The Nation Newspaper

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  • Alex Ekwueme at 80

    Alex Ekwueme at 80

    Dr Alexander Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme (GCON) is no doubt a great son of Africa. In his native Nigeria , he is distinguished in many ways – his exemplary humility, his profound intellect and his personal contributions to the advancement of the common good. These are hallmarks of greatness.

    I first heard of his name from my father,Chief (Dr) F.C. Ogbalu (of blessed memory) sometime in 1979 when he extolled Dr Ekwueme’s intellectual giftedness.Those were the early days of the National Party of Nigeria and my father was the NPN Senatorial Candidate for Awka zone.This brief statement just flashed through my mind but not without leaving some imprints.

    Three years later, while doing my National Youth Service in Jos, Plateau State, I was to come across some youth corpers who studied Architecture in the United States of America under the Scholarship Award Scheme of Dr Alex Ekwueme.Through them, I learnt that the scholarship was quite extensive [ in terms of the number of people covered ] and impersonal as some of them did not even know him personally. This depth of philantropy which had virtually nothing to do with personal promotion or advancement, struck me as something profound from a man of uncommon stock and bearing.He was later to singlehandedly build the 0ko Polytechnic at his hometown, Oko in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. This has been taken over by the Federal Government and is now known as the Federal Polytechnic Oko.

    This thread of self assurance based on inner conviction and determination seems to define his core personality .Alhaji Shehu Shagari, GCFR the first Executive President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria couldn’t have made a better choice of Vice President.As Chukwuma Soludo wrote in his recent treatise on Ekwueme,he was an intellectual power house in Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s government,yet remained level-headed and most accommodating.

    Dr Ekwueme was publicly declared as leaving the office of the Vice President poorer than he came. Thus, he carved for himself a pedestal which many Nigerians living or dead could not lay claim to. He operated from a totally different paradigm; not given to squabbles or scrambles for our common wealth which greatly characterize the public office holders of today and even of his days.

    But Dr Ekwueme is not wealth-averse.He set up a highly successful professional services firm, Ekwueme and Associates on his return to Nigeria after his education and professional training in the United States of America and the United Kingdom.The multi-disciplinary firm of architects, quantity surveyors, urban planners etc was well established and a great proof that Africans can truly assume the commanding heights in the professions even in the construction industry which was hitherto dominated by expartriates. I can still recall with great nostalgia the return from London of an uncle of mine [ who left the shores of Nigeria the year of my birth ] Mr C.C. Chidebelu, a Quantity Surveyor, to join the firm in the late seventees.

    This is a good example of dilligence and dignity of labour with the inevitable fall out of wealth which is totally different from the prevailing mentality of ‘sharing of the so called national cake’ to the sheer detriment of the societal fabrics.

    Dr Ekwueme’s personality deserves to be studied.Despite the great loss he suffered through the military intervention and unfair detention for over ten years,he braced up when our country was tottering during the Abacha years to come up with the G34 that later metamorphosed into the People’s Democratic Party, PDP. Ekwueme, it was ,that first came up with the six geographical zonal structure proposal which was to fundamentally change the conception and perception of the geographical structure of the Nigerian state.

    Few men in history, have had the singular priviledge of successfully initiating profound changes such as this.

    I personally believe that Dr Ekwueme belongs to the annals of thought leaders even though he has somewhat managed to be part of both the think-tank and the players. Me thinks, his personality fits more into the former than the later. The culture of impunity that has pervaded the Nigerian political firmament has often left our Alex an outsider (or at best at the margins) from the ‘houses’ he had conceived and built. But better to be at the fringes than to be contaminated .He had severally served as the moral compass of his party,the PDP where he had served as the Chairman of the Party and its Chairman of the Board of Trustees .

    Dr Ekwueme’s lasting legacy by and large may actually be centred on the personality he brought to bear on Nigerian politics.An extremely humble man in the mould of two great Africans, the late Mwalumi, President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Dr Ekwueme belongs to the class of philosopher kings , ‘Nnukwu Onye nkuzi’. His degrees in five or six different disciplines attest to the premium he places on knowledge.

