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Tag: race

  • Sporting Lisbon join race for Shehu

    Sporting Lisbon join race for Shehu

    Sporting Lisbon have joined the race for the signature of Kano Pillars ace, Abdullahi Shehu, according to a source.

    A website had previously reported that a Portuguese team were interested in his acquisition.

    This is not paper talk as there has been contact between the 18-time Primeira Liga champions and Abdullahi Shehu’s camp.

    But the Portugal powerhouse face competition from Kuwaiti Premier League campaigners Al Qadsia SC, who have offered the defensive midfielder a contract he is presently studying.

    Ambitious Saudi Arabian club, Al Orubah, previously appeared to be favourites to land the signature of the former Flying Eagles fullback.

    Despite Abdullahi Shehu announcing to everyone he would be joining Al Orubah, he traveled to the Arab country last week but refused to formalize the switch by simply signing on the dotted line.

    Regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the Glo Premier League, the 21-year-old was part and parcel of the Flying Eagles squad to Turkey 2013, playing in all the group matches plus the second round tie with Uruguay.

     

  • Student runs for Nigeria

    Student runs for Nigeria

    A 400-Level student of Human Kinetics and Health Education, AAUA, Miss Omolara Omotoso, is among the athletes representing Nigeria in the RAC relay race holding in California, United States.

    RAC relay is a part of preparation for the Commonwealth Games coming up later in the year.

    Omotoso has won gold medals at the 2011 All Africa Games held in Maputo, Mozambique; 2011 National Sports Festival, and the Nigerian University Games (NUGA, 2011 to date).

    She represented Nigeria in 4 X 400m Relay Women at the 2012 London Olympics.

    Meanwhile, an Alumnus of the University, Mr. Louis Adekola, who graduated from Department of Educational Management, is the only Nigerian and one of the three Africans among the 120 global participants for the 12-month Accelerator Programme known as Merit Next, which would take the participants to Liverpool, London, New York, Washington D.C. and their own countries.

    This programme will offer the young leaders from across the globe an opportunity to get intensive leadership training with a view to grooming them into outstanding leaders.

    The programme will start in London and Liverpool, United Kingdom in July with two weeks of inspiration, aspiration assessment, and team building.

    The participants will return to their respective countries where they will be engaged in online training and education, one-on-one mentoring and internship in the remaining 11 months.

    In June 2015, the Merit Next Fellows will converge on the United States of America (New York & Washington DC) to present their final reports to a panel of entrepreneurs, executives and venture capitalists.

  • ‘Kano governorship race ‘ll be do-or-die’

    A governorship aspirant in Kano State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Suleiman Abdulrahaman Kawu Sumeila, yesterday said the race in Kano would be a do-or-die affair.

    Kawu, as he is popularly called, is House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader.

    The lawmaker spoke in Kano when he inaugurated a 19-member ad hoc Local Governments’ Coordinating Committees in the 44 local government areas of the state.

    He said the one-man show of the currently administration in the state would soon end.

    The politician promised to run an all-inclusive government, where everybody would have a sense of belonging.

    The committees are under a team called “Kawu 2015”. It will soon start the governorship campaign for the politician.

    Kawu told his supporters that the plan was a mass movement to end the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in the state.

    He said: “I urge this committees to immediately swing into action by mobilising the electorate on the registration of members. This will start soon.”

    The lawmaker advised the committees not to collect their registration cards from the APC headquarters for the party’s members in the state.

    Kawu said some sub-committees would be constituted in each of the zones and wards, while a rally would hold to start his campaign for an effective political machinery in 2015.

    According to him, the journey towards his governorship ambition started about a year ago.

    Kawu said he was making steady progress in thye journey, adding that there was no going back until he reached the finishing line.

    “We are determined to accomplish our mission to salvage Kano from the clutches of the PDP misrule,”he said.

  • Race on trial in america

    Race on trial in america

    To be a black man is to eat the daily bread of injustice

    To some, the epigram above would seem from a bygone era. After all, the White House is occupied by a Black man twice voted into office. His election surely was no accident. Racial progress has been made on some levels. However, the mean past dies hard because the ills of the future always try to rescue it.

    What we thought was a monumental breakthrough has cheapened into a poor lithograph of what could have been; President Obama’s ascendance has been reduced to an image of an image, a compound mirage. At best, it serves as a weak foretaste of something more substantial to come. At worst and more likely, it herald the advent of a cold, calculating and compromised black leadership class: A leadership that devotes itself more to its own position and maintenance than the welfare of those upon whose backs it climbed to get into the leadership position. We are witnessing the birth of a new Black American leadership – one from the people but not of or for them.

    After President Obama there shall come a long procession of black-skinned Wall Street proxies and hirelings like photogenic, articulate Newark Mayor Cory Booker who is preparing to contest for Governor of the New Jersey in the near term and has trained his farther sights on national office. Unlike the progressive Black politicians of yesterday, this man has been and will be bankrolled by the biggest financial houses and the deepest pockets America has to offer. He will receive this tainted largesse because the policies he advocates are a smooth elixir to the well-heeled but a mean tonic to the poor and broken. Yet, he will tell the people that he is doing all that can be done. Any other alternative would be too radical and unreasonable to consider. It will be a lie but Black people will believe him because he looks like them and because they figure he must be great because he has managed to get big money on his side. In their analysis, they will be partial correct and only in a superficial manner. He looks like them. However, it is not that he is great enough to have convinced Wall Street to be at his side. The truth is that he has been cunning enough to go the side of Wall Street.

