FOR those who have come to know Dr. Ore Falomo and the late MKO Abiola family, he is more than just a family doctor. Over the years, he has become very close to the Abiolas that there is hardly anything that happens in the family without Falomo’s knowledge or input.

In the thick of Abiola’s struggle for his mandate, he remained loyal to his client even at the risk of his own life. When Abiola was incarcerated and until his death, Falomo drew global attention to his client’s deteriorating health condition in detention.

In death, Falomo stood by the Abiolas. He struggled to ensure that foreign experts were invited to carry out the autopsy report even while alleging that the custodian of the June 12 mandate was murdered.

Eighteen months after the death of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, and three months after his will was made public, Dr. Falomo says the philanthropist’s family is still united more than ever before.

In this interview at his living room in Anthony Village, Maryland in Lagos, he spoke on Abiola’s will, the DNA test, the final autopsy report and much more. It is simply revealing. It is our worldwide exclusive. Enjoy it.

For sometime now, we noticed that you’ve withdrawn into your shell; you’re not as visible as you used to be; what is really happening?

You are correct that I am not as visible as I used to be. Maybe because one was getting to the end of the year, and the end of the century, and one was approaching the end with a bit of caution and reflection on what has happened in the last 5 - 10 years, 

It is not as if I was keeping away from publicity and all that, it is just that it is natural that after the pressure and a fury of activities, you take some rest and you can also use that period to reflect on a number of things and have a renewed determination in preparation for the beginning of the new year and a new century. 

So, I wasn’t really deliberately keeping quiet. In addition, I travelled out of the country to meet some friends and relatives and to take stock of what’s going on around the world and what people are thinking about us, and to see the hope of a new Nigeria coming into focus. That, more or less, had kept me away from you - my friends in the press.

You talked of reflection in the last 5 - 10 years; what are those things that you reflected upon and what are the lessons you learnt?

Fortunately for me, I do not believe that there was anything really that I regretted having done in the past that I should not have done. Maybe there were things I had thought I would be able to achieve that could not be achieved. My only big regret from my reflections, which I am sure, you’ll probably guess, is that we lost Chief Abiola in the struggle, which we fought rather gallantly in the last five years. But I hope that his loss and sacrifice will not be easily brushed aside. 

You see, the Abiola issue is something that you keep thinking and thinking about maybe there was one thing or the other, which one would have done which probably, would have prevented the eventual outcome. But all in all, I am happy with myself that I was involved and by the grace of God, I didn’t get swallowed up in the whole process and that I will live to struggle or fight another day.

When you talk of the struggle, Nigerians remember you for your role, but now that democracy has been achieved you are no longer involved in the affairs of government. Why are you staying away?

I think there must always be a role for one to play. The fact of the matter is that this government was put together rather very quickly, and the President himself has said that he had the votes of the devil, the saints and everybody. Having had that now, he has a duty to perform but I guess what he was trying to say is that even though everybody voted for him, all sorts of people contributed money for his success, that he was not going to be bound by that. He was going to do the right thing. And you must not forget that the fact that he is there now is largely as a result of divine intervention. And if you agree with what he is doing and what he wants to do, the only thing for you to do is to keep on wishing him well, praying for him. It is not compulsory that you must be in government for you to support him.

And while we are not forgetting exactly the reason for Abiola’s arrest, detention and eventual death, coupled with his philosophy about life which informed his goal of freeing ourselves from the military colonialists which I think we are doing now, we have a duty to support the nascent democracy that we now have.

But if along the way, one discovers that the ideals, which Abiola fought and died for, are not being realised, of course, one is bound naturally to get involved and say no. We cannot just allow this thing to continue this way, so that those who have sacrificed their lives for this country will feel satisfied wherever they may be that their sacrifice was not in vain and that we have not relaxed in the struggle. For me, I am going to make sure that the thing Abiola lived and died for is not lost so quickly and that he would be satisfied with the role all of us played.

Talking about sacrifice and reward, MKO sacrificed his life for democracy in this country, and some people feel that those who are in charge of that democracy today have not adequately compensated Abiola in terms of immortalising his name. Do you share in this school of thought?

This is a very difficult question, which has arisen from time to time. What I think is happening is that maybe, the President has his own way of doing things. I believe that very strongly and I hope I am not wrong. I know that the president is a man who is very appreciative of many things. Things that you wouldn’t think he took note of, he always does take note of them. I guess that he may not agree with us in the way we do things, like naming places after people, identifying the role people have played, I know he appreciated the role other people play even for him when he was in prison.

But you know, he is a President of the country and that is a very difficult position. I think it is too early in the day to conclude whether he has been able to show appreciation for the worth of the sacrifices of people who were involved in the struggle for democracy, whether he has been able to acknowledge their role appropriately or not. I think we should watch him and watch events as they unfold. I’m sure that at the appropriate time, if we think that enough acknowledgment or recognition is not being given to the sacrifice of people we should be able to speak out, we should be able to say to them, don’t let us forget so quickly.

But if you were in the shoes of Mr. President, would seven months not be enough for you to immortalise Chief M. K. O. Abiola?

Yes, if I were the President, I will probably handle the matter differently, I agree. But you know, I have not conceded that something is not going to be done. I think Mr. President has his own special or queer way of doing things. And those who have gone near him will agree that you may not agree with his methodology but he will always do what has to be done. But I can say so to many people and they will agree with me that Abiola deserves to be honoured and adequately recognised for the sacrifice that he made for this country. How we do it and how soon it is done is another matter. 

But it has to be done for posterity’s sake and I can assure you that we are already putting something together in a book form on Abiola’s life and struggle. And by the time the book will be launched, I think it will bring back the memories of everything again and maybe by that time too, adequate credit and recognition may have been given to the role and sacrifice that he played in life.

