holder is set to launch her own reality TV show,
it’s a dance reality show, watch out and it’ll
soon hit the show biz world.
perfect money
perfect money perfect for business
Dance Queen Kaffy Set to launch own dance reality TV show
The Guinness book of record long dance record
holder is set to launch her own reality TV show,
it’s a dance reality show, watch out and it’ll
soon hit the show biz world.
holder is set to launch her own reality TV show,
it’s a dance reality show, watch out and it’ll
soon hit the show biz world.
One Missing Hero at the National Honour Awards
After several telephone calls to a ‘national hero’ hiding from our eyes, Dele Ogbodo got a riveting story of an Abuja based cab man who returned 18 million naira to the foreigners who forgot the huge sum in his car A dry and dusty road, decrepited house; cracked walls that play host to lizards all day long and squashy doors, his house is not hard to locate inside the community. In the house, free flowing mosquitoes takes turn to sing their songs, the rubber chairs are ancient; the small TV set on a makeshift Television stand in a distance far from the rubber chair is like an old man with empty eyes staring out at the street. But, a Hero lives here. On Monday when national honours were handed out by president Goodluck Jonathan to deserving Nigeria, Mr. Imeh Usuah, a cab driver popularly known and called Jaja, who returned the sum of N18 million to the owners in Abuja was not on the roll of honour. “I was not nominated, I was not invited and I don’t even know those who are there”, Jaja said betraying no emotion. With a mixture of Pidgin and vernacular, Jaja told his story, “It was one morning by 5.30 AM, in November, 2007, when British Airways (BA), landed at the international wing of the airport in Abuja. As usual, I positioned myself from metres from the arrival wing waiting for passengers to come out so that I can get my customers and take them where ever they want to go in town. In my waiting position I saw these two white men who came with the BA aircraft and who were obviously tired from their look beckoned on me requesting for a drop at the Hilton Transcorp hotel in Maitama area in Abuja. I didn’t waste minute as I immediately loaded their bags in the cab and the remaining neatly arranged on the back seat and underneath the seats, and off I headed for the destination. I arrived at the hotel lounge within 45 minutes and dropped them with their luggage. I got paid N, 4000 for my service and I zoomed off, but unknown to both of us there was a bag which contains this huge amount of money left behind tucked away underneath my seat.” And to discover it was there Jaja, says, “I decided to take the cab for washing as my usual practice after the day’s work, and while I was removing the foot mats in a bent down position,
I saw this brown suite case tucked underneath the driver’s seat. Immediately I remember my last assignment and it dawned on me that the last passengers have forgotten the suit. Even though I didn’t open the bag, I sensed at that hour that it must at least contain some valuable
items. My immediately response was to inform our Association chairman at that time, Mr. Alex Ekwueme Udom, telling him that I was returning bag to the owners. By the time I met these guys on arrival at the hotel, they were standing at the hotel lobby confused, dejected and frustrated as they could not even recognize me that, I was the cab driver that brought them from the airport, let alone the number of my taxi. But, I could recognise them.” Like a gallant soldier, Jaja said he alighted from the cab grabbing the suite case in his armpit and walk straight to them, pointing to them saying, “Oga oyinbo, this is your bag. “These people could not believe their eyes, their confused state disappeared, and they were so happy that they were virtually on their knees thanking me for the bag. They requested for my GSM numbers and in a twinkle of an eye, I disappeared from the scene.” He quipped. It was after sometime that the Abuja Leasing Company called our association that a report got to them of somebody who returned the sum of N18, 000,000 forgotten in his cab. Honestly that was when I knew that the bag I returned that fatefully day contained that amount of money.” With no immediate gratification on his mind, Jaja marched back into his cab with his shoulder
high. He says, “I did it to let people know, especially the foreigners that Nigerians are good and great people. I can go hungry for days, for as long as my integrity remains, hunger will disappear by itself”. But, five years on, a man who showed foreigners that Nigerians are good and great people lives in squalor on a corner street in one of the satellite towns away from the capital city. The lesson of a good and great Nigeria for the citizens in a man that should be honoured for moral standard and projection of good image of a nation is hiding away from people’s eye. The family of Jaja, resides in flat 1, block 11 in the 1000 units poorly constructed housing estate built for widowers by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in Pegi village. The supposedly low income estate, has become decrepit obviously neglected by the original owners because of its unattractive outlook. The sparsely populated estate is on the outskirt of Abuja city, about an hour’s drive from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), where Usuah ekes a living driving one of the airport cabs. Jaja, a father of 6 and a native of Ubokudom in Akwa Ibom State is however is contented on this trade for the past 10 years running, after retiring from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc as a foreman. Jaja’s story is perhaps etched in history of a prophet without honour. But, his audacity of hope, integrity and honesty will change the perception and stereotypes about who Nigerians are. For instance, The Economist edition of August 7th-13th 2004, on page 34 in an titled article, ‘Reforming the nearly Unreformable’ with the rider, ‘Abuja, Vicious Circles in which virtue cannot be easily rewarded,’ made all wrong impressions about characters that made a Nigerian, but Jaja proved all that wrong. Five years after that publication on Nigeria, Jaja was rewarded with N30, 000 and a plaque by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) without any splendor of the event to send messages across the world and in Nigeria that Nigerians are indeed great and good people in the word Jaja used to described the reason that made him returned the money the whooping sum equivalent of N18, 000,000 to 2 British citizens who forgot their suite case in his car. According to the Director General of NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri, Jaja’s honesty in these clime shows that the country is not irredeemable and that virtues can be rewarded. In an interview with this reporter in his 2 bedroom apartment, in Pegi village otherwise called Abuja at 30, a drive of about 50 minutes from the FCT. Jaja told THISDAY, his first house , 3 bedroom flat was demolished in April this year by the Department of Development Control in Bassa village a suburb near the airport. On his experience with such huge amount of money found and returned back to the owners Jaja said, “there is no amount of money that I will see in my life again that will make me not to be my normal self”. He recounted an earlier events in his life, “ one incident will forever remain indelible in my life and which I will forever live with its good memory. It was when my dad returned 20 pounds to a man in his village who had hired him to rehabilitate his roof”. Jaja said that the man was so impressed with his father’s honesty he gave largesse of 1 pound to his father. “I was about 10 years old then around 1956, my father who was a builder at that time came home one day rejoicing and in the mood we have never seen before. When we inquired about the cause of the unusual outburst of happiness that we saw radiating from him he told us that
he was given a dash of one pound by an oil merchant who hired him to work on his leaking roof.” So when Jaja discovered the suit case that contained 18 million naira in his cab in 2007, it was just natural to him to give the money back to the owner. “This is one great lessons of life I learnt from my father,” he said. His parents he revealed were strong members of the Qua Iboe Church were strict and God fearing who instilled sound morals and discipline in all the children. In the same 2007, Jaja had returned another man’s expensive Zoom lens Camera. “somebody who was coming from one of the eastern states boarded my cab to a television station in town, no doubt he must be a journalist. Because he was in a hurry, he forgot his very expensive zoom camera, and phone was forgotten in my car. In the morning when I wanted to clean my car I saw these items and took them to the office I dropped him earlier.” He said Confirming this trait in Jaja, his wife who vouched for him, said: “My husband is such a man that can never take another man’s thing, he usually say what is not yours can never be yours, when I heard that NOA and some other organizations want to reward him I wasn’t surprised.” Corroborating Jaja’ wife, the present Chairman of the Airport cab hire services Association, Mr. Jibo Ebiloma, said “We are indeed happy over the feat and boldness demonstrated by Jaja and we on our own have been using him as a role model here.” Ebiloma conducted THISDAY round the Association’s store house where items that have been forgotten in drivers’ cab were kept, “look at all these items that range from laptop to book, boxes cloths handset that have been returned yet nobody has come to claim them.” Although, Jaja is not a man after gratification, One thing which Jaja will however not forget in a hurry is the way his bedroom apartment was demolished by the Department of Development Control, an agency of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), in Bassa village near the airport. This was an apartment that has once give this unsung hero happiness and now he says, “I am never a happy man seen all my life savings pulled down by same people who failed to give us shelter.”
I saw this brown suite case tucked underneath the driver’s seat. Immediately I remember my last assignment and it dawned on me that the last passengers have forgotten the suit. Even though I didn’t open the bag, I sensed at that hour that it must at least contain some valuable
items. My immediately response was to inform our Association chairman at that time, Mr. Alex Ekwueme Udom, telling him that I was returning bag to the owners. By the time I met these guys on arrival at the hotel, they were standing at the hotel lobby confused, dejected and frustrated as they could not even recognize me that, I was the cab driver that brought them from the airport, let alone the number of my taxi. But, I could recognise them.” Like a gallant soldier, Jaja said he alighted from the cab grabbing the suite case in his armpit and walk straight to them, pointing to them saying, “Oga oyinbo, this is your bag. “These people could not believe their eyes, their confused state disappeared, and they were so happy that they were virtually on their knees thanking me for the bag. They requested for my GSM numbers and in a twinkle of an eye, I disappeared from the scene.” He quipped. It was after sometime that the Abuja Leasing Company called our association that a report got to them of somebody who returned the sum of N18, 000,000 forgotten in his cab. Honestly that was when I knew that the bag I returned that fatefully day contained that amount of money.” With no immediate gratification on his mind, Jaja marched back into his cab with his shoulder
high. He says, “I did it to let people know, especially the foreigners that Nigerians are good and great people. I can go hungry for days, for as long as my integrity remains, hunger will disappear by itself”. But, five years on, a man who showed foreigners that Nigerians are good and great people lives in squalor on a corner street in one of the satellite towns away from the capital city. The lesson of a good and great Nigeria for the citizens in a man that should be honoured for moral standard and projection of good image of a nation is hiding away from people’s eye. The family of Jaja, resides in flat 1, block 11 in the 1000 units poorly constructed housing estate built for widowers by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in Pegi village. The supposedly low income estate, has become decrepit obviously neglected by the original owners because of its unattractive outlook. The sparsely populated estate is on the outskirt of Abuja city, about an hour’s drive from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), where Usuah ekes a living driving one of the airport cabs. Jaja, a father of 6 and a native of Ubokudom in Akwa Ibom State is however is contented on this trade for the past 10 years running, after retiring from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc as a foreman. Jaja’s story is perhaps etched in history of a prophet without honour. But, his audacity of hope, integrity and honesty will change the perception and stereotypes about who Nigerians are. For instance, The Economist edition of August 7th-13th 2004, on page 34 in an titled article, ‘Reforming the nearly Unreformable’ with the rider, ‘Abuja, Vicious Circles in which virtue cannot be easily rewarded,’ made all wrong impressions about characters that made a Nigerian, but Jaja proved all that wrong. Five years after that publication on Nigeria, Jaja was rewarded with N30, 000 and a plaque by the National Orientation Agency (NOA) without any splendor of the event to send messages across the world and in Nigeria that Nigerians are indeed great and good people in the word Jaja used to described the reason that made him returned the money the whooping sum equivalent of N18, 000,000 to 2 British citizens who forgot their suite case in his car. According to the Director General of NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri, Jaja’s honesty in these clime shows that the country is not irredeemable and that virtues can be rewarded. In an interview with this reporter in his 2 bedroom apartment, in Pegi village otherwise called Abuja at 30, a drive of about 50 minutes from the FCT. Jaja told THISDAY, his first house , 3 bedroom flat was demolished in April this year by the Department of Development Control in Bassa village a suburb near the airport. On his experience with such huge amount of money found and returned back to the owners Jaja said, “there is no amount of money that I will see in my life again that will make me not to be my normal self”. He recounted an earlier events in his life, “ one incident will forever remain indelible in my life and which I will forever live with its good memory. It was when my dad returned 20 pounds to a man in his village who had hired him to rehabilitate his roof”. Jaja said that the man was so impressed with his father’s honesty he gave largesse of 1 pound to his father. “I was about 10 years old then around 1956, my father who was a builder at that time came home one day rejoicing and in the mood we have never seen before. When we inquired about the cause of the unusual outburst of happiness that we saw radiating from him he told us that
he was given a dash of one pound by an oil merchant who hired him to work on his leaking roof.” So when Jaja discovered the suit case that contained 18 million naira in his cab in 2007, it was just natural to him to give the money back to the owner. “This is one great lessons of life I learnt from my father,” he said. His parents he revealed were strong members of the Qua Iboe Church were strict and God fearing who instilled sound morals and discipline in all the children. In the same 2007, Jaja had returned another man’s expensive Zoom lens Camera. “somebody who was coming from one of the eastern states boarded my cab to a television station in town, no doubt he must be a journalist. Because he was in a hurry, he forgot his very expensive zoom camera, and phone was forgotten in my car. In the morning when I wanted to clean my car I saw these items and took them to the office I dropped him earlier.” He said Confirming this trait in Jaja, his wife who vouched for him, said: “My husband is such a man that can never take another man’s thing, he usually say what is not yours can never be yours, when I heard that NOA and some other organizations want to reward him I wasn’t surprised.” Corroborating Jaja’ wife, the present Chairman of the Airport cab hire services Association, Mr. Jibo Ebiloma, said “We are indeed happy over the feat and boldness demonstrated by Jaja and we on our own have been using him as a role model here.” Ebiloma conducted THISDAY round the Association’s store house where items that have been forgotten in drivers’ cab were kept, “look at all these items that range from laptop to book, boxes cloths handset that have been returned yet nobody has come to claim them.” Although, Jaja is not a man after gratification, One thing which Jaja will however not forget in a hurry is the way his bedroom apartment was demolished by the Department of Development Control, an agency of Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), in Bassa village near the airport. This was an apartment that has once give this unsung hero happiness and now he says, “I am never a happy man seen all my life savings pulled down by same people who failed to give us shelter.”
