Sunday 21 April 2013

List Of Winners Of AMAA Awards 2013

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The ninth edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Nigeria’s premium reward platform in film and cinema, took place yesterday at Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
Artistes that performed at the event include P-Square, Flavour Nabania, Waje and Timi Dakolo.
The awards, of which winners are determined by a jury has an edge over other reward systems in Africa, because of the diversity in the panel, with members comprising seasoned film journalists, veterans in cinematography, experts in acting and production from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Nigeria.
Today, the AMAA train has moved across over 40 African countries, and nations like the US, Trinidad & Tobacco, the UK, Canada and Jamaica. The wide acceptance of the brand across the globe testifies to its unprecedented number of entries recorded this year. Over 671 entries have been received for this edition.
In this edition, AMAA has redefined standard within the industry, not only among the award portfolio but for filmmakers who make specific films and movies for AMAA. According to Chico Ejiro, a famous movie producer, AMAA has succeeded in driving consciousness into movie makers who hitherto believed that profit in terms of finance was the only thing that matters in the industry.
Find list of winners below:
Best Actress in a leading role — Florence Masebe
Best actor in a leading role — Justice Esiri
Best actor in supporting role — Gabriel Afolayan
Best Promising Actor Award — Belinda Efah for Kokoma (Nigeria)
Best Screenplay — Heroes and Zeroes
Lifetime achievement award — Pete Edochie, Eddie Ugboma, Osita Okeke, Tunde Kelani
Best Film by Africans Abroad — Last Flight To Abuja by Obi Emelonye for his film
Best Documentary — Fueling Poverty (Nigeria)
Best Short Film — Akosua Adoma Owusu by Kwaku Ananse (Ghana)
Best Nigerian Film Winner: Confusion Na Wa
Best Costume Design — Blood And Henna
Best Achievement in Sound Winner — Nairobi Half Life (Kenya
Best Achievement in Soundtrack Winner — The Last Fishing Boat (Malawi)
Best Diaspora Feature Winner — Stones In The Sun (Haiti/USA)
Best Achievement in Cinematography Winner — Uhlanga, The Mark
Best Achievement in Editing Winner — Heroes And Zeroes by Niji Akanni
Achievement In Lightning Winner — Moi Zaphira
Best Actress in A Supporting Role — Hermelinda Cimela (Virgin Magarida)
Best Promising Actor (Joint Winner) — Joseph Wairimu (Nairobi Half Life)
Best Child Actor Winning Movie: The Ugandan
Best Director Winner: Niji Akanni for the movie “Heroes And Zeroes
Best Picture — Confusion Na Wa, By Kenneth Gyang
More to come…
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Africa U-17 Championship: Eaglets salvage image, pummel Congo 7-0

In Sports

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets returned to their scoring best Saturday when they thrashed Congo 7-0 at the on-going CAF Under-17 Championship in Morocco to qualify for the semi-final and also book a place in the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Turkey.
The Eaglets who were pipped 1-0 in their second group  game by Cote’d Ivoire showed their ruthless attacking prowess as they left the Congolese reeling in flurry of goals. The Congolese drew their first two games against Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
Kelechi Iheanacho and the tournament leading goal scorer, Isaac Success were responsible for the destruction of the Congolese who have now crashed out alongside Ghana who played out a goalless draw with Cote d’ Ivoire in the other group game. Iheanacho scored a hat-trick, while Success recorded a brace to bring his tally so far to six goals.
Iheanacho opened the flood gates of goals in only four minutes of play, while Success made it two for Nigeria shortly afterwards and he shattered the confidence of their opponents. He added another from the spot after Congo defender Imouele fouled in the box and he was sent off.
The Congolese fought back to salvage their campaign, but that only ended in misery as they were reduced to nine men after Yobi was sent off.  Musa Yahaya slotted in the fifth goal, while Mathew Ifeanyi made it six and Iheaanacho completed the rout when he fired home with a powerful shot.
The Eaglets topped the group with six points, they will play Tunisia on Wednesday, while Cote d’Ivoire will take on Morocco in the other semi-final on Tuesday.

