The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • British cabinet office honours Nigerian for mass ventilator production

    British cabinet office honours Nigerian for mass ventilator production

    The battle against COVID-19 has not been easy for even super powers. The United Kingdom, for instance, had the challenge of getting enough ventilators to quell the debilitating effects of the virus. One of those who helped out is a Nigerian, Victor Osagie, writes ROBERT EGBE

     

    IT is an honour well-deserved. That was how the Cabinet office of the United Kingdom described the ingenuity of a Nigerian Information Technology Consultant, Victor Osagie. The office believes Osagie is one of the best Britain has to offer. Reason: He used his ingenuity for the mass production of ventilators to boost the National Health System (NHS) fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

    A commendation letter from the cabinet office of the UK and jointly endorsed by all partners, including Ford and Airbus, commended Osagie for his role in the just concluded ventilator challenge project, which was an initiative of the cabinet office.

    “Thank you for your invaluable contribution to our ventilator challenge UK team. As we battled together to save lives threatened by Covid-19 your energy, ingenuity and camaraderie made a tremendous difference. You are a shining example of the best UK has to offer,” the office said.

    Osagie ‘s team delivered the quality control system that rapidly converted disused warehouses into assembly lines.  His team  converted Ford Motors vehicle production lines and Airbus Aircraft production lines into ventilator production lines. They produced over 14,000 ventilators in 90 days. This boosted the NHS ventilator capacity from less than 9000 pre-COVID19 era to the over 25000 capacity in July 2020.

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson noted that the ventilator challenge proved how much Britain can achieve when confronted with difficult problems.

    Johnson said: “Bringing together the best minds in manufacturing, innovation and design was a right decision. Thanks to your effort, everyone who needs a ventilator had access to one. And the NHS has the vital machines needed to continue providing lifesaving support against the deadly virus.”

    Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancook said: “We protected the NHS during this global pandemic. The impact of COVID – 19 showed the best and the brightest stepping forward to serve their country. The response the government received to this challenge was astonishing.”

    A former director with the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Gabriel Ehilebo, said Osagie would be value added if Nigeria could get him and  his like to work with the economic sustainability committee to be able to robustly respond to the challenges posed by the COVID19 pandemic.

    Osagie advised the Federal Government to redirect educational resources to producing doctors and nurses and Information Technology consultants that can be exported all over the world to earn foreign exchange and also serve as a cheap source of further enhancing the skills of such personnel who can subsequently return home to provide world class services.

    “This will be an opportunity to addressing some of the challenges of graduate unemployment in Nigeria,” he said.

     

  • What next for N’Golo Kante?

    What next for N’Golo Kante?

    Agency Reporter

    The 2019/20 has been a season of transition for Chelsea. Working under new management in addition to losing their best player and having a transfer ban imposed on them, the Blues had already been shackled to a great extent before their campaign even began.

    However, if there was one department that was touted to be the saving grace in a young side, it was midfield.

    For much of the season, that has indeed proven to be true. Jorginho enjoyed a splendid first half of the campaign, which, in turn, helped him gain admirers at Stamford Bridge and beyond. Mateo Kovacic joined permanently and has arguably been Chelsea’s Player of the Season.

    Mason Mount was a largely unknown player but has carved out a place for himself in the first-team setup, while Ross Barkley has managed to chip in with a few solid performances as well.

    Finally, there was N’Golo Kante, who, before this season, had arguably been Chelsea’s best player after Eden Hazard after arriving from Leicester City in the summer of 2016.

    In fact, such has been Kante’s impact in the blue of Chelsea that extraordinary would be a rather understatement. In fact, even when he was converted into a box-to-box midfielder, the Frenchman did what he has always done in his career – overcoming obstacles to excel after initial hiccups, adding layers to his game.

    However, what has ensued over the last 11 months has turned 2019/20 into a season of horror for Kante. While he has still been consistent more often than not, injuries have set him back a great extent, forcing him to miss as many as 17 games this term.

    But, could this be the final memory of Kante as a Chelsea player? After all, reports claim that Chelsea are willing to sell him this summer.

  • ‘How I overcame deformity to become a lawyer’

    ‘How I overcame deformity to become a lawyer’

    In spite of being physically-challenged from birth, Jennifer Oghenewaire Nikoro, a young Nigerian lady, was able to achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer against all odds. The graduate of Ambrose Ali University (AAU) and the Nigerian Law School in Kano tells DAVID ADENUGA how she drew strength from disappointments, heartbreaks and other discouraging circumstances to surge forward.

    Were you born with disability?

    Yes. I was born like this. I was born without the right forelimb.

    Tell us about your childhood experience

    I am the third child in a family of six. Only one of us is a male while the rest of us are females. My growing up experience was not so normal, because I could not socialise because of my condition.

    I used to be very shy. My peers avoided me while the courageous ones formed a pity party around me. People wrote me off as a result of my disability.

