The Nation-June-12-2011

–Page 65

Nigeria’s truly national newspaper

New cabinet: Intense lobby for Petroleum, seven other ministries

VOL. 05, N0. 1788

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011

NYSC 5: Kidnappers insist on N100m ransom from govt –Page 6

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

N200.00

More trouble for Bankole EFCC probes alleged purchase of official residence 65 e g Four posh mansions in Abuja traced to ex-Speaker –Pa Contract scam: Four lawmakers may testify against him NEWS

Nigeria has not been fair to my father – Hafsat –Page 6

•The late M.K.O Abiola

• Heroes of ‘June 12’ – Pages 4 - 5 • ‘Martyrs of June 12 still crying for justice’– Page 7 •How we ran Radio Kudirat – Fayemi – Page 8

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

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FacebookHave connects youngman to the president your say Many have expressed worries at the amount of time the youth devote to the social media, OLAYINKA OYEGBILE, Deputy Editor, met a young man whose activities led to the president paying tribute to his father in his inaugural speech

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URING the recent revolution that swept through the streets of the Middle East and led to the fall of many governments in the region, the social media played very prominent role. In galvanising the populace, the internet played a great role and since then many have acknowledged its power.

In Nigeria, this has also become a big issue and many have embraced it. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and other social media accounts have become the rave. Lots of news, information and if you don’t mind, misinformation, are passed on the net across the world today because the social media have almost taken over the business of news from the usual sources. This has led to lots of advancement and the emergence of citizen journalists. Having a Facebook account has become the in- thing today. The fact that President Goodluck Jonathan has a Facebook account at the initial stage prior to the election was scoffed at by a few Nigerians that it was just a gimmick to latch on to the votes of the youth who are the major force in the new media.

However, a recent event after the general election in the country has demonstrated that the account may not be a gimmick after all. One person that could testify to this is the family of the late Emmanuel Bamidele Orevba, father of four –two sons and two daughters. One of his two sons, Babajide, who is a student of Counselling and Psychology at the University of Ado-Ekiti, Lagos campus is a Facebook rave. He spent his spare time surfing the net updating his status and trying to know what are the latest things in his field of study. It was in the process of updating his accounts that he signed on as a friend of President Jonathan on Facebook. He, along with thousands of others who signed on to the president on the social media from time to time, put in little words on how they feel about Nigeria. It was in this process that the election came and when the results were being announced on the media, Orevba began to follow with keen interests.

According to Isegaegbe, the first son who was always by his father because he is unemployed, he always looked at the special glint that radiates from his father’s face whenever results being announced go in favour of Jonathan. According to him, “Although my father is not a card carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he was always telling us to ensure we vote for Jonathan.” In the eyes of his son, his father could have easily passed as a member of Neighbour 2 Neighbour, the group that took it upon itself to go from door to door campaigning for Jonathan during the election.

The son added that in their Iju/Ishaga neighbourhood, the father was a silent and un-

known volunteer who campaigned in the neighbourhood for the presidency of Jonathan.

Asked why the father was so much hooked on Jonathan, Isagaegbe, a 2005 graduate of Business Administration from the Lagos State Polytechnic, said his father believed Jonathan would solve the issue of power supply which has been a big problem for the country for decades. He said, “He (my father) so believed that President Jonathan if voted in would solve this problem once and for all.” Therefore on the night of April 18 when the results of the April 16 Presidential election were being announced, Orevba with his son, Isegaegbe sat in the front of the television in their sitting room monitoring it.

He was with a notebook recording and also calling his other son and the husband of his daughter, a journalist, who was outside Lagos to find out how his preferred candidate was fairing. He was that passionate.

However, as fate would have it, late that night as Mr. Goodluck Jonathan was being announced as the winner of the poll, Orevba in a fit of joy shouted in victory that his candidate has won. It was to be his last act of consciousness. He slumped into the chair and his son had to call around to seek advice from doctors, friends and neighbours that late night. He and his mother Idowu, administered the first aid until morning when he was taken to the Lagos State Teaching Hospital for treatment. He was not to come back home again. He died two days later.

The social media came into use and shortly before the inauguration of President Jonathan, Babajide went to the president’s Facebook account and wrote there that the president had lost a great fan in his father because he died shortly after he was declared as winner of the election. He never thought anything serious would come out of it. He was just behaving like a normal youth who today see the social media a place to vent their spleens and express their views.

That was not to be. A few days later, his phone rang and a voice at the other end identified himself as an aide to the president. He was not humoured. He thought it was the usual 419 prank but he decided to play along since the caller was using his credit to call him. If it was a prank, he was ready to allow the person burn his credit. He was asked some few questions and the caller directed him to meet him at a particular venue the next day.

He went and questions were further asked to ascertain that he was really not also playing any tricks. This confirmed, he was asked to go.

On May 29, Babajide was in his room at home when President Jonathan was sworn in. In his inaugural speech, the president acknowledged all those who worked for his

Have your say Apart from the proscription slammed on the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Oyo State chapter, over the recent violent division between the two factions in its fold, which resulted in the death of many people and destruction of properties, what other measures would you advise the state government to initiate in order to prevent a recurrence of such tragedy?

— Send SMS with full name and location before Wednesday to 08074473182 Responses to previous week’s question are on pages 48 & 52

•Babajide (left), Idowu and Isegaegbe

victory and also paid tribute to Orevba.

When his father’s name was mentioned, his mother and little sister, Temitope who were watching the events live called him to come and listen to the president mentioning his father’s name. He rushed out to join the family. The president in his speech said, “Only a couple of days ago, I received an entry on my Facebook page. It was sent by Mr. Babajide Orevba. He wrote to inform me that I had lost a great fan. That fan was his father, Mr. Emmanuel Bamidele Orevba. The deceased, the son told me, was no politician, but had campaigned enthusiastically for my ticket. Tragically, overwhelmed by the joy of our victory, he collapsed, and passed on three days later. I pray God Almighty to grant his soul eternal rest.”

This was a therapeutic moment for the family. Idowu, the widow told The Nation on Sunday, “The comfort we got from the Presidential mention was enormous. It was totally unexpected. Immediately after, people began to call us to confirm if that was really us and congratulated us. I am so grateful to the President, and it is a sign that he will succeed in whatever he is doing.”

The mother was not alone. Her siblings have also been receiving calls and condolence messages for that presidential men-

tion. Many who had lost touch with the family in the past are beginning to connect through Facebook, phones and one social media with the family. It has been a great opportunity for the family to have their distress shared.

Babajide, the young guy who started it all on the social media, is today grateful that he has been able to confirm the potency of this medium. To him, the time he spends on the net has become useful and has made his family known even if it was a time of sorrow. He said, he was surprised that the president even sent an aide to call him and also went ahead to mention his father in his broadcast “I had been a friend of the President on Facebook... I think I am just lucky because my comment was one of the several thousands that day but it was spotted and acted upon.”

This, to the young man, is a demonstration of the fact that the social media is important and that the president having an account there was not just for vote catching or for fun. He encouraged other youths and citizens to communicate with the president through this medium. In his grave lying in a corner of his compound, Orevba, if indeed the dead have feelings, will be happy that his children are living in modern times.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Column

Progressives and the polity UDDENLY, it is another June 12 anniversary. The Abiola phenomenon has continued to baffle friends and foes alike. How a man who was the very bastion and symbol of rightwing reactionary politics came to incarnate and redefine progressive politics in Nigeria remains a source of mystery to many.

But in life nothing is ever cast in marble. The end of all struggles is the struggle to end well.

The Abiola conundrum should throw an illuminating ray on the current political reconfiguration of the old west and its nuclear fallout.

The reports about the death of the old Yoruba civil war are grossly exaggerated. All is not quiet yet on the western front. As the emergent progressives set about consolidating their grip on the region, they must let history be their guide. They must avoid ancient banana peels and new landmines. They must disavow a tendency to gloat and a naïve and premature triumphalism. It is not the cold they must fear, but darkness, to echo Miguel Unamuno, the great Spanish writer.

The crisis of the Nigerian postcolonial state is also a crisis of the intellectual class leading to a progressive debility of the thinking and critical faculty. This is the ultimate designer crisis, tailor made like a Savile Row bespoke suit for clinical national incapacitation. For without the intellect, there can be no illumination. And without the flash of intellectual inspiration, there is no way to think the way out of the tunnel of abysmal hopelessness.

In this millennial darkness, all are like proverbial blind people clutching at different parts of an elephant and claiming that they have discovered the real thing. Keywords and important concepts such as “progressive”, “conservative” and “reactionary” are lost to the torpid void. Freely bandied about and loosely applied to forestall and even replace critical thinking, nobody is sure what these words mean any more. They have become catch-all slogans emptied of true meaning and essence. The damage of ignorance is only more devastating than the damage of pure mischief.

To recover and recuperate meaning, then, is the first intellectual step towards political redemption.

What does it mean to be a progressive in our current set up? A progressive is somebody radically dissatisfied with the existing status quo that yearns for change in the direction of rationality and modernity. Now depending on individual temperament, these quests for change in the affairs of humanity may range from a desire for the radical annihilation of the current order to its progressive reformation.

A conservative, on the other hand, is somebody who sees nothing wrong in the existing order and yearns for a perpetuation of the status quo. This is not necessarily a term of abuse. To be sure, there are many societies where there is a lot to be conserved and preserved, in which the present is a desirable building block for future human exertions. A reactionary is a jaded retrogressive person who not only approves of the status quo but longs for its even more solid revalidation in the distant past.

But all that is solid often melts into thin air. The difficulty is that there can never be a waterproof standard for measuring ideological orientation or predicting its future trajectory. The scale often breaks down when confronted by actual reality and lived experience in all its nuanced complexities. In the same person, group, society and nation, contradictory ideological tendencies may cohere in a tense and unstable coalition. The best way to grasp ideological orientation is to grasp it dialectically, that is in process and in

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nooping around With

Tatalo Alamu

•M.K.O Abiola

action.

For example and up to a point, it was possible to support military rule in Nigeria and still be a progressive. This is because certain types of military rule are associated with rapid national integration, fastpaced economic development and the creation of a solid middle class that is crucial and critical to the democratic process. But after General Babangida and the June 12 fiasco, and in particular during General Abacha’s depredations, to support military rule and its continuation in whatever guise is to be an outright reactionary.

In the modern Yoruba epoch, the gold standard for measuring progressive politics is and remains Obafemi Awolowo. The great man from Ikenne was not only radically dissatisfied with the ruinous and fractious plight of his Yoruba people in particular, he also came up with the visionary road map for the rapid economic and political transformation of the polity. Within a generation and in a brisk dramatic pace of five years of purposeful and transformational governance, Awolowo had led his people from the farm to the factory.

To be sure before Awolowo, there were many progressive and even radical anti-colonial exemplars of Yoruba extraction particularly among the Lagos coastal elite. But it would seem that for these avatars, the Yoruba hinterland and the Nigerian interior were merely a hostile and alien land mass teeming with savages and unreconstructed barbarians. They were therefore content with their coastline agitations, leaving Lord Lugard severely alone with his delusional amalgamation.

It was to Awolowo’s credit that he seized this alien quasi-feudal land mass by the scruff of the neck dragging it screaming and howling to the temple and template of modernity.

In a feat of strategic brilliance, Awolowo first tapped into Yoruba nascent cultural nationalism as a homogeneous people before leveraging this into a political nationalism. It is to this enduring political nationalism, honed on the struggle for the revalidation of the June 12 presidential mandate, that the progressive heirs of this tradition owe their current ascendancy.

In confronting the Nigerian Question, Awolowo took a sharp lurch to the left after coming to the conclusion that the panacea for Nigeria’s political and economic backwardness and the rampart medieval feudalism in the north was rapid socialist transformation. At this point, the falcon could no longer hearken to the falconer. The form could no longer hold the new contents

and the Action Group, an unstable coalition of conflicting and conflicted tendencies at best, rapidly disintegrated into its component parts. The spiral and the spin off from the crisis led to the collapse of the First republic.

Thereafter, each successful mobilisation of the Yoruba people for the progressive cause has led to a dramatic backlash which has taken its

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severe toll on the standard bearers. In 1983, a crisis of succession in the UPN led to the exodus of many of its leading lights and some of Awolowo’s beloved disciples. In 1993, the nuclear fall out from the June 12 debacle led to the estrangement and excommunication of many progressive luminaries. In 2003, the internal contradictions of the AD and a lingering crisis of succession led to the martyrdom of Bola Ige and the subsequent destruction of the old Afenifere.

The ideological instability noticeable among the Yoruba progressives is not without its tragic ironies. In 1973 at the premises of Premier Hotel Ibadan, snooper personally witnessed Tunde Agunbiade, a former Action Group stalwart and hardliner who was then the president of the Unife students union, physically rough up Olu Adegboro, the president of NUNS, for daring to make disrespectful and disparaging remarks about Awo. Ten years after in 1983, Agunbiade himself was summarily beheaded by an irate Akure mob as he began jubilation over the declaration of Akin Omoboriowo as governor.

The current conjuncture is even

more precarious. Despite the hard core of progressives, an untidy but necessary pragmatism has led to taking on board many whose ideological lineages are suspect. It is a remarkable historical irony that it is the week leading to the June 12 anniversary that we have seen the hazy outlines of the new battle front as the affronted custodians of the old progressive order found common cause with outright reactionaries, jaded kleptocrats, former progressives stranded by choice and other anti-democratic wannabes in a duel unto death with the new standard bearers of the flag mast they have abandoned. All they need is the usual help from the federal establishment.

The new hegemons of the old west will need all the wiles and wisdom they can muster. A former progressive is often more dangerous than a constant conservative. In a startling piece of political prophecy, the authors of The Gods that Failed reached a grim conclusion. The final battle, according to them, will not be between communists and reactionaries but between communists and ex-communists. In western Nigeria the final battle will be between progressives and former progressives.

Okon is remanded

S the date for the celebrated trial of Okon for bigamy drew nearer, the house has been a beehive of activities with well-wishers and sympathisers coming and going.

Some notable lawyers have shown up waiving their hefty consultation fees as a gesture of respect and solidarity with the embattled boy. The entire house had been converted into an Efik sanatorium milling with small creek crooks, drunken hell-raisers and other miserable specimens of humanity.

Snooper had been wondering why all the fuss about the crazy lad, as if he would be the first person facing the prospects of some spell in prison for amorous misconduct. But the immoral adulation seemed to have gone into the boy’s head. At a point, the mad boy even had the temerity to ask snooper to excuse them in view of the delicate nature of the discussion.

“Not on your shameless life!” snooper screamed as he was about to be evicted from his own house. One became convinced that a spell behind bar would not be bad thing for Okon, at least this would allow for snooper to reorganise and get on with life.

The most entertaining but infuriating visitor to the house was Baba Lekki. He would arrive every morning carrying a basket of law books on his bald head and swigging directly from a bottle of illicit gin. Having fortified himself, he would proceed to lecture his captive audience on why bigamy was non-justiciable in an amphibious and bigamous country like Nigeria.”If you live on land and in water at the same time, bigamy is impossible to prove”.

You could see that he had been refining even this position when one morning, Baba Lekki finally dropped his legal bombshell. “Coming to think of it, the charge of bigamy cannot be sustained against you on grounds of spirituality and nationality’, the old criminal exploded.

“Baba, how dat one come be now?

You don come with dem jaguda grammar again?”, an anxious but cynical Okon snorted.

“You see, you cannot charge a spirit with bigamy. As you are Ebora Calabar,

the charge is null and void. Secondly, since your grandfathers were from Bakassi, Nigerian laws do not apply to you since you are not a Nigerian”, Baba Lekki proferred.

“Baba how dat one go be now as I don contest for president?” Okon asked half-whispering.

“How many of the other presidential candidates are Nigerians?”

Baba Lekki snapped.

On judgement day, the house was invaded at dawn by all sorts of ruffians, riff-raff and ragamuffins on the margins of society. They began chanting solidarity songs from the June 12 struggle, daring anybody who cared to listen to send Okon to jail. When the mad boy suddenly appeared dressed like an Efik chieftain, the crowd went completely gaga. They seized Okon and began carrying him shoulder-high towards the court. Could this be the commencement of the Nigerian revolution, snooper wondered.

The entire route was lined with well-wishers singing Okon’s praise and asking the god of retribution to deal with his tormentors. The adulation soon led to a fatal dose of delinquent confidence. As soon as the mad boy entered the court room, he sighted a familiar light-skinned policeman on duty .The cop bore a comical resemblance to a recently deposed governor.

“Ah yellow, you still dey force? I think say dem Sunami don reach una like your tolotolo brother for Agodi. But no forget say you owe me small change from last time ooo”, Okon snorted as the hitherto serene courtroom exploded in laughter. The cop completely ignored Okon. But while they were still trying to restore order, Okon’s eyes lighted on the aging president of the court and his geriatric assistants. One of them was dozing away while the other was battling kola nuts with missing incisors.

“Chei, na dis Old Peoples Home dem dey call b-gamey court for Yorubaland?” Okon sneered.

“Who is this fellow?” the old president scowled with impatience and indignation.

“Sir, he is here for bigamy?” the court clerk replied. “ And what is brigamy?” the dozing old man asked. The president, a nononsense former boxing champion and lay preacher, ignored his colleague and faced down Okon.

“Youngman, what is your name?” the old man demanded from Okon.

“I be man, but I no be Young. I be Etubom Okon Anthony Okon”, Okon retorted.

“I see. Tunbomu Okon. But where is your tunbomu? (drink-sieving whiskers in ancient Yoruba parlance)” the old man asked, trying to inject some humour into the tense proceeding. But Okon remained implacable.

“Baba, make una remove dem cotton wool from dem ear. I say I be Etubom. I no be Tunbosun, na dem yeye Yoruba singer dey bear dat kind nonsense name”, Okon shouted at the old man.

“Okay, Etibomb Okon”, the old man sneered but now with ill humour.

“He be like if say your old head no dey soak petrol again”, Okon blasted.

At this point, the old man completely lost his cool.

“This is a rude and mannerless fool.

Let him be remanded in police custody until he has purged himself of contempt”, the old man thundered and rose to his full length as he hammered the gavel on his desk. The fair-skinned cop fell on Okon and wrestled him to the ground. Three other cops surfaced from nowhere to apply reasonable force. The crowd began dispersing immediately.

Okon cut a very sorry figure as he was being led away. The reality now dawned on him that the bigamy plot may just be part of a bigger ploy to put him away for some time.

“Chei, see how dem Yoruba come get man cheap cheap! Efen dem president ball I no fit watch now for telly.” The feckless chap lamented.

This piece is republished from last week due to technical hitches — Editor

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News JUNE 12 ANNIVERSARY

Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola He was indeed the symbol of democracy in the country. Besides being a hugely accomplished business mogul, he had compassion for the masses. He had sought for power to, in his words, abolish poverty in the country. Hopes of Nigerians rose as the results of the free and fair poll began to trickle in. Suddenly, President Babangida did the unthinkable: He declared the election annulled! Spontaneously, the entire nation “caught fire.” Thus, agitations spread across the nation as people demanded that IBB put his decision in reverse gear. He remained obstinate even as Abiola too, with people’s unflinching support, would not budge. Even during his incarceration under the Sani Abacha-led regime that succeeded IBB, he vowed to fight on. He fought on until his death in detention under Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar regime which took over from Abacha.

Kudirat Atinuke Abiola The late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was one of the wives of the late Moshood Abiola, the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. Signals that she would be “powerful” came to the open while at Muslim Girls High School, Ijebu Ode, where she had her early education. She was to later grow to become a model in hard work and diligence. Incontrovertibly, the cancellation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which her husband had won, forced Kudirat into the pro-democracy movement with steely determination that dared military bullets. When her husband was in solitary confinement for claiming his presidential mandate, Kudirat confronted military dictators. Her leadership motivated other pro democracy groups to spring up and seek the actualization of the election. In 1994, when the struggle got to a head, Kudirat was actively involved in sustaining the oil workers strike which succeeded in crippling the nation’s economy and weakened the military government. Kudirat had frictions with courts over her stance before her eventual release on bail. Despite this harassment, she continued her campaign. But on June 4, 1996, a few days to the anniversary of the June 12 commemorative date, Kudirat was shot dead by assassins around Oregun in Lagos

Chief Adekunle Ajasin The former governor of the old Ondo State was one of the leading associates of the late Obafemi Awolowo. After Awolowo’s death, Ajasin’s passion for selfgovernment informed his early association with pro-democracy movements. Ajasin was again at the forefront when Babangida annulled the June 12 election.

His quest to revalidate the election resulted in the formation of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which he pioneered as a leader. Despite his frail health, Ajasin endured arrest and detention in the battle to force Gen. Sani Abacha to relinquish power to Abiola. In August 1995, he took ill and on his return from his foreign medical trip, he renewed his quest for the revalidation of the June 12 mandate. In June 1995, he was arrested by the military alongside others for holding a meeting, but was released 24 hours later. Eventually, he passed on after the worthy fight.

Pa Alfred Rewane He remained at the forefront of Nigeria’s pro-democracy movement during the dark days under Abacha. With vigour, he campaigned for democracy and human rights, true federalism, honesty, transparency and accountability in public office among other things. He was also involved in pressing for the de-annulment of the June 12 election. But in October 6, 1995, he got murdered in curious circumstances which elicited wide outcry.

Abraham Adesanya The late Adesanya, elder statesman, lawyer and former senator remained irrepressible throughout the struggle. When

•Abraham Adesanya

•Anthony Enahoro

•Femi Falana

•Frank Kokori

•Balarabe Musa

•Gani Fawehinmi

Heroes of ‘June 12’ On June 23, 1993, when the historic presidential election on June 12 won by Chief Moshood Abiola, the flag bearer of the proscribed Social Democratic Party (PDP), was annulled, the journey to democracy was crippled. It was a dark moment in national history, which heralded a chain of events, including prolonged political crises, setting up of the interim government contraption, enthronement of the Abacha regime and renewed clamour for popular rule by pro-democracy forces and masses who are the true heroes of the titanic struggle for the restoration of civil rule.

We highlight some of the heroes: the Abiola election was annulled, he joined others to form the NADECO, a no-nonsense pro-democracy group that became a major enemy to Abacha. He stood resolutely by Abiola and his mandate. Death came calling in January, 1997, but he miraculously escaped assassin’s bullets. However, he remained undaunted.

In 1998, he became the leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba social and cultural group promoting the virtues of minority rights, equality, federalism and nationalism.

Assembly; and later member, Federal House of Representatives in 1951, before he later became Minister of Home Affairs in the old Western Region, was the Opposition spokesman on Foreign Affairs and Legislative Affairs in the Federal House of Representatives. He was also a leader of NADECO. In 1995, he was detained for almost three months without any charge by Abacha. He also chaired the Movement for National Reformation (MNR) and the ProNational Conference Organisation (PRONACO).

Chief Anthony Enahoro

Gani Fawehinmi (SAN)

Chief Enahoro, nationalist and elder statesman is, no doubt, one of Nigeria’s foremost pro-democracy activists. Chief Enahoro, a member of the Western House of

A Lagos-based outstanding lawyer, Chief Fawehinmi (SAN), now late, is a worldacclaimed fierce human rights crusader.

Aside from handling over 5,000 cases (mostly

high-profile from the lower to the apex courts), he was detained and imprisoned by various governments more than 35 times.

He was actively involved in the struggle to actualize the June 12 election and to get Abiola to get his mandate.

Prof Wole Soyinka Professor Soyinka, Nigerian playwright, poet, novelist, and implacable critic, is the first black African to bag the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. He is used to prison walls through his activism. In 1994, Soyinka lived in exile in the US and France after leaving Nigeria.

When the June 12 election was annulled, Soyinka played a key role in pressurising Abacha to rescind his decision. With his influence, he mounted a strong international

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News

5

JUNE 12 ANNIVERSARY Bola Tinubu In the Third Republic, he was a senator.

In the Upper Chamber, he was the rallying point for senators seeking an end to military rule. He challenged IBB to a duel. When the military leader annulled the poll, he demanded for explanations.

Tinubu dared the military, urging the masses to resist the brutal act. After escaping abroad, he became one of the leaders NADECO abroad.

Alani Akinrinade Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd) was one of the leaders of NADECO abroad, who committed enormous time, energy and resources to the struggle for justice. His private residence at Ikeja was torched by suspected government agents.

Falae

•Bola Tinubu

•Kudirat Abiola

•Col. Abubakar Umar

Olu Falae, former Secretary to the Federal Government under IBB became one of the ardent supporters of Abiola during the battle for the revalidation of the annulled results.

He was a prominent chieftain of Afenifere.

Lam Adesina For participating in the anti-military demonstrations at Ibadan, Oyo State capital, Alhaji Lam Adesina was ‘captured’ by the Military Administrator, Col. Usman, as a prisoner of war.

Bishop Gbonigi The activist-cleric, Rt. Rev. Bolanle Gbonigi, was nicknamed the ‘NADECO Bishop’ because of his principled position on June 12. He decried the injustice from the pulpit and offered moral and spiritual support to the pro-democracy agitators.

Olawale Oshun As the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Hon. Olawale Oshun, was one of the political and intellectual warriors, who fought side by side with Abiola. he was also one of the planners of the ‘Epetedo Declaration’. He was detained by the military for several months. He wrote his famous book ‘Clapping with one hand’ in detention.

•Lateef Jakande

campaign against Abacha’s dictatorial regime. In 1997 he was tried in absentia with othe r opposition members for a phony charge of bomb attacks against army.

The Abacha regime sentenced Soyinka to death in absentia. But today, he lives to tell the tale.

Frank Kokori Kokori, a fearless Labour leader is the former secretary-general of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG). Also a pro-democracy activist, Kokori in 1994, led Nigeria’s oil workers to a sustained strike over the annulment of the June 12, election, leading to the paralysis of the social and economic lives of the nation to the embarrassment of Abacha’s junta.

He was arrested on August 20, same year by security operatives and was moved around different prisons, mostly in the northern part of the country. The incarceration, however, did not stop his activism. After regaining his freedom, he did not refrain from civil rights struggle.

Walter Carrington An American diplomat, who served as United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Nigeria between 1993 and 1997, Carrington, stood resolutely with pro-democracy activists during the pro-June 12 agitation.

He condemned Babangida for annulling the election widely adjudged free and fair. He expressed great concern over the abuse of human rights and the steady descent of Nigeria into a police state under the military.

•Joe Igbokwe

Chief Ayo Adebanjo A staunch member of NADECO who played opposition politics for many decades, Adebanjo, alongside the late Adesanya and others, did not look back in the spirited fight against military regimes in order to get power returned to the civilians. Like others, he was a dependable ally against the annulment.

Ayo Opadokun Opadokun, an irrepressible sociopolitical commentator and human rights crusader, was once General Secretary of the Afenifere. He was also the spokesman of NADECO. He fought the military to a standstill for democracy to flourish in Nigeria. He was on the wanted list of the military. He was a thorn in the flesh of the regime. He was eventually captured and hounded into detention for one year.

Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe Ukiwe, a retired Commodore in the Nigerian Navy, served as the second in command during the Babangida’s military government from 1985 to 1986. Most Nigerians believe that Ukiwe lost his post due to his principled nature. Knowing that Ukiwe could not be pushed around, Babangida replaced him with Augustus Aikhomu. Aikhomu. After his exit from the military, he joined the pro-democracy group and was one of those who fought Abacha’s regime to a stand still.

Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Kanu, former governor of Lagos State, after his retirement, joined the democracy groups and was in the forefront of the

•Prof Itse Sagay

agitation for the actualization of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election.

Dan Sulaiman A gallant soldier, Sulaiman, a former Minister of Communications, joined the democratic forces in decrying the annulment and incarceration of the symbol of the struggle.

Bagauda Kaltho He was a promising journalist murdered on duty by custodians of bombs. His offence was that he was writing in defense of democracy and rule of law.

Bola Ige The entry of the late Chief Bola Ige, after the expiration of his ‘siddon look’ period inspired the pro-democracy agitators to fight on. He had a caustic tongue, which he used to bite the Abacha regime. It was he who described the five political parties of that period as five fingers of a leprous hand.

Balarabe Musa The former governor of Kaduna State refused to join the bandwagon of tribal egoists. He believed that June 12 offered a redemptive option to the country in its quest for legitimate leadership.

Abubakar Umar Col. Abubakar Umar Dangiwa (rtd) spoke forcefully in defense of the Abiola. To him, the symbol was not the main issue, but the seizure of the nation’s collective passport for a genuine flight to the horizon of democratic progress.

Afenifere and NADECO leaders Other Afenifere leaders who were active during the struggle included Senator Ayo Fasanmi, who resigned from the Constitutional Conference Commission, Sir Olaniwun Ajayi, Senator Femi Okunrounmu, Chief Supo Sonibare, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Baba Omojola, Chief Rafiu Jafojo, Chief S.K. Babalola, Chief Fapounda, Rev. Tunji Adebiyi.

Afenifere leaders-Chiefs Ganiyu Dawodu, Ayo Adebanjo and Senator Kofo Akerele-Bucknor, were prominent in the crusade against military rule in Lagos.

Dawodu and Adebanjo were detained for months. In the cell, Dawodu, who had eye problem, was denied access to medication.

Before the former Lagos State Governor Lateef Jakande and Chief Ebenezer Babatope deserted the ‘June 12 travelers’ after joining the Abacha Government, they were close allies of Abiola in the struggle for the validation of the results.

Former university don, Dr Amos Akingba was harassed by the military. His residence was also attacked.

The two politicians and blue blood from Kobomoje family of Ibadan, Chief Lai balogun and Alhaja Suliat Adedeji, were murdered because of their opposition to military rule.

Labour, Human groups and Media

Rights

The human rights leaders-Dr Beko Ransom-Kuti, Femi Falana, Femi aborisade, Chima Ubani, Joe Igbokwe, Olisa Agbakoba, Ayo Obe, Dr Fredrick Fasehun, Ebun Adegoruwa, Clement Nwankwo; Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), NUPENG, PENGASAN, ASSUU and NANS; participated in the battle.

6

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News

A

NOTHER anniversary of June 12 is here, has the country been fair to your father?

MKO Abiola was a man that united the whole country. In the June 12 election, he won more votes in the North than he did in the South. On June 12, 1993, Nigerians voted en masse for a man whose platform was a promise that Nigerians would say “farewell to poverty”. Eighteen years later, 70% of Nigerians have less than a $1 a day and 90% live with less than $2 a day. You ask: Has the country been fair to my father? I ask you: Has the country been fair when the issues that demanded they pay the supreme price still stares us in the face? What a journey it has been and how instructive it is on the nature of struggle that we are here 18 years later still so far from our destination.

The simple answer to your question is “no”, the country has not been fair to him or been fair to the ideals which he died for.

The 2011 election was adjudged as credible by local and international observers. Is it comparable to the one that got your father the mandate he was eventually denied of?

I think what we can say is that the April 2011 election was probably the most credible since the return of democracy in 1999. But is it as credible as the June 1993 election? I can’t say.

Certainly, I hope that the 2015 election will be even better conducted than this recent past one. There were problems still and there’s room for improvement.

What is your opinion on the debate about making June 12 Democracy Day in Nigeria as against May 29 as it is being advocated by some people?

Nigeria has not been fair to my father - Hafsat Hafsat Abiola-Costello, the eldest daughter of the late martyr of democracy, Chief MKO Abiola, in this online interview with Ademola Adesola, reflects on the issues confronting Nigeria 13 years after the death of her father I think when we are confronted by a government that is confused about its raison d’être, easily distracted with the trappings of office and not with what the position is meant to achieve in the lives of 150 million Nigerians, if we, citizens of this entity, begin to talk about symbolic dates, then we run the risk of pushing too many issues onto the table before a community of people who already have a propensity to become distracted from their main assignment. So, it is important that June 12 be given a pride of place; it is important that MKO Abiola be honoured appropriately as the father of the current democracy we are experiencing. But for now, we must simply focus on the main point – the desire and just demand of the Nigerian people that they see an end to poverty. That’s the prize that we need to keep our eye on.

Are you interested in politics to the level of contesting election for political office?

Yes, I am! I think public service is the most important career that well-meaning citizens can pursue in a country like ours where there is such need and where, because of the weakness of controls, so much depends on the abilities and integrity of the people

holding office.

Let’s talk about your mother. What do you really miss about her?

My mother was a lovely person. She was kind and graceful, intelligent and principled. I miss everything about her. The way she was driven by ideals to the point that she would set aside her own interests and the way, whenever we were coming home from school, she would cook jollof rice with so much pepper that our tongues would cry for water.

How do you view the present situation of the trial of her killers?

I actually do not follow that particularly actively.

Are there particular reasons why your siblings are based abroad?

Globalization! Khafila married a Welsh man who has a company in New York and Moriam married a Jamaican who also works in the US. Hadi, the baby, just graduated from college with a dual degree in Economics and Accounting and was given a great job in DC. And in my case, I married a civil servant in the European Commission and have moved with him and our kids on his different postings. To be sure, for all of us, home is best but inclination must intersect with opportunity for us to come home.

Let’s talk about your project, Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND).

What are the major impacts and achievements that it has recorded since inception?

KIND has trained over 3000 young women in service-leadership since 2001.

We have also impacted several women politicians at the local level with skills to enhance their service delivery. We were deeply involved in mobilizing the womenfolk to participate actively in the electoral system. Since 2006, we brought the Vagina Monologues to Nigeria to raise serious awareness about the prevalence of genderbased violence and to also raise funds for organizations working with victims of gender-based violence.

For several civil society organizations, we have provided the necessary linkages and support in accessing support for their work and providing an active mentoring network.

Would you really say the feats achieved thus far are encouraging enough to keep on with the vision?

Definitely yes, and that is what informed our plan to open a KIND’s Women Development Centre in our nation’s capital. We are excited to embark on this new phase of our journey –

•Hafsat

helping women seek leadership positions in order to contribute their quota to nation-building. We have commenced outreach efforts to seek support towards a fund raiser that will coincide with the 60th

posthumous birthday of my mum in August.

How has life been with your immediate family?

Life has been kind. We are all healthy and of my mum’s 7 children, 6 are married with 13 children between us.

NYSC 5: Kidnappers insist on N100m ransom from government

T

HE kidnappers of the five National Youth Ser vice Corps (NYSC) members in Rivers State, who on Thursday demanded N100 million ransom before the youths could regain their freedom, yesterday insisted on taking N20 million per person, but now from government.

The hoodlums, who had contacted families of the victims (four females and one male), said they preferred either the Rotimi Amaechi administration or the Federal Government, to quickly pay the ransom.

At the peak of militancy, kidnapping and cult war in Rivers State and other parts of the Niger Delta, before the Federal Government’s amnesty offer to repentant militants, Amaechi had declared that he would never negotiate with any “criminal”.

Some of the corps members who spoke but preferred to remain anonymous said since the kidnappers were now targeting corps members, they had decided that they would no longer go about wearing their uniforms.

The corps members also pleaded with the gunmen to

•Corps members refuse to wear uniforms in Rivers From Bisi Olaniyi, Port Harcourt

unconditionally release the victims, considering what they would be going through in the forest in this rainy season, with mosquitoes and dangerous animals in the bush.

The youths added that the kidnap would discourage other corps members from accepting to serve in Rivers State and other parts of the Niger Delta.

In a telephone interview yesterday, the Rivers Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) expressed optimism that the five youths would soon regain their freedom, considering the efforts of officers and men of the command.

Ugwuegbulam added that the command was still investigating the abduction, with policemen on the trail of the kidnappers.

Investigations revealed

that two of the kidnapped youths are married women, with their apprehensive husbands and relatives of others, frequently visiting the Rivers State Secretariat of the NYSC, along Ikwerre Road in Port Harcourt, to gather information and also regularly meeting with the Rivers NYSC’s Coordinator, Mrs. Esther

Wogbo.

Wogbo confirmed in a telephone interview that the ransom was mentioned to the families of the corps members, and that efforts were being made, in collaboration with the police and the State Security Service (SSS), to ensure immediate release of the youths.

The corps members were kidnapped by gun men around 7:30 pm on Tuesday at Omademe in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, where Governor Rotimi Amaechi hails from.

The youth corps members were in the car of one of them and were on their way from Omademe, where they

went to inspect a library they built for the Community Secondary School, as part of their community development projects, ahead of their passing out on June 16.

The youths wanted to be sure that the library would be ready before the passing out and formally hand it over before leaving Rivers State.

Tension in Ago-Iwoye over missing undergraduate

T

ENSION and anxiety mounted yesterday in the university town of Ago - Iwoye, Ogun state, over the safety of a student of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) who disappeared in a mysterious circumstance since June 5.

The missing student, Mr Balogun Lekan [aka. Balo], a 200-level Business Administration student, was said to have been allegedly abducted by a cyclist, called Ajela and neither the suspect nor the captive has been found about a week after.

From Ernest Nwokolo, Abeokuta

The Student union leader of OOU, Mr.Rufai Uthman, told The Nation that Balogun was abducted by the said Ajela along Aiyegbami street, AgoIwoye while strolling and has since not been found despite spirited effort made in that respect.

The Nation gathered that the Oba Adenugba and some of his chiefs are working tirelessly in conjunction with the university authority to ensure that the miss-

ing student is found alive while vowing that the suspect will be made to face justice.

The Nation also observed that there were palpable apprehension among the residents since Friday when anxiety over the safety of Balogun heightened, causing many to say if the situation is not properly handled, it could lead to a repeat of June 15/16, 2005 violent clash between OOU students and the community.

During that fateful two days of bloodletting, lives -

mainly that of students, were lost and properties worth millions of naira including the Palace of Ebumawe of Ago - Iwoye, Oba AbdulRazak Adenugba, was razed by angry students.

The varsity Registrar, Mr. Femi Oyewole, in a telephone interview with The Nation said the Ago- Iwoye Divisional Police Headquarters are on top of the situation and equally talking to the students to assuage their anger to forestall a re-enactment of the event of June 15th/16th , 2005.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News

7

JUNE 12 ANNIVERSARY

‘Martyrs of June 12 still crying for justice’ A

S somebody who was part of the June 12 struggle,what events led to the debacle?

I was fully involved in the struggle. I saw it all and that was why in 1998 when Abacha died I felt that I needed to document this because Nigerians do forget things in a hurry. So, I authored a book titled: ‘Heroes of Democracy’. In that book, I identified the heroes led by the late Chief Moshood Abiola and his wife Kudirat. I identified also the villains, those who worked against democracy and I suggested the way forward.

So, it’s a historical book highlighting those that paid the supreme price even at the time many prominent Yoruba leaders who were not on exile were in jail. And to some of my brothers in the South East, the June 12 struggle was more like the Yoruba war, as such, some felt they should be left to their fate, after all, we had our own in 19661970 during the Biafra war.

But some of us said no, and we reasoned that if the Yoruba nation, the most sophisticated ethnic group in Nigeria should be brought down because their son won an election, then the entire South would have been decimated, then the future could be a disaster for our children. Hence, we decided to join in the struggle. In fact, I was one of those who persuaded the late MKO Abiola to join the race, through personal letters. It was published in that book.

You identified some heroes and villains of democracy in your book on June 12. Could you shed more light on this?

When I produced the book a lot of people were asking me whether these things happened in Nigeria, and I said yes. There were thousands of people that died most of them unknown. June 12 was a straight fight between the military and the rest of us. And the military was supported by their cliques including the likes of Ojo Maduekwe, Tony Anenih. I recalled that Anenih was the chairman of SDP, while Maduekwe was the Secretary, virtually all the chieftains of the party sold out. Even Abiola’s running mate, Babagana Kingibe sold out. You can see the level of betrayal. In fact, Kingibe has never been the same again since then. It was a colossal betrayal.

But a lot of people died in the cause of the June 12 struggle; some of them known like Pa Alfred Rewane, Mrs. Suliat Adedeji, deserve more than an honourable mention and a host of others. Besides, someone like Onagoruwa also suffered a terrible devastation as a result of the June 12. Remember Onagoruwa served under Abacha. And at the time he was taking that appointment, the late Gani Fawehinmi was crying and pleading with him not to join the Abacha junta, but he joined. But shortly after he resigned from the Abacha junta, they went after his son, one of the best sons anybody can have and they killed him on the streets of Lagos. He suffered a stroke as a result and he has never recovered ever since. So, it was tragic.

Thankfully, we had some of the eminent Yoruba sons and daughters who stood firm during the locust years and who served as source of inspiration to the rest of us including the likes of Pa Abraham Adesanya, Bola Ige, Pa Onasanya, Adebanjo, Ayo Opadokun, Bola Tinubu, Madam Latifat Okunnu, Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Lam Adesina, Segun Osoba, Wole Soyinka and a host of others who time and space will not permit me to state here.

What role did the civil society play in the June 12 struggle?

As much as we must applaud the civil society, let me tell you, it was not just members of the civil society that made this possible; the Nigerian vibrant press was there from the beginning of the struggle. We had nothing to fight this war but the media, especially privately-owned media, including the print and electronic media.

Is there any particularly striking detail you remember about June 12?

I remember we were told that Kudirat

Mr. Joe Igbokwe, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), was also involved in the June 12 struggle. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, he shares fond memories of the struggle giving fresh perspective on the different dramatis personae

•Igbokwe

was killed just to provoke the Yorubas to war, because they wanted to destroy Lagos.

Bola Ige told me this before he died, because there was no reason why Abiola’s wife should have been killed, because they were already holding this man (Abiola) in detention. But the military junta, said let’s provoke them further by taking the life of his choicest asset, his wife, and subsequently set Lagos on fire. They wanted to destroy Lagos and cripple everything, but it leaked out; hence we concentrated on using pen

and paper, using superior arguments, engagement until we got what we wanted.

That was why the moment Abacha and Abiola died, and some of my friends were in jubilation, I did not. I ran to a particular newspaper house, and told an editor that they were preparing the ground for Abiola’s death. I know this because I have read books of this kind of thing, but he didn’t believe me. He said, ‘ok, put it on paper’. And I put it down. Probably by the time I left, he just threw everything into the trash can. If he

had published what I wrote then, perhaps Abiola would have been alive today and he would have been president. But he didn’t do it. Abacha died on June 8, 1998 and on July 7th, they killed Abiola.

That was why they (military) didn’t have any qualms in ceding the position of the Presidency to the South West as a way of compensation for the region to assuage their temper.

In your view do you think we have had another election like June 12?

If the question is whether we have had another election like June 12, I will say no because that election was one of the freest and fairest we’ve ever had in the history of this country. The June 12 debacle, as far as I’m concerned set us backward for 40 years.

If Abiola had ruled this country, I’m sure things would have turned a lot better. And the problem has been compounded because we have forgotten the people that died including Abiola, all his businesses have been destroyed. In fact, they used the instrumentality of the Federal Government to fight him.

Twelve years after, we are yet to get over this challenge. We have to find out what is happening to Abiola’s family. Nigeria is at a standstill today because the blood of people that were killed is still crying for justice in their graves. There is need for restitution because the Truth and Reconciliation Committee that Obasanjo set up, a lot of the dramatis personae like IBB and co didn’t show up. As such, it was a mere window-dressing.

If we need to pay some people, let’s do so. You cannot take somebody’s something and you say you’re doing peace, that would be peace of the graveyard. You have to hand over what you have taken to the owner before you start the process. There is injustice everywhere. This nation is not where it should be because we have not come to terms with certain things in our history.

‘My father’s death came as a big blow to the family’

W

HEN the death of the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993, election was announced on July 7, 1998, the country was taken aback. While Nigerians struggled to come to terms with this reality, the family of Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola was thrown into a state of mourning.

For Abdul Mumuni Abiola and his siblings who had left the country for the United States right after their mother’s (Kudirat), assassination, they had to live with the despair of being orphaned a second time at such a young age.

Huge loss In his words, “When we heard of my dad’s death, we felt a huge sense of disappointment and complete loss. This was because we were really hoping that things were going to be put right and the mandate was going to be returned to the rightful winner of the election.

“We were shocked and confused when we heard about it. It was a big blow and it wasn’t until when my family was called on to identify his body and some members went to confirm that we knew it was indeed him.” •Olawale With the death of the family’s bread-winner, things took a new turn for the wives

By Rita Ohai and children. According to Abdul, “It turned things around completely for the family as a ing both of his parents, Abdul and his sibwhole. But I won’t exactly say with it that lings were determined to move on with their things started changing with the absence of lives but this was not easy: “After all that we my father, this is because the quality of life had been through here in the country, it was we had changed since I lost my mother. With tough for me to blend in with most of the my father gone, things further took a nega- people I met outside the shores of Nigeria tive twist. At that point my step-mother because I didn’t know who to trust, it was so Alhaja Mariam Abiola who is the matriarch bad that I didn’t make any friend until I was of our family took over and has continued about 18 years-old. This was almost seven to do so.” years after I had began living abroad.”

Despite the difficulties that came with losThe decision to relocate was, however,

one that would bring some form of normalcy to their lives. “Taking a break from Nigeria was something we needed as a family because abroad there is less emphasis as to what family you are from. Most decisions are based on individuality as opposed to Nigeria where it was based on societal importance. So, for me, it was good that we were able to grow up outside this environment and live the way other regular kids did.”

Now a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, he decided to return in 2007 when people began to notice a change in the political atmosphere of the country.

He posits: “The political aspect as at the time of my return was positively different as we were in a democratic set up. The advantages are limitless, in terms of free and fair elections, fundamental human rights being upheld and the sanity in the system.”

Proud father The young boy of yesterday has today grown to be a man. It was while he was trying to find his footing as a staff of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that he met his future bride. “I met my wife in Lagos in 2009, just about two years after my return and the point of attraction was her intelligence and poise. We got married in January and two months ago, our son was born.”

Gushing with excitement, the proud father says, “Being a father is arguably the highest point in my life. There are no words really to describe the feeling, I’m indeed grateful to God.” On whether he plans to toe his father’s line by being a politician and an activist, Abdul replied, “As a businessman, yes. I’d like to be as business savvy as my dad was.”

8

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News JUNE 12 ANNIVERSARY

Radio Kudirat: Managing the underground, opposition radio

I

REFLECT ON the June 12 election with a mixture of pain and a sense of hope.

Eighteen years ago, I never imagined we would be marking the end of military dictatorship without some of the key actors in the democratic struggle of the early 1990s.

I never imagined that Chief Moshood Abiola, believed to have won the June 12 election would die in detention. I never imagined that Alhaja Kudirat Abiola would die in such a tragic manner: She was shot on the street of Lagos.

Many more, armed and defenseless people alike, men, women and children, died in the collective struggle for freedom. Today as we mark the 18th anniversary of the annulment of the June 12 election, I hereby salute the sacrifices of Nigerians that were killed. They gave their yesterday for our today.

The road to democratic rule was further intensified after the annulment of the June 12 election by the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. It was a turbulent but heroic struggle; there were moments of anguish; moments that we stood face-to-face with death in the campaign to edge out one of history’s most vicious regimes, a cruel leadership that presided over one of Africa’s most powerful nations. There were also periods of melancholy, having been excommunicated from my parents and my ancestral home, which suddenly became a nogo area, courtesy of the draconian regime that kept Nigerians under the jackboots of repression.

Today, I am proud to say that I am one of those that stood against tyranny. I am proud that at a critical moment in my country’s history, I did not sit on the fence; neither did I retreat. We demonstrated iron-cast determination in the struggle to enthrone justice and uphold the dignity of man. It was a struggle that took the lives of loved ones and friends, it was a struggle that could have taken my life. It was a struggle during which I fought side by side with my wife. It was a struggle that could have led two of us to untimely grave.

It was a struggle for all Nigerians, for humanity and for the democracy and liberty that all of us, including even those that fuelled the embers of evil, now enjoy and cherish.

In 1993 when the election was annulled, I was 28 years old, the age that man usually faces the future with fear and uncertainty, in the search for means that would guarantee survival. For some people, it is the age fully ripe to explore the perks of social life to the fullest.

For me, the annulment of the June 12 election was too monumental that we had to rise up, with full determination, putting aside all other considerations, to fight the injustice, and enthrone a peoples’ government. As the tempo of the struggle peaked at the home front, some of us took the decision that there was the need to establish an international aspect of the campaign against military rule.

One of the major steps we took was the establishment of Freedom Radio Frequency as a potent weapon for pursuing the goal of removing the military despots from power.

Across the World, radio is potent. The message, like sweet music hits, and when it does, it leaves no pain. In embarking on this risky adventure against an infinitely brutal regime, we took many things into consideration. First is the fact that many people can listen to radio at the same time; radio is affordable, even nomads have radio; due to the problem of electricity, many Nigerians rely on battery. At the time we were establishing the radio, there was an approximate 40million radio sets in Nigeria, with an estimated audience of 80million listeners.

As I stated in my book Out of the Shadows our goal in establishing the radio was to raise the voice of our people among world nations and make their yearning known; their yearning for a genuine, civilized democratic atmosphere where individual freedom of opinion and aspiration, respect for human dignity, and the right to decent livelihood are upheld.

In doing this, we do not equate democratic reformation with economic nirvana, but we see the freedom of our people in all its ramifications as a pre-requisite for it……Nigerians are a naturally dignified people, but the labour of our past heroes and the sources and foundations of our dignity and pride have been consistently undermined by the praetorian guard. In the past, Nigeria had no need for image making advertisements abroad. We stood tall. But the June 12

Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who was a June 12 activist, recalls the establishment and operation of Radio Kudirat during the campaign to actualise the mandate of the late Chief M.K.O Abiola.

“The radio was a huge clog in the wheel of repression orchestrated by the military. The military regime was humiliated, hunted and put on the cliff by the activities of the Radio Freedom Frequency launched in June 1995. But the FM reach was not impressive enough.”

•Fayemi

annulment which was the anticlimax of military misadventure further ruined the pride of generations.

By setting up the radio, we also wanted to achieve three broad objectives: provide an alternative to the heavy dose of propaganda of the then military regime, empower the people and also reach the military class by promoting dialogue as the most viable option out of the political quagmire.

