August 2013 - Nigerian Watch

Transcription

E
E
TAKING IT TO
THE STREETS
F
R
The A-beats’
stars making
the city safer
Page 5
YES, MA’AM
Nigerian
becomes
Britain’s 1st
black aristocrat
IS THE BOND
ALL BAD?
Samuel Kasumu
on the hot topic
– immigration
Page 10
Page 3
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
THE UK’S LEADING AFRICAN NEWSPAPER WITH THE LARGEST CIRCULATION
Issue No 016
nigerianwatch.com
moNthly to Inspire, Inform and Entertain
ABIKE
DABIRIEREWA
COY about being
Nigeria’s first
female governor
ANNOYED by
disunity in the
diaspora
DETERMINED to
deliver the vote
INSIDE
News
4 Diaspora investment
summit does the business
6 FGM helpline launched
8 ‘Cinderellas’ get their
night in the spotlight
Features
15 What next for community
relations after Woolwich?
17 Afruca gives the victims
of trafficking a voice
14 The return of d’Genius
Life & Style
29 The make-up survival
guide for a sizzling summer
29 Stars turn out for mega
Stephen Lawrence Unity gig
Business & Property
22 The incredible rise of the
innovative ‘job shop’
Education
38 The ultimate reading
guide for children
Sport
48 And the gold goes to
Nigeria – 12 years late!
2
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
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NEWSWATCH
A time for calm heads
o
n the page opposite you will see an advert that speaks,
or, some will say, shouts for itself. It is part of a
government campaign that was launched on June 25th.
It immediately ran into controversy.
We chose to publish the advert because we are aware that
there may be some among us who came to the uK seeking their
fortune and for whom it did not work out.
unable to thrive here but also unable to afford to return
home this offer may be the answer to their prayers. It is a
complex issue.
It is unfortunate that the government felt it necessary to
launch this initiative in the way it did – hiring mobile billboards
to drive round london boroughs with large black and minority
ethnic populations, saying, “Go home or face arrest”.
from the response this has drawn it has evidently raised
community tensions and will encourage those who seek to
cause disunity. that is a shame.
this is a time for calm heads and mature leadership. the kind
that our community leaders were praised for showing in the
aftermath of the killing of lee rigby in
parliament this month.
maryanne Jemide, md
NIGERIAN WATCH
Publishers
tevin Jemide & Victor omosevwerha
Publisher/Managing Director
maryanne Jemide
PR Director
Ilonka omosevwerha
Managing Editor
Jon hughes
Art Editor
Cathy Constable
Contributors obah Iyamu; harriet ogbeide; AJ James; Ayo
Akinfe; funmi odegbami; samuel Kasumu; fatimah yo-fanah
Kelleher; Ngozi; michael tubes (photographer)
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.
ISSN 2051-4670
To advertise call (UK) 0208 588 9640
(Nig) 07084556093
or email [email protected]
Parenting in the spotlight
Two conferences have been announced to address the myriad issues confronting African parents in
the UK.
The first is organised by the campaign group Youth Against Crime
Not Crime Against You and Eze
Nacho, a mental health expert and
author of Your Child, My Child,
Whose Child?
The conference aims to give and
share information to help eradicate
or at the very least reduce the num-
ber of killings on our streets; the
consequences of which are summed
up with the phrase, “Remember,
when one is down, a minimum of
two are OUT!”
The conference, entitled “Children follow where adults lead” is on
Saturday 21 September at Kings
College London, New Hunts House,
Guys Campus, London Bridge, SE1
9RT. Register via www.yacncayandezenacho.eventbrite.co.uk
In October a second conference
is being staged by Africans Unite
Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA).
This summit will cover many issues, including child protection;
gangs, gun and knife crime; domestic violence among African families;
and educational attainment and
school exclusions.
Registration for the event will
open in August. Interested delegates
can register for the event via
AFRUCA’s
website
at
www.afruca.org
‘Racist banks’ report
still not published
CorruPtIoN INdEx
hINts At NEW futurE
the government report on an investigation into evidence of discrimination against black owned small and
medium enterprises has still not been released.
When Nigerian Watch asked last month when the report, – which was commissioned 18 months ago by
deputy prime minister Nick Clegg – could be expected,
we were told it would be released “imminently” and was
just waiting to be signed off by Eric Pickles mP, the secretary of state for communities and local government.
At the time of going to press we were again told,
“the report is going to be published shortly.” however,
again, the spokesman for mr Pickles’ was not able to
say when this would be.
The release of Transparency International’s annual
Corruption Index always makes painful reading for
Nigerians, as Nigeria’s fledgling democracy is always
found languishing near the bottom of the table.
But this year there is at least cause for hope. Nigeria,
while being ranked 120th out of 142 countries, has risen
three places in the table.
And, perhaps more importantly, the underlying confidence among respondents that they can affect change
in the country. When asked to what extent do you agree
that ordinary people can make a difference in the fight
against corruption?, 56% answered either strongly agree
(29%) or agree (27%).
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August 2013
NEWSWATCH
3
EMMA’S FAIRYTALE FIRST
CLOCKWISE: With her husband, the next Marquess of Bath,
Ceawlin Thynn at a Summer Party in May. Emma; at Longleat,
Disneyland Florida, hosting her internet cookery show efood
and supporting the ‘LIve Below the Line’ charity.
Nigerian to become the UK’s first black
Marchioness after society wedding
Twenty-six-year-old Emma McQuiston
made the unprecedented leap into the
British aristocracy on June 8 when she
married Ceawlin Thynn in a spectacular
ceremony at her father-in-law’s stately
home Longleat.
As a result of the union she immediately
became a Viscountess and will become the
UK’s first black Marchioness
when her husband inherits
the title of Marquess from
his father.
A marchioness is a noblewoman ranking between
duchess and countess. In
essence, the ranking in the
British royalty goes thus:
Dukes, Marquesses, Earls,
Viscounts, and Barons.
On becoming a Marchioness Emma will become a feature of life at
Buckingham Palace.
Her
husband
Ceawlin is from the eccentric
aristocratic
family of Alexander Thynn, the seventh
Marquess of Bath. He is popularly known as
the “notorious” Marquess of Bath, a believer
in free love and hippy ideals that has seen him
have 75 mistresses, which he refers to as
‘wifelets’.
McQuiston also hails from a high society
background, as the daughter of Nigerian oil
tycoon Ladi Jadesimi. But she has forged her
own path in life. A graduate in art history
from University College London she has become a passionate cookery blogger, and has
spoken of hoping to become a celebrity chef
in the Gwyneth Paltrow mould – with the emphasis being on healthy recipes.
In an interview with Tatler, the house magazine of the British aristocracy, Emma addressed her new status as Britain’s first black
Marchioness in waiting. She said, “there has
been some snobbishness, particularly among
the older generation. I have never had anything horrible said or happen to me… But
it is something you sense.”
Her mother Suzanna,
however, said, “I always felt
there might be this slight
snobbish thing about anyone
who’s black, but it seems
everybody has taken Emma
into their hearts and they love
her.”
McQuiston’s marriage is a
fairytale romance. She first met
her husband when she was four,
during a time she used to spend
her Christmas and Easter holidays at Longleat, the historic
house and safari park famed for
its lions.
Last year her 38-year-old husband, Viscount Weymouth, took over the running of
the family’s Longleat Estate from his 80-yearold father.
“I want babies and I’d love to have them
soon. I want to be a young mum,” the obviously elated McQuiston told Tatler.
The Thynne family lives in a set of private
apartments in their country house, surrounded by the 100,000-acre estate in idyllic
countryside in Warminster, Wiltshire.
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4
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
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TALKS OPEN ON OVER 50 ‘DEALS’ IN WAKE OF DIASPORA MATCHMAKING SUMMIT
“This is the start of a fantastic revolution,”
declared the chairman of the Central
Association of Nigerians in the UK
(CANUK) Bimbo Folayan Roberts at the
opening of the inaugural and what proved to
be a hugely successful Diaspora Direct
Investment Summit, writes Jon Hughes.
There was standing room only as more than
500 packed into the Grand Hotel in central London for the summit, which had one aim – to break
down barriers that are preventing businesses and
individuals in the diaspora from investing in
Nigeria and stimulate deals between the diaspora
and states.
When first proposed, the idea for the Summit
had drawn much scepticism, even, Nigeria’s High
Commissioner Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida admitted
from himself. But he was
happy to be proved
wrong.
Opening the first session, Chief Roberts
lamented the tradition
for state governors, officials and federal politicians to come to London
to make loudhailer
speeches for the benefit
of audiences in Lagos and Abuja. He said
CANUK were staging the conference to build a
more productive relationship.
“They come here, make fantastic speeches but
when you try to connect with them they are
nowhere to be seen,” Mr Roberts said. “We’re respected here. We need to be respected in Nigeria,
too. We shouldn’t be
seen only as a source
of remittances. We
should be seen as investors.”
He painted a
vivid picture of how
the
relationship
could develop. If instead of sending
revenue home for
living expenses the
diaspora invested in
SMEs it would have
a dramatic impact
on Nigerian society – primarily by
making families independent and reducing
youth
unemployment.
That there is a hunger for such a new relationship was evident from the numbers who attended,
the equally impressive number of business projects seeking backers (over 300 in the “Pipeline” –
the DDIS web platform where businesses can
place their plan and requests for investment), and
the high level delegations sent by six Nigerian
states and the Federal Government.
Sharing information on investment vehicles
and opportunities were Shell and banks such as
IBTC Stanbic, Ecobank and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, which offered an array of
products designed to woo diaspora investment,
including mortgages based on UK salaries and
“YOU MUST BE BOLD ENOUGH
TO CHANGE THE WORLD”
AKWA Ibom State governor Godswill Akpabio has called on his compatriots in the diaspora to establish consortiums to bid to run
many of the infrastructure projects his government has planned.
Speaking at the opening of the Ibom Day
2013 in London, Governor Akpabio said,
“The state is currently going through a transformation and I would like the indigenes in diaspora to be part of this.”
At the annual event, which is organised by
Mboho Akwa Ibom State Association (Maisa)
UK and Ireland, and was held at the Marble
Arch Thistle Hotel, Governor Akpabio said
that he saw the diaspora community as a very
vital part of the development of Akwa Ibom
State and that he wanted them to participate
in its transformation, identifying healthcare as
one area in particular “where we need the expertise of the Akwa Ibom diaspora”.
One diaspora consortium is being established he revealed “to run the new ultra-modern hospital we are building and we need you
to come up with projects like this.”
He added,“We are prepared to take equity
in your companies and we are also prepared to
guarantee loans for bankable projects, so we
want to see you participate in such projects. We
also want you in the diaspora to put companies together and get people to come and run
other facilities we are building, for instance,
Hilton has just agreed to run our new hotel.”
Stressing that Akwa Ibom State is developing at an alarming rate and the opportunities
are immense, Governor Akpabio said it is
ahead of all the other states in Nigeria in many
regards.
Reeling out a list of achievements in the
healthcare, education, infrastructure development, road construction and job creation sectors, the governor said that the plan is to
industrialise Akwa Ibom State in a holistic
manner.
Governor Akpabio added, “We should become the first state in Nigeria to get 100 percent connectivity to the national grid, which
we hope to achieve by 2015 as we currently
have 85 percent connectivity.
“You are the ones with the skills and expertise and we are just holding the home front for
you, however, you must be bold enough to
change the world. Even if it is only 10 or 20 of
you I meet here, sometimes, it only takes one
person to change a generation.”
Michael Tubes / Michael Tubes Creations
GETTING CONNECTED
property portfolios. On behalf of the federal government, trade promotion bodies, such as the
Small and Medium Enterprise Development
Agency of Nigeria and Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission – one stop shops for those
looking to establish SMEs in Nigeria – attended.
The chief guests were the governor and first
lady of Oyo State, Senator Abiola, the First Lady
Florence Ajimobi and the chairwoman of the
House of Representatives diaspora committee
Abike Dabiri-Erewa (see interview page 18).
The senator told the
audience of the many
opportunities that exist
in Oyo state and said
that his government
was cutting red tape, to
make it easier for investors to help with the
establishment of businesses. He urged the diaspora to take it upon
themselves to return to Nigeria, as waiting for the
conditions to be perfect before doing so only leads
to more delays.
“You can only make progress through sacrifice
just as you can only make an omelette by breaking eggs,” he said. “You must take up the challenge of facing the problems of development and
stop waiting for Nigeria to be perfect before coming back to invest.”
Alongside Oyo State, Bayelsa, Kogi, Kaduna,
Kwara, Rivers and Lagos sent high-level delegations. In the corridors and deal rooms set up in
the hotel these delegations entered into preliminary discussions on, in total, around 60 business
opportunities. All states were looking for investment across the board, from large scale infrastructure programmes to innovative SMEs.
Five private investor and three corporate investor inquiries were made.
The Summit has caused a stir, both in the UK
and Nigeria – a delegation of businessmen were
in Bayelsa continuing discussions towards the end
of July. Before the DDIS wound up there was
such demand for a follow-up summit that a second outing was announced for the autumn.
To see the DDIS business pipeline and keep in
touch with developments visit www.nddis.com
‘thE bEst thING
God CrEAtEd’
the second day of the ddIs had been designated “ladies day”. despite starting at 8.30am
on a saturday, yet again there was standing
room only at the Grand hotel and the audience
was made up of an equal number of men and
women, which was hailed as a symbol of fledgling equality. the keynote address was given by
the first lady of oyo state florence Abiola. It
was sharp, sassy and full of serious intent.
mrs Abiola roused her audience from the off
when she said, “Women, raise your hands. It’s
all about us today. Who are we? the best thing
created by God. on every table you have a
woman you can see beauty. We are the mothers
of every man present in this room, without us
they are nothing.”
It had been stressed during her introduction
that she had worked with her husband in a
“joint effort” to make oyo state great again.
her programme for change was clear and joined
up. “before you can empower anyone you need
to make sure they’re in the right state of health.
health is wealth,” she said. “Without health you
can’t do anything.”
In oyo there are free health clinics and maternity units, and free testing for hIV, high blood
pressure, breast cancer and diabetes.
“once you’re healthy,” she continued, “we
can go on to input wealth through training. the
illiterates of tomorrow will not be those who
can’t read and write but those who can’t use a
computer.” so ICt centres offer training, which,
like education in the state, is free. mrs Abiola
has also created orphanages and programmes
to rescue women from the streets. there are
also foodbanks because “a hungry man is an
angry man”.
mrs Abiola is a champion for women’s rights
and a fearsome campaigner on domestic violence. “Gender violence – women in the diaspora go through it – it has to stop,” mrs Abiola
declared. “We have a bill going forward and we
know the speaker will pass it and the men will
have us to contend with if they raise their hands
to us.”
she is confident of this because “in oyo state
we now have a female speaker”.
the clear message was that women have an
equal role to play in the development of Nigeria
if they are allowed to fulfill their potential. “If
we stick together we can achieve anything we
want to, place any woman in any position we
want to,” she said.
Change is clearly on the march across Nigeria.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
5
Afrobeats’ stars ‘best ambassadors’ for CitySafe
the crème de la crème of the uK
Afrobeats scene have spent June and
July touring schools in london and
the south east with a spectacular
show in support of Citysafe – the london Citizens’ campaign to afford safe
havens to youngsters fleeing from
street violence.
led by the godfather of the uK
Afrobeats scene. dJ Abrantee, the
thE loWdoWN
oN CItysAfE
Citysafe works with thousands of
young people and adults in schools,
churches, mosques, synagogues, and
community groups across london, to
make streets safer and neighbourhoods more friendly. the organisation builds local teams who
encourage shops and public buildings
to become Citysafe havens – offering
their buildings as a refuge for anyone
in danger. these teams then bring the
police, young people and shop keepers together to ensure everyone is
working towards a safer street. the
pupils of hendon school have established over 25 such havens on West
hendon broadway and brent street,
hendon. to find out more about
Citysafe go to www.citysafe.org.uk
tour has featured stars may7ven,
lives in street attacks – four have been
Atumpan, Vibe squad, Kwamz & flava
knifed and three shot. since monitorand Weray Ent. It’s a festival line up
ing began in 2005, there have been
who delivered a no-holds barred fes152 fatal attacks.
tival performance.
Abrantee told the audience, “I am
When the tour rolled in to hendon
honoured to be part of the city safe
school in June the mother of murcampaign as I understand the impordered schoolboy martin dinnegan,
tance of promoting a safer london.
lorraine said, “I can think of no better
“but,” he continued, “this is about
ambassadors for the cause than youryou. you guys are the future. make
selves.”
sure you stay around. take away the
that’s because the performers
message – know where you can go to
have ‘street cred’ and the ear of the
be safe.”
younger generation as a result.
martin was just 14 when
in 2008 he was chased
down and stabbed by a
gang of youths in holloway
over a "disrespectful" look.
tyeisha
litambola's
brother bienda 'bob' litambola was killed in a street
attack 5 years ago, aged 17.
Now she’s part of the
Citysafe campaign and
says, “safety in our communities is something we have
to work on for our brothers,
sisters, cousins, families,
neighbours and our future
generation.”
Taking the pledge to be CitySafe: Hendon school pupils with DJ
In 2013 seven london
Abrantee (in red); (right) May7ven; (above r-l)) DJ P Montana,
teenagers have lost their
Wizzy from VibeSquad, Gogo and Obi, both from Weray Ent
6
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
REACHING OUT AT RACE FOR LIFE
the women’s chapter of the Nasfat mosque
in bermondsey raised over £2,000 in aid of
Cancer research after participating in the annual race for life in June.
they chose the cancer charity as many of
them know someone who either has the condition or cares for someone with it.
Another priority was to break down bar-
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NEWSWATCH
riers and reach out to the wider community
as an Islamic prayer group through engagement with a common concern. they hope it
will set a good example for others to follow.
Pictured(l-r) Mrs Bilikisu Savage, Mrs Mariam Moshood, Sister Rafiat Adebayo, Sister Atiyat Arowosaye,
Sister Ramat Olubode, Sister Bola Yusuf and Mrs Ganiat Borokini
Naija author fourth
to win Caine Prize
NIGERIAN author Tope Folarin has won the coveted 2013
Caine Prize for African Writing. Folarin beat three other
Nigerians and Sierra Leonian
Pede Hollist to emerge as the
winner of this year’s event. Folarin who lives and works in
Washington DC, will take
home £10,000 for his success.
Miracle is a short story set
in Texas in an evangelical
Nigerian church where the
congregation has gathered to
witness the healing powers of a
blind pastor-prophet.
His short story deals with
how religion and the gullibility
of those caught in the deceit
that sometimes comes with
faith rise to the surface, as a
young boy volunteers to be
healed and begins to believe in
miracles.
Gus Casely-Hayford the chairman
of the judges panel,
said, “Tope Folarin’s
Miracle is another
superb Caine Prize
winner. It is a delightful and beautifully paced
narrative that is exquisitely observed and utterly compelling.”
Folarin who is a recipient of
writing fellowships from the
Institute for Policy Studies and
Callaloo, serves on the board
of the Hurston/Wright Foundation. He was educated at
Morehouse College and the
University of Oxford, where he
earned two master’s degrees as
a Rhodes Scholar.
Other shortlisted candidates
included Hollist for his story
Foreign Aid, Elnathan John
with Bayan Layi, Abubakar
Adam with The Whispering
Trees and Chinelo Okparanta
with America. Traditionally,
Nigeria has always done well
with the Caine Prize, winning
four of the previous 13 awards.
Last year the prize was won
by Nigerian writer Rotimi Babatunde, who recently co-authored Feast, an acclaimed
celebration of Yoruba culture
that had a sold out run at London’s Young Vic theatre.
Police pledge to act on FGM as helpline opens
Children’s charity the NSPCC (National Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) has
launched the UK’s first dedicated national helpline
to protect children from female genital mutilation
(FGM). The move has the backing of the police,
who have promised to pursue any reports of criminal activity.
Detective Chief Superintendent Keith Niven of
the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse
Command said, “The Metropolitan Police Service
is committed to supporting survivors of female genital mutilation and bringing to justice those responsible for committing this horrific crime. This
practice cannot be disguised as being part of any
culture, it is child abuse and offenders will be relentlessly pursued.”
The procedure – also known as ‘cutting’, ‘circumcision’ and ‘initiation’ – involves partial or total
removal of the external female genital organs. This
practice is known to affect some African communities in the UK, amongst others hailing from Asia
and the Middle East.
FGM is usually carried out on girls between the
ages of four and ten, but some are babies. It leaves
victims in agony, sometimes even bleeding to death.
Those who survive carry physical and psychological
problems long into adulthood.
In the UK, female genital mutilation is a crim-
inal offence and a form of child abuse. Anyone involved in arranging for a child to be ‘cut’, or for that
child to be taken abroad for the procedure, could
be prosecuted.
