The Nation Newspaper

Category: Online Special

A visit to Ojukwu’s bunker

Okorie Uguru relives an unforgettable experience of his recent visit to Ojukwu’s civil war home in Umuahia, Abia state.

I tried speaking Ibo language to the tricycle rider having this wrong impression common to many natives of an area that everybody living within the community are native speakers of the local language.

He politely told me he was not an Igbo man but a Yoruba man from Ondo State. I apologized and told him I wanted him to take me to Ojukwu Bunker.

He nodded and gave me a bill of two hundred naira. It was cheap and I quickly hopped in before he would change his mind.

That is one of the good things about Umuahia, the capital of Abia State; intra-city transportation is cheap. The ubiquitous commercial bike riders are prohibited within the Umuahia but the tricycle owners have somehow helped in filling the void.

The tricyle driver meandered his way through the congested Aba Road heading towards Old Umuahia and then turned right towards the Government Reserved Area (GRA) of the town. The place I was going is on Michael Okpara Avenue. He drove into the compound unmolested and unchallenged by the soldiers stationed to guard the property directly opposite. Obviously they were used to receiving visitors there.

The place is expansive compound with a main building, a one storey building, and other smaller houses possibly for the domestic servants. The compound is landscaped. The lush green surroundings have children’s playing area. There are also plastic chairs and table on the grass for relaxation. Possibly there are those who come to relax at night.

But the compound was not what brought me to this place. It was supposed to be the war time home of the defunct Biafran leader, the late Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Ikemba Nnewi.

Initially, there was no sign of anything that looked like a bunker within the vicinity, so I headed to the main building to make enquiries. In front of the main building are sculpted bust of Ojukwu and Chief Okpara. A lady receptionist confirmed that it was indeed the compound that served as the war time aboard of Ojukwu.

However she said I would pay N500 for a tour of the bunker if they were to put on the electricity generating set since there was no light. I was given a second choice: to pay N200 but that would be for a candlelight tour of the bunker. I chose electricity and paid but there was not receipted for.

The generator was put on and we headed to the bunker which was at the back of the main building. According to the guide, the premises used to be the property of the former Premier of the then Eastern Region, Chief Michael Okpara. He offered the place to the Biafran government after the fall of the first capital of Biafra that is Enugu. The bunker was added to the property in 1968 when Ojukwu made town the Biafran capital.

On getting to the entrance of the bunker, there is a small building of about four by four feet that could pass for a pit toilet that served as façade for the entrance. Passing through the door, there is the staircase that leads down.

The tour guide said it was eight meters below, but looked as if it was far lower than that. At the end of the staircase that leads down, there is a corridor made of concrete, about three feet wide and seven feet high. Two people cannot walk along the corridor side by side. One person would have to be at the front while the other stays behind.

Between the staircase and the main building is about 30 feet. The concrete echoes everything one says inside thereby making the conversation a little difficult.

The first surprise is the airy nature of the corridor. There are holes made along the corridor with a metal pole on the surface the ground above that draws air deep down and leaving the place well ventilated.

At the end of the underground corridor was Ojukwu’s war time aboard. However, it was a modest place that served the exigencies of the war period. The passage leads directly to the modest three-room apartment below. On the left hand side just coming out of the passage into the small corridor is the first room which served as conference room. Currently, there are no table, no chair for any conference.

The war echoes in the room by pictures of some of the major players in the war. They include the young Ojukwu with beards and in full Biafran camouflage, the late Dr. Pius Okigbo, the late Cyprian Ekwensi, the late novelist; Professor Chinua Achebe all had their pictures on the wall of the conference room.

There were also pictures of scenes from the war also there. There room has air conditioner holes. There is also a safe built to the wall of the room inside. The second room is Ojukwu’s living room which also serves as dining while the third is his bedroom. Beside the kitchen is a bathroom and toilet.

