Talented gospel jazz singer, Biodun Ajanaku tells Adetutu Audu her favourite things.
Favourite shoe designer
I go for Italian and Brazilian shoes
Favourite fashion designer
Monsoon
Favourite make-up kit
Mac
Favourite handbag designer
Roberto Cavalli
Favourite food
Rice and fish stew
Favourite car
Toyota Camry
Favourite book
The holy Bible
Favourite holiday spot
New York
Favourite designer wristwatch
Movado
Favourite Perfume
Isse Miyake
ARE you thinking of what to wear for your next outing, something special and simple? Or you are thinking of getting a fabric that has a perfect blend of style and comfort? Then, your best bet is any of the classy, cool, simple and stylish floral prints that have become the favourite of the in-crowd this season.
They are suitable for different occasions because they are simply charming and highly irresistible. Floral prints now come in assorted colours, so, the excuse that it is difficult to get a colour that suits your character and style is no longer tenable. Floral print-based dresses will spice up your look, no matter what you are wearing, especially if they are rightly combined.
They are remarkably apparent this season and add a subtle and sexy appeal to one’s look. Floral print comes in different patterns and designs, depending on the style. Go for prints that complement your frame.
-Use a brooch to bring more attention to your outfit.
-You can use a belt to accentuate your waist, though it depends on the design.
-Go for a clutch purse to glam up the outfit.
-And a patent shoe to make you look sleek.
HOW do you celebrate being honoured with a CFDA Founders Award? If you’re Bethann Hardison, you do it with a dance party. Her friends, Iman, Naomi Campbell and Tyson Beckford threw the fashion legend a bash at Marquee that drew Joan Smalls and Jennifer Hudson.
IT was the beginning of the new session at school. The day I was to return, my mother had given me some money, promising to send my school fees and money for other expenses later.
Two weeks later, I had to go home when the money with me ran out.
I met her at the shop, looking dejected, sitting with her right hand on her jaw.
“My dear, you are welcome. How’s school?” she asked as I walked in.
“Fine, Mum. But what happened? You are looking so sad!” I stated.
My mother sighed then said:
“Hmm. It’s that your father again o!”
“What has he done this time?”I queried. Just then, a customer came and after attending to him, she turned to me.
“Last week, I was able to get some money which I planned sending to you at school. I remember putting it in my suitcase in the bedroom. But yesterday, when I went to get it to send the money to you, it was no longer there. I asked your younger ones if they took the money but they denied knowing anything about it,” she said.
It was later, she added, that David, my younger brother, an SS2 student had told her what happened when everyone had left the house.
“He was sick that day with malaria so he could not go to school. He said your father came when he was alone in the house and had gone to my room. David said he had come out counting a large amount of money. I believe he took the money. I’ve not seen him since yesterday. Hopefully, he will come home today so I can confront him about it,” she stated.
I felt bad hearing what my father had done, though I was not surprised. He had done worse things in the past. He was man who could not be trusted.
We waited for him for two days and when he did not return home, Mother and I decided to visit him at his work place. At that time, my father worked as a security man at a factory that manufactured plastic products.
He was not at his post when we arrived.
“He has gone to eat at a ‘joint’ down the road,” a colleague informed us. He gave us seats and we sat down to wait for him.
He returned about thirty minutes later, looking surprised to see us. As soon as my mother set eyes on him, she pounced on him.
“Where’s the money? Ole! Thief!” she shouted, seizing him by his shirt collar.
“Woman, behave yourself! What are you doing here and what money are you talking about?” he asked.
“You are asking me as if you don’t know? Where’s the N80,000 I kept in my bag in the room? Give it to me now or…” she threatened.
“Why are you asking me about the money? I don’t know anything about it. I…” he said, but she cut him short.
“Stop lying Papa Alice! David saw you taking the money so bring it now!” she demanded.
“Alice, you better talk to your mother else I will deal with her o! Tell her to leave me alone!” he said.
