The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Ex-Army Head of Training, businessman celebrate reunion after losing contact for 55 years

    Ex-Army Head of Training, businessman celebrate reunion after losing contact for 55 years

    On Friday August 19, 2022, Maj-Gen. Hassan Umaru (rtd) boarded an Ibom Air flight from Jos to Lagos only to witness a miracle of some sort.

    As an army General, he had lived a military life for decades, seldom swayed by civilian or social factors.

    At different times, he had functioned as the Army Head of Training and Administration, the Commander of the Special Task Force (Operation Safe Haven) and the Theater Commander of Operation Lafiaya Dole in the North East, among other high octane responsibilities.

    As he sat on that flight between Jos and Lagos, he could not help taking his memories back to his childhood friendship with Tayo Orekoya, a chartered accountant and President of Pearl Awards, with whom he had just reunited about 55 years after they lost contacts as close childhood friends.

    Orekoya, then a six years old son of a police officer, had been neighbours with Umaru at Eleyele area of Ibadan where the latter resided with his parents.

    Recalling how they both played together on the streets of Eleyele as childhood friends, Orekoya said: “We were best of friends, playing together, rolling worn tyres around and about the neighbourhood and playing on the sand.

    “There was no kind of play that we did not indulge in as little children. We ate in each other’s houses and his house was home to me.”

    But in keeping with the adage that says 20 children cannot all play together for 20 years, Orekoya woke up one morning and found that his bosom friend and other family members were gone.

    He said: “We parted ways in Primary 1 when I was six years old and we were in the same school and class.

    “It was a tough one for me. Hassan was gone never to be seen again. There was no trace or mailing address left behind by his family.”

    For 55 years, Orekoya battled in vain to wipe off Umaru’s image from his memory but it just would not vanish.

    “In all those years, I tried to trace him, but no door opened,” he said.

    Then last year, Orekoya made up his mind to do something about it. He resolved to explore the social and combed through the pile of Hassans that popped up on Facebook until he located the one he was sure was Umaru.

    He said: “Immediately I saw his picture, I knew it was him. It was still the same face, though he had added more flesh with age and good life!

    “A new excitement welled up in my whole body. Finally, I had found him.”

    But there was yet another hurdle: Orekoya had

    found Umaru on the social media, but meeting him in flesh and blood was a different kettle of fish. His position in the army did not make him accessible.

    “But, again, I did not give up. I put calls through to different people in government and in the army but there was no success. No one I knew could reach him.

    “After many months, I found one who could, but for his own reasons, he was worried about reaching out to Hassan for me.

    “But like people say, when it is time, then it is time. I found another friend with whom I shared my dream of meeting my lost friend, and behold, within an hour, he got me Hassan’s direct phone number.

    “He, however, warned that Hassan does not pick calls.

    “As luck would have it, I called on that day and Hassan picked the call; not because he wanted to, but because he was expecting a different call from someone whose number he didn’t have and was told to call him.

    “On the phone, I told him who I am and explained how we had been childhood friends at Eleyele in Ibadan, and all the memories flooded back to him.

    “He said he was amazed and that this must be a miracle. I asked after his sister, he said she had passed on. I also asked about other members of his family.

    “Then he said, ‘Orekoya, you must be a magician.’ He said he usually does not pick calls from strange numbers but only picked mine because he was anticipating a call from someone who was refered to him.

    “From that day early this year, we spent hours on the phone almost daily until we planned this weekend get together in Lagos.

    “We knew that for just one day was never going to be enough, so we agreed to have a whole weekend at my home.

    General Umaru (rtd) landed at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja that Friday afternoon into the warm embrace of Orekoya 55 years after parting ways.

    The reporter posed the following questions to  the two friends and got their responses as follows:

    What was the feeling like, meeting again for the first time after 55 years?

    Umaru: “It was a deep feeling of nostalgia. I felt I had seen my twin brother again. Aristotle once said a true friend is a single soul in two bodies. God made us to see that day and we are grateful.

    Orekoya: Same here. It was indeed a nostalgic feeling. I was there at the airport fiddling with my phone when he called and we were in a warm embrace. So emotional. Everyone was watching and wondering that this must be a great moment. A dream come true for me.”

    Did you wonder about the lost years upon meeting your friend?

    Umaru: I would say no. Everything just flowed as arranged by God.

    Orekoya: We tried to catch up with that. But surprisingly, we could only catch up on three years out of the 55. We talked into the nights about eating tin foods, corn beef at their house and going to buy kulikuli and dankwa, and how we used to play at the polo ground at Eleyele and rolled tyres.

    Did you ever think that you could see your friend again?

    Umaru: I never thought of that in my wildest imagination. But then it happened in a big way!

    Orekoya: instinctively, I don’t know where that conviction came from, but I knew one day we would meet again.

    Now that you have met again, do you think you can have the time for each other?

    Umaru: Well, we have already rekindled our relationship. Presently we are mapping out strategies for each other, taking into consideration our major schedules and priorities in order to sustain this record of 55 years of friendship.

    Orekoya: It is interesting to know that the feeling has been mutual. We are trying to see how we can regain all those years.

    How do you feel knowing that both of you managed to get to the heights of your career and are now retired?

    Umaru: Yes, I feel happy. The determination has been inbuilt. In 1967, we went our different ways as a result of parents’ transfer and compelling national issues. We have reunited. This shows that our parents did well for us.

    Orekoya: All glory to God. I’m happy my longing for him has not been disappointing, because even the good heart he had then is still manifesting today. He told me how at 13 he was handed over to a driver to be taken to school all alone in Okene, Kogi State. Nigeria was safe. And then to Kwara, then NDA. How he played football, got scholarship and so on. I told him how I struggled with ICAN and eventually became a chartered accountant, president of Pearl Awards and today a chieftain of All Progressive Congress.

    How about your family?

    Umaru: Our families are doing well. Phone calls were made with members of our families on both sides with resounding comments. As time goes on, we shall establish more contacts as this is just the beginning.

    Orekoya: We have spoken to each other’s family members and now we are one big family. His daughter came around, my son in law came around, we spoke to each other’s wives and bonded with each other’s friends across the country. I’m proud of him.

    What lessons can one learn from your reunion?

    Umaru: There are life lessons here. Tayo has taught me that one can keep quality friends at any age, because the world does not end in one place. Therefore we must learn to live with ourselves. He has taught me that I am not alone in this world; that in fact I have a twin brother. This reunion has taught me to be a better person, to respect everyone regardless of their status. That some secrets are better shared only with a bosom friend. It is making me to trust someone affectionately, and that person is Tayo Orekoya. I’ve also learnt that a quality friend does not change regardless of tribe, religion, culture or race. I hope we can see people who can beat this 55 years record of separation and reunion.

    Orekoya: The lesson here is that of unity of Nigeria. We were young. That is the way Nigeria was: no ethnic bias. We were all free with one another, he a Muslim and I a Christian.

    I invited him to my home. He came and stayed with us for four days. That is how Nigeria should be. I have also learnt that relationships are important. Our meeting has brought large numbers of people together. Indeed old wine tastes better. Young people should build good relationships.

    You spent the weekend together. How did you celebrate the reunion?

    Umaru: I arrived in Lagos at 5:30pm and Tayo was on ground to receive me. We were excited and people at the airport could see it and wondered. Tayo took me to his house and we had dinner and discussion into the night. The next day, we went around the estate where he lives for a lawn tennis practice, where I met a number of his friends. We had breakfast and later attended a wedding ceremony. We went back home, had long hours of discussion. Later in the evening, some of my friends based in Lagos came around before dinner. Sunday was filled with more discussions from breakfast table. He had time for church and that was okay by me. Some of his friends came for lunch after church. We took a walk around the estate and later watched movies into the night. It was a good experience to rekindle our relationship, meeting good and quality friends on both sides. I was at home throughout in Lagos.

