dana air disaster june 3rd 2012

Transcription

E
E
FR
Farewell
dear
friends
DANA PLANE TRAGEDY SPECIAL REPORT – PAGES 16-23
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
monthly
to Inspire, Inform and Entertain
nigerianwatch.com
GOING FOR GOLD
High hopes for our olympians
INSIDE
News
- Little Lagos in London
identity debate
- MBE for ‘laptop’ Mary
- Diaspora encouraged to
lobby for lasting change
Features
- Youth Against Crime
- Low-down on new
immigration rules
Life & Style
- Twin sets are super trendy
- The magic of shea butter
- TV’s Meet the Adebanjos
takes to the stage
- Africa Utopia highlights
Business & Property
- Bantuway Foods
- Nigeria’s Garden City
Education
- The best summer courses
for ambitious children
Sport
PAGE 9
The British Bank for Africa
- D’Tigers’ secret weapon
- Athletes set new records
Big
Strong
Reliable
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
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We’re born to excel
NIGERIAN WATCH
Publishers
tevin Jemide
Victor omosevwerha
Akinjimi Akinola
Publisher/Managing Director
maryanne Jemide
PR Director
Ilonka omosevwerha
I
t has been a very difficult month for our
nation. We have had a tragedy that shook
the nation to its core. my brothers and
sisters, I implore you, “We, the nigerian people
are born to Excel”. It is often said that no matter
what difficulty we find ourselves in we always
seem to find a way out.
let us all pull together and stand tall with our
heads high. We strongly believe the Dana crash
will change the nigerian aviation industry for
the better. the spotlight is on nigeria, so we
must excel in all areas of life, including this one.
In as much as our country still has a lot to
achieve, we have actually improved our status in
the wider world over recent years. We are
coming out of our shell and we cannot and
should not be diverted from this.
In a few days’ time (July 5) our olympic team
will be here in london and we all need to be
behind them in whatever way we can. We have
a very strong team and although we know the
competition is high, sometimes all it takes to
bring out the best in us is encouragement.
our people are coming in their numbers to
watch our team perform so let us welcome them
and show them, we the diaspora are solidly
behind them.
our thoughts are with the lost and bereaved,
our hopes are with our athletes and the future.
maryanne Jemide, Publisher/mD
Managing Editor
Jon hughes
Art Editor
Chief Cartoonist
harold ogbeide
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Cover picture
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NAIJA
Contributors
Chuk Ikéh
obah Iyamu
harriet ogbeide
AJ James
olubunmi otuyemi
lorenzo Banfii
Diana Agunbiade-Kolawole
Daniel Sync
ARAB SPRING
Cathy Constable
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July 2012
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NOLLYWOOD FLIES IN TO IGNITE
WINNING 2012 SPIRIT
nollyWooD’S finest are
arriving in london to head
up nigeria’s greatest ever
cultural expo.
By AJ JAMES
grand gala dinner being staged
by Canuk – the umbrella organisation representing the near
three million nigerians in the
diaspora – on July 8.
“this will be a true night of
the stars,” said Canuk chairman
Chief Bimbo Roberts Folayan of
the event being staged at la
Royale Banqueting suite in tottenham.
“We want the diaspora to
get behind the team. As is
Stars such as Joke Silva, Ulu
Jacobs and Segun Arinze are in
the vanguard – and are set to
be joined by more than 40
other household names from
stage and screen.
A part of their mission is to
ignite support for team nigeria, as it prepares to compete in
the olympics.
to that end they are to be
the jewels in the crown of a
known the home team has an
advantage and the diaspora
must come out and support
nigeria and make them feel at
home.”
Great things are expected of
the athletes, who have for the
first time had the benefit of
fully resourced preparations –
all part of an unprecedented
drive to use sport and culture
to showcase the modern face
of nigeria.
Celebrations to mark the
arrival of the Olympic
Torch in Britain on May 23
were held in Abuja – a
demonstration of how much
London 2012 has caught the
spirit of the nation and is
seen as the launchpad to
greater things.
Organised by the British
High Commission and both
Nigeria’s National Olympic
Committee
and
Sports
Commission, the celebration
took place in the Velodrome
of the National Sports
Complex in Abuja.
The Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Giles
Lever, promised London 2012
would be a “fantastic”
Olympics. NOC President
Sani Ndanusa (pictured right)
reiterated the message that
Team Nigeria is ‘going to deliver’. He said, “Nigeria is
going to London to compete
British High Commission, Abuja
Olympic Torch celebration in Abuja
meanwhile the actors are
set to take the stage at theatre
Royal Stratford East, which is
staging nigeria house for
the duration of the
olympics.
A stone’s throw away
from the olympic stadium productions of acclaimed plays, the
King must Dance
naked, the lion and the
Jewel and the naming Ceremony, will be the focus for a
wholesale celebration of the
best of nigerian civilisation, in
culture, visual arts, theatre,
film, poetry, music, fashion and
food.
Sign up to our Twitter
feed or visit our
website daily to get
instant alerts about
the athletes schedule
and Expo timetable.
Olympic Dates
July 5: All the
athletes will be in the
UK at their training
camp in Surrey
July 8: Canuk Gala
Dinner
July ongoing (tba):
open training sessions
at Surrey training
camp
July 30: Gala dinner
for business leaders at
the Dorchester
LAGOS? ABUJA? PORTHARCOURT? OWERRI?
WARRI? – NO WORRIES!!
rather than participate!”
Olympians and spectators
were encouraged to demonstrate the true spirit of peace
and tolerance while participating in the games, as symbolised by the Olympic Truce,
as called for by Dr Golwa, Director General, National Institute for Peace and Conflict
resolution.
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July 2012
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olympicWATCH
Shakespeares Globe/Simon Annand
Four standing ovations give a hint of what’s to come
If the Globe theatre on the
Southbank had a roof it
would have been well and
truly raised when nigeria’s
Renegade theatre Company
performed A Winter’s tale in
yoruba as part of the World
Stages festival, writes Jon
Hughes.
they drew a cosmopolitan
audience (many non-yoruba
speaking) yet received four
rapturous ovations from the
packed house, occasioning
impromptu dancing and
singing from the cast at the
final curtain.
that they managed to
present A Winter’s tale – notoriously difficult to stage
and much maligned by
Shakespeare scholars – to
such acclaim is remarkable.
But their version was as clear
as a bell and superbly acted.
they injected this spiritual,
fairytale-like play with biting
satire and a very strong feminist message – with much hilarity caused as the warring
Kings were made to see the
foolishness of their bull-
headed ways by the many
strong female characters who
preached
wisdom.
the
yoruban women in the audience tutted and here-hered
throughout.
It was an amazing
evening.
my
9-year-old
daughter Betty loved it, as
did I, and we left feeling uplifted and ecstatic.
If this is an indication of
what nigeria intends bringing to the olympic party, all I
can say is let those celebrations begin.
AFRICA hoUSE PlAnS to PARty
The 53 national olympic committees of
Africa are to provide a showcase of culture,
art and sport from across the continent when
the first ever Africa House opens its doors
for the Olympic Games.
Organised by the Association of National
Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA),
Africa House is open to the public and
designed to provide visitors with greater
insight into the history and traditions of the
continent.
The House, which is to be based in
London’s Kensington gardens, will also bring
together Africa’s medal winners and fans in
celebrations planned for after each day’s
events, as well as being the venue at which
leaders from other continents will be hosted.
ANOCA President Lassana Palenfor
said: “This area will act as an exceptional
showcase for our continent, in the eyes of the
public at large, the eight million visitors
expected during the Games and also decision
makers from around the world.”
Palenfor praised the Royal Parks for the
provision of what he described as a
‘prestigious’ location for the base.
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July 2012
olympicWATCH
torch bearers:
DJ Yaw (left) and
schoolgirl Ify Egesi,
who will be carrying
the Olympic torch
through Southwark
on the eve (July 26
or 27) of the Games
PRESIDENT TO WOO
WORLD BUSINESSES
nIGERIA’s President Goodluck Jonathan is to fire the
official starting gun on the
country’s olympic showcase
at a summit for 250 global
business chiefs at the Dorchester hotel on July 30, writes
Chuk Ikéh.
the event is being sponsored by nigeria’s Royal
Bank of Industry (BoI).
In a statement issued by
the Bank, the chief executive
officer ms Evelyn oputu said
“Part of BoI’s key objective
is to position nigeria at the
global conversation table as
a leader by partnering industry experts, academic institutions and international
players during the 2012
olympic games in london.”
the bank’s team, she continued, would work closely
with specially selected experts to represent nigeria,
while also assisting to build
the capacities of practitioners and industry personnel.
the BoI boss explained
that the bank was trying to
help change the perception
of the western media about
nigeria, which is why it has
partnered with the nigeria
olympics Committee to
showcase the country’s
abundant talents in many
areas but particularly the
fashion, textile and creative
industries at this year’s
olympics Games.
“President Jonathan is expected to lead the campaign
for projecting nigeria as one
of the World’s most vibrant
markets during the games,”
mr Waheed olagunju, BoI’s
Corporate CommunicationsGeneral manager told nigeria Agency news.
“the ultimate objective is
to seize the opportunity of
the games to link nigerian
entrepreneurs to the global
economic system and project
nigeria to the international
community as one of the
world’s best investment destinations,” olagunju said.
he noted that over the
years it had become commonplace for countries to
use events such as the World
Cup, Commonwealth and
olympic Games to expand
trade and attract inward investment for the growth
and development of their
economies.
“Aside from its proximity
to nigeria, historical and
economic ties between nigeria and the UK has also made
london a very good platform for advancing nigeria’s
economic
agenda,”
he
stressed.
5
Yaw is good for
Olympic spirit
Famed for connecting with
and inspiring Nigeria’s youth
through his use of Pidgin
English – the language of the
man on the street – on his
Wazobia FM radio show, DJ
Yaw was invited to the UK to
carry the Olympic torch
through Coventry on July 1.
Also known as Stephen
Onukwube, Yaw is one of
Nigeria’s most passionate and
outspoken advocates for youth,
highlighting issues such as
poor living standards
and policies directly
impacting them.
He is legendary in Nigeria for celebrating his
birthday every
year at the orphanages,
hospitals and reprimand
homes around the country, and
for his positive approach in encouraging the youth of Nigeria
to achieve. As recognition for
his outstanding work, the Universal Peace Federation and
Youth Federation for World
Peace named him the Young
Ambassador for Peace 2012.
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July 2012
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SPECIAL REPORT: YOUTH AGAINST CRIME, NOT CRIME AGAINST YOUTH
Giving high achievement street cred
Two years ago in June
Samuel Ogunro (below) had
determined to do the right
thing. He was to appear in
court to speak up for the
silent majority and against
the gangstas who were
blighting his neighbourhood
with a reign of terror, writes
Jon Hughes.
Samuel never got to court.
On the eve of his appearance
he was lured away from safety
and executed.
The 17 year old, who was
studying for a sports leadership
qualification, was shot in the
head and the car he was in was
torched. Samuel had to be
identified by his palm prints.
The men who killed Samuel
wanted to stop him testifying
to seeing them buy a gun – an
event he witnessed purely by
chance.
In 2010 the 22 year old who
ordered Samuel’s killing, Ola
Apena was sentenced to 32
years’ in jail.
After the trial investigating
officer Detective Chief Inspector Damian Allain said,
“Samuel had a bright future
ahead of him and had not been
in trouble with the police before. Apena, an older man,
duped him into a situation
which cost him his life.”
Southwark Police Borough
commander Wayne Chance,
added: “If there is one thing to
learn from Samuel’s dreadful
murder, that is we all need to
protect innocent young men,
boys and girls from being swept
up by people using them for
their own criminal activities.
“This is a call to all families,
communities, congregations
and authorities to work together to protect our children
and young people from those
who seek to cause them harm
for their own selfish reasons.
“Samuel’s death has deeply
affected a multitude, including
myself, and we should not
allow his death to pass without
trying to bring some good
from this.”
One young woman, Bernadine Toyin Idowu, a family
friend of the Ogunros, took
this to heart. By day Toyin, a
graduate in bio-chemistry and
Doctor by virtue of a related
Phd is an acclaimed medical researcher; someone who translates research findings into
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Reverend Fred Ashford-Okai, a
Church of England priest and
teacher at Kingsford Community
School, with Toyin (right) at
Newham Town Hall
clinical applications.
Pretty much every other
waking hour since Samuel’s
brutal killing has been dedicated to championing young
people and creating better life
chances for them.
“A little bit of attention
goes a long way,” Toyin told
Nigerian Watch. “That’s what
most of these young people
want and need, to know they
belong, that people are looking
out for them.”
They don’t always get that,
especially those that are trying
to stay on the right path.
Speaking to such youths in
west London she felt the full
force of their anger. “These
young people were reporting incidents of
violence to the police
and nothing was happening. They were getting no response. They
were full of frustration
and anger and had
started to believe the
police weren’t there for
them and their kind.”
Being a woman of
action, Toyin went
straight to the top and warned
the police that they needed to
act, and fast, to help these
young people and themselves.
The result was a football
match between the two. Relationships were forged and a
potential time bomb defused.
This is just one example of
a remarkable set of accomplishments Toyin has achieved
over the past 18 months.
This has included launching the charity Yac-n-Cay
(Youth Against Crime Not
Crime Against Youth) releasing a magazine and CD, featuring Jazz Ellington – recently of
The Voice fame –, organising
the football match and Run the
Rye in Peckham, and lobbying
politicians.
All the while she was going
to schools and churches talking
to young people about their life
chances and using her contacts
to secure work experience opportunities in the professional
sector. “I know what I want out
of life for these people. I want
to let them see the world that
could be theirs,” she explains.
Latterly she has begun to
roll out a schools programme,
to recognise the achievements
ion show designed and staged
by students; the infamous
Shaun Attwood, who did time
in America’s toughest jail,
spoke, as did city broker Elisha
Aurelien and Toyin’s own mentors Professor Martin Birchill
and Richard Taylor OBE, who
also tragically lost his son.
It was a rich mix. Many of
the young people present had
been invited from all across
London and while there was
no little swagger, there was no
trouble either. They seemed to
respect the high achievers who
had turned out; achievement
suddenly seemed to have street
cred, be trendy and attractive.
“Next year I want to do a
lot more work with
schools,” Toyin said.
“We want to engage
with pupils from different schools in different boroughs, to
partner with schools
to the North, South,
East and West of
London – pilot
schools to spread out
and inspire others.
“My aim is to stop
youth crime. There’s still a lot
going on, but thankfully deaths
are not as common as they
were before,” continued Toyin.
“We have to use our experience
to encourage the youth. That’s
how best we can give back to
the community.”
There are more Toyins and
more Samuels out there than
there are gangstas. They need
our support and backing to
stop the crimes that have resulted in nearly 200 murders
since 2006.
There are far
more Toyins and
Samuels than
there are gangstas
of young people. The first
school to benefit from this is
the Kingsford Community
School in Beckton.
So it was at the beginning of
May when more than 350 people attended a day-long celebration of these young people’s
achievements at Newham
Town Hall. TV presenter Kat B
hosted, bands played, three
young performance poets revealed their inner feelings of
being young and alienated and
undervalued, there was a fash-
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July 2012
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Victoria is a published author – at the age of eight!
Victoria Agomo knows that, sometimes,
people make silly mistakes. But, at eight
years of age, the budding author is also
aware of the lessons that can be learned
from them, and is on a mission to educate
her peers through her first book, writes
Chuk Ikéh.
The young pupil, from St Nicholas School
in Elstree, has achieved at her tender age what
many try and fail to do in a lifetime. Her
maiden foray into the world of writing has
been rewarded by the publication of her children’s story, Silly Sarah.
Victoria began bringing to life the eponymous seven-year-old when she was the same
age, following a school trip to the Roald Dahl
museum in Buckinghamshire.
Born in London to Nigerian parents, Victoria cites the legendary children’s author as
one of her favourites and explains that Silly
Sarah is inspired by the adventures of characters such as Horrid Henry, with a little bit
of her own personality thrown in.
Sarah Silly lives at home with her parents,
Mr and Mrs Silly. But the family is not the
brightest crayon in the pack, and Sarah in
particular is frequently involved in the kind
of errors and mishaps that children so often
are.
The story exposes some of Sarah’s misfortunes; each adventure offers a lesson to be
learned, and are accompanied by hand drawn
illustrations by Victoria, who wrote the book
in the evening after she had finished her
homework.
She was helped in her endeavours by 87year-old Anna Platman, a resident at a
Hampstead care home where her mother
works. Indeed it was Victoria’s mother, Dr
Nonye Agomo – a GP and frequent contributor to medical journals – who realised her
daughter’s potential and submitted Silly
Sarah to publishers.
Eventually, Trafford Publishing – a USbased publisher – picked up the story and
transformed it into an illustrated children's
book, which is now available for purchase on
Amazon.
Dr. Agomo says that the book has had a
positive impact on Victoria’s classmates and
other friends, who have been both impressed
and inspired by her achievement.
She also said that the experience had encouraged her in the writing of her own debut
story, which is inspired by Victoria’s older
brother Chigozie.
Meanwhile, Victoria refuses to rest on her
laurels and has already set to work on the sequel to Silly Sarah, which she hopes to complete later this year.
When asked what fans should expect from
the next chapter of Sarah Silly’s life, Victoria
would not give anything away, declaring, “I
can't tell you. It’s a secret".
… and here’s another one
A nigerian-born history student at King’s College london
has become the first woman
to top the list of the UK’s best
black students.
Chibundu onuzo, 21, from
mill hill, was selected for the
prize as she is also the
youngest woman ever to be
signed to revered publisher
Faber & Faber – at the then
age of 19 – having started
writing her first novel at the
age of 17.
that novel – the Spider
King’s Daughter; the tale of an
unlikely relationship between
a poor lagos street hawker
and a rich girl – was recently
launched at the houses of Parliament and is now on sale.
Chibundu
(right)
was
awarded the accolade for her
publishing
achievements
while being a student, by a
panel of leading black Britons
at the 4th annual Rare Rising
Star Awards.
the selection panel included tottenham mP David
Author Victoria with
her encouraging
friend Anna Platman
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July 2012
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Diana Agunbiade-Kolawole
IDAY sets sights on lasting change
Education, health and community leaders
have been urged to form a powerful lobby
to secure lasting change across Africa,
writes Jon Hughes.
the message was delivered at the International Day of the African Child conference to promote access to education for
all African children, hosted by IDAy-UK
under the presidency of mrs yemesi Sanusi
at the old Civic Centre in Peckham.
the keynote address was presented by
noelle Garcin, co-ordinator of IDAy International, which is headquartered in Brussels and has 250 organisations in 16
African and eight European countries.
She applauded the valiant efforts of
the more than 100 delegates present, the
majority of whom were representing campaigning charitable organisations seeking
to deliver better education and better lifechances for all African children.
But she warned “the task is too big for
us to deliver what is required alone”.
What is needed, she said, is the creation of a powerful lobby, and she saw the
role of the diaspora as being to help “act
as a bridge” between local communities
on the ground, their local governments
and the international stage.
“We need to engage with governments at all levels as they bear the responsibility,” she said. “And they should be
held responsible for making education
@NigerianWatch
IDaY conference, with President
Yemisi sanusi (third from left)
available to all.”
the children of Africa are its future and
this resource was currently being sorely
wasted, she explained. “the trend in aid
giving is to repair things and not to put
people in the driving seat by giving them
the required tools, which only education
can do.”
She indicated that IDAy would welcome the support of a powerful lobby
being developed in the UK. As a Brussels
based organisation IDAy strives to get its
voice heard in the EU, “which is a big actor
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in terms of development aid, has a lot of
influence in the region and is where a lot
is decided.”
If the Diaspora could establish an umbrella lobby group to press their concerns
– with their intimate knowledge of events
on the ground – then this would greatly
strengthen IDAy International’s negotiating power.
that expertise was evident in the hall
and she praised mrs yemesi for her sterling work over the past few years in developing the UK office of IDAy.
Betrothed Nigerians sought
for fly-on-the-wall TV show
The BBC is on the search for
Nigerians set to walk down
the aisle – to feature in a flyon-the-wall programme about
weddings around the world.
The programme set for
BBC2 will follow various couples over the coming months
from preparation to the ceremonies themselves.
It will focus on couples
who have recently come to the
UK from abroad to get married or settle and will look at
how ceremonial traditions
translate in a foreign country.
The show’s producer Emily
Lawson told Nigeria Watch:
“We are looking to celebrate
multi-cultural Britain and to
further understand some of
the many different cultures
around us.”
Firecracker Films has produced among other programmes the award-winning
TV series My Big Fat Gypsy
Wedding for Channel 4 and
Baby Bible Bashers.
To find out more, contact
[email protected]
m or call 07759 144 045.
MBE FOR ‘LAPTOP’ MARY
The Executive Vice-Chair of Laptops for Learning (Nigeria)
Carolyn Mary Hall has been awarded an MBE for services to
education and environmental awareness in Nigeria in this year’s
Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Mary, as she prefers to be called, has been a dedicated servant
to Nigeria, beginning her career in Kaduna state before moving
on to Lagos, where she succeeded in having conservation and
environment issues integrated into the school curriculum.
Realising the importance of computer skills, Mary, along
with her husband and many colleagues, launched
Laptops4Learning, to give pupils access to the tools and equipment “that will dominate the world of the future”.
Ebony Business and Recognition
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newsWATCH
LITTLE LAGOS IN LONDON
A series of important issues concerning the identity of the nigerian diaspora were discussed by a panel of
high-profile nigerians from the arts,
academia and media as part of a special event entitled ‘little lagos’, held
at the theatre local in Peckham.
Bola Agbaje, who wrote the play
Belong and was on the panel, told BBC
journalist and host nkem Ifejika that
she felt that her identity was multifaceted and that she considered herself “nigerian first, then a londoner
and British last.”
Agbaje’s views were echoed by fellow panelist Alice Ukoko of Women of
Africa, who said, “I think you either
see yourself as a nigerian or not. I do
not actually believe that Africans can
come here and be British because we
are Africans. that is the way it is.”
By CHUK IKÉH
But playwright and producer of
Spora Stories Ade Solanke disagreed,
arguing that the definition of one’s
identity goes beyond physicality.
