The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • PORTUGAL: Country of ancient heritage, modern architecture

    PORTUGAL: Country of ancient heritage, modern architecture

    Rotary International held its annual convention in Lisbon recently.

    The event brought 19,000 Rotarians, family members of Rotarians and friends of Rotary worldwide into the Portuguese capital.

    As often the case, many participants arrived days or even weeks before the main event and many stayed some extra days to savour all that the country and its inhabitants offered. A number seized the opportunity of the trip to visit Spain, Italy and other Shengen countries.

    On arrival at the Lisbon airport, there is a tourism desk like in many countries. This desk offers help regarding hotel accommodations, mode of transportation to destination, currency exchange related matters, eateries and shopping centres.

    Approaching the Lisbon airport from the Mediterranean from the air, a beautifully planned city, Lisbon, spreads out. Lisbon, a city that derived its name from Alis Ubbo or Olissipo, the names the Phoenicians called it originally, is rich in Roman history ranging from Julius Ceaser through to the moors. King Afonso Henriques VI was the first king of Portugal.

    The 15th and 16th centuries were the most prosperous periods in the history of Lisbon, coinciding with the reign of the Avis dynasty. It was under these monarchs that the great sea voyages of discovery were undertaken that made the country a world power and Lisbon a strategic point on trade routes. This was the era of great seafarers like Vasco Da Gama.

    A major event in the history of Lisbon was the earthquake which devastated the city on November 1, 1755, killing an estimated 60,000 inhabitants. This caused the Marquis of Pombal, King Jose 1’s Secretary of State, a fervent follower of enlightened rationalism, to order its reconstruction with the application of new town planning.

    This was the beginning of the rectilinear plotting of streets, uniform land spaces for buildings and layouts, a new approach to urban planning which was to spread all over Europe. And so Lisbon, with a population of 2.5million inhabitants, has beautifully laid out streets, wide open spaces, parks, gardens and condominiums.

    As recent as 1995, the old sea port of Oriente, a county of Lisbon, was completely knocked down and rebuilt with a state-of-the-art underground train station, a beautiful shopping mall named after Vasco Da Gama, a convention centre big enough to host 50,000 participants and not less than 10 five-star hotels. This was the venue of the Rotary International convention.

    All along the beach line are eateries owned by Portuguese, Mosabequans, Brazilians and a host of other Portuguese speaking immigrants. Your guess is as good as anybody’s, sea foods ranging from octopus through to lobsters are proudly served.

    This reporter gathered that Portugal has a total population of a little above 10million people.

    There is a deliberate plan in the infrastructural development of the Portuguese cities. Towering condominiums are preferred for accommodating people. This makes for large populations to be accommodated in a relatively small portion of land. Then these concentrations of people are provided with big shopping malls, big parks and gardens, well plotted road networks and properly designated worship places. The Portuguese are 90 per cent Catholics. This way, people don’t need to travel too long distances to visit markets, schools, churches or other social facilities. This saves them a lot of resources. Their farmlands and vineyards stretch for miles.

    In Portugal, every tour centre encourages the visitor to attend at least one Fado concert. Fado music is to Portugal what jazz music is to the USA. Fado is Portugal’s most genuine form of popular song, though it has always been more associated with Lisbon and Coimbra than the rest of the country. The words of Fados, which are like mirrors of the soul, are mostly concerned with feelings such as pain, desperation or sadness, but also happiness and good cheer.

    The Portuguese are proud of the wines they produce, and so, virtually on all their guided tours, they include some meals served with at least one of their many wines.

    The tours include the historical Lisbon tour which allows one for a fee of 38 euros per person to tour Lisbon, a city of 2,500 years history.

    This takes one through Tagus River, the Moorish quarter of Alfama which survived the earthquake and Belem, home of the shipyards where in the 15th century the Portuguese Caravelas (sailing boats) departed to find maritime ways to Africa, Asia and Brazil. That you could say was the beginning of globalization.

    Other tours are : the Lisbon and Tagus River, the Sintra and Es’tori coastline, Lisbon culture, the Arrabida and Southern plains, Evora and Monsaraz.