    Orekoya: It was a marvelous weekend. We attended Owambe party like Hassan called it. The wedding of Justice Olubunmi Oyewole’s son, the Vice President’s representative was there, the Governor of Lagos was there. We played lawn tennis, had dinner out, took several photographs and talked into the night. We had a great time, indeed, a great weekend.

  • For Matthew Kukah, 70 is a treat

    For Matthew Kukah, 70 is a treat

    At 70, Reverend Matthew Kukah becomes ritualized persona, a streamlined totem. As a revered clergyman, he is feted and celebrated by segments of Nigeria’s high society – and deservedly too.

    The Bishop, Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, is a respected figure and influential social critic who hardly shies from speaking truth to power.

    Thus it was only fitting that he celebrated his 70th anniversary by launching his new book, “Broken Truths,” in Abuja. At the launch, he revealed his plan to build an N200 million Bishop Kukah Centre in Abuja, which among other things, will foster inter-faith dialogue and provide leadership training for people in power and a capacity for noble participation in politics.

    “One is hoping that going forward, the right people will develop the right reflex for participating in politics in Nigeria,” he said.

    The vision is consistent with his perceived role as a social crusader. It is a statement of his social responsibility.

    Recall that Kukah stirred the hornet’s nest last year, when, in his Yuletide message, he accused President Muhammadu Buhari of alleged “nepotism” and its negative effect on “national cohesion and trust.”

    Read Also: Kukah at 70

    With a master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom (UK), in 1980, and a doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1990), Kukah parades striking insight and command on national issues, no doubt.

    Mixed reactions to his oft controversial stance on national issues have, at one time or the other, established him as a fiery cleric cum activist on a defiant swerve against the principle of separating the church from the state.

    As he celebrates his recent milestone, Kukah manifests as no pushover. Notwithstanding his previous engagement with the Nigerian State, he is first and foremost, a citizen of humanity.

    As a faith leader and minister of the church, he is expected to be forbiddingly clean. There are hopes that he’d begin to view all things mortal and mundane with stricter discipline and a more prescient nuance – something close to visceral asceticism.

    In his 70th year, Kukah parades inspiring spunk; his eyebrows may contract and retract with worldly furrow and frown – no thanks to social and political upheaval – but Kukah’s prescience would endure.

    He is never simply human, after all. His clerical bust is as much a mascot as his spiritual, heartfelt politics.

  • Iyorchia Ayu: Haunted by his ‘ignorant children’

    Iyorchia Ayu: Haunted by his ‘ignorant children’

    If Iyorchia Ayu were a god, he would make the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) his ritual space, the varnishing altar of his caprices. But to be a god requires an exalted persona; something deterrent yet divine, provident and revered, traits that manifestly elude him.

    If Ayu personifies such traits, he’d do himself and the PDP a lot of good by asserting them astride the prick of strife rocking the party from the base to the rafters.

    This minute, the PDP on Ayu’s watch, careens from side to side, from one embittered faction to another, like a vessel of feral personae clashing in dramatic space.

    His protracted spat with Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has snowballed to worrisome proportions. It has become the party’s major albatross and likely own goal that could cost it the 2023 presidential elections.

    Wike wants Ayu removed as the PDP’s national chairman. And Ayu fights to rebuff him. As the drama unfolds, their loyalists pirouette and pant in a storm of extreme poses, in solidarity with either man.

    Wike’s loss to Atiku Abubakar at the party’s presidential primary has clearly set the party on the path to self-destruct; his grouse with Ayu stems from the latter’s alleged complicity in the 11th-hour horsetrading and conspiracy between Sokoto Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and Atiku, which cost him the presidential ticket.

    From Ayu’s jubilant hurrah and acknowledgment of Tambuwal as the hero of the party’s primary to Atiku’s choice of Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, as his running mate, Wike felt stabbed in the back and sorely demystified.

    His subsequent bid to remove Ayu resonates at frightening decibels across the PDP’s mangled complex. And just recently, the Rivers governor described Ayu as an ingrate. He said this while reacting to a salvo by Ayu, who in an interview with BBC Hausa, described those calling for his resignation as children who didn’t know when the party was formed.

    Read Also: 2023: Nyesom Wike as beautiful bride

    “When we started PDP, these children were not around. They are children who do not know why we formed the party. We will not allow any individual to destabilise our party,” said Ayu.

    Reacting to the comment, while speaking at the commissioning of a road project at Omerelu in Ikwerre Local government area of Rivers, Wike described Ayu as an ingrate and arrogant man.

    “You can imagine what power can do. You can imagine the ingratitude; how people can be ingrates in their lives…Your business is not to show arrogance to your party. Yes, the children brought you to be chairman of the party. The children brought you from the gutter to make you chairman,” said Wike.

    Ayu has reiterated his resolve not to resign but serve out his four-year tenure, adding that Atiku’s emergence as the presidential candidate does not affect his position as the party chairman.

    However, Wike, backed by fellow governors, Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), among others, insists that Ayu must resign out of respect for the party’s provision on power rotation, arguing that since the presidential flagbearer, Atiku, like Ayu, is from the north, it was only fair that Ayu stepped down as party chairman for a southerner to take charge.

    The 2023 general election was meant to offer the PDP its much-vaunted resurgence as the party to beat in Nigeria’s political space, immediate reality, however, asserts a resonant threnody in the party’s wake.

    On Ayu’s watch, the PDP dissembles and dissolves through storms of internal conflict – leaving it a cold, bare monolith of contending wiles and confounded politics.

    Ayu’s fate seems sealed in the wake of a fresh plot by PDP governors to sack him. The governors have started mobilising members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) against him and broker unity ahead of the 2023 poll.

    At the height of its power, the PDP was in charge of Nigeria as the dominant political party for 16 years producing Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (1999 -2007), Umaru Musa Yar’Ádua (2007 -2010), and Goodluck Jonathan (2010 -2015).

    Internal wrangling eventually led to its costly factionalisation and the split that cost it the 2015 general elections. Ever since the party has fought to regain its foothold.

    To avoid further ugliness, Ayu may need to recoil from his hard defensive; the grisly calculus of his fate establishes his impotence against Wike’s searing offensive.

    The duo’s recalcitrant posturing as war idols has left the party in painful disarray. The eventual winner may be decided by his capacity to power the party with the pillar and capital essential to its victory in the 2023 elections.

    If spurned, Wike threatens a cloudburst of devastating vengeance. But Ayu simply promises to remake the PDP into a colonnade of defiant whim.

    In his downward spiral subsists the humbling anecdote of a deadbeat idol fast becoming a spent doll.

  • Pathetic tales of Benue children orphaned by killer herdsmen

    Pathetic tales of Benue children orphaned by killer herdsmen

    In the last four years, many innocent children in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State have had to watch helplessly as their parents are hacked to death by murderous herdsmen. Without any psycho-social support to assuage their pains and trauma, many of the children are hounded by horrendous experiences that leave indelible scars on their minds.  To mitigate the pangs of hunger and hardship that have become their lot, the embattled children have resorted to work on people’s farms for paltry sums with which they keep body and soul together, INNOCENT DURU reports.

    • Hapless kids watch in horror as herders hack parents to death 

    • Resort to manual labour on farms for survival

    Moses Vendaga had a sword thrust into his heart at the age of 10 when murderous herders invaded their house and hacked his parents to death before his very eyes four years ago. Before the incident, he had only learnt through his friends and relations about how innocent citizens were being gruesomely murdered by the assailants. But the ugly tales did not make so much impression on him until he watched his parents slaughtered.

    “I saw it all with my two eyes. I was with my parents in 2018 when some herdsmen invaded our house and killed them. Their killers cut them with cutlasses and watched them bleed to death. I hid somewhere and later ran away to avoid being killed too. I was only 10 years old,” he said.