    With the future looming as dank as the past, Black people are trapped between the tide and backwash of a national history that refuses them respite. Forget the relatively small corps of entertainment and sports figures who have attained affluence. In the antebellum period, a few blacks were slaveholders, some of them viciously so. They were the nadir of social derangement, the perverse quiddity of a racism that ultimately makes a man make a slave of himself. There are few evils greater than this.

    A subtler yet dangerous evil tracks modern Black America. Four decades of minute accumulation of average Black household wealth has totally dissipated since 2008. The drainage has yet to cease. Black children in parts of the rural South are so ravaged and impoverished that European humanitarian nongovernmental organizations have been plying these straitened communities with the same type of assistance normally reserved for Africa or Haiti.

    Joblessness and underemployment touch close to one in three Black men. More likely a Black man will see the inside of a jail or prison than that of a university classroom, unless he is fortunate enough to be employed to provide janitorial or other menial services to the learned institution. Black America suffers higher rates of almost every disease with its causality primarily linked to a person’s living environment or diet. Violence has become one of the ghettoes leading forms of recreation. Our people kill each other at a higher rate because we place little value on our own lives, as only a degraded people do. The rich and powerful despise the sight of the poor and the wretched, but they rarely hate themselves. It is only the poor and degraded who compound their misery by despising themselves in the same way that others despise them.

    To add injury to prior insult and injury, instances of racial violence and discrimination seem to be waxing.

    A bright light in the Black community has been the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s). These schools have been outlets for higher education for a Black community starved of learning and immersed in the ignorance that accompanies political and economic powerlessness. Without these schools, the malaise in Black education would have flared into utter catastrophe. If these largely government-funded institutions are shuttered, the number of Black youth attaining tertiary education will dwindle significantly.

    As a candidate, then Senator Barack Obama spoke to audiences at HBCUs extolling their work and vital service to a struggling community. He positioned himself as a staunch champion of their cause, promising their endangered status would change under his presidency. For years, there has been a slow erosion of government funding for these institutions. Some smaller, financially weaker schools have already receded into the pages of history. Many others are on the chopping block, and with them the hopes and aspirations of thousand of Black students for higher education and a better life. Given the disheveled condition of the Black community, if there were a time to give the HBCUs a vitamin boost, it is now. Instead, the leeches have been liberally applied and bloodletting has proceeded apace.

    Under President Bush and Republican-controlled state governments, HBCUs had been a favorite target for budget cuts. It was hoped President Obama would change this. He did: he made things worse. A slow draining under the Bush Administration has become a geyser under President Obama. While talking sweetly to HBCU officials in their private meetings, the Obama Administration has presided over HBCU budget cuts and other measures clipping 300 million dollars in funding in the past two years.

    This stands as perhaps the most severe diminution HBCUs have experienced within any comparable timeframe. While trying to maintain their composure because they still believe it is out of school to publicly criticize the first Black President, the leaders of HBCUs privately scream betrayal. Like the community at large, they have found out the good fellow in the White House is a man who is Black but is not really a Black man. Thus, he sides with the Republican conservatives in choking this important asset to the Black community. For conservative racists, this is a symbolic but relatively small victory that will not ingratiate the President to them. For the Black community, it is strangling defeat that will render cinereous the educational aspirations of many Black youths.

    The teenage Trayvon Martin might have been fortunate enough to have been included in that shrinking number of Black male university students. Unfortunately, he was killed by George Zimmerman in February 2012. Charged with second-degree murder, Zimmerman recently stood trial in Florida. Zimmerman pled he shot the lanky teenager in self-defense, allegedly fearing the boy would beat him to death with his bare hands.

    The trial has ended; a jury now deliberates the matter. Zimmerman will likely receive a lesser sentence of manslaughter in the end. In some ways, this might be considered justice. A few decades ago, Zimmerman would not have been tried and, if tried, would have likely have been acquitted. As with most things American, race factors into this case. At first, the police did not arrest or charge Zimmerman with a crime although he had killed an unarmed teenager. They let him go quietly home and would have left him there. Only after the public outcry of the Black community, did the justice system move to provide a semblance of justice by charging the man with a crime. Had a Black man shot an unarmed White teenager in similar circumstances, that man would have instantly been arrested and charged with heinous murder.

    We shall never know all that transpired on that evening sidewalk in Sanford, Florida. Only two people know what occurred. One of them is died and the other has a vested interest in a rendition of events that depict him as the victim. Zimmerman’s version is what the mainstream wants people to believe. In America, an unarmed Black male can be fatally shot yet the common perception is that he was at fault. In killing a Black male, a White shooter is presumed the victim and presumed to have been under threat by reason of decedent’s color.

    What we know about the case is Martin was walking home after going to a local store to purchase snacks. Carrying a bag of candy in one hand and soft drink in the other, he strolled home. An unofficial neighborhood crime watch volunteer, Zimmerman somehow considered Martin suspicious but never could articulate why he assumed the teenager was a threat. Against the instructions of a police department operator with whom he had communicated, the armed Zimmerman left his car to follow Martin on foot.

    A confrontation ensued. When it ended, Martin was on the ground, dead from a fatal gunshot at close quarters. The stocky Zimmerman had a few superficial lacerations on the back of his head and a swollen perhaps broken nose. Zimmerman’s excuse was that he shot Martin because he feared the boy might beat him to death.

    Under the Florida law of self defense, a person does not have to attempt to flee before using lethal force it that person was under a reasonable apprehension of fear of death or grievous bodily harm from an assailant. Thus, Zimmerman claimed he had killed in justifiable self defense.

