The Nation Newspaper

Tag: CRIME

  • Lagos, police parley on crime prevention

    Lagos, police parley on crime prevention

    The Lagos State Government in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force and community leaders in the state have held fruitful talks on how to prevent crime in the state. The event took place at the National Arts Theatre with the theme: Addressing Nigeria’s Security Challenge through Community Policing. The Police Community Relations Committees (PCRCs) were not left out in the discussion. Speakers urged residents to report any threat to lives and properties in the neighbourhood to the Nigerian Police, adding that any act of criminality can be easily controlled if useful information is given. According to Governor Babatunde Fashola, community policing is more than crime fighting in which the community members merely provide “certain crime information”, then the police move to buy this information, explaining further that it is this perception that has limited the scope of community policing. He said: “Provision of crime information is less than 30 per cent of what community policing sets out to address. Community policing has proven to be an effective instrument of bringing the police and the people closer together, building partnership, trust, cooperation and problem-solving capabilities, thereby addressing issues within the crime and social decay continuum.” Speaking further the governor represented by Special adviser on Security, Major Tunde Harold, urged that “PCRC as well as stakeholders and community should assist the Government in creating awareness and sensitizing members of the public on the various strategies that are accepted by Government in ensuring safety of lives and properties in the state,” he said.

    According to the Commissioner of Police Lagos State Command, Mr. Manko Umar “99 per cent of criminal activities that have been cracked are as a result of information given by members of the public,” noting that crime prevention would be very difficult if security agencies were left to grope in the dark looking for criminals. He charged the committee to work more closely with the police to reduce crime to the barest minimum and also encouraged the committee to grow their membership base but warned against all comers affairs, insisting that the members must be of impeccable character and proven integrity.

    Umar also stressed the need for membership identification cards even as he cautioned against misuse while advising them to be patriotic and diligent in service to the nation as well as eschewing erratic behaviours. According to Umar represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Femi Oyeleye, most of the people don’t have the telephone numbers of the DPOs in their areas. “It is good to have this as it will enable them to be able to call anytime they see suspicious persons. They should have the telephone numbers of the police officers in the areas. Calls promptly put across to the police could save us all a lot of agony,” he said.

    Earlier, the chairman of PCRC, Lagos Chapter, Oba Momodu Asafa who gave account of service in support of the NPF, said: “We have been able to assist in the areas of intelligence gathering, providing infrastructural development and logistics needed in the police division and improvement on the community and public support for officers of the Nigeria Police resulting in the safety of lives and properties in the state. “PCRC will not relent in the efforts towards achieving its goals and objectives so as to justify its existence.”

    said Oba Asafa to conclude his speech. According to the Chairman organizing committee for Bashiru Balogun “the goal of the seminar was to sensitize our members on community policing as to work in harmony with the Nigeria Police.” He added that the “set goals were attainable as a result of cooperation of all members of PCRC in the whole community of Lagos State.”

  • Crime and puny men

    Where political expediency collides with democratic yearning, ‘free’ and ‘fair’ are first casualties. Sustained with obvious help from Abuja, the crisis generated by the Nigeria Governors Forum chairmanship election held in May naturally spawned another, more vicious impasse. The exchange of claims and counterclaims of legitimacy between 19 members who duly elected incumbent chair and Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi, and Jonah Jang of Plateau State with 16 dissenting governors in tow tormented the nation. But subsequent fracas involving five members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the 2015 gubernatorial hopeful and President Goodluck Jonathan ally, Nyesom Wike, and the 27 others rooting for Amaechi signalled peril for the 2015 general elections.

    The disastrous June 9 attempt by the five to impeach Speaker Otelemaba Amachree turned farcical after police opted to investigate Majority Leader Chidi Lloyd while the importers of a fake mace and other ‘weapons’ deployed in the ensuing free-for-all walked free – all except the hospitalised Michael Chinda. More worrisome than mode of conflict, the substance of discord, given officially to be a “conflict of interest on certain resources” by Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka after consultations with Amaechi and the president’s men, appears to combine intolerance of opposition, intemperate ambition, partisan security set-up and the president wife’s unfortunate grouse about the Okrika waterfront demolition of 2010.

    Tellingly, Mbu Joseph Mbu, the much-maligned Rivers Police Commissioner on whose watch recent progress in state security seemed to unravel quickly, talked up a storm. Mbu thought the governor played ‘dictator’, and he, the top cop, would not play ball.

    Apparently reading a script composed by the hierarchy, he affected ignorance as the ‘infamous five’ ignited combustible atmosphere charged by premature 2015 politicking.

    Even if the presidency succeeds in proving disconnection, calls for state police emanating from the Rivers rumble could help discourage presidential meddling in local politics. Yet, with poor funding as metaphor, the police are clearly hobbled by the centralised security arrangement. A system that tasks a Divisional Police Officer with roughly N40, 000 quarterly to cover stationery, communication material and sundry expenses, and generally smoothen the function of patrol vehicles and generating sets for his command beats the imagination. What doesn’t, however, is witnessing a police vehicle run out of fuel in pursuit of night marauders or a constable in tattered gear giving chase to a petty thief in the neighbourhood. Or, ultimately, hapless folks watching policemen pay a million naira ransom for a colleague kidnapped by criminals following the cold-blooded murder of 11 others on escort duty as occurred in the creeks of Bayelsa last April.

    Sometimes, by the way, it is difficult to determine the more rewarding ‘occupation’ between lawmaking and kidnapping as jumbo pay meets payday at relatively low risk.

    Following a series of high-profile gaffes since the turn of the Fourth Republic, we may tar representatives in the Upper and Lower Houses of the National Assembly (NASS) with the same brush of misrepresentation, but by track record, the senators consistently seem to shed eminence. Led by the adaptable David Mark, they were quicker to embrace the President’s contrived military intervention plan for terror-ravaged Adamawa, Borno and Yobe back in May. By the time both chambers harmonised positions, the House of Reps’ reservations were muted and the affected states’ coffers subjected to war spending.

