JUNE 12: THE INTRIGUES BEHIND ANNULMENT, BY HUMPHREY NWOSU, ELECTORAL COMMISSION CHAIR ON JUNE 17, 2018

•I barged into NSDSC meeting to argue poll should hold

•Abacha challenged me: Who do you think you are?

•We had expected national honours for a job well done By Charles Kumolu, Deputy Features Editor

ILLUSIONARY! This adjective better explains the thinking that recent developments regarding the June 12, 1993 presidential election have responded to every nagging question on the matter. •Humphrey Nwosu No! The activities of the past few weeks do not translate into a requiem for the factors that made the poll a stillborn. Even if President Muhammadu Buhari had declared the late presumed  winner of the poll, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (fondly called MKO), an ex-President posthumously, the gesture wouldn’t have addressed all about June 12. As gratifying   as that could have been, it would have only succeeded in expanding the already large scope of the issues surrounding that historical event. This is not a conjecture or an ill-intentioned observation, but the stark reality. It is so because June 12 has ceased from being just a historical event to becoming history in itself, which is told to suit the interest of any narrator. Anyone who doubts this perspective should remember the old cliché that history is sometimes whatever the winner decides to write. The winner in this context is not the late Abiola, but those alive telling the June 12 story from whatever perspective. Therefore, whether Buhari grants Abiola all the benefits accruable to a former President or not, June 12 has become an eternal angle in the Nigerian conversation. For generations to come, its complexities will prick conscience and   sadly remind the nation of an opportunity bungled. No matter who tells the June 12 story, more strands would remain untreated and unexplored. And more questions would pop up begging for answers. Simply put, when you think you have heard the most authentic account of that event, you will find yourself evaluating all you think   you know. Indeed, such is expected considering the legion of state and non-state actors, who made it what it is. For reasons still considered self-serving, the dramatis personae brazenly altered the course of Nigeria’s history in a manner that left the country permanently on edge. By doing so, the nation’s survival was perpetually left at the mercy of sociopolitical and economic connections, instead of an orderly system that guarantees a future for all. That is the tragedy of June 12, an election many believed could have launched Nigeria on the path of seriousness. While its symbolisms are defining, its place in the nation’s narrative is only disputed by a few. Little wonder many stories are being told by several non-state actors since the President  honoured Abiola. Whether all the narratives represent the true account of the events of June 12 is an issue for another day. Today’s subject is the account of a state actor, Prof Humphrey Nwosu, who was not just a witness to history but also a creator of history. As the Chairman of then – National Electoral Commission, NEC, he could pass for a repository of all the happenstances of that period. As the umpire of that widely adjudged credible exercise, his account could shine light on some grey areas or trigger more debates on the matter. Whichever, Sunday Vanguard is of the view that Nwosu’s June 12 story, as encapsulated in his book: ‘Laying the Foundation for Nigeria’s Democracy: My Account of June 12, 1993 Presidential Election’, offers a compelling insight into the conduct and the annulment of the poll. Based on an authoritative understanding of the scenario, Nwosu, in the 392-page book, reveals and analyses  the forces that killed June 12. 18 days to election Some sections of the book, which respond to certain issues recently raised in different fora, reads:  “The Transition Council, 18 days to the presidential election, requested me to brief it on the preparation made by NEC to ensure the conduct of free and fair election. Consequently, on May 24, 1993, in company of the Secretary of the Commission, Aliyu Umar, and Director of Legal Services, DLS, Mallam Buhari Bello, briefed the Transition Council on the preparation made by NEC. We illustrated the extent of our readiness with maps, diagrams, samples of voting cards, analysed the virtues and advantages of Modified Open Ballot System over the Open Ballot System and the conventional balloting system used in previous elections in Nigeria. The council expressed its satisfaction over the detailed arrangements made for the successes of the June 12, 1993 election. The Council and its Chairman, Chief Ernest Shonekan, personally recommended our work. Less than 35 hours to poll “Before the Chairman’s broadcast, which was aired during the Nigerian Television Authority’s 9;00m news was concluded, two legal officers of NEC, Director of Legal Services, Buhari Bello and his Assistant, Tony Ojukwu, arrived in my residence at Mambilla Street, Maitama, Abuja. It was around  9:30 pm.  