Even though the total area used for the underground building is less than a quarter of the plot there was effective space management. Behind the apartment there is a tiny space that ordinary should serve a foot passage, less than three feet wide. It has a metal door at both ends. This was used as prison cell. One wondered whether some of the top Baifran prisoners we read about were kept here, people like Banjo before his execution. Also on the escape exit on the left are about five metal pipes that extend to the surface of the ground above. They serve as conduit for fresh air.

There are two escape routes in case of emergency. They are both on the left and right hand side of the three-room underground apartment. But the escape exit has concrete staircase like the one we used while coming in. Metals were simply fixed to the wall which served as sharp steps that a person can both hold and step on as he or she makes his or her way upward.

So, at the end of the tour a visitor has three options of making his way out of the bunker just as it was the case during the war. They are the two emergency exits or the main entrance using the step. The emergency exits are a little risky climbing but for the young, there is nothing wrong in trying out the exit. This reporter climbed out through the emergency exit and discovered that he was almost about 50 meters from where he had entered the bunker.

Some of the things one noticed was that even though the executive bunker well persevered, not much is done to really capture the imagination of visitors to the museum and make the civil war really graphic.

There should be more of the personal effects of Ojukwu used during the war brought in place.

The National Commission for Museum and Monument could also have video and audio clips of the war played for visitors while in the museum. Things like the Biafran currency could also be in the safe or any other place within the bunker. It makes the whole experience more real and enriching.

On the whole, while a lot needs to be improved upon, it is still an interesting place that a visit to Umuahia will not be complete without a visit to Ojukwu’s civil war home.

May 18, 2014
The jinxed soccer teams

They are the kingmakers. They show so much promise and offer very little when it matters most.

They are often associated with sports-related curse, a superstitious belief in the effective action of some power or evil that is used to explain failures or misfortunes.

These teams wowed soccer fans with their dazzling style of play but come short of landing the ultimate prize at every opportunity. They are termed the “jinxed teams.”

In modern football, there are several teams in this category. Soccer pundits tipped them for ultimate glory, they brushed aside opposition with effortless ease, possess awesome team spirit and breathe-taking technical skill, but that key word – L- U-C-K – deserts them at that crucial moment, when the whole world expects them to be crowned champions. Those defining glories always elude them.

They wear long faces after grueling and excruciating soccer battle. They are always second best. These perennial kingmakers often return to the proverbial drawing board after every disappointment on the soccer fields. HAMED SHOBIYE, Assistant Editor, Online, looks at some of these unlucky soccer gladiators.

The Netherlands:

The Dutch national team popularly known as the “Orange” is regarded by many as the best team never to have won the game ultimate prize – the FIFA World Cup.

The country that produced some of the finest soccer artistes such as Johan Cryuff, John Boskamp, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Marco Van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Dennis Bejkamp, Patrick Kluivert and Ruud Van Nistelroy among others had played times at three World Cup finals and came short of landing football biggest diadem on all three occasions.

The Dutch lost to West Germany in 1974, Argentina in 1978 and Spain in the last tournament played in South Africa four years ago.

The Netherlands had won only major tournament before and that was in 1998 when the Ruud Gullit led team stunned the world with its refreshing brand of football and lifted the European championship trophy in West Germany.

With the next edition of FIFA World Cup less than a month away, soccer pundits across the globe are waiting to see if the Orange would banish the ghost of past failures and join the exclusive list of FIFA World Cup winners come July 13.

Benfica:

Astonishingly, “o Glorioso” (the Glorious One) had lost in eight European cup decider since its 1960 heydays.

The 33-time Portuguese champions last lifted a continental trophy in 1962 under the maverick Hungarian coach – Bela Guttmann who later left the club in acrimonious circumstance and cast a spell on the team.

The Budapest-born Guttmann, who led Benfica to defeat Raymond Kopa and Alfredo Di Stefano inspired Real Madrid in 1962 reportedly demanded for a pay rise which was turned down.