    While the government countered the Boko Haram scourge with partial state of emergency to limited success, the senators voted on recommendations by committees on amendments to the 1999 constitution from their safe NASS abode. Prodded by Ahmed Sani Yerima of the underage Egyptian bride fame, the Senate incurred nationwide wrath by resisting the temptation to expunge a clause that undercut the legal age of marriage for a woman. On their own, the Reps courted opprobrium, opting, among other deliberations, to ‘simplify’ the process of state creation. A quick submission: ‘Nigeria-refugee State’ for the thousands exiled to Cameroon by the Multinational Joint Task Force versus Boko Haram war or ‘Oil-rich-poor State’ for millions disenfranchised by decades of warped economic policies.

    The country grapples with official revelation of 400, 000 barrels of crude oil worth N7.35 billion at the official $117 price multiplied by the official exchange rate of NI57 daily lost to crude oil thieves, or the more technical corollary of shutdown, but the pipelines are protected at exorbitant cost by Government Ekpemupolo, aka ‘Tompolo’, and ex-militants reformed as security contractors. In the confusion, citizens cited influential individuals and politicians as perpetrators; Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs Kingsley Kuku mentioned oil workers; and a Niger Delta group fingered multinationals that maintain illegal oil wells and exaggerate loss to make more profit and remit less tax. So, whodunit?

    We strain to decipher mutating variables in the volatile Niger Delta mix, but a former petroleum minister battled the son of late despot, Sani Abacha, for proceeds of the sale of controversial Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245 to a multinational when dispute should relate to culpability in possible shady dealing. But greater worry must be reserved for the United States of America’s revolution of shale oil production, its curbed appetite for Nigeria’s sweet crude and financial implications for the domestic budget, present and future. Beyond cushioning the expected loss of half of the revenue usually guaranteed by America’s patronage looms the challenge of curtailing corruption and diversifying the economy to plug political meltdown.

    To start with, the lumbering national structure must kick into proactive mode, before petty crime trumps a critical banking system revamped by endless reform. Automated Teller Machines (ATM) spew counterfeit naira notes of the highest denomination and the best that central bank authorities do is preach redesign of the naira while promising yet another probe. Nor should it suffice that federal and state governments announce discovery of thousands of ghost workers and how much has been saved. Listing and prosecution of offenders should follow, unless officials uphold the notion that corruption trickles from the top. Even if fantastic judgments prevail, courtesy a compromised judiciary, ghosts do not operate bank accounts.

    Hampered, in the meantime, by attack on power plants, constant shortage of gas and a bumpy roadmap, electricity stutters towards the magical 10, 000 megawatts quoted since 2007 by the federal government to the background drone of generating sets across the country. To take imagery further in the season of redesign, how about a new statue for the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN): ‘Sango’ hoisting a generator in front of PHCN’s Lagos office in place of an axe, perhaps?

    Want amidst plenty is a truly Nigerian paradox aptly situated by Chairman of JUTH FC of Jos, Ishaya Pam. Establishing a link with current leadership style, Dr Pam, unlike sponsored analysts, hinged national growth on ‘luck’ and not International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank indices. “Every country that has a good national team has good leagues and very organised academy systems. We don’t have those things and we want to win always.”

    Well said. Yesterday’s apathy bred today’s shame. Today’s puny men evoke yesterday’s mimic men.

  • Crime of passion (3)

    ‘A moment of patience in a moment of anger can help us avoid a thousand moments of sorrow.’ (Anonymous)

    I looked up from the letter and stared at my boss, too shocked to speak.

    Finally I blurted out nervously:

    “Sir, is this a joke or what?”

    “Joke, ke! Do I look like Ali Baba?” he stated with a wry smile.

    But he became sober when he saw the serious, anxious look on my face.

    “Look, Ray. I know this must come to you as a surprise. But the management believes you are the best person for the job. It will be good for your career growth so I will advise you to see it as an opportunity and accept the offer,” he said.

    I was barely listening to him. I kept thinking of the implication of what was in the letter. It stated that I had been transferred out of the country, to oversee our branches in Ghana as well as Cote d’Ivoire as the Regional cum Sales Manager. More than anything, it was the suddenness of it all that so shocked me. There had been no hint whatsoever that this was coming, no sign at all. ‘How can I just be sent out of the country just like that on cross-border posting without warning’, I thought with some resentment.

    The first thought that came to me was to decline the offer. I had never been to those countries, didn’t know anyone there, so how was I going to cope? Besides, there was my wife, Grace and my son. And Jake too and my parents and siblings. How could I leave my family and friends behind and go to a strange place with strange people?

    “People are only strangers until you get to know them,” Grace said latter that evening. I had broken the news to her as soon as I got home.

    We had been discussing or rather arguing over the issue for the past hour or so. She was in favor of my accepting the posting.

    “It shows the company values your services. It’s a serious position and it’s not anyone they can give it to. They chose you. That means something,” she pointed out.

    I could see her point but I was not ready to give in yet.

    “But I don’t know anyone there. How will I cope with total strangers, in a strange land?” I stated grumpily. And the argument had gone on and on…

    “Truth is that I can’t bear the thought of being parted from you and Robert. I will miss you too much,”I finally said. We were in our bedroom then, preparing for bed. Grace had just taken a shower and was sitting at her dressing table, applying cream on her body.

    I laid back on the bed, a scowl on my face.

    “We will both miss you too, honey. But this is a golden chance for us. For our family. You shouldn’t miss it,” she said. She got up then, and slipped her nightie over her head. I felt a warm stirring in my body at the sight of her. Even after all these years of being together, I still found my wife irresistible.

    Slipping into bed with me, she said quietly:

    “So, you will take the offer, won’t you?” she asked.

    By then, I had other things on my mind that had nothing to do with my transfer.