    The teenager admitted that life has not been the same since he witnessed the horrific scene. “The images of the sad incident still play back in my mind, but there is nothing I can do about it again. I really missed my parents,” he said.

    Since he lost his parents in those brutal circumstances, Moses has been fending for himself at his tender age. “I am on my own,” he said. “I am not schooling at the moment. I desire to go to school but there is nobody to pay my bills. I now live in the internally displaced persons’ camp.  I have no siblings and there is nobody to call my relation.”

    At the internally displaced persons’ camp, food is rationed. In fact, there are times they don’t get food to eat, rendering them, particularly the children of Moses ilk, vulnerable to hunger.

    To augment what he sometimes gets from the camp, Moses wakes up early in the morning to look for people he could work for on their farms in return for a paltry sum with which he could buy food.

    He said: “I go out early in the morning to look for people in need of workers on their farms. That is what I do to survive. I make about N500 when I get people to work for. I don’t feed well because the food that they give us in the camp is never enough and it does not come every day.”

    Logo and a few other local government areas of Benue State have been under intense attacks from gunmen suspected to be herders in the last couple of years. Countless lives and property have been lost in the process with an end not in sight.

    Official statistics by the state government puts the number of displaced persons across the state at 2 million. The state emergency management agency, SEMA, said the cash-strapped state would need N500 million monthly to feed the IDPs. This challenge is obviously why the predicaments of Moses and his orphaned colleagues are finding survival more and more challenging.

    But Moses is not alone in his travails.

    Iyoku Lawrence is another orphan who killer herdsmen menace has been left indelible scar in his memory. Like Moses, Lawrence, 15, had his parents killed when he was much younger. Things have since then fallen apart for the teenager.

    He said: “My parents were killed in 2019.  I was going to school before they were killed but I have stopped going to school since then. These make me to feel sad and depressed always.”

    Getting to see Lawrence in the camp is most often in the evening, because he has to go out looking for how he would survive each day.

    “Getting food to eat every day is not certain. To stave off hunger and the attending challenges, I go out to look for where I could help people to clear their farms in order to get money to survive.

    “What I get each day is barely enough to survive. Incidentally, it is not every day that I get somewhere to clear farms for people. When I don’t get a place to work, I would not have money to eat.”

    For Ushenea Samuel, 17, the unfortunate loss of his parents occurred in 2018 when he was 13 years old. Every passing day since then has been filled with misery and pains as he has no shoulder to lean on in his moments of anguish.

    Recalling his last moment with his parents, he said: “I am from Tombo Ward. I lost my parents in 2018 when herders attacked our home and community at large. I was with my parents when the herders struck.

    “The herdsmen came around 9 pm when we were already getting ready to go to bed. They started shooting indiscriminately. I managed to escape but my parents could no run as fast as I did.  When I came back the following day, I saw their dead bodies on the ground and I wept.”

    In an emotion laden voice, he said: “I have been left to hustle for survival since then. I do help people to clear their farms and also help people to do other menial jobs to get some money to eat.

    “I could make N500 a day when I have job to do. When I work at mining sites, I make as much as N1,000.

    “It is challenging surviving without my parents or any helper. I desire to go to school but there is nobody to help me. I hope that one day, a non-governmental organisation or some kind hearted Nigerians will come to my aid.

    “Hunger is the order of the day here in the camp. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) brings food to the camp. But when they don’t bring food, everyone will look for how to feed.

    “I have siblings but they have been taken away by my cousins because of the hardship in the camp. I decided to stay back because I could go out and hustle to augment whatever is provided in the camp.”

    More orphans relive ordeal

    It has also been a world of tears and heartache for Richard Abeega. The 19-year-old had looked forward to seeing his parents attain old age but his desire never saw the light of day. His parents’ death came much earlier than he ever imagined.

    “They were killed in 2020 in our place at Ayiin, close to a mobile barracks,” he said.

    “I was with them when the herders came to our place. I was lucky to escape but my parents were not. The attackers came to our place around 7 pm on a Friday.

    “Before they came, my parents and I were talking about the work we would go and do on the farm the following day, which was a Saturday. I never knew that was the last time I would sit down and chat with them.

    “I am heartbroken by the ugly experience.”

    Like his counterparts, he said: “I go out to do odd jobs to survive. I am the one paying my school fees. I go to school in the morning and go out to work on people’s farms later in the day.

    “I also spend my weekends working for people on their farms. Whenever I am driven from school for owing school fees, I seize the opportunity to work for people in order to get money to eat and pay my school fees.”

    The story is a bit different for Tewase Sember (15) as one his parents died naturally when he was younger.

    He said: “I lost my father as a baby but had my mother killed by herders in 2018. I am with my grandmother at the moment here in the camp. My grandmother cannot take care of me very well.” Lamenting the condition in the camp, he said: “I sleep in the tent without a mattress. Rainstorm damaged the tents recently and it has been a challenge sleeping well when the rain falls.

    “I am not happy about my predicament. The school that I attend is right here in the camp. It was organised by camp officials. I want to go to higher institution later on in life and also want to acquire skills in tailoring. But who would help me?”

     

    Community leader: Orphans’ future is bleak

    A member of the community who assists the IDPs in different capacities, Pedro Indyerkaa, decried the predicaments of the orphans and the IDPs in general.

    “Most of the orphans are feeding themselves. They usually go to farms or mining sites to work. The money they make is not enough for them to eat, but what will they do?

    “I told you about an NGO came here during the week. The NGO brought malnutrition food for the people because they cannot cater for themselves. “The malnutrition food is made of soya beans, grounded maize and little fish. It is packed in sachets and they take it like pap.

    “Most of them are battling with malnutrition. They have no stove to cook. They go into the bush to fetch firewood each time they want to cook. They also sell part of the firewood to people to get money to eat.

    “They can’t go to school. Where they sleep in the camp would make you to shed tears. It has been raining for the past one week and the children have not gone anywhere.

    “Yet our government is claiming to be doing something for them. The government is doing nothing.”

     

    Benue needs N500m monthly for IDPs – SEMA

    The Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, last weekend disclosed that the state needs approximately N500 million monthly to provide the basic needs of its close to two million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    The Executive Secretary of Benue SEMA, Dr. Emmanuel Shior, explained that the state government was struggling with the burden without support from the Federal Government, saying “we need about N500 million to take care of the basic needs of the IDPs on a monthly basis.

    “We know that food is very, very expensive. A truck of 25kg rice which is about 1,200 bags is about N18 million for one truck. What we have here is not enough to go round. “So in terms of purchasing food and non-food items that should be enough, we need approximately N500 million to buy enough items for the IDPs monthly.

    “It is unfortunate that Benue State has been abandoned and the IDPs have been neglected by the Federal Government and the challenge at hand is very huge that it cannot be left to the Benue State Government alone.

    “Fortunately, Governor Samuel Ortom has been relentless not only in working and ensuring that he mobilises Benue SEMA on a monthly basis to respond to some of the basic needs of the IDPs, but also ensuring that in other areas of human endeavour he works to ensure that the lives of Benue citizens are actually better.

    “The situation we have in our hands is not only humanitarian. In most of the communities that they attacked, they also destroyed the infrastructure, farmlands, crops, schools, markets, churches and even bridges so as to make it difficult for security agencies to access the attacked communities and those they are occupying.

    “So it is difficult for the government to return the IDPs. And this has been in existence for over four years since 2018 but we will not be tired of talking about this.

    “Some people who want to be mischievous try to compare the humanitarian situation in Benue State to what is happening in Borno State.”

     

    We support every IDP camp – NCFRI

    Contrary to claims by the Benue State Government that displaced people in the state are not cared for by the federal government, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRI) said it has not left out any state in its support programme.