First Top Ten Emerges in Sexiest in Nollywood

After five weeks of nomination process the first ten contestants of the eventual 25 to run in this year’s Sexiest in Nollywood quest has emerged. The ten emerged over the last five weeks of voting after polling the highest votes so far.
For the ‘Sexiest Man’ the first ten nominees include Ramsey Nouah, Junior Pope Odowondo, Ali Nuhu, Benson Okonkwo, Yul Edochie, Kenneth Okolie, Mike Ezuruonye, Sunkanmi Omobolanle, Uti Nwachukwu and Joseph Benjamin.
In the ‘Sexiest Woman’ category, the nominated contestants include Stephanie Okereke, Anita Joseph, Tonto Dikeh, Ebube Nwagbo, Colette Orji, Queeneth Hilbert, Chika Agatha, Maureen Cyril, Cynthia Agholor and Tope Osoba.
Sexiest
There are still a number of contestants who have polled great number of votes but their names have not yet come up because there are so many who have votes too close to call. In order to sort it all out for justice not only to have been done but also to be seen to have been done we shall proceed with the nomination process for more weeks – as long as it takes for clear choices to be made.
Therefore, we have resolve to come up with five more names every week until the final 25 contestants have been picked. However, if the situation on a particular week does not make for clear choices to be made the announcement of more nominees shall be postponed until the following week. Thus, it becomes more important than ever for fans to intensify their voting to give their star a good chance for the remaining 15 nomination slots.
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The big question now is: who are the next 15 nominees to joined these first ten nominated? The journey begins now and only your votes count.
So, who are the five coming in next Saturday? Note, the voting for the week shall be concluded by 12 noon on Thursday. If you want to give your vote to see someone nominated you must do so between SATURDAY and the next THURSDAY!
How to vote simply text name of your choice:  Sexiest Man and Woman to 08052201215 or 08052201251

Encomium Magazine crowns Ebube Nwagbo as Most Elegant Entertainer

D’banj, Julius Agwu bag Most Stylish Man and Entertainer awards
Encomium
Julius Agwu shows his award
Nollywood actress, Ebube Nwagbo is the Most Elegant Entertainer in Nigeria. This is the verdict of  Encomium Weekly, Nigeria’s leading celebrity journal.
The delectable actress was crowned at the Encomium Black & White Ball/ Elegance & Style awards, which held at Ruby Gardens Lekki, Lagos last Sunday.
Others who were given awards include, D’banj who was crowned the Most Stylish Nigerian Entertainer,  Julius Agwu(Most Stylish man), Florence Ita-Giwa who bagged two awards, Abike-Dabiri Erewa, Chris Okotie and  High Chief Alex Akinyele in recognition of their enormous efforts in setting the pace in fashion and style in their respective fields.
Twenty-eight awards including two lifetime achievement awards, were given to remarkable Nigerian individuals who have distinguished themselves in their various professions and imparted positively on the Nigerian society.
Speaking at the event, Florence Ita-Giwa, appreciated receiving the award saying, “It is good I’m being awarded while I can still wear high heels and walk up the stage to receive this award.”
The glamorous event witnessed fashion parade as well as lifestyle and fashion awards. Organizers said it was meant to celebrate forerunners and pioneers in the fashion and style business and also, to showcase designs from upcoming designers.
The Encomium Black & White Ball was proudly sponsored by Intercontinental Distillers Limited and Veleta Sparkling Fruit Drink.

