I’m using photography to celebrate unsung heroines — Omoboriowo

Twenty-six-year-old photographer, Bayo Omoboriowo, in this interview, explains his fascination with the lens and why he believes photography should be a tool for social change 

 Did you set out to be a photographer?

 I am a graduate of Pure and Applied Chemistry from the University of Lagos. I am not from a silver spoon family but I am determined to make golden spoons for my children. Whatever I am doing now is a product of the fact that I was able to go to school and learn. I studied chemistry not because I wanted to. I actually wanted to study food science and technology but my parents said it was a course for lazy people. So, I looked for the closest course to food science and technology and I chose to study chemistry.

 How did photography come about?

When I went for NYSC in Rivers State in 2010, I thought I would work in an oil and gas company. When I got there, corpers were posted to teach in schools. The classroom gave me more time for myself and ultimately, more time for photography. It was then I discovered I am really crazy about photography even though I finished top in my class. I graduated with a GPA of 4.26.

What’s the correlation between pure and applied chemistry and photography?

I can’t say there is a direct correlation but going to the university helped me. Why I am doing so well in photography can be attributed to what I studied at the university.  I have people who tell me I am doing so well in photography and they wish I had studied photography. The reality is that when you go to school, you pick different ingredients for life. I may not have picked photography but I picked attitude, character, human relationship skills and so much more.

 When you started practising as a photographer in 2010, what gave you the conviction it was the way to go?

I started during the National Youth Service Corp and it was a new ground for me. Before then, I had been taking pictures. I started when I was in the university but I never knew I was going to take it as a profession. In my third year, people, fellowships and associations started to invite me to take their pictures. I was doing it for the fun of it and the money I made, I used as pocket money. When I got to NYSC camp, I started taking pictures of other corp members. They were so excited and I knew there was something about the pictures. I became the official photographer for the NYSC in Rivers State and then I met this guy who was the manager of a photo laboratory. He took interest in me and he was more experienced in photography. He used to look through my pictures and offered advice on how I could have taken this or that shot better. Indirectly, he was mentoring me and I was learning. Towards the end of my service year, he organised an exhibition that featured top international photographers and six of my works were exhibited. I sold one and that was very encouraging.

 Did you get any formal training?

When I got back from NYSC, I went to enrol for a photography course and I attended for four weekends. It was brief but the knowledge I acquired there was very instrumental to my success.

What’s the most exciting thing about being a photographer?

For me, it is the depth that I communicate. Photography for me is a tool for social change and it is an instrument of communication. I believe that I can use a camera to make a difference. I want to be able to take a picture and the President of this nation will be inspired to effect a change. I specialise in documentary and social photography. I simply call it reality photography.

 How did your parents receive your career switch?

My parents have always known me to be an independent child. My mother taught us to stand on our own and as far back as when I was in JSS3; I had started going to supervise our house construction at Igando. My father is the official photographer of the University Of Lagos and it was not difficult for him to accept the change. I am sure he understood the fact that I knew what I was doing. I did not tell him I was doing photography but by the time he started to see the success I was recording, I did not have to tell him I was deep into it. I think what parents want to see is the security in whatever it is their children are involved in. The terrain of photography has been elevated and that is why parents can bring their children and ask you to train them on how to use a camera.

 Are there people you look up to?

People that have influenced me in Nigeria include Andrew Isiebor, Jide Alakija, Emeka Okereke and Adolphus Okpara.

 What’s happening to your science degree?

I have not even gone to collect my certificate, I think that can wait for now. I think it’s about knowing what you really want to do. There are people who studied engineering and are make-up artistes today. It is about finding your blue ocean, looking for that unique characteristic that defines you. Education moulds you but it should not determine who you become.

 Tell us about your latest project, 100 Unsung Heroines

Photography, for me, is a tool for social change and that is what I have been doing. Last year, I organised Photograph a Child that brought together 60 photographers, 60 volunteers and 300 children. We all went to Makoko to celebrate Children’s Day. We look for people that need help and use the camera to communicate this need. This year, we are working on 100 unsung heroines. There was a particular exhibition I was invited for and I was thinking of the kind of image I was going to take. I decided to document Nigerian women in trade and I went to Ojuwoye market. In the process of documenting Nigerian women, I discovered they are extraordinary but nobody listens to the ordinary Nigerian woman. People like Okonjo-Iweala make headlines everyday but who would put that woman roasting corn by the roadside on the front cover except she has stolen something? We have not paid attention to how we can empower the everyday woman whereas top female managers, bankers and the likes travel abroad to attend seminars. This project seeks to search, identify, highlight by photography and documentary, celebrate and empower the everyday Nigerian woman behind the scenes, who is doing exceptional things and contributing to national development. It is a big project and it is ongoing. We are working in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, United States of America consulate, Wimbiz, LEAP Africa etc.

 You have won a number of awards…

I won Future Awards in 2012 as the Creative Artist of the Year. I led a team to win MTN AfriNolly short documentary video last year where we won $25000.I won the Etisalat Photography Competition in 2012; I also came first in the Nigeria Climate Change competition.

Zidane tips Madrid for treble

Real Madrid can win the treble this season according to Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.

Madrid’s assistant coach has insisted that securing the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles is a distinct possibility.

“Of course you should discuss the possibility of winning the treble,” he told Spanish newspaper El Confidencial.

“When you play at Real Madrid you know what the objectives are. We are in three competitions and we are there.”

Madrid sit top of the La Liga standings just ahead of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. They will face Barcelona next in the Copa del Rey and will surely progress in the Champions League after beating Schalke 6-1 in the first leg of the last 16 away from home.

“We must go on, knowing that it is very difficult because there are very good teams. If you remain focused and working well, we can achieve important things.”

Madrid have been in scintillating form recently with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale scoring seemingly at will. Real have never before secured the treble and if they were to do it this season they would need to be firing on all cylinders.

“It’s an awful lot of games. You know what’s the secret? The players. We also have a very good coach who leads the group.”

Real Madrid’s next match sees them face Levante at home on Sunday in La Liga.

COEASU strike: No end in sight

Following a three-month-old strike, lecturers in Colleges of Education protested against the Federal Government’s delay in meeting their demands, writes ARUKAINO UMUKORO

Last week Wednesday, on a sunny afternoon, while their lecturers carried placards in solidarity with the nationwide protest called by the executives of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, some students at the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, were in one of the classes in the science department, taking self-organised tutorials.

It is one of the ways some ‘serious-minded’ students have kept themselves busy since COEASU embarked on a full-scale strike action last year December.

When our correspondent visited the school, a first year student was seen teaching his peers Practical Physics. He was talking about the mathematical constant and how it affected equations.

Now in its third month, the COEASU strike, despite not being a constant, has affected the school calendar of not only students at FCE, Akoka, but also those in other federal and state colleges of education nationwide.

“I don’t want to stay at home doing nothing. So, I decided to come to school and study with my group,” said one of the students among the few our correspondent met in the class. A handful of students loitered around the school’s premises, which was devoid of the usual hustle and bustle found on campuses during an academic session.

“I’m tired of the strike. We have been at home for too long.  I’m supposed to have started my project, but it’s on hold. I’m really angry. I want the Federal Government to grant the request of our lecturers so that they would call off the strike,” said Oladele Olayinka, a part three student in the Accounting department.

For business education student, Iyanu Leke, many students in colleges of education are ‘wasting away’ because of the strike. “The government should consider the future of these students. Most of us are at home doing nothing. I’m pleading with the government to answer the lecturers,” she said.

Indeed, the strike has affected the students negatively, said Mr. Oje Ebenezer, a lecturer in the Fine and Applied Arts department, and General Secretary, COEASU, Akoka chapter.