    I cannot conclude this tribute to Dr Alex Ekwueme, the Ide of Orumba, Anambra State without acknowledging how his path and that of my late husband,Arc Goddy Jidenma crossed.He was a great role model to him and interacted with him at a close range.I believe that Goddy would have played a greater role than this at Ide’s 80th birthday were he to be around. Finally, by a providential twist, Ide’s birth anniversary, October 21 is the death anniversary of my father.

    Happy birthday Ide and many happy returns of the day .

     

    • Dr Ije Jidenma, Executive Secretary-Goddy Jidenma Foundation,GJF.

     

  • Suspected ritualists kill woman in Cross River

    A Primary Health Care Coordinator in Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State, Mrs. Helen Ilonge (51), has been murdered by suspected ritualists.

    The victim, who lost her husband 12 years ago, has five children.

    It was learnt that a commercial motorcyclist, simply identified as Ifeanyi, a.k.a. Koboko, was given N10,000 by ritualists to provide them with a woman.

    Sources said the late Mrs. Ilonge, who was returning from a church programme in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, to Ukpe, a village on the Ogoja–Ikom highway, boarded Ifeanyi’s motorcycle and was taken to the ritualists.

    A neighbour said: “She deceased phoned her daughter, Victoria Agah, at about 9pm that she was at Okpogrinya Junction and was taking a motorcyle to Igoli.

    “After that call, the phone was unavailable until a couple of days later, when the kidnappers phoned demanding N50,000 ransom, which they said should be sent through MTN and Glo recharge cards.

    “The caller, who said they were at Ishi Eke near Abakaliki, claimed that he needed money to run away from his master, who he said was a ritualist. He said once he gets the cards, he would release Mrs. Ilonge.

    “Her daughter could not raise the money for the recharge cards and she went to the Bekwara Council Headquarters, where the Head of Aadministration, Mr. Bisong Bogbo, and the Council Chairman, Mr. Linus Edeh, provided the money and sent the cards to the kidnappers online.

    “After receiving the cards, the kidnappers stopped calling. Ifeanyi was located by the police through a tracking device on the phone. He was arrested in Abuochiche, where he was selling the recharge cards.

    “Ifeanyi led the police to the mastermind of the kidnap and he too was arrested. They confessed that as at the time Ifeanyi demanded the recharge cards, the woman had been butchered and her remains buried in a swamp.

    “They said the woman was wasted because the oracle they took her head and private parts to rejected them and they were thrown away.”

    Commissioner of Police Osita Ezechukwu said: “We have made several arrests and those found guilty would be prosecuted.

    “Those involved in her abduction have been picked up and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). Investigation is methodical and we have to use scientific equipment and other means to establish the truth. We will soon conclude our investigations and arraign the suspects.”

     

  • Good times for ex-militants in 2013

    Good times for ex-militants in 2013

    Next year, the Federal Government plans to spend over N88 billion on the Amnesty Programme, N16 billion more than what it is spending this year, raising concern in some quaters, writes LEKE SALAUDEEN

     

    BY the time this year ends, the Federal Government is expected to have spent about N72billion on its Amnesty Programme for repentant Niger Delta militants. This is more than what it spends to deliver basic education to children.

    Next year, it plans to spend more on the programme, largely because of a third phase, just approved by President Goodluck Jonathan. Over N88 billion will be sunk into the programme next year. Of this, 30,000 ex-militants will take home N23.6 billion as stipends. Another N35.4 billion will go into the re-integration of transformed ex-warlords. N3.699 is earmarked for what is described as ‘presidential amnesty programme’.

    Three years ago, attacks ranging from theft to bombings to kidnappings pummelled oil production to as low as 500,000 barrels on some days. So, the government began spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to maintain an uneasy calm in the oil-rich delta. Production is now back up to 2.6 million barrels daily of low-sulfur crude.

