Photos: Actress Ruth Kadiri sexy in a Tiannah Styling outfit

The actress, producer and writer who had an amazing 2014 with great starring roles, the release of her own movie, Matters Arising, the launch of her own clothing line, K&R and the acquisition of a Range Rover SUV, is sexy in these photos styled by Tiannah styling. More pics after the cut...

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The Palms Shopping Mall: 25 days to Xmas promo: Grand Prize winner emerges

This festive season will always be a memorable one for shoppers at The Palms shopping malls across the country as they were rewarded big time in The Palms 25 Days to Christmas promo which came to an end on the 24th of December with the grand finale draw at The Palms Shopping Mall Lekki.

It was an awesome event with The Palms Shopping Mall putting smiles on their customer’s faces by fulfilling their promise of appreciating numerous customers for shopping with them especially during this 25 Days to Christmas promo. 

According to the head of Marketing Palms Shopping Mall, Mr.Tunji Folayan who explained the process of picking winners. “ It certainly has been a very exciting period for shoppers of The Palms Shopping Mall all over the country this December as loads of prizes have been won since the startof it's 25 days to Christmas promo.” Daily goodie bags worth N100,000 were won everyday, weekend bundle prizes worth N200,000 were also won at the weekends and at the last week of the promo final draw winners emerged from The Palms Shopping Malls in Ibadan, Ilorin and Enugu who were flown to Lagos to contest for the grand prize of a Kia Rio with the Lagos final draw winner.”

He further stated that, “We at The Palms Shopping Mall aretruly excited at having our customers pleasantly surprised with this promo and again, it is our way of saying thank you to our customers in a special way because we believe they deserve to have their wishes come true this season and  is proud to have brought smiles to the faces of Nigerians this yuletide season.

Chukwuma Emekume a student who was the final draw winner from Enugu emerged as winner of the grand prize; a Kia Rio.  Head of Marketing The Palms Shopping Mall, Mr.Tunji Folayan and Chief Operations Officer Broll, Mr. Daniel Eze  presented the keys to Chukwuma Emekume. Chukwuma who could not contain his happiness and excitement thanked The Palms for making this season a Joyous one for him and one he would not forget anytime soon.

2^nd and 3^rdplace winners also went away with loads of fantastic prizes and most winners at the draw were excited on their win and expressed their joy to The Palms Shopping Mall for creating the 25 Days to Christmas promo as a way of rewarding its customers.  

     

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I’m coming up with anti-corruption plan -President Jonathan says

Speaking during a special New Year
service at the Dunamis International
Gospel Centre, in Abuja yesterday
January 1st, President Jonathan said his
administration is coming up with plans
and programmes to fight corruption in
Nigeria. What he said below...
"There are two main problems
confronting us as a nation: The issue of
insecurity in the North where we have the
Boko Haram terrorists and in the South
where we have commercial kidnapping.
The next thing that people worry about
after security is the issue of corruption.We
are coming out with programmes and
plans to clean up. These are things that
you don’t just use a magical wand to
wave off, otherwise even before I became
the President, there wouldn’t have been
corruption in Nigeria.
“It is not just about shouting corruption.
It is not about looking at one person,
arrest the person and show him on
television. It is about strengthening
institutions and coming up with credible
plans to make sure that anybody who
gets involved with corruption, the system
must have a way of detecting him and
punishing him.
“Until you put such a system on ground,
you cannot talk about eradicating
corruption, you will just be celebrating
corruption. You would have noticed that
from Christmas to New Year, at least, it
has been calm. It did not happen by
accident.
“It happened because you have been
praying for this country and the
government has also been doing
something. We do not need to announce
what we are doing. With your prayers, we
will surely get there. We will continue to
come up with programmes that will help
the ordinary people.
“The same way we won the war against
Ebola, we shall win the terror war. 2015 is
a turning point because of the elections.
Some people will not mind if half of the
country get burnt because of their
ambition.
“I always say that we must have a
country first, we must have a people first
before talking about ambition. We must
pray that God should give us the wisdom
to do things with some decorum and we
should not compromise the lives of the
people for ambition.
“I always say that my ambition and the
ambition of any politician for that matter,
is not worth the blood of the smallest
Nigerian.”
“For you to achieve anything, you must
have a clear vision. Even if you look at
what we have been doing as a nation,
you will really see that before this time
when the country used to have this 25
years plan, the budget was based on 25
years clear plan for the country. So you
know where you are going for 25 years.
“Then it was broken down into five years
plan and annual budget and we knew
where we were going. But after some
time, things collapsed and we run
government on emergency basis and you
see government start wobbling.
“We are going back to those good days
when we had vision. We have plan for
agriculture, we have plan for industry, we
have plan for automobile and many other
areas. If you have a vision, any proposal
that comes in, no matter how good they
are, must fall into your vision for it to go
through. With your prayers, surely as a
nation, we will get to where our vision will
take us to.
“Having passed through school and being
in government for quite some time, I have
realised that for you to achieve anything,
you must have a clear vision. If you have
a clear vision, even if you don’t get the
exact target, you will get something close
to the target."
Source: Punch

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Usher gets into a fight in the club overfiancee, gets punched in the eye

The singer got into a fight on New Year's
eve inside Miami's hotspot E11even
and shared a pic of his bloody red eye on
his instagram page, writing that the guy
he fought with came out worse. Well, a
source told MTO what happened...
Usher was in VIP with his girlfriend, and
some drunk white guy was screaming
disrespectful things towards Usher, trying
to get his attention. When that didn't work,
he started saying nasty things about his
[fiancee Grace]. The guy called her ugly.
To Usher's credit, he didn't act like a
b*tch. He broke through security and
started fighting the guy. Usher f*cked him
up. It was like a four piece - Usher must
be a boxer or something because the
punches were very fast. I don't know how
Usher's eye got like that because I didn't
see White dude even tough Usher.

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Boko Haram attack travelers, kill many,others missing

Some Cameroonian travelers were killed
after the bus they were traveling in was
ambushed and attacked by members of
Boko Haram yesterday January 1st.
Cameroonian investigative journalist Chief
Bisong shared the information on twitter.
Meanwhile Cameroonian authorities say
they will be recruiting 20,000 military
officers as part of measures to prevent
further attacks by members of the sect
even as information emerged that Boko
Haram members are working to enlist
young Cameroonians into their group.
A lawmaker in Cameroon's parliament,
Senator Haman Paul told Voice Of
America
"There was something that we witnessed
in Maroua (in northern Cameroon).
People told us that they found people in
town that were not actually people they
were used to. When we found that one
part of the country is in a very delicate
situation, it is better to manage
prevention instead of consequences,”

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Suicide bomber dies after failed attemptto attack church in Gombe state

A suicide bomber was the only one to die
in a failed attempt to attack the
Evangelical Church of West Africa, ECWA
(pictured above), at Tudunwada in Gombe
state yesterday January 1st.
According to reports, the suicide bomber
arrived the church at about 8am in a
motorcycle and attempted to forcefully
drive into the premises which was parked
full of worshipers as the church was
holding its new year celebration service.
As he made to enter, the suicide bomber
was stopped by members of the church's
Boys Brigade stationed at the entrance of
the church for security purpose. The
bomb on him immediately exploded,
killing him and injuring 8 others who were
immediately rushed to the hospital for
medical attention.
This attack came barely 24hours after
two suicide bombers attempted to attack
the Army barracks in Gombe state on
New years eve. Reports say the suicide
bombers arrived the military check point
leading to the barracks at about 8pm and
in the course of waiting to be searched,
the bomb which was in a bag carried by
one of the suicide bombers blew up, killing
both of them instantly.