14 year old Girl Strangles Her Newborn Baby, Hides His Body In Shoe Box & Dumps It Inside
A pregnant fourteen-year-old girl secretly
delivered her baby with a pair of scissors in the
family bathroom before throttling the boy to
death and hiding the body in a shoe box. Cassidy Goodison, 14, has been charged as an
adult with first degree murder after police
learned how she killed her child following
months of fearfully disguising her pregnancy
from her mother and father. Her harrowing case has shocked even
experienced officers and graphically illustrates
the problems of the 750,000 teenage Americans
who fall pregnant every year. Goodison went into labor in her home in
Greenbrier Village, Florida on September 19 and
instead of calling for help, disguised her
screams of pain by running the tap and gripping
a towel between her teeth as she sat on the
toilet. After prising the 9.5lb boy form her body with a
pair of scissors, she felt for a pulse and then
strangled the boy to death and hid his corpse in
a shoe box with dirty laundry. Three days later, as Teresa Goodson cleaned
her daughter’s room, a foul odour drew her
attention to a pile of soiled, wet clothes in which
she found the deceased infant hidden in a box. An autopsy performed determined the victim
was a full term infant and that he was alive and
breathing prior to death. He died as a result of
asphyxia from strangulation and blunt force
trauma. Miss Goodson had gone to great lengths to hide
the transformation of her 5ft 3in 100lb body
during pregnancy, according to Polk County
officials. Throughout the summer, as she walked around
in baggy sweat pant and loose-fitting T-shirts. Members of her family grew suspicious of her
appearance and attempted to discuss the
possibility she was pregnant with the teen’s
mother. But Mrs Goodson denied the suggestions, said
the report, claiming that she had made her
daughter do two home tests, albeit in the
privacy of her bathroom, which both came out
negative. Husband Timothy Goodson agreed meanwhile
that he had noticed Miss Goodson’s weight gain
and that she had been walking around at home
wrapped in a blanket. An interview with the teenager on September 22
revealed that after the 14-year-old had delivered
the 9.5lb, 20.4in boy into the toilet, she had felt
for a pulse and then strangled him to death. Confirming he was dead by once again checking
his pulse, she then cleaned herself and the
baby and tucked the evidence out of sight. Shortly after, however, Mrs Goodson noticed
blood in the toilet she knew had been recently
used by her daughter so took her to Lakeland
Regional Medical Center. There medical staff treating the high school
student told Mrs Goodson that she had suffered
a miscarriage and showed four to five
lacerations on her v*g*nal wall. Though these injuries were in reality self-
inflicted when the teenager had pried the baby
out of her with a pair of scissors, she falsely
confessed to her mother that she had indeed
had a miscarriage at home and flushed the fetus
down the toilet by mistake. Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies, along
with members of the Department of Children and
Families responded to a call from the hospital
reporting the case and details were retained by
the PCSO Bureau of Criminal Investigations for
follow up investigations. According to the Sheriff’s Office affidavit, on the
evening of September 22, at approximately
7.30pm, Mrs Goodson removed a bag of smelly,
wet clothing from a storage stool in her
daughter’s bedroom. While sorting through the clothing she found the
body of the baby concealed in the shoe box. In a panic, Mrs Goodson called her sisters who
in turn alerted the police. Miss Goodson told detectives she was
motivated to hide her pregnancy and choke the
baby ‘to stop him from breathing,’ by the fear
that her relationship with her parents would
change if they found out the truth. Miss Goodson was arrested on Thursday and
transported first to the Juvenile Assessment
Center and then to the Polk County Juvenile
Detention Facility. She is charged with Premeditated First Degree
Murder, a capital felony and Aggravated Child
Abuse, a first degree felony. Polk County Public Information officer, Donna
Wood, told MailOnline: This is the most
perplexing, confusing, disheartening case I’ve
ever seen in my 18 years on this job. Everyone
has been touched by it.’
delivered her baby with a pair of scissors in the
family bathroom before throttling the boy to
death and hiding the body in a shoe box. Cassidy Goodison, 14, has been charged as an
adult with first degree murder after police
learned how she killed her child following
months of fearfully disguising her pregnancy
from her mother and father. Her harrowing case has shocked even
experienced officers and graphically illustrates
the problems of the 750,000 teenage Americans
who fall pregnant every year. Goodison went into labor in her home in
Greenbrier Village, Florida on September 19 and
instead of calling for help, disguised her
screams of pain by running the tap and gripping
a towel between her teeth as she sat on the
toilet. After prising the 9.5lb boy form her body with a
pair of scissors, she felt for a pulse and then
strangled the boy to death and hid his corpse in
a shoe box with dirty laundry. Three days later, as Teresa Goodson cleaned
her daughter’s room, a foul odour drew her
attention to a pile of soiled, wet clothes in which
she found the deceased infant hidden in a box. An autopsy performed determined the victim
was a full term infant and that he was alive and
breathing prior to death. He died as a result of
asphyxia from strangulation and blunt force
trauma. Miss Goodson had gone to great lengths to hide
the transformation of her 5ft 3in 100lb body
during pregnancy, according to Polk County
officials. Throughout the summer, as she walked around
in baggy sweat pant and loose-fitting T-shirts. Members of her family grew suspicious of her
appearance and attempted to discuss the
possibility she was pregnant with the teen’s
mother. But Mrs Goodson denied the suggestions, said
the report, claiming that she had made her
daughter do two home tests, albeit in the
privacy of her bathroom, which both came out
negative. Husband Timothy Goodson agreed meanwhile
that he had noticed Miss Goodson’s weight gain
and that she had been walking around at home
wrapped in a blanket. An interview with the teenager on September 22
revealed that after the 14-year-old had delivered
the 9.5lb, 20.4in boy into the toilet, she had felt
for a pulse and then strangled him to death. Confirming he was dead by once again checking
his pulse, she then cleaned herself and the
baby and tucked the evidence out of sight. Shortly after, however, Mrs Goodson noticed
blood in the toilet she knew had been recently
used by her daughter so took her to Lakeland
Regional Medical Center. There medical staff treating the high school
student told Mrs Goodson that she had suffered
a miscarriage and showed four to five
lacerations on her v*g*nal wall. Though these injuries were in reality self-
inflicted when the teenager had pried the baby
out of her with a pair of scissors, she falsely
confessed to her mother that she had indeed
had a miscarriage at home and flushed the fetus
down the toilet by mistake. Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies, along
with members of the Department of Children and
Families responded to a call from the hospital
reporting the case and details were retained by
the PCSO Bureau of Criminal Investigations for
follow up investigations. According to the Sheriff’s Office affidavit, on the
evening of September 22, at approximately
7.30pm, Mrs Goodson removed a bag of smelly,
wet clothing from a storage stool in her
daughter’s bedroom. While sorting through the clothing she found the
body of the baby concealed in the shoe box. In a panic, Mrs Goodson called her sisters who
in turn alerted the police. Miss Goodson told detectives she was
motivated to hide her pregnancy and choke the
baby ‘to stop him from breathing,’ by the fear
that her relationship with her parents would
change if they found out the truth. Miss Goodson was arrested on Thursday and
transported first to the Juvenile Assessment
Center and then to the Polk County Juvenile
Detention Facility. She is charged with Premeditated First Degree
Murder, a capital felony and Aggravated Child
Abuse, a first degree felony. Polk County Public Information officer, Donna
Wood, told MailOnline: This is the most
perplexing, confusing, disheartening case I’ve
ever seen in my 18 years on this job. Everyone
has been touched by it.’
Church Gives Ministers Car Gifts
For 14 district overseers at Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, August 23 will forever be remembered. It was the day the church rewarded their services to God as well as contributions to the spiritual development of people through the presentation of 14 cars. The gifts were aimed at encouraging them and as well complement their ministry assignments. The beneficiaries were Rev James Jacob (Minna District), Rev Julius Adamu (Lokoja District), Rev David Adetomiwa (Markudi District), Rev Israel Mark (Owerri District), Rev Jeremiah Oyegoke (Oyo Missionary District), Rev Jonah Mato (Yola Missionary District), Rev Zakwot Amos (Maiduguri Missionary District) and Pastor Joshua Rikoto (Birni Kebbi Missionary District). Others were Rev Clement (Okitipupa Missionary District), Rev Francis Umaefulam (Aba Missionary District), Rev Benson Celestine (Asaba Missionary District), Rev Victor Daramola (Bauchi Missionary District), Rev Victor Akinsuroju (Kano Missionary District) and Rev Kola Olajumoke (Kaduna Missionary District). Speaking during the presentation which took place at the national office annex of the church in Idimu, Lagos, General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev. Felix Meduoye, who was represented by the National Secretary of the Church, Rev. Ikechukwu Ugbaja, said the cars were given to the pastors for the pursuit of mission and evangelism projects with a view to enabling them carry out their assignments effectively. He disclosed that whereas there are about 70 districts of the church led by 70 district overseers, the group of 14 is the first to be given such gifts. “This is part of the mission in the agenda of the general overseer - the mission and evangelism is the first one; the second is mission with the evangelism and the third is the vision and the evangelism”, he said. Meduoye said further that, “Those that benefited in this programme are people from the North. We drill boreholes for them because there is no water there. The only stream water there is being shared with cows. To avoid contamination, we provide water which they call water of life.” Also speaking at the occasion, Director of Mission and Evangelism, Rev. Oluwasina David, described the move as an effort to boost the overseers’ efforts to carry out their assignments on the field, saying though they had been doing it very well without the cars, the church had only opted to empower them with the cars with a view to making them more effective and productive in their mission to win more souls for Christ. One of the beneficiaries, Rev James Jacob, said: “I want to use this opportunity to thank God for using me to touch the lives of people. I appreciate the leadership of the General Overseer for his good work to encourage us.”
The Lives of Lekki Wives
Just when we thought we couldn’t swallow all the drama, bitterness, pettiness that The Desperate Housewives series brings to our screen, Nigerians are about to get a real dose of our kind of wives in this part of the globe. Lekki Wives is about to hit our local screen. The series will reveal in a reality style manner, true life situations behind closed doors of five wives. Amongst the women are: The rich and domineering Miranda, played by Adaora Ukoh; Lovette (Kiki Omeili) the carefree housewife who flees her poor home for greener pastures; the wannabe, Uju (Catherine Obiang); Peace (Keira Hewatch) the ex-prostitute, and Cleo the trophy wife. Different homes, diverse experience, one location. My biggest worry would be the interpretation of the roles. If they can pull it off nicely without the seeming effort to act the part then, may be, it will be worth our while. And can I suggest that it airs on terrestrial TV (along with the need to be on satellite station)? Heaven knows we need something to revive that environment. Lekki Wives is written, produced and directed by Blessing Egbe. You must hand it to her, she keeps trying to create a different and more appealing genre from the usual.
karen Igho Eyes Acting
Following appearances in Blackberry Babes 2 and Heavy Beauty, Big Brother Africa winner Karen Igho wants to take her acting career to another level. Her love for the tube has never been a hidden affair. After first hitting the limelight in the Sola Fajobi produced reality show, Next Movie Star, her acting inclinations came in handy in the Big Brother Africa house where she outshone 24 other contestants to win the highly coveted USD 200, 000. Karen Igho is presently working on movie that will further help establish her mark in the industry. The flick which might hit the stands in the first quarter of next year has a notable cast and respected crew members on set. This effort goes in sync with her charity efforts that encompass a range of humanitarian activities. Igho who is also an on air personality on Naija FM finds time to compere events and build her clothing line.
The Joke is on the Nation!
Another show from Julius Agwu in Abuja today marks the completion of a three-continent tour. Adewole Ajao and Adaeze Anaekwe spoke to the comedian recently The relief on Julius Agwu’s face was mixed with some fatigue. A month of travelling across notable cities in Europe and North America with other comedians for shows was not a tea party, he revealed. The pains did have immense gains. Endless planning had crystallised into a first show in Glasgow, Scotland for his Crack Ya Ribs brand. There was also a London appearance that gave way to performances in New York, Dallas and Houston. At some point, Ghanaian comedians were also involved in a three-continent road show that has its African leg coming up in Abuja today. This FCT edition of Crack Ya Ribs holds at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel. “Most of the shows we do abroad are not done because of money,” Agwu revealed with his usual sense of humour. “If it has to do with that, we will make more back here. We just do shows to bridge the fan base. When I started doing this, I took it upon myself to play my role as an ambassador who is part of the Nigerian project, and it is my own little way of adding to it. We will use entertainment as a vehicle.” Today’s event will be followed by another edition of Laff for Christ’s Sake, Crack Ya Ribs Port Harcourt and a Lagos show. These annual performances continue his drive to stamp his presence in entertainment circles as an entertainer of repute. He is not alone on stage though. After his Okombo style gave way to musicomedy (a fusion of music and comedy), a current trend is Agwu’s leg up for upcoming comedians. For him, this sustained practice is not a distraction. “The roll call is too long,” he said concerning comedians he has mentored. “The music thing is still there and there was some challenge so we had to repackage it. We are repackaging the last album as the Genius Reloaded. After that I will release another one.” His TV show is also poised for its first season. After spending so much to put a studio up to standard in Lagos, a dearth of required experience meant he had to train capable hands to man the equipment. This has not stalled the business side of things for the Surulere venue with Agwu spreading his tentacles to other sides of the studio business. “After we opened, we had an audition but discovered the standard was too high for most of the young producers. So we are training a few people who will use it. However, it is still open for business.” His brands have definitely kept him busy, but against popular views, he still accepts calls to perform at private and public functions. After working so hard to get where he is, Agwu said the job still comes with the usual apprehension from prospective clients and some weird offers from fans. “For instance, I could be walking on the street and people [would] start laughing. So I should be able to hand them an invoice,” quipped the comedian. Society also continues to be the fount of his inspiration and he said the London Olympics had fed his inspiration immensely after the able-bodied Nigerian team was outshone by the Paralympics team. “Around Stadium Road (Western Avenue), it takes a disabled person to bring peace to the chaos there,” he argued. “We had able-bodied men and women at the Olympics coming back without a medal but the Paralympians came back with gold. It means the problem of this country is heavy and we are all disabled in this country.” To this end, he said today’s show, which heralds the independence celebrations, will have jokes addressing the numerous issues that have bedevilled the country for the past decades. “Nigeria is going to be 52 and I want to see if I can do 52 jokes on the problems of the country. I try to be as didactic as possible with my jokes.
New Postal Policy Awaits FEC Approval
The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has concluded plans to embark on a comprehensive reform of the postal sector. It was gathered that the new postal sector policy reform would ensure the separation of the roles of policy making from sector regulation and operations. The Director-General, BPE, Bolanle Onagoruwa, who gave this hint last week, said the new policy has been approved by the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) and currently awaiting the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC). According to Onagoruwa, who was represented at the Fourth Bowill Errands public lecture held in Lagos by the Director, Information and Communication, Mr. Allwell Ibeh, the postal sector is a critical part of the country’s information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure and crucial in the new economy. She added that the declining mail volumes and increasing competition from private sector operators have rendered core postal services financially unsustainable. She disclosed that the reform encompasses policy review and formulation of sector policy, development and adaptation of a new legislative and regulatory framework, and restructuring of Public Postal Operator (NIPOST). “The objectives of the reform are to establish a low cost universal postal service that provides a solid communication medium and link nation-wide; provide a safe and efficient postal service that is sustainable and keeps pace with development in the rest of the world; introduce private sector participation and the development of the postal service into a commercially viable enterprise, and create a convenient means of savings mobilization and payment/funds transfer system for the entire country through the postal network,” she said. Under the reform, the sector regulation is to be undertaken by an independent regulator, there will be designation of NIPOST as the Public Postal Operator while the post office network would be made suitable for the provision of public interests services. She said there would also be establishment of Universal Postal Sector Fund and Universal Postal Services Board that would administer the Universal Postal Sector Fund.
The BPE boss, however, pointed out that NIPOST privatisation is not desirable and feasible in the short run, stressing that corporatisation, commercialisation and public private partnerships (PPP) would by far help NIPOST to achieve economic viability, attract investment and improve corporate governance. “The passage of the Postal Bill, implementation and adoption of the Act and effective and efficient restructuring of NIPOST is the panacea for sustaining the postal sector in Nigeria,” she said.
The BPE boss, however, pointed out that NIPOST privatisation is not desirable and feasible in the short run, stressing that corporatisation, commercialisation and public private partnerships (PPP) would by far help NIPOST to achieve economic viability, attract investment and improve corporate governance. “The passage of the Postal Bill, implementation and adoption of the Act and effective and efficient restructuring of NIPOST is the panacea for sustaining the postal sector in Nigeria,” she said.
7 Arrested as EKSU Students Protest Death of Colleague
By Toba Suleiman Students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU), Ado-Ekiti on Friday went on rampage on the campus during which no fewer than 10 vehicles were burnt, several buildings vandalised and the university’s poultry farm looted. The students were said to be protesting the death of one of their colleagues, who was said to have been knocked down in the previous day by a hit and run driver. Already, seven students of the institution have been apprehended by the police over their alleged involvement in the crisis. According to the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Victor Babayemi, the students were picked up at various locations. He added that efforts were being made to apprehend the run away driver, who actually caused the death. During the violent protest, which was described as most massive and devastating, 3,500 birds, 120 creates of eggs, 25 rabbits, 10 goats and 75 sheep and rams were carted away from the teaching and research farm by the protesting students. Besides, the buildings housing the Faculty of Engineering, Part Time Programme (PTP), O’dua Auditorium, as well as the Information Communication Technology (ICT) were also vandalised. Sources hinted that the students embarked on the protest, shortly after the news filtered into the campus that the victim, BiolaYusuf Teslim, who was also said to be a member of the Eye confraternity, had died, following head injuries sustained after the accident. However, while briefing the press in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Patrick Oladipo Aina, described the damage as colossus, noting that since his assumption of office, he never witnessed such devastating incident.
