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Category: Saturday Magazine

  • The last thing Lam told me –His PA for 30 years Fatai Ibikunle

    The last thing Lam told me –His PA for 30 years Fatai Ibikunle

    Alhaji Fatai Ibukunle is popularly referred to as Lam’s boy. He served as Personal Assistant to Alhaji Lam Adesina for close to 30 years. In this interview with OSEHEYE OKWUOFU at Felele, Ibadan residence of the late political icon who breathed his last Sunday in a Lagos hospital, the current Special Assistant to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, spoke on his experience working with the late Lam Adesina, his political philosophy and what he told him during his last moments in the hospital. Excerpts.

    BABA Adesina was a father to me because he took over my upkeep right from my tender age and brought me up since then. He took over everything that had to do with my upbringing since he became the House of Representatives member in 1979. He mentored me on how to live life and on how to chart the political terrain. How do you rate him as a leader? He was a fine gentleman. Adesina was my own Awo because I never lived with Awolowo, but I have been with Adesina and he was a very kind and considerate leader and he loved people and loved putting his followers in positions of authority. Ask people the question, who made you chairmen of local government chairman? And the answer will be Lam. Who made you commissione? Lam. Who made you the House of Representatives member? Lam. He loved to put people in positions and making people happy. He didn’t even have much time for himself, but was always addressing others’ problems. So, he was a complete gentleman. How do you rate him as a politician? He was a fine politician. He would never harbour any grudge against anyone. He would say things the way they were without fear or favour. He would tell us look, whenever you want to go to for political struggle or contest, make sure you go with your brain and diplomacy, and that as a politician, you must be diplomatic and must succumb to the will of Allah. And that anytime you are looking for something, you should prepare your mind that it is going to be a failure. If you success, okay, but if you fail, it will not be a problem to you because you have already prepared your mind. That’s is why some politicians develop hypertension. Throughout his life, he never suffered blood pressure or undue anxiety because anytime we were going for any contest, he would tell us, look Fatai, let us prepare our mind to the fact that humans are what they are, we should never look for perfection, human beings can change. Let us believe that it’s either we win or lose. And let us put in our best that will make us win. But if we lose, it should not be a shock to us. So, Lam was a complete politician. You know he started in 1979 when he contested the State House of Assembly election, but along the line, Baba Awolowo said no, he should go for the House of Reps. So, his mind was to go to the State House of Assembly, a lower position, but Awo said he should go higher. Then, in 1987, he was prepared to go for local government election, but Babangida banned them and thereafter they said he should come, but he said no, he was no more interested. That was when Baba Alayande’s son became local government chairman. Recall that the late Lam Adesina had made attempt in the late 1980s to become governor of Oyo State, but somewhere along the line, that wasn’t to be. What happened? Well, what happened was that in 1988, his people came to him and asked him to represent them in the Constituent Assembly, and he went. So, during the 1988-89 Constituent Assembly, he and others like of Chief Segun Osoba came together and formed a political movement which later on metamorphosed into SDP. So, he tried to become governor at that time, but people disappointed him. People like Adedibu and co., they sabotaged his effort and he was left resigned to fate. And in 1983, when he wanted to go for the deputy governorship, with Chief S. M. Afolabi, they disappointed him again. But those who believed in him urged him to go for a second term in the House of Reps, but he was still resigned to fate. Chief S. M. Afolabi and others went to NPN, but Baba Lam said he was not leaving the UPN because his own philosophy was tied with the progressives. He said he was not leaving. And he did not leave the party even when the likes of Eruobodo went to NPN. A lot of people went to NPN then in annoyance because Awolowo disappointed them but Baba Lam said no. So, despite the disappointment in SDP, he did not leave the party. He remained there when Adedibu and co disappointed him. At a point in time, it was learnt that Abacha tried to lure him to his side. What happened after that? They were urging him to leave the struggle then in NADECO. A lot of enticements were brought to soften Baba’s stance but he turned them down and later Abacha wanted a reliable politician and sought him out, but he said no, he was not leaving the struggle. He said he was a NADECO member and that they were going to fight Abacha till he left that office. And after Abacha’s death, with all the struggles including imprisonment, they asked him, sir, what are you going for? But Baba Lam said he was not desperate. He said he didn’t know, but God will tell him the thing to do and the right way to go. After some time, they told him to go for governorship and after much consultation, he went for governorship. And he became governor in 1999. How would you describe your relationship with Lam? The relationship was that of a father, mentor and son. A father who loved his son so much. Many thought I was his biological son. But no! It was just out of interest. He took me in when I was very young and for over 30 years, I was with him as his PA. And throughout the period, any meeting he wanted to go, he would call me. Even when at the Constituent Assembly, whenever they had a meeting at night, and if other colleagues of his said I should go out, he would say ‘no, he must be here, I am mentoring him, let him stay with me, he is my Personal Assistant. Then, there was a day in 2011, he wanted to go on a trip with the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, I think it was Maputo. So, when we got there, he said I would go with him. But when we were at the airport, the chief of Protocol to Chief Obasanjo deliberately sidelined me at the tarmac. So, when I saw Baba Lam coming with Obasanjo, I went to him and hold his agbada and said Baba, they said I should not go with you again. Baba Lam immediately told Obasanjo that he was no more going with him again because they didn’t pick my Personal Assistant (PA). Then Obasanjo said: ‘Why this Fatai all the time? Anything you want to do is Fatai. He (Obasanjo) asked where is the Fatai? Lam said here is Fatai. Obasanjo now said oh, is it this young man? No wonder Lam will not do without you. He then turned to his Chief protocol and said you are a thief, simply because you did not want to give him his own estacode that is why you don’t want him to go with you. That was how we went on that trip. So, for many years I was part and parcel of Lam. What was your last discussion with him before he died? Before he died, he called me about 11pm and said Fatai, how are you? I asked Baba, why are you calling me at this late night? He said ‘it’s because I wanted to talk to you.’ I asked, what happened? He said ‘I just want to talk to you about the political terrain of Oyo State and I want to admonish you that everything should take place decently and in order. You should work with the party and strengthen the party and let the party remain united and strong. You know my ways, my ideas, and how I go about everything. You know my associates well, call them, let them rally round Ajimobi. Don’t let the party down, and make sure the party is in good shape.’ And I asked, why are you telling me all these? He said no problem, that I should not fear, and that he will return to Ibadan and when he arrived, he will call me first and I should come and brief him on what is happening on the political scene in the state, and that he will then give his own advice on how to restructure and harmonise the party. He said he would call the governor and three of us would sit down and work out the best way the party would go. I said okay sir, thank you. Thereafter, I called a boy with him, Jide and ask him why did Baba call me this night, I hope there is nothing? He said no, that he was sleeping only to later wake up and asked him to call me that he wanted to talk to me. I asked, what was happening? He said that Baba only said that he wanted to be sure that things were in good position and that he didn’t want anything to happen to the party (ACN). He said he just remembered those things while he was sleeping and he felt he should tell me. I said okay, I will join you in Lagos on Saturday. Then Governor Ajimobi told me that he would be going to Lagos on Saturday and I felt that I should allow the governor to go first, after which I would later be in Lagos on Sunday morning. But on Sunday morning at about 6.am, Jide was called me repeatedly. I felt then that something must have happened. Before long, Dapo, his son, called me and said daddy was in coma. I said that must have been the reason why Jide was calling me. I asked what do we do? I said we would go to Lagos and join them. He said okay, that he will be waiting for me in their house at Felele and that I should pick him up there. About 15 minutes later, the governor called and told me that Baba had already passed on. I broke down. I asked myself, why this time? Just when everybody was expecting him back to Ibadan. And since that Sunday I have not been myself, because there were a lot of things we needed to do. Since 1979, I have never left Baba for a day, except when the military took over in 1983 when I went to get the civil service job. We have been together. Since 1979, Baba had never disappointed me and there was never any day we disagreed. In fact, some people thought I was the first born. I have been with Baba for all season. And anything I have become today, anything that I have, I owe them to God, and to Lam Adesina. Baba would sleep at night and he would wake up very early in the morning and ask, where is Fatai? We thank God that Governor Ajimobi is going to carry on where Lam Adesina left off because before his death, he (Ajimobi) had already taken over people like us. And Lam had told me that the same loyalty I gave to him, I should give to Ajimobi. We thank God that he lived a good life. He was a man that was agreeable to God’s heart and very religious. He went to bed at 1.am and would wake up very early and begin his prayers. He would see all his grandchildren go to school before he got up. So, that was his routine. He had always told me that if he died the next day, he wanted to be seen in the right place. He said I have left everything about this world. I will say the truth, I will stand by the truth and I will say whatever God asked me to say. I don’t want anything on earth again. I don’t want any house, what I want is to be closer to God. And Baba Lam was closer to God. And even when he felt sick, we rushed him to UCH and by 12 midnight, he was praying on his sick bed. So, he was a man closer to God, and a very good family man and role model for all generation. He loved his wife and his children so much. You also worked closely with him when he was governor between 1999-2003, as his Personal Assistant, what was your experience working with him? You see, one thing with him was that if he resumed in the office, I would be with him every day in his office by 7.30am. He would give me all his day’s programme, the people he would see and he would ask me to take the programme to the protocol and I should discuss it with him every morning. So, before his arrival in the office, I would have perfected everything. He would ask me to bring all the files and he made sure he treated all the files. He never took any file home or taken any file on a trip. He would ensure all files were treated in his office. If he travelled for one week and the files were up to 200 or 300, he would treat everything in the day and he would not talk to anybody. I would not go to his office because I knew he would not welcome anybody during that period. After treating all the files, he would call me on the intercom and say I should come. So, he was a dutiful man who loved his people so much. He would never delay any file for a second. I could tell what his body movement meant. And whenever he whispered, I knew the deeper meaning. It was said that Alhaji Lam Adesina never visited hospital except once when he was rushed to UCH and St Nicholas Hospital…? Yes, for close to 30 years that I was with him, I had never seen any doctor treating him for any illness. His only sickness was malaria. And he treated malaria by himself. In fact, when he was in the House of Reps, and he happened to travel for ten days, after four days, Baba would come back to the country. He would say he could not stay abroad. Though he was in his early 40s then, but he would say he was not interested in staying there because the place was too cold for him. That was Baba Lam for you, so he was not known to visiting hospitals throughout his life. While in the Constituent Assembly and House Reps, unused estacodes were said to be returned by Lam Adesina, were you ever privy to this? Yes. I handled the whole thing with strict directive from Baba Lam. He would ensure that all the unspent money was returned to the treasury. When the military took over in 1983, while he was leaving for Ibadan, he told me then that Fatai, if a spoon should miss in this house, I will hold you responsible. He said everything that I would need to return, let them sign the inventory and bring it to me in Ibadan. When he was in the Constituent Assembly too, he said Fatai, if anything should be missing here I will hold you responsible, make sure you let them sign the inventory for you and bring it to me. I said it’s okay, so, that was the true nature of Lam, in fact, I can call him a perfect man. He didn’t want any blemish at all. Why was he given the nick-name ‘Mr. Point of Order’? He was always happy to hear people call him that name because of what he stood for. He was a man who wanted things to be done the right way; a man who had the interest of his party at heart. And the name came about when he was always saying the truth, and standing by the truth. Most times, he would make that statement on the floor of the House to correct any wrong or misgivings about the state of the nation. We will miss him greatly.

