Thrilling!!! See Massive Underground City Discovered Beneath House – Could Accommodate Over 20,000 People

Mind-boggling, breathtaking, and incredible
is the massive ancient underground city
discovered beneath a house that was being
renovated in Turkey, and is still to this day
being further uncovered.

Boko Haram Reporter Ahmad Salkida Returns To Nigeria To Negotiate For Chibok Girls

A very courageous Nigerian journalist who was
recently accused of working for Boko Haram fled
to Dubai after SSS mistaken him as part of the
dreaded sect.
Known as the only reporter in Nigeria with
exclusive access to Boko Haram, the Nigerian
Federal Government has sponsored him back to
Nigeria to help them in negotiating with the
terrorists for the release of the abducted Chibok
secondary school students.
Ahmad Salkida returned home recently after the
Nigerian Federal Government assured safety for
himself and his family members.
He took to his Twitter page few hours ago to say:
“Speculations should not becloud d fact that
there r many well meaning patriots including
myself that r working quietly day & night for
peace
Thank you all for your concern. I’m okay but
VERY busy beyond twitter working towards peace.
I love my country and I cherish her unity
I will forever be readily available to use my rare
professional access and knowledge to end this
madness and senseless violence in Nigeria
There is nothing wrong in having professional
access to insurgents as long as it is used to save
lives and promote peaceful coexistance
On twitter everybody is an expert and some of us
that can start a class here on conflict and
radicalisation are not taken seriously
Nigeria is our country, we have no other country
to call our own, so lets get it right
One of the main reasons I unfollowed many is b/c
of unmeasured comments. We must all think and
act properly to get this right.”

This is how Daily Mail is reporting it:
“One hundred non-combatant, low-level
sympathisers were to be freed and the two
groups brought together in a convoy of buses
accompanied by a hand-picked go-between,
respected Nigerian journalist Ahmad Salkida.
The plan had been agreed in tortuous negotiations
in response to worldwide outrage over a night-
time raid on a school in the town of Chibok on
April 14 when the girls were abducted from their
dormitories.
Mr Salkida was born in Borno State, where Boko
Haram originated. He has known its leaders all
his life and has unprecedented access.
He has been arrested on several occasions
accused of being a Boko Haram sympathiser, and
he fled with his family to Dubai two years ago.
But two weeks ago, he was summoned out of
exile by President Jonathan’s aides. He initially
feared he might face arrest, but was then given a
letter of indemnity signed by the President when
he flew to Nigeria.
Sources said Mr Salkida was able to travel by
taxi to the group’s forest camp to talk to Shekau
two weeks ago. ‘His mission was secretive and
dangerous,’ they said.
He is probably the only civilian with access to
Shekau. There is trust between them and Salkida
had only one aim – to get the schoolgirls out.
He reported afterwards that the group of girls he
saw were alive and well, and being adequately fed
and sheltered. They told him all they wanted was
to go home.
Salkida’s mission was complicated by the chaos
surrounding government’s pronouncements about
negotiations with the terrorist group.”

‘I Go Die’ Arrested For Robbery In Delta

A man nicknamed ‘I Go Die’ (not the popular
comedian, Francis Agoda, ‘I Go Dye’) has been
arrested in Delta State by the police for an
alleged robbery and kidnapping.
‘I Go Die’, whose real name is Oghenewerute
Efeyeme, was nabbed alongside his alleged
accomplices; Oghenetaga Onome and Voke
Erhiaware, popularly known as Simple. They
were apprehended on Monday while trying to
collect some amount of money from the victim,
who they allegedly threatened to kidnap if he
fails to part with some cash.
The accused also reportedly carried out a
robbery operation along Sanubi/Eku Highway in
Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta
State, where they allegedly shot and raped their
victims.
According to reports, police in the state caught
the suspects at St. Bridges’ Secondary School
gate, in Asaba, where they had gone to pick the
sum of N2million from their victim. They were
said to have threatened the victim via a text
message.
It was also reported that the Delta State Police
Command Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu
confirmed the arrest and disclosed that the
suspects would be charged to court soon.

Obasanjo In Secret Deal With Boko Haram Over Abducted Girls

President Olusegun Obasanjo is not happy with
the way Boko Haram is killing innocent Nigerians
everyday and he has openly declared that the
government of President Jonathan is
overwhelmed by the terrorists.
Consequently, the former Nigerian President has
decided to intervene in order to bring back our
girls from the den of the deadly sect. A credible
source told AFP that Obasanjo met with people
close to Boko Haram in a move to secure the
release of over 200 girls kidnapped in Chibok,
Borno State, on April 14.
The meeting took place at Obasanjo’s farm
in Ogun State, Southern Nigeria, and was
attended by relatives of very senior Boko
Haram leaders as well as intermediaries.
“The meeting was focused on how to free
the girls through negotiation,” said the
source who requested anonymity due to the
sensitive nature of the top secret meeting.
Reports of the talks emerged as Nigeria’s Chief
of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh,
said the girls had been located in some Boko
Haram camps but doubted the prospect of
rescuing them by force.
It would be recalled that Obasanjo, who left
office in 2007, previously sought to negotiate
with the insurgents in September 2011 after
Boko Haram bombed the United Nations
headquarters in Abuja.
Then, he flew to the Islamists’ base in the Borno
State capital, Maiduguri, to meet relatives of ex-
Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf, who was
killed in Police custody in 2009.
Obasanjo, who remains an influential figure in
Nigerian politics, is not happy the way FG is
handling the case.

Big Girl Stripped after She Was Caught in The Act of Kidnapping

Luck ran out on a big girl recently as she was
caught in the act of kidnapping in Odi-Olowo
street in ijebu-ode along Ondo-Benin road. She
was seriously molested by a angry mob in the
area.
According to an eyewitness, Seyifunmi Sunmola,
the lady was displaying and acting like a
mentally deranged in the area around 4:37pm on
Sunday, 25th May. As soon as she observed that
people have ignored her, she quickly moved into
a house in the vicinity to pick a little child who
was all alone at home.
She was caught by a vigilant resident. After she
was seriously molested, the lady eventually
confessed that she was sane and that she does
not suffer from any mental illness.
She also confessed that she wanted to sell
the child in order to make ends meet. She
also revealed that her kidnapping squad is
made up of six women who journey
between Enugu to Ijebu-Ode for the sole
purpose of kidnapping children...



Other eyewitnesses also revealed that new Naira
notes summing up to about N150,000 was
discovered with the lady. When asked where she
got the money from, she said she sold a child to
someone and that was her part of her payment
for the deal.
Policemen later intervened and saved the lady
from the angry mob. She has been taken to the
station.

Gold Teeths Becomes More Of A fashion Trend

Gold teeth have positive and negative
connotations associated with them. In recent
years, gold teeth have been exclusively
associated with the hip-hop community;
however, they were used by many cultures in the
past, it has become a fashion trend that even
young ladies rock and feel good about it. people
who wear the gold teeth more are the Muslim
Alhaja's, but now everybody are wearing it.
Historically, gold teeth were indicative of wealth
and prosperity. Many cultures ranging from Asian
to Africa used gold teeth as a status symbol of
power. In the past decades when the use of gold
teeth in dental procedures came to the forefront,
it was viewed as attractive and was seen by
many to be a way to tell who had the money
and the power within the community. but now it
has taken a different dimension from what it
mainly stands for.
Dentists have used gold for filling cavities, for
crowns, and for other purposes. Because gold is
malleable and nearly immune to corrosion, it had
great value in dentistry. In the past, acquiring
gold teeth was an expensive dental prosthetic.
With the advancements in dentistry, the value of
gold teeth has declined. Instead of acquiring
permanent gold teeth, many people resort to
purchasing grills, i.e. false tooth covers.
How do you feel about gold teeth?

Ajasin University, AAUA 300 Level Student Killed By Bus Driver In Ondo State – RIP Segun Adesuyan

A promising young man identified as Segun
Adesuyan was crushed to death by an inpatient
bus driver yesterday in Akungba Akoko in Ondo
state.
His colleagues said he was rushing to meet up
with lecture when he got knocked down by an
inpatient driver.

The deceased
His body has been released to his family and has
since been buried.
Here is a statement from the school registrar, Mr
Bamidele Olotun:
“The students’ spontaneous reaction was
sparked by misinformation that the deceased was
knocked down by a mini bus called agolo in local
parlance and that the assailant driver ran away.
“This misinformation has since been refuted by
the Police who confirmed that the driver reported
himself at the Police station and that he and the
Toyota Corolla car were in their custody.
“This clarification has calmed the nerves of the
rampaging students and the situation has since
been brought under control.
“The corpse has been released to the parents and
has since been buried.
“The university expresses deep condolences to the
family of the deceased, the students body and the
entire university community on the unfortunate
loss of the promising young man.
“The university would like to appeal to all
students to go about their normal academic
activities as peace has now returned to the
campus.”
Late Adesuyan’s corpse was moved to his
parents house in Akure on Monday evening for
burial. Before the ambulance got there, people
were already outside crying in the heavy rain.
The dean of students affairs, the students
president, vp, the senate president, deputy senate
president and some, his departmental president
and some sug members were all present at the
burial.
Check out his last Facebook page post..
“Jehovah 2 good, oluwa dara, babaloke lo sure ju,
i go sing, i go praise,i go dance, i go yin baba o o
almighty God 4 his protection over me, feel dis.”
May his soul rest in perfect peace.