    The claim is ludicrous in two parts. First, Martin was traipsing homeward with snacks in both hands and talking on the phone to a friend. This hardly fits the aspect of a criminal on the make, let alone someone intent on attacking a burly man like Zimmerman for no reason. Moreover, Zimmerman had pursued Martin. Without Zimmerman stalking the boy, the fatal exchange would have happened. If anything Zimmerman was the aggressor, not Martin. If Zimmerman aggressed then self defense should be unavailing and Zimmerman should face prison.

    Second, Martin had no special martial arts skills that would have turned his hands into lethal weapons. He was a lanky teenager that is all. Rarely do we hear of a teenager bare-handedly beating someone to death because such a thing rarely happens. For Zimmerman to claim he was in fear of his life because he received a few punches from a teenager does not jibe with normal human experience. If Zimmerman’s position becomes the standard, then every schoolyard skirmish is now a life and death situation where a teenager is legally within his write to shoot dead his rival classmate. Of course, this would be tragic and silly. However, it would be the inevitable fallout of a verdict confirming Zimmerman’s theory of defense.

    Additionally, Zimmerman claimed Martin severely bashed his head multiple times against the sidewalk. However, the medical testimony showed the head wounds to be superficial at worst. The wounds were inconsistent with Zimmerman’s testimony of severe bashing. None of the wounds rose to the level where one should fear for his life or be in apprehension of severe injury.

    In a pretrial statement, Zimmerman disclaimed knowledge of Florida’s self-defense law. However, it was uncovered that the man pined to be a police officer to the extent of taking criminal justice courses at a local community college. The course instructor testified self defense was a major component of the course and that Zimmerman was one of his best students. Zimmerman lied when he feigned ignorance of the law, perhaps for good reason: to save his hide. Knowing he had killed the only other witness, Zimmerman could well have fashioned a tale he knew would accord with the provisions of the state’s self defense law.

    There were other lapses in Zimmerman’s account. In pre-trial statements, he said Martin grabbed Zimmerman’s gun. However, there were no fingerprints or DNA attributed to Martin on the weapon. Also it seems unlikely that Martin was straddling Zimmerman and pounding Zimmerman as claimed yet still allowed the man to reach to his waist, extract then gun and then get off a clean, deadly shot at such a close range that the heated muzzle of the fired weapon singed Martin’s clothes. If Martin had established such physical dominance over Zimmerman when matters were at the level of fisticuffs why would Martin suddenly become lax and give Zimmerman wide quarter when the man had a gun in hand?

    The trial will send a powerfully wrong signal should Zimmerman walk free. The trial will become a standard for the crafty and the criminal genius. The plea of self defense will be a strong, available cloak whenever a person is sufficiently cunning to lure their victim to an isolated placed occupied solely by the two of them. Once the victim is done in, the killer may contrive any tale that suits him so long as it fits within the contours of the self-defense law. This controversial law will become a legal invitation for premeditated murder. Be assured, a disproportionately large percentage of Black males will be the victims.

    Fearing possible race riots in some Florida cities once the verdict is reached, local authorities have their police forces on high alert. The more time changes the more it goes backward. In 1980, parts of Miami Florida went aflame as the Black community combusted after several policemen were acquitted in the homicide of a Black motorcyclist. The motorcyclist had led the police on a chase through the city before surrendering. The man died of multiple skull fractures after the apprehending white police officers pummeled him multiple times with nightsticks and flashlights through he offered no resistance.

    2013 is still 1980 in some ways. A racially-charged court case is in hand. Again, the dead Black male appears to have been dealt a punishment much more terrible than anything he might have done. Unlike the fearful local authorities, I doubt the Black community will erupt if Zimmerman is exonerated. The Black community has lost its spirit and drive in many ways. There is little fight left in the community except for its people to fight among themselves.

    In the end, this case is a human and social tragedy. Zimmerman thought the boy suspicious for one reason only. Martin was Black. Thus, Martin died because of his skin color. For many Whites in America, this is enough of a defense to set Zimmerman free, no real questions asked. Thus, they feel Zimmerman is being persecuted. The case serves to remind Blacks that in America, the self proclaimed land of the free and home of the brave, they are not as free as their white counterparts but that they must act braver because the legal system and society deems them culpable even when the wrongdoing is perpetrated against them. The current paucity in Black leadership means injustice will grow. In America, to be Black is still to be blamed.

     

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  • Guber race: New entrants battle old guard in Anambra

    Guber race: New entrants battle old guard in Anambra

    In Anambra State, new entrants into the governorship race are set to battle the old guard for party tickets. Dare Odufowokan , Assistant Editor, takes a look at the unfolding political drama

     

     

    Ahead of next year’s gubernatorial election in the state, Anambra State is witnessing the coming of some new entrants into the governorship race, setting the stage for what analysts say may be an interesting political showdown between political newcomers and the old guards.

    The politics of the south eastern state before now was believed to be in the firm control of certain old guards. Expectedly, since the advent of the current democratic dispensation, the same crops of politicians have been vying for the governorship of the state.

    But in recent years, a new trend has emerged: new rivals entered the fray, challenging the usual aspirants for a chance to lead the state. During the last election, the incumbent, Governor Peter Obi, Senator Andy Uba, Annie Okonkwo and others in the old brigade met stern competition in the likes of Uche Ekunife, Kenneth Obidika, Victor Ezenwa, Kate Egwu and Emeka Nwandu, amongst others.