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Kumuyi predicts glorious 2015

The country is being buffeted by a myriad
of challenges. For instance, there are the
prevailing security challenges in the
country, economic/financial issues,
family, social challenges and other life-
threatening situations. All these appear to
have defied human solutions. As if these
are not enough, there is growing
apprehension, all over the place, as the
country approaches the 2015 general
election.
In fact, there had been predictions, in
certain quarters, that the unity of the
country could be threatened in the New
Year. It was against this backdrop that
the leadership of the Deeper Life Bible
Church organised a twin religious event/
gathering “2014 December National
Retreat and Miracle/Revival,” programme
last weekend. The retreat which has its
theme as: “Lifted up to Higher Ground
and Enrichment Through God’s Visitation”
was aimed, according to a press state­
ment, issued by the church management
later, at “getting the faithful to know their
position in Christ and their inheritance in
God.” Preacher after preacher drove home
the point that to survive in a sin-scarred
world, believers must constantly look up
to Jesus the Author and Finisher of their
faith.
Addressing the mammoth crowd, Pastor
William Folorunsho Kumuyi, declared that
2015 was the year of God’s visitation. He
said God would give His people a cause to
celebrate in the New Year. “God will visit
you in the New Year. Everything holding
you down, the Lord will break it. You will
step into your Promised Land,” he said.
“Things will turn around in your life.
Metaphorically speaking, it is not as it
was, so it is and so will it be world
without end. It is not what you saw
yesterday and what you are seeing today
that will determine what you will see in
the New Year. A brighter day is coming;
the coming days for you will be better
than the good old days. The things of the
past may have been wonderful, things
will be more wonderful in the New Year.”
The cleric urged Nigerians not to behave
like the murmuring, complaining, critical
Israelites of the Bible days who magnified
their past problems and fears to the point
of disbelieving the report about the
Promised Land brought by Caleb and
Joshua and attempted selecting another
captain/ leader to lead them back into
Egypt, into bondage. “For you to know
that God has come to visit His people…
nothing will stop your onward journey,”
he charged. The congregation chorused a
loud Amen. “God has not written you off.
God has not forgotten you. There is a
glorious day awaiting you; things will turn
around… the bright future is starting
today.”
He strongly advised the audience to take
a sober reflective look at their lives as
they prepared for the second coming of
the Lord which he said might be
imminent. Subsequently, he admonished
them not to seek powers outside the
confines of the word of God, saying that
we do not need to kill nor oppress others
in order to make progress and to prosper
in life. He warned that worldly attainments
would fade away, but he who lives by the
dictates of God’s word has eternal life
awaiting him at the end of this life. This
fact should necessitate constant feeding
on that Word, he added, in order to
prepare our souls for the heavenly
journey ahead.
He condemned the inordinate crave for
material wealth, at the expense of living
an unblemished life before God and men,
which will, in turn, attract both material
and spiritual blessings, while noting that
the things of this life are temporal. While
blessing the people, he urged them to be
satisfied with the goodness and kindness
of God which are more than sufficient to
take care of them here and hereafter,
stressing that God must be seen as their
pillar of strength and abiding refuge in
every situation.
The programme also featured seminars
made up of the following topics: “Giving
thanks, preceding request for great
things”; “Miracles following a session of
praise in the enemy’s camp”; “Gratitude
and praise that are pleasing to God”;
“Praising God after a great victory” and
“The place of thanksgiving in receiving
answers to prayers.” Others were: “God’s
provisions from an unusual source”; “All
round success for the righteous”;
“Irrevocable promises for steadfast and
faithful believers”; “Succeeding through
trusting God’s promises” and “Bringing
hope and help in unlikely ways.”
While the retreat messages were tailored
towards challenging believers to live a
holy life and becoming agents of change
in their society through the propagation of
the gospel, the miracle/ revival segment
featured powerful ministrations by Pastor
Kumuyi.
In this session, many people who had
been under the bondage of Satan by
suffering mysterious sicknesses in their
minds, bodies and souls were ministered
to through powerful prayers said by the
man of God. And there were many testimo­
nies that proved that God is at work in the
lives of His people both in the last retreat
and in previous ones. For instance, a
woman, going by the name, Mrs. Toyin
Adeyemi, from Orile-Iganmu, set the
congregation agog when she told a story
of how her reproach of 19-years-old
infertility was taken away, and a healthy-
looking boy given to her instead, after the
man of God prayed and broke the yoke in
the 2013 December retreat.
Samuel Olubiyi from Isolo, Lagos, testified
that he and his wife were blessed with a
baby girl after four consecutive years of
miscarriages suffered by his wife. He also
testified to his divine promotion after
seven years of working without
recognition. Mr. and Mrs. Chijioke Okoro
from Agege also shared their testimony.
According to them, after years of
miscarriages, the woman conceived, and
they were happy to look forward to
welcoming the cry of a baby in their
home. But panic rather set in when it was
time to be delivered of the baby and the
woman laboured for more than 13 hours
after being wheeled into the labour room.
At long last, she was taken to the theatre
and delivered of the baby through a
caesarian section. But few days after the
operation, her tummy began to swell up
necessitating a second visit to the
hospital. It was there that it was revealed
that an object was forgotten inside her
tummy during the CS carried out on her.
The woman who took over the narration
at some point said that her husband was
asked to sign an undertaking to have her
operated upon the second time after
doctors had said her chance of survival
was 50-50. But to the glory of God, she
survived and lives to tell the tale.
Others who testified to being touched by
the blowing wind of the miraculous
included Samson Anene, from Festac who
said he had been down with a strange
and excruciating pain in his left leg which
he feared might eventually lead to
paralysis. But according to his testimony,
while he was at the retreat, he fell into
something like a trance and saw a hand
digging into his knee and pulling out an
object that looked like a calabash, and
instantly the pain ceased and since then
he’s been walking very well without
further trace of the pain. Beside the
messages and testimonies, there were
song ministrations by the choristers.
These helped to prepare the hearts of
participants to receive from the Lord
before each message. There were also
orchestra performances particularly
during congregational songs.

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Awww, Tiwa and Teebillz are expectingtheir first child!

Amazing news! Tiwa and Teebillz are
expecting their first child together. Tiwa
posted the pics above on her instagram
and wrote "2015....Just the 3 of US...❤️ #
AllGloryToGod". Big big congrats to them

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Tunisia election: Beji Caid Essebsi to besworn in as president

Tunisian President-elect Beji Caid Essebsi
is to take his oath of office after winning
the country’s first free presidential poll.
He secured victory last week over
incumbent Moncef Marzouki.
His triumph means Tunisia – where the
Arab Spring began – remains the only
Arab country to move from authoritarian
rule to democracy in that period.
On Monday, electoral authorities
confirmed that Mr Essebsi had won a
run-off vote against Mr Marzouki.
The new president will be sworn in at a
ceremony in the newly elected parliament
– where his party Nidaa Tounes also
holds the largest number of seats.
The swearing in takes place on the
anniversary four years ago of protests
that eventually toppled President Zine al-
Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.
The BBC’s Naveena Kottoor in Tunis says
that while this is the latest democratic
milestone for Tunisia, many in the
country are arguing that political
transition will only succeed if newly-
elected politicians usher in social and
economic changes.
Mr Essebsi, 88, has urged all Tunisians to
“work together” for stability but critics say
his win marks the return of a discredited
establishment, pointing out that he served
under President Ben Ali.
This month’s vote was the first time
Tunisians have been able to vote freely
for their president since independence
from France in 1956.
The new president will have restricted
powers under a constitution passed
earlier this year.
He will be commander-in-chief of the
armed forces but can appoint or sack
senior officers only in consultation with
the prime minister.
( BBC )

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Nigerian, Not Cameroon Airforce BombedBoko Haram Terrorists in North-East – –DHQ