They came in to inform me of the “Bomb Shell”—the sad news that Abuja High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Bassey Ikpeme had issued an interim injunction restraining NEC from conducting the presidential election on June 12, 1993. This was at the instance of   Suit No. FCT/HC/M/299/93 between one Abimbola Davies for himself, and representing the members of a so-called Association of Better Nigeria, ABN, and National Electoral Commission of Nigeria, Attorney General of the Federation, National Defence and Security Council, and then – President of Nigeria. “The June 12 presidential election was less than 35 hours away from that period the news was broken to me. The crisis caused by this unnecessary and this obstructive order of the court required calling for an emergency meeting of the commission. However, this could not be done because the National Commissioners were already in the states within their respective zones to ensure the conduct of a hitch-free election. “Meanwhile, I encouraged   my two legal officers, who were worried by the High Court order which was given around  9 pm  on June 10, that I will do everything humanly possible to ensure the election took place as scheduled. Furthermore, the Director of Legal Services reminded me of the provision of Section 19 of Decree 13 Presidential Election Basic Constitutional and Transitional Decree 1993. “I directed the DLS to draft a   Press Release to assure Nigerians that the presidential election of June 12 will go on as scheduled in spite of the Interim Order that emanated from Abuja High Court. I tried to reach the President “I tried to reach the President through the telephone. The line was continuously ringing engaged. Meanwhile there was a collection of many senior officers of the commission who appeared confused and worried about our next possible line of action in order to save June 12 presidential election. “As I was unable to contact the President, I decided to visit the residence of the Attorney General of the Federation. On my arrival, he appeared surprised as he was not expecting me. He was conferring with Barrister Philip Umeadi,SAN, who was the same Counsel for Abimbola Davies and his Association for Better Nigeria. Immediately Barrister Umeadi, an experienced Senior Advocate of Nigeria who knew me very well, saw me, he uttered, `Humphrey, I do not want to do anything with NEC’, and left me alone with the Attorney General of Federation. He entered one of the rooms in the Attorney General’s residence. Meeting of NDSC “There and then I directed Buhari Bello to accompany me to the meeting of the NDSC scheduled for  10 am.  Initially he was reluctant to attend partly on the grounds that he was not properly and formally dressed as a lawyer and partly because NEC was not invited to the meeting, and then the tight security at Aso Rock. “The President and all members of NDSC,including the Vice President, Admiral Aikhomu, Minister of Defence, Gen Sani Abacha, General Aliyu, all the Service Chiefs, including the Inspector General of Police, General   Joshua Dogonyaro, Brigadier General Akilu, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Aliyu Mohammed, were present in that meeting. “From the expression on their faces they were not expecting us to attend the meeting. “The President turned to us and asked what was the purpose. I explained to the President and members of the Council that our visit was in connection with the June 12 presidential election. That our position is that the election should go on as scheduled. I stated, among other things, that, by the virtue of Section 19 of Decree 13 of 1993, the said order of the honourable court shall have no effect on the date or timing of holding the presidential election on June 12, 1993. “The President, after weighing the arguments on both sides of the divide, was convinced that NEC’s position was quite tenable and that the Abuja High Court order would not stop us from conducting the June 12 presidential election. We were about sharing a smile of victory when we heard shuffling of papers and legs. And as we looked up, we heard the collective voice of the military colleagues of the President saying, `We are not a banana Republic. No one should tell us what to do. Postpone the election at least for one week to prove that we are a sovereign nation’. “I assured him, the President, that we had concluded a near perfect arrangement to ensure a hitch-free presidential election  tomorrow. Furthermore, if the postponement had to be done, it should be postponed not for one week but for three months as all the voting cards would be abandoned and fresh ones printed. Otherwise the ensuing election would be the most rigged exercise in Nigerian electoral history. I told the President that if he allowed the election to take place and thereafter hand over to a democratically elected President, he would go down in history as our greatest President. “ For him not to allow the election to go on will be giving credence to all those in the wider society and the media who had accused him of a hidden agenda. Our advice might have pleased the President and displeased some of his colleagues who did not want the election to take place. They wondered why he should listen to a civilian official who was not even a member of the ruling council. It is, therefore, because the President accepted our