Leicester city 6,000-1 to win the league again

Leicester City's primary target this season is to avoid relegation, according to their coach Claudio Ranieri.

Leicester defied odds of 5000-1 by claiming a shock Premier League title last season, finishing 10 points ahead of their nearest rivals Arsenal.

Ranieri says it is even more unlikely that they will emerge on top in 2016-17 and is therefore setting safety as the No. 1 objective, although he is not ruling out delivering more success for the Foxes while keeping a low profile.

"The fundamental concept is to start from scratch," Ranieri told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "We've won the title and it was beautiful and fantastic, it was maybe an unrepeatable achievement, but now we turn the page.

"If at the start of last season the bookmakers had us down as 5000-1 shots, then this time we start at 6000-1. Our objective to start the season with is to reach 40 points and stay up.

"Then, once we've reached that objective, we can raise the bar: finish in the top 10, [qualify for] the Europa League, a place in the Champions League. And maybe we can win one of the five trophies will be challenging for: Community Shield, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League. That is our running order, step by step."

Ranieri is aware of how difficult the season will be, though, not only with everybody keen on deposing his team from their throne. And then there is the added burden of Champions League football which his squad have got to get used to.

Oggi in #primapagina il discorso del Re: parla in esclusiva Sua Maestà Claudio Ranieri. E tutto sul calciomercato... pic.twitter.com/LF1zUH2cD0

- LaGazzettadelloSport (@Gazzetta_it) July 18, 2016 

"The Champions League is a fascinating adventure, but it burns copious amounts of energy, particularly psychologically," the 64-year-old said. "Were going to have to learn to live with this extra distribution of strength and be good at lifting ourselves up again.

"We might therefore lose a few more games and that's where we will see how capable we are of reacting."

Mourinho the new Fergi

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho can be the new Sir Alex Ferguson, according to Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri.

Louis van Gaal's United finished the 2015-16 season in fifth place, 15 points behind title-winning Leicester, but the arrival of Mourinho to replace the Dutchman has changed expectations.

Leading bookmakers are all offering much shorter odds on United becoming champions rather than Leicester retaining their crown -- with United being considered second favourites behind Manchester City, while Leicester are not seen to be among the frontrunners.

In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Ranieri said: "Mourinho can be the new Ferguson. He will not stay 26 years, but he will leave his imprint."

Mourinho has not lasted more than three full seasons at any of the previous six clubs that he has managed, so far in his career, meaning that his ability to leave a legacy has been questioned.

At his former club Chelsea, Ranieri is impressed by the potential of Antonio Conte and backed the Italian to have a lot of fun at Stamford Bridge.

"Antonio and Chelsea were made to like each other," he added. "They still have to get to know each other well and not let their inevitable cultural differences get between them, but if they follow his lead at Cobham then we're going to see a Chelsea like Italy [at Euro 2016]. They're going to have a lot of fun in London."

Ranieri also spoke in glowing terms of the work being done by Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp at Tottenham and Liverpool respectively.

"[Mauricio] Pochettino was an exemplary rival for Leicester at Tottenham last season and he's working really well," he said.

"[Jurgen] Klopp starts off with the advantage of having broken the ice and got to know the Premier League. Even he seems perfect for the special atmosphere that there is in Liverpool."

Neymar out

Neymar has missed the shortlist for UEFA's Best Player in Europe award, but Pepe will go up against Real Madrid and Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Portugal defender Pepe is included after a season in which he won the Champions League with Los Blancos before winning Euro 2016 with Portugal.

But Neymar, who scored 31 goals in 49 appearances for Barcelona as they retained their La Liga and the Copa del Rey titles, missed out.

The 10-man list is compiled using votes from journalists across UEFA's 55 member associations and includes Gareth Bale, Gianluigi Buffon, Antoine Griezmann, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Luis Suarez as well as Pepe, Ronaldo and Messi.

No Premier League players make the cut but Leicester duo Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy and West Ham's Dimitri Payet finished just outside the top 10.

Secrets to Instant Business Success Revealed

Every new business that has ever existed started out with one common goal: be successful. Yours is no different, and you should be eager to earn it as soon as possible.

Many business guides will tell you that it’s impossible to become an overnight triumph. But we’ve seen far too many examples to dispel that myth. If you follow the right pathway, there’s nothing to stop you achieving success almost immediately.


The biggest challenge, especially as an inexperienced entrepreneur, is to make the most of your resources. If you can master this one task, then you should find yourself on a very fruitful track. That’s not to suggest that hard work won’t be involved, but the rewards will easily justify those efforts.

One of the best lessons to learn at an early stage is that every great business owner is supported by an equally adept team. It takes many different cogs to get the engine purring. By assembling the best staff, you’ll have a far greater chance of achieving your goals.

The importance of your employees is far too great to ignore. Quite frankly, acquiring the help of professional recruitment services must be considered. After all, no business owner wants to be let down by an inadequate staff. Besides, the time it’ll save allows you to concentrate on your personal challenges too.

Having a great team will lay the foundations for better success, but it’s far from being the only crucial aspect. You’ve also got to ensure that they have the right facilities to thrive. Bad workmen aren’t the only ones that blame their tools. If your team haven’t got the resources to shine, then productivity levels will suffer a blow.

The facilities required will depend largely on the environment. The modern office, for example, can benefit from cloud computing and better software packages. Meanwhile, shop floor workers will be more appreciative of better point-of-sale systems. The key is to look at your business model and think about the features that will best suit the needs of the company and its employees.

One of the most crucial aspects to get right, however, is your marketing strategies. You can be producing the best items in the world, but it will count for nothing if nobody is willing to buy. Winning over customers is the biggest challenge that any company owner faces. If you succeed, though, it will pave the way for huge success.

In the physical world, choosing a suitable location is vital. People aren’t going to go out of their way for your products if they can get them elsewhere. Meanwhile, you also want to make accessibility easy, so think about car parking and other facilities.

As far as building interest is concerned, you should be keen to use promotional materials to establish a buzz around the business. Once you can get people into your grounds, there’s a far better chance of turning that excitement into sales. Similarly, you can run special offers such as Buy Two Get One Free deals. You might make less profit per item, but the overall takings will increase. This can be a fantastic method for gaining instant success.

In today’s climate, though, offline sales isn’t the only crucial area for business. We are living in a digital age. By now, your eyes should be open to the benefits of selling online. Therefore, building a well-designed and enticing website is vital.

Most businesses do this. Where many of them aren’t so successful, though, is using it to convert sales. This is because many of them don’t understand how to use web analytics to their advantage. In the absence of human interaction, this is your key to better market research. You’ll gain a deeper appreciation of what the customer wants and needs. Use this to tailor the business accordingly, and you should see great results.

Every entrepreneur enters the world of business with a clear vision. It’s great to have a plan of action. But don’t be afraid to veer off-road. It’s all about supply and demand. The customer is always right. Give them what they want, and you can’t go far wrong.

It’s important to acknowledge the fact that business is built on the foundation of great relationships. If a customer can buy into the brand, they are more likely to part with their cash too. Even if you are dealing with the offline audience, this is very much possible. Offer great customer care, and those bonds will go a long way to gaining success.

Not only will it increase the chances of repeat business, but those customers are likely to spread the word too. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools for any marketing strategy. Quite frankly, it’s one of the best ways to encourage an overnight influx of interest and sales too.

Ultimately, though, business comes down to one word. That word is money. It is the most important factor at all times. However, there is no doubt that it plays an even bigger role in those early stages. Make sure that you give it the necessary attention.

That means keeping an eye on expenses. You don’t want to make cuts that will reduce productivity or the quality of goods. But it’s still imperative to run the business in a cost-effective manner. One of the best ways to do this is by finding the best deals on insurances, energy rates and other indirect costs.

Modern entrepreneurs are blessed with various shortcuts to keep costs down. Nevertheless, it will require capital to get your business off the ground. Acquiring this through business loans, investors or crowd-funding will speed up the growth of your company. There’s nothing more frustrating than seeing your dreams put on hold due to cash flow problems. Meanwhile, it’s equally important to monitor the finances on a regular basis.

This is the only way to know when the time is right for expansion. Similarly, it will open your eyes to which ideas are working. After all, even when you follow a blueprint, building a business still requires trial and error. Keep your eyes peeled for ways to improve, and you’ll reach your goals far sooner.

Toyosi Phillips

Toyosi Phillips is out with a new episode of “As Toyo Sees“. On this episode she is talking about the fact that black lives matter no matter where you are.

She says “I’ve heard Nigerians in Nigeria complain about how we’re drinking Panadol for America’s headache. Here’s why I think, Nigerians in Nigeria should care about the Black Lives Matter movement.”

