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Tag: Nigeria

Happy Birthday, dear ol’ girl!

On this your birthday, dear girl, here’s my glass raised in a toast to you: may your story be long, your tail be short and your ending wear a hat

Happy birthday, Nigeria.

I am sending this birthday card to you a little late, but you know what they say, better late than never. Besides, I say that the best ones come last, e.g. wine at a party. I would have sent it earlier anyways, but I have been a little stumped on what exactly to write to cheer you up. What with all your dismal and chequered stories of wasted opportunities, generations and even until recently, lives, it’s all we can do to hang on to our seats in this cinema of horror passing horror! The years do add up, though don’t they, ol’ girl? Just look at you, all grown up at fifty-two! What, still growing? Well, it is a matter of perspective, isn’t it, to determine who is grown and who is growing. But, if you say you are still growing, then so be it. I mean, when a dog barks, who is to argue with him on what he means by it exactly?

Look at me now, at your age, I considered myself all grown. How I knew? Well, by the time you begin to notice that when you look in the mirror, you see some smooth areas of your skin surrounded by many variegated lines of wrinkles; or when you walk with your eyes on the ground so that you don’t fall cause if you do, they are going to need a crane to pick you up; or when you bend down, you have to hold your waist as you rise cause it’s all gone, baby gone; or when you keep telling people not to block your view by standing in front of the TV until someone tells you that there’s no one there, it’s your eyes that have gone rheumy; I say when these things begin to happen, you know you are going somewhere. Trust me, I know; at that age, there is no more ‘up’ to grow to, it’s only ‘down’ baby, down.

You see, girl, fifty-two is the age when people tell you a lot of lies, and because you are so vulnerable, you believe them. People actually tell you that you are still looking good. Don’t be fooled, looks don’t mean a thing. Ask Marilyn Monroe, ask Jackie Kennedy, as me. Did you say I don’t belong in that group? Come now, is this the time to split fine hairs?

Anyway, people will also tell you, how strong you are! Again, don’t be fooled; you know what support cast you have to walk with. It is just you and your doctor who both know how many pills you have to pop in a day: a blue one for your rheumatic joints, a white one for diabetes, a red one for hypertension and a green one to help you remember your spouse’s name each morning.

Fifty-two is clearly also the age when you need a little help from your first child to assist you to remember the names of his/her siblings. Those ones don’t usually want anything to do with your fossilised self anyway. It is also the age when your friends have to gather and eat your cake for you not because you like to see them around you (truth is you would rather not) but because you cannot eat any of that cake yourself if your doctor has his way. Girl, at fifty-two, you have a lot to be thankful for; you get by with the help of your friends.

Oh dear, you say you have not been very lucky with your own set of friends, associates, citizens, or well wishers, and there doesn’t appear to be much you can do about them? Yeah, I know, your friends appear to be killing you right now. I forget now which nineteenth century writer said he’d rather be killed by his friends (they love him) than his enemies (that would be adding insult to injury). So, consider yourself lucky. In all fairness, some of us have wept for you; some have cried out in your defence; some have even shed their blood on your behalf. But it just appears that those who have given up next to nothing for you are the ones bent on taking everything you have to give, not caring whether they destroy you in the process. They just don’t seem to like you.

I know, I know, you have been given so much in trust for us. Look at the extremely vast areas of very, very arable land you have in your keeping; look at the very vast amounts of solid and liquid minerals you are holding for our collective benefits; look at the vast amounts of human resources you have placed at our disposal. Yet, we have all but ruined you for our selfish and parochial interests.

You have certainly seen it all, haven’t you? You have been ruled by vagabonds and killers; you have accommodated innocent mass assisted suicide hysterics cum citizens who have turned killers; you have also tolerated the inactive ones who are neither killers in government nor are in citizens’ bombing squads but have done nothing to help you. You have regarded everything and everyone with your bemused, sad and lonely gaze with admirable equanimity. Yet, I know you’re bleeding for yourself and for us even if we cannot see your bleeding heart. Because we are so blind and blinkered, no one has lifted a hand in your favour. So now, you have no one to call your own. There are people in Nigeria, but no Nigerians!

Many of the things we do appear to pitch us on your side. See how much religiosity there is in the land. The churches are all but filled with converts gyrating endlessly in ecstasy while the mosques are pelting out calls for prayers at all hours, both waking day and sleeping night. Yet, not one of us shows that we even know the Almighty in any remote sense. Our psyches have been collectively and unidirectionally tuned towards taking, taking, taking out of the national cake, even killing for it while giving nothing to you in return. We are all, to a man, on no one’s side but our own; and you are all alone.

Actually, you are to blame, partially. You have given us this much really, without adding the necessary and commensurate intelligence that would enable us use all these effectively for the greater good. Look at so many other lands with no resources whatsoever, whether liquid or solid; just see how they are able to manage the only resource nature has given them, their brains. Why did you not cut us a large size of the stuff too, brains I mean? I am seeing that in the Nigerian, it would appear that the black man is really short on the stuff. This is why avowed killers are in government and people help themselves to government funds in amounts that rival the national budgets of some countries. Still wonder that a people can be so blessed and still be so stupid?! It is all your fault.

In spite of all these though, ol’ girl, I don’t despair; you still have a fan club rooting for you. I believe your bones will still rise from the ashes to gloriousness. The path might be long, rough and stony but the light at the tunnel will continue to be a strong pull for you. On this your birthday, dear girl, here’s my glass raised in a toast to you: may your story be long, your tail be short and your ending wear a hat. Happy birthday ol’ girl!