Igbo presidential candidate: A step in the right direction

By Dele Sobowale
“They came forth to war, but they always fell”. James Macpherson, 1736-1796.
James Macpherson was the grandfather of Sir John Macpherson the second to the last Governor General of Nigeria under colonial rule. Governor Macpherson handed over to Sir James Robertson who eventually became our last British ruler. As the saying went in those days, “the British established the empire in a fit of absent-mindedness but it took the Scottish people, like Macpherson and Robertson, to make it work”. That was while it lasted.
The sun started setting on the British Empire when India became independent in 1949.  Many of us who knew what good governance was under colonial rule, up to October 1, 1960, would seriously not mind if the British will once more take over this country. There is hardly any old geezer alive on that day who would not vote to return the country to Britain in free referendum.
File Photo: South East Group meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja, July 2010.
File Photo: South East Group meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja, July 2010.
Although James Macpherson did not have Indigbo of Nigeria in mind, their attempts to achieve the presidency in the past could be described as a series of battle cries which invariably has ended in their capitulating to northern wishes. It started right from 1959 and continues till today.
However, I do not intend to go into a long history of the various failed attempts by our brothers and sisters in the South East to present and stand solidly behind a candidate since the great Zik of Africa made his last attempt in 1983. My focus is on more current issues. And my position is based on three cardinal beliefs I have held about the Igbo and the quest for the presidency.
First, the Igbo have never overwhelmingly supported one candidate. Second, there are too many political mercenaries whose only goal in life is to be given appointment as Ministers, Special Advisers or as Directors of Federal parastatals.
Third, Ndigbo has never been tenacious enough about its quest for the presidency. Together these factors have placed the third largest ethnic group in a position where, if care is not taken, its earliest chance for the presidency might not come until 2015 when the winner of the 2007 elections finishes his tenure. And, if the PDP wins, the South-South is already poised to become the favoured zone. And that means waiting until 2023.
Only god knows how many of those alive today and active in politics can look forward to living as long as that. Yet, the matter of Igbo presidency remains one of the nation’s unfinished agenda because it will have healed the remaining wounds left from the civil war of 1967-1970. Every honest and patriotic Nigeria must ask the question: “When will it be the Igbos’ turn?”
It was with that question in mind, while bearing in mind all the three reasons which I believe have impeded Igbo presidency, that the recent developments with regard to the selection of Governor Orji Kalu engaged my mind. So, it was encouraging that after all the palaver over who Ndigbo will support, the major Igbo groups have settled on Governor Orji Uzo Kalu. His selection over Professor Pat Utomi, certainly one of the best presidential materials ever, can be justified on two grounds.
First Utomi had never seen himself as the “Igbo candidate” preferring instead to be seen as a “detribalized” Nigerian. That posture might have its merits under other circumstances, but given the ethnical jungle, called Nigeria, and the succession arithmetic above ( i.e 2015; then 2023 etc ) that is a posture which the Igbos can ill-afford in their campaign. They need as the candidate someone who will tell the rest of Nigeria: “Enough is enough”. And despite his known and unknown demerits as a candidate, that is what Orji Kalu had been telling the country since 2000. So, at this point in time Ndigbo needs a candidate like him.
Second, if indeed the Ohanaze Ndigbo and the other Igbo groups had chosen Utomi as their flag bearer, most probably a lot of non-Igbo people now supporting him would have walked out. Either way it was not in his interest to seek the endorsement. And it was probably a blessing in disguise that he did not get it. The Pat Utomi I know is not cut out for that role.
Now with the selection of Kalu as their presidential flag-bearer, the Igbo would appear to have fulfilled the first requirement for a successful onslaught on the presidency. However, there is still a lot of work to be done even on that score. There must be total mobilization of Igbo votes nationwide; in every state and local government including ward level; in order to send a powerful statement to the rest of the country – even if Kalu does not win this time. Even if eighty per cent of all Igbo votes were cast for Kalu, it might take the presidential election to the second ballot and make Igbos the people to determine who becomes president. And from that standpoint they can exact the sort of concessions that would change the arithmetic in their favour.
The second and the third reasons for past failure are more difficult to address. But, they must be faced fully if the years of the Igbo in the wilderness of power will not extend beyond 2023. The question is: How?
(The above article was published in 2003 and it has become a perennial ritual of the Igbos every four years when people begin to beat drums of election activities)
LOST IN ACTION: IGBOBI COLLEGE 1958-62 SET
“We miss you”. Segun George, Papa Sagoe, Biodun Doherty, Babs Akin-Johnson, Oriyomi Benson etc.
It was exactly 50 years in December since we left Igbobi College after completing form five. As we are getting ready to celebrate our 50th anniversary, we have been trying in vain to locate some of our classmates. Some have left us permanently, and may their souls rest in eternal peace. To the best of our knowledge these were: Ademola Adesina, Layiwola Adewole, Yinka Fadipe, O. Olisa, Ayo Ositelu, Femi Solanke and Niyi Willoughby.
However those who have disappeared without trace include: Ayo Aitalegbe; Femi Awoyomi; Folorunsho Abiodun; Layiwola Bamidele; Deinde Green; Derin Idowu; Damola Martins; Tony Onyeahara;  Femi Ogunbanjo; Idahosa Ordia; Bisi Sotunbo; and Segun Owolabi. They are all either close to 70 or just 70 and above. Ask whoever you can trace to get in touch.
Dead or alive, any information about the whereabouts of these old Igboians will be highly appreciated. I am the unofficial Record Keeper for the class. Thank you.

KATSINA: ‘How we built N3bn Govt House with accrual from bank lodgements’

