Category: Life – The Midweek Magazine

There is trouble in a residential estate in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital following the demolition of some properties, writes ROSEMARY NWISI

 

Landlords of Royal Estate, an upcoming residential Estate in Rukpokwu community of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, have been thrown into distress following the sudden demolition of their properties by an elder in the community, Apostle Bartholomew Egonu. Egonu, an octogenarian, claims ownership of the property.

The Chairman, Royal Estate Landlords Association, Mr. Edward Wonkwo-Tasie, alleged that armed personnel of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Monitoring Unit in the state accompanied the bulldozer that destroyed the structures in the estate and displaced the residents.

Tasie said: “A bulldozer was seen at the estate on January 13, 2021, and by the next day, January 14, they began to pull down structures in the estate; all efforts to stop them failed, not even the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Rumuokoro Police Division was able to stop them, the IGP men boasted that they do not take orders from the state Commissioner of Police(CP), let alone a DPO, they insisted that they are answerable to the IG.

“Apostle Egonu contracted the bulldozer that pulled down structures in the place, including the gates of the estate and displaced the rightful owners of the property and the residents.

“Men of the IGP monitoring provided security to the land grabbers, they were later stationed at the estate to ensure that no one goes in or comes out of the estate.

“This estate started in 2015, people have been building and moving in there, tenants and Landlords are in the place, nobody has come to disturb or claim anything there until now.

“This land belonged to Rukpokwu people. It was waterlogged until I was contracted by the owners in 2005, to develop the land by chasing the water away and clearing the forest which was then being used by men of the disbanded SARS.

“It took me and my partner a period of one year and seven months to get rid of water from the land and open up the place, and the people settled us with a portion of the land in accordance with the terms of the contract, it is the portion they gave to us that we are now developing into an estate.

“From the time we began to clear the forest till now, Egonu and his cohorts had not at any time approached us or even tried to halt the job, to say that the land belongs to him. He is from Rumuagholu and land he is claiming is in Rukpokwu, how is that possible?”

Wonkwo admitted that Egonu got a court judgement on the parcel of land but added that the Rukpokwu family said the judgment does not include the estate. Besides, the family appealed the judgment, and the matter is still before the appeal court.

A Port Harcourt-based rights lawyer, Higher King, condemned the demolition.

He said: “Assuming there was a court judgment in Egonu’s favour, he is not the one to enforce it, intact neither he nor any member of his family is supposed to be at the scene of judgement execution, it is the responsibilities of the Deputy Sheriff of the court to enforce the judgement, and he must be on the ground the demolition site, but there was no such presence at the scene of the Royal Estate demolition exercise, as at the time and day I went there to see things by myself.

“Even if the Police went there to enforce execute judgment, the normal practice is and should have been that, after execution, the police leave, and allow the owners of the place to access the place to see what they could recover from the rubbles, but it was not so in the case of Royal Estate, just to prove that the demolition was fake and illegal, even after they had brought down the structures, both the armed policemen and tractor they used were left at the place, to scare legitimate owners of the properties and residents away from their houses, for fear of arrests and possible killing.”

 

 

“Police do not have a hand in civil matters; even if it is execution, it is done just in one day and everybody leaves, it is not for the police to the station there.”

But the counsel to Egonu, Kelvin Omodu, dismissed the insinuation by Tasie and King that his client must be a land grabber. He maintained that they got a declaratory judgment on the property and does not need a Sheriff to enforce it.

 

Omodu insisted that the statements against Elder Egonu were mere allegations, explaining that several court judgements have clarified that the area in dispute belonged to his client (Egonu).

 

“On the 14 October 2016, a judgement was delivered in favour of my client. After that one late Wobo Nyegwa filed a suit seeking to quash an earlier judgment, that the land in question belonged to them. Later he sought the court to dismiss the application and we accepted. The court following the prayers dismissed that suit.

 

“In 2020, my client visited that land, he was abducted for hours and later was released. Based on his brief I petitioned the Commissioner of Police. The police went and made arrests. While the matter was on, the self-acclaimed landlords there went to court and filed Fundamental Human Rights suit. The same suit was withdrawn. The judgement is still available.

 

“A man who a competent court has given justice is he not entitled to his property? No law stops him from benefitting from the judgement because he was declared. My client went to clear the place and a set of people came to say it is their land.”

 

Another activist, Dr. Jackson Omenazu, berated the IGP men for allowing themselves to be used to perpetrate heinous crimes in society.