“I think demonstrably we are
African – that’s no dispute,” she said,
adding, “People will respond to you
visually as well as how you are, so I
don’t see any conflict between those
two aspects of my experience and I
would no sooner renounce one than
the other because it is all part of my
experience.”
the conversation soon moved on
to a discussion about the role of the
diaspora community in the development of nigeria, with Ukoko urging
that nigerians who had ambitions of
spend annually, the sum would account for 40 per cent
of the 2012 education budget.
While Nigerians studying in British and American
universities spend over N137, 023bn on tuition and living expenses, according to the latest figures; about 34 per
cent when measured against the Federal Government’s
allocation to education.
9
MR IDEAL NIGERIA 2012
one day returning to the country to
settle had a ‘responsibility’ to make it
better. “I say to nigerians now that if
you want to go home, make sure you
put [your country] right and that it becomes a place where you want to be,”
said Ukoku.
this raised the question of whether
diasporans should feel guilty about a
lack of contribution towards nigeria’s
development. the notion was immediately dismissed by journalist and former student union leader at nigeria's
University of Jos, Kayode ogundamisi.
“If you feel comfortable [in the diaspora], you shouldn’t feel any sense
of guilt about not doing anything [for
nigeria]. If you are doing the right
thing and you attach nigeria to your
name then you are doing a lot for
nigeria,” he said.
Figures reveal education merry-go-round
Startling figures from Nigeria reveal how an exodus of
school and university students is costing the country
dear, with the number of students paying to study
abroad spending the equivalent of as much as 35-40%
of Nigeria’s total budget for education.
If the over 71,000 Nigerian students who pay tuition
fees in Ghana were to contribute the N160 billion they
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
Alore Photography and D Fab productions
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Abayomi towase, 19, from osun
has been crowned mr Ideal nigeria 2012. Abayomi said that being
mr Ideal nigeria is a “stepping
stone to everything I want to be,
it’s a platform to inspire people
and tell them they can be the best
that they can be.”
mr Ideal nigeria was launched
in 2010 to celebrate men who
work diligently on behalf of, and
have a lasting impact on their
communities.
If you want to enter next year’s
pageant go to; www.mridealnigeria.com
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
11
VOTE FOR BEST I met the Queen and Prince William
BLACK BUSINESS
Shadow business secretary
Chuka Umunna MP is to be
guest of honour at the
inaugural Ebony Business
Recognition Awards, being
staged by the campaign
group Black Economics in a
bid to both make more
visible and celebrate the
of
black
contribution
businesses to the UK
economy.
Further luminaries set to attend include London Mayor
Boris Johnson and, as compere, comedian Lenny Henry.
Calixtus Okere, founder of
EBR-Awards said, “We have
to promote ourselves and we
have to take our place among
the higher echelons of society.
“The black business sector
is hugely successful and plays a
big part in the UK economy,”
he continued. “We want to encourage that further, and are
seeking to do that by recognising the many achievements
across business to date.”
As well as being a campaign
group, Black Economics undertakes studies of the wealth,
poverty and financial issues
facing black communities
around the world and holds a
comprehensive database of
black enterprises in the UK.
Public voting for the awards
began on June 1 and will conlude on July 17, before the winners are announced at an
awards ceremony on Thursday
26 July, 6.30-11pm, at the The
Regent in Finchley.
The ceremony will honour
nominees across 18 separate
categories, including Health,
Care and Wellbeing, Education, Training and Youth Services as well as ‘Superstar
Entrepreneurs’.
Operation Black Vote –
which campaigns for better integration of black communities into European politics –
has been nominated in the ‘Social, Faith and Political Agencies’ category.
Votes can be cast via www.
blackeconomics.co.uk
It is every young girl’s dream
to meet a real prince or queen,
or both. For Afoma ojukwu –
a lower Sixth pupil from King
Edward’s School in Witley, Surrey – that dream came true,
writes Chuk Ikeh.
Afoma was one of the
lucky ones invited to lunch
with the Queen at Westminster hall, as part of her
majesty’s Diamond Jubilee
celebrations. Upon arrival,
Afoma’s elation was further
heightened when she found
herself seated next to Prince
William.
the pupil, who has attended the boarding school
along with her younger sister
since the age of 11, having
been awarded a scholarship,
was nominated for the experience by the Worshipful Company of Arbitrators – the City
livery Company that hosted
the occasion. the company
also gives to the charity that
funds Afoma’s school fees.
Afoma, who is from Croydon in south london, was
then told of the news by her
headmaster, who summoned
her to his office. having prepared herself for a telling-off,
she was visibly shocked when
he explained that she had
been invited to the lunch.
But the surprises did not
end there. the BBC contacted
the 17-year-old to ask whether
they could film a typical day in
her school life, before sending
down reporter Jeremy Cooke
and a television crew to spend
the morning with her as she
took part in choir practice, a
‘model United nations’ debate
and netball training.
the lunch itself was at16/4/12
tended by some 700 people
and featured a mixture of aristocrats and commoners. Afterwards, Afoma said, “It was
amazing. [Prince William] was
a very very nice person – no
fuss, very cool and collected.
he made the whole table
come alive.”
14:23:05
AGE WIthERS hER…
the winner of the 2012
most Beautiful Girl in
nigeria pageant has
been dethroned – after
pageant viewers and
former classmates accused her of being economical with the truth
about her age, writes
Harriet Ogbeide.
As a result miss Isabella Agbor Ayuk (pictured left) will no
longer be representing
nigeria at the miss
World 2012 Contest.
that honour now goes
to the runner up miss
Rivers Damiete Charles-
Granville (right).
the organizers of
the mBGn beauty pageant, the Silver Bird
Group, said that their
decision is in the best
interest of the beauty
ambassadors, the company and the country
at large. miss Ayuk
will, however,
represent
nigeria at
the miss
Universe
Pageant, to
be held
later this
year.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
newsWATCH
@NigerianWatch
HOW NEW IMMIGRATION REGULATIONS COULD EFFECT YOU
The UK government has introduced a raft
of new immigration laws that will impact
on Nigerians seeking to come to Britain,
either to join their families or study. The
key focus of the regulations is to ensure
only migrants who can prove they can pay
their way are allowed entry to the UK. Here
lawyer Olubunmi Otuyemi highlights the
key points that may effect you.
mInImUm InComE thRESholD
This month, from 9 July, a new minimum income threshold comes into force. The bar has
been set at £18,600 for sponsoring settlement
in the UK of a spouse or partner from outside
the EU. This threshold ensures that migrants
will be precluded from claiming benefits.
The income threshold will be particularly
difficult to meet at the initial application stage
as the partner’s overseas earnings will not be
taken into account. If a child is also coming
the threshold rises to £22,400, and by an additional £2,400 for each additional child.
Other key points include:
the minimum probationary period for settlement has been extend from two to five years
Immediate settlement for migrant spouses
and partners has been abolished
Regulations covering bereaved or domestic
violent partners remain as before.
From October 2013, aside from the Life in
the UK test there will also be an English language requirement, known as the B1 lever.
DEPEnDEntS
There are also new restrictions on the ability
of non-European adults and elderly dependent relatives to enter and settle in the UK –
e.g. parent and grandparent over 65 years of
age – to apply for indefinite leave to remain.
The key points in this area are:
The applicant must be the parent, grandparent, brother, sister, son or daughter aged 18
years or over of the sponsor in the UK.
The applicant must be living in the most exceptional compassionate circumstances.
There must be no son, daughter, brother,
sister, grandchild, or grandparent in the country where the applicant is living who can provide the necessary care to the applicant.
The applicant must be adequately maintained, accommodated and cared for without
recourse to public funds.
The sponsor must sign a five year undertaking to this effect.
There must be no history of significant
criminality.
Indefinite leave for this category – under
Rule 317 – is abolished.
StUDEntS AnD WoRKERS
Meanwhile in April a further raft of changes
were announced, particularly effecting those
wishing to come to Britain to work and study.
The migrants coming to the UK under the
following routes (Tiers 1-5) of the points based
system will be affected by the changes:
For Tier 1 applicants there has been a closure of post-study work and new arrangements
put in place for those seeking to switch into
Tier 2 (which governs skilled workers).
The new legislation confirms that the limit
for non-EU skilled workers allowed into the
UK will remain at 20,700 for the next two
years.
Tier 2 migrants can now extend for a further three years to take their stay up to six
years then return to their country of origin for
twelve months after which they can then reapply to return.
Students (Tier 4) are primarily hit by the
new minimum income threshold rules (see
Funds below).
For temporary workers (Tier 5) – Leave to
enter on certain Government Authorised Exchange (GAE) schemes remains. Those entering for work experience, will be limited to 12
months rather than 24 months.
FUnDInG REQUIREmEntS
Applicants need to provide evidence of funds
in order to meet the maintenance requirements
for Tier 4 and 5 (Youth Mobility Scheme). This
regulation came into effect on 14 June.
The maintenance (funds) requirements for
Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 5 have gone up. Main
applicants will need to show that they have had
£900 for a consecutive 90 day period, and dependants will need to show £600.
VISItoR RUlES
Creation of a new visitor route for permitted
paid engagements to allow some groups of
professionals to come to the UK to undertake
short-term remunerated activities, for up to
one month without formal sponsorship and
without renewal. The permitted activities are
as follows:
Visiting to give lectures, examining students,
participating in or chairing selection panels;
Overseas designated air-pilot examiners assessing UK pilots, to ensure they meet the national air regulatory requirements;
Providing advocacy in a particular area of
law as a qualified lawyer in a court or tribunal
hearing, arbitration or other form of alternative dispute resolution in the UK;
Professional artists, entertainers or sportspersons carrying out an activity relating to
their main profession e.g artists exhibiting and
selling their works; authors doing book signing; entertainers giving one off or a short series
of performances and sports-persons providing
guest commentary in their field of sport.
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this painting, depicting South
African president Jacob Zuma
as lenin, with (censored here)
his tackle hanging out, in a
style redolent of Soviet Russia
propaganda has sparked a
heated debate.
outrageous fumed the
AnC, calling on South Africans
to “defend the President” by
protesting in Johannesburg, in
the hope of having the painting censored. But the artist
Brett murray got their first
and did the job himself, daubing crosses all over it.
It has now taken on increased political significance;
the AnC’s response seen as
being symbolic of its failure to
tackle critical issues facing the
country while being more concerned about how it looks.
OIL
US sanctions strenghten Africa’s bonds
Africa’s two biggest economies are set to
forge stronger bonds after South Africa’s
Deputy President Kgalema Molanthe
announced that it wants Nigeria to become
on of the country’s a major suppliers of
crude oil. But the decision may not have been
entirely in the country's own hands, writes
Chuk Ikeh.
Molanthe made the announcement at the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding
with Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo,
saying the move was being made as a result of
the increasing uncertainty of the supply of oil
from Iran.
“We would say to our Nigerian brothers that
there will be demand for their crude oil because
we don’t want to source our oil from areas that
are likely to be unstable,” said Molanthe,
adding, “we are quite confident that Nigeria will
become one of our trusted suppliers.”
Meanwhile, Sambo affirmed the announcement, saying the move would help to promote
business opportunities in the two countries. And
while the deal is yet to be formalised, South
Africa purchased 615,834 tonnes of Nigerian
crude oil in March – an increase of more than
400 per cent from the previous year and more
than the 505,908 that it purchased from Iran.
While the move may seem to signal a push
for more sustainable development and stronger
intra-African partnerships between the continent’s key economies, it is more likely to be a bid
by South Africa to avoid US sanctions.
The rocky economic and diplomatic relationship between the US and Iran is no secret and
is set to see President Obama ratchet up the
pressure on the country when he signs a bill to
target Iran’s central bank and financial sectors.
The move, which is expected to come into
force on July 1, also mean that foreign banks
that settle oil imports with Iran’s central bank
would also be subject to economic repercussions
from across the Atlantic.
For now, the new South Africa-Nigeria
agreement has bought the former – along with
India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka,
Turkey and Taiwan – some additional time and
US goodwill.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
said recently that all seven nations had significantly reduced their volume of crude oil purchases from Iran and that the gesture would buy
them a six month extension against sanctions.
But South Africa may still face penalties from
the European Union, however, which has not
provided any sanctions against its waivers.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
worldWATCH
13
BOKO HARAM
RENEWED HOPE AS FAITHS PROVIDE HUMAN
SHIELDS TO END ESCALATING VIOLENCE
As Nigeria continues to deal
with ongoing spates of violence in its northern regions –
mainly attributed to Islamic
sect Boko Haram – glimmers
of hope have recently surfaced
with reports of Christians and
Muslims working together to
turf out the influence of terrorism in the country.
Recently, three men considered to be leaders of Boko
Haram – Abubakar Shekau,
Abubakar Adam Kambar, and
Khalid al-Barnawi – were designated terrorists and placed
on America’s most wanted list,
despite Nigeria’s pleas not to
go down this road for fear of
exacerbating an already
volatile situation.
This came after the Federal
Government called time on a
curfew in the northern Yobe
State capital of Damataru,
where a two-day showdown between Boko Haram and specialist Joint Task Force
operatives left 90 people dead.
By CHUK IKÉH
Six churches and four public
schools were also destroyed
and now serve as the latest memorials to these ongoing and
bloody exchanges.
But stories of Christians
forming protective human
chains around groups of Muslims as they pray are not only
warming hearts but inspiring
real belie. Meanwhile, Concerned Citizens of Kano State
– a muslim group – has been
taking it upon itself to place
muslims in Christian churches
in an effort to smooth over
misguided tensions and deter
attacks on churches.
The group’s head, Bashir
Is’haq Bashir, has said that the
idea is to break down the synonymity between Boko Haram
and Islam as a religion, while
also boosting Muslim-Christian relations in the country.
“It is indeed known to all
that Christians have wronged
Muslims in Nigeria, and also
that Muslims have wronged
Christians, but this is not a
time to apportion blame,”
Bashir told allAfrica back in
January, which marked the beginning of a series of episodes
of violence in the country.
Bashir is also said to have
quoted verses from the Holy
Qu’ran that highlight Islam’s
recognition of Jesus Christ
and to emphasise that Islam is
a peaceful religion. He said
that good Muslims must also
believe in the piousness of
Jesus Christ and consider
themselves “guiding angels” of
every Christian.
And while the teaming-up of
Christians and Muslims may
not be the solution to the root
cause of the unrest – which
many believe to be economic
injustice – these displays of humanity in the face of the ongoing crisis are a good start to
rooting out the violence.
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14
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
gistWATCH
@NigerianWatch
Madam Amebo
WHAT A WICKED WEB
WE WEAVE
one lagosian lass recently found out how perilous it is to buy love wholesale when it is
being sold online via social media networks.
She met an Essex gentleman via Facebook and
after six months of electronic romance, during
which he visited her, she decided it was time to
move to the UK to be with him.
our gentleman friend was thrown into a
panic when she told him she had left her job,
got a visa and booked a flight, as he lived with
his wife and three children. however, after
seeking the counsel of some of his paddies, he
came up with novel plan.
Got a story for
madam Amebo?
Send it to
[email protected]
We pay for every story that
appears in print
he told his lady that he has had to move in
with his sister and her family, so she cannot
stay with him but she should not worry as he
would rent a room for her somewhere nearby
in london. Delivering on his promise, he rented
her a room in Dalston and was responsible for
the rent.
In these matters, however, the truth always
has a way of coming out. When the gentleman
refused to take the lady to his house to meet
his sister, she started getting suspicious and
one evening when he came over and popped
into the loo, she checked his mobile phone.
After a bitter shouting match and a few
weeks of not talking to each other, the couple
decided to make the best of the situation. they
now have a healthy baby son and the gentleman visits his second family at least four times
a week.
TRYING TO BE
CHARITABLE
one southeast london mother-of-six thought
she was being charitable when she asked one
of her friends who was going through a rough
patch to stay with her and her family until she
sorted herself out. little did she know that this
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act of kindness would lead to the break-up of
her home.
this good Samaritan asked two of her sons
to move into the same bedroom for the brief period during which their guest would be staying
with them. Given that her friend was about 15
years younger than her, she thought that she
would be an ideal baby sitter whenever the
need arose. however, she did not count on her
being a daddy-sitter.
After a few days, that usual female intuition
kicked in with our good Samaritan suspecting
that something fishy was going on between her
friend and her husband. her husband started
work in the afternoons, so she suspected that
the morning school run time was when mischief
was got up to.
Deciding to catch them in the act, our good
Samaritan told her friend one morning that she
would be out for most of the day and asked that
she pick her kids up from school around 3.30pm.
She then left a note for her husband who was
still asleep and dashed off on the school run.
After an hour she returned and bingo, it was
all happening in her matrimonial bed. In a temper she threw all her hubby’s things out and as
we speak, he and her former friend are living in
the rented accommodation they moved into
that fateful day.
LEKKI LIFESTYLE;
BETTER OUT THAN IN
It is not easy to live in lekki. We have just
heard from a lady who just moved over to the
high spot from london. She enrolled her twoyear-old daughter in a nursery school in lekki.
on her first day in usual london style, she
dressed her daughter in leggings and t-shirt so
that she would be comfortable. After all it is a
play centre.
She was shocked to see the clothes that the
other children wore to nursery. to her amazement the children where all dressed in their
Sunday best (top designer labels).
Wanting to feel among the next day she followed suit and dressed her daughter in Gucci,
from head to toe.
Sad to report her daughter came home from
school the next evening soaked in urine because she couldn’t take her belt off fast enough
to ease herself.
the next day our lady had made a very sensible decision and dressed her daughter in her
usual leggings and t-shirt.
She said “my daughter’s comfort comes first,
I will not join them in this one”.
na wa for lekki mothers.
Everyday for the thief, one day for
the owner – part 3
the everyday tale of the Gangsta’s wife, who
kept quiet and took the rap for her husband’s
dirty dealings only to find on being released
that a Bimbo had been in residence at the
family home. She was soon evicted but that
wasn’t the end of her...
t
he first incident happened in a wellknown salon where mrs G was having
her hair done. Bimbo stormed in with a
bottle that contained a smelly liquid. She
managed to pour more than half of its contents mrs G’s head before being restrained by
barbers in the shop. the insults rained down
on mrs G. She completely embarrassed mrs G,
calling her an ex convict and a boyfriend
snatcher. mrs G couldn’t say or do nothing because she was still on probation.
If she reacted as most nigerian women
would, she would have ended up back in
prison. Going back to prison was not an option for her as she often told her friends and
family how prison was more than a nightmare and she would never be the same again
after all she had being through. the poor
woman lost most of her hair due to the chemical that Bimbo emptied on her head.
the second incident happened in church.
Bimbo as usual appeared from nowhere and
slapped mrs G from behind and started raining down insults. mr G was present this time
and was in total shock. After the first incident
he had warned Bimbo to stay away from his
family.
the third incident happened in their local
super market and mrs G was always almost
forced to react. Bimbo rammed a shopping
trolley into her back and the insults began flying again. mrs G trying her best not to strike
Bimbo whispered “only God will save you
when my hand catches you one day”.
Bimbo knew what she was doing. She
wanted to provoke mrs G into a fight so that
she would be locked up again. this cat and
mouse went on for months with mrs G’s car
tires slashed and her car keyed badly.
mrs G couldn’t face the embarrassment
anymore so she stopped going out, becoming
a prisoner in her own home, so frustrated was
she at not being able to deal with this matter
in the traditional manner.
But Bimbo was undeterred. She took the
fight to the Internet and started insulting and
spoiling mrs G’s name to all her FB contacts.
Who did she not insult this poor woman to?
She narrated mrs G’s story to both people she
knew and people she didn’t. It became so intense people thought she was possessed with
some unknown spirit because she was so
bent on ruining mrs G. For a while no one heard or saw mrs G.
She had gone undercover and became really
depressed. mr G had turned 40 while she was
in prison and he had started a business back
in nigeria. So he was going back and forth.
Business for mr G was going on well, being a
lagos boy. he had bought a big house and
had the usual fleet of nice cars. After a while
mrs G decided there was nothing left for her
in the UK and decided to go back to nigeria
as mr G was spending more time there.
……. to be continued
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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:
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Letters may be edited for publication.
sorbed each word I read, an excitement built
up in me.
As a young Nigerian, I am proud to see
such a newspaper, talking about my homeland, being handed out in Brixton to everyday commuters. The idea behind the
newspaper is honourable. Teaching people
the truth behind our culture and lifestyle
helps to break the stigma placed on Nigerians
today. I commend you and your team.
F. O. Olarewaju, Seven Oaks
Sending problem pupils back to
Nigeria is not the answer
Regarding the article Is migrant education the
answer? (NW, June). The response has to be no.
Rather, we must look closer to home and the
relationships we build with our children.
A relative of mine was sent back to Nigeria
to complete the final two years of his secondary education after a series of incidents at his
school in Kent that almost earned him an expulsion. While he managed to successfully
complete his study, his relationship with his
parents has since deteriorated significantly.
The problem was that he didn’t see it as a
demonstration of his parents’ concern for his
future and wellbeing, but rather as an easy way
out and a gesture of unwillingness to engage
with the problems he was having.
If we continue to send our children back
home whenever they fall short academically,
socially or otherwise, how then can we as Nigerians in the diaspora simultaneously present a
positive image of our family culture?
Chinedu Okpara, Hackney
Breaking the stigma placed on
Nigerians today
I came across your newspaper whilst taking
my morning commute to Seven Sisters via
Brixton. From reading the title of the newspaper – Nigerian Watch – I was immediately
intrigued. As I turned each page and ab-
Rearguard action in response to
shame of Africa Centre closure
I write regarding your article London’s Historical Centre of African Culture Set To Close
(NW, June) to remark on the great irony that as
London prepares to welcome the world for the
Olympic games with a cultural Olympiad this
iconic institution should close to make way for
yet more shops. Shameful and depressing.
Dele Olatunji, Bow
Here is extremely valuable real estate, which
has been a haven for Africans for decades. We
are puzzled as to why an African buyer could
not be found, when there are so many rich
Africans buying up properties in Mayfair and
Belgravia. This raises many questions; Was
the building placed with an agent? Was it ever
on the open market? Was the community
made aware of its financial problems before
the option to sell was made?
What is particularly annoying is that a
consortium of black companies could have
come together to save the Centre. Not just
talk about it but devise an action plan for it
to generate funds to maintain it. A Joint Venture could still be put in place. Is it too
late? Come on people. We have six months to
find a solution.
