The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Things fall apart for Igbo in Bayelsa

    Things fall apart for Igbo in Bayelsa

    All is not well with the Igbo community in Bayelsa State. The umbrella body of the community, Ohaneze Ndigbo, Bayelsa, is torn apart by leadership crisis. The desire of two warring parties to control the chairmanship of the socio-cultural group has created security concerns in the state.

    But the state government is not treating the issue with kids gloves. Governor Seriake Dickson deployed his aides representing the Igbo community in his administration to investigate the cause of the crisis and immediately restore unity in the battered Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    According to a report presented by the three Igbo government aides, the immediate cause of the leadership crisis in Ohaneze Ndigbo started last year. A transition caused the problem. An election was held to fill a leadership vacuum following the expiration of the tenure of the past executive committee of the association.

    One of the warring parties accused the past chairman of the association, Chief Okwudili Oko of foisting the current leadership on the Igbo community in the state. The dissenting voices said there was no election where Chief Amaku Chinedu emerged to lead the association.

    They faulted the process that led to the emergence of Amaku and demanded a fresh election to right the wrongs. Some of them said it was the turn of Imo State to lead the group but that the Imo community in the state was not consulted to present its selected candidates for the election.

    They insisted that the electoral committee changed the venue of the election, shifted the day to Sunday and held the poll at 9am when other members of the association were in church.

    However, the supporters of the new chairman said there was an election, which was free, fair and properly conducted in line with the customs and conventions of the Igbo cultural group. They noted that the Imo community as an entity pulled out of Ohaneze but only resurfaced when it was their turn to lead the association.

    They argued that since the organisation recognised individual membership, qualified members from Imo were allowed to contest the election in which Amaku emerged victorious. They contended that some of the candidates who were selected by the Imo community lost the election and congratulated Amaku.

    They wondered why the opposition against the new leadership came six months after its inauguration. According to them, persons angry at Amaku and the process that threw him up attended his inauguration and celebrated with him. Besides, the new leadership had started performing the functions of Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    Such were the ventilation of opinions and anger that characterised the reconciliation meeting between the two warring parties held recently at the conference hall of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The parley was organised by the Commandant, NSCDC, Mr. Desmond Agu, to resolve the crisis in Ohaneze Ndigbo.

    It was a crucial meeting meant to permanently stop the tension emanating from the association. Agu, who also hails from Imo State, has been wading into the crisis to stop it from escalating. All the security commanders were represented at the parley.

    The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Igbogene, Mr. Peter Ezebuike and the DPO, Azikoro Village, Mr. Solomon Ubani, represented the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Asuquo Amba.

    Others are A. Okoye, Department of State Security (DSS); Augustine Idima, Head of Asministration, NSCDC and Ikechukwu Lawrence Igwe, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC). Also among the peacemakers is Special Assistant on Security, Government House, Mr. Amoyah Freeborn.

    The Igbo warring parties and key players in the crisis  also attended the meeting. Two of the governor’s aides, Chief Tony Madu and  Sunny Chukwuezi, who were mandated by Dickson to resolve the crisis were also in attendance,

    The Traditional Ruler (Igwe) of Igbo community, Ezeigbo, Anthony Uwakwe-Onyendu; Chairman, Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC), Chief Chinedu Arthur-Ugwa; Igbo Women Leader, Nzube Ifeobo and many other Igbo dignitaries, stakeholders and interested parties attended the parley.

    Agu, the NSCDC Commandant in his opening address, said the security agencies were disturbed by the tension in the association. He said the disunity in the association was unsettling the Igbo community adding that there was need to maintain the existing peace in the state.

    Addressing them he said: “We are not happy that we still hear stories of crisis in Igbo community. I have invited you here four times to deliberate on this matter, yet the problems persist. This is the final meeting we are having in this crisis. All the security agencies are here and whatever we decide here today will be the solution to this crisis”.

    In fact, for over four hours, the peacemakers listened to the warring parties. One after another, they argued back and forth. At some points, arguments and shouting matches ensued because of frayed nerves. The issues seemed irreconcilable. But Agu and his team were patient, calm and in most cases dictated the lines of argument.

    But some of them were neutral. They wanted peace. For instance, a patron of Ohaneze, Chief Wilfred Ihenagoru, insisted that there was no need for crisis. He lamented that some persons always wanted to be in the corridors of power.

    He said: “This problem will not lead us anywhere. We should not spend our resources to resolve crisis. We elected a new government for some months. Some people always want to remain in government.

    “When they are not in government, they cause problems. Former President Goodluck Jonathan lost and conceded defeat. Let us be patient, resolve our crisis and move forward”.

    Prior to his departure, the Sector Commander, FRSC, Ikechukwu, appealed to the Igbo to put their house in order. He said the stubbornness of a few people had protracted the crisis in the association. He advised them to humbly accept whatever decision that would emanate from the meeting.

    “There is always misunderstanding. We should not kill ourselves. Be humble. It is humility that will help us resolve our crisis. Everybody has masters. Let us bring down ourselves. What are we fighting for?  There is no issue on ground. The issue is stubbornness”, he said.

    Speaking for the police, Ubani, said Agu’s gesture was a welcome development and appealed to the association to bury their hatchet and look for the way forward. He said since no election is totally free of hitches, Ohaneze should ask the outcome of the last poll in the interest of peace.

    “Let us always emphasize on things that bind us instead of things that separate us. No elections are free and fair anywhere. It could only be violent-free. Every little flaw in the election should be ignored for a way forward”, he said.