Jonathan Addresses the Nation
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will address the nation Monday morning as part of the activities marking Nigeria’s 52nd Independence Anniversary. The broadcast, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, will be aired at 7.00 am. All television stations were advised
to hook up to the Nigerian Television Authority for clean feed, while radio stations are to hook up to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. The statement indicated that the President will also watch a ceremonial Change of Guards by
the Nigerian Army Brigade of Guards, at the State House, Abuja. This ceremony will be witnessed by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, former heads of state, members of the diplomatic corps, political leaders, government officials, and other dignitaries. The event will be transmitted live, from 10.00 am, on the NTA and FRCN Networks, and other broadcast stations across the country.
to hook up to the Nigerian Television Authority for clean feed, while radio stations are to hook up to the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria. The statement indicated that the President will also watch a ceremonial Change of Guards by
the Nigerian Army Brigade of Guards, at the State House, Abuja. This ceremony will be witnessed by Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, former heads of state, members of the diplomatic corps, political leaders, government officials, and other dignitaries. The event will be transmitted live, from 10.00 am, on the NTA and FRCN Networks, and other broadcast stations across the country.
Two Killed as Security Agents Raid Boko Haram Hideout in Zaria
Security agencies Sunday recorded yet another major success in the fight against terrorism when they raided a hide out and bomb manufacturing outfit of suspected Boko Haram members in Gaskiya Lay-Out area of Zaria, Kaduna State. Two of the sect members were said to have been killed in the explosion that occurred during the raid while others were arrested with several weapons and vehicles recovered. A joint military, police and SSS team was said to have stormed a house located at the Gaskiya Lay -Out around 2 am on Sunday following information that the house was a hideout and a bomb manufacturing based for the members of the dreaded Islamic sect. Guns, bomb making equipment and some vehicles were said to have been recovered during the operation. Sources said the area was condoned off by armed soldiers and police and no one was allow into or out of the Gaskiya area. Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Mr. Adefemi Adenaike, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with THISDAY in Kaduna, said there was no problem as the situation was under control. He explained that “It is a joint military, police and SSS operation that we started on Thursday. Some suspected members were traced to that area and we discovered that they are manufacturing Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) there. So we eventually stormed the place this morning (Sunday) at about 2am and that was the cause of the explosion. “Some guns, vehicles and IED making materials were recovered. I can’t give you any number now because I want them to be brought to Kaduna. But there is no cause for alarm. They died, we are ok. The uniformed services are ok, but they (suspects) died.”
Shamed in Saudi
•Untold story of 3 ugly days in Medina
•The Shahra Mansour Quarters angle From DESMOND MGBOH, Kano The huge airbus finally taxied to a stop at the other end of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport,
Kano, on Wednesday, throwing up a whirlwind in its trail and ending weeks of anxiety of its occupants. Inside the plane, owned by Max Air, hundreds of distraught female pilgrims from different states of the
Northern part of the country heaved a sigh of relief and offered prayers to Allah that they were home at
last. The pilgrims, young and old, strong and weak, had unpleasant stories to tell about their sojourn to Saudi
Arabia, where their dream to perform this year’s hajj was aborted by Saudi authorities’ stance that women
should be accompanied by their chaperones (Muhram). Indeed, as the women disembarked from the airbus with their respective dark green luggage at about
5.30pm, they were a sharp and tragic contrast from the joyous contingent that left the country a few days
ago. Apparently humbled by cold, hunger and disappointment, they wobbled as they went through Immigration
procedures. When they eventually embraced the open air, some shed tears of joy while some cried and
cursed as they departed for their respective homes that Wednesday night. Unlike them, about a hundred more stayed back inside the Max Air plane and were later flown to their
home state, Katsina. But that was not the end. Ever since, batches of gloomy pilgrims, overwhelmed with
pains of unfulfilled dreams are dispatched from Saudi every day. But unlike those who returned Wednesday, the authorities have elected to fly in most of the pilgrims
secretly, preferably under the cover of the night to reduce their exposure to public glare. That was exactly what happened on Thursday in Kano when a large contingent of detained Nigeria female
pilgrims, about 511 in all, landed at Makia. These were mostly female pilgrims from Kano, Jigawa and
Katsina States. A few of them were from Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto States. Another batch of 502
pilgrims arrived Makia at about 2am on Friday even as more were being expected as at press time. Many of these distraught mothers, it was gathered, had no money or relatives resident in Kano. They may
have to be transported to their respective homes by the Kano state government or their home
governments. Experience Accounts of the tragic experience by these pilgrims were similar. It was reported that about 1000 were
stranded at a facility in King Abdulazeez International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A few others whose plane had landed at the Prince Muhammad Ibn Abdulazeez International Airport,
Medina, which was said to be a smaller airport, were not even allowed to disembark from their planes.
They were simply flown back by the planes that brought them soon after it was established that they were
unqualified for entry into the country. On arrival at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, some of the women had to cover their faces
with their clothes as they sauntered into the waiting buses. But a few of the pilgrims, despite official
disapproval at the airport, volunteered to speak to the media. In all, they chorused the same sad song. They lamented that it was a shocking, painful and dehumanizing
experience as they suffered untold hardship in the hands of their religious hosts whom they least expected
would visit them with this kind of treatment. According to Hajia Aisha Ibrahim Mohammed from Taraba State, they spent three ugly days held in
custody in Medina, Saudi Arabia, adding that they starved for the whole of the period. She lamented: “It was very, very cold out there. We were kept at a place all this while and denied entry
into Saudi Arabia. We were hungry; we did not eat anything I tell you, not even tea. They were that wicked.
It was a very difficult experience for all of us. We even asked for our passports but they refused to give
them to us.” But Hajia Aisha added that she had taken everything in her stride. She hoped to perform her hajj when
another opportunity offers itself or as soon as the contending issues were resolved by the Nigerian and
Saudi Arabian authorities. She prayed that it should be soon. Hajia Medinatu Jalingo wept openly and felt cheated by fate as she gave account of her experience. She
expressed disgust at the treatment that was meted to them adding that at some point, “we shouted,
screamed and we were about to protest, but they sent their officers after us. We truly wanted to protest,
but their immigration people were there”. Alhaji Mustapha Abdullahi had a different experience. He is the husband of one of the deportees and was
at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport to pick his wife. Later, he was informed that the pilgrims
from Katsina State were being flown home by the airline and would no longer disembark in Kano. That
prolonged his devastation because all he wanted was to take his family out of their precarious fate. He told Sunday Sun that he saw off his family barely 24 hours ago, adding that they departed the country
by about 2.17pm the previous day. He said that he was surprised when he was communicated by phone
that the pilgrims were scheduled to come back home, due their inability to enter Saudi Arabia. He recalled that on receipt of the news including the time of their arrival, he drove to Kano to pick them
home. He expressed sadness over the controversy and the cost implications materially and
psychologically, adding that the matter could have been handled better by the authorities. Issues But why were Nigerian female pilgrims denied entry into Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s hajj? Sunday
Sun was told that those who were deported fell short of the immigration laws of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, as there were Nigerian female pilgrims who were not barred by the Saudi Arabian authorities. The issue in contention was the policy of Muharram (guardian). It requires that a female pilgrim must be
accompanied by a guardian or chaperon. The conflict arose when the names in the passports of some of
the female pilgrims did not correspond with the names of their guardians. It was gathered that the policy was not exactly new. A Muslim scholar who did not want his name in print,
noted that the policy had been in existence since the eighties and beyond, adding, “what is obvious is that
they (Saudi Government) decided to be strict on its implementation this year compared to the previous
years”. There are debates about the policy itself. Not all Nigerian Muslims concede to the idea of its strict
application. It was gathered that the differing positions regarding the extent to which the policy should be
applied followed the interpretation of two prominent schools of thought in Islam, mainly the Maliki and the
Hunbali schools. While most Muslims in Nigeria and in most of the West African countries are of the Makili school, the
Saudis are mainly of the Hunbali school which places stronger emphasis on the use of Muhram (guardian)
for female travelers. It is said that the Maliki school agrees that women should travel accompanied by their guardian but they
accept a waiver that where and when such a woman is traveling as a group or in a company such as a
caravan or a contingent, a leader of the whole group could stand as a guardian of all. Indeed, it was in the light of this background that the leaders of the various states’ Pilgrims Welfare Board
or their nominees were assumed to be the guardians of the unaccompanied female pilgrims. It was not clear why the Saudi authorities decided to scale up the entry requirements this year. It could as
well be for purely religious purposes. However, there are those who were convinced that the strict
application of the policy this year might be linked to other variables. These Muslims were quick to remember that not too long ago, the Saudi authorities came up with a policy
encouraging pilgrims who had performed the pilgrimage before, to tarry for five years before embarking on
another pilgrimage. They held that it could be part of the moves to scale down the size of the ever-growing
Nigerian contingent. Some respondents also alluded to instances of Nigerian female pilgrims who found their way around
immigration regulations, and decided to stay back in Saudi to eke a living after their pilgrimage was over.
The source pointed that in areas such as Shahra Mansour Quarters, one finds a good population of female
Nigerians resident or working there. This could be the reason the Saudis insisted on a male chaperon. Reactions It is generally believed that the topic will dominate the Friday sermons in the North. But in the interim,
some of the Muslim faithful who spoke to Sunday Sun in Kano under the condition of anonymity,
condemned the posture of the Saudi Arabian authorities and suggested that the Federal Government
should review the entire hajj exercise for the better. Executive Secretary, Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Laminu Rabiu, who was at the airport to
receive the returnees on Wednesday, condemned the hard stance of the Saudi authorities on the issue of
the use of a chaperon and felt that the case of the affected Nigerian female pilgrims ought to have been
reconsidered given that they were women and mothers and were in the country for a religious duty. Also speaking, Muhammad Zikrullah Ado, the Secretary of the Writers Forum of the Muslim Students
Society, Bayero University Kano, felt that, “If the Saudi Government thinks that this is what is right for
them to do, because of the challenges they face with the Nigerian pilgrims, then I think that there is no
problem. My only suggestion is that they should have announced it, made it clearly known to us, so that
intending pilgrims will know what to expect.” While pointing out that he was not an Islamic scholar yet, he agreed that the denial of entry to Nigerian
female pilgrims was unfair to the country and to the affected pilgrims. He appealed to the authorities in Saudi to allow the pilgrims that were already in the Holy land to complete
the hajj. He declared that if the Saudi authorities felt that the failure to be accompanied by Muharram (guardian) was
wrong, then it is wrong, adding that, “Anyway, my stand is going to be in support of whatever Islamic
scholars say on this issue. What the scholars say on this issue is going to be my stand”, he concluded.
•The Shahra Mansour Quarters angle From DESMOND MGBOH, Kano The huge airbus finally taxied to a stop at the other end of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport,
Kano, on Wednesday, throwing up a whirlwind in its trail and ending weeks of anxiety of its occupants. Inside the plane, owned by Max Air, hundreds of distraught female pilgrims from different states of the
Northern part of the country heaved a sigh of relief and offered prayers to Allah that they were home at
last. The pilgrims, young and old, strong and weak, had unpleasant stories to tell about their sojourn to Saudi
Arabia, where their dream to perform this year’s hajj was aborted by Saudi authorities’ stance that women
should be accompanied by their chaperones (Muhram). Indeed, as the women disembarked from the airbus with their respective dark green luggage at about
5.30pm, they were a sharp and tragic contrast from the joyous contingent that left the country a few days
ago. Apparently humbled by cold, hunger and disappointment, they wobbled as they went through Immigration
procedures. When they eventually embraced the open air, some shed tears of joy while some cried and
cursed as they departed for their respective homes that Wednesday night. Unlike them, about a hundred more stayed back inside the Max Air plane and were later flown to their
home state, Katsina. But that was not the end. Ever since, batches of gloomy pilgrims, overwhelmed with
pains of unfulfilled dreams are dispatched from Saudi every day. But unlike those who returned Wednesday, the authorities have elected to fly in most of the pilgrims
secretly, preferably under the cover of the night to reduce their exposure to public glare. That was exactly what happened on Thursday in Kano when a large contingent of detained Nigeria female
pilgrims, about 511 in all, landed at Makia. These were mostly female pilgrims from Kano, Jigawa and
Katsina States. A few of them were from Zamfara, Kebbi and Sokoto States. Another batch of 502
pilgrims arrived Makia at about 2am on Friday even as more were being expected as at press time. Many of these distraught mothers, it was gathered, had no money or relatives resident in Kano. They may
have to be transported to their respective homes by the Kano state government or their home
governments. Experience Accounts of the tragic experience by these pilgrims were similar. It was reported that about 1000 were
stranded at a facility in King Abdulazeez International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A few others whose plane had landed at the Prince Muhammad Ibn Abdulazeez International Airport,
Medina, which was said to be a smaller airport, were not even allowed to disembark from their planes.
They were simply flown back by the planes that brought them soon after it was established that they were
unqualified for entry into the country. On arrival at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, some of the women had to cover their faces
with their clothes as they sauntered into the waiting buses. But a few of the pilgrims, despite official
disapproval at the airport, volunteered to speak to the media. In all, they chorused the same sad song. They lamented that it was a shocking, painful and dehumanizing
experience as they suffered untold hardship in the hands of their religious hosts whom they least expected
would visit them with this kind of treatment. According to Hajia Aisha Ibrahim Mohammed from Taraba State, they spent three ugly days held in
custody in Medina, Saudi Arabia, adding that they starved for the whole of the period. She lamented: “It was very, very cold out there. We were kept at a place all this while and denied entry
into Saudi Arabia. We were hungry; we did not eat anything I tell you, not even tea. They were that wicked.
It was a very difficult experience for all of us. We even asked for our passports but they refused to give
them to us.” But Hajia Aisha added that she had taken everything in her stride. She hoped to perform her hajj when
another opportunity offers itself or as soon as the contending issues were resolved by the Nigerian and
Saudi Arabian authorities. She prayed that it should be soon. Hajia Medinatu Jalingo wept openly and felt cheated by fate as she gave account of her experience. She
expressed disgust at the treatment that was meted to them adding that at some point, “we shouted,
screamed and we were about to protest, but they sent their officers after us. We truly wanted to protest,
but their immigration people were there”. Alhaji Mustapha Abdullahi had a different experience. He is the husband of one of the deportees and was
at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport to pick his wife. Later, he was informed that the pilgrims
from Katsina State were being flown home by the airline and would no longer disembark in Kano. That
prolonged his devastation because all he wanted was to take his family out of their precarious fate. He told Sunday Sun that he saw off his family barely 24 hours ago, adding that they departed the country
by about 2.17pm the previous day. He said that he was surprised when he was communicated by phone
that the pilgrims were scheduled to come back home, due their inability to enter Saudi Arabia. He recalled that on receipt of the news including the time of their arrival, he drove to Kano to pick them
home. He expressed sadness over the controversy and the cost implications materially and
psychologically, adding that the matter could have been handled better by the authorities. Issues But why were Nigerian female pilgrims denied entry into Saudi Arabia to perform this year’s hajj? Sunday
Sun was told that those who were deported fell short of the immigration laws of the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, as there were Nigerian female pilgrims who were not barred by the Saudi Arabian authorities. The issue in contention was the policy of Muharram (guardian). It requires that a female pilgrim must be
accompanied by a guardian or chaperon. The conflict arose when the names in the passports of some of
the female pilgrims did not correspond with the names of their guardians. It was gathered that the policy was not exactly new. A Muslim scholar who did not want his name in print,
noted that the policy had been in existence since the eighties and beyond, adding, “what is obvious is that
they (Saudi Government) decided to be strict on its implementation this year compared to the previous
years”. There are debates about the policy itself. Not all Nigerian Muslims concede to the idea of its strict
application. It was gathered that the differing positions regarding the extent to which the policy should be
applied followed the interpretation of two prominent schools of thought in Islam, mainly the Maliki and the
Hunbali schools. While most Muslims in Nigeria and in most of the West African countries are of the Makili school, the
Saudis are mainly of the Hunbali school which places stronger emphasis on the use of Muhram (guardian)
for female travelers. It is said that the Maliki school agrees that women should travel accompanied by their guardian but they
accept a waiver that where and when such a woman is traveling as a group or in a company such as a
caravan or a contingent, a leader of the whole group could stand as a guardian of all. Indeed, it was in the light of this background that the leaders of the various states’ Pilgrims Welfare Board
or their nominees were assumed to be the guardians of the unaccompanied female pilgrims. It was not clear why the Saudi authorities decided to scale up the entry requirements this year. It could as
well be for purely religious purposes. However, there are those who were convinced that the strict
application of the policy this year might be linked to other variables. These Muslims were quick to remember that not too long ago, the Saudi authorities came up with a policy
encouraging pilgrims who had performed the pilgrimage before, to tarry for five years before embarking on
another pilgrimage. They held that it could be part of the moves to scale down the size of the ever-growing
Nigerian contingent. Some respondents also alluded to instances of Nigerian female pilgrims who found their way around
immigration regulations, and decided to stay back in Saudi to eke a living after their pilgrimage was over.
