August 2012 - Nigerian Watch

Transcription

E
E
FR
OLYMPICS
Meet Team
Nigeria
EXCLUSIVE
London 2012
Nigeria Olympic
Schedule
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
monthly
to Inspire, Inform and Entertain
nigerianwatch.com
NEW WORLD NIGERIA
INSIDE
News
- 17-year-old playwright
triumphs in parliament
- Nollywood ‘Oscars’ gist
- Bone marrow charity’s
windfall from boxer Chisora
Features
- TV’s Rhoda Wilson
- Fashion’s Aerosoul
- Afrobeats’ Maleek Berry
Life & Style
- Prostate Cancer
- Eyeliner secrets
- Summer fashions
- Comprehensive guide to
Nigeria House
Business & Property
- Meet the lettings agent
setting new highs for service
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
Education
- What to do now the GCSE
results are in (good or bad)
Sport
PAGE 9
- Eagles Polo Unicef match
- Schools’ reunion fun-day
2
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
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It’s the beginning, not the end
NIGERIAN WATCH
Publishers
tevin Jemide
Victor omosevwerha
Akinjimi Akinola
Publisher/Managing Director
maryanne Jemide
PR Director
Ilonka omosevwerha
Managing Editor
Jon hughes
Art Editor
Cathy Constable
Contributors
Chuk Ikéh
obah Iyamu
harriet ogbeide
AJ James
olubunmi otuyemi
lorenzo Banfii
Diana Agunbiade-Kolawole
Daniel Sync
osa Iyamu
Adejumoke Ilori
Cathy o
Chief Cartoonist
harold ogbeide
Office address
nigerian Watch
Chartwell house
292 hale lane
Edgware
middlesex
hA8 8nP
Email
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Website
www.nigerianwatch.com
tel: 020 8588 9640
Fax: 020 7160 5232
nigerian Watch is a monthly newspaper
owned by Green World media ltd.
Views expressed in this newspaper do not
necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher.
All rights reserved. no part of the newspaper may
be reproduced in any form without the written
consent of the publisher.
Cover picture Getty Images
o
ver the past few months we nigerians
have shown what we can achieve when
we put our minds to it and pull together.
the spectacular showcase underway at Stratford
East shows how day by day our cultural
industries are going from strength to strength,
giving the world the soundtrack of the summer
and making people everytwhere re-think their
notions of our beloved country.
As I write I am anticipating hearing our
President, Goodluck Jonathan, address a summit
of over 250 global business leaders at the
Dorchester. here the titans of our economy and leaders of
our states and Federal Government will
showcase the amazing opportunities open to
those willing to partner with us in development.
nigeria is a gold mine, not only for its
voluminous natural resources but also for its
highly educated work force. A very large
number of nigerians today have masters and
mBA’s, making us one of the most well-read
races in the world, because education is in our
culture and our blood.
Coupled with our willingness to enter into
public private partnerships to create an
infrastructure for the 21st Century, we can look
forward with confidence. the world is changing
and nigeria is changing with it. It is inevitable
that nigeria is going to be a global force in the
ps
near future. nigerian Watch intends to assist in
every way possible with making sure this
transition takes place. our aim is show the
world the positive side to our country, and our
citizens around the world – and we thank you all
for your kind emails and calls of encouragement
in this endeavour.
Quite clearly then this month marks the
beginning of a new era, and all who helped
bring together the platforms to showcase the
new nigeria, particularly Canuk in the UK and
the Bank of Industries in nigeria, have to be
given our greatest thanks.
But we must not rest on our laurels. We must
draw on this experience, continue working
together, and seek to rise to meet and surpass
the expectations we have set ourselves.
We have put ourselves in the spotlight this
summer. We will now be under greater scrutiny
than ever before. If we continue to work
together in the way we have been doing
recently, we can achieve the wonderful goals we
have set ourselves.
We can think of no better way to round off Notting Hill Carnival weekend than heading off to Wembley
Arena to see Africa Unplugged, with its amazing line up of superstars, including our own Femi Kuti,
Afrobeats’ star Flavour and superior 2Face Idibia, all co-hosted by comedian Iyanya. Why don’t you join us
there? We have two pairs of tickets to give way to the event which runs from 5.30pm-11.30pm on Bank
Holiday Monday (August 27). Simply drop us a line by email to [email protected] including your
phone number, to enter the draw and the lucky winners will be contacted by Friday Aug 17. Good luck.
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3
Celebration to mark Juju and Gospel legend’s 70th birthday
TO HONOUR OBEY
The 70th birthday of Juju
maestro and Gospel legend
Commander
Ebenezer
Obey-Fabiyi was celebrated
in style, with Pastor
Ashimolowo
Matthew
leading the praises at the
Cliwom Sanctuary in South
London on July 16.
multi-platinum selling recording star were fittingly music
and dancing and much laughter. It was an A-list event with
more than a dozen pastors, an
equal number of elected
councillors, the Mayors of
Southwark, Lewisham, Brent
Sync PHOTOS/www.syncPHOTOSonline.com
The keynotes of the celebration for Nigeria’s first
By JON HUGHES
ABOVE: The Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, with (below) Pastor Matthew
Ashimolowo, at the Cliwom Sanctuary of Parise celebration of his life
and Enfield, Canuk chairman
Bimbo Folayan Roberts and
deputy High Commissioner
OK Lawal and his wife,
among many other notables.
The celebration was organised by Cliwom sanctuary of
praise
Pastor
Ebenezer
Ajitena, who introduced ‘the
Commander’ as a “living legend and great man of God”.
“There is no sphere of life
Commander’s music has not
got across,” he told the more
than 500 people present.
With more than 30 albums
to his name, the Commander
is famed for taking on the role
of public messenger at key
moments in Nigeria’s history.
His Naira and Kobo
taught many Nigerians how
to calculate the exchange rate
when the currency was introduced to replace sterling. His
Alo Mi Alo performed a similar feat when Nigeria’s traffic
laws changed, and people
were required to drive on the
left rather than the right.
And, of course, Operation
Feed the Nation.
Leading the praises to the
Commander was Pastor
Matthew Ashimolowo of
KICC (Kingsway International Christian Centre).
“It’s a privilege to come
here and honour a legend,”
said Pastor Matthew. “We
could go on and on, and on,
about how his songs have
blessed us.”
He described how the
Commander had conquered
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the world before he ‘turned
his back on secular music and
embraced faith music’, becoming an Evangelist minister
and sticking to his belief even
though ‘his boys’ turned
against him.
In an often hilarious
speech, Pastor Matthew admitted, “Many of us preachers use his songs in our
preaching.” Charting a friendship of over 30 years, he
painted a picture of the Commander as a humble man,
whose generosity knows no
bounds, travelling far and
wide to help others.
Pastor Matthew went on
to address the subject of finishing well, during which he
said the Commander, in both
his vocations was “a visionary; focused; a general overseer; a voice; a testimony, a
giver of life”.
The floor was then opened
for questions. Nigeria’s first
lady of broadcasting Julie
Coker said, “You’re so close
to me in age, so how come you
look 10 years younger?” Before singing Happy Birthday.
Chief Yemesi Sanusi asked
him what the secret to his long
life was, as life-expectancy
among Nigerians hovered
around 50. The Commander
said it was his faith in God
and his belief in peace. “If we
live our lives in peace, that is
one of the most important
things,” he said. “I run away
from trouble. I don’t like trouble. The more we have peace
the more it will help us.”
It was a night as much
about music and dancing as
speeches and the audience
had been brought to its feet by
a short set from Muyiwa and
Riversongz, and an inspirational chant of praise for
Commander Obey from Su-
perior Prophet Tosin Akinsanmi. Then the band, comprising two talking drums, a
drummer, two guitarists, and
a bass and keyboard player –
reminiscent of the Inter-reformers – warmed up and the
man himself took the microphone and the place erupted.
On entering the celebration
the Commander had been
overwhelmed and was seen to
wipe away a tear. Toward the
end of the ceremony he told
the gathering, “Thank you.
I’m so happy. I don’t know
what to say. Thank you.”
To mark the event, everyone left with a specially
minted greatest hits limited
edition CD, courtesy of Cliwom sanctuary.
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Black box recorder reveals
what downed flight NR-905
BISHOPS OPEN GARDEN OF INSPIRATION
Anti-knife crime campaigners
and youth champions Richard
Taylor OBE and Toyin Idowu
of Youth Against Crime not
Crime Against You were
among scores of family, friends
and dignitaries to attend the
opening of a Garden of Inspiration at Kingsford Community School in Beckton.
The garden was opened in
memory of seven pupils from
the school who have lost their
lives in knife incidents since the
school opened in 2000 – at the
hands of gangs operating in
the vicinity of the school, but
not part of the school community. “While the garden has
been created in memory of
those tragically taken from us,
it is also a reflection of our determination to create a motivating
and
positive
environment where pupils are
encouraged to achieve the best
they can be,” said head teacher
Joan Deslandes.
Extensive and generous
messages of support were sent
to the school by the Archbishop of Canterbury and heir
to the throne Prince William.
The ceremony was presided
over the Bishop of Chelmsford
Stephen Cottrel and Reverend
Fred Ashford-Okai, along with
Archbishop Matthias from
Ghana.
the preliminary report on the
Dana Air plane tragedy that
killed all 153 people on board
in lagos in June has identified
simultaneous dual engine failure as the cause of the crash.
But it seems we will never
know the cause of the failure
as nigeria’s accident investigation bureau said the critical
flight data recorder – also
known as the black box – was
“burned beyond recognition”.
“the solid state based memory in the CVR was in good
condition and retained 31 minutes of audio information. the
digital tape based memory in
the FDR succumbed to the post
crash fire and melted, consequently no data could be recovered,” said AIB Commissioner
Captain muhtar Usman, who
released the report.
the black box is an electronic device tasked with
recording any instructions sent
to or from electronic systems
on the aircraft and is built to
withstand high-speed impacts
By CHUK IKÉH
and the heat of an intense fire.
Doubts over the AIB’s report
have been raised because the
black box, which is usually located in the tail of the aircraft,
was damaged despite the Dana
5n-RAm aircraft’s tail surviving
the crash.
the report says that both
engines were lost almost simultaneously during the plane's
descent towards murtala
muhammed International Airport, but could not give details
Both black box recorders being
recovered from the crash site
as to why.
It rules out both fuel contamination or shortage as the
cause, stating: “the flight crew
reported to AtC (Air traffic
Control) they had 26,000 lbs of
total fuel. Preliminary analysis
of fuel samples from the refueling truck and the supply tank
at ABV were negative for contamination.”
AIB said that the mcDonnell
Douglas 83 aircraft took off
from Abuja, nigeria’s capital, at
2.48 pm and crashed at about
3.45 p.m. just minutes to runway. “the airplane was on the
fourth flight segment of the
day, consisting of two roundtrips between lagos and
Abuja. the accident occurred
during the return leg of the
second trip. DAn 992 was on
final approach for runway 18R
at loS when the crew reported
the total loss of power,” the report said.
Read more about the AIB’s preliminary investigation report at
www.nigerianwatch.com
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5
Nigerian play is first ever drama to
17-yEAR-OlD WOWs
be staged in parliament CRiTiCs WiTH DEbuT
17-year-old Tosin Omosebi
has become the first ever
person to have a play
performed at Westminster
Hall in the Palace of
Westminster’s 900 year-old
history.
The
Southall
schoolgirl achieved this
unprecedented accolade as
winner of the National
Theatre’s
New
Views
playwriting competition, as
part of the Arts in
Parliament programme.
Tosin Omosebi’s drama Rewrite beat all-comers from
across the UK to be performed
by professional actors in the
hallowed hall on July 11.
An absurd, dark comedy,
Re-write centres on two characters that have been convicted
for murder, prompting their incarceration in a psychiatric unit
where they are to have their
lives “re-written” by doctors.
By CHUK IKÉH
Tosin, who is currently
studying for her A-Levels at
Greenford High School, told
Nigerian Watch of her shock
and delight at winning the
competition.
“I just thought writing a
play would be fun to do and
wasn’t planning on actually entering, but after the first draft,
[New Views course writer]
Jemma Kennedy said the play
was good, so I thought why not
go for it! Discovering I had
won was amazing – I wasn’t expecting to win.”
Tosin explained that the
concept for Re-write stemmed
from a discussion in her philosophy class as to whether
human beings could change
their ways.
She added that the main
Playwright Tosin Omosebi and (right) actors Sam Crane and Maggie Service performing in Re-write
characters were inspired by the
story of Leopold and Loeb –
two wealthy students at the
University of Chicago who
murdered 14-year-old Robert
Franks in 1924 and were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nicholas Hytner, Director
of the National Theatre and
one of the judges for New
Views, said: “Tosin is a real
writer. Her play crackles with
excitement and is wonderfully
ambitious.
“She is confident enough to
play with theatrical form, and
she has something to say. I’m
sure she has a future as a playwright.”
Meanwhile Baroness Lola
Young, member of the Arts in
Parliament Advisory Group
and also a New Views judge,
added: “Tosin’s play is an in-
ventive critique of the mental
health system; she demonstrates great ambition in tackling such a huge issue.”
The play was being staged
as part of the three-month Arts
in Parliament festival which
brings art, music, dance and
poetry to Westminster Hall.
Additional performances
of Tosin’s play took place at
the National Theatre on July
12 and 13. New Views is an
annual writing competition
for 15-19 year olds and serves
to encourage hundreds of
young people around the
country to employ theatre as a
means of examining contemporary society.
The competition’s judging
panel included Nigerian poet,
playwright and Arts in Parliament artist Inua Ellams; and
student panellist Bridget Minamore, who is a former New
Views participant.
Students in the programme
follow an online playwriting
course written by Jemma
Kennedy, previously writer on
attachment to the National
Theatre Studio, with additional
contributions from some of the
most prominent playwrights
working in the UK, including
Richard Bean, David Hare and
Katori Hall.
6
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Abigail triumphs to deliver Medal Haul game
A new sports-based family
boardgame is set to have the
nation whooping with
delight and howling in
frustration
and
disappointment.
Days after being softlaunched at Jesus House at
the end of July, Medal Haul
landed a distribution deal
with one of Britain’s top toy
stores, The Entertainer.
This comes as no surprise
as Medal Haul is an actionpacked game, involving the
application of general knowledge and mathematics amid
the hurly burly of an athletics
meeting – with almost every
turn firing the starting gun on
a thrilling event.
“When I had the idea, it
was intended to be simply an
educational tool, to introduce
children to the rules of sports,
and the highs and lows of
competing,” its creator Abigail Obar explained.
But it has grown into so
much more – giving truth to
the old adage of sport imitating life. The spirit of endeav-
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our is embedded in the game.
By way of penalty cards some
nasty surprises can catch the
players unawares – meaning
they have to cope with adversity and learn to carry on.
When Abigail had the idea
for the game she was pregnant
with her third child when she
confronted just such a personal test.
First her brother died and
then her husband Samuel suffered a brain haemorrhage,
leaving Abigail to look after
their two older children Brian
(8) and Lizzy (4), while also
supporting her husband’s recovery and continuing to
work as a business analyst.
“I just felt compelled to
complete the game because I
believed in it,” explains Abigail when asked where she
found the fortitude to overcome such hurdles.
Aside from its obvious educational application Abigail
hoped the game would allow
families to talk about such
things as cheating, drugs in
sport, and unexpected disappointments, which can often
blindside us.
As someone who has
played Medal Haul with his
children (aged between 6-10)
I can report that it works on
all levels. And is wonderfully
supported by a website,
www.medalhaul.com
Happily I am also able to
report that Samuel is fully recovered, and that his and Abigail’s third child Jason is now
a bonny one year old. As in
the game of life Abigail has
proved a winner, so Medal
oIl BIll REAChES ASSEmBly
A new Federal Government-approved Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that aims to unbundle
the nigerian national Petroleum Corporation
(nnPC) into five companies has been sent to
the country’s national Assembly.
the Federal Government says that the bill
is needed to unblock billions of dollars of
stalled investment into the exploration and
production of oil. It has taken five years to deliver the bill.
the bill plans to partly privatise and list
the state oil company, tax oil profits at 20 per
cent for deep offshore drilling and 50 per cent
for shallow or onshore drilling, and give the
oil minister supreme powers over all of nigeria’s oil institutions.
It would also lead to the creation of an independent national oil Company (noC),
which would replace the old nnPC and take
over all of its former infrastructure.
the bill will be debated when parliament
reconvenes in September.
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August 2012
7
OUR HOUSE MAKES A STATEMENT OF INTENT
FUTURE TALENT:
Nwando Ebizie
performs at the launch
of Nigeria House
Northern Governors’ chief sets
out agenda at Chatham House
A radical alternative to the mainstream view
of Northern Nigeria as a dysfunctional
region was presented at the London HQ of
the influential foreign affairs think-tank
Chatham House, writes Jon Hughes.
Instead the audience of over 50 academics,
government and foreign office officials heard of
a region with mature government structures, acting to deliver equality, root out corruption and
tackle the ongoing scourge of Boko Haram.
The keynote address was made by the Executive Governor of Niger State and Chair of the
Northern States Governors Forum Mu’azu Ba-
bangida Aliyu, who had been invited to address
the issue of ‘Nigeria’s Unity and Regional SocioPolitical Groups, influence and impact of the
Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF)’,
which represents 18 northern states and 52% of
Nigeria’s population.
He opened by talking about the maturity of
the NSGF, as exemplified by its waiving of its
right to demand ‘equitable zoning’ following the
death of President Umaru Yar’adua, allowing
Goodluck Jonathan to take on the role, putting
the needs of the country first. The presidency rotates between North and South to ensure one
can’t dominate the other.
He said the NSGF did not
believe in the break up of Nigeria but nor did it support calls
for a Sovereign National Conference. “The constitution is not
perfect,” he said. “And we are
willing to amend it - but it does
not need re-writing.”
A Federal Government dealing with strategic issues, such as
defence, and stronger federal
states left in charge of delivering
health and education, social
services and local development is
the way forward to root out corruption, he said. “Who knows
better than the local people who
the corrupt are and what their
community needs?” In his state
funds are released monthly to
local government for specified
projects – and only topped up as
stages of development are completed.
Boko Haram he dismissed as
a “franchise”, leaderless and
comprising mercenary gangs.
He said to establish equality
in the region many states in the
North were scrapping school
fees as these were embedding
sectarian divides within communities.
the celebrations have begun
in style for nigeria, as stars of
the country’s past, present
and future arrived at Stratford East to witness the official opening of nigeria
house, just minutes away
from the olympic Stadium,
writes Chuk Ikéh.
the red ribbon ceremony
took place on 21 July at Stratford’s 128-year-old theatre
Royal, which will host the
house for the duration of the
Games, until 12 August.
negative stereotypes of
nigeria were addressed and
quashed in humorous opening
speeches made by members
of the host panel, which included UK nigerian high Commissioner Dr. Dalhatu tafida
and Bank of Industries managing Director Evelyn oputu. Also present on the high
table on the stage were the
minister for Sport, Secretary
General of the nigerian
olympic Committee (noC)
tunde Papoola and theatre
Royal Artistic Director Kerry
michael.
there were rousing musical, theatrical and poetic performances by four of the 30
artists selected as finalists of
the 30 nigeria house project – a partnership between
theatre Royal and new World
nigeria designed to leave a
lasting legacy from the games
by supporting the work of
emerging nigerian talent in
the creative industries.
meanwhile,
celebrated
actor, musician and playwright olu Jacobs took his
seat in the front row, and was
joined amongst the large
crowd by fellow nollywood
star Joke Silva, as well as members of the media and the
Japanese olympic team. It wasn’t long before Jacobs was made to get up by
the all-singing, dancing and
drumming nigerian band that
warmed up the proceedings
as they coaxed him to the join
them in a jig. he would later
also deliver a passionate, impromptu address to the young
artists in which he advised
them that a mirror would be
their “best friend” throughout
their careers.
the party concluded with
the official on-stage cutting of
the red velvet ribbon by Dr.
tafida, as the media gathered
around and guests looked on
and cheered from their seats
before making their way to
the theatre’s foyer, where
they posed for photographs
with the many stars present.
Despite the celebratory atmosphere, the occasion presented a strong message
throughout, which was made
most lucidly by ms oputu in
her opening address. “We are
here to make people understand why nigerians are a celebrated and vibrant people by
taking the opportunity of the
2012 olympiad to showcase
nigeria,” oputu said. “We are
here to showcase the best of
our sportsmen, musicians, theatre practitioners, arts and culture, food, fashion, agricultural products – who we are
as nigerians and what others
do not see when they talk
about us.”
8
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NOSCARS TO CELEBRATE TRIUMPHANT YEAR
WAR STORY WINNER
Nigeria’s Rotimi Babatunde
has won the £10,000 2012
Caine Prize for African
Writing, making him the
fourth author in the
country’s history to claim
the title.
Babatunde, who lives in
Ibadan, won the award for his
short story entitled Bombay’s
Republic. He was announced
as the winner at a dinner held
at the Bodleian Library in Oxford on July 2 by the Chair of
Judges, Bernadine Evaristo,
who said of Bombay’s Republic, which vividly describes the
story of a Nigerian soldier
fighting in the Burma campaign of World War Two, “It
is ambitious, darkly humorous
and in soaring, scorching
prose exposes the exploitative
nature of the colonial project
and the psychology of Independence.”
Babatunde explained his
motivation for writing the
story was “that the context of
WWII in African history, and
the story of the Nigerians
who went to the Burmese
front, has not been properly
explored”.
A year of booming success
for nigerian artists, musicians, performers and entertainers
will
reach
a
star-studded conclusion in
new york as the “city that
never sleeps” plays host to
the country’s biggest stars at
the seventh annual nigerian
Entertainment Awards (nEA)
from 31 August to 2 September, writes Harriet Ogbeide.
the main ceremony promises to be simultaneously
swanky and light-hearted,
hosted by none other than
queen of nollywood comedy,
Funke
Akindele-oloyede,
alongside tV host extrordinare Ay the Comedian.
the four-day bill will be
packed
with
exclusive
events, including a showcase
of nigerian music and Fashion entitled “music on the
catwalk”, a nollywood film
festival, comedy show “Crack
your Ribs” (featuring Julius
Agwu) and finally the award
ceremony itself, which will
be held on the last night of
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the glittering weekend.
nominees
were
announced on June 1 at a special gala ceremony held at
the Federal Palace hotel in
Victoria Island, lagos, and
this year’s awards will see
the likes of D’Banj, Wizkid,
Davido
and
PSquare compete
hottest Single of
the year category.
UK-based
grime
artists tinie tempah
and Skepta are also
up for awards.
here is a full list of
nominees and categories…
best Album: ‘Soul Is
heavy’ – nneka; ‘Eli’ – Ice
Prince; ‘Superstar’ – Wizkid; ‘the Dreamer’ – SDC;
‘Beautiful noise’ – timi
Dakolo; ‘Super Sun’ – Bez.
