May 2013 - Nigerian Watch

Transcription

E
E
1
ST ANNIVERSARY EDITION
F
R
SPONSORED BY
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
Issue No 013
MoNthly
to Inspire, Inform and Entertain
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
News
5 Voter apathy is costing
black communities dear
7 ‘Unity’ the real prize at
Africa Nations Cup UK
10 The fatal flaw in
Thatcher’s legacy
AMBASSADOR
TAFIDA
THE MAKING OF A
Features
20 ‘Perfect storm’ brewing
over the Sahel, says report
14 Parenting in the spotlight
as child welfare concerns rise
SUCCESSFUL
DIASPORA
Life & Style
32 Hair and how to embrace
the natural look
33 Saluting Black President
43 Lagos-Kano railway open
Business & Property
24 Nigeria SWOT analysis
impresses business council
Education
39 How to help your child
avoid the “summer slide”
Sport
42 All roads lead to Brazil –
for seniors and juniors
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2
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
Follow us on Twitter
@NigerianWatch
NEWSWATCH
Our common purpose
o
ver the past year since we launched Nigerian Watch we
have become closely acquainted with a great many
Nigerian community leaders and have spent a great deal
of time in Nigeria, otherwise known as the banqueting hall of
the high Commission in Northumberland Avenue.
While we frequently go to hear from visiting dignitaries or
report on formal events, equally as often we go to celebrate a
great achievement or innovative success from hard-working
members of the diaspora community.
Both sets of guests share a common purpose – to reform their
communities for the benefit of their compatriots.
the mission is no more a remote ivory tower - it is the
platform on which examples of the very best practice from here
and home are rightly paraded. this is a new era for which we
give grateful thanks to Nigeria's ambassador to the UK Dr
Dalhatu Sarki tafida, one marked by increasing and greater
openness.
he – the Kingmaker in 2011 – represents the new Nigeria, and
the new diaspora.
It is our endeavour too.
last year it was said Nigeria is rising.
Now Nigeria is awake.
Maryanne Jemide, MD
CORRECTION
yinka Shonibare MBE is to be awarded the highest honour a Nigerian citizen can receive in recognition of his
many great acheivements as an artist, and not, as
stated in the previous edition of Nigerian Watch, be
made a Commander of the Federal Republic, which, as
is implicit from its description, is reserved for the President alone.
Visa rules, fees and forms change
A raft of changes to the process
of making visa applications came
into force at the beginning of
April – including the introduction
of new application forms and an
increase in fees.
New rules have been introduced
governing applicants who fall under
the headings; graduate entrepreneur,
exceptional talent (both Tier 1),
intra-company transfers (Tier 2),
and PhD students (Tier 4).
There are also “minor changes”
to rules governing Family and Private Life – to ensure there are the
necessary requirements for granting
discretionary leave to unaccompanied asylum seeking children, and
amending the length of discretionary leave granted to these young
people to simplify the process and
provide some continuity for them –
and temporary workers.
Coinciding with the changes new
application forms and fees were introduced and any application submitted on old forms and without the
correct fee will not be processed.
From 1 April 2013 the UK Border Agency was split into 2 separate
units within the Home Office: an immigration and visa service and an
immigration law enforcement division.
For more information visit
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk
CAMPAIGN AIMS TO HALT SPREAD OF HIV
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; Nnimmo Bassey;
Fatimah yo-Fanah Kelleher; Ngozi
Chief Cartoonist
harold ogbeide
Office address
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An unprecedented health awareness campaign has been
launched to halt the spread of HIV among the UK
African diaspora.
It Starts With Me will run until Spring 2015, making
it the largest-ever HIV prevention campaign to target
Africans in the UK.
It has been created by the Terrence Higgins Trust and
funded by the Department of Health, in response to recent figures that reveal the proportion of Africans acquiring HIV within the UK, as opposed to overseas, is
now higher than ever.
It Starts With Me will emphasise the personal role
that each and every African can play in stopping the
spread of HIV in its tracks and drawing together the
whole community in that effort.
Taku Mukiwa, Health Promotion Specialist for
African communities at Terrence Higgins Trust said:
“While a cure or vaccine for HIV remains out of reach,
what many might not realise is that medical advances
mean it is now within the grasp of Africans living in
England to stop the virus in its tracks in this country.
“By getting as many people with HIV as possible
tested and on effective treatment, we will see new infection rates fall rapidly.”
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4
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
@NigerianWatch
NEWSWATCH
THE BLACK VOTE CAN SWING ELECTIONS –
SO WHY DO ONLY 1 IN 4 OF US VOTE?
STEPHEN LAWRENCE REMEMBERED AS SIMON WOOLLEY EXHORTS US TO VOTE
Voter apathy is costing us
dear and threatens to
undermine the many tangible
gains made over the past 20
campaigning
years,
community leader and
founder of Operation Black
Vote Simon Woolley has
warned, writes AJ James.
Black communities aren’t
unlucky when it comes to austerity cuts, he said. “We suffer
disproportionately because we
don’t count.”
Making the keynote speech
at the second annual CLR
James lecture at the eponymously-named library in Dalston, Hackney, Mr Woolley
told the gathering that Tory
politicians sent their “thanks;
thanks for not voting” as it
meant they didn’t have to worry
about offending the ‘black vote’
when making funding decisions. “You don’t count, so they
don’t have to bother.”
Asked to address the theme
of the importance of the black
vote Mr Woolley delivered a
passionate rallying cry to the 50
people who had turned out to
hear him and grill an expert
panel, including Diane Abbot
MP and Pauline Prentice, the
plain speaking Hackney mum
who shot to fame during the
2011 London protests.
Mr Woolley started his
speech by noting it was both
the week when Mrs Thatcher
had died and 10 days before the
20th anniversary of the savage,
racist murder of schoolboy
Stephen Lawrence.
It was out of the struggle for
justice for Stephen that OBV
was born. “When this young
boy died in April 1993, no-one
wanted to know,” recalled Mr
Woolley.
But a few good people refused to let the matter rest and
continued to fight for justice.
The response to a second tragic
killing, that of head teacher
Philip Lawrence, allowed them
to expose the double standards
at play comparing the responses to the two senseless
killings.
“Come 1996 and OBV was
born,” Mr Woolley continued.
“Our message was simple; it’s
no longer the case that black
people ask for justice, we demand it.”
The demand could be made
on the basis of some critical research he had carried out,
which revealed the black vote
could be the deciding factor in
100 seats, primarily in the big
cities.
“As a community we had
been demonised in the 80s and
90s because there was no political price to pay – this
was a game changer,” he
observed.
The first thing they
did with their new power
was to demand an Inquiry into the killing of
Stephen
Lawrence.
“Me, Diane, [the late]
Bernie [Grant], Paul
Boateng, went to Jack Straw
and told Labour, we want an
inquiry in exchange for backing.”
Their demand was met and
the McPherson Inquiry took
place “and it told us what we
already knew, that the police
were racist, that all the institutions were institutionally racist.
And you ask, why vote? Go figure.”
“We can only change things
if we become politically
strong,” he said. “Why do we
vote? Because the journey is
not complete. A Tory told me
to tell the black community
thanks for not voting. It means
they don’t count. It means I
don’t have to waste my time
talking to them when I go canvassing. Why vote? Because
there’s still a lot of work to be
done. “
He told the story of Craig
Owen – the assumed name of
Liberian Max Kpakio, who
saw his job application dismissed when submitted under
his African name but progressed when submitted using
his assumed English name.
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“ W h y
he
vote!?”
continued.
“Because even
our secretary
of state for edu c a t i o n
Michael Gove
admits that
black children
are marked
down
in
school
because of the
colour of their
skin.
How
does he know
that? Because
when
their
work is marked blindly they do
better. Why vote?!”
He continued to outline how
Mr Gove had planned to remove black icons Mary Seacole
and Equiano from the curriculum. In less than three weeks a
petition of over 30,000 had
been raised in opposition to the
proposal.
“Three weeks and Mr Gove
wrote saying he thought they
were very important for our
curriculum. Why? Because we
stood up. That’s why vote.”
The next battle is the fact
that under the new curriculum
“our children won’t see a black
NUMBER CRUNChING
the meeting heard that only
50% of the black population
that is eligible to vote is registered to vote. of that 50%,
only 50% actually vote,
meaning that in total only
25% (1 in 4 black people)
bother to vote.
It is feared that changes to
the way people register to
vote will further adversely
impact the ‘black’ vote. traditionally one person from
each household has been responsible for registering
everyone in the house. From
2014 individuals will have to
register personally, and produce corroborating ID.
face on the history curriculum
until they are 11. Is that acceptable. If not, what are you going
to do about it?”
“Voting is a lever for
change,” he said, but not the be
all and end all. “We have to ask
ourselves, what is our role.
What is our role in a society
where unemployment among
young black men is running at
60%? Why do we vote? Because
the journey is not complete.”
The panellists spoke with
one voice that voting was the
only way to make a difference.
Ms Abbot told the meeting,
“There’s one group of people
no politician will dare to touch,
that will not be losing any benefits under austerity measures,
and that is older people. Why?
Because there’s one thing every
politician knows - older people
vote.
“That’s why you have to
vote – if you don’t vote no political party will take any notice
of you.”
And she exemplified how
not voting had hit young people. “If young people ask you
why they should vote. Just mention EMA (educational maintenance allowance). That was a
purely political decision. What
difference does voting make?
That’s the kind of difference.”
“It’s the only way you can
make a difference,” agreed
Pauline Pearce
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
NEWSWATCH
5
Flying Doctor set to reach greater heights
British born Nigerian and founder of
Flying Doctors Nigeria ola orekunrin
has been awarded the prestigious
young leaders title by the World Economic Forum.
ola, 27, was born in lowestoft in
Suffolk and qualified from the University of Kent as a medical doctor aged
just 21 – having passed her A-levels
she enrolled on the course aged just
15. She is not just a doctor but also a
specialist in trauma care.
yet it is for none of the above she
has been given the young leaders
award. Rather it is for developing Flying Doctors Nigeria in response to a
personal tragedy.
It was while studying to become a
doctor a few years ago that ola’s
younger sister fell seriously ill while
travelling in Nigeria. the 12-year-old
who’d returned home to see relatives,
needed urgent care but the nearest
hospital wasn’t equipped to deal with
her condition.
orekunrin and her family immediately began looking for an air ambulance service to rapidly transport the
girl, a sickle cell anaemia sufferer, to a
more suitable healthcare facility. they
searched all across West Africa but
were stunned to find out there was
none in the whole region.
“the nearest one at the time was
in South Africa,” recalls orekunrin.
“they had a 12-hour activation time
so by the time they were ready to activate, my sister was dead.
“It was really a devastating time
for me and I started thinking about
whether I should be in England talking about healthcare in Africa, or I
should be in Africa dealing with
healthcare and trying to do something about it.”
orekunrin did the latter, setting up
Flying Doctors Nigeria, the first air
ambulance service in West Africa,
transporting victims of medical emergencies.
Currently in its third year, the
lagos-based company has so far airlifted about 500 patients, using a fleet
of planes and helicopters to rapidly
move injured workers and critically ill
people from remote areas to hospitals.
on being included in the young
Global leaders class of 2013, a group
described as the best of today’s leaders under the age of 40, ola said, “It
came as a surprise to me actually – I’m
really flattered and really happy.”
yoUNG GloBAl lEADER ClASS oF 2013
Drawn from a pool of several thousand candidates, the 2013 YGLs were
chosen by a committee, chaired by
H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of
Jordan. The selection was based on
the proven track record of the individual, his or her leadership experience, ability to overcome adversity
and commitment to society.
“The Forum of Young Global
Leaders provides a unique effort to
engage the younger generation into
the management of global affairs,
working together and being integrated into the larger Forum commu-
nity. The Young Global Leaders have
an exceptional opportunity to improve the state of the world,” Klaus
Schwab, Founder and Executive
Chairman, World Economic Forum.
Alongside Ola, other Nigerians in
the class are: Alex Okosi, known as
the man who brought MTV to
Africa; Tara Fela-Duroyoye, founder
of Nigeria’s first ever make-up
school; Ndubuisi Ekekwe, author, inventor and founder of the Africa Institution of Technology; and
songwriter/producer
Cobhams
(Emanuel Asuquo).
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
Achebe celebration planned
NIGERIANS within the UK have decided
to organise a Chinua Achebe Day in August
in honour of the literary colossus, who
passed away on March 21.
At the recent Second London Annual Igbo
Conference which took place at the School of
Oriental and African Studies,
it was decided that a day
marked with literary activities would be the best way to
honour the icon.
Details are still being
worked out but it is likely
that the event will involve a
seminar, readings from numerous authors, a dramatisation of Things Fall Apart
and a symposium.
Dr Ndubuisi Anike, the
organiser of the Igbo conference that attracted academics, authors, musicians and
artists from all across the
world, said that it was organised to enhance the
use of the Igbo language as a means of communication.
Among those who participated at the conference was prominent Igbo author Chika Unigwe
who read from her latest novel Night Dancer.
Prominent academics like Ghanaian lecturer
Dr Kwado Osei-Nyame who teaches African literature at the University of London and Dr
Akin Oyetade a senior lecturer of Yoruba Lan-
@NigerianWatch
NEWSWATCH
guage at the same university were also invited
as guest speakers. Nollywood director Amaka
Igwe also sent an address on the role of the Igbo
language in film production.
Dr Anike said: “Achebe’s writing brought
Igbo, Nigerian and African history and culture
to an international audience
and his legacy will be eternal.
A tribute has been incorporated into the programme and
we are also in the midst of
planning an event to celebrate
his life and works.”
So far, a date is yet to be set
for Achebe’s funeral and it is
unclear if he will lie in state in
London enroute to Nigeria
for his burial at Ogidi in
Anambra State.
Anambra State governor
Peter Obi has already met
with Achebe’s children in the
US and the final details of the
burial plan are being worked out. Governor Obi
has promised to give Achebe a grand burial in
line with its policy to honour every Anambra
citizen that has brought honour to the state.
One matter delegates at the Igbo conference
agreed on was not to refer to Achebe as late as
his work lives on and the man is very much
alive. “No one talks about the Late William
Shakespeare, so we should not talk about the
Late Chinua Achebe either,” Dr Anike said.
MISSING PERSON APPEAL
Police in Bexley have issued
an appeal for information
concerning the whereabouts
of 14-year-old Emmanuel Akinte (pictured left).
From Welling, Emmanuel
was last seen at around 10.45
am on Friday 12th April outside Bexleyheath Magistrates
Court. Emmanuel is believed
to have connections in the
lewisham, Woolwich and
Bromley areas. he is de-
scribed as being 5ft 10inches
to 6ft tall, of muscular build
and both ears are pierced.
If you know the whereabouts of Emmanuel please
call police on 101 and quote
13MIS011476. or call the Bexley Police Missing Persons
Unit on: 020 8284 9111. If you
wish to remain ANoNyMoUS
phone Crimestoppers on 0800
555 111, to tell them what
you know, not who you are.
STEPHEN LAWRENCE 20 YEARS ON
Discrimination against ethnic minorities
remains prevalent among police officers, in
spite of the issue being highlighted in the
Macpherson report into the killing of
Stephen Lawrence 20 years ago.
That was the finding of a Populus poll.
While more than half of the 2,053 adults
surveyed by Populus believe race relations
have improved since 1993, nearly 50 per cent
of non-whites said they didn’t trust the
police.
Stephen’s mother, Doreen, said politicians
should be doing more to combat police
racism. “This government could have built
on Macpherson and they haven’t,” she said.
“When my son was
murdered,
the
Conservatives were in
power and they did
nothing. And it seems
in coalition, now, they
still
don’t
do
anything.”
At
Stephen’s
memorial
service
,held on Sunday April
22,
Metropolitan
Police Commissioner Sir Bernard HoganHowe promised that his force would catch
Stephen’s racist killers.
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NEWSWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
7
‘UNITY’ IS THE GLITTERING PRIZE
FOR THE AFRICA NATIONS CUP UK
Despite having a cup to rival
the infamous “Big Ears” of
the European Champions
League, that is not the most
glittering prize for the
Africa Nations Cup UK
(ANCUK), writes AJ
James. Unity is.
That was the clear message
delivered by the competition’s
founders when they were
hosted at the Nigeria High
Commission for an afternoon
of celebration on April 9.
It was an afternoon of impassioned speeches and good
humour as the cup was presented to Nigeria’s ambassador to the UK His Excellency
Dr Sarki Tafida by the reigning champions - the Super Eagles UK and their current
manager David Doherty (see
profile).
The competition was cofounded by Sam Ochieng
(Kenya) and Dennis Mahadha
(Uganda),
Speaking on behalf of the
organising committee, Mr
Ochieng praised Nigeria in the
highest terms.
“Nigeria is a great country,”
he told the more than 75 people who attended the ceremony.
“Today marks a new dawn for
the cup and the tournament.”
ANCUK was launched five
years ago to foster social cohesions among African and
Caribbean communities in
East London. As word spread
it expanded to North London
and now attracts teams from
Manchester also.
“You are the first mission to
host us, but where Nigeria
leads other follow and we hope
all other missions follow. You
have taken the lead and Africa
needs Nigeria to take the lead.
“As a community we must
not leave one behind – let’s
hold each other’s hands as a
community, as Africans and
move forward together. Unity
is our strength. “
“Through sports we can
show we can deliver excellence,
solidarity and unity to help
take Africa to the next level.
Africans in the UK are showing we can do it best.
“The tournament shows
the talents of our young people here,” explained Mr
Ochieng, “And gives them a
focal point for their lives, especially those who find themselves at the wrong end of the
employment ladder. We teach
these young people Life Skills,
Discipline and Focus. We believe that the training they receive will help them in the
future.”
Super Eagles coach Mr Doherty exemplified how - revealing himself to have been a 419
fraudster before finding redemption through football as
both the coach of the Super
Eagles UK and founder of
Meridian Pathway – an organisation that uses football as the
bait to engage with youth and
guide them to careers and
work experience.
Mr Doherty’s story was
praised by Dr Tafida who told
him, “You told us what you are.
Forget the past, always remember the present and the future –
I congratulate you on becoming
a very good Nigerian citizen.”
The Tournament he welcomed in the warmest terms
and told the organisers, “You
are doing our work for us.
“My job here is to make
sure the image of my country
continues to shine. Through
the tournament other teams
will get to know Nigeria – and
vice versa – not just our governments but the country and
its people.”
The chairman of Canuk
Bimbo Folayan Roberts also
praised Mr Doherty and the
youth programme he mapped
out for his Meridian Pathway
project, and said Canuk would
like to work closely with him
as engaging with Nigerian
youth had become a key priority for the organisation.
ANC UK FIxtURES
Group matches to be played
Sat 1st and Sun 2nd June.
Quarter Finals and Semi Finals Sat 8th & Sun 9th June
at West ham Memorial
Grounds, E15. Final and 3rd
place play off, Sat 15th June
at the Boleyn Ground, West
ham United FC Stadium,
Upton Park. www.africannationscupuk.com
ABOVE FRONT (L-R): The Cup, Ambassador Tafida, ANC UK founder and chairman Sam Ochieng and (rear and far left)
Super Eagles UK coach David Doherty, with members of last year’s winning team
8
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
@NigerianWatch
NEWSWATCH
GEJ pays tribute to Margaret Thatcher
– ‘one of the greatest world leaders’
“Having already attained a legendary
status in her lifetime after positively transforming Britain forever in her eleven-andhalf years as prime minister, Baroness
Thatcher will, with her passing, formally
take her place in history as one the greatest world leaders of our time.”
He noted that “Baroness Thatcher will
be eternally honoured for serving her
country with immense passion and
strong-willed determination as well as for
the great transformation that resulted
from her economic and social policies
which laid the solid basis for the remarkable economic growth that was witnessed
in Britain under the Conservative Government that she led.”
The late Baroness Thatcher, the president added, would always be remembered
by the world for her “very unique, distinctive and purposeful leadership which restored pride and respect to her country
and made a resurgent Great Britain a force
to be reckoned with on the global stage.”
He assured Cameron and the people
of Britain that the government and peoArthur Brooks
Baroness Margaret Thatcher will be
remembered “as one of the greatest
world leaders of our time” Nigeria’s
President Goodluck Jonathan said in
his message of condolence following
the death of the former Prime
Minister.
VISIT TO KANO, NIGERIA 1988: Margaret Thatcher
with Capt. Umaru in front; and her husband Dennis
Thatcher just behind with Ike Nwachukwu
ple of Nigeria share their sadness and
deep sense of loss at the passage of
Thatcher and joined them in praying for
the peaceful repose of her great soul.
“President Jonathan and Nigerians
join the Thatcher family, citizens of Great
Britain, members of the Commonwealth
and all those in far-flung corners of the
world whose lives were positively touched
by her dynamic and forward-looking poli-
cies in mourning the passage of the celebrated first female British Prime Minister,” the statement added.
However, during her tenure, relations
disintegrated with Nigeria, its most populous African colony.
Partly this was over Mrs Thatcher’s
support for both South Africa and for the
white-dominated government of Rhodesia, a former colony now known as Zimbabwe. And partly it was over oil.
In 1979, maybe or maybe not in response to Thatcher’s decision to lift sanctions on Rhodesia (scholars don’t fully
agree on this question), Nigeria nationalised the British Petroleum interests in its
country. Relations, as Drew Hinshaw of
the Wall Street Journal wrote, “never recovered.”