The radio was a huge clog in the wheel of repression orchestrated by the military. The military regime was humiliated, hunted and put on the cliff by the activities of the Radio Freedom Frequency launched in June 1995. But the FM reach was not impressive enough. We discovered we could go on Short Wave, without being on the ground in Nigeria, but that was expensive. Prof Soyinka showed keen interest in the radio. Eventually when Prof Soyinka launched National Liberation Council of Nigeria (NALICON), the radio project was top consideration. He wanted me to come on board as Director of Communications and work with him to secure the short wave option. By 2pm on June 11, we were inside the studio for the pilot text transmission. We had settled for Radio Democrat International. On June 12, 1996, Chief Anthony Enahoro’s maiden statement was broadcast after the old National Anthem, “Nigeria we hail thee” was aired. The short wave had a nation-wide reach and became an unseen traumatising spirit that hunted the military regime.

We started the radio with a two half-hour broadcast but reports back from Nigeria indicated that the 7125khz,41-meter was not clear and that the half-hour be converted to one single hour broadcast. The World Radio Network was able to assist us in obtaining 6205 kilohert on the 49-meter band. Time of broadcast was 8pm Nigerian time. I was responsible for driving the operations. We used a foundation as a front, the Media Empowerment for Africa Foundation with late Chief Anthony Enahoro as the chairman of the board, Professor Wole Soyinka as a member, Mr Johnson as Editor of Radio Kudirat Nigeria and myself as Secretary-General of the Foundation, which was registered in Norway.

We recruited two people in Nigeria, set up one office in each of the geo-political zones, maintained secret operations in Benin Republic

and Ghana. The involvement of Prof Soyinka was a huge advantage in attracting sympathizers for the project.

Days before we launched the radio, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was gunned down on the street of Lagos. Her assassination came as a shock.

This made us to change the name to Radio Kudirat to bestow honour on Alhaja Kudirat.

The honour also covered the victims of the junta: Chief Alfred Rewane, Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni 8 and several unarmed civilians

that were killed in cold blood. The goodwill of the Nigerian people was a huge advantage.

We got life-saving information from Nigerians.

One of such was the information received on December 30, 1996 that there were plans to “sweep off both Chief Micheal Adekunle Ajasin and Chief Abraham Adesanya.” The plot was hatched in Abuja and at the Second Infantry Division of the Nigerian Army, said our informant. When I received the information, I passed it on to Gen Alani Akinrinade and we agreed to air the news on Radio Kudirat. We were concerned that the same regime was responsible for the murder of Pa Rewane, Alhaja Suliat Adedeji and Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. As if to confirm our fears, on Tuesday, January 14, 1997, Adesanya was on his way to court in Otta, when armed gangs rained bullets on him.

The Radio Kudirat broadcast in 14 Nigerian languages. We had a Jumat broadcast on Fridays and one for Christians on Sundays. The HotSeat was for special interviews. When we returned to Nigeria, we had made attempts to register Radio Kudirat, but the National Broadcasting Corporation was reluctant in issuing the license. Today, the enthronement of democracy has shown that our struggle was not in vain, though we must admit that the road to total freedom and the lifting of Nigeria, our dear country, from the impact of the stupor of yesteryears, is yet to be totally won, but we have certainly taken giant steps forward.

June 12 Vox Pop “Think not what your country will do for you, but what you will do for your country” that was the attitude of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. With his life he has proved that contribution to human and national development is the whole essence of living.

To me, June 12 should be a true Democracy Day, but everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. We have to look at it with this perspective, because without June 12, we won’t get to where we are today.”

--Olumuyiwa Aisoni “Democracy Day makes everyone feel Nigerian. June 12 should be the democracy day because it was when the freest and fairest election was held.”

--Samuel Orogwu, book seller “June 12 was when there was crisis because of the Abiola election. It is not democracy day and should not be democracy day. But May 29 should be the Democracy Day.” --Nwachukwu Ikechukwu “Democracy is believed to be the government of the people and for the people and for the people. June 12 is the day Nigerians irrespective of their tribe, religion and ideological orientation unanimously voted for one candidate to be the president of Nigeria and when they realized their candidate was not given his mandate, they also went ahead and

By Olusegun Idowu David, Ngozi Uma and Samson Folarin protested to really show that Abiola was the people’s choice. Thus June 12 should be the Democracy Day because it symbolizes the desire by Nigerians to have a candidate of their choice which of course is the bedrock of true democracy.”

--Ibrahim Yusuff, Student, LASPOTECH “Both May 29 and June 12 are significant enough to Nigerian democracy.

I find it difficult to argue against either of the dates, because either of the dates is qualified to be democracy day. In this view, I will stick with the Federal Government’s declaration of May 29, as the democracy day. However, June 12 must also be remembered, it’s not compulsory that June 12 be made the democracy day.”

--Daniel Fayemi, a journalist “June 12 though significant should not be made Democracy Day because it’s only part of the process, in which we attained democracy in Nigeria. It’s like a student in school, he will not celebrate his examination day, nor the day of his test, but he will only celebrate the day he receive his certificate or graduation day.

The tests and exams are all processes, to get his certificate.”

--Danny Shenko, a businessman

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News

9

JUNE 12 ANNIVERSARY

June 12: Bitter memoir of a journalist L

ET’S move from mystery, then to facts.

Dr Bunmi Aborisade’s dream, in the late 1980s was to hold a Phd. He wanted to read abroad, but he was poor, being the product of a peasant background.

A native of Ado Ekiti, Bunmi, who now lives in the US today, holds a Phd, courtesy of a certain miraculous incidence that took place during the June 12 struggle, at the once cacophonic Oshodi, where millions of haggling market women and women, cobblers and armed gangs alike took as home. Oshodi was a legendary red light district, an awful rendezvous for crime, drugs and even street sex. In 1996, after the annulment of the June 12 election, Bunmi set up a newspaper called June 12, an underground Tabloid that had its newsroom at bus stops and rowdy market places. Since 1993, the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, had listed the “June 12” publishers as some of the most dangerous enemies of the state. In 1993, I was at The Guardian Newspaper as a Senior Reporter. One sunny day in 1996, Bunmi set out in search of news.

He had a small portfolio, a pen and a midget. After the day’s work, Bunmi was returning home and had to pass through the then hell of a crowd, called Oshodi.

Amidst the crowd, an agent of the military, who was in mufti, walked up to him and grabbed his neck. What do you have in your bag? “Nothing”, an emanciated Bunmi said. The young officer of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) seized his bag. Bunmi had an article titled “How to Actualise June 12.” You know what? The DMI agent dragged Bunmi to a muddy corner in Oshodi where the officer read the piece, from the introduction to the last full stop on the article. The last statement read “Nigerians must harness the resources at their disposal to actualise June 12.” The officer shouted “yes, I’ve got you. You bombed the military cantonment last week.’’

The incidence was a week after the bomb explosion that rocked Ikeja Cantonment. Bunmi’s denial was unto deaf ears. Like play like play¸ Bunmi ended up at the SSS office from where he was transferred to the DMI underground cell.

The news of his arrest did not filter out until weeks later. He spent one month in solitary confinement, but his abductors did not raise the issue of June 12 newspaper. Perhaps, they were so daft or too desperate to see the link between his name and that on the mast head of the June 12 newspaper. On the day he was released, Bunmi came to The Guardian.

Earlier, The Guardian had emerged as one of the most detested newspapers by the military junta, owing to the uncompromising pro-democracy credentials of the newspaper.

I remember, as if it was yesterday, the “order” we usually get from Ima Niboro, now the spokesperson of President Goodluck Jonathan that all reporters must “defend democracy and use the pen to harass the junta.” He, like most journalists suspected to be wanted, lived an evasive life. He usually anchored the pro-people but caustic cover stories of The African Guardian.

He would sneak out on Fridays and disappeared until Tuesdays when he would have gauged the response of the military to the Monday outings. He was a Senior Editor with The African Guardian.

The Guardian was a victim in many ways.

Apart from the fact that the newspaper was closed down, till date, I continue to wonder how Prince, the Private Secretary of late Chief Andy Akporugo disappeared.

Another journalist, Chinedu Offoaro also disappeared. Not too long, The Guardian was closed down and reopened in 1996, after more than one agonizing year. After the reopening of The Guardian, the weekly

• Ima Niboro

•Oronto Douglas

‘He, like most journalists suspected to be wanted, lived an evasive life. He usually anchored the pro-people but caustic cover stories of The African Guardian. He would sneak out on Fridays and disappeared until Tuesdays ....’

‘Oronto was particularly notorious for his skill in decoy. He had several identity cards, bearing different names.

He had complimentary cards with the name Ayodele Yagba.’

By Adewale Adeoye magazine was rested and I was seconded to The Sunday Guardian as Correspondent. So, after his release from DMI cell, Bunmi walked in briskly to the newsroom, a dry smile on his face. He came at a time I was looking for Kaleidoscope, the usually aromatic Sunday human interest story, supervised keenly by the Editor on Sunday, Kingsley Osadolor. I got a scoop. Bunmi narrated his ordeal in detention.

The most “interesting” of Bunmi’s stories was his revelation that hundreds of Nigerians that had being detained secretly at DMI, including, but not limited to foreigners and even children. He revealed the fact that one Yoruba Colonel, an aide of General Oladipo Diya was being held in secret. Another Major Nya was being held for attending the birthday party of the daughter of the US military attaché.

I was excited. Every journalist is usually excited by bad, horrifying news. My report came out on Sunday. Innocently, I added in my story that the newly released Bunmi was also the publisher of June 12. Hah, so a dangerous “animal’ had been caught and unconsciously let loose again? On Monday, five armed soldiers visited The Guardian. Their mission: pick the author of the piece and let him fish out Bunmi.

On Tuesday, June 4, 1996, I was invited to the office of the most dreaded figure in DMI, Col Frank Omenka, a tall, lanky but strongly-built fellow. The first thing he did was to a wage psychological war on me. I

was kept in his office for eight hours; no one spoke to me, except that huge ball of cigarette smoke was unleashed on me for the period. I greeted them, no one answered me. Around 11 pm, I was dragged into Omenka’s office. “Who is this rat?” He quipped.

Before I could say anything, he shut about ten other questions at me. “Did you go to school? Who is your father? Did you know Freedom Radio? Did you know Tinubu? Did you know Fayemi? Are you on the payroll of NADECO?” Later, he said he was in the Church when Abacha’s CSO, Major Hamza Mustapha called him concerning my write-up and asked him to get me at all cost. ‘So that rat is the June 12 publisher? You will go and find him for us or I will kill you.” Before I could utter a word, he ordered one Captain Idowu to go and “shoot him and throw his carcass away unless he tells us where that June 12 publisher is.” Captain Idowu collected all information about me: home address, schools attended including primary school, eating habit, role models, the books I liked most, clubs I belonged to at the University etc. I gave wrong information all through. I said in school, I belonged to “Deeper Life” instead of Marxist Youth Movement.

The home address, I gave the NUJ office at Adeola, Somolu, instead of my real house. I said my best book was the Holy Bible, even though at the time, it was not. I said my hero was General Philip Effiong.

He said why? I told him because he helped

to end the Biafra war and that I hated wars.

But in my mind, I would not mind a bitter war to end Abacha’s brutal regime. My heart started beating when Omenka later ordered Idowu to follow me to my house and search the place. Ironically, my house was the meeting point of many of the wanted activists: Chima Ubani, Innocent Chukwuma, Debo Adeniran, Douglas Oronto (now a Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan), leaders of Ijaw Youth Movement like Dr Felix Tuodolo, Isaac Osuaka and at a time, Dr Owens Saro Wiwa used to visit. Earlier in November 1993, I had been arrested alongside late Dr Beko Ransome Kuti, Tokunbo Afikuyomi, Chima Ubani amongst many others. The late Chief Gani Fawehinmi was our “cook”.

Everyday, he would personally bring our food until we were released. The detention was an eye opener regarding the cruelty of the then military state. Each night, we would hear gun shots. Shriek.

Silence. Inmates would shout: “Another one has travelled.” People were being eliminated secretly.

I later joined The Punch Newspapers, one of the loudest voices against military rule as Assistant News Editor in 1996.

During this era, I remember Oronto was particularly notorious for his skill in decoy. He had several identity cards, bearing different names. He had complimentary cards with the name Ayodele Yagba. At one time, he perched with a top SSS official after the latter’s junior brother and pro-democracy activist had introduced Oronto as a “top Yoruba fisherman based in Ghana.” He would stay indoors all day and always, even while on bed and in the night, he wore his face-cap. Oronto speaks Yoruba fluently.

He has strong Abeokuta accent. One day, the SSS raided his location at Victoria Island, but at that time, Oronto was granting an interview to subterranean press men at a bukateria in Central Lagos.

When the news reached him, he hurriedly packed his small bag and left Lagos around midnight for Cotonou. Back to Bunmi, the DMI released me around 2am with the promise that I must show my face everyday until I was able to locate Bunmi, whom I had denied ever knowing but that I met him for the first time during my interview with him. I got home around 3am, trekking from Oshodi to my home.

Alas, when I got home, Bunmi and about eight wanted activists were “littered” on the floor in my house. One US embassy contact later searched for Bunmi and assisted his relocation to Ghana. A year later, Bunmi was responsible for hosting another most wanted anti-Abacha rebel leader, Professor Ade Banjo, who had used his entire savings to import over 3000 rifles with the sole aim of launching a guerilla war to overthrow General Sanni Abacha. He was caught in Cotonu and later served one year in jail with his wife, Ngozi.

On the day of his release by the court, Abacha’s agents were waiting to kidnap him.

Through the help of a journalist, Moshood Feyemiwo, publisher of the rested pro-June 12 guerilla tabloid, Razor, Prof Banjo escaped to Ghana. But Fayemiwo was unlucky. He was abducted and taken to DMI cell, where he was hanged, his head upturned, for years. When I visited Ghana in late 1996, Prof Banjo was hiding in Bunmi’s pony apartment.

He told me how Abacha had sent armed groups to abduct him in Ghana, but that President Jerry Rawlings and Uganda’s leader, Yoweri Museveni were his saving grace. Prof Banjo was Museveni’s University mate. Years later, Bunmi was assisted by the US embassy staff to escape to the US. He was able begin his Masters and later his Phd, which he bagged last year. What a tragic twist in the June 12 struggle.

--Adeoye is a media aide to Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State

10

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

THE NATION

11

ON SUNDAY

COMMENT and ANALYSIS JUNE 12, 2011

Before Jonathan names his ministers

Rita Ohai pearlohai@yahoo.com 07089069956 (SMS only)

June 12: In the eye of a seven year-old

With the inauguration of both arms of the National Assembly on June 7 and the promise by President Goodluck Jonathan that his choice of ministers would not Rita Ohai seven-year old in take time before it is submitted for clearance, OLAYINKA OYEGBILE, Deputy Edi- June 1993 recounts the events tor, takes a look at what is expected this week. that transpired in her

T

HE time for politicking is over and so the serious business of governance must begin in earnest. The inauguration of both arms of the National Assembly has kick-started the need to begin to put people and things in place for the nation to regain its rhythm after the long lull that have pervaded the atmosphere in the last one year of campaigns.

It is perhaps reassuring that President Goodluck Jonathan himself realises this and mentioned it in his inaugural address that, “Together, we will unite our nation and improve the living standards of all our peoples whether in the North or in the South; in the East or in the West. Our decade of development has begun. The march is on. The day of transformation begins today.” This must be shown in action. We must walk the talk, as they say.

It is highly expected that in this new week after his return from the trip to the United States of America , the president is going to forward to the national assembly his list of ministers. In the last few weeks there have been jockeying and dropping of names of who is going to make the list and who may not. Now as the nation waits with bated breath to see the names of those who the president would send to the assembly, it is important to point out a few areas that must be of particular importance to the president in the choice of his men and women.

In choosing his team, there are five key areas that the president must consider to be of crucial importance to the success of his administration. Those to take charge of these five key sectors are going to be those who will help him to determine how Nigerians would remember him in years to come. The five key areas are: power, works, health, education and of course petroleum.

We would look at these sectors one after the other and point out why the sector is important and how to make them serve the majority of the people they are meant for.

Power is perhaps the most important and crucial sector that he must ensure he puts a go-getter minister to take care of. Good enough he already late last year launched what he called “Power Roadmap” in which he spelt out in details the vision he has for the sector. It is important to stress that the roadmap would not be worth more than on the paper it is written if steps are not taken to achieve this. Majority of Nigerians are today unemployed or under employed not because there are no jobs but because there is no power to make industries work round the clock. Those that venture to do so are running it at a very great cost. There is therefore a need to put in charge someone who has a vision that tally with the roadmap on paper. He also perhaps recognises the importance of this sector when he said in his inaugural speech that “To drive our overall economic vision, the power sector reform is at the heart of our industrialization strategy. I call on all stakeholders, to cooperate with my administration, to ensure the success of the reforms” This is not a ministry to monkey with.

The ministry of works is also very crucial. Our roads have today become veritable

• Jonathan

death traps. Moving from one part of the country to another or even within states have become almost impossible. Crater holes and gorges have taken over the roads and nay slight disruption becomes a major calamity or disaster. Many lives are being lost on the roads today because the roads are bad. It is necessary to put a very strong willed and resourceful person in this ministry as a way of quickly arresting the carnage on our roads.

If the president and his campaign entourage were observant during their campaigns round the country he must have noticed this.

Roads, real ones are non-existent. It is time to get serious with our roads.

The health sector needs an emergency. It is in a total state of disrepair and paralyses.

Something drastic must be done to address this sector. Whoever is going to mount this ministry must be ready to put the hospitals and the entire health sector in shape. The sector has suffered so much dilapidation that many citizens no longer have faith in it. It is Mr. Jonathan’s job to restore the faith of the populace in this sector. It is also important to do this to cut back on the foreign exchange that is lost every year to hospitals in India, America and Europe. Drugs must be made available in these hospitals while all our medical personnel who have left in search of greener pastures abroad should be attracted home not by patriotic talks but with concrete actions.

Education is another sector that is crucial. In fact, apart from health and power it is the most cardinal area that must be rebuilt if the country is to move away from the present state of anomie. This sector has suffered such a brutal fate that many today pre-

fer to send their children to neighbouring and less endowed countries than train them here. We must return confidence to our education.

Finally, the petroleum and agriculture sectors must be tackled. These two ministries with all their allocations should be the fulcrum on which the country would leap to development. Those to man them must be tested hands who have shown that they are capable of steering the nation to greater heights.

He should keep in mind the view of the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) which in a statement said “The task of governance would be made easy if round pegs are put in round holes ... Nigeria deserves development and President Jonathan can make this happen by composition of his cabinet. We enjoin him to shun sentiments and bias in his choice. Nigeria deserves the best hands.” And as the national assembly gets the list this week, the president would do well to remember the words of Nimi Wilson Jack, a commissioner in the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RISIEC) who told The Nation in an interview during the week, “We expect the President will do his best to search for those who can deliver. Government programmes are known, so it a question of who best fits the job delivery mode... We want to see superstar ministers; we have them. We have had ministers who in projecting Nigeria’s foreign policy did it so well that they were really known all over the world. We have had ministers who caused changes in education, sports and others.”

In the few appointments that the president has made, he has demonstrated some sense of history and readiness to go on a different path with the appointment of Chidi Odinkalu as chairman of the Human Rights Commission and that of Anyim Pius Anyim as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), this may be the move showing his direction. As he send the list of his nominees to the national assembly and the signing into law of the Freedom of Information (FoI) and the Anti-terrorism laws and hoping that he will soon sign the others that are pending.

The president must always remember his own words, which he said on the day Anyim took his oath of office. He had said, “Nigeria must have a government that truly places itself in the service of its citizens. All of us must together commit ourselves to the entrenchment of good government at all levels. We must live by example in words and deeds. We must show the people that this time around, we are determined.” Can we set stock by his words? Time and his actions will tell.

“The president must always remember his own words, which he said on the day Anyim took his oath of office.

He had said, “Nigeria must have a government that truly places itself in the service of its citizens. All of us must together commit ourselves to the entrenchment of good government at all levels. We must live by example in words and deeds”

neighbourhood

T

HERE was a surreal sense of calm in the atmosphere early that day. I hopped around the house almost oblivious to the impending crises the day was to birth in the lives of thousands of people across the country.

It was eleven days after my birthday and I was just excited at the thought of not going to school that Saturday.

My parents spent a major part of that morning with their gaze fixed on the television set as Prof. Humphery Nwosu, the Chief Electoral Officer of the National Electoral Commission, announced the results. A heavy sense of anticipated victory filled the air as results from most parts of the country pointed to Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (popularly known as MKO) as the winner of the election. Many of the children in my neighbourhood, danced around in front of our houses chanting the words of his campaign jingle: “...on the march again, looking for Mr. President....M.K.O is our man oooh....”

A new word learnt While in our jubilant mood, it came as a surprise to us as children when we began to hear the adults yelling at the top of their voices in angry tones. We didn’t understand what the noise was all about. Earlier in the day we had saw men and women queuing at polling booths to cast their ballots. Now, in the evening the military had refused to hand-over the reigns of power. The announcement of the election results that were being announced were stopped by military fiat. Confusion and rage took over the neighbourhood. Days later the military government announced that the election has been annulled. It was the first time many of us were hearing that word. We had to consult our brothers and sisters to tell us the meaning of the word.

Intense violent clashes broke out on the outskirts of the estate where I live before the end of that day. Residents were gripped with fear as was evident in the empty pews we saw in church on Sunday morning.

Many of my neighbours who hailed from the Eastern and Southern parts of the country began to flee to their various states. The memory of the Nigerian civil war still ran fresh in their minds.

My father, a war veteran, chose to stand his ground and remained in Lagos. My mother began to take precautionary measures by purchasing foodstuff and commodities like salt, and tomatoes in large quantities. She had learnt her lesson from the civil war when food and other victuals became scarce. Many of these commodities were sent to relatives in my home-town for storage.

The arrests and death of many pro-democracy activists were subjects of discussion everywhere adults were gathered. As children, we merely sat in silence and we listened.

There may only be little that a seven yearold might remember but the memories which linger speak volumes of my country’s painful journey to democracy.

Lekan Otufodunrin will be back next week

12

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Comment & Analysis

27B, FATAI ATERE WAY, MATORI, LAGOS. WEBSITE: www.thenationonlineng.net

How much more can a nation take?

Ogochukwu Ikeje ohgeeoh@gmail.com 08084235961 (SMS only)

G

IVEN The high drama on the floor of the House of Representatives on Monday, you would think all was well with the constituencies which its esteemed members represent.

That was the day Aminu Waziri Tambuwal emerged Speaker of the House amidst much excitement.

Early that morning, vendors of the lawmakers must have served them the dailies. On the front pages was one horrible story. Factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Ibadan engaged each other in a brutal clash that seriously undermined the ancient city and the entire country. As many as 20 people were feared dead. Many more were injured. Scores of shops and vehicles were attacked, the former set ablaze, the latter (in fact, one report said about 50) vandalised. Many of the dead and injured were said to be innocent intending night travellers waiting to board their buses.

It was a battle that reportedly began around 10pm on Saturday and did not end until about 4am on Sunday. Guns and machetes were freely deployed. Judg-

We have become immune to shock ing from the duration of the overnight clash, residents of the battleground neighbourhoods must have had quite a night.

It was enough to hold down the activities of government, and even such allied bodies as the House of Representatives, but it did not. In fact from what transpired that Monday in Abuja, it was as if nothing of consequence happened. What preoccupied the distinguished legislators, and perhaps even the Presidency, was who replaced Mr Dimeji Bankole, who until that day was Speaker.

Such was the fever that the body temperature of sponsors of, and aspirants for, the House prize office must have shot up as early as the weekend when the Southwest combatants were whipping out their weapons. Tambuwal wanted it badly, but so did Mulikat AkandeAdeola, anointed by the Presidency. Surviving arrest (as some hoped) by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), being a player in the Bankole regime accused of financial recklessness, Tambuwal, bowler hat and all, strolled into the House on Monday amid thunderous applause, hoping to claim the top spot even though he was outside the plans of the President.

Akande-Adeola, who incidentally is from Oyo State, a part of whose capital was firmly in the hands of hoodlums that weekend, was no less hopeful, having the presidential stamp.

When balloting looked certain to humble her, more drama ensued. Relishing every moment of his looming victory, Tambuwal eased off his hat, ran a hand across his face before inflating his lungs with air and then exhaling. Then he looked repeatedly at the Speaker’s seat which he would soon occupy. At the right moment, after the result had confirmed his hopes, he would lift the hat again and take a bow, a perfect cue for the house to erupt into a prolonged bout of applause.

At that time Ibadan, whose residents were still counting their losses, was far from the legislators’mind. So were the people who were felled by the night fighters, as were those wounded, and the people whose shops and vehicles were attacked.

Tragedy counts for little, these days in these climes, it seems. Call it the Nigerian way. When the unconscionable killings in Jos seem to be dying down, the bloodthirsty bombers of Maiduguri are only getting rejuvenated and deriving much pleasure in hurling explosive objects into police stations and causing no small amount of trouble. After mindless young killers on the streets of some northern states hacked down innocent souls including National Youth Corps members, some other characters in the South are now taking to kidnapping them. There are so many other bloody atrocities.

Yet President Goodluck Jonathan in the United States has tended to make light of the gravity of our security concerns,

rather blaming it on a general phenomenon. Even the police authorities are similarly persuaded.

What can shock Nigerians? How much more can we take before we admit we are under siege?

I wish to published a few responses to my last article “After election, what comes next?” hoping that other respondents whose comments have not been printed for some time now will forgive me and keep sending their opinions.

Ikeje, thanks for your comments. Are you sure the brains are there for them to learn from the mistakes of their defeated predecessors when calculators for counting billions of Naira are already in their hands…Let us wait till the second coming of Christ.

Dayo Bello, Akure Indeed the write-up “After election, what comes next?” is not just a warning for the elected leaders, it is also a reminder that the blood of the innocent Corps members shed to make their mandate a reality is standing by to cry against them if they misuse their mandate. Kudos.

A. O. Atiba, Iwaro-Oka Thanks for your observations. I’m very persuaded that the newly elected leaders have received the message that it is no longer business as usual. In their case, the fear of May 29 will be the beginning of wisdom.

Pastor Austin Osama, Iperu, Ogun State

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Comment & Analysis

13

The Bankole saga Yet again, EFCC’s drama threatens to overshadow substance

T

HE rule of law mantra espoused by President Goodluck Jonathan presupposes that no one is above the law. This makes the arrest and eventual arraignment in a court of law of ex-speaker Dimeji Bankole nothing extraordinary. However, the circumstances of the entire episode particularly the drama surrounding the arrest of the former speaker by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raises questions about the commission’s sincerity in the discharge of its duty of combating economic crimes in the country.

A group, the Youth Anti-Corruption League had forwarded a petition urging the EFCC to investigate Bankole’s roles, in among others, the N10bn loan allegedly obtained without lawmakers’ knowledge; the N2.3bn car scams that rocked the House and the alleged mismanagement of the N9bn capital budget of the House for 2008/2009.

The matter turned messy when the former speaker refused to honour the invitation. Twice, he was invited by EFCC but declined the invitation. Then, the commission tried to use force that nearly led to a face-off between EFCC operatives and Bankole’s security men trying to shield their boss from arrest. He later promised to honour the third invitation on a mutually agreed date with Farida Waziri, EFCC’s chairman.

On the eve of agreed date, the EFCC operatives again stormed his Asokoro residence and after another drama that reportedly spanned four hours, they succeeded in arresting the former speaker in one of the rooms in the house. This was achieved after his coterie of security men had been withdrawn by the federal government.

He was whisked to their headquarters where

C

HARACTER cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved. – Helen Keller.

Abraham Lincoln, the greatest leader ever produced by the United States of America, tried on several occasions in politics and business had failed on each occasion. At the end, like the bees keep trying to make honeycomb, Lincoln made it in politics.

It is also true that when one has been watching from the sideline the odd ways politicians go about governance, one is tempted, no matter how strictly private, to go into it attempting to attempt drastic change.

This must have been what motivated former Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo (SAN) to opt for the muddy political track to contest for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before the election in the state was put of.

Some think he is too ‘Oyinbo’ for Nigeria’s polity but I do not know when it has become iniquitous for a citizen to be internationally connected. The writer sees the Chief Ojo’s attribute as a plus for Kogi State, if given the mandate to direct her affairs. He will definitely attract international investors to the state with abundant natural resources available all over.

Thanks to providence that the state Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) gubernatorial primary election marred by glaring irregularities was finally set aside for the tenure elongation of the incumbent governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris by the judiciary.

Chief Ojo would have been picked as the flagbearer, if the re-run primary was allowed. It is hoped that a new primary election for the state will be held before the 2012 governorship election in the state.

he was reportedly kept in a single cell far away from the comfort of his Asokoro fortress. Bankole has since been arraigned for 16-count charge before Justice Donatus Okorowa of Federal High Court, Abuja, accused of alleged contract splitting and inflation contrary to relevant provisions of the Public Procurement Act No.14 of 2007.

The entire drama leading to arrest of Bankole is absolutely unnecessary. The show of shame has caused the public avoidable distractions. We still could not fathom why the EFCC always make an issue out of all its high profile cases. Is it to show to the world that the commission is working?

Hard to ignore is the manner of arrests. We recall similar drama in the cases of Tafa Balogun, disgraced former Inspector General of Police(IGP), ex-convict Bode George and even the telecommunications magnate, Mike Adenuga. We doubt that the commission treats the numerous petitions sent by less privileged Nigerians with the same alacrity with which it attends to those of politically exposed Nigerians. Is it because of the media attention generated by such high profile cases? How much of drama has sur-

TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM

•Editor Lekan Otufodunrin •Managing Editor Festus Eriye •Olayinka Oyegbile Deputy Editor •Associate Editor Taiwo Ogundipe

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rounded other petitions before the commission involving less politically exposed persons?

Notwithstanding, the former speaker should have promptly answered the commission’s invitation; this would probably have forestalled the embarrassment. As lawmaker and former number four citizen, we expect him to have shown more respect for the law and the agencies established by such laws. Highly placed persons like him should set examples by encouraging other people, including law enforcements agents including EFCC operatives to obey the law. After all, nobody is above the law.

We expect the law to take its course nonetheless. There should be no sacred cow if the government is truly out to convince the entire world of its resolve to frontally combat corruption. Nevertheless, Bankole should be given fair hearing otherwise, it will give impetus to the insinuation making the rounds that the man is being hunted for reasons other than the alleged crimes said to have been committed. This would further dent the image of the commission already perceived in certain quarters as the attack dog of the government in power, usually deployed against powerful/notable opposition. The Bankole case presents the commission with an opportunity to correct this perception.

We believe that once any summon is issued by a constituted authority against anybody, no matter how highly placed, now or in future, it should as a matter of urgency by obeyed. Both the EFCC and Bankole should cut the drama and face the substance. The public is watching how the matter will end.

Bayo Ojo: Good governance eludes Kogi

By Silas B. Ajagun Chief Ojo has not only loved to empower the youths in his western senatorial districts base but has spread his tentacles to the other two senatorial districts in the state. He has assisted several Kogites (old and young) to achieve their life-long dreams. The former attorney general and minister of justice believes in the Chinese adage “don’t give me bread but teach me how to bake it, and I shall be forever grateful to you.” He is mentor and benefactor to several Nigerians. He is never tight-fisted which gives him peace of mind. For and by expansion of this kind gesture, Chief Ojo should have been given the mandate to govern the state. He is capable of turning the table against mediocrity, not for anything more than intellectualism and milk of kindness embedded in him.

It is believed that the next gubernatorial primary election of PDP in Kogi state whenever it is held will be transparent to usher in the right personality, unlike voting/votes counting in the dark which beclouded the recent one.

It is the turn of western senatorial district of the state to produce the chief executive if social justice must be upheld. I have re-iterated from the on-set of state creation (1987 and 1991) that the Okun people should not be merged with the Igalas for their (Igalas’) monopoly and greed. When an Igala tells you, ‘ Omi na kaye, ma joje ma mud u,’ he is simply saying he is going to consume all in his surrounding. I schooled at Provincial/Government Secondary School, Dekina in the sixties and very much conversant with the Igalas. They do not concede to any other persons.

The former minister of justice should have been given the PDP ticket to slug out with other parties’ flag-bearers. This is because he is accessible to all. He will surely operate an open-door policy in our revered state.

However, Okun leaders will deliberate on and review our alignment with the Igalas. But some Okun politicians are complacent to be kings in hell rather than be gatekeepers in heaven.

Chief Ojo is a tested, reliable and

trusted detribalized Nigerian to steer the affairs of the state. He is not a leader to chase his people out of government house with the horse whip or dodge them by jumping out via the back door of his office.

The aspirant would have brought his international connections and wealth of experience in public administration to bear on the state of youth unemployment in the state. Some graduates who have been roaming the streets for inexisistent jobs would have been absorbed by the Chief Ojo

if he is elected governor of the confluence state.

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is a man of few words but of action. The Okun people in Kogi State believe he will fulfill his promises to them when they paid him a courtesy visit in Aso Rock Villa recently.

Ajagun is an Ilorin based public affairs analyst and National Secretary of Okun Development Association (1999-2010)

There should be ‘shoot-at-sight’ in all violent situations

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HE systematic insecurity in the land has not abated. The spontaneous political violence which rocked some parts of the north was brief but with worst record in loss of lives in the entire history of Nigerian election; the Police IG called it the bloodiest so far, having recorded more than 500 deaths in just two northern states alone; Human Right group put it at 800. Though the violence died off fast, but the continued loss of lives through bombs and other latheral materials in especially in Borno State continues without a day passing incident-free. The carnage is always attributed to the Boko Haram which Police seem incapable to handle.

In Bauchi, the attacks on the aborigines in Tafawa Balewa area by suspected tribal group who seem to have absolute control of who and when to attack and kill continues; people are at times massacred at sleep. This type of incident remains recurring somehow routinely. Recently there was the news that the invading tribe attacked and killed some people in Benue State where more than 23 lives were lost. Need-

less to comment on the Plateau unabating incidents that people now tend to under-report what happens there, yet David Jang was re-elected.

In Oyo state, government has not been able to control the ravaging ‘agberos’ who continued killing themselves like flies. National dailies of June 6, 2011 had it that as many as 20 persons were killed in the renewed cult-like carnage between rival groups of the ‘garrage-boys’; it claimed the life of National President of Nigerian Medical Students Association, a 500-level Ahmadu Bello student Auwal Shonono Sunday June 5 (see The Punch June 8). That is being taking as nothing; and no shoot-atsight order?

But just before the election, there was a one-day serious political violence in Akwa Ibom caused by a political party’s insistence that no other political parties must campaign in some areas of the state. Many lives were lost and the political parties are still trading accusations as to who burnt government and personal properties, including Jonathan/ Sambo campaign office in Uyo. People have asked why vehicles meant

for second phase of the state’s township taxi scheme were left undistributed for months before the incident.

Recently the former Commissioner of Information of that state had a syndicated interview wherein he claimed that it was only PDP properties that were torched; therefore the ACN supporters were responsible.

But he forgot that such argument cannot hold as arguably the same PDP could actually have arranged the carnage in order to cull some sympathy.

Ironically, of all the above incidents, nationwide, it was only the one-day (March 22) Uyo mayhem that had a presidential open order of “shoot-at-sight”; the post-election violence in the north got order to “use-justifiable-force”. We are here in Maiduguri, Borno State, at the mercy of ‘Boko Haram’. This makes many to smell some rats. President, please give “shoot-at-sight” order to the terrorism going on here.

Geoffrey Nnnadi University of Maiduguri Borno State geoffreynnadi@rocketmail.com

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Comment & Analysis

Ropo Sekoni ropo.sekoni @thenationonlineng.net

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AST week, this column appealed to progressive governors in the Yoruba region to shun the pull to megalomania that makes it necessary for them to spend public funds on self-advertisement.

It also urged governors to stop the practice of being congratulated in the media for anything by favour seekers. The column also pleaded with citizens from the region to refrain from sycophancy, as not doing so is likely to add to the distractions of the region’s governors. It argued that governors that have been freely elected should need no self-celebration or celebration by others in the media. Today will focus on other ways to restore dignity to the region.

The dignity that needs to be restored to the Yoruba region has taken a total of thirty years to dissipate. The 1979 Constitution kicked off formally the degradation of governance in the region. The annulment of the 1993 presidential election won by MKO Abiola and the ascendancy and tyranny of Sani Abacha, like the rigging of the 2003/2007 elections under the presidency of Obasanjo, just added complication to a bad journey commenced in 1976 when Obasanjo’s government took over regional and state institutions and property. The job of restoration must take into account how and where the rain started to beat the region: loss of fiscal, economic, and political federalism It is not just the governors that need to tighten their belts to save the

Restoring dignity to the Yoruba region (2) The dignity to be restored to the Yoruba region has taken a total 30 years region from a suffocating unitary system of government. It is the people of the region. They need not be drawn into fruitless arguments about lack of representation of the Yoruba region in the first five political offices in the nation. That a Yoruba is not Speaker of the House of Representatives should not distract citizens that are committed to restoring functional federalism and sustainable democracy. Even when the region was represented in the last twelve years in the pantheon of rulers, what has it gained, or what has the nation at large gained? The region and other regions have been dancing in the last twelve years to the tune of unity without purpose, while avoiding the issue of unity of purpose in a multiethnic nation-state.

Now is the time for citizens in the region to call for unity of purpose in Nigeria, a unity that will allow the federating units or states to govern themselves in accordance with their cultural values while cooperating with other regions to bring modernization and economic development to the country as a whole. How can citizens of the region bring the issue of re-federalising Nigeria back to the front burner of the country’s constitutional politics?

Citizens in the region need to work with the legislators they voted

for in the recent elections. They need to note that governors’ energy will be sapped by the need to bring responsive and responsible governance back to most of the region.

Governors should be left to do so with proper monitoring from the region’s civil society. In this case, governors need be encouraged to face the responsibility of having good roads to link Yoruba towns and villages across the region; engage in discussions on how to integrate the region’s economy; and brainstorm on how to embark on a well-endowed comprehensive regional university to train generations that can compete with firstworld countries and be in a position to emancipate the region from poverty and under-development foisted on it by the country’s unitary system in the last forty years.

It is to state legislators in the region that the civil society should pay attention. To do this, the tradition of over fragmented civil society driven by the love by individuals for such organizations to promote their identities should be put on hold until after the region has been saved from a political structure that is loaded against its modernization and progress. All self-determination groups that currently litter the region’s political space need to close ranks, in order to obtain a

cost-effective way of mobilizing and monitoring state legislators to do the political bidding of the region’s citizens.

To expect that the federal government will just take a resolution to amend and move the 1999 Constitution in the direction of federalism is to not realistic. Secondly, to expect that the few hawkish selfdetermination groups that call for re-structuring or return to “thy tents oh Israel” kind of resolution of the most de-stabilising crisis in the polity is also to be unduly optimistic.

The Yoruba have the cultural capacity to benefit more from a Nigeria with a proper structure than most regions in the so-called federation.

The other regions also know this very well, and this may be why many of the other regions are, out of myopia, afraid of reviewing a constitution that stifles regional freedom and development.

But the Yoruba proverb: Ejo la n ko a kii ko ija (it is how to state one’s case that one learns, not how to engage in a fight when it comes) is appropriate, now more than ever, to how the region’s citizens that want progress and fiscal federalism should engage the governments in the Yoruba region on the imperative of bringing regional autonomy back, to fuel the modernization of Yorubaland. The region’s self-de-

termination group(s) should present a resolution to state legislatures on the demand by the people of the region for a constitutional conference or a sovereign national conference. The groups must seek and get the nodding of citizens at the local government levels in the crafting of the resolution.

This is an indirect way of mobilizing the people in readiness for a national referendum on the issue of restoring a federal constitution.

Although voters have the power to recall their representatives in the region’s legislative houses, their approach should not be to antagonize state legislators.

On the contrary, the region’s legislators at the state and national levels need to be persuaded that one primary reason that the region’s electorate voted for a progressive party that endorses the demand for fiscal federalism is to put the demand back on the nation’s legislative agenda via state legislatures.

To expect that President Jonathan will facilitate the process of bringing federalism back to the country because he is from the Niger Delta that direly needs fiscal federalism to regain lost time in the region’s development is to deliberately choose to wait for Godot.

The politics of reconciliation thrown up by Jonathan’s destruction of the argument of the North’s apostles of zoning and the pattern of voting in the election that brought Jonathan to power is more likely to consume President Jonathan’s time and energy than any other issue in the next four years. In fact, the need for the President to assuage the feelings of the core North over the failure of zoning and the failure of the North to get a consensus candidate may push Jonathan against the decadesold demand of the Niger Delta for fiscal federalism.

It is time we storm this Bastile Femi Orebe femi.orebe @thenationonlineng.net 08056504626 (sms only)

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N what will tantamount to a contradiction of no mean proportion, it is time ordinary Nigerians storm the National Assembly if the members chose to continue in their totally unhelpful practice of what Wole Olanipekun, former NBA Chairman, appropriately described as a ‘criminal dehydration of the country’s economy’.

But first, a word about the original storming of the Bastille, Paris 1789, and why it will be such a shame were the National Assembly to allow it happen here.

The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Paris, 14 July 1789. The medieval prison known as the Bastille typified royal authority in the heart of Paris, comparable to the National Assembly at Abuja. While the prison had only seven inmates at the time of its storming, its fall was the flashpoint of the French Revolution for which reason, Le quatorze Juillet (14 July) is celebrated annually in France as a public holiday.

During the reign of Louis XVI, France faced a major economic crisis arising out of her intervention in the American Revolution and, exacerbated by a regressive system of taxation. On 5 May 1789, the Estates-General, convened to deal with the issue but was held back by

archaic protocols of the Second Estate, consisting the nobility which was only 2% of France’s population at the time. On 17 June 1789 the Third Estate, with its representatives drawn from the middle class, or bourgeoisie, reconstituted themselves as the National Assembly; a body whose purpose was the creation of a French constitution. The king initially opposed it, but was forced to acknowledge the authority of the assembly, which subsequently renamed itself the National Constituent Assembly on 9 July.

The storming of the Bastille and the subsequent Declaration of The Rights of Man was the third event of the opening stages of the revolution, the first being the revolt of the nobility, refusing to pay taxes, the second, the formation of the National Assembly and third, the Tennis Court Oath. The crowd, on the authority of the Assembly broke open the prisons of the Abbaye to release some grenadiers of the French guards, imprisoned for refusing to fire on the people. That event, which was instigated by the National Constituent Assembly, the equivalent of our gluttonous National Assembly, gave mankind the now rhapsodized Storming Of The Bastile. Our National Assembly members are, therefore, standing history on the head rather than be on the side of the hoi polloi.

Call this sedition, or whatever you will, but before they send me to the guillotine, Nigerians must know the following facts. They must have the dire statistics of what the National Assembly is doing to poor Nigerians who are pleading to be paid a meager N18, 000.00 naira for 30 days’ grueling work

This House of cards was luxurating in illegality When in the past week the EFCC finally caught up with the erstwhile Speaker of the House, Nigerians came to know that the Speaker, with the House leadership and the newly crowned Speaker as arrowhead had been borrowing illegally for un-appropriated purposes. In their defence we came to learn that the following new allowances were approved at an executive session on March 30, 2010 : Speaker, N100m ,Deputy Speaker, N80m ,House Leader, N60m, Dep. House Leader, N57.5m, Chief Whip, N55m, Dep. Chief Whip, N54.5m, Minority Leader, N54.5m, Minority Whip, N50m, Dep. Minority Leader, N50m ,Dep. Minority Whip, N50m’. For what job you would you say! They also agreed payment of outstanding allowances dating way back to 1999 – 2007; all from un-authorised funds.

To meet these unilaterally approved emoluments, since the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, knew nothing about them, the leadership of the House resorted to borrowing. First it was a N2.5billion loan from the National Assembly, then another NI.5 billion from the Senate Committee on Appropriation, followed by N6 billion from diverse sources; all by a body well aware nobody is authorized to spend un-appropriated funds and in spite of protests from the office of the Clerk. Impunity, if ever there was one.

The Clerk’s negative reaction caught no ice with the House leadership which further sourced the

N6billion loan all of which they decreed should be included in the 2011 budget as if that was the norm in civilized climes.

Very deliberately, this House of cards was luxuriating in illegality with their eyes wide open just because they must live big.

Much earlier, The NIGERIAN VILLAGE SQUARE had commented on these huge salaries and allowances even when the kleptomaniacs allocated to themselves far less allowances. ‘Comparative analysis, it said, reveals the scale of the legislators’ unrealistic earnings. While an Indian lawmaker earns $23,988 (N3.7m) , a Nigerian senator earns about $1.2m (N182m) and a House member earns N127m per annum .

Nigeria has a meagre per capita income of $2,249 compared to America’s $46,350 yet that did not stop the Nigerian legislator earning more than his American counterpart given that he earns the highest the world over. A U.S congress man earns a miserable $174,000 per annum. The last known Nigerian Senator’s pay was N240m while a House member earned N203.8m.

These have since been revised upwards. Continuing, the Nigerian Village Square observed further that the national minimum wage of N18,000, being rebuffed by many states which, for no fault of theirs, but rather because of an iniquitous revenue sharing formula, are finding difficult to pay since our Abuja fat cats must literally take all. ‘The minimum wage, says the web site, represents just 0.13 per cent of a senator‘s salary.

Using their old earnings as the

bench mark, a minimum wage earner will need to work for at least 777 years to earn a senator‘s N182m annual pay. Further breakdown indicates that a senator earns N498, 630. 137 a day, N20, 776.28 per hour and N346.270 per minute. In other words, a senator’s daily pay is twice the annual pay of the minimum wage earner. A senator’s hourly pay is also more than the monthly pay of the minimum. Similarly, minimum wage is just 0.18 per cent of a member of the House of Representatives’ pay. A minimum wage earner will need to work for at least 542 years to earn the N127m annual salary of a member of the House of Representatives’, concluded the web site. And how many Nigerians are we talking about?

469 out of a population of about 140 million people?

I am persuaded that newspaper columnists and others have written more than enough and the time has come for we, the people, to take the bull by the horns. With PDP’s still huge numerical superiority and that party being largely a booty-sharing rally of rent seekers, Nigerians would have to checkmate this policy of monkey the work, baboon they chop.

Concerned individuals must strenuously call attention to this aberration, by whatever legitimate means at their disposal. Cells of students, market women, professionals and artisans etc must spring up eternal to draw needed attention to these totally abhorrent behaviour.

Failure to get any respite by drastically reducing their earnings Nigerians will have no alternative to relying on the ever reliable Nigerian Labour Congress to take the lead on behalf of the people.

It is time we chase them out.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Tunji

Adegboyega tunji.adegboyega @thenationonlineng.net 08054503906 (sms only)

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N a rare display of uncommon esprit de corps, (or is it subversive magnanimity?), the House of Representatives ended its sixth session on June 2, overturning the guilty verdict it had passed on its former speaker, Patricia Etteh, in 2007.

Ms Etteh was forced to resign after less than five months in the saddle, on allegations of spending N648 million to upgrade her official residence as well as that of her deputy, Babangida Nguroje. Nigerians found this ridiculous, especially given the pervasive hardship in the country and the government’s usual excuse of lack of money to execute developmental projects.

There was widespread anger against this insensitive expenditure and the heat was turned on Ms Etteh. She pulled all the strings without any being able to answer for her. She even waxed comical by telling her colleagues in the House of her readiness to offer her boobs to them to suck to their hearts’ desire, with the new members of the House and the (then) returning members queuing in front of each of her breasts to have their fill. I had dedicated a satirical write-up to this matter then, in which I partly lamented the nonprovision of the boobs’ boon to members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm. Anyway, Ms Etteh fell to the superior power of public opinion and outrage. We thought that was democracy at work. We thought that was the way it should be. We were happy that once again, another principal officer of the National Assembly had been given her just desert. We then drew the curtain on the matter.

Postscript, Unlimited!

By

Oyinkan Medubi 08187172799 (SMS only) puchuckles7@gmail.com

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OMEWHERE along the past few days, state and national executive members took their oaths of office and, strain as much as I would, I swear I could not hear them very well. Perhaps, it was because Abuja and most other state capitals were rather far from my base here; perhaps also it was the noise level across Nigeria, what with loud speakers screaming prayers and obscenities. Or, perhaps, it was simply because the oath-takers were mumbling.

Everywhere across the world, oath-taking has never been an easy exercise. First, everyone is watching, and that is enough to make tremulous lips have some nasty habits of bending, slipping or refusing to move. Just ask Obama who had to take his oath twice. Second, I guess that at the point of taking an oath, most peo-

Comment & Analysis

15

‘Angel’ Patricia Olubunmi Etteh Time will tell whether House of Reps was right to have pardoned her At least so we thought until June 2 when the House declared that Ms Etteh did nothing unusual and in fact had no case to answer. “There is no record or proceedings of the House where Patricia Olubunmi Etteh was ever indicted”, the members said in a motion hastily put up at the request of Ms Etteh. Curiously, and as if under a spell, the motion was unanimously approved. The questions to ask are; if there was no record of proceedings to the effect that Ms Etteh was removed over allegations of corruption, how then did the House beget the Dimeji Bankole speakership? Is that the way our House of Representatives is run, or should be run? Indeed, many people have said that there are no hansards (record of proceedings) in many of our legislative chambers; could this be true of the House of Representatives?

These are germane questions begging for answers. Those who should know owe us the responsibility of explaining to us under what prerogative the House took that decision and its validity: prerogative of mercy or prerogative of esprit de corps (as in we are all thieves or something?).

In places where votes truly count, most of the representatives who took part in that decision would have been in for it.

Those of them who were returned to the House would be facing recall even before they settle down for business. But we do not have to wonder for too long on how it was easy for the so-called representatives to get away with such an anti-people decision. Most of them belonged to the era when votes were trampled upon with impunity; and so got to the lower chambers via rigged elections.

Ms Etteh was speaker from June 6 to October 30, 2007. Enter Dimeji Bankole. Ms Etteh’s point was that even though a committee was set up to probe the allegations against her, she has never been indicted. Again, was this a deliberate ploy to make her secure the last minute pardon that she got? Whatever it was, it would appear the same culture of impunity, which drives many Nigerians to commit all kinds of crimes, was at work or at play here. And this was to manifest during the about four-year Bankole speakership. As a matter of fact, his tenure is noted

“The House of Representatives might have seen that what they removed Ms Etteh for in 2007 was mere pick-pocketing considering the monumental allegations of scandals that trailed the Bankole speakership. Maybe by the time Bankole’s matter is disposed of in the courts, we would see the relative angel that Ms Etteh is and consequently see the sense in her pardon. Maybe not” ple get heat wave – the full meanings of the words suddenly hit the appointee and cause a wave of panic which in turn causes not only constriction of the throat but the widening of the eyes. ‘What!