The source pointed that in areas such as Shahra Mansour Quarters, one finds a good population of female
Nigerians resident or working there. This could be the reason the Saudis insisted on a male chaperon. Reactions It is generally believed that the topic will dominate the Friday sermons in the North. But in the interim,
some of the Muslim faithful who spoke to Sunday Sun in Kano under the condition of anonymity,
condemned the posture of the Saudi Arabian authorities and suggested that the Federal Government
should review the entire hajj exercise for the better. Executive Secretary, Kano State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Laminu Rabiu, who was at the airport to
receive the returnees on Wednesday, condemned the hard stance of the Saudi authorities on the issue of
the use of a chaperon and felt that the case of the affected Nigerian female pilgrims ought to have been
reconsidered given that they were women and mothers and were in the country for a religious duty. Also speaking, Muhammad Zikrullah Ado, the Secretary of the Writers Forum of the Muslim Students
Society, Bayero University Kano, felt that, “If the Saudi Government thinks that this is what is right for
them to do, because of the challenges they face with the Nigerian pilgrims, then I think that there is no
problem. My only suggestion is that they should have announced it, made it clearly known to us, so that
intending pilgrims will know what to expect.” While pointing out that he was not an Islamic scholar yet, he agreed that the denial of entry to Nigerian
female pilgrims was unfair to the country and to the affected pilgrims. He appealed to the authorities in Saudi to allow the pilgrims that were already in the Holy land to complete
the hajj. He declared that if the Saudi authorities felt that the failure to be accompanied by Muharram (guardian) was
wrong, then it is wrong, adding that, “Anyway, my stand is going to be in support of whatever Islamic
scholars say on this issue. What the scholars say on this issue is going to be my stand”, he concluded.
Lateef Adegbite laid to rest
•Buried between mother, wife By Moshood Adebayo, Abeokuta The remains of the former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA),
Dr. Lateef Adegbite were committed to mother earth yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. The
Seriki of Egbaland’s burial came barely 24 hours after the funeral of two other prominent sons of the town,
Chiefs Segun Taiwo and Oluwole Adeosun who were Oluwo Ake and Osi Egbaland respectively. The funeral at his Onikolobo-Abeokuta residence was preceded by Fidau led by the Chief Imam of
Egbaland, Liad Orunsholu and assisted by other Islamic clerics. His corpse had earlier arrived his
Onikolobo residence in a metallic hearse marked TOS 7 at about 3.39p.m and was received by the state
governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun in company of other family members and Muslim faithful who had
earlier laid siege on his house in the early hours of the day. The repeated shout of Allahu Akbar, rent the premises as the Hearse pulled to a stop while few hours later,
the metallic grey casket which was draped in Arabic inscription was removed from it. Six Islamic
pallbearers dressed in white kaftan over white trousers carried it shoulder high and took the casket to an
open field where his corpse was removed from the casket and Islamic clerics offered prayers on the
corpse. After prayers, Adegbite’s remains were committed to earth between his mother, late Saolat
Biobaku and late wife, Alhaja Toebat Adegbite, Giwa Obinrin of Egbaland, who died about 11 years ago. Professor Dawudu Noibi, Executive Secretary of Muslim Ummah in the South West while offering
admonishment urged people always to remember that death would come anytime. According to him: ‘’when
death comes when it would come, the only thing that would be left with us is our good deeds while on this
planet. “Whatever good or bad that anyone does in life will be recorded in his favour in Aljanat’’
Dr. Lateef Adegbite were committed to mother earth yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. The
Seriki of Egbaland’s burial came barely 24 hours after the funeral of two other prominent sons of the town,
Chiefs Segun Taiwo and Oluwole Adeosun who were Oluwo Ake and Osi Egbaland respectively. The funeral at his Onikolobo-Abeokuta residence was preceded by Fidau led by the Chief Imam of
Egbaland, Liad Orunsholu and assisted by other Islamic clerics. His corpse had earlier arrived his
Onikolobo residence in a metallic hearse marked TOS 7 at about 3.39p.m and was received by the state
governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun in company of other family members and Muslim faithful who had
earlier laid siege on his house in the early hours of the day. The repeated shout of Allahu Akbar, rent the premises as the Hearse pulled to a stop while few hours later,
the metallic grey casket which was draped in Arabic inscription was removed from it. Six Islamic
pallbearers dressed in white kaftan over white trousers carried it shoulder high and took the casket to an
open field where his corpse was removed from the casket and Islamic clerics offered prayers on the
corpse. After prayers, Adegbite’s remains were committed to earth between his mother, late Saolat
Biobaku and late wife, Alhaja Toebat Adegbite, Giwa Obinrin of Egbaland, who died about 11 years ago. Professor Dawudu Noibi, Executive Secretary of Muslim Ummah in the South West while offering
admonishment urged people always to remember that death would come anytime. According to him: ‘’when
death comes when it would come, the only thing that would be left with us is our good deeds while on this
planet. “Whatever good or bad that anyone does in life will be recorded in his favour in Aljanat’’
Angry River Niger
•I lost everything in one night
•Schools, shops shut in Atani, Ogwikpele
•Residents flee From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha
Nothing can better describe the condition of Anambra riverine communities than anguish, pain and poverty.
These resulted from flooding when the River Niger overflowed its banks. Many communities in some local
government areas of the state have been at the mercy of flooding and erosion and other ecological
disasters since the beginning of the rainy season. The communities include Otuocha in Anambra East local government area of the state, Odekpe, Atani and
Ogwuikpele all in Ogbaru local government area. The worst hit of all the local government areas remains
Ogbaru local government area where 8 out of the 9 communities were sacked raising fears that the
remaining one would soon be overtaken by flood. Speaking on the incident, the leader of Ogbaru Stakeholders Forum, Sir Peter Okala lamented that this
year’s flooding is strange to the entire people of the area and he blames both Anambra state and federal
governments for negligence and not taking proper action to avert the disaster. “The government is not
taking any action to protect lives and property of the people within the Ogbaru council area and as we are
talking, every family has been displaced by the flooding. For instance, you can see me trying to pack the remaining things that I could salvage. Every community
within Ogbaru has been washed away except Okpoko.” “Okpoko community is the only community that
has not been washed away, Atani is gone, Ogwuikpele is gone and this has vindicated our earlier call on
the former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji and NEMA to help the communities because of the
impending doom we saw over the blockage of the water outlet by Power Holding Company of Nigeria,
PHCN , but nobody listened to us. We also raised the alarm when flood overtook our houses and 11 innocent school children drowned but still
government did not listen” he said. Sir Okala said further that the devastating effects of the flooding had
forced so many people out of their homes and destroyed property worth several hundreds of millions of
Naira, noting “when we will see the major effect of this disaster is during the dry season because the water
from the River Niger overflowed its banks and washed away our farms; hunger is seriously looming over us
and more especially, epidemic is hanging on our necks because the flood has polluted our water supply network.” The Ogbaru Stakeholders’ Forum further maintained that if the state and federal governments had listened
to their SOS earlier and facilitated the dredging of River Niger, it could have helped the situation and
averted the disaster which he said was the most severe since he started living in Ogbaru land. Sunday
Sun also gathered that school children within the communities like Iyiowa-Odekpw, Atani, Ogwikpele have
stopped attending school as their schools were not spared in the flooding. One of the secondary schools,
St. Vincent De Paul group of schools, Atani Road, Odekpe, has been submerged by flood and residents of the area were seen fishing inside the school compound with canoes. He further disclosed that apart from
the fact that the flood destroyed so many people’s home and destroyed livestock, it afforded them
opportunity to fish and make brisk business from the sale of fish they caught inside their compounds and
even bedrooms as a result of the flooding. “We are making money by the day because people began to catch fish inside their compounds and inside
these classrooms, there are big fishes that are stranded, they were brought here by the river surge and
now, they cannot go back into the River Niger. When we see them, we use cutlass and even some of us
used bare hands to catch very big fish that ordinarily could not be caught in the river before. We are making money because people from Onitsha now come here to buy fish” he said. For Josiah Onu,
a medicine dealer at 53, Okoti road, Iyiowa Odekpe, this year’s flooding was the most severe in the 25
years he’s been living in the area. He lamented that the flood destroyed everything inside his shop. All the
drugs in his store were condemned. “Since 25 years ago I started living here, this is the most severe I
have ever seen and as it stands now, we thought it will not get to us but we just woke up the next day to
see that my shop had been submerged by water. I used the canoe which it threw from the river to help me get access to my shop and when I opened it, I
nearly fainted, everything inside my shop was destroyed and I am helpless now. “I want to call on the
state and federal governments to come to my aid because I just put every money I had into this business
last week when I went to market to re-stock my shop with drugs worth over N5 million but today, I stood
and watched all that I have ever labored for destroyed and swept away by the flood from the River Niger”
he said. A Yoruba tenant at No 42 Okoti road, Iyiowa Odekpe and her entire family were not spared by the ravaging
flood as they lost everything they had due to the flooding of their flat . Bilikisu Ajibola who spoke to
Sunday Sun while on a canoe trying to get access to her apartment said amidst tears that she lost
everything in the flood and maintained that the flooding could still be worse owing to the surging river. “I have been living here with my parents for 12 years and this year, we saw this type of thing, we have
relocated our mother and our children to a safe place in the sense that the flood has not gotten to that
place but that does not mean it will not get there, from what I am observing about this flooding. It is
increasing by the second and when you relax, you will not know when it will carry you. It carried a two year
old boy whose mother left in the room and went to market. It was because the woman thought it will not get to her”, she said. She called on the state and federal
governments to help them by intensifying efforts to dredge the River Niger. Obiora Oba said the flooding
almost killed his entire family when they were fast asleep. “I was sleeping and it was when my wife woke
up to urinate that she screamed that flood had covered the entire house, that was when I woke up and
found out that my entire house had been covered by water” “That was when I found out too that everything in my house had been submerged including my chairs in
the sitting room, everybody in my house started trying to find a way to escape to safety and thank God the
flood brought some canoes which fishermen kept by the bank of the rivers and we immediately grabbed
one and used bamboo to paddle to safety. I have lost all I labored for in life, I want the state government to help us” “I want it on record that the state
government has not done enough for us and our people like the Minister for Aviation, Mrs. Stella Odua,
Speaker, Anambra state House of Assembly, Mrs. Chinwe Nwebili and Secretary to the State Government,
SSG, Chief Obaze have not done well for our people. When we saw this thing coming, we wrote to all of
them, it was only Afam Ogene representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency that came to our aid and has
been on ground assessing the problem”, Obiora said.
•Schools, shops shut in Atani, Ogwikpele
•Residents flee From EMMANUEL UZOR, Onitsha
Nothing can better describe the condition of Anambra riverine communities than anguish, pain and poverty.
These resulted from flooding when the River Niger overflowed its banks. Many communities in some local
government areas of the state have been at the mercy of flooding and erosion and other ecological
disasters since the beginning of the rainy season. The communities include Otuocha in Anambra East local government area of the state, Odekpe, Atani and
Ogwuikpele all in Ogbaru local government area. The worst hit of all the local government areas remains
Ogbaru local government area where 8 out of the 9 communities were sacked raising fears that the
remaining one would soon be overtaken by flood. Speaking on the incident, the leader of Ogbaru Stakeholders Forum, Sir Peter Okala lamented that this
year’s flooding is strange to the entire people of the area and he blames both Anambra state and federal
governments for negligence and not taking proper action to avert the disaster. “The government is not
taking any action to protect lives and property of the people within the Ogbaru council area and as we are
talking, every family has been displaced by the flooding. For instance, you can see me trying to pack the remaining things that I could salvage. Every community
within Ogbaru has been washed away except Okpoko.” “Okpoko community is the only community that
has not been washed away, Atani is gone, Ogwuikpele is gone and this has vindicated our earlier call on
the former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji and NEMA to help the communities because of the
impending doom we saw over the blockage of the water outlet by Power Holding Company of Nigeria,
PHCN , but nobody listened to us. We also raised the alarm when flood overtook our houses and 11 innocent school children drowned but still
government did not listen” he said. Sir Okala said further that the devastating effects of the flooding had
forced so many people out of their homes and destroyed property worth several hundreds of millions of
Naira, noting “when we will see the major effect of this disaster is during the dry season because the water
from the River Niger overflowed its banks and washed away our farms; hunger is seriously looming over us
and more especially, epidemic is hanging on our necks because the flood has polluted our water supply network.” The Ogbaru Stakeholders’ Forum further maintained that if the state and federal governments had listened
to their SOS earlier and facilitated the dredging of River Niger, it could have helped the situation and
averted the disaster which he said was the most severe since he started living in Ogbaru land. Sunday
Sun also gathered that school children within the communities like Iyiowa-Odekpw, Atani, Ogwikpele have
stopped attending school as their schools were not spared in the flooding. One of the secondary schools,
St. Vincent De Paul group of schools, Atani Road, Odekpe, has been submerged by flood and residents of the area were seen fishing inside the school compound with canoes. He further disclosed that apart from
the fact that the flood destroyed so many people’s home and destroyed livestock, it afforded them
opportunity to fish and make brisk business from the sale of fish they caught inside their compounds and
even bedrooms as a result of the flooding. “We are making money by the day because people began to catch fish inside their compounds and inside
these classrooms, there are big fishes that are stranded, they were brought here by the river surge and
now, they cannot go back into the River Niger. When we see them, we use cutlass and even some of us
used bare hands to catch very big fish that ordinarily could not be caught in the river before. We are making money because people from Onitsha now come here to buy fish” he said. For Josiah Onu,
a medicine dealer at 53, Okoti road, Iyiowa Odekpe, this year’s flooding was the most severe in the 25
years he’s been living in the area. He lamented that the flood destroyed everything inside his shop. All the
drugs in his store were condemned. “Since 25 years ago I started living here, this is the most severe I
have ever seen and as it stands now, we thought it will not get to us but we just woke up the next day to
see that my shop had been submerged by water. I used the canoe which it threw from the river to help me get access to my shop and when I opened it, I
nearly fainted, everything inside my shop was destroyed and I am helpless now. “I want to call on the
state and federal governments to come to my aid because I just put every money I had into this business
last week when I went to market to re-stock my shop with drugs worth over N5 million but today, I stood
and watched all that I have ever labored for destroyed and swept away by the flood from the River Niger”
he said. A Yoruba tenant at No 42 Okoti road, Iyiowa Odekpe and her entire family were not spared by the ravaging
flood as they lost everything they had due to the flooding of their flat . Bilikisu Ajibola who spoke to
Sunday Sun while on a canoe trying to get access to her apartment said amidst tears that she lost
everything in the flood and maintained that the flooding could still be worse owing to the surging river. “I have been living here with my parents for 12 years and this year, we saw this type of thing, we have
relocated our mother and our children to a safe place in the sense that the flood has not gotten to that
place but that does not mean it will not get there, from what I am observing about this flooding. It is
increasing by the second and when you relax, you will not know when it will carry you. It carried a two year
old boy whose mother left in the room and went to market. It was because the woman thought it will not get to her”, she said. She called on the state and federal
governments to help them by intensifying efforts to dredge the River Niger. Obiora Oba said the flooding
almost killed his entire family when they were fast asleep. “I was sleeping and it was when my wife woke
up to urinate that she screamed that flood had covered the entire house, that was when I woke up and
found out that my entire house had been covered by water” “That was when I found out too that everything in my house had been submerged including my chairs in
the sitting room, everybody in my house started trying to find a way to escape to safety and thank God the
flood brought some canoes which fishermen kept by the bank of the rivers and we immediately grabbed
one and used bamboo to paddle to safety. I have lost all I labored for in life, I want the state government to help us” “I want it on record that the state
government has not done enough for us and our people like the Minister for Aviation, Mrs. Stella Odua,
Speaker, Anambra state House of Assembly, Mrs. Chinwe Nwebili and Secretary to the State Government,
SSG, Chief Obaze have not done well for our people. When we saw this thing coming, we wrote to all of
them, it was only Afam Ogene representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency that came to our aid and has
been on ground assessing the problem”, Obiora said.
