The Nation Newspaper

Category: Arts & Life

  • Autism: Power of early intervention

    Autism: Power of early intervention

    Autism, due to ignorance, remains largely a mystery condition to many parents. Experience has however shown that full recovery is possible, especially when there is early discovery and intervention. Omolara Akintoye, in this piece, presents two cases of parents of autistic children, where one discovered early and the other, much later.

    Many a times, you probably have had cause to yell ‘STOP SCREAMING?!’ at your child. Well, you need to minimize the use of ‘don’t’ and ‘stop, behavioural experts have advised.

    They recommend that ‘Walk on the sidewalk’ can be much more effective than ‘Don’t walk on the grass’ for a child who might not hear the ‘don’t’—or for one who isn’t sure where the acceptable place to walk might be. This lets the child know exactly what you WANT them to do. ‘Stop screaming’ therefore becomes, ‘Quiet please’, while ‘Don’t colour on the table’ becomes ‘Only colour on the paper’. This may be counter-intuitive to the ways most of us usually parent, but it works.

    However, there are times when there’s NO WAY around a ‘don’t/stop’ statement, such as DON’T COLOUR ON THE DOG, STOP HITTING YOUR BROTHER. Here, you are advised to use your best judgement and figure out when you need to lay down the DON’T law. These, among other things, are what parents with autistic children encounter on a daily basis.

    Founder, Patrick Speech and Language School, Ikeja, Lagos, Mrs Dotun Akande’s son was diagnosed with autism at age two. As a result, she has a dossier of experience on the disorder, which ultimately prompted her into starting a rehabilitation centre.

    “It all started when he was 18 months,” she started. “But by the time he was two years, we were fortunate to find a doctor who could diagnose him appropriately. Getting the right diagnosis is always critical and important. As soon as we got the right diagnosis, we were given the right counsel to take him out of mainstream school and put him in a speech and language school. Whenever he was taught in class, we had to teach him all over again at home. We also had to teach him all other skills he could learn and that was what we did until we got result.”

    According to her, this went on for six years before he was able to get over it.

    Speaking of the signs she noticed before he was diagnosed for the disorder, Akande said, initially her son was talking, until everything changed all of a sudden and he was no longer talking. He became withdrawn from others; started arranging things in a particular manner and insisting on a particular kind of food.

     “We found that strange, especially because he wasn’t like that before. Literally, that was how it all started,” she said.

    She pointed out that autism is something that once your child has it; you have to forgo your total self and be patient with the child to be able help him or her. “Your life will definitely change. Unlike before when you do things very fast, it has to be slow now. Some parents forgo their job. For me, it wasn’t convenient to leave my job immediately, but I left after some time.”

    She said that was how they managed the boy until he was able to get over the condition.

    Autistic children, according to Akande, function at different levels and it is important for their caregivers to know the level at which they function. “If you overstay that level, the child shuts down; and if you under-stay that level, they will not perform. So you have to be careful,” she warned.

    To know the state at which a child operates, she said one will have to observe the child. “You cannot really force them; they do things at their own pace; so rather, it is your lifestyle that has to change.”

    On discovering that her child likes music, Akande disclosed that she started using music to teach him everything and it worked. “That was when he started learning fast, and this differs from child to child. We also had a way of cooking his food, else he won’t eat.”

    Another defect one notices in children with autism, Akande explained, is in the area of speech. It is either they are not talking or when they’re talking, they are talking to themselves. In the case of her son, she said he was not ready to socialise with others. “If I took him to party, he would stay alone and not socialise.”

    Talking about behaviour, Akande said “They are either hyperactive or hypoactive. Hyperactive in the sense that you see them jumping all over the place; and hypoactive in the sense that they are quiet and stay in one place. In this case, it will be difficult for you to move them from something they love to look at. If you take such a thing away from them, there will be problem.”

    She concluded that the three areas one is likely to notice changes in a child with autism are speech, social communication and behaviour.

    Narrating her experience in the six years until her son overcame the disorder; she said he was slow in learning things. “For instance, to teach him to button his shirt took one year; to brush his hair took another one year; so we had to be patient with him.”

    Her chief counsel to parents with autistic children therefore is patience. Lots of patience. “Take each day as it comes, never rush the child; if not you will wear yourself and the child out; and by then who will teach who? So total patience and unconditional and unending love is key.”

    She urged parents to prepare their mind that come what may, they will love the child. “It is then that you can help the child. No medical test can tell you the stage the child is; you have to be observant to know his needs day by day.”

    Late discovery, late recovery

    While Mrs Akande was able to rescue and restore her child to normalcy due to early detection, Mrs Oritoke Aluko-Olokun wasn’t that fortunate. The doctors could not detect autism symptoms early in her son, Seun. She only got to know that her son had autism at age 17, at which time there was no school to take him to. She was therefore left with no option but to bring therapists home to take care of him. Yet she couldn’t get a positive result until she took the boy to a special school at the age 35.