Watch below.

what we know so far

Eighty-four people were killed after a truck
ploughed through crowds of people
celebrating Bastille Day in the southern

French city of Nice.
Here is what we know so far about the
attack that the Islamic State group claims
was carried out by one of its "soldiers".
- How did the attack unfold? -
A white 19-tonne rented refrigerator truck
slammed into the crowd on Nice's seafront
around 10:45 pm (2045 GMT) Thursday.
Some 30,000 people had gathered on the
glitzy beachfront avenue, the Promenade
des Anglais, to watch a firework show for
France's national day.
A man, injured during the
July 14 attack in Nice,
walks with crutches as he
leaves the Pasteur
hospital in the French
riviera town of Nice on
July 17, 2016. The Islamic
State group claimed
responsibility for the truck
A man, injured during the July 14 attack in
Nice, walks with crutches as he leaves the
Pasteur hospital in the French riviera town
of Nice on July 17, 2016.
The Islamic State group claimed
responsibility for the truck attack that killed
84 people in Nice on France's national
holiday, a news service affiliated with the
jihadists said on July 16. Tunisian Mohamed
Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, 31, smashed a 19-tonne
truck into a packed crowd of people in the
Riviera city celebrating Bastille Day --
France's national day. / AFP PHOTO /
The truck drove two kilometres (1.3 miles)
through the crowd, Interior Minister Bernard
Cazeneuve told reporters.
Anti-terror prosecutor Francois Molins said
the driver fired "several times" on three
police officers as they tried to bring the
truck to a halt, and eventually shot him
dead.
It later emerged that the killer had checked
out the scene on the two days previous to
the attack in his white truck.
- Details of the assault -
The truck pulled onto a section of roadway
that was open to traffic despite the
fireworks. Agents watching via the city's
network of surveillance cameras quickly
spotted the vehicle because heavy trucks
are not allowed in the area.
Though the pedestrian area was protected
by metal barriers and police cars, the truck
"forced its way onto the footpath" according
to authorities. Travelling at 90 kilometres
per hour (55 mph), the truck blasted through
the obstacles.
In order to stop the truck "you would have
needed a concrete wall", said an official.
City Hall authorities noted that barely 45
seconds later the attacker was shot dead by
police.
- Who was the assailant? -
Molins named the driver as a 31-year-old
Tunisian, Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, who
lived in Nice, and was described by
neighbours as a loner who never responded
to their greetings.
His identity papers were found in the truck,
along with a pistol and ammunition and a
number of fake weapons including two
replica assault rifles. His body was found on
the passenger seat, said the prosecutor.
Molins said Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had had
various brushes with the law since 2010 for
making threats, theft and violence, including
a conviction in March this year for which he
was given a six-month suspended sentence.
But he was "totally unknown" to the
intelligence services, said Molins.
His estranged wife was held for questioning
and later released. Six other people believed
to be linked to him have also been detained.
The attacker's father, who lives in Msaken,
eastern Tunisia, said his son had suffered
from depression and had "no links" to
religion.
While some who knew him said he was
unreligious, other witnesses said he had
recently shown outward signs of becoming
more religious.
He appeared to have been radicalised very
quickly, French authorities say.
- IS claims attack -
The Islamic State group claimed on Saturday
that one of its "soldiers" carried out the
attack "in response to calls to target nations
of coalition states that are fighting (IS)".
The probe is being handled by anti-terrorism
investigators.
The attack comes with France under a state
of emergency following the Islamic State
attacks in Paris in November that left 130
people dead.
- Government response -
Hollande announced that the state of
emergency -- which he had said only the
day before would end on July 26 -- will be
extended by three months. Army reservists
will be called up to boost security.
He also said France would strengthen its
role in Iraq and Syria, where it is part of the
international coalition fighting IS jihadists.
France later called on young "patriots"
between 17 and 30 to join the reserves.
- Who are the victims? -
Eighty-four people were killed, including 10
children and adolescents, and around 300
sought treatment at hospitals.
Eighteen people, including one child, are still
fighting for their lives in hospital, the health
ministry said.
Hollande said "many foreigners and young
children" were among those killed or injured.
The dead included nationals of Tunisia,
France, Germany, the United States,
Switzerland, Algeria, Poland, Morocco,
Russia, Armenia and Madagascar.

Lagos to upgrade sec sch lib

The Lagos State Government on Sunday
said that it has concluded plans to upgrade
21 secondary school libraries across all the

six educational districts in the State, just as
it announced the commencement of the
State Digital Library project.
Special Adviser to the Governor on
Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh who
disclosed this in a statement, said that the
libraries would be upgraded this year.
According to him, the State Government’s
Private-Public-Partnership initiative tagged
Adopt-A-Library was geared towards
transforming the State public libraries into
modern, ICT-enhanced knowledge centres.
He said the Ipaja Public Library has been
upgraded while the Ilupeju Public Library
was recently upgraded by Custodian & Allied
as well as the Herbert Macaulay Library,
Yaba, currently under renovation by
Guaranty Trust Bank.
Bank-Olemoh further said that the libraries
and ICT centres at Ireti and Falomo
Secondary Schools were recently upgraded
by ARM Pensions while Citibank also
upgraded the library facility at Government
Senior Secondary School, Victoria Island.
He also said that PricewaterhouseCoopers
and Leadway Assurance have committed to
adopting school libraries in Victoria Island
and Surulere, respectively.
Speaking on the Digital Library, Bank-
Olemoh who said the project was in line
with the vision of Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode, was aimed at providing unlimited
access to knowledge for all through the
collection and curation of digital content
through an online portal.
The portal, according to him, would be
accessible via an internet connection on a
range of devices including desktop
computers to feature phones.
He said the content would include, among
others; E-books on numerous topics, 1,600
videos covering English, Mathematics &
Sciences for all classes, 2,000 Study Aids in
Key Subject areas for Secondary School
subjects, quality research papers from
Lagos State Tertiary institutions covering a
wide variety of topics to be digitised for the
platform, vocational training videos,
Creatively presented history lessons as well
as online course on coding.
He said the first phase of the digital library
would be launched in January 2017, adding
that on completion of this phase, the digital
library will feature Study Aids, Tutorials,
Instructional Videos and selected e-books
for Primary to SS3 approved texts, Brief
History of Lagos State and an Online Forum.
The Special Adviser said that the digital
library is principally designated to benefit all
Lagosians, just as he said that the platform
would be accessible from around the
country and around the world.
He added, “It would also be designed to
ensure optimal user experience for the
designated community, which includes
producers of content, publishers of approved
school text books
Lagos State Library Board content providers,
external content providers, external
providers could include individuals who want
to self-publish, providers of study materials
who provide their resources for a fee and
other third parties.
“One of the key mandates of His Excellency
is that we solve problems and create value.
In creating the digital library, we are
committed to ensuring that we are not just
setting up “another online portal” but
providing a solution. We will approach the
project iteratively and continuously seek
feedback from end users and other
stakeholders to ensure the content and
features provided are value-adding, timely,
and innovative.
Bank-Olemoh listed some of the objectives
of the digital library to include preserving
historic and culture, enhance collaboration,
provide tutorials for children, promote local
talent and content, create jobs as well as
strengthen physical Libraries.
He said that efforts are ongoing to enhance
the functionality and patronage of the State
public libraries and school libraries.

Demolition of mud house

Lagos - Mr Jide Awe, an Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) expert
says the Federal Government’s proposal to
demolish mud houses would amount to

phasing out the country’s indigenous
technology, if implemented.
Awe, who is the Chairman, Nigeria Computer
Society (NCS) Conferences Committee,
made the assertion in an interview on
Sunday in Lagos.
Awe was speaking against the backdrop of a
statement credited to the Minister of
Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu,
that the Federal Government was planning
to demolish mud houses across the country.
NAN reports that the minister was said to
have made the statement on July 9 when he
visited the Nigerian Buildings and Road
Research Institute, Nnewi in Anambra.
Onu was quoted as saying that a research
was ongoing that would facilitate the influx
of cheap building materials in the country to
enable Nigerians build decent and affordable
houses.
``The mud houses seen in some parts of the
country reflect the country’s indigenous
technology even though it is not suitable for
the 21st century.
``It is our heritage, a result of the creativity
of the indigenous people and as such should
be preserved.
``There is need to improve on it with what
we see on the internet so that we can
benefit from it and not just discard as
something that is useless.
``Demolishing them will amount to phasing
out the historical benefits attached to
them,’’ the ICT expert said.
Awe added that in case the mud houses
were demolished, government should
consider compensating their owners since
they might not be able to afford modern
houses.
``If we are talking about compensation, we
need to consider what they are losing in the
first place.
``Government should consider if the mud
houses are occupied, and if that is so, then
they should be given decent alternative
accommodation because leaving the houses
was not their decision in the first place.