Dawn Grant, www.blackeconomics.com
Come fly with us and lose your
fear, Embarrassed of Luton
In response to the letter to ‘Dear Eki’ (NW,
June) from Tibo in Luton, about his fear of
flying, I believe that what Tibo needs is to experience a beautiful, relaxing, business class
flight on Arik. After such an experience I am
certain his fears would be gone. So much so.
that I am willing to offer him one free business class return ticket to help him overcome
his fears… Heathrow to any destination in
Nigeria. Simon Cook, Associate Vice President, Arik Air
16
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
@NigerianWatch
newsWATCH
DANA AIR DISASTER JUNE 3RD 2012
olumIDe coker
aDamu bamaIYI
JennIfer onIta sister
to anita
anIta onIta sister to
Jennifer
aDeroJu osunbaDe
alhaJI shehu sahaD
usman
alvana oJukwu
amaka awanI
amIna bugaJe
awYetu hoPe wasa
aYoola somolu
chInwe DIke
ezugo DIke son of
chinwe Dike
vIvIen effIong
atangakak crew
member
kalthum abubakar
vIvIan atangatak
kaYoDe okIkIolu
kola aYoola
kunbI aDebIYI
levI aJuonoma
rev. aYoDeJI anD
ngozI cole
mrs. fatokun anJola
and her daughterIbukun
olaoluwa
son of fatokun anjola
LIST OF VICTIMS
Onyeka Anyene u Hurria Lawal u Maimuna Anyene u Bakisumiadi
Yindadi u Ebuka Enuma u Oluchi Onyeyiri u Sunday Enuma u
George Moses u Ogechi Njoku u Noah Anyene u Kamsiyona
Anyene u Stanford Obrutse u Kaiyenotochi Anyene u Okeke Hope
u Rev. Ayodeji Cole u Ngozi Cole u Noah Anyene u Ailende Ehi u
Oluwasegun Funmi Abiodun u Shehu Sahad Usman u Alade
Martins u Onita Jennifer u Onita Josephine u Ike Ochonogo u Joy
Alison u John Ahmadu u Akowe Fatokun Anjola u Fatokun
Olaoluwa u Fatokun Ibukun u Buhari Maikudi u Amina Idris
Bugaje u Ajani Adenle u IkeAbugu u Adijolola Abraham u Obot
Emmanuel u Otegbeye Hadiza u Ehioghae Sunny u Onwuriri
Celestine u Abikalio Otatoru u Noris Kim u Eyo Bassey u Njoku
Charles u Anibaba Tosin u Okocha Christopher u Sobowale Femi
u Phillip Chukwu Ebuka u Sparagano Lawrence u Somolu
Oluwakemi u Ariyibi Temitope u Meche Eke u Ojugbana Amaka
u Ojugbana Christopher u Buna Walter u Coker Olumide u Lilian
Lass u Mutittir Itsifanus u Yusuf Alli u Lt. Col. Jumbo Ochigbo u
Eribake Wale u Zhai Shuta u Wang Yu u P. Awani u O. Awani
u N. Chidiac u Rijoel Dhose u Li Hizha u Apochi Godwin u Lang Yi
u Yinusa Ahmed u Faysal Inusa u Mojekwu Adaobi u Ibrahim D
u Bamaiyi Adamu u Ifekowa Jones u Peter Nosike u Anthony
Nwaokocha u Mahmud Aliyu u Nnadi John u Akweze Elizabeth
u Dorothy Adedunni u Echeidu Ibe u Maria Okulehi
u Jennifer Ibe u Okoko Junjip u Sarah Mshelia u Ahmed Mbana
u Okonji Patrick u Oyosoro Rajuli u Oyosoro Ugbabio u Kaikai
Farida u David Kolawole Fortune u Eyinoluwa David Kolawole u
Kaltum Abubakar u Dakawa Mahmud u Patience Sunday Udoh
u Asuquo Iniebong u Onemonelese Aimeihi u Onyeagocha
Chidinma u Onyeagocha Ogechi u Ike Okoye u Amaka Raphael
u Ijeoma Onyinjuke u Garba Abdul u Aisha Abdul u Benson
Oluwayomi u Anthony Opara u Taiwo Lamidi u Awodogan
Olusanmi u Obi Chinwe u Shaibu Memuna u Major I.G
Mohammed u Nagidi Ibrahim u Attah Anthonia u Shaibu Sam
u Ifeanyi Orakwe u Obinna Akubueze u Li Rui u Xie Zhenfeng
u Oko Eseoghene u Chukwuemeka Okere u Adetunbi Adebiyi
u Ibrahim Mantakari u Was Ruth u Wasa Awiyetu u Ojukwu
Alvana u Lawal Anakobe u Nabil Garba u Mohammed Falmata
u Ibrahim Jangana u Okikiolu Olukayode u Komolafe Olugbenga
u Dike Chinwe u Dike Chike Ezugo u Olusola Arokoyo u Adetola
Ayoola u Akinola Olumodeji u Olukoya Banji u Saka Otaru u
Oluwadamilare Adeleke u Yusuf Ibrahim u Ikpohi Obiola u
Aikhomu Ehimen u Levi Ajuonuma u Mbong Eventus u Peter
Waxtan u Mahendra Singh Rathore u Bidyo u Vivienne Atangakak
u Uche Ulasi u Eke Godwin
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July 2012
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17
mrs nDanusa
mIJInDaDI maimuna
ayene’s mother
maImuna aYene anD
chIlDren kamsiyonna,
kayimarachi and
kayinetochi and kamal
7 months old (not
pictured)
onYeka anYene
husband to maimuna
InIebong asuquo
lt colonel Jumbo
ochIgbo
mutIhIr IsttIfaanus
naDIne chIDIac
obIola IkPokI
okeke hoPe
oluchI onYenYIrI
onYInYe mgbanwa
crew member
Pastor akIn
Prof. emmanuel
obot
Prof. onwulIrI
ruth wasa
Jones Ifekawa
JoY alIson
DunnI DohertY
echenDu Ibe anD
JennIfer Ibe
aDeleke
oluwaDamIlare
eseoghene okor
stanforD obrutse
FAREWELL DEAR FRIENDS
Few in the diaspora have escaped untouched by the tragic events of June 3.
In the immediate aftermath there was understandable anger and outrage, which is giving
way to feelings of grief and emptiness. The loss of life is devastating and shocking.
Perhaps more so because for the past six years it had seemed Nigeria’s aviation industry
was being effectively regulated. Since 2006 the government has had an exemplary record,
its efforts recognised internationally.
The only fitting memorial to the 159 is for an open and transparent
investigation to be undertaken.
What went wrong at 4.15pm on June 3?
18
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
@NigerianWatch
newsWATCH
They have gone home –
sgt aDeJIlola
abraham
tosIn anIbaba
tunDe alaDe
martIns
wale erIbake
kenneth marIo
uche ulasIa crew
member
They came from all walks of life,
from all over Nigeria, from all
around the world – from Liverpool
to China to America. Commuters
and Naijas, party-goers, professionals, business people, parents
and whole families. They never
reached their destination. They
have gone home but not to their
loved ones, write AJ James and
Chuk Ikéh.
We can understand the personal tragedies that accrue from
this event from the often few words
that have accompanied pictures of
the victims and messages of sympathy across the internet.
Vivien Effiong Atangakak, a
crew member on the plane, was
due to get married on July 28,
2012 but the dream of becoming a
wife and a mother ended abruptly.
Maimuna Ayene was on board
with her husband, children and
mother. The other painful aspect
of their death is that her kids were
visiting Nigeria for the first time.
Mother and daughter Echendu
and Jennifer Ibe were to board a
flight in Lagos to India for a medical checkup. The young girl had a
heart problem.
Alvana Ojukwu was supposed
to be off to Oxford University in
September.
Oluchi Onyenyiri and her two
toddlers were also on the plane.
The three young children of Ayodele Cole and his wife Ngozi have
been orphaned.
The children and husband of
native Liverpudlian and economist
Atonia Attuh left motherless and
widowed. A party of wedding
guests, whose wedded friends will
now be attending their funerals.
The former head of Nigeria’s
Universities, who missed the plane
but now has to live with the knowledge that he was supposed to have
been on it alongside four colleagues.
A group of friends of a work
colleague returning from celebrating a 40th birthday.
As news of the tragedy broke,
there was shock, quickly followed
by anger and despair and grieving.
“Enough is enough!” was a common refrain, alluding to a past
many thought had gone.
For days confusion abounded;
it was not known how many had
died in the tragedy and the search
for bodies continued through until
Wednesday. Then it emerged that
the families had been asked if they
would sanction a joint burial in a
mass grave. They refused. But it
signalled a hard truth for many;
there are no remains.
Memorials
were
quickly
arranged at churches across London. At the Redeemed Christian
Church of God (RCCG) in Brent
Cross, London – better known to
many as Jesus House – hundreds
of Nigerians assembled to remember those that had passed so fleetingly in a special service, which
was streamed live on the internet
and watched around the world.
Led by Pastor Agu Iruwku,
they pleaded with God that Dana
Air’s victims would enjoy “eternal
and peaceful rest”.
Pastor Irukwu admitted that
there were times when even he didn’t have the answers as to why such
things happen in life, but assured
the gathered mourners that the
lost souls had all found rest in the
bosom of the Lord and were now
free from life’s struggles.
In a statement to Nigerian
Watch the Church said, “We are
WHY WAS FLIGHT
THIS AND SO MANY OTHER QUESTIONS NEED TO BE
ANSWERED. AJ JAMES AND CHUK IKÉH REPORT ON
EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE WORST AVIATION DISASTER
INVOLVING AN INTERNAL FLIGHT IN NIGERIA’S HISTORY
falmata nur
muhammaD
femI shobowale
IbrahIm matankarI
IJeoma onYIuke
deeply saddened by the loss of lives
as a result of the tragic plane crash
that took place in Lagos, Nigeria
on the 3rd June 2012.
“As a church community we
have been directly affected in several interlinked ways.
“When tragedy strikes at
home, there are few words to say.
Despite the desperate pain and
unanswered questions, we must
submit ourselves to God’s sovereignty and omniscience. The memorial service was held to begin
the healing process and provide
necessary bereavement support.”
On June 15 two events took
place simultaneously in London
that reflect the sweep of emotions
still gripping the diaspora.
In Hampstead a private family
memorial service was taking place
for Ehime Aikhomu, the son of
Nigeria’s former vice president,
the late Admiral Augustus
Aikhomu – who only recently
passed away himself.
Meanwhile outside the High
Commission in London a protest
had been organised by a fledgling
campaign group called ‘I Can Do
Right By Nigeria’, which has at-
THREE official investigations are
underway into what happened to
flight 5N-RAM on Sunday June 3.
One statutory, one inaugurated by
the Nigerian government and one,
currently the most important, is taking place in America. That is where it
will be discovered what caused the jet
to crash, ending a five year period
when there were no aviation accidents
in Nigeria. The world is watching.
Since 2006, in the aftermath of a
spate of accidents, Nigeria’s aviation
record has been exemplary, winning
it international acclaim.
“There’s no question that we know
a lot has gone on and I think you
have to attribute some of this really
good record up until now to that,”
said William R. Voss, president and
CEO of the Alexandria, Virginiabased Flight Safety Foundation. “I
don’t know what will come out of the
investigation. Were there lapses and
oversights? We’ll find out.”
In response to the then evident
chronic sickness within the industry
it was overhauled by the government
of the then President Olusegun
Obasanjo.
But one critical element wasn’t. A
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July 2012
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19
but not to their loved ones…
faces of the trageDY
above: Ehime Aikhomu, son of Nigeria’s
former vice president, the late Admiral
Augustus Aikhomu.
left: A ‘family’ snap of passengers embarking on to the doomed aircraft.
rIght: I Can Do Right By Nigeria
protestors outside the Nigerian
High Commission in London
tracted more than 1,000 supporters on
Facebook.
The group see the tragedy as a
symbol of all that is wrong with Nigeria; the safety of the many
sacrificed to the venality and corruption of the few. “We are here to let the
Nigerian government know that we
are not going to be taken for fools any
longer and have the blood of innocent
Nigerians shed. Enough is enough!”
said Bunmi Olabode, the group’s
leader.
While only a handful of supporters
turned up to the protest, it attracted
significant attention outside the embassy and has subsequently been
broadcast on YouTube.
Although many might disagree
with the group’s approach, the protestors’ rage against the machinery of
state will be all too recognisable. This
time, however, that rage echoes
around the world. It is perhaps this
fact that has marked out the Dana Air
tragedy from the ones that have gone
before.
This tragedy is not exclusively a
Nigerian one – it is an international
one. And the families of the victims in
Britain, America, China and Nigeria
want recompense in the form of lasting change. As President Goodluck
Jonathan has said, this should not be
allowed to happen again.
5N-RAM TEST DRIVEN?
clause to ban from Nigerian airspace
any aircraft over 20 years of age. Confusion abounds over this clause. While
many popularly believe this is a requirement, it was never, as seemingly
intended, either enshrined into law or,
according to Nigerian press reports,
incorporated into the Nigerian Civil
Aviation Authority (NCCA) regulations. If it had been, Flight 5N-RAM
would not have taken off.
That the regulation was left on the
books probably speaks more to economic imperative than corruption.
Flying is a necessity in Nigeria. Ticket
pricing, like commuter fares in the
UK, is a hot political potato.
It is the kind of decision all governments weigh in the balance. Had
the 20 year rule been enacted it could
have wiped out a sizeable part of
Nigeria’s aviation industry – some estimate up to a third – on age grounds
(see Age of Fleets); as it would in
many countries around the world.
Planes are a bit like cars – beyond
a certain point they demand high
maintenance to keep them on the
road. Former BAe Systems engineer
and aviation expert Graham Ennis
said, “Ordinarily 30,000 flying hours
is considered the maximum. After
that point maintenance becomes too
much of an issue.”
The stress of flying takes its toll on
the structure and engines of the plane.
As a result they grow noisy – too
noisy to enter UK and US airspace.
But being noisy doesn’t make an aircraft intrinsically unsafe.
All fleets of aircraft are required to
have a chief engineer on the ground
who is a specialist – like a hospital
consultant. The chief engineer will
know the craft like the back of his
hand, its computer systems, wiring
plans, engine structure and so forth,
through to its structure.
A team of engineers and mechanics work under the instruction of the
chief to ensure airworthiness. They
are required to log any fault, however
minor, on a daily check sheet.
On top of this an aircraft has to
have a certificate of airworthiness from
the industry regulator, in this case the
NCAA, although this will come via a
specialist maintenance facility authorised to undertake the work.
Flight 5N-RAM had been issued
with the required certificates. It’s last
400 flight hours (continued page 20)
THE HISTORY OF FLIGHT 5N-RAM
moDEl
1990 mcDonnell Douglas DC-9-83
(mD-83)
type: Fixed wing multi-engine
number of seats: 172
number of engines: 2
Engine type: turbofan Pratt & Witney Jt8D series
1990: Aircraft built.
nov 13, 1990: Bought by Alaska
Airlines with registration number
n944AS
AIRCRAFt loG
nov 4, 2002: Aircraft develops a
fault and is subject to an emergency diversion due to ‘smoke and
electrical smell in the cabin area’.
Engineers attribute this to overheating of light ballast. (FAA)
August 20, 2006: Plane is evacuated after landing at long Beach,
California, due to a chaffed wire
bundle that discharged and produced smoke in the cabin area.
(ntSB)
August 21, 2006: Alaska Airlines
parks the aircraft in storage at Victorville due to safety fears.
September 11, 2008: maintenance
is carried out on the aircraft in
miami.
Feb 17, 2009: Delivered to Dana
Air. Re-registered as 5n-RAm
19 Apr, 2010: Aircraft undergoes
emergency landing following loss
of engine power after striking a
bird upon take-off from lagos.
FlEEt
Dana Aircraft fly four other mD-83
Jumbos – all purchased from
Alaska Air. the ages of these
planes are now 20.9 years, 21.2
years, 21.7 years and 21.6 years.
mAIntEnAnCE
nigeria currently doesn’t have a facility capable of undertaking standard safety checks on aircraft,
Dung Pam, chairman of the watchdog nigeria Aviation Safety Initiative, told the BBC.
“In fact,” he said, “the whole of
West Africa doesn’t have a facility
that will carry out C-Checks [extensive maintenance surveys] on commercial aeroplanes.”
Consequently nigerian aircraft
have to be maintained elsewhere.
Dana Flight 5n-RAm was maintained and issued with a certificate
up to 2010 by Spanish airline Iberia
(now Consolidated Airlines Group).
Subsequently maintenance was
transferred to mytEChnIC in turkey.
the group describes itself as a
‘lean Aircraft mRo (maintenance
Repair and overhaul) center’ on its
website. located in Sabiha Gökçen
International Airport (SAW), on the
Asian side of Istanbul, mytEChnIC
is the region’s newest mRo facility – having had its grand opening
in September 2008. It serves the
domestic turkish market and carriers from Europe, the middle East,
near East, CIS and north Africa.
the company promises, “Versatile maintenance support, still with
a good price.”
20
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
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newsWATCH
Why WAS FlIGht 5n-RAm tESt DRIVEn? (continued)
check – known as the A check – was on 30
May this year; and its annual maintenance
check – known as the C-check – was not due
until September. Nevertheless, it seems there
was an issue with this flight before it took off
from Abuja at 14.54pm on Sunday June 3 –
about 40 minutes later than scheduled.
An issue that had required the Director of
Flight Operations Captain Oscar Wilson to
take the plane for a test flight earlier in the day
before the start of operations.
After the crash he revealed the plane’s itinerary for Sunday, which saw flight 5N-RAM
fly from Lagos to Abuja and back. The aircraft
then returned to Abuja and was homeward
bound to Lagos when it crashed.
Captain Wilson continued, “No aircraft
would go if not in perfect condition. We don’t
take risks with people’s lives. I did the test flight
myself – there was nothing wrong with the aircraft. It was okay.”
But it was not okay later that afternoon. At
15.42pm the pilot sent a mayday call to Air
Traffic Control – somewhere between 11 and
five nautical miles (20/10km) from the airport.
At 15.43pm the plane disappeared off the
radar. It has been widely reported he said both
engines had failed before communications
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
AVIATION IN NIGERIA
Sixteen air crashes have claimed the lives
of 1,613 nigerians over the past 43 years.
Before this tragedy ended nearly six years
without incident, the longest accident-free
period was between 1983 and 1991, which
marked the advent of internal flights in
the country. Prior to the nineties the roads
between lagos and Abuja were good and
the journey could be accomplished in
around three hours. Prior to that period
flights were by private jet or international
carriers, and not without incident.
the first recorded air crash was on november 20, 1969, when a nigeria Airways
VC10 crashed on landing in lagos, killing
all 87 on board. the worst incident
claimed 261 lives on July 11, 1991, when a
nigeria Airways DC-8 crashed on landing
in Jeddah. three other crashes claimed 245
lives. then, in September 1992, a nigerian
Air Force hercules crashed minutes after
take-off from lagos, killing 200 on board.
After 1995 crashes began happening
with greater frequency as the country’s internal aviation industry took off. there
were catastrophic incidents in 1996, 1997,
2000 and 2002, killing 321 in total, before
the fateful years of 2005 and 2006 when
four crashes resulted in 339 people losing
their lives.
It was at this point the government of
the then President olusegun obasanjo determined to act. Security in the sector was
revamped in 2007 and all airlines had to
re-capitalise or be grounded. It is these
measures that have delivered the longest
period of incident-free flying to the country and secured nigeria the highest accolade; a US Federal Aviation Authority
Category 1 safety rating.
ceased. This is most unusual on this type of
plane advised Mr Ennis.
“Had one engine been running, from that
distance out, it would have had a reasonable
chance of landing. For both to fail is highly unusual,” he said.
The only rational explanation could be either a catastrophic systems failure, or an issue
with the fuel. That the plane is reported to have
hit the ground tail first indicates the pilot was
fighting to keep coasting to ground.
What happened between 15.42 and
15.43pm we won’t know until the black box
recorder is decoded. This has been sent to
America, accompanied by officials of the
NCAA. Disturbingly, it has since been reported that members of the Nigerian Government have said the decoding could take up to
two years. This is most unusual. Ordinarily results are released to the regulatory authority in
a matter of weeks.
Meanwhile in Nigeria two government investigations are underway (see Never Again),
seeking to establish if and where there was a
systems failure in terms of regulatory control
and air-side management and maintenance.
Dana Air has been grounded, as is a statutory requirement while the investigation into
the causes of the crash are ongoing. Air Nigeria, at the time of going to press has also been
grounded, with concern growing over the company’s financial position and recent industrial
action which could have impacted routine
maintenance.
I was on the next
I was flying out of Abuja on
Aero Flight 126. the initial departure time was pushed back
by two hours to 3.30pm. I still
got to the airport three hours
early, as I typically like to use
airport waiting time to do
some blogging. I tweeted
about a girl twirling around
like a ballerina and then
wrote for another two hours
before my flight was called
up. As usual everyone rushed
to the gate and in less than 30
seconds two lines had formed
and were wrapping themselves around the terminal.
I noticed a couple of people from the wedding I had
attended the Saturday before, but did not really know
them so I just stayed in line,
jamming my tupac. We got
onto the tarmac and began
walking to our planes. Aero
had two planes on the tarmac that afternoon, the delayed flight 126, which I was
on, and flight 128. I had been
assigned the exit seat 9A and
was ecstatic about the extra
legroom… and after the
safety talk I proceeded to
sleep…
In my dream I heard the
seat belt alarm go off and
NEVER AGAIN, SAYS PRESIDENT
NIGERIA’S President Goodluck
Jonathan has pledged to do ‘what
is required’ to ensure there will
never be a repeat of June 3’s fatal
Lagos plane crash, promising further improvements to air safety in
the country.
He made the promise while addressing reporters at the crash site
hours after the plane had come
down. The President was in tears as
he surveyed the scene and saw rescue workers trawling through the
wreckage in search of the victims’
remains – which in too many cases
has proved in vain.
“We have been working very
hard to improve the aviation conditions in this country, so this particular incident is a major setback
for us as a people,” President
Jonathan said. “I am here with
members of the national assembly,
because we will thoroughly investigate this... at the end of the day,
we will make sure that this will
never repeat itself again in this
country.”
To that end, on top of the
statutory investigation being undertaken by the Accident Investigation Board, on behalf of the
regulatory authority the Nigerian
Civil Aviation Authority, the government has established a nineperson panel of experts, to
research the airline industry’s
safety management, laws, finances
and regulators, in order to make
“bold recommendations” to the
government for reform.