    Aluko-Olokun said she first knew something was wrong with her son, when at about age three, he came down with a viral infection of measles and then chicken pox. “Thereafter, I discovered some changes in him. I found that he could not hear; I thought it was as a result of the sickness but it persisted.”

    She took the boy to the hospital for assessment but unfortunately the doctors at that time did not know much about Autism. “Eventually the situation caused separation between me and my husband,” she recalled. Her husband thought it was a witchcraft issue and held her responsible.

    “As a result, all my children were taken away from me. I have four of them and he took all of them away from me.” she lamented. He later returned Seun, and dissolved the marriage. “He returned him after having tried all fetish means, to no avail. It was since then, at age six, that I’ve been taking care of Seun.”

    She recalled that all the doctors she saw then were referring them to either the psychiatric hospitals in Lagos or Abeokuta. “They just couldn’t get the right diagnosis,” she said.

    On how she dealt with his education, Aluko-Olokun said she put him in mainstream school, but he couldn’t cope. “They just abandoned him at the back of the class. Later I took him to a special school, where he was doing very well; but at a stage he became too old for the class; so I had to take him away from the school.” By that time, Seun was already old enough to learn a trade, so she took him to a shoe-making factory. “I had noticed earlier that he had love for shoes; so I was encouraged to take him there and he was doing very well. His hand was straight on the machine,” she said.

    …Until one day when she got to the shop to pick her son up and found him outside with little children laughing at him. “I felt so bad. I couldn’t bear to see him in that situation, so I stopped him from going there,” she said.

    On how she eventually discovered that her son had autism, Aluko-Olokun said it was her elder brother living in the U.S.A and working in an autism school that came home and told her that Seun’s behaviour was similar to some of the children he handled back in the State. “That was the first time I got to know about autism, and he was already 18 years old.”

    At that point, she said her brother wanted to take him to the U.S for treatment but he wasn’t granted visa. “I tried about four times; I even went personally to get a letter of introduction for him but he wasn’t granted. That was when I resorted to employing private therapist at home to take care of him; but that didn’t help at all. Rather it worsened the situation.”

    Narrating one of the harrowing experiences her son had with some of his therapists, she said, “I came back home one day and was alerted by neighbours that the therapist was beating him and he was trying to defend himself”. That incident, she said, hit her hard because she knew that when she got into the house, Seun’s expression would accuse her of leaving him with wicked people.

    “I was later introduced to another group of therapists. Initially they were doing well but along the line they were changing hands. One day they would bring one that is doing well with him and later they would bring another. Then they brought an overzealous therapist who spoilt everything; so I stopped the group from coming. The question then was, ‘where else do I take him,’ because I didn’t want to keep him at home continuously?

    The sun however shone on her one day, when she got to know of Patrick Speech and Language Centre. She took Seun there, but the problem of school fees reared its head. “I knew I couldn’t manage to pay the fees but Mrs Akande offered to take care of Seun free of charge”, Aluko-Olokun said. She explained that she had no help from anywhere. I’m a pensioner; yet I’m the one taking care of all my other children that my husband initially took away at the beginning of this travail.” Seun was 35 years old when he was taken to the Centre in 2014 and ever since, there have been so many success stories about him. “He is now very good in artwork and one of his artworks was recently sold for One Hundred Thousand Naira. I’m happier he is doing well in school and can now socialise. Also, he does not need any monitoring now,” she said with visible relief.

    For parents that are still hiding children with such symptoms, Aluko-Olokun warned that early intervention is key.  “Let them seek help early. Most doctors now know what autism is all about. She also enjoined government to assist with subventions for these special children’s education and school fees. Philanthropists and well-meaning Nigerians should also assist in taking care of these children and training their teachers, because they don’t come cheap. Taking care of these children requires lots of money; they need lot of supplements for their brain to function effectively, and if people come to our aid, parents’ minds will be at rest “she concluded.

    Accepting the child is first step to recovery – Behavioural analyst

    Handling these children can sometimes be stressful and wonderful, behavioural analyst, Yinusa Abidemi, who has been handling autistic children for ten years, said in an interview.

    He revealed that the work starts from accepting the children with their behavioural challenges. “You assess them, and then draw out plans. My experience with some can be wonderful while with others, it can be stressful.” In most cases, he said these children, by their behaviour, will tell you what to teach them.  “This in turn will assist the teacher to put the right intervention in place and when you see that the child is progressing, you are happy.”

    However, when the child is not progressing, Abidemi said, he is naturally disturbed and this in turn challenges him as a teacher to do more research, so as to know what other things to do to help the child make progress. Such challenges, he said, can be attributed to so many things. “When the child is not making any progress, you don’t really look at the child but his/her parents and the environment the child is coming from. So many things can trigger that behaviour,” he said.