“Recently, the Students’ Union Government president said many of their female peers got pregnant during the period of the strike action. That is one bitter side of it. And whether they like it or not, the strike means an additional year for the students, if we are not able to cover the curriculum. Some students have been organising tutorials among themselves to keep themselves busy academically, because, like they say, an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. The students have pleaded with us to call off the strike, but this is not a local strike, but a national one. There is nothing we can do until the government accedes to our demands,” Ebenezer said.

FCE, Akoka is a microcosm of the current situation in the federal and state colleges of education nationwide. The national body mobilised all it chapters to adhere to the nationwide protest, which it said may last for a week.

“We are hell-bent on ensuring that our students return to the classroom. It is a critical condition. But there is no going back on the demonstration. The next step is that we would march the entire stakeholders to Abuja. We pray it doesn’t get to that extent,” COEASU National President, Mr. Asagha Nkoro, told SUNDAY PUNCH.

He decried the fact that the Federal Government had failed to respond to its demands, despite the several meetings the union executives held with it. “We met with the FG in February, but nothing came out of it, nothing has been done so far. The government pleaded that we give them till March 18. That meeting could hold and the government would say that we should wait till April. It is not their children that are out of school, but children of the less privileged,” he noted.

One of the issues in contention between the FG and COEASU is the 2010 agreement, which the former said the FG has refused to fully implement. These include the non-integration and payment of peculiar/earned allowances, non-implementation of life insurance to families of deceased members, and the non-implementation of the retirement age of 65 in many states’ colleges of education.

The other issues include poor infrastructural development in colleges of education nationwide, poor funding, neglect of teachers’ education, non-accreditation of National Certificate of Education programmes, non-release of the whitepaper on the visitation panel reports, and the imposition of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

“All the needs we have raised so far are all important. No one is less important than the other. We can only excuse the government if they say the money is not there, but we know the money is there to carry out other projects, why not do so for the development of education? The government has simply not set its priorities right,” said the chairman, COEASU, Akoka chapter, Mr. Olayanju Abolaji.

Abolaji further said that the government seemed to have taken the union for granted for so long.  He said, “The union has gone on strike repeatedly in the past but it has always called it off in no time because we are a responsible union. We are also mindful of the plight of our students and the consequences of the strike on them and nation at large.

“That is what the government is capitalising on; this is why it has not taken us seriously. But this time, we are not going back until our demands are met. We don’t mind how long it would take, it is not for our selfish gains, but it is for the interest of the entire populace. If our children are well educated, we will all enjoy it.”

He described the nation’s education sector as comatose, adding that the government was not sensitive enough to urgently address the needs of the tertiary institutions. “If the government would be objective and look at the issues sincerely, it would realise that if these demands were not addressed, it would have far-reaching consequences on the country,” he noted.

It took an over five months strike for the Federal Government to finally agree to the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities. When asked if the COEASU strike may last that long, Nkoro said, “We are not measuring our strike with that of ASUU. We have different issues, that is why we didn’t declare our action when ASUU declared its.  We thought we could continue the dialogue and the government would listen. But, they have failed us.

“That is why we have declared our strike and we don’t know where it would take us to. ASUU strike lasted for over five months, this strike is now in its third month, and nobody is saying anything. We hope this strike doesn’t continue, and it doesn’t get to the ASUU situation, but it starts little by little.”

He urged the government to ensure the strike does not linger.

Speaking with our correspondent, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Coordinating Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, Mr. Simon Nwakadu, said the government had tackled most of the issues raised by COEASU.

He said, “The Federal Government met with them (COEASU) repeatedly and has issued a position paper. The main issue is the payment of their allowances and the FG has given them an option of payment in two instalments, that’s the only issue left. There is no other issue the FG has not tackled.

“Our expectation is that the strike would end soon because the engagement with the Federal Ministry of Education and Federal Ministry of Labour has been total, the NEEDS assessment is also there. We are expecting their (COEASU) National Executive Council to come out with their position. It’s not the position of one or two officials.”

Strike cripples Kaduna health services

Recently, health workers in Kaduna State embarked on an indefinite strike to demand better welfare, GODWIN ISENYO reports

Mama Monday, as she is fondly called by admirers and customers alike, is a petty trader at the Gwamna Awan General Hospital, located at Nasarawa, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

When the hospital was fully functional, her business boomed as she always smiled home with enough to support her family with the profit from sales at the hospital. This was a major reason she said she couldn’t afford to go home early at such times, because she would have to attend to the numerous patients, nurses, doctors, other health workers and visitors to the hospital who regularly bought goods from her.

However, the scenario has changed. As early as 2pm when this reporter visited the hospital on Wednesday, Monday was already packing her wares to leave for the day. “No work since Friday,” she said, referring to the indefinite strike embarked upon by health workers in the state. Her business is the least affected.

Mrs. Gladys Akpo, who had an appointment with a doctor at the same hospital, was more disappointed as she narrated her woes. Akpo has a lymphoma on her shoulder which needed an urgent operation. “I was here (at the hospital) last Thursday, the day I was given an appointment for an operation on the affected part, but sadly, it appears nobody is on ground to carry out the operation,” she told our correspondent.

Akpo said she had no choice than to go to a private  clinic to have the lymphoma removed. She was one among hundreds of patients that are adversely hit by the on-going strike action embarked upon by health workers in the state.

The Records Department and the Outpatient Department that usually witnessed heavy human traffic on a daily basis were deserted. Except for the private security guards that mounted the main gate to the hospital, the expansive compound that housed the Gwamna Awan Hospital was completely empty.

It was the same scenario in the other three government owned-hospitals in the state: Yusuf Dantsoho General Hospital, Tudun-Wada; Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital in the heart of the metropolis; and the Gambo Sawaba General Hospital, Zaria.

Health workers in the state under the auspices of Joint Health Sector Associations/Unions withdrew their services penultimate Thursday, after the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum handed down to the state government to address the plight of the workers. The demands of the workers include the implementation of the balance of the 30 per cent Consolidated Health Salary Structure promised by the administration of the late Patrick Yakowa.

The health workers said the current administration of Governor Mukhtar Yero reneged on its promised soon after the death of Yakowa in a helicopter crash on December 15, 2012, in Bayelsa State.

According to the JOHESU Chairman, Mrs. Cecilia Musa, this development forced the body to embark on an indefinite strike. She added that the striking health workers had hoped the government would agree to their demands so as not to allow the  masses to suffer unnecessary hardship.

 She added that the action was necessary in order to push for implementation of the balance of 30 per cent Consolidated Health Salary Structure in the state as earlier promised by the government. “I have directed all our members to remain at home until  our demands are met, but we are appealing  to patients that would  be most affected by the strike to bear with union members as the strike is in the interest of everybody,” she told SUNDAY PUNCH on the telephone.

She further explained that health workers in the state had over the years been patient with the administration in the state following the death of Yakowa, and that the union wouldn’t have embarked on the strike if the government had reasoned with it during the meetings  held on February 3 and 25, 2014, where the issues were  extensively discussed.

Following the failure of the government to implement the CONHESS, the union leaders reportedly met with members and resolved that the health workers in the state should continue with the earlier suspended strike as from midnight of February 28.

Embarrassed by the action of the health workers, SUNDAY PUNCH gathered that the state government moved to stop the strike. Although, it was not clear the measures the government was going to adopt in calling off the strike, a source said the state government  does not have the finances for the 30 per cent balance.

 “The state does not have the money to implement the agreement now. However, the government will involve religious leaders in the state to broker peace among the striking workers so that they (workers) can go back to work,” said the source who pleaded anonymity because he was not permitted to speak on the matter.

Confirming this, Musa said the  governor had called on the union leaders to intimate them that the state does not have the amount to fully implement the salary structure.

She said, “The governor called some days ago to say  the government does not have the money to meet our demands but we think it does. We reminded the governor of the agreement with the previous (Yakowa) administration, in which he was the deputy. Government is a process and therefore, whatever agreement we had before is still binding.”