    One of the most fulfilling and thrilling tours is the Silver Coast and Shrine of Fatima. This takes one to North West along the coast line areas of Portugal along the Atlantic Ocean, through the 12th century fortress of Obidos, with its white washed and well preserved houses.

    The town of Obidos has kept its traditions, monuments and well-kept cobblestone streets allowing visitors to travel to the past to see its small churches, small shops and original bars. Many visitors ended their visit to Obidos with a well-deserved famous liquor “Ginginha” served in a chocolate made cup.

    From Obidos, the tour moves to Nazare, a still very active fishing village. The village of Nazare is famous for its past tradition of having its fishing boats pulled out of the ocean to the beach by a pair of bulls helped by the fishermen, wives and children. Another famous tradition of Nazare is the traditional female outfits that include seven skirts dressed simultaneously.

    After lunch at Nazare, a stop is made at Fatima. Fatima is the famous pilgrimage site, well known for its Roman Catholic Shrine and Basilica. Fatima is recognized by the Vatican as a site where the Virgin Mary was seen by three little shepherds.

    The Rotary convention was loaded with inspiring speakers which included the Liberian born 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate, Leymah Gbowee, and many musical groups like the Tuna Academia, a group of university students in traditional dress who play guitar and sing serenades traditional to Spain and Portugal.

    On the entertainment list was the record-breaking classical crossover quartet II Divo who drew standing ovation with every number rendered.

    Other groups included Orquestra Metropolitan de Lisboa, Fernando Varela, Hayley Westenra, 2 Cellos and the St. Dominic’s Gospel Choir.

     

  • New bra adverts promise comfort

    New bra adverts promise comfort

    A PRESS release from Warner’s Bras says: “The most commonly searched words associated with bras include: hate, throw, stop and bad” which all sound terrible. To what bras are these poor women subjecting themselves? Perhaps with the exception of “throw” which could allude to something fun, involving a one- direction concert. Anyway, Warner’s wants to make it clear that its bras are not of the “hate” variety, and it has created a video and corresponding campaign to prove it.

    The get comfortable campaign video humorously shows women in situations where they are so unbelievably comfortable in their Warner’s bras that they forget they have them on be it in the bath or while breastfeeding!

  • Lagos to harmonise hotel, tourism taxes

    Lagos to harmonise hotel, tourism taxes

    Lagos State government has promised to harmonise the taxes paid by hospitality and tourism outfits in Lagos to be a one-stop activity.

    This promise was made this week during a stakeholders’ meeting between the Lagos State government through the Ministry of Tourism and Inter-governmental Affairs and Hospitality and other tourism outfit owners.

    According to the Commissioner of of Tourism and Inter-governmental Relations, Mr. Disun Holloway, a situation where tourism outfit owners are inundated by officials from different tiers of government does not augur well for the sector.

    He said he will engage in dialogue with the other state commissioners involved in collecting or implementing one state law or the other in the hospitality outfits in Lagos. Disun was reacting to the complaint of tourism stakeholders over multiple taxation in the state.

    The meeting was called by the state ministry to dialogue with tourism outfit owners in the state in the light of the pronouncement by the Supreme Court that the hotel registration, classification and grading was the responsibility of the states.

    In his speech on the occasion, Holloway said the state government’s aim was to build the industry.

    He said: “With determination to enhance wealth while creating job opportunities, the ministry has, in the past, engaged organisations in leisure and resort development to fashion out a template for the rapid transformation of tourism sector.

    “Following the Supreme Court ruling, putting to rest the contention between the Lagos State government and the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation(NTDC), Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola inaugurated two committees to enhance best practices in Lagos.

    “The two, Hotel Grading and Classification Ratification and Appeal Committee and Classification Review Committee, comprising more of private investors, was inaugurated only last month to ensure proper grading and classifications in the state.

    “We in Lagos State sees the Supreme Court judgment as a victory for the tenets of federalism and an opportunity to eradicate multiplicity of taxations and regulations, thereby enabling states to take charge and properly plan for the hospitality industry in their respective territories.”