The free 24-hour helpline number is 0800 028
3550 and [email protected] offers a professional and culturally sensitive source of information
and support to anyone worried about a child’s
safety and welfare.
Lisa Harker, from the NSPCC said, “All children deserve to be protected from abuse whatever
their circumstances. As with other forms of child
abuse, female genital mutilation often goes unreported as children are too afraid or ashamed to
speak out, or just too young. It can be equally difficult for family and friends to broach this taboo
subject.
“This helpline offers them a safe space to report
their concerns without fear of reprisal. We will give
them the help and support they need to protect
these girls. Anyone who calls us can remain anonymous, though we will pass any information that
could protect a child from female genital mutilation
to the police or social services.”
Matti was born in August 2011. Matti loves water, and enjoys
hearing music and being sung to.
When Matti was one month old he was
shaken which resulted in a number of injuries
and he is now multi disabled. Matti has severe
motor impairment, poor muscle development,
visual disability, lack
of speech development and he has
epilepsy. Matti is currently receiving a
high level of professional involvement
from paediatricians,
physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech
therapists and
portage workers
who all are extremely fond of him.
Whilst Matti is
non verbal he can
express his frustration and enjoyment
through noises and
moving his legs and
arms. His carers
have learnt to understand his movements and
noises to respond to his needs appropriately.
Matti requires an adoptive family who can
provide him with 24 hour a day care which includes intensive input from this family to provide multi-sensory stimulation. Matti’s
programme of treatment and activities necessitates a high level of commitment from his
carers and sensitivity to Matti’s needs as a
non-verbal child.
Matti is of Black African descent. He requires a one or two parent adoptive family
which can reflect or actively develop his eth-
Matti - 2011
nic and cultural identify.
Legal Status: Care and Placement Order
Contact: Letterbox contact with birth
mother.
For Further information please contact
Louise Goligher, Social Worker on 020
8356 6338
or e-mail Louise.goligher@hackney. gov.uk.
Help us find
a family!
Steffi - 2005
Steffi has a positive relationship with her foster carer and her
extended family. She enjoys being around children and is
especially considerate and careful around children who are
much younger than her.
Steffi is currently in year 3 at primary school
she is settled and is progressing well, she has
established friendships, she likes learning her
times tables, she is a fluent reader and she enjoys visiting her local library.
Steffi enjoys riding her bike, playing games
with her friends such as hide and seek and
telling jokes to make people laugh.
Steffi has a good routine, she does not have
any health concerns and her development is
age appropriate.
Ethnicity: African Caribbean
Family needed: A one or two parent
family
Contact Plans: Letterbox contact with birth
parents and siblings
Support: Possible Adoption Allowance
legal status: Placement Order
For further information please contact
Laura Bailey
Email: [email protected]
London Borough of Hackney, 1 Hillman Street E8 1DY
Riley and
Rebecca are
a brother
and sister
who have a
good
relationship
and enjoy
each other’s
company.
Riley - 2009
Rebecca - 2011
Riley and Rebecca have been in foster care
since November 2011 and have thrived and
made great progress.
Riley came into care with a speech delay.
Since he has been in foster care his speech has
considerably improved - he is forming sentences and no longer needs speech therapy.
Riley is attending nursery for three days a
week. He is happy to go and his foster carer
has received positive feedback. Riley has responded well to boundaries and routine.
He sleeps through the night from 7pm to
7am and enjoys a range of food. Riley loves
Fireman Sam and fire engines; he likes to build
towers with his building blocks and Lego and
enjoys being read to.
Riley and Rebecca show affection towards
each other and happily play side by side.
Rebecca is often smiling and loves to sing
and dance. Rebecca has bilateral Talipes Equino-
Annie and Ashley are full siblings and are settled in their foster placement. They have
formed a good relationship with their foster
carers and other family members within the
household. A loving, nurturing and patient family is needed for these children. They have
been in care since July 2011.
Ashley is loveable, kind hearted, and caring.
Ashley is a child
that is able to talk
about his feelings
and show concern
towards others if
he senses that they
are upset or hurt.
Ashley enjoys affection and especially
likes one to one attention.
As with most
children his age,
Ashley is sometimes competitive
with Annie. However, he is also protective of her and comforts her when she is
upset.
Ashley has slight speech delay for which he
is receiving speech therapy. His speech has significantly improved since he has been in his
current placement.
Ashley attends nursery where he has developed good peer relationships. He has a good
aptitude with numbers but finds working with
letters difficult. Ashley enjoys playing in the
park and learning to play children’s games on
ipad. He is also going to start Karate classes
soon. Ashley likes most food and his hair
being braided. He enjoys playing games and
reading books. Ashley has no known serious
health problems and is progressing well.
Annie’s foster carers describe her as a very
energetic child who is warm, affectionate, lov-
varus (feet turning in), which is more apparent
on the right side. She is currently receiving
physiotherapy. With support and encouragement from her foster carer Rebecca is making
good progress with her walking. The rest of her
development is within the normal range for
her age.
Rebecca is in a good routine, sleeping
through the night. She enjoys being read to,
going to the park and playing with her toys.
Ethnic/racial origins: White British/Jamaican
Caribbean
Contact plans: Letterbox contact. Possible
Contact with siblings, to be discussed.
Legal status: Placement Order
For Further information please
contact Joan McPherson
e-mail [email protected]
0208356302
ing, friendly, calm and good natured. Annie is
described as having a ‘bit of a stubborn streak’.
On the other hand she is a child who can be
empathetic and demonstrates her concern towards others. Annie is described as a child
who enjoys sharing and she is good with
younger children. She has a warm smile.
Annie is meeting her developmental mile-
Annie - 2010
Ashley - 2008
stones and the nursery is very happy with her
speech; she is learning new words daily. Annie
has no known health concerns.
Both children have a good routine and both
sleep throughout the night.
Family needed: Two parent family who are
able to devote lots of time to Annie and Ashley together and separately.
Ethnic/racial origins: Annie and Ashley are
black British of Caribbean background
Contact Plans: Direct contact with two
older siblings and indirect contact with birth
parents
Legal Status: Care and placement orders.
Contact: social worker Joan McPherson,
[email protected]
0208356302
8
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
NEWSWATCH
“Cinderellas” get their night in the spotlight
The “Cinderellas” of the
Nigerian entertainment industry had their day in the
spotlight on June 29, when
the hosts with the most became the hosted.
This was the inaugural
NEA, initiated to recognise
the leading lights in the multimillion pound events industry
serving the diaspora. It was,
naturally, a lavish and slick
event that was staged at the
Thames riverside Docklands
Hilton Hotel.
The awards were established by Vanessa Oluwole, Jumoke
Ariyo and Tope Otulafe to recognise
the caterers, venues, DJs, MCs, bands,
interior designers, viedeographers –
the whole army of people who plan
and stage weddings, parties, premieres, sports events and concerts for
the diaspora.
“These people work hard
at planning and organising
your events. They are often
the first to arrive at the
venue and the last to leave,
usually much later than anyone else,” Ms Oluwole explained. “But this huge
industry with its huge pool
of talent has so often been
overlooked and under-estimated.”
Not any more. Attended
by Nigeria’s Deputy High
Commissioner OK Lawal,
CANUK chairman Bimbo
Roberts, and Lambeth deputy mayor
Adedamola Aminu, this is an annual
event that is guaranteed to be a scene
setter (and stealer) for years to come.
AND THE NEA WINNERS 2013 ARE...
Event Planner & Event marketer Nollywood Uncut (Dele O Onabowu)
Event decorator Eclipse Events
(Francesca Guobadia)
Event Photographer JKStar Creative Media (@Prince Adeyin)
make up Artist Total Celebrity
Makeover (Adeyinka Adekogbe)
Cake baker Mopsy Cakes
dJ DJ Mix-master (B Femi David
Fadahunsi)
live band Dele Achiever
Videographer Obc Partysaints
best Venue used by Nigerians Oasis
Banqueting
best Nigerian Caterer Jemmy’s
Catering
upcoming Nigerian Events Company
NEW
Stirrers and Shakers Cocktails
(Tola Cocktails)
best Nigerian mC MC Toyin JaiyeDaramola (Mama Tee)
outstanding Contribution to the
Nigerian Events Industry Tope Abulude (Balloon Inspiration)
best Nigerian Event Coverage of the
year Dbol Show
It was all smiles at the teslim balogun stadium in lagos as schoolchildren helped set the world record for
the most people brushing their teeth
simultaneously.
over 300,000 children from more
than 600 schools took part in the attempt, smashing the previous record
set in India in 2007, when 177 thousand people brushed their teeth at
once.
It was all about teaching people
how important it is to keep your
teeth clean!
speaking before the ‘brush-off’,
Executive Governor of lagos state,
babatunde raji fashola, said that the
challenge was a representation of
how people ought to take care of
their bodies, with oral care being a
priority.
AFRICA
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TO
SMILES BETTER...
NIGERIA
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Irelan
nd and regulated by the Financial Services Authorityy for the conduct of payment services business in the
he UK.
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10
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
KASUMUWATCH
The SAMUEL KASUMU Column
Sustainable growth demands
a new deal on immigration
I was recently asked by an immigration lawyer
what my thoughts were on current
Immigration Policy. Of course, she knew that
I was a Conservative and consequently her
assumption was that I would take a very firm
and narrow view on the topic. The honest truth
is that for many years it has been a topic that
I chose to avoid having a strong opinion on.
Being a young, black, British, Conservative,
operating in one of the most diverse cities in
the world, has meant that for me immigration
has been a complex area to grapple with.
My answer to the immigration lawyer surprised her quite a bit. I began by explaining how
over the last six months I had been to cities across
the world, including Lagos, Abuja, Luanda in
Angola, Johannesburg, Dhaka in Bangladesh,
and a few others.
I had seen first-hand the uniqueness of these
emerging markets and had no doubt that the diaspora within the UK had the potential to play a
key role in helping to build these countries. I had
come back passionate about making sure diaspora communities were more engaged with the
global economy, particularly as many were unfortunate victims of inequality here in the UK.
There is now an option for diaspora communities to potentially have a more prosperous outcome in their countries of origin. This had helped
to shape my views on immigration, but wasn’t the
key thing that had led to my current conclusion.
The second thing that I explained to the immigration lawyer was what I had witnessed in
these countries, particularly at the times when I
met with business stakeholders and government
officials. It was the way that these countries were
being designed to protect their citizens from foreign stakeholders that simply wanted to benefit
from this ‘new money’ and weren’t keen to care
for the indigenous people or country.
For example, I learnt that in Angola businesses
from abroad are not able to invest in the country
without a partner from Angola. Foreign workers
are only welcome for a certain period of time, and
part of the workers’ time in the country would
need to be spent teaching an Angolan how to take
many Nigerians that had suffered due to the
numerous oils spills, and in Bangladesh the recent factory collapsing was a prime example.
Those are testament to what happens when a
government chooses not to protect its citizens
within a global context.
Based on the above, I concluded to the immigration lawyer that I see no harm in any
country choosing to protect its boarders, or its
citizens. In fact I believe it is the ultimate responsibility of every country to do so.
Some may argue that it is
wrong to compare developing
nations with a developed country such as England, but I
would argue that Nigeria’s
economy grew by 7% last year,
whilst we all feared that Britain
had a double dip recession over
the same period.
Both countries suffer from
record levels of youth unemployment, but in the decades
ahead we can see a clear path
to growth for countries like Nigeria and India, who are rich in resources, whilst for European economies there
simply is no real vision.
I speak not only as a political campaigner, but
also as someone who has recently invested in an
international school in Cambridge, and who has
shifted his focus to international trade policy.
We must look at Britain’s immigration policy
within a global context, and must not allow ignorant racists and strange political parties to dictate
“I see no harm in any
country choosing to
protect its borders, or its
citizens – it is the ultimate
responsibility to do so”
over from their role once their visas ran out.
In South Africa, companies had to, by law, invest a percentage of their profits into the black
community, in order to help the indigenous population. In countries like Nigeria and Bangladesh,
where foreign nationals have been able to engage
with the country with minimal protection for the
natives, exploitation had been inevitable.
In the case of Nigeria, examples included the
how we engage with what is a very interesting
topic.
There is no doubt Britain needs talent from
abroad in order to function. But Britain must also
ensure it allows people to come that will contribute to its economic development in a positive
way, and is able to put its citizens first when attempting to create sustainable growth and jobs.
That is the right of every country, and is actually what every country in the world is doing. So
why should Britain be any different?
Go-getters use public transport
To advertise call
(UK) 0208 588 9640
(Nig) 07084556093
or email
[email protected]
towards the end of the year we’ll be launching
our property investment firm, focusing on the
East midlands as a key growth area.
the whole process has really got me thinking
about something I heard when I was a little
younger. some ladies would say that they
wouldn’t have a relationship with a man who
didn’t own a car. A small piece of advice to all
young men and women reading this: Please do
not believe such nonsense. A car is a depreciat-
ing asset that loses value as soon as it leaves a
showroom.
some of the most successful people I know
only got a car a long time after having their own
home(s). britain has some of the best public
transport systems in the world, although there
is some room for improvement, and the price
needs to come down. unless it is for work purposes, my advice would be, if you can’t afford a
house... don’t buy a car!
VOTER REGISTRATION
We’ll be launching a new campaign in the coming weeks, focusing on getting black and Asian communities onto the voter register, particularly for the elections in 2014 and 2015. Nick deBois MP
has kindly agreed to join us at the official launch at the Stephen Lawrence Trust Centre, and from
there we’ll be preparing for our national tour. If you’re not on the electoral register, please make
sure you visit www. electoralcommission.org.uk to see how to get on. Being registered as a voter
has many benefits, including making your credit rating more positive, and of course making sure
you have your voice heard. Make sure you’re registered!
12
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
GISTWATCH
Madam Amebo
WASTED TRIPS
mANy a Nigerian in the diaspora looks forward
to visiting dignitaries coming to the uK, as it offers them unhindered access to decision makers.
What makes these uK trips particularly good is
that you can get the dignitaries' full attention,
away from the hundreds of thousands of other
people in Nigeria who you have to compete with.
It is thus no surprise that when a Nigerian minister or governor visits the uK, dozens of businessmen, contractors and wannabe-contractors
who cannot access him back home travel over so
they can get hold of him. many of them even
bribe his protocol officers for schedule details so
they can know when the boss is flying abroad
and subsequently travel, too.
one visiting dignitary recently played a fast
one on all of them, however, during a trip to london. he flew in early that morning, went to bed
and was up in the afternoon to attend his function, where as expected he was granted a rousing
reception with all the accompanying sycophancy.
he told the dozens of waiting diasporans and
visitors that he would see them that evening at
the dinner banquet but did a runner. Apparently,
he has a lady friend in the uK and dashed off to
spend time with her at an undisclosed location.
they next heard of him was when he arrived
back in Nigeria. What a wasted trip for those who
travelled all the way from Nigeria.
DIASPORAN COOKING
WhAt does a Nigerian man do when he is married to a wife who grew up in the diaspora and
as such is not well versed in the art of making
pepper soup, jollof rice, nkwobi, etc?
this is the trauma one dagenham gentleman
has been facing for the last two years since he got
married. unfortunately, he is no cook so can neither cook for himself or give his wife lessons. so,
for the last two years, to gain satisfaction he has
had to visit a Nigerian restaurant or turn up at his
friends house if he wants to eat Naija cuisine.
At the end of his tether, he has given his wife
an ultimatum. she has got until the end of the
year to figure out how to cook authentic Nigerian
cuisine or be prepared to kiss their marriage
goodbye.
SQUANDERMANIA
NIGErIANs always moan about the uncontrolled
way public servants spend their cash, splashing it
around like confetti. Now there is evidence that
... We deliver smiles
such squandermania extends to the uK.
one of the heads of a lucrative Nigerian government agency visited london for a conference
lately and after the summit, he and one of the numerous event organisers were in the bar of the
hotel having a chat. during their conversation,
this attractive lady organiser just casually informed oga that her laptop packed up that morning and it had disrupted her day.
lo and behold, the next morning, she was
woken up by a dhl delivery man who brought
along a brand new iPad paid for by this oga-atthe-top. Not surprisingly, she was back at the
hotel where he was staying within the hour and
many more goodies followed. she is now his official uK point of contact and travels to Abuja at
his expense. happy with the development, she
said, Nigerian men in the diaspora simply don’t
know how to take care of a woman.
LONDON HEATWAVE
oVEr the last 10 days of July, many Nigerians in
the uK have had the feeling they are back home,
as the sudden and incessant heatwave that has
hit london has made them sweat like they are in
the middle of lagos.
however, unlike the Nigerian heat, the uK
heatwave does not come with any breeze and
the country is not set up to handle the phenomenon with the plethora of air conditioned facilities. It is thus no surprise that thousands of
diasporans, particularly those with british children have spent the last week running helter
skelter looking for fans, which are in short supply
everywhere due to popular demand.
one thamesmead lady got so exasperated
that she began ringing all her friends to ask if any
of them knew of electronic stores near them with
fans. one of her male friends said the makro near
him still had a few in stock and he could get her
one but only with strings attached.
At the end of her tether with the frustration
of it all, she told him to stuff it. fortunately for
her, she was able to lay her hand on two fans the
next day.
TURNING UP IN STYLE
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WhAt do you do when you are invited to a Nigerian bash where you will bump into old school
mates and friends and your car is on its last legs?
unfortunately, the Nigerian posing syndrome
means that many of us feel that turning up at
such occasions must be done in style and some
people who think they are not with it at the moment, choose to opt out.
one gentleman from Abbeywood who is
going through hard times recently turned down
the offer to attend at an old school event because
he did not want his pals to know that things were
rough for him. of course everyone knows we are
in the midst of a triple dip recession but no one
wants to be the physical symbol of it.
As it happened, this young man did not attend
the event and as it happened, he missed out big
time, as one of his colleagues was looking for
someone with expertise in his field and had he
attended, he would have got a contract. because
he was not there, the job went to someone else
and he missed out big time.
Everyday for the
thief, one day for
the owner – part 13
having hatched a plan with her first love
mustapha, mrs G is on standby to avenge
her double-dealing husband, when she receives a mysterious text…
u
nexpectedly, mrs G received a text message from an unknown number and all
it said was, “tomorrow is the day.” she
knew what it meant so prepared the night before and made sure her pistol was in her handbag. In the morning, during breakfast, she
called rascal and told him that his rather large
gun made her and her daughter uncomfortable
and he shouldn’t carry any gun or weapon. she
told him his presence alone is enough to deter
anyone from trying anything.
rascal was not happy with this and he
grumbled until mrs G shouted him down. so
off they went in their blacked-out range rover.
rascal and the driver in front and mrs G and her
daughter in the back as usual. As they drove
along, mrs G stared out the window wondering what mustapha had planned. she prayed
whatever it was, it went well. As the suV approached the very popular private school in
Ikoyi, there was serious hold up as usual, with
children being dropped off.
suddenly there was a loud “bANG” on the
right passenger window as a man dressed all
in black smashed the window and placed an assault rifle to rascal’s neck and shouted, “If you
move I will remove your head.”
Next moment the other window was
smashed in and a second man dressed in black
reached into the car and swiped the keys,
killing the engine. four other men surrounded
the car and opened fire into the air. It was
manic. drivers and parents stopped their cars
and fled for their lives. rascal was dragged out
the car and hit across the head with a rifle butt.
he fell like a log. the driver immediately
jumped out and lay flat on the ground, hoping
he wouldn’t suffer the same fate.
two masked men approached the back of
the car; one grabbed mrs G and the other
grabbed her daughter. mrs G’s heart was beating so fast and heavy she felt faint and was
about pass out when she heard the whisper,
“darling it’s me.” still in shock, she was about
to shout out “mustapha” when the man who
had grabbed her from behind covered her
mouth. he then said, “take it easy, it’s me.”
To be continued
Got a story for madam
Amebo? send it to
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YOURWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
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 August 21, 2013. 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.
BOND IS A WAKE-UP CALL
The recent announcement by the Conservativeled government in UK, on the payment of a
£3,000 bond for visitors from, according to the
government, ‘high risk’ countries, which include
my beloved country Nigeria, should not be seen
as a punitive measure. Rather it should serve as
a wake-up call to the governments of the respective countries.
Take Nigeria as a country. Both Nigeria and
Nigerians have benefited from the generosity of
the UK government, either in manpower development (skills), quality education, commerce
and trade, to
mention just
a few. Nige‘Our government
ria has a
population
should stop seeing
of over two
the UK as their safe
million
in
the UK; we
haven and improve
have
conthe lives of Nigerians’ tributed to
the
economic growth of UK, and many Nigerian men
and women hold high positions in the UK.
The recent announcement is not the first
time a Conservative government has put in
place measures targeting Nigeria. In 1986 when
Margaret Thatcher was prime minister, she introduced tough measures targeting these same
countries. She introduced the visa application
rule, which remains in place.