In 1980, the wildly popular Nigerian
musician Fela Kuti released an album
with a horned and devil-eyed Thatcher
snarling alongside Apartheid leaders.
Still, she is remembered surprisingly
warmly by a number of Nigerians, according to Nigerian-American novelist
Teju Cole, who tweeted that she enjoys
“lots and lots” of Nigerian supporters
“of the ‘I didn’t agree with all her policies
but she was great’ variety.”
SPIDER KING’S DAUGHTER
SET FOR TOP BOOK PRIZE
last year, she was being feted
for being the youngest ever
author signed to the prestigious publishing house Faber
and Faber. this year, londonbased Chibundu onuzo is up
for the distinguished Commonwealth Book Prize – which was
founded in 1987 by the Commonwealth Writers – for her
debut novel The Spider King’s
Daughter.
Alongside Chibundu, other
Nigerian authors nominated
for the prize are Ifeanyi
Ajaegbo for Sarah House and
EE Sule for Sterile Sky.
tobenna Nwosu’s No War Is
Worth Debating has been
nominated for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize –
which was won last year by
Rotimi Babatunde.
the aim of the prize is to
“inspire writers, storytellers to
work for social change”.
Political, religious and social
conflict runs through many of
this year’s shortlisted entries,
but there are also humorous
stories, stories of hope, and
stories full of imagination and
power. the unmatched global
reach of the prizes allows readers internationally to engage
with a world of literature that
might otherwise remain undiscovered, consistently bringing
less-heard voices to the fore.
Encompassing a span of 54
countries, entries are judged
within the five regions of
Africa, Asia, Canada and Europe, the Caribbean and the
Pacific, each of which will produce a regional winner for the
two prizes. these will be announced on 14 May 2013.
West Africa Service
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FOR RATES / BOOKINGS AND FURTHER INFORMATION
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10
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
KASUMUWATCH
@NigerianWatch
The SAMUEL KASUMU Column
The fatal flaw in Maggie’s legacy
My last official week in
Parliament began with news that
disrupted the usually predictable
course of events in the Palace of
Westminster. Hearing of the death
of the first and only female Prime
Minister of the United Kingdom
was for many Conservatives a
moment to pause and really reflect
on where we are as a party.
Thatcher’s death was not unexpected, and is why Gordon Brown
had sanctioned the ‘state’ funeral
when he was Prime Minister. But
what we didn’t anticipate was that her
demise would result in so much
analysis about what it was we truly
believed, and if we as a nation, and a
party, are going in the right direction.
Thatcher’s record of course still divides opinions, but her ability to push
for her convictions is one thing that
very few debate. As a Conservative I
naturally respect how she took on the ties. Thatcher understood that she
unions following the winter of discon- was on the side of the majority when
tent, and how she allowed individuals she ensured she was seen to be tough
to dream of owning and growing their on immigration, and when she
enterprises, to generate wealth for showed little interest in the underlying issues
their comthat led to
munities. As
events like
a
young Thatcher simply cared too
the infaman from a
mous Brixw o r k i n g little for minorities – this is an
ton riots in
class back- unfortunate part of her legacy
the early
ground I ap80s. She fapreciate the we still have to overcome
mously
fact that she
made it possible for many people to showed little regard for members of
buy their own council homes and to the black community that were, and
be a part of the privatisation of so still are, a very small part of the UK
many former state owned institutions. population, when engaging with the
But as a Briton of Nigerian her- debate on apartheid.
Of course I am far too young to
itage I struggle to engage with how
she allowed the centre right of politi- ever remember living through a
cal discourse to disengage with the Thatcher government, but like all of
plight of ethnic minority communi- us within this great country, her
legacy is still apparent in many ways.
My hope is that one day we will
have a leader that is just as interested
in race equality as they are in other issues of the day. Ultimately Lady
Thatcher was a very rare and special
politician because she fought for what
she thought was right when taking on
10 fastest growing world economies
the battles that she thought were necare based in Africa, and Nigeria par-
ANNIVERSARIES HERALD
A GOLDEN AGE FOR AFRICA
It is so inspiring to see how the
Nigerian Watch team has developed
and maintained such a high standard
publication, and it has been nothing
short of an honour to be a part of the
journey as a columnist.
I am sure that the paper will go
from strength to strength, just like
the whole of the Nigerian community in Britain, so it looks like good
news all round.
May also sees the anniversary of
another African organisation, the
African Union. launched in 1963, the
union continues to enhance its influence as its member states’ economies
continue to improve. What we are
seeing in Africa is a moment in history where its relevance is being reestablished.
We know that the continent was
significant during various moments
of the history of our world, but for
many reasons Africa has lagged behind severely in more recent times.
But this is clearly changing! Six of the
ticularly has an increasing relevance
on the world stage.
If there is one criticism that must
be given to the members of the
African Union during its 50 years celebrations, it would be that the new
found wealth must be spread more
evenly amongst its citizens.
We can argue that the African
elite are enjoying moments of great
prosperity, but record levels of unemployment continue to be seen.
We need the African Union to work
closer on issues like this, and also to
take a more synergised approach to
dealing with the growing security issues on the continent.
the next 50 years will be a significant one for Africa, so let’s hope
we’ll be celebrating a productive 100
years for the African Union by the
time that time comes.
happy Birthday to Nigerian
Watch and to the African Union.
Win a trip to Africa Fashion
Week in Lagos
My organisation has agreed an official partnership with Africa Fashion
Week London (AFWL). Entrepreneurs within the creative industry have
the opportunity to win some funding for their business, and a trip to the
first ever Africa Fashion Week in Lagos. If you’re interested in finding out
more please email: [email protected]
essary. But in the final
analysis she failed part
of society and left a
legacy for the Conservative Party that has still to
be overcome.
The late Margaret
Thatcher is part of a
group of Conservative
politicians that simply
cared too little for minorities. These minorities will eventually
become a majority, and
at that moment, this unfortunate part of her
legacy will fully be felt.
The Conservatives in
Great Britain will one
day get to a place, like
the Republicans in the
United States, where we
find it almost impossible
to win elections because
of the monopoly that
the other party has when
it comes to ethnic minority voters.
Some would argue that we are already there. But I live in hope for another conviction politician to lead our
party in the years ahead, hopefully
with the conviction for us to be a
party for all.
Lady Margaret Thatcher, may
your soul Rest in Peace!
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12
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
GISTWATCH
@NigerianWatch
Madam Amebo
LOSE-LOSE EITHER WAY
thEy say the stomach is a way to a man’s heart
and this is supposed to be particularly so with
Naija men, who love their food passionately.
Nothing beats coming home from a hard day’s
work to the aroma of egusi, pounded yam and
roast meat.
one particular gentleman in north london
who works nights was recently coming home to
unbelievable dishes every morning. on arriving
home, he noticed that on a daily basis his wife
had cooked okra soup, egusi stew, moi-moi,
fried plantain, jollof rice, ngwongwor, pepper
soup and all other sorts of delicacies for him.
obviously delighted with it all, our friend
tucked into it all with a relish before going to
join his wife in bed. then suddenly, it all just
stopped and he wondered what had happened.
he asked his wife and the only excuse she gave
was that her workload in the office had increased and she no longer had the time or energy to cook such heavy meals.
It later transpired that his wife was having
an affair with a family friend and every night
when he went off to work, the pal would come
round. once the kids were in bed, his wife
would treat her lover to a sumptuous meal before indulging in passion with him.
I don’t know whether to call it sadly of fortunately but recently their relationship ended,
so our man has to make do with takeaways on
his way home like it was before the romance
started. What a lose-lose situation for him.
NO YAB NAIJA MAN EVER
NoBoDy can yab like the Naija man. We know
how to use words to get our point across like
nobody else on the planet, which is why Ghanaian football fans were ill-advised to be bragging
ahead of the recent African Cup of Nations.
As it happened, Nigeria went on to win the
trophy, while Ghana’s Black Stars crashed out in
the semi final. once this happened, it was payback time and our Kenkey Bredas had to endure
some of the most humiliating taunts ever.
one that cracked me up was a tweet from a
Super Eagles fan about 30 minutes after Burkina
Faso knocked Ghana out, telling one of his
Ghanaian friends to tune into ItV Plus one. he
tweeted: “Go to the Plus one channel, you are
still in the tournament there.”
No doubt the response kept his pal silent.
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YOU’RE SO FOB, MUM
WhAt does a woman do when her teenage son
gets so exasperated with her limited knowledge
of technical gadgets that he calls her a fresh off
the boat (Fob) mummy who behaves like a typical African? Well this is what happened to a
Deptford nurse with the National health Service
who has just decided to upgrade all the equipment in her home.
Cashing in on the January sales, our nurse
decided to replace the household television set,
two laptop computers, stereo set, DVD player
and video machine. Because she wanted quality
goods that would stand the test of time, she
went for top-of-the-range gadgets that all came
highly digitised.
It should thus not come as a big surprise
when our nurse in her mid 40s struggled to operate the equipment. After a week of being
woken up and asked to operate machinery at
virtually all hours of the day, her 18 year old son
lashed out.
“these are simple tasks mum. I think the
local authority should organise education
courses for parents like you who are so African
and behave in a fob manner,” he said.
No doubt our nurse is rueing splashing out
all that cash on comforts for her kids. this single
mother-of-two actually bought the gadgets as
a treat for her children.
HORSE MEAT
Whatever you want your party to be
v
Since the Nations Cup, Black Stars fans have
stopped talking about the Brentford massacre
as the bragging rights have passed on to those
who don the green-white-green.
Martini White Dew Drops
Wedding Cake
Visit us at: www.aspirecelebrations.co.uk
oNE Dalston mother has taken red meat off the
family menu and restricted all butchering purchases to chicken these days in response to the
horse meat saga. It was not a case of her just
panicking though as she did it for good reason.
A typical Igbo woman who grew up eating bush meat our housewife always treated
her friends to delicacies with an assorted
array of cuisine. two weeks ago, however,
she went to her regular butcher in Dalston
market to buy some rabbit and nearly passed
out on the spot when she was told to have a
good look at it.
her butcher confessed that he was not sure
if it was actually what it said it was as he had
recently found out that cat meat was regularly
being sold as rabbit. According to the butcher,
in the wake of the recent saga, he had found
out that horse meat is sold as goat, cat is sold
as rabbit and donkey meat is sold as beef.
he said he has changed suppliers and is only
dealing with authentic African distributors who
bring their organic meat straight from the continent. however, this was not enough to allay
the fears of our housewife who dropped whatever she was buying there and then, and
dashed home as fast as her feet could take her.
After a week of buying nothing but packaged chicken, she has actually gone a step further now. these days, she only buys live
chickens which she slaughters in the garden
herself.
IMMOVABLE VISITOR
WhAt does a man do when he meets a woman
on Facebook, invites her over to london to spend
some time with him but she refuses to leave after
a month? Well this is exactly what happened to
a certain gentleman in thamesmead.
From a distance, the idea of having a lady over
for a month to see how compatible they were
sounded like a good idea. She would take her annual leave, spend some time with him and after
she had gone back they would discuss what the
future held.
however, unknown to him, she had her own
agenda. She was working freelance so could just
walk away from her job in lagos and is now refusing to move out of his flat. She insists she is
too old to remain single and wants the man to
put a ring on her finger.
he is now too afraid to sleep with her and has
taken refuge on the sofa in the living room for
fear of real entrapment. Does he call the police to
kick her out, or wait until her six month visa expires and call the immigration services?
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP
hAVING to toil for an honest living 30 days a
month in the UK is the lot of the Nigerian diaspora community – and most of us can only look
on in amazement as Nigeria’s elite live on a different planet from us.
Most of us must wonder how some of our colleagues in Nigeria manage to go about spraying
money as if it is confetti at a time when most of
the population live in penury. Politicians are the
most notorious, as it is not uncommon for them
to give a friend $10,000 as transport money if you
pay one of them a courtesy call in their office.
If anyone ever wants to consider marrying a
spouse from Nigeria, always be careful to find out
if she is the kind who hob knobs with politicians.
one north london man did not do so and paid a
hefty price for it.
As soon as they had completed their Igba
Nkwu, his wife came over and he was gobsmacked by the kind of demands she was making. She insisted on shopping at harrods,
spending £500 on an item of clothing at the
drop of a hat.
obviously, this caused a lot of friction between them and it was only going to end one
way. As it happened, one of her politician
“friends” from Nigeria visited london for an
event and she went to see him. that was the last
our friend ever saw of his wife.
Everyday for the thief, one
day for the owner returns
next month
Got a story for Madam
Amebo? Send it to
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YOURWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 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 April 17, 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.
MY TIME AT THE HIGH
COMMISSION
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Nigerian Watch on another quality
edition of the paper. As a Nigerian it is refreshing to see a quality newspaper with great
content. However, that is not why I write.
Rather it is to let you know of my experience
of visiting the High Commission in London.
I felt compelled to write as I saw in your
2013 edition there was a letter from a gentleman talking about his experience when going
to pick up his passport.
In the first instance I write to clarify why he
was asked to go to Charing Cross Station. For
security reasons visitors are not allowed to
take bags into the Visa hall. As a consequence
lite and respectful the doormen were, and they
were very informative towards myself.
The rest of my experience went smoothly. I
was there for two hours in all, which was expected as this is the time it is estimated the
process will take on the High Commission’s
website. I was told to come the following week
to collect my passport. To my surprise I was
only there for 15 minutes. I would like to take
the opportunity to thank the ‘unsung heroes’ at
the High Commission.
Bolu from Catford, London SE6
those who turn up with bags are asked to take
them to the station where they can be safely
left.
The purpose of my visit to the High Commission was to apply for a new passport. The
online application was quite tedious but not
overwhelming.
Prior to attending the High Commission I
had heard stories about the apparent chaos inside and even outside; and heard how the staff,
even the doormen, are rude to everybody.
Before entering the building I was prepared
to go with the war with the doormen because
of the stories I had heard. I am glad to say
that this was not my experience, and neither
did I witness anyone else being treated in this
manner. I was pleasantly surprised by how po-
THE LEGACY OF CHINUA ACHEBE
In response to our extended appreciation of Nigeria’s founding father of African literature, this
poetic tribute was forwarded to us and we are delighted to share it with you.
VERSES IN ANNIVERSARIES
(A tribute to Chinua Achebe)
The sun has set on all of us
As the unsavoury news reached its stand
That a father figure of African Literature
Our literary icon of no mean repute
Has responded to the beckon of the forbears.
Like the life cycle of a house fly
It is a complete Metamorphosis
Of an offspring of a vibrant culture
Who saw his culture going accultural
To relieve the self-imposed burden of the Whiteman.
When the foreboding struck and got gory
With thickest clouds over our skies
Sending worries to all and sundry
Behaving like a stubborn eclipse of the moon
Taking verses in three anniversaries to clear
Achebe was a dramatis persona
A roving Ambassador of his immediate kinsmen
For his Kinsmen to conquer the clouds.
The cloud reluctantly cleared
But the weight of his heart endured
Prompting his Valedictory Pretty Prose
His “There was a Country” went to the print.
In a simple past simple was painfully published
That should work for the birth of his dream
Of a well built, painted and polished Cottage
Just like the affairs before “Things fall Apart”
When two major civilisations traded tackles
And not in the land of “A man of the People”
Where the likes of “Chief Nanga” held sway
As the uncultured Minister of Culture
Not in the mould of the “Anthills in the Savannah”
With ants biting from below and mosquitoes from above
To a country existing in a simple present
That beholds the ingenuity in “Ogbunigwe”
Achebe’s fears must be allayed
As the only tribute to his tribulations
Che! Achebe, thank you and goodbye!!!
Ahmed Inusa, Minister/Head of Chancery, High Commission of Nigeria, London
ASPIRING TO BE A GREAT
NEWSPAPER FOR THE FUTURE
I am an avid reader of all sorts of newspapers,
from the Financial Times, to keep up with my investments, to the amusement of a tabloid for all
my Monday morning blues. But as a fellow
Nigerian I feel Nigerian Watch is becoming a
great addition to the newspaper market.
I write to you in regards to your Business
Watch section. I am very fond of finding out
new initiatives within the global financial markets and feel having Zenith part of the London
Stock Exchange really shows how far Nigeria is
progressing on the global stage. We need to
know about these developments. Thankyou.
Sunday Adeolo, Bow
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14
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
WORLDWATCH
@NigerianWatch
CLIMATE CHANGE
‘Perfect storm’ brewing over the Sahel
The vast region of Africa known as
the Sahel will descend into largescale drought, famine, war and
terrorist control if immediate,
coordinated steps are not taken to
avert the perfect storm of climate
change and the most rapidly
growing population in the world, a
group of experts from the
University of California, Berkeley,
and the African Institute for
Development Policy (AFIDEP),
has concluded.
The report, known as OASIS (Organising to Advance Solutions in the
Sahel) documents how, over the next
30 to 40 years in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, between 100 million and
200 million people are likely to be
without sustainable food supplies.
This was the conclusion of a multidisciplinary group of experts from
Africa and North America, who
asked what will happen in the Sahel
when new projections of global
warming are combined with rapid
population growth.
The Sahel comprises one million
square miles of arid and semi-arid
land along the edge of the Sahara,
stretching from the Atlantic to the
ABOVE Map shows Sahel zone in orange
RIGHT The Sahel drylands:
Dori, in Burkina Faso.
Red Sea. In 1950, the region contained 31 million people; today there
are more than 100 million, and in
2050, there could be more than 300
million.
New projections of climate change
prepared for the OASIS meeting foresee a rise of 3°C to 5°C (7°F to 10°F)
above today’s already high temperatures by 2050.
While adding the caveat that scientific projections several decades into
the future can never be exact, the report states categorically “the forecasts
of population and global warming
made for 2050 might come a decade
sooner or later, but they will occur”.
The projections for 2100 are startling,
with a population of 600 million in
the Sahel and temperatures up to 8°C
(13°F) above today’s norms.
It would be totally implausible to
sustainably accommodate this scale
of growth. Without immediate, large-
scale action, death rates from food
shortages will rise as crops wither and
livestock die and the largest involuntary migration in history could occur.
Already today, 12 million to 18 million people in this region are hungry.
Empowering girls and young
women through education and birth
control is seen as being key to averting disaster.
The authors of the report made a
commitment to construct a network
of experts dedicated to strengthening
scientific analysis of the problems facing the region and their solution. All
were agreed that the cost of inaction –
in depleted environment, increased
hunger, humanitarian care for
refugees, failed states, conflict, housing migrants, and the further spread
of terrorism – will be many times that
of action to improve agriculture, provide choices on childbearing, and invest in girls and young women.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
WORLDWATCH
15
SECURITY
POLITICS
INTERPOL PLEDGE TO
WORK WITH NIGERIA
Minister proposes death penalty for rapists
INtERPol (the International Police organisation) has pledged to
assist Nigeria in tackling insecurity currently
facing the country.
the President of Interpol, Madam Mireille
Ballestrezzi (pictured
right), said the international police community would provide
information and data
to expose any criminal
element in and outside
the country.
She said: "Nigeria is
a greater contributor and supporter of Interpol activities
across the world. We will all rise up to fight crime in the
country and other member countries. We will make available necessary data, provide information in the area of
trans-border criminal activities."
Madam Ballestrezzi said the organisation was greatly
concerned about Nigeria’s security challenges, but assured
the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb onibolade, of Interpol’s commitment to fight terrorism and the
achievement of relative peace globally.
She commended Nigeria for her commitment to the
ideals that informed the setting up of the organisation,
which has led to her active participation in its activities.
Nigeria should consider imposing the death penalty on
convicted rapists, the women’s affairs minister has said.
She made her proposal because the incidence of rape had
reached an “alarming level”, with seven to 10 cases reported weekly
in Nigeria, Zainab Maina said. Mrs Maina said her ministry was
determined to tackle the issue. He department is also pushing for
every police station to have a specialist rape units.
“It is also trying to make the police set up a gender desk in every
police station to handle such cases so that serious punishment, perhaps death sentence would be handed to culprits,” she is quoted as
saying by Nigeria’s This Day newspaper.
The BBC’s Nigeria correspondent Chris Ewokor wrote an analysis that said “poor communities are worst affected by rape and there
are few successful prosecutions. The main problem in socially conservative Nigeria is the stigma attached to rape. Many people are
scared to disclose they have been raped, either because they will not
be believed or because of the difficulty in proving cases in court.”
In the few cases where there are convictions, “rapists are fined
or sentenced to a few months in prison,” he added. In recent years
there have also been some prosecutions of men accused of raping
children from poor communities.
While Mrs Maina’s attempt to focus on the problem will be welcomed by civil society groups, it is too early to say whether the rape
laws will be overhauled.
While the death penalty exists in Nigeria for crimes such as murder, it is rarely implemented.
CELEBRITY
OmoSexy named on Time 100 list
Known to her fans as omoSexy, the star of over
300 Nollywood features omotola JaladeEkeinde has received yet another accolade.
this month she was listed as one of time
magazine’s Most Influential People of the year,
appearing in the list under the sub-heading
“Icons” along with the likes of Michelle obama,
Kate Middleton, Aung San Suu Kyi and Beyoncé.
time magazine’s film critic Richard Corliss
wrote of omotola, “Employing a million Nigeri-
ans, Nollywood enthralls millions more who
come for the thrills, the uplift and the artful agitations of omotola Jalade-Ekeinde – the Queen
of Nollywood.”