 

“Our findings in parts of the state are that there are Nigerians today who have ganged up against the people, grabbing their properties with the aid of law enforcement agencies, especially the Police, because people are afraid of the gun.

 

“We are appealing to officers of the Nigerian police to properly investigate petitions brought before them before going for arrest. It has been noticed over the years that the moment a petition gets to the station, the petitioner is automatically right, the defendant is immediately arrested, so long as money has exchanged hands, whether the allegation is frivolous and unfounded, that would be determined long after the right of the person has severally been infringed upon and he, she had suffered in either cell or prison; this is condemnable. ”

 

By Evelyn Osagie

 

A new story book for children, entitled: Kíyèsi, is set to take kids on a voyage into the enchanting world of adventures.

The book, which has just been released, is written by filmmaker and piano player, Tony Olaniji.

Kíyèsi, a collection of African stories for children, is his debut book.

Set in diverse fascinating settings, this inspirational anthology contains seven thrilling African tales that invite children (ages eight-11) to journey with interesting characters as they search for solutions to their various problems. These characters include a famished boy, on an important journey, who is torn between completing the journey and eating the edible car conveying him to his destination. These adventures and other more serious stories in this collection will introduce kids to new narrative experiences and morals in excitingly new ways.

According to the President,  PEN International, Nigeria Centre, Folu Agoi, “In Kíyèsi, we encounter several children’s stories for different age groups—a crop of inspiring narratives grown on African soil. The strength of the anthology resides in its effort towards integrating the psyche of the African child into their own native environment.”

The book will be launched this month. Beyond the celebration of a piece of juvenile literature, the launch, according to the author, would feature discussions exploring the theme, “Children and Harmful Entertainment: What We Need to Do”.

“Dignitaries from the fields of education, music and movies are expected to address the issue so that the music, cartoons, games and books that children consume do not consume them,” Olaniji says.

Over the years, Olaniji has helped budding writers gain an enhanced understanding of the science and structure of storytelling. He’s been a part of various children-themed initiatives like The Green Festival, a signature feature of the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF). He has also lectured at film festivals and workshops.

Title:           Never  play  games    with t he  devil

Author:       Tolu’ A. Akinyemi 

Reviewer:    Oye Ayinde

Publisher:     Roaring Lion Newcastle

Pages:                               48

 

Tolu Akinyemi’s collection of poems, Never Play Games With The Devil, is a potpourri of winsome thoughts on life, living, love, romance and socio-political commentary.  Embedded in the slim poetry collection are 40 poems written in simple, flowing style but full of imagery, rhymes and philosophical thoughts, all capturing the essence of life and living.

Divided into three parts, with part one waxing inspirational and motivational, urging the reader to go all out and conquer the world, notwithstanding the impediments or obstacles on the way. And of course assuring that no mountain is too high to climb or river too deep to swim. Indeed to the poet, what matters most is the will to win.

Never Play Games With The Devil, being the title poem, captures the soul and the essence of the collection. Take for instance this rhythmic but didactic verse: “When you see the devil from yonder

Flee, run, for he only wants to take you under

When life happens, and the devil brings a deal

Run, Flee, for he’d make you eat woe for a meal

Never you play games with the devil

Not even mind games for he’s pure evil

Just confuse him with his numbers, and beat him at his mind games.”

Part two of the collection is purely political and full of social commentaries. Here the poet dons the toga of a social critic and political commentator. From bad governance to corruption, shenanigans of the political class to the atrocities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which led to the #EndSARS protest that recently engulfed the nation, and the herdsmen killings; Akinyemi captures them all.

Part three deals with love, relationship and matters of the heart. The opening poem, Love Language, encapsulates and summarises the essence of the section. Like Romeo and Juliet, the poet sings: “There is no university where they take courses in love languages

Affection has no undertone; it’s either love or love,

Forget the connotation of lust

There is a language that conquers all

Dive deep and submerge yourself under its currents.

A little hug, words of affirmation can heal a troubled soul

Quality time spent together can fire up a loveless union.

Immerse yourself in love, chew on its languages,

Let love find you from the four corners of the earth.”

This offering by Tolu Akinyemi has further confirmed him as a poet of repute in the world’s literary arena. But aside being a poet and author, the Nigeria-born, UK-based Akinyemi is also a celebrated conference speaker and a former headline act at Great Northern Slam, Crossing The Tyne Festival and Feltonbury Arts and Music Festival amongst others. He is equally the founder and lead consultant of The Roaring Lion Newcastle Ltd, a business support, management consultancy and book publishing firm. His other books include Dead Dogs Don’t Bark, Dead Cats Don’t Meow, Dead Lions Don’t Roar, Unravel Your Hidden Gems, and Inferno of Silence.