    Across all the political parties, the new entrants battled the old guards relentlessly. So fierce was the battle that a number of the political parties had to set up several committees to look into the candidacy of some of the aspirants when it appeared that the competitions may harm the chances of the parties at the poll.

    It took the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led committee’s intervention in the confusion that followed the disqualification of some new entrants into the race for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship ticket to douse what nearly became a serious intra party crisis.

    Other parties, including the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Action Congress f Nigeria (ACN) also had their fair shares of crises occasioned by the entrance of new comers into the race for their governorship tickets.

    Though the incumbent Peter Obi went on to win the election, the politics of the state will never be the same again. That prediction appears to be very apt as emerging indications ahead of the 2014 governorship election are suggesting another political bout between the old and the new players in the politics of the state.

    Notable politicians who have declared their intentions to vie for the governorship ticket of their various political parties are daily being told by party leaders and members that they will have to sweat it out with a growing number of first timers also showing interest in governing the state come 2014.

    Checks by The Nation across the state revealed that more and more new entrants are lining up to contest the election. While analysts are quick to say not all of them should be taken seriously, they are also fast in adding that a few of them should be seen as serious contenders.

    A cursory look at the personalities and financial muscles of some of the contending forces suggests that the battle to succeed Governor Peter Obi will indeed be a fierce one.

     

    The old guards

    Prominent among the old guards of politicians struggling to lead Anambra S tate post 2014 is Emma Anosike. A regular face among governorship aspirants in the state, he has featured in nearly all gubernatorial elections in Anambra. A former member of the House of Representatives and an ex-senator, he is a member of the PDP.

    Anosike is once again oiling his structures to contest the governorship. Hailing from Anambra north, he is banking on the zone’s agitation to boost his aspiration this time around. He was the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in the last governorship election in the state.

    Alex Obiogbolu, a medical doctor from Onitsha in Anambra North Senatorial Zone, is another returnee in the race to the Government House. A chieftain of the PDP, he has aspired to the seat once or twice before now.

    A respected grassroots mobilise, the physician turned politician is currently going round the state mobilising youths and artisans ahead of the general election. His handlers say he is very optimistic of clinching the PDP governorship ticket this time around.

    Chijioke Ndubuisi, a legal practitioner, is gunning for the governorship on the platform of the Democratic Peoples Party, (DPP). He is another old guard taking another shot at the governorship.

    The Obosi, Anambra North-born politician contested the 2010 elections on the platform of the National Democratic Party, NDP. Though observers of the politics of the state are skeptical about his seriousness, Ndubuisi is busy moving all over the state in search of endorsement and supports.

    Former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju is one surprise inclusion in the list of aspirants for the 2014 gubernatorial election in Anambra State. He was stopped from running for a second term under the banner of the PDP in 2003.

    Following his recent return to the PDP, the ex-governor who hails from Ihiala in Anambra South Senatorial zone is lobbying that as the only governor who was denied a second term, he should be given the party’s ticket to contest the 2014 governorship election.

    Dr. Obinna Uzoh contested the state’s governorship election in 2003 but lost at the PDP primaries. He later moved to the National Democratic Party (NDP) but failed to make much impact at the general election. The philanthropist is seeking the ticket of the PDP to contest the governorship in 2014.

    Another former governor of the state, Senator Chris Nwabueze Ngige, is back in the race. Currently an Action Congress of Nigeria (AC N) senator, he is expected to run on the platform of the emerging All Peoples Congress (APC) of which he is a prominent promoter.

    In spite of his ouster as governor by the court in March 2006, Ngige has remained very popular in the state. Analysts say his popularity, which culminated in his election as a senator in 2011, is based on his performance while in office as well as his resistance of political godfathers.

    Another PDP guber aspirant, Senator Andy Uba, like Dr. Chris Ngige, was a governor of Anambra State. He is currently the senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District. He was also the Personal Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo

    In 2010, he contested the Anambra guber on the ticket of Labour Party and lost. Now he wants the ticket of the PDP in his quest to return to the Government House in Awka come 2014.

    In the race is also Senator Annie Okonkwo who represented Anambra Central Senatorial District in the past. He is aiming at contesting the election in 2014 but his political affiliation is still uncertain. He is said to be flirting with the ideas of either joining the APGA or the APC.

    Former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, who hails from Aniocha Local Government Area, is another returning aspirant. He lost the guber election in 2010, to Governor Obi, after his controversial emergence as PDP candidate. He is reportedly eying the PDP ticket again ahead of the 2014 governorship election.

    There is also Hon. Uche Ekwunife, member of House of Representatives who tried to be governor of Anambra State in 2010 as a candidate of the Progressive people Alliance (PPA) and lost. Now a member of the ruling APGA, she wants the nod of the party to vie again in 2014.

     

    New entrants

    Mr. Ezeemo is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Orient Group of Companies. The 58-years-old businessman and media mogul hails from Umunwayiekwosiduru kindred of Umuchu, Aguata local government area of the state.

    The industrialist, who is a chieftain of the APC, has declared his readiness to unseat the APGA government in the state come 2014. He is going about his aspiration with seriousness and pundits say he is one of the men to watch in the race.

    Chief Paul Odenigbo is another new comer in the governorship race. From Ayamelum in Anambra North, he is already reputed as one of the strongest bidders for Obi’s job. A foremr Secretary to the Anambra State Government (SSG), he enjoys the backing of party elders within the ruling APGA.

    Former Minister of Water Transport and an indigene of Mmiata Anam in Anambra West Local Government Area, Prince John Emeka is aspiring to rule Anambra State on the platform of the PDP.