    “let me also reiterate that Government’s determination to register, classify and grade hotels is borne out of the desire to have a reliable database for planning research and development of the sector and not for economic consideratios as speculated in some quarters.’

     

  • Remlords wins Travellers’ Award

    At the Abuja Bantaba event, Remlords Tours received the award for the best ground handler in Nigeria. The award was in recognition of the pace setting effort of its domestic tourism business,while most operators concentrated on outbound tours.

    In the past one year, Remlords Global Satellite Account ( GSA) for Arik Air in Calabar launched an online portal for domestic tourism with Cross River as a pivot. The portal, “Experience Cross River”, has been driving tourists into Cross River and its environs.

    As destination managers, Remlords markets Cross River State with its endowed rich cultural heritage. The major focus is the Obudu Mountain Resort which is the winner of the Naija 7 Wonders. Remlords promotes one of Cross River State largest tourism events – The Carnival Calabar, Africa’s largest street party.

    As the best ground handler in Nigeria,Remlords has the best airport pick-up and drop-off service in the major airports with choice cars to meet clients’ choices, styles and budgets. They also offer inter-city and intra-city car hire services for both individuals and corporate organizations in Lagos, Abuja, Warri, Port Harcourt, Uyo and Calabar.

    While receiving the award in Abuja, the Chairman of Remlords who also is the National President of the National Association of Tour Operators, NATOP, had this to say.” We are very happy to be recognised for what we have been doing. The success of our project and its acceptance gives us joy.Experience Cross River is an online travel portal giving direct access to bookings and payments to hotels, airlines, tour packages and car hire service.”

    In partnership with organizations such as Aero Contractors, Arik, Naija 7 Wonders, NDTC, Cross River Hoteliers’ Association, Obudu Mountain Resort and so on, we have recorded over 2,000 tourist arrivals and over 500 international visitors to Cross River State in just a year.

    As the lead marketer of Obudu Mountain Resort, Experience Cross River takes care of clients’ needs at the most affordable rate with discount covering accommodation, ground transport, tour and so on.

    Experience Cross River, within the space of a year, plays host as organizing company to several conferences and international workshops among which was the 6th AMAGE (African Middle East Association of Gastroenterology).

    With strong partnership with major hotels in Calabar with international standard services, Experience Cross River gives amazing discount on hotel bookings in Cross River State.

    Moreso, the presence of Experience Cross River is mostly felt from arrival at the airport with well-trained meet-and-greet personnel and well-trained chauffeurs with the UN Decade of Safety Certificate.”

     

  • How to experience a working relationship

    Every human craves a working and extraordinary relationship; a phenomenon many desire. Many may, however, question the possibilities of experiencing an extraordinary relationship in a depraved world such as ours. I beg to differ – It is possible! No matter how rotten our society is, extraordinary relationships exist.

    Good things, they say, don’t come easily. To experience extraordinary relationships that could result in a marriage require sacrifices but how many of us are ready to do what it takes to achieve the feat?

    If you desire a working relationship or marriage, there are certain habits you need to inculcate. One of such is speaking favorably of your significance to your partner, especially when they are not there. You should endeavor to desist from uttering negativism about your partner such that if they get to hear of it, it could have adverse effect in your relationship.

    Another habit that should come handy is that everyone in your personal circle should know you are in a relationship and hear more positive than negatives about your relationship, it’s very important you make people aware of your status and also.

    No other couple could say it better than Mr. and Mrs Ogundipe. The couple has been together for over 40 years. They spoke extensively on the subject matter. The under listed are their do’s and don’ts to having a successful relationship:

    1. Be patient with your partner: It’s easy to become snappish or disagreeable when we’re tired or frustrated. Remember, this is someone we love. Therefore, love should always be evident in each communication. Love intensely, passionately and frequently! If all the world needs is love, it’s absolutely the most key ingredient in our relationships. In everything we do, the plan should be to have no regrets. Can you imagine how powerful a relationship could be if we loved like there was no tomorrow?

    2.Ultimately, all we really must do is treat our partner the way we desire to be treated people are pretty much the same we all have feelings that can get hurt, dreams we want supported, and the need to experience an honest and healthy love relationship. Once we have that understanding, we are well on our way to achieving an extraordinary relationship.

