The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Calls for justice as passenger’s children beat tricycle operator to death

    Calls for justice as passenger’s children beat tricycle operator to death

    They have killed my husband! They have killed my husband!” This was the refrain on the lips of Mrs. Comfort Akinwande, wife of a tricycle operator, Sunday Akinwande, allegedly beaten to death by the children of a female passenger following a disagreement they had over transport fare in Sango-Ota, Ogun State.

    The incident, which occurred at Joju area of the town penultimate Wednesday, resulted in a protest by operators of tricycles, popularly called Keke Marwa, as well as other residents. Eyewitnesses said the deceased operator had just returned from the mechanic workshop where he had gone to fix his tricycle when a woman identified as Iya Shaba approached him and said she wanted to charter his tricycle to the bus stop near her residence.

    Akinwande was said to have charged N200 for the trip and the woman agreed to pay the said sum. But trouble started for the 37-year-old transporter when upon getting to her destination, Iya Shaba refused to pay the agreed fare. Instead, she offered Akinwande N150.

    A resident, Layiwola Isiba, said: “Sunday (Akinwande) had just returned to his park in Maltina Junction, Anisere in Joju area of Sango-Ota when a woman called Iya Shaba chartered his tricycle to a place called Obed Pepple Junction. She had some plastic containers and two kids with her and had agreed to pay N200 only for her to renege on getting to her destination.

    “When it was time for the woman to alight at the bus stop, she handed the deceased the sum of N150. She claimed the agreement they had was that she would be dropped at her residence; a claim the deceased said was not true. She left the scene and headed home, but this angered Akinwande who chased her in his tricycle.”

    The altercation that ensued angered two grown up sons of the woman who rushed out of their home to confront Akinwande. They allegedly beat Akinwande until he fell down and became unconscious.

    Throwing more light on the incident, a source who pleaded not to be named said: “Two male children of the woman, Shaba and Falapa, gripped Sunday for having the audacity to confront their mother. They beat and dragged him on the floor until he collapsed.

    “Initially, they thought he was pretending. But it later dawned on them that he was no longer breathing. They even beat the elder brother of the deceased who believed that they beat Akinwande with juju and therefore demanded for the remedy.

    “Policemen from Sango-Ota intervened and arrested the errant children while their mother has since bolted into thin air.

    “We took Sunday to a nearby private hospital where he was confirmed dead. His colleagues who could not come to terms with his death took him to another private hospital where he was again certified dead.”

    Akinwande’s death was said to have angered many residents of the area, who stormed the residence of his alleged killers for a reprisal. The protesters who chanted war songs however vandalised the building when they did not meet the woman at home.

    Our correspondent gathered the woman’s husband, popularly called Baba Ibadan, who is also the owner of the building, had been missing for some time, and that was why it was difficult to caution the woman and her children.

    Describing the deceased as an easy going person, a resident, Madam Theresa Isiba, said: “Sunday was an unassuming person. He could not hurt a fly. He was a very hardworking person and a responsible family man. Iya Shabi and her children have been terrorising residents unchallenged for some time now. That was why no one could rescue Sunday from them.”

     Lamenting her sudden transition into a widow, Akinwande’s wife called for justice. “My husband was a very gentle person. How do I raise our three children? The enormous task of caring for the family is now my responsibility, and there is no one I can run to for help.

    “I want those who killed my husband to be punished accordingly because he was going about his legitimate job when they killed him for no good reason.

    “My husband had never had any quarrel with the woman and her children. On the day of the incident, he went to fix his tricycle and only returned to the park at about 4.30 pm. The woman was the first passenger he would pick, only for her to instruct her children to beat up my husband.”

    The 33-year-old widow called for diligent handling of the matter so as to bring the masterminds to book.

    She added: “The woman called Iya Shaba, who is now on the run, should be arrested and prosecuted because she was the one who instructed her children to beat my husband to death. She should not be allowed to escape justice at all.”

    A chieftain of the tricycle operators association in the area, Pastor Mike Oyebade, said: “Sunday (Akinwande) was an easy going person. He served as out treasurer until his death. He was hit with juju and his complexion changed immediately.”

    A community leader who did not want his name in print blamed the incident on the inability of the landlords in the area to caution Iya Shaba and her children.

    He said: “The landlords in the area have become totally indifferent to the actions of the woman and her children. That was why none of them could come out to rescue the late Sunday when he was being beaten by her two sons.”

    The body of the Ondo-born transporter has since been deposited at the General Hospital, Ifo, Ogun State.

    Confirming the incident, the spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “The Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department is currently handling the case. I can confirm to you that two suspects are being detained over the death of the tricycle operator and they will soon be charged to court.”

  • Generators and deafness in the land

    The negative effect on the psyche of the average citizen,

    of the poor power supply in the country in the past de

    cade or so, was brought home to me recently. Last week, a friend of mine and I were discussing about the improved power situation in recent weeks and her comments not only surprised me but got me thinking. She stated that in the part of the city where she lives, there was a week that the light was so regular that it did not ‘blink for a whole six days.’ Her words:

    “At a point, I became worried. I was asking myself what was going on, that this was so unusual. I kept thinking something must be ‘wrong’ somewhere, that this could not be happening in Nigeria. I wondered if all was ‘well’ with the NEPA officials. Were they all sick or in a coma that they forgot to switch off the lights? It’s strange!”

    You might find her comments amusing and even laugh at them.

    But to me, it shows how many years of irregular power supply has messed up the minds of the citizens of the country.

