06052018 - KILLINGS: There may be no elections in 2019, Pastor Adeboye warns

PAGE 2—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 

APC is no match for PDP...sleeping lion 

now awake, says Fayose 

GOVERNOR Ayodele 

Fayose says the All 

Progressives Congress 

(APC) is no match for his 

party, the Peoples 

Democratic Party (PDP), in 

the July Ekiti State 

governorship poll and the 

2019 general elections. 

He also described the PDP 

as a sleeping lion that had 

been aroused and was 

ready to devour anything. 

Fayose spoke in Osogbo, 

Osun State during the 

South-West Zonal Rally 

organised by the party. 

According to a statement 

by his Chief Press Secretary, 

Mr Idowu Adelusi, the 

governor quoted his 

principal as saying that 

whoever emerged the APC 

candidate for the Ekiti 

election would be defeated 

by the PDP. 

“Nigerians have seen the 

deceit called the APC and 

their failed government. 

They can see the difference. 

The PDP is a lion that has 

been woken from sleep. We 

are taking over at the 

federal level next year and 

Protest rocks 

Ogoja over 

2019 Senate 

seat in 2019 

By Emma Una 

A 

COALITION in 

Ogoja wants the 

Senate seat of Cross River 

North, which it claimed 

has not occupied the 

position since the inception 

of democracy in 1999, 

ceded to the district in 2019. 

The coalition, 

comprising of market 

women, drivers, Okada 

riders, students , Mbube, 

Ishibori and Ekajuk youth 

groups, during a protest, 

said the next senator should 

be from Ogoja Local 

Government Area and 

Comrade Godwin Nyiam, 

a youth activist, was their 

choice. 

The protesters, bearing 

placards displaying 

various messages 

including, ‘ Since 1914, 

Ogoja has never occupied 

the Senate Seat’ , ‘The time 

is now, Ogoja has the Senate 

position’ , ‘ We have been 

patient enough, this is 

Ogoja turn’ , ‘ We are not 

weak but patient, it is now 

our time’, sang songs 

around major streets in the 

area before moving to the 

St Thomas’s College Ogoja 

where they were addressed 

by their leaders.The leaders 

said Nyiam had proven to 

be a humble leader of the 

people over the years and it 

had become necessary to 

elect him senator in 2019 

to give Cross River North 

effective representation. 

They said all other local 

government areas had 

occupied the seat but Ogoja 

had been marginalised. 

“Democracy is all about 

fairness and justice and, to 

prove this, the people of the 

northern senatorial district 

should allocate the position 

to someone from Ogoja in 

2019- what is fair is fair”, 

Mr Denis Itrem, the leader 

of the protesters, stated. 

by the grace of God, we are 

winning the Ekiti 

governorship election. We 

have done well in the 

running of the state and our 

continuity agenda stands 

firm”, he said. 

“When we defeated the 

APC in all the 16 local 

government areas of the 

state in 2014, they went to 

town with a lot of lies. Now 

their party is in control at 

the federal level, we are 

waiting for the excuse they 

will give, as they will suffer 

another humiliating defeat 

again”. 

Group condemns Benue 

killings, asks international 

community to wade in 

CENTRE For Peace and 

Environmental Justice, 

CEPEJ, has condemned, in 

strong terms, the endless 

killings and destruction of 

property in Benue State by 

suspected herdsmen. 

The National Coordinator 

of CEPEJ, Comrade Sheriff 

Mulade, while speaking in 

Warri, Delta State, at the 

weekend, described the 

killings in Benue as barbaric, 

inexcusable and 

unacceptable and urged the 

Federal Government to 

arrest the situation and bring 

the perpetrators to book. 

Mulade, who decried the 

April 24, 2018 bloodbath in 

the state, during which two 

Catholic priests and 17 

others were dead, after 

suspected herdsmen stormed 

St Ignatius Catholic 

Church, Ukpor-Mbalom 

Parish in Gwer East Local 

Government Area, said the 

situation was getting out of 

hand. 

According to him, the 

situation was turning into a 

religious /cold ethnic war, 

imploring government to do 

everything possible to bring 

normalcy to the state. 

He also appealed to the 

international community not 

to remain silent. 

Meanwhile, Mulade, who 

is also a Delta House of 

Assembly contender ahead of 

the 2019 polls, solicited the 

support of the Itsekiri people 

in Warri South West 

constituency during his 

consultation visits to various 

leaders in the constituency. 

He, together with his 

entourage, weekend, visited 

the home of Pa John Edah, 

an Itsekiri leader, as part of 

efforts to boost his House of 

Assembly ambition. 

Investors flood Enugu for 

business opportunities 

NEW investors have made 

presentations to Enugu 

State Executive Council 

(EXCO) on the possibility of 

establishing businesses in the 

state following the investment 

drive of Governor Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi. 

A Morocco based company, 

OCP Africa, which is the world’s 

first producer and exporter of 

phosphate rock and 

phosphoric acid and number 

two in phosphate-based 

fertilizers, made a presentation 

at the EXCO meeting on its 

plan to establish a fertilizer 

blending plant in Enugu. 

Addressing newsmen after the 

presentation, the company’s 

Country Manager and Deputy 

Managing Director, Nigeria, 

Caleb Usoh said the state to 

invest in the fertilizer business 

because of “the peaceful, secure 

and friendly investment 

atmosphere” in the state. 

Usoh added that the company 

was also attracted by the 

investment drive of the state 

government and the 

infrastructural development in 

the state, stressing that the state 

government has exhibited 

Davies Iheamnachor and Kate Okorogu 

joined in wedlock 

The wedding ceremony between Mr Davies Iheamnachor and Kate 

Okorogu was held in Port-Harcourt yesterday. 

Photos by Nwankpa Chijioke 

From left: Rev. Timothy Oaoya; the new couple, Mr and Mrs Davies Iheamnachor; Mrs 

Glory and Mr Moses Omonkhuale 

Mr Jackson Otuseso, Vanguard Head of Station, Port- Harcourt (3rd right), the new couple (middle) and Mr 

Nwankpa Chijioke, Vanguard photo journalist (3rd left) 

I remain loyal to Asiwaju Tinubu 

—Senator Boroffice 

•Honoured with Role Model Award 

By Dayo Johnson 

NATIONAL Vice 

Chairman of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, South- 

West, Chief Pius 

serious commitment that 

“Enugu State is open and ready 

for business”. 

Also at the EXCO meeting 

was an international company 

based in London and Abuja, 

White Page International 

Concept, which made a 

presentation on the need for the 

commencement of exploration 

of the state’s mineral deposits. 

The acting General Manager 

of the company, Ifedinma 

Okafor, said the governor had 

expressed the desire on the need 

to begin the exploration because 

of the immense benefits it will 

bring to the government and the 

people of the state. 

Responding, the state 

Commissioner for 

Information, Mr. Ogbuagu 

Anikwe, his counterpart from 

the Ministry of Commerce and 

Industry, Sam Ogbu-Nwobodo 

and the Senior Special 

Assistant to the Governor on 

Industriali-zation and Public 

Private Partnership (PPP), Hon. 

Chibuzor Okafor, said the 

inflow of investors to Enugu was 

as a result of the existing peace 

and good governance in the 

state. 

Akinyelure, has described 

Senator Ajayi Boroffice 

(Ondo North) as a good 

representative of the state in 

the National Assembly. 

Akinyelure spoke at the 

first Ondo State Role Model 

Award in honour of 

Boroffice given by 

Omoluabi Reporters in 

Akure. 

The party chieftain said 

that the South-West leaders 

of the PDP were proud of the 

contributions of Boroffice in 

the Senate. 

Akinyelure noted that 

reports from the party 

leaders and members in 

Ondo North had good 

testimonies that he had 

delivered dividends of 

democracy. 

“ I want to say that we are 

satisfied with the 

achievements of Senator 

Boroffice in the Senate”, he 

added. The Olubaka of 

Okaland, Oba Yusuf 

Adebori, also speaking at 

the occasion, said: “Senator 

Boroffice is a good 

representative of our people. 

We are proud of his 

achievements in Ondo 

North”. 

Responding, Boroffice, 

who is Chairman, Senate 

Committee on Science and 

Technology, promised to 

continue to work for the 

people of his constituency. 

He said that he remained 

loyal to Asiwaju Bola 

Tinubu who he described as 

a leader of leaders. 

Mr and Mrs Davies Iheamnachor with the bride’s 

family. 

2019: ADP targets two Senate 

seats, eight House of Assembly 

seats in Edo 

By Simon Ebegbulem 

AHEAD of the 2019 

general elections in Edo 

State, Action Democratic 

Party (ADP) says it is 

targeting two senatorial 

and eight House of 

Assembly seats in the 

state. 

The state Chairman of 

ADP, Mr Gabriel 

Oloruntobi, stated this, 

yesterday, during the 

inauguration of Edo South 

Council of Elders. The party 

also inaugurated the Oredo 

Local Government Council 

of Elders, led by the Osuan 

of Benin Kingdom, Chief 

Osuan. 

Oloruntobi also received 

two top politicians into the 

ADP. They are Victor 

Osarenren, one time 

Executive Chairman of 

Uhumwonde Local 

Government Area, and Mr. 

Mathais Ogunsuyi, a 

former PDP Chairman in 

Oredo Local Government. 

Present at the event was 

the Chairman, National 

Contact Committee of the 

ADP, Senator Rowland 

Owie, and other leaders of 

the party in Edo South.

By our reporters 

THE crises ravaging 

the ruling All 

Progressives 

Congress, APC, deepened at 

the weekend as the 

nationwide ward congresses 

ended on a mixed note. 

The party’s governorship 

primary in Ekiti State ended 

in chaos after thugs 

destroyed election materials 

and delegates loyal to some 

aspirants for the ticket of the 

party ahead of the July 

election in the state disagreed. 

Some notable APC leaders, 

such as the embattled 

National Chairman, Chief 

John Odigie-Oyegun, 

boycotted the ward 

congresses in Edo; so also 

were Speaker Yakubu 

Dogara in Bauchi and 

Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso 

in Kano, whose loyalists held 

APC WARD CONGRESSES 

APC crises fester 

•One killed; Oyegun, Dogara, Kwankwaso boycott ward congresses 

•Trouble in Imo, Kano, Cross River, Kaduna, Oyo, Rivers, others 

•Appeal panels meet tomorrow 

parallel congresses. 

While the ward congresses 

were peaceful in a couple of 

states such as Edo, Bayelsa, 

Taraba, Kwara, and Katsina, 

among others, it was not so 

in Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Rivers, 

and Delta where violence and 

aparthy marred the exercise. 

In Delta, one of the party’s 

ward chairmanship 

aspirants, Mr. Jeremiah 

Oghoveta, in Ward 10, Otu- 

Jeremi, Ughelli South Local 

Government Area, was 

stabbed to death during the 

violence that trailed the 

congress. 

In Akwa Ibom, no fewer 

than 10 persons, including the 

Etim Ekpo Local 

Government Chairman of the 

APC, Mr. Iniobong Akan, 

were beaten up by aggrieved 

youths. 

The youths allegedly 

blocked the gates of the state 

secretariat, along Atiku 

Abubakar Avenue, where the 

exercise held, preventing 

party members from entering 

the premises. However, the 

congress proceeded after the 

Senior Special Adviser to the 

President on Senate Matters 

and leader of the APC in Akwa 

Ibom State, Senator Ita 

Enang, met with the 

aggrieved members. 

In Rivers, APC chieftains, 

continued to accuse one 

another of sponsoring the 

youths who invaded the state 

secretariat of the party in Port 

Harcourt on eve of the Ward 

Congress. 

While feuding Rivers APC 

Leader and Transport 

Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, 

and 2019 governorship 

aspirant, Senator Magnus 

Abe, accused each other of 

masterminding the violence, 

another chieftain of the party, 

Duke Alamboye Kirchner, 

indicated that the incident 

was instigated by non-APC 

forces. 

There were parallel 

congresses in Imo State 

where the Deputy Governor, 

Prince Eze Madumere, and 

Senator Benjamin 

Uwajumogu, escaped attacks 

from thugs at the APC 

secretariat following the 

confusion and angst that 

hallmarked the parallel 

congresses in the state. 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari and Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo took part in 

the congresses. While 

Osinbajo attended the 

exercise in Agungi in Eti-Osa 

LGA of Lagos State, where he 

was received by party leaders, 

Buhari participated in the 

congress in his Sarkin Yara A 

Ward, Daura in Katsina State, 

where he urged elected ward 

executives to discharge their 

responsibilities with fear of 

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018, PAGE 3 

God and in accordance with 

the party’s constitution. 

Be diligent, decent, 

decorous, Buhari urges 

ward excos 

Buhari, who spoke after 

participating in the APC 

Ward Congress in his 

constituency, said throughout 

his political career, he had 

been a loyal party member 

who respected the rules and 

the regulations, assuring that 

his administration was 

determined to uphold the 

provisions of the constitution 

and the rule of law. 

Stressing the need to play 

politics with decency and 

decorum, he said: “I call on 

you to fear God in whatever 

you do as we would transit to 

the next world and account 

for our deeds before our 

creator.” 

Chairmanship 

candidate killed 

Jeremiah Jacob Ogboveta, 

the APC chairmanship 

candidate in Jeremi Ward 3/ 

10, Ughelli South Local 

Government Area, Delta 

State, was stabbed in the 

violence that broke out 

during the exercise in the area. 

Confirming the incident, 

the state Police Public 

Relations Officer, DSP 

Andrew Aniamaka said: “At 

about12:30pm, one 

Jeremiah Jacob was stabbed 

to death by a member of the 

APC (names withheld) who is 

currently on the run. 

“Though there are no 

details for now, we know that 

the suspect immediately fled 

after the incident and efforts 

are currently on to 

apprehend him.” 

Meanwhile, Board of 

Trustees, BoT, member of the 

APC, Chief Frank Kokori, 

said the congress went 

smoothly in his Ovu Ward 5, 

Ethiope East local 

government area. 

Parallel congresses in 

Imo 

Parallel congresses were 

held in various wards of the 

27 local council areas of Imo 

State. 

In Azuzii Ward 2, Owerri 

Municipal, while loyalists of 

Governor Rochas Okorocha 

held their congress in 

Emmanuel College 

premises, officials of the 

party moved theirs to 

Umuodu village. 

Some APC members, 

suspected to be Okorocha 

Continues on page 4 

*Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, with party leaders at the APC Ward Congress in 

Agungi under Eti-Osa LGA, Lagos State. 

From left: APC National Woman Leader, Chief (Mrs) Kemi Nelson; National 

Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Chairman, Ikeja Local Government, Comrade 

Mojeed Balogun, and Mayor Alani Okikioposu, during the Ward Congress 

held at Ward F Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. 

*Taiwo Adeoluwa, Secretary to Ogun State Government, joined by APC members 

to display his membership card after collecting it at Ward 8 NUD, Abeokuta. PHO- 

TO BY WUNMI AKINOLA 

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State (middle) (holding micrphone) with 

APC chieftain and Balogun of Epe, Chief Lanre Razak (left); INEC official, Mr. 

Friday Edobor (2nd left); Epe Local Govt. Chairman, Hon. Kehinde Adeniyi (2nd 

right) and Lagos State Commissioner for Energy & Mineral Resources, Mr. Olawale 

Oluwo (right) during the Ward Congress of APC at Ward A6, Luyepo Primary 

School, Papa-Epe, Epe, Lagosy. 

*Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, with officials of the APC in Ogun State, 

after receiving her membership card of the party. 

From left: A member of the House of Representatives representing Oyo State, 

Hon. Dapo Lam-Adesina; state chairman of APC, Chief Akin Oke; Governor 

Abiola Ajimobi; Minister of Communications, Alhaji Adebayo Shittu; and Senator 

Monsurat Sunmonu, during the APC stakeholders' meeting ahead of the 

party's ward congress, held at the party's secretariat, Oke-Ado, Ibadan. Photo: 

Governor's Office


APC WARD CONGRESSES 

*Scenes from the venue of Ekiti APC primary after ballot boxes were smashed. 

APC crises fester 

Continued from page 4 

loyalists, clustered at the 

state Police Headquarters, 

chanting war songs and 

clamouring for the 

cancellation of the ward 

congresses in the 305 wards 

of Imo. 

Speaking to Sunday 

Vanguard in a telephone 

interview, the state Publicity 

Secretary of the party, Chief 

Nwabueze Oguchienti, said 

that the parallel congresses 

were not unexpected. 

“The party saw as it 

coming. We are aware that 

those loyal to the governor are 

responsible for the parallel 

congress. I must tell you that 

those who engaged in the 

shameful act are not party 

loyalists”, Oguchienti said. 

The state Deputy 

Governor, Prince Eze 

Madumere, escaped attack 

from thugs at the state 

secretariat as Okorocha’s 

son-in-law, Mr Uche Nwosu, 

said that there was a swap of 

congress committee that was 

supposed to conduct the 

exercise. 

Among those who escaped 

the attack were Senator 

Benjamin Uwajumogu, a 

former Secretary to the State 

Government, Mr Jude Ejiogu 

and others. 

Sunday Vanguard was told 

that Madumere and others 

were at the APC state 

Secretariat as part of the 

preparation for the party’s 

congress. 

But with the intervention of 

the security agencies, a 

peaceful atmosphere was 

restored. 

It was claimed that the 

congress committee that was 

supposed to conduct congress 

in the state were moved to 

Anambra State. 

Nwosu, who briefly spoke 

at the state Police Command, 

said: We are trying to sort out 

some issues. There was a 

swap. The people that were 

supposed to conduct the 

congress in Imo were moved 

to Anambra and Anambra 

people moved to Imo. And we 

want them to properly hand 

over.” 

Odigie-Oyegun absent 

as Edo hold peaceful 

congresses 

The congresses were 

peaceful across the 192 

wards of Edo after the state 

harmonized the list of 

aspirants to avoid a 

rancorous exercise. 

However, there was tension 

in Egor Local Government 

Area as it was alleged that 

the council chairperson, Eghe 

Ogbemudia, held a parallel 

congress after the leaders of 

the council including former 

Deputy Governor of the state, 

Lucky Imasuen, and the 

leader of the party in the 

council, Crosby Eribo, had 

agreed on the list of ward 

executives. 

Party members adopted the 

consensus method through 

affirmation and the exercise 

started at about 10am to elect 

the ward chairmen, 

secretaries, treasurer and 

other party executives at that 

level across the state. 

At Ikpoba Okha, home 

town of the Secretary to Edo 

state Government, 

Osarodion Ogie, and the 

member representing 

Ikpoba Okhai/ Egor Federal 

Constituency, Mr Johnson 

Agbonayinma, the leaders 

described the exercise as 

¨very peaceful and orderly 

and we hope those we have 

elected will ensure the 

progress of the party at that 

level”. They added: “We are 

very optimistic as we head 

towards 2019¨. 

Deputy Governor Philip 

Shaibu said: ¨Edo is a role 

model and we are very 

organized and peaceful. Our 

eyes are all on the ball and it 

is that spirit that is pushing 

all of us. We did it under 

peaceful atmosphere, it is a 

family meeting to choose one 

of us. We came out in that 

spirit of a family and had a 

family meeting and it worked 

out as a family under the able 

leadership of Mr Governor 

and Comrade Adams 

Oshiomhole. And that is why 

we want Comrade to go and 

replicate what we have in Edo 

state to other parts of the 

country as national 

chairman of the APC. We 

have leaders in the person of 

Governor Obaseki and 

Comrade Oshiomhole and 

that is the secret of the 

peaceful congresses we are 

having.’’ 

Odigie-Oyegun’s 

absence 

In Ward 2 Oredo, the Local 

Government Area of the 

National Chairman of the 

APC, Odigie-Oyegun, the 

APC boss was conspicuously 

absent in the exercise which 

was conducted by the 

Minister of State, Health, Dr 

Osagie Ehanire, and 

monitored by officials of the 

Independent National 

Electoral Commission, 

INEC. 

Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, 

Special Adviser to Governor 

Godwin Obaseki on 

National Assembly Matters 

and former Chief of Staff to 

the immediate past governor 

of the state, Comrade Adams 

Oshiomhole, who 

participated in the process at 

Ward 3 (Oredo council), said 

“We have long finished; the 

exercise went on peacefully 

and we adopted the 

consensus option, except in 

some areas where the process 

was contentious and they 

adopted full contest.” 

Chairman of the party in 

the state, Anselm Ojezua, 

described the exercise as 

peaceful and ¨ very 

democratic. 

Amaechi, Abe, others 

trade blames over 

secretariat invasion 

Speaking on the invasion 

of the party secretariat in Port- 

Harcourt, Rivers State, on 

Friday evening, Amaechi 

said: “What a governorship 

aspirant wants to do is that 

there should not be any 

congress. He took over the 

party secretariat with his 

loyalists till about 3pm that 

the police had to force 

themselves in for people to 

purchase forms for 

tomorrow’s congress” 

The Transport Minister, 

apparently referring to 

Senator Magnus Abe, the 

only aspirant to have 

declared his governorship 

ambition under Rivers APC, 

added: “If that aspirant is 

popular, why not tell his 

supporters to go and 

purchase that form and go 

and contest the congress? I 

am grateful that people 

bought forms and I hope his 

supporters also bought 

forms, because tomorrow, 

ward congresses will hold. 

“They say police were there 

when the offices of the APC 

were destroyed. It is not true 

there were policemen sent 

anywhere, rather it was the 

police that were invited by the 

party for protection of the 

party secretariat and to 

disperse the people brought 

to disrupt the purchase of 

forms”. 

Responding on the 

allegation, Abe said: “It is 

Amaechi that is afraid of 

election. That is why he is 

causing problems. I did not 

mobilise thugs to Rivers State 

secretariat of APC. The 

people at APC’s secretariat 

were Amaechi’s miscreants. 

I am a man of integrity”. 

The senator called on 

President Buhari and other 

leaders of APC to ensure free, 

fair and credible congresses 

in the party. 

Parallel congress in 

Kano 

Senator Rabiu Musa 

Kwankwaso and his 

supporters held parallel ward 

congresses across Kano 

State. 

Media aide to the senator, 

Hajiya Binta Spikin, told 

Sunday Vanguard that the 

group had purchased forms 

in line with the directives of 

the national leadership of the 

party and subsequently 

conducted it’s ward congress. 

The development followed 

a similar congress conducted 

by the mainstream All 

Progressives Congress (APC) 

across the 484 wards of the 

44 local government area of 

the state that led to the 

emergence of 1188 delegates. 

Acting Chairman of APC in 

Kano, Engr. Bashir Yahaya 

Karaye, told journalists at the 

party secretariat that the 

exercise monitored by 

national officer was free and 

fair . 

No imposition of 

candidates in Katsina - 

C’ttee Chair 

Chairman, Ward Congress 

Committee in Katsina State 

and the Deputy National 

Treasurer of the APC, 

Mohammed Tanko Zakari, 

said no candidate was 

imposed in the state adding 

that all candidates in the 361 

wards across the 34 local 

government areas were given 

a level-playing ground and in 

areas “where there are no 

contest, we had the 

permission of the national 

headquarters to conduct our 

congress via consensus”. 

Peaceful conduct in 

Bayelsa 

A former governor of 

Bayelsa State and leader of 

the APC in the state, Chief 

Timipre Sylva, commended 

party faithful for their 

peaceful conduct during the 

ward congresses in the state. 

Sylva, who stated this 

during a brief interaction with 

newsmen in Yenagoa, said the 

party in the state has 

disappointed many who had 

hoped that the congresses 

would be marred by violence. 

Taraba’s peaceful – 

Alhassan 

Stakeholders of the APC in 

Taraba State hailed the 

conduct of the congresses. 

The Minister of Women 

and Social Development, 

Senator Aisha Alhassan, said 

the distribution of election 

materials to various wards 

was timely well conducted 

and in accordance with the 

guidelines of the party. 

Peaceful conduct of 

ward congresses, a 

demonstration of belief 

in democracy – Tinubu, 

Ambode 

National Leader of the 

APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu 

and Lagos State Governor, 

Akinwunmi Ambode, have 

commended the peaceful 

conduct of the party’s ward 

congresses held yesterday, 

across Lagos State and other 

states. 

Tinubu and Ambode spoke 

with new newsmen while 

participating at the APC 

Ward Congress at St. Peters 

Primary School, Alausa, 

Ikeja, Ward A6 in Luyepo 

Primary School, Papa-Epe in 

Epe Local Government 

Area,respectfully, held across, 

the 337 wards in the state. 

Tinubu said: “I am very 

happy and proud of our party, 

APC. We are demonstrating 

to the people across the 

country that we are a lawabiding 

political party; that 

we believe in the tenets of 

democracy and that we 

demonstrate the openness in 

the congresses across the 

country, particularly, I can 

speak emphatically on 

Lagos. Things are going 

according to plan, very open 

and transparent process. 

They queue up behind 

whoever they want, no preordained 

candidate.’’ 

No 

preferred 

candidate in Ekiti 

On whether he has any 

anointed candidate in Ekiti 

APC primary election, 

Tinubu said: “I believe those 

in charge of the primary 

election in Ekiti will do the 

right thing. I have put my own 

political gear in neutral. I 

have no anointed candidate. 

Everyone there aspiring and 

contesting are very dear 

members and they deserve 

the right to participate.’’ 

Amosun’s loyalists re - 

elected wards chairmen 

in Ogun 

Loyalists of Ogun State 

governor, Senator Ibikunle 

Amosun who were elected in 

2014, were unanimously 

returned unopposed as 

elected chairmen in the 236 

wards of the state. 

All Progressives Congress 

(APC) ward congresses held 

in the 236 wards across Ogun 

State . 

Sunday Vanguard learned 

that Governor Ibikunle 

Amosun had directed that 

where there is consensus 

among party leaders about 

candidates seeking election 

into party executive offices, 

the affected candidates 

should be returned in a 

unanimous decision instead 

of resorting to time - 

consuming voting process. 

The Ward Congress 

Committee Chairman, 

Alhaji Bashir Sheriff, who 

coordinated the exercise 

expressed satisfaction with 

the outcome. 

Controversy in Kaduna 

The ward congresses were 

mirred in controversy in 

Kaduns as the absence of 

party officials and unilateral 

conduct of ward elections by 

non party officials held sway. 

Sunday Vanguard’s checks 

indicated that election did 

not take place in I2 wards in 

Igabi. The wards are Kwarau, 

Turunku, igabi, Fanshanu, 

Gwaraji, Zango Aya, Afaka, 

Kirawa, Birnin Yero, Rigassa, 

Sabon Birnin. 

Some supporters of 

Senators Shehu Sani and 

Othman Hunkuyi alleged 

that party officials were 

quarantined in government 

house to do the bidding of 

government officials. 

But the Senior Special 

Assistant to governor Nasir 

El-rufai on Media a d 

Publicuty, Mr. Samuel 

Aruwan dismissed the 

allegation, saying that, 

“Government Gouse is 

government house, not 

polling unit” insisting ward 

congresses were held in 

designated centres adding 

that “I just voted at my ward.” 

It was gathered that 

Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi 

led APC group held a parallel 

election, declaring all their 

candidates unopposed in 

Malali, Ungwan Rimi, 

Chikun, Sabo, and Narayi, 

among other wards in the 

state. 

C’RIVER: APC 

stakeholders reject 

congress committee 

Cross River APC 

stakeholders rejected the 

Ward Congress committee 

which it accused of hijacking 

the materials. 

Stakeholders who rejected 

the committee included 

Senator John Owan Enoh 

representing Southern 

Senatorial District, Special 

Assistant to President on 

Prosecution, Bar Obono 

Obla, Senator John Owan, 

South-South Vice Chairman, 

Hon Hillard Etta, Deputy 

Chairman, John Ochalla, 

Vice Chairman, Central, Hon 

Cletus Obun, Secretary of the 

party, Victor Ebong, and other 

party officials met at the party 

secretariat about 4:00pm 

yesterday and passed a vote 

of no confidence on the panel, 

ordering them to go back to 

Abuja because it did not want 

to conduct a free and fair 

election. 

Parallel exercise in 

Enugu 

Chieftains of the APC, in 

Enugu State, yesterday, 

hailed the peaceful and hitchfree 

conduct of ward 

congresses of the party in the 

260 political wards of the 

state. Those who hailed the 

exercise included former 

governor of old Anambra 

State, Senator Jim Nwobodo 

and former Senate President, 

Senator Ken Nnamani. 

However, there were 

parallel congresses in most of 

the areas monitored by 

newsmen. 

At Eke Ward in Udi local 

government area, the parallel 

Continues on page 6


From left: Afolabi Oke, Founder, Runway Jazz Fashion and Music Festival; Ibidunni 

Ighodalo, CEO, Avantgarde; Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo, Founder, Step Up Initiative 

and wife of the Vice President; Mrs. Moji Bakare, General Manager, Wealth 

Management and Financial Institutions, Sterling Bank Plc, and Mrs. Oke Maduewesi, 

CEO, Zaron Cosmetics during the Runway Jazz Fashion Masterclass powered by 

Sterling Bank in Lagos... on Friday 

A former Gov. of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi(right) with a former Lord Mayor of 

London, Alan Yarrow, after the Commonwealth Strategic meeting in London 

KILLINGS: There may be no elections in 2019, Pastor Adeboye warns 

By Sam Eyoboka & 

Olayinka Latona 

THE General 

Overseer of the 

R e d e e m e d 

Christian Church of God 

(RCCG), Pastor Enoch 

Adeboye, has warned that 

the current orgy of killings 

in the country may cause 

Nigeria to break up if they 

continued. 

Adeboye, who spoke on 

Friday night during the 

May 2018 Holy Ghost 

Service of the RCCG, held 

under the theme: 

“Stronger Than Your 

Enemies 5”, with a sub 

title, ‘Habitation of the 

Almighty’, also said there 

may be no elections in 

2019 unless the killings 

stopped. 

The cleric led the large 

crowd of worshippers at 

the Redemption Camp, 

venue of the event, and in 

several viewing centers 

across the globe, in a 

prayer for the survival of 

Nigeria. According to 

him, the fact that a nation 

survived a civil war does 

not mean it can survive a 

religious war and remain 

the same. 

Narrating how he felt in 

far away Germany when 

suspected herdsmen 

stormed St. Ignatius 

Catholic Church, Ukpor- 

Mbalom Parish in Gwer 

East Local Government 

Area of Benue State, 

killing two Catholic 

priests and 17 

parishioners, he told his 

listeners that he was 

unusually quiet and his 

wife of over 50 years was 

curious. 

“I said there is no father 

who would lose 19 

children in a day that will 

not be quiet. She said what 

do you mean, because she 

hadn’t heard the news that 

in a church, somebody 

went in and shot 19 

people? 

“It doesn’t matter the 

denomination...by the 

special grace of God, all 

Christians in Nigeria call 

me `Daddy’. So when any 

of them dies, it’s my son or 

daughter that is dead,” 

Adeboye said. 

The General Overseer, 

therefore, called on the 

Buhari-led government to 

urgently end the killings 

before they dovetail into a 

religious war. 

Continuing, Adeboye 

said: “I am going to ask 

you to join me in prayer, 

because unless these 

killings stop, and stop 

immediately, even Nigeria 

may not live. I am not 

talking about individuals 

now, I am talking about 

Nigeria itself...a bishop 

asked me not too long ago, 

By Dirisu Yakubu 

A 

former Head of 

State, General 

Abdulsalami 

Abubakar, (rtd) has 

advised the federal 

government to spare no 

effort in ensuring peace in 

the country, noting that 

politics cannot take place 

in an atmosphere of chaos 

and unrest. 

General Abdulsalami, 

who became the second 

Nigerian military leader to 

hand over to a 

democratically elected 

government, gave the 

advice at the weekend in 

his Abuja residence, while 

receiving members of the 

Northern Leaders and 

Stakeholders Assembly, 

NLSA, led by its chairman, 

Alhaji Tanko Yakassai. 

The retired General also 

noted that though 

government is charged 

with the responsibility of 

protecting lives and 

property, the importance 

of citizens’ participation 

in complementing the 

efforts of government in 

ensuring harmonious coexistence 

amongst the 

ethnic nationalities in the 

land cannot be 

overemphasised.. 

He said: “Let’s keep the 

peace because it is 

paramount to everything. 

If there is no peace, there 

is no nation; if there is no 

peace, there won’t be any 

politicking. So, it is 

absolutely necessary for 

each and everyone of us to 

put hands on deck to 

ensure that there is peace 

in the country. 

“All these senseless 

‘Daddy, has God told you 

who win the next election?’ 

“I said, `I am not even 

sure yet there will be 

elections. Because 

unless these killings 

stop, there may be no 

elections next year’. ‘Are 

you prophesying, 

Daddy?’ `No, no! I am 

not prophesying. I am 

just reasoning. Because 

nobody will want to go 

out to vote if they are not 

sure they will be able to 

return home safely’”, he 

explained. 

According to him, he 

had seen war at close 

quarters and knows that 

2019: Peace more important than politics, Abdulsalami 

killings, senseless 

tells FG criminality that are going 

on won’t serve any 

purpose.” 

He urged Nigerians to 

complement government’s 

effort in tackling the 

security challenges in the 

country, stressing that 

government is not expected 

to be everywhere all the 

time. 

“Every Nigerian has a 

By Dennis Agbo 

P 

resident 

General of 

Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo, Chief Nnia 

Nwodo, has said that 

the people of Southern 

and Middle-belt 

regions of Nigeria will 

only vote for a 

presidential candidate 

whose political party has 

restructuring in its 

manifesto. 

Nwodo spoke at 

Enugu Sports Club, 

Friday night, at the 

maiden edition of 

“Nkata Umu Ibe”, a 

monthly distinguished 

Speaker’s series 

organised by Centre 

For Memories, a pro- 

Igbo organisation. 

Nwodo announced 

emphatically that 

Ndigbo will not fight 

any war again, but will 

partner with other 

ethnic groups with 

similar ideology, to 

continuously engage the 

authorities through 

diplomatic warfare, in 

ensuring that Nigeria is 

restructured into a true 

federation as envisioned 

by the founding fathers 

of the country. 

The Ohanaeze leader 

role to play to bring peace 

to this country. 

Government is not only in 

the villa, everybody is part 

and parcel of this 

government,” he said. 

On the killers that have 

wrecked havoc in the 

country in the past couple 

of months, Abdulsalami 

counselled citizens to help 

security agencies in 

identifying the criminal 

commended the guest 

speaker, Prof. Chidi 

Odinkalu, who spoke on 

the topic, “Igbo Ekunie: 

Lessons from Post-War 

Recovery in South East 

Nigeria”, stressing that, 

he gave a concise, 

comprehensive and 

incisive detail into Igbo 

history, 

her 

circumstances arising 

from the war and post 

war constitutional 

repression of her spirit 

of industry. 

“Since we began the 

Southern and Middle 

belt Forum, the ruling 

party has just 

remembered that it 

promised Nigeria 

restructuring. It has 

activated a committee 

headed by the Governor 

of Kaduna State (Nasir 

Ahmed el-Rufai), and it 

has finally come to admit 

that we can have 

regional police, that we 

can have sovereignty 

over our natural 

resources including 

oil. However it 

expressed reservations 

for offshore oil to be 

controlled by the federal 

government. They have 

never conceded these 

before. 

“We are now pushing 

to say, anyone who 

wants to govern Nigeria 

there is nothing good 

about war. “It is a 

terrible thing. “A nation 

may survive a civil war, 

but no nation can 

survive a religious war 

and remain the same. 

That Nigeria may live, 

these killings must 

stop”, Adeboye said. 

elements in order to tame 

their activities. 

“Are these criminals 

Nigerians or foreigners? If 

they are foreigners, have 

we reported them, 

especially when they are 

coming into the country? 

Are we giving enough 

intelligence report? And if 

they are Nigerians, are 

they not our brothers and 

sisters? Don’t we know 

in 2019, your manifesto 

should include 

restructuring; we will vote 

for no one who does not 

want restructuring. On the 

21st of May we are going 

to have a South East 

summit on restructuring. 

“And in our view, any war 

to be pursued solely as 

Igbos will not be as 

efficiently prosecuted as 

one in which we pursued 

with people who have 

now agreed to our point 

of view that the 

agreement our 

forefathers had for a 

federation in 1963 was 

overthrown by the war 

and our federation 

became a unitary system 

“So all of you who love 

Nigeria, I want you to 

rise on your feet, and cry 

to God with all your heart, 

and say: `Father, let the 

killings stop’”, and the 

response was 

spontaneous..... “that 

Nigeria may live, please, 

God, let the killings stop.” 

them? Have we exposed 

them,” he asked. 

Members of the group on 

the delegation were ex- 

Deputy Senate President, 

Ibrahim Mantu, former 

Minister if Defence, Bello 

Haliru, and a one-time 

Minister of the Federal 

Capital Territory (FCT), 

Mohammed Abba Gana, 

among others. 

2019: Restructuring’ll determine South, Middle-Belt votes 

- Nwodo 

in which the federal 

government became the 

Almighty,” he said. 

Earlier, Prof. Odinkalu 

regretted that Ndigbo 

lost a lot during the 

war, both materially and 

psychologically, even as 

the federal government 

failed to fund and 

implement the three Rs 

(Reconciliation, 

Rehabilitation and Reintegration), 

as being 

witnessed today in 

North East with the 

North 

East 

D e v e l o p m e n t 

Comission, which was 

established following 

the devastation of the 

region by Boko Haram 

insurgents.


L-R: Marketing Manager, Castle Lite Africa, Ms. Ramona Kayembe; OAP 

and Host, Castle Lite Unlocks Concert, Do2un; Musician and Performer at 

the Castle Lite Concert, Ycee; and Marketing Manager, Consumer Connections, 

AB InBev, West Africa, Ms. Jumoke Okikiolu; at the Castle Lite Unlocks 

Concert held in Lagos. 

L-R: Caroline Creasy; GM Corporate Affairs, MultiChoice Africa, Femi 

Odugbemi, Film maker, Jenkins Alumona, CEO Strategic Outcomes, Yolisa 

Phahle, CEO Video Entertainment, MultiChoice Africa, Paul Papadimitriou, 

Founder, Intelligence, Anthony Lilley OBE, Professor, Creative Industries, 

Ulster University at a function at the weekend. 

My 2019 bid is to serve, not for personal gains – Buhari 

By Nwafor Sunday 

President 

Muham 

madu Buhari, yesterday, 

gave reason for his reelection 

bid, noting that he 

desired to serve Nigerians 

with no personal gains. 

Speaking at the All Progressives 

Party’s (APC) 

By Dayo Johnson 

& Rotimi Ojomoyela 

All 

Progressives 

Congress (APC) 

governorship primary in 

Ekiti State ended in chaos, 

after angry party members 

and thugs hijacked and 

smashed ballot boxes on the 

pitch of Oluyemi Kayode 

Stadium, Ado- Ekiti, venue of 

the election. 

Security operatives rushed 

to the scene, picked the 

damaged boxes and packed 

the scattered ballot papers on 

the floor back into the boxes. 

They immediately formed 

a wall to prevent thugs from 

carting away other ballot 

boxes as the venue of the 

exercise became rowdy. 

However the party member 

who allegedly joined thugs to 

smash the ballot boxes was 

arrested and whisked away 

by security operatives. 

The disruption took place 

after delegates from five of 

the 16 councils in the state, 

Ado, Moba, Ilejemeje, Ekiti 

East and Efon, had voted. 

Timely intervention of 

mobile police saved the 

situation from becoming 

violent. 

The exercise was halted for 

over one hour as the thugs 

held sway at the venue. 

congresses were peaceful, 

with the Minister of Foreign 

Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama 

leading the majority, while the 

Director General of Voice of 

Nigeria, VON, Mr. Osita 

Okechukwu led the parallel 

faction. 

In most of the wards 

elections were based on 

consensus while in others, 

they were unable to reach 

compromise, even as Option 

A4 type of open balloting was 

adopted for the polls. 

The Foreign Affairs 

Minister, Onyeama who 

spoke to newsmen, described 

Ward Congress held at 

Bayagida Model Primary 

School, Daura, Katsina 

State, Mr President said 

that the passion to serve 

Nigerians, improve lives 

and not for selfish aggrandisement 

informed his 

choice to join partisan 

politics, and inspired him 

the congress as peaceful and 

transparent just as he 

remarked that the process as 

the national congress 

officials from Abuja 

absconded with electoral 

materials. 

Bloody clash in Oyo 

The Deputy Speaker of the 

Oyo State House of 

Assembly Abdulwasi Musah, 

two members of a committee 

set up by the national 

secretariat of the APC and 

others were yesterday injured 

when a bloody clash erupted 

at the party’s state secretariat 

at Oke Ado, Ibadan. 

A member of the APC 

to contest elections in 

2003, 2007, 2011 and 

2015. 

His words, “I am not in 

politics for fun, frivolity or 

to amass wealth. I have 

always been driven by a 

deep sense of commitment 

to make a difference in the 

lives of our people. 

Rulling party’s crises fester 


committee reportedly fainted 

during the crisis but was later 

revived. 

The crisis started during the 

preparation for the conduct 

of the party’s ward congress. 

While the crisis lasted, 

dangerous weapons like 

bottles were freely used as 

supporters of the Governor, 

Senator Abiola Ajimobi and 

the Minister of 

Communication, Mr 

Adebayo Shittu clashed. 

There has been cold war 

between the governor and the 

minister over who controls the 

party. 

It took prompt intervention 

of heavily armed security 

agencies to prevent the crisis 

“After my retirement 

from the army, or forceful 

retirement, I sat back and 

watched as events unfolded 

on the political turf, 

and realised the country 

needed an intervention for 

fairness, justice and inclusion 

of Nigerians in the issues 

that affect their lives.” 

from escalating. 

Expectedly, there were 

accusations and counter 

accusations on which of the 

factions that triggered the 

quarrel. 

According to information 

gathered, supporters of 

Adebayo Shitu and some 

aggrieved party members 

who had been seated at the 

venue were reportedly forced 

to vacate their seats. This led 

to some rowdy situation. 

Shortly after, dangerous 

weapons were flying in the air 

and sporadic gunshots rent 

the atmosphere. 

After sometime, the 

committee later succeeded in 

bringing all the factions 

together and after 

consultation with them, it was 

Buhari called for orderliness 

in the 2019 general 

elections, urging political 

parties, candidates and 

the electorate to put the 

country first and always remember 

that victory ultimately 

belongs to God. 

“After going to court so 

Thugs stop Ekiti APC gov. primary 

Sachets of pure water were 

freely thrown at aspirants as 

the thugs rained abuses on 

one of the aspirants. 

An account linked the crisis 

to the refusal of the APC 

Primary Committee 

members to look into the 

complaints of anomalies in 

the voting exercise by one of 

the aspirants 

Another account had it that 

a security agent who was 

described as a close ally of 

one of the aspirants was 

alleged to have been making 

attempt to manipulate the 

process. 

But for the wall formed by 

security operatives, the thugs 

would have attacked 

aspirants. 

The aspirants had to be 

relocated from the stands 

following the advice of top 

security chiefs at the venue. 

Speaking with newsmen , 

the Publicity Secretary of the 

party in Ekit State, Taiwo 

Olatubosun, said: ‘’I’m afraid 

because there is threat to the 

unity of the party. There were 

security lapses and a lot of 

skirmishes were noticed as a 

result incompetence on the 

part of the committee 

“There were complaints 

that non-delegates had 

infiltrated the venue 

immediately after rain. The 

committee was not properly 

equipped and prepared to 

conduct this election.’’ 

A meeting was later held 

between the Chairman of the 

Election Committee, 

Governor Tanko Al- Makura, 

top security chiefs in the state 

and the 33 governorship 

aspirants. 

The aspirants, with the 

exception of Dr. Kayode 

Fayemi, the Minister of 

Minerals Development, were 

escorted out of the venue of 

the election for fear of being 

mobbed by angry party 

members. 

One of the aspirants, Femi 

Bamisile, confirmed after the 

meeting, that the election had 

been suspended and no date 

has been fixed for a fresh 

exercise. 

The Chairman of the 

Election Committee, Tanko 

Al- Makura, who was 

whisked away from the venue 

after meeting with the 

aspirants and security chiefs, 

could not comment on the 

disruption. 

Efforts to seek audience with 

him proved abortive. 

Signs that things might turn 

awry emerged early in the day 

following a downpour. 

However, the committee 

continued with the exercise 

amid accusations of 

delegates’inducement after 

accrediation of 2,409 

delegates. 

There were feelers that 

some of the delegates were 

camped somewhere in Ondo 

State by some of the 

aspirants, which drew the ire 

of fellow contenders. The 

delegates were said to have 

been ferried to some 

communities in Ondo in a 

convoy of buses. 

There were also allegations 

that some aspirants, 

described by political 

watchers in the state as the 

big four -Kayode Fayemi, 

Segun Oni, Femi Ojudu and 

Opeyemi Bamidele, induced 

delegates with money. 

Accreditation ended at 

2:40pm, while voting started 

almost immediately. Those 

described as super delegates, 

former governors, senators, 

former and serving Ministers, 

were called to cast their votes 

and 2,409 of 2,618 were 

Prof. Egbewole tasks the judiciary 

By Demola Akinyemi 

As the 2019 general elec 

tions draw closer, a professor 

of law in University of 

Ilorin, Wahab Egbewole, has 

called on the judiciary to ”up 

its game’ by sticking to the 

principle of justice,without 

fear, favour, affection or illwill. 

Egbewole spoke at the 2nd 

Anniversary Public Lecture 

Series of the Faculty of Law 

of 

Al-Hikma 

University,Ilorin where he 

delivered a lecture titled, ‘Sustaining 

The Nigerian Project; 

Cross Current of 

Law, Justice,Politics and 

Religion Revisited’ . 

The former Dean Faculty 

of Law particularly complained 

that “the few bad eggs 

in the judiciary have continued 

to tarnish the position 

and rubbish the very vast 

majority of hard 

working,industrious,selfless 

and highly disciplined judicial 

officers that permeate the 

entire strata of the judicial 

sector” 

resolved that the ward 

congress be postponed to 

today. 

Congresses hitch-free, 

Appeal Panels Report in 

states Monday – APC 

Meanwhile, the National 

hierarchy of the APC, 

yesterday said the ward 

congresses were hitch-free but 

in line with its guidelines, its 

appeal committees would 

report in all the states 

tomorrow. 

National Publicity 

Secretary of the party, 

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi 

who disclosed this to Sunday 

Vanguard also said the 

exercise in Adamawa State 

was postponed because the 

state did not get the forms on 

many times to challenge 

results of elections in 

2003, 2007 and 2011, and 

going up to the Supreme 

Court, I concluded that, 

ultimately, it is God who 

determines who will win 

elections, and in 2015 I got 

here”, he said. 

accredited to vote in the 

primary election. 

Despite the fact that rain 

continued unabated, but this 

time in a light drizzle, the 

Chairman of the Election 

Committee, Al-Malkura, 

insisted that the process must 

continue. 

“We don’t intend to 

disenfranchise any delegate, 

though the rain had delayed 

us a bit but the process must 

continue. From metrological 

report, it was clear that the 

rain is not likely to stop till 

6pm, we are not going to stop 

for the rain, we are going to 

continue accreditation even 

as the rain continue to 

drizzle”, he said. 

He noted that the judiciary 

must constantly strive to live 

above board,adding that this 

can be done by ensuring that 

matters are determined timeously. 

Egbewole stressed that the 

judiciary” must continue to 

purge the family of the few 

bad eggs as this will go a long 

way in instilling the confidence 

in the public that it is 

an institution that is truly for 

all segments of Nigeria irrespective 

of status or standing 

in the society.” 

time. 

Speaking on the exercise, 

he said: “Generally, 

everything went on fine. We 

did not have a situation or any 

report from any part of the 

country that there was a 

problem. Where any of our 

guidelines have been 

infringed on, the aggrieved 

candidate would send a 

petition to the appeal 

committee in that state, 

because we cannot be 

everywhere. The committees 

will report in the states on 

Monday. It is the appeal 

committees that would now 

sit on the petitions and submit 

their findings or 

recommendations to the 

National Working 

Committee NWC”, he said.


Patron, Youth for Peace and Good Leadership Initiative International, Bishop Edward Chanomi (7th 

R); Member of the Board of the Initiative, Amb. Jodie Frank (8th R) and some participants, during the 

National Peace and Leadership Summit held in Abuja yesterday . Photo byJohnson Udeani/NAN 

From left: Secretary of Conference, Methodist Church Nigeria, Bishop Michael Olusegun 

Akinwale; Prelate, Dr Samuel ChukwuemekaKanuUche; Archbishop of Lagos, 

Most Revd Luke OlukayodeOdubanjo, and the Presbyter, Wesley Cathedral, Olowogbowo, 

Lagos, Very Revd John OlanrewajuSolubi, during the Prelate’s Thanksgiving 

Service held at the Wesley Cathedral to mark the success of the 2018 Bishops Council 

meeting. 

Army repels herdsmen attack in Benue 

By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

Barely 48 hours af 

ter the Chief of 

Army Staff, Lieutenant 

General Tukur Buratai, 

visited parts of 

Guma Local Government 

Area of Benue State to assess 

the security situation 

in the suspected herdsmen 

ravaged communities, attackers 

struck in Iye village 

in the local government 

area. 

Eyewitnesses said assailants 

stormed the village on 

Friday night and started 

shooting sporadically. 

“They came shooting 

sporadically in the evening 

of Friday. From where we 

were in Gbajimba town 

(LGA headquarters), you 

could hear the sound of 

gunshots coming from Iye 

village which they attacked”, 

the eyewitness 

said. 

“There was panic everywhere. 

People started running 

helter-skelter for fear 

of the unknown and given 

the close proximity of Iye 

to Gbajimba. 

“But in no time, soldiers 

went after them and, after 

minutes of exchange of 

gunfire, they were repelled 

Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State addressing members 

of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Iwo, yesterday, 

in continuation of his tour of federal constituencies in 

the state. He had earlier visited Ife, Ilesha, Ila, Ede, Ikire 

zones. 

by the superior fire power 

of the soldiers who also 

chased them.” 

Guma Local Government 

Area Chairman, Mr. 

Anthony Shawon, who 

confirmed the attack, added 

that the invaders were 

repelled by the army. 

Fracas over ‘dirty Naira note’ in Lagos 

Adisagreement be 

tween a commer 

cial motorcyclist 

and his passenger over a 

dirty Naira note, yesterday, 

turned bloody in Lagos as 

irate youth beat the cyclist 

to coma. 