Talking about roles, some people believe that government’s role in health care delivery is not adequate; they argue that the health sector is not being given the attention it deserves; as a medical doctor, what is your view on this?

I can honestly tell you that I have not been very happy with the progress we have made in the health sector. Considering the fact that we did struggle a lot right from 1970 up till now, I have been very actively involved in the restructuring of health services in this country especially in the grassroots. And in so doing, one had some brushes with almost all the governments that had been in existence in Nigeria since 1970. One is happy to have been involved because all the things we were fighting for have turned out to be true. We’ve been vindicated by time.

All the slogan about health for all by the year 2000, we told them at that time that they were not committed enough and that all they were doing was mere lip service and that we were just making a mockery of ourselves. Unfortunately, they did not respond as expected, maybe they thought were we just being alarmists.

However, all hope is not lost yet. Professor Olikoye Ransome Kuti proved during his tenure that our health system can work if only it is given the right commitment and attention. And we are proud that the Nigeria Medical Association had a hand in the choice of Professor Kuti. And he did not turn out to disappoint us. So, it is very necessary that there would be a round peg in a round hole. People who are dedicated must be allowed to come and serve and not chosen in terms of how much money or political connection they have. The Nigeria Medical Association must be consulted in the choice of who should man the Health Ministry. 

I am hoping that in the not too distant future, the opportunity will arise for some of us to move forward, to carry on from where Professor Kuti left it and probably try and do better than what he did. That will give him joy in his retirement and to us we will see it as a task that must be done.

What areas do you think the government should immediately address as a matter of urgency?

There are two things that the NMA has identified as being very urgent. During the time of Babangida, the NMA noted that to be able to bring health to the reach of everybody, there is need for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). But it must be a very reformed scheme, that is it must satisfy the goals, which we anticipated. And these goals are that the ordinary people in the country must benefit, no matter how low their income is. And that the doctors who are providers of health services must be fully utilised in all grades, from the lowest grade to the highest. And there must be a plough back into the health system from that scheme. That is, you are not going to let some people come in and reap the gains from that Health Insurance without putting anything into it. We now say that we can sit down and plan our own insurance scheme that will be something of administration to the rest of the world. We really sat down to work it out. But unfortunately, like many good projects in the country, it was hijacked by those who only saw what they could reap from it. People saw it as a way of enriching themselves. But that is blood money because medicine is not a profession you can go into and hope to get very rich. It is a sacred profession that you’re going to sacrifice a lot for the less privileged.

Are you saying now that government should pay attention to the National Health Insurance Scheme as a matter of priority?

The government has accepted the scheme in principle but there are still very many loopholes in it and attention must be paid to the implementation of that scheme so that it will not end in disaster. And those of us that are behind the formulation of the scheme would have to ensure that it does not fail so that we won’t be accused of giving the country a wrong policy. The scheme is good in principle but it needs to be looked into properly so that the ordinary Nigerian can benefit from it. How we are going to do that is straightforward enough for those of us who formulated the policy. We must not allow opportunists to hijack the scheme and milk innocent Nigerians dry. 

I do hope that in this new millennium, the government will take the challenge that the ordinary Nigerian does not have enough to eat, does not have a house over his head, does not have enough clothing, and is not enjoying good health so what’s the future for him? So, health is something that I’m involved in and it is inter-related to the problems of food, clothing and shelter. It is therefore a task that must be done.

In the last few weeks, the trial of the alleged killers of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola has been going on, what is your reaction to the trials?

It is interesting that we are on the path to justice. But I must tell you that I was one of the few people who were not alarmed about the revelations that have emerged from the trial. I was not surprised at all because right from the time it happened I had made accusations concerning his death. I said so at that time. I wrote it in my statement to the police. I tried to even figure out what the government should do and the right track they must take in finding out the killers. But they deliberately ignored it.

That it is being done now, let us just say that it is better late than never. And I now have a sense of satisfaction that I am being vindicated over what I was courageous enough to say then. Government tried to make his death look like an inter-family feud, and I told them at that time that it’s a lie. But thank God that we are now in a position to know the whole truth abut the whole thing. So on my own part, what I am trying to do is to see that one contributes his own quota to the government’s effort to unravel the whole secret about the heinous act.

How are you doing this?

Everybody that was involved in the whole scenario at that is being encouraged to come out and say what he or she knows and the role he or she played. In this respect, I have helped the government in contacting Dr. Adesina who is now the only living witness in the team of Kudi, the driver and himself on the day of the incident. And, of course, to say all that he saw or heard in the weeks preceding the incident. So, he is a very vital witness, infact he is the crown witness to the case. And it would have been very sad if the government cannot get him to testify. So I have been able to locate him, I have been able to talk to him, and I have been able to get in touch with the Attorney General’s office to tell them how the man can be brought in. And a lot of things will be put in the right perspective.

What role Shofolahan played, what was he doing; what did he say; how did he lay the whole track for them, for them to be able to get Kudi, all those things will come from Dr. Adesina. He has said a lot to me and to other people. But officially, it must be said in the open for a whole lot of us to see the extent to which people will go in trying to achieve their own inordinate ambition and still destroy the lives of good people in this country.

So, where is Dr. Adesina now?

I am not going to tell you that. Just wait until he arrives the country.

Were you not shocked that somebody like Shofolahan who was very close to the Abiolas could be linked with Kudi’s death?