The obliviously furious Hungarian quit the Lisbon club. But before he left, he declared “Benfica would never win another European competition without him at the helm.” And 52 years on, that “curse” still haunts the team.

Since his departure, the Portuguese giants had been defeated in eight European cup finals, the most recent being a 4-2 penalty shootout defeat to Spanish side Sevilla in Wednesday’s Europa League final in Turin.

Cote D’Ivoire:

The West African giants last won the African Nations Cup in 1992 in Senegal. The Elephants debuted in FIFA World Cup in 2006 and would be making its third consecutive appearance in FIFA’s flagship tournament next month in Brazil.

The current squad is regarded as the most talented in Ivory Coast football history and boasts of such luminaries as Didier Gnari Drogba, Yaya Toure (the reigning African Player of the Year) and his brother Kolo who is plying his trade in the English Premiership side Liverpool. Other star casts in the Ivorian team are Salomon Kalou, Wifred Bony, Emmanuel Eboue and Gervinho.

Despite the abundance of talents in the team, it has struggled to translate this quality into success. Off-field distractions and other problems had affected the team in several major competitions.

The “Golden Generation” of Ivorian football has played in five AFCON and reached the final on two occasions. On those occasions they lost to less heralded teams despite being tipped for success by pundits.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil is the last opportunity for Drogba-led team to truly leave their mark in international football.

Valencia:

The Spanish side played in two consecutive UEFA Champions League final at the beginning of the millennium. Although the Vincent Calderon landlords were clearly the underdog at the start of the competition in 2000 and 2001, they stunned several top sides including Barcelona and SS Lazio along the way before crashing at the last hurdle. They lost to Spanish rivals Real Madrid in 2000 and in 2001 Oliver Kahn’s heroic stood between the Spanish Primera Liga side and victory in the final against Bayern Munich played in Milan, Italy.

May 18, 2014
Caring for Animals

Chiemeka Chidozie, the Project Director of Animal Aid Project in Nigeria and Africa is one man that is passionate about caring for animals.

Through his non-governmental organization, Chidozie promotes animal welfare in Africa specifically for children below the ages of 19 years – His mission is impact knowledge on the children to have relevant information about animal kingdom and how to care for them.

Chidozie who had been running this project for the past four years has taken the campaign to different primary and secondary schools; “I have been to over 200 primary and secondary schools to educate young people about animal kingdom. I showed them documentary and take them to zoos to see animal life to let the children have good relationship with animals so that they won’t develop the passion of killing the animals,” he said.

He explained further that an average Nigerian doesn’t have passion for an animal, all they know is how to kill animals and this is a project to educate them; “I said to myself that this destructive attitude must be stopped because every Nigerian is an animal killer.”

According to Chidozie, the project is first of its kind in Africa, “Nobody has done this in Africa, I just took the challenge upon myself to start the project,” he said.

On how he gets the project funded, Chidozie who has travelled to Ghana to address people on animal rights said he gets only material donations from United Kingdom and United State of America to run the project. “I have done animal conferences and exhibitions which had over 300 people attended. I finance it myself and also task people to donate to the project. Finance is the major challenge rocking the project,” he explained.

He wants the government at all levels to partner with the non-governmental organisation to be able to fund the project as part of the support. He has also gotten support from a non-government organization, People for Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA), in United Kingdom.
Chidozie who had been featured in Animal Times Magazine in United Kingdom had just been made world animal ambassador for Nigeria.

He wants Nigerians to care for animals “animals have feelings and emotions just as people have because they can’t talk people take advantage of them, if every Nigerian has feelings for animals’ people will not be killing their neighbours and families for rituals,” he advised

May 18, 2014
WHO/UNICEF highlights need to improve drinking water

According to a new WHO/UNICEF report, entitled Progress on drinking water and sanitation: 2014 update, the number of people practising open defecation is declining steadily in most areas of the world, but is still increasing in 26 of 44 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to the transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid. In addition, inadequate or absent water and sanitation services in health care facilities put already vulnerable patients at additional risk of infection and disease according to the report.