52nd Independence: It’s celebration of disaster –Waku
By OMONIYI SALAUDEEN As Nigeria marks her 52nd independence anniversary, the National Vice Chairman of the Arewa
Consultative Forum (ACF), Senator Joseph Waku, has described this year’s event as a celebration of
disaster. He stated this position in an interview with Sunday Sun in his office at Abuja. Lamenting the sorry state of the nation, he said: “It is a celebration of disaster in terms of the economy,
absence of social amenities, insecurity, lack of job creation and political development. A nation suffers
when the leaders promote their ego rather than the common interest of the people. There is no need for
what we are going through today if we have good leadership. This country is well blessed but corruption has taken over the minds of our leaders. If we had continued
with the legacies of Saduana of Sokoto, Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Tafawa Balewa, Akintola
and others, Nigeria could have been an envy of all in the black race.” He said there was no light yet at the
end of the tunnel in view of the negative effects of bad leadership on the younger generation. “The younger generation too has failed this country. Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe,
Tafawa Balewa, Michael Opara, Akintola and Osadebe were all in their youthful age when they served this
country. And they served with commitment to the development of this nation rather than their personal
pockets. There was no money as it is today but they were able to manage available resources to develop their
various regions,” he added. According to him, it is only by institutionalizing a credible electoral process that
peoples’ aspiration for right leadership can be realised. Waku maintained that the present incessant
separatist agitations threatening the unity of the country was as a result of lack of credible electoral
process. His words: “A country that can not hold free and fair election can never see peace. People’s aspirations
have been shortchanged. Part of reactions to such shortchanging comes in different dimensions. One of
them is agitation for a separate republic by a particular section of the country which recently led to the
hoisting of their flag. Some are calling for regional police. Some are calling for regional government. All this is as a result of disenchantment. We have abandoned the norms of our founding fathers. Because
of our selfishness, we have lost the vision of keeping Nigeria as a united country. Let there be one man
one vote and Nigeria will have hope.”
Consultative Forum (ACF), Senator Joseph Waku, has described this year’s event as a celebration of
disaster. He stated this position in an interview with Sunday Sun in his office at Abuja. Lamenting the sorry state of the nation, he said: “It is a celebration of disaster in terms of the economy,
absence of social amenities, insecurity, lack of job creation and political development. A nation suffers
when the leaders promote their ego rather than the common interest of the people. There is no need for
what we are going through today if we have good leadership. This country is well blessed but corruption has taken over the minds of our leaders. If we had continued
with the legacies of Saduana of Sokoto, Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Tafawa Balewa, Akintola
and others, Nigeria could have been an envy of all in the black race.” He said there was no light yet at the
end of the tunnel in view of the negative effects of bad leadership on the younger generation. “The younger generation too has failed this country. Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe,
Tafawa Balewa, Michael Opara, Akintola and Osadebe were all in their youthful age when they served this
country. And they served with commitment to the development of this nation rather than their personal
pockets. There was no money as it is today but they were able to manage available resources to develop their
various regions,” he added. According to him, it is only by institutionalizing a credible electoral process that
peoples’ aspiration for right leadership can be realised. Waku maintained that the present incessant
separatist agitations threatening the unity of the country was as a result of lack of credible electoral
process. His words: “A country that can not hold free and fair election can never see peace. People’s aspirations
have been shortchanged. Part of reactions to such shortchanging comes in different dimensions. One of
them is agitation for a separate republic by a particular section of the country which recently led to the
hoisting of their flag. Some are calling for regional police. Some are calling for regional government. All this is as a result of disenchantment. We have abandoned the norms of our founding fathers. Because
of our selfishness, we have lost the vision of keeping Nigeria as a united country. Let there be one man
one vote and Nigeria will have hope.”
Holy Monique!: I was a virgin till my wedding night
By TUNDE OYELEYE Gospel music sensation, Monique, has sensationally revealed how she kept and guarded jealously her
virginity till the night of her marriage. In a no-holds-bare interview with The Entertainer, Monique, who is married to secular musician, Rasque,
boasted that her morality is unquestionable, and the moral ground on which she stands cannot sink. Hear
her: “To many ladies and men out there this disclosure may mean nothing. To such people it is no big deal. But no matter anyone’s stand or view, it is very important to me. It has
helped me to stand my ground and look into faces of moral intimidators and tell them boldly that I am a
daughter of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. It is a pride for my family and a big plus for my husband.
A high moral life is essential for continuous success. Yes, I was a virgin till the very night of my marriage.” Monique opened up on other issues. Excerpts: Childhood Monique is a name given to me by my grandmother who is based in France. I am from Ishaga in Lagos
State. My father, Engineer Simeon Adebisi Fabiyi is the Osi Oba of Ishagaland. My mother is into
business. I came from a family of nine children, six boys and three girls. I am the last of the “happy
crowd”. My family is closely united and we grew up as one, treating each other with care, love and great
concern. My seniors were all good to me not because I was the kid in the family but also because they too were
naturally brought up to love and respect people, status not withstanding. We were brought up with modesty
in taste; we were made to appreciate little things and to value all things. Morality in words, deeds and
association was paramount in my upbringing. My parents never opened the door of modernity that negated
God and His ways for us. I am proud of this background. I thank my parents for this and my brothers for
making me, their kid sister, to stay on line. Yes, they were my disciplinarians, hands of love, care, and my teachers in subjects of life. Education I attended St. Kisito Primary School, Iju where I used to lead the school in songs during the morning
assembly. I left for Iju Grammar School where I continued singing both at morning assembly and in the
school choir. This afforded me the opportunity to meet many groups from other schools at one competition
or the other. It was at such competitions that I met members of Midnight Crew. Today we are closely
knitted. They play a major role in my music career. Bouqui, the gospel rapper, is also another great friend
of mine. We met years ago and I thank God that the relationship continues to be fruitful. First love As earlier said, my family is such that anything ungodly is never allowed. Our freedom was limited by the
word of God and positive traditional values. I remember when I was in secondary school; a male friend of
mine who was unable to confront another female friend dropped the letter he wrote to her into my bag with
the instruction that I should help him deliver the letter. Unfortunately, I forgot to deliver the letter. When I got home, my brother searched through my school bag
and found the letter. He thought it was meant for me, and all hell broke loose. He beat me for close to two
hours before my mother rescued me. The message sank in me that in the family no one was allowed to
misbehave. Because of this, I had no boyfriend throughout my secondary school days and even in tertiary
institution. This is why I don’t have stories of heartbreaks, disappointments, double dating and all sorts
that most ladies tell about love. The first love in my life is my husband. He is my friend, my lover and husband. Courtship and marriage People used to see us together going out and coming in. This was the time I was getting serious with
music. As an established artiste, my husband was helping me in the studio to put my songs together. It
was this that led to our closeness. And when my brothers noticed this, they threatened to deal with him. I
was surprised the day he came to our house and pleaded with my brothers. He boldly told them that
whatever the case, he planned to take me to the altar. This was a surprise to everyone. Eventually, he had
his way. The courtship was allowed and the marriage took place in 2005. Since then, I have formally changed my name to Mrs. Temitope Monique Lawal. We are blessed with two beautiful children, Eyimofe,
a girl and Jamal, a boy. Music talent All my school days, I saw my involvement in music as just a show of interest and talent. This took me out
of Lagos State University where I was forced to withdrawal due to engagement upon engagement that took
my days and nights. It was one of my friendly lecturers who advised me to drop one for the other or I would
fail in both. I dropped out of school and faced music squarely. But because of my thirst for higher
education, I again enrolled at Yaba College of Technology where I eventually graduated in Business
Administration. And together with a certificate in Computer Science, I got a job in Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).
Interestingly, what happened to me at Lagos State University surfaced again while at GTB. It happened
that I couldn’t concentrate much on banking because of concert engagements. Many ministries,
organizations and churches were inviting me to feature in their concerts or programmes. This led to many
financial loses that eventually forced me out of banking. Once again, I found myself at a crossroad. Choir bickering I started music as early as six years old as a leading choir member at Christ Miracle Church. I left for
Abundant Life Church. This was between 1997 and 2000. It was here that I stopped going to church
because there were always bickering and distrust among the choristers. I was one of the three people
leading praise worship. Because of this, those I met there felt like ‘who is this lady that came from
nowhere but suddenly became prominent?’ It got so bad that I threw in the towel. I lost passion for going to
church and then concentrated on shows and concerts. It was in one of such concerts organized by Pastor Paul Adefarasin of House on the Rock that I got more recognized. I also took part in Circle of Stars
competition where I emerged the overall winner. This was in 1999. Music ministry It took me sometime before I could find my way back into church. I joined the Redeemed Christian Church
of God, His Presence Assembly. Initially, I was not regular but I sat up when I discovered that the
congregation was unlike others and the pastor-in-charge urged me to take music more seriously. It was in
this process that I discovered that music is the ministry given to me by God. Music and deliverance Anytime we had a special programme in the church like deliverance or healing, people used to fall down
whenever I sang. Even this happens during Sunday services; I couldn’t believe it. Now, I have resigned
myself to life in the music ministry, totally submitted myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I got born
again in 1994 and rededicated myself to Christ in 2006. Albums I released my first album entitled, New Story in 2009. It has just four songs. I released Atobi Ju (The
Almighty) in 2011. I did a re-mix of Oba-Gbogbo Aye (King of the Universe) early this year. Before now, I
relied much on songs from other artistes. Despite this, my audience would tell me that I sing the song
better than the original. Sometimes, I sing few of my songs also. When I became dedicated to Christ,
things changed. I now compose my lyrics and write songs as if I was born with them. Songs come to me
in very unusual manners and places. This is why I carry a writing pad about because inspiration could come anywhere. I have written songs for other musicians also. My husband, Rasque Life would have been different if not that I am married to my best friend. Only few husbands will allow their
wives to sleep while they cook in the kitchen, only to wake her up to come and eat. My husband takes
care of the children more than I do. He drives me to shows and concerts. He has been very wonderful. My
husband too is a musician, he is known as Rasque and the brain behind such secular hits as Soji (Awake)
and Ati Ready (We Are Ready). Both are successful albums. Future plans I am set to release more inspiring albums, shoot good videos to trumpet the gospel and continue to be part
of the body of Christ forever.
virginity till the night of her marriage. In a no-holds-bare interview with The Entertainer, Monique, who is married to secular musician, Rasque,
boasted that her morality is unquestionable, and the moral ground on which she stands cannot sink. Hear
her: “To many ladies and men out there this disclosure may mean nothing. To such people it is no big deal. But no matter anyone’s stand or view, it is very important to me. It has
helped me to stand my ground and look into faces of moral intimidators and tell them boldly that I am a
daughter of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. It is a pride for my family and a big plus for my husband.
A high moral life is essential for continuous success. Yes, I was a virgin till the very night of my marriage.” Monique opened up on other issues. Excerpts: Childhood Monique is a name given to me by my grandmother who is based in France. I am from Ishaga in Lagos
State. My father, Engineer Simeon Adebisi Fabiyi is the Osi Oba of Ishagaland. My mother is into
business. I came from a family of nine children, six boys and three girls. I am the last of the “happy
crowd”. My family is closely united and we grew up as one, treating each other with care, love and great
concern. My seniors were all good to me not because I was the kid in the family but also because they too were
naturally brought up to love and respect people, status not withstanding. We were brought up with modesty
in taste; we were made to appreciate little things and to value all things. Morality in words, deeds and
association was paramount in my upbringing. My parents never opened the door of modernity that negated
God and His ways for us. I am proud of this background. I thank my parents for this and my brothers for
making me, their kid sister, to stay on line. Yes, they were my disciplinarians, hands of love, care, and my teachers in subjects of life. Education I attended St. Kisito Primary School, Iju where I used to lead the school in songs during the morning
assembly. I left for Iju Grammar School where I continued singing both at morning assembly and in the
school choir. This afforded me the opportunity to meet many groups from other schools at one competition
or the other. It was at such competitions that I met members of Midnight Crew. Today we are closely
knitted. They play a major role in my music career. Bouqui, the gospel rapper, is also another great friend
of mine. We met years ago and I thank God that the relationship continues to be fruitful. First love As earlier said, my family is such that anything ungodly is never allowed. Our freedom was limited by the
word of God and positive traditional values. I remember when I was in secondary school; a male friend of
mine who was unable to confront another female friend dropped the letter he wrote to her into my bag with
the instruction that I should help him deliver the letter. Unfortunately, I forgot to deliver the letter. When I got home, my brother searched through my school bag
and found the letter. He thought it was meant for me, and all hell broke loose. He beat me for close to two
hours before my mother rescued me. The message sank in me that in the family no one was allowed to
misbehave. Because of this, I had no boyfriend throughout my secondary school days and even in tertiary
institution. This is why I don’t have stories of heartbreaks, disappointments, double dating and all sorts
that most ladies tell about love. The first love in my life is my husband. He is my friend, my lover and husband. Courtship and marriage People used to see us together going out and coming in. This was the time I was getting serious with
music. As an established artiste, my husband was helping me in the studio to put my songs together. It
was this that led to our closeness. And when my brothers noticed this, they threatened to deal with him. I
was surprised the day he came to our house and pleaded with my brothers. He boldly told them that
whatever the case, he planned to take me to the altar. This was a surprise to everyone. Eventually, he had
his way. The courtship was allowed and the marriage took place in 2005. Since then, I have formally changed my name to Mrs. Temitope Monique Lawal. We are blessed with two beautiful children, Eyimofe,
a girl and Jamal, a boy. Music talent All my school days, I saw my involvement in music as just a show of interest and talent. This took me out
of Lagos State University where I was forced to withdrawal due to engagement upon engagement that took
my days and nights. It was one of my friendly lecturers who advised me to drop one for the other or I would
fail in both. I dropped out of school and faced music squarely. But because of my thirst for higher
education, I again enrolled at Yaba College of Technology where I eventually graduated in Business
Administration. And together with a certificate in Computer Science, I got a job in Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).
