Osinbajo eulogies Tinubu, commends Kalu, Sun Newspaper

The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has eulogized the leader of  the All Progressive Congress Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu for taking the move that gave birth the party that has become the ruling party.

The Vice President also commended the management of the Sun Publishing Limited and the Publisher Dr Orji Uzor Kalu for organising the award that has come to recognize achievers within the society.

Nigerians must rise to the task of nation building-Kalu

The Chairman and Publisher of the Sun Publishing Limited

Dr Orji Uzor Kalu has called on Nigerian to rise to the task of nation building especially as the country goes through the economic problems.

He spoke  during the 2016 edition of the Sun Awards, explaining that the journey to nationhood may be rough, but Nigerians need to develop the can do spirit to succeed.

South Africa confirms first case of Zika virus

South Africa confirmed its first case of the mosquito-borne Zika virus in a Colombian man, health authorities said.

The virus, which is causing international alarm after spreading through much of the Americas, was detected in the man on his visit to Johannesburg, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.

“The businessman presented with fever and a rash approximately four days after arrival in South Africa but is now fully recovered,” he said.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global public health emergency on Feb. 1, noting its association with two neurological disorders – microcephaly in babies and Guillain-Barre syndrome that can cause paralysis.

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Museveni declared winner of Uganda’s farcical election

                                   President Museveni: has a winning formula

Uganda’s electoral commission has declared President Yoweri Museveni  winner of Thursday’s election, unanimously thumbed down by observer groups as falling short of key democratic benchmarks.
Museveni was credited with  60.8 percent of the vote, while his main challenger Kizza Besigye was awarded 35.4 percent, the electoral commission said.

Besigye’s camp had been disputing results before the final announcement. Besigye was arrested on Friday and was put under house arrest on Saturday, isolated from people and journalists.

The EU observer mission said  the  election was conducted in an intimidating atmosphere, while Commonwealth observers, led by former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo,  said the poll “fell short of meeting some key democratic benchmarks”.

Eduard Kukan, chief observer for the EU Mission, told reporters in Kampala that the poll was undermined by a “lack of transparency and independence” at the Ugandan electoral commission.

“State actors created an intimidating atmosphere for both voters and candidates,” he added.
Besigye was arrested on Friday as his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) attempted to hold a press conference to release their own poll results. One senior FDC official said there were “glaring discrepancies” with official figures.

Museveni, 71, has presided over strong economic growth but faces mounting accusations at home and abroad of cracking down on dissent and failing to tackle rampant corruption in the nation of 37 million people.

Museveni brought calm and stability to Uganda after decades of chaos at the hands of leaders Idi Amin and Milton Obote, but many opposition voters accuse the former guerrilla fighter of becoming increasingly autocratic and wanting to rule for life.


The opposition had tried to tap into mounting anger among young voters, especially in urban areas, where unemployment is high and many are frustrated by the poor state of schools and hospitals.

“We are disappointed, the election has been rigged,” said 23-year-old Brenda in Kampala, who refused to give her second name due to fears for her security. “I have never seen another president and it seems it will be like that until he dies.”

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Zimbabwe releases US cargo plane, with mysterious dead man

      the MD 11 trijet cargo plane seized in Harare. Photo: Zimbabwe Herald

After investigation by police authorities, Zimbabwe freed Saturday a U.S.-registered cargo plane it impounded on Sunday after finding the body of a man dripping with blood inside the plane loaded with South African rand.

The plane owned by Western Global Airlines, was released along with the dead man, yet to be identified. The plane had landed in Harare International Airport, after failing to land in Durban, South Africa.
The man was suspected to be a stowaway and the autopsy done by Zimbabwe suggested the cause of death was lack of oxygen.

National police spokeswoman Charity Charamba told reporters that the MD11 cargo plane, owned by Florida-based Western Global Airlines, its crew, the man’s body and cash belonging to South Africa’s central bank had left for South Africa.

Questions still remain about the origins of the man. The cargo plane had for three days travelled from Belgium to Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Uganda and Germany, after which it landed in Harare.
Charamba said a pathologist had found no internal or external injuries on the body.

“The cargo has been released to the crew after it was established that there is nothing suspicious. Nothing from the international law obliges Zimbabwe to be responsible for the burial, cremation or any disposal of the body,” said Charamba.

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Boko Haram bombers keep bombs in cooking pots

                                   File: rescue workers after a blast in Cameroon

Boko Haram, the terrorist group on the rampage in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, has devised new ways of  bombing innocent people.

According to Cameroonian officials, the two  female suicide bombers that struck Friday in a market in Meme, Mora district, north of the country, posed as food vendors and kept their  lethal weapons inside the cooking pots.

In a revised update on casualty toll,   24 people were killed  and 112  injured. The death toll is expected to go up.

It was the first time Boko Haram, now described by the US as the most lethal violent terrorist group in the world, attacked  the town of Meme. But  there have been previous assaults near the town of Mora, which lies near the border of northeastern Nigeria.

Last week Cameroon’s military killed 162 Boko Haram militants and arrested about 100 others in an assault, according to government spokesman Issa Tchiroma.
A Cameroonian military source said two girls carried out the attack. Girls and young women have carried out a spate of suicide bombings in the region.

“These two girls took advantage of the fact that it was the woman’s market,” said another military source.
“They came like vendors, except they had explosives in their cooking pots.” The death toll may still rise.
Boko Haram violence in Cameroon has caused about 1,000 deaths, according to the government and military sources.


Boko Haram militants  have killed about 15,000 people and driven more than 2 million from their homes during its six-year insurgency in one of the world’s poorest regions.
In a reaction to the attack in Meme, Cameroon troops killed a  dozen members of Boko Haramin the locality of Djibrilli during a fight.

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In pictures: Buhari at Egypt’s official opening of Business for Africa and the World

President Muhammadu Buhari is, today, 20 February 2016, attending the official opening of Business for Africa, Egypt and the World in Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt.

President Buhari at the official opening of Business for Africa, Egypt and the World in Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt. February 20, 2016

President Buhari with Minister of Environment of Egypt ,Mr Khaled Fahmy and National Security Adviser Babagana Monguno

Cossy dumps Lagos mansion, relocates to Abuja

•Gets brand new Porsche coupe


EXHIBITIONIST, Cossy Or­jiakor is on the march again. As you read this piece, Cossy has abandoned her Lekki, Lagos home and relocated to Abuja, the nation’s seat of power. And that’s not all, she has just pur­chased a brand new pink-co­loured Porsche coupe.

In a chat with Entertainer on Watsapp, Orjiakor stated her rea­sons for dumping her Lekki home for Abuja: “I just got an Abuja apartment. I guess I needed a change of environment. Besides my new car will develop prob­lems in my Lagos home because the road won’t be nice for it.

