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The owners of the popular musical,
‘Fela! on Broadway’, were shocked on Tuesday night when Nobel Laureate,
Wole Soyinka, suddenly slipped away, ignoring the elaborate birthday
reception organised for him in New York.

Mr. Soyinka was at the Eugene O’Neill
Theatre venue in midtown New York to see, for the first time, the
highly entertaining musical woven around the life and music of his
cousin, the late Afrobeat musician and activist, Fela Anikulapo Kuti.

Apparently unaware of the Nobel
Laureate’s dislike for any outward celebration of his birthday, the
show owners had ordered a rectangular gorgeous birthday cake, which
they planned to present to the professor on stage at the end of the
performance.

Food, drinks, and tables were also
reserved at the next-door Serafina Hotel, where the 76-year-old writer
was to be hosted to a reception.

But somehow, Mr. Soyinka got wind of the plan, and he sneaked out of the “shrine”, just as the cast was taking their bows.

Unaware that the Nobel Laureate had
left the venue, the talented Sahr Ngaujah, who acted Fela, grabbed the
microphone and announced to the audience,

“This is a very special night for us
because we are visited today by Fela’s cousin, the great Nobel
Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka. Today also happens to be his
birthday.”

Ngaujah had hardly finished when two
female members of the cast appeared onstage with a rectangular
white-red-blue birthday cake.

The audience clapped and buzzed with
expectation, hoping that the professor would move onstage to make a
brief remark and cut the cake.

But Mr. Soyinka was long gone and the
audience, which had a good number of Nigerians, and scores of
journalists, were disappointed. A birthday song was, nonetheless, sung
for him.

Honour for organisers

Okey Ndibe, a professor of Literature
at Trinity College, who saw Mr. Soyinka hurrying out of the theatre and
waving down a taxi, said the Nobel Laureate told him that he did not
want the performance to be about him, but about Fela.

“He said he did not want to grant
interviews or be celebrated,” Mr. Ndibe explained to Stephen Hendel,
lead producer of the play.

“He said it is a great play, but that
he would come back unannounced to watch the play again and meet the
cast,” Mr. Ndibe said.

Publisher of SaharaReporters.com, a
popular online news website, Omoyele Sowore, who drove Soyinka from his
hotel to the play, also explained that the professor had an early
flight for South Africa on Wednesday and could therefore not wait for
his birthday song.

Mr. Hendel said although the professor
did not wait for the reception, his presence at the “shrine” to watch
the play was an enough honour for him and his team.

“We have so much respect for Professor Wole Soyinka,” he said. “For
us to have one of the greatest men of the world come to see the show is
a great honour for us. It is a thrill for everyone,” he said.

Visibly angry ex-militants, protesting the shabby
handling of the post-amnesty programme, stormed the Nigeria Union of
Journalists (NUJ) Press Center in Warri, Delta State, yesterday,
causing pandemonium among the residents and passers-by in the area.

The ex-militants, who came in large numbers, blocked
all entrance to the Marine Quarters, where the press center is located,
causing road users and residents to scamper to safety, just as
motorists make a detour to other routes.

Carrying various placards, they threatened to go back
to the creeks as from August 5th, 2010, if their demands were not met
by the Federal Government.

The over 200 former warlords and their boys, led by
‘Generals’ Augustine Oges and Kingsley Muturu, among others, invaded
the No. 12, Gbiaye Street, temporary abode of the Warri Correspondent
Chapel of the NUJ, at about 4.30pm in a violent protest that lasted for
close to two hours.

Traffic was held up for several hours in the area as
the ex-militants mounted several barricades on the strategic road that
leads to Okumagba Avenue and other parts of the Oil City.

The protesters, who gave the Federal Government a
7-day ultimatum, which expires on the 5th of August, 2010, said the
federal government must set the machinery in motion to rehabilitate
their members or else they would return to the creeks.

They vowed to make the region ungovernable for the
various state governors and the Federal Government if their members are
not documented and engaged in the ongoing programmes.