I spoke up then.
“Papa, part of that money is for my school fees so bring it so I can go back to school as I have already missed so many lectures.”
But he kept denying taking the money while my mother continued shouting at him to return it. The altercation soon drew the attention of some of his colleagues and others around and soon a small crowd had gathered. My dad’s boss, on hearing the commotion, came out and took us to his small office at the security post. After questioning my father for a while, he finally confessed to taking the money. He said he spent it on drinking and had gambled with the rest.
“I also gave part of it to Mummy Vicky,” he said, referring to his concubine. On hearing what he had done, I began crying. I ran out and stood by the large gate of the company, weeping bitterly. How could my own father do this to me, I thought as the tears rolled down my cheeks. What was I going to do now? How could I go back to school without money, I wailed, crying profusely with my hands on my head.
My mother who was still visibly angry came to join me. She was consoling me, with some other people around when a black SUV drove to the gate.
The security men all sprang to attention as soon as they saw the vehicle and its occupant.
Meeting Chief Cyril
Chief Cyril, the owner of the factory had come for his monthly meeting with the management and to check on things. He must have seen me crying and lamenting at the gate of his company for he sent for my mother and I on getting down from the car and enquiring from my father’s boss what the problem was.
When I told him I could not return to school because of what my father did, he was very sympathetic to my plight and told us not to worry.
“I’ll do something about it. Just wait here for me,” he stated, before walking briskly inside the office with his entourage in tow.
Later, an assistant came with an envelope which he gave to my mother. Inside was a large sum of money, much more than my father had stolen from my Mum. His business card was in the envelope as well.
We were so happy at the unexpected gift from a total stranger and wanted to go inside to thank him but the assistant said he was too busy to see us.
“He’s in a meeting at the moment. But he said you can call him later on phone,” the man said.
On getting home later that day, I called our benefactor on phone and after speaking with my mother for sometime, I thanked him profusely for his help.
“Sir, without your help, I would have been stranded at home, unable to return to school. Thanks so much for your assistance. God bless you, sir,” I said enthusiastically.
“You are welcome, my dear. Just let me know if you have any problem at school. And take care of yourself,” he stated before hanging up.
“Such a good man. He didn’t know us yet see the way he helped us,” my mother said happily, before adding:
“As for that father of yours, it’s only God that will judge him. Imagine drinking and gambling away his own daughter’s school fees! What kind of man does that?”
“Ma, don’t worry yourself about my Dad. What matters now is that I can go back to school. God, I’m so happy!” I said, going into the room to pack.
That was how Chief Cyril came into our lives. After that initial encounter, he would call me in school to monitor my progress. He also sent me money regularly, ‘so as to reduce the pressure on your mother,’ as he put it.
Infact, for the rest of my stay in school, Chief was the one responsible for nearly everything including my school fees, feeding and accommodation in school.
“I’m doing this for you because I see you as an ambitious young girl who wants to better her lot in life. I want to do the little I can to help you realize your dreams,” he said one day when I had gone to visit him at his office.
“Thank you for all your help, sir,” I said gratefully.
“It’s alright, my dear. You see, I have three daughters who are your age mates. They are in higher institutions too. If they had a tenth of your drive and ambition, I will be a very happy and fulfilled man. But all they do is party, shop and spend my money as if I have a money tree in my back yard!” Chief stated wryly.
That day, he told me a bit about his family and personal life. Back then, I simply saw him as a family friend and benefactor. He also treated me like a daughter and was really good to me. But things changed between us after my graduation…
To be continued
We have changed the names of Alice and other individuals in the story to protect their privacy
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LADE Couture, an apparel label owned by young and talented medical student, Toyin-Kehinde Toluwalade, showcased her latest collections last week Saturday at the prestigious hall of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She started in August 2013 with handmade African print bow-ties and hairpieces.