Those with no access to a sanitation facility continue to defecate in gutters, behind bushes or in open water bodies, with no dignity or privacy. Nine out of 10 people who practise open defecation live in rural areas.

“The vast majority of those without improved sanitation are poorer people living in rural areas. Progress on rural sanitation – where it has occurred – has primarily benefitted richer people, increasing inequalities,” said Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health.

“Too many people still lack a basic level of drinking water and sanitation. The challenge now is to take concrete steps to accelerate access to disadvantaged groups. An essential first step is to track better who, when and how people access improved sanitation and drinking water, so we can focus on those who don’t yet have access to these basic facilities,” she added.

Overall, the world is not on track to meet the sanitation target in the Millennium Development Goals; 69 countries were not on track in 2012, 36 of them were located in sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the call to action on sanitation issued by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations in March 2013, “open defecation perpetuates the vicious cycle of disease and poverty. Those countries where open defecation is most widely practised have the highest numbers of deaths of children under the age of five, as well as high levels of undernutrition, high levels of poverty and large disparities between the rich and poor.

“There are also strong gender impacts: lack of safe, private toilets makes women and girls vulnerable to violence and is an impediment to girls’ education”.

In addition to the disparities between the rich and poor, and between urban and rural areas, there are often also striking differences within towns and cities. People living in low-income, informal or illegal settlements on the outskirts of cities or small towns are less likely to have access to an improved water supply or better sanitation.

“When we fail to provide equal access to improved water sources and sanitation we are failing the poorest and the most vulnerable children and their families,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. “If we hope to see children healthier and better educated, there must be more equitable and fairer access to improved water and sanitation.”

As we approach the 2015 Millennium Development Goals deadline, the lessons, successes and remaining challenges are becoming increasingly clear. Although sub-Saharan Africa is not on track to meet the MDGs drinking water target, progress has still been made.

“Since 2000, almost a quarter of the current population gained access to an improved drinking water source – that is, on average, over 50 000 people per day, every day, for 12 years in a row,” states the report.

“In 1990, 95 per cent of people in urban areas could drink improved water, compared with 62 per cent people in rural ones. By 2012, 96 per cent people living in towns and 82 per cent of those in rural areas had access to improved water”.

In 2012, over 50 per cent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population is now using improved drinking water sources. Despite progress, more progress is needed – much more.

Dr Couillard is an international health columnist that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and control. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

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May 18, 2014
Why educate our girls – The Chibok Family

Zuriel Prime Minster of St Vincent & The Grenadines

If to Educate means to give ‘Intellectual’ and ‘Moral’ instructions to someone, usually a child, then it is the responsibility of the society in which such children live to ensure their future generation are indeed, well educated, as a strategic tool of sustaining their economic and social security, for generations unborn. Many years ago, the United States was seen as the bedrock of intellectual education and the beacon of business and economic literacy to the rest of the world.

The last decade has seen an obvious shift of that trend, eastwards as more of the current generation of youths and children are, for the first time, open to the same technology platform as their counterparts in the West, but particularly the United States. As telecommunications frontiers has opened up, broadband makes for instant video calls across thousands of miles and across oceans, while the lightning speed fingers of Asian and African kids means talking to, contacting, sharing music with, or writing programs with their friends and relatives civilizations away in the US and Europe are just seconds, greetings, and perhaps a smile away these days.

Young boys and girls are a ready army into this very exciting trend and phenomena. They have become bolder than their parents’ generation, more inquisitive than their older siblings, and even more daring that those who led just barely 24 hours earlier.