    We have become so used to darkness that when power stabilises for even a few days, people get worried. And this should not be so. Normally, people should be anxious when there’s outage for even a few hours. But as a vast majority of its citizens will tell you, Nigeria is not a ‘normal’ country. This is a place where the abnormal is normal and normal, abnormal.

    That is why when the citizens enjoy uninterrupted power for a mere one week, they get anxious, believing that ‘something has gone wrong’ somewhere. In a more sane environment, it should be the other way round; citizens are perplexed, confused and scared stiff when there’s power outage for even a few minutes or hours.

    In 2003, the city of New York faced a major power outage that lasted for hours, causing nearly all commercial and social activities to be grounded. The then Governor of the state, George Pataki even declared a state of emergency while the outage lasted. Some might think it’s unfair to compare the country which is a third world nation with a so-called superpower like the US.

    But what about India which is also a developing country ( though it’s fast trying to catch up with the first world clique). Last July, a massive power outage occurred there, rendering 670 million people without electricity for many hours and causing chaos in the country. It was a major news story in the world’s media with CNN and others reporting extensively on it.

    “But ours has lasted for over 20 years; how come it doesn’t make headline news in the world’s media?” a disgruntled Nigerian, who goes to bed every night with the sound of generators as background music (the type that induces nightmares), might wonder.

    The fact is editors pick stories, especially front page reports, based on their newsworthiness, the type that will grab the average reader’s attention, make him sit up and take notice. So, based on that, if there’s power outage in Ibadan for a month for instance, what self-respecting editor will make it a cover story or headline news? None! The most he can do is place it in an obscure corner in one of the inside pages. Why, because it has become the ‘norm’ to have power failure in the country so it’s no longer newsworthy.

    And this takes us to the beginning, how the abnormal has become normal in this country, and things citizens of other lands take for granted are a big luxury here, to be celebrated and announced on the rooftops.

    And talking about poor power supply in the country brings to mind some of the evils that these noisy ‘contraptions’ called generators have caused this country. Have you noticed, for instance that more and more people are going deaf these days? Just listen to someone answering a call and you will understand my meaning. It often goes like this:

    “Hello! Can you speaker louder? I can’t hear you. It’s like the network is bad! Call back later…”

    His inability to hear has nothing to do with bad network! It’s probably early stages of deafness manifesting and you don’t need to go far to pick the scapegoat causing all this deafness: the generators. With nearly every household these days having one or more, the noise level in most neighbourhoods especially at night is enough to wake the dead. All this affect the eardrums. But some gens wreck more havoc on the ears than others.

    Like my neighbour’s own for instance. The generator, an old model, looks like a relic from a bygone age and sounds like one too. When he first puts it on, it sounds like a helicopter about to take off. And when it’s working fully, the sound it makes is like that of a Boeing 747 jet about to land on the tarmac. The noise is so terrible, it makes conversation inside the house nearly impossible. And as for having a good night’s sleep in all that racket, it will be far easier to sleep soundly in a stadium full of boisterous Man U fans cheering on their team in a game against ancient arch-rivals Chelsea…

     More next week

  • ‘I wanted to be an Architech’

    ‘I wanted to be an Architech’

    Despite his popularity and outspokenness, Barrister Festus Keyamo is always quick to say that he does not consider himself a prominent Nigerian. But even more intriguing is his declaration, in this interview with CLEMENTINA OLOMU, that he is not the original Festus Keyamo. He also speaks about his passion for architecture and growing up days, among other issues.

    What was upper most in your mind when you were admitted to study Law?

    I did not want to study Law originally. I have a passion for architecture, and I still do till date. If I want to put up a building, for instance, I sit down with the architect and argue over and over as if I’m the architect. If I’m driving on the road, for instance, and I spot a beautiful house, I will park by the side of the road, admire and look at the dimensions. This tells you how much I’m in love with architecture.

    That is not to say that architecture can overtake Law in my mind. Law is original and something that is still inside of me. The desire to read Law came when everybody around me concluded. When I was in secondary school, everybody around me came to the conclusion that I had to read Law. In other words, people virtually made that decision for me because they saw something I did not see. I then took that decision myself.

    It appeared that people around me were my mirror. That decision gripped me like fever and that is the fever that is still shaking me till date; so much that everything I do centres around Law. I eat Law, sleep Law and wake up thinking about Law.

    When I started reading Law, my desire was to push the frontiers of Law. I never wanted to practice law as a monotonous exercise. I wanted to practise Law and make it exciting. I’ve tried to do that over the years.

    Did it strike you as a student that Nigeria is a country that needs to be redeemed?

    I began to look critically at the country and its affairs when I was in my final year in secondary school. I was part of the old system of class one to five. At that point, I began to read newspapers. I began to look at the affairs, listen to arguments about the country and I began to be very critical in my mind. I did not have the necessary tools in terms of education to get some boldness and depth of knowledge to contribute then, but my mind began to swell and I began to get agitated inside.

    It was a gradual thing; I don’t think it was one particular incident that turned me around. It was a gradual thing, and it was also one of the reasons I had to withdraw because I knew that I needed a tool like Law to make my firm contributions to national political discourse My degree in Law is one of the greatest assets I have today.

    How would you say the return of democracy has helped legal practice in the country?

    Law will naturally take its preeminent position in constitutional democracy. But Law will take second position in a military dictatorship because you have a military command. But when you have a constitutional democracy like ours, you can see that over the last 10 years, lawyers have been better off. I say that with all sense of modesty. Not I as a person, but the bigger lawyers have been better off. For small boys like us, we are still managing. This is because in a constitutional democracy, everybody has to depend on Law to unravel and solve problems.

