March 2013 - Nigerian Watch

Transcription

E
E
R
F
LOVING LAGOS
Samuel Kasumu
on his belated
return
home
Page 10
HAIR RAISING
The beauty
who thought
she was a
beast
Page 30
EL-RUFAI
Why Nigeria
needs you
(diasporans)
back
Page 16
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
Issue No 011
MoNthly
to Inspire, Inform and Entertain
WHY
WE’RE THE
37TH
STATE
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
22 Minister of finance sets
out Nigeria’s stall
Education
37 Win the chance to pay off
your student loan
Sport
48 West Ham to host UK
African Nations Cup final
2
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
NEWSWATCH
The right to vote
o
ver recent months the Nigerian government has been consulting
with over 200 constituencies in Nigeria on the issue of
constitutional reform. one of the key clauses addresses the issue
of diaspora voting. Soon we will know whether they support giving us
the vote. We hope they do.
It is something that Nigerians in the diaspora want and is something
we should be given by rights. Most citizens in the world are allowed to
vote in their homeland elections wherever they live. So many bogus
arguments are made against giving us this right.
We aren’t registered. this is easily remedied by giving the vote
initially only to those that are prepared to and do register. the other
major charge is that we don’t pay taxes. As we report on page 15, the
diaspora essentially pays as much into Nigeria’s real economy as is
collected in “income” tax at home.
our government says it wants to engage with us.
We want that. But engagement is a two-way street. Give us the vote
we want and we will be in a position to add greater value to our
country than we already do. We will have a
stake in our future. Keeping us locked out
threatens to alienate the second and third
generation.
We hope our brothers and sisters vote to
Maryanne Jemide, MD
give us the vote.
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
Nigerian Watch
Chartwell house
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Email
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
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www.nigerianwatch.com
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Fax: 020 7160 5232
Nigerian Watch is a monthly newspaper owned by Green
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Views expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of the publisher.
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or email [email protected]
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@NigerianWatch
GOODLUCK
The issues of trade, oil and
security topped the agenda
when President Goodluck
Jonathan came to London
for a series of high level
meetings including a summit
with Prime Minister David
Cameron, writes AJ James.
His six-day working trip
would also see him attend the
gala dinner to mark the launch
of the eponymously-named
Foundation of the the former
Nigerian President (19992007) Olusegun Obasanjo,
take in the African Cup of Nations Final at his hotel and a
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NEWSWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
3
IN LONDON
flying visit to meet his French
counterpart President Francois Hollande (see below).
President Jonathan touched
down in the UK on Wednesday, as the Super Eagles were
easing their way to the Afcon
finals with a convincing 4-1
victory over Mali.
The temptation to turn
around and head to South
Africa and bask in the re-
The other hot topics related
to trade and the petroleum industry bill, which the UK government has said is seen as the
key indicator as to whether
Nigeria’s reform agenda is taking root.
Prime Minister Cameron
greeted President Jonathan on
the steps to 10 Downing Street
on Monday, and discussions
between the two lasted for
PRESIDENTIAL VISIT: (from above, r-l) President Jonathan is greeted on arrival
in the UK at his hotel by community leaders and dignitaries, including Nigerian
Watch publisher Maryanne Jemide; celebrating Nigeria’s triumph in the African
Cup of Nations with his wife Patience and friends; being greeted on the steps
of 10 Downing Street by UK Prime Minister David Cameron
flected glory of the football
team must have been immense.
Yet the President remained focused on his itinerary, with security concerns arising out of
Mali being a key item on the
agenda.
about one hour. Earlier President Jonathan had also met
with the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
A statement issued by 10
Downing Street said the PM
and President “discussed
growing trade ties between
Nigeria and the UK, which
they were pleased to note had
increased by 40 per cent in
2012.
“They also discussed key
growth sectors, including oil
and gas, and how to ensure the
Nigerian Petroleum Bill encouraged maximum investment from other countries in
Nigeria’s energy sector.”
To facilitate this the Prime
Minister offered the UK’s support to help President
Jonathan tackle theft from oil
pipelines.
The two leaders also discussed how the UK and Nigeria could work together to
ensure stability in Mali, “including UK support through
the EU training mission and
the Nigerian contribution to
the African-led International
Support Mission to Mali
(AFISMA)”.
The President also set out
his government’s efforts to ensure stability in Northern
Nigeria, and both he and Mr
Cameron expressed shock and
dismay at the recent tragic attacks on health workers in
Kano, referring to the murder
of nine female health workers
involved in the national immunisation campaign against
polio in two separate attacks in
Nassarawa and Taraunil local
government areas of Kano
State.
...and Paris with President Hollande
At a joint press conference the French and
Nigerian Presidents outlined their strategy for
Mali.
having routed the insurgents the focus was
now on “securing” territory and towns, said
President hollande. President Jonathan said
that the African led international support mission to Mali would stay in place to stop the
rebels returning “as terrorists, using guerilla
tactics”.
he also emphasised the need for fast and
fair elections in the war torn country,
to create a secure environment. the
solution, he cautioned, “will take
some time.”
l the tail end of the Nigerian President’s convoy was involved in a
crash on the way to the Elysee
Palace. According to reports, the
President’s entourage was too large
to be accommodated in the official
motorcade provided by the French,
so some of his aides hired cars and
one of these was involved in the collison. No one was hurt.
OBJ and GLJ’s historic handshake
the former President olusegun obasanjo and
his acolyte the current President Goodluck
Jonathan sat down to dinner together at the
launch of the former’s Foundation.
And, after President Jonathan had spoken
from the stage he and Mr obasanjo discretely
shook hands. Something that could not have
been imagined just days before.
It has long been known the two men have
been at loggerheads, a situation that was exacerbated by the recent release by former oBJ
loyalist Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai of his political
memoirs. In this book El-Rufai states that oBJ
thought Jonathan a “weak character”, who he
nominated for the vice presidency in 2007 because he thought he would be able to control
him and the then President, yar’Adua.
Indeed, the Punch newspaper reported
that days before both men arrived in london
a “peace camp” was inititated by among others Aliko Dangote, who attended the Foundation launch, to end the sniping between the
two men and their supporters.
It would seem both men had the forthcoming 2015 Presidential election in mind, with
the major concern for the incumbent being to
show effective leadership for the party under
his Presidency.
6
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
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NEWSWATCH
OOF launches amid spectacular fanfare
By AJ JAMES
Four Presidents and Africa’s
richest man flew in to Britain to
attend the glittering launch of
former Nigerian President’s
eponymously named, Olusegun
Obasanjo Foundation (OOF).
Over 1,000 people gathered at the
the Great Room of the Grosvenor
House Hotel on Park Lane to celebrate the launch of the foundation,
which has the aim of “advancing
human security for all”.
In conversation with Lord Peter
Mandelson – the man credited with
creating New Labour party – the for-
mer President, commonly known as
OBJ, explained, “The foundation of
human security is personal security
and survival. After you have achieved
this, education, health, employment
are the key issues.
“Human security is the responsibility of all of us, for all of us – Government has their responsibility; the
private sector has theirs; and civil society has theirs. It is not a single sum
game. If it is advanced for all, it is in
the best interest for the rest of us. So
we all have a responsibility for the advancement of human security.”
The Foundation has four specific
initiatives; feed Africa, to reduce
hunger, poverty and malnutrition;
youth empowerment and employment, to focus on training and jobs
skills for African youths; girl child education, to support young girls’ personal development and education;
and non-communicable diseases, to
tackle conditions such as sickle cell,
hypertension, diabetes and water
borne diseases.
Promoted as an African solution
to an African problem, OBJ responded vigorously to cynical quesabout
“why
another
tions
foundation”.
“My answer to that,” he said, “Is
that with all the governments, private
sector and all the big foundations
(such as Ford and Rockerfella) are
doing in these different areas, if
things are still as bad as they are it
means that either we need more foundations or we need to do things differently, or we need to deliver more
effectively or we need to remove some
defects in the way we do things.”
He said OOF was not out to reinvent the wheel but to make the wheel
more efficient, by identifying the organisations already in the field so as
to enhance what they are doing and
extend best practice.
He promised the foundation
would be transparent so donors could
see where their money was going and
how it is having an impact.
Prior to OBJ taking the stage the
Presidents of Liberia, Nigeria, Benin
and Ghana – (pictured, r-l) Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, Goodluck Jonathan,
Thomas Yayi Boni and John Dramani Mahama respectively – took
part in a panel discussion.
Their host Richard Attias said,
“Africa is a continent with an amazing generation of youth and talent
and what they want to hear from you
tonight is the reason to be optimistic,
to hope.”
“Africa is rising,” said President
Sirleaf. “There's no question that
there are great improvements. Our
growth rates and the attraction of private capital are now at very high levels; and it’s also that Democracy is
strong – two or three successive elections in which the people’s choice has
been respected.”
All four Presidents agreed that the
priority for the younger generation
was “education, education, education.” President Jonathan said stability was key to being able to provide
that. A theme that was advanced by
newly elected President Mahama of
Ghana.
He told the gathering, “Peace and
stability are critical. It is on that
which you build governance and
democracy and on that you can reap
the dividend, education and skills acquisition.”
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BEYONCÉ HITS BACK – NAIJA STYLE
Stung by a chorus of criticism
over her decision to mime
the US national anthem during President obama’s inaugaration ceremony, Beyoncé
answered her critics in true
Naija style.
Preceeding
worldwide
coverage of her Superbowl
performance,
Beyoncé
sported london-based designer Wale Adeyemi B-side
bobble hat and ‘Can I live’
sweatshirt at rehearsal – elevating the brand to musthave status, with a 2-3-week
waiting list for the sweat.
It was the start of a great
month for Nigerian designers, who featured large at
both New york and london
fashion weeks. Wanamei,
Jazz Effect and Zhalima
Grozioni both showcased at
NyFW after ‘winning the opportunity’ at last September’s
African Fashion & Design
Week. Meanwhile, established Nigerian designer
Duro olowu partied to celebrate his collection going on
sale at JCPenney next month.
Back on this side of the
pond and debuting in london Josh And Nicol unveiled
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
NEWSWATCH
7
SCHOOLS HISTORY VICTORY
The government has performed a U-turn on plans to
remove Mary Seacole and
Oladuah Equiano from the
school curriculum in the face
of a 35,000-name petition
from Operation Black Vote
(OBV).
Simon Woolley, Director
of OBV, who set up the petition on campaigning site
change.org, said, “This is a
great victory for education.
Our children and generation
of children to come will
learn of the great exploits of
both Mary Seacole and
Oladauh Equiano. Our history’s rich diversity will both
educate and inspire young
students black and white.”
Change.org’s
John
Coventry added, “This is a
fantastic example of people
power in action. The power
of the story of Mary Seacole and the importance of
her inclusion in children’s
education clearly resonated
with people across the UK.
We’re
very
pleased
change.org could help win
this campaign.”
MP praises Nigerian church
their new Autumn/Winter
2013 collection during london Fashion Week.
Showcasing at Woven
threads Bridget Awosika
(right), Ejiro Amos tafiri, Kola
Kuddus, Meena, orange Culture,
Wisdom
Franklyn,
83&80 designers highlighted
the art of textile craftsmanship in Nigeria and the Nigerian fashion industry.
After Paris – the fashion
crowd descends on lagos...
Margaret Hodge MP has hailed the Living
Faith Connections Church, a parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, as being
“part of the success” of the community.
Mrs Hodge gave the commendation at the Good Neighbourhood
Scheme Awards, where leaders and
public servants were honoured by
the church.
Speaking after receiving GNS
award herself, Mrs Hodge, who representing the borough of Barking
and Dagenham in parliament praised the
church for supporting the work of the local
councillors and said the African and Caribbean
communities were “an important and growing
part of a really wonderful place to live.”
She said, “We must resist scapegoating immigrants and promote multi- racial,
multi-ethnic and multi-faith community.”
At the awards designed by Pastor
Christian Adeoye, a long standing
senior pastor in the UK, nine dignitaries were honoured for their immense effort and contribution
towards improving the lives of community members in the London
Borough of Barking and Dagenham, UK,
where an estimated 20 per cent of the population is of African descent.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
Nigerian Watch
Global Hero
Meet the News Hawk (right),
our avatar on a mission to
eradicate world polio. News
Hawk is one of a growing
army of Global Heroes,
designed to get the G8 to
commit to continued
funding of the polio
eradication
initiative.
The campaign
has
been
launched
by
the
Global
Poverty Project – a partnership of the World Health Organisation, Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, Rotary International and Unicef UK.
Nigeria is among a handful
of countries where polio remains an issue; Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Niger and Chad
being the others.
The future of the eradication
programme in these countries is
in doubt because of uncertainty
over continued funding. By creating an avatar you sign a peti-
@NigerianWatch
NEWSWATCH
£9 MINIMUM WAGE SETS A PRECEDENT
Barking & Dagenham Council are to implement a £9 per hour wage for their
lowest paid workers, 45p per hour above
the current london living Wage.
Barking and Dagenham will become
the first local authority in the UK to guarantee all its lowest paid employees a min-
imum wage of £9 an hour or £16,425 a
year. the Council’s Cabinet agreed in February that all permanent council staff and
agency staff working on council assignments, be paid the equivalent of £9 per
hour, 45 pence above the london living
wage.
Councillor liam Smith said the change
woiuld boost the local economy. “We
have over 1,500 low paid workers and
this decision impacts on those who need
it most like cleaners, catering staff and
teaching assistants – the majority of
whom are local residents,” he said.
Regions among Canuk’s priorities for 2013
Over sixty delegates attended the Annual General Meeting
of Canuk (Central Association of Nigerians UK) at the
High Commission in London on 23 Feb.
ton calling on the UK government to continue funding.
Without it, it is feared funding
will be curtailed at the Global
Vaccine Summit taking place in
Abu Dhabi next month. To create an avatar and sign the petition
visit
www.
globalheroes.theendofpolio.com
After a hugely successful Olympic year in 2012 the organisation’s chief officers were re-elected by the delegates; Chief
Bimbo Roberts Folayan remains as the organisation’s Chairman and Chima Olugh, Vice Chairman.
In his annual report Mr Roberts said Canuk had gone from
strength to strength over the preceding year.
“Never in the history of Nigerians in the UK has Canuk
been more popular, both in the UK and in Nigeria,” he said.
“We have successfully worked with the High Commission, the
British authorities and contributed to Nigeria through different
initiatives.
“We still have a few challenges but in the last year we have
mobilised more Nigerians to show interest in the matters concerning the community, provided a voice for the community, intervened in important matters concerning the community and
played several roles in the interest and welfare of Nigerians in
the UK and of course the interest of our Motherland.”
The priorities for the future are to rejuvenate and reach out
to the regions – being too London-centric was one of the key
issues raised by the delegates.
“We now plan to work with the High Commission to do
community meetings with Nigerians in the regions this year due
to complaints that the regions are being neglected in Canuk affairs,” Mr Roberts confirmed.
On rejuvenating the organisation he said, “We need to start
involving our children in the management of Canuk. This year
I intend to work more with the youths. They should take over
after us, so let us start to bring our children more into Canuk
so that they can collaborate on all fronts.”
Another initiative will investigate how the organisation can
become more responsive to issues in the UK affecting the
Nigerian community here.
The question being how does Canuk and its member organisations best engage with the different arms of government –
from immigration and policing through health and social care
to youth and education policy.
“As Canuk and through our respective associations we represent Nigerians in the UK,” said Mr Olugh. “When things happen we need to be able to engage directly with those
responsible.” This will form a central theme of a project plan
being developed by Mr Olugh.
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NEWSWATCH
CHUKKY VENN IS
VIEWERS’ FAVOURITE
“WE WOMEN OWN THE WORLD”
MAYOR TELLS ENTREPRENEURS
Scores of entrepreneurs seeking to
either be better businesswomen or
advice on how to launch their own
flocked
to
the
enterprises
International Women of
Power Business Show on
Saturday 23 February.
Since appearing on the cover of
last month’s Nigerian Watch
Chucky Venn has landed two coveted industry awards.
Although (sadly) all credit has to
go to the man himself. Firstly he
landed the best actor gong at the
Music Video and Screen Awards,
held in Birmingham, before landing
the Screen Nation award for
“Favourite Male tV star” – the
viewers’ choice.
When Nigerian Watch caught
up with Chucky he told us, “I’m still
absorbing the fact that I'm a two
time award winner – amazing!”
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
Obama. Nothing is impossible for us –
only knowing what we want to do.”
The critical ingredient she said was
simple. “You need one thing to suc-
And in the welcome address made by the formidably successful Mayor of
Enfield Kate Anolue they
were told, “Your place is
no longer in the kitchen,
your place is out there.”
Looking at the women
before her, many exhibiting
their businesses across two
rooms in the Central Hall
of Westminster Abbey,
others in the audience L-R: Mayor Kate Anolue with Vanessa Oluwole
eager to learn, Mayor
Anolue said, “When I look out at all ceed, time management.”
It was time management that had
the skills paraded here I feel big, I feel
allowed her to hold down a job as a
elated. We women, we own the world.
“I know it’s taken a long time for us midwife and train as a lawyer while
to get here but now it’s happening and raising four children aged 13 years to
African men are now believing in their 18 months as a single mother, following
women and we know our place is out the sudden death of her husband.
Other than that she advised, “You
there. I said ‘we can’ even before
9
have to be determined. You have to
trust yourself. You have to believe in
yourself.” As much as this century is
being touted as Africa’s, Mayor Anolue
declared, “This will be
Africa’s women’s century!”
The Business Show
was the brainchild of
Vanessa Oluwole of
LvLv Events who created it “to give back to
society what I received
from this country –
support in my ambition”.
She explained that
to be successful in
business “you need a
lot of passion, self-belief and confidence
and a package of powerful marketing
and networking skills and branding
tools.”
The day continued with a host of established and successful entrepreneurs
addressing the critical issues of effective networking and marketing across
traditional and digital platforms.
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10
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
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KASUMUWATCH
The SAMUEL KASUMU Column
My trip to Lagos has
opened my eyes…
In my last column I mentioned that I would
soon be visiting Lagos with a member of
Parliament to conduct a study into
entrepreneurship within the region. Well I
have now returned and can confidently say
that it was an experience that has
significantly changed my way of thinking.
As someone involved in both business and
politics here in the UK it was clear to me that
Nigeria is a place that is improving on these two
fronts at such a great pace that those who choose
not get involved early may be left behind.
I saw with my own eyes a level of excellence
that you would expect in the west. Indeed the
quality that was on show in places like Victoria
Island, Ikoyi, and Lekki were far higher than
what I’ve experienced here in London. Of course
my experience was very much restricted due to
the nature of the trip, and I had very limited time
on the mainland in Lagos.
But it was evident that those who are in a
more economically favourable position are doing
very well indeed, and the real challenge is how to
get more people within this nation sharing in its
prosperity.
I embarked on my journey back to Nigeria on
February 8. I wasn’t too sure what to expect as it
had been nearly 20 years since I last visited West
Africa. I had heard so many stories about what
to expect at the airport so once we prepared for
landing I took a deep breath and prepared mentally for a stressful period.
To my surprise the airport was a relatively
easy experience. The Lagos Governor has a
growing reputation for his reforms, and it seems
that the airport is a key part of changing the perception of the nation. For indeed an airport is
actually the first interaction any international
representative will have with a country, and so I
was glad that it was pleasant.
I stayed at the FourPoints by Sheraton in Victoria Island, and I must say the service was first
class. The hotel was very clean, the atmosphere
was great, and the food was of a very high standard. The price was something that could have
been a little easier on the wallet but I guess you
get what you pay for. There wasn’t a mosquito in
site and I don’t think I was bothered by many insects in the hotel at all. It was also a stone’s throw
away from a church called City of David, which
I attended on the Sunday.
My meetings were all very informative and included a trip to visit the Commissioner for Trade
and Investment for Lagos. Mrs Oworu was a fas-
“It is now time
for British business
to have a better
conversation
with Africa”
cinating lady and was a reminder of the value
women can and should be having within the political system. Probably the most interesting moment was when we went to meet a gentleman
called Mr Tony Elumelu.
