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  FCT minister, Akinjide, kicks-off Jonathan re-election campaign

  
  Africcon Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Ms. Akinjide said the president is the most women-friendly in Nigeria’s history.
  In an apparent campaign effort, the Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Jumoke Akinjide, at the weekend, described President Goodluck Jonathan as the most woman-friendly leader in Nigeria’s history, urging Nigerian women to work to secure a second term for the president.
  Ms. Akinjide, who spoke at her Aremo, Ibadan constituency office, said her stance is informed by the number of women currently serving in the Federal Executive Council of the nation.
  “President Goodluck Jonathan’s cabinet has thirteen women as Ministers, the United Nations’ representative, the Chief Justice of Nigeria- also being women. He has been very religious in the allocation of 35 per cent share to women in all ways, and he has promised to make it 50/50 by 2015 if re-elected,” she said, urging all Nigerian women to work towards securing a second term for the president.
  The president has yet to admit he is standing for office in 2015, repeatedly denying hints he will run. His aides say the president is “focused” on delivering his current mandate. The minister’s remarks appear to unsettle such claims.
  Ms. Akinjide, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo state, gathered party faithful at the constituency office where she distributed thousands of bags of fertilizer to farmers in all the 33 local government areas of the state, as well as some tractors to the Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and Oke Ogun II zones of the state.
  She said the fertilizers are to be given to farmers in every local government of the state free of charge, and regardless of party affiliations.
  “These must be given directly to farmers. It is not to be sold or given to politicians who will sell them. I don’t want anybody to be discriminated upon in the distribution,” she said.
  “Please, give it to everybody, irrespective of political affiliation, I mean, including ACN. Those, who did not vote for us might through this benefit, vote for us in the next elections.
  “The tractors, which are also free of charge, this time around, will be given to people in Ogbomoso, Ibarapa and Oke Ogun. Whenever we get to power, we are not going to discriminate in our welfare package to our people,” she told the people.
  Ms. Akinjide also urged her guests to work together and ensure that the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria is unseated in the next governorship election in the state.
  “We are grassroots politicians and so I am advising that all of us should be united so that we can take government from the Action Congress of Nigeria or the APC. Our government is a party of many people. It is a party, which recognizes the masses of the grassroots, market women, civil servants, taxi drivers, plumbers, and others,” Ms. Akinjide noted.
  Also speaking on the occasion, Taofeek Arapaja, the former deputy governor of the state and current Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan, extolled what he described as the political and social values of Ms. Akinjide, saying she is not only a Minister, but a woman of virtue, a mother and a grassroots mobilizer.
  He implored all members of the state PDP to support the minister in her effort to stabilize the party in the state and the country at large.

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  Jesse Jagz leaves record label Chocolate City, issues public statement

  
  Africcon Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  
  The talented rapper released a statement last night saying he has left his record label, Chocolate City. I hear the statement caught everyone at Chocolate City, where his brother M.I is a Vice President, by surprise. Jesse and Chocolate City have been having issues for a while but no one really expected him to make it public. I also hear he left because he wasn’t happy about the way they were handling his music career. See his press statement below…
  To whom it may concern:
  I, Jesse Garba Abaga (also known as “Jesse Jagz”) an artist formerly signed to Chocolate City Music label hereby wishes to notify my fans and the general public about my voluntary exit from the label.
  After my initial two year contractual agreement with Chocolate City, I do not wish to renew my contract with them and as such have proceeded to continue my music career with my new team at Jesse Jagz Nation. I still maintain a cordial relationship with the management of Chocolate City and my former label mates and I wish them the best in all their future endeavors. Any further information will be passed across through my publicist but until then, have a good day. Look out for my sophomore album JagZNation Vol. 1 coming out in July 2013.
  All for the best, Jesse Jagz.

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  7 habits to adopt to become ultra wealthy

  
  Africcon Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Those who are “business brilliant” have, on average, more failures than members of the middle-class. But they use those failures to help them succeed on the next attempt.
  
  How many times has your success depended on knowing something that most people don’t? The survey research I did for my new book, Business Brilliant, uncovered just how frequently highly-successful people think and act differently from the great majority of people with identical levels of education and smarts.
  
  There are certain elements of success that everyone agrees on–ambition, hard work, persistence, and a positive attitude. But my survey showed how some people have “business brilliance,” a distinctive take on getting ahead that is often at odds with the more pervasive mindset.
  
  If you want to get an edge and separate yourself from the common herd, take some cues from the seven beliefs and habits of the most successful people:
  
  1. An equity position is necessary to get wealthy.
  
  Ninety percent of the super-successful say this is true, versus fewer than half of the masses. More importantly, 80 percent of “business brilliant” people say they already have an equity stake in their work. Just 10 percent of the middle-class have an equity position of any kind, and the vast majority (70 percent) say they’re not even trying to get one.
  
  2. I’m always looking to gain an advantage in my business dealings.
  
  About 90 percent of “business brilliant” individuals say they are always trying to grab an edge, compared with just about 40 percent of the middle-class. Gaining even small advantages in a series of deals can have a cumulative effect on your wealth, but since most people aren’t even looking for one, they’re that much more likely to end up on the disadvantaged side of every deal.
  