    The South West Zonal Head, Mrs Ola Erinfolami, said: “We have been catering for every state with IDPs.”

     

    Governor, FG in verbal war

    The state government and the presidency during the week engaged in war of words over allegations by the governor, Samuel Ortom, that the menace of the herders cannot be curtailed because the federal government is protecting them.

    “I have spoken to some security men who told me that the federal government gave them directive that they do not have to move against these herders.

    “This is why I keep saying that the federal government’s inaction clearly shows that they are complicit in the criminality that is going on in Nigeria,” the governor alleged.

    The presidency in a swift response dismissed the governor’s allegation describing him as a liar who sought to divide the country.

    The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in the reply challenged the Benue State Government to identify the  army personnel who told him  President Buhari ordered troops not to attack the herders responsible for causing violence in the state.

     

    Out of school children may later become criminals

    A lecturer at the Umaru Musa Yaradua Univeristy, Katsina, Dr Bla Abdullahi Husaini, is worried that the neglect of the kids by the society could spell doom for the country in the future.

    He said: “They are out of school now. Their parents have been killed and the community is not doing anything for their survival. They are left alone.  In years to come, these out of school children will have no sympathy on any growing economy that is coming because they were not assisted when they were growing up.

    “There was no sympathy, empathy by the host community when they needed it. So, they will now turn out to be another class of criminals.

    “It is only when you grow up in a family setting that somebody will tell you that what you are doing is not good. You will have somebody to knock your head when you are wrong and somebody to also guide you.

    “But these categories of out of school children don’t have anybody to do all that. Tell me in the near future how they will be sympathetic to the community that they find themselves. There is no way.

    “It is only education that gives people focus, direction, orientation and organisation.”

    Sharing his experience with some of the children, Dr Husaini, an expert in international relations, defence and ecurity, said: “I was able to interview some of these out-of-school children.

    “When they saw a motorcycle, the brand called Boxer, they ran into the host community and started screaming, ‘They are coming,! They are coming!’ They ran in and shut the door. That is the level of psycho-social trauma these people are going through.

    “There should be a provision for education in an emergency. The aim of that is to cater for those that were chased away by disasters and other man made calamities.

    “They are running away from their original homes to a host community that is relatively peaceful than their own. It is now the responsibility of the state authorities where they are or where they left to cater for their basic needs. “Again we are in a situation where the host communities don’t have the shock absorber to absorb them and give them what they need. It now puts the host communities in a dilemma.”

    He noted that there is a direct relationship between the rising cases of out of school children and budgetary allocations for fighting insecurity in the country.

    “The budgetary allocation we are having in fighting insurgency and other insecurity in the country is not being monitored.  It is not being fully given to those who deserve it.  It is not being fully applied.

    “The federal government is spending N1 billion on security every day.  Per month, the federal government is spending N30 billion on security.   There are other people that are invisible, those visible and actors that are benefitting from it and that is why it is not going to end.

    “Believe you me, what is happening in the country in the next 10 to 20 years, it will not end because it is a very lucrative venture.”

    A run through the statistics of the country’s budget shows that allocations for security have continued to rise over the years without a corresponding decrease in terrorism, banditry and violent crimes.

    In 2016, allocation to security gulped N1.06 trillion and moved up to N1.14 trillion in 2017. In 2018, the allocation jumped to N1.35 trillion and rose in 2019 to N 1.76 trillion. In 2020, allocation to the sector was put at N1.78trillion. Put together, the total allocation within the five years under consideration totaled N7.1 trillion.

    Between 2011 and 2015, budgetary allocations to the sector by the Goodluck Jonathan administration stood at N4.62 trillion.

    The allocation to security in 2011 was N920 billion and N924 billion in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, N923 billion each was allocated to security while the sum rose to N934 billion in 2015 to bring the total to N4.62 trillion.

  • Police launch manhunt for syndicate disguising as domestic servants to rob employers of millions

    Police launch manhunt for syndicate disguising as domestic servants to rob employers of millions

    The arrest of two male domestic servants and others, who unknown to their employers are members of a robbery syndicate, has left their victims in anguish, reports KUNLE AKINRINADE.

    Niyide Babatunde had thought that his newly hired domestic staff members, Francis Dalumental (29), and Alex Odi, were cooks, not knowing they were fiendish crooks. All the Lagos businessman wanted were maids to attend to his culinary needs, but he got more than he bargained for when the two cooks he engaged from the Republic of Benin less than two months ago turned out to be armed robbers.

    A few days after they started working at Oniyide’s home, the two members of an a robbery syndicate, whose members specialise in disguising as housemaids to rob their unsuspecting bosses, brought in their gang members from the neighbouring francophone country and robbed Oniyide of gold, diamond and other valuable items worth more than N30 million in an operation operation that lasted hours.

    A few days after the disturbing incident, Babatunde was shocked when police investigation revealed that Babatunde’s supposed cooks were top members of a robbery syndicate based in neighbouring Benin Republic, whose leader identified as Mathew was recruiting young men and women to work as housemaids in choice Lagos neighbourhoods where they would spy on their rich employers and subsequently connive with other members of their gang to rob them of money and valuable items.

    Francis and Odi’s complicity was uncovered when the suspects were tracked by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command.

    Like Babatunde, Wasiu Adedeji, a hotelier in Ota area of Ogun State, lost valuable items including a Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle, cash in the sum of N300,000, jewellery, and a laptop to a gang of robbers spearheaded by a member of his domestic staff, also a national of the neighbouring country, in March this year.

    The incident occurred barely three weeks after the said domestic staff named Pius Hunto resumed work in Adedeji’s home on an estate in Onipanu area of the Ogun community.

    It was said that Pius brought in three other members of his gang and robbed his boss’ home while the former was out of town. While the hotelier was initially confused, footage from the Close Circuit Television in his residence revealed Pius’ participation in the operation.

    Sources close to Adedeji revealed that Pius has since vanished into thin air while all the efforts made to apprehend him have failed.

    In February this year, two domestic workers connived to rob a Japanese company executive,  Yasushi Murata, of the sum of N2.7 million in Ikoyi area of Lagos.

    According to the police, Murata, an employee of Honda Automobile West Africa Ltd, who lives at Chris Ali Street, Abacha Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos, was robbed on February 1 by his domestic aide, Sossougueto Theodore (50), who conspired with another member of his syndicate, Oluwasegun Olusoji.

    The suspects broke into the victim’s apartment and forced him to transfer the sum of N2.7 million into the Zenith Bank account of Olusoji.

    The immediate past spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said the suspects, who were masked and armed with guns and machetes during the operation, allegedly tortured the Japanese expatriate and made away with his ATM card after violently obtaining his PIN, and transferred the sum of N2.7 million from his bank account.

    Ajisebutu said: “A few days after the robbery incident, the suspects, through the ATM (automated teller machine), unlawfully and fraudulently withdrew the sum of N1,729,850 making a total of N2, 729, 850.00 stolen from the victim’s bank account.

    “The suspects feared they could be arrested. So in order to cover up the criminal act, they threatened to kill the victim if he failed to leave the country or he ever disclosed what happened to anyone.

    “Unperturbed by the threat and pained by the injuries he sustained, the victim, after recovering from the trauma, wrote a petition to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti,  Lagos.

    “Consequent upon the receipt of the petition, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Adegoke Fayoade, immediately assigned seasoned detectives to investigate the incident.”

    He added: “A painstaking investigation led to the arrest  of the suspects, and a member of the robbery gang, Oluwasegun Olusoji, confessed to the crime and gave a vivid account of how the operation was jointly carried out.

    “Following the conclusion of investigation, the Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, has directed that the case should be charged to court.

    ”The CP, however, admonishes employers to always carry out thorough background checks on their domestic staff before employing them, and be wary of criminal neighbours.”