Second phase of protest

Mr. Oges and other protesters told journalists that
despite the protest they held in Abuja, nothing has changed, and warned
that yesterday’s protest at the Press Centre was a follow-up to the one
held earlier this month in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

He said President Goodluck Jonathan’s promise that a
second phase of documentation would be carried out to take care of them
and their members was yet to be fulfilled, and therefore, they could no
longer guarantee holding back their foot soldiers.

He denied media reports that they had apologised to the special adviser to the president on amnesty, Timi Alaibe.

“It is not true that we have apologised to Mr.
Alaibe. That report is completely untrue because we know that some boys
were given money to go back and make that apology. The situation is
still as it is and this (Warri Protest) is the next phase of our
action,” he said.

“We dropped our arms since October last year, but
nothing has happened to us since then. Hence, we stormed Abuja in July
7 to demand for proper documentation of our members who are yet to be
documented.

“Time is running out, and we do not want Timi to
handle the second phase of the amnesty. The president should allow
another competent Nigerian to handle this crucial phase of the amnesty.
Timi has paid some boys to come and apologise to him over the protest
to Abuja.

“We do not want him again, and we are appealing to the president to
beware for him not to rock the boat of his administration. We are
giving the president from now till August 5 to address our issue,
otherwise, we will go back to the creeks and make this country
ungovernable. Enough is enough,” he threatened.

The senate, on Wednesday, delayed the approval of the
N236.58 billion 2010 budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission
(NDDC) for lack of details and bogus overhead cost.

The NDDC budget, which has an allocation of N12.84
billion for personnel and overhead cost, also had an allocation of N226
billion for capital budget. However, the senators criticised the budget
for lacking detailed projects in which the capital budget was to be
applied on.

In a bid to pass the budget expeditiously, even
though the budget is coming late, the senate has asked the chairman of
the senate committee on NDDC, responsible for the budget, to submit all
the details of the budget to the senate by Thursday for possible
consideration and approval.

Beyond Thursday, the senate will embark on a two
months vacation, and the promoters of the budget fear the commission
will be stranded if the senate does not approve the budget before going
on vacation.

“We are actually hard pressed – two wrongs cannot
make a right – let us get the details tomorrow and see whether we can
pass it,” the senate president, David Mark, told the NDDC committee
chairman, James Manager (PDP, Delta State).

The decision of the senate to reconsider the budget
with its full details was reached after a heated debate in which some
senators unsuccessfully called for a piecemeal approval of the budget,
while some of the senators from the Niger Delta region called for the
approval of the budget without the details.

According to Mr. Manager, the NDDC committee has all
the details sent to it by the presidency and will tender them on
Thursday. He, however, notified the senate that NDDC is notorious for
submitting budget proposals late.

“If the next year budget does not come by September
this year, they should forget it. We won’t be taking their budgets
outside September anymore,” the senate president said.

The NDDC act stipulates that they submit their next annual budgets before the end of September of the current fiscal year.

Bogus Overhead

Although the budget has a total of N12.84 billion
proposed to be spent on overhead and personnel, the senators criticised
it saying it is bogus.

The senators criticised some allocations in which some offices proposed to spend up to half a billion naira on personnel alone.

“The overhead cost is completely overboard,” Lee
Maeba (PDP Rivers State), said. The budget contains provisions like
N529.26 million for personnel and overhead cost for the managing
director’s office, N456.8 million for the corporate affairs office,
N330.38 million for the directorate of legal services, and N676.3
million for the directorate of planning, research, statistics, and MIS.

The budget also includes an allocation of N90 million for condolences and marriages.

“There is too much money for personnel and overhead cost.” Ahmed
Lawan said. “Are we trying to settle some cabal in Port Harcourt or are
we trying to build infrastructure in the region?” Mr. Lawan queried.

The Senate yesterday confirmed the appointment of two more
national electoral commissioners for the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC).

The two, Mohammed Ahmed Wali from Sokoto State and Christopher
Okubai Iyimoga, from Nasarawa State, were appointed by President Goodluck
Jonathan to replace Abdulahi Bangudu Mamman and Mohammed Zakki Anka, who were
dropped for allegedly being members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party.

Mr Mamman, a retired military general, is a member of the Board
of Trustees of the PDP; and Mohammed Zakki Anka is an ambassador who contested
for the governorship of Zamfara State in 1999.