  3. Doing things well is more important than doing new things.
  
  Getting wealthy usually means you’ve taken an ordinary idea and executed it exceptionally well. That’s what 9 in 10 “business brilliant” people believe. Most other people, though, think that wealth requires a big, new idea. Unfortunately for them, big ideas are rare and risky. Too many people are waiting on the sidelines for the perfect big idea to come along, while the most successful people have jumped in the game, and busily honed their skills at execution.
  
  4. I hire people who are smarter than I am.
  
  Exceptional execution requires those who are business brilliant to focus on the two or three things they do very well. So they get their work done by building teams with complementary capabilities. Surveys show that most people, though, would rather learn to do tasks they’re bad at than get others to do them. The business brilliant know that you get to the top because of your strengths, not your weaknesses.
  
  5. It’s essential I really understand my business associates’ motivations.
  
  If you’re dependent on other talented employees, you’d best know what makes those talented people tick. That’s the belief of about seven in 10 people in my “business brilliant” cohort, compared with fewer than 20 percent of the middle-class. My survey suggests that your willingness and desire to really get to know and understand your business associates is a sure marker of success–and one that most people don’t have.
  
  6. I can easily walk away from a deal if it’s not right.
  
  The “business brilliant” know that bad deals, like bad marriages, can be painful–and costly. So if the deal on the table isn’t right, 71 percent say they have no problem cutting bait and moving on. Only about 22 percent of the middle-class say the same. Most people are willing to take their chances on deals that don’t seem right from the start, even though it’s less risky to walk away.
  
  7. Setbacks and failures have taught me what I’m good at.
  
  Those who are “business brilliant” have, on average, more failures than members of the middle-class. But they use those failures to help them succeed on the next attempt. Just 17 percent of the middle-class say they learn from their failures in this way, which is really a shame. Everything worth trying contains an element of risk, after all. If you fall on your face, you might as well learn from the experience to help you succeed on your next try.

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  Man Who Constantly Rapes His Daughters and Grand Daughter Arrested

  
  Africcon Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  A seven-year-old girl (name withheld), has accused her 49-year-old father of rape.
  
  The girl said her father, Sylvester Ehijele, had on numerous occasions had sex with her, adding that he used to promise to buy her goodies and toys before the actions.
  
  She said he usually had sex with her on a daily basis whenever her mother was not home.
  
  She said, “Whenever my mum is not at home, he grabs me, forces his hand over my mouth and then inserts his penis into my private part. He promises to buy me a car, cake and biscuit but he doesn’t buy anything for me.
  
  “He also threatens to use a knife to gouge my eyes out anytime I threaten to report to my mother.”
  
  Sylvester’s wife, Margaret, told PUNCH Metro that he (Ehijele) also raped their 23-year-old daughter when she was much younger and recently, he raped their one-year-old granddaughter that lives with them.
  
  She said, “I am a caterer. In 2006 I went to Abuja for a catering job where I spent five days. But at about 1am, my first daughter, who was about 17-years-old at the time, called me on the phone crying that her father raped her that night.
  
  “When I returned, I confronted him but he beat me up and he continued to molest our daughter and each time I confronted him, it earned me a beating. I had no choice but to leave him when I got fed up with seeing him molesting our daughter and later sleeping with me. I took my six children and we relocated.”
  
  She said in 2011, Sylvester’s family settled their differences and urged the couple to reconcile for the sake of the children.
  
  She said her husband swore never to touch any of his daughters again and she reluctantly returned to her husband’s house.
  
  Margaret said she was however disappointed to find out that less than a year after moving in with her husband, he went back to his old ways.
  
  She said, “We reconciled in May 2011 and I really thought he had changed but in August last year, I caught him in a compromising situation with our seven-year-old daughter. I called her out and she told me how her father had constantly been abusing her.
  
  “Again, I confronted him and he beat me up. I had to pick my daughter and ran to his brother’s house, where I stayed for three days before I went back home.”
  
  Mrs. Ehijele said she continued to cope with her husband’s ways until he finally raped their 15-month-old granddaughter.
  
  She said, “Because my oldest daughter works, we decided to put her daughter baby at a day care in Ejigbo. I have always been the only one that brings her back at 6pm everyday from the day care. But on that particular day, my husband went to the day care and after an altercation with the teacher, he took the baby home.
  
  “He took the baby home and hours later the baby was crying profusely. When I got home, the baby was still crying and I wondered what was wrong. When I finally took off her diapers so I could bathe her, I noticed she was bleeding in her private part. When I raised the alarm, my husband was unnerved. That was when I suspected him.
  
  “I rushed down to the Ejigbo Police Station and reported the matter.”
  
  Margaret said she had been married to the suspect for over 23 years and lamented that he had had carnal knowledge of all their daughters.
  
  “I have two daughters, four sons and a granddaughter. Sadly, my husband has raped all of the females,” she said.
  
  The Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said the suspect would soon be charged to court on charges of defilement.
  
  “The suspect is in the habit of sleeping with his daughters and now his granddaughter. We have the doctor’s report which shows that the girls have been defiled,” she said.
  