He is the former chief executive of UBA bank
and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
Mr Elumelu was also recently appointed Vice
Chairman of the Nigerian National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria. He proudly told us
the story of this bank that started 20 years ago
with one branch, and is now operating in 19
countries with over 25,000 staff. I left inspired
and impressed by the entrepreneurial potential
within Nigeria.
My visit to Lagos Business School was also
a lot of fun, and seeing so many young entrepreneurs at the start-up stage was something
I could definitely relate to. I was also able to
meet with some very interesting and successful
entrepreneurs, including the founders of
Konga.com and Horizon Capital.
The Deputy High Commissioner kindly
hosted a dinner for us, where we got to speak
with some of the leading stakeholders within
the enterprise space, and I must say the food
was of the highest standard. (If I seem unusually observant about food it is because unfortunately I have a very sensitive stomach so on
any trip it is something I’m very conscious of.)
One of the best conversations on my trip
was with one of the staff members at the
DHC’s home. He had been working there for
25 years and told me his most interesting guest
was actually the iron lady herself, Margaret
Thatcher. I also had an opportunity to hold a
brief book launch in Lagos, which was a lot
of fun. Of course I watched the African Cup
of Nations Final in Lagos. It was a dream to
be back in Lagos for the first time in about 19
years, and watch the country win AFCON for
the first time in 19 years. Perhaps it was not
just the President that brought good luck.
My trip to Lagos was informative, exciting,
challenging at times, and above all humbling.
It was very tough visiting a country where I
have so much connection, but had to be limited
due to the official nature of the trip. This meant
I wasn’t able to experience the true culture within
the main land as all but one of my meetings was
on the island, and I had to wear my UK parliamentary hat. But I was able to listen to so many
people and now am in a good position to hopefully add some value.
A report on the findings of the trip will be
published through Chatham House later in the
year. Once that is done I’ll be actively looking for
ways that I can be more involved within Nigeria,
A month to celebrate the great value of women
March is the month of International Women’s Day, Mother’s
Day, and my wedding anniversary,
so it is only fitting that I mention
the great value of women.
Within the Nigerian community here in the UK young women
continue to do significantly better
academically than their male
counterparts, and mothers continue to play a key role in bringing
up the next generation.
But I think we men should reflect on how we are performing
within our community. Are we
being good role models; are we
supporting women in their often
multiple roles; and what can we do
to improve on the alarming rates
of absent fathers at home?
This month should not just be
a celebration of women, but also a
reflection on the true role of men
in the 21st century and how to
make sure the next generation of
men are better partners and more
involved with their community as
a whole.
possibly through my training company, or possibly through direct investment. Emerging markets
are places where growth is still the norm and potential is far from exhausted. It is now time for
British business to have a better conversation
with Africa, as if they continue to be slow in
doing so, countries like China, Lebanon, and
India will dominate for generations to come.
WINNING THE RACE
Following the launch of my book Winning
the Race last year we held a book launch in
lagos during my trip. to my surprise all the
books went within minutes and as a result
I’ve agreed to do a UK and West Africa book
tour in the coming months. If you would like
to book your church, community group,
school, or event for the tour do get in contact
via my website www.SamuelKasumu.co.uk.
Winning the Race is available through Amazon and Waterstones online.
12
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
GISTWATCH
Madam Amebo
CONTRACTOR CAUGHT
NAPPING
tRyING to play smart has become a unique characteristic of Nigerian contractors, especially
those involved in the construction of roads and
public buildings. Among the misdemeanours
contractors get up to is dragging out work to
increase the costs, leaving work until a few
weeks before inauguration so they can twist
the government’s arm for more money.
one contractor in the south-south thought
his bread had been buttered when the state
governor who was pestering him to complete a
road travelled to the UK.
Mr Governor had insisted that materials be
delivered and work begin immediately or he
would revoke the contract. Fearful of losing out
altogether, the contractor bought the materials
but obviously had no intention of doing the
work pronto as suggested. As soon as he heard
the governor had flown to london, he stopped
delivering material and was looking forward to
stretching out the work for a few more months.
Unknown to him, the governor was only
gone for a few days and within a week our contractor got a call from the chief executive asking
him how work was going. true to form, the con-
tractor lied that he was on site and work was
progressing well. Unfortunately, the governor
had sneaked into town quietly and was calling
the contractor from the site. that same day, the
contract got revoked.
A GAME OF TWO HALVES
IN NATIONS CUP FEVER
FootBAll can be a great source of tension between couples and it appears that the bigger the
tournament, the greater the tension it causes. For
Nigerian football fans, the African Cup of Nations
is no joke, so it is no surprise that the last month
has created all sorts of wahala between husband
and wife within the Nigerian diaspora community.
things are so bad for a certain Peckham lady
that she is considering packing her bags and leaving her matrimonial home after spending the last
two weekends attending functions on her own.
Both events were family commitments to which
she had promised she and hubby would attend.
Unfortunately for her, she did not consult her
husband before agreeing to attend and when it
transpired that the Super Eagles would be playing on both dates, she just had to go alone. Given
how entertaining the Eagles have been, can you
blame her hubby?
NEVER USE THE SAME
HOTEL
lyING to your spouse about having a work engagement can be dangerous, especially when
you plan to have a liaison with a member of the
opposite sex in a hotel that you and your wife
normally frequent.
Believe it or not, this is what a certain gentleman in Stoke Newington did after he met a
lovely Calabar girl online and thought it a great
idea to take her out. he wanted the ground to
open up and swallow him when halfway into
their second round of drinks his wife breezed
into the hotel bar with a group of friends.
having bought her hubby’s story that he was
somewhere in the Midlands with work, she decided to organise a girls night out with her
friends after concluding baby-sitting arrangements. In a state of shock, his wife burst into
tears in the hotel and it took the intervention
of her friends to prevent a scene.
they quickly whisked her away and went
back to her house to do some consoling. our
man came back later that night and began the
arduous task of pleading for forgiveness. he is
still sleeping in the spare room.
ABSENCE MAKES HER
HEART GROW FONDER
WhAt does a man do when he agrees to his
wife leaving Naija for the UK to pursue a oneyear academic programme but after it ends she
refuses to return? Well that is what happened
to one lagos businessman who has been trying
to get his spouse back since 2008.
She finished her MSc programme and rather
than return home as originally arranged, she decided to enrol for another course. Exasperated
with the situation, our lagos businessman has
visited london twice to try and get his wife
back but all to no avail.
to add insult to injury, he was the one who
paid her passage and tuition fees in the hope
that the investment would yield good dividends. As it now appears that the situation is irredeemable, he has finally accepted that it is
over and is filing for divorce.
Surprisingly, his wife is actually contesting
the divorce saying she does not want out. Wonders will never cease to end but who knows, the
couple might just sort this one out.
Got a story for
Madam Amebo?
Send it to
[email protected]
We pay for every story that
appears in print
Everyday for the
thief, one day for
the owner – part 9
the morning after the night before Mrs G
has a secret rendezvous with the long lost
love of her life and learns that he knows
more about her and her husband that she
could have imagined…
t
he morning after the party Mrs G told Mr
G that she had to go to the bank to deposit all the money she received for her
birthday. She told him she wanted to use the
money to open an account for their daughter,
to save for her school fees. In as much as Mr G
wondered why, he just said okay.
on getting to the bank, Mrs G found she
was expected and after opening the account
with the bank staff she was escorted upstairs
to the executive offices. once they were alone,
you could hear a pin drop. their eyes were
locked in an endless stare.
All she wanted to do there and then was
throw her arms round him and kiss him. the
thought gave her goose bumps as she fought
the urge to. Finally Mustapha broke the silence
and asked, “how are you, my dear?” Mrs G
smiled and said, “I am very fine now that I have
seen you.” Mustapha then told her to sit down
and asked, “Can I trust you my dear?”, to which
she replied, “With my life.”
Mustapha looked pleased and nervous at
the same time. “What I have to tell you is not
good,“ he warned. “After we last saw each
other, I travelled to America to do a Masters
Degree in Forensic Science at yale University. I
graduated top of my class and was headhunted by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to join their Forensic team.
“Soon after I was transferred into their field
tactical team to track down and bring to justice
South American drug barons. After serving for
five years with the FBI, I was contacted by the
Nigerian Government to come back home and
head an undercover unit with EFCC (Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission).
At this point Mrs G nearly fainted.
“For the past two years I have been tracking
the movements of Bob Chukwudi, ‘the Boss
Man’ as they call him, who has his hands in all
illegal businesses in Nigeria, from drugs to prostitution. I was saddened and shocked when I
learnt that one of his top lieutenants was your
husband and since I learnt this news, I have
kept a very close eye on you from a distance.
“I have watched over you and prayed for
the opportunity for us to be united again. your
husband is involved with a very bad man and I
am sorry to say that I will have to take him and
the rest of his associates down and make them
pay for all the injustice they have been doing.”
Mrs G was stunned and had her mouth
opened. All she could think about was my savior has answered my prayer and given me a
knight in shining armour to come and rescue
me.
To be continued
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NIGERIAN WATCH
March 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 March 20 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.
SAMUEL KASUMU MISSED THE
POINT ON BUSINESSWOMEN
The claim from Samuel Kasumu that Nigeria
and Britain are failing to encourage business
women (Nigerian Watch, February) misses the
point very badly.
A friend of mine gave me Nigerian Watch
newspaper to read so I am not well acquainted
with the column but in this instance Mr Kasumu sounded like one of those arrogant out
of touch Nigerian politicians who live on a
different planet.
Access to finance is not the main reason
why women in Nigeria don’t establish business.
There are much more fundamental issues than
that. The major problem is lack of steady electricity, good roads and clean water.
For example, many Nigerian/foreign companies relocated to South Africa and Ghana
due to lack of power supply. Prior to that, foreign investors liked to invest in Nigeria.
Sadly, Nigeria has no investment strategy,
and productivity is below average. Therefore,
the Nigeria government needs to upgrade her
infrastructure if the country wants to be economically viable.
Finally, Nigeria also needs to diversify, to
be a producer rather than consumer nation, if
the country is to survive the future economic
climate. The Federal Government of Nigeria
needs to encourage China and India to invest
(establish production companies) in Nigeria
and provide employment for school leavers.
M Allende, via email
TOKENISTIC HEARING NOT
GOOD ENOUGH
I was one of those who attended the meeting
at the House of Commons on the promise that
several Labour MPs would be on hand to hear
my concerns. As was reported in Nigerian
Watch (February) there was a good deal of
anger in the room when apologies were made
on behalf of most of those scheduled to appear. However, the attendance of Harriet Harman and Meg Hillier looked promising.
But after making some rudimentary remarks about how important the black vote
and community is to Labour both departed
without hearing one comment or fielding one
question from the floor.
So six MPs had prior engagements. We
were told they were busy assisting with a byelection. As the only by-election taking place
that night was for a local ward councillor, this
beggars belief.
However, we must make the most of this
opportunity. All major political parties need
to attract the black and minority ethnic vote if
they are to be successful in the polls.
The Tory party has gone so far as to appoint an officer to woo us. The Labour party
must be put on notice – you can no longer
take our support for granted. Many of us feel
DEAR NIGERIAN WATCH
As the MP
for Erith
and
Thamesmead I was
very excited
to watch
Nigeria
swoop to
victory in
last night’s
Africa Cup of Nations. I have a large
Nigerian community in my constituency
and I was proud to join them in their happiness last night.
When the final whistle went last night I
am sure that half of London must have
been able to hear the roar that went up
from Erith & Thamemead.
Teresa Pearce – MP for Erith & Thamesmead.
our vote naturally lies with you. But many will
think again if your engagement remains insultingly tokenistic.
Dele, Lewisham
14
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
WORLDWATCH
@NigerianWatch
We should know whether the
Catholic Church is set to make
history by appointing the first ever
African Pope before Easter.
In the aftermath of the extraordinary resignation of Pope Benedict
XVI, Vatican spokesman Federico
Lombardi said the Vatican would be
"interpreting" the law to see if the
Conclave to elect a new pope could
start sooner than normal protocols
demand.
The Vatican appears to be aiming
to have a new pope elected and formally installed in a solemn ceremony
before Palm Sunday (March 24) so he
can preside over Holy Week services
leading to Easter.
With scandals engulfing the
Catholic Church in both Britain and
America, it seems the time is right for
an African pope to be elected. Not
only is the number of African
Catholics rising, an African pope
would appeal to both the liberal and
conservative members of the Church.
The final decision will be taken behind closed doors by around 116 cardinals (two are barred from voting by
age), hailing from Africa (10), Asia
and Middle East (10), Europe (61),
Oceania (1), and the Americas (33).
flickr/HolySee
AFRICAN CARDINALS WHO COULD BE POPE
CARDINAL FRANCIS ARINZE
Aged 81, Nigerian
One of the principal advisers to Pope John
Paul II, Cardinal Arinze was one of the hot
favourites to become Pope last time round,
when he missed out to Benedict. When the
current Pope resigned Cardinal Arinze was
again installed as a hot favourite to replace
him, before it was realised that he was barred
by age, having passed the 80 year old benchmark in November 2012. This also means that
Cardinal Arinze will be precluded from voting
in the election of a new Pope. Cardinal Arinze
has been the Cardinal Bishop of Velletri-Segni
(succeeding Joseph Ratzinger, who became
Pope Benedict XVI) since 2005.
CARDINAL JOHN ONAIYEKAN
Age 69, Nigerian
The Archbishop of Abuja is probably too new to
the Cardinal fold to stand any chance of becoming Pope, but he has all the credentials.
Onaiyekan was Archbishop of Abuja when he
was made a Cardinal last year. 2012 also saw
him along with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji
Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, nominated for
the Nobel peace prize for their joint efforts to
ease religious tension between their respective
communities at the height of the Boko Haram
insurgency. He was also spotted at Davos,
where the world’s political and business chiefs
meet annually. Indeed he has a reputation for
diplomacy so maybe a dark horse.
CARDINAL ANTHONY OLUBUNMI OKOGIE
Age 76, Nigerian
Considered too old to continue to be Archbishop of Lagos, which saw him forced to resign last May on his 75th birthday. However,
he could still be elected Pope. Although he
has been outspoken, which might have reduced his chances. He was famously quoted
as saying of Americans, “those people there,
in the US, they don’t value anything any more.
And how do you want priests to come from a
place like that?” On the other hand Cardinal
Okogie volunteered to die in place of a Muslim woman who had been condemned to
death by stoning by an Islamic court for adultery.
CARDINAL PETER TURKSON
Age 64, Ghanaian
With Cardinal Arinze barred by age, Cardinal
Turkson is the 2/1 hot favourite to succeed
Benedict as Pope. He was made an Archbishop
in 1992, and Pope Benedict appointed him a
member of the influential Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith. He has been outspoken
on the global economic crisis. “The crisis has
revealed behaviours like selfishness, collective
greed and hoarding of goods on a great scale,”
he wrote in 2011, adding that world economics
needed an “ethic of solidarity” among rich and
poor nations. He can speak English, Fante,
French, Italian, German and Hebrew, and understands Latin and Greek.
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STATE
A recent report from the
World Bank has justified
those community leaders who
have laid claim to the notion
that the diaspora is Nigeria’s
37th state.
The Migration and Development Brief from the bank’s Remittances Unit places Nigeria
5th in the top 10 developing
countries receiving remittances
in 2012 – with $21bn US dollars
(USD) entering the economy
from the diaspora - primarily in
the US and UK.
The US diaspora sends
home $6.13bn USD, while in
the UK we send home little
under $4bn USD.
However, the World Bank re-
TOP 10 RECIPIENTS OF MIGRANT REMITTANCES:
(US$ billion, 2012e)
Source: World Development Indicators and World Bank
DECPG estimates
Accountancy &
Bookkeeping
Taxation Services
Business
Development
Corporate
Finance
Financial
Services
Inheritance Tax
VAT/PAYE
Advice
Salaries Bureau
Non-executive
support
15
WHy THE DiAsPORA is
nigERiA’s 37TH sTATE
37TH
Registered
Auditors
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
WORLDWATCH
mittance unit says these are the
amounts sent home officially
through money transfers and
similar financial services. However, when they compare that
data with balance of payments
data the estimate doubles, to
reach the $21bn USD. A similar
process is followed in regard to
Kenyan remittances.
The scale of support from
the diaspora is enormous when
compared with both the GDP
of individual States and the tax
take in Nigeria.
Last year the tax take in
Nigeria was 5trn Naira, equivalent to $32bn USD.
Of that sum, 3.2 trillion
Naira (64%) was raised from
the oil sector, meaning the
equivalent of $11.2 bn US is
raised through taxation (which
has bands, the envy of many of
us living in the UK, ranging
from 5-24%). At the bare mini-
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mum the same amount that is
being sent home by the diaspora – or as the World Bank
would have it, half what is being
disbursed by the diaspora.
The money sent home by the
diaspora is doing what should
be the business of government it is paying for health, education
and in many cases simple survival where nearly one in two
people live in poverty – the latest World Bank report says that
the level of poverty in Nigeria
has fallen from 48 to 46%.
A report from the Population Reference Bureau observed, “Most of the money
migrant workers send home to
sub-Saharan Africa is spent on
education, health care, buying
land, building houses, starting
business or improving farms,
according to recent surveys.
“In Senegal, for example,
more than half is spent on food,
education, and health care
(human capital). In Kenya and
Nigeria, investments such as
homebuilding, land purchases,
and farm improvements (physical capital) account for more
than half of the spending.”
That a countries’ economic
growth can be directly affected
by these remittances through increased consumption and investment is self-evident.
“In turn”, the PRB report
continues, “Increased spending
on health, education, and nutrition can contribute to longterm
well-being
and
productivity for people and
households. In many low- and
middle-income countries worldwide, remittances make up a
sizeable share of the gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for as much as 30
percent in some cases. For Senegal, remittances account for 11
percent of the GDP, and in
Kenya and Nigeria, 5 percent
each.”
Nigeria’s GDP is distorted
by its oil revenues, which accounts for in the region 80% of
GDP.
Nigeria’s States by GDP
(gross domestic product)
by USD (US dollars)
1 lagos State $33,679,258,023
2 Rivers State $21,073,410,422
Total Diaspora $21bn (World Bank Estimate)
3
4
5
6
Delta State $16,749,250,544
oyo State $16,121,670,484
Imo State $14,212,637,486
Kano State $12,393,103,864
US Diaspora $12,26bn (World Bank Estimate)
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Edo State $11,888,446,884
Akwa Ibom State $11,179,887,963
ogun State $10,470,415,017
Kaduna State $10,334,763,785
Cross River State $9,292,059,207
Abia State $8,687,442,705
ondo State $8,414,302,623
UK Diaspora $7,76bn (World Bank Estimate)
14
15
16
17
18
osun State $7,280,597,521
Benue State $6,864,209,262
Anambra State $6,764,219,562
Katsina State $6,022,655,197
Niger State $6,002,007,080
US Diaspora $6.13bn
(via official channels, ie money transfer)
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Borno State $5,175,165,142
Plateau State $5,154,059,937
Sokoto State $4,818,615,261
Bauchi State $4,713,858,180
Kogi State $4,642,794,262
Adamawa State $4,582,045,246
Enugu State $4,396,590,769
UK Diaspora $3.88bn
(via official channels, ie money transfer)
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
Bayelsa State $4,337,065,923
Zamfara State $4,123,829,498
Kwara State $3,841,827,534
taraba State $3,397,790,217
Kebbi State $3,290,847,166
Nassarawa State $3,022,828,885
Jigawa State $2,988,014,405
Ekiti State $2,848,372,512
Ebonyi State $2,732,472,739
Gombe State $2,500,467,306
yobe State $2,011,499,0**
16
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
37TH
STATE
No accidental recall
Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai’s memoirs offer a forensic look at the machinations of the Nigerian state
and the picture isn’t pretty, although it makes for a gripping and instructive read, says AJ James
Few people have the ability to
divide opinion like Nasir
Ahmad El-Rufai, one time
Nigerian business leader
turned politician – and now
the author of a most
explosive political memoir
covering his time in office
(1998-2007).