    The former Minister, who recently told a gathering of party leaders of his desire to go for the governorship post, is one of the fresh candidates being thrown up by a group of non-aligned party chieftains within the PDP in the state.

    Victor Afam Ogene is currently an APGA member of the House of Representatives representing Ogbaru federal constituency of the state. He is in the race for the governorship on the platform of APGA.

    Ogene, an eloquent politician from Anambra north who made it to the House of Representatives in his first attempt is now banking on his popularity and acceptance to win the governorship contest.

     

    Ifeanyi Ubah

    Ifeanyi Uba, the Chairman of Capital Oil and Gas, hails from the Anambra South Senatorial district and he is in the race for the 2014 governorship contest. An ally of Chief Victor Umeh, the embattled National Chairman of APGA, Uba is optimistic of getting the party’s ticket.

    He is regarded as one of the leading contenders for Obi’s job given his popularity and huge financial war chest.

    Another aspirant, Oseloka Obaze, is also from Ogbaru, Anambra north senatorial district. Currently, the Secretary to the State Government and a good confidant of the governor, pundits say he might get the governor’s endorsement if he decides to contest.

    Chike Obidigbo is another aspirant considered to have deep pockets to fund the race for the governorship. He is running on the platform of the PDP. A fresher who has not contested any elective position, his handlers say he has what it takes to win the party’s ticket.

  • ‘Slow and steady win the race’

    Julius Adeniyi has been sworn in as president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko (AAUA). The 400-Level English Education student told SEGUN ODUNAYO (100-Level Political Science) how the union would help project the institution’s image.

     

    How do you intend to affect the lives of students during your tenure?

    My utmost priority is to see students improve academically. We will also cater for their welfare just as we did when we pleaded with the management to extend the deadline of school fee payment; the closing date was extended by one month. That is just the beginning of good things to happen in our administration.

    Considering the slim margin with which you won the election, how do you intend to win the support of your opponents?

    Since the slogan of the union remains unity in diversity, I believe the opponents will see reason to join hands with us to improve on what we met on ground. This is not my union; it belongs to all of us. But some of them have come to meet me with great ideas and we are really working on them.

    The management has said its vision is to build a 21st century institution. How does the union intend to help this cause?

    We are elected officials. As such, we are required to also have programmes for the personal and academic development of students and the school itself. Surely, we will discourage any view that may plunge the campus into unnecessary crisis, which may jeopardise the efforts of the management in achieving its aims and objective. We will keep faith with the three C’s principle of consolidation and consultation before confrontation. But the management has taken the union as a partner in progress. This I believe will not result in misunderstanding of issues.

    Students living off-campus have been facing the challenge of epileptic power supply. How does the union intend to respond to this?

    We must know that irregular power supply is a national problem, which is beyond the management and the students’ union. However, the nonchalant attitude of the host community should also be condemned because we have made several moves to end this but they have not been supporting us. We told them to allow connection of Akungba power line to Iwaro community, but they have not been listening to us. We are, however, working towards getting the problem resolved.

    What do you have to say on the dearth of shuttle bus to convey students to school?

    We have complained about that also but the management said the buses were faulty. Later, they told us that the buses would be given out on contract. But we are working on getting the union’s buses to convey students to the campus daily.

    Is the view that your administration is slow correct?

    There is no way there will not be antagonism when it comes to politics. Since many people believe in the burn-and-destroy kind of politics, people like me are strange to such belief. We believe slowly and steadily, we will win the race. There were students that threatened violence if the registration portal was not opened before the extension was given. I told them to relax because we have a listening Vice-Chancellor. Immediately, the students felt our efforts.

    We don’t believe in causing trouble to make our challenges known. As students, we need to know we are in era of dialogue; violent agitation is no longer fashionable.

    What are those things you wish to accomplish at the end of your tenure?

    We have come up with laudable projects but implementation is still going on. Right now, we are contemplating on getting another union bus, but the management’s directive that no union on campus should purchase vehicle stopped us from going ahead. However, I am sure that students we will be happy at the end our tenure.

     

  • Race against the emotional time

    RUNNING a race implies that you are strong and fit. You have a goal and there is a time frame in mind. It is usually short and the ability to get to the terminating point victories makes it worthwhile. This is what usually happens in a lot of relationships. There are different things contesting for a particular heart and the ‘swiftest’ takes it all. But in trying to be swift, you must be sure that you don’t crash or crash the heart (s) in the process.

    Let’s run the emotional race and see how it really works. Tope had to attend to three emergencies and she feels really happy that she had the energy to tackle the stress. Now it was time to go home to rest her head and aching heart. The consolation was that life and love were bright.

    About twenty minutes from home, she noticed that there was disaster ahead. A tanker was burning and it was loaded with fuel. Two other tankers were ahead of her and it was a close shave indeed. In her real elements, she would not have dared the flames but everyone in front of her decided to take the risk, move on and she joined the bandwagon. Yes, time was far spent and the thought of running into a bunch of hoodlums was equally scary.

    Anything could have happened; they could all have been burnt to death but somehow they escaped. The fire worsened and the other motorists behind were not so daring. Instead of rushing ahead, they made a u-turn, at least it was better late than never. The reality of what had just happened dawned on her when she saw the driver of the tanker running and running away for his dear life. She moved faster too, trying to get far away from the fury of the fire and the vicinity.