Interestingly, what happened to me at Lagos State University surfaced again while at GTB. It happened
that I couldn’t concentrate much on banking because of concert engagements. Many ministries,
organizations and churches were inviting me to feature in their concerts or programmes. This led to many
financial loses that eventually forced me out of banking. Once again, I found myself at a crossroad. Choir bickering I started music as early as six years old as a leading choir member at Christ Miracle Church. I left for
Abundant Life Church. This was between 1997 and 2000. It was here that I stopped going to church
because there were always bickering and distrust among the choristers. I was one of the three people
leading praise worship. Because of this, those I met there felt like ‘who is this lady that came from
nowhere but suddenly became prominent?’ It got so bad that I threw in the towel. I lost passion for going to
church and then concentrated on shows and concerts. It was in one of such concerts organized by Pastor Paul Adefarasin of House on the Rock that I got more recognized. I also took part in Circle of Stars
competition where I emerged the overall winner. This was in 1999. Music ministry It took me sometime before I could find my way back into church. I joined the Redeemed Christian Church
of God, His Presence Assembly. Initially, I was not regular but I sat up when I discovered that the
congregation was unlike others and the pastor-in-charge urged me to take music more seriously. It was in
this process that I discovered that music is the ministry given to me by God. Music and deliverance Anytime we had a special programme in the church like deliverance or healing, people used to fall down
whenever I sang. Even this happens during Sunday services; I couldn’t believe it. Now, I have resigned
myself to life in the music ministry, totally submitted myself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I got born
again in 1994 and rededicated myself to Christ in 2006. Albums I released my first album entitled, New Story in 2009. It has just four songs. I released Atobi Ju (The
Almighty) in 2011. I did a re-mix of Oba-Gbogbo Aye (King of the Universe) early this year. Before now, I
relied much on songs from other artistes. Despite this, my audience would tell me that I sing the song
better than the original. Sometimes, I sing few of my songs also. When I became dedicated to Christ,
things changed. I now compose my lyrics and write songs as if I was born with them. Songs come to me
in very unusual manners and places. This is why I carry a writing pad about because inspiration could come anywhere. I have written songs for other musicians also. My husband, Rasque Life would have been different if not that I am married to my best friend. Only few husbands will allow their
wives to sleep while they cook in the kitchen, only to wake her up to come and eat. My husband takes
care of the children more than I do. He drives me to shows and concerts. He has been very wonderful. My
husband too is a musician, he is known as Rasque and the brain behind such secular hits as Soji (Awake)
and Ati Ready (We Are Ready). Both are successful albums. Future plans I am set to release more inspiring albums, shoot good videos to trumpet the gospel and continue to be part
of the body of Christ forever.
Former Mo’Hits manager signs Ashley Stephanie, J Royalty
showbizbits with Damiete Braide, damiete_braide@yahoo.com 07030059588 Former Mo’Hits Records artistes’ Manager and CEO of List Entertainment, Sunday Are, has signed two
new acts, Ashley Stephanie and J Royalty, under his label. Having waited for the right time and with lots of
hard work, Mr. Are has released fresh materials from the newly signed-acts. While J Royalty can do different genres of music and blessed with 17 voices, Ashley Stephanie has
rebranded her music from hip hop to Soukous (also known as Lingala and Congo ), a dance music genre.
She is ready to capture the African market. J Royalty’s new singles, 17 Voices, introduces his music
concept to the world while the melodious hit, Eko Ile expresses the beauty of the city of Lagos . Ashley’s Oupe Decale and Ale Ale are club bangers that will stay on the chart for a long time. Delta State-
born J.Royalty, whose real names are Ojakere Samuel is a unique artiste who spends most of his time in
the studio working on different types of music genre. The Isoko indigene studied Religion and Philosophy
at Delta State University Abraka. He is also a producer and a music video director. Ashley is a musical phenomenon that needs no introduction. A distinguished singer, songwriter, actress,
model and full- time entertainer, Ashley was born in Bouae in Cameroon of a Nigerian/ Cameroon
parentage, but grew up in Spain . For 10 years, Big Mammy, as she is fondly called, had been representing
Africa overseas with her captivating lead role in a group known as “The Spanish Girls”.
new acts, Ashley Stephanie and J Royalty, under his label. Having waited for the right time and with lots of
hard work, Mr. Are has released fresh materials from the newly signed-acts. While J Royalty can do different genres of music and blessed with 17 voices, Ashley Stephanie has
rebranded her music from hip hop to Soukous (also known as Lingala and Congo ), a dance music genre.
She is ready to capture the African market. J Royalty’s new singles, 17 Voices, introduces his music
concept to the world while the melodious hit, Eko Ile expresses the beauty of the city of Lagos . Ashley’s Oupe Decale and Ale Ale are club bangers that will stay on the chart for a long time. Delta State-
born J.Royalty, whose real names are Ojakere Samuel is a unique artiste who spends most of his time in
the studio working on different types of music genre. The Isoko indigene studied Religion and Philosophy
at Delta State University Abraka. He is also a producer and a music video director. Ashley is a musical phenomenon that needs no introduction. A distinguished singer, songwriter, actress,
model and full- time entertainer, Ashley was born in Bouae in Cameroon of a Nigerian/ Cameroon
parentage, but grew up in Spain . For 10 years, Big Mammy, as she is fondly called, had been representing
Africa overseas with her captivating lead role in a group known as “The Spanish Girls”.
Keshi goes tough on players, officials
…As Eagles’ camp opens today in Abuja By Onyewuchi Nwachukwu
Stephen Keshi is in no mood to suffer fools gladly as preparations for the crucial return leg of the final
qualifying game of the 2013 Nations Cup begins in Abuja today. The ‘Big Boss’ has told the home-based players he invited for the game against the Lone Star of Liberia,
as well as the coaches and officials, to report to camp today or forget about being part of the encounter
slated for the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar on October 13. Media Officer of the team, Ben Alaiya,
revealed yesterday that Keshi has reeled out in clear terms the seriousness he attaches to the game and
has called on everybody involved with the prosecution of the tie to follow suit. Alaiya stressed that the Eagles’ gaffe, who used to enjoy jokes with his officials, has suddenly changed
his humorous disposition to press home his intention that preparations for the much anticipated game was
no longer a joking matter. “Honestly, this game has turned the Big Boss into something else. He used to
be very friendly but now, we are seeing the other side of him. He is not listening to excuses from anyone of
his assistants or players. “I even appealed to him to allow me report to camp on Monday to enable me attend to pressing issues, but
he vehemently turned down my request. This is how serious the man has become. “In fact, he has made it clear that anybody who was not ready to give his best before and during the game
should not bother reporting to the camp.” The Eagles’ spokesman confirmed that all the 25 home-based
players Keshi called up are expected to arrive in Abuja today for the resumption of camp, while the foreign-
based pros were given on or before October 8 as their arrival dates. “Keshi has also read the riot act to the foreign-based players he invited for the Liberia game. They all have
a deadline of October 8 to report to camp so that serious work can begin. “As you know, from October 8
we would be left with just five days to prepare the team for the game and that is why the coach has made
the arrival date sacrosanct,” the media officer added.
Stephen Keshi is in no mood to suffer fools gladly as preparations for the crucial return leg of the final
qualifying game of the 2013 Nations Cup begins in Abuja today. The ‘Big Boss’ has told the home-based players he invited for the game against the Lone Star of Liberia,
as well as the coaches and officials, to report to camp today or forget about being part of the encounter
slated for the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar on October 13. Media Officer of the team, Ben Alaiya,
revealed yesterday that Keshi has reeled out in clear terms the seriousness he attaches to the game and
has called on everybody involved with the prosecution of the tie to follow suit. Alaiya stressed that the Eagles’ gaffe, who used to enjoy jokes with his officials, has suddenly changed
his humorous disposition to press home his intention that preparations for the much anticipated game was
no longer a joking matter. “Honestly, this game has turned the Big Boss into something else. He used to
be very friendly but now, we are seeing the other side of him. He is not listening to excuses from anyone of
his assistants or players. “I even appealed to him to allow me report to camp on Monday to enable me attend to pressing issues, but
he vehemently turned down my request. This is how serious the man has become. “In fact, he has made it clear that anybody who was not ready to give his best before and during the game
should not bother reporting to the camp.” The Eagles’ spokesman confirmed that all the 25 home-based
players Keshi called up are expected to arrive in Abuja today for the resumption of camp, while the foreign-
based pros were given on or before October 8 as their arrival dates. “Keshi has also read the riot act to the foreign-based players he invited for the Liberia game. They all have
a deadline of October 8 to report to camp so that serious work can begin. “As you know, from October 8
we would be left with just five days to prepare the team for the game and that is why the coach has made
the arrival date sacrosanct,” the media officer added.
Nigeria, Colombia fight for 1/4-final slots
The Flamingoes will engage their Colombian counterparts this afternoon at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in
Baku in the last group match at the ongoing FIFA Under-17 Women World Cup holding in Azerbaijan. The Nigerian team needs a draw to berth in the quarterfinals, while the Colombian side must win to book a
place among the last eight teams at the third edition of the championship. Nigeria and Canada have four points each after two matches, but the Flamingoes currently top Group A
courtesy of their superior goal difference of +12, as against Canada’s +1. Colombia is third with three points, while the host, Azerbaijan, occupies the rear having lost its two
previous matches, including Tuesday’s scandalous 11-0 defeat by the Flamingoes. If the results of the matches played so far are anything to go by, then the Flamingoes should record
another victory today. However, the Colombian side is expected to throw everything into the fray to win the encounter and join the
Canadian team that is tipped to easily beat the weeping team, Azerbaijan, to claim one of the available two
tickets from the group for the quarterfinals. Prominent among the players expected to fire Nigeria into the round of eight include striker Chinwendu
Ihezuo, who scored five goals and made three assists in Tuesday’s 11-0 demolition of Azerbaijan, to
emerge the Man-of-the-Match. Ihezuo had earlier rescued Nigeria with a point in the 1-1 draw against Canada in the first group match after
Canada had taken the lead in the early minutes of the game. Other players expected to ensure Nigeria’s passage to the quarterfinals include Halimat Ayinde, who
scored twice against Azerbaijan, Effiom, Tessy Biahwo and Joy Bokiri, all who got on the scorers’ sheet
against Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Coach Peter Dedevbo has assured Nigerians that the Flamingoes would neither underrate the
Colombian side nor allow the comprehensive victory against Azerbaijan to get into their heads. Dedevbo said: “When we arrived in Azerbaijan for the tournament, I told my girls not to underrate any team.
This could be seen in the way we approached each of our matches so far. “I thank God and my girls for the victory, but we will not let this get into our heads. We will continue to
apply the same approach to every game.”
Baku in the last group match at the ongoing FIFA Under-17 Women World Cup holding in Azerbaijan. The Nigerian team needs a draw to berth in the quarterfinals, while the Colombian side must win to book a
place among the last eight teams at the third edition of the championship. Nigeria and Canada have four points each after two matches, but the Flamingoes currently top Group A
courtesy of their superior goal difference of +12, as against Canada’s +1. Colombia is third with three points, while the host, Azerbaijan, occupies the rear having lost its two
previous matches, including Tuesday’s scandalous 11-0 defeat by the Flamingoes. If the results of the matches played so far are anything to go by, then the Flamingoes should record
another victory today. However, the Colombian side is expected to throw everything into the fray to win the encounter and join the
Canadian team that is tipped to easily beat the weeping team, Azerbaijan, to claim one of the available two
tickets from the group for the quarterfinals. Prominent among the players expected to fire Nigeria into the round of eight include striker Chinwendu
Ihezuo, who scored five goals and made three assists in Tuesday’s 11-0 demolition of Azerbaijan, to
emerge the Man-of-the-Match. Ihezuo had earlier rescued Nigeria with a point in the 1-1 draw against Canada in the first group match after
Canada had taken the lead in the early minutes of the game. Other players expected to ensure Nigeria’s passage to the quarterfinals include Halimat Ayinde, who
scored twice against Azerbaijan, Effiom, Tessy Biahwo and Joy Bokiri, all who got on the scorers’ sheet
against Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, Coach Peter Dedevbo has assured Nigerians that the Flamingoes would neither underrate the
Colombian side nor allow the comprehensive victory against Azerbaijan to get into their heads. Dedevbo said: “When we arrived in Azerbaijan for the tournament, I told my girls not to underrate any team.
This could be seen in the way we approached each of our matches so far. “I thank God and my girls for the victory, but we will not let this get into our heads. We will continue to
apply the same approach to every game.”
How Entrepreneurs’ Organization plans to transform Nigeria’s business terrain– Agekameh
For small and medium business owners aiming for the top, help may have finally come as Entrepreneurs’
Organization,an outfit that will help them maintain a strong hold on their businesses, will be berthed next
Thursday in Lagos. According to its Director of Communications and Learning, Mr Dele Agekameh, the coming of the
organization is set to change the dynamics of doing business in the country. In this interview, he explains how. Excerpts: Entrepreneurs’ Organization The organization is a global business network that is devoted for entrepreneurs only. It was founded in
1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs in the United States of America. EO enables entrepreneurs to
learn from one another. As a business owner, you are involved. Your vision, for instance, is to get to the
top of your business endeavour. If that is the case, you have some other people who are already at the
top, who want to remain there. Of course you know that it is very difficult to get to the top of what you are
doing. To get to the top, for instance, you have to put in extra energy; you have to go extra mile. They say it is very difficult to get to the top in business, even in personal life, it is quite difficult to get to the top but
easier to get down. It may take you 20 years to become a CEO of an organization, or to build your own
company but you find out that if you mismanage it; if you don’t put best practices in place, within two
months or even two days, you can be down if care is not taken. So, this organization enables you as an
entrepreneur to maintain a foothold, a strong hold on your businesses by teaching you the best practices;
they teach you how to sustain your business, they teach you about succession – because in case of Nigeria, you find out that many businesses die as soon as their owners die. Why? Because they don’t
have good succession plans or methods in place. Even some of them don’t go out of their way to employ
capable hands to manage their books. This is what EO is all about. It is a global business network of about
8,000 business owners spread across 121 chapters and 41 countries. The Nigerian chapter will be
inaugurated on October 4, 2012, which will make it 122 chapters in 42 countries. Vision The vision of the organization is to be the world’s most influential entrepreneurial community; which is also
the mission. They even deal with such techniques as ‘how do you mould an entrepreneur.’ As a business
owner, we help to transform the entrepreneurs who in turn transform the world. The organization educates,
it transforms, it inspires and it offers valuable resources in form of events, leadership development
programmes, online entrepreneurial forum and business owners’ education opportunities, among others.
We even organize competition, such as global student-entrepreneurial award which is the premier awards for undergraduate students. This is to show how to own businesses while attending college or university. This is to help students
develop business skills. With that, we are creating a community of entrepreneurs right from school. In
Nigeria, we call it ‘catch them young.’ Even in the world, it is entrepreneurs that are running the global
economy. The only problem we have in Nigeria is that we have only few entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are the people who create wealth and through that, people employed in the business can go
out and create their own. Imagine, you have somebody producing Coca-Cola for instance, and people
working with him go out to establish their own businesses to produce as many soft drinks as possible. By
that you are creating wealth. You are mopping up the unemployed graduates; the unemployed skilled
labour from the streets. So by that, you are increasing your country’s GDP; you are solving unemployment
problems, you are solving insecurity problems. Membership We are not targeting specific sector of the economy. What qualifies a person for membership is that you
must be an entrepreneur, you must be a founder or a co-founder of a business organization that is doing
well. Apart from that, there is a very important aspect: integrity. You must have integrity. That is why
membership of the organization is by invitation only. These two criteria are very important. Campaign We are going to have educational tours. We are going to have roadshows to sensitize people on how to
inculcate best practices into their businesses. We are going to organize a lot of fora where we will bring
people together and sensitize them on the best way to go about their businesses, and on how to get
optimum results from their businesses. It is not our business to set up these business organizations. What we will do is to provide leadership trainings from time to time in conjunction with state governments;
with local governments everywhere so that the unemployment problem we have in this country can be
lessened. We will go round, we will identify areas where we can advise government. We are going to act in
advisory capacity as well to various governments and organizations. By the time they see what we are
doing, they would know the benefits of our mission. Location of businesses It is not that businesses are just located in towns and cities, no. The fact is that you must first of all
identify your clients; your target audience; your target customers. If they are in the cities, you don’t have
business in the rural areas. But if you want to decongest the cities, make the rural areas viable, let them
have good roads and good communication network. With that, a person like me will go and live in my
village in Agenebode, Edo State. It means there wouldn’t be any need to stay in Lagos. If you go to Britain,
for instance, London is like a glorified showroom. You only have companies displaying their goods and wares in the city. Most of the goods are produced in
the rural areas outside London. That is why I said that London is a glorified showroom. The factories are
not located inside London, they are not there. So, we can achieve the same thing in Nigeria. All we need to
do is to create an enabling environment. And I believe, as time goes on, our government will wake up to
their responsibilities. You know the problem we have in Nigeria is corruption. Corruption has done an
incalculable damage to this country. If we have bad roads today, the reason for it is that somebody somewhere has embezzled the money meant for the rehabilitation or construction of that road. If PHCN is not functional today and you don’t have electricity to power your machinery, it is because
somebody has not done something right. Even when they do the right thing, the money would be diverted.