    Things we must avoid in a relationship according to the Ogundipes:

    1. Channel your talking energy rightly, not to gossiping but to keeping your partner company.

    2. Do not engage in unnecessary fights and arguments because no one loves a troublesome partner but every man hates women who fight anyhow. So try to control it.

    3. Selfless men hate women who are selfish, who work but plan for their income alone. The abhor women who never share their ideas with their husbands. If you’re a married lady and you do such, soon you’ll be single again.

    4. Foreign children: This goes especially to single ladies! Control yourself before marriage there’s no single husband who will look after kids who belong to other men.

    The Ogundipes also gave the list of things that can improve a relationship:

    1 . Good communication: Always ensure that once in a day, you communicate with your partner, e.g ask how their day is? What they’re doing etc so as not to disconnect

    2. Realistic expectations: Don’t be too demanding for partner, be contented and accept him or her the way they are. A lot of people have mental blueprint of how their partner should be like and end up wreaking the relationship trying to configure your partner to your mental image

    3. Insecurity and trust: Your relationship should be based on a foundation of honesty and trust, because it is the backbone of every relationship. You should be confident of yourself and partner and trust them always even when they lie

    4. Jealousy: You should not be envious of your partner, some relationships fall apart as a result of people not being able to handle their partner’s success. You should always wish your partner better things and carry them along in whatever you do

    5. Always rebrand and improve yourself: At all times make sure that you improve yourself everyday to improve yourself worth and value to improve the quality of your relationship it can be attributed to property ,it can depreciate and appreciate just like property.

    It is my utmost belief that the rules listed above could go a long way to making our relationship work especially as they come from a couple who has been together for several decades. Let’s make our marriage and relationship a blissful one and stay positive that we all can all be EXTAORDINARY in our relationship

     

     

  • ‘I never thought I’d be king’

    ‘I never thought I’d be king’

    The designed crown on the arch entrance into the expansive palace is conspicuous as it adds to the aesthetics of the palace. Engraved on the arch is Olukare’s Palace. The leaves on the big baobab tree at the centre of the market serve as a shade, protecting people from the scorching sun. According to the monarch, Oba Akadiri Momoh, the tree has been there since 1923. The dark in complexion monarch looks younger than his age: Simple and humble with his fly whisk, the royal father appeared in immaculate flowing white gown (agbada) as he walked majestically with his beaded royal staff. He spoke using anecdotes and punctuating them with nuances on how he unexpectedly became the king on his arrival from America in 1978!

    According to him, he never thought he would become a monarch, because when other contestants were warming up, it never crossed his mind until he was invited to come and contest by the “elders” who had consulted the Ifa oracle and asked God to choose the best. “ I did not have the notion, the idea wasn’t in my mind. People just told me sometime before then that if there was a chieftaincy vacancy I would be the one to pick. I didn’t believe that until when I returned from the United States in 1978, people were approaching me from my royal family for the royal stool saying ‘this vacant stool in your royal house why can’t you join them in the contest,?. But I said I did not have the energy, I did not have the capability of struggling, of running up and down. All my people continued advising me. I had a sister who is now late, she financed all the running around from Lagos to Ikare.”

    His growing up

    The Economics graduate of Ohio University, USA said he was brought up by his aunt, a disciplinarian. This, according to him, helped him in life later. “My aunt brought me up. She was a very serious disciplinarian, she was called Mama ‘Deoti, and was junior to my father. She made me. Anytime I was going to school she would give me money for my feeding and warn me not to go to anybody’s house to eat. I was always the first to get home when we finished from the school because if I was late mama was ready to discipline me. Much later, I discovered something. The first salary I got, I brought it to her in Ikare. I told her, “Mama this is my first salary, if you want you can take all. She did not say anything but prayed on the money and gave it back to me. They all liked me in all the places I’ve worked and that is the work of mama.”