MASSOB Leader Begs Israel For Biafra, Urges Ndigbo To Return Home

As Boko Haram insurgents continue to massacre
innocent Nigerians in the North Eastern part of
the country, the Movement for the Actualization of
the Sovereign State of Biafra, (MASSOB) has
advised Igbo resident in the troubled states of the
North to come down home in their own interest.
The MASSOB National Red Cross Chairman,
Osondu Okwaraeke, who issued the warning
yesterday in Onitsha, said that those staying
behind were doing so at their own peril.
The call was sequel to continued killings in some
Northern states especially in Borno state, where
more than 200 school girls were abducted by
Boko Haram insurgents.
Okwaraeke said that prior to the heightening of
the killings, the national leader of MASSOB, Chief
Ralph Uwazurike, had issued similar directive for
those in the troubled areas to return home and
even provided logistics for their evacuation.
The MASSOB Red Cross chairman commended
Chief Uwazurike for his concern for the welfare of
the Igbo and recalling that during the flood in
some parts of the country, the MASSOB leader
provided drugs and other materials, including food
to the victims.
He appealed to the United Nations, the Catholic
Pontiff, Israel and other world leaders to come to
the rescue of MASSOB help actualize Biafra
Republic” for the safety of the Igbo.
[Source: Daily Sun]

“Boko Haram Killed 36 Igbos In Jos Bombing, 42 Injured” – Eze Igbo , Prof Jerom Obilom

The Igbo community in Jos, Plateau State, said
that it lost 36 members while 42 others were
injured in the May 20 twin bomb blasts that
rocked the Jos market.
The community also said many of its members
were still missing even as it bemoaned the loss of
goods worth millions of naira by the Igbos.
The Eze Igbo in Jos, Prof. Jerome Obilom, who
addressed newsmen on Monday, said that the
community abhorred the mass burial, allegedly
being secretly conducted by the state
government, without informing members of the
community since Ndigbo did not favour burying
their dead outside their homestead.
Obilom said that the authorities of some hospitals
had been very hostile when the community, led by
the Chairman of the Igbo Community Association,
Chief Jonah Ezekwueme, visited to identify
victims of the blasts, who were of Igbo extraction.
He said, “While recognising the fact that some of
the victims were shattered into shreds, which
necessitated that some body parts needed the
mass burial, we still insist that Ndigbo in Jos
should have been consulted to identify their own
because it is not our customs to bury our dead
outside our traditional homes.
“We therefore condemn such act and implore the
authorities to allow Ndigbo access to the bodies
so that those missing could be accounted for
because if we had been allowed inside the
mortuary, we would have been able to identify
many of our members who were unfortunately
caught up in the bomb blast.”
He said that the community had been able to
identify the dead through towns and community
that took the roll calls of their members.
The Ezeigbo deplored a situation where Ndigbo
were neglected in the distribution of relief
materials and urged the authorities to send such
materials to aid the victims and their families.
He also asked the Plateau State government to
hasten efforts in the relocation of street traders to
the satellite market in the Rukuba Road area of
Jos, adding that the congestion caused by the
traders along the busy road was responsible for
the heavy losses caused by the bomb blast.
“While we appreciate all efforts being made by the
state government to sanitise the market, we plead
that government should strengthen the satellite
market and move all traders there so that
bombers would not have any easy means of
causing mass harm as they did in the last
incident,” he added.
[Reported By PUNCH NG

Boko Haram Started Like Joke, Nigerians Are Helpless : Last Words Of UNIJOS Student Killed In Jos Blast

Boko Haram Started Like A Joke, Nigerians Are
Helpless: Last Words Of UNIJOS Student Killed
In Jos Blast
One of the 7 UNIJOS students killed by a suicide
bomb attack carried out by suspected Boko
Haramists in Jos, Plateau state last week, Lydia
Komolafe had days before her death lamented the
incessant killings by Boko Haram terrorists.
Two days before the suicide bombing (May 19)
Komolafe prayed for a week of favour and
satisfaction.
Sadly, this was not to be as Komolafe was one of
the seven students of the Medical Laboratory
Science Department of the University of Jos, who
lost their lives in the bombing.
Check out her Tweets below:
“This week, I shall be satisfied with favour.”
“Hmm, now we don’t know if our parents or
siblings are safe in the park, church, mosque,
market, and schools. The airports are not left out.
I forgot, Aso Rock, isn’t left out either.
“They (Boko Haram) go wherever they want! It’s
a fight against Nigeria, and Nigerians are
helpless. Because they didn’t curb it at first,
terrorism has grown so wild!,”
“Pray for Nigeria, Nigerians can’t sleep! We are
not even secured in the midst of road blocks! This
has got to stop!! Who’s going to be our ‘Avatar’
in this nation?”
“If only we had curbed it earlier! They left it to
our governors to fight it; they brought soldiers
who molested us! Nobody cared! I’m not being
insensitive; I’m just saying if we had saved the
cup of milk from falling, we wouldn’t have been
worrying about the spill now.”
“Boko Haram started like a joke, we prayed, cast
and bound, we did nothing! The citizens kept
pointing fingers at the government! Calling it
different things! We thought it will vanish. Or
maybe, since it started in the north it would
remain there. As long as it didn’t go down south,
they didn’t care.
“They tagged it a northern syndrome. Little did
they know that it wasn’t going to be restricted for
long! Today there’s a blast, tomorrow nobody
cares. Fighting terrorism isn’t only for the
government, it’s for us too! What we say, what
we preach how we live, reflects if we are terrorists
or not,”.
“With one voice, let’s speak against terrorism. I’m
not calling for protests or any of that sort! The
moment you hold hate in your heart, you’re giving
room to hateful thoughts that could lead to
terrorism. Nigeria will get past all this! So help us
God!”
“Nobody should be punished for going to school!
There’s no basis to this kidnap! Our hearts are
bleeding. Please bring them alive! May the angels
protect them wherever they may be.”
Hear what a close friend to the late student, Zion
Abiodun said on Twitter
“I am trying to stop the tears, but it’s difficult. I
have never cried for anyone this much, just can’t
hold the tears. I need to wake up from this
dream,”.
So sad!
May her soul and that of others rest in perfect
peace (amen)

President Jonathan ’ s Kano Ikebe Dance That Put Nigeria In Trouble By Godwin Okeke