A correspondent of the 

News Agency of Nigeria 

(NAN), who witnessed the 

incident, reported that the 

cyclist, identified as Okon 

Akpan, had conveyed the 

passenger, identified as 

Titilope Fatai, from Okoko- 

We need people like Dino Melaye in Nigeria 

– PFN Vice President 

By Perez Brisibe 

South-South Vice 

President of the 

Pentecostal Fellowship 

of Nigeria, PFN, 

Bishop Simeon Okah, has 

lamented the treatment 

meted to Senator Dino 

Melaye (Kogi West), 

stressing that Nigeria 

needs people like the lawmaker. 

Okah, who is also the 

head of Flock of Christ 

Mission, Warri, Delta State, 

equally warned that, 

henceforth, any member of 

his church that has not obtained 

his Permanent Voter 

Cards “would not be allowed 

to worship.” 

He said: “From Thursday, 

any member of my 

church who does not has 

his or her voter’s card 

would not enter this house 

(Church). By the grace of 

God, I am the one God 

used in founding the Flock 

of Christ Mission.” 

On the travails of Melaye, 

he said: “I have concerns 

for Dino. His hands 

may not be as clean as a 

saint but a man like him 

has a role to play in building 

this country. 

“We need men like Dino. 

Let everybody of goodwill 

fight to see that Dino is released; 

if he has criminal 

records, he should face it 

but he should not be kept 

in detention. 

“He is intelligent. Let us 

see how we can save him 

from the hands of policemen. 

For a man like Dino, 

the police should show 

some level of leniency, because 

we need people like 

Dino in this country if we 

want this country to be 

great.” 

maiko to Iyana-Iba market 

for a fee of N200. 

Trouble started when Fatai 

gave the cyclist N500 

and when Akpan gave his 

passenger her N300 balance, 

made up of N200 and 

N100 notes, the lady returned 

the N100 and requested 

for replacement on 

the grounds that it was “too 

dirty”. 

A heated argument ensued 

as the cyclist insisted 

he did not have a neater 

note to replace the ‘smelling’ 

one as demanded by 

his passenger. 

As Akpan tried to leave 

without reaching an accord, 

the lady slapped him 

and he, in return, started 

beating her. 

Unknown to the cyclist, 

the lady was popular 

among street unchains 

around, who reacted by 

beating him to unconsciousness. 

His fellow commercial 

motorcyclists took him to 

an undisclosed hospital. 

‘Indomie’, suspected cult leader, 

dies after firing at nightguards 

By Demola Akinyemi 

A 

suspected cult 

leader in Ilorin, 

Kwara State capital, 

widely known as ‘Indomie’, 

has been killed by 

the bullets he allegedly 

fired at a night guard. 

Tension pervaded Sakamo 

community yesterday 

where the incident happened. 

‘Indomie’, who allegedly 

died instantly from his 

bullets which allegedly returned 

to him in the chest, 

was said to be a leader of 

the Eiye Confraternity. 

Sunday Vanguard gathered 

that ‘Indomie’ was 

sighted on Friday night in 

Sakamo and accosted by 

some guards, who suspected 

he was on a criminal 

mission because of the odd 

hour. 

An altercation reportedly 

ensued between the suspected 

cult leader and the 

three night guards, 

prompting him to angrily 

draw his gun and fired at 

the leader of the guards. 

The guards, who were 

said to have been unperturbed 

by the action of Indomie, 

it was gathered, 

had warned him against 

firing the gun shots,in his 

own interest and wanted 

to arrest him,but he dared 

them and fired the bullets. 

The bullets were reported 

to have mysteriously returned 

to Indomie in the 

chest and killed him instantly. 

A resident, who craved 

anonymity, told Sunday 

Vanguard, “We were told 

that he was coming from 

somewhere late in the 

night and sighted by night 

guards, who challenged 

him to know where he was 

coming from. 

“In the process, an argument 

ensued and Indomie 

removed a gun and shot at 

the night guards but the 

bullets returned and hit 

him in the chest. He died 

instantly.” 

Spokesman for Kwara 

State Police Command, 

Ajayi Okasanmi, a Deputy 

Superintendent of Police, 

confirmed the death of the 

suspected cultist, saying 

investigation into the incident 

had commenced. 

APC congratulates Health 

Minister at 64 

The All Progressives Congress 

in Osun State has sent a 

message of goodwill to the 

Minister of Health, Professor 

Isaac Adewole, on of his 64th 

birthday today. 

The party said that its executive 

and members throughout 

the state were especially 

delighted to join in felicitating 

with the minister because 

of his sterling qualities as a 

strong, faithful and loyal party 

man whose respect for leadership 

is a model for others. 

“Since he was appointed 

Minister for health, he has 

Okumagba joins race for Delta 

House of Assembly seat 

Chief Eruteya 

Okumagba has 

joined the race for 

the Delta State House of 

Assembly for Warri South 

Constituency 11 seat, as he 

promised quality 

representation to the people 

of his constituent if voted into 

power in 2019. 

Eruteya, the son of the late 

President General of Urhobo 

Progress Union (UPU) World 

wide, High Chief Benjamin 

Okumagba formally 

declared his intention to run 

for the seat under the Peoples 

Democratic Party (PDP) at the 

Warri residence of PDP leader, 

Chief Emmanuel Ono 

Okumagba. 

Chief Okumagba,in his 

speech said he had contested 

before but did not make it 

then.” I felt very bad about it, 

yet the scriptures say the 

vision is for an appointed 

significantly demonstrated 

what party loyalty is all 

about. He has not only successfully 

implemented party 

policies on health, he has also 

been active in promoting the 

APC in the state as well as at 

the federal level”, a statement 

by the Osun APC Director of 

Publicity, Research and Strategy, 

Barrister Kunle Oyatomi, 

said. 

“We are therefore comfortable 

to extol him as an example 

for others. He has been a 

good party man which makes 

him a dependable leader”. 

time. So, again with the 

burning interest in my heart 

to bring the dividends of 

democracy to my 

constituency, I am formally 

declaring my interest to 

contest for the seat again.” 

He then listed his manifesto 

to include: employment and 

job creation in line with 

Governor Okowa’s SMART 

Agenda, improved 

healthcare delivery system, 

construction of more 

roads,assisting the lessprivileged,setting 

up of 

constituency office to ensure 

closeness between 

government and the people 

amongst others. 

In his response , Chief 

Emmanuel Ono Okumagba 

commended Chief Eruteya 

Okumagba for his decision 

to contest for the seat, and 

prayed for him to succeed in 

the race.

PAGE 8–SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 

We saw massacres 

coming and called 

for self-defence to 

avert them 

– CAN top official 

under Pastor Ayo 

Oritsejafor 

By Sam Eyoboka 

Elder Sunday Oibe hails from Benue State 

and has been involved in Christian Association 

of Nigeria, CAN, politics since 1987. He was 

Director of National Issues in the last 

dispensation at CAN. He describes the 

immediate past CAN President, Pastor Ayo 

Oritsejafor, as a man that has passion for the 

country and the people. According to him, 

Oritsejafor is the only Nigerian Church leader 

who appeared before the United States 

Congress and told Americans about their double 

standards and hypocrisy on the Boko Haram 

issue. 

Ineed you to tell Nigerians about the 

orgy of killings in your state.... 

Tension is still high. We heard about our 

Catholic brethren who were killed, and then 

CAN urging Christians to stage protest. I was 

telling some of them, is it not what Pastor Ayo 

Oritsejafor was saying then and you were 

saying He was compromising? I was called 

and asked about my reaction to the CAN call 

for a protest, asking if we were part of it. I said 

every good Nigerian, including our Muslim 

friends, were already protesting against the 

inept nature of this government because a 

responsible government is supposed to protect 

the lives of its citizens. 

The only dividend of democracy we get under 

President Buhari’s administration is that there 

are killings everywhere across the country. 

Every reasonable Nigerian is already 

protesting. It is not just the one CAN 

called because there’s nobody who is 

satisfied with what is going on in this 

country. These are the same people 

who were calling for the head of 

President Goodluck Jonathan...but, 

today, look at what is happening? 

Some of us are now so pissed off that 

we don’t even want to read 

newspapers anymore. The only thing 

that has become news now is the 

number of people killed as if life has 

no meaning again in this country. We 

warned Nigerians, especially South- 

Westerners, look at where we are 

now? 

We recall that when Papa Ayo 

Oritsejafor called for self-defence, 

many Nigerians, including 

Christians, wanted his head.... 

(Cuts in) That’s why I’m saying 

Nigerians should apologize to him. 

This man used the lens of God to see 

the future and it is true that we have 

the right to self-defence; and people 

were calling for his head, but, today, 

everybody is talking about selfdefence. 

Nigeria is a very funny 

country. Nigeria should apologize to 

Papa Ayo Oritsejafor because this is 

a man who saw tomorrow with the 

lens of Holy Spirit and knew that there’s an evil 

coming and that, unless everybody rose up to 

condemn this evil, it was going to consume all of 

us. And he said Nigerians should defend 

themselves, but people were calling for his head 

but, today, the Emir of Kano is saying the same 

thing, the Sultan of Sokoto is saying the same 

thing, Atiku Abubakar is saying the same thing. 

Everybody is talking about self-defence as if 

something changed or it is in our statute. 

What is the situation like now in Benue? 

Nobody is sleeping with his eyes closed, there’s 

tension everywhere because you don’t know the 

next village gunmen are going to attack. It has 

become a daily affair; that is the meal that is 

served to the people of Benue every day even for 

voting in this government. The only dividend of 

democracy the Benue people are getting is 

massacre. Now rain has started coming but 

people cannot go to farm because of the fear of 

Fulani herdsmen. And what it portends is that 

there will be food crisis in the land very soon. 

The government of Benue is running helterskelter 

to see that it doesn’t affect us because 

Benue is the food basket of the nation. And if you 

ask my opinion about the protest that CAN called 

for, I will ask all Christian political appointees 

from the areas affected by herdsmen attacks to 

resign from this government before they kill 

everybody; who are they coming to live with after 

they leave office? The question people ask is, 

why are there no similar killings in Katsina, 

Kano or Sokoto? 

Up till now, Dapchi girl Leah Sharibu remains 

in captivity. Is there 

anything you want to say 

Nigeria should 

apologize to 

Papa Ayo 

Oritsejafor 

because this is 

a man who saw 

tomorrow with 

the lens of Holy 

Spirit and knew 

that there’s an 

evil coming and 

that, unless 

everybody rose 

up to condemn 

this evil, it was 

going to 

consume all of 

us 

about that? 

If this government wants 

to prove that it is here to serve 

the people, they will do 

everything; they spent so 

much money to fight Boko 

Haram, they should spend 

everything they have to free 

that girl because as long as 

she remains in the hands of 

the captors, it is a slap on the 

integrity of this government. 

How can you carry over 100 

schoolgirls and because one 

said she’s not going to 

renounce her faith, she is 

held back and a government 

which says it wants to be fair 

to everybody isn’t doing 

anything? The situation 

leaves much to be desired. 

So we are appealing to 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari to do everything 

within his power to make 

sure that this girl is brought 

back safe and unhurt to her 

parents. And until that is 

•Elder Sunday Oibe 

done, the question of this government fighting 

corruption, this government is making sure 

that there is security in the land is going to just 

be a mirage, a story because it’s going to be a 

mockery of democracy. I’m so pained that this 

girl is still held by terrorists. Where is our 

security intelligence? Are we saying our 

security has collapsed to the point that we don’t 

have intelligence to be able to trace the 

whereabouts of this girl? 

God is not happy with this country because 

of the innocent blood that is being shed every 

day; the blood of the thousands shed is daily 

crying to God. Watch the history of the world; 

any nation that takes innocent blood, God is 

not happy with such a nation. Everyday, lives 

are wasted in Zamfara, Southern Kaduna, 

Taraba. Benue own is a meal that is served to 

people as their three square meals. And the 

question is, why Benue or Taraba? Taraba is 

the only state in the North-East that is governed 

by a Christian. Benue and Plateau are the only 

two states in the entire Middle Belt that are 

governed by Christians. So are you saying they 

want to make the states ungovernable for 

Christian governors? So that their people will 

say they are not leading well? 

Or is it another way of trying to make sure 

that they impoverish the Christian states? This 

government has one million and one questions 

to answer. And anybody in this government 

pretending to be comfortable, the same thing 

that Mordecai told Esther in the Bible, we are 

telling them. Mordecai told Esther that ‘God 

brought you to that position at a time like this 

and if you keep quiet, help will come from 

somewhere else but you and your father’s 

house are not going to be safe’. So for the fact 

that they are in this government does not mean 

it is going to be safe. So if they refuse to speak, 

help will come from somewhere else but they 

should know that both themselves and their 

households are not safe because the God of 

heaven is a God who fights injustice. This is an 

injustice that is being meted to us because we 

are Christians and God is not going to allow 

you to go like that. 

What do you say about service chiefs? 

The service chiefs have outlived their 

usefulness. Like the National Assembly is 

calling and everybody is talking, they are 

trading on the lives of innocent people. These 

people should find their way out. Why is it 

difficult to replace them? If they have no other 

ideas to address the issue of insecurity, they 

should give way for vibrant and intelligent 

people to man the leadership of the security 

apparatus of this country because millions is 

spent every day and yet the story of insecurity 

is on the increase. Every day you go on a 

journey, you pray whether you will be able to 

come back alive. Kidnapping on the highways, 

Fulani herdsmen killing people in the farms 

and villages...the dimension in which these 

herdsmen are doing it that is so worrisome is 

the fact that they will dislodge the natives and 

occupy their territory and security agents seem 

not to be doing anything about it. That is the 

most worrisome of the situation. 

And when they deploy security people to 

any ravaged community place, what do they 

do? It’s the natives they arrest. The other day 

the IG gave order that people should 

surrender their weapons; the question is: is 

the IG directing the Fulani herdsmen to 

surrender their AK47s? Why are they not going 

after the herdsmen to collect their weapons 

and instead they are disturbing people with 

dane guns, cutlasses and knives? Or is this 

another way of saying that Nigeria is 

legalizing the carrying of arms? If that’s what 

they want, they should make a law and let all 

of us go looking for arms because the rate at 

which innocent men, women and children are 

being killed in this country is frustrating. It 

has never happened anywhere in the history 

of this country.


ALLEGED KANO UNDERAGE VOTERS 

Our story, 

by Yakubu, INEC Chairman 

•'We are not culpable' 

The National Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor 

Mahmood Yakubu, in this piece, dismisses the claim in some quarters that the electoral 

body is culpable in children alleged voting in the February 10 local government election in 

Kano State. 

Following the Kano State Local 

Government election held on the 10th 

of February 2018, there were several 

reports in the media, particularly the social 

media, alleging that underaged persons voted 

in the election. Both explicit and implicit in 

some of these reports was the suggestion that 

since the National Register of Voters compiled 

by INEC was used in the election, the alleged 

problem of underaged voting in the Kano 

Local Government election is linked to a 

prevalence of underaged registrants in the 

National Register of Voters. 

I must note that till date, not a single formal 

complaint on this matter has been received 

by the Commission. Rather, some 

stakeholders, including a political party, have 

taken to the media to criticize INEC and in 

some cases to impugn the integrity of the 

National Register of Voters. Concerned that 

some of the claims being made about the 

Register could create doubts in the minds of 

citizens about INEC’s preparations for the 

forthcoming general elections, the 

Commission on 21st February 2018 set up an 

investigation panel into the allegations that 

underaged persons voted in the Kano State 

Local Government election, using the Register 

of Voters given to the Kano State Independent 

Electoral Commission (KANSIEC) by INEC, 

as prescribed by law. 

Legal remit 

For the avoidance of doubt, let me 

emphasize first, that INEC was not in any way 

involved in organizing the Kano State Local 

Government election beyond the legal 

requirement that the register of voters 

compiled by INEC should be used in all Local 

Government elections nationwide. The 

conduct of that election was entirely the 

responsibility of KANSIEC. Secondly, 

let me also emphasize that the 

investigative committee was not 

established to inquire into the general 

conduct of the Kano State Local 

Government election or to inquire 

into the organization or challenges 

of KANSIEC. Indeed, INEC has no 

legal remit to do so. Rather, as the 

Terms of Reference of the Committee 

show, its role was strictly to inquire 

into claims linking the register of 

voters compiled by INEC and the 

alleged incidents of underaged voting 

in the election. 

The investigative committee had 

National Commissioner Engineer 

Abubakar Nahuche as Chairman, 

another National Commissioner 

Barrister May Agbamuche-Mbu, two 

Resident Electoral Commissioners 

(Barristers Mike Igini and Kassim 

Geidam) as well as some Directors 

and staff of the Commission, who are 

experts in ICT, as members. It has since 

submitted its Report. The 

Commission has carefully considered 

the report and accepted its findings 

and recommendations. Based on its 

Terms of Reference, there are four key 

points in the findings and recommendations 

of the Committee, which may be summarised 

as follows: 

i. Kano State Independent Electoral 

Commission requested for and received from 

INEC the Kano State Register of Voters for 

the election. The Register was produced for 

use for the elections. However, the Register 

was only sighted in a few polling units. In other 

words, the Register was not used in most of the 

polling units. In fact, accreditation using the 

Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) largely did not 

take place. 

ii. Given that the Register was substantially 

not used to accredit voters before voting, it is 

logical to conclude that if underaged voting 

occurred in the election, it was not due to any 

presence of underaged registrants on the 

Register of Voters. However, after examining 

some of the images in circulation, the 

Committee found that they have been 

available long before the Kano Local 

Government Elections. The few images and 

video clips from Kano show no accreditation 

of voters or any relationship with the Register 

of Voters. 

iii. There is need and ample room for 

collaboration between INEC and all 

stakeholders to continue to update and 

improve the National Register of Voters to 

eliminate all ineligible registrants from it, 

including dead persons, aliens and underaged 

registrants. 

iv. INEC should work with the State 

Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) 

to ensure continuous improvements in the 

quality of all elections conducted in Nigeria. 

Facts on Register of Voters 

Since the central interest of the Commission 

and Nigerians in this remains the National 

Register of Voters because it 

is the bedrock of the 2019 

general elections, let me 

share with you a few facts 

about the current register of 

INEC was not in 

any way 

involved in 

organizing the 

Kano State Local 

Government 

election beyond 

the legal 

requirement that 

the register of 

voters compiled 

by INEC should 

be used in all 

Local 

Government 

elections 

nationwide 

voters. 

Essentially, the present 

register of voters is the one 

compiled by the last 

Commission in 2011. Recall 

that before 2011, the register 

of voters was full of errors 

including strange entries 

like Mike Tyson, incorrect 

entries and misplaced 

records. Although the pre- 

2011 register was supposed 

to contain the fingerprints 

of registrants, the last 

Commission found that 

most of the fingerprints were 

missing or of very poor 

quality. Also, there were 

integration issues and a lot 

of data were lost because 

they were collected using 

incompatible platforms. In 

addition, there were 

multiple registrations, as 

there was minimal attempt 

•Professor Mahmood Yakubu 

to remove multiple entries from the register. 

These were some of the problems that the last 

Commission tried to solve by embarking on 

fresh registration of voters in 2011. 

Since the 2011 general elections, the 

Commission has been updating this register 

in accordance with the law along three lines: 

(i) addition of new registrants from the 

Continuous Voter Registration (CVR); (ii) 

more stringent running of the Automated 

Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) 

to identify multiple registrants and 

remove them; and (iii) updating 

incomplete records such as entries with 

incomplete fingerprints and wrongly spelt 

names among others. These became 

particularly important with the 

introduction of the PVC and Smart Card 

Reader (SCR). For this reason, records 

without fingerprints had to be updated, 

otherwise, the concerned voters will not 

be able to vote using the PVC and SCR. As 

a result of these updates and clean up, a 

final register of 68,833,476 was used for 

the 2015 general elections. 

Consequently, this Commission believes 

that it inherited a register that: 

i. Meets a high standard of biometric 

registration. In fact, many other countries 

have subsequently learnt from INEC in 

handling their own registers. For instance, 

during the recent Presidential election in 

Liberia, the country’s National Electoral 

Commission (NEC), through the United 

Nations, the Economic Community of 

West African States (ECOWAS) and the 

ECOWAS Network of Electoral 

Commissions (ECONEC), which I 

currently chair, requested the services of 

INEC staff to sort out issues with their 

register. Their work has been highly 

commended by these organisations and 

the diplomatic community for 

contributing to the success of the Liberian 

election; 

ii. Contains 68.8 million valid entries, 

easily the largest single database of 

Nigerians in existence; 

iii. Supports fingerprint matching for 

authentication of voters during elections 

using the SCR; 

iv. Supports the introduction of 

machine readable, chip-based PVC; and 

v. Ensures continuous updating 

through the Continuous Voter 

Registration, as prescribed by law. 

Under the present INEC, only 432,233 

new registrants have been added to our 

national Voter Register. This represents 

0.9 percent increase on the Register used 

for the 2015 general elections. These 

additions came essentially from the CVR 

carried out in 2015 and 2016 in States 

where we conducted off-season 

Governorship elections namely Bayelsa, 

Kogi, Edo and Ondo as well as the FTC 

Area Council elections. From April 2017 

when we commenced the CVR to 

December of the same year, some 

3,981,502 new registrants were recorded, 

including figures from Anambra State 

Governorship election held in November 

2017. This figure represents the first major 

additions to the Register since this 

Commission came on board. Even so, 

except for the 190,767 new registrants 

added to the voter register in Anambra 

State, the new registrants are just about 

to be added to the national Register. 

It is important to remind us that this 

National Register of Voters has been used 

to conduct the 2011 and 2015 general 

elections, as well as several re-run, offseason 

and by-elections. Most of these 

elections have not only been adjudged to 

meet international standards but have 

also produced varied outcomes for 

different political parties at different 

times. Indeed, the Register used in the 

Kano Local Government election of 10th 

February 2018 was the one compiled in 

2011, updated in 2014 and used for the 

2015 general elections. This Commission 

did not add a single name to the voter 



Why I want to be APC National 

Chairman – Ibrahim Emokpaire 

By Olalekan Bilesanmi 

One of the aspirants for the 

national chairmanship of the 

All Progressives Congress (APC), 

Chief Ibrahim Emokpaire, has 

praised President Muhammadu 

Buhari for his ability to excel despite 

the odds facing his government. 

Speaking during his formal 

declaration to run for the APC top 

office in Abuja, Emokpaire expressed 

his admiration for Buhari’s visionary 

and extraordinary leadership. 

Speaking why he decided to join 

the race, Emokpaire said his vision 

was to reposition the party. “The 

reasons for making myself available 

to serve my party, our people and 

country are simplified and not farfetched. 

They include but not limited 

to my desire to effect a significant 

paradigm shift”, the aspirant said. 

According to him, that competency 

and aptitude to deliver on promise, 

capacity to harness resources and the 

fact that he is corruption free are 

some of the attributes that make him 

better for the job of the national 

chairmanship of the APC. 

“My mission is to reposition the All 

Progressives Congress (APC) for 

growth nationwide while my vision 

is to expand the party and sustain 

its relevance in Nigeria’s political 

space. 

“I am here to help build an allinclusive, 

more people focused, 

result oriented and forward-looking 

party structure based on a 

purposeful and visionary leadership, 

which would be essentially about the 

insight, foresight and blueprint for 

the future of APC”, Emokpaire said. 

He also said he would address the 

seeming intractable problems that 

impede progress traceable to the 

skewed priorities of some greedy 

and corrupt politicians, adding that 

the problems were manmade and not 

insurmountable. 

“My conviction for a more positive 

political party is guided by the 

fundamental belief that real and 

lasting prosperity must begin with 

all of us, be entrenched by all and 

shared by all. I and my team shall 

evolve the kind of paradigm shift that 

will help inspire generations of party 

faithful and dynamic youthful 

participation toward a more productive 

and gainful politicking”, the aspirant 

pointed out. 

“We shall constructively work our way 

back from the brink of foreseeable 

decline and the many divisions 

threatening to alienate us from cohesive 

coexistence, and as a coalition peopled 

by one purpose. My team shall strive to 

bring back those time-tested values, 

which the enemies of party politics have 

conspired to replace by false promises. 

“ I wish to offer myself to serve you as 

National Chairman of our great party, 

the All Progressives Congress (APC), 

and put at the disposal of the party, our 

peoples and country at large, the 

collective sum total of my pedigree, 

wealth of political experience, expertise 

and professionalism, which by the grace 

of God stands me in good stead for the 

onerous challenges ahead. You won’t 

be disappointed!!” 

He pledged to remain 

steadfast in the pursuit 

of constructive goals 

which he said he had 

outlined to achieve 

in the course of 

his stewardship 

as the next APC 

National 

Chairman, 

adding that 

“achieving 

these goals 

may be 

daunting, 

but I will 

b e 

strategic 

a n d 

resolute,” 

he said. 

While recognizing the party 

leadership, he described Asiwaju 

Bola Tinubu as irrepressible and 

indefatigable personality. 

“My respect goes to eminent 

leaders of our great party, Chief 

Abdulkareem Adebisi Bamidele 

•Chief Ibrahim Emokpaire 

Akande, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, 

among others. I seize this 

opportunity to specifically acknowledge 

the immense contributions of APC 

leaders nationwide in their respective 

leadership capacities,” Emokpaire said. 

'INEC not culpable on alleged Kano underage voters' 


register. As with all elections, some 

political parties have won and some have 

lost using the same Register. In fact, many 

constituencies have changed from one 

political party to another between 

elections on the basis of the same 

Register. Therefore, for anyone to suggest 

that the same register, on the basis of 

which political parties have won and lost 

elections at different times, is suddenly 

unreliable is curious to say the least. 

Dependable Register 

Let me reiterate that this Commission 

is convinced that we now have 

a dependable register, even if 

it is not perfect. We believe 

that it is a huge national asset, 

easily the largest database of 

Nigerians in existence today 

containing over 70 million 

entries of names, addresses, 

photographs, ten fingerprints, 

telephone numbers etc. I 

implore all Nigerians to see 

the value of this national asset 

and work with the 

Commission to continue to 

improve it. Considering that 

there are few if any perfect 

voters roll anywhere, we can 

continue to work together with 

stakeholders and indeed all 

citizens to ensure that all 

ineligible registrants and 

entries are removed from the 

register and that eligible 

voters who have not registered 

take advantage of the ongoing 

CVR. 

Let me also share with you 

what we have been doing and 

what we plan to do as a 

Commission to continue to 

update the register and 

Finally, the 

Commission 

notes the 

recommendation 

of the Nahuche 

Committee that 

collaboration 

between INEC 

and SIECs is 

necessary to 

improve the 

quality of 

elections in 

Nigeria, 

including Local 

Government 

elections 

remove ineligible entries from it. 

First, we have made registration more 

continuous than ever before, starting from 

April 2017. We regularly display the 

provisional register after each CVR 

exercise for claims and objections, as 

required by law. This usually lasts 

between 5 and 14 days. We appeal to 

Nigerians to always use the opportunity 

of this display to alert the Commission 

about ineligible registrants, including 

underaged persons and aliens, as well as 

incorrect details of registrants. 

Second, also as required by law, we have 

consistently given political parties copies 

of the register for each year and ahead of 

general elections as well as 

Governorship off-season 

elections. Only recently, on 

28th February 2018, we gave 

each of the 68 political 

parties a copy of the register 

containing names of the 3.9 

million new voters registered 

in 2017. We urged them to 

use the register not only to 

reach out to voters, but also 

to check whether there are 

ineligible persons on the list 

and draw the attention of the 

Commission to them. 

Unfortunately, since this 

Commission was 

inaugurated in 2015, there 

has not been a single report 

from any political party of 

ineligible voters on the 

Register. 

Third, we have been 

working with the Nigerian 

Immigration Service to 

eliminate aliens from the 

Register by confiscating 

PVCs from aliens who are 

not entitled to vote, thereby 

identifying them for removal 

from the Register. Furthermore, the 

Immigration Service has promised to 

post their officials to registration centres 

during CVR to check the incidence of 

alien registrants. 

Fourth, we intend through our 

Registration Area Officers (RAOs) to 

engage communities in all our 8,809 

Registration Areas or Wards on a 

continuous basis to identify deceased 

persons and other ineligible registrants 

for removal from the Register. We have 

developed a RAOs Log Book specifically 

for this engagement. We appeal to 

Nigerians to cooperate with them in 

identifying ineligible registrants for 

removal. 

Fifth, we intend to include major civil 

society groups and the media in the 

publication of the Register of Voters in 

the future. Section 20 of the Electoral Act 

2010 (as amended) provides that the 

Register be published 30 days before a 

general election. In addition to political 

parties, we intend to include other 

categories of stakeholders by making 

available copies of the register to them. 

Of course, this is without prejudice to the 

right of every Nigerian to apply for and 

receive the Register on the payment of the 

necessary fees as enshrined in the 

Electoral Act. We hope that CSOs and the 

media will also join in identifying 

ineligible registrants for removal. 

Sixth, after the ongoing CVR, which as 

the law provides will end not later than 

60 days to the forthcoming general 

elections on 16th February 2019 – please 

note that the law says not later than 60 

days, which means that the CVR must end 

on or before the 60th day to the election – 

we intend to display not only the 

provisional register, but the entire 

Register at all the Registration Areas/ 

Wards across the country. This again will 

provide a good opportunity for all citizens 

to interrogate the Register and identify 

ineligible registrants, including 

underaged persons, for removal. 

Finally, the Commission notes the 

recommendation of the Nahuche 

Committee that collaboration between 

INEC and SIECs is necessary to improve 

the quality of elections in Nigeria, 

including Local Government elections. In 

fact, INEC has forged a longstanding 

relationship with the Forum of State 

Independent Electoral Commissions of 

Nigeria (FORSIECON), the umbrella 

body of SIECs. We shall continue to 

collaborate with FORSIECON towards 

establishing robust pathways to 

improving the quality of all elections 

conducted in Nigeria. Some of the ideas 

already mooted include drafting of a 

model law establishing SIECs to bring 

them in line with the Electoral Act and 

global best practices, as well as the 

development of voluntary “Guiding 

Principles for the Conduct of Free, Fair 

and Credible Elections in Nigeria” to 

which we expect all 37 Election 

Management Bodies in Nigeria to accede. 

Ironically there has been a silver lining 

in the cloud of allegations of underaged 

voting in the Kano State Local 

Government elections. It is providing the 

Commission an opportunity to take 

another look at the Register and to engage 

with stakeholders on how to continue to 

update and improve it, particularly 

through the removal of ineligible 

registrants. As we have consistently 

promised Nigerians, as a Commission, we 

shall continue to be open to criticisms, 

accept shortcomings and take bold 

corrective steps whenever necessary. All 

we ask is for Nigerians to see election and 

the processes related to it, not as the 

business of INEC alone, but as a 

collective national project.


local government areas of Ekiti, 

adding that it would be difficult for 

any of them to now consider stepping 

down or arriving at consensus 

candidacy. 

Another aspirant said the least 

amount “you dole out when visiting a 

ward is N100, 000, aside the logistics”. 

He added, “Once you visit a ward, 

be sure that you are parting with at 

least N100, 000, aside other expenses 

and you have to do that in all the 177 

wards. You also have to maintain your 

structures in all the LGAs and this has 

to be consistent. 

“You have to be on ground, party 

faithful have to see you as being on 

ground, consistent. These are some of 

the factors you need to convince the 

people that you are serious about your 

project”. 

EKITI APC PRIMARY: 

The death of 

consensus candidacy 

By Rotimi Ojomoyela, Ado Ekiti 

Yesterday, at Oluyemi Kayode 

Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, about 

2,618 delegates from across 

the 177 wards in the Ekiti State filed 

out to elect a flag bearer of the All 

Progressive Congress, APC, among 

the 33 contenders jostling 

for the ticket of the party 

ahead of the July 14 

governorship election in 

the state. 

The contenders had 

traversed the 133 

communities where the 

177 wards are situated, 

selling themselves to 

delegates. 

For the delegates, it was 

believed in some quarters 

that it was harvest time as 

some of them were 

alleged to have raked in 

millions of naira from 

various aspirants who 

had been knocking on 

their doors over the past 

months day and night. 

Beautiful brides 

Political watchers also 

described the period in 

the run up to the primary 

as one of suspense as the 

governorship aspirants had to spend 

sleepless nights seeing delegates and 

influential party leaders in the state 

while many delegates were said to 

have gone for the broke, extracting as 

much as the aspirants could offer, 

knowing that once is primary is done, 

they no longer 

mattered and the 

The 

delegates 

had to be 

courted, their 

ego 

massaged or 

else they 

dump 

uncooperative 

aspirants 

winner simply 

disappears into thin 

air till election time. 

The delegates had 

to be courted, their 

ego massaged or 

else they dump 

uncooperative 

aspirants. The 

highest bidder, 

sometimes, go to the 

extent of camping 

the delegates where 

other contestants 

cannot reach them, 

but feelers from the 

party secretariat 

showed that the 

leadership forbade 

the practice. 

The race for the 

governorship ticket 

of the Ekiti APC was 

seen ahead by many 

as open, the outcome of which no one 

could predict in clear terms. But 

delegates and leaders of the party in 

the 16 local government areas of the 

state reeled out conditions delegates 

might consider before casting their 

votes. 

Prominent among the conditions 

were the contenders’ (for the 

governorship ticket) consistency, 

loyalty, accessibility, presence and 

generosity. 

Findings also revealed that “journey 

just comers” among the aspirants had 

nowhere to go. The race was predicted 

to be between those who had shown 

considerable presence in Ekiti in the 

past four years, those who had 

invested in the lives of the delegates, 

those responsible for the privileged 

positions those delegates had found 

themselves, those who had proved to 

be accessible, opening their purses 

and attending to the needs of party 

members. 

No consensus 

A prominent aspirant told Sunday 

Vanguard yesterday that the idea of 

consensus or stepping down was too 

late in the day, because the 33 of them 

had bought the forms with each 

aspirant spending N8million and had 

also set up structures across the 16 

‘No preferred candidate’ 

As important as the Ekiti election is 

to the Presidency and the national 

leadership of the APC, both had 

impressed it on members that it had 

no preferred candidate among the 33 

contenders. 

The position of the party leadership 

was made known during the 

inauguration of the electoral 

committee. 

The APC’s National Organising 

Secretary, Sen. Osita Izunaso, who, 

on behalf of the party’s National 

Chairman, Chief John Odigie- 

Oyegun, inaugurated the Governor 

Umaru Al-Malkura led 5-member 

Primary Election Committee, told 

members of the committee, in clear 

terms, that nothing short of 

transparent primary was expected 

from them. 

Interestingly, the tendency by any 

of the actors to manipulate delegates’ 

list was reduced as the list was 

released to the party secretariat in 

Ado-Ekiti a week before yesterday’s 

event. The implication was that those 

vested with the role of electing the 

party’s flag bearer were aware of their 

responsibility and every member of the 

party knew them, their identities, their 

wards and where they resided. 

“If we conduct a transparent primary, 

any aspirant that wins will surely 

become the next governor of Ekiti 

State... The party has no preferred 

candidate, there is no such thing in 

our lexicon. It does not exist. All 

aspirants are equal until after the 

election,” Izunaso stated. 

The National Organising Secretary, 

who disclosed that the official 

delegates list has been given to all 

aspirants, said no petition had been 

received on the list. 

He said all 33 aspirants had been 

cleared by the APC National Working 

Committee (NWC) to contest the primary. 

Izunaso urged the Primary Election 

Committee to convene a stakeholders; 

meeting with aspirants and party 

chieftains in the state to agree on 

modalities for the primary. 

Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the 

Chairman of the Primary Election 

Committee, promised “to ensure free and 

fair election, conform and adhere to all 

guidelines so that by the time the exercise 

is over, the party will become stronger and 

more cohesive. This is the beginning of 

the assurance of our great party to reclaim 

the mandate in Ekiti State”.

PAGE 12—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018 

LAND DISPUTE 

My life in danger, Red 

Cross Chair alleges 

•Property was mine - Politician 

Chairperson of Sapele Chapter 

of the International Red Cross 

Society, IRCS, Madam Lulu Ebiai, 

has raised the alarm over what she 

called “desperate plan of a politician 

in Sapele to get rid of me in order to 

claim a landed property measuring 

200x85 feet in the area belonging 

to the International Red Cross.” 

According to Lulu, “IRCS has 

already built its office on a section 

of the property, leaving the other 

section to build a school for the less 

privileged children, prayer chapel, 

an orphanage centre and a centre 

for care of the elderly people, when, 

suddenly, a politician in Sapele 

grabbed the left over space and 

converted it to his personal use.” 

But in a swift response, a former 

Chairman of Sapele LGA, Mr Julius 

Egbedi, said the land belonged to 

him and not IRCS. 

“I bought it from its original owner 

and she legally transmitted the land 

to me. It measured 100x100. I 

bought it and I also settled the 

community which, aside my title 

papers, also gave me a receipt for 

the purchase.” 

“Other individuals like the fire 

service center and IRCS also have 

theirs plots around my land. I share 

common boundary with IRCS and 

IRCS has developed its plot in that 

area. It even encroached into 

30x100 of my land when it was 

fencing its property. IRCS is the one 

offending me and not the other way 

round. Again, nobody is threatening 

the life of Madam Ebiai. As a matter 

of fact, I have sold my portion and 

A 

lawyer, Mr. Tunde Ebenezer 

Omobobami, alleges that 

family members in Temidire, 

Odolua Quarters, Ile-Oluji in 

Okeigbo Local Government Area of 

Ondo State are insisting that he must 

lead devotees of Ogun in the town 

during the annual festival scheduled 

for August. 

His father, the late Chief 

Ogundayo Bamutula Omobobami, 

according to him, was a devotee of 

Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron, rising 

IRCS has built its office on its portion 

and has fenced it round. So why are 

they coming to lay claim to the 

portion outside their fence?” 

When contacted, the original 

owner of the land, octogenarian 

Mama Igiwuyi Warri Ojerumu, said 

then Bendel State government 

acquired part of it without paying 

compensation and shared the part 

it acquired to some agencies and 

NGOs, including IRCS and the Fire 

Service. I sold the remaining part 

to a former Council Chairman, Mr 

Julius Egbedi”. 

But Ebiai said, “All the land 

through the ranks to become the 

chief priest and the Olori Ode (head 

of hunters) of Ile-Oluji. 

Five years ago, when his father 

died, he said the lot fell on any of his 

elder brothers to carry on with the 

family tradition of being the 

custodian of Ogun in the 

community. But the siblings, on the 

grounds of their religious leaning, 

fled the town one day. 

Consequently, he said he was 

caught by surprise when some 

belongs to IRCS. We built on a 

section and we left a section for other 

purposes. We were in the office 

recently when we noticed some 

youth clearing debris from the 

empty space. When I inquired from 

Kinsmen after me for refusing to be Ogun priest, lawyer alleges 

•Urges police to act fast on his petition 

elders of his family came to inform 

him of their decision to make him 

the next chief priest of Ogun! 

But having become a committed 

Christian, Omobobami, who is a 

deacon in a church based in Iju, 

Lagos, the Prevailing Christian 

Mission, declined the offer. 

The lawyer explained that since 

them, he and his family had been 

hunted allegedly by some devotees 

of the god of iron. 

He claimed that unidentified 

persons had been stalking him, 

2019: ‘Why Atiku will make the difference’ 

By Ephraim Oseji 

Peoples Democratic Party 

(PDP) chieftain, Chief 

Sunny Onuesoke, says former 

Vice President Abubakar Atiku 

is the best presidential 

material for Nigeria in 2019. 

Onuesoke, who was in Atiku 

’s entourage to the10th 

anniversary symposium of the 

late Sen. Abraham Adesanya 

held at Muson Center, Lagos, 

told journalists that Nigeria 

needs an intelligent and an 

experienced man like Atiku 

Abubakar to steer her affairs. 

He said Atiku was not a saint 

like every human being, 

stressing that in the former VP, 

there was hope and better 

future for Nigerians. 

Onuesoke pointed out that 

one thing that made the ‘Turaki 

of Adamawa’ stand out 

among other leaders was his 

ability to identify talent, 

competence and consistency 

on key national issues, 

Secretary to Delta State Government (SSG) Ovie Agas with Fred Latimore during 

a Delta Central PDP event, last week 

adding that Atiku seemed to 

understand Nigeria but the 

nation had not been able to 

understand him. 

Onuesoke, who described 

himself as “an unapologetic 

•Madam Lulu Ebiai 

Atikuist”, recalled that, as Vice 

President, Atiku advocated the 

creation of the Ministry of 

Niger Delta to fast-track 

development in then troubled 

region which the late President 

them on why they were encroaching 

into a proper widely known to be 

International Red Cross Society 

property, they told me that some 

politicians had sold it to them. 

“While I was making further 

inquiries from the neighborhood, I 

was surrounded by a mob which 

nearly lynched me. 

“The property was acquired by 

then Bendel State government under 

Brigadier General Samuel 

Osagbovo Ogbemudia, ret., which 

gave it to IRCS. It also gave land to 

other agencies, like the Fire Service 

and all are still there till date. IRCS 

did not build on its land for a long 

time, to the extent that its neighbours 

were dumping refuse on it”. 

“They are consistently threatening 

my life. They have been sending 

their boys to be lurking around the 

office to harm me. This is why I am 

making this SOS to members of the 

public and to security agencies to 

come and rescue me and bring those 

involved in the encroachment to 

book and restore IRCS land, needed 

for public good”. 

forcing him to keep 

changing 

residence and 

hiding his wife and 

children. 

The lawyer, 

therefore, 

appealed to 

the police in 

Ile-Oluji to 

urgently 

save him. •Tunde 

Yar’Adua 

later adopted 

as a key leg 

of his sevenpoint 

agenda. 

•Onuesoke 

Catholic Church empowers youth, launches 

web portal 

Holy Family Catholic 

Church, Festac Town, 

Lagos has empowered its 

community youths. The event, 

held at the church’s event centre in 

Festac, under the theme: ‘Youth 

Empowerment Initiative/Web 

Portal Launch’, is an initiative of the 

Catholic Youth Organisation of 

Nigeria (CYON). 

Guests, including Mr. 

Ugochukwu Umeogwuo, a 

financial expert and motivational 

speaker, and Mr. Ezekiel, an author, 

treated the youths, mainly from the 

church diocese, to life changing 

topics geared towards building selfconfidence, 

making the right 

decision and confronting 

challenges that withhold starters 

from succeeding in business. 

Omeogwuo spoke on why youth 

fail even when they are well 

informed. He said that discipline 

in financial management is 

important. “Education is the 

progressive study of our 

economics. Until a man is ready 

to learn, he will not change. 

Without discipline, information 

is baseless. Study is a royal 

behaviour. Makes study your 

important behaviour”, he said. 

Mr. Ezekiel, who spoke on 

‘Dream Build Sell’, revealed the 

secret to success, saying it is 

through orderly observing the 

game. 

The coordinator, Holy Family 

Catholic Church Youth 

Empowerment Initiative, Rev 

Father Simeon Irabor, said, “We 

want to impact life because our 

youths need something to fall 

back on as our society has failed 

them. We decided to leverage on 

the fact that youths have a lot in 

them and should be partakers of 

their own future. The 

programmes are extensively for 

those in business but not doing 

so well and starters alike. With 

the information and knowledge 

they garnered here today, I 

believe they will definitely make 

an impact in their society. With 

the portal, they can easily log on 

the site and get information that 

will be beneficial to doing 

business and other things.” 

08116759757 

Delta SSG 

appreciates gov’s 

communications 

aide 

Secretary to Delta State 

Government (SSG) Ovie 

Agas has commended the 

Executive Assistant 

(Communications) to 

Governor Okowa, Fred 

Latimore Oghenesivbe, for his 

professional skill. 

The SSG, who spoke at a 

meeting convened by the 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 

in Delta Central, said it has 

become glaring that 

Oghenesivbe was a resourceful 

aide to the governor and 

dedicated to duty, adding that 

the commendation became 

necessary to motivate him. 

“I want to let you know that I 

am impressed by your 

performance so far. Your take 

on issues and falsehood 

targeted at your principal is 

well articulated. Keep doing it 

and never be discouraged,” 

Agas added. 

Responding, Oghenesivbe 

said he was humbled by Agas’s 

kind words and promised to 

sustain the tempo of work and 

improve on his job. 

I Will Establish 

Small–Scale 

Industries In 

Urhoboland If 

Elected Senator 

– Rep Oboro 

Delta Central senatorial 

contender, Hon. Evelyn 

Omavowan Oboro, has stated 

that if voted in 2019, she will 

attract small scale industries to 

the three federal constituencies 

and eight local government 

areas in the district. 

Oboro, a member of the 

House of Representatives, 

representing Okpe, Sapele, 

Uvwie Federal Constituency, 

who spoke during a visit to 

some council chairmen, 

councillors and PDP executives 

in Delta Central, said 

establishment of small scale 

industries will go a long way i 

tackling the problems 

unemployment in 

Urhoboland. 

She explained that smallscale 

industries involved the 

production of matches, tooth 

pick, cellophane, pen, pencils, 

books, tissue papers, sugar, 

wine, eraser, plastics and other 

items requiring small capital 

to establish. 

“I will use part of my 

constituency project allowance 

to establish small scale 

industries in the three federal 

constituencies (Ethiope East; 

Ethiope West, Okpe, Sapele, 

Uvwie; and Ughelli North, 

Ughelli South, Udu) in Delta 

Central and later to the eight 

LGAs”, she added. 

Oboro, fondly called 

“Empowerment Mama”, 

stated that she was not going 

to the Senate as a learner but 

as an experienced lawmaker 

having been in the House of 

Representatives for two terms. 

“So I will be a ranking senator 

if I get there and, by His grace, 

I will be a member of the 

decision making caucus in the 

Senate”. 

While appealing to delegates 

across Delta Central to vote 

her, the lawmaker noted that 

the PDP needs a popular and 

credible candidate with track 

records of achievements like 

her to enable the electorate 

across party divides in 

Urhoboland to vote for her in 

the general elections.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018, PAGE 13


people 

I hawked pap, matches 

before my mother sent 

me to school 

— Chief Michael Ade- Ojo 

•How he started multi-billion business with 600 pounds he borrowed 

By Ebun Sessou and Dolapo Majekodunmi 

Chief Michael Ade-Ojo is the founder 

of Elizade Nigeria Limited and 

Chairman, Toyota Nigeria Limited. 

Born on June 14, 1938 at Ilara-Mokin, Ondo 

State into the family of the late Chief Solomon 

Ojo and Mrs. Beatrice Ademolawe Ojo, little 

Ade-Ojo attended St. Michael’s Anglican 

School, Ilara-Mokin. He later had his 

secondary education at Imade College, Owo 

between 1954 and1958, where he obtained 

the West Africa School Certificate. He 

proceeded to the University of Nigeria, 

Nsukka, UNN, in 1961, where he bagged a 

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Business 

Administration in 1965.He started Elizade 

Independent Agencies (EIA) with his wife, 

Elizabeth Wuraola Ojo. The company focuses 

on the distribution of automobiles in Nigeria, 

especially Japanese cars. In this interview, he 

reveals the secret behind his multi-billion 

business and how he started with 600 pounds. 

He also explained how poverty subjected him 

to abuse. 

Growing up 

My life started as a street hawker in Ondo 

State. I sold all sorts of things including 

charcoal, matches, pap and firewood to make 

ends meet. I continued with life until my 

mother was convinced that I needed to go to 

school. So, she decided to finance my 

education. My father had three children and 

he did his best to sponsor the education of 

only one child from each wife. But 

unfortunately, I was the youngest child of my 

mother. I was very obedient to her and my 

mother was a good disciplinarian. She would 

not take nonsense from me. While my 

immediate senior brother would go to farm, 

the only one who was sponsored to go to school 

would go to school and the other two children 

from the other women. And I was going to 

fetch water from the brook every day for 

mother to cook. I was handling all the chores 

including sweeping in the home. While my 

mother decided to finance my education, I 

was still doing the house chores. All the time, 

she was grinding corn to make pap and she 

taught me to be responsible. So, I was quite 

obedient. She never spared the rod whenever 

I made mistakes. 

In the morning before going to school, I 

would have to fetch water, sweep the house 

and sell pap for my mother. And when I came 

back in the evening, I would do my homework. 

I also sold kerosene and matchsticks, cleared 

weed to slip poverty. In those days, people were 

not able to buy one box of matches at a time. 

We would tie them in pieces, between five and 

10, and then hawk them around. That was my 

own business. 

One thing I could not forget was the fact 

that my parent’s poverty subjected me to abuse 

by my uncles. My uncles deprived me some 

childhood communion that other children 

enjoyed. When they were enjoying tales and 

fables, I was always sent on errands. I had no 

option but to go. That was one form of 

intimidation that I experienced in life. If their 

children were not busy, they would still call 

me to work for them. My parents were poor 

and my uncles took advantage of that. It was 

as if I came from heaven with poverty. We 

were living in a house roofed with mat while 

others were living in houses roofed with zinc. 

Those experiences propelled me to determine 

that I must change my family dynamics. So, I 

was doing very well in school. In my final year 

in 1953, I took the entrance examination but 

I did not pass. I was worried. One of my aunties 

noticed that something was wrong. So, I told 

her that I lost two admissions. I almost lost 

hope of gaining admission to secondary 

school. While I was ruminating on the issue, I 

slept off and I had a dream that I was admitted 

into a secondary school. I woke up to discover 

it was a dream and I felt bad. I took another 

entrance examination and I was waiting for 

the result. One day, at about 5.30am, we left 

for the farm. On our way back home, I met 

one of my classmates in primary school, 

Cecilia Akanjo, who called my name, 

“Ademiyan”, and asked if I had seen my name 

on the list of those who passed the entrance 

examination. I immediately rushed to the 

primary school and met the headmaster who 

confirmed that I had passed and I was happy. 

I lived with my mother, so I was not too 

familiar with my father. 

Fatherly role? 

I lost my dad when I was in secondary. He 

died in 1956. Nobody told me about his death 

because I was the youngest. It was during a 

holiday break that I learnt that my father had 

died. And my brother’s wife who did not know 

I was not aware of my father’s death jokingly 

said, “Oga has come after killing his father”. 

My father had died and buried before I was 

told. I was in class three and it was believed 

that I could not have played any role in his 

funeral. Sincerely, I loved my father. 