Minister of Aviation Stella
Adaeze Oduah said the panel’s
first task will be to find out if the
airlines are maintaining Nigeria’s
legal safety standards. The committee’s work will be augmented
by accounting firm Price Waterhouse – one of the world’s big four
accountancy houses – which will
conduct a financial audit of the industry.
But already the panel finds itself mired in controversy over the
inclusion of the former head of
the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and two former ADC airline bosses.
Fidelis Onyeriri was the head
of the NCAA sacked by former
President Olusegun Obasanjo in
2005, as the country entered its
worst period of aviation safety, the
two years of 2005-6 when there
were four crashes.
The two other controversial
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July 2012
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21
plane out – the longest flight ever...
then I woke up. But nobody
was disembarking from the
plane; instead they sat in
their seats as the airplane
door was pulled open.
I thought this was some
kind of weird prank and was
confused. It was not until I
looked out the window and
saw the Abuja mountains
and the other flight, 128, did
I think that we had never departed. I asked my neighbour
what had happened and all
he said was that lagos Airport had been shut down
and the pilot was made to
turn around.
I assumed that it was because of the mAUlAG riots
that the airport was shut
down. But by then mobile
phones from all across the
plane had started lighting up
as people browsed the internet… and people were saying something about a plane
crash but it was all confusing;
I heard Dana, and then
Ghana.
After 10 minutes, passengers from flight 128 started
getting off their plane. A few
seconds later our flight attendants informed us that we
also had to disembark. All I
could think of was where the
heck I was going to find another n15,000 to spend on an
Abuja hotel room.
As I got down I saw a different girl from the wedding,
crying on the tarmac and an
older guy consoling her. that
is when I knew something
crazy had happened. All I
could do was stare…
that was when I realised
that a plane had not only
crashed, but that the passengers had just left Abuja and
the reason why we had to
turn back was because of the
crash. A few seconds after
members of the panel are former
executives of the defunct Aviation
Development Company (ADC),
whose own plane was involved in a
crash killing 104 in 2006. They are
Mfon Udom, the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and Austin Omame.
Meanwhile the Chairman of
Aviation Roundtable, Captain
Dele Ore, has also called the
panel’s credibility into question,
according to reports in ThisDay,
clearly questioning the possibility
of political interference.
Mr Ore said the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) should be
allowed to undertake a proper investigation, as this is the only body
that a lady pops out her
tablet and pictures of the
crash flash up and everyone
surrounds her.
At this point I realise that I
need to charge my phone
and update my status, or else
people would be worried
since my last update was me
flying to lagos. But before I
could get to a socket my coworker calls me and when I
answer she just starts
screaming for joy. I immediately call my mum on my
non-BB phone to tell her that
I am oK, but she barely
knows what is going on.
I finally manage to charge
my phone and update my
status, but by then it is too
late… people had already
started asking me where I
was and what flight I took.
Some people already assumed I had died, which was
quite scary. After updating
my status I just sat down on
authorised to do so. The panel set
up by the government was illegal.
“The committee cannot compete
with an established authority. This
calls for caution so that we don’t
create more confusion,” he said.
Meanwhile Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has promised free legal aid to families of the
crash victims to ensure they are
properly compensated for their
loss by the airline.
At the time of going to press, the
National Assembly Joint Committee on Aviation investigation into
the Dana Air tragedy heard that investigations into the Belview Plane
crash of 2006 were still ongoing.
AGE OF FLEETS
Arik Air’s fleet of Boeing 737s are the youngest flying in nigeria, with
an average age of 5.4 years; the youngest craft being 2.7 years and
oldest 11.3.
Air nigeria’s fleet has an average age of 13.4 years; the youngest craft
being 6.7 years and oldest 18.2.
First nation’s fleet has an average age of 18.4 years; the youngest craft
Dana Air’s fleet has an average age of 21.3 years; the youngest craft
Aero Contractor manages a fleet with an average age of 19.7 years;
the youngest craft being 12.9 years and oldest 22.2.
the Chanchangi fleet has an average age of 25.6 years; the youngest
craft being 21.2 years and oldest 30.2.
the airport floor and looked
up and the first thing that
came to my head was, “I
could easily have been on
that flight.” And that was
when I teared up.
I turned around and saw a
bunch of people from the
wedding and they were all
gathered around and
in tears. the flight announcement came up
again about 30 minutes later for us to reboard… and this was
the first time I saw
nigeria like this; people did not rush to the
lines, people were extra cautious to each other, the guys
on the tarmac that screen
you were wishing people a
safe flight and trying to
cheer everyone up.
on the plane people were
not fighting to get their bags
into the overhead cabins…
people were just calm. For a
fraction of a few minutes, it
was as if I was living in a different nigeria. the flight attendants did a great job in
keeping people calm and upbeat, acting as if nothing had
happened.
We took off several minutes later and this time I was
lagos and if Abuja was
crazy… lagos was crazier.
Families were parked at
the garage and people were
crying and wailing on the
floor. one particular woman
kept yelling at her friend,
“Why did you change the
flight? I never change the
I just hope we find a way to
ring out the best in ourselves
and others before death...
wide awake! the plane flew
into lagos as planned. the
flight was one of the longest
I have ever been on… I just
kept holding my phone and
hoping that we landed. Just
as we approached lagos, we
could see the crash site of the
Dana aircraft from the right
side of the plane. We got to
flight!” and police officers
just kept screaming, “hold
her, hold her.”
In the midst of all the sorrow the one thing that struck
me was how respectful
everybody was to each other.
I guess in a way death brings
out the best in many but I
just hope we find a way to
THE OWNERS OF DANA AIR – HUGELY
SUCCESSFUL AND TWICE DEPORTED
DANA AIR is one of 30 businesses
in Nigeria, employing 10,000 people,
controlled by the Viswani brothers –
Haresh, Sunil and Mahesh – through
their holding company the Stallion
Group. This has made them a household name in Nigeria – as has the fact
they have twice been deported.
They were first ordered to leave
Nigeria in 2003, while they were being
investigated by the Nigerian Customs
Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) over alleged duty
evasion.
However, the brothers mounted a
robust defence, in which they challenged the lack of charges and evidence against them and accused the
government of acting in haste “to suit
the business ambitions of parties eyeing our business segments”.
Four years later, in December 2007,
the government relented and the banning orders were lifted, allowing the
Viswanis to return home. Of Indian
descent, they were born in Lagos –
which is where their father had emigrated to 50 years previously, and
launched the business they were to inherit and expand.
The episode is a clear indication of
how the brothers polarise opinion in
Nigeria. They are either perceived as
being victims of their own success.
Some commentators claim that the
Viswani brothers have been unjustly
persecuted for what has been seen as
their monopolisation of several sectors of the economy, and with the
Stallion Group's successful distribution of staple commodities in Nigeria
such as sugar, rice and cement. Others
accuse them of sharp practice.
In 2009, however, just 18 months
later, they were deported for a second
time. This time their alleged crime
was failure to pay the Federal Government N2.5 billion in import duties
on rice. The government not only expelled the brothers but also froze the
company’s assets.
However,
when Goodluck
Jonathan became President, the Federal Government once again lifted the
injunctions against the Viswani brothers and granted them re-entry to Nigeria. It was in the period between these
two episodes that the Stallion Group
extended its interests into aviation.
The brothers entered the industry
in 2008 when in August they purchased two aircraft from Alaska Airlines; returning to buy what became
N5-RAM in February 2009, and a
fourth in August that year. All were
MD-83s and in the region of 18 years
Pictured is Sunil Viswani, CEO of the Stallion
Group.
old when purchased. Two other
planes have been purchased subsequently, including another MD-83,
aged 20.9 years, in May this year.
Dana Air commenced scheduled
flights on November 10, 2008, and
the company’s website states it has
operated over 18,933 flights, carrying
over 1,600,366 passengers in the
process; flying up to 27 daily flights to
Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Uyo
and Calabar.
The Dana Air fleet is currently
grounded pending the outcome of the
ongoing investigations into the crash.
22
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
@NigerianWatch
newsWATCH
WHY WE ARE ALL GUILTY
seven years ago, consultant in public health medicine Ike anya wrote this article for nigeria
health watch blog after the sosoliso air crash. It remains as true today as it was on friday
December 16, 2005… the day it was written I
am sitting at my computer, transfixed by the images on the internet of the grieving parents and
relatives of the over one hundred
people that died in Port Harcourt at
the weekend in an aeroplane crash. I
am still reeling from the news that
one of my younger brother’s closest
friends, someone we had all grown up
with, also died in the crash.
Each time I shut my eyes, I can
still see his bashful smile as I opened
our front door to him, and he asked
whether my younger brother was
home. Occasionally he would ask
how my medical studies were going;
occasionally I would ask how he was
doing. He was like a younger
brother, his sister was my classmate,
his parents we called Uncle and Auntie, and they were there at all our celebrations just as we were at theirs.
And yet, today he lies lifeless, murdered, like so many other thousands,
by you and me, his fellow Nigerians.
I do not choose my words lightly.
We murdered that young man, just
as surely as we murdered all the
young school children on board that
flight, children going home on their
Christmas holidays. The fate of these
children holds particular poignancy
for me, for I, too, remember flying
home at the end of school term for
Christmas. I remember the harmattan haze that often meant that flights
were cancelled, which on more than
one occasion meant that we had to
sleep at the airport.
I remember particularly the apprehension in December 1983, just after
a Nigerian Airways plane had
crashed, killing many; but despite
our fear we eagerly looked forward
to going home, to circling the dirt
brown, harmattan dried fields
around Enugu, and to touch down
into the warm embrace of our families. These children and these families will not know that joy. And we
are all responsible.
We are all responsible; starting
from the owners of these aeroplanes
who cut corners, wanting to make a
quick buck, regardless of how many
lives they put at risk, ignoring the
myriad other opportunities to make
money in Nigeria. And before you
leap to exclude yourself, saying, “I
don’t own an airline,” I will point
out to you, that each time, you doctor, owner of a private hospital, pro-
‘I do not choose my words lightly. We murdered
that young man, just as surely as we murdered
all the young children on board that flight’
vide drugs of doubtful quality and
efficacy at an extortionate price, you
are equally responsible. Each time
you delay referring a patient when
you are well aware that the illness is
beyond your capability, you are responsible.
Each time we turned aside and
paid a bribe, or jumped the queue
because we knew some big man;
from the market woman who slips in
rotten tomatoes into the bottom of
the heap, cheating her less eagle-eyed
customers; to the airline regulators
who are supposed to inspect and
maintain safety standards but either
through incompetence or sheer corruption shun their duties; to the
journalists who collect brown envelopes and turn the other way when
evil is committed; to the civil servant
who signs in at 8am and disappears
thereafter; to the legislators and
politicians who prefer ferrying
Ghana Must Go to providing true
leadership; we are all, each and every
one of us, guilty of murder. And I do
not excuse any sector of society; not
the teachers and lecturers who abandon their classrooms, nor the pastors
and imams who abandon their callings and have become sucked into
the quagmire that our Nigeria has
become; all carry their share of
blame. Because we all went to the
thanksgiving services and celebrations of these people, who had acquired their money trading in human
lives, we drank their beer, or Five
Alive, danced to their music and
hailed them. And so they thought it
was acceptable.
The person in charge of running a
National Immunization Programme
thinks that it is acceptable to misappropriate funds that mean that
young children die; administrators at
schools and universities mismanage
their resources, blighting the future
of the young. Pilots and airline stewards fly planes that they know have
not passed safety checks, because the
alternative is hunger for them and
their families. At motor parks, we
freely tolerate the sale of strong alcoholic beverages and then climb
aboard cars crammed full, driven by
half-drunk drivers, saying our
prayers as we board. Politicians are
more interested in their internecine
petty squabbles and how to make
money than in building up the country and showing leadership. And we
all celebrate mediocrity and materialism and flamboyance and in doing
so, played our part in bringing this
tragedy to pass.
And if perhaps you are thinking I
am abroad, I am not involved I say
to you, “It is a lie, you too are culpable.” For each time we condoned the
kleptomania and corruption of our
leaders and our society, for each time
we turned our backs on Nigeria, justifying our decisions to ourselves –
my children are still young, I need to
finish my degree, my family needs the
money I’m sending back – we too are
responsible. For each time you saved
up all year, maxing your credit cards
to the limit to go back home and live
lavishly for a little while, boosting the
asinine materialistic culture that
thrives there, ignoring the poverty
around, you are culpable.
I am not suggesting that any of
these decisions or life choices are
easy, far from it. All I want us to do
is to acknowledge that even as we
make these decisions – to emigrate,
to take 10 per cent, to bend the rules,
to glorify ill-gotten wealth – that
there are negative consequences to
balance all the positive reasons we
have for making our decisions, and
culpability in murder is a part of it.
Thousands of Nigerian children
die each year because they are not
immunized. We demand debt forgiveness, improved aid, and when we
get it… are the children immunized?
No, some people are busy squabbling about which company will supply the vaccines. You can apply the
same analogy to the water sector, energy sector, the banks, virtually every
sector of the economy. At election
time, it is all about money. We do not
care who is elected, and we continue
to say, “Wetin we go do? Na only
God fit save Nigeria”, abdicating our
God given responsibilities.
Tragedy after tragedy happens as a
result of our sins of omission and
our sins of commission and we move
on, forgetting. Who killed Bola Ige?
Nobody has ever been held to account, but we moved on. Who killed
Dikibo? No one knows, but still we
moved on. The list is endless – disaster after disaster occurs, often manmade, often preventable, but no one
is held to account, and we move on.
I
nstead of tackling these issues,
we are caught up in political
scheming and one-upmanship,
seeking power not because we want
to make things better but because we
want to improve our individual lot.
The roads are bad, so we plunder
and scheme and steal to buy 4-wheel
drives; there is no electricity, so we
buy generators; the Police is a farce,
so we build high walls and hire security, or travel with armed security escorts.
Our schools are bad, so we open
new expensive private universities or
send our children abroad; the country teeters and so we go to have our
children abroad to gain foreign citizenship as insurance. Our hospitals
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hands and saying what can we do?
When are we going to say a decisive
“No” to evil and begin to build a
real society?
While we ponder the answers to
these questions, let us remember that
it may be our kin or us next time.
And let us not forget the millions of
Nigerians who do not fly in aeroplanes but who everyday suffer from
what we have done and what we have
failed to do. How are we going to
atone for the lives of these children,
men and women, extinguished
through our own omission?
It is time we stopped crying and
pointing fingers at the aviation industry, or at individuals, for in the
end we are all guilty of murder.
We can choose to continue as before, and simply move on, as before,
or we can decide that there is value
in the life of every single Nigerian
and that we will do all that we can to
protect it. But regardless of our
choices, let it be clear that through
our actions and inaction, we are accomplices to murder.
To my brother’s friend and the 100
that died with him, please rest in
peace and forgive us for failing you.
For in tolerating the evil that pervades our society, we all had a hand
in your deaths.
‘We owe it to them to speak out’ – Nollywood
pays tribute to the victims at movie premiere
Sync PHOTOS/ www.SyncPHOTOSonline.com
do not function and then we go
abroad for check-ups. And so we
continue to ignore the rot, trying to
slap a plaster on what we know is a
huge gaping sore. We are appointed
to jobs where we are not given the
equipment we need to function and
we stay there, pretending that all is
well. And in doing so, we acquiesce
to murder.
What emergency plans are in existence for searching for and rescuing
victims of a major disaster? What
medical expertise exists and is ready,
and how are they primed for mobilization? There is a National Emergency Management Agency and
there are people employed there;
where were they in the 30 minutes it
was alleged it took for any form of
rescue to begin?
What contingency plans do they
have in place to deal with incidents
like these? How much money has
been allocated to this agency since its
inception? Is it adequate? How can
we still be asking Julius Berger, a private company, for any sort of basic
assistance when we encounter disasters like these?
When are we going to say enough
is enough? Today, tomorrow or
never? Are we going to continue
being complacent, wringing our
Award-winning nollywood director obi Emeloyne (inset
above) paid a moving tribute to the victims of the Dana Air
tragedy at the premiere of his latest film, the eerily prescient last Flight to Abuja.
Addressing a packed house of over 1,000 at the troxy
in East london, he revealed that it was only after a great
deal of soul-searching and consultation with families of the
victims that he and the producers had decided to go ahead.
he was pleased the Deputy high Commissioner Dr oK
lawal was present among the guests of honour as “it
shows the government are taking this issue seriously and
a willingnesss to change nigeria’s aviation history.”
he told the audience who had been held rapt by the
movie that “last Flight to Abuja was supposed to take a
retrospective but sensitive look at an era in nigerian aviation that I hoped was bygone.
“however, the tragic events in lagos involving nigerian
registered planes, have once again thrust nigeria’s civil aviation safety to the top of the global agenda.”
he continued: “And whether we like it or not this film
has become involved; all of us here and at home have become involved in the inescapable but long overdue clamour
for better aviation safety in Africa.
“our brothers and sisters may have been silenced by
this menace but we will speak for them. We owe it to them
all. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to generations of
Africans unborn.”
Last Flight To Abuja is reviewed page 32
24
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
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The food empire built on
the ‘body is a temple’ idea
The founder of Bantuway – one of the
largest suppliers of meat, fish and poultry for
the African food market in the UK – is set to
unveil a brand new state-of-the-art factory
and processing and packaging complex that
marks the company’s venture into dry foods,
writes Chuk Ikéh.
Owner Patrick Ideh is looking to build on a
successful business that has to date produced
two London retail outlets and a meat factory, as
well as an online store and another wholesale
factory and retail complex in Manchester. Bantuway also boasts the status of being the only
African-owned, EEC-approved meat cutting
plant in Europe, while clients currently include
many of London’s top African restaurants and
market traders.
The new factory, which has cost around
£800,000 in total, will see the introduction of dry
foods to Bantuway’s offerings, transforming it
into a comprehensive wholesaler and retailer for
the major culinary requirements of the African
community in the UK.
“We don’t want people to have to buy one
thing here and then go somewhere else for the
rest of their ingredients,” says Mr Ideh. “We aim
to supply the best rice, the best beans, and the
best gari around, and we have travelled far and
wide sourcing appropriate goods to ensure that
this is the case.”
This has been the company philosophy since
Bantuway opened in 1996, when Mr Ideh and
his wife (and co-owner) Stella-Mari, from
Cameroon, became the first licensed African
butchers in the UK.
“We saw the quality of food being provided
by those that were in the business at the time,”
he recalls, “and since we believe that our body is
a temple, we felt that we have to eat what is good.
We didn’t know whether it was going to be profitable or successful, but what concerned us was
serving our people good food.”
Subsequently Bantuway has grown from a
small retailer to a major importer and exporter
of meat, fish and poultry. The company procures
around 90 per cent of the products sold in its
outlets and processes and packages them on site
at the Silvertown factory.
The new food processing factory is a stone’s
throw away from the site of the London 2012
Olympic Stadium, and features top-of-the-range
cutting and packaging machines, as well as other
specialist hardware for mixing and preparing dry
foods.
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The indispensible guide to beauty, fashion, music,
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life, style
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Community Watch
Wizkid wows London
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The butter that is
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Press conference the global media were out in force
to greet wizkid (left) and his co-star, skales (above, in the
lagos cap) and his entourage when hit london after a previous show on the whirlwind tour had rocked manchester.
wizkid pleased fans with an impromptu walkabout (right).
@NigerianWatch
All press conference images; Sync PHOTOS/ www.SyncPHOTOSonline.com
26
AFROBEATS MANIA AS WIZKID ROCKS LONDON
Toks Fashanu/Emmanuel Kale/Nigerian Watch
noon for the sell-out show, which
saw 5,000 plus hysterical fans hail
the prince of Afrobeat. The place
went wild when he performed his
hits, such as Don’t Dull, Pakuromo
and For Me, with Wande Coal.
Concert images (unless indicated otherwise) ; Sync PHOTOS/ www.SyncPHOTOSonline.com
While the eyes of one generation
were on the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, the other were on the
Hammersmith Apollo where Wizkid
was performing. Queues formed
outside the venue in the early after-
concert wizkid came on stage, the
fans went wild, skales and eddie
kadi (inset right) – who hosted the
concert with nollywood star funké
akindele – kept them bubbling, until
the stars of afrobeats disappeared
into the night. a night to remember.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
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BIRTHDAYS
ORUNSAYE, HELEN NNEKA
(June 20th)
happy birthday Aunty. Wishing you
long life and prosperity.
love from The Ogbeides
ANNIVERSARIES
ODIKA
happy 10th wedding anniversary
Solomon and Sandra. may God
continue to guide and protect both
of you and your family. From The
Ashielus
CHANGE OF NAME
ADENIKE KALE (July 8th)
happy Birthday to the best mum
in the world. may God continue
to bless you abundantly. We wish
you many years ahead and a
wonderful birthday. From your
children Bolu, Bukky, Bisi and
Abisola
OMOSEVWERHA, ILONKA
(17th July)
this is wishing a wonderful
mother and wife a happy
Birthday from Maya, Eva and
Victor
ADENLE
I formerly known and addressed as
Sarah Adenle now wish to be known
as Sarah Jacobs. All former
documents remain valid. members
of the public, home office and
nigeria high Commission, london
should please take notice.
OBITUARY
SAMUEL DENEDO (July 12th)
Congratulations on your 25th
Birthday. Wishing you all the best
for your birthday . God Bless.
Emmanuel Kale
IJEOMA ONYIUKE
1973 – 2012
“now in heaven, Radiating your
Personality and Watching over us
with love”
AKINOLA, MONJOLA (July 24th)
happy Birthday to our darling
monjola. may you continue to
grow up to be God fearing, obedient and intelligent in Jesus name
Amen. With love and kisses from
daddy, mummy and Moyo
OMOSEVWERHA MAYA
(July 9th)
happy birthday maya! We wish
you a lovely day and lots of love,
happiness and prosperity for the
future. With love from your
daddy, mummy and sister Eva
OBIJOLE, KAYODE (June 15th)
happy Birthday to my darling
husband. As you celebrate your
50th birthday may you have many
more years to come. From Mrs
Olayemi Obijole
OGBEIDE, HARRIET (July 27th)
happy birthday Aunty ty. may
God give you long life and
prosperity. From your nieces
Isabel, Nicole and Kimberly
NKEM, HELEN (July 6th)
happy Birthday helen, I wish you
all the best, have a great day. lots
of love from Emmanuel
LAVERS, JAMEEL (July 16th)
happy birthday Jameel. may God
continue to protect you and give
you long life and prosperity. From
your God mother Mrs Jemide
MARRIAGES
OKALI
Congratulations and best wishes on
the occasion of the marriage of your
son Andrew to Stella. From Mr and
Mrs Ezeine
Dear Ijeoma,
you touched everyone, friends
and family. Joyful memories we
will always have of you, each and
every day.
observing our endeavours,
smiling from above with love,
may your gentle soul rest in
peace.