  A copy of medical report issued by the Isolo General Hospital reads in part that, “The vaginal hymens of the girls are no longer intact.”
  
  Sylvester however denied the allegation, adding that it was his wife that poisoned his daughters’ minds against him.
  
  He said his wife left him initially because he had refused to pay her dowry.
  
  He said, “If I was the one that raped them, let me die. My wife and I were separated for four years and it was because her family said I hadn’t paid her bride price. After we reconciled, she told my daughters to tell lies against me in order to disgrace me.
  
  “Even my oldest daughter confessed to my family that I never raped her and that it was my wife that told her to lie.”
  
  When quizzed about the medical report, Sylvester said it was not authentic.

Obasanjo had a killer squad as president — Former associate

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  Africcon; Nigerian Talk Report: Obasanjo had a killer squad as president — Former associate
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  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  A former associate of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mr. Richard Odusanya, on Saturday alleged that the former chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees was in charge of a killer squad that was formed under the military regime of late Gen. Sani Abacha.
  
  Odusanya reportedly worked behind the scenes when Obasanjo was in power.
  
  In a live interview, with an online news portal, Sahara Reporters, Odusanya  alleged that the former President lodged the killer squad at a State Security Service headquarters, known as ‘Yellow House.’
  
  He appeared on the programme alongside Mr. Segun  Seriki, a PDP member in Ogun State and a member of the House of Representatives in the Third Republic, under the Social Democratic Party.
  
  According to Odusanya, the squad was used for political assassinations and was responsible for the unresolved killings of politicians under Obasanjo’s administration.
  
  He further alleged that Obasanjo knew about the murder of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, and a South-South politician, Chief Harry Marshall.
  
  Odusanya said, “I believe that a killer squad created during the Abacha regime was kept by Obasanjo and housed at SSS headquarters, known as Yellow House, and was used for political assassinations.”
  
  Explaining Obasanjo’s alleged link with Ige’s death, Odusanya said, “The night Chief Bola Ige was assassinated, a top PDP member confided in me that Obasanjo told him Bola Ige was down.”
  
  Concerning the murder of  Marshall, he said, “I also took a gift to Marshall and he was assassinated just a few weeks later.”
  
  Odusanya also alleged that the ex-president benefitted from an account with the defunct Trans-International Bank and that from the funds in the account,  Obasanjo,  asked him to deliver a Peugeot 607 and the sum of N500,000 to  a woman (name withheld).
  
  When contacted for Obasanjo’s comments, his Chief of Staff, Mr. Victor Durodola, said his boss was not available to react to the allegations.
  
  He challenged those who made the allegations to come out with their evidence.
  
  Durodola said, “The former president is not available. Therefore, he is not in a position to respond to the allegations.  However, my personal comment is that these are people who indulge in blackmail.
  
  “Why are they using online television? They should come to Channels, AIT, or NTA; these are television stations that are known.
  
  “Definitely, that is not Obasanjo’s character they are describing and everybody knows that. Of all the military rulers, the issue of killer squad cannot be attributed to him. That was not his style. He is not around now but I doubt if he would even give it any attention whatsoever.
  
  He stressed that the ex-president could not have been responsible for the unresolved killings under his administration.
  
  He further argued that Obasanjo had no reason to be involved in Ige’s assassination.
  
  “We would like to see it (the interview) but these are issues you know cannot be possible. The killings were unresolved, yes, but you know that nobody could have attributed that to him. He would kill his minister for what? So that he (Obasanjo) could be minister?” Durodola said.
  
  Another Obasanjo aide, Vitalis Ortese, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the allegation was a non-issue.
  
  He said, “I don’t know them. Let them prove the allegation. I don’t know any Segun Seriki or Richard Odusanya.”
  
  Also reacting to the allegations, Bola Ige’s eldest child, Mrs. Funsho Adegbola, told SUNDAY PUNCH that her father’s killers are still alive.
  
  Adegbola, a lawyer, called for the reopening of the Bola Ige murder case.
  
  She said, “I can’t put anything past them. I haven’t seen the interview. I don’t know the content of the report but I can’t put anything past them. I believe the people who killed my father – the foot soldiers and the people who sent them – are alive. They are not people from Mars.
  
  “A murder case can go on for 30 years or more. If there is political will and the government wants to show that people should pay for their crimes, this can be done. The family can’t do anything about it because it is the state versus the suspects. The family can’t sue; it is the state that can take action.”
  
  Ige, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was shot dead in his Ibadan home on December 23, 2001.
  
  Following a mass protest over the killing, the Federal Government had deployed troops in the South-Western state to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
  
  While security agencies had arrested some suspects allegedly involved in the murder, including the then deputy governor of Osun State – Ige’s home state – Mr. Iyiola Omisore, they were however discharged and acquitted.
  
  Just like Ige, Marshall Harry, who was the National Coordinator, South-South geopolitical zone of the All Nigerian Peoples Party Presidential Campaign was murdered by at his  No,28 Karaye Close, Garki II, Abuja residence on March 5, 2003, barely a month to the presidential election in which Obasanjo was re-elected.
  
  The ANPP chieftain was said to have been killed in the presence of his daughter and his niece, Loliya Harry.
  