    “Yes, darling. I will. If that’s what you want,” I stated quickly as I drew her to me and buried my face in her full bosom…

    ******

    A few weeks later, all was set for my journey to my new base. It was agreed that Grace, who taught at a school in town would be visiting with our son during the holidays.

    “Call as soon as you arrive Accra,” Grace said as Jake prepared to take me to the airport. She had refused to accompany me with the excuse that, “I don’t want to create a scene at the airport by crying too much!”

    I arrived safely and immediately resumed work. Within a few months, I had settled down in the city and was beginning to enjoy the place. It was well-organised and less stressful than where I was coming from. I missed home though especially Grace. Infact, the highlight of my day was when I spoke with her after closing from work.

    I called her so often the phone bill for the first few months of my arrival was quite high.

    “At this rate, we will go bankrupt because of the high phone bill,” she said teasingly one day.

    “I don’t care. Listening to your voice makes our separation more bearable,” I noted.

    “It’s only for a short while. We will be coming over in two weeks, remember,” she said. Her school was closing for the long vacation soon and she was coming with Robert to join me in Accra.

    I asked after some family members and later Jake.

    “Ah, Jake has been wonderful! He checks on us regularly and he even took Robert to the park last week. He’s such a caring person,” she enthused.

    I felt immense relief at her words. The thought that my best friend was keeping an eye on my family made me feel less anxious about leaving them all alone while I was in a foreign country, working.

    My work, which I enjoyed took most of my time. The company’s products were in high demand so I did not have too much trouble pushing them. With the approval of head office in Lagos, I made some changes in our operations. I rented a large warehouse near the popular Makola market in the Tudu area of the city. The reason being that a lot of our customers were based in the market and its environs so it was more convenient for them if the products were close by and readily available.

    With time, I opened a new branch in Takoradi with plans to expand to Kumasi and other places later in the year. Once a month, I would travel to Abidjan to check on our branch in the city. At first, the language barrier was a problem as I did not speak French or any of their local dialects. Later, I employed a man who spoke English and that took care of the problem. And with each visit, I began to pick up some French. The country was just then recovering from a civil war, with economic activities gradually picking up. Though sales were slow at first, I knew that with time, things would pick up.

    At the end of my first year abroad, I was enjoying myself so much in my new post, that I wondered why I had been so reluctant to take up the posting initially.

    “I’m not sure I want to return to Nigeria soon,” I said to Jake one day. He had called to tell me that he would be coming to spend his leave with me in Accra in a few weeks.

    “I can’t believe it! Were you not the same person who was so reluctant to go there in the first place! What happened?” he queried.

    “Nothing much,” I replied. “It’s just that I like the place and I’m enjoying my work here,” I added.

    “Is that all? Are you sure you’ve not fallen for another woman over there?” he stated.

    “Fall for who? You think I’m like you who falls in and out of love every two months. You know there’s only one woman for me-Grace. Others don’t exist for me,”I said firmly.

    “Ah, come on Ray! You are my friend. I won’t tell a soul, least of all Grace. So, what’s her name and what does she look like? Is she pretty? What does she do…?” he asked persistently.

    “Are you deaf or what? It’s nothing like that. I just…” I started to say when he butted in.

    “You think you can fool me? I will find out soon enough when I come,” he promised.

    ‘Idiot,’ I thought as the call ended, smiling wryly at the thought of my friend with his one way mind…

    In the rebels enclave

    I had been in Accra for about two years when another war broke out in Cote d’Ivoire. Tension had been brewing in the country for some months after the elections but most people did not think it would lead to renewed hostilities between the warring forces in the past war.

    Unluckily for us, we had just sent a large consignment of our products to the country, awaiting distribution. I needed to be there to oversee things and also arrange for the remitting of money from sales of the past months that had accumulated in our bank accounts.

    I tried calling my supervisor, Francois to give instructions on how to secure the goods but I could not reach him on phone. The goods were worth millions and I could not allow them to be destroyed as well as our other investments in the country. Based on that, I decided to travel to the country.

    “But sir, it might be dangerous for you. We heard on the news that there’s fighting in Abidjan,” my secretary, Ama protested when I told her of my plans.

    I waved her fears aside.

    “It can’t be that bad. At least people are still living there,”I stated, trying to make a joke of the situation.

    All flights to Abidjan had been cancelled so I made arrangements to travel across the border by road. At the border town Elubo, few vehicles were willing to cross over to the other side.

    The crises in the neighboring country had deterred many of the drivers who usually plied the route from working.

    A Nigerian I met at the border, was able to link me with a driver he knew who still ferried passengers across the border, though at more than thrice the normal fare.

    We had crossed the border safely and even passed Noe, the Ivorien border town when the driver turned off the main road. He explained that rebel soldiers had taken over some portions of the road and he was going to pass through side roads that were safer.

    We had been driving on the side road for nearly an hour without incident, when we suddenly heard gun shots. Then, a group of men in camouflage uniform dashed from the surrounding bushes some metres away from our bus. The driver, perhaps in panic applied the breaks, and turning round shouted at us, the passengers to run into the bush. We didn’t need a second warning.

    We all ran out and fled into the thick bush. Behind us, I could hear the soldiers shooting and shouting at us. They were obviously chasing after us and my heart pumped with fear as I ran wildly away. The thought of dying in this strange place propelled me forward. At a point, I turned round to glance behind me and it was then I ran into a tree head on…

    I must have blacked out for I woke up sometime later in strange surroundings. As it turned out, I was in a camp of the rebel soldiers. I had been caught with some of the passengers in the bus and taken to their camp.

    I was to remain in that place for the next eight months. Though, the soldiers treated us fairly well, we were made to do all kinds of jobs for them. We became their cooks, cleaners, washermen and did other odd jobs around the camp. Some of the women prisoners became their bedmates.

    All the time I was in the camp, my thoughts were full of Grace, wondering what she must be going through. Did she and the rest of my friends, family and colleagues think I was dead since I got missing? From the little news we got in the camp, we heard that a lot of people had died in the war. I was determined to stay alive and not become one of the statistics in the war. I prayed that one day, I would be reunited with my beloved wife.