The road to my Lagos home has plenty of big stones and I won’t be able to take my car home because of its low clearance. So hopefully, be­fore my rent expires here in Abu­ja, the road to my Lagos home will be fixed.”
Meanwhile, on Valentine’s Day, Cossy

Report rogue banks over illegal charges, CBN tells Nigerians

Rogue Nigerian banks milk customers on forex

Nigerian bank customers complaining about illegal and excessive charges by their banks  can channel their  grievances straight to the Central Bank of Nigeria, their regulator.

The Central Bank in  a statement directs Nigerians to report the rogue banks to its Consumer Protection Department, with the e-mail address cpd@cbn.gov.ng.

Last year alone, the CBN was able to force the rogue banks cough back N6.2billion to their cutsomers.
Of recent, Nigerians using the banks to remit school fees and pay medical bills  have complained that the banks have been charging them parallel market rates despite the CBN selling dollars to the banks at N197. In some banks, charges vary from N380 to N382 to the dollar, and N462-N470 to the pounds sterling, leaving customers bewildered that the banks have turned corporate black market havens.
But the CBN says its CPD can deal with these issues and others.

“The Revised Guide to Bank Charges clearly specifies allowable charges for all banking services and the CBN does not in any way condone the fleecing of banking customers under any guise…

“It was in the quest to provide a strong voice to banks’ customers and moderate the arbitrary charges that the CBN in 2012, established its Consumer Protection Department. For the avoidance of doubt, the CBN has investigated over 6000 complaints relating to unauthorised bank charges brought to its notice, following which banks have been compelled to refund the sum of over N6.2 billion to affected customers in 2015 alone.

“The CBN wishes to reiterate its resolve to continuously enforce the provision of the Revised Guide to Bank Charges and urges members of the public to report cases of infringement to enable it investigate and apply sanctions on any erring Deposit Money Bank (DMB)”

In a related development, the CBN has also reassured Nigerians that it has not stopped the allocation and sale of Foreign Exchange for purposes of paying school fees and settlement of medical bills overseas.
The Bank therefore urges members of the public to disregard any contrary information in respect thereof.

” The Bank urges members of the public to discountenance such misinformation. All genuine users desiring to obtain foreign exchange for the abovementioned purposes are hereby urged to freely approach their banks with their requests and appropriate documentation,” it said.

Ghanaian manufacturers vote restrictions on Nigerian export products

               President Dramani Mahama of Ghana

While Nigeria continues to grapple with the effects of the fast-dwindling value of the Naira, the country’s economic woes may be heightened if the indigenous Ghanaian industrialists succeed in their present push for the Ghanaian government to place a ban on some items brought into the country from Nigeria.

If a nod is given by the Ghanaian government, the prohibition of these goods would affect Nigeria’s already troubled economy which had hitherto enjoyed robust foreign trade with Ghana. Nigeria accounts for about 10 per cent of Ghana’s foreign trade volume while Ghana is Nigeria’s 9th largest trading partner, importing the largest share of all the country’s oil exports in the West African sub-region.

If Ghana eventually takes the step according to the wish of the indigenous manufacturers, it would be a move akin to Nigeria’s policy of restricting 41 items from access to foreign exchange which has attracted a fair measure of controversy.

According to Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Ghana’s Minister of Trade and Industry, the two countries, Nigeria and Ghana, account for 68 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, GDP of the ECOWAS region.

The Ghanaian industrialists calling for the ban on Nigerian exports are said to be acting based on bottled up disgruntlement concerning the easy passage of food and sundry export commodities from Nigeria into Ghana, with the Ghanaians claiming there is no reciprocal arrangement to help their indigenous industries by giving them an equally easy access into the Nigerian market.

‘’Bagged cement is on Nigeria’s prohibition list but Dangote Cement exports and bags about 750,000 tonnes of cement a year for the Ghanaian market, and this is expected to increase to 1.5 million tonnes by the end of this quarter,’’ a Ghanaian industrialist said.

‘’But for those who are able to export to Nigeria, they must obtain different certificates for different customers, which takes a long process and time, making the whole thing cumbersome,’’ he further noted. And according to Kate Quartey-Papafio, CEO of Reroy Cables, Ghana, Nigeria’s ‘’Import Prohibition List’’ has served to block the entry of some goods, especially pharmaceutical products, into the Nigerian market.

Richard Okrah, another player in the Ghanaian pharmaceutical industry, who is the Managing Director of Intravenous Infusions Limited is also miffed about his inability to partake in the vast Nigerian market which could have increased his sales by at least 25 per. He has been blocked by restrictions placed by Nigerian authorities to protect indigenous manufacturers. Meanwhile, he claims that his goods find an easy passage into Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and other countries.

 

 

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Uganda: Besigye in house arrest as Museveni gallops away

                                  Kizza Besigye, being manhandled by a policeman

Heavy deployment of policemen was reported today around the home of Uganda’s opposition leader, Kizza Besigye.  Road blocks were reportedly mounted  barring people, including journalists  from accessing his home, suggesting that the Ugandan authorities have sequestered President Museveni’s main challenger, to prevent him from exposing yet another electoral ‘sorcery’ and ‘robbery’.

Besigye was arrested for the third time on Friday from his party headquarters  as early contested election results showed President Yoweri Museveni set to extend his 30-year grip on power. In the results in the hands of the opposition, Besigye was leading in 14 districts.

Uganda policemen  set off stun grenades and fired tear gas at crowds outside the headquarters of Besigye’s Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), where senior members of the party accused organisers of rigging the vote.

Police later bundled Besigye  into a van as the party was preparing to hold a press conference. Officers said he was about to announce unofficial preliminary results – one commander said he had not been arrested but simply taken home.

Museveni, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders, has presided over strong economic growth, but faced mounting accusations at home and abroad of cracking down on dissent and failing to tackle corruption.

Other clashes broke out across the capital, and the spokesperson for another presidential contender, former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, said police had barricaded him in his home, stoking tensions a day after the vote. That report could not be confirmed independently.

MUSEVENI EXTENDS LEAD

Early results showed Museveni, a Western ally against security threats including Islamist militants, with a sizeable lead of 62 percent based on a count of ballots in 42 percent of polling stations. Besigye trailed with 33 percent of the vote, and Mbabazi with 2 percent.

But Dan Mugarura, a senior official from Besigye’s party, said there were “glaring discrepancies” compared to reports from polling stations.

The Electoral Commission has regularly denied accusations of anti-opposition bias. “(Besigye) is a Ugandan but he is living on another planet. Let him respect Ugandan law,” said commission chairman Badru Kiggundu on Friday.

The 71-year-old sitting president had earlier warned that anyone caught stoking violence would face the wrath of Ugandan security forces, who were deployed in heavy numbers across capital Kampala in riot gear.
Besigye, who challenged Museveni unsuccessfully in three previous elections, has repeatedly said the election would not be free and fair.

Late on Thursday, he was briefly detained in Kampala for alleged criminal trespass and assault. U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said it called into question Uganda’s commitment to a transparent election, free from intimidation.

Election day was otherwise largely peaceful, although voting was delayed in some areas, especially in the capital. The government, citing security fears, said it shuttered the social media such as Facebook and Twitter, though all were working again on Friday.