    Another move government adopted to ‘buy’ peace in the region was to get the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to begin paying ex-militant leaders such as Mujahhid Dokubo-Asari to protect oil pipelines. Dokubo-Asari gets $9 million a year to pay his 4,000 former foot soldiers to protect the pipelines they once attacked.

    Gen. Ebikabowei “Boyloaf” Victor Ben and Gen. Ateke Tom get $3.8 million a year apiece to have their men guard pipelines. Government “Tompolo” Ekpmupolo maintains a $22.9 million-a-year contract to do the same.

    But, oil theft appears to be on the rise again. Shell estimates that more than 150,000 barrels of oil are stolen daily.

    Last month, President Goodluck Jonathan approved a third phase for the Amnesty Programme, a development which analysts say mean the country may commit millions of dollars to the programme next year.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Research and Documentation, Oronto Douglas, believes there is no better option than continuing to ‘buy’ peace.

    He said: “If it’s too huge, what are the alternatives?”

    Through the programme, 26, 358 former Niger Delta militants have been trained in various vocational courses both at home and abroad.

    The Jonathan administration claims that the amnesty proclamation is the sincerest , boldest and most profound effort by any government of Nigeria since 1960 to address the agitation for fairness, equity and development in the oil- rich Niger Delta. The successful management of the post-amnesty programme, said government, has ensured the return of peace, safety, security and sustainable development to the region.

    But some analysts have disagreed with the government’s position. To them, the programme is selective and not in the interest of the majority of the people of the Niger Delta. They claim that the programme is only benefiting a few people. They believe part of the money could have been used in setting up industries to create jobs for the unemployed youths in the region and Nigeria at large.

    The Co-ordinator, Ijaw Monitoring Group, Mr. Joseph Evah, said it has failed to address unemployment, under-development and bunkering.

    Evah told The Nation that those who have completed their training in various vocations sponsored by the Presidential Amnesty Programme are roaming the streets because they have no jobs. He said sending the ex-militants for vocational training without planning for where to absorb them after training has made the programme useless.

    Evah said: “The beneficiaries are becoming restive because the monthly allowances being paid them by government have stopped. If care is not taken, the youths in Niger Delta are likely to return to the creeks and foment trouble.”

    According to him, the relative peace in the region endures because the militant leaders and some of their followers were favoured by the Amnesty Programme.

    “But once the boys can no longer collect money from government, we will be back to square one in that region.

    “Failure of the government to establish industries that would create employment opportunities for the graduates of the vocational courses and the teeming unemployed youths in the Niger Delta is one of the shortcomings of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. The youths resorted to carrying guns and distruption of oil companies operation because of lack of jobs, they have no means of livelihood and no shelter on their heads, whereas, the oil companies are mining crude oil worth billions of dollar every day from the region. In the process of oil exploitation, the farmlands, the rivers for fishing and the wells that serve as water supply for the people are polluted.

    “Niger Delta is endowed with resources for the establishment of industries. If there is any region that should have monopoly of industries in this country, it is Niger Delta. We have the refineries located in the region. The bye-products of oil can be used in production of textiles, plastic materials, like chairs and foam. Commercial fishing is possible, given the proximity of the region to the sea. If properly utilised, Nigeria can provide the fish need of the West African countries. But all these potentials have not been translated into fortunes. No single effort was made by the Presidential Amnesty to create a single industry in the volatile region.

    “I am sure government has spent nothing less than $1 billion on the training of the ex- militants, with a view to reintegrating them. If government has used $500 million to set up industries, the situation would have been different. The economy of the Niger Delta region would have changed. The living condition of the people would have improved. What we need in that region is massive industrialisation that would impact positively on the economic well-being of the people.”

    Evah said the programme did not benefit all youths in the region. About 26,000 have benefited .

    “The programme should not discriminate against those who did not go to school. It should not benefit only militants but every able body in the Niger Delta. Those carrying guns are less than one per cent. You cannot rule out that those without guns would not spark one day.

    “The money is there but the government is not spending it on human resources and economic development of the region,” he said.