    That thought and the instinct for survival inherent in every human kept me sane in the camp.

    Then, one morning, we woke up to find the camp deserted by the rebels. Later, we heard that they had got advance warning from another unit that government forces were about to raid the camp. We all danced with jubilation at our freedom.

    We were later transported to a refugee camp in Abidjan run by an international charity organization. I tried calling home to tell them about my whereabouts, that I was alive and well. But communication in the country was bad because of the war.

    With the help of the organization, I was able to get some money with which I travelled back to Nigeria. As the cab that drove me home drew nearer my street that night, my heart beat in anticipation at being reunited with my family. I could imagine the look of surprise and joy on my wife’s face when she saw me. I smiled at the thought, my heart brimming with happiness.

    The front door was open when I arrived with the lights on. Thinking she had gone to bed and forgot to lock up, I headed straight for the bedroom.

    As I quietly opened the door, it was the soft moans I first heard, then the sight of my wife in bed with a man…

    •To be continued

    •Who’s the mystery man Ray caught his wife in bed with? Details next Saturday!

    •Names have been changed to protect the narrator’s identity.

    •Send comments/suggestions to 08023201831(sms only) or psaduwa@yahoo.com.

  • Crime of passion (2)

    Try as I could, I was unable to dissuade Jake from going after Grace. I was so mad at him that by the time I dropped him at his house, I could barely speak to him. But he ignored my dark mood and was his usual ebullient self.

    “My mum’s birthday is in two weeks. My father is organising a party for her. I will be expecting you,” he said.

    Normally, I would have been more than happy to attend a party at his family home. But I was still too upset with him then to think of going.

    “I’m not sure I can make it. I will be in Ibadan then on business,” I stated curtly.

    “Well, try to return early so you can attend as my mum has been asking after you. Besides, “ he added as he got down from the car, “There’s somebody I want you to meet you. A lovely flower I bet you will like to pluck,” he said, laughing as he walked away towards the house.

    Thing is, I was not interested in any flower. It was Grace I wanted, that I longed for. But from all indications, Jake had beaten me to her. What could I do? No matter how mad I was with him, I just could not bring myself to start a fight with him over her. So, I decided to put her out of my mind.

    But it was easier said than done. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get her out of my thoughts. Some days later, I found myself heading for her sister’s shop. It wasn’t for any serious business with Madam Betty. I just wanted to see Grace and maybe talk to her.

    Grace was no where in sight when I got there. Her sister was absent as well.

    “She didn’t come to the shop today. Madam sent her to see one of our customers at Ikeja,” a sales girl told me. I felt disappointed as I so much wanted to see her.

    “Tell her to call me on this number when she returns,” I stated, dropping my office number with her. This was in the early days of the introduction of GSM in the country when not many people had mobile phones. I waited a few days and when she did not call, I felt deflated.

    Meanwhile, I did not see Jake for sometime after our argument over Grace. Then a few days before his mum’s party, I ran into him at the office canteen.

    He had finished his lunch and was on his way out. With him was a young lady I had not seen before.

    “Conny, this is my best friend Ray,” he introduced us. He did not explain who she was but from the manner he was holding her by the waist, I suspected she was one of his numerous girlfriends.

    We stood chatting for a while then parted. He reminded me again about the party, stating that everyone in the family was expecting him.

    Though my anger and resentment against him had cooled down, I had still not made up my mind about going to the party. The trip to Ibadan that had been planned for that weekend had been postponed by my boss. So, I did not have any serious commitments that could keep me away.

    Besides, I thought about all the love and affection as well as the help Jake’s parents had given me over the years.

    ‘I will look like an ungrateful person if I don’t go,’ I thought.

    So, I attended the party.

    Looking back now, if I had known what would follow as a result of going to that party, I would have stayed away. But I’m getting ahead of my story so I will stay on track.

     

    Pleasant surprise

    I bought a gift for the celebrant and after I had given it to her and congratulated her on attaining the ripe age of 60, I went to seek out Jake. He was in the midst of a group of ladies, chatting and holding court like a Prince.

    I stood watching for a while, smiling wryly to myself.

    ‘Playa. He will never change,’ I thought.

    He saw me then and hurried over.

    “Ray! Where were you? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he exclaimed, clapping me on the shoulder.

    “It didn’t look that way a while ago,” I retorted, my eyes going in the direction of the girls who seemed to be waiting impatiently for his return.

    “Oh, that!” he stated with a grin. “You know the ladies won’t just let me rest.”

    Then taking my hand, he said:

    “Come. Someone wants to see you.”

    I followed him to one of the tables where a couple of ladies sat.

    I recognized Nelly, a cousin of Jake. I was wondering if she was the mystery person when the other lady turned towards us.

    My heart raced at the sight. It was Grace!

    “What are you doing here?” I exclaimed when I got over my surprise.

    She glanced up at Jake, her eyes shining.

    “I invited her,” Jake said. A look passed between them then he said:

    “There are some very impatient ladies waiting for me over there. So, I will leave you two for a while. Nelly, come with me,” and he grabbed his cousin’s hand and dragged her away.

    I sat down, feeling confused and a bit foolish.

    “What’s going on?” I finally asked Grace. If Jake invited her, he should be with her. Why was he throwing us together like this…

    The mystery was solved a short while later.

    Grace who had been silently watching me, a little smile playing around her lips, finally spoke.

    “This place is a bit noisy. Why don’t we go somewhere quieter?”

    The party was being held in the large courtyard of the house. We went outside the compound and sat in my car.

    It was there she told me the whole story. Jake, she stated had told her about my interest in her.

    “It was a few days after you came to the shop with him. He came to see me and said you liked me a lot. But because of your reticent nature, you might not open up about your feelings for me. He wanted to know if I liked you too. When I told him how I felt about you, he now worked out a plan.”