Their confirmation brings the number of the commission’s
national commissioners confirmed by the senate this year to eleven, including
the chairman.

Tuesday’s confirmation followed a brief screening exercise at
the senate, where the commissioners answered questions regarding their abilities
and credibility.

Mr. Wali and Mr. Iyimoga, both lecturers, promised to utilise
their experiences in the public service over the years to ensure the delivery
of free, fair and credible election in 2011. They accepted to work as a team
with the other commissioners.

“I would like to advise them that what this country wants is a
free, fair and credible election,” the senate president, David Mark, said after
the confirmation. “I advise them to join their colleagues in ensuring that they
do that.”

Firm against bribery

Other national electoral commissioners who were screened before
Mr. Wali and Mr. Iyimoga all promised to cooperate with the chairman and one
another to make the next general elections the freest and most credible
election in the history of Nigeria.

Mr. Iyimoga also promised to offer his intelligence as a
journalist to improve publicity and voter education in the forth coming
elections. He said he has an idea to use local musicians, folk musicians and
the multimedia to conduct an extensive voter education.

Like Atahiru Jega, his boss, Mr. Iyimoga assured the senate he
would not “collapse” if presented with huge sums as bribe.

Mr. Wali, a political science lecturer with Usman Danfodio University,
Sokoto also promised to stand firm in the face of bribery attempts.

The Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday apologised
to journalists in Edo State over the brutal attack on the Edo State
correspondent of The Nation, Otabor Friday, when he received a beating from
suspected thugs during last Saturday’s by-election into the state house of
assembly in Ovia North-East constituency II.

Mr. Otabor was attacked by thugs while attempting to take shots
of hundreds of persons casting their votes at Igo Primary School polling
station, even when they were told by the electoral officer that they were not
registered in the place.

Mr. Oshiomhole yesterday promised to get to the root of the
incident and ensure that those responsible were fished out.

“I am really sorry for what happened. We will ensure that we get
to the root of the matter to know what actually happened, because we have a
responsibility to protect the media. We need the media to ensure that we have
credible election in this country, and that is what I am committed to in this
state and beyond,” he said.

He also called for the compilation of a genuine voters register before next
elections, saying that “the foundation of credible election is in a credible
voters register, which we must ensure we get before the election.”

Security operatives at the governor’s office, Calabar had to
quickly intervene to prevent a catastrophe when ex-militants, fresh from a
two-week rehabilitation training at Obubra, Cross River State, stormed the
complex to protest the non-payment of their salaries for two months.

Members of the disbanded Bakassi Freedom Fighters, who dominated
the protest, said they were also at the state house to show their displeasure
at the failure of the Cross River State government to release the allowance of
N1 million previously approved for them. This amount was to be given only to
former militants who hail from the state.

On sighting the approach of these former warlords, a combined
team of policemen and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps [NSCDC]
officials quickly bolted the main entrance to the office, keeping away all
visitors. This caused a scene at the gate as guests who were already in were
barred from going out. The most senior police officer at the gate managed after
a long while to turn back the protesting men, who insisted on seeing the
governor, Liyel Imoke, to report their plight after graduating from the
training 12 days ago. The police officer took them away from the office to
listen to their grievances.

Midway into their discussions with the police, the special
adviser to the state government on security, Bassey Okim arrived and the leader
of the protesting team, Livinus Awudu told him of their complaints. Each former
militant receives N65,000 monthly.

They also said they needed to know when they will commence
vocational training as promised by the government, suggesting that it begins
without further delay.

Mr Awudu claimed that an army officer with the 13 Amphibious
Brigade, simply identified as Bello, has been sitting on the N1 million
approved for them by Mr Imoke. He claimed that each time they asked for the
money, Bello told them to be patient as payment was being processed.

“How long will it take Bello to pay us? We know ourselves. We
are 400 from Cross River State and he has our names and the necessary
documentation about us. What again does he want? We have been hanging in
Calabar since returning from the training at Obubra to receive this N1 million.
Let Imoke call him to order”, he said.