My candid opinion is not for our government to retaliate. They should instead go back
to the drawing board to come up with measures
that would discourage Nigerians from ‘leaving’.
It’s on record that more than 180,000 Nigerians
apply for a UK visa every year.
So the Nigerian government should concentrate on good governance, provide the necessary
and conducive environment to enable existing
industries to flourish, create jobs, provide adequate security of life and property, and improve
our health sector.
Our government should stop seeing the UK
as their safe haven, rather they should improve
on the lives of Nigerians. Let our government
steal less, let them improve our heath care, upgrade and improve our energy sector, improve
and upgrade our roads and create jobs.
I am sure given the right tools and environment, Nigerians would excel. Nigerians are hard
working; Nigerians have survived with little or
no government assistance, have survived without government child benefits or housing benefits; Nigerians have survived without
government free education; Nigerians have survived without government support on health
care; Nigerians have survived without N.E.P.A.
yet they pay N.E.P.A. bills.
Lastly, we want a change in our government’s attitude towards corruption. Maybe the
wake-up call from the UK government would
serve as a measure of things to be done properly.
Give us light, provide us with jobs, maintain our
roads, improve our health care, education, security, and then see if Nigerians would not start
heading back home. Mr. Godson Chinedu Unanka
NEW LOWER FEES
TO
NIGERIA
whether they still want to live under those values.
Many are saying no but to call it a crisis of faith
is absurd: this is one of the most basic teachings
of the Bible.
Christians
in the past
‘Marriage is a
and
sometimes today covenant between
have been so
hurtful
to a man and a
those
who woman. Simple.’
struggle with
the issue of homosexuality. I am pleased that
there are gay people, even in my own church,
who are standing faithful to God despite the
temptation. I am encouraged by Christians, including leaders such as Vaughan Roberts in Oxford, who write sincerely and openly about their
struggle yet retain their faithfulness to their first
love Jesus Christ.
So what is our role as a church family to each
other in our struggles? Is it to comprise or create
a new Jesus that suits our new doctrine (that accommodates popular views, trends or our very
weakness)? Or is it rather to be a shoulder to lean
on, prayerful, an encourager, and as God’s word
in 2 Timothy says, we with (with!) scripture
should rebuke, correct and train each other.
Name and address supplied
HERE TO STAY: people with learning disabilities
from new migrant communities
Researchers from the University of Wolverhampton working with
the Association for Real Change are trying to learn more about
people with learning disabilities from ethnic minority
NO CRISIS OF FAITH
The issue of same-sex marriage is a huge discussion point here in the UK and in many places
around the world, including Nigeria, as Elizabeth Obisanya points out (Letters, NW July).
communities, particularly new migrants. We would like to know what
services people use at times of need, are they satisfied, and if not
satisfied, what else should be done to improve services.
If you, or somebody you care for, has a learning disability condition, we
would like to hear from you. We would like to talk to you about your
experiences of using services.
What do we mean by a learning disability? A learning disability
affects the way people learn new things in any area of life, not just at
school. It affects the way they understand information and how they
communicate. In practical terms, it means that it is harder for the
individual to learn, understand and communicate than it is for others.
NEW AFRICA
PRICING!
HAVE YOU SEEN?
Her letter carefully sets out her thoughts, opinion and analysis of the situation in Nigeria, especially from a faith perspective.
One can have an opinion and interpret the
Bible based on that opinion. This is what Elizabeth and possibly her friends, who feel the
need to call themselves ‘Inclusive Church’, have
done. I could be pro-sex outside of marriage
and find evidence in the Bible to hang my opinion on and forget all the other Bible references
as well the ‘big story’ of the Bible. This is the
danger all Christians, being humans, face.
Elizabeth uses labels and terms that don’t
fairly represent any side in the debate. Many
who have a strong opinion use labels to pigeonhole. Are Christians who are against homosexual marriage ‘legalistic’, or the other opinion
being liberal? Are the labels really of any help?
What was the original purpose of marriage?
This is found in the early chapters of Genesis
and throughout the Bible. This expectation does
not change. Jesus reaffirms it when questioned
about divorce. Marriage is a covenant between a
man and a woman. Simple. Its purpose? To be
fruitful and multiply. Simple. It is a Christian
perspective. It is not faith crisis at all and those
countries which chose initially to live under
Christian values adopted this principle.
The question for these same countries is
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LEGAL EAGLE SOARS
osarieme Anita omonuwa, 20, from Edo state,
has topped off a glittering three years in the uK
with a first Class degree in law at reading university. she also became the first black woman
to be given the Chancellor’s Award. As a student she also won awards from the prestigious
uK law firms Clarks and shoosmiths. osarieme
is no stranger to success, having won prestigious awards as both a primary and secondary
school student.
NEWSWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
COMMUNITIES PRAISED FOR CALM
RESPONSE TO WOOLWICH MURDER
On the eve of the funeral of drummer Lee
Rigby in Bury (July 12), community leaders
from Woolwich gathered at the House of Commons to tell MPs of their hopes and fears for
the future in the aftermath of the brutal killing.
Organised by the Runnymede Trust, sponsors of the All Party Parliamentary Group on
Race and Community (APPGRC), the meeting
was called to consider “After Woolwich – what
next for community relations?”.
As chairman of the APPGRC, Tottenham
MP David Lammy called the meeting “to be
properly informed of feelings on the ground,”
he said. “The reaction in Greenwich was a good
one and we need to know what more can be
learned from that experience.”
Offering expert analysis were Greenwich MP
Nick Raynsford; chief executive of the Greenwich Inclusion Project, Yasmin Rehman;
founder of Tell Mama (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) Fiyaz Mughal; and (south London) Commander Simon Letchford of the Met
Police.
All were agreed that the calm response of the
multi-cultural communities in the borough was
critical in defusing the potentially volatile aftermath. Mr Raynsford, who is MP for the area of
Woolwich where the murder occurred, said, “A
significant moment was when all the churches
and community leaders came together to affirm
our commitment to good community relations
in the area and in opposition to those who
wanted to stir up division, conflict and hatred.”
Ms Rehman said she had been “heartened”
by the response, and Mr Mughal added, “We
were quick to respond as communities, which
reduced the potential for tensions to rise and
showed a maturity in how we work with the
press.” Nigerian community and faith leaders
were to the fore in both these positive developments, which helped defuse tensions.
In the aftermath of the killing there was a
substantial spike in the number of “hate crimes”
reported. Between May 22-27 110 incidents
were reported to Tell Mama, which in an average week would expect around 20. Muslim
women were predominantly the victims because
they are so readily identifiable.
These figures did not include the ‘wild west’
of social media, which is increasingly being used
by extremists to agitate and harass.
The rapid response of the communities in
condemning the act had proved an effective
brake on escalating violence, because, Commander Letchford observed “the community
stood together”. He said the police had seen a
spike in hate crime but this was levelling back
to normal levels – about one a day.
Mr Raynsford said that he was “nervous that
the decline is misread as an excuse for govern-
ment not to do anything.”
With the austerity axe hovering over many
community services this very real concern was
shared by the panel. Especially as many felt the
government’s renewed emphasis of working
solely with faith groups would not deliver the
desired results.
There were two principle causes for concern;
first, faith groups could often be male dominated, denying women from having a voice. Ms
Rehman said that with many community
groups attractive to women being cut this was
increasingly becoming her experience.
“We’re entering a period worse than the 80s,”
warned Ms Rehman.
And secondly the question was, would mainstream faith leaders be in touch with those in
the community who were radical or being radicalised? From the audience Imam Tunji Taofeeq
Salami said his mosque in Bermondsey – Nasfat
(Nasrul-Lahi-Il-Fathi) – wanted more interaction with the police, saying they should just
‘drop in for tea’, to normalise relations.
After over two hours of listening, Mr
Lammy said he would write to the Prime Minister registering the concerns of the communities and asking questions about the surprise –
and to many ‘unnecessary’ – review of the antiterrorist strategy known as Prevent, designed to
identify centres of radicalisation.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
NEWSWATCH
17
Giving the victims of trafficking a voice
The human rights watchdog AFRUCA staged a rolling
programme of events to raise awareness of the impact
of human trafficking. AJ James reports
AFRUCA is how the campaigning charity
Africans Unite Against Child Abuse
founded 12 years ago by the tireless Debbie
Ariyo is commonly known. Her work on
behalf of African children has been widely
recognised and acclaimed, including the
award of an OBE. Sadly that work, of
necessity, continues.
According to the latest figures from the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Nigeria currently has one of the highest numbers of
people referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a system that is meant to identify, protect and provide appropriate support to
potential victims of trafficking. Uganda, Sierra
Leone, Gambia and Ghana were among top
African source countries for potential victims
of trafficking as well.
The report further highlighted that the majority of African people referred to the NRM
received negative ‘Reasonable Grounds’ and
‘Conclusive’ decisions. As a result of changes to
legal aid funding, trafficking victims will be denied access to legal advice at a time that it is
most needed.
“With the recent changes to legal aid and im-
migration laws, it is evident that potential victims of trafficking might be denied access to
legal support and other services at a time that is
most needed,” said Debbie Ariyo.
To mark the charity’s 12th anniversary and
increase awareness of the impact of human trafficking and the need to support victims,
AFRUCA recently held what they admirably
called ‘7 Days of Activism Against Human
Trafficking’ (from the 29 June to 5 July). Events
were staged in African communities across London and Greater Manchester and included two
high-level conferences and a variety show.
On the face of it this latter event, staged at
the Amnesty International Centre in London,
might seem erroneous but it symbolised the very
great impact AFRUCA has had on the lives of
the victims of trafficking. The variety night
showcased the charity’s service users, who are
survivors of trafficking, on stage in a spectacular African theatre styled drama entitled The
Big Festival directed by the award-winning
Iroko Theatre Company.
This was a unique performance by a group
of young people who have experienced a lot of
abuse, hardship and suffering as a result of their
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HEAR OUR STORY: survivors of trafficking perform the Big Festival. Below; Debbie Ariyo (left) and Meg Hillier MP
experiences of being trafficked and exploited.
The drama production was fascinating, giving
the victims of trafficking a voice, “to aid their
healing and transition into independent living”.
It is endemic of the charity’s innovative and
long-term approach to supporting victims and
help them reclaim their lives.
Other highlights of the night included a classical music rendition by Georgina Whitehead, a
poetry reading by Dr Christy Akumabor, and a
fashion-show by an AFRUCA youngster. The
audience was also treated to traditional African
music by Iroko Theatre.
Meanwhile on the political stage, the highlight of the week was a high profile seminar –
“Child Trafficking, Prevention is Better Than
Cure!” – held at the House of Commons on the
1 July. The seminar was hosted by Meg Hillier
MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary
Group on Nigeria. Two days later a second seminar – “Child Trafficking: A New Form of Child
Abuse in Greater Manchester?” – was staged in
Manchester and was chaired by Ian Rush,
Chair of the Manchester Safeguarding Children
Board.
Both seminars were well attended and featured eminent speakers including: Ms Ariyo,
Founder and Executive Director at AFRUCA;
Klara Skrivankova, Anti-Trafficking Coordinator at Anti-Slavery International; Jenny Pennington of the Institute of Public Policy and
Research; James Behan, Head of Operations at
UK Human Trafficking Centre; Raggi Kotak,
Barrister at No 1 Pump Court Chambers;
Denise MacDowell, Director at Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit; DC Colin Ward
of Greater Manchester Police; and Romana
Cacchioli, Head of Programmes at Anti-Slavery
International.
Explaining the rationale for the Human
Trafficking Activism week, Ms Ariyo said, “The
7 days Activism campaign was aimed at increasing awareness of the impact of human trafficking among African communities across London
and Greater Manchester. We want African
communities in these regions to partner with
AFRUCA in ensuring that no African child is
trafficked either for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude or penalised as a result of being
forced to engage in illicit criminal activities by
their traffickers.”
Some of the key recommendations from the
events held included the need for government
agencies to develop better relationships and
trust with African communities, to encourage
referrals and reporting of the crime of trafficking. One of the shocking revelations at the event
was the fact that Nigeria has one of the highest
(possibly the highest) numbers of victims of
trafficking from Africa in the UK.
Speakers at the seminar in London called for
the revival of a Joint Agreement signed by the
UK and Nigerian governments in 2004 to collaborate on fighting human trafficking and protecting victims.
For further information about AFRUCA and its
work against Child Trafficking in the UK visit
www.afruca.org
To advertise call
(UK) 0208 588 9640
(Nig) 07084556093
or email
[email protected]
18
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
DIASPORAWATCH
Our woman of substance…
dIAsPorA uNIty
Q: This morning when you were addressing the
Direct Diaspora Investment Summit you said
that the diaspora needed to get its house in order,
in terms of organisation and supporting Nigeria.
Can you tell us what you meant by that?
ADE Yes, you find that within some diaspora
groups around the world the infighting is very
discouraging. We appeal to them, you have to
get your house in order. If you do not get your
house in order, how do you want us to elevate
the diaspora in Nigeria?
The infighting will always be there, but you
can limit it. I believe that the women, as we saw
today, can by comparison look very coordinated and any issues are actually resolved.
But with some of the diaspora groups,
you find that they fight about ethnicity, fight
about petty things. You don’t need that.
What is ahead is greater than the little things
you are fighting about.
So, it is important for diaspora groups
get their act together, so that you can work
very well with the country. Right now the
thing is that many of them are already looking for positions on the diaspora commission
that is not even yet set in place; some are already
fighting to be on it. It’s discouraging. But I
know we can get over that.
dIAsPorA VotING
Q: Will the diaspora be able to vote in the 2015
presidential elections?
Q: The same was said at the last election,
wasn’t it? That we’d have the vote by 2015?
As chairwoman of Nigeria’s house of representatives diaspora
Committee the honourable Abike dabiri-Erewa is our champion
back home. refreshingly straight talking, independent – she
travels light, with no entourage of ‘big men’ – and a master
of her brief, she dodges only one question and sets the
record straight on diaspora unity, voting and bonds, in
conversation with NW editors Ayo Akinfe and Jon hughes
ADE Who made the promise? The President made the promise, but we are the
law makers. You need to amend the laws
first, to make it possible.
Diaspora voting is a revolution; there
are some things that, when they happen,
they are revolutionary and this is one.
On such issues you have to be persistent,
and you have to make your demands.
I was in America recently, visiting
Nigerians there, and they were talking
about raising a million signatures calling
for the vote. We saw nothing. If, by after
2015, there isn’t a strong voice for diaspora voting, then it’s not going to happen. There has to be a strong voice for it
in the diaspora.
Q: Yesterday [at the DDIS conference] you
said you wanted it ...
ADE Realistically, I think 2015 is too close by.
We need to get our act together as a nation first.
It is inevitable. I can see no reason why diasporans cannot vote at the next set of elections after
2015. There would be no excuses whatsoever.
ADE I moved the bill.
Q: But your colleagues in the House are not
minded at this moment. What do you see as being
their issues with it?
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ADE The argument is this, and it is a very reasonable argument… They say we have not got
it, we cannot guarantee free and fair elections
in Nigeria today. So, if you have not built a solid
foundation, can you now add another floor to
that foundation?
You have to ensure the foundation is solid
before you start adding more layers, so we do
not have more problems than we can imagine.
We have to win the battle to
have free and fair elections
in Nigeria first.
The last election was relatively better than others,
where people stood and
their votes were counted.
So let us get to a particular
state where we can be sure
of what we are doing with
our electoral body. That is
what they argue.
So, I brought the bill for
diaspora voting on to the
floor of the House, it was
defeated, and I accept that
the argument has logic. We
don’t even know how we
are going to vote in 2015, whether it’s going to
be electronic or not.
Q: Do you think there’s enough time to introduce
biometric voting for 2015?
ADE We believe that, yes, we must have electronic biometric voting in 2015. There can be no
excuse not to have it.
Q: And there’s enough time to introduce that,
across the country?
ADE I can see no reason why not. We must have
electronic voting. My party [the ACN] is for it.
dIAsPorA mINIstry
Q: There are 15 million Nigerians in diaspora?
ADE Allegedly
Q: Allegedly. Two
million of these are in
certain constituencies, like the UK, to have their
own representation in the National Assembly?
ADE No, I don’t think there is a case for that.
If you want to contest elections, you should
come home and contest. There are 360 constituencies in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
To make it 361, or 362… how do you determine
the countries? Are you going to say UK, USA?
Neither of those countries do it.
And there’s no reason why Nigerians of the
diaspora, with all your resources, cannot participate at the grassroots level back home, and
contest elections. Some of you have. Today we
have about four who came from abroad, and
they are in the parliament.
What we should be fighting for is having a
diaspora commission, which is what we are advocating. Twenty-six countries as of today have
fully-fledged ministries for the diaspora. We are
starting with a commission. If we can have a
commission, it will be a major step forward.
Let’s take it from there, and then we will move
onto other things.
We must learn to appreciate our women. You
find out that for those of us who have been in
various fields of endeavour, not just politics, you
have to give it to the women. Women have to
work twice as hard than the men because we are
not yet many. You have no choice if you want
to succeed.
It’s like raising a child. As a mother you must
ensure that your child succeeds. We are given
the responsibility, you want to ensure that you
succeed. So I don’t want you to limit to me.
Look at Nigerian women, there are women that
are doing great things, that are excelling. And I
believe that women should be encouraged to
excel even further.
Q: Lagos generally has a female deputy. But
don’t you accept the argument that now it’s time
to move on to a full-fledged female governor?
ADE Nigeria should, I don’t see why Nigeria
cannot have 10 female governors.
Q: But let’s start with Lagos.
Q: You see that moving ahead, in the house with
a full-fledged ministry, like India?
ADE Well <laughs>, well, I don’t see why any
states cannot have it, so we will see how it goes.
ADE Let’s start to have that commission, and it
will give us something. The commission can
graduate to a full ministry. The case of India is
a bit different. For instance they don’t have dual
citizenship. I agree with
you, however, that India
has been able to successfully tap into its diaspora.
Medical tourism in India
today is a success because
of its diasporans.
We can do the same
thing, by having this commission that will focus on
embracing and engaging
our diasporans.
Q: We’ll see how it goes
‘Diaspora voting
is revolutionary.
There has to be
a strong voice
for it in
the diaspora’
the UK, which is more
than the population of
the State where President Jonathan is from.
In terms of GDP, I believe we contribute more
to the economy than
many States do. Do you
accept the argument
that there is a case for
DIASPORAWATCH
thE lAGos
GoVErNorshIP
Q: If we can come to you
for a minute, you are on the
shortlist to become the
deputy governor of Lagos
State. You’ve been talking about women in parliament this morning. Is there not a case for you
to run for governor itself?
ADE Any woman can run for anything. Don’t
limit it. We have highly successful women, we
have highly motivated women, we have women
who can deliver. We heard here today, ‘if you
want to get something said, ask a man, if you
want to get something done, ask a woman’.
ADE Women must come together and support
one another. If women stand together, we can
achieve
anything we want.
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
19
dIAsPorA boNds
Q: Can the diaspora bond become a proper investment vehicle that can go into infrastructure?
ADE There’s no reason why not. When we’re
talking about remittances, Nigeria has the diaspora with twenty billion pounds, more than aid
from various countries put together, that’s tapping into your savings, that’s tapping into your
investments. The diaspora
bond is untapped. So, it’s
about what we do here
today, telling Nigerians the
best place to invest is your
home country.
But in doing diaspora
bonds, it should be targeted
to the needs of those who
are investing; where do you
want to put your money?
You must have confidence
and faith in what you are
doing. It’s been done, in
several other countries, I
see no reason why Nigeria
cannot do it.
thE NIGErIAN ECoNomy
Q: It was said this morning, Nigeria will soon overtake South Africa as Africa’s largest economy?
ADE I don’t know about all these economic theories. Well, I do know, but I’m going to be realistic. We can talk about GDP, and this percent,
and that percent… I want to see it reflect on the
average Nigerian. There’s poverty in Nigeria
today, we see it every day. Many of our children
cannot eat.
So I’m not going to get into all these economic indices. What matters is how does whatever we have touch on the average Nigerian.
How does it touch on the rural poor. How can
you have so much food and your people can be
hungry?
I want to go to my village and know that the
pressure is not always on me to give everybody
money for food, money to go to school, money
for health care, for everything. So, that is what
we need to touch on, having a positive effect on
the rural poor in Nigeria.
Q: We’ll just say
you’re considering your options.
ADE I’m not
considering my
options, what I
know is that
I’m doing a job
now, and I’m
putting my best
into it.
Q: For now?
ADE That is
the way to go.
I’m doing a job,
I’m putting my
best into it, the
end. We give
God the glory.
Q: You evaded
that question.