October 7, 2012
I felt like killing myself when we lost to France – Goal-keeper

Flamingoes’ goal-keeper Gift Andy said she felt like killing herself after her side lost 3-5 to France in Thursday’s quarter-final match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan.

Nigeria’s Flamingoes lost through penalty kicks following a goalless regulation time.

During the spot-kick, she was unable to save any of the five shots from France’s players leading to the Flamingoes’ elimination from the World Cup.

The goal-keeper told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on the team’s return from Azerbaijan on Friday night, that she almost saved one of the spot-kicks.

“During the penalty kicks, I thought that I had the ball in my hands, but it slipped into the net.

“When that happened, I felt like killing myself and have been crying ever since.

“I feel sad because I should have saved some of the shots but I couldn’t.’’

She said she was further saddened because the team missed the opportunity to win FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan.

“It is most painful to me because I am 17 years old, which means I cannot play in the next U-17 World Cup.

“I have to graduate to U-20, So, I just feel very bad about missing the World Cup,’’ she said.

The goal-keeper told NAN that she felt bad for falling short of the expectations of Nigerians.

“Nigerians only want good results and, knowing this, I was determined to excel but luck was not on our side,’’ she said.

It would be recalled that while the goal-keeper failed to save the spot-kicks, a Flamingoes’ striker missed her shot.

In her reaction, Sarah Nnodim, the striker who lost her penalty kick, told NAN that she was haunted by the guilt that she gave the victory to France.

“Taking the penalty kick on Thursday, I was confident that I had selected the right angle, but I do not know what happened and the ball went wide.

“Because of losing my penalty kick, I felt from that moment as if I had given our opponents the victory,’’ she explained.

The striker, who scored four goals in her team’s victory over Colombia and host Azerbaijan at the group stage of the Women’s World Cup, said she felt her team had already lost to France the moment she missed her spot-kick.

“The truth is that, it is very difficult for any goal-keeper to catch a penalty.

“So, the moment a player misses the spot-kick, it will be difficult for the team to recover.’’

October 6, 2012
Pastor seeks end of 32-year-old marriage

A 62-year-old man, Pastor Emmanuel Ojo, on Friday begged an Akure Chief Customary Court to put an end to the 32-year-old marriage between him and his wife, Victoria.

The pastor had filed a divorce petition against his 56-year-old wife praying the court to dissolve the marriage.

Ojo told the court that his wife had abandoned her matrimonial home since 2010, adding that there was no more love between them.

The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) pastor complained that his wife was too quarrelsome, and was in the habit of raining curses on him whenever there were disagreements between them.

He told the court that because of her behaviour, he had attempted suicide three times in the past, adding that he was tired of her as she was too hot tempered.

The marriage is blessed with four children, Oluwaseyi Ojo, 32, Bankole Ojo, 30, Ayotunde Ojo, 27 and a Oluwabanke Ojo, 24.

Ojo told the court how he used to prostrate for his wife and beg her just for peace to reign in the house anytime she started fighting him.

According to the pastor, his wife’s behaviour had affected his pastoral duties and had caused him to break the vow he made with God.

He said he had vowed before God not to have any affairs with another woman, but since his wife had abandoned him he had broken the vow.

Ojo lamented that since he cannot continue to live alone, cook for himself and nobody to care for him when he was ill; he had to take another wife.

The pastor said that as a servant of God, he would not accept his wife back even if she wished to return because he could not have two wives.

In her defence Victoria said that her husband had been very unfaithful to her since their marriage.

She said that her husband never told her he had other children outside the marriage, adding that her husband deceived her for close to 20 years before she knew the truth.

Victoria told the court that unknown to her, the pastor already had two wives before they were married, adding that each time she inquired about the wives and the children, he always denied it.

She said her husband never gave her any money for toiletries, adding that she never complained as she endured it because she was convinced of a better tomorrow.

She said that before she married her husband, he was a socialite, who could finish a carton of beer at a sitting, adding that she went into serious fasting and prayers before he could stop drinking.

Victoria, who said she loved her husband then, added that the pastor was too secretive and never discussed any issue with her.

She told the court that she gave her husband N50,000 when he started his church project, and said that she had incurred a lot of debt because of his actions.

She prayed the court to dissolve the marriage for the two of them to go their separate ways.

President of the court, Chief Joshua Omofaye, later adjourned the matter to Oct. 11, for judgment. (NAN)

October 5, 2012
Nigeria at 52: Yet another birthday without a party

Eminent Nigerians reminisce on early days

Since the British national flag, the Union Jack, was lowered on October 1, 1960, heralding the hoisting of Nigeria’s green and white flag, the historic date has remained engraved in the psyche of every Nigerian born before and after the momentous era.

Famously christened October 1, Independence Day, the date has become a ritual of some sort. Like other countries, Nigerians have never failed to reckon with the date and have devotedly kept faith with the annual ceremony, celebrating it with great zeal and festive passion.

Between 1960 and early 1980s, the anniversary assumed the scale of a national carnival and was anticipated and observed with unparalleled nationalistic devotion throughout the country. It was then something of a birthday, highlighted loudly by sumptuous parties.

Until recently, Independence Day celebration was a colourful event marked across the country with great enthusiasm and commitment. The expectations were palpable and infectious. From states capitals to the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, a kaleidoscope of lively parades mounted by the military and paramilitary outfits were on display.