Following reports Tuesday, that
Cameroonian air force jets on Monday
launched air strikes on scores of Boko
Haram terrorists who occupied a military
base in Northern Cameroon and bombed
them on the Nigerian side, the Defence
Headquarters said yesterday that no
foreign air force aircraft launched any
airstrike on Nigeria’s territory.
Rather, DHQ in a post on its twitter
handle, disclosed that the air strikes that
killed Boko Haram terrorists in the said
confrontation at the Nigerian divide of the
border town with Cameroon was carried
out by Nigerian Airforce fighter aircraft.
It said it will investigate the source of the
information claiming that the air strikes
were carried out by a foreign air force.
Cameroon’s minister of information, Issa
Tchiroma had in a statement, said the
coordinated assaults on five towns and
villages showed a change in tactics by
Boko Haram fighters, adding that the
group’s campaign to carve out an Islamic
Caliphate has spread from North East
Nigeria to neighbouring Cameroon.
He added that President Paul Biya
ordered air strikes to flush out Boko
Haram terrorists’ from Northern
Cameroon.
However, Defence Spokesman, Major
General Chris Olukolade said, “Ongoing
highly Coordinated Air operation is being
conducted by the Nigeria Air force. No
indication of any Foreign Force engaging
in any part of Nigeria. We will investigate
claims of Airstrikes by a Foreign Force on
our Soil. This serves to satisfy peddlers of
strange claims and stories”
Continuing, Olukolade asked, “What could
be the motive of Foreign Media outfits
peddling false/exaggerated claims of a
neighboring Army’s exploits on Nigerian
soil?”

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Chelsea, Man United title chanceshampered by draws

Leaders, Chelsea could only pick up a
point as they were held by a resilient
Southampton at St Mary’s Stadium. Sadio
Mane gave the Saints the lead when he
pounced on John Terry’s hesitancy in
defence before lifting his shot past
Thibaut Courtois. Eden Hazard equalised
seconds before the interval when he
drifted in from the left before firing in low.
Saints finished with 10 men when Morgan
Schneiderlin was shown a second yellow
card for a foul on Cesc Fabregas.
However, Manchester United’s pursuit of
Chelsea and Manchester City in the
Premier League title race was hampered
by a frustrating draw at Tottenham.
United created several good chances in
the first half, with Juan Mata’s deflected
free-kick hitting the post. Home keeper
Hugo Lloris also denied Radamel Falcao,
Robin van Persie and Ashley Young as
Spurs offered little. Spurs’s Andros
Townsend saw two shots easily saved,
but the hosts rallied late on with Ryan
Mason firing over. Mauricio Pochettino’s
team had scored late winners against
Swansea and Leicester recently but,
despite enjoying almost 65 percent of
possession in the final 15 minutes, could
not create any last-gasp drama against
third-placed United. United boss Louis
van Gaal grimaced as he disappeared
down the White Hart Lane tunnel,
probably wondering how his side did not
close the gap on leaders, Chelsea, who
also dropped points at Southampton. The
Dutchman had been critical of the Pre­
mier League’s busy Christmas schedule,
but decided to name an unchanged XI
from the 3-1 home win against Newcastle
less than 48 hours earlier. Despite the
short turnaround, his players looked full
of energy as they dominated the first half,
moving the ball quickly – and with
purpose – as they picked holes in the
Spurs defence. Mata’s free-kick clipped
the home wall and deflected on to Lloris’s
left-hand post before only Vlad
Chiriches’s desperate lunge prevented
Falcao scrambling in the rebound.
Seconds later, Phil Jones thought his
close-range header had crossed the
Spurs line before Jan Vertonghen’s
acrobatic clearance, and although the
United defender was proved right by
goal-line technology, he was denied by an
offside flag. W hile t he p ossession and
territorial statistics were evenly matched,
United continued to create the goalscoring
opportunities. Falcao shot tamely at
Lloris, Van Persie could not convert when
clean through and the France keeper
brilliantly tipped away Young’s curling
shot. But United appeared tired after the
break, failing to have a shot on target, as
Spurs improved. Knowing they would
move into the top four with their fourth
straight win, Spurs pressed higher up the
pitch as the visitors were not allowed the
time or space that they enjoyed in the first
half.

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Eaglets cry out over Kano house giftsagain

World Cup-winning Golden Eaglets stars,
Musa Muhammed and Zaharadeen Bello
have again cried out that they are yet to
receive the houses promised them by the
Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso a year ago.
Musa Muhammed, who led the Eaglets to
win the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the
UAE, was promised a house along with
fellow Kano State native, Bello by
Kwankwaso but a year later they are yet
to get allocations of the houses.
“We were informed that our houses are at
Amana Estate, but I have made countless
visits to the Kano State Investment and
Properties Limited and what they are still
telling me is that they are yet to allocate
houses there,” said a frustrated
Muhammed.
“I have met with the managing director of
the investment company and have been
in constant touch with Dauda Sheshe, the
principal manager PID of the company.
But still no hope in sight.
“We can’t reach the governor to alert him
of our situation, we don’t even know what
to do now.”
It was reliably gathered that a Chinese
group, who bought hundreds of units at
the Amana Estate had since been
allocated their houses.

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The changing face of Anambra

The end may have come for the dismal
look of Awka and Onitsha. Both cities
suffered near total neglect in the past,
and were almost given up or abandoned.
Neither the administrative status of Awka
nor the commercial strength of Onitsha
could earn them gubernatorial attention.
Past governments seemed obsessed with
other aspects of governance to bother
with their rustic state. An out of humour
critic of those administrations once called
Awka a bucolic town, mismanaged by a
line of do-nothing governors who wished
to change its looks by standing still.
The failure to transform both cities,
though inexcusable, might be as a result
of either of two things. One is the lack of
political will to embark on a capital
intensive venture such as building a new
capital city. Two is that past governments
were too conservative and blind to notice
the unbefitting status of Awka as a state
capital, and might have cared less about
the sprawling condition in which Onitsha
has lapsed. Accordingly, the long neglect
blotted the otherwise beautiful landscape,
and rendered incomplete whatever
achievements those governments posted.
Awka contrasts brutally to the least devel­
oped state capital in Nigeria. Its rustic
state very easily magnifies in
juxtaposition to the beautifully laid out
streets of Enugu while Onitsha is greatly
diminished by the emerging attraction
which Asaba has become in recent time.
A visitor to Awka or Onitsha from either of
the two adjoining state capitals would feel
a whiffling air of rustic neglect on arrival.
A certain columnist once described his
journey from Enugu to Awka as a descent
from light to darkness. All too often, the
neglect questioned the Anambra spirit of
enterprise, and pioneering streak, which
has seen to her people being in the
vanguard of developing cities outside of
the state.
The decrepit infrastructure was not helped
by the fractious nature of her politics.
Needless to retell the dreary story here,
but suffice it to say that it conspired with
the failed infrastructure to rob the state a
measure of respect in the comity of other
states. It is important to mention that the
lacuna in infrastructural development was
not because the state could not stump up
bills in transforming itself, but more for
the lack of vision and political will by past
governments to do so. The poor state of
infrastructure inevitably encumbered
development in other areas. In time, the
condition conduced to criminal activities.
The burgeoning commercial activities of
Onitsha very easily exposed it to tidal
surges in criminality. Awka, on its part,
held no better promise as it lacked the
enablers for transformation and stifled
growth in social interaction. Both repelled
rather than attracted visitors. Investors
whose activities should have driven
development, nibbled at the thought of
coming to the state. Those who did
refused to take up residence in it. Perhaps
only fly-by-night contractors and
wheeler-dealer business men could brave
the odds. A section of her citizens was no
less enamoured by the desolate
infrastructure and prefers to work from
the comfort of either Enugu or Asaba.
However, since no condition abides
forever something fortunate has come
swift upon the state. The Obiano
government has, since coming on the po­
litical stage, kept its nose to the
grindstone to change the old order. Today
Awka, the state capital, billows in dust of
reconstruction. The decrepit infrastructure
is now caving in to the menacing strides
of the contractor’s bulldozers. By the time
the dust settles, three flyovers at Arroma,
Kwatta, and Amawbia bypass would
stand firm to mark Awka distinctly out.
This is a precursor to building an entirely
new capital city in the ancient town. The
huge constructions (the flyovers), though
a prerogative of the federal government,
when completed, will achieve two things.
First, it will decongest the town and allow
for free flow of traffic that is fast forming
a tailback in the town. Secondly, it will
enliven Awka and make it attractive for
residents. No longer will the state capital
be passed unnoticed as was earlier the
case. Already a body (Awka Capital
Development Authority) has been
constituted and charged with drawing up
a befitting capital for the state. It was
also instructed to be as eclectic as pos­
sible in harnessing ideas in order to give
the state one of the best. Nothing could be
more compensatory, given the wasted
years.
In line with the transformation, an estate
developer, Rockland Builders, has been
commissioned to build over a thousand
housing units for the state civil servants.
This will help reduce exposure to risk by
some of the civil servants who shuttle
from Enugu and Asaba to work. A lot of
renovation work is also going on at the
State House in much the same way as
Onitsha is being renovated and lit up. The
Upper Iweka/ Bridgehead area has since
exploded in resplendent colours. What
makes the Onitsha case most gratifying is
that the transformation was not shabbily
wrought. It first dealt with the foundation
by routing criminals in the town. This has
not only allowed for luxury of
transformation, but also sane commercial
activities and a good repose. No longer
are people in breathless haste to escape
the menace of muggers who skulked in
shacks that abutted the expressway. Night
life is gradually returning to the town just
as parks, hitherto dens of robbers and
alcoholics are being renovated and new
ones built. All these are adorned with
flowers and lit up for aesthetic effect. One
good thing about the effort of the
government in the whole transformation
is that work is going on speedily at all the
sites. At the Zik roundabout, for example,
the park is nearing completion. Ditto for
all the others where the governor either in­
herited projects or is doing new ones.
It may not be presumptuous to say that
before four years of this administration
Awka, and indeed the state, will be greatly
transformed.
.Anyaduba writes from Abatete, Anambra.