    Forced to be baptised

    Though, he was born into a Muslim family, he was forced to become a Christian while at Victory College, Ikare. “When I was in secondary school, I became a Christian, though I was born into a Muslim family. My original name was Akadiri. I was named Saliu Momoh Akadiri. But when we went to Victory College, our principal, Rev. Akinrinle, said we must be baptised, and very many of us were. The baptismal name appeared in my certificate but when I became the Olukare I had to go back to my original Muslim name because we are originally Muslims. We have a soft spot for Christianity. When Babalola, the CAC founder, came here, it was the Olukare who housed him and helped him to establish. When Isaac Lenor came, it was Kabiyesi who first assisted him too.”

    Friendship with the late Fawehinmi

    Oba Momoh during his school days was a friend of the late radical lawyer Chief Gani Fawehinmi, “Yes, I’ knew Gani Fawehinmi, we were friends, we were boys together, and he was a good company at Victory College.” According to the monarch, the late human rights activist, “although was a little bit rascally but sharp. Gani had a friend, two of them were very rascally and they were very good in the class. I think the other boy is also a SAN now. He practised law in Kano. They were good boys. You know when you are in school, when you are young you would say if I had known I would have done this, or done that, it happened to everyone, almost everybody.,”

    Why he broke his marriage vow

    While many monarchs have harem of wives, Oba Momoh did not pray for such. However, due to circumstances he had to bend the rule of one man one wife. “I have two wives now. Before, I had only one but when I became the Oba they said it is untraditional for an Oba to have one wife. I said I was not so much interested in having plenty women. I only married one more just to obey my parents,” he declared.

    Asked to look back and check whether he had made any mistake or the other with his years on the earth, he declared, “I am 75 years old and I can’t remember if I made any mistake because if my parents told me something I obeyed except when as a small boy I went to school to watch football and when I’m back my aunties will spank me.”

    The first day to wear a crown

    On how he felt the first time he wore the royal crown, Oba Momoh exclaimed: “I was firstly uncomfortable. But by and by, I got used to it and it was no more a new thing.”

    When he assumed office a new palace had to be built because the old palace was built in 1900. “When I came to the throne I had no place to entertain my visitors, and it was during the military era when one of our sons who was an Ambassador died in Ikare. The President sent somebody to come and commiserate with us, so the governor came with him to Ikare. They came with an entourage, we sat down for 10 minutes and the place became very hot and I felt very, very uncomfortable. I came out, went in and was disturbed. After all said and done, they left. I now sat down and thought of how I would get money to improve the palace. I prayed and got help. Many good people assisted. And I was able to build a big one where I entertain visitors. Then I had a very small mosque but I said ‘no, we’re Muslims and my grandfather brought Islam to Ikare. I had a sister who was very rich, I talked to her and to some people, and told friends that if I have visitors where would they go and sleep or stay for the night? That was how the new building was erected.”

    On how he manages the town

    Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, the saying goes. While the monarch did not deny it, he said he leads his community with comfort and with simplicity and with a cool mind. “I always listen before I pronounce my verdict. I soft pedal to carry the whole people along. If somebody has come to lodge a complaint, I would ask him to state his own case and if any one of them is wrong I will say he was wrong and that is one thing I do. The truth is bitter but at the same time I will have to tell it.”

    The monarch said he listens to radio and read newspapers to know what is going on. “When I was young my hobbies were playing football and I used to run. They gave me a nickname. I enjoyed my youth. I don’t harbour any ill-feelings against anybody. I look simple and happy. I don’t put things in mind. I am very straightforward. Whether you abuse my simplicity or not, I take things easy.”

  • Biafra did not surrender – Achuzia

    Biafra did not surrender – Achuzia

    Col. Joe Achuzia was one of the major figures that held Biafra together while the Nigerian Civil war lasted. He commanded almost all the major sectors in the Biafran Army and also ensured that discipline was enforced throughout the duration of the war. Before the war ended, he was in charge of operations in the whole enclave called Biafra. This position made it possible for him to begin the necessary overtures to end the war. While Ojukwu was away, he took over control of the forces and then made the appropriate contacts to bring the war to an end. In this interview with Edozie Udeze, he debunks some of the claims made by Gen. Alabi Isama and Gen. Alani Akinrinade in their recent interviews.