Ambition 

My ambition was to be a doctor; 

unfortunately, I never knew I needed physics 

to be doctor. I was good in other subjects but 

mathematics was not part of my life. When I 

gained admission into secondary school, 

money was the problem. In 1953, my brother, 

who was then in Police College, Lagos, bought 

my clothes while my mother paid the school 

fees for the first term. After a while, I had to 

finance my education. So, during the holidays, 

I would join some of the labourers in the 

community. I also worked in the farm as well 

as a bricklayer. But there was a recruitment 

process in the school by the Nigerian Army, 

and I told my mum that I wanted to go for the 

interview but she told me I would die if I tried 

it. But I was determined and I went for the 

interview but I was not taken. I proceeded to 

the School of Agriculture Akure in 1959 to 

1960. I finished the course and I was posted to 

Ibadan and I was there between 1960 and 

1961 when I got admission into the University 

of Nsukka to read Business Administration 

and, at the end, I came out with Second Class 

Upper. 

Meeting his wife 

I met my late wife, Elizabeth, at the 

University of Nsukka. The first year in the 

university was pretty easy but, in the second 

year, the management was bent on ensuring 

that school fees were paid. Unfortunately, I 

was unable to pay the fees which nearly 

resulted in my withdrawing from the 

university. 

Luckily, my Head of Department and some 

lecturers who knew my challenge decided to 

help. I was employed in the departmental 

library so that I could finance my education. 

One of the evenings in the school fellowship, I 

was in the church and two other young girls 

were seated beside me. I knew they were Yoruba 

girls. Elizabeth was seated next to her friend 

•Ade-Ojo 

who sat beside me. We were not talking to 

each other but I noticed that while we were 

singing, the two of them were laughing and I 

was embarrassed. But I soliloquized, ‘These 

people do not know who they are dealing with’. 

In the university, my popular name was ‘Ade- 

Ojo Lumumba’. Lumumba was a Congolese 

politician and independence leader who 

served as the first Prime Minister of 

independent Democratic Republic of the 

Congo from June till September 1960. People 

said I looked like him and I used to shave my 

beard exactly like his. To my surprise, as soon 

as the fellowship was rounded of, both of them 

rushed out. I wanted to go after them but I 

could not get up in time. But when I finally got 

out of the hall, I saw them waiting for me 

aside. They said, ‘We knew you were 

embarrassed by our laughter. 

But it was not about you; rather 

it was about the man seated next 

to you’. They apologized and 

that was how I used the 

opportunity to know their 

names and did little 

introduction. I knew my late 

wife’s friend was a girlfriend to 

my friend but she (Elizabeth) 

was not engaged. I then asked 

for permission to be checking 

on her and she obliged and that 

was how our love story started. 

One thing that fascinated me 

about Elizabeth was her kind 

gesture. As a student, I was 

unable to pay my school fees 

but she was on scholarship. We 

became friends and, to my 

greatest surprise, she gave me 

40 pounds which was her 

allowance. I was overwhelmed 

by that gesture. That was how I 

made up by mind to marry her. 

We were married when she was 

still in Nsukka because I was 

one year ahead of her in school. 

We were married on February 

26, 1966 in Enugu. There were 

My life started 

as a street 

hawker in 

Ondo State. I 

sold all sorts 

of things 

including 

charcoal, 

matches, pap 

and firewood 

to make ends 

meet 

14 people who attended the marriage. We were 

happily married and blessed with two 

children, a girl, Deola and a boy, Demola. 

Enter Elizade 

CFAO gave me scholarship during my last 

two years in university. So, I decided to give 

back to the company by working as a contract 

staff. I was with CFAO for one year and a half. 

But, due to some disagreement, I left. At CFAO, 

when my contract was not renewed at the end 

of 1966, I moved to Island Revenue. I was 

there for five months. When I got to Island 

Revenue, I discovered that it was a house for 

laziness. But I was not used to laziness. After 

doing my work for the day within two hours, I 

used the remaining working hours to market 

insurance. I learnt about Insurance in CFAO. 

I was successful as an insurance marketer. I 

was able to save some money from the 

marketing of insurance with which I later 

started my business. I joined British Petroleum, 

BP, but I had no time to market insurance. I 

was a sales representative and 

that was the bedrock of my 

success story. And with my sales 

ability, I did well with BP. In 

1970, I was transferred to 

Benin to relieve one of the 

workers who was on leave for 

three months. I increased the 

sales by 25 per cent and came 

back to Lagos. To my surprise, 

the man I relieved in Benin was 

brought to Lagos branch to be 

my direct boss. I was annoyed 

and I demanded permission to 

proceed on leave. I was on leave 

when I decided to go into 

another business. I became a 

car seller and, within one 

month, I had sold 40 cars. With 

the 40 cars sold, my business 

started. After the sale of the 40 

cars, I calculated my profit and 

discovered that my income was 

more than one year salary in 

BP. So, I decided to leave BP 

and started my business. 

When I started the business, I 

was asked to pay 600 pounds. 


people 


I don't spend money unnecessarily — Chief Michael Ade-Ojo 


It was RT Briscoe Nigeria that just started 

selling Toyota in Nigeria. The company gave 

me the opportunity to sell cars while I earn 

my commission. I wanted to expand my coast, 

so I approached a bank for loan but I was 

denied. I offered my brain as collateral but it 

was rejected. I met a cousin who gave me the 

600 pounds and I paid to start the sale of 

motorcycle. I paid the 600 pounds to the 

company and became an agent. And I was 

promised to be paid 2.5 per cent commission. 

And because work had become part of me, I 

started the sale of motorcycles. I do not know 

how to be lazy. I feel useless when I am idle. 

That was the lesson that my mother taught 

me. I was using a Volkswagen when I started 

my business and continued using it until I was 

able to buy a second hand Presidia. I also 

bought a Toyota Corona later after I sold two 

heavy duty vehicles. I used the money to fix 

others things for the business to move on. There 

were things I denied myself of in order to move 

my business forward. And because I was able 

to cut my coat according to the size of my 

cloth, I was able to build the business quickly. 

One lesson that I taught was not to spend 

money unnecessarily. I did not attempt to do 

things that I knew could kill the financial 

capital and I am still like that till today. If you 

are building a business, be careful not to waste 

your financial capital. I was able to separate 

my capital from other money and that was 

part of my success story. 

How did you come about the name 

Elizade? 

•Ade-Ojo 

During my last year in Nsukka, I decided to 

go into real business. We were the first set of 

Business Administration students in Nigeria. 

My late wife was Elizabeth and I am Ade. So, 

it is a combination of Elizabeth and Ade. 

What inspired you to establish a university? 

Elizade University was set up to be a studentcentered 

university, with emphasis on best 

practices in the delivery of teaching, research 

and community services. The university had 

her maiden convocation in April 2017. People 

should know that education is not a business. 

Anyone who intends to set up a university for 

monetary gains has missed it. I did not set up 

a university to make money but for charity 

and development of my hometown, Ilara 

Mokin. Since 1988, I promised to build a 

secondary school in my hometown but there 

was a clause. And the clause was for the people 

to give me land but they could not provide 

land. So, that mission was aborted. As the 

years rolled by, my ambition was to build a 

school of international standard for that town. 

Yet, the mission was aborted but the zeal was 

still burning in me. So, some young boys, 

‘Ilara-Mokin Youths Association’, 

championed the cause and met the king on 

the case. I was later given two plots of land 

and then I bought some lands adjoining the 

two plots. As time went on, we were able to 

buy 100 acres of land. I have invested over 

N25 billion on that university and I have not 

received a penny from anyone. The school is 

growing and we are having the second 

convocation in this year. We have five faculties 

at the university. 

Growing up, was there any prediction or 

prophesy concerning your success in life? 

Someone told me that I was going to be 

great but I did not believe him because he was 

an herbalist. Then there was a time a 

neighbourhood vigilante in our compound 

encouraged my mother to send me to school 

that I might become a great person in life. 

Thirdly, when I was in elementary school, I 

dreamt about building a tall house. My uncle’s 

house was a storey building but the house that 

I built in that dream was taller than his but I 

did not tell the story until I was 40 years. 

Are there challenges you faced in the past? 

Yes, I faced my challenges. 

What is your view about politicians in Abuja 

I have never lived there and, in order to avoid 

being a politician, I will never live in Abuja. 

Corruption is in all of us. When you give you 

are encouraging it, and when you take you 

are encouraging it. Anti-corruption fight is not 

about mind-set but a question of doing what 

is right. 

How many hours do you work daily? 

I do not know. Work is part of my life. I do 

not know how to be lazy. If I am not at work, 

my brain is still working. I grew up to know 

work as a passion and that was what my 

mother did to me. 

In summary, what would you call the most 

realistic phase of your life? 

I know the son of whom I am. I am a truthful 

person. In business, you must work for profit 

otherwise you are heading for nothing. You 

must not waste money and ensure continuity 

for the business. You must avoid what can put 

you out of business. You must know what you 

need. I do all I do with God in mind. You must 

know what you are doing and face it squarely 

provided it is genuine. 

With this economic condition of the country, 

would you say it is possible for a child from a 

poor background to excel? 

It is very possible. And that is if you are able 

to differentiate between your capital and your 

expenditure. Do not spend the money you 

would invest in your business. I made up my 

mind after an experience in1978 not to involve 

in illegal business. 

From left: MD/CEO, Africa Operations of Inlaks, Femi Adeoti (left), 

receiving the ICT Personality of the Year award from the Chairman, Zinox 

Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, during the ninth edition of Beacon of Information 

and Communication Technology awards held in Lagos 

Ade-Ojo, at 80, gives graduating student N5m for mobile cooking gas station 

By Dayo Johnson, Akure 

Astart- up capital of N5 million has 

been given to an outstanding 

graduating student of Elizade University, 

Ilara- Mokin, Abisola Animasaun, by the 

institution’s proprietor, Chief Michael Ade- 

Ojo. 

Also, a member of the Board of Trustees, 

Mrs. Funke Osibodu, offered automatic 

employment to all first class and second class 

upper division graduates in accounting and 

computer science. 

Ade- Ojo presented the cheque to Animasaun 

during the university’s second convocation 

ceremony during which 105 students 

graduated and 16 with first class. 

He said the prize was given under the Go 

Higher Business Empowerment Award 

initiative to mark his 80th birthday, which 

coincides with the university’s second 

convocation. 

According to him, Animasaun, a graduate 

of mass communication won the award with 

her business proposal that surpassed those of 

30 other applicants. 

The awardee’s proposal was for the 

establishment of a company, Gas-Urgently, 

said to be the filling first mobile cooking gas 

station in the country. 

Ade-Ojo said, “Animasaun is a clear 

demonstration of the role of the university in 

training the mind. Here is a graduate of mass 

communication, who applied her knowledge 

to fill a gap in the society. Her company, called 

Gas-Urgently, will be the first mobile 

cooking gas filling station in the 

country,” . 

Also, the Registrar of the institution 

and Chairman of the convocation 

anniversary committee of the university, 

Mr. Omololu Adegbenro said the 

BEDC gesture was a fulfillment of the 

promise of the company. 

The Chancellor of the university, 

Gbenga Oyebode announced another 

automatic employment for the 16 

students that made first class 

According to Oyebade, while the 

university’s first class graduates will be 

working in the institution, they would 

also be given the opportunity to 

continue their academic career. End 

Oba Olufemi Olutoye installs ex-King’s College Principal as Idoani chief 

A 

former Principal of King’s College, 

Lagos, Otunba Oladele Olapeju, has 

been honored with the title of Asiwaju of 

Idoani Kingdom by Oba Olufemi 

Olutoye, the Oluwatomiloye I. 

Giving the welcome address at the 

occasion, High Chief Olugbenga 

Ajannah, Secretary, Alani – in – Council, 

stated that the community decided to 

welcome home Olapeju with pomp having 

served the Federal Government 

meritoriously. Ajannah disclosed that the 

title of Asiwaju of Idoani Kingdom is 

honorary and conferred in recognition of 

significant service to the community and 

the nation. 

The Alani, Olutoye, a retired major 

general, said that prior to his ascension 

to the throne three years ago, there were 

vacant traditional and honorary 

chieftaincy titles in the kingdom. This 

situation, the monarch said, could be 

because “a lot of our citizens were either 

skeptical of what it takes to be a chief or 

scared of the ominous façade perceived 

to be associated with the assumption of 

office”. He added that “the installation 

From left: A former Director General of CMD, Dr. Joseph 

Yakubu Maiyaki, Mr. Chris Nwaokoye and Mr. Chigbo Anichebe 

of Bereau of Public Enterprises (BPE) during the commissioning 

of Funplex Event Centre, Ikosi, Lagos, last week 

of the Asiwaju was devoid of any 

fetish practice”. 

“Since my assumption, I have 

maintained a regime of chieftaincy 

installations that is Holy and 

acceptable to my creator and I have 

sworn to sustain the purity and the 

spiritual cleanliness of the 

process”, Olutoye said. 

Olapeju thanked the Alani, chiefs 

and community members for the 

recognition as he pledged his 

loyalty and commitment to service. 

Lagos needs world class 

enter 

ertainment centres 

– Nwasike, MD, Funplex Event Centre 

Oba of Shangisha, Jamiu, 

Ajibola Adetola; Onikosi of Ikosi-land, Oba 

Samuel Alamu Oloyede; a former Director General 

of Centre for Management Development (CMD), 

Dr. Joseph Maiyaki, and Justice of Appeal Court, 

Ugochukwu Ogakwu, were some of the dignitaries 

who graced the commissioning of the multi-million 

naira Funplex Event Centre, Lagos. 

An evening of fun and glamour, the five-star facility 

hosted over 250 guests from all walks of life to 

sumptuous foods, drinks and music. 

Maiyaki praised Allied Thrust and Systems 

Limited (ATSL) for erecting the facility for public 

benefit considering the financial and intellectual 

investment that has gone into it. 

Other dignitaries at the event include Dr. Obiora 

Obiagwu, Deputy Director, Bureau of Public 

Enterprises (BPE); Mr. Andrew Enahoro, Head, 

Legal & PR, Promasidor Nigeria Limited; Engr. Tony 

Nwosu of Suntrust Oil & Gas Company Nigeria 

Limited and Prince Dennis Nwoko of Home Craft 

Limited. 

The Managing Director of Allied Thrust and 

Systems Limited (owners of Funplex Event 

Centre), Mr. Emeka Nwasike, in his address, 

noted that the launch of the event centre was a 

dream come true. 

He added that “This feat is borne out of our 

love for hospitality and our desire to be a strong 

contender and pacesetter in the industry. Already, 

you can see that Funplex resort is a one-stopshop 

for fun and entertainment. Our goal is to 

provide Nigerians with an event centre that can 

cater for corporate and social needs”.

PAGE 16 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 

Buhari and Nigerias 

leadership deficit 

“Leadership is the ability to 

define issues without aggravating 

the problems.” Warren 

Bennis. 1980. 

For the last four weeks, 

President Buhari has 

exposed more of his 

leadership deficit than ever 

before. Hitherto, a relatively 

silent Head of State, compared 

to the likes of Donald 

Trump, Nigerians had assumed 

that “silence is golden”. 

Increasingly, with Buhari, 

it is becoming more obvious 

that “it is better to remain silent 

and be considered a fool 

than to speak and remove all 

doubt.” 

His explanations about killer 

herdsmen which have 

ranged from blaming the victims 

for not accommodating 

the murderers, to blaming 

Gaddafi and political opponents, 

point to a President who 

has no clue regarding the solution 

to the most urgent problem 

of recent times. 

“Politicians are their own 

grave diggers”. Will Rogers, 

1879-1935. 

When great American humorist 

Will Rogers made that 

remark, he never had a fellow 

called Muhammadu Buhari 

in mind. But, any observer of 

the national political scene 

cannot help thinking that the 

Nigerian President is doing a 

good job of digging his own 

political tomb. God knows 

there are enough political 

foes eager to carve out a vault 

for him in the politicians’ 

graveyard of yesterday’s men. 

But, he appears to want to do 

it himself – with help from his 

advisers and “yes-men” who 

applaud even his most disturbing 

utterances and conduct. 

In 2015, herdsmen did not 

feature in the political debate 

because they did not exist then 

as a terrorist group. Boko 

Haram was the menace and 

President Jonathan paid dearly 

for not addressing it adequately. 

Today, herdsmen have 

overtaken Boko Haram as 

the nation’s top security problem 

and the President, as well 

as the Police and Army, are all 

but suggesting that they are 

protecting them instead of 

declaring them a terrorist organization. 

In the process, because 

most of them are Fulani 

Muslims, Buhari has, one 

way or the other, plunged into 

a self-dug hole. Today, it is almost 

impossible to find a 

Christian outside Aso Rock 

and top APC officials, who 

would vote for Buhari on account 

of his perceived religious 

discrimination as evidenced 

by the benign neglect 

with which his government 

has treated attacks on Christians 

by Boko Haram and 

now herdsmen. 

I was in two South South 

states last week in a bid to get 

the elected officials there to 

attend the ATTAH ON RE- 

SOURCE CONTROL book 

launch. Unfortunately, the 

launch date coincided with 

the day all Nigerian governors 

were gathered in Abuja 

with their “begging bowls” for 

revenue allocation. Nothing 

on earth should convince all 

of them of the need for restructuring 

more than that. American 

governors don’t assemble 

in Washington DC every 

month to share money because 

each state controls its 

own revenue. But, my trip to 

the two states revealed no single 

person I met who would 

be willing to vote for Buhari 

for second term. Their main 

reason is Fulani herdsmen, 

who, they believe, rightly or 

wrongly, are being encouraged 

to commit atrocities. 

Christians constitute close to 

half the voters in Nigeria. How 

a presidential candidate can 

hope to win when he starts out 

by giving away almost half 

the votes to his opponents is a 

mystery. 

The youths who, according 

to him, represent sixty per cent 

of Nigerians, and the eighteen 

to thirty years old group 

which may also account for 

close to half of the number, 

were the subject of uncharitable 

remarks by the President 

in London. As usual, Buhari’s 

less than brilliant spokesmen 

have totally missed the point. 

Close to fifty-four million Nigerians 

are in that age bracket. 

Granted, not all of them 

will register to vote and not 

all of them will vote against 

Buhari, but the more politically 

aware are now dead set 

against a President who is 

now blaming them for the sins 

of the elite which Buhari represents. 

More votes have been 

thrown away carelessly on account 

of careless talk by a leader 

of the people. 

“Hypocrisy is the homage 

paid by vice to virtue.” Rochefoucauld. 

When Obasanjo resumed office 

in May 1999, one of his 

first acts was to commit an impeachable 

offence by authorizing 

the release of N10 billion 

for what turned out to be 

a fraudulent Poverty Alleviation 

Programme, PAP, without 

the approval of the National 

Assembly, NASS. Till today, 

there is no report anywhere 

accounting for the N10 bil- 

lion and Nigerians became 

poorer under Obasanjo. Anticipatory 

approval as the measure 

was called was unconstitutional 

and no President of the 

USA or France could have got 

away with it. The only Senator 

who made an issue out of it was 

Senator Arthur Nzeribe of the 

opposition party ANPP. 

Nzeribe’s attempt to move a 

motion for impeachment of 

Obasanjo was turned down by 

the Senate in which the PDP 

had more than two thirds majority. 

But, Obasanjo was 

It is either Buhari 

cannot understand 

the simple words in 

the constitution of 

Nigeria which he 

swore to uphold or 

he was being deliberately 

mischievous 

without prior approval from 

the NASS – not even his alibi 

which stated that “Recently, 

approval was granted by 

the United States of America 

Government, but with a 

deadline, within which 

down payment must be made 

otherwise the contract lapses.” 

In other words, the US 

as seller, is asking Buhari as 

buyer to violate Nigeria’s 

constitution and risk impeachment 

or there is no 

deal. No American president 

or even the president of any 

country with a modicum of 

national pride would accept 

such conditions and act on 

them. So, the President got 

himself into this mess because 

he was not clever 

enough to act presidential. 

As Senator Uroghide (PDP, 

Edo South) said when the 

President’s letter was read by 

Saraki: “What you have just 

read to us violates these [Sections 

80 (1) (2) (3) and (4) of 

the constitution] provisions. 

Mr President couldn’t have 

ever, and no Nigerian citizen 

that is up and active under 

the provisions of constitution 

is allowed to make any disbursement 

or any approval 

coming from any quarter, 

whether it is by the Council 

of State of the Federation or 

the committee of governors 

or anybody in the presidency, 

without approval or appropriation 

from this Assembly.” 

Senator Uroghide 

fell short of calling for impeachment 

of Buhari. 

Lawmakers in the House 

of Representatives were in a 

darker mood about the letter. 

Some are already calling 

for the impeachment of 

the President for deliberate 

violation of the constitution. 

Whether they succeed or nor, 

the NASS is again likely to 

experience another round of 

hostile, if not violent sessions 

on account of Buhari’s misconduct. 

The sad part of it is 

the fact that this confrontation 

is totally unnecessary. 

The least thing a President 

whose popularity is nosewarned 

never to repeat it. But, 

he did many times without penalty. 

The PDP thus condoned 

deliberate illegality and established 

a precedent which Buhari 

has recently made use of. 

Last week, in a brazen act of 

lawlessness, Buhari wrote to the 

NASS stating that “I granted 

anticipatory approval for the 

release of $496,374,470 (about 

N151bn). This was paid directly 

to the Treasury of the United 

States Government. I am therefore 

writing seeking approval 

of the Senate for the sum…to 

be included in the 2018 Appropriation 

Bill, which the Senate 

is now finalizing.” 

It is either Buhari cannot understand 

the simple words in 

the constitution of Nigeria 

which he swore to uphold or he 

was being deliberately mischievous. 

Nothing in the Nigerian 

constitution gives the President 

the power to spend a kobo 

diving needs is a fight with his 

adversaries in the NASS. 

At the very least, the error of 

judgment it entails might result 

in further delay for the 

passage of the 2018 budget 

which is already heading for 

May. In the end, what Nigerians 

are seeing is a President 

with deeply flawed judgments 

– like a tennis player committing 

un-forced errors and escalating 

problems everywhere 

in the land. 

Has age got anything to do 

with it? Osinbajo made a general 

statement that age is not 

important. But, science is not 

on the Vice President’s side. 

Even the most intelligent people 

demonstrate decreasing 

capacity for everything as they 

age. Thinking is one of them. 

Learning is another. Those 

who were not top grade students 

to begin with get 

worse… 

GEN. DANJUMA(rtd) 

WAS RIGHT 

“The military is strategizing 

on how to go after the herdsmen 

and their sponsors. We 

will get both the herdsmen and 

their sponsors.” 

Brig. Gen John Agim, Director 

Defence Information, 

April 26, 2018. 

If you believe the military 

spokesan then you will believe 

anything. The Minister of Defence 

and the Inspector General 

of Police are on record 

for blaming the genocide 

committed by herdsmen on 

the states which passed antigrazing 

laws. The stupidity of 

that statement was soon exposed 

when the murderers invaded 

Plateau State whose 

less than astute governor 

joined in castigating his colleagues 

in Taraba and Benue. 

Since then, the invaders have 

visited death on people in at 

least six states – none of which 

passed any anti-grazing law. 

When your security forces 

are headed by incompetent 

people it will be foolish to rely 

on them for your safety. Only 

accomplices of murderers will 

oppose Danjuma… 

Trading one addiction 

for another 

‘Behaviour of drug addicts 

and alcoholics is wholly irrational 

until you understand 

that they are completely powerless 

over their addiction and 

unless they have structured 

help, they have no hope’.— 

Russell Brand 

There is a drug problem 

in Nigeria, and it has 

been kept under wraps 

for far too long complicity 

and prolonged denial has 

played a significant role in 

breeding this pernicious addiction. 

Sticking heads in the 

sand does not make it go away 

nor because it is not one’s immediate 

problem, will not do 

that either. What affects one, 

also affects the other. In a 

country, that is ill-equipped to 

deal with such epidemic, this 

is tragic. In a country that has 

inadequate or hardly any rehabilitation 

centres or specialists 

to run it, this makes it 

doubly tragic. Codeine is no 

standardised drug. It is very 

deceptive, cheap and accessible 

and that is what makes it 

problematic. Addiction does 

not occur over night and according 

to the definition in the 

Diagnostic and Statistical 

Manual of Mental Disorders, 

drug use transforms into addiction 

when habitual drug 

use begins hurting someone’s 

function by, for example, leading 

them to steal or commit 

other crimes to obtain heroin 

or, in the worst case scenario, 

resulting in death. This is not 

a victimless problem. It becomes 

never ending cycle, 

they take drugs to feel good 

and numb their problems and 

do more and until, they can 

no longer exist without a hit. 

The more addicted they become, 

the more removed 

from normal day to day they 

become; they cannot hold 

down a job or a relationship; 

they lie, steal and put their 

lives in danger if it means they 

get a hit. 

The Nigerian customs officers 

have made a number of 

seizures of codeine in the last 

couple of months, after a UN 

Office on Drugs and Crime 

warning that non-medical use 

of the synthetic opioid was rising. 

Increased use of codeinelaced 

cough syrups and other 

more unconventional drugs 

such as solvents has been attributed 

to poverty and other 

social issues, including high 

unemployment. 

As early as 2015, the cough 

syrup laced with codeine overtook 

tramadol as drug of 

choice for addicts. Tramadol 

is very addictive and long use 

of tramadol is counterproductive 

from a therapeutic perspective 

and it is not very accessible. 

Codeine, on the other 

hand, is easily accessible 

and has become the opiates 

of choice; it is shocking that 

thousands and thousands of 

young people in Nigeria use 

it. In the North alone, over 

three million bottles of codeine 

cough syrup are consumed 

daily. The BBC documentary 

highlighted this epidemic 

to the world and it is 

shocking to see young men 

huddling together and chugging 

cough mixtures down 

their throats and are positively 

high. 

The government have said 

that they are acting to ban the 

sale of the cough mixtures for 

inappropriate use. It is a little 

too late because, this horse 

has bolted. Nigeria does not 

need this but sadly this is the 

sign of the times. Our young 

have casted up the river without 

a pedal, no jobs, no education 

or training. 

A family member of a codeine 

addict has said: “I call 

on all security agencies, lawmakers, 

judiciary, drug manufacturers, 

civil society, regulators, 

teachers, parents, 

neighbours and you to take 

this as a personal war and halt 

the menace.” The need to act 

swiftly and decisively to arrest 

this epidemic before it visits 

every home, up and down the 

country. 

Right now, it is said that it recorded 

that far too many pharmaceutical 

companies are selling 

the drug illegally and up 

to 70 % of codeine cough syrup, 

is produced and imported 

Nigeria is at a 

crossroads of an 

addiction and suicide 

epidemic and definitely, 

more needs to be done 

to prevent further loss of 

promising young lives 

to Nigeria and shockingly into 

the hands of the insurgents according 

to 

Senator Leadehmed Lawan. 

So the Federal Government 

on May 1st has ordered an 

immediate ban on issuance of 

permits for the importation of 

codeine as active pharmaceutical 

ingredient for cough preparation. 

And the Minister of 

Health, Isaac Adewole, in the 

directive said the move became 

necessary due to the gross 

abuse of Codeine in the country. 

“Today in Nigeria there is 

hardly one single family that 

does not have an addict of some 

sort. This is the most destructive 

phenomenon in Nigeria after 

the killings by Boko Haram 

and the bandits,” he said. 

“I believe that today between 

the Executive and Legislature 

we have found a common 

ground. We debated and took 

resolutions. The Executive 

have found enough reasons 

and grounds to ban the importation 

of this deadly syrup. 

Let us hope that is not all 

talk and no action. 

If the government is serious 

about eradicating codeine 

abuse, they have to 

look at the lack of infrastructure 

and facilities to support 

and treat addicts. Chaining 

them to trees and applying 

concoction of herbs is not 

going to cut it. It is important 

to deal with the core 

problem why these addicts 

got in to taking codeine in 

the first place. Unless, the 

government understands the 

uncomfortable truth and are 

committed to help and invest 

in all areas, then unfortunately, 

this epidemic would 

not go away. Addiction is a 

mental health problem and 

it needs specialists that are 

scarce resources in Nigeria. 

Mission Impossible- 

Doctor M.I.A 

Nubi Peter, a psychiatrist 

admitted that the country’s 

mental health system is heavily 

reliant on the whims of 

the politicians: “take for an 

example in Nigeria, we, as 

Psychiatrists have been 

clamouring for a National 

suicide prevention policy… 

We submitted letters and had 

series of meetings with the 

government. Nothing” 

What is clear is that mental 

health services has always 

been ignored for so long 

and it does not get enough 

resources as general hospital. 

Psychiatry has always 

being the Cinderella services 

to general medicine. It simply 

does not make sense, because 

there is no physical health, 

without mental health. 

And to make matters 

worse, psychiatric treatments 

and facilities are so 

expensive in Nigeria, scarce 

and inaccessible to almost 

all who need it. There is a 

need to urgently overhaul 

the mental health system in 

Nigeria. Nigeria is at a 

crossroads of an addiction 

and suicide epidemic and 

definitely, more needs to be 

done to prevent further loss 

of promising young lives. 

It is a scandal that in this 

day and age, in Nigeria, 

there is a paltry one Psychiatrist 

to 740,000 Nigerians! 

Let that sink in. In the whole 

of Nigeria, there are less than 

250 active psychiatrists in the 

country and some thirty of 

them are unemployed and 

unable to get suitable postings 

after spending almost a 

decade of training and specialisation. 

So no wonder those that 

can, have left Nigeria to pasture 

new and on quest for a 

better paid job; a promising 

future and a better chance of 

becoming a specialist in the 

chosen field. Sadly, it does 

not seem that the government 

is doing anything to 

prevent their departure nor 

offer those incentives: by improving 

working conditions, 

better paid, given opportunity 

to update skills, research 

and knowledge, a determined 

drive to recruit and 

retain the scarce and precious 

commodity-doctors.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018, PAGE 17 

•Gov Samuel Ortom 

In Benue now, ranching is it! 

•Useni, Tsav, tribal leaders: It is victory for Ortom, natives, Nigerians 

• Governor: Law came from the people themselves 

By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

Alas, the Federal Government has 

succumbed to the demand that 

ranching of cattle is the panacea to 

the orgy of killings in parts of the country and 

Benue State in particular. 

Benue has since the beginning of the year 

witnessed outrageous killings by suspected 

militant herdsmen in what many have 

described as genocide in the quest to take over 

the state valley for grazing. 

The killings followed alleged threat by the 

Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore which vowed to 

resist the Open Grazing Prohibition Law 

enacted by the state administration last May 

but came into effect on November 1. 

The group was alleged to have vowed to 

mobilize its members to converge in Benue to 

resist the law. 

It was held in several quarters that the serial 

massacres and the sacking of several 

communities and displacement of close to 

200,000 persons with close to 130,000 of the 

victims being children were in fulfilment of 

that threat. 

It therefore came as a huge relief to the 

people of Benue when, last week, the National 

Economic Council, NEC, recommended a 

ban on open grazing in the country. 

The decision, to forestall further violence 

and killings associated with farmers and 

herdsman crisis in the country, also banned 

free movement of cattle 

across the borders of Nigeria 

from other Economic 

Community of West Africa 

States (ECOWAS) memberstates. 

That decision has continued 

to elicit positive reactions 

from Nigerians who have had 

sleepless nights over the 

killings by suspected 

herdsmen. 

One of those who hailed 

Governor Samuel Ortom for 

leading the popular 

movement to redefine cattle 

breeding in the country was 

Gen. Jeremiah Useni (ret.) 

when he visited Benue for the 

burial of Brig. Gen. Stephen 

Ikya at Tse-Ikya, Mbagbera 

in Vandeikya Local 

Government Area of the state. 

The former army chief, who 

is the senator representing 

Plateau South, lauded 

Ortom’s foresight for 

championing the cause for 

Nigeria to adopt ranching 

which he said was the global 

best practice in animal 

husbandry. 

He described the governor 

as “a courageous person who 

sees ahead and the kind we 

crave for in Nigeria”. 

Useni also commended Ortom for always 

bringing to the public domain the issues of 

killings and attacks on his people, stressing 

that Benue was lucky to have him in leadership 

at this time. The senator implored the people 

to support his efforts because they are “the 

hallmarks of a visionary, vibrant and selfless 

leader”. 

“The National Assembly is behind the 

governor in the struggle because he has 

shown uncommon leadership qualities 

that should be emulated”, he added. 

While condemning the killings in 

Benue, Useni expressed hope that with the 

dogged determination of the government 

and people of the state, a permanent 

solution would be found soon. On his 

part, a former Lagos State Commissioner 

of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, lauded 

the NEC decision. 

Tsav said, “It is a victory for Benue people 

because the governor championed it and 

the Federal Government has embraced 

it. So Ortom should be credited for 

coming out with it. It’s indeed a victory 

for the government and people of Benue 

and Nigerians in general. 

“No doubt if they ban open grazing and 

provide land for ranching, that would 

solve the problem. It will check the 

killings occasioned by farmers/herders 

crisis. It will also put a check to cattle 

rustling.” 

The Chairman of 

the Benue tribal 

leaders, Chief 

Edward Ujege, said, 

“The NEC decision is 

We’ve 

always said 

that the 

prohibition 

of open 

grazing in 

Benue State 

is a product 

of the people 

themselves 

a welcome 

development, it is 

what we have 

repeatedly said. It is 

good that they have 

seen reason in our 

agitation. 

“But the only thing 

is that the acquisition 

of land for ranching 

should follow the 

wish of the people. It 

should not be that 

government would 

just come in and 

forcefully take land 

from the locals. “It 

has to be according 

to the laws made by 

the various Houses 

of Assembly in order 

to avoid friction.” 

Also speaking on 

the development, 

Benue State Deputy 

Governor, Mr. 

Benson Abounu, who 

attended the NEC 

meeting where the 

decision was taken, 

described it as “a vindication of the 

position of Benue that crop production 

and animal husbandry cannot co-exist 

and that the best way of guaranteeing 

peace between farmers and herdsmen is 

ranching of animals. 

Abounu added, “Benue has been in the 

fore-front of the campaign for ranching 

in this country, standing its ground in the 

face of intimidation and threats; realising 

that it offers more benefit to herdsmen, 

crop farmers and the entire country. 

“I am happy that NEC finally accepted 

the position. I am optimistic that the 

decision would put a halt to persistent 

farmers/herdsmen clashes in the country.” 

A former House of Representatives 

member and Chairperson of the Benue 

Women’s Forum, Mrs. Rebecca Apedzan, 

also spoke. She said, “Government by the 

decision wants to go for ranching in some 

states, but on the list, Nasarawa and Kogi 

were not included. If they want to be 

sincere, Kogi and Nasarawa should be on 

the list of states where they want to start 

the ranching. 

“They said ranching will be introduced 

in five states, and that they would provide 

amenities for them just like the colony 

they talked about. So perhaps they just 

want to introduce the colony thing through 

the back door. 

“I don’t think Benue has such land for 

that. What business has government to do 

with ranching for herdsmen who are into 

private business. They should allow those 

who rear cows to go and do their 

ranching. 

“Why is the Federal Government taking 

tax payers’ money to build ranches? Are 

they also going to do farms for farmers or 

piggery for us? Whereas the ban is a 

welcome development, it shouldn’t be 

government’s business to build ranches.” 

In his reaction to the cheering news, 

Governor Ortom said, “You know that 

Nigeria is a federation comprising 36 

states and Abuja. And of course, the 36 

states are federating units and these units 

are independent of each other. The 

Constitution of the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria mandates each federating unit to 

make laws for good governance. 

“This is what we did as far as the grazing 

law is concerned. You’re aware that this 

challenge between herdsmen and farmers 

in Benue and other parts of the country 

preceded the current administration 

whether at the federal level or Benue. 

“The steps we took were to finally 

forestall the unending crisis between 

farmers and herdsmen and we remain 

committed to this in Benue. 

“I must congratulate the Benue people 

and Nigerians in general. I must 

congratulate the media for standing with 

us in defence of this law. 

“You must appreciate the fact that from 

May 22, 2017 when we signed the bill 

into law, it became so contentious. There 

were several agitations from several 

quarters. So for the National Economic 

Council, NEC, to adopt that, truly, 

ranching is the right way to go, it is 

congratulations to all of us and we 

appreciate God. 

“We’ve always said that the prohibition 

of open grazing in Benue State is a 

product of the people themselves. You 

were all here and you saw that in the 

process of making this law, the people 

were in a hurry to the extent that Benue 

State House of Assembly was occupied 

more than three times. And you had 

people coming, old women, young men 

and so on coming in to protest and to 

ensure that the law was enacted. 

“Even as I speak to you today, before I 

went on vacation, I had cause to tour the 

IDPs camps. 

“I visited the eight of them and in spite 

of the hardship and the pains that the 

IDPs were going through, I did pose a 

question, ‘Do we find a way of repealing 

this law?’ They unanimously they said no, 

they believe that it is the way to go. 

“I commend the wisdom of the Vice 

President in setting up that committee 

that went out to assess the situation and 

the entire members of NEC for coming 

out to adopt this. 

“Like the northern governors, some 

weeks ago, they met in Kaduna and 

adopted that ranching was the only way 

to stop the challenge of herdsmen/farmers 

crisis. 

“By 2050, the population of Nigeria, by 

projection, would be 415 million and, if 

we have approximately 200 million 

people and this challenge, by the time we 

double that population, where are we 

going to be? Where would you have the 

land for open grazing? 

“So I commend NEC for taking this 

bold decision. Individual states are at 

liberty to decide what is good for them. 

I’m aware that sometime ago, my 

colleague in Kano State called on all 

herdsmen to go to Kano as they have 

enough land for them to do open grazing. 

That is the kind of thing I’m talking 

about. 

“For us here, it is impossible because 

we don’t have the land; our land is for 

crop production, which is the main 

occupation of our people. Even within our 

population here, the land is not enough for 

farming. 

“So I appreciate God because it has 

been agreed that ranching remains the 

best global practice. 

In fact, it may interest you to know that 

the total herd of cattle we have in Nigeria 

is estimated to be less than 20 million. 

But you have over 200 million in India; 

you have over 250 million in Brazil; you 

have over 300 million in America and 

they all ranch and you don’t hear about 

farmers/herdsmen clashing. 

“So, ranching is the right way to go. I 

commend NEC and I believe that with 

this position of NEC, we will finally have 

peace. Those insurgents that are still 

going about killing our people are not 

out for cattle business or cattle rearing. 

They are out for a different agenda and 

we are not going to allow that agenda to 

manifest”.

PAGE 18 -- SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018 

Davido’s true love 

assurance or just 

another tryst? 

igerian superstar singer, Davido, has 

N 

always shown he’s a wild one with the 

women. He could sing, rap and even dance 

to get the woman he desires until of course he leaves 

them to hang to dry. There have been many and there 

seems to be no stopping him- until a certain Chioma 

comes along. 

“He’s hooked and this is for real,” a member of his 

crew muttered in a chat with Potpourri. This is an 

affirmation of a post by another crew member of 

Davido’s team who said Chioma, the woman who 

has stolen Davido’s heart, is a wife of the crew and 

not just of Davido’s, because she takes care of the 

crew with her great cooking. 

It does appear the old saying that the way to a 

man’s heart is through his stomach, is what did the 

trick for Chioma. Pronto, the OBO is not looking 

back and before Cupid could even gather his arrows 

together to make a deeper aim, Chioma is a Porsche 

to the good. That’s what Davido gave her as her 

birthday gift. 

Notwithstanding all the dirt being thrown at the 

girl, Davido has gone on to release a song and video 

to prove his love, with a cliché, ‘You have got to give 

your girl assurance’. The title of the song is 

‘Assurance’ 

“There’s nothing like peace of mind. For the first 

time in a long time I’m actually at 100% peace”, 

Davido has said in one of his tweets and it is hard to 

disagree with him. Every member of his crew believes 

this is final as they have come to see Chioma as one 

of them. 

But should Chioma be listening to a certain Louise 

Poutha who says she would have a painful life, saying 

her reality now is sad as many other girls would 

want her man and they question Davido’s sincerity 

to marry her. 

Edited By AYO ONIKOYI 

08052201215 

onikoyi68@gmail.com 

Pepsi unveils DJ Ambassadors amid pomp 

On a night filled with so much fun, 

pomp, pageantry and cascading 

musical explosion Pepsi unveiled four 

Nigerian foremost DJ’s as their 

Ambassadors. The quartet of DJ Obi, DJ 

Cuppy, DJ Spinall and DJ Xclusive 

considered to be A-list DJs rocking the 

Nigerian entertainment industry, were 

introduced to an ecstatic crowd of young 

fun seekers at the Balmoral Hall of 

Federal Palace Hotel on Monday. 

Tagged #PepsiLituation, the show 

attracted a large turnout of fun seeking 

young Nigerians in their numbers to 

witness the crowning of the new Pepsi 

DJ Ambassadors. 

This was the first time four DJs would 

be headlining a show all by themselves 

in Nigeria. It was a night of unlimited 

mixes, nostalgic hits and epic 

excitements. DJ Obi was in his best 

mood with back-to-back drop of hits 

after hits that got the audience pumped 

up and ready for more. His performance 

also featured the Legendary DJ Jimmy 

Jatt, Lynxxx and DJ E Cool. 

DJ Cuppy didn’t drop the ball, as she 

steered the fans to another high with 

her uniquely mixed vibes and hits. Just 

when we thought she was done thrilling 

us, she turned up the excitement with 

Tekno as they performed Greenlight. 

It was also a night of gifts as Pepsi 

rewarded fans during the Refresh The 

Mix Moment 

with special 

items like the 

iphone X and 

Pepsi swag 

bags. Also, the 

former BBNaija 

Housemates 

were around to 

show some love 

to their fans 

with Pepsi 

•Davido and 

Chioma 

presenting Miracle a cheque of 

N1m for winning the Pepsi House 

challenge. 

Superstar DJ Xclusive kept hitting 

the right buttons with his creative 

insertions of energy pumping mixes. 

From performing his hit singles to 

inviting Mr. Real on stage, DJ 

Xclusive sure knew how to get the 

crowd fired up. 

Fashion stylist, 

Pearl Chidinma, 

moves from bum 

lift surgery to 

Nigerian Police 

Force 

Award-winning, popular fashion 

stylist, Pearl Chidinma Ogbulu, has 

thrown a big sucker punch to make the 

media look almost stupid. Nobody 

saw it coming. Just when we are all 

expecting the Americanised fashion 

stylist to show up with a new 

provocative bum, she has opted to join 

the Nigerian Police Force. Yes, who 

would have expected such a 

sumptuous personality to dump the 

glam glam world of fashion for the 

dangerous world of crime busting. 

“I have always loved the police. This 

is something I have been working at. I 

have always wished to serve my father 

land. I have been at the Police College 

for a few months now and I am now 

Assistant Superintendent of Police 

(ASP). Although I am not going to stop 

my fashion thing, this is just something 

I have always wanted to do. I am going 

to be the sexiest policewoman there is,” 

she said. 

Talking about the much-publicised 

butt implant surgery she said she 

wanted to do, she said she still has the 

plans to go ahead with it and says 

being a policewoman would not stop 

her from being the fashionista she has 

always been. 

“ Yeah, I’m still going for the butt lift 

surgery. I even have an appointment 

in a matter of days. When I am done, 

you can see the real sexy policewoman 

on the watch” she beamed. 

•Wizkid 

•Michelle Anjou 

Wizkid is my future husband, cries 

lovestruck girl 

Not many girls would ignore 

superstar singer, Wizkid, born 

Ayodele Balogun. His fame, wealth 

and talent has endeared him to the 

hearts of many lovelorn girls. But 

there’s one girl whose crush has gone 

from addiction to obsession. 

She’s simply known on social media 

as ‘I am Mikaye’ but her real name is 

Michelle Anjou, a 22-year old 

Nigerian girl, raised in London, 

England. She’s also a hair stylist and 

makeup artist. 

On spotting how she decorated her 

•Pearl 

Chidinma 

page with different pictures of the ‘Ojuelegba’ 

crooner with all sorts of romantic lines, Potpourri 

slid into her DM with a question on her 

relationship with the Star Boy, because it does 

appear there’s something seriously afoot. 

“He’s my future husband,” she replied. “ Not 

like he has proposed to me or anything of such, 

I have just got the biggest crush on him,” she 

said. 

When asked what attracted her to the singer, 

she said everything about him excites her. 

“Everything about him excites me. His music 

speaks to me. The way he dresses and carries 

himself is just too dope,” she said. 

C 

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Sun Potpouri 4/5/18

Your efforts shall never be 

in vain, I Go Dye writes 

Nigerian Air Force 

Top Nigerian comedian, social commentator and activist , 

Francis Agoda, popularly known as I Go Dye has written 

the Nigerian Air Force on the occasion of their Nigerian Air 

Force Day celebrations, saying their efforts shall never be in vain. 

In the letter made available to Potpourri, the UN and UKAID 

ambassador eulogises the commitment and gallantry of the Air 

Force, saluting their courage in most poetic terms. 

“I celebrate this great institution for their remarkable 

achievement,in disarming the terrorists in Sambisa forest, 

protecting the pipelines and protecting the territorial air 

space of Nigeria. I’m very optimistic, that with the newly 

purchased 12 jets by the presidency,upon the need to 

expand the capacity of this great institution,our nation 

will once again become safer and evenly protected. 

To the pilots who have lost their lives,in the course of 

service,I eulogise you and celebrate your families for 

nurturing you to accept a significant responsibility to 

defend your father land. Your efforts shall never be 

in vain,as I use this medium to appeal to those 

concerned that the families of our departed heroes 

should be cared for; bringing them closer to us 

and sharing the fulfillment of lending their 

offsprings to the service of the nation. 

May Almighty God continue to bless all 

those who have taken pride to defend our 

sovereignty and pride as a Nation. God bless 

the Air Force and my great country,Nigeria,” 

he writes. 

Recall that in 2017 when he was honoured 

alongside other African leaders with African 

Child Prize he dedicated the award to the 

Nigerian Armed Forces for their gallantry in 

fighting insurgency in the country. 

Also not too long ago,The Nigerian Army 

through the Chief of Army Staff, General TY 

Burutai presented the popular comedian with 

an award of commendation for positively projecting the laudable 

virtues of the institution. 

•Tessy 

Solomon 

•I Go Dye 

Edited By AYO ONIKOYI 

08052201215 

onikoyi68@gmail.com 

Married men pester me for sex — Tessy 

Solomon 

BY ROTIMI AGBANA 

Overtime, it has become a norm for 

young ladies to accept sexual 

propositions from men in return for 

money or material gratifications, but such 

is not the case with pretty Nigerian 

model, Tessy Solomon, who would not 

be found in the cuddling arms of a 

married man. 

In an interesting chat, the 

Adamawa State-born model, 

told Potpourri how she has 

had to grapple with sexual 

overtures from married men. 

“I know I am extremely 

attractive. On many occasions 

I get men staring at me 

Sound Sultan, Solidstar, Praiz, Seyi Shay and 

more, attend the launch of Hot FM 93.3 Lagos 

The Hot FM official launch 

party which was held on Friday, 

April 13, 2018, at 355 Lounge in 

Victoria Island, welcomed the 

creme de la creme of the 

entertainment industry. The launch 

party featured five DJs who played 

the best of House and Afrobeats 

music for the guests to enjoy - DJ 

whenever I am in the mall, church and other 

public places. Some usually take the bold 

step of making love and sex advances at me. 

At first, it seemed unpleasant, but overtime, 

I developed measures to handling such 

advances. When they tell me how beautiful 

I look, I just smile at them and say “Thank 

you” while I walk away as fast as I can”. 

She added that she wouldn’t stop looking 

good because married men continuously 

pester her for sex. 

“It’s normal for married men to demand 

for sex from a good looking lady, but she 

must develop a thick skin so that she can 

guard her heart to avoid any misbehavior. 

However, I won’t stop looking good because 

they pester me for sex, “ she said. 

Oluwabruce, DJ Ruud, DJ Sensei Lo, DJ Sose and 

DJ Nana. 

Guests in attendance include: Sound 

Sultan,Lynxx, Uti Nwachukwu, Solidstar, Praiz, 

Seyi Shay, Wofaifada, Dice Ailes, Idia Aisien, Taje 

Prest, Bolly Lomo, Chuey Chu and Mimi Onalaja, 

amongst others. 

Hot FM, founded in January 2005, owned and 

operated by Spectrum Broadcasting Co. Nig Ltd 

began broadcasting in Abuja on the 98.3 frequency 

and expanded to include a 99.5 frequency in 

Owerri. 

Hot FM has now arrived in Lagos on the 93.3 

frequency and has proven to be more than just 

radio, playing the best in house music. The station 

believes in more music and less talk whilst giving 

listeners an audio visual experience for those who 

listen online. 

The On-Air Personalities who will be taking over 

the stations airwaves are: DJ Anonymous, Sensei 

Uche (who doubles as the Programs Manager), Misi 

Molu, Jah-super, EfikNikky and Cjay. 


Independent 

women are the 

most loveable in 

society —Love 

Ufuoma Madue 

BY ROTIMI AGBANA 

Often times, men regard 

independent women as proud and 

arrogant because they believe such 

women are threats to them, but for 

Delta State-born entrepreneur and 

philanthropist, it should not stop any 

woman from working hard to become 

independent. 

In an interesting chat with 

Potpourri, Love Ufuoma Madue, 

explained how she became so 

passionate about being an independent 

woman and how much she has been 

able to positively encourage other 

young ladies close to her to acquire 

skills that would make them become 

assets to their families and lovers 

instead of a liability. 

“Many times, independent women 

are seen as proud, rude and obstinate, 

but the truth is most independent 

women are the most loveable women 

in our society. Men take independent 

and hard working women seriously 

contrary to the notion that selfsufficient 

women keep men away. A 

strong and independent woman will 

attract to herself a great and equally 

strong man. Therefore, every woman 

owes herself the duty of acquiring 

skills and fending for herself while any 

support from her man or husband is 

an added bonus”, she said. 

As a young entrepreneur who runs 

a beauty outfit, she sees it as a 

responsibility to employ young women 

as a means of encouraging them to be 

less dependent on men for their 

livelihood. 

“I use every opportunity I’ve to 

support people, especially young 

women like me, because they too 

would do the same to others someday. 