    But thank God for my family who were very supportive. They gave me strength. My parents treated everyone of us with equal love.

    When they allocated duties at home, I had my own responsibility. My mother made sure I was not left out in the house chores.

    When I started schooling, I realised that the attention was always on me. In my mind, I thought I was a beauty queen, little did I know that it was because of my condition.

    It really made me sad though, because they felt I was not worthy to be in school. They thought that I ought to be at home or in the streets, begging for alms.

    What dream did you nurse as a child?

    I have always wanted to be a lawyer. My family did tease me as a child that I talked a lot and I liked to win arguments even when it was obvious that I was wrong (laughs).  So being a legal practitioner has always being my  dream.

    Were you able to start school at the right time, considering your condition?

    Yes, I started school as and when due. Like I said, there are six of us, and every one of us went to school as and when due. But one thing my parents did was that they kept me in one school from nursery to senior secondary.

    With that, I was familiar with everyone and everyone was familiar with me; only a little stigmatization from bullies, which to me is normal.

    And any new student coming into the school would have to adjust and adapt to the system of me being in the same class with them. Sooner or later, they adapted and we flowed well.

    Teachers liked me a lot because I was a very intelligent girl while in secondary school. At a point, I was at the top of my class in terms of grade.

    What are the challenges you encountered on your career path?

    I encountered many challenges, I must say. Firstly, let me talk about my youth service experience when I was posted to Lagos.

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) actually posted me to a place of primary assignment (PPA), which I really did not like.

    I tried to change it, but to my amazement, I could not get an alternative PPA as I was virtually rejected everywhere I went.

    I applied to different law firms, but when I went for interviews, they underrated my capabilities and wondered why I had chosen to go to school when the street is the right place for my type, even though I introduced myself as a lawyer.

    Their attention was always on my deformed hand. They asked ridiculous questions like, are you sure you can do this job? Can you type with Microsoft word?

    Even when I tried to convince them that I am proficient with Ms Word, Excel or Power Point, they found it hard to believe me.

    They told me to go home and wait for feedback, only for me to wait in vain. I had to confide in a friend over the situation and she was like, ‘This is Lagos, a commercial city where the labour market is highly competitive.

    Nobody will give you a job just like that because they will feel you are not capable due to your condition. And nobody wants to hire someone they will start pitying.’

    I went for several interviews but had similar experiences. I was really disturbed because I know I am hard working.

    What were some of the biggest barriers you had to break to get to where you are today?

    One of the barriers I had to break is not letting my condition affect my mentality. The pity party did not get to me. I don’t like people pitying me. I prefer to show people that I am capable.

    I had to break the barrier of being an object of pity. The second barrier I had to break is the fact that the society will always  tell you who you are; not you telling yourself who you are. I motivated myself with the word of God to do anything.

    Do people still stigmatise you within and outside the court premises now that you’re a lawyer?

    No.

    Tell us about your journey in the law profession

    I got my LL.B from the Ambrose Ali University (AAU). I later went to the Kano Law School (2017-2018) where I got my BL.

    I got called into the Nigerian bar on November 27, 2018. I am two years at the bar now). I recently passed the Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (AcARB) examination.

    The certificate will be issued maybe by December at the induction ceremony date which is not yet fixed. I am also an Associate Member at the Chartered institute of Mediator and Conciliators in Nigeria (ICMC).

    The move to broaden my horizon was borne out of the stigmatization I face due to my disability. People tend to intimidate my sense of worth in the labour market as Lagos is a competitive environment and only the strong get going. I wanted a better life for myself; I did not want my disability to tie me down.

    After I applied for mediation at ICMC, I got a job at a law firm in Lagos. But It was not enough for me because I wanted to have a successful career.

    I applied again at the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators to become an arbitrator, which is a recent application I made and I passed the exams.

    I really want to be relevant in my society so I can advocate for people who are disable. I also want to develop myself and become an expert in my field, so that people will no longer doubt me.

    I still want to go further, get my master’s degree abroad if I am opportune. I also want to become a human rights lawyer. At the same time, I want to own an NGO.

    Generally, Law is tasking: the reason one has to be up and doing. Even those with two arms and two legs are not finding it easy, not to talk of someone with disability.

    But with determination, nothing is impossible. Coping with the stress as a disable person has not been that easy but for my determination, which has been my stronghold.

    That has taken me through the discrimination I have always encountered in the field and currently facing. I believe I am not a mistake on this earth, for I believe God has a plan for me and such plan must come to pass.

    I most times follow my principal to court on contentious matters, and the only times I appear alone is on moving applications in court, which every young lawyer does. I often times wear my artificial hand, which is called prosthetic hand.

    What can you do?

    I can type. I am proficient with Microsoft word and conversant with Excel. I type my briefs myself.

    What are your hobbies?

    Sharing God’s word, advocacy, writing, reading, travelling and swimming. I also like to bake cake at my free time. I cook my food too and I also do my laundry all by myself and without any external support. I live alone.