 In Politics

By Wale Akinola
Democracy seems to be yielding huge dividends in Katsina State where lodgements made by the Shema administration in banks provided the funds to build a new Government House.  The state Commissioner for Works, Mustapha Kankia, tells the story in this interview. Excerpt:
The Ministry of Works appears to have the biggest chunk of the state government budget. Why?
I think it is so because of the nature of what the ministry does,mostly capital intensive projects. Of course, capital intensive projects would take a slightly larger percentage of the budget. This is so because a single kilometre of road can cost so much.
This ministry is not only into roads, we are in charge of housing, transportation and road maintenance. For all these three, we have agencies, parastatals. We have the Katsina Housing Authority,  there is the Katsina State Transport Authority,  and we have Katsina Roads Maintenance Agency; so if you put all these agencies together,  under the ministry, you find that it is quite a huge amount of resources that go into our activities.
What were those challenges at the time you came in?
When I came in two years ago, there were quite some challenges and, naturally my target was to improve on the situation. My major drive is to leave here a much better place. We are dealing with a large number of contractors. My target is to deliver projects within time, cost and specified quality. These are the targets I set for this ministry so that we deliver our projects within stipulated time.
There is a  section that supervises quality and ensures prompt payment. At the moment, we  have projects that have been completed and awaiting commissioning by His Excellency.  This is the only state where a project stays on queue for it to be commissioned. Just last week, we finished phase 10 of the ring road projects. By this week, we are finishing another one.
The new Government House, why is government building a new one when there is a functioning one?
The current Government House, as you can see,  is one inherited from the colonial masters. It was actually the district officer’s residence then. Then successive governments were just adjusting one thing or the other. As a matter of fact, the office of the deputy governor, that was the exact office of the district officer at that time. So subsequent governments were just adding one structure today and another tomorrow. At the end of the day, it is a collection of structures done by different people with different thinking.
Gov Ibrahim Shema
Gov Ibrahim Shema
Sometimes, there is a conflict like accommodation, power supply, quarters and  government activities are ever expanding. For example, among the first generation universities,  University of Ife appears to be the best because it was the only university that started from a virgin land, a development concept from the beginning, therefore it could go in any direction it wants to go. That is why it is better than most of the other first generation universities.
Now we have a chance here to do it  (new Government House) properly. We have a governor who is not thinking about now. We are thinking of the next fifty years. As a matter of fact, all our projects here are in for the future. They are there to provide the platform for growth and development. We are not seeing now and immediate solution. What the government is doing  is to have a platform that next government can build upon and the movement continues. The new Government House is about to be completed.
There are 28 projects within the Government House going on now. We are going to complete it in another few months. The new Government House is to provide a befitting place and impression for the state. Why do you think we like to celebrate the entrance of our towns? The first impression lasts longer. But, more importantly, a working environment that will get the best in whoever is working there. If you look at the design of Aso Rock, the position itself is designed as a confluence. Again the entire funding of the Government House is free of charge. Funny isn’t it? But that is the truth.
How?
My principal is a manager of resources. He manages men and materials so that he gets the best for the state. The way the funding of the place is done is like this. We receive funds just like any state from the Federation Account, we manage it  such that accrual  from the investment is now pumped into the Government House project. The governor has generated over N8 billion in the last six years accruing from constant generation of the investment. So the Government House is being given to the people of Katsina free of charge. The target of the project is about N5 billion but we have spent about N3 billion.
Why build another Governor’s Lodge in Abuja when you could possibly manage the former one?
The condition we met it was not just habitable. It had developed cracks and was in a dilapidated condition. It had reached a stage where the Governor’s Lodge was no longer Governor’s Lodge because the governor could not really spend the night there and at, the same time, repairs go on, because it is not only about sleeping there but also working there and attending to state issues. So it became uninhabitable. So it was now either to completely knock it down or remodel it. And so we remodeled it.
So it is not a new building as you claimed, it was a remodeled building. We spent about N400 million on it.  And don’t talk about the cost because that amount is something that can be spent by the governor for a couple of years in a rented building. If you calculate the amount you would have paid on rent for say four years in Abuja, you will agree with me that it is a wise financial decision on the part of the governor. The lodge is now in place such that all his staff can lodge there comfortably. Even the  Northern Governors Forum and the Governors Forum meetings are held there sometimes, that tells you how habitable it is now.
There have been arguments over federal roads in Nigerian states.  What type of collaboration do you have with the Federal Government in fixing the roads in your state?
Generally, the state government is interested in partnering with any agency that will bring development to the people. Let me give you a classical example of the extent of commitment of the state government towards that policy. You will recall that the president established 11 universities recently, one of which is in Katsina State. The one in our state was the first to matriculate students. The reason is simple. The governor committed over  N1 billion on the project. He gave them a secondary school to take off. It was remodeled as classrooms, staff quarters were added. He provided hostels and immediately gave them certificate of occupancy.
He pumped over N1 billion into the project as the state contribution to the federal school. The students are in their second year. Another one was the expansion of the Katsina airport. It was an aerodrome.  The previous administration started the expansion programme. My principal completed it with a new runway of 3.6 kilometer long, 100 meters wide, enough to carry any Boeing 747, which is the international standard. He told the Federal Government, ‘I can do this and refund me later.’  Of course the approval took time but that is the kind of commitment I am talking about.
Currently, the state government is looking at the Zobe Water Dam Scheme. The dam is one of the largest dams we have. It was started more than 30 years ago. And Governor Shema has been trying to convince the Federal Government, ‘come please, let us talk, I can do this and then you reimburse me later’. There is another one, Jibia Irrigation Scheme. It is Federal Government owned. It was lying fallow and it could be used for irrigation but, it had technical problems of pumping machines as channels through which you carry water to farm lands were broken.
The governor came into the picture, supplied the generators and, as I speak with you now, it is working and thousands of thousands of hectares of rice is being grown there. We have done eight township roads which are Federal Government owned. There are two bridges as you enter Katsina that collapsed recently, the state government offered to construct another one but the Federal Government turned it down . I guess they saw our request as a challenge and insisted they would do it themselves.  They are presently doing it. So the state government is ever willing to collaborate with any government agency provided it is about development.
What are you doing on housing?
My ministry is saddled with the responsibility of providing affordable housing through the Katsina State Housing Authority. From 2007 to date, we have so far built 1,772 housing units which were segmented into three. There is Makira Housing Estate of 272 housing units. There is Barin Housing Estate of 500 units and there is each local government area housing units.
We have 34 local government areas here building 30 housing units each. And, in the next two years, we intend to build 2,000 units more. All these houses are discounted by 50% so that a two-bedroom for example which should cost N4 million is going for N2 million and, out of the N2 million, you just pay 10% and the remaining will be deducted from your salary for the next 20 years.
How have you been coping with pressure of the office?
Of course there is pressure of the office, no doubt about that, but there are some basic management principles that if you adopt, it will ease the tension . I am here hale and hearty. I have treated all the files on my table today. When you give limit of authority and responsibility, all you have to do is to make sure you cross check all the time. This is also my principal’s style.
He is very prudent in management  and disciplined in terms of budget implementation. If the project is not in the budget, don’t just bother your head taking it to him, because you will be wasting your time. He won’t look at you. And his style is working. When you adopt such style, you can achieve a lot within a short space of time. We have not borrowed a Kobo both within the country and outside to execute all these projects.