Many ladies nowadays depend so 

much on men to survive. I believe it’s 

not wrong for a lady to have a man 

who can stand in and care for her but 

she should be prudent with spending 

and make sure she ties something 

down with some of the money she gets 

from the man because the free gifts and 

money might not come in regularly. 

So, she can fall back on the investment 

she has made” she said 

•Love 

Madue 

Sun Potpouri 4/5/18 

C 

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PAGE 20 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018 

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 

08056180152, SMS only 

Proof that your 60s and beyond can be your most satisfying years sexually! 

ABOUT a year ago, a 

survey challenged the 

myths about sex in 

later life with an audacious 

claim - that not only does sex 

get better but some women are 

more sexually satisfied at 80 

than they were in their 50s. But 

are we really to believe this? 

Recently, I read the contrasting 

views of two writers on 

whether you’re even too old to 

enjoy yourself in the bedroom! 

Marie de Hannezel is 70 and 

is all for it! She wrote: 

“Eyes closed and nestled 

tenderly against each other, the 

couple on the train appeared 

to be in a world of their own. 

From the slow, sensual way he 

stroked her hand to her contented 

smile, it was obvious 

they were not only very much 

in love but also enjoyed a 

healthy physical relationship 

too. 

“Yet this was not a pair of 

young lovebirds in their 20s, 

but I discovered, a couple in 

their 80s. Does the thought of 

their obvious passion for each 

other make you feel uncomfortable? 

If it does, you wouldn’t 

be alone because there are 

many who find the idea of 

older people being intimate 

together distasteful. It would 

be easy to attribute this reaction 

to living in a world of ‘perfect’ 

airbrushed models and 

films that rarely depict sex 

unless it involves a nubile and 

beautiful young couple. While 

cultural obsession with youth 

is a factor, it is more ingrained 

than that. 

“The truth is, no generation 

likes to imagine their parents 

making love. It is built into us 

not to consider older people - 

those over 60 - as sexual beings. 

But I believe this attitude 

needs rethinking. I am 70 and 

one of the generation who benefited 

from the sexual revolution 

of the sixties, the decade 

that saw the advent of the Pill 

and abortion rights. Now I am 

arguing for a new sexual revolution: 

one that respects and 

acknowledges the sexual 

needs of older people. Because 

what I found while researching 

my book Sex After Sixty 

was that there is no age limit 

to love, sex and desire - even 

if we hide it after a certain age. 

“There are many reasons 

why intimacy in your 60s, 70s 

and 80s is something to be cel- 

ebrated. It can play a key role 

in good physical and psychological 

health - sexual arousal 

causes the heart rate to climb 

in a similar way to gentle exercise, 

while close physical contact 

can lower blood pressure 

and enable people to cope better 

with stress. There is even a 

link between regular sex and a 

more robust immune system. Of 

course there are those who 

genuinely do lose interest in 

physical intimacy as they age. 

But others would like to maintain 

a close physical relationship 

with their partner but feel 

they shouldn’t because it’s ‘not 

appropriate’ for someone their 

age. 

“Or they have no idea how to, 

as bodies age and parts don’t 

function as they once did. Yet 

there are good reasons for believing 

that your 60s and beyond 

can be your most satisfying 

years sexually. One woman 

I spoke to, Macha, is in her 

early 70s but has the glow and 

energy of someone decades 

younger. She told me she believes 

you can only experience 

real sexual pleasures once you 

have turned 60 because this is 

when you no longer have anything 

to prove and are finally 

free to be yourself. Other people 

find out that with retirement 

and an empty nest comes the 

chance to relive their youth and 

enjoy a level of sensuality 

they might not have experienced 

when younger. 

“Research suggests that as 

women age they can enjoy 

more intense and satisfying 

orgasms. At the heart of this, 

I believe, is the way we define 

‘making love’. Studies 

into sex and older people often 

seem to produce conflicting 

results. One survey of 800 

women over 40 found 

that the oldest age group 

had the highest percentage of 

‘sexual satisfaction.’ Yet another 

found sexual satisfaction 

decreases dramatically in 

women as they age. But in the 

first study, ‘sexual activity’ 

referred to a range of intimate 

pleasure, while the second 

was concerned more narrowly 

with ‘coital activity’. It is the 

key that we reframe our understanding 

of a ‘good sex 

life’ after 60 so it is less about 

athletic performance and 

more to do with the mind. It 

is gentler and more sensual. 

“At 70, physical intimacy is 

something I am certainly not 

yet ready to give up. Although 

I have been divorced 

for many years, I have a lover 

who is seven years younger 

than me. Our physical connections 

helps me maintain a 

youthful outlook. Inside, I 

still feel 30 and I am ready 

for adventures as much as I 

was then. That sex can help 

you feel young is surely a good 

enough reason not to give it 

up if you don’t want to.” 

Like me, Virgini Ironside is 

an agony aunt. I was therefore 

mildly amused she said 

she wasn’t”aunt. I was”mildly 

amused she wasn’t for sex over 

70 caper judging by all the 

advice she’s dished out over 

the years to her distraught 

readers. She wrote: “‘Darling: 

says the wife to her husband 

as they reel home after her 

65th birthday party. 

‘When we get back home, 

let’s rush upstairs and make 

wild passionate love.’ ‘Sorry 

darling,’ groans the husband. 

‘It’s one or the other, but I can’t 

do both.’ So goes the old joke. 

And let’s be honest, by the time 

we get to 70, most of us don’t 

mind we can’t do either. But 

can we rest on our laurels, our 

stair - rushing, passionate love 

making days safely behind us? 

“No, it seems the Sex Nazis 

are after us again, this time 

with a survey by the International 

Longevity Centre UK, 

which found that those over 80 

tended to be more sexually 

satisfied than when they were 

in their 50s, 60s or 70s. This 

was partly as relationships 

strengthen 

with age, which seems a reasonable 

conclusion. The sex 

may occur less often but it is 

comforting, familiar. What left 

me adjusting my reading 

glasses was the claim that 

women, in particular, find it 

easier to become aroused in 

their 80s than in their 60s. 

Know any frisky 

female octogenarians swinging 

from the chandeliers? Me 

neither. Most of us have 

enough troubles trying to remember 

why we came into the 

room, trying to get in and out 

of the bath and looking after 

the grandchildren, without 

having to worry about our sex 

lives. Anyway, most older couples 

I know shut up shop sexwise 

years ago. And happily 

so - not that this report would 

have you believe it. 

“As young women in the seventies, 

our new sexual freedom 

opened a Pandora’s box. 

Far from being liberating, the 

preoccupation with orgasms 

created terrible anxiety for 

those who had them rarely or 

not at all. We searched in vain 

for the G-spot and wondered 

if we would ever achieve the 

fabled simultaneous orgasms. 

The quest for a good sex life 

became a tyranny. And now 

we’re facing that pressure 

again. 

“Of course some lucky people 

continue to have great sex 

lives when they are older. But 

most don’t, and it’s usually for 

one of two reasons. After the 

menopause, a woman may 

well suffer from physical conditions 

which can’t be cured 

with hormonal creams or HRT. 

Likewise, a man may suffer 

from erectily dysfunction. 

Sometimes this can be corrected 

with viagra. Not always. 

It is also as you get older, you 

realise love is not just about 

sex. Holding hands on a country 

walk, and sharing the joy 

of seeing grand-children grow 

up can also bring togetherness. 

“Many of today’s elderly 

were once sexual trailbrazers. 

So please don’t make us feel 

inadequate now we have finally 

called it a day.” 

“So what do you readers 

think? Should sex end in your 

dotage!? Please share your 

views through a text message. 

Y 

OUR column to express your loving 

thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t 

be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how 

dearly you feel. Write now in not more than 75 words 

to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, 

Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sundaylovenotes@yahoo.com 

Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES" 

You Live Like Roses 

You live like roses 

And your roses are flowers. 

Your smiles are the tender buds, 

Which open up into a perfect day. 

Your fecund soil is my lovehead 

And I am your faithful gardener 

Who tends you with immaculate hands. 

Rain and sun mate in you 

And climax into reddish fragrances 

That leads my pollen to your stigma, 

Fusing into a world of redivivus possibilities. 

Kingsley Alumona 

kingsley.alumona@yahoo.com 

08030872649 

Never force yourself on 

him 

It is not good for you as a young lady to 

be forcing yourself on a man you claim 

that loves you. Until you learn how to let 

him take a proactive step and show that 

he truly love you, you may be making a 

costly mistake. Don't hinder other love 

oppournities at your disposal. So stop forcing 

yourself on him. 

Michael Adedotun Oke 

maof2020@gmail.com 

08027142077


By Funmi Ajumobi 

Reverend (Mrs) 

Ronke Adekoya is 

a Director of 

Education in 

Lagos State 

Ministry of Education and 

Principal of Anthony Village 

Senior High School. Adekoya 

has taken her job beyond 

teaching to shaping the lives 

of teenagers that cross her 

path. In her passion to help 

young ones find fulfilment, 

her continuous visit and 

counsel to sex workers in a 

brothel in the area where 

she lives was shut down and 

has since become a 

residential building 

because all the inmates 

found better life through 

her special programme 

tagged, ‘Friendship with 

Vision’. 

Her interest in teenagers 

developed after she found 

that many of them do not 

know what reaching 

puberty means. “When they 

start their menstrual flow, 

you see the girls covering 

the stains on their uniforms 

with cardigan. This 

prompted me and the late 

Miss Anita Roper to start 

what we called ‘Growing 

up Class’. We told girls who 

participated what it meant 

to grow up from being a 

little girl to being a 

woman”, she told Sunday 

Vanguard. 

In January 1985 when 

she was Principal of Regan 

Memorial Baptist 

Secondary School, Sabo 

Yaba, she worked with 

Roper, an American in the 

employ of the Baptist Church. 

“Roper’s passion for teenagers 

prompted her into starting a Baptist 

Girls High School group called ‘Rain 

Utterance’. We concentrated mainly on 

teaching female teens what it meant 

to grow from a little girl to a woman. 

Along the line, other things came in, 

like teaching the teens good postures, 

self-esteem, etc. The project later 

metamorphosed into my foundation 

called Hephzibah Foundation”, she 

pointed out. 

“Over the years, I have taken this 

passion into every school I 

was posted to. I enlighten 

girls and boys as well as 

teachers who relate with the 

teens better. 

“Hephzibah Foundation 

started in 2004 at a time I 

had been posted to Gbagada 

Comprehensive Junior High 

School as Principal. We 

impacted over 200 students 

from different schools. 

“The main focus of 

Hephzibah Foundation is 

‘Touching Lives and 

Transforming Destinies’. We 

try to bridge the gap between 

parents who have difficulties 

in educating their children 

on sexuality. Many parents 

don’t know how to give 

sexuality education to their 

children. They do not 

understand that a teenager 

is like an adult body with a 

child’s mind. This stage 

brings confusion as a result of the 

hormonal changes taking place in the 

children’s bodies. A lot of things go 

wrong and some parents are not 

aware of what goes on with the 

children. For example, during a 

programme at a secondary school in 

Gbagada, my telephone numbers were 

given to the students in the event that 

they had anything they wanted to 

share or ask question about. The 

following Sunday I got call from a 14- 

year-old girl who claimed she had a 

confession to make. 

Her confession was 

that the family cook, a 

Calabar man, had 

BIZZARE CONFESSION! 

I was shocked to find 

family cook sexually 

molesting girl, 14, from 

the age of eight 

– Adekoya 

•‘How we shut brothel after being friends with sex workers’ 

We started by 

being friends with 

sex workers, 

engaging them in 

conversations 

that compelled 

them to share 

their stories with 

us and then 

convinced them 

to stop what they 

were doing 

been sexually 

assaulting her since 

she was eight years 

old, and threatening to 

kill her if she voiced 

out what was 

happening. I asked 

about her mum, and 

she said the mother 

was a business woman 

who had no time for 

her. Her major concern 

was that at 14 she 

hadn’t started her 

menstruation and was 

scared that perhaps 

the cook had used it for 

rituals. We later found 

out that her situation 

was hereditary. We also 

took her through 

different sessions and, 

at the end of the day, we were able to 

save that family and show the parents 

why that child needed their attention. 

“We found that the thirst these 

children have for information is what 

leads them into most of the immoral 

acts they indulge in. Therefore, they 

should be duly informed about their 

private parts and other related issues 

that will keep them informed and in 

check”. 

Elaborating more on the foundation, 

Adekoya said, “We started by being 

friends with sex workers, engaging 

them in conversations that compelled 

them to share their stories with us and 

then convinced them to stop what they 

were doing. In order to ensure that 

they gained our confidence, we had to 

begin by sharing female condoms to 

them, and then encouraged them by 

teaching them skills they could use to 

make a living. To finally pull them out 

of this wayward life, we performed 

deliverance on them and enrolled them 

into the Christ family. With the help of 

Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs 

and Poverty Alleviation, we were able 

to help some of the sex workers who 

decided to go back to school. Some of 

them that had interest in learning a 

trade, we sponsored them and also 

reunited some with their families. 

“The good news is that the brothel 

was shut down when all the prostitutes 

there became better citizens and the 

place was empty. 

“We were also able to help young 

school leavers who we trained on self- 

esteem, how to behave like an adult 

and relate properly with the opposite 

sex, photography, soap-making, 

make-up, Adire making, and how to 

dress to be addressed properly. After 

the training, we gave them items to 

encourage them use the skills they 

had learnt. Certificates of participation 

and proficiency were given to the 

participants, though not all of them 

got it. The certificates got to those who 

showed a level of seriousness and 

professionalism. 

“In February, the Hephzibah 

Foundation did a programme called 

‘Let’s talk about Love’. That was about 

a week or two before Valentine’s Day 

and the essence was to help reduce 

the rate of involvement of teenagers 

in sex in the name of Valentine. There 

was another programme we did for 

parents called, ‘Understanding your 

teenagers’, at Onikan Ransome Kuti 

Centre. We talked basically about 

giving children attention and getting 

to communicate well with them”. 

Adekoya plans to retire in Jan 2020. 

But ahead of the retirement, she is 

writing a book on teenagers. 

“I want to tell teenagers that they 

are terrific. God has put a lot in you 

that need to be fulfilled. Relax as you 

grow up. If you are confronted with 

any problems, feel free to talk to your 

parents or any responsible adults 

around. In case any of you need a 

listening ear, here are some numbers 

to call: 08034341963 or 09096425900”.

PAGE 22 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY, 6, 2018 

Networking/ Sponsorship 

•Dickson 32, a graduate and 

resides in Lagos, needs good 

and high spirited Nigerians, 

who can help him, with the 

sum of N200, 000, to set up a 

small scale business. Bank 

Diamond Bank, Acct No 

0020023163,Ikoro Dickson, 

07063981727,09086504829,08081254141 

•Godwin 28, needs well 

meaning Nigerians to help 

him get a job.08068011040 

•Ada needs well meaning 

Nigerians, to help pay her 

project and school fees of 

N100,000,acctEjechi 

AdaezeHenrietta,0161518881, 

GT Bank.07065616592 

•Rodney a student, needs a 

kind hearted Nigerian, to 

help him with N 200,000, to 

enable him complete his 

School and also pay his 

Sister’s School fees,Solomon 

Rodney, Acct No. 

5811048569,Ecobank, 

08068549846,08081618974 

Friends 

Searching Female 

•Sharon needs sincere and 

trustworthy, friends, she can 

exchange text messages with. 

07052349670 

Lovers 


•Orobosa 23, from Benin City, 

Edo State, needs a Christian 

man, that can take care of her 

and her family, for a serious 

relationship, that will lead to 

marriage.08083087844,09071095100 

•Omoshewa 40, resides in 

Lagos, needs a Yoruba man, 

aged 45-50, who, is tall and a 

Christian, for a serious 

relationship.08072821797,08143703209 

•Chidera 24, resides in Agbor, 

Delta State, needs a God 

fearing man, aged 30-40, for 

marriage.09035220051 

•Nkechinyere 25, average 

height, chocolate in 

complexion and a single 

mother of one, from Imo State, 

needs a man, aged 29-35, 

who is caring, for a serious 

relationship.08169714548 

•Joy 24, self employed, from 

Delta state, needs a decent 

man, aged 28-35, for a serious 

relationship.07089980986, 

08100154895 

Searching Male 

•Efe employed and resides 

in Lagos, needs a lady, who 

is busty, with good character 

and also resides in VI or 

around Lagos, for a 


•Michael 27,dark in 

complexion, genotype AA, 

blood group 0, a graduate, 

employed, and resides in 

Lagos,needs a mature and rich 

lady, for a relationship,that 

DISCLAIMER! 

can lead to marriage, aged 30 

and above.07018333233, 

07038766462 

•Ifeanyi resides in Enugu, 

needs a mature,God fearing 

lady, who is a graduate, aged 

22-28, for an honest 

relationship,that can lead to 

marriage, strictly for a serious 

lady of integrity.08036665426 

•Emma 30, a graduate, self 

employed and from Makurdi, 

needs a lady, aged 25-55, who 

is good looking,caring, 

employed and respectful, for 

a relationship.09079759693 

•Solomon 27, and resides in 

Warri, needs a beautiful and 

rich lady, for a serious 


•Gibson 32, chocolate in 

complexion and resides in 

Lagos, needs a mature lady, 

for a serious relationship, 

aged 30-55.08143815807 

•Gabriel from Imo state, but 

resides in Lagos, needs a lady, 

whose genotype a AA, aged 

18-30, for a serious 

relationship,that will lead to 

marriage.07037842149 

•Prince 48, employed, needs 

a God fearing and caring lady, 

aged 27-40, who is elegant, 

beautiful and employed or 

into a good business, for 

marriage.09094711167,08168891136 

•Frank 46, handsome, slim, 

employed and resides in Port 

Harcourt, needs a beautiful, 

Dear readers, please note that we neither operate, nor are we an affiliate of any match–making agency in 

or outside the country. Any reader who transacts business with any one claiming to be our agent does 

so at his/her own risk. Our mission is only to provide a platform for social networking. 

Also note that neither Vanguard, nor Yetunde Arebi will be liable for any error in the publication of 

requests which may result in any form of embarrassment to any member of the public. We therefore 

request that text must be sent through at least one of the numbers for contact. This notice is necessary to 

enable us serve you better in our refreshingly different style. You can send your requests to 33055. For 

enquiries, text or call 08026651636, or 08054700825 

employed or business 

lady with a good character, for 

marriage.08138803424 

•Joe, 45 from south south is 

seriously in need of a lady 

with a beautiful heart who will 

help relieve him of chronic 

bachelorhoodand 

indebtedness.08181302118 

•Vin 47, employed, needs a 

lady, for a relationship that will 

lead to marriage.08189288902 

•Obinna 29, resides in Lagos, 

needs a lady, aged 20 -24, for 

a serious relationship. 

08102576419 

•John53,a trader,from Ogun 

State, but resides in Sango 

Otta,needs a mature, 

Christian. business lady, aged 

37-42, for a serious and 

sincere relationship, that will 

lead to marriage.09032987577 

•David 30, dark incomplexion, 

tall, cute, employed and from 

Delta state, needs a chubby 

and beautiful,graduate lady, 

for a marriage,aged 23-29. 

08097096165,08036748901 

•Sunday 40, from Delta State, 

needs a serious lady, who is 

employed, or self employed, 

for a relationship,that will lead 

to marriage,aged 25-35. 

07068942384,09081586678 

•Mike 40, tall, romantic, a 

graduate,employed and 

resides in Port Harcourt, 

needs a romantic and 

independent lady in Port 

Harcourt,aged 30-50, for a 

discrete and sexually 

satisfactory,relationship . 

09084769482,08039449991 

•Ifenna fair in complexion, 

tall, caring, and resides in 

Lagos,needs a hot lady, for a 

relationship.08033833384,08160876182 

Sugar Cares 


•Favour 21,from Delta State, 

needs a rich sugar daddy, that 

can take care of her. 

08140571319 

•Lillian 21, tall and resides in 

Delta State, needs a 

responsible sugar daddy, who 

is can take care of her 

needs, for a romantic 


•Anita 29, friendly, loving, fun 

to be with and resides in 

Benin City, needs a sugar 

daddy, who can take care 

for her financially. 

09054943595 

Searching Male 

•Emma 42, and resides in 

Lagos, needs a fat, pretty and 

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08032564913 

•Praise handsome, tall, and 

resides in Uyo, Akwa Ibom 

state, a student needs a sugar 

mummy in Uyo or Eket that 

can assist him financially in 

his academics.09036636275 

•Joel from Delta state, needs 

a sugar mummy,from Delta 

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•Jerry 23, resides in Kaduna 

, needs a good, caring, loving 

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mummy.08106398827, 

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•Kings from Delta state, but 

resides in Abuja, needs a 

sugar mummy, who is nice 

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•Emmanuel fair in 

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needs a sugar mummy, for a 

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08164427847,08108013000 

•Kingsley 25, fair in 

complexion, handsome, 

romantic, and resides in Delta 

state, needs a matured sugar 

mummy, for a romantic 

relationship,aged 25 and 

above.07032821912 

COMMON SEXUAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVEL 

VELTY BASED SOLUTION (ADVER 

VERTORIAL) 

I am in a very new 

relationship and the sex is 

really good. My girlfriend 

cannot stop talking about 

how great the sex is. She does 

not know that I am taking 

performance aids likeFX 

3000 and they have really 

helped me with my stamina, 

hard erections, prolonged 

action and multiple rounds. 

My fear is that the day I stop 

taking FX 3000, will my girl 

still love me if the sex isn’t 

that great? Ugochukwu 

Ugochukwu what if we wake 

up tomorrow and aliens have 

invaded the world? What if the 

sun explodes and 85% of the 

earth’s inhabitants get burned 

to death? What if terrorists set 

off a biological weapon that 

kills everybody? If we live our 

lives wondering about the bad 

things that could happen, 

nobody will enjoy living. You 

worry too much. You are in a 

great relationship with a girl 

who enjoys being with you. 

Wonderful. Enjoy it and stop 

imagining the worst. Even 

though many relationships 

start up with so much 

passionate sex, they 

eventually calm down into 

very normal multidimensional 

relationships 

where couples are able to love 

each other in various ways 

and for various reasons beside 

sex. So relax and enjoy this 

first phase of your 

relationship where sex is 

everything. Soon she will 

have other needs and 

priorities – Uche 

My wife is 44 years and you 

recommended the 

supplement G Female Pills 

after we wrote you about her 

lack of sexual desire. Well, 

we had sex several times this 

weekend and I have never 

seen her like this before. 

Thank you. She is also 

willing to watch an adult film 

now for the first time in her 

life so we want to buy just one 

– Solomon 

Dear Solomon, this is good 

news. Long may it last. As for 

a movie both of you will like, 

get Double O Blonde. It is a 

feature film with a story line 

which women love – Uche 

I am in a new relationship 

and I am nervous. I know I 

shouldn’t be because my girl 

is a wonderful woman but I 

have a small penis that 

embarrasses me. She doesn’t 

complain but I still feel 

ashamed - Jude 

Dear Jude, when a man feels 

this insecure, trying to 

convince him to be happy with 

what he has got usually 

doesn’t work. So if you want 

penis enlargement, it is okay. 

Get Extenze Plus enlargement 

pills with a Penis Pump and use 

as described. You should be able 

to gain three to four inches in 

length at the end of your 

enlargement regimen - Uche 

Please I need three good 

vibrators. I want your best and 

please you have to deliver on 

time – Onyinye 

Onyinye we deliver on time. It all 

depends on where you live. If you 

are outside Lagos, you will get it 

within a few days. If you live in 

Lagos, you will get it the same 

day. I recommend The Jack 

Rabbit, the Super Whooper 

vibrator and the G Spot Rabbit 

Vibrator– Uche 

I got an email notifying me that 

Power Zen supplement is now 

available. Rhino 7 is the one I 

know and I am very happy with 

it. What is the difference? Jim 

They both do the same thing 

(penis enlargement, stamina, 

firm erections and stopping 

premature ejaculation). It is a 

matter of choice. Some people 

prefer Power Zen while others 

prefer Rhino 7 – Uche 

Hello sir. I have been using Rock 

Hard Delay Cream now for 

years. I am one of your oldest 

customers and I will like to 

reorder it again. But what is the 

difference between Rock Hard 

Delay Creamand Max Man 

Delay Cream? - Mustapha 

Rock Hard Delay 

CreamandMax Man Delay 

Cream are different brands that 

do the same thing. Both products 

are used to stop premature 

ejaculation– Uche 

That is all for today. Adults in 

need of these treatments/novelties 

can call us on 08171912551, 

08027901621 or 07086754515 

for help or visit 

www.zeevirtualmedia.comto 

place their orders with their 

computers or on their phones 

with thezee mobile shopping 

app. Zee Virtual Media delivers 

all over Nigeria. For enquiries 

email us at 

zeevirtualmedialtd@gmail.com- 

Uche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual 

Media.


08112662589 

What type of man would prefer to make love to a toy! 

STEADILY and surely, 

machines are taking 

over every day activities. 

They’re on the production 

line where they’re faster, 

more economically efficient 

and can’t call in sick or hungover. 

They’re in hospital operating 

rooms, where they can 

perform surgery with a 

steadier hand than any human 

being. The fear is they could 

malfunction! 

When the vibrator first hit 

the sex toy scene, very few 

people gave it the thumps up 

– until several varieties 

started popping up and a lot 

of women started worshipping 

the gadgets for giving them 

the orgasms that had hitherto 

eluded them, A lot of men 

were quite resentful they 

weren’t as indispensable as 

they thought. The good news 

is that men too can relish in 

sex toys. Full-sized realistic 

female toys that do virtually 

anything their ‘lord and master’ 

wants them to. “A brothel 

has just forked out £6,000 

(close to N3 million) for its 

second “virtual sex doll’ - after 

the original one had become 

MORE popular among 

punters than the real 

women,” a recent report read. 

Isn’t it frightening that men 

are paying more for sex with 

a doll than with a woman? Just 

how virtually real are these 

things? 

The report continues: “The 

appropriately named Fanny 

Sex doll can be hired for £73 

(N36,000) per hour, with all 

profit going to the brothel 

owner. In business parlance, 

they’re great for the ‘bottom 

line’. It wouldn’t be a surprise 

if, very shortly, we saw the first 

brothel populated solely by sex 

dolls.” 

The big question though is, 

why on earth would someone 

choose to have sex with a doll 

rather than a real human being? 

Fanny’s owner said he 

wasn’t going to stop at just two 

virtual dolls, he wanted lots 

more. “The doll does not have 

a single sexual wish unfulfilled,” 

he said. “If you’re a 

bloke paying for sex in whatever 

form, you’ll want something 

pretty exceptional 

rather than a quick-in-andout. 

This could be sex in a 

certain position or something 

a little more fetish-focused. 

“All of this can be achieved 

with a doll because well, at the 

end of the day it’s an inanimate, 

highly flexible object 

with no feelings and zero inhibitions.” 

Not everyone 

agrees. Peter Laskaris, who 

operates two brothels in Vienna 

said, “It’s just a trendy 

sex fetish, basically something 

that will wear off as the dolls 

wear out.” He could be right. 

Trends do come and go. 

What’s popular now may be no 

more than something to reminisce 

about with friends in 10 

years’ time. But he could be 

very very wrong. Almost everything 

in today’s society is 

becoming robotic, automated 

and virtual, so why not sex?! 

And if the female dolls do become 

all the rage, will women 

be in the market for male sex 

dolls too? And if that happens, 

would it really be so bad? Just 

imagine, realistic sex of their 

(women) choosing that 

doesn’t end with the words, 

‘Urgh, I’m done. Shall I finish 

you off with my fingers?’ 

Sex without limitations 

sounds like bliss. But the reality 

could be a bit daunting. 

Doll sex is passionless, unemotional, 

detached. There is 

no feeling, no love. Peter 

Laskaris continued: “Imagine 

a world where we all owned 

personal sex dolls. It would be 

a much colder, much more 

sterile world. It would fray our 

emotions. We’d probably become 

emotionally detached 

from the opposite sex. And if 

we did ever get together for a 

bit of rumpy pumpy, could it 

ever compete with our robot 

friends? No, I’m sorry, but for 

me, the real thing is the only 

thing - warts and all. But that 

doesn’t stop me fearing for 

the future. We are already in 

the grip of virtual reality mania. 

Sex is not going to escape 

it. And this could be just the 

beginning. 

“Sex robots are still in their 

infancy. Imagine if they get so 

real they can not only have 

sex with us, but cook and 

clean the house too! For the 

first time, this is starting to 

sound like a real possibility, 

not just science fiction. There 

will come a point where medical 

science will be able to grow 

fake vaginas and penises using 

real human tissue. Put it 

all together and it’s not rocket 

science to realise how marketable 

this could be. The virtual 

future frightens me and it 

should frighten you too ... “. 

08052201867(Text Only) 

The Locust for backpain 

Are you enduring some de 

bilitating back 

pain? There is hope for 

you if you engage in routine exercise 

to put you back in a fighting 

form. Consider the Locust Pose. 

Technique 

LIE flat on the floor with face 

downwards and keep the hands 

by the side of the body with the 

fingers clenched into fists. Rest 

the chin on the ground by raising 

the head. Inhale and stiffen the 

body by pressing the fists against 

the floor. Slowly raise the legs as 

high as possible. Keep the legs in 

a straight line, while the two 

thighs, knees and ankles touch 

each other. The weight of the legs 

must fall on the body and hands. 

Contract the muscles of the buttocks, 

stretch the muscles of the 

thighs and further extend the position 

of the legs. Retain the posture 

for a few seconds in the beginning 

and gradually increase 

the duration. Concentrate on the 

upper portion of the body, i.e. 

above the waist. Slowly lower the 

legs to the floor and simultaneously 

exhale. Relax with normal 

breathing. Repeat the posture two 

or three times. Relax in 

Makarasana. 

Benefits 

The practice of this Asana 

renders the spine supple and elastic. 

It relieves backache or strain 

on the spine caused by the hard 

work, etc. It also tones up the muscles 

at the back and the intestinal 

organs in the abdominal region 

and relieves pain in the lumbar 

and sacral regions. 

Above all, it aids digestion and 

relieves gastric troubles. 

Main Benefits: 

The Locust brings elasticity to 

the cervical (upper back) region, 

and strength to the lower back, but 

it is important to stretch the chin 

as far forwards as possible if these 

benefits are to be gained. When 

you first attempt the Locust, you 

may be dismayed to find that your 

feet rise only slightly from the 

floor. Do not be discouraged. This 

will improve rapidly with practice 

and time. 

Lower back is strengthened. 

Flexibility of the upper back is 

improved 

The Half Locust 

Both legs are straight 

Tune the raising and lowering 

of the leg to the breath. 

Chin is stretched forwards. 

The Full Locust 

Legs are kept straight and lifted 

as high as possible. 

Hands are together 

Elbows are straight, and as 

close together as possible. 

Chin is stretched forwards on 

the ground 

C 

M 

Y 

K

PAGE 24 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 

By Chioma Obinna 

CODEINE CHA 

Codeine-containing 

cough syrup has a 

soothing taste that may 

lure you to want to take 

it all the time. But how lasting is 

the taste? Ordinarily, codeine 

alone is a very bitter medicine 

which users may find 

uncomfortable to take. But in 

recent times, the abuse of the drug 

has made it look as if it has sweet 

taste. 

Meanwhile, the attraction to this 

deadly drug, according to medical 

experts, when used without 

prescription, continues to defy 

sound reasoning. Unconfirmed 

reports say Nigerian youths now 

use it, just like cocaine, heroin or 

any other hard drug, to get ‘high’. 

Even before now, Nigeria has 

been battling codeine cough 

syrup abuse and tramadol but the 

undercover report by the BBC 

confirmed the fears of Senate 

Leader, Ahmed Lawan, that the 

rate of the misuse of codeinecontaining 

cough syrup is so high 

that almost every family in 

Nigeria has an addict. 

It has always been available in 

the ‘black market’ for young and 

old Nigerians alike to get high. 

Findings have also shown that 

between Jigawa and Kano states 

alone, over three million bottles of 

codeine are consumed on daily. 

Health watchers fear that Nigeria 

is gradually building a nation of 

drug addicts if not checked. 

Sunday Vanguard examines the 

effect of codeine on abusers and 

implications of the recent ban of 

the product by government. 

•How disorganised sector fuels 

abuse, addiction — Top pharmacis 

Addiction 

For years, codeine addiction has 

been widespread not only in 

Nigeria. In many countries of the 

world, it remains a prescription 

drug while some have stopped its 

use in cough syrup. Also in the 

country, codeine was a controlled 

substance until recently when 

people took advantage of the 

chaotic drug distribution system 

in the country to give the drug that 

should be prescribed by doctors to 

students and minors in the name 

of making money. 

Codeine is often prescribed by 

doctors to assist with pains 

resulting from injury, trauma or 

illness. It also have antitussive 

benefits, preventing harsh coughs, 

and very common in prescription 

cough syrups. Studies have shown 

that the drug is also effective 

when used as an anti-diarrhea 

cure. 

Despite these benefits, the 

product also has its disadvantages 

when wrongly used. 

Only last year, the National 

Agency for Food and Drug 

Administration and Control, 

NAFDAC, issued an alert about 

the restriction of codeine and 

tramadol medicines use. Sadly, 

many Nigerian youths can no 

longer cope without 

indiscriminate use of these 

classified drugs. While the youths 

say it makes them high, experts 

say they are digging their 

graves. 

Overdose of codeine, medical 

experts say, can lead to 

schizophrenia (mental instability) 

and organ failure. 

According to them, it can also 

lead to side effects such as lifethreatening 

respiratory 

depression, severe low blood 

pressure and adrenal 

insufficiency. Also, accidental 

ingestion of codeine can result in 

fatal overdose. 

For addicts, it can lead to 

physiological harm. 

According to the immediate 

past Chairman of Lagos State 

Association of Community 

Some addicts 

may develop 

seizure. 

Somebody that 

is not having 

epilepsy before 

may begin to 

have seizure 

and high blood 

pressure 

Pharmacists, ACPN, Abiola Paul- 

Ozieh, some addicts may end up 

having psychiatric problem while 

some may develop kidney or liver 

damage. 

“Some addicts may develop 

seizure. Somebody that is not 

having epilepsy before may begin 

to have seizure and high blood 

pressure”, Paul-Ozieh said. 

She said the effect may be so bad 

that abusers could even go into 

coma. 

‘Never satisfied’ 

Explaining how it affects abusers, 

the ACPN Chairman said because 

it is a drug of addiction, as a person 

uses it and gets ‘high’, he will feel 

he is no longer in the world and 

sleep off. “With that, it looks like 

his problems are solved only to 

wake up to realize that he is still in 

the world. As a result, he is never 

satisfied and, with time, he 

demands for more. That is what we 

call tolerance. Then he begins to 

need higher doses. 

“Then he moves from that level to 

what we call dependence. Now he 

cannot do his job or normal 

activities without taking it. And as 

he consumes the drug, it gives him 

euphoric feeling, a feeling of 

relaxation and confidence. That is 

why you see that the people in 

entertainment industry are the first 

set of people into this habit of 

taking drugs because of the 

problem of facing the crowd. In 

drug abuse, we have tolerance, 

dependent and addiction. 

“Addiction is when the abuser 

now has a compulsive desire to 

always take this drug of abuse and 

live as if his life depends on it. He 

knows know this thing is 

damaging his life but somehow he 

cannot get off it. Drug abuse 

changes dreams and cuts lives 

short”. 

Pharmaceuticals misuse 

In a related development, health 

watchers are worried that 

pharmaceuticals are becoming 

more of a problem than illicit 

drugs. 

For instance, a 2017 study in 

Australia showed that prescription 

or over-the-counter drugs are 

misused more than all illicit drugs 

except cannabis. 

The research published in the 

Medical Journal of Australia found 

the rate of codeine-related deaths 

in Australia more than doubled 

between 2000 and 2009. 

But, in Nigeria, there is no data to 

show how many of the youths may 

have lost their lives while 

unconfirmed reports say a handful 

of these Nigerians lose their lives 

on daily basis. 

Stakeholders in the 

pharmaceutical industry believe 

that government should be held 

responsible for the continued 

abuse of pharmaceuticals. They 

argue that government delay in 

closing open drug markets and 

implementing the National Drug 

Distribution Guidelines, NDDG, 

that would have corrected the 

chaotic drug distribution system 

while bringing about easy recall of 

defected products remained the 

root cause of drug abuse in 

Nigeria. The stakeholders maintain 

that if nothing is done to arrest the 

situation now, the country will be 

breeding sick leaders in future. 

Controversial ban 

The BBC report showed how 

pharmaceutical companies aid in 

the circulation of classified drug 

products. Since the report, there 

has been a furore. 

Even the temporary ban placed 

on codeine by government in an 

effort to save the situation has run 

into a controversy. Government had 

claimed that the ban was due to 

what it described as ‘gross abuse’ 

the product has been subjected to 


But a cross section of Nigerians 

and pharmacists who are 

custodians of drugs believe that the 

ban was not a solution to the 

problem on ground. According to 

them, outright closure of open drug 

markets scattered all over the 

country would stop abuse and 

guarantee the safety of Nigerians. 

The nation’s drug industry, in 

their opinion, has been neglected 

for decades, a situation that led to 

charlatans and hawkers taking

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018, PAGE — 25 

OS 

ts 

and you think they 

are taking soft drink 

not knowing they are 

taking codeine. I don’t 

think passing blame 

would solve the 

problem but for all 

hands to be on deck to 

rescue the youths and 

future generations. 

“For the companies that 

have been caught in 

illegality, doing things 

against the oath they swore 

to which is to prioritize the 

health of patients, there 

should be a tribunal that will 

evaluate it and take proper 

action. The Council has the 

power to strike the name of 

such pharmacists off the 

register. The situation has turned 

Nigeria to a community without 

a king and everybody does what 

pleases him or her.” 

advantage of the lapse to carry out 

illicit trading in medicines. 

The National President of the 

ACPN, Dr. Alkali Albert Kelong, 

said the decades of neglect of the 

distribution system had resulted in 

this sad abuse of codeine 

containing cough syrup and other 

controlled medicines. 

“Another point of concern is the 

hazardous effect street medicine 

hawkers have on poor unsuspecting 

Nigerians”, Kelong stated. 

To him, government should 

ensure that facilities dispensing 

prescription medicines or controlled 

medicines should have pharmacists 

and the National Prescription Policy 

must be reactivated. 

“There should be full 

implementation of the National 

Drug Distribution Guidelines, 

NDDG. We need to see action now 

to ensure that the deadline of 

January 1, 2019 is met. Public or 

private facilities that do not have 

pharmacists in their employ should 

send their prescriptions to a 

community pharmacy for 

dispensing”, the National President 

said. 

He regretted that the Board of 

Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, 

PCN, which should regulate 

pharmacy practice, three years after, 

is yet to be reconstituted. 

“Our streets should be free of 

street medicines hawkers and stiff 

penalties to be meted out to 

defaulters”. 

Paul – Ozieh echoed similar 

position, saying the codeine ban, 

which she called a fire-brigade 

approach by government, will only 

worsen the situation. 

“I would have expected the 

Minister of Health to have 

considered immediate closure of 

open drug market places because 

that is one of the things causing 

rapid transportation and movement 

of some of these things. If that has 

been done, it would have been easy 

to clamp down on the distribution 

chain that is promoting this illegal 

use of drug”, the Lagos ACPN 

Chair said. 

“For long, government has turned 

its eyes the other way and things 

got this bad. It is so unfortunate that 

until this revelation by the BBC, our 

government appeared to be doing 

little or nothing.” 

Dangers and implications 

While maintaining that the ban 

on codeine was against the UN 

position on narcotics, which 

provides that narcotic drugs could 

be used within the framework of 

medical purposes, she said codeine 

is not only used as a cough 

suppressant but can also be used as 

a pain reliever. 

She said the major implication 

was that those addicted to the drug 

will become desperate and may 

become violent and desperate. 

“They would do anything to try to 

get it, and that would put pressure 

on the distribution system such that 

they would be willing to pay 

anything to have it”, Paul-Ozieh 

said. 

“There is the likelihood of the 

influx of counterfeit codeine 

products in the country and these 

addicts would begin to use it 

because they are already hooked on 

it”. 

The ACPN Chair, who further 

accused government of paying lip 

service to the fight against drug 

abuse, said government lacks the 

political will to put order into the 

chaotic drug distribution system. 

“Can you imagine that for three 

years that this government has 

been in place, they have not 

constituted the Boards of 

Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, 

Medical and Dental Council of 

Nigeria among others? All these 

Council Boards had been dissolved 

and government has not 

reconstituted up till this moment.” 

“There is need for the country to 

address the issue of drug abuse 

holistically and find ways of 

rehabilitating these Nigerians like 

they did for HIV victims. These are 

the issues that the Minister has not 

put in place. The holistic thing 

would have been to check 

distribution and reduce demand for 

codeine. The government should 

have put in place structures that 

would say, ‘look if you know you are 

addicted to this drug, just come and 

we would help you’. 

“There 

could be 

violence in the streets because of 

people that are hooked on it. We 

have had cases of people going to 

community pharmacies to grab the 

product. We have the issue of porous 

borders; I want to believe that the socalled 

three million bottles being 

consumed in Kano and Jigawa are 

not coming from Nigeria. I want to 

believe that there can be an influx of 

imported codeine products coming 

in through land borders, there could 

even be cloning of these codeine 

products. 

“These are the issues government, 

the Ministry of Health, regulatory 

agencies must address and not 

putting the cart before the horse. 

There are so many things the 

government ought to have done over 

the years which they have not done. 

“Parents too must be aware of 

what is happening to their children, 

they cannot just look the other way. 

It is of recent that I heard that people 

put codeine inside Coca cola bottle 

I would have 

expected the 

Minister of Health 

to have considered 

immediate closure 

of open drug 

market places 

because that is one 

of the things 

causing rapid 

transportation and 

movement of some 

of these things 

What is drug addiction? 

Addiction is a chronic disease 

characterized by drug seeking and 

use that is compulsive, or difficult 

to control, despite harmful 

consequences. The initial decision 

to take drugs is voluntary for most 

people, but repeated drug use can 

lead to brain changes that 

challenge an addicted person’s 

self-control and interfere with his 

ability to resist intense urge to take 

drugs. These brain changes can be 

persistent, which is why drug 

addiction is considered a 

“relapsing” disease. People in 

recovery from drug use disorders 

are at increased risk for returning 

to drug use even after years of not 

taking the drug. 

It’s common for a person to 

relapse, but relapse doesn’t mean 

that treatment doesn’t work. As 

with other chronic health 

conditions, treatment should be 

on-going and should be adjusted 

based on how the patient 

responds. Treatment plans need 

to be reviewed often and 

modified to fit the patient’s 

changing needs. 

What happens to the brain 

when a person takes 

drugs? 

Most drugs affect the brain’s 

“reward circuit” by flooding it 

with the chemical messenger, 

dopamine. This reward system 

controls the body’s ability to feel 

pleasure and motivates a person 

to repeat behaviours needed to 

thrive, such as eating and 

spending time with loved ones. 

This overstimulation of the 

reward circuit causes the 

intensely pleasurable “high” 

that can lead people to take a 

drug again and again. As a 

person continues to use drugs, 

the brain adjusts to the excess 

dopamine by making less of it 

and/or reducing the ability of 

cells in the reward circuit to 

respond to it.


Why Buhari’s government 

is under-reported 

Afew days ago, Pres 

ident Muham 

madu Buhari 

voiced a charge that the 

achievements of his administration 

are under-reported. 

The charge which appears 

sustainable against 

the media and the political 

opposition was made by the 

President in an interview 

with the Voice of America. 

Taking an example from 

the agriculture sector, Buhari 

said “we had two successful 

farming seasons, 

people went to farm and 

did very well, but no one is 

talking about that; only insults.” 

In fairness, the President 

was not the first to 

raise the complaint. Much 

earlier, his government’s 

Head of the Civil Service 

(HOS), Mrs. Winifred Oyo- 

Ita had, at a peer review 

meeting with Federal Permanent 

Secretaries revealed 

that in her state - 

Cross River, several roads 

among them the Calabar- 

Umuahia road that were 

being constructed were not 

adequately publicised. In 

the words of the HOS, “i 

don’t know if it is intentional 

by the private media not 

to give adequate reports on 

these or whether it has 

some political undertone.” 

She then used the occasion 

to call for more funds to the 

public information framework 

for better publicity of 

government policies, programmes 

and activities. 

Oyo-Ita’s call for increased 

funding of the information 

sector appears 

to suggest that government 

has an idea of what can be 

described as part of the 

problem. Is government 

disposed to taking steps towards 

implementing such 

insider observation? If not, 

it would be hard to get anyone 

to share in the blame 

of her contributory negligence. 

Considering that the 

federal government is not 

lacking in media ownership, 

it ought not to capitulate 

to the private media if 

nothing is wrong with how 

she manages her own media. 

But if as it has always 

been, those saddled with the 

supervision of the public 

media have through directives 

or body language coerced 

them to serve essentially 

as his master’s voice, 

it is the government that is 

responsible for the nature of 

the content of the public 

media which is hardly credible 

to the people. Interestingly, 

many experts have 

shouted themselves hoarse 

with unending caution to 

government to leave the 

The problem with the 

posture is that the 

elite constitute a 

minority in Nigeria 

meaning that the 

government is virtually 

cut off from the 

majority of its citizens 

public media in the hands 

of tested professionals. 

Sadly, as part of party patronage, 

untrained party 

stalwarts now operate in 

some segments of the public 

media in preference to 

career practitioners. With 

such infiltration of politicians 

in the media, a typical 

news bulletin these days 

often takes the pattern of 

opinionated and superlative 

eulogies of what government 

does without any 

form of balance and objectivity. 

Who will buy that? 

The News Agency of Nigeria 

(NAN) is no doubt the 

biggest distributor of Nigerian 

news items to different 

media houses in the 

country. It is currently headed 

by an outstanding media 

professional which 

should make NAN produce 

qualitative stories. To say 

the agency, which is government-owned 

is underdistributing 

government 

news is a hard sell. Indeed, 

poor training and insufficient 

facilities across the 

board; ought to compel 

many media houses to rely 

on the Agency. Could it be 

that people are ignoring 

over-politicized media entities 

like the Voice of Nigeria 

(VON) whose otherwise 

articulate leadership 

is more preoccupied with 

the Nigerian scenario that 

is outside her external target 

audience? Well, if it is 

hard to identify the real 

problem of the public media, 

the inadequacy of the 

government’s communication 

posture is quite visible. 

This is because Buhari’s 

government is reaching out 

to only the urban elite that 

are characteristically cynical. 

The problem with the 

posture is that the elite constitute 

a minority in Nigeria 

meaning that the government 

is virtually cut off 

from the majority of its citizens. 

It is therefore the 

government that is underreporting 

itself as the 

masses in the rural communities 

know little or 

nothing about what she 

does. The National Orientation 

Agency whose formidable 

grassroots structure 

should have redressed the 

situation has been rendered 

inactive. The government 

of President Goodluck 

Jonathan was in the 

same dilemma all through 

its tenure. When Jonathan 

returned to his roots for electioneering 

campaigns at the 

tail end of his government, 

he saw for himself that his 

own people knew nothing 

about all what the thought 

he had achieved. Governor 

Dickson of Bayelsa state had 

to openly appeal to traditional 

rulers to deploy their 

town crier frameworks to 

assist the then President. As 

if the lessons of history are 

irrelevant, Buhari’s handlers 

have adopted the same 

ineffectual Queen’s English 

approach to propagate government 

activities only to 

be complaining of underreporting. 

While it is easy to 

see Minister Lai Mohammed 

doing so much in information 

dissemination, 

he is probably engaging in 

self-talk or the communication 

of the deaf. The President’s 

Villa handlers are no 

doubt tested professionals 

but they are also quite busy 

expending ample energy on 

rejoinders that are made 

only after people had assimilated 

a lot of bad press. 

Political opposition from 

the private press is not the 

main problem as Oyo-Ita 

had imagined; it is far 

more than that. In this part 

of the world, people are generally 

anti-establishment 

having found over the years 

that government information 

is hardly credible. Insecurity 

for instance, is better 

handled than explained. 

All that President Buhari 

achieved on assumption in 

office over Boko Haram are 

filtering away through daily 

killings in the inexplicable 

caption of herder/farmer 

clash that has extended 

to places of worship which 

are not farmlands. In the 

circumstance, people are 

inclined to disbelieve whatever 

government says it is 

doing while fully believing 

what appears not done or 

wrongly done thereby placing 

government always on 

its toes. The present administration 

exploited this 

strategy when it was in opposition 

using every opportunity 

to make Nigerians 

lose faith in the then government. 

Rather than grumbling, 

she should have anticipated 

same from opposition 

politicians and designed 

effective strategies 

for keeping its achievements 

in the front burner of 

public discourse. 

In his recent VOA interview, 

referred to earlier, 

President Buhari regretted 

poor reportage of the gains 

in the agriculture sector 

probably without knowing 

that the supposed increases 

in agriculture have been 

punctured by increasing 

food prices. Painfully, the 

situation is clear sabotage 

by government officials. As 

Agriculture Minister Audu 

Ogbeh revealed not long 

ago, every government organization 

in uniform operating 

on the highway, extorts 

so much from truck 

drivers that are transporting 

foodstuffs from the 

farms to our cities. Accordingly, 

such illegal collections 

get added to the cost 

of food items when they arrive 

at their destinations 

thereby rendering nugatory, 

whatever gains should 

have come from the supposed 

bountiful harvest. 

This obviously cancels citizen 

belief in government 

which the latter simplistically 

takes for under-reporting. 

Miscellaneous matters (1) 

For some time now, I 

have been discussing 

the demystification of 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

in the form of a critique 

of his reputation as a man of 

integrity and incorruptibility. 

The conclusion I reached is 

that Buhari and Buharimaniacs 

have overestimated his 

leadership capabilities because 

an objective assessment 

of his utterances, conduct, and 

responses to issues of national 

concern in various public 

offices he had held from the 

time he was a military governor 

to now that he is President 

would score him somewhat 

below average. Of course, Lai 

Mohammed and others benefitting 

from the current 

ghoulish system would not 

agree with that conclusion. 