    Also the representative of the DSS, Okoye, said the crisis was the first thing that confronted him when he resumed at the state office as the Assistant Director, Metropolitan City.

    He said: “Some rich Igbo refuse to join the Ohaneze all because of the conflict amidst them. It’s not all issues that the security agencies should interfere in. Even if there are challenges, look for a peaceful way to resolve it as a way forward.

    “Other tribes such as Yoruba have their association but you don’t ever hear of them having issues. Work towards shifting the grounds just for the sake of peace. The tenure has a number of years which is already counting”.

    At the end, representatives of the security agencies read their resolutions to the crowd. In the spirits of ensuring the peace, they upheld the election that produced Amaku.

    They asked the Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC) and a splinter group, the Igbo Youth Council (IYC) to reunite. They also held that the state chairmen of Ohaneze Ndiigbo in Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo and the two other Igbo-speaking parts of Delta and Rivers states should be automatic vice-presidents as recognised by Ohaneze National body.

    The peacemakers advised states that are not members of Ohaneze to register with the body without cost and urged individual members, who are not part of their various communities to identify with their communities.

    Opposition mounts.  The decision of the peacemakers did not go down well with the party against the leadership of Amaku. Some of them accused the peacemakers of bias. They also argued that the peacemakers overstepped their bounds, adding that they had no right to issue orders about the Ohaneze leadership. According to them, only the Ohaneze national body with its headquarters in Enugu could decide the future of the association in Bayelsa.

    Few days after the decisions, the national body reportedly sent a delegation to Bayelsa to look into the problems of the association in the state. They were said to have appointed a caretaker committee to take charge of the association and gave the committee three months to organise a fresh election.

    They were said to have appointed Mr. Mark Nlem to lead the caretaker committee. When contacted, Nlem said: “We were given three months to conduct the election and the intervention of the security agencies and their resolutions at the reconciliation meeting cannot stand. It is only Igbo that can decide who leads them. So they want to make it transparent. If Amaku continues to parade himself as the President, he is impersonating”.

    But Amaku insisted that the election that produced him was authentic and that he remained the leader of the Ohaneze in Bayelsa State.

  • Governor of the Year

    The way of politicians is not like that of a banker or journalist. They are special breeds. Most times, only they understand themselves and when you attempt to get them to see things your way, they tell you: ‘you don’t understand politics’. It is a game where anything goes.

    So, join me as I share useful tips on how to remain on top politically as chief executive of your state. I will deal with other political office later in the future.

    After bulldozing your way into power as governor, you must remain the issue in the state and in the country. You can achieve this by picking on your predecessor. Accuse him of being a thief, paint him black and give him no breathing space. Sponsor a group with the word ‘integrity’ as a key part of its name. The group may have existed before or you can create it and get someone to be its face.

    Sponsor the group to publish documents upon documents in the media accusing your predecessor of humongous crimes. After that, set up a judicial commission of inquiry. Let it be headed by a pliant judge, who will be willing to talk down on the subject of the inquest and his people. Ensure he is indicted silly. Waste no time in releasing the White Paper and circulate it as widely as possible. Send copies of the White Paper to the police, Department of State Services (DSS), National Security Adviser and so on and so forth. Distribute it widely on the internet and at every excuse available, redistribute it.

    Remember this, when there is any discovery of large cash in any part of the country, claim the money and accuse your predecessor of being the one who hid the money there. Whatever anyone is saying, stand by your point and use the opportunity to further distribute the White Paper indicting him again and claim the evidence that the money belongs to your state is contained in the document.

    Make a fuss of it. Talk about it every day and do not stop until the whole world sees him as the problem with your state.

    It is important you seize every opportunity to put him down. Anything you are invited to a church programme, attend and use the opportunity to talk politics. Of course, make major pronouncements, such as revoking the Certificate of Occupancy of a major business or hotel linked to the opposition.

    Of course, the opposition will scream that you are driving away investors by revoking C of O. So, you need to prepare your media aide to have a ready response for them. Your aide must insist that the business sanctioned is den of electoral fraud and malpractice.  Cite examples to back this claim. The aide must write that you never play to gallery. He must write that you are always committed to the defence of your people.  He must also insist that the sanctioned business was sued to execute the killing of your people during elections. He must also insist that in the premises, results were concocted and the people’s mandate were stolen. Your aide must not forget to say that at a time protesters against your predecessor were almost shot on the premises of the sanctioned business by the security personnel detailed to assist your predecessor to subvert the will of the people.

    Your aide must also say that investors have been flocking the state since you took over. Give examples, even those that have nothing to do with the fact that you are governor. Insist the target is to ensure no one is above the law.

    In all you do, the focus must not be lost: everything must be done to diminish the stature of your predecessor. Nobody must be bigger than you in your state. If it involves using every oil cash at your disposal to bring him down, do it. All is fair in war.

    It is important you also look for trouble outside of your state. Tackle the Federal Government once in a while. You can even pick on a colleague, preferably outside your geopolitical zone and one with sympathy for your predecessor. Show yourself as very concerned about the turn of events in our country and portray yourself as one who has decided to take one state after the other and fix.