It is a good lesson for all of us. I think the whole of the country has come out to condemn the role he (allegedly) played. It’s a pity that Abiola and Kudi are no more. If only the dead can see, they would have seen the treachery of this man. This man l am sure did not do what he did by accident. It must have been inborn in him. It takes somebody who actually found that time of act natural, to be able to do a thing like that. I don’t think he was lured by money or anything, he is a man that is very unusual in the act of self-destruction of people that were close to him. He moved so smoothly and so perfectly that he tried to even get other people, apart from the ones he has shown their houses to the killers, into the net.

He made attempts to get to me, he made attempts to get to Femi Falana. So he did not do it by accident.

You mean he tried to get you killed too by setting you up?

Yes! He came to me to try and pick my brains and set me up so that he could go and feed them on what my position is and what my relationship with Abiola is too. He visited me here after Kudirat’s death to try and set me up. But I was warned before hand that he was a dangerous man and so I was on the watch out.

You see, information actually got to us that Kudirat’s security had been penetrated and that there was a mole in the house and that we should be very careful. And so, we started to look around. On two occasions, Shofolahan was strongly suspected as being the mole, but Kudi decided to forgive and ignore him. She overlooked him. You see, she trusted Shofolahan so much that when they warned her about him, she thought that people who are envious of the man and who simply want to come between them so she did not take them seriously. But that was the nature of Kudirat. She was too trusting. She trusted people on the face value until you give her reason to doubt you. She trusted Shofolahan.

And we also learnt that each time he took information back to them, he was paid. So for those periods he was spying on us, he was being paid. And while the thing lasted he was enjoying it. But the question is, at what price? What he got was blood money and it was too dangerous. He forgot that one day he would give account of his activities to his Creator. 

What do you think will be the outcome of the trial; do you think the prosecution has enough evidence to convict, that is speaking from an insider’s point of view?

I am not a judge, so I cannot say. But I believe that no matter what judgement we pass on these people, the greatest judgement is from God and He will definitely visit His judgements on everybody according to your work. Whatever we have done, even though the earthly judge may use his own words to qualify our level or degree of guilt, God has already seen what you have done even in secret so after the earthly judgement, he will pronounce his own judgement. They are already facing God’s judgement without us knowing it.

The areas government is trying them for are the areas they can prove, there are other areas you cannot prove, you don’t even know of, but God knows everything and you can never escape God’s judgement. You see, the prayers of the people of this country in the last five years have been so much that we are now seeing their results.

Almost two years after Chief Abiola’s death, what is the situation in the Abiola clan; what is the relationship between the wives and the children?

I don’t really think the family has fallen apart as it is erroneously believed in some circles. As I said earlier when Abiola died, that Abiola’s role is a role that 50 people put together cannot be able to play effectively. And that is becoming very clear by the day. Don’t forget that Abiola’s family is a very large family. It will take them more than two, three years to be able to adjust to a life without Abiola. The man went away when they least expected. He really did not prepare anybody to take over from him. So, everybody has to now play his or her own part in order to keep the family going. 

The man left a vacuum that is too large to fill. So, I guess that what they are going through now is like a transition from what I consider to be a very smooth glorious reign of the man and the traumatic period of his detention, then the sudden death. 

Now that he is gone, they’ve realised that the reality must be faced and everything is now being restructured by different people in different ways. There are so many projects and enterprises that the man single-handedly ran, they are now being handled by different people and none of them has the capacity, the ability and the wherewithal of Chief Abiola. So, they have to make it from their own intelligence, ability and resources and with a bit of luck because they have been operating under a very hostile economy and government. One should expect what you can call hiccups now that people are talking about. But the family is together. If anything, the revelations that are coming out the trials are unifying and pulling them together because now all the suspicions and misconceptions have been cleared. They now know that they fought together without knowing it.

Chief Abiola mandated some of his children to undergo a DNA test in his will, how far has the family gone in complying with the provisions of that aspect of the will?

The DNA test he talked about is like a decree Abiola left behind. And he also did something which people have failed to talk about. He said his will should be interpreted under the English law. So, no room was left for anybody to say ah, this child looks so much like his father, what other proof does he need as it is done in the Nigerian context? We have our own way of doing things in Nigeria. And Abiola knew about all these before he died, for him to have said go and do a DNA test. 

So, even if some people don’t agree with him and say, why should a man go to that extent to prove that he is his father, well one should give it to him as the way he saw it. There are so many things he knew that we don’t know. So, once he had put that down, we just have to conform, all of us. Whether we agree or we don’t agree is irrelevant. What we have to be doing is to help the children who would like to conform and perform that test. That is a reasonable role that one must play. 

Have you started doing that?

Yes, we have been doing that in so many cases without advertising it.

You mean some of the children have actually started undergoing the DNA test?

Oh yes! Oh yes! They have.

Just how many have been tested so far?

I can’t give you the figures right now. 

Have you recorded any casualties?

(General laughter). I think it will not be proper to tell you of casualties. You can only hear of those who have passed, because those who have passed will jubilate and celebrate, I think we should spare those who fail the agony of revealing their identities to the public. 

I just want you to confirm whether, indeed, there were casualties?

Well, in an examination, some people will pass, some people will fail. So, there are definitely some people who have failed (another general laughter). You see, if Abiola didn’t believe there would be failures, he would not have directed that some of his children go through a DNA test. He would simply have just said these are my children and they are all entitled to some proceeds from my estate. I am sure that he thought some people might just not meet up to the "standard" and that’s why he said okay, all of you go for this exam and those who pass can laugh themselves to the bank, while those who do not do well will have to look for their father(s) elsewhere.

Abiola wrote his will in 1989, and between 1989 and 1998 when he died, almost ten years, he had other children. What happens to the children he had after the will was written?