    Abidemi revealed that the behavioural analyst can also trigger such negative behaviour/reaction from the child if he is not in the right mood, and one can only get to know about this through a Behavioural Tracking Sheet.

    “For every behaviour being put up by the child, there is a reason. Behaviour is one of the means of communication.”

    In the course of his job, Abidemi revealed that there have being many success stories. “The happiness of their parents is our joy. Some of them have passed through Patrick Speech and Language Center and have moved on with their lives. Some are here in Nigeria and are doing very well and some are overseas.”

    For parents who are still hiding their children at home, Abidemi warned that as parents and even therapists, one must be ready to accommodate autistic children ‘despite their challenges.’

    “Once you are able to accept them, their problem is half solved. If you hide them at home, the stigma will continue. By the time you let people know that you are not ashamed of that child, you will have rest of mind because whatever the child does is not strange to them. And once the child is accepted by the society, it is these people that will tell you where to seek help. So the more awareness people have, the quicker the problem will be solved,” Abidemi concluded.

  • Face of Okija: Rejuvenating the Igbo culture

    Face of Okija: Rejuvenating the Igbo culture

    The proposed site of Jesuite College, Okija, Anambra State, was the venue late December, as the 2016 edition of the ObiJackson Foundation’s Face of Okija Music and Cultural Festival was staged. The occasion witnessed the emergence of a new ‘Queen’ and ‘King’, as well as lots of culture exhibition and music. Uzoho Peter was there

    The annual event targeted at rejuvenating the rich culture of the Igbos, which has been  eroded over the years by external influences began with online application by indigenes of Okija and Igbo land who are below 30 years and have a minimum education qualification of Polytechnic or university degree. This was followed by screening which led to the eventual 20 finalists; 10 males and 10 females.

    During camping in Lagos, the contestants went through series of training to prepare them for the showdown. They were trained in aerobatics, cultural dance, as well as cultural values and language.

    The grand finale recorded unusual congestion occasioned by large turnout of guests from within and outside Okija and Igbo Land.

    Traditional rulers and chiefs decked in their traditional regalia were present. Political actors in Anambra State and beyond with their aide- de-camps graced the occasion. Established and upcoming Nollywood and music artistes were also in attendance. The clergy, women groups, young men and women were conspicuously present.

    With the stage well set up with adequate illumination and sound system, a team of comperes led by popular comedian, Okey Bakassi, set the ball rolling. On arrival, Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano, in company of other government functionaries, was ushered in by the founder of Obijackson Foundation and Chairman of NESTOIL, Dr. Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi, to declare the event open.

    Speaking, the governor acknowledged the impacts made by Obiejesi on the lives of Okija people. The governor who inaugurated the Okija Roundabout and the walling of Okija Market, done by Obijackson.

    Foundation, before proceeding to the venue, expressed his pleasure for being at the occasion.

    “First, I came here this afternoon to officially inaugurate the roundabout that was built by Obijackson Foundation and his family and also the walling of the market. You need to see the state of the market before it was walled. By walling that place, he has saved so much lives and I’m so glad that he did that,” Obiano said.

    The governor described himself as “an ardent supporter of Obijackson,” noting that “it was because of his philanthropic gesture and that I honored him as the philanthropist extraordinaire and business titan.”

    “He loves Okija so much – everything he does is Okija. Okija…Okija…. If you allow him, he will make Anambra State capital to become Okija. He loves Okija people so much so that he will not make any sentence without adding Okija. He built the best children hospital in Africa in Okija, and he has employed over 1000 Okija people in various areas of his mission. He is a great ambassador of Okija and Anambra in general. He has done so well and we are proud that he is bringing tourism to Anambra State,” he added.

    Addressing the guests while appreciating God for the life and good health given to Okija people, Obiejesi said the foundation is particular about the initiative because it is a Special Purpose Programme (SPP) instituted to guard against the erosion of Igbo culture, beliefs and tradition by external influences, promoted by the media and other social agents. He stated that “the Face of Okija is a preservative agenda dedicated to sustaining our Igboness.”

    He noted that the outgoing Face of Okija Queen, Miss Chioma Uzo, who had completed her reign, had served the community well. “She acted as a positive change agent in Okija and the entire Igbo land”, he said.

    “Chioma imbibed selflessness and empathy as values; and these enhanced her commitment to community service and charity work. It is our pride that Chioma Uzo has become a role model for the youths because her excellent conducts now inspire others.

    “The success gives us a sense of fulfilment and pride at Obijackson Foundation because it is evident that our attempts at social intervention are fast yielding positive results. I’m pleased to inform you that the Face of Okija Festival is one of our numerous social intervention initiatives.”

    The founder revealed that like the previous editions, the 2016 edition of the Face of Okija Music Festival and Pageant was not only about rejuvenating the Igbo culture, adding that “it is also targeted at firmly etching the Igbo values on the heart of our youths, and placing our tradition in their youthful hands. This way, our language will not be lost in their tongues.”