What has been pumped into the power sector in the last 10 years is enough to give us adequate light. The
megawatts of electricity we have achieved today-5,000 megawatts- that we are beating our chest about is
not up to 20 per cent of what is produced in a province in China; it is not up to 10 per cent of what they
have in South Africa that has a smaller population when compared with Nigeria. Foreign investors Each time we go outside the country, you see a lot of people swarming on us, trying to find out information
about Nigeria. Some of them have little or no information about Nigeria. We are talking about a network that
has more than 8,000 entrepreneurs all over the world, now going to 42 countries. About 122 chapters in all
the regions of the world. They all come together, they are even excited to see somebody from Lagos;
because in the 25-year history of the organization, out of the 120 chapters that were there before
September 19, 2012 when Istanbul, (Turkey) chapter came up as the 121st, the only two chapters that were in Africa were situated in Cape Town and Johannesburg. This is because when you talk about Nigeria, it was almost a write-off. That means we are starting from the
scratch, we are starting afresh, we are staking our means; we are staking our integrity; we are staking our
money because to arrive at this destination, it is quite compelling. It requires a lot of sacrifices, it requires
a lot of energy. What we are doing is for this country, we are doing it for generations yet unborn. Because when you go out
there, they come to you to ask questions. They want to do this; somebody wants to do that. So what we
are going to do in the long run is that we are going to act as a bridge between the foreign investors and the
Nigerian environment because when the investors want to come into this country-there are so many of
them-what they want to do is that they want to deal with somebody that they can trust. Now with EO coming on board, I think there would be free flow or inflow of investments in the next few
years. A lot of them are already making inquiries. The last meeting we went for in London, called EMEA. In Africa we are grouped under Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). We spent one week in London at
that conference where we tabled challenges and prospects, bringing different speakers from different
continents to talk about entrepreneurs. Those who have grown and run their businesses for over 40 years. How they are able to do it; what are the challenges they faced; how they were able to surmount the
obstacles before them. Five months later, we held another conference in Bahrain – that conference in
London was attended by about 60 or 70 delegates. The one in Bahrain called Global Leadership Conference, GLC, was attended by 300 delegates from 30
countries. Apart from the three of us from Nigeria another guy that came with a white guy from South
Africa to make only four black men among the 300 delegates – majority of whom are white men.
Organization,an outfit that will help them maintain a strong hold on their businesses, will be berthed next
Thursday in Lagos. According to its Director of Communications and Learning, Mr Dele Agekameh, the coming of the
organization is set to change the dynamics of doing business in the country. In this interview, he explains how. Excerpts: Entrepreneurs’ Organization The organization is a global business network that is devoted for entrepreneurs only. It was founded in
1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs in the United States of America. EO enables entrepreneurs to
learn from one another. As a business owner, you are involved. Your vision, for instance, is to get to the
top of your business endeavour. If that is the case, you have some other people who are already at the
top, who want to remain there. Of course you know that it is very difficult to get to the top of what you are
doing. To get to the top, for instance, you have to put in extra energy; you have to go extra mile. They say it is very difficult to get to the top in business, even in personal life, it is quite difficult to get to the top but
easier to get down. It may take you 20 years to become a CEO of an organization, or to build your own
company but you find out that if you mismanage it; if you don’t put best practices in place, within two
months or even two days, you can be down if care is not taken. So, this organization enables you as an
entrepreneur to maintain a foothold, a strong hold on your businesses by teaching you the best practices;
they teach you how to sustain your business, they teach you about succession – because in case of Nigeria, you find out that many businesses die as soon as their owners die. Why? Because they don’t
have good succession plans or methods in place. Even some of them don’t go out of their way to employ
capable hands to manage their books. This is what EO is all about. It is a global business network of about
8,000 business owners spread across 121 chapters and 41 countries. The Nigerian chapter will be
inaugurated on October 4, 2012, which will make it 122 chapters in 42 countries. Vision The vision of the organization is to be the world’s most influential entrepreneurial community; which is also
the mission. They even deal with such techniques as ‘how do you mould an entrepreneur.’ As a business
owner, we help to transform the entrepreneurs who in turn transform the world. The organization educates,
it transforms, it inspires and it offers valuable resources in form of events, leadership development
programmes, online entrepreneurial forum and business owners’ education opportunities, among others.
We even organize competition, such as global student-entrepreneurial award which is the premier awards for undergraduate students. This is to show how to own businesses while attending college or university. This is to help students
develop business skills. With that, we are creating a community of entrepreneurs right from school. In
Nigeria, we call it ‘catch them young.’ Even in the world, it is entrepreneurs that are running the global
economy. The only problem we have in Nigeria is that we have only few entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are the people who create wealth and through that, people employed in the business can go
out and create their own. Imagine, you have somebody producing Coca-Cola for instance, and people
working with him go out to establish their own businesses to produce as many soft drinks as possible. By
that you are creating wealth. You are mopping up the unemployed graduates; the unemployed skilled
labour from the streets. So by that, you are increasing your country’s GDP; you are solving unemployment
problems, you are solving insecurity problems. Membership We are not targeting specific sector of the economy. What qualifies a person for membership is that you
must be an entrepreneur, you must be a founder or a co-founder of a business organization that is doing
well. Apart from that, there is a very important aspect: integrity. You must have integrity. That is why
membership of the organization is by invitation only. These two criteria are very important. Campaign We are going to have educational tours. We are going to have roadshows to sensitize people on how to
inculcate best practices into their businesses. We are going to organize a lot of fora where we will bring
people together and sensitize them on the best way to go about their businesses, and on how to get
optimum results from their businesses. It is not our business to set up these business organizations. What we will do is to provide leadership trainings from time to time in conjunction with state governments;
with local governments everywhere so that the unemployment problem we have in this country can be
lessened. We will go round, we will identify areas where we can advise government. We are going to act in
advisory capacity as well to various governments and organizations. By the time they see what we are
doing, they would know the benefits of our mission. Location of businesses It is not that businesses are just located in towns and cities, no. The fact is that you must first of all
identify your clients; your target audience; your target customers. If they are in the cities, you don’t have
business in the rural areas. But if you want to decongest the cities, make the rural areas viable, let them
have good roads and good communication network. With that, a person like me will go and live in my
village in Agenebode, Edo State. It means there wouldn’t be any need to stay in Lagos. If you go to Britain,
for instance, London is like a glorified showroom. You only have companies displaying their goods and wares in the city. Most of the goods are produced in
the rural areas outside London. That is why I said that London is a glorified showroom. The factories are
not located inside London, they are not there. So, we can achieve the same thing in Nigeria. All we need to
do is to create an enabling environment. And I believe, as time goes on, our government will wake up to
their responsibilities. You know the problem we have in Nigeria is corruption. Corruption has done an
incalculable damage to this country. If we have bad roads today, the reason for it is that somebody somewhere has embezzled the money meant for the rehabilitation or construction of that road. If PHCN is not functional today and you don’t have electricity to power your machinery, it is because
somebody has not done something right. Even when they do the right thing, the money would be diverted.
What has been pumped into the power sector in the last 10 years is enough to give us adequate light. The
megawatts of electricity we have achieved today-5,000 megawatts- that we are beating our chest about is
not up to 20 per cent of what is produced in a province in China; it is not up to 10 per cent of what they
have in South Africa that has a smaller population when compared with Nigeria. Foreign investors Each time we go outside the country, you see a lot of people swarming on us, trying to find out information
about Nigeria. Some of them have little or no information about Nigeria. We are talking about a network that
has more than 8,000 entrepreneurs all over the world, now going to 42 countries. About 122 chapters in all
the regions of the world. They all come together, they are even excited to see somebody from Lagos;
because in the 25-year history of the organization, out of the 120 chapters that were there before
September 19, 2012 when Istanbul, (Turkey) chapter came up as the 121st, the only two chapters that were in Africa were situated in Cape Town and Johannesburg. This is because when you talk about Nigeria, it was almost a write-off. That means we are starting from the
scratch, we are starting afresh, we are staking our means; we are staking our integrity; we are staking our
money because to arrive at this destination, it is quite compelling. It requires a lot of sacrifices, it requires
a lot of energy. What we are doing is for this country, we are doing it for generations yet unborn. Because when you go out
there, they come to you to ask questions. They want to do this; somebody wants to do that. So what we
are going to do in the long run is that we are going to act as a bridge between the foreign investors and the
Nigerian environment because when the investors want to come into this country-there are so many of
them-what they want to do is that they want to deal with somebody that they can trust. Now with EO coming on board, I think there would be free flow or inflow of investments in the next few
years. A lot of them are already making inquiries. The last meeting we went for in London, called EMEA. In Africa we are grouped under Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). We spent one week in London at
that conference where we tabled challenges and prospects, bringing different speakers from different
continents to talk about entrepreneurs. Those who have grown and run their businesses for over 40 years. How they are able to do it; what are the challenges they faced; how they were able to surmount the
obstacles before them. Five months later, we held another conference in Bahrain – that conference in
London was attended by about 60 or 70 delegates. The one in Bahrain called Global Leadership Conference, GLC, was attended by 300 delegates from 30
countries. Apart from the three of us from Nigeria another guy that came with a white guy from South
Africa to make only four black men among the 300 delegates – majority of whom are white men.
The suspended N5000 note
The recent suspension of the introduction of N5000 note by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) following the
intervention of the National Assembly and the stop order by President Goodluck Jonathan is a victory for
democracy. It aptly demonstrates that the president listens and respects the wishes of the generality of Nigerian
people. The agreement between the President and the National Assembly that led to the stoppage of the
new note is a triumph of the democratic imperative and should be commended. No policy issue has drawn as much debate and public opprobrium in recent times as the move by the CBN
governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, to introduce into the nation’s monetary system, the high denomination
N5000 note. Not even the argument by the CBN on the need for cost saving on money spent annually in
printing naira notes, or its suggestion that the new note is only for high net-worth customers, could sway
the public to its side. The arguments held no water with the people. Well-tested economists, past Nigerian leaders, lawyers and all those versed in monetary issues were also
vehemently opposed to the introduction of the new note and the controversial currency restructuring. The CBN position that the new note would not cause inflation was rebuffed by Nigerians who knew from
experience that the introduction of notes of higher denominations in the nation’s monetary system in the
past invariably led to depreciation in the value of older notes. The fate of N5, N10, and N20 since the introduction of N200, N500 and N1000 attests to this. Again, since
Nigerians do not readily accept coins, converting more naira notes into coins as the CBN planned to do
would have compound the problem. Despite academic notions that higher denomination notes do not cause
inflation, in Nigeria’s peculiar circumstance and experience, the opposite has been the case. In fact, the argument against the introduction of the high denomination note far outweighs the one for it.
More so, the introduction of the new naira note contradicts the CBN’s cashless policy. Although, the
Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati, has explained that the suspension of the
new note is to enable the CBN do more consultation and enlightenment on the matter, we think such is
belated. The CBN ought to have done that initially before rushing to force its decision on Nigerians. The lesson from
the new note debacle is that government should always throw up major policy issues to public debate to
gauge the pulse of the people before the president gives his approval. This will guide the government’s
actions and also help to avoid policy reversals the nation has witnessed of recent. We say this considering the fact that frequent policy somersault is not good for any administration,
especially a transformational government. While we acknowledge that the CBN is in charge of the nation’s
monetary policy, including issuance of currency notes, it must strive to carry the public along, especially
on issues that will have far-reaching effects on the economy and the people. The grandstanding by the CBN governor on the N5000 note was uncalled for. We commend the President
for bowing to the wishes of Nigerians on this particular issue. Some past Nigerian presidents always
ignored resolutions of the National Assembly on major national issues, treating such resolutions as
advisory and lacking the force of law. It is good that we have a president who honours resolutions of the
people’s representatives. In view of the strong argument by notable economists that the introduction of the high denomination note
will not augur well for the nation’s economy, we urge that the idea of a N5000 be completely rested. The
proposed further consultations, enlightenment and deliberation on the matter should be jettisoned. We also want to believe that the CBN has not awarded the contract for the printing of the new currency.
The faux pas that attended the N5000 note controversy should be avoided in future by allowing robust
public debate on any controversial issue before final approvals are given by the president and the relevant
authorities.
intervention of the National Assembly and the stop order by President Goodluck Jonathan is a victory for
democracy. It aptly demonstrates that the president listens and respects the wishes of the generality of Nigerian
people. The agreement between the President and the National Assembly that led to the stoppage of the
new note is a triumph of the democratic imperative and should be commended. No policy issue has drawn as much debate and public opprobrium in recent times as the move by the CBN
governor, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, to introduce into the nation’s monetary system, the high denomination
N5000 note. Not even the argument by the CBN on the need for cost saving on money spent annually in
printing naira notes, or its suggestion that the new note is only for high net-worth customers, could sway
the public to its side. The arguments held no water with the people. Well-tested economists, past Nigerian leaders, lawyers and all those versed in monetary issues were also
vehemently opposed to the introduction of the new note and the controversial currency restructuring. The CBN position that the new note would not cause inflation was rebuffed by Nigerians who knew from
experience that the introduction of notes of higher denominations in the nation’s monetary system in the
past invariably led to depreciation in the value of older notes. The fate of N5, N10, and N20 since the introduction of N200, N500 and N1000 attests to this. Again, since
Nigerians do not readily accept coins, converting more naira notes into coins as the CBN planned to do
would have compound the problem. Despite academic notions that higher denomination notes do not cause
inflation, in Nigeria’s peculiar circumstance and experience, the opposite has been the case. In fact, the argument against the introduction of the high denomination note far outweighs the one for it.
More so, the introduction of the new naira note contradicts the CBN’s cashless policy. Although, the
Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati, has explained that the suspension of the
new note is to enable the CBN do more consultation and enlightenment on the matter, we think such is
belated. The CBN ought to have done that initially before rushing to force its decision on Nigerians. The lesson from
the new note debacle is that government should always throw up major policy issues to public debate to
gauge the pulse of the people before the president gives his approval. This will guide the government’s
actions and also help to avoid policy reversals the nation has witnessed of recent. We say this considering the fact that frequent policy somersault is not good for any administration,
especially a transformational government. While we acknowledge that the CBN is in charge of the nation’s
monetary policy, including issuance of currency notes, it must strive to carry the public along, especially
on issues that will have far-reaching effects on the economy and the people. The grandstanding by the CBN governor on the N5000 note was uncalled for. We commend the President
for bowing to the wishes of Nigerians on this particular issue. Some past Nigerian presidents always
ignored resolutions of the National Assembly on major national issues, treating such resolutions as
advisory and lacking the force of law. It is good that we have a president who honours resolutions of the
people’s representatives. In view of the strong argument by notable economists that the introduction of the high denomination note
will not augur well for the nation’s economy, we urge that the idea of a N5000 be completely rested. The
proposed further consultations, enlightenment and deliberation on the matter should be jettisoned. We also want to believe that the CBN has not awarded the contract for the printing of the new currency.