Mr Awudu said his group had exhausted the out-of-pocket expenses
they got at the rehabilitation camp and now faced hard times in Calabar. He
claimed that by last Sunday, all their money was finished and they had not
eaten since then.

Training for second batch

Another ex-militant, Kucky Bonus, told Mr. Okim that if nothing
positive was done about their plight, they will have no alternative than to
return to the creeks in Bakassi peninsula to fend for themselves as some
persons were out to feed fat on them.

“Look at me, I have a wife and three children. How do I take
care of them? Do they want me to go and steal? We have embraced this amnesty
but some persons are just using us to make money for themselves. President
Goodluck Jonathan is not aware of what we are going through at the rehabilitation
camp. He should call Timi Alaibe to order,” he said.

“We have no problem with Mr. Okim. He has been so caring so far.
The problem we have is with those

from Abuja who do not care about us. If the federal government
does not wade in, this amnesty will succeed only on paper. How come they are
owing us two months salary? Some persons somewhere are using us to make money
for themselves.”

Following the pestering, Mr. Okim pacified the men with N10,000,
pleading that they don’t take laws into their hands as he was going to Abuja
this week for a meeting with Mr. Alaibe where he would table their complaints.
He said government, having successfully completed the two-weeks rehabilitation
programme, cannot disappoint them now and assured them that the vocational
training will commence soon.

In the presence of the protesters, Mr. Okim called Bello on the phone to
tell him of the anger of the ex-militants; whereupon Bello ask them to meet him
in his office for discussion. Once through with Mr Okim, they left to meet
Bello as directed.

Meanwhile, the second batch of
ex-militants have commenced rehabilitation training in Obubra.

This batch is a mixture of male and female ex-militants. The training was
suspended for over a week to make for the construction of a concrete block
perimeter fence round the NYSC permanent orientation camp now being used to
rehabilitate the former creek boys ahead of skills acquisition training.

The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of
Biafra (MASSOB), a separatist group pushing for the secession of the five
South-East states from Nigeria, has begun lobbying the United Nations, American
authorities, and other Western countries to back its campaign.

At the head of the intense lobbying activities, which has seen
the group reaching out to key American government officials and policy makers,
is a Nigerian-born United States-based lobbyist, Chukwuma Obi, himself a
veteran of the Nigerian Civil War.

In a report he filed with the department of justice, in line
with the Foreign Agent Registration Act, Mr. Obi, based in Yorktown, Virginia,
said he received a brief from MASSOB’s founder, Ralph Uwazurike, last year to
lobby officials of the United Nations, American state department, and Congress
so that the Biafran issue would be debated in Congress.

“More importantly,” Mr. Obi said, he has the responsibility “to
convince world organisations to see the importance of a plebiscite for the
Biafrans through a democratic process to determine if they would want a
breakaway Biafra or be in Nigeria.

“We will present in writing and documented evidence the killing
of Ibos in the north of Nigeria to Western governments, particularly the United
States and Great Britain. We will document by correspondences and verifiable
proof why and how our securities are purposely compromised by the use of the
police and military.”

Protests and strikes

His team is also to send delegations to the UN headquarters in
New York to articulate its case.

“We may use protests and hunger strikes to get attention,” he
added. “We may seek police permits to protest in front of the United States capitol
or the United Nations headquarters in New York.”

In addition to his own effort, Mr. Obi said he would also seek
the services of other Washington-based lobbyists “to help us reach individuals
and government committees that will help achieve the objectives of MASSOB.”

The lobbyist, who said he fought in the war as a “young captain
on the Biafra side,” explained that he became involved in the project after Mr.
Uwazurike and some other members of MASSOB approached him and requested that he
should “articulate to the US government the political, economic, and social
plights of Biafrans since their defeat in the 1967 – January 1970 war.”

In the report, Mr. Obi described MASSOB as “an association of
all Ibos, some Efiks, Ibibios, and Ibos in Delta State”, with branches in
England, South Africa, United States, and Canada.

The organisation, he said, finances radio and television
propaganda around the world to push Biafra’s case and pressure world
governments “to let Biafra separate to safeguard and protect its citizens and
property.”