  • Two years after, Ogun community honours victims of chieftaincy dispute

    MEMORIES of the orgy of violence that occasioned the tussle for the seat of the traditional ruler of Ijoko community, Ogun State in 2010 were rekindled in the community recently. The ugly incident had claimed no fewer than eight lives in the community, including that of the 32-year-old son of the traditional ruler. In the morning of April 27, 2010, the traditional ruler, Oba Lasisi Ogunseye, had left his palace to attend the hearing of a suit filed by some aggrieved parties against his installation as the Oba of the town at the Ota Division of the Ogun State High Court. A few minutes after the court session, Oba Ogunseye was on his way home when unidentified hoodlums attacked his convoy at Oju-Ore junction, Otta. While the octogenarian monarch escaped the attack by a whisker, some of his loyalists were not so lucky. Eight of them were killed in the violent attack. The victims included the Asiwaju of Ijokoland, Chief Olufemi Sotinoye; the Ekerin of Ijokoland, Chief Akibu Amodu and the Oba’s son, Prince Monsuru Ogunseye. The other victims were Bashiru Osoba, Kazeem Oyedele, Sherif Oloyede, Fatai Sanni and Akeem Sanusi. Prince Monsuru was said to have escaped from the scene of the attack and went into hiding somewhere in Otta. From his hideout, he started making calls to his friends and siblings on his mobile phone, asking them to come and rescue him. Unknown to him, some people who initially did not recognise him as the oba’s son, overheard his conversation on the phone and alerted his assailants. Pronto, they stormed his hideout on motorcycles and apprehended him. They were said to have taken him to the house of a chief who allegedly passed a ‘death sentence’ on him. His captors then took him to a shrine in the community where his body was reportedly mutilated until he died. In a similar vein, Sanusi, a 29-year-old graduate of Computer Science from the Lagos City Polytechnic, was said to be two days away from resuming work at Emirate Airline when he met his gruesome death. He was said to have left his base in Lagos to attend the court session in solidarity with the monarch. He was said to have tried to jump over a fence when the crisis broke, but his assailants held him by the leg and shot him dead. As for Osoba, a man who pretended to be his friend was said to have pointed him out to his killers. Fearing that he had charms that might make him not to die from gunshots, his assailants resorted to stabbing him to death. The trio of Oyedele, Oloyede and Sanni were also said to have been killed in similar circumstances. In appreciation of their heroic deaths, the indigenes of the town decided to honour them recently at a ceremony tagged Ijoko Fallen Heroes. Held at Ijoko Community Primary School, hundreds of residents trooped out to honour their departed kinsmen. The commemorative ceremony, witnessed by Oba Ogunseye and Olori Igbimo of Owu, Abeokuta, High Chief Femi Shodeinde and other dignitaries, commenced with the laying of wreath at a cenotaph erected in their honour. Various groups, including Igbo and Hausa, paid homage to Oba Ogunseye and his chiefs while an interdenominational service was held for the repose of the souls of the departed indigenes. Relations of the deceased persons also received cash awards as a token of appreciation of the sacrifice made by their siblings. Some of the victims’ relatives who spoke with our correspondent asked the Ogun State government to revisit the incident and bring the culprits to book. Monsuru Ogunseye’s wife, Nimotalai, recalled her last days with her husband and the burden of raising the four children he left behind all alone. She said: ”They couldn’t find my husband dead or alive. I was at home when he told me he would accompany the Kabiyesi to court. He gave me N200 before he left home, promising to return early. He left at about 6.30 am. I never knew I was seeing him for the last time. “At about 3 pm, I learnt that Kabiyesi and his supporters were ambushed. We tried his phones but they were switched off. It was on the third day that Kabiyesi called me to his palace to break the news of my husband’s death. He, however, consoled me, asking me to take heart. “Dead or alive, we have not seen his body till today. It got to a point that some of my friends even launched a fruitless search for his body in Ota. We later learnt that he was taken to a shrine shortly after he was ambushed. He left me with four children, but I thank God that my husband’s family has not abandoned me to my fate. And that is my greatest joy, especially the Kabiyesi who has been seeing to my wellbeing and those of his grandchildren.” Temitope Shotinoye-Rasheed, whose father was among the victims, recalled her last encounter with him. She said: ”I loved my father very much because he stood by me for five years after my mother died before he was gruesomely killed. “On April 25, 2010, he asked me to prepare fish stew for him and I obliged him. I handed the stew to my younger brother who was living with him and I left for Cotonou, Republic of Benin, to purchase some goods. While I was returning on Tuesday April 27, I ran into the scene of the incident at Oju-Ore, but I never knew that he was among the victims. “I want those who were responsible for my father’s death exposed, prosecuted and convicted to serve as a deterrent to other lawless elements in the society. It is absurd that some heartless youths would kill an 82- year-old in cold blood.” Yusuf Sanusi, whose brother, Akeem, was also dispatched to early grave, explained how his elder brother left home for the journey of no return. He said: “He (Akeem) was a friend to Kabiyesi’s children. He had just graduated from the Lagos City Polytechnic and had just been offered employment by Emirate Airline. He was to resume work on May 2 but he was killed on April 27, 2010. His death has devastated me so much. “He told me while he was leaving home that he would return as soon as the court proceedings were over. But when the incident occurred, we tried to reach him on his telephone line only for a male voice to answer that he found the phone around Oju-Ore shortly after the violent clash. Some sympathisers had found his bullet-ridden body shortly after the incident. “I want the government to intervene by fishing out my brother’s killers because his death was a great loss to my family.” In his remarks, Oba Ogunseye said: “Apart from my son and others who were killed during the violent attack on our way from court, countless others were harassed and brutalised. One of them is a man called Muibi, who was shot several times. In fact, bullets were lodged in Muibi’s intestines and it took several days for doctors to remove the bullets. My joy today is that Muibi is alive and still plays football. “As for those who were responsible for the death of these patriotic indigenes of this community, they will forever live with the consequences of their sins. “I also want to say that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, we have not chased anyone out of Ijokoland. We are lovers of peace and not lawless people. Those who say they were chased out are actually those who lack the character to live among decent people like us.”