Yet, from certain indications 

nationwide, it is becoming increasingly 

clear particularly 

to majority of those who supported 

Buhari in the 2015 

presidential election and 

chanted “Sai Baba” like a 

new national anthem that 

they probably miscalculated: 

the retired soldier in whom 

they reposed so much hope 

and expectation as the messiah 

that would crush corruption 

and kick-start the process 

of making Nigeria great 

again has turned out to be a 

huge disappointment. Some 

people may argue, correctly, 

that I am concentrating too 

much on the President, and 

that my essays are too criti- 

PhD,Department of 

Philosophy, 

University of Lagos 

08116759758 

opuruiche2000@yahoo.com 

cal. But given his position as 

head of state and commander-in-chief, 

the number one 

citizen of Nigeria occupying 

the most powerful political 

office in the land, his pronouncements 

and activities 

must be constantly subjected 

to ratiocinative scrutiny because 

of their consequential 

impact on Nigerians. As for 

being too critical, it must be 

remembered that President 

Buhari has a battalion of sycophants 

and alleluia chorus 

boys and girls singing his 

praises all the time, telling 

everyone that he is the best 

thing that has happened to 

Nigeria since the discovery of 

crude oil in commercial 

quantities. Besides, criticism 

is the lubricant of democracy 

without which democratic 

governance would mutate 

into autocracy. The President 

is making unnecessary mistakes 

which should be pointed 

out in the hope that he 

would avoid repeating them 

in future. To be candid, considering 

his age and intellectual 

limitations, If I were Buhari’s 

daughter or son, I would 

have advised him not to go 

into politics at all, not to talk 

of contesting for the presidency 

in 2015 especially after 

three failed attempts and his 

recent declaration of interest 

in re-election. In my opinion, 

what a man of his age and 

experience needs right now is 

peaceful retirement away 

from the push-me-I-push-you 

stresses of political office and 

relentless criticism. Unfortunately, 

probably because of 

messianic delusions or the 

quest to actualise the utopia 

of caliphate colonialism articulated 

as far back as October 

1960 by late Alhaji Ahmadu 

Bello, Buhari doggedly 

stuck to his ambition to lead 

the country once again to the 

extent of seeking re-election 

next year: but in doing so he 

has seriously compromised 

his reputation by cavorting 

with some of the most larcenous 

politicians in Nigerian 

history. 

A handful of prominent Nigerians 

who claim to know 

President Buhari personally 

aver that since he assumed 

office in 2015, he has changed 

into someone else, that he is 

no longer the forthright patriot 

they used to know. They 

also maintain that he has 

good intentions for the country 

– as if Nigerians should be 

grateful and leap for joy because 

of that – but could not 

just understand what was happening. 

Such disclosures reveal 

poor judgment of character 

and fixation with the 

short-lived War Against Indiscipline 

(WAI) programme 

Buhari implemented when he 

was military head of state ably 

assisted by his ascetic deputy, 

Brig. Tunde Idiagbon. In my 

opinion, the core personality 

traits of Buhari have not really 

changed since that time. 

What has happened is that 

since he was overthrown, those 

traits had blended with significant 

experiences in his life to 

produce who we have now as 

President. Therefore, only 

someone befuddled by irrational 

attachment to the Buhari 

myth would fail to notice 

that, in spite of being the President 

in a democratic government, 

Buhari has not, and 

cannot, wean himself com- 

pletely from deep-seated habits 

and messianic complex 

which constitute part of the 

fundamental architecture of 

his personality. 

One of the reasons why the 

President sometimes comes 

across as aloof and somewhat 

arrogant is his reluctance 

to acknowledge mistakes 

and accept responsibility 

for them as a sign of inner 

strength and willingness to 

One of the reasons 

why the President 

sometimes comes 

across as aloof and 

somewhat arrogant is 

his reluctance to 

acknowledge mistakes 

and accept 

responsibility 

learn lessons appropriate for 

a leader particularly in a 

democratic system where accountability 

from public office 

holders is of primary importance. 

For example, Buhari 

since he became President 

has been making several 

uncomplimentary remarks 

in foreign countries about Nigerians 

and their purported 

proclivity for corruption 

which would likely have negative 

impact on the country. 

Shortly after his inauguration, 

he claimed that he met 

an empty treasury, that the 

immediate past administration 

was incomparably corrupt 

and, lately, in London in 

the presence of leaders from 

other member countries of 

the Commonwealth of Nations, 

that a lot of Nigerian 

youths are indolent and undereducated, 

with unrealistic 

expectations of entitlement 

because Nigeria is an oil-producing 

country. These remarks 

by the President are, to 

put it charitably, dubious and 

totally uncalled for. One does 

not need to be an economist 

to know that the claim of meeting 

an empty treasury, if taken 

literally, is completely false. 

Even if there was no single 

kobo in all the places where 

monies belonging to the federal 

government are domiciled 

by the time Dr. Goodluck 

Jonathan handed over, does it 

mean that all the revenue-generating 

ministries, agencies, 

departments, and parastatals 

of the federal government 

stopped operating after the 

2015 elections? The way I see 

it, the fake news that Jonathan 

left nothing for the incoming 

administration is a disingenuous 

excuse by the Buhari 

government to explain away 

failure to fulfil its highfalutin 

campaign promises to Nigerians. 

No wonder, then, that 

the President and his lieutenants 

seem fixated with what 

one might describe as the 

Jonathan Complex, that is, the 

easy resort to blaming Dr. 

Jonathan for all the problems 

the country is facing right now. 

On the issue of corruption, 

everyone knows that it is a 

worldwide phenomenon; the 

main difference is its scope and 

methods of combating it. 

Moreover, corruption is not 

restricted to wicked bulimic 

stealing of public funds and 

assets by government officials 

and politicians; it also includes 

deliberate deception of 

the public with fake news, nepotism, 

scapegoatism, refusal 

to obey court orders, discriminatory 

treatment of individuals 

and groups based on ethnicity 

and religion, disrespect 

of the constitutional, lack of 

transparency and other abuses 

of power and public trust by 

leaders. The present government 

is probably guilty of all 

this, but has chosen to concentrate 

almost exclusively on 

the financial aspect of it committed 

during the presidency 

of Dr. Jonathan while creating 

the misleading impression 

that everyone, including the 

President himself, his deputy, 

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and those 

they appointed to various positions 

are completely above 

board. Now, going by the single-minded 

determination of 

this government to discredit 

the last administration, it is not 

surprising that horrifying allegations 

of financial impropriety 

have been made by the 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission (EFCC) 

against some of Dr. Jonathan’s 

key appointees. Certainly, 

most Nigerians would want 

looters of the treasury to face 

justice. However, the discriminatory 

manner in which President 

Buhari appears to be 

fighting corruption by ignoring 

elephantine corruption 

committed between 1970 to 

2009 is detrimental to his efforts 

because it weakens the 

credibility of, and public trust 

in, the programme. Again, 

unknown to Buhari’s propagandists, 

the so-called looters 

lists from the minister of information 

confirm the allegation 

that the President is misusing 

the apparatus of power 

to hound and intimidate 

members of the opposition, 

while overlooking whalesized 

corruption allegedly 

committed by political turncoats 

who funded his expensive 

presidential campaign 

with looted funds. The lists 

contain names of prominent 

members of the Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP), whereas 

the names of others with stinking 

reputation for corruption 

who founded the APC or decamped 

to the ruling party 

from other parties were conspicuously 

missing. 

To be continued


A PRESIDENT’ S AGE, HEALTH AHEAD OF SECOND TERM BID 

Your cult-like 

followership 

will disappear 

if…, Okupe 

warns Buhari 

•Doyin Okupe 

BY YINKA AJAYI 

Dr. Doyin Okupe served as 

spokesperson for former 

Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and 

Goodluck Jonathan. 

Now the South-West leader of the Accord 

Party after defecting from the former ruling 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okupe, in 

this interview, speaks on President 

Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to 

seek re-election next year, the 

controversial decision of the federal 

administration to spend nearly 

$500million not appropriated by the 

National Assembly on the 

procurement of fighter jets from the 

United States and the suspension of 

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege by the 

Senate, among other issues. 

What’s your reason for leaving the PDP 

to pitch tent with the Coalition for Nigeria 

Movement led by former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo? 

My reasons for leaving the PDP have been 

discussed in several fora. But I left the 

PDP because I fundamentally disagreed 

with what was going on in the 

party. More importantly, the 

nation is in chaos now and 

there is actually a need for 

patriots to find a way to 

safeguard our democracy. Yes, 

Obasanjo is like a political 

godfather to me. I believe in 

him and I also trust him. If 

there is a nationalist in Nigeria, 

Obasanjo is one and I believe 

that he means well for Nigeria. 

You may not like his style, but 

we need to look beyond the 

surface. CNM is a brilliant idea 

and, to every discerning mind, 

it’s absolutely impossible to 

oppose the incumbent and a 

towering figure like President 

Muhammadu Buhari and 

hope to win. To defeat Buhari 

will reverse what Bola Tinubu 

and others were able to do with 

the APC. A broad platform 

involving the majority of the 

political actors in the country must be put 

together to present a candidate to contest 

against Buhari with the hope of being able 

to win. To that extent, the coalition that 

Obasanjo is leading is what I’m proud to be 

a part of. Even though I’m the South-West 

leader of Accord Party, as a party, we 

identify with that movement and we hope 

to come to a working relation in not too 

distant future. 

Chief Rasheed Ladoja, a former leader 

of Accord Party, is back in the PDP. How 

do you reconcile that with Accord having 

a working relationship with CNM? 

There is nothing to reconcile really. 

All politics is local like they say. The 

primary motive of 

Ladoja, at his age, is to 

look for a way to wrest 

power from the ruling 

party in Oyo State which 

Impression is 

being given that 

it’s Fulani people 

that are involved 

in the mayhem. 

So government 

must try as much 

as possible to 

remove this toga 

he has not been able to 

satisfactory do in recent 

time. I have held 

meetings with him and 

he figures out that unless 

he is able to put together 

a coalition, he may not 

be able to confront the 

APC machine. And in 

doing so, majority of the 

tendencies in Oyo are 

tilting in the direction of 

the PDP. I was in one of 

the meetings when a 

delegation from the state 

came to him to lead them 

into the PDP. They believe 

that is the only way to 

unite and take power 

from the APC. He 

conceded and that is why he went to the PDP. 

But I don’t think he is well treated in the 

PDP. You really cannot say he is in PDP now. 

He is more or less in a limbo. He is not in 

PDP and not out of the PDP. But I know for a 

fact that they are looking for ways to achieve 

their original objective. 

What is your take on the spate of killings 

in the country? 

Every sane Nigerian must be worried. 

Something profoundly evil is going on in 

the country. The bloodletting is too much. 

What is more perplexing is that we cannot 

really say government is making efforts to 

counter this evil. I have said it that this is 

beyond Fulani herdsmen and farmers 

clashes. I may be wrong and may be right. I 

don’t think President Buhari was too much 

out of order; perhaps he didn’t put it well 

when he said the perpetrators are people 

trained by Gadaffi. What he probably meant 

to say was that people that were trained in 

Libya had come down and are wreaking 

havoc in our system. That would have been 

more credible. There is also a shade of 

opinion that what we are seeing is a 

breakaway faction of Boko Haram that has 

actually teamed up with ISIS. The signature 

we are seeing in these attacks is mindless 

killings, arson and massive destruction. This 

is typical of ISIS operations. It is better for 

us as Nigerians and those who lead us to 

come to terms with this reality. They will 

not want to sound alarmed that we are not 

through with Boko Haram yet and we now 

have ISIS which may bring panic. Let us 

speak the truth and let the devil be ashamed. 

We have ISIS operating in Nigeria and it is 

another form of extreme Islamist 

fundamentalism in a very vicious form. If 

you look at it, Boko Haram is located in 

the North-East. But what is going on now, 

we have very serious attacks in Benue, 

Plateau, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kano, Kogi, 

Edo and Ekiti. That is no longer Fulani 

herdsmen attack. By my own 

understanding, the Fulani herdsman is very 

protective of his herds. He overreaches 

himself in the provision of food and water 

for the herds. I don’t see a Fulani man, after 

having fed his cows and burn the farm in 

which the cows have eaten, go to the 

villagers that own the farms to kill and burn 

them. That has gone beyond tendering 

cattle. The herdsmen tendering cattle is 

something that dates back to history. It is 

something that is beyond 400-500 years. 

These Fulani go around West Africa with 

their cattle in search of food and water. This 

metamorphosed into armed militia. If 

strange, it is not in conformity with what 

we have. And it is a misnomer to say Fulani, 

farmers clash. A clash is when one group 

fights another. No farmer is clashing with 

herdsmen here. Now it’s the militias that 

are not just killing farmers, but also going 

to churches to kill priests and worshippers. 

There is more fundamental matter here, 

and the earlier government looks into it 

the better. Unfortunately, government is 

headed by a Fulani and tends to protect the 

image of other Fulani that they are not 

killers and get prejudiced in what they do. 

But there is no need to protect what is not 

true. If there is anything to protect, it should 

be lives and property. Impression is being 

given that it’s Fulani people that are 

involved in the mayhem. So government 

must try as much as possible to remove this 

toga, otherwise it will not be in the interest 

•Continues on page 28

PAGE 28 – SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 

•Continued from page 27 

of everybody. In any case, if we are not able 

to put an end to these murderous activities 

of the terrorists, it will put an end to our 

peace (God forbid). 

Did the President act right concerning 

the money spent on the purchase of 

Tucano jet fighters? 

The purchase of the jets originated from 

the National Assembly. It was when a 

team from the United States visited the 

National Assembly that this idea came from 

their discussion. Those who defend 

government on account that there is a 

Supreme Court judgement that declared the 

Excess Crude Account illegal and, therefore 

any withdrawal from it should not follow 

legal process, as far as I’m concerned, don’t 

make sense. Two wrongs do not make a 

right. If you say it does not need to follow 

due process, why then did the President 

write to the National Assembly to put it in 

the budget? As far as I’m concerned, that’s 

an admission of guilt. The relationship 

between the executive and the legislator is 

always frosty and this is not peculiar to 

Nigeria. I have served under two Presidents 

and I have gone through this. The 

executive must go out of their way to court 

the legislature. It’s got nothing to do with 

pride. It is the executive that executes 

projects, but the power to give approval for 

execution of projects resides with the 

legislature. I’m extremely very proud of this 

8th Senate. And I believe they have done 

more to protect democracy than their 

previous counterparts. In the moment of 

severe stress when the President was ill and 

even friends of this administration wanted 

him removed, the Senate stood their 

grounds to stabilize the country. I must give 

a lot of commendation to Dr. Bukola Saraki, 

the Senate President. In my opinion, he is 

the most cerebral of all the Senate 

Presidents we have had. We have in him a 

quintessentially sane, focused and 

cerebrally balanced young man that has 

the control and respect of his colleagues. If 

not for that fact, we would probably be in a 

serious trouble by now. Look at what 

happened last week when some people 

genuinely raised the expenditure of the 

executive without the consent of the 

National Assembly. It is an impeachable 

offence as a matter of fact, sentiment apart. 

But look at the maturity that was applied 

by the Senate President that was devoid of 

indecorous behavior because of the 

confidence that his colleagues repose in him. 

He was able to douse the tension by taking 

the issue to the Judicial Committee. That is 

the hallmark of a true nationalist and a 

leader. This is a man that is being vilified 

by the same executive. I don’t think 

leadership comes better than that. The 

executive needs to do a lot 

more. It has nothing to do 

with personality clash. The 

three arms of government 

are on equal pedestal. 

Talking about the nonpassage 

of the budget, I 

understand that heads of 

MDA have refused to 

defend their budgets. 

Someone should have 

given them a marching 

order if they had taken 

their jobs seriously and that 

was what the President did. 

And they are about 

rounding off the job now. 

I’m proud of this Senate 

and National Assembly in 

general. We are in safe 

hands with them. 

What is your take on the 

allegation that Saraki is 

overbearing and always 

looking for slightest 

opportunity to take on the 

Presidency? 

Saraki to me is not 

overbearing. He is only 

decisively focused. 

How come he now has 

an opportunity to allow 

impeachment process to go ahead but 

stopped it? How come he did not constitute 

a medical team to visit the President in 

London when he was sick to determine if he 

was fit to continue? What they have done is 

to ensure that the legislature is not a rubber 

stamp of the executive. That is not what is 

intended by the Constitution. I see Saraki 

as an intelligent and patriotic democrat who 

is firm and focused. Any leadership that is 

not firm and focused is useless. If you must 

lead you must show the way and in showing 

the way you must be firm. This person has 

shown strength, intellect, capability and 

popularity amongst his colleagues. 

The Omo-Agege saga has been 

described as an assault on the nation’s 

democracy. Do you agree? 

The Omo-Agege saga 

is what any right 

thinking Nigerian must 

condemn. When we 

continue to 

compromise our 

institutions and they 

become ineffective, we 

can no longer 

Buhari came in on 

a very high ethical 

standard that he 

is a man of 

integrity, he will 

fight corruption, 

quench the 

insurrection in the 

North-East and 

provide good 

governance. But 

his government 

has failed on all 

the four pedestals 

•Doyin Okupe 

'Your cult-like 

followership will 

disappear if…' 

complain. What 

happened on that day is 

a memory that God 

should blacken out of 

our minds. It is the 

height of ignominy and 

if Omo-Agege is 

someone that has selfrespect, 

he should by 

himself leave the Senate. 

Contrary to people’s 

belief, he was not 

suspended because of 

the reordering of 

elections; he was 

suspended for taking the 

Senate to court. He 

came to apologize on the 

floor of the Senate for 

certain thing he did 

wrong and went to court 

on the same matter. We 

must not allow 

partisanship to erode our conscience 

because those who are there today may not 

be there tomorrow. Meanwhile the 

institutions will remain. Omo-Agege’s 

action and those who backed him did a 

terrible injustice to the sacredness of the red 

chamber. 

What can you say on Dino Melaye that 

jumped out of a moving police vehicle? 

I think the police is overreacting on Dino 

Melaye’s case. Dino is just an individual 

who has problem with the governor of his 

state. If the impression is being given that 

the governor can manipulate the entire 

police force to humiliate and completely 

hound down his political enemy, then I’m 

sorry for this country. Forget about anybody 

jumping down or not, if you are driving me 

to place where I am going to be given HIV 

injection, I will jump through anything. We 

do not know the circumstances he found 

himself at the time. Such decision will be 

taken if he realizes that he would be a dead 

man in a couple of minutes. Senate has 

nothing to do with your life or survival. What 

I’m saying is that the machinery that has 

been assembled and procedures that have 

been followed to humiliate and dehumanize 

Dino Melaye is condemnable. If we do that 

for the vicious enemies of democracy, this 

will be a better place to live in. Why is it 

that we always use the power of government 

to demolish the opposition who do in any 

way threaten the existence of government? 

Militias have killed thousands of people in 

Zamfara, Benue and Taraba in the last two 

years and there is no record of one of them 

being apprehended. We need to hear from 

Dino Melaye to know his fears and why he 

jumped out of the vehicle. A man that jumped 

out of a moving vehicle has a chance to die. 

He must have weighed the options either to 

die sitting in the vehicle or to live if he does 

not die after jumping down. The man had 

simply chosen a fairer option out of the 

two. 

How do you rate the administration of 

President Buhari? 

The fact that the administration has not 

done well is obvious and I am not going to 

do an overkill. Buhari came in on a very 

high ethical standard that he is a man of 

integrity, he will fight corruption, quench 

the insurrection in the North-East and 

provide good governance. But his 

government has failed on all the four 

pedestals. But I found it a bit difficult to 

judge him because of my background as a 

trained medical doctor. I have suffered life 

threatening illnesses myself and, under the 

condition, nothing else mattered to me 

except my survival. When a man that is so 

sick like Buhari doesn’t do well, I find it 

extremely difficult to condemn him because 

of my background as a medical doctor. 

Perhaps if things were the other way round, 

he may have performed better. If he spent 

150 days out 360 days in the hospital, that 

is really serious. I will not stand here and 

condemn a man that went through life 

threatening illness. We all saw Buhari 

practically dying and God resuscitated him. 

On the platform which he came in, he has 

failed woefully. But my mind is telling me 

that the man is not that bad and that the 

problem he has is his ill health. That is why 

I wrote an article and advised the man, being 

a great man that God has been very kind to, 

not to contest for second term. All his 

popularity, reputation and cult-like 

followership will pale into nonsense if he 

vies for second term and his health cannot 

carry him. I wish him well and I pray that 

God will give him strength in this remaining 

period of his tenure to finish well and end 

well. But he will be stretching his luck too 

far if he attempts to go beyond that. Age 

and good health are not on his side. A man 

should not volunteer to rule or be forced on 

a nation at the lowest point of his existence 

in which Buhari is now. I can say this 

authoritatively because I am a doctor. 

Buhari should aspire to end as a father 

figure in this country and I will personally 

applaud him for that. I will even canvass 

that everyone should put partisanship aside 

and support him to finish well and give him 

a grand exit. We do not have any father 

figure in this country. All our leaders have 

either destroyed themselves or we destroyed 

them. Let us preserve Buhari as historic 

legacy. But Buhari’s ambition to go for a 

second term and continue in office will be a 

threat to the existential wellbeing of 

Nigerians and corporate existence of the 

country. 

There has been clamour for not too 

young to rule. Do you foresee a young man 

with integrity taking over from Buhari? 

A youth taking over in 2019 is far-fetched 

and highly unlikely because our youths are 

just getting involved in national affairs. 

Look at Sowore, Fela Durotoye and many 

of them that are just coming up. But we must 

realize that this country is so big and 

complicated that we need the exuberance 

of the youths and experience of the old. It is 

the combination that will augur well for 

this country. But we must encourage the 

youths. The only reason I am in Accord 

Party is to make it a platform for young 

people to become what they want to be. 

The party is practically new and the 

positions are not stratified. Our major job 

now is not to contest or run for any office. 

But we want to hold the ladder so that 

young people can steadily climb. I have 

nine children and it will be in my interest 

that they find a decent country to live. This 

can only happen if those of us with 

knowledge and experience will allow the 

younger generation to climb on our back 

and hold the ladder for the youth to climb 

to the top while we support them. 

What should Nigerians expect from the 

Coalition for Nigeria Movement? 

This coalition is not against Buhari. If 

it against the President, I’m not interested. 

This coalition is to promote democracy, 

good governance and to bring 

competence and fear of God into 

administration. It is also to create a space 

for the younger generation to come up. 

The coalition is not against APC. Rather 

it is to broaden the base of participation 

and allow majority of Nigerians to come 

in and take part in the destiny of their 

nation. Nigerians should expect from this 

coalition a very broad spectrum of 

political opinions and formations. We are 

going to bring together a majority of 

political conclaves in the country. Even 

though we recognize that the APC has not 

done well, the fact that Buhari is going to 

contest again; we fear that it may not 

auger well for the country. We are creating 

this coalition since we are relying on 

votes. We plan to bring more Nigerians 

together and allow them to participate in 

moulding the destiny of their nation. To 

allow APC to win means Buhari will 

continue and that’s not in the interest of 

Nigeria.

Effective Word, amazing 

miracle 

Brethren, welcome to 

the first Sunday in the 

fifth month of the year. 

May the month of May usher 

in all pending miracles in 

Jesus name. 

Today’s edition focuses on 

the WORD. How powerful 

can words be? Who can use 

the word and what could be 

its effect? 

As believers in Christ our 

first knowledge of the word isfound 

in the book of Genesis1 

vs. 3 “ And God said, Let there 

be light: and there was light”. 

Also in Genesis 1 vs. 6 it is 

stated, “And God said, Letthere 

be a firmament in the 

midst of the waters, and let it 

divide the waters from the waters”. 

We can go on and on. 

Many verses in that chapter 

recorded that God used the 

Word to achieve many amazing 

things that have remained 

with us even till today. 

In the new testament, we are 

introduced to the Word in a 

personified and spiritual 

sense. John 1 vs. 1 “ In the 

beginning was the Word, and 

the Word was with God and 

the Word wasGod”. 

Just as God can use the 

word, so also Satan can use 

the word. The difference is 

what it is used for and the consequence. 

Whereas the Word 

of God can nullify the word of 

Satan, the devil’s word can 

never render effective the word 

of God. 

However, the word of Satan 

could be effective in the lifeand 

destinies of human beings 

whose life is barren of the 

word of God. 

What exactly do I mean? A 

man goes to visit an herbalist 

and asks the herbalist to make 

sure that the baby in the womb 

of his ex- girlfriend is not born 

alive. 

What does the herbalist do? 

Now, he does not need to see 

the lady or even have her picture 

. All he would do is to send 

evil words to the womb of that 

lady and if her life is not filled 

with the word of God, even if 

the pregnancy is over seven 

months, it will be aborted in a 

manner that doctors will be 

unable toexplain. 

Let me share with you a few 

true-life examples. A married 

woman who had been trusting 

God for the fruit of the 

womb got pregnant. This 

woman a good Christian intensified 

her study of the word 

of God even as she went for 

church services regularly. One 

afternoon, while trying to 

have a nap in her room, she 

felt a spirit being enter her 

room through the wall. It 

moved towards her with the 

intention to lay hands on her 

stomach. The woman took 

her Holy Bible that was close 

to her pillow and shouted, “ I 

cast you out in the name of 

Jesus”. 

Immediately, I mean immediately, 

the spirit being went 

out through the wall the same 

way it came into her room. 

Before then, this woman had 

a record of so many miscarriages. 

Brethren, what if the Holy 

Spirit did not empower her to 

use the word, she would have 

suffered another miscarriage 

but to the glory of God,she delivered 

that particular baby 

which was the first in over a 

decade. 

The Holy Bible tells us 

about the efficacy of the word 

of God in Hebrews 4 vs. 12 

“For the word of God is 

quick, and powerful, and 

sharper than any two edged 

sword, piercing even to the dividing 

asunder of soul and 

spirit, and of the joints and 

marrow, and is a discerner of 

the thoughts and intents of the 

heart”. 

This, however, does not happen 

automatically. It does not 

happen just because you are a 

Christian. 

The Holy Bible gives us 

more knowledge of the efficacy 

of the word in Proverbs 

18 vs. 21 “ Death and life are 

in the power of the tongue: and 

they that love it shall eat the 

fruit thereof”. 

The word becomes effective 

in your life when you have 

studied it enough to know 

when and how to use it. Sometimes, 

we need to memorize it 

and this is why we are taught 

memory verses. 

I give another example. A 

newly married wife took in 

The word we speak 

is an indication of 

our thoughts. You 

just have to believe 

in what you say for it 

to produce any result 

and in her dream, two women 

appeared to her and said, 

to her, “you will never have 

children in this marriage”. 

Almost immediately, another 

voice spoke to her “ they are 

liars”. 

That was the story of the 

woman’s journey to delay in 

childbearing. 

For over 20 years, she waited. 

Even her husband almost 

gave up. To the glory of God, 

today, she is a mother. She 

had single baby boy and also 

a set of twins. 

Clearly, those who spoke 

were agents of Satan but the 

counter voice was that of the 

Holy Spirit. 

Finally, the word of God 

came to pass. Liars were put 

to shame and today; they are- 


alive to see the woman become 

a mother. 

When the Lord speaks, there 

must be a result that will give 

you joy. 

By the grace of God in the 

new month of May, you will 

hear a voice that will make 

your life joyful in the name of 

Jesus. 

However, we must appreciate 

the fact that without 

faith,your spoken word could 

be ineffective. 

I’m sure we know that many 

times, the word we speak is 

an indication of our thoughts. 

You just have to believe in 

what you say for it to produce 

any result. 

Let’s see an example in the 

ministry of our Lord Jesus 

when the Centurion whose 

servant was sick met Jesus. 

Matthew 8 vs. 5-10. 

Verses 7 & 8 recorded their 

conversationthis way, “ And 

Jesus saith unto him, I will 

come and heal him. The centurion 

answered and said, 

Lord, I am not worthythat thou 

shouldest come under my 

roof: but speak the word only, 

and my servant shall be 

healed”. 

See how Jesus reacted in 

verse 10 “ When Jesus heard 

it, he marveled and said to 

them that followed, Verily I 

say unto you, I have not found 

so great faith, no not inIsrael”. 

The response of our Lord is 

all the confirmation that weneed 

that we must have faith 

for the word to produce the 

desired result in our lives. 

Parents, what do you say to 

your children? It is because 

the word is so effective thatparents 

are advised never to 

curse their children no matter 

the degree of provocation. 

In the same vein,wives 

should watch the words that 

they speak in anger to their 

spouses. What you thought 

you said casually may be the 

word that would change the 

destiny of that child or your 

spouse negatively and when 

this happens, you will also be 

a victim. 

Testimony- Let me share the 

testimony of a medical doctor. 

The doctor was taking his 

bath and somehow he fell and 

was badly injured. Blood 

gushed out of him as if flowing 

from a river. He was rushed 

to a private hospital that immediately 

referred him to another 

hospital. 

As he was being moved 

from one hospital to another, 

he kept saying, “I shall not die, 

I shall live to declare the 

works of the Lord”. 

As a medical doctor he knew 

that losing so much blood 

could mean losing his life but 

he kept saying “ I shall not 

die”. Another person would 

have said, “ I am dying help 

me”. 

Need I say that to the glory 

of God, this man did not die. 

As I write today, he lives. 

The lesson for us is that 

whatever is our emotional 

state; we must speak the word 

of positively to ourselves. 

Brethren, let’s link our faith 

with the Word and the result 

will be amazing miracles in 

the name of Jesus. 

May the Lord favour us this 

month in Jesus name. 

Labour of Love 

In rendering your servic 

es what would make you 

do it for free? Would it be 

passion or compassion? 

Would you work for free if you 

had to or is your labour conditional 

to circumstances 

around? 

Income, compensation, reward 

and remuneration are 

all enticing and may be tied 

to your willingness to perform 

or your overall productivity. 

Is the reward conditional to 

your output? 

When you think about it is 

your labour for the love of the 

job or as a must with no 

choice.I ask all these questions 

because I see that for 

some people when income is 

attractive they may or may not 

put on extra effort in rendering 

their service. The thing is 

your work will always speak 

for itself, doors can open for 

you beyond your imagination 

when you position your labour 

with love, enthusiasm and excitement. 

I have seen people offer their 

service for free just to get the 

desired work experience and 

exposure required to build a 

pedigree for themselves. Interestingly 

this has paid off for 

them overall, because not only 

did it provide input for their 

Curriculum Vitae, it showed 

first hand that they were capable, 

responsible and 

reliable.It takes a lot of discipline 

to labour for the love of 

the job, your attitude and behavior 

are on target here. Your 

true character and personalityshows 

when you work for 

passion. 

Many people finish formal 

education and expect a good 

job will come on a platter of 

gold. They also feel entitled 

to a huge salary at once on 

the back of a mere qualification. 

I would say seek experience 

first even if it may temporarily 

require a pay drop 

just to get one foot in. Employers 

are not just looking for that 

employee that is interested in 

receiving a salary, but a team 

player, an innovator a game 

changer that will fit into the 

corporate culture and build it 

up too. 

If you are wondering why 

after so many interviews you 

still have not secured your 

dream job consider the following: 

Strategies to bring out the 

best in you. 

Volunteer your service 

when needed 

If you are job hunting and 

you feel you are spending too 

much time at home waiting, 

look for where you can intern 

for a short period to boost 

your learning and get the exposure 

plus experience you 

require to move to the next 

level. Having a degree and a 

certificate is not the end goal; 

being able to practicalize your 

knowledge is key. Render your 

service as a labor of love and 

see what opportunities may 

come your way. 

Don’t hold back put in your 

best 

When you decide to do something 

with passion don’t hold 

back. Put in your all do your 

best,infact you may decide to 

outperform yourself if you can 

and stretch your limits. Put 

yourself to test and see how 

you adapt to varying circumstances, 

how you maximize 

certain conditions and turn 

them into opportunities. 

Leverage on Opportunities 

You may feel you are skilled 

in a certain area, do notrestrict 

your skill, if another opportunity 

arises grab it with the intent 

of wanting to diversify 

your knowledge base, your 

perspective and your skills. 

Too many people allow opportunities 

to pass them by 

without leveraging on what 

the opportunity can bring. 

Every new skill is valuable, it 

depends on how you use it. 

Identify your Strengths 

and Weakness 

The earlier you know where 

your strength lies and you 

identify your weakness the 

better you will develop yourself, 

focus on your weakness 

and strategize how you can 

turn those weakness into 

strengths. As you develop new 

strengths turn them into skill 

setsand vice versa. Effort is key 

push forward and aim for the 

best. 

Quick Tips For Success 

1. Change your perspective 

on how to be successful, review 

your mind set. 

2. Identify your best areas; 

build on them until you are 

an expert. 

3. Discover areas where you 

need new knowledge or you 

are deficient in knowledge. 

4. Begin to learn new things, 

unlearn old things and relearn 

abandoned things. 

5. Approach your work with 

love, add passion to succeed 

and the will to move up. 

6. Your best may just not be 

good enough seek to excel in 

it. 

7. Aspire to be inspired always, 

transform your potential 

and discover the new you. 

8. Hard work pays, never 

relent in your efforts, you will 

be rewarded without knowing. 

9.Walk your own walk and 

talk your own talk be your 

own ambassador, follow nobody 

10. Learn from the experienced, 

tap into their stories, 

use this as a yard stick to making 

the right moves. 

G o o d L u c k ! 

Janet.adetu@gmail.com 

CDB debunks alleged plan to shut down flow stations in Delta 

The leadership of Community De 

velopment Board, CDB, has debunked 

a publication alleging the leadership 

of the board planned to shutdown 

oil flow stations in Urhobo land 

without any recourse to violence. 

One of the CDB's executives, Chief 

Emma Erhire who spoke to newsmen 

while reacting to a publication credited 

to an Urhobo group under Oil Mining 

and Lease (OML) 30, described the 

allegations against the leadership of 

the board as unfounded and a calculated 

attempt to smear their image, 

saying that the board and Heritage had 

always maintained a robust and cordial 

relationship. 

Erhire, said the allegations were mere 

fabrication, pointing out that all that 

have been said about the board and its 

leadership were cooked stories to give 

a dog a bad name in in order to hang 

it, saying that through the leadership 

of CDB, oil production in OML 30 

has increased drastically. 

He said there was no time the leadership 

of CDB had led any group for 

protest or threatened to shutdown 

flow station in OML 30, adding that 

such protest cannot deter the good 

work the board has been doing on 

behalf of the host communities who 

recently reposed confidence in the 

leadership of the board. 

He said, "We appeal to whoever 

person or group that is protesting not 

to drag the name of CDB or its leadership 

into any confrontation with 

any company for the purpose of gaining 

unmerited favour or recognition. 

Urhobo groups under the Oil Mining 

and Lease (OML) 30, had earlier 

staged a peaceful protest against Salvic 

Oil company and the leadership of 

CDB, over alleged poor security network 

and community relations, as it 

affects pipeline surveillance contract 

job. The protesters barricaded the entrance 

of the Nigerian Petroleum Development 

Company (NPDC), Edjeba, 

Warri, Delta State, with placards carrying 

inscriptions such as, "No to 

Salvic, yes to Heritage", "Salvic must 

go." 

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, 

the President of Urhobo Youth 

Council (UYC), Comrade Festus Igherebuo, 

said they were in a solidarity 

protest with Heritage company over 

the recent protest by a group of youths 

threatening to shut down the company's 

flow stations in Urhobo land if the 

group's demands were not met. 

BY AKPOKONA OMAFUAIRE 

Mr Akpodiete Otemu 

Olotu, Managing 

Director, Akpo Olotu 

& Associates, has bagged the 

prestigious European American 

University, Commonwealth 

of Dominica honorary 

doctorate degree on Project 

Management and Corporate 

Governance award. 

The award ceremony took 

place at the banquet hall, Sheraton 

Hotels & Towers, Lagos. 

According to him, "I was conferred 

with honorary doctorate 

degree on Project Management 

and Corporate Governance, 

among others honored were 

Chief. Engr. Waddel Torru, Dr 

Lamela Silas, Elder Oladipupo 

Osoja, Mr Paddy Iyamu, Hon. 

Olotu bags award on 

Corporate Governance 

George Timinimi,High Chief.Amb. 

Dr. Chigoozie Nwolisa." 

Mr Akpodiete Otemu Olotu, Managing 

Director Akpo Olotu & Associates 

was born on February 20, 1982 

in Ughelli. He attended Ambrose Alli 

University where he studied Applied 

Geophysics. He also graduated from 

Paris Graduate School of Management, 

France where he studied International 

Executive Master of Business 

Administration. 

He is a member of globally recognized 

professional bodies such as Institute 

of Management Consultants 

of Nigeria, International Professional 

Managers Association UK and 

West African Federation of Institute 

of Administration and Management 

Consultants.

PAGE 30 — SUNDAY Vanguard, , MAY 6, 2018 

healthy living 

MOSQUITOES FIGHT BACK 

The Malaria 

Rage! 

By Chioma Obinna 

Malaria is the world’s oldest disease and 

findings by World Health Organisation (WHO) 

show that half of the world’s population and 90 

per cent of the Commonwealth population, 

including Nigerians, are at risk despite progress 

made so far. Malaria is a preventable disease 

that costs less than $1 to treat but WHO says 

the disease is making a comeback as it reported 

that global malaria control has been stalled. 

The stall was by experts at the 2018 

Commonwealth Heads of Government 

Meeting, held in London, who expressed the 

fear of malaria resurgence. According to them, 

after 16 years of steady decline, malaria cases 

are on the rise again globally. One of their fears 

was insecticides’ resistance as mosquitoes 

multiply. They agreed that unless efforts to 

tackle the disease are stepped up, the gains 

could be lost. Sunday Vanguard looks at the 

situation in Nigeria. 

According to the 2015 Malaria 

Indicator Survey, MIS, one in four 

children under five years tested 

positive to malaria. The number represents 

35 per cent decline since the previous MIS in 

2010 when more than 40 per cent of children 

tested positive for the disease. The 2015 survey 

also shows a marked decrease in prevalence 

of the disease among children under five and 

major improvements in prevention and 

treatment. 

Unfortunately, the gains are gradually being 

eroded by some factors currently hindering 

the control of vectors in the country. But the 

problem in Nigeria’s case is aggravated by 

endemic poverty, negative attitude and 

environmental factors. 

Today, whereas over 20 states in the country 

are battling resistant mosquitoes, some 

Nigerians are ignorant of appropriate 

treatment for malaria while many are victims 

of fake anti-malarial drugs and ineffective 

insecticide treated nets. Meanwhile, the 

environment does not make things easy as 

human activities contribute to the increase in 

mosquitoes breeding sites. Cases abound 

where malaria drugs are distributed to people 

who never tested positive to malaria even as 

many others feel that all fevers are malaria 

without appropriate testing. 

Painfully, the cost of malaria drugs has 

skyrocketed due to high exchange rate in a 

country where over 80 per cent of drugs 

consumed is imported. There are also 

concerns about mosquito elimination. 

However, health watchers feel that because 

mosquitoes cannot be eliminated, malaria can 

only be reduced and not be eliminated. 

According to experts, malaria is caused by 

infected Anopheles mosquito bite which 

transmits the plasmodium parasite that causes 

malaria. There are many different types of 

plasmodium parasite, but only five types cause 

malaria in humans. 

In the past, malaria spreading mosquitoes 

only attack at night; now they also operate in 

day time. 

Mosquitoes have been in existence for 

millions of years. The environment is not 

helping because it soothes and supports their 

existence. Today in Nigeria, the environment 

is the biggest factor promoting the breeding 

of mosquitoes. Many drainage systems are 

blocked, no thanks to heaps of refuse around 

the cities and communities. 

The burden 

The 2017 World Malaria Report revealed 

the resultant effect as it found that 182 million 

Nigerians were at risk of an infection. 

Stories are also told of how continuous 

mosquito bites cause repeated malaria bouts 


A good case is that is that of a 45-year-old 

patient who spoke to Healthy Living at the 

Out-Patient Department of Lagos State 

University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, on 

how he had been treating malaria for two 

months without improvement. 

The patient, who gave his name as Abiodun 

Suleiman, said he had thought he had Lassa 

fever or other fever-related infections. 

But Abiodun was shocked when a further 

test done at the teaching hospital still showed 

him positive for malaria despite all the drugs 

he had taken since the illness started. 

•20 states worst hit 

“Before I received my test result, I was scared 

because I thought it was something more 

serious than malaria since I had been 

treating malaria for some time. To my 

surprise, the result showed positive to 

malaria and not Lassa fever.” 

With the latest laboratory report, the victim 

was convinced that it was either the drugs he 

had been taking were fake or he was having a 

repeated attack. Abiodun and millions of 

others account for the 29 per cent cases 

Nigeria contributes to the global burden of 

malaria. The country also has the highest 

number of cases of malaria, according to 

WHO report. 

The Minister of Health, Prof Isaac Adewole, 

at the launch of the MIS, had said the status 

of the country on malaria highlights the need 

to focus on treatment as well as prevention. 

Sunday Vanguard further sought to know 

why Abiodun had failed to use the insecticide 

treated nets, ITN. To him, nets are not suitable 

everywhere in Nigeria, particularly now that 

Nigeria is facing challenges of poor electricity 

supply. 

According to him, he had never slept under 

a net. He admitted that it was too hot to 

sleep under the net. 

Universal net coverage 

Meanwhile, investigation showed that 

treated nets remain the most effective and 

cheapest tool to prevent malaria. But, sadly, 

the 2015 MIS report showed that only 69 per 

cent of households across the country own at 

least one ITN irrespective of the fact that 

WHO recommends100 per cent universal 

ownership. 

However, the report also showed that 

ownership of ITN has increased over eightfold 

since 2008 when only eight per cent of 

households owned an ITN. 

It further showed that, overall, 27 per 

cent of children aged 6-59 months 

tested positive for malaria by 

microscopy in the 2015 MIS. 

Despite these achievements, 

Adewole reminded that the 

country was still far 

from the vision of a 

malaria free 

Nigeria, 

revealing 

that, nationwide, m a l a r i a 

prevalence varies widely, ranging from 14 per 

cent in the South-East to 37 per cent in the 

North-West. 

According to the 2016/2017 Multiple 

Indicator Survey (MICS), the northern zones 

lead in the number of households that own at 

least one net. North-East and North-West 

top with 79.4 and 79.3 households followed 

by and North-Central with 63.6 households. 

South East has 53.3 and South-South 50.0 

per cent. Ironically, the South-West, which is 

expected to do well on the list following 

interventions already put in place by the 

governments, is at the bottom with 48.4 per 

cent. 

Resistant mosquito 

Giving insight into the study done by the 

Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, 

NIMR, the Deputy Director, Research and 

Head, Malaria Research Group, Dr Sam 

Awolola, said Nigeria is far from being

: 

SOME OF THE STATES 

WORST HIT 

South-West 

1. Lagos 

2. Ogun 

3. Oyo 

4. Osun 

5. Ondo 

6. Ekiti 

South-East 

1. Anambra 

2. Enugu 

3. Ebonyi 

North-East 

1. Borno 

North-Central 

1. Kwara 

2. Nassarawa 

North-West 

1. Sokoto 

2. Kano 

malaria free. “We are not close to elimination. 

We are still scaling up our intervention for 

malaria control. We are far from preelimination. 

As at today, going by our slide, 

that is, the index used to measure the progress, 

we are still at 27 across the country. Before 

you talk about elimination, you must be close 

to five per cent. It took us between 12 and 15 

years to move from 40 to 27. You can do you 

calculation, if it took us almost 15 years to get 

here, how long it will take us to get to five per 

cent?”, Awolola said. 

“I can tell you that our journey is still far but 

it is not a completely bleak situation if we put 

our acts together as a country; political will 

and funding however are crucial”. 

The Deputy Director, who decried poor 

funding for research, said for NIMR to do 

research that will inform policy, funding must 

be guaranteed, adding, “For how long will 

Nigeria rely on funding from partners? Why 

can’t we have our own roadmap to eliminate 

malaria? I am not saying we cannot achieve 

elimination in five or four years, but we can 

healthy living 

get there if we plan properly. “ 

Awolola confirmed that nets are resistant to 

mosquitoes in over 20 states where studies were 

conducted. 

He regretted that one of the consequences 

of the development was that the chances of 

more deaths from malaria were high in the 

affected areas, adding that the situation called 

for great concern. 

The NIMR boss traced the new trend of 

resistance to the use of same reagents for 

agricultural products, stressing, “Basically, 

one of the major factors that contribute to 

insecticide resistance is the use of same 

reagents for agriculture globally. Most of the 

insecticides used in public health are also used 

in agriculture, which is a major source of 

resistance.” 

He listed the states where nets have been 

found to be resistant to nets to include all the 

six states in the South-West; Anambra, Enugu 

and Ebonyi in the South-East; Borno in the 

North-East; Kwara and Nassarawa in the 

North-Central; and Sokoto and Kano in the 

North-West. 

Awolola explained that science had found a 

way with the development of new generation 

nets. “The new generation nets are sciencebased 

insecticidal nets designed to kill 

mosquitoes that have developed 

resistance. With the addition of Piperonyl 

Butoxide in the mosquito nets, they are 

now able to remove that resistance and 

the insecticides will kill mosquitoes”, the 

Deputy Director explained. 

“For countries like Nigeria, conventional 

nets can still be used where mosquitoes are 

not resistant but where the mosquitoes are 

resistant, there is need for government to 

deploy new generation nets.” 

On his part, the Assistant Director, 

Integrated Vector Management Branch, 

National Malaria Elimination Programme 

(NMEP), Public Health Department, 

Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Okefu 

Oyale Okoko, said the use of Long 

Lasting Insecticidal Net, LLIN, has 

proved to be the most effective and 

cheapest means of vector control, 

regretting that the rate of 

utilization was still low and had 

remained a challenge. 

Okoko explained that LLIN is 

the first line intervention approved by 

WHO and the Federal Ministry of 

H e a l t h through NMEP. “Evidence 

has shown that it is effective in vector control 

as malaria prevalence in Nigeria has 

drastically reduced. There has also been a 

reduced rate of morbidity and mortality in 

states due to increased use of mosquito nets 

and other preventive measures, especially in 

pregnant women and children under five who 

are most vulnerable.” 

He disclosed that the Federal Government 

distributed a total of 16,199,953 LLINs in 

seven states namely Sokoto, Edo, Kwara, 

Osun, Imo, Ondo and Adamawa States in 

2017. 

According to him, there are plans to 

distribute over 18.4 million nets this year in 

six states namely Nassarawa, Ogun, Jigawa, 

Katsina, Gombe and Kebbi through 

replacement campaigns. 

Recent gains 

Reacting to the gains in the fight against the 

disease, the Malaria Programme Officer, 

WHO, Nigeria, Dr. Lynda Ozor, said the 

availability of tools for malaria control was a 

huge gain. 

“Some years back, Chloroquine resistance 

was documented for most areas in Nigeria 

and around the world, forcing WHO, in 

collaboration with the research community, 

to quickly introduce an effective substitute, 

the ACTs, which, up till date, remain effective 

against malaria. Same has been for nets; you 

will recall that, previously, nets were being 

treated individually, but with improvement in 

research and innovation, LLIN provides long 

lasting protection against malaria”, Ozor told 

Sunday Vanguard. 

“WHO‘s role in the monitoring of the trend 

of the disease has provided immense support 

in the targeting of interventions in areas where 

it is mostly needed. This has also helped in the 

monitoring of programme performance 

against its set targets”. 

Health watchers believe that unless Nigeria 

makes good its commitments to the London 

malaria summit to raise 300 million dollars 

among others to fight back, the country may 

remain among the countries holding the world 

back on malaria elimination. 

•Code for Africa 

contributed to this story 

AS we gradually move to 

wards the close of the 

great age of oil, with the 

newer and brisk strides in the development 

of alternative energies, 

this bodes much disconcerting fortunes 

for mono-cultural economies 

like Nigeria, whose lifelines have 

hinged on oil receipts in the past 

several decades. These proceeds 

have, traditionally, not only accounted 

for over 80 percent of total 

income earnings, but also about 

95 percent of foreign exchange accretions 

to the State. Hence, the 

cliff edge situation signposts the 

urgency of opening up new revenue 

frontiers, of which tourism offers 

huge possibilities. 

A huge sector of growth, constituting 

almost 10 percent of the global 

GDP at $8 trillion in 2016, tourism 

is responsible for 8.8 percent 

of the world’s jobs, estimated at over 

258 million; 4.5 percent of the 

world’s investments at $652 billion, 

and 5.8 percent of the world’s total 

exports valued at $1.1 trillion. 

No less astounding are the numbers 

spawned across the sector in 

the over 1.2 billion tourist arrivals 

in different destinations the world 

over in 2016, involving year-onyear 

increases in the past two decades; 

a projection of 1.4 billion 

arrivals in 2020, and 1.8 billion in 

2030. No less staggering has the 

phenomenal growth in the global 

hospitality industry been, with anticipated 

revenues of about $600 

billion in 2018. Closer home, even 

whilst still evincing so much latitude 

for growth and comprising less 

than 5 percent of the regional GDP, 

the World Travel and Tourism 

Council estimates the tourism industry 

in Sub-Saharan Africa to 

pull in as much as 4 million jobs in 

the next couple of years. 

The prospects that much of these 

figures evoke, make Mr. Folorunsho 

“Folly” Coker – tourism and 

hospitality entrepreneur and bureaucrat, 

entertainment impresario, 

ex-Lagos State Commissioner 

for Tourism, and current Director- 

General of the Nigerian Tourism 

Development Corporation (NTDC) 

– luxuriate excitedly in what signals 

a bright new day ahead for 

Nigerian finances, if the “big business 

of tourism” is carefully harnessed. 

True, the potentials on the 

continent, as he sees them, look 

quite inspiring: In the past year, 

the international tourist arrivals 

in Africa were 56 million 

people, revealing a year-on-year 

growth of 6 percent in the influx; 

a tourism revenue of $47 

billion between 2011 and 2014, 

showing a 9 percent yearly increase; 

and the creation of 21 

million jobs within that time 

frame. Also, in the past year tourism 

accounted for 7 percent of 

the continental export revenue, 

and 46 percent of the services 

export revenues. 

Significantly, with Africa, and 

certainly Nigeria, gradually 

opening up to increased private 

sector investments from the 

United States, Europe, China 

and India, etc. – beyond the 

downturn of extractive industries 

– and improving social 

conditions in many localities, 

Mr. Coker seems particularly 

hopeful of an upsurge in domestic and 

inbound tourism on the continent. And, 

particularly in Nigeria, which received 

over 1.3 million tourists in 2015 alone. 