    Regarding your colleague whom you have chosen as the scapegoat, claim you want to fix some roads in his state because the people are suffering as a result of their governor’s inability to govern well. Claim the roads’ bill of quantity was ready. You can later claim enemies of progress waylaid your good intention. You can also ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to look into the Paris Club refund allocation to your colleague’s state. In fact, it won’t be out of place to call for a state of emergency in your colleague’s state because he has shown ineptitude and lack of capacity to handle the security situation. Tell the world your colleague is watching helplessly, as his people are being killed. And add a clincher that he has displayed sheer laziness and incapacity.

    One major thing you must also do is that you must show yourself as a friend of the Church. Move from the crusade ground of the Lord Chosen Charismatic Renewal Ministry to the camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and the inner recesses of the African Church and the Catholic Church. Always be willing to kneel and receive blessing from men of God. Never hesitate to bow before their holiness. What you do after leaving their presence is secondary. Simply surrender all.

    And when it is time to sack your commissioners, sack them with style. Just drop almost all of them at once and if any of them chose to resign, refuse to accept the resignation and announce him as one of those sacked. Claim ignorance of his resignation. Tell whoever cared to listen that politics is all about loyalty and that as you are getting close to the period for the next political dispensation, care must be taken to ensure only the loyal remain in government. You must make it clear there is no room for a snitch.

    There is also a very good strategy to this being in the news always. Always make frivolous claims and when time proves that you have lied, insist you stand by your claim and that time will prove you right. In fact, you can hide under the excuse that your legal team is working out the details and when they are through with their documentations, the world will be shocked by the facts at your disposal.

    From time to time, make claims that you have video evidence of some of your vituperations. Threaten to bring the evidence out. Of course, you know you have no such evidence. It is all part of the game. It is also part of the game for you to ensure that you embark on populist projects. And to add salt to the whole thing, also do cosmetic projects and label them grand. I mean you can refurbish a few kilometers of road and claim that it is a new road. And on the day of the commissioning of these projects, always find the worst words possible to diminish your predecessor and his political party.

    Another part of this game is that you must make your executive council members know who the boss is. From time to time, pay unscheduled visits to projects being done and at the site, give deadlines and threaten the commissioners in charge if the deadlines are not met. There must be no doubt about who the big man is.

    Believe me, these strategies work. I know someone it has worked for and he has in his kitty Governor of the Year from many an organisation

  • Campaign against out-of-school kids hots up in Niger Delta

    The expansive Pearl Hall of Atrium Event Centre on Ken Saro-Wiwa (formerly Stadium) Road in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State, was filled to the brim with eminent personalities, while parking of various cars became a Herculean task, with the security personnel deployed in the place having a very busy day in controlling the crowd and vehicles.

    The event was the inauguration of the Rivers state chapter of the Association for Formidable Educational Development (AFED), thereby declaring war against out-of-school children in the Niger Delta, through low-fee-paying private schools, which will be affordable to parents and guardians.

    In Nigeria currently, there are over 10 million out-of-school children, in a population of about 170 million people, while the alarming time-bomb must quickly be addressed, to avert the danger ahead.

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike recently ordered that all private schools in Rivers state that are not on minimum of four plots of land, which he described as illegal, would all be shut in September, in a state where one plot of land costs between N20 million and N40 million in Port Harcourt, depending on the location.

    The owners of the yet-to-be-approved private schools in Rivers felt that the leaders of the state’s chapter of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) were no longer protecting their interests, thereby opting for AFED, which was established in 1999, but registered in year 2000 as a professional and humanitarian organisation, to cater for the interest of owners and operators of low-fee paying private schools in Nigeria.

    The colourful inauguration was attended by the paramount ruler of Rumuevuorlu community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers state, Eze Chris Akani; Prof. Godwin Omokhua of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT); the National President AFED, Mrs. Esther Ifejola; the association’s National Secretary, Mr. Orji Kanu; the Rivers Controller of AFED, Pastor Joe Udechi; his counterpart of Anambra State, Pastor Donald Okorie; and the Proprietor of Phebeans Group of Schools, Port Harcourt, Mr. Femi Ajiboye; among other important persons.

    The guest speaker from Lagos, Dr. Ibukun Daramola, spoke on: “The Low Cost Approach to Solving Access to Education: A Divine Assignment.”

    The monarch (Eze Akani), in his remarks, stated that he boycotted other equally-important engagements to be at the AFED’s inauguration, because the association was talking of very important aspects of life, that would take Nigeria to greater heights.

    The traditional ruler said: “Nigeria is at a crossroads. The only way out is education, because we currently have well-educated people, who are dwarfs morally. That is the problem with Nigeria today. The market women cannot steal N100 million, but the well-educated people are now stealing billions of naira, dollars, pounds and euros.

    “The money that ought to be used for education is being kept in dustbins, septic tanks, water tanks and in cemeteries. The organisation that will stand up to the challenge is AFED. The organisation is blazing the trail for standing up to the challenges in education in Nigeria.

    “God did not tell us to be corrupt, while millions of people are wallowing in abject poverty. Nigeria has produced many educated people who are morally bankrupt. Our cultural values have also been eroded. Education should be for empowerment, development and positive changes. Graduate unemployment is widening.”

    The monarch also admonished the proprietors of private schools to be committed to AFED and that there must be no going back.

    The national secretary of AFED, while also speaking, disclosed that when the like-minds started the association’s struggle, they could be likened to orphans, before Prof. Pat Utomi became the National Patron, while the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, and many other eminent personalities are now supporting AFED.