However, Musa debunked the claim in some quarters that the union was acting the script of some politicians in the state, adding, “This is industrial action and it has nothing to do with politics. We are not politicians and we don’t belong to any political party. As such, we are not even thinking of being used by any politician.”

As at the time of filing this report, the casualty figures owing to the strike action was yet to be collated as most of the government-owned hospital visited were still deserted. At Yusuf Dandsofo General Hospital and Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, patients were said to have been evacuated to undisclosed private clinics in the state, as a temporary measure to minimise the casualty rates.

Meanwhile, since the commencement of the strike by the health workers, private hospitals in the state have witnessed an influx of patients. According to the spokesman of the St. Gerard Catholic Hospital in the state capital, Mr. John Ali, unlike during crises periods in the state, the hospital was coping with the influx of patients.

 “We are coping well with the patients that are flooding the hospital from other hospitals in the state as result of the strike,” he said. Ali urged the state government to fulfil its part of the agreement which the health workers said it made with them.

“The government should try as much as possible to resolve it so that they (health workers) can go back to work in order to take care of the patients in the various general hospitals,” he added.

Efforts to get the reaction of the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Thot, proved abortive as he did not pick his calls or reply to the text messages sent to his telephone.

The miracle of sleep

Sleep is one of the true mysteries of nature. It is a feature of all organisms and it is enjoyed at various times during the 24 hour cycle. Some organisms like bats are known to sleep during the day, while most other organisms sleep when it’s dark.

In man, there are regulatory mechanisms for this important feature of our lives. The average individual is required to sleep an average of six to eight hours a day in order to maintain a sound body and mind. At the extremes of life, in the newborn and the very old, the total length of sleeping hours is much more. It is not usual for one to have a continuous sleeping pattern, but in brief spells at intervals in the course of the day and night.

No individual can tell the precise moment when he or she falls asleep nor can anyone say with precision when they awake. At best, one can say, ‘I slept at about this time or that time and woke up at about this time’. Even in artificially induced sleep such as anaesthesia, the mystery endures. It is not usual to determine precisely when a patient slept off. It is usually said: “He is asleep”. The precise moment of sleep is usually unknown. It is such a fundamental part of our daily existence that we sometimes take it for granted. It is one of the mysteries of nature to the extent that we do not remember to see it as a problem until we are not able to get it.

Sleeping is also important because it is only during sleep that the brain rests, in the sense that it is not supposed to be engaged in acts of active thinking and problem solving at that time. In particular, there is what is known as the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, when sleep is at its deepest. This is the period when almost all dreams occur. The sleep is so deep at this time that the person is almost unconscious. Deprivation of this aspect of sleep often causes a host of psychological and mental health problems for an individual. It lasts for no more than a few minutes during several hours of sleep, but its absence is guaranteed to have robbed that person of a certain quality of sleep.

When this aspect of rest is absent in one’s life, sleep disturbance is said to occur. It is manageable when it occurs for brief periods in the life of an individual. It is an important contributor to the onset of disease when it is a consistent feature of a person’s life. Sleep deprivation causes an impairment of judgement such that the operation of machinery, driving, the operation of sensitive equipment and performing regular tasks at work, all become impaired over time. Productivity at work, therefore, falls and the mental health status of the person could become a casualty.

Also, sleep deprivation is now associated with weight gain, obesity and even diabetes. The relationship between these is based on the disturbance of the normal regulatory processes of the hormones which modulate our metabolic processes and keep us fit. This regulatory effect, which is dependent largely on the sleep-wake cycle, becomes ineffective over time and allows the development of the sequence of events that would lead to the above problems. It is not enough to obtain a certain number of sleeping hours; this period of sleep should also be maximised to rest and viewed as a genuine relief. Thus, the sleeping position is important, as is the comfort in doing so. For example, it is not possible to compare the quality of sleep enjoyed by a man who sleeps in a wheel-barrow with that of another who sleeps on a mat or with that of yet another who sleeps on a mattress. In due course, there are consequences of this sort of pattern.

Some of these problems that arise are agitation and lack of concentration. There may be a reduction or increase in appetite, depending on the person’s nature. Anxiety symptoms may also develop that the person would eventually become ineffective at work. Over time, that individual would withdraw into his shell and is unable to maintain normal personal relationships. People around him may then be perceived as enemies or as being responsible for his plight. Any person with such erratic behaviour requires the help of a psychiatrist, who is an expert on the effects and management of the problems arising from sleep disturbance or deprivation. There is no stigma involved here. It is not equivalent to madness or insanity but if this important kind of help is not sought, then it could lead to mental illness.

In some parts of Lagos, there are people who are awake as early as 4am and prepare to get to work by 8am or earlier. Some of these people would have gone to bed not earlier than midnight because of the distances they have to commute to and from work. Frequently, there are no outward signs of trouble among such people until things get out of hand. It is a creeping illness with unique disabilities that are often missed by most of the people around such workers. It is a peculiar situation that might endure until a problem arises.

There are mechanisms some of these people have adopted to cope with the situation. They arrive early to the office and sleep until work resumes. Some find time to effectively disappear during the day to sleep for an hour or two before re-appearing to continue the work. Others close early from work in order to get home on time and sleep before 9pm. In some cases, people have an alternative accommodation where they retire after the close of work during the week, and return to their ‘real’ homes on Fridays when they can sleep as they wish.

Nature cannot be cheated and the adoption of strategies like these has helped many to prevent potential health disasters. Many others are on sedatives and hypnotics prescribed by their doctors to help them cope with the result, so much so that some have now developed some addiction to (or dependence on) these medications. Even these have their downsides, but it is good to know that there are natural ways to cope simply by adapting to one’s environment.

We, the people

IN one of his memorable works, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, the Afrobeat music genre pioneer and human rights activist, sang:

“My people self dey fear too much

We fear to fight for freedom

We fear to fight for liberty

We fear to fight for justice

We fear to fight for happiness…”

What runs through the mind of the average Nigerian when he/she sees the television images of ordinary Ukrainians marching for freedom? Or of Turks asserting their rights in the face of a government they view as authoritarian? Apparently not the evergreen lyrics of the Nigerian musician quoted above.

Last week, some groups of women took to the streets in a few cities across the country to protest the killings of over 50 schoolchildren in Yobe State and the abduction of 25 girls in Borno State by Boko Haram terror sect last month. Though symbolic, their action should make other Nigerians come to terms with the stark reality that democracy can only thrive where there is civic consciousness and where the people are prepared to claim their rights by all legal means.

Worldwide, there is an increasing recognition that citizen involvement is critical in enhancing democratic governance, improving service delivery and fostering empowerment. “Demand for Good Governance,” says the World Bank, “refers to the ability of citizens, civil society organisations and other non-state actors to hold the state accountable and make it responsive to their needs.” But here, democracy is not delivering on the universally accepted dividends of liberty and popular participation for two main reasons.

The most palpable is the incredibly incompetent, corrupt and visionless leadership. The second is an equally complacent and complicit citizenry. There is, however, nowhere that democracy is entrenched as a self-sustaining system of government on a platter. Where it thrives, representative government is sustained by the will of the people and their readiness, when necessary, to make sacrifices to protect their cherished freedoms through all legal means. To enjoy the benefits of democracy, Nigerians will have to rouse themselves from their insufferable lethargy, shake off their pre-occupation with self, ethnicity and narrow sectarianism, and stop deifying those who, by means fair or foul, occupy public office.