In Folly Coker’s perspective, the possibilities 

of tourism as Nigeria’s new 

frontier of economic development and 

growth is one primed to generate con- 

SUNDAY Vanguard, , MAY 6, 2018, PAGE 31 

TOURISM: Nigeria’s New 

Economic Frontier 

•Coker 

siderable income for the country, while creating 

jobs (both of primary and secondary preoccupations), 

with other levels of spinoff involving 

activities across the gamut of hospitality 

and hotel business, restaurant and tour 

operations, airport services, and cabbing, etc. 

These would entail opportunities for huge 

wealth creation along value chains, such as in 

construction, through the building of infrastructure, 

multi-nodal transportation systems, roads, 

etc., which would open up and expand various 

modes of tourism – from the seaside to hinterland, 

among others. It is equally poised to generate 

increasing demand for telecoms and financial 

services, furniture and furnishing, food, 

garments and handicraft, etc. 

Moreover, Nigeria’s trove of world-renowned 

heritage sites, such as the Osun-Osogbo Sacred 

Groove in Osun State, the Ogba Ukwu Cave/ 

Waterfalls and the Ogbunike Cave in Anambra 

State, the Kano City Wall and others, would deepen 

their alluring pull of cumulative parties of 

visitors, with the capability for leapfrogging the 

volumes of this traffic. 

Certainly, as Mr. Coker recently observed, 

the regime around tourism in Nigeria has, no 

doubt, been enabled by the recent efforts of 

the government in improving the ease of doing 

business in Nigeria, seeing to greater visa 

access to visitors, the rehabilitation of airports, 

improvements in national security – as testified 

to by the great rollback of the Boko 

Haram insurgency in the North-East, the enhancements 

to the provision of electricity 

across the country, etc. 

Also, as one with both private and public 

sector experiences in the 

business of tourism – being 

owner of the La Casa 

brand, involving beach 

resorts, spas, cafes, alongside 

a number of hospitality 

enclaves – and a 

It is a viable 

strategy for a 

city like Lagos 

and other 

places 

because it is 

inward looking, 

and the 

multiplier effect 

of the 

investment 

remains within 

the economy 

crucial actor within the 

Lagos State administrative 

system, Mr. Folly 

Coker certainly understands 

the logic of tourism 

in building the 

wealth of a nation; and 

the crucial work involved. 

This was deployed in his 

role as pioneer driver of 

the One Lagos Fiesta – 

the humongous crossover 

events staged simultaneously 

across the five 

divisions of Lagos (Ikorodu, 

Badagry, Ikeja, Lagos 

Island, and Epe) – as 

Commissioner of Tourism 

under Governor Ambode. 

This shapes Coker’s observation that, 

“Looking at the number of businesses that 

were engaged in putting those events together 

and its exponential, it is a viable strategy for a 

city like Lagos and other places because it is 

inward looking, and the multiplier effect of 

the investment remains within the economy.”


By Femi Fani-Kayode 

“Nigerian herdsmen don’t carry AK 

47s. They only use sticks”- President 

Buhari to President Donald Trump, The 

White House, 30th April 2018. 

“We’ve had serious problems with 

Christians who have been murdered, 

killed in Nigeria. We’re going to work 

on that problem and work on that 

problem very, very hard, because we 

can’t allow that to happen”- President 

Donald Trump to President 

Muhammadu Buhari, The White 

House, 30th April 2018. 

Despite all the smiles, banter, 

pretensions, diplomatic niceties, 

doublespeak and pleasing words, these 

two assertions, from the bully and the 

big man respectively, remain the most 

relevant in the historic meeting between 

President Muhammadu Buhari and 

President Donald Trump at the White 

House. 

The fact that Buhari, like a little 

schoolboy standing before his 

intimidating headmaster, had to tell a 

lie about the weaponry (or lack of it) of 

the Fulani herdsmen and attempt to 

absolve them of any blame for the 

horrendous genocide that is being 

perpetrated against Christians in our 

nation in order to escape being spanked, 

speaks volumes. 

And the fact that Trump, not fooled by 

the lie, like a wise old headmaster, had 

to issue a stern warning to the 

schoolyard bully about the killing of 

Christians says even more. 

That, to me, was the meat of the 

historic meeting. All the rest that was 

said was nothing but diplomatic 

doublespeak, fake smiles, meaningless 

platitudes and dross. 

Yet for the sake of posterity, more needs 

to be said about the meeting itself. 

Permit me to add the following: 

In a contribution titled PMB & THE 

USA STATE VISIT, Chief Joseph 

Okonkwo captured the moment by 

saying: 

“If Buhari did not lobby the American 

President to buy our crude oil which is 

our major (95%) source of earning 

foreign exchange, why then did he go 

to America? He did not persuade him 

on AGOA, he did not ask that Nigerian 

citizens be treated fairly like others both 

at their border posts & inside and he 

did not defend the Nigerian nation on 

the allegation by Mr. Trump that 

Nigeria has a bigger reputation for 

corruption; then, what was the agenda 

for this state visit? He only thanked him 

like a boy-boy for his acceptance of a 

whooping $496m in cash for the sale 

of 12 tucano war jets that shall hitherto 

be delivered to Nigeria in the year 2020. 

Buhari did not canvass his 

achievements in the fight against 

corruption and insecurity which he 

brandishes as a mantra because he is 

aware that the American government 

has their dossier on the massive 

corruption going on in his government. 

They are also aware of the 

failures of our military in 

countering the insurgency of the 

recalcitrant Boko Haram and 

Fulani herdsmen incursions. 

Buhari went to the United States 

to defend the herdsmen again. 

He said that they don’t bear 

arms and that the killers come 

from Libya. He is asking 

Nigerians to provide grazing 

land for militants from Libya? 

What an irony! He did not say 

when Leah, the only Christian 

girl among the Dapchi 

abductees, shall be released by 

Boko Haram. I must also express 

my outrage about the shabby 

and nauseating reception 

accorded Buhari at the White 

House. It was remarkably poor 

and unbefitting of the Nigerian 

nation. It shows the level of disdain and 

disrespect that the Trump administration 

has for our government and the very 

poor diplomatic preparedness of our 

Foreign Ministry which did not canvas 

for proper diplomatic protocol for our 

President. We might have our internal 

differences but Buhari for now is the 

effigy of the Nigerian nation and must 

be respected by other nations as is 

demanded by diplomatic protocol. They 

drove him straight to the entrance of the 

White House like an undesirable 

element with no military razzmatazz 

and salutes as is the norm. Watch the 

reception of the French and German 

Presidents that preceded Buhari. The 

reception accorded the Nigerian President 

was an eye sore and a big diplomatic flop. 

Again it was nauseating listening to the 

diction of our President. There was no 

finesse and no iota of brilliance and 

logicality. It was very banal and bereft of 

leadership and dynamism. It was too 

demeaning for a great nation like Nigeria 

with supersonic human resources in all 

endeavors. Where did we go wrong? Who 

have we offended to be foisted with this 

type of focusless leadership. Who shall bail 

Nigeria?. The time to change the change 

is now!” 

Okonkwo has hit the nail on 

the head. Yet if we really wish 

to “change the change” far 

more work has to be done and 

we must endeavour to 

The 

reception 

accorded 

the 

Nigerian 

President 

was an eye 

sore and a 

big 

diplomatic 

flop 

President Buhari (left) and 

President Donald Trump 

When the bully met 

the headmaster at 

the White House 

convince the world that 

Buhari is far from being our 

messiah. 

Trump failed us 

The truth is that the 

progressive forces, the official 

opposition and leaders of the 

resistance in Nigeria failed to 

put out the correct narrative 

about Buhari to the 

international community and 

international media over the 

last three years. 

Consequently Buhari 

escaped thorough 

international scrutiny. Apart 

from that, Trump failed us. He chose 

economic gain and the juicy prospect of a 

massive Nigerian market for American 

goods, products and commodities over 

human rights and decency. 

Yet who can blame him for that given his 

“America first” mantra and the fact that the 

Nigerian people themselves appear to be 

very comfortable with their hazardous 

plight and incompetent leader and do not 

appear ready to resist the tyranny, ethnic 

cleansing, mass murder and genocide 

going on under his watch. 

The good news is that Trump may be 

the biblical Cyrus (and I really do believe 

that he is) but he is not God. We never 

looked to him. We look to God. And God 

will deliver us despite our inherent 

weaknesses, accursed fears, petty divisions 

and monumental cowardice. 

Finally hear this: If the opposition does 

not roll out its best guns, get its act togther, 

unite, stop playing childish games, stop 

the petty bickering and present one 

credible and acceptable candidate in 2019, 

Buhari will be back for another four years. 

The choice is ours. 

Permit me to share a final word about 

the meeting between the bully and the 

headmaster at the White House. 

My younger brother, Babatunde 

Gbadamosi, wrote: 

“Buhari went and got NOTHING. We 

must now buy two helicopters and 

agricultural produce from them. This is 

beyond incompetent”. 

Tunde, as always, is absolutely right. 

Again, Pastor Bayo Oladeji pointed 

out: 

“Mr Buhari was asked during 

Monday’s joint press conference about 

a report in January that Mr Trump had 

complained about immigrants coming to 

the US from ‘shithole countries’, 

specifically referring to Haiti, El 

Salvador and some African nations. His 

diplomatic resoonse was: ‘I’m not sure 

about, you know, the validity of whether 

that allegation against the president is 

true or not. So the best thing for me is to 

keep quiet.’” 

This was a golden opportunity to tell 

the world, in the prescence of its most 

powerful man, that, whether Trump had 

said so or not, Nigeria is not a ‘shithole 

country’. 

Yet, sadly, Buhari, the quintessential 

erring African leader refused to take 

up the challenge and defend the honor 

of his people. 

Instead, he dodged the question, 

crawled into his hole, kept his mouth 

shut, put his tail between his legs and 

whimpered like a little puppy in the 

prescence of his master. 

So much for him being a strong, nononsense 

leader. At the end of the day 

and when it mattered the most, he 

proved to be weak, uncaring and 

insensitive in the prescence of a man 

who, rightly or wrongly, dishonored his 

country and denigrated his people. 

Voice from abroad 

Permit me to end this contribution with 

a word from 

American Congressman Chris Smith. 

He released the following statement 

after President Trump met with Nigerian 

President Muhammadu Buhari at the 

White House: 

“I reiterate my strong concern over 

the religious and ethnic violence in 

Nigeria targeting Christians, 

perpetrated in large part by Fulani 

herdsmen. I am heartened to hear that 

President Buhari, in his meeting with 

President Trump, admitted the need for 

his Administration to ‘stabilize’ this 

situation, though I am concerned by his 

attempt to downplay the culpability of 

those perpetrating the attacks. 

“While the United States must 

acknowledge the role the Obama 

Administration’s disastrous foray into 

Libya has played in the inflow of arms 

to the Sahel and Nigeria, ultimate 

responsibility for quelling the violence 

and fostering inclusion among 

Nigerians of all religions and 

ethnicities falls upon President 

Buhari. Unless President Buhari takes 

stronger measures to end the violence 

starting now and continuing through 

the February 2019 presidential election, 

I fear we will see intensifying chaos that 

leads an even greater displacement and 

outmigration of Nigerians. This in 

turn will be a field day for human 

traffickers. 

“In 2001, I went to both Nigeria and 

Italy, a destination country for many 

who have been trafficked from Nigeria, 

in order to work with both governments 

to help put an end to the trafficking and 

smuggling of Nigerians; in subsequent 

years, I went to Italy and Nigeria as 

well as other countries where trafficking 

is prevalent. My fear is that whatever 

progress has been made in combatting 

these crimes over the past decade will 

be overcome by the sheer number of 

extremely vulnerable refugees seeking 

to escape violence if matters take a turn 

for the worse”. 

I thank God that many in the 

international community, like 

Congressman Chris Smith, are seeing 

things clearly and are not fooled by 

President Buhari’s diplomatic clap trap 

and his friends. 

The bottom line is as follows: The only 

reason Buhari got into the White House 

was because of the $490 million he paid 

up front for the Tucano jets. 

He also agreed to open up Nigeria to 

American agricultural products which 

has grave and serious implications for 

Nigerian farmers and which will, 

undoubtedly, put them out of business 

whilst making millions of dollars for 

their American counterparts. 

Preeident Donald Trump got all he 

wanted. And he did a great job for 

America. Why won’t he smile and pat 

Buhari on the back? 

All Buhari and Nigeria got in return 

was a warning to stop killing Christians. 

*Fani-Kayode, a former Minister of 

Aviation, was spokesperson for the 

Jonathan Campaign Organisation 

ahead of the 2015 presidential election.


life 

WEIRD WORLD OF DADS BATTERING SONS, DAUGHTERS 

‘We were branded childwitches 

by our own parents 

and severely tortured!’ 

By Emmanuel Unah 

Belief in witchcraft in Cross 

River State, especially in 

Calabar, the state capital, is 

widespread. Witches, female, and wizards, 

male, are believed to possess diabolical 

powers to attack anyone they so choose. 

Virtually every misfortune is attributed to 

witchcraft. 

If a person loses his job, witches are said to 

be responsible for his plight. When a man dies 

suddenly perhaps out of an illness that is 

medically proved, his demise is attributed to 

witchcraft attack. When someone is killed by 

alcoholism, it is believed that witches in the 

family cast a spell on him or if a lady is of 

marriage age and there is no man to engage 

her as wife, witches must have painted her 

black or blinded men from seeing her . 

Incidentally, most of those at the receiving 

end of these weird accusations are family 

members, particularly children, who are 

accused of being witches when misfortune 

strikes their fathers are mothers. They are then 

subjected to severe torture to make them 

“confess” how much they have afflicted their 

parents or family members. 

Hardly does a week pass without the story 

being told of one child being branded a witch 

by a prophetess or a prophet in churches whose 

main preoccupation is to identify witches and 

wizards and thus wreaking havoc among 

family members. To make them confess, some 

of these kids have their private parts pierced 

with hot iron, some are bound hands and legs 

and thrown into rivers to be eaten by fishes, 

some are tied and left without food until the 

die of starvation, while some are simply sent 

away from home which accounts for the crowd 

of street kids roaming the streets of Calabar. 

A few months ago, a 40-year-old man, John 

Friday Akpan, from Akwa Ibom State, was 

arrested by the police for allegedly listening 

to an herbalist, one Okokon, who was said to 

have tagged his two children, Elisha Udobong 

Friday Akpan and Esther Friday Akpan, as 

witches who caused his poverty. 

Akpan subjected the two children, aged 12 

and 6 respectively, to harrowing treatment by 

nailing them to a plank and locking them up 

in a thatched hut without food for days. 

According to the father, the herbalist explained 

to him that the children took his money to 

their “master in the witchcraft world and 

therefore deserved no mercy”. 

The two children, whose emaciated and dirty 

appearance replicated the images of starving 

children in famine ravaged countries 

following weeks of starvation, said they 

survived on water given to them by one of their 

half-sisters. “Our sister, Peace, usually gave us 

water inside the hut when our father and our 

mother had gone out”, Esther said. 

The father was quoted to have said, “These 

children don’t want me to progress. They have 

tied my prosperity in the witch world and, since 

I started working in my workshop, I have not 

achieved anything 

According to the kids, the family used to 

reside in Akpabuyo and the father sent them to 

a private school in Ikot Nkanda. However 

when their mother died and Akpan took another 

wife, Iquo, the children narrated that the story 

changed. “My stepmother said a herbalist told 

her that a woman, who used to live near our 

house in Akpabuyo, gave us food and she put 

something in the food and, when we ate it, we 

changed to birds at night and took our fathers 

money to our master in the witchcraft world”, 

Elisha, who is in JSS 1, said. 

According to the kids, Elisha was alleged to 

have taken N4, 000 naira while Esther took 

N2, 000. The claim angered their father and 

stepmother who started beating them severely 

and denying them food “because they said we 

took the money to our master”. 

Another kid, seven-year-old 

Idoreyin, who said he is from Okobo in Oron 

but resided in Calabar with his uncle after the 

death of his father, claimed his uncle wanted 

to do away with him on the suspicion that his 

travails were caused by him. “He engaged 

the services of two boys whom he said were to 

work on his farm and asked me to take water 

and lead them to the farm”, the boy narrated. 

“But as we were going, I was lucky and 

overheard them asking themselves where they 

would bury me after killing me. I quickly 

dropped the gallon of water I was carrying 

and took to my heels. They came after me but 

I was too fast for them and escaped “ 

Another man, Emmanuel David Akpan, was 

arrested for allegedly inflicting grievous 

injuries on his three kids after accusing them 

of bewitching him. 

Akpan, and his wife, stepmother to the kids, 

were arrested by the police from the Federal 

Housing Police Station, Calabar for allegedly 

bathing the three little girls, Imaobong, 7, 

Nyenime , 5, and Joy, 3, with hot water, after 

binding their hands and legs with electric 

cables. 

At the police station, Akpan said his 

provocation stemmed from nightmares and 

Continues on page


life 

‘God’s Chosen 

University in Igbo 

town avoided by 

Biafra war’ 


MGBIDI, located in the far north of 

Imo State and bounded by 

Amorka in Ihiala local 

government area of Anambra State, is one of 

the oldest towns in Imo State with 11 

communities. Mgbidi is the headquarters of 

Oru West local government area. 

The sleepy farm settlement shot into 

limelight after it became the venue for the 

annual Lord Chosen Charismatic Revival 

Ministries’ international gospel crusade in the 

first week of every year. 

Following the success of the annual crusade, 

the ministry recently drew the crème de la 

crème of the society to defy a downpour for 

another milestone in the town. The visitors 

joined the locals to lay the foundation stone of 

a proposed university by the church in Mgbidi. 

It was ecstasy as products of the mission’s 

primary and secondary schools sang and 

enthusiastically jubilated thanking God for 

the provision and the benevolence of Governor 

Rochas Okorocha who graciously agreed to 

reschedule the appointment as a result of the 

downpour that disrupted the earlier scheduled 

date of Tuesday to perform the ground breaking 

ceremony of Chosen Crown University, a 

brainchild of the General Overseer of the Lord’s 

Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement, 

Pastor Lazarus Muoka. 

The project, located at Umuabiahu Village, 

Etiti-Mgbidi, is the first to be established by a 

Pentecostal church in the South-East and the 

fourth privately-owned university in Imo. 

Okorocha, in his speech, commended 

Muoka for his courage, tenacity of purpose, 

commitment to education and a resolve to 

provide a university for the people of the state 

and beyond. According to him, the project is a 

great opportunity that has come to the people 

of Mgbidi in particular and Imo State in 

general. 

Urging the indigenes to protect the 

investment, the governor said: “Pastor Muoka 

could have chosen to build this university in 

Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, or even in London 

considering their population and 

development. But because of his love for his 

people, he came to this remote part of the 

world to answer a clarion call to bring about 

education. Bushes, trees and total 

underdevelopment have ravaged the village 

of Umuabiahu Mgbidi and Pastor Lazarus 

says ‘let there be a university that will bring a 

huge development to the people.’” 

He therefore encouraged the host 

community, especially the youth, to co-operate 

with the church because, according to him, 

the project would bring further development 

to the area within a shortest possible time and 

put it in the map of the world. 

“Some of you may not know that the 

university, when fully operational, would 

attract about 10,000 students to this town and 

their relations who will come to visit them. 

Obviously, each of the students will spend not 

less than N500 per day buying water, recharge 

cards, coke and biscuits. That would amount 

to about N50 million daily. And, if you 

multiply that by 30 days, you will be talking 

of about N1.5 billion monthly. That is to give 

you an idea of what this university will bring 

to this community. It is for this reason that I 

urge all of you, especially the Umuabiahu 

village to support this project,” Okorocha said. 

“With this, the entire community will be 

affected by development as what we did in 

Owerri, the state capital, will be replicated in 

Mgbidi,” he said, expressing his willingness 

to convert any of the primary or secondary 

schools in Mgbidi as a temporary take-off 

site, if the founder is willing to start 

immediately. 

Okorocha paid glowing tributes to Muoka, 

describing him as a true son of Imo, pledging, 

“if Pastor Muoka needs anything, he should 

let the government of Imo State know.” 

Earlier in his opening remarks, the General 

Overseer had outlined the vision for the 

Chosen Crown University to include the desire 

Pastor Lazarus Muoka, Governor Rochas 

Okorocha and other dignitaries at the ground 

breaking ceremony of the Chosen Crown 

University. 

to produce and nurture balanced men and 

women in character and learning who will 

recognize and appreciate the dignity of service 

and are able to see themselves as agents of 

change for development and common good, 

while retaining a high moral and spiritual 

values. 

He explained that the core value of the 

institution will be tailored towards training 

students to rule and become blessings to 

humanity and the entire society. 

Muoka, who is aiming to build a citadel of 

knowledge that would rank among the best in 

the world, added: “On completion, the 

university will serve as a Centre of Excellence 

for the production of globally competitive 

graduates in various 

disciplines for maximum 

impact on national and 

global development.” 

The cleric then led the 

gathering to supplicate for 

Okorocha in appreciation 

for what God has used him 

to do for the Lord’s Chosen, 

while assuring the host 

community of his cooperation 

and expect them 

to reciprocate the gesture by 

supporting the project. 

With this, the 

entire community 

will be affected 

by development 

as what we did in 

Owerri, the state 

capital, will be 

replicated in 

Mgbidi 

The traditional ruler of 

Etiti-Mgbidi, Eze 

Amatoom Obinyere 

Ogbuehi, (the Ogbuehi 

Ikeziem III), described the 

project as a great feat and 

blessing to the community 

and commended Muoka 

for his vision and what God 

is using him to do for the 

community and the world 

at large. 

Ogbuehi, who described 

Mgbidi as a blessed 

community, said: “Our community had been 

a blessed place long time ago. It could be 

recalled that the Biafran war did not get to 

Mgbidi due to the foundation of peace in 

our community. So, we are unique and 

blessed, that is why God directed Pastor 

Muoka to continue to invest here. In fact, we 

are happy and grateful to God for using 

Muoka to affect lives positively.” 

In an address on behalf of the Mgbidi Clan, 

the Chairman of Mgbidi People’s Forum 

(MPF), Comrade Sylvester Chukwuka 

Akukwe, said the project is a welcome 

development, but called on the state 

government to ensure that a tripartite 

agreement between itself, the host 

community and the owners of the university 

is put in place to guarantee 

peace and progress that would 

carry along all concerned 

parties. 

“The people of Mgbidi Clan 

are God-fearing and 

education friendly. We want the 

university, but would 

passionately appeal to the 

government and the parties 

concerned to carefully come 

up with a workable resolution 

that will achieve the desired 

results and stand a test of time,” 

he said. 

Similarly, the youth leader of 

Umuabiahu Etiti-Mgbidi, Mr 

Okezie Nwabugwu, welcomed 

the project, pledging the 

support of his members in the 

area for proper actualization 

of the project. 

“We will support the project, 

but want the university 

authority to carry us along by 

giving us jobs at the place. We 

have the workforce they may 

need. Our youths are not 

radical, we are organized. We 

are ready to protect the project,” he said. 

‘We were branded child-witches by our own parents and severely tortured!’ 

weird dreams he was having every 

night, saying they were caused by 

the three daughters. 

“These children always attacked 

me in my dreams, they want to kill 

me”. 

Reacting to the tagging of children 

as witches, Mrs Lilian Ekanem of 

Women, Youth and Children 

Uplifting Foundation, said the 

The action of 

some parents 

and family 

members is evil 

and such 

should be 

condemned 

United Nations International 

Children’s Fund, UNICEF, and the 

Child Rights Act have strong 

provisions against parents and 

persons who subject children to 

torture, saying such people are liable 

to prosecution. “The action of some 

parents and family members is evil 

and such should be condemned. 

'Tagging a child a witch is callous' 

How can you tag an innocent child 

God has blessed you with as a 

witch?” 

According to her, many parents 

had been sent to jail for labelling 

their children as witches and 

torturing them while many cases are 

still pending. 

“Some weeks ago, a man was 

sentenced to three years in prison 

for burning the buttocks of his 

daughter on the allegation that the 

girl was a witch. I think the judge 

was lenient because we were asking 

for 15 years jail term” 

Mr James Ibor of Child Rights 

Organizations also told Sunday 

Vanguard that children should be 

protected against domestic 

violence, inhuman treatment and 

stigmatization. “Tagging a child 

a witch is callous and against the 

law and, in Cross River State, there 

is a law against such action and 

we are making sure anyone 

caught stigmatizing a child is 

made to face the law”.


TENSION! 

By Odogwu Emeka Odogwu 

Aguleri and Umueri 

communities in Anambra 

East local government area 

were engaged in communal 

war between 1995 and 2002 

which claimed hundreds of lives. 

But on May 1 when workers were busy 

reviewing labour issues, the traditional 

rulers of the two communities, their chiefs 

and town unions’ leadership were at 

Otuocha, the local government 

headquarters, trying to resolve the land 

dispute between them in the presence of 

Anambra State Commissioner of Police, 

Umar Garba. 

Ahead of the meeting, Garba had asked 

the Aguleri and Umueri communities to 

form a peace committee. The peace 

committee had eight persons on each side. 

During a brief meeting inside the 

council secretariat with the two 

traditional rulers, Eze Christopher Idigo 

of Aguleri and Igwe Ben Emeka of 

Umueri, as well as their President 

Generals and chiefs, the CP informed 

them that before the 

renaming of Umuleri to 

Umueri after its communal 

war with Aguleri, the two 

communities were globally 

known for peace. He was 

optimistic that God will use 

him to make peace between 

Umueri and Aguleri. 

Umueri 

President 

General, 

Pius 

Okonkwo, in 

an interview, 

told Sunday 

Vanguard 

that his 

community 

was not the 

aggressor in 

the 

communal 

Igbo neighbours in new 

confrontation after 

7-yr bloody war 

•Gov. Obiano, call Aguleri aggressors to order — Umueri 

•Police boss rushes to calm frayed nerves 

presented conflicting versions of the issues 

at stake, leading to an altercation. 

Umar asked the peace committee to 

include a neutral person to serve as tie 

breaker during deliberations. 

The CP told Sunday Vanguard, “There 

will be peace. God is using 

us to bring peace between 

Aguleri and Umueri. There 

is a committee for peace 

and there must be peace. I 

am warning that any person 

that feels he must create 

trouble, we will go after 

that person and deal with 

Aguleri and Umueri. 

Meanwhile, Umueri President General, 

Pius Okonkwo, in an interview, told 

Sunday Vanguard that his community 

was not the aggressor in the communal 

crisis, calling for the implementation of 

the White Paper on the Justice Nweze 

Commission of Inquiry which looked into 

the matter in 1995, the implementation 

of a 1977 judgment by Justice P 

Nnaemeka Agu on the Aguakor land 

which, according to him, was in Umueri 

favour and the Supreme Court judgment 

of 1984. 

trespass on Aguakor Umueri land by 

Aguleri people. And in submission and 

respect to your office, we honoured the 

invitation. 

“At the meeting, which was attended by 

representatives of both communities, you 

directed that all the newly erected sign 

posts on the said land be removed. 

Contrary to your directives, the Aguleri 

people reluctantly removed the sign posts 

on the 25th day of March, 2018. 

“In defiance to your directives and prior 

to their removal of the sign posts, the 

Aguleri people, with some armed people, 

commenced the erection of two 

permanent structures on the land and the 

structures are being erected in the night 

and they are heavily armed in order to 

instigate and provoke inter-communal 

crisis between the two communities. 

“Suffice it to bring to your notice that 

these illegal activities by the Aguleri 

people pose serious threat to the lives of 

Umueri indigenes and, if not stopped, may 

breach public peace and cause intercommunal 

crisis between the two 

communities. 

“We, therefore, implore you to use your 

good office to ensure that they remove 

the two structures erected by them in 

defiance to your instructions; desist from 

embarking on further activities on the 

said land; as well as ensure that Umueri 

sign posts removed and seized be returned 

to us 

“We also implore the CP to assign a 

him”. 

New attacks 

Land as bone of 

Also speaking, Igwe Alleged incursion into the disputed land 

contention 

Aguleri, Eze Idigo, by some Aguleri natives had sparked fresh 

Everybody then drove to 

appealed to Garba to trouble in the area following which the 

the disputed Aguakor land. 

ensure that only those with Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in 

On arrival, representatives 

calm disposition were the state allegedly arrested a 70-year-old 

of each of the communities 

allowed in the peace man, while declaring four others wanted. 

struggled to be heard first. 

committee to guarantee Umueri, in fact, wrote a petition to CP 

That brought tension which 

compromises that will Garba, claiming that some people from 

Garba brought under 

bring peace to the two Aguleri were trespassing on the land by 

control. The CP expressed 

communities. 

removing sign posts hoisted there and 

worry that Aguleri fought 

On his part, the Igwe calling for his intervention. 

Umueri over the land rather 

Umueri, Igwe Emeka, The President General of Umueri 

than report to government 

noted that the CP really General Assembly, Hon Pius Okonkwo, 

since the land had been 

wanted to restore peace in and his Secretary General, Mr. Samuel 

given to government. 

the two communities, but Mbukwesili, who signed the petition, 

The team moved to the 

said there was still tension complained of the breach of police 

boundary at Ohia Aruru 

over the disputed land that instructions directing the two 

where the representatives of 

had been donated to communities to maintain the peace. 

Aguleri and Umueri, 

government. According to The petition read, in part: “May it be 

Godwin Nwazekwu and Mr 

him, sacrifices were needed recalled that we were invited to your office 

Chike Odili respectively, crisis 

to ensure peace between on the 23rd day of March, 2018 over the Continues on page 36



police patrol team to the area for 

maintenance of law and order. ” 

However, the President General of 

Aguleri Town Union, Mr. Mike Ejoor, said 

his community had no issue with Umueri, 

saying that what might be happening in the 

area could be land dispute between families. 

He said: “Since the end of the 1995-2002 

communal crisis, we have not had any crisis 

with Umueri. Aguleri, as a community, has no 

common land, but it is not unusual for families 

that have common boundary to have 

misunderstanding over land. 

“For instance, my family has a boundary 

with Umueri and, if there is any land dispute 

in the area, it is between the two families”. 

Okonkwo confirmed the petition and 

lamented why the Aguleri should abuse the 

privilege of having the state governor from its 

community even as he sued for peace. 

Umueri asks Obiano to intervene 

Meanwhile, Umueri people appealed to 

Governor Willie Obiano to use his good office 

to end the communal crisis. 

Elders from Umueri, led by the Assistant 

Secretary, Umueri General Assembly, Mr 

Edwin Obigwe, addressed a press conference 

at Xandas Lounge, Awka. 

Obigwe, flanked by the National President, 

Umueri Youths, Ambassador Chibuzor 

Ekwenye, Mr Amechi Ajide, the Chairman of 

the embattled village as well as Comrade 

Chike Odili , immediate past Caretaker 

Committee Chairman, among 

others, said he spoke on behalf 

of Okonkwo, the President- 

General, Umueri General 

Assembly. 

His words: “Our message is 

very simple: Umueri people 

want peace. We do not want to 

fight wars with any of our 

neigbours. 

“We appeal to the governor 

of Anambra State, Chief Willie 

Obiano, who hails from 

Aguleri, to use this opportunity 

of being at the helm of affairs 

in our state to put in place the 

machinery for achieving 

genuine peace between 

Aguleri and Umueri. 

‘’This appeal to Gov. Willie 

Obiano is made even as we 

hear from some quarters that 

he is actually the person instigating his people 

of Aguleri to cash in upon this ‘golden 

opportunity’ provided by his stint to acquire 

as much of Umueri land as possible. We do 

not want to believe this story, but we are also 

OFTEN times, Nigeria electorate are 

abandoned, forgotten and neglected 

by political office holders after elections. 

But this is not the case in Okpe constituency 

being represented by the Speaker of the 

Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff 

Oborevwori, as he recently empowered over 

200 constituents with buses, cars and cash 

worth over N20 million. 

On 11 September 2016, ever before he was 

elected Speaker of the House, Chief Oborevwori 

also empowered his constituents and he 

was widely applauded by his people. In that 

empowerment programme, he spent over N10 

million on his people. 

He is one of the very few political office 

holders,rewarding and appreciating his constituents 

for trusting him with their mandate 

to represent in the State House of Assembly. 

In the history of political representation, the 

Okpe people have never had it so good. Until 

Chief Sheriff Oborevwori came on board in 

2015, the people never enjoyed good democratic 

dividends, especially from their state 

legislators. 

Addressing the people during the empowerment 

programme held at the Osubi Trade Fair 

centre, Oborevwori said; “My election is a 

social contract between me and the good people 

of Okpe state constituency. It is my covenant 

to competently represent you in the state 

House of Assembly and I do promise to constantly 

consult and interact with you. 

“In the face of the glaring reduction of the 

state revenue, both from Federal Allocation 

and internally generated, our Governor, Dr 

‘Gov. Obiano, call 

Aguleri aggressors to 

order' 

worried that his people 

are spoiling for war. 

‘’We call on the 

Anambra government 

to quickly implement 

the recommendations 

contained in the White 

Paper issued by 

government after the 

infamous 1995-2002 

hostilities between 

our two communities. 

The 

said 

recommendations are 

quite sound and their 

implementation will, 

no doubt, bring total 

peace to our 

beleaguered area. 

“Aguleri-Umueri 

land dispute dates back 

to the preindependence 

era. The 

matter was heard at the Privy Council, United 

Kingdom during the colonial period. 

‘’In 1984, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled 

that neither Aguleri nor Umueri could provide 

enough evidence to prove she had exclusive 

Delta State Governor, 

Senator Ifeanyi 

Okowa (right); 

Speaker, Delta State 

House of Assembly, 

Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori 

(middle), presenting 

a car key to 

one of the beneficiaries, 

Mr. Friday Okpako, 

during Hon. 

Oborevwori 's constituency 

empowerment 

programme, at 

Trade Fair Complex, 

Osubi, Okpe Local 

Government Area, 

Delta State. 

ownership of Otu-Ocha land which had been 

the main subject of litigation between our two 

communities. 

“The court went further to direct that, in the 

circumstances, each community should hold 

on to that part of Otu-Ocha and adjoining 

areas where she had traditionally and 

originally held sway. 

‘’Umueri community had thought that with 

that Supreme Court verdict, peace would 

prevail in our area between us and our 

neigbour. But this has not been the case. 

“Apart from some relatively minor 

skirmishes, in 1995, Aguleri, claiming that an 

Umueri man had trespassed on a portion of 

their land along the Umueri-Onitsha 

Expressway, near Umueri Technical School, 

not only attacked, killed and maimed some 

workers on the controversial site, but also went 

beyond that to invade the entire Umueri 

community, killing innocent citizens, burning 

houses, private and public, and even churches. 

‘’As if the 1995 was a child play, in 1999, 

there was the mother of all wars between 

Aguleri and Umueri. Needless to re-state here 

the quantum of losses (in persons, buildings, 

etc) which Umueri suffered from the 1999 

hostilities. The decrepit houses, some of which 

Delta Speaker's N20m empowerment items for constituents 

.By Festus Ahon 

•Gov Obiano 

•Community leaders during peace meeting. 

Ifeanyi Okowa was able to manage the state 

funds to ensure even spread of people-oriented 

projects across the 25 local government 

areas of the state. 

“For us in Okpe Constituency, it has been 

harvest of projects, a large number of people 

oriented projects have been executed in the 

area including constituency projects, as “227 

Okpe sons and daughters have benefited 

with starter packs presented to them upon 

completion of empowerment programmes”. 

He secured housemanship for medical officers, 

admission into higher institutions within 

and outside Delta State, employment into 

the Delta State Traffic Management Authority, 

DESTMA, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense 

Corps, NSCDC, Delta State Online 

Training sponsorship; distribution of transformers 

to communities. 

“It may interest you to know that since my 

election into the sixth Assembly, I have placed 

some of our constituents on various sums of 

monthly stipends and allowances. I must emphasize 

that prior to 11th September, 2016, 

were deliberately destroyed by dynamite, are 

still dotting Umueri landscape till today. For 

instance, St Gabriel’s Anglican Church, 

Umueri, the destruction of which was 

bemoaned by a bewildered visiting President 

Olusegun Obasanjo (as he then was), had to 

be re-built from the scratch. Up until now, our 

Lady of Victory Catholic Church, Umueri, 

destroyed during this infamous brouhaha, is 

still to be re-roofed; only the Rev Father’s 

residence has been rebuilt completely. Enough 

of our ugly past!” 

On the latest confrontation, Obigwe 

informed: ‘’Less than a month ago, some 

Aguleri natives invaded Ovelle’s Road (Ezi 

Ovelle) area of Umueri, an area which 

boundary demarcation was done between our 

forefathers and Aguleri people. They 

destroyed several houses and fences in their 

characteristic manner and wounded Umueri 

people. Umueri swiftly reported that incident 

at Otu-Ocha Police Station, and also 

contacted the leadership of Aguleri with a view 

to expressing our amazement and receiving 

the necessary apology from Aguleri. 

“Not only did that apology come, some 

sincere, God- fearing Aguleri people, under 

the aegis of Urnuiyi family and led by Bishop 

Anenechukwu Ifediorah, also told their fellow 

Aguleri people, in unequivocal terms, that the 

Ezi Ovelle axis is clearly Umueri land. 

‘’That sincere declaration did not go down 

well with some Aguleri natives who threatened 

their lives and, when they escaped, they burnt 

their houses. 

‘’Let me also state here that the recent 

annexation of Umueri is not restricted to Ezi 

Ovelle Road axis. Other flashpoints are the 

land near the Independent National Electoral 

Commission (INEC) Office, Otu-Ocha; the 

road leading to Umueze Anam (near INEC) 

which is clearly an Umueri area and the 

Dabawu area where an Umueri shrine has 

been kept over the centuries. Recently, the 

premises of Dabawu was cleared by Umueri 

(Ugume Umueri village specifically), 

preparatory to receiving a visitor there, only 

for Okpu villagers of Aguleri to rush and plant 

crops there”. 

In the 1995 – 2002 war, killings were the 

order of the day before then President 

Olusegun Obasanjo administration brought 

it to an end after inviting the leaders of the 

three communities of Aguleri, Umueri and 

Umuoba Anam to Abuja for a meeting. 

Reaction 

Though the state government has not 

officially reacted over the new Umueri/Aguleri 

crisis, the deputy governor, Dr Nkem Okeke, 

has called for peaceful coexistence in 

Anambra. 

Speaking at the meeting between Awba 

Ofemili in Awka North of Anambra and Ibite- 

Olo of Ezeagu, Enugu State, which took place 

at Enugu, Okeke called for peaceful 

coexistence between the people of the two 

states. 

He counselled against undue 

attachment to land. 

when I did my last constituency briefing; I 

empowered some leaders and party faithful 

financially across the constituency. This gesture 

will be a continuous programme. 

“The programme we are witnessing today 

is in fulfillment of my promise to always appreciate 

you for your support for me, our great 

party, the ‘Peoples Democratic Party’ (PDP) 

and our amiable Governor, His Excellency 

Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa. 

“This empowerment is hinged on the fact 

that over the years, I have been a strong believer 

that it is better to teach a man how to 

fish than to give him handouts. I am glad to 

say I enjoy putting permanent smiles on the 

faces of my constituents. 

“Today, some number of persons will benefit 

from the empowerment Programme. The 

items for the 2018 Empowerment are four 

Cars, 20 Buses, 20 Deep freezers, 10 Tricycles, 

20 Hair Dressing Saloon Components 

including 20 Generator sets”. 

Others are; “40 Grinding Machines, 500 

Wrappers and Head Ties, 30 Sewing Machines, 

Scholarship Scheme for Secondary 

and University Students and Financial Assistance 

to Traders. 

“I urge the beneficiaries not to waste this 

seed being sown in their lives today. If you 

are diligent to cultivate what you are getting 

today, it will germinate and bear more fruits. 

“SHERIFF OBOREVWORI FOUNDATION, 

will kick-off the Scholarship Scheme in September 

2018. The Foundation will eliminate 

the grey areas associated with my previous 

practice of giving out cash directly to students 

without records or verification. For 

clarity sake, 80% of the scholarship will go to 

indigenes of Okpe Local Government Area 

and 20% for non indigenes. The scholarship 

scheme will kick off with an initial sum of 

N10 million.

exmarinus@hotmail.com 

Nigeria and the rest of us 

Those who are waiting, 

and hoping that Nige 

ria will collapse and 

disappear, and from its fragments 

would emerge new 

nations are wasting their 

time. They have no sense of 

history. Those who say Nigeria 

is unworkable because it 

is such a culturally diverse 

mongrel nation; that its various 

parts are historically different 

and so it is logically impossible 

to forge a nation out 

of it, are only partially correct. 

Nigeria is indeed made up 

of historically distinctive cultures, 

each with its values almost 

intact and nearly autonomous. 

Yes indeed, Nigeria 

was the creation of imperial 

artifice which fashioned a 

new nation out of a vast tapestry 

of disparate peoples and 

cultures, so much that the late 

Obafemi Awolowo came to 

describe Nigeria once as “a 

mere geographical expression;” 

not yet a nation. Yet, 

when we look at every nation 

in the world, those very words 

describe them all. All nations 

are the products of artifice. 

The art of war and the will to 

power. All nations are artificial 

creations, historically 

held together by forces that 

shape them eventually into 

common or organic nationalities. 

There is not a single nation 

in the world; not even a single 

tribal group in the world 

that evolved from a single organic 

source. Even the subnationalities 

that now claim 

common sources and common 

lineage in the Nigeria – 

the Igbo, the Hausa-Fulani, 

the Kanuri, the Yoruba, the 

Ijo, the Ibibio, etc. – the over 

360 ethnicities and subethnicities 

in Nigeria – did not 

evolve from common sources. 

Many Nigerians may be 

shocked, were they to be properly 

educated in these matters, 

by the very close genetic 

and cultural affinities between 

the Igbo and the Kanuri 

and the Jukun, for instance, 

and their wide circulation 

across what we now 

call Central West Africa, or 

that many Southern cultures 

were offshoots of what historians 

might now call the 

“Kwararafa complex,” or 

that old Igbo communities 

have been living and mixedup 

in a place like Zamfara, 

and probably beyond in precolonial 

Hausa land, long 

before the Fulani Jihad, and 

that the Bassa cut through a 

west African swath as far as 

Liberia down the Senegambia 

valley; or that the Yoruba 

and the Igbo broke free of 

each other, possibly not too 

long ago in historical times, 

certainly no more than 1000 

years ago, possibly within the 

period when a black African, 

Justus Prescenius Niger, was 

Emperor of Rome. 

We can still hear their intersection 

today in that very 

remarkable ethnic group, the 

Itshekiri – one part Igbo, one 

part Yoruba, and entirely 

unique to itself. Or as the late 

Professor Ade Obayemi once 

noted, the convergence of 

facts in Ife certainly requires 

us to contemplate and revise 

issues of autochthony and 

origins. The story has been 

told that Obatala, now mythologized 

in Yoruba lore as 

one of the “Orishas” (gods) of 

For May, It Was A Windrush 

Of Shame 

Watching Theresa 

May, the Prime 

Minister of the 

United Kingdom and leader 

of the ruling Conservative 

Party on television last Friday, 

you could see relief all over 

her. This was after the results 

of the local councils’ elections 

in England were announced. 

The broad smiles, hugs and 

back slap with party members 

showed how grateful she 

was that the Windrush scandal 

had not done much damage 

to the electoral value of 

her party. 

At the climax of the scandal 

and prior to the Election 

Day, there were apprehensions 

in the camp of the Tories 

that this would cause 

damage on their chances at 

the polls. Although the opposition 

Labour Party was also 

entangled in the Anti-Semitism 

row, the expectation was 

that it would still be able to 

make a few gains over the 

Tories. Unfortunately for Jeremy 

Corbyn and his comrades, 

the internal rife had 

somehow impeded the electoral 

progress that was witnessed 

during the 2017 snap 

General Elections. 

For the two parties, there 

Diaspora Matters, with 

Morak Babajide-Alabi 

http://www.babajidealabi.com 

the Odu-Ifa, was actually 

once the leader of the Igbo in 

Ife (Igbo-Omoku), and high 

priest of the temple of the 

Sun-god, Igwe/Anyanwu, and 

protector of the ancient republican 

ethos of the people. 

The fight between Obatala’s 

group and the group led by 

Oduduwa (whom the Idu say 

was their prince, Izoduwa) 

was a war between those 

fighting for the protection of 

the popular will of the people, 

and those in support of 

the rise of the powerful cult of 

the monarchy in Ife. Obatala 

was defeated, and he went 

into exile. It was a defeat 

which occasioned a scattering 

of populations from the 

Ife location to places including 

Obayemi’s own town of 

Iffe Ijumu, and beyond to 

parts today where we still have 

a hybrid echo of Yoruba and 

Igbo spoken in a very interesting 

mix, up to places like 

Ogidi, now in Niger state. The 

defeat of Obatala did not end 

the resistance. For years, Igbo 

masked warriors, the “Egwugwu,” 

fought and terrorised 

these places we now call 

Yoruba land, and occupied 

swaths of it, until the spy and 

Yoruba culture heroine today, 

Moremi, like the Jewish Esther, 

found the weak point of 

the leader of the Egwugwu, 

revealed their secret, and led 

the devastating defeat of the 

Igbo warriors. 

The story is accounted for 

in the Ifa corpus. The great 

Yoruba-Nigerian playwright, 

Femi Osofisan, has written 

one of his finest plays, Moroutodun, 

about this event, shorn 

of course of its larger historical 

implication; and to date, 

followers of Obatala still invoke 

him as an emissary of 

“Udo” (peace) as have Yoruba 

preserved their liturgy of 

liberation in the annual celebration 

of Liberty following 

the defeat of the Igbo in what 

they call “the Egungun Festival.” 

It is in fact the traditional 

Yoruba equivalent of the 

“independence celebration.” 

As with the other groups in 

Nigeria, so the Igbo. There is 

were not many gains. The Labour 

Party took back a few of 

its hitherto lost seats and the 

Tories gained marginally on 

the losses of the tactically 

dead United Kingdom Independence 

Party (UKIP) while 

losing some to the comeback 

“kid”, the Liberal Democrats. 

For May, it could have been 

worse, so it is a big relief, as 

she was saved the repeat agony 

she suffered during the 

last snap elections. For Corbyn, 

it was a lesson in humility, 

as the party definitely has 

lost the momentum and gradually 

relapsing to the early 

days of his reign. While Vince 

Cable’s efforts as the leader 

of the Liberal Democrats paid 

off in his local area, the party 

is still far off being the alternative 

to the two big parties. 

MAY’s SAGA 

May is no doubt a busy 

woman. She is in charge of a 

developed, industrial and politically 

conscious country, 

where citizens scrutinise activities 

of their leaders, so has 

to be on top of all activities 

around her. Her job is particularly 

made difficult at this 

time in Britain’s history when 

she has to preside over the 

process of exiting the continental 

European Union. This 

has not been an easy ride for 

her, especially the task of convincing 

her EU counterparts 

and bureaucrats that Britain 

wishes to eat “her cake and 

still have it”. 

Despite many sleepless 

nights shuttling between London 

and Brussels she has not 

found much love with her parliament, 

as every step of the 

negotiations is being scrutinised. 

In the process, some of 

the bills she had thought 

would ease the “divorce” 

from the union have been defeated 

in the Commons. It’s 

been tough luck for the woman 

at the top. 

If you think this is a job for 

the light-hearted, consider 

the stress of constantly wading 

off the political pressure 

on her office by the opposition 

party. Whoever coined the 

adage “uneasy lies the head 

that wears the crown” must 

have got the image of May in 

his or her head. There is little 

or no sympathy for her as people 

argue that she was quite 

aware of what the office entailed 

before stepping forward 

in 2015 as the replacement 

for David Cameron. 

These past three weeks 

seem uncharacteristically 

busy for the Prime Minister. 

During this period, she had 

had to contend with some 

state issues that could have 

derailed her government and 

consign her to the pit of history. 

She has had to defend 

some of the actions of her party, 

government and also, in 

her former capacity. 

When the Anti-Semitism 

row broke out in the Labour 

Party, there was a celebration 

among the Tories. They saw 

not a single Igbo source. The 

world we now know as the 

Igbo world is the product of 

years of agglomeration and 

convergence of diverse people 

from diverse parts, including 

those who suffered 

original waves of catastrophe 

in what we now call the Sahara 

desert, and more recently, 

from about the 17th century, 

when many of the Igbo 

towns, displaced by internal 

wars, and the slave raids, 

There is not a single 

nation in the world 

that is not an 

“artificial creation” 

and often founded to 

serve the purpose of 

a higher commercial 

or political or 

spiritual interest 

formed new town federations 

essentially as mutual Defence 

and Economic pacts. 

In other words, there is not 

a single nation in the world 

that is not an “artificial creation” 

and often founded to 

serve the purpose of a higher 

commercial or political or 

spiritual interest. So, yes, Nigeria 

like every nation in the 

world is an artificial creation, 

whose original purpose was 

to serve British imperial, 

commercial interests. But that 

purpose was revised with decolonization. 

At least, that 

was the idea: that an independent 

and free Nigeria, which 

declared itself a republic in 

1963, was no longer an appendage 

of the Queen or a 

member of the Commonwealth 

of Nations. But an independent 

republic with its 

own parliament and Supreme 

Court and President 

who was no longer an emissary 

of the Queen. The Charter 

of the Republic established 

by the Parliament of Nigeria 

Unknown to them 

the scandal that will 

threaten their party 

and the government 

of May was brewing 

this as an opportunity to roast 

Corbyn and his “gang” as 

they made a big deal in the 

parliament and at every podium 

talks. Unknown to 

them the scandal that will 

threaten their party and the 

government of May was brewing. 

While they were clicking 

wine glasses and rejoicing at 

the tight spot that Corbyn and 

his team had found themselves, 

they had no clue their 

own “playlist” of shame was 

loading. When it blew open it 

was to cause the Prime Minister 

a bigger headache than 

she had ever had in the past 

three years of her reign. 

The Windrush immigration 

scandal was a big shock 

to many in and outside the 

country. Although it’s been 

an ongoing issue for ages, 

there was never as much focus 

on it as in these past three 

weeks. This has left the Prime 

Minister uncomfortable and 

leaving an impression that 

she is not proud of her past 

actions. 