One such child is a young Nigerian Girl – 11 Year Old Zuriel Oduwole. There is nothing special about her. She plays, has dreams, does house chores, runs errands for her parents, fights with her younger sister occasionally, rides her bicycle, plays video games, except that on the side, she bothers and interviews world leaders about the need to expand Girls Education in Africa, and also makes documentaries to tell her African story. Zuriel has met with and interviewed 1 in 6 of Africa’s Presidents and Prime Ministers, has been featured in global magazines like Forbes, and appeared on global TV networks like the BBC. She held a first Lady’s Colloquy last month in Nigeria to find practical solutions to the issue of Girls’ Education, and one day, hopes to be President.

There is nothing special about what Zuriel is doing, or perhaps maybe there is. But the definitive issue is she is educated and is still being educated, at age 11. That is what the girls in Chibok Secondary school were doing – getting an education, before they were taken away against their will. They were very much in line with what Zuriel is fighting for – the continued education of the African Girl Child.

Nigeria’s economy is for all practical purposes, in the hands of [2] women – the minister of finance, and the minister of petroleum. They are both very educated, and they were once the ages of Zuriel, and the Chibok Girls. They had dreams, and are perhaps living their dreams as key figures in the Nigerian Government.

Zuriel and Prime Minister of St Kitts & Nevis

Zuriel has now added more leaders to her list of very impressive interviewees, which now includes the Prime Minister of St Vincent & The Grenadines – The Honorable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, and the Prime Minister of St Kitts & Nevis – The Right Honorable Dr. Denzil Douglas. She is making the case for educating the Girls in the Caribbean region, having a few months ago already sat down with the Prime Minister of Jamaica – The Right Honorable Portia Simpson Miller. But how can she hold court with world leaders and global business leaders such as Aliko Dangote whom she has also interviewed, if she was not educated.

Let’s Educate our Girls, lets release ALL of Nigeria’s potentials. There are many Zuriel’s out there, waiting to lift the country to its fullest potential. For the sake of the hurting parents and their families, lets secure the release of the Chibok school girls, so they can contribute to the full development of the emerging African brand, called Nigeria.

May 15, 2014
Bela Guttmann: The man who ‘cursed’ Benfica

Bela Guttmann is an Hungarian coach who led Portuguese giants Benfica to back-to-back European Cup triumph in the early 60s.

He also coached AC Milan, Sao Paulo FC, FC Porto and C.A. Penarol in a glittering career. But his greatest success came with Benfica when he guided the team to successive European Cup victories in 1961 and in 1962.

Together with Márton Bukovi and Gusztáv Sebes, the Budapest-born Guttmann formed a triumvirate of radical Hungarian coaches who pioneered the 4–2–4 formation and he is also credited with mentoring the Portuguese legend, Eusébio, who died early this year.

He also earned a reputation for his self-confidence and his brash style, leading to comparisons with Chelsea manager José Mourinho.

Throughout his career he was never far from controversy. The widely travelled Guttmann rarely stayed at a club longer than two seasons and was quoted as saying a “third season is fatal.”

The Hungarian was sacked at AC Milan while the team was top of Serie A and he walked out on Benfica after the club management refused a request for a pay rise, purportedly leaving the club with a curse as he left.

Before left the Lisbon giants, Guttman declared that Benfica would never win another European competition without him at the helm. 52 years on, that “curse” still haunts the team.

On Wednesday night, the 33-time Portuguese champions lost in the Europa League final to Spanish side Sevilla 4-2 on penalties. The match played in Turin was scoreless for 120 minutes before the two sides were separated by penalty lottery.

Benfica was also defeated in last year’s Europa League final by Chelsea.

Since that triumphant night under Guttmann in 1962, Benfica had tasted seven European cup finals’ defeats, prior to Wednesday’s reverse in Turin.