Mikel to led dream team

John Obi Mikel and Chippa United
goalkeeper Daniel Akpeyi have been

confirmed as Nigeria’s overage players to
the 2016 Olympic Games.
A reliable source from the Nigeria Football
Federation informed that coach Samson
Siasia opted for two senior players instead
of the mandatory three as competition kicks
off next month in Brazil.
“Samson Siasia has submitted his 18-man
list for this year’s Olympic football
tournament in Rio, Brazil and I can
authoritatively disclosed to you that the
coach opted for only two over-age players
and they are Mikel Obi and goalkeeper
Daniel Akpeyi”, the source said.
Having missed the 2012 Olympics in London,
the Dream Team would be hoping to win
their second Olympic football gold medal
with Akpeyi and Mikel expected to lead the
quest in August.
Mikel is expected to captain the team
having missed out of the 2008 edition
staged in Beijing, China where Nigeria
returned with a silver medal having bowed
1-0 to Argentina in the final.
The Chelsea star has never hidden his
interest in playing for the Dream Team VI
and it is not strange seeing him make the
cut ahead of Odion Ighalo, Ahmed Musa,
Kenneth Omeruo and Godfrey Oboabona
who had been considered for selection.
Siasia’s lads are up against Colombia, Japan
and Sweden in Group B and will begin their
campaign against the Japanese on August 4
at Amazônia Arena in Manaus.

mourinho hail fit again shaw

Jose Mourinho paid tribute to England left-
back Luke Shaw as he continued his

comeback from a 10-month injury lay-off in
the new Manchester United manager's first
game in charge of the club.
Shaw, out since suffering a double leg break
in a Champions League tie at PSV
Eindhoven, came through the first 45
minutes of a 2-0 victory at Championship
side Wigan as the Portuguese manager
began the latest chapter of his career in
winning style.
"When I found Luke at the training ground it
was a surprise for me because I thought he
couldn’'t be ready to train without any type
of limitation but he did fantastic in the
summer," said Mourinho.
"He sacrificed his holiday. He stayed in
Manchester and was at the training ground
every day putting himself in condition. Of
course you lose a bit of sharpness of
condition and confidence that is normal but
he is trying hard.
"He was mad to play for more than just 45
minutes but for me it is better 45 safe
minutes than more, so let's go step by
step."
Shaw, 21, looked composed and fit, even in
such low-key surroundings, and is clearly
relishing the challenge of re-establishing
himself in the United line-up under the new
manager.
"I'm just looking forward and to carry on
doing what I did last year from the start,"
said Shaw.
"Everyone helped me from the club and my
family and friends played a massive part in
helping me through so a massive thanks to
all them.
"I don't want to put things in my mind, I am
going to take it as it comes. The main thing
is to get through pre-season and to be
ready. Every pre-season is important. But I
have been out for 10 months and I can't
wait to get going."
Shaw's return was just one of the positive
aspects of Saturday's friendly as Mourinho
was without 14 international players, who
have been granted an extended summer
break, but still handed debuts to nearly £60
million (71.7 million euros) of new signings
in defender Eric Bailly and midfielder
Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
On a personal level, Mourinho was also
handed a warm response from the 5,500
United supporters who had made the short
journey to Wigan to support their team.
"It is nice to feel welcome and that they are
behind the team," said Mourinho. "My
reaction is that honestly I would prefer them
to go with the players.
"I prefer them to go with the team, I prefer
them to go with Man United. They are the
ones on the pitch and they are the ones
that need support and if I could tell them
that I would tell them directly: first the
players. I am the last one after them.
"It is nice to feel that the things I liked in
the game they also liked, you could feel
from some of their reactions that they liked
it."
United now travel to China for friendly
games against Borussia Dortmund in
Shanghai and a Manchester derby with City
in Beijing.
The 14 United players who were on
international duty this summer, including
England trio Wayne Rooney, Marcus
Rashford and Chris Smalling, return to the
first team fold this week, although Mourinho
claims they will not play in the games in
China.
"Basically in China I will play with these
guys that are training for 10 days and the
Rooneys and Rashfords and Smallings, these
guys are coming to China without training
so I am not going to play them," he
explained.
"I have two training processes, one for those
that are close to (full) condition and one
process for the players coming from their
holidays."

what is the north afraid of

I have to be careful how I tell the following
stories; not because they are not true, but
because I do not want the personalities

involved to identify themselves or be
identified by those who are familiar with any
of the stories. At the same time, I do not
want to distort the stories to such an extent
that their veracity, which is the core of my
message, is lost. One of the stories involves
two friends who pulled out of an agency to
set up their own enterprise. The two had
different personalities which led them to
have different social lives but seemed to
complement each other in business. They
both brought different sets of skills to the
enterprise in any case.
One was out going and made friends very
easily. He was the one likely to be invited to
parties. He was also the one likely to bring
girls to the office or close early to go on
‘business dates’. The other chap was an
introvert who was likely to go home straight
after work or go to church. He was also the
one who stayed at the office balancing the
books and doing the general administrative
work that ensured that the enterprise was
run profitably.
Sometimes, this meant he had to be firm in
cutting the financial excesses of his
partner. The extrovert was a natural
marketer who not only brought jobs in
regularly but kept the clients happy and
made sure payments were made promptly.
He also made the office environment lively
whenever he was around. In ten years, the
business had boomed. They had two cars
each in addition to a pool car. They had also
moved into their own houses. It seemed a
perfect arrangement to outsiders. One
brought jobs in, the other ran the office.
Together, they executed the jobs.
Unfortunately, the introvert was getting
increasingly irritated by the carefree
lifestyle of the extrovert. At a point, he felt
he had had enough and wanted out. The
partner begged. Those of us who knew the
two well begged. The extrovert said he
didn’t want to break up what he built with
his hands. But the introvert was adamant. In
the end, the extrovert walked out without
taking a pin from the office. But he went
out with more than his suitcase. He went
with the goodwill of the company. He went
with the soul of the enterprise. It wasn’t
long before the clients found him. Too late,
the introvert found that the jobs had
stopped coming and there was precious
little left to run or administer.
The second story is similar except that it
involves a man and his wife. The two pulled
out of their paid jobs to set up a shop. The
husband ran the factory while the wife
brought jobs in. Although they both worked
on the estimates, she was the one who
presented them to customers and was the
one who pursued payment. Unfortunately,
the husband treated her like another
member of staff and kept the lion share of
the profit to himself.
She knew how much was coming in and
wondered why she had to be given such a
pittance. She begged. Family members
intervened and also begged. But he was
determined to keep her on a tight financial
leash. In the end, she walked out of the
business for her own sanity and set up her
own. She didn’t have a factory because she
couldn’t afford one so she outsourced. She
increased; he decreased. Claiming sabotage,
he walked out of the marriage leaving the
home they had jointly built and children they
were jointly raising.
My third and final story should be familiar to
all lovers of the ‘golden oldies’. It involves
two entertainers who were hugely popular in
the 60s and 70s. The duo had monstrous
hits which included ‘Bridge over troubled
water’ and ‘Ceclia’. Unfortunately, one wrote
all the songs and did the musical
arrangements while the other joined only in
the singing. After their many hits, the one
who wrote the songs felt he didn’t need the
baggage of the other and decided to go
solo. But he had been branded and people
could not relate to his music without the
accompanying voice of his singing partner.
I could go on and on with stories of people
who felt they were the indispensable
components in their unions only to find that
life went on and even prospered without
them. There was the story of an advertising
guru who ‘divorced’ his financially minded
partner because he felt he didn’t understand
‘the nature’ of the business simply because
the partner was pushing for financial
prudence. In the end, he owed as much as
he was owed and the advertising agency
packed up.
The core of my message is that people
bring different skills to a union and it is
easy to over-estimate one’s contribution.
Even in the marriages or unions where there
is no obvious financial or material
contribution from the other partner, they still
find that they need the spiritual contribution
of that partner for stability. People and
enterprises have been known to disintegrate
simply because someone they consider an
excess baggage is let go.
It was this need to let ‘excess baggage’ go
and ‘claim their country back’ that made the
UK to leave the European Union. Time will
tell whether it was a wise decision. But
already, UK has realised that some of the
excess baggage are sorely needed to keep
the structure going. In every union, as in
life, you cannot always cherry pick.
Back home, there are people who are
angling for a separation. The North, almost
as one, is reluctant to even give it a
thought. Our President, a Northerner says
the unity of the country is not negotiable. I
beg to disagree. Anything is negotiable to
quote one of Donald Trump’s books. And it
is in fact better to negotiate than to lose
control. But why is the North afraid of
separating? It may well be that it would be
better off than the South in case of a break
up.
Its people have more that unites than what
separates. You cannot say the same thing
about the South. To start with, a Southern
Nigeria is not going to happen. There is too
much distrust. Even the merger of the
South-South and South-East would be
fraught with casualties. The combination of
greed, ego, guns and oil in the region would
provide a lethal combustion that could be
difficult to contain. It may well be also, that
these two zones are over estimating their
importance to the Nigerian union. The
likelihood of a separation might let them see
how much they need other regions for their
own survival and well-being.
In the end, what people really want are
transparency, fairness and inclusiveness in
governance. Plus a lot of give and take. The
central control is stifling and a disincentive
to communal growth and development. The
time to negotiate is now.