Since the release of The Accidential Public Servant on February 7 (ironically, considering
El-Rufai’s opinion of the one
time President) at the Yar’Adua
Centre in Abuja, El -Rufai has
been celebrated and traduced in
equal measure. Writs have been
promised; wrath delivered.
El-Rufai has been condemned as a narcissist and egomaniac, an angel with selective
memory and impossibly moralistic. He is also frank, which is
perhaps his major crime in political circles where the notion
of “protocols” can hide a multitude of sins. and outspoken
@NigerianWatch
FEATUREWATCH
which has made his book an absolute must read.
The revelations contained in
TAPS – the book has become
popularly known by the
acronym of its title – are both
astonishing and shocking as ElRufai lifts the lid on a world of
cliques and clacks, patronage,
nepotism and cronyism, not
seen since the era of the Sun
King. Plotting is habitual.
El-Rufai essentially concludes that on the ship of state
the priorities are politicians
first, Nigeria second, people
last. It is for this reason he
makes a passionate call for financially secure diasporans to
return home and break this
cycle (see extract).
Nevertheless it is this analysis and the central justification
for it that has sparked most
controversy back home. ElRufai forensically details how
the then President, Olusegun
Obasanjo, sought to create a
puppet government to allow
him to retain control of the
country after his second term
would require his enforced retirement. El-Rufai quotes his
former boss as saying, “No
third term, no Nigeria”.
With this being his intention,
Obasanjo chose to nominate
“weak-minded” leaders to replace him, namely the late
Yar’Adua and current President Goodluck Jonathan.
This is just one of many intrigues chronicled in the more
than 500 pages of TAPS. The
detail is unrelenting. Few escape
El-Rufai’s critical eye, not even
his one-time colleague and
friend Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
and even our own Dr Tafida
who is unwittingly embroiled at
the centre of an act of brinkmanship between El-Rufai and
the Nigerian authorities.
And this, the detail, is perhaps the most telling thing
about TAPS. El-Rufai has included most everything, large
and small. This is not a spiteful,
vindictive memoir – it is a journal of record. Is that record correct? When reading a political
memoir it is always good to ask,
in what way can writing this
benefit the author?
It’s hard to see what El-Rufai
hopes personally to gain from
his memoir. He clearly thinks it
will assist Nigeria – in the long
run. Not to the extent that justifies the charges of his suffering
the Messiah Complex.
160,000 people a week read
El-Rufai’s political comment on
the state of Nigeria, primarily
because his commentaries are
trusted. He might not be liked,
but El-Rufai’s analysis is clearly
respected.
In writing TAPS he has performed a great service. It is a
must read for anyone concerned
with our nation’s future.
EXTRACT NIGERIA NEEDS THE DIASPORA
i have felt the calling to write this
book for a few different reasons, all of
near-equal importance.
One is to make the case that public
service is important – a necessary
thing for every well-meaning nigerian
to consider in order to set our nation
on the right track, so that it may attain
the potential we all know it is capable
of realising.
For developing countries like nigeria, where institutions are weak and
the capacity for people to help themselves is limited, a responsive public
service is vital – it gives honest people
the minimum base for them to lift
themselves up by their bootstraps.
There are certain things that an individual cannot achieve singlehandedly; hence the
mission of the public
servant is really to solve
collective public problems.
Another reason i am
writing this book is to
convey a message to
those already aspiring to a
career in public service. To
them i say: be prepared to
be tested in ways impossible for you to foresee. What
is practicable in one situation will not be possible in
another situation, but there
will be no shortage of voices
surrounding you, aiming to distract or
persuade you from that fact.
Although no reasonable person
would disagree with the idea that the
public sector can do with better management, more efficient processes and
more transparent procurement of
goods and services, quantifying the
success or failure of any given initiative is by nature far more difficult in
this sector than its application in the
private sector.
A third reason i am writing this is a
message for those that have opted out
– the nigerian Diaspora.
My message to those of you in this
category is very simple: the nigerian
public service needs you, but you can
only succeed under certain conditions.
specifically we need you to come
home when you are financially independent and can stomach the pay cut
that you will face when entering public service. you should make no mistake about it – you must come home
at some point.
We cannot improve as a nation
without attracting our best and
brightest human resources to the public sector. As things stand currently, we
have surrendered the bulk of
our political space to the dishonourable, the incompetent
and worse, to the criminally
minded. This is the basic
problem of nigeria.
The brightest nigerians
are either abroad, or at
home in academia, in the
military or private sector –
particularly in telecommunications, oil and gas or financial services industries.
This is an undeniable fact;
the dregs of our society
dominate the politics and
have created a negative image
that makes talented people spurn
helping the country.
so to those in the diaspora who
have achieved financial independence
through merit and hard work i say
this: good for you, earn what you deserve, which appears impossible to
earn at home.
nonetheless, unless at some point
you make a rational decision to come
back and get your hands dirty with
politics or public service, nigeria will
never work in our lifetime.
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FEATUREWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
17
DOMINGO’S BALL:
Chicome,
Mozambique
RUBBER BALL: Chipanga, Mozambique
ANOKY STARS FC: Kumasi, Ghana
CHICOME, MOZAMBIQUE: Sebastian the teacher assembled all the kids by ringing the
school bell and asked them to all go home and bring back their footballs. They all came back
with an amazing array of balls, each one different.
GRASSROOTS
football
Photographer
Jessica hilltout
travelled rural
Africa to
document the
passion for the
beautiful game
She found it in villages where children
played on dusty patches of ground,
sandy beaches and lush fields, far
from the stadiums of The African Cup
of Nations.
“The beautiful game exists in its
purest form in what I saw — people
playing for the joy of playing,” Jessica
Hilltout said of her trip.
Balls are made from plastic bags,
old socks and rags, tied up with string
or strips of tree bark. These ingenious,
improvised balls bounce like real ones
for a few days before the air escapes.
Introducing her book, Jessica says;
“In Africa, football is NOT a religion.
But it is everything a religion should
be. Every village in Africa has an open
air temple with goalposts at opposite
ends and devoted followers in the
middle.
“Football breathes happiness into
sun-baked days and rain-soaked
evening. On a continent where not
even the basics are taken for granted,
football is precious.” Hence the title
of the book...
www.jessicahilltout.com
AMEN: Grassroots Football
by Jessica hilltout
Available at amazon.co.uk
NELITO’S BALL: Nhamba, Mozambique
SAMBO’S SOCK: Bombola, Burkina Faso
18
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
COMMENTWATCH
@NigerianWatch
David (farmers) Vs Goliath (Shell)
Nnimmo Bassey
A significant victory was secured in the battle for environmental justice in
the Niger Delta, but the battle goes on. Human rights campaigner nnimmo
Bassey explains the implications of the recent judgement from the Hague
The Niger Delta of Nigeria is one of the few
territories in the world that has a huge
reserve of crude oil that is both sweet and
easy to reach. The crude found here is called
“sweet” because it is of the light variety as
opposed to heavy type and has low sulphur
content. It is easy to reach because a lot of
that oil is on-shore and also because Nigeria
can easily be accessed by sea.
The sweetness of the crude has over the past
five decades brought bitter experiences to the people of the Niger Delta and their environment. Oil
companies operate here with an audacious level
of impunity that cannot easily be comprehended
by external observers.
The question often asked is why the Nigerian
government has not stepped up to defend her
people and the environment. A part of the answer
is that the hands of government have been tied
because they are in joint partnership with the polluting oil companies, and share in the financial
benefits of the on-going rape.
The struggles of the Niger Delta peoples and
communities to secure justice have been going on
for several years. It has been a long and arduous
struggle. We can mention the revolutionary up-
Youth Congress (IYC); the Ilaje youths and other
nationalities of the Niger Delta. Litigation has
been a tool that has secured mixed results.
“Shell’s
disdain for the
well-being of
communities
has been
legendary”
rising led by Isaac Adaka Boro in the 1960s; the
non-violent struggles by the Movement for the
Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP); the Ijaw
The Ijaw Aborigines sued Shell Petroleum
Development Company Limited (SPDC as it is
known in Nigeria or Shell) to the National As-
sembly over decades of environmental degradation. When Shell refused to honour the outcome,
the case was taken to the courts in Nigeria. The
battle is still on.
The Ilaje youths sued Chevron in the courts
of San Francisco for human rights infringement
committed against them on 28 May 1998 – when
the oil company flew in troops to attack protesting youths on Chevron’s Parabe offshore platform, killing two and injuring others in the
process. That case ended after 10 years with
Chevron acquitted of any wrongdoing.
The human rights case over the murder of
Ogoni leaders brought against Shell in New York
produced a more positive result with the oil company accepting guilt. The same has been witnessed in the case against the company for the
2008 and 2009 oil spills in Bodo, Ogoni in the
courts in the United Kingdom.
Furthermore, a decisive judgement against
Shell was obtained in November 2005 in the
High Courts in Benin City, Nigeria, when the
judge ruled in a case brought by Jonah Gbemre
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COMMENTWATCH
THE NIGER DELTA
SHELL PETROLEUM DEVELOPMENT
COMPANY OF NIGERIA LTD MAP OF
OPERATIONS IN THE NIGER DELTA
of Iwerekhan community in Delta State, that gas
flaring is an illegal, unconstitutional activity and
should be stopped. The flares still roar as you
read this.
thE loNG RoUtE to JUStICE
On 30 January 2013, the International Court of
Justice at the Hague, Holland, made a ruling in
the case of four farmers against Shell. The significant success in this case includes the fact that
Shell was made to stand in the dock in its home
country for environmental offences committed in
Nigeria, where their subsidiary SPDC operates.
The farmers had each brought individual
cases against Shell. Eric Barizaa of Goi community in Gokana Local Government Area of
Rivers State represented his deceased father,
Chief Barizaa Dooh. The oil spill in Goi for
which the case was brought occurred in November 2004. Alali Efanga from Oruma community
in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa
State was the plaintiff over the oil spill that occurred in June 2006.
The plaintiff for another oil spill in Oruma
was Fidelis Ayoro Oguru. That spill also occurred
in June 2006. Elder Friday Akpan from Ikot Ada
Udo community in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State sued Shell for a
massive spill that occurred there in June 2008.
The fifth plaintiff was Milieudefensie/Friends
of the Earth Netherlands. Environmental Rights
Action/ Friends of the Earth Nigeria provided
further support on the case. The defendants in all
the cases were the Shell Petroleum Development
Company of Nigeria Ltd and the parent company, Royal Dutch Shell.
The plaintiffs went to court seeking for Shell
to be held liable for the oil spills in their three
communities; to secure an order for the oil giant
to maintain her pipelines; to guarantee that no
more oil spills occur in the future; and for Shell
to clean up the oil pollution in their communities;
and to pay adequate compensation to the farmers
for the damages suffered as a result of the spills.
chose to believe a few
grainy videos and photographs produced by
Shell as evidence of
third party interference
in those incidents. The
denial of access to essential documents also gave
the parent company the
right to draw massive
profits from their polluting oil fields in Nigeria
while washing its hands off the environmental
costs heaped on the communities and the nation
at large.
hIGh PoINtS
The case was filed in 2008 and all the preliminary processes, including the issue of jurisdiction were determined in favour of the Plaintiffs
in 2009, with the court in the Hague deciding
that it had the jurisdiction to hear the case.
(The issue of whether the case was the same
as the one in Nigeria with reference to Elder Friday Akpan of Ikot Ada Udo was determined in
favour of the Plaintiffs in 2010. The court held
that the case in The Hague was not the same.)
One major setback for the plaintiffs was
recorded in 2011 when an application calling on
Shell to open their books for inspection and copying by the Plaintiffs was decided in favour of the
Defendants.
This denial of access to the documents that
could have shown the clear links of decisionmaking processes between SPDC and the Royal
Dutch Shell made it impossible for the plaintiffs
to prove that aspect of the case. By the ruling
of the court, although SPDC is a subsidiary
wholly owned by the Royal Dutch Shell, the
parent company could not be held liable for
their actions.
The full hearing on the case was held over six
hours on 11 October 2012. It was at that hearing
that the judgement date of 30 January 2013 was
fixed. The judgement that was duly delivered was
significant mostly in the fact that for the first time
Shell was in the dock in The Netherlands for environmental crimes committed outside the country, in this case in Nigeria.
Although Shell could celebrate that they
were acquitted of polluting the Oruma and Goi
Communities, the company was found guilty of
polluting the Ikot Ada Udoh environment. In
fact, observers believe that Shell was acquitted
on the other cases simply because the court
Who SABotAGES WhoM?
Significantly, the court ruled that Shell was
guilty in the case of Ikot Ada Udo because they
ought to have taken enough care to avoid their
installations being “sabotaged”.
The chorus of “sabotage” of oil installations
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
19
has been the song of irresponsible oil companies who use that excuse to avoid liability for
rusty and ill-maintained facilities that continue
to erupt. This claim has been made attractive by
Nigerian laws that absolve oil companies of liabilities where incidents are caused by sabotage.
Unfortunately, the definition of sabotage appears to have been equated with just any interference by a third party. Because of this even
common thefts from pipelines are labelled acts
of sabotage, whereas acts of sabotage are of
more profound nature and are often political in
intent. We note that by the court’s ruling even
in regard to claims of sabotage it must be shown
that it could not have been prevented.
The plaintiffs from Goi and Oruma have signalled their readiness to appeal the judgement
of the court. As we said on the day of judgement, finding Shell guilty of the spill at Ikot
Ada Udo is commendable and we are waiting
to see how Shell can celebrate the faulty conclusion reached by the court that they can be exonerated from the ecocide at Goi and Oruma.
Goi in Ogoni is a community that is completely
sacked by Shell’s pollution and members of the
community have been forced to move elsewhere
as environmental refugees.
Shell’s disdain for the wellbeing of communities that suffer the impacts of its reckless exploitation of oil in the Niger Delta has been
legendary. The spill at Ikot Ada Udo lasted for
months and in open farmland and yet Shell had
the temerity to fight to avoid culpability. It is
just and fair that it is held accountable for this
crime. Their reign of double standards must not
go unchallenged.
FUELLING THE DELTA FIRES
Based on the real life
situation in Nigeria’s
Niger Delta, Fuelling the
Delta Fires is an expose
and action adventure
novel revealing why
there is turmoil in the
world’s sixth largest
crude oil exporter.
AVAIALBLE NOW AT:
amazon.co.uk, chapters.indigo.com, waterstones.com,
authorhouse.co.uk, barnesandnoble.com
whsmiths.co.uk, borders.com
For those in Nigeria
Ring Peter Agbor of walahi.com on (234)805 361 0533
Paperback £9.30 Hardback £13.60 E-book £2.60
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
FEATUREWATCH
An everyday
tale of
@NigerianWatch
Global One 2015
20
Mother
courage
Infant and maternal mortality rates in Nigeria are
among the highest in the world. With Mothering
Sunday approaching Fatimah ya-Fanah Kelleher
looks at efforts to reverse this terrible trend
Maryam is nine months pregnant. She sits
carefully in her chair in an ante-natal ward in
Hajiya Gambo Sawaba hospital in Kaduna
State, only the slightest grimace indicating
any late pregnancy discomfort. Enveloped in
a cream-coloured hijab and black kaftan, her
slightly swollen feet suggest signs of
hypertension. In sharp contrast, delicate
wrists move with a feather-light deftness,
indicating the agile woman she must normally
be. With the baby’s due date already come and
gone, her hands are fidgeting anxiously.
Maryam’s anxiety is not just due to the usual
pre-birth nerves. At 25 years old this is the fourth
time that she will be going into labour, but to date
she has yet to see one of her children survive their
first month of life. “I was married at 16, and had
two stillbirths before I was 19,” she shares. “My
third child was born when I was 20, but he lived
for only 27 days.”
Where her own health is concerned, Maryam’s
last two labours were long and characterised by
excessive haemorrhaging; for a while it was unclear whether she would also survive and as she
now approaches her fourth labour, fear for her
own life along with that of her child is a very real
and accepted concern.
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Unfortunately, Maryam’s case is not uncommon.
Nigeria has one of the highest maternal and child
mortality rates in the world. Although the country has the tenth highest mortality rate in the
world, it has the second highest number of actual
maternal deaths (after India), accounting for 14%
of the global total.
In addition, UNFPA reports that Nigeria
alone accounts for almost one million women living with obstetric fistula, a debilitating condition
that sometimes occurs after severe or failed childbirth when adequate medical care is unavailable.
As it can leave many women permanently incontinent and without access to the surgery needed
to repair their birth canals, the condition also
leads to ostracism and ridicule of sufferers within
their own communities.
“The challenges are many,” explains Yemisi
Ogunlela, Rehabilitation Manager at Rotary International in northern Nigeria. “Even though
State Governments have proclaimed free antenatal care for pregnant women, some of the needed
drugs, equipment and trained personnel are still
in short supply, especially in the rural areas.
“In addition, poor infrastructure like roads,
electricity and water supply to health facilities
compound the issues, while poverty and high levels of illiteracy can lead to poor attitudes towards
using reproductive healthcare services.”
Rotary International has been leading the way
on maternal health programming in the country
since 1995, particularly in northern Nigeria,
where the issues often are most acute. Eighteen
years later, the organisation continues to work on
addressing often fatal maternal mortality and
health complications in the worst affected rural
and remote areas through the provision of basic
medical services wherever possible.
Fertility rates in Nigeria remain relatively high
(the average woman giving birth to six children),
while family planning approaches that have been
proven to help minimise maternal and child mortality and morbidity (such as waiting longer between pregnancies) have found little traction in a
climate where contraception is a sensitive topic.
“The provision of modern family planning
services has been a very neglected area until recently,” continues Ogunlela. “It was almost a
taboo, something not to be mentioned. Understanding this, Rotary decided to introduce the
term ‘child spacing’ instead of ‘family planning’,
in order to make the realities of the service understandable and more acceptable to the users.”
thE loNG RoAD to hEAlthCARE
However, some issues that prevent women from
availing themselves of the services available are
even more fundamental than that; simply getting
there. The cost of a bus or motorbike taxi for
many women to access regular maternal health
provision is often unmanageable. Given that even
for peri-urban inhabitants the distance to the
nearest primary health care centre is 10-15km, the
cost of between 1-200 Naira for a taxi ride is prohibitive. This is particularly the case as many earn
less than about 300 Naira a day.
Even among those women who manage to attend ante-natal clinics regularly, their attendance
rate for post-natal care drops significantly, with
many women once again either ignorant of its importance, or simply unable to meet the cost of
travel and medicines. As a result the majority of
women continue to give birth at home, unaware
of the signs of a potentially harmful pregnancy
or delivery and supervised by traditional birth attendants (TBAs) who are in the main ill-equipped
to deal with difficulties.
In most cases, formal ante-natal care has never
been sought. Addressing the gaps in supply from
a geographical standpoint has therefore become
a focal point for innovative approaches in mater-
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
FEATUREWATCH
21
Save The Children
Zainab Waliullah
Global One 2015
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sial, with critics pointing out that what the country needs is a concerted drive towards training
and recruiting fully-qualified obstetric nurses and
midwives, and that validating traditional birth attendants will distract from that.
In principle, maternal health programmers
agree that the country’s primary focus is to comprehensively address the overdue need for more
qualified nurses, midwives and physicians. However, as Harma points out, for the time being
Global One 2015
nal and child health service provision in some
parts of the country. “You have to bring the
healthcare to the villages,” says Risto Harma, International Manager for Global One 2015.
Global One 2015 is a specialist NGO currently
working with the Nigerian Red Cross in Delta
State, providing a pilot mobile service known as
the Mobile Midwife Clinic programme east of the
town of Warri, in the Warri-Ughelli-Ozoro corridor.
The mobile clinic operates from a clinic or
hospital and targets rural communities with a
main focus on screening women (and children
under five), and providing treatment in the field
when feasible. The clinic is also successful in being
a link for especially serious cases of non-maternal
health patients, for example TB cases.
“Mobile clinics are now essential, not optional, as a standard delivery arm of primary
healthcare, and as the foundation of the entire
healthcare and disease control system,” Risto
stresses. “If you only build static clinics, there is
still no guarantee that they will come.”
tRAINING
Another key aspect of the work by organisations
across Nigeria is the training and development of
traditional birth attendants – local women who
have held traditional child birthing roles at the
community level for centuries, but who are without modern obstetric qualifications.