advice and considered the wider interest of the nation, that he gave me the directive to go ahead with the June 12 presidential election. Opposition against the result  “The election was held in all local government areas in the country except in two Ogoni LGAs in Rivers State. In the two local government areas in Rivers State, election failed to take place not because of the unpreparedness of our commission, but because the people refused to come out to vote for different grudges against the Federal Government. “Undoubtedly, with almost all the results known, the opposition against the election rose very high within the hierarchy of some senior military officials. While the majority of the National Commissioners were already congratulating themselves and the Chairman for conducting the freest and fairest presidential election in Nigeria’s electoral history, they were looking forward to receiving national honours for a job well done. The tension in the armed forces and the restlessness of the civil society led to the spate of court injunctions. Nyako, Dongonyaro, Aliyu, Mohammed, Akilu,  David Mark “We issued a press statement stating among other things that in deference to the multiplicity of court orders and counter orders from various jurisdictions all over Nigeria that we would immediately file an appeal before the Court of Appeal in Kaduna with a view to vacating all injunctions or orders so as to complete all the processes of the announcement of the winner of the presidential election. ‘’Perhaps, as a result of the above development, the expanded meeting of the NDSC, which included the Chairman of the Transition Council, Chief Ernest Shonekan, was held on June 16, 1993. I was invited to brief the Council on the ensuing spate of court injunctions and counter injunctions. Before I entered Aso Rock, I saw Colonel Abubakar Umar, a former governor of Kaduna State. He is an accomplished officer and a very patriotic Nigerian. He congratulated us on the excellent work we had done for Nigeria. I told him that many of his senior colleagues in the army were against the election and wanted it cancelled, but he assured us of his personal support. ‘’On my entry into the venue of the meeting, I quickly glanced at the faces of members of the council. Most of their faces were grim, fearful and hostile. It was General Sani Abacha who quickly asked: `Did you expect us to know the outcome of the election like ordinary members of the public through your so-called scoreboard?’ There and then, I briefed the members about June 12, 1993, presidential election. I told them about the orderly, peaceful and successful conduct of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.   I informed them that through our effective communication machinery, transparent and simple collation procedure, all results had been affirmed with the exception of that of Taraba State. They were further told that the spate of court injunctions and counter injunctions were violations of Section 21(I) of Decree 13. Abacha committee on outcome of poll ‘’Despite our thorough briefing and satisfactory answers to the questions, no one congratulated the Commission for the successful conduct of the presidential election. Rather, there were expressions of concern to put closure to the whole matter. The other person, who before, during and after the election gave us support and wanted the outcome of the election to be concluded in keeping with the provisions of the law was the Vice President, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu. “However, the NDSC set up a committee, headed by General Sani Abacha, to handle the outcome of the election. The other members included Admiral Murtala Nyako, Generals Dongonyaro, Aliyu, Mohammed, Akilu, Brigadier David Mark, Attorney General of the Federation, Clement Akpamgbo, the NEC Chairman, Humphery Nwosu. “The main term of reference of the committee was to find an immediate solution to the outcome of the presidential election. I wondered in my mind, with the elections concluded, what else would be the solution other than allowing NEC, in keeping with the law, to announce the result. Who do you think you are? ‘’We met in General Sani Abacha’s guest house in Abuja. A subcommittee made up of the NEC Chairman, Brigadier General Akilu,   the Attorney General, Clement Akpamgbo, was set up. In attendance at the series of meetings we held to find a solution were the Secretary of the Commission, Alhaji Aliyu Umar, a National Commissioner, and Professor Felix Ideriah, who was also the Chief Returning Officer for the June 12, 1993 presidential election, and Mallam Buhari Bello, the Director of Legal Services of NEC. ‘’ From our own angle in NEC, there was nothing to discuss other than the successful conclusion of the election by declaring the winner.   We returned to the guest house of General Sani Abacha, the venue of the committee’s meeting. I presented to the committee two options. I could hardly conclude the submission when General Sani Abacha shouted on me to stop. He uttered, `Who do you think you are? You conducted a presidential election the court prohibited. You helped to cause the current confusion without the support of the members of your commission’.