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Anambra attracts $1.65bn investments as Oduah heads Anambra airport project

In keeping with his avowed commitment
to achieve increased investment inflow to
the state, Anambra State Governor, Chief
Willie Obiano, said the state has attracted
about $1.65 billion investment from
investors since March 17, 2014 when the
new administration was inaugurated.
These investments, he said, were
attracted to key areas covering
agriculture, hospitality and tourism
industry, power generation, trade and
commerce, among others.
Obiano, who addressed journalists on the
various programmes and achievements
as well as challenges facing his
government, also disclosed that he had
appointed former Aviation Minister, Prin­
cess Stella Oduah, as head of Anambra
State Airport Development Agency based
on her wealth of experience and track
record of turning around the country’s
aviation industry, noting that his
administration had distributed high-
yielding seedlings to farmers and en­
couraged the formation of cooperative
societies for easy access to farm inputs
and credits.
The governor stated that through the
Anambra State Investment Promotion
and Protection Agency
(ANSIPPA), investments had flowed in
from the Coched Farms $175 million,
Ekcel Farms Limited ($150 million) and
Grains and Silos Llimited ($11 million).
Others are Delfarm Limited and Songhai
Regional Centre from Benin Republic with
$200 million investment, West Africa
Inter-continental Trade Centre ($320
million) and Cardinal Developers and
Trust which took over the completion of
Anambra’s four-star luxury hotel in
Onitsha, among others.
He stated that the investment feat
recorded by his administration in a few
months in office was made possible by
well-deserved appointment of competent
professionals, especially in the areas of
financial investment and banking as
board members of the Anambra State
investment Promotion and Protection
Agency (ANSIPPA), led by Cyril Enweze,
traditional ruler of Umuoji and an accom­
plished professional of international
repute.
The governor pointed out that
consideration was being given to an idea
of expanding Onitsha Main Market to the
River Niger, stressing that four other
urban markets had been proposed for
urban settlements of the state.

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We have no hands in recent bombings – FG

The Federal Government has debunked
insinuations that the administration of
President Goodluck Jonathan is
responsible for the spate of bombings that
have been rocking some parts of the
country in recent times.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory
(FCT), Senator Bala Muhammed,
yesterday declared, in Bauchi when he led
a Federal Government delegation to the
Central Market, Bauchi which was rocked
by bomb explosion last Monday evening,
that President Jonathan had no hand in
the spate of bombings rocking parts of the
country
Bala said: “I seize this opportunity to
debunk some of the insinuations and lies
being peddled around that the Federal
Government has a hand in some of these
bombings. It is unheard off; it is unfair for
anybody to use the blood of people to play
politics. Cheap popularity that can be
achieved, using mischief and treachery is
not good. Certainly, we are not going to
join issues with anybody. The Federal
Government is a beneficiary of the people
because you have voted for us and you
will continue to vote for us. It can be seen
during the last Christmas which was free
of any crisis and this will continue and be
sustained.”
The minister, who made a donation of
N20 million to assisted the affected
traders of the market, called on Nigerians
to eschew all forms of sentiment that were
being expressed in order to repeat what
happened in 2011, particularly in Bauchi
State where so many people died,
including corps members during the post-
election violence.
“It was all the working of those
mischievous people who are selling
information that are not true. Certainly,
Mr. President bears with you and I bear
with as your representative in Nigeria to
make sure that we give you the kind of
solace and encouragement whenever it is
required,” he added.
The minister later visited the Emir of
Bauchi, Alhaji Rilwanu Zsuleiman Sdamu,
in his palace in company with the Director
General of NEMA, Dr. Mohammed Sani
Sidi, where he commiserated with the
traditional ruler and the people of Bauchi
over the incident.
He promised to mobilise support for the
reconstruction of the damaged market
and compensation to the affected traders
and victims.
Responding, the emir thanked the federal
Government for identifying with the
people of Bauchi during the trying period,
saying what happened was destined by
God.
Speaking with journalists at the Abubakar
Tafawa Balewa University Teaching
Hospital, the NEMA director general said
the government would donate drugs and
consumables for the treatment of the
victims of he blast that were receiving
treatment in the hospital.

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2015: Don’t use insurgency, oil price tojudge Jonathan –APGA BoT member

Nigerians have been urged not to support
the call by some people using the fall in
oil price and insurgency in the northern
part of the country to campaign against
President Goodluck Jonathan in next
year’s election, saying such move is
cheap, anti-progressive and
undemocratic.
Speaking yesterday at his Rojenny tourist
village, Oba in Anambra State, where he
hosted the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) candidates in next year’s
election, APGA’s Board of Trustee (BoT)
member, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, said
the fall in oil price and insurgency were
two major global issues facing almost all
countries of the world, stressing that for
some people to now use it as a campaign
against President Jonathan, who he said
had transformed the country in the last
five years, was callous and wicked.
“Every right thinking person is aware that
the fall in oil price is affecting almost
every country, Nigeria inclusive. The pres­
ident and his economic advisers are doing
everything possible to ensure that the
economy stays afloat. Terrorism is a
global problem. The developed countries,
with all their advancement in technology
and warfare are not spared, as these
sons of the devil have penetrated their de­
fenses numerous times, including
America and the United Kingdom. So, why
should Nigeria’s case be different? The
Federal Government and the Army should
be given thumbs up. They are doing a
wonderful job in fighting Boko Haram and
soon, it will be over,” he said.
The Ogirisi Igbo also warned those trying
to destabilise APGA in the South-East to
desist or be ready to face God’s wrath.
“As Ogirisi Igbo, I hereby call on those
Abuja politicians who think they can sit in
Abuja and dictate to the people who
become their representatives to desist or
face God’s anger. Primaries have been
held and the people have picked their
candidates. With APGA’s adoption of
President Goodluck Jonathan as its
presidential candidate, we urge the presi­
dent to reciprocate by giving our leader,
Chief Willie Obiano the necessary support
so that he can deliver the region to him in
next year’s presidential election. We call
on the president to be careful of those
who claim they can help him deliver
APGA. They are not our party members
and cannot offer any help. Chief Willie
Obiano has the authority to do that, as
party leader and governor of Anambra
State,” he said.