History and contemporary events teach that no democratic system is safe from attacks on basic freedoms, from incompetent governments or from unpopular government measures. What has seen democracies grow in strength over the centuries, despite the imperfections of man-made structures, has been the dynamism of the people. Let Nigerians learn from the US where civil rights movements, pressure groups and class action law suits help to deepen democracy. From protests over police oppression to the Occupy Wall Street marches, Americans regularly assert their right to be heard and to shape public policy. No French government toys with popular clamour since 1789 and, just recently, President Francois Hollande backed down on a proposed family law following sustained public protests. In Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Switzerland, major issues such as joining the Euro zone are subjected to referendum.

But in Nigeria, public officials get away with anything, including murder — such as when their vehicle convoys kill people. It is difficult to imagine that people will watch helplessly in any other democracy when elections are so brazenly rigged and billions of dollars plundered as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is revealed to be doing. When the Executive arm of government loses touch with the people and the parliament has a majority concerned solely with self-enrichment and self-promotion, the people suffer.

For over two decades, Nigeria has been importing petrol, despite being a major crude oil producer; kerosene is unavailable and legislators appropriate so much to themselves. Turkish people have been in a year-long peaceful protest against perceived creeping authoritarianism by the government, including street rallies lately against new laws to tighten government’s control over the internet. Rival groups of citizens have been staging mass street protests in Thailand since December 2013.

In Ukraine, mass protests have ousted President Viktor Yanukovych from power, forced changes in some laws and restored power to the people. Ukrainians were part of the “colour revolutions” that swept autocrats out of power in 2004-2010 in former Soviet republics. In Russia itself, ordinary people are staging peaceful demonstrations in continuation of the “Snow Revolution” of 2011 against electoral fraud, despite persecution, jailing and police violence. In repressive, one-party state, China, activists seeking civil rights, democracy and a halt to corruption have, since the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, used symbolic walks, blogs and other social media to peacefully press for inclusion and accountability.

Democracy requires mass participation and a resolve by everyone to preserve their freedoms through peaceful means. This translates to refusal to accept false election results as Ukrainians did in 2004 and when Filipinos swept Corazon Aquino to power through People Power in 1986 after rejecting Ferdinand Marcos’ attempt to rig the presidential poll. Nigerians must overcome the timidity that allows state governors and godfathers to solely determine who represents them by rigging elections. Democracy is a sham where the majority of “elected” officials are actually not the people’s choices.

There are ways people peacefully can demand their rights and accountability. Peaceful assemblies, rallies and marches are guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution and the Court of Appeal has affirmed this in a landmark judgement. Police insistence on permit is a flagrant abrogation of that right and should be resisted through law suits. Class Action suits — where a group of citizens jointly seek legal protection of rights — have played important roles in America’s civil rights and constitutional development. In China where the state is heavy handed, rights activists organise symbolic “walks”, wear same colour arm bands or scarves and stage plays and concerts to press for democratic reforms. In South Africa, dubbed the “protest capital of the world,” there were 540 protests in its Gauteng province alone in April and May 2013.

Villagers, community associations and groups can organise a procession to their councillors and local government chairmen to demand that roads be tarred, mini waterworks built and garbage cleared. Legislators at the state and federal levels should be confronted regularly to justify their pay. Officials are servants of the people, not their masters.

This is the time for Nigerians to regain their voice by re-enacting the heroic past. Under colonial rule, Aba women resisted oppressive taxes followed later by Egba women, under the indomitable Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti; Michael Imoudu led Nigerian workers in a nationwide strike; Mbonu Ojike’s “boycott the boycottables” campaign opposed European monopolies on goods and culture; and the late Gani Fawehinmi campaigned relentlessly through the courts and public protests against military dictators and civilian oppressors. Nigerian students at home and abroad marched for freedom. In the North, Aminu Kano, Joseph Tarka and Ibrahim Imam led mass movements to resist oppression by the dominant elite. Throughout the periods of military rule, students, trade unionists, academics, professionals and even clerics, peacefully, but doggedly, rose for the rights and the dignity of all Nigerians. The Fourth Republic was the culmination of those peaceful struggles that gained impetus after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

We must face the brutal truth: There is no external force or Messiah that will come galloping on a white horse to rescue Nigerians from corrupt leadership, election riggers and thieving parliamentarians.  The lesson across the world is that people get the kind of leaders they are willing to tolerate. Unless Nigerians rise above fear, deification of leaders, and primordial sentiments to demand accountability, the prevailing awful quality of governance, poverty and misery will continue to thrive.

Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman and philosopher, aptly summed it this way: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Boko Haram kills 582 under new service chiefs

Members of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, have killed no fewer than 582 persons and left many others injured in several attacks in the North-East since the appointment of new service chiefs, SUNDAY PUNCH investigation has shown.

These attacks are limited to those reported by the media.

President Goodluck Jonathan sacked the service chiefs and replaced them with new ones on January 16, 2014.

Jonathan elevated erstwhile Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, to the position of the Chief of Defence Staff.

Badeh replaced Admiral Ola Ibrahim. Maj.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah was named the new Chief of Army Staff to replace Lt.-Gen. Azubike Ihejirika.Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin took over from Vice-Admiral Dele Ezeoba as the Chief of Naval Staff, while Air Vice-Marshal Adesola Amosu replaced Badeh.

In spite of the change of service chiefs, Boko Haram’s attacks intensified.

On January 26, Boko Haram insurgents attacked a Catholic church in Waga Chakawa in Adamawa State and killed 30 worshippers.

The Catholic Bishop of Yola, Mamza   Stephen, said, “Some people tried to escape through the windows and the attackers shot at them. They cut peoples’ throats.”

He said the militants set off bombs, before burning houses and taking residents hostage during  the  four-hour siege.

By the end of January, the sect had killed over 115 people, including the Catholics, in two communities in Borno and Adamawa states.

On February 11, the terrorists killed no fewer than 67 people in Konduga in Borno State.

On February 15, Boko Haram attacked Izghe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State and killed at least 146 people.

The sect also killed 43 pupils on February 25, 2014, when it attacked the Federal Government College in Buni Yadi, Yobe State. The insurgents reportedly arrived at the college at about 2am in 11 vans while the pupils were already asleep.

The death toll of that attack rose to 59 by the next day.

Again, the insurgents attacked Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State three times within 24 hours. The attacks took place between March 1 and March 2.

On the night of March 1, 2014, twin bomb blasts left 52 people dead in Maiduguri. While rescue operations were on at the scene of the blasts, another set of Boko Haram insurgents attacked Mainok, a village about 50 kilometres   from Maiduguri, killing 39.

On March 2, 35 persons – 32 civilians and 3 suspected policemen – were killed during a fierce gunfight between insurgents and soldiers in Mafa, a community 45 kilometres east of Maiduguri.

It was gathered that the insurgents, armed with AA assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades, also succeeded in setting fire to the camp of the soldiers in the community.

On March 3, Zannah was reported as saying suspected Boko Haram insurgents again attacked on a Borno State community, killing 29 people.

The militants reportedly sent fliers to notify residents of the attack a week earlier.

On March 4, 2014, the violent sect attacked Jakana, a village about 35 kilometres from Maiduguri which shares border with Mainok, where 40 persons were killed.

While taking over as the new CDS at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja on January 20, 2014, Badeh had boasted that the military would bring the insurgency in the country to an end before April this year.

ECOWAS calls for integration plans

The ECOWAS Vice President, Dr Toga McIntosh, has urged the community’s Strategic Planning Coordination Committee, to develop practical and feasible strategic plans for the realisation of its integration objective.

McIntosh made the call at the eight session of the committee in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

He said Community Strategic Framework was an umbrella for ECOWAS Institutions to develop their institutional action plans within the context of the regional objective.

He described the CSF as critical to the attainment of the commission’s integration plan.

Tonga urged the committee to ensure that the plans incorporated the decision of the Council of Ministers and Heads of State and Government.

He stressed the need for collective approach to developing the plans in line with ECOWAS’ vision.