    Have there been times people tried to take advantage of you as a result of your disability?

    People price me less because of my disability. Those who offer to give me job when they see me often times want to cut down the salary because they feel I have no choice and I cannot do much for them.

    Are there things you think your deformity has robbed you of?

    Apparently, many things. I may not remember all, but I know that at so many points, I felt depressed. People don’t want to associate with someone with disability.

    They feel you are not part of this world. Some people see you as second class citizen. They feel you are not equal with them and you are less human.

    For instance, when I was in the university, I could not mingle with the high class girls. Sometimes I would not want to come out of my hostel because I realised I had become popular for my disability, as people describe me with it.

    In 2012, I was so excited with hopes of traveling abroad. My parents wanted to renew their passports’ so they decided to take everyone along with the intention of renewing theirs and obtaining one for each of us.

    Upon arrival, my parents immediately did the needful. They paid the official fee. In less than an hour after payments were made and documentations were finalised, we were called one after the other for fingerprint impression and facial-biometric.

    When it was time for me to be captured, on getting into the capturing room, proudly seated, the officer in charge politely beckoned to my dad and said to him, ‘I’m sorry sir, but your daughter cannot be captured here in Benin; she has to go to Abuja for a fingerprint bye-pass, and such cannot be done in Benin.’

    Truth be told, everyone in my family did their biometrics and had their passport that same day. I was the only one who went back without a passport.

    Sometimes, it is no fun being disabled, I must say. Life beyond disability is for those who understand their difference and choose to live life through it.

    What has your experience been with men, especially finding true love and acceptance?

    I once had a guy who asked me out but I told him I was not interested. Despite pressure from him, I still maintained my stance.

    Then he called me one day and angrily told me he was only trying to manage me but I was not yielding to his advances.

    According to him, he only pitied and wanted to do me a favour by dating me. He then told me he was sure no other man would marry me since I didn’t accept him.

    Well, I actually turned down the guy because as a Christian, I believe in the doctrine of Christian morality, the doctrine of the faith.

    Happily for me, I was  actually  praying about it even when I said no, but his reaction just showed that it was not God’s will that we should be together. You don’t intimidate someone into marriage.

    I had a similar experience with another guy. We were flowing together, trying to see if we could bond. We were actually at the initial stage and I was thinking with time, things would get serious with us, only for him to call me one day, telling me he did not think his mother would be able to accept me. Immediately he said so, it actually got me down.

    I was like what do you mean, but I already got the code. I didn’t even want him to continue because I knew it was due to my condition.

    He later told me to hang around to see if he would be able to convince his parents, but I wasn’t the one to hang around; I had to move on with my life. That was how we parted ways.

    I also get to see men who admire me, but at the end of it all would go after somebody else, maybe a friend of mine.

    Such is life though, and I have outgrown that, because one thing about my Christian faith is that I believe when it is my time, it is my time.

    I will never out of pressure or my condition submit to anything or everything.

    What is wrong is wrong, I won’t out of pressure do what is ungodly or what I know would affect me in the end, either in relationship or marriage. Marriage is by choice.

    At the same time, you don’t pity to marry. I don’t want any man to marry me out of sympathy but love. It is better to be single and happy than to be married and unhappy.

    Besides, my parents have never put any pressure on me to get married. They’re after my development so that at the end, I will be the one selecting men, not men selecting me.

     

  • FINAL DAY DRAMA

    FINAL DAY DRAMA

    Liverpool  may  have lifted the Premier League Cup on Wednesday night, but there is still plenty at stake at both ends of the table during the final week of the season, writes OLUWAMAYOMIKUN OREKOYA.

     

    Chelsea, Leicester City and Manchester United are all fighting for the final two Champions League places behind Liverpool and Manchester City.

    Tottenham and Wolves are both contesting sixth place and guaranteed qualification to the Europa League, although finishing in seventh could still prove enough.

    At the other end, West Ham are not yet mathematically safe going to the final weekend, while Aston Villa, Watford and Bournemouth will all battle it out for survival on the final day.

    Norwich are already relegated following last weekend’s home defeat to West Ham.

    In the battle for the UEFA Champions League, Frank Lampard has every faith his players to get their bid over the line despite being on the wrong side of the eight-goal thriller at Anfield in that 5-3 defeat to Liverpool.

    Loss at the newly-crowned Premier League champions meant Lampard’s side, are now fourth on the log with a game left and would need at least one point to guarantee a top-four finish.

    That must now be achieved at home to Europa League-chasing Wolves on Sunday, but the former England midfielder does not believe they should allow themselves to be daunted by the challenge.

    “I have seen a lot in the last two games, particularly with Manchester United (the FA Cup semi-final win) and then with Liverpool, of what we are about,” he said.

    “There has been spirit and character in those two performances and we have to carry it on for one more game in the league.