Hottest single of the
year: ‘Ara’ – Brymo;
‘oliver twist’ – D’Banj;
‘Pakurumo’ – Wizkid; ‘Dami
Duro’ – Davido; ‘Chop
my
money’
–
PSquare; ‘Roll’ – Rayce
Gospel singers: Segun
obe; tim Godfrey; Eben Kore;
lara George; Vivien Stephen
best Pop/R&b: Chidinma;
omawumi Waje; tiwa Savage; Wizkid; Capital Femi
Best Rap Act: Sauce Kid;
Ice Prince; Vector;
Eva; mI; SDC
best international
Artist:
2Kriss; Kadija Kamara; tinie tempah;
Skepta;
Abiade;
tipsy
best indegenous
Artist:
timaya;
Flavour; Aduke; 9ice;
Bracket; Jah Bless
best Actor (film):
Wale ojo (Phone Swap);
Joseph Benjamin (mr &
mrs); Chet Anekwe (Unwanted Guests); hakeem
Kae Kazim (man on
Ground); Ramsey nouah
(memories of my heart);
Pascal Atuma (Who is the
man)
best Actress
(film): Uche Jombo (Damaged); nse Ekpe Etim (mr &
mrs); Funke Akindele (troj);
tonto Dike (Private Enemy);
Rita Dominic (Shattered);
omotola Jolade Ekeinede
(ties that Bind)
best Director (film):
Kunle
Afolayan
(Phone
Swap); tade ogidan (Family
on Fire); tunde Kelani
(maami); Daniel Ademinokan
(Unwanted Guests); leila
Djansi (ties that Bind); Akin
omotosho (man on Ground)
best Picture: the young
Smoker; Inside Story; Phone
Swap; ties that Bind; ‘tRoJ’
(the Return of Jenifa); Unwanted Guests
best TV show: nigerian
Idol; Jacob’s Cross; tinsel;
naija Sings; City Sistas; BBA
best Comedian: Seyi law;
Ay; Julius Agwu; tee A; Basket
mouth; Alibaba
Entertainment Executive: Audu maikori; Eldee;
Segun
Demuren;
Efe
omoregie; obi Asika; Ayo
Shonaiya
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
9
Bone marrow donors wanted to ‘show the rest of the
world what you can do for your people’
At the launch of a new initiative aimed at
increasing the number of blood, organ and
stem-cell donors from black and ethnic
minority backgrounds in the UK, organisers
called for greater contributions from
Nigerians in the diaspora.
The call came in response to the lack of representation from the African community at the
event, which was held by the National Black and
Minority Ethnic Transplant Alliance (NBTA) at
the Institute of Contemporary Arts on July 4.
NBTA chairman, Orin Lewis – whose son
Daniel De-Gale won a long battle to find a stem
cell donor, but sadly died from Leukaemia in
2008 – told Nigerian Watch that he believed the
lack of donors and campaigners from Nigeria
and the African community was due to a number of “social barriers”. “There’s a lot of mistrust in the process of stem-cell and organ
donation, as well as a lack of awareness of the
need.
“A lot of people don’t realise that stem cell
donation is very peculiar in that it relies heavily
on the patient and donor being from the same
race, so if you don’t get on the register, you are
self-discriminating against your own kind.”
Lewis added that increasing awareness
around the issue would help encourage a greater
by CHUK IKÉH
response from the African community. “It’s
down to education, which creates awareness.
This event is all about standing up and being
counted, seen and heard – especially those from
the African community.”
He continued, “We need them to listen to the
message of organisations like the ACLT (AfroCaribbean Leukaemia Trust) and the NBTA,
which is coming right from the top – from the
department of health – and saying ‘we want you
to show the rest of the world what you can do
for your people’.”
There is currently a major shortage of AfroCaribbean donors on the UK bone marrow register, meaning that the probability of finding an
ethnic minority donor is one in 100,000, compared to one in four for the white community.
Recently, the ACLT launched an appeal to
find a bone marrow donor for 51-year-old
British-Nigerian Cyril Onyejekwe, who was diagnosed with the serious bone marrow disorder
called Myelofibrosis in December 2005.
A grandfather of six, the illness caused the
subsequent enlargement of his spleen, which had
to be removed in 2007 in order to preserve other
vital organs. After an unsuccessful search
amongst relatives, Onyejekwe is now seeking an
unrelated bone marrow donor to save his life. “I do worry about the burden of responsibility which will fall on my wife if a suitable bone
marrow match cannot be found,” said Onyejekwe. “I am hoping that somebody from the
African or Caribbean community will come forward to be a match for me and give me the gift
of life, but they will need to be on the bone marrow register,” he added.
NBTA co-chair Kirit Modi, who successfully recovered from a kidney disease after his
wife donated one of her own, echoed Lewis’
sentiments and added that the NBTA hoped to
work “very closely” with organisations and individuals from the Nigerian community in the
UK, to raise awareness about the importance
of donations and to track down more Nigerian
donors. The NBTA’s new initiative, which is backed
by the UK Ministry for Public Health, aims to
increase the number of people from black and
ethnic minority backgrounds on the Organ
Donor Register by 15 per cent by 2015.
It also aims to “improve stem cell donation
to ensure the percentage of donors on the UK
public stem cell donor registries reflect the UK
EvERy ClOud: Boxer derek Chisora has settled his
wager with david Haye and donated £20,000 to AClT –
of which charity Haye is patron – after losing the recent
grudge match between the two at upton Park
BAME demographic, as reported in the 2011
census”.
Minister for Public Health Anne Milton MP
was present at the launch and said, “As a minister, some weird and wonderful documents grace
my desk every week. But this strategy is ambitious, sensible, creative and to the point.
“I’m now in the privileged position of supporting the NBTA’s plan and I will do my best
to try and build as much support for it as people
are doing in their communities.”
10
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
newsWATCH
@NigerianWatch
Commons’ cleaners take CANUK AWARDED GOLD FOR
living wage claim to top OLYMPIC NIGHT OF THE STARS
By CHUK IKÉH
employees this rate. However,
The British Government is
a number of employers includto consider introducing a
Living Wage for Whitehall employees after ing KPMG, Aviva and the Mayor of London
eight cabinet ministers arrived at their – as well as Whitehall’s neighbour Parliament
desks in July to find letters from cleaners – have started to do so.
At the 2010 Citizens UK General Election
demanding better pay.
In a coordinated overnight move, more than
150 cleaners signed the letters before leaving
them on the desks of Chancellor George Osbourne, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg,
Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude, Business Secretary Vince Cable, Home Secretary
Theresa May, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke,
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander and Education Secretary Michael Gove.
A letter was also left in the pigeonhole of
Britain’s most senior judge, the President of
the Supreme Court Lord Phillips.
The letters contained personal testimonies
of working poverty and struggles to raise families due to having to work multiple low-paid
jobs, alongside calls for the immediate introduction of a Living Wage of £8.30 per hour.
The campaign received the backing of the
country’s biggest civil society alliance Citizens
UK, who have been calling for the living wage
as opposed to minimum wage of £6.08 per
hour as a solution to London’s living costs.
Currently, Whitehall is not obliged to pay
Assembly, Prime Minister David Cameron described the potential introduction of the Living Wage as an “idea whose time has come”.
Mr Cameron added, “I think this is a brilliant idea. The government after all is the
biggest employer in the country – where it
leads others will follow and fairness could
begin to be hard-wired into pay scales up and
down the country.”
However, Citizens UK says that most
Whitehall cleaners are still paid the national
minimum wage.
Meanwhile, the cleaners' actions suggest a
willingness to escalate the campaign, after similar letters were delivered anonymously to Foreign Secretary William Hague and Secretary
for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith in
April.
Citizens UK launched the Living Wage
Campaign in 2001 and has so far managed to
secure wage rises for the lowest paid working
families amounting to £96m over the past
decade.
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the thrilling night of the stars promised by
Canuk to launch the new World nigeria
Showcase was delivered with nobs on at the
gala dinner to welcome team nigeria to london, writes Jon Hughes.
more than 700 people packed the banqueting suite at la Royale in tottenham. Admittedly not the first choice but a first class
venue in the event.
nigeria’s fastest man, heptathlete, team
coaches and an enviable cast of nollywood
stars, including olu Jacobs and Joke Silvah
turned out on the night.
“We’re excited,” proclaimed deputy high
commissioner Dr oK lawal to the athletes.
“on behalf of the nigerian Community I welcome you warmly to london.
“you bear a heavy responsibility and high
expectation of the nigerian Community, who
expect you to excel. We are a massive community numbering around three million
strong; we are beginning to show our relevance to this community and you are our
standard bearers.”
this was a theme taken up by Chief Bimbo
Folayan Roberts, chairman of Canuk, which
organised the event. “We’re a very strong
community; one of the strongest in this country, involved in all aspects of life, yet we
haven’t connected enough. We are mobilising
the community for the good of nigeria, and
for the good of the country [Britain].”
President Sani nndasua said, “this is the
first time that we have nigerians coming together to support and celebrate their own,
and we commend Chief Roberts for organising this event. Wherever you have three million nigerians you are at home, our hopes
and expectations are with you.”
Adding, in response to a pledge from
Chief Roberts that a farewell event is being
planned to celebrate the achievements of the
athletes, he said, “Prepare your send off Chief
Roberts – it will be one with gold medals.”
By common consent the organisers of the
party had easily achieved the gold standard
in delivering a glittering night in double quick
time. thanks were given to the organisation
team led by Canuk Chairman Bimbo Folayan
Roberts, and Canuk officers Chuma olugh,
Shola ogunseitan, Charles Khiran and June
Douglas.
the committee tasked with organising the
event also included luminaries such as Ronke
Udofia, theodora Ibekwe, Ike onuorah, Femi
okutubo, Ronke Udeagbo and Victor omosevwerha amongst other leaders from the vibrant nigerian community.
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Nigerian launches
rival to Apple iPad
nigeria’s Saheed Adepoju –
described by the BBC as a
“young man with big dream”
– has invented the Inye,
Africa’s answer to the iPad.
And priced at $350 (£225),
around half of the price of a
brand new iPad, Adepoju’s
Inye already has one-up on US
tech giants Apple when it
comes to the African market.
“the Inye is a mobile internet device. It gives you access
to the internet; it allows you
to play media files and watch
movies. What we have is an 8inch device, a device that is
half-way between a laptop
and a mobile phone,” he told
the BBC’s series African Dream.
Inye believes that the combination of the price and the
technical specifications will
see the Inye take nigeria and
Africa by storm.
In fact, he already has plans
to sell the device, which runs
on Google’s Android operating
system, to the nigerian government. Adepoju’s aim is to
have at least one tablet in
every local government area.
“you have the
standard software
applications that
come pre-installed
and then you have
the ones that we
are working with
various local developers to bundle
on,” he explained.
Among
these
local apps is one
designed to raise awareness
about hIV, and another about
water sanitation, which is a
particular problem in nigeria.
the federal government recently signed a n43m financing agreement with the
European Union (EU) to support government reform efforts in various sectors
including water supply and
sanitation.
Adepoju’s device has huge
potential to revolutionise education, communication and
lifestyle, not only for nigeria
but for Africa at large.
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
11
VICTORY IN EDO STATE IS
A VICTORY FOR NIGERIA
In Aso Villa, Abuja, newly-reelected Edo
State Governor Adams Oshoiomole
arrived to shake hands with Nigerian
president Goodluck Jonathan – a gesture
that was seen by Vanguard as a thank you
for “a job well done”, writes Chuk Ikéh.
the 29-year-old entrepreneur has promised that Inye
apps will be designed with a
view to preserving local culture through technology and
making products which are
specific to the local market.
But the next challenge, he
says, is to “try and raise capital – locally, internationally or
privately – and to try to push
the brand forward as much as
we can”.
If the Inye succeeds, it
could well put Africa’s technological industries on the international map.
Indeed it seems that the President emerged
as the true hero of the recent state elections
that saw the incumbent Oshiomole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) win a landslide victory in all of the state’s 17 local
government areas.
A whopping 73.7 per cent of total votes
casts meant that Oshiomole trumped his closest rival, Charles Airhiarvbere of the ruling
People’s Democratic Party (PDP), against a
backdrop of unrest, fuelled by the anticipation
of vote-rigging, scare tactics and political deviance that often provide the main talking
points come election time in Nigeria.
President Jonathan congratulated his party
rival Oshiomole – who came into office during
the 2007 general election that returned the late
President Umaru Yar’Adua – and wished him
a successful second term.
But the niceties between the two have drawn
all kinds of speculative commentary from political analysts, who feel the President’s public
endorsement of a governor from the PDP’s
biggest challenger may serve a greater purpose.
Before the elections, the president told the
Edo electorate that the ballot must be “free and
fair”, re-emphasising his ‘one man, one vote’
call. It was seen as evidence of the President
making a decision “to be the leader of Nigeria
rather than the leader of a political party”.
It was a different Jonathan to the one that
some feel drove away former Governor
Timipre Sylva and imposed the incumbent
Governor Seriake Dickson on his native
Bayelsa State.
But others feel Jonathan’s display of
warmth towards Oshiomole is simply the
recognition of a man who has, in the past,
stuck his neck out for the good of the country,
putting Nigeria before his beloved ACN. After
all, it was Oshiomole who showed his support
for Jonathan in last year’s general election,
against his party’s own presidential candidate.
And who stepped in to help the PDP administration weather a number of political
storms, including the tricky negotiation process
that ended the universities strikes.
Perhaps what the Edo state elections have
really revealed is that there are some within
Nigeria’s political elite that are willing to do the
right thing for the good of the country and for
the preservation of democracy.
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Fabric sales. Bespoke Tailoring. Wedding & Evening Dresses.
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12
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
@NigerianWatch
gistWATCH
Madam Amebo
ONLINE IS NOT IDEAL
one lagosian lass recently found out how perilous it can be to buy love when it is being sold
via social media networks. She met an Essex
gent this way and after six months of virtual romance, during which he at least visited her, she
decided to move to the UK and be with him.
our gentleman friend was thrown into a
panic when she told him she had left her job, got
a visa and booked a flight, as he lived with his
wife and three children. however, after seeking
the counsel of some of his paddies, he came up
with a novel plan. he told his lady that he had
moved in with his sister and her family, so she
cannot stay with him, but she should not worry
as he would rent a room for her somewhere
nearby. Delivering on his promise, he rented her
a room in Dalston.
In these matters, however, the truth always
has a way of coming out. When the gentleman
refused to take the lady to meet his sister, she
Got a story for
madam? Send it to
[email protected]
We pay for every story that appears in print
became suspicious and one evening at a convenient moment, she checked his mobile phone.
After a bitter shouting match and a few
weeks of not talking, the couple decided to
make the best of the situation. they now have a
healthy baby son and the gentleman visits his
second family at least four times a week.
LEKKI LIFESTYLE
Since the summer holidays began, one hardpressed lekki husband is being plagued by
sleepless nights. the cause? his wife’s holiday
ambitions. As the vacation started she nudged
him awake to ask, “honey, where are we going
this summer? the ojo’s are off to Switzerland,
the olu’s to America, and the obi’s london.”
When he replied nowhere, she laughed loudly
and said, “you are joking right; what will your
kids say when they return to school after the
holidays? What am I going to tell my friends,
when they ask how I spent my summer? If you
don’t find somewhere for us to go this summer,
we are finished. People will laugh at us.”
thinking of how to save face in front of his
wife is what has kept this man awake; the lack
of sleep is now affecting him at work as he has
been caught sneaking a snooze or two. nawa for
lekki wives sha, must everyone keep up with
the Joneses?
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spiropoulos lAwAl solicitors
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arrangements for children including Residence and Contact.
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Compromise Agreements; Claims for Unfair Dismissal and
unlawful discrimination; the conduct of tribunal and appeal
proceedings; terms of employment including disciplinary and
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Agreements s11 Landlord & Tenancy Act 1985; s8 Notices; Issuing of
claims through to application for Warrant.
l Housing law including: Advice on possession and disrepair
proceedings
l Wills and Probate
Everyday for the
thief, one day for
the owner – part 4
A
fter spending a few months in lagos
and Abuja, mrs G was beginning to feel
much better, as no one knew about her
past and of her nightmare with Bimbo. She was
living comfortably in a nice house, with a
driver, several house girls, washer man, and
one for general duties.
With her daughter’s birthday approaching
mrs G wanted to throw a big party, so she
headed to Shoprite Shopping Centre in lekki to
pick up a few things. While strolling in the mall,
mrs G felt a flash of anger burst out of her
chest. She froze, reliving the horrors of prison
life, and only came back to reality when her
daughter called out, “mummy, what’s wrong?”
mrs G was confused herself, as she didn’t
know why she suddenly went into this defensive mode. She looked to the right; then to the
left; then all around. She could hear a voice that
tormented her inner soul. She took off her slippers, watch, rings and gave her hand bag to the
house girl, whom she instructed to return to
the car with her daughter.
mrs G slowly walked towards the “voice”
that has given her sleepless nights for months.
the voice that had made her depressed. the
voice that made her scared of stepping out of
her house. As she approached the voice, she
saw Bimbo sitting at a restaurant.
mrs G strode right in and without hesitating, picked up Bimbo and gave her an unbelievable body slam, of the kind only ever seen done
by the famous mighty Igor. Before Bimbo could
recover mrs G whopped her with another slap.
Bimbo sprung up shouting, “make una help
me o.” mrs G grabbed her by the hair and
laughed as she viciously ripped Bimbo’s ‘Jand’
weaveon out, piece by piece. By this time there
was a large gathering. no one knew what had
provoked the beating this respectable-looking
woman was imposing on this scared-looking
girl. no one knew that mrs G had months of
The everyday tale of the Gangsta’s wife;
having taken the rap for his dirty dealings and fled to Lagos to avoid a return
to gaol at the goading of Bimbo, Mrs G
gets a rude awakening
pain and anger, which she needed to get out of
her system.
Security was called and both women were
thrown out of Shoprite. Bimbo was screaming
“make una call police o, make una no leave me
with this mad woman o. She go kill me o.”
outside Shoprite both women stopped and
stood toe to toe, ringed by the crowd that had
followed them outside hoping to see more
spectacular action. mrs G started by saying, “I
no tell you say na only God go save you when
I catch you?” Before Bimbo could respond, mrs
G gave her another dirty slap.
Bit by bit, with combinations of punches
and slaps, Bimbo was stripped naked. She fell
on her knees crying and started begging mrs G.
only then did mrs G realise the extent of the
brushing she had given Bimbo. Still unforgiving, mrs G reminded Bimbo of the how she had
tormented her life in front of the gathering.
She told them of how she went to prison for
two years and how she has never recovered
from her experience. She told them of how
Bimbo tried to steal her husband and get her
thrown back into prison by tormenting her life.
to mrs G’s surprise, an on-looker shouted
out, “I beg make you slap am again, stupid husband snatcher.” Before she knew it, mrs G was
pushed aside and a woman backing a child
slapped Bimbo from behind. next thing the
crowd turned into a lynch mob and rained
down slaps, kicks, punches and spit at Bimbo.
mrs G called to her driver to go and pull
Bimbo out of the eye of the storm and carry her
to the car. on their way to the hospital, Bimbo
apologized to mrs G and told her she had been
instructed by mr G to torment her life and try
to get her banged up again. She told mrs G of
how mr G was the one informing on her every
move so that she can provoke her into a fight
so that she can be thrown back into prison. mrs
G couldn’t believe her ears… To be continued
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
13
Letters to the Editor
We’d love to hear from you. You can make sure Nigerian Watch is your kind of paper by letting us
know what you think, what you want to see in these pages and equally important what you don’t.
So put pen to paper and send your letters to:
the Editor, nigerian Watch, Chartwell house, 292 hale lane, Edgware,
middlesex hA8 8nP
or click away on your keyboard and email us at: [email protected]
Letters to be included in the next issue must be received by no later than May 20. The editor
regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published. Please include your full name, postal address
and contact telephone number. Names and addresses can be withheld, if preferred.
Letters may be edited for publication.
Help us complete 2012km bike
ride on behalf of the blind
Could I draw the attention of your newspaper
and its readership to an upcoming event that
aims raise awareness of blindness.
I would like to encourage you all to lend your
moral and physical support by joining a team
comprising one blind and three partiallysighted tandem cyclists in completing the last
stage of an epic ride that began in Hungary
and will wind up in London – covering a total
of 2012km.
I implore all of you, if you will, to saddle up
in your finest cycling attire – complete with
safety accessories, of course – and join us on
any point along the final leg, which will go
from Dover to Hammersmith. One needn’t
worry if they still use stabilisers; all are welcome.
The ride takes place on Sunday 25 August
from 9am. Anyone interested should call either
myself on 07702 935 802, or my colleague
Prakash on 07990 632 830.
I thank you in advance for your support,
Mathew Alfred, London White City Lions Club
I never knew I was related to the
family in TV sit-com...
I was delighted to discover in your July edition
that my family tree may actually be farther
reaching than I initially imagined.
After years of thinking that my family were
the only Adejanos in London, imagine my excitement when I discovered that there is an entire family who not only share the same
surname as me, but are also big-time TV and
stage actors! Incredible!
Godwin Adejano, Clapham
Education article was an eyeopener – keep up the good work
I would like to express my gratitude to the
whole team at Nigerian Watch. I have literally combed through every single issue that I
have come across. Thank you for putting this
newspaper out there. I am learning so much
from it.
I particulary enjoyed the article on The secret to academic success (July). An eye opener
for me. Well done. Please keep up the good
work. No doubt it is hard work but be encouraged because you are affecting the world. You
are making us Nigerians very proud.
Ije, via email
It is vital that we retain our
traditions as we modernise
First, let me say that over the past few months
I have grown to very much enjoy your newspaper. That’s not to say I agree with everything
that is said through its pages, but I respect the
variety of opinion.
One of the things I have enjoyed most is the
way you have covered the preparations for the
Olympics, both here and at home in Nigeria,
particularly the robust challenge to the negative image of Nigeria and Nigerians that has
taken root in our society.
I do have one concern, however. When you
write about a new Nigeria I worry that we may
find ourselves throwing the baby out with the
bathwater.
While there is much to improve for us as a
peoples there are also a great many attributes
and characteristics we have that we must defend with all our strength.
One such example would be the tradition of
respect for our elders. This is embedded in our
culture and is what makes us so hard-working
and determined to strive to improve ourselves
through education.
I believe the tragic violence we see on our
streets is evidence of what happens when we
lose this essential bond between the generations. So, yes to renewal – as long as we don’t
abandon the many great traditions that make
us who we are.
Peter Okafor, via email
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
sHowcAseniGERiA
15
INSIDE MEET TEAM NIGERIA
PLUS EXCLUSIVE Olympic 2012 Team Nigeria Schedule
NEW WORLD NIGERIA
N
igeria has been designated a Grade A
nation
by
the
olympic authorities.
the elite status is accorded to
teams who bring the most
competitors to the games. For
nigeria it is public recognition
of a resurgence in the global
sporting arena, writes AJ
James.
