a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 1999 and since then, it has been no looking back for her. Under Ibori, she was a Member of the Delta State Urban Water Board from 1999 to 2003, Member, Governing Council, College of Education, Warri, 2003–2006, Project/Programme Monitor for Warri North Local Government Area of Delta from 2006 to 2007 and Assistant Director, Women Mobilization for Uduaghan/PDP Campaign Organization, Asaba in 2007. Dr. Uduaghan appointed her as Commissioner, Directorate of Youths Development and Okowa saw no reason to retire her from active politics when he came on. But, what is the ordained Reverend of the Church of the Lord (Aladura) Worldwide, CLAW, doing in politics, instead of the pulpit, where she should be dispensing the word of God and releasing thunders of divine mysteries? Saturday Vanguard encountered the Commissioner at her office in Asaba. Dark-complexioned and blunt, Rev. Williams obviously believes in attack as a form of defense, as she confronted our team with complaint that journalists were no longer hunting for news these

•Rev Omatsola Williams

days, but money. She recalled the old days when reporters stayed close to government ministries and kept tab on people for news stories, bemoaning that the today’s journalists have a completely different orientation to news reporting. She wondered what brought Saturday Vanguard to her office. As for her, she said, journalists only like to interview big people and the team told her that she was one of the big fishes, hence the visit. She retorted that we came to pull her legs. “How has it been as a Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development?” we asked as she reclined on her seat, adjusting her eyeglasses and “born again” women cap. She replied: “As Commissioner for Women Affairs, I am saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the policies laid down for this Ministry are adhered to and executed accordingly. My impression of the Ministry of Women Affairs was very different from what I came to see. “People from outside would say that the Ministry of Women Affairs has responsibility of handling all women activities in the state, but women activities in this ministry are just minimal and that is why I always insist that it is Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development, not just Women Affairs. Therefore, we have more activities in community and social services.” She explained: “Apart from the statutory Departments of Planning, Research, Administration and Finance, this Ministry has a Department for Rehabilitation. In addition, when you talk about rehabilitation, you are talking of the destitute, you are talking about people with disability, you are talking of the disability in terms of deaf and dumb, the blind, those who have been treated of leprosy.”

My vision On her plans for the Ministry, she said, “My vision for the less privileged in the society is how we can improve in their status. Talking about destitute for instance, you know we do not have psychiatric hospitals or homes in Delta State as you have in Edo, but God has used some people to create homes for such people; traditional medical homes and I have had cause to visit these homes and was taken aback. “The only way we can help is to encourage such people, assist them where necessary to improve their environment; where there is no water, we see that they have water. To manage one psychiatric patient is quite a lot, not to talk of some homes having up to 70, some up to 80, so I really feel that government should not leave these people alone. “It is true relations bring some, but some they picked from the streets themselves. By the grace of God, in one of such homes, the man said he had managed to sink a borehole, but cannot afford the tank, so we decided to provide tank for them and today he is happy that they have water running in the place. That is how we can come in. They treat and discharge, we, on our own have to follow up to see how well they settle with their people and how society receive them back.” What exactly does she want to do differently as a politician in the Ministry? She said: “Politics is reaching out to the people, giving to the people what you promised them. Moreover, by the special grace of God, the SMART agenda of His Excellency, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa drives that home. If you look at it, it is more of social services, but people do not know. Child trafficking racket The Commissioner asserted: “Now talking of orphanages, there are people that have established orphanages; we have about 28 accredited orphanages in the state that we know. Eventually, we would go in because we are social welfare officers now. I have been given the directive to look at their various places to give us list of orphanages in their various local government areas. Why, as at the time I came in here, the issue of selling children was the order of the day – child trafficking. Thank God; this year it is no to violence against child trafficking. “So we are moving on that seriously. If we must nip it, we must start from home; they say charity begins at home. By home, I mean my staff. There has to be a re-orientation of what is expected of them, which we have started. Recently, one of the staff was dismissed for being involved in child trafficking.” My challenges On the difficulties in executing her mandate, she said, “The challenges that I have are not new. You are aware of the situation we find ourselves. Naira has dropped and financing has become a problem generally in the country and we cannot be ruled out. “Secondly, staff; we know that the staff strength of Delta State is high but we want more redeployed to us because monitoring children on the street is not a one man affair; it is a team work because ours is to follow them down to their homes. So even if they say normal closing time for work is 4.00 pm, you might find out that as at 7.00 pm, you are still in a family’s home trying to educate or trying to make them accept a child back home or whatever and even educate them on child psychology, which many parents do not know,” she stated. She cited an instance: “Like two children they brought from Benue State, saying they were