    “Since restart there was a feeling it could go this far. I felt we maybe could get over the line before the (Liverpool) game because we played so well against Manchester United.

    “What is absolutely important is the players focus on themselves because it is in our own hands, and that is the job I’ll do because we can’t affect what is going on elsewhere.

    “We have to try to get over the line. We have character in the group, we have quality and we have a good opponent coming and it is on us now.”

    Elsewhere,  Leicester are currently in fifth place and will host fellow Champion League final spot rivals Manchester United in another crucial game tomorrow.

    That match looks set to be a winner-takes-all. United’s 1-1 all draw with West Ham on Wednesday means The Foxes will have to beat them on the final day.

    Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is delighted to be heading into the season finale at top-four rivals Leicester with a “fantastic opportunity” to qualify for the Champions League.

    Solskjaer’s side moved into the top-four for the first time since mid-September thanks to a draw that means United will qualify for the Champions League if they avoid defeat at the Kings Power Stadium.

    “We have given ourselves a fantastic opportunity and a great starting point for Sunday.” Solskjaer said after United’s draw with West Ham.

    “When we started after the lockdown, we had to go for it. We really had to go for it – we had to go for goal difference, we had to go for points.

    “The effort has been fantastic and the results have been fantastic.” But Man United would have to be more than fantastic to avoid defeat against the Brendan Rogers’ side in a game that have the Nigerian spirit wrapped all around it.

    While Manchester United has Odion Ighalo in their Red corner, Leicester City would be buoyed with the duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho in their blue corner.

    In the lower rung of the relegation blues, Aston Villa will travel to West Ham tomorrow knowing they are safe as long as they can match Watford’s result — unless both teams lose and Bournemouth win.

    Dean Smith’s side have found some form at a crucial moment and are unbeaten in three as they try to save themselves.

    Smith admitted Aston Villa must target victory in their final match against West Ham to ensure Premier League survival after climbing out of the relegation zone for the first time since the end of February by beating Arsenal on Tuesday.

    A brilliant goal from Mahmoud Trezeguet in the first half and a resolute defensive performance from the hosts sealed the win against Mikel Arteta’s side, who were heavily changed from the FA Cup semi-final triumph against Manchester City at the weekend.

    “We needed this,” said Smith. “We’ve got to go and do the same against West Ham. Now we’ve got the season in our own hands and that’s all you can ask for.”

    Watford make the short trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal knowing that if Villa win they must better their result by two or more goals, though if Villa draw a Watford win keeps them up, and they can afford a draw if Villa lose.

    The Hornet’s goalkeeper Ben Foster admits Watford confidence is ‘crazy low’ after slipping into the drop zone after they were beaten 4-0 at home by Manchester City last weekend.

    “I don’t think we helped ourselves,” said Foster, the only Watford player to emerge with credit. “I don’t think we did enough to do anything but what the result suggest.

    The confidence is so crazy – crazy low. I don’t know why it should be but you get into a state of trying to minimise as much damage as you can and it’s a dangerous way to do things. They are Man City. They are very, very good.”

    Bournemouth go to Everton knowing they have to win to have any chance of staying up, and even then it will only work out for Eddie Howe’s side if both Villa and Watford lose.

    West Ham are not yet mathematically safe going into Wednesday’s game against Manchester United, though their vastly superior goal difference should ensure they have little to worry about.

    They then host Villa. If the points are level, goal difference comes into play, and if that too is level it comes down to goals scored.

    As it stands, Villa have scored 40, Bournemouth 37 and Watford 34. If necessary, it could then go to head-to-head record, or beyond that, the unlikely scenario of a play-off behind closed doors.

    Meanwhile, there would also be fierce battle for tickets for the  Europa League since the fifth-place team in the final log on the EPL   qualifies for the second tier European Cup, as do the FA Cup and League Cup winners.

  • Women and the political imperatives of validated voices

    Women and the political imperatives of validated voices

    With Nnedinso Ogaziechi

     

     

    It’s been a hundred years since women got the rights to vote and be voted for in democracies across the globe. However, even though there has been some progress in women’s political participation, it is not yet uhuru especially in developing nations like Nigeria.

    The socio-religious patriarchal system still stand in the way of progress in ways that see leadership as a male entitlement.

    However, the history of the legendary Amazons of Dahomey, the metaphor for female grit and bravery has been replicated in the pre-colonial Africa in the various legends of leadership in history, queens Idia, Moremi, Amina and other powerful women that took the bull of leadership by the horn. They excelled in both economic development and territorial security and expansions.

    What was however remarkable with those legendary women was their courage and intuition and vision. They did not beg for leadership, they did not cry for 35% affirmative action, they went out, stuck together, worked with both men and women and achieved the socio-political and economic goals to the benefit of their communities and regions.

    They literally took no prisoners. They met the men brawn for brawn and bravery for bravery. They realized early enough that power is taken and not given.