 

Title:  Daily Manna:  A daily  devotional guide  (January-December 2021)

Author:       W. F. Kumuyi

Publishers:  Life Press Limited, Lagos

Pagination:    371

Reviewer:      Banji Ojewale

 

 

The other day, as Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, faced a large gathering of worshippers in Ibadan, Oyo State, he related the secret of success in a world with its myriad of near-overpowering challenges. He spoke on the second day of the New Year 2021, when many were worried about what the season had in its bosom after the exit of its deadly predecessor. His message was timely. For, as he dwelt on one of his sub-points, Seeking the lost, one soul at a time, Kumuyi declared that what gave Jesus Christ and His disciples resounding triumph in life and ministry was their philosophy of taking a day in its stride. They searched for a soul a day.

Kumuyi referred to the experience of one of Christ’s followers, Andrew. He said: ‘’Andrew sought and brought just one person to Christ. (Andrew didn’t) wait for a large crowd or a crusade, just reach out to one person at a time: a father, a mother, a friend, a relative, co-tenant etc.’’ Presenting this message so early in 2021, the pastor of Deeper Life Bible Church was simply saying that the key to unravelling the entrails of the year and profiting from them was to live a day at a time. And living that way simply means getting a firm grip on the day from its early hours. He advises, in effect, that we should start the year from the point of view days. Successes you record in a day lead you into weeks, which gives you successful weeks that roll into successful months which come together to form a successful year.

But Kumuyi’s counsel isn’t void; it isn’t bereft of a practical compass. Yearly, for close to 30 years, he has released Daily Manna not only to strengthen his point that a good start earns you a prosperous end, but also to help you pick on what to meditate on as you set out into every new day. In the 2021 edition, the assembly of articles is a mirror of society with instructions from the Bible that man can’t glide through the days of the year without hearing and taking notes from the Creator of the times and seasons.

You learn this from the first entry in the book on Friday, January 1, 2021. It is aptly titled, Let Emmanuel Guide You. It proceeds from a United Nations report that our world welcomes 360000 newborns daily. Now, let’s see how the pastor extrapolates this information to relate it to what we make of 2021. He says: “…As we begin a new year today, the same way some millions of newborns would be making it into a new world, we must remember that God sets the pace for new beginnings…He(God) went on to bring shape and comeliness into the planet. Vacuity and formlessness vanished. Desolation disappeared. Life sprang up…Nature sang songs to celebrate the great God Who brought them into being as His ‘Spirit… moved upon the face of the waters.’’

The Bible scholar’s conclusion is that marching into the New Year must be ‘’a walk with the Spirit of God Who can tide us over whatever the year holds in store. The follower of Christ starts the first of the year with his Lord and stays with Him every moment all-year round and all his life.’’ Finally, there is a payoff Kumuyi suitably calls, Thought for the day: Begin the New Year with Emmanuel. It was Emmanuel Who spoke the universe and all the elements into creation. He orders their paths. He alone, therefore, can guide those who go to Him for deliverance from the consuming maelstrom and tumult of the times.

The entire piece is based on the Bible text of Genesis 1:1,2.

It’s the pattern for every passage for every day of the whole of 2021. A short excerpt from a book in the Holy Bible is offered to be read, followed by a key verse. The pastor’s inspired comments, only a few hundreds of words, then come in tow. Still more: the man of God invites the reader to go through the whole Bible in a year. So he introduces a section, where if faithfully followed, one can peruse every word in the Book in 365 days.

Each write-up is a simple affair. The opening is usually profound. It is laden with contemporary, historical, scientific or cultural information which has a powerful bearing on the Bible text. At other times, a quote, an anecdote or proverb is the connecting thread. Sometimes, the writer hits the ground running by turning to the Bible passage itself. Either way, the reader never escapes the powerful message and fluidity of Kumuyi’s style, so well rendered in his sermons.

Some readers have spoken on how timely (prophetic) these writings have been. Written the previous year, the essays in the 2021 Daily Manna have ended up addressing events of the day, as if they were done after they were unfolded. Pa Adesakin Olabode, an octogenarian living at Gbagada, is convinced that given this prognosticative feature of Kumuyi’s devotional, it should also read by those in government. “Pastor Kumuyi and the publishers of Daily Manna,’’ Olabode says, ‘’should find a way of letting his book  be read by our rulers so they could benefit from its unassailable wisdom. I believe the society would be saved a lot of the heartache we’re experiencing as a nation if we all have access to the book.’’ Sister Omolara Odueke in Fagba, Iju, Lagos and Dr. Matthew Olajide Idowu of Omuaran, Kwara State, all agree with Olabode after years of reading Daily Manna.