This approach has sometimes been controver-
“The provision of
modern family
planning services
has been a very
negelected area
until recently”
women continue to rely heavily on traditional
birth attendants due to their closer proximity, so
the issue is more complex:
“Currently, their training and supervision is
crucial because it is not possible to replace them
given the level of poverty and quality problems
in mainstream healthcare facilities,” he explains.
“It is especially important that they are trained
to understand where their limitations are, specifically with complicated maternal health cases that
could cause death of the mother or child or lead
to fistula. They are educated on their role in the
healthcare system and are trained to refer cases
on to the primary healthcare facilities. This results in their integration into the rural referral system, preventing them from working in isolation.”
Saadehi Jume is a traditional birth attendant
from Ag Maggiya in Kaduna State who has been
working with women in her locale for the last
seven years. She received TBA training that has
helped her to be more efficient in her work, including spotting the signs of complications early,
sterilisation and standard hygiene practices, and
advising the women on the ever-sensitive birth
spacing. “I am also familiar with the qualified
staff at the primary healthcare centres and at the
general hospital,” she emphasises. “This makes a
difference because the staff know me and I am
able to communicate a patient’s history when I
bring them in on an emergency.”
A GlIMPSE oF hoPE
But despite the activities and programmes being
delivered across the country, the march towards
lowering the number of women and children who
die in childbirth remains agonisingly slow and
many feel that far more effort at both national
and international levels is needed.
In October last year President Goodluck
Jonathan announced plans to improve reproductive, maternal and child health by increasing the
country’s financial resources to improve health
outcomes for the poor, as well as expanding support for midwives and community health workers.
For Yemisi Ogunlela at Rotary, the solution is not
only financial but should be tackled in an integrated manner that addresses some of the lack of
knowledge and complacency that unfortunately
still exists at all levels:
“Governments are trying but they could do
more: first, by providing the necessary infrastructure, facilities, medical equipment, drugs, training
and re-training; but also through advocacy and
sensitisation of traditional, political, religious and
opinion leaders, and also of husbands.”
For Maryam’s part, her own personal experience of child mortality and poor maternal health
has led to a determination that this pregnancy
must be different. Although financially unable to
attend all of the ante-natal appointments, for the
first time, she has received the fundamentals required for a monitored pregnancy. She has also
been given a tetanus injection for the baby and
this means more to her than the provisions made
to safeguard her own health.
Although unclear on the causes of her previous children’s deaths, she understands that the injection is one further step towards protecting this
baby. As she shares her new understanding of
this, she offers her first uninhibited smile and her
elegant hands still their fussing for a moment.
This subtle gesture offers a glimpse of the hope
and courage that mothers will always have, even
in the face of such previous loss.
22
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
BUSINESSWATCH
BRUTAL ASSESSMENT OF WESTERN ECONOMIES
HIGHLIGHTS THE RISE AND RISE OF NIGERIA
Nigeria’s Minister of State
for Finance Dr Yerima
Lawan Ngoma (pictured)
told an influential audience
of business chiefs in London
that now was the time to
invest in Nigeria – pulling no
punches when comparing the
ailing economies of the west
with the robust recovery
underway in sub-Sahara
Africa (SSA).
The Minister was speaking
in the heart of the City at
Bloomberg House, Moorgate,
at the UK-Nigeria Bilateral
Banking and Investment Development Conference on 5
February. Mr Ngoma’s speech
was
entitled
“Nigeria’s
Prospects and Opportunities
in 2013 and beyond”.
The overarching message
of his speech was that while
others were struggling to fulfill
their potential SSA was storming ahead. “We all know we
live in an uncertain world with
fragile US recovery and a Eurozone that is still forecast to
contract. The dreams of a decoupled emerging market
group have vanished as growth
in China, India, and Brazil has
decelerated. However, the subSahara Africa region, though
not impervious to the worsening condition of the global
economy, is still amazingly
doing better than most other
regions of the world. This is on
the back of earlier tough policy reforms that are now paying off.”
The minister rattled off a
litany of reforms that had resulted in the IMF forecast for
projected growth in the Nigerian economy of 6.7% this year
and rising. These include reducing the total debt to GDP
ratio to around 18%; and reducing government revenue
expenditure and increasing
capita expenditure; beefing up
the nation’s reserves at home
and abroad; increased tax collection – up to 5trn Naira from
450bn in 2002.
“Nigeria’s finances,” the
minister declared, “are in a
much better shape than they
were a few years ago and even
the international community is
taking notice of the marked
we
have
improvements
achieved.”
In this he was referring to
the upgrading of Nigeria’s sovereign ratings from B+ to BB-
by both Fitch, S&P and
Moody’s. These favourable
sovereign ratings have now
provided a platform upon
which Nigerian corporates can
raise financing in international
markets.
But he emphasised that
“while we maintain a firm
grasp of the macroeconomic
environment, we are also investing in the key real sectors
which will drive growth and
job creation for Nigerians in
line with the President’s Transformation Agenda.”
Here there was lost of positive news and inherent opportunities for investment in
Nigeria under a raft of initiatives being pursued under the
Comprehensive Privatisation
and Sector Reform Programs.
The power sector is of
course a key issue and one that
has held Nigeria back.
“Today, many Nigerians
are able to obtain about 15
hours of consistent power supply from the national grid. The
rehabilitation of existing
power infrastructure has
yielded 1000 megawatts of additional electricity while the
NIPP projects are being fasttracked to provide an additional 1055 megawatts in the
next few months.
“Our privatisation program
has already been widely
praised by various international commentators and ex-
perts. It will also ensure that
we provide market-based tariffs to further attract private investors into the power
generation sector.”
The conference heard the
railway modernisation program is on-track, which will
make doing business in Nigeria easier for both producer
and consumer.
As will much-needed reform of the ports. “We have
made definite improvement in
our ports, we have reduced the
number of agencies from 14 to
7 and number of days to clear
problem free goods from 39 to
7, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has
confirmed this.”
The industrialisation of
agriculture is gathering pace,
saying, “We are on course to
meet the food production target of 20 million tonnes by
2015, with our current production around 8.1 million
tonnes.” About 13 new private
sector rice mills had boosted
production and exports of cassava to China were up. All of
which was serving to boost
employment in the country as
were dedicated job creation
programmes.
He accepted challenges remained, not least “to stem fiscal leakages in the form of oil
theft and corruption in fuel
subsidy programme – but he
said these are being addressed
by the security services in relation to theft and an improved
fuel subsidy verification regime
in regard to subsidy fraud.
Minister Ngoma concluded
by saying, “Nigeria has come
a long way in a short time. The
stable macroeconomic environment and favourable international credit ratings makes
the country an investor’s destination.
“The challenges we face
also present tremendous opportunities for investors
around the globe so I believe
that the best of Nigeria is yet
to come.”
Reducing the cost of caring
As we report on page 15 the
African Diaspora does much to
boost the respective real
economies of their homelands
by sending home remittances,
usually to assist with living
costs or to pay for a sibling’s
education. And these lucky
ones won cash prizes for
doing what comes naturally
via Western Union.
the money transfer company last year ran a competi-
tion to reward customers for
using their services. Currently,
customers who use Western
Union stand a chance of winning tickets to a UEFA Europa
league tie, which is sponsored
by Western Union.
What this indicates is that
competition between companies is hotting up and that can
only benefit the customer by
cutting the cost of sending
money home. A number of
factors impact on the price
charged but the biggest burden in Africa, a WU spokeswoman told Nigerian Watch, is
having to distribute via banks;
bank costs are on average
over 13% according to the
World Bank.
hence money transfer companies are hoping to see the
markets deregulated – so they
can deliver cash across Africa
via agents, at a cheaper cost.
FASHION
From 2-tone
to see-through
handbags
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Community Watch
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Health & Beauty
How I viewed
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FEAST FOR THE EYES
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From Mother Africa
Circus to African All
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March 2013
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COMMUNITYWATCH
Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation
24
OLUSEGUN OBASANJO
FOUNDATION LAUNCH
and he kept doing good until he died. In fact
he died because he was doing good. Can one
really retire from doing good for as long as one
is still on earth? We are here to do good, we
maybe will. So, what leads me to this, is the desire to continue to do good.”
When asked by Lord Peter Mandelson why he
had not retired to his beloved farm after dedicating his life to public service and instead decided to launch a foundation, the former
President Olusegun Obasanjo replied, “Jesus is
a hero of mine. Jesus went about doing good,
FROM TOP L-R: the packed
Great Hall; the former
President ‘OBJ’; Lord Peter
Mandelson; the Presidential
panel; The NGO panel. Left:
Deputy High Commissioner OK
Lawal and wife. Below: The
presidential table
BELOW: Tunde, formerly lead singer with the Lighthouse
Family, with his wife
BELOW: Artist Lanre and partner (left) and Patti Boulaye
and partner flank Richar Taylor OBE
COMMUNITYWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
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ABOVE; AFrica’s richest man,
Aliko Dangote
BELOW; Top Model
Agbani Darego
ABOVE: Former President OBJ receieves the gift of a magnificent portrait
FROM R-L: The celebratory cutting of the cake with the
Presidents of Nigeria, Liberia, Ghana and Benin. Left: Her
Excellency Patience Jonathan. Below: OBJ is presented with a
symbolic tractor. Right (in blue); OOF Chair Anne Welsh
ABOVE: Canuk Chairman Bimbo Roberts
RIGHT; Maryanne Jemide
25
26
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 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
gWAM-ODOgWU,
sOMTOCHUKWU (March 2nd)
happy birthday to our beautiful
princess. May you continue to
grow in God’s wisdom and grace.
lots of love from daddy, mummy,
your brothers and sisters.
nWABUDiKE, MATTHiAs
(March 5th)
happy Birthday to a very special
God Father from your favourite
God Daughter nicole and her
sisters isabel and Kimberly.
CHEATING DAD
Dear Eki,
I was at a birthday party recently, which was held at a top club in the west end, a club
renowned for being frequented by a much older age group than mine.
Me and my friends were in the VIP area, which we had reserved for the night as a
special treat, when I looked across the room and saw my father sitting at another
booth – with his arms around a woman whom I had never seen before.
Just as I was deciding whether to make my presence known or not, he started kissing this woman. I was so shocked and upset that I immediately made my excuses and
left. I don’t believe my father saw me and since that night, I have been avoiding my
dad. My quandary is; I do not know whether to tell my mum or not, as I do not want
my parents to split.
I am also not sure whether to confront my dad or not as he might deny it and aside
from the fact that I saw him myself, I’ve no other proof. I can’t even bear to look at
him anymore, and I can't understand how he can do this to my mum.
On the other hand as the days go by, I worry that when my mum eventually finds
out, she will be upset with me for keeping this from her. What do I do?
J, 20, london
This can be a very traumatic experience for anyone, especially if, as far as you are concerned, things are good
at home between your parents. Witnessing what you did has put you in a very difficult position.
Having said all this, I believe the best thing to do is confront him, tell him what you saw and how it made
you feel. Ask him what is going on and hear what he has to say. Then tell him he has to let your mum know
the truth; this way it frees you from having to tell her yourself, or from having to keep this from her.
Chances are if your dad is having an affair, your mum probably already suspects, and just doesn’t have any
confirmation yet. So there is a 90% chance that the news will not come as a surprise to her.
On the other hand, if he denies it, then you need to tell your mum what you saw, as long as you are a
100% sure it was him you saw. Your dad may be mad at you initially for telling your mum, but remember it
was him who did a bad thing and not you.
Also, if you’ve got any older siblings, it might be a good idea to get them on board and get their opinions
on the matter, so you are not left doing this on your own. Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best.
DEPRESSION RUINING
MY MARRIAGE
OMOsEvWERHA, viCTOR
(March 4th)
happy birthday to my loving
husband, friend and rock. May you
have a great year and wonderful
life ahead. With love from ilonka
JEMiDE, BAWO (March 15th)
Tevin, Maryanne, isabel, nicole
and Kimberly would like to wish
their beloved brother and favourite
uncle a happy birthday.
happy birthday to the best daddy
in the world! We love you! From
Maya and Eva
CHANGE OF NAME
ADEniKE
I formally known and addressed as
Titilola Ogunlesi now wish to be
known as Titilola Adenike. My
correct date of birth is 17th of May
1957. Members of the public, home
office and Nigerian high
Commission, london should please
take notice.
JEMiDE, JAMiMA (March 21st)
happy birthday charming princess.
May God continue to guide, lead
and protect you. Love daddy,
mummy and Aldwyn.
Dear Eki,
I fear my husband is suffering from depression. He lost his job a little over a
year ago and has found it difficult to find
one ever since. I don’t mind that I am the
one who now provides for the family but
I think it bothers him.
You see, my husband is a very proud
man and the loss of his job has been a big
blow to his ego. Lately, he spends all his
time in bed with the curtains drawn and
refuses to get out of bed or leave the
house. He has also stopped answering
calls from his friends or even meeting
with them as he is ashamed to keep
telling people he is still jobless.
He also doesn’t speak to me like he
used to and sometimes when I speak to
him it takes time before he answers, like
he was somewhere else.
I believe these are signs of depression
and I am not sure how to handle it. I suggested he see the doctor but he brushed
it aside like it was a ridiculous notion to
think that he would be suffering from depression. The whole issue is affecting my
marriage as I dread coming home after
work to deal with the wall of silence.
Kiki, 30-something, Watford
In this economic climate, losing one’s job is a very
sad experience especially when you believe you
didn’t deserve to be let go by your employer. According to the NHS website, symptoms of depres-
sion can be complex and vary widely between people. They generally include feelings of sadness,
hopelessness and a loss of interest in things one
used to enjoy.
If you believe he is suffering from the above
symptoms, then you must try harder to convince
him to see the doctor. If he isn’t listening to you I
would suggest you get his parents or siblings involved in the matter.
He needs to see the doctor at least just to calm
your fears, as depression if not treated in time and
properly would only get worse. Also, visit the following websites;
l www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Depression/Pages/Introduction.aspx
l www.mind.org.uk/mental_health_a-z/7980_understanding_depression
l www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_signs_
types_diagnosis_treatment.htm
These sites contain more information on depression and what to do when you suspect a family
member is suffering from the condition.
Most importantly, let your husband know you
are there for him while he goes through this trying
time. Never do anything to remind him that you are
the main provider. Most men feel emasculated when
their wife is left to provide for the family. I hope he
finally agrees to see a doctor.
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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March 2013
FASHIONWATCH
27
MONOCHROME MARCH
It’s not quite spring, and it’s still cold, so update your winter outfits with some black
and white graphics, see-thru perspex accessories, flat (yes), flat monk shoes and if
that’s not hot enough for you - snuggle up in a sheep skin shearling coat
By Obah Iyamu
From the coolest collaboration
shearling coats With adverse conditions not
and the trends to be snapping up
relenting what better way to
and buying into, shake up your
fight back than with a
March wardrobe after the
shearling jacket. I have been
harshest freezing weather with
sighting some stunners
Black and white. It doesn’t
recently and can’t wait to get
get any more basic than black
my hands on the perfect one.
and white, but these contrasting
A sheep skin jacket will
neutrals are anything but boring
keep you toasty and warm,
this season. think
allowing you to dress
chess boards and
as skimpily as you
graphic grids, bold,
like underneath.
zigzag or wavy stripes
Keep it trendy
and such like. As long
with clean lines
as the colours involved are black and white, you
and sporty with
will be earning a distinction in fashion
a fashionable
grades. I will be wearing this trend
hood.
without any colour pops.
Perspex trend let your accessories
take centre stage with see-through
materials. After a season of covering up
from the cold it takes a refreshing turn to
incorporate transparency into our outfits
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and there’s still no need to bare skin.
Keep it fresh and sophisticated with one
item, I am head over heels in love with
the trend for see-through bags (I promise
£22 FOR 1 YEAR
£15 FOR 6 MONTHS
A MONTHLY NEWSPAPER
OUT EVERY LAST FRIDAY
OF THE MONTH
to keep it very tidy!)
Monk strap
shoes this trend
reminds me of my
first school shoes,
but no need to
panic because they
are have arrived
super stylish,
especially for those
Name
Full Address
us that loathe high heels. the
fashionistas update
is sleeker and
edgier than the
ordinary buckled
shoe. I will be
giving my
everyday look
some attitude
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with these
masculine shoes.
Wear with everything from
dresses to tailored trousers.
Nigerian Watch is a FREE newspaper but If you want us to post a copy of
the paper to any address in the UK there will be a charge for postage.
28
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
HEALTHWATCH
Are you my type?
Easy, is
By Iyamide thomas, Regional Care Advisor, Sickle Cell Society UK
Some dishes you just
can’t rush – but they
are well worth
waiting for …
last month was Valentine’s Day, reportedly the most celebrated day
around the world besides New year!
A time when many current or wouldbe lovers express their love by presenting each other with flowers,
chocolates, romantic gestures and
cards known as ‘valentines’. Unwittingly, Valentine’s gets us thinking
about type, and the type of people
we find attractive.
and they need to be on regular
blood transfusions throughout life.
the usual and most common
type of haemoglobin gene people
inherit is “haemoglobin A”. Unusual haemoglobin genes include
“haemoglobin S” (known as ‘sickle
haemoglobin’), “haemoglobin C”,
and “beta thalassaemia”.
People can only get sickle cell or
thalassaemia if they inherit two
unusual genes for haemoglobin.
People who inherit only one unusual gene are known as ‘carriers’
or ‘trait’. In the UK 1 in 4 West
Africans are carriers of the sickle
cell gene.
yoU INhERIt A lot FRoM yoUR
PARENtS thRoUGh GENES
From the way you look and behave
there’s a lot you inherit from your parents through genes, including your
haemoglobin genotype.
this tells you the tWo genes (one
from each parent) that determine your type of
blood haemoglobin.
the type of haemoglobin genes you inherit
or pass on can play an important role in determining whether you or your children are affected by two serious inherited blood
conditions – sickle cell disease and thalassaemia.
As Africans many of us will have heard of
sickle cell disease since it affects us more than
any other ethnic group in the world.
out of the 15 million people estimated to
have sickle cell worldwide, around 10 million
live in Africa, of which 4 million are in Nigeria.
It also affects people who originate from the
Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East and the
Mediterranean.
however it is not a ‘black’ disease and can
affect ‘white’ people, too, although less fre-
Only 50% of fathersto-be accept their
invitiation to be
tested…
quently. Sickle cell disease is a serious inherited
blood condition that can cause severe pain,
anaemia and organ damage.
thalassaemia is a condition most common
among people originating from India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Cyprus and China. People can inherit Beta thalassaemia major, which affects
their ability to produce enough red blood cells.
this causes severe anaemia and organ damage
loVE IS... FINDING oUt
ABoUt yoUR GENotyPE
With Valentine’s fresh in the memory it seems
a good time to raise awareness of these two inherited blood conditions and for individuals to
consider finding out about their haemoglobin
genotype, since each time two people who are
carriers have a baby there is a 25% chance the
baby could be born with sickle cell disease or
thalassaemia.
A simple blood test will determine if you
carry a gene for sickle cell or thalassaemia.
In the UK the NhS Sickle Cell and thalassaema Screening Programme offers all pregnant women this blood test, which is then
offered to the baby’s father if the woman is
found to be a carrier. Guess what? only 50% of
fathers-to-be accept their invitation to be
tested!
you can ask your GP for this blood test at
anytime in your life, especially before you and
your partner decide to
start a family. you and
your partner can then
discuss any risks and
the choices that are
right for you.
this Valentine, why
not become educated
on these genetic blood
conditions so you can
make informed choices
(about testing) if and
when the need arises?
By so doing, you just
might be considered
that perfect partner
after all!
Useful websites:
l www.
sct.screening.nhs.uk
l www.
sicklecellsociety.org
l www.ukts.org
to watch a British–
Nigerian drama that
raises awareness of
sickle cell, testing and
associated myths go to:
l www.
familylegacy.org.uk
I
t is hard to believe that Easter is only a short
way away, it probably feels like Christmas has
only just ended... but Easter on African soil
is a wonderful day to look forward to. In preparation for Easter most
homes dish out indulgent traditional soul
food and hospitable
people enjoy inviting
others to join them
for a meal. Anuli
Easter. Eku Ayo
Ajinde. Barka da
salah. Happy Easter
to you all.