On Friday morning, voting resumed in a handful of areas where delays in delivering polling materials had prevented some people from casting their ballot.

“It’s our right to vote,” said Geofrey Were, 32, as he stood waiting for the second day in a row in the Ggaba neighbourhood of Kampala. “This man has ruled us for 30 years. Obviously we need a change.”

I didn’t expect to be king –Oba Odunayo Ajayi, Elerinmo of Erinmo-Ijesa

King Michael Odunayo Ajayi is the Elerinmo of Erinmo- Ijesa, Osun State. Until two years ago when he was drafted by his people to ascend the throne of his forbearers, he was an industrialist based in Ghana. In this interview, the first class monarch reflects on his journey to the throne,

 stressing that presiding over the kingdom located in the hinterland of Ijesaland has been at a huge cost and sacrifice. He would, however, not give the stool up for anything, as he sees it as a call to serve and help his people develop the town. Excerpts:
Before becoming the Elerinmo, who was Prince Odunayo Ajayi?

Well, I was brought up in line with the principles of God because my mother was a strong Anglican from Ogbara-Oke. My grandfather was one of the founders of Christ Apostolic Church, Iyan-Erinmo. My forefather, that is the Arotawaya I, was the king when the first church came to Erinmo i.e the Anglican Communion. I attended Nigerian Command School, because my mother used to be a senior teaching staff with the military. Subsequently, I obtained my first degree at the age of 20 from University of Ilorin. I secured employment while I was in the university and before I commenced service,

 I worked with UAC Plc in several operating divisions i.e GB Olivant, MDS, Sapele Packaging and others. In the course of all that, I obtained an MBA in Marketing Management and ended up with a distinction and from there I joined Nigeria- German Chemicals as head of consumer healthcare. I managed its international operations. It took me to Ghana, where I set up a West African distribution network,

called AH Trade Link with the German partners. From there, I was recruited by an American conglomerate and indeed it was the largest pharmaceutical factory in West Africa with the production capacity of over two billion tablets annually on 140 hectares of land. I served first as marketing director and eventually I became the first African Vice-President in charge of Sales and Marketing. From there,

 I left to set up a company on my own and was engaged in consulting for other companies, holding special trade fairs and conferences for business people within West Africa. I organized the first Ghana-Nigeria Business Summit and others , which were chaired by several former presidents including President John Kufor of Ghana as well former Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Chief Ernest Sonekan and others. Together with other people,

I organized Forum of Nigerian Professionals in Ghana as the founding president. I was also part of those who organized Ghana-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce of which I became the first director-general. I used to publish a magazine then in Ghana, which was free, essentially to promote Nigerian interests in Ghana and to improve its image. I am married with children. My father is no more and my mum is the Yeye Oba and I found myself here.
Arowotawaya, what does that title mean?

It’s the most interesting title of an oba in the whole of Yorubaland. The first Arowotawaya was king at a time when there was a lot of prosperity and he was very wealthy and then during his tenure between 1900 and 1922, the first underground cable was passed through Erinmo all the way to the East. And that was why the town was so excited and nicknamed him Arowotawaya bi Oyinbo and of course, there were white settlers who lived in Erinmo. Could you tell us about your early life as a prince?

Well, I come from a very religious and strictly disciplined family. I was at Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa though, I never lived there. I spent my early years in Ilorin where I attended Bishop Smith Primary School. My father, the late Asiwaju Ajayi was the first and only Asiwaju of Erinmo. He graduated from the University of Lagos. So essentially, education was a major part of growing up and being the son of a teacher and the first son meant that I was disciplined beyond the regular person. After school, I had to go for lessons and do my home work. I was expected to be at the top of everything. There was no room for me to come second in my class or performing woefully or dropping out of school. Everything was extremely strict.

I just had to fall in line because my mum was very strict. So, when I was not in my school uniform, I found myself properly dressed. I wasn’t able to wear tattered jeans or dress too casually like every other person, even when I was a teenager. My father always wanted to see me in tie or properly tucked in. I used to think I missed out on a lot of things, but I thank God that I didn’t . So, the consciousness of your royal pedigree never dictated your attitude?

To be honest with you, I didn’t expect to be king, I didn’t plan to be king. Again, that guided the way I behaved, what I could do and couldn’t do. I felt like as a prince, I shouldn’t be seen doing certain things. I have always been extremely cautious with that, even though I wasn’t interest in becoming king. But, my father always drummed it in, that even if everybody was doing something , I couldn’t as a prince and that a higher level of morality is expected from me. It’s something that comes with a lot of respect, but respect is also earned.

You said you never planned to become king. How did you become interested?
Okay, I would say I am a circumstantial king that God anointed. It is the will of God. I am king, because God wants me to be king. There are four ruling houses in Erinmo and the Arotawaya lineage is one of them and of course, it was our turn. There was an issue of an attempt to rewrite history, so when the late Elerinmo died, they had to go to court to resolve it. Unfortunately, my father, whom the town had wanted to be king even before the late Elerinmo, died two months before the judgment came and the town insisted that they had to bring his first son from Ghana to be king. To me it sounded like a joke.

When I came to bury my dad in February, 2014, I was almost kidnapped at the church for immediate installation as king. I appealed to kingmakers to just give me time and I was obliged. I realized that over 90 per cent of the town wanted me to be king. In fact, the government sent representation and we were going to various towns asking what to do. These were people I was not even familiar with, but I would say my father had played a lot of roles in this town. Apart from being the first university graduate,

he was a student in the town and he taught in the school here. He supported 80 per cent of indigenes of this town who had done very well in terms of providing them employment and sponsoring their education. Some of them are abroad and some of them are well to do right now. So, people remembered all that he had done and he always had this affinity with Erinmo. He always wanted us to remember Erinmo in all we do.

What’s your experience as a king who stayed abroad mostly as a prince?
Well, it has been easy I would say, because if the people want you, they make everything easy. I realized that even when I was being installed, a lot of things had to do with traditional rites and my people were a bit concerned about whether I would be able to participate.

They were bothered, but I made up my mind that we had to do it. I would say that God has made it easy for me. First, before I was born, a vision had been related to my mum about me becoming king, but my mum did not just believe it. Before I was named, the same vision was repeated. In the course of my life,

 the same vision was repeated even to my hearing when I was 14 years old, coming on and on. But I just thought, well, it is one of those things. Second, my people had been supportive, very supportive. I have had no issue with them, if I walk down the street today, you will see how the people will come out of their houses saying kabiyesi o.

They have made things very comfortable for me too. I have been to several countries, I have been to four continents, I have traveled a lot and I have realized that all that was for me to garner enough exposure and experience and use to the benefit of my people.

Source of infection that killed 17 children in Lagos under investigation –LASG

THE Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, said the source of the strange disease that killed 17 children at Otodo-Gbame Community in Ikate, Lekki, was still under investigation.