At the Eagles Square, Abuja and elsewhere, the parades constituted the canvass on which rhetoric and vapid speeches were freely rendered. In this emptiness of speeches emanated some form of false hope to despairing citizenry. It was with such impatience, blighted loyalty and misappropriated patriotism that Nigerians eagerly looked ahead to the annual ritual. It was a national birthday celebrated with festivities.

But lately, the celebration is beginning to fade into a distant memory with commemoration drums receding progressively into a dead silence and dancing feet of the hitherto enthusiastic Nigerians suddenly going insipidly numb and cold with a craving sense of nostalgia.

Reasons for celebration

In his acceptance speech as Prime Minister of the independent nation state called Nigeria, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa had offered reasons for the celebration: “This is a wonderful day, and it is all the more wonderful because we have awaited it with increasing impatience, compelled to watch one country after another overtaking us on the road when we had so nearly reached our goal. But now, we have acquired our rightful status, and I feel sure that history will show that the building of our nation proceeded at the wisest pace: it has been thorough, and Nigeria now stands well-built upon firm foundations.”

Birthed into nationhood without any bloodletting or destruction, there was absolutely nothing to reconstruct in the post-independent Nigeria. Nigerians began an uninterrupted six years of celebration from 1960 to 1966.

But soon after, it would appear glaringly to the founding fathers and generations to come that independence implied a great deal more than self-government. The very firm foundation that the Prime Minister had bragged about was already showing signs of wooziness. Tafawa Balewa had this to say: “This great country, which has now emerged without bitterness or bloodshed, finds that she must at once be ready to deal with grave local and international issues.”

Punctuated celebration

Gravest local issues occasioned by leadership challenges were lurking in the corner. Before long, a federated nation found itself being tested to its utmost. It was tottering on the brink. A brand new Nigeria, barely six years in its infancy, was waiting to implode. And for nearly four years, there was a hiatus as the annual celebration was temporarily put on hold, no thanks to the military overthrow of the embryonic civilian leadership and the attendant civil war from July 6th, 1967 to January15th, 1970.

By 1970 when the civil war dust finally settled, Nigerians were again in party mood, and on October 1, 1970, the annual ritual was back in full swing. A lot of water had passed through the bridge. But the storm was soon over and there has been no interruption since then as virtually every Nigerian, students, old and young, upper and middle classes leave nothing to chance to be part of the independence anniversary.

Question mark on celebration

For many Nigerians, the import of the Independence Day celebration had laid in the fact that it bound all within and outside the country to a single umbilical cord. That was then. But it remains doubtful whether the same claim is still plausible today.

While many still reminisce with a high sense of nostalgia and wish to reenact the good old days of independence anniversary celebration because it reminds them of the uniqueness of the occasion, for many a Nigerian, they wish rather that there was no such gesture as independence from the colonialists because Nigeria has become worse than the British left it. Squandered opportunities, blighted vision and leaden footedness of the leadership were some of the indicators that the journey was far from started. There was an admixture of cynicism and veiled hope.

It was pessimism derived from the dreadful and depressing scenes of Nigeria’s contemporary adversities. Before independence, the question had always been: When would the inequity, tyranny, injustice and inhumanity of colonial overlords end?

But today, 52 years down the line, Nigeria can best be described as a beleaguered nation, with the questions: When would the trying times and pangs of post-independence Nigeria be over? When are we going to reap the much-talked about dividends of democracy? And can the hands of the time be turned back? Can the middle class be reinvented? These and many more questions confront us as a people.

With less than 48 hours to another Independence Day anniversary, it is apparent that like last year’s, it is going to be yet another birthday without a party for Nigeria at 52.

Feelers to this had emerged when the Minister of Interior, Mr. Abba Moro, earlier this month announced that the 52nd Independence anniversary would be low-key. Rolling out the activities lined up for 2012 Independence Day, Moro said the low-key nature of the celebration was a reflection of the mood of the country.

He said the decision was in tandem with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

Moro said: “The transformation agenda is like an athletic race; you do not begin to celebrate until you have touched the tape. The world is troubled and the economy is on the downward trend, especially in Europe. We are not excluded from this, as we have critical challenges in almost every sphere of our daily lives. For a responsive government, it will not be a glamorous anniversary at the expense of the need of its people.

“In tune with the national mood on reflection of our national life to correct the anomalies, rather than committing huge resources to the celebration, we want to commit that to Nigerians deserving of peace, security and stable means to livelihood,” he said.

For the second year running, the Federal Government is declaring a low-key Independence Day anniversary. As if the challenges identified by the Minister were not in existence in 2010, the Federal Government, in sharp contradiction, had set aside a humongous N10 billion for Nigeria’s golden jubilee. But for public outcry and the National Assembly’s stance on the issue, the memory of that event would have lingered long as the most expensive anywhere in the world.

Fortuitously, the 2010 event was tragically marred by multiple bomb blasts close to the anniversary venue. Ten people were reportedly blasted to their early graves. The country has since been literally at war with itself with multiple challenges of the Boko Haram menace, dare-devil armed robbery activities and flooding in most parts of the North.

This development has prompted conclusions that for the first time, the government has for once decided to put its money where its mouth is.

But while the Federal Government’s austere position appears laudable, there are concerns that the FG’s new position may have been informed by the intractable security quagmire which it has found increasingly insurmountable.