<laughs>
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20
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
FEATUREWATCH
The unstoppable,
groundbreaking
Naija stand-up Julius
d’Genius Agwu is
used to working
solo, as harriet
ogebide found out
when she caught up
with him
melancholy. It’s been a mixture of
different things and I thought it would
be nice to document it, to inspire not
just my generation, but generations to
come.
It’s been an exciting and hilarious
journey so far, and I’ve gotten this
far by the grace of
I LOVE T
HE
THEY AR LONDON CRO
W
E READ
Y TO LA D.
UGH
God. When you are focused,
determined and believe in yourself and
also have the grace of God, you can
achieve whatever your heart desires. If
my 20 year old self saw me today at 40,
he would say, “Boy, you haven’t
changed, You are still the same boy.”
S
ince first appearing on our
screens in Nollywood movie
Rattle Snake almost two decades
ago, entertainer Julius “d’Genius”
Agwu has had a very colourful career,
one which most entertainers in the industry can only dream of.
Aside from acting, singing and
stand-up comedy, he is famed for creating his very own music genre in Nigeria, known as musicomedy. He was the
first comedian in Nigeria to release a
comedy album, the acclaimed and
eponymously-titled The Genius.
It caused a sensation and inspired a
whole raft of satirical musicomedy
artists to follow suit.
His fun and laugh out loud brand
of observational comedy has won him
a deserved international audience and
he is a hot favourite in London.
For the eighth year running Julius
is bringing his Crack Ya Ribs comedy
show to London and Manchester this
month (August). He loves the London
audience. “The London crowd… you
can easily make them laugh, they work
hard and when they come to the show,
they are ready to laugh.”
Since making the move from acting
to stand-up comedy, there has been no
looking back for d’Genius whose success simply grows and grows.
This year he turned 40 and released
his autobiography Jokes Apart, How
Did I get Here. Prompted by Harriet
Ogbeide, here he reveals what on various aspects of his life.
On becoming a comedian
Someone who really inspired my initial
interest in comedy was a man called
Bisi Olatiyo. I saw him at an event
when I was a theatre student. An event
where I performed as a dancer with the
university of Port Harcourt theatre
troupe. I was really motivated when I
saw him, and that’s when I thought,
hold up, this is amazing, it’s just you!
You don’t need to change any costume, and you don’t need
o t h e r
IF
@NigerianWatch
On future projects
e
n
G
i
u
’
s
d
I’ve just shot a new music video, which
should be out by the end of the month,
and I’m working on a new album. I
will keep fans updated with details. I
recently launched a YouTube channel
where fans can subscribe to watch
in his own words
groups of people. Before I became a
comedian, acting was my dream, but
the producers at that time made it look
like you were practically begging them
for roles and doing them a favour.
So, I said to my friend, look, for
someone who is a theatre graduate and
has a passion for this, I cannot continue this way, it would be better for me
to express myself in some other way.
So I decided to go into comedy after I
realised I was not just an actor, but a
born entertainer.
I also realised that with acting, you
are on location for two or three weeks,
but comedy only takes about two
hours and I receive the same amount
or even more. What’s not to like?
At that time, stand-up comedy was
just starting in Nigeria, and I became
one of the pioneers. Inspiring comedians at the time were the likes of
Muhammed Danjuma and John
Chukwu, in Port Harcourt, both sadly
deceased now. Then there was Ali
Baba, who was the champion of young
people in comedy.
I COULD
G
BACK TO O BACK TO A
MO
THE WO
MB AND MENT IN TIME
?I
START A
LL OVER ’LL GO
AGAIN
On being a comedian
in Nigeria today
When we started comedy, there was a
time when the major skits were just
about different tribes, because those
were the main jokes people could tell.
Now people draw on real life, things
others can easily relate to, using comedy as a tool for pushing change, so
create a joke, then some of these young
ones that are upcoming take the joke
to an event and say it
TING
0 RESTAR
2
Y
A
S
O
FER T
. OR I PRE
R
A
E
Y
IS
videos from our past shows and
40 TH
I TURNED
other comedy sketches. I’m currently
like its theirs, then you are
there at another event, saying your joke
and someone who probably saw the
other one, would think you stole the
joke. Wahala.
that while the audience is laughing,
they are also thinking about the truth
in what you say.
That’s why I do my events in London, to show Africans in the diaspora
that Nigerians have talent. I have different shows, like Crack Ya Ribs which
has become an adult show, Laff 4
Christ Sake, and Festival of Love,
which I use as platforms to showcase
emerging talent.
Also, media has improved compared to when I started. It was harder
then, as it was just NTA, then Ait.
Now, there are more media platforms
for comedians to make themselves
known and people can easily Google
you to find out about you.
The comedy business has exploded
in Nigeria, and just like in every society, once people see an industry progressing and those in it looking
successful, everybody wants to get in.
Right now there’s a bandwagon of
people trying to be comedians without
working hard, finding out if it’s their
true calling, or if they have the ability
or talent.
The bigger challenge for comedians
is the fact that you take all the pain to
On his family influencing his
comedy
My very patient wife and kids have influenced the material I put out there.
After I got married, some of the jokes
were around wife material and different scenarios involving wives. Then when
the baby came, I
started building my
jokes around my
baby. I can use my
joke on anything
going on in my life.
We are also expecting our 2nd baby
which is due later
this year.
working on my sitcom and also working on my talk show, which will be titled Jokes Apart with Julius Agwu.
There will also be a follow up to my
book, which I plan on releasing before
I turn 25 restarting.
Final words
Thank you people. I can safely say, my
greatest achievement to date is that
people appreciate my work and show
their appreciation. This gives me joy
and satisfaction. I’m
just a robber who
steals peoples pains,
sorrows and sadness
and gives back joy,
laughter and happiness.
If I could go back
to a moment in time,
I’ll go back into the
womb to comeback
fresh and start all
over again.
On life at 40
I turned 40 on the 7th of April, this
year. Personally, I prefer to call it ‘20
restarting’. From this year I’m restarting reinventing, repositioning, recapitalising, rebuilding the brand and
removing all the yama yama. That’s
why I decided to write the book. I’ve
had an exciting journey, which has
been that of cries, laughs, joy and
You can see Julius d’Genius Agwu live
at Crack Ya Ribs on the 23rd and 25th
of this month (August) in London and
Manchester respectively. See details in
our listings section on, page 34. Those
who can’t wait can subscribe to his
youtube channel JuliusAgwuTV for
more jokes and laughs, or follow d’Genius on twitter @JuliusAgwu1
ADvERTORIAl
Elvis is looking for a family
lvis is an endearing little boy of 6 years
old and wants a forever family who can
actively promote his Nigerian heritage
and help him develop his full potential.
He loves being outdoors, playing football,
going to Scouts as well as singing and dancing.
Elvis is a really good guitar player. He goes to
Sunday school every week and really enjoys it.
At the moment he is living with his foster
carer who says “ Elvis is a sweet helpful boy
who is a lover of the outdoors. He is very
thoughtful and loving to others. He always
goes out of his way to try and help me if he
can. He loves going to the cinema and watching cartoons his favourite being Garfield and
Shrek. He is a popular boy at school and likes
to play with the other children. Elvis loves to
learn and has a special interest in art, reading
and computers.”
We are looking for a one or two parent
family who could give Elvis the love and support he needs. He would need to be the
youngest child in a family. He suffered from
severe neglect in his early life but has made
significant progress since being with his foster carer.
Elvis says “ I like toast and marmalade”
and when asked if he could read he says “I can
read but I don’t want to!” actually he is very
good at reading and always does his homework.
E
If you would like to know more
about Elvis please contact the
adoption team on 020 7525 4497 or
email [email protected]
Sophie Smith 0207 525 5173
[email protected]
Southwark Council is actively looking for adopters who can give a loving home to Elvis and other
children from Nigerian backgrounds. You can be married or single, of any religion or none, you don’t
have to have a full time job but you need to be over 21.
If you would like to find out more about adoption please call Jane on 020 7525 4497
or come along to Heartbeat International Christian Centre, Brisbane Street, Camberwell, London SE5 7NL
on Sunday 16th June between 11.15 – 1.15 to hear more about how to complete your family.
We are also holding an information evening on Thursday 18th July
at Canada Water Library 6.30 – 8pm –
please call 020 7525 4497 to register your interest.
www.southwark.gov.uk/adoption
[email protected]
22
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
BUSINESSWATCH
The future is ‘small’ enterprise chiefs advise
Pioneer: Samuel Kasumu
With the jobs market depressingly and stubbornly
stagnant – especially for the over 1m young unemployed in the uK – the pioneering job creation
company Elevation Networks (EN) used its fifth
anniversary party not to celebrate but to highlight opportunities in the smE sector.
It was a typical and dynamic decision “to do
something constructive” from the company’s
main founders samuel and barbara Kasumu.
It grew out of an idea samuel had, which he
confided in barbara with the words, “I’ve had an
idea. I want to change the world.”
on Elevation’s fifth birthday
Samuel and Barbara Kasumu (centre), flanked by Lord Young (left) and EN Chairman Graham
Robb and some of the many entrepreneurs to have benfitted from EN support and mentoring
that idea was for EN which they launched in
2008, to create a network to help make young
people from under-represented groups to be
more competitive in the labour market. In the intervening five years, having trained over 5,000
people, the social enterprise has been an unqualified success.
this year EN has opened a regional office in
Nottingham, moved hQ to farringdon, and has
granted business start-up loans worth over £1m
to over 300 businesses on behalf of the government.
the start-up loans initiative was the brainchild of lord (david) young of Graffam, a guest
speaker at fifth anniversary conference at the
british library in June.
As enterprise adviser to Prime minister david
Cameron, lord young told the audience of over
100 invited guests – including many small business owners who had benefitted from Elevation
Networks’ mentoring and expertise – that the
start-up initiative is the “single best investment
the government has”.
“the dream of working for yourself makes you
employable,” he said. Even those who try and fail
are shown to “become more employable”.
the scheme has proved to be such a success
that it has been given infinite funding and made
available to all, regardless of age.
the only qualifications you need to start your
own business lord young said are “to be alert,
dedicated, with an inquiring mind; prepared to
heed advice and be optimistic.”
the advent of the internet, he said, had revolutionised society, causing a contraction in the
jobs market but on the upside, making
it easier than ever for people to launch
small businesses.
lord young is now preparing a second report that will address how to
make your business Grow.
Another speaker, mary macleod mP,
the government’s small business Am-
To advertise call
(UK) 0208 588 9640
(Nig) 07084556093
or email
[email protected]
Speaker: Ken
Livingstone
bassador for london, encouraged smE owners to
let me know “what works and what doesn’t, so
we can help you flourish.
“And let us know your success stories. one
thing we can do is spread the word and inspire
the next generation to do even more.”
the former mayor of london Ken livingstone
lamented the lack of investment in smEs. he said,
“banks are being totally unhelpful and lending to
smEs is pathetically low.”
All agreed that smEs were the drivers of innovation and that the “key to your success in the future is adaptability”.
Winding up, samuel Kasumu, who has handed
over the reigns at Elevation Networks to barbara – an internationally renowned campaigner
on youth and women’s issues and business
columnist for the daily telegraph – said, “We’ve
had successes, but I wouldn’t say we are yet successful. We still have a lot to do to change the
world.”
he encouraged others to follow their dream,
as he had done.
ART
The indispensible guide to beauty, fashion, music,
theatre, and much more
Ibrahim El-Salahi at
Tate Modern
Page 33
WATCH
&
Life, Style
Entertainments
UNITy – A
CONCERT
FOR
STEPHEN
lAWRENCE
PAGE 34
Beauty
The ultimate
summer makeup survival
guide Page 29
27
Community Watch
Angels for Africa
barbecue &
Modupe Okutubo’s 50th
31
Food
A parents guide to
tackling obesity
in children
33
The best listings
From African Fashion
Week London to all the
African Festivals
24
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
COMMUNITYWATCH
ANGELS FOR AFRICA BARBECUE
Head of Chancery, Mr Ahmed Inusa
Angels flanked by minister Alege (left) and SA Prince Adeniyi
The Association of Spouses of African High
Commissioners and Ambassadors gathered at
the High Commissioner’s Abuja House at the
end of June, to put together the final preparations for a gala weekend of fundraising to be
held at the end of September, with the theme
of Angels for Africa.
Hajiya Salamatu Tafida (2nd from left) and Dr Dalhatu Tafida with friends
The barbecue was hosted by Hajiya Salamatu
Tafida, ASAHCA President and wife of Nigeria’s
High Commissioner to the UK Dr Dalhatu Sarki
Tafida. The charity exists to help developing
countries, especially those in Africa, to meet the
United Nations’ Millennium Development
Goals.
Minister Oga and wife
Hajiya Salamatu Tafida
Angels for Africa
Canuk chairman Bimbo Roberts with
Theodora Ibekwe
Minister Aje (left) and SA Prince Adeniyi
Members of the Association of Spouses
Godson Unanka and friends
Patti Boulaye with husband Stephen Komlosy
Dr Tafida greets a guest
Bright sounds and (right) drinks were
served on a glorious afternoon
Why don’t you share your big day joy on
NIGERIAN WATCH COMMUNITy WATCH pages?
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
COMMUNITYWATCH
Jonathan
Lalude and
mum
Dupe Lalude
25
Fotoklinic Photos and Makeup by Kemi Kings
Like us on Facebook
Dupe Lalude
Dupe Lalude
MODUPE OKUTUBO LALUDE TURNS 50
Dupe Lalude nee Okutubo, Director of The Teddy Bear School
House Nurseries, celebrated her
50th birthday in style at the
Royal Albert Hall in Kensington
last month. Joined by friends the
evening was a sophisticated
event followed by a photo shoot
to capture the joyous occasion.
Celebrations will continue
later this year with a Jazz cruise
around the Mediterranean.
They say life begins at 40 but
fifty is when the real fun begins.
Dupe says she looks forward to
the next chapter of life that
promises to bring exciting new
experiences.
Mr Olutunde Lalude
Dr and Mrs Kola Orimoloye
Dupe Lalude
Tumi Oromoloye, Dr Kola Orimoloye, Dr Seyi Oyesola
Tumi Orimoloye and Dupe Lalude
Dr Wale Towolawi and Dupe Lalude
Tumi, Rhoda, Linda and Dupe
Mrs Rhoda Oyesola
Tumi Orimoloye, Dupe Lalude, Linda Towolawi, Rhoda Oyesola
Dr and Mrs Kola Orimoloye
26
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
PERSONALWATCH
@NigerianWatch
ANNOUNCEMENTS Dear Eki
To place your announcements call 0208 5889640
Or post to: Nigerian Watch, Announcements, Chartwell House,
292 Hale Lane, Edgware, HA8 8NP
BIRTHDAYS
OlAGBEGI
FERANMI,
August 2nd
happy birthday
to our darling
cousin. may
God continue
to keep you
safe and well.
have a lovely
day. lots of
love from
Dami,
Toluwani, Adesanmi, Adefuyi
and Iyioluwa Olagbegi.
OlAGBEGI ADEyEMI,
August 12th
happy birthday to our darling
father and loving husband. may
God’s grace and mercy continue to
abound in your life. Peace, joy and
love all round, as you truly deserve
it. We wish you a wonderful day.
from Kemi, Toluwani, Adefuyi
and Iyioluwa Olagbegi.
MY MOTHER-IN-LAW HAS NO BOUNDARIES
Dear Eki,
I recently moved to the UK from America, to get married. After the wedding I
moved in to my husband’s house. I am only now starting to realise how close my husband and his mother are, and that she has no boundaries. This is causing a problem in
my marriage, as when the topic is his mother, my husband doesn’t want to hear what I
have to say. There is a long list of issues I have with their relationship, but there is one
which I would love to resolve as soon as possible.
When my husband lived alone, he gave his mother a spare set of keys to his house.
Now that we are married, his mother still possesses the set of keys and comes and
goes as she pleases, unannounced and whenever she feels like it. She doesn’t bother
knocking, she just lets herself in. She once came around at 5am on a Saturday and
walked straight into our bedroom, waking us. Saturday is the only day we get to lie in
as we work all week, so you can imagine the annoyance when it turned out whatever
it was she had to say could have waited till a more reasonable time. How do I ask her
for the spare keys without sounding rude?
rey, manchester
Firstly, have you considered that it could be that your husband likes his mum being there all the time, because
it’s just something he is used to? You need to give him time to adjust. Also from her point of view, she might
not see anything wrong with having keys to your house, or always being there when she feels like. You don’t
say if you’ve discussed your concern with your husband yet. I suggest you raise the issue with him, and try to
make him understand that you are a new couple and you need your privacy. You need to deliver it in the politest way possible – the last thing you want is to make him think you don’t like his mother.
The worst thing you could ever do is tell her to give you back the keys, because there is no way you’ll be
able to ask her that won’t sound bad or rude. If anyone is going to ask her to return the keys, your husband
should. If he doesn’t want to, then maybe you can come to a compromise. Tell him that he doesn’t have to
take the keys from her, but he must let her know that the keys with her should only be used for emergencies.
She needs to give you two your privacy as a new couple and let you start your life together. This doesn’t mean
she can’t visit as often as she wants, it just means you are not taken unawares by her visits.
MY KIDS ARE SPOILT
OGBEIDE lAWRENCE, August 8th
happy birthday Uncle Mac. hope
you have a wonderful day. you are
the best uncle ever. you are always
there for us, that’s why you are our
special uncle. from your nieces
Isabel, Nicole and Kimberly.
ADEJOBI ADESOlA, August 11th
this is to wish you a happy
birthday. hope you have an
amazing day filled with lots of fun
and plenty gifts.
lots of love from Issy
FASHANU TOKS, August 12th
happy birthday Toks, I pray that
the lord continues to bless you on
this special day. have a great day.
EMMANUEl
KAlE BISI, August 22nd
happy birthday Bisi, we all wish
that you have a great day. you are
such a blessing to us all. We love
you so much. lots of love from
Bolu, Bukky and Abisola.
Dear Eki,
My wife is spoiling our children and I don’t
know what to do about it. She lets them
get away with being naughty, and she
never says no to them, even when she obviously should.
She keeps saying they are just being
kids and they will grow out of this behaviour. My children are gradually starting to
dislike me because I’m the only one who
disciplines them and don’t let them have
their way all the time. They don’t come
downstairs to greet me when I return from
work anymore. They remain up in their
room but my wife keeps making excuses
for them.
I could decide to stop playing bad cop
and ignore their bad behaviour, like my
wife does, but what kind of father would
that make me? The whole issue has become very worrying for me as I am not
there to ensure they are well behaved. I
work all around the country so I’m always
travelling from one place to another. Every
time I come back home, I can see how
much worse they are becoming.
What surprises me most is that my wife
doesn't seem the least bit bothered. I’ve
actually started receiving complaints from
my friends and most of them don’t want
our children playing with theirs anymore.
I’m starting to think my wife is either
blinded by love for our kids or she is just
too lazy to enforce any form of discipline.
How do I deal with this situation as I
feel like my hands are tied?
bA, Ado Ekiti.
There is a proverb that says train up a child in the way
he should go and when he is old he will not depart
from it. If your kids are displaying such behaviour at
home, one shivers to imagine how they behave outside
your home.
From what you say, your wife clearly needs to
learn to say no. Saying 'no' doesn’t mean you love your
children any less. As a matter of fact, it means you
love them well enough to ensure they turn out to be
good, well-behaved adults. Your wife needs to get firm
with the children and scold them when they misbehave
or act like spoilt children.
The duty of building up a child’s character lies
with the parents and in your case it’s a job for you
two. She shouldn’t leave it to you, especially as you are
hardly ever at home. The laxness of people’s attitudes
towards parenting is one of the major problems in our
society today. Most miscreants in today’s society are a
result of a childhood with no proper upbringing.
It is the parents’ duty to show their child right
from wrong and put them back on the right path
whenever they drift away from it. You should perhaps
consider getting her family involved in this, immediate
family, like her parents or her siblings. If she won't listen to you on this issue, she might listen to them.
There has to be a reason why she is not firm but fair
with your children, and you need to get to the bottom
of it. Maybe she likes being the good cop. Whatever it
is, you need to find out, then let her know how her
current attitude towards your children could adversely
affect them in future.
for AdVICE oN lIfE IssuEs, write to
dear Eki, Nigerian Watch, Chartwell
house, 292 hale lane,
Edgware hA8 8NP,
or email:
[email protected]
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28
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
HEALTHWATCH
Forewarned is forearmed…
Following on from last month’s HealthWatch on Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) – the big
killer – here is some insight in to a free national programme that can help identify and
reduce the risk factors responsible for CVD. Chima olugh explains the process
take control of the future of your health; take a
free Nhs health Check. the Nhs health Check
Programme is a national initiative identifying
and managing cardiovascular risk in people
aged 40-74. this condition causes 88,000 deaths
and 152,000 strokes a year in the uK. this frEE
programme can help prevent heart disease,
stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and dementia.