N’DolE (BIttER lEAF SoUP)
N’dole is a hearty soup from Cameroon – pronounced n’dole – made from a variety of ingredients. Bitter leaf soup is prepared with the
freshly squeezed or dried leaves of the evergreen plant called Vernonia Amygdaline.
As the common name implies the distinctive
bitter taste of this popularly eaten leafy vegetable is what makes it unique. Bitter leaf soup
is popularly eaten by the Igbo-speaking people
of Eastern Nigeria and called Ofé Onugbo.
The leaves are bruised and washed thoroughly to get rid of some of their bitter taste.
The unprocessed leaves can also be eaten raw
or juiced to treat wounds in a similar way to iodine and it’s said to be just as effective.
Nutrition facts: Bitter leaf is an excellent
source of fibre, vitamin and iron. Also rich in
phytochemicals, which are known to have antioxidant properties, protecting the body
against free radical damage.
Cooking Time 30 Minutes
ingredients
handful of freshly squeezed bitter leaf
4 tbsp naturally blended peanut
3 large onions chopped
1 fresh scotch bonnet pepper
1 medium dried fish
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp Jumbo beef stock
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp crayfish powder
500g of Goat meat, cut into 5cm pieces
Cooking instructions:
Rinse out the bitter leaf, squeeze out the excess
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March 2013
FOODWATCH
29
how to make a feast fit for Easter
water then coarsely chop and set aside. thoroughly wash the goat meat and place in a pot,
add the chopped onion, Jumbo beef stock, a
sprinkle of garlic and ginger, and allow to boil on
medium heat for 15 minutes. Add blended onion,
garlic, fresh pepper and peanut into the mix, stir
to marry the flavours and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the washed and deboned
dried fish and allow to simmer on low heat. Add
the vegetables, cover the pot for 5 mins and continue simmering until greens are tender. Add
some water if the mixture is dry. Serve with
boiled yam , rice, plantain, cassava fufu or garri.
Indulgent!
UGBA oR UKPAKA – AFRICAN oIl
BEAN SAlAD
Ugba (Oil Bean Seed), also known as Ukpaka,
is native to south eastern Nigeria, the Igbos.
The Hausas call it Kiriya, the Yorubas Ayan.
Often reserved for special occasions, particularly in Igbo land, this dish consists of finely
sliced oil beans, which undergoes extensive fermentation before it is considered edible. Prepared in a variety of assorted meat and stock
fish in a dressing of palm oil, indigenous rock
salt (Akanwu), seasoning and served spices.
Sliced garden egg, finely shredded cooked cassava (Abacha) and shredded scented leaf
(Nchawu) give it a fresh taste and inviting
aroma. This version of the recipe is a modern
spin on the traditional dish.
Ugba fermented
for less than 3 days is
used as a salad ingredient, when fermented
or longer it is used as
a soup thickener
adding flavour and variety to soups such as
okra soup. The
African oil bean is
very nutritious and it’s
actually a legume
rather than a seed.
It goes to say that
our ancestors knew
about healthy eating
and that’s why there is
an adage by the Owerri indigenes on the
dish that says, “Once
I’ve eaten oil bean
salad and drink palm wine then all the sky
scraper builders can carry on with their wealth.”
However I advise to treat this dish as an occasional delicacy because of the high saturated
fat and the rock salt which inhibits vitamin absorption.
ingredients
2-3 pieces of dried stockfish (okporoko)
4 handful of Ugba (Ukpaka) African oil bean
1 small Scotch bonnet
chilli
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp Jumbo crayfish
powder
1⁄2 tsp Akanwu (cooking potash/rock salt)
2 handfuls of shredded
cooked cassava
(Abacha) optional
2 sliced Garden eggs
(optional)
1 handful of chopped
Fresh Nchanwu
(scented leafs)
3 tbsp of Palm oil
Cooking
instructions
Soak the dried stock
fish in water for a few
hours (overnight if possible). Cook the soaked
stock fish with lots of water until almost tender.
Dissolve the rock salt (Akanwu) in a pan and add
palm oil for thickening, and stir.
Now add fresh blended Nchanwu, finely
chopped onions, shredded stock fish, Jumbo cray
fish powder and the Ugba (Ukpaka); stir until the
Ugba absorbs all the ingredients.
Also you can add the shredded cooked cassava (abacha) or the garden eggs at this point
(optional). turn off heat and garnish with finely
chopped bell pepper. Serve with a big smile!
EJU – AFRICAN lAND SNAIl
Eju (Giant African Land Snail) is particularly
popular in Nigeria, where it is considered a
delicacy. It is known as Eju by the Igbos, Igbin
by the Yoruba and Katantawa by the Hausas.
They are used in soups, stews, and in spicy kebabs. In Gambia it’s used to make one of
Gambia’s most popular rice dishes – Benachin.
Eju is an excellent source of protein, iron and
is very low in fat.
ingredients
4 pieces of African land Snail (Eju)
1/2 Scotch bonnet chilli (to taste)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp of grated garlic and ginger
1 tsp Jumbo all purpose seasoning
2 Red/Green bell pepper
Alum Rocks (Crystal)
Cooking instructions
Smash the snails’ shells, remove guts and wash
with alum rocks until all the slimy guts are thoroughly clean. Split the snails in half and season
with the onion, garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet chilli
and Jumbo all purpose seasoning. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes until almost tender. Garnish
with sliced bell pepper and the left over sliced
onions, turn off heat and serve with a smile!
30
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
BEAUTYWATCH
I AM HAIRY…
AND I NEED HELP
HAIRY ME “By
the time I got to
18, I looked like a
little monkey”
I
Trey Mujak
don’t know about you but I’ve been
shaving my legs since the age of 13. Not
because it made me feel “grown up”,
like most young people, but because it was
and still is an absolute necessity.
I also had what some might call a unibrow, an abundance of hair between the
eyebrows so that they seemed to converge
to form one long eyebrow; thick sideburns,
a thick head of hair and a slight moustache. Cringe! yes, I was a hairy little thing.
I won’t go into where else I started growing hair; I’ll leave that to your imagination.
None of the other women in my life had
this problem. I don’t think my mum has
ever had to shave her legs, and my sister
definitely didn’t at the time, so where did
all this hair come from? All I knew was that
I hated it and I had no one to turn to for
advice.
By the time I got to 18 I looked like a little monkey. okay, a slight exaggeration,
but I may well have done, because that’s
exactly how I felt. I was self conscious,
highly embarrassed and desperate. the
thought of taking a holiday for longer than
a week would fill me with fear as I would
question how I would keep up my hair removal treatments. My whole life was
planned around my hair.
So desperate and still hairy I tried everything on the market to solve the problem.
Shaving, electrolysis, waxing, threading,
epilators, hair removal pads, you name it, I
gave it a go. If no!no!™ had been available
I probably would have tried that too.
After years of scarring, in-grown hairs,
break outs and burns; I finally decided that
I needed a permanent solution. So at the
end of 2012 I tried something that has
completely transformed my life.
I’ve always heard about laser treatment
but was very wary because of the horror
stories you often hear about scarring. hair
can be shaved off, but a scar, that is permanent; so I never even considered it before.
that is until I came across a small company
called Skintology, which specialises in laser
treatment for darker skin tones and I went
in for a consultation.
the consultation went well and I paid
the £470 price for the treatment. that is a
lot of money but it seriously is the best
£470 I’ve ever spent. After my first treatment I went a full 6 weeks hair free; that’s
a lifetime to someone like me. And 8
weeks after my second treatment there’s
still no hair in sight.
I know we’re in a recession and £470
might be a stretch for some people, so I
have put together a review table of some
of the other hair removal techniques that I
have tried. of course results will vary but
maybe I can save you some embarrassment
and some money.
So if you are a little hairy monkey like
me, there is no need to suffer in silence.
there is a solution for everybody and
hopefully you’ll find yours in the table
below.
TREATMEnT
DEsCRiPTiOn
ExPERiEnCE
shaving
Shaving is the removal of hair by using a razor or any kind
of bladed instrument, to slice it down to the level of the
skin.
Great immediate results. However, hair grows back prickly
and thicker. You may also get in-growing hairs. If you are
a woman, do not put a razor near your face!
3/5
Electrolysis
An electric current is applied with a very fine needle-shaped
electrode, or metal probe, into each hair follicle to destroy
the root. Sold as permanent hair removal
Initial results were pretty good but after 24 hours the
treatment area was red and sore. Experienced severe
breakouts and hyper pigmentation. Worst of all, hair came
back very quickly.
1/5
Waxing
Strip waxing is accomplished by spreading a wax combination thinly over the skin. A cloth or paper strip is then
pressed on the top and ripped off with a quick movement
against the direction of hair growth. This removes the wax
along with the hair.
Painful. Before laser treatment, it was waxing. Results
lasted up to 7 days (remember I’m a little monkey). However, I did experience in-growing hairs on my legs and consequently hyper-pigmentation (dark marks on the skin). If
this happens to you then stop waxing.
3/5
RATing
Hot waxing; hot wax is applied to the treatment area. The
wax hardens when it cools, thus allowing the easy removal
without the aid of cloths.
Threading
In threading, a specially-designed thin cotton thread is doubled, then twisted. It is then rolled over areas of unwanted
hair, plucking the hair at the follicle level. Unlike tweezing,
where single hairs are pulled out one at a time, threading
can remove short lines of hair.
Painful. Great for small areas like eyebrows, chin and
upper lip. If you have a lot of hair in these areas you
should consider waxing.
4/5
Tweezing
Plucking or tweezing is the process of removing hair by
pulling out the hair one by one.
Great for eyebrows and not much else. Can lead to ingrowing hairs and hyper-pigmentation.
3/5
Depilatory
A liquid or cream that is used to remove hair from the body.
Results are great. However, they do not last very long. I’ve
never had a side effect and come back to this technique
time and time again. Great for legs and underarms. No
pain or discomfort and very easy to use.
4/5
Hair removal pads
A pain-free hair-removal superstar for smooth skin. Simply
rub the removal pads in a clockwise, then anti-clockwise motion to lift the hairs out of the follicles. The pads will also
exfoliate skin, reducing the risk of in-grown hairs.
Great results on small areas like sides of face and chin. Also
widely used on the legs, although this may feel like hard
work. Pads are abrasive so may damage skin with long
term use. If you scrub too hard it can also burn. I personally
don’t think it’s worth the risk.
2/5
Laser
The procedure involves a laser beam being focused at the
root of the hair follicles, which causes them to stop producing hair. The laser is attracted to the pigment Melanin in the
hair and uses this to get to the core of the follicle. The laser
damages the follicle via a process called photothermolysis,
consequently preventing growth. Painful but effective, as said above. Treatment time 45
minutes. It is a medical treatment so can cause infections
etc. If you are thinking of getting zapped with laser please
remember that laser is a serious procedure and you MUST
follow post treatment advice otherwise you may very well
end up with the scaring that I mentioned previously.
5/5
Shutterstock
Our expert Funmi odegbami gives a
frank insider’s guide to body hair care
SPRING BEAUTY TRENDS
With March now upon us,
the time is ripe to get
started on your annual
Spring Clean – no, I’m not
talking about your cluttered
living quarters, I’m referring
to your make-up bag! It’s
time to retire the harsh
metallics and deep hued lipsticks that dominated the
winter beauty scene, and
welcome a fresh, new makeup look. Here are some of
the hottest beauty trends to
help kick-start a brand
new you.
Candy Coloured Lips
Oranges and fuchsias
were all over the
Spring/Summer
2013 runways, as
seen at Prada,
Missoni, Giles, and
countless others.
If you aren’t quite
daring enough to rock a
bright orange lip, go for a
softer peach colour instead - a certified springtime classic. Check out
M.A.C’s Amplified Lipstick in
‘Vegas Volt’ (pictured, above;
£14, maccosmetics.co.uk) or
Givenchy Rouge Interdit in
‘Candide Tangerine’ (£21,
Debenhams).
CC Creams
By now you’ve undoubtedly
heard of BB Creams and perhaps have even incorporated
a couple into your daily
beauty routine. Well, make
way for the beauty industry’s
latest concoction: CC creams!
The “CC” stands for “Colour
Control” (or “Complexion
Corrector”, depending on
who you ask), and
these tinted moisturising creams are designed to brighten
complexions
and
smooth out skin tones.
Lighter in consistency
than their predecessor,
they also boast a
higher UV protection
coverage (up to SPF
35). Skincare company
Nip + Fab have just launched
their selection of CC Creams
at Boots (pictured), available
in Light and Dark, at £14.95.
Emerald
Pantone has declared emerald green “colour of the
year 2013”, so expect
to see this shade
everywhere
this
season. Try introducing this trend
into your beauty
routine by starting with a
nail colour before incorporating this elegant green into
your
key
wardrobe pieces
and make-up routine. Models Own
has a fantastic
rich green in their
‘Beetlejuice’
range
called
‘Emerald Black’
(pictured; £5, modelsownit.
com). Or, for a slightly lighter
shade, try Barry M’s ‘284
Emerald Green’ nail varnish
(£2.99, Superdrug).
Matte is Back
Save the high gloss for summer, this year spring is all
about matte make-up. From
lips (heavily featured in the
Prada, Burberry, and Dries
Van Noten shows) to your
base,
matte
products provide a soft,
youthful glow
that isn’t as
easily achievable
with
hi-shine
make-up.
NARS Loose Powder is great for providing a
natural, silky facial coverage
and comes in six different
shades (pictured
£26.50,
narscosmetics. co.uk). While
Rimmel’s Kate Moss Matte
Lipstick range has your pout
covered - try shade ‘Vibrant
Coral’ (£5.49, Superdrug).
Bold Brows
Rejoice all ye brow lovers –
bold brows are here to stay!
If you’ve yet to experience
the joys of good brow maintenance, never has there
been a better time to start incorporating a strong brow
into your daily look.
There is no shortage
of amazing products
springing up on the
market, covering every
medium from pencils,
to tinted gels, to powder. Find what product
works for you to
achieve a natural, yet
striking look to frame
your eyes.
For those on a budget, MUA
do a great little Brow Kit that
contains 3 different shades
for only £3.50; a higher-end
alternative is Benefit’s ‘Brow
Zings’
kit,
which includes
a tinted gel for
o p t i m u m
styling
and
d e fi n i n g
(£22.50). To create the perfect fierce arch,
M.A.C’s Penultimate Brow
Marker has you covered
(£15). By Erin Kristensen
TOWNWATCH
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March 2013
ON THE TOWN
With Toni
THEATRE
Short Cuts 3: A Box of Tricks
A celebration of female playwriting, Short Cuts 3 features four new
one act plays from four female
playwrights:
Another Girl Bryan and Joanna
are blissfully in love...until she tries
to kill him that is. Bewildered,
Bryan has to make an important
phone call, his only chance to fix
things - and her - before it's too
late. The Little Wula It's the
1950s and little Do is busy delivering those pesky twigs, when clobber guts, a blind bully, beguiles
him into the sewer ... But the leaping lizards are close! What's little
do gonna do? Doooo! All he
wants is a friend and all he needs
is to get home again... A Dog
Hotel There is an unexpected reunion for old school friends Carly
and Glenna. Their surprise trip
down Memory Lane rouses much
more than just nostalgia for days
gone by. A IS FOR ARSENIC
Love – it’s written in the tea leaves.
Or is it? One thing’s for sure,
there’s definitely something in the
water.
5 - 9 Mar
hen and Chickens theatre,
109 St. Pauls Road, Canonbury, london, N1 2NA
tickets £8
www.unrestrictedview.co.uk
Nights of Enchantment
by Gillian Pencavel, Tree Folk
Theatre use storytelling, mask and
puppetry theatre and music to tell
stories based on the 1001 Arabian
Nights.
6 -16 Mar
Etcetera theatre, 265 Camden
high Street, london, NW1
7BU
Wahala 1 Year Anniversary Special: African Allstars
vs. Team Jamaica
After two sold out events and two
crushing defeats of team Nigeria &
Ghana at the hands of team Jamaica,
Africa unites. For one night only the
superstars of African comedy come
together to wipe the smile off the face
of those cocky Jamaicans. Each
comedian will do a normal stand up
routine followed by the ever-popular
head to head battles and crowd
participation games. African Allstars:
Kojo, A Dot Comedian, Eddie Kadi and Victor Daniels plus music
from DJ Harm Kid & Naija Boy. Team Jamaica: Slim, Felicity Ethnic,
Dizzle and Aurie Styla plus music from Love Conexxion.
Followed by after party with DJs Firing Squad, Choice FM
Rampage, Bang FM ACE, 1xtra DJ Quincy, Choice FM Love
Connexion – Stamina & Mr Suey – and DJ Milktray
Advance tickets £6
Indig02, Pensinsula Square, Greenwich, london, SE10 0DX
13 Apr, 6pm From £25
www.theo2.co.uk
From £10
www.etceteratheatre.com
Scaramouche Jones
The story of one man’s life which
spans the twentieth century, from
the day his mother gave birth in a
Trinidadian brothel to his final
performance in the circus ring on
the last night of the millennium.
19 - 23 Mar
hen and Chickens theatre,
109 St. Pauls Road, Canonbury, london, N1 2NA
tickets £11.50
www.unrestrictedview.co.uk
Three Birds
Siblings Tiana, Tionne and Tanika
have found themselves home
alone. Tiana’s keeping it all together by taking charge of housework and homework. But Tionne’s
experiments are getting stranger
and stranger and Tanika’s starting
to act up. As the outside world begins to press in, the three will do
anything to keep their secret safe
from the adults who come to call.
Writer Janice Okoh (Egusi Soup)
won the 2011 Bruntwood Prize for
Playwriting for the Three Birds
script. Catch its world premiere in
Manchester before it transfers to
Bush Theatre, London, from 20
Mar-20 Apr.
the Royal Exchange theatre,
St Ann's Square, Manchester,
M2 7Dh
Until 16 Mar
From £10
www.royalexchange.co.uk
Bush theatre, 7 Uxbridge
Road, london, W12 8lJ
20 Mar – 20 Apr
www.bushtheatre.co.uk
Kings & Queens of Comedy &
Lovers Rock
The stars of the Real McCoy are
tracks from her critically acclaimed debut album I
Predict a Graceful Expulsion.
Describing her sound as ‘doom soul’, Cold Specks’
music is steeped in the musical traditions of the
American Deep South.
Finally a world exclusive premiere of Alice Walker:
Beauty In Truth, a feature documentary film by
Pratibha Parmar, about the life and art of the
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple.
the screening will be introduced by the author
herself and the director, Pratibha Parmar.
For times, ticketing and further details visit
wow.southbankcentre.co.uk
Southbank Centre/JimAnderson
certs, talks, gigs, debates and free music take
place at the Southbank Centre.
Visit marketplace, exhibitions and workshops
that will take place around the Royal Festival and
Queen Elizabeth halls. there is also an opportunity to take part in speed-mentoring, and other
networking opportunities.
Some highlights include: Grammy Awardwinning
Beninese
singer-songwriter Angelique Kidjo (left).
Kidjo is set to be joined
by
Mali-born
Fatoumata
Diawara.
her acclaimed first
album Fatou was voted
the Sunday Times number 1 world music
album of 2011.
Canadian
songwriter and vocalist
Cold specks performs
at Queen Elizabeth hall
for one night only with
Southbank Centre/Youri_Lenquette
WoW is the annual global festival where women
(and men) of all ages and backgrounds celebrate
women’s achievements and discuss the obstacles
they face across the world.
From Wednesday 6 March to Sunday 10 March
a diverse programme of talks, performances, con-
Southbank Centre/Ana Elena
WoW WoMEN oF thE WoRlD FEStIVAl
31
32
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
TOWNWATCH
Young Vic/ Richard Hubert Smith
REVIEW: FEASt (yoUR EyES)
Feast is the critically acclaimed celebration of
yoruban culture that has throughout February
been playing to packed houses at the young Vic
in South london. Sadly it closes on 2 March. As
these pictures quite clearly show this was an
amazing spectacle.