    He noted that being together would always be a way forward, while admonishing the members of the association to be united, both physically and spiritually, work very hard, form cooperative societies and must always be encouraged to stay together.

    Kanu disclosed that in Lagos State, AFED is the greatest association with the highest membership, while asking the members in Rivers state to extend their services to the riverine/rural areas of the state, to ensure access to qualitative education, while disclosing that the British government was currently supporting AFED with £2.2 million.

    He revealed that members of the association could also benefit from grant from Rivers government, as being done through the Lagos State Development Trust Fund, to support the low-fee-paying private schools, through which one of the members in Lagos recently got N5 million.

    The national secretary also asked the Rivers chapter of AFED to set up technical committees, especially to be liaising with the people in power, while insisting that the owners of private schools must maintain standard, pointing out that gigantic structures would not mean that learning was taking place, while charging members of the association to create scholarship platforms for extremely-poor students, since the best service to God would be the one given to humanity.

    The guest speaker expressed surprise about the classification of Rivers as an educationally-disadvantaged state, while advising Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, against shutting the yet-to-be-approved schools in the state,  describing access to education as imperative, since it would take the people out of poverty.

    He maintained that the reality on the ground was that government alone would not be able to fund education, in view of the enormous cost, stressing that there was the need for vibrant policies to stabilise the school system in Nigeria and the costing of education, while lamenting that children of many wealthy parents are in the Federal Government Colleges, meant for children from poor homes.

    Daramola also urged the AFED members to work as a team, since a tree would not be able to make a forest, thereby calling for synergy, for government and its officials to take the association seriously and to be able to source funds to improve the facilities in the various private schools, adding that when the staff are well paid, as and when due, they would last longer and be more productive.

    The guest speaker also advised members of the association not to use the property they are living in as collateral for loans from banks and other financial institutions and also warned them never to take loans to pay salaries, while pleading with government to give subvention to owners of private schools.

    Daramola maintained that not all the highbrow schools have standard, suggesting that state governments could give certificates of recognition/good performance to the AFED members, while waiting for approval, through which the government would also increase its Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR).

    UNIPORT’s Prof. Omokhua, called for support for AFED to succeed and for children to have access to qualitative education, rather than dropping out of school, because of poverty, only to become nuisance to the society.

    In his welcome address, the Rivers controller of AFED disclosed that the association currently has over 200 members, who are owners of private schools in the state, assuring that AFED had come to stay in Rivers.

    Udechi assured that members of AFED in Rivers would strictly adhere to the core values of the association, consisting of commitment, leadership, integrity, passion, excellence and creativity, while urging Wike to partner with AFED to reduce the number of out-of-school children from the streets of the state in no distant time.

    He said: “This journey, which commenced on February 22, 2017, with the introduction of AFED and its activities to 22 schools present, has been an arduous task. The task of convincing and mobilising members from the nooks and crannies of our beloved Rivers State to believe in an association unknown and unheard of, was a great one. Nonetheless, we are thanking the Almighty God.

    “Currently, we are having well over 200 members, who have shown interest in our association and we are sure that the number will surge in the shortest possible time, given the breakthrough that our God is giving us.

    “As a team, our long-term commitment is to ensure that the ugly cliche associated with Rivers State as ‘Educationally-Less-Developed State’ is removed from the annals of history. With God on our side, we shall achieve this.’

    The Rivers controller of AFED also assured that he and members of the protem executive of the association would justify the trust and confidence reposed in them, promising not to let the members down.

    The national president AFED  stated that there was an urgent need to reduce the number of out-of-school children, thereby salvaging the future of Nigeria from ignorance, poverty and war.

    She noted that the Rivers governor, whom she described as a listening leader, would see a way of working with AFED to improve the standard and scale of education in Rivers, the treasure base of the nation.

    Ifejola, who was still recovering from illness, but represented by the association’s Vice-President, Mr. Michael Adeyemo, stated that emphasis must continually be placed on qualitative education.

    She said: “Education remains a vital part of quality of life and one of the key components of the Human Development Index. Considering the position of Nigeria among countries with highest number of out-of-school children, there is urgent need to reduce the number, put at over 10 million children in Nigeria.”

     

  • Family in disarray as woman, two kids disappear over native rites

    Why would a mother of two leave her home and disappear without any trace with her children after her husband’s family members requested that her daughter be made to go through some traditional “purification process”?

    These is the real poser the family of Chief Andrew Iyoha is still contending with 48 months after his son’s wife, Cristina Funmilayo, and her two children, Heaven Eghenayamu Iyoha and Light Osaruki Iyoha, suddenly disappeared from their home.

    What is more worrying to Chief Iyoha, who is the head of the family and doubles as the community head of Uguokha in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State is that, apart from the unknown whereabouts of both mother and children, his own son, who is also Crtistina’s husband, has since remained incommunicado.

    Raising the alarm, the distraught Iyoha family head told our correspondent that Cristina and her two children were last seen in March 2013.

    Iyoha claimed that he had since 2013 reported the matter to the police in Benin, Edo State, but there had been no information concerning their whereabouts.

    He said: “Since 2013, Cristina and her two children suddenly disappeared after she vehemently refused and opposed to being taken with her children to our village for her daughter to go through the process of a purification exercise. She was last seen in March 2013 and nothing has been heard from her and her husband up till now.

    “We are notifying the general public again that whoever have any useful information regarding her, her husband and their children should contact the head of the family, who is also the community head of Uguokha in Igueben Local Government Area of Edo State, Chief Andrew E. Iyoha or the nearest police station.”