Everyone is at risk of developing heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease and some
forms of dementia. the good news is that these
conditions can often be prevented, even if there
is a family history of them. the purpose of a health Check is to identify
whether a person is at an increased risk of developing any of the diseases above and suggest
how they might be able to lower their risk. by
taking early action, one can improve their
health and prevent the onset of these conditions.
CVd is a term used to describe diseases
which affect the heart or blood vessels such as
stroke, heart attack, angina and poor circulation. It is caused by a build-up of fatty materials clogging the arteries and restricting blood
flow. some risk factors for CVd cannot be
changed (age, gender, ethnicity, family history)
but some of our lifestyle choices play a significant role in whether or not we develop CVd.
the health Check takes about 30 minutes
and is based on straightforward questions and
measurements such as age,
gender, smoking status, family history of coronary heart
disease, ethnicity, body mass
Stroke
index (bmI), cholesterol
level, blood pressure, physical activity level - inactive,
moderately inactive, moderately active or active – Alcohol use disorders
Identification test (AudIt)
score. A person who has a
Heart disease
high risk of developing diabetes using bmI or blood
pressure measurements as a
gauge should also have a
blood glucose test.
Diabetes
In addition, during the
health Check, those aged 65Kidney disease
74 should be made aware of
the signs and symptoms of
dementia and sign posted to
memory services, and other
places where they can get
expert assistance, if this is
appropriate.
some of the results from
the measurements will then
be put into a CVd risk calcuHelping you prevent heart disease, stroke,
lator, which gives a risk
diabetes and kidney disease.
score. All scores give an indication of the
likelihood of
that person
having a CVd event e.g. stroke,
20% or more.
heart attack, angina etc., in the
As an example I have entered my own panext 10 years.
rameters into the QrIsK®2-2013 risk calculator.
are the manufacturers
risk scores from the calculator
my risk of having a heart attack or stroke
are interpreted as follows: Individwithin the next 10 years is 1.1%.
and suppliers of medical equipment
uals with low risk have a score of
In other words, in a crowd of 100 people
and various consumable items.
10% or less CVd risk at 10 years,
with the same risk factors as me, 1 is likely to
intermediate risk is a score of 10have a heart attack or stroke within the next
19%, and high risk is a score of
10 years.
Free NHS Health Check
Complete Hospital Equipment
rIsK of hEArt AttACK or stroKE
my body mass index was calculated as 26.78
kg/m2.
How does my 10-year score compare?
my 10-year QrIsK®2 score
1.1%
the score of a typical person
2.5%
with the same age, sex, and
ethnicity as me
my QrIsK® heart Age*
40
following the health Check everyone is given
free personalised advice about what the results
mean and support around staying healthy, they
will also be invited for another check every five
years until they are over 74.
Anyone with a risk score of 20% or higher is
normally asked to go and see the GP for further
advice, and sometimes medication. some of the
lifestyle changes that can help reduce the risk
factors that lead to CVd, and are normally part
of the personalised advice given, include:
Achieve a healthy weight
A healthy diet and regular physical activity is
key to reaching and maintaining a healthy
weight.
Get active
Physical activity doesn't have to mean going to
the gym. try and do at least 150 minutes of
some form of exercise every week.
lower your blood pressure
try and keep blood pressure at a healthy level
by changing diet and the amount of physical
activity.
lower your cholesterol
try and cut down on saturated fat and get active to lower cholesterol.
Cut down on alcohol
try and ensure the recommended drinking levels are not exceeded, especially
without realising it.
Projects carried out.
Email for a free copy of our
full catalogue/buyers guide.
Visit us in our
Central London Medical Store
K-Med, 31 New Cavendish Street,
London W1G 9TT United Kingdom
Tel: +44(0)20 7486 4245
or direct on Mobile 07802 700395
E-mail: [email protected]
www.kmed.co.uk
To advertise call
(UK) 0208 588 9640
(Nig) 07084556093
or email
[email protected]
Stop smoking
one is more likely to succeed with
your local stop smoking service.
rEmEmbEr this is a free service
that will benefit you and help improve your lifestyle. Ask at your
local GP practice or pharmacy for
information on how to get your
free Nhs health Check.
*QRISK® Heart Age is the age at
which a typical person of your sex
and ethnicity has your 10-year
QRISK®2 score
www.qrisk.org/index.php
Chima Olugh. MRPharmS Is a
Pharmacist and works in Public
health
Like us on Facebook
BEAUTYWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
29
AVOID SUMMER MELTDOWN
By Funmi Odegbami
Is the heat causing you to have make-up melt downs? Are those
mascara streaks caused by sweat before the tears? Here are the
simple solutions to looking cool when the heat is on
G
hana braids? Check. fresh pedicure? done. you’re ready for summer
fun when along comes sweat to dampen your mood (not to mention
make your face shiny). then, of course, there’s the annual challenge
of figuring out how to look pretty poolside. If you dare to wear foundation,
you know you are going to get splashed. so is it really possible to keep your
make-up in-tact in the sweltering summer heat?
the recent heatwave has meant we’re all wearing less make-up. however, if
you are anything like me – I do not feel “dressed” without my make-up – then
you are probably still sporting a full face of make-up on a daily basis. If you
have braved the elements and ventured
out with your slap on,
you will also know
that the soaring temperatures mean more
problems keeping it
on. streaky blusher
and smudged mascara
is not a good look.
Good thing I’ve
got some low-effort
tricks for making
your make-up last
PHOTOGRAPHER:
Chuck Noble
longer and waterMAKEUP: Toyin Simire
proofing your beauty
HAIR: Funmi Odegbami
routine. I hope they
MINK LONDON STUDIO
serve you well.
l I always recommend using a face
primer before your foundation.
Apply after moisturiser
and it will keep make-up
looking fresh all day long.
there is a huge variety of
face primers on the market for all different skin
types. some of my
favourites are (i) NArs
make-up Primer (ii) laura
mercier (iii) mAC Prep +
Prime skin brightening
serum, (iv) smashbox Photo finish
and (v) Jane Aredale smooth Affair
facial Primer and brightener.
l Change to a silicone based foundation, such as (i) Kryolan hd microfoundation (ii) makeup forever hd
foundation, and make-up artists’
favourite (iii) Cinema secrets.
l Wear waterproof liners and mascara. for sexy summer eyes, it is crucial to choose a waterproof mascara.
that way, when it gets really hot,
you won't get any mascara accidentally melting onto your face. Instead
of eyeliner, try smudging an eyeshadow under the eyes to give just a
hint of definition – and it won't
budge all day even when the temperature rises. l try a waterproof eye shadow like
hard Candy’s shadowholic which is
designed to last up to 12 hours, in
conditions dry or splashy.
l seal your brows. Nobody wants
brow pencil or powder smudging, so
smudgeproof your brows by sealing
them using a clear wax pencil like
sumita brow set.
l Wear false eye lashes. long
lashes can make eyes look bigger, fuller and more inviting. If
you are not naturally blessed
with sky-high lashes, false eyelashes are the next best thing
and when worn correctly can go
totally undetected. for the best
results use a waterproof eyelash
glue. NEVEr use bonding glue designed for hair.
l blot Powder. try mac blot Powder
to keep your skin looking cool and
IT SMELLS LIKE SUMMER, NOT ALWAYS NICELY
summer is finally here and with
it are the familiar smells of the
neighbour’s barbecue, flowers,
a nearby pool, and a newly
mown lawn. Another smell that
we often associate with the
summer is the offensive whiff
of sweat, or body odour (b.o.).
After a morning spent on a
hot london tube, during the
early rush hour and sitting right
next to yet another stinking
armpit, I can honestly say that I
have had enough. And consequently I have identified the
following sure fire ways to ensure that you are not guilty of
offensive b.o. this summer.
l Wash regularly. It sounds
obvious, but it obviously
needs saying! the best way
to avoid getting b.o. is to
keep areas of your body
prone to sweating clean and
free of bacteria. use soap to
wash every day, paying particular attention to areas that
sweat most, such as armpits,
genital area and feet. the
sweat itself does not smell.
the unpleasant odour is produced by bacteria on the skin
that break down the sweat
into acids. Washing removes
sweat and reduces the level
of bacteria on your skin.
l Change your clothes and
socks on a regular basis, and
wash your clothes regularly.
l use an antiperspirant or deodorant daily. Antiperspirants
work by reducing the amount
of sweat your body produces.
deodorants use perfume
to mask the smell of sweat.
Also try swiping on antiperspirant before bed. this is actually more effective than
applying it in the morning,
since the aluminium based
compounds that block sweat
glands have more time to
absorb before your start perspiring.
l shave your armpits.
the hair in your armpits traps
sweat and odour and provides ideal conditions for
bacteria to multiply.
l Change your diet. sweat
can also take on an offensive
odour if you consume
certain food and drink, such
as garlic, spices and alcohol,
as well as some types of
medication, such as antidepressants.
l In severe cases of body
odour, surgery or treatment
with botulinum toxin may be
possible options.
Funmi doing May7ven's makeup
perspiration-free.
l discover waterproof body concealer. you show maximum skin in
the summer, yet the idea of revealing your less than perfect
areas is daunting at best. the solution? the notoriously invincible
dermablend, which has a new
leg & body Cover designed for
this purpose. It’s made for large
body areas and even contains
sunscreen, to save you having to
apply that as well.
If all else fails, just let your
face shine naturally. there is
something truly sexy and amazing
about a fresh, sun kissed glow.
Top 5 Antiperspirants and Deodorants for
men and women
here are my top 5 antiperspirants and deodorants for both
men and women. Which
one you use will be your
personal choice, but none
of these will steer you in
the wrong direction!
For women
l dove original Antiperspirant roll-on (£2.30)
Smells fresh, doesn’t seem
to leave those horrid
white marks and most importantly, keeps you dry all day.
l sure Women maximum Protection Antiperspirant deodorant Cream (£5.30) Still felt
fresh at the end of the day.
l Kiehl’s superbly Efficient
Antiperspirant & deodorant
(£11.50) Described as “underarm therapy” and is
favoured ahead of deodorants often prescribed by
dermatologists. Works to
combat both odour and
wetness.
l mitchum smart solid Antiperspirant and deodorant
for Women, Powder (£6.74)
Has featured on every top 10
list I can find and seems to be
a winner.
l right Guard xtreme Women
Invisible Antiperspirant de-
odorant (£2.39) No white
marks, great scent, keeps you
fresh.
For men
l ralph lauren Polo big
Pony Green #3 Alcoholfree deodorant (£12.99)
Smells great!
l Gillette Clinical odour
shield 2 in 1 (£12.99) This
will help reduce uncomfortable stickiness with
long-lasting protection.
l men’s science Advanced deodorant (£12.55) A deodorant
that also contains an antiperspirant, making it ideal for
those who enjoy the benefits
of feeling and smelling fresh.
It contains tea tree oil and
other natural ingredients
that help prevent sweat as
well as keeping odour at
bay. It also targets bacteria,
the leading cause of odour.
l dove men +Care Aqua
Impact Powerful Protection
Anti-Perspirant deodorant (£4.63) Bursts of freshness
throughout the day. It is really
soft and caring for your skin.
l brut Anti-Perspirant deodorant spray (£2.57) Great smell
and not overpowering, provides effective protection.
30
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2013
@NigerianWatch
FASHIONWATCH
HOT STUFF
As we’re wearing less to combat the stifling heat, we have
to make more of how we style our look. At this time of
year it is the accessories that make us stand out in a crowd
By Obah Iyamu
Shirtdresses you can’t top a shirtdress for instant
from the style lists of today’s worthy fashionistas, a lucite clear
summer style. from crisp white classics to chambray
framed pair of sunglasses makes for a very cool finish. And for the
and printed silks, the endless options are driving
more daring, bold mirrored lenses take centre stage against a
me bananas. A wise take on this is to invest in a
nude understated clear frame. this trend will flatter any playful
luxe number that you can wear from day to
evening, cinching at the waist for a more elegant
feel, or wearing loose and relaxed for a
tomboyish look.
Jewel earrings your seasonal accessory wardrobe
personality.
Tassels and Fringes yes, you read right,
the boho trend is back for summer
but we are not going all out this
time around. Not everyone can
isn’t all figured out until you add a chic jewel-tone
pull off the bohemian thing but
earring to the collection. Whether it’s a chandelier
a tan suede bag with tassels
style or sturdy pin, jewels will liven up any attire but
there is a catch! Keep away from Christmas baubles
will give an of-the-moment
accent of this trend. this look
and go for solid jewel encrusted earrings, to add taste
is strictly relaxed so wear
to a minimal silhouette. sErIously, we are not
with reckless abandon. A
channeling EastEnders’ Pat butcher in any way.
pair of fringed flat sandals
Clear Mirrored Sunglasses the shades of the
in tan suede is definitely on my
summer 2013 come with clear frames. taking a page
summer agenda.
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FOODWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
31
Ngozi’s KITCHEN
Tackling child obesity
Could it be your
families’ eating
habits? Fat’s not
the way to do it
would grow out of it – I didn’t. By my teens I had
a serious weight problem.”
F
l “My mother served huge portions and made
us carry on eating long after we were full.”
at is an adult word and children can’t be
fat, they can only be grown. If they grow
too big then quite simply they are being
fed cheap food by parents and schools.
Obesity is one of the largest public health issues facing Afro Caribbean children in the diaspora, with around 1 out of 7 being classified as
obese. Obesity can cause serious health problems,
such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart
disease and chronic back pain. More distressingly,
obesity can damage a child’s quality of life and
can often trigger depression.
Most cases of obesity are caused by eating too
much and moving too little. If a child consumes
high amounts of energy from his/her diet, but
does not burn off the energy through exercise and
physical activity, the surplus energy will be turned
into fat.
storIEs from AffECtEd fAmIlIEs
l “She has struggled with her weight from the
age of five. She reached nearly 20 stone in her
teens. It only takes a few extra pounds to actually
be overweight.
l “When she started secondary she was almost
14 stone (89kg) and by then her bad habits were
hard to break. I know I am responsible and I feel
awful about it.”
l “I could see she was carrying a few extra
pounds but she seemed happy. I didn’t want to
mention it because I didn’t want her to feel negative about herself.”
l “I know I am not completely innocent when it
comes to his weight. I have always struggled myself and have some bad eating habits, but I tried
hard to change the way we both ate.”
l “My problems started when I was between five
and seven. Everyone said I had puppy fat and I
l “The turning point came on a holiday to the
US last year. My son was too big to go on certain
rides at a theme park. Upset and humiliated, he
went on a six-week weight-loss and healthy cooking session with The Weight Loss Clinic and lost
nearly 2 stones.”
lIfEstylE ChoICEs
As can be seen from these stories, obesity does not
just happen overnight, it develops gradually from
poor diet and lifestyle choices. Unhealthy eating
habits tend to run in families, as you learn bad
eating habits from your parents. Childhood obesity can be a strong indicator ofweight-related
health problems in later life, showing that learned
unhealthy lifestyle choices continue into adulthood.
Many parents will be confident in their knowledge of food and nutrition and their ability to foster positive eating habits within their families.
Some, however, will admit to feeling overwhelmed
about their ability to feed their families a nutritious diet, due to factors such as being too busy
to read all of the information on nutrition labels;
eating on the go, or in front of the TV, instead of
sitting down for family meals; choosing large portion sizes at home and in restaurants; the low cost
of fast food; value menus providing incentives to
visit fast food establishments and overeat; and the
addictive nature of food.
Many will also agree with me that their children’s eating habits are out of control and cited
several contributing factors, including snacking
outside of the home; peer influence; sedentary activities, such as video games; vending machines
with few healthy options; and unhealthy foods in
schools. Depending on your style of parenting,
your outlook can cause your child to become
obese.
Ngozi’s Kitchen theory on solving this crisis
lies in the kitchen; the only place we can avoid
junk foods and stick to home cooked meals.
We need to understand that from a very early
age children are very good at using a “whole set
of behaviours” to get what they want. It’s easy to
judge but nearly every parent in the land has
caved in to some sort of emotional blackmail
from their child. It just might not be about food.
Parents please check your shopping list and
know what you are taking home for your loved
ones. There is a saying, “tell us what’s in your
fridge and I will tell you who you are”, and my
favourite, “garbage in, garbage out”.
Switching to a healthy diet takes commitment and can be challenging, but it quickly becomes satisfying and routine. It is not easy
especially as many parents are struggling with a
multitude of problems when it comes to their
child’s weight.
They range from a lack of education about
food, limited cooking skills and limited money
to buy healthier food, to longer working hours
and marketing campaigns for junk food aimed
at children. But it is critical for your own wellbeing and to ensure your children have a healthy
future.
Ngozi’s Kitchen run 1-2-1 or group cooking workshops for weight loss and offer exclusive meal plans
for adults and children. For further information
email: [email protected]
HEAlTHy TIPS!
Want to shed that fat for good? What’s in
your fridge? the content of your fridge is
the key to the success of you achieving a
healthy body. shop wisely! for your Exclusive Afro Caribbean meal Plan on the following health-related illnesses; Weight loss,
high Cholesterol, diabetes, high blood Pressure, obesity, hepatitis, thyroid disease,
contact the the Weight loss Clinic at 27
Wimpole st, off harley street, W1G 8GN or
Watch Your Waistline Recipes
oGboNo souP WIth oAtbrAN fufu
that reduces the appetite. Who would have ever
guessed that our ogbono seed would ever become a weight loss supplement?
lENtIls WIth sWEEt PotAtoEs
Ingredients
half a cup of ground ogbono
500g of goat meat
300g bitter leaf
2 red bell peppers, blended
1 onion
handful of crayfish
scotch bonnet chilli (optional)
stockfish & herring (dry fish)
1 Jumbo aroma cube (mushroom)
Cooking Instructions
Wash, season and fry the goat meat and set
aside. blend the bell peppers, onion and chilli.
Pour the meat stock into a skillet. then add the
blended peppers, onion and chilli and ground
ogbono. use a whisk to dissolve the ogbono in
the skillet. Now add the meat, dry fish and stock
fish. Cook over a medium heat. you will notice
the ogbono start to thicken and draw. stir occasionally. Add hot water, stir with love till you
get a rich consistency. set heat to low, cover the
pot and let it simmer. stir right to the bottom
every 2-3 mins for 20 mins, to stop the ogbono
sticking to the base. Cook for another 3 mins.
Add the bitter leaf, stir 5 mins and serve with
oat bran fufu, Pounded yam etc
Note: ogbono helps weight loss by increasing the levels of leptin in the body, a hormone
Ingredients
2 cups red lentils
500g tuna fillets
1 bunch fluted pumpkin leaves (ugu) sliced, or
spinach
Chopped onions
1 red bell pepper, blended
tomato purée
Chilli
dash of olive oil
2 tbsp crushed ginger & garlic
1 tbsp Jumbo smoked Crayfish powder
Cooking Instructions
Wash the lentils, transfer to a sauce pan of boiling water and cook for 20 mins until tender. Add
the olive oil, chopped onions, tomato puree,
blended red bell pepper, ginger, garlic and chilli,
cover and cook for 5 mins. Add sliced fluted
pumpkin and Jumbo powder. stir with love and
allow to simmer for a further 5 mins. serve with
a smile!
TOWNWATCH
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
33
ON THE TOWN
With Toni
thE AdVENt of “tAtE modErNs”
meschac Gaba: Museum Of Contemporary African Art and
Ibrahim El-salahi: A Visionary Modernist – tate modern
FESTIVALS
Brixton Splash
The African Diaspora
Summer Festival
A free community street festival led by the local community,
Brixton Splash will feature a
variety of sound systems on
and around Atlantic Road and
Coldharbour Lane with a
main stage on Windrush
Square. Local performers will
showcase their talent including
Soul, Pop, Ska and Reggae
through to dancehall and roots
music. Head to the Peace Gardens Arts & Family Village for
free workshops, activities and
arts and crafts.
brixton, london
sun 4 Aug, 12-7pm
frEE
Aimed at highlighting the contribution of the African Diaspora to the British society and
Africa, and raising awareness
of topics that are of relevance
to African communities in the
UK, Africa and elsewhere. It
will feature a screening of the
multi-award-winning documentary Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai;
performances by Usifu Jalloh;
and a debate on the topic “The
Vision of the African Diaspora for Africa in the 21st
Century”.
Amnesty International
human right Action Centre, 17-25 New Inn yard,
london, EC2A 3EA
fri 2 Aug, 5-10pm
from £50
www.africandiasporasummerfestival.eventbrite.co.uk www.brixtonsplash.org
Peckham Peace Festival
The Peckham Peace Festival
celebrates peaceful and positive community relations and
the anniversary of the launch
of the Peckham Peace Wall. A
Africa Fashion Week London 2013
Now in its third year, AfWl 2013
is set to see 100 designers on
the runway and over 100 exhibitors spread across old truman brewery’s massive
indoor space. this year, two
new patrons have joined the
organisation: mrs fifi Ejindu,
Nigeria-based architect and
businesswoman, and yinka
shonibare mbE.
the truman brewery, 91
brick lane, london, E1 6Ql
1-3 Aug, from £15
www.africafashionweeklondon.com
fun-filled programme of visual
and performing arts and music
includes local DJs, radio stations Reprezent Young People
and Silver Sounds, local bands
Y’aaba Funk, United Vibrations and more, art club activities for all ages, storytelling
and performance workshops,
as well as picnic areas and a
Peace Market with local
traders and artisans.