    What if the tanker (s) exploded and consumed everyone? Wasn’t it better to have taken a longer route and be sure that the danger you exposed yourself to be this bad? Interestingly, this scenario can be applied to our relationships. A lot of times, we discover that the relationships that we are hurriedly getting into are ‘disaster prone’. Sometimes, we assume that time is no longer on our side and just anybody or anything would do.

    We are so eager to make sacrifices that may not be understood or appreciated. In the heat of passion, we also fall prey to emotional predators that never planned for emotional bliss in the first place.

    They actually planned to have a very memorable and eventful outing. But somewhere along the line, the arrangement did not work out as planned. Instead of fixing the many holes their hearts had been subjected to they were forced to help others find their emotional feet, build new relationships as well as encourage those who were treading peaceful on the affectionate lawn.

    Unfortunately for these two lovebirds, their love ship anchored before taking off. Instead of fixing their affectionate holes and building emotional bridges for themselves, some curious busy bodies ‘hacked into their emotional bags and everything was almost in tatters. Somewhere along the line, they both derailed and these two hearts began to move on different lines.

    Mr. Right thought it was possible to mend the broken emotional fence but the more he tried the more difficult it was to bring them back again. Arguments and counter arguments ruled their world and it was obvious they could not continue to patch things up anymore.

    The truth of the matter is that many who would have enjoyed the relationship in which they are in get things messed up at some point. Just when they thought it was all worked out, a distraction pops up and they move on to a point where everything they do looks like they have been chasing shadows, emotional shadows .

    When you are in control, then you are likely to glide up the emotional ladder in style. But this unfortunately is the point a lot of women get to and they allow fear and insecurity to take over their emotional space.

    Instead of being secure because the relationship is going well and the guy seems like a good guy, you can be afraid and think that it won’t be forever. It doesn’t matter that he’s being affectionate and attentive and that there’s really no reason to feel anxious. So you begin wondering and worrying about what’s going on now, even though it’s a completely different guy and a completely different situation.

    You start to look for clues about his level of “seriousness” in the things he says and does, but nothing seems obvious to you, and you’re still not satisfied. Catching up and getting back on track can be a delight. But of course, it is more exciting if you are sure that this time around it is for real. It is better to know where the relationship is going.

    Nobody really wants to be “strung along” for months and months, only to have his or her heart broken. You don’t want to be wasting your time. Nor do you want to be seen as pushy or needy, so you may even rehearsed what you’re going to say in your mind. However, it is important to always remember that things don’t go exactly the way you planned or imagined. Men and women have different timelines when it comes to commitment.

  • Delta North and 2015 guber race

    Delta North and 2015 guber race

    Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, takes a look at the current moves ahead of next Delta State governorship race.

     

     

    One issue that has dominated public discourse since 2011 when Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan began his second and final term in office as the governor of Delta State is the issue of which senatorial district should produce his successor in 2015.

    And as the date for the next gubernatorial election gradually draws nearer, the discussions on the matter also get more intense. Rumours that some politicians who are not from Delta North Senatorial District are gearing up to throw their hats into the ring of the contest for the governorship seat are also heating up the polity.

    Besides, the silence of the leadership of the party on the much-argued existence of a zoning arrangement that ceded the 2015 governorship to Delta North has continued to fan the embers of political agitation within the state.

    For instance, the Anioma Agenda, a political pressure group that seeks the emergence of the governor of Delta State in 2015 from the northern Senatorial zone of the state, recently cautioned the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), against denying Delta North the chance to produce Uduaghan’s successor.

    The group, in a press statement, jointly signed by its Chairman, Alex Nnamdi Onwudiamu and Secretary Godwin Ossai, said it was aware of what it called desperate moves by an Urhobo group to deny Anioma people their turn to be governor.

    “This call became necessary due to current political manoeuvres with reference to a recent parley between Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), which we see as having the capability of creating disaffection among the different federating units in Nigeria with predictable consequences on the polity, peace and unity currently pervading the landscape in Delta State,” the statement read in part.

    While urging UPU to exercise restraint in the interest of the Delta State, Anioma Agenda explained that the Anioma people’s strategy to clinch the governorship position of Delta State in 2015, is that of “appeal and persuasion to the conscience of all, hinging primarily on the altar of equity and fairness and backed strongly by the political history of Delta State since its creation in 1991.”

    The group added that the “Anioma people will obviously not accept to remain in a state where we do not have equal access to political power, neither are we going to say that in pursuance of our quest for power, that we are willing to engage all and sundry in a needless desperation for power at all costs.

    “We are seeking, soliciting and pleading for the support of the Urhobos, Ijaws, Isokos and the Itsekiris, knowing full well that an alliance within Delta State shall achieve for us the desired good and we advise other ethnic nationalities to follow this worthy example which is hinged on equity, justice and fairness. Indeed, we believe equity breeds unity,” Anioma Agenda said.

    Similarly, Ndokwa Unite, a political pressure group based in Delta North, also rose from an enlarged meeting and said in a communique signed by Dr. Boniface Opia, Greg Ikoko and Mr. Mathew Emeni, that since the Delta Central and South districts had ruled the state for eight years respectively, any attempt to prevent the emergence of a governor from Delta North will heat up the polity.

    The group further stated that it was important that other senatorial districts support the quest of Delta North for the 2015 gubernatorial race, disclosing specifically that the gubernatorial seat should go to Ndokwa ethnic nationality.

    But if feelers emanating from various political camps in the state are to be considered strong enough, then the people of Delta North will have to brace up for serious politicking if their dream of producing the next governor is to come to fruition.