The above photograph of President Jonathan on
stage is “historic” to all Nigerians depending on
one’s school of thought. Both friends and
enemies of GEJ, APC and PDP all have different
view about the message of the picture. No matter
your school of thought, I’m very optimistic that
this picture is not one of the good pictures
President Jonathan will love to see in his album.
If it were in the analogue age, the photographer of
any news media that snapped the picture must be
a guest of our security agencies. The picture went
viral on April 15th 2014 after PDP rally in Kano to
welcome Mr Shakarau that was displaced in APC
by Governor Kwankwaso.
Terrorism can be scary or terrifying. It is not the
wish of any President or Governor to encounter it
no matter how equipped or fortified your security/
defense is. Let us recall that President George
Bush was flown into Air force base in Louisiana
from Sarasota Florida when the World Trade
Centre was struck due to concern that he would
be targeted by terrorists. Take note also that
George Bush first National security meeting was
through electronic means at Strategic Air
command in Nabraska before returning to the
white house. This example is a typical
demonstration of how every leader trembles at
the mention of terrorism. What vindicates or vilify
leaders are your actions and reactions after terror
attack. George bush statements after 9/11
restored Americans confidence on him. It was on
record that Bush had 24(twenty four) national
security meeting between September 11 to
October 11. That is leadership redefined!
The kidnap of over 200 school girls of Chibok in
Borno state on the 15th of April while Mr
President was attending the PDP rally in Kano
was not the first of its kind nor the worst done by
book-haram insurgents. School children were
once massacred in their dormitories; over 20
pupils were kidnapped in the wake of missing
Sanusi 20 billion dollars. Plus other heinous
massacre that took place in Yobe, Nasarawa,
Niger, Plateau and Adamawa states respectively.
What subjected President Jonathan to world
vilification was cumulative anger triggered by the
“unspoken word of I don’t care” depicted by the
above photograph. Seeing Mr. president dancing
and raising his hands in Kano while the likes of
British high commissioner in Nigeria was in
National hospital in sober mood donating blood to
rescue Nyanya bomb blast victims portrays
President GEJ as uncompassionate man
desperate for power and a leader who places less
value to the lives of his citizens. Unfortunately the
Chibok girls were kidnapped same day Mr.
President was displaying his olingo masterpiece.
This dance now resurrects the cumulative anger
and unholy silences in the land leading to the
popular believe that Mr President is clueless. That
does not mean that government has done well in
terms of handling security challenges ab initio
All the reasons cited by Labaran Maku to defend
the Kano dance was more of fueling the burning
bush. Maku said,” the Terrorist aim is to stop
governance and the dance/rally in Kano was to
prove them wrong”. Some thinkers like Maku
bought into that disgusting statement but I’m
sure that no national election is fast approaching
and therefore, the rally can be postponed for
another day. Moreover, when does rally become
part of governance? Rally is weapon of political
parties not weapon of governance. Any action
labeled governance must be for the interest and
benefit of the nation not political party.
Furthermore, how does GEJ glorifies and celebrate
frustrated enemy in the event of national
calamity? Is he joining GEJ because he likes him
or is he joining out of frustration? What brought
Shakarau to Jonathan? If not for APC leadership
tussle between him and Kwankwaso, will he not
be one of the leaders of the opposition in Nigeria
today? No matter your political affiliation,
Shakarau is never a plus to GEJ and people of
Kano can has proved it in the just concluded LGA
election. Some shallow readers will argue that
LGA election is not a measure of one’s political
strength but I will refer them to Edo and Anambra
State LGA election where (LP) Ifeanyi Uba and
(PDP) Tony Aninih proved their political worth in
their local governments. I expected Shakarau to
do the same in Kano but he couldn’t. Therefore,
GEJ and his advisers failed woefully on that Kano
rally.
Some has also underrated the consequence of
incompetent advisers and lack of political
intelligent unit. But success of George Bush can
be attributed to his team of professional staff and
his humility to listen to every one of them. I do
not expect every leader to be an orator nor has
exceptional vision like Obama or Clinton. But I
will not also spare these GEJ advisers who are
the worst I have ever seen in my life. I’m sure not
even Satan can tolerate their advice.
Rather than summoning for national security
meeting after the Nyanya blast, the advisers
confused GEJ and converted it to PDP meeting
signaling politicization of national security. Blame
game rather than united front was the outcome of
the meeting. Reno Omokri(PA new media to GEJ)
added more fuel to the fire by telling public lie
that APC governors boycotted a security meeting
which they conspired to convert to party meeting.
This is a very shameful act in the light of sorrow
and grief in the land.
What broke the camel’s back was the
misinformation, lies and attempt to blackmail or
sabotage, the struggle to rescue the abducted
Chibok girls by the presidential advisers. The
misrepresentation of the #BringBackOurGirls
clamor as people opposing the government was
the first evil plot of this group of advisers. We all
laughed at the “open assassination of grammar”
by the first lady but the bitter truth we must
accept was that she strongly believe that there
was no kidnapping and there was grand
conspiracy against her husband (this might not
be totally wrong assumption though) but
condemning the apolitical citizens that felt
sympathy for the victims of this kidnap is
condemnable. The gap between the time the
advisers were deceiving GEJ that the kidnap was
the handwork of the opposition, and the time it
took them to thread blames and the time it took
them to resolve to take action due to mounting
international pressure was what forced GEJ to
surrender our sovereignty. Let us also have
another deeper look of what would have
happened if not for this evil advisers. Patience
Jonathan as mama peace should have matched
to Presidency leading other first ladies, senators
and all women to demand #BringBackOurGirls.
Her pressure with other elite will exonerate her
and citizens will understand her limitation. But
this evil advisers converted this woman into
another Co-President torturing” the pricipa on
national television because na only she waka
come”.She did not stop there, she directed the
protesters to proceed to Bornu state. The police
in their usual manner rather than securing
innocent citizens went to disperse them at unity
fountain. This again raises more concern globally
that GEJ is hunting for citizens rather than
terrorists.
The incoherent statement and blames/self
defense/excuses emanating from the presidency
was very disturbing.
“the Borno state Govt is inconsistent with the
figures”, “the Borno Govt should be blamed for
opening the school against FG letter to WAEC”
“our military have rescued all the girl” “sorry we
are misinformed by the school principal”, the war
is Gorilla war”” its unconventional war”, ‘our
military are well motivated”, we have all the
modern equipment to fight terror”, blame terrorist
not govt.” we need international support”
All this statement/blames/excuses and lies falls
short of a responsible government that couldn’t
safe guard her citizens. This statement
diminishes the world perception of GEJ both home
and abroad. The advisers did not stop there; they
have not seen the need for him to visit Chibok.
Why not deploy all the military men both police to
guide GEJ to visit chibok? The excuses cited by
GEJ on why he has not visited Chibok is not
convincing. It was shameful to behold GEJ before
the world press in France citing moral boast as
the only advantage of visiting Chibok yet he never
deem it fit to give this moral boast to those
families. We should recall that Gov Shettima
defied military advice not to visit Chibok and
went unhurt. GEJ should be courageous to show
leadership as CinC. Obama sneaked out of white
house unannounced and visited American troops
in Afghanistan recently.
Chibok visit will enable GEJ to have one on one
conversation with the military boys in war front.
One of them might reveal to him what the senior
MILADS might be hiding away from him. The visit
will unravel to GEJ the rumor of hunger, lack of
welfare and equipment being speculated. He will
be a morale booster for the families and the
military but the advisers will never let it happen.
This was how they deceived him in Yobe until the
Progressive Governors visited and walk the street
of Yobe. GEJ aftermath visit was much
reactionary and no citizen bought into it. Any visit
by GEJ to Chibok today is meaningless because
the opportunity is gone for good.
Not up to 12 hours after twin bomb blast in Jos,
one of the presidential aides rushed to BBC to
say that “there was no evidence that the Jos
blast was detonated by Boko Haram”…. I ask
when he started investigation or gathering of
evidence. Why sudden conclusion? Who then
bombed Jos if not Boko Haram?
Citizens are free to speculate based on their
personal perception and political inclination but
any comment emanating from the presidency
MUST be swift, accurate, factual, well evidenced
and undisputable. The statement must be of
objective and devoid of any sentiments.
The views expressed in this article are the
author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the
editorial policy of kulzone.tk
[Article by Godwin Okeke]

ASUP strike: Students devise survival strategies

Eight months after polytechnic lecturers
embarked on industrial action, their students
now employ other survival strategies, CHARLES
ABAH writes
Isah Kwano is a Higher National Diploma,
Banking and Finance student of the Federal
Polytechnic, Bauchi. But due to the ongoing
strike by the Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics, you are not likely to find him on
campus nowadays.
Instead, you may find the youth operating a
commercial vehicle known locally as Kabukabu.
It is not his will to suddenly become a
transporter. It is an outcome of the protracted
industrial action.
Kwano says, “My brother, I do not want to lose
on all fronts. Initially, I thought the industrial
action was not going to last long. But now I
have spent over eight months at home. So, to
keep the body and soul together, I discussed
with other members of my family and they
allowed me to use one of the family cars for
transport business.
“Every day, I leave in the morning with the car. I
must admit that this has kept me busy and away
from sundry vices. It has also reduced the level
of frustration that I face.
“Above all, there is no day that I do not make up
to N1,000 since I got into the cab business
earlier in the year. However, this is not to justify
the continued industrial action. I want the
Federal Government and the lecturers to resolve
their differences as soon as possible so that I
can return to campus.”
He is not the only victim of the current strike by
lecturers in public polytechnics. The story of
Abdulmalik Usman, an HND 11 student of the
Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, presents
another dimension to the strike that has lasted
for 240 days today.
For the youngster, the situation has become a
hopeless one. By his calculation, he has lost an
academic session due to the tango.
He says with bitterness in his voice, “How do we
reconcile the fact we have been at home since
October 4, 2013? A normal academic semester
lasts for three months. Now, we have stayed out
of campus for eight months. Have we not
naturally lost more than a full academic session
at home? Before the strike, we had earlier spent
more than two months due to strike in 2013. So
you can see that it is a hopeless condition.”
Asked how he has been handling the situation,
Usman – who is the President, National
Association of Polytechnic Engineering Students
– says he has no wherewithal to start a small-
scale business.
He adds, “I am often at home engaging in a
personal research work. This may sound strange
to you, but it has taken up my time. My research
emphasis is on Nigeria’s history. I have taken
my time to compile top events, especially in the
education sector, from Independence to the
present day. The idea is that in the future, I will
not want those coming behind us to pass
through the difficulties some of us are going
through today. Look at my fate and that of
thousands of students across the country. Look
at technical education in the country. With this
standstill approach, is there a future for
polytechnic education in the country?”
For Lukman Adekitan of the Federal Polytechnic,
Ede, Osun State, the strike has prevented him
from participating in the NYSC scheme.
Adekitan, who also says he has not been doing
anything special since the strike began, notes
with a frown that a female colleague of his has
been impregnated.
“It will interest you to know that one of my
colleagues, an unmarried female student, is now
pregnant. When I asked her what went wrong
she responded, Na so oo. This is to tell you how
much this strike has altered our lives. Supposing
there have been normal academic activities, I
would have gone for national youth service
before now,” he explains.
A student of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Dare
Amoo, who urges the Federal Government to
yield to the lecturers’ demands, notes that the
demands were to improve the polytechnic sector.
On what has been keeping him busy, Amoo
states that he has abandoned his books for now.
He adds, “At present, I am learning how to make
art works. Some months ago, I learnt how to
beautify houses. I advise other students to try to
engage themselves in one activity or the other.
They should not just sit at home. They should
not waste this free time. They should learn some
works in order to assist their parents.”
Adetunji Oluwaseyi of the Osun State
Polytechnic, Iree also shares Amoo’s view that
the Federal Government should attend to the
lecturers’ demands. He keeps himself busy with
a tutorial organised in the school. “The tutorial
has kept many of us here and prevented us from
engaging in unnecessary travelling around the
country,” he says.
However, as the likes of Usman, Amoo and
Kwano engage in things that keep them away
from frustration and vices, as well as grow them
individually, the National Association of
Polytechnic Student Senate President, Lukeman
Saludeen, has a different thing to say.
Salaudeen, a Mining Engineering HND 11 student
of the Kaduna Polytechnic, has been busy
interfacing between the students and the
“warring parties” in the crisis.
The student leader, who acknowledges that the
strike has been tough on students, says the
Federal Government has not been fair to the
polytechnic sub-sector.
According to him, beyond the danger of exposing
some students to social vices, the industrial
action has temporarily truncated the dream of
many students to participate in the NYSC.
He also notes, with anger in his voice, that the
authorities have not been able to act decisively
on the BSc/HND discrimination.
He declares, “Before the recent inauguration of
the Chief Pius Anyim-led committee, the Federal
Government claimed that the issue of HND/ BSc
had been reconciled. With this new committee,
the truth has come to the fore that the
authorities are not sincere in their dealings with
those in the polytechnic sector. They proclaim
one thing today and do another the next day.”
Agreeing with Salaudeen, the striking polytechnic
lecturers have also accused the Supervising
Minister of Education, Chief Nyeson Wike, of
causing an “irrevocable” damage to the nation’s
education sector.
According to them, the minister is on a mission
to inflict permanent damage on public
polytechnics.
The lecturers, who spoke through the National
President of the Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics, Chibuzo Asomugha, accused Wike
of “blackmail and double speak.”
Lecturers in the nation’s public polytechnics,
who have been on strike since last October 5,
2013, are seeking, among others, the removal of
what they regard as discrimination against
polytechnic graduates, review of the Polytechnics
Act, the establishment of a National Polytechnics
Commission and the release of the White Paper
of the visitation to federal polytechnics.
They are also kicking against the poor funding of
polytechnics, deplorable condition of state
polytechnics, appointment of unqualified persons
as rectors of polytechnics and the review of the
Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System
and the funding of the CONTISS 15 Migration.
Asomugha, in an interview with our
correspondent, insists that Wike is out to
destroy the sector, considering his actions and
utterances.
The ASUP President also points to the last
Academic Staff Union of Universities strike and
the ongoing industrial action by the Colleges of
Education Academic Staff Union, saying the
minister’s role in the crises is suspect.
He says, “The Supervising Minister of Education
appears to be on a mission to inflict an
irrevocable damage to polytechnic education in
Nigeria. He has not hidden his anger against the
striking workers of polytechnics and colleges of
education who dare to disagree with him.
“It is still very much in doubt that Wike has the
capacity to manage an industrial crisis in the
education sector. For instance, it took the
intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan to
stop Wike from completely messing up the last
ASUU strike.
“Now the polytechnic lecturers and their colleges
of education counterparts have been on strike for
many months, and all the supervising minister
has done is to relish in blackmail,
misrepresentation of facts, bullying, blustering
and double speak.”