It is, however, not clear on Tuesday what progress Mr. Obi and
his team have made so far as he could not be reached to comment on this story.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yesterday, announced the
disbursement of over N130 billion to the Bank of Industries (BOI) for onward
release to the small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) through designated
banks to boost the real sector capacity.

CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, told visiting Vice
President, Global Industries, of the International Finance Corporation (IFC),
Jyrki Koskelo, that the central bank is already perfecting strategies that
would help encourage Nigerian banks to invest in SMEs in the country.

He said the amount is part of the N500 billion allocated by the
federal government under the infrastructure development fund meant to assist
the real sector of the Nigerian economy. On the whole, Mr Sanusi said a total
sum of N200 billion would be disbursed to the SMEs before the end of the year.

Bidding for the banks

Recently, BOI said that it has screened and approved 130 firms
to draw from the fund, stating that the CBN would go through the approval and
release of the funds. On the 10 troubled banks, Mr Sanusi said discussions are
on with investors, adding that bids for prospective core investors of the banks
have already been submitted, with July 31, 2010 fixed as deadline for
submission of the bids by prospective investors. “These bids would be properly
handled by the apex bank as they would go through due diligence at the end of
which a preferred as well as a reserved bidder would be declared,” he said.

Mr Sanusi also maintains that CBN is working with the IFC to
reduce the strain on the yet to take off Assets Management Company. He restated
that no bank has been put out for sale contrary to speculations making the
rounds, adding that the 10 affected banks and others are re-strategising to
boost their capital base, by either merging or acquiring one or the other for
better performance.

While lauding CBN’s reforms, Mr. Koskelo noted that banks in every country
needs support from institutions such as the IFC, adding the Corporation would
continue to work with the CBN and banks to ensure that the sector maintains a
balance on the long run. “Our role is to support what the CBN is doing,” he
said. “We are going to engage in other transactions in the Nigerian economy to
especially strengthen the banks and have a strong economy in Nigeria.

One important thing is to fix the
banks and the CBN is doing that very well, I must admit, we will encourage the
banks to invest more in SMEs, power, health, agribusiness and infrastructure.
We are sponsoring risk management, good corporate governance and we will have
to encourage the private sector to invest in power because the CBN or
government alone cannot do it, there must be a policy in place for that as
well. There is need to grow the capital market so as to boost growth, we would
support CBN’s clean up exercise in terms of the reforms and this is a road with
several steps.”

As Nigeria marks its 50th anniversary, Archbishop
Nicholas Okoh, the Primate of All Nigeria, Church of Nigeria (Anglican
Communion), has advised the federal government to avoid extravagant spending.

Mr. Okoh, in an interview with journalists in
Abuja, criticised the N6 billion proposed by the government for the 50th
independence anniversary celebration. He advised that instead of huge spending
on the event, money should be channelled to remarkable development projects
that would remain after the celebration.

“If the money is meant for squandermania, it does
not worth it at all,” he said, and called for reflection on how well the
country had fared during its 50 years of self-governance. He urged the
government to rather control and develop the solid materials base adequately
while making effort to revive the Ajaokuta Steel Company.

According to Mr Okoh, efforts should also be intensified in developing
mechanised agriculture and farm settlements in different states to absorb
drifting youths and empower them to contribute to society.

He further deplored incessant power outage, the lack of well organised
public transportation system and high rate of unemployment as well as poverty
in the society. “Corruption is still growing in all segments of the society,
leaving the most vulnerable completely dispossessed,” he said.

The Alliance for Democracy (AD), on
Tuesday, in Lagos, dispelled rumours of a merger with any political
party ahead of the 2011 elections.

Musa Umar, the deputy National Chairman
of the AD, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria,
dismissed the rumour as untrue. “People have been calling me to find
out if AD has fused into AC in a political relationship.

Though
discussions are ongoing with several other parties, we have not
finalised what kind of relationship the parties wanted,” he said.

He said that the decision to merge with AC, or any other party,
would be made public after its National Executive Council meeting,
scheduled for Abuja later this week. “Discussions are ongoing but that
does not mean we would not entertain candidates who want to use our
platform to vie for elections,” he said. “But AD is still available
until the end of the discussions, then we shall know whether to fuse
into another or not.”