The designer’s love for African print, its vibrant colour and the elegant beauty that comes with it gave birth to the label.
Laide experimented with a lot of ideas. Her dresses, for both informal and formal occasions, were made from ankara, aso oke, velvet, chiffon and adire. It was a spectacle to behold. No one could ever imagine a medical student could dissect and came out with such designs. According to the designer, each piece is designed to suit every individual.
The event, which was preceded by red carpet for one hour, was indeed an excellent competition.
I am using this opportunity to appeal to the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to release the result of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) I did in April.
The board released the results of other candidates a few days after the examination. I don’t know why my own result is being withheld. I did not involve myself in malpractices during the examination and I filled my admission forms in accordance with the board’s rules and regulations.
I need the result urgently. Without it, I cannot start planning my life. Therefore, I am appealing to the registrar to release the result now.
My centre is Great Immaculate Secondary School, Aba.
My registration number is 45008051EB.
Okoli Ebuka Victor, Aba.
All the lecturers of the nation’s polytechnics are on strike. They embarked on the strike many months ago.
As at now, there are no indications that they will call it off soon.
The strike has created many problems for the students of the institutions and their parents. Some of these students, especially those who have taken to menial jobs, may not return to their schools after the call-off of the strike.
To end this strike, I am calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to give the lecturers what they want in the interest of the education development of the nation.
The students are suffering. The parents are not happy with the situation. The only person to solve this problem is President Jonathan. Please, I beg you, put a stop to the strike.
Xtain Ajaero.
Tsogo Sun, South Africa, owners of Southern Sun Ikoyi in partnership with South African Airways (SAA) recently organized a familiarization tour of Nigeria for top South African journalists from the print and electronic media. The three-day visit saw the journalists’ tour of some tourist attractions within the Lagos metropolis.
Speaking on the tour and the reason for the packaging it, the Corporate Manager-Group Communications, Tsogo Sun, Priya Naidoo, said the reason for the tour to was to give the the journalists a first-hand experience of Nigeria and also sell Nigeria as a destination to South Africans.
She said: “What we wanted was for some South African journalists to come out and experience Nigeria and, of course, our hotel. So, in partnership with the South African Airways, we brought the mainstream media. They include: the Sunday Times which is the one of the largest circulating media from print perspective; the Business Day; the Financial Mail ; the New Age ; the Sawbona magazine, a SAA in-flight magazine. Really it is to showcase Nigeria. Also, our core purpose is to let South Africans know, when they come to Nigeria, we’ve got an amazing hotel, Southern Sun, Ikoyi, that is really the reason we are here.”
The team arrived Nigeria last week’s Wednesday, and for three days, toured sites in Lagos. Naidoo described Nigeria as a very exciting place far different from the story they hear from outside.
Her words: “We experienced Nigeria, and it is really wonderful. We didn’t really see only the great parts of Nigeria, we also got to see the market…what is so wonderful is the Nigerian spirit. You have amazing traders. The entrepreneurial spirit of Nigerians is phenomenal.”
Part of the reason for the trip, which was organized in collaboration with the South African Airways, was to correct some of the erroneous impressions some in South Africa have about Nigeria, according to Naidoo.
She said: “The other reason that we are here is that we brought the largest radio station . John Robbie is our Breakfast Show host, and we brought his entire team to broadcast from Southern Sun Ikoyi. What was wonderful about that is he has a wide audience, people listen to him. He has the ability to change people’s mindsets.
“When we initially arrived, we were all anxious because we did not really know what we would meet. We were so pleasantly surprised and he was also saying at this morning show how amazing it had been because he was so surprised by the Nigerian people. There were no safety issues; he just felt really great.
“We live in Johannesburg, we suffer from the same safety concerns that you suffer in terms of perception. When people think of everything that is happening right now, you will think that it is unsafe to come to Nigeria, and we’ve just proved the fact that it is not true. Since we arrived in Nigeria, we’ve had an amazing trip, we’ve had an amazing welcome by the people of Nigeria. They’ve really been wonderful. Yet, we had perceived it was going to be dangerous, but it was not.”