Married to an airline pilot, omotola is also
famed as a singer, mother of four and philanthropist (the omotola youth Empowerment Programme). She has repeatedly spurned
hollywood’s advances in favour of remaining in
Nollywood.
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London
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Schoolgirl’s
Olympic
dream
comes
true
WIN 2 Business Class
Return Flights to Nigeria
Page 11
NIGERIAN WATCH
MONTHLY
May 2012
To Inspire, Inform and Entertain
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
News
- Air fares row special report
- Yellow fever alert
- Ibori seeks to serve gaol
term in Nigeria
- MP’s witchcraft campaign
Features
- Why we need big baggage
allowances in a small world
- New calls for a Sovereign
National Conference
NIGERIA RISING
G It’s going to be a D’BANJ summer
EE
FR
INTERVIEW
With the
inspirational
May7ven
THE QUEEN
Nigeria’s
remarkable
relationship
WIN
An Apple
I-pad 3
NIGERIAN WATCH
June 2012
MONTHLY
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
RINGING IN THE
CHANGES
News
- Special report: schools
and gangsta culture
- Brent & Enfield elect
Nigerian figureheads
- Iconic Africa Centre
set to close
G How the mobile phone is
revolutionising Nigeria
G Europe’s biggest black hair
and beauty show hits London
G A star is born in EMI’s Tina
nigerianwatch.com
GOING FOR GOLD
High hopes for our olympians
The British Bank for Africa
nigerianwatch.com
NEW WORLD NIGERIA
Education
- The best summer courses
for ambitious children
Features
Life & Style
- Prostate Cancer
- Eyeliner secrets
- Summer fashions
- Comprehensive guide to
Nigeria House
Business & Property
- Meet the lettings agent
setting new highs for service
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
Education
- What to do now the GCSE
results are in (good or bad)
Sport
PAGE 9
- D’Tigers’ secret weapon
- Athletes set new records
INSIDE
News
- 17-year-old playwright
triumphs in parliament
- Nollywood ‘Oscars’ gist
- Bone marrow charity’s
windfall from boxer Chisora
- TV’s Rhoda Wilson
- Fashion’s Aerosoul
- Afrobeats’ Maleek Berry
Business & Property
- Arsenal’s Nigeria tour
EXCLUSIVE DETAILS
Big
Strong
Reliable
- Bantuway Foods
- Nigeria’s Garden City
Sport
PAGE 9
MONTHLY
Life & Style
- Family survival guide to
exam success
- Racing Eagles on the
starting grid
NIGERIAN WATCH
August 2012
- Twin sets are super trendy
- The magic of shea butter
- TV’s Meet the Adebanjos
takes to the stage
- Africa Utopia highlights
Education
Sport
News
- Little Lagos in London
identity debate
- MBE for ‘laptop’ Mary
- Diaspora encouraged to
lobby for lasting change
EXCLUSIVE
London 2012
Nigeria Olympic
Schedule
Features
Business & Property
- Advice on preparing your
child for entrance exams
INSIDE
OLYMPICS
Meet Team
Nigeria
- Youth Against Crime
- Low-down on new
immigration rules
- Peacock Travel
- Abuja: the City with a plan
Education
Life & Style
Business & Property
Big
Strong
Reliable
MONTHLY
- Sporty chic
- Community Watch
- Diaspora bonds’ launch set
- Lekki: Naija treasure island
PAGE 9
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
- The bars to achieving
political diversity
- Meet Pa Lemoshe, as old as
Nigeria itself
- Spring fashions
- Relaxed hair care advice
- Unbeatable listings guide
EE
FR
Farewell
dear friends
DANA PLANE TRAGEDY SPECIAL REPORT – PAGES 16-23
Features
Life & Style
G NIGERIAN IDOL to launch London audition
EE
FR
Page 7
Sport
PAGE 9
- Eagles Polo Unicef match
- Schools’ reunion fun-day
Big
Strong
Reliable
NIGERIAN WATCH ONE YEAR ON
A big thANKyoU to all of those
who have made Nigerian Watch
such as great success since it
burst into life in May 2012
A
s we celebrate our first anniversary and consider the immensely positive responses we’ve received from all sections of our community, we want to take a moment to
thank the many people and organisations that have supported us
along the way and helped to make our first year such a success.
Our heartfelt thanks goes to all our advertisers and sponsors
without whom we would not be able to exist. We set out to
counter the negative portrayal of our community in the mainstream media, and instead proudly represent the many great successes of our vibrant community and Nigeria itself. Their
support has enabled us to do that. We would like to especially
thank those – you know who you are – who have shown their
faith in us from the start and on the shoulders of whom we continue to build.
A big thank you also goes to our many contributors who provide us with informative and engaging copy for our readers to
enjoy. Over the past year, new sections – such as the Samuel Kasumu column by the eponymous social entrepreneur, author and
political campaigner; Food Watch by African cooking queen
Ngozi; Beauty Watch by the ever-beautiful Funmi Odegbami;
and Afro-Hits, the definitive Nigerian music guide – have made
for an even more appealing read.
We set out to inspire, inform and entertain and we hope we
do that looking at examples of best practice in all spheres of life.
Last but certainly not least, we thank our readers for picking up
and reading Nigerian Watch every month.
We know you like it because you never tire of telling us so and
we thankyou for that. But the truth is a newspaper scuh as ours
is only as good as the community it serves. We rely on you to
share your achievements, challenges and opinions with us. So
please consider this a rallying call to come together even closer
as a community and grow into a force to be reckoned with, both
in the UK and back home.
nigerianwatch.com
LAGOS THE NEW
MONACO?
The historic
change we
all missed
NIGERIAN WATCH
October 2012
MONTHLY
INSIDE
News
News
- National Action Plan on
faith abuse launched
- Students told to ‘rise-up’
- Nollywood breaks
distribution barrier
- International right to vote
campaign launched
- Why Amina’s making waves
- MPs release state of the
nation report on Nigeria
Features
Features
- Adebayo Jones rocks NEL
awards ceremony
- Talking Drummer: Tony
Allen let’s rip on Afrobeats
Life & Style
Life & Style
- British Urban Film Festival
- Yam Day celebration and
Nigerian Carnival low-down
- All you need to know about
breast cancer
- Addressing depression
- Lowdown on the London
Africa Music Festival
NEW Entertainment gist
Business & Property
- Eurobonds set for Nigeria
- Buy-to-let boom and bust
Education
- How to beat the back to
school blues
Sport
- Arsenal stars in Lagos
- Athletes set new records
Page 24
Page 5
E
Naija
fashion
rocks
Selfridges
E
WOW!
The hit from
the Woods
Nolly & Holly
Page 13
NIGERIAN WATCH
January 2013
Issue No 009
MONTHLY
The making of a great nation
R
TURNING
POINT
52 INDEPENDENCE
YEARS OF
F
KNIVES &
GANGS
The issue
we must
confront
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
- An A* country: the UK
Government view of Nigeria
- Introducing Sam Kasumu
- Wole Soyinka talks ‘frankly’
EE
FR
SAMUEL
KASAMU
nigerianwatch.com
ROLE
MODEL
DJANGO
VERDICT
The rising
star of
engineering
The slave
trade western
hits the spot
Page 7
Page 32
Issue No 010
MONTHLY
Sport
- Tensions mount over
Eagles’ AfCon decider
nigerianwatch.com
3 Labour ‘snub’ fires
activists’ hunger to be heard
5 MBE for man behind
Nigeria Health Care Project
6 Is your hair making you
unhealthy?
Features
8 We need to do more to
encourage businesswomen
14 Where will the Mali
insurgents go?
Life & Style
Life & Style
25 How to keep both warm
and cool this winter
29 Stay with me recipes
35 Afro Hits
26 Health and beauty tips to
make you feel fab for 2013
29 Mouthwatering recipes
from Ngozi’s kitchen
32 Staying in must-dos
Business & Property
Business & Property
COMPREHENSIVE
African Cup
of Nations
SCHEDULE
INSIDE
Hoping for a
successful year
20 Time Nigeria prepared for
the end of oil revenue
22 Where’s Britain? ask
Africa’s investment chiefs
Education
36 How to prepare your
child for Oxbridge
Sport
40 Nigeria’s major golf coup
EASTENDERS’ STAR
REVEALS NOLLYWOOD DREAM
Education
27 How to prepare your
child for Oxbridge – part 2
Sport
42 Meet the amazing sickle
cell Super League pro
YUMMY!
EE
FR
Festive food
with Nigeria’s
Nigella
FABULOUS! AFROHITS E-ZINE
Meet the
singular
Mr CUSHH
Sampler inside
Check out
www.afro-hits.com
Page 17
Page 18
Page 20
NIGERIAN WATCH
November 2012
Issue No 007
MONTHLY
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
The book
that has
rocked
Nigeria
Page 21
News
2 Nigerians among the
world’s most optimistic
5 MKO Abiola’s daughter
wins in the Den
8 Why Carnival was
cancelled
Features
15 Nigerian Bassey named
supreme justice campaigner
16 Labour robbed us of our
entrepreneurial spirit
NIGERIAN WATCH
December 2012
Issue No 008
MONTHLY
JUSTICE FOR LARRY
Tears turn
to joy for
Nigerian
boxer
Life & Style
32 Osteoarthritis – guide to
winter aches and pains
35 Christmas Fun – fairs,
ice skating and nights out
Business
Business & Property
Samuel Kasumu
on his belated
return
home
Page 10
Issue No 011
MONTHLY
40 Christmas gifts and
action plan for festive fun
42 Free resources to help
your child succeed in school
Sport
Sport
42 The Williams sisters get
on down in Nigeria
48 Eagles AFCON pledge
HAIR RAISING
EL-RUFAI
The beauty
who thought
she was a
beast
Why Nigeria
needs you
(diasporans)
back
Page 30
Page 16
WHY
WE’RE THE
37TH
STATE
DIAMOND
Return of
the voice
that sold
21m records
Page 20
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
Education
Education
PAGE 17-19
LOVING LAGOS
26 Nollywood boosts tourist
trade to Nigeria
24 Diaspora is ‘catalyst’ for
growth in bilateral trade
A Personal History of Biafra
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
News
3 Goodluck in London and
shaking hands with OBJ
6 4 Presidents launch OOF
7 Beyoncé sports Naija style
8 Canuk head to the regions
Features
17 Picture special football on
the streets of Africa
18 Nnimmo Bassey on Shell
and ‘sabotage’ ruling
20 Maternity services and
mothers’ courage
Life & Style
27 Monochrome March
31 W0W festival lowdown
35 Afro Hits latest gist
Business & Property
INSIDE
News
3 Dana Air flight outrage
6 Churches hit back at
‘unjust’ watchdog verdict
7 Nigeria’s youth need you!
13 Occupy Nigeria goes
Green
Features
Life & Style
EXCLUSIVE EXTRACTS
nigerianwatch.com
15 How Nigerians are floating
the UK’s retail sector
25 Woolwich Boys’ Anthony
Abuah defends his 419 film
33 Seun Kuti wows America
and heads to the Forum
34 Film Africa Festival
35 Your unmissable guide to
this year’s Pantomimes
Page 19
INSIDE
14 Hoods star Femi Oyeniran
on the Tottenham imperative
16 Shadism – the ugly little
sister of racism
The CANUK
chairman in
his own words
Page 22
VALS DAY
Why February
14 can be both
magical – and
a menace
News
Features
Page 36
Education
- How the choose the best
school for your child
INSIDE
3 The man out to shoot the
Kings of Africa
5 Private sector recruited to
tackle corruption in Nigeria
6 Governor Obi fires
reformers’ zeal
YOUR FATHER
The rise and
rise of our
crowning
glory
‘The Story So
Far’ featuring
DJ Abrantee
Business & Property
News
GÈLÈPOQUE
AFROBEATS
- The perils of of not looking
behind the postcode
NIGERIAN WATCH
February 2013
EE
FR
E
If we mean
business,
it’s time to
change
E
MONTHLY
AFRICAN TIME
Unique
first for
Team
Nigeria
R
NIGERIAN WATCH
September 2012
GOLD STARS
F
EE
FR
E
Father and son:
Fela recalled
and Femi
Unplugged
E
Nigerian
fashion
on the
catwalk
R
Tinie
Tempah’s
Bolt
moment
F
EE
FR
TRIDENT
CHINUA ACHEBE
Why the
unit’s closure
leaves us all
vulnerable
16 Nov 1930 – 22 Mar 2013
An appreciation
of the founding
father of African
literature Page 24
Page 19
NIGERIAN WATCH
April 2013
Issue No 012
MONTHLY
INSIDE
TATE LAGOS
EMBASSY
BACKS
ARTIST’S
PLAN FOR
NIGERIA
NATIONAL
MUSEUM
OF MODERN
ART
nigerianwatch.com
News
Yinka Shonibare
MBE to receive
Nigeria’s highest
honour
2 Centenary proposal to
scrap the name Nigeria
4 Community leaders lobby
Met on frontline cuts
6 The Wills Smith and .i.am
on the Brixton beat
Features
10 Premier League is
missing a trick in Africa
17 Elephant sanctions threat
18 Best of Black President
and the ‘pen robbery’ prophet
Life & Style
28 Good food for kids
30 Remedies from the clear
skin council
Business & Property
22 Minister of finance sets
out Nigeria’s stall
44 Is Lagos set to rival
London’s property market?
Education
Education
37 Win the chance to pay off
your student loan
39 How to give your kids an
Oxbridge vocabulary
Sport
Sport
48 West Ham to host UK
African Nations Cup final
48 Ian Wright on the unique
AfCar:The Game showdown
Thinking of returning to Nigeria?
WE CAN HE
W
HELP
ELP YOU
If yo
you
ou are an asylum seeker,
seekerr,, have
Disc
cretionary Leave to Remain
main or have
Discretionary
no legal status in the UK, we offer free,
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ormation to help
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yo
u decide whether to return.
urn.
you
Too find
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Choices
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ho
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ffree
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ree on
00808 800 0007
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orr go to
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w
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The UK’s Assisted Voluntary Return Service
SAVE THIS DATE
Friday, 17th May 2013
from 6.00pm-12 midnight
TO HELP US CELEBRATE
To mark our first anniversary we want to invite as
many readers as we can to celebrate in true Naija style
If you are interested in attending write to [email protected]
and leave your Name, Address, Email and Telephone Number
Email subject: Readers Invitation
This event is Free to attend but it is STRICTLY BY INVITATION.
Your invitations will be sent to you once processed.
BUSINESSES
We will be hosting a business exhibition on the night.
Businesses interested in exhibiting their products
to over 500 guests should send an email to
[email protected]
or Call 0208 5889640
WESTERN UNION
A global leader in money transfers, Western Union has more than
500,000 agent locations in over 200 countries and territories. In the
UK alone, the company has more than 9,800 agents from which
Nigerians can receive and send money, in addition to the company’s
online and telephone channels.
Western Union has always participated in the life of Nigerians in the UK
having sponsored the Nigerian Corner at Notting Hill Carnival and the
Wazobia Lounge at the Africa Olympic Village last year.
The company is also the new Global Partner of the UEFA Europa
League, and together with its charity Western Union Foundation drives
the PASS initiative, where every successful pass in this season’s
Europa League is converted into funding to support one day’s
education for young people around the world.
Apart from sponsorship projects, the company continually strives to
improve its service for customers. In January this year, it dropped its
prices and improved currency exchange rates on money transfers to
Nigeria, as part of its Africa pricing reduction initiative.
Last year, Western Union completed 231 million consumer-to-consumer
transactions worldwide, moving $79 billion of principal between
consumers, and $432 million business payments.
*
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20
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
PARENTWATCH
@NigerianWatch
As parents we all want the best for our children. And as parents we believe we know
how to achieve that. But do we? If we are such good parents why are so many of our
children failing at school, ending up in care or in gangs? or worse, dead?
these are the kinds of questions that are increasingly being asked within the diaspora.
At the beginning of April more than 300 parents
attended a conference on parenting at Christ Apostolic Church.
Subsequently the leaders of both the Damilola Taylor Trust and
YACnCAY have joined forces to stage a multi-faith conference on
parenting this summer. There is a growing consensus among
the Nigerian and African diaspora that we need to look at
what we are doing. That we might be in need of…
PARENTAL GUIDANCE
The issue
Children’s charity Afruca is launching a new
programme to halt the dramatic rise in the
number of children from the diaspora who are
being taken into care. Ayo Akinfe reports
G
IVEN that May is the national
fostering/adoption month across the UK,
it is the most appropriate time of the year
for the Nigerian community to sit down and reflect
over what has recently become a cancer eating into
its fabric. Over recent years, the number of Nigerian children being taken into care as a result of
over-zealous parenting – that is legally tantamount
to child abuse – has risen dramatically.
It is widely accepted that old habits die hard
and this is particularly the case when it comes to
cultural habits, making adaptability to new environments difficult for migrant communities.
Looking at the way many Nigerian parents bring
up their children in the UK today it is perhaps
not surprising that an increasing number are
falling foul of the law, as they see the age-old
habit of smacking as an essential ingredient for
good child-rearing.
Unknown to many first and second generation African parents, any corporal punishment
that leaves children with marks and/or bruises is
an infringement of UK child protection law and
what they are doing is deemed illegal. Consequently, child protection services and the law enforcement agencies have no choice but to
intervene and take their children into care whenever any cases are brought to their attention.
One organisation endeavouring to remedy the
situation is the charity Africans Unite Against
Child Abuse (Afruca), which was set up in 2001
by Nigerian single mother Dupe Ariyo after a
spate of tragedies involving children: Victoria
Climbié died at the hands of abusive parents;
Jude Akapa was murdered as “a witch”; and
Damilola Taylor, who was killed by two other
children as he walked home from school. Subsequently Afruca has firmly established itself as the
primary African children’s charity in the UK.
Conceding that we have a big problem on our
Many parents do
not know any
other way,
apart from
beating them’
hands, Ms Ariyo admits that the number of
African children being taken into care at the moment is a cause for concern.
Adding that it is fuelled by a combination of
cultural conservatism and ignorance. Afruca is
working with several local authorities, particularly across Greater London to address the issue.
Ms Ariyo said, “These days, the threshold is
a lot lower as all a child needs to do is go to
school and say he or she was smacked. Immediately that happens, the police and social services
will be involved and they will subject that child
to a medical examination.
“If a child is examined and any marks or
bruises are found on his or her body, not only will
he or she be taken into care but so too will all the
other kids in that house. In Afruca, we have been
working across the country with families where two years, each one of them will be obliged to go
the children are being removed by social services and train 25 people. This means that altogether,
we are looking to reach 2,500 Africans over two
for different types of abuses.”
She added: “A lot of parents will tell you that years.
“That, however, is a conservative estimate as
this is the way we have been brought up and that
they do not know any other way of bringing up a person might go back to their church with 400
and disciplining their children. This is a problem people and train them all. We are hoping that we
because many African parents are bringing up can help people get new skills so that they will
their children the way they were brought up and still be able to discipline their children but withmany of them do not know any other way apart out having to beat them.”
According to Ms Ariyo, the recruitment of
from beating them.”
project staff for the Children’s
Conscious of the fact that someChampion programme has already
thing needs to be done and very
begun and she hopes that the projsoon too, Afruca has launched a seect can get underway properly in
ries of initiatives to combat the
August/September. It is being sponmenace and chief among these is
sored by the UK Department for
training. Under the scheme, Afruca
Education, which is responsible for
provides errant parents with alterchildren’s affairs and Ms Ariyo benatives to smacking and also offers
lieves it offers great value for
them copies of its manual on child
money.
protection.
She added: “It costs about
Among the alternatives given to
£2,000 a week to look after a child
parents are the concept of being an
in care but if you look at what we
ideal role model as a parent, reward DEBBIE ARIYO OBE:
Founder of Afruca
are doing, you will see that it only
schemes for good behaviour and
positive enforcement. However, Ms Ariyo be- costs about £100 at most to train a volunteer. Our
lieves that a new scheme due to be launched in project also allows us as Africans to get involved
the autumn called Children’s Champions, is what in the matter of child abuse.”
Of equal importance is the fact that the Chilwill have the greatest impact as this will enable
Afruca to reach out to hundreds and thousands dren’s Champion programme and other projects
run by Afruca are designed to keep African chilof African parents across the UK.
Ms Ariyo said: “Under our new programme dren away from a life of crime. Ms Ariyo added
called Children’s Champions, we will recruit that of late, a lot of gang members in London
Africans as volunteers to work with Afruca to have Nigerian names due to the fact that many
support families. The idea behind this is to try to of them were recruited into a life of crime from
the care system.
solve our problems as a community.
She added: “A lot of the children who go into
“People will be recruited and assessed and if
they are suitable, we will give them professional care end up in the criminal justice system, so we
training in child protection. They will be trained want to step in to prevent this. Our project
in areas including sexual abuse, genital mutila- should help reduce the number of children going
tion, protecting children on the Internet and how into care and in turn reduce the number of them
going into the criminal justice system.”
to protect children in faith organisations.”
Hopefully, Afruca will succeed in its quest as
Ambitious in its scope, the Children’s Champions programme is designed to be one that has pre-colonial cultural habits are ill-suited to life in
a domino effect, with those who are trained then the 21st century and beating a child into line is
an archaic practice long past its sell-by date.
expected to go on and train others.