taking them to Lagos, but believe me, they ended up at Oleh. By the special grace of God, we got those two children, took them back to Benue State through our social development officer and handed them over to the Commissioner for Women Affairs there and they were excited.” Why is a Reverend, an oracle of God for that matter, in the political terrain, instead of the pulpit preaching the word? Rev Williams said: “You see, what people do not know is that every human being is a political being. If you go to our ministries, you will see pastors, you will see deacons, you will see reverends, and you will see reverend canons. That you are in the ministry does not mean you should not work for God. That does not make you to differ from the altar of God. You might be surprised that majority of the bishops of some churches are retired civil servants or public servants.” According to her, “In my own case, as a reverend, I started as a church worker before I was ordained and being in the system, I am supposed to be a mentor to many; I am supposed to use that knowledge, that spiritual gift to reach out to others. So is not just limited to being in the altar; ministration is not about altar, ministration can be anywhere and your ministration is not just by carrying the Bible and preaching; your ministration is let others see Jesus Christ in you, through your attitude, your behaviour, your way of talking, your association; as written, show love to everybody, establish relationships. It is not more than that.” So, how, for about 21 years after she retired as a civil servant, did the governors from James Ibori to Emmanuel Uduaghan and presently, Ifeanyi Okowa, always call her to serve the state in one capacity or the other? What is her staying power? She chuckled for the first time during the interview and went religious, saying, “It is the grace of God; loyalty and service.” She was, however, quick to add: “I believe in what Richard Annie said. If you read 39 Steps, it said ‘the act of enjoying any job is by putting yourself into it.’ I was a founding member of PDP; when we started, we came from different associations to form PDP. After I retired from Delta State Service as a Director of Sports in 1994, I happened to be the first female Director in any ministry in this country. “But as a civil servant, we were doing underground meetings with politicians. Therefore, by the time I left the service, going into politics was not new to me but I met with a lot of resistance because as at the time we came in, it was an uphill task, being a woman and educated. However, endurance, patience was what brought me up. “So, I made myself useful each time, and was able to prove a point because many people always feel that for a woman to move up in politics, you must have associated yourself with as many male as possible, which is what I want to say: It is not true. If you want to succeed as a woman, show who you are and people will respect you; they will acknowledge you, you will not be a clapping-event person. “If you are given a responsibility, you do it even more than what is expected, and if you are given one naira, you spend it as expected and give your report. Then, there is a level of trust and confidence; others see that confidence built by you. Commenting on media report, some months ago, about alleged conversion of a skill acquisition centre under her ministry to a sex den by commercial sex workers and invasion of the facility by hoodlums, who carted away computers and other facilities, she said: “It was a false report and I even refuted it.

SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, MARCH 12, 2016—47

nspiration remains an imponderable force in cultural and technological development.This has again driven the world to contemplate what experts believe is a technological agenda called the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industrial Revolution 4.0. We do not know when the Fourth Industrial Revolution would take off, but as anticipatedit would go beyond the Third Industrial Revolution which started in 1969 with a kernel belief that may never waver in electronics, information technology and automated production model in digital technology, personal computing and the internet. Again for record sake the First Industrial Revolution of 1784 had the steam power, mechanical production and equipment as development models with machine replacing human muscle. The Second Industrial Revolution of 1870 had division of labour, electricity, mass production as key development model in internal combustion engine, aero plane and moving pictures. The proposed Industrial Revolution 4.0 is in congruentwith the philosophical doctrine as proposed by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in his 17th century Leibnizianuniverse that ours is “the best of all possible worlds”. It was a time when his pessimistic contemporaries thought it was impossible for machine to replace the human muscle. Transcendental pessimist leaderof the 19th century philosophical movement, Henry David Thoreau whose quote was: “Thank God men cannot yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth.” A few years after the air plane came in the second industrial revolution. As the world look forward with optimism the Industrial Revolution 4.0 it is hoped it would develop a cyber-physical system that may have innovations in driverless smart cars, artificial intelligence and robotics in hospitals, world’s first solar powered air plane, biotechnology, nanotechnology, mobile banking, and 3.D printing. TheWorld Economic Forum hasbecome a global think tank for economic advancement. TheWorld Economic Forum on Africa (WEFA) holds in Kigali, Rwanda on 11-13May 2016 with theme: Connecting Africa’s Resources through Digital Transformation.

Transcendent al Nigeria and anscendental Revolution 4.0 It would improve investment climate and macroeconomic policy reforms for foreign direct investment flows to grow economies.Nigeria hosted the 24thWEFAin May 2014 in Abujadays after the horrendous, terror-strikenNyanyabomb blasts like those in Paris in November 2015 before the COP 21. Permanent venue and Swiss resort ofDavoshosted the 46thglobal meeting of World Economic Forum (WEF)from 20 – 23 January 2016. Itfocused on issues of ending poverty, fostering workplace diversity, and the role of entrepreneurship

As the Federal Government convenes an economic summit next week, Petroleum should be seen as our takeoff commodity to heavily invest in. We spend $1490.59 importing 80 percent of products in the value chain of petroleum if we were to refine one metric ton of crude

in creating jobs. World leaders were unanimous that encouraging public and private partnerships would go a long way in solving critical problems. Vice President YemiOsinbajo led the Nigerian delegation to the WEF in Davos. The Forum has been a model of world corporate governancefoundedin 1971 by Klaus Schwab, aholder of two doctorate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics.As a nonprofit organizationthe WEF is a foremost international institution for public-private cooperation with values as important as rules. Legitimacy, accountability, transparency and concerted action are the guiding principles of the Forum that engages political, business, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Klaus Schwab who discussed the effects of the proposed Fourth Industrial Revolution on business said that customers are increasingly at the epicentre of the economy; how customers are being served. To him, new technologies make assets more durable and resilient while data and analytics are transforming how they are maintained. President Barackmight have initiated processes of the Revolution 4.0 in his very last state of the union address to Americans in January.Obama said priority would be to invest in the future and avoids subsidizing the past. He meant America would use solar and wind energy to solve the challenges of

climate change. That meant fossil fuel subsidies is now a thing of the past and renewables as the future; It is an American dream he may however not implement as he leaves office in January 2017 with fossil fuels still playing dominant roles in global economies. But what lessons have Nigeria learnt as the Fourth Industrial Revolution beckons? To the Group of Seven (G7) nations it is a knockout of fossil fuels but should we tag along?We must strive to be in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 party, irrespective of whether the industrialised world ruminate an abandonment of fossil fuels. It is a wakeup call for Nigeria as one believes that divinely a Nigerian would stumble across solution to our liquid fossil fuels for our own industrial take off. We must not for now abandon petroleum; our goose that lays the golden egg. What we have been shying away from is what others are benefitting from and we import. We will continue to have comparative and competitive advantages in petroleum to invest in process plants. As the Federal Government convenes an economic summit next week, Petroleum should be seen as our takeoff commodity to heavily invest in. We spend $1490.59 importing 80 percent of products in the value chain of petroleum if we were to refine one metric ton of crude. For every metric ton we sell, we make less than $280. We buy back 80 percent of the byproducts at $1490.59. Adding the remaining 20 percent of byproducts and derivatives it means we buy back what we sell for less than $280 for over $2000. Our national oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should now brace up to the challenge and invest in refineries. The developed world is thinking ahead, we should follow but tread carefully to achieve our desires. We must start from wherever to be in the revolution. Our lads and lasses are ready for the much talked about fourth industrial revolution. We must harness their potentials in the information and communications technology for the petroleum industry. Who would have thought the Nigerian genres of music would be reckoned with globally; ditto the films?It is a must do spirit for Nigerians.