    A police report signed by the Divisional Police Officer of the Airport Command in Benin confirmed that the family head lodged a complaint with the police on May 30, 2017 concerning the whereabouts of Cristina and her two children.

    According to a copy of the report,  Chief Iyoha had earlier in 2013 and 2015, respectively, lodged complaints with the police station on the whereabouts of the woman and her two children.

    The report added that the matter had been referred to the Nigeria Police Headquarters/SID for further investigation.

  • Edo to train 150 victims of human trafficking, returnees

    The Edo Government has approved the training of 150 victims of human trafficking and returnees from Libya on agriculture and other vocations in efforts to reintegrate them into the society.

    The training will be conducted by the Initiatives For Youth Awareness On Migration, Development and Reintegration (IYAMIDR), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), in conjunction with the state government.

    The President of the Initiative, Mr Solomon Okoduwa, announced the training plan to newsmen in Benin on Wednesday.

    Okoduwa said the training, which was proposed by the IYAMIDIR to Gov. Godwin Obaseki, would begin on Monday, Aug. 7.

    He said the state Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development would be the state government agency to collaborate with the NGO to organise the training.

    He said the programme would help to build the capacity of the victims in the agro foods chain and create a template for the reintegration of the returnees.

    It will also provide exemplary standard for intending migrants in addition to enhancing the nation’s food security.

    Okoduwa said the victims would be empowered by the state government to establish their own business after the training.

    “Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has approved the training and empowerment programme for Edo youths and victims of human trafficking under the Edo Agricultural Development Programme,’’ he said.

    According to him, 150 victims of human trafficking and returnees are the first batch of people to benefit from the human capacity programme.

    He said that the initiative was aimed at improving the skills of the victims and reintegrate them to become self-reliant, responsive and responsible citizens.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that at a workshop, recently held on human trafficking, Obaseki had promised to provide enabling environment for youths to harness their potential.

    He said that if myouths were thoroughly trained, there would be an end to illegal migration and human trafficking in Edo.

  • When Ijaw pupils took on Soyinka

    When Ijaw pupils took on Soyinka

    On July 14, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. John Pepper Clark, Dr. Gabriel Okara, Dr. Odia Ofeimun and one of Nigeria’s finest historians, Prof. Joe Alagoa, interacted with over 1,000 students of the Ijaw National Academy, a special school run by the Bayelsa State government.

    The British-born Principal of the school, Mr. Charles Johnson, was very well the session was holding.

    Johnson said: “Very often, we can learn an enormous amount from great men. And we are going to hear from lots of great men today.

    “I think there is a real difference between the idea of being clever and the idea of wisdom. The ability to be clever is something you have all got.

    “You have all passed quite a hard and competitive examination to get here. You are some of the most able children of the Ijaw tribe. But the difference between being clever and being wise is the application of the cleverness.”

    Governor Seriake Dickson reminded the pupils of the rare opportunity of having the sages in their midst.

    He said: “Listen and learn from the wisdom of these great icons not just of our own country, but world leaders in their own right.

    “These great men don’t pay too much attention to mundane things as you can see. You have seen them. They live simply, yet profoundly. Living lives of great impact.

    “Today’s event is not for me. I am not one of these giants, but I intend to go back to school after my service and also aspire to be a professor because that was really what I wanted to be; to teach and write and contribute to the body of knowledge, but I am not yet qualified to join them.”

    Dickson went on: “When we were your age, we read their works and got inspired. They are here to talk to you and expand your horizons. My charge to you is to ask you to soar as high as your dreams can take you.

    “Many more presidents will be here, and you know in this great state, we also have a former president (Dr. Goodluck Jonathan). He too loves education, I know that. We have discussed it. At the appropriate time they will come and interact with you.”

    The pupils did not waste the opportunity. They asked germane questions at the event tagged ‘A Day with the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka and Ijaw Literary Icons”.

    A pupil asked Alagoa: “Do you have any specific time when you feel you should write?”

    “I think every writer should develop a pattern of work,” he said, “For me, waking up very early in the morning before others wake up. That’s about the best time for me to write.

    “As a historian, I do tell the stories of our people. But not in as engaging and clear and visible and affecting the different emotions of people like the literary people. There is a magic that they can bring to the story.”

    Alagoa added: “This is because the historian has to rely on evidence, something that has come from the past, to interpret and tell the story of humanity; who we are and expecting to give us some wisdom.

    “For example, our cultures are inextricably linked and joined and we find that we have relations with communities right across the River Niger up to Sokoto.

    “From excavations that were done in Sokoto and in the Niger Delta, even to Lagos and beyond, I believe our lives, our fortunes, our destinies are all united. That’s a story that we historians can tell,” Alagoa said.

    A JSS 2 pupil, Juliet Johnny, Stephen Praise and Ikede Majesty fired other questions.

    Johnny asked Soyinka: “Sir, what does it take to be a Nobel Laureate and how many books do I have to write to have the award?”

    Soyinka said: “I can assure you that it is not the quantity. It’s the quality and very often the relevance and finally the literary taste of that particular work. Because literature is very subjective and very often a lot that happens depends on the taste of any jury deciding on the work.

    “So, yes, it might be the quality, it is also the relevance, but ultimately, whether we like it or not, it is the taste of the jury which is deciding on the work of art.”

    Miss Praise’s concern was also for Soyinka:  “As a writer, what comes first, the title, story line or just a word?