    We don’t have a situation where the head of state or the supreme commander will give an order. Every detail will have to be settled in the law court. Even the dispute between a state and the Federal Government, can you image that under a military government? It will be hardly possible to see a state during the military era taking the Federal Government to court. All you had to do was to be summoned by the Armed Forces Council and told what to do the next day. So, it is democracy that is bringing the excitement.

    Not the money

    If you come to practise Law thinking about money, then you are mistaken. I’m being honest. If along the line money comes, it is a bonus. But really, you cannot come to say you want to promote Law and you are thinking about money, because some of the best decisions in our law books that went to the Supreme Court, I’m sure those clients had no money. Go and ask the lawyers who handle those cases. The best decisions in our law books were cases that were done free of charge because the lawyers had the appetite to want to prove some points and they took up such matters.

    The late President Musa Yar Adua wanted to return Nigeria to the system of the rule of law. Are we still on the track?

    We are just observing the rule of law as a matter of convenience when the burden is not so much of having to obey or follow a legal process. When it is not too burdensome for government, they find it convenient to follow. When it is burdensome for them and it is shocking against the interest of government, they will always find a way around the issue, either by outright disobedience or some kind of subtle field or quarrel, argument and all that. To me, I think the observance of the rule of law is a matter of convenience for government; not a matter of compulsion.

    The judiciary, many people say, is the last hope of the ordinary man. But many are also of the opinion that the judiciary has failed in this regard. What is your take on this?

    A revolution is the hope they have, because if you don’t make the court work for them, you are causing trouble. It is as simple as that.

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) is in court with the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole. Some of your colleagues feel it is a waste of government funds. What is your take on it?

    That is their opinion. Law is about opinion.

    What eventually became of the case involving the murder of former Minister of Justice, Chiuefe Bola Ige? At a point, you came up with purported evidence on the prime suspect, Mr. Olugbenga Adebayo popularly known as Fryo…

    The PDP government in Oyo State woke up one morning and withdrew the case against them. They should be the best people to answer that question.

    What eventually happened to Fryo?

    I don’t know.

    Which has been your best moment court?

    There is no one best moment. Every moment you get victory in court is a good moment; one of the best moments. There is no single best moment irrespective of the case. Once you bring a smile to the face of a client, it is your best moment.

    Even when they don’t merit victory?

    If the judge says you merit it, then you merit it, because after that, you go to God. When the judges are gone, it is God you go to. It is only human beings, only judges, you can see physically to resolve your problems.

    What did you do as a child to draw tears to your mother’s eyes?

    I can’t remember. I wasn’t a naughty child. I remember one day my mother cried when she said I was not grateful to my parents for taking care of me as a child. I responded by saying that I did not beg to be born. She burst into tears.

    And you said you were not a stubborn child?

    At home, I was not a stubborn child. I was very hard on principles and I was argumentative in school. Funny enough, I wasn’t a truant or a naughty child, just that this argumentative behaviour is everywhere. At home too, I was argumentative with my parents. Each time I manoeuvred them with arguments, they manoeuvred me with some lashes of cane. Before I knew it, the argument would stop.

    I remember having a long argument with my mother one morning. My father got up from the room and was very angry. When he came out, he packed all my books and said he was going to burn them. I was in class three then. He said there would be no more school for me. I cried and pleaded with people to beg him not to burn my books. Looking back now, I say I must have been foolish. I should have allowed him to burn my books. Was he not the one that bought the books? He would have replaced them.

    How would you describe your father?

    My father is a father to everyone. He loves all his children too well and equally too.

    You were your mother’s first male child after two girls. How did she feel about that?

    Let me tell that experience. My father is an Urhobo man and a typical one too I’m also an Urhobo boy. The experience my father told me was that after the first and second girls, he did not complain but hoped that a boy would come. Not that he did not like girls. If two boys had come, he would have hoped that a girl would come to balance it up.

    According to him, when I came and I was in the hospital, my father said he told God he was going to name his first son Festus because he lost his younger brother as a teenager. So, the one born after him was the original Festus Keyamo. I am not the original Festus Keyamo. My father’s younger brother was the original Festus Keyamo. He died in the 50s and my father liked him so much.

    My father said when he walked into the hospital, the nurses went to him saying, ‘Congratulations, Mr. Keyamo, you have a boy.’ He told them to clear from the road. He was going to the baby court. After seeing the baby, he looked to God and said, ‘My promise to you has come to pass. This is the replacement of my brother, Festus Keyamo.’ My father is also a lighter mood person.

    How would you describe your mother?

    My mother is from a royal home in Illaro. I’m a Prince but I don’t use the title. I’m also a chief but I don’t use the title. I have two chieftaincy titles. From my village, I’m the Umokaro of Uye Kingdom. I’m also the Ogborure of Gbobo Kingdom.

    My mother is Yoruba. As you know, Yoruba women are great disciplinarians. She has been a great disciplinarian from youth till now and she is very principled. She is a devout Christian. She devours the teachings of Christ and preaches from house to house.

    In those days, intertribal marriages were rare. How did she cope?

    My father was born and breed in Illaro. My grandfather was one of the earliest trained nurses and was posted to Illaro General Hospital and because Illaro was also in Western Nigeria then and Delta was part of Western Nigeria. My grandfather was one of those who started the General Hospital with the then Profr Lambo. My father had all his children there. My father and mother were playmates. They knew themselves In Illaro. My father grew up there, so he speaks Yoruba.