    However, they worked with fellow women and men too but their trust on the ability of their ilk to succeed in leadership could only happen with a unified sense of purpose.

    The Roundtable conversation this week included Hajia Fatima (Dongonyaro) Ali Mungono, a formost Northern politician and industrialist, an advocate for representative democracy and one of the Northern women that had been a pillar in the fight for women emancipation from religious, economic, social and political exclusions.

    She was a delegate to the 1995 Beijing Conference that adopted the 35% affirmative action for women. She was a member of the United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) and fought seriously for the scrapping of ‘Women Wings’ in political parties because according to her, it had a certain subdued sense of exclusion and beggarliness to refer to women in the political party structure as ‘Wing’ when there was no men ‘Wing’.

    She was a member of the Nigeria delegation to the 1985 Women Conference in Kenya that birthed the Better Life for Rural Women programme that was initiated during the Babangida administration by his late Mariyam Babangida, a programme that saw wives of governors then influencing their husbands to include projects that could cater better for the rural women who often do not have a voice.

    As a female politician she believes that only women can work seriously for the general good of the nation and should not be intimidated into silence by the men who often surreptitiously pit the women against each other and claim that  women are each other’s’ worst enemies.

    She believes that women must endeavor to join political parties from inception and not continue waiting to be handed positions after the men have appropriated the most influential positions.

    As the first woman in the UNCP board of Trustees, she was in a better position to influence the party constitutions at formation to include policies that would cater for women issues and concerns.

    To her, women must take their seats at the table from the beginning and not wait to be handed positions by the men. It was from that position that she was able to remove ‘women wings’ and the women came to be on the same pedestal with the men.

    According to her, “Women are nowings, they must be part of the whole political body”.

    At the Constitutional Confab in 2014, Hajia Fatima still maintained that women have rights that must be protected through the resolutions at the conference.

    Being one of the women who pushed for the establishment of the Ministry of Women affairs in Nigeria, she wants women to maximize the use of the ministry by making sure it is used for the advancement of the causes of women.

    She traces back the formation of the Better Life For Rural Women Programme as a programme that was targeted at the welfare of the rural women which had a huge impact on the nation.

    Ironically Hajia believes that the programme seems to have been better handled productively during the military era than in the civilian democracies.

    She believes that should not be the case if the women are really concerned about the welfare of fellow women. As a former Vice president to the then National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) former President, Mrs. Emily Aig-Imokhuede, they tried to establish offices in all the states of the federation especially in the North so that the impact of the association would get to all the nooks and crannies of the country for the welfare of women.

    She believes women can only progress by helping each other and using their voice for good. She identified the challenges women face politically in all the regions of Nigeria impacting their full participation in politics.

    In the South East, the exploitation of the some parochial socio-cultural norms by the men especially the Ezes and Igwes who insist that women must not perform certain leadership roles stand out but the things seem to be changing a bit.

    In the North, both socio-religious and economic problems affect the women from active participation. The South West environment seems to be the most liberal of the regions for women participation in politics.

    However, a common denominator seems to be financial dependence but she believes women can come together and find a solution.

    Professor Kate Omenugha, the Commissioner for Education in Anambra state has a PhD in Gender, Media and Cultural Studies and is concerned that women often shortchange themselves in aspiring for leadership positions politically.

    The way some women raise their sons grooms them for the sense of entitlement to leadership. In the first place, women have to work more than ten times harder to be acknowledged.

    However, she believes women must stand up for themselves politically by getting more active and taking their positions of authority with the only tool they have going for them, their integrity, diligence and commitment.

    In a patriarchal society where the girl child is often groomed just to appeal to the husband and the boy given all the leverage to leadership, for things to change, women must own their spaces both socially and politically through keeping their eyes on the ball.

    She recalls that as a child, she aspired to read law but was discouraged by a School principal father who felt then that she might not be able to get a suitor because men might be scared of her independence and assertive nature of lawyers. “I wish he is alive to see that I now have a louder voice without reading law” she said.

    She has seen women raise their sons differently from their girls and this she even observed as a lecturer who with a predominance of females in her classes, always saw them seek out and select the boys no matter how incompetent as class Reps.

    This wrong socializing has in her view affected the hunger for political participation by the women. According to her, men are always given what she calls “The Speaking Rights” and the voice of the women muted by forces thrown up by both genders.

    Politics is about raising voices and being heard and as such parents especially mothers should begin to let the girl child speak up and out.

    That is a good beginning. Women should begin to show up at political environments early enough. You notice the tokenism in politics where men monopolize all posts and may be just throw in one or two women. The ratio is not good for development she insists.

    However, Prof. Omenugha points out another challenge for women. She believes that the few women in politics have not been good mentors as most of them revel in their ascension to the ‘class’ of male political elite and often have that vacuous arrogance of ‘belonging’ to the power bloc while neglecting to mentor younger ladies to step into their shoes.