These Fulanis are no cattle rearers, they are rapists – Obi Onicha-Ugbo

On April 21, 2013 · In Interview
  By Hugo Odiogor & Evelyn Usman
Onicha-Ugbo, located in Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, was, recently, in the news, following reports of alleged rape of women in the community by Hausa/Fulani herdsmen. Aside this was the report of rancor over the choice of one of its prominent sons as the Odogwu-designate( a traditional administrator).
But in this interview after the “Ida nzu” ceremony penultimate Saturday, in Onicha-Ugbo,  where the Executive Vice Chairman of Exxon Mobil and publisher of Hints magazine,  Mr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, bagged the Odogwu title, the Obi of Onicha Ugbo, Agbogidi Chukwumalieze  the first, bares his mind on the  activities of Hausa/Fulani cattle rearers, saying they might have a  motive than mere rearing of cattle in his community. Excerpts:
What is the celebration all about ?
Well, you call it celebration. But the celebration is yet to come. In any case, what is actually going on is that our last Odogwu, in the person of Justice Maido, passed on last November and, because of Christianity and modernization, the burial rites took place within a very short time otherwise, traditionally, it is supposed to be longer than that.
With his death, the seat became vacant and there was clamor for the Odogwu stool to be filled. But Odogwu is not a title anybody in Onicha Ugbo can take. There is a particular village that takes the title. For instance, Onicha Ugbo is a community made up of five villages and each is entitled  to a particular traditional title. Ogbobi village, for instance, has Esama title; Isepe has Odogwu title ; Obekenu has Iyese title; Unulu has Aza; while Agba has another type of culture because of certain things that happened in the past. Their own title is Iyese too.
Obi Chukwumalieze of Onicha-Ugbo
Obi Chukwumalieze of Onicha-Ugbo
Now, when the late Odogwu passed away, the stool became vacant. And it is only from Isepe that an Odogwu will emerge. It is not my duty to appoint one. It is the duty of  the Isepe people to appoint. They are to come together and choose a particular person. When they started bringing different persons, I gave them eight market days to rub minds and decide to pick one particular person. I gave that order to the head of the Isepe people , in the person of Odafe, during one of the council meetings.
At the expiration o f that eight market days, he(Odafe) came and appealed that they had not been able to decide and asked for another four market days. Again, after the expiration of that four days,he came and told me that they were still unable to reach a consensus and begged me to give them more time. I said go ahead.
I was in Abeokuta for a meeting with other traditional rulers from Anioma, when they called to ask if they could come the next day that they have chosen somebody . I told him I would send for him at my arrival. When I returned I sent for the Isepe heads.When they assembled, I asked Odafe ( their spokesman) who they had agreed to be their Odogwu and he gave the name as Dr. Ibe Kachukwu.
But the person in question was not in town. He was in the United States of America then. He was chosen in absentia. When he came back, we decided to chalk him (initiate him) and, today, he is at the palace to confirm his acceptance of the chalking(initiation ) as the Odogwu, that is to say, he has accepted . That is why I said it is not yet a ceremony but acceptance of the offer to be the Odugwu(warrior ) of this community.
It was in the news recently that your community had problem with Fulani cattle rearers. What actually happened?
The matter has been taken to the governor. We tabled it at a meeting in Warri. You see, the Hausa /Fulani are not rearing cattle here. They are looking for something. We are beginning to discover that they are here for something else. Tell me, if you are rearing your cattle, won’t you take them to the bush to eat grass and drink water? Why will they rape women in their farms? Why do they eat people’s yams? Why do they take people’s property? Is that what they are expected to do? Eat grass and go if you are rearing cattle . But no! They will see a blossom farm and lead their cows to eat up farmers cassava , yam, corn and what have you. We have tolerated these people enough and have, therefore, shifted everything to the state government to look into it.
Kidnapping has assumed a worrisome dimension and it’s rampart in the eastern part of the country. What are you doing to secure your community against this scourge?
O nicha Ugbo has a very formidable vigilance group. The police has no power anymore. If you go to the police station in Onicha -Ugbo now , you will not see more than one or two persons; the Division’s officer and one other person. Police cannot cope with the issue of kidnapping  at the moment and it is not their fault but that of government. This is because they are not well equipped . Go to Onicha Ugbo police station and see whether you will find policemen there..
What is the place of Onicha Ugbo in the Anioma kingdom?
I don’t think I have to blow my own trumpet. You know Iseluku, Onicha Ugbo and other towns around. It is you that will access Onicha Ugbo and know whether there is progress or not. I think you should give us the situation report of the community. The only thing I can tell you is that we are never hostile to strangers. As for me, I grew up in Yoruba land and even schooled there and they never hurt me one day.
With that spirit , I protect the interest of strangers in this town. You can go and ask. Call any Yoruba man or Igbo man in this town and ask him how is Obi I treating him or her. If you ask three people, two will tell you that Obi Chukwumalieze is nice to strangers. But I do not know whether we are better than Iseluku and other communities around in terms of social lives and what have you.
When you read the report that Onitcha-Ugbo was boiling over the Odogwu issue, what was your reaction?
At first, I was taken aback. But when I read the report over , I discovered that the reporter did not put his name and concluded he could have been bought over. I am not a journalist but I know, for sure, that if a reporter did not put his name, then, he has betrayed the ethic of journalism and something needs to be done about that.
Back to the Odogwu stool, did you throw your  weight behind the Odogwu designate? To make it milder, what has been his contribution to the progress of Onicha Ugbo as a community to warrant his nomination among others?
His contribution is enormous. I will only mention three. When I ascended the throne in 1999, Onitcha-Ugbo was the only town that had  no access road to the expressway and that issue was like an arrow in my heart.
Everyday, I kept asking God what we could do? It was not something we could contribute money to construct. How much are you going to tell a market woman or a peasant farmer to contribute?. But one day, I was driving to Iseluku when I saw people working on that access road. They did it from this road down to the expressway. I was surprised. I approached the present Iyese who was the contractor and asked , oga, who say make una come do this work? He said it was Dr Ibe Kachukwu.
The following morning, I went back to that road and discovered they had started taring it. So, I went to his house and asked if he was the person constructing the road. He said yes, that it was just part of his support to his community. I came back and summoned my council chiefs and told them my opinion to give Dr Kachukwu a chieftaincy title, they agreed. We wrote to him but he came back and said he would not accept it except his father gave his consent but that it won’t stop him from helping his community.
But, at last, he took the title of Esaba of Ezechime. That is one. He has given more than 900 people scholarship. Not only in Onitcha-Ugbo but in all Ezechime kingdom. And he is still doing it. . Again, you see, he bought motorbikes for most people ridding motorcycles in Onicha Ugbo. He does that yearly.
Every year, he gives rice to women of this community. For women who can not afford a cup of rice, he gives them at least half a bag every Christmas. Go to Onicha Ugbo All Saints Catholic Church , he made it so. Last Christmas mass, they demanded for N10 million for a need ranging from construction and other vital things in the church, he gave a cheque of N4 million. There is a Catholic nursery and primary school he is building there. Infact, he told all the Catholic churches to remove their hands that he will complete it. In addition, the Reverend Father’s residence was built by him.