McIntosh urged the committee to adopt participatory approach with consultants, development partners and stakeholders by organising working sessions to ensure cohesion and increased productivity.

Prof. Mohamed Ndiaye, the Director General of the West African Monetary Agency, said the implementation of the recommendations of the previous SPCC meeting was important.

On his part, the ECOWAS Director for Strategic Planning, Mr Abel Essien, expressed confidence in the ability of the committee to discharge its mandate.

The SPCC was established in 2009 and made up of directors and heads of services involved in the community’s strategic decisions.

The three day meeting was aimed at endorsing the five-year strategic planning framework for ECOWAS to facilitate the achievement of its 2020 vision of a citizen- driven community.

Sultan urges Jonathan to use presidential powers to stop killings

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to use presidential powers to stop the killing of innocent prople in North East and Benue.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Abubakar spoke in Sokoto on Saturday when Jonathan paid him a courtesy visit.

“Human life is sacred. I always express sadness over the insurgency in North East and the most worrisome of it is the killing of innocent school children in Yobe.

“This is the height of madness of the insurgency and the killing must be stopped immediately,” the Sultan said.

He called on Jonathan to do everything possible to bring all political and religious leaders and all the ethnic nationalities together to tackle the insurgency.

The Sultan stressed that politics should not be played with the lives of Nigerians.

Abubakar appealed to leaders to be pious, honest and fair to all.

The monarch contended that 2015 was an issue that bothering all Nigerians.

“There should be atmosphere conducive for elections and there must be justice in whatever we do,” he said.

Abubakar stated that the visit of the President would strengthen the unity of Nigeria.

Jonathan had earlier commended the Sultan for his sustained leadership style which he said, led to prevalence of peace and unity.

The President also told the Sultan that the visit was to pay respect to him as a father.

“We are not here for campaign. But we will come back to do that and introduce our candidates.

“We are here to seek your fatherly prayers, share ideas and experiences and it is a private visit,” Jonathan said.

On his part, Gov. Aliyu Wamakko decried the killing of innocent people, urging that it should be stopped.

“Honesty, justice and fair play are attributes that are still relevant in Nigeria,” Wamakko said.

Why I accepted centenary award —Buhari

Former military Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Saturday gave reasons for accepting the centenary award.

He said he received the award from President Goodluck Jonathan at Nigeria’s centenary anniversary because of  its significance.

Buhari, however, did not state whether or not a past leader should receive such an award, if there had been disclosures of his wrongdoing while in office, when asked if a former military dictator, the late Gen. Sani Abacha, deserved such award.

He described the issuance of the centenary awards as “the beauty of the system” inside Nigeria. He said honouring leaders with awards should “not be a difficult thing,” if past leaders declare their assets, before and afterwards.

He however said, the Federal Government under the leadership of Jonathan and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party were not doing enough in fighting corruption.

He said if there is sincerity, fighting corruption is not a difficult thing.

Buhari, a leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress, said this in an online interview with SaharaReporters.

He said, “If Nigeria is serious about finding which of its leaders at which level is corrupt or not, it’s not a difficult thing.

“This PDP government with President Jonathan has a problem of fishing out corrupt officials.”

The former presidential candidate declined to state whether he would contest the presidency or not in 2015. He, however, said his supporters within the APC are insisting that he should participate in the race.

On his inclusion in the target list of the Boko Haram, he said the government had provided him with security where he lived and armed escorts when he moved about. “I honestly do not feel upset by the Boko Haram,” he added.

Presidential drama: President Jonathan’s N9bn jet refuses to fly

President Goodluck Jonathan and some top government officials on Saturday escaped an air mishap at the Minna Airport, Niger State, when a presidential jet developed a technical fault, while they were aboard.

The presidential jet, Nigerian Air Force 001 (5N-FGT), had earlier conveyed Jonathan to Minna for the -Peoples Democratic Party’s North-Central rally which held at the Trade Fair Centre, Minna.

At the end of the rally, the President returned to the airport in company with top government officials, PDP state governors and party chiefs for a trip to Sokoto, from where he was scheduled to return to Abuja.

However, several minutes after Jonathan had bade farewell to those who accompanied him to the airport, and the door of the aircraft was shut, the aircraft failed to move.

After many attempts, crew members and engineers disembarked from the aircraft and made spirited efforts to fix the fault as armed security men took strategic positions around it.

While this was going on, Vice-President Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate, David Mark; all PDP governors, members of the National Assembly and members of the Federal Executive Council were watching under the scorching sun.

When it became obvious that the fault could not be easily fixed, the commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air Vice Marshal Uko Ebong, ordered that a smaller presidential jet, 5N-FGW, which conveyed the Vice-President to the state be brought to fly Jonathan.

Jonathan disembarked from the faulty jet at about 3.30pm and quickly moved to the smaller aircraft.

He later left the airport in the smaller aircraft at about 3:35pm, leaving behind some of his co-occupants in the bigger jet.

Sambo also had to join Mark in another smaller presidential jet, 5N-FGV, which had earlier conveyed the Senate President to the state. Senator Barnabas Gemade and a few other dignitaries also joined them.

Those who were with the President in the faulty aircraft before they disembarked included the National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu; Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Tony Anenih; former chairman of the party,  Ahmadu Ali; former  Sokoto State Governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, and some presidential aides.

At the time of filing this report, engineers were still battling with the faulty jet on the tarmac in the deserted airport while officials of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria were seen taking notes.

Some security men were left behind to keep watch on the aircraft.

When asked for what was wrong with the aeroplane, an official of FAAN simply said, “The return engine refused to pick.”

Another source who pleaded anonymity, said the hot temperature in the city led to the fault.

“What the commander said was that the high temperature affected the engine of the aircraft,” he said.

When asked why the hot weather did not affect the two other presidential jets, the source explained that the Air Force 001 is “more digitalised than others.”

The incident occurred despite the fact that in the past four years, at least N48bn has been allocated to the Presidential Air Fleet, a range of 11 luxurious aircraft which are at the disposal of the President.

According to the 2014 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan through the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, in December 2013, a total of N4.91bn was earmarked for the Presidential Air Fleet.

For the maintenance of the 10 aircraft currently in the Presidential Air Fleet, N1.52bn was allocated.

This was apart from the N747m earmarked for the purchase of aviation fuel for the aircraft already in the fleet.

The government earmarked the sum of N2.66bn for other expenses on the PAF, including international trainings for the fleet’s personnel, rehabilitation/renovation/repairs of the PAF Barracks, completion of a hangar project, tyre bay tools and equipment, insurance premium, cleaning and fumigation services, 797 units of LG 2HP air conditioners for the PAF Barracks and refreshment and meals.

For the year 2013, a total of N7.5bn was allocated the Presidential Air Fleet, while in 2012, N15.6m was allocated for personnel costs; N969m for overheads, which included spare parts, checks, aviation fuel; and N16.8bn was allocated for a brand new plane for the presidency.

In 2011, an N18bn allocation to the PAF was tucked under a N105bn budgetary allocation to the “Intelligence Community.”

Also, in the 2010 proposal, the Presidency had proposed the acquisition of four new aircraft for the presidential fleet and had made a budget provision of N23.4bn in that budget for them.

Experts have put the combined estimated value of the 10 planes in the presidential fleet at about $390.5m (N60.53bn).

50 gunmen attack Enugu govt house

Security personnel foiled an attempt by about 50 armed men to forcefully gain control of the Enugu State Government House  in the early hours of Saturday.

Police officers, men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and soldiers were among the security operatives who shot several times at the invaders and prevented them from gaining entry into the government house.

SUNDAY PUNCH learnt that one of the attackers was killed during the shoot-out and three others were arrested.

The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sullivan Chime, Mr. Chukwudi Achife confirmed the incident.