It is particularly welcomed
after a decade of turbulence –
during which national sports
were in the doldrums – as it
recognises the great strides
that have been taken in starting to develop a professional
infrastructure. one from
which it is hoped health and
education benefits will accrue.
the achievement is symbolic of a step-change within
the country and makes 2012 a
pivotal moment for nigeria.
london is where the new
nigeria is being unveiled to
the world; the hallmarks of
which are a new maturity and
new unity.
nigeria is forecast by the
ImF to experience 7% growth
next year and for the foreseeable future. the country is an
energy super-power – with
both oil and largely untapped
natural gas resources. yet a
‘national grid’ is required to
keep the light on at home.
It has enough arable land
to feed itself and produce a
surplus for export. yet it requires mechanisation to fulfill
this potential.
Across all sectors from the
civil service through to the creative industries, housing to
roads, tourism to high-tech,
nigeria is intent on building
an infrastructure to allow it to
develop its own industries
and talents and take on a
leading role on the world
stage.
As a country nigeria is
committed to sustainable development, ready and willing
to embrace an ecological blueprint. nigeria wants to lead
the continent to become the
green industrial giant, solving
intractable problems in the climate war for other nations
and of course itself.
Increasingly nigeria is
being talked about as having
the potential to become the
Green China – an industrial
powerhouse for the 21st century, but one developed to be
carbon and ecologically neutral.
to achieve all this the country is actively seeking public
private partnerships at both
federal and local government
level. yet it struggles to get its
message across.
Sure there are challenges –
many challenges – but these
challenges represent opportunities for development, politically,
economically
and
socially, to the benefit of the
global community.
the biggest bulwark to
Such is the power and reach of
the creative industries that for a
whole generation Oliver Twist
won’t be recognised as a classic
book by Charles Dickens but as
an Afrobeats track by D’banj
progress is the negative
stereotype lazily paraded in
the western media of nigerians as scammers and spammers and innately corrupt. It is
recognised to be stunting
nigeria’s development and
that of the whole of Africa. It
has led both the African Union
and World Africa Diaspora
Union to launch campaigns to
challenge such distorted images at every turn.
the chief characteristics of
the nation and continent are
of peoples who are hard
working, diligent, high academic
achievers
and
supremely adaptable, and is
evident across all areas of life
around the globe.
Spearheading this new assertiveness are the creative industries. Such is their power
and reach that for a whole
generation oliver twist won’t
be recognised as a classic book
by Charles Dickens but as an
Afrobeats track by D’banj.
nigerians in the UK diaspora are at the forefront of
this movement, sharing their
expertise and partnering with
this burgeoning sector back
home to help establish a core
infrastructure and grow international markets, displaying
the innate talents of enterprise and entrepreneurship. It
is proving a world-beating
combination.
the face of nigeria flashing
across our tV screens, over the
airwaves and through the
pages of books and stages
around the world is modern,
urbane, connected.
this long-ignored sector is
in large part responding to the
salutory tale of Fela, the
award-winning
Broadway
smash hit musical telling the
tale of nigeria’s iconic musician.
In a report to government
last year it was revealed this
show had taken over $50m at
the box office – yet the beneficiaries were Will Smith and
A SNAPSHOT OF NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
LEFT: The creative industries sector, showing the growing diversity by market share.
ABOVE: Nollywood is Nigeria’s thrid biggest export and has great potential to grow.
RIGHT: Percentage share of the GdP drivers of the Nigerian economy (World Bank 2008)
Graphics courtesy of verod Capital
Jay-Z who produced it. And
lamentably the show starred
no nigerians and even featured a ‘foreign’ Afrobeats
band. “how did this benefit
the nigerian economy?” asked
the report.
As a result now an arts infrastructure is being developed, recognisably along
western lines, to ensure nigeria can in future nurture and
develop its own talents.
the creative industries are
seen as the lever to establish
a sector of hi-tech innovation,
across both the service sector
and into games and nollywood and so forth.
As the launch of Racing Eagles, the nigerian motorsport
team, is seen as the lever to
establishing a first class mechanical engineering sector,
and so on and so forth.
nigeria is the land of opportunity, and this century
promises to be Africa’s. China
has recognised the potential.
latin America is by the day
forging links. A Japanese delegation were among the first
to visit nigeria house at Stratford East (see page 37).
the West is being lamentably slow in waking up to new
world nigeria. It can only be
hoped it avails itself of the opportunity to meet the new
generation of nigerians – intent on rooting out corruption
and building a new world for
their compatriots.
16
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
@NigerianWatch
sHowcAseniGERiA
E C O n O M y
THE GIANT OF AFRICA, NIGERIA
HAS A BRIGHTER FUTURE AHEAD
T
here are two views of
Nigeria. Many commentators have argued that the country,
seen by some as the giant of
Africa, is in intractable socioeconomic crises. Alternative
suggestions have been made by
the Barak Obama-led administration, stating that Nigeria has
a brighter future. Which one is
true?
Africa’s second biggest
economy and most populous
country of 162 million is the
continent’s leading oil producer. The sixth fastest growing economy in the world,
according to the IMF, Nigeria
plays a prominent role in international affairs due to its natural resources and strategic
location. Yet it is still working
to find productive paths for
growing youth populations, to
defeat corruption, improve
governance, infrastructure and
public health, and resolve security concerns.
These domestic issues accelerate the rate of change in geographical networks, and
influences the nature of economic activity, causing concerns for policy-makers and
business leaders across the
globe. And in turn they
raise questions for
stakeholders;
Can
Nigeria manage its domestic issues, develop
its infrastructure and
agricultural potentials,
advance technologically, attract necessary
foreign investment and
take its perceived exalted position in the
league of developed nations?
In most advanced
post-industrial societies, for managing disequilibrium
the
creation, ownership
and deployment of intangible assets (especially knowledge and
relationships) is at the
core of any strategy
likely to yield shareholder or stakeholder
value. This is evidenced
in the shift towards development of an infrastructure to
support open innovation.
According to a Senior Lecturer in Technology Manage-
ment at Cambridge University,
the subject has become important for three key reasons:
firstly, public policymakers increasingly recognise a role for
open innovation in supporting
regional economic development, to attract inward investment.
Secondly,
large
corporations see open innovation as a mechanism to support
the repositioning of their existing R&D assets in the face of
rapid technological and market
change. Thirdly, the management of the dynamic interconnections of the two previous
points.
While the implementation
of this shift in competitive
strategy may be fraught with
complexity, its practice underpins the foundations of national and enterprise level
capabilities, which, when put
together, define the nature of a
nation’s competitiveness and
determines its ability to create
wealth and prosper.
Nigeria experienced economic growth of 6.7% in 2011,
with projections of 6.9% in
2012 – which reveals opportunities emerging for increasing
wealth to be channelled to public services – including develop-
Nigeria has developed a
roadmap to become one of the
world’s top 20 economies by
2020. Telecomms, technology
parks and public private
partnerships promise what
President Obama’s
administration has called a
brighter future. Dayo
Abinusawa of the Knoorb
Institute, Cambridge, England,
outlines the choices facing the
continent’s second biggest
economy
non-oil sector exports.
But the African Economic
Outlook 2012 has indicated,
that despite the nation’s robust
economic growth, it has failed
to generate decent employment, while poverty has remained high and persistent. An
ongoing consideration in
international business and
policy circles on Nigeria is
what the key concern
might be: is it domestic
leadership, or increasing
international integration;
or is it both?
Although perspectives
will depend on worldview,
a prominent case for consideration is the Metropolitan Police estimate
that the former governor
of Delta State, James
Ibori misappropriated
£157 million of public
funds, using international
banks and companies in
fuelling and facilitating
the transactions and yet,
the Bond anti-corruption
group highlighted an apparent reluctance to prosecute offenders.
It indicates illicit financial outflows on a global
scale and suggests that this will
cripple economies like that of
Nigeria, and impede domestic
investment, and the much desired fiscal discipline. Others
Nigerians across
the world today
are the most
educated in its
history; their
aspirations not
bound by
tales of an
unproductive
past
ing infrastructures and other
creative support mechanisms
for ventures with high growth
potential, allowing diversification of the economy through
like Simon Johnson, an MIT
professor, and James Kwak, a,
Mckinsey consultant, believe
that it is ruinous financial activities arising from resistance
to regulation that is the challenge.
Whichever the case might
be, how these have come to be,
and what is to be done, are central concerns for proponents of
global economic progress, who
are of the idea that collaborating for growth should be without borders.
I
n establishing its place as a
fast developing scientific
and technologically progressive nation in the world,
Nigeria has in the last 10 years
embarked on many transformation initiatives based on the
open innovation model, and
many more initiatives are underway.
The government of Nigeria,
through the Federal Ministry
of Science and Technology,
adopted the science park program as one of the transformation initiatives. This resulted in
the on-going development of
the Abuja Technology Village
– a $400 billion free trade
zone – as well as the formulation of the Science, Technology
and Innovation policy in September 2011.
The policy acknowledges
facilitating the creation of innovation capability of Nigeria
in the areas of energy, biotechnology, space technology,
healthcare and engineering
technology. Nigeria has since
launched its own communications satellite, resulting in £8
million cost saving per annum.
However, observation shows
that not all initiatives have been
as promising.
Triumph will be dependent
on understanding elements
that could impede the successful execution of key projects,
because people are sometimes
unaware of unanticipated sideeffects occurring as a consequence of well intentioned
efforts to solve pressing problems.
But Nigeria seems determined to become a global top
20 industrialised country by
2020. Consequently, the government is beginning to encourage interaction between
local and international stakeholders to enable replicating
successful practices from across
the world.
AfDB recently approved
$34 million for Nigeria’s Public-Private Partnership programmes in infrastructure
sectors, particularly in power
and transport. There is a sense
that this type of initiative and
policy support have had a positive impact on the pace of innovation in the country’s
industrial sectors.
In May 2012, the telecommunications market displayed
commitment to creating sustainable value. This is demonstrated in a regional telecoms
service provider partnership
with Ericcson and Astra Engineering to develop and unveil a
green data centre in Lagos. A
news article mentions, that to
ensure an environmentallyfriendly power management
system for network maintenance, the company also deployed solar power generators
to guarantee minimal interruption to service delivery.
Nigeria’s Petroleum Industry is also undergoing institutional reform. An oil sector
transparency brief mentions
that there are provisions in the
new Petroleum Industry Bill
for strong transparency and accountability, which encourages
competition (domestic and international), reassures investors, discourages illicit
behaviour and results in higher
production and earnings.
Would these kind of innovations create jobs and the type
of sustainable competitive advantage that Michael Porter alludes to when he argues that
national prosperity depends on
the capacity of a nation’s industry to innovate and upgrade? Or is this just a
smokescreen manufactured to
hide the plenty of aspirations
that have met ill over the last 50
years?
Whatever the answers to
these questions may be, there is
proof that the generation of
Nigerians across the world
today are the most educated in
its history. Their views are not
defined by stereotypical ideologies, nor are their approaches
to the use of technology archaic, neither are their aspirations bound by tales of an
unproductive past.
There is a wealth of information indicating they are of
the opinion illuminatus innovatus (enlightened renews) and
that by opening up to changing
contours of the global economy, they are able to embrace
new ideologies and re-perceive
the world as a map of possibilities.
Hence, two facts that remain obvious are, developing a
mindset that is focused on the
future is critically important,
and the infrastructure that allows the inflow and outflow of
knowledge is different from the
way development once worked.
In view of current states of
advancement, the giant of
Africa has many opportunities
to improve its strategies to
build capacity and confidence.
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E C O n O M y M
SATELLITE
REVOLUTION
When it comes to space age technology,
Africa is yet to make a significant mark
on the international stage, with many of
its countries still in the infant stages of
their space programmes.
But nigeria is proving that there are
other reasons to reach for the stars
and that, when it comes to commercial
opportunities and spinning off technological innovation, the sky is not the
limit for investors.
nigeria’s space programme is one of
Africa’s most advanced and has the potential to bring in an estimated $10m
(£6.5m) to the country’s economy
through tV and broadcasting initiatives,
according to the Federal Government. the country founded its national
Space Research and Development
Agency (nASRDA) in 1999 with the
intent to use and develop space technology that could bring about socioeconomic benefits for the population
at large, and launched its first satellite
in 2003.
Since then, its space programme has
grown to include the establishment of
nigComSat, an independent company set
up to manage the commercial and business aspects of communication
satellites. nigComSat launched nigComSat-1R in
December 2011, with a little help from
China. the 1R is a hybrid geostationary
satellite with a 15-year lifespan that has
already paved the way for improved,
cost-effective wireless and internet coverage for many nigerians and is providing new opportunities for broadcast
companies.
the 1R complements nigeriaSat-2 and
nigeriaSat-X, which were launched in August 2011 from Russia’s Dnepr rocket.
these dishes provide both high-resolution
and medium-resolution satellite pictures
that allows nigeria to tap into a whole
new set of commercial opportunities.
UK-based Surrey Satellite technology
(SSt) built nigeriaSat-2 under the
scrutiny of nigerian engineers, who then
took what they learned and built Sat-X
themselves, with supervision from SSt.
“nigeria has been the best example of
SStl’s training programme,” says SStl’s
head of earth observation and science,
luis Gomes. “the country has a long and
well-defined road map of its space programme and embodies the vision to use
space technology for the benefit of the
nigerian people both by providing information to help manage the country and
by providing a focus for the training of
engineers and scientists.”
Gomes says nASRDA wanted to ensure both satellites were designed with
the needs of the nigerian people in
mind – to monitor food production, deforestation and natural disasters, and
map remote areas.
From a conservative venture into the
galaxy to a full-blown space programme,
nigeria has demonstrated that it is ready
to push the boundaries of exploration
for the development of its people.
this is good news for developers
across a broad range of industries, including environmental and agricultural
technologies, international broadcasters,
and urban planners, looking to take their
products and services to a new, hungry
audience.
And in a country of over 160 million
people, the potential is astronomical.
E
sHowcAseniGERiA
D
i
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
17
A
AFRICAN QUEEN OF CHAT
There are 462 TV stations in
Nigeria; many local, but in Nigeria,
with a population of 162m, local
equates to an enviable audience. On the continent of Africa the
numbers are simply mind-boggling. And this is an industry hungry for
content. Few know it better than
Rhoda Wilson, a rising star in this
firmament.
O
n any given thursday – if
she’s in london, and not
in Brussels, or Washington
or lagos, or somewhere
else around the world – you’ll more
than likely find Rhoda Wilson leaving her office late and heading towards a jazz club on Docklands,
where she’ll relax and dance the
night away, writes Jon Hughes.
“I love music, particularly jazz
and blues, and I love dancing,” she
explains.
She also loves television. Which
is a good thing, as television loves
her. Regularly 1.2m people catch the
Rhoda Wilson Show, that broadcasts in the UK on Sky 184 at 4pm on
a Saturday afternoons.
It is oprah for Africa. “Why reinvent the wheel?” asks Rhoda with
no-nonsense honesty. “I hope the
show inspires people to fulfill their
potential – whatever the obstacles
they face.”
A recent survey revealed the audience to be predominantly drawn
from the business and professional
sector, and those aspiring to achieve
in those arenas, who identified with
brands such as BmW, mitsubishi,
Debenhams and Selfridges, Gucci,
Rolex and Bose.
Such is its reach that Rhoda was
recently sought out and invited to
be a special guest at the World
African Diaspora Union (WADU)
Summit in Johannesburg, where she
was dubbed ‘the African Queen of
talk shows’.
“At first I thought the invitation
was a wind-up,” says Rhoda modestly, and demanding to know who
told me about her new moniker.
the ADU was the brainchild of
Elombe Brath in 2003 as a response
to the African Union call for the
African Diaspora to help rebuild
Africa. It is an increasingly powerful
and influential organisation, looking to harness the pan-African diaspora politically, culturally and
economically, as an integral part of
Africa.
Communication is understood to
be critical to achieving this; hence
the invite to Rhoda. there can be no
greater accolade to her skills as a
both a producer and presenter.
“I feel honoured to have been
asked and am passionate about
helping to achieve the aim,” she
says. “Sure Africa faces many challenges but there is so much good
that is happening that goes unseen.
We need to promote these aspects
more aggressively. that is the only
way we will develop positively and
sustainably.”
She pauses for a moment and
then hands me the declaration that
was drawn up after the conference.
“you need to read this, everyone
needs to read this,” she says.
the 13 page document is a clarion call to “encourage” the diaspora,
to “promote, advocate, and
strengthen” interconnectivity across
the continent and throughout the
diaspora.
And on “media and image building” the stated aims are to “re-brand
Africa, to counter stereotypes about
Africans and people of African descent; explore the possibility of creating an Africa news network
Service, to enhance image branding
and imaging of Africa; and promote
national and continental initiatives
that aim to enhance good governance and rule of law, so as to
strengthen a positive image of
Africa among the diaspora and international community at large.
television is Rhoda’s medium.
“television can and will change the
world and I want to change the
world,” she says, “and soon, when
tV is fully integrated with the internet, and mobiles, that will happen.”
this latter development is important to connecting with Africa
where currently more people have
access to a mobile phone than clean
water. “that’s both a terrible indictment but also a clear opportunity.”
As reported in the may edition of
nigerian Watch mobiles increasingly
are being used to challenge corrupt
practices in agriculture and achieve
such things as identifying water purity. once mobiles are reliably able
to deliver tV programming then
greater transparency of the political
process will strengthen democracies
on the continent.
Rhoda Wilson knows her stuff –
the technology, the markets and social attitudes. Industry watchers will
be glad to hear that whereas in the
UK we do what we can to avoid the
adverts, in nigeria particularly viewers love them, they are part of the
feature, enjoyed as an art form. And
the ratios have just been upped to
nine minutes per 30-minute programme.
In nigeria they are hungry for
content. “It needs to be inspirational, informative, educational and
entertaining and anyone looking to
break into the market has to partner
with a station in nigeria,” she freely
advises, when I see her address a
business lunch for women at
Brown’s in Covent Garden.
Rhoda is of course well-placed to
assist the ambitious. the presenting
job is just one of her many facets.
her company undertakes branding
and promotional work on a global
scale – from the EU in Brussels, to
Washington (US networks are vying
for the show) to government work
Adis Ababa and beyond.
Rhoda’s achievement is staggering considering she entered the
world of television a little over five
years ago. twice made redundant
from jobs on commodities desks in
the City, Rhoda first pursued her
passion for music and became a promoter. She had some experience
having staged ‘gigs’ for marie Curie
charity, having lost her mother to
cancer when she was a child of 13.
the good times were great, the
bad times lonely and isolated. “It
was then a male dominated industry, so as a woman and a black
woman I came across a lot of hostility”. During this period a potential
sponsor was so impressed he advised Rhoda that she was the brand
and should be broadcasting her
message on tV.
So she did, securing the big
breakthrough when she emptied
her bank account to make a
showreel and finance a marketing
trip to Cannes. She blew the executives of Sony and the like away and
her show took off. how typically
nigerian; ambitious, determined,
goal oriented.
If she wasn’t the presenter of the
Rhoda Wilson show, she would
surely be a guest.
18
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
@NigerianWatch
sHowcAseniGERiA
A f R O C O O l
Burberry, one of fashion’s
most notable global brands,
has picked up Nigerian and
run with it. Big style.
It’s Burberry Prorsum Resort
Spring/Summer 2012
collection features Nigerian
Ankara prints. The company,
famed for its eponymouslynamed orange and black
check styling, has
incorporated ankara
for styles in dresses, fitted
tops, high-waisted skirts,
and pants and even lined
their signature trench
coat with the Nigerian
textile.
African prints have
been a hit worldwide;
worn by fashionistas
including Beyoncé
Knowles, Solange Knowles,
Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and
Chanel Iman. Gwen Stefani
has designed her entire
L.A.M.B range using Ankara
prints, and in this month’s
issue of ‘W’ magazine Naomi
Campbell graces the cover
wearing an African-print
inspired suit.
Sadly, however, of all these
women only Michelle Obama’s
Ankara inspired fashions are
created by a Nigerian
CHECK OUT NIGERCOOL
designer – Duro Olowu.
A typical example of
colonialism? No. More a
reflection of a growing
influence, and recognition of
a burgeoning industry and
market. But certainly a
missed opportunity. With the
proper backing anyone of
Nigeria’s notable designers
could have produced the
Burberry range.
Peju Famojure is one of the
leading pluggers of Nigerian
fashion. A Nigerian-born
international fashion stylist
Peju dresses Solange,
Beyonce, Leighton Meester
and Cam Newton and is
putting the works of Africans
on the global map.
There is a legion of
established designers to the
stars, dressing among others
Spice Girl Mel B, Michelle
Obama, Rihanna, Mischa
Barton, Michelle Williams,
Kelly Rowland, Mica Paris,
and Patti Boulaye.
Bunmi Koko creates luxury
couture fashion with a
contemporary elegance and
sophisticated edginess.
London-based Adebayo Jones,
a renowned designer and style
consultant for British and
Nollywood clients, has long
been associated with glamour,
elegance, opulence and style.
Celebrated for creating his
own fabrics and presenting
the most lavish and luxurious
collections of gowns, Jones is
launching a menswear range
for Spring 2013, after the
success of his tie collection.
He is also massively involved
with educating and training
‘A CELEBRATION OF THE BEST TO COME’
M
aleek Berry has worked
with a list of Nigerian and
African artists that reads
like a Who’s Who of the
Afrobeats music scene. The likes of
teen sensation Wizkid, crooners
Davido, Sauce Kid, Wande Cole and
up-and-coming British-Nigerian artist
Ikes have all put in some studio time
with him, resulting in the soundtrack
to one of the biggest of Naija culture
ever witnessed outside of west Africa,
writes Chuk Ikéh.
But the man behind the music, 24year-old Maleek Berry, has his pristine kicks planted firmly on the
ground as he reaches for the sky and
looks to take the sound of Nigeria to
receptive ears across the globe.
Born in the heart of south London, Berry – real name Maleek
Shoyebi – grew up listening to the legends of contemporary R&B: Tevin
Campbell, Boyz II Men and, of
course, the late king of pop, Michael
Jackson.
It was around this time, aged just
14, as he witnessed young starlets
breaking into the global music scene
and, in particular, the coveted American music industry, that his eternal
love affair with the art of making
music began.
Fast forward to 2009 and a slightly
older Maleek was completing a degree
Afrobeats is the music of the moment
and Maleek Berry is at the forefront of
the movement, rocking the world with
the likes of Wizkid, Davido and Ikes...
in Computer Science, keeping his finger firmly on the musical pulse all the
while. He learned to play piano by ear
by “watching YouTube clips” in his
spare time – something which has
since become a major part of his
music.
Upon graduation, he landed a gig
working in an IT firm, but was made
redundant after just a month and a
half. This did not deflate Berry in the
slightest, however. Using his redundancy money, he bought new equipment and invested in his true passion
of making music, while working in a
clothes shop ‘to pay for the trims and
the garms’.
“It’s like it was a sign,” says Berry
on being made redundant. “As soon
as it happened, I knew that music was
my calling – it was now or never.”