    The party, he said would be the ideal setting to meet. “So, he insisted I must come and he would make sure you came as well,” she added, smiling at me.

    I could not believe what I was hearing. Here was I nearly going crazy with the thought that Jake had snatched her from me. Yet, he was going to all that trouble for my sake!

    ‘That rascal! I will deal with him today!’ I thought.

    But there was no anger in me. Instead, I felt relief and gratitude towards the good friend who had brought my love to me.

    I took Grace’s hand and drew her to me, holding her in my arms for the first time.

    From that moment on, I began to enjoy the party more. I danced with Grace several times and a couple of other female guests but she was the one I wanted to be with all the time.

    “I see you two love birds have sorted out your differences,” Jake said sometime later. I had been sitting down, enjoying a cool drink when he suddenly appeared at my side. This time, there were girls hanging onto him. Grace had gone to chat with a guest she knew from school.

    I turned to him. He must have seen the look of gratitude in my eyes for he quickly said:

    “Don’t bother thanking me. What are friends for?”

    “But you never even gave a hint of what you were planning. And I was so angry with you, thinking…” I said.

    “I know. You thought I was interested in her. Actually I was initially. But when I saw the way you were looking at her that day at the shop with love-sick eyes, I had to back out. Besides, I have too many women in my life already. Why complicate my life more?” he stated with a grin.

    “But you insisted that day that you were going to get her. Why?”

    He shrugged.

    “I did that to fire you up, so you can make a move for her. But knowing you and how you can be about these things, I decided to take matters into my hands before someone else gets her. I’m glad things worked out for you,” he stated.

    “Thanks all the same,” I said, meaning every word.

    “Yeah. We are best friends and brothers for life, aren’t we? Friends should look out for each other, my old man often says. I like Grace but our friendship means more to me. I can’t allow it to be destroyed because of a woman!”

     

    Happy times

    That was how my relationship with Grace began. She went back to school after the holidays. Due to a strike by the lecturers, she had to spend an extra semester in school before graduating. But we kept in touch through phone. Once in a while, I would also visit her in school. With time, I got to meet her parents and I introduced her to mine as well. Seeing the love we had for each other, most people who knew us expected we would end up at the altar. They were not wrong for I was already thinking about marrying her when she graduated.

    Such plans were however put on hold when Grace decided to go back to school for a Masters degree after the youth service programme.

    I was not too keen on it as I was so anxious to make her my wife.

    “It’s only for a short while sweetheart. Soon we will be together again and nothing can separate us then,” she pointed out when I raised objections about her going back to school.

    I backed down then.

    A few years later, we got married at the completion of the programme. It was a happy time for us. To add to our joy, Grace gave birth to a baby boy about a year after our wedding.

    I named him Robert, which was Jake’s middle name. He felt touched at my gesture.

    “You could have named him after your dad or even one of your ancestors. Why me?” he queried.

    It was a few days after the naming ceremony and I had gone to thank his parents for the wonderful gift they had sent the baby. We were sitting in the living room upstairs while his parents were downstairs with some visitors.

    “You deserve the honour. Without you, all this would not have been possible. Grace and I might not be together today,” I pointed out.

    “Yeah, you are right. You are a real Baba go-slow when it comes to women matters. You find it so difficult ‘toasting’ them. Were you a monk or something in your previous life?” he stated teasingly.

    “You dey crase! Na you be monk!” I fired back.

    “Ha ha! Me, monk? You know I will make a terrible priest. I will cause so much havoc among the female folk that I would be derobed in a short time!”

    We both laughed at that.

    Grace and I had just marked our fourth wedding anniversary when my boss called me into his office one day. We had just returned from a trip to the East to assess the sales of our company’s products in the region. Thinking he needed the report he had instructed me to work on, I took the file along.

    “Congratulations, Ray! You are now a full sales Manager!” he announced as soon as I stepped into his office.

    I stood, simply gaping at him, too stunned

    to speak.

    “Surprised? You shouldn’t be. You’ve worked hard for it,” the man said, smiling genially at me.

    “Here’s the letter of promotion. There’s something else, though as you will see from the letter,” he said, offering it to me.

    I opened the letter eagerly, a feeling of euphoria washing over me. Then as I continued to read, my joy at my promotion was replaced by utter disbelief, then shock…

    •To be continued

     

    •What was in the letter that so shocked Ray? The mystery will be revealed next Saturday so don’t forget to book a copy of your favorite The Nation on Saturday!

    •Have a great weekend, everyone!

    •Names have been changed to protect the narrator’s identity.

    •Send comments/suggestions to 08023201831(sms only) or psaduwa@yahoo.com

     

  • Crime of passion (1)

    As I write this, I’m behind bars in a sordid prison somewhere in the country. I had to beg one of the wardens for some paper and biro to enable me write my tale.

    What is my purpose? To let the world know why I did what I did to Jake. Those who knew us and our relationship, our friendship that dated back to our campus days, had been shocked when they heard what had happened between us.

    That with my own hand, I had killed my best friend, my confidante and the only person apart from my mother that I trusted most in the world. Well, my wife used to be on that list. But not anymore. You will know the reason as my story unfolds.

    They say opposites attract. This was quite true in my relationship with Jake. Both physically and personality wise, we were very different. Jake was tall, slim built with good looks that could pass for those of a movie star. He also had a vibrant, outgoing personality. I, on the other hand was the quiet type who did not mix much and preferred studying to going out to parties. Despite these differences, Jake and I hit it off as soon as we met. This was how it happened. It was my second year in school and I was having problems securing accommodation. Then, a friend told me about a student who was looking for flat mates to share the apartment his family had rented for him off campus.

    I contacted him a few days later and luckily he agreed to give me one of the rooms at a reasonable amount. It was a three bedroom flat a short distance from campus. Shortly after I moved in, another student George joined us. That was how Jake and I became friends. We lived together for the rest of our stay in school in that flat and with time, we became very close. Though quite intelligent, Jake was not the studious type. Infact, he hardly bothered with classes, assignments and tests like I did. He often used to tease me about my serious attitude.