Idris made this known at a news conference in Lagos on the latest development.
According to Dr. Idris, The out­break was confirmed as 34 cases of sick children with Febrile Rash Ill­nesses (FRI) have been line listed. The fatality of the outbreak was also confirmed as the graves of 17 children who died from the FRI since the day of onset of the signs and symptoms in the first case on January 6, 2016, were identified by their parents.

The disease causing the out­break, he said was yet to be con­firmed. He however, noted that the signs and symptoms are sugges­tive of Febrile Rash Illnesses, say­ing, “ Blood samples (and throat swabs) from the patients and water samples from the community have been taken to the Virology Refer­ence Laboratory at Lagos State University Hospital (LUTH) and Lagos State Drug Quality Control Laboratory (DQCL), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LA­SUTH), Ikeja respectively.”

According to the commissioner, the source of the infection is still under investigation.
“Thirty-Four (34) cases have been line listed so far with 17 males and 17 females. 17 dead pa­tients have been identified with 9 males and 8 females. All are within the age range of 8-72 months, he said.”

Idris said that investigation on the outbreak is going on and the ministry has instituted appropriate measures to prevent further spread of the disease.

My regrets -Ali Baba

ONCE upon a time he was a youth who armed with only a dream and the cloths on his back relocated to Lagos to pursue his dream against the advice of his dad but ended up homeless at the Lagos Bar Beach. However, he did not lose focus but clung unto his dream and today, he is a source of inspiration to mil­lions of youths as he has brought fame, prestige,

 re­spect and of course wealth to stand up comedy. And last year, he opened up a new front in his career when he unveiled Spontaneity; a talent show designed to discover fresh talents in comedy and raise standards by implanting professionalism. Almost three decades after he made that daring movie, today Ali Baba is a billionaire and in this chat with TONY OGAGA

ERHARIEFE and RUMMY CHUKWUMA, he opens up on the journey so far and his plans for the comedy industry. Excerpts:

It’s almost three decades since you made that daring movie that transformed your life forever. Ali Baba, are you living your dream?

Hmmm…I’m not leaving a nightmare though (laugh­ter). But what I would say is that I’ve gotten to a point in my career where there’s hardly anything that I want to do that I can’t afford. Dreams are hopes and anticipations that you wish to fulfill. And so today, if I want to drive any car, I can afford it; if I wish to go to UK and spend a week, I can afford it. In fact, there are very few things I want in my life that I can’t afford against the backdrop of my career.

27 years down the road, you’ve taken the comedy industry from nowhere to somewhere and raised many successful comedians. In fact, comedy has become a very lucrative industry and factions are beginning to emerge. What do you make of these factions?

Well, there are no factions in comedy. It happens in music as well. Rap artistes like relating with rap artistes they share similar traits with. What happens is that a few comedians figure that this and that are the kind of people I can relate with and then they kind of bond. For instance, if the comedians you’re rolling with are smokers, you guys will have common ground if you’re a smoker; if they like drinking, you’ll have common ground if you also drink; if they like clubbing and you do, you’ll have common ground as well. However, for a comedian like Holy Mal­lam who neither smokes nor drinks, it will be hard for you to have him in a clique that has smokers and drinkers. So, water finds its level naturally.

There are different char­acters in the business and everybody relates differently. But the common thing is that we’re comedians and we relate well on that level. I think that ‘the faction thing’ is nothing more than ‘you’re not in my group, I’m not in your group thing.’ It’s not for words to be exchanged and really, nearly all of them relate with me and I relate with all of them very well. Let’s say they don’t expose those factions to me. Though I hear about them but whenever I invite them over, they don’t exhibit factional traits.

It’s almost three decades since you made that daring move to relocate to Lagos in search of greener pastures but ended up at the Lagos Bar Beach. Did you believe that you’d be here some­day, so comfortable and empowering younger people with a platform like Spontaneity?

I knew that I would make it but I didn’t know that it would be this big; I didn’t think that the impact would be this strong. Back then when it started I was in school. My allowance was between N120 and N150 and then I started doing shows and I discovered I could end earn more money and here we are today.
Sir, is any of your kids taking after you?

None, except you’re talking about taking after me as in sports, art works and painting. My daughter paints, sings and writes. Another daughter of mine is into fashion while another sings and is into broadcasting but they all have great sense of humour but not commercially.

Having influenced so many young Nigerians, is it not surprising that none of your kids is a stand-up comedian?

They initially didn’t think that it was a business worth going into because they didn’t know there was money in it. But they have great sense of humuor and that’s as far as they are influenced, not that they’re looking to become the next Alibaba (laughter).

Earlier, you made mention that some come­dians are repeating jokes in Nigeria and that means they’re not original? What could be done about this?

It’s just like you have quakes in every kind of busi­ness. If you start selling cars today and somebody sees that car business is doing very well, the next thing is that somebody will open a shop and begin to sell cars too. If somebody starts making plantain chips and is successful, shortly after, every other person wants to make plantain chips. So, that’s the point. There are people who do stuff just because somebody is doing it and making.

Today, people see you as the pillar of comedy in Nigeria, is there any way comedians are unit­ing to organise and regulate the industry so it doesn’t become an all comers affair?

Yes. I think Spontaneity is one of such interventions. The second thing is that YouTube and social media are help­ing us greatly. Today, you find that once a comedian does a joke and uploads it, everybody knows that that comedian is the owner of the joke and not many people would want to repeat that joke for obvious reasons. What has been hap­pening before now was that because there was nothing that recorded the jokes, comedians just picked anybody’s joke and told it like it was their own.

So, if the guy is in Port Harcourt and he lays hand on 10 jokes from Lagos, he tells them until he gets another fresh set and continues to tell the new set until he gets another set so it’s a cycle. And then when the owner of the joke goes to Port Harcourt to perform, everybody is like ‘hey! I’ve heard this joke be­fore.’ Today if a comedian tells a joke in Lagos that is not his, with the network televisions that we’re having and You­Tube, instagram, twitter and facebook, a lot of people will instantly put up the message that it’s not his joke.

Unlike past presidents, it would seem the cur­rent president is not favourably disposed to entertainment, how is that affecting the industry?

That’s totally wrong; President Buhari is favourably inclined to entertainment! The man called us for a meeting and he has said he wants the entertainment in­dustry to produce at least 20 per cent of the GDP. We opened his eyes to it and he asked, ‘what does the entertainment industry need to make a lot of money?’ And we said ‘look at AY, his movie, 30 Days in Atlanta, has grossed nearly N300 million. What it means is that if every other movie gets that kind of support and if Buhari decides to run for re-election, AY can say, Mr. President, take N20m instead of expecting Buhari to give him money.’ So Buhari should just create an enabling environment for people to make it. That said,

we need platforms, and what are the platforms? There are places where these talents can exhibit their creativity like Spontaneity. So we need a lot more TV stations and more airtime and if royalties are being paid, a lot of musicians wouldn’t be depending on concerts and that will mean they will be able to pay their taxes as well and entertainment will no longer be an informal sector; it will become a sector that is structured, and that’s what he’s working towards.
Has there been any time you felt like quitting and just walking away due to challenges?