He said the shoot-out lasted till about 4.30am, adding that no security personnel was injured during the attack.

Achife added that the arrested persons, along with some of the weapons, have been handed over to the Enugu State Police Command for further investigations.

A police source told our correspondent that the attackers arrived the government house in seven buses and parked about 400metres from the gate.

He said, “They carried flags with different inscriptions and insignia belonging to some secret cults.”

They were said to have told the security men to open the gate claiming that they were at the government house on a protest.

According to eyewitness account, when one the NSCDC officials opened the gate to ask why they decided to come in the night, one of the invaders made attempts to forcefully open the gate.

“Sensing that there was danger, the security operatives rushed out only to see many of them with machetes, giving orders to their members to move into the government house,” said an eyewitness.

It was gathered that the security operatives succeeded in repelling them after hours of shooting.

They had pursued them from the government house premises into the Independence Layout but only succeeded in arresting three o f the invaders.

Chances of reducing LASU fee near zero — Lagos govt

The Interim Publicity Secretary of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, who spoke for the Lagos State Government, tells ALLWELL OKPI, that the hike of the Lagos State University school fee is to the benefit of both rich and poor

The hike in the Lagos State University tuition fee has been controversial from the beginning. Why was it done?

The decision to increase the fees at LASU was a collective decision. In taking this decision, Governor Babatunde Fashola and his team focused on the big picture; that is giving the best to Lagosians for a small input. Governor Fashola and his team never envisaged that Lagosians would swallow it hook, line and sinker. They understand the economic situation in the country. They believe it is better for parents to squeeze themselves to pay a little higher fee for their children to get the real education instead of folding their arms, accepting whatever they are ready to pay and producing half-baked graduates, illiterate graduates and unemployable graduates. Governor Fashola took the decision to raise the fees not because he likes punishing parents but because he believes that only the best is good for Lagosians in the Centre of Excellence, hence the need for the hard decision. There is something he is seeing that we the parents are not seeing. We need to support the leader we all trusted with power to give us the best.

Don’t you think the hike is anti-people, considering that many parents in Lagos cannot afford to pay the fee for their children?

The decision should not be seen as anti-people. To build a world-class university, you need to pay the price. Go to LASU today and you will see that the structures springing from there are not funded entirely from the school fees. Lagos State Government is going the extra mile to build a university that will stand the test of time; a university that will fit the status of Lagos State, which would be well-respected across the globe. This school fee palaver came up two years ago and I wonder why it is coming up again this year. Is it because elections are coming? The Lagos State Government has made it clear that the hike in fee is not for the already admitted students. It is for the new intakes. This means that if you were in year one when the decision was taken, you will pay the old fee till you graduate. Parents must know that standard and qualitative education must cost them something. The only way you can beat poverty is to get good education. That is what Governor Fashola is trying to give Lagosians. We may not see what he is seeing now but tomorrow we will see it. Parents in Lagos should also take note that the state government has increased the bursary awards for students. There is also the scholarship scheme to be exploited by parents.

Some people have said the hike in LASU fee is one of many evidences that Fashola has been running an elitist government that has brought hardship to the masses. 

Anybody in his wildest imagination, who is suggesting that Governor Fashola is running an elitist government in Lagos, cannot get it. That person is adding two and two to get 10, not four. All his decisions are taken in the interest of all Lagosians and this I can tell you. When some elites tried to stop the expansion of Lekki-Epe expressway, Governor Fashola boldly went to the construction site to engage them and he won the expansion of that road for the rich and the poor. Governor Fashola also built the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge against the complaints and protests from the elite in Ikoyi. Today, both the poor and the rich enjoy Lekki-Ikoyi bridge; same for Okota-Ejigbo link bridge. Rich residents of Okota felt the construction of that bridge would expose them to hoodlums from Ejigbo but Governor Fashola ignored them and today, both the rich and the poor are using the Okota-Ejigbo link bridge. Banning of Okada (commercial motorcycles) from plying some roads in Lagos was done to save the lives of both the rich and the poor. Others may not see it but we are seeing the results of the ban today. Crime rate has gone down by 80 per cent. Okada-related accidents have reduced by 80 per cent. Are you telling me that the rebuilding of almost all the schools in Lagos is done to please the rich only? Are you telling me that almost all the hospitals in Lagos are being rebuilt for the rich only? Are you suggesting that all the roads, including the Itire-Okota bridge, were constructed for the rich only? Are we saying the new Lagos housing scheme is for the rich only? Or is the huge investment in security in Lagos for the rich only? We need to grow up.

Now that the Academic Staff Union of Universities has intervened in the situation, what would the state government do?

It all depends on what ASUU is bringing to the table. ASUU has just received  N200bn for the reconstruction of our universities, which means they are on the same page with Governor Fashola. Nigeria is losing hundreds of billions every year to universities in nearby countries like Benin Republic and Ghana. ASUU members would not want to lose their jobs because the students they are teaching are moving in droves to Ghana and other countries. I guess ASUU’s engagement with Governor Fashola will be constructive and idea driven. I expect that they will see the big picture also and respectfully think out of the box. ASUU will come to realise that Governor Fashola is not on the wrong side of history. They will come to Alausa to learn that in politics, moving the ball is harder than to rest in our executive chairs to issue statements.

Will the state government reduce the fee due to pressure from ASUU and public outcry?

That decision will be left to the governor and his team. If there is compelling need to do so, I think the governor will travel that road. The decision to rebuild LASU to a world-class university is an idea which time has come. In my almost 10-year experience in the public service of Lagos State, I have come to realise that a leader who knows where he is going can take hard decisions and allow history to be his witness. Consequently, I think the chances that the fee will be slashed at LASU approaches zero very closely, without touching zero. Accepting mediocrity, primitive leadership and weak institutions in the name of cutting cost is not a good advertisement for effective leadership.

The ASUU president said state-owned universities should provide the platform for affordable education for the citizens; that it’s not to be run for profit. Don’t you agree?

I have told you that the Lagos State Government is making huge investment in LASU and it is not being done with the fees they are paying only. Any decision that has been taken in Lagos has always been a product of good thinking and robust debate. It has always been done, bearing in mind that tomorrow will come. The state government is not unmindful of the fact that the new fee will put additional burden on parents but if that is what it takes to produce LASU graduates that will compete with their counterparts all over the world, let it be.

Would the state government negotiate with ASUU and shift ground, if the lecturers go on strike over this issue?

My prayer is that ASUU will not even contemplate going on strike no matter the stand of the Lagos State Government on the issue at stake. By the time they meet Governor Fashola in a friendly atmosphere, I’m sure they will be convinced beyond reasonable doubts that he did not follow the road less traveled.

Has the Lagos State Government resolved the LASU crisis, which also had to do with the new school fee?

This is a political season and we can understand it very well. However, this matter will be resolved amicably and quickly too. Good leaders all over the world do listen, consider and act. And Governor Fashola is not an exception. LASU is not owned by Governor Fashola and his family. He has nothing to gain from the situation at LASU.

Fuel scarcity: FG gives marketers 48hrs deadline

The Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has 48 hours to end the fuel scarcity being experienced in Lagos and other parts of the country.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, gave the marketers the deadline to end the fuel queues.

To achieve this, the PPMC said it would supply about 110 million litres of petrol to various filling stations in Lagos on Monday.

The Executive Director, Commercials, PPMC, Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, said this was geared restoring normal fuel supply.

Komolafe told journalists in Lagos on Friday that over 74 million litres of petrol had already been distributed in Lagos and its environs, adding that with the level of fuel  distribution across the country, normalcy would return to filling stations by Monday.

He said that he had been directed by the minister to resume in Lagos and clear all queues in filling stations within 48 hours.

He explained that the PPMC had met with the NNPC, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, to ensure that the fuel scarcity was ended.