I think that will be taken care of easily. Up to that date (1989) he listed the children, but of course he got married to some people after that year who had children for him. So, the executors had been given the duty to take case of those born after 1989 when the will was written. And of course the DNA test applies to those who were born after 1989. Everybody who is claiming that he is a child of Abiola, and there could only be Abiola’s children born after the will was written between 1989 and March 1995. This is because Abiola was arrested in July 1994, so give a difference of 9 months, only those born at least, up to March 1995 could be Abiola’s children. Anybody that is born after March 1995 could not have been fathered by Abiola. Having said that, therefore anybody that was born between 1989 and March 1995 could still lay claim to being born by Abiola. And the only way to confirm such a claim is through the DNA, which actually makes it a lot easier.

So what will be their share since they were not mentioned in the will?

The will is just specific of what goes to any child. The residue will be there for life and it will be used for the education of these children. And that is the work of the executors. I am sure that none of Abiola’s (authentic) children would suffer from the ordinary necessities of life. The problem is executing the will, but those who will benefit, who ought to benefit will definitely benefit from it.

There was this talk that Kola the first son, has taken effective control of the family and that he is now referred to and addressed as His Excellency by the other wives and children, how true is this?

(Laughter). Well, if he has taken control of anything, definitely he has not taken control of Abiola’s wives except Abiola himself. Kola is too small, too different for a thing like that. So that much I can tell you. He has not taken over his wives. Even though in Yoruba tradition, he is supposed to be the husband of all of them, but I am sure Kola cannot perform that role at all. (General laughter). Kola will just be the father figure of the family. That is talking about the wives. But his immediate concern must be on his sisters and brothers and I am sure the women will be satisfied with themselves leaving Kola alone. Those who want to get married can do that, they are free. While those who think they have put their destiny together with that of Abiola for life would stay. And Kola’s main concern must be his younger ones and I have absolute confidence that he will play the role very well. 

In the next few years, people will give him credit for playing the role well because then, he would be seen in a different light from what they are seeing him now.

Sometime ago, you were quoted as saying that the autopsy report on Abiola made available to the public was not the final report, have you received the final report now?

Yes, we have it. But we have presented it to Oputa’s Panel. We’ve petitioned Oputa’s panel with that aspect, well documented and we don’t want a distraction now that’s why we’ve kept quiet.

But is the final report out?

It is out and we’ve been able to draw conclusions. And we’ve been able to see more than what we had seen before, because a lot of things have come to our hands now. Most of the documents that Abiola himself kept and other people have come out, just as Rogers has come out, so many things we did not even think could have happened have been revealed to us. 

Is the report you have now different from the one earlier released?

Well, we know and I have said it in a very veil manner that his death was a conspiracy, so what we have to do is to expatiate on it and see how the conspiracy was hatched. And it is very interesting. The account of his last 40 minutes on this world would be made public and you’ll be surprised. His death is something that people just gloss over easily without actually visiting what happened before he died. Now we have an account of what happened before he died now.

Is it very revealing?

Yes it’s interesting and it will shock Nigerians when it is made public.

Maybe you can let us into the details?

You see, you cannot bring him back to life, but you can learn from what happened so that it will be a guide for all of us. Let us just leave it there.

Jan 4, 2000 

By Rotimi Ajayi, Abuja

A TEN million-dollar (N1 billion) grant from a United Nations agency to the Federal Government for activities to usher in the new millennium is now the subject of a probe ordered by the Presidency, which is dissatisfied with the handling of the programme.

The Presidency, according to sources, is not happy with the "poor programme," drawn up for the ceremony, the poor attendance at the Eagles Square venue of the ceremony on Friday night and more importantly the costs of some of the arrangements which sources said appeared unrealistic.

The programme was handled by the Committee on Millennium Ceremonies.

The committee was set up last July with a mandate by President Olusegun Obasanjo to draw programmes to usher in the new millennium on 31^st December, 1999.

The programme kicked off on Tuesday, December 28.

The committee allegedly turned in a bill of N13 million in respect of three drama events.

A millennium monument estimated to cost N105 million was not erected, sources alleged.

Other programmes executed by the committee are as follows:

Sources revealed that the President was upset by the quality of fireworks used by the committee.

It was learnt that the President described the fireworks as lacking any clear-cut pattern.

One of the ministers, who headed the culture sub-committee, disclosed to State House correspondents that his sub-committee got only a little over N200 million.

He said, "this is supposed to be an open administration. My committee only got a little over N200 million."

Vanguard Transmitted Tuesday, 04 January, 2000

Tuesday, 04 January 2000

Police to comply with court ruling on shot pupil

From Emmanuel Onwubiko, Abuja

NINE-YEAR-OLD Master Ndubuisi Azubuike, who lost his eyes when he was shot by men of the defunct Operation Sweep} in Lagos, may be compensated by the police, force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Young Arabamen (DCP) said yesterday in Abuja.

The primary four pupil had been awarded N8 million exemplary damages by an Ikeja High Court in December last year.

Azubuike was shot on October 7, 1998 while returning from church. The security outfit had gone to disorganise a rally said to have been called by members of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC).

Speaking exclusively with The Guardian} in Abuja, Arabamen noted that since the decision was made by a court of competent jurisdiction, the police has no reason not to obey the ruling.

It is the courts order, so police as a law enforcement agency does not believe in the practice of violating court rulings. Since it is a court of competent jurisdiction, the police will comply with the ruling.

On the strategies being put in place by the police to combat the rising crime wave in the country, Arabamen who disagreed with the view that crime was on the increase, asserted that a crime-free society cannot be achieved without what he called patriotic cooperation of the citizens.

He also said the public image of the police has never been as bad as people portray it, remarking that the force was planning comprehensive anti-crime strategies to reduce crime this year. He advised that people should volunteer useful information to the police, since, according to him, policemen are not magicians.