The faux pas that attended the N5000 note controversy should be avoided in future by allowing robust
public debate on any controversial issue before final approvals are given by the president and the relevant
authorities.
Paul Okoku: Why I separated from my wife
Paul Okoku, a member of the silver-winning Green Eagles of Nigeria at the 1982 Nations Cup may have
accomplished much in life after his retirement from active football. But the ex-player has one big wound in
his heart – his marriage has gone awry and his three children are now growing without enjoying the love of
their mum. Okoku, a strong-willed personality, chose a path to paradise, but he regretted the mistake he made in
marrying someone he thought was the love of his heart. In this no-holds-barred interview, the former
Leventis United maestro, now a chief in Ogume Kingdom of Delta State, told the story of his journey to
stardom with Leventis United FC and the national team. He narrated his misadventure in marriage while in
the US, from where he returned to Nigeria recently to donate some sets of computers to his alma mater,
St. Paul’s Primary School, Ebuta Meta in Lagos. TS Weekend met and had a chat with him and below is the excerpt. Tell us about your background sir? I’m Chief Paul Okoku, a native of Ogume in Ndokwa West LGA of Delta State. I’m the Onutu of Ogume
Kingdom. Do you mean that you are a traditional chief? Yes of course. I’m the Onutu of Ogume Kingdom. That was a title my mother wanted me to take, which I
could not actualise before she died. However, after her death, I went home and took the title as an honour
to her. What about your wife, where does she… (Interrupts) My wife? Marriage? Okay, I would say that I’m married, and at the same time, I’m not. What do you mean? I’m not living with my wife at the moment. We’re separated. I had to file for legal separation with her and
won the case. Why, what did she do to you? There were unresolved issues between us and I thought the best way to it was going our separate ways.
To the glory of God, I have the full custody of my children. You had kids with her. Yes, we have three kids. Where are they now? In the US Is your estranged wife an American? No. She is from Agbor in Delta State and we got married here in Nigeria. How long have you been separated? About 5 to 6 years now. How do you feel after separating with your wife? I don’t feel bad. But the fact is that as people grow, their worldview changes. Sometimes, those things that
bind people together tend to become distractions. That will tell you that some people are not compatible.
This is a fact in marriage we must respect. How did you meet your estranged wife? I met her when I came on a visit to Nigeria. When I saw her, I fell in love with her thinking that I had got all
I wanted in a woman, but it never worked out that way. Initially, I saw her as a cultured woman, who could
key into my dreams and help me to build a good home, but I later realised that I was in error. Would one say that it was the lifestyle in America that influenced your separation? I would rather say that it was as a result of a combination of many factors. But I know that taking her to
the US contribute to it because the culture there is different from ours. Sometimes I feel she had cultural
shock, which overwhelmed her. Any plan to remarry? Definitely, I have plans to remarry, but I don’t know how soon it would come. I’m still young to stay alone
and might die before my time if I decide to do so. But for the mean time, I want to take good care of my
children while they grow. I wouldn’t want the distraction of any woman now. So, I’m not in a hurry to dabble
into a relationship, but that vacuum would be filled in future. How old are your children? Chika Joshua Okoku, my first child and the only son is 17 years old. Ashley Nkechi, who is my first
daughter, is 16, while Faith Ngozi is 13. She is my last child. Don’t you think that your separation with their mum would be affecting them? Of course, it had a great toll on them at the earlier stages, but they’ve come over it. For children to grow
better, they need both parents, but when it becomes inevitable, one has to take what comes his way. It
was tough initially because they needed motherly care and love, but I’m grateful to God for the journey so
far. My kids are doing very well at the moment. They’ve had both personal and group counselling sessions and
they’re much better now than when they were still much younger. They’re doing well in school as well as in
sports. They have friends and they’re happy. Tough that was not my initial bargain for them when I got
married, I have to accept my fate and move on. Some ex-players end up as destitute, but you are one of the former Green Eagles that are doing
well, what is the secret? There’s no secret at all. I only learnt my lessons from other people’s mistakes. I grew up in Bode Thomas
area of Surulere, Lagos, and was opportune to watch most of the national team players from close quarters
because the national camp was situated around that area. I saw many players and was able to separate
the wheat from the chaff. I studied the lifestyle of some educated players and that of the illiterate ones and
took a stand from the outset. I saw the like of Adokie Amasiamaka and how they went about their business as educated players and
decided to be like them. Because of such players, I was inspired to go to school irrespective of my age,
and that was the turning point in my life. I realised earlier that education would be my backup after life on
the pitch. I left football in my prime. I left Leventis United when I was making money and having fun to pursue
education. I had a lot of women around and good money to buy any type of car I desired, but I didn’t allow
any of those things to distract me from pursuing education. Are you now a graduate? I attended Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University and after my graduation, I took a job and have
worked my way up the management ladder. I started as a retail price analyst and currently I am a financial
analyst. Of course, without education, probably I wouldn’t have been where I am today. Do you feel bad that your marriage collapsed despite denying yourself the pleasures associated
with fame during your playing days? Mind you, I believe in the saying that it’s the end that justifies the means. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved
in life. I’m not bitter at all. I take the positives in everything that comes my way because here was a young
boy growing up away from his parents, because I was always in camp and my dad trusted my sense of
judgment. My only regret is that he did not live to see my kids unlike my mum. My dad wanted me to marry before I left for the US, but I resisted the pressure. When I told my parents
that I wanted to acquire formal education, they thought that I was joking. However, they later caught my
vision. On the marriage and its separation, I don’t dwell on past issues. That’s spoilt milk and it’s no longer
fit for consumption. Do you have siblings? Yes, we were six in number, three boys and three girls. I’m the second child of my parents. I lost my elder
brother, Godwin about five years ago. All my brothers and sisters are living in the United States, including
the children of my late elder brother, who are directly under my care. Some ex-international footballers end up as destitute, what contributes to their impoverishment? I wouldn’t know and I wouldn’t want to speculate anything. I can only say that the economic melt down
caught up with them. And what is your advice to young footballers on how to survive after their active days in soccer? They should not put all their eggs in one basket. Though as great footballers, they should not allow the
glamour of today to deprive them of their future. They should aspire higher and always think of life after
football, because more lies ahead after football
accomplished much in life after his retirement from active football. But the ex-player has one big wound in
his heart – his marriage has gone awry and his three children are now growing without enjoying the love of
their mum. Okoku, a strong-willed personality, chose a path to paradise, but he regretted the mistake he made in
marrying someone he thought was the love of his heart. In this no-holds-barred interview, the former
Leventis United maestro, now a chief in Ogume Kingdom of Delta State, told the story of his journey to
stardom with Leventis United FC and the national team. He narrated his misadventure in marriage while in
the US, from where he returned to Nigeria recently to donate some sets of computers to his alma mater,
St. Paul’s Primary School, Ebuta Meta in Lagos. TS Weekend met and had a chat with him and below is the excerpt. Tell us about your background sir? I’m Chief Paul Okoku, a native of Ogume in Ndokwa West LGA of Delta State. I’m the Onutu of Ogume
Kingdom. Do you mean that you are a traditional chief? Yes of course. I’m the Onutu of Ogume Kingdom. That was a title my mother wanted me to take, which I
could not actualise before she died. However, after her death, I went home and took the title as an honour
to her. What about your wife, where does she… (Interrupts) My wife? Marriage? Okay, I would say that I’m married, and at the same time, I’m not. What do you mean? I’m not living with my wife at the moment. We’re separated. I had to file for legal separation with her and
won the case. Why, what did she do to you? There were unresolved issues between us and I thought the best way to it was going our separate ways.
To the glory of God, I have the full custody of my children. You had kids with her. Yes, we have three kids. Where are they now? In the US Is your estranged wife an American? No. She is from Agbor in Delta State and we got married here in Nigeria. How long have you been separated? About 5 to 6 years now. How do you feel after separating with your wife? I don’t feel bad. But the fact is that as people grow, their worldview changes. Sometimes, those things that
bind people together tend to become distractions. That will tell you that some people are not compatible.
This is a fact in marriage we must respect. How did you meet your estranged wife? I met her when I came on a visit to Nigeria. When I saw her, I fell in love with her thinking that I had got all
I wanted in a woman, but it never worked out that way. Initially, I saw her as a cultured woman, who could
key into my dreams and help me to build a good home, but I later realised that I was in error. Would one say that it was the lifestyle in America that influenced your separation? I would rather say that it was as a result of a combination of many factors. But I know that taking her to
the US contribute to it because the culture there is different from ours. Sometimes I feel she had cultural
shock, which overwhelmed her. Any plan to remarry? Definitely, I have plans to remarry, but I don’t know how soon it would come. I’m still young to stay alone
and might die before my time if I decide to do so. But for the mean time, I want to take good care of my
children while they grow. I wouldn’t want the distraction of any woman now. So, I’m not in a hurry to dabble
into a relationship, but that vacuum would be filled in future. How old are your children? Chika Joshua Okoku, my first child and the only son is 17 years old. Ashley Nkechi, who is my first
daughter, is 16, while Faith Ngozi is 13. She is my last child. Don’t you think that your separation with their mum would be affecting them? Of course, it had a great toll on them at the earlier stages, but they’ve come over it. For children to grow
better, they need both parents, but when it becomes inevitable, one has to take what comes his way. It
was tough initially because they needed motherly care and love, but I’m grateful to God for the journey so
far. My kids are doing very well at the moment. They’ve had both personal and group counselling sessions and
they’re much better now than when they were still much younger. They’re doing well in school as well as in
sports. They have friends and they’re happy. Tough that was not my initial bargain for them when I got
married, I have to accept my fate and move on. Some ex-players end up as destitute, but you are one of the former Green Eagles that are doing
well, what is the secret? There’s no secret at all. I only learnt my lessons from other people’s mistakes. I grew up in Bode Thomas
area of Surulere, Lagos, and was opportune to watch most of the national team players from close quarters
because the national camp was situated around that area. I saw many players and was able to separate
the wheat from the chaff. I studied the lifestyle of some educated players and that of the illiterate ones and
took a stand from the outset. I saw the like of Adokie Amasiamaka and how they went about their business as educated players and
decided to be like them. Because of such players, I was inspired to go to school irrespective of my age,
and that was the turning point in my life. I realised earlier that education would be my backup after life on
the pitch. I left football in my prime. I left Leventis United when I was making money and having fun to pursue
education. I had a lot of women around and good money to buy any type of car I desired, but I didn’t allow
any of those things to distract me from pursuing education. Are you now a graduate? I attended Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University and after my graduation, I took a job and have
worked my way up the management ladder. I started as a retail price analyst and currently I am a financial
analyst. Of course, without education, probably I wouldn’t have been where I am today. Do you feel bad that your marriage collapsed despite denying yourself the pleasures associated
with fame during your playing days? Mind you, I believe in the saying that it’s the end that justifies the means. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved
in life. I’m not bitter at all. I take the positives in everything that comes my way because here was a young
boy growing up away from his parents, because I was always in camp and my dad trusted my sense of
judgment. My only regret is that he did not live to see my kids unlike my mum. My dad wanted me to marry before I left for the US, but I resisted the pressure. When I told my parents
that I wanted to acquire formal education, they thought that I was joking. However, they later caught my
vision. On the marriage and its separation, I don’t dwell on past issues. That’s spoilt milk and it’s no longer
fit for consumption. Do you have siblings? Yes, we were six in number, three boys and three girls. I’m the second child of my parents. I lost my elder
brother, Godwin about five years ago. All my brothers and sisters are living in the United States, including
the children of my late elder brother, who are directly under my care. Some ex-international footballers end up as destitute, what contributes to their impoverishment? I wouldn’t know and I wouldn’t want to speculate anything. I can only say that the economic melt down
caught up with them. And what is your advice to young footballers on how to survive after their active days in soccer? They should not put all their eggs in one basket. Though as great footballers, they should not allow the
glamour of today to deprive them of their future. They should aspire higher and always think of life after
football, because more lies ahead after football
Dress code: Green ‘n’ white
By Bolatito Adebayo Yippeee! It’s Independence day again. It’s another reason to celebrate and flaunt your stuff. We need to
start off by dressing appropriately for the d-day. You should bear in mind that the appearance you are
creating is not only about looking fabulous but also about being patriotic. You really have to drum it to
others that this is October first, and wearing green and white is the only best option. There are lots of
options to choose from when it comes to stylish dresses for Independence, but this is the right time to
stay classy, sassy and really patriotic, too. Happy Independence Day! Daytime causal beach day We all know the beach will be filled with fun lovers, and if you are thinking of doing the same, then get a
super laid back look. To create this outfit, get a green tank and white shorts. Accessorize with simple
sandals or flats and a stripped beach bag for a coordinated look. You can go for the kill with green and
white bangles, too. Day time outfit This can be described as a street style and also laid back that is perfect for picnics, family outings and
what have you. You can get a T-shirt in either green or white colours, or preferably a stripped green and
white tee and then pair with jeans. An oversized T-shirt will be perfect for this too, so you can tie it into a
knot and pair it with canvas. Night out modern This trendy outfit is sleek and modern. It is most suitable when you want to paint the town green. You can
start with the off moment green skinny jeans with an embellished white blouse and studded green loafers
or pumps. Once you open the door, you will sparkle like fireworks, especially when you add a bold
statement silver necklace. Night out classic You are thinking of a dinner with someone special, or going for a formal event? Then, the classy look will
do the trick. You can come out bold in a green dress that reflects the national flag. Bring on a silver or
white pumps or stilettos. Or, it can be the other way round, a white dress and green shoes. Finish the look
with silver earrings and an adorable but subtle bangle. Make-up Every day you wake up to the same old routine of looking good and wearing the same old stuffs. But, for a
change, spice up your look with green eyeliner and eye shadow to project your glamorous face. You can
add a little sparkle by adding silver glitters on your brow or cheeks. And if you have the guts, go get a
green lipstick; it’s the best way to celebrate.
start off by dressing appropriately for the d-day. You should bear in mind that the appearance you are
creating is not only about looking fabulous but also about being patriotic. You really have to drum it to
others that this is October first, and wearing green and white is the only best option. There are lots of
options to choose from when it comes to stylish dresses for Independence, but this is the right time to
stay classy, sassy and really patriotic, too. Happy Independence Day! Daytime causal beach day We all know the beach will be filled with fun lovers, and if you are thinking of doing the same, then get a
super laid back look. To create this outfit, get a green tank and white shorts. Accessorize with simple
sandals or flats and a stripped beach bag for a coordinated look. You can go for the kill with green and
white bangles, too. Day time outfit This can be described as a street style and also laid back that is perfect for picnics, family outings and
what have you. You can get a T-shirt in either green or white colours, or preferably a stripped green and
white tee and then pair with jeans. An oversized T-shirt will be perfect for this too, so you can tie it into a
knot and pair it with canvas. Night out modern This trendy outfit is sleek and modern. It is most suitable when you want to paint the town green. You can
start with the off moment green skinny jeans with an embellished white blouse and studded green loafers
or pumps. Once you open the door, you will sparkle like fireworks, especially when you add a bold
statement silver necklace. Night out classic You are thinking of a dinner with someone special, or going for a formal event? Then, the classy look will
do the trick. You can come out bold in a green dress that reflects the national flag. Bring on a silver or
white pumps or stilettos. Or, it can be the other way round, a white dress and green shoes. Finish the look
with silver earrings and an adorable but subtle bangle. Make-up Every day you wake up to the same old routine of looking good and wearing the same old stuffs. But, for a
change, spice up your look with green eyeliner and eye shadow to project your glamorous face. You can
add a little sparkle by adding silver glitters on your brow or cheeks. And if you have the guts, go get a
green lipstick; it’s the best way to celebrate.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)