The FG’s informed position is a worthwhile and non-negotiable price to pay, if anything, to manage the nation’s security which has thoroughly frayed at the seams. But there is no denying the fact that the thrills and frills of the anniversary will be missed as Nigerians continue to ponder over the fast fading glory of the October 1, Independence Day celebration.

Reminiscences on yesteryears

We were excited and hopeful

–Balarabe Musa, CNPP Chairman

Independence Day anniversary, during my time, was very exciting. I was already mature, having been born in 1936. That means I was 36 years old at the time of Nigerian independence. I was also politically conscious as a member of the Northern Element Progressive Union (NEPU), even though I was a civil servant.

I was aware of the meaning of Nigeria’s Independence. We were excited and hopeful. We believed then in the leaders, even though they were conservative. The leaders were credible and that gave us hope. Despite that there were diverse political groupings, there was still cohesion among the politicians and we knew that there would be progress for Nigeria. There was no doubt that our expectations of a better Nigeria were met by at least 50 per cent.

The early period of Nigeria’s independence placed more emphasis on achievement than political party activities. We had political leaders we could identify with. Political leaders like the late Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Aminu Kano, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Osadebe. The credibility of these great leaders could not be challenged.

The mood and spirit of October 1 Independence celebration was very high. Everybody including school children and civil servants was always upbeat ahead of the festivity. We all participated in the anniversary.

The reason for the high was that Nigerians had confidence in the government and leadership. I might not have participated directly, but I was always at the venue to watch proceedings. It was like a carnival and very colourful. It was exciting to behold. Participation then used to be selective.

What is missing today is the lack of participation by Nigerians because they have lost confidence in both the system and the leadership. What we have now is limited to the civil servants who, even when they participate, do so half-heartedly. The usual mass participation is gone with the bygone days of the First Republic and Second Republic.

We were treated to good lunch

–Chief Ebenezer Babatope, PDP Chieftain

During my time as a student, we used to take it very seriously and we attended all activities marking the celebration of the event. I was a student at Ifaki Grammar School, Ekiti, now Ekiti State. We used to go for a march-past at Ido-Ekiti, which was the headquarters of the local government where my secondary school was situated. We were smartly and impeccably dressed. The mood was celebratory and at the end of the march-past, we were treated to sumptuous lunch. We felt happy that we were finally free from the vice grips of the colonial rule.

But when I got into the university, I felt very dejected that we were not able to translate the meaning of the independence into tangible development. And this is very sad that we are still struggling as a nation.

What we are missing today is the company of the founders of this great country called Nigeria. Great men like the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, among others. They did not siphon the resources of the country for their own gains. They believed more in the common good of the country than the leadership that succeeded them. Patriotism was very high in their time. They did not think first of themselves, but of the greater Nigerian state.

It was like another Christmas

–Chief Chekwas Okorie, ex-Chairman of APGA

Very soon, I will be 60 and that means that I am older than independent Nigeria. Frankly speaking, during my time, it was like another Christmas. The mood was comparable to Christmas. Children had their parents buy things for them as if it was Christmas. That was when Independent anniversary was at its best.

Since we were students, we all looked forward to it and our parents ensured that our uniforms were new. Otherwise, we would not attend because you would not be considered to participate in the parade. It was one of the conditions of being selected for the parade. It was a thing of joy.

It is interesting to note that the government of the time acted within its means. Nigerians took pride in the colours of the Nigerian flag and Nigerians felt protected by their government. Today, the government cannot even protect itself from the terrorists called Boko Haram, much less protecting the people. That is why it is hiding under the canopy of low-key celebration. The government has accepted the fact that it has failed to provide security for the people and itself. And they would rather cocoon themselves in the barricaded walls of Aso Rock.

The government is also afraid of the people seizing the opportunity of the celebration to tell them their feelings about the non-delivery of the dividends of democracy. I do not think that the low-key is aimed at doing a reflection of the fractious economy. Our government is carrying on as if ours is the most buoyant of economies. There is no need to hide under the pretext of being frugal with expenditure.

New uniforms were sown

–Chief Victor Umeh, APGA Chairman

When I was younger, we looked forward to the celebration with great interest. Despite our level of development, Nigerians had faith then in the country called Nigeria. Sadly, it has today turned into a non-event because of poverty and mismanagement. That is why Nigerians no longer look forward to the event with renewed interest and vigour. There is so much despondency and abjection in the land. This feeling is derived from the poor leadership which has plagued Nigeria in the last 25 years. There are many Nigerians including myself who feel that there is nothing worth celebrating anymore.

In those days, school children looked forward to the date and uniforms were specially sown for the occasion. Virtually every student was anxious about the date and their participation in the march-past. The expectation was infectious and palpable. It was a great moment to showcase their spirit of being proud Nigerians.

This same atmosphere has since taken leave of us. Nigerians have lost faith in their leaders and in their own country. The youths do not see any future in the country call Nigeria any longer. There is no valve in anticipating the October 1, to roll by. It is a matter of regret that most of our young people do not have confidence in the leadership they have been bequeathed with. In the last twenty-something years, there is no hope that it will get better soon. Today, Nigerians are in sober mood, wondering where their future lies!

What Nigerians are missing today is a modest country which once brought happiness to those before them with very little income. There was dignity in labour. As a teacher, you could live comfortably and still see your children through school. These values have been eroded or distorted. Corruption and greed have taken hold of the Nigerian state.

There is also the disappearance of the middle class. What obtain today are the extreme rich group and the extreme poor group. This kind of classification cannot encourage the Nigerian spirit of patriotism. There is a sense of abandonment by the Nigerian state. So, even if the government had not declared a low-key celebration, there is nothing to engender a followership spirit in Nigerians anymore.