he children of Israel were in captivity for years and suddenly God delivered them from the hands of their enemies. I prophesy that this same God will not only hear your cry and see your afflictions but that He will also deliver you from all your troubles. After the children of Israel crossed the red sea, they sang in Exo. 15:2, “The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father ’s God, and I will exalt Him”. Moses and the people soon realized that this God that gave them such a victory cannot be overlooked or taken for granted. They so much desired His continued presence that they committed to preparing a habitation for Him through praising Him. The obvious question therefore will be how do I prepare a habitation for the Lord. The answer is not farfetched. Ps 22:3, says “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabits the praises of His people”. Wherever God finds true praise He will inhabit. Our praise creates a place where God can dwell and manifest His presence. Wherever God inhabits He takes over as the Lord of hosts. Therefore, every other host will have to surrender and give way to the Chief Host. This is why I know that every power contending with your destiny will surrender to God as you make Him a habitation through your praise. Whenever the evil spirit came upon King Saul and David began to play the harp, the evil spirit departed from Saul (1Sam 16:14&23). The presence of God causes evil spirit to depart. You and I may not be able to understand this mystery but just obey the word of God. God’s word works wonders always. The result comes through our faith in action. The Spirit of the Lord desires to manifest His presence with might and great power. He wants to manifest as the mighty

Prepare a habitation for God man of war and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. God doesn’t just come to thrill you. He has objectives to accomplish. As you begin to praise Him continually, no matter your challenges or circumstances, every mountain in your life, business, career, academics, marriage, finances and children shall melt away in His presence. It is so vital that we prepare a habitation for God because it brings tremendous benefits to ourselves. You can’t praise Him and live a life of regrets. Ps 16:11, says, “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore”. God’s presence guarantees fullness of joy. Until you are joyful you cannot be fruitful. Also, you are assured of insights or revelation that will cause you to excel in the issues of life. When you carry God’s presence, answers follow you around. You see, God wants

to destroy your enemies with His presence. Ps 68:1-2, says, “Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God”. The enemy cannot stand the presence of God. God is a consuming fire. Ps 9:3, says, when mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence”. God’s presence that manifest through our praise makes the mountains to melt. Your enemies become confused and losses and defeats becomes their portion. Let your praise prepare a habitation for the Lord to manifest as the mighty man of war to fight against your enemies. While the armies of the children of Israel and the king were hiding from goliath, David told Goliath, I come against you in the name of the Lord of hosts (1Sam

For more details, contact us at Christ Reality Church, beside Gossard Hotel, opposite First Bank Sports Ground, Community Road, Satellite Town or P.O.Box, 3196, Yaba Lagos. Tel: 08023062635, 08168955932; 08033378769. Email: johnson_crm@yahoo.com. Website: www.christrealityministries.org. Our account details are Pastor Johnson Omomadia, Guaranty Trust Bank, A/C Nos. 0005171407; Christ Reality Ministries, Zenith Bank A/C 1011711622. Worship with us on Sundays, 1st Service: 7.45 am – 9:15am; 2nd service 9:15 – 11:30am. Wednesday World Revelation 6pm. Counseling days Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. 11Am – 5pm daily or by appointment. Showers of blessing every 2nd - 4th Sat. of each month 6 a.m – 7.15am.