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PDP has nothing more to offer Nigerians–Bakare

Pastor of The Latter Rain Assembly (End-
Time Church), Tunde Bakare, yesterday
threw a punch at the leadership of
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), warning
that economic dangers loom in the
country.
At the church’s last-Sunday-of-the-year
service in Lagos, the cleric said after PDP
had dominated political power in the
country for 15 years, the party had shown
that it had nothing to offer than poor per­
formance.
He told the congregation that the nation
needed a change in leadership, adding
that the time was now. On the kind of
leadership needed, the pastor, who turned
60 recently, promised to address Nige­
rians on the state of the nation by the first
Sunday in 2015.
“After 15 years of PDP dominance and
about five years of President Jonathan’s
rule, what else can they offer? There had
been so much giving and little return for
the people. It is time for change and what
kind of change do we want? I will
dedicate first Sunday of next year to find­
ing the way forward out of the situation.
There is danger ahead. It is like a time
bomb ticking. Those who have ears would
hear and I pray that God will preserve our
lives till that day,” Bakare said.
The cleric, who was the presidential
running mate to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
under the defunct Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC), described the
country as a jungle. He lamented that it
was difficult to do business in a legitimate
way in the country without bribing one’s
way through.

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Leave me alone, I’m not a lesbian! –Okoli

Actress, Lillian Okoli, is not happy at the
moment because of a purported rumour
associating her with lesbianism. The fair
complexioned thespian angrily responded
to the rumour thus: “I just want people to
know that I am not a lesbian and by the
grace of God, I can never be a lesbian. I
am from a Christian home and I know
that it was because of these unnatural
acts that made God destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah.
“People get it twisted when they see my
pictures with my sister. And I think not
many of them know that she is my sister.
They write nonsense to me on facebook
and I don’t even know how they got my
number asking me out on whatsapp.
“I am not a lesbian and I do not have any
intention of becoming one. I love my
sisters, they are my friends; we grew up
together. They should let me be because
the disturbance is getting out of hand.”
Okoli however hinted that she will travel
abroad to rest for the yuletide season and
return early next year to begin the
production of her new movies.

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Buy me a Mercedes 2014 C Class for mybirthday –Bardia Olowu

Bardia Olowu, popularly known as
ILLRymz in the entertainment circle is a
man of many parts. He is a radio and TV
personality and also a businessman. At
the auditioning of Star Rising Talent hunt
in Lagos, he was the chief judge. ILLRymz
is also host of Nigeria Idol and Star Gist
on Africa Magic. Talking about his
involvement in Star Rising talent hunt, he
said “ What we do there is creating an
enabling facility. We are talking of
grassroot kids of between the ages 7 and
17. With the proposed skill centre, they
can come in there and have full
mentoring by industry leaders and
teachers to help them with their
academics. No matter where you are
coming from, you can be successful. Star
Rising is a talent hunt where they can
show their creativity and the second is
Master Mind to test their intellectual
acumen.” The encounter was an
opportunity to know his favourites.
Excerpts:
What’s your favourite colour?
My favourite colour will probably be
white. You always catch me wearing a
white shirt. I like to keep myself very
simple and very clean.
Favourite food?
My favourite food , I would say is pasta. I
can eat a bucket of pasta.
Favourite holiday spot?
My studio. I’m always working but I like to
travel.
Favourite book?
It used to be John Grisham novel . He
wrote Runaway Jury . I talk a lot, every­
body thought I was going to be a lawyer. I
really like his book.
Favourite leader?
I’m not really politically inclined but I
would say one of my favourite successful
people is Richard Branson. He is not just
a wealthy man, he is somebody who lives
an ideal life.
Favourite car?
Hmmm, I don’t want to sound like a great
guy, but I’m into cars. I really like the
Mercedes brand. My favourite everyday
car now will be 2014 C Class. So, if you
want to buy me a car for my birthday ,
buy me a 2014 Mercedes C Class.
Favourite quote?
It will probably be mine and it says
“Identify your passion and turn your
passion into your profession. What I do is
what I love.”
Favourite weather?
I like the winter. Funny enough, I like it
when it’s cold because I don’t like to
sweat.
Favourite outfit?
Sweat pants and a T-shirt. It’s my most
comfortable outfit. I don’t wear suits
except to a meeting , when hosting any
event or doing a show like Idol, where
you have to be formal and classy.

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I had crush on Omotola –Mykey

New kid on the block, George Michael aka
Mykey, has revealed that he once had a
crush on screen goddess and super mom,
Omotola Jalade Ekehinde. Mykey
described Omotola as an actress he looks
up to as far as Nollywood is concerned.
“Yeah, I once had a crush on Omotola
Jalade Ekeinde. I hope she is reading this.
She is one actress who has successfully
written her name into the annals of
Nollywood and besides, she is a Time 100
girl. She is one of those I look up to in the
industry,” the up-and-coming act said.
Born into a family of six, Mykey had to
take decisions for himself very early in life
after he lost both parents at a very tender
age and ended up in an orphanage.
“Growing up for me started off very
rough. I lost my parents at a very early
stage and so I had to be a little more
matured while making decisions on my
own. But things began to change when
Little Saints Orphanage picked me up and
helped me redirect my life and that was
when everything changed.” Mykey says.
On his kind of music, the indigene of
Etsako West Local Government, Edo State
says: “I am a very versatile artiste. I am
interested in all kinds of music. As long
as it sounds or feels good to me, I’ll flesh
it up with lyrics and make me a song. I
am comfortable with R&B and soul music
because it allows me to express my vocal
dexterity.”
To date, Mykey says he has recorded
about 12 songs but work is still in
progress: “My latest single entitled Amen
is getting appreciable airplay. I intend to
record more songs and choose the best of
them for my fans. However my focus is to
always pass an inspiring message to
listeners.”

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I still don’t know why I fell in love withmy wife – Righteousman Erabor