  The only security guard in the house, Mr. Polini Aniya, said the assailants numbering about five forced their way into the ANPP chieftain’s residence around 3am.
  
  The ANPP, and it presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, had insisted that agents of the PDP and Federal Government assassinated Harry.
  
  At Harry’s burial ceremony, Buhari, alleged that in its desperation to rig itself into power, the PDP-controlled Federal Government bankrolled assassins to eliminate political opponents.
  
  After the incident, the police arrested four suspects in connection with the murder.
  
  However, after seven years in detention, the accused standing trial for the murder were discharged and acquitted by an Abuja High Court.
  
  The court cited lack of enough evidence to sustain the charge against them.

Kidnappers release Bamigbetan – Report

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  Africcon Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  There are indications that the Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council Development Authority, Kehinde Bamigbetan, who was kidnapped last Monday, might have been released on Saturday.
  
  Although his abductors had reportedly demanded $1m (about N155m), it was not clear if ransom was paid to secure his release.
  
  An online news portal, Premium Times, reports that the Head of Information Unit of the council, Mr. Rabiu Hassan, confirmed the release.
  
  The council chairman was kidnapped near his house in Ejigbo around 11p.m.
  
  When contacted, the acting Police Public Relations Officer, Damascus Ozoani, said he was not aware that Bamgbetan had been rereleased.
  
  When our correspondent contacted Hassan for more confirmation, his phone was switched off.
  
  Also, a local government chairman in the state, who preferred anonymity, said he was not sure if Bamigbetan had been released.
  
  “What we heard was that he had been released but as I am talking to you, nobody is sure. We are yet to see anybody to confirm that he or she had seen him,” he said.
  
  Another LG chairman, who also did not want his name to be mentioned, said, “What I heard was that he had been released and had contacted his family members. But I have not been able to get in touch with him.”
  
  Bamigbetan, a former Chief Press Secretary to former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos, was kidnapped while being driven home by his driver.
  
  The kidnappers reportedly shot into the air around 11pm as Bamigbetan was being driven into his street in Ejigbo. The kidnappers beat his driver before taking the council boss away.

My father attended state functions with personal spoon — Olubadan’s son

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  Africcon Media – News From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  Prof. Femi Lana is the first child of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade 1. He tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI what most people don’t know about the 99-year-old king
  
  What value does the Olubadan hold dearly?
  
  He preaches literacy all the time. My father served in the education ministry and what he wanted mostly was education for every child. He ensured that his children went to school and he helped others to get quality education.
  
  What level of education did you attain?
  
  I owe everything I have to my father because his discipline has brought me this far. It was hard to take those lessons many decades ago but today, they are what I cherish most.
  
  I am a professor of Agricultural Biology and the first child of the Olubadan. After my early education in Nigeria, I went to the US for further studies between 1964 and 1973 and got a doctorate degree. I came home to lecture at the University of Ibadan from 1973 to 1981, before travelling to Germany, Holland, Tanzania, UK and Botswana as a lecturer and researcher. I later moved up to the management ladder at the Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, as Director, Institute for Rural Development and Community Engagement. I retired recently as a senior director and professor at the age of 65 and returned to Nigeria.
  
  What role did you play in the development of South African education?
  
  In South Africa, my department was given the job of establishing partnerships with all stakeholders in promoting science, engineering and technological innovation, particularly with high school learners as well as in accounting in the Umlazi environment. It was a vast responsibility which was executed carefully with finesse and caution because it has direct impact on the society.
  
  Did it come to you as a surprise when your father became king?
  
  Right from my school days, my father was already in line for the throne of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, so it was not a title that came to us as a surprise. He got the Jagun title, which is the first major step to the Olubadan throne, in 1973. He then climbed 23 steps in over 30 years before becoming Olubadan in 2007.
  
  How did he feel about your prolonged stay abroad?
  
  He was used to my lifestyle which was dictated by my profession. He loved seeing his children around him even though it was not possible to have all of us together at the same time. But I realised his desire to see his children often, and because I cherish his presence around me, I created time to come home and see him often. The purpose of my coming home was to see him and my mother who died in 2000. I am at home permanently now so we see every day. To bridge that gap when I was away, my father formed the habit of talking to me on the telephone all the time. He did the same to all his children. He was never tired of calling me. Whenever I came home, he would hug and eat with me at the royal table and soon, he would start asking questions about my work. He always wanted to know if coming home was not affecting my work or my savings. He also queried my choice of spending money on travelling just to come and see him when we could have talked on the telephone. He is such a disciplinarian and he did not want me to hide under the pretext of coming to see him as an excuse for taking time off work or spending money unnecessarily. So, you never know what you would get from him.
  
  Does it mean that he wouldn’t care if you chose to stay away from home forever?
  
  My father cares a lot but he is a practical individual who does not shy away from telling the truth. He was a soldier, politician and traditional leader who hardly had the time to sit down with his children because of his callings. But he is a natural father who would have loved the conventional family lifestyle.
  
  He once called me 22 years ago when I became a professor and asked if I would ever return home. The tone in his voiced showed that he was worried about something he did not say on the telephone. I told him not to worry and that I had a career target of becoming a vice-chancellor before I retire. I did not attain that goal despite coming close to it but he was proud of my desire. It made him happy and I reassured him that he would still have my attention after my years of service. It’s great that I came back to meet him.
  