But more than that it offered a fascinating
insight into the ori, which means inner head.
For the yoruba self-knowledge is the key to existence and on the journey we are taken on in
back. Don’t miss Felix Dexter
and the ladies’ favourite, Mr
Fraser, who will be joined by
Bajan comedy queen Dibbi.
Also starring The Queens of
Lovers Rock: Janet Kay, Carroll
Thompson, Sandra Cross &
Sylvia Tella, this show will be
the highlight of International
Women’s month.
Broadway theatre, Catford
Broadway, london SE6 4RU
Sun 24 Mar, 8pm
£23
this play it is that which helps our three sisters
confront slavery and racism in all its guises
through time, culminating at the london
olympics and a series of family ‘feasts’ in Brazil,
Cuba, America and Britain.
the young Vic is producing some of the best
theatre in london at the moment and with productions of American lulu and the Scottsboro
Boys in the pipeline, one you should really keep
your eyes on.
The African Market
www.talawa.com
War Horse
www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk
Smack Family Robinson
Keith Allen and Denise Welch
star in an outrageous black
comedy from the author of the
Broadway and West End hit,
One Man, Two Guvnors
The Robinsons have run a
successful – if illegal – family
business since the 1960s. They
have a comfortable house and
expensive cars in the drive. But
the younger generation aren’t
like their Dad. And the police
are getting interested!
28 Mar - 20 Apr
From £8
Rose theatre Kingston
24-26 high Street
Kingston
Kt1 1hl
www.rosetheatrekingston.org
God’s Property
It’s 1982. London is restless,
gripped by spiralling unemployment and inner-city riots. Ska beats
rule the airwaves and in a flat in
Deptford, south London, two
brothers are re-united unexpectedly. Sixteen year old, mixed race
Onochie rules the family roost. His
barely known brother Chima returns to make right past wrongs
nity he has tried to belong to;
or standing with the brother
he doesn’t know.
tours london and Birmingham between 20
Feb–28 Mar
This unique alternative fair showcases
talents from Africa and the diaspora
and offers original fashion pieces,
accessories, jewelry, shoes, arts &
crafts, homewear, beauty products,
books, music, arts and much more.
Visitors will be able to enjoy
Ghanaian collective One Drum
jamming in the open drumming circle
as well as homemade African food.
Live African and World music will be
played from 8pm.
Richmix, 35 – 47 Bethnal Green
Road, london, E1 6lA Sun 31 Mar,
12-7pm
FREE £10 (music)
www.openthegate.org.uk
and to rekindle a relationship with
his skinhead younger brother, who
no longer wants to be black.
Chima is not welcome in the
area and only has a few hours to
meaningfully
connect
with
Onochie. But outside a hostile
community has been alerted to his
return. Chima has been blamed for
the death of a white girl and the
vitriolic community won’t be satisfied until they deliver their rough
justice. Onochie faces the tough decision of siding with the commu-
War Horse, based on the
beloved novel by Michael
Morpurgo, is a powerfully
moving and imaginative
drama, filled with stirring
music
and
magnificent
artistry. South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company
brings breathing, galloping,
full-scale horses to life on the
stage – their flanks, hides and
sinews built of steel, leather
and aircraft cables.
New london theatre,
Drury lane, WC2B 5PW.
Until 26 oct.
From £15, Age 10+
FOR CHILDREN
My First Cinderella
The English National Ballet 2
brings young audiences their
first taste of ballet through
the magic of fairy tales, captivating music and beautiful
dance.
Peacock theatre, Portugal
Street, holborn, WC2A 2ht
27 Mar-7 Apr
£55 family
www.sadlerswells.com
Pop Factor
An afternoon of interactive family
fun featuring live performances of
the biggest and best chart hits. Perfect as an Easter holiday treat.
Wed 10 Apr, 2.30pm
From £10
ART
Chimamanda Adichie: Americanah
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.
Sun 19 May, 1pm & 4pm
From £10
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks
about her new novel 'Americanah',
a story of love and race spanning
three continents and numerous
lives. It is centred on a young man
and woman from Nigeria who face
difficult choices and challenges in
the countries they come to call
home.
Purcell Room, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, london,
SE1 8XX
tue 9 Apr, 7.45pm
From £10
www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Liminal
Nzinga Dance Ensemble Concert
Liminal invites families into a
physical, material and social experience of sculpture through touch,
interaction and collaboration.
Supported by a changing artist devised programme.
tate Britain, Millbank, london, SW1P 4RG.
Every Sat & Sun, 11am-3pm.
FREE
All ages.
CINEMA
Rebelle (War Witch)
In an isolated village in sub-Saharan Africa, Komona, a 12-year-old
girl, lived peacefully with her parents until the day the rebels came.
They pillaged the village, captured
Komona and forced her to commit
an irreparable act: slay her parents.
Written by Kim Nguyen, this film
was nominated for a 2013 Oscar in
the Best Foreign Language Film
Category.
Curzon Mayfair, 38 Curzon
Street, london, W1J 7ty
8-14 Mar, 6.45pm
www.curzoncinemas.com
Move your feet to rhythms from
Africa and the Caribbean. Nzinga
students and professionals will
dazzle you with their drumming
and dancing in this uplifting concert. If you want to give it a try
yourself then book one of the
African drumming or dance
courses taking place at the museum during term time.
horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 london Road, Forest hill, london, SE23 3PQ
Sun 24 Mar, 3-4pm
FREE
www.horniman.ac.uk
Living Africa: Steve Bloom
Join international photographer
Steve Bloom for a lecture as he
journeys through the essence and
diversity of Africa. Capturing
colours and cultures, enjoy a visual
feast as he explores this extraordinary continent; through landscapes from desert to jungle,
wildlife from insect to great game,
and human life from remote vil-
lages to teeming metropolis. In the
bi-centenary of explorer David
Livingstone's birth, join Steve as
he articulates the challenges faced
by Africa's people and environment in the 21st century.
turner Sims Concert hall, Salisbury Rd, Southampton,
So17 1
thu 21 mar, 8pm
From £7
www.turnersims.co.uk
MUSEUMS
African Textiles Today: Social
Fabric of the East and South
This exhibition takes a new look at
the history and continuing significance of textile traditions in eastern and southern Africa, the
patterns of global trade they reveal and the ways in which they
have influenced some of the region’s foremost contemporary
artists and photographers.
Creating and trading numerous
types of cloth have been vital elements in African life and culture
for at least two millennia, linking
different parts of the continent
with each other and the rest of the
world. African Textiles Today
shows how ideas, techniques, materials and markets have adapted
and flourished, and how the dynamic traditions in African textiles
have provided inspiration for the
continent’s artists.
British Museum, Great Russell
Street, london, WC1B 3DG
14 Feb-21 Apr
FREE
www.britishmuseum.org
Slavery: London and Beyond
Gain an insight into slavery with a
visit to two London museums. The
Museum of London Docklands’
London, Sugar & Slavery gallery
Like us on Facebook
THE BIG WRITE
HIGHLIGHTS
Saturday 9 March
Bob and the Moon Tree Mystery with
Simon Bartram
and A Squeeze, the first Julia Donaldson
and Axel Scheffler collaboration.
Simon Bartram brings Bob’s latest
adventure in space to life. Watch as
Simon creates all our favourite Bob
characters before your very eyes!
Follow DJ and poet Charlie Dark on a
musical and rhythmic adventure deep
beneath the sea, for this storytelling
session featuring hip hop, poetry and
puppets. Join Charlie after the story for a
special DJ set for 0-5s.
1.30 – 2.30pm Age 5+
Charlie Dark’s Octopus Club
12 – 1pm Age 5+
Draw Off! with Nick Butterworth
and Jim Field
the Big Write at Discover Children’s Story
Centre, Stratford, london
Family ticket £24 www.discover.org.uk
www.rmg.co.uk
This show offers a broad perspective of events and individuals –
from Britain, Africa and the Middle East – in the 1960s and 1970s.
The central portrait shows
Michael X, a reformed gangster
and British civil rights activist
born in Trinidad who was controversially executed for murder there
in 1975. The large central section
represents Topolski’s travels
through Africa in the early 1960s
and later in the 1970s, decades
when colonial rule was coming to
an end.
Memoir of the Century, Nr.
Royal Festival hall, Southbank.
From £2
www.museumoflondon.org.uk
www.felikstopolski.com
Michael X, Africa and the
Middle East
Max Baillie & Sura Susso
An intriguing, genre-hopping concert
features Baillie (violin) and Susso (kora)
playing a mixture of Baroque and West
African music, from Lully and Merula to
African bardic spirituals.
Glasgow University Concert hall, off
University Avenue, Glasgow, G12 8QQ
thu 7 Mar, 1.10pm
FREE
www.gla.ac.uk
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
3 – 4.15pm Age 0 – 5
Saturday 16 March
Tilly and Friends with Polly Dunbar
Watch as two of our favourite illustrators
go head to head in a battle to be
crowned The BEST Champion Alien
Drawer of all time. Nick Butterworth and
Jim Field will create the scariest,
weirdest, most zany space alien
imaginable.
Do the ‘wiggle-wiggle-woo’ and meet
Tilly and all of the friends from The Little
Yellow House including Hector, Doodle,
Tiptoe, Trumpty and Pru. Join awardwinning author and illustrator Polly
Dunbar (Penguin, Shoe Baby) for an
interactive storytelling session with
puppets, drawing and song.
4.30pm - 5.15pm Age 4+
Sunday 10 March
Rastamouse with Michael De Souza
and Genevieve Webster
Author Michael De Souza and illustrator
Genevieve Webster share their tales
about the coolest crime-bustin’ mouse in
the world, performed by Michael in
rapping rhyme.
12 – 1pm Age 4+
Meet Axel Scheffler
Meet Axel Scheffler, the awardwinning illustrator of The Gruffalo,
Stick Man and Room on the Broom.
Join him in drawing the Gruffalo and
his other fun friends for your eyes
only! Don't miss out on celebrating
the 20th anniversary of A Squash
sculpture, textiles and weaponry.
British Museum, Great Russell
Street, london, WC1B 3DG
FREE
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
Zimbabwe, and from African related cultures including Brazil and
Trinidad. Highlights include masterpieces of the bronze casters art
from Benin, which depict the arrival of the first Europeans to
Africa.
horniman Museum & Gardens, 100 london Road, london, SE23 3PQ
Daily
FREE
www.horniman.ac.uk
OTHER
12 – 1pm Age 4+
Big Write/Jim Field
Authors, illustrators, artists and storytellers will congregate at Discover
Children’s Story Centre’s fifth annual festival of children’s literature – The
Big Write. Starting on World Book Day, 7 March, and continuing until
Saturday 17 March, the event line up will include some of the UK’s bestselling children’s authors and illustrators.
This celebration of children’s literature
will be for the smallest of children, with a
interactive Diggers and Trucks storytelling
and free play session for babies and toddlers, to industry professional led events for
adults wanting to break into the world of
writing for children in this digital age.
Amongst the traditional author/illustrator
events there will be the opportunity to explore the brand new interactive exhibition
for children and families, Journey to Space,
created by the Roald Dahl Foundation.
focuses on the impact and legacy
of the transatlantic slave trade on
the development and life of the
capital. Meanwhile in nearby
Greenwich, the National Maritime
Museum’s Atlantic Worlds gallery
explores the interrelationship between Britain, Africa and the
Americas 1600-1850 and looks at
the empire on three continents.
The session at Docklands includes
an illustrated presentation and time
in the gallery, while the National
Maritime Museum offers an object
handling session and gallery visit.
Museum of london Docklands, West India Quay, london, E14 4Al
National Maritime Museum,
Park Row, Greenwich
london SE10 9NF
4 Feb – 18 Mar
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
TOWNWATCH
Tom and Millie’s Great Big Treasure
Hunt with Guy Parker-Rees
Come and see how Guy Parker-Rees
comes up with ideas for animal
characters, from his latest book Tom and
Millie's Great Big Treasure Hunt to old
favourites like Giraffes Can't
Dance, a World Book Day
book
1.30 – 2.30pm Age 5+
Horrible Histories with
Martin Brown
Celebrate the 20th Awful
Anniversary of best-selling
21 Mar, 1.15-2.15pm
FREE
Earthwatch: Human Wildlife
Coexistence in Changing
Landscapes
Addressing the challenges of
wildlife conservation beyond protected areas, three experts share
their research experiences in
Africa and South America in this
lecture.
Royal Geographical Society, 1
Kensington Gore, london,
SW7 2AR
6 Mar, 6-8.30pm
From £5
www.rgs.org
MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
African
Night
Fever:
KonKoma Maximum Jazz Orchestra
KonKoma adds a progressive edge
to their rich blend of Afro-funk,
jazz, soul and traditional African
rhythms as well as acknowledging
the 70s recordings that spawned
the sound.
Brighton Dome, Church St,
Brighton, BN1 1UE
Fri 22 Mar, 8pm
£10
Adrian Lister: Mammoth Origins, Extinction and Interaction with People
Sketches of Africa: Antonio
Forcione
Professor Adrian Lister, Natural
History Museum, discusses how
mammoths were represented in Ice
Age art. Mammoths evolved in
Africa and their spread parallels
that of humans. The lecture will
discuss how mammoth bones and
tusks were used to construct huts
and to carve tools and art objects.
the British Museum, Great
Russell Street, london, WC1B
3DG
Highly charismatic, award-winning Antonio Forcione is an
acoustic guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and composer. He
breaks the mould of most conventional, popular guitar sounds, be it
in the field of jazz, Spanish,
African, Brazilian or improvised
music. With 16 albums to his name
he has performed at festivals such
as Womad and Glastonbury, theatres all over the world, and most
http://brightondome.org
33
series Horrible Histories™ with its
illustrator, Martin Brown. If you are a
budding cartoonist looking for terrifying
tips and tricks to perfect your measly
masterpieces, it’s all horribly here in this
not-to-be-missed event!
3 - 4pm Age 7+
THE BIG WRITE ADULT EVENTS
The Digital Picture
Join Anna Rafferty (MD of Penguin
Digital), Ed Bryan (Nosy Crow’s brilliant
apps Cinderella and Three Little Pigs),
David Mackintosh, TV designer (The
Frank Show and Marshall Armstrong is
New to Our School) Ed Vere, animator,
illustrator and author (Mr Big, Bedtime
for Monsters) and Katy Beale (Director of
Caper) in discussing the future of picture
books and the impact of digital
technology on illustration.
Wednesday 13 March 6.30 – 8.30pm
Adults £6.00
Getting Published
Children are the most demanding and
critical audiences, and writing for them is
one of the most exciting, enjoyable and
competitive challenges. Find out
everything you need to know about
writing and illustrating children’s fiction
from Julia Eccleshare (Children’s Book
Editor of The Guardian), Jodie Marsh
(United Agents) and Anne McNeil
(Publishing Director at Hodder Children’s
Books).
thursday 14 March 6.30 – 8.30pm
Adults £6.00
major international guitar festivals. His new album Sketches of
Africa was inspired by his tours
and showcases compositions with
local musicians who together,
evoke a joyous, spiritual homage
to the continent.
the lights, West Street, Andover, hampshire, SP10 1Ah
Sat 2 Mar, 8pm
From £15
Africa, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece
and Spain as well as British, Celtic
folk songs. They also teach their
own arrangements of classic soul
and pop songs.
St John at hackney Church,
lower Clapton Road, london,
E5 0PD. Every Wed, 7-9pm
From £22
www.thelights.org.uk
Live Jazz Music
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]
Jazz Jam
Live jazz jam with local legend
Bukky Leo and his quartet. Growing 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
Hackney Voices
Cleo and Jo teach songs from the
rich and varied local traditions of
www.stjohnathackney.org.uk
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/c6707/
CLUBS
2 Dam Funky
Funky vibes, funky grooves and
funky dancers reconnect you to
the original energy of the Africa
Centre. With DJs 2 Dam Funky
and The Last Poets
the Silver Bullet, 4-5 Station
Place, Finsbury Park, london,
N4 2Dh
Every Mon, 7pm
From £7
www.thesilverbullet.co.uk
45 x 45
Four powerhouse DJs – DJ Format, Mr Thing, Spin Doctor, Mo
Fingaz – come together to play all
vinyl sets of their favourite 45s
each.
the Book Club, 100-106
leonard Street, london, EC2
Fri 22 Mar, 8pm-2am
FREE before 9pm | £5
http://thedoctorsorders.com
34
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
Voice in a MIllion
This phenomenal gathering of young
voices, school children, gospel choirs and
performance groups is part of a series of
events throughout the UK and worldwide
over the course of the coming year, aiming
to record one million voices.
You can take part or watch the show, there
are a few limited places left for the
Wembley performance, there is no charge
for participating except the price of an
event t-shirt.
Wembley Arena, Arena Square,
Engineers Way, london hA9 oAA
12 March 7.30pm
tickets from £17.50
www.voiceinamillion.com
DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Nextmen,
Rich Medina
The Doctor’s Orders pulls out all
the stops with their biggest line up
to date to celebrate their 250th
event. With Philadelphia’s finest,
the magnificent DJ Jazzy Jeff, this
event should not be missed.
Scala, 275 Pentonville Road,
Kings Cross, london, N1 9Nl
Sat 13 Apr, 10pm-5am
From £12.50
oval, Coldharbour lane, london, SW2 1JG
Every 1st Sat
From £5
'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
What Sundays Were Made
For
www.junoshoreditch.co.uk
A friendly night of music, dance
with music mixed by DJB Veneno
Negro, resident DJ and guest spinning naija beats.
El Penol, 382 Brixton Road,
Stockwell, london, SW9 7AW
Every Sun, 8.30pm-3am
From £5
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
The Nextmen
Je Ne Sais Quoi
Expect to be swept up in a frenzy
of sounds from Reggae & HipHop to Jungle & House as Brad
Baloo & Dom Search get stuck in.
East Village, 89 Great Eastern
Street, london, EC2A 3hX
Fri 8 Feb, 9pm-3.30am
From £7
A night of funk, jazz, hip-hop,
house, electro, Afro and Latin
music with Marathon Men, aka
Freddy McQuinn and Simbad.
As above
Every 3rd Sat, 8pm-1am
From £4
www.vibe-bar.co.uk
Legendary Jam Session
Juju! with DJ Volta45 and Chief
Commander Yaaba, showcasing
the finest hand-picked selection of
true roots music from the heart
and soul of Africa.
Upstairs at the Ritzy, Brixton
Williams Cumberbache
A dirty Afro-Latin funk jam session
with master Latin American percussionist Williams Cumberbache.
As above
Every last thu, 6.30pm
FREE
Afrospot
Afrospot is a night playing the best
in Afro, reggae, dub and folkloric.
Hosted by Kodjovi Kush and The
Afrospot All-stars.
As above
Every last Sat
www.passingclouds.org
JUJU!
DJs play a mix of afro and latin
grooves, funk, hip hop, reggae and
soul.
Passing Clouds, 1 Richmond
Road, london, E8 4AA
Every Sun, 9pm
From £3
Fridays at Shaka Zulu
Mother Africa
circus-mother-africa.de/en/index.php
ENTERTAINMENT GIST
Twitter: @Harriet_NW
HOLLYWOOD
WELCOMES
OMOSEXY !!!!
Actress omotola Jalade
Ekeinde has uploaded photos
of herself on the set of new
US tV show Bounce. Show
creator and writer James
laRosa twitted ”humbled to
have thE @Realomosexy
make her US tV debut on
#Bounce. Africa in the
house!”. one of the uploaded
photos (above) was with actress Kimberly Elise (Diary of a
Mad Black Woman) who stars
in the series. Bounce which
also stars Dean Cain (The New
Adventures of Superman),taylor Paige, Don Stark, logan
Browning, McKinley Freeman
and Jonathan McDaniel, follows the lives of the dancers on a professional basketball dance
team, and the basketball players. the series premieres on US channel Vh1 later this year.