He said, “We have engaged all stakeholders including the NNPC, MOMAN, IPMAN, and the NNPC retail managers to find a lasting solution to the lingering fuel situation.

“The NNPC is expected to supply 50 per cent of petrol to the distribution chain, while other marketers supply 50 per cent. We have put in place measures that will ensure free flow of petrol in all filling stations in Lagos.”

Komolafe said that all hands were on deck to return normalcy to the fuel supply chain in the country.

He said, “We have put in some measures to halt what is described as artificially induced fuel scarcity noticeable in some parts of the country particularly in Lagos and its environs. It is pertinent to state for the umpteenth time that there is no plan by the Federal Government to increase the price of petrol.

“Once again, we appeal to marketers to refrain from hoarding and to members of the public not to engage in panic buying. We are convinced that in the days ahead, the fuel situation will normalise as there is enough petrol to go round.’’

Komolafe said that several vessels from major marketers had berthed to discharge petrol in order to increase fuel supply in the country.

“We have discharged a vessel, Alzea, with 30 million litres; Ocean Centrum, belonging to NIPCO with 22 million litres, and Vinte Entwerpriser, with 22 million litres. The vessels are currently discharging at Apapa, IBM Jetty, Capital Jetty and SPM Jetty in Lagos.”

He said that an additional 110 million litres would be discharged next week as part of the measures put in place by the NNPC to end the scarcity fuel scarcity in Lagos.

“While we intensify the ongoing direct monitoring of fuel situation across Lagos and its environs, we are providing extra volume of product to eliminate the noticeable queues arising from the induced scarcity,” he added

The Executive Secretary, MOMAN, Mr. Obafemi Olawore, said that four vessels were expected to berth in Lagos ports this week.

He, therefore, gave an assurance of effective petroleum distribution to all stations across the country, and warned marketers to desist from hoarding the product.

He said, “We are still expecting more vessels from MOMAN, IPMAN, DAPPMA and other marketers to strengthen the existing supply. We implore members of the public to avoid panic buying and storing of fuel in residential areas. We will not hesitate to sanction any marketers found hoarding products.’’

The fuel scarcity worsened last week following the delay in releasing the import allocation for the first quarter by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency.

This, petroleum marketers said, led to the drying up of petroleum product stocked by most marketers and it triggered off a nationwide fuel scarcity.

The  Chairman, South-West chapter, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, Mr. Tokunbo Korodo, confirmed to our correspondent that most of the depots in the country were already empty, adding that the available product could not meet the national demand, hence the queues.

As such, many motorists spent long hours in queues at the few filling stations that had the product to sell while the petroleum marketers profiteered selling a litre of petro for as high as N200 in some parts of the country.

“Had it been that the government was proactive enough to give approval to them (marketers) in time, we will not be in this situation; and now, we should be thinking about the approval for the second quarter because this is March already,” he said.

In an attempt to arrest the situation, the NNPC on Thursday said that it supplied over 209 million litres of fuel to Lagos and other neighbouring cities in 24 hours (Wednesday).

The acting Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Dr. Omar Ibrahim, in a statement, said efforts were being made to return normalcy to the fuel supply chain in the country.

Ibrahim said several vessels were being allocated to the MOMAN to ensure the nation got enough product, adding that NIPCO, Conoil  and others also had their vessels discharging to clear up the queues.

He was quoted as saying, “I can confirm to you that the NNPC has allocated additional vessels laden with petrol to MOMAN and other suppliers and they are currently discharging the products at Atlas Cove, Apapa, IBM jetty, Capital Jetty and SPM jetty in Lagos.”

He disclosed that other vessels were also discharging fuel at Port Harcourt and Oghara in Delta State, adding that the queues would thin out in the next few days.

National Confab: Badagry protest exclusion

The Ogu/Egun ethnic nationality in the Badagry area of Lagos State, under the aegis of Gunuvi Rights Initiative of Nigeria, has protested against their exclusion from the national conference being convened by the Federal Government.

The group said the state government marginalised Badagry indigenes by excluding them from the list of six persons sent to represent the state at the national conference.

The National President of GRIN, Mr. Bokoh Oluwole and Secretary-General, Mr. Ogunbiyi Isaac, in a letter to Governor BabatundeRajiFashola, dated March 4, said the representation of Lagos State in the confab should have reflected the cultural and ethnic configuration of the state.

The letter entitled: “Unfair exclusion of Ogu/Egun ethnic nationality from Lagos State list of names to the national confab,” was obtained by SUNDAY PUNCH in Abuja.

GRIN said Ogu/Egun ethnic nationality which “constitutes the pivot of western civilisation in Nigeria,” deserves a place of pride in matters of national significance.

Ghana, Benin beat Nigeria on political freedom index

Ghana and Benin Republic have been rated higher than Nigeria in terms of respect for political rights and civil liberties.

The recent report, which was published by the Freedom House, an international non-governmental organisation that supports the expansion of freedom worldwide, classified the two West-African countries as free, while Nigeria was classified as partly free.

One was the rating for the most free  country, while seven was the rating for the least free country in terms of political rights and civil liberties, individually. Nigeria was rated four in both categories, among 195 countries and 14 related and disputed territories.

The report stated, “Partly free countries are characterised by some restrictions on political rights and civil liberties, often in a context of corruption, weak rule of law, ethnic strife or civil war.”

In the Map of Freedom 2014 published by the organisation, Nigeria and some other African countries such as Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Togo were among the 59 partly free countries; while Cameroon and Gabon were classified as not free.

The global status by population showed that 40 per cent of the world population is free, 25 per cent partly free while 35 per cent is not free.

According to the report, 10 countries were given the lowest possible rating of seven for both political rights and civil liberties. They were Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

A human rights lawyer, Mr. Festus Keyamo, said Nigeria had yet to experience total freedom in terms of exercising its civil liberties.

He said, “We do know as a fact that there are still some impediments in the way of having total freedom from abuse of human rights and political rights in Nigeria. The truth of the report cannot be questioned. We cannot seriously dispute it.”

‘Cellphones can’t cause explosion at petrol stations’

Co-founder of Apple Computer, Steve Wozniak, has dismissed the long-held belief that the use of mobile phones at petrol stations could cause explosions.

Wozniak, who was the guest speaker at a leadership seminar organised by MTN in Port Harcourt on Friday, described the claim as ridiculous.

The American inventor, electronics engineer and computer programmer, who was reacting to questions from participants at the event, said the mobile phones do not have the capacity to cause any harm in such an environment.

Wozniak maintained that the radiation in any cellphone was low and not capable of causing fire outbreak.

He added that no research from engineers and inventors had given contrary results.

“It is ridiculous to say that cellphones should not be used in filling stations. The radiation in any cell phone is not much; the radiations in cellphones are so low and cannot cause any harm in fuel stations. I have not discovered it in my research,” Wozniak told his audience.

Wozniak, who also disclosed how he met his late friend, Steve Jobs, said he initially worked with Hewlett-Packard before setting up a company with Jobs.

Explaining that he became a genius in computer programming because he was always competing with himself, Wozniak urged would-be inventors to look for inventors and learn how they started.

The world-renowned inventor expressed optimism that the computer would solve the problem of teaching, saying, “The world is looking for the best teacher and I hope that one day, the computer will be able to solve the problem of teaching.

“The computer will one day be the answer and could become the best teacher in literature, cooking, chemistry, etc. For you to be an inventor, it is necessary for you to look for people who have built things.”

Poisonous gas: LASEPA detects carbide in school

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency on Friday discovered huge quantities of carbide at the Ogba Junior Grammar School, where 13 pupils had fainted after inhaling a poisonous gas on Thursday.

The school has been shut and the affected pupils taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Ikeja.