Benfica’s European finals’ defeats:

1963: vs AC Milan (1-2) – European Cup

1965: vs Inter Milan (0-1) – European Cup

1968: vs Manchester United (1-4) –European Cup

1983: vs Anderlecht (3-4 on aggregate) – UEFA Cup

1988: vs PSV Eindhoven (5-6 penalty shootouts) – European Cup

1990: vs AC Milan (0-1) – European Cup

2013: vs Chelsea (1-2) – Europa League

2014: vs Sevilla (2-4 penalty shootouts) – Europa League

Will Guttmann’s curse continue to haunt the club or it is just a brief lean spell in “o Glorioso” (the Glorious One)’s European campaign? Time will definitely tell.

May 15, 2014
Save the Children, save mothers too

Mothers and children continue to face the highest risks of death due to chronic underlying challenges, including extreme poverty, weak infrastructure, and poor governance. In 2014, more than 80 million people are projected to be in need of humanitarian assistance and over three quarters are women and children.

According to new research released today at the Global Moms Relay, each day 800 mothers and 18 000 children under age 5 die from mostly preventable causes. This equates to one child dying every five seconds.

These statistics are increasingly worrisome with the 2015 United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline quickly approaching. The MDGs are eight goals that 194 UN Member States have agreed to make strides to achieve by the year 2015. They encompass poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.

The aim for MDG 4 is to reduce the world’s under-5 mortality rate by two thirds between 1990 and 2015. The aim for MDG 5 is to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters over the same period. With less than 600 days to go to reach the deadline, only 9 countries are on track to achieve the maternal survival goal.

“We have failed to engage mothers in the MDGs,” explained Leith Greenslade, Vice-Chair at Office of the UN Special Envoy for Financing the Health Millennium Development Goals at the Global Moms Relay.

While it will be a challenge to meet MDGs 4 and 5, as well as other remaining goals, success is still possible – but only if governments, NGOs and other stakeholders engage mothers. The urgent task of completing the unfinished business of the MDGs is highlighted in the new Save the Children’s 15th annual State of the World’s Mothers report.

“Worldwide, women and children are often much more likely than men to die in a disaster, whether man-made or natural”, says Jasmine Whitbread, Chief Executive of Save the Children. “And each year, thousands more mothers and children die in conflict-settings than fighters do in battle. We urgently need to increase access to healthcare in places where state capacity is weak and conflict and insecurity is widespread.

“All children have the right to survive, no matter where they are born. Many of these deaths are avoidable, and we can help to prevent them with the right plans and investments before, during, and after a crisis has hit or fighting has intensified.”

The World Health Statistics 2013 report confirms 15 million newborn babies are delivered prematurely per year and as a result 1 million die. These staggering statistics now ranks preterm birth as the world’s leading killer of newborns.

Almost 15 per cent of deaths in women of reproductive age are associated with preventable complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Annually, over 500 000 women die from complications from lifestyle induced disease and lack of care before, during and after childbirth.

Severe bleeding after birth can kill a healthy woman within two hours if she is unattended. One of the primary causes of excessive bleeding is high blood pressure and poor clotting factors in the blood. Both of these conditions can be improved, managed or reversed with improved nutritional support.

The risk of death is directly related to the access and availability of proper healthcare services. A woman’s lifetime risk of maternal death – the probability that a 15-year-old woman will eventually die from a maternal health factor – is 1 in 3800 in developed countries versus 1 in 150 in developing countries.

Join the #GlobalMoms conversation coupled with the State of the World’s Mothers (#SOWM) report @SavetheChildren. The full SOWM report is also available to download at: www.mothersreport.org

Dr Couillard is an international health columnist that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and control. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

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May 11, 2014
A night of good cheer

The location was Davos Switzerland, home of the annual World Economic Forum where the world’s political and business leaders have gathered every year for the past 43years to discuss strategies for improving the state of the world.

The occasion was Ariya….a night of good cheer hosted by the Nigerian government to give the world a sense of what to expect when they visit Abuja Nigeria May 7-9 to attend the 24^th World Economic Forum for Africa taking place in West Africa for the first time in the 24 year history of the regional forum.