Other primordial hangovers that parents in
Afruca hopes that the scheme will enable it to
reach right across the large African community the diaspora should excise from their lives inin the UK in a way that has never been achieved clude exorcising demons from children under the
before. Ms Ariyo said: “Our conservative estima- pretext that they are witches and wizards and extion is that if we recruit 50 people a year, over cessive shouting.
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PARENTWATCH
The analysis
As individuals, parents and a society our
collective failings have put our children in great
danger. How long are we going to keep turning
a blind eye?, asks mental health expert Eze Nacho
A
s parents, adults and society at large we comes naturally (which is often the wrong thing).
Nature generally lures children to seek out for
have a big responsibility to intervene with
strategies to curb the blood flow and pains fun, sweet and easy things that have less or no divon our streets, which stem particularly from youth idend attached. Nurture helps children to have
crime and adult crime in general. In today’s world structure and introduce important but difficult to
violent crime has reached a level where some chil- learn things to them. Nurture helps children to apdren find it abnormal to be on the street without preciate in the end that ‘nothing good comes easy’
weapons of some sort. Some cannot relate to a and ‘to be useless one does not need to do anything’. However children often hate
world where the youth walked the
those that bring structure to their lives
streets without weapons. This is our
and love those who bring fun, sweet
present day reality.
and easy things their way.
Some parents are doing great
Any parent who leaves their child
work by not only teaching their chilto the devices of nature would surely
dren to be self-aware but to see
end up in prison. Today many parents
themselves in others. However, these
are losing the battle because of ecowonderful parents and their well-benomic pressures as they seek to make
haved children remain at risk if their
ends meet. Such parents often comneighbour’s children are unruly. The
pensate by offering their children
question is; how safe are you and
gadgets. Of course, the gadgets that
your Rolls Royce amid vehicles withusually interest most children are litout brakes?
EZE NACHO: author of Your
It is crucial for every parent to Child, My Child, Whose Child tered with violent actions, inappropriate language and sexual material.
understand that though no baby is
born ‘good’ or ‘bad’, nature is superior to nurture,
and nature often propels babies to do things we
t times parents have no idea of the con(human beings in general) consider ‘wrong’, for extents of the gadgets and are unaware that
ample; eating from the dustbin. Every ‘normal’
they have invited their ‘worst enemy’ to
two year old would first of all scatter before they indoctrinate their children. Makers of these
arranged.
gadgets and those that licence them are mainly
To scatter, babies do not need teaching; they interested in the sensation they generate and
naturally do it. But to arrange, babies would need their financial reward; with little or no interest
to be nurtured, and persistent teaching and learn- on the adverse impact on the end user (children).
ing is required. Nature offers every child the same As children get clued into gadgets, human interthings as it offers all animals. In fact, nature is action and appreciation decline as the ‘me, mymore favourable to other mammals’ babies than self and I’ phenomena kicks in.
human babies. This is why every child irrespective
Once a child is poorly brought up, they beof creed, race or gender would sleep, play and eat come a threat not only to you but everyone else.
given the choice. As important as these are, any For a child to be well rounded, they must learn
to love themselves and others and then learn to
share and wait. Academic excellence without
sound moral value is the same thing as having a
beautiful church with demon worshippers. Academic education only teaches your children how
to subtract and add; it never teaches them how
to share. Parents, who have pursued only academic excellence for their children in the main
gave us those responsible for the economic meltdown. They were the individuals content on collecting millions of pounds in bonuses whilst
some people in their companies could not pay for
a roof over their heads.
Children are products of the society they live
in. Children can only replicate, enhance or minchild who is given the freedom to do only these imise acts, words and behaviours observed/witnessed. It would be odd for a child born in
things, is very likely to become useless.
All the things that separate human beings from England not to speak English and speak French
other animals are ‘orchestrated activities’ and without it being introduced to them.
This is the reason, the derailment of children
without introducing repeated and persistent teaching, nature would never offer these ‘orchestrated often stems from the derailment of parents. Paractivities’ to a child. This is why no child can wake ents whose whereabouts are not known to their
up and brush their teeth, tidy up their room or children are likely to have children whose whereeven say good morning without being taught. As abouts are not known to them. Babies arrive in
much as one teaches their child, often nature liquid form awaiting the shape provided by their
would still force them to forget or just do what parents. If a good shape is provided, the baby is
A
The derailment of
children often
stems from the
derailment of
parents
likely to solidify in it, depending on other interactions/influences from within and outside. If the
parents provide no shape, the baby would form
its own shape (often challenging in nature) and
when it solidifies, any attempt to alter it would
involve breaking the solid (which would amount
to abuse) and induce rebellion from the child.
As individuals, parents and society, our collective failings have put our children and our
world in great danger. We must by the same
token, collectively act and begin to right the
wrongs by learning to parent in this new age of
technology with secret individual passwords, a
world where wants are fast outstripping needs,
Children can only
replicate, enhance
or minimise
acts and words
observed
freedom and choice seemingly exist without responsibility, and illicit substances flood our
streets. Collectively we can do this.
What do you think?
let us know by writing to
[email protected]
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
21
YOUR CHILD, MY
CHILD, WHOSE CHILD?
Eze Nacho is the ‘reluctant’ author of Your
Child, My Child, Whose Child? he only
writes when he feels there is a need to get
the message out there. his first book was
the equally honest Hard Hitting, The Real
Truth About Men, Marriage and Infidelity.
your Child… considers various factors
contributing to the ‘crisis’ we have in our
world today, fatally being played out by
our young people. the book is packed with
case studies that make all too real the issues facing parents in the diaspora. yet, as
the title of the book implies, Nacho very
much believes that ‘society’ has an equally
strong bearing on a child’s development.
he pulls no punches as to the consequences of what happens when we fail a
child. “one unruly individual has the potential to generate mayhem all the wild animals put together could not generate,” he
writes. this is because of the cognitive ability of human beings. Animals cannot make,
use or deploy weapons. your Child is a
treasure. It makes a
compelling case of the
need for our collective
responsibility as parents, and as a society, to
our children.
Available via amazon
and direct from
www.whosechild.com
22
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May 2013
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At the end of this month, on May 30, it will
be five years since Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida
presented his Letters of Credence to Her
Majesty the Queen and formally became
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Britain. They have
been five transformative years that have seen
the mission develop from one infamous for
misery and mayhem to one that is confident,
open, assured and increasingly efficient. It is
not faultless – complaints from the visa hall
persist, as they do the world over. But now
we have an Ambassador that wishes to hear
about any such issues or grievances. It represents an openness that is evident in Dr
Tafida’s outlook and increasingly the mission’s approach.
“This Mission is not only meant to improve relationships between Nigeria and the UK,” he
explains with enthusiasm. “It is also here to render services to Nigerians residing in the UK.
Nigerians should not shy away from the Mission. I know it has had negative publicity in the
past, but I can assure you that we are now in a
new era. We have reformed the immigration and
Consular Sections for efficient service delivery
and many Nigerians and non Nigerians who
have visited the Mission recently can attest to
this. Anybody can come and give us constructive advice. If anybody has a complaint, he
should write to me. We would respond. We invite all Nigerians to help us with constructive
advice on how to make life better for our compatriots here.”
Recently, at a farewell function for departing
Mission staff, one spoke of having graduated
from the ‘Tafida Institution”; the hallmark of
which is good communication and oversight.
Meetings proliferated, said the departing official,
but so did the Mission’s efficiency and effectiveness. Committees, such as that on immigration,
were established, and bonds with the diaspora
strengthened through the offices of CANUK (The
Central Association of Nigerians) and NIDO
South (Nigeria in the Diaspora Organisation).
“Along with the Council of Elders, CANUK
and NIDO are the two major Nigerian Organisations within the UK,” said Dr Tafida. “As the
High Commissioner, I have remained proactive
and engaged with the Nigerian community in
the UK through these organisations.
Strategy, then, is clearly evidence-based under Dr
Tafida – as befits a man of a medical background.
From a child wanting to save lives to a politician
who wants to change lives for the better, Dr
Tafida has dedicated his life to public service.
What inspired him?
“I started my professional life as a medical doctor because of my love for the profession and
passion for saving lives,” he says. “Lately, my desire to serve my country and people in another
capacity also motivated my choice of career as
a politician and diplomat. It is all about service
to humanity. As a medical doctor, one can save
lives but does not have the power and scope to
make law and policies that will impact on the
lives of the generality of people.”
From graduating in medicine and surgery, and
then adding a post-graduate diploma in Public
Health policy from Liverpool University, Dr
Tafida worked as a registrar until his policy expertise led to his being drawn into health politics,
becoming the permanent secretary of the Kaduna
State Ministry of Health (1976-1980) and then
the personal physician to President Shehu Shagari (1980-83). A decade later he was appointed
Federal Minister for Health.
Dr Tafida next emerged as a Senator, and during his second term was the Senate Majority
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ANNIVERSARYWATCH
aspora.
“This is in addition to promoting
the relations between Nigeria and
the UK and the international community as a whole, for
the overall wellbeing of the world.
Working as a
diplomat also helps
you to observe and
learn about developmental
programmes
and
witness the successes of other
countries, which we
report back on with
a view to helping to
improve the system
in Nigeria.”
Leader of the House. Considering he has been at
the heart of Nigerian politics for the best part of
40 years he carries very little baggage. He is credited with negotiating the regional settlement that
allowed Goodluck Jonathan to become President
on the death of Yar’Adua.
A PDP supporter Dr Tafida is known to have
taken a sabbatical from London in 2011 to lead
the campaign committee for GEJ. With posturing
already afoot back home it is rumoured that Dr
Tafida will return to lead the charge in 2015. He
denies the rumour with great charm. Nevertheless, who would choose to be without the wisdom.
The ambassador will not be drawn, as befits a
diplomat with a clearly defined understanding of
his role.
“I am here for all Nigerians and I ensure that
my official responsibilities are efficiently discharged for the benefit of my country,” he says.
“My duties at the Mission include promotion
of the cultural heritage of my country, protecting the interest of Nigeria and her citizens in di-
With three different
audiences to address
it is beholden on a
diplomat to be quick
to master a brief
and be able to speak
to all subjects with
equal sincerity. Having watched Dr
Tafida over the past year it is clear he is a man of
whom it can be said he is as comfortable talking
to the common man as he is philosophers and
kings.
As such, alongside the day to day diplomacy,
he conducts a hectic public schedule in support of
Nigeria and Nigerians in the diaspora. One day
hosting the winning Super Eagles UK football
team and endorsing the endeavours of the Meridian Pathway Project in Charlton.
The next, tackling a far thornier agenda at a
lunch with the Business Council for Africa, which
Dr Tafida had proposed they set.
“Normally I address them but I wanted to give
them the opportunity to say what they wanted to
gear about.” So Dr Tafida addressed the challenging issues, such as the floods, kidnapping,
Boko Haram, domestic debt, the power sector,
fuel subsidy and more. So what is his prognosis
for the future?
“With a dynamic population of over 160
million people, Nigeria is one of the fastest
growing economies in the world,” he said. “And
it is blessed with abundant but untapped resources, which provides the country with unparalleled potential.” However, “The major
challenge has been to translate the growth of
the Nigerian economy into greater social benefits for the people.
To do that “Nigeria needs to sustain the reforms in key sectors of the economy as it is
doing, and continue to promote international
cooperation that will enhance its opportunities
to leverage on the benefits that comes with it.”
He points out that institutions like the World
Bank, IMF, and UNESCO are development
partners that help with the “Nigerian project”.
But equally so too is the diaspora, which is recognised as being a great asset, and its many and increasing successes across all walks of life are
regularly celebrated at the Mission.
“Nigerians have left Nigeria in droves and they
IN PRAISE OF OUR FOOD, OUR GLORIOUS FOOD
There is no greater
champion of Nigerian cuisine than Dr
Tafida. On most occasions where he
is hosting, Dr
Tafida ensures he
has the opportunity to extol its
virtues. Here he explains why.
“this question is all
about patriotism.
our food is part of
our cultural heritage
and it is the duty of
the high Commissioner to promote
Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
“We try to let
people appreciate
and enjoy our food.
It is a way of promoting our cultural
identity to make our
food acquire international status.
“though Nigeria
has various dishes,
ranging from Akara,
pepper soup, Moi
Moi, Jollof rice, Eba,
Amala, tuwo,
Edikaikong, gbegiri,
mia kuka and so
forth, glorious food,
we still need to appreciate and pro-
mote Nigerian cuisine internationally.
“It is important to
note that many
Nigerian restaurants
have opened in the
UK. We should be
proud of anything
Nigerian.
“Many of our non
Nigerian guests do
enjoy our cuisine immensely.”
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
23
can be found in most countries of the world; in
Europe, London’s Peckham is called “Little
Lagos,” Dr Tafida observes somewhat sadly,
adding the oft overlooked fact, “The Nigerian
Diaspora contributes to the development and
sustenance of their host Communities.” The
downside being, “The potential that they offer
to their host countries are opportunities that
could have been captured by Nigeria.”
Remittances have been a driver for change and
development for a long time. He is clear about
the great economic impact on Nigeria the diaspora has had, is having and can have in the future.
“The Nigerian diaspora is indeed a strategic
asset as they are increasingly numerous, wealthy
and well connected. In a bid to continue in their
effort to help in the development of Nigeria as
a nation, we support each other.
“Their financial and human resources have
greatly impacted some communities in Nigeria.
Also remittances from the Nigerian diaspora
contribute significantly to the Nigerian economy. The money they send home helps stabilize
the foreign exchange demand. Most of their remittances are used to support family members
in Nigeria and are used for consumption (food,
clothing, education, health care etc).
“However, I will advise them to divert some
of the funds remitted to Nigeria for consumption into investment opportunities and by so
doing the Nigeria Diaspora can effectively create jobs and wean their relations off their dependence on them for subsistence.”
Has he noticed any change in attitude from the
British establishment toward Nigeria during his
tenure? His answer is emphatic.
“Not at all. The attitude is and always has been
fantastic. When David Cameron visited Nigeria
we set an ambitious target to double trade between our two countries by 2014 and we are well
on target to achieving that.”
As we part I ask if he has a message he wants to
pass on to the diaspora. He reiterates the open
door policy that exists at the Mission today and
exhorts diasporans to take advantage of it. He
then adds,
“I would like to take this opportunity to ask all
Nigerians in whatever sphere of life to be lawabiding and always remember that there is no
place like home.”
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BUSINESSWATCH
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BUSINESS COUNCIL BULLISH ABOUT TRADE AND INVESTMENT DESPITE “RISKS”
NIGERIA SWOT ANALYSIS WINS APPROVAL
Nigeria’s strength, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats were put under the spotlight at the annual
gathering of the Business Council for Africa
(BCA) at the High Commission in London. And
the frank exchange of views left the members of
the influential trade and investment organisation
confident that Nigeria is travelling in the right direction and is a destination economy for investors.
Every year the BCA gathers at the High
Commission to receive a briefing from Nigeria’s
Ambassador Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida. Where
he ordinarily determines the subject for discussion this year he broke with protocol and issued
a point-by-point response to a BCA report,
raising concerns over a raft of issues emerging
in Nigeria.
Dr Tafida told the gathering. “As the representative of the Nigerian Government here in
the UK, it is our duty to provide an informed
and credible position of Government on the issues. We believe that this regular exchange of
information will help to clear issues and further
cement the ties between our two countries.”
The issues the BCA wanted reassurance on
a whole raft of subjects: Boko Haram/Kidnapping; Flood Disaster; 2013 Budget/Foreign and
Domestic Debt; Corruption; Banking/Foreign
Exchange/Excess Crude Account; CBN Gover-
nor; Federal Road Maintenance Agency; Petroleum Industry Bill INNPC/OPEC; Oil Theft
and Pipeline Vandalism; Bill for State of the
Nation Address; Power Sector; Politics; Task
Force on Petroleum Subsidy; State Pardon; and
Removal of Fuel subsidy.
In response Dr Tafida delivered a robust assessment and, where necessary, rebuttal of the
charges levelled against the Nigerian Federal
Government (a copy of the document is available on the High Commission website
www.nigeriahc.org.uk).
The list might seem overwhelming but on
many of the issues the audience simply sought
updates on activities – such as the war on terror
and flood relief – or industry-specific intelligence, such as questions relating to the petroleum industry bill and road building.
Progress was evident across all areas and
where there were contentious decisions, such as
the pardon for Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha,
realpolitik explanations satisfied the audience.
“The Federal Government has informed that
his role towards the restoration of peace in the
Niger/Delta was part of the consideration for
the amnesty granted him,” Dr Tafida explained.
Dr Tafida concluded by saying, “I applaud
the cordial relations between Nigeria and the
CLIVE CARPENTER SPEAKING: Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida
and David Lamb listening
UK, and in particular the continued increase in
the volume of trade between our two countries.
I have no doubt that with your partnership and
continued interest in promoting trade between
our two countries, the target to double trade by
2014 will be realized.”
The vice chairman of the BCA Clive Carpenter received the briefing on behalf of the organisation. “As always His Excellency has given
us a fascinating insight into the current developments in Nigeria,” he said. “And we all know
Nigeria is so frequently and sadly misrepresented by the media and it’s not always easy for
the uninitiated, or indeed the initiated, to sort
the facts from the myths.
“Today, your Excellency,” he continued. “I
think you have sorted the wheat from the chaff.
What you have done for us is give us a SWOT
analysis – you’ve given us a summary of the
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and
threats – which Nigeria currently harbours.”
He concluded by saying, “A word about the
risks of doing business in Nigeria and this applies to the rest of Africa. We all know there are
risks; we should not deny them. But risks
should be managed and mitigated.
“Just as Africa is made up of many different
countries so Nigeria is made up of many different states. If there is a particular problem, risk
or challenge in one or two states it does not
mean you abandon the whole country?”
He asked rhetorically, “If a bomb explodes
in London, or there is a flood in London, does
that mean you do not go to Manchester or
Birmingham? In Nigeria there’s always an alternative. And to put matters into context the
GDP of Lagos state alone exceeds that of
Kenya, East Africa’s beefiest economy.”
Having earlier noted that Nigeria is growing
at a rate of 7% annually compared to SA at 3%
the message was clear. For investors, Nigeria remains a most attractive destination.
Growth in Africa is built on
democracy’s ‘forward march’
Sub-Saharan Africa’s expected GDP growth –
forecast to average 5.8 percent this year by the
African Development Bank – is the envy of much
of the world as parts of the developed West
struggle to climb out of recession.
But Africa-watchers attending the Reuters
Africa Investment Summit say the continent is
also marching forward across metrics ranging
from democracy and governance to economic
management and the rule of law.
“those basic fundamentals are either in place
or getting better,” said Clifford Sacks, CEo for
Africa of Renaissance Capital, the Russian investment bank which has been a pioneer in
opening up the business frontier in Africa.
Sacks and others said the old investors’ view
of Africa as a pool of oil and minerals to be
tapped as a resource – while still significant, especially for big commodities buyers like China –
is not the full picture.
Mining represented only 14 percent of
Africa’s growth while 53 percent came from
services such as banking and telecommunications, quoting data for 2002-2009 from Renais-
sance. “When you peel back the onion a bit on
growth ... two thirds – and that is what really
attracts us – has been consumer driven,” said
Carlyle’s Chigwende.
he said his group, the world’s second largest
private equity asset manager, was focusing on
fast-growing sectors like food, consumer goods,
telecoms, especially mobile telephony, and
banking.
there is broad consensus, however, that
African governments must seize the opportunity of rising growth and investment if they
want to make sure benefits reach populations
clamouring for jobs and better lives.
Investing resource income and other revenues in infrastructure, education and health is
essential, said Johan Van Zyl, toyota’s CEo in
Africa.
“We have a young population in Africa. It
needs to be absorbed into the economy,
whether informal or formal, and job creation is
going to be critical,” he said. “Africa will not just
have to be a consumer continent, but also a producing continent.”
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May 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
OgBEIDE, HAROlD (May 2nd)
happy birthday to a loving Brother.
From The Ogbeide Family
IDOWu,
TOyIN
(May 4th)
Birthday
greetings to
our lovely
daughter
and sister.
From Mum,
Dad and
siblings
OMOsEVWERHA, BENJAMIN
(May 15th)
We wish our brother a very happy
birthday, from Freddie, James
and Victor
A.A.A EMMANuEl (JP)
May 22ND
We pray that
God will grant
you your
heart’s desire
with ease, total
divine health &
long life,
heaven at last.
have a blessed day. lots of love
from Committee of Friends
HugHEs, BETTy (May 24th)
An unbirthday, if you have a
birthday, then you have a birthday
and not just any birthday but a 10th
Birthday!
happy Birthday Betty from Bo, BB,
Daddy and Mummy xxxx
OkuNDAyE, suyI (May 23rd)
OkuNDAyE, IyARE (May 22nd)
happy birthday suyi and Iyare.
May God give both of you long life
and prosperity. From your cousins
Isabel, Nicole and kimberly
AkINOlA,
MOyO (May
31st)
happy 10th
Birthday to
our lovely
Moyo. May
you continue
to grow in
God’s
wisdom. lots
of love from
Daddy, Mummy and Monjola
REMEMBRANCE
MRs FOlukE CHRIsTINA AMOs
25th April 1938 – 20th April 2012
We remember our beloved Mum,
Sister, Grandmother and Great
Grandmother Mrs Foluke Christina
Amos, who passed away too soon
on 20th April 2012.