rape and incent

“I started sleeping with my 15-year-old
daughter sometime in January after I lost my

job.” This is part of the confession of a 41-
year-old father in Vanguard, June 28, 2016.
He claims frustration over the loss of his job
led him to alcoholism and incest. But he
was still sober enough to sleep with his
daughter only after his wife has gone to
work. He therefore knew full well that what
he was doing was wrong.
We have talked about rape and incest in this
column before, but both maladies have
become so widespread, they cannot be
ignored. At a meeting of an NGO I belong to,
two weeks ago, a woman came to, among
other things, report her “husband”, a man
she has seven children for, although they
are not married traditionally, legally or
joined in holy matrimony. According to her,
the man left her and the children sometime
ago. To lessen the burden of upkeep, she
sent her second child, a 16-year-old girl, to
live with her mother.
The husband, without informing her, went to
bring the daughter back from the village.
When she found out, she sent her son to go
and verify. She said the son knocked and
stayed outside for two hours before father
and daughter opened the door of an abode
that cannot be more than two rooms. The
son came back to tell the mother that he
was not comfortable with the compromising
position in which he saw the father and the
sister and the kind of “play” they engaged
in, in his presence. She went to bring the
daughter to her house, but the father asked
the daughter to come back and she was
back with the father as at the time she
came to us. We do not act based on one-
sided stories, but we advised her to bring
her daughter back as a first step.
Many father/daughter relationships, like the
proverbial handshake, have gone beyond the
elbow. Some are cases of rape and threat
to harm if exposed, but some others are
consensual. No day passes without a story
of rape or incest. These cases of incest
have nothing to do with Electra Complex (a
young girl’s sexual attraction towards the
father or a father figure). In the case of
consensual sex, these girls have clearly
gone beyond Electra Complex age. It is a
phenomenon that bush and naïve people like
me can only describe as sexual insanity.
A woman travels, leaving father and
daughter at home; unknown to her, she has
given two lovers a blank cheque. Who knows
what is happening between boys and their
mothers? One woman in Zimbabwe actually
married her own son and was pregnant for
the son as at the time the news broke. With
the way some youngsters have developed an
appetite for older women, like some lions
develop appetite for human flesh, do not be
surprised if it turns out tomorrow that incest
between mothers and sons is in fact
happening and rampant. After all, our people
say that it is sleep that gives you an idea of
what death looks like. It is not beyond a
youngster’s taste for older women to extend
to his mother and aunts.
So many reasons are adduced for incest.
When the fathers are caught, they blame
the Devil or frustration as in the case above.
Some people say the fathers do it for money
rituals or other devilish intentions. Now, I do
not know how this works, but I do know that
in the kingdom of the Devil, nothing is free.
So assuming the fathers get this money,
power or whatever they want for engaging in
incest, what becomes of the lives of the
daughters?
There was a famous quote during Ibrahim
Babangida’s government: “For their
tomorrow, we are sacrificing our today.” In
this case, the fathers are sacrificing their
daughters’ tomorrow for their today. Good
parents pray that their children should reach
greater heights than they have reached and
follow up the prayers with self denial and
sometimes enormous sacrifices. These
incestuous fathers certainly have other
agenda.
But the most scandalizing of all are parents,
uncles, relatives and other adults who rape
minors, sometimes as young as two years. I
asked this question a few months ago: How
do you rape a two-year-old? Is that not
insanity? Shouldn’t such rapists be confined
to special prisons cum mental asylum?
Going through our laws, we have many legal
provisions to take care of rapists,
paedophiles and other sexual offenders, but
enforcement is weak. Many families also
treat sexual crimes as family matters. We
also have security agencies that are
unwilling to prosecute cases of sexual
assaults. Then there is the society that has
not given these offences the seriousness
they deserve.
After these traumatized underaged survive
the sexual onslaught at home and get into
higher institutions, some lecturers want to
continue from where the victims’ relatives
stopped. In a society where playing the
ostrich is the norm, the Senator representing
Delta Central, Ovie Omo Agege, supported
by 45 other senators, came up with a “Bill
for an Act to Make Provision for the
Prohibition of Sexual Harassment of
Students by Educators in Tertiary
Educational Institutions and for Matters
Connected Therewith, 2016.” The bill has
gone through public hearing where ASUU
made efforts to shoot it down. Their
argument is that the universities already
have internal provisions to deal with sex-
related offences. Many higher institutions in
Nigeria are cesspits of sexual exploitation.
How many offenders have these provisions
caught up with?
My only worry is that after passage, will the
law enforcement agents and authorities in
higher institutions cooperate (the stiff
penalties for noncooperation
notwithstanding) to bring offenders to book?
By the way, the Seventh Senate passed a
bill for “An Act to Make Provision About
Sexual Offences, their Definition, Prevention
and the Protection of All Persons from
Harm, Unlawful Sexual Acts, and for
Purposes Connected Therewith.” It was one
of the 46 bills the Senate passed into law
towards the end of its tenure and fills a
lacuna in the laws of the federation.
Presidential assent is overdue.

Negotiation, a must

Playing host to a group of officials, mostly
of Northern extraction recently, to mark the

end of the Month of Ramadan and to
celebrate the Eid el Fitr festival, President
Muhammadu Buhari grew ebullient in the
spirit of the occasion. He declared that the
unity of Nigeria was not negotiable. The
remark has given rise to reactions over a
wide spectrum of judgment. Opinions are of
course divided into two main camps—those
who agree, and those who do not. Swinging
around the fence are also those who leave
you unclear of whether their yea be yea, and
their nay be nay.
Fortuitously, the President also referred to
the reigning slogan of those trying days
around the period of the Nigerian Civil War
when the prospect of the unity of Nigeria
was in a very shaky situation. It was on
everybody’s lips:
“ To make Nigeria one is a task that must be
done!”
There were politicians who cared little about
how many parts the country was made of
as long as they got their main chance in the
deal; there were also genuine patriots who
were also very keen to see it through; and,
of course, there were the innocent ones
who mouthed it just for the sound of it. Only
one patriot – and I should write that with a
capital ‘P’ — seemed to know the score. He
had been in prison where he was held in
duress vile to silence his voice because of
the truth he declared about the Biafra issue.
At the first opportunity he had on his way
home from the prison, he loudly made
Nigeria joined the slogan, but in his own
way:
“ To make Nigeria one,” he countered, “ justice
must be done!”
And that voice of great renown was once
again raised to argue that the unity of
Nigeria can be negotiated. He is eminently
right, as several other Nigerians have
supported him. The question we must
answer is this: Did Nigeria ever have what
could really be described as “unity”—except
on the occasions when our national football
team, the Super Eagles, were engaged in a
serious international encounter? That was
truly the period when one might say we
were in harmony with one another, in the
expression of the same feeling, in the desire
of one aim, and in the pursuit of the same
goal.
We have always been at loggerheads, even
from the post-colonial days, when our
differences as distinct elements of various
nationalities stood between us and a
common destiny. We clamoured together for
independence from the colonial rule which
super-imposed a geographical unit on our
identity, but failed to bind us together as a
nation. Our tongues and tribes indeed do
differ, as the former National Anthem clearly
related, but so also do our cultural appetites
and our inherent aspirations.
We do not think alike, we do not speak
alike, we do not act alike. We are Nigerians
because insensate historical fate has thrown
us together in close proximity, without our
knowledge of the implications. Nobody ever
seems to pause and wonder what we
sincerely mean to one another. It is
presumably accepted that we would, that
we should accept one another as we are,
for what we are. It has not worked out that
way.
In his fascinating biography of Sir Ahmadu
Bello, the late Sardauna of Sokoto and
Premier of the defunct Northern Region of
Nigeria, John Paden recounted an oral
traditional story of a meeting between Dr.
Nnamdi Azikiwe, Premier of the Eastern
Region and the Northern Premier. Ever open
and urbane, the Eastern Premier approached
his Northern counterpart and said, “Let us
forget our differences… “ But the Sardauna
replied, “No, let us understand our
differences. I am a Muslim and a
Northerner. You are a Christian and an
Easterner. By understanding our differences,
we can build unity in our country.”
“ By understanding our differences” … that is
from where the task of “making Nigeria one”
begins. Mistrust and bad faith stand firmly
at the borders of our differences today,
keeping us no nearer now than we had
been, at least, some seven decades ago:
that was when some Igbo inhabitants of
Lagos went about arming themselves with
machetes and sticks to defend themselves
from the indigenes that never caught up
with what was going on.
It was the same good old Zik who preached
good sense to his people, by explaining that
the Egungun masquerade, which some
Easterners found repulsive, was not staged
to frighten or harm them in any way. It
stopped the tendency of some Igbo men
preferring to live on the Mainland, instead of
the Island.
The clamour for Biafra has risen from the
level of a negotiable demand to the pitch of
another armed confrontation. As we once
pointed out on this page, contending groups
are now developing within that demand,
though they are, all the same, joined by the
common issue of resource control. But
there are other pressing issues which cover
a wide area of perennial interests, like the
National Grazing Bill, the uneven choice in
federal appointments and the persistent
stifling stricture of a unitary control against
a federal fiscal procedure.
Not negotiable? The unity of this land has to
be negotiated.
Time out.