    Obiejesi stated that “to expand the scope of this initiative, this year’s pageantry comes with a difference. We aim to show our male children the path to accomplishment and responsibility. In the past editions, significant emphasis was placed on women. Qualities such as honesty, decency, modesty, humility and service, which characterized the archetypical African woman, were considered as the defining of a Face of Okija Queen.”

    He noted that with the introduction of the male category, “our sons will learn leadership, responsibility, industry, integrity, courage, selflessness and community service. By this, this year’s edition is expected to produce a Queen and a King, both of whom will be ambassadors of Obijackson Foundation for the duration of their reign.”

    Announcing the benefits of emerging winners, Obiejesi said the Queen and King would earn a fixed salary of N1.4 million for one year, with brand new official corolla car each for the duration of their reign, and a scholarship grant of N1 million each.

    Additionally, he said they would leverage their new status to impact lives in Okija, Igbo land and the Nigerian nation positively, through a mix of social welfare programmes and initiatives the Foundation would undertake in the days ahead.

    He expressed optimism in the quality of winners that would be produced, stressing that “The Foundation is aware of the need to maintain very high standard. We take this as a condition precedent to maintaining the integrity of this programme. Consequently we had to introduce a multi-level assessment scheme to help unearth hidden negative traits and prevent undeserving candidates from walking away with our coveted crowns of morality.

    Immediately after the founder’s speech, the audience was thrilled by popular Nigerian Highlife musician, Bright Chimezie.  Shortly after, the 20 contestants who made it to the final after camping in Lagos were paraded on stage. A debate session was held in which each contestant was to state in English language and interpret in Igbo what he or she would do to help the foundation’s work if declared winner. There was also dance, to test their Igbo cultural dance skills.

    The contest got to the hardest and most thrilling point when one of the judges and Nollywood icon, Chief Pete Edochie, engaged the contestants in a session where they were drilled on Igbo proverbs. Here, the moderator would say a certain proverb in Igbo and asked one of the contestants to interpret in English.

    At the end of the proceedings, Miss Chinasa Ezeamaka, a graduate of Music from Anambra State University, was declared winner of the Face of Okija female category and subsequently crowned the prestigious Face of Okija Queen.

    In the male category, Mr Chukwudi Enukoha, a graduate of Management, emerged the maiden Face of Okija King.

    In the Okija Rising category, a show in which upcoming musicians and artistes of Igbo origin performed and contested, Mr Ifechukwu Eze, popularly known as Ifex G emerged the winner, grabbing a cash prize of N500, 000, leaving  Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Bovi Ugboma, as runners up with consolation prizes of N300, 000 and N200,000 respectively.

    Though, the  emergence of the winners of the competition has earned them prestige and honour, this does  not go without responsibilities as they are now ambassadors of Obijackson Foundation and will be saddled with different community services at the instance of the foundation.

    Speaking after his emergence as the new King, Enukoha said “I’m not just standing here today as the winner because I’m the most worthy, I’m just one of the people selected here – me and the female category winner, to represent the Obijackson brand and also to represent the young people in Okija.”

    Commending the founder, he said “Obijackson is a very nice man. In this land of Okija, nobody will doubt the fact that he is the pioneer town developer. The only thing I can say to him now is kudos to his work, and that as the Face of Okija; I will do all my best to support his work.”

    On her part, the Face of Okija Queen, Chinasa Ezeamaka, said “I promise to do my best to elevate the Obijackson Foundation and positively transform the image of Okija.”

    The evening ended with a scintillating performance by rising Nigerian music star and one of their own, Phyno, who mounted the stage and thrilled the guests with one of his hit tracks.

    Dignitaries at the occasion included Anambra State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano; Deputy Governor, Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke; Secretary to Anambra State Government, Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu; Nollywood Stars, Chief Pete Edochie and Kanayo O Kanayo. There were also a former Senator and Imo State Governorship Aspirant, Senator Ifeanyi Araraume; Highlife Musician, Bright Chimezie, amongst others.

  • ‘It is not a life sentence’

    ‘It is not a life sentence’

    Mrs Dotun Akande, founder, Patrick Speech and Language Centre explains the mission of the centre, chief of which is to rehabilitate autistic children and set them up for a better life.

    What is St. Patrick School all about?

    Patrick Speech and Language Centre is like a rehabilitation centre for children living with autism. Like I always say, autism is not a life sentence. When they come here, they are not supposed to stay here forever, but get better and move on with their lives.           Why did you set up the school?