For me as a comedian, there has been none. I have been performing since the days of Abacha. I think the thing is that as comedians, we actually have a longer life span than musicians. What happens with a lot of musicians in Nigeria is that fans are crazy over them but when they find out that the musician has gotten married, they feel he is ‘out of the market.’

So talking about challenges, I’ve had none. But I will say that we enjoyed in the Obansanjo era because Obasanjo had a great sense of humour and because he had a great sense of humour, the governors from different states appreciated humuor as well. And as they say, ‘if it’s good on top, it trickles to the bottom.’ It wasn’t so rosy in Yar’adua’s time before he took ill. Then, when Jonathan came, it was not any different but some of our colleagues still benefited. However, What I’d say is that we as comedians and mas­ters of ceremony would benefit anyway; whether it’s a very tough regime or a free regime because our services are needed by everybody and everybody wants to laugh be­cause laughter is the best medicine.

You turned 50 last year, how does it feel turning 50? And when you look back the last 50 years, do you have any regret?

The only regret I have is that I didn’t start early enough or that it took me long to break even in the stand-up com­edy industry. Unlike now, a comedian can hit the scene and become a big fish in a year. But in my case, it took from 1987 to 2007 before people got to understand that comedy is something that should be appreciated. So it took a long while but we’re there now. So for me, really, we’ve gotten to a point where I look back and say it was all worth it be­cause comedians are now benefitting from the work that we started and we would like to mention that late Mohammed Danjuma played a great role because it wasn’t easy.
So how does it feel turning 50?

Well, nothing has changed. I just feel like there’s a lot more to be done and quickly.

I’m driven by excellence –Obiano

GOVERNOR Willie Obi­ano of Anambra State has said his driving force in his 18 months as the state’s chief executive is his passion for excellence.

Governor Obiano stated this in an exclusive chat with a team of The Sun’s editors. The governor told The Sun delegation that in his 20 months on the saddle as gov­ernor, he had received at the last six awards, but The Sun award was the best of all.

His words: “I feel delight­ed to welcome all of you this morning to this Lodge. I am very excited and delighted too to be found worthy by your Board of Editors as the Governor of the Year 2015. As you said, in your 13 years as an organisation, no gover­nor has made this award, so I feel delighted to be the first to be so appointed, it is not easy to be the first.

“I can assure you that I will remain focused in those things that you found wor­thy that I deserved the first, my people deserve the best. Our mantra is to do more with less in these challenging times, but we must remain very focused.

“Clearly, some of the things that are assisting me are my background as a renowned accountant and banker. As we came in, we hit the ground running, we said that security is the first thing to be tackled, believing that other things will be added if we deal decisively with secu­rity and that was how we set up Operation Mkpochapu; so we dealt with criminals deci­sively and we have continued to do so; and Anambra re­mains the most secured state in Nigeria today and we are getting investors to come in here to do business with us.
“So, I am very delighted that some of these little things we are doing are noted by you; The Sun newspaper is a medium I have a lot of respect for, I appreciate this award, I have so many awards in my 18 months as governor; at the last count, I have six of them,

 five national and one international. But this The Sun award as far as I’m con­cerned, is the best of them all. I can promise Ndi Anambra that I will not let them down, that this award will moti­vate me to work harder and to continue to give them the best democracy dividends in Nigeria.”

Court grants EFCC power to seize Tompolo’s assets

THE wanted ex- Niger Delta militant lead­er, Government Ekpemupolo (alias Tom­polo) Friday forfeited his multi- billion naira properties to Federal Government (FG).

The embattled former militant war­lord was recently declared wanted by the anti-graft agency following his failure to appear before the court to face trial on the charge preferred against him.

Tompolo and the former Director of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick Akpobolokemi and eight others were accused by EFCC of converting the money belonging to the agen­cy to personal use.

While the others including Akpoboloke­mi had appeared in court to answer the 40-count charge filed against them by the anti- graft agency, Tompolo had failed to be in court twice, which made the court order his arrest.

The trial judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba handling the case had on January, 12 issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Tompolo.

Again on February, 8, the judge renewed his orders, and also directed all security agencies to produce Tompolo in court.

In the ex-parte motion filed by Festus Keyamo, the EFCC seek an order in pursu­ant of Section 80 and 81 of the Administra­tion and Criminal justice Act, 2015 to seize all properties belonging to the former Niger Delta militant leader.

At the resumed hearing of the case Friday, Justice Buba ordered the forfeiture of multi-billion naira properties belonging to Tom­polo following his refusal to appear in court.

Properties to be forfeited include; a River Crew Change Boat named MUHA – 15, the property known as “Tompolo Dock­yard”, by the end of Enerhen Road, Effurun, Warri and the property known as, “Tompolo Yard”, at the end of Chevron Clinic Road, next to Next Oil, Edjeba, Warri.

Others are the Diving School at Kurutie, at Escravos River, the property known as “Tompolo House” at Oporaza Town, op­posite the Palace and any other property discovered by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, moveable and im­moveable, belonging to Tompolo.

Counsel to EFCC, Keyamo told the court that the warrant of arrest issued by the court has not been executed despite the “best ef­forts” of all the security agencies in the coun­try.
He stated that all the nation’s security agencies were involved in the search of Tompolo but his whereabouts are not known yet.

Consequently, he sought the leave for court to amend the charge by removing the name of Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo from the charge, so that the trial of other accused persons could commence.
Keyamo also drew the attention of the court to a Motion Exparte dated February 18, 2016 praying the court for an order au­thorising EFCC to seize properties belong­ing to the former militant leader, Govern­ment Ekpemupolo.

But, virtually all the defence counsel op­posed the Motion Exparte on the grounds that they were not served with copies of the motion.

Dr. Joseph Nwobike SAN (counsel to the 2nd defendant), Mr. Wale Akoni SAN (counsel to 7 & 8 defendants) along with other defence lawyers argued that it is nec­essary for them to have copies of the mo­tion exparte in the interest of justice and fairness.

Female passenger dies on Lagos-bound Arik Air flight

IT was another tragic end for an air passenger in Nigeria, as Arik Air yesterday announced the death of one of its passen­gers (an unnamed woman) on board it’s flight from Port Har­court to Lagos.

On Wednesday, workers at the Lagos international airport had also picked up the remains of a female passenger sched­uled to travel to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates on an Etihad Airlines flight at about 6.30am inside one of the toilets at the departure hall of the airport.

Spokesman for Arik Air, Mr. Banji Ola in a release late Fri­day said the female passenger who died on its Lagos-bound flight was in the company of her husband and a cousin.

The immediate cause of her death and her identity was however not disclosed.

Ubulu-Uku: 15-year old son of Obi Ofulue installed King

A new Obi (King), Chukwuka Noah Akaeze I, has been presented to the people of Ubulu-Uku Kingdom in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.

Obi Akaeze I succeeded his father, late Obi Akaeze Edward Ofulue III who was kidnapped and subsequently murdered last month by gun­men.