  What habits does the Olubadan detest?
  
  My father hates liars and lazy men. He wants people to stand up for their beliefs and fight for the right cause. He hates corrupt people and hypocrites. There was a time he sent some of his children away from the palace because they were not being sincere. Some time ago, some people were collecting money from people under the pretext that they would facilitate their rise in the traditional order. When my father heard about it, he was angry and he sent them away from the palace.
  
  What is his best food?
  
  My father liked amala and ewedu.  Because of his age, he is on a special diet now but he still asks for his best food.
  
  How did he discipline his children?
  
  He beat any child that misbehaved. When we were young, my father beat any child that failed in school. He would check how well we fared in every subject and warn us when we scored a little above average in a subject. He demanded excellence in everything and gives the same quality till today. We used to run to our grandfather when we offended him or failed class work. We would not return home until our grandfather agreed to go with us. But he was a great father and he still demonstrates his love for all his children.
  
  Your father fought in the Second World War and other wars. What came to your mind each time he went to war?
  
  He fought the Second World War but we did not know it. Each time he went to war, the children didn’t know. We were young in those days, so we hardly knew why he was away. But when I grew up, I saw the medals and commendation letters written to him from the Nigerian government and Allied Forces. That was when I realised that my father had served in many war fronts. But he was modest about it. Unless you are close to him, you will not know that he had done such great humanitarian service.
  
  How close are you to him?
  
  I am his oldest child and the closest to him despite staying abroad for so long. When I was still around, we talked about many things. He loved to discuss politics and traditional matters with me. He liked discussing his friends, enemies and life with me also. He taught me a lot of lessons about life and they became my watchword when I grew up and lived abroad. We still speak on topical issues.
  
  My father loved to laugh whenever I visited home. I realised the impact of this on his health so before I visited him, I would have rehearsed the gist that would make him laugh. Sometimes, he would check his wristwatch and ask me to go home because it was getting dark. That was a way of telling me that he had had enough laughter for the day. But I am around now, so he laughs all the time. Something happened on his 99th birthday last Sunday. I was reading congratulatory messages of people to him from the newspapers at the palace. I told him that I was surprised at how people who once stood against his views on civil matters are now his closest friends, who paid to congratulate him in the newspapers. He laughed and said it is important to make people understand one’s ideas even when there is disagreement. He said there are no permanent enemies and that they will come back and praise you after they have realised the truth in your argument. It was a lesson I learnt that day. With him, you learn a new thing every day.
  
  What was the most memorable thing he has said to you?
  
  I was going abroad and as I bade him farewell, he asked when I would return. I sensed that there was more to the question. At almost 100, he could leave us anytime, so it dawned on me that he was a bit worried that I might not see him again. I almost cancelled the trip but because of its importance, I summoned the courage and left.
  
  How close is the king to his grandchildren?
  
  He has not had the opportunity to see my children regularly because of their education.  I have to be frank here; our generation is different from theirs. The priority of a parent is his immediate family and not the extended family. But my father understands the social changes that are affecting the family bond in our life. People must go about nurturing their careers and in most cases, it takes them away from their loved ones.
  
  Or are you trying to shield your children from the traditional set-up in the palace?
  
  That is not the case. I have no reason to shield the children from royal exposure. They are independent and free to come home when they wish. But they are in the formative stage of their career which demand their presence at the workplace and even in the schools they attend. We had a close-knit family structure in those days but what we have now is a loose family structure because of factors such as generational changes, distance, responsibilities etc.
  
  The king was once a boxer. What are his other hobbies?
  
  He liked hockey, playing the piano and singing. Because of his fondness for keeping records, he liked to be the secretary of every organisation he belonged to. In his library, he has records of activities dating back to the 1940s and he remembers them all till today. If you give him a piece of paper containing important information, he would keep it for decades and produce it on demand.
  
  What are the things that make him exceptional?
  
  I am not sure that many people have the type of his memory. He does not forget dates, times and names. He remembers facts and that is why he is a unique historian. He is the oldest person to be crowned Olubadan and he is still the oldest person to sit on that throne at 99.
  
  What does he want to be remembered for?
  
  He wants Ibadan to become a state and a new palace to be built. He also wants to be remembered for bringing social changes to the city. All these are in the making, so his wishes are within reach.
  
  Are there things he is yet to achieve?
  
  There was nothing he set out to achieve that he did not achieve. He has a unique way of looking at things. He told me during one of our discussions that whatever he failed to achieve was an act of God. It’s a way of expressing contentment.
  
  What qualities did you imbibe from him?
  
  There are many of them but what I cherish most is his humility. I was with him when he went to the office for the first time as the Minister of State for Labour. We met a cleaner in his new office and my father prostrated for him as a sign of respect. The cleaner was an old man but my father was the head of the ministry. Despite the gap in status, he still demonstrated respect. The cleaner was amazed and he prayed for my father that he would always be the head. It is a quality I inherited from him.
  
  As a minister, did you notice changes in his social life?
  