    In June 2019, one 37-year-old Francis Okputu, an agent, was arrested by men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), a special metropolitan anti-crime unit of the Lagos State Police Command for using a maid he recruited to rob the employers of cash, jewellery and other valuable items.

    Okputu, a former dry cleaner turned domestic staff agent, was said to have been doing the job since 2003 when he started asking his recruits to steal from their employers.

    How the syndicate operates

    Okputu and Odi’s syndicate operates from Cotonou, Republic of Benin. From his base in the francophone country, the leader of the gang identified as Mathew recruits young men and women as cooks for unsuspecting wealthy people in Lagos and other parts of Nigeria, purposely to rob their employers.

    Mathew was said to have sent Okputu and Odi to work for Babatunde as cooks at his home on Coleman Nwafor Street, Eleganza area of Lekki, Lagos.

    The two cooks later started monitoring their employer and reportedly invited other gang members to attack Babatunde.

    It was said that the suspects stormed Babatunde’s home with guns, cutlasses and axes, and robbed him of diamond necklace, gold earrings, a Rolex wristwatch and other valuable items.

    The robbers inflicted him with injuries before they escaped with their loot worth more than N30 million.

    The items they stole from their employers were allegedly handed over to Mathew who sold them to one Isa Mohammed for a paltry N2 million, while Odi and Okputu subsequently relocated to Ota in Ogun State and Ibadan in Oyo State respectively to hunt for another victim, pretending to be professional cooks.

    The victim however learnt that his new cooks were the brains behind the robbery. Hence, he wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, who ordered an investigation into the incident.

    Odi was arrested and his confessional statement led to the arrest of Mohammed and Okputu.

    Odi, a father of one, who claimed to be an indigene of Bopa in Cotonou, Benin Republic, said he trained as a cook and revealed his wife’s and son’s names as Dorcas and Godwin.

    He said: “Sometime in July 2022, Matthew (leader of his gang) sent me to Eleganza to work there to enable me to steal gold and diamond from Babatunde, which we succeeded in doing.

    “We gave the items we stole to Matthew, who then sold them to Mohammed before he went back to Cotonou after we shared the money.

    “Immediately we succeeded, I relocated Sango-Ota and started looking for another work before I was arrested by the police.”

    In his confessional statement with the police, Okputu said he had fixed no fewer than 15 domestic workers on commission basis since 2003 until he decided to use them to steal from their employers after he fell on bad times.

    He said: “I have been helping Lagosians to get house helps and everybody in my neighbourhood knows that is what I do. They also make recommendations and link me with their relatives who need my service.

    “Sometime in May this year, a friend directed one Joy Onoz to me to help her get a housemaid job, which I did and all was fine until the next month when she began to call me that her mistress did not like her and she would like me to help do something about it.”

    It was said that after Okputu found that Joy’s employer was wealthy, he cajoled Joy to steal cash, jewellery and pictures from her employer. Okputu allegedly explained to Joy that he would take the picture to a female spiritualist who would bewitch and make Joy’s employer not to know that her valuables were being stolen by Joy.

    However, Joy exposed Okputu’s plan to her employer who invited the police into the matter, while Joy was asked to play along with Okputu.

    Joy was given foreign currencies, jewellery and her employer’s picture. She then told Okputu that she had stolen some valuables from her employer. Okputu asked Joy to meet him up at Iyana-Ipaja, a suburb of Lagos, to hand over the items to him. It was at the agreed meeting place that detectives arrested Okputu after he received the items from Joy.

    Prosecution

    Mathew has since fled back to Cotonou, Republic of Benin, after collecting and disposing of the stolen items and he is currently being trailed by the police while Okputu, Odi and Mohammed have been charged before the Yaba Magistrate’s Court for conspiracy and armed robbery.

    Police prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen, a Superintendent of Police (SP) urged the court to refer the matter to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for piece of legal advice because the suspects are foreigners.

    The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. P.E. Nwaka, ordered that the suspects be remanded in the correctional centre pending when the legal advice from DPP would be forwarded to the court.

    Experts react

    A seasoned security expert, Sam Aniagolu, cautioned against hasty employment of domestic staff or workers, noting that such hurried engagements portend danger for employers.

    He said: “Employers should carry out adequate background checks on the domestic workers they intend to employ before bringing them to their homes to work.

    “It is important to subject the servants to adequate verification exercise before they are employed. Anything short of this leaves the employer at the terrible risk of robbery and death in some instances.”

    In his words, a security consultant, Job Enakhire, urged people to install security gadgets such as the close circuit television at home for proper monitoring of domestic servants.

    “I want to suggest that people who want to employ domestic servants must first secure their premises or home with relevant and modern security equipment or gadgets such as the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) camera and alarm.

    “Installing a CCTV camera at home will no doubt help to monitor the movement and activities of domestic servants at home.

    ”For example, with a CCTV camera synchronised on personal gadgets like multimedia phones, you can conveniently monitor your homes and offices from any location in the world to check what your servants are doing in your absence.”

    He added that people should learn to maintain a disciplined culture of information management and adequate supervision of their domestic servants.

    “It is important for employers to censor access to their personal information and secrets by keeping your vital information away from your servants so as to disallow them from using such private information to perpetrate nefarious activities.

    “It is also necessary for employers to keep a disciplined lifestyle in order not to expose their household to danger as there have been reported cases of domestic servants eloping or absconding with their employers’ valuables and children without a trace.”

  • Rita Ofili: How I became a wheelchair model

    Rita Ofili: How I became a wheelchair model

    Rita Ofili is a physically-challenged wheel chair model, motivational speaker, actor and counselor. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde she takes you into her world, inspiring other people with disability as well as competing in the Miss Wheelchair World pageant.

    Tell us about life as physically challenged wheelchair model?

    My life as a physical wheelchair model has been quite challenging. This is because of the challenges relating to the rejection and stigma all because am I on wheelchair. If you look around, you will see that persons on wheelchair haven’t been seen as potential “Model” or a brand ambassador, influencer or celebrity.

    In addition, you find that most people in the modeling and fashion industry discriminate against persons with disability when it comes to acceptance or endorsements for brands. But, the truth of the matter is that we do buy their clothes, eye glasses, shoes even when we don’t really walk on our legs.

    For designers, I would say that the big question is why don’t they think that the disabled community need to be represented, I strongly believe that we are worthy of influencing what we use.

    What are the things that inspire you?

    I am inspired by a lot of things and this include God, disability, books, life experience, nature, meditation, visual and environmental art.

    God is my number one inspiration. The above mentioned are the things that inspire me in life. In the course of my disability, I found abilities, creativities, diversity and other things that I can do mentally and they continue to inspire me from time to time.

    Tell us about some of the memorable moments in your life career?

    My first memorable moment in life was when I got admission into secondary school. The experience was interesting because   I was the only person with physical disability. That was at the Federal Government Girls College, Ibusa Delta state in 1996.

    The second memorable moment was when an American man whose  organisation known as Beautiful You Fashion Tour endorsed me as an International Model from Nigeria.

    Another memorable moment was when I won 500,000 thousand naira grant from British American Tobacco fund. This was to support a project that I was working on, creating a drama, documentary and YouTube content in 2019/20.

    Looking back memory lane, I would also say that being the first wheelchair model in pageantry and representing Nigeria by participating in Miss Wheelchair World Mexico this year is also one of the biggest moments in life and career.

    You are a finalist for the Miss Wheelchair world pageant taking place in Mexico this year, what are your preparations for the competition?

    That is a very important pageant for me and I am going to give it my best. I am among 27 finalists of the Miss Wheelchair world pageant taking place in Mexico on October 23rd 2022. I must confess that my preparation for the competition is very tasking and demanding but I am very optimistic and not deterred by any of the challenges. It boils down in raising funds to support me in buying my tickets, clothes, have a National Costume that is awesome, wheelchair, visa amongst others.