    Public Affairs analyst Emmanuel Aluede believes the amnesty programme is flawed, illegal and not in the best interest of the majority of the people of Niger Delta. Even though he believes the programme is necessary, he insists that the huge investment approach of the amnesty programme is not in the best interest of Nigerians. He frowned at the way the programme has been implemented to cost several billions of naira to benefit a few people that have committed crimes against the state.

    “If you take a look at the programme partners, you will notice no participants from the developed nations are involved, despite the fact that these nations are the biggest contributors for development aid and grant. These developed nations will be better placed to help groom militants to acquire skills. No disrespect to the other 21 nations involved, the majority, in my view, are not better than Nigeria, if we had leaders who put the peoples’ interest before self interest.

    “From information gathered from the various overseas training programmes, several hundreds of millions in US dollars must have been spent. I won’t be surprised if the government expenditure is beyond the $1 billion for the security stabilisation in the Niger Delta through disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and sustainable re-integration of ex-militants as pre-condition for medium and long term development.

    “Let’s assume that 50,000 will benefit from the programme at the end of its implementation. Compare this number to the total number of youths in the Niger Delta amount to several millions who remain law abiding despite unemployment. A good percentage of them have at least School Certificate or university degrees. Where is justice, fairness and equity in this programme by leaving behind law abiding youths, whilst a handful who chose the act of militancy to bring their message of marginalisation to the attention of the Federal Government are moving forward?

    “The over $1 billion to be expended on the programme would have been of greater value to the people of Niger Delta and Nigeria, if it was used to upgrade our higher institutions both across Niger Delta and Nigeria.”

    On the pipeline security contracts awarded to Niger Delta militant leaders, Aluede said the contract conflicts with the government’s policy of disarming the militants. The same government is empowering them as custodians for the security of the nation’s pipelines through lucrative contracts totalling $49.6 million annually. Another conflict here is that government has contracted out the responsibilities of the nation’s security agencies where several billions of naira is invested annually.

    “The award of pipelines security contracts to private entities puts the nation’s security at risk. It would have been better and more cost effective if a special military task force was set up to deliver a more efficient and effective role. Militants who choose to remain as such could be provided proper military training and discipline to take up created positions within the new Special Task Force that is made up of personnel from all our security forces”, Aluede added.

    But Evah did not see anything wrong in awarding the pipelines security contract to the militant chiefs.

     

    A collosal waste

     

    Former Minister of Petroleum Prof. tam David-West said “the (amnesty) programme is good but it is being executed wrongly.”

    This is why little has been achieved, he said.

    “ The government is busy throwing money all over the place as if that would make it work. You don’t buy peace with money. All the government needs to do is to talk to the militants at the level they understand. If you induced them with money, you are creating problem. Some of the militants told me government has stopped giving them money as they used to do. Government spoiled them with money and created more problems among the youth in the Niger Delta.

    “The programme has benefitted very few in the Niger Delta. Some of them are more comfortable because of the largesse from government. Imagine Asari Dokubo collecting $9 million annually in the name of protecting the oil pipelines. A university professor earns N5 million annually.

    “There can be no development until the fundamental problem of degradation of Niger Delta is addressed. To me it’s a colossal waste.

    He said taking the ex-militants abroad for training is stupid.

    David-West said: “Taking them to foreign countries for vocational training is a stupid thing to do. Why don’t you organise training programmes within the Niger Delta, get the trainers from abroad to do the training on ground. Some of them have never being to Lagos, now you are sending them to Europe and Middle East. Look at the cost implication of sending thousands of militants abroad for training. Training is good but it’s being done wrongly.”

    He said the President cannot buy peace.

    “I have said it before that government believes it can buy peace with money. I can’t imagine giving out $49.6 million to the so called militant leaders for a job that could be done by a joint military task force. The best the government could do is to incorporate the militants into the task force. We have done it before. The military with the support of the militants have policed the pipelines and went after those engaged in oil bunkering. Some of these militant leaders have no followership. The contract is like buying goods you have not seen.”