    Up till now, my parents speak Yoruba at home. In those days, you must be able to speak Yoruba to toast a girl. For my mother to feel comfortable with him, after marrying her, the toasting continued, and he is still toasting her till date.

    Going back memory lane, when you were on campus, were you a happening guy?

    What do you mean happening?

    A guy who loved to be seen and heard…

    I was not a waz-up guy.

    Were you a ladies’ man or an easy going guy?

    Mine was a mixture of everything. I knew when to play and when to work. I combined both accurately.

    Who was the first lady you dated?

    See me see trouble o. Ha! No o. Lailai. For where?

    What attracts you to a woman?

    I’m not going to give you the pleasure of a headline today.

    How have the challenges of yesteryears prepared you for the position you find yourself today?

    I’ve not had it very smooth. I’ve gone through the thick and thin of life. At times, I look at what I have done. With all sense of modesty, I say at times that even a man of 60 years has not gone through what I’ve gone through; the horrible experiences and the pains I’ve suffered, The struggles I’ve had to engage in my life all along, they really prepared me for now. As it is now, there is hardly anything that can subvert me. I’m always firm in my belief.

    What has been your greatest challenge in life?

    I’ve faced all kinds of challenges. I don’t rate one above the other.

    You have several awards displayed here in your office, which do you consider the best?

    I started getting awards right from secondary school. All of them are inspiring because each represents different segments of the society.

    What do you detest most?

    Fake people. I want down-to-earth, ordinary, natural people, because I’m also like that.

    How do you know fake people? Most people pretend to be real these days.

    I don’t like people who live a life that is not theirs. There are so many people like that these days, and if you scratch the surface, you see nothing underneath. I like people of substance but very down to earth. We are just humans and we cannot elevate ourselves above our fellow man

    Many Nigerians are of the belief that most of the EFCC cases against corrupt governors are media matters. What is your take on it?

    They are cases celebrated by the media because of the type of people EFCC arrests. They are not ordinary people they see on the street everyday or the type of people police arrest every day. EFCC does not need to celebrate such cases. The fact that they are arrested is news

    What happened to the cases that have dragged for as long as eight years?

    No one has been left off. No one has have been convicted though, except the one of plea bargain in Igbinedion’s case. But the other ones are still in court. They are going through the usual system. They have nothing to do with EFCC.

    If you have to advise President Goodluck Jonathan on the legal aspect of Nigeria generally, which aspect would you advise him on?

    I will tell him to amend the law, allow the EFCC to be fully autonomous. The power to appoint and to remove the EFCC chairman should not be solely in the hands of the President. They should amend it and allow the anti- corruption body to function independently and fight corruption independently.

  • No honour is too small from one’s country —Olanipekun

    No honour is too small from one’s country —Olanipekun

    How do you feel about the honour conferred on you by the Federal Government?

    I feel humbled. It is an honour and I feel honoured. I feel appreciated and also appreciative for a country, for my nation, for my state, the nation of Nigeria recognising me. One thing I noticed which tickles me is that in the citation, it is put there that I am being honoured for my outstanding contribution to legal jurisprudence and development and the course of justice in Nigeria. That is my profession, the profession of law and for my nation to have singled me out amongst others recognising me for my contribution to legal development and to our jurisprudence nourishment and enhancement and development of our jurisprudence and course of justice, I am appreciative. And I want to thank God for it.

    Some people feel you deserved a higher honour.

    Yes, I do. But I am a humble person, the one that has been given to me by my nation, I accept wholeheartedly and with every sincerity and profound appreciation to the nation, to the president and all those who sat considering me worthy of that honour. And it is also a challenge, a challenge that God has put you on a certain pedestal, there is no looking back.  Definitely, you would have detractors, blackmailers at work, you would have to meander or muddle through the vicissitudes of life. And then, if God be for us, who can be against us. It is a challenge that would fortify the development of our nation.

    To start with, this is not the first, second or third time, over and over again to face challenges of life. Honouring one is also asking that person to face challenges of life. And how do you face challenges of life? You can face it successfully if you are honourable, if you dignify yourself, put your heart on all that you built, noble, worthy and dignified and you avoid whatever is evil. And in my profession of law, I pray God gives me strength because I see this as a further challenge to contribute my humble quota to the development of our laws, to fight for the oppressed, to fight for the attainment of justice, to fight for new renaissance of our nation through the instrumentality of law.

    What can you say has propelled you to this height in legal profession?

    I won’t say anything particularly propelled me. But the way I was brought up, I was made to appreciate that I have to devote myself to the service of humanity. When you are serving your nation, when you are serving humanity, you are serving God. And for every man created by God is called upon to a ministry, and my own ministry is the ministry of law, and I have to use that ministry of law to glorify God. And when you glorify God, you can’t just be praying and say you are glorifying God without doing what is good. You are into journalism and I am into law, Mr. President is into politics and administration and if all collectively contribute our humble quotas doing things that we should do right in our individual fields of human endeavour, Nigeria would be a better place.

    It is acknowledged in this occasion that you have produced a lot of senior lawyers and judges. Can you shed more light on this?

    Well, it is also through the grace of God. A good number of people who have passed through my chamber are judges; six of them are Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), several of them are in the banks and companies as secretaries, and legal advisers. A good number of them are in other places of human endeavours. But then, I always tell them that please do what I do. I am not the kind of principal that would say do what I say. You see me in my office, I don’t keep files, there is no secrecy and I always tell them not to lay their hands on anything that is fraudulent. Our profession has ethics, it has culture, it has factors and we have a good heritage.