    “Guy, you are a real effico; too serious with your books. You should take it easy, sometimes. Learn to relax,” he told me one evening as I sat in my room reading for a test I had the next day.

    I looked up at him. He was dressed to go out in a nice T shirt and a pair of designer jeans. He looked great and I complimented him.

    “Thanks. I have a new ‘catch’ I’m taking out tonight,” he stated with a smirk, adjusting the collar of his top in the small mirror on the wall in my room.

    “What about Trish?” I asked. She was his girlfriend of about six months and I thought he loved her.

    Jake shrugged.

    “She’s out of town. Besides, she’s becoming too possessive. I need a break,” he noted. Knowing him so well, it was Jake’s way of saying he was tired of a relationship. That was another point of difference between us. His attitude to girls. “Love them and leave them,” he often said, with that mischievous grin of his.

    I didn’t share his views and I made that clear.

    “I don’t think its fair on the girls. I have sisters too and I won’t want any guy to mess up with them,” I told him. Yet, despite the way he treated them, girls still flocked around him like moths to a flame.

    “Well, is it my fault if the girls can’t resist me? I be fine boy now!” he would say, grinning broadly.

    “Why don’t you leave those books and come with us tonight? Catch some fun, you know,” he now said, as he made for the door.

    I shook my head.

    “I need to study for the test tomorrow. You know how tough that lecturer’s questions can be,” I stated, turning to resume reading.

    “Alright. See you later then,” he stated as he left.

    ‘You are lucky. You have rich parents so you can afford to fool around. As for me, I know where I’m coming from,’ I thought as I turned a page in my notebook. Both my parents were teachers and as the first son, they looked up to me to do well so I could help the family later. Thus I had no time for frivolities. I had to succeed in life for my family’s sake.

     

    * * * * *

    Finally, school was over and we left for the mandatory youth service programme. Jake and I were posted to different states. It was the first time in years that we were separated. By this time, we were so close, more like brothers rather than mere friends. Jake, who didn’t like the idea of my going so far away tried to influence my posting.

    “I will talk to my dad. He knows people at the headquarters and they will have you reposted to Lagos so we can be together again,” he told me one day when I called from my base in Niger State where I was serving.

    “Don’t bother, Jake. I like it here. The people are friendly and nice. Besides, it’s just for a year. It will be over soon and I will be back home before long,” I pointed.

    He reluctantly agreed and there was no more talk of my being reposted down South.

    Jake’s father, who was a business man had a lot of contacts in the business circles in the country. With his influence, he was able to get a job for his son even before the service year ended.

    I was happy and a bit envious as well when he called to give me the good news.

    “It’s a big company. They are into all kinds of stuff- manufacturing, food processing, construction,” he disclosed.

    “Lucky you. At least, you won’t be among the thousands of jobless graduates roaming the streets,” I said.

    He laughed then said:

    “You know what, Ray? I will like us to work in the same place. I will speak to my dad if he can fix you up in the company. Once he returns from his trip abroad, I’ll talk to him.”

    I liked the idea of our working together but I didn’t have much faith in my getting a job in such a big firm.

    ‘Afterall, jobs don’t grow on trees these days,’ I thought to myself as the call ended.

    So, you can imagine my surprise and excitement when he called to tell me two months later that I had been invited for an interview in the company.

    I was speechless for a while before I exclaimed:

    “But I didn’t apply! How come they are…”

    Jake laughed at my confusion.

    “Is this not Nigeria? With the right connection, you can get anything you want.”

    The job, he explained was for the post of a sales representative. “It comes with a car as you will be moving around a lot,” he stated.

    “A car? That’s great! But Jake, you talk as if I already have the job. I’ve not even done the interview yet,” I noted.

    He laughed again.

    “That, my friend is just a formality. The job is already yours!”

    We had just a month to go before we passed out as corpers. The thought of starting work as soon as we finished the youth service filled me with great joy. No endless job applications and rejections, no roaming the streets searching endlessly for jobs that did not exist with its attendant frustrations and sufferings…

    I silently thanked God for giving me a great friend like Jake. And I promised myself that I would work really hard at the job so that I would not disappoint him and his dad that had so much faith in me.

    Two months after our passing out, I resumed work at the company. Everyone, including my parents were surprised that I got a job so quickly after graduation.

    I told them about Jake’s role in it and they were very impressed.

    “He’s a good friend. Such friendship is rare these days so don’t take it lightly,” my father said. He promised to call Jake and his father and thank them for all their support.

     

    * * * * *

    My job involved marketing some of the company’s products. I had to move around a lot and the official car I was given helped in that regard. With time, I began to travel outside Lagos to other states where we had distributors of our products. I loved the job as it enabled me travel and see new places, meet new people. I preferred it to an office job where I would be sitting at a desk all day.

    It was during this period that I met Grace. She was the younger sister of one of our biggest distributors in the city. She was a final year student at the university and had come to spend the long vacation with her sister.

    I liked the girl as soon as I set eyes on her. It wasn’t just her obvious beauty alone. There was just something about her that I found so alluring.

    But despite the way I felt about her, I had not been able to speak to her about my feelings. It wasn’t that I was shy with girls or something. I just felt the time was not right.

    I always looked forward to going to the sister’s shop on business as I knew I would see Grace.

    Just seeing and looking at her made me happy.

    I was on my way there late one afternoon when I ran into Jake at the car park in the office. We were in different departments so we didn’t see that much at work. But we made up for it at weekends when we hung out together.

    He had closed for the day and was heading home.

    “My car suddenly developed problems. Battery problem likely. Guess I will have to take a cab home,” he said after we greeted.

    “No need for that,” I said. I intended closing as well once I had finished meeting Madam Betty, Grace’s sister.

    “Come with me and I will take you home later,” I offered.

    Grace was alone in the store when we arrived.

    “Sister just stepped out. She will be back shortly,” she explained.