     

    Life after training

     

    The programme has entrepreneurship scheme for 350 ex-militants in the Niger Delta.

    Spokesman of the programme Daniel Alabrah told our correspondent that the scheme was designed to equip and prepare the amnesty beneficiaries to become self reliant and employers of labour.

    Alabrah said rather than leave them idle after completing their vocational training, a three-week intensive entrepreneurship programme was designed for them preparatory to commencing their own business.

    He added: “For those in this pilot post-training entrepreneurship scheme, we are about to put them through a process where they can create their own small business places. We will brand it, give them branded equipment, seed money and see them become owners of small businesses scattered around the Niger Delta or any place they choose to do business in Nigeria.”

    Alabrah stated that there would be a 12-month monitoring and evaluation period for the beneficiaries when they were expected to maintain log books and monthly reporting to see if they were growing in the business. This, he further explained, would ensure that they go into profitable ventures without nursing the fear of failure.

    “We are collaborating with some banks to ensure proper funding and monitoring of the scheme. Beneficiaries will not be given cash but they will be required to state their business location, which will then be paid for and properly equipped with the tools or items for their chosen, he said.

    Apart from the entrepreneurship scheme, Alabrah disclosed that the Amnesty Programme is collaborating with government agencies to absorbing them. About 130 have been employed in private and public sectors.

    He said Jonathan has approved the inclusion of 3,642 ex-Niger Delta militants in the Presidential Amnesty Programme bringing the number of the former agitators undergoing reformation under the programme to 30,000.

     

  • NBA inaugurates committees tomorrow

    THE Nigerian Bar Association NBA will tomorrow, at its secretariat, Abuja, inaugurate three committees to fast-rack the activities and programmes of the Okey Wali (SAN) administration.

    The committees to be inaugurated are the Legislative Advocacy working Group (LAWG) which has Mr Paul Erokoro (SAN) as the chairman and Arthur Obi Okafor (SAN) as alternate chairman.

    The committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution has the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Edo State, Charles Edosomwan (SAN) as chairman while Chief Augustine Alegeh (SAN) retains his chairmanship of the Data Base Committee.

    In a telephone chat with The Nation, Wali said it has become imperative to inaugurate the aforementioned committees because of the urgent demand for their activities.

    He said the constitution is under review and the participation of the NBA in the process cannot be over-emphasised.

    Wali said the need to inaugurate the Data Base Committee was based on the fact that we need to know exactly how many we are and who is where, so that we accurately plan, budget and implement programmes and policies that will positively affect everybody.

     

  • Robbers kill five policemen, two others in Ogun

    Robbers kill five policemen, two others in Ogun

    Five policemen and two others were killed on Sunday by a 15-man gang in two robbery incidents in Ogun State.

    Many others were critically injured.

    It was learnt that the hoodlums attacked a filling station in Ibafo around 8.30pm, dressed in police uniforms.

    They killed two policemen, who challenged them. A 12-year-old boy hawking sachet water, simply identified as Mubarak, was hit by a stray bullet.

    Sources said he died immediately.

    It was learnt that the robbers stole an undisclosed amount of money from the filling station.

    At about 2.30am, the gang invaded the Vicarage of the Apostolic Church at Ijemo-Agbadu in Abeokuta, the state capital.

    It was gathered that members of the gang laid ambush for the Police Quick Response Squad (QRS) which was responding to the residents’ distress call, killing the driver of the patrol vehicle and two police inspectors.

    Other members of the police team were injured.

    Ogun police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said: “The gang snatched a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and attacked a hotel on Abiola Way before heading for the Apostolic Church Vicarage at Ijemo Agbadu, where they killed three policemen and injured two others.

    “The robbers positioned themselves at vantage points and the rescue team ran into their barricade. Two of our officers died instantly while the third died on the way to the hospital. The injured are being attended to at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Aba, Abeokuta.”

    Adejobi said a suspect has been arrested.

  • Nigerian invents cure-all equipment

    Nigerian invents cure-all equipment

    Driven by the desire to help the sick and make health care accessible and affordable, a Nigerian based in the United States, Dr Steve Ayanruoh, has invented an equipment capable of diagnosing major health challenges.