The Windrush immigrants 

who were from Commonwealth 

Caribbean countries 

had arrived in the U.K. between 

1948 and 1971. Unfortunately 

for some of them, 


in 1963 putatively said that 

Nigeria as a nation was therefore 

no longer a colonial state, 

but was constituted on the solemn 

will and in the interest of 

those nations of peoples who 

agreed between 1957 and 

1958, through all that negotiations 

that took place in the 

London conferences, to shed 

the “protection” of imperial 

Great Britain together as one 

nation, and make up its own 

new commonwealth under 

the Federation of Nigeria. 

The elected representatives of 

every part of what is today 

Nigeria were given a choice 

to go it alone. They all chose 

as one to go as one nation into 

political independence. That 

act of sovereign union makes 

Nigeria no longer an arbitrary 

formation, but a negotiated 

state. It was no longer subject 

to the will of Lugard. It in fact 

abrogated the Lugardian 

charter by that action, and affirmed 

its sovereign charter, 

and by 1963, the elected leaders 

of this independent nation 

declared the new nation a republic: 

that is, it was no longer 

part of the “possession” of 

the British Empire, nor governed 

by British interests, its 

laws, or conventions, nor answerable 

any longer to her 

queen. 

This is historical fact that 

countermands the argument 

of those that continue to claim 

that Nigeria remains the creation 

of Lugard. That is not 

true. Nigeria became the creation 

of the Nigerian people 

through their representatives 

in a properly constituted parliament, 

and by a properly 

created Act of the Republic in 

1963. Now, Nigeria is not 

going anywhere. What this 

nation must do is return to the 

1963 Republican charter 

upon which they negotiated 

nation-being. Two things 

might however happen: one 

serious-minded power, driven 

by historical will might impose 

itself upon the rest and 

fashion the nation out of its 

image. The more we look, the 

more it is clear that there is a 

cross-border Army of Jan- 

they had been left out of status 

as a result of changes in 

immigration policy of their 

host country. The most drastic 

of these changes were 

made under the Conservative 

Party. The resultant effect is 

many of these immigrants lost 

their jobs, houses, and were 

denied state benefits they had 

hitherto enjoyed. 

The tag Windrush was in 

reference to the first generation 

that arrived at Tilbury 

Docks, Essex on 22 June 1948 

on the ship MV Empire Windrush. 

Under the watch of 

May, the landing papers of 

these immigrants were destroyed 

by the Home Office. 

This action means there is no 

record of the arrival of this 

generation in the UK. Cruelly, 

the Home Office had exploited 

this development and 

denied some of them citizenship, 

threats to some, and deportation 

of others to countries 

they have no ties with. 

It was a shameful revelation. 

May had disclosed on 

the floor of the Commons 

that the embarrassing decision 

to destroy the landing 

documents of the immigrants 

was taken by the Labour party. 

This excuse did not hold 

any water with the opposition 

party, or with the Windrush 

immigrants. 

Whichever government 

took the decision does not 

matter anymore as the mess 

meant many lives were destroyed, 

and many homes are 

broken. There was nowhere 

for May to hide as she publicly 

apologised for this development 

that has become embarrassing. 

The timing of this 

scandal incidentally coincided 

with the Commonwealth 

jaweed fighters called “Fulani 

herdsmen” streaming 

into Nigeria, and circulating 

furiously, and creating logistical 

beach heads. Any student 

of history looking closer 

will see the 17th century 

replaying itself. But those who 

think that a break-up of the 

current nation will stop the 

surge of conquest, are living 

in an illusion. The next thing 

that might likely happen is 

that in the midst of all these 

confusions and firefight, another 

external power might 

emerge as a successor power, 

and absorb all. But whatever 

happens, Nigerians 

must stop bitching and defend 

themselves. If the National 

Defence forces have 

become, as Danjuma said, 

complicit, then Nigerians 

must democratically, 

through local congresses, 

constitute provisional chapters 

of the Nigerian National 

Guard, made up of Citizen 

Soldiers, and using local legislative 

power, give them the 

right to bear arms in defence 

of the Republic against an 

external threat. This is urgent 

and necessary. The widespread 

incidents of killings by 

these external forces makes 

it so. 

President Buhari’s administration 

seems clearly overwhelmed 

and no longer able 

to defend Nigeria from external 

aggression. The president 

himself has acknowledged it: 

Nigeria is at war with an invasive 

army using weapons 

from the arsenal of Gadhafi’s 

worsted army. If this is so, then 

every Nigerian from the age 

of 18, must be sworn to bear 

arms, and defend their towns, 

neighborhoods, and families, 

given that the Nigerian police, 

her security services, and 

her military have proved 

themselves unable of securing 

these lives lost daily in 

Benue and Taraba, and moving 

gingerly southwards. The 

will of the people, trumps the 

letters of the constitution. 

That is the axiom of democracy. 

Head of Government Meeting 

in London, which means 

the Prime Minister got an 

earful from her Caribbean 

counterparts. 

May therefore seized the 

opportunity of a Downing 

Street meeting to say she was 

“genuinely sorry” for the 

treatment of the Windrush 

immigrants and also dispelled 

“any impression that 

my government is in some 

sense clamping down on 

Commonwealth citizens, 

particularly those from the 

Caribbean,” 

No matter the promises of 

the Prime Minister or the Tories 

on the Windrush immigrants, 

the Home Office has 

been exposed as an institution 

that systematically alienates 

a particular section of the 

British population. Some 

people have accused the officials, 

including May, of racism, 

because laws are made 

to deliberately keep people of 

colour out of the system they 

rightly belong in. 

While Amber Rudd resigned 

her position as the 

Home Secretary, there have 

been clamours on the embattled 

Prime Minister to ensure 

the promises to the Windrush 

immigrants are made into 

law. This will be the first step 

towards ensuring justice is 

delivered to all involved. Will 

Sajid Javid, the new Home 

Secretary, be able to make 

amends and ensure the “inhuman” 

immigration policies 

of the United Kingdom 

are amended as appropriate? 

All eyes are on Javid, while 

calls intensify for May to 

come clean of her role in the 

shameful immigration scandal.

PAGE 38— SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 

sam.eyoboka@gmail.com 

08023145567 (sms only) 

Eat your tithe and 

lose access to God's 

provision— Oritsejafor 

*Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor 


IMMEDIATE past National 

President of the Christian 

Association of Nigeria, CAN, 

His Eminence, Pastor Ayo 

Oritsejafor has described the 

payment of tithe, a one-tenth part 

of something, paid as a 

contribution to a religious 

organization or compulsory tax 

to government, as ageless. 

Teaching in his church’s Word Of 

Life Eagles’ Devotional on 

Tuesday, May 1, 2018, the first 

Pentecostal President of CAN 

said there should be no 

controversy over the payment of 

tithe, because it’s ageless. 

Drawing inspiration from 

Genesis 14:20 which says: “And 

blessed be the most high God, 

which hath delivered thine 

enemies into thy hand. And he 

gave him tithes of all,” Oritsejafor 

who has been preaching 

and teaching the Word for over 

45 years, find it is interesting why 

some Christians debate whether 

or not to tithe. 

According to him, “Abraham 

PEM partners MMM for 

medical outreach 

By Olayinka Latona 

OVER 100 persons 

recently benefitted from 

a free health care service that 

was organised by the The Pastor 

Eskor Mfon Foundation, PEM 

in collaboration with a nongovernmental 

organis-ation 

charity focussed primarilly on 

preventive healthcare, Mass 

Medical Mission. 

The outreach design-ed to *Pastor (Mrs) 

bring healthcare to the Bimpe Eskor Mfon 

doorsteps of the less privileged, 

according to the widow of 

Pastor Mfon and founder of anniversary of the death of my 

PEM, Mrs. Bimpe Eskor Mfon, husband, and in celebrating 

was put together to mark the what he stood for while he was 

11th anni-versary of the passage alive, the Mass Medical 

of her husband. 

Mission decided to collaborate 

She explained that the with PEM to carry out cancer 

foundation was inaugur-ated to screen-ing and other medical 

continue with late Pastor Eskor tests. 

Mfon’s dreams of empowering “I am sure that at the end of 

a vibrant generation of this medical out-reach, people 

emerging Nigeria’s lead-ers. that would have died due to 

In her words: “This year ignor-ance of their health status 

marks the 11th year would be saved. Cancer, if not 

paid his tithe about 500 years 

before Moses gave the Law. God 

began the principle of tithing at 

the Garden of Eden. The Bible 

records that ’the LORD God took 

the man, and put him into the 

Garden of Eden to dress it and 

to keep it’ (Genesis 2:15). By 

implication, God employed the 

man.” 

Continuing, he said: “In 

Genesis 2:16, for the work that 

man did, God paid him wages: 

’And the LORD God commanded 

the man, saying, of every tree of 

detected early can kill," she 

noted. 

Narrating her exper-ience 

since the demise of her 

husband, Pastor Bimpe said: 

“God’s grace has been 

sustaning me and God has 

been using people to encourage 

and bless us. Our father in the 

Lord, Pastor & Mrs Enoch 

Adeboye, RCCG, City of David, 

the Osinlulu family, my 

children and a host of others 

have been so wonderful to me 

and the foundation. 

“Little by little, God has been 

helping me and though the 

economy has battered us here 

and here, we are still standing,” 

she maintain-ed. 

The Secretary of Mass 

Medical Mission, Dr. Abia 

Nzelu said to prevent further 

rise in the pre-valence of 

cancer, the organisation has 

emb-arked on awareness at the 

grassroots levels. 

The event saw women of 

different age groups in the 

community being screened for 

breast and cervical cancer, 

while those aged 40 and above 

received free mammogram. 

Christian women convass better deal for women 

NIGERIAN women under 

the aegis of Independent 

International Female Ministers Coalition 

(IIFM) in conjunction with Mothers 

of the Nation Nigeria and Christian Welfare 

Initiative have called for more opportunities 

for women, reports Elizabeth 

Uwandu. 

Commending the First Lady, Mrs Aisha 

Buhari, for her efforts so far in advocating 

women's rights, the women pleaded with her 

to make good her promise to achieve better 

I know there are 

some people telling 

you not to pay tithe. 

Don’t listen to them. 

They want to kill 

you. You go die 

quick o 

deal for women in all ramifications. 

Speaking at the official launch of Better Deal 

for Women Campaign, tagged; ‘Respect the 

Rights of Women and Children to a Safe, 

Peaceful and Developed Nigeria, held at 

Rockview Hotel, FESTAC, Lagos recently, 

president of Global Alliance for Mothers of 

the Nation, Ambassador Priscilla Otuya said 

the place of women has been subj-ugated 

over time despite the enormous roles they 

have played in the development of the country 

through prayers and intercessions. 

Olukoya commissions Medical 

Centre, hands it over to MTU 


G 

Overseer ENERAL 

of 

Mountain of 

Fire and Miracles 

Ministries (MFM) 

World-wide, Dr. Daniel 

Kolawole Olukoya, has 

commiss-ioned a onestorey 

Medi-cal Centre 

built by the Pray-er City 

Tent Makers Gro-up and 

handed it over to the 

Mountain Top University 

(MTU). 

“I want it (medical 

cen-tre) to be run 

excellently and 

the garden thou mayest freely 

eat.’ The story did not end there. 

In Genesis 2:17, God said to the 

man, ’But of the tree of the 

knowledge of good and evil, thou 

shalt not eat it, for in the day that 

thou eatest thereof thou shalt 

surely die.‘ 

”There is always something 

that God will give you, that he 

wants you to take care of, that 

you mustn’t take as yours, that 

you must leave dedicated to and 

return to Him. That thing is the 

acknowledgement that God is 

the source of all things that you 

have, and it is known as tithe. 

”Now, just to make sure that 

there is no ambiguity and 

confusion as to what the thing 

is, God made it simple. The tithe 

is ten per cent of anything God 

gives you as increase to what you 

already have or as addition to 

what you already have. In 

Adam’s case, not eating the tree 

of knowledge was his tithe. And 

if he dared to eat it, he would 

die,” he further argued. 

In conclusion, he maintained 

that when you eat your tithe, you 

kill and destroy your access to 

God’s supernatural provision. 

You will recall that Pastor 

Oritsejafor, the first Nigerian to 

urge Northern Christians to 

defend themselves whenever they 

professionally, that is why I handed it 

over to the Mountain Top University. 

In future, MTU may have a medical 

sch-ool,” Dr. Olukoya, a 1980 first class 

de-gree holder of the University of 

Lagos in Microbiology, hinted, as he 

assured that the facility will be of 

international standard and run 

professionally. 

He expressed appreciation to members 

of the Prayer City Tent Makers 

Gro-up for taking the initiative, noting 

that the gesture will encourage others 

to contribute to the development of the 

Prayer City, as he also thanked the 

group for the kind gesture on behalf of 

his wife, who he said notified him of 

her willingness to be at the event. 

The medical centre has a delivery 

room, children, private, male and 

come under attack, has earlier 

at the 20th Holy Ghost Congress 

of the Redeemed Christian 

Church of God, (RCCG), 

dropped a ‘bombshell’ 

regarding the contro-versial 

topic on tithe anchored by media 

personality, Ifedayo Olarinde 

also known as Daddy Freeze, 

saying Christians who do not pay 

tithe will die quick. 

He said: “I know there are 

some people telling you not to 

pay tithe. Don’t listen to them. 

They want to kill you. You go die 

quick o. 

Citing the book of Hebrews 7:9 

Oritsejafor pointed that ‘’When 

you pay tithe, it is not about you. 

Your tithe is not about you. It’s 

about your children. The Bible 

says when Levi was still in the 

system, he was already paying 

tithe. Your tithe is not about you. 

It’s about your children. It is 

about your children’s children. 

Levi was still in the picture, he 

was paying tithe. Don’t let 

anybody deceive you”. 

”Look at yourself and look at 

the person saying you should not 

pay tithe, when you look, you 

will see the difference is clear; 

the bible says the difference is 

clear,” he told the mammoth 

crowd of worshippers at that 

meeting. 

*MFM General Overseer, Pastor D.K. Olukoya unveiling 

the plaque to declare the medical centre open. 

female wards, theatres, S.C.U.B., 

kitchenette, VIP ward, prayer room, 

among other sundry spaces. 

A foreign-based medical practitioner, 

who has commenced the installation of 

modern, world class equipment in the 

facility, including a diagnostic centre, 

said all the equipment are ready and the 

centre will be fully equipped with the best 

of its kind infrastructure immediately. 

Welcoming Dr. Olukoya and his 

entour-age to the facility, the Chairman 

of Tent Makers Group, Prayer City 

Region, Bro. A. F. Martins, said it is not 

easy to build for the Lord but that 

members of the group were happy to have 

completed the construction of MFM 

Medical Centre, which is the third of such 

projects the group will do for the church.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 PAGE 39 

The Unlimited Power 

of Jesus (2) 

By Pastor William F. Kumuyi 

TODAY, as I present 

to you Jesus, I am 

going to apply that 

name as an acronym. J- 

Justifier of the condemned. 

In the very beginning of 

human existence, when 

Adam and Eve bathed the 

stench of sin, the whole 

world became condemned 

by their flagrant disobedience 

to the instruct- 

•Kumuyi 

ions of God. As a result of the sin of our first parents, 

sin multiplied and became a tainting formula that ruined 

our existence and relationship with God. Romans 3:23 

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of 

God..." 

We became liars, thieves, abortionists, sinners of 

various shapes and sizes. Take a good look at your 

life. If there is any form of sin resident in you, then you 

are a sinner condemned before God because you 

blatantly disobeyed His words and dire consequences 

await you. In fact, the whole world is condemned before 

Him because Ezekiel 18:4 says "Behold, all souls are 

mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the 

son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." 

The stigma of sin cuts across the board. It holds both 

the high and low, the literate and the illiterate, the 

married and the singles, the men and the women, etc 

in the jugular vein. As a result of this overwhelming 

assault on their persons, they are all condemned before 

the LORD. But, in a bid to reconcile man kind back to 

God, Jesus had to put His life on the line in order to 

justify you and set you free from condemnation and 

guilt of sin. You were to face eternal judgment and 

punishment for indulging in sin, but He had to take all 

that away by giving you a lifeline. 

No other person created by God here on earth can 

make available such a significant milestone for you 

except Jesus. Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in 

any other: for there is none other name under heaven 

given among men, whereby we must be saved." Jesus 

has been empowered to save us from the pollution of 

sin because sin keeps us dirty and defiled. Sin, in the 

life of an individual, is liken to someone who fell into a 

latrine. Such a person will be dirty, stinking and would 

require a sanitizer in order to become clean and fit 

again for society. Likewise, the sinner's lifestyle, 

behaviour, language, dressing, etc are all filthy and 

require remake. That is where Jesus Christ comes into 

play. His blood is the perfect makeover tool kit for 

the sinner's spiritual hygiene. 

Even though you may have been condemned by your 

conscience, character, community, and country; as you 

come to Christ today, you will be justified, 

accommodated and acceptable by God Almighty. But 

as many as will refuse the call of Jesus will be condemned 

now on earth and in eternal hell fire. Jesus is 

the only Justifier for the condemned and He does much 

more than that. 

E- Emancipator for every captive. Sin brings and breeds 

sickness upon those who cultivate the habit of sinning. 

No matter how highly placed you may be in society, if 

you let sin remain in your life, it will rule and ruin you as 

well as make you become prone and susceptible to 

sickness, which will keep you incapacitated and 

bedridden. It will eventually make you useless in life 

because sin has a way of frustrating sinners. It will 

also make you vulnerable to attacks and other sinister 

acts of the devil. But if you open the door for Jesus to 

come in, He will destroy all the plots orchestrated by 

Satan against your life. 

1 John 3:8 "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for 

the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose 

the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy 

the works of the devil." 

S- Saviour on the cross. Jesus is the only Saviour 

certified by heaven to redeem us from the shackles 

of sin. The Saviour is described as the only one who 

died on the cross and the only person befitting such a 

description is none other than Jesus Christ. His 

crucifixion was prophesied right from Genesis when 

Adam and Eve sinned against God. 

Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and 

the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it 

shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." 

Moses is not the Saviour because he did not bruise 

his heel on the cross. Also, Abraham or the founder 

of your religion cannot wear such a title with garland 

of matchless honour. That qualification belongs to 

Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Look at Him on the cross 

pleading on your behalf! Luke 23:34 "Then said Jesus, 

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." 

Those words capture the exact source and 

fountainhead where salvation comes from; and that is 

none other than Jesus Christ our sin bearer. 

If you must obtain salvation experience and get to 

heaven, it has to be through that man who suffered 

and bled on the cross. He is Jesus the Saviour on the 

cross. Acts 16:30-31 "... Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 

and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." You can take 

that onerous decision to believe on the Lord Jesus 

Christ because He died for you. 

*To be continued 

DR. FRANCIS 

AKIN-JOHN 

Church Growth Consultant, 6/8, 

Mukadaq Close, Off Palace Way, 

Iyana-Odo, B/Stop, Isheri-LASU Road, 

Lagos. 

08023000714. akingrow@yahoo.com 

B. Marks of Jesus 

Church 

Jesus is the Founder, 

Foundation and Head of 

His church. Being used 

by Him to build His 

church here means that 

we must align with His 

revealed will in the 

scriptures and obey the 

leanings of His Holy Spirit 

to raise a church that will 

be holy, spotless and 

glorious. Matthew 16:18, 

Ephesians 5:26,27. 

The church of Jesus is 

comprised of those 

who have been called 

out of sin, serving Satan 

and idols; is a church of 

saved, sanctified, separate 

and distinct people 

unto the Lord; is a 

REVEREND FATHER 

John Damian 

ADIZIE, OCD 

Director of Int'l Youth Empowerment 

& Rehabilitation Centre 

(IYERC) 

Tel: 08076635886 

Email: 

johndamianocd@yahoo.co.uk 

Dignity of human labour 

INTERNATIONAL 

workers day is the 

celebration of workers’ 

welfare. It is also a day 

to reflect on the dignity of 

human labour. Most countries 

observe their Labour 

Day on May 1. Countries 

like Nigeria, observe this 

day as a public holiday. 

The theme of this year’s 

Labour day is “Uniting 

Workers for Social and 

Economic Advancement.” 

It is anticipated that when 

workers unite, not only to 

fight for their selfish interest, 

but for the common 

good, they achieve more. 

The early Christians were 

united in their mission: 

Strategies to overcoming marriage challenges 

By Pastor Okokon Ating 

Be alert to your partner's 

likes and dislikes: 

MANY couples 

have not 

studied their 

partners' character in a 

manner that they could 

understand their likes and 

dislikes. Some, in the 

course of the so called 

love, do not understudy 

the behavior of their spouses. 

Any spouse who 

does not understudy his/ 

her partner in marriage is 

heading to a hitch which 

may result in regrets. There 

is a need for each person 

to go on studying day 

by day the behavioral 

partner in order to avoid 

unnecessary complaints 

ahead. 

What is the likes and 

dislikes of your partner? 

Does he or she like to play 

at all times? Does he/she 

joke at leisure time or 

when busy? When does 

he/she like to sleep? 

When does he/she like to 

eat? Is it very early or late 

in the morning? Does he/ 

she like to take a cup of 

congregation of disciples, 

devotees and 

dedicated followers of 

Jesus, irrespective of 

tribe, class, status and 

tongue; is an assembly 

of people that lives to 

please God, obey His 

word in every area of 

their lives and, different 

from sinners around 

them; is a church that 

loves the truth, live the 

truth, walk in the truth, 

stand in the truth of God 

Word in their daily lives; 

is a fellowship of believers 

that are in the world, 

but the world is not in 

them because they are 

not of the world; is a 

church that is a true salt, 

light that dispel, rebuke 

“The whole group of believers 

were of one heart 

and soul, and no one claimed 

private ownership 

of any possessions, but 

everything they owned 

was held in common” (Acts 

4:32). They were not just 

united in their mission, in 

fact, they shared what 

they have in common. 

That is why they succeeded 

in their mission. Unfortunately, 

this is exactly 

what is lacking in our society 

today! 

Capitalism does not encourage 

such unity, sharing 

and solidarity. It is an 

economic system that is 

geared towards excess 

*Pastor Okokon Ating 

tea before resuming work 

in the morning? Does he/ 

she like to bath before 

eating after retuning from 

the office? Does he/she 

likes or wants after meal, 

in the midnight or in the 

early hours of the morning? 

Does he/she like sex 

with light on or in the dark 

room? Does he/she like 

kissing and caressing before 

sex? Does he/she like 

crowding and lousy environment? 

Is he/she the 

type who likes to give out 

little or plenty things to 

someone else? Does he/ 

she a talking type or a quiet 

one? Does he/she like to 

follow or accompany one 

to an eatery or public places 

for functions and occasions? 

Celebrity church or 

Jesus church? (2) 

and drives 

away the 

darkness 

around them; 

is a church that 

lives for Jesus 

unashamedly, 

proclaim Jesus by deeds, 

actions and seeks to 

bring others to Jesus on 

a regular basis; is a 

church that fights sin, 

disciplines sin, speak 

and stand against 

corruptions of every 

kind; is a church that is a 

shinning examples of 

Christlikeness in every 

area, by both preachers, 

pastors and people; is a 

church that is careful 

not to bring reproach 

and derision to the name 

of Christ by controversial 

doctrines, practices 

and lifestyles. 

This mode of church is 

very rare today. We build 

our own churches, not 

profit making. 

The interest 

and welfare of 

workers are 

often neglected. 

Capitalism 

is also a system 

where the 

rich are getting 

richer whereas 

the poor are 

getting poorer. 

In an oppressive 

system like this, it is 

very difficult to get the 

workers to be united for 

social and economic advancement. 

As we celebrate another 

Labour’s day, we wish to 

remind the government, 

and those concerned that 

workers/labourers 

deserve their wages (Luke 

10:7). Last year President 

Buhari expressed shock 

when he realized how 

many months workers 

have not received their 

salaries. He then asked, 

“How can anyone go to 

bed and sleep soundly 

when workers have not 

been paid their salaries 

for months.” This is the 

highest form of injustice! 

The non-payment of work- 

When we put all the above 

questions together 

and critically assess them, 

you will agree with me that 

marriage is an institution 

in which one must keep 

on learning, reading and 

researching until death. 

That is, as one grows in 

marriage, he/she understands 

more the secret of 

success behind it. May I 

say this also, that marriage 

does not only stop at paying 

the bride price, celebrating 

wedlock and living 

together, but it’s a process 

which keeps on going 

from one circle to another. 

As a graduate in level A, 

he/she needs to go higher 

to level B probably for maturity. 

This also depends 

on how fast one can learn 

and read his/her spouse 

in order to adapt or adjust 

where and when necessary. 

People who quickly opt 

out of their marriages do 

so because they failed to 

understand the likes and 

dislikes of their spouses. 

That likes and dislikes may 

be little things which one 

the church of Jesus. 

Conversely, we have 

become a ridicule to the 

world and hatred against 

the church is rising in our 

nation. That is why the 

church in our nation has 

little or no influence to 

affect things positively 

for God, even when we 

have so-called Christians 

in power and sensitive 

positions in government. 

So, which church are 

you building o? Celebrity 

church or Jesus church? 

You will have to answer 

now, or later. But make 

no mistake, you will 

answer this question 

one day, and soonest. 

E - M a i l : 

akingrow@yahoo.com 

*International Church 

Growth Ministry holds 

two major conferences a 

year, one in second week 

of every February and 

the other in every first 

week in September.” 

ers’ salary is indeed the 

major cause of economic 

recession and hardship in 

Nigeria. 

This notwithstanding, 

two wrongs cannot make 

a right. Labour Day should 

not be reduced to a day 

when workers express 

their grievances or a day 

when they demand their 

rights. It should be a day 

when workers should celebrate 

their achievement 

towards social and economic 

advancement. It 

should also be a day to encourage 

hard work by giving 

award and prizes to 

hardworking workers. 

Finally, May I remind my 

fellow workers that there 

is dignity in labour. We 

should not just reduce 

labour to money venture. 

Work defines us as God’s 

co-creators. There is a 

reward for every good 

work. As the Psalmist 

declares: “By the labour of 

your hands you shall eat” 

(Psalm 128:2). As you 

continue to work hard, you 

shall live to enjoy the fruit 

of your labour and it shall 

be well with you in Jesus 

name. Amen! 

could have solved and gotten 

them straightened 

out but because they are 

ignorant of each other’s 

likes and dislikes, the 

issues got blown up without 

restriction. 

Be alert at all times in order 

to know how to arrest 

flimsy situation in your 

marriage. If couples want 

to maintain their marriages, 

let them be sensitive 

to those challenges mentioned 

above which seem 

not to be factors at all 

dissolving marriages. All 

the areas in which questions 

are asked are challenges 

which throng on marriages 

heavily on a daily 

basis. 

One may not know that 

they are serious threats 

which weaken the strength 

of love in marriage. 

*For enquiries contact: 

Pastorating@gmail.com 

Apostolic Church, 3, Tree 

Power Avenue, Itire, Lag-os. 

Or call: Pastor Okokon 

Ating on: 

0 8 0 5 4 1 2 1 3 5 5 , 

08179072635

PAGE 40— SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 

There was a recurring 

nightmare I had been 

having ever since I was a 

little child. I would wake up in 

the middle of the night and discover 

that someone, some invisible 

person, was pressing me 

down on the bed. I would struggle, 

but no matter how hard I 

fought, I would not be able to 

overcome him. 

Initially, I was afraid he would 

someday choke me to death. But 

after some time, I realised it was 

simply oppressive and not lifethreatening; 

so, I stopped struggling. 

My thinking was that after 

it had finished, it would let 

me go. This proved to be true. 

After a while, my tormentor 

would leave me alone, but only 

to revisit me some other time 

again and again. 

This continued for the better 

part of thirty years. There was 

neither rhyme nor reason behind 

these attacks. My oppressor 

might leave me alone for weeks 

or torment me night after night. 

Then one day, after I had just received 

Jesus as my Lord and Saviour, 

he attacked me again. 

Open vision 

I was reading a book by Matthew 

Ashimolowo on spiritual 

warfare. I read it far into the 

night. So as not to disturb my 

wife, I stayed in the spare bedroom. 

When I became sleepy, I 

simply switched off the bedside 

lamp and dozed off. I could not 

have slept for more than ten or 

fifteen minutes when I heard 

someone open the door. I 

opened my eyes to see who it was 

and was shocked. 

The person who opened my 

door was a demon. 

I did not believe in the existence 

of demons. As far as I was 

concerned, the devil himself was 

one big joke. I used to make fun 

of my Christian colleagues at 

work. They attributed all kinds 

JESUS: THE NAME ABOVE EVERY NAME 

of things to the devil, which I 

thought was nonsensical. But 

then there I was, on my bed in 

my flat. I was not asleep and I 

was not dreaming. My eyes were 

wide open. 

Somebody physically opened 

my door. He did not pass 

through the wall. And when I 

looked to see who it was, I discovered 

it was a demon; the very 

person I insisted was non-existent. 

Acrid odour 

How then did I know it was a 

demon? 

Everything about it was exactly 

how I had been led to believe 

a demon would look like. If I 

could put my finger on it, I would 

say it bore striking resemblance 

to the Darth Vader of the Star 

Wars film series. It was tall; the 

head practically touched the lintel 

of the door. It was all black, 

with a head but without a face 

or eyes. It was covered in what 

seemed to be like shredded rags. 

And, wait for it; it had an acrid 

body odour, reminiscent of rotten 

eggs. 

Does a spirit smell? Does it 

have body odour? Don’t ask me 

because I don’t know. 

When Jesus opened the eyes of 

a blind man, the Pharisees were 

convinced it was a ruse. They 

even went as far as to interrogate 

his parents about his true 

identity. When they confirmed 

that he was their son and had 

The name of the 

LORD is a strong 

tower; the righteous 

run to it and are 

safe.” (Proverbs 

18:10). 

indeed been blind from birth, the 

Jewish leaders were still dissatisfied. 

They wondered how this 

Jesus, who they considered to be 

a sinner, could perform such 

outstanding miracle. 

But the man whose eyes were 

opened was soon irritated by 

their doubts and queries. He 

said to them: “One thing I know: 

that though I was blind, now I 

see.” (John 9:25). 

Therefore, just in case my readers 

are cast in the same mould 

as those doubting Pharisees, I 

repeat this question on their behalf: 

“Does a spirit smell?” 

Don’t ask me because I don’t 

know. One thing I know; the one 

I saw did. “Does a spirit have to 

open a door in order to enter a 

room?” I have absolutely no 

idea. But one thing I know, the 

one I saw opened the door in order 

to enter my room. Indeed, it 

was in his opening of the door 

that I was awakened. 

“Can you see a spirit in an open 

vision with your naked eyes?” I 

don’t know. What I know is that, 

according to the grace given to 

me, I did. 

Spirit of fear 

As a matter of fact, so did Job 

in the scriptures: “Now a word 

was secretly brought to me, and 

my ear received a whisper of it. 

In disquieting thoughts from the 

visions of the night, when deep 

sleep falls on men, fear came 

upon me, and trembling, which 

made all my bones shake. Then 

a spirit passed before my face; 

the hair on my body stood up.” 

(Job 4:12-15). 

The demon I saw had no legs 

but seemed to glide on hidden 

wheels. I was completely mesmerised 

on my bed as I watched 

it come towards me. I was so 

scared; I couldn’t even move my 

lips. It came slowly until it got 

to my bedside table. Then it 

started to shrink in height gradually 

until it disappeared completely 

into the floor. 

Once it disappeared, I noticed 

a familiar scene. Somebody 

started pressing me down on the 

bed. Naturally, I concluded it 

was the demon I had just been 

privileged to see. Then I decided 

to cry out for help. But who 

could possibly help me is such 

unnatural situation? Only one 

person came to mind: the person 

who rescued me from 

armed-robbers; my Saviour 

Jesus Christ. 

Strong tower 

The first mistake I made was 

in trying to form a complete sentence 

with the name of Jesus. 

Instead of just shouting “Jesus,” 

I tried to say “in the name of 

Jesus.” But I discovered that 

something or someone was also 

impeding my tongue. By the 

time I struggled to get through 

“in the name,” I found I could 

not continue. 

The second mistake I made 

was to start all over again instead 

of continuing from where 

I had been impeded. But this 

time I succeeded. On getting to 

“in the name of Je..,” I heard a 

loud whoosh, and for the very 

first time, my oppressor quickly 

released me and literally ran 

away. 

I became momentarily insane 

on my bed. I started shouting. I 

started boasting. Never you 

mind that I was addressing 

someone invisible: “You can’t do 

me anything. You can’t touch 

me. I have Jesus.” Then I started 

laughing hysterically. I had 

suddenly discovered practically 

the formidable power that is in 

the name of Jesus at the late age 

of 41. 

It was like boasting because 

you realise you have now been 

assigned a fearsome bodyguard. 

Or you discovered your brother 

is the new heavyweight-boxing 

champion, so nobody dares 

threaten you again in the schoolyard. 

Thus, the Lord opened my eyes 

to see my long-standing tormentor. 

He then used this to demonstrate 

to me that Jesus is: “a 

name which is above every name: 

that at the name of Jesus every 

knee should bow, of things in 

heaven, and things in earth, and 

things under the earth.” (Philippians 

2:9-10). 

As the psalmist says: “the name 

of the LORD is a strong tower; 

the righteous run to it and are 

safe.” (Proverbs 18:10). 

God has not forsaken His people (2) 

BELOVED, it is not out of 

place for believers to 

come under the attack of 

the enemies in the form of sicknesses, 

disappointment, delay 

in conception, miscarriages, 

barrenness, physical assault 

and etc but these must not be 

construed as abandonment on 

the part of our God as long as 

the believer is living in accordance 

with tenet of the Scripture. 

Sometimes we may find thorns 

and briars growing in our pathways 

and be wondering if we 

have been forsaken by God but 

far from it because God cannot 

renege from His promises. 

Certainly, same God who allows 

the afflictions will also recall 

them when His purpose is 

accomplished, because He will 

never allow it to destroy you. 

Believers have the assurance of 

an end to their affliction, and a 

joyful end too because God 

who cannot lie has made the 

promise. None of their trials can 

ruin them for He has promised 

to deliver them in all. While 

Understanding: Key to all things 

By Pastor Oloruntimilehin Joshua Daramola 

UNDERSTANDING is the key to which a 

person could have a meaningful and 

successful life in this world. Whoever is 

endowed with understanding owns the key to all 

things. The Bible says in Hosea 4:6: “my people 

are destroyed for lack of knowledge...” 

What is knowledge or who is a knowledgeable 

person? A knowledgeable person is the one that 

understands the mysteries around him or her. A 

person that lacks knowledge will not understand 

how to handle his/her life because the Bible says 

in Proverbs 16 :21: “Understanding is a fountain of 

life to those who have it...” Also Proverbs 21:16 

says a man who strays from the path of 

understanding come to rest in the company of 

the dead” 

Some people never believe they are living unpleasant 

lives even when you try to enlighten such 

people, they tend to behave within the limit of 

lawyers deliver their clients 

from conflict, physicians deliver 

their patients from sickness, 

and masters deliver their servants 

from bondages, only God 

Almighty delivers people from 

all afflictions and if He is on our 

side we have all. 

Romans 11:1-2 states: “I say 

then, Hath God cast away his 

people? God forbid. For I also 

am an Israelite, of the seed of 

Abraham, of the tribe of 

Benjamin. God hath not cast 

away his people which he foreknew. 

Wot ye not what the scripture 

saith of Elias? how he 

maketh intercession to God 

against Israel, saying,” 

Our God does not change neither 

His promises. He has promised 

not to reject and forsake 

His chosen ones no matter the 

situation they found themselves. 

Though there may be 

destruction among the nations, 

yet God cannot violate any of 

His promises to believers. It 

follows also, that God will not 

•Daramola 

their own personal understanding. 

Imagine a child that 

is being encouraged to acquire 

education at early age 

but he is so engrossed in 

playing around and catching 

fun while his peers are busy 

going to school while some 

engage in one apprenticeship 

or the other. 

reject those who are foreknown 

as His Chosen. 

Hebrews 13:5: Let your conversation 

be without covetousness; 

and be content with such 

things as ye have: for he hath 

said, I will never leave thee, nor 

forsake thee.” 

God will not leave us, He will 

never forsake us; no matter 

what we are going through He 

is a covenant–keeping God, He 

cannot lie, what He says, He will 

keep to it and will surely fulfill 

it. As long as you are a child of 

God, rest assured on His promises, 

He has said “I will not 

leave you nor forsake thee.” So, 

as long as you are living right, 

and doing what pleases Him, He 

can never leave you nor forsake 

you. 

Many believers instead of accepting 

what God has allowed in 

their lives to strengthen their 

faith will be complaining that 

God has forsaken them. There 

are many things that God could 

allow in our life to build up our 

Being playful is what the child understands 

at that particular time. The child 

does not have the grasp of the value of 

quality education at that time. What 

preoccupies his mind is that there are 

so many people not educated but are 

successful. 

However, after some years, his peers 

have now gone their separate ways, he 

is now left alone without education or 

any skill. He discovers his irrelevance in 

society and inferiority complex sets in 

his life while his educated peers are 

successful in their chosen careers. He 

finds it difficult to join them in any 

meaningful discussion because he is not 

in the same level with his peers. 

Later he realised how far he had played 

his time. What was missing in him was 

understanding of his playing days. 

Similarly, if everyone understands and 

have the knowledge about the job to 

faith in Him. God allows something 

to happen to you so that 

you can desire His presence. 

But some people when they are 

going through those things will 

be complaining that God has 

forsaken them. They will even 

scornfully say that this God of 

Chosen is just blessing some 

people, and has forsaken them. 

And some of them will say 

unprintable things that can only 

be uttered by frustrated people 

and sinners and in addition 

will be asking if this God of 

Chosen is real or working why 

has He not answered them? 

And instead of amending their 

lives to attract the presence of 

God they will be telling people 

that God has forsaken them. If 

you are going through pain now, 

I want to tell you that God has 

not forsaken you, rather He 

may have permitted it to provoke 

you to begin to live a 

righteous life and give Him preeminence 

He deserves in all 

your life endeavours. 

choose in life, no one would not live 

above poverty level or average life. 

For instance, a person that is supposed 

to be an auto-mechanic engineer by 

profession but works in a bank. A male 

member of my ministry was into clearing 

and forwarding business and always 

complain about is living in poverty. The 

spirit of God revealed to me that he 

had engaged in a wrong profession that 

he should go into selling of metal products 

preferable iron and steel materials. 

After six months, he came back to 

me in his own car. 

*For further enquiries contact The 

Omnipotence Mission of God, 2 

Oloruntimilehin St, Pipeline, Mosan 

off Ipaja road, Lagos or call 

08023020108; 08058110288. 

*For further enquiries call: 

08023020108, 08058110288. 

w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / 

pastoroloruntimilehin.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018 —PAGE 41 

EDITED BY OSA AMADI 

osaamadi@yahoo.com 

08070524223 

By OSA AMADI, Arts Editor 

Domestic violence is not only when 

physical injuries are inflicted on 

women. It can also be sexual. When a 

man fails to have enough sex with his wife, that 

is domestic violence. 

This came out on May 1, 2018 during 

the unveiling of Adepoju Atinuke’s 

book titled Budding Lily. It was also 

an occasion for creation of 

awareness and sensitization on 

domestic violence. The venue was 

the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy 

(KIND) Secretariat, Moshood 

Abiola Crescent Ikeja, Lagos. 

Speaking at the event, Guest Speaker, 

Mrs. Rosetta Ibegbu who said it is domestic 

violence for a man not to have enough sex with 

his wife also said research has shown it is even for 

the health benefits of men to have at least 20 days 

of sex, out of 30 days of the month in order to avoid 

prostate cancer. 

Other forms of domestic violence, according to 

Rosetta, are threats, control, passive abuse 

(neglect), and domineering behaviour such as 

preventing the wife from working for fear she 

might use the opportunity to go having affairs with 

other men (or women, as the case may be these 

days). 

Mrs. Ibegbu advised young 

people to stop being desperate 

for relationships, and that 

parents should stop pushing 

their children into wrong 

relationships. 

Asked whether it is no longer 

having too much sex with a wife 

against her will that constitutes 

domestic violence as narrated 

in the opening chapter of 

Dudding Lily, Rosetta said both 

– not having enough sex with 

one’s wife and having too much 

sex with her against her will – 

amount to domestic violence. 

She was also asked why 

feminists and gender equality 

activists have not deemed it 

necessary to fight for equal 

rights in polygamy – that is, for 

women to have rights to marry 

up to 4 or more husbands as 

men do. “That is not possible” 

was her only answer in a world 

where everything, even gay 

marriage, has become possible. 

Strategies for surviving 

domestic violence, said Rosatta, 

include speaking out (but be 

By Japhet Alakam 

Nigeria is set to host the 

gathering of some of the 

most prominent and influential 

figures from the world of 

publishing in what is tagged the 

International Publishers 

Association (IPA) seminar. The 

occasion which will be the first of 

its kind is scheduled to hold on 

May 9th at the Eko Hotels, 

Victoria Island, Lagos and will 

discuss among other things the 

major challenges and 

opportunities that could dictate 

the future of the industry across 

Africa. 

Speaking about the all 

important event, Mr Gbadega 

Adedapo, President of the Nigeria 

Publishers Association(NPA) said 

“the seminar will be structured 

around the theme ‘Publishing for 

Sustainable Development: The 

Role of Publishers in Africa’, and 

Having less sex with wife 

is domestic violence 

— Rosetta Ibegbu 

sure not to speak to the wrong 

person, she advises) otherwise, 

you become a network news! 

(Words in Italics are ours). Other 

strategies are safety first, not 

necessarily divorce. Sometimes 

you need space, safe place or 

environment to recover, she 

said. 

Other men who attended the 

event also asked the panel 

(comprising of Barrister Mrs 

Toyin Ojo, Bolanle Babarinde, 

and Fashakin Michael) why 

most feminists advise women to 

leave their husbands when they 

themselves are grappling with 

similar problems in their own 

marriages and managing those 

problem without leaving their 

IPA, NPA host world publishers in Lagos 

will consist of six-panel 

discussions to be held on the 

sidelines of the Nigeria 

International Book Fair.” 

Highlighting the global 

importance of the seminar, he 

stated that it will feature 

international panellists from 

across the continent and beyond, 

representing many of the IPA’s 76 

members from 65 countries. 

The seminar which will be 

declared open by Dr Michiel 

Kolman, President of the IPA, will 

discuss on the following topics: 

the publishing industry’s socioeconomic 

contribution to Africa; 

strengthening African 

educational publishing; bringing 

the voice of African writers and 

publishers to the world; the role 

of technology in overcoming 

illiteracy and promoting reading; 

addressing freedom to publish 

challenges in Africa; and 

enhancing enforcement of 

copyright and IP laws. 

husbands. 

Earlier in her opening speech, 

Miss Ajibade Oluwatobi, 

President, Priceless Virtues 

International which 

collaborated with Adepoju 

Atinuke to organize the event, 

said “God has made us voice for 

the female gender. Society tells 

us to keep quiet in the face of 

gender discrimination and 

domestic violence. But today, it’s 

no longer so. We are speaking 

out.” Oluwatobi said the aim of 

the book, Dudding Lily, is to 

educate females to find 

something doing and not be idle 

and depend on the husband’s 

resources. 

The author of Dudding Lily, 

Adepoju Atinuke, read the 

opening paragraphs of the book 

in her book reading. She said 

she had originally intended 

writing a short story but later 

decided to make it a novel 

based on the advice of a friend. 

“Domestic violence takes place 

all over the world, not just in 

Nigeria,” she said, “I enjoin 

everyone, not only to get a copy, 

but also to read it and buy for 

other people.”Atinuke is an 

English Studies graduate of 

Adekunle Ajasin University and 

currently works with a Nigerian 

bank. 

Budding Lily narrates the story 

of a young couple in the heart 

of Lagos faced with the problem 

of childlessness and domestic 

violence in a society that lays 

emphasis on fertility. It’s a story 

of the modern African woman 

and her patience, resistance, 

and fight against abnormal 

norms. It’s a story of love, pain, 

hope and a country on the verge 

of change. 

The book was reviewed by 

Barrister Toyin Ojo. 

The Piano 

Teac 

eacher 

With 

OSA AMADI 

Arts Editor 

The writer inside the musician 

The Musician, The Piano Teacher, and The Writer evolved 

concurrently. But it appears we have marginalized The Writer 

in this narrative, and that is unfair, because you can see it is 

The Writer who is doing much of the work here. So before we go to 

Lagos, indulge me to retrace my narrative steps and fill you in on the 

evolution of The Writer alongside these other two professionals. 

My writing skill is a product of my addiction to books. It is possible 

that I am more addicted to books, and have read more books in my 

life, than any other person living today. Presently, my reading bias 

cuts across non-fictional – history, biographies, the sciences, 

environment, inspirational and good Christian literatures. But I had 

begun with fictions, especially James Hadley Chase and Nick Carter. 

I don’t think there is any James Hadley Chase novel I did not read. 

Much later, I discovered the richness of African literature – the 

Heinemann African Writers Series – Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, 

Cyprian Ekwensi, Chukwuemeka Ike, Buchi Emecheta, Ngugi wa 

Thiong’o, Peter Abraham, Ayi Kwei Armah, etc. 

Even now, my addiction to books has not abated. My favorite 

destinations are bookshops, especially the roadside ‘bend down 

bookshops’ where used books are sold. With only N100, I have bought 

quality books so rich in content and worth thousands of naira. 

Once I get hold of a good book I do not rest until I am done with it. 

I have never allowed time to constitute a barrier between me and the 

devouring of any good book I come across. I sleep with books and 

wake up with books. On Lagos roads, I am hardly aware of any traffic 

gridlock because I am always absorbed in the book I am reading, 

whether it is day or night. I always carry books and flashlight (for 

night reading) in my bag. 

In my house, I have no other useful property apart from books. My 

wife complains that books have taken over every available space in 

our house. And each book must be left or returned to where I keep it, 

otherwise trouble ensues whenever my mind zeroes in on a book for 

reference when I am writing and I get to where I kept it only to find 

out it is no longer there. 

Long time ago, after I was saturated with reading, I began to yearn 

to write. I started teaching myself to write by keeping journals after I 

had read Henry David Thoreau from my father’s Chambers around 

1984. At my request, my father had gone to the government press at 

Owerri and brought a large ream of off-cut papers for me. With the 

off-cuts, I started keeping daily record of my thoughts and everything 

that happened around me then with dates. I still have the original 

manuscripts with me today and I marvel whenever I read them. I see 

how I have progressed over the years from a clumsy writer to a novelist 

and a master storyteller. The oldest page of my journals I could lay 

hands on is dated 31/01/1987 (Saturday). And this is what I wrote 

(unedited): 

EDUCATION 

My education is my source of hapiness. While my mates waited to 

be admitted into the university before they start their higher education, 

I took to self education. And today I am as good as a university 

graduate... 

Another abstract concept I explored in my journal was ‘Respect’. 

On 2/02/1987, I wrote: 

RESPECT 

Be careful in giving respect. A fool’s interpretation of respect given 

to him is fear. Such respects could instill a feeling of audacity into the 

fool against the giver. Respect should not be given to fools who don’t 

know the value. 

This is an eternal truth. Thirty one years later, till today, I have had 

no single experience which disproved that insight. Over the years, I 

have met a lot of fools who had misinterpreted and spurned the respect 

I have extended to them. Those people do not deserve to be respected 

on account of their foolishness. The Bible rightly says that “a rod is 

for a fool’s back”. 

On March 2, 1993 during the prolonged ASUU strike that kept 

university students at home for a whole academic session, my father 

died in active service as the Administrator-General, Estates & Trusts, 

Ministry of Justice, Imo State. Something significant died in me, in 

my mother, and in my siblings, along with my father. As A.G of Estates 

& Trusts he had left his estate and money in the bank for the state to 

administer for his family. It was after my father died that I came to 

realize that we live in a wicked world. All the people my father helped 

and made in life left, while we writhed in emotional and financial 

pains. 

Around June 1993, I was seized by a great emotion to write a book 

based on my experiences at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- 

Ife. I was in my final year and the prolonged ASUU strike was still 

on. Once I picked up my pen and began to write I became a prisoner 

to the deluge of inspirations bombarding my mind. Images, characters, 

dialogues, and sceneries jumped out from nowhere and project 

themselves onto my consciousness as in motion pictures. Words I had 

no idea they existed in my vocabulary store popped up from my subconscious 

realm into my brain. I was confined to the spiritual. 

For three months (June to August 1993) I wrote from day into night 

and from night into day with little or no sleep, capturing those images 

raging in my mind like rampaging ocean waves. It was after I had 

written the last word in what became BURN AGAIN, my first novel, 

that I realized I had been in a partial trance for three months. I still 

marvel till this day each time I read BURN AGAIN. I have never 

ceased to wonder from whence those words like sculptured images 

had come from. 

When the ASUU strike came to an end I took the raw manuscript to 

Ife and from Ife I brought it to Lagos in 1994/1995.


David Adesina and Charlene Aboyowa Omoko in wedding bliss 

David Adesina and Charlene Aboyowa Omoko were joined in holy wedlock recently 

Uwemedimo Esiet marks 60 

Executive Director, Action Health 

Incorporated, Dr. Uwemedimo Esiet, 

celebrated his 60th birthday at Southern Sun 

Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos. 

From left: Ms Remi Efele, Ms Temisan Rose Egbe 

and Madam Luz Ereku. 

From left: Ukeme Esiet, Sina Tychus, Adenike Esiet, 

Uwemedimo Esiet, (celebrant) Tope Tychus and 

Usen Esit. 

The couple, David Adesina and Charlene Aboyowa 

Omoko. 

From left: Madam Luz Ereku, Ms Temisan Rose Egbe, 

Mrs Comfort Omoko, mother of the bride (MBE ); and 

Mrs Grace Ugbeye-Obahor (bride's aunt). 

From left: Jide Omokore, Uwemedimo Esiet and friends 

Paul Enebeli at 65 

The past President-General, Ndokwa Neku Union (NNU), Chief Paul Enebeli, celebrated his 65th birthday in Delta 

State. In attendance were dignitaries, among whom was Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. 

From left; Femi Dosumu, Folake Dosumu and 

Adenike Esiet. 