Peckham square and Peckham space, london
sat 17 Aug, 12-6pm
frEE
www.southwark.gov.uk
Notting Hill Carnival
The streets of West London
come alive with the sounds
and smells of astonishing
floats, traditional steel drum
bands, scores of massive
sound systems and the hundreds of stalls that line the
streets of Notting Hill. Sunday
is best to visit with the kids
when costume prizes are also
awarded with the main parade
taking place on Bank Holiday
Monday.
25-26 Aug
frEE
www.thenottinghillcarnival.c
om
THEATRE
The Camden Fringe
Back for an 8th year this Summer, the Camden Fringe boasts
180 different productions
across 17 venues across the
borough. From new writing,
poetry, opera, musicals, standup, sketch comedy, dance and
cabaret, the festival is an excellent chance to see newcomers
and old-hands alike.
contemporary art from Africa
alongside work from Europe and
the Americas, to create a wider
narrative.
meschac Gaba’s museum of
Contemporary African Art is the
largest ever acquisition the tate
has ever made in terms of size.
Gaba’s vast 12-room installation
took five years to complete. It
takes the form of an imaginary
museum that looks at the relationship between the different
value systems of the West and
the African continent, using the
symbolism of money to analyse
how it travels, and its role as a
conduit for neocolonialism.
Ibrahim El-sahari was described at the opening as the father of African modernism, with
mr dercon saying ‘he created a
new language of modernism,
Camden borough
29 Jul-25 Aug
from £5
which was very revolutionary at the time.”
A pivotal moment
in his creative development came in 1961
when he met Wole
soyinka and Chinua
Achebe and became
aware of a renaissance under way
across the African continent,
with writers and artists in farflung areas from all over taking
from traditional art to create new
forms for a new era.
so his new language was created. the retrospective is excellent, taking us through his
magnificent still lifes, created at
the slade in london, through his
evolution as an abstract artist,
using the symbols of caligraphy
as a starting point to create his
Black, white, saints, sinners,
do-gooders, gossips, hypocrites, cheats, liars and some
Christians. What do they all
have in common? Church.
Welcome to Hallelujah House,
a modern, bustling Charismatic church in London. This
new comedy play focuses on
life behind the scenes at this
place of worship.
the Etcetera theatre, 265
Camden high st, london,
NW1 7bu
16-18 Aug
from £7.50
already in revolt against her
hardline leadership. Their resentment escalates with the
return of her absentee husband, a trombone-playing
sinner, and the wayward conduct of her formerly paragon,
musical son. Charges of
hypocrisy hang in the air and
Margaret’s devout world
looks perilously close to
falling apart. Beautifully expressed through the rousing
beat of the gospel choir, the
community’s sense of love,
grief and spiritual survival
will be given full voice.
the National theatre,
south bank, london, sE1
9Px
until 14 Aug
from £12
www.camdenfringe.com
www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Black T-Shirt Collection
MonologueSlam UK –
The LA Edition
www.camdenfringe.com
Hallelujah House
From Fringe First winner Inua
Ellams comes a story about
two foster brothers building a
global t-shirt brand. On their
journey through the markets
of Nigeria, nightclubs of Europe and sweatshops of China,
Matthew and Muhammed discover the consequences of success. As their business booms,
they can't evade the secrets
that bind them together and
risk tearing them apart.
battersea Arts Centre,
lavender hill, battersea,
london, sW11 5tN
9-10 Aug, 8pm
from £8
www.bac.org.uk
The Amen Corner
Sister Margaret is the uncompromising pastor of a Harlem
church whose congregation is
Hosted by Holby City star
Jimmy Akingbola, MonologueSlam UK is the ultimate
showcase for actors from all
backgrounds and profiles. 20
actors are given the opportunity to perform for a welcoming audience and a panel of
people in a position to move
their careers forward.
theatre royal stratford
East, Gerry raffles
square, london, E15 1bN
mon 19 Aug, 8pm
from £7.50
www.stratfordeast.com
The Epic Adventure of
Nhamo the Manyika
Warrior and His Sexy
Wife Chipo
African storytelling and theatrical decorum are turned on
own language of life, and brings
us right up to date with a magnificent series of tree studies.
these are two powerful exhibitions and more than deserve
their blockbuster billing. the
African diaspora should flock to
the tate modern. they are reaching out to us after far too long
leaving us in the shadows and
we should respond generously.
until 22 september. free. www.
tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
Bringing good food closer to you
At the opening of this magnificent double header from Africa,
the director of the tate modern
Chris dercon heralded a sea
change in the iconic gallery’s outlook. “In discussions around this
exhibition we wondered very
much whether we should rename the Gallery tate moderns,”
he said.
his point being that modernism in art had been captured
by and was seen as the sole preserve of the West. “but there are
many ‘moderns’,” he continued.
“At some point it will be necessary to have all these artists
under one roof. fortunately we
have two new galleries opening
in 2015.”
this exhibition is the start of
this conscious effort by tate
modern to place modern and
Cafe and African Restaurant
Famous Tuwo / Amala Abula Spot
6 Beckton Road
Canning Town London
E16 1EW
TEL: 0207 476 5591
TEL: 0207 476 8808
Opening Hours
Monday – Thursday
11:00am – 11.30pm
Friday – Saturday
11:00am – 12.30am
Sunday 11:00 – 10pm
272 Barking Road
East Ham, London E6 3BA
Tel: 0208 5522865
Mobile: 07814472757
Opening Hours
Sunday – Saturday
12noon – 10pm
285 – 287 Heathway
Dagenham RM9 5AQ
TELPHONE: 0208 984 8141
Opening hours
Sunday – Saturday
11:00am – 9pm
Tasty Authentic West African Flavours
at Affordable Prices
www.squiresrestaurant.co.uk
34
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
TOWNWATCH
REVIEW mEtAmorPhosIs
Metamorphosis is the classic existential novel
written by Franz Kafka. It tells the story of Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesman, who wakes up
one morning to find himself transformed into a
grotesque insect.
It is never explained in the book why this happens but what is clear is Samsa feels he is a burden to his family. It is this strain of the narrative
that the director of this tautly adapted production focuses on.
The action takes place in a Yoruba village
where a young woman, a travelling saleswoman,
falls sick. Her mother, best friend and employer
all try to take control of
the situation with evidently
increasing impatience and
frustration.
Pelas is a well-known
and well-respected London fringe theatre and TV
producer and he has delivered a wonderful version
of this classic tale. Different to but on a par with
Steven Berkoff’s seminal
production with Tim
Roth.
Pelas’ production has a
harrowing and heartfelt
genesis. He was great
friends with Beloved
Apostle Bimpe, who died
from breast cancer earlier
this year.
their heads in an epic new comedy.
A desperate narrator has just 24
hours to create the ultimate
African fable but the superstar
cast is missing a hero. Suddenly, a
dashing goatherd appears on the
horizon… Nhamo. Is he The One?
tricycle theatre, 269 Kilburn
high road, london, NW6 7Jr
1-17 Aug, 7.30pm
from £14
www.tricycle.co.uk
The Diary of Black Men
The Diary of Black Men: “How
Do You Love A Black Woman?” is
the longest touring and most successful stage play in Black theatre
history. The performance addresses the issues of love, trust and
black family values through a se-
ries of scenarios examining the relationships between black men and
women using six male stereotypes:
The Player, The Blue Collar
Worker, The Militant, The Wall
Street Brother, The Black Muslim
and The Hustler. Expect to be
challenged, educated and entertained.
the New bingley hall, 1 hockley Circus, birmingham, b18
5PP
11 Aug, 7.30pm
fairfield halls, Park lane,
Croydon, Cr9 1dG
15-18 Aug, 7.30pm
from £20
Sweet Taboo by TYPT:13
TYPT is a unique opportunity for
emerging theatre makers to work
She and Pelas had first become acquainted
working together on films before she was diagnosed with the condition.
When she was told the cancer was incurable
she asked Mr Pelas to make a film of her life, so
he was intimately engaged with her as her condition deteriorated, staying with her and supporting her through her final days in a hospice.
It was this experience that inspired his adaptation of Kafka’s work as he watched how her
inevitable demise effected her family and friends.
The production quite brilliantly captures the
turmoil when an outcome is known, pitting hope
against a desire to hasten an end.
Peppered with humour and heartache, astonishing performances from the whole cast, it
more than deserved to sell-out as it did at the
intimate Curtain’s UP Theatre in Barons Court.
Hopefully it will re-emerge at another venue
soon.
bursting with music and dance, this gripping drama charts the
rise and fall of legendary leader Patrice lumumba, whose passionate determination to free his people from belgian rule inspired great courage and betrayal. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as
Patrice lumumba in this uK premiere at the young Vic.
young Vic, 66 the Cut, Waterloo, london, sE1 8lZ
until 17 Aug, from £10
www.youngvic.org
20 years after the tragic murder of teenager
stephen lawrence, music’s biggest names unite
for a special concert championing youth and
social empowerment. unity - A concert for
stephen lawrence boasts an impressive line-up
that includes Emeli sandé, rizzle Kicks, labrinth,
Plan b, Jamie Cullum, Jessie J, tinie tempah,
rudimental, Ed sheeran & soul II soul, with more
to be announced.
tickets are on sale now.
Indigo2, millennium Way, Peninsula square,
london, sE10 0Ax
sun 29 sep, £40-70
www.theo2.co.uk
ABOVE: Nick Pelas and Beloved Apostle Bimpe
with leading practitioners to create
and perform an original piece of
drama. This year, Mojisola Adebayo (I Stand Corrected) leads the
creative team, which will work
with a group of multi-talented performers to deliver Sweet Taboo, an
original piece of theatre exploring
gender and sexuality.
tara theatre, 256 Garratt
lane, Earlsfield, london,
sW18 4Es
15-17 Aug, 7.30pm
from £6
www.tara-arts.com
Fences
Lenny Henry leads the cast in this
award-winning
20th-century
American drama. Henry plays
Troy Maxson, a once gifted athlete
who was denied his shot at success
and now finds daily life a struggle.
Resentful of a world he believes
has denied him chances at every
turn, Maxson takes his anger out
on his loyal wife and sports-obsessed son. Set between the Korean and Vietnam wars, the play is
the story of a family trying to hold
itself together. duchess theatre, 3-5 Catherine street, london, WC2b 5lA
until 14 sep
from £20
www.nimaxtheatres.com
A Season in the Congo
uNIty – A CONCERT FOR
STEPHEN LAWRENCE
The Color Purple
A landmark musical from the
Pulitzer Prize winning novel by
Alice Walker, The Color Purple is
an unforgettable story of enduring
love and triumph over adversity.
This stirring family chronicle follows the inspirational Celie, as she
journeys from childhood through
joy and despair, anguish and hope
to discover the power of love and
life. With a fresh, joyous score of
jazz, ragtime, gospel and blues,
this European premiere stars Cynthia Erivo as Celie, Adebayo Bolaji
as Harpo and Abiona Omonua as
Nettie.
menier Chocolate factory, 53
southwark street, london,
sE1 1ru
until 14 sep
from £27.50
www.menierchocolatefactory.com
NOW BOOKING
activities and events on stage and
backstage at many of the West
End's iconic venues, often with the
cast and crew of the resident
shows. From tea parties to acting
lessons, there's something to spark
every child's imagination. See
website for full T&Cs.
Various venues
1-31 Aug
frEE for children
www.kidsweek.co.uk
All My Sons
Fascinating Fossils
Starring Don Warrington MBE
and Doña Croll, All My Sons is a
searing investigation of honesty,
guilt and the corrupting power of
greed.
It is 1947 and Joe and Kate
Keller, an all-American couple,
have the ghosts of World War II
living in their own backyard. Joe is
a successful, self-made businessman, a loving family man and a
pillar of the community. He is a
partner in a machine shop building fighter plane parts. One thing
overshadows Joe and Kate's happiness - their son is missing in action, presumed dead by all but his
mother...
the royal Exchange theatre,
st Ann’s square, manchester,
m2 7dh
25 sep-26 oct
from £10
Richard Cuming, the founder of
the Cuming Museum collection
was just 5 years old when he was
given an old foreign coin and three
fossils. A chance to make your
own replica fossil and display box
and start your own museum
collection.
Inspire, Crypt at st Peter’s,
liverpool Grove, sE17 2hh
15 Aug, 2.30-4pm
frEE
www.royalexchange.co.uk
FOR CHILDREN
Kids Week
Treat your children to a live theatre
experience thanks to the great
offers available during Kids Week.
One child aged 16 or under can go
free to participating shows when
accompanied by an adult paying
full price. Children can also take
part in a fantastic range of free
www.southwark.gov.uk
COMEDY
Crack Ya Ribs
One of Nigeria’s most resourceful
entertainers, Julius Agwu, returns
with a bigger and better Crack Ya
Ribs taking over the Indig02. The
impressive line-up includes Eddie
Kadi,
Bovi,
Akpororo,
Senator, Funny Bone, Daniel D'
humorous and many more, plus a
live performance by KCEE (Mr
Limpopo)
Indigo2, millennium Way,
Greenwich, sE10 0dx
fri 23 Aug, 6-11pm
from £25
www.theo2.co.uk
Strictly Come Laughing
Friends of Tafo bring you the
comedy show in support of a
small, impoverished Ghanaian
town. Hosted by Eddie Nestor &
Robbie Gee featuring Eddie Kadi,
A Dot, Stephen K Amos, Axel,
Glenda
Haxson,
Richard
Blackwood, Kane Brown, Kat,
Jermain Jackman and a special
guest appearance from Lenny
Henry. With even more to be
announced, this hilarious night for
a good cause is not to be missed.
hackney Empire, 291 mare
street, london, E8 1EJ
sun 8 sep, 7.30pm
from £15
www.hackneyempire.co.uk
EXHIBITIONS
michael x, Africa and the middle East
This show offers a broad perspective of events and individuals –
from Britain, Africa and the Middle East – in the 1960s and 1970s.
The central portrait shows
Michael X, a reformed gangster
and British civil rights activist
born in Trinidad who was controversially executed for murder there
in 1975. The large central section
represents Topolski’s travels
through Africa in the early 1960s
and later in the 1970s, decades
when colonial rule was coming to
an end.
memoir of the Century, Nr.
royal festival hall, southbank. from £2
www.felikstopolski.com
EyeOpener Gallery Tours:
Africa at The British Museum
The diverse cultural life of Africa
has been expressed through everyday objects and unique works of
art since ancient times. The Museum’s collection of over 200,000
African items encompasses ar-
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NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
TOWNWATCH
35
AFRICA CENTRE SUMMER FESTIvAl
DIASPORA’S WEST END DEBUT
the Africa Centre is back in full force
with its first ever summer festival,
curated by no other than acclaimed
artist, yinka shonibare mbE.
the festival, taking place in and
around Covent Garden Piazza on 34 August, forms part of the Centre’s
reinvigorated programme of events,
to showcase and support emerging
talent from the African continent
and the diaspora.
headline act, Nneka – (below) international star and neo-soul singer
best known for her 2008 single
Heartbeat – is certain to draw the
crowds with a live performance on
saturday evening. other performing
chaeological and contemporary
material from across the continent.
Highlights on display in Room 25
include a magnificent brass head
of a Yoruba ruler from Ife in Nige-
artists include dJ Edu (bbC 1xtra’s
‘destination Africa’), Wale ojo
(above), the london Afrobeat Collective and many, many others.
under shonibare’s curatorship,
the festival will also feature African
films and photography; visual art
exhibitions from the likes of otobong Nkanga and Nathalie mba
bikoro; as well as a catwalk show
from Africa fashion Week london.
As far as African cultural events
go, this one is not to be missed!
the Africa Centre, 38 King street,
Covent Garden, london, WC2E 8Jt
3-4 Aug.
to download the festival programme and for more info go to
www.africacentre.org.uk
Central African sculpture, textiles
and weaponry.
british museum, Great russell
street, london, WC1b 3dG
frEE
www.britishmuseum.org
AfrICAN odyssEy We ♥ Carnival
We ♥ Carnival Screenings 2013
LOOKING AHEAD
Nothing But A Man
Explore the art, history, culture and politics of the Caribbean Carnival in London
and Trinidad through a host of screenings,
performance and discussion.
The day will be hosted by Michael La
Rose of Savannah View and chair of the
George Padmore Institute, with special
guest, director Horace Ové.
Films include King Carnival (UKUSA-W Ger 1973. Dir Horace Ové.
50min); King Carnival (Trinidad 1994. Dir
Dalton Narine. 61min); and Sequins, Soca
and Sweat (UK 2006. Dir Stephen Rudder.
49min).
sat 10 Aug 11:00-17:00 Nft3
African Odysseys has been running since
2007 and screens films that are selected by
cultural leaders, film makers and experts
who make up the African Caribbean Consultative Committee at the BFI Southbank.
www.bfi.org.uk
Malcolm X’s favourite film, a ground
breaking account of one man’s spirited
struggle for livelihood and humanity in
early 60s.
fri 27 sep. 14:00 Nft2
stars Jide Kosoko, Dejumo
Lewis, Wale Ododuwa and Iya
Mero among others.
ImAx odeon Cinema, bugsby
Way, Greenwich, sE10 0QJ
fri 2 Aug, 8pm
www.labothemovie.com
African Worlds
Origins of the Afro Comb
discover the extraordinary 6,000year history of African hair combs.
this exhibition traces forms and
motifs of the afro comb over time
and space, as the African diaspora
grew. recent developments are explored with objects like the 20th
century ‘black fist’ comb and an investigation of current hair-styling
practices. Alongside the exhibition
will be a vast selection of events
including talks, workshops, and
object handling sessions.
museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, downing street, Cambridge Cb2 3dZ. until 28 sep
www.maa.cam.ac.uk or
www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
ria, the Tree of Life (a sculpture
made out of guns) and some objects from the Torday collection of
The first permanent exhibition in Britain dedicated to
African art and culture,
African Worlds celebrates
the continent’s diversity, history and creativity. It brings
together a rich mixture of
sculpture and decorative
arts explained through the
voices of elders, maskers,
drummers, diviners, artists,
exiles, curators and anthropologists. Objects from
across Africa are displayed
from Egypt to Zimbabwe,
and from African related
cultures including Brazil
and Trinidad. Highlights include masterpieces of the
bronze casters art from
Benin, which depict the arrival of the first Europeans
to Africa.
horniman museum &
Gardens, 100 london
road, london, sE23 3PQ
daily
frEE
www.horniman.ac.uk
CINEMA
Premiere: LABO! Life Is
A Journey
Shot in Nigeria, Ghana
and London, this multilingual film is an Afro/British
family battle for cultural
supremacy. Addressing different cultural ills, the LABO Life
is a Journey is full of romance,
suspense and culture. The film
OTHER
Miles for Macmillan
Cancer is indiscriminate of race
and affects us all. This summer,
join one of nine walking events at
beautiful Royal Park and National
Park locations across the UK to
have fun with family and friends
and help fundraise for Macmillan
Cancer Support. See the website
for full event information, but
keep an eye out for the London
walk in Regents Park on 31 August.
31 Aug-15 sep
Killer of Sheep + Masterclass
USA 1977. Dir Charles Burnett. 80min
A poetic drama about family and community. Followed by a Q&A with director
Charles Burnett and producer Ray Brown
with preview clips from new film 83 Days:
The Murder of George Stinney Jr.
sat 5 oct 14:00 Nft1
www.africanodysseys.wordpress.com
4 Little Girls
USA 1997. Dir Spike Lee.
Award-winning documentary about the
racist terror attack on an African American church, plus rare footage of Dr Martin
Luther King.
sat 14 sep 14:00 Nft1
From Award-Winning Producers
StageWalkers Group & The Klub International Managenent Company
THOMAS MELONCON’S
THE“How
DIARY
OF
BLACK
MEN
Do You Love A Black Women?”
STAR STUDDED CAST…
Russell Andrews
Edwin Lee Gibson
Clayton LeBouef Lawrence Gillard Jr.
Oris Ehuero
Daryl Keith Roach
Limited Seats On Sale Now!