    I thank God that those of them who have taken after me are progressing. One of them is the newly crowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria who is the Attorney-General of Ekiti State, Mr Dayo Akinlaja. And you heard the Ekiti State governor saying here today that I nominated him. If I don’t have confidence in him, or he is a lawyer of shady character and fraudulent antecedent, definitely I would not nominate him. There are people who passed through my chamber that I would never recommend or nominate for any position. And a good number of them who have passed through my chamber that I would always encourage and my prayer is that each and every one of them who are good shall be greater than me.

    Your advice to lawyers generally.

    I have always told them that Rome was never built in a day. When we started, Rotimi Williams, Richard Akinjide, Afe Babalola, the Shofols, the  GOK Ajayi were there. We were looking at them and we were praying for them that they should not fall, that they should not die, that we would be like them.

    My advice for them is to emulate their seniors. Take the good aspect of them, don’t condemn them, don’t think that you can do triple jump to get to where they are today. Slowly, steadily, committedly, loyally you would get there. With hard work, diligence, honesty and element of good luck and prayer, God would see you through.

  • On the trail of Cynthia’s suspected killers’ families

    On the trail of Cynthia’s suspected killers’ families

    Since she was brutally murdered in a Lagos hotel in July, the dust is yet to settle on the death of delectable Cynthia Osokogu. The circumstances in which she was killed by two men she had met on Facebook left the whole nation in shock.

    Two months after the ugly incident, her body is yet to be committed to mother earth even though the family has performed the funeral rites. Police insisted they were yet to conclude the necessary investigation and so did not release her body the day it was scheduled for burial. The family has tentatively fixed her final burial for October 5.

    Equally shocking, however, is that beyond their personal names, not much is known about the family backgrounds of the two suspected killers of Cynthia, Nwabufor Echezona and Ezike Ilechukwu Olisameka. Even their real names are shrouded in controversy as they were initially identified as Nwabufor Okomu and Odera Ezekiel.

    While some believe the police could deliberately be shielding their real names for the sake of thorough investigation, our correspondent in Nnewi, Anambra State, where one of the suspects was said to have been arrested, swung into action to locate the affected families, but all the efforts he made in the four quarters of Nnewi , Nnewi North Local Government Area to locate the family were fruitless as nobody seemed willing to be associated with the suspects.

    It is a trend that seems to confirm the saying that success has many parents but failure is an orphan. It would most probably have been easier to locate the families of the suspects if they are being honoured for one heroic act or the other.

    When the news later broke that the two suspects hailed from Agulu, Anaocha Local Government Area, Anambra State, our man again swung into action, but all the efforts he made to locate the families were to no avail. Neither the visits he made to Agulu nor the phone calls he made to prominent indigenes of the town yielded any meaningful result.

    At Nwagu junction, he had been told that Agulu has 22 villages that boast of prominent citizens. But as he mentioned the issue of Cynthia’s killers, all the songs that were being sung about the greatness of Agulu ceased and none of the people on hand was willing to be engaged in further conversation.

    Taking his destiny in his own hands, our correspondent headed for Okpifite, one of the Agulu villages, but there were no signs of such names. A guide who exhibited some admiration for journalists, however, encouraged our reporter to come back the next day, promising to make his own findings and avail the reporter with whatever information he had.

    Rather than return to Nnewi, our reporter went to a neighbouring village named Nkitaku, which is the native community of Governor Peter Obi, and then to Nwanchi village where Igwe Elochukwu Obodoako hails from. He also went to Amaoji, the native home of Chief Azubuike Okoye, but there was no clue of the families.

     Our reporter also visited Obeagu where Sir Eric Okoye of Juhel Pharmacy comes from, and Umuowelle where the Provost of the Federal College of Education, Umunze, Prof. Josephat Ogbuagu, hails from before heading for Nneogidi, the new base of Prof. Dora Akunyili and Umunonwu, the hometown of Dr Ejike Imoke, an international business tycoon, but there was no clue.

    After visiting 15 of the 22 communities, our correspondent returned to Nnewi. Nnewi is made up of four quarters, namely Umudim, Uruagu, Nnewichi and Otolo. It hosts most of the manufacturing industries in Anambra State, which is why it is nicknamed the Japan of Africa. But the people were willing willing to speak on any issue but Cynthia’s killers. Those who volunteered to say anything would simply say her suspected killers are not from the area.

    Nnewi boasts of such prominent names as the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu; the late Akwueke Nwafor Orizu; former Minister of Finance and Economic planning, Dr. Chu Okongwu; Dr Cosmas Maduka of Coscharis Group, who has the franchise for BMW, Ford, Land Rover, among other vehicles in sub-Saharan Africa and Dr Chika Okafor of Chikason Group, owners of A-Z Petroleum. Others include Chief Joe Obijiaku of Middle Point Group, who has the franchise for Polyguard Auto Care products; Chief Innocent Chukwuma of Innoson Group, manufacturers of vehicles and other items and Chief Gabriel Chukwuma of Gabros International Football.

    Everyone our correspondent contacted was willing to speak about the big names from the area, but they recanted as soon as the topic changed to Cynthia’s killers.

    On September 12, he returned to Okpifite only to find the village’s vigilance group surrounded by the residents, looking worried as they discussed the presence of kidnappers in the area. When he met the guide that had earlier promised him some information on the family of Cynthia’s killers, he started talking about the arrest of a kidnapping suspect. He reminded the man about their earlier discussion on Cynthia’s killers, but he said nobody had such names in Agulu.