    It was my zeal to know more about autism and to encourage parents with these children not to hide them but rather to bring them out to where they can get help. That prompted me to set up Patrick Speech and Language School. Imagine when you start working on a child and his teacher was changed to an overzealous one, the child may react negatively; so they had to change the teacher in order not to lose the child. Sometimes these children need cool-headed teachers around them while for some it is the overzealous teachers that they need to perform excellently well. I did not give up on my son and the success story is that today, he is studying Mathematics in the U.S. It was after he got over it that I decided to set up the school Patrick Speech and Language Centre, to tell other parents with autistic children that there is hope for them, if only they don’t give up. For my son, as soon as he got over it, he was enrolled in a regular school. All this while, he was struggling with English language literature, expression; but anything that has to do with Mathematics and Sciences, he excelled. He also loves music. For other children, the reverse is the case. Many of these children, if given the chance, excel in various fields.

    Your advice to parents with autistic children who are still hiding them

    For parents still ashamed of bringing out their children with this condition, my advice is they should be brought out of hiding. Our children do well when they come out and when they see people talk. Do not hide them at home.    The cost of taking care of these children no doubt is high. At Patrick Speech and Language School, we have over 40 children and a minimum of three students to a teacher. But the end justifies the means.

    Success stories of autistic children

    Many of the students that have come to our centre in the last ten years since we started out have overcome and gone back into mainstream schools. In the school there are two big units which they have to pass through: the Speech Therapy and the Speech Clinic Unit. It is an hourly session with the children, through which you measure their progress. For those in mainstream school, their parents also bring them in for one hour and where they are trained; and there have been very big improvement. Sometimes it is difficult to monitor the progress of some of these children because as soon as the child starts to talk, the parents just yank them off to mainstream schools. But sometimes, it does not work that way. They need that support to a certain level before you take them away.

    Is there any way government can intervene in the rehabilitation of these children?

    The only solution is that government must intervene. If they are ready to pay for 20 indigent families with autistic children in a year and monitor their progress, then these families will go back to the community and speak for them. Even at Patrick School, we support some indigent families free of charge.

  • Day at a Lagos motor park

    Day at a Lagos motor park

    Aside commuters and intending travelers, motor-parks, known in the local parlance as garages, are no-go areas for most Nigerians. Notably, they hold an eerie opinion of the place and would not be caught dead there, except when they’re headed for a destination. Ruth Akerele recently spent time with guys at the Oshodi Mosafejo Park, and her memoirs are as interesting as they are revealing.

    For a first-time visitor, Oshodi Mosafejo Motor Park and environs is a noisy and rowdy place with little or no security. Save a pocketful on the roadsides and junctions, police officers are somewhat a rare sight in the ‘garages’. The environment is also littered and as dirty as they come. Smell of putrid human waste rent the air, evidence of careless and indiscriminate excretion and urination habits. But no one seemed to mind, as everyone seemed concentrated on their business, chief of which was to make money. Plenty of it.

    The conductors busied themselves with drawing attention to their various routes, as they shout themselves hoarse, almost like in a competition.

    At the edges and in between vehicles, petty traders engage in perpetual chatter, trying to convince commuters to buy their goods. Intermittently, auto mechanics and their apprentices could be seen, bent over, trying to fix one vehicle or the order. Their seems to be an urgency to get the vehicles back in shape for the next trip. Buses are arranged according their routes and passengers already seated looked at ease, even as they fanned themselves to melt the heat. The petty traders peddled products that range from confectionery to home-made food, drinks and even clothes. Phone accessories and home appliances are also not left out. And so are beggars.

    Although there is no time specification for business activities at the park; the environment remains well-lit even in the wee hours of the morning. The park is quite deserted and apart from the few early passengers boarding buses and a few drivers/conductors. Some drivers and conductors could also be seen cleaning their vehicles in preparation for the day. Aside the usual conductor/passenger squabbles, which was evident even in this early hours, the garage is unusually quiet.

    As the day broke and activities reached fever pitch, this reporter couldn’t but notice the gathering of people at different places. Further investigations revealed that they were gathered to play or check results of their sports betting, popularly called ‘Baba Ijebu’. Baba Ijebu is named after the founder of the betting game of numbers and sports results prediction.

    Here and there, commuters could be seen trying to locate buses going to their destinations, while others patronised the petty traders. Some men, in twos and threes, could be seen collecting money from the bus drivers/conductors as their vehicles fill up and they prepare to drive out of the park. On enquiry, this reporter learnt that the men were of the Road Transport Workers Union and were actually collecting dues for the union. One of the conductors could be seen arguing with one of the men. Things looked set to escalate into a fight, but other conductors quickly stepped in to make peace.

    One other visible feature of the park is the sight of ruddy and unkempt touts everywhere one looked. Some could be seen sleeping in broad daylight, while others lazed around purposelessly. Another set could be seen smoking and drinking, while others wandered aimlessly about. A little bird whispered that these are the ones who engaged in nefarious activities and have given motor parks their negative reputations.