    The professor responded: “It’s a very difficult question. It’s a very difficult question. Sometimes an idea sticks in the mind and it continues to gestate and you may even think you have forgotten about it, but it’s actually operating in the subconscious.

    “You go out and do other things, but one day you get the structure through which to narrate the idea and the two things come together. But the idea is (always) there. It may be at home or something you read in the newspaper.”

    Ikede Majesty, one of the senior perfects in the school, asked what has changed since Soyinka won the global award.

    “The answer is very straightforward,” he said. “Yes, and in a negative way. Very often I cannot do the things I really want to do because I have lost what is one of the greatest gifts, and that is anonymity.

    “It means one’s constituency has been enlarged. Your priorities change not because you want to, but because of the pressure,” he added.

    He went on: “Let me summarise by quoting Bernard Shaw when he was awarded the Nobel Prize very late in life: ‘It takes a devilish mind to invent such a destructive thing as dynamite , but it must have been a diabolical thing from hell who invented the Nobel Prize, and I agree with him sometimes , not all the time’, he added.

    On how he felt winning the award, he said: “It’s a very long and interesting story, though we don’t have much time. But let me say that it was totally unexpected and I couldn’t believe that it was happening and when I came back home was really when it began to sink in.

    “I was met at the airport by my colleagues, including JP Clark. And everybody got excited and that was when it began to sink, but then there was still something woozy about it at the time.”

     

     

  • Warri searches for new Ologbotsere, two others

    Warri searches for new Ologbotsere, two others

    Southsouth Regional Editor SHOLA O’NEIL and Warri Correspondent BOLAJI OGUNDELE examine the controversy over the planned installation of the Ologbotsere of Warri and other titles

    Olu of Warri Ogiame Ikenwoli received some angry visitors on Tuesday. Their grouse: Billionaire businessman Chief Ayiri Emami must not be made the Ologbotsere (Prime Minister) of Warri Kingdom. They were also against the installation of two others.

    They came in their hundreds. The Itsekiri citizens laid siege on the palace (Aghofen) of the Olu of Warri, protesting alleged untraditional approach of the monarch to some issues, including the appointment of some persons to fill three prime chieftaincy positions.

    The protesters  took over all the accesses into and out of the palace, which is situated on Ajamimogha Road, preventing even the chiefs to gain access in and the Olu trapped within the walls of his palace.

    The siege on the palace assumed a dire dimension, after the aggrieved protesters cut off electricity and power supply to the palace premises, at Ekurede-Itsekiri, Warri late Tuesday morning.

    “Public power and water supplies to the Aghofen (Palace) have now been cut off and the palace is in darkness. The people are really very angry,” a source at the scene said.

    By the evening of that day, signs of ease emerged when some chiefs and representatives of the protesters, who had gone in to consult with the monarch, came out after about hours and announced his decision to suspend plans to install Emami and others with the key offices.

    A source, who was at the palace when the decision of the Olu was communicated, said: “The Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, has graciously listened to the voice of the Itsekiri people. He has suspended the issue of conferment of the Chieftaincy titles of Ologbotsere to Chief Ayiri Emami, Iyatsere to Chief Johnson Atserunleghe and Uwangue to Mr. Gabriel Awala.

    “Ogiame said he has already sent words to the concerned families that the Itsekiri people do not want the three men, and as such, fresh names should be submitted. Ogiame however advised all protesters to work within the concerned families with a view to ensuring that the right names are submitted this time around.”

    One of the leaders of the protesters, Weyinmi Agbateyinero,  said aside Emami’s issue, the Olu was also meddling in the affairs of Itsekiri Regional Development Council (IRDC), HOSTCOM, and the Itsekiri National Youth Council among others.

    Agbateyinero, who said the action of the protesters had the blessings of key Itsekiri actors from various walks of life, called on all Itsekiri people to join in the call on the monarch to heed the call on him to save the image of the traditional stool.

    Agbateyinero said: “Persons so nominated in the selection and nomination of Ologbotsere fall short of all known traditional standards and requirements paraded by previous occupants of such chieftaincies in terms of age, integrity, intellectual capability, status, etc.

    “The issues surrounding the selection of Iyasere and Uwangue titles did not follow all known traditional procedures and processes. Nominees for the Iyasere and Uwangue titles also lack the requirements for such exalted chieftaincy titles.

    “Since 2015 that Ikenwole was installed as the 20th Olu of Warri, the reverence, respect and regard attached to the throne has been intentionally diminished through his actions and inactions. He has brought us as a people to the lowest point of our history.

    “We make this clarion call to all Itsekiri sons and daughters to join hands to stop this desecration, demystification, destruction and degradation of our collective traditional heritage that we hold so dear to our soul. History beckons on us to rise up to this occasion to stop forthwith, the callous, humiliating, embarrassing, disgraceful and shameful acts of Ogiame Ikenwole and Yemi Emiko. The time to act is now”, he said.

    Prince Yemi Emiko, who is a sibling of the Olu, attributed the action of the protesters and their organisers to mere partisan politicking, noting that the state government had a hand in the offensive against the palace.

    “There are not so many issues to confuse anybody. Some titles in the land that are family titles. Even the Olu has no power as such as to who will be holders of such titles. The Ologbotsere title happens to be one of such. The head of the Ologbotsere family as of today is Pa Okporoku who crowned the Olu December 12th 2015.