    During further enquiries in Nnewi, some residents confirmed that one of the suspects was actually caught in Nnewi but that does not make the suspect an Nnewi man. But a man who said Ilechukwu is from Otolo-Nnewi advised our correspondent to go to Otolo.

    At Otolo, our correspondent asked about the Ilechukwu family from the Palace Secretary, Prince Joseph Ikeotuonye, but he said: “Otolo is as large as Awka. There are too many Ilechukwus in Otolo, but it is not to my knowledge that Cynthia’s killers are from Nnewi. What I know is that the police arrested one of them in Nnewi, and he could be arrested anywhere.

    ‘’I can’t say particularly that I know the family, because the name in the papers is different from the surname, Ilechukwu, that we have in Nnewi. Our own Ilechukwu is a surname but the one in the papers is a middle name.”

    On his part, the Chairman of Nzuko Ora Nnewi, the apex decision-making body of Nnewi, Chief Agu Onyeka, said: “Nnewi is big, but we don’t have such a name. If we have it, I will not hesitate to tell you about that family. I only know that one of the suspects was arrested in Nnewi and nothing more”.

  • Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel marks Independence Day with guests

    For its numerous customers, this year’s Independence anniversary will not be an ordinary one as Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel has put together a Special package to make the Long Weekend memorable. The independence special weekend package will be enjoyed by guests who stay in the hotel between September 28 and October 7, 2012. A Special promo rate will be enjoyed by guests who stay for a minimum of two nights. Also exotic complimentary fruit platter and cocktail will be served to guests on arrival.

    According to the hotel’s General Manager, Mark Loxley, guests will be given an early check in and late check out priviledges as well as priority treatment on table reservations during brunch. There will be special pre and Independence Day brunch on September 30 and October 1, 2012 respectively.

    In his words: “The brunch is our way of encouraging families and friends to celebrate the independence anniversary with a mouth watering spread of local and intercontinental dishes which guests popularly refer to as our “excellent culinary reputation.”

    The hotel’s stylish sophistication and classic, contemporary design combined with five star user friendly service delivery, provides an uncomplicated approach to giving all our guests a memorable experience. Equipped with an outdoor swimming pool, fitness centre with qualified instructors, sauna/steam rooms with an extended spacious car park facility, Southern Sun as a norm provides comfort to its numerous guests at all levels.

    Mr. Loxley reiterated that ‘’all our rooms are air-conditioned for maximum comfort, with a standard work station and refreshment areas offering tea/coffee facilities, Wi-Fi (Hi-Speed) Internet Access, latest flat-screen television and well stocked mini bar for guests’ convenience. The en-suite bathrooms have been designed to help you unwind, refresh and revitalise. In addition, we will take care of all your dry cleaning and laundry requirements at a discount of 10 per cent for the period, allowing you to simply relax and enjoy yourself.’’

    For the hotel, this special weekend package could not have come at any better time than now, as the nation celebrates its 52nd independence anniversary.

  • Osun, reaping from tourism development, says commissioner

    The Osun State Commissioner for Tourism Mr. Sikiru Adetina Ayedun has said the state has started reaping dividend from tourism. The commissioner said this was as a result of the state government’s effort to develop the industry. He said: “We are already generating revenue, I must be sincere with you. And if you ask round even from those doing the hospitality business, they will tell you they have been having dividends of the improvement we are talking about. We are already reaping the dividends of that investment. If you had been here like two, three years back, you will discover that the number of hospitality ventures we had then was not the same as what we have now. And more importantly, the peace that reign in the state today is encouraging and attracting a lot of people to this state. And even when you are talking of tourism, it is more than just going to the groove and all that. We have a lot of other things that attract tourists into the state. The Yoruba culture itself resides here in the State of Osun. The State of Osun is the centre of civilization. It is the navel of Yoruba civilization.

    And when we talk of this, we are talking about tie and dye which people come to pick. So, series of tourist attractions we have in the state are already attracting tourists. And naturally there is no way you come to this state, with the peace we are enjoying now and want to leave in haste. Today, hotel business is growing up every day. Restaurant business is growing every day. People are enjoying themselves and that is why I say there are direct dividends of our effors going to the people. Every hotelier is employing unemployed youth in the society. And that, at least reduces the burden of the government which is the essence of what the government is looking at in our tourism industry.

    “Tourism is the income generating aspect of the administration which we have started. First of all, we have started visibility studies on how to enhance tourist potential of the state of Osun through Public Private Partnership (PPP). This is because the financial involvement to transform the potential of tourism in the state to what we want it to be is very huge. And we know that the state doesn’t have that financial capacity and resources to do what we want to do in that regard. So, we have already done that and we are putting it on hold till the PPP arrangement scales through.

    But presently, what we are doing is that we have already internationalised our cultural festivals in the state. Recently, you are aware of how we celebrated Osun Festival, Osogbo, Olojo festival, Ile-Ife and Iwude Day, Ilesha. We made sure it is now an internationally accepted festival that people from the Diaspora would come to be part of in the state.

    Adetona said the Osun State Government has started developing the infrastructure in the tourism sites in the state: “Also, we have made improvement on some of our tourist sites. If you go to the groove, you will see the extent of work we have done. Initially, the place constructed for reception was not good enough. So, we are mounting a podium which, hopefully, would be ready for use next year.

    “We have also commenced work at Oluminrin waterfall at Erin-Ijesha. The road to that place is also under construction so that people can have easy access to the place. Same thing with Ile-Ife. Already, we are putting up what we can call The World Cultural Heritage at Ile-Ife. The Governor calls it Ife Tuntun (New Ife). We are putting it up to depict whom we are and how we are as Yoruba race. These are some of our efforts in tourism. But presently, the revenues that are being generated are direct revenues. We are using tourism in tripod stage. One, to create employment, revenue generation for the government and direct revenue for the citizens of the State of Osun.