TIWA SAVAGE TO WALK DOWN THE AISLE
Kele Kele Love crooner tiwa Savage and Manager tunji ‘tee Billz’
Balogun are engaged. the singer had previously denied any romantic involvement with her manager but all that changed recently
when tiwa was left stunned as tee Billz dropped on one knee and
proposed in front of equally surprised friends and family, at her
birthday dinner which was held at the Eko hotel and Suites, lagos.
Following tiwa’s joyful acceptance of the proposal, the birthday
dinner turned into an impromptu engagement party. tiwa and tee
Billz both co-own record label 332 Music Entertainment.
www.shaka-zulu.com
Broken Souls
DJ Younglee plays a selection of
funk, soul, disco, afro, Latin electronic house and party classics.
The vibe early on is kept chilled
and as the night moves on the
tempo is taken up a notch as is the
volume.
the Bedroom Bar, 62 Rivington Street, the City, london,
EC2A 3Ay
Every Sat, 7pm-2am
From £3
www.bedroom-bar.co.uk
Jorge Tawas and his team of DJs
playing the best kizombas, sembas,
zouk, funana. Later the music will
be mixed with more afro-house,
afro-beats, kuduro, samba, urban
grooves and still include Kizomba
and Semba till late.
Jet Set, 250 high Street, Brent
Park, london, NW10 4tD
Every Sat, 11pm-6am
From £5
The Sunday Jam
With a cast of 40 artists, circus Mother Africa is an experiential
feast for the senses; an opportunity to be touched by the many
varied and rich cultures that Africa has to offer. Without a doubt,
this unforgettable experience will transport all spectators deep
into the mystery of Africa, and reveal a side of Africa that they
have never been exposed to before. It will tour the UK throughout
March visiting Aylesbury, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Grimsby, Liverpool,
London, Oxford, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Torquay and York.
HARRIET OGBEIDE’S
DJs playing a cool and flirtatious
mix of funky house with an afro
beat, this is the perfect way to start
the weekend.
Shaka Zulu, Stables Market,
Camden, london, NW1 8AB
Every Fri, 10pm-4am
From £7
DJ Night at Jet Set
Various locations
21-31 Mar
From £16
@NigerianWatch
TOWNWATCH
A jam of Latin funk, reggae, funk
soul, afro sounds and flamenco.
All serious musicians and listeners
are welcome.
Jamboree Cable Street Studios, 566 Cable Street, london, E1W 3hB
Every Sun, 6-11pm
http://jamboreevenue.co.uk
ANNIE THE AFRICAN QUEEN
More wedding news as Actress Annie Macaulay and African Queen crooner 2Face Idibia are set
to re-tie the knot in a white wedding ceremony in Dubai. the wedding which was initially
planned for Valentine’s Day was postponed to this month. Annie who is involved in every detail
of the wedding preparations has made trips to Dubai to ensure everything is perfect for her
special day. A large number
of showbiz friends are expected to turn out for the
wedding in Dubai, and it’s
very likely the couple will remain behind after the wedding to spend their
honeymoon in the UAE.
Annie Macaulay was overjoyed when 2face, who has
five children with four other
women, proposed to her last
year on Valentine’s Day. the
couple have a daughter together.
samba, funk do Brasil, kizomba,
semba, and zouk (retro, love and
ghetto).
El Penol, 382 Brixton Road,
Stockwell, london, SW9 7AW
Every Sun, 8.30pm-3am
From £5
What Sundays Were Made
For
www.elpenolclub.com
A friendly night of music, dance
with music mixed by DJB Veneno
Negro, resident DJ and guests. Expect to hear favourite tunes, the
latest releases, exclusive mixes and
remixes spanning Afro-beats (with
exclusive Angolan Afro-beats),
naija beats, R&B, funky house,
Chop Shop: Aaron Fitzgerald
+ James Smith + Mr Pedro
Chop Shop present a strictly vinyl
monthly happening. Digging in
the crates and taking influence
from the roots of jazz, soul, Jamaican music, Afro, funk, disco
and hip hop.
Ridley Road Market Bar, 49 Ridley Road, Dalston, london,
E8 2NP
9 Feb, 6pm-2am
FREE
Shaka Zulu, Stables Market,
Camden, london, NW1 8AB
Every Sat, 9.30pm-2am
From £10
www.shaka-zulu.com
Saturdays at Shaka Zulu
Afro-Carnival Nite
A mouthwatering evening of fantastic music, dancing and entertainment in a unique and mesmerising
setting that has taken Saturday
night's in in London to a new level.
DJs playing a cool and flirtatious
mix of upbeat lounge style music,
funky house with an afro beat and
club classics, this is the ultimate
Saturday night in London.
It’s most anticipated afro-centric
themed night with R&B,
HipHop, Afro Beats, Dancehall
Club Bangers; promoting multiculturalism in style, fashion,
glamour & afro-swag like never
seen before.
the Railway telegraph, 19
Brigstock Road, CR7 7JJ
Every first Sat
AFROHITS
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MUSICWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
35
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
ww
m
o
c
.
s
t
i
h
w. a f r o -
SINGLES
TOP
DAMMY KRANE
FT PASUMA – LIGALI
AFROBREAKERS
SAMKLEF
This month, the one and only
samklef dropped not one,
but two remixes – this guy is a
prolific artist and producer and
keeps delivering the goods. He
started the month off with a remix of
Suwe, featuring Olamide. not content
with one massive hit, he went on to
drop Paradise remix ft. Dblachgh.
A singer in his own right, but better
known for his producing skills, samklef
has worked with nigerian artists from
Ruggedman and Wizkid to vector and
D’Prince. And if he’s producing at the
rate he is now, expect to read more of
him in the Afro Hits pages in the coming months….
http://iroking.com/artist/51/samklef
Energy. that’s the single word that can
be used to describe this tune. the croakily sweet voiced singer brings a verve to
this tune that is quite commendable. Pasuma’s contributing to the track brings a
soulful, Fuji-esque vibe as well. Patrick
Elis brings a video cut that more than
does both the main artist and featured
artist justice. Shot in black and white
with smidgens of colour, the video is fun,
humourous not to mention full of dance
moves and fast cuts. Could Mr Krane be
the future of Afrobeats? Well, if that’s
not the case I’m sure you will at least
concede that his contributions to the
genre shold be watched carefully, as
there could be a lot more emanating
from that particular corner of the sound.
DAVIDO – GOBE
hKN’s premier artist has gone all happy
on this track, which has a summer party
vibe. Shot in a stunning, mountainous location the video follows the young stalwart in his pursuit of the lady of his
dreams going against a grey bearded,
suited and sugar daddy of a boss as they
try to outwit each other not just at the
chess game featured in the video. Garms
galore and an abundance of party scenes
paints a picture of fun in this lively video.
It showcases Nigeria in a much needed
light with its gorgeous and glamourous
women (not having to dress too scantily
to show their beauty it must be said, and
good old fashioned fun. Watch out for
the ending and the Nigeria football jersey (Go Eagles).
20 AFROBEATS
No. title
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
q
w
e
r
t
y
u
ONES TO WATCH
Gobe
yes/No
Fine lady
Gat Me hig
Ur Waist
Itz ova Ft Snypa
All of you
Ife Wa Gbona Ft
leo Wonder
ligali
Eziokwu Feat
Ikechukwu, Ill
Bliss & Phyno
tony Montana
(Bad Pass) Remix
Good Morning
Watch My ting
Go
Go low
First of All
Ice Prince Aboki
Remix
i
Sun Mo Mi
o
p
a
My Baby
Gbon Gbon
My Dear
Artist
Davido
Banky W
lynxxx Ft Wizkid
May D
Iyanya
tonto
Davido
tiwa Savage
lDammy Krane
ft Pasuma
lynxxx
Naeto C Ft D'banj
Brymo
lola Rae
Wande Coal
olamide
Ft Sarkodie, Mercy
Johnson, Wizkid, M.I
And Khuli Chana
E.M.E. Feat. Shaydee,
Skales & Banky W
E.M.E Ft. Skale
Davido
Dammy Krane
This chart has been compiled by combined
YouTube views and iROKING views & downloads
TOP
20 AFROBREAKERS
No. title
Artist
1
Skibo
Solid Star
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
tonight
Ghost Mode
First of All
Shake
yes/No
Somebody
ori Mi Wu
Bad Guy P (remix)
ft. Banky W
hypnotize Me
ft. olivia
yoyo
Malonogede
Gat Me high
Cashflow
Watch My ting Go
love Affair
Beautiful
Superman (remix)
Bubugaga
Koleyewon
Burna Boy
Phyno
olamide
Flavour
Banky W
Iyanya
Emma Nyra
l.o.S
IYANYA
The Kukere Chief himAFROBREAKERS
self, the one, the only
iyanya, released his longawaited album Desire this
week. He teased his fans with
the one or two songs in advance, dropping Somebody, feat. Tiwa savage a
few days before, but the Twittersphere
really went into overdrive with the
album launch. Desire has 18 tracks
and includes collaborations with the
likes of Mr. incredible [M.i], Tekno,
Mista May D,
Flavour n’abania,
yung L, Emma nyra,
vector the viper,
and the Koko Master – D’Banj. it’s received rave reviews
so far and is available on iTunes nOW!
www.itunes.apple.com /us/album/desire/id599609980
TOnTO DiKEH
We featured her last
month on Afro Hits, but
she keeps stealing the
headlines. Actress, singer,
nigerian superstar, Tonto
Dikeh finally dropped the
much talked about video
for one of her debut singles – Itz Ova ft. snypa. The
video is a gbemi Phillips
Productions and sneeze abstract, directed by nollywood’s Moses inwang,
popularly known as ‘Mo
sneeze’. The super-slick, supersexy itz Ova video deserves
all the hype. it’s Tonto at
her very best – striking,
bold, beautiful, controversial – she owns each and
every scene and her onscreen charisma is powerful, provocative and will
leave her fans captivated.
Love her or not, you’ve got
to admire her determination! Download for FREE
onto your mobile
http://bit.ly/W61iqg
TEE sOngz
Here’s an Afro
Hits shout-out
to a young and
upcoming star of
the nigerian
music scene. A finalist of
the glo naija sings season
3 competition, Tee songz’s
debut video for Koleyewon
features excerpts from his
time in the show.
young, talented and
passionate about his
music, he performs with
no fear and with the professionalism of someone
who’s been in the game
for years. you heard him
here first on Afro Hits
and he’s live now – exclusively on
www.iroking
.com/artist/1095/teesongz
q
w
e
r
t
y
u
i
o
p
a
olu Maintain
Selebobo
timaya
May D
D'Banj
lola Rae
terry G
Kefee
2Shotz
Mr2Kay
tee Songz
This chart is compiled by information from
YouTube.
Like us on Facebook
EDUCATIONWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
37
Whether you’re a
first-year student or a
graduate, if you embarked on a BA or
BMus in 2006* or
later, you could benefrom
having
fit
£9,000 wiped off
your Student Loans
Company balance by
creative network site
IdeasTap.com. FOR A CHAnCE
TO Win
Simply tell IdeasTap
in 100 words or less
what you could offer
to the network in exchange
for
the
money. It could be an
idea or a service, for
example “This is how
you could improve
your site...” or “I’ll
run this Spa event for
your members...” –
the more imaginative, original and feasible the
idea, the better!
Ideas Tap will then invite a shortlist of their
naijamayor
Win your student debt paid off
favourite 50 ideas to
submit further information, from which
one lucky winner will
get a £9,000 lump
sum, paid directly to
the Student Loans
Company – and four
runners-up will each
receive a £500 lump
sum, also paid directly to the Student
Loans
Company.
The winner will then
be required to deliver
their idea with appropriate support
from IdeasTap.
To be eligible to
enter, you must be
UK-based and have:
l embarked on a
Bachelor of Arts or
BMus degree in
2006 or later.
l £9,000 or more in
debt (they’ll ask to see a Student Loans statement, if shortlisted).
l studied in the UK and taken out a loan with
the Student Loans Company.
l a first degree – they won’t pay towards a
Masters or Postgraduate qualification.
l a profile picture on your IdeasTap profile.
l intellectual property of the ideas submitted
– IdeasTap must be able to use any of the
ideas from submissions, shortlisted entrants,
runners-up and the winner.
The brief closes on Friday 29 March at 5pm
and is open to IdeasTap members (simply log in
at the site) aged 18 and over. Late entries will
not be accepted under any circumstances, including technical issues – so make sure you
don’t leave your application to the last minute.
* Please note, this opportunity is open to
those who commenced Higher Education study
in September 2006 onwards, to reflect the introduction of £3,070 per year top-up fees.
38
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
LEISUREWATCH
TALEs By MOOnLigHT
The King who Married the Cock’s Daughter
K
ing Effiom of Duke
Town, Calabar, was
very fond of pretty
maidens, and whenever he
heard of a girl who was unusually good-looking, he always
sent for her, and if she took his
fancy, he made her one of his
wives. This he could afford to
do, as he was a rich man, and
could pay any dowry which the
parents asked, most of his
money having been made by
buying and selling slaves.
Effiom had 250 wives, but
he was never content, and
wanted to have all the finest
women in the land. Some of
the king’s friends, who were always on the look-out for pretty
girls, told Effiom that the
Cock’s daughter was a lovely
virgin, and far superior to any
of the king’s wives.
Directly the king heard this
he sent for the Cock, and said
he intended to have his daughter as one of his wives. The
Cock, being a poor man, could
not resist the order of the king,
so he brought his daughter,
who was very good-looking
and pleased the king immensely.
When the king had paid the
Cock a dowry of six puncheons of palm-oil, the Cock
told Effiom that if he married
his daughter he must not forget
that she had the natural instincts of a hen, and that he
should not blame Adia unen
(his daughter) if she picked up
corn whenever she saw it. The
king replied that he did not
mind what she ate so long as he
possessed her.
The king then took Adia
unen as his wife, and liked her
so much that he neglected all
his other wives. She also
amused the king, and played
with him and enticed him in so
many different ways that he
could not live without her, and
always had her with him to the
exclusion of his former
favourites, whom he would not
even speak to or notice in any
way when he met them.
This so enraged the neglected wives that they met together, and although they all
hated one another, they agreed
so far that they hated the
Cock’s daughter more than any
one, as now that she had come
to the king none of them ever
had a chance with him.
Formerly the king, although
he always had his favourites,
used to favour different girls
with his attentions when they
pleased him particularly. That
was very different in their opinion to being excluded from his
presence and all his affections
being concentrated on one girl,
who received all his love and
embraces.
In consequence of this they
were very angry, and determined if possible to disgrace
Adia unen. After much discussion, one of the wives, who was
the last favourite, and whom
the arrival of the Cock’s daughter had displaced, said, “This
girl, whom we all hate, is, after
all, only a Cock’s daughter, and
we can easily disgrace her in the
king’s eyes, as I heard her father
tell the king that she could not
resist corn, no matter how it
was thrown about.”
Very shortly after the king’s
wives had determined to try
and disgrace Adia unen, all the
people of the country came to
pay homage to the king. This
was done three times a year,
the people bringing yams,
fowls, goats, and new corn as
presents, and the king entertained them with a feast of foo-
foo, palm-oil chop, and
tombo*. A big dance was also
held, which was usually kept
up for several days and nights.
Early in the morning the
king’s head wife told her servant to wash one head of corn,
and when all the people were
present she was to bring it in a
calabash and throw it on the
ground and then walk away.
The corn was to be thrown in
front of Adia unen, so that all
the people and chiefs could see.
About 10 o’clock, when all
the chiefs and people had assembled, and the king had
taken his seat on his big
wooden chair, the servant girl
came and threw the corn on
the ground as she had been ordered. Directly she had done
this Adia unen started towards
the corn, picked it up, and
began to eat.
At this all the people
laughed, and the king was very
angry and ashamed. The king’s
wives and many people said
that they thought the king’s
finest wife would have learnt
better manners than to pick up
corn that had been thrown
away as refuse. Others said,
“What can you expect from a
PUZZLES
CROssWORD
Cock’s daughter? She should
not be blamed for obeying her
natural instincts.”
But the king was so vexed,
that he told one of his servants
to pack up Adia unen’s things
and take them to her father’s
house. And this was done, and
Aida unen returned to her parents.
That night the king’s third
wife, who was a friend of Adia
unen’s, talked the whole matter
over with the king, and explained to him that it was entirely owing to the jealousy of
his head wife that Adia unen
had been disgraced. She also
told him that the whole thing
had been arranged beforehand
in order that the king should
get rid of Adia unen, of whom
all the other wives were jealous.
When the king heard this he
was very angry, and made up
his mind to send the jealous
woman back to her parents
empty-handed, without her
clothes and presents. When she
arrived at her father’s house the
parents refused to take her in,
as she had been given as a wife
to the king, and whenever the
parents wanted anything, they
could always get it at the
palace. It was therefore a great
loss to them.
She was thus turned into
the streets, and walked about
very miserable, and after a time
died, very poor and starving.
The king grieved so much at
having been compelled to send
his favourite wife Adia unen
away, that he died the following
year. And when the people saw
that their king had died of a
broken heart, they passed a law
that for the future no one
should marry any bird or animal.
toMBo
Tombo is an intoxicating drink
made from the juice which is extracted from the tombo palm,
and which ferments very quickly.
It is drawn from the tree twice a
day – in the morning very early,
and again in the afternoon.
Do you recall a favourite Tale by Moonlight? We’d love to print
it. Please forward to [email protected]
Answers and solution on Page 47
Across
1 - Maintain (8)
6 - Narrate (4)
8 - Evades (6)
9 - Country in the Middle
East (6)
10 - Clumsy person (3)
11 - Male children (4)
12 - Over there (6)
13 - Seaport in N Spain (6)
15 - Resembling or made
of flowers (6)
17 - Spanish title for a
married woman (6)
20 - Pieces of cloth (4)
21 - Chewy substance (3)
22 - Frozen plain (6)
23 - Steers (anag) (6)
24 - English public
school (4)
25 - Existing only in
WORKings
theory (8)
Down
2 - Pasta pockets (7)
3 - Hits high up in the air
(5)
4 - Rice dish (7)
5 - Enlighten (5)
6 - Capital of Ontario (7)
7 - Feudal vassal (5)
14 - Widen (7)
15 - Incite or stir up
trouble (7)
16 - Country in NW Africa
(7)
18 - Break out with force
(5)
19 - Once more (5)
20 - Imitative of the past
(5)
nAiJAKU
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F
or there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down,
that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease; Though
the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the
stock thereof die in the ground;Yet through the
sent of water;it will bud,and bring forth boughs
like a plant (Job 14, verses, 7-9).”
There are a lot of things we aspire to do or
achieve in life, which, when we encounter obstacles that discourage us can cause us to give in,
back off, back out and even give up our dreams.
Not just in life, but destiny, ministry, growing
up spiritually, in business, career, and personal
relationships. Yet most of the time all these
challenging oppositions are what we can use to
our advantage and turn to our advancement in
life and destiny.
Some of God’s projects stall, too. Five centuries before Jesus was born, the Israelites returned from exile to find Jerusalem in ruins and
their beloved temple destroyed. With great enthusiasm they set about rebuilding it. However,
Zerubbabel, the governor, got little farther than
laying the foundation before opposition set in.
Neighbours fought the project tooth and nail,
finally succeeding in getting a restraining order
to halt construction (Ezra 4). Enemies mocked.
Supporters became discouraged. For years the
site stood silent.
Zerubbabel felt like a failure. Oh, there were
plenty of other things to do. Zerubbabel set to
work building his own wood-panelled home.
But his grand dream had fizzled.
He was probably like the rest of us when failure looms. What little self-confidence we have
ebbs away. We seal ourselves from more pain by
denial. We meet further effort with skepticism.
RELIGIONWATCH
There is future in your future
By
PASTOR DAVID-DAVID MAKOYAWO, PRESIDING MINISTER
World Repairers Global Network Ministries
In Pursuit of God, Repairing Lives, Restoring Destinies and Living A meaningful Life
We protect ourselves from getting our hopes too
high again. We look at the ground rather than
the sky, at the past rather than the future.
And then one day a man of God, Zechariah,
began to speak words that pierced Zerubbabel
to the heart and filled him with fresh hope.