    What are your expectations for the pageant?

    My expectations are to standout whilst sitting, wheeling, facing the panel of judges, as well as answering their questions with confidence. I am also working to have proper presentation skills, relating very well with the other contestants and to win Miss Wheelchair world 2022.

    Let’s talk about life as a motivational speaker?

    Motivating other people inspires me a lot. I actually use my life experience to tell stories, deliver speeches with the intention to motivate and inspire people around the world. I often encourage the disabled community to look at things from a different and perspective, and motivate them to take positive action in their lives.

    You are also an actress, what are some of the things you have done and some of the people you have worked with over the years?

    Yes, acting is another interesting and exciting aspect of my life.  I am a wheelchair actor and I have acted alongside with people like Akeem Abuduraman an A list Actor on Drama series and Richard Akindele titled Disability strays. However it is yet to go to the cinema and I have great hopes about my prospect in the sector.

    What are the challenges?

    Like every other sector, it has its own challenges. The challenges include lack of an office space, inaccessible buildings, transport system and lack of funds. However, I see every challenge as a stepping stone and they actually spur me to do more as well as find solutions.

    Tell us about life as a counselor?

    Counseling is already a way of life for me. The things I do as a counselor for persons with disabilities are done to motivate, inspire and open their eyes to a variety of opportunities that would help to change their world. So, here we have one on one admonishment, advice, therapy, mentoring, soliciting for funds to do give away among people with disabilities as well as free distribution of wheelchair through Ephaphata Hope Foundation.

    This means that human investments and employment is the greatest achievement of life.

    You have also done a number of Charity work. Let’s talk about this and what it means to you?

    Yes, I do this through the Ephaphata Hope Foundation. The organisation is non governmental organisation where we reach out and touch the lives of the less privilege as well as people with disabilities. The Foundation has helped me accomplish my mission, vision and goals. My mission is 100 percent legit because all parts of the strategic plan have helped me to be focused especially with my team. I get a lot of inspiration and direction on what I need to work on pertaining to the development of the disabled community in Nigeria.

    Our core objectives are to provide free wheelchair and other adaptive aids that will support wheelchair users. In addition, we also give scholarship to those on wheelchair, create awareness   on the different issues affecting wheelchair users and empower them through education, empowerment and skills acquisition.

    Ephaphata Hope Foundation social events is always an occasion where people with disabilities, wheelchair users  particularly  gather for social interaction and entertainment such as shooting of documentary, drama,party,restaurants , networking, meetings and more.

    This also involves the counseling for people with disabilities and their wards or Parents caring for special needs children in management of Mental Health issues.

    What advice do you have for physically challenged people?

    It’s a tough world and determination to succeed is very important. My advise usually is that people with disabilities must train themselves, go to school get educated, learn skills and be productive in the society.

    In addition, it is very important for physically challenged people to be open minded, ready to explore different opportunity and never give up. Having exposure to different skills, opportunities and ways of doing things is very paramount in our lives.

    How would you assess beauty pageant in Nigeria today?

    The crux of the matter is that beauty pageant in Nigeria is not inclusive, accessible and there are no diversity measures in place.

    What are some of the other things that occupy your time?

    I have a lot of things that I am working on and I try to put in my best to stand out. The act of imagination and creativity of how to be creative in the disability market niche occupies my time hundred per cent.

    Who or what do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?

    The greatest influence in life is God, my biological Sister Diba Anele and Pastor Chris Oyahkilome.

    How do you relax?

    I relax through praying and speaking in tongues. I also love listening to blues at a low tempo, dancing, reading, playing with kids and teenagers. I also engage in straight talk conversations with family and friends.

  • Emmanuel Osodeke in the eye of the storm

    Emmanuel Osodeke in the eye of the storm

    WITH no end in sight, the strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) under the leadership of Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke has left students, parents, and other stakeholders frustrated — especially those admitted for a four-year programme and prospective freshmen.

    Osodeke, a Professor of Soil Science at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, consequently attracts criticism and admiration from separate quarters.

    Ultimately because the strike which is now over six months has dragged on for too long, leaving many students helpless.

    The union’s major demands include the adoption of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), the renegotiation of the 2009 agreement, a halt to the proliferation of universities, and the release of revitalisation fund, among others.

    Osodeke’s uncompromising stance has equally exposed his weakness: his refusal to budge or meet the government halfway, on the flipside, portrays him as a hardliner whose intransigence may cost Nigerian students greater loss than was envisaged.

    Osodeke has persistently dismissed government’s claim that it does not have enough funds to meet the union’s demands, saying the ongoing industrial action would not be called off until the government meets its key demands.

    The university don has vehemently argued that the protracted strike is in the best interest of the students and the betterment of the university system, clarifying that only one of all of his union’s demands relates to the lecturers’ welfare.

    How will the government and ASUU find a common ground and reopen universities?

    A cursory look at the timeline of ASUU strikes revealed that the union started going on strike in 1988 during the military regime of President Ibrahim Babangida. Since the return of the civilian government in 1999, university lecturers have gone on strike on 16 occasions.

    However, it appears there’s a growing disdain for the ongoing strike action, and the union is fast losing public support. What is at stake now is the no-work-no-pay pronouncement made by the federal government against striking union members.

    A section of the Trade Disputes Act 2005 maintains that any time workers go on strike, particularly doctors who render essential services, their employers can withhold their pay. Capitalising on it, the federal government insisted that it won’t concede to the demand by the union members to be paid the backlog of salaries withheld during the ongoing strike.

    Rather than bat an eyelid over the latest demand from ASUU, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, urged students to sue the union, shifting the blame that ASUU should be the one to compensate the students because they’ve been absent from work.

    It is quite ironic that ASUU — a community of intellectuals — is yet to find a sustainable solution to the challenges bedevilling the education sector, especially its funding issues.

  • ‘How COVID-19 breakthroughs opened possibilities for HIV vaccines’

    ‘How COVID-19 breakthroughs opened possibilities for HIV vaccines’

    On the sidelines of a recent conference on public oral health, TOBA ADEDEJI spoke with the Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Morenike Ukpong, speaks on issues related to public health and awareness.

    WITH the new possibilities that COVID-19 has opened to medicine, especially the design of vaccine to mitigate the spread of the virus, do you think there is also the possibility of developing preventive vaccine for HIV?

    Unlike COVID-19, we have been working on the possibility of an HIV vaccine for ages. I think COVID opened the door for a mechanism that had not been used like it was used in COVID-19 to develop vaccines.  So we have seen a lot of research going on, using that MRNA technology. Sooner than later, we would likely have an HIV vaccine. There are two types of vaccine we are looking at: the preventive one and one which if you get HIV infection you would not progress faster to AIDS.

    How soon do you think this can be achieved?

    Nobody can say how soon it would be delivered. We can only believe it will be soon with the technologies that are now available.

    What is impeding access to grants by scholars in Nigeria?

    It is non-prioritization. In a nation that prioritises security, they put all the money there. If you understand that development happens through research, then you prioritise it. You won’t get the grant if the country doesn’t prioritise research. Look at what is happening in the education sector. So, how would they prioritise reserch with the energy on education you are seeing? You won’t get grants until government prioritises research.

    But I must tell you that I am aware that the National Health Research Committee is working towards that.  We also have TETfund grant and people are advocating for it.

    With the rising phenomenon of sexual harassment in schools, would it be appropriate for female students to underperform to avoid being sexual harassed?

    I think that would be a crime against oneself. Why would you do that when you know that your performance and your transcript is your future? Every institution has systems that can support, but like you know, many people don’t use these systems. You need to get screened in rather than screened out for you to show that you have a potential.