Gospel singer, Righteousman Erabo is one
person who is very sad about the state of
the music industry right now. He is deeply
disturbed that the society prefers secular
music to Christian music. He is miffed
that companies favour secular artistes for
celebrity endorsement of their brands. In
this interview he bares his mind on this
and reveals how he has safeguarded his
marriage and kept it from hitting the
rocks.
Excerpts…
What project are you currently working
on?
I have so many projects at hand. I am cur­
rently the President of Praise Affairs Inter­
national and I aIso preside over a
movement called Tongues of Unity. I am
in partnership with Now Musik. We are
working on Save Nigeria Project. We all
know the situation of things in our
beloved country. People are being
bombed daily and children are slaugh­
tered like chickens. We should not be smil­
ing about it, even if it isn’t raining in this
part of Nigeria, but for the fact that it is
raining in the north and this rain can
change direction any sooner. The song,
No, isn’t just a song. It is a song that
documents the conscience of the nation,
and it is the responsibility of all
entertainers to speak one voice, the voice
of the common man.
So the song ‘No’ featured 60 artistes. You
had people like Tuface, Pasuma, Buchi,
Sound Sultan, Daddy Showkey, Dele
Taiwo, Terry G, African China, Carol Cece,
Keppy Ekpeyong, Osita Iheme, Sunny Neji
and so many others. They all keyed into it
and it is all about saying ‘No’ to
terrorism, corruption, rigging etc. Another
serious project is the media tour of
Awesome, a single from Carol Cece, one
of the artistes of Praise Affairs
International artiste, whose video is
gaining massive airplay in the country
and the Web.
Which of these particular crises really
inspired you to do that?
When those four guys were burnt in Aluu
community, Rivers State, I wept all
through the night. Man-to-man is so
unjust. It was a sad experience that can
never be erased from my heart. I am an
advocate of love, peace and justice but
there can never be peace until there is
justice in the land.
What does it take to be successful as a
gospel artist? Any tips…?
For me, the grace of God is number one
then quality, distinction, integrity and
humility.
How was your growing up?
My growing up was beautiful, both the
positive and negative vibes brought about
the light that is shining today. I knew
what I wanted, my direction and goals as
a little child.
Though, I was the opposite of my name.
Gangsterism was the game, but I never
gave up my purpose in life. I was focused
and the grace of God prevailed. Like in
one of my songs I would have been dead
but HE SAVED ME.
Was there at any time when you thought
about pulling out from the industry?
I have been paying dues and still paying
till date. There was no time I ever thought
of withdrawing from the music industry,
because music has always been my life. If
you want to kill me take music away from
me. I started playing music at a very
young age, mastering the guitar when I
was 14 years old, appearing on NTA
Benin music panorama at age 16. I knew
at that time that I was not game for
white-collar jobs. A lot of water passed
under the bridge; it was like using fire to
refine gold but music made me stronger.
There was never a time I thought of
quitting music for any reason.
When was your turning point in music?
My turning point was when I met pop
icon-turned-pastor, Felix Lebarty, who
signed me on his Liberty Records label.
He is the one God used, who brought the
ladder in 1990 that I am still climbing on
till date.
What were the challenges you
encountered?
Life itself is challenging. David who killed
Goliath didn’t get to the throne
immediately; he still had to pay his dues.
So I see challenges as the ladder of life.
You can’t run through it but walking
carefully and prayerfully. I can’t start
counting my encounters; instead I count
my blessings.
What is the source of your inspiration?
I get my inspiration from God and things I
hear or see around me. My choice of mu­
sic has never been displeasing to God. I
was conscious, inspirational and
motivational, but the choice of brand is
from Bob Marley, Steel Purse and
Fellowman.
What made you to move from secular to
gospel music?
I never for once changed my style of mu­
sic; even I didn’t change my content. I
have always been a preacher. What I
changed was my lifestyle. Change is one
thing that is constant in life. It will
surprise a lot of people to know that when
I recorded the song (Who that man?) I
was not the Righteous Man of today but a
month later things began to change. It is
the present life that is reflecting in my
music today as a gospel artiste. I was like
a banker who counts people’s money in
millions and does not have millions in his
own account.
I know the name Jesus; I sing about Him
but do not have Him in my life. That was
the difference between my secular life and
gospel life, it’s a life transformation not
music per say.
How do you see the future of gospel
music?
Great. Things are changing fast;
platforms are being created, not waiting
for God to bless us with bread but bless
our bread. At least last year I was on
MTN Load in Naija tour as a gospel
artiste, first in the history of Nigeria. So,
expect more great openings. The future is
very pregnant.
As a gospel artiste, do you go to clubs to
have fun?
That depends on what you call club. If you
are talking about nude (strippers) club, I
can’t go there because I don’t have that
calling, and you know people are called
into different ministries. My wife and I
attend events done in clubs and music
premieres and so forth, but if it’s the
other way round, my answer is capital
NO.
What is your philosophy of life?
The only way forward is forward.
What is your advice to those who look up
to you?
My advice to those who look up to me is
to warn them not to look up to me, but
look up to God.
You have been in the industry for ages
now, what has been your most
embarrassing moment?
It is so embarrassing to record a song
with the feeling that it would be the next
big thing. It is passion that keeps us
going.
What naughty thing have you ever done?
I was a very stubborn youth, and I did a
lot of things of which I can’t even
remember.
Many young men find it difficult to find
wives. Now using yours as a case study,
did you go through prayers before finding
your wife?
No, I didn’t pray. I made lots of mistakes
but the only thing God did was to convert
my mistakes to miracles. God doesn’t give
anybody a wife these days because of the
experience with Adam, in the scripture.
God says, ‘He that finds a wife finds a
good thing and obtains favour from God.’
So, it is left for man to go find his own
wife. I went for my friend, I got married to
my best friend and I am enjoying every bit
of it and God is blessing our union on
daily basis.
Who is your mentor?
Jesus Christ is my all in all.
How did you meet your wife?
We met in a recording studio. My backup
singer who happened to be her best friend
brought her to the studio. She is the best
gift from God to me.
Ask and it shall be given but you need to
knock and seek. It is a process that
should be followed squarely. So I followed
mine diligently.
What attracted you to her?
It is a difficult question; it is hard for me
to tell you categorically what made me fall
in love with her. Many people set
standards and parameters and in doing
that, you will love that person only when
that thing is present and when it expires,
you will lose your love.
You might even end up falling in love with
all those who have the same
characteristics. So, I don’t really know
what made me fall in love with her. Maybe
that is why I am still stuck to her.
How do you handle female admirers?
Where do you draw the line?
It takes the grace of God not because one
is super human; it is what your heart
desires that you will always attract to
yourself but God has been faithful.
How have you been able to manage your
marriage and keep it from failing as has
become common among celebrities?
I am a favoured man; everything revolves
around me. I have an understanding fam­
ily that loves what I do, and we also have
friends and people who love what we do
and support us. The most beautiful of all
is that I have my studio in my house; so I
don’t really leave the house except for
events, location and church.
You have been able to sustain your
marriage very well. What advice can you
give to celebrities who are going into
marriage?
I am still counting; keeping relationship is
not about the years involved. We see
people that broke-up after 40 years; some
others are in the marital union, but aren’t
in the marriage: they are just tolerating
each other. How long can you tolerate
someone that you intend to spend the rest
of your life with? Marriage should not be
built on tolerance; I can only tolerate my
friends because they come and go.
My wife and I correct each other rather
tolerate our errors. My advice is that you
shouldn’t learn to tolerate because as a
human, you can only tolerate for a short
period. You don’t manage a life support
machine.

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General Overseer in police net for sellingunborn baby