Mba: Gov Uduaghan please act now

On April 21, 2013 · In Sports

By Patrick Omorodion
MY dear Governor,  I write you today not only to say that I see what your government is doing for Delta State in the area of sports, which is my primary constituency, but to add that I equally appreciate the impact it is having on our sports men and women.
My aim of writing this open letter which is the only way I can get across to you, is the impression one of your sports administrators gave me a couple of days ago; that is that you see me as a hater of  Delta State because, according to the official, I never see anything good in what the Delta State government is doing.
Sir, at my age (by the grace of God, on Tuesday April 23, 2013, I’ll be adding two years to the second half of my life on earth) I’ll not be doing myself any good if I see something going wrong and I don’t do anything about it.
Even though I’m Edo-born, I see myself also as a Deltan, having married from the State but most importantly having come from the old Midwestern State and later Bendel, from which Edo and Delta were carved out.
Nigeria's forward Sunday Mba during the 2013 African Cup of Nations quarter final between  Ivory Coast and Nigeria
File photo: Nigeria’s forward Sunday Mba during the 2013 African Cup of Nations quarter final between Ivory Coast and Nigeria
As a young boy growing up in our old State, I was a living witness to the landmark the State made under our dear governor at the time, then Brigadier Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia. We, including you sir I guess, were proud Bendelites then.
One expected that despite the split of the State, both Edo and Delta should be way ahead of others in the area of  talent discovery and nurturing. One also expected that such facilities like the Afuze camp where our athletes trained without distraction  those days, would dot the two states. But alas, that is not to be.
Even though both States claim to remain top, with Delta having the upper hand these days, they cannot claim to be churning out budding talents like Bendel of old. Rather, they depend mostly on established stars to make hay while leaving hitherto backbenchers like Cross River and Ondo to discover and groom athletes for the big two to poach later.
To buttress this sir, take a look at school sports and grass-root athletics competition results these days and you would discover that States like Cross River and Imo are doing better than Edo and Delta. Cross River in particular has taken the lead because of the grass-root revolution programme of Governor Liyel Imoke.
Ironically, the revolution is the handiwork of a man that once gave Delta the edge, Bruce Ijirigho, who has left Delta for no reason known to this writer. Delta and her sister State, Edo have more or less turned to competition promotion States  and no longer the nursery of budding talents. That is my worry which I don’t fail to highlight at every given opportunity and that is why I’m being labeled a Delta hater.
Sir, is it not a surprise to you that Warri, Benin and Lagos have all lost out to Calabar as home of the Eagles? Have you asked yourself why? The reason is rooted in the decision of these three states to allow themselves to be deceived by some greedy administrators in connivance with some top FIFA chiefs with former Executive member, Jack Warner as the head, that astro or artificial turf was the in-thing now.
If that was correct, why does FIFA not host its World Cup matches on artificial turfs? Even England that Nigerians follow their Premiership like a religion, do you see any of the stadia having such pitches?
Calabar is the only alternative to Abuja Stadium now because most of the big boys in the Super Eagles have sounded it clear that they cannot risk their legs playing on artificial turfs any longer. That is why Warri Stadium, Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin and the Teslim Balogun Stadium never get a look in by the NFF again.
Sir, before I end this piece, I urge you to wade into the burning issue of the Sunday Mba transfer which has tied down the young man that bought smiles to our faces with his exploits in South Africa about two months ago during the Africa Nations Cup, 19 years after we celebrated such a victory. He shouldn’t  be allowed to waste away because of the mistake made by all the parties now scrambling for him, including the NFF, which administers the game here.
In my last piece on this page, I blamed your club, Warri Wolves, Rangers of Enugu, the league organisers, NPFL and the NFF because if they all had done their bit, Mba would not be enmeshed in the double registration that has entangled him now. The NFF however, came out belatedly on Friday to declare Mba and Chigozie Agbim, Warri Wolves players. Why did it take them so long to say so.
So sir, in the interest of the player and the country which still needs his services, especially in the on-going World Cup qualifiers and the 2013 Confederation Cup in Brazil, your early intervention is needed here. Mba should be forgiven for his error just like the prodigal son who squandered  his father’s riches. Rangers should also swallow their pride and go beg Warri Wolves while Mba should humble himself and apologise to Delta State government which took him as one of their own and splashed millions of Naira on him for the Nations Cup victory like a Warri Wolves player, which he was or is still.