  • Agenda for second term: No more shall our people travel to our capital city to see civilisation –Oshiomhole

    Agenda for second term: No more shall our people travel to our capital city to see civilisation –Oshiomhole

    THE banner at the capacity-filled Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium fluttered with buoyancy and optimism. It bore such assuring declaration as “Edo is in safe hands: Welcome to the future”. As early as 8.am, students from different primary and secondary schools, crowd of party faithful, military and Para-military personnel and cultural ensembles, in their thousands, surged and fought their way to be part of the future that was being ushered in with the swearing-in for the second term of the new light of Edo politics, Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. At exactly 9.30 am, the stadium was already filled to the brim in kaleidoscope of colours don by an ecstatic and jubilant throng of citizens ready to hold the future in their own hands. Security personnel had a challenging time controlling the hordes of guests who wanted to be part of history that was being celebrated. History not because it was the first time a governor was being sworn in for a second term, but history that records the victory of one man one vote crusade that began sometime last year. History that celebrates the interment of the politics of godfatherism. History about a kingdom regained. History about a return from the wasteland. Despite the watertight security, the crowd was ready to break barriers to see their governor, who has come to be known as ‘Oshio Baba’ coroneted for yet another voyage that would put Edo State firmly in the pantheon of democratic and developed state. The Edo people were not alone in their felicitation with the Comrade Governor. Friends and associates, cutting across political divides braced the early morning showers to register their camaraderie. As at 10.30am, the roll call of political gladiators included the former head of state, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), National Leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ACN National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Peter Obi of Anambra State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Owelle Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Muhammed. Also on hand to honour Oshiomhole were former governors of Ekiti, Ogun and Anambra States, Chiefs Niyi Adebayo, Segun Osoba and Chris Ngige respectively, among others. A phenomenon that he has become in the state, even those in opposition could not but admit that this was an epochal as they turned out to witness the coronation of the diminutive gadfly whom God has given to the state. A gadfly who, even before his assumption of office, has fastened himself upon the citizenry, persuading and jolting them out of their political docility and obsequiousness. And a reproach for a few who for long reduced the state to a fiefdom. Much more than the convergence to witness the inauguration of Oshiomhole’s second term, was a demonstration by the people that once they find a leader who is not only selfless but one who has a demonstrable skills to lead, they are ready to follow. And with shouts of “Oshio Baba”, “Oshio Baba”, there was no denying the fact that this was a leader they had long been in crying need of. This was why they turned out in their thousands to celebrate what they regard as the extermination of the forces of darkness. A state whose people were for a long time reduced to miserable spectators, persuaded to believe that Edo was no longer viable as a state by a godfather and a coterie of his followers, the showpiece could not be embraced any more than as a political emancipation of some sort. In a veiled reference to the brusque manner with which the ghost of the past was exorcised, echoes of “Hurricane Adams”, “Adamant Adams” wafted all round the stadium. For four dizzying years, the people believed in and anchored their hope on the Comrade Governor and in the end, it turned out to be a voyage of promises kept, hope kept alive and an unprecedented transformation across the state. Speaking to The Nation in Benin, a former PDP member, Mr. Osahon Obazele, who said he defected to the ACN said: “For once, Edo people can trust their governor.” After nine years of growth stasis, the people can look back and heave a sigh of relief that the pains and deprivations of the past have been righted within so short a time by the Comrade Governor in the saddle. So far, there has been what Obazele described as “evidence of democracy for development, democracy for good schools, democracy for new roads, water supply, for women, children and youths.” Without fail, the slogan of ‘no youth, no election, no children, no tomorrow, no women, no nation became the plank on which the governor has anchored his developmental agenda for the state. Kingdom lost Regretting how the ancient Kingdom of Benin suddenly became a ‘Paradise Lost’, Governor Oshiomhole traced the cause of the rot to lack of planning and neglect: “Regrettably, in the recent past, the state became riddled with mismanagement, oppression, corruption, poverty, marginalisation of the people, suffocation of civil society, and the general neglect of the basic needs of the masses. There was hardly a difference between the rural and urban centres in terms of planlessness, unemployment, infrastructural deficit and decay, unaccountable leadership, political manipulation, waste and criminal diversion of state resources, and general insecurity. Investors refused to come to Edo State, security forces were overwhelmed, schools and hospitals were dilapidated, workers were not paid as and when due, many retired without benefits, pensioners died without pension and our people just continued to hope against hope. This situation, in a general sense, continued until November 12, 2008 when a new dawn began in Edo State.” This explains why in the first four years of his reign, he was focused on a blistering campaign of urban and rural renewal to regain the lost kingdom of Benin. Edo is working As part of the strategy to engender hope in the people and address the rural/urban drift, there was urgent need to take development to the people, if anything, to instill a sense of belonging in them. After reminding the people that everything that was considered impossible has been made possible, the governor belched with contentment and added that Edo is working, but not without firing a potshot at those he labelled godfathers. “We have proved the godfathers wrong and today, Edo is working,” assuring that in his second term, he would attract private investments, revisit water supply in Benin City and pursue the sinking of boreholes in the rural areas. Apart from developing the new Benin Layout and an effective land use act, he vowed to make the rural areas centres of development so that people “will no longer travel to the capital city to see civilisation.” Lending voice to the governor’s rural/urban renewal Continued from page 14

    effort, Chief Ihemien Omorodion told The Nation that until Oshiomhole became governor, access to electricity and potable water was a mere wishful thinking. The people were far removed from modernity. According to him, “For long, we were far away from civilisation. We did not know what electricity was, neither did we know how pipe-borne water tasted like. Yet we had people who carried on like our leaders, but failed to provide leadership. We cannot thank the Comrade Governor enough. The reason we are here today (the day of inauguration) is to show that we are solidly behind him.”