His pursuit of stardom led him to
Ikes, a young north London rapper
with whom he clicked immediately
and who would soon become his longterm partner in rhyme. And so it was
that word on the street became shoutouts on the underground scene, and
the in-demand Berry went on to produce records for some of the hottest
UK acts such as S.A.S, Bigz, Scorcher,
Jermaine Riley (Formally of FDM).
The list continues to grow.
A family trip to Nigeria in the
summer of 2011 would see Berry reconnect with old links – old links such
as rising Afrobeats star Davido, who
was a childhood friend.
Through this connection, Berry
was able to nudge his way onto the
radar, sparking up productive relationships with the likes of Wizkid,
who recently signed to Konvict Music
– the record label of American R&B
superstar Akon. The rest, as they say,
is history.
It was during the same trip that the
ears of Sauce Kid, Wande Coal et al
pricked up upon hearing Berry’s beats.
Berry went on to produce the club hit
‘Carolina’ by Sauce Kid featuring
Davido, which became one of the
biggest selling singles in Nigeria. The
track also served as the reintroduction
of Sauce Kid to the Nigerian music
scene after a brief hiatus.
Now with international producer
status – having enjoyed success in his
two home nations – Maleek Berry has
big plans not only for his own career,
but for the Afrobeats scene at large or
– as he calls it – the “new school”.
Berry is neither fazed nor surprised
by the international explosion of
Afrobeats. “If a track is being constantly played in underground clubs in
Nigeria, then that means it must be
big,” he says.
“Anything that blows up there will
inevitably be big anywhere where there
are Nigerians in the diaspora, and
that’s exactly what has happened. It’s
like a big cup full of juice that’s been
filling up for a while, and now the juice
is running over!”
Not content with simply surfing
the ‘Afrobeats juice wave’, however,
Berry already has a vision of what
‘Afrobeats mark 2’ will look like.
“[Afrobeats] is not a phase. It’s gonna
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19
A f R O C O O l
fashion students in the UK,
promoting African influences
to the next generation.
Olowu won “New Designer
of the Year” at the British
Fashion Awards back in 2005
and Michelle Obama started
wearing his designs during
the 2008 Presidential
election.
Maki Oh By Amaka
Osakwe, creates ethical and
sustainable fashion, featuring
a strong Nigerian heritage,
such as Adire dyeing – a
traditional Nigerian process.
Yemi Osunkaya’s Kosibah
couture range specialises in
bridal, evening and formal
day wear using luxurious
fabrics and sumptuous
embellishments. His
signature being corsetry and
boned bodices.
Among the up and coming
Nigerian designers are
Bridget Awosika, whose
sharp silhouettes, block
colour and staple pieces have
been described by Vogue as
“The very cool arrival of a
serene but invigorating
glacial breeze.”
Self-proclaimed “slave to
fashion,” Tsemaye Binitie,
worked for Stella McCartney
before launching his own line
in 2009, where he relishes
perfecting the craft of
making clothes.
Maker of bespoke high
couture jewellery Anita
be around for a long time so it’s time
to branch out,” he declares.
Berry hopes to work alongside
Nigeria’s new musical stars to make
the genre more accessible to a wider
audience through crossovers with
other genres. “Everyone is watching
on a worldwide level, so this wave will
keep going as long as we keep the
quality high,” he says.
Indeed, a number of high profile
projects are already in the pipeline,
with Berry all set to jet off to the US
where he will engage in a significant
amount of studio time working with
Wizkid, who he has singled out as one
of the hottest prospects.
“Let’s just say that, internationally,
people should be looking out for Wizkid. There are some big collaborations
planned that are so exciting I’m not
even allowed to talk about them,”
adds Berry with a wink and a nod.
He predicts big things for his pals
Davido and Wande Coal too. “Last
January [Davido] was releasing his
first single. Now he can’t even walk
through Westfield shopping centre
without being recognised,” he laughs.
“With Wande Coal, I want to show
off his voice because the guy can really
sing. I don’t want him to stay in a
box.”
But Berry stresses that he is not
alone in wanting to take Afrobeats to
Quansah entered the fashion
industry producing works for
the likes of DKNY, Diane Von
Furstenberg and Ischiko,
before launching ‘Anita
Quansah’ in London in
2006. As a luxury designer
she combines her Nigerian
heritage with her high
fashion expertise.
And where high fashion
leads the high street follows.
So of course Nigeria is intent
on developing and marketing
its own fashion industry.
Let’s be honest, Ankara
prints – Nigerian prints – are
going to be major and we’ll
all be wearing it in Burberry.
It would be better if we had
more confidence in our
heritage and got it from
source, supporting our own
designers and fashion
industry into the bargain.
I hope you’ll all be
supporting African Fashion
Week at Shoreditch across
the weekend of 3-4 August,
2012 (visit
www.africanfashionweeklond
on.com for more details).
This will be featuring,
amongst others, Adebayo
Jones and Anita Quansah,
Rouge Vallari, MMD Designs,
Green Mamba, Bebe Grafiti
and Ozora.
Young designers, African
inspired. Cutting edge.
See you there!
Cathy O
a higher international echelon, and
says that audiophiles should keep
their eyes and ears open for the next
offering from D’Banj – who has already captured global attention having signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D.
Music label last year, and enjoyed top
10 chart success in the UK.
“D’Banj and Kanye will open the
doors for Afrobeats. I’ve met D’Banj
and spoken to him recently about his
plans – expect some big tracks in the
near future.”
Meanwhile Tiwa Savage – whom
he describes as “Nigeria’s Beyoncé” –
and May7ven (see Nigerian Watch
edition 2) are two female artists that
Berry says are firmly framed within
his musical viewfinder.
Asked what makes Afrobeats
stand out as a genre, Berry’s response
is a personal one that refers to Nigeria’s history and economy. “We can’t
turn back time,” he muses, “but we
can change the future. Poverty and
corruption are both states of mind.
The more you focus on the good, the
more it becomes your destiny.
“I’ve seen the worst [of Nigeria],
but Afrobeats is a celebration of the
best to come. We Nigerians are a
happy, positive people, despite our
shortcomings, and that attitude is
what you see reflected in the Afrobeats
sound. It’s a happy, positive sound.”
THE MOD COLLECTIVE
The founder of urban street label
Aerosoul, Léké Adesoye says these
are exciting times for Nigeria and
creatives in music and fashion
Urban fashion and music collective
Aerosoul has been pioneering
Afrocool for nigh on 12 years. the
brainchild of 40-year-old london
College of Fashion graduate and
sickle-cell sufferer léké Adesoye,
Aerosoul was born out of the thriving jungle, hip-hop, soul and breakbeat movements of the late
nineties in london.
these trend-inducing sounds
moved léké to craft out a brand
that has remained synonymous
with urban music and the vibrancy
of its subcultures to this day. A
drum & bass and hip-hop DJ and
fanatic in his younger days, léké
set out on a mission to capture the
energy of the music he loved
through original clothing.
From the humble surrounds of
his Kilburn apartment – where he
still lives with his Japanese wife –
he began designing desirable
urban threads, like the now-iconic
‘Junglist movement’ t-shirt.
Aerosoul went through its sartorial puberty to emerge as an internationally-recognised brand,
worn with pride by well-known
names in UK music – Roots
manuva, D-Double-E, natty, Skinnyman, Rodney P and Adam Deacon to name a few – fashion, and
beyond, to featuring in the cultclassic film Human Traffic.
But Aerosoul is as much about
the fashion as it is about the music,
and léké says that his dream is to
take his talent “home”, where he
hopes to marry the Aerosoul philosophy with the explosion of the
Afrobeats music scene in nigeria.
As a child in a British boarding
school, he would leave as soon as
the bell rang on the final day of
summer term to board a plane
headed for nigeria, where his parents – who remained based there –
would be waiting for him.
“I loved it,” he says, “it kept me
connected with my culture.”
But he acknowledges that the
nigeria he knew as a child has
taken on a very different visage in
2012 – one that has revived his
hunger and passion for fashion
and music.
“Stuff is going on!” he exclaims.
“We have an original music industry in nigeria now, just like how
drum & bass was original to the UK
when it first emerged, the same
thing is happening with Afrobeats:
it’s real, it’s a lifestyle.
“the entertainment industry [in
nigeria] is global now, and what
I’m looking to do is get my products back out there and worn by
the likes of Wizkid and D’Banj.”
léké cites advances in technology and communication as the
main catalysts for the Afrobeats
explosion.
“Social media and the internet
have changed the way we interact
and the way we absorb information. that’s why you see people
like Kanye West and Snoop Dogg
sitting up and taking notice of the
Afrobeats scene. ten years ago, it
wouldn’t have happened and it
didn’t.”
meanwhile, he also points to a
new breed of nigerian entertainer
– one that is not only socially savvy
but also one whose talent is rooted
in nigerian culture.
“Everything is happening inhouse,” he continues. “We have
our own labels now such as Storm
Records and they are putting out
stuff to a nigerian audience first.
the government has recognised
this and is supporting the arts and
the Afrobeats culture and showing
the world that there is more to us.”
léké believes that this is an “exciting time” in nigeria’s history, and
one that has been a long time coming. he says that the new nigeria
presents fantastic opportunities for
investment and creativity.
“As nigerians, we will try and
sell snow to Eskimos. From the entrepreneur to the hustler poking
Gala sausage pies through your car
window as you drive – it’s in our
blood. I honestly believe that this
has been coming. It’s a movement;
these are exciting times and
money can be made if you do
things properly,” he enthuses.
“the whole world is looking,”
he says, adding “Africa is a huge
continent, so why not utilise our
talent?”
FROM L-R: Rodney P, Ty & Blak Twang,
courtesy of www.aerosoul.co.uk
20
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August 2012
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l i T E R AT u R E
W
hen Rotimi Babatunde stepped
into the spotlight
on July 2 to pick
up the 2012 Caine Prize for
African writing, he joined an
expanding list of Nigerian
writers who are making big
names for themselves on the international stage. In doing so,
Babatunde has become the latest member of what has fast
become Nigeria’s literary
boom, writes Chuk Ikéh.
Another in the vanguard of
contemporary fiction is Chi-
Caine, was also the former
chairman of the Booker
Group that founded the
Booker Prize, which is still regarded today as one of the
highest international accolades
in literature.
Having already had many
of his fictional and poetic
works published in African,
American and European journals, Babatunde has slowly
edged himself into the global
spotlight but now looks set to
take the scene by storm and
join the likes of Ben Okri –
A new generation of Nigerian
authors and playwrights have
something to say and are saying
it to international acclaim.
They are telling tales of
universal appeal that fill in the
gaps ‘in the way the countries
of Africa portray themselves –
not only to the outside world,
but also to themselves’
Nana Oforiatta-Ayim gives her
analysis of why the theme of
identity has become so prominent in contemporary African
literature.
Oforiatta-Ayim has travelled extensively throughout
Nigeria and Africa while putting together a “Cultural Encyclopaedia to document a
striking plurality of narratives
in Africa”.
Writing of her experience of
meeting writers, playwrights
and filmmakers on her travels,
she said, “What struck me the
In the Q&A session that followed, the writers were asked
whether they considered themselves “African writers” and
what the title meant to them,
prompting a lively debate.
Babatunde was calculated
in his response. “I wouldn’t
mind being a ‘Martian writer’,”
he joked. “[being called an
African writer] is not one’s
choice. It is just a label.
“I’m from Nigeria. I grew
up speaking Yoruba a bit. So
I could say I am a Nigerian
writer, a Yoruba writer or an
BOOMING NIGERIAN CANON
bundu Onuzo, author of the already widely acclaimed novel,
The Spider King’s Daughter. As
she wrote it while also pursuing
a history degree at King’s College London (graduating with
a 1st class honours) it is not
surprising a panel of experts
named her Britain’s Best Black
Student 2012.
As Chibundo delivered her
final manuscript in February,
Lagos-based Jekwu Anyaegbuna was putting the finishing
touches to a short story entitled Morrison Okoli (19552010) – a tale about Africans
in the Diaspora – for submission for the 2012 Commonwealth Prize for fiction.
2007 Orange Broadband
Prize for Fiction winner and
celebrated Nigerian author
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
told Vanguard News at the time,
“I think I might just cry if
Jekwu wins. [I want] to let
Nigeria see our talent, to let the
world see our talent.”
Her wish soon came true
when
Anyaegbuna
was
awarded the prize for the
African region in May, becoming the first Nigerian to do so
in the process.
Meanwhile Babatunde’s accolade earned him £10,000 – as
well as sizeable bragging
rights – and was presented to
the author at a special dinner
held at the legendary Bodleian
Library in Oxford for his short
story Bombay’s Republic.
Ibadan-based Babatunde is
the fourth Nigerian and the
first in three years to claim a
prize that many in literary cirlces refer to as ‘Africa’s Booker’,
given that the founding father
of the Caine Prize for African
Writing, Sir Michael Harris
FROM L-R: Authors Rotimi Babatunde and Chibundo Onuzo, and playwright Ade Solanke
who became Chairman of the
Prize this year – among Nigeria’s literary elite.
His next move will be the
completion of a collaborative
theatrical piece to be staged at
the Royal Court and Young
Vic theatres in London, as part
of the World Stages London
season. The programme will
bring together five playwrights,
including Babatunde, from
countries ranging from Nigeria
to Cuba, to celebrate the impact of Yoruba culture, tradition
and
religion
on
contemporary life around the
world – another phenomenon
that points towards Nigeria’s
swelling global reach.
Creatives from the international theatre and literature circle speculate that this recent
emergence of a flock of talented, award winning writers
has many sources, most of
which can be linked to the issue
of identity.
The theme is one that is
prominent in the works of
many of these writers and their
counterparts writing for theatre where, in recent months,
there has also been a boom in
Nigerians wowing audiences at
theatres across London. Bola
Agbaje’s Belong, Janice Okoh’s
Egusi Soup and Ade Solanke’s
Pandora’s Box all drew sell out
crowds and sparked heated debates about identity, heritage and life in the
diaspora.
Belong is a story of a
politician’s quest to find
his identity, which leads
to his return to Nigeria
where he finds himself
running in a state election that soon spirals out
of control and ends in
bloodshed.
Ade
Solanke’s Pandora’s Box
was described by The
Guardian as “a lively
soap opera of family
dramas and bubbling resentments which touches
on issues of identity, heritage, mothering and the
motherland”.
Egusi Soup looks at
the difference in cultures
and traditions across the
generations of a Nigerian immigrant family
and each member’s consequent
individual struggle to define
their identity.
Meanwhile, Babatunde’s
award-winning story tells the
tale of a soldier’s struggle to
reinvent and rediscover himself
upon his return to Africa from
the Second World War.
In the latest issue of Milan-
most, apart from the fact that
none of the countries conformed to ideas that had been
constructed by stories in my
imagination, was the
plurality of narratives.”
She feels that common
misconceptions
about Africans, combined with the failure of
governments to tackle
them, have inspired a
counteractive
push
amongst its creative
minds to redefine the
continent.
“The gaps in the way
the countries of Africa
portray themselves – not
only to the outside
world, but also to themselves – are not being addressed by governments
except in cursory attempts at rebranding in
tourism sectors,” adds
Oforiatta-Ayim
At the 2012 Africa
Writes Festival, hosted
by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
on behalf of the Royal African
Society, the five multi-national
nominees for this year’s Caine
Prize took part in a panel discussion on African Literature.
At the
forefront of
this landmark
movement are
the writers and
thinkers that
will be vital in
driving social
change
based Kaleidoscope magazine
– a periodical glossy documenting contemporary art and
culture from around the world
– Ghanaian-born cultural historian, writer and filmmaker
African writer, but I think it is
better left for critics to debate,
until the label starts to harm
me. For now, I just want to
write how I feel and tell my
stories from my point of view
and not be constrained by any
labels.”
Meanwhile, Professor Oshita Okagbue of Goldsmiths,
University, London – who is
the President of the African
Theatre Association (AfTA)
and editor of African Performance Review – has noticed the
correlation between the theme
of identity and Nigerian literary success.
He told Nigerian Watch: “It
has become increasingly obvious the central role arts practices, such as literature and
theatre, have to play in the
process of articulating and expressing identity.
“Many of the plays by
African authors that I have
seen in recent months have
been concerned with the problems of being Nigerian or
African ‘here’ in the (UK) and
‘there’ (Nigeria).”
With its economy developing at an impressive rate, Nigeria’s
global
image
is
transforming rapidly and the
country looks set to lead Africa
into a larger role on the international stage.
At the forefront of this
landmark movement are the
writers and thinkers that will be
vital in driving the social
change that is required to accompany economic success
and redefine its culture and
identity.
But the response in 2012
seems to indicate clearly that
Nigeria’s literary force is
ready to play its part.
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August 2012
21
C i n E M A
NOLLYWOOD’S CHAMPION OJO
Famed actor Wale
Ojo has taken on
one of the most
challenging roles
of his career as
the founder of the
New Nigeria
Cinema
movement, with
the prized Cannes
Palme D’or firmly
in his sights
THE MANY FACES OF WALE OJO: Movie
campaigner, Movie star, Sit-com star
H
e has appeared on screens
both large and small in several façades: alongside acclaimed British comedian
Rowan Atkinson as President Chambal
in hit movie Johnny English and its sequel Johnny English Reborn (2011); as
Pastor Bernard Wamuyu in tV cop series The Bill, and most recently as the
endearingly quick-witted dad Bayo in
sitcom-turned-stage-production Meet
the Adebanjos, writes Chuk Ikéh.
But Wale ojo is now turning his
attentions to his home country of
nigeria and its burgeoning film industry nollywood, which he wants
to help take “to the next level”.
to that end, ojo is the pioneer
and founder of a movement known
amongst the country’s new generation of filmmakers as “new nigeria
Cinema”.
“new nigeria Cinema basically
means an elevation of nigerian film –
high production values, good strong
narratives, stories that capture the
essence of who we are as nigerians,
as Africans,” ojo told Cnn in 2010.
the initiative has so far manifest
itself most noticeably in the form of
new nigeria Cinema Day – an annual
festival run by ojo at london’s British
Film Insitute in november.
the festival brings together directors and film makers to brainstorm
ways of achieving greater quality
nollywood movies that can compete
at international film festivals.
Indeed ojo believes that it is the
quality and not the narrative of nollywood films that has so far held
nigeria back from breaking the international market, despite eclipsing
America’s hollywood as the second
largest film producer in the world,
behind India’s Bollywood.
“[nollywood] films haven’t made
an impact on the international market simply because they are poorly
made. We have to be truthful about
it,” he told nigerian Watch after the
opening performance of July’s stage
debut of Meet the Adebanjos (see review, page 38).
he added: “my film movement is
like the child of nollywood. It encapsulates what I believe is the next
level of nigerian film: it’s new, it’s
nigerian and it’s cinema.
“It’s taking nigerian film to the
next level and saying, ‘look, nollywood has done a great job, but now
it’s time to take the next step’.”
When quizzed as to what this
new model of nigerian cinema will
look like in the flesh, ojo points toward 2012 African movie Academy
Award winner Phone Swap – due for
worldwide release in november – in
which he stars.
“[Phone Swap] for me embodies
the ethics of what new nigeria Cinema is all about,” declared ojo,
though he was loath to give away
much more than that.
“It stars some very good nollywood actors like Joke Silva, nse
Ekpe-Etim and is directed by Kunle
Afolayobi, who did Ade Loves Sun
and Figurine.”
ojo’s dream is to one day make a
movie that wins an award at one of
the major international film festival
such as Cannes – a dream which he
says was his “main reason” for starting new nigeria Cinema.
And he believes that nollywood is
already well on its way to achieving
global acclaim and recognition.
“the stories are great and the acting is fantastic. It’s just that the way
in which the films have been made
up until now has not been with a
view towards appealing to an international market.
“But the thing is, nigerian audiences love them, so imagine if we
started making films that can compete at international film festivals. If
that happens, I think we’re onto a
winner.”
Such a feat, according to ojo, can
be achieved without much need to
look beyond nigeria’s own borders.
“of course collaborations are
great,” he says, pointing to Half Of A
Yellow Sun – a movie by Andre
Calderwood and Biyi Bandele, who
produced The Last King of Scotland,
in which ojo enjoys a brief cameo
and rubs shoulders with the likes of
hollywood’s thandie newton and
big-time nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor of Dirty Pretty Things and Love
Actually fame.
he continued: “But we have both
the talent and the money to do it in
nigeria, so why shouldn’t we?”
HOORAY FOR NOLLYWOOD; ‘IT DESERVES RESPECT AND ATTENTION’
I was asked by a journalist
the other day why nollywood was so popular when
the films were so rubbish? I
instantly thought about
some data I’d seen that
morning – iRoKotv has
recorded over 11 million
hours of movies being
viewed online in just seven
months. not bad for socalled rubbish films. And
that’s only online – DVD
hours would total billions.
nollywood is pilloried for
its poor sound quality, rotating actors, unsophisticated
scripts, dodgy camera
shots….. I could go on. But
why would I? For me, for my
580,000 iRoKotv registered
users, nollywood is an awesome and exciting portrayal
of nigerian life and culture.
It reflects and celebrates
cultural nuances, loves, passions and idiosyncrasies that
are ignored by mainstream
Western entertainment in-
dustries. It has something
that everyone can relate to.
yes, some of the camerawork may be somewhat
questionable, but that doesn’t detract from the sheer
pleasure people get from the
storylines and actors; intrigue, love, semi-salacious
trysts, comedy… it’s all
there.
the actors are devoured
by a gossip-hungry media –
followers are obsessed with
the goings on of big stars
like mercy Johnson, Jim Iyke,
tonto Dikeh or Funke
Akindele and the rest.
there’s an incredible cult
of personality that surrounds
the mechanics of the film industry and this explains part
of its popularity – nollywood
lovers feel part of the whole
scene.
the main business of nollywood is conducted in
Alaba market, lagos. An
awesome melting pot of hus-
tle and raw capitalism – I
love it. Its frenetic nature is
totally encapsulated in each
and every movie that comes
out of nollywood. And the
business of nollywood is big.
It is currently the world’s
second largest film industry,
in terms of output, and is
nigeria’s second biggest sector, employing over 300,000
people and generating
$590m a year. For a country
better known for its oil, this
is huge.
Producing over 2,000
movies each year (roughly 40
a week), movies are more
like soaps, being released in
two, three or four parts. Releasing a full-length feature
film is a feat in itself; producers often finance the films
from their own savings, with
small amounts of investment
coming from family,
Churches and, rarely, banks.
Producers (who more
often than not are also the
writers and directors) have
to be creative with their
budgets. For example, an entire film cast might total 1012 actors, but they will
double up on roles. But for
me, this fuels the creativity –
the spark. the passion behind each and every film is in
abundance.
the quality coming out of
nollywood at the moment is
incredible. It is big, it is bold,
it is beautiful. It deserves respect and attention. the
movies service a film-loving
African Diaspora of over a
billion people.
yes, there are big issues
that the industry has to contend with; illegal copying
and piracy is rife throughout
the industry – some estimates suggest that up to
50% of profits are lost to pirates, who have no problem
with stealing movie producers’ intellectual and creative
content. As a company, we
happen to strongly disagree
with this and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars
a year fighting these pirates
and shutting down their illegal sites.