Similoluwa graduation 

From left: Onyebashi Obiechina; Gov Ifeanyi Okowa; Chief Paul Enebeli ( celebrant); wife, Ije; Dame Esther 

Uduehi, member, Delta State Advisory and Peace Building Council, and Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, during the 

cutting of the birthday cake 

Sen. Matthew Urhoghide, presenting a plaque on behalf 

of PSN, Delta State, to Enebeli, while Sen. Williams 

Ishima, Chairman, PSN, Delta State and others watch. 

Chairman, NNU Warri branch, Emeka Enebeli, 

presenting a portrait to the celebrant, while other watch. 

Daughter of the South West Editor of Vanguard, Dayo 

Johnson, Similoluwa (middle), flanked by dad (right) 

and mum, Oluwakemi, her graduation ceremony at 

Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 6, 2018 PAGE 43 

PARENTING 

Hello to our parents 

out there! It is no 

more news that 

there are child abuser are 

all over the place. From the 

home to the school, from 

neighbourhood to the 

worship places just to 

mention a few. There is no 

week we don’t receive cases 

of child abuse of all sorts 

with the highest level of 

child sexual abuse. What 

has really gone wrong? Did 

these abusers suddenly 

wake up to start 

perpetrating their evil 

deeds? What can we say to 

a grandfather that slept 

with his 

grand 

child and 

impregnated 

her? 

What 

about 

siblings 

sleeping 

together 

until they 

impregnated 

themselves? 

Where is 

the place of parenting in all 

these? Where is the place of 

the child? Where is the 

place of the neighbours in 

curbing abuse? Things 

seem as if it is getting 

worse everyday but I want 

to tell our parents that the 

media report is exposing all 

these rots that had been in 

the hidden decades ago. 

As parents, do we just 

continue to read these 

reports and thank God that 

it did not or can not happen 

to our own children? These 

abuser were not born like 

that. Many of them are 

victims of child abuse. If 

this act had been curb or 

drastic actions were taking 

then, there is possibility 

that we wouldn’t have had 

it so bad like this. 

As parents, this is the 

time to drop nagging at our 

children but to be friendlier 

to them, counsel them and 

also try our best for them to 

live in secured 

environment. Let there be 

balance between our work 

or business and our family. 

The child we refused to 

counsel or trained properly 

today will be the bone on 

the neck tomorrow. 

Our children are the 

future of these country and 

we can afford to grow 

children that are 

psychologically imbalance. 

If not, may God help our 

dear country. 

Do have a great week 

Worried about a Special Needs child? Here are some tips for you: 

God created everyone on earth 

differently and that why no science can 

proof that there is a type of one even 

identical twins are different in some features. 

So every child is special and unique in his or 

her own way. I have heard of so many people 

said that special children are always found in 

the house of the rich rumouring that they are 

used for money rituals but I have seen so 

many in the homes of the poor. Many 

parents even leave such children in the 

hospital to die for fear of unknown (where to 

go to, how to cope with the challenges that 

come with it etc.). Whatever reasons anyone 

may have, no one dreams of having a child 

who will be a burden in life as many think, 

but if it happens, then it is the responsibility 

of such parents to give such a life a good one 

and see it as a challenge that must be faced 

to give back to God. 

This column will enlighten parents with 

such challenges where to go for help, what to 

do and how to help the child to live a good 

live. We will start by enlightening parents on 

Down Syndrome. Do have a great week 

Down Syndrome 

Do you know that about one baby in every 

thousand is born with Down Syndrome? 

Down syndrome is a genetic condition that 

results in some level of learning disability 

and a characteristic range of physical 

features. LearningDisability significantly 

affects a child’s ability to learn compared 

with other children of their age. This does 

not mean a child cannot learn at all. Down 

syndrome is one of the most common causes 

of learning disability. 

What causes the syndrome? 

The human body is made up of cells. Each 

Follow us in next edition 

cell is like a factory, which has everything 

needed for growth and to maintain the body. 

Every cell contain a nucleus in which genes 

are stored. Genes are grouped in thread-like 

structures called chromosomes. Usually, the 

nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of 

chromosomes. Twenty-three are inherited 

from the mother and 23 from the father. This 

makes 46 chromosomes in all. 

In people with Down syndrome, all or some 

of the cells in their bodies contain 47 

chromosomes, as there is an extra copy of 

chromosome 21. This additional genetic 

material results in the range of physical and 

developmental characteristics associated 

with Down syndrome. 

Do you know Down Syndrome can 

happen to anyone? 

TENDER PALMS SCHOOL INTER HOUSE SPORTS. PHOTOS BY BUNMI AZEEZ 

Ofe Amuka [2nd left] with other children during 20-meter race 

at Tender Palms School 2nd Bi-Annual Inter House Sports Competition 

held in Arowojobe, Mende, Maryland, Lagos. 

From left: Mrs. Etimi Ajila, Special Guest of Honour; Mrs. Abiba 

Rosline; Mrs. Olufisayo Olaleye and Mrs. Magdalene Omole, Director 

&Head of School. 

Children during one of the events. 

Children during bouncer race.

PAGE 44 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018 

Viewpoint 

Christians and party/partisan politics — The mind of God 

By Olu George 

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF 

Understanding what God wants 

THE disciples of Jesus Christ 

in the book of Acts 11:26 

were called Christians for the first 

time in the city of Antioch, when 

the people of Antioch saw that the 

disciples assembled themselves in 

the church throughout a whole 

year teaching the people. The 

disciples of Jesus in Antioch were 

seen to be Christ-like as they preoccupied 

themselves with their 

sole assignment, the great 

commission which was handed 

down to them by Jesus Christ, 

before His ascension into heaven. 

And that great commission, as 

written in Matthew 28:20 was that, 

the disciples and indeed all 

genuine followers of Christ should 

go and teach all nations, making 

them to observe all things 

whatsoever Jesus has commanded 

them with the promise that He 

will be with them always as long 

as they remain in their divine 

calling. From thence the disciples 

were not in any way distracted 

from their heavenly assignment as 

we can observe in Mark 16:19-20 

“So then after the Lord had 

spoken unto them, he was received 

up into heaven, and sat on the right 

hand of God. And they went forth, 

and preached everywhere, the 

Lord working with them, and 

confirming the word with signs 

following.” 

Jesus Christ says in John 17:18 

that as His Father hath sent Him 

into the world (to preach good 

tidings unto the meek, and to bind 

Genuine Christians 

who want to enter 

heaven are warned 

by the Spirit of 

truth not to be 

unequally yoked 

together with 

unbelievers 

up the broken-hearted, to 

proclaim liberty to the captives 

etc.) even so has He also sent His 

disciples into the world. Jesus 

further stated in verse 16, that His 

disciples were not of the world 

even as He was not of this world. 

If therefore the disciples of Jesus 

Christ and indeed all genuine 

Christians are not of this world, it 

means they are not to love the 

world, neither the things that are 

in the world. Otherwise, if they do, 

it means the love of God is not in 

them as it is written in I John 2:15. 

And one of the three abominable 

things that are in this world is 

pride of life which is not of the 

Father but of the world. 

It is important to recognize the 

fact that genuine Christians, that 

is, the saints of God, who are born 

of the Spirit of truth are always at 

war with principalities and 

powers, with spiritual wickedness 

in high places, with the rulers of 

the darkness of the world. All 

these make up the army of satan. 

Christian soldiers, especially the 

Ministers of God are the major 

targets of these principalities and 

powers who muster their unseen 

arrays waiting for their 

unguarded hour. And so they 

cannot afford to be at ease in Zion 

and entangle themselves with the 

affairs of this life. They live their 

lives in accordance to the 

scripture in II Timothy 2:4, which 

reads “No man that warreth 

entangleth himself with the 

affairs of this life; that he may 

please him who hath chosen him 

to be a soldier.” True Christians 

must recognize the fact that the 

whole world lieth in wickedness 

because the world and its vain 

glory belong to satan, the prince 

of this world. Satan tempted Jesus 

Christ with the kingdoms of the 

world and their vain glories. That 

would have meant bowing down 

to satan, if he had allowed 

Himself to be enticed by the glory 

of this world. 

Even when Jesus perceived the 

intention of some men to forcibly 

make Him a king, because they 

saw all the miracles that He did, 

Jesus avoided this earthly honour, 

by departing from them to hide 

Himself. John 6:15 He declined 

the earthly honour because He 

knew that His kingdom was not 

of this world, where people who 

desperately aspire for a political 

ambition make use of their 

“loyalists” to defend themselves 

against their enemies or their 

opponents. John 18:36 

In Isaiah 42:2, Prophet Isaiah, 

prophesied of Jesus Christ who is 

the perfect example for all 

Christians, who are conscious of 

heaven. And what was that 

prophecy? “He shall not cry, nor 

lift up, nor cause his voice to be 

heard in the street.” The meaning 

of this prophecy is this: Jesus 

would not contend with opponents 

neither would He raise His voice 

in the street to cause a mob “spirit” 

that would incite the people to fight 

for Him against His opponents. 

Therefore, the kingdom of the 

world as spoken by Jesus is not 

for heaven-bound Christians. 

They have a kingdom that is yet 

to come, in which they shall be 

made kings and priests, to reign 

with Christ on earth here. 

Revelations 5:10. Christians who 

love the appearing of Jesus Christ 

in the rapture are therefore 

commanded to keep themselves 

unspotted from the world and its 

system. For this is the only pure 

and true religion for Christians. 

James 1:27c 

Genuine Christians who want to 

enter heaven are warned by the 

Spirit of truth not to be unequally 

yoked together with unbelievers 

but to come out from amongst 

them and not to touch the unclean 

thing so that they can be the true 

sons and the true daughters of God 

the Father as written in II 

Corinthians 6:14-18 “Be ye not 

unequally yoked together with 

unbelievers: for what fellowship 

hath righteousness with 

unrighteousness? and what 

communion hath light with 

darkness? And what concord hath 

Christ with Belial? or what part 

hath he that believeth with an 

infidel? And what agreement hath 

the temple of God with idols? for 

ye are the temple of the living God; 

as God hath said, I will dwell in 

them, and walk in them; and I will 

be their God, and they shall be my 

people. Wherefore come out 

from among them, and be ye 

separate, saith the Lord, and 

touch not the unclean thing; and I 

will receive you, And will be a 

Father unto you, and ye shall be 

my sons and daughters, saith the 

Lord Almighty.” POLITICKING 

IS AN UNCLEAN THING FOR 

THE SAINTS OF GOD, WHO 

HAVE THE VISION OF 

HEAVEN. 

From all that has been said so 

far, we have come to know and 

understand what Christianity is all 

about, and who is a Christian. 

We can now proceed further to 

define what politics is all about 

and who is a politician. By 

dictionary definition, politics 

means the act or science of 

government or the management 

of a political party, political affairs 

or opinions. It means 

MANEUVERING AND 

INTRIGUING. A politician, by 

dictionary definition, means an 

INTRIGUER OR A 

MANEUVRERER or one who is 

interested in party/partisan 

politics or one engaged in 

political life/affairs, one who 

makes a profession or a game of 

politics. 

•George is of Christian Gospel 

Church (The Truth Centre) 

By Obed Nwani 


The successor issue 

PAUCITY of democracy 

dividends to Nigerians in the 

past three years, compounded by 

grinding economic hardship, has 

make it an uphill task for the All 

Progressives Congress, APC, 

governorship aspirants in Imo 

State in the 2019 elections and 

explains why new entrants 

such as Sir Stanley Chiedoziem 

Amuchie with unblemished 

political records draws closer 

attention from constituents across 

the state. 

While many of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP, and APC 

aspirants have resumes in the 

public domain, their track record 

in different offices have provoked 

a fatigue for such resumes as they 

were not often backed with 

outstanding delivery in their 

appointed or elected positions, 

hence constituents are now more 

By Mariam Eko 


An initiative to clean Lagos 

FACILITATING an efficient 

approach to waste 

management in Lagos State is the 

core of Visionscape Sanitation 

Solutions framework for the new 

waste management system – the 

Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI). For 

decades, the waste management 

process encountered major issues 

with collection, and logistics of 

transporting waste. A major cause 

of these issues is due to the capacity 

and condition of waste collection 

trucks and their inability to travel 

as far as the landfills such as Epe to 

dispose collected waste. 

Less attention was paid to creating 

facilities to bridge the gap between 

IMO 2019: Nwosu, Amuchie and others 

zealous to scrutinize new resume 

of someone like Amuchie, a top 

class accountant, administrator 

and technocrat, a first class 

graduate of industrial chemistry 

(University of Benin), who holds 

a master's degree in corporate 

governance (Leeds Beckett 

University, UK). 

The Mbaise-born technocrat, 

who is aspiring to govern Imo on 

the platform of the All 

Progressives Grand Alliance, 

APGA, is a fellow of the Chartered 

Institute of Accountants of 

Nigeria, FCA, and an Honorary 

Senior Member of the Chartered 

Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, 

HCIB. 

Amuchie, who has attended 

various local and foreign 

leadership courses in institutions 

like Insead Business School 

(France) and Havard Business 

School, USA, started his career at 

Arthur Andersen, Lagos (now 

KPMG Professional Services) in 

September 1995 where he rose to 

the level of a senior before leaving 

in February 2000 for the banking 

industry. 

How transfer loading stations can solve Lagos 

waste collection challenges 

Waste 

transportation 

is a very crucial 

aspect of waste 

management 

infrastructure 

the points of collection and disposal. 

Waste transportation is a very 

crucial aspect of waste 

management infrastructure. 

The people of Imo 

are patiently waiting 

to make that 

decision in 2019 to 

prove to the 

governor that the 

choice of who 

governs the state 

belongs to voters 

An efficient and effective 

approach to waste management 

has been developed to aid the 

collection, transportation and 

storage of waste across Lagos 

State. This approach involves the 

refurbishment and retrofitting of 

three transfer loading stations 

(TLS) in the state. A TLS serves as a 

midpoint for municipal solid waste 

collection, where waste is 

temporarily stored, then transferred 

to larger trucks and sent in bulk to 

the landfill for final disposal and 

processing. 

Visionscape Sanitation Solutions 

has taken concession and 

management of the TLSs across the 

State – Agege, Oshodi and Lagos 

Island. Each TLS are strategically 

located to address collection 

efficiency and increase the trips for 

waste collection. While the Agege 

and Lagos Island stations handle 

only solid waste, the Oshodi station 

will not only cater to solid waste but 

also medical and hazardous waste. 

The TLS will also be the point of 

sorting and bundling of plastic 

waste, separating them from the biodegradable 

materials that end up 

in the landfill. 

“The Lagos market is highly 

dependent on plastic materials. 

He joined the Financial Control 

and Strategic Planning of one of 

the top-most ranking bank in 2000 

and is currently the Group Chief 

Financial Officer of the bank. In 

addition to his current 

responsibilities, he is a director of 

the Bank's Nominees Limited, a 

global Custody Subsidiary. 

At various times, he was in charge 

of the co-ordination of the group's 

foreign, and real estate operations; 

chairman of the Bank's Securities 

Limited; Director Trustees; and 

Director Bureau De Change 

Limited of the same Bank. 

In recognition of his support and 

work in God's vineyard, the 

founder/president of the Goodlight 

Foundation was, in 2007, admitted 

into the order of the Knighthood 

of St. Christopher, KSC, among 

other awards. 

Compared to the resume of 

Governor Rochas Okorocha's sonin-law, 

Mr Chris Nwosu, whose 

main credentials do not go 

beyond working under his fatherin-law 

after reading urban and 

regional planning at Imo State 

University, Amuchie earned his 

position and social standing 

among leaders through diligent 

competition among peers, 

whereas Nwosu is seen in some 

quarters as the elongation of the 

tenure of Okorocha, whose 

administration has been adjudged 

a failure by the vast majority of 

the people of Imo. The final 

judgment ultimately rests on the 

ballot and not the choice of 

Okorocha as boasted on different 

occasions. The people of Imo are 

patiently waiting to make that 

decision in 2019 to prove to the 

governor that the choice of who 

governs the state belongs to voters 

and not an out-going governor 

who has failed by squandering the 

goodwill of the people. 

•Nwani is an Owerri, Imo State 

based lawyer 

Without adequate disposal 

processes, the waste materials end 

up polluting the earth, the oceans 

and ultimately, affecting human 

health. Improving the process of 

sorting and packaging at these 

transfer loading stations makes it 

easier for us to recover materials 

that would have caused pollution,” 

John Irvine, Visionscape Sanitation 

Solutions CEO, said. 

From saving energy and reducing 

mileage for waste collection 

compactors, to reducing queues 

and waiting time at the landfill as 

well as any likely wear and tear of 

compactors, the benefits of the 

transfer loading stations reflect in 

both economic and environmental 

terms. 

•Eko is resident in Lagos.

Viewpoint 

By Sufuyan Ojeifo 


No to language of war 

THE abandonment of ethics in 

the articulation of private 

fixations has reached its most 

disgusting level in the domain of 

rejoinder writing in Edo State. It 

is necessary to state this now so 

that Mr. Crusoe Osagie would not 

go away feeling conceited that 

there was honour in his use of 

dishonourable tactics. 

In an obtuse bid to massage his 

ego and satisfy a false sense of 

accomplishment, he reduced my 

analysis of the political 

developments in Edo State to a 

product of dishonest briefing by 

the Chair of Edo State Peoples 

Democratic Party (PDP), Chief 

Dan Osi Orbih. That 

rationalisation was patently 

unfair, infantile, pitiable and 

cheap. 

To be sure, Osagie works as a 

media aide to the Governor of Edo 

State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. He 

took the opportunity of defending 

his boss to wantonly assault my 

person and professional integrity. 

If he had done so with a touch of 

brilliance, I would not have 

bothered so much. But he did it in 

a poorly-crafted rejoinder to my 

article titled: “Obaseki and the 

dialectics of oppositional politics”, 

which was published very recently 

in some newspapers and online 

news portals. 

CRUSOE OSAGIE: How not to write a rejoinder 

From his deployment of the 

language of war, he clearly exposed 

his incapacity to be above the fray, 

which I consider, stricto sensu, the 

supreme requirement of a good 

rejoinder. If he had been above the 

fray, he would have been able to 

deal with the essential issues, 

correct misconceptions and 

refrain from personality attack. 

Sadly, Osagie failed the critical 

test from the outset of his 

riposte. He allowed himself to 

sink very low into the odious and 

the ridiculous when, in a flash of 

approbation, he claimed that I was 

well known to him and, in another 

flash of reprobation, he described 

his reply to my article as an 

intellectual exchange with an 

opponent that he knew fairly well 

because, according to him, we 

worked together in THISDAY 

newspapers for several years. 

I do not deny that both of us had 

the privilege of working in 

THISDAY but, as I write now, if I 

run into him, I would not recognize 

him because we never had any 

personal contact while in 

THISDAY. While he was a reporter 

on the Business Desk (Agriculture 

beat or so) and later Deputy News 

Editor many years after I had left 

THISDAY, I was Politics Editor in 

Abuja covering the Senate. He 

must have known me well by my 

professional reputation. For 

Describing me, 

therefore, as an 

opponent 

presupposed that 

Osagie was out for a 

battle to settle some 

personal scores 

personal reasons, I resigned at the 

point I was redeployed to the State 

House as State House Bureau 

Chief in 2010. 

Describing me, therefore, as an 

opponent presupposed that Osagie 

was out for a battle to settle some 

personal scores: perhaps because 

I had the audacity to capture the 

atmospherics and the nuances of 

the dialectical relationship 

between the opposition and the 

state government in a way that 

portrayed his boss as somewhat 

incompetent; or because I had the 

effrontery to point out Governor 

Obaseki’s political and strategic 

misstep of not loading his 


government with experienced and 

grassroots politicians whom 

Osagie gratuitously described as 

political jobbers. 

Osagie actually referred to my 

case for inclusion of All Progressives 

Congress (APC) leaders who 

worked round the clock for 

Obaseki’s election in the 

government while he was enjoying 

himself in THISDAY newsroom in 

Lagos as “a shameful case for jobs 

for the boys.”Now where is the logic 

in Osagie’s despicable claim that I 

received a jaundiced brief from 

Orbih and other actors in the PDP 

in Edo? Was he saying that part of 

the brief was to make a case for the 

strategic inclusion of experienced 

and grassroots politicians in the 

APC fold in the government who 

would provide a solid rampart for 

Obaseki to succeed? 

This is obviously non-sequitur. 

The PDP does not want Obaseki to 

succeed. It is in the interest of the 

PDP that Obaseki continues to 

commit a rash of blunders and 

scoring own goals. I would not 

revisit all the specific issues that I 

raised in my article to which 

Osagie had reacted. That is not the 

essence of this piece. The essence of 

this exertion is to instruct Osagie 

on how not to write a rejoinder. His 

approach was jejune. It largely 

detracted from the solemnity of the 

office he occupies and the task of a 

salesman that he undertakes for his 

boss. 

Let me state at this juncture that I 

had sincerely wanted to 

discountenance Osagie's rejoinder 

since my positions as contained in 

the casus belli (my article) that 

gave rise to it (rejoinder) remain 

unassailable; however, I could not 

but yield to the constant urge to 

respond in order to guide an 

unknown friend, not an opponent, 

on how to acquit himself creditably 

when next he is challenged to justify 

the pay he receives from his boss 

for obligatory defence. 

Finally, even though he did not 

see anything worthy of 

commendation in my wellintentioned 

intervention in the 

political developments in my dear 

state, I must commend Osagie for 

his push in getting his rejoinder 

published in the Sunday Vanguard 

of April 1, 2018, even when my 

article was not published, in the 

first instance, in the newspaper. 

Perhaps, he does not know that 

having spent ten years and ten 

months in Vanguard, bowing out 

as Abuja Bureau Editor in 2005, I 

remain a part of the Vanguard 

family and I deserve to be accorded 

this right of reply. 

Ojeifo, editor-in-chief of The 

Congresswatchmagazine, wrote 

viaojwonderngr@yahoo.com 

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○ ○ ○ ○ 

By Solomon Inyangette 

UDOM: Tackling unemployment through SME 


Stimulating the economy 

IN an "Unemployment and 

Underemployment Report" 

released in December 2017, the 

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) 

reported that the country's 

unemployment rate rose from 14.2% 

to 18.8% in 2017. The NBS also 

reported that the total number of 

people in full time employment (at 

least 40 hours a week) declined from 

52.7 million in the second quarter 

2017 to 51.1 million in the third 

quarter of the year. 

At unemployment rate of 18.8%, 

Nigeria has the highest 

unemployment rate among the 

MINT nations of Mexico, 

Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey. This 

is a mind boggling statistic. 

The economic effects and impacts 

of unemployment include a surge 

in crime rate, lowered tax revenue 

and economic growth, loss of skills, 

increased demand for substandard 

goods and services and of course 

The government of 

Emmanuel has laid a 

solid foundation for 

the growth of the 

Akwa Ibom economy 

by stimulating small 

and medium scale 

enterprises 

development 

prostitution. Of note is the fact that 

a country with low productivity will 

always face the challenge of 

substantial unemployment. Nigeria 

is of course not an exception. With 

low productivity from the real sector 

at abysmal low levels and the dearth 

of manufacturing and extractive 

industries, it is little wonder that 

unemployment is very high. 

To tackle the problem of 

unemployment, we must get the real 

sector working and 

producing. One weapon to use is 

to invest in SMEs. 

An active SME sector creates 

opportunities resulting in higher 

volume of production, employment, 

massive entrepreneurial talents. 

There is a connection between 

financial development and 

economic growth. If SMEs have 

easy access to finance, it helps to 

improve their operational capacity 

and efficiency thereby increasing 

their level of income generation. 

Increased levels of SMEs earnings 

equally help to reduce poverty and 

income inequality. 

Recognizing the untapped growth 

potentials and huge economic 

returns derivable from developing 

the SME sector of Akwa Ibom State, 

Governor Udom Emmanuel, at 

inception in 2015, decided to create 

developmental programmes 

fashioned to foster economic growth 

of the state by easing business 

activities, unlocking hidden local 

potential and stimulating local 

economy as a first line catalyst for 

industrial growth. 

While other state governments and 

newly elected governors were still 

enraptured in the euphoria of 

political ascendancy, Emmanuel 

was at the drawing board, 

developing a comprehensive and 

strategic approach to tackling 

unemployment and low productivity 

in the state. Few months into the 

administration, an economic and 

entrepreneurial initiative christened, 

Akwa Ibom Employment and 

Enterprise Scheme (AKEES), was 

flagged off. From day one, the 

government made it clear that its 

focus in governance was the 

industrialization of the state and job 

creation. AKEES was to jump start 

that agenda. With a mandate to 

reduce youth employment in the 

state by 50 percent (50%) by 2020, 

AKEES has worked with 

individuals and groups, taking 

ideas, skills, capacities and 

potentials and creating businesses 

and partnerships culminating in the 

activation and strengthening of over 

100 businesses in the last two years. 

To make this happen, AKEES uses 

the following strategies: micro 

franchising which allows 

beneficiaries of AKEES 

programmes to own and run 

businesses through small scale 

partnerships, Enterprise 

Programmes where individuals are 

enabled and supported to start their 

businesses in specific areas and 

tailored to meet needs in those areas. 

The government of Emmanuel 

has laid a solid foundation for the 

growth of the Akwa Ibom economy 

by stimulating small and medium 

scale enterprises development. 

•Inyangette, a Journalist, is 

based in Uyo 

By Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe 


Urhobo ahead of 2019 polls 

CHIEF Joe Omene is the arrow 

head of the 2015 Uvwiamuge 

Declaration for Urhobo Governor? 

Yes, he is at it again. 

In his recent interview with an online 

newspaper, "The Advocates," the 

former President General of the Urhobo 

Progress Union (UPU) berated 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over what 

he called "beggarly sorry state of Urhobo 

Political Appointees in Okowa Administration." 

Omene opined that the Urhobo in 

Okowa administration are mere political 

appointees without portfolios, 

men and women without authority to 

make decisions as their positions dictate. 

He went further to state that Okowa 

uses political appointments that come 

with peanuts as salaries to hold down 

Urhobo leading voices against his 

government. Could this be true? Certainly, 

NO. 

It surprises me to hear that from 

Omene, a man that facilitated the 

appointment of some persons turning 

Between Okowa and Joe Omene 

around to pour venom on this government. 

This volte voice of his must be 

bleached out of recognition. 

I remember clearly that Omene 

once sing-praised Okowa immediately 

he won the election but that love 

waxed cold after Olorogun Moses 

Taiga became the President General 

of UPU. 

Omene strongly believes that 

Okowa and the PDP bankrolled the 

victory of Olorogun Taiga and may 

have firmly decided to pitch tent with 

APC in 2019 to take his "pound of flesh" 

from PDP and the incumbent governor. 

This assumption remains a figment 

of his imagination. 

Let me remind Omene that castigating 

Okowa for appointing Urhobos 

without the required official powers 

to function will never yield any 

political point in the forthcoming electioneering 

campaign. It is the weakest 

point ever in political permutations 

because it lacks objectivity, facts and 

figures. Secondly, the Urhobos in government 

can as well speak for themselves 

at the appropriate time and cannot 

and will never be the duty of Omene 

Omene must be told 

that attacking Okowa 

ahead of the 2019 

general elections will 

have negative consequences 

in terms of 

luring eligible voters 

for the APC 

to speak for them. He lacked the 

justification to present himself as a 

voice for the Urhobo nation. Olorogun 

Moses Taiga is the legitimate and duly 

recognised PG of UPU, even though 

there are complaints here and there 

over his style of leadership. They 

opined that he ought to be vibrant, 

more visible and outspoken. 

Okowa as an experienced politician 

is aware that a government that treats 

political appointees with disdain 

stands the chances of experiencing 

swift surprises and does not need 

Omene to dance around issues meant 

for political electioneering strategists 

to deal with at the appropriate time. 

But in the instant case, there is no need 

for Omene's outburst. 

More importantly, Okowa has 

favoured the Urhobos in several ways 

including juicy appointments; from 

SSG through the ranks to bottom. And 

as a prosperity governor, he has all it 

takes to deal with issues relating to the 

welfare of Deltans including that of 

his appointees. 

Omene must be told that attacking 

Okowa ahead of the 2019 general elections 

will have negative consequences 

in terms of luring eligible voters for the 

APC. 

Omene must also be cautioned that 

castigating our royal fathers by saying 

"they sold people's farmlands to Fulani 

herdsmen" in return for cash which 

is why killings cannot be avoided is 

counter productive. 

Elected and appointed Urhobos in 

this administration are wise enough 

to make case for themselves whenever 

the need arises and certainly not the 

responsibility of the former UPU PG 

to speak for them ahead of the 2019 

polls. To the best of my knowledge, 

Urhobo appointees are in good stand- 

ing. 

I will be here to cross examine 

Omene publicly as inch towards the 

2019 governorship and general elections. 

On a final note, Omene must be told 

that the only authentic Urhobo National 

Political Leader (UNPL) recognised 

world-wide is our amiable and 

indefatigable Chief James Onanefe 

Ibori. He gave the Urhobo ethnic nationality 

of Delta Central firm instructions 

to re-elect Okowa in 2019. 

Political leaders in Delta Delta Central, 

from Chief Fovie to Senator 

Amori to Speaker Oborevbori to Chief 

Betnard Edewor to Elegbete Odibo 

and to all other political leaders in the 

entire eight (8) local government of 

the senatorial district, are on the same 

page with Ibori. 

Urhobo is working very hard to ensure 

100% victory for Okowa in the 

Delta Central come 2019. 

Urhobo governorship slot is not far 

away; 2023 is done deal and Okowa 

firmly promised that he shall handover 

power to a democratically elected 

Urhobo governor come May 29, 

2023. 

•Oghenesibe in Executive Assistant 

Communications to Governor 

Okowa of Delta State.

PAGE 46, SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018 

Asaba 2018 AAC: Ta Lou 

sends warning signs 

By Ben Efe 

COTE d’ Ivoire’s 

Marie Josee Ta Lou 

posted 10.85 seconds to 

establish a world leading 

time and a warning sign 

to all the top African 

women 100m runners 

ahead of the 21st Africa 

Athletics Championships 

billed for August in 

Asaba, Delta State. 

Ta Lou, who was running 

along side Blessing 

Okagbare-Ighoteghonor, 

Carina Horn of South 

Africa and Ivorien Murielle 

Ahoure at the IAAF 

Diamond League in 

Doha proved that she is 

the woman to beat at the 

African Championships 

after she set her personal 

best in her first race of 

the season. 

After the race in Doha, 

Nigerian athletics buff 

are already looking forward 

to seeing these top 

African women sprinters 

vying for honours in a 

year there isn’t any major 

global contest. 

“We wait and wonder if 

Ta Lou and the others 

will come to Asaba,” said 

former sprinter Endurance 

Ojokolo. 

“If they do come, I’m 

tipping our girl Blessing 

Okagbare to top them all. 

“She has the home 

crowd behind her and 

again, she has proved 

CSKA coach Viktor 

Goncharenko has 

told Ahmed Musa to up 

his game as he is not 

playing to his potentials. 

Musa has started all 14 

of CSKA’s matches since 

returning to the Russian 

capital on loan from 

Leicester City and has 

enjoyed a recent spell of 

good form, netting three 

goals and setting up two 

more in his last four 

games. 

“There will be no 

praise for Musa,” Goncharenko 

said. 

“In my opinion, for the 

time being he does not 

fully use his strong qualities. 

I’m not trying to 

that she is up there this 

season as well. 

“All I want is that the 

right conditions should 

be set for all our athletes 

because there are a 

whole lot of issues they 

are going through, some 

of which made Okagbare 

not to run at the Commonwealth 

Games. If 

everything is right, I am 

backing her to do well in 

Asaba 2018.” 

Back in March, Okagbare-Ighoteghonor 

claimed the African 

200m record with a 22.05 

seconds run, she followed 

up with a 10.72 

second wind assist run 

in Texas and on Friday, 

in Doha she came second 

behind Ta Lou with 

a run of 10.90 seconds. 

CAF Confed Cup: Enyimba set 

to battle Joliba in Calabar 

ENYIMBA Interna 

tional are set to battle 

Mali’s Djoliba today 

in the first game of CAF 

Confederation Cup, 

Group C. 

The Aba based side are 

the only Nigerian club 

left in continental contest 

and according to 

coach Paul Aigbogun, 

Enyimba is aiming to go 

all the way to the final 

Musa is not playing well, 

says CSKA coach 

*Musa 

press on him again, he 

knows that he can play 

better. Musa, has to 

make more progress. 

“Considering that we 

have a small squad, my 

main task as a coach is 

to pull out of the players 

everything they can do 

for the team.” 

Musa had a public row 

with Goncharenko last 

month when, after being 

substituted, he refused 

to shake the manager’s 

hand, walking straight 

past him. 

Goncharenko then approached 

Musa and reportedly 

told him he 

“would sit on the bench 

forever”. 

Nigeria 

Football 

Federation president, 

Amaju Pinnick said 

it will be hard to reconcile 

the factions of the 

Nigeria Sports Supporters 

Club ahead of the 

2018 FIFA World Cup. 

The Supporters club 

has been on warring part 

between two groups led 

by Rafiu Ladipo and Vincent 

Okumagba and according 

to Pinnick who 

has tried severally to settle 

the rift, the groups are 

“irreconcilable.” 

“The supporters club is 

divided by irreconcilable 

and win the trophy, how 

they handle the test of 

intention remain to be 

seen. 

The Nigerian Premier 

Football League side 

started their campaign 

against Benin’s Energie 

FC in the first round and 

they were clinical by bagging 

a 5-2 win over a 

two-legged affair. 

Up next was a play-off 

clash against South African 

champions Bidvest 

Wits, whom they drew 1- 

1 away in Johannesburg 

before securing a goalless 

stalemate at home. 

They managed to pass 

through to the group 

stages via an aggregate 

score on the away goals 

Divided supporters will cheer 

Eagles in Russia — Pinnick 

Ta Lou beats Jaimaca's Elaine Thompson at Doha 

meet. 

Super Eagles coach, 

Gernot Rohr said he 

expects captain, John 

Obi Mikel to be fit for the 

World Cup despite playing 

in Chinese League. 

The Chinese Super 

League may not be one 

of the most competitive 

leagues in the world but 

the German tactician has 

pointed out that his captain 

will be match fit 

differences,” said Amaju 

in apparent surrender 

that the warring factions 

cannot be patched in 

time for the World Cup. 

“I cannot take sides in 

this problem.” Pinnick 

added that as long as the 

various groups are not 

supporting a rival team 

and are throwing their 

full weight behind the 

Eagles in Russia, the 

NFF will go with this division. 

He argued that even 

top clubs around the 

world have various 

groups supporting them. 

rule as they reached the 

group stage. 

Against the Malians, 

they will want to keep 

doing well in front of 

their demanding supporters 

and to take the 

Nigerian football back to 

the top. A look at Djoliba, 

they faced Rwanda’s 

APR in the first round 

and were victorious 

through the away goals 

rule after netting away in 

their 2-2 draw. 

Their win set up a clash 

against another Nigerian 

side, MFM, whom 

they beat 1-0 in Lagos 

and secured a 0-0 draw 

at home, thus booking a 

spot in the group stages. 

Rohr expects Mikel to be 

fit for World Cup 

heading into the tournament 

as he plays week 

in, week out. 

‘’Obi Mikel is our captain 

and leader, very important 

for this team. 

The level of football in 

China is now higher and 

I am, in fact, lucky that 

he plays all the time and 

what will come in the 

right shape for the World 

Cup,’’ Rohr told 

Sportske Novosti. 

*Mikel 

ehisp61@gmail.com 

SWAN’s verdict on Dalung 

THE XXI Commonwealth Games ended in Gold 

Coast, Australia exactly three weeks ago and 

Team Nigeria finished in 9th position with 9 gold, 9 

silver and 6 bronze, a total of 24 medals. Compared 

with their outing four years ago in Glasgow, Scotland, 

it was a drop by one step from 8th to 9th. 

Interestingly, the man who President Muhammadu 

Buhari appointed to oversee the sports sector, Solomon 

Dalung, known for his many gaffes than 

positivity of the sector, like the Agama lizard was 

quick to heap praises on himself, claiming that Nigeria 

did better in Gold Coast than in Glasgow. This 

is without facts anyway. 

At a time some of us have resolved to siddon look 

and watch because everything so far written about 

this Plateau-born ‘hunter’ turned politician seemed 

to be ignored by the man who appointed him, our 

body, the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, 

SWAN which we thought had been overwhelmed by 

the system too suddenly came alive and told Dalung 

that he lied. 

In a strong statement by its secretary general, Wale 

Alabi, SWAN faulted the minister’s claim and reminded 

him that while Nigeria placed 8th in Glasgow 

four years ago with 11 gold, 11 silver and 14 

bronze medals, totalling 36, Team Nigeria dropped 

to 9th position with a total of 24 medals. 

Again while the 2014 feat was achieved with only 

seven sports, this year’s lower performance was 

achieved with 10 sports in which Dalung had claimed 

we had a better comparative advantage. This included 

gymnastics he knows we are not up to average. 

But do you blame him when the man that appointed 

him nor the National Assembly which have 

the oversight function of seeing that the sports sector 

is giving its due with the right appropriation of 

funds but also to see that funds are properly administered 

don’t know what to do or are less bothered 

about the sector. 

Even if the President doesn’t know, why is the 

National Assembly not asking questions? After the 

statement from SWAN, one expected that the National 

Assembly should have invited the sports minister 

to explain why the country failed to measure 

up with the 2014 performance even with the report 

of a much better budget for the Games. 

Worried by the poor performance, SWAN wrote, 

“Also, given the resources that were put into our 

participation at the Gold Coast Games, as well as 

the benefit of learning from the mistakes of the past, 

we should have done better than ever.” 

It argued that “If not for the intervention of Nigeria’s 

foreign-based athletes who had better training 

opportunities and facilities, we might not have won 

any medal.’ I shudder to think that the National 

Assembly did not see or read this piece from the 

SWAN body. 

Therefore the call by SWAN on the National Assembly 

to carry out its oversight function on the sports 

ministry could as well fall on deaf ears because these 

same legislators who are supposed to put the sports 

ministry in check lobby to be made part of the government 

delegation, causing the contingent to be 

bloated unnecessarily. 

Rather than accept that he had failed the nation 

by ill-preparing the athletes for the Games, Dalung 

made excuses by claiming that Team Nigeria did 

better this year. He exposed himself as someone who 

is not abreast with the ministry he is supposed to be 

supervising. He did the same thing in 2016, not preparing 

the athletes for the Rio Olympic Games which 

he defended by claiming, albeit ignorantly, that athletes 

don’t really need too much training to win 

medals once they have the winning mentality. 

The sports ministry is always hiding under the 

umbrella of no funds to deny athletes proper training 

before major competitions but it is a known fact 

that its officials always go to the National Assembly 

to defend their budget and the funds are appropriated 

accordingly. Was that not why the minister was 

once summoned after some federations complained 

about not receiving any money to train their athletes? 

When teams go out of their way to perform well, 

the minister quickly claims credit for it, attributing it 

to the so-called reforms he carried out to reposition 

the ministry. The same reforms that brought confusion 

into the election of sports federations that is 

still having ripple effects till today. 

In all, if the National Assembly is living up to its 

duty as a body overseeing the function of the sports 

ministry or even if the President has been showing 

interest in the sector and gauging the pulse of the 

stakeholders, maybe Dalung would have been history 

today. Until Dalung is removed as sports minister, 

the fortunes of the sector will continue to dwindle.


Neymar 

returns 

to PSG 

Neymar is back in 

training with Paris 

Saint-Germain as the Brazil 

star aims to recover from 

injury in time for the World 

Cup. The PSG forward has 

been out of action since suffering 

a fractured foot in a 

game against rivals Marseille 

at the end of February. 

PSG’s outgoing coach 

Unai Emery has indicated 

Neymar has a chance of 

featuring for the Ligue 1 

champions before the end 

of the season. And after flying 

back to the French capital 

from Brazil, Neymar 

was in the gym at the Ooredoo 

Training Centre on 

Saturday, building up his 

fitness levels. 

PSG drew 2-2 at Amiens 

in Ligue 1 on Friday and 

are next in action on Tuesday 

against third-tier side 

Les Herbiers in the Coupe 

de France final. 

Winning that match 

would ensure Emery departs 

PSG with a domestic 

treble, his side then completing 

the campaign with 

league games against 

Rennes and Caen on May 

12 and 19 respectively. 

Brazil get under way at 

the World Cup against 

Switzerland on June 17 

before facing Costa Rica 

and Serbia in their other 

group games. 

Super Eagles players 

2018 FIFA WC: 1998 Eagles 

better than my team — Rohr 

Liverpool riding their luck, 

says Conte 

Ahead of today’s 

English Premier 

League match between 

Chelsea and Liverpool 

at Stamford Bridge, the 

Blues’ boss has claimed 

that Liverpool will need 

more luck in the Champions 

League quest. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side 

secured their place in 

the Champions League 

final against Real Madrid 

by beating Roma 7- 

6 on aggregate in midweek. 

Conte believes 

Liverpool’s success in 

Europe would not be 

possible without fortune 

and they will need more 

luck to win the final in 

Kiev on May 26. 

He said: “In the 

league, you have 38 

games to show you deserve 

to win the league, 

to show you are the best 

during the season. 

“In the Champions 

League, when you reach 

the last 16 or quarter-finals 

or semi-finals, one 

situation - positive or 

negative - can change 

your future in this competition. 

“For this reason, 

I think that to win 

the Champions League 

you must be more lucky. 

You must be good to deserve 

it, but at the same 

time you must be lucky. 

“One referee’s decision 

can settle your future totally. 

In the league, over 

38 games, usually the 

team who deserves to 

win it wins it. 

“Luck is always important 

in every competition, 

but when you have 

the possibility to play 38 

games you can show you 

are the best. 

“In a little tournament, 

like the FA Cup or Champions 

League or Europa 

League, sometimes one 

decision can move your 

future. You are lucky or 

you are unlucky.” 

Super Eagles coach, 

Gernot Rohr has 

admitted that the quality 

in his team cannot be 

compared to the 1998 

Eagles that featured the 

like of Austin Okocha, 

Nwankwo Kanu, Daniel 

Amokachi and Victor Ikpeba. 

However, Rohr who led 

the Eagles to a problem 

free qualification for the 

World Cup said he is 

hopeful that young talents 

such as Ola Aina, 

Tyronne Ebuehi, Wilfred 

Ndidi, Alex Iwobi and 

Kelechi Iheanacho will 

do well in Russia. 

‘’Because of all the 

players they have produced, 

Nigeria have a 

high pedigree in world 

football. I agree that this 

generation might not be 

a set of such stars, we do 

not have so many great 

players, but this is a 

young team of real professionals, 

and they are 

hungry for some great 

results,’’ said Rohr to 

Sportske Novosti. 

‘’I am convinced that 

these guys can have real 

success in Russia and 

earn additional respect 

for the entire football 

world.’’ 

He added : ‘’I hope 

some of our players will 

become stars at the 

World Cup, but much 

more important is that 

the whole team is a star. 

Do not forget, we are the 

youngest team of all 32 

teams to play at the 

World Cup.’’ 

Diego Simeone was 

quick to shut down 

any more talk of Antoine 

Griezmann joining Barcelona 

ahead of Atletico 

Madrid hosting 

Espanyol. 

The LaLiga champions 

have long been linked 

with a big-money swoop 

for France forward 

Griezmann and Atleti 

reported Barca to FIFA 

over an alleged illegal 

approach for the 27- 

He added that Nigeria 

was in a difficult group. 

Asked if Iceland and 

Croatia would be easier 

than Argentina, Rohr 

told Sportske Novosti : ‘’I 

do not see that, there is 

no difference. All three 

games will be difficult 

and demanding. 

‘’Let’s say, Argentina. 

It hardly comes to the 

World Cup, however, 

Argentina will grow, be 

better and certainly no 

one has the right to write 

Argentina out of the list 

of favorites for the title of 

champions.’’ 

Speaking on the importance 

of Nigeria’s World 

Cup opener against 

Croatia, Rohr said : ‘’The 

first game in each tournament 

is very important, 

that’s right. However, 

the remaining two 

are equally important. 

‘’We think in a way that 

we have at least three 

matches in the tournament 

and we want to 

play all three as best as 

we can to get to the second 

round.’’ 

Aguero will be fit for Russia 2018 — City coach 

Argentina 

striker 

Sergio Aguero is recovering 

well from knee 

surgery and will be ready 

for next month’s World 

Cup in Russia, Manchester 

City manager Pep 

Guardiola has said. “He 

will get there fine,” the 

Spaniard told reporters. “I 

can give you the latest 

news from doctor (Ramon) 

Cugat in Barcelona and 

it’s going perfectly.” 

Aguero, 29, has scored 

21 Premier League goals 

for runaway champions 

City this season but underwent 

an arthroscopy in 

mid-April. Argentina play 

their opening World Cup 

match against Iceland on 

June 16. Guardiola said 

Belgium international 

captain Vincent Kompany 

and England defender 

John Stones were fit and 

ready for Sunday’s 

league game against 

Huddersfield Town after 

earlier injury problems. 

“The main target for the 

players is the World Cup 

because the Premier 

League is done. But the 

best way to arrive at the 

World Cup is to play good 

in these three games,” 

said the manager of the 

final Premier League 

matches. 

year-old last December. 

In an interview with 

Uruguayan station Radio 

Rincon his week, Luis 

Suarez seemingly confirmed 

Griezmann 

would follow Ousmane 

Dembele and Philippe 

Coutinho in becoming 

another big-money arrival 

at Camp Nou. 

“It makes the club 

proud to bring players of 

this quality like Antoine, 

like when Dembele and 

Coutinho came,” he said. 

At a pre-match news 

conference, Simeone de 

Sir Alex Ferguson, 

who led Manchester 

United to 38 trophies 

during 26 years in 

charge, has had emergency 

surgery on Saturday 

for a brain haemorrhage. 

A United statement 

said the procedure 

“had gone very well but 

he needs a period of intensive 

care to optimise 

his recovery”. 

Ferguson, 76, retired as 

United manager in May 

2013. He was at Old Trafford 

last Sunday, when 

he presented Arsenal 

boss Arsene Wenger with 

El Clasico: Zidane rules out 

guard of honour for Barca 

ZINEDINE Zidane 

says Barcelona do not deserve 

a guard of honour 

before the Clasico today 

because they refused to 

give Real Madrid one for 

winning the Club World 

Cup. 

Barca host Real as La 

Liga and Copa del Rey 

champions but Zidane’s 

side will not perform a 

‘pasillo’, the tradition of 

players applauding their 

opponents onto the pitch. 

Deportivo La Coruna 

made the gesture ahead 

of their game against Barca 

last weekend while 

Poch blasts Spurs players 

Pochettino has blast 

ed is Tottenham 

players after defeat to 

West Brom, but insists he 

still believes they will secure 

Champions League 

qualification. Spurs 

Simeone dismisses Griezmann to Barca 

speculation 

Former Man Utd boss Fergie 

undergoes brain surgery 

5t clear he was in no 

mood to discuss the specifics 

of the matter. 

Asked about 

Griezmann’s future in 

light of Suarez’s comments, 

the Atleti boss 

sternly and simply replied: 

“Espanyol.” 

Simeone learned on 

Friday that he will be 

banned from the touchline 

in the Europa 

League final in Lyon 

against Marseille after 

being dismissed during 

the first leg of the semifinal 

win over Arsenal. 

a commemorative trophy. 

Ferguson’s family have 

requested privacy as he 

recovers in hospital. 

The most successful 

manager in the history of 

the British game, Ferguson’s 

trophy haul at Old 

Trafford included 13 Premier 

League titles. 

United’s club captain 

Michael Carrick said he 

was “devastated” to learn 

his former manager had 

undergone emergency 

surgery. “All my thoughts 

and prayers are with him 

and his family. Be strong 

boss,” he said. 

Barca gave Real a guard 

of honour at the Santiago 

Bernabeu in 2008, after 

Los Blancos had already 

won the league. 

But Barcelona bucked 

the trend when the two 

teams met in December, 

opting against honouring 

Real’s success in the Club 

World Cup as Barca argued 

they had not taken 

part in the competition. 

“I’m not the one who decides,” 

Zidane said on 

Saturday. “After the Club 

World Cup, it wasn´t important 

for them to give us 

a guard of honour. 

Messi and Ronaldo.... rivalry made in Spain 

were in charge at The 

Hawthorns, but fell to a 

1-0 defeat with former 

player Jake Livermore 

pouncing to prod home 

a 92nd-minute winner. 

Pochettino admitted the 

result left him deflated, 

saying: “In football you 

can dominate but you 

need to be clinical in 

front of goal and today 

wasn’t good. “I am very 

disappointed because 

we lost the game. Still, 

we have it in our hands 

to be in the top four. 

“We knew how they 

would play. If you want 

to be in the top four and 

challenge for the big 

things, you need to score 

in these games. “It is in 

our hands. If we are not 

able to win the next two 

games we do not deserve 

to qualify for the Champions 

League.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 6, 2018 

See solution on page 5 

ACROSS 

1 Sharia state? (7) 

5 Dwindle (5) 

8 Freedom (Swahili) (5) 

9 Below (5) 

11 About (6) 

14 Curves (4)a 

16 Attacker (7) 

17 Worships (6) 

19 Ornamental head-dress 

(5) 

20 Pa-Abacha’s govt. 

Victim (6) 

21 Chimpanzee (7) 

22 Egyptian goddess (4) 

24 Ancient Celtic Priests (6) 

28 Condition (5) 

30 Argentinian dance (5) 

31 Regions (5) 

32 Canadian waterfalls (7) 

DOWN 

1 Striped animal (5) 

2 Fruit (5) 

3 Once more (5) 

4 Bako, former Kano 

governor (4) 

5 Cat’s satisfied cry (4) 

6 Large cat (5) 

7 Cries like lion (5) 

10 Made beloved (8) 

12 Set right again (7) 

13 Municipal zone (8) 

14 Bow’s projectile (5) 

15 Tidied (7) 

18 Harvests (5) 

22 Lagos State 

headquarters (5) 

23 Matter (5) 

25 Short for Rastafarian 

(5) 

26 Asian country (5) 

27 Brazilian dance (5) 

28 Solidifies (4) 

29 English public school 

(4) 

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(ISSN 0794-652X) Editor: JIDE AJANI. 08111813023 All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

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