    This is because numerous politicians from the two other senatorial districts appear to be opposed to the zoning arrangement being canvassed by Delta North. The critics of the arrangement say the contest should be thrown open in order for the best candidate to emerge as governor in the interest of the state.

    The National Chairman of Urhobo Political Movement (UPM), who is also Commissioner representing Ughelli North and Ethiope East Local Government Areas on the board of DESOPADEC, Emaye Obiewevre, recently declared that there will be no zoning in Delta State come 2015.

    While emphasising that only a credible candidate should be allowed to occupy Government House in 2015, Obiewevre urged Deltans to be wary of politicians with hidden agenda who come to them under the guise of zoning.

    “We don’t want somebody who will come to Government House to implement an ethnic agenda. Those aspiring to the governorship under the banner of one ethnic group or the other should be resisted by the people.

    “So we must all resolve that in 2015 we will not select our candidate based on tribal line, rather our yardstick for selection of candidate for Government House will be credibility, purposeful leadership and the interest of Deltans,” he said.

    Toeing a similar path, the Chairman of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) in the state, Tony Ezeagwu, said zoning does not exist in his political party currently ently and that he was not a party to any arrangement about rotation of political offices within the PDP fold.

    “As far I am concerned, if an Anioma man comes to my party to take the governorship form, I will not deny him. And if an Urhobo man comes to take form, I will not deny him either. This is because in my party, there is no zoning arrangement for now. Our party is open for all Deltans.”

    But Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, during a consultation visit to him at his residence by leaders of the Anioma Agenda, while reiterating his earlier commitment to peaceful co-existence in the state, applauded the overall developmental programme put in place by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, adding that the existing tripod that led to the emergence of a Delta Central and South indigenes occupying the number one seat of the state should be symbol for promising equity, fairness and justice.

    The speaker said there are enough bases for the Aniomas to have a shot at the governorship in 2015. He, however, advised the group to maintain absolute decorum while persuading other senatorial districts who are yet to key into this laudable programme to do so without over heating the polity for the general good of the entire state.

    In the opinion of Chief John Ehikwe, former secretary of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the old Bendel State and the national coordinator, Anioma Awareness Initiative, a group of leading politicians championing the quest for a governor from Delta north, the district is ready to govern the state.

    “I want to tell you that Delta North Senatorial District is the most united district in the state. For instance, since we started this question on who is to occupy the Government House come 2015, there has not been anybody who has come to say we do not want to produce the governor. All the groups that came out have been saying that it is our turn,” he said.

    But the question remains how far the people of Delta North can go in their quest to be allowed to produce the next governor of a state as multi-ethnic and diverse as Delta? Only time can provide an answer to this question.

  • Mosta, Floriana in race for Agboebina

    Mosta, Floriana in race for Agboebina

    Maltese clubs Mosta and Floriana have already started preparations for reinforcements in the summer transfer market.

    Both topflight teams have beamed their searchlights on the St George’s striker Agboebina Osi Lucky, who has been impressive in the second division this season with 13 goals credited to him, including a memorable hat-trick against Mgarr United earlier this month, allnigeriasoccer.com can exclusively report.

    In the January transfer window, Mosta had been looking for a replacement for their Nigerian talisman Obinna Obiefule, who left the club to pen a deal with Hibernians.

    A proposal for the acquisition of Agboebina Osi Lucky was rejected by the St George’s hierarchy as the 24-year-old is very vital in their push for promotion.

    Mosta have not put Agboebina’s case in the drawer and will get him for nothing in the summer when he becomes a free agent. But they face genuine competition from the powerhouse of the Island nation Floriana.

    A couple of First Division clubs including Naxxar Lions are also keeping tabs on the former Ojo Manchester United ace.

  • Ekiti PDP: 20 in race for governor

    Ekiti PDP: 20 in race for governor

    The crisis-ridden Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is parading 20 governorship aspirants, ahead of the 2014 polls, reports SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN.

    he party is factionalised. At least, there are three factions within the fold. Efforts to resolve the leadership crises have failed. But Ekiti State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) still has 20 governorship aspirants running on the crisis-ridden platform.

    To observers, it is confounding that the aspirants are pursuing their ambitions without pursuing peace and unity in the party. Many believe that the chapter may go for the elections in ruins, unless concerted efforts are made to promote collective interest, instead of the antagonistic agenda of the factional leaders.

    The governorship aspirants and other chieftains are carrying on as agents of the three leading chieftains locked in a battle of superiority; former Governor Ayodele Fayose and Police Affairs Minister Caleb Olubolade, who are also eyeing the slot and the deposed governor, Segun Oni.

    Crisis has engulfed the troubled chapter, following its controversial congress, which produced Chief Akin Omole as the chairman. Party members rejected the congress, saying that it was a kangaroo congress.

    Moves by the leaders of the party in the Southwest to resolve the logjam have proved abortive. Party members have given their loyalty, not to the party, but the warlords; Fayose – Akinbolade and Oni.

    The former governor is also in another sort of battle with himself. His camp is still revisiting his judicial deposition, with a view to discrediting the ACN administration in the state. Thus, which the other two factions are looking at 2014, Oni’s supporters are still going back to 2010.

    According to credible sources, views within the party heirarchy had opposed his (Oni’s) escapades in and out of courts in respect of the 2007 polls. Aggrieved party chieftains have urged him to show leadership, mend fences, forge alliances and work towards a united Ekiti PDP, but without success.They have reasoned that the fight to reclaim the disputed mandate is counter-productive because events have taken over the critical electoral contest and the controversy it unleashed in the state. But Oni has been adamant. He has been moving in and out of the courts, receiving injunctions and adjournments.