Tuesday, 04 January 2000

By Richard Abu

TO ease movement of faithfuls especially in Lagos, the Living Faith Church (Winners Chapel) in conjunction with private investors is to establish a mass transit firm to be known as Canaan Land Mass Transit. It will take delivery of the first batch of the buses this month.

Bishop of the Church, Dr. David Oyedepo who stated this at the weekend, said it was one of the church's plans to alleviate the suffering of the masses, especially the faithfuls who transit to Canaan Land, on Idiroko Road, Ota, which houses the church's new 50,000-sitting capacity Faith Tabernacle.

He said it would also enhance the status of the place as a tourist centre, saying: Since the dedication of Faith Tabernacle, on September 18, last year, the church has become not just a spiritual ground but a centre for tourists attraction. These tourists need to come here in good buses.

He assured private participants in the protection for their investments as the firm will operate on commercial basis. To ease the problems of worshippers, the buses, he said, would be stationed at the church satellite zonal headquarters for easy accessibility.

The church's Covenant University, according to him, will take off in October as arrangements for its successful implementation have been concluded.

Tuesday, 04 January 2000

By Ben Akparanta, Police Affairs Correspondent

FVE people were killed in Lagos during the New Year celebrations thus renewing widespread fears that efforts to stem urban banditry in the metropolis were yet to yield results.

Two people were killed in Ajegunle while a businessman was killed at Oshodi. Also killed were two policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command.

The killed at Ajegunle was suspected to be an assassination because no valuables were taken by the felons. The two killings were carried out at 1:15 am and 5:30 am on New Year day.

According to police sources, Gabriel Omoniroro was killed at his 169, Uzor Street Ajegunle residence, shortly after the turn of the year while Bukuola Folaranmi was shot dead about four hours later.

It was not clear whether the killings were connected to the ethnic violence that plagued the Ajegunle suburb late last year. But the police identified the dead as an Ijaw and a Yoruba.

So far, there are no links to the two killings.

However, police at the Ajegunle Station told The Guardian that Omoefe Omoniroro, a relation of Gabriel, said two gunmen approached Gabriel while he was celebrating the dawn of the new year and shot him at point blank range. He died immediately.

Few hours later, another group of gunmen, according to the police, approached Folaranmi at 10, Olodamu Street Ajegunle and shot him in the head.

These are gangland killings and we are taking precaution that it does not spread, a senior officer at the Ajegunle police station who pleaded anonymony said.

Plainlcothes detective were detailed from the officers of the Criminal Intelligence Bureau (CIB to prowl the streets of Ajegunle to determine the impact of the killing on the residents.

A businessman identified simply as Micheal was also shot dead at 72, Church Street, Oshodi at the peak of the new year merriment.

He was shot while in a procession with other celebrants. Those who were with him at the time told the police at the Makinde Station that bangers were going off at random and had doused the sound of the gun with which he was shot in the crowd.

The two policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command were shot dead by an unidentified armed gang, according to Mr. Fabulous Enyaosah, the Commands spokesman.

Briefing journalists on the incidents yesterday, Enyaosah said that one of the policemen was attacked and shot dead by a fleeing gang.

He said members of the gang were in a Mercedes Benz car with registration number AQ 282 EKY, at Berger Bus Stop on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, where they attacked the policeman.

Enyaosah added that the second policeman was killed at Bode Thomas area in Surulere local Council Area. Another policeman, who was shot on the same day along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in Lagos, was, however, lucky to survive the attack.

The victim, he said was being treated for injuries sustained in the attack, the police spokesman said that more than 10 policemen were killed by armed gangs in the state last year.

Tuesday, 04 January 2000

 MANY of us want to go back home where we will not be treated as second class citizens. We live in fear here everyday. Fear of repatriation, fear of being killed, fear of being imprisoned and all manner of fear, lamented citizen Ugo Onyekachi, resident in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Homesick and longing to contribute to their fatherland's development, Onyekachis speech at the weekend represented those of his compatriots in the country where they now eke out a living. They, however, want to return to a much-improved Nigeria.

Onyekachi continued: Please tell President Olusegun Obasanjo to make Nigeria work again, so that we can come home and get jobs. We Nigerians were once proud people, but look at us now. Hanging out on the street in fear everyday of our lives.

The graduate of Imo State University now operates a barbing salon in the black dominated Hillbrow area of the city.

All the Nigerians who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) expressed renewed confidence in the growth and stability of their fatherland but urged the government to initiate necessary measures and infrastructure that would ensure development in the new century.

They asked the government to intensify efforts in the development of basic infrastructure and the economy, to attract foreign investors and encourage the repatriation of capital by Nigerians living abroad.

Nigeria should endeavour to catch up with the rest of the world in modern technology, Nigeria should be able to tap its abundant natural resources for the development of the overall economy, said Dr. John Kilani, environmental adviser to the South African Chamber of Mines.

We have a lot of natural resources, but have been focusing on just one. Diversification will help the economy and will go a long way in solving the nations many problems, including unemployment and stagnation in growth. Nigerians themselves should be law-abiding, because we need law-abiding citizens to be able to build a stable nation, he added.

For Prof. Ambrose Adebayo, Head of Architecture Department at the Durban University in Kwazulu-Natal province, Nigeria should begin to look at new ways of interacting with the rest of the world.

Nigeria should not be a mono-product economy. It should tap into all available human and natural resources and channel proceeds towards the betterment of living standards of its people, he noted.

Dave Oguejiofor, project manager of Johannesburg-based SIO Properties Limited, expressed concern at the spate of instability in the National Assembly, advising legislators to concentrate more on the business of refining the constitution to reflect the views of the populace.