It was a happy day for young men and women

—Chief Reuben Fasoranti, Afenifere leader

Independence Day was always something beautiful to look forward to. It was a happy day for young men and women of my time. As a matter of fact, we would look forward to it and prepare as if it was a special festival. School children would be gaily-dressed, while the national flag would be made available to us. The truth is that those days were truly beautiful.

But that is no longer the case today. There is nothing to rejoice about. Unfortunately, the day may even come and go without you noticing it. That was not the case in those days. There is corruption and nobody seems to care about government property. In those days, everybody regarded government property as his or her own, and will take care of the property like they would do to their own. But unfortunately, that is no longer the case.

It is a pity there is no hope for a better future. I really sympathise with the younger generation.

As pupils, we got gifts of bread and sardines

—Onyeka Onwenu (MFR)

In my days as a school girl in the 60s, in Port Harcourt, everybody got a food gift such as bread and sardines. We enjoyed that very much. Before 1960, it was called Empire Day and there were parades and sporting competition for schools.

For my generation, Independence was an exciting prospect. The future was promising. I guess we were naïve. We were happy to rid ourselves of our colonial masters. Proud Nigerians we were. We didn’t know our leaders were not quite prepared to run the country.

I think these days, the excitement is gone. With our schools not teaching Nigerian history, the feeling of nationhood is rather weak. Do school children really understand what they are celebrating on October 1? I have my doubt.

October 4, 2012
Jonathan appoints new CDS,Naval and Air Chiefs

President Goodluck Jonathan has approved new appointments in the Armed Forces.

According to a statement by residential spokesman, Reuben Abati on Thursday Vice Admiral O.S. Ibrahim (Kwara) was appointed the new Chief of Defence Staff, while Rear Admiral D.J Ezeoba (Delta) was named Chief of Naval Staff.

Air Vice Marshall A.S. Badeh (Adamawa) is the new Chief of Air Staff

The incumbent Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. O.A. Ihejirika (Abia) retains his position.

President Jonathan thanked the outgoing service chiefs for their meritorious and commendable service to the nation and wisheed them well in their future endeavours.

October 4, 2012
Cynthia: court adjourns for consolidation, new charges added

A Yaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, on Wednesday adjourned hearing on the case of seven suspects charged with the murder of Cynthia Osokogo, following request of consolidation by the police.

Police prosecutor, Mr. Chukwu Agu at the resumed hearing notified the court of the state’s intention to consolidate the charges since they were cause of the same transaction.

Agu said the new charge sheet which could not be read as a result of the absence of five of the defendants in prison custody, contained 11 charges.

The primary suspects, Okwumo Nwabufo, 33, and Ezike Olisaeloka, 23 were charged along with the pharmacists, Orji Osita, 32 and Maduakor Chkwunonso, 25 on eight counts of conspiracy, rape, murder, administration of obnoxious substance, stealing and assault on August 27.

Another suspect, Gideon Okechukwu who was said to be the driver that drove the primary suspects out of the hotel was brought before the court on September 26 on the same charges.

Also brought before the court on September 26, were Ezike Ifechukwu, 22, and Ezeaka Chinonso, 27, on two counts of conspiracy and receiving Cynthia’s stolen phone under 409 and 326(1)(2).

Ifechukwu, who is the brother of one of the primary suspects and Ezeaka were admitted to bail in N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum each after which they met their bail conditions and were present in court, but the other five who were remanded in prison were not in court on Wednesday.

The prosecutor who prayed the court to issue a reproduction warrant mandating the prison authorities to provide the suspects at the next adjourned date, said it was necessary for the new charge to be read to them.

He told the court that the accused to be joined are those who were discovered and arrested for been in possession of cynthia’s phone suspected to have been sold to them.

He said the charge is being consolidated so that the matter can be heard before a court.

Agu noted that although the charges will be in a singular sheet, the defendants will answer to the cases they were held for.

“Those charged with receiving stolen phones will answer to their charge but because this is a cause of the same transaction, they will be charged on the same sheet”, Agu stated.

October 3, 2012
We are ready to face France – Flamingoes’ Coach

Flamingoes’ Coach Peter Dedevbo said his team was battle ready to face France in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup quarter-final match at the 8 MK Stadium in Baku on Thursday.

Speaking exclusively to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during their training at the Baku Football Club in Azerbaijan on Tuesday, Dedevbo said the Flamingoes were favourites for the cup.

“We thank God for qualifying us for the quarter-final stage of this competition. My team is very ready and well prepared to face France on Thursday.

`We are putting everything into this very match, so that at the end, we will win”.

He sounded rather philosophical that only God knows who will win Thursday’s match.

The Coach said: “We want to take every game as it comes. We’ll do our best and leave the rest to God. Only God knows who will win”.

But he quickly added that,“ the Flamingoes of Nigeria were the favourites for FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria is favourite. We are favourites.

“Thank God, there is no injury in my team. Everybody is okay”, the Coach said.

On discipline, he said his team did not record any offence during the group stage of the competition because; discipline and fair play have been drummed into the ears of the girls.

“We are bringing these young players up and preparing them for Nigeria’s U-20 (Falconets) and the Super Falcons’ squads. So, we always preach morals to them. We inculcate discipline into them.

“We tell them always that players don’t just get booked for carded offences, anyhow. We make them to understand that it is too early for them to start having yellow and red cards’’

“We just wish they will grow up in their football careers with this idea of fair play”.