Bomb victim was in her final year —Sister

Blessing, elder sister of a final year student of
the College of Education, Akwanga, Nasarawa
State, Shekinah Ejeh, who died in the May 20
Jos bombing, speaks with TEMITAYO FAMUTIMI
What is your name?
My name is Blessing Ejeh, a Mass
Communication student of the Federal
Polytechnic, Bauchi. I lost my immediate younger
sister, Shekinah to the Jos bomb blast of May
20.
What was your sister doing at the Terminus
Market, the scene of the blast?
My sister was a final year student of the College
of Education, Akwanga, Nasarawa State where
she was studying Computer Science/Economics
until she was killed by the explosion. She had
just finished her teaching practice exercise and
preparing to resume her last semester in the
college.
She already had all that she needed to take to
school for the resumption of the new semester.
But some of her friends called her to help them
to get some fanciful second-hand caps which
they had seen her wear in school. So, she went
to the Terminus Market to get them as they
were far cheaper in Jos than in Nasarawa State.
How did you get to hear the news of the blast?
Shekinah left home before 2pm on that fateful
day. We were inside and we did not know what
was happening then. We were preparing to go to
church for Bible study when my younger brother
called that the bomb blast just occurred in
Terminus Market.
Immediately my mum heard about it, she started
panicking and I was in the sitting room too,
watching movies. Although she left home with
three phones, none of her lines went through as
we tried to get in touch with her. My father who
was supposed to lead the service set out to look
for her at the scene of the blast while my mother
and I reluctantly went to church.
After an unsuccessful search for her at the scene
of the blast and the hospital where the injured
were taken to, my father found her body at the
mortuary.
How did you receive the news?
A family friend came to see us in the church and
when we sighted him, we knew something very
wrong had happened to us. We started crying
even before we received the news. They finally
broke the news to us at home. The wailing was
just too much.
Did you see her body?
Yes, we saw her mangled body at the mortuary.
The burns were, however, minimal. We have
gone to bury her. We just came back from our
village in Kogi State on Saturday.
What were her lifelong ambitions and dreams?
As a young girl of 19 still growing up, she had
very lofty dreams, many of which I wouldn’t
know. But if there is one thing she was notable
for, it is her love and passion for children. She
was the children leader of our local church. She
was supposed to coordinate a children’s
programme in our church from Thursday to this
Sunday. She would have been back to school on
Monday (yesterday).
The handbill announcing the event was already
out before she lost her life in the bomb blast.
She had been preparing all this while for this but,
unfortunately, it could not hold. Now because of
her love for children, we are planning to start a
foundation in her name to reach out to orphans
and children who are less privileged in the
society.
How are your parents taking the situation?
God is in control. My parents are pastors.
Generally, we hold the view that only God is the
comforter.
Do you have any advice for the President on how
to curtail the Boko Haram insurgency?
I won’t give any advice to Jonathan. Should he
let the whole world die before doing something?
Should he just be there watching and let
everybody die. Now, it appears that security is
very tight, just give them some days, the whole
security being put in place will be relaxed. It is
not that the government cannot do something
about it. It is just that they are not just doing
the right thing. They have the money and
resources. They are just not ready at all.

How to identify a suicide bomber

Suicide bombing is an act whereby an individual
personally delivers explosives and detonates
them with the sole aim of inflicting the greatest
possible damage, killing himself in the process in
order to serve the interests of the sponsoring
individuals or organisations.
Records have revealed that suicide bombers are
capable of carrying out very wicked, audacious
and highly destructive acts that are shocking on
the account of their specific intention to destroy
critical infrastructure and kill mostly
unsuspecting civilians or injure anyone within the
range of the explosion. But if I may ask, what
kind of a person would sacrifice his life in order
to kill innocent people and what would possibly
motivate that person to take the offer of
becoming a suicide bomber?
In the wake of several tragic incidents, the
government, civil society as well as security
agencies have always found it difficult to
objectively analyse the causes and processes
through which suicide bombings are carried out
since there is no single theory as to what brings
about such wicked act. Although many people
have cited negative indoctrination, radicalisation
and religion as prime motivators but the act
involved a wide variety of motivation including
politics, quest for revenge, humiliation as well as
altruism.
The willingness of the perpetrator to kill himself
shows a very high symbolic value and dedication
to whatever may be his cause. However, the
truth is that suicide bombing has become a most
accessible weapon of choice available to the
terrorist groups because of its cost-effectiveness,
lethality, ability to cause confusion as well as
the tremendous amount of publicity and fear it
generates as clearly witnessed in the series of
bomb attacks across the nation. For example,
immediately after the last blast, the usual crowd
witnessed at motor parks, night clubs and other
social event centres, in no time, disappeared
because of the wide speculations through the
media that there was likely to be another bomb
attack in those areas. This is a classical example
of the effect of fears associated with terrorism.
Characteristics of a potential suicide bomber
There is no specific profile for anyone who
engages himself in suicide bombing. A suicide
bomber can come from nearly every cultural
background, religion, race, creed or gender.
However, the following are common
characteristics of a potential suicide bomber.
Through his behaviour
• He behaves in a way similar to someone with
no future.
• His mental state could present clues – his eyes
are secretive, he makes obvious attempt to avoid
eye contact with the people he perceived to be
his enemies and always looking at every possible
exit.
• Mumbling prayers – may be fervently praying
to himself, showing the impression of whispering
to someone else.
• He shows no response to any authoritative
voice, command or instruction.
Through his appearance
• He wears clothes that are unsuitable for the
present-day weather. For instance, wearing of
sweater or rain-coat during hot weather.
• He wears slack or puffy clothes. This gives the
impression that his body is excessively larger
than his head or feet.
• Sweating – resulting from tension and stress
or wearing of unsuitable clothes. For instance,
wearing a heavy coat during high weather
temperature.
• He appears to be focused and more vigilant on
his target.
• He will usually have his hands placed in the
pocket, around the button of the detonator and
ready to set off the bomb at the slightest
opportunity.
• He carries big bags or backpacks tightly with
wires piercing out of the bag.
• He may most likely have a clean shave or low
hair-cut especially when he is ready to carry out
the task. This may be done to disguise his real
appearance.
• He displays signs of drug use. For instance, his
pupils become enlarged with fixed staring.
• His breathings are heavy and rapid.
• Mostly male who falls between the age range
of 16 to 30 years of age.
• He looks aggressive, restless, irritable and
nervous.
Through his movement
• He walks awkwardly or clumsily in an unusual
and odd manner. This is usually due to the
unsuitable attire he is wearing and sometimes
due to the weight of the explosive devices tied
around his body.
• He tries to be evasive in movement. This
unusual gait is adopted to evade security agents
and some other persons who may foil his plans.
• Often times, he may not know the route to his
target destination very well, hence he may
occasionally ask for directions. One of the
suicide bombers that struck at a church in
Kaduna in late 2013 had to ask commercial
motorcyclists for direction to the church he
eventually struck.
Through his kind of person/other features
• He tries to blend into a group which he clearly
does not belong to. For instance, he tries to
attend Church worship services even as a non-
Christian with clear intention to carry out
surveillance and identify vulnerable areas before
attack.
• He demonstrates forceful actions in order to
reach his desired target by pushing the crowd so
as to find his way into a restricted area or
showing desperations to reach a crowded point
or particular target.
• He will usually have an unusual herbal smell.
This is as a result of incense used in the final
rituals performed on him as he takes off for the
suicide mission.
• Culled from Frank Mba’s blog