    Is poor nutrition one of the factors responsible for rampant cases of bad dentition these days?

    I will fault our poor attitude to public education, because the system can educate parents to know, identify and prevent it. The system that allows public education on many health issues is poorly coordinated and poorly implemented.

    What do you think that dentists can do about issues related to adulterated toothpastes?

    This issue has to be address by regulators and those that provide oversight on products that go into the market. I look forward to a future where trained dentists and entrepreneurs address this gap in our market.

    Would you advocate entrepreneurship training for undergraduates on production of toothpaste?

    The dental curriculum now includes training undergraduate dentists as entrepreneurs. This is because of the recognised need to build the  competency of dentists to practice beyond the borders of public health institutions. We are seeing the impact of this already as we see a lot more trained dentists having start ups. It has already started and can only grow bigger and better.

    Do you think government should take the issue of dental health as serious as HIV/AIDS, cancer, tuberculosis and other diseases?

    Yes. Oral health problems affect a lot of people globally more than those diseases combined. However, it is less associated with death and there is very poor public discourse on oral diseases as an epidemic of public health concern. We can do more and should do more on this.

    There is a need to address a lot more of indigenous issues including herbal remedies. A conversation about this has started. In addition, we had a conversation in my unit on the need to improve public education. Programmes like this stimulate spiral changes, many of which we may not be able to account for. I however think we are building on successful past and rolling into a bright future through the cumulative work of every one in the oral health industry. What you are doing is one of the most brilliant outcomes of this conference- raising public awareness.

  • No regret returning to Nigeria –Ex-UK varsity teacher Akindayini

    No regret returning to Nigeria –Ex-UK varsity teacher Akindayini

    Dr. Segun Akindayini is a United Kingdom trained teacher. At the age of 20, he left Nigeria for the UK where he spent most part of his life. For 10 years, he was a lecturer at Tames University in the United Kingdom. He was also one of the people that pioneered the marketing of Nigerian films in the UK with the setting up of African Video Centre in the early 90s. A few years ago, he returned to Nigeria to join other Nigerians in setting up a hospitality business, Chicago Bar Grill and Motel in Ogun State. He spoke with GBENGA ADERANTI about his new found faith and hospitality business, the challenges that come with doing business in Nigeria and the face-off between the Federal Government and university teachers, among other issues.

    YOU returned to Nigeria a few years ago after spending close to four decades in the UK. What was the motivation?

    I came back from England in October 2014 to establish a full-fledged hospitality business called Chicago Bar Grill and Motel. The main attraction was to give a taste of modern entertainment and comfort in a conducive atmosphere.

    Why did you return to Nigeria when you could have stayed back and earned a living?

    Prior to my return, I had lived in England for 38 years covering my education, working and living as a family man. I wanted a change of environment and I felt that it was time to come back home.

    How receptive were your hosts in the community?

    The community was excited to experience and have access to a unique hospitality business. We enjoyed good patronage from the community.

    It is intriguing to see that part of your hotel has been turned into a church. What could have informed this?

    I believed that big cities had many of such businesses and it would have been more challenging for us as a new business to compete with them. Also, I already had a suitable landed property in Ogun State. It was rightly located in a community which needs and would appreciate our business.

    How involved are you in the church activities?

    It is not a church but a gathering of interdenominational believers’ fellowshipping together.

    By the grace of God, I am fully involved. It was a calling and a turning point of my life after running a successful hospitality business and realising that I could add a lasting value to the lives of the people in the community. I am a born again Christian and I decided to use the platform to preach the gospel – the word of God.

    Some people would argue that hospitality business and religion do not go together. How would you explain this?

    Although some people might see it as a conflicting idea, it is a golden opportunity to reach a large number of people who are already accustomed to the environment. Even the bible says that we should use every opportunity in our possession to spread the good news

    Do you feel uncomfortable that your faith conflicts with your profession?

    In this case, my faith actually complements my business, because Chicago Bar Grill and Motel has been turned into a retreat centre. We are now a place where people may stay for a period devoted to prayer, study or relaxation. Most of our guests and lodgers join us for morning devotions, special praise and worship service on Fridays tagged: ‘VICTORY HOUR’. We also have Chicago Night of Praise tagged “Party with Jesus”, which is held on the last Sunday of every month.

    How do you feel when you get flak from people about the conflict between your faith and business?

    I feel they need more orientation because this actually demonstrates a form of ignorance on their part.  Hospitality business is a service whereas faith is a mindset. Although they are different, they can complement each other.

    How do you respond to these criticisms?

    Whenever this occurs, I use the opportunity to explain the need to accept Jesus Christ into their lives. And on most occasions, they tend to agree.

    How would you describe the business climate in Nigeria?

    The business climate in Nigeria at the moment is not encouraging. The economy is bad, the government is not helping, and we have bad leadership.

    What were the initial challenges you faced and how did you overcome these challenges?

    One of the challenges was the attitude of workers towards their duties. Most of them were lazy, untrustworthy and required a lot of supervision. The most challenging part was the lack of provision for basic infrastructure that was needed for a startup business: bad roads and unstable electricity supply. We have to provide all the necessities for the business which requires a huge financial capital cost.

    Any regrets returning to Nigeria?

    To the glory of God, I have no regret returning to Nigeria. In actual fact, it has been a blessing in disguise.

    You were a lecturer in the UK. If you were to advise the Federal Government and university teachers union, what would you be telling them?

    Education is an important aspect to the development of a nation. The Federal Government and teachers have a major role and must work hand in hand. They should reach a compromise and quickly resolve the issue at hand for the sake of the students.

    You seem to be Afrocentric considering your wardrobe, the pictures and paintings in your hotel. How involved are you in Africa and its culture?

    African culture and tradition is very profound, rich and must be respected. I love our fashion, music, arts and crafts. There are loads of paintings that portray African heritage in the Chicago Retreat Centre.

    What is your attitude to African religion and culture?

    Personally, I don’t have anything against African religion and culture. It is a matter of individual choice of belief. But I believe in the Supremacy of the Almighty God, and His Son Jesus Christ.

    How would you describe night life right now?

    Nightlife in Nigeria at the moment is insecure. People must be vigilant and also be security conscious. In general most businesses are affected because people are not completely free from the fear of unexpected attack at all levels.

  • FLORENCE ITA GIWA: Why I’m hooked on politics

    FLORENCE ITA GIWA: Why I’m hooked on politics

    Florence Ita Giwa, a woman of substance, has excelled in politics, entrepreneurship, activism, fashion and other areas of human endeavour. She recently added another feather to her cap berthing a reality show for models with a team of seasoned professionals. She spoke with YETUNDE OLADEINDE, about her motivations and memorable moments, among other issues.

    WHAT is the secret of your good looks at 70 plus?

    To be quite honest, women have to make efforts to age gracefully and beautifully. This means that there are lots of sacrifices to be made. You don’t eat anyhow and you don’t handle yourself roughly. Live a good life, take care of your health and take care of your body.

    Again, it has to do with your family genes and background. It also depends on the knowledge of how to take care of yourself. You have to watch your diet. You are what you ingest in your system. You have to be confident and have a settled mind.

    Do you visit the gym?

    I walk a lot because I do not have time to go to the gym anymore. I just realised that the older I get, the busier I have become. Then, I used to go to the gym a lot and it paid off.

    What are the things that you cherish most in life?

    My peace of mind and happiness. Also doing good to humanity, service to humanity.

    As a Calabar woman, you must love food a lot or what inspired the business?

    How dare you come and accuse me of loving food! I am interested in the Chemistry of food, I am a Calabar woman. And the Calabar woman understands this very well. I learnt so much from my mum. Even though she was a busy journalist, she attached a lot of importance to food. She cooked very well and makes me develop interest in food. I love food very much. Even the thought of food for me is very exciting.