A lesser problem, but one
that needs also to be addressed urgently, is the distribution of films. At the
moment, 95% of all films are
watched on DVD. this is oK
if you live in lagos or Abuja,
but if you’re a nollywood
lover in thailand, hungary or
Finland, you’ll have limited
access.
iRoKotv is solving this
problem, legally streaming
thousands of films online for
the whole world to see. our
biggest markets are the USA,
UK, Germany, Canada and
Italy – at the moment. today,
we have more viewers in
london than we do in lagos.
this is because broadband
penetration in Africa is still
relatively low. But when
Africa comes online, and as
nollywood films continue to
grow in quality, and as we
fight piracy and improve
means by which people can
access films, I have no doubt
that nollywood and African
film will gain momentum on
both the home and world
stage.
Jason njoku, CEo of iRoKo
Partners
www.irokotv.com
22
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
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A T H l E T i C s
S
printer Blessing okabare is the undoubted star of
nigeria’s olympic
team – and she is in a hot
streak of form.
yet team nigeria is about
more than Blessing and contains many athletes whose
personal bests (PB) mark
them out as clear contenders. It is the best-prepared team in years, with,
for instance, obinna metu
preparing for london 2012
by training with Usain Bolt.
there are high hopes for
the relay teams. In boxing,
wrestling and taekwondo
medals are also being predicted. Johny Akinyemi will
star, as nigeria’s first slalom
canoeist. But so will the
“Running Banker” in the
marathon, who told nigerian Watch in may, it’s not
the winning, but the taking
part that counts and reflects
the spirit of the Games.
how true.
GLORIA ASUMNU 100m & 200m
PB 100m 11.03/200m 22.70
LAWRETA OZOH 100m & 200m
PB 100m 11.19/200m 22.93
BLESSING OKAGBARE
100m/long Jump
July 20th diamond league victory,
beating Tianna Madison and
Jeneba Tarmoh of the uSA. New
PB 10.96, she is in hot form.
Bronze in long Jump at Beijing
Olympic Games 2008, PB 6.91m.
Medal contender
CHRISTY UDOH 200m
PB - 22.72
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!
The over 50-strong Team Nigeria have many potential medal
winners in their midsts. AJ James introduces your champions
OBINNA JOSEPH METU 100m
PB 10.11
Previously competed at Beijing
Olympics 2008. Has been training
with usain Bolt, so here’s hoping
he can keep up!
NOAH AKWU 200m
PB 20.54
First Olympics, finding the uK cold!
OGHO OGHENE EGWERO 100m
PB 10.06
STANLEY AZIE 200 m
PB 20.67
PETER EMILIEZE 100m
PB 10.18
Chews gum on way to the blocks,
to look relaxed, letting his opponents know he is confident.
SELIM NURUDEEN 110 m Hurdle
PB 13.54
Fast starter, working on maintaining power throughout race.
AMEADI MORTON 400m Hurdles
PB 48.79
His first Olympics, Ameadi aspires
to emulate Edwin Moses.
STANLEY GBAGBEKE long Jump PB 8.20m
TOSIN OKE Triple Jump
PB 17.23m
First time competing at The
Olympics. Previously competed at
International level for Team GB.
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August 2012
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A T H l E T i C s
Getty Images
JESSICA OHANAJA 100m Hurdles PB 13.01
WOMEN’S RELAY 4 x 100m
Members of Olympic bronze medal winning team at 2008 Beijing Olympics including Osayomi
Oludamola, who is competing with a new relay squad including; Blessing Okagbare, Gloria
Asumnu, lawreta Ozoh, Isoken Wisdom and Christy udoh.
WOMEN’S RELAY 4 x 400m
All Africa 2012 Games champions
Abogunloko Bukola PB 51.57
Regina George
Abinuwa Endurance PB 52.28
Omolara Omotosho PB 51.28
Idaru Otu PB 55.29
Margaret Etim PB 51.24
OMOLARA OMOTOSHO
400m PB 51.28
SEUN ADIGUN 100m Hurdles
PB 12.88
Has overcome serious heart
problems, asthma and severe
allergies to compete at international level.
DOREEN AMATA High Jump
PB 1.95m
Jumped 1.89 at Beijing
Olympic, coming 16th
AJOKE ODUMOSU 400m Hurdles
PB 54.59
Previously competed at Beijing Olympics 2008 in 400m and
4 x 400m relay, when the team reached the final.
UHUNOMA NAOMI
OSAZUWA Heptathlon
PB 6049 points
Competing against Team
GB’s Jessica Ennis – so will
be in the limelight! Aiming
to score a personal best at
the Games
REGINA GEORGE 400m PB 51.57
ESTHER OBIEKWE Marathon; PB 3hrs 28mins
Known as the ‘Running Banker’ and ‘Joyful Runner’, Esther
recorded her PB in the Berlin Marathon. Is delighted to be
representing Nigeria in the Olympics!
24
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
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sHowcAseniGERiA
JUly
Sat 28th
TEAM
Sun 29th
mon 30th
tues 31st
NIGERIAN WATCH
NIGERIA OLYMPIC
SCHEDULE
LONDON
2012
CAnOE slAlOM
Johny Akinyemi
TAblE TEnnis
Aruna Quadri
Segun moses
toriola,
Edem offiong
olufunke oshonaike
TAEkWOnDO
Chika
Chukwumerije
Isa mohammed
WEiGHTlifTinG
BASKETBALL
Felix Cobham
BOXING
ATHlETEs (f)
Blessing okagbare
Gloria Asumnu
laureta ozoh
Christy Udoh
omolara omotosho
muizat Ajoke
odumosu
Doreen Amata
Uhunoma osazuwa
Esther obiekwe
Seun Adigun
Jessica ohanaja
osayomi oludamola
Wisdom Isoken
Regina George
Bukola Abogunloko
Endurance Abinuwa
Idara otu
margaret Etim
ATHlETEs (M)
obinna Joseph
metu
Men's (75kg)
Middleweight
Lithuania
V Nigeria
09.00
14.30
Round of 32
15:00 - 16:30
Round of 32
Men's (81kg)
22:30 - 23:30
Light Heavyweight
WREsTlinG
Sinivie Boltic
Dick Adibo
CANOEING
Amarachi
obiajunwa
TABLE TENNIS
Blessing oborodudu
ogho-oghene
Egwero
bAskETbAll
squAD
Peter Emelieze
tony Skinn
Selim nurudeen
Ekene Ibekwe
morton Ameadi
BBC Bayreuth
Stanley Gbagbeke
Ike Diogu
tosin oke
Al-Farouq Aminu
noah Akwu
Ade Dagunduro
Stanley Azie
oguchi Chamberlain
bOxinG
Koko Archibong
lukmon olayiwola
lawal
Richard oruche
muideen olalekan
Akanji
Derrick obasohan
Edith Agu-ogoke
olumide oyedeji
Ejike Ugboaja
Alade Aminu
Men's Canoe
Single
Women's
Singles
Round Pre/1/2
Men's
Singles
Round Pre/1
09:00/14:30/20:30
09:45/16:00
SEMI-FINAL 1
FINAL
1
Heats
13:30 - 16:30
Round 2/3
Round 4
09:00/18:00
Round 2
1/4 / SEMI-FIN
15:30
Round 3/4
11:00
10:00/19:00
10:00/1
1/4 FINAS
20
TAEKWONDO
WEIGHTLIFTING
Men's 77kg
WRESTLING
lOCOG
Getty Images/AFP
mariam Usman
Nigeria
V Tunisia
WATCH TEAM niGERiA in ACTiOn On bbC TV the BBC will be provid
can be sure of catching team nigeria live, and watch either on tV, onlin
and Freesat customers, screening up to 24 live streams; for Freeview an
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AUGUSt
Wed 1st
thur 2nd
ATHLETICS
Fri 3rd
mon 6th
Sun 5th
Sat 4th
Women's Round 1
100m Round 2
10.40 SEMI-FINAL 19.35
19.05 FINAL
21.55
Women's
Round 1
400m
12.00 SEMI-FINAL 20.05 FINAL
Women's
Heptathlon
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
sHowcAseniGERiA
tues 7th
Wed 8th
thur 9th
Fri 10th
Sat 11th
25
Sun 12th
21.10
DAY 2 FINAL
DAY 1
10.05 - 20.59
10.05 - 21.13
Men's
100m
Round 1
Men's
Qualification
FINAL
Long Jump
XXXXX
10.40
Semi-Final 19:45
FINAL
21.50
19:55
Women's
Round 1
400m Hurdles
FINAL
20:45
19:20 Semi-Final 20:25 FINAL
21:00
19:00 Semi-Final 20:15
Women's Qualification
Semi-Final 19:15
21:15
10:05 FINAL
100m Hurdles
Women's Qualification 10:45
Shot Put FINAL
19:15
Women's Round 1
200m
Men's 110m
Round 1
Hurdles
10:10 Semi-Final 19:15
FINAL
21:15
Qualification
Men's
10:45
Triple Jump
Men's
200m
Women's
Long Jump
Round 1
FINAL
19:20
11:50 Semi-Final 20:10 FINAL
20:55
Qualification
19:05
FINAL
20:05
Women's Qualification
09:30
High Jump
Women's
Round 1
4 x 100m Relay
Nigeria V
Argentina
France V
Nigeria
22:15
Round of 16
20:20 FINAL
Quarter-finals
14.30
SEMI FINALS
Women's (75kg)
Middleweight
15:30 - 16:30
Quarter-finals
15:30 - 16:30
15.00
FINAL
SEMI FINALS
14:30 - 15:00
22:00 - 22:15
FINAL
SEMI FINALS
22:30 - 23:30
Round of 16
FINAL
15:00 - 15:30
Quarter-finals
15:30 - 16:30
20:40
Starting 17.00
21:30 - 22:30
Round of 16
19:00
SEMI FINALS
Starting 14.00
Quarter-finals
14:30 - 15:30
FINAL
15:00 - 15:15
22:00 - 22:30
FINAL
17:30 - 17:45
13:30
5:06
NAL
FINAL
14:00
0:00
g
14:30
1/4 FINAL
SEMI-FINAL/FINAL
10:00/
10:00/14:30
Men's
-68kg
Qualifying 09:15
1/4 Final 15:15
SEMI-FINAL17:15
FINAL
22:30
Men's
+80kg
Qualifying 09:15
1/4 Final 15:15
SEMI-FINAL17:15
FINAL
22:30
Women's 63kg
Freestyle
Qualifying 13:25
R of 16 14:15
1/4 Final 15:30
SEMI-FINAL18:15
FINAL
22:30
Men's 84kg
Freestyle
Qualifying 13:30
R of 16 14:15
1/4 Final 15:00
SEMI-FINAL18:25
FINAL
19:30
Women's 72kg
Freestyle
Qualifying 13:25
R of 16 14:15
1/4 Final 15:30
SEMI-FINAL18:15
FINAL
22:30
GROUP A 10:00
GROUP B 19:00
Women's +75kg
15:30 - 17:10
Mens 96Kg
Freestyle
ding live coverage of every olympic Sport from every venue throughout the day. Using the nigerian Watch team nigeria olympic Schedule you
ne across four platforms: PC, mobile, tablet and BBC Red Button. the BBC’s Red Button service for the olympics is available to Sky, Virgin media
nd Bt Vision users there will be a 24-hour channel of BBC olympics available via the BBC Red Button.
Qualifying 09:00
R of 16 09:45
1/4 Final 10:30
SEMI-FINAL11:00
FINAL
14:30
26
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
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flickr/thevsky
A T H l E T i C s
SINIVIE BOLTIC 96kg (above, competing in red)
BASKETBALL
Arriving at the Olympics at the
11th-hour by virtue of a play-off
place, Team Nigeria’s Basketball
team comprises: Tony Skinn, Ekene
Ibekwe, BBC Bayreuth, Ike diogu,
Al-Farouq Aminu, Ade dagunduro,
Oguchi Chamberlain, Koko Archibong, Richard Oruche, Ejike ug-
Freestyle Wrestling
L-R
OBIAJUNWA AMARACHI 72kg
OBORODUDU BLESSING 63kg
boaja, derrick Obasohan, Alade
Aminu.
Many of the players ply their
trade in uS college or NBA basketball leagues, but face stiff opposition at the Games, being placed in
a group that brings them face to
face with medal hopefuls, the uS!
Getty Images/AFP
Boxing
Muideen Olalekan Akanji MySpace
ANDREW DICK 86Kg
Weightlifting
MUIDEEN OLALEKAN AKANJI Middleweight
LUKMON OLAIWOLA
LAWAL
light-heavyweight
EDITH AGU OGOKE
Middleweight
Women’s boxing included in
the Olympics for the first time.
FELIX COBHAM 77kg
PB 335kg
Previously competed at Beijing
Olympics, coming 15th
MARYAM USMAN +75 kg
Competed at Beijing 2008
Olympics came fifth with 265 kg.
Xinhuanet
Flickr/Bradford Academy
BOXING TEAM welcomed to pre-Olympic training
camp at Bradford College by Mayor
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August 2012
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27
A T H l E T i C s
ARUNA QUADRI
Portuguese NO 1. Plays Table Tennis for portuguese club GdSR Os Toledos.
Canoe Slalom
Table Tennis
JOHNY AKINYEMI
Beat Beijing 2008 bronze medallist in a race-off to secure his place at African Canoe Slalom Championships
2012. Trains in lagos, paddling on the lagoons, doing weights and fitness in the national stadium.
Getty Images/AFP
Taekwondo heading
EDEM OFFIONG
Competed at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008
Olympics. Nigerian No.1 and African No. 1
best table tennis female player.
SEGUN TORIALA
First man to represent Nigeria five times at the Olympics, debuting at
Barcelona, reaching Men’s Singles ‘quarter’ final in Beijing.
This will be his sixth Olympics!
ISAH MOHAMMAD ADAM
Pre-Olympic training in Korea with
new national Korean team coach
CHIKA CHUKWUMERIJE
Competed at 2004 Athens Olympics.
before winning Bronze in Beijing 2008
“I gave my best in Athens 2004, I gave
my best in Beijing 2008 and I will give
my best in london 2012”
OLUFUNKE OSHONAIKE Competing at her fifth Olympics!
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BIRTHS
“OnOnEnyi” TEREsA ObiAGEli
EnWOnWu - nÉE MbAMAli
AkinDElE
Best wishes on the occasion of the
birth of your son Victor. From The
Adenrele’s
BIRTHDAYS
OGbEiDE lAWREnCE, (August
8th)
happy birthday to a wonderful
uncle. may God continue to bless
you and we wish you many more
years ahead. From your nieces
isabel, nicole and kimberly.
OlAGbEGi ADEyEMi, (August
12th)
happy birthday to our dearest
husband and father. may God
continue to bless and uphold you.
have a wonderful day from kemi,
Toluwani, Adefuyi and
iyioluwa.
OlAGbEGi fERAnMi, (August
2nd)
happy 6th birthday to our lovely
Feranmi. may you continue to
grow in God's Wisdom and grace.
lots of love from your cousins
Toluwani, Adefuyi and
iyioluwa.
NIGERIAN WATCH
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RUGBY BOYS
London
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win
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2012
MONTHLY
To Inspire, Inform and Entertain
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
News
- Air fares row special report
- Yellow fever alert
- Ibori seeks to serve gaol
term in Nigeria
- MP’s witchcraft campaign
Features
- Why we need big baggage
allowances in a small world
- New calls for a Sovereign
National Conference
NIGERIA RISING
Life & Style
It’s going to be a D’BANJ summer
- Spring fashions
- Relaxed hair care advice
- Unbeatable listings guide
NIGERIAN IDOL to launch London audition
A star is born in EMI’s Tina
Business & Property
- Diaspora bonds’ launch set
- Lekki: Naija treasure island
Education
- Advice on preparing your
child for entrance exams
Sport
PAGE 9
The British Bank for Africa
- Racing Eagles on the
starting grid
Big
Strong
Reliable
£22 FOR 1 YEAR
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A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER
OUT EVERY LAST FRIDAY
OF THE MONTH
26th June 1938 – 11th July 2012
EDEM nOyO, (August 13th)
happy birthday to our dearest
aunty. may God continue to bless
and uphold you. have a wonderful day from The jemides
MARRIAGES
PORbEni
Congratulations to nkem Eze and
Eniye Porbeni on the occasion of your
wedding. this is wishing you a happy
married life from Greenvue Venue
ANNIVERSARIES
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tel no
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ujuMA
happy 25th wedding anniversary
Alex and Olu. may God continue to
guide and protect both of you and
your family. From The Ojomos
CHANGE OF NAME
ikOMi
I formerly known and addressed as
lydia Oritsegbemi ikomi now
wish to be known as lydia Oritsegbemi Oloja. All former documents remain valid. members of the
public, home office and nigeria
high Commission, london should
please take notice.
Celebration of a life lived Full of
love and Selflessness
With gratitude and thanks to
Almighty God for his blessings and
love everlasting, the family of
“ononenyi”
teresa
obiageli
Enwonwu, née mbamali, announce
the passing of our most Beloved
mother, Grandmother, Sister, Aunt,
Cousin, in-law and Friend.
funERAl ARRAnGEMEnTs
FRIDAy 3rd AUGUSt 2012:
12.00pm – 1.00 pm: funeral Mass
At: our lady of Dolours Church,
4 Egerton Gardens, hendon,
london nW4 4BA.
1.00 pm – 2.00 pm: internment
At: hendon Cemetery and
Crematorium, holders hill Road,
hendon, london nW7 1nB.
2.00 pm onwards: Reception
At: Greenvue Venue, mill hill
Country Club, Burton hole lane,
mill hill, london nW7 1AS.
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INSPIRATIONAL Prophet ‘Oba’
PASTOR yemisi Ashimolowo
DOCTOR lecter lewis
MC Amos Adejinmi
31
BROADCASTER Julie Coker
ARRIVING Commander Obey (centre) with host Pastor Ajitena (right)
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
communityWATCH
chief commander obey’s 70th birthday
The Cliwom Sanctuary on the Old Kent Road
rolled out the red carpet to receive the great
man of music and legendary apostle Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, delivering a celebration
full of laughter, song and music. When the Chief
sang the more than 500 guests, spanning generations, danced and demanded encores. A privilege to see the multi-platinum recording star in
such an intimate and friendly surrounding.
GUEST SPEAKER Pastor Matthew (left)
GUESTS (l-r) Mayor of Enfield Kate Anolue, deputy High Commissioner OK lawal,
Mayor of Brent Michael Adeyeye and Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo and wife yemisi
RIVERSONGZ’ Muyiwa
OBA a.k.a the Superior Prophet
Tosin Akinsanmi
IMPRESSIVE the stand-in Inter-reformers
PRESENTS Chief yemesi Sanusi presents a gift to Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey
MAYORS of lewisham and Southwark
CUTTING THE CAKE Ebenzer, Pastor Ajienta and esteemed guests
32
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
@NigerianWatch
communityWATCH
canuk delivers gold star olympic party
CHIEF HOST Canuk Chairman Chief Bimbo Folayan Roberts
Canuk promised a night of the stars at the
welcome party for Nigeria’s Olympians and
they more than delivered. The mood of the
evening was best summed up by Mrs Falilat
Ogunkoya, who told Nigerian Watch, “I’ve
been in three Olympics and this is the first time
the team has been welcomed like this. It’s nice
to see Nigerians appreciating Nigerians. My
advice to the athletes is to keep your head up,
do your best and make Nigeria proud.”
STAR GUEST Olu Jacobs
FASHION DESIGNER Asake Agoro
NOC Sec. Gen. Tunde Popoola
MUSICIANS (l-r) Talking drummers, a jazz
saxaphonist, a rap artist and the larger
than life self-proclaimed diva
Olayinka Wright
MC Charles Khiran
TV STAR Jusutus Esiri
MISS NIGERIA UK Chi Chi
Jimmy and Toro Akinola
Noel and Gloria Aiworo and Obah Iyamu
PRAYERS were said for both Christian and Muslim faiths
TEAM NIGERIA COACH Falilat Ogunkoya
l-r: Obah, Keppy Ekpeyong Bassey and Maryanne
PRESS PACK Surrounding Osa Iyamu
Support for the Olympic Team is open to all
(left):Tevin Jemide, Amosu Couture (centre) and victor
Omosevwerha
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
communityWATCH
33
Chima Emelle, Cynthia Emelle, Mrs Kubeyinje and uvbi Kubeyinje
oton akali kubeyinjie family
It was a weekend of festivity, reacquaintance and remembrance as members the
Oton Akali Kubeyinje family came from all
corners of the globe for a special reunion in
New York. Following the success of last
year’s picnic in London and previous events
in the US and Nigeria, this year’s inaugural
gala night on July 15 promised to be a hot
one, and didn’t disappoint. Amidst the celebrations the family took time to honour the
memory of their late father, uncle, patron
and friend Mr. Michael Kubeyinje, who pio-
neered the reunion but sadly passed away
on April 30th. The family also used the opportunity to think of ways to give something
back to the Nigerian community and will
start by donating first aid
kits to schools in Warri.
l-R: Noyo, Nike, Toju, Julie, Cynthia and Maryanne
Cynthia and Omare
Mrs Alero Okundia
The Kubeyinje men
Mrs Noyo Edem and Mrs dunmi ukponmwan (President)
to display your
event here call
020 8588 9640
or email
[email protected]
34
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
@NigerianWatch
communityWATCH
Jimmy and Toro Akinola
l-r: Jidda, ummita, Toro, Safiya and Mrs yusuf
l-r: Bukky, Shade, Toro, Bukky and Maryanne
l-r: Toro and lara
celebrating christianah ashabi foluke amos
Friends and family of Christianah
Ashabi Foluke Amos gathered
together at the Cathedral of St.