The current tide of impeachments and internal fightings should stop. These misdirected efforts are not helping the country. Also, the main religious groups in the country should strive to use their faith to ensure development in the country, rather than embark on destructive and intimidating tendencies, he added.

Hundreds of Nigerians in the Johannesburg and Pretoria areas assembled in the residence of the Consul-General in Johannesburg, Charles Onwuagbu, to usher in the millennium.

Jan. 3, 2000

By Kingsley Omonobi

THE Federal Government has placed the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) based on the Eastern flank of the Tactical Air Command (TAC) in Yola and Maiduguri on the alert, following the discovery that France was building a military base in Gagura, a Camerounian town close to the border with Nigeria.

The French military base, according to defence sources, is nearing completion and has facilities for landing and take-off of military aircraft.

Sources said the decision to build the base, which is not far from Bakassi, which Cameroun is laying claims to, might not be unconnected with Cameroun’s determination to have the oil-rich peninsula by all means.

The National Security Council (NSC) headed by President Olusegun Obasanjo; it was gathered had directed the immediate reactivation and upgrading of the two NAF bases, which are homes to the Air Force assault helicopter wing.

Already, approval has been issued by the Defence Ministry for the Periodic Depot Maintenance (PDM) of the Air Force’s Super Puma assault helicopters.

Government also directed the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), AVM Isaac Alfa to get the bases, which were abandoned during the Abacha regime, ready by the end of this month.

Government, according to sources believes that Cameroun and France may have designed the Gagura base to neutralise the edge which Nigeria has in ground and sea defence over Cameroun.

Nigerian and Cameroonian troops have clashed several times over the Bakassi Peninsula.

Cameroun has failed a legal action before the World Court in The Hague, to declare it the rightful owner of the peninsula.

Vanguard Transmitted Monday, 03 January, 2000

FREQUENT power outages in some parts of the country have been linked to isolation of electricity points at Shiroro plant and at the Egbin Thermal Power Stations.

The Assistant General Manager, Public Relations, Malam Mohammed Mousa-Booth, said the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) isolated the two power points for rehabilitation. According to him, this was responsible for the rash of power outages in the country.

Mousa-Booth said in Abuja at the weekend that the isolation of one of the four turbines with a capacity for 150 megawatts at Shiroro and another with 220 megawatts at Egbin were affecting stable power supply in the country.

He said that the isolation of the two units, with a total of 370 megawatts, had greatly depleted the power generating capacity in the country and that the non-availability of funds had hindered their immediate repair.

There is currently a shortfall in the national grid, as a result of the inactivity of the two vital units. Egbin for example with a capacity of 1,320 megawatts, is currently producing about half of the figure due to grounded machines and non-availability of spare parts and lack of funds to procure them.

Mousa-Booth also blamed the state of the nations power sector on the failure of NEPA to obtain letters of credit for the funds needed for the rehabilitation works. The inability to secure this letters is constituting a stumbling block for the planned rehabilitation of all power stations in the country, he said.

The NEPA spokesman also attributed the frequent power failures in the country to the sharp drop in the water level, which was affecting effective performance of the three hydro-power stations.

According to him, the generating limitation of the ailing seven power stations, vandalisation of NEPA's installations and equipment nationwide, illegal connections and the lack of adequate financial resources to keep the network going were also responsible for the epileptic power supply.

Mousa-Booth praised the Federal Government for its efforts to reinvigorate the power sector, but stressed the need to always provide the enabling funds to execute maintenance and repair works to keep them working.

President Olusegun Obasanjo had last month directed NEPA's management to embark on a comprehensive overhaul of its plants to be able to generate between 4,000 megawatts and 6,000 megawatts of electricity by next year.

He also gave approval for the development of proposed Mambilla and Zungeru hydroelectric projects, which have capacities to generate 3,960 megawatts and 960 megawatts, to improve the power generation capacity of the country.

From Chukwujekwu Ilozue, Owerri

A WHITE paper issued on contracts awarded between January 10 and May 28 last year by the erswhile military government in Imo State has recommended that the government should take steps to recover over N200 million allegedly siphoned by former government officials.

The four member committee headed by Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) which investigated contracts awarded within the period found that most of the contracts were a ruse to siphon government money.

It also discovered that many contracts were awarded after money was drawn on government accounts by the former Works and Transport Commissioner, Mr. Peter Orji.

The committee also found that some of the companies were incorporated by relations of government functionaries who collected over 81 per cent mobilisation for the job up front.

In some instances too, people related to government functionaries were used as fronts to collect money from contractors.

Mostly affected are road contracts awarded in the last two months of the previous administration.

The committee observed that most of the contracts were won by just three companies which collected mobilisation fee and abandoned the jobs.

Also affected was the order by the then administrator, Col. Tanko Zubairu (rtd), for the sinking of 36 boreholes at N1 million each without the contracts passing through proper channels. The sum of N36 million was paid out, out of which no single borehole was sunk. The committee, therefore, recommended that Orji and Zubairu who awarded the contracts should refund the money.

By Uwakwe Abugu, Warri

IT was song of peace all the way; weekend in Warri as thousands of Delta State indigenes stormed the Township Stadium to launch a fresh campaign for peace in the state and the entire Niger Delta region.

The peace rally, organised by the Niger Delta Oil Producing Communities Development Organisation (NIDOPCODO) was designed to foster peaceful co-existence among feuding ethnic groups in the region.

Peace in the state was also the kernel of the New Year message of the state governor, Chief James Ibori who urged the people to eschew violence so that "the decadence and decline of the past will be redressed fast in the new millennium.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta, Chief Fred Brume who is also patron of NIDOPCODO told the crowd that the new millennium would sweep away "all the evils that have plagued Delta State and the Niger Delta all these decades."