Adieu our sister and friend,
until we meet again.
If tears would bring you back,
then we shall all weep,
But the Good Lord has called
your soul to keep.
FGGC Onitsha class of ’89 bids
you farewell,
Your memories will live on and
in our hearts dwell.
FGGC Onitsha Class of ‘89
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
FAsHionWATCH
29
LOVING THE SUMMER FROM
THE TWIN SET TO THE MAXI
By Obah Iyamu
The only rule you need to know this summer is that there are no
rules – except it’s definitely time to ditch the Jackie O sunglasses.
Otherwise, dress dreamy, as romance is in the air
Summer is everyone’s favourite season. We all have
something in our wardrobe waiting for the sun to be
Another footwear
trend that’s going to
worn. trending this year are fierce, bold, crazy prints.
feature this season is
I’m loving geometric prints on handbags, scarves
the cap-toe pumps.
and even flats, and wearing all other prints and
this trend is
patterns on garments. our hottest summer buys must
spreading like
include a print-astic outfit.
wildfire and
What’s not to love about the twin-set trend that the
we don’t
want it to fly past
cool people are already sporting this summer. If you
you. there are several
are a corporate worker now is your time to shake out
interpretations on
the stiffness in your office
these toe dipped
attire. But this look is not
just for the office; the
shoes, ranging from
matchy-matchy ensemble is
the super ladylike to
a polished way to look both
the edgy. the more
feminine version consists of a metallic cap toe accent,
relaxed and on-trend. We are
voting for the shorts and
usually sleek leather and metal; it’s amazing how the
blazer printed combo,
toe cap catches the light. I love the more playful take
with a vivid colour cap toe, its edgy and will give more
but if you are not that
wearability in the summer months.
daring, buy a co
Sunglasses my celebrity inspiration is Jessica Alba;
ordinating two-
she’s got the coolest collection of sunglasses on the
piece in the
planet. Aviators remain classic but we are putting
print or
them away for more noticeable shapes and shades. my
colour of
your choice. this
shades this time around are packing a punch of
look is amazing!
colours, and my to-go shape is the cat eye.
Summer flats
I know it sounds scary but some
are kicking up a
come in fierce cat eye look while
storm on the high
others are subtly initiated, if you still
street and beyond.
find any of these intimidating pick up
they range from
a Wayfarer shape. the sunglasses
embellished flats to
that don’t work this time around are
simple strappy ones, but
the Jackie o’s; archive them!
Summer maxis! they always
have to be soft and
delicate. the best
make us feel delicate. I call it a
miracle moment because they suit all
part of this look is it
is purse-friendly, as there is always
something for every budget and
they never ever looks cheap. I’m
dreaming of flats with ethnic
accents, or metallic
embellishments. But, please,
please, please get a pedicure,
that’s the secret of nailing this
look.
shapes and sizes. the maxi is also
Ideal for all summer soirees, as it can
be dressed up or down, and can be
worn with heels, flats and flip-flops.
I am obsessing over the sheer fabrics,
with half way lining, or the upstairs
downstairs approach, with the
shorter hem in front, and the soft
flowing longer hem at the back.
Whichever style you choose, make
sure your summer maxi is in a breezy fabric.
Romance is in the air.
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
beAutyWATCH
Dreamstime
30
@NigerianWatch
HURRAY FOR SHEA
Natural nails or artificial?
Whatever choice you make regarding your
nails, we all love a beautiful manicure. Summer is the time to go loud with colours and
nails are even getting high-tech. I love natural nails in nude hues but most of the time it
is difficult to prevent a chip, so people go
for the hard wearing but not so healthy option. I suggest you give your nails a rest
from drills from time to time.
MARY KAY’S NEW CLEANSER KIT IS COARSE BUT
GREAT FOR BLACK SKIN
Dreamstime
Ever so present at the London 2012 Afro Hair and Beauty Show, Mary Kay was a
huge exhibitor. We recommend their medium-coverage oil-free foundation and
concealer, which comes in a wide variety of shades and textures. Fantastic for oily
skin and keeping the T-zone oil free and smooth. Experience amazing results with
the microdermabrasion kit; it’s very coarse but great for black skin.
There are many hidden qualities to this West African
natural remedy, which makes it a must-have
4"&
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Shea butter is the fat extract derived from the
African shea tree’s nuts. Its value hasn’t really
been appreciated until recent years. Used substantially in lip gloss and body moisturizers to
give an emollient effect, its heavy nature makes
it a fantastic remedy for chaffing, chapping,
skin cracks and dry rough skin. But there are
other hidden properties to this miracle product;
it’s excellent for black hair, natural or treated.
The trick is to use it in an as unadulterated
form as possible. Some people make their
own, which is quite simple to do. Cut the raw
block of shea butter into cubes and blend
until smooth. Add equal amounts of pure
olive oil and coconut oil and blend until you
have the desired creamy consistency – the
added oils prevent the whipped butter from
re-setting, as well as giving it a lovely fragrance. It gives your hair the most gorgeous
texture. Use sparingly.
moRE BEnEFItS oF ShEA BUttER
Massage
Shea butter is the ultimate in skin nourishment
and has the best ‘slide’ and consistency for massage therapy. It is deeply penetrating and healing, therefore helps to soothe painful joints
and aching muscles.
Stretch marks and wrinkles
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Pregnant women and nursing mothers will
benefit hugely from using shea butter to combat stretch marks and fight the war against
wrinkly skin, especially after childbirth. Shea
butter is absolutely safe to use as the chemical
composition is close to vernix (a substance
present in newborns).
Burns and stings
Because of its heavy base shea butter is used
as an emollient for burns and stings; it keeps
the healing process germ free and helps rejuvenate the skin, and unlike petroleum jelly, it
will not clog pores.
Dry skin and scalp.
A lot of black people are prone to dry skin, especially around the elbows, feet and knees.
Shea butter gives a conditioning sheen to the
skin around these areas, where skin can be
tougher and rougher. It also gives the scalp suppleness and helps prevent dandruff itchiness.
Congestion and sore throat
Shea butter can be safely ingested and is a
fantastic remedy for sore throats and blocked
noses. The pure shea butter is melted and ingested slowly, to soothe itchy irritating throat.
It can also be rubbed into the nostrils to
loosen a blocked nose.
We recommend SHEA GOODNESS, either
fragrant or non-fragrant, as they use only the
purest natural West African shea butter from
the karite tree. Obah Iyamu
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
townWATCH
31
ON THE TOWN
With Toni
UtoPIA FoR thE DIASPoRA At SoUthBAnK’S AFRICA FEStIVAl
AFRICA UtoPIA is a month-long festival
of music, theatre, film, literature, dance,
fashion, talks and debates, organised by
the Southbank Centre in conjunction
with renowned Senegalese singer and
human-rights campaigner Baaba maal.
throughout the festival there are
performances by iconic musicians who
share Baaba’s belief in the power of
music for social change. But there is so
much more to look forward to. here
we list some of the highlights we are
anticipating during the celebration
that runs from 3-28 July, although we
also recommend you check the
festival’s website;
www.southbankcentre.co.uk/home
recognition to celebrated authors, such
as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and this
year's shortlisted authors are: Rotimi
Babatunde (Nigeria), Billy Kahora
(Kenya), Stanley Kenani (Malawi), Melissa
Tandiwe Myambo (Zimbabwe) Constance
Myburgh (South Africa).
£8, Sun 1 Jul, 4.30pm
Africa on the Catwalk
Ola Shobowale, Creative Director of
Infinite Beauty Factory, and Arise
Magazine Fashion Director Sabrina Henry
show a selection of exciting fashion
designers who originate from Africa, or
are inspired by the rich cultural heritage
of Africa. Designers include Bestow Elan
(Ghana/UK), Chichia London
(Tanzania/UK), Eki Orleans
(Nigeria/UK), Madam
Wokie (Sierra Leone),
Kezia Frederick (UK),
and MO SAÏQUE Shoes
(Ghana/UK). Free, Sat
21 Jul, 1.30pm
Nollywood or Bust:
Africa at the Movies
Caine Prize Reading
The Caine Prize Readings offer a brilliant
snapshot of contemporary African
fiction. Five shortlisted authors will read
at this event, and discuss their work with
chair Ellah Allfrey, Deputy Editor of
Granta. The prize has brought wide
What Will Survive of Us
Five short new plays featuring
award-winning Nigerian playwright Janice Okoh
A boy with no friends and a hole
in his heart. A family returning
to a home they’ve never seen before. A girl with 10,000 helium
balloons strapped to her arms.
A mysterious visit from a Korean dictator. A desperate escape
in a forgotten future.
Inspired by, created with and
performed by young people from
one of the UK’s most innovative
grassroots theatre companies.
Islington Community theatre,
2 Fieldway Crescent, n5 1PF
020 7609 9651
July 23, 7.30pm. Ages 12+
FREE; booking advised
Jazz at Cafe Society
With the help of the the famous
club owner Barney Josephson’s
widow, Terry Trilling-Josephson,
this swinging musical tells the
true story of the legendary 1940s
New York nightclub, which promoted racial equality and pro-
FOR CHILDREN
gressive causes – and played host
to some of the finest musical talent of the 20th century.
tricycle theatre
269 Kilburn high Road, Kilburn, nW6 7JR
020 7328 1000
July 16-21
The Ugly Duckling
Little Angel’s production keeps
close to the spirit of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic, with live
music and puppets telling the
story of the little duckling who
grows up feeling ‘different’.
little Angel theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, Cross St, n1
2Dn. 020 7226 1787
Until sun July 8. Age 3+.
NOTE: On Saturday July 7
There is party with puppetmaking, performances and tours
of the theatre. This year’s events,
which also take place in St
Mary’s church gardens, are
themed around Punch and Judy.
All ages.
Jubilee
Based on the music and lyrics of
Cole Porter, Jubilee takes you on
a right-royal 1930’s romp
through early celebrity culture.
the tabard theatre
2 Bath Road, W4 1lW
0208 995 6035
Until July 21
Penny Arcade Bitch! Dyke!
Faghag! Whore!
Inside Out
A freedom of speech anthem:
part nightclub, part theatre
event, and part political provocation, with an erotic twist.
Arcola theatre tent
24 Ashwin Street, Dalston, E8
3Dl
020 7503 1646
Until July 22
National Theatre Inside Out
Activities normally conducted inside the Theatre will spill out
onto the terraces and
squares, with a packed
festival programme of free
activities. In Theatre
Square, the annual Watch
This Space Festival will
showcase the best of
national and international
outdoor performance,
including lots of highflying circus acts. The Pop-up Workshop will reveal the art of
theatre-making; Non Zero One and Made in China will perform
site-specific work on and around the building.
national theatre, Southbank, 2 July – 9 September, Free
Ludo Des Cognets
THEATRE
Nigerian cinema,
produces more than
2,000 films a year and is
worth over £250 million, making
it the world’s second-largest film
industry after Bollywood. Yet
Edie is an explorer – she travels
to all sorts of fantastic places.
James is an explorer, too, but
prefers to stay indoors. They live
in the same house, and like the
same biscuits, but they’ve never
ever met. Until today, that is...
Playful, funny and full of surprises, Inside Out is the perfect
summer treat.
Age 2-5
Polka theatre, 240 the Broadway, london SW19 1SB
£9 Conc. £7
tue-Sat, 10.30am & 2pm |
From 4 Jul to 25 Aug
Charlie and Lola’s Best
Bestest Play
Everyone’s favourite brother,
and sister stars of the hit BBC
TV series and books by Lauren
Child, Charlie and Lola will be
brought to life by a magical mix
of puppets and music. 2-D and
3-D worlds collide in this play,
adapted from some of the freshest and funniest episodes. Will
African film struggles to get
distribution and recognition in the
west. Join editor of African Screens
and a panel of experts, to discuss the
future of African cinema.
Free, Sat 21 Jul, 11am
Vocal Ensemble of Africa
Pianist and vocalist Juwon Ogungbe in
a unique collaboration with six singers
from five countries and a four-piece
band, combining multiple languages,
influences and rhythms to create
music of astounding power. Purcell
Room, the Southbank Centre, £15
mon 23 Jul, 7.45pm
Funmi Olawumi
A solo show from Funmi Olawumi,
leader of the legendary Yoruba
Women’s Choir. She steps out at the
head of cracking 12-piece band, to
play what she calles ‘faaji music’,
meaning ‘good time’ in Yoruba. £15,
tue 24 July, 7.45pm
32
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
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LAST FLIGHT TO ABUJA REVIEW
A minute’s silence was observed in memory of
the victims of the Dana air crash before the
premier of Obi Emelonye’s latest film, Last
Flight To Abuja, and it is hard to assess it with
that incident so fresh in the mind.
Everything was so plausibly real, although
the narratives were palpably drawn to show a
new Nigeria emerging out of the wreckage of
the old (that being the disastrous years of 2005
Lola ever tidy her messy room?
Will Charlie get Lola to sleep,
even though she is not sleepy
and will not go to bed? Age: 4-7
Polka theatre, 240 the Broadway, SW19 1SB
Weekends £16, Weekdays
£14, Concs £10
From 18 Jul to 25 Aug | 11am
& 2.30pm
War Horse
War Horse, based on the beloved
novel by Michael Morpurgo, is a
powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring
music and magnificent artistry.
South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company brings breathing,
galloping, full-scale horses to life
on the stage — their flanks, hides
and sinews built of steel, leather
and aircraft cables.
new london theatre, Drury
lane, WC2B 5PW.
Various dates, Until 26 oct
2013
From £15, suitable for 10+
www.reallyuseful.com/theatres/new-london-theatre
The Town Mouse and the
Country Mouse
The story tells of two cousins
who visit each other, both experiencing exciting new sights and
sounds. Staged on a magical narrow boat.
the Puppet theatre Barge,
little Venice, opposite 35
Blomfield Road, W9 2PF.
Various dates, until 15 Jul
Child £8.50, adult £10
Age: 3+
The Tiger Who Came To Tea
The classic tale of the hungry
tiger is up for an Olivier Award
as the best family entertainment
and 2006, when Obi began this project).
The plot is tried and tested for a disaster
movie. For films of this genre to have any impact they have to build an emotional bond between the viewer and characters whose lives we
are to see hang in the balance.
So all of Lagos life is here. The hen-pecked
husband looking forward to playing away; the
double-crossed fiancee; the corrupt businessman and his heartbroken colleague; the father
whose daughter is hysterical and warns him he
‘won’t come back if he goes’….
All these characters and more are heading
to the airport in a frenzy of fast-editing, capturing the crazy pell-mell life of modern Lagos.
Before they embark the main characters have
seen their future’s before them (which we won’t
spoil here). Retribution and redemption await
in equal measure.
The posters for the film carry the tag line
‘fasten your seatbelts’ , giving only a hint of the
roller coaster ride ahead. With a budget of
$500,000 – one of Nollywood’s largest ever – it
had to live up to the hype of being a great leap
forward in Nolywood special effects, and it
does. The climactic final scenes are choking
and chilling and all too real, drawing gasps (a
rarity in cinemas today) from the more than
1,000 who watched.
Limited screenings at London cinemas from
Friday June 29. Check local listings for details
and keep an eye on our website, www.nigerianwatch.com/news for updates
in town. Dubbed a ‘modern classic’ by the Indie and a ‘delight
from start to finish’ by Time
Out.
lyric theatre, 29 Shaftesbury
Avenue, W1D 7ES.
tues-Fri, 11-11.30am, Sat/Sun
10am and 12pm. Until 2 Sept
The Lion, the Witch and the
Wardrobe
Open the door and enter a
spectacular new world with
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy
as they journey through the
magical land of Narnia, thanks
to Threesixty’s ground-breaking
surround video and enchanting
puppetry, performed in a stateof-the art theatre tent.
Set against the backdrop of
Kensington Palace, this
exquisite event makes for a
magical summer experience in
the park.
threesixty theatre, Dial Walk,
Kensington Gdns, W8 4Pt.
Various dates, until 9 Sep.
From £25, suitable for 5+
Horrible Histories: Barmy
Britain
Set in loathsome London,
Barmy Britain is the latest instalment of the Horrible Histories
franchise that has given us the
acclaimed Terrible Tudors, Vile
Victorians, Awful Egyptians and
Ruthless Romans.
Garrick theatre, Charing
Cross Road, WC2h 0hh
Wed-Fri 1pm, Sat 10.30 &
noon, Sun 3pm & 5pm
£10-£14.50, until 1 Sep
Suitable for 6+
CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES
Make, Break, Remake
Make huge sculptures together
using wood, plastic and Styrofoam and enjoy taking them
apart in these workshops for 5–
12 year olds and their families.
Led by artist Felicity Hammond.
Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82
Whitechapel high Street, E1
7QX. Saturday 21 July, 2pm
Free, booking recommended.
www.whitechapelgallery.org
Tales from the Shed
Children and performers go on a
theatrical journey together, and
along the way, meet characters
such as Can-Can the beautiful
bird and The Thing That Goes
Blurgh! Each show is different,
but all shows use the very best in
Early Years education practice to
creatively improve literacy, numeracy and communication
skills. Come and join a world
where everybody can share together, believe in the magic and
make it happen.
Chickenshed theatre, Chase
Side, Southgate, n14 4PE
most Fri/Sat. Until 14 Jul
Sutitable for up to 7.
www.chickenshed.org.uk
Rhythm Summer School
A five-day course covering various drumming and percussion
techniques and styles, suitable
for both intermediate musicians
and complete beginners. Standard fee is £125 for the week.
Concessions and scholarships
available. Apply via the website.
Age 7-12.
Starts monday July 23
www.bomboproductions.com
/rhysusc.html
The Mystery of the Hidden
League and the Misplaced
Museum
The House of Fairytales presents
a magical story-based adventure
trail and interactive installation
‘Meet the Adejanos’ goes live
the popular black British sitcom meet the Adebanjos is set
to take to the stage next
month, when the show makes
its bow in live theatre.
the independently-produced and created tV show
has simultaneously captivated
the minds and tickled the
funny bones since it first
emerged as an internet production back in June of 2011.
now, 750,000 views later, it
has been seen and enjoyed by
millions of SKy tV viewers,
scooped up three awards and
at Hall Place, part of their sixmonth residency at the Tudor
house and gardens. The Mystery
of the Hidden League leads visitors through the grounds and
into the historic house via a trail
of over 60 tasks. Through it
young adventurers take part in a
mission to defeat the awful, and
recently awakened, Apathy Ogre.
They become a part a secret club
and will break codes and send
signals through the earth to drive
the monster back to sleep.
The story of the Misplaced Museum sees Hall Place become the
centre of all manner of marvelous mysteries. The Misplaced
Museum is an enigma, it appears
from nowhere packed with
strange and wonderful exhibits.
It contains different things with
every manifestation but this time
it holds five dusty departments
filled with secrets and visual
wonders to turn you tupsy-turvy.
the house of Fairytales, hall
Place, Bexley, Kent, DA5 1PQ
Ages: 5-12
Free entry to gardens and
trail. Admission to the house:
£5 (child), £7 (adult)
Until 16 Sep
www.houseoffairytales.org
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]
received international acclaim.
now it is dipping its toe into
the london theatre scene to
see how it plays live.
Creator and executive producer Debra odutuyo and her
partner-in-crime and co-producer Andre osayemi always
had high hopes for the show's
success, which delivers British
viewers authentic echoes of
their own experiences – particularly first generation-born
British children of African immigrants. however, not even
they imagined that the show
would resonate with viewers
so deeply, causing such a positive stir in the process.
the live version of the
show will bring the capers of
the Dad, mum, cheeky brother
tobi, the sassy sister Sade and
the mischievous Aunty Funke
to – as osayemi puts it – “the
nigerian on the street”.
meet the Adebanjo’s premieres at the Catford Broadway on Sat, 14 July, when
there will be a matinee and
evening show. For tickets, call:
020 8690 0002.
Superheroes
Harry Potter London Tour
SOS! HELP! Urgent Message:
Alphabet City is under threat
from a mysterious villain. Can
you help rescue the city from destruction? Step into the tights of
one of our spectacular Superheroes, be empowered by their
supersonic skills, hit the letter
lab to conduct secret scientific
experiments, crack the code, find
the Superheroes’ hideouts and
defeat the evil mastermind.
Discover Children’s Story Centre, 383-387 high Street
Stratford london E15 4QZ
Adult/child £4.50, family
ticket £16, Under 2s FREE
www.discover.org.uk
tue-Fri, 12-1pm & 3-5pm
Sat/Sun, 11am-5pm
Every day during Summer
holidays. Until 4 nov
www.discover.org.uk
Join us on our walking tour of
film locations and gems from the
world of Harry Potter and see
what is usually invisible to muggles. tue 2.30pm & 6.30pm; Sat &
Sun 11am
£12, Under-12s £10
Until 30 Sep
www.muggletours.co.uk
Tales from the Dragonfly
Weekly storytelling and song
with Emily Hanna, who combines folk tales, picture books
and original silly songs tailored
for tiny ears.
Age 0-5
that Place on the Corner, 1-3
Green lanes, newington
Green, n16 9BS
Weekly from Fri 6 Jul, 2.30pm
Liminal
Liminal invites families into a
physical, material and social experience of sculpture through
touch, interaction and collaboration. Supported by a changing
artist devised programme.
All ages
tate Britain, millbank, SW1P
4RG.
FREE
Every Sat & Sun, 11am-3pm
Comedy Club 4 Kids
Cracking entertainment for all
over the age of six. The best comedians on the UK and International circuit will be doing what
they do best, but without the
rude bits!
E4 Udderbelly Southbank,
Belvedere Road Car Park,
Southbank, SE1 8XX
Sat and Sun, 4:15pm. Until 7
July 2012
Part of the Udderbelly Fetsival. For details of other
events, www.udderbelly.co.uk
RECOMMENDED
MUSICALS
Matilda the Musical
Cambridge theatre, Seven
Dials, Earlham Street, WC2
When: matinees: Wed/Sat
2.30pm, Sun 3pm. Evenings:
tue 7pm, Wed to Sat 7.30pm.