Jonathan: There are plans to bring down my govt

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said
those behind the violence in the country were
planning to bring down his government.
Jonathan, at the 2014 Democracy Day
Interdenominational Church Service with the
theme “Love The Lord…and your Neighbour” in
Abuja, described them as evil forces.
Terror attacks by Boko Haram in some parts of
the North, especially the North-East, have led to
the death of thousands of people. On April 14,
2014, the sect abducted more than 200 girls
from a government college in Chibok, Borno
State, a development that brought global
attention to the terrorist activities in the country.
In Benue State, there have been clashes between
the Tiv and Fulani cattle rustlers that have led to
bloodshed. Six days ago, suicide bombers struck
in Jos, Plateau State, killing over 15o people and
on Saturday night another bomber visited
mayhem on football fans in the city.
During the service, Jonathan, who touched on
several national issues, said despite the security
challenges, Nigeria would continue to move
forward.
He said, “You can imagine if this government had
not been facing these distractions within this
period, definitely, we would have moved farther
than this.
“All these distractions are planned to bring this
government down and since they failed, terror
will also fail.
“We have been witnessing terror attacks for two
years plus, but the Chibok incident has added a
major dent on the security of the country. There
is nothing God cannot do. With your prayers, our
girls will be seen by our security personnel, “he
said.
“Terror will not stop this country from
progressing. We know that these terrorists are
human and they are evil men. Definitely, they are
among those we categorise as evil forces.
“Forces of evil will never prevail. Forces of
darkness will never prevail. I call on all Nigerians,
Christians and non-Christians who pray, to
continue to pray and I believe that God is on our
side. Forces of evil and darkness will never
prevail.”
Jonathan admitted that the April 14 abduction of
schoolgirls by Boko Haram in Chibok, Borno
State was a major dent on the nation’s security.
The President also assured Nigerians that
despite the security challenges, elections would
hold next year as scheduled.
He explained that one of the beauties of
democracy which the nation has been practising
for 15 years was that every public office holder
knows the terminal date of his administration.
Jonathan said despite the problems associated
with democracy, it remained the best form of
government.
He however posited that four or even 10 years
were not enough to develop a nation because
nation-building is a continuous process.
The President also said that the revamping of
the rail sector, the privatisation of the power
sector, the housing sector, industrial
development, the remodeling of the airports and
the reforms in the agricultural sector among
others were clear signs that his transformation
promises were not mere political promises.
While pointing to the successful hosting of the
World Economic Forum for Africa, Jonathan said
Nigeria under his leadership would have gone
farther but for the challenges his government
was facing.
He recalled that some forces wanted to frustrate
the WEFA by detonating bombs in Nyanya, a
satellite town near Abuja.
Jonathan reiterated his position that if not for
prayers by Nigerians, the security challenges in
the country would have been worse.
He said, “After today, the next Democracy Day
will witness a new government.
“I remember when I was in my village to collect
my permanent voter card, a pressman asked me
if there would be elections in Nigeria and I told
him ‘yes.’
“This country will continue to move on in spite of
some of the setbacks we are witnessing.”
Quoting from the Holy Bible, the President said
nothing could separate Nigerians from the love of
God because forces of retrogression had always
remained part of human history.
He added, “In human history, either individuals
or societies, they are always confronted with two
forces- the forces of development and forces of
retrogression. They call the later evil forces.
“Our country is facing the challenges of some of
these forces, the evil forces. I really do not want
to celebrate them because surely, we will get
over them.
“You will agree with me that within these three
years of this government, our agenda for
transformation is coming out.
“We have not reached where we want to go but
there are certain signs that people will use to
know whether government is committed or is
deceiving.”
On national development, he said, “Definitely, we
cannot build a nation in three years. This
government is three years old. By May 29 next
year, we would have completed our four years.
“Four years, even 10 years are not enough.
Nation building is a continuous process. The
most important thing is to start very well and
continue to do things very well.”
Pastor Goodheart Ekwueme in his sermon taken
from Esther 4:13-17 assured Nigerians that a
new nation beckons.
Ekwueme likened the violence in some parts of
the county and other social ills to birth pains
that a woman undergoes before giving birth to a
child.
He said, “The present situation in the country is
just an indication of birth pains, we will go
through the storms and a new Nigeria of our
dreams and aspiration will soon be born.
“A Nigeria where there will be justice and equity
will evolve. A new Nigeria where corruption will
become exemption rather than the rule will
evolve; a county where every citizen will have a
sense of belonging will evolve.
“When a child is born, the mother forgets the
birth pains. So shall it be in Nigeria soon.
“Such a new Nigeria is about to emerge. It will
emerge in spite of the chaos and violence that is
presently ravaging our streets, in spite of the
naked image of the nation at the global stage, I
believe the new Nigeria will emerge.
“The noise will come to an end. Let the new
Nigeria evolve.”
Ekwueme said although this was a defining
moment in the history of the nation, it could also
be a period of great opportunity if perceived
right.
He said Nigerians must be ready to rise beyond
their ashes and move to the glory prepared for
them by God.
He said corruption, among other social ills, must
no longer be accepted as the rule but an
exemption to the rule in the country.
The first reading for the service was taken by a
representative of the judiciary from Genesis
11:1-6 while the President of the Senate, David
Mark took the second reading from Luke
10:25-37.
At the well-attended service, special prayers
were rendered for the successful search and
release of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls by
three pupils selected from three schools in
Abuja.
Prayers were also offered for the victims and
families of recent bomb blasts by Boko Haram,
the nation’s security, peace and development, for
the President and his family, the three arms of
government as well as the church.
The service also featured praise and worship
sessions as well as special songs rendered by
the Christian Association of Nigeria Mass Choir,
the National Security and Civil Defence Corps
Band and pupils of some selected schools in
Abuja.
It was attended by the President’s wife,
Patience; his mother, Eunice; the Deputy
President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu; the
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Emeka Ihedioha; and former Governor Peter Obi
of Anambra State.

Chibok Girls : President Jonathan Disgraced & Booed Off Stage In South Africa

President Goodluck Jonathan’s perceived
mishandling of the case of the more than 200
school girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno
State got further knocks yesterday in South
Africa.
Crowd at the inauguration of President Jacob
Zuma for a second term in office registered their
disapproval of government’s inability to rescue
the girls one month after, with boos of “Bring
back our girls” directed at President Jonathan as
he stepped into the venue of the swearing in.
By his side was the First Lady, Patience.
And for a moment, Nigeria became the issue at
the Union Buildings, Pretoria, where the late
Nelson Mandela who became South Africa’s first
black president, took the oath of office 20 years
ago in a ceremony officially ending white minority
rule.
President Jonathan was one of the more than 20
heads of state gathered for the event.
Aside the shouts of “Bring back our girls” a non-
governmental organisation – The Concerned
Young People of SA (Cypsa) – handed out
pamphlets at yesterday’s ceremony calling for the
release of the kidnapped schoolgirls.
The pamphlets were entitled Umphakathi
Ukhathazekile (The society is concerned).
“Now Nigeria. Who’s next? “, read a message on
the pamphlet.
“Where can we hide our girls from Boko
[Haram]?” read another excerpt on the pamphlet.
President Jonathan was due to hold talks last
night with other African leaders in Pretoria on the
security situation in Nigeria.
[The Nation]

‘My dead cousin just proposed to his girlfriend’