    The next four years

    Unveiling his administration’s agenda for the next four years, Governor Oshiomhole said there will be conscious effort at rebuilding faith in the citizenry and mobilise the people to rededicate themselves to the collective growth and development of the state.

    “In the next four years, we shall continue to rebuild faith in government and governance at all levels; mobilise our people to commit to collective growth and development, and strengthen institutions for efficient and effective service delivery. It is our hope that traditional leaders and institutions as well as religious bodies and civil society groups continue to mobilise their members to complement our efforts. We shall not fail to deliver on all our promises and to complete all on-going projects.

    “Allow me to say that while we will continue to work on infrastructure, we plan, in the next four years, to place emphasis on promoting sustainable economic growth and development. Our government will emphasize human capital development, training and retraining of teachers and public servants; promotion of agriculture for food production, employment and increased income to our farmers and rural dwellers; small and medium scale industrial development. We shall continue to attract local and foreign investors to Edo State so as to create more jobs for our people.”

    Humbled by the overwhelming endorsement of his administration’s collective mission and support for the struggle to refocus, reposition and redefine Edo State for peace, progress and prosperity, Governor Oshiomhole was seemingly lost for words to qualify his gratitude to the Edo people whose unparalleled and unflinching support and encouragement saw his administration overcome all obstacles, booby traps placed in his administration’s path.

    Symbolically, Oshiomhole’s return for a second term, the turnout as evident in the mammoth crowd for his inauguration, was by no means an open endorsement of his governance approach as well as the people’s collective rejection of domination, bad governance, bad leadership, and undemocratic conduct in the management of the state’s commonwealth in the nine years preceding his assumption of office in 2008.

    He summed up his scorecard tersely: “Collectively, we set an example and political milestone for Nigeria and Africa as we showed that it was possible to defeat negative political forces, run elections without violence, and campaign on performance and the support of all strata of society.”

  • ‘Let’s not over-criticise pastors who have problems with their wives’

    ‘Let’s not over-criticise pastors who have problems with their wives’

    Recently when Lekki-based yuppie Pastor Ituah Ighodalo buried his father, six governors and other high profile guests filed behind him to pay a last respect to Pa Jeremiah Ighodalo, his late father. Even after the exotic burial ceremony and reception, the amiable yuppie head pastor of Trinity House Church in Lekki, Lagos, rolled out more basket of food, medication and other necessities to the needy who came in droves to the outreach he organised the following Saturday.
    Pastor Ituah Ighodalo has come a long way from Christ Chapel, one of the parishes of The Redeemed Christian Church of God where his popularity was steadily on the rise. Few years ago, he left unceremoniously, but his fame went ahead of him and today, the successful chartered accountant, who is also popular in social circles, is said to be leading one of the fastest growing churches in Africa. Ituah Ighodalo spoke to PAUL UKPABIO at his luxury home in Ikoyi, Lagos.

    From the high profile guests that turned up to honour your late father, did you imagine as a boy that you would one day attract such quality of people at your event?

    The honest truth is that all my life I have always wanted to contribute my own quota to society. That could in a way have contributed to the calibre of people that turned out for my father’s burial. But then, a lot of those important dignitaries, the governors and other high profile guests that came, did not start out their lives being VIPs. They are not people that are recently known to me. Most of them, I have known from the time that I was a little boy. So whether they are VIPs today or not, we have known one another from childhood. It’s just that God has helped us overtime to grow and develop in a certain way that has made most of us to achieve and get to certain levels in life. Most of them were my school mates, party mates and so on.

    What kind of relationship did you have with your father while he was alive?

    My father and I were close. At the funeral, I said he was a righteous man. He thought no evil of anybody; he worked very hard, most times being vilified for his honesty because he worked in the midst of dishonest people. He was very straightforward, very truthful and lived within his means. Both of my parents I can say without any iota of doubt were very corruption-free, well educated and very civilised. My father could have base, he could have bound. He could dine with the queen today and be in the midst of the poor the next day and eat with them. He was comfortable with both sides. He had no airs about him and was a confident person. I miss him very much. I am grateful that towards his later years, he got the recognition he deserved in this nation, as a very forthright citizen. I am happy that the end of his life was very pleasant. He had everything he needed or that money could buy. I’m also glad that he got a glorious exit. It was very glorious indeed. I am happy that I was able to do the appropriate thing to my father. And I thank my brothers and my sisters for being able to come together to do so.

    Tell us a little about your growing up years?

    We lived a very simple family: both of my parents were civil servants, but we didn’t lack anything. We had the best of education, the best of exposure. We wined and dined with the highest in the society, and we were very comfortable with the poor. My parents never allowed us to forget where we came from, that both of them were children of farmers. Therefore, we had to treat everybody the same. We usually went to the village to hang out with our people over there and also we were going to the state house, to hang out with governors and presidents. That is the kind of life that we grew up in. My parents were disciplinarians but they also allowed us to develop ourselves and be self confident to decide who you wanted to be in life. They allowed us to drive cars from the age of 14 and 15.

    How did you get born again?

    In 1993, I decided to give my life to Jesus. My mom kept praying for me without being too overbearing. And also introduced me more into the scriptures: eventually she was able to show me through prayers that this was the way to go. A certain gentleman, Reverend Popoola, was able to speak to me about God and I received Jesus in to my life.

    In your earlier years, were there any indications that you’ll one day be a top pastor in Africa’s populous nation?

    There was no indication whatsoever. In my younger days, I was a boy about town. I studied hard and I did very well in school, Kings College. I was playing the guitar, dating the girls and taking a car out. I enjoyed myself; I didn’t drink at that time but later on in life, I drank a little bit. I didn’t smoke because of the influence at home; however, in terms of hanging out with boys and girls, we did a lot of that. And we were really boys about town both in Lagos and in Ibadan. I lived the social life until I was 30. I was really out there. I started slowing down from 30 when I also gave my life to Jesus shortly after my 31st birthday. I really thank God in a way that He allowed me to experience the different parts of life. Again, I started business early at 24, so I was a bit of an early riser and early starter in life.

    How do you combine being a top flying accountant with a robust clientele and ministry work?