    But I am not talking about eating volumes but the thought of eating something special. I am also very adventurous with food. I could travel to eat. I am just coming back from Dakar and they have a variety of ‘ijekuje’. One of my attractions to Dakar is food.

    What lessons has life taught you?

    I think it is resilience.

    Tell us about the children you empower and what this means to you?

    One of them is now a petroleum engineer, another is a mechanical engineer. I also have one  who is now in Lagos waiting for her call up to go and do her national youth service. In the last two years, we have had seven graduations of all my children. We went to Ghana where I had two graduates in the University of Mines and Technology in Takua. That school, you pay in dollars. It is one of the best in the world. And one of the kids was actually elected as President of the International student’s Union in that school. They were surprised that a woman from Nigeria can do that in Ghana.

    What drives you to do all this?

    My mother made me imbibe the culture of caring for other people. She and Theresa Bowen were the first female journalists in Nigeria. She was a journalist and an activist. She didn’t like the way they were trampling on people’s rights. She actually went in and out of detention three times in her lifetime.

    She was a very strong woman. She also tried to develop people around the community at that time. Now, growing up and going to Bakassi to see the number of children opened my eyes to so manythings.

    So, if I collect 100 children in a day, I haven’t done anything. I hope that one day Nigeria would be better. I go there regularly to see what I can do. There are 10 geo-political wards in the place and I just pick randomly without knowing their parents. I started like this and it is about 14 years now. When the first set graduated I continued and now became more adventurous. My last two now, one was four months and the other two months when I took them.

    My daughter was a bit uncomfortable and she said at this age you cannot be a nursing mother. You see her running around me saying Mummy, Mummy, and I laugh and say to myself, maybe when your eyes open you see that your mummy is not a young girl. They usually want me to do ring a ring, roses and jump around with them. Now, my last babies are just eight years old now. I have 24, 23, and 21.

    If a lot of Nigerians are doing what you are doing, don’t you think things would be better?

    Exactly. In the creeks, I don’t know about the northern ones, what is causing banditry is because the areas are not developed. Then you have lack of engagement, lack of employment and then poverty. So, the boys got so frustrated that they also stopped the creation of wealth. Normally there should be wealth in the areas because of the aquatic wealth. But then, the militants go out and take it. When they manage to fish, they take it away from them. It is a very difficult area, but I don’t have a choice and it is where I go to vote. I work from there and I try to make it comfortable.

    Apart from human development, I have also on my own done certain things. Unfortunately, this country does not care what people are suffering. In fact, to my greatest shock, the first time I started going to Bakassi as a much younger woman, I was shocked to see that Cameroon and Nigeria are fighting over a place that they have not developed, they have not touched. I did the first borehole, did the first Jetty, even tried to build a school and all that. And two countries are fighting. What are you fighting over and people are suffering up till now? If you go and remove a thousand babies, they are procreating every day. If I didn’t bring out those girls they would have been abused.

    And there is so much militant activity going on in that area. Even the militants that embraced amnesty have not fully fulfilled the promises of engaging them.

    Are you saying your base as a politician is Bakassi?

    In Lagos, I am not a politician. I am what you people call celebrity. I don’t do politics here. I cannot quit politics because I have young people that have been with me, that virtually laid down their lives for me to win election. The last election I won, I was the only opposition from the entire South-South of Nigeria. The last one, I defeated PDP in my state. It is not easy for me to quit politics because thereare children, young men that laid down their lives for me to win four elections. And if I am not around, they would be trample upon and my seat is APC.

    The 2023 General elections is around the corner, what message do you have for Nigerians?

    I think that the PVC is going to solve a lot of problems. And then for me, the number one advice is against using children for violence. I have established an NGO in my place in which I am also trying to engage the young people. Don’t shed blood for anybody. Let them bring their own children to do that. Say no to violence. That again hinders females a lot.

    In my state, since I finished in the state executive, no other woman has been able to do this, even in the House of Reps because of poverty and violence.

    Let us assess women’s performance at the national level?

    It is very unimpressive, which is most unfortunate. Maybe now that this new system of voting has been introduced, the next time around the women may be able to exercise some form of change. But when it now moves on to theselective syndrome, it became impossible. Now, somebody was support you and then they rig the election in your favour. So, the women are unable to make up and the women organisations just sit in air-conditioned offices and talk and talk.

    But, I tell them to go out in the street and start working. Go and start endearing yourself to the people. All the young men have conscience. If they see that you are hardworking, you are involved in the community, you don’t just get there and say you belong to this organisation, it won’t help you. Nobody wants to give away power just like that.

    The man who is contesting with a woman would work harder than a man contesting with a man. You are going to touch on his ego. What would he tell his wife when he gets home; that a woman defeated him? So, you have to work very hard. That man is facing you like life and death. So, there is no sympathy. Start early.

    I have done four elections and I did not lose elections. I go in as two human beings facing each other; not as a woman. I don’t believe in the gender thing. I am also not a feminist. If there is anything like reincarnation, I want to come back as a woman.

    I am a politician and I belong to a political party called APC. If over a thousand people went to the convention and voted for one human being who emerged as presidential candidate, so be it. So, that is the person that I am supporting. The person my party is supporting. As Governor Tinubu did well in Lagos, he would do well. They have not started campaigning yet, but in my state, I am working very hard because for once we really struggled for power to go to the minority areas which is where Icome from. A long serving Senator like me won the primary election and he is likely to win.

    The election next year is going to be interesting because of the awareness. Many have gone out to register. Nigerians want the country to move forward; they want change. Nigerians want a president that is interested in being president; not just the title. A governor that wants to be a governor, not just because he wants a job or drive a retinue of cars. It is going to be very competitive, very tough.

    To be a president is not easy. I have worked with two Presidents at very close range. I worked with Obasanjo for four years. He worked 24/7 to give Nigerians the best.

    You are part of a modeling reality show. What motivated you to do this?

    I develop children in totality, giving the confidence, poise, behavioral patterns, family values. So, if anybody comes to tell me about any programme that has to do with human development, especially girls. Although I have brought up boys and guys from very decent human beings from the creeks of Bakassi, and there is nowhere that can be worse than the creeks of Bakassi where my children come from.

    Right now, they are flower girls in a wedding in Cotonou on Saturday, and I am going to join them on Thursday. My fulfillment in life is not because I won four elections as a politician, house of reps, Constitutional Conference and Senate twice. My fulfillment is helping children that probably would have perished in the creeks that would have become militants, perished on the high seas as fishermen. Or the girls that would have being abused.

    In the creeks, there is no activity other than procreation. Once they reach the age of puberty, they impregnate them because there is no life there. At 6pm the fishermen come back and they drink their ogogoro, light is out and then the buildings have no doors. I would have established a home but I think homes breed some miscreants so I said I would bring them into my family and make them family members. And in my family we don’t have any titles.

    For instance, my only grandson, Koko’s son, had the option of going with his dad and mum and then I would join them in Dakar. Then the girls had the option to go to Cotonou and my grandson told his mum and dad that he was going with the girls, and today is his birthday. Right now, they are having his birthday in Cotonou with the two young girls.

    We also don’t bring up just ordinary people; we make them extraordinary and challenge them. I just bring up these children, give them my name, and give them upbringing. So, if this project is going to engage some of our upcoming women and not just the reputation that models has that they pick them on the street. When my daughter was young and I wanted to make her cry, I would point at Naomi Campbell as her friend. But today, Naomi has gone places, the Oyinbos saw something in her and today she is the biggest international model.

    Perhaps, with this project we would be able to produce models at that level, who after being in the House for eight weeks, enjoy grooming, behavior and more. That is why I am supporting anything that has to do with proper human development. It is because they pick them on the streets that they just give them small money and we hope to change that. It is not just the pageantry; there is a life after the pageantry.