What was your cousin’s name?
His name was Afam Egemba. He was about 31
years old.
How did you get to know about the blast?
I was at the Living Faith Church for a
programme. But while there waiting for the event
to start, we heard a blast. It was later on they
told us that the incident happened at the
Terminus Market. My cousin’s shop was just
opposite the scene of the first blast. When we
tried getting him through his phone, the call was
not going through. Later on, someone picked up
the call and told us that he was dead and his
body mangled. But we did not believe because if
his body was mangled how come his phone was
intact and receiving calls? We started looking for
him. We couldn’t find his body until the next day.
We saw over 170 bodies in all at the places we
visited. Some were in terrible shape with body
parts missing. Some were found on the roof of
buildings in the market. Corpses are still being
brought in, so no one can ascertain how many
people really died.
Was his body mangled?
No. He didn’t have any visible injury on him and
we wondered what killed him. Although there
was a lot of blood on him, his body was intact. I
think he died of internal bleeding or shock. His
neighbours at the market only had bruises but
they survived. We don’t know where he was at
the time the blast occurred, maybe he was close
to the car laden with bombs when the first blast
occurred. We were hoping he would wake up
when we saw his body. But seeing how stiff he
was, we knew he was gone. It was difficult
claiming his body. We had to get one of his
pictures from his room to show the hospital
authorities.
How did the family take it?
We all felt very bad. But I learnt a lesson. I
realised that no matter how wealthy one is or
whatever one’s achievement, man is just
nothing. He shouldn’t have died this way. Seeing
him lying there dead with all his achievements
was painful. We were not prepared for his death
neither did we see it coming. He was supposed
to get married this year. He proposed to his
fiancée on Sunday (two days before the
incident). He even fasted for seven days before
he proposed. He had called a family meeting to
tell us that he was getting married this year.
How is your family coping?
Everyone is affected. I’m the only one at home
right now. We are all going for the wake keep
today (Wednesday).
What was he like when alive?
He was tall and a bit bulky. He was very
ambitious because he relocated from the village
a few years ago and first stayed with my aunt.
He was able to start something for himself and
get a shop in the market. He started by with
selling shoes and clothes on tables. Later, he
secured a shop and his business started
growing. He was doing well. He was a respected
person among his colleagues. That was why the
people there, his friends, could not tell us on
time. They only gave us a clue of what
happened. He was also very respectful.
What is your view about the act?
Right now I am speechless. Now, I don’t feel
safe anywhere I go. Right now, I cannot depend
on the government for my safety. I run away
from soldiers when I see them because one
cannot tell these days the real soldiers from
insurgents.
Would you still want to reside in Jos?
Yes, I was born and brought up in Jos. Jos is a
very peaceful place. After a while, things will
return to normal and it will seem as if nothing
happened, though one would always remember
the pains of yesterday. I don’t even feel safe
being a Nigerian. I know they say there is no
place like home, but what of if that home
becomes a danger zone? I’m really scared now.

‘Nigeria not ready for female president’

Nigeria is not ready to have a female president,
women from Kenya and Nigeria, who spoke
exclusively to our correspondent on the sidelines
of a conference tagged ‘Role of Women In
Emerging Democracy,’ have lamented.
The conference held at the Nigerian Institute for
International Affairs, Lagos, on Friday.
One of the women, a consultant clinical
pharmacist and public health manager, Bisi
Bright, said, “To have a woman in a position of
authority takes a lot. Although we have female
CEOs and deputy governors, I don’t think we are
ready yet for a female governor, not to talk of
female president.”
Her position was shared by the Chairman of the
House Committee on Diaspora Affairs, Abike
Dabiri-Erewa, who said a lot of people in Nigeria
were not ready for a female governor.
Dabiri-Erewa, who confirmed that she would
declare her intention to contest for the Lagos
State governorship seat after the APC national
convention, said, “To get a woman in position is
difficult no matter how good she is. I am sure a
lot of people in Nigeria are not yet ready for a
female governor. This is the challenge women
face. No matter how good a woman is, those
that take the decisions are men. In Nigeria’s
politics, women are doing very badly in terms of
numbers. The number of women in politics in
Nigeria is less than six per cent. That is the
worst in the whole of Africa.”
She gave reasons why women can’t make it yet
to the very exalted political positions, saying, “To
contest elections in Nigeria, one has to spend a
lot of money and women don’t have huge
amounts of money to spend. Also, women battle
with cultural stereotypes. Apart from these,
women do not believe in themselves. If a woman
comes out today and says she wants to be
president of Nigeria, most women will not
support her.”
Dabiri-Erewa, who was one of the speakers at
the ROWEAD conference under the general theme
‘Women As Agents of Change,’ urged women to
brace for and get involved in governance despite
the challenges, noting that with their
compassionate nature, they had the ability to
bring the insecurity situation in the country under
control and to restore peace. She added that
without more women in governance, the situation
would get worse in 2015.
The Vice-Chancellor of International University of
Professional Studies, Professor Koi Muchira
Tirima, observed that Nigerian women shared a
similar fate with the women in Kenya, her
country.
Tirima, said to be the youngest female vice-
chancellor on the continent, said, “My country is
not yet ready for a woman president. Martha
Karua, a four-time minister and somebody who
had served in the Kenyan parliament for 20
years, was the only woman in Kenya who
contested for president in 2014. She is brilliant, a
no-nonsense and intelligent person but our
people did not elect her. That for me is
problematic. People use double standards to
judge women. When a woman is a hardliner, they
say she is insensitive and emasculates men.
When a man displays the same tendency, people
say he is strong and determined. We need to
change the language that we use to describe
female candidates. We should stop using phrases
like, ‘she is just a woman.”
On her part, the Chairperson of Women In
Business, Adeola Azeez, stated that women did
not command enough number in government to
warrant one of them becoming president. Azeez
said, “There are women who have the ability to
lead at the moment but before you say you want
to have a female president, there must be a
significant number of women already in
government and in the corridors of power. Even
though 51 per cent of women make up the
population of Nigeria, we do not have enough to
get the critical mass that will make us ready for
a female president. there is also the issue of
stereotype.”

Only war will bring Bakassi back —Ita-Giwa

The Chairman, Committee on Environment in the
ongoing national conference, Florence Ita-Giwa,
speaks on her efforts in this interview with
MUDIAGA AFFE
You have been championing the cause of the
Bakassi people; to what extent have you
presented the plight of the displaced people
before the conference?
In the Committee on Environment, which I am
the chairman, we talked about loss of natural
resources and recommended compensation for
the people of Bakassi. The mandate from Cross
River was that the issue of Bakassi, among
others, must top our priority. The mandate is on
the loss of the territory. It was not contemplated
that Nigeria would suffer any loss of territory in
the modern era but the experience of the
International Court of Justice judgment of 2002,
where Nigeria lost Bakassi to Cameroon, should
provide us lessons. The Bakassi episode remains
a sad one with the displaced people in the
territory left without succour. Currently, these
people are destitute and are sustained by the
Cross River State Government. The Federal
Government has yet to pay compensation or find
a solution to the resettlement of the people. The
above situation is almost understandable on the
premise that such loss of territory was not
contemplated in the constitution, thus there is no
guidance on how the situation should be
resolved.
Has the conference provided the opportunity to
discuss and address such issues?
This conference is an opportunity for the nation
to contemplate this occurrence and make
provision in the constitution to take care of the
unlikely event of loss of territory leading to the
displacement of people or the loss of resources.
This constitution should operate retrospectively
so that the case of Bakassi can be addressed. In
this vein, we submit that upon loss of territory
as stated in the above circumstances, the
Federal Government should pay compensation in
perpetuity commensurate with the direct loss of
the state in terms of resources. Resettlement
and compensation for the people displaced
consequent of the loss of territory should be an
obligation of the Federal Government enshrined in
the constitution. We have been relocated and
resettled and comfortable with the host
community. We have in place a rotation that has
worked well with the host community in charge
of local government at Ikang. Right now, the
returnees have taken over the mantle of
leadership. There has been a peaceful transition.
I heard that someone made a presentation
without consultation that one committee
recommended that the matter of reclaiming
Bakassi be revisited. I am not interested in that.
I don’t want anybody to come and deceive me
into developing false hopes. When I talk of me, I
mean Bakassi indigenes –that I am likely to
return to Cameroon to go and live in Abana–it is
not possible. The 10-year period we had to
appeal has elapsed. That territory now belongs
to Cameroon and our people have been relocated
to Ikang. But we need proper resettlement. As I
speak now, I have 3,000 refugees in that camp.
They should be resettled. You cannot be a
refugee in your own country. They need to be
taken out of that camp and provided with
shelter. The people should be compensated in
form of scholarship to the indigenes, providing
health care and skill acquisition, among others.
To what extent has the South-South mandate
been met?
The entire South has come out with a position. I
am impressed that based on our submission, it
was agreed that the people of Bakassi be
compensated in perpetuity, not only for the
mental dislocation and trauma arising from the
ceding of Bakassi Peninsula but also for the loss
of economic and financial potential and
opportunities. Cross River State should be
compensated in perpetuity for the colossal loss
of land mass and the attendant loss of revenue
from the natural resources occasioned by the
ceding. Also, Bakassi indigenes, currently
languishing in the displaced persons camp,
should be properly and comprehensively
relocated and resettled in their home state of
Cross River. That is not to say that this is final,
it is still subject to further debate. In the
environment committee, this demand has been
put under loss of natural resources.
Can you give further insight into the loss of
natural resources you talked about?
Loss of resources is not only oil but also about
aquatic wealth because hitherto, the crayfish
that the entire country used came from Bakassi
and it is gone– all the big lobsters from there
are gone too. We lost oil wealth as well as
aquatic wealth. We have also taken care of our
forestry. That is why we recommended resource
management, which is different from resource
control.
Would you say you are satisfied with your efforts
so far on the mandate given to you?
Fortunately, the mandate the state gave me is
also my mandate. It is a mandate that, if the
Federal Government is serious, can be achieved.
But if you come here and tell us that we should
go back to court to bring back Bakassi, it is not
possible. The only way Bakassi can be brought
back is if the country goes to war, which is out
of it because they would not entertain the case
anymore. Mind you, we subjected ourselves to
the jurisdiction and we also allowed ourselves to
be used as guinea pigs that two countries can
settle scores without any loss of blood. Being
nominated by the state, I am abiding by the
mandate and I am pursuing it with all vigour. I
have recorded like 70 per cent success in going
round the committees. I think I am too old in
politics to deceive people. I am too old to give
people false hopes. I wear the shoes and I know
where they hurt. And for now, my people want
compensation and to be taken off the refugee
camp. Cross River State wants compensation in
perpetuity. We are also saying the issue of
Bakassi was a lesson; it must not happen to any
other state. What I tell my delegates is that this
thing happened to Cross River State, tomorrow it
could be you. So, we try to make provisions, in
case it happens or take steps to ensure it does
not happen again.
The debate on resource control seemed to have
pitted the North against the South, what is your
position?
This is one thorny issue that has been ongoing. I
have been saying we should put in place a truly
devolution of powers along the federating units.
Every region has their resources. If you do not
have oil, you have groundnut or cocoa. I do not
know why the issue of oil has become a serious
issue. Until you reduce power at the centre to
strengthen the federating units, this issue will
remain so.
Are you of the view that the country should be
governed on regional basis?
I personally do not agree with that. Rather, I
agree with the idea of strengthening the
federating units.
Would you say the conference is worth it?
I think this is the most well organised conference
so far. My only concern is the time limit. All the
key players in the Nigerian nation are here. Most
of those politicians who are the cause of what
had happened to Nigeria today are here. We are
obliged to put it back on course. What I am
saying is that even at fulfilling that obligation, I
see people who are determined, knowing that
they are obliged to put the country back on
course. Even very old people, still mentally alert,
are working day and night. I am pleased with
what I have seen and I am hopeful that at the
end of it, we will achieve success.