Other commentators suggest that for wider readership and more positive impact on society, the book should be placed in hotel rooms and airport lobbies worldwide, starting with Nigeria. I disagree that this is a farfetched idea. The publishers are encouraged to explore its feasibility.

These observers, like numerous others, are captivated by such titles as ‘’No longer a dark world’’, ‘’Knowing the Lord personally,’’ ‘’Why you should rejoice,’’ ‘’Vanity upon vanity,’’, ‘’Why evil occurs,’’ ‘’Sobriety in celebration,’’ God has something new for you’’ and ‘’Closing the last day of the year,’’ among others, all wearing the unimpeachable imprimatur of Pastor Kumuyi.

The book has a pleading cover asking you to come for a feast, a feast of the Word of God. The composite picture gives you physical food in the foreground. It leads you to the background where you have the real deal, the Bible, which is the Spiritual meal.

 

By Ozolua Uhakheme, Assistant Editor (Arts)

 

Former Dean, School of Arts, Design and Printing Technology, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos, Dr. Mike Akhaine Osebhajimete Omoighe, 63, is dead. He died recently in Lagos, of COVID-19 complications.

In response, the Academic Board of the institution in a statement, ordered the closure of hostels, and the health centre while all lectures would be online.

Omoighe, who was until his death a Chief Lecturer at theDepartment of Fine Art and Director, Academic Planning Unit, YABATECH, was one of Nigeria’s prolific fine artists with many solo and group exhibitions to his credit. He was a master and mentor to many artists who passed through him as students.

When he turned 60 in 2018, like every other artist, he saw the future stretched out before him. To him, there could be no question of retirement, for artists don’t retire. “Artists work in their studios till their last day when they drop the body,” he said then. Today, that future was barely three years before he finally dropped the body. His palette went dry since Saturday.

But, his path to reckoning was not strewn with roses. He recalled: “Life in itself is a major challenge; hence the title of my first solo exhibition at the National Arts Theatre, Lagos in 1982 was Growth and Fear. That’s why I love to teach what I know out to others.”

Omoighe was among the pioneer participants at the famous yearly Harmattan Art Workshop organised by Prof. Bruce Onobrakpeya at Agbarha-Ottor, Delta State.

Omoighe studied at Yaba College of Technology (1978, ND); at Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi (1980, HND); at the University of Lagos, UNILAG (1987, Certificate in Polytechnic Management, at the University of Ibadan (1994, Master’s in Visual Arts Communication), Masters of Fine Art at the University of Benin (2013) and Doctorate at Delta State University, Abraka in 2019. He was a pupil of the painter and graphic artist Bruce Onobrakpeya.

Since 1986 Omoighe had taught painting and drawing at the YABATECH. He had been the Head of the Department of Fine Art, and Dean, School of Art, Design and Printing. He was the Dean of Students Affairs.

He was also the President International Association of Art Critics AICA (Nigeria Chapter).

By Ebere Chibuzor

 

 

As the world battles a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, a cleric Bishop Fortune Ijezie has called for sober reflection, saying ‘nobody ever thought in our time that something will hit the whole world and incapacitated the worldly economy’.

According to the cleric, who is the General Overseer, Winning Edge International Christian Centre, God is using the pandemic to prove to us that He is the one in charge of the world.

“The global events generated by the COVID-19 pandemic calls for sober reflection. It also call for gratitude and reconciliation with our Maker. It has become clearer that our existence in life isn’t based on our efforts alone but has shown that God is the master and in charge of our existence. My message for the world is that to enjoy grace is to be in connection with the giver of grace.

“He is ready to supply grace to keep us away from other unforeseen circumstances, such as COVID-19. COVID-19 is just a tip of the iceberg, greater plague that is more than COVID-19 will befall the earth. But, we are encouraged because the Bible says: ‘’You shall serve me and I will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness and diseases away from you’. The first thing is to seek God kingdom and all other things shall be added unto you,” the cleric added.

Bishop Ijezie, who turned 50, made the statement while commenting on his birthday celebrations and global events.

Ijezie, who doubles as Presiding Prelate over Africa New Life Christian Covenant International, expressed gratitude to God, saying: “It has not been easy but with God’s grace, we are doing it, because the bible says I will build my church and the gate of hell shall not prevail. Well, I thank God for the journey so far.”