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/06/june-12-intrigues-behind-annulment-humphrey-nwosu-electoral-commission-chair/

OAU SEX-FOR-MARKS SCANDAL : PARENTS, NANS WANT SACKED PROFESSOR PROSECUTED, COMMEND UNIVERSITY

OAU

The parents and students of higher institutions in the country have called on the authority of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, to immediately prosecute the sacked lecturer of the institution, Professor Richard Akindele.

Prof Akindele, formerly of Department of Management and Accounting, was on Wednesday sacked by the university for being found guilty of all the sexual allegation charges levelled against him by his female student, Monica Osagie.

Osagie, a master degree student of the university had accused the lecturer of sexual harassment on her with the purpose of awarding her undue marks.

When contacted for reaction on the development, the National President of Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria, PTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, said OAU had done very well for sacking the lecturer so as to serve as punishment to him as well as a deterrent to other lecturers who may be nurturing similar habit.

“But the university should not hesitate to prosecute him in a court of competent jurisdiction in order to face the full wrath of the law,” he added.

Haruna, however, urged universities across the country to constitute Parent-Forum and make them active so as to be able to monitor closely the activities of their children in relations to the happenings in schools.

On his part, the National President, National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Mr. Aruna Kadiri, also said, while he advocated the prosecution of the sacked lecturer, he commended the management of OAU for the action taken.

He said it was a bold step that would greatly save the image of the university.

He said the management knew that NANS as a body had been watching the entire investigation processes with keen interest and therefore had no option than to allow justice to prevail on the matter.

According to him, NANS had on several times warned the management that it must not sweep the matter under the carpet as doing so would have made the entire students come hard on the university.

“So, what OAU has done on this matter is well commendable and NANS appreciates it as a union. It will serve as a warning to every other lecturer that they cannot just be harassing our ladies in any form,” he said.

He, however, said that female students dressed indecently as usually claims by some male lecturers were not a ticket for such a student to be sexually harassed, noting that teachers are to impart not‎ only academic knowledge on students but also moral education.

SEX FOR MARK'S SCANDAL: OAU SACKS PROFESSOR INVOLVED

Prof. Richard Akindele

 

The Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has dismissed Professor Richard Akindele from the services of the University for gross misconduct.

Vice Chancellor of OAU, Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, disclosed this to reporters after the meeting of the Council on Wednesday in Ile Ife, Osun State.

He revealed that the Council, after its findings, concluded that Professor Akindele had an inappropriate relationship with one of his students, Miss Monica Osagie, a claim to which he admitted.

The Council also discovered that the don had offered to change Osagie’s 33 per cent result to a pass mark, in consideration for sexual favours.

According to the vice chancellor, this was established in an audio recording that went viral in early April which Akindele also admitted to.

He informed journalists that from the evidence, Miss Osagie had no idea that she scored 45 per cent pass mark as claimed by the erring professor, although the student later found out she did not fail the course.

Professor Ogunbodede noted that the Council, from all findings, found out that Professor Akindele operated in a position of power and authority over Miss Osagie and as such sexually harassed her.

He added that Professor Akindele was found to be liable for all allegations of misconduct levelled against him with all the evidence at the Council’s disposal.

The VC pointed out that this led to the dismissal of the academic from the services of the university, to serve as a deterrent to others.

He disclosed further that the university has taken further steps to ensure total elimination of sexual harassment in the OAU community.

According to Ogunbodede, the institution has a legal duty to prevent sexual and gender-based harassment within the school and to ensure that both men and women are protected from the menace.

To achieve this, he said the university has put a strategic implementation framework for sexual harassment policy in place.

The vice chancellor explained that this would ensure effective and rapid redress mechanisms to incidents of sexual harassment, just as a whistleblower policy is also being developed by the university.