SWAGGER CHURCH: We Are Not Ashamed to be Called the Church of the Rich – OYEDEPO

Founder, Living Faith Church aka Winners
Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, in this interview
with The Punch's Olabisi Deji-Folutile, Gbenro
Adeoye and Tunde Ajaja, talks about the
church and sundry issues:
You preach as if you have committed the
entire Bible to your memory. How many times
have you read the Bible? The Bible is an
unfinishable book, you keep reading. A student
once met me after a meeting and said that I
quoted 68 scriptures verbatim. He asked if I
memorised the scriptures, I said no, I eat
them. No matter how unintelligent you are, you
can’t forget the food you ate last night, except
you are mentally derailed. If you are given
three seconds, you could tell what you ate
about five days ago, if you truly ate it. So, the
Bible is just not for reading, it’s actually for
eating. I’m not among the people that have
read the Bible three or five times, I don’t know
how many times I have read the Bible and I’m
not planning to know how many times. I just
know it’s my delight to feed on it daily, and I
can’t claim to have finished reading it.
Is it true that church members here pray for
the dead and they wake up, even in the
mortuary, how do they do it?
(Cuts in..) By tapping them and saying wake
up (laughs). We must know the source of
everything that we experienced or observed. No
man has the power to raise the dead. Jesus is
the only one that has the keys of resurrection
and death in his hands. So, we rely on him to
do those things and he quickens whosoever he
wills; he determines who to bring back and
who not to. We only believe in God to bring
back whosoever he wishes, if we have the key,
we would be delighted to bring back
everybody, and even open a clinic for bringing
back the dead.
The Living Faith church is 33 years old, how
has it been pastoring this church for the past
years?
The ministry is 33 years, the church is now in
its 31st year. It started as an itinerant ministry
before we were called into the church ministry.
It has always been interesting. These things
work when you have the right perspective on
them. Every pastor is ordained to serve the
congregation, not to be served by the
congregation. When that understanding dawns
on any pastor, and he embraces it, then,
pasturing becomes a sweet adventure. I’ve
never looked towards what I can get from any
member since inception. But I’ve always longed
for what I can give to the people. I must say
I’m jealous over them, I don’t want anyone to
take advantage of them or play games on
them. I want them to just be the children of
God that they are, serving God without duress
or pressure.
Why are there so many rich people in
Winners?
Because they know better than their
contemporaries. If you don’t know what you
have, you won’t know if you are deprived of it.
The Bible is an open chequebook, it is by
revelation we access what belongs to us; by
faith we take delivery of it. Someone had
access to our empowerment programme and
she is a pepper seller, while others sell one
basket a day, she sells six, seven. I learnt she
had become the envy of all the pepper sellers
in her area. Such person has an understanding
that whatever she does, she prospers and she
knows that when she pays her tithe, she
experiences open heavens. But in case people
don’t know, they perish for lack of knowledge,
and in case they think when you are rich you
miss heaven, then they perish for lack of
knowledge.
So, it’s right when people claim that this
church is only for the rich?
It’s for all the people who believe that Jesus
already paid for them to be rich. And those
who don’t believe, when they come they start
believing when they see it happen in a lot of
people’s lives. And we are not ashamed to be
called the church of the rich. If they call your
family poor, will you be excited? Nobody would
be excited. Even when a family is poor, they
hate to be called poor. No man in his right
mind enjoys being called poor, and nobody
truly wants to be poor, people may pretend.
Which is more honourable between being a
giver and a beggar? Most of us came in very
poor, but the light of God’s word came on us
and we walked out of poverty in grand style
into wealth and riches.
How come there is such wealth in the church
despite the poverty in the nation?
The kingdom of God is funded by God’s
resources. We are not funded by the economy
of the world, but by the economy of the
kingdom, which has a budget for all of its
agenda on earth. We’ve been here since 1999
and we have never had power outage or water
shortage. The main players are Nigerians, the
builders are Nigerians. There is no building
here that any foreign expert took part in. There
is no foreign company’s presence here,
including the tabernacle. Some of the revered
foreign companies here in Nigeria are
technicians in Germany, and they are all
political contractors, not that they have
something special to offer.
Is there any way we can translate this into the
Nigerian system?
It is possible by believing in the capability and
capacity of Nigerians to do whatever they need
to do. This is the largest church auditorium in
the world. It’s 104m free span wide. Even one
of the reputed foreign construction companies
came here to take pictures. Nigerians have
unusual capacity to match any expertise in the
world in any field they are involved in. Most of
us go to school in foreign lands and we beat
them, is it that when they get here, they
become smarter? It’s just for the authorities at
the various levels to believe that we cannot
develop ourselves seeking foreign aides for
everything. We must take advantage of the
opportunities around us to develop the
capacity of our men and women. This office
was built in 2001 and it’s neat and there is no
crack on the wall, so, what is the problem? But
if we want to do anything, we must give it to
people from foreign countries so that those
who award the contract can have a deal and
share the money and at the end of the day,
they are still poorer than poverty because any
money stolen never enhances a man’s value.
We learnt your church members once donated
about 700 cars as seed and that the cars were
given to the pastors?It’s important to mention
that there was no time that I know in the
history of this church where there were 700
cars. There is no such story. People can make
anything out of anything. There was a time
they said we had six planes, and I said they
didn’t count them well, they should be up to
30 so that we use one each day of the month.
Those are things that make news in the social
media even when they are lies. People give
here because they are taught to give, because
we understand from the scriptures that it is the
only way to increase. Every normal Winner
takes good care of his parents. We also give to
the poor. My family has sponsored close to
150 people out of university and others at
Landmark University are on scholarship on our
own ticket because of our commitment to
agriculture. It is a lifestyle; it didn’t start
yesterday or two days ago. Since 1992, I have
been consciously sponsoring students in
various universities in Nigeria. The church is
blessed because the church is a giving church.
Just today (before you came), I signed millions
for people who have health needs from the
welfare account. And that continues. For
instance, the church gives scholarships
annually, not N100m or N150m. And it’s not in
the news. And that we have been doing for
years.
How do you feel when people accuse you of
flying in jets and spending church money to
maintain the jets?
I feel very good. It’s an opinion. Let me tell
you what my understanding of persecution is;
it’s simply an opinion harshly expressed. And
everybody has a right to his opinion. People
who are walking in the truth are hardly
bothered when things are said negatively about
them because they have nothing to hide. The
truth is I have never felt it, some say it’s not
human, but I have not. I can’t be wasting my
time trying to reply lies because I have too
many things to do. They are doing their work,
let me be doing my work too and before they
wake up in the morning, I’ve done the next one,
so, it doesn’t matter. My idea of it is that, in a
football match, you have only 22 people
playing with thousands of spectators. And that
is the way it is in the journey of life. In every
field, you find just few players and many
spectators, multitudes. If we don’t know where
to place opinions, they will displace us. When
we started Convenant University, so many
people said it would not work, now, we hosted
two Nobel Laureates this week, whereas no
Nigerian university has ever hosted one in the
history of university education in Nigeria. Now,
it is the most pronounced and preferred private
university in Nigeria. In fact, they say this is
the university of the future; that is what they
say in the university community.
Those who said it could not work now have
their children here because they have changed
their mind. Some people say how can you tell
children how to dress? We have to do that so
they won’t behave like mad people on the
street. They say how can you tell them they
can’t use phone? We tell them so they would
be disconnected from cultism. Ask me
anything, I can tell you why we did it. Where
are you going to find the President of a nation
with a woven hair? I can tell you that in the
next 100 years, you won’t find a male
president using earring because they would
count you as irresponsible, even in the secular
world, they won’t see anything in you. As free
as America is, have you ever seen any minister
there with earrings? The person may be
qualified, but he will be termed irresponsible.
But if you train these children how to carry
themselves, it will open up their future.
Everywhere you get to in this world, people are
looking for responsible people, who don’t only
say so, but prove so. So, all the opinions on
Covenant University have died now because we
didn’t stop pursuing what we believe was right
and now it has become a standard.
Is that why the CU had the highest number of
first class graduates that won the Federal
Government’s scholarship twice now?What we
do first is to package the man to suit the