The coach said that his team was well motivated by the Nigeria Football Federation to perform well and “above all, we motivate ourselves.” (NAN)

October 3, 2012
For the love of Nigeria

As part of activities marking Nigeria’s 52nd Independence anniversary, a pre-event forum for this year’s 1000 Leaders Meeting was held at Ikeja, Lagos. The theme was The Security Challenges of a United Nigeria, and it featured prominent and young Nigerian leaders with the passion for a better, united and peaceful Nigeria.

It was chaired by chairman, Chyke O’ Group, Pastor Chike Nwakolo, with seasoned speakers, such as Hoofbeats Publisher, Mr. Simbo Olorunfemi, Mr Tony Udom, ace comedian, Ali Baba, Onome Okwah and executive director, Cicom International Mrs Comfort Nwankwo,

Pastor Nwakolo said Nigeria would be one of the best countries in the world if as patriots Nigerians strive in their little ways to make positive contributions towards the good of the generality of all Nigerians irrespective of tribe, tongue or creed. He added that be it education or security it is the responsibility of Nigerians to ensure that ‘we live in peace, loving one another, because we are created by the same God and brought together into one indivisible country, that He has blessed so well.’

Mrs. Nwankwo observed that women should come together and work towards achieving peace and bringing back the Nigeria of old when tribe was not an impediment. She stressed that it is the women and children that suffer most all over the world in times of crisis, some of which dialogue would have resolved.

Ali Baba said the time has come to ignore individual differences, see beyond selfish interest and work as one to bring back Nigeria’s glory for benefit of the children.

‘With 1000 Leaders Global Project our interest is to ensure that we provide a veritable platform for the training of leaders who are interested in the advancement of humanity,’ according to Mrs. Idaraobong Omowunmimi Isong–Ibanga.

October 3, 2012
‘There is crisis in Nigeria because our leaders don’t read’

Gabriel Folajimi Akinadewo is the Editor of the Nigerian Compass. A former political editor of The Nation, Akinadewo launched his book entitled: Here Comes the Commander-in-Chief, a collection of some of his columns yesterday in Lagos. He speaks on how leaders should cultivate the habit of reading to change the society.

How did your career in journalism start?

It is not coincidental that I am a journalist today. Decades ago, my father told me that I was going to be a journalist. In fact, he introduced me to journalism. My father, Archbishop I.M. Akinadewo, is a journalist, publisher, accountant, proprietor of schools, administrator, prophet and community leader. In the 70s, he was publishing four newspapers – Nigerian Monitor, Sekstape, Everybody’s and Sporting News – in Ibadan, the then capital of the defunct Western State. Later, we moved to Ondo and after my secondary school education in the early 80s in Ondo, he started publishing the Nigerian Monitor again and I was heavily involved in the production, editorial content, sales, advert and circulation. It was more or less a state newspaper, covering Ondo, Akure, Okitipupa, Owo, Akoko and some towns in the old Ondo State. There was a time I even edited the newspaper before going to the University of Lagos. So, what I am doing today about production deadline, exclusive stories and others are not new.

The thrust of your new book is like a crusade against the rot in the society. What informed the direction of your writing?

As a Christian, I know that Isaiah 58 says: ‘Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet and show my people their transgression’. Critics are like the engine room of any society. They must keep the machinery of the state running by pointing out vices in the society.

So, you are a crusading cleric?

Well, it runs in the family. My grandfather who died in 1979, Saint B.A. Adekahunsi, was a crusading cleric. He was the Chairman of Spiritual Workers’ Union in the Western Region. If you get to Ondo town today and ask for the house of Baba Oluso (Shepherd father) in Sabo area, you cannot miss your way. Spiritually, God used him mightily to alleviate the suffering of the people and save the society from tormentors. He even took the spiritual battle to as far as Ghana. My father is doing same today in Ondo. We, the children, grew up to know our father as a prophet. So, in my journalism career, I cannot but follow their footsteps.

How come that despite crusade by columnists and prophets, the society has not changed?

If we go down the Biblical lane, there were just two persons in the Garden of Eden, a couple named Adam and Eve. They didn’t need to toil or labour. Everything was provided for them. Despite God’s warning, they committed a crime. So, if only two persons could commit a crime in a comfortable place like that, what do you expect of about 170 million people in Nigeria or more than seven billion people in the world? People must commit crimes because God Himself in Genesis 1: 4 separated light from darkness. In today’s world, there are children of light and children of darkness. That is why we have law enforcement agents to maintain law and order but it is even bad now that some of those mandated to maintain law and order take delight in breaching the law. The duty of a critic is to continuously alert those in leadership position on what they are doing wrong or what is going wrong around them. And there is no sentiment about it. You remember that Elijah in the Bible would point to King Ahab and say something like ‘you and your father’s household are the problem of the land’. A crusading columnist must be bold and courageous.

So, what has been the challenge?

Well, as a journalist, writing a column is not easy. And for an editor to be writing a column is even more tasking. You can’t just afford to write anything because of your readers and if you don’t satisfy them, you know what that means. There was a time I was really busy and I repeated my previous columns for four weeks. The type of text messages I got from some readers were abusive. I have not deleted them from my phone. Damn abusive text messages. I had to reply them, apologising in the process. Also, all readers want their responses to be published. There are some responses that cannot be published; you understand what I am saying. Some of these responses are libelous, so to say. What I do is to try and appeal to them that such replies cannot be published. Readers will always react the way they feel about how the society is being governed by those elected or selected to rule them.