How can I swear to abide by the rules that forbid embezzlement?’

Like a professional bicyclist hitting a stone on the Tour de France and finding himself shaking in motion, so do the lips of the oathtaker at this sudden realization.

This is when most new appointees know real fear, and begin to sweat. Courage flies through the window.

Once, in a war, a frightened soldier was said to have unconsciously broken out in sweat each time he heard the enemy’s artillery release a fusillade that seemed to fly in his direction. His commanding officer tried to calm his nerves. ‘Listen son, no bullet will kill you unless it has your name written on it, so don’t be afraid. Just pray that none has your name on it.’ ‘Actually, sir, I’m not afraid of a bullet that has my name on it. It’s the ones that usually have ‘To whom it may concern’ written on them that I’m afraid of,’ the young man replied.

Most of us lack the courage to display the kind of loyalty needed to keep oneself from dipping into the national till now and then.

And, believe me, when the bag of loyalty is empty, it is mighty dif-

more for the number of scandals it was able to record than for lawmaking.

Ms Etteh might have been forgiven by her colleagues; but she remains guilty in the consciousness of Nigerians. But it is not late in the day for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to take up her matter as well. It is possible she never committed any crime; but the fact that we never pursued her matter to a logical conclusion gave the representatives the effrontery to do what they did.

This is why we should applaud the commission for taking Bankole to court. It might be prejudicial to say Bankole’s era in the House was corruptionridden, but it won’t be to say that the era was one of the most irresponsible. And one is saying this with all sense of responsibility and even fairness to the former speaker.

Of all the speakers we have had since 1999, he is probably the most read. Perhaps the most exposed and the one expected to be most urbane by virtue of his exposure and experience.

Bankole attended some of the best schools abroad; he is a very young man that was expected to bring a polished template to bear on lawmaking in the country.

Unfortunately, he bungled all the goodwill that attended his political ascension on the altar of the dirty politics that characterised the Obasanjo presidency.

It remains a shocker that a young man like him would say at political campaign that they (PDP) used mobile policemen to win one election and that they were going to use soldiers to win the next. Even a member of the Tokyo faction of the now proscribed National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) would have done better. Not even his immediate predecessor

Mr. Nobody ficult to cough up anything resembling forbearance.

I am convinced that this lack of loyalty is the reason most of us sing the national anthem mournfully instead of belting it out heartily, when we sing it at all. To begin with, how many of us can even sing it, and actually mean it? Very few of us know the lyrics, fewer still know the composers, and definitely very few know what they actually mean.

Very many of us are content to simply be able to recognise the tunes when the anthem is being played and wonder why the country is not grateful for that.

For most, you have to prod them awake when the tunes are on.

‘You’re not supposed to stretch out your legs and snooze when the anthem is playing,’ you say to the unrepentant reprobate.

But, he only looks at you with something of a mixture of pity and dismay. ‘What compatriots are we talking about? Are we talking about the governors who occupy their time emptying their state treasuries to the tune of the national anthem? Or your unaccommodating fellow citizens who regard slashing people’s throats in the name of reli-

gion or tribe a considerably worthy relief from boredom? My sister, who should arise if not the president? Let him stand up for the anthem. Na im get work’.

I tell you, all I can see in the president’s own oath is the fact that he has been given a carte blanche to go forth and, if he can, make a new nation out of this disparate group of people fast losing hope, faith and charity. They are losing hope because each successive regime seems to be more preoccupied in outdoing the previous one in mind-boggling devilry. Faith, because truly, few of us actually believe things can be otherwise or better.

Ask anyone, and they’ll tell you fatalistically that the black man cannot see beyond the darkness of his own skin. Consequently, charity has flown out the window because needs must when the devil rides.

I believe indeed, that this is one of the reasons Nigeria seems to have no national life. The symbol that so readily represents the Nigerian life is chaos, disorder, and more chaos. There is no tradition of doing things that positively identifies us; only a tradition of lawlessness epitomized by

in question who is but a hairdresser could have descended to that kind of gutter language in the name of politics.

Ms Etteh’s pardon reminded me of something that happened in the unending Babangida transition scheme when one of the presidential aspirants from the south-west went to see the (now) late ‘strongman’ of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu in the course of his campaign. After his political sermon, he gave the ‘strongman’ a few thousands of Naira and said he needed his blessing (adura) for his political ambition. Alhaji Adedibu took the money and shared everything among his thugs right in the aspirant’s presence. Then came this other aspirant from the north who came, not with any long sermon but with sacks of Ghana-must-go bags that took some time to offload from the vehicles. Adedibu was so dazed that he exclaimed: Adua gan lo de yi, awon kan si nwa adua kiri (some people say they are looking for blessing; this is blessing that has just arrived). Incidentally, the northern aspirant’s name sounds like adura too. The rest is now history. Thereafter, money became thicker than blood!

The link between this and Etteh’s pardon? A colleague who inspired me to write on this matter supplied that when he suggested that the House of Representatives might have seen that what they removed Ms Etteh for in 2007 was mere pickpocketing considering the monumental allegations of scandals that trailed the Bankole speakership. Maybe by the time Bankole’s matter is disposed of in the courts, we would see the relative angel that Ms Etteh is and consequently see the sense in her pardon. Maybe not. a governor who passes vindictive laws on the eve of his departure, or a political godfather who sacks an entire state while the president, police, army, and everyone else look on! Or an assembly that awards itself unearthly salaries and allowances, and let the heavens fall; not to talk of a people who repeatedly slash the throats of other ethnic tribes to show discontent. These are the traditions that translate to the fact that the nation is faceless because where might rules, no one answers to nobody!

Who then owns the land? It is Mr. Nobody. Remember the children’s rhyme about a mysterious persona who is responsible for every mischief in the land? Well, he lives here, in Nigeria. Remember when Louis XVI was said to have proclaimed, “L’etat, c’est moi!’? He meant that he was the state, and the state was him. In the same vein, the Nigerian state belongs to Mr. Nobody, and Mr. Nobody is the Nigerian state.

This is why no one listens to him, and no one fears him. And so, when people are taking oaths of office and are persisting in mumbling, who asks them to speak up? Mr. Nobody. And when people decide to help themselves to state fund since no one heard them swear to protect it anyway, who checks them? Why, only Mr. Nobody!

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Essay

BTAINING the presidency, Barack Obama got what he wanted yet not on the terms he wanted it. Fate played its oft wicked turn. The cards he thought he dealt himself were not the ones he ultimately held. The problems he faces are not those he wanted to face. Thus, he continues to deal with many crucial matters, not as things to resolve, but nuisances to hide in the closet. He is a dancer who has not so much lost his feet but his ear for the rhythm of the times. His oratory no longer has its prior resonance because he has too often gone this way and sought his deliverance through this vocal channel. Now his words are heavy and stale as if spoken by one with cement in his lungs. The more he breathes the more weighed down he becomes. He has become the man wedged between the wall of reality and the door of hope.

With a little over one year until the next presidential election, the American economy is enveloped in dust and wind. It has lost its way and is blind to the path of growth and prosperity. In this condition, it is more likely to stumble mindlessly or fall into a pit than to find higher ground.

Official unemployment inches upward. If unemployment were defined as it was a generation ago, the rate would be much worst. Even given the benefit today’s obscurant definition of unemployment, the percent of the workers chronically unemployed has soared above that recorded during the Great Depression. For those fortunate to have jobs, the way still looks choppy. Wage levels stagnate.

Many people retain jobs solely because they have acquiesced to lower wages and fewer work hours. Their abbreviated paychecks can no longer carry them through the month. They could survive if only the months were reduced to 20 days.

The percentage of national income assigned to the labor force nears its historic low, meaning wage earners are not benefiting from their increased productivity or from any increase in aggregate economic growth. One in six Americans receives government assistance just to keep food on the table on a daily basis hunger is more frequent than it was 50 years ago. The nation’s already flaccid manufacturing activity is contracting, signaling few new jobs on the horizon. The housing sector, a main pillar of the economy, is in a deep swoon. Home prices are at levels not seen since 2003. Experts see home values falling another 10-25 percent before the carnage in this sector abates. Millions of homes are scattered along the dolorous road to foreclosure yet government does nothing although the foreclosure crisis drives down home values and makes the unemployed more vulnerable to long-term unemployment, insolvency and poverty. Even the financial sector, after feasting upon ten trillion dollars in government largess during the past 30 months, is feeling the pinch. Bank profits reduced the first quarter of the year.

As during the 2008 recessions, many banks are poised to fire significant numbers of worker.

In a recent opinion poll, nearly half of Americans feared economic depression was near or already on them. Although depression is unlikely, these people have ample reason for their trepidation. The American economy has become a place of carnage. Depleted bank accounts and broken dreams describe the premises. Thousands are homeless, millions are jobless, and half the nation has lost hope that tomorrow will be brighter than yesterday.

So glacial will be economic growth, it will feel like recession has returned. More accurately, it will be as if recession never left. Much of the bad was avoidable. Errant policy is the proximate cause. A weak, economically ignorant political elite teamed with a strong but carnivorous financial sector are the archangels of this vulgar economic tragedy. Not all of the blame should be placed at President Obama’s feet. If Republicans in Congress enjoyed full rein, things would be worse. Yet, Obama can no more escape blame than can the assailant whose sole defense is that he broke but one of the victim’s legs while the other attacker was more proficient because he broke a leg, an arm and two ribs. For nearly two years, progressive thinkers have criticized the do-little approach of President Obama and his economic team. Two years ago, this writer lamented the fiscal stimulus the Administration devised was too small to ignite the economy while the financial bail-out was so big that it would subdue the urgency of financial reform. The inchoate fiscal response and the bulbous financial subvention made future economic crisis inevitable. The lone question was if the next downturn would occur before the 2012 election. President Obama obviously concluded the storm had so subsided that he could safely tread water until balmy days returned. Unfortunately, 2008 was not the normal economic squall. The President’s moderate prognosis has proven to be reckless. America was in a major hurricane where the rules of economic conservatism had to be suspended and countermanded to remain afloat.

President Obama failed to realize a hurricane comes in stages. First there is the opening storm; then the calm eye that deludes the novice into thinking all has passed. Finally comes the climax of the storm which many times is more virulent than its beginning. The second part of the storm may well be upon America at a time when the nation is politically ill-prepared to withstand it.

In this regard, Treasury Secretary Geithner has been a mortal enemy to his own nation. He has done more damage to the nation’s long-term economic health and security then a score of armored divisions of committed invaders. Had President Obama dismissed Geithner in 2009

The slow road to nowhere Those wielding great power are soon confronted by the incontrovertible distance separating the quality of their decisions from that of infallibility

•Obama

By Brian Browne

and hired a progressive economist or two, his economy stewardship might have matured to equal the task before it. Instead, the opposite occurred. The few open-minded economists in the White House have left in muted frustration. Geithner, the one who should have been dismissed, stands as the mainstay. Obama is the gullible captain while Geithner serves as the veteran yet mistaken helmsman of a new Titanic.

The moment calls for fiscal stimulus aimed at creating employment and rehabilitating the nation’s aged infrastructure. The times call for major assistance to debtstrapped homeowners to avoid foreclosure and the further diminution of home values. America needs financial assistance to state and local government to prevent them from slinking into bankruptcy. America’s problem remains the fact that excessive debt accumulation has resulted in widespread deleveraging to repay this high aggregate debt. The high level of deleveraging has stunted aggregate private sector demand. The best way to compensate for the fall in private demand is to increase public sector demand through higher government expenditures. Such expenditure cannot be for frivolities but for items that will bolster the internal strength of the economy. In effect, this is deficit spending as both stopgap and an investment in future productivity.

Unfortunately, Obama’s advisors do not measure success by the performance of the overall economy. Instead, Geithner heads a team whose definition of success begins and ends with the profitability of major financial firms.

During an early 2010 White House meeting, Geithner declared additional fiscal stimulus was “sugar” the results of which would be transient. His argument won the day. Unfortunately, no one retorted the policy Geithner espoused was the “lash” and its effects would live long and prove injurious.

Joining the Republicans, Geithner has advocated fis-

“Despite the warning signals, Obama plunges toward the mistake as if pulled by a magnet. This is unfortunate but not entirely surprising. We are witnessing the newest manifestation of class warfare. Financialism has become ensconced as the philosophy of the day”

cal austerity despite the fact that those nations hewing such a path during an economic downturn only increase the steepness of their decline. President Obama need not go far to see the dire consequences of the Geithner policy public austerity coupled with largesse to the financial sector. This policy is nothing except a massive transfer of funds from social services for all into a windfall for the financial firms. This is Robin Hood turned into his opposite. The United Kingdom has embarked on a policy of fiscal austerity. The result has been truncated growth, higher unemployment and even higher debt as tax revenues declined because of lower employment and economic activity. Greece, Ireland, and Spain suffer the same consequences except they have the added attraction of large public protests that will grow larger and louder the more austerity bears down harder on these nations as we progress into a hot, sweltering summer.

Despite the warning signals, Obama plunges toward the mistake as if pulled by a magnet. This is unfortunate but not entirely surprising. We are witnessing the newest manifestation of class warfare. Financialism has become ensconced as the philosophy of the day.

Financialization of governments and the global economy means important decisions nearly always favor the financial sector and are taken with cold indifference to labor and the general economy. In the last three years, trillions of dollars have been taken from public coffers to fund the enrichment of the financial elite. This is the heist of heists. Yet, the general public does not realize it has been taken. People believe this is as it should be because those in authority and power have told them so. Democracy ensures a flow of information but not necessarily of the accurate type. Those who control high finance control what the public knows about finance and economics. This is a most damnable aspect of the class warfare.

The public receives financial education from its most dangerous opponent. Consequently, the public has been tutored that government spending is bête noire and budgetary austerity is convivial to prosperity when the opposite is true during sluggish times. In effect, the public has been successfully deployed to fight against its own interests.

President Obama will do nothing about this. He may be among the most likeable and gifted of human beings but the ample gifts may well come to naught. President Obama lacks the head and heart, the intellectual courage and the force of will, to stand against the prevailing winds. Since coming to office, he has acted within the narrowest confines of conventional wisdom. He dares not whisper a daring idea even if correct. He plays the game as if devising the best policies carries no particular reward.

His primary mission seems to be whether he can make an increasingly disconcerting status quo appear delectable just by the sheer elegance of his verbiage. In the face of mounting evidence of economic contraction, his newest prescription is an employer’s payroll tax cut. This is like trying to extinguish a raging wildfire with the sweat of an ant. Such a tax cut would only aid the employer. Most employers would not use the funds to hire more employees because there is no need for higher production levels since private sector demand remains suppressed by high debt levels. Employers will simply pocket the vast majority of the savings as profits. Labor will gain little from this measure. Affluent and big corporations will enjoy a sudden windfall just in time for the elections. By ingratiating himself to big business, President Obama hopes some of that loose change will find its way into his campaign coffers.

As such, President Obama has abandoned the traditional constituencies of the Democratic Party — the middle class, minorities, and organized labor — to side with the financial elite. The moneyed elite loathe deficits because deficits connote inflation and inflation is the traditional abomination of the rich. Inflation cheapens money by spreading it around more broadly. This lessens the value of a rich man’s holdings. Austerity decreases the supply of money which, in turn, increases the value of the affluent’s possessions. Although fiscal stimulus deficit spending may improve the overall economy, the moneyed elite detest the very thought of it because it impairs the value of the vast deposits of money they hold dear.

President Obama has shown himself to being the protector of the moneyed class. He never opposes a Republican economic objective. He merely opts for a milder version. If Republicans advocate 100 billion dollars in spending cuts, he will embrace a 40 billion dollar cut when additional spending is the best policy. Should Republicans assert presidential consumption of a gallon of mud and potash would cure the economy, President Obama would swiftly guzzle two quarts of the queer mixture as the reasonable way forward.

Continued on page 70

Cover Story

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Cover Story

17

The life, times and death of M. K. O. Abiola H

E had a peculiar birth record.

He once narrated thus: “By the time I was born, my father was 58 and my mother 41.

People were saying that my mother must have fallen from her mother’s back because her first husband died while the first child was expected.

The second husband died, too, while the second child was in the womb.

That was why for 10 and half years, no man would even meet my mother, until my father came.”

The late M. K. O. Abiola, the legendary symbol of June 12 1993 election noted that his father reasoned that the children given birth to by the woman always

By Taiwo Ogundipe, Associate Editor survived the various husbands she had. The elder Abiola saw the woman’s ‘bad luck’ as an antidote to his own predicament of losing all his previous 21 children who died a few months after birth. The man had apparently thought that even if he lost his by marrying her, any child she bore for him would at least survive. At the end, however, M. K. O. did not die. And neither did his father.

A chronicler of his life once noted that he was “conditioned in the furnace of poverty.” His mother died

in 1956 because the family was too poor to afford the sum of 55 kobo that the doctor demanded to treat her. Another chronicler of his life observed that it was “a paradox of pain and pleasure; a parable of poverty and plenty.”

Born in 1937, Abiola had a very tough childhood. His parents were made particularly poor because they spent their meager resources on seeking spiritual solution through local diviners or juju men for their problem of child-bearing.

Abiola had to go into hawking firewood to eke out a living. He was selling to the wives of the elite residing in the Government

Reservation Area, G. R. A. The business was yielding very little in form of profit. And he also found it increasingly difficult combining this business with his studies at his then secondary school, Baptist Boys High School, Abeokuta to which he had gained admission after his elementary schooling.

He was fortuitously introduced to the world of professional music when he went to see a very popular highlife musician, Adeolu Akinsanya who came to perform in the city of Abeokuta. The young Abiola was fascinated and inspired by seeing the • Continued on page 18

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Cover story

• Continued from page 17

musician and his backers thrilling the audience only with his very sonorous voice and the simple instruments they were playing. Talking about his foray into music, Abiola reminisced: “I was a stammerer and I discovered that it was easier for a stammerer to sing than to talk.” He got seven shillings and six pence from his grand-mother, bought some drums and formed his own orchestra and called it Kashimambo Orchestra after his name, Kashimawo (Let’s see whether this one too would die). The band was then playing what was then largely known as agidigbo music.

Within six months, the band became a household name in Abeokuta. His band charged 48 balls of amala with stew and vegetable soup as well as ten and a half shillings for each performance. Eventually, the band increased the fee it was charging to two guineas. Half of that was taken by Abiola as the head of the band. Out of his takings, Abiola helped not only his family members but also other people who were more impoverished than him. That marked the beginning of the trait of generosity for which he was well-known in his later years.

He completed his secondary education in December 1956 and went in search of a job in Ibadan. He lost his mother on the sixth of that month, the very day he started work at the then Barclays Bank , Ibadan. He got married to his heartthrob, Simbiat Atinuke Soaga, in 1960. The following year, he went on to benefit from the Free Education policy of the then Obafemi Awolowo government by securing a government scholarship to study Accountancy at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. He left Glasgow in 1963 as a chartered accountant.

He came back to Nigeria in 1965 and clinched a job as the deputy chief accountant of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH. He was there until 1967 when he left to join Pfizer Products Limited. He moved over to International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, ITT, a foremost communications multinational. It was there that he got his destiny transformed unexpectedly. He was serving as comptroller of the organization and it was one of his official responsibilities to collect debts.

The legend had it that the company had been owed a then whopping sum of N7 million for three and a half years by the Nigerian Army Corps of Signal. In an effort to solicit for the payment of the debt, Abiola had a stormy encounter with the then fiery commander of the Signal Corps, Murtala Muhammed, who was then a colonel. The encounter between the duo almost degenerated into fisticuff but was halted through the intervention of the then chief of army staff, Hassan Usman Katsina who came visiting at that point in time. The debt was paid. Abiola went on to become a very close friend of Muhammed who later assumed the positions of federal commissioner for communications and head of state progressively.

On collecting the cheque for the payment, Abiola had triumphantly rushed back to the office to present the cheque to his then white boss, whom he met dead drunk. Abiola then had a brainwave. He got a photographer to take the picture of the man in his inebriated stupor. He then journeyed to New York to

•Abiola (right) with the late General Abacha

‘Abiola was conditioned in furnace of poverty’ visit the headquarters of the company. He brandished the cheque and the unflattering photograph of his white boss and threatened: “Unless this man (in the picture) is removed and I am put in his place, I will tear this cheque.”

The ITT senior operatives in New York, seeing that Abiola was determined, decided to have it his way. The white boss in Nigeria was recalled and Abiola was made to replace him. Abiola fortune was enhanced further by the indigenization decree of 1971.

He ended up having 50 percent ownership of ITT. He became the chairman and chief executive of ITT Nigeria Limited and vicepresident, ITT, Africa and Middle East. He also teamed up with Harris Communications Company of the United States He entered the arena of public life as a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1977. And he stayed at the centre stage until his death. When the military lifted the ban on politics in 1978, he joined the National Front, a political group that later metamorphosed into the National Party of Nigeria, NPN. He became the chairman of the party in Ogun State. His wife, Simbiat stood as a senatorial candidate in the state.

He put out all stops in support of his wife.

He bought hundreds of vehicles including cars, motorbikes and vans for some of the party’s sympathizers. He also extensively oiled the party machinery financially in the state. All these moves, however, could not ensure Simbiat’s victory over the candidate of the formidable opposition party in the state, the Unity Party of Nigeria under the leadership of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

Abiola, however, continued to be a loyal party man, using his resources to prop up the party. He also set up a well-funded national newspaper group, the Concord, to stand up to the relentless buffeting unleashed by the UPN-controlled press, especially the Nigerian Tribune against the NPN. The paper started with a salvo of attack on the leadership of the UPN, alleging that Chief Awolowo was involved in a shady land deal. It also ran a serial of the controversial report of the Justice Coker Commission of Enquiry on the running of government corporations when Awolowo governed as the premier of the Western Region.

His personal ambition within his political fold, NPN, was, however, not wholeheartedly welcomed. In 1980, he made spirited attempt to dislodge the late Chief

“Another chronicler of his life observed that it was “a paradox of pain and pleasure; a parable of poverty and plenty”

June 12 It sounded like the rattling of chains The rattling of broken bottles But to my greatest surprise The mother of snakes arose The rattle snake appeared in tears

By Temidayo Ogan

Yes, my tears, my tears are like those Of a travailing mother That wants to bring forth a child Kudirat wanted to bring forth But the harsh rattling of the gun fire…..

The tomb has vomited ...

Ha! Mother earth has released a vision The rattle snake cries My tears, my tears are not those of a rat Pleading with a cat

She was snuffed out in her prime The war continues, justice must prevail The justice Dele Giwa fought for The justice Saro Wiwa paid for I, the rattle snake cannot be silent

They are those of an angry lion Who must be appeased with flesh and blood?

My tears are like those of Mooshood Abiola Who wanted fairness and democracy Like those of Kudirat Abiola who struggled for justice

Maybe, I can be silent...

Only if democracy rules my land If this nascent democracy will be allowed to blossom And becomes the rule of justice Then, only then will I be silent and thirst no more

Meredith Adisa Akinloye who was the then national chairman of the ruling party, National Party of Nigeria, NPN. Abiola was then occupying the provincial position of the chairmanship of the party in Ogun State.

His fellow party chieftains including the then president, Shehu Shagari could not stomach the move. They feared that Abiola was trying to clinch this post in order in order to eventually go for the presidential ticket of the party. The party chieftains decided to cast their lot with Akinloye and put a lot of obstacles on Abiola’s path.

He also had an extremely inclement weather to contend with during the convention of the party taking place in Kano in the month of December. The very harsh harmattan prevented any aircraft from landing at the Aminu Kano Airport. Abiola reportedly decided to brave the untoward weather in his private jet. So he flew from Lagos while other planes were grounded there. However, the pilot had to make a detour back to Lagos because the weather was so bad and he managed to land the aircraft miraculously.

Abiola was, however, undaunted. He mobilized his aides to hire buses and cars to travel to Kano overnight for the convention.

But his formidable opponents still outwitted him at the convention despite his eventual presence. He also nursed the ambition of succeeding President Shagari who was billed to run a one-term presidency. He was also outplayed in this bid. In preparation for the national convention of the party slated for June 12, 1982 at the National Theatre, Lagos, he had reportedly gone to the party secretariat to collect nomination forms for the party presidential ticket to challenge Shagari. He was, however, prevented from gaining entry into the office, with one of Shagari’s leading aides saying: “The presidency is not for sale.” M. K. O. felt so aggrieved that he had to resign from the party and also suspended for a while his involvement in active politics.

Eventually, the Armed Forces sent the civilian administrations packing. Abiola then devoted more of his time and energy to his extensive business concerns and another of his childhood passion: sports. He was donating frenziedly to sporting clubs and activities. When he was the chairman of the fund-raising committee for the National Olympic Committee, he took on the task with an uncommon passion and ended up raising substantial amount of money, much of it coming from his pocket. He also formed a football club named Abiola Babes Football Club. He was unstinted in paying the highest price to get the best soccer players • Continued from page 17

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

PAGE 19

War through a boy’s eyes Page 25

I have never regretted working in civil service — Clerk of the Lagos Assembly Adewale Taiwo Olatunji is the Permanent Secretary/ Clerk of the Lagos State House of Assembly; he is due for retirement on August 29th after turning 60. In this valedictory interview, he speaks on life as a civil servant and how he has been working with politicians from different backgrounds. OZIEGBE OKOEKI spoke with him

W

•Olatunji

HAT was your growing up years like?

I was born on the 29th of August 1951, here in Lagos. I am from Lagos Island. I and my twin brother lived with our maternal grandfather from two years old and I was with him until I left the University. I did my primary, secondary and higher school here in Lagos. Then I went to University of Ibadan where I got a first degree in Political Science. So my growing up years was in Ofin, Isale Eko and Itafaji areas of Lagos, because I had to be living with my grandfather. I am a twin and my twin brother is also in the civil service as a Director.

We lost our mum when we were 17years old and our dad the year I left the University, 1976.

We are the second child of our mother and the third of our father.

Is there any particular incident that has left an indelible mark on you when you were growing up as a young man?

Yes, and it is a long time ago. But the only thing I can remember very well is the effort put into our development by our paternal grandmother who incidentally was an illiterate. She was a very wealthy trader.

We use to observe her, at a time when there was no calculator or computer she could add up very difficult figures within seconds. Something that an average educated person will need calculator to do. So to me she was a genius in trading and calculation. And that was something that endeared me and my twin brother to mathematics, because we were always going with her to the market. And she really trained us; she did not allow us to get spoilt.

And I thank her so much wherever she is because she is dead now.

How did you come into civil service, was it accidental or deliberate and what was the attraction?

I am not going to give you a straight answer to that, but I will say that in the

course of my university career, when I was a student at the university, I had a scholarship as an indigene of Lagos State and we were bonded. In my final year a representative of the State Civil service commission came over to the university to recruit us. And I and the immediate past head of service, Yakubu Balogun, were given appointment. By the time I finished my youth service I also secured an appointment in the private sector. So I opted to go to the private sector, which was Nigeria Motors Industry, a subsidiary of CFAO. It was while I was there that the state government wrote a letter to me to come and serve my two years bond. And immediately I resigned from my work and the idea was just to come for two years to serve my bond and then go out. In the course of the two years I cultivated some friends including the current head of service and I saw that the service wasn’t bad, so I decided to stay. So whether you call that accident or by design I don’t know. But that was the true story behind my coming to the service, I have never regretted it.

How would you describe life as a career civil servant, has it been very pleasant?

Yes, if I have to look back, it is not an easy thing for anybody to be in the civil service, particularly if you are married. Of course the standard of living then cannot be compared to now. But even then, I started off with about N200 per month and with that I had a wife. I joined the service in 1979 and I had my first baby in 1980 though I married in 1978. Initially I lived with my brother but later on I got my own flat, three bedroom, at Surulere, and I had to start paying rent of N60 per month from the N200 salary, and of course it was okay because what I had left was still able to take care of my family and other needs. Of course my maternal grandfather was assisting on a monthly basis. Other than that everything was fine, I was living comfortably, I never suffered in my life. M y family started to grow; we were managing here and there. I had an understanding wife who was working initially until I asked her to stop working.

So, from then onwards I faced my job and I can tell you that right from the beginning of my career in the civil service I was recognized. I joined the civil service in December 1979 and by 1980 I had evidence to show. The former governor of Lagos State, Lateef Jakande recognized me and gave me letter of commendation for services rendered when he selected me as a member of a committee on the settlement of Alayabiagba market in Ajegunle, and we did the job very well and he commended us. Few months later he also selected me as a secretary and member of a special committee on sale of Surulere LSDPC houses which we did to the best of our knowledge and we also got a letter of commendation from him. I was still on level 08 then; and I •Continued on page 20

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Life •Continued from page 19

can tell you from that time a lot of Permanent Secretaries and senior officers wanted me to work with them. When I got to Level 10 I was picked from among over 58 other senior officers as private secretary to Governor Mike Akhigbe. That very incident gave me an impression that you don’t need to know anybody or godfather, that it is your work that will judge you and take you to where you want. That particular incident only propelled me to work even harder realising that if you work hard there is always a reward. I have served in various ministries and agencies, about 13 or 14.

When I was on Level 14 I was made General Manager of a parastatal and I did my best and within one year of my stay in Central Licensing Authority it became the third revenue earner for the state from nowhere.

From there I was appointed the Sole Administrator/Chairman, Lagos Island Local Government, still on Level 14. And that LG is the most sophisticated LG in Nigeria and that was a position Level 16 officers were fighting tooth and nail to occupy. It has been like that on and on until I was made Permanent Secretary in 2001 and was eventually posted here as Clerk/Permanent Secretary of Lagos Assembly. I have never regretted working in the civil service and I always recommend to people to come to the civil service to contribute their quota to the development of Lagos state and Nigeria.

As Clerk of the House you must have been exposed to new challenges working with politicians, what are these challenges and how did you overcome them?

Of course, as a civil servant working on the other side; coming over here is a different ballgame. But I thank God also that my coming here in the last four years wasn’t my first time of coming and I could also hazard a guess why I was picked to be the Clerk of the House. At the material time, I was given the appointment on 2nd June 2007 while the House was inaugurated on the 4th. So I felt probably because I have been there before and there was urgent need to deploy somebody here and in order for the ceremony to go on smoothly they would want somebody who have some idea. I took over and did my best and I remember that the governor and my colleagues congratulated me and said they were proud of me because of the way I handled it considering the fact that I was drafted there two days before. And ever since the experience I had gathered while working here before, not as a Clerk, was enough for me to know how to tread and it assisted a lot. I have worked with politicians before coming here only there are more of them here, 40 to be precise, and coming from different background the situation is different; because over there you have only the commissioner to contend with. I don’t expect to have all the 40 of them as my friend but I can tell you that more than 75 per cent of them really appreciate what I do and I appreciate their relationship too.

They have their own ideas about how things should be, I have mine, but what I observe is that all you need to do is to be patient with them and be ready to do explanation; I have seen that they are ready to listen and they are ready to follow things the way they ought to be if you give them superior argument. That is not to say you will not see one or two occasionally that will say no. With such situations you appeal to reason, you appeal to them that look this is the way things ought to be in accordance with regulations. But where they insist, you now say no problem, the speaker is there, go to Mr. Speaker, I am happy that the Speaker really understands very well. Because as the Clerk of the House you have so many things to do even as far as making sure that members have no problems in their homes. Some of them see me as a father who will never mislead his children and I can tell you that our relationship to the best of my knowledge is very cordial. One or two times I have been annoyed and I express my feelings; and I also reported a particular member who wants to be too difficult to another member who will call him to order. So it has been a peaceful relationship and also a symbiotic relationship. They come to my office from time to time to come and play

‘Other state’s Assemblies come to learn from us’

•Olatunji

and I attend to them.

What have you found most intriguing about them as a civil servant?

They are political and of different persuasion, not necessarily of different ideology. The fact that most of them are ACN does not mean they are of the same persuasion. A lot of things will affect their conduct, culture, background, school they went to, etc. all of these things. So that is one of the things you have to manage; and that is why I want to recommend that a seasoned person should be brought as Clerk. You cannot just bring a small boy here, you must bring somebody who is well versed in administration, who knows about legislation, legislature and so on and so forth. Sincerely, in fact, the mere fact that they are even politicians, that is also intriguing, because in our own clime politics is full of intrigues. So I find them intriguing and I find them also accommodating to a large extent.

Under your watch the House was branded ‘House of Excellence’, what in your opinion merits the House that appellation?

I am not surprised that we have been tagged a House of Excellence. Of course, you know that the motto of Lagos State is ‘State of Excellence’ and we must project that; and that is why we are always conscious of the fact that whatever we do in the Lagos State House of Assembly we have to as much as possible score the highest mark. I will give you specific examples. Sometimes ago, the World Bank invited this Assembly for a session on our procurement bill, ‘Lagos State Public Procurement Bill’, which the Executive drafted and forwarded here for the House consideration. Now, in the course of our deliberation on the bill we had a lot of seminar and workshop on it. The idea was to get a bill that would not only meet with the expectation of the government but also with the practitioners in the field of procurement. At a point, how it got to the World Bank attention I wouldn’t know, but I was aware that the state government

had some relationship with the World Bank and I think the World Bank also wanted the House to be brought into the picture by way of ensuring that certain legislation are put in place. And after having perused our draft bill they decided to invite us for further deliberation. And at their headquarter in Washington I was surprised to note that they had about 18 pieces of draft legislation from 18 states of the federation and they considered that ours was the best at that time for us to come over and to use our own as the benchmark for others. That they will not need to invite others, once we have our own after the discussion and we incorporate some of the few things they wanted us to; they said we will now be their representative, so that they will now ask other states to come and emulate us. And when we met the two Nigerian women there their comments were encouraging, they said Lagos State is the best in so many areas.

I can also tell you without mincing words and without fear of contradiction that there are so many states whose presiding officers or deputies come here to come and ask for copies of our own legislation and in some few cases they copy this thing verbatim, they only change the name of the state. Even when we go for meeting of conference of presiding officers we are always there; they rely mostly on Lagos State. Lately we went to a conference of Society of Clerks in Africa and during the course of deliberation and discussion they brought us out and made Lagos State a member of the executive committee of the society. So many other examples abound. I am not surprised because the quality of the members we have here and the quality of staff cannot produce anything but excellence; because the kind of training we go through, you know capacity development and building programmes are things that we take seriously.

We have taken our people, both members and staff across the globe to go and learn how to do things better. When they say

“I can also tell you without mincing words and without fear of contradiction that there are so many states whose presiding officers or deputies come here to come and ask for copies of our own legislation and in some few cases they copy this thing verbatim, they only change the name of the state”

international best practices, we in Lagos State, and mind you when we go even with some other states and countries to these conferences, go and ask the organizers about the attendance, we are always very serious, more than others because we take our job seriously. And therefore you cannot but expect that at the end of the day we are going to turn out sound legislation that would meet with the expectation of the people. It is because of all these and many more that they call us house of excellence, they are not flattering us they are just saying the obvious. And sincerely I am happy to be associated with the House of Assembly.

Two very important developments last year in the House, the self accounting law became operational and the Lagos State House of Assembly Commission was signed into law; how has this affected operations of the Assembly?

I will take it one by one. The self accounting law was signed by the Asiwaju regime but it didn’t really become operational until last year, it ought to have come into operation year before. It came into effect in April and of course it has to have significant effect on the operations of the House considering the fact that before then most of the time we have to be going to the governor to seek and obtain approval for anything outside of the running cost. And now that you have full control of your resources you don’t have to go to the governor, of course naturally there is the likelihood that everything would be coming faster than usual. Significantly, it has also assisted in improving the performance of the House.

For the House Commission, it was also signed into law by the governor last year and we have not really started feeling the effect because the commission is not yet in place. But I expect that when the commission comes up it is going to have a significant effect on the work of the House in the sense that the civil service commission will stop recruitment, promotion, discipline and transfer of our staff, it will now be localized with the Assembly commission, that will however not stop anybody from seeking transfer to and from any service.

So, naturally when you have such developments they are bound to affect the operations of our organization.

Now sir, after retirement what next, having being so close to politicians will you go into politics?

No, politics is completely out of it. And I am not revealing what I intend to do, but definitely a person like me will not tire.

Immediately I retire 29th of August, 2011 I will first go and rest for some time and then I will put into operation all my plans.

I hope and pray that God will give me long life and good health and strength to be able to do whatever I want to do. But of course I am also available to serve the government in any capacity provided it will not affect my health.

What will be your advice to whoever is taking over from you?

If you look at our law, already the person that is going to succeed me must come from the House of Assembly. And all of the staff that are here they’ve seen how transparent I am, they’ve seen how hard I work, how I care for the welfare of staffers, the cooperation between me and the members, they have seen so many things, so many good qualities, so many attributes that they themselves would want to copy.

For you to work with 40 members with diverse background and educational qualification you need a lot of patience, perseverance.

And you must also be ready, it is not money making here, it is just service, you must be even ready to work 25 hours a day. So, my advice to him is he must be ready to work, and he must also have some level of cool headedness to be able to withstand the antics of both the staff and the members. He must ensure that all those bad policies of the incumbent if any are taken out and all those good ones are improved upon because no single person can do it all. I wish the person, whoever that may be, success. The seat is not as hot as people think but if you want it to be hot it will be hot for you.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

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Life

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

WHO’S TALKING...

Keeping tabs on people and events in cyber space

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

OMG!!! DID YOU KNOW.. ...THAT cows give more milk when listening to music. ...that snakes can see through their eyelids. ...that your memory is triggered by your body’s position. The way you sit, stand or lie down can help you remember things at a faster rate. ...that lions can mate more than 50 times per day

FREE DOWNLOADS

• Notice the girl riding on the back of the leopard. Would you let your child do this?

Source: www.nigeriantimes.blogspot.com

THE group called Chiddy Bang, is giving away their 15 track album up for download. The duo Xaphoon (the producer) and Chiddy (recent Guinness World Record holder for rap freestyle) featured great artists like eLDee Tha Don and Mac Miller amongst others. The tracks can be downloaded at www.bellanaija.com.

4-1-WEIRD ELAINE Davidson, who has almost 7000 piercings covering her body, married Douglas Watson, at a lowkey wedding reception in Edinburgh.

Brazilian-born Miss Davidson, 46, made a bizarre sight in a flowing white wedding gown and floral tiara with only her face visible, which was painted green and covered in 192 piercings.

It contrasted markedly from her older husband, who is aged in his 60s, who was more conservativelydressed in a simple navy suit, a sky-blue shirt and Marks and Spencer tie. The two bridesmaids were dressed in pink.

Bespectacled Mr Watson, who has no piercings or tattoos, clutched his bride’s hand as they walked out of the central Register Office in front of stunned onlookers. The couple, who live in Edinburgh, where she operates an aromatherapy shop called Tropical Rainbow, happily posed for photographs before heading off for a reception at a local city cafe.

“Elaine looked astonishing,” he said after the 35 minute ceremony. “People see the piercings but I see the amazing personality underneath. We have known each other for a long time. We met in a coffee shop in Glasgow 15 years ago and got chatting.”

He added: “We connected straight away and have been together ever since. I am always amazed by the effect her piercings have on people. She’s an incredible woman. People think its unconventional but that is the woman she is and people love her for it.”

She added: “If he [Doug-

THE drama keeps unfolding as the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole yesterday filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, seeking the enforcement of his fundamental human rights. Bankole who was arrested by the EFCC based on a 16 count charge had resisted arrest for about two weeks before he was picked up by officials of the crimes commission.

According to saharareporters.com, Mr. Bankole’s key aides claimed that information about the lawsuit, which was discreetly filed by the counsel to the former Speaker, was leaked to the EFCC which promptly summoned Mr. Festus Keyamo to dust-up the old allegations against the Speaker which involve the purchase of cars and other items to form the basis of immediate charges against Bankole to pre-empt the outcome of his fundamental human rights suit.

“It is for this reason that Mr. Keyamo immediately rushed to the same Federal High court in Abuja to file a 16-count charge on Tuesday 7th June, one day after Bankole’s suit. The charges filed by Keyamo contained nothing about the allegations of the N10 billion Naira bank loan which supposedly formed the basis of the arrest and detention of Bankole.

All items on the charge sheet were mainly from the old allegation of convoy car and of-

course.

These are some of the comments made on Facebook: Joseph Balogun So he knows that the court exists. Has he forgotten how he treated court orders....hmmm what goes around comes around!!!

Nnabuike Nnamani Bankole is one of our best.

Most people in his shoe would be worse off and completely incompetent. This boy tried.

•Bankole

fice equipment purchase, which is an indication that he will be facing other charges in the future. “ said Chief Kayode Odunaro.

However, Mr. Keyamo has said that the 16-count charges filed against Dimeji Bankole yesterday are only the first set of charges. Mr. Keyamo did not mention in his press release any plans to charges Bankole, his key aides and bank officials involved in his $1 billion money laundering through several proxy accounts at the United Bank For Africa (UBA).

According to Keyamo, other charges pertaining to the Ten Billion Naira loan and the 407 Peugeot Car Scam shall be filed in due

Ngati Jalani After all this noise, Bankole will be freed by the court to enjoy his loot. What a shame. I cry for my country!!!

Adeniran Sunday Dennis When he wanted to run away he did not know that there was human right abuse? EFCC should get the other ‘pen robber‘ now before it‘s too late.

Olagoke Komolafe There is no need to fret or fraught! Let the concerned citizens organisation file a counter over-ruling suit for the Nigerian people’s fundamental Human rights!! Did he just know he has human right now or did money seize his rights when he was amassing it illegally? He was requested twice with humane invitation to come willing yet he has the guts!!!

JOBS ONLINE

• The world’s most pierced woman got married in Britain on Wednesday, to a balding retired civil servant who has no metal attached to his body

las] did not like tattoos and piercings he would not be the one for me. I feel very happy.”

One of the guests, Gavin, who runs a comic shop near her shop, added: ‘’Elaine came in and invited me to her wedding reception. ‘’She looked incredibly happy and in love. We don’t know too much about her groom but he’ll have his hands full with her.’’

When first accredited by a Guinness World Record official in 2000, Miss

Davidson had 462 piercings, with 192 in her face alone. The former nurse now has 6,925 including more than 1,500 that are “internal” that are said to weigh almost seven pounds.

According to her website, she “never removes the rings and studs” and her family has said they don’t like her piercings.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk Source: www.aol.com

GLOBACOM Limited is currently recruiting. If you would you want to work for one of Africa’s biggest leading telecom service providers, you can find out what job vacancies are available or submit your CV to careers.hr@gloworld.com Schlumberger Limited, an oilfield servicing company, is looking for qualified personnel to fill a Managerial Position in Port Harcourt. The applicant should posses a Bachelors Degree in Sciences, Mechanical Engineering Applications, Drilling Engineering or Diploma with relevant drilling and or work over experience would be considered in lieu of formal education certificate. Other skills

and qualification requirements can be found at their website. Please remember to quote the Schlumberger reference number, IRC510. Applications must be submitted before the 7th of July, 2011.

Vacancies exist at GTB Asset Management Limited for a Fixed Income Portfolio Manager/Trader, a Stockbroker/Portfolio Manager Equities and a HNI Relationship Manager. Applicants vying for the various job positions should have a minimum of 3 years working experience and good employee as well as computer skills. For further details on the basic requirements can be found on their website. All CV’s should be saved as job title and sub-

RANDOM POST Dog survives being bound and shot in the head 40 times before being buried alive THE stray collie - named Star by her rescuers - managed to wriggle her way to the surface of the shallow grave where she had been left to die in Malta.

Animal welfare officers were investigating a tip-off about three dogs being held in a cage when they heard her muffled whimpering. They were shocked to find only her wired-up snout poking above the ground. As they dug her out, they were even more horrified

to discover Star had her legs tied together with shoe laces and had been shot 40 times in the head with a pellet gun.

The five-year-old was rushed to the nearest veterinary clinic where she had emergency surgery. Vet Trevor Zammit said: “We had to spoon out pellets from under her skin. The person who shot her didn’t do so accidentally because she was shot from quite close range.”

Star’s incredible tale of survival has touched the world with a Facebook page entitled Star: the dog who lived, set up in her honour.

The site, which has attracted more than 35,000 people, also

aims to raise awareness to animal cruelty, pet adoption and rescue. Police are now hunting the person responsible for her sickening ordeal.

Source: www.aol.com

mitted to careers@gtbasset.com The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria announces the following vacancy: Team Leader – Planning and Partnership. The job opening is based on a fixed term contract located in Abuja with the possibility of renewal after the term expires. The deadline for CV submission is the 21st of June, 2011. For details on the job description and application process, please visit http://jobs.undp.org/ or http:// web.ng.undp.org/ jobs.shtml and submit applications. For further details on UN benefits and entitlements, please visit http:// icsc.un.org/sal_sab.asp Genesis Group has vacancies for an Audit Manager, Head of Operations, Human Resource Training and Development Manager and Head of Food Production Center/Manager. All the applicants should posses an interest in Hotels, Catering, Restaurants, cinema, Shopping Malls, Food Production, Real Estate Development and Facilities Management. A vast amount of experience in any of these fields as well as a good university degree is necessary. CV’s should be sent to mscapply@gmail.com before the 21st of June, 2011.

N.B: You can send your jokes, pictures and gist online to pearlohai@yahoo.com

23 SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

R

EASONS for decreasing awareness of indigenous culture I give credit to those that introduced religion in Africa, people like Henry Townsend and others. They came and planted something that is useful, as in religion. But while doing that, they also brought enmity into it that we are regretting today. The Christian evangelists that came after these people (Townsend and co) got it all wrong. Like what happened in Rome where they (missionaries) would go and introduce Christianity, because the Romans can’t just be brushed aside, they had time to study their culture, study their tradition and weld it into Christianity. That’s why you have Santa Maria, Julius, Augustus, all these names being Christian and baptismal names now. They were not in the bible. Also, in other parts of Europe, the Christmas tree is a deity and because they (missionaries) wanted the people to accept Christianity, they converted the tree into Christianity and made it Christmas tree. These people in those places have joy in their own culture being converted into that religion and as such they are proud.

Here in Nigeria, they just cleared all our cultures and tradition and gave us this knowledge. But as time went on, people started to understand that our forefathers were blindfolded into accepting this religion. They called many of our traditions archaic, devilish, satanic, and things like that. It was not until when our own started going to Europe, seeing what they are doing with all these things that we call satanic here. So, the confusions started from all these sort of happenings.

Now, the only stop to it that is visible in government is that United Nations and several other countries see the need. At a time many development programmes brought to Africa or to Nigeria turned white elephants because they were not initiated with the traditional concept of the people. How can they maintain these things you are bringing when it doesn’t belong to their tradition? So, several of these occurrences started making the world to realise that culture should be the vehicle for technogical development.

One integral part of culture like you observed is religion. Now, what is your view about the general feeling gaining ground that practice of African Traditional Religions (ATRs) is contrary to the ways of God? Okay, I am a good Christian. But, having treaded throughout this country and Africa on this business of cultural development for over thirty years, I think that I always like to avoid the avoidable.

There is a thought that says what you can’t control; you don’t throw yourself into it because you can’t control it, why waste your time to work on it. You see, religion is a very sensitive issue. You have some of the purest of people in African religion.

What did Jesus Christ come to preach to the world? What had Muhammad come to preach? And what are we being told that God wants from us? It is love for everything that God created, love them.

You will see some Sango or Ifa priests that are very pure of heart. Some high African priests take care of what God has created and if you take care of what God created, you can’t be seen as a sinner, as somebody contravening the laws of God. Before you become a priest in any African religion, you must have undergone a lot of initiations. And all these initiations make sure they develop you as a man. And looking at all that and what I have seen during the course of my field-work, I take it that as you have people of pure heart in Christianity and Islamic religions, so, you have people of purest heart in the traditional religion. You see, any evil that is being perpetuated through traditional religion also exists in the contemporary religions. In Islam, there may be some Alfa that won’t listen to the other side of a case,

‘Promotion of culture is not the business of government’ Dr. Dolabomi da Costa graduated in Fine Arts, specialising in painting and sculpture from the Ahamdu Bello University, Zaria in 1970. He worked as a teacher, lecturer, artist-in-residence at the Obafemi Awolowo University, and government administrative officer and retired as Director, Ogun State Council for Arts and Culture, after bringing creative arts into administration. He spoke to Joe Agbro Jr. on declining indigenous cultures and a way to revitalise it but because you are the first person to come and say kill that man, run him mental, he would do it through the powers of the Koran. The same thing in Christianity, you will see people who are just like that too. And that doesn’t mean that all Christians, Muslims and traditional religionists are bad.

People should just be pure. If you are not pure, you can’t achieve. Purity is that you don’t tell lies, you don’t do bad, love people and when you have problems; you can send your messages to the astral to connect. But, if you are not pure, you can’t do that. There used to be a time I never ate blood. It was in search of religion. For 11 years, I never ate blood and it was those period I created my most wonderful paintings. But, the disadvantage of it is that you don’t talk evil of anybody because it would happen. So, you have to be a secluded person.

You talked of how early missionaries

incorporated the people’s cultures into the new religion, but how do you see the fact that the indigenous cultures do not seem to be promoted by the modern missionaries You see the nation is free. There is this democracy. So, people can choose wherever they want to. If there is a church where they use cane to beat everybody in the morning, afternoon, and night, you would still see some people in that church.

So, because everybody has a freedom to choose, government won’t be bothered.

Perhaps, anything happens to you, it is your own problem.

God said, ‘Know about me before you worship me’. So, if you study God well, it means you don’t even need a priest once you have your bible, you can go through your bible and worship God to his adoration. But, if you don’t learn about God and just follow one Pastor or Bishop, it is your problem. Though God’s religion would oppose you but the nation would

give you freedom because of democracy.

How do you rate government’s efforts in revamping our culture? Is it okay or what needs to be done?

We, cultural performers in government know this. You see, culture needs three things to survive. They need you to conserve, put all these cultures together.