    She believes women politicians must lift other women up the political ladder instead of what is obtainable these days where they have this false sense of having ‘made it to the ‘male political kingdom’.

    To Prof. Omenugha, voice is very important and a very vital tool for political participation. The girl-child must be given the validation to know that she can speak her mind, express her desires and achieve her set goals.

    With that, she grows up squaring up with the men and gets her due in terms of leadership. Women must not always be led, they have the cerebral and intellectual capacity to lead either in elective or appointive positions.

    Women to her must realize also that their integrity speaks for them anytime and refuse to be intimidated by male and female blackmail that always allege that any successful woman in any field slept her way up.

    “Why is it that men are never accused of sleeping their way up”? All those are coercive tactics to get women to stay under the radar perpetually.

    The women must re-strategize and realize that in politics, it’s a team work and must work with both men and women to succeed.

    Female politicians must come down from their high horses and realize that a single broomstick cannot sweep clean, only a bunch can and so they must be less arrogant about their successes and mentor and groom other women too while working in unity with the men because development helps all genders.

     

    The Roundtable dialogue continues…

  • Get flirty with frills

    Get flirty with frills

    Kehinde Oluleye

     

    WHAT’S hotter this season than a frills trend?

     

    Chioma Ikokwu
    •Vintage-Inspired Chioma Ikokwu appears effortlessly cool in pieces that look plucked from the depths of a chic store.

    Flared dresses of various colours, lengths and sizes are still hot items. But among all, the frilly garb is the rave of the moment.

    Chineye Uyanma
    •Chineye Uyanna’s frills-embellished garb is very unique and simple.

    It is suitable for both informal and formal events as it is fresh and appealing.

    Diane Russet
    •Diane Russet raises the fashion stakes with her strappy black number.

    You can keep the style messy or sleek for many killer looks. So, turn heads this season with a cute and flirty frills fashion.

    Melody Molale
    •Simplicity does it-Melody Molale looks fanciful in this simple garb.

    For a more polished look, jazz up your party frills piece with glittery accessories. A stylish frills piece is a great way to add fun and extra style to your look this season.

    Chika Ike
    •Chika Ike looks sleek in this imple strapless style. She sure knows
    how to pull the look together without going overboard.

    For a formal or semi-formal evening, rock it with some dressy sandals (stilettos) and a tantalizing handbag.

    Yara Sahidi
    •Yara Shahidi’s ensemble is pure perfection from head to toe.

    For an informal event, add a pair of stylish over-sized earrings to make a chic and lasting statement.

    Lisa Folawiyo
    •Lisa Folawiyo’s frills pants projects confidence.

     

  • Between love and lust

    Between love and lust

    With Vera Chidi-Maha

     

    KEEPING safe is no longer news. We all hopefully know what to do to avoid danger. So we sanitize our hands and observe personal hygiene.

    However, no one is talking about cleaning and sanitizing our dear hearts.

    No one is recommending any sanitizer to help protect our hearts from heartache and heartbreak.

    Okay, so, here is the thing. If the government is not putting that into consideration, I think we should do it ourselves.

    Thankfully, the physical lockdown of movement is gradually easing, but the initial total lockdown has left in its wake lots and lots of heartbreaks and aches.

    People saw so much of each other. People were forced to make more friends than they did when we were operating under a normal condition.

    Following closure of schools, sex has become a thing with available persons. No wonder the increase in reported rape cases! Sad but true.

    So many now mistake lust, infatuation for love.

    Ironically, many of us do not even know the difference.

    So many people have severally inboxed me asking to know the difference.

    The difference between love and lust is like night and day.

    Lust tends to be more shortlived and more about immediate gratification.  It is an intense feeling and it happens when you are attracted to a guy or girl’s appearance or attracted to them sexually.

    The duration, according to a psychologist, Dorothy Tennov, in her research found that the duration typically lasts at most “between approximately 18 months and 3 years”

    Now, there are signs we should look out for in order to clearly distinguish between lust and love.

    * You put him/her on a pedestal.

    *It is going too fast.

    *You always flirt.

    *You are not yourself.

    *Lust overpowers other emotions.

    * You become desperate.

    * You want everything to be perfect.

    Now, here is the real deal. Love.

    According to research findings, love is a deep feeling of affection that you have for the other person.  It is a lasting attraction that goes beyond the surface and turns emotional attachment.

    Lust on the other hand is basically a physical attraction that leads to an overwhelming feeling of sexual desire, thanks to a rush of hormones.

    Infatuation might not be so bad, right? After all, we only live once?

    I will give a very subtle reason why infatuation can be oh, so bad.

    When someone intoxicated you, it is like being drunk, and in so many ways, this is dangerous.  It is a feeling that totally blinds you to reality.  Trust me, when it comes to matters of the heart, you really will need your head.

    Your head alerts and allows you to see the proverbial red flags.

    Yes, go ahead, take chances but I will encourage you to “shine” your eyes.