Nigeria is truly blessed; in spite the challenges that confront us as a people. We are a nation of great minds and talent.All through our history, we have witnessed moments of epiphany that re-assure us of Nigeria’s high destiny. The enthralling and scintillating performance of the young cast of Kakadu, Nigeria’s rave musical drama ensemble at the World Economic Forum in Davos was one of such moments for me.

The ‘boys’ and ‘girls ‘gave their souls for our country. They seemed to have sang forever during a 2hour performance which saw the high and the mighty let their hair down lost in the moment with the rhythm of Nigerian music.

Kakadu, the musical is a story of Nigeria’s glorious past…..when our people were truly one. We lived together in peace and harmony in the true African spirit of being our brother’s keeper. No one cared about the other’s ethnic origin. It didn’t matter. We lived together. We celebrated together. We mourned together. We sang and danced together. In our homes, in our communities, we were one people under one God.

Then the story changed….and almost reminiscent of Adam’s consumption of the forbidden apple in the Garden of Eden, we acquired a new consciousness and awareness of our ethnic origins. We went to war. We killed each other. We forgot our brothers. We forgot our sisters. We even forgot out children. Nothing mattered anymore. We destroyed our country. With it went our unity and the love we once shared.

As if in sudden realization of our common humanity and patrimony, the fighting stopped. We made up and began to rebuild our country…… Depending on the generation to which you belong, this may all seem like fantasy……but it is a fact that Nigeria was a truly peaceful country where we lived in harmony with one another. Tongues and tribes differed but we stood in brotherhood as our old National anthem had it.

The Kakadu act is a throw back to the past and an inspiration for the present and the future. The cast and crew of Kakadu are a very young and talented group of Nigerians.I had watched them practice and rehearse from the previous day. I also recollect addressing them backstage on why that outing was important for our country.I encouraged them to give their best for love of country. They obliged. It was heartening that such proficiency in theater could be displayed by our youth, given how underdeveloped that aspect of the arts is in Nigeria today.

Kakadu is a trailblazer and I salute the author of the script, UcheNwokedi, SAN and of course his entire crew. This reawakening of Theater in Nigeria with the Kakadu act and the storm that it has created is quintessentially Nigerian! It may take us forever to get there or to get it right but then we do, eventually and then we take over. That is the story of our music and film which today constitute such great interest as fields of study for scholars of Music and Theatre.

I believe in the high destiny of our country and the talent of our people. The Kakadu story is evidence of the creative genius of our people. Its graphic execution on stage embodies the promise of our nation’s youth. The cast that took our story to the world in Davos hold the key Nigeria’s future. They are the beautiful ones who give of themselves for our country. To all of them and the millions of others who serve and make our country proud in times and places we may not always know, I salute you all.

Review by FNII

May 11, 2014
Tips on effective public speaking

Ubong Essien is a motivational speaker and the Dean of the public speaking training centre known as the School of Eloquence based in Lagos and London. In this article, the Certified Public Speaker (CSP) take readers through the basic ingredients needed for structuring a good speech and how to engage in effective public speaking.

For every speech to be good, Ubong Essien says it must have a good structure and the delivery of the speech must reflect a sensible procedure made up of Beginning, Body and Conclusion, “By way of an acronym, I like to call this the “BBC” of public speaking. This should be the standard process to be followed and maintained during public speaking,” he adds.

According to him, the functionality of a speech is dependent on how the audience understands the structure of the speech.

He therefore gave the following three steps worth noting to enhance effective public speaking.

1. Beginning
The function of the beginning is to grab the attention of the audience in an introductory fashion. In public speaking, ‘all is well that begins well’. Therefore, you must start strong; the introduction must grab the attention of people.

A speech could be started with a quote, a story or a rhetorical question, anything that to a good extent arrests the interest or rouses the curiosity of your audience to engender a listening. Starting with a startling statistic is also a good way provided such is relevant and meaningful within the context of the speech. The goal of the speaker is to immediately seize the moment and awaken the hearts of the audience. The speaker must woo their audience with their powerful beginning.