    “It is not true that the Olu wants to impose anyone, that’s why it is so annoying. In the last one year, the title family has been engaged in meetings almost every other week in the last one year, trying to agree on who to present. Finally, about three months ago, they came in large numbers to the palace, let by Pa Okporoku and all the seniors.

    “It is a large family with about twelve gates. All came to present a letter to the Olu, nominating two persons, Chief Ayiri Emami and Chief Eyewoma. Two weeks ago, the Olu called the families leaders again and said I am getting ready to give out this title. Of the two nominees you presented in a letter to me, I give you seven days to go back, pick one and bring me a result.

    “The family went outside the sitting room in the palace, came back to the Olu and said they don’t need seven days, that Chief Eyewoma does not qualify for the office because he is born of a woman in the family. Unanimously they said their end decision was Chief Ayiri.

    “That’s the story. The haters of Ayiri are the one doing protest, the same people who have been fighting the Olu since he came on the throne. The Olu says it’s not me, go to the Ologbotsere family and let them bring any name of their choice. So the protest is out there is not the Olu’s matter.

    “Now, they are just like oh, it is going to be Ayiri. The same way the Iyatsere family has nominated one Chief Johnson for that title. Uwangue family has chosen one Gabriel Awala, all nominations in letters signed to the monarch. The fifth of August has been set aside for presentation of the Iyatsere title.

    “What I see there is partisan struggle. Ayiri is APC. They have reduced it to politics and we see the hands of Asaba in all these,” Emiko said.

    Ologbotsere (Prime Minister) of Warri is the second highest rank in the land and the decision to bestow it on Emami, who was only made a chief five years ago has not gone down well with a section of the kingdom.

    The stool of Ologbotsere has been vacant since the demise of Chief O. N Rewane, the last occupant in 1987.

    Olu Ogiame Atuwatse II did not install an Ologbotsere during his 28year reign until his demise in 2015. However, his older half-brother and successor, Ogiame Ikenwoli was said to have bestowed the stool on Chief Emami, much to the consternation of other members of the traditional council, women and youths of the ethnic nation.

    The search for new individuals to fill the three vacant seats has begun. Who will the caps fit? Time will tell.

     

  • Waiting for Uyo tragedy’s White Paper

    Waiting for Uyo tragedy’s White Paper

    On July 7, Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the December 10, 2016 Reigners Bible Church building collapse.

    Justice Umoekoyo Essang, who chaired the panel, presented the report to the governor at the Executive Council Chamber, Government House Uyo. After receiving the report, Emmanuel said: “I want to thank you for this great job that you have done and to assure you once again that the recommendations of this report would be taken seriously. We would do everything to implement and prevent future occurrence of this tragedy. May this affliction never occur the second time”.

    Emmanuel used the occasion to commiserate with families of those who lost their loved ones in the tragedy.

    He said: “Things of this nature should go beyond politics. When the incidence occurred it did not select members of a political party, it did not only affect a particular denomination, race or colour. It was a tragedy that affected all. It’s unfortunate that people decided to politicise a tragedy of this nature. Such people do not deserve to express opinion in the public.”

    The report was submitted a little over six months after the  Uyo tragedy. One of those it took away was Josephine Effiom. Governor Emmanuel survived by the grace of God. Effiom, who was a polytechnic student, a friend said, “was one of the first three brilliant chaps in my class”. Her seat at the polytechnic lecture theatre is now occupied by another, a sad reminder to her course mates that a brilliant soul had been wasted.

    Effiom was the face of a tragedy in a house of God, where fear should have been the last thing on anyone’s mind. The founder of the church was to have his ordination as a bishop. He is not a small fry. So, the church was jam-packed. Emmanuel came with some of his commissioners and aides. Some of the commissioners were new in the State Executive Council at the time having been sworn-in December 1, last year.

    Thirty minutes into the governor’s arrival hell literally came down. No thanks to human error, the church’s iron pillars gave way and the blue roofs came thumping down. Of course on people! And Effiom died. And many others too. An account even said someone was cut into two by the iron pillars. A policeman who reportedly saved the governor is now six feet below. And some others broke their necks, their limbs and their back. The founder of the church, Pastor Akan Weeks, had his leg broken.

    As typical of our nation, no one appears sure of how many people died. The day after, we saw figures as high as 160 in the media. It was attributed to the Chief Medical Director of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, who later denied it. Police gave the figure as 29.

    Commissioner for Health Dr.  Dominic Ukpong said 26 people died in the unfortunate incident. His words: “Death toll now 26. Patients in the hospitals are 168. Total out patients are 50. Total deaths 26. Nine hospitals have the following patients. UUTH, 28 patients; Ibom Specialist Hospital Uyo, 70 patients; Sifon Clinic, 9 patients; Lifecare Clinic, 24 patients; Premiers Clinic, 9 patients; St Lukes Hospital, 22 patients; Gateway Medical Centre, 2 patients; Uwah Mfon Clinic, 1 patient. First Line Clinic, 1 patient. Alma Clinic and Surgery, 2 patients.”

    And no one is willing to give the names of the dead. Thanks to Effiom’s classmates who revealed her identity, she would have died anonymously!

    This tragedy turned the University of Uyo Teaching hospital (UUTH), Anua General Hospital, Life Care Hospital and the Ibom Specialist Hospital into Mecca of some sort. In these hospitals, those who defeated death received treatment to heal their broken necks, arms, back and heads. Tears from families of those recuperating now rented the air in these hospitals for weeks. The story at the mortuary sections of these hospitals was grimmer.