“This is the word of the Lord
to Zerubbabel,” came the message. “Not by might nor by power,
but by my Spirit, says the Lord
Almighty.” Zerubbabel could feel
his heart pounding as the message
continued. “What are you, O
mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level
ground. Then he will bring out the
capstone to shouts of, ‘God bless
it! God bless it!’ The hands of
Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple, his hands will also complete it” (Zechariah
4, verses 6-7).
The project had seemed like an immovable
mountain, Zerubbabel thought. But now with
God at work he knew he could finish the temple.
The final words of the prophecy jolted him. “Do
not despise the day of small things. Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of
Zerubbabel” (verse 10).
He had despised that early start. How weak,
how insignificant, how naive he had been. Yet,
in spite of all that, God had been in those beginnings.
How often our efforts for God are attacked
by the enemy. We can get so discouraged we
don’t even want to try again. But
God delights in taking the insignificant and making something out of it. Down through
history we can see the pattern:
l Moses’ rod, that delivered a nation from Egypt (Exodus 4: 1-9)
l The jawbone of an ass that in
Samson’s hand killed a thousand
Philistines (Judges 15:14-16)
l Five smooth stones that felled
the giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
l The handful of meal and a jar of oil that sustained a widow through years of famine (2
Kings 4:1-7),
l Five barley loaves and a couple of fish that
fed a multitude (Matthew 14:13-21), and
l The mustard seed Jesus said would become a
great tree for birds to find shelter (Matthew
13:31-32).
What little thing, what dream, what false
start, have you despised? Your small church;
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
39
that little step towards starting your own small
business today; your failed relationships or marriage; that little small book; that business idea;
your tiny Bible study; your hopes of ministry for
Christ; that little step towards closer walk with
God; and growing in the things of God.
Do you despise your failures? Don’t. Surrender them to the God who delights in taking
human weakness and showing His strength.
Take another look at your discarded dreams,
this time through God’s eyes:
As you depend on the Spirit of grace, all
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40
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
PROPERTYWATCH
WHAT’s yOUR PRiORiTy?
A
s a property finder, I’m always being asked how easy it
is to get on the property ladder when prices are so high and financing so restricted. For many first
time and foreign buyers, the thought
of figuring out a way to purchase a
property can be daunting and complicated, especially for those with bad to
no credit history, or those struggling
to raise adequate deposits.
Yet it doesn’t need to be that way,
especially in a country like the UK
where it is so easy to find information
on products and services that will
help alleviate some of the pressures
one is likely to face.
Like any investment, if emotions
outweigh calculated risk, the likelihood of things going wrong are
greatly increased, simply because
property, like most investments, is ba-
sically a numbers game. The first thing
to ask yourself is what type of return
do you want to see and at what rate?
Answering such a question will
place you in certain areas of the
country. For example, late last year, a
client had a budget of £1.2m for a
buy-to-let investment. However he
was very adamant that capital growth
was more important than rental yield
and that he wanted somewhere that
would easily sell even in an economic
downturn. Of course this led to one
place and that was prime Central
London Knightsbridge to be specific,
where demand outweighs supply.
If, however, he had been concerned about getting a high rental return, some areas in greater London,
Manchester, and Birmingham are the
current hotspots, producing upwards
of a 9% return.
flickr/Images of Money
Being prepared and knowing what you
want from a house purchase will help you
successfully get onto the property ladder,
says olumide onitiri-Coker
No matter what your investment
strategy is, having your funds worked
out is the key when it comes to being
accepted or being rejected for any
type of financing. Therefore, seeking
advice from a mortgage broker is
your best option, as mortgage brokers rarely work for an individual
lender so they are less biased about
which products they offer you. For
example, AG Capital, a London
based mortgage broker is currently
offering 60% loan to value mortgages
with no credit history needed; only
proof of income, which really benefits
those in particular from abroad that
are likely to have no credit history in
the UK.
Another area clients tend to overlook is their closing costs. Closing
costs range from solicitor, valuation
and broker fees to stamp duty, which
at times can easily account for an
added 10% and more to their final
costs. Taking an active step to always
consider closing cost for each property you see will greatly lower the
chances of overspending.
For more information contact
[email protected]
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42
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
@NigerianWatch
TRAVELWATCH
THE AFRICAN DUBAI
Nigeria’s natural beauty and wealth of cultures are second to none – so why
aren’t we shouting about it and developing our tourist trade, asks AJ James
WIKKI WARM SPRINGS YANKARI
NATIONAL PARK Beautiful (and
empty), at a constant 31 degrees, clear
clear water
CROSS RIVER CANOPY WALKWAY
DRILL RANCH Africa’s longest canopy
walkway in tropical rainforest
We Nigerians are frequent
fliers; returning home regularly
to see family and in many
cases conduct business. But because of these connections
with the people and the place
of our destination, we perhaps
fail to appreciate what a great
place Nigeria is.
And our country is suffering
as a result. As a tourist destination it is remaining one of the
world’s best kept secrets.
yet tourism is one of the
key drivers of the international
economy; one in 10 jobs
worldwide is related directly or
indirectly to tourism. And
tourism allows small businesses to flourish and brings
much needed revenues to the
real economy.
here in Britain we should
be shouting from the rooftops
about the virtues of our motherland. After all Nigeria is just
a six hour flight away and in
the same time-zone.
that makes Nigeria the
African Dubai – with a greater
variety and richness of natural
beauty, as Nigeria has deserts,
eco-resorts, rain forests, long
blue beaches and some of the
most vibrant cities in the
world.
let's be honest we are
blessed, with hundreds of
miles of coastline, national
parks and fascinating ancient
sites offering some of the best
views in the world.
to name just a few splendours: Akure is a good base
from which to explore the
seven olumirin Waterfalls; Calabar is a lovely town in a beautiful setting, high on a hill
above the Calabar River;
Abuja’s outlook across the savannah is breathtaking; as is
the striking and fascinating
We are blessed, with hundreds of miles of
coastline, national parks, ancient sites
and some of the best views in the world
mountain scenery enjoyed
around Biu and towards the
Cameroon border.
And our culture, our wealth
of native races and religions, is
our greatest asset, as is evident
at the National Museum at
onikan on lagos Island. thricing today, this diversity is evident in the vibrant markets
across Nigeria. Ibadan, in the
southwest of the country
boasts what is reputedly one
of the biggest in the country.
Many of the village markets
in Cross River State, at the
mouth of the Niger, are of interest for their handicrafts and
traditions of magic – and some
are wonderfully only accessible
by canoe.
Abaraka, Auchi, Sapele,
Sapoba and Warri, however,
can be reached by road. Ikot
Ekepne is the centre for beautiful baskets and carvings, and
at oron there is a museum
renowned for its exhibits of
Ibibio and Efik carvings.
While currently off-limits
for obvious reasons, Kano in
44
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
the north has the magnificent
Kurmi Market, which among
many tourist souvenirs, sells
the richly embroidered Fulani
horse blankets and decorations
used at festivals. the famous
dye pits (Kofar Mata) are still
in use and apparently some of
the oldest in Africa.
So let’s start telling our
British and European friends
about our wonderful country.
here, to start the conversation, are some fantastic destinations you could consider
bigging up… (and, you may
find it inspires you to explore
your own great country, too).
nearby Assob Falls and many
streams and dams make this
an extremely pretty area.
yoRUBA EMPIRE
ROYAL SCULPTURES:
Benin City
MAPO HALL
IBADAN OYO STATE Mapo Hall
colonial City Hall
NAtIoNAl PARKS
you could take a journey
through the rainforests of the
Cross River National Park. the
best place from which to do so
is the town of Ikom, on the
road to Cameroon, which has
curious carved monoliths set in
circles, believed to be ancient
monuments assembled in reverence to ancestors. the Cross
River National Park piques a
curiosity in nature, rather than
humanity. the Rainforest Conservation area is a place of majestic mountains and rolling
hills, with wildlife including
leopards, buffalos, chimpanzees, gorillas, baboons and
elephants. Elsewhere, the
yankari National Park in the
eastern half of the country is
particularly good for bird-
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WWW.goclassic.co.uk watching. Animals which can
be viewed here include elephants, crocodiles and monkeys. the park has
accommodation, restaurants
and a swimming pool. the title
of Nigeria’s most scenic national park might also go to
the Gashaka Game Reserve
near yola in the north-east,
which provides opportunities
to view birds and animals and
is home to some highly endangered species.
JoS holIDAy CENtRE
Picnic without breaking a
sweat in Jos, a favourite holiday centre on account of its location (1,200m/3,900ft above
sea level) and consequent
pleasantly cool climate. the
Walk where the capital of the
yoruba Empire once was, and
admire oyo’s old Portuguesestyle houses. Worship the
yoruba goddess of fertility in
oshogbo, the founding centre
of the internationally
renowned school of oshogbo
art and home of the shrines
and grove of oshun. the
oshun Festival takes place towards the end of August each
year (at the end of the rainy
season, during which thousands of childless women seek
the help of the yoruba goddess of fertility).
Ile-Ife, the ancient name of
the town of Ife, is another centre of yoruba culture, and includes the Ife Museum, which
has many fine bronze and terracotta sculptures dating back
to the 13th century. Modern
Benin City is a rapidly developing metropolis, but there are a
few reminders of its long
yoruba history. the old city’s
moat and wall survive in places
and the National Museum
houses an interesting collection of Benin royal art. the
oba’s Palace is worth visiting,
although permission needs to
be obtained in lagos!
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NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
Young Super Eagles promise bright future
gOALKEEPERs
vincent Enyeama Pre-tournament suggestions that his time
with the national team were up proved ill-founded as
Enyeama emerged as the continent’s premier shot stopper. he
reassured the young defence in front of him throughout, before a stunning save in the final broke Burkinabé spirits once
and for all. (Ranking) A
Austin Ejide & Chigozie Agbim Neither got a look-in with
Enyeama in such imperious form. n/a
DEFEnDERs
Joseph yobo Despite roaring the roar of a nation as he became the first Nigerian to lift the Afcon in nearly two decades,
yobo must have been disappointed with his contribution.
Broke the appearance record during the Cup, but the skipper
was reduced to the periphery as younger blood manned the
defensive berths. Dropped after the opener, he only appeared
as a substitute thereafter, to close down games and stabilise
the defence. BElderson occasionally criticised before the tournament for his
defensive lapses, Elderson looked solid in the Afcon, playing
every minute until the final, when he was replaced by oshaniwa late on. Scored the opener against Mali with an excellent stooping header. A
Efe Ambrose Made the team of the tournament after an unsteady start. Sent off, harshly, for two yellows against Burkina
Faso, he returned to the starting XI against Ethiopia and was a
rock for the rest of the tournament. Fears about his lack of
pace rarely materialised, and he delivered a mammoth performance in the final. A
Azubuike Egwuekwe A regular under Keshi in 2012, Egwuekwe was overlooked for the Afcon, failing to contribute
on-field. oboabona was preferred initially, while omeruo received the surprise nod to step into the breach during Ambrose’s suspension. n/a
godfrey Oboabona hasn’t received the headlines in the same
way as Mikel or
Moses, but the
Super Eagles look
set for years with
the youngster manning the heart of
the defence. At
fault, perhaps, for
Alain traore’s equaliser in the opening game, but rarely put a
foot wrong after that. Contained Drogba effectively in the
quarter-final, and demonstrated genuine class in the run-in. A
Juwon Oshaniwa the versatile squad player made a late entrance in the final, receiving a booking and gunning for glory
with a wild late strike. C+
Kenneth Omeruo one of the revelations of the tournament.
Replaced Ideye Brown in the opener and played every minute
thereafter, forging a tight, if ostensibly inexperienced, unit
with oboabona. Remarkable to think he is only a teenager;
Nigeria & Chelsea have an absolute gem on their hands. A
two cautions in the process, but didn’t see any action in the
knockout stages, with onazi and Mba preferred. C
Ogenyi Onazi only recently turned 20, few expected onazi to
have a major impact in the Afcon, but he delivered some masterful performances after ousting ogude in the starting line-up.
An ever-present in the latter stages, onazi was constantly busy,
and performed admirably as Mikel’s foil. Nigerians can be very
excited by the youngster’s progress. A
Ejike Uzoenyi A late substitute in the demolition of Mali,
Uzoenyi may well feel aggrieved not to have made more of a
contribution, particularly after an impressive maiden year with
the national side. Csunday Mba I was one of many who gawped when Stephen
Keshi opted for Mba ahead of some more illustrious names.
After initially appearing like he would be little more than a
silent squad player, the Warri Wolves man was a surprise inclusion against
Ethiopia. he
grasped his opportunity and
never looked
back, offering assured midfield
play, as well as
pivotal goals
against CIV and Burkina Faso. Few Super Eagles fans will ever
be able to forget his role in the side’s victorious Afcon campaign. A+
nosa igiebor A disappointing return for a player who had
been much heralded before the tournament. Failed to provide
the creative spark in the opening two games, and didn’t feature again after being replaced against Zambia. C-
StarAfrica.com
AFCON PLAYER
RATING
@NigerianWatch
SPORTWATCH
StarAfrica.com
46
MiDFiELDERs
nwanwko Obiorah one of the younger members of the
squad, obiorah only featured briefly, replacing Igiebor for the
final quarter against Zambia. likely to have much more of an
influence in the future. C
John Obi Mikel overcame early over-elaboration and began
to truly impose himself and dominate contests; silenced yaya
toure in the quarter-final, before carrying the team to glory in
the subsequent matches. Missed penalty against Zambia was
soon forgotten as Mikel finally performed as the midfield general Naija have long been dreaming of. A+
Reuben gabriel Being one of two outfield players to fail to see
even a minute of action at the Afcon might naturally have been
a disappointment for the Kano Pillars man, but still only 22, the
tournament can be seen as a valuable learning experience. n/a
Fegor Oduge offered tenacious tackling early on, receiving
Continued from 48 African community
wasn’t coming together as one and that
lots of young talented players were turning their back on the game at an early age
and going to the streets. So I thought how
could I unite the African community and
the only way I could see of bringing them
together was through sport – and football
in particular.”
The competition also aims to develop
the game in communities, using sports as
a symbol to promote togetherness and
wellbeing, to “scale-up young people’s talents and to reduce vulnerability as a result
of idleness”. Teams and players come
from across the UK to take part in the
tournament.
In the first tournament 16 teams took
part, with the final being played on the
legendary Hackney Marshes. This year 20
teams will contest the cup – Nigeria, Algeria, Ghana, Uganda, Guinea Bissau,
Gambia, Morocco, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Cameroon, Somalia,
Zanzibar Island, Egypt, Senegal and
Sierra Leone – and the final will be at
West Ham’s Boleyn Ground.
Four groups of five will be selected
from the 20 teams, and the top two from
each will progress to the quarter finals.
The group matches will be contested over
the weekend of June 1/2; the quarter- and
semi-finals over the weekend of June 8/9
StarAfrica.com
THE DIASPORA’S AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS
and the finals at West Ham’s Boleyn
Ground on the evening of June 15.
Visit our website nigerianwatch.com
to find out the formation of the groups.
Pictured, top: Nigeria and Algeria, who
contested the 2012 final; and the eventual
winners Nigeria with the African Cup of
Nations UK cup.
sTRiKERs
Ahmed Musa Started against Burkina, but was replaced
against Zambia after picking up a yellow. Featured regularly
after that in a substitute capacity, looking bright and dangerous with his pace and movement, but only registered once, in
the rout of Mali. B
ideye Brown Made a considerable impact, despite being
dropped after the opening game. Scored in the semifinal demolition, but his most impressive contribution might have been his
delightful assist for Emenike’s goal against Burkina. the pair
have the makings of an excellent international partnership. B+
Emmanuel Emenike A terrific contribution from the player
who took home the ‘Golden Boot’ award after a return of four
goals. this was compensation for missing the final through injury, a reality that must have been devastating for the Spartak
Moscow man. Goals in the group against Burkina Faso & Zambia were crucial, and he opened the scoring emphatically
against the Ivory Coast with an absolute belter. A+
victor Moses A true coming-of-age for the Chelsea man. A
quiet start in the group before bursting into life against
Ethiopia, almost single-handedly securing qualification with
two converted
penalties, earned
after some searing
dribbling. Didn’t
find the net again,
but was menacing
against CIV and
the inspiration
against Mali. his
movement and audacity to forge the initial opening for Elderson’s goal was unforgettable. A+
ike Uche A disappointing tournament for the frontman, who I
had been earmarked as a potential top scorer. late substitute
appearances in Naija’s opening games bore no fruit, while he
was ineffectual in his first start, against Ethiopia. Muscled out
by the dynamism of Brown and Emenike, he returned in the
final, but delivered an anonymous performance. C
Player ratings and assessments by Eddy Dove, goal.com’s
Africa expert
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NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
47
Fifa
CHAMPIONS OF AFRICA
PUZZlE SolUtIoNS
UNBELIEVABLY… THE KNIVES ARE OUT FOR KESHI
Afcon title after 19 years in the wilderness; that he
was only the second man to have won the cup as
both a player (1994) and a coach (after Egyptian
Mahmoud El Gohary, who won the title in 1959
as a player and in 1998 as Pharaohs boss); that he
was the first indigene to lead Nigeria to the cup;
StarAfrica.com
Just when we should be celebrating a great victory
for our country and our coach, and indeed Africa,
the Nigerian football authorities manage to wrest
defeat and despair from the teeth of joy and jubilation, writes AJ James.
With a World Cup Qualifier against the
Harambree Stars of Kenya – under new management – looming at the end of the month (March
23) I intended this article to look optimistically
forward.
Nigeria’s qualification would seem on paper to
be a no-brainer. As the player ratings opposite
make clear; Keshi has created a Super Eagles’
team packed with young talent that bodes well for
the future.
He has also instilled in the team the organisational rigour that has often been missing from
great African teams of yesteryear. This might at
times be frustrating and I along with many others
was less than enamoured of Keshi’s approach to
the group stages.
Yet it bodes well for the world cup as it is this
capability that could well allow Nigeria to become
the first African team to make a semi-final and
should we dare to dream a final.
As it is the fact that Keshi led Nigeria to a third
and that he was the first African coach of an
African team to lift the title in 30 years; and did
so with great dignity and determination is of no
account.
Somebody, somewhere within the ranks of the
Nigerian footballing authorities thinks Keshi
needs the assistance of a European coach, “to
work under him”.
Only in Nigeria could such an own goal be
scored. Keshi has earned his spurs and any attempt to unseat him smacks of spite. Who has
Keshi upset but pursuing his policy of primarily
promoting young, Nigerian players? Are there
some disgruntled agents of foreign based players
whispering against the victorious coach who had
no truck with those who displayed less than 110%
commitment to the cause?
Who exactly is the European coach that Nigeria hope to persuade to be Keshi’s assistant. Little
wonder Keshi saw this as a resigning issue.
Keshi should without doubt lead the team to
the world cup and we should get behind him and
the team he has built. Fairness demands we do.
The principle of meritocracy that underpins GLJ’s
reform agenda demands that we do. If we don’t
and he is forced to go then it will be our loss.
NIGERIAN WATCH
March 2013
SPORT WATCH
March 2013
nigerianwatch.com
INSIDE
AFCON
FINALS
PLAYER
RATINGS
AFCON
THE UK SEQUEL
Diaspora set to contest the
Nations Cup at West Ham
At West Ham United’s Boleyn
Ground today (March 1) a critically important draw took place –
to determine the groups for this
year’s African Nations Cup UK
finals, writes Jon Hughes.
Players and officials representing 20 nations drawn from the UK
African diaspora attended to witness the draw – undertaken by
Kevin Coleman, grassroots development officer of the FA’s antiracism Kick It Out campaign –
and tour the facilities, as the Premiership stadium is where the
final will be contested in June.
This will be the fifth year of the
contest, which the Super Eagles
(UK) have won three times since its
introduction in 2009. The man behind the tournament is Dennis Dennis Mahadha, now aged 29, who
turns out for Cranes United in east
London and Uganda in the competition he founded.
“I
saw
the Turn to page 47
CHAMPIONS OF AFRICA INSIDE

March 2013 - Nigerian Watch

Transcription

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