The female General Overseer of a church,
Prophetess Kanu and members of her
syndicate are now in police net for
attempting to buy a baby yet to be born.
Operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery
Squad (SARS) of the Anambra State
Police Command apprehended Kanu and
her accomplices.
Anambra State Commissioner of Police,
Mr. Hassan Karma alleged that the
prophetess had for long deceived people
through the use of charms, while
pretending to counsel individuals beset by
problems.
Her world of deceit began to unravel when
22-year-old old Happiness John, whose
pregnancy had reached nine months was
deceitfully taken by her friend, Chioma
Okonkwo, to the prophetess on September
30, 2014 for counseling.
The fake prophetess told John that she
had a spiritual problem. Recalling that
visit, she said: “Chioma Okonkwo and
myself were friends and neighbours.
Chioma took me to Prophetess Kanu for
counseling and it was there that she told
me that I was under spiritual attack. She
prayed for me and later rubbed an egg on
my body with palm oil, saying that it was
a protection against enemy attack.”
Prophetess Grace was further alleged to
have informed the victim that her younger
brother (the prophetess’) would assist
John, since no man had owned up to be
responsible for the pregnancy. Based on
what seemed like a good intent, the
prophetess took the victim to her village
at Ngboro in Abia State, where she spent
weeks in the village believing that she
would deliver the baby there.
Meanwhile, the suspect sent her brother,
Kanu to check on the victim and promise
marriage to her, despite the nine-month
pregnancy. As part of the elaborate plan
to deceive the victim, Kanu bought clothes
for her and also gave her N5000.
With the stage set, the prophetess took
John to meet a nurse and member of her
child-trafficking syndicate, Ifeoma Obiora,
who took medical care of John. The
victim’s phone was taken away so that
she would not be able to communicate
with her relations.
As Sunday Sun gathered from the police
boss, the nurse always locked up John in
the house whenever she had to go out.
But providence stepped in and the scale
fell from the eyes of the victim, when the
prophetess mentioned that if she
delievered a baby boy, she would be paid
N180,000. That was when she realized
what was the real intention of the
prophetess. By then, John had been taken
for an ultrasound scan at New Hope
Hospital Onitsha.
According to Karma, an argument ensued
at the hospital and the victim demanded
for her phone while the Prophetess seized
her bag and alleged she must pay a debt
of N65,000 allegedly owed by her being
the cost of caring for her.
As this turn of events, the victim quickly
called her father, Mr Ugbanu John on
November 28, 2014, who promptly
reported the case at the SARS office.
Acting with dispatch, Karma ordered the
Commander of SARS, Mr. James Nwafor
to take up the matter. This led to the
arrest of the three suspects, namely,
Chioma Okonkwo, Prophetess Grace
Kanu and Ifeoma Obiora,on November
30, 2014 at Ugudegbe street, Owerri, Imo
State, Akokwa Awada Obosi and No 24
Nwaziki street, Awada Obosi, both in
Anambra State. Commenting on the
incident, the father of the victim said: “My
daughter left my house on September 30,
2014 and I saw her when she was leaving
around 5.00am. She said she was follow­
ing somebody to their church. It was
Chioma who took her to their prophetess,
Grace Kanu.
We didn’t see her. I thought she had run
to meet her boyfriend, who impregnated
her . It was on November 28, 2014 that
she called me that we should come and
rescue her. She told me that it was what
the prophetess said when she wanted to
deliver that led to the crisis. That
prompted me to report the case at SARS
office.” Karma said that the three
suspects would soon be charged to court.

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EVIL NEPHEW: Lures uncle’s wife withfake job offer, kidnaps her 8-month-oldbaby

An interstate commercial bus driver, 22-
year-old Chisom Nwaiwu is now cooling
his heels in the custody of the Anti-Kidnap­
ping Squad of the Imo State Police
Command.
Nwaiwu, a native of Amuzi in Obowo
Local Government Area of Imo State was
alleged to have masterminded the
abduction of the eight-month baby of his
uncle after luring the wife with a fake job
offer and then getting her drunk.
As Sunday Sun learnt from the Imo State
Police Commissioner, Abdulmajid Ali, the
incident happened on October 23, 2014,
after Nwaiwu introduced a member of a
kidnapping gang, 24-year-old Chibuzor
Ugochukwu, to his uncle’s wife, Chidime
Okechalam, who needed employment.
Ugochukwu bought local gin worth N100
and gave to the uncle’s wife to drink and
she had a good go at it and got very
drunk, but was still able to return home.
With stage one of their inglorious plan
carried out, the conspirators then
followed while she was still drunk. Her
baby was on her back. With alcohol
having dulled her senses, and at gunpoint,
Ugochukwu took the baby off her back.
In an interview with Sunday Sun at the
headquarters of the Anti Kidnapping
Squad, Nwaiwu recounted his role in the
abduction and revealed how the plot was
hatched and executed: “I was the one who
organized the kidnapping of the eight-
month-old baby of my uncle.
Her weak point is that she is a drunkard.
So I introduced one of my friends,
Chibuzor Ugochukwu, to her, who said
that he would get a job for her, because
she was not working. Ugochukwu bought
alcoholic drink for her. She got drunk and
then went home with her child.
On the way, and at 7.00pm we kidnapped
the baby from her and handed it over to
our contact person, Onwa, who lives in
Umuahia in Abia, who was to sell the
baby for the sum of N250,000.”
Meanwhile, Ali said that the prime suspect
in the abduction tale, Onwa, who was
supposed to sell the baby is still at large
and the baby is yet to be recovered.

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Fear, anger as Nigerians prepare forharsher times in 2015

Amid the dwindling price of crude oil and
the attendant austere measures proposed
by the federal government, Nigerians have
continued to express fear over the
possibility of more difficult times in the
new year.
The price of crude oil, Nigeria’s primary
source of income, has plummeted in the
last few months by more than 40 per cent
from an average of over $100 per barrel,
a development that had forced the
nation’s economic managers to embark
on measures aimed at mitigating the
effect of the price slide on the nation’s
economy.
One of the measures is the recent
devaluation of Naira which has seen the
nation’s currency weakened against the
Dollar by more than eight per cent and
the likelihood of total removal of subsidy
on fuel in the country.
The measures, in the views of some
experts, are capable of subjecting
Nigerian masses to more hardship in the
coming year.
In an interview with Sunday Sun, the
President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (LCCI), Alhaji Remi Bello,
explained that the situation was already
affecting the cost of production across the
country. He blamed the situation on what
he called the import dependent nature of
the nation’s economy. “Many firms are
already feeling the heat across all
sectors. In the last few weeks, naira
exchange rate has depreciated by about
11 per cent in the interbank market and
over 12 per cent in the parallel market.
The impact of the depreciation on
operating costs is very profound.”
In spite of the harsh implication, Bello
noted that the current exchange rate
condition offered some advantages to
industries with high local value addition.
According to him, “It makes such
industries more competitive than their
foreign or import-dependent counterparts.
The current situation is therefore a good
opportunity to encourage industries and
investors, to look inwards for products
and services that are hitherto imported,”
he said.
Speaking further, the LCCI boss identified
high inflation rate as yet another factor
Nigerians will have to deal with in the
incoming year. “A natural outcome of
depreciating exchange of rate is inflation
for an import dependent. Cost push infla­
tion will be pronounced in the next few
months. This will be driven by high cost
of production and high cost of imported
finished goods.”
Bello is also of the opinion that there
would be decline in government
businesses and high risk of payment
default by government. “Businesses
driven by government patronage are likely
to experience a decline in the short term
given the current government revenue
outlook. Capital projects of governments
will reduce drastically and this would
affect some segments of the private
sector. Other expenditure heads such as
training and travels may also suffer
major reductions. Generally, government
contractors would experience a slowdown
in tempo of activities.
“With declining revenue, the risk of default
in payment for jobs executed for
government agencies will be higher in the
short term. This situation calls for
cautious engagement with government
contracts at all levels of government. As
government revenue contracts, the
capacity to meet financial contractual
obligations may be difficult.
“With the current developments, many
contracts, especially the medium to large
ones will come with variations. Clearly the
exchange rate depreciation will alter
many cost parameters. This is a new
challenge that many contractors and
suppliers as well as their clients will have
to confront. This will happen in public and
private sectors,” Bello explained.
Also speaking on the development, the
immediate past President of Trade Union
Congress, TUC, Peter Esele said the
quagmire is the price Nigeria has to pay
for being a mono-economy adding that
Nigerians are yet to get the benefits of
being citizens of an oil-producing nation
in the over 50 years that the nation joined
the league of oil-producing countries in
the world.
“It is a shame that for over 50 years since
we found crude oil in Nigeria, one cannot
really get the benefit. Now that the price of
crude oil is falling we are fretting. When
the price becomes too high we will fret.
So, what really do we want? Our biggest
problem is that we are a mono-economy.
If you practice mono-economy this is
what will happen to you,” he noted.
Expressing his reservation over the
likelihood of total removal of subsidy by
the government, the former TUC boss
said the challenge before the government
is not whether or not to remove subsidy.
The challenge, according to him is
government’s justification for the
decision.
“The challenge before the government is
not whether or not to remove subsidy. The
challenge is why will ordinary Nigerians
not enjoy the benefit of the falling price of
crude oil? It is only when you are able to
tell the people that that we can begin to
talk about removing subsidy.
“With the falling price of crude how much
should a litre of PMS cost Because if the
price of PMS goes down and people in
other parts of the world are enjoying it
means that there is a fundamental
question the government must answer.
Ordinarily, you cannot remove subsidy
when the price of crude oil is falling, that
will be adding to the problem.
“The implication for the masses is that it
will be difficult for everyone. Devaluation
means more money with less purchasing
power; With a general election too we
need all the prayers and best wishes we
can get,” Esele said
Also reacting to the issue, Dr. Adebisi
Afolabi of Department of Economics,
University of Lagos said although the
current economic situation is not new to
Nigeria. He however condemned the
seeming panicky approach by the
nation’s economic managers to the devel­
opment.
“The issue to me is this: Our economic
managers are bad managers. Otherwise
why should they begin to raise people’s
anxiety within a very short period that the
prices of crude oil crashed? What has
happened to the accruals from excess
crude for a long time that the price was
favourable? They were just sharing it.
When the price of crude oil was
favourable were the masses better off?”
Adebis queried.
The development, he noted has grave
implication for the Nigerian masses
whom, according to him got little or no
benefit when the price was favourable.
“The implication is that the masses will
be impoverished the more. It means more
hardship and more sufferings for the
already impoverished people of this
country.
“The masses you are talking able about
depend solely on the government, no job,
no alternative means of eking out their
living. So how do you expect them to
wriggle their way out of the coming eco­
nomic hardship when the system has
failed to provide them with anything?” he
queried.
In his own contribution, Kehinde Okunuga,
a public analyst said an attempt by the
government to increase pump price of fuel
in the name of removing the subsidy
totally will amount to a scam. According
to Okunuga, the price of PMS going by the
current price of crude oil at international
market is N82.57k adding that the most
honourable step to be taken by the
government is to announce a further
reduction in the pump price in the
country.
“What are they subsidizing again?
Already, the price of petroleum is
N82:57k, less than N97, so, which subsidy
again? I think, the most honorable thing
that the Presidency should do is to reduce
the price of petrol with immediate effect,
not even having to wait till next year. As
for me, waiting for another week will
amount to scamming all of us and any
moment from now, if the government
does not do so humbly, all of us will force
it to be done,” he said.