Are you saying the readers are wrong in their responses and for that reason you are not publishing them?

No, that is not the issue. If I get over 200 text messages on a particular column, you don’t expect me to publish all. I will just pick. Then, like I said, some of the responses are libelous. When you are referring to a President or governor as a thief, a responsible columnist or journalist will never publish that. You know in their eagerness to get mentioned, readers will say all sorts of things just to abuse those they suspect are making life miserable for them. It is the duty of an editor, as a gate keeper, so to say, to edit such responses and where they cannot be edited, to just leave out and take the abuses from the readers. I need the readers to continue to enjoy my column and buy the paper, so you have to do what I call a balancing act.

Have you had any brushes with security agents?

No. In writing a column, there is a way you can tell somebody to go to hell and he will look forward to the trip. Because columnists want to sanitise the society does not mean that we should be reckless. You can write on vices in the society without touching on national security.

What informed the title Here Comes the Commander-in-Chief?

The book has about 115 columns and I picked the title from one of the columns. But that is not to say that it is the best column. I wrote that column in the build up to the 2011 election when former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and others were trying to wrest power from President Goodluck Jonathan. I elaborated on the enormous power of the President in a country like Nigeria and why it would be difficult for them, given the reality we know, to remove him from Aso Rock.

Are you saying that by that column, you supported Jonathan during the election?

The column was a practical manifestation of the power and resources an incumbent would deploy to retain his seat. When you read it, you will understand where I am coming from.

Why publish the book now?

A major tragedy of this society is that our leaders don’t read. Some have attributed it to the coming of the internet and social media. I disagree. Anytime I go to the United States, I go to bookshops and you won’t believe that hundreds of Americans will be seen buying one book or the other. If our leaders can develop the reading culture, I think the society will be better because in this book, there is no aspect of our social, political, economic, spiritual and cultural lives that is not touched. Do you know that in the New York Police Department, there is a laundry section? Do we have that in the Nigeria Police Force (NPF)? How will you have a sane society when those mandated to ensure that sane society are not psychologically balanced? When you get to Ojota, Lagos, you will see some area boys collecting egunje (bribe) for security agents. What is responsible for that? Some churches are not better than night clubs and they will be shouting the name of Jesus Christ. You will find that in the book. This is a country in which some people have perpetual injunction, which means nobody can arraign them. These are societal challenges that our leaders, if they can cultivate the habit of reading, will find solutions to through columns.

How?

Columnists go down historical lane to tell the society how such challenges were solved in other climes. That is what you will find in my book. Going through the columns in the book, you will find out that I don’t just criticise, I proffer solutions.

What is the target audience?

Everybody. The language is simple, very simple. Even primary school pupils can read it. That is the way a society can be reformed. Start from youths. I started reading newspapers from primary school. By the way, I attended four primary schools. In Ibadan, I attended Ebenezer African Church School and later Ayodele Nursery and Primary School. When my father moved to Ondo, I attended St. Stephen’s Anglican Primary School and later C.A.C. Primary School, Oke-Isegun. My father would buy all newspapers then, Daily Times, Daily Sketch, Nigerian Tribune, Herald etc. I and my siblings would, at times, go to Barracks Road, the distribution point for vendors in Ondo, to get the papers on time. On the road, we would start reading. I remember that while in Form 2 at St. Ambrose Catholic Grammar School, Olorunsola, Ondo, I sent an opinion to Daily Sketch and it was published. There was nobody I didn’t show this paper in Ondo. I was so delighted. Newspapers were sold for 20 kobo then. When I showed it to my Government teacher, he was so happy that he bought two copies and gave me one because the one I was showing people belonged to my father. Today, even graduates don’t read again. Everybody is into yahoo yahoo. No society can develop like that. So, this book can be read by everybody.

Who are you dedicating the book to?

My parents of course. My father, Archbishop I.M. Akinadewo and my mother, Superintendent General Apostolic Mother M.A. Akinadewo. She died in 2010.

October 3, 2012
Nigeria at 52: Pathways to sustainable democracy and rebirth

It sounds strange biologically and indeed laughable, if not unfortunate, to speak of rebirth of a country at 52 still gappling with the intricacies of how to even leave together; but democracy and the rule of law is not a finished product that is graffated into society rather its an evolutionary process that grows with the growth of a society, a dynamic task in constant progress (or sometimes even regress). Adopting democracy ,therefore, has not been an easy task, especially for Africans given their cultures and societies often steeped in hierarchical traditions, patrilineal dogmas and deeply religious traditions. Besides, the challenge of dialectics of two publics ( see Eke primordial and civic realms) on account of colonization. wherein an African or a Nigerian belongs to both realm he is not governed by the same morality or value template due to greater attachment to the primordial realm, the civic public or governmental realm is where you are expected take from(or steal) to saturate the primordial realm unlike the Europeans that has loyalty only to the civic public. The orientation of successive leaders that took over from the generation of those who fought for and secured independence and left governace frameworks that were abandoned with atttendant crises that have made national unity, progress and development difficult if not impossible. The difficulty of the task is universal, for in truth when we consider that; “the process of democracy building took between 27 and 256 years in Britain, between 78 and 168 years in France, between 30 and 80 years in Germany, between 30 and 70 years in the USA, and about 50 years in Japan (Karl-Heinz Nassmacher, 2003), then we must not only dwell on our difficulties, but collectively identify and confer through election authority on those Nigerians that are ready to make the required sacrifices that would turn around our development trajectory because the only thing that has seperated Nigeria from the rest of the developed world is leadership.At 52 we should only take measured satisfaction on our collective current efforts and how to sustain them, that we are alive to inspire hope, courage, find solace and ponder upon the pathways for future progress.