    You’re right, I’m a chartered accountant and I’ve been running my business for a very long time. When I became born again, I did not have any inclination to give up my work or profession. Again, I didn’t want to depend on the ministry for my remuneration, I wanted to give back to society. So I held unto my profession and I must tell you that I enjoy both. Now, there is a bit of pressure on time because both are very demanding. Gradually, it’s like I’m doing less of my professional work. But I will never stop working, I could just reduce the quantum of transactions I do so that I can find more time for ministry work because ministry is a calling. But God has helped me as I take each item as it comes and I do one thing at a time. I have been able to successfully manage both. I delegate and I have enjoyed the support of my partners. While in the ministry, I have very supportive associates too. It’s been a team work. I grew up in a church environment where I also saw people who combined circular work with ministry work. So I thank God that the ministry has done well and no one can really accuse me of not doing enough. So I thank God.

    What’s your assessment of the church in Nigeria?

    The church has tried its best within the limits of its operations. You know church and society move in stages. At a time, the church made calls for holiness and righteousness and after a while, there was a call for prosperity which created a lot of changes and now there ‘s a call for the church to be more involve in national awareness. The church, especially the older cadre, is changing in that direction. We’ve got to a point in the nation when the church needs to be more involved. But the other main challenge that I have with the church is the lack of unity. The church is not united enough; and because of that, it is not as strong as it ought to be. But again also, these issues are being attended to. The problem, however, is that some churches have delved too deeply into deliverance and some others, too extreme with the message of prosperity. The balanced message is not there. So the church has to be careful about that. Added to that is that some of our colleagues have become superstars as it were, with convoys and all the trappings of power. At times, it is not so good for the church to have that kind of brand or image. Not that a minister of God shouldn’t have assistants or protection but do it in a more cautious way. All in all, the church has done its best, and I think that is one of the reasons that have kept Nigeria together. But the church needs to do a lot more.

    What would you say is the excuse for the high fees charged by schools owned by churches in present day Nigeria, especially against the criticism that these schools were built from poor people’s money?

    It is outrageous. In the first place, good quality education is expensive and the only way education can be a little cheaper is if it is subsidised. So even if the schools were built by parishioners, it still costs the church to maintain the school, have high calibre teachers, and have the kind of technology to keep people motivated. So the only thing is to appeal to mission schools to continue to subsidise to some extend or have different level of schools. That is, one highly subsidised so that everybody can attend, and another very expensive for the rich. So from what the rich pay, the other school is subsidised, which is what we are trying to do. Education is important and critical. I already have a foundation that gives scholarship to students. So we attack it from that entire angle to ensure that more and more people get quality education. It is the key to growth and transformation of Nigeria.

    Leaving the Redeemed Christian Church of God Church must have been a hard decision for you and of course, a trying time. Tell us about that period of your life

    True, it was a trying time leaving the Redeemed Christian Church of God and then Christ Church where I spent about 15 years. Ten years of pasturing that church, a place that I had given everything to. So it was heart-rending. But God made everything to work together. I spent a year just resting, praying to God, and asking for a direction. I had to ask God whether to go back into the ministry or go fully into my profession. Or should I relocate or what should I do next? Eventually, I heard very clearly that I should go back into that which I had been called to do. That is how Trinity House started and God has been faithful in that He has helped and supported us and given us favour and speed. We’ve been doing what we were doing at Christ Church, but doing it from a different perspective. We are people-oriented and social inclined; we deliver the transformation of people to affect the nation. We’ve created different kinds of NGOs to reach to all categories of people, NGOs for blind, for the deaf, the area boys, another for drug addicts, another to empower people and another to help street girls and prostitutes. We have NGOs to answer almost every social problem. We are heavy on personal development, holiness, living life according to God’s word and deliverance because of ancestral curses.

    What’s your church plan for growth?

    Any church that does not grow dies. God has been helping us with branches. As we speak, we have a centre at University of Lagos. We have eight other branches around Lagos. We have spread outside Lagos to other states. We are trying to really evangelise; we are doing a lot of missions in and outside the country.

    Your style

    My father was a power-dresser; my mother too, though she was not into much make-up. She was usually very simple and stylish. I guess we just adopted the simple style. My sisters the same and we married wives that are just like that. I grew up with excellence and style. Not loud, but simple, stylish and well put together attitude. Confident but humble: Achievable and approachable. I am a stickler for cleanliness, well arranged house, just the way my parents were. They went to England, studied the way people did things, came back, took another dimension with it and passed on the tradition. The most important thing to me is to be confident in whatever I wear. I try to wear the appropriate thing to each occasion without attracting too much attention to myself. Then I also put a little bit of colour and excitement into my dressing. I go for honesty, simplicity and uprightness and then hard work, the willingness to transform, not for your sake, but for the sake of the generality of all. The most important thing is to be able to change somebody else’s life.

    Even after you became born again, you have remained a pastor who is also known as a socialite. Are you called to minister especially to the fun-loving ones in the society?

    Of course, preaching generally starts off by you ministering to the people you know. That does not mean that I minister only to the rich, I have a call to minister to the down trodden in the society too. For instance, after we buried our father, the next Saturday, the church moved into areas where the less-privileged are, and I led an outreach to over 3,000 people in my village. There was free food, medication and other such things that could be beneficial to them. While I am accessible to my class of people in the society, I am also accessible to the down trodden. I keep that balance. Being sociable when I was not born again is true but even as a Christian, a pastor needs to be sociable to bring people to Christ. I have to attend their celebrations, and cry when they cry too. I must also be there to support them and I notice that they appreciate the support. I want to live the way Jesus Christ lived life. He was at the marriage of his own and again associated with Zachaeus, associated with Peter and he was there for everybody. A lot of his friends were rich. The man that came to see him in John Chapter 3 was a rich man. He came at night because he didn’t want people to know. And Jesus was also there for blind Bartimeus.

    Your wife, Ibidun, is equally a successful person. How do you manage with a wife that is successful?

    Thank God I do not have to manage my wife. She is a nice girl, very simple straight forward girl, we are very good friends, and we do business together. I appreciate her success and I allow her to be herself. One of my promises to God and to her is to allow her to be herself within the context of our spiritual environment. She works hard, she pursues her dream and I’ll like to see her happy and have my full support to be who she wants to be, and making sure that she is the best in what she has chosen to be. I am very happy that she is enjoying what she is doing.

    What would you say about top pastors that are having problems with their wives? Those going through separation, and those going through divorce?

    Some pastors were first of all people before becoming pastors. Even as pastors, they still make mistakes. Only God is without mistakes. What we need to do is to encourage one another and not to over-criticise one another because you may not know where the shoe is pinching. We are from different backgrounds, so wherever we see that one is not doing well, we need to reach out and encourage. So if a pastor that has been married for many years suddenly has problem with his wife, let’s move close and counsel.

    Sometimes, one of the parties has to give up something for something to happen. So, who is the one that is ready to make that sacrifice for the benefit of both? If really it is not going to work, then we allow God to take control. And if there must be a separation, that is done in a simple and an amicable fashion because of tomorrow. We may disagree today only to find that we need each other tomorrow. So, we must manage every situation with maturity and understanding.

    If a pastor fails in marriage, does it mean he has failed in his capacity as a pastor?

    You are only a failure if you accept that you are a failure and you refuse to rise out of it. Moses failed, David failed, Elijah failed and Elisha failed in certain areas. The key is to learn from that failure so that you do not fail again in that area. Or do something better next time. Life is a constant change, because you have failed today doesn’t mean that you cannot succeed tomorrow.

    Flamboyance is now a nature with Nigerian pastors and ownership of private jets is the vogue. What is your take?