They need you to preserve it and also you want to promote it. It is the promotion that is the business. Government can’t promote culture because it is financially intensive.

Government can document your culture for you; they can preserve it for you in Government Houses. But the promotion of it which is the effective thing about preserving this culture because you have to see it in the people’s homes, dresses, and food is capital intensive. Cultural promotion is meant for the private people and not until our private entrepreneurs turn their eyes into cultural business such •Continued on page 24

24

Arts •Continued from 23

•da Costa

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

‘Promotion of culture is not the business of government’ as tourism, souvenirs, artworks, textile, we would just be in the same position.

So, all government can do is what they are doing now. At times, government would say Abuja Carnival, it is not meant for government to do it. But because government is seeing that nobody is taking it over, and it is necessary for this country to develop because you want visitors to come. But government can’t do it for long.

Some private people just must come into it. Government also wants its own people to be involved. Government has created museums, art councils, even in embassies, we have cultural attaches, but the promotion of culture is not the business of government.

Word for the youths We should all be up and doing in this country. We are talking of unemployment; we are talking of students unrest, and these

sorts of things. All these may not happen if we have a culturally oriented nation right from the youths, baby girls, baby boys up to the secondary level and like that. Let them live according to the culture of their people. You will see our people now that go to school. At seven, eight or nine years old, they want them to speak English, they want them to be English. What happens is that they will learn the language but not learn the culture because English has got a culture and when you are speaking English language and you are omitting the culture, then you are making a lot of blunders. And it is all around here. Many people don’t know. You see them talking about something that they don’t even understand what brought it about. This is the same thing we are talking about that when our children are in school, let them learn our culture and use our culture to promote their activities in school.

“People should just be pure. If you are not pure, you can’t achieve. Purity is that you don’t tell lies, you don’t do bad, love people and when you have problems; you can send your messages to astral to connect. But, if you are not pure, you can’t do that. There used to be a time I never ate blood. ”

Badagry festival showcases culture T

HE ancient town of Badagry is gearing up to host the annual Badagry Festival which begins on July 30th to August 6th, 2011.

According to African Renaissance Foundation (AREFO) boss and festival organiser, Mr. Babatunde OladeMesewaku, this year’s festival which is the eleventh edition is geared towards incorporating more unity among all Badagry descendants. The town will also throw its doors open to both local and foreign visitors to have a taste of the Badagry festival.

The hosting communities are Badagry, Ajido, Apa, Kweme, Ajara, and Gbaji Yeke kingdoms. A line-up of festival activities includes a guided tour and lecture to commemorate the Slave Trade Abolition Remembrance Day in Badagry. This will take place in the premises of the Badagry Heritage Museum on July 30th. One of the lecturers on that day is Dr. Dolabomi da Costa, a former Director, Ogun State Council for Arts and Culture.

The next day at the Badagry Grammar School, qualifying quarters of Badagry would compete in the final of the football match for the Oba Akran Cup donated by MTN. The next day being a Monday will have a cultural festival and an exhibition which would be mounted at Apa primary school.

Boat Regatta and Water sports will take place on Tuesday at Gbaji-Yeke water front. Here, the prowess of the Badagry indigenes on water will be tested. On Wednesday, the Zangbeto masquerade show will hold at Ajido community, and Vothun masquerade show will be on Thursday, August 4 at Agasa-Po-Hepo shrine, Ajara Vetho.

The festival climaxes with the Gbenepo Royal Carnival which will see the Oba Akran walking through Badagry town. According to Olaide Mesewaku, “this is a rare opportunity which will afford some Badagry residents see the Akran.” There is also a Gala Night on Friday, August 5, at Badagry Marina Beach Park where musicians will be on the band stand and people stand the chance of winning prizes susch as generators, and television sets in raffle draws.

And on Saturday, August 6, Badagry Grammar School will play host to the grand finale of the festival.

Olaide-Mesewaku disclosed that the Badagry Festival is also being extended to more communities in Badagry, and involvement and excitement of the people is growing. The AREFO boss also expressed happiness with the efforts of the current Lagos State Government in developing tourism facilities in Badagry town with work at advanced stage at the Badagry Marina Beach Park.

By Joe Agbro Jr

•Women dancers during the Vothun festival last year at Ajara

•Boat regatta at Gbaji Yeke last year

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Books

25

Of zest and creativity N

EED business ideas or got one and need expert guidance on how to see it become a money spilling machine? Then you’ve got a coach in “Entrepreneurship. Innovation, Job creation, business education and link programmes.”

To lend credence to its potency, the Silverbird Group Book Jam Award winning book was endorsed by three renowned professors of business in Nigeria, among which is former presidential candidate of Mega Party and Chairman/CEO, Lagos Business School, Pan African University, Prof. Pat Utomi. It dwelt extensively on the subject of entrepreneurship and the vast untapped fortunes in the Nigerian economy which explains the prevalent malaise of poverty and unemployment. The authors aver in the illuminating pages that the Nigerian condition exemplifies the paradox of dying of thirst in the midst of flowing stream.

The 116 page book, consisting ten chapters is authored by Bola Adeoye and Afolabi Olubela who are both eminently qualified for the subject. Adeoye is a World Bank Trained Financial and Project Management consultant and has over nine international companies. Olubela is the lead consultant of Spark Consults Nigeria Limited and the Director of Studies, School of Entrepreneurship.

In the first two chapters, the authors gave insights into the entails of entrepreneurship and its immense benefits for all classes of students. They

I

T is curious when some people call for war. Often, those at the forefront are usually people who have never fought a war, seen one, or read in detail the tragedies of war. Most that have experienced it are usually cautious, wanting to prevent it.

But war is never like in the movies such as scenes from Battle of the Falkands or Gulf War. Or in books such as Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamnada Adichie where she used fiction to replay the four year war which cast darkness on Eastern Nigeria between 1967 and 1970. In it, she captured with words the essence of the tragedy, via clips, tales, and research, but the story remains at best the imagination of a prodigy.

Also, some autobiographical accounts such as My Command by former president Olusegun Obasanjo and Because I am Involved by Odimegwu Emeka Ojukwu told stories of VIPs, far removed from what the ‘common people’ in the Eastern Nigerian experienced during the war.

However, Biafra Lest We Forget

by Richie Adewusi does just that.

From Adewusi’s account, war it seems, never pays any side, especially when the war is between two elephants.

Then, Adewusi, surmises, it is the grass, in this case, helpless civilians, that suffer.

The story which was etched on his impressionable mind from when he was five years old was one which Adewusi claims he had wanted to write for a long

observed that ‘entrepreneurs are independent extroverts, who have the ability to lead people, manage them effectively, and steer their business towards success. They are intelligent and able to utilize their skills, time, resources and energy effectively. They have business acumen even without attending any business school and have the right run on.’ The authors interestingly quipped that those who have propensities to take risks and feel uncomfortable being subordinates are cut out for entrepreneurs- they perceive the market opportunity and with sharp vision and propelling motivation, mobilize resources to meet it.

In chapter three, the book gives frightening and staggering statistics of the world’s intractable maladies of poverty, illiteracy, sickness and unemployment, drawing out Nigeria’s unfair share even in comparison with neighbouring African countries. Chapters four and five deal with the technical details of a business. There is a review of some relevant economic terms like the interplay between the forces of demand and supply, the divergent forms of business enterprises together with issues of taxation as required by the Nigerian legal framework. The book most importantly provides guides on how to build an effective and workable business plan. The analysis is compelling.

The tempo heightens in chapter six where the authors divulged the various investment opportunities that abound in all sectors of the economy.

Over 50 business ideas are expounded to the reader at no cost.

The next three chapters discuss the prerequisites of starting small businesses in Nigeria, available sources of financing businesses, and the modern technology channels of marketing, respectively. Each chapter is a mass of information download, thorough and incisive.

The final chapter presents the entrepreneurship hall of fame. The writers aptly tagged it: “Mentoring-learning from master entrepreneurs” The incredible, zero-to-hero stories of leading business magnates like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Aliko Dankote and a host of others will spur the reader to rise above the rubble of inability and disability to capability and profitability. Remarkable of all is the story of Prince Samuel Doyin, Chairman of Doyin Group of Industries, a man who had no formal education or wealth but at 26, had built six houses in Lagos and as at 1995 was employing over 5,500 workers. How did he do it? The Midas touch of entrepreneurship!

This book is certainly a master-piece. It takes a pragmatic approach to enlightening and re-orientating the reader that white collar jobs do not hold the key to his happiness and fulfillment. To rid yourself of the shame of unemployment, it seems to assert, stop blaming the government for your woes, take your destiny in your hands, and launch into the limitless and exciting world of entrepre-

neurship.

However, the book is not infallible. First is the evident defect of slipshod proofreading and typesetting. There are a couple of syntactic errors that could have been avoided if the proofreader did his job well.

Examples are ‘Help them’ ‘Help tham’ (for singular subject) pg 8, ‘to found’, pg 5, commitmen, pg 13, ‘essential criterion’ (for plural subject), pg 14. The bullet points in many instances were inappropriately used.

Also, the arrangement of the chapters is rather unfortunate. There is no proper connection and smooth flows between the chapters. Chapter one gives introduction which flowed into chapter two where the profile and skills of entrepreneurs are discussed. But there is a sharp, out-of-tune interception of poverty, problems, disaster, statistics and then chapter four picked up from where chapter two stops. It hurts. The third chapter could have served the purpose of the first chapter and then the other chapters would have naturally followed. This puts it in tandem with the structure of the preface and will aid mental progression and organization of thoughts.

Besides, to be candid with the writers, the back page is nothing but a disaster. The grim background colour and threatening small texts, assault the eyeballs of any reader who is interested in the author’s selling profile. Finally, despite the depth of information and revelations in the book, it is not properly packaged. The paper

size appears like an oversize jacket. It puts the book in the class of pedestrian school children texts. A tight, handy and crisp paper size would have complemented it.

However, despite these editorial misjudgments, the quality of the content is top rate.

The book is lucid in exposition, thorough in explanation, positive in presentation, pragmatic in application and persuasive in sensitization. It serves the present needs of Nigerians, nay Africans. Your

War through a boy’s eyes time. But, it was Didie, his inquisitive eleven year old son that finally kick-started the book. The boy was simply curious over the scar in the middle of his father’s forehead.

Fifth of his mother’s children, with three of his siblings drafted to war, Adewusi’s family is one of the few lucky ones that reunite after the war.

But, the events which transpired and which Adewusi captures is horrific, and better imagined.

With a Yoruba father and an Ibo mother, Adewusi’s early childhood was fraught with identity crisis. His earliest memory of travel was leaving the east to Lagos with his father. He started school there but just at primary one, his mother who was based in the east sent for him apparently to spend Christmas holidays.

He never had an inkling of what laid ahead or that he would not continue at the school, or that it would take five years for him to see his father again. His mother had feared for him because of insecurity in the country at that time with people of Igbo extraction being targets outside Igboland.

It was in Port Harcourt, Rivers State that his mother foresaw trouble coming and packed to Omoba in present Abia State where Adewusi’s maternal grandparents lived.

And it was through his sister Meg that he learns of federal troops defeating the Biafran

troops. Of that experience, he writes: ‘The small weapons’ sound was the kwara nu, kwara nu sound. While big shells would compliment with unu dum!

‘So, any place where people were taking refuge at and they heard those sounds, there was only one thing for them

to do, MOVE OUT.’ Those sounds would eventually mar the spirited soul of Omoba, a town which prided itself with burgeoning as at that time. The bombings started crippling any commerce, schools closed and Adewusi reminisced that he joined other children to play

war games which sometimes drew ‘real blood’.

Not long after, the author went to live with his aunt who worked in the clinic of a refugee camp. There, Adewusi came across privation. Describing an experience when he went to look for his sister in the clinic, he writes; ‘I saw many children with bloated legs all over the place. There were also adults with very scary injuries. Bleeding severed limb, broken heads...

There was a lot of screaming and wailing. The whole place smelt terribly.’ It was also while there he also got the gash on his forehead.

But a sudden commotion mean he had to leave. It definitely must have been harrowing for the nine year old to wander through human masses with the incomplete name of his successful landlord as the only clue to any reunion with his family. By a stroke of divine chance, he met his elder brother but both were detained by an army officer. But after some time, they managed to escape.

Even when the war was declared over, Adewusi writes that soldiers were harangued boys and men who had tell-marks of having fought in the war. As he and his brother trekked home, it was only through a twist of luck that his brother escaped being shot in front of him, having been identified as participating in the war through bruises on his knees and

bookshelf is not complete without it. It’s a must read for all Nigerian students, especially graduates who are relentlessly circulating their CVs where there are no vacancies.

Title: Entrepreneurship.

Authors: Bola Adeoye and Afolabi Olubella Publishers: Ifunaya Prints Ltd, Lagos No of pages: 116 Year of publication: 2009 Reviewer: Folarin Samson elbows. Such memories hardly disappear.

Hence, it is perhaps not surprising the freshness of his memory. As he explained, he wrote it ‘because I am affected.’ His story reflects that evils of war, ‘soldiers taking spoils, selfishness, chaos, hunger, sickness’ is not new.

Adewusi wrote of a friend who shuddered watching a series of the Liberian and Sierra Leone an wars and countered, “Since the war (Nigerian civil war), the civilized world and technology have popularised words and issues like ‘child-soldiers’ (the Biafrans called them ‘Boys Brigade’), ‘rape’, ‘human rights abuse’, ‘war crimes’, ‘genocide’... All of those issues were there in the course of that war!”

Beyond being a memoir for his son, Adewusi has used his knowledge of global affairs to trump the ‘race-card’ as he refers to the number one divisive factor presently in Nigeria. Dwelling briefly on how USA, UK, Poland, and South Africa put aside their differences to achieving stability and peace, Adewusi wonders how feasible that might be in these parts. He writes; “Here, politicians ar neither interested in ‘baking’ the ‘cake’, nor creating enabling environments for willing ‘bakers’. They are only interested in their share of the ‘national cake’.

Title: Biafra Lest We Forget Author: Richie Adewusi Publisher: AuthorHouse, USA Number of pages: 120 Reviewer: Joe Agbro Jr.

26

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Arts

Excerpt T

HE news of Anders Eckman’s death came by way of Aerogram, a piece of bright blue airmail paper that served as both the stationery and, when folded over and sealed along the edges, the envelope. Who even knew they still made such things?

This single sheet had traveled from Brazil to Minnesota to mark the passing of a man, a breath of tissue so insubstantial that only the stamp seemed to anchor it to this world.

Mr. Fox had the letter in his hand when he came to the lab to tell Marina the news.

When she saw him there at the door she smiled at him and in the light of that smile he faltered.

“What?” she said finally.

He opened his mouth and then closed it. When he tried again all he could say was, “It’s snowing.”

“I heard on the radio it was going to.” the window in the lab where she worked faced out into the hall and so she never saw the weather until lunchtime. She waited for a minute for Mr. Fox to say what he had come to say.

She didn’t think he had come all the way from his office in the snow, a good ten buildings away, to give her a weather report, but he only stood there in the frame of the open door, unable either to enter the room or step out of it. “Are you all right?”

“Eckman’s dead,” he

In the bowel of the earth managed to say before his voice broke, and then with no more explanation he gave her the letter to show just how little about this awful fact he knew.

There were more than thirty buildings on the Vogel campus, labs and office buildings of various sizes and functions. There were labs with stations for twenty technicians and scientists to work at the same time. Others had walls and walls of mice or monkeys or dogs. This particular lab Marina had shared for seven years with Dr. Eckman. It was small enough that all Mr. Fox had to do was reach a hand towards her, and when he did she took the letter from him and sat down slowly in the gray plastic chair beside the separator. At that moment she understood why people say You might want to sit down. There was inside of her a very modest physical collapse, not a faint but a sort of folding, as if she were an extension ruler and her ankles and knees and hips were all being brought together at closer angles. Anders Eckman, tall in his white lab coat, his hair a thick graying blond. Anders bringing her a cup of coffee because he’d picked one up for himself. Anders giving her the files she’d asked for, half sitting down

on the edge of her desk while he went over her data on proteins. Anders father of three. Anders not yet fifty. Her eyes went to the dates — March 15th on the letter, March 18th on the postmark, and today was April 1st. Not only

was he dead, he was two weeks dead. They had accepted the fact that they wouldn’t hear from him often and now she realized he had been gone so long that at times he would slip from her mind for most of a day. The obscurity of the

Amazonian tributary where Dr. Swenson did her research had been repeatedly underscored to the folks back in Minnesota (Tomorrow this letter will be handed over to a child floating downriver in a dugout log, Anders had written her. I cannot call it a canoe. There never were statistics written to cover the probability of its arrival.), but still, it was in a country, it was in the world. Surely someone down there had an Internet connection. Had they never bothered to find it?

“Wouldn’t she call you?

There has to be some sort of global satellite—” “She won’t use the phone, or she says it doesn’t work there.” As close as they were in this quiet room she could scarcely hear his voice.

“But for this—” she stopped herself. He didn’t know. “Where is he now?”

Marina asked. She could not bring herself to say his body. Anders was not a body. Vogel was full of doctors, doctors working, doctors in their offices drinking coffee. The cabinets and storage rooms and desk drawers were full of drugs, pills of every conceivable stripe. They were a pharmaceutical company; what they didn’t have they figured out how to make. Surely if they knew where he was they could find something to do for him, and with that thought her desire for the impossible eclipsed every piece of science she had ever known. The dead were dead were dead were dead and still Marina Singh did not have to shut her eyes to see Anders Eckman eating an egg salad sandwich in

the employee cafeteria as he had done with great enthusiasm every day she had known him.

“Don’t you read the reports on cholesterol?” she would ask, always willing to play the straight man.

“I write the reports on cholesterol,” Anders said, running his finger around the edge of his plate.

Mr. Fox lifted his glasses, pressed his folded handkerchief against the corners of his eyes. “Read the letter,” he said.

She did not read it aloud.

Jim Fox, The rain has been torrential here, not unseasonable yet year after year it never ceases to surprise me. It does not change our work except to make it more timeconsuming and if we have been slowed we have not been deterred. We move steadily towards the same excellent results.

But for now this business is not our primary concern. I write with unfortunate news of Dr. Eckman, who died of a fever two nights ago. Given our location, this rain, the petty bureaucracies of government (both this one and your own), and the time sensitive nature of our project, we chose to bury him here in a manner in keeping with his Christian traditions. I must tell you it was no small task. As for the purpose of Dr. Eckman’s mission, I assure you we are making strides.

I will keep what little he had here for his wife, to whom I trust you will extend this news along with my sympathy. Despite any setbacks, we persevere.

Nobel Greats

Wole Soyinka

Winner of Nobel Prize in Literature 1986 “who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence” ole Soyinka was born on 13 July 1934 at Abeokuta, near Ibadan in western Nigeria. After preparatory university studies in 1954 at Government College in Ibadan, he continued at the University of Leeds, where, later, in 1973, he took his doctorate. During the six years spent in England, he was a dramaturgist at the Royal Court Theatre in London 1958-1959. In 1960, he was awarded a Rockefeller bursary and returned to Nigeria to study African drama. At the same time, he taught drama and literature at various universities in Ibadan, Lagos, and Ife, where, since 1975, he has been professor of comparative literature. In 1960, he founded the theatre group, “The 1960 Masks” and in 1964, the “Orisun Theatre Company”, in which he has produced his own plays and taken part as actor. He has periodically been visiting professor at the universities of Cambridge, Shef-

W

Born: 13 July 1934, Abeokuta, Nigeria Residence at the time of the award: Nigeria Language: English

field, and Yale.

During the civil war in Nigeria, Soyinka appealed in an article for cease-fire. For this he was arrested in 1967, accused of conspiring with the Biafra rebels, and was held as a political prisoner for 22 months until 1969.

Soyinka has published about 20 works: drama, novels and poetry. He writes in English and his literary language is marked by great scope and richness of words.

As dramatist, Soyinka has been influenced by, among others, the Irish writer, J.M. Synge, but links up with the traditional popular African theatre with its combination of dance, music, and action. He bases his writing on the mythology of his own tribe-the Yoruba-with Ogun, the god of iron and war, at the centre. He wrote his first plays during his time in London, The Swamp Dwellers and The Lion and the Jewel (a light comedy), which were performed at Ibadan in 1958 and 1959 and were published in 1963.

Later, satirical comedies are The Trial of Brother Jero (performed in 1960, publ. 1963) with its sequel, Jero’s Metamorphosis (performed 1974, publ. 1973), A Dance of the Forests (performed 1960, publ.1963), Kongi’s Harvest (performed 1965, publ. 1967) and Madmen and Specialists (performed 1970, publ.

1971). Among Soyinka’s serious philosophic plays are (apart from “The Swamp Dwellers”) The Strong Breed (performed 1966, publ. 1963), The Road ( 1965) and Death and the King’s Horseman (performed 1976, publ. 1975).

In The Bacchae of Euripides (1973), he has rewritten the Bacchae for the African stage and in Opera Wonyosi (performed 1977, publ. 1981), bases himself on John Gay’s Beggar’s Opera and Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera. Soyinka’s latest dramatic works are A Play of Giants (1984) and Requiem for a Futurologist (1985).

Soyinka has written two novels, The Interpreters

(1965), narratively, a complicated work which has been compared to Joyce’s and Faulkner’s, in which six Nigerian intellectuals discuss and interpret their African experiences, and Season of Anomy (1973) which is based on the writer’s thoughts during his imprisonment and confronts the Orpheus and Euridice myth with the mythology of the Yoruba. Purely autobiographical are The Man Died: Prison Notes (1972) and the account of his childhood, Aké ( 1981), in which the parents’ warmth and interest in their son are prominent. Literary essays are collected in, among others, Myth, Literature and the African World (1975).

Soyinka’s poems, which show a close connection to his plays, are collected in Idanre, and Other Poems (1967), Poems from Prison (1969), A Shuttle in the Crypt (1972) the long poem Ogun Abibiman (1976) and Mandela’s Earth and Other Poems (1988).

Why I sponsored Imo Football Essien: I have a contract with Chelsea League —Uchegbulam Pg. 45

Pg. 28

Pg. 22

Nation Sunday, June 12, 2011

Free Copy

PAGE 27

•Simon Agwu of Kaduna United celebrate after scoring a goal

CAF CONFEDERATIONS CUP

Kaduna Utd, Sunshine Stars go for broke

Pg. 45

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Why I sponsored Imo Football League –Uchegbulam Amanze Uchegbulam is the immediate past Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and currently serves as the Imo Football Associattion Chairman among other roles he plays in the country’s football administration and CAF where he is the Vice President of the Arbitration Committee. He donated one million naira last Tuesday for the take off of the Imo State Football League. He found time to speak with NATIONSPORT’S TUNDE LIADI on what motivated him to redeem his election promise and what Imo and Nigeria stand to gain from the League that will soon commence, the retitrement of Kanu Nwankwo and why he defied Imo government interference in the build up to the Imo FA Election among other issues. EXCERPTS

W

HY the sponsorship of the state league?

Well I thank God that we are able to achieve that in the fulfillment of the promise I made when I was elected to serve another term in the Imo FA to revamp the ailing state league.I as the head of the Imo FA decided to take the bull by the horn got in touch with my company, Amacuff Limited to come and partner with Imo FA and on Tuesday we did the launching of the league with one million naira cheque given to the Imo FA to commence the league this year in the state. I am using this medium to urge other Imo indigenes to come and partner and support Imo FA and take up the sponsorship of some other football events in the state. This will keep our youths busy and they will not be running around to engage in social vices.

We want to introduce in Imo as many competition as possible and this will need the assistance of all in the project.

How will the state league be run?

We have mainly amateur teams in Imo State and they have been called to come and register. All the amateur teams are all free to come and register because it is in the amateur teams that we have the bulk of the players from all local government areas in the state and as they are playing we shall be monitoring them and from there some of these raw talents could be snapped up by some of the professional clubs we have in the country. We are going to call on them to come and watch some of these talents and thus opening doors for some of them just like the way Kanu Nwankwo was spotted too back then and today Kanu is feeding a lot of people and has been so useful to the country. It is just our own little way to continue to fund football development here and I am very happy that Imo State Government on Tuesday through the Permament Secretary in the Ministry of Sports commending me and also charging other Imo people to come and identify with it.

It was a wonderful feeling that Imo Government is identifying with sports and football in particular again and I felt extremely happy on getting the letter.

How will you rate sports generally under former Governor Ikedi Ohakim?

I want to state that may be the governor

•Uchegbulam

•Heartland's Chibuzor Okonkwo in action against Kwara Utd

had good intentions for sports generally in the state but the people around him failed to give him very quality advice on what will be required to make sports work in Imo state. I have always said that we need facilities and that without these facilities young sportsmen and women will find it difficult to train. It is only Dan Anyiam Stadium that we have and apart from that there is none that can better train our athletes to get the best from them. We managed to get the Orlu Township Stadium ready during the Udenwa administration but that is all we have. The temporary stadium in Owerri here is begging for attention and I am begging the Governor of Imo State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha that what he can do to sports is what Governor Fashola is doing in Lagos, which is to intensively provide facilities all over the state. It will enable sportsmen and women to get to the field and be playing so that those who have the talents can be discovered. Government has no business running sports but should instead create the facilities and support the Sports Council so that athletes can train with them.

I will not to condemn the immediate past governor, Ikedi Ohakim because I had dealt with him relationship wise and he had the passion for Heartland FC and he supported them financially but the management board of Heartland is what we should look at to get what actually the problems really are.

Heartland needs people with sound experience in club management and the turnover of coaches also affected the team because we cannot keep changing coaches and expect to get desired results.

In the last three or four years, we have had about four or five coaches things don’t work that way. We have to stabilize the technical crew so that they can concentrate and work. We have had

NationSport

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

NationSport

Samson Siasia, Emeka Ezeugo, Kelechi Emeteole and now Christian Chukwu and there was a Bulgaria coach (Dobrov Stanev) too all within the spate of three years, things don’t work that way and they just have to stabilise the coaching crew and ensure that they sit down to work. Heartland is a very good club and in terms of funding I think Ohakim really tried in that area but I feel we still have to do more.

Heartland seems to be struggling this season and besides those problems you have highlighted are there still other ones responsible to the downward stride of the club?

Instability in the management of the club also played its role. When we had Okeahialam for several years Heartland moved turned to a continental club that always qualified for Africa on a regular period and for years they were always there on the continent but there is a change now and there is a drawback it is not good for the growth of the game at all. I am not saying that the man at the helm now is not good but I am saying that it will take him some time too to stabilize just like it was when Okeahialam newly came on board. He needs to be given time to allow him to pick up but the change affected the stability of the team. I am clamouring for continuity and stability in administration and the incessant change of technical crew and the club management will not do anything good to the club. That is why I advocate that the policy put in place in Lagos by Governor Fashola that government should not own a club but can only buy shares is a welcome development while the private sector should be tasked with the running of the day to day activities of the clubs. Heartland is a club that can be sold to Imo people to buy shares and then democratically elect a board. It is

the current trend in association football and it has relegated the issue of using clubs to do Public Relations for the government. Football should not be mixed with politics it is meant for technocrats and if we don’t do that we keep on having problems up and down.

It was a bit tug of war in your current dispensation as the Imo FA boss as some people tried to connive to ensure you get your fresh mandate. Could you relive what actually transpired?

Well I think it borders on ignorance.

The Commissioner for Sports then Dr Mrs Ngozi Anyikwa was ill-advised. She also had good intention to do a good job when she came on board but she fell into wrong hands and these ones gave her very wrong impression and she refused to listen to the technocrats. I had a few members of my outgone board whom by the virtue of their relationship to the Commissioner maybe they are from the same place with her, confused her, gave her wrong advise and she lost the whole thing and doesn’t understand what is happening in football. She totally interfered in our affair (Imo FA) and government does not interfere in football process and even at national level President Goodluck Jonathan does not interfere in what is happening in NFF election. The Ministry of Sports tried it but FIFA stood their ground stating that there is a procedure that must be adhered to strictly. The failed to understand that the procedure was to petition the NFFwhom we report to and not to get government machinery to stall the election. That is what they used they got the SSS and the police and the former chief of staff (Sir Emma Ohakim) said they had a government candidate and there was so much confusion but I stood my ground that i have to respect the rules the regulation. I have grown in football and I am in CAF the most senior

Nigerian member of CAF besides the suspended Dr. Amos Adamu. I am the only Nigerian Vice President of a standing committee in CAF and if I don’t understand what is happening in football then I am a failure. I told them that this is not the procedure and that I will stand firm and ensure that I defend the statute which I did. We however thank God that the whole thing is dying down gradually now because after they failed on all fronts and that NFF backed me up they went to the law court which is another violation which states that football matters should not be taken to court. So you can see the ignorance in the procedure and how it was handled.

They were apparently ignorant and totally selfish and solely looking at it from their own angle without recourse to the rules and regulation and the statutes of our football but I stood my ground.

What plans do have for the Imo FA to take it to the next level in this your fresh dispensation?

You see the important thing is education and those of them who are willing to learn are doing just that. I have few of my board members who have constantly been asking me to explain some aspect of the game to them and I keep on doing so with all pleasure because I believe that once they are educated and enlightened on certain rudiments of the game and they understand better how it functions. But there are some who may be thinking of causing confusion these ones will refused to be educated and they are the ones that are there for what they can get while some are there because of their passion for the game called football. We are spending our personal money to develop the game. For example I had to issue a cheque to put the two Imo State representatives in the football event of the Natioanl Sports Festival in camp because their coaches came to me and complained that the government could not really money to the team and the Sports Festival is coming in the next few weeks. I released my personal money of 230,000 naira for the male and female football team to get back to camp and nobody is going to pay ne back it is my own personal sacrifice. I know there are few problems here and there because of the new change of government and it might not be easy for them to stabilize but the teams must be in camp because they are expected to deliver the gold medal at the Sports Festival and how could that be achieved when they are not in camp? This is what we expect from every Imo indigene to come in and support us because government cannot do it alone. As long as I am alive and with the resources I will keep on supporting football.

Rivers FA and some other FAs in the country are devising means of generating money internally through the organization of football related activities and events, is there anything the Imo FA is doing in that regard?

Our situation is very different from what obtains in Rivers State. The state has a lot of corporate presence and it is not same thing with Owerri where there is no Federal presence here apart from….

I don’t think there any business entity like that in Owerri. If you are talking about the banks you we only have their branches here and they are small ones.

Owerri cannot be compared with Rivers because the state has a lot of advantages and like Lagos State they have corporate presence but we are handicapped and we have to manage ourselves the way we see ourselves. We will keep trying at our own level here too though it is not easy. In Rivers you can go to any of these companies and they will come out but if here we are lucky to have a sports loving governor and shows interest in what we are doing he may use his influence to talk to some of the head offices of some of these banks here to support us we will be lucky. It is beyond me here because the governor might speak to some of these Managing Directors and they might want to oblige him with one favour or the other but nobody will oblige me. It is not easy for us in Imo here because there is no known corporate presence and no commercial enterprise as such that may come to our rescue.

45

CAF CONFEDERATIONS CUP

Kaduna Utd, Sunshine Stars go for broke N

IGERIA’s representatives in this year’s CAF Confederation Cup, Sunshine Stars of Akure and Kaduna United will be targeting a place in their football history as they eye the group stage of the competition.

The eight places in the Confederation Cup group stages are up for grabs this weekend as the playoff fixtures mostly come to a conclusion.

This final knockout round before the pool matches see the eight sides who dropped out of the African Champions League in the last round compete against the eight qualified sides from the Confederation Cup. While Kaduna United will play Algeria’s Entente Setif at the Kaduna Township Stadium, Sunshine will on their part host Libya’s Al Ittihad in a one legged encounter at the Gateway International Stadium, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Kaduna narrowly lost 1-0 to the Algerians a fortnight ago and are

By Akeem Lawal confident they can over turn the tables in today’s return leg fourth round tie and qualify for the moneyspinning group stage.

Team captain of the Nigerian side, Papa Idris believes Kaduna still has a chance to qualify for the minigroups stage.

“The margin of the loss is not so much and that gives us confidence that we can overturn this when they come to Nigeria,” said Idris.

While he acknowledged that a onegoal advantage by the Algerians leaves Kaduna with little choice but to set themselves out to better that score-line in the return leg, it also opens up a tricky situation where Setif will go out to get a goal which will complicate the task for the Nigerians.

“It will be a difficult game. We won’t think that we will just take the game easily because they have a goal

lead now, and we will be the team that would have to play to score and win. At the same time we will need to be careful not to concede at home or else we will find ourselves in a difficult position. The Algerians are fast and we will be careful not to get carried away when we attack, as we will also need to defend well,” Idris noted.

To qualify for this stage, Setif dropped to the Confederation Cup after they were eliminated from the prestigious CAF Champions League

by Cameroon’s Cotonsports, while debutants Kaduna walked over Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia in the previous round of the Confederation Cup. However, there is everything to play for by both Sunshine and Al Ittihad.

According to Article 5 paragraph 15 of the regulations of the Confederation Cup only one match will be played by Ittihad given the war state of their country. Libyan champion, Al Ittihad suffered the same fate when they confronted Enyimba of Aba in the last match of the CAF Champion’s league.

Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad Nigerian born striker, Izu Azuka has vowed that his side will not lose to Nigerian club twice.

The North African team was edged

out in the CAF Champions League competition by Enyimba in a onelegged decider at the Enyimba International stadium.

Azuka who made life tough for the Peoples’ Elephants at that occasion said that it will be payback time when they clash with the Nigerian debutant in today’s winner takes-all encounter.

“Sunshine Stars should expect tough time as we are not ready to lose to any Nigerian club side again. We are out of the Champions League, we are concentrating on the Confederation Cup, and we are determined to put in our best to get good results.

“Enyimba were lucky against us and we know they are a bigger side than Sunshine so we do not expect any problem,” he said.

In his reaction, the General Manager, Ondo State Football Agency, Mike Idoko stated that Sunshine Stars are ready for the match which promises to be explosive.

“We believe that we should be able to overcome them because our boys are playing with confidence and for the fact that this is the first time we are in continent, we also have it at the back of our mind that that Grace of God and luck that has seen us through in the league recording

Gerrard hails Henderson's signing

•Ajani Ibrahim of Sunshine Stars

LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard believes Jordan Henderson can one day succeed him as the driving force in the Reds midfield.

England international Henderson, 20, completed his £20m move from Sunderland to Anfield on Thursday.

"It's a really positive signing. Let's hope he is the next Steven Gerrard," he told the Liverpool website.

"Good football clubs replace their best players. Liverpool need a new Gerrard and need a new Jamie Carragher."

Gerrard, 31, has spent his entire playing career at Liverpool, having signed his first professional contract in 1997, and has won the league cup and FA Cup twice, the Henderson will have to compete with Gerrard, Lucas Leiva, Jay Spearing, Raul Meireles and Christian Poulsen for a place in the Liverpool midfield.

He added: "I saw Jordan at first hand for two or three days with England and he is a good player with energy."

Meanwhile, Gerrard, who missed the end of last season after undergoing groin surgery, says he is battling to be fit for the start of the season.

He said: "I have confidence in what I can do. I am going to be in the best condition physically going into this season that I have been for the last 10 years.

"I am working doubly hard on my

body, on my core and on strengthening my groin, which I have suffered with.

"The operation went well and I have nearly double the strength in the groin now than before. The physios at Liverpool are measuring that on a weekly basis and the results show that.

"I know I will be rusty in friendlies but I have confidence that I am going to be the freshest I have been, both mentally and physically, for a long, long time."

•Gerrard

•Fidelis Saviour of Kaduna Utd victory at our adopted home in Ijebu Ode which have been good to us, we’ve never drawn or lost any match there, I believe that this will not be exceptional by the special grace of God. The boys are highly motivated and they promised us that they are going to do their best to make sure that they will not fail not only Ondo State but Nigeria in general.

Idoko also revealed that members of the Nigerian football governing body will be present at the game.

“The leadership of Nigerian Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari is coming with his entourage to come and give us the support. They will be in Lagos on Saturday for Kanu testimonial match and from there move to Ijebu Ode having sent another powerful delegation to Kaduna to see that they also qualify. For both teams Kaduna United and Sunshine qualifying by the grace of God will be a good thing for our Nigeria team and Nigerian club sides,” he said.

Essien: I have a contract with Chelsea CHELSEA MIDFIELDER Michael Essien has quashed rumours of a move away from the club and suggests that his future is with the Blues.

"I do not care about the rumours, I am calm," Essien was quoted as saying by PFA website GiveMeFootball.

"Nobody from Chelsea has told me anything and I have a contract with them."

Essien believes that the Blues' squad's unity has been a major part of their success, suggesting that he hopes Roman Abramovich keeps the core stars that have been together at the club for the past few seasons.

He added: "We have known each other a long time and we know what the other players are thinking - that's a great thing for us and it shows on the pitch.

"Things come natural to us, we don't have to think about it. When one of us has the ball ?he knows exactly what his team-mates are going to be doing.

"We defend together, we attack together - that's teamwork. It's good for us that we have kept the same players because we're used to each other now."

THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011

Style Watch 29 In-Vogue Social Circuit Oops & Kudos Parade Well-being Entertainment plus

Hottest male clothiers unveiled – Their businesses & wealth They are self-driven men with an undying passion – making men look stylish. Charming, well-educated and focused beyond measure, these young men run bourgeoning fashion empires, with turn-over in excess of hundreds of millions. Remi Adelowo presents the inspiring stories of Nigeria's hottest male clothiers

•Ifeanyi Okonkwo

•Deolu Adeboye

Interview on Page 32

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Glamour

31

‘Fashion in our society today has changed with the exposure to the internet’ Fashion tips for the rainy season

None of us actually cared about this word supermodel…For my whole group of girls, it wasn’t always about how much we were getting paid. We were interested in how creative it looked—how it would come across. We wanted to do something different and get the shock value and attention of, “Oh, look at that!”—Naomi Campbell

Long sleeve Jacket

•Cutie shower cap

•Rainy season

•Black-white-leg-warmers

Lavender berths in Maryland •Loewe Plastic Bag Black

•Naomi-campbell

•Trousers

•You will be fully protected from rain if you wear a rose collar trench coat during the rainy season

•Melissa plastic flat shoes

•Wellingtons are very stylish as well as comfortable. If you are shoe buff you would surely love having a pair of Wellies in your shoe rack

•Photos by -Olamiju Oretola

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Glamour Continued from Page 29

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Hottest male clothiers unveiled

•Tolu Omoniyi

•Korede Roberts

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

–an eye on celebrities and society people

08023201831(sms only)

Nigerian Next Supermodel contest berths come to Lagos

BY PATIENCE SADUWA

Florence Ita-Giwa

Model

Kunle Afolayan

Munachi Abi

Photos: DAVID ADEJO

Model

Model

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

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Andy Uba turns new bride

Azuh Arinze, Kunle Rasheed in happy mood

Meet the ultimate rocker

Tina Ogundoyin out and about

KAYODE ALFRED

(E-mail: kayflex2@yahoo.com, Tel: 08035733605, 08099400057)

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Glamour

Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

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VIPs honour Emzor MD, as Chike Okoli Foundation berths

BY REMI ADELOWO

08033572821

VENTS

PHOTOS: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

•L-R: Mrs Abimbola Fashola, Mrs Stella Okoli & Dr. Christopher Kolade

• Dr & Dr (Mrs ) Ajuluchukwu

•Special Adviser on Petroleum Matters to President Jonathan, •Dr. Tunde & Nike Soleye Dr Emmanuel Egbogah and wife

• Dr & Mrs Sunny Kuku

• Mr. & Mrs Toni Kan

•L-R Mrs Ifeoma Egboka & Mrs Etiaba

•L-R: Mrs Taiwo Taiwo & Mrs Idowu Ashiru

•L-R Dr Herbert Ajayi & Chief L.A Osayemi

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Glamour

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011 That Nigerians are some of the best dressed nationals in the world is not in doubt.

Another incontestable fact, is that Nigeria's young celebrities depicit their individual styles in different ways that suit them. But does these styles conform with global best practices in fashion, as exemplified by some of the young folks on this page? Olasumbo Otagbo provide the answers Photos: OLUSEGUN RAPHEAL

The poise and the outfit makes Oreka Godis a sight do savour, Kudos !

Tee Mac looking traditional yet stylish, Kudos!

’s gun e o t ya ur e O iles s her l o Lay ny sm d up sun ghtene tfit, bri ky ou fun dos !

Ku

Chioma Amaewhule’s very busy out fit is not what style is all about, Oops !

A chic out fit by all standards, Kudos! to Ebisan

Bhaira Mcwizu has never been caught napping in the style department, Kudos !

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Glamour Lifestyle Health Nutrition Fitness

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with Patience Saduwa 08023201831 (sms only) psaduwa@yahoo.com http//edirinsaduwa.blogspot.com

ÀŞÀBI, Nike Oshinowo's new perfume enters market

•Scent of a woman: Nike Oshinowo in the ad for the new perfume

Internet addiction and health risks

•Web addiction: While modern gadgets like the mobile phone, computers and the internet have made communication easier, they can also become addictive with improper use

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Relationship

B

ECAUSE it makes her partner feel vulnerable. He may keep wondering how many of his secrets are now with his wife’s family.

While we may love our families very much and feel particularly close to them, we must realize that these people are new to our spouse. S/he will grow to love, accept and trust them over time. Trying to force a relationship in this area may seem to yield good results initially but almost always leads to bitterness at the end.

Great wisdom must be employed especially in view of our African culture that seems to give rights to the husband’s family. For instance the husband’s sister or mother may come into a home and feel that she has a right to do whatever she pleases. If you have your own apartment, it is wise to set boundaries in your home even before you get married. It must be clear that these are your own boundaries and that this has nothing to do with your fiancé. Otherwise your relatives will hate and

Re: Why are men and women marrying late (3) resent your wife even before she gets married to you.

There are four things that keep a marriage strong: Communication, Sex, Prayers and adequate finances.

You both need to have good communication skills.

It is important to talk in a civil manner without yelling or raising your voices at one another even when you are angry. It is also important to resolve issues before you go to bed even if it means you will talk late into the night.

A couple who are living a chaste life will find sex a new experience after marriage. Some men assume that because they have abstained from sex for so long, they will have sex every day. Most find out after marriage that 2 to four times a week is a more likely

sequence. It is possible for one partner to want to have sex more often. This must be discussed and ways must be found to meet one another’s sexual needs. It is important to have a frank sex talk a few weeks before the wedding. I will suggest between two to three weeks to the wedding date. Talking about sex too early may lead to temptation.

Past sexual sins and experiences must also be brought into the open. A lady who has been raped, must discuss this with her fiancé before the marriage.

This may affect their sex life in future so it must be discussed. Also a woman who is circumcised may find sex an endurance game and not an enjoyable highlight of her marriage. It does not mean a woman who has been circumcised cannot

enjoy sex but it will take greater effort on the part of her husband. Knowing this just before marriage can be quite invaluable.

A man who has formed the habit of masturbating to ease his sexual pressure must discuss this with his wife to be. It is easy to assume that once he gets married, he will automatically stop, but this is not entirely true. Those who indulge in adult videos, magazines or internet sites must also discuss this and take steps to get rid of these habits before marriage. A young woman came crying to the pastor because she was feeling completely devalued. The reason was because her husband would put adult magazines beside the bed and flip through these magazines before making love to her.

Relationship Deola Ojo 08027454533 (text) pastordeegfc@yahoo.com She complained about this.

But he kept on telling her that she just did not understand him. She thought there was something wrong with her until she went for counseling.

Praying with and for our spouse is a lifetime vocation. It is important to pray together as well as develop one’s personal prayer life before and after marriage. A lot of things can be changed through prayer and intercession.

A balanced view about finances will go a long way in making sure that your marriage is happy, thrilling and fulfilling. While couples should not put a focus on money, we all know that we need some money for food, clothing and shelter.

Couples need to have a deep understanding of what ‘for better for worse’

means. No matter how rich you both are, your focus must be on building a strong and very happy union.

You both must realize that your marriage is forever. No situation, circumstance or person will be allowed to break your union.

Once you say “I do” to one another on your wedding day. It is a sealed contract that will last forever.

Finally and this is actually the most important part, you both must put God first in your lives and choose to obey His word.

Love God with all your heart and soul and might.

It is impossible to love genuinely, unconditionally and eternally without discovering Him who is Love.

1Jn4:7-8 Concluded

Long distance relationship advice: how I am surviving it

A

LL too often people find themselves in situations where they have to part from the one they love or really like.

People move because of work, school and other uncontrollable circumstances. A couple of months back my girlfriend found herself moving away to go to school, this was a situation that neither of us had any real control of. So it is safe to say that I myself am in a Long Distance Relationship. OK… One day I was talking to a friend and during our

conversation she asked me how my girlfriend is doing and I told her that my girl is good; she’s just studying a lot for school. She then asked me about the school.

I told her about the school and what my girlfriend is studying and I also told her my girlfriend’s school is 2000 miles away. My friend’s next question to me was, “are you still going to love her?” I replied to her, well of course, my love for my girlfriend is not based on our locations, situations, distance, or circumstances rather for rea-

sons much deeper than that. I will still love her because I love her for who she is and who she helps me to be.

How to make long distance relationships work?

I’ll tell you, it is not easy.

At times I have to stay awake when I could have been sleeping but that doesn’t bother me at all. If anything I feel that if I don’t talk to her before going to bed it’s not going to be good night.

BE VERY SUPPORTIVE Try your best to be sup-

portive of your partner.

Your significant other will need all the help he or she can get from you while being away. In my case my girlfriend is away for school, I have to understand although we agreed that we have to talk every day even if it’s for just a few minutes, I understand that she may not have the time when I have time.

School can be very overwhelming and at times she needs the support of her love ones. Although she’s getting love from her family as her boyfriend I have

•L-R: Mr and Mrs Olawale and Bukola Ogunjimi after their wedding at Winner Church, Podo, Ibadan

to show her some on my side too if not even more.

You see, one thing I thank God for is that before she moved away for med school I started working at a med school. Seeing how the students at the school are struggling, studying long hours, trying to get ready for the exam helps me to understand what she’s going through.

I give her my undivided attention when she’s talking to me, complain about a stupid professor, how’s it’s snowing, etc. And I also do all that I can to give her some words of encouragement, not just saying things I think she wants to hear.

CEASE EVERY SECOND WITH HIM/HER Whenever you get a chance, spend time with him/her and be sure to make it memorable. For instance my girlfriend is about 2000 miles away for school. She’s been away for about 6 months. We talk all the time; we Skyped and Gtalked because these things allowed me to see her.

Hey, you have to make it work any possible way that you can. So, when she came down last December on vacation although we had a lot planed and we didn’t get to do most of those things, however the activities we did do we made sure that they were memorable. Oh, guess what, when she came down it happened to be our many years anniversary. So, we went to a restaurant that we both love and took lots of pictures, enjoyed each other’s company and the food as well. One other thing we did that was really good and memorable is that night we went bowling with friends and family. We had a great time. I know how important it is to her to be

with her family and friends.

Different things will work for different couples but you really need to find out what makes you guys happy individually and as a couple. For the guys if you have to pick her up at the airport I would suggest buying her some nice flowers, a teddy bear that will welcome her as she enters the car to sit down. Trust me on that one, she will cherish that moment and will always look forward to coming back home after all a happy girlfriend is a happy, you know the rest.

Oh one last thing, I don’t think I should say but I know she will remember is the fact that she beat in playing Mortal Kombat. I thought I had it but she beat me a couple of times.

My Last Thought on Long Distance Relationships for guys Guys, let me tell you something, no girl wants to be with a guy without knowing that there may be something in the future for them. You may not believe this but talking about your future with your girlfriend or boyfriend while being away will also help you guys keep it going. No one wants to feel that he/she is wasting his/her time with someone. Hey if you feel that you are wasting your time with a relationship that is not going anywhere, I say quit while you are ahead. It doesn’t make sense to be with a girl/guy in a long distance relationship where there’s no real commitment.

So show support to your significant other and cherish and cease every moment you guys spend together and these are things I think that will help make your long distance relationship work.

Nollywood actor, Rykardo Agbor is one of the very few cross over thespians in the industry. The Cross River state born actor in this interview with UCHECHI NZE opens up on why he features more in Yoruba movie despite his background among other issues. Excerpts:

Why I feature more in Yoruba movies —Rykardo Agbor

•Rykardo

It is only here in Nigeria you find out that everybody feels you need to or have to become a producer at sometime in your acting career. You have to do what you feel and think you are good at doing

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Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

HO LLYWOOD Compiled by MERCY MICHAEL

Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket up for auction

DIEKO: A fabricator's love for jazz and Eminem mocks Lady contemporary gospel Gaga in

•Michael Jackson

Mariah Carey promoter sentenced to 21 months imprisonment

new song

•Mariah Carey

Crane over Ghollywood

Kalsoum Sinare in Indian Movie •Kalsoum

OD4 bounces back

Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

TELEVISION

BIG

CINEMA guide

PICTURE Supported by: SILVERBIRD CINEMAS

DStv E! Schedule

Jumping the Broom: A pleasant rioting bunch of broomsticks

RADIO Wazobia FM 95.1

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Entertainment

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Viva Riva wins MTV’s Best African Movies award

Blessing Egbe’s tale of Two Brides and a Baby “ •Members of the BEAT Band with Banky W performing

Star Trek: Faze, Banky W, Beat Band rock Asaba

•Makes cinema runs in America

•Dynasty Crew

Malta Guinness Street Dance: And DYNASTY is out!

•Blessing Egbe

Abuja agog for Dance 234 audition

•Preere

•Viva Riva

FROM THE CAMPUS PAGE 46

THE NATION SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011

Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf...Golf

GOLFLINE

NTDC brings for Westwood backs Woods'

WITH

Tony Akhigbe golflineintl@yahoo.com 08056180071

Iredia slams NGF ...Says Nigerian golf must be in the Olympics

T

With Prof. Emmanuel Ojeme

HERE was golf in Nigeria a century ago. At the time, the game was a sort of past-time to Europeans. Nigerians dared enter the course, unless as Caddies, the poor chaps who carry the burden of golfers.