At such times like this,we must remind ourselves of our own history as a people that given that we have been brought together by the event of 1914 that was not an act of God but the action of a human being, Lord Lugard, we should be together as a country for mutually assured prosperity and not Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). While this may be easy to say, the task of development which brings about prosperity has not been fully defined globally, some have defined development strictly on the terms of economic growth, using indicators like the productivity, employment rate and similar ratios and averages, while others have criticized this narrow perception of development, insisting that such averages do not tell the full picture preferring social indices which show not only the summation of economic growth but also the relationship of the people in a country with themselves, the degree of satisfaction and happiness derived from living in the total environment, as well as the safety and security of the people who live and thrive within the country

At the milestone of five decades and two years, we are afforded another opportunity to define for ourselves, what the value of development means to us as a country, is it prosperity for our individual selves and our close friends? Is it prosperity for our specific tribes, religious groups and gender, age group or club members at the expense of others? This understanding is a crucial building block for our wellbeing because, we may strive, fight and even go to war for the sake of prosperity but never attain it because even when we are prosperous we may never know except we have set a benchmark to remind ourselves that indeed we had a goal and we can recognize when we get there.

To define the goals of development for our country, therefore, we need to define what we mean by development, agree upon basic rules and pathways to get there, accept that as human beings which do not always find similar satisfaction in the same things at all times and on the same occasion regarding each and every sphere of endevours, we are bound to have differences in appreciation and satisfaction on the pathways to get to our common goal of development, such agreements cannot come within one day, one year or even ten years, and as we have learnt in our national case, may even be difficult to achieve even after 52 years given the enclave and backward mentality of a few but powerful elites on account of power relations.

More important, to reach the goal of a common understanding for our development, we have to cast our consensual agreements in plastic, so that we may be able to remind those who which to drag us all from that part of development that we have a common compact. I use the term casting in plastic rather than casting in stone, because in practice, laws even national compacts in the form of constitutions are made for the requirements of some time frames, and practices over time may prove some laws impracticable or we may find that the benefits of using such laws are not worth the cost to society, and therefore accept that they need to be changed, modified or scrapped, these are not unusual but important baby-steps in the journey to democratic consolidation.

We are at the threshold of such a moment in our country, for having practiced democracy in bits and pieces for sometime before 1983 and briefly in 1992- 1993, we have learnt useful lessons ( and here I hope I speak for all of us) about what works and what is unhealthy for our national development, we are all agreed that the process of transition of power, how it empowers or dis-empowers voters who decide what type of leadership they want is at the heart of our development goals, because when the right people decide development policy and take the views and sensitivities of Nigerians into consideration, we are likely to find peaceful progress, but how we implement that agreement is still ongoing.

Agreeing on common things is not often an easy exercise between people even people with similar backgrounds, let alone a country with very much diversity like Nigeria, this is why rather than agreement, people use words like consensus, rapprochement and understanding. And for this reason matters which affects us in common need not be a win-lose affair, to exemplify this type of mind-set, we have recently witnessed budget issues between the executive and legislative arms of government. while it is understandable that budgets are issues of allocation of funds to interests and priorities, at the core of the process is the matter of common development, hence trade-offs and understanding should inform such national issues that are fundamental to development. For a budget is actually a financial plan, a forecast of intentions and how funds should be allocated to them to attain progress, even though it is initiated by the executive, modified and approved by the legislature, and the Act interpreted by the judiciary in cases of legal uncertainty when necessary, the impacts and benefits of a budget are not confined to any of these three arms of governance, these impacts and benefits are intended for the whole country, so if there are losers and gainers, the Nigerian people and the Nigerian nation, their gains and loss should inform the decisions of the people in any of these arms of governance, which is why having a common understanding of the issue of what development means to all of us is crucial.

Current discussions have been focused on how and what we accept as a compact on the pathways to such development through a constitutional review. At the stage of 52 years, we must therefore be able to diverge from the failed pathways of the past 51 years, including the use of methods which we have repeated often and which bore very little fruit by way of development, hence in the next 50 years, our focus should start with three priorities on the pathway to consolidating our democratic quest, one is to agree and return Nigeria to development framework of federalism with all its essential features as given to us by our forefathers , Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Zik and others whose periods of leadership remained the golden era of development in our history, a consensual definition and goal for development, we should find common grounds to reach an agreement on the basics of a constitutional arrangement to strengthen federalism without destroying the strengths of unity in diversity and finally is the need to settle ones and for all time the electoral mechanisms for peaceful transition of power starting with an accepted methodologies and severe sanction for violation of party primaries election of candidates internal democracy laws within the parties given that political parties are the building bricks of internalized democratic culture in a society. In settling the process of transition we must keep in mind that there are 812 executive positions and over 1000 legislative positions including state and local council legislative positions which are contested politically in Nigeria, therefore, no one position or office is worth destroying the whole superstructure in other to have and assert it for just a particular time-frame. May God bless and save Nigeria as we should work more and pray less because God almighty has given us what is required to be one of the greatest countries in the world but leadership is what seperates us and remained our challenge not absence of prayers.

Igini is the REC, Cross River State.

October 3, 2012