Until 17 Feb 2013.
Suitable for the over 6
Shrek the Musical
theatre Royal, Drury lane,
EC2B 5JF
matinees: thu/Sat/Sun 3pm.
Evenings: mon-Sat 7.30pm
(Wed 7pm). Until 16 December 2012
Suitable for the over 5s
The Lion King
lyceum theatre, Wellington
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July 2012
townWATCH
DJ ProfIle
Chris Nash courtesy of ROH 2012
resin, glitter and elephant
dung – has bought in to the
classical muse.
“Metamorphosis is a
genuinely gripping read. All
of its themes – desire, temptation, pride, beauty, the joy
of the kill – felt relevant.
The project got into my
veins as a story.”
Exciting stuff. There are
three ways to catch Ofili’s
dramatic emergence:
Street, WC2
matinees; Wed, Sat, and Sun
2.30pm. Evenings: tue to Sat
7.30pm. Until 6 January 2013.
Children over 3 admitted
EXHIBITIONS
Charles Dickens: A Southwark Childhood
This exhibition explores Dickens’ experiences of the borough
and how key locations, such as
the Marshalsea Prison, St
George the Martyr Church and
Mint Street workhouse, influenced his novels.
Alongside the exhibition
there will be a lively events programme for adults and families.
Cuming museum, Walworth
Road, Southwark
Until 27 oct
www.southwark.giv.uk/cumingmuseum
thE EXhIBItIon
The Titians will be shown at
the National Gallery, London WC2, with sets and costumes created for the ballet,
from 11 July to 23 September
thE BAllEt
“The hardest thing I’ve ever done,” he
told the Guardian.
But the man who became famous for
paintings that make reference to the era of
blaxploitation and gangsta rap – critiquing racial and sexual stereotypes with
wry humour in collages made from paint,
Designs of the Year 2012
The Design Museum’s Design
Awards, ‘the Oscars of the design world’, showcase the most
innovative and progressive designs from around the world,
spanning seven categories; Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Fur-
Metamorphosis:
Titian
2012 is at the Royal Opera
House, London (020 7304
4000), 14-20 July
thE SCREEnInG
The 16 July performance will be simultaneously relayed to a large screen at Trafalgar Square, and 18 other venues across the
UK.
niture, Graphics, Product and
Transport. The Designs of the
Year exhibition features British
studio Barber Osgerby, which
won overall Design of the Year
for their London 2012 Olympic
Torch, along with the other 88
shortlisted designs.
As above. Until 15 Jul
but also the circulation of visual
languages and ideas, this exhibition includes works by artists
from Black Audio Film Collective as well as recent work by
contemporary artists.
tate Britain, millbank, SW1P
4RG
Until 12 Aug
At Home With the World
MUSIC HIGHLIGHTS
At Home with the World will
highlight domestic objects which
have come from overseas or been
influenced by other cultures to
tell a fascinating story about
how many of the designs, decorations, materials and social customs with which we are familiar
in our homes today and which
we consider to be ‘English’,
might have originated elsewhere. Geffrey museum, Kingsland
Road, E2 8EA
Until 9 Sep, free
Voice In A Million at Fairfield
Halls and Ashcroft Theatre
Victoria Revealed
Victoria Revealed explores the
life and reign of the eponymous
Queen – in her own words.
Inspired by extracts from the
Queen’s own journals and correspondence, and featuring displays of personal objects and
artworks in the very rooms
where she once lived, the exhibition presents a truly intimate account of Victoria’s extraordinary
life.
Kensington Palace, Kensington Gardens, W8 4PX.
Daily until 31 Dec
Akwasi photography
ofIlI returns wIth new twIst on a classIc
The somewhat reclusive,
Caribbean-island dwelling,
Turner prize-winning and
campaigning British/Nigerian artist Chris Ofili returns
to Britain this month as one
of the undoubted stars of a
unique cultural event to celebrate Titian’s series of
paintings known as Metamorphoses, which in turn
are inspired by Ovid’s poem
of the same name. It is said
if you don’t know Ovid’s
poem then much classical
art will remain a closed
book to you.
Ofili’s contribution to
this unique project has been
to create an artwork inspired by Titian (right) to
hang in the National
Gallery alongside the recently purchased Titians –
Diana and Actaeon and
Diana and Callisto – and
create the set-designs and costumes for a
ballet based on the work to be staged by
the Royal Opera House.
These backdrops themselves are set to
become priceless masterpieces as Ofili refused to use set designers and painted
them himself.
33
The Body Adorned: Dressing London
The exhibition features hundreds
of stunning objects, including
adorned figures, early tattooing
instruments and headdresses, a
film installation by The Light Surgeons, several wardrobes of London residents, exploring why they
wear what they wear and urban
street portraits
taken
by
young people.
the horniman museum, 100
london Road, SE23 3PQ
Until 6 Jan, 2013, free
Migrations – Journeys into
British Art
This exhibition explores British
art through the theme of migration from 1500 to the present
day. Cutting a swathe through
500 years of history, and tracing
not only the movement of artists
Religious Music. School children,
gospel choirs and youth groups
perform
the Fairfield halls & Ashcroft
theatre CR9 1DG
From £15.50
4 July 2012
Boubacar Taore plus Munto
Valdo at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz
Club, London.
One of World Music’s great stars
Boubacar Traoré carries within
him all the beauty of African
blues. A diamond among the jewels of Mandingo (West African)
music, he music is a sublime
demonstration of Africa’s ancient
blues. Only his voice can blend
Niger and Mississippi river alluvia with such moving authenticity.
His unique, inimitable, self-taught
guitar technique owes a great deal
to his kora influences, but its
shades and phrasing also suggest
the great black bluesmen of the
deep American South: Blind
Willie McTell, Robert Johnson,
Muddy Waters and others.
tuesday, July 10, 2012 Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The Ultimate
Utopia
Afrobeats
The very best in Afrobeats comes
to Southbank for one night only.
Featuring
BBC
Radio
1/1Xtra's DJ Edu, award-winning
DJ Neptizzle and Afro House
specialist Sef Kombo playing the
hottest Naija Pop, Azonto Rythmns, Kuduro, Kizomba and the
funkiest beats from around the
continent. Be prepared for a hot
night of dancing.
Special guests still to be announced.
the Clore Ballroom
Saturday 21 July 2012
Doors open at 8.30pm. Show
starts at 9pm and finishes at
1am.
Jazz Jam With Bukky Leo
Celebrated Nigerian new wave
saxophonist and composer Leo
leads a jam, with performers and
listeners alike welcome.
the Silver Bullet, 5 Station
Place, n4 2Dh
Every tue, 8.30pm-1am
Until 31 Jul
DANCE
Big Dance Festival
Big Dance 2012 is the UK’s
biggest celebration of all dance
styles, as part of the London
2012 Festival, the culmination of
the cultural Olympiad.
From 7-15 July.
Fir more details visist: www.bigdance2012.com
The Dance WE Made
Ever wanted the chance to
choreograph a professional
dancer? Dance Artist Tim Casson is inviting people from all
over London to do just that – no
experience necessary!
Various locations across london.
1pm Daily, until 17 July, free
www.thedancewemade.co.uk
Dance in Focus
Your Name: DJ Vibes (VnV
Sounds formerly Voice 'n'
Vibes; aka Dean Carby)
How long you been playing? I’ve been DJ-ing for as
far back as I can remember,
but as Vibes, about 8 years.
What do you play? hip
hop, RnB, Reggae/Dancehall, house, Garage and of
course Afrobeats!!!
What you famous for? I
wouldn't say I'm famous
lol, but I'm well known for
several things...
1) my great mix CDs.
2) Being one of the best
and most travelled student
DJs while at University.
3) hosting popular club
nights in the City for a
young and classy crowd.
4) Starting my own audiovisual company (www.vnvsounds.co.uk) and being a
full time business owner to
this day!
5) one of my biggest
USPs... being fully from Jamaican heritage, but playing Afrobeats just as good,
or even better than African
DJs. I have been playing
Afrobeats since around
2006, the early days of
artists such as Styles Plus,
D’Banj and P-Square.
What you doing now?
now I run my business, providing DJs, sound equipment and lighting to events
of all types across london
mainly. As a DJ my popularity, Afrobeats mixing skills
and my love of entertaining has led me to play at
African weddings, amongst
others, on a weekly basis.
I play at mainly nigerian
weddings all over the country and have even been
flown to Barcelona and lA
to DJ at them too. I also
play at Ghanaian, Zimbabwean and weddings of
other African nations too. I
love the various cultures
and I love the music and I
learn more and more at
every event that I go to.
What do you enjoy
about DJ-ing?
the main thing I love about
DJ-ing is the joy you can
bring to people just from
playing good music. As a DJ
sometimes you take music
for granted a bit. Because
you play and listen to a lot
of the same music over and
over throughout the years,
you can forget how emotional people get over certain songs. I have been at
events where just the order
you play songs in, or the
way you mix it causes an
absolute frenzy. this feels
even better when you do
this as part of someone's
special day...a wedding,
birthday, graduation party
etc, or the celebrants themselves, such as the bride
and groom forget everything and get on the dancefloor. It creates magic,
unforgettable moments
that people talk about for
years. that's a good feeling.
What’s hot on your tables right now? there are
just so many! But, if there
were six I had to choose to
take to an African party it
would be my favourites
1. Atupman - the thing
2. D'Banj - oliver twist
3. R2Bees - Kiss your hand
4. R2Bees - Ajeu
5. magic System - Premiere
Gaou
6. Shina Peters - Afro Juju
How people can get an
hold of you? Call me!
020 3021 1370 (office) or
07939 442 500 (mobile) or
email
[email protected]!
34
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
Photographers from across London, under expert tuition from
Chris Nash, exhibit their stunning photography of some of
West London’s finest dancers.
GlA, City hall, the Queen’s
Walk, SE1 2AA.
From 25 Jun-15 Jul, free
Afrobeat and party classics with
DJs Era, MVP and Nyari.
As above. Every second Friday, 10pm-4am
CLUBS
My Desire
The Doctor’s Orders 7th
Birthday
With the magnificent seven JRawls (Lone Catalysts), DJ
Vadim, Ashley Beedle, Mr Thing,
Spin Doctor, Chris P Cuts & Mc
Prankster.
East Village, 89 Great Eastern
Street, london, EC2A 3hX
Early bird £5 | Advance £7 |
Door £10
Fri 13 Jul, 10pm-3am
http://thedoctorsorders.com
Spin Doctor’s Birthday BBQ
With DJs Spin Doctor, Jazzie B
(Soul II Soul)
Rewd Adams & The Last Skeptik,
Mr Thing, Chris Read, Kidkanevil, Excalibah, Chris P Cuts,
Bobafatt, Jim Sharp, DJ Lok,
Nick G, Deke.
hosted by mC Prankster.
Kids welcome until 7pm
Cargo Courtyard, 83 Rivington
Street, london EC2A 3Ay
Sun 15 Jul, midday-midnight
FREE
Silk City
Seyi Shyne Entz & Niroko Onyx
present, with DJs Sean and Era.
Guvnor Bar, Bell lane, off
Dock Road, E16 2AB.
Every 2nd & last Fri of the
month, 10pm-4am
Paparazzi
Sexy Sundays
Old Afrobeats, smoochy music,
funky house, and Soca.
As above
Every Sun, 10pm-3am
Featuring Hiplife, Kwaito,
Bongo, UG Jams, Lingala, with
DJs Pee and Que.
As above
Every 2nd thurs, 10pm-3am
The Social Elite Party
The Social Elite Party for professionals and socialites, with DJs
Ladi and A-Star (Amour).
Steam Bar hilton, 146 Praed
Street, Paddington, W2 1EE.
Every 3rd Fri, 10pm-3.30am
Xhale Fridays
A mix of styles with DJs Kigz
Romeo, Ladi, Elvin and Yemi.
As above
Every Fri, 10pm-late
Pulsations Night
Old Skool with DJs Lawrence,
Andre and Am.
the Railway telegraph, 19
Brigstock Road, CR7 7JJ.
Every last Sat, 10pm-3am
Afro-Carnival Nite
townWATCH
Every first Sat, 10pm-4am
F.A.M.E.
DJs Era and Wavey J conduct
the dancefloor entertainment,
featuring Afrobeats, slow jams,
party classics and hiplife.
As above
Every 2nd Sat, 10pm-4am
BANTU Saturdays
Urban contemporary jams with
a selection of hits from across
Africa. Every BANTU night includes at least one segment dedicated to a wide selection of
contemporary African music
along with the best selection of
Old Skool and the latest Hip
Hop and RnB. With DJs Que
and Clem, MC & DJ Goodie.
APt BAR, Aldermary house,
10-15 Queen Street, EC4n
1tX.
Every first Sat, 10pm-4am
City Life London
RnB, Hip Hop, Funky House,
Bashment, AfroBeats, Hiplife
and more. With DJs Era, French
Kiss, Sawman and Sharf.
Club 2AD, 2 Crutched Friars,
EC3n 2ht.
Every last Friday, 10pm4.30am
Premium Fridays
Deliquence
The maginificent 7 – DJs Ice, Kofi
Amah, Express, Selecta Aff, Commander B, PnP Family, and
Hardy – mash up Pan-African
genres.
the Alabar lounge, 807 high
Road, n17 8ER.
Every Friday.
Mash up with DJs Wiley, MVP
and Guzzle.
legacy nite Club, 135 Finchley Road, nW3 6Jh
Ghana Finest MC Kenny, with
DJs Collo, Ritchie Ranx, Soljah,
Benzo, and Kat (Watford
Afro-centric themed night, promoting multi-culturalism in
style, fashion, glamour & afroswag.
As above.
Every first Sat of the month
@NigerianWatch
Purple Kiss Fridays
Finest).
Solar nightclub, 2 linton
Road, Barking, IG11 8hG.
Every Friday
VIP Fridays
African grooves and dance hall
vibes with DJs Wiley and Vjoj.
Club laface, 169-171 Fore
Street, Edmonton, n18 2XB
Every Fri, 10pm-3.30am
Smooth Thursdays
Massive mix from Afrobeats to
ragga and lovers, with DJs Mac
Pro, Ritchie Ranx, and Soljah.
live and let live, 264-266
Romford Road, E7 9hZ
Every thu, 7pm-3am
Diamond Noir Model Party
Summer Soirée
The Summer Soirée is the hip-hop happening event to mark the
opening of the Olympics
sneakbo
and highlight the boom in
appearing at
talent emerging from
the summer
within the diaspora.
soiree
Hosted by Amal
Fashanu the line-up is a
veritable who’s who of
swagga.
Nneka, Sneakbo,
GFRSH, Mikill Pane, Fem
Fel, Dotstar, SAS, Bigz
Flygerian, and LyricL are among the young guns set to rock the
Troxy, ably supported by comic interludes from comedians Gina
Yashere and A ‘leme tell u sahmting’ Dot.
The Summer Soirée is at the Troxy, Commerical Road, East
London, on Friday July 28, from 8pm ‘til late. Tickets priced £25
standing, £35 seated; VIP packages available, all via
www.realdealpromo.com
RnB, Hiphop, Funky House,
Bashment, New Jack Swing,
Garage, Soul, Rare Groove.
tamarai Bar, 167 Drury lane,
Covent Garden, WC2B 5PG
Every last Sat, 10pm-3am
Every Friday, 9.30pm–3am.
Certified Fridays
Black Velvet
Mega line-up of floor fillers lead
proceedings. Featuring DJs Que,
Talent B2B, Blitzo (Keep it
Blitzo), Crazie (Crazy Sexy
Cool), San, Crazy (D-Squard
Ents) DJ and Drama (Dramatik
Entz), alongside MC & DJ
Goodie, City Vybez (whoa FM
90.4), 4Play Sound (Flames
FM), Mista Style (Lightning FM
90.8),
Club 791 london Road,
thornton heath CR0 6AW.
Every Friday, 10pm–5am
Roblife, DJs Spark’s and Andy
Blixx rock the house.
Global Bar, 333 high Road Ilford, Essex IG1 1tE.
Every thursday, 10pm–5am
Hype Party
Mainsream dancehall grooves
with DJs Kigz Romeo and Darren.
Club 1853, tottenham lane,
london n8 9DJ.
Subsoul
Jazzie B and Spin Doctor have
set up home at the Social, recreating their legendary Africa Centre nights, with soul and disco to
hip hop and house and help
from the likes of Chris P Cuts,
Aitch B, DJ Lok and more. always seen the West End as the
epicenter of the capital’s party
scene.
the Social, 5 little Portland
Street, W1W 7JD
Every Sat
Hip Hop Karaoke
Putting a fresh twist on the ancient art of karaoke, HHK Lets
you get on the mic and act out
your rap fantasies to the fullest.
As above
Every thurs
Madd Raff
Every week, Madd Raff kicks off
with a session by top dancehall
instructor Safwaan Shoshoni of
Pineapple Studios. Plus the very
best in bashment alongside a
whole heap of guest DJs and live
showcases and performances.
It’s all about dancehall and
dancing – so whether you come
for the music, or to get down for
a weekly workout, have your
whistles and your horns at the
ready.
As above. Every Wed
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wordWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
35
BOOK REVIEW
A no-holds barred journey around Nigeria
A travel book on Nigeria by noo Saro-Wiwa – daughter of the
executed author and Ogoniland environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa
– was never going to be a straightforward piece of travel literature,
says fatimah Ya-fanah kelleher
h
aving mainly avoided the country since
her father’s death at the hands of the
Abacha regime in 1995 (excepting brief
visits for her father’s official funeral in 2000
and eventual burial in 2005), Noo Saro-Wiwa’s
return was always going to be permeated with
memories that give the reader uncomfortable
insights into this most personal of homecomings.
However, this is no sad retrospective. Nor is
it an emotive exorcism through outright condemnation. Instead, Saro-Wiwa offers a fear-
less piece of work that soberly yet candidly
tackles the country’s relentless dysfunctions.
Regularly taking large strips off the backs
of corrupt politicians, the ludicrous failures of
the National Electric Power Authority, and any
others she meets whose complacency only
serve to compound the country’s problems, her
narrative is also humorous and sensitive.
Her frustrations appear underpinned by an
indefatigable belief that things don’t need to be
this way; that despite the broken promises and
pain of the last 60 years, Nigeria is still deserving of a better reality.
Travelling for four months across Nigeria’s
length and breadth, Saro-Wiwa clearly attempts to unveil the complexity of Africa’s
most populous nation, perhaps in a way that
only a diasporan can. Clear pictures of human
life and the surrounding environment are deftly
crafted.
In the teeming congestion of Lagos, the entrepreneurial dynamism of the city’s inhabitants is keenly observed alongside their
resilience in the face of needless poverty. In
Kano, the grandiose yet smooth efficiency of
the Emir’s annual Durbar – a centuries old tradition in West Africa’s oldest city – is contrasted with the disjointed attempts since
independence to incorporate secular modernity into its future.
As she moves across the country, she continues to straddle her ongoing frustrations with
growing warmth for the place. In the flagship orderliness of Calabar, the city that
most people agree exhibits the country’s
true potential, she witnesses the “battle of
the two Nigerias: the cooperative side that
tries to impress and provide, versus the selfish and unprofessional side, holding the
other one back”.
The book also takes the time to explore
the country’s pre-colonial past. When exploring the rigour of the Benin Empire, she
wonders why so many African diasporans
seemed fixated on the “caramel complexioned Nubian princesses and Ethiopian
Emperors, while overlooking the civilizations of West Africa”.
In a genre still dominated by the Western eye, Saro-Wiwa offers a different kind
of travelogue on Africa, one that is not just
populated by chanced-upon strangers but
also with aunts, cousins, family friends,
and an intrinsic understanding of cultural
characteristics behind a people everyone
has an opinion on.
But Nigeria is after all, an immensely
diverse country, and there are times in her
travels – particularly in the north – where
her own sense of ethnic alienation from the
surrounding culture leads her to omit layers of complexity and in some cases to
sketch simplistic cultural images. This,
along with the fact she would have needed
many more months to geographically cover the
country comprehensively, leaves a feeling that
many voices have gone unheard.
Given Saro-Wiwa’s background, this was
always going to be a travelogue with one unapologetic string attached: her status as an
Ogoni and the circumstances of her father’s
life, the cause he believed in, and his death. As
a result, the book also serves as a memoir, capturing fragments of her father’s life and of the
Ogoni struggle as a minority people, but one
told without the weightiness of a formal biography or a political treatise.
Although he is mentioned at various points
throughout, the book suddenly offers the
reader an almost voyeuristic exposure into the
family’s tragedy when Saro-Wiwa returns to
the Niger Delta and her indigenous Port Harcourt and paternal Ogoniland village in one of
the final chapters. Tales of her father’s paradoxical strictness and progressive sensibilities
are told with a mixture of conflicting resentment and pride.
The parental loss is then sharply brought
into focus as she shares the disturbingly intimate moments where she and her siblings carefully arrange his reclaimed skeletal remains for
burial, working silently and swiftly in a quiet
room of his ancestral home.
In the end, however, Looking for Transwonderland is a diasporan tale at its heart. Putting
aside the uniqueness of her family legacy, SaroWiwa’s book speaks a language that many first
and second generation Nigerians who have
grown-up abroad will relate to, although there
are many who may bridle at her un-romanticised perspective.
Self-termed as a “voyage of discovery”, her
journey is an exploration of cultural linkages
that have become tenuous as a result of her life
in the UK. Where possible, she re-affirms these
linkages, but is always honest enough to acknowledge her differences of opinion and her
privileged access to the basic needs and services
most Nigerians are still denied.
Noo Saro-Wiwa is indeed a frustrated diasporan, but one that refuses to stop expecting
that things should be better.
looking for transwonderland:
travels in nigeria
by noo Saro-Wiwa
Granta Books
Noo Saro-Wiwa will be appearing at Nigeria
Now on Wednesday 4 July as part of the South
Bank Centre’s Africa Utopia month-long series of cultural events.
Tickets are on sale for £10.
Pictured above: Noo Sara-Wiwa
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36
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
@NigerianWatch
leisureWATCH
TALES BY MOONLIGHT
The Tortoise with a Pretty Daughter
t
here was once a king
who was very powerful.