    #staysafe

  • Brilliant Bruyne deserves applause

    Brilliant Bruyne deserves applause

    This has been the weirdest season in the Premier League’s 28-year history. Of that, we can be sure. Weirder than the year that Leicester City inexplicably won the thing, or when West Ham United got 42 points and still went down.

    Weirder than Norwich City climbing to third with a -4 goal difference and even weirder than the era that Newcastle United’s John Carver claimed he was the best coach in the league, before offering to fight his own fans.

    Footballers performing in hollowed out shells of stadiums, as we all watch housebound, with recorded chants for company, has contextualised the word “weird”. And in a year-long league campaign of ups, downs and dystopia, we’ve all looked to routine for reassurance.

    Some players in the Premier League, you can set your watch by – it’s good to know that some things will survive what seems like the end of the world.

    Kevin De Bruyne is the prime candidate to; he could probably survive on Mars without a spacesuit. He is impenetrable; a rapid-fire rifle of a footballer – Steven Gerrard’s body with David Beckham’s consciousness uploaded.

    But it’s not because the Belgian has been comfortingly consistent that he deserves the Premier League Footballer of the Year title – the football writers’ award– it’s because this is his defining campaign: one in which no one has been near his level.

    The statistics tell half the story. Nineteen assists and 11 goals in 34 Premier League starts is his best return yet, but the manner in which the strawberry-blonde assassin has taken to leading Manchester City is at an unparalleled level right now.

    De Bruyne is a very specific genre of footballer – the latest in a long line of “Sod it, I’ll do it myself” midfielders, imbued with game-changing talent and high-octane work-rate in equal abundance.

    There’s something about that kind of player that we really take to, on these shores; this season, he’s eclipsed Bernardo Silva’s efforts last campaign, he’s been better than Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Dani Ceballos, even Gini Wijnaldum or Bruno Fernandes.

    And it’s telling that the man’s only criticism is that he plays football like a robot; that watching City under Pep Guardiola is like reading a book written by predictive text.

    It’s a nitpick at best; a playground insult that the David Bowie of Eastlands – the flame-haired superstar of Pep Guardiola’s refined philosophy – is no Xavi or Iniesta, or Thiago. That he’s not as cool as Pep’s earlier work.

    In truth, KDB might have proven this season that he’s something more important – that he’s a template for future midfielders to model themselves on.

    Has a world-class, creative winger ever seamlessly morphed into a dominant, complete midfielder like this, and done so to such a level? Arguably not.

    If anything, we’ve normalised this man’s ability. The Belgian had 15 assists by February, in a wobbly City side. That’s after coming back from two ligament injuries last season too – which follow 18 and 16 assists respectively in Pep Guardiola’s first two seasons.

    He’s been whipping balls into boxes both sides of lockdown like each one will chisel him into history. Three elite seasons in four proves he’s not a fluke.

    At a time where defences are compacting and Liverpool are light-years ahead of anyone, that level of individual performance is remarkable. Imagine if De Bruyne had a defence that didn’t haemorrhage goals in transition.

    Of course, any of Liverpool’s champions would make a worthy recipient of the Footballer of the Year award. Jordan Henderson has been sturdy, if not unspectacular, as the beating heart of Jurgen Klopp’s masterpiece.

    Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah have taken turns in the spotlight; Trent and Robbo are full-backs of the ilk that we’ve barely seen before; as fans of the sport, we’re close to collectively running out of metaphors for Virgil van Dijk’s strength and supremacy.

    But none of them have carried a team like Kevin De Bruyne has. None of them have put in a season like this. He was considered a star this time last year; this year, he’s cemented himself as one of the defining midfielders to have played in England.

    He should be in the league of Gerrards, of Lampards, of Beckhams and Ballacks, Fabregases and David Silva.

    In the cliche of uncertain times, he’s been Groundhog Day; in a dysfunctional City team, he’s been reliant. If we don’t recognise his genius this time around, we never will.

  • Why Napoli’s investment in Osimhen is a calculated risk

    Why Napoli’s investment in Osimhen is a calculated risk

    In the coming days, Napoli are expected to officially announce the signing of highly-rated but largely unproven Lille striker Victor Osimhen for a club-record fee of €60m.

    He has three years of professional experience, but only two where he was afforded regular playing time.

    Osimhen started his professional career at the age of 19 with Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga, but featured predominantly as a substitute.

    The following season, Wolfsburg sent Osimhen to Charleroi on a one-year loan with an obligation to buy. The young Nigerian scored 12 goals in 25 appearances in his lone season in the Belgian Jupiler League.

    In summer 2019, Charleroi sold Osimhen to French outfit Lille.  There he netted 18 times in 38 appearances across all competitions.

    Many Napoli fans view this acquisition as a risky investment, and understandably so. Only a summer ago Napoli purchased Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano from PSV for €40m, which was also a club record at the time.