future that he is dreaming of. And that we do
by injecting our seven core values into them,
and we used SIM CARDS as the acronym for
it: Spirituality, Integrity, Posssibility Mentality,
Capacity Building, Responsibility, Diligence and
Sacrifice. We package that into them so that
right from here, they have two things;
character and capacity working for them. With
those two, you can go to any level in life. Here,
there is time for everything.
We learnt the university wants to be one of the
top 10 universities in the world in 2020. Don’t
you think this is a tall dream?Where we are
today, Harvard was not there 100 years after it
took off. I studied the world class universities
in depth. So, we are closest to it. The two
Nobel Laureates that came signed up as
visiting professors at Covenant University, we
have about five of them in different areas. That
somebody has never done it does not mean it
cannot be done. We are believing God for it,
not by using strength and power. There is a
particular university in the US that never takes
anybody from outside North America for
postgraduate studies, but we have 19
Covenant University graduates there. Prof.
Okebukola shared that with me at the
conference last week. A Covenant University
graduate is the overall best graduating student
in a school in Britain. So there is increasing
expression in the quality of training that they
receive in their respective areas. Except the
dream is taller than God; if it’s not taller than
God, it’s a cheap possibility.
We even learnt the church is planning to
establish two more universities?
It is actually seven in our vision plan.
Are universities now secondary schools that
you establish here and there?
We are trying to avoid having too many
students on one campus so that we will not
lose the quality of the training programme.
Otherwise, the quality would wear down
gradually. But because of the present security
challenge that the nation is facing, it’s normal
for us to review our approach in a manner that
does not create tension for workers and
anybody else. We believe God to help us out of
the crisis. So if there are no adequate
mentioning of our programmes, it is to create
adequate room to see these security issues
overturned.
Some people believe faith-based universities
charge high tuition that some of their members
can’t even afford...They should bring the
comparison. You know people talk all kinds of
things. Compare what they pay here and there
and what those payments cover. The rate of
power consumption in the hostels alone is out
of this world. All we need to juxtapose this is
that they should rent the room and pay for
electricity and they would pay ten times the
amount. People should just sit down and find
out what exactly they are paying for. The
church has not drawn anything from Covenant
University since inception in 12 years. But this
year, the church reserves about N1.6bn stakes
in its development. So, it’s not a business, it’s
a service platform. In every nation of the world,
the government subsidises education to all the
stakeholders, not in this country, not a dime
has ever crossed from government to any
private university in Nigeria. And ask those
who are in it how much profit they are making,
they would explain to you how it has been
wonderful to pay staff salaries and keep the
system running. Move to the next country
where people rush to study, look at how much
they pay and what they get for it. Whether they
have teachers or not doesn’t matter.
But every visiting professor here takes more
than N1m. We are not talking about top
individuals, Nobel Laureates and others. So,
it’s where we find ourselves and we want to
make a difference, and we must make a
difference. I want to believe that the private
universities are doing the best they can. Ask
the federal universities how they get their
allocations, what they calculate to train a child
out of the university. Ask them what it is and
ask them who subsidises for private
universities. Most of them don’t have any
equipment whatsoever. There is no engineering
equipment you are looking for that you won’t
find here, bought brand new. If the government
is not accepting responsibility, all we can do is
to do the best we can to get these children
trained, but at a cheaper cost than they do and
with greater quality than they have. Those who
cannot afford it can go to government
institutions and if they are committed, they will
still come out with good results.
The attention of the whole world has turned to
Nigeria because of Boko Haram. What's your
take?
I hope that we are willing to find solution to it.
I would be the last person in this world to
believe that government has not discovered
those who are behind Boko Haram. Otherwise,
we don’t have any intelligence service in our
country. Are they sacred cows that cannot be
brought to book? Until we cut the source of
their supplies and get those who are involved,
we cannot stop them. But the danger is this,
and I must say it here, we are at the verge of a
break up. That is the truth. It’s unfortunate.
The Nigerian nation is too intelligent to claim
not to have discovered those who are behind
this. So, I really believe it’s all in the hands of
the authorities to decide whether they want to
confront the issue headlong or to keep
watching it until Nigeria breaks up.
Does it mean there is nothing the church or
other religious organisations can do?
All that the church can do is to pray. The
church is not in power, it has no political
power. And when invited, we give advice, when
required or called upon. You can’t call
someone and say can I advise you?
But people also criticise men of God like you
for honouring the President’s invitations?
A president is a president, whether it is
Jonathan or not, It would be stupid not to
honour your President’s invitation. So, what is
wrong with honouring the president? This is
the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria. He’s our President, not that he made
himself President. It’s all nonsense. We are not
politicians. We are men and women of God
who are pursuing a divine call. I honour
President Jonathan as our President as a
nation and as my president as a citizen, and
so I have no regret and I would never regret
being there at anytime he calls. My
understanding is that anyone who is the
President of this country requires the honour of
the citizens and no matter your political view,
it doesn’t change it. If he is doing thanksgiving
or marriage, he is doing it in the church, who
would be with him if the men of God are not
with him? If I were in Canada or Australia, and
I knew that my President was having an
occasion that I thought I had to be there with
him to honour him, I would fly down here.
Whether it is President Jonathan or somebody
else, as long as it is the president, and he says
please can I see you, it is an honour.
Apart from insecurity, corruption is another
problem in Nigeria. We have looting here and
there which is also capable of causing unrest.
What is your take on the corruption in the
country? That comes down to the kind of
education that we offer. This is nothing but the
expression of the content of the men. For
instance, I have never given a bribe and I
would be the last to give a bribe. I would
rather die than give one. And those who collect
bribe know that they can’t collect from me.
Corruption has stayed with us for too long and
I think it is a breeding ground for revolution.
There is nothing happening in any private
university today that would not have happened
more in public universities, but for leakages
here and there. But my understanding is that
the church has a place of intense prayers
because only God can change the hearts of
men. People seek for appointment today not
because of what they want to contribute but
what they would have to share. Everybody is
bothered, I am bothered. The rate of corruption
in our society as Nigerians and Africans is
enormous. But the church needs to be the
example of what it wants to see in the society
as far as corruption is concerned. Be that
example; be able to say no and stand with it
like Daniel. Right now, unlike in the time past,
there are many Christians occupying sensitive
positions at all strata of both public and
private sectors. If the church people really
come to a point of taking a stand against
corruption, it would affect and impact Nigeria
and the citizens positively.
Some people think there are too many
churches in Nigeria and the best way to make
money is to establish a church...Let them go
and start one. Almost every house in some
parts of Nigeria is a mosque. So what is the
complaint about? Multitudes still flock the
roads on Sunday mornings going nowhere. Are
churches enough? No. Until everybody is saved
and everybody is off the street on Sunday
mornings, we don’t have enough churches. So
for those who are angry, they would be angry
for too long because we haven’t seen churches
yet. A time is coming on Sunday morning that
we won’t see anybody on the street, because
they would be in church. And those who go to
church to make money go bankrupt before they
start. Church is not a money-making platform;
it is a life-raising platform.
There are many men and women who are
coming out to start stronger ministries than
the ones we are doing. So, you can’t say
enough. Enough of what? Why don’t you say
people in the market are enough? Somebody
else is starting shoe or wrist watch business
today in spite of the millions that are in it in
Nigeria. Some barbers are just graduating
today to join the company of barbers in the
country already, yet we didn’t say they are
enough. So, what’s the headache? My
submission is that we don’t have near enough
churches in Nigeria yet and the ones we have
are doing well. I can tell you that there are
hundreds and thousands of vibrant and Bible-
believing, heaven-focused and life-changing
churches, founded by genuine people who are
called by God and are pursuing their callings
and ours is just only a little thing out of too
many, and many more would still rise, so
anybody that wants to be angry can just get
ready to be more angry. Church is not a
money-making venture, those who are saying
it is should open one and they would make a
lot of money.