James The Great in Oke-Bola,
Ibadan, for her funeral on May
18. Tributes to the 73-year-old,
who passed away on April 20,
described her as “a courageous
woman who tried all her life to
be the best that she can”, and
was “creative, resilient, but most
of all funny”.
l-r: Mr and Mrs Olusemo, Mr and Mrs Coker and Mr and Mrs Akinola
l-r: Seffi, Shade, Bukky, Remi and Maryanne
Christianah Ashabi Foluke Amos
Mrs Nike Coker dancing
Tolu and Mrs day Olusemo
l-r: Mrs Taiwo Ogunsola, dayo Olusemo, Toro Akinola, Mrs Nike Coker and
Kehinde Rowaye
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
FAsHionWATCH
35
summer chic as worn by
famous fashionistas
By Obah Iyamu
Even with our dismal weather, we are not going to not enjoy our
summer favourites, that’s why the dedicated majority are braving it
out there in the rain with their umbrellas
Rompers have found their way into our lives this
season and we are embracing this fabulous trend on
kaftans can only be worn graciously when the sun is
out, so jump on any opportunity this (so-called)
all levels. the younger ladies are wearing this style
summer presents before the cold
super short, while the more conservative amongst us
weather snatches it away from
are wearing it the classic jumpsuit way. Whichever
you. Kaftans are super comfy but
category best describes you, make sure you buy a
can be overwhelming on the
onesie with a flattering cut and glam the look up
more petite frame. the trick
with heels in the evening for a less laid back look.
is to spot a good fit to show
Pyjamas are no longer for bedtime. ok, that
your curves. Choose one
sounds scary along the lines that it might get
with billowing sleeves
and a semi fitted
you banned from supermarkets, but the
pyjama style has
bodice, for a balancing
won its seal of
effect – after all
approval from
fashion is all about
the highest ranks of
balance. Wear with a
fashionistas on the
dangling pendant and
flat sandals for a
red carpet. to avoid
bohemian look.
looking like you're
necklaces have to make
running late, the
a statement for you to be
style can be made
recognised as being right on
daytime
appropriate if you
trend. the latest styles are
raise the bar with
giving the Egyptians a run for
their money and, dare I say it,
high octane
necks. not that we can hope to
accessories, such as sky
compete
high heels and
with the
jewellery. I love the
original in
not so busy prints in
terms of size and
bold stripes and also
breaking up the tops
opulence, but the
and trousers with
new wave statement
jeans and blouses
necklaces – made from
respectively.
Ombre patterns
all manner of
materials – are the
are lighting up our streets,
obsession of the
present on everything from
era. they can lift
skirts and dresses. Celebrities
are taking it to a new level,
sporting two-toned hair
colour. the dip dyed look has
caught my eye and I am
embracing it in more muted
tones of light grey graduating
into dark grey as opposed to
red into yellow. this is one
style that you must wear
with simple accessories, to
accentuate the lovely pattern
and not clash with it.
any outfit, as long
as it is worn with
a certain
swagger. to get
the best out of
the look, be
sure to wear
your hair away
from the
shoulders and
complement
with simple earrings,
preferably studs.
36
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
HeAltH & BeAutyWATCH
Dr Chisolum Chukwum’s HEAlTHWATCH
I
n the last 10 years, more has been heard of
the prostate gland (prostate) than ever before. this is an organ that is only found in
males and is usually the size and shape of a
walnut. It is said that the prostate grows with
the man, which means that almost all men
will have an enlarged prostate.
the urethra (which carries urine from the
bladder to the outside) passes through the
prostate and so is easily compressed as the
prostate grows in size. this is why problems
with passing urine are the commonest signs
that there may be a problem with the
prostate.
WhAt IS PRoStAtE CAnCER?
Prostate cancer is a disease of the prostate. It
results from abnormal multiplication of the
cells of the gland. this multiplication which is
beyond control means that in time the cells
start invading the tissues around the prostate.
Prostate cancer is a slow growing cancer. It is
the commonest cancer in men in the UK. over
30,000 men are affected each year. In the UK,
about 1 in 9 men will get prostate cancer at
some point in their lives. older men, men with
a family history of prostate cancer and men of
black African and black Caribbean descent are
more at risk. If found early, watchful waiting
or surgery may be all that is required and it
may not reduce life expectancy.
WhAt ARE thE SymPtomS oF
PRoStAtE CAnCER?
As mentioned earlier, prostate cancer is slow
@NigerianWatch
growing. It may not give any symptoms but as
it gets bigger, it starts pressing on the part of
the urethra which passes through it and so
the individual starts experiencing problems
with passing urine which include:
l Retention complete blockage of urine
l Hesitancy the need to wait for a few seconds before urine flow starts
l frequency the need to pass urine a lot of
times in a day
l Dribbling of urine which stains your underwear; usually after you have passed urine
l urgency the need to go immediately once
you feel like passing urine.
l Poor stream poor flow of urine
l Pain at the base of the penis
older men will experience the symptoms mentioned (apart from pain) which are due to the
increase in size of the prostate. however, most
men will have a non-cancer prostate problem,
called benign prostatic hyperplasia.
WhAt IS thE CAUSE oF PRoStAtE
CAnCER?
like many other cancers, the cause is unknown. however, there are certain factors
that increase the risk of developing prostate
cancer
l Age it is commoner in men over 50
l Ethnicity for reasons that are unknown, it
has been found to occur more in black African
and black Caribbean men
l Diet there is no food that is known to cause
prostate cancer; however a healthy low fat,
PRoStAtE CAnCER
low sugar diet may offer some protection.
Some studies have also shown that tomatoes
and soya may be protective although this is
not proven.
l sedentary lifestyle Regular exercise may
help combat the onset of the condition
hoW IS PRoStAtE CAnCER DIAGnoSED?
With the increased awareness of the disease,
many men now request a routine PSA (or
prostate test) which is a simple blood test. A
high PSA level may suggest prostate cancer
which is the most worrying cause; but there
are other causes e.g. Prostatitis (inflammation
of the prostate), benign prostatic hyperplasia
(BPh), recent ejaculation, digital rectal examination, prostate biopsy. Currently there is no
screening programme for prostate cancer in
the UK but you can request a PSA test
through your GP.
If you are worried that you may have a
prostate problem or if you think you may be
at risk; it is best to report it to your doctor
who will now do the following:
l Take a history this is where you mention
your concerns/symptoms to the doctor. the
GP will explore these concerns with you and
then examine (check) you.
l The examination the doctor will examine
your prostate gland to check how it feels. this
is done through the anus. the doctor will only
do this test if you give your consent.
l Urine diptest this may show that there is
blood in the urine
l ultrasound scan of the prostate the GP
may be able to request this test directly or
you may be referred to an urologist who will
then carry out this test.
l specialist assessment If further investigation is required a biopsy of the prostate is
normally commissioned, undertaken by the
urologist in the hospital. It is when a small
part of the prostate is taken with a fine needle to be checked for cancer cells. this test can
be uncomfortable but a local anaesthetic is
usually given to help.
When prostate cancer is diagnosed, further
tests are done to check the severity of the disease. these tests would include mRI/Ct scan
and a bone scan.
how to wear
black eyeliner Every beauty buff owns Black Eyeliner as it’s a
great tool for adding definition to the eyes.
When worn correctly, black liner can alter
and compliment all eye shapes, depending on
how it is applied.
For example, if you have big eyes but
would prefer a more sultry look, lining both
your lash and water line will make your eyes
appear smaller and in turn, stunningly seductive. Big eyes can also pull off high volume
lashes, so don’t be afraid to play around with
falsies.
Try Eyelure Girls Aloud (Sarah) False
Lashes – £5.36
if you have deep set eyes which can make
you look sleepy, applying black liner to the
outer one-third of both your lash and water
line will make your eyes stand out. If you’re
feeling creative, why not wing your eyeliner
in order to emphasise the effect?
tREAtmEnt
oPtIonS
there is no
one treatment
for prostate
cancer. the
treatment for
an individual
patient depends on the
patient’s
choice as well
Dr Chisolum Chukwuma
as the type
and severity of
the disease; whether it has spread or not.
A multidisciplinary team which will include
a urologist and an oncologist will work out
the best treatment options and then discuss
with the patient. these options with their
pros and cons will then be discussed with the
patient and a final decision made.
The types of treatment available are:
l Active surveillance mainly for early
prostate cancer and this is monitored by regular PSA testing.
l surgery removal of the prostate (called
radical prostatectomy). this is a good option if
the cancer is still at a very early stage.
l Radiotherapy this aims to kill cancer cells
or stop the cells multiplying.
l Hormone therapy Prostate cancer depends
on the male hormone testosterone and the
hormone treatment aims to stop the body
making testosterone.
l Chemotherapy using anti-cancer medicines to kill the cancer cells.
the prognosis (outlook) for prostate cancer
varies and new treatments are being developed like cryotherapy. this involves freezing
of the cancer cells; another new treatment
being developed is high intensity focused ultrasound (hIFU).
the key message is to be alert to the symptoms mentioned above and check with the
doctor (GP) if unsure. Early diagnosis and
treatment improves the outlook.
For more information visit, www.prostatecanceruk.org
for those
with small
eyes who
want them to
appear larger, lining
your top lid alone will definitely do the trick.
For an even more intense look, line your
water line with a white pencil eyeliner in
order to make your eyes look even bigger!
Try Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Blanc Audacity – £16.50
Hooded eyes are usually tricky to apply eyeliner to. As the skin on the brow bone often
covers the lid, definition of the upper eye and
eyelid virtually disappear when the eyes are
open. To get around this, lining the upper lid
and adding false lashes will help to add dimension and make your eyes pop. For
added effect, thicken up the
line for a stronger look.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
townWATCH
37
ON THE TOWN
With Toni
Theatre Royal Stratford East
superstar Tuface idibia launches nigeria House in style
Combining the energy and
vibrance of the country’s
culture and sporting tradition in a unique showcase
held together by the theatre Royal Stratford East,
nigeria house has thrown
open its doors to the
world, inviting all to come
in from the cold and have
their hearts warmed by
some of nigeria’s hottest
creative talent.
there will be music
courtesy of celebrated acts
such as tuface, tiwa Savage, naeto C, King Sunny
Ade, Wiz Boy, Waje and
Seal. Eye candy comes in
the shape of a mini festival
celebrating the best in
nigerian film, theatre, poetry and visual art, where
guests will be kept entertained by live drama productions, book readings,
special nights hosted by
TUFACE
REVIEW
Wow, wow, wow and triple
wow. One of a growing
number of bona fide Nigerian
superstars 2Face brought his
dub-based afro-pop grooves
to Stratford East and made it
rain fire. More used to
playing stadiums this was the
ultimate intimate gig, which
resulted in at times hilarious
exchanges with the audience
in pidgin. He ran through his
legion of hits like a cool
breeze, making them sound
freshly minted. The band was
tight and the lyrics sharp and
sassy – expounding the joys of
good loving and global
brotherhood. A joyous curtain
raiser for New World Nigeria.
the likes of Wole Soyinka and
special exhibitions featuring
the best of nigeria-made products.
meanwhile, fashionistas can
find inspiration for future
wardrobe redesigns during a
fashion/accessories and textiles
extravaganza, where the best
in nigerian fashion, design and
textiles will be on display
under the banner “Fashion Forward – a celebration of nigerian
creativity
and
its
contribution to the fashion Industry.”
All of this will be taking
place against the vibrant backdrop of Stratford East and the
olympic Park, with a bustling
blend of shops, cafés, bars and
restaurants located just a short
javelin’s throw away from July
20 until August 12.
For full details and further
information, visit www.newworldnigeria.com
niGERiA HOusE EVEnTs
POETRY
Voices & Vocations
Presentation and discussion of
great poetry pieces from Nigeria,
from our literary community.
Includes screening of newly commissioned documentary on poetry by director and filmmaker
Remi Vaughan-Richards. Also includes ‘invited mic’ session of
memorable Nigerian poems.
Auditorium
Sat 28 July, 6.30pm. FREE
Fan The Flame
A show presenting a blend of
contemporary, musical, theatrical
and African infused poetry from
The Garden Theatre and Imole
collections. Featuring Jumi Fola
Alade (Imole) and Tosin Otundeko (The Garden) who will be
performing poems from their collections. The performances will be
accompanied by singer/songwriters U’mau and Tolumide. Percussionists assembled by Badejo
Arts. Music direction by Efosa
Lawal.
Auditorium
1 & 2 August, 6.30pm. All
seats £7.
PLAYS
The Naming Ceremony
Written by Sefi Atta and Directed
by Ifeoma Fafunwa, this play tells
the story of a couple, Akin and
Tola, who have had their first
child. As they both prepare for
their baby’s naming ceremony,
Tola prepares for a day of disagreements, especially with her
husband, her mother and mother
in-law. Sefi Atta is a Nigerian author and playwright. She began
her career with radio plays that
were broadcast by BBC African
Performance. 'The Naming Ceremony' is part of a trilogy of oneact plays about modern Nigerian
women at odds with traditional
customs.
Auditorium
Sat 28 & Sun 29 July, 8.30pm.
All seats £6.
The King Must Dance Naked
This gripping story revolves
around the Nigerian law that only
one child of royalty, the son, can
rise to power in his lifetime and
become king. When Queen
Odosun gives birth to twins and
must sacrifice one of them, it is
naturally assumed that she must
offer her baby girl to the African
gods. However, an oracle forewarns that if her daughter survives, she will one day rise to the
throne. The play is a far cry from
traditional theatre, crossing genres with an intoxicating mix of
myth and entertainment.
Auditorium
Fri 3 August – 2pm &
7.30pm; Sat 4 August – 2pm
& 7.30pm. All seats (2pm
performance): £8. All seats
(7.30pm performance): £10.
Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes.
right to marry Sidi, the titular
Jewel. Lakunle is portrayed as a
civilised antithesis of Baroka,
who attempts to modernise his
community and change its social
conventions for no other reason
than the fact that he can.
Auditorium
Mon 30 July, 7.30pm & Tue
31 July, 6pm. All tickets £8.
Note: running time: is 1 hour
50 min (allow an extra hour
for the Tues perfomance
that includes a talk with
Wole Soyinka).
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Nigerian Storytelling Workshop
Enjoy traditional African stories
narrated by Toyin Oshinaike for
children. An actor and theatre director trained on the job, Oshinaike started professional acting
on the Nigerian stage in 1991. He
is an awardee of the National association of Nigerian theatre arts
practitioners (NANTAP) for outstanding contribution to the development of theatre arts in
Nigeria (1995). Part of Kids
Week 2012.
Booking advised. Call 0208
5340310
or
email
[email protected].
Thu 2 August, 11am-1pm.
Suitable for ages 5-13 years.
£5 per child; accompanying
adults FREE.
The Lion & The Jewel
The Lion and the Jewel is a play
by Prof. Wole Soyinka. It chronicles how Baroka, the lion, fights
with the modern Lakunle over the
Nigerian
Fashion/Accessories and Textiles Extraganza
Catwalks displaying Nigerian
fashion and textile lines will be on
show. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet leading designers, textile producers, and to
experience Nigeria's fashion culture. Under the theme: “Fashion
Forward - a celebration of Nigerian creativity and its contribution
to the fashion Industry,” this
event showcases and promotes
the work of Nigerian designers;
including indigenous fashion, textiles and accessories which are
part of Nigeria’s diverse arts and
culture sector.
those competing in the Games,
the Theatre kitchen is on a mission to satiate curious palates
with a selection of popular Nigerian cuisine, served fresh every day.
Tuck into a buffet of mouthwatering favourites such as jollof
rice, pepper soup, and okra with
pounded yam, washed down with
a selection of beverages from the
bar.
Foyer, until 12 August. menu
changes daily.
Nigeria House, 7-11 August.
A selection of arts, crafts and designer goods using traditional
fabrics from across Nigeria will be
available to purchase, with stalls
rotating daily.
Restaurant
In keeping with the "fuel like a
winner, feel like a winner" philosophy that will be followed by
Pop-up Shop
10am-5pm every day
Nigerian Traditional Dress Workshop
Take part in an exciting workshop led by Costume Designer Iyen
Agbonifo. Agbonifo's break as a make-up artiste came in 1998
when she was assigned the duty of
making up the actors in the award
winning movie, Igodo. It was the same
movie that gave her the THEMA 99 Best
Costumier and Make-up Artist award.
Since then, there has been no going
back in her career. She has featured in
the production of movies like Adesuwa,
for which she received an Achievement
in Costume Design (AMAA Awards 2012) among others. How do
you sew a traditional dress or headpiece? Come and find out!
Part of Kids Week 2012.
Booking advised. Call 0208 5340310 or email
[email protected].
thu 9 August, 11am-1pm. Suitable for children 8 - 13 years.
£5 per child, accompanying adults free. note: all children
must be accompanied by an adult.
38
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
townWATCH
meet the adebanjos on stage review
the hilariously antic-prone Adebanjo
family and some of their familiar
friends showed the eager contingent
THEATRE
Beyond Gold – The Spirit Of
The Games
An entertaining and extraordinary mix of stirring gospel
singing, live musicians, contemporary dance and drama, bringing to life, real stories of
Olympic athletes. The production explores what it takes to be
part of the sometimes exhilarating, but often painful quest for
Olympic success.
Alban Arena, St Albans,
herts Al1 3lD. 01727
844488.
Sun July 29, 7pm. £15.
Belong
Having entertained sell-out
crowds during its stay at the
Royal Court Theatre (see Nigerian Watch edition 2), Nigerian
playwright Bola Agbaje’s Belong, a co-production with Tiata
Fahodzi, turns its attentions to
Peckham, where it will question
our notions of home and where
@NigerianWatch
that travelled down to the Catford
Broadway theatre on Friday 13 and
Saturday 14 July exactly why fans have
been calling the hit tV show “the nigerian Desmond’s”, writes Chuk Ikéh.
making their debut transition from
television to stage in front of an expectant crowd, the show’s original cast of
father Bayo (Wale ojo), his wife Gladys
(yetunde oduwole) and their mischievous teenage children Sade (Andrea
Ama Aboagye) and toby (Daniel Anthony) – along with neighbour Kevin
(Jordan Coulson) and some hilarious
cameos from other characters – put on
a real family show as they re-enacted
the first two episodes of the tV sit-com
Meet the Adebanjos.
the British-nigerian clan seem to
come alive on the stage, perhaps aided
and invigorated by the audience interaction factor that the box – despite its
success as their first host – can’t quite
reproduce.
Courtesy of an impressive, true-totelly set design, the actors looked more
than at home on their new grandstand
and, consequently, the audience felt
much the same way.
onlookers were invited into the
we belong as Nigerians.
theatre local, 133 Rye lane,
SE15 4St until 28 July. 020
7565 5000
£10 in advance and Pay
What you like when purchased at the venue.
KnightWatch: SouthS'tory
In car parks, town squares and
other outdoor spaces across the
country, Nigerian poet and
playwright Inua Ellams transports audiences to a city not unlike London in a modern day,
magical realist tale of violence
and gang culture.
the Albany at Deptford
lounge, Douglas Way, Deptford, london SE8 4AG. 020
8692 4446.
21 Sep, 8pm. Suitable for
ages 14+; £10.
J A Story, the Musical
The show charts the history and
culture of the many different peoples from Africa, China, India,
Millionaire Gentlemen's Club Black & White Party
MGC is a collective of some UK Nigeria's most creative club
promoters and they
continue their foray into
clubbing excellence with
another one off party that
is simply not to be missed.
With burlesque dancers
and professional
footballers in attendance
this has the hallmarks of
an intriguing evening out.
The Millionaire
Gentlemen's Club Black &
White Party kicks off at
the classy Sola Bar, 72-74
Tooley Street, London SE1
2TF, on Friday August 3,
from 10pm ‘til the early
hours. Tickets priced £25 standing, £35 seated; VIP packages
available, all via www.realdealpromo.com
Adebanjo’s front room to join in on the
witty man-to-man conversations between Bayo and tobi, the Afrobeats
work-out session featuring Aunty
Funke, Sade and Cousin Femi, and the
late night prayer conference with the
hilarous Pastor michael (Simply Andy)
in which all hell breaks uproariously
loose.
the live incarnation of meet the
Adebanjos perfectly encapsulates the
complex concoction of nigerian and
British culture across multiple generations, while weaving in the image of a
warm family home complete with the
usual ups, downs, fall-outs and reconciliations with which many of us are familiar from our personal experiences.
Every line tickles a different area of
the funny bone, with the characters
feeding off one another as though connected by real blood ties, and every
scene provided an element wherein audience members from every age group
and ethnicity could find something to
identify and chortle along with.
All-in-all, a great success for the
show’s producers Andrew osayemi and
Debra odutoyo, as whispers of a forthcoming movie become ever audible.
Britain and the Middle East who
have travelled for centuries to
make Jamaica their home. The
cast of characters includes Bob
Marley, Paul Bogle, Marcus Garvey, Ian Fleming, Noel Coward,
Captain Morgan among a list of
40. A must see.
Fairfield halls, Park lane,
Croydon CR9. 020 8688 929.
19 Jul, 3pm & 7.30pm. From
£16.
FOR CHILDREN
Inside Out
Edie is an explorer – she travels to
all sorts of fantastic places. James
is an explorer, too, but prefers to
stay indoors. They live in the same
house, and like the same biscuits,
but they've never ever met. Until
today, that is… Playful, funny and
full of surprises, Inside Out is the
perfect summer treat.
Age 2-5
Polka theatre, 240 the Broadway, london SW19 1SB
£9 Conc. £7
tue-Sat, 10.30am & 2pm | From
4 Jul to 25 Aug
Charlie and Lola's Best
Bestest Play
Everyone's favourite brother and
sister stars of the hit BBC TV series and books by Lauren Child,
Charlie and Lola will be brought
to life by a magical mix of puppets and music. 2-D and 3-D
worlds collide in this play,
adapted from some of the freshest
and funniest episodes. Will Lola
ever tidy her messy room? Will
Charlie get Lola to sleep, even
though she is not sleepy and will
not go to bed?
Age: 4-7
Polka theatre, 240 the Broadway, SW19 1SB
Weekends £16, Weekdays
£14, Concs £10
From 18 Jul to 25 Aug | 11am
& 2.30pm
Guv’nor bar sets about
Uniting Nations for 2012
No day is ever the same at Guv’nor, but serial party animals who
have frequented its Silvertown hideout on more than one
occasion will testify that every day is just as spectacular as the
one before.
And when the restaurant, wine bar and club flings open its doors
to welcome in an exuberant green-and white clad army of Team Nigeria supporters for two separate Nigeria Day events, as part of the
Uniting Nations 2012 series of summer events – a celebration of the
various cultures of countries competing in the Games, with a different
national theme each day – it will be no different.
Sharpen up your Azonto moves on the first night for the prolific
afrobeat sensation that is
Solek, as he and his live band
pump out a combination of
traditional and modern day
Yoruba music with a twist of
fuji juju, a splash of pop and
R&B, and a sprinkling of hiphop.
There will of course be
Nigerian food served, and you
can cheer on Team Nigeria as
the games unfold live on one of
the many screens.
Sat 4 & Fri 10 July. Guv’nor
Bar, Bell Lane (off Dock
Road), Silvertown, E16 2AB.
Doors open 12pm-10pm. For
table bookings, call 07821 658
031.
War House
War Horse, based on the beloved
novel by Michael Morpurgo, is a
powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring
music and magnificent artistry.
South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company brings breathing,
galloping, full-scale horses to life
on the stage – their flanks, hides
and sinews built of steel, leather
and aircraft cables.
New London Theatre, Drury
Lane, WC2B 5PW.
Various dates, Until 26 oct
2013
From £15, suitable for 10+
www.reallyuseful.com/theatres/new-london-theatre
The Town Mouse and the
Country Mouse
The story tells of two cousins
who visit each other, both experiencing exciting new sights and
sounds. Staged on a magical narrow boat.
the Puppet theatre Barge,
little Venice, opposite 35
Blomfield Road, W9 2PF.
Various dates, until 15 Jul
Child £8.50, adult £10
Age: 3+
The Tiger Who Came To Tea
The classic tale of the hungry tiger
is up for an Olivier Award as the
best family entertainment in town.