  He did not change his lifestyle. Instead of enriching himself, he gave his wealth to others-paying their schools fees and hospital bills. When he became the chairman of education committee in the 1960s, he was in charge of scholarship and he gave them out to the people, instead of making his family members the beneficiaries. If he wanted to be rich, he had the opportunity because he served in high places.
  
  How often did he attend parties when he was minister?
  
  He attended the parties because of his position but he would not eat there. On a few occasions when he ate at state functions, he took a spoon with him with which he ate.
  
  How about  the women in his life?
  
  The truth is that most men like women but others hide their admiration for them. My mother was his first wife. He might have had girlfriends which we did not know of, but he married a second wife.
  
  How healthy is he at 99?
  
  Physically, he is an old man but his ideas are fresh. He told me that being a professor has taken away my social life and I just laughed. He was a very tough man when he was young but despite his frailty now, he still talks tough to show anger when he is annoyed by someone’s behaviour.
  
  10 things you didn’t know about my father
  He has  a sharp memory at 99
  
  He still loves to eat amala and ewedu
  As minister, he went  to state functions with a personal spoon
  He does not delegate his duties as Olubadan
  
  He liked to be secretary of everybody he belonged to
  
  He once sent some of his children away from the palace for being insincere
  He fought in the Second World War and other wars
  
  He like hockey, playing the piano and singing
  He doesn’t have ‘permanent enemies’
  
  He is an ex-boxer

Boko Haram: More amnesty panel members to quit

• AfricCon News
  Africcon; Nigerian Talk Report: Boko Haram: More amnesty panel members to quit
  Africcon Media – News From: Africcon Media – NigeriaMore  members of the newly constituted Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North are set to reject their appointments over alleged irregularities in the formulation of the panel, SUNDAY PUNCH authoritatively reports.
  
  The committee is saddled with the responsibility of engaging members of Boko Haram in dialogue and designing a framework for resolving the violence precipitated by them.
  
  The President, Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, Dr. Datti Ahmed, and the Executive Director, Civil Rights Congress, Mr. Shehu Sani, had rejected their membership of the committee barely 24 hours after their names were listed among the appointees.
  
  While Sani’s rejection was on the grounds that he was neither consulted nor informed by the Presidency, Ahmed said he regretted his previous personal attempts to mediate between the government and Boko Haram.
  
  The National Coordinator, Coalition of Northern Politicians, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen, Dr. Junaidu Mohammed, who described Ahmed as a “heavyweight” in the region, told SUNDAY PUNCH on Friday that the Sharia cleric was one of the first set of northerners to establish contact with Boko Haram, through a journalist, in order to facilitate negotiations between the sect and the government.
  
  “Some northern leaders were trying to facilitate a meeting between Boko Haram members and the Federal Government. But the Federal Government disclosed some of the demands of Boko Haram. And as a result of that, the sect withdrew in anger from the negotiation.
  
  “When the Federal Government started playing games and politics, Ahmed withdrew. No leader in the northern region would want to be in the kangaroo committee.
  
  “If you want people to negotiate on behalf of government, you have to consult them and secure an agreement with them. But that was not done.”
  
  Mohammed stated  some of the panel members had informed him about their plan to reject their appointments.
  
  “In fact, over 90 per cent of the people woke to see their names being mentioned as those who will work out modalities and negotiate. And I know about three of them who have told me they will decline the offer. Already, some people have started declining; they have said they would not serve.
  
  “This is to reinforce the fact that the majority of those whose names were put were not consulted,” Junaid added.
  
  Similarly, the National President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Yerima Shettimah, said more members would quit the committee because they were not consulted. He accused the Federal Government of making the programme political by inviting more politicians as mediators.
  
  He said, “You don’t just bring in politicians and make the situation more political at the expense of people’s lives, because we have lost over 10,000 people. It is serious business and the government must be serious about the issue. It’s not about politicians; it’s about people who will speak for members of the sect to listen.”
  
  In the same vein, the Borno Elders’ Forum said the FG should dissolve the committee and consult with those directly affected by the insurgency to nominate their representatives.
  
  Its secretary, Dr. Bulama Gubio, said the constitution of members of the committee was faulty and was not done in “good faith,” as relevant stakeholders were not consulted.
  
  Gubio said, “It is either they (FG) don’t understand what Boko Haram is all about or they did it deliberately so that the amnesty will fail; that is what I see. If they really know what Boko Haram is, they should not have constituted that kind of committee. That is why people are pulling out.
  
  “My advice is that all the state governors should be consulted to nominate those they feel can help in the matter.”
  
  Meanwhile, the Presidency on Friday faulted Sani and Ahmed’s refusal to serve on the amnesty committee.
  
  Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, told one of our correspondents that the present administration “would succeed in its quest to restore peace to the country through the effort of the committee with or without the duo.”
  
  The presidential spokesman said Sani’s argument that the committee would fail in its assignment because some persons were not included was wrong.
  
  He said the right thing the activist should have done was to agree to serve on the committee and bring in his wealth of experience by suggesting to the committee those he feels could be contacted to make their job easier.
  
  Abati said, “The reported rejection is unfortunate. If he had taken up the assignment, as a member, he can now tell his co-members that there are people they can talk to. I hope this is not mischief. People should come on board. Grandstanding and negativity is not the best in this matter.”
  