    “Hospital in a box” is the first of its kind across the world.

    Ayanruoh said electrocardiogram, spirometer, nebulizer, automatic syphgomanometer, pulse-oximeter, thermometer and a hand-held device that can examine any part of the body such as ears, eyes, nose and mouth, among others, are installed in the equipment.

    His passion, he noted, is to ensure that people have access to quality and cheap health care. “As a paediatrician working in the US, I went to work, one winter morning, only to find out that I was the only one in the clinic to attend to about three patients at the same time. So, I said to myself, if only I could do, something that will aid their treatment. This was my motivation,” he said .

    Born in Okitipupa in Ondo State, the Delta State indigene said his invention took him about eight years to achieve.

    “I met major computer firms but they turned me down. It was not until I found one that agreed to buy into my dream of the equipment. I was asked to deposit $10,000. From there, I knew it would become a reality,” he added.

    He said it was not a smooth ride as he, at some point, depended on his extended family back home in Nigeria, for finance to fulfill his desire of an equipment that can bring good health to people’s home.

    According to him, the electrocardiogram can be used to examine how well people’s heart is doing. “The equipment also helps to diagnose fast or slow heart rate, diseases of the heart and its sac. It can diagnose enlarged heart, heart attack, heart failure and fluid in the sac covering the heart.

    “No special EKG is needed, which means it can save about $5,000 worth of EKG paper yearly.”

    The spirometer, Ayanruoh said, can be used to examine how well people’s lungs are functioning. The lung can have diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive disease, bronchitis, bronchilitis, croup, pneumonia, hard lung tissue among others, he said.

    The nebulizer, he said, is used to measure blood pressure. It can also be used to diagnose high blood pressure (HBP), low blood pressure, systolic hypertension, dizziness due to changing blood pressure with changes in the patient’s position.

    “The pulse-oximeter measures oxygen level in the blood and heart rate. It can help to differentiate lung disease such as asthma. Also, it helps to diagnose cardiac disease such as TOF and endocrine disease such as DKA. Not every panting patient has a lung disease just as not all bluish patients need oxygen,” he stated.

    The thermometer, he said, can be used to measure the temperature on the forehead in seconds. It can be used to diagnose fever, low temperature and febrile seizures, he added.

    On its usage, he said everybody could use it, adding that they only needed to receive the training.

    “On the desktop are icons for all the examinations that the machine can perform. When each examination is performed the result are stored in each individualised folders which is also on the desktops. These results can either be stored in a flash drive or sent through the internet to assigned server. Doctors assigned to the locations where the machine is being used can log into the server to review the results and send their recommendations to the site provider. For example, if there is a trained provider using the machine in Lagos, he could send his results to a server in Kano or Maiduguri and the assigned doctor and the assigned doctor who is vacationing in Enugu can log into the server to review the result and send recommendations back to Lagos,” he added.

  • Man, 38, arraigned for N3.2m fraud

    A 38-year-old man, Chukwuma Eugen, has been arraigned, before an Ikeja magistrate court for allegedly stealing a truck-load of petroleum product worth N3,238,000.

    The offense  was allegedly committed at Rigid Park Nigeria Limited, Oba Akran Road, Ikeja on Saturday, July 7, 2012. Eugen is facing a four count charge bordering on stealing, obtaining goods by false pretense and fraud.

    The prosecutor, Samson Ekikere told the court presided by the Magistrate, Mrs. Taiwo Akanni that Eugen and others at large on July 27, 2012 “fraudulently obtained one truck of petroleum products worth N3,238,000 from one Dr. John Umude”.

    The defense was alleged to have issued a post-dated Fidelity Bank Plc. cheque serial number 07143917 of  Ellabam Nigeria Limited with the account number 4010550099 in the sum of N3,238,000, a representation said to be false.