Mummy we miss you. Words
cannot express how we feel.
From your Children and
grandchildren
SHE IS LEAVING ME
Dear Eki,
My wife has asked for a divorce. I don’t know when she started slipping from my
hands and I was caught off guard when she requested the divorce. I love her very
dearly, and don’t think I can live without her. We’ve only been married for three
years and we’ve got no kids, so I’ve got no bargaining chip to make her stay. She
said she is no longer in love with me. What does that mean? How can one fall out
of love so soon after we took vows saying ‘till death do us part’? This is so out of
the blue, I seriously suspect she has been having an affair. I am so confused. I don’t
even know where to start. I really don’t want her to go. What do I do?
Mo, london
Well, as much as we don’t want it, things like this do happen. Of course you don’t want her to leave. You
believed when she swore you will be together till death do you part, so it’s understandable that you are hurt
by her decision to leave. Might I also add that if your current state of reasoning is one where you think
children would have been a bargaining chip, to be used in preventing your spouse from leaving you, then
it’s a good thing that there are none yet. Children are often used as weapons in a divorce and some never
recover from the experience.
Your wife can’t just have stopped loving you. There must be a reason why she’s fallen out of love with
you. It could be that she doesn’t want to hurt you any further and that’s why she’s not telling you. If you
suspect she’s been having an affair then I suggest you ask her straight instead of speculating. If you really
want her to stay, the best way is not to think of ways you could bully her into staying. Instead, ask her for
the reason she’s no longer in love with you and see if it’s something you can fix. If it is, all you can do is ask
her to give you time to fix things. It couldn’t have been such a shock to you. Spouses usually have a sixth
sense about these things. You feel your loved one slipping away but you ignore the signs or try to convince
yourself that it can’t be happening, that perhaps it’s all in your imagination. If she agrees to work on your
marriage, then do what you can to win her back. If not then there is nothing you can do but move on.
PARENTS SAY NO
TO OSU
Dear Eki,
I am very much in love with my fiancée
and intend to marry her soon. The problem is my parents. When I told them
about her and that I intend to marry her,
they said over their dead body because
they found out that she comes from a
family of Osus. They have threatened to
disown me if I go ahead and marry her .
In the eastern part of Nigeria where I
come from, Osus are outcasts and are left
alone as no one wants to be associated
with the stigma they carry. I thought this
was the 21st century and people don’t
believe in such things anymore. I am actually surprised as I am not sure where
this way of thinking is coming from. My
dad attended a very prestigious school in
the US, is very well educated and holds a
PHD. My mother too well educated and
they are both seen as upstanding members of their church.
I didn’t expect this type of reaction
from my parents. I expected older members of my extended family would definitely have a problem with it, but I
figured my parents were more open
minded and would help bring them
round to our way of thinking. I was so
wrong .
I can see the hilarity of my predicament as it’s like a scene out of a Nollywood movie but the fact remains that I
do really want to marry this girl and I
would like to do it with my parents’
blessings. I have spoken to them and
even gotten open minded members of
my family to try to get them to change
their mind, but to no avail. I need some
advice on this issue please.
C, london
Firstly I have always believed in that beautiful quote
by Thomas Jefferson, “All men are created equal.”
As far as I’m concerned two people should not
get married only for medical or life threatening reasons. Having said that, your parents are obviously
still deeply rooted in their traditional belief that anyone who comes from an Osu blood line is less than
other men. Unfortunately, those types of beliefs are
hard to shake. So, apart from getting the head of
their church to make them see reason, I do not see
what else you can do to change their mind. It is
worth a try and that might work, but I would advise
you to prepare yourself for the worst scenario (i.e
your parents refusing to accept her and disowning
you), because in the end you might just have to consider if she is worth going against your parents.
I would ask you to make a wise and thorough
consideration of the matter and be sure that this is
what you really want. I know a lot of people might
say the answer is obvious, you should tell your parents where to go. But in reality being disowned by
your parents and family is a very difficult thing to go
through and you would want to be sure you made
the right choice and have the right person at your
side during the difficult times ahead.
I wish you all the best.
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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COMMUNITYWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
27
YEMI AKANDE With officials of the The Nigeria
High Commission, London
YEMI AKANDE
PRISCILLA NWIKPO
PEOPLE AND PLACES BY YEMI
Ambassadors and diplomats representing Nigeria, Mozambique and Trinidad and Tobago lent
their support to the gala launch of a new TV
programme set to put Africa on the map as a
tourist destination.
The brainchild of the woman popularly
known as “Lady Yemi, Tourism Ambassador”,
the programme People and Places aims “to
push tourism to the very frontiers on the continents of
Africa and the Caribbean”.
Catch it on Ben TV
UK/Africa every Monday @ 10pm local time
Ambassadors and Diplomats from Nigeria, Mozambique, Trinidad and Tobago
Yemi with Mr Femi Okutubo and Mozambique HIgh Commissioner
H.E GARVIN
NICHOLAS High commissioner to Trinidad
and Tobago
MAGE MODA
couture models
FROM L-R Prince Adeniyi (Special Assistant to the Nigeria High Commissioner (NHC)) Simon Ogah
(NHC) a guest, Lady Yemi, and the ambassadors of Mozambique and Trinidad and Tobago
Chairman of Business Council for
Africa Mr Clive Carpenter
Yemi with children
Yemi with friends.
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In-house décor, theming and event management
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Bespoke packages to suit all
Tel: 0208 588 9651
Greenvue Venue, Mill Hill Country Club, Burtonhole Lane, Mill Hill London NW7 1AS
www.greenvuevenue.co.uk
Like us on Facebook
FASHIONWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
29
TRENCH TOWN ROCKS
The unpredictable weather means you won’t survive without a
classic trench – but when the sun comes out so will the desire to
get an all important witty message writ large on your chest
By Obah Iyamu
motto is keep
everything else simple. this time around
jeans are event-appropriate, as they are
best matched with structured or formal
pieces. offset a pair of rugged denim with
formal shoes. Bang!
Piled up bracelets A sweet nod to the
gypsy but without the boho touches, we
are wearing our bracelets piled up. From
delicate strings, to perspex or chunky
metals add a touch of rebel sophistication
Trench coats Update your
to your look.
the trick is to choose a collection of
closet with a new trench coat. It
is a classic that never dates
similar patterns in the form of gold, silver,
thanks to its constant
pastel or even lucite materials; wear with
bracelet sleeve tops for evening, or
evolution. Whether styled over
pushed up sleeves to relax the look.
a formal dress or casual
separates, a trench coat lends
sophistication to any look, and
if you are up against summer
showers, this is the coolest way
to go. take it up a notch by choosing one in a
bright colour.
Message T-shirts
t-shirts are a fail-safe
fashion perennial, but
we are now putting
cool words on them,
talk about tweets and funny
messages or hot topics. Style with
anything from jeans to pencil
skirts, keeping the silhouette
feminine will take you from
political campaigner to
fashion crush. I will be wearing logo-emblazoned
knits when it’s still chilly and conversational tshirts all summer long.
Destroyed jeans While it may not be the most
practical look I have ever fallen for,
ripped jeans have
taken over the streets
and I am smitten.
Colours and fierce
prints are so last
season, that’s why
when it comes to
styling this piece our
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30
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
@NigerianWatch
FOODWATCH
Ngozi’s KITCHEN
Baby and toddler African meals
I
was inspired to include baby
food in this column after
hearing a conversation between two African new mums
about how confusing and timeconsuming it can be to cook
African meals for their babies
and toddlers. As a mother myself, I know how busy life can be,
juggling work and family commitments. And I know how hard
it can be to be inventive every
night in the kitchen and cook ing
from scratch.
However, making your own
baby food doesn’t have to be timeconsuming. You can make it in bulk
and freeze it, or cook ingredients your
using for your own meal.
When you first introduce your
baby to solids it doesn’t take long to
prepare a few simple purees, using ingredients you’re cooking for the rest
of the family such as plantain, yam
and sweet potato.
SWEEt PlANtAIN yUMMy MASh
By doing this, you’re
baby gets to try a wide variety of foods, you'll introduce flavours and textures
from African foods that
your baby will become familiar with, preparing them
for the flavours of their
heritage. Not only will you
save money, but you will
also know exactly what's in
your babies food, no salt,
artificial flavours, colours
or preservatives added, and
no surprise ingredients like
horse meat for beef!
Homemade baby food is also
higher in nutrients and tastes far better than store bought products. And
the pleasure of preparing meals for
or spinach and simmer for 5 mins more and
voila; it’s ready to serve the toddler.
For the baby blend with a little breast milk
or formula. Drain over a bowl and use the back
of the wooden spoon to mash, or blend to
pure
́e until it’s well mixed and serve.
you can also cook this meal with oily fish
such as Mackerel and Salmon, as it contains
many wonderful nutrients for your baby and
it’s good for them to develop a taste for it.
Tips: you can cover and refrigerate for up to
48 hours, or freeze in ice cube trays until solid
then knock the cubes out transfer into a
freezer bag, label with date and use within 3
months. to defrost, remove 2 or 3 cubes of
frozen meal and allow to come to room temperature, stir, heat through fully and serve.

oKRA BABy SoUP AND SoFt
PoUNDED yAM
Ingredients
1/2 portion of ripened plantain
50g cooked chicken fillet
1/2 onion
1 medium carrot
1 cup of sweetcorn
1 bell pepper
2-3 mushrooms
1/2 cup of Fresh fluted pumpkin or baby
spinach (optional)
a dash of olive oil
Cooking Instructions
Shred the chicken fillet. Wash, peel and chop
the plantain in cubes. Chop the onions, carrot,
bell pepper, mushrooms and slice very tiny,
fresh fluted pumpkin or baby spinach (optional) and set aside.
Cook the plantain for 10 mins over a low
heat until soft and tender. Add a dash of olive
oil along with the onions, carrot, bell pepper,
mushrooms and the chicken fillet. Stir and
cook for 5 mins then add the fluted pumpkin
your baby, and the enticing
aromas as you cook, will
make both you and your
baby excited about eating.
Food retains more of its
nutritional value, taste,
colour, texture and aroma
when only lightly steamed
and not overcooked.
Introducing solid foods is a very
important step in your baby’s development and well-being. Studies show
that babies who are fed nutritious,
healthy diets grow into stronger kids
and better-adjusted eaters than those
who are fed poor diets.
Here are a few quick, easy and
healthy meals to try at home for your
little ones. They are simple recipes
and only a few cooking utensils that
okra starts boiling, turn down the heat and
allow to cook covered for 3-5 mins until tender
(okra cooks very quickly). Add 2 tablespoons
of tomato puree. Serve the baby from 6
months and toddler very soft pounded yam
moulded in tiny balls.
Top tip okra is a good source of protein and
provides plenty of vitamin C, which the body
needs to absorb iron efficiently. Its high fi-
you would find in any kitchen are all
you need; such as a fork for mashing
and sieve or food processor to produce purées (and the ingredients of
course).
Ngozi’s Kitchen encourages
Africans in the diaspora to be proud
of their ethnic food. We also teach
how to cook healthy African baby
and toddlers home meals.
For more information email
[email protected]
brescontent makes it a good food for relieving
constipation – and it does so very gently. this
is because the mucilage adds a certain ‘sliminess’ to baby’s stools, making them easier to
pass. Don’t wash okra unless you plan to use it
immediately, or it will turn slimy and start to
rot very quickly. Store sliced okra in the freezer
in a zip lock bag – it’s best eaten on the day of
purchase but will keep fresh for a few weeks.
HEAlTHy TIPs!
What to do when you have control of the catering to host your loved ones in a private
or social gathering. Here’s how......
l Almost anything fresh is a good start. Better still fresh organic food.
l Avoid giving your guests processed food, as it generally contains sugar, salt and
saturated fat.
l Grill, steam or bake instead of frying.
l Add lots of vegetables to the menu (either hot or cold).
l Add lots of dark vegetables when you prepare soup.
l For dessert provide fresh fruits or add fruit cocktail to the menu.
l Use simple but healthy salad dressings (lemon, vinegar and olive oil).
l Add more of oily fish and chicken and less red meat to your menu.
l Encourage your guest to get up and dance; a good excuse for them to keep fit as well as
socialise.
“You are what you eat,” goes the well-known saying. If you eat healthy foods, you are more
likely to live longer, fitter and healthier.
AFRICAN MEAl PlAN FOR lOsINg WEIgHT
( Week 1) 1 Day Sample!
Ingredients
4 kkra
50g oily fish, preferably boneless
1 finely chopped onion
tomato puree
pounded yam flour
Cooking Instructions
top and tail the okra then cut crosswise into
slices, or blend (blending the okra is advisable
to avoid choking for both baby and toddler).
Place fish – I recommend salmon or mackerel
fillets – in a medium sized sauce pan. Add
onion and a little water and stir frequently, to
avoid the paste sticking to the pan. once the
Breakfast
oat porridge with a
handful of almond
nuts with low fat milk
1 hard boiled egg
pineapple (100g)
1 glass of green tea.
lunch
yam pottage ( Asaro)
cooked with lots of
African spinach and
fish (3 level cooking
spoons)
Paw Paw (100g).
1 glass of water
Dinner
Egusi soup with lean
goat meat and lots of
bitter leaf (3 level
cooking spoons)
cooked without palm
oil. oat meal fufu,
millet or elubo (1
tennis ball size)
1 glass of water
snacks
1 handful of cooked
groundnut or
roasted, eat with
skin on
2 garden eggs
1 glass of water
guidelines: We advice to only bake, grill or steam and NEVER fry. Reduce salt and sugar intake.
Watch your portion sizes by using a smaller plate, divide your plate into 4 and fill it as follows:
two quarters vegetable, a quarter meat, fish or alternative protein and a quarter starchy foods.
Exercise is vital, a couple of minutes daily. Drink an average of 6 to 8 glasses of water daily.
AFROHITS
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
MUSICWATCH
31
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ww
SHEGGzz –
All NA SWAG
He’s 17 and seems to have
a single aim in mind: to
take the world by storm.
The online TV presenter
turned Afrobeats artist
has just released the
heavily anticipated video
to his debut track and
you can definitely tell
there is more to expect
from this youngun as
south london folk would
say. The track itself does
what it says on the tin,
makes you bubble
and more than
shake a leg. It’s not
necessarily a floor AFrObrEAKErS
stomping, “Azonto
until the paramedics
arrive” type of tune,
but it does put you in
that mood to sip away at
the brandy and coke
while forgetting all of your cares. This is looking
forward to hearing a lot more from this artist.
DONAE’O - FIrE
(rEMIx) FT MISTA
SIlvA & FuSE ODG
“I bring dem fire,” Donaeo proclaims on his latest club banging track. And he isn’t kidding. It
wasn’t enough for Mr X to blaze the track. He
brought Mista silva and Mr Azonto Fuse ODg
on the track and it’s nothing short of explosive.
using that classic white background studio format with more characters than you can shake a
chewing stick at providing the action by way of
many an Azonto and what ever else type of
dance move this is a montage to definitely
check out. so go listen to this and hey, download it (it’s available for free so there’s no excuse).
AFrObrEAKErS
o
c
.
s
t
i
h
w. a f r o
ONES TO WATCH
m
TOp
20 AFrObEATS
No. title
Skibo
tonight
Ghost Mode
First of All
Shake
yes/No
Somebody
ori Mi Wu
9
Bad Guy P (remix) l.o.S
ft. Banky W
hypnotize Me ft. olu Maintain
olivia
yoyo
Selebobo
Malonogede
timaya
Gat Me high
May D
Cashflow
D'Banj
Watch My ting
lola Rae
Go
love Affair
terry G
Beautiful
Kefee
Superman (remix) 2Shotz
Bubugaga
Mr2Kay
Koleyewon
tee Songz
q
MBRyO
The special one
– Mbryo – drops the
long awaited track PAROLE. Mbryo has been
at it again, busy in the
studio making
magic. Parole is another
certified club banger
from the Rugged
Records artist who is
making big moves in
the music industry at
the moment.
TIM gODFREy
We love love love our
Afrobeats here, but
here’s a shout out to arguably one of the
biggest gospel artists
in Nigeria today. Tim
godfrey, the spectacular Ekelebe Master, has
released a big
new video for his
single Gbemisoke. This is a
gospel video like
NO other, featuring mega stars
such as Banky
W, lynxxx,
skales, Praiz,
Timi Dakolo,
yaw, Nana, Ik
[Big Brother Host], and
the Xtreme Crew, all
showing us their
Azonto skills. Afrobeats
meets gospel, thanks
to Tim godfrey.
SINGlES
STrINGz
TErry G
Definitely look out for Stringz, real
name Michael omoregbee – an upcoming Nigerian artist whose latest video
Konji, featuring olamide, was a smash
hit. Partnering with such an established
star takes this guy to the next level. the
video itself is a testament to Stringz’s
love of hot women and big beats.
the 22 year-old
rapper is on the
cusp of greatness – 2013 is
going to be a
massive year for
him. Check out
his video or follow him on twitter @IamStringz
terry G has
dropped the
track listing
for his upcoming album,
Book of Ginjah, a 21
track album
due for release soon. Featuring the hit Loose Control, as well
as the upcoming single Pull Off. this
guy literally never stops – he must be
one of Nigeria’s most prolific artists
on the scene at the moment. We cannot wait for the new album to get
here. In the meantime, check out his
back catalogue.
Artist
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
w
e
r
t
y
u
i
o
p
a
Solid Star
Burna Boy
Phyno
olamide
Flavour
Banky W
Iyanya
Emma Nyra
This chart has been compiled by combined
YouTube views and iROKING views & downloads
TOp
20 AFrObrEAKErS
No. title
1
2
3
4
Azonto
Gobe
Chinny Baby
the Matter
5
6
7
Gat Me high
yes/No
ligali
8
Fine lady Ft.
Wizkid
Ur Waist
Fire (Afrobeats
Remix) Ft Mista
Silva & Fuse oDG
Itz ova Ft Snypa
Eziokwu Feat
Ikechukwu, Ill Bliss
& Phyno
All of you
Watch My ting Go
Ife Wa Gbona Ft.
leo Wonder
Good Morning
First of All
tony Montana
(Bad Pass) Remix
Go low
All Na Swag
9
q
w
e
r
t
y
u
i
o
p
a
Artist
Wizkid
Davido
Flavour
Maleek Berry Ft.
Wizkid
May D
Banky W
Dammy Krane Ft
Pasuma
lynxxx
Iyanya
Donaeo
tonto
lynxxx
Davido
lola Rae
tiwa Savage
Brymo
olamide
Naeto C Ft Dbanj
Wande Coal
Sheggzz
This chart is compiled by information from
YouTube.
32
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
@NigerianWatch
BEAUTYWATCH
THE NATURAL LOOK
By Funmi Odegbami
t
he topic of hair is such a potent one; it is political, social,
cultural, sexual, personal and
emotional. If you have ever cancelled a date because you couldn’t
get your hair to act right then you
know what I am talking about.
I am officially a curly girl, a term
used to describe anyone with naturally curly, kinky curly, wavy or curly
afro hair, and I have been for a little
over a year. I was never a fan of natural hair, quite the opposite. I
thought that natural hair was unprofessional, boring and definitely not
sexy. My decision to go natural was
based on an interest in natural
beauty and increased awareness of
the potential damage that some of
the products we use can have on our
health and wellbeing. What I hadn’t
anticipated was just how life changing it would be, and how much of
myself I would discover at the same
time. Now I am 100% natural and
loving it. I have never felt so beautiful! And with the amount of stares
and compliments I get about my hair
on a daily basis my plan this month
is to help anyone who is thinking of
going natural themselves by sharing
some of my top tips.
The Big Chop the transition
from relaxed hair for me was not
very painful as I had short hair to
begin with, and I transitioned by
wearing weaves and chopping my
straight hair in between weave ap-
1
PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuk Noble
MAKEUP: MiNK London
A late convert to wearing her hair natural, Funmi odegbami says
she has never felt so beautiful. Here are her top tips for anyone
considering taking the same hair care journey…
plications. Alternatively you can
chop your hair in one spontaneous
swoop. one benefit of transitioning
as opposed to a spontaneous chop is
that you get to slowly let go of the
relaxer while getting to know your
new hair. While transitioning treat
your hair like silk, you must deep
condition your hair often, be very
careful when using heat on your hair
to avoid potential damage and keep
your hair lubricated.
styling your teeny weeny afro
(TWA) After the big chop many
women start their natural hair journey with a tWA. the tWA shoves
your face into the spotlight, which
can dredge up a lot of beauty issues.
you can combat some of these issues
by hitting the earring store. the
magic of shorter hair is that you can
pull off all sorts of looks you
couldn’t before. Buy headbands,
bows and flowers. I changed my
skincare regime and makeup to reflect the natural me. I found that I
could wear dewy makeup looks and
lip gloss galore without the fear of
my hair sticking to my lips on a
windy day. tWAs are very versatile
and go with tons of different looks.
Co-washing this is when you
wash your hair with conditioner
instead of shampoo. Many conditioners have enough cleansing properties to effectively clear away
debris. this is a great way to retain
moisture and allows for more frequent
cleansing, as the conditioner doesn’t strip
your hair of its natural
oils. you’ll be left with
soft, shiny, stronger
tresses. I use Mizani
true textures Cleansing
Cream and I have
found that it works
wonders on my
hair. It is a non-sulphate cleanser and
it’s made up of the
most natural
products available.