The presentation of the 15-year-old King fol­lowed the fulfillment of different rites that culmi­nated in his crowning as King by the kingmakers of Ubulu-Uku.

He was first presented to the members of the Royal family before the presentation to the coun­cil of elders at the palace.

The brief ceremony was attended by prominent citizens of the kingdom including the member representing Aniocha/Oshimili constituency at the Federal House of Representatives, Mrs. Ony­emaechi Mrakpor and the President-General of Ubulu-Uku Development Union, Comrade Jones Ofunne.

Also in attendance was the chairman of Anio­cha South council, Mr. Isaac Anwuzia, traditional chiefs and title holders in the kingdom, religious leaders, women, youths and other stakeholders of the agrarian community
Speaking on the significance of the ceremony, Secretary of the Palace, Barr. Joseph Obazei de­scribed it as “wonderful in our time.”

“This is a young man who was not even looking up to this position because his father was young and vibrant, unfortunately this bad event occurred.

“He has now been thrust upon the throne taking up the mantle of his late father. Ubulu-Uku people are very happy that somebody has taken up the throne because the king never dies.

“When it appears that there is no king, there is already a king. That is what has just happened.”
Barr. Obazei told Saturday Sun that in Ubulu- Uku tradition, there were not too many rites to the installation of a new king.

“By our tradition, you can wake up in the morn­ing and see the heir apparent sitting on the throne and issue orders which will be obeyed. That will show that something happened in the night and something has happened now.

“So this young man has taken over the stool of his father, and now he can begin to direct the town,” he explained.

On his part, the chairman of Aniocha South council, Mr. Anwuzia assured the new king and people of Ubulu-Uku of his administration’s un­flinching support, adding that measures were al­ready on to ensure the presentation of staff of of­fice by the state government.

Why I fight for democracy –Tinubu

FORMER governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed his commitment to the deepen­ing of democracy in Nigeria even as he explained why he has spent his adult life and resources to fight for the enthronement of good governance in the country.

“My role as a politician is the determination to de­mocratize my country, in­divisible commitment to democratic values. I am not a thoroughbred politician having come from a corpo­rate background. But I be­lieve in strategy; and strat­egy to win is that of every politician. We can be politi­cally sensitive and come up with the fact that you want to be a good politician but no boxer steps into the ring to lose. No investor would want to invest to lose; oth­erwise, you can carry your money and throw it to the Lagoon. You are there to win. How do you plan that strategy to win and to come on top?

That is where I always like to specialize. Then, there are elements of diabolical perversion in the political process particu­larly in the maintenance of status quo. Mine is to chal­lenge the status quo if it is perverted. How do I chal­lenge it?”, Tinubu stated in an exclusive interview with a team of The Sun editors in his Bourdillion, Ikoyi, La­gos residence.

Going down memory lane on how he fought sev­eral political battles, Tinu­bu said his first litmus test was the 1999 governorship election in Lagos when he had to contend with a lot of forces to emerge governor of the nation’s economic capital.

According to him “When we came back in 1999 and the political space was opened, we had our politi­cal party, the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the plat­form where I contested. The perversion started with the so-called delegates’ election. How can I want a free and fair election if I subscribe to the delegates’ election where you buy people like chickens and apples and you pay them off? I said let the Lagos people determine through the political party structure who and who they wanted. I created a process to elimi­nate that delegates’ election system and we won.

We won the debate and we now have direct primaries in all the local governments. Those who have followed politics here know that it was a tough battle between Funsho Williams of blessed memory and myself. I won 17 local governments out of 20 and in two of them, there were no elections. They chewed the results in my local government, Ikeja. Lagos Mainland was the

stronghold of late Funsho Williams and Ikorodu too with Ogunlewe and co. But we challenged the status quo because it was evident that I won that election no matter whatever story any­body tells you. I still have that record. It is there. Then I was determined to form a government that is profes­sionally and intellectually balanced to be a model for other states. It is very easy for people to forget.”

Speaking on some of the highpoints of his political struggle, the APC leader said he would never for­get what happened in 2003 when he survived, as the only South West governor, an intricate political assault launched by former Presi­dent Olusegun Obasanjo.

His words “The high is when I survived as the only governor and one man standing on the platform of the AD in the South West after the 2003 governorship election. In leadership and political battles, you must be able to recognize the tal­ent of your opponent. Don’t ever underestimate your opponent particularly a per­sonality like former Presi­dent Obasanjo. First,

he is not just an Army General for nothing; they call their overall fatigue uniform, camouflage. What does that mean? Deception! They are trained in strategy, decep­tion and tactics to defeat the enemy. If you under­estimate them, you do that at your own peril. If you now recognize that quality in them, you know how to play the game with them. There are some aspects of it that I cannot discuss here; they are my own weapons tomorrow.

When I started a journey of a tree that can make a forest, the game is first of all, survive. I made it clear that everybody should know that this friendship is laced with poison. I kept the warning to everybody very loud. How can you trust a man whose uniform is camouflage? How can I believe that he is my politi­cal friend when I am in the opposition? No, draw the battle line.”

He however conceded that ousting an incumbent President in the 2015 gen­eral elections was his most difficult battle ever. “Presi­dent Jonathan’s battle was the toughest. When you are fighting the incumbent, it is tough. You had the chal­lenge of terrorism; you had a class that is divided and a nation that was almost moving from its focus of religious tolerance and di­versity to religious division. You had a system that had been corrupted beyond any­body’s imagination.

People were being bombarded with money in Lagos. But you have to forget personal temptation”, he stated. He added that engaging for­mer President Obasanjo on the political field was equally another herculean task for him. “Obasanjo,

during his time disobeyed court order on the disburse­ment of money for local governments in Lagos but you knew where he was coming from; you just had to be careful. That period was also a bit challenging. There are different situa­tions that you had to face with different strategies. But to unseat an incumbent president in Africa was the toughest battle. It was not easy”, he admitted.

While defending his role in Lagos politics as a politi­cal godfather, Tinubu said “godfather is not negative but god lords are. They are the mafias. Godfathers ex­ist even in the church. If you call me a godfather, it is alright. I have many chil­dren everywhere.”

 Explain­ing his position further, he said “You are talking about imposition in a democracy. If you are a strong adviser, you would get blackmailed; you have seen great quali­ties in an individual and one that has capacity to do good; you identify those you believe can deliver on the evolution of good gov­ernance.

 I have a responsi­bility to recommend. My party has a right to reject the person. When I identi­fied Babatunde Fashola, some people shouted impo­sition but when he started to blossom like flowers in the garden, Fashola now became their child. The umbilical chord is buried and the baby has survived. In democracy, sometimes,

you have the sprinkle of dictatorship too when you know that you are working on the overall interest of the people. You have facts that some people do not have; so you do not get angry.”

Former President Jonathan’s cousin found dead 2 days after kidnap

The body of a cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was kidnapped alongside the former leader’s uncle, Chief Inegite Jonathan, has been recovered by some fishermen at Otuoke in Bayelsa state
According to witness, the body of Samuel Oki, 35, was found floating on Otuoke river, two days after the kidnap.