i'm a virgin

Budding stand-up musical comedian, Otolorin
Peter Kehinde, aka Kennyblaq, is beginning to
stamp his feet on the entertainment industry

as a genuine article. The Lagos-bred multi-
talented greenhorn, has created a niche for
himself by uniquely re-branding the fusion of
music and comedy, started by the likes of
Julius Agwu and Klint de drunk. In this chat
with Showtime Celebrity, he speaks on his
career, challenges, s3x, and dynamics of the
Nigerian entertainment industry.
How did the journey begin?
It all began in 2008, when I did an event for
a group of people who organised a beauty
pageant tagged Miss Ejigbo. It was the first
time I held a microphone to speak in the
public. It wasn’t something I planned for,
the organisers just came to my house and
invited me to be part of the rally for the
pageant, saying they’ve noticed I’m funny,
jovial and have a good voice. I accepted and
did it. During the rally, I spoke and sang
using the Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba accents,
which thrilled and impressed people a
lot. After the event, I was applauded,
compliments flowed in from all angles that I
was funny and able to carry the audience
along while thrilling them with hilarious jokes
and occasional infusion of music.
I
was later told I possess the required skill to
become a successful comedian, but as that
time, what I really wanted to do was to sing,
record songs, drop musical videos and
become a popular artiste like Olamide,
Davido, Wizkid and the likes, but people kept
encouraging me to give comedy a try
because they believed I had what it takes to
be a comedian. A week after the Miss
Ejigbo beauty pageant, I was invited for
another event tagged Laughter night. I
played the role of a mascot at the event,
painted my face, wore funny costumes and
did stuffs like Baba Sala (Moses Olaiya) of
those days with a big belly just to look
funny. I was actually shaking because it
was my first time on stage, but at the end
the audience was thrilled and the organisers
were impressed. It was at that point I began
to give fulltime comedy a thought. So, since
then till now I’ve been doing my comedy
thing and God has been faithful.
How did your family members react to your
choice of career?
At first my parents refused because most of
the events I was invited to were late night
shows, and it was always a weekend thing,
so whenever I was invited for a show my
parents refused because they felt it was
going to be in a bar or club where people
drink and smoke. Also, at that time, my
parents saw the entertainment industry as a
corrupt entity, so they didn’t want me to get
involved because they felt once I do, I’ll
have to smoke, drink, draw tattoo on my
body and get involved in other vices just to
feel among. But I was able to convince
them that I won’t forget where I’m coming
from or the values and teachings I’ve learnt.
I told them this was what I had a passion
for and wanted to do. They also began to
see that I was getting so much love from
people, people wanted to associate with me
because I was doing comedy. So my parents
had a change of mind and said “okay, let’s
give it a trial and see the outcome”.
Any regrets so far?
There were times I regretted going into
comedy at all because the kind of comedy I
do is fused with music and at that time
people had not come to terms with that
brand of comedy, so occasionally when I’m
performing and I don’t get the expected
applause or feedback, it would make me
very sad. Imagine hearing comments like
“he’s not funny”, or people are just busy
pressing their phones while I’m cracking
jokes, I felt so bitter that I wanted to quit
and just face music. I later told myself that I
was going to do one more event and if it
wasn’t successful then I’ll quit comedy.
Ironically, I got the referral for my next
show at the event that made me never want
to quit. It was a birthday where I got my
first standing ovation for doing comedy, I
was so happy because of the magnitude of
response I got from the audience. I then
said to myself “life is not a bed of roses,
there would be high and low times”. These
experiences opened my eyes to the basic
dynamics that life hold for everyone. I’m
proud to say that my regrets of the past are
now becoming an advantage for me.
What shot Kenny Blaq to limelight?
I think it was my brand of comedy that
people saw at the Calabar festival in 2011.
My brand is a fusion of music and comedy,
skillfully and artistically laced together to
form a brand that is unique. The 2011
edition of the Calabar festival was my first
big event, the stadium was filled with a
mammoth crowd I had never performed in
front of before. The video of my
performance went viral online and people
began to ask “who is this guy”. Seeing that
kind of response, I had to step up my game.
To the glory of God, I was invited for the
next edition of the Calabar festival.
How would you rate your success so far?
I think I’m just starting. Before now, when
I’m called up on stage to perform people
hardly scream, but now when I’m done there
is always a standing ovation. People didn’t
know me until recently, and I think it was at
Yaw’s Shalanga, I wasn’t even introduced, I
just went on stage and people began
screaming my name saying they love me,
that was when I said to myself “Kenny Blaq,
you’re getting there”. People are becoming
familiar with my brand and face and I’m
happy about it. Even at Pencil Unbroken, I
also wasn’t introduced; I walked out to the
stage when the lights were not even on, yet
everybody started shouting, it was more like
when Wizkid or Davido comes on stage.
Should your fans expect a show from you
soon?
For now I’m doing a series of fans’ hangout,
I want my fans to be informed about the
brand, know what I’m up to, get up close
and personal. But I’m planning on doing my
own annual comedy show soon, I’m not sure
if it’s going to be this year or next, but there
are plans on the way, just be on the lookout.
What does sex mean to you?
I’m a virgin so I don’t know what s3x is
(laughs).
Is Kenny Blaq in love?
Yes o, I’m in love with my twin sister
(laughs), she is the love of my life for now.
After I lost my mom in 2012, my twin sister
has been my mom and everything, she’s
been so supportive. That is not to say I
don’t have female friends, I do, I even have
a lot of female friends and fans that want to
date me. But because I still want to be
relevant in the industry in the next 10 or
20yrs, I don’t have time for a relationship. I
want to work, work, and work. I’ve been in
relationships before but they didn’t work
because I didn’t have time for the girls. I
think a lady deserves attention in a
relationship; her man should always be
there. It doesn’t mean I don’t have free
times, I do, but even in those free times I
still work. Relationships in the entertainment
industry hardly work, if you have to date
someone in the industry, it has to be
someone who understands the nature of the
job because some partners are very jealous
and need real attention. So, right now I just
want to wait till when I find someone who
really understands because I don’t want to
break any girl’s heart. I don’t even have a
heart, it’s kpomo that is there (laughs).

36 soldiers escape death

Nigerian troops enroute Azare on a special
operation were involved in an auto crash
yesterday at Gaya, Jahun federal highway

that left 36 of them seriously injured.
Gaya, 65km south of Kano is a strategic
town that link Maiduguri via Dutse, and
Jahum—Katagum federal highways.
An eyewitness, Sule Adamu told Vanguard
that the incident occurred along Gaya—
Jahun federal highways at about 7.30 am
when the convoy shortly after missing its
way tried to turn back but was hit by
another vehicle from behind.
Adamu said that “the impact was heavy as
the vehicle conveying 36 officers lost
control and threw off its occupants in
various directions. “we immediately
deployed public spirited individuals to the
scene, and the injured soldiers were taken
to Gaya General hospital, and most of them
are in critical condition.”
But a statement signed by the Kano FRSC
sector Commander, Aminu Umar Jakapa
injured officers have been transferred to
Dutse General hospital said that “it was a
lone road traffic accident involving military
truck with registration number NA 1716 BO5
conveying 36 soldiers”.
The statement further revealed that the
troops were led by Major R.O Aliaze, adding
that no life was lost in the accident.