Do 30 days
of protective
styles When you
can’t be bothered
with your hair, protective styles are a
great way to give
your hair a break
from styling. Put
your hair in braids,
wear a wig or get
2
a weave. Most recently I went for an
afro kinky weave using Sleek hair
and nobody could tell that it
wasn’t my own hair.
Invest in the following organic products
your hair will love you for
it. (i) Shea butter, it restores moisture and softness to thirsty tresses from
the root to the tip; (ii) Aloe
Vera protects your hair
from heat damage, enhances shine, it is light and
won’t weigh down your
curls; (iii) Extra Virgin olive
oil is an emollient that seals and
5
softens the hair. you can use it as a
deep conditioner.
Exercise Regular exercise is essential for healthy hair. It increases the oxygen in the blood
circulating through your body
which provides an extra boost of
oxygen to your hair follicles and
helps to accelerate its growth. Exercise and fuel it well and your hair
will grow, shine and prosper.
So there you have it, my top tips
for gorgeous natural hair.
A great resource to have if you
are embarking on a natural hair journey is the book Better Than Good
Hair, The Curly Girl Guide To Healthy,
6
Gorgeous Natural Hair by Nikki Walton. It has everything you need to
get started on your curly hair journey, from henna treatments, to a
natural hair product guide, and various styles you can try at home.
I would
love to hear
how you
get on so
please do
get in
touch.
SPRINg WeDDINg MAke-uP Do’S AND DoN’TS
3
4
Is there any time more perfect for
a wedding than spring? It's a time of rebirth and
renewal – a perfect time for the new adventure that a
marriage brings. It is also a time where the weather can
be unpredictable. You may have 25 degrees and
sunshine, or you may end up with a damp, chilly day.
Whatever the weather, you will want your make-up to
stand the test and to still look amazing at the end of
the day.
I am here to give you some spring wedding make-up
tips on how to keep your make-up looks fresh all day.
Do’S
1. Do a consultation
before the wedding day
2. Apply make-up in
natural light
3. Use a moisturiser that
will prepare the skin for
make-up
4. emphasise the eyes
5. Warm up the neck and
chest with a dusting of
bronzing powder
6. use two shades of blush
7. Choose a lipstick that is
one or two shades
brighter than what you
would normally wear.
Pinks, roses and plums are
great choices for brides
8. use a water resistant
liner that can withstand
tears
9. Choose mascara that’s
waterproof
10. Blend, blend, blend
your make-up. Brushes
are necessary but feel free
to use your fingers to
finish blending.
DoN’TS
11. Do not apply the
wrong shade of
foundation
12. Do not forget to blend
foundation into the neck
13. Do not apply a deep
coloured bronzer if you
have really pale skin
14. Do not apply blush so
that it leaves visible
streaks on the cheeks.
Blend it carefully
15. Do not apply too
much shine all
over the face.
It’s not
flattering
16. Do not
use a lip liner
that is visibly
darker than the
lipstick
17. Do not over tweeze
the eyebrows into the
wrong shape for the face
18. Do not apply too
much lip gloss that it
bleeds around the lips
19. Don’t be too serious;
it’s only make-up!
20. Remember just like
any technique, make-up
requires practice. If you
don’t get it right the first
time round, don’t stress.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Chuk Noble
MAKEUP: MiNK London
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
TOWNWATCH
33
ON THE TOWN
With Toni
FROM L-R: Breis,
Ginger Baker,
Afrikan Boy,
Dele Sosimi,
Shingai Shoniwa
SAlUtING thE BlACK PRESIDENt
THEATRE
Gutted
Set on the council estates of south
east London, this is a story of love,
family and sordid secrets, told
through the eyes of four brothers.
When the eldest brother comes out
of rehab and embarks on a truthtelling mission he triggers an unstoppable family meltdown. In an
explosive 24 hours, years of denial
are uncovered... and life will never
be the same again.
theatre Royal Stratford East,
Gerry Raffles Square, london,
E15 1BN. Until 25 May
From £6, Age 16+
www.stratfordeast.com
to Kill A Mocking Bird
Harper Lee’s classic story of life in
the American Deep South as told
through the inquiring eyes of a
child. Jem and Scout’s idyllic childhood innocence is shattered by the
realisation that prejudice rules their
town when their father defends a
young black man falsely accused of
raping a white woman and the family becomes a target of gossip and
abuse.
22 May – 15 June, open AIr
theatre, Regent’s Park, NW1
Mon-Sat at 7.45pm; matinees
Weds, thurs and Sats; 2.15pm
(No matinees on 16,18, 22 or
23 May). From £25
www.openairtheatre.com
The Bullet Catch
A unique theatrical experience exploring the world of magic, featuring mind-reading, levitation and
“the most notorious finale in show
business”.
the Shed, National theatre,
SE1. 21 May-June 1
tickets £12-20
www.theshed.nationaltheatre.or
g.uk
The Victorian In The Wall
A surreal and fantastical story.
Power-prams, Grand Design knock-
The Burial
When her father dies,
Funmi is forced to make
some difficult choices,
which are not helped by
the arrival of his two
wives from Nigeria… A
new play by award-winning playwright Bola
Agbaje, whose work includes Belong, Off The
Endz and Gone Too Far!.
Her latest work sees
Funmi caught between
conflicting beliefs, unwanted guests and estranged families.
Funmi is forced to confront her forgotten past and her dead father’s strange presence with tragi-comic consequences.
the Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, london, SE8 4AG
2-11 May, 7.30pm
£8-£14
www.thealbany.org.uk
– jamming with a younger generation
of artists who are influenced by the
great man, such as Blak Twang,
Afrikan Boy, BREIS, and Shingai
Shoniwa of the Noisettes.
The musicians, singers and rappers
will offer their own unique interpretations of Fela songs in what is one of
the most hotly anticipated gigs of the
year. Shingai Shoniwa is set to give
her take of Lady.
The legendary Cream drummer
Ginger Baker is known as ‘Rock’s first
superstar drummer’, but he is also
throughs, organic everything. A
family are rushed to hospital with
festival fatigue. A work-shy writer
discovers a Victorian man living in
the wall of his flat. Everyone’s
pretty surprised. Adjustments need
to be made.
Can the strange visitor unlock
his hopeless career? His flagging relationship? A story buried in these
walls for over a century? Contains
jokes, songs, banging on recycling
and boxes, and a Nigerian.
Royal Court theatre Upstairs,
Sloane Square, SW1
16 May-8 June
£20; all seats £10 Mondays.
noted for his involvement in African
and Jazz music. He lived in Nigeria
from 1970 till 1976 and in 1971
recorded a live album with Fela (Fela
with Ginger Baker Live!).
“I met Fela in the early 60s when
he used to sit in at the all-nighters at
the Flamingo,” he recalls. “We became good friends. When I arrived in
Nigeria in 1970 I met Fela again – this
led to many musical adventures. He
was a fantastic fellow, a great friend,
I loved his music.
“Tony [Allen] was Fela’s drum-
Land Rush
Cafe and African Restaurant
Famous Tuwo / Amala Abula Spot
6 Beckton Road
Canning Town London
E16 1EW
www.royalcourttheatre.com
Public Enemy
When Dr Stockmann discovers
that the waters of a new public spa
are toxic, he expects gratitude and
glory. But his revelation makes him
the most hated man in town. How
far will a man go to stand up for the
truth?
young Vic, the Cut, Waterloo,
SE1. 4 May-8 June. From £10
www.youngvic.org
Race
A hotel room in disarray – lamps
broken, cigarette butts, liquor bottles – a red sequin dress, and a man
accused of rape... The accused is
white, the accuser black. Two
lawyers, one black and one white,
must uncover and sift the facts of
the case. Is the man guilty? And, irrespective of that, can his case be
won? Plawright David Mamet, who
gave us the sensational Glengarry
Glenross, has said of the play the
"theme is race and the lies we tell
each other on the subject."
hampstead theatre, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, NW3
23 May-29 June. From £14.50
www.hampsteadtheatre.com
mer/band leader and we too became
good friends. I last played with Tony
at the Zildjian Awards in 2008; I’m
looking forward to meeting again.’
And that could lead to something
explosive as Tony recalls the last time
the two played together; “We joined
to play a 15-minute drum solo. This
guy can play! And here we are again.
I can’t wait!”
Saluting the Black President is at the
229 Club, Great Portland Street, W1.
17 May. Tickets from agmp.ticketabc.com
Bringing good food closer to you
An astonishing supergroup will come
together for one night only to pay
homage to founding father of
Afrobeat Fela Kuti, and mark the remastering, repackaging and re-release
of his entire back catalogue by Knitting Factory records.
The evening promises to be a
memorable mash up with on the one
hand Fela’s contemporaries – including the legendary drummer Ginger
Baker and former Fela stalwarts,
Tony Allen (drums) and Dele Sosimi
(keyboards/arranger) amongst others
Can the world feed itself? When the food system began falling apart in 2008, rich countries
started buying up and leasing fertile tracks of
the developing world. In 2009 alone, nearly 60
million hectares – an area the size of France was purchased or leased in Africa. In Land
Rush directors Hugo Berkeley and osvalde
Lewat look at the situation in Mali where 75%
of the population are farmers, but rich, landhungry nations like China and Saudi Arabia are
leasing land in order to turn large areas into
agribusiness farms. American sugar developer
Mima Nedelcovych’s wants to deliver change
through his ambitious scheme, Sosumar. unlike
some of his competitors he considers the involvement of the local communities as key to
the project’s success. However, many in the
community remain unconvinced and see the
plantation as nothing short of a neo-colonial
outpost. As Mali experiences a military coup,
the developers are scared off – but can Mali’s
farmers combat food shortages and escape
poverty on their own terms? The screening will
be followed by a panel debate.
Birkbeck Cinema, 43 Gordon Square, Birkbeck, london, WC1h 0PD
thu 6 Jun, 6pm
FREE
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
May 2013
@NigerianWatch
TOWNWATCH
BooK A NoRth WESt PASSAGE to AFRICA
Kaya Festival
thAt’S thE WAy…
The annual Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet
Festival celebrates Mr Punch’s 351st birthday. The celebrations will draw puppeteers from all over the country, as well as folk musicians, dancers, clowns, jugglers
and stalls. The location is appropriately close to the
spot where Samuel Pepys first sighted Mr Punch on
9th May 1662. The day’s events start with a toast to
Mr Punch and a brass band-led Grand Procession,
starting at St Paul’s Church garden. There follows a
special service with a sermon administered by Rev
Mark Oakley and Mr Punch himself.
Sunday 12 May
St Paul's Covent Garden, Bedford Street, Covent
Garden, london, WC2E 9ED
FOR CHILDREN
Tiddler & Other Terrific Tales
Under the sea, out on the farm
and into the jungle, these terrific
tales are woven together with live
music, puppetry and a whole host
of colourful characters from Julia
Donaldson’s best-loved books:
Tiddler, Monkey Puzzle, The
Smartest Giant in Town and A
Squash and a Squeeze. Funky
moves, toe tapping tunes and giggles are guaranteed!
For children aged 3+ what better way to let children experience a
West End Theatre.
Wyndhams theatre, Charing
Cross Road, WC2. 4 May only
(three shows, 11am, 1pm,
2.30pm). From £11
www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk
Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory – the New Musical
It was only a matter of time and
here it is... Charlie and the Choco-
Hue Boy
the show will tour the UK including Nottingham, Cambridge, leeds, york, Perth
and various london locations.
Until 15 June 2013 . From £7
Age 3+
http://tutti-frutti.org.uk/show/hue-boy
Caribbean music and culture
in the uk. In addition to
music, the festival features
stalls of arts & crafts, food
and drink from around the
world as well as children’s
entertainment. Head to the
oyé Active Zone for dance,
drumming and percussion
workshops, capoeira performances, holistic therapies
and much more.
Review Field, Sefton Park,
liverpool. 22-23 Jun, 12.309.30pm. FREE
www.kayafestival.co.uk
www.africaoye.com
Africa Oyé
AFRICA OYÉ: Zongzing Allstars
late Factor - the New Musical.
Roald Dahl’s classic bought to life
by under the watchful eye of sam
Mendes – who directed Skyfall
and American Beauty – and features the ingenious stagecraft of
the best currently working in the
business called show.
The wonder of the original
story that has captivated the world
for almost 50 years is brought to
life with music by Marc Shaiman,
and lyrics by Scott Wittman and
Marc Shaiman (Grammy winners
for Hairspray), a book by awardwinning playwright and adaptor
David Greig (The Bacchae; Tintin
In Tibet), set and costume designs
by Mark Thompson (Mamma
Mia!; One Man, Two Guvnors) and
choreography by Peter Darling
(Billy Elliot The Musical; Matilda
The Musical).
The mysterious Willy Wonka is
opening his Chocolate Factory for
just one day, and for Charlie
Bucket it promises
to be a mouth-watering chance to
feast his eyes on
sweets beyond his
wildest imagination.
Previews from
18 May, opens
11 June. theatre
Royal Drury
lane, Catherine
Street, WC2.
From £25
Hue Boy has a problem that everyone is
talking about... he is small and doesn’t seem
to be growing. His family and the villagers all
have their opinion on what he should do and
his school friends tease him. until one day
Hue Boy understands what it is to be tall
despite his height. With a vibrant set, original
soundscape and visual movement style, the
show is set in a beautiful environment under
a magical giant parasol for a unique
interactive experience.
Held near Bangor in Wales,
this two-day festival offers
an assortment of African, Jamaican, Caribbean and
World music flavours along
with a diverse range of
workshops, food stalls and
festival activities for the
whole family. A bargain in
the beautiful valleys.
Vaynol Estate, Bangor,
Gwynedd, ll57 4BP
25-26 May. From £35. Under
14s FREE
www.charlieandthechocolatefactory.com/
The Elephant’s
Bridesmaid
A magical musical
about weddings,
wombats and the
loveliest elephant
the world has ever
known.
Join
Nessie the Elephant and her animal friends and
help them as they
go in search of an
outfit
fancy
enough (and large
enough) to make
Starting out as a series of
small gigs in Liverpool’s city
centre in 1992, Africa oyé
has gone from strength-tostrength, and has evolved
into the foremost celebration of African and
her the forest’s most beautiful
bridesmaid.
Greenwich theatre, Crooms
hill, london, SE10 8ES
Sun 12 May, 2.30pm
From £7.50 | Age 3+
www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk
Chris & Pui
CBeebies favourite double act is
bringing songs, rhymes, comedy
sketches and lots of joining in for
all the family. See Old MacDonald, Incy, Humpty, the Duke of
York, King Cole and – “oh my
woolly word” – Little Bo Peep and
many other of your favourite characters live on stage.
the Broadway theatre, Catford Broadway, london, SE6
4RU. Sun 19 May, 1pm & 4pm.
From £10
www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk
ART
Africa Now
Bonhams’ Africa Now auction
features African art created by
artists from a multitude of cultures, reflecting the complex heritage of our continent. Items
include the very best of post-war
and contemporary art in various
media, including painting, sculpture and drawing.
Bonhams, 101 New Bond
Street, london, W1S 1SR
22 May
KAYA FESTIVAL:
(From Top) Afrika
Bambaataa and Batch
Gueye
Afro Hair and Beauty 2013
Make the most of the bank holiday with this twoday extravaganza, featuring top-selling name
brands that will be showcasing and unveiling the
latest haircare ranges, wet products, electricals,
accessories and much more. Celebrity stylists,
award-winning hairdressers and top beauticians
will be on standby to offer the very best trend
advice all tailored for you. You can also enjoy an
array of live demos, catwalk shows, celebrity
guest appearances and amazing one-off show
discounts, exclusive to Afro Hair & Beauty Live.
Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, london, N1 0hQ
26-27 May
From £12
www.businessdesigncentre.co.uk
MUSEUMS
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 archaeological 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 Nigeria, the Tree of Life (a sculpture
made out of guns) and some objects from the Torday collection of
Central African sculpture, textiles
and weaponry.
British Museum, Great Russell
Street, london, WC1B 3DG
FREE
www.britishmuseum.org
African Worlds
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
www.bonhams.com
Yinka Shonibare MBE: FABRIC-ATION
Taking place in three of YSP’s indoor galleries and the open air,
FABRIC–ATION features over 30
vibrant works from the period
2002-2013 including sculpture,
film, photography, painting and
collage, with many works never before seen in the UK.
FABRIC–ATION is a unique
opportunity for audiences to trace
Shonibare’s creative development
over the past decade at a time
when he is increasingly active in
creating work for public space.
yorkshire Sculpture Park,
West Bretton, Wakefield, WF4
4lG. Until 1 Sep. FREE
www.ysp.co.uk
Images of Black Women Film Festival
Now in its 9th year, the Images of Black Women Film Festival
promotes films from and about women of African descent – and
is an advocate for change in the representation of black women
in film and presenting a global Black experience.
The festival launches with the premier of the film Middle of
Nowhere, starring the Nigerian Actor David oyelowo – for which
he was nominated for a best Actor Award at last year’s Sundance
Festival. The film itself won best director for Ava Duvernay, the
first African American to win this award .
The festival features a second Nigerian/uSA collaboration
called Naked Truth – looking at a group of Yoruba women who
have an unconventional way of protesting against multinational
oil companies. The documentary follows the protest led by emem
J.okon.
Various venues; tricycle Cinema, Ciné lumière, the Africa Centre,
Peckham Plex and theBFI Southbank. May 3-11
See website for programme and prices, some events free
www.imageofblackwomen.com
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
FREE
www.horniman.ac.uk
OTHER
Brixton Craft: Africa!
An evening where you can try out
some of the arts and crafts from
all over the beautiful continent of
Africa. Carve and print some geo-
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
TOWNWATCH
35
HArrIET OGbEIDE’S
ENTErTAINMENT GIST
Twitter: @Harriet_NW
DON’T WAIT up, DArlING; I’M juST pOppING OuT (TO
MArry My MISTrESS!)
SINGAloNG At thE ChoRUS FEStIVAl
This year’s Chorus festival opens the Southbank Centre’s summer-long Festival of Neighbourhood by
bringing together thousands of singers across the May
Bank Holiday weekend (4-6 May).
“Choirs are one of the most powerful and inspirational expressions of neighbourhood and community,” explained a spokeswoman, “Bringing people
together from all backgrounds to make music.”
So, whether you are part of an existing choir, want
to try out joining an instant community of singers
through a range of workshops, or simply want to
come by and listen, this festival is for you. Encounter
singers, workshops, rehearsals, and a wide range of
choral performances, ringing out from the foyers and
outdoor spaces ascross the Southbank.
metric lino patterns; add to your
growing tile collection with an
African inspired ceramic plaque;
draw your design onto some of
our beautiful fabrics with some
batik technique; or make your own
recycled jewellery from plaited
plastic bags, fabrics and other
‘found’ materials! Join us for a
drink and peruse African inspired
accessories from local boutique
Ohema Ohene.
Ritzy Picturehouse, Brixton
oval, Coldharbour lane, london, SW2 1JG. Mon 29 May,
7pm. FREE
www.picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/Ritzy_Picturehouse/
The Morality of China in
Africa
A panel debate will mark the book
The Morality of China in Africa –
The Middle Kingdom and The
Dark Continent edited by Professor Stephen Chan from SOAS.
With the new Chinese President Xi
Jinping travelling to Tanzania,
South Africa and The Democratic
Republic of Congo on his first
state tour in March 2013, it is clear
that Africa is a major player in
China’s foreign policy. This event
will ask how important are the ties
between the African continent and
China, its largest trading partner,
and analyse the ‘moral’ aspects of
Chinese involvement.
Brunei Suite, SoAS, University
of london, thornhaugh
Street, Russell Square, london, WC1h 0xG
tue 7 May, 6-8pm
FREE
www.royalafricansociety.org
Poor Numbers
Poor Numbers: How We Are Misled
by African Development Statistics
and What To Do About It will present the research findings by assistant Professor Morten Jerven from
the Simon Fraser University. The
first analysis of the production and
use of African economic development statistics suggests that the data
supplied by national records and
statistical offices are highly unreliable, with figures that substantially
misstate the actual state of affairs.
Wed 8 May, 6-8pm
Brunei Suite, as above.
MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
Diabel Cissokho
Renowned Senegalese musician,
Diabel draws on his rich heritage
of traditional music, fusing it with
influences of blues and afro-beat.
the Forge, 3-7 Delancey
Street, Primrose hill, london,
NW1 7Nl. 2 May, 7pm.
From £9
www.forgevenue.org
Just Joking with Wale Gates
uk celebrity comedian Wale gates hosts the
2nd edition of his successful comedy show,
which will feature some of the
biggest names on the African
comedy circuit: gbenga
Adeyinka The 1st, Jedi, A-Dot
Comedian, Teju Babyface, Seyi
Brown, President obonjo
and eddie kadi.
Catford Broadway theatre, Catford Broadway,
london, SE6 4RU
Sun 12 May, 7pm
From £20
www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk
Each of the three days of the festival begins at
10am with a Vocal Warm-Up open to all. You can
then book for a range of vocal workshops depending
on whether you want to commit two hours, a whole
day, or even to join a three-day intensive project to
make and perform the Festival Finale, scheduled for
Monday evening. Find out more at www.southbankcentre.co.uk/series/chorus
Running in parallel across the weekend, the London Community Gospel Choir celebrate their 30th
birthday with a huge Royal Festival Hall concert, a
Guinness World record attempt, and a programme of
workshops for choirs and individuals who sign up to
join them. Choirs and individuals can find out more at
30choirfestival.