  Abati stated that Ahmed was at a time recognised by Boko Haram as the only person that could help to restore peace to the country.  He said Sani had served in similar capacities before and was found to be capable.
  
  “They were chosen on the basis of their knowledge and experience. What kind of a man will have the experience and the opportunity to contribute to restoration of peace in his fatherland and reject such opportunity?” he said.

Corruption massive under Jonathan – US

• AfricCon News
  Africcon; Nigerian Talk Report: Corruption massive under Jonathan – US
  Africcon Media – News
  
  From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  The United States government on Friday indicted the President Goodluck Jonathan led Federal Government of massive and widespread corruption.
  
  According to the United States Department of State, government officials and agencies frequently engage in corrupt practices with impunity.
  
  This was contained in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, which was released on Friday evening.
  
  In the report, the judiciary and security agencies, especially the police, were said be lacking in transparency.
  
  It read in part,“The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security forces. The constitution provides immunity from civil and criminal prosecution for the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors while in office.
  
  “There was a widespread perception judges were easily bribed and litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments. Citizens encountered long delays and alleged requests from judicial officials for bribes to expedite cases or obtain favourable rulings.
  
  “Police corruption remained rampant. Reports of checkpoint bribery and shooting incidents decreased in February after newly appointed Inspector General of Police Mohammed Abubakar announced the closure of all police checkpoints across the country; however, illegal checkpoints remained common in some regions. Police routinely stopped drivers who did not commit traffic infractions, refusing to allow them to continue until they paid bribes,” it stated.
  
  Highlighting events that occurred in the country in last year that portrayed lack of transparency and probity, the US government listed the escape of the suspected mastermind of the Boko Haram 2011 Christmas Day bombing from custody, noting how the police commissioner, who aided the suspect went unpunished; the conviction of former Delta State governor James Ibori in the Southwark Crown Court in London of charges of money laundering and other financial crimes totaling N12.4bn, after he was acquitted by a Nigerian court; and the N1.067trn fuel subsidy fund lost to “endemic corruption and entrenched inefficiency” as examples.
  
  It stated that, “In July, the government released a list of those who had benefited illegally from the subsidy program, which included relatives and colleagues of key government officials. In late July, the EFCC began arraigning suspects, first with a group of 20 indictments, including six oil companies and 11 individuals. By  year’s end, the EFCC initiated prosecutions of approximately 50 cases related to the subsidy scam. The majority of these cases involved companies and individuals who had fraudulently received subsidy revenue. Investigations and trials had not produced any convictions by year’s end.”
  
  The US document also faulted the refusal of public officials to declare their assets as stipulated by law.
  
  It stated that in June 2012, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project and other groups demanded that President Jonathan should disclose his assets from 2007 to 2012 but that Jonathan refused.
  
  The report also rated the anticorruption efforts of the Independent Corrupt Practises and other related offences Commission and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as “largely ineffectual,” adding that despite ICPC’s wide mandate, it had only achieved 60 convictions since its inauguration in 2000.
  
  It also listed a number of cases being handled by the EFCC that have remained inconclusive, including the case of alleged misappropriation of one N1bn against former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and N40bn against his deputy Usman Nafada; and the cases against four former governors Gbenga Daniel, Adebayo Alao-Akala, Aliyu Akwe Doma, and Muhammed Danjuma Goje, for allegedly misappropriating N58bn, N25bn, N18bn, and N12.8bn, respectively.
  
  Apart from corruption, the US accused the Federal Government of numerous unlawful killings.
  
  It decried frequent abduction of civilians and lack of press freedom, highlighting cases, where journalists were harassed and beaten up.
  
  It also noted widespread discrimination against persons with disability.
  
  The Presidency, however, described the report as an incorrect assessment of the situation in the country.
  
  Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati,  warned Nigerians to be wary of such assessments which he described as “parachute researches.”
  
  He said contrary to the picture the report painted, the present administration has remained the most transparent government since the return of democracy to Nigeria.
  
  He said it was in the spirit of transparency that the present administration exposed the scam in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry and passed the Freedom of Information Bill.
  
  He said, “In 2012 that the report is talking about, the EFCC alone got more than 200 convictions. This is in public domain.
  
  “This government did an audit to eliminate waste and leakages in the system.
  
  “On the checkpoints they talked about, it is important that they identify the difference between checkpoints and stop-and-search operation which is required especially in tackling security challenges.
  
  “Nigerians should be wary of these external assessors that jump into conclusion. What are the parameters used in arriving at their conclusion? How scientific are the analysis?
  
  “They assess Nigeria based on the instinct of a parachuter who jumps put of an aircraft without a fair knowledge of where he is landing.”

Expensive Sex: Tales of Men who took Prostitutes Home

• AfricCon News
  Africcon; Nigerian Talk Report: Expensive Sex: Tales of Men who took Prostitutes Home
  Africcon Media – News From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
  
  The police officer asked the middle-aged woman sarcastically: “Did he pop you?” Apparently uncomfortable with the presence of a small crowd that had gathered, she was reluctant to answer the question. But the man at the centre of the matter roundly denied the accusation. The sex hawker he brought home the previous night had alleged that he slept with her and refused to pay for services rendered all night long. He told the policemen who arrested him, that he refused to pay her because he dozed off without touching her, due to excessive booze. It was obvious he did not convince the police because the prostitute was asked again: “Did he pop you?” and she replied: “He popped me.”
  