The late elder statesman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, as young Minister of Information in the then Western region, just 23 years, on a mission to London chanced on the game and he got sold. The game was so enervating he could feel it in his pulse. On arriving Nigeria, he introduced the game to all. The Europeans felt it was their game alone. Enahoro pushed them aside and threw the game open to all.

After Enahoro came Sam Iredia, eight-time Commissioner in the old Bendel State. Iredia could give his right hand just to have a round of golf.

Yes, Enahoro brought golf to Nigeria. But it was Iredia that preached and analyzed the ethics of the game. But the man, who presently is the President of the Benin Club soon tired out because ethics of the game are currently being thrown away just because of greed.

Hear him: "We struggled to keep the game after Chief Enahoro opened it to all. In those days you dare not enter the Fairway if you dont carry a Handicap. All you do at this stage is to confine yourself to the Range. But what do you see these days? You can start golf yesterday and enter the course today just because you have money.

A chap could only be months old in a Club and made a Captain in a year, all because of money. This is rubbish.

We had money in our time but we followed ethics. This is why I am angry at todays golf and this is why I am lying low".

All of a sudden 'Sam Ire' like they call him in golf worldwide has woken up from a long slumber. What aroused him has to do with a little thing. Little thing like how Nigerian youths could fly the nation's flag when golf returns at the 2016 Olympics in Chicago. His interest was quickly doused when he realized that individuals like Kano's Alhaji Fairway and Jaji's Colonel Victor Ezugwu are the duo pioneering Nigeria's path to Chicago. At this point Iredia got furious. He had to. He already knew it by heart that America, even without golf could win the Olympics, already committed 70 million dollars to train youths who would hold them strong in 2016. They are wise. Americans know that Golf, like Swimming, carry as many as 20 gold. We are not wise in Nigeria. We still chase Athlethics and Boxing which could fetch nothing bigger than Bronze.

"Nigeria must wake up to a fact", Iredia exploded.

"Taking our youths to the Olympics must be the of the Nigeria Golf Federation [NGF]. It doesnt matter if the body is concessioned to a private body. All that matters is good funding for the training of the youths who could at least fetch us some five gold medals. We have great youths who could do this in four years time. Its the level of training that will count".

With another wave of the hand, Iredia pushed aside current Nigerian Pros who he claimed would be a disaster in Chicago.

Hear him: "Tell me we build youths in four years and I will sign in. But don't ever count on our present Pros.

Those ones are ridiculous. See what they did at the CMCL tourney in Benin. I mean someone playing 9-over winning a N4 million tourney is simply pathetic. I play off 9 handicap and I played same course yesterday [Thursday] and I shot 71. So what are the Pros talking about? It's all bullshit and that is reason they couldnt play a tourney in six months before CMCL rescued them. It's time our Pros know that this is business and not some Charity work.

The youths at the Olympic will redifine all these. I believe".

decision to skip US Open

W

ORLD No. 2 Lee W e s t w o o d believes Tiger Woods has made the right decision to miss the US Open in order to fully heal from his current injuries.

Woods is sidelined from action after an Achilles injury he picked up at The Masters earlier in the year, and then aggravated when returning to action too soon at the Players Championship.

Having finally admitted he needs to skip the second major of the year at Congressional in order to recover, Westwood believes the 14-time major winner has made the right decision for his long-term fitness.

"I was injured all the second part of last year, so I know what it's like to try and play with an injury," Westwood said. "If you are going to play well and contend in tournaments, you have to be practising hard, no matter who you are.

"Assuming Tiger turns up at a US Open thinking he can win it, then there's no point in being there unless he can give it 100 per cent.

So I can see why he's pulled out.

"I think it's a mistake to try and play injured. I made that mistake last year at the Bridgestone [Invitational] and had to pull out after two rounds."

•Woods

Ogilvy gives US Open another shot IT HAS been five years since Geoff Ogilvy won the US Open when he held his nerve and brain cells intact while others, most notably Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie, did not.

So for the man himself, does it seem like five years have passed or only yesterday that he held the trophy aloft? ''A bit of both,'' replied Ogilvy, who celebrates his 34th birthday today. ''It does seem like a long time

ago. I had no kids then; now, I've got three with our oldest beginning school later this year - and I was in my 20s.

Advertisement: Story continues below ''But, then again, five years, that's 20 majors. It doesn't feel like I've played 20 majors since that day.

And I can remember every shot I played as though it was yesterday. Time is odd, isn't it? It's all a matter of perception.''

As the new governments take off

T

HERE seem to be many concerns about sports globally and in Nigeria , today. The FIFA and NFF houses of commotion are in the front burner. Also critical are the matters of great concern about sports as the new governments take off the starting blocks in Nigeria . As they say, charity must begin from the house. Hence, we can defer comments on the FIFA implosions till another day while we begin from the home front.

The constraining issues about sports development in Nigeria are not new. We must continue to talk about these issues at every opportunity so long as they are not addressed. This period of formation of new governments at the Federal, States and even the Local Government levels provides a fresh impetus and platform for further discussions on sports with reference to urgently needed government interventions.

Key among the issues is the implementation of government policy instruments on sports development. In this regard, we should remind ourselves of the 2009 Sports Policy and Vision 20:20:20 initiative. The 2009 sports policy framework is very detailed and would require an implementation guideline for operation. The Federal Government through its primary sports agency, the National Sports Commission would need to design guidelines for its implementation.

Having formulated a policy, an action plan becomes a necessity. The Federal Government must empower the NSC to actualise this purpose. Two years after its emergence, the level of penetration, awareness, adoption and implementation of this policy remains uncertain. It will also be necessary to harmonize the 2009 sports policy with the Vision 20:20:20. Vision 20:20:20 is the big or organic direction of sports development in Nigeria while the policy is its operationalization framework. Are both in tandem with each other? This is something government must resolve immediately to put sports development on sound footing.

We must be seen to be systematically working on this framework. It is of importance that States and Local Government buy into these instruments. We do not need new roadmaps. We already have the maps. Now let us work on the landscape and cultivate the soil for sports development. Doing a new roadmap will definitely constitute a distraction as it happened in August 2010.

A typical feature of new governments is the appointments of key operating officers as Ministers, Commissioners, Directors of Sports, Chairmen and Board of Governing Councils where necessary. In any of these situations, politics and professionalism must harmonise. We have had Ministers of Sports without cognate professional qualifications and experience. There are many sports Commissioners, Directors, Provosts of Sports Colleges whose education, training and competences are asymmetrical to their positions. I am saying emphatically that the transformational governance philosophy of President Goodluck Jonathan should not cultivate such habits if it wants to succeed. We need ‘round pegs in round holes’. A Minister of Sports, for example, must be a sound professional in its most generic sense. It is a disservice to sports development to appoint a Sports Minister that is not grounded in sports epistemology and experience. This must be the new principle in making such decisions at both Federal and State levels. Sports must be put on the same level of professionalism with science and technology, Economy (finance), Health and Agriculture etc. in the appointment of superintending officers.

Some State Governors out of political considerations have placed non-professional Chief Executives on Colleges of Physical Education either out of ignorance or political considerations or both. A College ceases to be a physical education institution if its Chief Executive has no training and education in this field. This should not be the way to go in this new dispensation, if we are serious about achieving the bench marks of Vision 20:20:20.

The legislative arm of government should play its part, effectively. This is particularly important, by providing institutional framework for sports, quality budgetary provisions and oversight functions. It must fully understand the implications of sports development policy instruments in this regard. The dark spot remains the non-passage of the bill establishing the NSC into law. This bill has been in the National Assembly since 2007. I hope the 7th Assembly will achieve this goal.

Transformational governance must achieve high of marks in the enthronement of officers with transformational competences and knowledge. Such attributes are found among the professional ranks in sports as in other fields of service to society. Posterity is our judge in all our actions.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Health

47

The Ultimate Woman with Lanre Olusola T

ELL us about the programme, ‘The Ultimate Woman’ – Power of Love.

The Ultimate Woman; Power of love is for ‘EVERY WOMAN’ who wants to manage all the dynamics of her professional and personal life, especially her emotions and thereby become more productive, achieve selfactualization and ultimately a state of wellbeing.

What is the goal of the programme?

“The Ultimate Woman” Series is not another workshop, seminar, or program for women.

It is an “Experience”.

The Ultimate Woman series serves as an avenue for “Every Woman” to identify her particular needs and increase her confidence while also affording her the opportunity to interact with like minds At The Ultimate Woman series, you learn how to set powerful/achievable goals and create balance in your life every day, you will also increase in self awareness, enhance your performance, improve your emotional intelligence, master your emotions, live and lead more effectively.

The Ultimate Woman series plays a vital role in helping “Every Woman” SENSE, SEE and SEIZE each Opportunity, Experience Wholesome Life Balance, find TRUE Happiness, Peace, Tranquility and Joy. We will hold six every year in Nigeria and others outside Nigeria, for example there will be one in Lusaka (Zambia) in July 2011.

Who will you describe as the Ultimate Woman?

“The Ultimate Woman” is a Bold, Strong and Confident Woman.

She is constantly in a state where she feels like she can overcome all of her challenges and conquer her world.

She has a better outlook, and renewed understanding of Love and life.

FINALLY “The Ultimate Woman” Loves, she is Passionate, she is Secure, she is Fulfilled, she is Beautiful, she is Free, and she is Alive.

What should participants be expecting?

Every Woman that attends will have a Unique and Personal Experience, and Ultimately Connect with and Activate “The Power of Love” from deep within her Essence.

What is the impact of the ultimate woman to herself, family and society?

A woman is the “Matrix” and most influential member of the family unit, no disrespect to men who have their roles cut out for them. Her children, husband and even their friends and acquaintances, directly and indirectly feel her Impact.

This unit called family constitutes community, state, country, continent and world.

IF “Every Woman” becomes “The Ultimate Woman” the world will be a much better place.

From your years of coaching and therapy, what area of life do you see that most people find difficult to deal with and why?

I find that the area of most struggle for many is dealing with Spiritual and Emotional issues. Ignorance, a lack of in-depth understanding and insight of the matter is the problem. This is due to the Invisible, Seemingly Intangible nature of the Spirit and Emotions (Soul). Such things in life cannot be explained logically, rationally, scientifically, or pragmatically. Some things are beyond some people’s understanding.

For example, some healings defy natural explanations. I know of several cases of diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic pains, complex psychiatric problems that should have taken months to alleviate disappearing almost overnight, without a scientifically acceptable, logical explanation.

According to Bruce Lipton PhD, do you know that “90% of all Dis-ease is caused by stress and 100% of stress is caused by a wrong belief”?

From this statement once we get to the heart of the belief that caused the Dis-ease, we can instantly collapse the Dis-ease.

This is the nature of some of our therapies and work. “ Every Woman” that attends “The Ultimate Woman” Series will be more enlightened about some of these issues.

Lanre Olusola has worked with a couple of print media houses as a columnist. He is an expert on various issues such as self discovery, self esteem, self actualization, emotions and relationships. When I discussed with Lanre Olusola about “The Ultimate Woman” Power of Love Program, it was very heart warming, refreshing and enlightening, he seemed to know exactly who he was, and what he was doing, I also saw a lot of wisdom in his eyes. I soon found out that Lanre is many things to many people

• Olusola

What is your most remarkable experience working with people? Tell us about one or two specific experiences?

My remarkable experiences are in the testimonials from our clients and the transformation I see in their lives.

Well the first would be a client who last year lost her husband after 7 years or so of marriage. At the time she came to see me she was 30 years old. When she walked into my office I could see that she was in so much anguish and pain from mourning her husband who she lost a couple of months back, she looked really heavy laden and lean.

I had to do a combination of therapies for her to at least lift all her burdens and pain.

She smiled after being in my office for over 1 hour and I later found out that she was smiling for the first time since she lost her husband. Of course I worked with her over a couple of weeks to completely kick off her life again, which we were able to achieve and now in her own words “I am fully geared, ready, better informed about life and how to handle life issues.

Another case that comes to mind is this lady that had read an article I wrote in Genevieve and called to make enquiries about her own case. She had diabetes, high sugar levels, Chronic back pain, and epileptic thyroid. In her case we were able to trace the various disease to her lifestyle, emotional state and certain beliefs that she had developed based on her unique experiences. Over a couple of sessions we were able to completely collapse ALL those ailments and soon after she traveled to the U.K and her doctor and endocrinologist ran several tests on her and discovered that she was completely healed and free of medication. They are still confused and amazed to date because they had told her for several years that she would have to manage this situation with serious medication for the rest of her life. This is over a year now and she is still fine.

You can read some Testimonials on our website www.the-ultimatewoman.com

When does a woman know she needs some coaching or therapy?

You need to work with us or attend “The Ultimate Woman” Series if: You want to manage your time really well and get organized and focused to achieve excellence.

You want to build more fulfilling relationships at home or at work.

You want to increase your confidence to be the best that you can possibly be.

You know you want something different, but find it hard to say what the “different” is.

You want to get back on track after being derailed or distracted.

You spend more time focusing on what you don’t want, can’t have and if onlys, than you do on what you do want.

You find that you spend much of your time and energy doing things to please other people, and not really doing what you truly desire.

You feel at crossroads and don’t know which road to take. You want new purpose.

You feel you have no choices in life….you just turn up each day.

You want to get on at work but are not sure how to progress Your life feels small and stifling.

You want to feel back in control of your life and health Your health defies medical intervention and they don’t seem to know exactly what’s wrong.

You are confused, lost, unsure, unclear, perplexed, disoriented and bewildered.

You are tired of taking medication and they are not curing your ailment What techniques and tools do you often work with?

Most of our therapies, techniques and tools are based in Neuro science, Psychology, Coaching, Cellular Biology, Meta-Medicine, Energy Dynamics, Quantum Physics, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Emotional Freedom Techniques, and Matrix Reimprinting.

For example during “The Ultimate Woman” - Power of Love Experience, “Every Woman” will Experience one of our “TRUE LOVE THERAPIES”.

Do you know that “There is a kind of love that truly heals us spiritually, emotionally and physically and it is not romantic love, but rather a higher and deeper love. This kind of love that heals is not sexual in nature, but much deeper and real.”

What drives your passion and inspiration for coaching women?

This Work is Simply what I am Called and Wired to do. This is my Purpose.

Tell us about your wife and kids?

My wife’s name is Modupeore and I have two daughters Tiwanioreofeoluwa and Kikiope.

They are ALL Unique Gifts. My wife is my Rock and Support, she is the “world’s greatest mother”, she also looks out for me. A lot of people assume that a Coach, Psychologist and Therapist won’t have problems and will have a perfect life but that’s not true, I have my own struggles too. Although its not easy for my wife, she keeps up with my strengths and even my weaknesses.

My Children constantly teach me about my Deep and Personal relationship with the Almighty God. Together they create that peaceful haven called home, for me to settle into after a hard day’s work. They Also Complete me.

I Simply Love them.

Judging from all that we hear about your work, you must be very busy, how come you can still take time out from your busy schedule to do six Ultimate woman programs in Nigeria and others globally?

Yes we thank God, we have a lot of work and have been very busy.

It may however interest you to note that we have an incredible Team working on ‘The Ultimate Woman” Series.

From the Concept stage to the Implementation stage, they are FULLY Committed and Dedicated to Seeing Women’s lives Transformed.PGL Image Consulting is the Team that sat with me to Create this Concept, they have Walked and Worked with me over the months to Birth “The Ultimate Woman” Dream and they are working hard everyday towards ensuring that every woman who attends leaves with an Experience, Feeling and Saying “I am The Ultimate Woman.”

So where is this program holding, who else is involved and who is invited?

“The Ultimate Woman” first series “Power of Love” will hold on Sunday 19th June 2011 at the Harbor Point in Victoria Island Lagos at 4pm Prompt.

We (The PGL team and I) are Going ALL the way to create an Experience for “Every Woman” from the choice of Venue, to the Event and also our Strategic Partners such as Genevieve, FATE Foundation, Moments with Mo, Complete Fashion, and TY Bello to mention just a few.

We believe that Attending “The Ultimate Woman” Series is an Investment that “Every Woman” Needs to make in herself.

After all how much do women spend today on Jewelry, bags, accessories, shoes, cars etc? (smiles) You are invited to attend the “Power of Love” Experience IF you are: “A Woman” who wants to manage all the dynamics of your professional and personal life, especially your emotions and thereby become more productive, enhance your performance, have a sense of fulfillment, achieve selfactualization and ultimately a state of wellbeing.

“A Woman” who desires to Experience TRUE Love, Wholesome Life Balance, Happiness, Peace, Tranquility and Joy. “A Woman” who desires to Learn and Master how to SENSE, SEE and SEIZE every Opportunity that comes your way.

How can people make further enquiries about the program and register?

For registration and more details please www.thevisit our website ultimatewoman.com or call 08034177000, 07034001826, 017608080, and 08077077000 •Investment: N100, 000.00 Discounts are however available for early registrations.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

48

DIS GENERATION

Have Your Say I

T was President Jonathan a few days after he was sworn in that opined that a six-year tenure was more preferable to the one in operation. His premise is that such tenure system would avail elected officials the opportunity for better performance.

To many respondents, for varied reasons, it is a good suggestion that should be bought into. But some others, it is Greek. For various reasons, too, they would be glad to have such proposal completely ignored Here are their views. Have a ball.

One term tenure of five years is considered best for the country for effective performance.

Elder Samuel Asorobi, Ota, Ogun State.

In short, that is only way so that we the youth of this nation can participate in nation-building.

James Eze, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

That will be the end of progressive democratic growth and development in Nigeria as politicians will only come, grab all they can in 6 years and leave us helpless.

Sylvester, PHC, Rivers State.

It would be a welcome development.

Nothing destroys the country’s political environments more than the issue of the second term. An average African politician will want to die in office if not stopped, either performing or not. Let us experiment with this. It may be what we need.

Akinduro, H.O., Okitipupa, Ondo State.

Now we are talking and thinking aright too. Fellow Nigerians, this cause must be vigorously pursued and implemented without further delay. Anyone who can’t perform with a single term of 6 years has no vision for this country and should stay clear from leadership of this country.

Comrade Eberechi Onyenze, Abia State.

It is a good idea; this will stop do-or-die politics.

Mike Lamu, Jos, Plateau State.

It’s better to have six years for effective governance and service delivery. We spend much on preparing election, and swearing-in.

Douglas Didigwu, Enugu State.

This is one silly debate we shouldn’t just start again .The truth is that any governor who can’t perform in four years definitely cannot perform with six years. We are blessed with very bad leaders. Imagine being saddled with a Gbenga Daniel or Ohakim for six solid years with no power to vote him out like Imo people achieved! Whomever that is advancing this concept is has an evil mind and hates this

The view that the current four-year tenure for elected officials should be changed to a single term of six years for effective performance has been advanced by some politicians. What is your opinion? country with its entire people.

Clem Obikee A., Abuja.

any initiative, strategy or plan to be actualised. But again it would be suicidal if the government is bad.

Bello Lukman, Pol. Science, Unijos.

I’m strongly in support of this view. It will enable political office holders have enough time to deliver on their promises to the electorate. It will also eliminate the use of public funds by the incumbent to seek for re-election.

Chukwudi Oli, Enugwu-Agidi, Anambra State.

Yes, I support such move to amend the tenure of political officials. If made a single term of 6 years, money will be saved from conducting sham elections; power of incumbency will not influence poll results and more eligible Nigerians will have the opportunity to serve.

Mbata Justin, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

This kite is being flown by Goodluck Jonathan. It is bound to hit the rocks just the way the third term agenda did.

Busari Dauda, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Those agitating for a sixyear single term are antidemocratic elements.

Nigerians must ignore them and their satanic agenda.

Obinna Chukwu, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State.

My humble opinion is that they should keep to the normal four years because of infrastructural development.

Some Projects last more than a term since it is a normal thing for every politician to go for a second term. Finally, for us to start a single term of six years we are bound to amend our constitution.

Muoneke John Chukwumaijem, Nanka Anambra State.

To change a four-year tenure to a six-year one is a huge joke of the century. We voted for a four-year tenure and not six. You cannot change the rule of the game when the game is on. It is nothing but selfishness. This is why we must have a national sovereign conference to resolve issues on Nigeria.

Muda Dayo Ogunsola, Ibadan, Oyo State.

The proposal of one term is excellent. However, five years is recommended.

Mrs. Comfort Mayange, Benue State.

The idea of a single sixyear term might possibly reduce election rigging with

The best is for president and governors to spend six years and quit. This will eliminate second term syndrome that always diverts their focus.

Yinka Afolabi, Minna, Niger State.

•President Jonathan

•Senate President, David Mark

attendant protests and violence. But this may be a subtle attempt at extending the rule of His Imperial Majesty, King Jonathan 1(apologies to Mohammed Haruna).

Ahmad .I. Hassan, M/Madori, Jigawa State.

them.

Ade Alatishe, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

A six-year single tenure is invitation to unbridled looting and unscrupulous perversion of the system to ensure conclusion of term when pressure mounts for compliance knowing there is no further need to seek another term. Reference to voters instils some restraint in the conducts of public officers.

Ngozi Obido, Owerri, Imo State.

One year in office is even enough for effective performance.

If you delivered good governance to the people it would reflect.

The extension of tenure is not ideal.

Usman O., Lokoja, Kogi State.

A single term of six years should be enough for any serious government to touch the life of it citizens. Former President Obasanjo spent eight years doing nothing, but Gov Fashola performed beyond our expectation in just four years in office.

Ade J. Adegbite, Meiran, Lagos State.

It’s too early to advance a single six-year term; we’re just coming up democratically.

Chief Musa Apollos, Kaduna State.

If they have mismanaged four years and they think six years out of our time will be okay for them, then ask them what happens to a worker that has not shown evidence of good performance but started asking for extra two years? In fact, we are the one that should be demanding extra years for them if they have done well and not

Four years are enough for our elected officials to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

Take Raji Fashola of Lagos State for example. It is like four years are not enough for them to loot the nation’s treasury. I mean those seeking term elongation.

Raji Ohida .A., Okene, Kogi State.

I think the people (electorate) should be left to decide the tenure of elected officials.

The present arrangement is okay.

Amina Peter Adams (Mrs), Kaduna State.

The current four-year tenure has not been fulfilled by the elected candidates.

There are jobs left undone during and after their tenure.

Even if they were given 10 years, there would never be any effective performance. It would only give them more opportunity to commit more crimes.

Ariraimu Blessing Oghale, Delta State.

A single term of six years will not guarantee effective and purposeful governance.

Contrariwise, it will promote impunity, indolence, corruption, insensitivity and unaccountability. What we need are strong institutions and strict adherence to the rule of law.

Ayo Aregbesola, Ijesa-lsu, Ekiti State.

To me, it is not how long one stays in government that matters, but how well you represent your people that voted you in. Four years are enough if you do well after four years; the people will re -elect you back.

Isiaka Ibrahim, Iree, Osun State.

Six years are enough for

I’m in support of such a change but the in-coming elected officials should not benefit.

Dungrit Gomwalk, Jos, Plateau state.

A single tenure of four or six years is not the issue. One who has a conducive environment at his disposal to perform but fails to perform even a 10-year tenure is still a dull moment to him. It’s not how long but how well. Fashola of Lagos state transformed Lagos cities within four years.

Nnamdi .I., Jos, Plateau State.

The one term of six years is better because it will enable the occupant of the office to concentrate till the last days in office, instead of those months of wasting resources in order to prepare for a second term.

Idiowo Oluwole, Ketu, Lagos State.

The proposal for changing the current tenure of four years to six-year single tenure is a welcome development. In fact, it will make politicians to be more serious and do the will of the masses who gave them the mandates.

Arije Ade, Akure, Ondo State.

It is strange to propose a six-year tenure. A good leader requires less than two years to fully develop Nigeria if he is competent.

Any person who is politically incompetent can even be in the saddle for 10 years but he would not still perform. The political will, vision and wisdom to be a successful leader have nothing to do with the duration of the tenure.

I.O. Eruotor-Eferobome Esq, Warri, Delta State.

The idea is good. It will make elected officials to perform effectively during their service years.

Ume-Ezeoke Tony, Lagos State.

Well, it is not a big deal making it a six-year single term tenure. Performance is Continue on page 52

By Jennifer Ehidiamen 08054503875 (Sms only)

What is your passion?

“H

OW can I find my passion?” This is a question many young people often ask me.

Finding one’s passion often times appear daunting or very difficult to figure out, especially in cases where people think having a passion should automatically translate into monetary gain. Peer pressure or companionship that erodes originality also makes the course flaky.

In reality, it is not difficult to find one’s passion- especially since it was never lost in the first place.

To turn your passion to action, you need to first reflect and identify on what that passion is. A passion is something that arouses excitement. Everyone have sometime they are excited about, something that gets them out of bed in the morning or something they feel naturally drawn to do.

Some questions that can help you include: What am I excited about? What gets me out of bed?

What stirs my interest? What is my talent?

The reason why passion seems so evasive is because not everyone takes time to explore, concentrate and develop this passion- it could be a talent or skill we need to hone. It could be something we are naturally excellent at doing, but which needs the right platform of expression.

Our passion is never out of reach or beyond what we are capable of doing. What matter’s most is our willingness to commit to maximizing that potential. But passion is not an end in itself. What happens if your passion is different from your profession? For example, you could be passionate about football or sports but studying to become a Medical doctor. You could be passionate about fashion design but studying to become an Aeronautic Engineer. Or passionate about facial make-up but professionally inclined towards Banking and Finance. What do you do?

In such a situation where your passion conflicts with your profession, it is crucial never to be discouraged. The conflict could help develop your skill on how to harmonize. Where it proves extremely difficult to harmonize your passion with profession, you can pursue the one that brings you more fulfilment and a sense of completeness, without turning you into a pauper. Having to give up football or music for a profession in the Banking Sector does not invalidate your passion for football or vice versa.

Sometimes, your profession can be your passion! If you are passionate about music, write lyrics that will inspire, offer hope or impact. But do not stop there.

Get the words out. Turn the lyrics into songs- if you cannot sing, locate an artist who can. As a passionate designer, create innovative designs that make people look better, feel good about themselves and boost their selfconfidence.

So, what is you passion?

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Arts Extra

49

Exhibition of local stimulants holds in Abuja

•Alligator pepper

V

ERTICAL Inspirations Limited, organisers of the forthcoming exhibition of Africa’s indigenous stimulants have said that the ingredients and healing properties in bitter kolas, kola nuts, alligator peppers, cocoa seeds and lots more have been proved to be authentic over the years. They made this ascertain while addressing the press last week an exhibition the body hopes to organize come July 12th this year.

In a joint press briefing with the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) held in Lagos, it was revealled that both bitter kolas, kolanuts and cocoa can be used to cure or control hypertension, diabetes, among other ailments.

Tagged the first international conference on Africa’s indigenous stimulants, the event hopes to bring to the fore, the need for Nigerians and Africans to see the need to use these stimulants to solve some of their local ailments and sicknesses.

In the words of Professor Tunde Babawale of CBAAC who chaired the press conference, “This idea is novel. It is good that we support it because we need our own stimulants and not the foreign ones. There are many medicinal values inherent in these products.

He noted that somewhere in the Caribbean Island, kola nut, for instance, is used as an antidote to poison. This he said, “Should make us to localize these

By Edoze Udeze

products, and let the public understand their potency in all facets. We believe there is need for the mass production of these products so that we can export them as alternative to oil. After all, kola nut or bitter kola cannot finish in 50 years or can they?” he asked the audience who gave him a loud ovation.

Babawale opined that the Centre is involved believing that if government pays attention to both the research and production of these products, they will create jobs for the masses. “The research institute can also educate the people on the uses and where they are harmful too,” he said.

In his own remarks, Professor Wande Abimbola, a former vicechancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ife said that people should desist from cutting the forests where these trees abound. “In those days, people

• Kola nuts

had respect for these trees. But now they cut the forests with reckless abandon. This is not good enough,” he said.

He said, “We in Africa have plenty of money-yielding products which we neglect because we have preference for western values. There is no part of kola nut or cocoa that is not useful, yet we do not have value for them. When you have cough, just take a few seeds of alligator pepper with bitter kola three times daily. Give it three days, it will heal. So why not try it today?” he admonished, amid loud applause and acclaim.

Abimbola who is an acclaimed Ifa spokesperson world-

“We in Africa have plenty of money-yielding products which we neglect because we have preference for western values. There is no part of kola nut or cocoa that is not useful, yet we do not have value for them. When you have cough, just take a few seeds of alligator pepper with bitter kola three times daily. Give it three days, it will heal. So why not try it today?”

wide said that it is the duty of the government and the intelligentsia to make this knowledge widespread. “Nigeria has the largest number of kola nut species worldwide and so it is our responsibility to let the world know how much potency that lay inside them,” he presented.

In his own contribution, the representative of the Cocoa Research Institute, Ibadan said that cocoa has been made into many local beverages for the good of the public. “Kola nut is one of our mandate crops. Green tea has also been produced by us, Kola nut is so important economically that it formed part of the trans-Saharan trade in those days. Today, we celebrate it in Nigeria as an important aspect of our tradition.

Yet, we need to take a survey to know where and in what quantity they are produced in different states of Nigeria. This will help us in our analysis,” he said.

He said that time has come when people should come to realize the importance of these crops which were given to us by nature.

Heather Akanni one of the organizers of the event who has worked with different Nigerian embassies abroad reminded

guests that just the way coffee is a stimulant so are kola nuts and bitter kolas. “But above all, government has to help the private sectors to make this initiative work so that this exercise will be a success.” She was however grateful to CBAAC for the assistance and promised to spread the gospel to Nigerian missions abroad.

Most of the speakers also wondered why people should be at home with Swedish bitters in a place like Lagos when we have plenty of local bitters in the country. “That is absurd,” so said Keye Olaore, who stood in for the Osun State government. “In fact in our state, we have begun programmes to let our local products occupy places of prominence in the state,” Olaore, a Permanent Secretary asserted.

There were also representatives from the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industries, Ekiti and Oyo States governments and the private sector.

The exhibition which will open on July 12th will come to a close on the 13th. The venue is the ECOWAS Centre, Abuja. It is hoped that more enlightenment programmes will be in place before then to put the public in the right mood.

CBAAC pays tribute to Ekpo Eyo T

•Prof Ekpo Eyo

HE Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) commiserates with the entire Ekpo Eyo family, the art and culture sub-sector, the intellectual community as well as the Government and people of Nigeria over the passing away of our great icon Professor Ekpo Eyo OFR. In a statement signed by the Director-General of the Centre Professor Tunde Babawale, it said “Prof Ekpo Eyo was a great intellectual, a renowned African arts and culture ambassador of no mean achievements. He was also a reputable author,

archaeologist, and first indigenous head of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM). He was the longest serving head of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) till date. He would always be remembered for being the first and only Nigerian Director of the Federal Department of Antiquities (1968 – 1979).

We also recall his archaeological field works at three important Nigerian sites, Ile-Ife, Owo, and Ikom, findings from which are available in some major Nigerian museums with

publications in different seminal papers and journals on the same subjects.

As a trustee for Research into the origins of man, Professor Eyo published extensively on Nigerian artifacts and heritage.

Some of his published works which include: “From Shrines to Showcases: Masterpieces of Nigerian Art”; “Two and the Evolution of Money”, “Treasures of Ancient Nigeria”, “Nigeria and the Evolution of Money”, “The Terracottas of Calabar: Selections from the Archaeological Masterpieces of Nigerian Art” are rare collections of cultural and historical significance to Black

and African peoples.

As a pathfinder with a deep knowledge of Black and African history from which many have benefited, Prof Ekpo Eyo never relented in his resolve to further the frontiers of the promotion of the significant contributions of engagements, Ekpo bequeathed to the next generation enduring legacies worthy of commendation. Given his record of contribution to history and human advancement, especially Nigeria’s contribution to African art, there is no doubting the fact that he be solely missed but we take solace in his inspiring footprints.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Arts & Life

50

SUNNY SIDE

Cartoons

By Olubanwo Fagbemi deewalebf@yahoo.com 08060343214 (SMS only)

POLITICKLE

Days of bliss •When men were boys, and women …

In the days before lawyers and the government regulated lives, many had the priviledge to grow up as real kids. But how children in the 50s, 60s and 70s survived remains a subject of fascination for a variety of reasons. The following are the more obvious factors that shaped a remarkable generation.

CHEEK BY JOWL

OH, LIFE!

THE GReggs

THE weather was more resilient but children were less intimidated by the change of seasons, embracing the elements. Raincoats and rain boots found enduring relevance as did sweaters and thick underwear.

Shopping in supermarkets and departmental stores was complemented by trips to the central market, and no, the former was not the preserve of the affluent.

Birthday, Christmas, New Year and other occasions were colourful affairs eagerly anticipated by all.

Uncle Benn’s Rice dominated Sunday lunch, but other meals scarcely paled in quality.

Children drank water from the backyard hose and not necessarily from a bottle – it all tasted the same.

Four friends could share a drink from one bottle or can, and no one really suffered any consequences.

Children ate sandwiches, stuffed bread and butter – rarely bread and margarine –, drank sweet drinks and chewed sweets and chocolate, but were never overweight because they were always outside playing.

There were no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or bolts on doors and cabinets to keep children away, and it was fine to play with utensils.

When kids rode bicycles, they wore no helmets, just slippers and fluorescent attachments on the wheels.

They rode bikes in packs with skirts hitched up or shirt collars raised.

Children also rode in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the front passenger seat was an absolute treat.

They would spend hours building carts out of scraps and then go round the block or down the hill at top speed; only to find out they forgot about brakes. After running into walls, thorns and rough pebbles a few times, they learned to solve the problem.

Children could leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as they were back before it got dark. No one was able to reach them throughout and no one minded.

There were no Playstations or X-Boxes; no video games at all. One or two channels on TV were all they depended on for entertainment; no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, and no Internet chat rooms. They made friends, but went outside to find them.

For further information, they digested comic books.

They played football with improvised plastic materials, and sometimes the ‘ball’ really hurt.

They fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from disgruntled parents or guardians. They were simply accidents. The kids learnt not to make the same mistakes again.

They walked long distances to get to friends’ homes.

They made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate live stuff, and although they were warned, the live stuff did not live inside them forever.

Their actions were theirs. Consequences were expected.

The idea of a parent bailing them out if they broke a law was unheard of. Parents actually sided with the law.

Children felt freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and learned to deal with them all.

The past 50 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas. The generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors ever.

Perhaps you were one of them. And if you were not, just imagine the blissful experience.

Jokes Hasty Move The new employee stood before the paper shredder looking confused.

“Need some help?” a secretary walking by asked.

“Yes,” he replied, “how does this thing work?”

“Simple,” she said, taking the hefty report from his hand and feeding it into the shredder. “Thanks,” the new employee managed to say. “But where do the copies come out?”

Rookie Police A rookie police officer was out for his first ride in a cruiser with an experienced partner. A call came in telling them to disperse some people who were loitering.

The officers drove to the street and observed a small crowd standing on a corner. The rookie rolled down his window and said, “Let’s get off the corner, people.”

A few glances, but no one moved, so he barked again, “Let’s get off that corner ...

NOW!”

SUDOKU

Intimidated, the group of people began to leave, casting puzzled stares in his direction. Proud of his first official act, the young policeman turned to his partner and asked, “Well, how did I do?”

Pretty good,” chuckled the experienced cop, “especially since this is a bus stop.”

Double Barrel The sheriff of a small town was also the town’s animal vet. One night the phone rang, and his wife answered. An agitated voice inquired, “Is your husband there?”

“Do you require his services as a sheriff or as a vet?” the wife asked.

“Both!” was the reply. “We can’t get our dog’s mouth open, and there’s a burglar in it.”

QUOTE Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?

—Maurice Freehill •Culled from the Internet

12/6/2011

1ST STEP IN SOLVING PUZZLE: (306) only one vacant space — cell Bi. Reasoning along these lines, try and Look at the three top horizontal (ABC) 3x3 boxes. The left box has 3 in fill in all the other vacant cells. cell Cc, while the middle box has its 3 Solution on SATURDAY. Happy in cell Ae. The right box must, therefore, Puzzling! have its own 3 in row B, where thee is

PUZZLE 308

A 3 4 B 5 6 4 9 7 C 1 3 D 9 E 4 3 6 1 F 4 5 3 7 G 7 6 3 4 1 2 H 2 8 9 I 5 a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

SOLUTION TO PUZZLE 307

3 6 9 1 5 2 8 4 7

1 7 8 6 4 9 5 2 3

2 4 5 7 8 3 9 6 1

5 8 3 2 9 6 7 1 4

6 1 4 5 3 7 2 9 8

7 9 2 4 1 8 6 3 5

8 2 1 3 6 5 4 7 9

4 5 7 9 2 1 3 8 6

9 3 6 8 7 4 1 5 2

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

51

Young Nation

with

Olaitan Akisanya 08056745268 SMS only

Hello children, Hope you all are doing fine? Trust you are doing your best at school and at home. Do always remember to listen to your teachers and obey your parents

WORD WHEEL

This is an open-ended puzzle. How many words of three or more letters each including the letter at the centre of the wheel can you make from this diagram? We’ve found 62 including one nineletter word. Can you do better?

WORD SEARCH

Car makers

• Children dramatising keeping Igbo Language alive on children’s day at Igboukwu, Anambra State

Rite foods celebrate children’s day in style

Birthday

T

HE automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world’s most important economic sectors by revenue. Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007, consuming over 260 billion gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel yearly.

The first practical automobile with a petrol engine was built

by Karl Benz in 1885 in Mannheim, Germany. Benz was granted a patent for his automobile on 29 January 1886, and began the first production of automobiles in 1888, after Bertha Benz, his wife, had proved with the first long-distance trip in August 1888 (from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back) that the horseless coach was absolutely suitable for daily use. Since 2008 a Bertha Benz Memorial Route commemorates this event.

Soon after, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart in 1889 designed a vehicle from scratch to be an automobile, rather than a horse-drawn carriage fitted with an engine.

Find some car makers in the wordsearch below.

• Picture of some children at the rite food children day party

O

VER 4000 children celebrated this year’s children’s day with Rite foods, the producer of Bigi sausage roll.

In attendance were different schools all over Lagos. The national sales manager of Rite Foods, Mr Adeniran Adediran said the event was made to promote the Bigi apple and chicken flavours.

By Risikat Ramoni

There were different things to make the day a memorable one for the youngsters. Superman, Batman, Uncle Bobo, Barney and friends, amongst others, were all there. There are a lot of games, train ride and a bouncing castle.

Most of the children were given gifts such as bicycle after the quiz and current affairs session.

•Little Aliah Ayomide Sanusi on a shout-out to friends as she celebrated her first birthday on June 1, 2011

BMW CITREON FIAT FORD HONDA HYUNDAI

Send in your stories, poems, articles, games, puzzles, riddles and jokes to sundaynation@yahoo.com

LADA MERCEDESBENZ MITSUBISHI OPEL PEUGEOT RENAULT

ROLLSROYCE ROVER SKODA STEYR TOYOTA VOLKSWAGEN VOLVO

Word search supplied by Joshua Ayomide Ajayi, JSS 1A, Kings College, Lagos

52

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Life

Naija sense!!!!!

H

AIR...Check!

Nails...Check!!

Lip gloss...Check!!!

Satisfied with the look, I grabbed my bag and slipped into shoes that begged to be released from duty. As I made to open the door to the apartment I shared with my elder brother, I whispered a small prayer to heaven.

“God, abeg don’t let this waka be for nothing oh!

Na your hand I dey.”

That said, I yanked the door open and began my journey. The stiff smile I gave my neighbours as I walked by came as no surprise to them, they saw me look like this at least twice every month. Many of the people standing with me at the bus-stop tried fruitlessly to keep a straight face as we waited for a bus to come our way.

I felt sorry for them even though I knew I was the source of the confusion. One could fall off a train just by starring at my brown coloured suit and red shoes, topped off with a black bag. Although it left much to be desired, it was the best I had.

“Ojuelegba! Ojuelegba!! One chance...”, yelled a half-dressed conductor who was dangling from the side of the approaching bus. I didn’t even wait for the vehicle to come to a stop before I ran for the door, grabbed the roof with all my might and jumped inside in classic Lagos fashion. I had twenty-four minutes left before my job interview commenced.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• I got to the venue five minutes late. There were about thirty smartly-dressed applicants already seated. A few burst out laughing as I strode past them, I held my head high and waited my turn.

“Grace Oboh, you are next” My knees shook with tension as I heard the receptionist call my name. As I walked through the door that lead to the interview room, I saw the look of shock

spread slowly across the faces of the men and women who were to interview me. They were four in number sitting with their elbows resting on the oval conference table.

Without opening their mouths I knew I had lost the job...thanks to my red shoe.

Hungry, tired and frustrated, I began my slow trek under the scorching afternoon sun. I was certain there would be no food for me to eat at home till dinner time when my brother returned from his shop in Idumota. I had only N60 in my pocket for my transport home.

Just when i thought i would faint from tummy ache, a plan began to take form in my mind. I would need as many house flies as possible.

Only God knows what was going through the minds of people who saw me squatting over a gutter trying to catch insects. I must have cut the picture of a mad woman.

When i was sure i had enough flies to do the job, i walked into the first buka i set my eyes on and ordered a large plate of rice and beans with four pieces of goat meat.

“Aunty, make I give you water?” asked Mamaput I thought about it for a second and decided to settle for a bottle of small stout. i saw heaven as i pounced on the sumptuous meal before me. I savoured every gyrating move my jaws made. A large part of the meal was lodged in my tummy when i decided to execute my plan.

I carefully reached into my bag and pulled out the piece of paper containing ‘my insects’.

When i was thought nobody was looking, i sprinkled the flies in the food and began to display my acting skills.

“Madam, what is the meaning of this?” I barked.

The confused woman rushed to my side, wondering what had gone wrong. I almost gave in to pity but the large hole in my pocket prevented me from considering that option.

“Can you imagine this rubbish? Flies in my food?” I feigned outrage.

“My pikin abeg no vex, make i see”, she pleaded.

I turned a deaf ear and made to storm out of the restaurant when her tall son entered.

“Mami, wetin dey happen?” he asked protectively.

I inched closer to the door but he was blocking the exit with his bulky frame. Somewhere at the back of my head, something told me that my

Many thanks to our amazing readers who send in their comments. If you are passionate about writing exciting short stories, you can send two copies of your writing samples to pearlohai@yahoo.com. Winning entries will be published once every month.

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Continue from page 48 all we need. If after their six good years they don’t perform, they have to park their bag and baggage and go.

Abdulrahim (vendor), Auchi. Edo State.

Dr M.I. Okpara used three years to make Eastern Nigeria the highest producer of palm oil in the world.

So, why won’t four years be enough for an achiever?

Uchenna Ota, Abuja.

That view is another attempt by the proponents to hoodwink Nigerians.

You don’t need six years to impact positively on your community, State, or nation. It is simply a doctrine of greed by self-seeking politicians.

Patrick Damkor, Makurdi, Benue State.

The last year of every four-year term is rendered unbeneficial as far as good governance is concerned due to the focus on re-election campaigns.

By implication, an elected public official serving two four-year terms only effectively delivers six years of undistracted service! A single six seven-year term seems better suitable to our peculiar brand of ‘democrazy’!

Peter Parker, Jos, Plateau State.

In my own humble opinion, I prefer the four-year tenure should stand. As we can see from the justconcluded election, there are some governors that could not secure the returning ticket for second term. The electorate voted them out of office because they did not do well in their first term. If they are to spend sixyear for a single term, they may not perform well, because they know that they cannot be removed from office.

Tosin Jegede, Victorial Island, Lagos State.

Have Your Say The view that the current four-year tenure for elected officials should be changed to a single term of six years for effective performance has been advanced by some politicians. What is your opinion?

A single term of six years is an undemocratic dogma that some politicians are planning to sell to an unsuspecting Nigerian society in the name of politics. It will only elongate the suffering of the people in the hands of non-performing, indolent and insensitive elected officials. As a matter of fact, the tenure should be reduced to a maximum of two terms of three years each so that nonperforming elected officials can be given political Red Card as quickly as possible.

Olaniran Afolabi A., Benin City, Edo State.

A single term of six years is enough for a serious minded elected official.

Fashola has demonstrated this in four years.

Alfa Alapo Fatai, Abule Egba, Lagos State.

I agree with the six-year single term. There will be no incumbency advantage. Thus there will be a level playing ground. The colossal wasteful spending synonymous with elections in Nigeria will be reduced.

It will be in tandem with the practice in choosing Vice-Chancellors in our varsities. The acrimony in appointing VCs has reduced and the same will follow suit in politics.

Ayoola Odusanya, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State.

Most politicians are not performers but idle gainers from co-operate labour. Adding two years to four of inaction is simply disastrous. Four years are okay for a single term.

Nicholas Ashiwhobere, Masaka, Nasarawa State.

It is arrant nonsense, ruinous and self-destructive to further arm those who are contributing to the economic adversity of the nation.

These are people who do not have the interest of the country at heart.

Giving these sharks additional two years will not bring about quality development. Four years are enough to make earth-shaking impact. Ask Govenor Fashola.

Okiemute .A. Ohworisi, Registry, UNILORIN. We can’t afford to wait for six wasted years. Four years are okay. If he performs, his works will put him back there. What happened in Imo and Lagos is a big lesson.

Mrs Oby Ekeh, Ngor/Okpala, Imo State.

It is only wise that we all support a single term of six years for any political officer holders to make his

condition had just grown worse.

While his mother tried to explain the situation to him, I was busy making a lot of useless noise. I had to make it look genuine.

Just when i thought I had won the case and the coast was clear, I saw her son point at the bottle of small stout.

“Shebi fly no dey the stout abi?” he asked me in a gruff voice laced with disdain.

I stared at him, tongue-tied.

“Sister, abeg drink the stout finish, pay the money.”

A bottle of stout was N180.

One look at his face told me that he would not hesitate to give me a dirty slap if i misbehaved. I knew talking too much would have been a sheer waste of time so i chose to do the honourable thing.

“Mummy, abeg i wan wash plate,” I said.

She quickly pointed at a mountain of dirty pots stationed at the backyard.

or her mark. For a serious politician, six years are good enough a time to actually execute one’s lofty goals and ideas and deliver democratic dividends to the electorate.

Honestly, a single six-year tenure is it as it will help in stemming down bickering and unhealthy rivalry amongst our politicians thereby ensuring peace in our political climate.

Taiwo Osunsanya, Ilupeju, Lagos State.

No, the problem is dearth of true servants and not length of years in office. If it yields dividends in the US, the UK, etc., then it should in Nigeria.

Goki Nath, Keffi, Nasarawa State.

A single term of six years is too short for development to occur. Let’s keep on emulating great democratic nations like the US and Ghana.

Ogene Uno, Calabar, Cross River State.

Four years are not four months.

Any politician that could not perform within four years cannot perform even if you give him or her forty years. We need fresh brains with fresh ideas in government, and not tired brains.

Prince Joseph Onah,

State Housing Estate, Calabar.

The issue of extending the tenure of current elected office holders is not the best due to the fact that they were all sworn in to serve for a term of four years.

Musa, Damaturu, Yobe State.

Why should elected officials exceed four years when you know the population of politicians in Nigeria?

Many of them have nothing to show after eight years. They just want to grab public fund; it is a waste of resources. Anything that cannot be achieved in four years will not be achieved in six or eight years. It is competence and vision that matter.

Mrs Happiness Aduku, Abuja.

I think this is just another ploy to jump-start a debate for unnecessary tenure elongation. It discourages active and competitive performance as incumbents will not aspire for another mandate, no matter their achievement in the first term. It creates an avenue for a massive fraud as opportunity comes but ones, according to a popular adage. Let their performances give them as many terms as the constitution provides. Let our politicians take a cue from the former Malaysian president (MATAHIR) who voluntarily resigned immediately after being sworn in for 3rd term due to his performances.

Mamman Dahiru, Biu, Borno State.

That makes a lot sense if 0nly our brothers in the North will cherish the wisdom in it.

Nwadike Ifeanyi, Onitsha, Anambra State.

Continue on The Nation website: www.thenationonlineng.net, Click on Sunday Magazine, then Have Your Say

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011 CHANGE OF NAME NNABUGWU

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nnabugwu Onyinyechukwu Vivian, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Offor Onyinyechukwu Vivian.All former documents remain valid.

University of Benin, Benin City, NYSC, Karis MFB and general public should take note.

ADEBANJO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adebanjo Olufunke Omolara, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Suarau, Olufunke Omolara.All former documents remain valid. Lagos State Local government Service Commission, Iba LCDA and general public should take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NMAE I formerly known and addressed as Alhaji Juliana Nkechi, now wish to be known and addressed as Daniel Juliana Nkechi.All former documents remain valid. Kogi State Polytechnic and general public should take note.

ADENIRAN

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GANIYU

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Fatimah Adetoun Ganiyu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Fatimah Adetoun Ololade.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

IDOWU I formerly known and addressed as Idowu Rossy Opeibi, now wish to be known and addressed as Esther Rosemary Opeibi.All former documents remain valid. Nigerian Navy, Military Pension Board (Nigeria) and general public should take note.

SOLOMON I formerly known and addressed as Miss Solomon Comfort Temitope, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Olowolagba Comfort Temitope.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OLARINRE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Olarinre Grace Olajumoke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Grace Olajumoke Martins-Afolayan.All former documents remain valid.

Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and general public should take note.

ADEPOJU

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ADENAYA

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CHELLARMS and general public should take note.

ADIGWE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Obiageli Tina Adigwe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Obiageli Uba Ama Ibiam.

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SULAIMAN

I formerly known and addressed as Sulaiman Tairat Adedoyin, now wish to be known and addressed as Onibudo Tairat Adedoyin. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME BELLO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Bello Monsurat Atinuke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Jatto Monsurat Atinuke.All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

INYANG I formerly known and addressed as Miss Inyang Ugola Nkemjika, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Anyanwu Ugola Nkemjika.

All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

MOHAMMED

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Mohammed Hajara Akeera, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs MohammedAdeshola Hajarat Akeera. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

ALAKE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Akanni Sarah Alake, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Babajide Sarah Alake. All former documents remain valid.

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SMUTNY

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Smutny Sarah Loiuse, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Bolarinwa Sarah Loiuse.