    The alleged fake cheque

    was said to have been used to purchase the petroleum product, property of Dr. Umude. The prosecutor, Ekikere said that the offense is contrary and punishable under sections 285, 312(a)(b)(3), 314(b) and 409 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.

    The suspect pleaded not guilty to the four count charge of stealing preferred against him. The prosecutor Samson Ekekiri told Magistrate Taiwo Akanni that Eugen was slippery and that he had once escaped from the Investigative Police Officer(IPO),  Abiodun Saheed. He asked that Eugen be remanded in custody in prison custody throughout the course of trial. But the trial magistrate, Mrs. Taiwo Akanni granted the suspect bail in the sum of N200,000.00 with two sureties in the like sum.

    Magistrate Akanni adjourned the case to November 19, 2012.

     

  • Son relives Sheila Solarin’s last moment

    Son relives Sheila Solarin’s last moment

    •Jonathan Obasanjo, Fayemi, others eulogise educationist

     

    The remains of the late Mrs. Sheila Solarin, widow of the late Dr. Tai Solarin, will be interred in Ikenne, Ogun State, next month.

    Her son, Tunde, stated this yesterday.

    Mrs. Solarin died at the Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Ilisan, on Sunday. She was 88.

    Tunde said she would be buried beside her husband, who died in 1994.

    He said he is “very proud” to be the late Sheila’s son and described her as a “great woman, teacher” and “humorous person”.

    Tunde added: “The family has not decided on the funeral date, but it will most likely be in the next two weeks. It will be announced as soon as the family decides.”

    Reliving his mother’s last moment, he thanked Nigerians and the old students of Mayflower School for their support.

    Tunde said: “I was there a few minutes before she died and a moment after she passed away. Since I was not physically there at the moment she died, I can only describe what I saw half an hour before her death.

    “She was feverish and was trying to speak, while the doctors were trying to stabilise her, she had a heart monitoring machine on one side and the drip on the other.

    “There were a lot of medical equipment around her. The doctors did their best to save her, but the age at which she sustained such a serious injury made their job difficult.”

    President Goodluck Jonathan, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi yesterday commiserated with the Solarin family on Sheila’s death.

    Jonathan, in a statement, described her death as “a big loss” to the nation.

    He said Mrs. Solarin’s death has left a big vacuum in the education sector, adding that the nation would miss the “unparalleled commitment, discipline, expertise, prowess and astuteness” she brought to bear on the teaching profession and school administration.

    Jonathan said: “Her remarkably long period in running the popular Mayflower School, Ikenne and teaching English in that school, left an indelible impact on the generations of students, who today occupy prominent positions in all sectors of the Nigerian society.”

    The President said: “Her decision to carry on with the legacy of her late husband, even up to a very advanced age, speaks a lot about her indomitable spirit and is a great lesson for others to emulate.”

    Obasanjo said the late Sheila dedicated her life to the education of Nigerian children.

    He said: “Not only was the late Mrs. Solarin a dedicated educationist, she showed deep love for her adopted Ogun State and country, Nigeria, which she served for about six decades.

    “The late Mrs. Solarin’s dedication is truly worthy of emulation. She will be greatly missed. I commiserate with her children and the extended family and those who knew and loved this remarkable lady.”

    Fayemi described the late Sheila as “a selfless woman, who dedicated her life to the cause of humanity”.

    He said she was “a virtuous woman, an amiable personality, humble to a fault and deeply committed to the cause of education and development”.

    The governor said the deceased spent her entire lifetime campaigning for a better and egalitarian society through advocacy and philanthropy.

    He said: “Our hearts go out to the Solarin family, the Ikenne community, the government and people of Ogun State on this great loss.”

    Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly Adeyemi Ikuforiji said: “Though Mrs. Solarin left us at a ripe age of 88, Nigerians would have loved to still have her around for more years, due to the marvelous way in which she carried on with the great job of empowering the nations youths, even after her husband passed on some years ago.”

    Ogun State Youths, in a statement, said: “This is a great loss to Ogun State and Nigeria. The late Mrs. Solarin, fondly called Mama, shaped the lives of thousands of Ogun youths in the right direction.