He had great influence
over the wild beasts and animals. Now the tortoise was
looked upon as the wisest of
all beasts and men. This king
had a son named Ekpenyon,
to whom he gave 50 young
girls as wives, but the prince
did not like any of them. The
king was very angry at this,
and made a law that if any
man had a daughter who was
finer than the prince’s wives,
and who found favour in his
son’s eyes, the girl herself and
her father and mother should
be killed.
Now about this time the
tortoise and his wife had a
daughter who was very beautiful. The mother thought it
was not safe to keep such a
fine child, as the prince might
fall in love with her, so she
told her husband that her
daughter ought to be killed
and thrown away into the
bush. The tortoise, however,
was unwilling, and hid her
until she was three years old.
One day, when both the tortoise and his wife were away
on their farm, the king’s son
happened to be hunting near
their house, and saw a bird
perched on the top of the
fence round the house. The
bird was watching the little
girl, and was so entranced
with her beauty that he did
not notice the prince coming.
The prince shot the bird with
his bow and arrow, and it
dropped inside the fence, so
the prince sent his servant to
gather it. While the servant
was looking for the bird he
came across the little girl, and
was so struck with her form,
that he immediately returned
to his master and told him
what he had seen.
The prince then broke down
the fence and found the child,
and fell in love with her at
once. He stayed and talked
with her for a long time, until
at last she agreed to become
his wife. He then went home,
but concealed from his father
the fact that he had fallen in
love with the beautiful daughter of the tortoise.
But the next morning he
sent for the treasurer, and got
60 pieces of cloth and 300
rods, and sent them to the tortoise. Then in the early afternoon he went down to the
tortoise’s house, and told him
that he wished to marry his
daughter. The tortoise saw at
once that what he had
dreaded had come to pass,
and that his life was in danger,
so he told the prince that if
the king knew, he would kill
not only himself (the tortoise), but also his wife and
daughter. The prince replied
that he would be killed himself before he allowed the tortoise and his wife and
daughter to be killed.
Eventually, after much argument, the tortoise consented, and agreed to hand his
daughter to the prince as his
wife when she arrived at the
proper age. Then the prince
went home and told his
mother what he had done. She
was in great distress at the
thought that she would lose
her son, of whom she was
very proud, as she knew that
when the king heard of his
son’s disobedience he would
kill him.
However, the queen, although she knew how angry
her husband would be,
wanted her son to marry the
girl he had fallen in love with,
so she went to the tortoise and
gave him some money,
clothes, yams, and palm-oil as
further dowry on her son’s behalf in order that the tortoise
should not give his daughter
to another man.
For the next five years the
prince was constantly with the
tortoise’s daughter, whose
name was Adet, and when she
was about to be put in the fatting house, the prince told his
father that he was going to
take Adet as his wife. On
hearing this the king was very
angry, and sent word all
round his kingdom that all
people should come on a certain day to the market-place
to hear the palaver. When the
appointed day arrived the
market-place was quite full of
people, and the stones belonging to the king and queen
were placed in the middle of
the market-place.
When the king and queen
arrived all the people stood up
and greeted them, and they
then sat down on their stones.
The king then told his attendants to bring the girl Adet
before him. When she arrived
the king was quite astonished
at her beauty. He then told the
people that he had sent for
them to tell them that he was
angry with his son for disobeying him and taking Adet
as his wife without his knowledge, but that now he had seen
her himself he had to acknowledge that she was very
beautiful, and that his son had
made a good choice. He would
therefore forgive his son.
When the people saw the
girl they agreed that she was
very fine and quite worthy of
being the prince’s wife, and
begged the king to cancel the
law he had made, and the king
agreed; and as the law had
been made under the ‘Egbo’
law, he sent for eight Egbos
and told them that the order
was cancelled throughout his
kingdom, and that for the future no one would be killed
who had a daughter more
beautiful than the prince’s
wives, and gave the Egbos
palm wine and money to remove the law, and sent them
away. Then he declared that
Adet should marry his son,
and he made them marry the
same day.
A great feast was then
given, which lasted for 50
days, and the king killed five
cows and gave all the people
plenty of foo-foo and palmoil chop, and placed a large
number of pots of palm wine
in the streets for the people to
drink as they liked. The
women brought a big play to
the king’s compound, and
there was singing and dancing
kept up day and night during
the whole time. The prince
and his companions also
played in the market square.
When the feast was over the
king gave half of his kingdom
to the tortoise to rule over,
and three hundred slaves to
work on his farm. The prince
also gave his father-in-law 200
women and 100 girls to work
for him, so the tortoise became one of the richest men
in the kingdom. The prince
and his wife lived together for
a good many years until the
king died, when the prince
ruled in his place. And all this
shows that the tortoise is the
wisest of all men and animals.
Moral Always have pretty
daughters, as no matter how
poor they may be, there is always the chance that the king’s
son may fall in love with them,
and they may thus become
members of the royal house
and obtain much wealth.
Do you recall a favourite Tale by Moonlight? We’d love to print
it. Please forward to [email protected]
PUZZLES
Solutions on page 47
NAIJAKU
QUICK CROSSWORD
Across
1 - Goes before (8)
6 - Make fun of (4)
8 - Wading birds (6)
9 - Gets up (6)
10 - Number of toes (3)
11 - Plant stalk (4)
12 - Mid-day snooze (6)
13 - Large rug (6)
15 - Female relation (6)
17 - Sarcastic (6)
20 - Liability (4)
21 - Not on (3)
22 - Code (6)
23 - Knocks out (6)
24 - Break suddenly (4)
25 - Utopian; visionary (8)
Down
2 - Boat race (7)
3 - Dairy product (5)
4 - Twist out of shape (7)
5 - Large white birds (5)
6 - Overs in cricket in which
no runs are conceded (7) 7 Act fraudulently (5)
14 - Brawl (5-2)
15 - Confused struggle (7)
16 - Goes on board a ship (7)
18 - Rule (5)
19 - Breed of dog (5)
20 - Funny; humorous (5)
WORKINGS
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Don’t ever give up
I
n life, destiny, career, marriage, business, and
in our walk with God, we all aspire to reach
our ultimate goals because living without a
goal is living like a goat. We all aspire, so we
don’t expire.
In our quest in pursuit of reaching our ultimate goals we are faced with a lot of challenges, obstacles and hindrances, and a lot of
discouragement. But the good news is that bad
news can be changed to good news if we do
not give up and give in to defeat, or back out
and back off from trying again.
Most of the time, if not all the time, success
or defeat is decided in our mind. Today, a lot
of people cannot attain their ultimate goal in
life and destiny as a result of numerous obstacles and challenges they have encountered in
their life; they have accepted defeat as their
fate, and conditioned their mind by parking
their life, accepting to settle for an average life.
Yet we are born to excel and live an outstanding life by God’s standard in every area
of our lives. We must never let go of that
knowledge, no matter the obstacles in our
lives. As long as we are on the right track of
our destiny, with God’s help and determination in our mind, we will reach our optimum
height and ultimate destination.
Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are
possible to him who believes” (Mark 9, verse
23, King James Bible).
Our mind needs to be reconditioned by
God’s words and thoughts, so that we can always see possibilities instead of impossibilities.
Let me tell you a story that will illustrate what
I am saying. It involves a scientific experiment
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
religionWATCH
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
by a group of researchers studying the process
of conditioning the mind.
In an aquarium, they placed many minnows and a large pike. A pike is a game fish
that thrives on minnow dinners. Naturally,the
pike gobbled up those little minnows and had
a feast for himself. The scientists then put a
pane of glass across the middle of the aquarium. The pike was contained
on one side of the glass and
then the minnows were added
on the other side. The glass
partition remained in place for
several weeks.
The pike would run up to
the glass, trying to get to the
minnows, but he would just hit
his head, getting nowhere. He
saw the minnows but he
couldn’t get to them.
After a while the scientists
removed the glass. The pike
swam freely all around the minnows, but he
didn’t eat even one of them. Why? Because by
this time, he had been conditioned by the presence of the glass. It had convinced him he
couldn’t eat minnows anymore! Eventually the
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pike died of starvation, although he was totally surrounded by delicious little minnows.
It is the same way with us. We become conditioned to failure, lack and sickness, accepting problems as insurmountable.
Winners are not those who never fail, but
those who never quit! Failure is the result of
coming under the influence of the world of man
instead of the word of God. If
the pike had stopped going by
how things looked, or how he
thought they looked, and acquired a higher knowledge, a
broader perspective, then he
would have devoured a batch of
delicious minnows and lived to
eat more. Instead, he died of
starvation because he refused to
change his thinking.
Knowledge is information,
and the right kind of information gives us the ability to see
things correctly, coming into agreement with
God’s word, which is reality.
I encourage you to renew your mind today.
God’s word says, (Philippians 2, verse 5)
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in
37
Christ Jesus.” Our minds can be released to
new accomplishment, new life and new success
if we renew our minds with God’s way of
thinking. God does not want us to be crushed
by limitation, He wants us to crush them.
Jacob was faced with a lot of challenges,
but at the end he reached his height and destination. Nothing could stop him, because the
covenant of God was with him, and an unwavering desire in his mind to overcome all obstacles on his way (Genesis 26, verses 1-33).
We are created by God for great exploit and
unlimited accomplishments in life, destiny and
our walk with God. If we stay on and never
give up in our mind, but keep trying again and
again, obstacles will definitely turn to miracles.
Stay strong, Stay focused, Get inspired, the
world is waiting to celebrate you. Today, Jesus is
knocking at the door of your heart. Open your
heart to receive and accept him as your Lord and
personal Saviour (Revelation 3, verses 19-22;
Acts:2, verses 37-40). Think, Pray and Take Action to experience undeniable results.
For further help, Prayers and Counselling
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
Ms Lucy Dee’s
YOUNG LOVE
Howdidhedothattome?
While sat in a little Cake Shop just around the corner from
Goodge Street tube station, a friend relayed the past three
months of her life to me. Her story started over two hot chocolates and a slice – which, to be honest, was more like a slab – of
a very indulgent chocolate and banana brownie.
Upon her first comforting sip she began, “Optimistic as ever
and stepping out of one relationship, straight into another, I
thought I was on to a good one. Little did I know, the man who
I was pursuing was not what he seemed.”
Isn’t this ever the case, I thought. What man has ever been
what he seemed at first sight? But I continued to lend my sympathetic ear, as who doesn’t want to hear of such things?
“I was out with the girls,” my friend continued, “when I spied
this tall, muscle-bound hunk, with a smile that could melt an
iceberg, and eyes that could out-stare a tiger… they were that
piercing.” At this point I had to bring my friend back to the
land of the living for fear of an embarrassing moment.
Apparently, once looks had been exchanged – coy, or probably coquettish on her behalf – said Tigerman had hovered
around my friend’s table all night, before finally pouncing and
asking her to dance. Swoon.
Ah, but seemingly, as ever, my friend Desiree, who is known
as the swoon, had swooned too soon. “Ah, Lucy,” she continued. “You know, I’ve never really been lucky in love and although I always found myself with men that I was attracted to
from the onset, they always turned out to be far from as beautiful as their looks, which, at first, is what catches my attention.
“Admittedly I’m shallow about looks.” I must admit to being
glad that she said that. “When it comes to looks versus personality I can’t help myself, looks have always trumped.”
Oh, poor Desiree, who had previously told me in a coffee shop
in Covent Garden how “as I’ve got older I no longer fall for
every handsome guy I meet.” When I pointed this out, most
kindly, Desiree continued, “I know, I know, but Tigerman swept
me off my feet that night. He persisted to ask me for my number
and reluctantly after a few hours of dancing – and cheeky snogs
– I gave him my number. Within two days we had already had
our first date and he had given me ‘girlfriend’ status.”
Why do certain men and women do this? Assume that “we”
are together but by no means actually ask for confirmation?
For two months Desiree had slipped into the very comfortable role of being Tigerman’s girlfriend and being swept into a
love story that history told me before she did was only going
to end miserably. He had informed her he had a daughter –
which she felt was so honest of him that she believed without
question that he worked as an IT consultant for a large bank.
“Lucy, I was in heaven,” she continued. “We spent most of
our days in bed when I wasn’t at work, since, as you know, I am
on graveyard shifts as a manager of a bistro in Shoreditch. Then
various male friends started asking horrible questions…”
Like the one that sprang to my mind; how, with such a job,
as an IT consultant for a large bank, was Tigerman always so
readily available?
“This led me to start to wonder,” admitted Desiree. “How
comes we were always at my flat? We’d never once stepped foot
in his flat nor had I even seen it, let alone have the address.”
Listening to the story, took us to our second round of hot
chocolate and the superb cake special of the day, a carrot cake
which had mascarpone icing and was served by a delightfully
handsome Persian-looking young man, which, to be honest, we
both would have preferred to have had on the plate.
Round two, Desiree began by shoveling a large forkful of carrot cake and saying that recently when she confronted him with
the horrid thoughts occasioned by the horrid questions posed
by her male friends, Tigerman had revealed he had cheated on
her.... “How?” she proclaimed. “When we spent practically
every waking moment with each other? Were there times we
were apart that I couldn’t account for? But Lucy there wasn’t,
unless he did not really spend those hours at the work, as he
had aforementioned....
To Be Continued....
personAlWATCH
@NigerianWatch
Dear Eki
For answers or advice on life issues, Write to Dear Eki, Nigerian
Watch, Chartwell House, 292 Hale Lane,
Edgware HA8 8NP, or email: [email protected]
I’VE FALLEN FOR AN OLDER MAN
I've fallen in love with a man 15 years older than me and my family disapprove. I am 23 and he is 38. We
would like to get married after I graduate. What can I do? I love this man, but I don’t want to lose my
close relations with my family, or see him behind their backs.
tola, london
According to popular belief, the only reason a girl would date an older man is for money, or because she’s got daddy issues. That
kind of mentality is very hard to shake. We don’t choose who we fall for, sometimes love just happens. Cupid strikes and it’s on target and we are left powerless to resist.
If you are certain about your feelings, have a serious discussion with your family. Try not to act all defensive, tell them that you
are there to listen and would like to know why the age is an issue for them. Go in there with an open mind and listen to their concerns. Convince them that you are with him purely for love.
You might find that they actually don’t have a problem with it but are only worried about your being hurt or what people would
say. Believe it or not, society and gossip impact people’s attitudes on certain issues (believe me I’ve experienced this first hand). No
one likes to feel embarrassed or be the topic of gossip.
I CAN’T BEAR MY
STEP-DAUGHTER
Dear Eki,
My step-daughter shows me no
respect. She talks to me like dirt,
rolls her eyes, is aggressive and
hostile, slams doors in my face
and pushes all my buttons. But
she is the apple of her father’s
eye. He thinks I’m unkind to her
and is very overprotective. I think
she has no boundaries or manners. What can I do?
Ade, london
Step-daughters can be very difficult, but at
the end of the day you cannot expect your
husband to pick one of you because you
might lose. The bond between fathers and
their daughters cannot be explained. She
was his daughter before he met you and she
will remain his daughter forever. That
would explain the over-protectiveness and
you cannot change that. She was there before you married him so you knew the kind
of baggage he came with. All you can do is
be civil in this matter.
Based on the limited information you
gave me, I have to assume that she acts this
way because it is either you were the reason
her parents separated, or she feels you are
trying to replace her mother. If it is the former, there is really nothing I can say to help;
it was the price you were willing to pay to
land your man. You cannot expect her to
like you after disrupting her young life so,
and such animosity rarely goes away.
If it’s the latter, then you just have to
show her you are not trying to replace her
mum and that you will never replace her
mum. Speak to her; ask her why she is behaving the way she is and try to understand
things from her point of view.
Treat her with kindness, like you would
treat your own child. Most step children expect their step-mothers to be horrible, like
in the Fairy tales and the movies they
watch. So, when you are extremely kind to
them it throws them off balance and they
don’t know how to react. Don’t expect to
see a change immediately, it might take a
while, but soon she will tire of being nasty,
especially as dawns on her that you are not
trying to replace her mother.
On the other hand you could be right;
she might just be a spoilt brat with no
boundaries or manners. Answer these questions honestly; is she the same way with
everyone else? Are there complaints from
school? Other family members?
If it is evident it’s not solely a clash between you then you must speak to your husband about her, for her own sake, as this
behaviour will damage her life chances in
the future.The way she is brought up will
determine the kind of person she becomes
and if she is being spoilt now and made to
feel like there are no boundaries in life, then
she will grow up believing that and it will
only lead to no good. It could be that later
in life she’ll start being rude to your husband too.
Bad character needs to be nipped in the
bud. You both need to speak to her about
her behaviour and get her to change. The
three of you need to sit down and have a
good long talk. Tell her how you feel, hear
how she feels too and set some rules on how
you need to treat each other. To make this
work, your husband needs to back you up
on everything you say.
FLIRTY TEXTS
AREN’T TO ME
Dear Eki,
I think my husband is having an
affair. He doesn’t know I have
read his text messages on his
mobile phone, but he is clearly
flirting with someone – and it
isn’t me!
obi, london
Confront him immediately.The soonerhe
knows you know,thebetter; and the quicker
you’ll be able tostop thingsbetweenhim and
theotherwoman from goingfurther.You
mustchoosetheappropriatetime and place
todo it, toavoid making a difficultsituation
moreexplosive.Makeit a time when you
havegatheredyourselfand arecomposed.
Calmly, lethim knowyou sawthetext
messages.He mighttry to make youfeelbad
by sayingyouwent throughhis phonewithouthispermission.Though thatwas wrong,
lethim know it’snot the issueat hand;the
issueis the flirtytexts betweenhim and the
otherwoman. Askhim why he didit?How
long ithas beengoingon?How he feels
aboutthewoman? Has itgone furtherthan
just texting?Andnow you’ve foundout,
what doesheintend todo?Listencarefully
tohisanswers soyoucan decideon the best
actiontotake (i.e wheretogo from there).
Only youwillknow if hehas a plausiblereasonto explainthetexts.
Meanwhile, trynot totell the whole
worldabout it.Of courseit isunderstandablethat youwould want to shareyour pain
withfamily andfriends,just be carefulwho
youshare yourpainwith. Theywillprobably
not haveexperiencedsucha thing sogive
you bad adviceand themorepeopleyoutell
theharderthingswill beif youand him decideto reconcile,asthose youtold abouthis
flirtingcouldstillharbourresentmentand
anger towardshim.
The most important thingafteryou’ve
forgiven him is tofocuson restoringyour
marriage. Forget aboutherand nevermentiontheissueagain. I know weare humans
andwe wouldalways liketorefer back to
momentswhen we’vefeltbetrayed, but it’s
veryunwise asit would signalthat you
haven’tmoved on from the whole issue.
If it’sjustflirtingand nothingmore, then
thereis noneed todissolveyour marriage.
Work onyour marriage and try tore-build
thetrustthat was previouslythere.After all,
therewas a reasonyouboth got marriedin
thefirst place.Try to find it againand dwell
onit toget youthroughthe trialsthat you
face. LikeI always say, Ican onlyadvise
basedoninformation I have beengiven.The
finaldecisionisyours.
40
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
@NigerianWatch
trAvelWATCH
Akuppa John Wigham/flickr
THE ALGARVE AND (THE ORIGINAL!) LAGOS
Africa’s heritage is writ large over
the Algarve region of Portugal,
which, with its English-language
newspapers, offers a double dose
of home from home for Naijas
JUSt two hours away, Portugal’s
Algarve region is one of those
parts of southern Europe that
sees its population more than
double over the summer
months as tourists flock there in
their thousands.
Understandably so, as sun,
sea, sand and sangria are guaranteed on the south coast, particularly in the Algarve region, of
which Lagos, yes, Lagos is one of
them - reflecting the country’s
African heritage.
Lagos, Portugal, was named
such by African Moors who arrived in the area from the
Maghreb in the 8th century. The
Moors called the area Al-Gharb,
of which today’s Algarve derives
its name.
Somewhat ironically, in 1472,
Portuguese explorer Rui de Sequeira visited Nigeria and on
seeing the natural harbour decided to name the town Lagos
after the Portuguese port of the
same name.
The Algarve is such a popular
destination for northern European tourists, particularly
Britons, that it has local English
newspapers, so for most of us
language is no barrier.
In addition to its lovely sandy
beaches, the Algarve boasts
beautiful scenery with over 100
miles of exotic cliff faces, with at
the right time of year exotic
wildlife; many birds visit during
the migration season such as
flamingos, egrets and spoonbills. The coastline also boasts
many breathtaking lagoons,
such as Ponta de Piedade in
Lagos.
In the spring wild orchids can
be found growing in the Algarve
while vines, almonds and citrus
fruits are cultivated alongside
many cork forests. And, of
course, increasingly famously,
golf courses, which attract
celebrities such as Jimmy Tarbuck
and many Premiership footballers. There are 38 in total and
prices for a round range from 44
euros to 150, to book a round on
the Faldo golf course. Perhaps
somewhat surprisingly, the
sharp-eyed might get to see
chameleons, which were introduced to Portugal from Africa
around 70 years ago.
The country’s history, dating
back to the Romans, through the
Moorish occupation and Spanish
conquests, is reflected in many
historic landmarks.
Lagos boasts many historic
buildings, such as the governor’s
castle and remarkable sculptures, such as the Sculpture of
Dom Sebastio, which is a famous
meeting point - being in the
main square - and is colloquially
known as the space man.
Elsewhere, Albufeira offers
all the joys of an old town, and
boasts the Montechoro Strip –
with a wild choice of bars, clubs
and restaurants.
The Portuguese have music in
their soul, so nightlife choices
are many and varied. Fado is the
country’s roots music – a type of
folk music traditionally involving
singing, a 12-string guitar and
Spanish guitar. But they are also
partial to jazz, African-influenced music and rock.
Food varies from region to region but being so near the coast
fish is a staple, with salt cod and
sardines – real sardines are little
like what you get out of a tin
here – being very popular, as are
meaty stews, grilled chicken and
spicy piri-piri sauce. It’s sounding
more than ever like home from
home, except for the sunshine.
There is a wide range of hotels to choose from, with prices
ranging from £15 a night at a 2star to £180 a night at the 5-star
Sheraton. Self-catering apartments are also available and are
keenly priced; especially good
for families with young children,
for whom there is always a warm
welcome from the family-centric
Portuguese.
So next time you say you’re
going to Lagos, maybe it will be
the original.
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
educAtionWATCH
41
The secret to academic success
Over the summer holidays, while the poor go on vacation the rich are going to summer school
AT THIS TIME OF YEAR MOST parents
are looking forward to the end of the school
year and to the long summer holidays, with
respite from the tedium of homework and tests.