    I spoke earlier about too much of flamboyance in the church but then if a pastor needs a private jet as a means of transportation to reach souls, why not? But it must be used as a tool to advancing the gospel and not as a show of wealth.

    What is the fastest means for a church to grow and the role of financiers?

    I don’t know of a financier, but I know that for you to make an impact in ministry, you must have a calling from God. Secondly, you must have a passion for it. Thirdly, you must study the word and arm yourself with the right spiritual tools. Fourthly, you must know about administration. Fifthly, you must do the right thing at the right time. For that, Jesus is an example. And lastly, you must be sincere. If you are insecure, one day it will show. Size doesn’t mean success; the important thing is to make progress in your area of call. So you must have a way of measuring and identifying your progress.

  • NCPC charges pilgrims to be ambassadors

    The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Mr. John Kennedy Opara, has charged intending pilgrims from Niger and Nasarawa states to be good ambassadors of Christ and Nigeria while in the holy land.

    Mr. Opara gave this charge recently at the Local Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport through his representative, Mr Simeon Gana, the Director of Administration of the NCPC during the airlift of intending pilgrims from Niger and Nasarawa states to Israel for this year’s pilgrimage exercise.

    Mr. Opara advised the intending pilgrims to conduct themselves decently while in Israel because, according to him, “as soon as you are out of this country, you are abmbassadors of Nigeria”. He further said, “You are representatives of our Lord Jesus Christ and ambassadors of Nigeria”.

    The NCPC helmsman also admonished the intending pilgrims to ensure that they guard their travel documents jealously while in Israel, eat moderately, obey table manners and abide by the Israeli laws.

    Three members of the Federal Government delegation were also at the airport to observe the procedures for the airlift and they all took turns to address the intending pilgrims.

    In his own remarks, the Chaplain of Aso Villa Chapel, Venerable Obioma Onwuzurumba, stressed the need for the intending pilgrims to be good Christians that their states and the nation would be proud of.

    He charged them to work with their heads high while in Israel and not to be timid. He thus wished them well and prayed that they would go in good health and come back in like manner.

    In his own remarks, Prof. Joseph Otubu, who is also a member of the Federal Government delegation for this year’s pilgrimage, said, “Nigerians are very good people”. He posited that the transformation of one person would lead to the transformation of many others.

  • My girl is three years older; she wants marriage when I’m not yet ready

    I’m in a relationship with a lady who is three years my senior and a graduate while I am an apprentice; I’m 27 years by age. I love her so much I call her Obioma, (my happiness). Right now we are having problems because she wants to get married by next year while I am thinking of getting married in 3 years’ time. What do you think I should do to keep this lady because I don’t want to lose her. Please help. – Tony from Owerri.

     

    Dear Tony, I understand the reasons you may not want to marry now and I understand why she wants it today if possible. She’s at that age when relatives, friends and all those who are close to her would expect that she should be settled in marriage. After all, she’s through with university education and she’s ripe for marriage at 30. As for you, you’re still learning a vocation and may not be financially ready for the demands of marriage. If you’re a man of dignity, you will think twice before depending of your wife for sustenance.  Both of you are at a crossroad. Since you love her so much and wouldn’t want to lose her, you may meet midway. Asking her to wait for the next three years will be too much but if she has a job and really desirous of marriage now she can loan you some money for a low key marriage. Go and pay her dowry if that will make her happy. However, she might want more than just her dowry being paid. She might want to move in as your wife and become properly married. That is where you may have problems if you don’t have a house of your own. If she can also loan you some tidy amount for a small apartment, you may go ahead and marry properly. Mind you, make it clear from the beginning that if you demand any assistance for her now, it is because you don’t want to lose her. She shouldn’t try to become a boss over you and she should take you as you are. Let her know that you wouldn’t want her to complain if you’re not able to act as a man until you finish your vocation. Preach to her the virtues of patience in such a situation. If however she cannot provide for the things she’s asking you to do now, let her know you love her, but you cannot give what you don’t have.

  • Keeping your teenagers pure (3)

    Dear Reader.

    You are welcome to another exciting edition. This week, we shall be re-emphasizing again on, Reasons for keeping teenager pure. As you open up your heart to God’s Words concerning your teenagers, I see God opening your eyes to see and to know what to do to keep, and to direct them in God’s ways.

    There are basic truths about child training, which when you embrace and practise, will enable you to raise godly children. These basic truths form the foundation of child raising; as you know, the foundation of a building is its most important part (Psalm 11:3).

    Let’s take a look at these key points.

    God owns your children

    One of such truths is, knowing that your children in actual sense do not belong to you, but to God. He has simply put them in your charge and made you their caretaker.

    The only way to preserve the coming generation is to train the children today. We must understand that the little ones of today are the giants of the Christian faith tomorrow; they will constitute the church of Jesus tomorrow. Thus, if the present move of God must be sustained and increase, then parents must be awake to the call of God to raise godly children. The future of the church depends, to a large extent, on what we do with our children today. Psalm 11:3 says: If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

    This means if you lay a solid foundation for your children in the Word of God today, then there will be co vacuum tomorrow. Now that your children can be shaped and moulded, shape them and mould them according to God’s standard.

    It is a commandment

    Another fundamental truth that you must understand about child training is, it is a commandment from God. A commandment is a law or an order. So, in case you previously thought child raising is an advice, a suggestion or a thing you do at your convenience, understand this: child training is a commandment! It is a must for you! It’s a commandment from God, not from man.

    Remember, however, that God’s commandments are not grievous. My husband says, “His commandments are not to grieve you, but to groom you!”

    A refusal to train your children in God’s fear is absolute disobedience to God’s commandment.

    It requires deligence

    God specifically instructed Israel to mind the words of His command and pass them down to their children with all diligence. So, child training is no small responsibility, it must be done carefully and purposefully. Note that successful farmers do not scatter their seeds on the highway as they travel. No! They acquire a piece of fertile soil and sow diligently and deliberately, expecting a bountiful return.

    Children spend a greater percentage of their time at home with their parents. So, Christian parents need to sit down and teach their children the scriptures.

    It is a seed

    Successful farmers pay close attention to the quality of seeds they sow, particularly as they want to make good profits from the harvest. Child training God’s way is a seed with promises of great reward.

    Understanding this dimension of child training enables you go about it as a labour with profit. Genesis 8:22 says: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

    There is profit in sowing the seed of a sound Christian upbringing in your children. Personally, there were certain positive instructions that were sown as seeds in my life as a little girl, that I will forever be grateful to my parents for. I didn’t enjoy the rigour of the training then, but now I have good fruit to show for their labour of love.

    If you sow the seed of good child training today, you will reap the fruit of peace, joy and fulfilment tomorrow.

    To keep your children and teenager in God’s ways and directions, you need to be in a good relationship with God. You to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. Are you born again? If not, Please say this prayer of faith: Dear Lord, I come to You today. I am a sinner. Forgive me my sins.  Cleanse me with Your precious Blood. I accept You as my Lord and Saviour.  Now I know I am born again!

    Congratulations! Until I come your way next week, please call or write, and share your testimonies with me through: E-mail: faithdavid@yahoo.com; Tel. No: 234-1-7747546-8, 07026385437, 07094254102

    For more insight, these books authored by Pastor Faith Oyedepo are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian Bookstores: Single With A Difference and A Living Witness

  • NTDC boss applauds minister over visas

    NTDC boss applauds minister over visas

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Olugbenga Ashiru, has been commended for his recent directive asking Nigerian missions abroad to ensure that the issuance of visas does not last more than 48 hours.