She also talked about some of the places visited: ”We went around on a boat cruise into the Atlantic. We saw shipping villages, ports and so on. We went to see the markets; we went to Balogun Market and another one. We were at Yellow Chillie Restaurant. We ate typical Nigerian food with goat meat, very spicy. It was really very pleasant and lovely.”
Badagry is a town steeped in myth and history of slave trade. It is also a town where the past and the present co-exist side by side.
It was, therefore, not surprising that on the day set aside for monuments internationally, people gathered in the ancient town to mark the day.
It was on Tuesday, April 29, the heritage professionals and staff of the National Museum, Lagos embarked on an excursion to Badagry in Lagos State. The tour was specially organized by the Heritage Monuments and Sites Department to commemorate this year’s International Monuments Day which is celebrated on April 18 each year by heritage professionals across the globe. However, this year’s celebration coincided with Good Friday, a public holiday in Nigeria. Consequently, the National Commission for Museums and Monuments chose April 29 to mark this special day.
As typical of the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) every year, the organization was able to come up with a brilliant theme, “Heritage of Commemoration”, for the celebration. This year’s theme is another step by the ICOMOS to draw the attention of the entire world, museum professionals and all the stakeholders in the heritage profession to the hundreds of declared monuments and world heritage sites across the world.
The theme is to draw attention to the complex and diversified form of heritage places such as living landscapes, buildings, or structures which are tangible carriers of the memory of a part of human experience. The authenticity and the integrity of these sites have impacted greatly for numerous years to the “commemoration and transmission” of value, including history.
The beauty, quality and the key elements of heritage/sites are enshrined in the history that surrounded their creation without which they would be valueless. Thus, the theme addresses those human constructions (in history) that were intentionally created with the aim of commemorating an event, a person or an idea.
It was these key elements that prompted the choice of the ancient and historic city of Badagry as a slight deviation from previous celebrations. The reasons seem to be quite obvious. Badagry, a town that belongs to the Egun, is strategically located within the precinct of the Nigerian borders close to Benin Republic and a vantage proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
Historically, as a result of the location of the town, it was a theatre for some events in history, such as the slave trade, early Christian missionaries and early Western education. As a result of these events in history, the town today boasts of several historic/heritage sites that have made it a memorable place to visit for tourists, students, interest groups and museum professionals.
The tour of April 29 proved to be an adventurous one for the museum staff. About 55 members of staff made the trip led by the curator, Mrs E. O. Ekunke (Deputy Director). For a visitor to Badagry, the list of historic sites that could be visited seems to be inexhaustible. The town is a tourist destination par excellence.
Prominent places of interest visited by the museum staff include;
(i) The first storey building built in 1845 by the Anglican missionaries under the leadership of Revd. C. A Gollmer. The building enjoys the reputation of being the first storey building in Nigeria, apart from the historical record that it was inside the building that Bishop Ajayi Crowther translated the English Bible into the Yoruba Language in 1846.
(ii) The District Officer’s office (Badagry Heritage Museum): The building is of colonial architectural design built in the year 1863. It used to be the District Officer’s office, but it is currently known as the Badagry Heritage Museum. The building boasts of collections on the history of the notorious slave trade between Africa, Europe and the Americas.