All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

ADELEYE I formerly known and addressed as Adeleye Iyabo Idayat, now wish to be known and addressed as Adeleye Idayat Oluwatoyin. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

LAWAL

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Lawal Adepeju Adesheye, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Animashun Adepeju Adesheye. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

LAMIDI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Lamidi Fatima Doyinsola, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Tijani Fatima Doyinsola. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

ESSIEN

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Joy Edidiong Essien, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Joy Esu Esin. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OGONNAYA I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogonnaya Florence Nnenna, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Victor Florence Nnenna. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AKINDELE

ONAKOYA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adesola Bilikisu Onakoya, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adesola Oluwajuwonlo Macaulay-Agbi .

All former documents remain valid. DLI , University of Lagos and general public should take note.

NWANGWU

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nwangwu Roseline Obiageli, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Obi Roseline Obiageli. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OLADEINDE

UGWUOZOR I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ifeoma Scholastica Ugwuozor, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ifeoma Scholastica Emeka Chikezie. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

OBULATA

I formerly known and addressed as Obulata Franca Grace Nwakaego, now wish to be known and addressed as Osumuo Nwakaego Franca. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OBAHOR

I formerly known and addressed as Blessing Osaro Igbingie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Blessing Osaro Obahor. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Nkamigbo Genevieve Ada, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Igboanusi Genevieve Ada. All former documents remain valid. Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria and general public should take note.

KALEJAIYE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Kalejaiye Remilekun Monsurat, now wish to be called and known as Mrs Okunrounmu Remilekun Ayomipo. All former documents remain valid. The general public should please take note.

AJIFERUKE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajiferuke Oluwabusayomi Roseline, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Odelola Oluwabusayomi Roseline. All former documents remain valid.

LAUTECH Teaching Hospital Osogbo and general public take note.

CHANGE OF NAME ADEWUSI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oladeinde Oyinkansola Morufat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Awhansu Oyinkansola Morufat.All former documents remain valid. Ogun State Judiciary and general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adewusi, Mercy Bolade, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adewusi-Bakare, Mercy Bolade.All former documents remain valid. AAUA, Ondo State, Nigeria and general public should take note.

ODESANYA

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to confirm that I, Mrs Rotimi Foluke Omolayo is one and the same as Mrs Rotimi Foluke Lucia.All former documents bearing the above names remain valid. Ekiti State Local government Service Commission and general public should take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Odesanya Oluwakemi Victoria, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Taylor Oluwakemi Victoria.All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

ALONGE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Alonge Taiwo Aderonke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Oluwole Taiwo Aderonke. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

LAWAL

I formerly known and addressed as Lawal Soji Moses, now wish to be known and addressed as Ogunmola Soji Moses. All former documents remain valid. Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko and general public should take note.

ADESOYE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adesoye Adejoke Oluwaseun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adejonpe Adejoke Oluwaseun. All former documents remain valid. Teaching Service Commission, Abeokuta, Ogun State and general public should take note.

NLEKOMBA I formerly known and addressed as Richmond Felix Nlekomba, now wish to be known and addressed as Odomene Felix Nlekomba. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

ADEBANJO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adebanjo Joy Ibukun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Fabusiwa Joy Ibukun. All former documents remain valid.

Ondo State Teaching Service Commission and general public should take note.

AHMED

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Aishat Adelanke Ahmed, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adelanke Peace Oyebisi-Okunade. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AJAYI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajayi Oluyemisi Omosolape, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adebayo Oluyemisi Omosolape. All former documents remain valid. Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja and general public should take note.

ABIODUN

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Abiodun Mabayomije Yemisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Akinsope Mabayomije Yemisi. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OLUFOWOBI FAKUADE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Fakuade Omolara Yewande, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Durodola Omolara Yewande. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State Local government Service Commission, Ado-Ekiti and general public should take note.

OGUNSANMI

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ogunsanmi Christianah Bosede, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ayoola Christianah Bosede. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OKEBE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Okebe Ugochi Nwojo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nwabueze Ugochi Nkem.

All former documents remain valid. First Bank of Nigeria Plc. and general public should take note.

NKAMIGBO I formerly known and addressed as Miss Akindele Oluwafunmilayo Marietherese, now wish to be known and addressed as Oloruntoyin Oluwafunmilayo Marietherese . All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME

OJONUWAH

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ojonuwah Jumoke Doris, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Akinlami Jumoke Doris. All former documents remain valid. Ondo State Judiciary and general public should take note.

ADETOYE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adetoye Abimbola Esther, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Akinmurele Abimbola Esther. All former documents remain valid. Adeyemi College of Education and general public should take note.

IJEH I formerly known and addressed as Miss Francisca Nwakaego Ijeh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Uweri Francisca Nwakaego. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

EDET

I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Edet Okon Bassey, now wish to be known and addressed as Mr. Ability Klin Bassey. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

IWHALA

I formerly known and addressed as Iwhala Efemena, now wish to be known and addressed as Asuquo Joseph Efemena. All former documents remain valid. Supreme Court of Nigeria, Nigerian Bar Association and general public should take note.

ERAZUA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ann Erazua, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ann Oriabure-Abaya. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OVUAKPORIE I formerly known and addressed as Miss Elohor Juliet Ovuakporie, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Elohor Juliet Ibikoro. All former documents remain valid. WAEC, Federal Polytechnic, Afiakpo, NYSC and general public should take note.

CHANGE OF NAME AWOSEMO

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS TAIWO ESTHER AWOSEMO, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS TAIWO ESTHER DADA. All former documents remain valid. Skye Bank PLC and general public should please take note.

OKOYE

I, formerly known and addressed as DR. (MISS) CHINENYE GLORIA OKOYE, now wish to be known and addressed as DR. (MRS) CHINENYE GLORIA ANAEDOBE. All former documents remain valid. NIGERIAN MEDICAL AND DENTAL ASSOCIATION, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL (U. C.H) Ibadan and general public should please take note.

ONOMUAGHARA

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS PATIENCE ERHINYEME ONOMUAGHARA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS PATIENCE ERHINYEME EHIOSUN. All former documents remain valid. National Assembly and general public should please take note.

OKAFOR I, formerly known and addressed as MISS OKAFOR EZINWA UKAMAKA, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS OKOYE EZINWA UKAMAKA. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

NUHU

I, formerly known and addressed as MISS RITA NUHU, now wish to be known and addressed as MRS RITA OLABISI. All former documents remain valid. General public should please take note.

EBEYE

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YESUFU

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Olufowobi Atinuke Omotoke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs OduwoleOlufowobi Atinuke Toyyibah. All former documents remain valid.

Odeda LG, Abeokuta and general public should take note.

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Nana Fatima Yesufu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Nana Fatima Mudasiru. All former documents remain valid.

General public should please take note.

IBUKUN

I formally known and addressed as Miss Uvieroghene Alexandra Eshalomi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Uvieroghene Alexandra Adedapo.

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I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ibukun Ileola Oluwayemisi, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Adetimehin Ileola Oluwayemisi. All former documents remain valid.

Odogbolu LGEA and general public should take note.

NGODOO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adaa Lynda Ngodoo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Torhemen Lynda Ngodoo.

All former documents remain valid. Intercontinental Bank and general public should take note.

AINA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Aina Oluwafunmilola OreOfe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ogunyankin Oluwafunmilola Ore-Ofe. All former documents remain valid.

Lagos State University and general public should take note.

IRABOH

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Angela Omonye Iraboh, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Angela Omonye Idiahi. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

NWOHA

I formerly known and addressed as Stephena Chinonso Nwoha, now wish to be known and addressed as Stephena Chinonso Omobayoje.

All former documents remain valid. Imo State University, NYSC and general public should take note.

DAUDA I formerly known and addressed as Mr. Dauda Abdul-Rammon, now wish to be known and addressed as Taiwo-Abdul Abilikpi. All former documents remain valid.

General public should take note.

ALADE

I formerly known and addressed as Alade Naimat Iyabo, now wish to be known and addressed as Binuyo Naimat Iyabo. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

AKANDE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Tawakalitu Akande, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Tawakalitu Ajibola. All former documents remain valid.

NARICT, Zaria and general public should take note.

ADEGBOYE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Adegboye Kehinde Bimpe, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Sanusi Kenny White. All former documents remain valid. The general public take note.

ESHALOMI

ARIBO

I formerly known and addressed as MISS. ARIBO ABIMBOLA FEYISARA,now wish to be known and addressed as MRS. AJISOLA ABIMBOLA FEYISARA. All former documents remain valid.INTERCONTINENTAL BANK PLC and GENERAL PUBLIC should take note.

OMOTOSO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Omotoso Ronke Funmilayo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ajayi Ronke Funmilayo. All former documents remain valid.General public should take note.

NWOKEJI l, formerly known and addressed as Miss Ijeoma Ngozi Nwokeji, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ijeoma Ngozi Ogbuehi. All former documents remain valid.Board of Internal Revenue Ihitte-Uboma LGA and general public should take note.

OKERULU

l, formerly known and addressed as Okerulu Margaret Obalum, now wish to be known and addressed as Ikpeama Margaret Obalum. All former documents remain valid. NRCRI, Umudike and general public should take note.

53

CHANGE OF NAME MBA

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Mba Ugo Imeri, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Ota Ugonma Agu. All former documents remain valid. ASUBEB and general public should take note.

JIAKPONNA

l,formerly known and addressed as Jiakponna Charles Chidi, now wish to be known and addressed as Eze Charles Chidi. All former documents remain valid.

Advanced Inter. Merchants Ltd, Ahiaba-Ubi village Isiala Ngwa North and general public should take note.

ANEKWE l, fomerly known and addressed as Anekwe Ebere Chinwoke, now wish to be known and addressed as Obi Ebere Chinwoke. All former documents remain valid. General public should take note.

OWOLABI I formerly known and addressed as Mrs. Owolabi Christina Adefunke Tolulope, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Owolabi Christina Emmanuel Adefunke Tolulope. All former documents remain valid general public take note.

CONFIRMATION OF NAME This is to notify the public that Oyedeji Anthony is the same and one person as Joseph Babatunde Anthony and Oyedeji Babatunde Anthony. All documents bearing the above name remain valid.

WAEC,GCE and the general public should please take note.

JOEL

I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Joel Omoikhoje Patience, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Gansallo Omoikhoje Patience. All former documents remain valid. Diamond Bank and general public take note.

AJALA

I, formerly known and addessed as Ajala Obalowu Olufemi Olugbenga, now wish to be known and addressed as Ajala Obalowu Olufemi.All former document remain valid.General public should take note.

DAWODU I formerly known as Miss Irene Ebunwa Dawodu, now wishes to be known as Mrs. Irene Ebunwa Famakinwa. all former documents remain valid. general public take note.

EGBE

I formally known as Miss Nchane Jonas Egbe, now wish to be known and address as Mrs Nchane Mike Iko. All former documents remain valid.Titan Projects Nigeria Limited and general public should take note.

OJEYEMI

I, formerly Miss ABIDEMI DEBORAH OJEYEMI now to be addressed as ABIDEMI DEBORAH OYEDOYIN. All other documents remain valid. Federal Neorophychiatric Hospital, kware, Sokoto State / Federal ministry of health should take note.

PAUL

I formerly known and addressed as Fasusi Olubunmi Morakinyo Paul, now wish to be known and addressed as Olajide Olubunmi Morakinyo Paul. All former documents remain valid. T S C Ekiti State I I J Abuja UNN Nsukka,CIREF Porto-Novo and general public take note.

OJO

I formerly known and addressed Miss Ojo Esther Alaba, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Olatunji Esther Alaba. All former documents remain valid. Ido- Osi local government Ido Ekiti and general public take note.

BALOGUN

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Balogun Shadiat, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Azeez Shadiat. All former documents remain valid Nigeria Police and general public take note.

OLADELE

LADIPO

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Oladele Nafisat Abiodun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Gyimah Nafisat Abiodun. All former documents remain valid.The general public should take note.

FALADE

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Hassan Ramata, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Osungoroye Ramata. All former documents remain valid. Ekiti State Health Management Board and general public take note.

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ladipo Janet Kikelomo, now wish to be called and known as Mrs Umbakogo Janet Kikelomo. All former documents remain valid.

The general Public should please take note.

I,formerly known and addressed as Miss Falade Omolabake Magret, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs Jummy-Akinyan Omolabake Magret. All former documents remain valid. Ondo State Teaching Service Commission, Alagbaka, Akure and general public take note.

AJREBA

I formerly known and addressed as Miss Ajireba Anike Mary, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Adesoba Anike Mary. All former documents remain valid.

Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission, National Examination Council, College of Education Ikere – Ekiti and general public take note.

HASSAN

AYODELE

I,formerly known and addressed as Dr [Miss] Ayodele Olumide Mojisola, now wish to be known and addressed as Dr [Mrs] Ayankunle Olumide Mojisola. All former documents remain valid.

FMC, Ido –Ekiti and general public take note.

For enquiry please contact: Gbenga on 08052720421, 08161675390, Email- gbengaodejide @yahoo.com or our offices nationwide.

Note this! Change of name is now publish every Thursdays and Sundays, all materials should reach us two days before publication.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

54

HIV vaccine research takes another leap

W EBERE WABARA

O8055001948

ewabara@yahoo.com

Systemic infractions L EST I am accused of being repetitive in this column, as long as systemic infelicities in multifarious collocations keep recurring, there would be no hesitancy in highlighting them over and over again until scholarly exactitude takes place.

BusinessWorld bold headlines of June 6-12 on two occasions confirmed this infallible position: “Banks lay siege on lawmakers” A rewrite: Banks lay siege to lawmakers.

“Sanusi Lamido Sanusi: Two years on the saddle” Again: in the saddle.

“As human beings, we are the highest evolved specie.” (FRSC Road Safety Tip, THISDAY, June 8) For the Corp Marshal’s attention: species.

“Creating a smoke free environment” (THE NATION ON SUNDAY Headline, June 5) Even my racy platform of expression: smoke-free environment! Don’t you appreciate the classicality (and, of course, correctness) of the punctuation mark?

“Nollywood pays last respect for Ashley Nwosu” (National Mirror Headline, June 4) There is no absolute individuality in orthography and other aspects of the English language: last respects.

“Olohunwa, MC Oluoma mend fence” (Source: as above) This way: mend fences.

“Rooney’s wife looses temper after Twitter user comment” (SATURDAY PUNCH Headline, June 4) In doing this weekly critique, I cannot lose my temper.

“Nigerian seamstress per excellence for Dubai fashion show” (Saturday Mirror Headline, June 4) Just seamstress par (not per) excellence.

“Efforts so far to speak with the Kogi State Police Public Relation (sic) Officer has (have) proved abortive (now a cliché!)”

(SATURDAY TRIBUNE, 4 June) “It now takes residents leaving (living) towards the bus stop….”

(THE GUARDIAN, June 4) “VC accuses lecturers of double standards” (National Mirror Headline, June 2) There is no periphery of options here: double standard (fixed expression).

“Clearance of nonCRI goods begin (begins) at ports” “Siasia gets sweeping power” Get it right:

sweeping powers. “…had said that Newswatch is (was) a credible publication, one not likely to misquote him or twist what he says in a free display of editorial freedom.”

“Like (As) we have said at various fora….”

“So these are the kind of things that create jobs but they take time to take off fully.” Either: this is the kind of thing or these are the kinds of things.

“So the government cannot ask the Supreme Court to interprete the law.” Spell-check, always: interpret.

“Meanwhile, no one can convince me that we are getting returns of any kind from either of these two countries.…” Stock phrase: either of these countries. “…the reduction in the number of vehicle accidents and casualities (casualties).”

“Self-styled armies sprung (have sprung) here and there …”

“State, council relationship: chairmen pick hole (holes) in 1999 Constitution.”

“This year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day and Emblem Appeal Week were rounded-off yesterday….” Once more, phrasal verbs do not admit hyphenation.

“The private sector in conjunction with the local governments are in a better position.” The private sector…is (not are), but the private sector and the local governments are….

“At these occasions, Nigerians have been fed with these noble and esteemed virtues that differentiate the men from the boys.” Not my opinion: On these occasions.

“As a result, majority of the citizens do not even know of the existence of the national population policy of four children per woman.” Many people, small world: a/the majority of the citizens.

“There was no signs in the air” Random musings: why the discord?

“The truth lies somewhere between the two extreme positions” (Already addressed) “Government has wetted the public appetite for information enough….” Get it right: whetted (note the spelling) the public’s appetite for information.

“It is these people that Nigerians would ordinarily believe rather than some whose integrity are (is) in doubt.”

“The research aspect of the campaign was targetted (targeted) towards (at)….”

“Between 300 to 500 million people globally get malaria infection yearly, whilst a sufferer dies every fifteen seconds.” Combating the malaria scourge: between 300 and 500 or from 300 to 500.

“In other words, successive budgets have failed to realize its (their) objectives of improving the living standard of the people.”

“The NEIC should swing into action right from the onset (outset in this context).” ‘Onset’ usually smacks of unpleasantness. So, why not ‘outset’ to be on the safe side? This is my own personal view—without any shred of universalism or morphological authority, perhaps.

“If the demand is granted on the ground (grounds) that he would play his own role….”

“Talking about renaming our institutions after our falling (fallen) heroes....”

“The news out of Libya in the past five months have (had) been about killings....” ‘News’ is uncountable, by the way.

“Lateef Jakande as governor of Lagos State warmed (wormed) his way into the hearts of Lagosians with a singleminded pursuit of his housing programme.”

“Querying Africa’s underdevelopment has become a political discipline of it’s own as much that facts are hardly advanced in the critical political human analysis of Africa’s problems.” Possessive: its. “…promote international co-operation having due regard to the United Nations charter and the univers al declaration of human rights.” In the interest of harmony, let us have regard for (not to) lexical rudiments. Gentlemen of the Press, let’s think!

“All these assertions I concord with totally.” I cannot concur with gradual annihilation of the English language.

“LCCI boss proffers solution on education problems” What solution do we proffer to (not on) deteriorating journalism these days?

FROM MY INBOX Great work, Mr. Ebere Wabara. I think you should extend this exercise to the works of our columnists. I thank you. Sent in by Mr. Charles Iyoha, Chairman, Academy Ltd.

HEN the outbreak of a rare form of cancer among gay men was reported in July of 1981, little did the world know that this would be the begining of a major health catastrophe in modern history. This “gay cancer” as it was called at the time was later identified as Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a disease that later became the face of HIV/AIDS. Thirty years later the disease still plagues society.

In commemoration of the World HIV Vaccine Day, the New HIV Vaccine and Microbicide Advocacy Society of Nigeria (NHVMAS) organised a media round table tagged: “The Global HIV Vaccine Research: Implication for Nigeria.”

The interactive session was aimed at sensitizing Corporate Social Organisations (CSO), media practitioners and members of the general public on the role and importance of HIV vaccine research in modernday society.

Speaking at the event was Aisha Abdullahi spoke extensively on the need to create awareness about experimental reasearch being carried out by scientists and major pharmaceutical companies. She states,”It is important for people, at the grassroot level and beyond to know that these re-

Advcacy group launches awareness campaign on sensitive Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) issues in Lagos. Rita Ohai reports searches are taking place so that they can be well informed on the practices of these research scientists. That way they will be able to know their rights and will be willing to participate without the fear of being taken advantage of.”

She also highlighted the importance of these research and enlightened the participants on the level of success achieved in the quest for an effective vaccince and possible cure for the deadly disease. In her words, “A lot of progress has been made in the area of finding an effective vaccine against HIV in some parts of the world. However, in spite of these breakthrough, we have come to find that not many people in our country are involved and this is risky because the vaccine that can protect against the strain in Thailand for example, might not be effective in this part of the world.”

Although the NHVMAS in partnership with other governmental and non-governmental organisations has been at the fore-front of monioring and overseeing research programmes around the country,

Chiflorita Durueke, the Programme Manager, says “As a body, we are continually striving to assist in promoting the Nigerian health sector. That’s why we regularly organize these training seminars. We really want to provide a conducive envionment that will support New Prevention Technology (NPT) for HIV and Acquired Immunodeficiency syndrome and to ensure that Nigerians have access to products when they are eventually rolled out.”

On their future plans, Chiflorita expreses: “We are currently organising more round-table sessions around the country. We are also setting up studies in three major research sites in the country namely the Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital, the Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital and the National Post-graduate Medical College” Funding was sited as one of the major challenges of effectively carrying out their activities as stakeholders called for more government participation.

Safety and Security Alert!

How to mitigate terrorism in our community

T

ERRORISM has been a bane in Nigeria while the Federal Government has just passed a law against the obnoxious acts. Recently, citizens especially in some parts of the country, suffered terribly from terrorist attacks such as death, bombings, maiming, arson, etc. Hence, there is need to educate all and sundry on its safety precautions and procedures.

Terrorism is a term popularized by a former French ruler -Jacobins ruled between 1793 and 1794 whose reign was characterised with terror. Since 1798, the word terrorism was used to explain the attempt by some individuals, state or groups to articulate their political goals and aspirations through the application of systemic violence.

Therefore, terrorism is understood as the systematic and vicious use of violence.

It is a form of guerrilla warfare by state or non-state actors, with strategic creation of spontaneous fear, production and reproduction of reckless destruction in various dimensions purposely to achieve political objectives or public attentions or both.

Forms of terrorism • Civil Disorders – A form of collective violence interfering with the peace, security, and normal functioning of the community.

• Political Terrorism – Violent criminal behaviour characterised by revolution but designed to generate fear in considerable part of a community for political purposes.

• Non-Political Terrorism – exhibits conscious design to create and maintain high degree of fear by coercion with individual or collective gain.

• Quasi-Terrorism – is violence similarly in form and method to genuine terrorism but lack its essential ingredient by not inducing terror in immediate victim but uses modalities and techniques of the

genuine terrorist to produce similar consequences and reactions.

• Limited Political Terrorism – refers to acts committed for ideological or political motives but is not part of a concerted campaign to capture control of the State.

• State Terrorism –refers to nations whose rule is based upon fear and oppression similar to such proportions.

• Structural Terrorism are acts carried out by governments in pursuit of political objectives.

Proliferation of weapons, technological advancement, media coverage and mass destruction these situations has mounted great challenge to security practitioners. Hence, it is very important to develop alternative strategies and reforms that will reduce the vulnerability of this threat-terrorism.

Safety Measures against Terrorism 1. Before an Attack a) It is important to be alert, watch surroundings and quickly respond when you see some suspicious persons then inform the law enforcement agents. b) On a journey, avoid picking strangers. c) When you receive threat call, be calm, record the conversation and inform the police or private investigator(s) for further actions. d) Also when travelling locally or internationally, be careful in dealing with people, don’t accept packages f) Install surveillance camera and CCTV to prevent the attack(s).

2. During an Attack a) Be calm, avoid anxiety, respond creatively and effectively to mitigate the impact. b) Inform and notify law enforcement agents of the emergency response that the situation requires giving details of the location and other

relevant information. The challenge is the lackadaisical attitude of law enforcement agents. c) Locate the emergency routes. Don’t panic but use stairs only. d) Feel the lower, middle and upper parts of the door with your palm or forearm to know if the door is hot or not.

If hot, seek alternative route. e) Where terrorists are shooting sporadically, lie on the floor and crawl as you locate the escape routes; f) If the terrorists are everywhere and many already being shot dead, put one of the dead bodies on top of yourself not being suspicious and pretend to be dead. Study the movement, conversations and dresses (if possible) maintain your position as the event lasts.

3. After a Terrorist Attack a) Commence rescue efforts immediately using PPE b) Trapped victims are to shout, knock a pipe or wall to alert the rescuers. c) Quarantine the location and take victims to the hospital for diagnosis and comprehensive treatment. d) Victims to undergo a post trauma counseling. e) Engineers should examine the affected building.

In conclusion, government agencies are to provide enabling environment for safety and security operatives to mitigate challenges such as poor preparedness, lack of adequate working tools, operational deficiency and lack of hazard mitigation practices, official incompetency and inadequate education, among others.

Please send responses, comments and safety/security challenges to the undersigned by sms or e-mail to the undersigned.

By: Mr. Timilehin Ajayi (Safety and Security Consultant) E-mail: timilehinajayi@yahoo.com 08095683454.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2010

O

Focus

N October 11, 1962 while opening the Ahamdu Bello University, the late Premier of the region, Sir Ahmadu Bello was full of hope that the neglect which the educational sector in the region has suffered will be addressed. He told the gathering that he was determined to address the educational backwardness of the region and would therefore “labour continuously to develop and expand the educational system of Northern Nigeria as I saw that without the trained and educated manpower, the north could not develop as we wished”. One year after, the Premier expressed his frustrations as, according to him, the progress was not fast or good enough. He told all institutions of learning in the north at a meeting on September 16, 1963 that “my government is not satisfied with the standard set by you.

This is not meant to belittle your past achievements which are quite good. But when you purse and compare the steep rise in the number of secondary schools and the number of boys and girls of northern origin who have gained admission into universities, you will agree with me that your recent achievements are not good enough for northern Nigeria.

It was apparently with this in mind that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar convened the Northern Education Summit while serving as Vice President in 2000. One of the decisions of the Summit was the establishment of the Northern Educational Research Project headed by renowned educationist, Prof Adamu Baike to work hand in hand with Arewa House to find a way of addressing the down ward educational fortunes of the north. It was also decided at one of the summits that northern governors should contribute a minimum of N1 million annually to the Northern Education Trust •Yakowa Fund. But at the 2002 Summit, Atiku regretted that despite his personal letters to the governors, the response was poor. He said From Tony Akowe, Kaduna while addressing the third summit on Saturday April 27, 2002 that “you will recall and member of the Northern Education Rethat I request you to make some contribu- search Project believe that unless leaders of tion to this project last year. It is dishearten- the region stop playing politics with educaing that only four out of the 19 northern tional issues, the educational system will states have made some contributions. I there- not improve. He noted that even though fore would like to use this opportunity to there has been a growing realization that appeal to all northern states to pay up their the quality of education in the country is on dues as it were”. Several years after initia- the decline, the situation in the north is partive which was considered laudable, edu- ticularly disturbing. Maiyashi who is curcation in the north has nosedived for the rently an education consultant to several worst with many of the states not being able development partners is however worried to fill their admission quota in institutions about the level of political commitment by of learning across the country, especially in leaders of the region to developing the eduthe north? Experts have expressed concern cation sector. He argued that developing over the poor state of education in the re- education must start from a sound primary gion, especially at the basic level. Many of school system, adding that this require a the states have not been able to access their high level of political commitment on the UBE funding due to what many referred to part of government which should be exas the lack of political will to actualize the pressed in terms of policy development and government agenda on improving the stand- policy analysis, resource appropriation, reard of education in the north. Interestingly, source utilization which he believe is curinvestigations revealed that community ef- rently lacking. According to him, “if the poforts at educational development in the north litical commitment were there, everybody are at its lowest ebb unlike the practice in will be up and doing, every state and local the southern part of the country. government will be up and doing in terms Investigations revealed that the commu- of developing strategic plans on how to adnities are on their parts, not encouraging dress this decline. The level of decline is so those willing to assist in the development of deep and so complex that it requires a very education in their area. One of the corporate thorough analysis and well laid out stratebodies in Kaduna that has decided to assist gic plan, long term plans on what types of in the rehabilitation of Primary schools and strategies are required to address these dethe provision of desks complain of lack of clines. For example, if you take the major encouragement from the government and the issues, and talking about access, it is not communities. A source within the company just getting the children to go to school. It is told The Nation that “we are not encouraged getting them to go to school and acquire at all. The government doesn’t even care knowledge and skills. If you just limit acabout what we do. We recently renovated cess to getting the children to go to school, some schools and handed them over, but the number of children that are out of school the state government did not consider it nec- in most states of the north is staggering. You essary to send a high level officer to the hand- can take Kaduna to be the oldest state in the ing over. Even the Commissioner for Educa- north because it was the seat of the northern tion and the Universal Basic Education regional government. Today as we speak, Board in the state did not border to send current population figure shows that there anybody. The worst is the community. If you are about 700,000 children that are comtell the leaders of the communities that this pletely out of school in Kaduna. The drop is what we are doing here, they will say well out ration is also very high. In some state, it done, but what is in it for us? This is not could run as high as 35 percent or more and encouraging at all. We are not saying that this is attributable to a number of factors”. they should do anything for us in return However, available records revealed that because we believe that it is part of our cor- the 19 northern states excluding the Federal porate social responsibility. But let them Capital Territory accessed total sum of show appreciation if only to encourage us. N69,446,505,996.62 from the UBE fund beDon’t forget, this is not the only place where tween 2005 and 2010. However, the north we operate in Nigeria and in other places, also top the un-accessed funds chart with when we do something for them, they cel- Borno state leading the northern chart with ebrate it”. over N2 billion lying un-accessed. Ironically, But Matamaki Tom Maiyashi, a former Kaduna state which has accessed almost Education Commissioner in Kaduna state all its UBE fund since 2005 failed to do so in

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Education agenda for Northern governors

•Babangida

•Nyako

2010. As at December 31, 2010, the state has had accessed About N3,655,079,262.98, leaving N323,340,033.16 un-accessed. Officials of SUBEB in the state could not be reached for comment on this.

However, experts attribute the growing decay in education in the north to high level poverty, lack of political will on the part of the government and a general high level of incompetence in the management of education in the country. According to those spoken to by The Nation, the issue of poverty cannot be ignored when talking about educational development in the north. Tom Maiyashi argued that “for parents to keep their children in school, poverty is deepening. If you take it terms of teacher demand and supply, how many states in the north will you go and they will be able to tell you that in the next five to ten years, this is the number of teachers that we require in Physics, Chemistry or Biology and we have already set out strategies on how to meet the demand? You must remember that you cannot produce a teacher in one year because he has to go to primary school, secondary and go for his degree. If you talk of infrastructure, the class room pupil ratio especially in the urban centres is sometimes one to one hundred and sometimes more. How can you keep 100 pupils in one class and expect the teacher to be effective? It is not possible. Similarly, if you take the pupil-teacher ratio in terms of qualified teachers, in some local government, the ratio will be 1 to 200 or even more. There is a high number of unqualified teachers in the system. We still have secondary school graduates, people who have not even passed their SSCE teaching. They lacked two fundamental things. They lack content because you have to know the subject; they also lack the methodology. So, both ways, they are not fit to be in the class room, but they are there in their thousands. These are not issues you just sit down and with a wave of the hand, you say you are resolving them. You need thorough analysis of these factors and have long term plans to address them. Remember that nothing is static. The population is growing and the socio-economic impact of what is happening is also affecting what is happening in these schools. The timidity that children use to have when they are in school is no more there because of the influence of science and technology and these things are making classroom management more and complex. These are not issues you just sit down and say, they have been resolved. To further worsen this situation, poverty is deepening and poverty is the greatest weapon

against education. The little stipend that parents gives to their children to go to school daily and come back, if you multiply the number of days that the child has to go to school in a year, you realize that it is a lot of money and there are many parents who have about five children in school. So, how can such parents keep their children in school? These are very fundamental issues”.

Further investigations revealed that majority of primary schools in the state lack qualified teachers. While government has designated a few primary schools in Kaduna as model primary schools, with a lot of attention paid to them in terms of teachers and facilities, many others have only one teacher teaching most of the subjects in many classes and experts believe that this does not augur well for good teaching and learning. Investigations revealed that despite alleged budgetary improvement to the sector, the standard of education in the north has not improved. Some students in senior secondary schools in the north cannot speak simple English and cannot even write their names and this has been attributed to poor standard at the basic level.

The question then is how did these people get to the level they are currently in school?

When it come to recruitment of teachers into the various levels of education in the north, political consideration, rather than qualification and the ability to deliver has become the prime factor. It was learnt that many teachers have been employed to teach either in the primary or secondary schools because of their relationship with those carrying out the employment or based on who they know in the Ministry of education. In the same vein, those saddled with the responsibility of managing education in the region seems not to be interested in what goes on in the schools.

However, with new governments in place across the country and a few others continueing in office, the question being asked is whether the political class will muster the courage to attack the monster being created by the decay in the educational system in the region. With a lot of campaigns being mounted for improved funding of the sector, the argument still remain that developing the political will to address the problem is what is required as it will work faster than improved budget and infrastructural development. The purchasing power of the ordinary Nigerian must be improved upon in other to sustain the number of children in schools.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Cover story

Iran’s June 12

W

HAT’S in a date? To those who don’t believe in myths, June 12 is just a date. In the aftermath of June 12, 1993, when Nigeria had conducted an election which was considered free, fair, and credible but suffered annulment, protests were held all over the country. Iran had its own sixteen years later when it held its election in 2009.

The script was a bit similar. In Nigeria, while the election was annulled against popular dictates, in Iran, incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared winner while supporters of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi took to the streets protesting the result. In response to the protests, other groups rallied in Tehran to support Ahmadinejad.

On election day, about 85 percent of Iranian voters turned out to vote and authorities extended voting time by six hours. And after counting 80 percent of the votes by the next day Ahmadinejad was declared winner by the Iran election commission after having scored 63.8 percent of the votes.

Mousavi got 32.7 percent.

Protests on the streets The results did not go down well with the opposition. So they took to the streets. To stem the protest, internet connections were shut, but the protests did not stop. Meanwhile, government maintained that the election was fair and Ahmadinejad compared protests to “passions after a soccer match.”

The next day, June 13, a wave of protests began across many countries over the world.

Before then, feeds from twitter and other social networking sites had succeeded in mobilising protesters.

And on June 15, hundreds of thousands of protesters trooped to the streets in Tehran with government security personnel shooting into crowds of protesters.

Local and foreign journalists were banned from reporting protests. Instead of softening issues, the situation only became tense. Armed with social networking websites, protest rallies gave birth to the Iranian Green Movement, stemming from the green colour of Mousavi’s party.

And five days after the disputed elections, 50,000 to 70,000 green-clad proMousavi protesters demonstrated in Haft-e Tir Square. During a World Cup qualifying match, captain of Iran’s soccer team and several other players wore green wristbands, a move seen as a sign of support for the oppo-

Joe Agbro Jr. makes a comparison between Nigeria’s experience and Iran on election annulment

•Iranian protesters sition.

A week after the election, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei publicly endorsed the results, saying that Ahmadinejad’s 11 million–vote margin of victory could not have been manipulated.

Khamenei blamed “Zionists” for fomenting the protests and called for protesters to stop.

A rash of arrests On June 20, a young Iranian woman, identified as Neda Agha-Soltan, was shot by the Basij (a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution’s leader Ayatollah Khomeini) and died in front of cameras on Kargar Avenue in Tehran. Videos of the killing went viral on the internet and on June 22 riot police broke up the main rally in Tehran with tear gas and live fire into the air. Agha-Soltan became a symbol for the opposition protesters, many of whom car-

ried signs with her image or name. The Iranian government confirmed 36 people dead, while supporters of Mousavi alleged that there were 72 deaths in the three months following the disputed election.

While the protests lasted, Iranian authorities closed universities in Tehran, blocked web sites, blocked cell phone transmissions and text messaging, and banned rallies. Some journalists were detained, including NEWSWEEK’s Maziar Bahari. With journalists being detained, confirming reports became impossible.

During Friday prayers, broadcast live on television on 26 June, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami was reported to have said that “Anybody who fights against the Islamic system or the leader of Islamic society, fight him until complete destruction.” Khatami also called for the execution of leading demonstrators describing them as “peo-

ple who wage war against God.” Khamenei had earlier insisted there would be no new election as opposition demanded.

The Iranian Oversight Council admitted that there were some vote irregularities, but government insisted they would not change the outcome. Despite wide protests, the government certified Ahmadinejad’s victory. And on August 5, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was swornin for his second term as President of Iran in an official inauguration in Tehran. Protests were held outside the Parliament during the inauguration, with protesters chanting “death to the dictator”.

Mousavi promised to continue opposing the election results, and called for protests to continue in ways that would not “create tension.” Two years after, protesters continue licking their wounds.

The life, times and death of M. K. O. Abiola • Continued on page 18

available in the land. As a result, the club went on to be on top of the league not only in Nigeria but also in Africa. He, however, eventually disbanded the club because of intractable disagreement with the soccer authorities in the country then.

He, it was noted, increasingly veered into controversies with almost a self-willed insistence. One of the most notable then was the manner he was propagating his religion of Islam. Abiola, it was said, launched a oneman campaign to institute Sharia law in the southern part of the country. It was also speculated that he was in the forefront of those who led the country to join the controversial Organisation of Islamic Conference, OIC, in 1986. In reaction, some Christian groups asked their members not patronize any of the Concord titles. Abiola, however, refuted being part of the OIC scheme. He was quoted as saying: “I swear in the name of Almighty Allah, that I was never consulted and I will never swear in vain.”

Abiola and his family members were also involved in a widely reported face-off with the Nigerian Air Force. This gruesome drama had uncannily occurred a few days after he was installed as the Are Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland when he had been forewarned of tragic occurrences following the investiture. The imbroglio had been triggered off by a traffic mishap involving one of Abiola’s sons and a car in the fleet of the then Air Force chief, Nura Imam. The imbroglio had resulted in the invasion of Abiola’s household with some of the members being carted off into detention.

Abiola made initial fruitless efforts to get the

detainees released by telephoning very senior military officers including Imam. In reply to one of the entreaties made by Abiola, Imam was reported to have made a memorable statement that the Air Force men’s behavior was understandable because they “are trained to have behaved like mad dogs.”

A chronicler of his wrote that Abiola gave romanticism to money. He captured the imagination of his fellow countrymen by his sheer spending power and generous donations. The fabled polygamist and multimillionaire had his hand in many pies.

Apart from communications which was his springboard, he also ventured into aviation, shipping, banking, farming and bakery. His publishing outfit, Concord grew from being a party megaphone into a formidable media empire. It not only grew into three national English language newspapers, but a chain of community newspapers circulating in various states were also established.

Newspapers published in three major Nigerian languages - Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo were also set up. A weekly news journal, African Concord was also part of the stable.

He was garlanded with numerous titles which were difficult to keep tab on. Some of the notable ones were: Baba Adinni of Yorubaland, the Bashorun of Ibadan, the Bobagunwa of Egbaland and the 14th Aare Ona Kakanfo (field marshal) of Yorubaland.

The Alafin of Oyo while conferring the title on him said: “He is a worthy person and a very rare breed. He has brought honour to his fatherland and I am sure he would still bring more honours to his country and the entire black race. It is true that the Kakanfo is a war title, but Abiola has been using his

wealth to fight wars against unemployment, poverty, and want. Therefore, we are making him Kakanfo for his war efforts in these fields.”

This particular title generated a plethora of controversies. The then Asipa of Oyo and a member of the Alafin’s traditional cabinet, AmudaOlorunosebi instituted a legal action in court to stop the installation.

Prior to that period, there had been several myths surrounding the title of Kakanfo. Two of these are that they die a violent death and usually bring misfortune to the Yoruba people. One of the few examples frequently cited is Afobiola who was killed in the course of the conspiracy he engineered against the then Alafin of Oyo, Aole. This led to extensive turbulence and tragedy in Yorubaland.

Another successor in kakanfo lineage, Kurumi committed suicide after losing the war with Ibadan. The 13th Kakanfo and premier of the defunct Western Region, Ladoke Akintola was killed during the coup of January 15, 1966.

Abiola reportedly dismissed all these myths as nonsense. Said he: Does that mean if I am not made Kakanfo, I will never die?

The Alafin, too, said that many of the past 13 Kakanfos died peacefully in the bosom of their families.

After much prevarication, the then military leader, Ibrahim Babangida decided to hold national elections in 1993. The prime election, the presidential, was slated for June 12. Abiola, against numerous counsels, notably by his first wife, Simbiat, elected to run for the election. Mobilising massive resources, he campaigned vigorously across the length and breadth of the country and seemingly won the hearts of many Nigerians.

On the day of the election, June 12, voting materials had arrived at polling stations across the nation on time except for a few places where there were delays. Millions of Nigerians had chosen to ignore the confusion occasioned by an order of an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Bassey Ikpeme following a curious suit instituted by the maverick Arthur Nzeribe -led group, Association for Better Nigeria, ABN. The court ruling had resAnother chronicler of his life observed that it was “a paradox of pain and pleasure; a parable of poverty and plentyAnother chronicler of his life observed that it was “a paradox of pain and pleasure; a parable of poverty and plentyAnother chronicler of his life observed that it was “a paradox of pain and pleasure; a parable of poverty and plentyAnother chronicler of his life observed that it was “a paradox of pain and pleasure; a parable of poverty and plentyrained the National Electoral Commission (NEC) from conducting the election. Defying the order, NEC went ahead with the election and Nigerians turned out en masse to vote.

From the earlier results released, Abiola was, to numerous observers, poised to clinch the mandate in what was widely adjudged a fair and free election. The junta, in a midboggling act, halted and eventually annulled the election. The development threw the nation into a big crisis that almost dismembered it. In his spirited efforts, backed by numerous patriots, to claim his mandate, Abiola was arrested by the late General Sanni Abacha, incarcerated, made to undergo grueling trial and eventually died in mysterious circumstances in detention on July 7, 1998.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011

Unending cement price war Barely few days to the expiration of the Federal Government’s 30-day ultimatum given to stakeholders to reduce the price of cement, it appears there is no end to the price war, as retailers and middlemen - two key factors in the distribution chain, are yet to fully comply with the directive, report Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf and Toba Agboola

T

HE unprecedented increase in the price of cement, a major staple required in the building and construction industry, which has been sustained in the last couple of months, no doubt, has remained a source of concern to all stakeholders, considering the ripple effects this is already having on the economy.

The Nation can authoritatively report that the much anticipated price reduction of the commodity to the initial N1,450, which it sold at long before the ultimatum issued by the Federal Government, is yet to materialise, as the price currently oscillates between N2,100 and N1,900, as against N2,800 and N2,600, which it sold for about a fortnight ago.

President Goodluck Jonathan had last month, at a stakeholders’ forum, with the manufacturers agreed to crash the price of cement. But the manufacturers, who bought this idea, are ironically helpless when it comes to enforcing this rule, especially as it concerns the middlemen and retailers, who are major factors to reckon with in the distribution chain.

Price monopoly It is instructive to note that one of the major players in the sector, Dangote Cement, had last week, advertised its N1,500 control price, but not without a clause. The advert, which was published by some national dailies, said only those buying truck loads (from 600 bags) could buy at that price.

Besides, some measures put in place by the members of the Cement Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (CMAN) since the ultimatum was pronounced include but not limited to the following: opening of more depots, thus bringing the products closer to buyers; increase production to curb scarcity; while some even bought more trucks to ease haulage challenges.

But the missing links in the price crash target are the middlemen, who, according to the manufacturers, are working at cross purpose with the other stakeholders.

However, at separate interviews with The Nation, some of the distributors, gave plausible reasons for what they described as the “raging price war of cement.”

According to a cross-section of respondents, a constellation of forces are responsible for the hike in the price of cement, chief among, which include the high cost of transportation of the commodity to the final consumers.

Retailers’ perspective A retailer, Mr. Alabi, in Agbara, an uptown district in Ogun state, fell short of Cement prices

Year

N2,500 N1,800 N1,600 N1,350 N1,300

2011 2010 2009 2008 2007

•Price list of cement in the last five years

• Bags of cement

“The selling price of cement, as it is sold currently, is a reflection of the cost of doing business in the country generally. As at today, diesel, used for transporting cement, still sold for N160 per litre; most roads are in bad shapes, while significant costs are still being incurred by the distributors for loading and offloading of the product. We cannot bear this entire cost alone, and this is why we have to pass it to the final consumer out there” blaming the government for criminal negligence of its statutory responsibility to the the people.

He said: “I find it rather hard to believe that the Federal Government wants to rely on fiat to bring down the price of cement. I consider that a case of placing the cart before the horse because it’s just simply arithmetrics - prices of any commodity at all, are a function of the market forces. This is particularly true for cement.”

Expatiating, he said: “It is been rather difficult to buy diesel, which powers the heavy duty trucks required to haul these commodities due to artificial scarcity. Even when it is not scarce, it has been priced away from the reach of the common man.

Our roads are going from bad to worse. Just this morning (last Wednesday), I received

news that trailer that was bringing in cement for me had an accident some where in Ilaro. And has is usually the case, some of the products would get missing in transit before we send reinforcement. These are some of the challenges we contend with.”

Like Alabi, a major distributor of Dangote branded cement, Mr. Oritse Dare, attributed the hike in cement price by socalled retailers to the rising cost of operational expenses.

“I can tell you that most retailers who hike the price of cement are not doing it willfully but are forced by circumstance or market expediency to do so”, Dare said: “Don’t forget, we are in business to make profit, nobody wants to run at a loss. I know for sure that Dangote is currently selling a 50kg bag of cement at the rate of N1,500.

There are so many running costs to cover, and at the end, you must make profit if you want to stay in business, otherwise you may not be able to cover your cost, talkless of making profit.”

Echoing same views, Mrs Constance Umelo, who sells cement at the Iyana-Ipaja axis of Lagos, said: “The selling price of cement, as it is sold currently, is a reflection of the cost of doing business in the country generally. As at today, diesel, used for transporting cement, still sold for N160 per litre; most roads are in bad shapes, while significant costs are still being incurred by the distributors for loading and off-loading of the product. We cannot bear this entire cost alone, and this is why we have to pass it to the final consumer out there.”

Price war The Nation can authoritatively report that the price of cement, has had a telling effect on other allied products required in the building and construction industry.

For instance, the price of blocks, whether hand-mould or machine fabricated, have since gone up.

At Edu Village in Ogun State, handmould blocks of six and nine inches sold for between N110 and N120, N160, and N170 respectively, as against the initial •Continued on page 58

58

Business

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Photo News

Unending cement price war •Continued from page 57

price of N70 and N100, it sold previously.

Confirming this development, a bricklayer, in the neighbourhood, who simply gave his name as Papa Blessing said, the hike in the price of blocks was a reaction to the current price of cement in the market.

Corroborating him, a businessman, who runs a block industry at Iyana axis of Lagos, and who would not want be named, said most block industries were not bound to comply with the Federal Government directive, as majority of them probably bought cement at a high cost.

“For me, it does not make any economic sense to suddenly bring down the price of my blocks simply because the Federal Government wants me to do so.

The blocks at my warehouse were made at a huge cost when the price of cement was at the roof top. So you cannot just expect me to crash my price now because the government wants me to do so”, he argued.

A silver lining The expected commencement of operations of the new six million metric tones per annum of Ibese Dangote Cement Plc has opened a new vista for the availability of the product and raised the hope of price stability. Dangote’s Ibese Cement plant is billed to commence cement production in its two lines by August this year.

According to the company’s projection Manager, Mr Bolu Aladeniyi, the first line of the six million metric tonnes capacity production plant is ready, while the second is billed to take off later.

Briefing journalists during a facility tour recently, Aladeniyi said the project is being handled by Sinoma International Engineering Company, a Chinese firm.

A breakdown of the costs of the plant shows that while the infrastructure, equipment and construction costs $400 million, about $280 million would be invested in a 105-mega watts power plant, which would run on biofuels (natural gas and coal). The power plant is to be completed in February next year. The 22km long gas pipeline will be completed

by December this year, just as the plant is

to be linked to the National Grid three months earlier.

The factory, occupying 2,000 hectares of land for mining of limestone with an estimated 90 years life span, is billed to produce 7,200 tonnes of cement per day, thereby helping to reduce import dependence.

The factory would have 300,000 metric tonnes storage capacity, six cement silos and roto packers that can pack 2,400 (50kg) bags per hour, and about 18 trucks at a time.

Aladeniyi noted that the factory site has limestone deposit capacity of about 240 million metric tonnes and its being constructed to ensure environmentally friendly operations.

The Ibese factory capacity, according to him , is also expected to add to the current production levels of the other cement production facilities in the Dangote Group.

Other cement produced in the group are Benue Cement Company, which is billed to raise production capacity from the current 2.8 million metric tonnes per annum (or about 7,000 metric tonnes per day), to 3.0 million metric tons per year; and Obajana Cement, six million metric tonnes, which plans a third line of 2.2 million metric tonnes line.

He stated that the project, when fully operational will provide direct employment for about 200 Nigerians, adding that there is a very cordial relationship between the company and the host community.

Apart from bringing development to the community, he said the company plans to provide two boreholes for the community, schools and hospitals to cater for the welfare of residence of the community, as is being done in Obajana and Gboko (BCC).

Besides dust emission control using ultra-modern equipment, there are also plans to ensure that there is no waste as all materials will be recycled and reused.

However, analysts, who have watched events unfold, believe that this ambitious project may sound too good to be true, considering the fact that past efforts have done little to ameliorate the intermittent scarcity and unstable price regime of the commodity. But whether these fears are real or unfounded, only time will tell.

•L-R: Wema Bank Chairman, Chief Samuel Bolarinwa with the Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi at the bank’s Annual General Meeting held in Lagos at the weekend PHOTO: JOHN EBHOTA

•L-R: Mr. Femi Olomola, National President, Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Sadiq-Sani and Mr. Allabeh Ndirmbula during the 2011 Professional Development Workshop organised by the Association in Lagos recently. PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA

PATH to partner GlaxoSmithKline, Crucell on malaria vaccine

T

HE PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) has hinted of plans to partner Dutch biopharmaceutical company Crucell N.V. and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

This collaboration is aimed at developing a second-generation vaccine against malaria—a deadly disease that kills close to 800,000 people annually, most of them young children under age five in Africa.

MVI, according to a statement, drives the development of malaria vaccines by joining its scientific, managerial, and field expertise with companies, universities, and governments to test potential malaria vaccines and invest in those with the most promise.

The new project will bring together two promising vaccine approaches in an effort to develop a malaria vaccine that may have the potential to improve on the efficacy of GSK’s first generation. RTS,S vaccine candidate. In this collaborative effort, a single dose of Crucell’s weakened recombinant adenovirus Ad35.CS.01 malaria vaccine approach will be administered, followed by two doses of GSK’s RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial that is expected to begin later this year. This would be the first test in humans of this “heterologous prime-boost” approach against malaria.

“We are at an important moment in malaria vaccine development,” said Dr. Christian Loucq, director of MVI. “For the first time, we have a malaria vaccine in late phase development in the form of the RTS’s vaccine candidate. This new collaboration, though in the early stages, gives us the opportunity to test an approach with the potential to substantially increase efficacy and move us closer to the internationally agreed upon goal of an 80 percent effective second-generation vaccine by 2025.”