General Manager of LASEMA, Mr. Shabi, told that he discovered the carbide, which is suspected to be the source of the gas, when he paid a visit to the school on Friday.

He said, “I was at the school and we discovered that the school had a poultry and that they also had large quantities of carbide. Carbide is a strong chemical which can be poisonous when it reacts with other substances. We were informed by the school authorities that they use the carbide to line the tracks on the field during sports. We have taken samples and should come out with our report in a few days.”

Our correspondents, who visited the hospital on Saturday were not allowed to talk  to the students, due to the absence of the Chief Medical Director, Prof. David Adewale Oke.

The Community Chairman of Oluwole-Ogba, Ojodu Local Council Development Area, Mr. Sharafadeen Bashorun, however told that the poisonous gas could have emanated from a photo lab close to the school.

Bashorun said the chemicals in the lab were still intact and could be the source of the second explosion.

He said, “My suspicion is that the photo lab that was locked during the first explosion in November still has all the materials and chemicals intact.”

An owner of a shop in Ogba Shopping Arcade told one of our correspondents that the gas couldn’t have originated from the arcade.

She said, “I find it puzzling that the gaseous substance was said to have come from the arcade, and yet, I did not perceive any strange smell. It could not have been from here (the arcade), because the photo laboratory has been sealed off since last year.”

Kenyan president, ministers take pay cut

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced he and his deputy William Ruto will be taking a 20-percent pay cut and ministers’ salaries will be reduced by 10 percent in a bid to rein in the country’s soaring public wage bill.

 The pay cuts will take place “with immediate effect,” Kenyatta said in a speech on Friday, adding that the current spending levels were unsustainable.

 The government will also limit foreign travel to only the most essential trips, according to Kenyatta. “Wastage in my government will be significantly reduced,” he said.

 “We are spending 400 billion shillings ($4.6 billion, 3.3 billion euros) every year paying salaries; it leaves us only from our own resources a figure of 200 billion shillings to transform Kenya,” Kenyatta said.

 “This is why we are saying that is the ratio which is not sustainable… We need to deal with this monster if we are to develop this nation.”

 MPs last year reluctantly took a 40-percent pay cut, bringing their monthly pay checks down to around 532,000 shillings ($6,100, 4,400 euros).

 The lawmakers had initially voted to give themselves a pay rise, sparking protests from activists, before agreeing to accept the salary reduction ordered by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission in return for other benefits.

PDP will recover Kwara, Nasarawa from APC —Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday said the Peoples Democratic Party will win all the states in the North-Central during the 2015 general elections.

He also promised to win back Kwara State, where Governor  Abdulfatah Ahmed, has defected from PDP to the opposition All Progressives Congress.

The President said although the state belonged to the PDP, some people had “surreptitiously” taken the mandate elsewhere.

Jonathan spoke at the PDP North-Central rally held at the Trade Fair Complex, Minna, Niger State.

While also promising to retrieve Nasarawa State, the President said the kind of crisis currently being recorded in the state did not happen when PDP was in charge.

He said, “Today, we are in the North-Central and we can say boldly that we will retain Niger State come 2015, no shaking. PDP will retain Kogi State, no shaking. PDP will retain Benue State, no shaking. PDP will retain Plateau State, no shaking.

“PDP will surely recover Kwara State. We won that state and some people have surreptitiously taken the state somewhere, as they are changing from one colour to the other like chameleons. PDP will surely take over, recover and reconstruct Kwara State, no shaking.

“PDP will surely recover, reconstruct and rebuild Nasarawa State. When PDP ruled Nasarawa State, there was no crisis in the state.”

Jonathan also carpeted members of the PDP, who recently defected to the APC, describing them as chameleons that could not be trusted.

He said, “Some people have been in the PDP for 14 years holding various offices. They were ministers, they were commissioners, they were speakers, they were governors, they were this; they were that.

“People who have been with the PDP for 14 years and they are telling you they left PDP because they are progressives, that means that all these years, they have been practising anti-progressive activities in the PDP and they were problems to us.”

Again, the Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, was absent at the rally, which was attended by the Vice-President, Namadi Sambo; the Senate President, David Mark; PDP National Chairman, Adamu Muazu; Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Tony Anenih; and PDP states governors.

Earlier, while speaking at the Minna Airport, Niger State, during a meeting with the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, and other traditional rulers, before proceeding to the venue of the rally, Jonathan said elections must be won by the PDP.

EPL: Chelsea thrash 10-man Tottenham 4-0

Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points after a 4-0 win over Tottenham.

After a largely forgettable first half at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, the game sprang into life on 56 minutes.

Samuel Eto’o – only starting the game thanks to an injury to Fernando Torres in the pre-match warm-up – intercepted a Jan Vertonghen back-pass to fire home under Hugo Lloris.

Then just minutes later, Eto’o won a penalty off Younes Kaboul as he went down under his challenge in the box. The Spurs man saw red and Eden Hazard tucked away the spot-kick.

The Chelsea win was sealed with just a couple of minutes left as substitute Demba Ba helped himself to two goals in two minutes.

His first came as Sandro’s slip allowed him to fire home from close range, before yet another defensive blunder from Spurs, this time from Kyle Walker’s headed back-pass, saw him control and stroke the ball past Lloris.

The result was harsh on Spurs, who had set up with a shape looking to contain Chelsea, and they were more than doing their job until a defensive error from Vertonghen opened the door for Jose Mourinho’s side.

The victory extended Mourinho’s unbeaten Premier League home record to 75 games and took Chelsea seven clear of Liverpool and Arsenal, and nine clear of third-placed Manchester City – who do have three games in hand.

Chelsea had made one change following the win at Fulham – Frank Lampard replacing Oscar – but Torres’ late blow brought in Eto’o, who was caught narrowly offside in the opening minute.

Three minutes later, the Cameroon striker was found by Andre Schurrle and played the ball on to Hazard, who rounded Lloris but fired into the side-netting with the goal empty.

It was a glorious opportunity and a surprising miss for a player enjoying a scintillating season.

But Spurs had their chances too. Nabil Bentaleb found himself through on goal in the left channel following Emmanuel Adebayor’s header down, but the Algerian midfielder snatched at his shot, with his team-mates queueing up.

Greater conviction, one way or the other, would likely have seen Spurs take the lead.

Petr Cech had to be alert when Gary Cahill’s clearance went only as far as Sandro, whose volley was well saved.

Spurs were having the better of the action, but Chelsea lurked menacingly for their chance.

A loose Bentaleb pass presented Eto’o with the ball, but the striker was forced wide by a combination of the midfielder and Kaboul and shot into the side-netting.

Oscar replaced Lampard at the interval and Chelsea’s reshuffled midfield left Vertonghen in space, but his attempted lob never troubled Cech.

Kaboul headed straight at Cech from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s corner and Schurrle twice had tame efforts at the other end before pressurising Vertonghen into a blind panic.

The Belgian slipped and, from the ground, returned the ball hopefully and centrally before watching on helplessly as Eto’o nipped in to find the bottom corner.

Moments later, it was two when Hazard’s cross behind the Spurs defence found Eto’o and Kaboul was adjudged to have tripped the striker, who tumbled to the turf.

Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, then reached for his pocket to dismiss Kaboul.

Hazard sent Lloris the wrong way to give Chelsea a two-goal advantage with 30 minutes remaining.

The Belgium forward tried to tee up Eto’o in the 75th minute, but the pass was short and the striker was then replaced by Ba.

Oscar snatched at a shot when played in by fellow substitute Willian before Ba benefited from more hapless Spurs defending.

Sandro, who dropped into centre-back following Kaboul’s departure, was unable to deal with Oscar’s cross and Ba tucked in.

Another followed when Lloris’ clearance kick looped into the air and Walker inexplicably headed backwards towards the goalkeeper. Ba intercepted the ball before passing into an empty net.