    In the late evening, activities in the garage reduce drastically and the environment appears quite serene, compared to the afternoon. Except for night travelers and those returning from their various places of work, most activities are winding to a stop for the day. Although some petty traders could still be seen around showcasing their goods to commuters, most have closed for the day and disappeared, to resurface the next day. Naturally, the environment looks dirtier than in the morning, but the people carried on unconcerned, even as they chatted away in a relaxed mood.

    In all, it was a revealing experience for this reporter. Even though she did not experience or witness any crime or criminal activity, the whole environment still looked suspect, with people milling around in their thousands and some looking rough enough to arouse psychological threat in innocent people.

  • Diary of a noble self employed naija dame (10)

    Diary of a noble self employed naija dame (10)

    By Bola Bilesanmi – Beebee

    Like joke, like joke, the vehicle refused to start o. So I started the day, in no man’s land, my delicacy had started getting used to other contents in my stomach, I had moved slightly away from others as I had a silent weapon, ‘gassing’. In fact, if I can say it was ‘bad’, it was indeed bad. My breath smelt, my human hair had picked up a foreign smell; I tried not to look dishevelled look but was a struggle.

    I am a local champion and anytime I arrive home at my parent’s house, it always seemed that I came in from London, and not Lagos. Anyway, they both start with the letter ‘L’. Lagos or London they are all the same.  As I turned into the corner of my house, I child spotted me, they all came running towards me, they all wanted to carry my rucksack. They know my handbag would not be handed over because they can inadvertently smear the bag with snoot or soot.

    The children waited for anxiously for something to drop, I promised to give them something later, I was going to sneak back to Lagos before they have the chance to say ‘Jack Robinson’.

    As I got to my parents place, I headed straight to the toilet, to download. What a relief. I greeted my parents, my mum was fussing around me, she had not seen me for a while, and she knew the reason why, but my dead was in his own world grinning, thinking that I had come with the

    My mother always likes to kill a chicken anytime I come home, I had to dissuade her,  its profitable to kill a chicken on three months allowance but on half a month allowance, it is loss. I asked her not to bother with the chicken that I had eaten so much of it in Lagos and I needed to eat something different. I opted for ‘efo riro and roasted fish ‘Panla’, that combination will not cause a huge dent in the allowance.

    It was nice to be pampered, fussed over; my mother should get a star for that. I gave my dad the envelope and explained my circumstances. Despite my trepidation, they understood, and they started praying for me, if my parents start praying, then know you could be standing for the next thirty minutes, I decided to sit because I needed all the prayer in the world.

    This was a quick visit, but it had been worth my while, I had to plan my return journey without being spotted by the children, I came out and heard them playing at the back of the house, I gingerly stepped out and quickened my pace.  Then I heard one of the children calling Aunty, I started running because the calling had become a chorus. Indicative that they had all heard me leave.

    Can you just imagine! A whole ‘me’ the dame, running from giving sweets to the children, that is what life throws at you sometimes. I must rectify the situation before my next visit. I will transfer some money to mum to buy sweets for them.

  • Diary of a noble self employed naija dame (9)

    Diary of a noble self employed naija dame (9)

    By Bola Bilesanmi – Beebee

    I decided to go and visit my parents. I could not visit before now because I did not have the transport fare and I could not go empty handed. My mum had been asking when I was coming to see them. I could not say I was busy because they had not seen evidence of my busyness. I now owe my parents, three months allowance, I hope to give half month allowance and will owe two and half months, by the time I make my return trip it would be three and a half months. Who cares, they should be happy they are getting something.

    I decided to step out very early, I don’t want anybody to see me at Berger catching a bus with my LV bag. I chose to sit by the window at the back because there was a delicacy I was going to buy at Sagamu. The bus was filling up fast. Unfortunately, the last passenger that came on was sweating profusely even at 8.00am in the morning. As she sat next to me, I just realised my mouth was full of saliva, the bus started to move out of its slot, I had no choice but to send the saliva back to where it had come from.

    I knew then that my journey was going to be a memorable one, how do you cover your nose without causing offence? The passenger kept on moving about, every time she put her hand in her bag to get something out, I was elbowed. I knew ‘Today na Today’.

    My phone began to ring, with my posh voice; I picked up and answered the phone. Everybody in the bus looked my way, the guy in front checked to see my type of phone. When he saw the iPhone casing he smiled.  It was the very thing I wanted to achieve; it’s only because of circumstances I took this bus. This was not my usual mode of travel, some eyed me, some had a look to see if they could possibly take me for a ride, if only that they knew. I am a wolf in sheep clothing.

    When we got to Sagamu, When I spotted my delicacy, I pursed my lips together and called as if I was calling my cat, but alas, I was calling the guy who was selling Guinea fowl egg. As I was haggling for the price of the egg, I forgot I was meant to be posh, the real accent was flowing, it’s only when I caught the whole bus load looking at me again that I realised they had seen the ‘wolf’.