ARMEDMEN ABDUCT, ABDUCT NNPC OFFICIAL IN RIVERS

A group of hoodlums have kidnapped and killed a senior official of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation identified as John Ihenacho.

Ihenacho was said to have been abducted by the hoodlums in Ndoki community in Oyigbo Local Government Area last week before he was killed by his captors, who had earlier collected ransom.

It was learnt that the victim was later buried in a shallow grave, even as sources said that ransom was paid in foreign currency.

However, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, said some of the suspected kidnappers had been arrested.

Omoni told our correspondent in a telephone interview that it was during the interrogation of the suspect that they confessed to the crime and took security operatives to where the late NNPC official was buried.

“I can confirm to you that we have arrested some of the suspects involved in the crime and investigation is ongoing. The State Police Command is after other members of the kidnap gang that killed the NNPC official,” the state police spokesman added.

PRESIDENT BUHARI TO SIGN 2018 BUDGET ON WEDNESDAY

President M. Buhari

 
President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to sign the 2018 appropriation bill into law on Wednesday, June 2018.

The weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting for this Wednesday might also not hold due to the budget signing and Public holidays of Friday and Monday.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, at the end of FEC meeting last week informed journalists that President Buhari will sign the 2018 budget this week.

The Presidency had received the appropriation bill from the National Assembly on May 25 after it was signed by the lawmakers.

President Buhari presented a budget proposal of N8.612 trillion to the lawmakers earlier in 2017 with hopes that the bill would be passed in December of that year, but it took six months for that to happen with the lawmakers accusing ministries, departments, and agencies of frustrating the passage by failing to submit the breakdowns of their budget proposals.

The National Assembly, however, increased the proposal by N508billion bringing it to N9.12 trillion from the original estimate of N8.6 trillion.

During the budget presentation, the President had noted that the Appropriation Bill will consolidate on the achievements of the previous budget and that 2018 is expected to be a year of better outcomes.

MASSOB LEADER UWAZURUIKE, JAILED BY COURT FOR CONTEMPT

Founder of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, has been sentenced to one month in prison by a High Court in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

The court order, which was served to the police last Thursday, signed by J.C. Okoro Esq. and dated June 6, 2018, indicates that Uwazuruike will be in prison custody for one month for contempt of court.

News report has it that upon reading through the Motion On Notice filed on July 6, 2017, praying for an order of court to commit the plaintiff in the substantive suit, Uwazuruike, to prison for disobeying the order of court made on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 and after due consideration of the unchallenged oral evidence of the 1st defendant, Chigozie Iheama and exhibits tendered in the contempt proceedings, the presiding judge, Justice Kemakolam Ojiako, ruled that:

“The plaintiff, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, is hereby found guilty of contempt to the said order of court made on April 2, 2014.

“That the plaintiff, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, is hereby sentenced to prison custody and shall be so detained for a period of one month from the date of his commitment to prison.”

Uwazuruike, his agents and proxies have also been restrained from entering into the said land subject matter until the suit is determined. This judgement is coming after Uwazuruike dragged Iheama to court in 2013 over a land transaction issue in suit No. HOW/265/2013. According to Iheama, from 2013 to 2017 that the case was on, Uwazuruike had refused to appear in court in a matter he is the plaintiff.

However before the matter was transferred to the present court, the former judge, Justice Florence Duruoha Igwe, was hearing contempt proceedings against Uwazuruike for defying the orders of court for parties to maintain status quo and commencing building on the disputed land. Iheama alleged that plots by the MASSOB leader to frustrate justice, did not stop when the matter was transferred to the court of Justice Kemakolam Ojiako.

“Consequent order of the court to seal the property by chaining and padlocking the gates was subverted by Uwazuruike who instead removed the gate and sealed up the area with a block wall, making it impossible for court officials to enforce the order,” he said.

On his own part, Uwazuruike had, however, argued that he was not under obligation to be in court as the case was a civil matter. But Iheama differed, saying that the case at hand was the contempt proceedings and not the substantive suit.