  This was despite the man’s insistence that, “I didn’t have sex with her and I can’t pay for what I did not eat.” The incident was one of the endless stories of men who go home with sex hawkers but end up with ugly experiences. Checks by Sunday Sun revealed that the fear of prostitutes who agree to go home with their randy male clients is the beginning of wisdom for most night crawlers. For the cautious among these men, they sleep with one eye open, mindful that the bag of most call-girls are usually loaded with weapons of ‘mass destruction’ including razor blades, powdery substances that could be charms or drugs, and knives that cool come handy when a client proves difficult. For the uninformed, the drugs come useful when the hawker wants to put her host to sleep to enable her steal and escape. Narrating his experience with a woman of easy virtue that he brought home one night, a man, Osas Ife (not real name), said: “These days, many prostitutes are not after sex or even their fees because for most of them, the fee is not enough.
  
  They can go any length to steal from the man who took them home. We (men) are after sex while they are strategizing on how to poison you, get your money and disappear. They want to get rich quickly, which makes them more devilish than armed robbers. “When you call a hawker to join you, you need to observe whether she is the kind of person that doesn’t take much drink because she might have a plan. While others are drinking and enjoying themselves, she keeps her head because she has a target – to loot. She came home with you, to drug you because maybe, she has an urgent financial need to meet. When you bring her to your house, she would take her bath before you. Then, as a man of the house, you would go to take your bath, and while you are still inside the bathroom, she would take a bottle of drink from your bar and drug it. She would pretend to like that particular drink and insist that both of you drink it.
  
  But the moment you drink it, she would quickly reject it, knowing you have consumed much, and demand for a different drink. “I had been drugged by a prostitute, and before I woke up, she disappeared. She ransacked my house and made away with some of my expensive items and a friend’s belongings that I had to pay for.” Osas was not the only one that had the ugly encounter with women of easy virtues. Ade who pleaded to use only his first name, told story of a man duped at prominent hotel at Ajao-Estate recently. “In the game between us and prostitutes, interests differ because they are after money, not for sex these days. Many of them have one thing at the back of their mind – how to drug you and take your money. Often times, they want to dupe you in order to attend to urgent needs either at school or their homes. They can eliminate you, to achieve their aim. It is really a cat and dog game. You really need to shine your eyes when you are with them because they can do anything.
  
  They always know why they came. “Last week, we were in a hotel at Ajao-Estate, when one man narrated his experience in the hands of a prostitute. He said he met the girl at Ikeja and took her to an apartment where he spent three days with her. Listening to the man’s different calls from his business partners, the hawker realized that he does not live in Nigeria. Moreover, he counted his money in her presence because, according to him, the girl looked very decent. “One day, the man came home with N500,000 that he couldn’t pay into his bank and kept the money in his bag. Later, he invited her downstairs for a drink but the call girl said she was too tired to move out of the room. The man went downstairs and before he came back to the room, the girl had gone with the money he kept in the wardrobe.
  
  “I opened the bag of a prostitute who came to my house some time ago. Do you know what I saw? Razor blade and white substance that I suspect, was drug. I refused to go and take my bath after her because of the fear of the unknown”, he stated. Also, Ayo and his friend recalled how they were locked inside their room for refusing to pay a prostitute they took home after heavy drinking. “My friend and I went out to drink and after taking some bottles, we decided to go home with a prostitute. When we got home, my friend and I took our bath but she told us she did not need a bath. Apparently due to the heavy drink, we soon fell asleep without touching her, and the next day, she insisted that we must pay her, whereas we had paid her madam. While we were still on bed, arguing with her, she walked out of the room and locked us inside. It was our shout for help that attracted my neighbours who begged her before she opened the door. She threatened to throw away the keys and make us spend the whole day inside the room.
  
  “My advice is, if you are going home with any of them, you must be smart and sharp. I didn’t pay her because we gave her madam N5000”, Ayo said. Another victim who identified himself as Bright told Sunday Sun, how a fight erupted between him and a sex hawker and he was forced to pay for services not rendered. “I am not the drinking type because I can’t drink more than one bottle and a half. Whenever I drink above my limit and I take a prostitute home, I can’t perform. On this particular occasion, I returned with one of them but I hardly touched her in the night because I was weak to the bone.
  
  She begged for it but I told her that I had no strength. She even came on top of me, yanked down my trousers and tried to arouse me but to no avail. The next morning, she demanded for her fee but I reminded her that I didn’t shag her at night. We had a serious fight before neighbours separated us and advised me to pay her. Unknown to me, she had stolen some of my belongings. It was after she left that I discovered that some things were missing. Up till now, I have not set my eyes on that prostitute. I still go out to sleep with them, but I hardly bring them home because that one thought me a lesson. Each time I bring them to my house, I sleep with one eye closed while the other is open enough to watch her