    At the forefront of the commendation is the Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, who said in a statement in Abuja that the directive was most timely as it conformed with the president’s transformation agenda on tourism.

    According to Otunba Runsewe, prompt issuance of visas to tourists and investors alike was overdue in view of the desire of tourists to visit Nigeria as their preferred destination and in conformity with the President Goodluck Jonathan on transformation of tourism as a major revenue earner for the country.

    He said the usual delays being experienced in some of our missions abroad would now become a thing of the past as consular service delay had always been the usual complaints of some visitors wishing to come to Nigeria.

    “This directive will surely help increase the tourist traffic into Nigeria as complaints have always been in this regards,” Otunba Runsewe said.

    The minister had said during the signing of “performance” contract with heads of Nigerian missions in the United States at the Nigerian House in New York that the era of visa delay to visitors and investors, among others, to Nigeria was over.

    According to the minister, “heads of missions are to hold their individual officers accountable for the delivery of agreed outcome such as the number and timeliness of visas and passports issued, the periodicity and quality of reports that are rendered among other deliverables”.

    In a related development, the NTDC boss has also commended the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom for promptly issuing a travel document to a staff of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation whose passport was lost while entering the United Kingdom recently.

     

    Otunba Runsewe said the speed with which the Corporation’s request was granted and the prompt attention given to the victim was commendable.

     

     

    ..

  • Better Life, leaders and fights

    The  People’s desire for a better life is what we shall fight for‘ – That was a statement in the speech the newly unveiled Chinese leader Xi Jinping used to introduce himself to the  world last Thursday after a closed door one week meeting  of the ruling Communist Party of China in Beinjing  the Chinese capital.   Obviously having in mind the flamboyant and highly competitive US elections of November 6, the Chinese newspaper ‘The China Daily‘ in its editorial this week noted  defensively   though    that‘’ the ostensible lack of drama throughout  the whole week may disappoint sensation seekers. But  the confidence in continuity instead of revolutionary ideas and dramatic approaches  means a better tomorrow is attainable‘.

    In  addition to  promising to fight for a better life Chinese Leader Xi said corruption too must be addressed and better party discipline was needed. According to Xi, – ‘the party faces  many challenges and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved  particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and bureaucracy caused by some  party officials. We  must make efforts to solve these problems. The Party   must stay alert.‘

    Let  me start by saying that  Xi  Jinping  too is  a man of the world who is a 59 year old Chemical engineer married to a well known singer wife in China  with a daughter and he  has worked briefly in a farm in the US in 1985. So the stereotype of Chinese leaders being commonly dull,  conservative and immersed in revolutionary ideas all the time like Mao,  is just not realistic.

    We shall therefore analyse Xi’s message in global terms and compare it  with other ‘fights’ or wars in other places and sectors on the global scene to learn a few lessons from China’s brand of democracy which many western socio political analysts pore scorn on because of its massive dictatorial content and  one party  political  structure.

    Undoubtedly China’s outgoing President Hu Jintao led China to stupendous growth over the last decade resulting in the elimination of Japan as the world’s second largest economy. But then corruption grew spirally and environmental matters led to disasters requiring massive state bailouts and interventions.

    Xi  has therefore made the right sounds for the Chinese masses in taking over. Also the media is in tune given the editorial of the China Daily mentioned before. But the key elements of Xi‘s speech in fighting for a better life for the Chinese people are anti – corruption crusade, transparency, keeping in touch with the people, removal of red tape in business and development,  party  discipline and   above all security. The  Chinese leader’s message is loud and clear – the party must be alert because there are forces out there in China wondering why a party made up of just 80m party members should rule on behalf of a billion people. So the Communist Party must  be alert so that it is not dethroned prematurely or unexpectedly  by such dissidents.

    Party leaders and members must toe party lines and  obey  orders for the party to survive and maintain its grip on power. Discipline in the Chinese sense is for the party so it can stay ahead of the larger society in terms of political power and control. Party members too are enjoined to stay closer to the people so as to know if they are happy or not and to note their complaints before  they become explosive and threaten the status quo which is the continuous dominance and sovereignty of the Communist Party in China. So  in very few words Xi  has rephrased  or adopted Confucianism  the political and administrative ideology of the  Chinese  sage Confucius  in a communist setting in modern China that will surely make Mao Tse Tung – the founder of Revolutionary China founded  in 1949 – green with envy in his grave  .Confucius was a Chinese philosopher, editor and politician who lived  between 551  and479 BCE during a period called the Spring and Autumn of Chinese history.

    His theories had a ding dong battle with acceptability in Chinese history but  over time have come to be recognized  globally as a sine qua non for good corporate governance and political management. Confucianism emphasized personal and governmental  morality, correctness  of social relationships,  justice  and sincerity- all of which the new Chinese leader Xi  really hammered home as the guiding principle of the new Chinese administration. Which really is  a good take off for a communist regime that is more known for its taciturnity and secretive nature,  rather than a   culture  of carrying its people along  on its policies or style of governance.

    It  is this Chinese style of governance that we have to compare albeit rather briefly  with other methods of economic and political management that revolve around events in Mali, the US,  and Nigeria in the last week. With regard to Mali, ECOWAS  has raised a military contingent of 3000 with soldiers drawn from Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Fasso whose President Blaise Compraore is the main negotiator with the rebels. But the military contingent is doomed to fail before it has even started. Some critics have asked it not to wait for UN  approval before taking off as that would delay it and snuff out its resolve as the UN in recent times   according to them, has not done anything right.

    They  point to its human rights irritants in the Congo that has had Uganda and Rwanda vowing not to contribute their soldiers to any UN controlled forces in the region. Worse still, the AU official in charge of the Mali contingent is reported as saying that negotiation is still an option with the contingent. So of what use  is the land armada  that is  meant to drive out the Mali Occupiers who are  said to have forced girls into prostitution in northern Mali  and concscripted boys in   their area of occupation into the   their  Islamist  army as boy soldiers?

    ECOWAS  should therefore make up its mind to see the intervention project through using  its own resources and control and utilizing the advantage of proximity to the problem area as well as intimate knowledge of the environment of conflict. It  was therefore  nice hearing that French President  Francois Hollande  has promised French help in terms of logistics  and training stressing that France will not contribute any military force to the Mali contingent. ECOWAS really  must have the stomach to fight to free Mali and stop a dangerous precedent in its region and it can not  do this by behaving like the  proverbial cat that wants to eat fish from a pond without getting its paws wet as it seems   to be doing right now over its preparations for intervention  as at this week.

    In  the US the reelected President Barak Obama  is trying to implement the manifesto that got him elected which is to raise taxes and make  spending  cuts and analysts have said he is trying to take the US over a cliff which really is frightening. But then he got elected for promising to raise taxes  while Mitt Romney was  given the cold shoulder for promising to cut taxes for the rich. Even though Obama has promised to negotiate with the Legislature and give way on other bills like Medicare later,  he has insisted  that the rich will be taxed  while the middle class will get tax relief.

    So  what kind of fight is Obama in to give the American people a better life like the new Chinese leader just promised his people? It  is to me a fight to  help the poor in the US no matter the odds against  his economy policies derided as Obamanomics by his opponents who invented the over the cliff terminology to create  fear that raising taxes followed by spending cuts will lead to a  US recession which would balloon into another global  economic crisis similar to the global meltdown that started in 2008;  leading to further spending by governments to bail out banks and industries  as  was done post the 2008 financial  crisis.