I hate nudity

Akande Ayobami, aka ‘Ayobami’, is a recording
artiste and real estate consultant. The
graduate of Science Laboratory Technology,
Ondo State Polytechnic does a fusion of hip-

hop, reggae and dance-hall music. The native
of Ondo State presently has two singles. One
is being promoted while the other is set to be
released very soon. In this interview with Star
Tracker, the handsome singer bares his mind
on his career challenges, love for music,
personal principles, and the very underbelly of
the Nigerian music industry.
How did your music journey begin?
I started music when I was in secondary
school. I started with dancing. Immediately I
left secondary school, I went to the studio
to record a song with one of my friends in
2001.
Why did you opt for music?
Music is something I have passion for. It’s
something I do effortlessly without stressing
myself. Music gives me the platform to pass
across my message to people. Whenever I
am sad, music lifts my spirit.
I do hip-hop, R & B with a fusion of
dancehall. 2face inspires me a lot. I like his
simplicity and talent. I see him as a mentor.
I have met him just once but I wasn’t able
to talk to him.
How do you intend to break into the
Nigerian music industry?
I have my own style of music and with that,
I think people will differentiate me from
others
Are you scared of the many talented artistes
in the industry?
I am not scared at all. Music isn’t
something I am forcing myself to do, it’s
an inbuilt talent. I can use what you are
putting on to do freestyle right now. It
comes naturally to me, that is why I am not
bothered about anybody.
Why did you choose Ayobami as your stage
name?
I decided to use my real name because of
the depth of the meaning. When I call
myself Ayobami, it gives me the courage to
move on.
Would you allow a video vixen touch your
private part in a music video?
I won’t allow that. My kind of music is
meant to affect people positively. Doing
such isn’t good for my brand.
Can your kind of music find a place in the
Nigerian music industry?
Yes I think my kind of music will go far in
the Nigerian market. It’s not that I have a
godfather somewhere, I just believe in my
abilities. I know if I keep pushing, I will get
there one day.
What are your challenges as an upcoming
artiste?
The road hasn’t been smooth. I started
doing music in 2001 and this is 2016 and I
am still not known.
How do you raise funds for your music?
Before now I was with Modela, I worked
with him from 2003-2006. He used to be my
manager and he was responsible for my
financial matters. In 2007, a record label
from London took the financial burden off
me. But For now, I am the one paying the
bills.
What is the greatest price you have paid for
your music career?
There was a time I used my school fees in
producing a song. It was about N100,000
When that happened, how were you able to
later raise the money for your school fees?
I got the money from my girlfriend then.
Are you still dating her?
No.
Why?
It’s a family issue. I was supposed to be
married to her but we had some family
issues that stopped us from getting married.
How do you relate with your female fans?
I just relate with them like friends and that
is where it ends. I can’t start sleeping
around because I’m a musician, it will still
affect my career. I don’t let it go beyond the
greetings.
What does sex mean to you?
Sex is spiritual.
What is your opinion about sexual content in
Nigerian music videos?
Those are the things I don’t really like.
There is a way love can be portrayed in a
music video without showing a lady’s
sensitive body parts or going naked. Even if
an artiste sings a dance track these days,
you will still see naked ladies being paraded
in the music video. I don’t like that. When
your music video has a good concept your
video will still sell.
Would you accept if you are asked to change
your style of music to commercial music?
I won’t accept, because I’ll be doing
something that is not coming from my mind.
It’s not all about money. I think your
principles and what you want people to
know about you goes a long way. How you
want people to see you is important. It’s not
only when you display explicit content that
you succeed as an artiste. Adekunle Gold
isn’t doing that and he is succeeding. I am
not holy; I just want to affect people
positively with my music. I sing songs that
can affect your life and make you a better
person.
Are you saying the crop of music being
churned out these days is not having positive
impact?
We all know that there are some songs that
you don’t want your kids to listen to.
Do you like Olamide?
I like Olamide, he is talented.
Some of his songs were recently banned
because of the explicit lyrics. What do you
have to say about that?
I like Olamide because he is a talented
artiste. I am not talking about his lyrics. He
is good at what he does. He might be
singing about things I might not like, but I
just like the fact that he is good.
Your song Agba awo, what does it really
mean?
It means the Supreme Being. The song is
simply about God. It’s also a way to
connect to the streets. That was how I
came about Agba awo
What is that one thing you cannot do for
fame and stardom?
I was raised to believe in the power of
prayer and I know that God will answer me
at the right time. So I cannot do any
extreme thing because of fame.

No plan to impeach Buhari

ABUJA — The Senate, yesterday, rebuffed
insinuations of a plot to initiate

impeachment proceedings against President
Muhammadu Buhari, saying such
suggestions were speculative.
The Senate's disavowal came as Senator
Dino Melaye also denied the claim but
confirmed the altercation between himself
and Senator Remi Tinubu, which he claimed
was sparked by her use of provocative
words against him.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, yesterday, said it would not speak on
the alleged impeachment threats against
President Buhari. National chairman of the
party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, said the
issue remained entirely within the ambit of
the legislature.
The Chief Chekwas Okorie-led United
Peoples Party, UPP, was, however, not
restrained in its reaction, describing any
impeachment plot as satanic and
subversive.
The Senate in a statement by its
spokesperson, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi,
said the comments credited to the National
Secretary of the APC, Mai Bala Buni, could
give credibility to a news item which
members of the public had disregarded.
He said: ”We expected the party to, at least,
explore all the options open to it to verify
that piece of fabrication which is only the
figment of the imagination of the writers
and their sponsors.
"It should be clear to the APC leadership
that if there is any truth to that story, it
should have been credited to a particular
senator who was at the executive session.
“It is evident from our proceedings of
yesterday (Wednesday) that the Senate
itself was shocked that such a fabrication,
which constitutes a breach of the privileges
of the senators, was published and that was
why we mandated our Committee on Ethics,
Privileges, and Public Petitions to investigate
the source and circumstances leading to
the emergence of such a fabrication.
“We will like to assure the party that the
Senate, as an institution, values the present
democracy in our country and will not do
anything that will undermine or weaken the
system.”
Okorie, Olujimi, Abaribe react
Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun
Olujimi, also, yesterday, took a swipe at the
APC on the alleged impeachment threat,
saying the ruling party itself was confused.
“I do not understand what they are saying,”
he said.
Also speaking to Vanguard, Chairman,
Senate Committee on Information and
National Orientation, Senator Enyinnaya
Abaribe (PDP, Abia South), who noted that
there was nothing to discuss on
impeachment as there was nothing of such,
said the APC was becoming “very
apprehensive.”
Chief Okorie, on his part, cautioned the
Senate against wielding the impeachment
weapon.
Okorie, in a statement made available to
newsmen in Enugu yesterday, said: ”The
threats emanating from some persons in the
National Assembly to commence
impeachment proceedings against President
Muhammadu Buhari for unspecified
impeachable offences at this point in time
are satanic, subversive and dangerous.
“It should be erased completely from the
minds of those contemplating such move.
Any such act of vengeance will be most
unpopular, unpatriotic and condemnable. All
hands must be on deck to salvage our
country from its present state of economic
downturn, excruciating poverty and security
challenges.
“In the spirit of separation of powers, as
clearly defined in the 1999 Constitution of
Nigeria as amended, it behoves on the
National Assembly and its leadership to
submit themselves to the judicial process
with regard to the on-going trial of some top
officers of the Senate on forgery
accusation.”