  • Lean to the skinny side

    Lean to the skinny side

    IT is time to nestle up to a pair of skinnies considering the way they are flooding all fashion areas and you will always find a pair that fits. Preferably, pick out a coloured denim trousers as we have a lot of rich colours. People wear their skinnies in different styles and creating different looks and you cantake pleasure in matching them to unique stylish looks.Pair with classic jackets, romantic blouses, shirts, tops, trendy comic tees etc. The list is endless. This season, coloured skinnies have been trending a lot and you cannot go wrong with them as they are suitable for anywhere so stay loyal to them.

  • How to wear the high waist trend

    How to wear the high waist trend

    ONE of the hottest ways to wear this trend is with a cropped top. Many celebrities and fashion houses have been seeing wearing this trend.

    Wear your skirt with a loose top tucked, topped off with a blazer for a laid-back yet smart look. This is one of the most popular ways to wear this trend.

    Mix and match different colours, think of the colour blocking trend, wearing numerous bright and bold colours together for a funky look.

    For a more casual look, pair the skirt with a tank top or t-shirt. A solid colour skirt with a print or pattern top is a fun look.

    High waisted trend

    THE high-waisted skirts, and pants are super trendy and are rocking this season. Many celebrities are now using this piece and are flattening out. There are several designs of these skirt and pant, and they promise to be very successful among women because they can be used on many occasions, both on hot days, as in the coldest days.

    The high-waisted skirt is a stylish number that is very popular in stores.

    An interesting tip is to use high-waisted pants and skirts with high-heeled shoes, it gives a charm and lets the woman quite elegant. This type of skirt can also be used with low heels, which is also very cool and stylish. The high-waisted denim skirts are in fashion and therefore tip bet this super fashion.

    One of the reasons that the high waist trend is so favoured by many women, young and old, is that it suits almost every body type and is such a versatile piece of fashion.

  • Wada, Kogi Speaker: The currents behind the face-off

    Wada, Kogi Speaker: The currents behind the face-off

    The uproar that greeted the swearing-in of Captain Idris Ichalla Wada as the Governor of Kogi State by the President of the Customary Court on January 27 may have simmered but the bad blood generated by those who stood for due process and the right thing being done has simply refused to thaw. In fact, the bile that attended the day the state infamously had three ‘sitting governors’ still runs deep in the political equation in the state as it has continued to define the relationship between the House of Assembly and the Wada-led administration ever since.

    Nowhere is this hate-love association more manifest than between Wada and the Speaker of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Bello. For those in the know, the Speaker incurred the ire of the governor for accepting to be sworn into office on acting capacity following a statement by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, that speakers of the five states affected by the judgement should assume leadership on acting capacity.

    Wada was said to have stepped up efforts to get back at those he considers as threat to his administration following his favourable outing at the Federal High Court in Abuja recently. The governor has been accused of encouraging the state legislators to impeach the speaker, especially and other principal officers of the House in order that has men may take over.

    According to an insider, the governor is said to have branded the current principal officers of the House as belonging to the era of the erstwhile Governor Ibrahim Idris and thus it is time for him to put his loyalists in charge.

    Another claim is that the governor has apparently misinterpreted the constitutional duty of the House to appraise the year’s budget performance as a ploy by the current House to serve as a prelude to possible impeachment proceedings against him from the House.

    Wada is also said to be angry that after the Vice President and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had ‘settled’ the political confusion as to who would occupy the governor’s seat following the Supreme Court’s ruling and directed the Speaker to hand over to him, that the Speaker led other members of the House from Abuja to Ilorin to attend a seminar instead of leading them back to Lojoka to welcome him. The governor is said to have resorted to starving the House of funds, a situation that has adversely impeded their ability to carry out their legislative functions.

    Again the governor is said to view the Speaker as a loyalist of Jibrin Echocho, who is currently waging a judicial battle to reclaim his purported mandate from the governor. But supporters of the Speaker are quick to point out that the governor’s assumptions are far from reality. They contend that the Speaker did not only fight to ensure that Wada emerged the governorship candidate of the PDP during the last primaries but mobilised the entire Kogi Central to vote enmasse for the governor during the December 3, 2011 election. Besides, the governor was said to have engaged in subtle blackmail against the Speaker with spurious allegations to instigate members of the House to move against him and other principal officers. But discerning members of the House who have worked with the Speaker for about seven months before the advent of Wada remained unperturbed as they perceived it as a sinister move by the executive to cow the state legislature by having the governor’s men in charge.

    Not minding the handful of alleged moles in the House, the majority expressed this when they recently passed a vote of confidence on the Speaker apparently to thwart the move by the executive to erode their legislative independence.

    A highly placed government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “He gives different reasons to such members on why he wants the principal officers removed. To some, he averred that the officers were appointed by the former Governor (Ibrahim Idris) and that he wants to appoint his own.

    “To others, sometimes, he opens up that he is unhappy with the Speaker for having the courage to accept to be sworn in as an acting governor in January, 2012 following the Supreme Court’s judgment. He is also angry with him for leading the House to Ilorin for a seminar rather than rallying members to receive him to Government House in Lokoja after the peace parley in Abuja. For others still, he claims that the Speaker and some of the principal officers are Alhaji Echocho’s loyalists and that now that Echocho had lost his case against him at the Federal High Court, they must be removed.