Dubbed a ‘modern classic’ by the
Indie and a ‘delight from start to
finish’ by Time Out.
lyric theatre, 29 Shaftesbury
Avenue, W1D 7ES.
tues-Fri, 11-11.30am, Sat/Sun
10am and 12pm. Until 2 Sept
The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe
Open the door and enter a spectacular new world with Peter, Susan,
Edmund and Lucy as they journey
through the magical land of Narnia, thanks to Threesixty’s ground-
breaking surround video and enchanting puppetry, performed in a
state-of-the art theatre tent.
Set against the backdrop of Kensington Palace, this exquisite event
makes for a magical summer experience in the park.
threesixty theatre, Dial Walk,
Kensington Gdns, W8 4Pt.
Various dates, until 9 Sep.
Horrible Histories: Barmy
Britain
Set in loathsome London, Barmy
Britain is the latest instalment of
the Horrible Histories franchise
that has given us the acclaimed
Terrible Tudors, Vile Victorians,
Awful Egyptians and Ruthless
Romans.
Garrick theatre, Charing
Cross Road, WC2h 0hh
Wed-Fri 1pm, Sat 10.30 &
noon, Sun 3pm & 5pm
£10-£14.50, until 1 Sep
Suitable for 6+
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES
Rhythm Summer School
A five-day course covering various drumming and percussion
techniques and styles, suitable for
both intermediate musicians and
complete beginners. Standard fee
is £125 for the week. Concessions
and scholarships available. Apply
via the website.
Age 7-12.
Starts monday July 23
www.bomboproductions.com
/rhysusc.html
The Mystery of the Hidden
League and the Misplaced
Museum
The House of Fairytales presents a magical story-based adventure trail and interactive
installation at Hall Place, part of
their six-month residency at the
Tudor house and gardens. The
Mystery of the Hidden League
leads visitors through the
grounds and into the historic
house via a trail of over 60 tasks.
Through it young adventurers
take part in a mission to defeat
the awful, and recently awakened, Apathy Ogre. They become a part a secret club and
will break codes and send signals
through the earth to drive the
monster back to sleep.
The story of the Misplaced Museum sees Hall Place become the
centre of all manner of marvelous mysteries. The Misplaced
Museum is an enigma, it appears from nowhere packed with
strange and wonderful exhibits.
It contains different things with
every manifestation but this
time it holds five dusty departments filled with secrets and visual wonders to turn you
tupsy-turvy.
the house of Fairytales, hall
Place, Bexley, Kent, DA5 1PQ
Ages: 5-12
Free entry to gardens and
trail. Admission to the house:
£5 (child), £7 (adult)
Until 16 Sep
www.houseoffairytales.org
Superheroes
SOS! HELP! Urgent Message: Alphabet City is under threat from a
mysterious villain. Can you help
rescue the city from destruction?
Step into the tights of one of our
spectacular Superheroes, be empowered by their supersonic skills,
hit the letter lab to conduct secret
scientific experiments, crack the
code, find the Superheroes’ hideouts and defeat the evil mastermind.
Discover Children’s Story Centre, 383-387 high Street
Stratford london E15 4QZ
Adult/child £4.50, family
ticket £16, Under 2s FREE
www.discover.org.uk
tue-Fri, 12-1pm & 3-5pm
Like us on Facebook
townWATCH
AFROBEATS AT SOMERSET HOUSE REVIEW
It promised to be one of
the biggest parties of the
summer, extracting the
sizzling summer-friendly
sounds of Afrobeat from
their underground hideout and giving the music
that has been taking the
capital by storm some
time in the sunshine.
The Abladei dance
posse got the party
rolling in style with an
eye-catching performance, setting the stage for
an onslaught of popular
and rising stars from the UK Afrobeats
scene, despite the rain.
“It’s about cultures – rep your countries!” urged the first host of the night,
Amour, echoing the general message of
many of the artists backstage: Afrobeat is
not just for Africans – it’s for everybody
who loves positive, energetic music.
Afrobeats is designed to get people
moving in a similarly vibrant manner to
the way in which dancehall music has
done in previous decades. It didn’t fail to
live up to its billing on July 13, when it presented itself in all of its various flavours.
Once Atumpan had urged enthused
THEATRE
The Games
Olympic success.
844488.
Belong
7565 5000
and gang culture.
8692 4446.
ages 14+; £10.
gatherers to “wine down low”, the versatile Kwamz and Flava injected a funky
house feel into the proceedings with the infectious “Shine Your Eyes”.
That was before Ghana’s Londonbased trio Vibe Squad reminded us that
we were not in Accra, with an Afro-infused performance of grime-esque tones.
And so it continued, as though we were
witnessing The Global Music Gospel According to Afrobeat. From the familiar
electronically-enhanced croons with which
many lovers of the genre have become accustomed, to a flirtation with latin
rhythms and sounds, courtesy of Angola’s
40. A must see.
Croydon CR9. 020 8688 929.
£16.
FOR CHILDREN
Inside Out
Age 2-5
£9 Conc. £7
4 Jul to 25 Aug
Bestest Play
not go to bed?
Age: 4-7
£14, Concs £10
SOA, it was a comprehensive showcase of the
Afrobeat repertoire.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s
Olu Maintain showed
why he was billed as one
of the headline acts by
delivering the kind of
soulfully smooth warbles
that made the couples in
the crowd get closer.
Choice FM’s DJ
Abrantee – the main
host for the night, the
brains behind the event
and the poster boy of
UK Afrobeat – praised the audience for
“making history”. He looked like the cat
that got the cream, which is unsurprising
given the dizzying heights to which he has
almost singlehandedly raised the profile of
Afrobeat in the UK in such a short time.
And as he capped off the night by blaring out some of the biggest anthems of
Afrobeat – including D’Banj’s “Oliver
Twist” and Davido’s “Dami Duro” – his
disciples began cutting the infectious
shapes of Afrobeat’s signature dance, the
azonto. The message of the Afrobeats
movement is clear: “Rain no be wahala;
we will party whatever the weather”.
& 2.30pm
War House
Lane, WC2B 5PW.
2013
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
DJ PROFILE
What’s your name? Ayoola oluwakayode
oluwatosin, lol, as you
know nigerian names tend
to be quite long. my friends
call me nature, my DJ name.
Where do you come
from? I was born in lagos
nigeria, came to the UK
when I was 16, and settled
right at home over here.
How long you been
Dj’ing for? Pssshh I have
been DJing for what I look
to be a short time but now
lookin back it coming into 8
years now well since 2006
if my maths is correct lol
well 7-8 years.
What do you like the
most about Dj’ing? I
have always been a music
lover from way back when I
through the magical land of Narnia, thanks to Threesixty’s groundbreaking surround video and
enchanting puppetry, performed in
a state-of-the art theatre tent.
Britain
Romans.
Country Mouse
who visit each other, both expe- Wed-Fri 1pm, Sat 10.30 &
riencing exciting new sights and noon, Sun 3pm & 5pm
sounds. Staged on a magical nar- £10-£14.50, until 1 Sep
row boat.
Suitable for 6+
A five-day course covering variChild £8.50, adult £10
ous drumming and percussion
Age: 3+
The Tiger Who Came To Tea complete beginners. Standard fee
The classic tale of the hungry tiger is £125 for the week. Concessions
is up for an Olivier Award as the and scholarships available. Apply
best family entertainment in town. via the website.
Dubbed a ‘modern classic’ by the Age 7-12.
Indie and a ‘delight from start to Starts monday July 23
lyric theatre, 29 Shaftesbury /rhysusc.html
Avenue, W1D 7ES.
tues-Fri, 11-11.30am, Sat/Sun The Mystery of the Hidden
10am and 12pm. Until 2 Sept League and the Misplaced
Museum
The Lion, the Witch and the The House of Fairytales presWardrobe
ents a magical story-based adOpen the door and enter a spectac- venture trail and interactive
ular new world with Peter, Susan, installation at Hall Place, part of
39
was in nigeria and recording live Radio top tens on
my cassette player every
week and watching Channel o – lol. But I love making people just come out
and listen to good music
with smiles on their faces
and just dance the night
away and worry about their
problems in the Am. lol.
What genre do you specialise in? Afrobeats. I can
still play like other things
like hip hop / RnB / house /
oldskool from 70s-late 90s,
but if anyone was to recommend me to a client it
would be because of my
afro beats knowledge.
Did you ever think that
Afrobeats will be as popular as it is now? Wow,
never ever imagined how
big it would be over here. I
think from an Afrobeats
lover generally apart from
being a DJ its blown up just
like Funky house did, and
now you have got every
African DJ playing the same
tunes all the time, but the
great thing about afrobeats
is there is sooo much out
there that you could play
that would make you stand
out from others.
What are the top 5
Afrobeats tunes that always get a reload? Well I
play at more hardcore
African parties but the
tunes that would always
get love and pullups in no
particular order: Dami Duro
by Davido; oliver twist by
D'Banj; Pakuromo by Wizkid; Dont Dull by Wizkid;
oleku by Iceprince ft
Brymo.
Which Afrobeats artists
should we watch out
for? Chop is my money
track and he’s got some
new stuff. Ile Ijo is one
guaranteed to be a banger.
Dammy Krane with bangers
like Pooner and my Dear,
may D with Gat me high,
Ile Ijo, and you Want to
know me. Even UK Afro
Beats Artists such as Dotstar and African Boy have a
new track call Amala
Azonto.
What are the perks of
being a Dj? Well not a lot
to be honest, apart from
getting booked to play at
parties you dont get like
specials or anything like
that. If you are really good
and you know the right
people you could get to DJ
for big artists like i got a
friend who is now Wizkid’s
official DJ and wherever
Wizkid goes to perform
he’s there.
being an Afrobeats Dj do
get extra female attention? lol this has been the
story of my life. Everyone
seems to think DJs get special love from the females.
Females like DJs but would
not rate a DJ as relationship
material because they feel
you are always around females. I would love to
know how female DJs get
on to be honest. lol.
How can people get a
hold of you? Well my mobile number is
07583679532, my new website will be up in September, and for now people
can follow me via twitter at
www.twitter.com/dj_nature and could also hear my
mixtapes online, which is
also downloadable at
www.soundcloud.com/dj_n
ature.
40
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
THEATRE
The Games
Olympic success.
844488.
Belong
7565 5000
and gang culture.
8692 4446.
ages 14+; £10.
40. A must see.
Croydon CR9. 020 8688 929.
£16.
FOR CHILDREN
Inside Out
townWATCH
Age 2-5
£9 Conc. £7
4 Jul to 25 Aug
Bestest Play
not go to bed?
Age: 4-7
£14, Concs £10
& 2.30pm
War House
let people know
where you’re at so
they know where
it’s at with listings
in
nigerian Watch
Call 020 8588 9640
or email
[email protected]
@NigerianWatch
Lane, WC2B 5PW.
2013
Country Mouse
who visit each other, both experiencing exciting new sights and
sounds. Staged on a magical narrow boat.
Child £8.50, adult £10
Age: 3+
The Tiger Who Came To Tea
The classic tale of the hungry tiger
is up for an Olivier Award as the
best family entertainment in town.
Dubbed a ‘modern classic’ by the
Indie and a ‘delight from start to
lyric theatre, 29 Shaftesbury
Avenue, W1D 7ES.
tues-Fri, 11-11.30am, Sat/Sun
10am and 12pm. Until 2 Sept
The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe
Open the door and enter a spectacular new world with Peter, Susan,
through the magical land of Narnia, thanks to Threesixty’s groundbreaking surround video and
enchanting puppetry, performed in
a state-of-the art theatre tent.
THE BIG SHOUT OUT
Coming next Month
the definitive ultimate authoritative
guide to who’s got swag and is
rockin the reloads from
london to lagos and beyond
compiled in conjunction with
RED fACTOR nETWORk
Britain
Romans.
Wed-Fri 1pm, Sat 10.30 &
noon, Sun 3pm & 5pm
£10-£14.50, until 1 Sep
Suitable for 6+
A five-day course covering various drumming and percussion
complete beginners. Standard fee
is £125 for the week. Concessions
and scholarships available. Apply
via the website.
Age 7-12.
Starts monday July 23
/rhysusc.html
The Mystery of the Hidden
League and the Misplaced
Museum
The House of Fairytales presents a magical story-based adventure trail and interactive
installation at Hall Place, part of
their six-month residency at the
Tudor house and gardens. The
Mystery of the Hidden League
leads visitors through the
grounds and into the historic
house via a trail of over 60 tasks.
Through it young adventurers
take part in a mission to defeat
the awful, and recently awakened, Apathy Ogre. They be-
Like us on Facebook
personAlWATCH
Dear Eki
For answers or advice on life issues, Write to Dear Eki, Nigerian
Watch, Chartwell House, 292 Hale Lane,
Edgware HA8 8NP, or email: [email protected]
DO THEY ONLY WANT ME OR MY MONEY?
Dear Eki,
I am not a tall man and I can’t be described as handsome either. In the past, girls hardly ever paid me
any attention. When I go out with my friends it’s like I am part of the furniture, as no one seems to notice or speak to me. I started my business two years ago and not even I could have foreseen how prosperous it would become. Now all of a sudden I am getting all this female attention. I can’t help but think
that it’s because of my new found wealth. As soon as I say what I do for a living, they become really interested in me and start hanging on my every word. I hope to settle down some day but at the moment
I am suspicious of everyone around me, especially the ones that never even looked my way all those
years when I had nothing. How do I know who is for real?
Tosin, Hackney
Your new found wealth has had an impact on the level of female attention you are receiving; but probably not in the way
you are thinking. Have you considered the possibility that your
new found wealth has also resulted in some new found confidence? Confidence is an admirable characteristic, which many
women find attractive. You described your old self as a short,
unhandsome man, who had nothing, and always felt like he
was part of the furniture at social gatherings. If this is how you
saw yourself then, it would have affected your confidence to go
out there and speak to people. A total lack of confidence is unattractive and would not draw women to you.
Having said that, there are women who are probably only interested in you because of your wealth. The question is, aside
from those who knew you before you made big money, how do
the others know you have money? Do you go around announcing it? Because if you do, you might just be attracting the wrong
kind of women.
In some cases it is easy to spot a gold-digger a mile off, as
they need you to pay for things and buy them things. In other
cases, it could be difficult to spot them as some people are very
good at hiding their true character till it is too late. Bear in
mind that not all women interested in your financial success are
gold diggers. To these women your money and success is an indication that they and their children will be well provided for. It
LONELY HEART
Dear Eki,
I’m fed up, have been single for
four years and am desperate to
meet a woman I can settle into a
relationship with. Women see me
as a friend and never a
boyfriend. They are astonished
that I don’t already have a girlfriend. I am told by my close
friends I am attractive; I have a
good job, no unappealing habits,
don’t live at home and have
many friends. How can I attract
women in a romantic sense?
Dele, Mill Hill
You have to put yourself out there and
meet women outside your current social
circle, who haven’t already classified you as
“friend” in their minds. Spread the word
that you are available. Let your friends and
family know you are seriously seeking
someone and they’ll be on the lookout for
you, especially your friends’ wives.
Women are always happy to know
their husbands are also friends with mar-
is not evil for a woman to want the best life for her children.
I have never met an unattractive gold digger; so, when
choosing a partner, the first question you should ask is, “What
do I like about this person?” If all you can come up with is
their beauty, then there is a problem. If on the other hand apart
from being beautiful, she is kind, caring, a good cook, compassionate, considerate, thoughtful and so forth, then you should
realise that their personality and not just physical qualities are
what attracts you to them.
While on dates, try not to talk about work. If it comes up,
say you are employed, or that you are an entrepreneur. Mention the company you work for if asked but you don’t have to
say you own the company or how well it’s doing. Not mentioning your financial success will give you an opportunity to really
get to know these women. Also try not to be extravagant on
dates. Go on a number of dates before letting them know how
wealthy you are. Someone who is only after your money will
not go on more than three to five dates with you if she can’t decide whether you are a money pot or not. This method of dating should easily get rid of the gold-diggers.
More importantly, go with your gut instinct. You sound like
an intelligent person, so instinct should tell you when someone
is only using you, but whether you choose to listen to it or not
is your choice.
ried men. If you let these women know
that you are serious about settling down,
they will actively search for someone for
you. If you feel that you already know
everyone in your circle, then maybe it’s
time to make some new friends who
would introduce you to new people.
Get involved in new activities in your
area. This presents an opportunity to
meet people with mutual interests. If you
are religious, start taking an active part in
your place of worship; religion is always
something good to have in common in a
relationship.
You could join an online dating website.
I have friends who have met on these sites
and are now married. It might sound desperate but what do you have to lose? Besides, it’s a way for busy people to meet up
and everyone knows why they are on there
(i.e to date). Reading through profiles can
help you determine if the person sounds
like someone you would be interested in.
Make sure you choose a legitimate dating site, and it should be one where members have to pay to contact other
members. That way you would know you
are meeting serious people. If a dating site
still sounds too desperate, you could join a
social site (www.citysocialising.com). Sites
like these organise activities and events
where like-minded people with similar interests can meet. This is not a dating site
so the tension is removed. I know a number of people who’ve started relationships
with people they met through this site.
You could also try out this little exercise; for the next three months, accept
every invitation to a social gathering or
event. Only turn down the invite if there is
a valid reason for not attending. Going
out means you will meet people and one
of them may just be your future partner.
Spending time sitting in front of the TV is
not an effective use of your time. Your future wife is not going to waltz into your
living room to meet you there. You have
to go out there and find her.
Most importantly, when you finally get
a date with someone you like, DO NOT
rush things. Ninety percent of those who
rush into marriage rush out of it. Take it
easy, things will happen, at their own pace
and at the right time.
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
41
Ms Lucy Dee’s
YOUNG LOVE (pt 2)
The bank of sugarmamas
having fallen head over heels in love with tigerman, and
spending every waking moment with him, Desiree is shocked
to discover she is girlfriend number five.
As Desiree questioned Tigerman’s revelation that he had
cheated on her, I struggled to believe the story and looked in
astonishment, as what she continued to reveal only got worse.
With much distress Desiree said, “After he had blanked my
calls for a whole day, finally he sent a message saying that he
was ashamed of what he had done.”
As I listened more I wondered how Tigerman had the audacity to be so reckless. “Lucy, he sounded so un-remorseful. He
admitted that he had slept with his ex-girlfriend and that what
he had previously told me of having a child with a former lover
wasn’t actually the whole truth – he actually had four…”
Desiree now had me sat on the edge of the sofa with my chin
on the floor – fortunately I had finished my hot chocolate.
“He actually had four,” she repeated. “All of which are girls
and... they were all born to different women,” said exclaimed.
I couldn’t help but let my jaw hit the floor. Again. This was getting painful for both of us. I asked for the finer details and she
informed me that Tigerman said he had concocted his story of
having one child because he had feared that telling her the truth
would have scared her off.
“Lucy, the so called ex-girlfriend he cheated on me with, was
in actual fact one of his current girlfriends and he was living
with her the whole time.” I gasped and realised that obviously
the question we had previously wondered about – how come Desiree and Tigerman were always at Desiree’s flat and that she had
never seen his flat – had finally got an answer. Whilst with her
head in her hands, Desiree sighed and said with much anguish,
“How could I have been so none the wiser to have known that
he was playing me for a fool?”
I told her straight, “Desiree, when you are happy, besotted
and in love, you are blind to any ugly truths that stare at you in
the face.” Desiree admitted that she was not bothered that he
had four children. However, the fact that they were each to different women had disturbed her to the point of being off-put,
working through his unbelievable and disgraceful confession.
I was so overwhelmed listening to Desiree’s story that when
she stopped to take a sip of her latte, I asked her if she had seen
a future with Tigerman? As Desiree put her mug down, she
looked and me and wept. It appeared as though she was not
finished and there was even more to this incredible story.
How in such a short space of time had Desiree gone from
such happiness and fulfillment to sadness and a love sick depression so unkind? Desiree chuckled to herself, “Lucy, one
evening I received a call from an acquaintance that I shall refer
to as Robin, as he is not quite Batman… Anyway his interests
in me were, shall we say, for his own benefit, in succeeding a
long-awaited date, which, for the record, he still has not redeemed. Robin often questioned my involvement with Tigerman and had said such things as just be careful of this man, be
inquisitive about his life and when your gut tells you something
isn’t quite right, go with it”.
Robin had soon divulged details of Tigerman’s actual work
situation when Desiree told him of her heartbreak. Tigerman
was in fact a known gold digger and had a stream of women
whom he sought after for their money. I felt for Desiree, it had
all become clear that the times he was not with her, were not
actually spent at his aforementioned workplace, as an IT consultant for a large bank, but in fact putting in his hours with
the various sugar mamas he had in and around London.
By this point Desiree was so distraught, I was unsure how to
even console her. Concerned, pondered how could a father of
four daughters treat women like this. How would he like it if
he knew of men doing this to his daughters? I had to ask Desiree if she had been to the GUM clinic to have a check up, as
Tigerman’s promiscuity was questionable. Desiree grunted and
looked at me with a disconcerting glare….
To Be Continued…
42
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
@NigerianWatch
leisureWATCH
TAlEs by MOOnliGHT
The Leopard, the Tortoise and the Bush Rat
A
t the time of the great
famine all the animals
were very thin and
weak from want of food; but
there was one exception, and
that was the tortoise and all his
family, who were quite fat, and
did not seem to suffer at all.
Even the leopard was very thin,
in spite of the arrangement he
had made with the animals to
bring him their old grandmothers and mothers for food.
In the early days of the
famine the leopard had killed
the mother of the tortoise, in
consequence of which the tortoise was very angry with the
leopard, and determined if
possible to be revenged upon
him. The tortoise, who was
very clever, had discovered a
shallow lake full of fish in the
middle of the forest, and every
morning he used to go to the
lake and, without much trouble, bring back enough food for
himself and his family.
One day the leopard met the
tortoise and noticed how fat he
was. As he was very thin himself he decided to watch the
tortoise, so the next morning
he hid himself in the long grass
near the tortoise’s house and
waited very patiently, until at
last the tortoise came along
quite slowly, carrying a basket
which appeared to be very
heavy. Then the leopard sprang
out, and said to the tortoise,
“What have you got in that
basket?”
The tortoise, as he did not
want to lose his breakfast,
replied that he was carrying
firewood. Unfortunately for
the tortoise the leopard had a
very acute sense of smell, and
knew at once that there was
fish in the basket, so he said, “I
know there is fish in there, and
I am going to eat it.”
The tortoise, not being in a
position to refuse, said, “Very
well. Let us sit down under this
shady tree, and if you will
make a fire I will go to my
house and get pepper, oil, and
salt, and then we will feed together.”
To this the leopard agreed,
and began to search about for
dry wood, and started the fire.
In the meantime the tortoise
waddled off to his house, and
very soon returned with the
pepper, salt, and oil; he also
brought a long piece of cane
tie-tie, which is very strong.