UCH: Give unto Caesar, what belongs to him

By Tonnie Iredia
There are 2 main enviable professions in Nigeria – Law and Medicine. It is only a lawyer for instance, that can serve as Attorney General and Minister of Justice. The same is true of the position of Commissioner for Justice in a State. However, lawyers can be Ministers and Commissioners of other sectors – Education, Foreign Affairs and Commerce etc.
Similarly, it is only a medical doctor that can be a Minister of Health or a State Commissioner for Health notwithstanding that the health sector has several disciplines. This scenario where one privileged profession enjoys undiluted monopoly of prominence in a multi-disciplinary sector is however not a common practice across the globe.
In many other countries, the Head of a Ministry does not necessarily have to be a professional in any of the subject areas of the Ministry. The logic is that the post being a political one should be handled by a politician who is better positioned to place the activities of the Ministry in line with the manifesto of the ruling party.
File Photo: FEC members at one of their weekly meetings
File Photo: FEC members at one of their weekly meetings
In other words, the position of a Minister or Commissioner is a policy making one which does not require the specific knowledge of a particular profession. Such a policy maker is only expected to rely on strong professionals for the actualisation of the policy.
Lawyers and doctors in particular do not allow this to happen in Nigeria. In the legal field, no other professional has ever headed our Justice Ministry. In the health sector, the doctors have always been up there except for the obscure period of the interim government, when Julius Adelusi Adeluyi-a first class pharmacist, served as Secretary for Health. But for the brevity of his tenure, no one was sure of the game plan of the doctors.
Again, there was the reported uneasy calm in the sector following the nomination of Dora Akunyili- the effervescent anti-fake drug crusader as a Minister until she was deployed to the Information Ministry. Thus, lawyers and doctors have sustained a well fought war of ascendancy in their sectors in Nigeria. So, is enough not enough?
It does not appear enough to medical doctors whose recent actions show that having clinched the substance; they do not also wish to leave even the crumbs to other disciplines. This is indeed what is playing out in the nation’s first university college hospital (UCH) in Ibadan where a medical doctor has just been appointed as Director of Laboratory Services. It is an appointment which is likely to grind the nation to a standstill as from May 03 2013, if the UCH authorities do not reverse it.
Already, the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (ALMSN) has alerted the nation of such imminent breakdown of industrial harmony in our health sector as a result of the development. Other associated groups- the National Union of Pharmacists, the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, and Research Institutes etc have also issued a 2-week ultimatum to the UCH management on the subject.
Meanwhile, the ALMSN has made a fervent claim that the appointment of the medical doctor as UCH’s Director of Laboratory Services is a clear usurpation. Their National President, Dr. Goodwill Okara drove home the point with the argument that the position exists only in the statutory scheme of service for Laboratory Scientists.
It is therefore not a position for a medical doctor more so as it is not provided for in the scheme of service of physicians. If so, why is it possible to consider a medical doctor for it? The answer appears to lie in the allegation that the medical doctors have the support of the Minister of Health because he is one of their own.
As the nation approaches May 03, 2013, no one needs a soothsayer to predict either the high degree of chaos the subject would generate or its resultant hardship on the citizenry. Our Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu should therefore take urgent steps to avert the danger. It is a duty he owes the nation. On its part, the UCH management needs to appreciate that the main goal of the hospital is health care for the people.
When an organization like the UCH is set up to execute a task, it should naturally divide the task into parts and assign them to its different components on the basis of division of labour. That is not all. The sharing of the task should also be premised on the principle of specialization where each relevant actor is assigned a specific role on the basis of his professed expertise and competency bearing in mind that no matter how mundane any assignment is perceived, some people are better endowed than others in executing it.
Utmost care must however be taken to ensure that the way the task is shared is not allowed to blur the fundamental principle that all those involved have the same goal. Thus, it is expedient to prevent the tendency whereby some departments hold on to a perception that others are of little or no value to the organization, by ensuring that everybody’s job is functionally related to the specified corporate goal.
If the UCH operates this basic management principle, it would have no business asking a medical doctor to guide laboratory scientists in their own profession. Rather, it would run UCH as a network typically consisting of different parts with organizational messages flowing among the parts. Consequently, it would find that the roles of the different groups are mutually reinforcing and that the malfunctioning of one part can have grave adverse effects on the entire process; making it clear that everyone is useful.
Accordingly, a nation’s health care delivery system is a goal which doctors alone cannot achieve. They should therefore learn to accord recognition to other relevant contributors. Thus, the UCH management ought to spare us all the agony of a breakdown in our health sector by letting the Medical Laboratory Scientists be. Oh yes, Nigerian doctors who are the only ones that can be Health Ministers or Commissioners as well as the only Chief Medical Directors in all hospitals should not also grab what belongs to another Caesar.