FG to train IGP

Bauchi—THE Federal Government, yesterday
said the Skills acquisition and training

centres in Bauchi State, would soon be used
for the training of Civilian Joint Task Force,
JTF and Internally Displaced Persons in the
northeast sub-region.
The government spoke through the Minister
of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige
during the 12th graduation ceremony of
trainees at the skills acquisition and training
center at the Federal Ministry of Labour and
Employment in Bauchi.
Represented by the Director Skills
Development and Certification of the
Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment,
Ibrahim Jibuya, the minister challenged
graduates of higher institutions in the
country to be self-reliant and employers of
labour, saying the era of white collar jobs
were gone.
He said: “My ministry's renewed
commitment to skills upgrading and
development stems from the realization that
if Nigerians are going to find and keep
decent jobs, there need for improved access
to modern technology, increased utilization
of machines and vast knowledge in the use
of technological equipment. For this reason,
the ministry has established skill acquisition
and training seven centres in Warri, Lafia,
Calabar, Lagos, Kaduna, Enugu, adding that
more relevant vocational trades will be
included in the training and syllables of the
ministry.”
The minister lamented the shortage of
technical instructors in all the centres,
saying efforts were on to address the
challenge along with other pressing needs of
the centres.
Earlier, the principal of the Skills
acquisition centre, Mr. Gbokiss Jatau, said
from 2009 to date, the centre had trained
4,186 artisans that were outstanding in
various fields and established entrepreneurs
who were employers of labour.

apologise now

Coalition of Civil Societies and Media
Executives for Good Governance,

COCMEGG, has condemned Senator Dino
Melaye for disparaging and casting
aspersions on a woman of substance and
beacon of hope to the womenfolk across
Africa, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The group called for an unreserved apology
immediately.
Viewing Melaye’s utterances as un-
parliamentary, and ungentlemanly, the
president of the group, Kenneth Aigbegbele
and the secretary, James Okoronkwo, in a
statement, said Melaye is “a huge
disappointment to his constituency, the
Senate and the Nigeria’s democracy.
“Dino Melaye is a huge disappointment to
his constituency, the Senate and the
Nigeria’s democracy. It is unfortunate and
reprehensible that Senator Dino had resorted
to maligning the constituted authority on
whose platform he rose to become a
senator.''
Threatening action against this
parliamentary thuggery, the group said: “We
therefore condemn this despicable un-
parliamentary behaviour in its entirety and
demand an unreserved apology on the floor
of the Senate, failure of which, we will be
forced to mobilize and commence recall
proceedings against him."

NASU lament

BENIN CITY—THE Non-academic Staff Union
of Educational and Associated Institutions
has raised alarm over what it described as

the deplorable condition of public libraries in
the 36 states of the country.
The
union declared this at its 2016 1st Regular
Meeting of WAEC/Libraries and other Trade
Group Council, in Benin City, pointing out
that government libraries across the 36
states of the federation have continued to
grapple with dilapidated structures, obsolete
books and equipment due to years of
neglect.
Speaking at the occasion, the Deputy
National President of NASU, Mr. Michael
Adegoke, stressed that the current trend
may lead to a “total collapse” of library
system in Nigeria.
He, therefore, called for proper funding by
all tiers of government, including the
intervention of the Tertiary Education Trust
Fund, for the running of these libraries.

Reps approve 241.45bn

ABUJA— THE House of Representatives,
yesterday, approved N241,455,285,471 for

the Federal Capital Territory, FCT,
administration for the 2016 fiscal year.
Of the amount, N52,982,280,360 was for
perso-nnel costs; N34,388,260,823 for
overhead costs, while the balance of
N154,084,744,288 was earmarked for capital
expenditure.
The budget was passed after the Chairman,
House Committee on FCT and FCT Area
Councils and Ancillary Matters, Herman
Hembe (APC, Benue) presented his report.
The House mandated the FCT Minister and
Director of Treasury, Federal, to furnish the
National Assembly with the status of the
records of the FCT Statutory Accounts on a
quarterly basis immediately the Act comes
into force.
Some components of the budget are: FCDA
Engineering Services gets N70,596,313,220;
Satellite Towns Development Agency, STDA,
gets N21.754 billion; FCT administration,
N2,767,750,001; FCT Water Board,
N1,354,024,237; Abuja Environmental
Protection Board, N1,065,024,237; Public
Buildings, N12,393,559,931, while
Resettlement and Compensation Department
gets N3,469,216,002.
Also, FCT Directorate of Muslim Pilgrims
Affairs, N266,363,895, while FCT Directorate
of Christian Pilgrims Affairs gets
N160,909,264.
Education, health, agric
Education Secretariat, N1.325 billion;
Agency for Mass Education, N123,090,700;
FCT Education Resource Centre,
N111,710,402; FCT Universal Basic
Education, N1,610,712,127; FCT Secondary
Education Board, N899,453,500; FCT College
of Education, Zuba, N325,241,867; FCT
Agency for Science and Technology,
N1,886,493,908, while FCT Scholarship
Board gets N98,236,280.
The FCT HHS Secretariat, N1,490,543,480;
School of Nursing and Midwifery,
N98,472,560; Public Health Department,
N27,079,954; Health Planning Research and
Statistics, N80,934,374; Health Management
Board, N1,176,389,197; Primary Healthcare
Development Board, N1,257,438,511; Agri-
culture and Rural Development Secretariat,
N904,390,072; FCT Agric Development
Project, N160,566,668; Department of Agric,
N60,689,875; Social Development
Secretariat, N119,027,509; Welfare
Department, N53,434,486, while Sports
Department gets N314,211,568.

robbery attack on

LAGOS—Police have arrested three
suspected members of a robbery gang that
invaded the Anthony Village home of the

Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam
Amuka, last month.
Recall that the bandits also attacked the 81-
year-old Publisher with iron rods and other
dangerous weapons, at the end of which his
mobile phone, electronic gadgets, money
and other valuables were stolen.
Although two of the suspects claimed to be
from Borno State, while the third said he
was a Chadian, police said preliminary
investigation revealed that they are all
citizens of the Republic of Chad.
The suspects, identified as Musa Atim
Abubakar, 32; Abdulrasaq Hassan, 43, and
Umar Useni, 46, were arrested in Festac and
Ajao Estate in Lagos, and Sango Otta in
Ogun State. A Mitsubishi saloon car, with
number plates LSD 337 BQ, which they
drove on the day of the robbery was also
recovered.
They were said to be on the verge of selling
the vehicle at a give-away price and flee to
Niger Republic, when they were arrested.
Lagos police boss speaks
Briefing newsmen on their arrest, Lagos
State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai
Owoseni, said: “Since the incident
happened, the command deployed all
available techniques at its disposal to get
the suspects.
“We were able to get three of them, who
were interrogated and they have confessed
to the crime. We are looking for the fourth
man, because Mr. Amuka said they were
four men that attacked him.
“The vehicle they used on that day, including
a sledge hammer and an iron cutter, were
recovered from them.
“They are Chadians and cross country
criminals. We are still interrogating them. At
the end of our interrogation, we believe we
will get more facts, especially their motive,
since this attack on Amuka was not the
first.”
He was, however, mum on the details of
their arrest, explaining that divulging such
would jeopardise investigation.
Private guards’ role
To the astonishment of all, the suspects,
who were paraded before journalists,
revealed that two private guards attached to
the premises of the publisher gave their
fleeing gang leader, who they identified
simply as Gambo, information that there
was money in the house.
According to one of them, Useni, who spoke
in pidgin English: “I am from Gamboru Ngala
Local Government Area of Borno State. I am
not from Chad. I have been living in Satellite
Town since 2011. I have worked as a
gardener in a school around that area before
I met Gambo, our leader.
“Two security men in Baba’s (Amuka)
compound brought the information to
Gambo. They told Gambo to come with his
boys on a Saturday, that Baba brought some
money home. One of the guards is an Ibo
man, while the other is Hausa. Gambo
knows their names, but I don’t.
“On the day we attacked, I met Gambo at
Apple Junction, after a telephone
conversation, from where we headed to
Anthony Village.
“I did not beat Baba. He fell down while he
was running. When I saw blood on him, I
begged my colleagues not to harm him
because he is an old man. Besides, Baba
threw an envelope at me when we asked
him to give us the money. In it was
N300,000.
“After the operation, we drove to a hotel
where we shared the money. The security
men that brought the business got N30,000
each. Gambo took the money to them on
Sunday evening and they told us to go into
hiding that policemen were around.”
Loot sharing
On his part, Atim Abubakar, who also spoke
in pidgin, said: “I was in my house at Sango,
when Mohammed (pointing to one of his
partners in crime) called me on phone that
there was a job we had to execute.
“He said Gambo, our leader, brought the job.
They said I should come and meet them at
Anthony, from where we drove to the house.
“While Hassan (the driver) waited in the car,
three of us went inside. We tied the security
men at the gate and went upstairs. We
broke the ceiling and made straight for
Baba’s apartment, where we met him
sleeping.
“Immediately he saw us, he ran. While
Umaru and Mohammed went after him, I
went straight to the cupboard where I saw
some newspapers and N100,000. I also
collected two pieces of 20 pounds.
I did not know it was Pound Sterling until
Gambo told me. At the end of the operation,
we all got N70,000 each.”
I got N30,000—DRIVER
The third suspect, Hassan, who claimed to
be a bureau-de-change operator, revealed
that he also ran a car hire service in Ajao
Estate. He stated that his vehicle was hired
and that he did not know that they were
going to rob.
After the operation, he said that he drove
the suspects to his house at Ajao, where
the money was shared, adding that his
share was N30,000.