    For students of the University of Uyo and the Uyo City Polytechnic, which are believed to have been worst hit by the disaster, reality looked like dream.

    Emmanuel’s men who crawled out of death’s hole had interesting testimonies to share. His Chief Press Secretary Ekerette Udoh said an iron rod nearly cut his neck, but eventually hit him on the back. The cap of his left knee was broken and pains travelled all over his body.

    The Commissioner for Information, Charles Udoh who joined the State Executive Council only some one week earlier, thought he was watching a movie when the pillars started coming down. He was on his way out of the church to catch a flight when tragedy struck. He would have been out but protocol demanded that he told the governor before vanishing from the church hall. It was this protocol-induced task he was accomplishing when death almost took him away like Effiom and the others whose true figures and names we may never know. He had to run here and there to prevent the iron pillars from turning him to a candidate for the mortuary.

    Nollywood actor Ekere Nkanga, who had acted almost all roles imaginable and was some sort of bad man in Emem Isong’s ‘Weekend Getaway’, was humbled when he had to wade through bodies to safety.

    “Shortly after the governor and his entourage and the bishops took their seats, the next thing I heard was the bang from the falling iron. By the time the iron came down, I noticed that people from the safe areas were  running to the centre, where I was sitting,” he said, adding:  “I hid under some people. A few seconds later, as I was trying to get up, the body of a man cut into two and fell on me. There were other corpses on me. I looked out for my brother but I couldn’t find him. Later, I found my phone. I called the Chairman, Uyo Local Government Area, to mobilise rescue officials to the venue.”

    He managed not to have a direct impact with falling rods, but he later discovered his neck was broken.

    “The impact of diving must have been responsible for my broken neck,” he said.

    He had to wear a neck collar and was under observation in the hospital for some time. Effiom and others would have gladly given testimonies if Nkanga’s fate had befallen them.

    Pastor Weeks argued it was the devil fighting back and he urged Christians to unite and not see it as his battle alone. The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) said the tragedy was caused by shoddiness.

    My final take: I believe the government will issue a White Paper on the tragedy and punish those who killed Effiom and others. The Reigners Bible Church Int’l Inc tragedy is one too many and everything must be done to prevent it. Everything must be done to implement the recommendations and prevent future occurrence of this tragedy. This affliction must never occur the second time.

  • Fed Govt cautions firm on workers’ safety

    The Federal Government of Nigeria has warned that it would not hesitate to invoke relevant sections the Factories and Employees Act on any company found not conscious of its employees safety.

    It cautioned companies operating in the country against buying wrong personal protective equipment, saying “safety consciousness is an important prerequisite in all situations”.

    Speaking at the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) workshop organized by Okomu Oil Plc, Mr. Tajudeen Afekhai, a Director in the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity said safety and health issues among workers were the core fundamentals of a productive economy.

    He said it was dangerous for a singular worker to be on duty and stressed that whenever a default occurs there would be no excuse as the injured worker must be compensated for injuries and damage.

    “A company will always pay for negligence and the fines are heavy. The factories Act and the Employees Act will apply”, he said even as he warned against buying wrong personal protective equipment.

    On the Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc, Alufokhai commended it for so far complying with relevant labour laws and urged it to maintain the standard,

    Managing Director of Okomu Oil Plc, Dr. Graham Heifer, said the company spent N70m annually to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for its workers to meet international safety standards.

    Dr. Heifer said the oil palm company had complied with all regulations and laws defining its operation as well as working with host communities to make sure the environment is safe.

    According to him, “The company is not happy for workers to lose their lives. Safety is our utmost concern, our health and safety obligations are the most crucial aspects of our operations and we carry out all that is required of us to ensure that our surroundings are safe.

    “Our company make sure the environment is safe. We make sure the waterways, forestry areas and the 2500 hectares buffer zones are safe. It is part of our project to make health of the community members is improved. We provide boreholes, basic medical facilities. We need to do this government has important role to play.

    “We look after the environment and remain within the law”.

     

  • Host communities pledge support for Lafarge operations in Cross River

    Elders and youths from the of the host communities of cement company, Lafarge Holcim Plc, in Cross River State have pledged their support to ensure the smooth operation of the company.

    Lafarge Holcim is hosted by Akamkpa and Akpabuyo local government areas of Cross River State.

    Addressing reporters in Calabar on the heels of a protest by a section of some youths from the area last week who were demanding for employment, contracts and basic amenities, an elder from Akpabuyo,  Mr Ekeng Effiong, who led other youths from the area, said  the company have been engaging youths in the area in most of their activities.

    According to Effiong, the communities in the area have been very peaceful since the commencement of the plant.

    `We will continue to support the progress of the plant because we are also direct beneficiaries of what is going on in the company.

    “But, we will not hesitate to press for what is rightly ours because our young graduates need to be gainfully employed and be part of the activities in the company.

    “We are not confrontational, we will continue to promote business activities in the area with a view for other companies to come in and invest’’, he said.

    He urged the management of the company not to relent in providing social amenities for the host communities.

    A youth leader from Akamkpa local government, Mr Festus Bassey, said that youths in the area were not violent, and they will continue to engage the company in meaningful dialogue with a view to meet all their demands.

    “We want employment for our youths. Youths from both communities are very peaceful and ready to corporate with the management of Lafarge.”