    Like Osimhen, Lozano had two strong seasons before joining Napoli. The Mexican scored 17 goals in consecutive seasons with PSV in the Dutch Eredivisie, but like Ligue 1, the Eredivisie is not quite as competitive as Serie A.

    Lozano has struggled in his first season with Napoli and after new manager Gennaro Gattuso changed tactics and the Mexican has been relegated to the bench.

    Now the Partenopei set to spend €20m more on a player with just as little experience, so in that sense, this is, in fact, a risky investment. However, the risk is calculated.

    From a financial standpoint, the €60m transfer fee would be amortized over the 5-year term of the player’s contract.

    Unlike most clubs, Napoli does not straight-line its amortization.  Rather, they frontload the amortization such that 70% (or €42m) would be paid off by the end of year two.

    If Osimhen were to fail in his first two years at Napoli, the club would only have to sell him for €18 million to break even. Any sale price greater than €18m would generate a profit on the books.

    Meanwhile, from a performance standpoint, Napoli have already safeguarded themselves. In January they signed SPAL striker Andrea Petagna, and in June Napoli extended the contract of veteran striker Dries Mertens.

    If Osimhen fails to deliver on the pitch, two strikers who do have a history of scoring goals in Serie A are waiting in the wings.

    On the other hand, if Osimhen lives up to expectations, Napoli could be sitting on yet another goldmine.

  • Nigerian players round up

    Nigerian players round up

    By Tunde Liadi

     

    ENGLAND

    The battle will be fierce tomorrow in unarguably the star match of the final round of hostilities in the English Premier League for the season as Leicester City duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi trade tackles with Odion Ighalo’s Manchester United for a Champions League ticket.

    The Foxes even with their Nigerian exports suffered a 3-0 agonising loss to Tottenham Hotspur in their penultimate  game to season end to alter the complexion of the league table but they got a reprieve when Manchester United could only draw at home to West Ham on Wednesday to ensure the contest for the lucrative club competition goes down to the wires on tomorrow.

    Ever regular Ndidi saw action for only 70 minutes for his 31st league game of the season against Spurs on Tuesday with two goals and six yellow cards to the bargain throughout the season while his compatriot and teammate, Iheanacho was introduced in the 59th  minute in the midweek game at  the Tottenham Stadium.

    Iheanacho will be in line for his 20th  EPL game of the season if he is considered for selection by his  Northern Irish coach, Brendan Rodgers against the Red Devils. He has five league goals and a yellow card already this season.

    Ighalo with only 90 minutes of action for Manchester United spread across 10 league games will hope for more minutes against the Foxes.

    Alex Iwobi was an unused substitute in Everton slim win at the Bramall Lane midweek against Sheffield United but he should have some run-in against relegation haunted Bournemouth at home.

    Iwobi with 25 league games and two goals this season will try to avoid a booking to ensure he makes it back to back season without making it into the referees’ books.

     

    ITALY

    After a battling home game with league leaders, Juventus on Thursday night, William Troost Ekong and Udinese will face another uphill task in their attempt to starve off relegation battle away to Cagliari tomorrow as Serie A season gradually winds up.

    The 26-year-old will hope to secure his 28th game of the season with four yellow cards accumulated in those matches and to also ensure that they get a decent result that will take them further out of the relegation waters

    Victor Moses bagged his ninth game of the season when lacklustre Inter side drew goalless at home to Fiorentina midweek and he should be in the running to make it double figures when they travel to Stadio Luigi Ferraris to lock horns with troubled Genoa tonight.

    Moses who is currently on loan from Chelsea has seen 331 minutes of action and has been booked once.

    Ola Aina and AC Torino will hit the road tomorrow for a date with already relegated SPAL at Stadio Paolo Meazza in another league tie they hope to grind out a win to ensure they continue to widen the gap between them at teams in the relegation zone.

     

    TURKEY

    Ogenyi Onazi could make a return for Denizlispor against Ankaragucu in the grand finale of the Super Lig season after he missed their away loss to Alanyaspor last weekend.

    Onazi who joined Denizlispor at the beginning of the season from Trabzonspor has featured in only nine league games because of injuries. The 27 year old has been booked thrice.

    Rizespor will slug it out with Fenerbahce away without their striker, Aminu Umar who is still recovering from the knee injury he copped before the Coronavirus pandemic enforced break while Trabzonspor will hope Anthony Nwakaeme is at his best to add to the 11 goals tally for the season when they face Kayserispor away.

    Trabzonspor need at least a draw to be certain of second Champions League ticket and they will be relying on Nwakaeme who has played 29 games and his teammates to keep their second spot on the table intact on the final day of the season.

    Olanrewaju Kayode and Gaziantep embark on  a road trip to do battle with Yeni Malatyaspor as Turkish Super Lig Champions, Istanbul Basaksehir with Nigerian Azubuike Okechukwu face Kasimpasa tomorrow in a formality game.