Like Brume, clerics who spoke on the occasion stressed the need for the people to reject evil at this dawn of a new millennium.

Brume said: "Today we shall say goodbye to the neglect, marginalisation and lack of development of the Warri/Delta area and Niger Delta as a whole.

"This past century, indeed, this past millennium has witnessed also a lot of evils in this area; we witnessed slave trade when brothers sold brothers to foreign lands.

"We witnessed cheating in trade when we were not always paid fair prices for our produce such as palm oil and we also witnessed foreign colonial exploitation and even a form of local colonial-type exploitation.

"We witnessed bloodshed amongst our people as ethnic brothers attacked and maimed and killed other ethnic brothers.

"We witnessed destruction of our own dwelling houses and properties as if moved by a kind of evil force," lamented the senator.

But he said there was a ray of hope and light at the end of the tunnel.

His words: "Today we shall say good-bye to local colonialism, inter-ethnic exploitation, inter-ethnic hatred and bloodshed, and destruction of our belongings; goodbye to all the bad news of the last millennium."

Both Evangelists Cousin Mosheshe and Akpo Ofomana who preached at the rally drew attention to the mystery of the creation of mankind by one God and urged the feuding ethnic nationalities in the region to draw inspiration for peaceful co-existence from their oneness with God.

Ofomana reminded the people of the rewards of violence and any act of killing of man by another man.

"The vengeance of the Lord awaits those who waste and kill their fellow men, so, Itsekiris, Ijaws, Urhobos, Isokos and all the other ethnic groups have no choice but to live together peacefully," he said.

Mosheshe on his part said: "Peace has eluded us here these past years and it is like all the idols and shrines in the land have conspired to cause confusion in the land."

The leader of NIDOPCODO, Chief Saturday Eregbene who also addressed the rally stressed the need for the people to turn a new leaf.

He said, "our genuine struggle devoid of the thuggery postures of kidnapping, hijacking and vandalisation of oil installations will no doubt give us an edge over our detractors who have over the years deprived the people of the oppressed region a due attention in all ramifications in the past 40 years.

"The oppressed can never be oppressed forever but we should not turn our problem into laughter for others who watch some of our youths engage themselves in illegalities," he said.

Chief Ibori in a broadest to the people on the New Year day said: "I wish to solicit the co-operation of all Deltans for a peaceful environment.

"You must eschew violence, intra and inter-ethnic violence and other vices for us to move ahead.

"Put behind you all the ugly incidents of the past so that we can go on to develop our dear state," pleaded the governor.

Vanguard Transmitted Monday, 03 January, 2000

From Mike Osunde, Benin

NIGERIA'S Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) at the weekend joined its counterparts in the West African sub-region in their yearly road safety campaign with a special appeal to motorists to avoid night travels.

Statistics showed that 70 per cent of accidents involving commercial vehicles occurred at night, it disclosed.

In a statement flagging off the campaign in Benin, Edo State, the sector commander, Alhaji Danjuma Garuba, also urged motorists to avoid overloading vehicles.

The statement titled: 1999 ECOWAS Road Safety Campaign Message To All Motorists As We Arrive Into The Next Millennium.

Garuba identified other causes of accident to include excessive speeding, the use of tokunbo and worn-out tyres, drunk-driving and use of drugs.

He urged motorcyclists to undergo proper training and obtain a licence before using them for commercial purposes.

On the sectors operations in the first 11 months of last year, he said, 10,526 traffic offenders were booked, 33 of the 73 who offered bribe to the commissions officers were convicted, while 241 people died in 433 accidents in which 569 others were injured and taken to hospital.

By Ben Akparanta, Police Affairs Correspondent

HOSTAGE taking by youth in oil communities is being encouraged by local chiefs and liaison officers of oil companies in the area, the Delta State Police Commissioner, Mr. Yakubu Mohammed, has said.

Five of such chiefs, according to him, are already in court for alleged conspiracy and abduction while some others are under police surveillance.

The practice, according to him, was becoming rampant because some local chiefs and liaison officers of oil firms are acting as go-betweens for kidnappers and such firms.

We are aware of this trend and have measures to discourage it, Mohammed told The Guardian at the police headquarters, Asaba, at the weekend.

He said the home of a local chief at Oboro was recently raided by police and a foreign national who had been taken as hostage several days was found there. The chief, he said, had earlier approached employers of the hostage to pay a multi-million naira ransom.

Describing the Enere and Oboro communities as flash-points in the abduction of foreign nationals, the Delta State police helmsman accused the liaison officers of colluding with kidnappers to extort money from oil companies.

He said: Liaison officers of these companies convince their executives to pay millions of naira to kidnappers without informing the police. We are aware that only a small percentage of money paid to these liaison officers actually reach the youths who kidnap these expatriates.

By Francis Obinor, Staff Reporter

THE late business mogul and widely acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola yesterday won the Nigerian of the millennium contest organised by Rhythm FM Radio in Lagos.

The contest was fashioned along the recent British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) African of the millennium contest won by the late President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

Named alongside Abiola were the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Lagos lawyer and activist Chief Gani Fawehinmi, former military Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Abiola came top with 94 entries followed by Chief Awolowo with 42 entries and The Guardians man of the year, Gen. Abubakar coming third with 41 entries for being the second ruler after President Obasanjo to return the country to democracy.

Obasanjo had 35 entries while former military Head of State, late Gen. Sani Abacha had three entries.