    She served us drinks while we waited. I noticed Jake looking at her in a speculative way and my heart fell. I knew that look quite well. It was the sort of look he had whenever he saw a girl he fancied and wanted to sleep with.

    ‘Please, not this one,’ I thought as I looked at Grace. She had a new braided hairstyle which made her look even more pretty.

    When the woman returned, we sat to discuss business. I could not concentrate though. My eyes kept drifting to the front of the store. Jake was there, standing and chatting with Grace. I saw her laughing at a point and I became worried. What if she fell for Jake’s charms? Very few ladies could resist him. He was my friend but I didn’t want her to get involved with him as she would only get hurt in the end.

    We left shortly after. On the way, Jake kept talking about Grace.

    “Such a pretty girl. I’m thinking of inviting her out next weekend,” he announced.

    “What?” I exclaimed, turning from the road to glare at him.

    “Why do you look so surprised. You should know me by now. Once I see something I like, I go for it,” he said.

    I could not bear it any longer and I decided to be blunt with him

    “Jake, leave her alone,” I blurted out.

    He turned to me, surprised.

    “Why? Don’t tell me you like her too!” he said.

    “Jake, that’s not the issue now. Just don’t mess with her, that’s all I’m saying,” I implored.

    “Well, it’s too late for that. I want her. And I’m going to have her no matter what you or anyone says,” he stated firmly.

    I grew angry at his words. For the first time since we became friends, I wanted to punch him in the face…

     

    Will Grace become a source of conflict between the two friends? Watch out for the exciting details next Saturday!

     

    •Names have been changed to protect the narrator’s identity.

    Send comments/suggestions to 08023201831(sms only) or psaduwa@yahoo.com

  • Why youths are involved in crime, by NBTE chief

    ver 60 per cent of youths are either unemployed or underemployed, the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) Executive Secretary, Dr Mas’udu Kazaure, has said.

    He spoke at the opening of an entrepreneurship sensitisation workshop organised for rectors of polytechnics and provosts of colleges of education at the Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.

    The two-day workshop was organised by NBTE in conjunction with Covenant University.

    “Officially, over 60 per cent of our youths are either unemployed or under-employed.

    “Consequently, the army of restive youths has resulted in vices, such as increased urban violence, kidnapping and insurgency,” he said.

    He also said the implementation of entrepreneurship programmes is mandatory.

    Kazaure said the accreditation would soon start, adding that the programme is aimed at improving the technical skills of graduates.

    He said research has shown that many graduates of the country’s tertiary institutions are deficient in entrepreneurial skills, adding that, if the trend persisted, Nigeria might wait for long before advancing in technology.

    The secretary said the deficiency was worsening the country’s unemployment situation.

    “It will be a mandatory requirement for accreditation of all programmes beginning from the next accreditation exercise which will commence soon.

    “Such areas as entrepreneurship curriculum, entrepreneurship development centre existence and management, and practical activities being undertaken have been inserted for effective evaluation and assessment during the accreditation exercise,” he said.

    The host and Vice-Chancellor, Covenant University, Prof. Charles Ayo, called for an improved polytechnic system through qualitative programmes and adequate funding.

    “There is nothing much wrong with our education system. All we need is sustainability of good programmes and the implementation of workable policies.

    “We must ensure that polytechnics are encouraged by way of funding and infrastructure in order to get our teeming youths adequately equipped technically to drive our economy,” he said.

    The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Bali, Taraba, Dr Jen Umaru, said entrepreneurship education was vital to technological advancement.

    “Our challenge in this respect is how to use technical education to develop skilled personnel, which will be geared toward self reliance.

    “You cannot achieve anything in this direction if the students are not competent in entrepreneurship which remains the key to self reliance.

    “The rectors too as chief executives of the respective institutions have a huge role to play in terms of facilitating the disbursement of funds and other issues that will enhance progress of the programme,” he said.

     

  • We’ve reduced crime, violence says lawmaker

    Representative of Mushin 1 Constituency at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Bolaji Yusuf Ayinla has said that the reduction of crime and violence in Mushin is the result of efforts to get the people productively engaged.

    Ayinla stated this while responding to reporters questions at the 2nd Village Square meeting he held with his constituents at Itire, Mushin.

    According to him, through the efforts of people like Muize Banire, himself and the local government chairman jobs are being provided for many people, thereby keeping them engaged and away from violence and crime.

    “I have contributed my quota as a legislator in order to reduce the crime rate and violence that Mushin was identified with before. Today the situation has changed and I am not going to stop because I still have so many things on the pipeline for them”, he said.

    Ayinla disclosed that he has facilitated employment for about 27 of his constituents with the Lagos State Inland Revenue Service, 15 each at the Ministry of Sports, Lagos State Waste Management Authority, Lagos Marine Police and Lagos State Residents Registration Authority. He has also provided 50 others with jobs as sweepers while equipping thousands with vocational skills to enable them start something on their own.

    “Twenty were recommended for appointment into State Civil Service Commission while eight employment opportunities were secured with Central Business District, Lagos”, he said.

    He said further:“It is a gradual process and I know that with time, more of my people will be taken out of the unemployment bracket and of course Mushin will be the better for it.”

    According to the lawmaker, he is only fulfilling the campaign promises he made to his people during electioneering that he would be responsive, responsible, accountable and proactive through first class representation”.

    The Village Square meeting, Ayinla said, is a feedback mechanism for him to hear from his people and also for them to hear from him and for him to give account of his stewardship.

    Giving account of his stewardship, Ayinla said, he has provided 13 boreholes in his constituency, influenced procurement of 4 500KVA transformers, provided a utility bus each for Itire Chieftaincy family and United Muslim Council, Mushin etc. He said he has also been active on the floor of the House which in collaboration with his other colleagues has “reflected in the quality of governance that Lagos State is experiencing in all facets”.