However, it is during this period that the
biggest difference between the rich and poor is
most evident. Have you ever wondered why
some children seem to be always ahead while
some are playing catch up? It is simply just a
matter of understanding how the rich treat the
summer holidays and then your child can also
be ahead from the start of term.
Many parents complain about how children
attending public schools are ahead of those
that attend state schools. They grumble that
public-school children have better teachers and
that rich children therefore have privileges and
advantages over their state school friends. Although these are fair comments, it is also true
that the rich, or better-informed parents treat
school holidays and breaks in a different way.
From my experience, as an education resources
retailer and teacher, I would suggest that the
gap in academic achievement has a lot to do
with what children do during the long summer
holidays.
During the holidays parents of lower socioeconomic status tend to give their children a
break. They believe their children have had a
hard year and need to enjoy the time off. However, parents of middle and higher socio-economic status don’t hold with such a belief.
Instead, they send their children to summer
school, where, as well as having fun and meeting new people, their children practise new subjects and topics.
Most parents would agree that the summer
holiday is not good for their children’s brains
and that during the holidays children tend to
forget many things they learned in school before the holidays. When assessing children in
September, teachers have to take into account
that pupils’ brains are sluggish from a lack of
use over the holidays. It is therefore not difficult to see how keeping a child learning over
the holiday benefits them academically.
A child who has retained his or her knowledge over the holiday will have a higher score
in September and will build from their knowledge base, whereas those who have forgotten
things will lose ground while they catch up over
the autumn term. Indeed, the UK government
has understood this and this year a £200,000
pilot project to introduce American style summer schools in the UK will be piloted in Edmonton, North London, targeting mainly
children on free school meals in Year 5 and 6. Poor or rich, all children can maintain an
academic advantage if parents take heed of
what the rich do with their children. Here are
some activities for parents to do with their children over the summer holiday. There is something for everyone, and not all involve spending
money, just a little effort.
• Practise Times Tables look for opportunities to make it fun, e.g. timing how long it
takes to recite tables forward or backward,
taking turns.
• Practise Number Patterns e.g.
square/prime numbers. these crop up regu-
larly in entrance exam questions.
• Read Books Join the local library reading
challenge, or set your own. For example, read
a book a week from different categories – poetry; sci-fi; fiction/non-fiction; auto/biographies – and ask your child to write a report.
• Learn a New Skill e.g. cooking or knitting/crochet gives children a chance to practise numeracy and reasoning skills.
• Learn New Words Summer is a good time
to challenge everyone to learn new vocabulary. try the following list of words:
apprehensive befuddle
meagre
contort
arduous
beleaguered
meander
convey
atrocious
bland
morose
ominous
avenge
blunder
musty
• Use Local Amenities e.g. the park or swimming pool. Discuss the outing with your child;
try to encourage all the senses – see; touch;
hear; smell; taste; feel (emotion). A nature
walk in the woods can be fun – try Kew Gardens, or one of the london parks. take a pair
of binoculars and small reference book. you
can all learn to identify and name different
animals and plants e.g. birds and wild flowers
(you can adapt this for the beach). Also in the
forest, use a magnifying glass to see insects
and bugs up close, or show your children how
to use a compass, to understand the direction
in which they are walking.
• Keep a Diary Encourage your child to write
every day, including what they have done, descriptions of places they have visited, the
weather, and how they felt.
• Write a Personal Statement year 12 children should have attempted these before
school recommences, especially if applying for
medicine, dentistry or oxbridge universities
(oxford or Cambridge). Ask your more enlightened friends to read over the statement
and offer amendments for your child.
• Visit Universities this is useful if your child
is entering year 12, or just a way of encouraging younger children to aim high. Just as you
researched the schools that your children attend, it is essential to research and visit universities. During term-time it may be difficult
to attend all the open days, so it is good to
visit some of the universities when everyone
is relaxed and there are no other pressures on
time.
• Enrol for Summer School this is essential
for children facing key transition in the next
year (years 1-2; 4-6; 9-11 and 12).
USEFUL SUMMER SCHOOL
COURSES
Years 1-9 children
the Advance tutorial College summer school
runs from 23 July – 17 August. It provides a
chance for children to practise subjects they
found difficult, or to learn new topics for the
new academic year. the popular 2-week 11+
Course for year 5 children is set to be in great
demand, as state school entrance exams have
changed this year. For further information call
Simona on tel: 020 8959 9825, or by email: [email protected]
Years 11-12
Courses are designed to enable children to
practise and gain insight to subjects they may
take for ‘A’ levels, or courses for university.
The London School of Economics
offers over 60 intensively taught 3-week university-level courses in Accounting, Finance,
law, Economics, International Relations, Government and Society, which are taught at the
central london campus. For further information visit; http://www2.lse.ac.uk/study/summerSchools/summerSchool/home.aspx
King’s College London offers universitylevel summer courses, which use a fresh approach to the study of traditional academic
subjects. For further information visit;
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/summerschool/in
dex.aspx
University College London (UCL) runs a
number of summer schools for students in
years 11 and 12. the summer schools aim to
give students a taste of university life and the
degree programmes that UCl offers. the target medicine summer school helps students
find out what life is like as a medical student
and doctor, and aims to give students the confidence to pursue medicine as a career. For
furtherinformationvisit;http://www.ucl.ac.uk/
prospective-students/widening-participation/activities/summer-schools
Sutton Trust Summer Schools are free, subject-specific residential courses for year 12 (or
equivalent) students from UK state schools.
the summer schools allow students to explore their interest in one of 22 subjects and
gain an insight into what it is like to live and
study as a first-year undergraduate student at
Cambridge. the programme includes lectures,
seminars, discussion groups, practical work
and social activities. For further information
visit; http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/access/year12summerschool/
The Debate Chamber Summer Schools offers students aged 15-18 the opportunity to
find out more about their favourite subjects,
prepare for university applications, and enjoy
a completely new approach to learning. For
further information visit; http://www.debatechamber.com/summerschools/?gclid=CmtmiuWVw7ACFUyntAod2B0hXw
This being Olympics year, there will also be
many opportunities to get involved in sporting
activities. So let your children get involved but
just remember to follow the rich people and
send your children to school this summer.
Sylvia Watts-Cherry
Director, Advance Educational Services Ltd
#
"
!
"
42
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July 2012
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A star is born in EMI’s Tina
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
propertyWATCH
43
SPOTLIGHT ON
Still in the throes of rapid
gentrification,
Dalston’s
blend of 18th, 19th and 20th
century
property
and
dynamic culture continues to
attract investors, wanderers
and residents alike.
Historically framed by the
Kingsland High Street in the
west, London Fields in the east,
and Shoreditch to the south,
today’s Dalston is often viewed
as the area that envelopes both
sides of the High Street, despite
some of its west side falling
under the London Borough of
Islington.
Dalston is well known for its
vibrant cultural pulse, brought
about by the predominance of
young professionals and young
families among its inhabitants.
But its relative isolation, as a
result of previosuly poor transport links, means that it has it
has managed to retain its character over the years – despite it
being only a stone’s throw from
central London.
So Ridley Road Market,
famed for both its beigles by
late night revellers and food
and textiles by the AfroCaribbean community, remains
a lively hub. But a new Dalston
has rapidly emerged in recent
times, with bijoux cafés vying
for space with English Language Schools in anonymous
buildings.
Meanwhile, finally, improved transport links are making Dalston more than
desirable. The addition of overground stations in nearby Hoxton and Shoreditch provide
speedy links to Canary Wharf
via the Jubilee Line, as well as
northwards to Canonbury and
Highbury and Islington. Also
within reach is the Olympic
Park in Stratford.
Major property developers
Barratt Developments, United
House Developments and
Telford Homes all have projects
underway in Dalston, building
around 850 new homes between them – all within minutes
of the recently reopened Dalston Junction overground station. Consequently, housing in
Dalston exhibits a fusion of
sustainable contemporary developments with historical and
more orthodox solutions.
A collaboration between
Barratt and the London Development Agency is set to yield a
five-acre plot offering flats of
between one and three bedrooms from around £270,000.
The idea is to make Dalston a
welcoming, pedestrian neighbourhood, attracting major
high street names and encouraging a more local economy.
Meanwhile, the Telford
Homes development – known
as Kinetica (pictured right) –
has already sold more than
60% of its one, two and three
bedroom apartments. The remaining properties start at
£260,000 for a one-bed and go
up to around £415,000 for a
three-bedroom apartment.
The prices, Telford says, reflect the ecological and social
credentials of the development.
The building features a brown
roof designed to entice birds, a
vertical wind turbine spanning
the height of seven floors, and
a roof terrace complete with a
children’s play area.
Those that prefer more traditional housing, however,
should look to the neighbouring streets, where a relatively
more modest £200,000 will
fetch a one-bedroom flat.
And thanks to the efforts of
local conservation groups,
there is still period housing
available, such as the Georgian
houses that sit on Dalston
Square.
sarflondondunc/flickr
Dalston
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44
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
propertyWATCH
@NigerianWatch
Port Harcourt was purpose
built by Lord Lugard to be a
thriving commercial centre
with green credentials. After
decades of neglect, the city is
returning to its original
environmentally-friendly
status thanks to the Greater
Port Harcourt City Plan
THEY CALL IT THE GARDEN CITY
Built by the then governor-general Lord Lugard from a small village known as Igwe Ocha
into a metropolitan centre that is home to a
port, Port Harcourt is today the hub of the
Nigerian oil industry. Named after the then
secretary of state for colonies Lewis Vernon
Harcourt, the City is the capital of Rivers State
and effectively Nigeria’s third largest after
Lagos and Abuja, writes Ayo Akinfe.
The original vision for Port Harcourt was
for an urban centre centred round tree-lined
streets and avenues, open spaces and an upmarket government reservation area (GRA), to
house the well-heeled. Over the decades, however, things were allowed to deteriorate but
now the city is returning to the original state
from which it got its nickname, the garden city.
Today Port Harcourt is on the up big time
as a result of the Rivers State government decision in 2009 to expand the city under its ambitious Greater Port Harcourt City plan.
Governor Rotimi Amaechi is spearheading
the expansion of the city from its original size
of about 500sq km into a mega-city, to be
known as Great Port Harcourt, that covers
about 1,900sq km, incorporating surrounding
towns and villages.
Facilitating the plan is the Greater Port
Harcourt City Development Authority
(GPHCDA). This encompasses eight local
government areas, including Port Harcourt,
Ogu Bolo, Eleme, Ikwere, Etche, Obio Akpor,
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widespread construction of new
houses, schools, parks, office complexes, a golf course, an urban transport network, a new sewage system
and a waste management facility
among other things, GPHCA is led
by an administrator with his own
management team.
Governor Amaechi and his team
are intent on securing as much private sector funding for the expansion
as possible. To that end several packages are being offered to investors, to
woo them to Port Harcourt under a
public-private partnership programme.
Among them is GPH Investor
First; a package for pioneer investors, who may get a tax holiday
of up to five years for any investment in the new city. Also available
is the Mass Housing Guaranty
Package, under which an investor
must build a minimum of 300 housing units within a set time frame and
in return will get a percentage of offtake guarantees.
Also available is an innovator package, for
which prospective investors will qualify for
GPH land. There is also a premium investor
offer for high-end investors who will be entitled to special concessions. Finally, there is the
GPH Green Initiative for environmentally
friendly projects, which meet carbon credit requirements.
This entire project is part of a large scale
urban renewal programme aimed at the overall
improvement of the city, with a particular emphasis on its waterfront areas. The waterfront
redevelopment, however, involved the widespread demolition of informal settlements,
with the consequent eviction and relocation
and eviction of its inhabitants, the majority of
them tenants.
This renewed emphasis on development has
boosted Port Harcourt’s profile and resulted in
gentrification, sending house prices soaring. A
four bedroom flat in the upmarket GRA now
sells for about ₦30m (£120,000), whereas in the
more modest Ozuoba, you can get a house
twice the size for that.
Rents are equally expensive with a six bedroom flat in GRA costing about ₦7.5m
(£30,000) per annum. Most landlords would
ask for at least one year’s rent in advance and
normally get it because a lot of these properties are hired by oil companies seeking properties for their staff.
Because Port Harcourt has an international
airport, is home to all the major oil companies,
is a state capital and serves as a hub for commerce with East and Central Africa, its population has continued to grow, to an estimated
1.1 million.
Over the last 20 years, security has been an
issue in the city, due to the Niger Delta crisis
but of late, this has abated, following President
Yar’Adua’s amnesty programme. Kidnappings
are far less and militants are no longer occupying the premises of oil companies, making it
easier for both visitors and expatriates to move
to the city.
Night life in Port Harcourt is fantastic as
the city boasts of a plethora of nightclubs,
bars, restaurants and top class hotels. There are
no cultural restrictions on how far people can
go when it comes to enjoying themselves and
the local people are warm and receptive.
In the main, Port Harcourt is a great place
to visit and an ideal location to settle if you are
a diasporan thinking of returning home. With
the ongoing renovations and expansion taking
place, the Rivers State government hopes to
make it a leafy and green metropolis that will
genuinely reflect its status as the garden city.
For more information on investment opportunities, visit:
www.gphcity.com/investments/index.php
45
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NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
sportWATCH
Is this the new
Lewis Hamilton?
From the sport that gave us many of today’s
Formula 1 stars, including Britain’s Lewis
Hamilton, another star looks set to burn
brightly in the shape of 14-year-old
Nigerian Inem Coker.
And Inem, from Colchester, has set his sights
on one day racing in Formula 1. Having only
been racing for the past two years, Inem competed in the opening rounds of Formula Kart
Stars (FKS) – one of two British national kart-
ing series – back in April, where he wound up
winning the round 2 final.
FKS’ list of alumni currently includes the
likes of Hamilton, who is quoted on its website
as saying, “I wouldn't be in F1 if I hadn’t come
through this series.”
Indeed, the British speed demon has been an
inspiration to the young Inem. “I like Hamilton’s
aggressive style and dedication,” he said, admitting to pursuing such a driving style himself.
“I started in indoor karting where the karts
slide about a bit more. That’s why now I have my
kart set up looser so that it does the same on the
outdoor tracks.”
Currently, Inem is competing in both national championships, in pursuit of his F1
dream. “Karting is the place that most Formula
One drivers – if not all of
them – started,” he says. “I
hope to reach Formula
One and I think karting is
the right place to start, but
as I get older I think I will
need to work my way up
through the ranks in faster
cars.”
However, the path to
top level motor racing may
be a long one, and one not
just hindered by the pressure of the challenge, according to Inem’s father,
Ope.
He said that a recent
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trip to Scotland to take part in a national championship race there cost a total of around £2,130
in hotels, petrol, tyres and other equipment.
Inem missed out on the third round of the
British championships race in Cumbria in midJune after being unable to raise sponsorship
money to compete. This is something that Ope
is looking to resolve as soon as possible.
“Racing is a very expensive business. We are
currently competing in both British championships but cannot compete properly unless we
can raise some money,” says Ope.
Inem is due to get back behind the steering
wheel again on July 15, where he’ll be racing at
the national championships in Hoddesdon,
Hertfordshire. He currently sits fourth in the national championship there.
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sportWATCH
NIGERIAN WATCH
July 2012
47
RECORDS TUMBLE IN PRE-OLYMPIC TRIALS
time
or
Metu ran
By CHUK IKÉH
money.”
10.11secs to
In
the
leave Egwero
in second place, posting a time of 10.19secs. women’s 100m heat, favourite Blessing Okagbare
Meanwhile, Stanley Azie ran 10.32secs to clinch successfully defended her 100m crown with a histhird. Metu went on to make it a double celebra- torical fourth successive All-Africa athletics win
tion for himself, with a win in the 200m final later in an A-standard time of 11.12secs. Gloria
in the evening. Metu posted 20.91secs, qualifying Asunmu and Oludamola Osayomi followed
closely in her wake and are likely to join her in
in the top bracket in the process.
The sprinter, who spent the spring training in the NOC’s final draft.
Beijing 2008 bronze medalist Okagbare then
Jamaica and the US, hinted that his personal
best is yet to come this summer, saying, “I am warmed hearts further when she followed up her
happy. I have proved that changing one’s training track triumph with a huge lifetime best in the
regime and coach can sometimes be beneficial. long jump. Okagbare soared over 6.97m to
Despite taking the title in Calabar, my best is yet trump Chinazom Amadi (6.60m) and Uhunoma
to come. My aim is to do well at the Olympics in Osazuwa (6.52m). The Nairobi 2010 African
London and not just become a local champion Championships silver medalist, Comfort Onyali,
took fourth place with a 6.44m jump.
in Nigeria.”
Afterwards, Okagbare said, “I am really
Meanwhile, Team Nigeria head coach, Innocent Egbunike, said that Metu’s hard work happy defending the title here in Calabar. It was
had paid off, commenting, “He had challenges not an easy race considering those who were in
coming to the camp, but I’m happy that some the line up. It is something that I need to celeof the athletes from that camp have seen that brate.”
Athletes had to achieve either ‘A’ or ‘B’ stan[Metu’s training abroad] was not a waste of
SECRET WEAPON (CONT)
the sophomore, who was born in Canada to
nigerian parents, says that making appearance for
nigeria at the olympics would be the realisation of
his “dream”. “It has always been a dream of mine to
play in the olympics,” Ejim said. “the nigerian
coaches contacted me and suggested I go through
the tryouts. I am really looking forward to it.”
It is hoped that Ejim will make a strong impact in
the play-offs in Caracas that will determine whether
d’tigers get on the plane to london.
Ejim is part of the 15-man squad that will fly to
the Venezuelan capital to take part in the final qualifying campaign, which will see nigeria face off
against the hosts – who sit just below nigeria in the
world rankings at 22 – and lithuania, who have been
named the fifth best team in the world, according to
the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur’s (FIBA) roster.
D’tigers have put on encouraging displays in a recent tour of China and the US in preparation for the
qualifiers. An 84-54 win over Foshan long lions basketball club at the Jiangmes Stadium was followed
in quick succession by fixtures against Fujian
Quanzhou Bank at Zhong Shan City, and a double
face-off against Shanxi Zhongyu.
this was followed by a hard-fought victory
against team GB in houston, in which D’tigers overcame the olympic host nation in overtime.
team GB has already qualified for london 2012
and could meet nigeria again in the tournament
proper, should the latter emerge from their Caracas
exploit successful.
If nigeria qualifies for the olympics, they will become one of 12 teams divided across two groups.
Group A contains favourites the US, while team GB
has already booked a place in Group B.
But the recent string of spirited performances and
victories will give D’tigers much encouragement for
qualification and, eventually, competition against
the world’s best, with a squad that contains a number of American-based members and players with
experience of competing in some of the world’s top
basketball leagues.
Before then, however, the team will be whittled
down to just 12 members, of which Ejim hopes to be
one.
dards – qualifying benchmarks set by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) – in order
to book their plane tickets for London 2012. In
some disciplines, meeting the second tier standards meant that athletes would be considered
to join the final party.
As an added incentive for competitors, president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria
(AFN) Solomon Ogba announced a N2million
prize for those who were able to make the top
standards of performances in their respective
events. He also stressed that the trials were not a
free-for-all and that only Nigeria’s best would be
competing.
Meanwhile, Commonwealth Games triple
jump champion Tosin Oke leapfrogged his previous national record of 17.22m by an extra centimetre at the trials, while in the long jump pit
Stanley Gbagbeke put in a 8.2m jump to win the
men’s round.
The top 44 athletes who took part in the trials
have made their way en masse to the Stade
d’Lamite in Port Novo, Benin Republic, where
they will be involved in the 18th African Senior
Athletics Championships on 27 June before
the final Olympic squad is announced.
The group headed to Benin comprises
19 male and 25 female athletes – including
the likes of Metu and Okagbare – and will
look to improve on the five gold medals that
the team won last year, which placed them
in second place behind hosts Kenya. The
championships will be the final audition for
the Games proper.
But the trials in Calabar will offer supporters of Team Nigeria plenty of hope for
the summer, with many of the country’s
best athletes proving their readiness for the
competition.
G oIowaState
A national record, two lifetime bests and several
personal bests were achieved as Nigeria’s Olympic
track and field hopefuls excelled themselves to
make the grade for selection for London 2012 at
the All Nigeria Cross River Championships at the
end of June.
Around 350 athletes took part in the trials,
which were used as an opportunity by the Nigerian Olympics Committee (NOC) to decide which
athletes will be selected to represent the country
in their discipline when the Games officially
begin on July 27.
The competition saw one athlete break a national record and several others achieve personal
or lifetime bests in their disciplines, which will
offer further encouragement for medal-hungry
Team Nigeria.
Three-time Nigerian sprint champion,
Obinna Metu, showed that he is up for the challenge of being the country’s number one sprinter
at the Games, when he reclaimed his 100m title
from Ogoho-Oghene Egwero with a lifetime best
performance, to once again become Nigeria’s
fastest man.
PUZZlE SolUtIonS
SPORT WATCH
July 2012
MEET THE
NEW LEWIS
HAMILTON
INSIDE
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nigeria’s basketball team
D’tigers have unveiled the secret weapon they hope will
help propel them to olympic
glory, writes Chuk Ikéh.
Step forward college hotshot
and nBA prospect melvin Ejim.
After a stellar season in the national Collegiate Athletic Association (nCAA) league with the
Iowa State Cyclones, Ejim hopes
to provide an extra cutting edge
to D’tigers’ plays.
Ejim’s stats for the 2011-12
nCAA season are impressive, as
his 12 “honourable mentions”, a
points average of 9.3 and a rebound average of 6.6 prove.
Ejim hit a purple patch towards
the end of the season, confirming
his ‘fox in the box’ reputation, averaging 10.9 points and 7.1 rebounds in ‘Big 12’ games. his
rebounding total ranked him sixth
best player in ‘Big 12’ league play.
his efforts helped see the Cyclones tie for third place in the
‘Big 12’ play-offs and advance to
the third round of the nCAA
championship. the nCAA is a recruiting ground for nBA teams.
Stars such as Dwayne Wade and
Kevin Durant started out there
before being drafted into the
world’s top basketball league.
Continued on page 47
Kendra Plathe/Iowa State Daily
D’TIGERS’ SECRET WEAPON!
OLYMPIC ATHLETES SET PRE-GAMES RECORDS