Freshlyground
Freshlyground is a seven-piece
band made up of diverse musicians from South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, fronted by
the dynamic Zolani Mahola. The
band weaves a musical magic that
is highly infectious and undeniably
groovy.
the Jazz Café, 5 Parkway,
Camden town, london, NW1
4-5 May, 7pm. From £20
www.mamacolive.com/thejazzcafe
Femi Kuti & The Positive
Force
It was just like a scene from a Nollywood
movie. Guests at actor Solomon Akiyesi’s
wedding were left reeling – when his pregnant wife turned up. It seems Solomon was
set to wed his mistress Uloma Agwu at the
overcomers Church in lagos, until his wife
lillian Akiyesi arrived, accompanied by family
and friends to prove she was still married to Solomon. Solomon’s family and Nollywood colleagues were absent from the wedding except for movie producer lancelot Imasuen (The Governor). Reports from those present say the wife gave him a piece of her mind as Mr Imasuen
was aware that she was still married to Solomon. It is also reported that lillian, the dutiful wife,
helped her husband pack his suitcase, after her told her he was going to lagos for business.
And he called her a day before he was to marry his mistress to profess his love for her.
In a youtube video uploaded by overcomers Church, Church founder Bishop N.E Moses said
that Solomon Akiyesi is not a member of the Church. he stated that Solomon’s actions brought
disgrace to the church, his wife and Ms Agwu. Moses claimed he asked Solomon if he was married to which he answered no, but he admitted he was previously married.
THrEE CHEErS FOr CHIWETEl
It’s turning out to be a great year for actor Chiwetel Ejiofor. Not
only did he star in the critically acclaimed BBC drama Dancing On
The Edge, but two movies in which he has leading roles are set
for release this year. First up is Half Of A Yellow Sun, based on
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's award winning novel of the same
name, and directed by Biyi Bandele, which is set to premier at
the Cannes Film festival. the second is twelve years A Slave,
which is based on the remarkable autobiography of Solomon
Northup; a free man in pre-civil war New york who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the deep south. It is set to be released on Boxing Day.
Sun 26 May, 9pm-4am.
From £10
www.theo2.co.uk
Jazz Jam
Live jazz jam with local legend
Son of legendary Afrobeat pioneer
Bukky Leo and his quartet. GrowFela Kuti, Femi brings the thrill
of the Lagos Shrine’s ‘Sunday
Iyanya ‘Kukere’ Live In Concert
Jump’ night to KOKO for one
night only. Grammy-nominated
Femi’s powerful saxophone
style and his mighty stage presence combined with the funky
grooves and driving horns of
The Positive Force radiate pure,
raw energy.
KoKo, 1A Camden high
Street, london, NW1 7JE
thu 9 May, 7pm. £22.50
www.koko.uk.com
Africa Unite 2013
Part of Brighton Fringe, Africa
Unite 2013 is a cross-cultural
live music journey from the
heart of the African Caribbean
diaspora, promising a tropical
sunshine party for everyone.
With live sets from REBEL
CONTROL, a Roots Reggae &
Dance Hall festival favourite,
plus Congolese Soukous stars
Zong Zing All Stars.
Komedia, 44-47 Gardner
Street, Brighton, BN1 1UN
thu 23 May, 8pm. From £8
Hosted by Choice FM radio presenter DJ Abrantee, Afrobeat Sundays features two exciting
headliners: Ghanaian Afrobeats
superstars D Black Oh Vera and
Joey B Strawberry Ginger plus the
very best of Team Afrobeats UK.
Indigo2, Millennium Way,
Greenwich, SE10 0Dx
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.taylor-walker.co.uk/
pub/blue-posts-st-james
CLUBS
N4 2Dh
Every Mon, 7pm
From £7
www.thesilverbullet.co.uk
What Sundays Were Made
For
DJB Veneno Negro, resident DJ
and guests spinning naija beats.
El Penol, 382 Brixton Road,
Stockwell, london, SW9 7AW
Every Sun, 8.30pm-3am
From £5
Afrospot
Afrospot is a night playing the
best in Afro, reggae, dub and
folkloric. Hosted by Kodjovi
Kush and The Afrospot AllStars.
Passing Clouds, 1 Richmond
Street, london, E8 4AA.
Every last Sat of month
www.passingclouds.org
'Oh-Noooooo'
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
www.junoshoreditch.co.uk
This is Iyanya's official uk Album
launch concert. He is loved by all for
his wonderful voice, huge presence
on stage and of course by the ladies
for his sexy and adorable looks. This
show must not be missed.
Indigo2, Millennium Way, Peninsula Square, london, SE10 0Ax
Sun 9 Jun, 7.30pm. From £25
www.theo2.co.uk
www.brightonfringe.org
Afrobeat Sundays
Live Jazz Music
ing up in Lagos, Nigeria, Bukky
has developed a distinctive style of
jazz and Afrobeat. Players of all
levels and styles are welcome to
join in, or simply lay back and
soak up the scintillating afro beats,
acid jazz and swing vibes.
Silver Bullet, 5 Station Place,
london, N4 2Dh.
Every tue, 8.30pm. FREE
www.thesilverbullet.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
www.liquidclubs.com
Voodoo
Funk, soul, disco, Afro, jazz, barrio, hip-hop and reggae with DJ
Ramon Santana.
Vibe Bar, 91-95 Brick lane,
Whitechapel, london, E1 6Ql
Every 2nd Sat, 8pm-1am
From £4
Fridays at Paradigm Bar
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
2 Dam Funky
Funky vibes, 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,
let people know
where you’re at so
they know where
it’s at with listings
in
Nigerian Watch
Call 020 8588 9640
or email
[email protected]
36
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
@NigerianWatch
LEISUREWATCH
TAlEs By MOONlIgHT
Why the Bat is Ashamed to be seen in the Daytime
t
here was once an old
mother sheep who had
seven lambs, and one day
the bat, who was about to make
a visit to his father-in-law who
lived a long day’s march away,
went to the old sheep and asked
her to lend him one of her
young lambs to carry his load
for him.
At first the mother sheep refused, but as one young lamb
was anxious to travel and see
something of the world, and
begged to be allowed to go, at
last she reluctantly consented.
So in the morning at daylight
the bat and the lamb set off together, the lamb carrying the
bat’s drinking-horn.
When they reached half-way,
the bat told the lamb to leave
the horn underneath a bamboo
tree. Directly he arrived at the
house, he sent the lamb back to
get the horn. When the lamb
had gone the bat’s father-in-law
brought him food, and the bat
ate it all, leaving nothing for the
lamb.
When the lamb returned, the
bat said to him, “Hullo! You
have arrived at last I see, but
you are too late for food; it is all
finished.” He then sent the lamb
back to the tree with the horn,
and when the lamb returned
again it was late, and he went
supperless to bed.
The next day, just before it
was time for food, the bat, who
was very greedy, sent the lamb
off as before and ate it all up a
second time. This mean behaviour on the part of the bat went
on for four days, until at last the
lamb became quite thin and
weak.
The bat decided to return
home the next day, and it was
all the lamb could do to carry
his load. When he got home to
his mother the lamb complained bitterly of the treatment
he had received from the bat,
and was baa-ing all night, complaining of pains in his inside.
The old mother sheep, who
was very fond of her children,
determined to be revenged on
the bat for the cruel way he had
starved her lamb; she therefore
decided to consult the tortoise,
who, although very poor, was
considered by all people to be
the wisest of all animals.
When the old sheep had told
the whole story to the tortoise,
he considered for some time,
and then told her that she might
leave the matter entirely to him,
and he would take ample revenge on the bat for his cruel
treatment of her son.
Very soon after this the bat
thought he would again go to
see his father-in-law, so he went
to the mother sheep again and
asked her for one of her sons to
carry his load as before. The
tortoise, who happened to be
present, told the bat that he was
going in that direction, and
would cheerfully carry his load
for him.
They set out on their journey the following day, and when
they arrived at the half-way
halting-place the bat pursued
the same tactics that he had on
the previous occasion.
He told the tortoise to hide
his drinking-horn under the
same tree as the lamb had hidden it before. This the tortoise
did, but when the bat was not
looking he picked up the drinking-horn again and hid it in his
bag.
When they arrived at the
house the tortoise hung up the
horn out of sight in the back
yard, and then sat down in the
house. Just before it was time
for food the bat sent the tortoise
to get the drinking-horn, and
the tortoise went outside into
the yard, and waited until he
heard that the beating of the
boiled yams into foo-foo had
finished.
He then went into the house
and gave the drinking-horn to
the bat, who was so surprised
and angry, that when the food
was passed he refused to eat any
of it, so the tortoise ate it all.
This went on for four days, until
at last the bat became as thin as
the poor little lamb had been on
the previous occasion.
At last the bat could stand
the pains of his inside no longer,
and secretly told his mother-inlaw to bring him food when the
tortoise was not looking. He
said, “I am now going to sleep
for a little, but you can wake me
up when the food is ready.”
The tortoise, who had been
listening all the time, being hidden in a corner out of sight,
waited until the bat was fast
asleep, and then carried him
very gently into the next room
and placed him on his own bed;
he then very softly and quietly
took off the bat’s cloth and covered himself in it, and lay down
where the bat had been.
Very soon the bat’s motherin-law brought the food and
placed it next to where the bat
was supposed to be sleeping,
and having pulled his cloth to
wake him, went away. The tortoise then got up and ate all the
food.
When he had finished he
carried the bat back again, and
took some of the palm-oil and
foo-foo and placed it inside the
PUZZLES
CROssWORD
bat’s lips while he was asleep;
then the tortoise went to sleep
himself.
In the morning when he
woke up the bat was more hungry than ever, and in a very bad
temper, so he sought out his
mother-in-law and started
scolding her, and asked her why
she had not brought his food as
he had told her to do.
She replied she had brought
his food, and that he had eaten
it; but this the bat denied, and
accused the tortoise of having
eaten the food. The woman
then said she would call the
people in and they should decide the matter.
But the tortoise slipped out
first and told the people that the
best way to find out who had
eaten the food was to make
both the bat and himself rinse
their mouths out with clean
water into a basin. This they decided to do, so the tortoise
cleaned his teeth and washed
his mouth out, before returning
to the house.
When all the people had arrived the woman told them how
the bat had abused her, and as
he still maintained stoutly that
he had no food for five days, the
people said that both he and the
tortoise should wash their
mouths out with clean water
into two clean calabashes.
This was done, and at once it
could clearly be seen that the
bat had been eating, as there
were distinct traces of the palmoil and foo-foo, which the tortoise had put inside his lips,
floating on the water.
When the people saw this
they decided against the bat,
and he was so ashamed that he
ran away then and there, and
has ever since always hidden
himself in the bush during the
daytime, so that no one could
see him, and only comes out at
night to get his food.
The next day the tortoise returned to the mother sheep and
told her what he had done, and
that the bat was for ever disgraced. The old sheep praised
him very much, and told all her
friends, in consequence of
which the reputation of the tortoise for wisdom was greatly increased throughout the whole
country.
Do you recall a favourite Tale by Moonlight? We’d love to print
it. Please forward to [email protected]
Answers and solution on Page 46
Across
1 - At a low
temperature (4)
3 - Type of tooth (8)
9 - The beginning of the
universe (3,4)
10 - Imbibed (5)
11 - Set of rules for government (12)
13 - Morals (6)
15 - Poor handwriting (6)
17 - uFo (6,6)
20 - Dull brownish-yellow
colour (5)
21 - Malady (7)
22 - Fruit tree (8)
23 - Primates (4)
WORkINgs
Down
1 - Small bays (8)
2 - Church instrument (5)
4 - Blocks of metal (6)
5 - Not discernible (12)
6 - Mechanical
keyboard (7)
7 - Sovereign prince (4)
8 - Skilfully prepared refined food (5,7)
12 - Flower sellers (8)
14 - Bag; carrying case (7)
16 - Less attractive (6)
18 - Inexpensive (5)
19 - Read quickly (4)
NAIJAku
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RELIGIONWATCH
Go for
to happen in your life, just let go of the
PAST.
PRESS toWARDS thE MARK
GOLD
REV. CRAIG IS A SENIOR PASTOR
AT CITIZENS OF HEAVEN,
LAGOS, NIGERIA
G
oing for Gold simply means
striving to be the best.
We must go for Gold in every
area of our lives.
You must strive to be the best this
year in your FAITH and your walk
with God; your FAMILY and your relationships; and your FINANCES, in
your job, career or business.
Brethren, I count not myself to
have apprehended: but [this] one thing
[I do], forgetting those things which are
behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward
the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians
3:13-14.)
The Bible likens our Christian walk
to a race. So life is a race. Christianity
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
is warfare and not funfair.
Our scriptures give us some very
important keys to obtaining Gold in
the race of life.
FoRGEt thE PASt
Sometimes we like to really reminisce
about the past, or maybe even begin to
cry about certain actions we regret.
The Bible says “forget it”.
Leave yesterday alone, please, let
yesterday remain in the past. Good or
bad, LET IT GO!!
Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget the former
things; do not dwell on the past.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now
it springs up; do you not perceive it? I
am making a way in the desert and
streams in the wasteland.”
lIFE IS A RACE
When athletes are running especially
the sprints, they don’t look back, because looking back is distracting, looking back slows them down, looking
back makes them lose focus and balance; they may fall and lose the race.
Anytime you are tempted to look
back, remember Lot’s wife, she was
turned to a pillar of salt for looking
back. Don’t look back! Stop looking
back!!
Looking back is expensive; you
can’t afford to look back.
Forget the past hurt, the past
shame, the past losses, the past failures,
the past heartbreak, the past disappointment, even the past success and
achievements. Something new is about
The word PRESS means;
l To weigh heavily upon: apply pressure
l To urge onward: hasten: he pressed
his horse to go faster
l To push forward or advance with
force, eagerness or haste: the army
pressed to reach the river by dawn.
The word MARK means
l Something serving as an indication
of position as a landmark
l An object aimed at. Target: to aim
at the mark
l An object or end desired or striving
for goal.
To press towards the mark means to
pursue your dreams, to pursue your
goals. There is a common but powerful
idiom that says “make one’s mark”,
which means to attain success or fame,
to achieve one’s ambition. Putting it in
a sentence you’ll hear something like
this; He set out to make his mark as a
writer.
So you must have a mark to press
towards.
What are your goals or dreams this
year?
A dream gives you direction.
A dream increases your potential.
A dream helps you prioritise.
A dream adds value to your work.
37
A dream predicts your future.
Pressing towards the mark means
aggressively pursuing your dreams,
forcefully, earnestly pursuing your
goal, pushing forward no matter what.
God will release the Grace to obtain your dreams and achieve your
goals. Pursue your goals, this is the will
of God concerning you.
You will succeed, in Jesus’ Name,
Amen!
CItIZENS oF hEAVEN “thE ARK”
Scintilla, Km 20 lekki-Epe Expressway, beside Chevron, lekki, lagos,
Nigeria
FACEBooK; Citizens-of-heaven-theArk-Abuja
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
EDUCATIONWATCH
39
Avoid the ‘summer slide’
B
efore you start booking your family’s summer holiday abroad this year, take some
time to plan how to prevent your child’s summer academic loss. The school holiday in the summer is an exciting time for students. They love the idea of lazy days,
to explore and relax from the demands of their academic terms. Camps, sporting activities and vacations fill the holidays, but rarely do students actually pick up a book or
complete an academic assignment. Whilst they may celebrate that school is the furthest
thing from their minds, this can impact negatively on their education. Long amounts of
time spent away from academia can cause a learning loss to occur and this loss can be
detrimental to students, particularly those in ethnic minority or low income groups.
uNDERsTANDINg
ACADEMIC lOss
Summer academic loss, also
known as the ‘summer slide’,
describes the amount of
knowledge or skills students
lose during time away from
school. The longer the holiday, the larger the loss students may face. This typically
occurs because students do
not have access to, or choose
not to make use of books,
reading material, or other academic resources during their
holidays. Throughout the
UK, this trend is easily
tracked through the assessment portion of information
management systems. One of
these systems, SIMS in Edu-
cation, is operated by over
22,000 schools in the UK.
The data collected through
SIMS indicates a significant
decrease in assessment scores
of students after summer holidays when compared to assessment scores directly
before the holidays began.
This loss can be detrimental
to a student’s education.
ACADEMIC lOss AND
MINORITy sTuDENTs
Although academic loss can
be debilitating for any student, it is the ethnic minority
student that often feels the
greatest impact. Research indicates that students from
middle income families may
average up to a one-month
loss of academic content. In
comparison, minority students and those in low-income families may average up
to a three-month loss.
Additionally, according to
recent research conducted by
the University of Tennessee
and the publisher Scholastic,
approximately 85% of the
reading gap between these
two groups can be attributed
to this summer learning loss.
The summer slide causes
students in these groups to return to school in the autumn
term significantly behind
their peers. As teachers are
preparing to move forward in
new curriculum, these stu-
SCHOOLS OUT: All work and no
play makes for a dull summer, but
finding time to study during the
summer reaps rewards
dents are struggling to retain
content mastered in previous
terms. Over time, this gap
widens and widens, leaving
minority students at a huge
educational disadvantage.
Learning loss among ethnic minority students and
those in lower-income families impacts more than just
the students. When these students consistently fall behind
their peers, they face the possibility of not moving on to
quality higher education,
which then impacts upon the
social mobility of the student,
their immediate family members and their ethnic group.
COMBATINg
ACADEMIC lOss
Several proposals to reduce academic learning loss have been
Study
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Email:
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[email protected]
40
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
OPEN EVENTS
LSBU is holding two events in
April 2013. These are excellent
opportunities for you to talk
to our academics and support
services staff.
Admissions-on-the spot:
our International Office staff
will be able to assess your
qualifications and give you
advice about the best course
to apply for.
UKEAS Nigeria UK
Education Exhibition
Monday 29 April (Abuja),
Wednesday 1 May (Lagos)
Friday 3 May (Enugu)
Visitt lsb
lsbu.ac.uk/opendays
Visi
u.ac.uk/opendays
u.ac.uk/openda
ys
book
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LSBU is offer
LSBU
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suggested including overhauling the current academic calendar to shorten the summer
holiday or transitioning to a
longer academic year. However, this top-down solution
appears to be a long way off
from being realised in schools
across the UK. That does not
mean though that the summer
learning loss should be ignored. Practical steps can be
taken by parents to reduce the
summer slide.
l support literacy
Arguably one of the most important building blocks of education is reading. Studies
indicate students have a better chance at academic and
life-long success with higher
literacy levels. Children need
access to books and reading
materials and parents can
help their children by promoting literacy. over summer holidays, students can visit local
libraries to access grade level
appropriate activities and
books entirely free of charge.
LSBU Postgraduate Evening
for 2013 Entry
Wednesday 17 April
5pm - 7.30pm
Are
wee have
Are you
you interested
interested in IT? At
At LLSBU
SBU w
have a number of
courses
thatt will help yyou
startt your
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career or specialise in a
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subject area
area if yyou
ou already
already hold an IT qualification:
qualification:
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@NigerianWatch
EDUCATIONWATCH
l Participate in free,
funded summer schools
Up to £50 million of the government‘s Pupil Premium
funds summer school programmes run by state schools
for disadvantaged pupils, to
support their transition to
secondary schools. A March
2013 report commissioned by
the Department for Education
to evaluate the outcomes of
these state funded summer
5+ & 4+
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(QILHOG133
school programmes found
that although only half of the
disadvantaged pupils invited
to a summer school attended
just once, 94 per cent considered their summer school a
success and 95 per cent would
take part in the programme
again. however, the report
also found that although a
high number of these state
summer schools appeared to
be supporting disadvantaged
pupils’ social and emotional
wellbeing in particular, a
fewer number actually focused directly on improving
pupils’ academic attainment.
l Enrol in academic, feepaying summer schools
one of the greatest advantages students in minority
ethnic and low income groups
can gain is by enrolling in an
academic summer school programme provided by a specialist organisation with a
proven track record of delivering high quality supplementary education. An
organisation with a clearly defined aim of improving educational attainment will ensure
that students will revisit content from previous academic
terms, revise learning and
prepare for future academic
challenges. the essential subjects to prevent academic
learning loss which are reading skills, English and maths,
must be offered. Also, 11+
and 7+ candidates can be prepared for their exams. Students are typically assessed as
the summer programme begins to ensure they receive
the correct level of assistance.
Real teaching in a live setting
ensures your child is not
merely plonked down in front
of a computer screen, and
small classes ensure they receive individualised support.
When students actively participate in these specialised summer learning programmes,
they begin their next academic term with little to no
learning loss. Many are even
moved up to higher sets
when they return to school in
the autumn term.
The summer slide can be
disruptive for any student,
but it is particularly devastating for those in ethnic minority and low income groups.
These children are already at
risk of struggling in education but a summer learning
loss only widens that gap. By
understanding the dangers of
the summer slide, by following the tips to avoid the loss,
parents and educators have a
better chance at helping students achieve long term academic success.