    “The final reason for wanting to impeach the Speaker and the other principal officers is the belief that the budget appraisal to be embarked on by the House was a move against his government. This was the dummy sold out to him by the few undesirable members of the House who trade in lies and backbiting for their selfish interests”.

    The source added that Wada was being fed with lies by some members of the House who are bent on reaping from where they did not sow.

    He said: “The governor’s problems began when he started to hobnob with some members of the House who are out to make curry his favour. This group having realised that the Assembly is not a goldmine as they initially believed decided to blackmail other members, especially the principal officers, for their selfish gain.

    “Unfortunately, rather than the governor checking his facts, he began to treat Assembly matters on hearsay based on the information available from the obnoxious informants from the House.

    “The speaker who has laboured so much to establish and stabilise this government has now become the number one enemy of the governor. Assuming there are areas where the speaker might err, is it not expected of the governor to call on the speaker who can pass for his son for an amicable dialogue? What is the moral justification for killing the bird that lays the golden egg?”

    Another source said that the grand design to silence perceived political enemies in the state is not only targeted at Speaker Bello and other principal officers of the House but also the Chief Judge of the state who swore in Bello against the wishes of Wada and his godfather, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris.

    He lamented that “during the peace parley convoked by the Vice President Namadi Sambo in Abuja that led the Speaker to formally hand over to Wada, it was agreed that nobody should be witch-hunted for whatever roles they played in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s ruling, but going by the body language of this administration, it is clear they are not willing to let bye gone be bye-gone”.

    The Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Jacob Edi, when contacted, however, described the allegations as baseless. He said that Wada has no axe to grind with the speaker and other principal officers of the House.

    Edi said: “Without mincing words, the Governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada, is not at loggerheads with the Speaker of the House of Assembly, neither has the executive as a body any problems with the legislature.

    “From my opening salvo, even the question is irrelevant. I can tell you confidently that the relationship between the two arms of the government and even the judiciary is very robust and cordial, while the executive is also respecting the tenets and principles of separation of powers as enshrined in the Constitution.

    “The allegation of bribe would have even been believable if the governor, assuming without conceding, that the money in question will go to his pocket. I wish to state categorically that nothing like that has happened or will happen in the future.

    “Capt. Wada is not the bribe type and I mean in giving and taking. He neither gives nor takes. How can the governor be against the House of Assembly for carrying out their Constitutional role? That’s quite inconceivable for a man that is easily called ‘Mr Due Process’? No way!”

    Notwithstanding the position of the governor’s camp, an alleged plot to impeach the Speaker and other principal officers of the House backfired last week in Lokoja. Some members were allegedly encouraged to effect a change in the House’s leadership without any “serious allegation” against them, failed to budge.

    One of the lawmakers, Barrister Henry Ojuola, representing Yagba East constituency, confirmed the development to reporters in Lokoja. Ojuola said the retrogressive development was motivated by some “powerful forces” in the state. He noted that the Speaker has done splendidly in his leadership role and wondered why the hurry to hound him out of office. Why using the House of Representatives as an example, he said the House must be allowed to choose and sustain its leaders without any external influence. He said the House had severally passed votes of confidence on the Speaker because of the vast support he enjoys from the members and urged him not to be deterred.

    Ojuola said: “The Speaker as at today controls majority support in the House and I am advising those canvassing for his removal to exercise restraint in order to avoid anarchy.”

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Adavi/Okehi Federal Constituency, Hon Abdul Rahman Badams, has vowed that the people of Kogi Central would vehemently resist any attempt to impeach the Speaker.

    Hon. Badams spoke when political stakeholders from Kogi Central met at Okene to review the security situation in the area. The Special Adviser on Media to the Speaker, Alhaji Ibrahim Isa-Amoka, in a statement, said Hon. Badams called on the Governor Wada-led administration not to compound the present security malaise in the zone.

    The statement reads in part: “Hon. Badams said that the government should be told out rightly that the position of the Speaker is zoned to the Kogi Central Senatorial District and Hon. Abdullahi Bello is their choice in whom they are well pleased. He reiterated that any means adopted by the government to impeach Bello for no just cause will be resisted by the people.

    “He said members of the National Assembly from the state are contented with the good leadership of the speaker which is characterised by his gentleness, hardwork, honesty and transparency in the discharge of his duties in the House of Assembly so far.

    “Hon. Badams said that the federal lawmakers from the state would soon meet on the disturbing development and make their opposition to the alleged impeachment scheme against the speaker known to the state government and political leaders in the state.  He called on those he described as being on a ‘retrogressive path’ to retrace their steps in the interest of peace, unity and development of Kogi Central and the state in general.”

    Moreover, political stakeholders in the zone are of the view that any attempt to subvert the wishes of the people by effecting a change in the leadership of the House would further worsen the already fragile peace in the state.

    Gen.Emmanuel Abisoye (rtd) and Dr. Tom Adaba may have alluded to the seeming frosty relationship between the governor and the speaker when they advised the governor to work with political office holders from Kogi Central.

    The two leaders were part of the high-powered delegation from the zone led by Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman to Lugard House penultimate weekend to discuss the way forward for the current security challenges bedeviling the area with the governor.

    Abatemi-Usman’s media aide, Michael Jegede, in a statement, said: “In their separate remarks, Gen. Emmanuel Abisoye and Dr. Tom Adaba expressed confidence in the ability of Wada to pilot the affairs of the state to greater heights, while urging him to work closely with political officer holders from the Central Senatorial district, particularly Senator Abatemi-Usman and the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Bello.”