     

  • Ogba pleads with governments: Use sports to curb crime

    Ogba pleads with governments: Use sports to curb crime

    The President, Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Solomon Ogba, on Monday urged Federal and State Governments to use sports as a tool to curb crime in the country.

    Ogba told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that sports was a veritable tool which could motivate the youth to stay off crime.

    “Sports is a tool that affects the psyche of citizens, especially the youth and because of this, governments should take it seriously by funding it adequately. For example, during the 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos last year, we did not hear of the Boko Haram crisis. This shows that sports can help to reduce crime.

    He also said that sports helped to reduce dropouts from the various callings in life and also enhanced unity.

    “If you go to countries like the U.S. and Australia, you will notice that entertainment and sports are the major tools their governments use to check hooliganism. Our government should not see sports as a lesser ministry, they should also emulate these countries,’’ he said.

    Ogba also said it was important for athletes to be educated because the AFN was interested in the athletes’ welfare, even after their sports careers.

    “Education must go with sports because when your legs cannot assist you anymore, the brain will continue from there and that is where the certificates come in. In AFN, we are also interested in our athletes’ careers, after their sports days are over,’’ he added.

     

  • Crime and punishment in Nigeria

    Crime and punishment in Nigeria

    There is inevitably something comic about this political enterprise of ours, something decidedly beyond reason. Does it not seem the people are falsely imprisoned, though it appears it can only happen here, N23.3billion stolen admittedly by one Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf, a former Assistant Director in the Police Pension Office, in inordinate vanity and a dreadful humiliation of the country’s national character in another classic now known as the Police Pension Scam, and after months of back and forth, he gets two years imprisonment with an option of N750, 000 fine only.

    What does the country get? Nothing, but a disgraceful applause. What do the people get? Shock, perhaps mild disbelief, pain and destroyed hopes. Can I ask, did our government not spend more than N750,000 to prosecute that man? Maybe am just wondering. Gleefully, the matter is reported as plea bargain, and even though am a lawyer, being familiar with that word, yet my mind begins to extrapolate the things of the deep, and somehow this epiphany that can only be occasioned by logic leads me to perhaps what plea bargain indeed means here; another word for the arrest of justice and its subsequent trial on the altar of bargain, and by the time bargain is closed, the highest bidder is throwing a party. Sounds to me more like justice auctioned to the highest bidder.

    I thought there is something referred to as the Mischief rule in the Canons of Interpretation, a rule which I suspect solemnly calls on today’s actors in the theatre of law and justice to reach out to the original intention of the Parliament, to help them unearth the mind of the then makers of the Law, to order their steps in doing justice. In the same vein, I would suppose that the makers of our criminal cum penal sanctions must have had the likes of Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf in mind while drafting our laws, but was it the intention of those same lawmakers that a man guilty of stealing N23.3billion be handed a two year sentence that can simply be exchanged for a paltry sum of N750, 000? Certainly, I think not.

     

    By Olusola Adegbite,

    Abuja.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Why investigation in banking is impeded, by EFCC chair

    Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chair Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde yesterday said some unethical practices in banking are undermining the economy and the commission’s investigations.

    He said it was time to flush out those who do not have business being in the banking sector.

    Lamorde spoke when officials of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), who were led by the Institute’s President and chairman of council, Mr. Segun Aina, visited him at work.

    Lamorde listed such unethical practices, which he said have negatively impacted on Nigeria ’s record in the fight against economic and financial crimes, as “secrecy surrounding private banking, doctoring or non disclosure of true position of statement of accounts of suspicious account holders and non-compliance with the Know-Your-Customer, (KYC) principle.

    He described as unfortunate, a situation where banks fail to disclose the identities of some people under investigation by the Commission.

    A statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, quoted Lamorde as saying: “If you send letter to the bank to avail you the details of such account, the reply you will get is that such account does not exist.

    “If you insist, then you will be told that such records are not on the front desk, that it is only the managing director or the deputy managing director that manages the account, this is not a healthy banking development”, he declared.

    “It is in our own interest that the banking system continues to get better. Those who don’t have business being in the banking industry should go”, he said.

    “We want our society to be better. Nobody would want to be treated in an unfair manner outside the shores of this country just because he/she is carrying a green passport”, he said.

    Lamorde said the commission appreciates the need for the banks to protect their customers, but he warned that such should not be at the detriment of the society.

    The anti-graft boss however praised the leadership of the CIBN Institute of Bankers of Nigeria for their role in helping to sanitise the banking sector culminating in appreciable increase in professionalism among its members.

    He, however urged them not to rest on their oars.

    The CIBN boss, Aina, hailed the EFCC chairman for the professional manner with which the EFCC under his leadership handles matters.
    He however said the institute believes that the Commission can do better.

    He said although the visit was aimed at discussing areas of collaboration with the EFCC, he said the Commission’s training Institute, the EFCC Academy, will provide a veritable platform for the exchange of knowledge between the CIBN and the EFCC.

    “We can train staff of the EFCC to be acquainted with new trends of banking and to better understand the workings of the banks which will help in the course of investigation of bank fraud”.

    The CIBN president also urged the EFCC to take a second look at the enforcement of the Dishonour Cheque Offences Act.

    He added: “The law is there, but people issue cheques and the cheques get bounced and nothing happens. We want to collaborate with the EFCC to ensure that the law is enforced.”

    On the secrecy associated with private banking, Mr. Aina said private banking is an arrangement where the banks gives special services to some customers who are not expected to join the queue in the banking hall, but pointed out that such accounts should not be shrouded in secrecy.

    “There is no reason why the account of such customers should be made secretive and not be made available to the EFCC upon request,” he said.

    Other executives that accompanied Mr. Aina on the visit were Mrs. Debola Osibogun, 1st Vice President; Deacon Segun Ajibola, second Vice President; Mr. Uche Olowu, National Treasurer; Dr. Uju Ogubunka, Registrar; Mr. Ben Igbokwe, Head, Corporate Affairs and Mrs. Rukayat Yusuf, Assistant Director.