The RTS,S vaccine candidate is currently in the midst of a large-scale Phase 3 clinical efficacy trial. If all goes well in Phase 3 testing, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has indicated that a policy recommendation for RTS,S is possible as early as 2015, paving the way for countries to make a decision about implementation through their national immunisation programmes.

The RTS,S trial, which is the outcome of a decade-long collaboration between MVI and GSK, involves 11 sites in seven African countries.

Crucell and MVI first began working together in 2007 to develop adenovirusbased vaccines targeting malaria and are currently collaborating on another heterologous prime-boost approach. Crucell’s Ad35.CS.01 was recently tested in a Phase 1 clinical study in the United States.

•L-R: President, Association of Economists and Statisticians of Nigeria with the Registrar, Musa Abu Ibrahim, at the First Mandatory Induction Programme organised by the Association recently.

PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA

•L-R: President, National Women Builders, Mrs. Adekemi Olofinkua, Women Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mrs. Anel Troost and the Guest Speaker, Mr. Anthony Obukohwo at the National PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA Women Builders seminar held recently in Ikeja, Lagos.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Business

59

‘Nigeria needs healthy workforce to improve productivity’ C

ONSIDERING the net worth of your company globally, do you think it qualifies to be listed among the Fortune 500 companies?

Fortune 500 rating in the US is produced based on a number of parameters and I think that it actually relates to publicly-quoted companies. Forever Living Product International is a global company and it is also registered within the United States of America.

Everywhere, in which it is operating, it is registered within those countries as an entity. But the reason why you will not find it quoted in the Fortune 500 is because it is a privatelyowned company.

Our company, Forever Living Product International is ranked as the largest private owned company in the State of Arizona in the USA, and it is going to remain so. It is not going to be quoted in the stock exchange at all. Its history, its progress, its future are all private. Even here in Nigeria, it is not quoted on the stock exchange.

In any country in the world, whether in Japan, UK, it is strictly a private company, and that’s why we call ourselves a ‘Family’.

Fortune 500 companies report to board of shareholders; they declare dividends and float stocks. But here, as far as we are concerned, there is no such thing.

When an individual becomes an FLP Distributor, he becomes a part owner in the company, and he is entitled to whatever he can work for. And now we are talking about nine million people all over the world, who are registered distributors of the company. All of them constitute the family and what they earn is entirely related to how much work they can do. Even the people who are earning half a million euros in profit every year don’t have equity in the company, they are just distributors.

So far this year, the highest person, a distributor who took profit share, which can be called “dividend” took away $720, 000.00, and that’s his own share of the profit of the company. So, you cannot equate us with Fortune 500 companies, we are not in the same category.

I’m not saying that we are better than them. But our own structure and management, ideology, the way we run our business, is completely unique and different from what we are seeing in other companies.

The success of Forever Living Product in Nigeria has been attributed to your management style, which tends to boost the morale of the workforce among other things. You may wish to elucidate more on that?

I think that’s a complement. We are very successful today in Nigeria because of the fact that we have emphasised the importance of people believing in themselves, I think that’s the right way for anybody who wants to grow to go.

I’m coming from the background of social marketing or integrated marketing communication. So far I have done 36 years in that field and I know that whether I’m selling chewing gum, or soft drink or campaigning against HIV/AIDS, in my entire career, I’ve always approached this whole thing in a very simple way: that no matter what awareness you create about any product or anything, or service or social issue, if you are not able to convince people, you will never get them to take action, simple. And how do you convince people, they have to believe. If they cannot believe in something, you cannot force them. It is when they are convinced about something that they take the action that you want.

The politician wants people to believe and take action to vote for them, the man who is selling soft drinks, wants people to believe about the products, isn’t it?

That is what business is all about. The distributors in this company are people who believe that they have the capacity to accomplish great things and that is why the business in Nigeria is flourishing. I think if more people in Nigeria have what our distributors have, which is self-confidence, which emanates from believing in ones own capacity to accomplish great things, we would have a fantastic country.

What does it takes to convince a prospective buyer of your branded products?

If I want to convince you about our products, I will bring a picture of the anatomy of your body and show it to you. I’m going to tell you that the way the organs of your body work and harmonise one with the other, is actually what would enable you to live long. And if I take the harmony out of the anatomy of your body, you will lie flat. You know why you lie flat? You are either sick or you are dead. The organisation that I’m representing and for which we labour, for which we create some of the greatest products on the face of the earth today, is to simply ensure that that anatomy of your body is functioning in a harmonious way so that you can enjoy the good life.

I’ll tell you that of what good is the money that you are making now if you do not have good health. I will tell you that whenever you wake up in the morning, you need to take care of this complexity because it is an area of human en-

Mr. Cornelius Tay is the Managing Director/President, Forever Living Products Nigeria (FLPN), a multi-level marketing company involved in the distribution and sales of Forever Living branded food supplements in Nigeria and Benin Republic. In this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf, the integrated marketing communication expert speaks on how the company has created wealth for individuals, companies and the nation 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678 12345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678901234567890121234567890123456789012345678901212345678901234567890123456789012123456789012345678

THE EXECUTIVE

•Tay

deavour that we have paid little or no regard for too long in Nigeria, whereas in developed part of the world they don’t play with food for their people. And of course, it is because out of the food comes the things that are required to keep the body and soul going.

It is even a serious thing now and that’s why government is taking interest in what we are doing because the productivity of a nation is what improves the economic performance of a nation. That productivity has to do with the amount of hours individuals contribute towards improving on the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) because the lower the amount of hours that an average individual can put into productive work in that economy, the lower the economic performance of that country. So, even government cannot afford to have its citizens spending more hours than lying down in the hospital or dying.

You said your company nets over $2billion as turnover yearly. That is quite huge. Now as a company, do you have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) component in place to give back to the society?

“Government is taking interest in what we are doing because the productivity of a nation is what improves the economic performance of a nation. That productivity has to do with the amount of hours individuals contribute towards improving on the nation’s GDP because the lower the amount of hours that an average individual can put into productive work in that economy, the lower the economic performance of that country”

Of course, we do. In fact, we have a huge organisation called Forever Giving. It is an incorporated humanitarian organisation duly registered in US, and doing humanitarian work worldwide. Apart from that, the individual companies that make up Forever Living all over the world do their charity.

For example, we in Nigeria are the biggest corporate sponsor of Little Saints Orphanage in the whole of this country.

There is no other company in Nigeria that has given the kind of support that we have given to the Little Saints Orphanage over the years. In a press statement the other day, the proprietress of the orphanage was calling on other corporate bodies to emulate our company in terms of social giving because apart from the volume or amount that we give, we are the most consistent. We give every month a good amount of money, which they use to help the motherless and abandoned children.

Whereas many other companies, it is only at the year end, during Christmas that they come and give them some money and some bags of rice, they dance and then disappear. We have been supporting them every month for the past 10 years, and we are now even thinking of giving more because our global body is working out something.

In Uganda, we have supported children. When the earthquake struck in Haiti, we were among the first to be there. We collaborated with the Mercy and Sharing Foundation, in Haiti.

Now in Japan, as a result of their tsunami, we are providing a huge support, contributing money and materials.

Of course, these are things that come naturally to us. Besides, many of our distributors have come from Europe to set up orphanage and schools here in Nigeria. Last year when we went to the US, the people from Benin and Nigeria contributed $7, 500, because during the event they just made an announcement that they would need some donations from the different countries present, and like the other countries, we in Nigeria and Benin just gathered ourselves, and we realised $7,500.

NATION ON SUNDAY 60 THE JUNE 12, 2011

T

HE financial sector’s playing field is gradually taking shape after the upheaval caused by the global meltdown and the consequent intervention by the financial sector regulator in 2008.

Expectedly, every player, nay bank, is taking its place based on their strength, defined largely by available capital.

Wema Bank Plc has clearly identified its niche and positioned itself to play in the regional category, following the CBN’s new categorization of banking entities into international, national and regional players.

The Chairman, Board of Directors, Chief Samuel Bolarinde, was unequivocal on this in his address to shareholders on Friday at the bank’s Annual General Meeting in Lagos.

He said: Wema Bank has chosen to play to its strengths and has applied for a Commercial Banking Licence with Regional scope under the new banking regime.

Recapitalisation Chief Ajayi, said the role of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), in purchasing a significant portion of the non-performing assets of the banking sector, has in no small way assisted in the recapitalization efforts of the bank.

“I am happy to announce that largely as a result of the sale of hitherto provisioned assets to AMCON, in combination with capital raising efforts that yielded the sum of N7.5 billion in fresh capital and recovery of some of the delinquent loans in the loans portfolio, your bank was able to scale the hurdle of recapitalization,” he stated.

The Managing Director/CEO, Segun Oloketuyi, said Wema Bank is fully recapitalized with shareholders funds of N14.837 billion and capital adequacy ratio of 12.44 per cent, which he declared, “ are respectively above the regulatory minimum of N10 billion.”

He assured the shareholders that with present standing of the bank, it would be in a position to start paying dividends in a year’s time. As he put it: “ We are not unmindful of the expectations of our shareholders now that the bank is back on its feet. We are committed to our corporate vision to be the financial institution of choice in service delivery and superior returns. With your continued support and

Business

‘Wema Bank will show its strength in regional banking’ Wema Bank Plc has positioned itself as a regional operator under the Central Bank of Nigeria’s banking categorization. The bank, which returned to profitability in the last financial year, promises to start paying dividends in the years ahead, reports SIMEON EBULU, Deputy Business Editor

DUE DILIGENCE

•Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi

encouragement, we are confident that your bank will start to pay dividends from the next Annual General Meeting.”

Financials The chairman indicated that Wema Bank’s performance was boosted largely by loan recovery. “The bank’s performance in the period under review was driven largely by loan recovery. While we have witnessed a significant boost to our bottom-line, it must be pointed out that a significant portion of this profit is accounted for by write-backs to

the profit and loss account from recovered loans,” Chief Ajayi, stated.

Nevertheless, he gave kudos to the collective efforts of the staff for helping to drive the bottom line. Ajayi, who announced a N16.24 billion profit after tax for the 2010 financial year, commended the staff, whom to whom he attributed the feat.

He stated: “I do not want to take anything away from our hardworking management and staff who made this possible. Indeed our operational efficiency has been improving and the business should achieve operational profitability within the first half of 2011.”

The chairman gave the bank’s gross earnings for the 12-month period of 2010 as N19.93 billion, compared to the N16.27 billion for the nine-month period up to December, 2009. As against the N16.24 billion PAT for the review period, the bank posted a N2.09 billion loss in the nine months preceding the review period, which was largely attributed to write-backs to the profit and loss account.

He said the Group’s gross earning grew by 14.7 per cent to N21.79 billion in the review period. It was N18.99 billion within the ninemonth period to December 2009. The Group’s Profit L-R: Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Hon. Farouk Lawan and Hon. Adeyinka After Tax also grew from Ajayi during the inauguration of the seventh National Assembly in Abuja recently a loss position of N7.53

billion to N17.46 billion, translating to a growth of 331.7 per cent within the review period.

Chief Ajayi, said the bank will absorb two subsidiaries which operations are complementary to its business; namely Wema Securities & Finance Plc and Wema Homes (Savings a Loans) Limited, adding that this will be the last year in which these accounts will be consolidated as the bank moves to divest its interest from its non-core subsidiaries.

Human Resources The CEO said the bank is focusing on developing its manpower base by leveraging on trainings to improve the skills-set of its employees. In his words: “The bank has invested in training solutions that ensure that all staff participate and are graded in various training courses. We are especially proud of our in-house web-based learning solutions which place before our employees, a body of knowledge which they can draw on conveniently from time to time.

Retail Banking Wema Bank, Oloketuyi said, will leverage on its strength as one of the most recognizable names in Nigeria’s banking history to drive its retail banking segment.

In addition, he said the bank has revamped its card services and virtual banking capabilities to further grow its retail portfolio.

Risk Management On risk management, Oloketuyi, said the bank is continuing the implementation its Enterprise Risk Management framework to ensure that all aspects of risk which the bank is exposed to are adequately identified, measured and mitigated.

Business Diary

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Bernard Okhakume

L

VOL 1 NO. 017

AST week we considered the psychological process of decision-making among consumers, through a step-bystep appreciation of the various steps from encounter to decision to buy. Not a few calls came through to us in reaction to that piece.

Particularly hit are students of advertising at various levels who immediately identified with the educative impact of the write-up.

However, we are focused on the psychology of decision to buy as a sequence because the process is a cocoon of various decision influencers, starting from point of first contact to the point of deciding-for (brand of choice).

In the entire purchase decision process, the media is the 50% of importance, with the other half spread across market learning, brand SWOT analysis versus competition, brand positioning and creative interpretation of the strategic focus for the given brand. In our days at the school of communications, we were taught that the medium is the message.

Put otherwise, the message is only as effective as the medium or media the conceptualized message is delivered.

I remember that media brief form was the second most critically considered step in the process of brand support strategy evolution.

There-in lays the importance of consumer profiling along the lines of psychograph and demography. For effective media planning, it is imperative to understand the target audience's media habits and usage. That consumer that must be persuaded to buy any particular product/brand must be REACHED through his or her known source of information within the spectrum of mass communication.

We cannot over emphasise the fact, therefore, that the effectiveness (return on advert investment) of any advertising is dependent upon the exactness of the media habit analysis in relation to the target audience.

In consideration of the impact of advertising media vehicle in brands' market performance, vis-a-vis consumer enlightenment, information and buyer decision influence, we start by considering the impact of OUTDOOR ADVERT MEDIA MEDIUM. Within the gamut of available advertising media/vehicles the most obtrusive is the OUTDOOR (Out -Of-home) media. By its nature and character, it is the one medium that confronts you outside the home, in the most obtrusive manner. It connects with the audi-

SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Outdoor Advertising as change agent ence in a manner unique in considering impact. It connects when the mind is free of every other media vehicle on motion. Static in nature, it is most resilient in assured repeat experience.

The outdoor advertising medium is basically a reminder medium. Specifically, it reminds the target audience of messages communicated through other media (TV, radio and press) sometimes mistakenly lead media vehicles. The outdoor medium communicates brand messages most precisely and exactly in fewer words (and pictures) than any other media vehicle in this market. Because it is the media for target audience in motion it is very quick to deliver the message. Hence major brands in the premium competitive market category will always invest heavily on OUTDOOR media for impact and reminder.

In addition, the outdoor media comes across as the cheapest media vehicle on the basis of cost per head over time. As a standard, it is contacted for twelve months at a time, 24hrs. Innovation has also enhanced its unique offering as the advert medium that does not go to sleep, through use of lighting and digital display.

Consequent upon its value essence, the outdoor medium has become a very important growth driver in marketing, sales and distribution, upon which economic growth is predicated. This is emphatic considering that it is one advert medium that effectively connect with the literate and non-literate; a communication medium with the most imposing brand image representation. To wit, it influences all categories of profiled target audience/market by reason of it's literally and visual impact. Even for the illiterate and barely literate, it communicates, influences and reminds.

The outdoor medium is also a positive change agent in environmental beautification. In developed economies, the aesthetic value of outdoor construction and hoarding is highly rated for aerial beautification. At night the electrical and digital display effect

forms the major centre of attraction. In one of my visits to Dubai, I witnessed how visitors and citizens troop out on the streets at night to enjoy the beauty of outdoor media. It enables elaborate night life out of home.

For us at MC&A Digest, our primary concern is the benefit of outdoor advertising medium on consumer information and influence, towards total satisfaction. The outdoor medium protects the consumer against product/brand compromise. To demonstrate this, consider the easy access of product registration and quality maintenance regulators to advert messages exposed through the use of outdoor medium. Suffice that any such product that is not registered for sale in Nigerian market (for reasons ranging from substandard quality through outright ban for reasons of economic policies in protection of local industries, to reasons of societal health) will not dare to use outdoor medium. Otherwise, agents of regulatory authorities will immediately clamp down on such product. Effectively, therefore, the outdoor medium is strong for credibility endorsement for brands.

In contrast, electronic and print media lends themselves to hit-and-run products. And because of instant message character, they tend to more easily escape the notice of regulatory authorities.

Secondly the outdoor medium helps consumers' information and recall at no cost to the consumer. For instance, the target audience for advert messages on newspaper will have to purchase the relevant newspaper or magazine, to see such adverts. Likewise, electronic medium presupposes ownership of radio or TV, to reach the target audience.

In the case of outdoor medium, the target audience only has to go out and about his or her daily activity to experience messages socommunicated.

Unfortunately, however, this very important advertising medium of huge economic importance is the most harassed by government regulatory authorities. Laws and edicts that stiffens outdoor practise are churned out,

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without consulting the relevant professional regulatory body. During the first term of Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos, the most damning of restricting directives were instituted, in the name of environmental beautification. Consequently so many outdoor advertising media structures were pulled down.

The new government laws designed to regulate hoardings in Lagos was so stringent, the outdoor advertising sub-sector was hard-hit.

Much as one appreciates the need for environmental sanitation and beautification, the suddenness and that decision to pull down about 2/3rd of hoardings within Lagos sent so many people out of job. So many outdoor companies could not withstand the impact of the government policy. Little or no consideration was given to the issue of practitioners' investment. So many spectacular hoardings prior to the implementation of the pull-down order, most structures were constructed on bank loans. Some others could not continue to practise because they hitherto play in select-markets Lagos/West, etc.

Outdoor Advertising Association of Nigeria (OAAN), as the professional body of outdoor practitioners, was largely compromised on the strength of that government policy. It could not protect its members against the onslaught.

Add to influence of government intervention is the attitude of most advertisers towards outdoor practitioners. Over the years, innovative players have tried within their individual capabilities, tried to inject professionalism into the practice, towards changing the perception of outdoor practice, among advertisers and media buyers.

Therein lies the challenge facing OAAN. It must stand up to protect the interest of its members. It must position itself as worthy of respect from government regulatory authorities. It must channel its energy towards building the image of ideal professionalism, worthy of respectability for itself.

OAAN is 83years old, and should not be a weeping child anymore. At the world congress for outdoor practitioners in Spain last month, emphasis was placed on the need for member-associations, worldwide, to protect their local practitioners in their various countries. This must resonate with practitioners in Nigeria.

The new executives of OAAAN led by Mr. Charles Chijide, the newly elected President, must begin with image laundering for the association. Such intervention should include industry-wide training and seminars that expose local practitioners to innovations in developed markets. The necessary change must be driven from every angle.

The consumers in Nigeria are watching, as stakeholders.

Police commissions multi-millionaire microfinance bank

By Risikat Ramoni

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•Ekong Udoabang, Project Manager, Y'ello Care, Akinwale Goodluck, Corporate Services Executive, MTN, Oyeronke Oyetunde, Snr. Manager, Regulatory Affairs, MTN, Atilola Williams, External Communications Officer, MTN, Bola Suleiman, Secretary, Heart of Gold Hospice and Tajudeen Omokide, Snr. Manager, S&D, MTN, when MTN staff donated household items and wheelchairs to the orphanage as part of the company's annual programme, 21 Days of Y'ello Care in Lagos on Wednesday.

HE Nigerian Police Force has commissioned the corporate headquarters of her microfinance bank on Thursday. The NPF microfinance Bank building, tagged, Aliyu Atta house, named after its founding father, is situated in Obalende, Lagos. It serves as the corporate headquarter of the bank.

The Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim charged the management of the bank to build such edifice in all the zones of the country in order to serve the police and the general public.

The IGP urged the management of the bank to put more effort to ensure the bank flourish as “no other security agency in Nigeria has established a bank that has lasted this long.”

According to the Chairman of the bank, Mrs Florence Adebanjo, the edifice was erected at the cost of N220million.

The Chairman stressed that NPF microfinance bank has ten branches all over the country.

During the 17th Annual General meeting, AGM of NPF at the Police Officer’s mess, Onikan, Lagos, Adebanjo said NPF is the only microfinance bank listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

The bank declared a dividend of 5k and had an increase of 41 percent increase of profit after tax. The profit increased to N180.7million in 2010 from N101.8million in 2009.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

How expectant mother, others were murdered in Taraba

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HEN 19-year old Miss Vasty Danladi of Karimjo community met Mr. Caleb Anthony, 19, of Jonjo, all in Karim-Lamido local government area of Taraba State early last year, she thought she had found love. She thought she had found someone she could leave her parents and marry. The joy of raising her home wrapped her scruples. It was also a welcome development to Vasty’s parents. But to Anthony, Vasty was never his true rib; she was not occupying any space in the frame of his heart. Love, it is often said, is blind and like a flower in the desert. Vasty was deluding herself in grandeur. The man she had often called “my only one”, was her doom.

It dawned on Vasty when she became pregnant, after a stint of hot dating with Caleb. Her “fiancé” could either marry her or accept the baby. He was said to have even deceived Vasty’s parents, who said they discovered the pregnancy in December last year, that his father had died several years ago.

Vasty’s father, Danladi Daniel however was able to meet with Anthony’s father, which prompted him (Anthony) to accept responsibility. As such, when he came on May 24 at 11:00pm and took Vasty away, it was thought to be the beginning of wedlock. But Anthony had a different plan. Marriage did not cross his mind.

It was revealed that he took the eight-month-old pregnant

From Fanen Ihyongo, Jalingo girl to a chemist to abort the foetus. The chemist identified as Mr. Abdulrazaq, confessed he administered two injections which killed the expectant mother. Her boyfriend, Anthony could not inform his in-laws of the sad development. Vasty was missing for 10 days, but when asked, he denied knowledge of her whereabouts.

Vasty’s body was discovered on June 4, by 4:00pm at an uncompleted government building few metres from the Divisional Police Station in the area. Danladi who was said to have fainted when he stumbled on his daughter’s lifeless body said: “her head was cut off; her breast, the foetus and other vital organs were removed.”

Anthony was arrested and detained at the Divisional Police Station, but angry youths, believed to be Vasty’s relatives, reportedly stormed the place and lynched him. The youth also torched Anthony’s house and gruesomely killed Abdulrazaq.

When The Nation visited the area at the weekend, Vasty’s decomposing headless body was still at the uncompleted building.

It was a horrifying sight.

The Nation also visited the late Anthony’s residence, but it was gathered that his remains had been buried. His family deserted the area after his home was razed to rubbles.

The Karimjo and Jonjo

communities have been thrown into mourning following the incident.

The communities would have clashed but for the intervention of the Council Chairman, Mr. Idi Mali. “I held a meeting quite on time for tighter security to avert a communal crisis”, he said.

Vasty’s father accused the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), whose name he gave as Alhaji Mahmud, of collecting N4,000 from him when he reported that his daughter was missing. He said: “when I discovered my daughter’s headless body and informed him, the DPO refused to go and examine it.”

When The Nation visited Mahmud’s office at the police station, located opposite the Local Government Secretariat, a new DPO, Mr. M. D. Shettima, was just arriving to takeover.

Mahmud has been accused of negligence to duty in the incidence. “The DPO lacks the moral rights to be a policeman, when he could not protect lives and property, even when someone (Anthony) was held in his custody”, a resident said.

What could have led to the mutilation of Vasty’s vital organs remains a puzzle. Why did Anthony butcher the corpse before depositing it at the uncompleted building? Or was it a ritualist that feasted on his heinous act? These were questions that Anthony was been interrogated to answer before the raging youths took the law into their hands and exterminated his

•Vasty

life.

Members of the public want the incident investigated for justice to take course. But the Nigerian police appear to be trying to bury the truth. The Police Public Relations Officer

(PPRO) Marinda Maiyaki and the Police Commissioner have been avoiding speaking on the incident, in spite of several calls and visits at the State Police Headquarters, Jalingo.

News

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

June 12: Aregbesola makes case for true federalism A S today brings back the memory of the annuled June 12 1993 presidential election believed to be the freest and fairest in the political history of Nigeria, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has charged Nigerians to re-dedicate themselves to the pursuit of true federal structure.

Aregbesola also charged both federal and state legislators to be at the vanguard of restructuring the nation to reflect true federalism by rescuing the country out of what he called “constitutional quagmire.”

In a statement signed by his Director, Bureau of Communications and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

governor said the achievement of a true federation where justice, equity and fairness prevail would be a service to the memory of the late Chief Moshood Abiola, who died fighting for democratic values.

“My charge now is to all lawmakers across the country. This is both for members of the National Assembly and the lawmakers at the state level. This is the time for us to legislate our way out of the current constitutional quagmire. We have wallowed for too long in this muddy water of under development and our redemption

lies in legislating for development. If we are able to do this, we would be doing a great service to the memories of those who fought to enthrone democracy such as MKO Abiola,” he advised.

Governor Aregbesola said it would be necessary to use the occasion of the 18th anniversary of the annulment of the June 12 presidential election to reflect on myriads of challenges facing the nation.

The governor, who lamented that the bane of the country’s development was the hurdle placed in the way of an ideal federation, said the battle for the re-validation of the annulled election, which was won by Abiola,

was a major eye-opener to the ills of the Nigerian federation.

“That election, its annulment by the General Ibrahim Babangida regime and the battles for its revalidation that followed it, were all pointers to the fact of the defective structure that we operate as a federation.

“There are myriads of challenges facing this nation, from lopsided revenue structure, unending agitation for states and local governments, cries of marginalization, religious and sectional frictions and many more were fallouts of the defective structure being operated by the country,” Aregbesola said.

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Sokoto pledges to improve workers’ welfare From Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto OKOTO state government has urged workers agitat ing for improved welfare package in the state to exer cise patience and restrain to allow appropriate atmosphere for tackling fundamental issues relating to welfare of civil servants in the state, the Head of Service, Alhaji Abdullahi Wali, has said.

The appeal is coming on the heels of stiff agitation by a section of the civil service over welfare even though the state government maintained that being a government with listening ear and ever labour-friendly, it was seriously looking into meeting demands of civil servants within its limited resources.

Wali who briefed newsmen at the conference hall of the Usman Farouk Secretariat, Sokoto, said the state government was committed to the welfare of civil servants even as he noted that civil servants constitute a tiny fraction of the state total population.

According to the Head of Service, “This responsibility has never been toyed with by the state government. It is pertinent to note that the state government has a lot of commitments to be met especially provision of essential services such as water, health, security, education among others.”

He explained further that the state government has a low internally generated revenue base compelling it to largely depend on the federal allocation to meet its obligations of service delivery.

He however said all the mill needs for quality and uninterrupted power supply is for the PHCN to connect the mill with a separate line from the Jebba Generating and Transmission Station, which is near the mill.

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Jebba Paper Mills seeks lifeline to boost production From John Ofikhenua, Jebba HE Director, Jebba Paper Mills (JPM) Limited, Mr. Abbey Jha, over the weekend sought government’s intervention in provision of infrastructure, especially uninterrupted power supply for the operation of the mill.

The company, which according to Jha is the core investor in the former Nigeria Paper Mills, could increase its current productivity, if government helps to ameliorate its challenges.

Jha said of the three production line, the mill is currently utilizing one line, adding that machine two is utilized only 20%, which is 1200 tonnes per month.

He urged the Federal Government to also give the firm a Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption for five years or deferment for 10 years.

Besides, the director who spoke with journalists during the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) monitoring team tour on the mill at Jebba, Kwara State, called on the government to protect basic paper manufacturing against cheap imports by increasing duty on finished papers to 40 per cent.

On the mill’s power challenges, Jha said : “We have not been able to tackle the situation,” adding that he had made efforts at getting the firm a power line with uninterrupted power supply from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to no avail.

According to him, “we are still grappling with the problem. The solution does not lie in the hands of Jebba Paper Mills. If the mill has to get uninterrupted power supply the only solution is to go for its own generator.”

He added that the mill has a power plant which is only designed for the use of LPFO but the cost of the fuel is unbearable because 115,000 litres of LPFO is required to generate 22mega watts of power.

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•Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State inspecting the on-going work at Agulu Aguinyi Water Scheme yesterday, the project is PHOTO: OBI CLETUS one of the 17 water scheme projects going on in the state.

Ex-militant leader, lieutenant gunned down

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N ex-militant leader, Com mander Ebi, was gunned down by unknown gunmen in Bayelsa state capital, Yenagoa, yesterday.

He was reportedly killed together with one of

From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

his lieutenants inside a car.

Eye-witnesses disclosed that the incident which occurred along Biogbolo road,Yenagoa, took place when suspected

gunmen swooped on the ex-militant’s vehicle who was accompanied by other friends including a police orderly in mufti who was wounded.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Aliyu Musa, who con-

Civil servants yet to receive allowances since 2009

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OME civil servants employed in 2009 and deployed to the Federal Training Centres in the six geopolitical zones of the country are yet to receive their allowances running into several millions of naira, it was learnt.

The allowances are monies meant for their first 28 days in lieu of accommodation allowance as enshrined in section 130105 of the Public Service Rule, since 2009.

The non-payment which is linked to the Of-

From Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa

fice of the Head of Service of the Federation is under the ‘Manpower Development Office (Management Development Institutions – Support and Linkages).

Confirming this development, some of those affected who spoke with The Nation under condition of anonymity said majority of them were still battling accommodation problems in the last three years.

According to them, their counterparts who

were employed in other ministries have since been paid. “We have made concerted efforts to the relevant authorities regarding this payment but to no avail”, the group lamented, adding: “We are therefore appealing to the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to use his good office to ensure that this money is paid without further delay to be able to overcome the severe accommodation problem most of us are currently facing in our respective stations.”

firmed the incident, however, said the ex-militant was ambushed by the gunmen, who opened fire on his vehicle.

Musa added that the wounded Police man was rushed to the hospital, even as he assured that the police authority was determined to apprehend the killers of the late Ebi. .

Impeccable sources disclosed that the killing may not be unconnected with some powerful political forces that have been on his trail for quite some time now.

It was learnt that at the height of the campaigns for the 2011 elections in the state, ex-commander Ebi had allegedly aliened himself to one of the leading political camps, where he was used for some dirty jobs and dumped.

Sources disclosed that, angered by the way he was dumped, Ebi vowed to hunt those who sent him to do the dirty job.

Imo PDP kicks over sacking of council chairmen From Emma Mgbeahurike, Owerri HE leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Imo state chapter, has condemned in its entirety the recent dissolution of local government council chairmen by the state governor, Rochas Okorocha.

This was made known yesterday by the state chairman of the party, Barr. Eze Duruiheoma (SAN) while briefing reporters in Owerri, the capital of Imo State.

Duruiheoma said that the sacking of the 27 council chairmen out of office was not only unlawful but also not in the interest of the state.

The chieftain of the party, who observed that the tenure of council chairmen and mode of removal was clearly stipulated in the constitution, wondered why the state governor chose to flout the constitution.

He said that the essence of constitutional government in a state is that things must be done correctly and not the other way round.

The state chairman, who described what transpired as an illegality however, assured party loyalists that the party would get to the root of the matter as they are considering several options.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News Fayemi’s wife raises over N60m at launching From Sulaiman Salawudeen, Ado-Ekiti

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RELU Bisi Fayemi, wife of the Ekiti State Governor, raised over N60 million in donations at the launching of the Ekiti Development Foundation (EDF), over the weekend.

Mrs. Fayemi also corrected an impression that the initiative was out to benefit only members of the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria, saying it goes beyond party affiliation, religion or creed, even as she added that the foundation would enable her reach out to the underprivileged segments of the Ekiti people.

It would be recalled that Erelu Fayemi had Thursday last week launched the Multiple Birth Trust Fund (MBTF) in Ado-Ekiti to offer a platform to render support to those blessed with multiple births like twins, triplets, quintuplets and so on.

Delivering her welcome address during the launch, Mrs. Fayemi said the Foundation would be used to tackle poverty, gender inequality, violence against women, infant and maternal mortality and other plagues bedeviling the citizens of the State.

Erelu Bisi, who harped on women empowerment as part of the cardinal focus of the EDF, disclosed that Governor Fayemi has given recognition to the women folk through the appointment of women into his cabinet which would make women to be better heard in the present administration.

I will serve with the fear of God, says Mark T HE ancient town of Otukpo, Benue State was agog yesterday as the people trooped out in large numbers to welcome home the President of the Senate, Senator David Mark who was returning home for the first time after his re-election to lead the Senate on June 6 in Abuja.

A statement by Paul Mumeh,Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate, said people besieged his Otukpo country home to catch a glimpse of him.

Addressing the crowd Mark said; “I have neither gold nor silver to give you

By Augustine Avwode

but I will honestly serve you with the best of my ability to make our society a better place. I will be honest and truthful. I will be committed to the ideals of nationhood.

“Above all, I will serve with the fear of God and I will be guided by the principles of fairness, justice, equity and respect for the rule of law.”

He added that as a true

son of Idomaland, “I have no enemy, everyone here is my brother and sister and I asked that we live and let live.”

He expressed appreciation to the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and all his colleagues who overwhelmingly elected him as the President of the Senate.

He promised, “I will be guided by the Constitution, the standing rule of the Sen-

Group tasks women on 21st century challenges

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HE President of the National Women Builders (NWB), a Non Governmental Organisation, Mrs. Adekemi Olofinkua, has urged women to prepare for challenges of the 21st century in order to remain relevant in the society.

Mrs. Olofinkua, who gave the advice at a seminar in Lagos under the theme: 'Becoming Relevant in 21st century', said it is important for women to add value to themselves and the people around them.

The NWB boss while justifying the setting up of the association, said its cardinal objectives includes but not limited to the provision of valuable information and opportunities for income generation and diversification, especially aimed at improving the standard of living of women at the grassroots.

Anthony Obukohwo of Credit and Management Solution Limited, who spoke on the topic: 'Sourcing and Managing for Funds', urged the women to be prudent mangers of resources.

"You must be on top of your business and don't leave it to others to manage especially at the early stage", Obukohwo stated.

Lanre Da-Silva whose presentation was entitled: 'Becoming Relevant in the Business Environment', stated that women have the potential of being great as well as becoming the best in whatever endeavours they choose for themselves.

•Alhaji Tajudeen Adebanjo of The Nation newspapers and his heartthrob at the Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Registry, Lagos during their wedding yesterday.

PHOTO: BADE DARAMOLA

ate and work in tandem with the wishes and aspirations of my colleagues so that collectively we will be able to lay a solid legislative frame work for the government to deliver the dividend of democracy to our people.”

He reiterated his resolve to ensure that the Constitutional Amendment continues so that, “the dream of our people to have Apa State created will be realised. I am committed to it and I believe that creation of additional states would be in the interest of our people because development would be nearer to them.”

He requested for the support and cooperation of all in order to make his tenure a huge success.

His wife, Helen specifically thanked the women for massively voting for the People Democratic Party (PDP) and reminded government of the 35 percent affirmative action for women in the country.

Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State who spoke through his Deputy, Stephen Lawani said Mark has brought fame and honour to the state, saying, “we will do all we can to support him to succeed as the President of the Senate.”

Elder Statesman, Major General Geoffrey Ejiga (Rtd) said the elders of the State have found a worthy son in Mark, “whom we must rally round to succeed as our leader.”

Ekiti declares Monday public holiday for June 12

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KITI State Government has declared Monday as public holiday to mark the 18th anniversary of the June 12, 1993 presidential election which was won by the late Chief Moshood Abiola.

Activities lined up by the state government to mark the June 12 celebration include a public lecture to be delivered on Sunday by the former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) at the Abiodun Adetiloye Hall of the State Trade Fair Complex, Ado-Ekiti.

A movie on the June 12 struggle entitled: “Maami”, by Tunde Kelani will be shown on Monday at the same venue.

The state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi in a statement on Saturday signed by his Special Adviser (Media), Mr. Mojeed Jamiu, described June 12 as “an important day in the history of democracy in Nigeria”.

He also advised the Federal Government to officially recognize June 12 as a national landmark maintaining that without June 12 there can never be May 29.

The governor said June 12 marked a watershed in the struggle to entrench democracy in the country adding that it has been universally acknowledged as the fountain of the democracy being enjoyed in the country today.

Fayemi also paid tributes to all those who paid the supreme price to ensure that democracy take root in the country, noting that it was their struggle that culminated in the nation’s eventual return to civil rule after many years of military dicatorship.

He said the people of Ekiti State who are now savouring the air of freedom brought about by the enthronement of a popular government will continue to remember June 12 with fond memories as he (Fayemi) was one of the actors that contributed to the struggle to chase the military overlords from power.

The governor urged the people of the state to also use the occasion as a moment of sober reflections on the journey so far with a mind to positively contribute to the development of the state.

•R-L: Professor Longmas Sambo Wapmuk, Director General/Chief Executive Officer, Industrial Training Fund (ITF); Mrs. Biola Orojo, Head, Human Resources Business Partner, Stanbic IBTC Bank; Mr. Tolu Oladipo, Head, Personal and Business Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank and Mrs. Doris Iyere, Head, Learning, Development and Strategy, Stanbic IBTC Bank during the presentation of the Industrial Training Fund “Best Contributing Employer in Human Resource Development Award” to Stanbic IBTC Bank.

Niger CAN calls for unity among Christians

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HE chairman of Niger state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Reverend Musa Dada has called for unity among Christians in the country in the face of many challenges confronting the faith.

Making this appeal in Minna on Saturday in a keynote address he presented at the 2011 Leadership Summit of the Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Niger state

From Justina Asishana Minna

chapter, Dada said that more than before Christians cannot afford not to be united, stressing that the challenges facing the faith have continued to be on the increase.

Commending the new leadership of CCN for organizing the summit, the CAN chairman said that, “this summit will serve as a wakeup call to us as Christians

and to help us train and retrain our leaders at all levels of responsibilities, in the face of the challenges and tasks ahead.”

He however lamented the lull in the activities of the CCN in the state. Dada blamed the inability of past leaders of the council to give the much desired focus and direction, this he said was responsible for the non-recognition of the council in the state.

He however expressed

hope that the council’s new leadership will work hard to take the council to its rightful position in the scheme of things in the state in particular and the country in general.

Earlier the state coordinator of CCN, Reverend Simeon Aremu expressed the readiness of the council to live up to its billing and responsibilities to the body of Christ, by being proactive in its activities of giving leadership to Christians.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

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HE ongoing trial of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, has assumed a new dimension with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) probing the alleged purchase of his official residence by the embattled Speaker.

The commission has also identified five posh houses in Abuja allegedly owned by the former Speaker. But the most controversial is the official residence of the Speaker which has been allegedly bought by Bankole for N48 million.

Four former members of the House have also reportedly agreed to testify against him over contract scam allegations.

With the purchase of the residence, the new Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal is left stranded. However, a former aide of the exspeaker, Kayode Odunaro when contacted denied any knowledge of the sale of the house. He said, “I am not aware if the official residence has been sold.

Those managing the house should be able to tell you more.”

It was also gathered that the EFCC may extend its investigation to the ownership of the official residence of the Senate President.

As at press time, there were indications that about five posh mansions had been traced to Bankole by the EFCC. They may be temporarily confiscated after due diligence under the Assets Forfeiture Clause in EFCC Act 2004.

One of the houses is the official residence of the Speaker in Apo Legislative Quarters which

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More trouble for Bankole •EFCC probes alleged purchase of official residence •Four posh mansions in Abuja traced to ex-Speaker •Contract scam: Four lawmakers may testify against him From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern operation

was allegedly bought for N48million under the guise of monetization.

It was learnt that the residence had initially been renovated by the government with over N600million before the purchase by the ex-Speaker.

The EFCC source added: “Out of three teams sent out, one of them succeeded in tracing five houses to the ex-Speaker, including the official residence of the Speaker. He is to respond to our enquiries on the said houses. We have got petitions on the sale of the official residence of the Speaker at pittance rate of N48million. The petitioners alleged that the residence was grossly undervalued.

“They also alleged that the residence ought not to have been bought because that is the official quarters meant for all successive House Speaker. The petitioners alleged that monetization has been taken to a ridiculous level with the sale of the Speaker’s resi-

New cabinet: Intense lobby for Petroleum, seven other portfolios S the nation awaits list of new ministers, there were indications yesterday that intense lobbying is going on in the battle for eight key portfolios.

The President, it was gathered, is under pressure to either ask technocrats to manage the eight ministries or concede them to politicallyoriented candidates.

But it was learnt that a former minister took his lobbying to a ridiculous level when he prostrated before a bigwig to help him influence his return to the cabinet.

Investigation by our correspondent showed that the seven critical portfolios are Petroleum Resources, Finance, Works, Power, Health, the Attorney-General of the Federation, Education, Agriculture, and Water Resources.

It was gathered that many stakeholders, including oil majors, have shown interest in these eight portfolios.

A top source in the Presidency, who spoke in confidence, said: “The battle for ministerial appointments is more intense on these portfolios than any other.

“The President has to choose between technocrats and politically-oriented candidates. But given his priorities in the next four years, the President may have to go for technocrats. Those to be compensated may be assigned less demanding ministries with strict supervision.

“But some ex-ministers, who managed the critical ministries before the dissolution of the cabinet, have been sending emissaries to the President to return them to their desks. The President has been keeping everyone guessing because he has his targets and may not bow to pressure on some portfolios.”

News

From Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern operation

Asked when the President will forward the list of ministers to the Senate, another source in the presidency merely added: “any moment from now” adding, “As soon as the National Assembly is through with the appointment of its key officers, the President will forward the list. I must admit that the recent distortion of the zoning formula in the House of Representatives has created a fresh challenge for the Presidency to find ways of accommodating the South-West and the NorthEast.

“There is no way the President can sideline two geopolitical zones in the country in his government.

Most leaders from the South-West and the North-East are unhappy with the dumping of the zoning formula by the party”, the source added.

By virtue of Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the President is mandated to form his cabinet.

The Section reads in part: “There shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President. Any appointment to the office of Minister of the Government of the Federation shall, if the nomination of any person to such office is confirmed by the Senate, be made by the President.

“Any appointment under subsection(2) of this section by the President shall be in conformity with the provisions of Section14(3) of this Constitution provided that in giving effect to the provisions aforesaid the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state.”

dence. They drew analogy that it is like President Goodluck Jonathan buying Aso Rock under the cover of monetization.

“We are already probing how the house was sold; the valuers involved; when the bid was conducted and how it was won. We will try as much as possible to unearth how the official residence was sold so that the public will appreciate our investigation.”

Investigation by The Nation showed that four ex-lawmakers quizzed by the EFCC during the week had claimed that the buck stopped at the ex- Speaker’s table on the controversial purchases made by the House.

It was gathered that in their statements, the four lawmakers tried to absolve themselves of blame on issues being probed by

the commission.

A top source in the commission said: “These lawmakers have made confessional statements and they may end up being our witnesses against the former Speaker. They tried to wriggle out of the scam in the House by admitting certain lapses by the House leadership.

“This was why the EFCC chairman was confident enough to tell lawmakers at an interactive forum during the week that the commission has evidence against him.

“Conveniently, we are set for trial and not the media trial being alleged by Bankole’s strategists.”

Meanwhile, Bankole may be arraigned next week on separate charges on different allegations.

The allegations bordered on al-

leged N2.3billion car scam and the controversial N10billion loan.

The EFCC source added: “We will arraign the Speaker separately on these two allegations anytime next week.”

A group, Youth Anti-Corruption League had about four weeks ago staged a protest to the EFCC demanding Bankole’s probe.

The League submitted a onepage petition to the EFCC through its President, Jumoke Iliyasu. In the petition the group said: “We are aware that your commission has received several petitions against the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole, about the N2.3billion car scam arising from the purchase of 407 Peugeot cars for the House sometimes in 2008.

“We are further aware that certain members of the ‘Progressive’ group of legislators submitted a petition against the same Speaker on the abuse of due process and corrupt practices associated with the N9bilion capital budget of the House of Representatives for 2008/ 2009 sessions. To the best of our knowledge, no visible action has been taken against him upon any of the petitions.”

‘I am now impotent’ Akinola Orisagbemi was personal assistant to the late Kudirat Abiola. During one of the many June 12, 1993 protests in Abuja, he was shot several times.

Taiwo Abiodun, who met him recently writes

F

OR Akinola Orisagbemi , he cannot forget his bitter experience of June 12 in a hurry. According to him, he was shot at Abuja during one of the June 12 demonstrations in the presence of the late MKO Abiola while he made effort to escape being killed.

The soldiers ran after him but he escaped.

“The soldiers made several attempts to kill me, I was arrested 18 times and detained for nine months in Kuje prison in Abuja and I was granted bail by the court.

It was the late Alhaja Kudirat, MKO, and GOK Ajayi (SAN) that bailed me with N7million as surety. Later I was shot severally during the June 12 demonstrations by the Abacha boys’’ Recounting his ordeals in the hands of the soldiers, he said “I was wearing the HOPE 93 T-shirt during the demonstration and when the soldiers saw us they pulled their triggers and shot at me 16 times! They shot me at the back, my legs and other places. I summoned courage and started running until I escaped and was later taken to the hospital in Garki.

There again we learnt that the soldiers were looking for me and I was smuggled out of Abuja and flown to EKO hospital in Lagos where the doctors battled to save my life.’’, He continued “The late MKO came to the hospital and asked whether I would survive or should

•Akinola Orisagbemi

be flown to Germany but the doctors assured him of my survival. Thank God that I eventually survived it but I was pained that MKO and his wife Kudi were killed’’ He spoke of how he could have been killed along with the late Kudirat , “I was in the toilet when they left. I would have gone with her to where she was going that day but due to the medicine I took the previous night I was purging and could not go, later I heard how Sofolahan betrayed him.

Sofolahan is a traitor and I was his senior in the Abiola household. I know God will not forgive him for what he did. Today, my condition is sad and getting worse, I cannot afford to buy my drugs again while I am penniless .I am half impotent for I don’t believe I can father a child again as it affected my system. The Lagos State government at a time promised to give us houses but nothing has been heard up till now. I suffered for this democracy , and I wish I am compensated .’’

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Foreign

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HILDREN and old women jogged alongside as Albertina Sisulu’s hearse made its way through Soweto’s humble streets to her grand funeral yesterday.

Nelson Mandela called Sisulu “one of the greatest South Africans” for her role fighting apartheid and nurturing a new generation of leaders. She collapsed and died at her Johannesburg home June 2 at the age of 92.

During yesterday’s funeral before a crowd ranging from ordinary Sowetans to government leaders from as far away as Egypt, Sisulu’s grandchildren recited the story of her life. She had not been expected to survive the Spanish influenza that was raging when she was born in 1918. She lived on to represent the anti-apartheid movement at home and abroad, and to champion the rights of women and children.

Mandela’s tribute, read by his wife Graca Machel during the official funeral with military honours, set off a brief, thrilling rally in which the crowd sang Mandela’s name. In his speech, Mandela listed several friends and colleagues he has lost in recent years. He said he felt Sisulu’s loss especially deeply.

“I would have loved to be here today to pay my personal respects but it would be too painful for me to see you go,” said Mandela, who at 92 rarely makes public appearances.

The Mandelas yesterday were marking the first anniversary of the death of Mandela’s 13-year-old greatgrand daughter Zenani, killed in a car crash on the way home from a soccer World Cup evening concert in Soweto.

Crowds of mourners began arriving early for Sisulu’s funeral, eventually filling about a quarter of a 40,000-seat soccer stadium.

Khesani Chauke, a 30-year-old Soweto resident, sat her four-yearold daughter in her lap, saying it was important for little Navelelo to be part of this moment in South African history.

“Even if she doesn’t remember, I will tell her she was here,” Chauke said.

Maureen Matlala, 39, boarded a bus Friday night with neighbours from eastern South Africa to get to

Anti-apartheid veteran Sisulu, buried amid praises

•South African President Jacob Suma (l) delivers a speech during the funeral of anti-apartheid heroine Abertina Sisulu

Soweto. Despite the all-night drive, she walked into the stadium crisp in the green, black and gold uniform of the ANC Women’s League, an organization Sisulu once led.

“She’s one of those women who made us who we are today,” said Matlala, who grew up hearing stories of the 1956 march on Pretoria that Sisulu helped organize. The march united thousands of women of all races against the extension to women of pass laws that restricted the movement of black South Africans.

The crowd cheered when a choir at Saturday’s funeral sang the march’s slogan — “you strike a woman, you strike a rock.”

Sisulu’s husband, former ANC

secretary general Walter Sisulu, was given a similar funeral after his death in 2003. Their love endured 26 years of separation while he was imprisoned for his anti-apartheid activities. Albertina Sisulu was buried next to her husband after Saturday’s funeral in a cemetery on the edge of Soweto.

The couple’s eldest son, Max, said at the funeral the two would never again be separated.

Walter Sisulu spent most of his time in prison on Robben Island alongside Mandela, whom he had brought into the ANC. While her husband was in prison, Albertina Sisulu, a nurse, raised the couple’s five children and several nieces and nephews, and

was a mother figure to many other young South Africans, some of them relatives, some not.

She was a leader of the United Democratic Front, a key antiapartheid coalition in the 1980s that brought together religious, labor and community development groups. Her activism led to months in jail and restrictions on her movements.

Younger Sisulus followed their parents into national service.

Daughter Lindiwe Sisulu is defense minister. Max Sisulu is speaker of the National Assembly.

Albertina Sisulu also served in parliament, taking a seat after the first all-race elections in 1994. She nominated Mandela for the 1994

parliamentary vote that made him South Africa’s first black president.

While Albertina and Walter Sisulu lived their last years in a leafy Johannesburg neighborhood reserved for whites under apartheid, Saturday’s funeral cortege started at their old house in Soweto, the black township synonymous with resistance to apartheid.

The funeral site, Orlando Stadium, was upgraded and saw its capacity nearly doubled for the soccer World Cup last year. It was the stage for the opening concert of a tournament that allowed Soweto and the rest of South Africa to show the world how far they had come from a divided past.

In his eulogy, President Jacob Zuma said Albertina Sisulu struggled for the unity black and white South Africans showed during the World Cup. “As a nation, we made our mother very proud,” he said. “We learned from her that we are one people.”

Walter Sisulu’s 2003 funeral and the 2007 ceremonies for Adelaide Tambo, the widow of Oliver Tambo — who led the ANC in exile while Mandela was imprisoned — prompted soul-searching among South Africans fearful of stumbling into the ordinary pitfalls of corruption and mismanagement after the extraordinary feat of bringing a peaceful end to brutal racist rule. Albertina Sisulu’s death has been followed by a similar debate over whether her model of sacrifice and discipline has been abandoned. In a contemporary twist, some of the discussion has been led on Twitter by a Sisulu grandson.

Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, in a sermon that closed Albertina Sisulu’s funeral, earned cheers when he said corruption betrayed “the legacy for which her family has striven.”

Somali militants claim minister’s killing

Protesters clash with police in China

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OMALIA’S al-Qaida-linked militant group on yesterday claimed responsibility for an explosion that killed the country’s interior minister, and said they did so because the minister was “an obstacle” to its endeavor to topple the struggling government.

Al-Shabab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage said at a press conference in the capital, Mogadishu, that militants would continue their attacks against top officials until they defeat the government of the Horn of Africa nation. Somalia has not had an effective government for two decades.

Interior Minister Abdishakur Sheik Hassan was killed Friday in an explosion in his home, and a female relative was suspected of being the bomber.

The attack followed a Thursday threat from al-Shabab that it would carry out “brazen attacks deep inside enemy territory,” a reference to government-controlled areas of the capital.

Rage did not explicitly say whether the woman, whose body was found on the scene, was behind the attack, but said blame should not fall on women and children. He thanked insiders who he said helped the attack. He did not elaborate.

Hassan’s official burial was ex-

pected to take place Saturday in the capital, Mogadishu.

Government forces and African Union peacekeepers in the capital on Saturday said they are beefing up security measures to prevent further attacks.

Ministry of Information spokesman Abdifatah Abdinur said security agents are “alert more than they used to be,” and that “people are going through extra screening.

“If they used to be screened once in the past, today they are being frisked twice,” he said.

Maj. Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the African Union peacekeepers backing Somalia’s fragile government, also said the force is on high alert.

“We know that they’re planning to conduct more attacks,” he said of al-Shabab militants, urging the public to be extra vigilant. “Our forces are on high alert for any possible suicide attacks.”

Violent protests against an agreement calling for the ouster of the country’s popular prime minister left at least two people dead on Friday.

For a country that has been swept by war and anarchy for two decades, Friday was a particularly bloody day and came barely two days after President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and

•Late Sheik Hassan

the speaker of parliament signed an internationally mediated agreement extending the government’s term by a year. It postponed an August presidential election until 2012 to give leaders more time to deal with security and political issues.

The government once controlled only a couple square miles (kilometers) near Mogadishu’s seaside airport. African Union officials who have thousands of troops in the country shoring up the government say they now control half the city after they launched a major offensive at the beginning of the year.

But the militants appear to be fighting back after they lost key positions in the capital, and also after they suffered setbacks in other parts of the country.

WO officials have been detained in central China after 1,500 protesters clashed with riot squads following the alleged death in police custody of a local legislator, state press said yesterday.

Two high level officials implicated in the June 4 death of Ran Jianxin, 49, — who had opposed a local government land grab — have been taken into police custody in Lichuan city, Hubei province, the Global Times said.

Ran’s death prompted more than 1,500 people to gather in front of government offices on Thursday, throwing bottles and objects at police and breaking down the gate to the compound, the government said in a statement posted Friday on its website.

“In order to prevent the situation from deteriorating, public security organs quickly adopted measures in accordance with the law to appropriately handle this mass incident,” the statement said in language usually used to refer to the use of force.

Photos of the unrest posted online showed police beating and scuffling with protesters while a large riot squad dressed in military helmets and fatigues lined up inside the gates of the government

compound.

China sees thousands of protests and other public disturbances each year, often linked to anger over official corruption, government abuses and the illegal seizure of land for development.

Such incidents have been prominent in recent weeks with ethnic Mongols in north China protesting against the encroachment of grasslands by mining concerns, while in late May a disgruntled man killed four in revenge bombings over property confiscation in the south of the country.

The death of detainees while in police custody is also a common cause of anger, especially if police are perceived to be using torture to extract forced confessions.

According to reports, Ran was detained on the order of higher-ups after he opposed a governmentbacked land grab in the city.

Police were interrogating him over alleged bribery when he died, they said.

Besides the two officials detained in connection with Ran’s death, a county prosecutor has resigned and a deputy director of the Lichuan Communist Party committee was removed from his post, the Global Times said.

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Foreign

Clinton warns against "new colonialism" in Africa A

FRICA must beware of "new colonialism" as China expands ties there and focus instead on partners able to help build productive capacity on the continent, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

Clinton, asked in a television interview in Zambia yesterday about China's rising influence on the continent, said Africans should be wary of friends who only deal with elites.

"We don't want to see a new colonialism in Africa," Clinton said in a television interview in Lusaka, the first stop on a five-day Africa tour.

"When people come to Africa to make investments, we want them to do well but also want them to do good," she said. "We don't want them to undermine good governance in

Africa."

China pumped almost $10 billion in investment into Africa in 2009 and trade has taken off as Beijing buys oil and other raw materials to fuel its booming economy.

Clinton, appearing on the "Africa 360" program, called for long term "sustainable" investment that would benefit Africa.

"We saw that during colonial times it is easy to come in, take out natural resources, pay off leaders and leave," she said.

Clinton pointed to U.S. efforts to improve political and economic governance in countries like Zambia as an example of a different approach.

"The United States is investing in the people of Zambia, not just the elites, and we are investing for the long run."

•US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton walks with Tanzania Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Membo as they watch a cultural dance at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam

African states, she said, could learn much from Asia on how governments can help support economic growth but said she did not see Beijing as a political role model.

"We are beginning to see a lot of problems" in China that will in-

tensify over the next 10 years, she said, pointing to friction over Chinese efforts to control the Internet as one example. "There are more lessons to learn from the United States and democracies," Clinton said.

Her trip, which also takes her to Tanzania and Ethiopia, is meant to highlight the Obama administration's drive to help African countries meet challenges ranging from HIV/ AIDS to food security and speed up often impressive economic growth.

William in first Trooping parade P

RINCE William and his wife Catherine took part in the pomp and pageantry yesterday as Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her official birthday.

William wore his wedding uniform -- this time complete with a bearskin hat for the traditional Trooping the Colour military parade in central London.

Dressed in the scarlet tunic of the honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, the Duke of Cambridge rode on horseback as Catherine joined other royals watching from a window.

It was the public's first chance to see the royal family all together since William and Kate's wedding on April 29, watched by an

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UNE 12, 2011 marks the eighteenth anniversary of the brazen annulment by the former President Ibrahim Babangida-led administration of a presidential election adjudged both nationally and internationally as the freest, fairest and the most credible election ever to be held in Nigeria .

Through an election that saw a Muslim-Muslim ticket, depicted by the emergence of the late Chief MKO Abiola and Alhaji Babagana Kingibe of the now-rested Social Democratic Party, SDP, against Alhaji Bashir Tofa and Dr. Sylvester Ugoh of the National Republican Convention, NRC, Nigerians were prepared to say ‘enough is enough’ to military dictatorship and they not only made known but also made good their promise with their votes on June 12, 1993. But, the military regime, then, led by General Ibrahim Babangida, on June 23, 1993, shamelessly annulled the people’s mandate As Nigeria marks the 18th anniversary of Babangida’s unfortunate act, the Campaign for Democracy, CD, takes an incursion into the past and is saddened to conclude that nothing spectacular has changed 18years after. While the sacrifices that went into the strug-

estimated two billion people around the world.

The event, celebrating the queen's 85th birthday, took place the day after her husband Prince Philip turned 90. He is the longest-serving consort in British history.

For the annual pageant, massed ranks of soldiers in the famous red tunics and bearskin hats of the British army march on Horse Guards Parade.

The Olympic beach volleyball competition will be held on the historic parade ground during the 2012 Games.

The pomp and ceremony of Trooping the Colour -- a hangover from preparations for battle

when colours or flags were "trooped" down the rank so soldiers could recognise them -marks the queen's official birthday.

Her actual birthday is on April 21 but traditionally the monarch has another in the summer months, because the weather is supposed to be better for open-air celebrations.

There were huge cheers from the crowd as the royals left Buckingham Palace.

The queen and Prince Philip -- also wearing a bearskin -- rode in an open phaeton carriage.

As regimental colonels, their eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, rode on

horseback alongside William, as did the queen's cousin Prince Edward, Duke of Kent.

Catherine joined other royals including her brother-in-law Prince Harry in watching from a room that was once military hero the Duke of Wellington's office.

After the ceremony, the royals headed back to Buckingham Palace to gather on the balcony for the first time since William's wedding.

They watched a fly-past of aircraft ranging from World War II Spitfires and Lancasters to modern Typhoon fighters before the Red Arrows aerobatics display team left trails of red, white

and blue smoke in the sky.

Thousands of well-wishers gathered outside the palace gates to see the royals.

Prince Philip received a new title for his 90th birthday on Friday, as the forthright consort said he would finally scale back his workload.

The queen made him Lord High Admiral -- the titular head of the British Royal Navy -partly in recognition of the promising seafaring career he gave up to spend a lifetime at her side.

He marked his birthday with a characteristic lack of fuss, hosting a charity reception and chairing a military conference.

Eighteen years after ‘June 12’ From Dr. Joe Okei-odumakin

gle to revalidate the annulled election cannot go unappreciated, it is particularly pathetic that the democratic height expected of the country is yet to be attained.

While we cannot but acknowledge 12 years of uninterrupted civil rule, it is sad that, 18 years after, it’s been so far, so sad! In truth, there is no doubting the fact that Nigeria is at a crossroads. While those who had struggled for the enthronement of democracy and the betterment of Nigeria have been consigned to the backstage in the day-to-day affairs of the country, those who had known next-tonothing about the struggle for democracy as well as those who were practically opposed to the spirit of ‘June 12’ are now at the corridors of power, power-drunk and further unleashing on the country what can rightly be referred to as democratic dictatorship.

Eighteen years after, the democracy, which Nigeria had earnestly craved for, still remains practically elusive. Even, the more preferred ‘transition to civil rule’ option is

still subject to critical evaluation.

Fundamental objectives of state policy remain elusive and poverty still remains unbanished as lives of the ordinary Nigerians still remain impoverished. From a 46% affliction rate in 1999, stark poverty has caught up with 76% of Nigerians in 12 years of civil rule and despite humongous increase in national revenue more than at any other period in history. The issue of power supply remains unaddressed even as successive governments continue to sink billions of the taxpayers’ money into phony projects. Our hospitals are glorified morgues while education and infrastructural facilities remain moribund.

Sadder still, while sister African countries like Ghana and South Africa are making resounding progress in their search for democratic expediency, Nigeria continues to retrogress not only democratically but also socio-economically. Still, those who joy in Nigeria ’s backward, and, now, ‘no movement’, characteristics have been deceiving us that our democ-

racy is at its best. And, so, while they daily swim in affluence, the people are with each passing day getting poorer for it.

Therefore, as we celebrate the heroes and heroines of Nigeria’s democracy; and, as Nigeria marks yet another in the history of her democratic watersheds, CD once again harps on the need for patriotic and democracy-loving Nigerians to go back to ‘June 12’ for the answers to the mirage of problems that are currently confronting our nation state, chief among which is the need to get our politics right and forge a nationhood based on justice, equity and fairplay.

We therefore call on Nigerians, irrespective of creed, race or religious inclination, or affiliation, to re-dedicate themselves to the struggle for genuine democracy; for credible elections; and for a new and an enduring constitution that will no doubt address the many socioeconomic crises confronting Nigeria . It is the inalienable right of the people to vote and make their votes count.

Similarly, it is the duty of the

current holders of power in Nigeria to always remember that, the culture of brazen looting, outright commercialization of politics and personlisation of offices cannot continue without consequences.

Nigeria risks the revenge of the poor if the current trends are not reversed.

Again, we salute the memory of M.K.O. Abiola and all the martyrs of that struggle whose sacrifices have given us the compass to navigate our ways for the democratic twists and turns notwithstanding, we shall get there someday.

Dr. Joe Okei-odumakin, President, Campaign for Democracy

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Living Faith

By David Oyedepo

You can access divine guidance! (2) AST week, I taught on what it takes to access divine guidance. This week, I will show you other things you need to do to access divine guidance.

1. Rise up early: There is time for everything in life. Broadcast stations have programme schedules for all their programmes. If the prime news hour is 7 a.m. each day and you tune in at 8 a.m., you can’t catch the news. All you can do then is to settle for second hand information, which is not the same as hearing it by yourself.

Invariably, hearing from God has its own time and season (Ecclesiastes 3:1). If you know when He attends to people, wisdom demands that you go to Him then, and it will be cheap to get His direction from Him. The exploits in Jesus’ ministry was founded on the principle of “as I hear, so I judge” (John 5:30). But how was that possible? He had an understanding of times and seasons. He knew when best to get His Father’s attention (Isaiah 50:4-5).

I call the early hours of the day “Heaven’s Radio Hour.” That is the time when instructions are passed down to those who are tuned to it. It is heaven’s radio hour for the wise! Those who tune in at that time catch the news from heaven, and they go ahead to make news on earth!

God is on line to all who care to listen to Him in the early hours of the morning. It is when He reaches out for their ears! The vital pillars of my life and ministry were delivered to me in the early hours of the day. For instance, the 18-hour long vision I saw, which culminated in the mandate received for our ministry, began in the early hours of May 1, 1981. The vision is now 28 years! We give God all the glory!

When we were to move from Ilorin to Kaduna, the instruction was given to me in the early hour — 5.30 a.m! God said to me, “Arise, get out to Damascus, and there it shall be told you what things are there for you to do.” It was also in the early hours of the morning in 1989 that I received the instruction, “Arise, get down to Lagos and raise Me a people.”

God is best heard in the early hours of the morning; so tune in for His instructions then. You can’t be a heavy sleeper and expect to be a star at the same time. You have to choose one! Nothing corrupts destiny like sleep!

Many of us just need one little instruction to step into the great destiny God has for us. All we need to do is to locate His pathway to it, which is delivered by instruction. There is no shame for those who wait on God at the right time. That is when He can pass necessary instructions to them, which will lead them to their distinction on earth.

2. Be watchful: Divine guidance is received during watchful moments. You make yourself available to receive God’s plan through watching. God’s Word says: I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me...

(Habakkuk 2:1).

Watching and praying are two different things. Prayer is calling upon God, while watching is conditioning your spirit-man to receive from God. It involves getting your spirit-man linked with heaven, in order to receive heaven’s signals. It is clearly different from praying, though the two go hand-in-hand.

The prophet, Habakkuk, prayed to God and then set himself to watch to see what God would say. He had to quit praying in order to watch.

Most people who talk about receiving God’s plans did so in moments of watchfulness. God’s plan could be revealed to you at anytime — when going about your daily affairs, behind the wheels of a car driving, etc. As long as your spirit-man is tuned to receiving from God, His glorious plan will drop upon you.

The vision for our ministry, for instance, was received through watchfulness. It came when I travelled to see some friends. Though I didn’t meet them, I was not angry or dismayed. Rather, as I turned to leave, the Holy Ghost said to me, “All things work together to the advantage of them that love the Lord.” It was a flash in my spirit-man! A flash so sweet; it made me relax! I could have missed it if I were not watchful!

Friend, the power to be watchful is available, if you are born again. You become born again by confessing your sins and accepting Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. You can be born again now if you are set, as you say this prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins. Cleanse me with Your precious Blood.

Today, Lord Jesus, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now I know I am born again! I will continue this teaching next week.

I invite you to come and fellowship with us at the Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, the covenant home of Winners. Our midweek services hold on Wednesdays between 6 and 8 p.m. We have four services on Sundays. The first one holds between 6.30 and 8.15 a.m., the second between 8.25 a.m. and 10.10 a.m., the third between 10.20 a.m. and 12.05 p.m. and the fourth between 12.15 and 2.00 p.m.

Every exploit in life is a product of knowledge. For further reading, please get my books — In Pursuit Of Vision, Understanding Vision and Understanding Divine Direction.

I know this teaching has blessed you. Write and share your testimony with me through: BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO, Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, P.M.B. 21688, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria; or call 7747546-8; or E-mail: bishop@davidoyedepoministries.org

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Worship

Odejide tasks Jonathan, Mark on nation building

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HE Bishop of Ifo Diocese (Anglican Communion), The Rt. Rev. J. Akin Odejide took a look at the state of the nation and concluded that the provision of basic social amenities such as uninterrupted electricity supply, good road network and adequate employment opportunities for the unemployed youth would enhance the rate of socio-economic development in the country.

Odejide, who made this remark during the presentation of the ‘Bishop Charge’ at the second session of the first Synod of the Diocese of Ifo, with the theme ‘Be a citizen of Heaven’(Phillipians 3:20&21), held at St. Paul’s Church, Oluke – Ifo, Ogun State, stressed that improving the standard of the nation’s educational system at all levels through the provision of infrastructures for the school system in primary and secondary levels and research funds for tertiary education will not only restore the lost glory of the nation’s education sector but will be one of the most outstanding legacies of the Jonathan administration.

The cleric, however, congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan, Senate President, Senator David Mark and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and other elected officials, calling on them to know that it was God that put them in the positions and that they should have the fear of God, as well as see their

present positions as a means of provision of qualitative service and stewardship to the people whose votes they sought during the electioneering campaigns.

Odejide also enjoined Nigerians to give glory to Almighty God for the success of the 2011 elections, pointing out that if not for God the nation could have been in war by now.

Speaking on the last elections, the Bishop condemned the spate of violence the nation went through after the April elections, describing it as cowardly and despicable, calling on the government and the nation’s security operatives to carry out a proper investigation on the crisis and ensure that severe penalties are prescribed for those found culpable.

According to him, the April elections in the country had been adjudged by Human Rights Groups and the International community as the fairest one ever conducted in Nigeria but it remains the bloodiest that had ever happened “because over 800 people were killed during and after the elections”.

The bishop noted that kudos should be given to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega and his staff for their boldness, courage and doggedness in ensuring the 2011 elections were credible, thereby proving to all and sundry that credible elections could be conducted in Nigeria like in other parts of the world.

Divine Appointment Ministries donates borehole

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HE Divine Appointment Ministries International, Palmgrove, has donated a bore hole to the community. This is part of the ministry’s project aimed at reaching out to the community where the church is located.

The founder and senior pastor of the church Rev. Ben Eragbami disclosed that the gesture is part of the church’s plan to contribute the welfare of the community and to make life more meaningful and comfortable. Water is life and as such its provision should be a thing of concern to all stakeholders.

He promised to engage in more projects that will uplift the living standard of the people. He urged the community to make good use of the borehole.

The borehole will serve Oyewole Shillon, Ilesha and its environ. It is hoped that this venture will alleviate the experience of portable water.

• Rev. Ben Eragbai

By Alidu Balogun

Rev. Eragbai urged individuals and organization to rise up and make provision for the need of the people.

According to him government alone can not make provision for the need of the people.

Making Sense of Life with adeWale Adefuye

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‘Verily, verily I say’: KJV@400

HIS year, 2011, marks the fourfold centennial of our beloved King James Version of the Bible in English, fondly called KJV. It was the recommended (more like authorised) version in our growing up days in the things of God. It was commissioned by King James I of England, in 1604, a few months after he ascended to the throne. Six panels of translators, composed of 47 of the most capable scholars and linguists in England, divided up the work among themselves. The Old Testament was entrusted to three committees, the New Testament to two, and the Apocrypha to one.

As each committee completed their assignment, the draft translation of the whole Bible was reviewed by a smaller group of 12 men, two from each panel. The final draft was then sent to the printer. From 1604 to the publishing date of May 2, 1611, the King James Version was seven years in production.

It received no overwhelming reception at the time. Criticism from both Roman Catholic and Protestant sources, coupled with the people’s familiarity and love for the Geneva Bible of 50 years earlier, ensured its failure to gain initial widespread acceptance. Time would alter that. Within a hundred years, the King James Version was deservedly hailed as a classic and viewed as one of the high points of English literary achievements.

Literary critics have remarked that the two most influential works in the shaping of the English language are the writings of William Shakespeare and the 1611 King James Bible.

The latter birthed such inimitable expressions as: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ ‘Verily, verily I say unto thee.’ ‘Physician, heal thyself.’ No other translation of God’s word has held sway over English-speaking peoples the world over as the King James Bible.

Growing up in faith, we were fed on the KJV. It formed the language of our early Bible memorisation efforts: Psalm 91: ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.’ We would always conclude the Lord’s Prayer thus: ‘Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen’.

Most Bible study materials in English like concordances and commentaries are based on the KJV. Our hymn books were products of the Reformation and written in thees and thous. Prophecies were almost always uttered in the language of the 1600s: Thus saith the LORD. Its popularity speaks for itself as it remained the number one selling English translation for centuries.

Our only grouse with the KJV was one of the ground rules of its translation from the original languages of the Bible (Hebrew, Koine, or common, Greek and a little Aramaic) which forbad the translation into the everyday English language of the time of old religious words like ‘church’, ‘baptism’, and ‘bishop’. That would have made untenable certain man-made doctrines, like baptism by sprinkling. The English word ‘baptism’ was merely transliterated from its Greek original: baptizo, which simply means ‘to dip and make fully wet’ — a daily ritual in many homes: people baptise their bread... by dunking it into tea! Had ‘John the Baptist’ been rendered ‘John the Dipper’, there would have been no debate about ‘baptism by sprinkling’, socalled.

A theologian once quipped on the craze to be named bishop: ‘Why, I have a houseful of bishops: my housemaid, driver and cook! Each oversees a different area of work in the house.’ Indeed, bishop originally had no ecclesiastical connotation as its Greek source - episkopos – quite simply means ‘overseer’.

As the flagship of the English translation, the KJV kept its position for over 250 years until other major translation projects were undertaken partly as a result of the discovery of older manuscripts and the need to keep up with dynamism in language.

Nowadays, most serious Kingdom citizens use at least three different versions (embracing the three philosophies of translation) in their study of God’s word. Literal equivalence tries to keep the exact words and phrases of the original. It is faithful to the original text but sometimes hard to understand as it tries to maintain historical consanguinity between the two. The KJV is an example of this approach. Dynamic equivalence (thought-forthought) tries to keep a constant ‘historical distance’ with regard to history and facts, but updates the writing style and grammar.

An example is the New International Version (NIV), which has wide acceptance comparable to the KJV. Another is the paraphrase, which typically explains or clarifies the text, like Eugene Peterson’s hugely popular ‘The Message’ Bible.

How’s your Hebrew?

Costly in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15 Many versions render the Hebrew word yaqar as precious but the context supports the NJV’s rendering, costly or TEV’s painful.

Implication: You are more useful to God alive than dead – especially after He’s invested so much in you! adeWale Adefuye, dean of LifeClass, can be reached at dean@lifeclassonline.org or by sms at 070 3002 3002 The Dean Speaks date: Friday 24- Sunday 26 June 2011 @ City of Refuge Church, 58, Ogudu Road, Ogudu GRA, Lagos. on: National Transformation - Practical Steps

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

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THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

News

Lagos remains committed to girlchild education, says Deputy Gov

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HE Lagos State Deputy Governor, Hon. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire has reiterated the commitment of the State government to the education of the girl-child.

She admonished parents to take advantage of the freeeducation policy of the Fashola administration to send their children and wards, especially the girl-child to school rather than turn them into street hawkers and domestic servants.

Orelope-Adefulire, who was speaking while receiving the staff and students of the New Era Girls Secondary School, Surulere who paid an excursion visit to her office, said provision of qualitative education at all levels in the state is a cardinal goal of the Fashola administration.

She noted that in the last four years, the state government through the Ministry of Education, under the leadership of her predecessor, Princess Adebisi Sarah Sosan, has improved public schools with the provision of textbooks for students, desks and benches as well as the training and retraining of teachers.

These investments according to her, have improved the performance of students in external examinations from 7% in 2008

to 21% in the year 2010.

The Deputy Governor also informed the students that the Child Rights Law in the State is designed to ensure that the rights of children are not eroded in any way and enjoined them to ensure that they seek the guidance of their teachers and school counselors on any domestic issues and problems they may be facing at home.

She said the state government welcomes constructive criticism and opinions from the public, especially the younger generation, noting that the effort of the government is geared towards giving them a brighter rewarding future.

The Principal of the School, Mrs. Kikelomo Thompson in her welcome address informed the Deputy Governor that the

school decided to pay her a courtesy call as part of their excursion programme, which she said is in line with the Lagos-Eko Project.

She added that the visit to the Round House office is also to congratulate OrelopeAdefulire on her election as the Deputy Governor of the State, noting that the students are proud to have another woman in that exalted position.

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ROTESTING National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Badagry Local Government area of Lagos state got their unpaid allowances from the council management over the weekend.

Only 39 members who are passing out were paid the three months local allowance of N5,000 per month, while those still in service are yet to be paid.

On Thursday the protesting Badagry Corps members blocked the entrance into the LGA secretariat at Ajara, preventing workers from going out and going in.

Reports stated after Mrs. Charles Tamonosiki, Badagry LGA NYSC Inspector had tendered a letter of apology on behalf of the corps members to the council boss, Mr. Mose Husitode, who subsequently directed that the allowances be paid.

NAN reports that the LGA boss while reacting to the protest said that there was no agreement between him and corps members on the payment of their allowance, saying: “It is only a privilege and not a right.”

Okogie tasks Jonathan on FOI bill

By Stella Edmund ATHOLIC Arch-bishop of Lagos, His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie has called on the media and stakeholders in the industry not to relent in the efforts to implement the Freedom of Information bill which President Goodluck Jonathan recently signed into law.

He made the call while speaking at the 45th World Communication Day activities with the theme” Truth proclamation and Authenticity of life in the Digital Age” held at Holy Cross Cathedral Lagos.

Cardinal Okogie noted that the bill would have been approved before now but for the fear by some people that it would expose corruption in the country adding that the bill is a major boost for media practice.

Okogie who said the Church appreciates the importance of modern technology, however decried the wrong application of the technology by unscrupulous individuals for nefarious activities, saying they should desist from such practice.

In his response, the Director of Social Communication in the Diocese, Monsignor Gabriel Osu said the world has gone global where everything about communication is modernise for better and higher productivity.

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• Rep Kingsley Ebenyi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Isi-Uzo/Enugu East Federal Constituency, Enugu State (l) and Chairman of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Enugu State, and also Chairman of Isi-Uzo LG Dr Sam Ugwu during reception for the lawmaker after the inauguration of the 7th National Assembly in Abuja last Monday, by the people of Isi-Uzo who had travelled from Enugu and other states in the country

Ogundokun, Osun PDP chieftain, escapes assassination again CHIEFTAIN of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, escaped assassination attempt on his life for the second time in less than a month.

Armed men attacked Ogundokun’s country home located at Isale-Oba in Iwo, Osun State in the wee hours of Saturday but they did not succeed as the septugenrian Ogundokun ran for cover in his adjacent old 3-story building.

A family source, Hon. Ayofe Adisa, said before they could reach Ogundokun he had fled through back door of the building.

The gunmen in frustration were said to have broken the main door leading into the old building, through where Ogundokun had charted his escape.

Our correspondent was among journalists conducted round the scene of the incident in Iwo yesterday, where a team of policemen came to investigate and obtain a statement from Ogundokun.

Apparently unruffled, the PDP chieftain said vital documents of federal road projects implicating some chieftains of the PDP in the immediate past administration of former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his professional certicate he bagged from the Hamilton Institute of Management Practice, New Jersey, USA, 3 Certificates of Occu-

Protesting corps members get unpaid allowances

From Adesoji Adeniyi, Osogbo

pancy of his buidings and a box containing some gold cutleries were among things carried away from his private room which was ransacked and turned upside down by the armed bandits.

“I just returned from Abuja very late Friday night and hoped to have family meeting on Saturday. I believe strongly that this is not a case of burglary but assassination.

They were out to kill. Since the previous attempt to kill me I have been receiving series of calls with threats that I will be dealt with for my courage and boldness. The callers always told me I would not escape because I am treading a dangerous path. They said I am fighting a course I could not accomplish. But I replied and cursed them. Mo ni ofo ni won ase, pe baba won ni won a pa (meaning ‘you will suffer loses and it your father that you will kill.”) This time around, the gun men wanted their attack on me to look like burglary that is why the took away the gold cutlery box and other things but I am saying it was not so. I suspected Olagunsoye Oyinlola and acting chairman, Osun State PDP, Sunday Ojo-Williams for several attempts on my life and I have confronted them many times without any of them replying me.

I am wooried why Oyinlola, who I played a

prominent role in installing him as governor is paying me back this way,” Ogundokun lamented.

Ogundokun, who is calling on President Goodluck Jonathan and Inspector General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Rigim, to save his life, inisisted that his boldness to expose maladministration of Oyinlola and injustice and selfishness of the current PDP exco under Ojo-William was re-

sponsible for attempt on his life.

Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State, Chief Yinka Adeojo, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, said what Ogundokun was alleging about some PDP chieftains, including former Governor Oyinlola, and the party’s acting chairman, Barrister Sunday Ojo-William, could not be true.

Group tasks women on 21st century challenges

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HE President of the National Women Builders (NWB), a Non Governmental Organisation, Mrs. Adekemi Olofinkua, has urged women to prepare for challenges of the 21st century in order to remain relevant in the society.

Mrs. Olofinkua, who gave the advice at a seminar in Lagos under the theme: ‘Becoming Relevant in 21st century’, said it is important for women to add value to themselves and the people around them.

The NWB boss while justifying the setting up of the association, said its cardinal objectives includes but not limited to the provision of valuable information and opportunities for income generation and diversification, especially aimed at improving the standard of living of women at the grassroots.

Anthony Obukohwo of Credit and Management Solution Limited, who spoke on the topic: ‘Sourcing and Managing for Funds’, urged the women to be prudent mangers of resources.

“You must be on top of your business and don’t leave it to others to manage especially at the early stage”, Obukohwo stated.

Lanre Da-Silva whose presentation was entitled: ‘Becoming Relevant in the Business Environment’, stated that women have the potential of being great as well as becoming the best in whatever endeavours they choose for themselves.

The slow road to nowhere Continued from page 16

To have change we can believe in, we must first believe we can change. Despite the rhetoric, President Obama has become or has always been a cynical orthodox economic realist.

He does not believe the economy or its underlying relationships can really change. Thus, he gets along as best he can by getting along with affluent and powerful. He has done what they want not what he should. Now the nation he leads walks the tightrope between slow growth and true recession.

Broad prosperity is no longer an option. President Obama has forfeited the welfare of the middle and working classes in exchange for the hope of sig-

nificant corporate donations to fuel his reelection campaign. If he ever possessed a noble inner vision, he has pawned it away.

Consequently, his playing host to several world leaders this past week took on aspects of the high theater of political hypocrisy. President Obama met several visiting African leaders, including President Jonathan. These oneon-one meetings were cordial enough but most likely the communication was imbalanced. Such meetings usually feature the American president advising the foreign leader how best to run his nation. By dint of America’s power, its leaders are presumed to be wisest. That a leader who

inadequately governs his own nation can be more astute and sure of what benefits another nation is possible but unlikely.

Though patently false, this remains accepted political liturgy.

President Obama reportedly advised President Jonathan to view corruption as his top priority.

This was sound advice equally germane to the speaker as the listener. The American political economy has turned into a corrupt bargain between politicians and the doyens of high finance. Much of what they do may be legal.

The politicians have the station to pass rules and laws turning what should be criminal into virtue. However, because a practice is

legal does not render it less corrupt. Before America reaches for the speck in Nigeria’s eye, it should excise the plank from its own.

America continues to transfer billions of dollars from its struggling citizenry in order to benefit big finance.

This endangers the overall economy and the over 299 million people who earn their living from it. This is done to further the already rich 500,000. This is neither the true fruit of democracy nor evidence of good governance. It is evidence that democratic governance has been supplanted by something more venal.

It signals America should spend less time offering homilies to others and more time restudying its own book.

THE NATION ON SUNDAY JUNE 12, 2011

Sport Extra

KANU’S TESTIMONIAL

'Nigeria All Stars’ defeat 'Friends of Kanu' 3-1 N

IGERIA football legend, Nwankwo Kanu yesterday took

a bow from international scene as ‘Friends of Kanu’ and ‘Nigerian All-Stars',

yesterday, played a testimonial match in his honour for his three-decade

football career at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.

The ‘Nigeria All Stars’ which also surprisingly featured Lagos State Governor,Raji Fashola, won the match 3-1, with Kanu scoring one of the goals.

Uche Ikechukwu opened scoring for the ‘All Stars’ team, while Emmanuel Adebayo pulled one back for ‘Friends of Kanu’.

Players who featured for both teams in the testimonial are; Emmanuel Adebayor, Jay Jay Okocha, Peterside Idah, Samuel Eto’o, Peter Rufai, Ike Shorounmu, Uche Okechukwu, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Sulley Mutari, Tony Yeboah, Obinna Nsofor, Ogbonna Kanu, Uche Ikechukwu, Alloy Agu, Danny Shittu, Dan Amokachi, Taiye Taiwo, Kalu Uche among others.

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Etuhu not bothered by Eagles' snub

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I G E R I A N international, Dickson Etuhu is relaxed about missing out on playing for Nigeria under Samson Siasia and has urged Super Eagles fans to get behind the new coach.

The Fulham midfielder hasn’t featured in a national squad since Siasia took charge of Nigeria in December but has taken his current cut-off from the international picture with good grace. Etuhu, who has been battling with Steve Sidwell for a regular spot in the Fulham side, remains confident that Nigeria have the talent to challenge on the international stage.

We have so much talent in this country, all we need to do is to be patient with the coach and he will give us a great team. I am

not really disturbed that I have not played under him, but I know Nigeria is blessed with so much talent around.

Look at Real Madrid, Man City for example, they haven’t achieved so much in a short time because they have not been playing together for a long time like Barca have been doing. If we keep changing teams we won’t get that continuity that we desire.

The 28 year-old has backed his team mates to qualify for the Nations Cup, despite some recent stumbles in qualifying.

I just believe he [Siasia] has the quality to take Nigerian football to the next level. As for the 2012 qualification, I don’t entertain any fears over Nigeria’s chances despite the draw with Ethiopia.

CONFEDERATIONS CUP TIE

CAF,Sunshinebeefup securityforIjebuOdetango •Nwankwo Kanu up against Arsenal’s Emmanuel Eboue as governor Raji Fashola give support on the right flank during the match yesterday at the Tesilim Balogun stadium Photo: BOLA OMILABU

AFRICAN NATIONS CUP QUALIFIERS

Onigbinde warns Eagles on complacency F ORMER Nigeria World Cup coach Adegboye Onigbinde has said the Super Eagles must do a lot more if they are to feature at the 2012 Nations Cup. Nigeria trail leaders Guinea by three points in Group B of the qualifying tournament for next year’s Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

The Eagles are therefore hard pressed to win their remaining two matches, away in Madagascar in September and at home to Guinea the following month.

Nigeria barely escaped with a 2-2 draw in their last qualifier in Ethiopia and 73year-old Onigbinde told

MTNFootball.com the Eagles struggled in Addis Ababa and will need to step up their game.

“The boys did not play as if there was anything at stake in the early stages of the game. They only woke up from their slumber when it dawned on them that time was running out,” said Onigbinde, a FIFA and CAF instructor.

“I am just relieved that the draw still gave us the chance to fight for the ticket in the last two games.

“As a Nigerian, I hope and sincerely believe that the Eagles can win the remaining two matches and pick the Nations Cup ticket, but they must also be wary of other teams.

Whatever we are planning, they too are planning.”

The member of the technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) also kicked against the rushed build-up for the Ethiopia match.

“It was very wrong for the team to leave for the venue of the match less than 24 hours to kick-off. The boys did not have enough rest before the match. Even we who accompanied them couldn't sleep since we had less than five hours to do so any way,” he remarked.

Onigbinde therefore called on the authorities to ensure every support is given the team for the remaining two matches.

Azuka, Oseni, hit Dream Team camp

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FTER missing out on two matches of the Nigeria U-23 to club commitment, Kieng Kiang of Vietnam striker Ganiyu Bolaji Oseni has informed NationSport that he will breeze into the country on Tuesday in time for the Saturday win or burst Olympic Games qualifier between the Dream Team V and the Vigana Stars of Tanzania in Benin.

Oseni missed the ties in San Jose against Costa Rica and the initial leg of the about to be played second leg tango when it was held in DaresSalam last weekend and his presence was solely missed as the team failed to find the back of the net in both affairs.

•To report in Benin Monday, Tuesday From Tunde Liadi, Owerri The former CSKA Moscow of Russia player averred to NationSport that he will be in Nigeria by Tuesday or Wednesday in readiness for the match adding that he was sure that the Dream Team V would soar past the hard fighting Tanzanians come next Saturday at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin. “ I will be in Nigeria by Tuesday or latest Wednesday. I have missed my colleagues and will do everything to contribute my quota to ensure our

qualification for the next round. Tanzania can only try but they will not succeed because I and my colleagues are ready for them.” Oseni who hinted NationSport that he had scored nine league goals this season stressed.

Al Ittihad of Libya Nigeria newest U-23 sensation Izu Azuka has also said he will leave for Benin tomorrow Monday 13th June, 2011 just barely a day after their single leg CAF Confederations Cup fixture against Sunshine Stars of Nigeria which is slated for today at the Gateway International Stadium, Ijebu Ode.

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OOTBALL governing body in Africa and Sunshine Stars FC of Nigeria are both not leaving any stone unturned in terms of security in their bid to have a hitch free CAF Confederations Cup encounter between the Mimiko Boys and Libyan Al Ittihad which holds today at the Gateway International Stadium,Ijebu Ode. Making this known to NationSport exclusively the Technical Director of the Ondo State Football Agency, Mike Idoko stated that CAF sent an advance security team to Ijebu Ode to monitor the security proceedings in the area and its environs and had given a feedback to the body.

He averred that the security team headed by a Cameroonian has since given a pass mark on the venue, the hotels which accomodated the referees, match commissioner and the visiting, Ittihad and its surroundings to set the tone for today’s tie and further highlighted that Sunshine Stars, the hosts have also mobilized over 100 police men and other security outings to ensure the match goes according to plan.

“CAF sent itssecurity team headed by one Abel from Doualla, Cameroon who came into Nigeria about five days ago and he has checked the hotels we are keeping the visiting team and he has also checked that one for the referees and match commissioner and our players.

He also inspected the stadium and asked what Sunshine had arranged in terms of security.

He has reported back to CAF what he saw which feelers scooped was in Nigeria’s favour.

“Sunshine Stars too have mobilized over 100 policemen to keep security in check and we also have other security outfits too to put things in order.

Nigeria has always been very hospitable hosts and this one will not be any different.”

On the threat of Ittihad to Sunshine’s place in the CAF Confederations Cup group stage the former NPA and

From Tunde Liadi, Owerri Warri Wolves’ Team Manager opined that Sunshine’s unbeaten home run will still increase by one after the Sunday’s encounter while urging Ijebu Ode and fans to troop out in numbers to aid the Mimiko Boys progress to the group stage of the Confederations at the expense of Ittihad.

“We are taking the match with Ittihad the way we have taken our other matches and if you check our record, no team

has come to Ijebu Ode without suffering defeat and ittihad won’t be an exception because we have never drawn any game here. Yes we admit they are a good side but as far as we are concern even though we are debutants we are not going to let Nigerians down.

“We are not going to single out any of their player even though we know the danger Izu Azuka can pose. We will take of every one of them since we have already watched their games and know their strength and weaknesses.”

Idoko stated.

Stoke City battles Fulham, Napoli for Nsofor

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TOKE are reportedly battling it out with Fulham and Napoli to snap up Nigerian forward Victor Obinna Nsofor after his loan stint at West Ham. The 24-year-old enjoyed a season long stay with the Hammers from Inter Milan last season but he prevent the club from slipping out of the Premier League.

Obinna initially turned in a number of eye catching performances at Upton Park before tailing off towards the end of the campaign, but he showed enough potential to impress City boss Tony Pulis.

The player has previously

made noises about preferring a move to another Italian side if things didn't work out for him at Inter, which could scupper the hopes of both Pulis and Fulham boss Martin Jol, who are scouring the transfer market for some potential bargain buys to strengthen their squads.

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QUEENS CHAMPIONSHIP

Murray sets up Tsonga tussle in finals ANDY Murray will face JoWilfried Tsonga in Sunday's final of the Aegon Championships after an impressive semi win over Andy Roddick.

Murray, the second seed for the tournament, was outstanding as he secured victory by 6-3 6-1 in less than an hour.

A sublime cross-court shot in the second game of the match gave Murray an early chance to break the American's serve, and he capitalised immediately.

The Scot hit ten aces as he served out the set before immediately breaking Roddick again in the opening game of the second set.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011 TRUTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM VOL. 5, NO. 1788

QUOTABLE “We are calling on all human rights groups, both locally and internationally to come to our aid and ensure that the soldiers involved in this heinous crime are brought to book . Likewise the policeman that fired first” — Relations of slain Badagry, Lagos DPO and DCO during their burial.

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HE election of Hon Aminu Tambuwal as Speaker of the House of Representatives raises two important but controversial questions. One is whether zoning is dead or dying in Nigeria’s power equation; and the other is whether it was wise for the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to have sided with Tambuwal against Hon Mulikat Adeola-Akande, the only Southwest and officially Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the post of Speaker. Zoning, whether in the PDP or any other political party, is neither dead nor dying, though the degree of adherence to it may vary from one politician to another, and from one party to another. What appears to be dying is the informal principle of rotation, particularly rotational presidency. Rotation should never be confused with zoning.

Rotation may have died in many developed countries, however, in one form or another, even in authoritarian or democratic governments, zoning still exists.

Since President Goodluck Jonathan brusquely brushed aside his party’s zoning arrangement and went on to win the presidential election in April, the North in particular has tried to sell the view that zoning is dead. And when the same president turned round during last week’s election of principal officers of the National Assembly to push the legislature to respect the party’s zoning arrangement, he was roundly condemned as a hypocrite for deploying the principle only when it suited him. The president, PDP executives and governors had, after rejigging the zoning arrangement disrupted by Jonathan’s election, backed the Southwest to pick the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives. If this effort failed, they warned ominously, the Southwest, an important component of the federation whose boisterous but often misunderstood politicking sometimes threatened the polity, could be alienated.

From 2015, except another grave threat to national stability arises, there is unlikely to be a consensus like we had in 1999 over who is qualified to stand for presidential election. The 1999 consensus arose not because the principle of rotation was widely accepted but because of the peculiar circumstances of the annulled June 12, 1993 elections. At the time, it was vaguely stated that the principle of rotation of power between the North and South would be the mechanism by which the polity would be stabilised. This was different from zoning, which was another word for federal character provided for in the constitution.

In fact, consequent upon the dynamics of April’s presidential election, it has become clear that whoever wishes to win any presidential election has to appreciate the electoral values of the zones, win three or four clearly, and split the rest.

There will be no rotation in 2015, and it will be useless for any zone, ethnic group or politician to expect to win the presidency on the basis of a consensus that even in the best of times existed only tenuously. But zoning will continue, and no party can hope to underestimate its role and significance in

Tambuwal, PDP and the Southwest

•Aminu Tambuwal

•Mulikat Adeola-Akande

our politics without hurting its chances of winning office. In addition, in spite of the best efforts of the political parties, there will always be the kind of hiccups and dislocations that led to the election of Tambuwal as Speaker. But rather than scuttle zoning entirely, they will only lead to a rejigging to restore some form of equilibrium. To the extent of this understanding of zoning and rotation, the election of Tambuwal from the Northwest, where the vice president comes from, does not threaten the polity in any significant way.

There is, however, no conceptual misunderstanding involved in the question of the wisdom or otherwise of the ACN backing Tambuwal against their own daughter. This potentially makes the issue a very testy one for the progressive party which swept the April polls in the region. This may explain why even Hon Mulikat herself has attributed her loss, in part, to betrayal. Some political and interest groups in the now seemingly marginalised zone are suggesting that the ACN would in the near future rue the option of backing an outsider against their own daughter. In the first instance, I think it is an exaggeration to suggest that Hon Mulikat, by virtue of being an indigene of the Southwest, automatically qualifies to be adopted as the preferred candidate by all, or at least the dominant, political parties in the zone. Second, notwithstanding her academic qualification and eloquence, there is nothing to prove that she has the character and ideological qualification to merit support from progressives, let alone be trusted to pursue and advance the core values and national objectives of the ACN. ACN’s support for Tambuwal was probably significant; but it was by no means indispensable. As many analysts have

posited, Tambuwal won not simply because he had support across parties but because there were other pertinent issues involved which were too strong to ignore. Hon Ajibola Muraina, the other aspirant from the Southwest keen on becoming Speaker, was seen as a stooge of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Hon Mulikat was also seen as a potential tool of the presidency.

Anxious to retain their independence, and feeling insulted by any attempt to impose a Speaker on them, the legislators massively revolted and gave Tambuwal a landslide victory. It would not have mattered if the ACN gave consideration for Hon Mulikat’s ethnic origin.

The Southwest’s loss of the Speaker’s position may, however, still become a controversial and delicate matter for the ACN depending on how successfully the wounded Southwest PDP exploits it, and how inexpertly the ACN defends its unorthodox choice. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, suggested last week that his party had national rather than ethnic agenda in determining whom it supported in the House race. Consequently, he continued, ACN legislators voted for a candidate who would advance the party’s political agenda.

In any case, he deadpanned, the Southwest did not gain anything from an Obasanjo presidency and a Dimeji Bankole House of Representatives leadership.

Southwest PDP officials think Lai Mohammed’s argument is specious and an afterthought. And in a country where political sophistication, even among the Yoruba, leaves much to be desired, the ACN may be gambling with its public image, especially its oft-repeated claim to altruism.

In fact newspapers favourably disposed to the PDP in the zone suggest that what

The revival of Andy Uba

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R Andy Uba spared nothing to become the representative of Anambra South senatorial district in the Nigerian Senate. He won by a comfortable margin, according to the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Now his political career, which had sunk under the weight of unscrupulous tactics and ruthlessly lawless affront to civilised values, is being revived. Judging by the welter of congratulatory messages in the newspapers, some of them offensively hyperbolic, the man who at a point was the sole troubler of Anambra State, is being canonised as a “dynamic leader” whose “wealth of experience in governance” will impact on his constituency and the nation.

It is of course a moot point whether Anambra South deserves Uba, in line with the popular maxim that a people deserve the government they get, but given his antecedents, particularly his contributions to the stigmatisation of Anambra during the Uba brothers’ reign of terror, it seems a paradox that they trust him to represent them in the upper legislative house in Abuja. Senator Uba is, of course, neither a doctor of medicine nor a doctor of philosophy; he had only contrived as a street-smart politician to stay long in the lower corridors of power during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s turbulent years in office. It may therefore be safe to say that we are unlikely to have seminal or profound contributions from him in the Senate. Indeed, apart from his expertise as a backroom

wheeler-dealer in power, the best we may get from him are carefree homilies and, if he is inspired, misplaced aphorisms.

In a Freudian slip, one of the congratulatory adverts published in his favour gushed that Uba’s “exploits in the coming years will far outweigh his antecedents.”

What antecedents does the announcer have in mind – his qualifications or his troublesomeness? Anambra is doubtless not the only state to have more than a fair share of political tragicomedy, but its own drama will be doubly exciting as Uba takes his place beside Dr Chris Ngige (Anambra Central), two senators who between them brought Anambra to renown, one for erecting the unconscionable baalim of power, and the other for popular iconoclasm.

pushed the ACN into the Tambuwal column is neither ideological altruism nor the pursuit of salient political goals but the narrow interest of defending its political gains against the feral disposition of a reinvigorated PDP. For the ACN, the more inconspicuous the PDP is, without a rallying point, the better for everyone.

Beyond what its opponents in the region say, it must also worry the party that it has found itself in the uncommonly strange and probably unhelpful position of joining forces with the scheming former military president, Ibrahim Babangida, to determine the leadership of the House. ACN’s and Babangida’s positions cannot by any stretch of the imagination be said to be coterminous, notwithstanding the impermanence of friends in politics and the permanence of interests. More than that, not only is Hon Mulikat no less ideological than Babangida, the ACN will do much more than vote for Tambuwal to convince the squirming Southwest that the new Speaker is better placed to advance the progressive party’s interest, ideologically or otherwise.

As I indicated in this place when I considered how the ACN hoped to project its opposition politics, one of the greatest and most urgent challenges before the party is self-definition. How does the party see itself? What values does it hope to project and be judged on? What principles would it hold very dear, for which it would neither temporize nor dissemble, nor seek for expediency to escape the gruelling sacrifices necessary to stamp the party in the hearts of the people? What is its social and democratic agenda? Does it want the zone to become a bastion of democracy where other parties can also thrive, or does it want a one-party zone?

It is possible that in supporting Tambuwal the party stuck to principles incomprehensible to the incurably romantic Southwest electorate, almost but not quite like Chief Obafemi Awolowo did in 1941 when together with others he supported Ernest Ikoli against Samuel Akinsanya (later the Odemo of Ishara) in a National Youth Movement (NYM) election to select candidate for the legislative council election of the following year. Other less noble calculations could also be involved.

I confess I am a little discomfited by some of the signals coming from ACN. Many of us have high hopes for the party, and we have turned to it after writing off the PDP. But seeing that the progressive party is an amalgam of strange bedfellows, it would require the most exacting discipline and the most intensive research and policy unit never before seen in the annals of this country for the party to live up to its billing as the main alternative to the ruling party. Does the party even have that ambition?

Amnesty for Boko Haram?

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HERE are indications that the Federal Government might be thinking of amnesty for Boko Haram terrorists. This is not only in recognition of the role amnesty played in the pacification of the Niger Delta; it is also an acknowledgement of the government’s frustration and unpardonable incompetence in the face of crime. We must remind ourselves that Boko Haram is about religious intolerance, about arson, and about destroying government and any other institution that promotes and defends Western education.

It is this extremist group with omnibus objectives that our government wants to negotiate with.

Well, while they are at it, could they also get ready to negotiate with and give amnesty to armed robbers, rapists, money launderers, road offenders, kidnappers and other criminals? Given Nigeria’s conventional wisdom, the United States should have given Osama bin Laden amnesty and negotiated with al-Qaeda.

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