While Justice Ojiako noted in his ruling that “the substantive proceeding is adjourned to the July 10, 2018, to await the outcome of the Motion for Stay of proceedings,” counsel to the MASSOB leader, Emma Chukwuka, said that hearing on the appealed suit comes up on October 2, 2018.

WHY WE CANNOT INVESTIGATE OBASANJO’S $16 BILLION POWER PROJECT – SAGAY

 Prof. Itse  Sagay

Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN), Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), has said his committee cannot investigate the failed $16 billion National Integrated Power Project carried out during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

However, Sagay speaking to Independent said his committee had not looked into the project because it did not have the mandate to do so. He said investigation and prosecution were the responsibilities of anti-corruption agencies.

He said: “When the time comes, we will meet with Buhari on the power project. It is an issue that we were not seriously thinking about in my committee.

“As I said, the anti-corruption agencies are the ones who have all the facts and figures.

“So, we will meet them and give them the initiatives, but if this thing becomes a political issue, it may be necessary to dig in, get the facts and take the appropriate action.

“If anybody wants to make capital of politics by running down the government – which is the most upright government we have had since Murtala Mohammed government – then, this government may have to show that it is a government of principle and a government that has a will to suppress corruption, and those who challenge it will face the music.

“It is not that we don’t want to look into the issue of the $16 billion power project because of the former president but the truth is that my committee doesn’t have that power.

“We don’t do investigation or prosecution. Our work is mainly that of a think-tank. In other words, we do activities to give the anti-corruption agencies greater capacity to make them more effective.

“We make proposals to the government to help the fight against corruption. For example, we have been engaged in training of judges and prosecutors both at the federal and state levels.

“We have been engaged in preparing manuals for prosecutors to use, preparing sentencing guidelines for judges to use.

“We also draft the bill on proceeds of crime which will give the agencies power to seize assets that they suspect have been acquired by crime or illegitimately, putting anyone claiming it under the obligation of establishing how he got it.

“We have a draft of that; it is with the National Assembly. We have a special crimes court which would have done more effectively what the Chief Justice has done by saying that certain courts should be set aside for crimes, particularly corruption.

“Of course, we also write regular advice to the president over issues that we think are pertinent towards the fight against corruption,” he said.

DO YOU KNOW: FAILURE TO SUBMIT YOUR PUBLISHED BOOK TO THE NATIONAL LIBRARY ATTRACTS A FINE?

FAILURE to submit a copy of one’s published book to the National Library within one month of publication is an offence and is punishable, on conviction by a fine.

This is according to section four of the National Library Act which has been in existence since June 1, 1970.

Titled “deposit obligations”, section 4(1) of the National Library Act read: “The publisher of every book published in Nigeria shall, within one month after the publication, deliver at his own expense to the National Library three copies of the book, two of which shall be kept in the National Library for permanent preservation and one of which shall be sent by the Director to the Ibadan University Library.”

The law also states that “If a publisher fails to comply with any provision of subsection (1) or (2) of this section, he shall be guilty of an offence and on conviction shall be liable to a fine not exceeding N100; and the court before which he is convicted may in addition order him to deliver to the Director three copies of the book in question or to pay to the Director the value of those copies.”

Apparently, many Nigerian publishers do not know about the existence of this law, or they deliberately flout it, perhaps due to the insignificant fine attached to it.

And this could be one of the reasons the National Library is full of outdated books, as revealed by a recent investigation by Premium Times which detailed how Nigeria’s National Library has been left in a state of utter decay, characterised by a bushy surrounding, dilapidated infrastructure, old books and poorly-motivated staff.

A staff of the National Library who pleaded anonymity said the situation was due to poor funding from the federal government. This is despite the fact that N3.5 billion was allocated to the Library in the 2017 budget and another N3.5 billion has been allocated to it in the yet-to-be signed 2018 budget.

“We are supposed to update our shelves yearly but because of the funds, it has not been so. We get our materials from gifts and exchange, book donations and hand purchases and most of our materials are outdated.

“Its not like they bring new books. They only bring the ones processed from the headquarters and the last time we received materials was last year,” the source said.