This he put on the ground, and
began boiling the fish. Then he
said to the leopard, “While we
are waiting for the fish to cook,
let us play at tying one another
up to a tree. You may tie me up
first, and when I say ‘Tighten,’
you must loose the rope, and
when I say ‘Loosen,’ you must
tighten the rope.”
The leopard, who was very
hungry, thought that this game
would make the time pass
more quickly until the fish was
cooked, so he said he would
play. The tortoise then stood
with his back to the tree and
said, “Loosen the rope,” and
the leopard, in accordance with
the rules of the game, began to
tie up the tortoise. Very soon
the tortoise shouted out,
“Tighten!” and the leopard at
once unfastened the tie-tie, and
the tortoise was free.
The tortoise then said,
“Now, leopard, it is your turn.”
So the leopard stood against
the tree and called out to the
tortoise to loosen the rope, and
the tortoise at once very
quickly passed the rope several
times round the leopard and
got him fast to the tree. Then
the leopard said, “Tighten the
rope.” But instead of playing
the game in accordance with
the rules he had laid down, the
tortoise ran faster and faster
with the rope round the leopard, taking great care, however,
to keep out of reach of the
leopard’s claws, and very soon
had the leopard so securely fastened that it was quite impossible for him to free himself.
All this time the leopard
was calling out to the tortoise
to let him go, as he was tired of
the game; but the tortoise only
laughed, and sat down at the
fireside and commenced his
meal. When he had finished he
packed up the remainder of the
fish for his family, and prepared to go, but before he
started he said to the leopard,
“You killed my mother and
now you want to take my fish.
It is not likely that I am going
to the lake to get fish for you,
so I shall leave you here to
starve.”
He then threw the remains
of the pepper and salt into the
leopard’s eyes and quietly went
on his way, leaving the leopard
roaring with pain.
All that day and throughout
the night the leopard was calling out for some one to release
him, and vowing all sorts of
vengeance on the tortoise; but
no one came, as the people and
animals of the forest do not
like to hear the leopard’s voice.
In the morning, when the
animals began to go about to
get their food, the leopard
called out to every one he saw
to come and untie him, but
they all refused, as they knew
that if they did so the leopard
would most likely kill them at
once and eat them.
At last a bush rat came near
and saw the leopard tied up to
the tree and asked him what
was the matter. The leopard
told him of the game he had
been playing with the tortoise,
and implored the bush rat to
cut the ropes with his sharp
teeth.
The bush rat felt very sorry
for the leopard but at the same
time he knew that if he let the
leopard go, he would most
likely be killed and eaten. He
therefore thought for a time,
and then hit upon a plan.
He first started to dig a hole
under the tree, quite regardless
of the leopard’s cries. When he
had finished the hole he came
out and cut one of the ropes,
and immediately ran into his
hole, and waited there to see
what would happen.
But although the leopard
struggled frantically, he could
not get loose, as the tortoise
had tied him up so fast. After a
time, when he saw that there
was no danger, the bush rat
crept out again and very carefully bit through another rope,
and then retreated as before.
Again nothing happened,
and he began to feel more confidence, so he bit several
strands through one after the
other until at last the leopard
was free. The leopard, who was
ravenous with hunger, instead
of being grateful to the bush
rat, directly he was free, made
a dash at the bush rat with his
big paw, but just missed him, as
the bush rat had dived for his
hole; but he was not quite
quick enough to escape altogether, and the leopard’s sharp
claws scored his back and left
marks which he carried to his
grave.
Moral Ever since then the bush
rats have had white spots on
their skins, which represent the
marks of the leopard’s claws.
Do you recall a favourite Tale by Moonlight? We’d love to print
it. Please forward to [email protected]
PUzzLES
Solutions on page 47
nAijAku
quiCk CROssWORD
Across
1 - Cook meat in the oven (5)
4 - Burrowing long-eared
mammals (7)
7 - Father's brother (5)
8 - Narrating (8)
9 - Restraint for an animal (5)
11 - Weaken (8)
15 - Calmness under
pressure (8)
17 - Camel-like animal (5)
19 - Exhaustive (8)
20 - Crime of setting
something on fire (5)
21 - Legal practitioners (7)
22 - Of definite shape (5)
Down
1 - Process of getting
something back (9)
2 - Enlarge; magnify (7)
3 - Aquatic reptiles (7)
4 - Nasal (6)
5 - Sand trap in golf (6)
6 - Informs (5)
10 - Home (9)
12 - Bordeaux wines (7)
13 - Act of reading
carefully (7)
14 - Personify (6)
16 - Throes (anag) (6)
18 - Insect grub (5)
WORkinGs
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I
n life, we go through all manner of trials and
challenges, which, at times, God uses to shape
and channel our lives in the direction of a glorious ending; by allowing these tribulations to
bring out the best in us for our own good. We
often don’t see them in that light as they occur,
but see them as God’s punishment and judgement for our sins, disobedience and mistakes.
Yes, sometimes, we do face the consequence
of what we have done, but when we repent by
confessing and forsaking our sins we receive
mercy from God, according to the book of John
(John 1, verses 7-10); “If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
When repentance is done, God often uses the
trials and challenges of our lives to our advantage by turning them around to bless our lives.
As long as we recognise and entrust ourselves to
the hand of God at work in our lives, we are safe
in His hands, understanding that as we yield to
Him, He can never mismanage our lives.
God can turn our mess into a message, our
test into testimonies, our trials into triumph, our
misery into our ministry, our challenges into
champions, our obstacles into miracles, our mistakes into masters, our poverty into prosperity,
failures into success, from prison to president.
He did it for Job in the Bible (Job 42, verse
10). He did it for Joseph in the Bible (Genesis:41,
verses 1-57). He did it for the former president
of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, from prison to
become president. He did it for Nelson Mandela.
With all the challenges and trials of your life,
God is going to turn everything around for your
good. He’s using them to prepare you for the glo-
religionWATCH
God is at work in your life
By
PASTOR DAVID-DAVID MAKOYAWO, PRESIDING MINISTER
World Repairers Global Network Ministries
In Pursuit of God, Repairing Lives, Restoring Destinies and Living A meaningful Life
rious, colourful, great future ahead of you. Stop
running away from your challenges, but rather
run towards them. Challenges are opportunities
God is presenting you for your greatness in life.
David ran towards Goliath
and later became the King of Israel (Samuel 17, verses 47-58).
Your kingdom and crown is waiting for you, if you will not run
away from the challenges of life,
but run towards them.
You perhaps recall the story
of the blacksmith who gave his
heart to God. Though conscientious in his living, still he was not
prospering materially. In fact, it
seemed that from the time of his
conversion more trouble, affliction and loss were sustained than ever before.
Everything seemed to be going wrong.
One day a friend who was not a Christian
stopped at the little forge to talk to him. Sympathising with him in some of his trials, the friend
said, “It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you just at the time when
you have become an earnest Christian. Here you
are, accepting God’s help and guidance, and yet
things seem to be getting steadily worse. I can’t
help wondering why it is.”
The blacksmith did not answer immediately,
and it was evident that he had thought the same
question before. But finally, he
said, “You see here the raw iron
which I have to make into horse
shoes. You know what I do with
it? I take a piece and heat it in the
fire until it is red, almost white
with the heat. Then I hammer it
unmercifully to shape it as I
know it should be shaped. Then
I plunge it into a pail of cold
water to temper it. Then I heat it
again and hammer it some more.
And this I do until it is finished.
“But sometimes I find a piece
of iron that won’t stand up to this treatment. The
heat and the hammering and the cold water are
too much for it. I don’t know why it fails in the
process, but I know it will never make a good
horse’s shoe.”
He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was
near the door of his shop. “When I get a piece
that cannot take the shape and temper, I throw
it on the scrap heap. It will never be good for
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
43
anything.” He went on, “I know that God has
been holding me in the fires of affliction and I
have felt His hammer upon me. But I don’t
mind, if only He can bring me to what I should
be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is
simply this: Try me in any way you wish, Lord,
only don’t throw me on the scrap heap.”
According to the book of Jeremiah (18,
verses 1-6) God is the potter and we are the clay.
We must always pray that God will mould and
make us into what He wants us to become in life
and not throw us on the scrap heap in Jesus'
name. “But the God of all grace, who hath called
us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after
that ye have suffered awhile, make you perfect,
establish, strengthen and settle you. To him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen”
(Peter 5, verses 10-11).
Today, Jesus is standing and knocking at the
door of your heart; open your heart to receive
and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord
and Saviour (Revelation 3, verses 19-22 and Acts
2, verses 37-40).
For further help, Prayers and Counselling
ADDRESS 7th Floor, Berkeley House, 18-24 High
Street Edgware, Edgware, London HA8 7RP.
WEBSITE www.worldrepairersministries.org.uk
EMAIL [email protected]
TELEPHONE 020 8205 3334; M 07915 308 834
DAYS AND TIME OF SERVICES Tuesdays and Fridays, 7-9pm. Sundays,10-12:30pm. Third Friday
of every month; Holy Ghost Night, 10pm-1am.
TRAVEL Tube: Edgware, Northern Line. Buses:
204, 32, 288, 292, 251, 142, 303, 305, 79, 340,
240, 221.
44
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
@NigerianWatch
educAtionWATCH
Life after the GCSEs
The waiting is over, the results have arrived – your child's potential has been realised, or not. What to do next….
The exams are over and you have just got
used to not having to scream at your
offspring about revising or studying.
Suddenly, however, it’s time to get the results;
the day of reckoning has arrived when there’s
no more talk about potential but instead it’s
all about reality.
But do these exams really matter anyway?
Isn’t it all about the A–levels? The answer to
whether GCSEs matter is a resounding
“YES”. Top UK universities look at GCSE
results when making offers since applications
are made for universities before ‘A-levels’
studies are completed.
Now your child has his or her results, what
happens next? Should they carry on to sixth
form for A-levels? What A-level subjects are well
regarded? What’s next after the GCSEs?
If the GCSE results are not good enough
your child will have to retake the exams, otherwise they will be denied the opportunity to be
considered for the best universities and the most
competitive courses.
If the grades are borderline and close to the
boundaries of a higher grade, it is worth having
the exam remarked. The cost of this is minimal
and you should notify the school almost immediately, as there are deadlines for applying for re-
marks. You should, however, be aware that universities will know how many times your child
sits an exam. It may be a disadvantage for more
competitive courses like medicine, dentistry and
law if grades are achieved from resits.
But it is not worth retaking all subjects, as
some subjects, such as Media, are not highly regarded. Subjects that are worth retaking are
mathematics, English, languages, geography, history and all three science subjects.
If your child has a complete disaster and
failed or underachieved in most of the subjects,
then they have one of two options. Either they
need to redo the year and sit all the subjects
again (probably at a private college or further education college since schools are usually reluctant to allow them to stay on). Hopefully they
will have learned from the experience and commit more to the task of studying.
Alternatively, having reviewed the results with
your child, you may conclude they are unlikely
candidates for academia and suggest they seek
to enrol for a more vocational path. There is no
shame in this and you may well be doing your
child a big favour and saving them from future
hurt and frustration. Contrary to popular opinion, A-level studies require a high level of ability
and diligence if good results are to be achieved.
GOOD GCsE REsulTs
This is the time to review options. Your child will
already have chosen four or five subjects for
study in sixth form, but they need to consider if
they actually want to spend two years studying
for these subjects and whether the subjects are
going to keep their options open.
If they are going to change their subject options, they will need to be at the school on results
day. School timetables are prepared months in
advance and it may be that some subjects are
oversubscribed, so the earlier your child informs
the school, the likelier the chance of being able
to change their options.
There are three things to consider when
choosing subjects for A-level. First, it is important that your child chooses subjects they enjoy
and feel passionate about. They will spend a lot
of time studying and will need to study a subject
beyond the text books to have in-depth knowledge. This is easier to accomplish if they already
enjoy a subject.
Secondly, it is important to choose subjects
that universities value. The listings below show
subjects in lists A1 and A2 as having the most
flexibility and hence they are valued more. Although this listing is from Cambridge University,
most Russell Group universities (top universities) would agree in general with the order.
A third consideration when choosing subjects
is to choose subjects that are relevant to the desired course or career path. Many young people
embark on their A-level studies without researching subject options and later find that their
combination of subjects prevents them from
studying the course they want at university. For
example, some universities require A-levels in
mathematics as well as further mathematics if an
applicant wants to study pure Economics at university. Get as much advice for your child before
they make their selection. University websites are
very informative and children are never too
young to start researching for their future.
lisT A1
Generally Suitable Science A-levels
Biology
Chemistry
mathematics
Further mathematics
Physics
lisT A2
Generally Suitable Arts A-levels
Art history
Chinese
Classical Civilisation
Economics
English literature
French
Geography
German
Greek
history
Irish
Italian
Japanese
latin
music
Philosophy
Religious Studies
Russian
Spanish
Welsh
lisT b
A-levels of more limited Suitability
(university courses they may be suitable for
are in brackets)
Archaeology (Arch & Anth)
Art & Design (Arts)
Business Studies (Economics)
Computing (Computer Science)
Design & technology (Architecture)
Drama/theatre Studies (Arts)
Electronics (Engineering)
English language (Arts)
Film Studies (Arts)
Government & Politics (Arts)
law (land Economy & law)
media Studies (Arts)
Psychology (Arts)
Sociology (Arts)
lisT C
A-levels Suitable only As Fourth Subjects i.e.
providing less effective preparation for
university so avoid these subjects as a main
option for study.
Accounting
Applied Science
Citizenship
Communication Studies
Critical thinking
Dance
Environmental Science General Studies
health & Social Care home Economics
ICt
leisure Studies
music technology
Performance Studies
Performing Arts
Perspectives on Science
Photography
Physical Education
Science
Science for Public Understanding
Sports Studies
travel & tourism
World Development
sAMPlE COuRsE OPTiOns WiTH
A-lEVEl suGGEsTiOns
Accountancy; maths and economics
Architecture; maths/Physics, Art/Design and
technology
Biological sciences; Biology and/or chemistry;
maths preferred
Business/management; maths, economics, languages
Computer Science; maths
Economics; maths; economics preferred
Engineering maths; further maths (preferred)
and physics
law/English; history, classics or other essay
writing subjects
medicine; Biology, chemistry and maths or
physics
Physical sciences; maths, physics, chemistry
Veterinary science; Biology and chemistry
After choosing the A-level subjects, something
that would help your child prepare for the sixth
form is for them to spend some time doing some
work over the summer break. You can find out
what textbooks are needed from the school so
that some effective holiday study can be done.
The gap between completing the GCSEs and
starting A-level studies is just too long and your
child can easily forget how to study.
In the midst of the post-GCSE excitement
this summer, it would be wise to spend a little
time with your child to check that the A-level
subjects that they are about to start studying will
not only be enjoyed by them but will also leave
them next year in as a position to be able to
apply for the course that they want at the universities they want.
Sylvia Watts-Cherry, Director,
Advance Educational Services
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propertyWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
45
RED lETTER DAy fOR yEMi EDun
A NIGERIAN-owned London property agent
scooped the Best Property Management Service
gong at the recent Sunday Times-backed Lettings Agency of the Year Awards 2012.
Kings Cross-based Daniel Ford and Co,
owned by Mr Yemi Edun, won the award after a
panel declared that “customer service is clearly
the key to the agency”.
The awards are held annually in association
with The Times and The Sunday Times and are
the only awards solely focussed on lettings.
In addition to the main prize of lettings
agency of the year, medals are awarded for each
of the geographic regions and by size of agency,
plus specialist categories such as property management, innovation and training.
Mr Edun, who started the company in 2003,
having previously gained qualification as a financial adviser, said he had not even heard of the
award before he had applied and that it had
come as a surprise to him.
“Funnily enough it was an intern who’d been
with us for a couple of weeks who pointed out
the competition and I said, ‘Yes OK, let’s
apply’,” Mr Edun told Nigerian Watch.
“We didn’t do anything fantastic. They did
their mystery shopping and cold-calling and
spoke to some of our tenants and we were recognised, which is good for our business, good for
our team morale and has put us on another level
in terms of our expectations.”
The whole of the judging process was overseen by the Property Ombudsman, Christopher
Hamer. Judges added that Daniel Ford and Co.
ran “highly compliant systems and processes,
which are managed by a dedicated compliance
professional”.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the event, Peter
Knight, said, “Landlords and tenants can be
confident that the agents displaying this awards’
medal represent the very best of the best.
“While there has been much talk of the need
to establish minimum standards for lettings
agents, I am delighted that these awards can
shine a light on those firms that are exceeding
standards at every level within an increasingly
competitive industry.”
Mr Edun, who was born in Lagos but moved
to London 14 years ago, said that the company
was “not like an estate agent” and that it had
grown to encompass four separate services by
identifying a “niche”.
“It’s really acquisition, mortgage advice, general insurance and property management, those
are the four main branches of the company,” he
said. “I started off as an apprentice and learned
the lettings and sales trade in West Hampstead
before going into financial services.”
The agency began with just four properties
and has now grown to own and manage 240,
around 90 per cent of which are based north of
the River Thames. The majority – around 80 per
cent – of Daniel Ford and Co’s clients are Nigerians, according to Mr Edun.
He then went on to qualify as a mortgage adviser before starting Daniel Ford and Co., initially as a letting agency and then as an
acquisitions agency. The company has featured
several times on the BBC’s popular property programme Homes Under the Hammer.
Among the company’s books, Mr. Edun says,
are wealthy property buyers, overseas investors
and Premier League footballers. Mr Edun himself is a Chelsea season ticket holder and insists
that he has not missed a game in eight years. “I
was there in Munich when we won the Champions League Final, and you can be sure that I will
be there for the Super Cup.”
46
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Polo stars (continued)
Mustapha Fasinro also featured.
The second match-up – a
20-goal game – saw Fifth
Chukker owner Adamu Atta
team up with Babaginda Hassan of Nigeria alongside Argentinian professionals Gille
Terrera and Adolfo Cambiaso
for the Fifth Chukker Access
Bank Team.
The host side narrowly
trumped their opponents
MRS Rovers –which featured
Nigeria’s Albert Esiri – in an
entertaining contest that finished 7-6.
Afterwards,
organiser
Leonora de Ferranti of Fifth
Chukker expressed her delight
at the success of the event to
Nigerian Watch.
She said, “For me personally, it was the first big event
that I’d done since joining the
Fifth Chukker. It was a big
deal getting all those players
and also there’s never been a
Nigerian event like that in
England before so it was pioneering and it was nice to be a
part of that.”
The Fifth Chukker are giving the proceeds from the
sportWATCH
event – N10million (£38,000) –
to UNICEF.
De Ferranti – who is a UKbased polo player herself –
also spoke of about the surprising popularity of the sport
in Nigeria. “[Polo] is actually
really big in Nigeria. I was surprised at how huge the sport is
out there.
“Nearly every major town
or city has a polo club and
there are a lot of players and
two main polo associations
and many of the clubs own
their own horses, which they
mostly buy from Argentina.”
She also talked about the
lack of professional Nigerian
polo players in the international scene, explaining that a
combination of logistics and
alternative association rules
were key factors.
“A lot of it is internal. The
majority of [Nigerian] teams
and players only play in Nigeria and they keep their horses
there. They are rated in a different way. They are rated internally, which means they
can’t necessarily compete on
the international stage. And
also once you get horses into
Nigeria, you can’t easily get
them out again.”
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
47
The inaugural Access Bank
Day was organised in conjunction with international children’s charity UNICEF and
the Fifth Chukker Polo &
Country Club at the last remaining polo club in,Greater
London – Richmond’s Ham
Polo Club.
The Fifth Chukker – a private public partnership and
one of Nigeria’s most internationally-renowned sporting
venues.
The club is one of the focal
points of a 3,000-hectare
lifestyle development, which
will also incorporate a signature golf course, horse racing
track, hotels and spa, as well
as business plazas and entertainment parks in the Sahel region of northern Nigeria.
Currently,
the
Fifth
Chukker hosts two international polo events involving
‘high goal’ teams from South
America, the United States,
Europe and also Africa.
Recently, it welcomed supporters of UNICEF and other
similar charities to Nigeria for
the Emir of Katsina Charity
Shield – one of the biggest annual fundraising events held in
the country.
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AT FUN DAY SPECTACULAR
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Former students of over 15 nigerian Secondary
Schools resident in the UK have joined forces to organise a sports and family fun day. more than 500
people are expected to attend the event that is to
take place at the norman Athletics Park in Bromley,
Kent, on Sunday 12 August, from noon to 5pm.
the programme of events will see old boys and
girls of participating schools competing in various
sporting and family fun events. In addition there
will be food, live entertainment, exhibitions, stalls,
and other activities.
the initiative has been launched so the former
pupils can reminisce, establish a global networking
platform and encourage the next generation to embrace opportunities to contribute to nigeria’s development. It is hoped to be the first of an annual
gathering.
the schools participating this year are: the Baptist Academy old Students Association; Christ
School Ado-Ekiti (Alumni); CmS old Grammarians
Society (oGS) UK; Comprehensive high School,
Aiyetoro (Alumni); Eko Football (lagos, nigeria);
Federal Government Girl’s College-old Girls (FGGC)
Bida, niger State; Government College Ibadan
(Alumni); Government College Ikorodu (Alumni);
holy Child College (old Girls) UK; Igbobi College old
Boys Association (ICoBA); london nigerian Cricket
Club (lnCC); methodist Girls (yaba) lagos (old GirlsUK); olivet Baptist high School, olivet heights, oyo,
old Students Association UK; Queens College lagos
(old Girls); Reagan memorial Baptist Girls Secondary School (RoGA UK); Russian Colleges (nigerian
Students UK); St Gregory’s College old Boys Association.
For more information, visit www.nssff.co.uk
PUZZlE SolUtIonS
OLYMPIC
SPECIAL
SEE PAGE
22
SPORT WATCH
August 2012
nigerianwatch.com
POLO STARS
HELP UNICEF
RAISE N10M
Seven of Nigeria’s top polo
stars came to London to
show off their horseback
skills as Access Bank Plc
staged a fundraiser for
UNICEF to help highlight
the needs of orphaned and
vulnerable children in
Nigeria.
The unprecedented London
face-off – complete with
lunch and bubbly – attracted
senior business figures from
Nigeria and Africa to the capital on Sunday 8 July.
A large crowd gathered at
the Ham Polo Club to witness
two thrilling high-goal polo
BRITAIN’S
BR
ITAIN’S
NO.
N
O. 1
MALT
M
ALT DRINK
DRINK
games, featuring players from
the Fifth Chukker and other
Nigerian clubs and organisations, as well as other international polo stars from
Argentina and Dubai.
In the first match, Shoreline
Barbados took on Nigeria’s
Auden Delaney in a ‘12-goal’
game – as opposed to a ‘20goal’ game – that finished 6-4
to Auden Delaney.
Nigerian Damien Duncan
stood out for the victors by
getting his name on the scoresheet, while compatriots Kola
Karim, Kashim Bukar and
Turn to page 47
SUPERMALT.COM

August 2012 - Nigerian Watch

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