(iii) Seriki Abass Slave Museum:-
Baracoon Musuem:- “Baracoon” is a Portuguese word for jail or cell. The cell was built in 1840 by Brazilian slave merchants. It was later handed over to their African collaborator, Chief Seriki Ifaremilekun William Abass, who was a former slave . The building now houses a museum where items such as slave chains, manacles and photographs are on display.
iv) Point of “no return”:- This was a spot on the Gberefu Island where it was said that once a captured slave crossed to that side of the Lagoon, there was nothing that could stop the slave from being shipped out of Africa. Usually, visitors are transported across the short stretch of the lagoon to have a feel of this notorious but historic spot.
v) The Vlekette slave market:- The market was established in the year 1502. As it is typical of several Yoruba markets, it held every five days though the merchandise was “human merchandise”. The market was named after the Vlekette divinity, the goddess of the ocean and wind worshiped by the people of the area. During the pre-colonial period, it also served as a customary court. However, the original building has been demolished by the state government authorities, though the shrine located on the premises is still standing. A modern building is being erected by the state government to be known as the new slave market museum.
The list of historic and memorable sites in Badagry is not limited to the ones discussed above. There are other significant places such as the Mobee Slave Relics Museum, canon guns at Wawu’s Palace, the District Officer’s residence, the first primary school in Nigeria built in 1843, to mention just a few.
The theme “Heritage of Commemoration” is not to celebrate or applaud the idea or the phenomenon of the slave trade, the personalities involved in the nefarious act, nor the inhuman treatment meted out without pity to captured slaves. It is also not meant to justify or lend credence to colonialism, nor the intrusion of early missionaries into the African traditional system and religion. Rather, it is to draw the attention of humanity to those institutions, buildings and the relics of slave trade in order to fully appreciate the suffering of Africans at that period of our history. Indeed history cannot be complete without talking about these issues that greatly influenced the history, the economy and the political development of the African continent.
The theme is also of great relevance since this year 2014 marked the centennial celebration of the World War 1 (WW1) which began in 1914 and raged until 1918. This is a sad reminder of a dark period in human history when the entire world rose against itself in a dastardly war that saw the destruction of human lives in their thousands.
The lessons of that war were lost as humanity again rose up in arms against itself during the World War (WWII). The incidence of slave trade, though it lasted many centuries, was perhaps comparable to the horrendous loss of lives during both wars which witnessed the deployment of sophisticated military weapons. Through these activities in history, institutions, buildings, weapons, and so on were developed and they are today categorized and appreciated as the heritage of mankind.
The town of Badagry is a living example of where such institutions abound. This was because following the abolition of slave trade, the Europeans changed their tactics and re-entered Africa as missionaries. This led to the building of churches, schools, cenotaphs and cemeteries, following the introduction of the Christian religion and western education. At the same time, missionary incursions into Africa did not stop the emergence of colonial rule which again led to the creation of colonial legacies such as buildings of foreign architectural designs for colonial officials as offices, residences, memorial cenotaphs and European cemeteries.
It is imperative that in order to fully appreciate and understand the roles that the slave trade, Christian missionaries and colonialism played in the historical development of Africa, the authenticity and the integrity of the institutions that emerged through these activities must be held sacrosanct. This is the responsibility of students of history, museum/heritage professionals, interest groups and indeed all humanity, hence the declaration of those ones with outstanding values as monuments, sites and the heritage of mankind.
Therefore, the onus is not just to celebrate another international monuments day, rather it is to commemorate those legacies that are part of our lives today through past human events, persons and ideas. Consequently, there should be a high sense of responsibility and commitment to identify, preserve and bequeath to posterity these institutions without which our history will not be complete.
T. A. Awoniyi, Chief Heritage Officer, National Museum, Lagos.
Governor T. A. Orji is actually working in Abia State. He has transformed the state into a model.
This is a source of happiness, and all the citizens of the state are proud of the governor and his government.
As he works for the progress of Abia, he should not forget to upgrade Afugiri Health Centre in Umuakam in order to make it provide the services meant to be given by a general hospital.
People of Ohuhu in the Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state will benefit a lot from the centre, and they will not forget the good work.
Governor Orji has upgraded many health centres in the state. Therefore, the upgrade of the one in Umuakam will be an improvement on the health care delivery in the state.
Gordon Chika Nnorom,
Umukabia, Abia State.