Experts say there is need for lawmakers to revisit the National Library Act and change some of the provisions that are obsolete, with a view to breathing new life into Nigeria’s National Library, which, in ideal terms, should be a national icon.

FATHERS DAY: SOME FATHERS IN OSUN STATE LAMENTS DIFFICULTIES OVER RESPONSIBILITIES AT THE HOME FRONT

AS Nigerians celebrate this year’s Fathers’ Day, some fathers, who spoke to Sunday Tribune in Osogbo, Osun State, on Saturday lamented socio-economic difficulties they face in fulfilling their responsibilities as fathers.

Sizable number of them blamed their predicaments on poverty and the prevailing harsh economy of the country, which they claimed had been worsened by irregular payment of salaries to workers.

Mr Bimbo Olowookere said, “as a father, to take care of my family has been very difficult due to lack of funds. Everything have changed in the country. Payment of school fees and house rent have not been easy. Feeding the family has been difficult for me.

He continued, “with the situation on the ground, the government is not ready to assist fathers, more so as some of us, who are civil servants, are not getting our salaries as at when due. As a father, your family expect you to take care of them. Nowadays, taking care of the family financially is not easy.

The most important thing that affects us as fathers is the irregular payment of salary”. “Paying half salary to a father is not ideal because you have budgeted for a lot of things and at the end of the month, they give you half salary. That is major reason why things are difficult for us as fathers.

As a father, we face so many responsibilities from our family and family of our father and mother-in laws. Even, socially, we have responsibilities to take care of. I urge the government to come to our aid by paying our salaries and granting us soft loans of zero per cent interest,” Olowookere remarked.

An artisan, Mr Kazeem Adekunle, who is an artisan stated low patronage from customers has negatively affected his string of income, thus preventing him from playing his roles effectively as father in the house.

According to Adekunle, the bad economy has taken a toll on my work.We are not getting jobs from our customers again as we used to get. The complain almost everywhere is that lack of money. When your customers cannot feed well, how do you expect him give you jobs to do?

WHY WE LOST TO CROATIA - GERNOT ROHR

SPORTS:- FOOTBALL:

- Gernot Rohr says the Super Eagles mistakes cost them the match against Croatia

- The German coach also defends Mikel Obi performance against the Eastern Europeans

- The Super Eagles will be taking on Iceland on June, 22, in their next group D match Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr has attributed Nigeria's 2-0 loss to Croatia in the opening match at Kaliningrad to too many mistakes.

The Eastern Europeans broke the deadlock in the first half as a Mario Mandzukic's header was unfortunately steered home by Oghenekaro Etebor.
Luka Modric converted a second half penalty to put the lead beyond the reach of the young Nigeria side.

In a post match interview, Rohr admitted his players were aware they made a lot of mistakes that cost them in the match. "We know we made some mistakes, too many important mistakes, and it is clear that we need to get better in order to move on," News Agency of Nigeria reports.

The German tactician also said that the entire team were disappointed with the result adding that the team need to show professionalism when taking set pieces.  "Our organization was good, that is clear just as the tactics were not wrong, but we need to be more professional in the way we take the set pieces. We need to be better before our next game," he added.

Rohr also said he was satisfied with the performance of Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi despite not delivering the goods for Nigeria. "Mikel since I took over have always been playing the way we deployed him to play, and this has yielded results for us.

"But, he couldn't have done better than he did today, because of the quality of those he was playing against. "He had Ivan Rakitic of Barcelona and Luka modric of Real Madrid playing against him, and they are of good quality and playing for clubs bigger than that of Mikel who plays in China. "So he really did well," he said.

Rohr also stressed Alex Iwobi substitution was a tactical one and not because he had a poor performance. "Iwobi deserved his starting place, based on his performances in the last few days. He only had big work to do with the full back, and this took too much out of him. "However, he did well and I don't think he shouldn't have started the game," he said.

The German technical adviser assured they will go back to the drawing board and his boys will have a better performance on June, 22, against Iceland. "We will improve because it is important for us. We have to get better in order to move forward," he said.