Police spokesperson for Bayelsa State, Asini Butswat, told our correspondent that he was yet to confirm the report from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.

It was earlier reported that armed gunmen on Wednesday abducted 72-year-old Chief Inegite Jonathan, Former President Jonathan’s uncle and foster father and Mr. Oki.

It was fishermen in the community who discovered the decomposing body of Mr. Oki. There has been tension in the community concerning the safety of the former president’s 72-year-old uncle, whose whereabout was still unknown by Friday afternoon. The body had been deposited at a morgue in the area.

Updated: Boko Haram bombers kill 20 in Cameroon, injure 52

Two Boko Haram suicide bombers killed 20 people and injured 52 in a market in Meme, northern Cameroon early today, according to  updated official figures, published by  L’oeil du Sahel.


The bombing is the latest in a string of deadly attacks in northern Cameroon, an area where Nigerian militant group Boko Haram is active.

On 10 February, three Boko Haram bombers also attacked a funeral wake keep, in which they killed many people, including children.

The attack came a few days after Cameroon announced details of a major assault against a key Boko Haram base in Nigeria at the week end,  in which it  inflicted heavy losses on the Islamist group,  seized  arms and freed prisoners.

The Cameroonian army offensive took place from February 11 to 14 in Ngoshe, also spelt as Goshi, in Nigeria, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) from the northern town of Ashigashia on the border between the two countries, government spokesman and Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in the statement.

“162 Boko Haram terrorists were neutralised,” or killed, and two Cameroonian soldiers also died, he said.

 The minister said around 100 hostages had been released, including 15 Cameroonians, in the attack against the Boko Haram command post housing facilities for making bombs and mines.

The facilities were all destroyed.

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Anti-graft war: I am prepared to die, says Magu

L-R, Falana, Osita Nwajah, Magu at the meeting with Progressive lawyers in Lagos

“I am not afraid of anything. I prefer to die fighting corruption if need be,” Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared today.

 

The EFCC boss who spoke while receiving a group of Lawyers with progressive inclinations who visited him in Lagos on February 18, commended them for their solidarity,  adding that  it was such support that the Commission seeks from patriotic Nigerians as the battle against corruption enters a delicate phase with corruption itself fighting back.

 

The EFCC boss expressed regret that some unpatriotic  Nigerians including senior lawyers have joined forces “with fraudsters and those who looted our commonwealth by becoming coaches and technical advisers on how to escape justice”.

 

Magu admonished lawyers to allow the interest of Nigeria and good conscience to guide them when accepting briefs.

A cross section of the lawyers at the solidarity visit to EFCC

Earlier Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, who led the group, said they were in the Commission to express support for the EFCC and the chairman for revamping the fight against corruption.  He said though lawyers have been accused of attempting to frustrate the work of the Commission, 

 

there were however good lawyers who are ready to support the EFCC in advancing the fight against corruption.

He urged the Commission to name and shame those who are frustrating the work rather than generalizing as there were still good lawyers and judges in the country.

                                        Fawehinmi Jnr was also there

“Let us name and shame corrupt judges and lawyers. The good ones are prepared to work with you, “he said.

He warned lawyers who think they can intimidate the EFCC, that some of them are ready to support and defend the Commission.

 

Luke Aghanenu who also spoke at the event said the Commission should know that corruption will also fight back and the recent attack by some lawyers was a clear example. He said as long as the EFCC does it work rightly, people will always criticize the Commission.

 

On his part, Jiti Ogunye said the reason he is part of the solidarity visit, is his belief in the integrity of the EFCC chairman and his effort to revamp the fight against corruption. He condemned the activities of some lawyers who are castigating the EFCC as pure criminality and urged them not to hide under the cover of lawyer- client confidentiality to become accomplices to mega graft.

 

He assured the EFCC chairman that, they will continue to support the EFCC as long as it remains truthful and faithful to its mandate.

 

 

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Rule of law not intended as defence for corruption suspects – Mohammed

                                 Lai Mohammed at the UNILAG lecture

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says the present Administration will continue to fight corruption within the confines of the Rule of Law, but warned that the Rule of Law was not intended to be used as a weapon to hamper the dispensation of justice.

”In response to the ongoing anti-corruption efforts of the government, an increasing number of voices have emerged in defence of suspects being indicted for various acts of corruption by the courts of law under the banner of upholding the Rule of Law.

”Let me stress that the Rule of Law is not and was never intended to be used as a line of defense for suspects undergoing trial for corrupt practices in the courts of law that are lawfully constituted and endowed with the legitimate authority to carry out same trial,” the Minister said at a symposium organized by the Gani Fawehinmi Students’ Chamber of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos.

He said the Administration is a product and true advocate of the Rule of Law, and that ”there is no greater proponent of that time-tested legal principle than Mr. President himself.”

The Minister said there was nothing questionable in the Administration’s approach to fighting corruption, adding: ”The government is bound by law and is following the Rule of Law in its anti-corruption efforts. Were this not the case, the accused persons so far charged would not be having their day in court.”

He said each society had used methods expedient to it to fight corruption at different times in their own history, citing the example of Singapore which once fought corruption by suspending rule of law and fundamental rights.

”The current Nigerian government has not requested for emergency powers to tackle corruption, even though some school of thought unequivocally believes that Nigeria is in an emergency, with high unemployment, unpaid salaries, reduced income, insurgency, reduced oil income and primitive looting of the treasury by the  immediate past administration,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

Rallying support for the fight against corruption, he said the battle is a constitutional imperative, and quoted Section 15 (5) of the Constitution, which says: “The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of office.”

”So, President Buhari was only giving life to this very important provision, with all his targeted actions against corruption and his rallying cry to all Nigerian patriots in the forefront of the war:

‘Nigeria must kill corruption before corruption kills Nigeria’. I hope you will join us in this epic battle, because it is not Buhari’s war, it is not APC’s war. It is Nigeria’s war of survival,” the Minister said.

Discussants at the symposium, including Mr. Femi Falana and Mr. Jiti Ogunye, expressed support for the anti-corruption battle, saying those who are charged with corruption cannot use the bogey of the Rule of Law to escape justice.

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Abuja-Kaduna rail track: FG commences test-running March

…To fence railway lines with N345m 
From ROMANUS UGWU, Abuja

THE Federal Government has ordered Chinese construction giant (CCECC) to ensure arrangments are in place for the commencement of the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail transport next month. It also emerged that fencing the railway lines will gulp $100 million (about N345 million).

Speaking with newmen after an inspection of the project, Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, disclosed that the construction of the fence to check encroachment of grazing animals was responsible for  jerking up of the initial contract sum to over $1 billion.

Asked whether the Federal Government has completed payment for the project, he replied: “When we came in, the company stopped working because they were not paid. We have gradually, continued to pay them so that they can return and complete the job. The contract sum for the project is  over $1 billion dollars.

“The initial contract was increased because of our cultural background that affects construction in Nigeria. We have to build a fence from Abuja to Kaduna, costing over $100 million to stop animals from grazing,” he  disclosed.