Janet Sherlock BA (Hons)
LLb (Hons), is head tutor and
Programme Developer at
Leaders are Readers, the
award-winning Saturday and
summer schools.
leaders are Readers will be
holding a free presentation
on their summer school programme at 11.00am on Saturday, 18th May 2013.
Call to book: 01992 651 300;
www.leadersarereaders.co.uk
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
HEALTHWATCH
41
Actions to remedy sleeplessness
M
Although antihistamines are used to treat allergies, one of the side effects is drowsiness. Antihistamines diphenhydramine and promethazine
hydrochloride both have a sedating effect and
are used in Nytol, Nytol one-a-Night and
Sominex, respectively, with a recommended
maximum dose of 50mg.
As with herbal sleep aids, the efficacy of antihistamines for the treatment of mild insomnia is
not properly established. however, it is recommended that antihistamines are effective for
short-term use only as the body can develop tolerance to the side effect.
one treatment used for insomnia is cognitive
behavioural therapy, which is a structured programme to help people identify and replace
thoughts or behaviours that cause sleep problems with habits that promote good sleep. For
some patients, making lifestyle changes can
help to resolve any issues with sleep and should
be recommended before and while taking any
medicines. these include:
l A set wake up and sleep time, even at the
weekends
l A bedtime routine
l Avoiding heavy meals, caffeine, nicotine and
alcohol, at least four hours before bedtime
l A cool, quiet bedroom that is free from distractions, such as computers or televisions
l Exercising, but no less than four hours before
bedtime.
SIDE EFFECtS AND INtERACtIoNS
SNoRING
Valerian has been found to be safe and has minimal side effects, which is considered one of the
advantages of taking herbal preparations.
one problem associated with antihistamine
Causes of snoring
l overeating
l lack of exercise
l Alcohol consumption
l Smoking
l Sleeping position
l Allergy
l Nasal stuffiness
l Breathing through the mouth
l Small or collapsing nostrils
For some people a snoring partner can be the
cause of their difficulty sleeping. Snoring is
caused by a disruption in the airflow across the
passage of the nose. the air passages are surrounded by soft tissue structures, which allow
air to flow freely through the oral cavity when a
person is awake.
During sleep the structures relax, causing the
ANtIhIStAMINES
snorers who are overweight are advised to diet
(to stop fat from pressing on the throat), stop
smoking (because smoking weakens and clogs
the throat) and to sleep on their side (to prevent
the tongue from blocking the throat). Available
otC treatments include nasal sprays, nasal strips
or nasal dilators, and chin-up strips.
the herbal mouth spray Rhynil is made from
Euphrasia officinalis (eyebright) and has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, lending itself
well to countering sinus and nasal passage infections by reducing any inflammation in the airway and improving breathing.
Nasal strips, such as Kleerway and Breathe
Right are self-adhesive strips fixed onto the outside of the nose to keep the nostrils open during
sleep. Nasal dilators are flexible plastic devices,
which are placed inside the nostrils to keep
them open. By keeping the nostrils open, nasal
strips and nasal dilators allow people to breathe
easily through the nose.
For people who are “mouth breathers” chinup strips can be applied over the chin and lower
jaw, to keep the mouth closed, again to encourage breathing through the nose. Somni Snore
guard is an oral vestibular shield also designed
for “mouth breathers”. the product shapes to
the person’s mouth and, like chin-up strips, promotes breathing through the nose. however,
this device will clearly not suit people who also
have trouble breathing through their nose.
NIGERIAN WATCH
DIAMOND
E
lIFEStylE ADVICE
TRIDENT
CHINUA ACHEBE
Return of
the voice
that sold
21m records
E
herbal medicines are usually based on valerian
(Valeriana officinalis), which is prepared from
the roots of the plant and has been shown to
possess sedative and anxiolytic effects.
the dosage of valerian in otC sleep aids
ranges between 45mg-500mg, depending on its
combination with other herbs with known sedative effects, such as hops, passion flower and
vervain. the highest dose of vervain is found in
Kalms Night (500mg), which is recommended to
be taken 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime and
for up to four weeks continuously, since treatment effects may not be felt immediately.
air passage to narrow, and the air that travels
through vibrates the soft tissue to create the
snoring sound. Snoring can originate from the
nose, oropharynx or the base of the tongue – a
partial blockage in any of these parts causes the
turbulence in the air passage.
Most treatments for snoring focus on clearing the blockage in the breathing passage, so
R
hERBAl MEDICINES
sleeping aids is that the sedative effect can carry
over into the next morning, owing to their long
duration of action. Additional side-effects of antihistamine use include agitation, headaches, reduced alertness, dizziness and fatigue.
Antihistamines can also interact with other
drugs, particularly alcohol, opioid analgesics and
other anxiolytic and hypnotic medicines, to induce further sedative effects. For these reasons
antihistamine-based sleep aids should be used
sparingly and only in the short-term.
F
ost people suffer the occasional sleepless night and some experience short
periods of sleep-loss due to stress or
anxiety. It is estimated that up to one third of
the population suffer from insomnia.
Sleep problems can be caused by any number
of issues. older adults may find that their sleep
cycle has changed. Equally lifestyle habits such
as drinking alcohol and caffeinated drinks can
cause people to have difficulty sleeping. those
with serious illness or who suffer from chronic
pain may have trouble falling asleep due to the
pain itself or the medicines they are taking.
People who suffer from short-term periods of
restlessness may benefit from over-the-counter
(otC) sleep aids, which are either herbal medicines or antihistamines. Failing that a visit to the
GP will be the next stop.
some symptoms of insomnia
l Difficulty falling asleep
l Waking up often during the night and having
trouble getting back to sleep
l Waking up too early in the morning
l Feeling tired upon waking
Why the
unit’s closure
leaves us all
vulnerable
16 Nov 1930 – 22 Mar 2013
An appreciation
of the founding
father of African
literature Page 24
Page 20
Page 19
NIGERIAN WATCH
April 2013
Issue No 012
MONTHLY
INSIDE
TATE LAGOS
EMBASSY
BACKS
ARTIST’S
PLAN FOR
NIGERIA
NATIONAL
MUSEUM
OF MODERN
ART
nigerianwatch.com
News
Yinka Shonibare
MBE to receive
Nigeria’s highest
honour
2 Centenary proposal to
scrap the name Nigeria
4 Community leaders lobby
Met on frontline cuts
6 The Wills Smith and .i.am
on the Brixton beat
Features
10 Premier League is
missing a trick in Africa
17 Elephant sanctions threat
18 Best of Black President
and the ‘pen robbery’ prophet
Life & Style
28 Good food for kids
30 Remedies from the clear
skin council
Business & Property
44 Is Lagos set to rival
London’s property market?
Education
39 How to give your kids an
Oxbridge vocabulary
Sport
48 Ian Wright on the unique
AfCar:The Game showdown
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
43
LAGOS KANO RAILWAY RE-OPENS
the lagos to Kano railroad is
back on track after a four year
shutdown.
Completed under British
rule 100 years ago, the route
helped in the development of
Nigeria’s agriculture- and minerals-based economy. But the
service declined soon after independence, partly because of
mismanagement and partly
government neglect.
By the time it was shut
down in 2009, the number of
annual passenger rail trips in
Nigeria had fallen to 1.3 million, down from 11.3 million in
1963. the drop in goods moved
was even steeper, from 3.3 mil-
lion tons to a mere 57,000 tons.
But now, with the emphasis
on diversifying the economy
and a particular focus on agriculture, the route is seen as crucial to a renaissance in the
north of the country.
hoW to tAKE thE tRAIN?
FRoM WhERE the closest airport to the lagos train terminal
is lagos' Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, about a
30-minute drive away. the
train leaves lagos at noon Friday, a 35-hour trip to Kano. It
returns to lagos on Monday,
though a return flight can be
purchased in Kano at the city's
airport.
MoNEy Nigeria's national currency is the naira, which trades
at around 240 naira to £1.
AtMs can be found in lagos
and Kano, though not along
the train’s route. It is better to
bring U.S. dollars or euros and
Nigerian Railway Corporation has
resumed passenger and haulage
services on the Lagos-Kano route
exchange them with moneychangers before boarding.
tICKEtS A ticket for a bed in a
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DINING there is a canteen and
bar car on the train, but it is
wise to pack bottles of water
to drink and energy bars to eat
on the journey. hawkers surround the train at stops, so
carry small denominations to
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toilet paper and hand sanitiser,
as the toilet is rudimentary at
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
@NigerianWatch
PROPERTYWATCH
BuDgET BOOsT FOR FIRsT-TIME BuyERs
Is ‘right to buy Mk II’
a brilliant leg up for
first-time buyers, or
a recipe for a second
housing bubble, asks
olumide ontiri-Coker
W
ho says you have to be rich
to step on to the property
ladder? Not me, especially
with so many government schemes
buyers can now exploit.
Ever since the property boom of
2005 – when borrowers were bombarded with offers of homes requiring
as little as 5% and even no deposits –
homes in the UK have seen enormous
price increases that have left many
would-be buyers priced out of the market. This was made worse after the collapse of the financial system in late
2008, which saw banks and mortgage
companies scrap lending products that
caused the property boom.
However, today the biggest challenge for buyers is not so much the
price of the property but the difficulty
in saving enormous deposits so that a
lender will approve a loan. This has left
buyers calling for the government to
step in and help assist Britain’s struggling generation.
The Chancellor of Exchequer
George Osborne responded to these
calls when he delivered his budget
speech to parliament. He said there
was a need for further government in-
tervention within the mortgage market, to assist buyers who are unable to
meet the requirements of reluctant
mortgage lenders.
In his speech Mr Osborne proposed
two new schemes. First is ‘The New
Buy’ scheme, to allow both first time
buyers and buyers who are already on
the ladder to purchase newly built
properties with a 5% deposit, only if it
is to be used as their main home.
The second is the ‘Help To Buy’
scheme, a mortgage guarantee, which
is also designed to allow buyers to pay
a 5% deposit on both new and old
homes that have a maximum value of
£600,000. To qualify for both schemes
the buyer either has to be a UK citizen
or someone with the right to remain indefinitely in the UK.
To some this is great news, as the
possibility of owning a home becomes
more realistic. However the ‘Help to
Buy’ scheme has already come under
countless criticism from Labour
shadow chancellor Ed Balls who suggests the scheme will be exploited by
those with an existing home.
Yet from where I stand, it is also important that the government considers
paying close attention to the number
of properties supplied into the market,
because if the supply of mortgages
outnumbers the supply of homes, this
will of course create house price inflation. And as many blame our current
economic woes on just such a housing
bubble, it is something the government
and UK housing market will want to
avoid, especially with economic instability still looming.
Nevertheless, from a first-time buyers standpoint, this £130bn move from
the government, could well be the light
they needed after spending years renting while wondering if they will ever
own their own home.
Olumide Onitiri-Coker a property consultant at Avinell.com. For comments
and
advice
please
contact
[email protected]
ADVERtoRIAl
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46
NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
SPORTWATCH
@NigerianWatch
GOLDEN EAGLETS
Continued from page 48 Coast along the way.
Nigeria got off to a flying start in the tournament
with a resounding 6-1 thrashing of Ghana in Marrakesh but the team then lost 0-1 to Ivory Coast three
days later, conceding an injury time goal. However, the
Eaglets bounced back with a resounding 7-0 victory
over Congo in their final group game.
With qualification for the World Cup now in the
bag, the Eaglets face Tunisia in the semi final as they
bid to lift the trophy they last won in 2007. Nigeria will
now join Morocco, Tunisia and Ivory Coast as Africa’s
four representatives at the World Cup in the UAE in
October.
Sending out a message to the rest of the world that
they have the World Cup in their sights, the Golden
Eaglets simply blew the Congolese away with one hat
trick, one brace and two single goals. Due to take
place between October 17 and November 8, the World
Cup is a tournament many football analysts are expecting Nigeria to win.
Nigeria is the most successful nation in the tournament’s history with three titles and three runner-up
spots, followed by Brazil that has also won the title
thrice but has been runner-up twice. Traditionally, the
Golden Eaglets has always produced some of Nigeria’s best players with the likes of Nwankwo Kanu,
Celestine Babayaro, Wilson Oruma, Kenneth
Omeruo, Ogenyi Onazi and Mikel Obi all coming
through its ranks.
No doubt Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi will
be keeping an eye on the team to see which of the
youngsters he could include in his squad. Some of the
players have already caught the eye and are certain to
be in the sights of several European scouts.
WATCH OUT FOR OUR NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Across the English Premiership and Championship, there is a crop of Nigerian youngsters who are coming through the ranks at
their clubs. they are seen as great prospects
and because of their dual nationality are eligible to play for both Nigeria and England.
hopefully, the Nigerian Football Federation will not let these immense talents slip
through its fingers. they are the Mikel and
Moses’ of tomorrow:
HOPE AkPAN Club Reading
Age 21 Position Midfielder
Akpan, 21, is enjoying a good season with
Reading in the Premier league having
joined the club from league one side Crawley town. Born to Nigerian parents and
raised in liverpool, he is eligible to play for
both England and Nigeria but has declared
that his heart lies with the Super Eagles.
ROss BARklEy Club Everton
Barkley, 19, came through the Everton
youth ranks and has represented England at
the Under-16, 17, 19 and 21 levels. Currently
out on loan to Championship side leeds
United, Barkley qualifies to represent Nigeria through his dad Peter Effanga.
JORDON IBE Club liverpool
Age 17 Position Winger
Jordon Ibe is on course to be introduced to
the liverpool first team after manager Brendan Rodgers revealed that he is impressed
with the 17-year old’s performance in the
youth team.
Ibe made his national team debut for the
England Under-18 team last october, in a 20 win against Italy. DOMINIC IORFA JNR Club Wolves
Age 18 Position Centreback
Son of lobi Stars chairman and former
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Super Eagles winger Dominic Iorfa, Dominic
Jnr was invited to the England Under-18
football team for a friendly game against
Belgium in February.
MATTHIAs FANIMO Club West Ham
Matthias Fanimo has played for England at
the U16, U17 and U18 levels. Despite all his
England success, the young man has made
it clear that his heart lies with Nigeria and
has already asked to be given the opportunity to feature for the Flying Eagles.
Born in lambeth, South East london and
discovered by the West ham Football Academy at the age of five, Fanimo has appealed
to Flying Eagles coach to take him to the
U20 World Cup in turkey this year. he said
he was motivated to don the green-whitegreen after seeing the likes of Mikel obi and
Efe Ambrose play for Nigeria.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
May 2013
SPORTWATCH
kEsHI – ‘WE CAN WIN
CONFEDERATIONs CuP
IN BRAzIl’
Back-to-back wins save London
Nigerian RFC from relegation
Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi says the African champions will be intent on lifting the Confederations
Cup when they travel to Brazil in June.
the Super Eagles beat Burkina Faso 1-0 in the Nations Cup final to qualify for the global event for the
first time. “We will go to Brazil not as tourists but
as challengers for the trophy,” Keshi told BBC Sport.
Nigeria face tahiti, Uruguay and Spain in Brazil,
which will use the event as preparation to host the
2014 World Cup.
While the West Africans – who are set to arrive
back in Nigeria to a heroes’ welcome on tuesday –
will compete in Group B, host nation Brazil will take
on Italy, Mexico and Japan in Group A.
the global event, which was founded in 1992
and is held every four years, has never been won by
an African team, with Cameroon’s second-place finish in 2003 the closest the continent has come.
But Keshi is confident his side, who won their
third Nations Cup crown in Johannesburg on Sunday, can fulfil African hopes and go all the way.
“the Super Eagles will prove to the rest of the
world that what happened in South Africa wasn’t a
fluke,” added the former Nigeria captain, who won
the Nations Cup as a player in 1994.
“they will call us dreamers but you don’t go into
a tournament without the strong desire and ambition to win it. We will represent Africa and not just
Nigeria.”
the former Mali and togo coach also revealed
that when he originally told his squad that they had
every chance of competing in Brazil in June, the
players were highly sceptical of their manager’s predictions.
“While preparing the team, I had my eyes set on
Brazil,” he explained. “I was confident we would get
there but my players felt I was drunk or acting like
a comedian – now they believe.”
the competition also provides striker Emmanuel
Emenike with a chance to shine again on the highest
stage. the joint-top scorer from the Nations Cup
missed Sunday’s final through injury but revealed
that Keshi offered him consolation at the time with
a prediction.
“the coach told me I shouldn’t worry about the
final – that the guys would win the final – and I
should wait for the Confederations Cup,” he said.
“I think this team is going places.”
Meanwhile, young defender Kenneth omeruo –
who is on loan at Dutch side Den haag from European champions Chelsea – is thrilled by the prospect
of competing against some of the world’s best
teams.
“It’s the biggest tournament that we are going
to play, so I am very much looking forward to that,”
the 19-year-old told BBC Sport.
LONDON Nigerian Rugby Football Club
(LNRFC) has avoided relegation from the
London North West Two League with an emphatic 27-15 victory over Hammersmith and
Fulham on April 15.
In what has been a hard and gruelling first
season in the higher league, since winning
promotion last year LNRFC has danced with
relegation. With the bottom two teams to be
relegated at the end of the season, staying up
was always going to be a titanic battle but the
team proved up to the task.
Going into April, things had looked dicey
but the win over Hammersmith and Fulham,
which came on the back of a 25-12 victory
over Grasshoppers on April 6, ensured safety.
LNRFC now has one more game left against
the Honourary Artillery Club on April 27,
but this is now a formality
Yemi Lawal, LNRFC’s marketing manager, said, “There have been a lot of rearranged matches because of bad weather but
as things stand, we are sitting third from bottom and have one game in hand. We have 37
points, while Grasshoppers have played all
their games and have 33 points and Fullerians
have 25 points with a game in hand, so we
have avoided relegation.”
47
He added that after the match against the
Honourable Artillery Club at the team’s
home ground – the Linford Christie stadium
in west London – team members will be going
up to the Tonteira club on Sloane Square,
Knightsbridge, to celebrate. Fortunately, the
day coincides with the birthday of team
member Olly Cox.
With the league season out of the way,
LNRFC will now concentrate of a summer
of rugby seven tournaments. This will kick
off with the Middlesex Seven event on May
4, lasting until July 20 with the Savannah
Seven tournament.
After that, there will be the highly anticipated Bournemouth Rugby Tournament taking place between the 24th and 26th of July.
Adding that LNRFC has a rich tradition in
seven-a-side rugby, Mr Lawal pointed out
that the team looks forward to all these tournaments and is hoping to do very well in
them.
l Meanwhile, Joe Mbu, a former Wasps and
Nigerian national team rugby player, who is
part of the LNRFC team set-up, has just
completed a 1,200 mile charity run from the
north of Scotland to Plymouth. He is aiming
to raise money for the Joedy Memorial Hospital in Cross Rivers State.
Mr Lawal said: “Joe is an architect of
Nigerian rugby and has the full support of
London Nigerian on his exceptional endeavour.”
KAREEM LOSES TAMELY AT WEMBLEY
NIGERIAN boxer yaqub Kareem
failed to defend his Commonwealth super flyweight title
against British champion Paul Butler at the Wembley Arena on April
20, after being stopped in the fifth
round.
Kareem, who won the title in
2011 when he beat Ghana's Johnson Cobbinah, in Accra, was totally outpunched by the young
British champion at Wembley. In
the bout promoted by Frank Warren, Kareem and Butler entertained fans with a flurry of neat
and precise well-timed punches
but the Briton simply had too
much for his opponent.
Nick-named the Baby Faced Assassin, Butler from liverpool targeted Kareem's body and
punched with speed and precision. Kareem was staggered in the
first round and completely outboxed over the next three before
being badly hurt by a left hook towards the end of round four.
Coming out for the fifth round,
Butler produced a sharp left to the
liver that sent Kareem racing
away into the corner. As Kareem
came out trying to recover, the liverpudlian opened up again and as
Kareem dropped to the canvas,
the referee called a halt to the
fight having seen enough.
this was Kareem's first professional loss in 10 fights as he is
used to blowing his opponents
away, with seven of his wins
being knockouts. he must still be
wondering what hit him on the
night as he was made to surrender
his belt in a rather tame fashion.
Postponed several times due to
Kareem's inability to get a visa,
the fight was originally scheduled
for March 8 in liverpool, and then
got moved to April 12 before it
was finally rescheduled for April
20. however, after a prolonged
battle supported by the Commonwealth Boxing Council and the
Nigerian Boxing Board of Control,
the high Commission relented.
had the British consulate not
backed down and given Kareem a
visa, he faced being stripped of his
title and seeing it awarded to Butler. After much wrangling, however, a visa was finally granted and
PUZZlE SolUtIoNS
Kareem breezed into the UK for
the bout.
In the run-up to the fight, Kareem weighed in at eight stone
two pounds, while Butler weighed
in at eight stones two-and-a-half
pounds. Prior to the fight, Butler
said he was confident of winning
because Kareem had not been facing quality opposition in Nigeria.
Butler said: “he’s had 13 fights
and won the last 10 with seven
knockouts, so he can punch. however, I’ve had a look at his record
and he’s not been boxing to a
good standard over there as some
of the kids he’s fought had 50/50
records.”
Kareem has since returned to
Nigeria where he will consider his
next course of action after recovering from the rigours of the fight.
It is not yet clear if there will be a
rematch with Butler any time
soon.
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May 2013
SPORT WATCH
May 2013
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Emphatic victories over Ghana and Congo enabled the Eaglets
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