By Akin Jimoh and Joseph Oji

HEALTH experts, including doctors, have identified the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) as the key to optimum healthcare delivery in the new millennium. Besides, they listed innovative programmes, increased funding and better management as the keys to success of the sector.

For the scheme to succeed and impact positively on health care in the country, the experts, however, called for adequate funding and implementation of the appropriate legislation.

Mr. Bunmi Olaopa, the managing director of GlaxoWellcome, said the take-off of the NHIS is only a first step to ensuring that Nigerians have access to affordable health care with available genuine drugs.

Government, according to him, should increase the level of funding for the sector and pursue programmes that would enhance local manufacture of drugs, especially essential drugs. This, he said, would lead to gainful employment, capacity utilization and development of skills in the sector.

Noting that the pharmaceutical sector is far under-funded, Olaopa called for government subsidy for drugs in the form of tariff-waiver and other incentives that would make drugs affordable.

Particular drugs for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other ethical medication were recommended for subsidy. According to Olaopa, the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a time bomb that needs to be addressed.

Dr. Wole Atoyebi, the secretary-general of the Confederation of African Medical Associations and Societies (CAMAS), hoped the democratic environment would further impact positively on the health sector in the new millennium.

According to him, what has worsened our health care situation in Nigeria has been our political instability. This has indeed impacted negatively on the drive for Health for All by the year 2000.

The national president of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Dominic Osaghae, looked forward to a situation where health indicators like the Infant Mortality Rate, Under five Mortality rate, Maternal Mortality Rate among others would improve tremendously.

He hoped that in the next 10 years, the NHIS would have not only taken off but would be fully consolidated, for a universally available, accessible and affordable health care service in the country.

As a first step to achieving this, he called for a review of the National Policy on Health, fully functional Primary Health Care (PHC) system for preventive health, and NHIS for curative care.

For Dr. Theodora Njoku of Kings Hospital, Ikoyi, there is still a lot to be done. There are still a lot of problems on ground as health is becoming expensive and people result to self medication, she said.

Thursday, 30 December 1999

From Emmanuel Onwubiko, Abuja

A directory of Nigerian scientists and professionals abroad is currently being compiled, with a view to establishing contacts with them. In effect, the government will be able to encourage them return to help rebuild the economy.

Co-operation and Integration Minister Prof. Jerry Gana who disclosed this yesterday, said the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other affiliated agencies of the world body had already agreed to help in achieving the objective.

Represented by his Chief Press Secretary Sam Nwaobas, he noted that: The ministry ... is leading the governments efforts aimed at strengthening co-operation and economic integration in Africa.

Part of the strategies, he said, is establishing strategic partnerships with some African countries among which are South Africa and Ghana, adding that discussion was going on with other countries.

Disclosing that President Olusegun Obasanjo had approved the establishment of a Nigerian Technical Cooperation Fund to ensure the success of the Scientific and Technological Exchange Programme (STEP), Gana said the Fund would provide financial support and incentives to Nigerian participants.

He dismissed reports, that the government planned to force Nigerian experts back home, saying it was hopeful of the cooperation of its citizens in rebuilding the nation. The directory is, therefore, one of the programmes to reach out to the people, he added.

By Francis Obinor, Foreign Affairs Reporter

LAST weeks restoration of airlink between Nigeria and the United States is a testimony to the leadership qualities of President Olusegun Obasanjo, an American government official said yesterday.

US State Department deputy spokesman James Foley in a statement said but for Nigerias new leader, the feat would have been impossible.

He said: This achievement is a tribute to President Olusegun Obasanjo's leadership and to the hardwork of Nigerian and U.S government agencies.

The airlink was severed by U.S on the heels of the annulment of the presidential election in1993, attributing the decision to insecurity of facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport MMIA.

Several entreaties by Nigeria to have the link restored were however rebuffed until December 22, when U.S Department of Transportation DOT Secretary Rodney Slater announced his government's change of heart.

Foley praised Obasanjo for his relentless effort, saying the achievement capped on long-term effort by the Departments of State and Transportation and the Federal Airport Authority to work with Nigerian authorities to identify and take every necessary step to meet internationally accepted standards for airport security.

He said with the restoration, the certification would now make it possible for airlines that meet International Civil Aviation Organizational ICAO standards to fly directly between American airports and the MMIA.

By Clifford Ndujihe, Staff Reporter

INTERNAL Affairs Minister, Chief Sunday Afolabi has dismissed the apprehension over the proposed fuel price deregulation, saying the policy would improve the lot of the people in the long run.

He attributed previous hardship after fuel price increase to improper deregulation, the unique feature of the new deregulation method is that petroleum prices wont be the same all over the place.

Condemning previous attempts at fuel prices deregulation, the minister who spoke at the weekend, at Ada, Osun State during the 60th birthday of Dr. Tunde Ponle, Chairman Miccoms Engineering and the 20th year anniversary of Miccoms involvement in community development, said they did not do proper deregulation. They just increased prices of petroleum products. This is a different method and you are going to see what will happen.

He spoke just as the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) said it would seek divine intervention to get the federal government change its proposed fuel deregulation policy.

Mr. Dayo Adejuwon, the General Secretary of NANS, Zone D, while addressing a news conference in Lagos on Tuesday said Nigerians were subjected to untold hardships under the various military administrations, adding that the proposed increase is another indication of oppression and could worsen the plights of Nigerians, majority of who are wallowing in poverty.

Adejuwon claimed that the planned deregulation was at the instance of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), noting that it would add to the woes, agony, poverty and miseries of Nigerians who voted the current government into power.

According to him, the youths will be the worst hit and, therefore, called on them not to fold their hands and watch their future destroyed.

We, the students and other youths, must seek divine assistance from the almighty God to protect us against the powers that be, he said.