Boko Haram Amnesty: CAN Carpets JNI Over Comment On Oritsejafor, Others

THE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has frowned at utterances of the Ja’amatu Nasril Islam (JNI) that tagged CAN President, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, and his executive council as enemies of Nigeria over their stand on amnesty for the Boko Haram sect

The Islamic body, recently in a press conference in Kaduna, wondered if “they (CAN) were appointed special advisers to the President on the perpetration of insecurity?” even when some Christian leaders like John Cardinal Onaiyekan, Bishop Matthew Kukah as well as Paul Unongo have thrown their weight behind the amnesty for the sect.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, General Secretary of CAN, Rev. Musa Asake, said although Cardinal Onaiyekan and Bishop Kukah were respected Catholic leaders, they could not speak for Nigerian Christians neither could they speak for CAN.
Asake said: “The two men do not have any moral or institutional authority to speak for Nigerian Christians. Their position remains very unpopular among the persecuted church in the North. Only CAN is vested with such powers, notwithstanding the constitutional rights of the two men to air their opinions on any national issues.
“Therefore, Cardinal Onaiyekan and Bishop Kukah do not speak for Nigerian Christians, not even for CAN in any of the 19 Northern states. What they are saying is their personal opinion that does not take into consideration the plight of the victims.”
CAN further expressed surprise that JNI ascribed the title of ‘Pastor’ to Mr. Paul Unongo, insisting that “Unongo does not represent any segment of Christianity because he is not one, agreed he is a well-known son of the Middle Belt.”
Asake maintained that Boko Haram insurgency was a creation of the northern leaders and JNI believed to have strong link with the sect, therefore, the Islamic body must find its way of curbing the menace.
He said: “But JNI should hear this: the Boko Haram insurgency is a snake on their (JNI) thatched roof. It is the Magida, the landlord and his tenant who can device the most effective way of dealing with it.
“Asking the Federal Government to grant amnesty to the Boko Haram members amounts to calling the government to come and kill the snake with a torch. The JNI must begin to query the change in its value system; a system that now makes them spokesperson of a murderous and blood thirsty group without being sensitive to the victims of the sect, a system that allows for the slaughtering of human beings like cows without any remorse.
“CAN will not fail to point out that the present clamour for amnesty to the Boko Haram members by the Sultan and his cohorts is a strategy to drive home the message of reaping from where they did not show. It is a strategy to get a better deal for those they have improvised for years. By canvassing for amnesty to blood-thirsty, Islamic fundamentalists who have killed without provocation, the JNI is promoting the culture of crass impunity that desecrates the sanctity of human life.
“The earlier it (JNI) retraces its steps and begins to fish out the fundamentalists among them the better for our dear country.”
Asake called on President Jonathan “to as a matter of urgency to dismiss the whole idea of amnesty for an unrepentant group, because it would be a panacea for confusion in the country”, adding that issue of victims of the sect should be taken with seriousness before any step taken further.
The cleric urged Christians to pray while making effort to defend themselves, “since Boko Haram does not see anything wrong with their style of Jihad against the Church, all we can do now is to pray, while making efforts to defend ourselves and communities.”