Our praise creates a place where God can dwell and manifest His presence, Wherever God inhabits He takes over as the Lord of hosts 17:45). He gave God glory and defeated Goliath. You too can destroy every goliath in and around your life. No matter where you are presently, answers are waiting in the presence of God (Dan 2). Praise Him like you have never praised Him before and you will encounter what you have never seen before. The world will see you breaking forth in life. Be blessed by the God that made the heavens and the earth. As you prepare God a habitation He shall turn this present economic hardship to your season of increase and progression. Everyone who have asked where is your God shall have reasons to envy you this year. God bless you and bless our great nation Nigeria. Have you given your life to Jesus? If not, please pray this prayer. Father, I come to you as I am. I invite Jesus into my life to be my personal Lord and Saviour. Wash me cleanse with the blood of Jesus and empower me with the power of your Holy Spirit. Thank you Father for saving my soul and making me your child. Your prayer request and praise reports will be welcome. Our contact details are below. You can also partner with us by supporting us financially. C M Y K

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 12, 2016

FA Cup: Everton set for Chelsea showdown >>35

Siasia: I’m yet to see hunger in Eagles >>35

Salah would be a handful for Eagles —Cuper

>>34

TODAY’S FIXTURES FA Cup Everton

v Chelsea

EPL Norwich Bournemouth Stoke Arsenal

v Man City v Swansea v Southampton v West Brom

SERIE A Empoli Inter Milan

v Sampdoria 6pm v Bologna 8:45pm

1:45pm 4pm 4pm 6:30pm

LA LIGA Barcelona v Getafe Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad Atletico Madrid v Deportivo Rayo Vallecano v Eibar

4pm 5:15pm 8:30pm 10:05pm

BUNDESLIGA M’gladbach v Frankfurt 3:30pm FC Ingolstadt 04 v Stuttgart 3:30pm Hannover 96 v Cologne 3:30pm Hoffenheim v Wolfsburg 3:30pm SV Darmstadt 98 v FC Augsburg 3:30pm Bayern Munich v Werder Bremen 6:30pm LIGUE 1 Lorient Bastia Gazelec Ajaccio Guingamp Montpellier Toulouse

v v v v v v

Barca unleash MSN on Getafe

6:30pm

Marseille Lille Caen St Etienne Nice Bordeaux

Sunday CAF Champions League Enyimba v Vital’O Warri Wolves v El Merrikkh

5pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm 8pm

4pm 4pm

Confederation Cup Nasarawa v Club Sportif Constantinois 2pm

>>34

Enyimba, Wolves eye goal rush against Vital’O, ElMerrikh >>33

CROSS WORD PUZZLE Across 1 Malawi’s Vice President, Mr. Saulus – (7) 4 L.G.A in Imo State – (5) 7 Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo – (3) 8 Chairman/CEO, Brila Group, Dr. Larry – (7) 9 Congolese President, Mr. Denis – (7) 10 Chairman/CEO, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Mr. Franklin – (7) 13 Country in Africa – (4) 15 Amend – (6) 18 Former Chairman, Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Nuhu – (6) 21 Ethnic Group in Nigeria – (4) 23 Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mrs. Christine – (7) 25 L.G.A in Ogun State – (7) 26 Leicester City Coach, Claudio – (7) 27 Igbo Word for “Head”? – (3) 28 Warning Device – (5) 29 Spanish “La Liga” ClubSide – (7)

Down 1 Egyptian Capital City – (5) 2 Honduras Currency – (7) 3 Former Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony – (6) 4 Benue State Capital – (7) 5 Special Adviser to the Presidency on Media & Publicity, Mr. Femi – (7) 6 L.G.A in Benue State – (7) 11 Prosecute – (3) 12 Land Measurement Unit – (4) 14 Region – (4) 15 Maldives Currency – (7) 16 Carnivorous Fish – (7) 17 Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Major-General Mohammed – (7) 19 Algeria “Desert Warriors” Attacking Midfielder, Yacine – (7) 20 Father – (3) 22 France “Les Bleus” Goalkeeper, Hugo – (6) 24 Former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youth Development, Mr. Bekes – (5)

Solution on page 39

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C M Y K