    “She was a disciplinarian and an educationist with great vision. She is an epitome of hard work and honesty, who speaks the truth no matter whose ox is gored. We commiserate with the family of the late Mrs. Solarin.”

    A political activist, Mr. Olawale Okunniyi, described the late Mrs. Solarin as an “unsung martyr”.

    He said: “At this glorious but painful exit of the true mother of the impoverished people of Nigeria, I solemnly celebrate the unwavering resilience of the English-born martyr Sheila, who was a dependable ally of her husband with whom she spent a lifetime fighting as a voice and defender of the Nigerian masses.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Gunmen kill four, burn houses, 18 vehicles, schools in Yobe

    Gunmen yesterday went on the offensive again in Yobe State.

    Four people were killed in what was clearly coordinated attacks in Potiskum, the commercial city of Yobe State.

    They also burnt down schools, houses and 18 vehicles. Among the houses burnt were those belonging to Customs Comptroller in charge of Katsina/Kaduna, Alhaji Yusuf Umar and House of Representatives member (Potiskum/Nangere), Alhaji Abubakar Mainasara.

    The Director Finance and Supply, Yobe State Science and Technical Board, one Malam Ado Jespa, Malam Sagir and two security guards were killed.

    The three schools torched are King Abdulazeez Model Islamic school, Government Science Secondary School where four vehicles were burnt and College of Administration Potiskum (CAPs) where 14 vehicles were burnt.

    Joint Task Force (JTF) spokesman Lt. Eli Lazarus said: “We are aware of most of these attacks. We have advised the government to impose curfew in order to curb the crimes.

    The JTF in Borno State yesterday said the Boko Haram sect had employed the services of foreign mercenaries to cause mayhem in the state and its environs during the Eid El Kabir festival.

    JTF spokesman Lt.Col.Sagir Musa, said “Information available to the Joint Task force, Operation Restore Order, indicates that the Boko Haram terrorists are planning massive attacks on military and civilian targets during Eid el Kabir on Friday.

    “Consequently, the terrorists group has invited foreign mercenaries to assist them in launching the attacks.

    “The group has also advised members of the public to store enough food items and other routine household requirements as they believe that the JTF will impose curfew on Maiduguri in the event of a breakdown of law and order.”

     

  • Judicial workers sue governors, NJC, others

    The battle for financial autonomy for the Judiciary took a new turn yesterday when the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) filed a suit in the Federal High Court, Minna, Niger State, against the 36 governors, federal and states attorneys-general and the National Judicial Council (NJC).

    In the 28-paragraph affidavit, the union’s National President, Malam Marwan Mustapha Adamu, said the union is seeking the interpretation, declaration and enforcement of provisions of sections 81 (3) 121 (3) and 162 (9) of the 1999 Constitution.

    The suit urged the court to interpret the constitutional/statutory provisions and determine ‘’whether the provisions of the constitution that the funds/amount standing to the credit of the Judiciary in the Federation Account/Consolidated Revenue Fund shall not be paid directly to the heads of courts concerned.’’

    The union then sought for a seven-point relief that the defendants’ failure, neglect and or refusal to pay the funds/amount standing credit of the states’ judiciary directly to the heads of courts in various states’Judiciary is a constitutional breach.

    Adamu said the battle for financial autonomy for the Judiciary was not negotiable, arguing that the issue was constitutional.

    He lamented that most courts are in pitiable condition, while states’ chief judges have to beg for funds from governors to carry out their duties.

    The JUSUN leader said over the years, states’ executive arm of government have been dealing with the Judiciary with levity.

    According to Adamu, ”the executive arm has been committing impeachable offence by not complying with constitutional/statutory provisions.

    “We will not take that again, that is why we approach the court for interpretation, declaration and enforcement of the constitution.

    “If Mr. President can respect the constitution by releasing directly funds standing credit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) why can’t our governors do same to the Judiciary?

    “We are ready for the battle. No retreat, no surrender until we secure financial autonomy for the Judiciary,” Adamu said.