Commenting specifically on the purpose of the inspection, the former governor of Rivers State, said: “The essence of taking this tour of the rail project is to enable us assess our readiness for commercial activity and I think we are. I will be coming from Kaduna through the rail to Abuja.

“We think that, by March, we should start a test-run of the rail services. For now, we think it should be free for those who run between March and April. By May, we expect that Mr. President will kindly accept to flag-off full commercial activities of this rail project. What it means is that those who want to travel to Kaduna by  rail can actually use the services to Kaduna.

“The way the rail is designed is that the Abuja light rail will pick passengers travelling to Kaduna and drop them at Idu station to join the rail heading to Kaduna but, our plans will be to temporarily connect directly with the Abuja rail since they are not ready for operation yet.

“On the level of  completion, I can tell you that the project is 100 per cent completed and that is why I said that we are ready to roll. I can equally assure you that the trains to commence commercial activities will arrive the country next  month.”

Buhari’s wife commissions N4bn Erisco Foods tomato paste plant

 …Directs regulatory agencies to check dumping of foreign products
By Louis Iba 

ERISCO Foods Limited on Thursday commissioned its new 450,000 tonnes tomato paste processing plant in Oregun, Lagos State, constructed at a cost of N4 billion ($150 million).

Wife of Nigeria’s President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who inaugurated the plant tasked relevant government regulatory agencies to step up actions towards checking the import of foreign and substandard foods into the country to protect local manufacturers and the health of Nigerian citizens.

“I think we have imported enough and we have to change that culture of importing things  we can produce locally,” Mrs. Buhari said in her address.

“This is part of the change we are talking about that must happen in the country. Local food manufacturers have to be encouraged to grow as that is the only way to create employment for the youths and help local farmers to benefit more from their labour. Nigerians must also patronise local companies and their products,” she added.

Also speaking at the event, President/CEO of Erisco Foods, Chief Eric Umeofia, said the new plant was an expansion and improvement on the existing one using the latest technology that allows fresh tomatoes sourced within Nigeria from local farmers   to be processed into tomato paste. He said the idea of the new plant was borne out of the need to resolve the glut in the tomato products from farmers, particularly in the northern part of the country, who losing about 75 per cent of their produce due to the absence of storage or processing facilities.

Said Umeofia: “I visited northern Nigeria frequently in the recent past and I saw how more than 75 per cent of tomatoes harvested yearly are being wasted. Sadly, however, Nigeria spends about $1 billion importing tomato paste from abroad. All that will end with the inauguration of this project. Our new technology in this facility puts an end to all the waste Nigerian farmers  are suffering over the years because it is a backward integration project investment we have made for Nigeria.

“We can now take 10 trucks of fresh tomatoes daily and process the fresh tomatoes to tomato paste and this factory is the first of its kind in Africa,”  he added.

Buhari, Obasanjo, Tinubu harp on importance of history

From Magnus Eze, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has charged Nigerians to value Nigerian history, adding that the critical place of the country in Africa was such that Nigeria cannot fail.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday at the public presentation of “The Nigerian Century,” a compendium of Nigeria’s centenary history edited by foremost journalist, Dare Babarinsa, the president, who was represented by Deputy National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Segun Oni, said the challenges confronting the nation were no reason for the country not to attain the enviable height expected of her as a leader of Africa.

Chairman on the occasion and former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo also urged Nigerians to have a sense of history. He said failure to do so will make planning and implementation of policies and programmes impossible.

Represented by former minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi, Obasanjo implored the people not to give up on Nigeria, the present difficulties notwithstanding.

“Don’t give up hope on Nigeria…We should renew our efforts to love Nigeria, to heal Nigeria and to fix Nigeria. It can be done,” he said. He described the book as a major gift to the younger generation.
Book presenter and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu condemned the teaching of histories of foreign countries in Nigeria by schools owned by foreigners, like the British, Turkish and American schools while Nigerian schools fail to teach Nigerian history.

“Why, then, should we have Nigerian schools in Nigeria that will not teach our own history? How can our children be Nigerians if they don’t know their history?” Tinubu asked rhetorically.

Tinubu, who was represented by the member representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Babajimi Benson said it was a wake-up call for governments, both states and federal, to return history into the school curriculum.

Earlier, Babarinsa, in his welcome remarks, said the aim of the book was to fill the knowledge gap in the nation’s education, especially for youths in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

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We’re behind you, Ooni tells Saraki

… Buhari appoints monarch UNN chancellor
From Fred Itua, Abuja and Clement Adeyi, Osogbo

Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, yesterday, threw his weight behind embattled Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and assured of the unflinching support in the face of ‎fresh moves to oust him.
The monarch visited Saraki in his office in Abuja and assured the Senate President that he was readily available whenever he needed his support.

“We are behind you. We are watching you and we are actually looking forward to you. The entire youths of this country, please keep making us proud in things that are supposed to be done appropriately, in terms of making provision and guiding the interests of the youths. Please, work towards that because a lot of youths in this country, do not have hope one way or the other in terms of their pursuits. We need to renew their hope – they are very energetic. There are so many things they (youths) can do. So, I am imploring you.
In his remarks, Saraki said he would also replicate the kind gesture by extending the hand of fellowship to the Ooni.

Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Ooni Ogunwusi, as Chancellor of University of Nigeria (UNN).  This was contained in a statement by his Director of Media, Mr Moses Olafare. The appointment, the statement said, would help the monarch further build more bridges of friendship and unity, not only in the South-West but also, in the South-East.

Fire razes Kano market, destroys goods

•Buhari condoles with traders
From Desmond Mgboh, Kano and Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Goods worth several millions of Naira were on Thursday, destroyed following an early morning inferno that gutted the famous Singa Market in the ancient city of Kano State.

The inferno, which was first noticed along Murtala Section of the market, destroyed cartoons of different food items such as rice and Indomie , including assorted types of detergents and jellies, among others.
The market, which started burning in the early hours of the day, destroyed hundreds of shops of different nature, including some warehouses in the market.

Daily Sun observed that the traders – owners of the goods were devastated by the tragedy and were seen in very desperate condition as the fire razed the market.

Apart from the officers of the Fire Service who were seen battling the early morning fire , some private individuals and volunteers donated quench the fire.

Kano State Director of Fire Service,  Alhaji Balarabe Kabara, told Daily Sun that: “We are yet to ascertain the actual number of shops destroyed by the fire”

He explained that the fire started at about 6; 00 a. m adding that preliminary investigation indicated that the fire was started by a tea seller…”

He added that his men have commenced investigation into the fire adding that he was in the ministry to brief the appropriate authorities on the incident.

It could be recalled that Kano State has witnessed several high profile fire incidents in the recent times.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has said he is deeply saddened by the destruction of valuable goods and properties in the inferno that engulfed the market.

The president assured those who suffered losses from the fire incident that the Federal Government will do all within its powers to support efforts of the Kano State government to ameliorate their plight.