    In Ekiti PDP, there is no trusted leadership. Thus, the party is in disarray. The result is that over 20 aspirants are struggling to become the governorship candidate. They are projecting themselves, but they are not projecting the party.

    Miffed by this disorderly conduct, a concerned PDP member said: “The wisdom in laying beautiful beds under a dillapidated roof will soon come clear to all of them. What we should all be doing now is to settle internal scores, after which a genuine congress would be summoned.

    “But, despite efforts in this regard, they think pursuing a governorship agenda under a divided house is the next thing. Let them go ahead and we will all see how it will go with all of us”.

    Before the controversial congress, the party has been divided down the line. The return of Fayose into the fold created more disaffection. The former governor resumed his hostilities with Oni, who he did not support during the rerun.

    Today, Ekiti PDP lacks a party secretariat that genuinely serves as the rallying point for all members. The claim of other members is that only the loyalists of Fayose operate at the secretariat. Therefore, they believe that it is a factional party office.

    The recent sack and recall of the party secretary, Dr. Tope Aluko, for alleged anti-party activities also deepened the crisis in the party.

    It was alleged that Aluko was “indulging in acts capable of denting the image of the party and putting it into disrepute in the eyes of right thinking members of the public.” But the secretary defended himself, saying that certain elements were trying to frame him up. Although he has since been recalled, the general mistrust within party heirarchy, which led to his sack, has not fizzled out.

    The aspirants have continued to unfold their ambitions at press conferences, parties and dinners. Observers contend that they are not offering a new deal to the people; neither are they able to really articulate their views and positions on various issues.

    Apart from Fayose and Olubolade, other aspirants include Prince Dayo Adeyeye, (Ekiti South); Senator Gbenga Aluko (Ekiti South); Abiodun Aluko (Ekiti South); and Chief Adeyanju Bodunde, former aide of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (Ekiti Central).

    Others are former federal legislator Wale Aribisala (Ekiti North); Senator Ayo Arise (North); former Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Bode Olowoporoku, former Deputy Governors Abiodun Olujimi, (South) and Chief Bisi Omoyeni (South); and former chairman of Emure council, Chief Ropo Ogunbolude.

    Aspirants and the zoning formula

    Historically, zoning is a non-issue in Ekiti. The state is perceived as one zone. But for political expediency, it has been divided into three districts, from which the three senators emerged. Now, aspirants from the South Senatorial District are agitating for power shift, in a bid to edge out their colleagues from other zones.

    It is evident that majority of the aspirants are loyal to Oni, although the party machinery appears to be in the hand of Fayose. They were members of his campaign team in the past. But party sources said that Oni is backing Adeyeye, a defector from ACN, for the job. This is threatening the cohesion within his camp.

    However, the aspirants from the South are united by one cause. They have called for the harmonisation and expansion of the state executive council to reflect its composition in the pre-congress period. While the advocates of harmonisation and expansion point out that it would pacify the aggrieved chieftains, Fayose’s men have kicked against the move because it would reduce the influence of the faction.

    At a party recently, Fayose spoke on the agitation.“I don’t believe either in harmonisation or extension. Look at those crying for harmonisation. They are those who have lost out in a contest. This is just politics.

    “Neither will an expansion of the state exco be possible as well. If they are saying that, then the central body should equally be expanded to accommodate the aggrieved parties. This again is impossible and unthinkable. The strongest candidate will always emerge”, he said.

    However, some experienced politicians are moderating the exercise in the South. They have advised the aspirants from the zone to present one candidate. If this is done, Adeyeye may emerge as the consensus candidate. Sources said nine aspirants are actually meeting for the purpose of anointing a candidate.

    Party sources said that if they close ranks, Oni may use his influence to canvass support for his favourite aspirant, Adeyeye. The sources added that this is the only way to edge out Olubolade, who appears to be the wealthiest aspirant, and Fayose.

    At the centre of the alliance are the three former deputy governors; Olujimi, Abiodun Aluko and Omoyeni. Others , according to the source, are Mr Bimbo Owolabi , Senator Gbenga Aluko, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Dr Kunle Folayan, Captain Tunde Ajayi (rtd), and Chief Ropo Ogunbolude. A PDP chieftain, Mr. Bunmi Olugbade, said the South will definitely produce a consensus candidate that will be acceptable to the three factions.

    The Olubolade factor

    To observers, things are falling apart in Ekiti PDP and the centre cannot hold. The national leaders often complain to Olubolade that a party in crisis can hardly win election. This has made the minister to begin a fence-mending process, in a bid to restore peace and harmony to the troubled chapter.

    Every weekend, his Ipoti-Ekiti country home is a meeting venue, where party issues are discussed and reconciliation plans are discussed.

    A source once said: “If we have just about five Olubolades in Ekiti PDP today, we would not be in this mess. He (Olubolade) seems naturally positioned as the party leader for his equanimity, accommodation and kindness, despite being abused by detractors”.

    Can Ekiti PDP resolve crisis?

    The absence of a crisis-resolution mechanism is a setback. Ekiti PDP chieftains are deserting the chapter because they cannot endure being left in the cold.

    It is not likely that Fayose and Oni would be friends for a long time to come. To reconcile them have proved difficult. Although Oni was made the Southwest leader, he is not accceptable at home to the two factions. The two factions can only underate Fayose at their peril. Fayose’s conditions for a truce cannot be met by the to factions.

    What, therefore, is the way out of the crisis?