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Serena Williams kick starts training for2015

Serena Williams kick-started her training
for next year in familiar style as she took
part in the the Ultimate Run South Beach
on Sunday morning.
The world No 1 was joined by her sister,
Venus, in the Miami-based event, and the
two stars then took it upon themselves to
entertain the crowds with a spot of
singing after the race,
The race, which includes either a five
kilometer or quarter marathon option, is a
fun-run benefiting the Serena Williams
Fund, which supports victims of violent
crime.
The 33-year-old made light work of the
course and was filmed on a Go pro
camera during the race.
Afterwards, the sisters had just about
enough puff left to get up on stage to
perform karaoke.
Serena got the idea to host a race after
running a 5k in Palm Beach, Florida last
Thanksgiving, she told the Miami Herald.
All money raised from Sunday’s event will
go to the Serena Williams Foundation to
help underprivileged children. ‘Every year,
I do a run for Thanksgiving, the 5K or
10K, to kick-start my training for the year,
and last year after running the 5K, I
thought, ‘Wow, I really should do my
charity based on running because it’s a
really fun way to promote a healthy
lifestyle,’ she told the Florida newspaper.
‘People love it. You can run, walk, bring
your family, it’s early in the morning. I
love karaoke, so at my race, afterward
you can go on the beach, relax, have
Gatorade and sing karaoke.
‘It definitely helps your endurance on the
court,’ she said. ‘You feel you can run so
many miles, you can last three hours,
four hours if you need to.’
She added: ‘I like running the shorter
distances, like 5K. You don’t kill your
body, but you can still feel part of the race
atmosphere.’

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DIABETES, COMPLEMENTARY ANDALTERNATIVE THERAPIES

DIABETES CORNER
By Dr Olubiyi Adesina, Consultant
Diabetologist, fbadesina@gmail.com,
08034712568
On various Television stations, Radio
stations and other media across the
country, Nigerians are being inundated
with advertorials by self styled ‘Doctors’
promoting the efficacy of certain remedies
that act as a ‘cure all’. Some of the
remedies are touted to improve libido,
cure diabetes, cure an enlarged prostate,
cancers, warts, help you to lose weight in
an almost magical manner and achieve
overall good health. Such advertorials
also include the ‘testimony’ and other
anecdotal reports from individuals who
have used such remedies. These
‘testimonies’ serve as very effective tools
to convince the unwary that he or she, irre­
spective of educational status, needs to
use such a remedy. The scientific
community needs much more proof than
what is currently made available in order
to know the truth about the safety and
efficacy of such remedies.
The presence of such alternative therapies
have quite complicated the diabetes
treatment landscape, not only by the
unproven but highly touted ‘efficacy’ of
such therapies but also by the avidity
with which numerous individuals with
diabetes in and out of Nigeria cling to
such therapies. One of the downsides of
the use of alternative therapies in Nigeria
and elsewhere is the increasing incidence
of kidney and liver failure following the
use of such alternative therapies. Most
times, the practitioners of this form of
therapy are very secretive about their
products and do not make them available
for scientific scrutiny.
Complementary therapy refers to
therapeutic and diagnostic disciplines
outside conventional medical practice
which are used alongside conventional
medicine while alternative medicine is
used instead of conventional medicine.
These two forms of therapy, though
around for decades, have gained further
ground in Nigeria in the last two decades
through widespread and unregulated
advertisement.
Individuals with diabetes must be
educated about which of such therapies
may be of some benefit and those with ab­
solutely no proven value. As evidence
becomes available to the scientific
community about the efficacy of some of
these complementary therapies, they can
then be absorbed in into the main
diabetes treatment armamentarium.
A whole wide range of complementary
therapies are currently available in
Nigeria which are expensive, of unproven
efficacy, unknown safety profile which are
being used by people with diabetes
instead of their orthodox/conventional
therapy.
It is strongly advised by healthcare
practitioners worldwide that instead of
individuals with diabetes buying expensive
dietary supplements that contain vitamins
and other micronutrients, they should
invest in eating a very balanced diet and
their conventional anti-diabetic agents.
Individuals with diabetes who wish to use
remedies aside from that prescribed by
their healthcare workers are advised to
discuss such use with their Doctors.
Majority of the proponents of alternative
therapies do not possess strong clinical
credentials and often misapply infor­
mation from scientific literature. A strong
case in point is the over celebration of
staphylococcus in Nigeria by the combi­
nation of outright falsehood and half
truths.
It is an incontrovertible fact that a lot of
conventional drugs used nowadays to
treat diabetes and other diseases are de­
rived from herbs. A vivid example is
Metformin which is the most used anti-
diabetic drug worldwide which was
derived from French lilac plant, a
traditional remedy for the disease. The
onus is thus on herbal practitioners in
Nigeria and elsewhere to make their
products available for scientific proof.
Before the efficacy and safety of currently
used herbal remedies are proven
scientifically, one can only advise that
such remedies are taken with a pinch of
salt.
Orthodox medical practitioners must
make it a point of duty to ask individuals
with diabetes that they attend to whether
they use any form of complementary or
alternative therapy, especially in those
whose blood sugar level control is poor.
At the risk of sounding repetitive, one
must again say that the safety of these
alternative therapies is a serious cause
for concern.
For now, it is still good to keep an open
mind about these therapies as they may
be proven in the future to be effective and
safe, but until then, one will strongly
advice that individuals with diabetes stick
with their orthodox medications. The
burden of scientific proof rests with the
practitioners of these therapies.

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