Tinubu is not God

ABUJA — SENATOR Dino Melaye, yesterday,
said he was provoked by Senator Oluremi

Tinubu into a verbal altercation in the
Senate’s closed-door session of on Tuesday
and dismissed cautions from her husband,
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, saying he was neither
God nor his political patron.
In his reaction to news reports of his use of
violent language and physical threats
against Senator Tinubu, Melaye, at a press
conference in the Senate Building, said most
of the reports were exaggerated, even as he
admitted using violent language upon her
after she allegedly called him a dog and a
thug.
How Mrs. Tinubu provoked me —Melaye
Melaye, who addressed the Senate Press
Corps upon what he claimed as media
misrepresentations on what happened in the
Tuesday closed-session, said he spoke on
his “honour as a Christian, on my honour as
a father and on the oath of my office as a
Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
He said: “I have never been a coward; I will
not start an apprenticeship programme now
on how to become a coward.
“Whatever I say anywhere, I can boldly
repeat everywhere. When I stood up, and I
made my submissions that day in the
Senate, all I did was to pacify my colleagues
and ask that the case in court be withdrawn
because already, there is a resolution of the
Senate that the rules of the Senate were
not forged, and since there was a resolution
of the Senate that the rules of the Senate
were not forged, I said all those who have
gone to court should go and withdraw their
names from court and that if at the end of
the day, they refused to withdraw their
names from court, we should penalise them
by suspending them. I said that.
“But I did not use any insolent, abusive,
degrading or mannerless language. So, there
was no reaction from any of our colleagues
as regards my presentation.
“After I had spoken, many other senators
spoke, and I did not mention the name of
any senator while I was making my
presentation. Unfortunately, Senator Oluremi
Tinubu got up and was recognised to speak,
and immediately she started speaking, she
specifically mentioned my name, even when
in my presentation I did not mention
anybody’s name.
“I only appealed to the sensitivity of my
colleagues and asked them to withdraw
their case from court and reminded them
that there was a resolution of the Senate
that the rules were not forged. But because
of reasons only known to Senator Oluremi
Tinubu, she got up, and the first thing she
said was that she’s being harassed in this
chamber by Senator Melaye.
“I kept quiet at that point; she went ahead
to say that why will she come here and be
threatened by senators and there was a
large chorus from senators saying ‘how,
when, where’.
“At that point, I was still very calm. She got
up again and said that this thug must be
tamed. At that point, I got up, and I told her
that she is very stupid.
She called me a dog
“The next statement from her was that you
are a dog. She called me a dog, and when
she called me a dog, I stood up, and I
reacted and told her that this is not
Bourdillon and that she should look at my
face, I am not one of those senators who
normally come to prostrate to them in
Bourdillon.
“I told her I am from Kogi State, I am not
from Lagos State and that there would
never be a day I will come to you for
political assistance. These were my words,
and she went on shouting dog, thug.
“I want to tell you, gentlemen of the press,
that for every reaction, there must be an
action. When I got up to address my
colleagues, she was not the only senator
there. If I had used insolent language or foul
languages, you know the type of senators
we have. They would have reacted, and
some of them would have even addressed
you guys by now to say Dino insulted us.
“But because she acted in the manner she
did, not one senator stood up in her defence
when I was tongue-lashing her. Even the
senators from Lagos were there. Senator
Ashafa was there; he didn’t stand up from
his seat.
“It is not true that anybody circled her
because there was no need to. I did not
leave the spot I was sitting. I didn’t get up
from my seat.”
Responding to assertions by Senator Ajayi
Boroffice, he said: “Unfortunately, this
expatriate senator, absentee senator called
Senator Borrofice was not even in the
chamber, and he has not been in the
chamber for the past two months.
“He was not in the chamber; I was
surprised, maybe, he has celestial powers to
understand what happens in his absence.
“If there are instances that I am not a super
human being, if there are instances where
as a human being, I have reacted negatively,
I am also ready to be apologetic about it.
“I never even used insolent language but
because they are yet to heal the wounds of
defeat of the election of the Senate
President and because of my key role in this
exercise, where she and her husband called
me severally to appeal to me to back off
from Saraki, and I said I would not back off
Saraki.
Tinubu is not God
“I will continue to speak for those who
cannot speak for themselves. I will continue
to be a voice for the voiceless and in
reaction, I heard that Senator Bola Ahmed
Tinubu said my political career has come to
an end. I want to say that Tinubu is not
God. I fear only the God Almighty; I fear no
soul; I only respect souls.
“So far, my political journey to the House of
Representatives and the Senate had no
political, financial or moral contribution of
Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The God, who
has brought me this far, is mighty, strong
and enough to take me further. What God
has given me, no man can give, and what
God has given to me, no man can take.”
He equally dismissed claims that Senate
President Bukola Saraki nodded repeatedly
to his alleged barbs against Senator Tinubu,
saying nothing of such happened.

eagles job or nothing

Belgian tactician, Tom Saintfiet has cleared
the air on reports linking him with the
Bangladesh national team job declaring he

has not signed or accepted any other job as
he awaits news from the Nigeria Football
Federation, which remains his priority.
Saintfiet, 43, is one of 3 shortlisted coaches
for the Super Eagles jobs, but news of an
offer from the Bangladesh Football
Federation for the job of the Bengal Tigers
sparked concerns in the Nigerian football
circles that the former Qatar and Zimbabwe
Boss may be looking elsewhere.
However, in a swift response, Saintfiet
denied he has accepted to work with any
other Federation.
He disclosed that the President and board
of the Asian Country’s FA offered him a
contract with a mandate to resume
immediately. However, he has stated
emphatically that the Nigeria Football
Federation job is his first priority and until
the matter is resolved he cannot accept the
Bengal Lions appointment.

Immediate release of fund

THE House of Representatives yesterday
called on the Federal Government to
immediately release funds to the Ministry of

Sports to facilitate the country’s preparation
for 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
It called on the Ministry of Sport,
Accountant General of the Federation and
Budget office to ensure the immediate
release of funds and also mandated its
Committee on Sports to invite the Minister
of Sports and President, Nigeria Olympic
Committee to ascertain the level of
preparations and report back within one
week.
The House in a resolution arising from the
motion brought before the floor under
matters of urgent public importance
sponsored by Danburam Nuhu (APC-Kano),
decried the non provision of funds to Team
Nigeria to begin preparations ahead of the
Games scheduled to kick off from August 5.
He expressed concern that athletes were
not in camp few days to the
commencement of the Games, lamenting
that late preparation hampered the
country’s performance in previous
competitions.
He stated that since there was budgetary
provision to enable the country participate in
the Olympics, funds should be released to
enable athletes compete favourably, adding
that the immediate release of funds to
commence preparations will promote
winning spirit of the team
According to him, “The fund required to
participate in the Olympics was captured in
the 2016 Appropriation, which was passed
by the House in March and signed into law
since May 2016 yet not released to the
Ministry of Sports.
“This kind of preparation and 11th hour
release of funds usually mars the
performance of Team Nigeria.”

Eagles must fall in Lusaka

Former Zambia and Nkana FC midfielder
Jericho Shinde has sent a word of

encouragement to his ex-Chipolopolo
teammates ahead of the 2018 FIFA World
Cup Qualifiers.
Shinde is quoted by the Lusaka Times
website saying the team must not label
themselves underdogs in their group.
Chipolopolo are in the toughest group of the
qualifiers as they find themselves together
with
Algeria, Cameroon and Nigeria in Group B.
However, Shinde says the players must just
believe in their abilities and give their best.
“Yes it is a group of death but we shouldn’t
have mental blocks otherwise we will defeat
ourselves. Zambia should not be the
underdogs in this group,” Shinde said
“We should ensure that we collect maximum
points in all our home games. Our home
ground must be a slaughter house.
“Equally the players should learn to put in
their best. We can say all these things but
what about the commitment from the
players.
“I hope these boys can come to the party
and realise they are carrying the nation’s
banner,
“Let’s galvanise ourselves. With proper team
selection and good preparations we can
compete.”
Meanwhile it is not clear yet whether coach
George Lwandamina will lead the team
during the qualifiers as the chase for a new
coach is underway.
On the other hand, ex-coach Patrice
Beaumelle turned down an offer from the
Football Association of Zambia to return to
the country.
Philippe Troussier and Dario Bonetti are
some of the names linked to the coaching
job to replace Lwandamina.