    The woman next to me continued to give me this incredulous look, it could be one of two things, she could not believe that I had purchased the egg, or she was thinking of the havoc the egg would cause. Either way, the deed had be done but the havoc of the egg can in no way, shape or form be nearer to the havoc of her body, I had been subjected to the worst stench and my fear is that because of the close proximity, the stench could linger for a while.

    I gingerly untied the nylon and removed the shell of the egg, I ate the first egg, bringing out my Eva water (it’s actually pure water in an empty Eva bottle). I began to consume the other eggs.  I was in seventh heaven and I had no worries in this world until the engine spluttered and stopped running.

  • DanceGathering: Repositioning dance in Nigeria

    DanceGathering: Repositioning dance in Nigeria

    Lagos is set to play host to dancers and choreographers from Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Kaduna, Bamako, Tunis, Maputo, Washington and Paris, in a major dance gathering the country is yet to witness this year.

    The QDanceCenter, a brainchild of Nigeria’s foremost dance export, Qudus Onikeku, is back this year with the debut edition of danceGATHERING | Lagos Contemporary Dance Festival. This mammoth project has garnered the support of the National Theatre, Institut Français, Goethe Institute and has been adopted by the Lagos @50 committee under the chairmanship of Prof. Wole Soyinka.

    The danceGATHERING is a two-phased project with a two-week long dance lab which runs through 20 February to 5 March 2017, followed by a five-day dance festival from March 1st to 5th March 2017, in various venues around Lagos.

    The artistic director of the festival, Onikeku, made it known through a statement that “the artistic directorial style of danceGATHERING 2017 proposes MOVEMENT as a major character, not solely a thing to be watched, but something that allows our audience to be jostled, activating different hotspots for dance in the breathtaking city of Lagos, making a deliberate action of turning the entire city into our play area.”

    He further noted that “because the city of Lagos is already noisy, fast, surreal, and dramatic with constant movements, I have curated a program, which rotates between 10 venues around Lagos, both in conventional spaces as well as improvised spaces. In a span of five days, we shall create an opportunity for our audience to step out of their comfort zones and move with the flow, going against traffic from Ikoyi (QDanceCenter, Omenka gallery, BogoBiri, JazzHole), to Iwaya, back to Lagos island (City Hall Rooftop), then Victoria Island (Revolving Art Incubator, Silverbird Galleria), to a stop in Bariga (Crown troupe, Mbari Mbayo arts center) and Surulere (Corporate Dance World), before culminating at the National Theatre Iganmu.”

    Lagosians will witness an outpour of dance performances, exhibitions, international creative collaborations and exchanges including DANCING CITIES and CROSSINGS, amongst others. The gathering also aims to provide an array of opportunities for dancers across the country.

    The festival will close at the National Theatre, with works by Onikeku himself alongside a host of others, in collaboration with one of Nigeria’s leading theatre directors, Makinde Adeniran (of Saro, the musical).

    danceGATHERING is the first of its kind in Nigeria and arguably West Africa, and we invite YOU to be part of this history-making event from February 20th to March 5th, 2017.

  • Diary of a noble self employed naija dame (8)

    By Bola Bilesanmi – Beebee

    On waking up I picked up my phone I had twenty Missed calls. Alas who could want to speak to me so badly?  After leaving Company Xs office, I put my phone on silent mode. I had no intention of taking any call; everything else would have to wait.

    I had no strategy for dealing with the situation on hand, I decided to go to a friend’s place, he has a beautiful place and garden. I, on the other hand, live in a concrete jungle, who will ‘dash’ me a garden? Where I live, the philosophy is, if there is space build something.

    As I sat in the garden, a frog came leaping towards me, I thought to myself, am I one of your kind? Instead of attracting the male specie, I am attracting frogs. Then I remembered the story of the princess kissing the frog and it turned to be a Prince. So I beckoned the frog back, maybe if I plant a kiss on the frog, he would become my knight in shining armour. E no dey easy to dey single o.

    So I continued to sit o, I looked at the well manicured lawn, different plants, different colours and different fruits. I looked at the nails of my friend they were chapped, ‘me’ I no fit; my long nails are not designed for garden work. I had to remind myself why I was there.

    I spotted some ants scuttling around, we are to learn from the ants, they toil all winter and summer, I looked at them, they were similar, as for ‘me’ o, I have to be different, must stand out in the crowd, that is why I carry my LV bag and Iphone. These are the separating factors. Let us not deceive ourselves that every man is born equal, ‘mba’, some are more equal than others.

    My thoughts kept on wandering but I needed to harness it back to the issue on hand. I looked again at the beauty of the garden; it was beautiful, just like me. Its not that anybody has complimented me on my beauty, but we are told “call the things that are not as though they are” so daily I say I am beautiful, I wear fine clothes, I walk like a model, and I am quite tall, I tower over people. I am five feet five inches and I wear high heeled shoes. When I am asked how tall I am. I always say six feet. Please do your sums five feet five inches plus five inches equal six feet.