    In  Nigeria we shall  look  at the leadership provision of a better  life for its people syndrome in the context  of the utterances of  a Nigerian regional body the Arewa Consultative Forum  and others   as well as those of the only Nigerian leader who has ruled the nation as both a military and civilian leader, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Arewa in speaking was trying to make its contribution to our constitutional  review  process and the body which speaks for the north said that corruption should be visited with execution. Incidentally China punishes corruption with execution of those found guilty and has no remorse over that.

    Really I buy the argument of Arewa as the punishment of death could be a powerful deterrent for potential culprits to think twice before enriching their personal purses at the expense of the paying public.  General Obasanjo too spoke in the same vein as Arewa although he did not specify capital punishment but he berated the present administration  for not tackling corruption sufficiently and for treating the Boko Haram terror with kid gloves. So  that is putting both corruption and security on the priority list of any leader who wants to fight  to create a better life for Nigerians.

    Obasanjo went on to  accuse Nigerian politicians as lacking discipline in that after elections they throw away the manifesto that they used to campaign and upon which they were elected to power. Which is the opposite  of what  Obama  is trying to do, willy nilly in the US,  as it is unthinkable that he   would abandon his campaign promises and ever  renege on them even though he cannot contest for the office of president again.

    At  another forum Obasanjo revealed that he was under pressure  as president to rig an incumbent state  governor out of office,  but he resisted the pressure to ask a residential electoral officer to achieve that sinister design. But  was the pressure from within his party or without and what punishment was meted out to those who  dared to moot such an   idea to an  incumbent  president? At  another forum,  the Chairman of  INEC Professor Attahiru Jiga announced that  he has evidence that political parties  vote money for post election litigations and money to bribe INEC officials and that is why such litigations are rife and are the bane of our brand of democracy because there is money available as budgeted.

    That  means that the INEC boss has more fights  to fight to get our electoral act right.  Which  also  shows  that the electoral process or its  monitoring should not be limited to campaigns and elections alone,  but to  close and constant  scrutiny of the books and  even minutes of party meetings to nip such acts in the bud. But is that possible or acceptable in a democratic society? Undoubtedly one needs a long spoon to dine with the devil in politics. But in the quest to provide a better life for the people one   leads,  certain  steep   prices have to be paid, as eternal vigilance is truly the price of liberty   and   of course democracy in  any nation, especially a big one like our own Nigeria.

  • Soweto Gospel Choir for CARNIRIV 2012

    Soweto Gospel Choir for CARNIRIV 2012

    The Soweto Gospel Choir, a Grammy Award winner, will be top on the bill for this year’s CARNIRIV. They will be performing at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt December 9. This is part of the activities for this year’s festival.

    The organisers, in a release, stated that this is part of the efforts of the Chibuike Amaechi-led government to promote River State as a destination.

    The Rivers State Tourism Development  Agency (RSTDA) has even promised that this year’s edition will be the best so far organized and that  it has made ready everything that is necessary for the hosting of the biggest carnival ever known.

    According to Dr. Sam Dede, RSTDA director-general, this year’s carnival is a commemorative edition, and it has been

    titled CARNIRIV 2012 Port Harcourt 100 Edition in celebration of the centenary anniversary of the existence of Port Harcourt.

    He said the carnival will be celebrated with its unique blends of culture, music and entertainment as well as the participation of international stars, thereby underlining the distinctiveness and multifaceted character of CARNIRIV as a global carnival brand compared to any similar carnival held elsewhere. He also promised that local and international tourists that will attend the carnival will savour the full bouquet of A-list events already packaged  to make CARNIRIV 2012 an unforgettable experience.

    To this end, he revealed that Grammy Award-winning reggae star and rapper, Shaggy; compatriot and fellow reggae singer, Patra ,popularly called the Queen of the Pack; and gospel music  sensation, Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa, are some of the international music acts and groups that will light up the state at this year’s edition of CARNIRIV. The carnival holds from December 8 to 15 in Port Harcourt, the capital city. The director-general explained that arrangements have been concluded with a number of local and international stars and entertainers that will thrill guests on various  days and across various segments of the carnival including the opening and closing ceremonies on December 10 and 15 respectively.

    According to him, one of the high profile events for this year is the Christian interdenominational CARNIRIV Praise

    Jam slated for Sunday, December 9 at 7pm at the Civic Centre, Port Harcourt during which Grammy Award winner, the Soweto Gospel Choir, will be in their best element with soul-lifting songs. ‘‘This is an ice-breaker event for CARNIRIV 2012. The best gospel artistes within and outside the country are expected to grace this stage in an evening fused with soulful and uplifting music requisite for inspiring the added spiritual ambience which the Port Harcourt Carnival ordinarily thrives on’’, Dede said.   He revealed further that Shaggy and Patra alongside other top local and international artistes are expected to storm Reggae-360, an event organised for reggae lovers and connoisseurs alike on Thursday, December 13. ‘‘As music is largely incomplete without a tinge of reggae timbering away in its familiar pulse-like rhythm, so is the carnival incomplete without a well-rounded reggae feast’’, he declared.

    While informing that Dance of Fireflies (DOFF) is another thrilling event in which renowned musicians and entertainment buffs will be treated to good music, Dede said DOFF forms the theme of the opening ceremony concert. He said the concert will feature a well-choreographed, dance collage compromising indigenous riverine dances and calisthenics for the enactment of a dance Drama titled “The Return of the Mangrove Giant”.

     

     

     

     

    Still on the entertainment side, he said it will be another evening of excitement on Wednesday, December 12 as lovers

    of African music gather for the Black African Music Festival (BAMFest). This is a celebration of the black African heritage

    which stretches beyond the continent of Africa? Expected at BAMFest are select black musicians from the Americas,

    Caribbean islands, Europe and Africa. HOSH Jam, a concert which reminiscences the splendour, ease and rustic charm

    of night life in the 60s and 70s, is equally billed for December 11.

     

    Other top notch glamour events of CARNIRIV 2012 include the Kids Carnival billed for Sunday, December 9 by 2pm.

    The intent of the kiddies’ version, according to Dede, is to demonstrate the importance of children in the scheme

    of things as well as develop their interest in tourism right from their formative year. Also coming up is the unveiling

    of CARNIRIV Monument on Monday, December 10. During this event, CARNIRIV ’88 monument, which has been renovated into a befitting memorabilia, will become the image of CARNIRIV franchise as the oldest Carnival in Nigeria.

    On the other hand, the new CARNIRIV monument will be rigged as an antique, towering up in the sky, to

    mark the Port Harcourt 100 Edition of the carnival.

     

    Part of the major highlights of this year’s carnival is what has been fittingly dubbed, “Ekere: Rhythm of the Tribes”,

    a display of the rich cultural essence of the primal artistic fervour and glamour of the patrician heritage of Rivers

    people in the 23 local governments. This will be on parade from December 11 to 13.

     

    Sam Dede also disclosed that an International Aquatic Fiesta will hold on December 12 while the Heritage Parade and

    the Old Port Harcourt Town Groove respectively hold on December 14.  The weeklong CARNIRIV will be rounded off

    with the World Peace Concert, whose aim is to disseminate the message of peace via the vocal chords of some of the

    finest apostates of music worldwide amidst a rhapsody of spectacular fireworks.