Book Now To Avoid Disappointment
www.macmillan.org.uk/walk
The African Market
The African Market features a selection of the most talented designers from Africa. It showcases
original and ethical fashion, accessories, jewellery, shoes, arts &
crafts, homeware, natural beauty
products, books, music, arts and
more.
old spitalfields market,
brushfield street, london, E1
6EW
Every 4th sat, 11am-5pm
frEE
www.newbingleyhall.co.uk
www.fairfieldhalls.co.uk
The New Bingley Hall
Fairfield Halls
1 Hockley Circus
Hockley
Birmingham B18 5PP
Park Lane
Croydon CR9 1DG
Sunday August 11, 2013
Thursday August 15, 2013
till
Sunday 18th August 2013
Box Office
0121 554 6561
www.theticketsellers.co.uk
The Diary of Black Men
Summit Records
+44 20 8688 9291
more details visit website
www.dairyofblackmen.com
The Klub
INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT COMPANY
www.oldspitalfieldsmarket.com
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MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
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Imo Show of Fame Live
Imo State brings its leading musicians, comedians and artists to the
UK to promote its culture and
music to a UK audience in London and Birmingham. The
marathon show hosted by come-
Box Office
Booking Hotline
0121 455 8844
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36
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
dian Uche Ogbuagu will feature
King Owigiri, Shama Melody, ND
Arabanko, Wilson Nwane, Chief
Vicman Ekwueme, Chioma Jesus,
Chidinma Okafor, and Uzochi
Njoku.
Enabling Centre, 640 ripple
road, barking, IG11 0sr
sat 27 Jul, 9pm-5am
the max, 170-174 Great
hampton row, birmingham,
b19 3JP
sat 3 Aug, 9pm-5am
from £20
www.ticketmania.co.uk
Go Jazz Concert
Created to raise the profile of ethnic minority jazz acts, Go-Jazz is
a night of music and spoken
word. This year’s legendary lineup includes Nigeria’s Contemporary Award Winning
Saxophonist, Yemi Sax; MOBO
Award Winning UK Jazz Band,
Kairos4tet; MOBO Nominee
Jazz Guitarist, Femi Temowo and
lots more.
Jazz Café, 5 Parkway, london,
NW1 7PG
mon 26 Aug, 6pm
from £27.50
www.go-jazz.co.uk
Live Jazz Music
Global Beats Festival
After two hugely successful weeks of
live music in Wilton’s mahogany bar,
the Global beats festival is graduating
in to the auditorium. Curated by Planetman, for four nights only Wilton’s will
bring the cultural melting pot of east
london under one roof. headlining saturday night is the dele sosimi Afrobeat
orchestra from Nigeria.
Wilton’s music hall, Graces Alley, off
Ensign st, E1 8Jb
14 – 17th August from £8
www.globalbeats.org
A concert featuring
smooth Afro jazz, Latin
jazz, bossa nova or
funk with keyboards,
vocals and percussion.
the blue Posts, 28
rupert street, london Chinatown, london, W1d 6dJ
Every sun, 4pm
frEE
www.taylorwalker.co.uk/
pub/blue-posts-stjames/c6707/
CLUBS
Afrospot
Afrospot is a night playing the best in Afro, reggae, dub and folkloric.
Hosted by Kodjovi
Kush and The Afrospot
All-Stars.
Passing Clouds, 1
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TOWNWATCH
richmond street, london, E8
4AA
Every last sat of month
www.passingclouds.org
Every sun, 8.30pm-3am
from £5
JUJU!
www.liquidclubs.com
Juju! with DJ Volta45 and Chief
Commander Yaaba, showcasing
the finest hand-picked selection of
true roots music from the heart
and soul of Africa.
upstairs at the ritzy, brixton
oval, Coldharbour lane, london, sW2 1JG
Every 1st sat
from £5
Fridays at Paradigm Bar
'Oh-Noooooo'
Resident DJs spinning a mix of
R'n'B, afro pop, old skool, hip hop
and soca tracks.
Paradigm bar, 78-79 leadenhall street, the City, london,
EC3A 3dh
Every fri, 9pm-3am
A night of diverse nu jazz, broken
beat, old skool hip hop, Afro beat
and breakbeats.
Juno bar, 134-135 shoreditch
high street, shadwell, london, E1 6JE
Every last thu, 8pm
frEE
2 Dam Funky
www.junoshoreditch.co.uk
Phat Thursdays
Featuring hip hop, RnB, bashment, funky, afro beats and more
liquid & Envy, 233 high
street, uxbridge, ub8 1ld
Every thu, 9.30pm-3am
from £7
Funky vibes, funky grooves and
funky dancers reconnect you to
the original energy of the Africa
Centre. With DJs 2 Dam Funky
and The Last Poets
the silver bullet, 4-5 station
Place, finsbury Park, london,
N4 2dh
Every mon, 7pm
from £7
Williams Cumberbache
A dirty Afro-Latin funk jam session
with master Latin American percussionist Williams Cumberbache.
Passing Clouds, 1 richmond
road, london, E8 4AA
Every sun, 9pm
from £3
www.passingclouds.org
www.thesilverbullet.co.uk
Je Ne Sais Quoi
What Sundays Were Made
For
A friendly night of music, dance
with music mixed by DJB Veneno
Negro, resident DJ and guest spinning naija beats.
El Penol, 382 brixton road,
stockwell, london, sW9 7AW
Funk, jazz, hip-hop, house, electro, Afro and Latin music with
Marathon Men, aka Freddy McQuinn and Simbad.
Every 3rd sat, 8pm-1am
from £4
Vibe bar, 91-95 brick lane,
Whitechapel, london, E1 6Ql
NOW BOOKING
THE 11TH LONDON
AFRICAN MUSIC FESTIVAL
the 11th london African
music festival takes place in
11 venues across london,
with many artists performing
in london for the time.
Acts from all over Africa
are booked, including Nigerians; the Venus bushfires
(right), Queen salawa Abeni
and the yoruba Women Choir,
lekan babalola and the
Afrobeat messengers and
tunday Akintan (above).
Gigs take place at venues
across london, from the south
bank Queen Elizabeth hall to
the Jazz Cafe, and rich mix, to
the hideaway and bar 414.
Visit the Joyful Noise website to check out the acts;
clicking on the name of the
artists reveals the venue and
where to buy tickets (prices
vary).
11th - 22nd september 2013
www.joyfulnoise.co.uk
AFROHITS
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August 2013
MUSICWATCH
37
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ww
o
c
.
s
t
i
h
w. a f r o
ONES TO WATCH
TOp
20 AFrOBEATS
TERRy G
The Ginjah master has been being a busy
man as he prepares to go on a European
tour later on in the year, something he
announced only this week.
Not happy with simply putting on a
12-date live
tour across
Europe, Terry
G recently
surprised his
fans by releasing an
official video
for a dancehall track titled PULL OFF. Displaying his reggae swag to the amazement of all, it actually established him as
a formidable entertainer in the Nigerian
music scene. Catch him on iROKING in
advance of the tour in September and
October.
http://youtu.be/khRCIlvhBwk
FlAvOUR
SINGlES
Superstar Flavour N'abania has recently
completed a short tour of the United
States where he performed classic tracks
off his Blessed album, to big crowds.
Before leaving for the USofA, he released the official video for the traditional marriage theme song Ada Ada.
The blockbuster video instantly became
the people’s favourite, featuring stars
from the world of movies and music, notably Mr Ibu, Uti Nwachukwu and KC
limpopo – all showing the very best of
Igbo culture. http://youtu.be/2lUFM8yTtUc
m
No. Artist
1
2
davido
Iyanya
3
4
shake
maleek berry
ft Wizkid
5
6
7
8
9
q
w
may d
Wizkid
Iyanya
banky W
lynxxx
may d
dbanj
e
r
t
y
Wizkid ft
femi Kuti
davido
Iyanya
tiwa savage
u
i
o
p
a
burna boy
lola rae
honey b
tiwa savage
donaeo
title
Gobe
sexy mama
ft Wizkid
flavour
the matter
AFrOBrEAKErS
VIBE SQuAD - COME OVEr
UK Afrobeats’ dynamic duo are back with another cut set to get the crowd moving.
At a kind of mid tempo Afrobeats pace the track packs a bag full of romantic lyrics
aimed squarely at the ladies. This should get the summer time crowds swaying and
the opening lyrics of “you want a man that’s popular, handsome and muscular” have
got to be amongst the most hilariously bold lyrics to kick off a tune in a while (ladies
beware of any man that chats you up with these lines). With Weray Ent’s Obitan on
directorial duties, this video gets our vote. Though not the most technically brilliant
offering out there, it tells the story and accompanies the good time vibes (pardon the
pun folks) of the track in abundance.
AFrOBrEAKErS
HONEY B - up
AND DOWN
I had nearly finished this month’s
Afrobreakers chart before coming
across this brilliant new artist called
Honey B. Female Afrobeats artists are a rarity that
should be cultivated and encouraged. So on hearing this
young songstress performing at the One Mic event at
london’s Queen of Hoxton venue, I decided to check
out more of her material online and came across this
video. What chops this lady has got! Whereas the
tune starts off a bit slow (in other words not
enough Afrobeats lingo for this reviewer’s liking)
it gets off the ground near the middle when Ms B
starts throwing a bit more vernacular and Pidgin
into the mix. That’s when this reviewer really got
into the whole gist of the matter. The production is
slick and pulsating and really helps to keep the
track moving. Well done to the team for bringing another female artist into into the limelight of Afrobeats.
EFA
following the huge success of his hit single Open & Close featuring dammy Krane,
the Ibadan born rap
artist got busy and
decided to roll out
something new for
the ladies.
last week, Efa,
who is signed to
Jus Kidding
records, released
another single ti-
tled Sunmobi, making it clear to his critics
that he is not just an artist, but a musician.
We’re big fans of his here at Afrohits and
we’re keeping a close eye on his progress
as he continues to storm Nigeria’s music
scene.
http://iroking.com/track/13314/sunmobi
pHYNO
As he gears up to release his debut album
later this year, the man of the year has
been rolling out the hits and getting featured by other artists.
Phyno has recently
released a fresh new
track, Street Musik,
that showcases his
insane lyrical delivery in both his native Igbo and
English, fusing
both languages
and making big
beats even bigger.
http://iroking.com/ track/13189/streetmuzik-clean-version
Gat me high
Azonto
ur Waist
yes/No
fine lady ft Wizkid
so many tinz
dont tell me
Nonsense
Jaiye Jaiye
All of you
flavour
Ife Wa Gbona ft
leo Wonder
run my race
Watch my ting Go
up down
olorun mi
fire (Afro beats
rmx) ft mista silva
& fuse odG
This chart has been compiled by combined
YouTube views and iROKING views & downloads
TOp
20 AFrOBrEAKErS
No. Artist
1
2
3
4
5
Psquare
2face
flavour
Kcee
Iyanya
6
7
8
9
q
w
e
r
t
y
u
i
o
p
a
burna boy
olamide
timaya
basky
bracket
Phyno
terry G
Waje
skuki
reminisce
ruffcoin
Goldie
Wizboyy
El-Phlex
snaZ
title
Personally
rainbow remix
Ada Ada
limpopo
Jombolo ft
flavour
run my race
durosoke
Ekolomba demba
Gentleman
temperature
obago
Pull off
I Wish
Voom Va
Government
single ladies
miliki
Wizolingo
Jamalo
I don't mind
This chart is compiled by information from
YouTube.
38
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
EDUCATIONWATCH
@NigerianWatch
Is your child achieving their
developmental stages in reading?
It is school holidays and time for diligent
parents to dust off the book lists and get
their children reading. However, is your child
reaching the development stages in reading?
Becoming literate is one of the most
important things your child will do.
Learning to read is a complex and multistage process that children begin to go
through almost immediately after birth.
Your child will glean much of his
information from the world through reading
and he will need the skill to be highly
developed in order to succeed academically
and in his chosen career.
If you understand the process by which your
child learns to read, you can help them develop
their abilities to the fullest by using appropriate
techniques at each stage. You can also be on the
lookout for any potential learning disabilities he
might have. Deviation from the expected stages
does not automatically qualify as a disability,
but if you suspect his troubles are more than
what is normal, you should consult a professional for a diagnosis.
The most commonly referenced stages of
reading development come from the expert Dr
Jeanne Chall. Based on her 1967 research at
Harvard University and put down in her book
The Stages of Reading Development in 1983,
Chall summarised the process of learning to
read in six stages. However, many parents and
specialist reading instructors will confirm that
the six stages occur far earlier for most children
who are read to from birth, and who receive
reading instruction.
We set out below Chall’s very useful six stages.
However, many parents, specialist reading instructors and high performing schools in the UK
know that these stages are experienced far earlier
by many children. Children as young as 4, some
even as young as 3, can be taught how to read,
with comprehension dawning a little later. Your
children, too, can reach these stages early.
PRE-READING: BIRTH TO AGE 6
Experience Shows: Birth to Age 3
In the first stage, reading occurs mostly when you
read to your child and point out words and link
them to pictures and objects. Toddlers may begin
to pretend to read by mimicking and flipping
through the pages of books. Your child should be
able to recite the alphabet, recognise letters, and
write his own name.
To help your child develop in the first stage,
read to him often. Children who are read to regularly generally become better readers in the future than those who are not. The more frequently
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the world, rather than existing only in the dusty pages of a textbook! This
practical element, along with the understanding of key concepts and principles
of identified approaches, will enhance your professional competency.
You’ll be able to work either in direct control of projects or in a research-based
capacity looking at improving project processes, integrating projects with the
business environment.
Apply now for September!
Visit lsbu.ac.uk or call course enquiries
0800 923 88 88
The brighter choice
you can share this time with him, the more successful he will be. As she gets closer to year one,
help him to begin recognising letters and sounding them out. He can follow along in books that
you read to him.
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EDUCATIONWATCH
you. When you are reading, choose more advanced books that will challenge her.
FlUENCy: yEARS 3 AND 4
Experience Shows: years 2 and 3 (Ages 6-7)
By stage 3, your child should become a more fluent reader. His speed and accuracy should be improving and he will likely be reading the same
books over and over again, to help with fluency.
Already knowing the story helps him to become
a more confident and a faster reader.
At the fluency stage, you should still be reading to your child, but he should be reading to you
and to himself more often. Encourage him to
reread his favourite books and provide him with
as many reading materials as he wants.
READING FOR NEW lEARNING:
yEAR 5 TO yEAR 9
Experience Shows: year 4 to year 9
(Ages 8-13)
READING/DECODING:
yEARS 2 AND 3
Experience shows: Nursery to year 1
(Ages 3-5)
In this second stage, your child should be able to
connect letters to their sounds. She should be
sounding out letters and running them together
to figure out what words are written. At this stage,
it will be difficult for her to grasp the meaning of
stories, as she will be heavily focused on decoding
individual words and phrases.
You should include direct instruction in lettersound relations (phonics) and practice in their
use. You should continue to read to your child
during this stage, but also include time for her to
read to you. Choose books that are at her level
and be patient while she sounds out words for
ories and themes.
By this stage, your child is a largely independent reader. He will most likely have plenty to read
based on his assignments from school, but you
should still encourage him to read for fun. Also,
there is nothing wrong with reading together
when he is a teenager. This is when to ensure that
your relationship with your child is strong; reading together is a bonding exercise.
CONSTRUCTION AND RECONSTRUCTION – UNIvERSITy TO
ADUlTHOOD
In adulthood, reading becomes highly independent. The reader generally chooses what to read,
what to get out of it, and is comfortable with multiple types of sources and viewpoints. If you have
done your job well, at this point your child should
be an advanced and avid reader who no longer
needs your help.
Experience Shows: years 9 to year 13
(Ages 13-18)
At this stage, your child should be able to glean
more than just the basic facts when reading. In
both fiction and non-fiction works, he can begin
to understand different viewpoints, opinions, the-
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Sherlock, BA, LLb, is a mother of two who
heads the programme development team of language acquisition specialists and mathematicians
at Leaders are Readers Saturday and Summer
Schools. Telephone 01992 651 300; www.leadersarereaders.co.uk.
MUlTIPlE vIEWPOINTS:
yEARS 10 TO 13
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39
The stages of reading development outlined
by Chall are a guideline, and the ages at which
these stages are experienced by many children in
the highest performing schools in the UK are provided above so as to help you become more ambitious for your own child. However, if your child
falls behind Chall’s stages for their age, it does not
mean your child will not become a good reader.
But she may need a little extra help.
Is your 3½ year old ready to learn to read?
Take this quiz on this website to find out:
www.leadersarereaders.co.uk/quick_quiz.aspx
By the fourth stage, your child should be fluent
enough to move to newer and more challenging
reading materials. She can begin to read for
meaning and will begin to develop her comprehension skills through reading and study of textbooks, reference works, trade books, newspapers
and magazines that contain new ideas and values.
By year four and beyond you should provide
your child with a wide variety of books and magazines to read. Incorporate non-fiction and more
challenging fiction to help her with comprehension. Watch out – she may begin to develop ideas
and opinions different from your own!
+, / #& &#- )*#+# *
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., )#* '+ #00'+% "*'//',+
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
5+ & 4+
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1RUWKZRRG+$+7
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40
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
TRAVELWATCH
100 REASONS TO VISIT ‘FASCINATING
who revealed their activities would be privatesector driven. mr. sanomi added that the council
would ensure a conducive environment and
guarantee healthy synergy between it and the
private sector. other members of the board are
folorunsho Alakija as the Vice Chairman; Emeka
offor; Abdulsamad rabiu; omoba yemisi shyllon; daisy danjuma and Alhaji Abubakar mohammed.
Nigeria’s federal Government has launched two
initiatives to reveal to the world its wealth of
cultural diversity and natural beauty, to boost
the country’s tourism industry.
the first has seen the establishment of a National heritage Council and Endowment for the
Arts. It has been charged by the minister of
tourism, Culture and National orientation, Edem
duke to designate as ‘national monuments’ 100
cities across Nigeria.
the minister is yet to name the cities, but he
explained that the establishment of the council
was geared toward nurturing creativity and pre-
serving the country’s cultural heritage.
“the objective is to underscore the importance of the visual, literary, design, and performing arts in nurturing creativity and preserving
our cultural heritage,” mr. duke added.
he expressed the hope that it would serve as
a platform for creative minds to express their
natural talents, get employment, as well as create jobs. “Nigerians are creating masterpieces in
works of arts while our cultural industries are
also brimming with activities,” he added.
he said the board has a three-year tenure.
the Chairman of the new Council is Igho sanomi,
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FASCINATING NIGERIA
meanwhile President Goodluck Jonathan simultaneously launched a tourism identity programme as part of an ambitious plan to
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and foreigners to the country in a bid to reduce
the dependency of oil and gas.
unveiling the programme at a dinner organised to showcase the country’s rich tourism and
cultural potential, President Jonathan reiterated his government’s commitment to developing the sector. President Jonathan said that if properly harnessed, the tourism industry would generate
income and attract investment to drive Nigeria’s economy. he added that the federal gov-
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shall create employment and wealth for our
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large diaspora population provides an opportunity for success when packaged with festivals
and events for presentation to the international and regional tour operators,” President
Jonathan added. he noted that a brand identity with a strong
marketing campaign, which would have an emphasis on media and tour operator familiarisation visits would go a long way in projecting
Nigeria to the world.
FROM L-R:
Mandara
mountains, Yola.
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Festival. Gate to
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Kastina. Drill
Monkey at The
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Monkey Rehab
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NIGERIA’
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
HOTELWATCH
Cities with potential to be National monuments
CITY
WHY
Arochukwu
The Cave of the famous long juju oracle: The cave is
believed to hold the long metal pipe through which the
gods speak to the people
Yola
Topography of hill chains and the fishing festival at lake
Njuwa between the months of March and May
Igbo-Ukwu
Ife
Ooni’s Palace: this palace has been designated by the
State as a historical monument. Ife Museum: It is
appreciated for its numerous archeological artifacts
Abuja
The capital, Aso Rock, National Assembly, Zuma Rock,
Abuja National Mosque, Millennium Park.
Calabar
Famed for its colonial architecture, which can be found
in the older parts of the city, and festival.
Maiduguri
The Shehu’s Palace: a Museum which presents
collections from the history of Borna. The Zoo (Kyarimi
Park) and Lake Alau. The Muslim festivals of Eid-el-Fitr
and Eid-el-Kabir. These festivals are characterised by
colourful activities such as Dabur and horse racing
Ancient town which has remained an attraction to
tourists because of its bronze artifacts
Lokoja
Lokoja was an important centre for slave trade during the
era of slavery in Nigeria. The spot where slaves were
freed was marked with a piece of iron pole now referred
to as the "Iron of Liberty"
Lagos
Tafawa Balewa Square: Lagos’ commercial heart, which
has some remarkable monuments (statues of a
gargantuan horse, the Remembrance Arcade, the 26storey Independence House). Freedom Park: a memorial
park dedicated to preserving the Lagos’ colonial
heritage and history.
Abeokuta
Olumo Rock: One of the most popular tourist destinations
in Nigeria. The rock provided sanctuary to the people as
well as a vantage point to monitor the enemy’s advance.