2. Body
The body of the speech must illuminate minds. This means that it should shed light on issues. It must have additional information and provide substantive content indicative of richness of ideas and points to be made.

What are the main points that you want to pass across to your audience? As a speaker, you must use your body to provide depth of understanding of the issue at hand for your audience. You must provide quality insight into the matter of discourse.

You may choose to itemize the key points and discuss them in order while also fortifying those points with stories, statistics and other narratives. Seamless transitioning from point to point is key. The speaker must wow their audience with the body of their speech.

3. Conclusion
The conclusion or close affords the speaker the opportunity to seal the deal with their audience by seeking to ignite action or engender audience response based on the points made in the body of the speech.

Your close must be powerful and resonating enough as to ensure that the speaker’s message is memorable. It must carry a sticking effect so as to encourage audience buy-in to your message.

You could close by reinforcing the central theme of your message or a consistent sound bite within your message that summarizes your core idea; you could close with a question that leaves the audience thought-provoked or puzzled; you could close with a powerful quotation from a renowned personality or even a story that sums up your key arguments. The speaker must win their audience over with the conclusion of their speech.
So, remember this: anytime you’re speaking and you want to ensure your presentation follows a logical format that will enhance the understanding of your subject matter in the minds of your audience, just follow the ‘BBC’ Sequence.

May 10, 2014
How physical activities prevent cancer

Cancer is one of the most pressing health challenges, yet about one third of the most common cancers could be prevented through eating a healthy diet, being physically active, and maintaining a healthy body weight.

Scientists are still investigating how being physically active prevents some cancers but numerous studies show that it balances hormones, strengthens one’s immune system, and promotes a healthy digestive system. Experts agree that maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life is one of the most important ways to protect against cancer as well as a variety of other chronic diseases.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), being overweight or obese increases the risk of some cancers. Overweight and obesity also increases the risk of conditions including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and coronary heart disease.

In their report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective there is convincing evidence that physical activity protects against colon cancer, post-menopausal breast cancer and endometrial cancer.

The World Health Organisation’s website states that physical inactivity is the main cause of up to 25 per cent of breast and colon cancers. Additionally, a series of studies that were published in The Lancet describes how physical inactivity levels cause 1 in 10 deaths worldwide.

Harvard researchers state that between 500 000 and 1.3 million lives could be saved each year if physical inactivity rates were to go down by even 10 to 20 per cent. These staggering statistics demonstrate how physical inactivity should be considered a pandemic and that it should be treated like any other infectious-disease pandemic would be.

To address this growing concern, it’s important to try to understand why certain people and groups of people are physically active while others are not.

Adrian Bauman, a researcher from the University of Sydney in Australia, found one’s health status, being male, young or wealthy tend to make people more physically active, as does family and societal support for physical activity.

Time spent watching television and on the computer is another significant concern. Children often watch television for more than three hours a day, and they are likely to be exposed to the heavy marketing of high-energy foods. Statistics indicate that overweight that starts in childhood is likely to be followed by overweight and obesity in adulthood.

Urbanisation, rapidly growing cities, and poverty are other significant challenges that have caused people to become increasingly sedentary. As with overweight and obesity, sedentary ways of life are now common, if not usual, in most countries.

It has been estimated that physical inactivity levels could be reduced by 31 per cent through improved environmental interventions, including pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly urban land use and transport, leisure and workplace facilities, and policies that support more active lifestyles.

Moderate physical activity is needed for all – regardless of weight, health condition or age – to achieve optimal health and fight off cancer. People whose work is sedentary should take special care to build moderate and vigorous physical activity into their everyday lives.

Strive to get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week – the more the better. As fitness improves, aim for 60 minutes or more of moderate, or for 30 minutes or more of vigorous physical activity every day.

Dr Couillard is an international health columnist that works in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s goals of disease prevention and control. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.

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May 10, 2014