    I was distracted by my phone, I looked at the number it was not familiar one, I was not eager to pick up an unfamiliar number; I assumed it was POS so I did not pick. One strategy I had in this whole saga was to keep him in suspense. As the expression goes ‘ he has cooked beans’.

    After sitting in my friends garden for almost three hours, I realised I had not come up with a strategy, no inspiration, but I felt more relaxed. I must have a garden when I become rich, not accomplishing much I packed all my stuff back into my bag, ready for the next inspiring location. Was it a day well spent? I think the answer would be in the affirmative. I made my journey back to the concrete jungle.

  • Emecheta dies at 72

    Emecheta dies at 72

    UK-based renowned Nigerian author Buchi Emecheta, author of The Joys of Motherhood, Second-Class Citizen and The Bride Price, has died at her home in London at the age of 72, according to report.

    Emecheta’s books were on the national curricula of several African countries. She was known for championing women and girls in her writing, though famously rejected description as a feminist.

    The award-winning writer is respected for her creativity and Afrocentric novels.

    Born in Lagos to Igbo parents, Emecheta got married at 16 and immigrated with her husband to London in 1962. Her works focus largely on child slavery, motherhood, female independence through education and are also based on her experiences as both a single parent and a black woman living in Britain.

    “I work toward the liberation of women but I’m not feminist. I’m just a woman,” she said.

    The topics she covered in her writing included child marriage, life as a single mother, abuse of women and racism in the UK and elsewhere. “Black women all over the world should re-unite and re-examine the way history has portrayed us,” she said.

    The president of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Denja Abdullahi, said: “We have lost a rare gem in this field. Her works would forever live to speak for her.

    “It is a sad loss to our circle. She was known for championing the female gender and we would forever miss her.” Okorafor: Her work is one of the reasons I started writing

    Lagos-born Emecheta had moved to the UK in 1960, working as a librarian and becoming a student at London University, where she read sociology. She later worked as a community worker in London for several years.

    She left her husband when he refused to read her first novel and burnt the manuscript, a World Service series on women writers reported.

    The book, In the Ditch, was eventually published in 1972. That and Second-Class Citizen, which followed in 1974, were fictionalised portraits of a young Nigerian woman struggling to bring up children in London. Later, she wrote about civil conflict in Nigeria and the experience of motherhood in a changing Ibo society.

    An assessment of her writing, published by the British Council, says: “The female protagonists of Emecheta’s fiction challenge the masculinist assumption that they should be defined as domestic properties whose value resides in their ability to bear children and in their willingness to remain confined at home. “Initiative and determination become the distinguishing marks of Emecheta’s women. They are resourceful and turn adverse conditions into their triumph.”

  • Diary of a noble self employed naija dame (7)

    Diary of a noble self employed naija dame (7)

    By Bola Bilesanmi – Beebee

    My alarm clock buzzed at 4.30am, I jumped out of bed ready for the activities of the day. I got into the shower, after two seconds, I heard a whistling sound, the water ceased to gush out, with lather all over my body, I waited for the sound of a generator, a signal that water was being pumped into the water tank.  Five seconds rolled into ten minutes. Pulling my towel to myself, I wiped myself down. It’s called ‘body drycleaning’ mission accomplished.

    I was like a dog with a bone. For the day, I was ‘Cruella.’   I arrived at Company X at 7.30.

    As I listened to him bragging, he had no remorse, it was no big deal to him, as far as he was concerned, it was a game and all he cared about was what was in it for him (WIIFM). He was a ‘piece of Whit’ (whit rhyming nicely with a word I cannot use). Hey what do you do when faced with such, you smile until your face aches.

    Piece of Whit (POW) stopped to look at my hand bag, he had the audacity to ask if it was real, I told him I don’t carry fake things, my ego had taken over. I went on to show him a copy of my bag on the net.

    Rubbing his hand together, he alluded to my capability, little did I Know what was coming, I sat up straight, its all about R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Capability had nothing to do with my competence but my financial status

    His 55% soon metamorphosed into a Curve Television to be delivered to his home.  Within a spate of five minutes 55% had become 85% (considering the cost of the gift) and I was to get 15%.

    Likewise, POW became POS (S being the word I cannot mention) to me in that split second. What a greedy man. I continued to smile, after all the vision and mission was to get him to sign the contract, everything else was secondary.

    Thank God I had learned to operate my phone without bringing it out of the bag; well my Chinese Phone can come in handy and easy to use. I had recorded the whole conversation without him know a thing. He signed the contract and gave it back to me.

    I needed to bring out my ace card to conclude the game, as I placed one foot in the doorway, the other foot in his office, I hit the play button, he heard his voice loud and clear, he looked at me and I returned his, with a triumphant glare.

    I left his office, knowing I will receive his phone call, clearly, he is screwed. We would have to start a new page. The picture of his face would forever be etched in my memory for life.

    Bye for now POS.