Kano
Kastina
Kurmi Market: reputedly the largest market in Africa.
The Emir’s Palace is the most striking example of
Kano’s traditional Hausa architecture.
Tourist attraction because of the wall that surrounds it
with its seven different gates. The Emir’s palaces:
unique architectural structure. The Gobarau Minaret: It
was built of baked clay and mud and is a thing of
wonder.
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41
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STAY HILTON, GO EVERYWHERE.
42
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
TAlES By MOONlIGHT
Of the Pretty Stranger
who Killed the King
m
botu was a very famous
king of Old Town, Calabar. He was frequently at
war, and was always successful, as he
was a most skilful leader. All the prisoners he took were made slaves. He
therefore became very rich, but, on
the other hand, he had many enemies.
The people of Itu in particular were
very angry with him and wanted to
kill him, but they were not strong
enough to beat Mbotu in a pitched
battle, so they had to resort to craft.
The Itu people had an old woman
who was a witch and could turn herself into whatever she pleased, and
when she offered to kill Mbotu, the
people were very glad, and promised
her plenty of money and cloth if she
succeeded in ridding them of their
worst enemy. The witch then turned
herself into a young and pretty girl,
and having armed herself with a very
sharp knife, which she concealed in
her bosom, she went to Old Town,
Calabar, to seek the king.
It happened that when she arrived
there was a big play being held in the
town, and all the people from the surrounding country had come in to
dance and feast. Oyaikan, the witch,
went to the play, and walked about so
that every one could see her.
Directly she appeared the people
all marvelled at her beauty, and said
that she was as beautiful as the setting sun when all the sky was red.
Word was quickly brought to King
Mbotu, who, it was well known, was
fond of pretty girls, and he sent for
her at once, all the people agreeing
that she was quite worthy of being
the King’s wife.
When she appeared before him he
fancied her so much that he told her
he would marry her that very day.
@NigerianWatch
LEISUREWATCH
Oyaikan was very pleased at this, as
she had never expected to get her opportunity so quickly. She therefore
prepared a dainty meal for the King,
into which she placed a strong medicine to make him sleep, and then
went down to the river to wash.
When she had finished it was getting dark, so she went to the King’s
compound, carrying her dish on her
head, and was at once shown in to
the King, who embraced her affectionately. She then offered him the
food, which she said, quite truly, she
had prepared with her own hands.
The King ate the whole dish, and immediately began to feel very sleepy,
as the medicine was strong and took
effect quickly.
They retired to the King’s chamber, and the King went to sleep at
once. About midnight, when all the
town was quiet, Oyaikan drew her
knife from her bosom and cut the
King’s head off. She put the head in
a bag and went out very softly, shutting and barring the door behind
her. Then she walked through the
town without any one observing her,
and went straight to Itu, where she
placed King Mbotu’s head before
her own King.
When the people heard that the
witch had been successful and that
their enemy was dead, there was great
rejoicing, and the King of Itu at once
made up his mind to attack Old
Town, Calabar. He therefore got his
fighting men together and took them
in canoes by the creeks to Old Town,
taking care that no one carried word
to Calabar that he was coming.
The morning following the murder of Mbotu his people were rather
surprised that he did not appear at his
usual time, so his head wife knocked
at his door. Not receiving any answer
she called the household together,
and they broke open the door.
When they entered the room they
found the King lying dead on his bed
covered in blood, but his head was
missing. At this a great shout went
up, and the whole town mourned. Although they missed the pretty
stranger, they never connected her
with the death of their King, and
were quite unsuspicious of any danger, and were unprepared for fighting.
In the middle of the mourning,
while they were all dancing, crying,
and drinking palm wine, the King of
Itu with all his soldiers attacked Old
Town, taking them quite by surprise,
and as their leader was dead, the Calabar people were very soon defeated,
and many were killed and taken prisoners.
Moral – Never marry a stranger, no
matter how pretty she may be.
Do you recall a favourite Tale by
Moonlight?
We’d love to print it.
Please forward to
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PUZZLES
Answers and solution on Page 47
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)
NAIJAKU
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)
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RELIGIONWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
Proverbs 29:18 says; If people can’t see
what God is doing they stumble all over
themselves. But when they attend to
what he reveals they are most blessed.
Picture your
futurE
So picture your future and go and
prosper!
CItIZENs of hEAVEN (thE ArK)
scintilla - Km 20 lekki-Epe Expressway, between Chevron & oluwaninsola Estate, lekki, lagos, Nigeria
+2348091110893
email: [email protected].
www.thearkng.org
fACEbooK: Citizens of heaven,
the Ark
REV. CRAIG IS A SENIOR PASTOR
AT CITIZENS OF HEAVEN,
LAGOS, NIGERIA
N
o matter your area of calling,
what you cannot see today
will never become real in your
life tomorrow.
So the question God is asking us
this season is what do you see? Because
if you see nothing in front, you will get
nothing ahead, as God told Abram.
lows God to release his grace towards
fulfillment. Until you can picture your
future accurately, until you see well,
God is not committed.
GENEsIs 13:14-15
“And the Lord said to Abram after Lot
had separated from him; lift up your
eyes now and look from the place where
you are. Northward, Southward, Eastward and Westward, for all the land
which you see I give to you and your descendants forever.”
God is only committed to what you
can see because your mental picture al-
JErEmIAh 1:11-12
“Moreover the word of the LORD came
to me, saying, ‘Jeremiah, what do you
see?’ And I said, ‘I see a branch of an almond tree.’ Then the LORD said to me,
‘You have seen well, for I am ready to
perform My word’.”
Vision is essentially a mental picture
of your actual future. And without a
43
vision the people “perish” (Proverbs
29:18).
What do you see about your finances, business, marriage, children,
relationship, health, success; what do
you see?
l What your heart cannot capture in
picture will never feature in your future
l Until it’s in your heart it will never
be in your hand
l What is too big for your heart is too
big for your hand
l If you can settle it in your mind then
God will settle it in your life.
Joseph, in the book of Genesis, was
a world class dreamer. His dreams were
crystal clear and he declared them
boldly.
And as long as he was able to see it,
God was able to do it.
Joseph didn’t consider his circumstance. His mental picture was too
vivid. So his end became as envisioned.
His end became as dreamed. His future
became as pictured.
Your vision of your picture will affect your entire existence.
The message translation of
44
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
@NigerianWatch
PROPERTYWATCH
DON’T lET SKy-HIGH PRICES lOCK yOU OUT
there’s an alternative to
buying a property
outright that could help
those looking to get on
the housing ladder, says
olumide ontiri-Coker
With property prices in London breaking all time records,
the possibility of playing the
property game without even
buying a property should become a new avenue for many
investors.
Alternative
investment
routes within the property
market have for years been the
language of city professionals
who spread their capital across
many funds, portfolios and
sectors in search of good return. Yet, this language is now
being adopted by a new breed
of first-time investors wanting
to get a slice of the London
property cake. Investments ranging from
car parking space to Self-Invested Personal Pensions
(SIPP) are drawing the attention of investors. With these,
investment capital as low as
£5,000 can be invested into
property portfolio’s most investors would otherwise be unable to buy in a lifetime, which
on paper could mean owning
luxury apartments in Knightsbridge or an entire retail site in
Edinburgh.
In a recent interview in the
Telegraph, Mr De Bunsen
from Henderson Global Investors stated that property is
“illiquid” – it cannot be traded
like an equity; it is slower to
buy and sell and has high
transaction costs.
Yet, for many, purchasing a
property to use as a home can
never be substituted by an investment product simply because there is little personal or
sentimental value attached to
equity investments. However,
those struggling to find a 25%
deposit for a buy-to-let property in prime central London,
now view owning a share in a
property fund as being just as
attractive and with less management need.
Franklin Templeton’s Colin
Morton, who manages the UK
Equity Income fund, said he
was bullish on the UK economy rebounding and so had
invested in house builders. He
also points to the government’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme as
an additional buffer for future
demand.
However, the sceptics still
remain who clearly remember
popular funds managed
by the likes of New Star
and Aviva that were
forced to impose exit restrictions, locking out investors because of
liquidity problems they
faced in the 2007/08
market crash.
Therefore, being a
savvy investor shouldn’t
be taken lightly. One of
the key areas investors
should pay attention to
when investing in small
property investments is
to study the types of
properties and locations
within the portfolio.
Knowing the funds entry
and exit strategy is fundamental in reducing capital risk.
A Growth fund to observe
is Vanbrugh Prime Properties,
which provides access into the
super-prime London residential sector, where minimum investments start at £64,000.
In April 2010 when first
time buyers dropped below
350,000 for the first time in 20
years and mortgage offers
were at a low, the reality hit
many buyers that purchasing a
property in the next decade
looked doubtful.
So as a new investor in
today’s climate, instead of
struggling to open a locked
door, considering a door that
opens and closes by itself in
the form of a fund may not be
such a bad idea.
Olumide Onitiri-Coker is Head
Property Consultant at Avinell.
[email protected]
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46
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
Ibe – a
rising
star for
the reds
WbA PAy osAZE
…to PlAy Golf
WEST Bromwich Albion (WBA) enter the new season
in the absurd position of paying a proven goalscorer
around £2m a year – to play golf.
The stand off between the club and want-away
striker Peter ‘Osaze’ Odemwingie has been going on
for around one year since the club reacted badly to the
perfectly normal discontent of a player who found
himself spending too much time on the sub’s bench.
The club’s mismanagement of that situation intensified with January’s QPR transfer debacle, for which
West Brom refuse to
accept any responsibility.
Despite Osaze entering the last year of
his contract the club
has slapped a £2m
price tag on his head.
Several Premiership clubs have
showed an interest in
the player, including
Fulham who are believed to have offered
Crystal
£1.5m.
Palace, Hull City,
Golfer: Peter Odemwingie
Sunderland, West Ham
and Cardiff City are also all thought to be interested
in the player. Osaze was left out of WBA’s pre-season tour of
Austria as the club prepares for the forthcoming campaign and has taken to playing golf to pass his time.
He recently joked with his fans on Twitter saying
that he was fast becoming addicted to golf. “I think I
need some anti-golf tablets because the desire to play
is getting too much. Greetings to everyone. Brum still
hot like in Hawaii.”
YOUR PATHWAY
TO SUCCESS?
the pioneering Pathway sports organisation is staging
a day-long workshop to inspire disaffected youth into
making something of their lives.
supported by the Nigerian high Commissioner dr
dalhatu tafida, Canuk chairman bimbo roberts and
mayor of Greenwich Angela Cornforth, the initiative
aims to show youths there is an alternative life to crime.
the programme is the brainchild of Pathway sports
CEo david doherty, who knows from experience the lure
of easy money. A self-confessed and repentant former
419-er his mission in life has become to stop members of
the next generation from falling into the same trap.
he launched the social enterprise last year, “to enrich
the life of local youths through sports, education, career
development and training, thereby reducing the crime
rate within the community”. In other words he wanted
to put in place what had been absent in his youth – opportunities and knowledge of opportunities.
the youth Elevation workshop will feature motivational talks – including from dayo Israel; skills development sessions, with expert advice on things such as
starting a business, jobs training and how to become a
sports coach; brainstorming on youth issues and community relations and development; free refreshments, courtesy of Nando’s; and entertainment from local talent.
the youth Elevation workshop runs from 9-4pm on
saturday, 3 August, at Greenwich Community College,
Plumstead road, sE18 7dQ. It is free but attendees are
asked to pre-register via www.ptwgrp.eventbrite.co.uk
@NigerianWatch
SPORTWATCH
young, gifted and a hot shot in attack, Nigerian Jordon Ibe looks
set to become a firm favourite of the famous Anfield Kop, having
made an explosive introduction to the liverpool first team squad,
writes AJ James.
In the starting 11 for the shankly Cup – contested against Preston North End to mark the Centenary of the legendary liverpool
and former PNE manager – 17-year-old Ibe announced his arrival in
senior football, with a stunning goal from 20 yards out. liverpool
went on to win 4-1.
this was only Ibe’s second senior
match for the club after his unexpected
introduction against QPr on the last day
of last season, when he set up the match
winner for his strike partner Philip
Coutinho.
Ibe has been an early starter throughout his career. he made his Wycombe
debut at the age of 15 in August 2011
and became the club’s youngest ever
scorer two months later, with a superb
solo goal against sheffield Wednesday.
It seems the precocious youngster
with a fast turn of pace and fancy footwork is to become a regular for the reds,
as they seek to become the barcelona
of the North under brendan rodgers’
leadership.
According to the Liverpool Echo club
manager rodgers has ordered the exciting young striker to “shoot on sight”.
“the gaffer’s just told me to keep
shooting whenever I get the ball,” Ibe
said. “he’s told me if I get the chance to
shoot to take it and to make my decisions earlier. he’s been helping me
throughout the game.
“I’ve scored a lot of goals throughout
my career, and hopefully I can carry on
scoring a few more.” of his scorcher
against Preston he said, “I took my time
with the shot and just waited for it to
cross the line and when it did I just felt so
happy.”
And, it seems, a tad surprised too. “I
didn’t have a celebration so I just put my
emerge at Arsenal since Jack Wilshere.
hands in front of my face. I was so reMeanwhile Chelsea’s teenage sensation lieved, and I looked at brendan. It felt
Habib Makanjuola, 16, has been the centre of good today, with the sun out and playing
attention at the Golden Eaglets camp in Cal- with such world class players.”
the youngster is full of praise for
abar as the team starts preparations for the
reds’ boss rogers, who he revealed has
forthcoming U17 World Cup.
been giving him one-to-one mentoring.
A creative playmaker, Makanjuola, who
“I’ve still got a lot to learn, especially
hails from Ifon in Osun State, said, “I’m a with my defending,” Ibe said. “but the
Nigerian boy and the only country I want to gaffer’s helping me a lot, especially what
play for is Nigeria. I’m delighted to be here to to do when I don’t have the ball. he’s
show what I can do but I can see that there are showing me how to come to tuck in and
watch the full-back and centre-back;
also many good players here and I’m deterknowing what to do when I haven’t got
mined to do the best I can to be part of the the ball.”
Golden Eaglets at the [U-17] World Cup.”
on tour with the senior squad in InThe competition takes place in the UAE be- donesia Ibe looks set to play a starring
role for the reds this season.
tween October 17 and November 8.
NAIJA YOUTHS ON THE UP AT
ARSENAL AND CHELSEA TOO
Dubbed the “new Thierry Henry”, Arsenal’s
teenage wonder Chuba Akpom, 17, scored twice
for the Gunners in their 7-1 friendly win over
Vietnam's national team during the club's ongoing Asian pre-season tour. A player with a physical presence in the
penalty area, Akpom is dangerous in the air and
good at running beyond defenders. Akpom has
been capped by England at Under-16, Under-17
and Under-19 levels but is eligible to play for
Nigeria through his parents. Brought through the youth ranks by Arsenal,
the youngster is one of manager Arsène
Wenger's new crop of British youngsters being
carefully groomed. Football watchers say
Akpom is the most exciting English prospect to
Like us on Facebook
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
SPORTWATCH
ABOVE: Antonio Pettigrew waits to receive the baton ahead of The Nigerians RIGHT:Rejoicing after winner Silver.
Cont. from page 48 but have
only just received the medals
after years of appealing because
the USA team refused to relinquish them.
The athletes were scheduled
to receive their medals from
President Goodluck Jonathan
as Nigerian Watch went to press
at a ceremony at Aso Rock.
Their only regret was that one
of their number, the late Sunday
Bada, was not alive to share in
the moment of glory.
“Bada will not be there in
person to collect his medal. He
was our leader and it is sad that
he will not share in this moment
of glory with us,” said UdoObong of the late former Athletics Federation of Nigeria
technical director and a long
standing athlete.
Many will still recall the
bravado of the Nigerian team,
anchored by Udo-Obong, who
came from a disadvantaged position to overhaul Jamaica and
Bahamas to clinch silver.
Udo-Obong told Nigerian
media that it was a surprise
that the President will be receiving the team. “It is a pleasant surprise we are being
47
hosted by the President. It is a
double joy for us that after all
these 12 years we are getting
the gold medal.”
The victorious quartet were
Clement Chukwu who started,
handed over to Jude Monye
and then Bada and finally
Odo-Obong. The reserves were
Fidelis Gazama and Nduka
Awazie.
READy FOR THE OFF IN MOSCOW
Continued from page 48 b e h i n d
tyson Gay and Asafa Powell – who
are being investigated after failing
drug tests – and Justin Gatlin. Astonishingly James’ time puts him
ahead of usain bolt, whose season
best is 9.94 seconds.
uK Athletics’ performance director Neil black told trackside reporters at the birmingham meeting
that they believe the 25-year-old
can run even faster.
“It’s impossible to say what his
potential is and we think there is
more to come,” black said.
dasaolu has been improving
with every race this season, delivering personal bests in six of the
seven outings he’s had.
he will need to medal in moscow
if team Gb is to achieve its target of
getting six podium finishes.
OHURUOGO SISTERS NAMED IN TEAM GB: After winning the Birmingham Diamond
League race with a late, late charge to the line, to take victory from Amantle Montsho,
Christine Ohuruogu will look to regain the title she won in 2007. Ohuruogu’s sister Victoria
is also named as a member of the 4x400m squad – making them the first sisters to feature
together in a world championship team.
Team Nigeria believes it has
prepared for the IAAF World
Championships in Moscow in a
manner to avoid a repeat of the
mighty disappointment that was
the London Olympics.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria
(AFN) says it has assembled a crack
team good enough to put smile on the
faces of sports-loving Nigerians everywhere. The reason? Athletes have had
to meet stringent qualification times to
get on the plane. To date 19 athletes
have passed the test.
For example, the male sprinters were
required to have run a time of 10.6 seconds, while the female athletes were
given a standard of 11.85 seconds.
The clearest hopes of a medal in
Moscow yet again rest with Blessing
Okagbare. Currently the world’s number one in the women’s 200m, with a
season’s best time of 22.31 seconds,
she is also rated third best in the world
in both the long jump and 100m sprint.
She heads up an impressive
women’s team. Adejoke Odunmosu is
expected to perform well in the 400m
hurdles, and Regina George in the
400m dash.
This is representative of strength in
depth in the women’s squad, and has
led to high hopes for both the 4x100m
and 4x400m relay teams. Okagbare,
Gloria Asumnu, Peace Uko and
Stephanie Kalu will contest the former,
while four from George, Omolara
Omotosho, Patience Okon, Josephine
Ehige and Bukola Agbokunlogo will
contest the latter.
The country’s best hope for a medal
in the men’s events is sprinter OghoOghene Egwero, who won the 100m
national title in the Cross River/All
Nigerian Open Champs in Calabar.
Some notable athletes such as the
African champion in the men’s triple
jump, London-based Tosin Oke have
yet to make the qualification mark for
the world championship.
Others include Doreen Amata (high
jump), Ugonna Ndu (100m hurdles),
Selim Nurudeen (110m hurdles), Abiola Onakoya and the men’s 4x100m’s
relay team. They have been given three
weeks to qualify for their individual
and team events or forget the ticket to
Moscow.
The IAAF World Athletics Championships, Moscow 2013, will run from
August 10-18. Nigeria has not won a
gold medal in the IAAF World Championship since the maiden games in
1983. The last time Nigeria made it to
the podium was in Seville, Spain, in
1999, when hurdler Gloria Alozie
grabbed silver and sprinter Francis
Obikwelu a bronze.
PuZZlE solutIoNs
Puzzles on page 38
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2013
INSIDE
MOSCOW
SPORT WATCH
August 2013
ATHLETIC
WORLD
nigerianwatch.com
JUSTICE DELIVERED FOR
NIGERIA’S RELAY SQUAD
CHAMPS 2013
British Nigerian
breaks 10 second
barrier for 100m
4 X 400M ATHLETES RECEIVE OLYMPIC GOLD – 12 YEARS LATE
Twelve years after the race
was run, the 4x400m relay
squad
that
contested
the Sydney2000 Olympics
for Nigeria finally got to pick
up their just reward – the gold
medals.
The team were robbed of
glory at the millennium games
by the USA. They won gold on
the night but were later disqualified when one of their squad
was found to have taken a performance enhancing drugs.
Nigeria, who claimed silver,
automatically became champions as a result Turn to page 47
south-london born british Nigerian
James dasaolu produced a stunning run at the british Championships on July 13, clocking 9.91
seconds to become the secondfastest briton of all time, after linford Christie (9.87).
he is now a clear contender to
pick up a medal at next month’s
World Championships in moscow,
having risen from 22nd to fourth in
the world rankings, Turn to page 47
FROM L-R: Enefiok Udo-Obong, Mrs Sumbo Bada (Wife of Late Sunday Bada), Jude Monye, and Clement Chukwu

August 2013 - Nigerian Watch

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