    Gen. Alabi Isama in his latest book on the war alleged that Mid-western officers were alienated. Is it really true that as the Commander-in-Chief of the Biafran Armed Forces, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, did not trust some of the Midwestern Igbo officers while the war lasted?

    It is not true. Why I say it is not true is that for Biafra to have lasted so long, it was as a result of the efforts of the Mid-western officers. This was because Biafra was really being hard pushed until the mid-west operation began.

    And the Midwest officers that were supposed to go across, Alabi-Isama was one of them. Even then my own journey into the mid west when Banjo crossed into Mid west, Alabi too was one of those that I contacted. But somewhere along the line, after our meeting, after we gave him some instructions to follow across, Alabi defected. And he didn’t come back. So, for him to say that Ojukwu didn’t like some Mid west officers couldn’t be true. This was so because it was the Mid-west officers, all the way to the lower ranks, that really held Murtala from crossing over the bridge thereby entering Biafra.

    This was when Murtala started his so-called operation to cross the Niger. It was mid western officers who fought and sustained the momentum. These were the 52 and 57 brigades that are also manned by the Mid west officers. It is unfortunate that many people from hindsight now after over 40 years of the war are writing books on the war. This is an after-thought after having read over other people’s works on the war, reading newspaper comments and other people’s statements and interviewing people. Now, they have got themselves in the position as being authority on the war.

    I wouldn’t take Alabi’s document as a serious one. The only aspect of his statement that really deserves comment and which shows his inability to appreciate the war situation and reporting it as it were, was his reporting what did not happen in his presence. He talked about the end of the war, mentioning the participants. He is not in the position to say what he said about the end of the war. He wasn’t there.

    The first person who was there was General Alani Akinrinade. Also Tomoye. Then Tomoye was not a substantive colonel. The command that reached Orlu was Tomoye’s command. And it was Tomoye’s officer that my men and in a night operation and captured them that made it possible for me to take the step I took by declaring that everybody should lay down their arms. Then I said we could be announcing it until I was able to bring Akinrinade into my headquarters. The narrative by Alabi shows ignorance of what happened that day. That’s what I can say about that. The only person that many a time I look at and say let sleeping dogs lie is General Akinrinade. This was because of his behaviour from the moment we met was officer-like.

    And he conducted himself in a way that endeared him to me that up till date, we are still friends. Alabi, however, was right in one thing that the war had already ended before General Obasanjo came into the picture. And he came on the scene after I allowed General Akinrinade to make a call to him. And he told him that if he didn’t come, he might stand to lose his officers who were under my control then. When Akinrinade came, he came with only a few soldiers. We met at Orlu, I didn’t go to Owerri to look for any of them.

    Now, we told Tomoye to phone him because Tomoye stood to lose all his officers and in Brigade they ventured into our territory near Orlu.

    We assured Tomoye that we had already started to take steps to bring the war to an end. His officers that were collected were already deposited near my office in Igbo-ukwu. As a result, it wasn’t proper for me to claim that I went to Owerri looking for who to surrender to. Surrender who or what to who? After all, it was in my house while discussing with Akinrinade that we decided that in that instance we were bringing the war to an end. There was indeed no winner, no vanquished. The war had deteriorated into a state of stalemate, whereby we were trading one bullet for another.

    By this time our men were crisis-crossing the war front because both the Nigerian soldiers and our soldiers were tired of the whole thing; the whole episode.

    Could you please elaborate more on the last days of the war?

    Let me also elaborate more on the events of the last days…

    I read in the internet Akinrinade’s rejoinder. So I asked for it to be printed out. Akinrinade is the last person I expected to sanction what Alabi-Isama wrote or said about the end of the war. Isama wasn’t there. Akinrinade was there. Tomoye was there. The rest were just junior officers. Those collected that night of 11th were junior officers and they were in charge of a battalion which made it possible for us to move. It was almost a disaster. We could have capitalised on it but we were on the quest to bring the war to an end. Hence, we detained them at the DMI office in Igbo-ukwu, got them to send a message to their commander, Tomoye. Tomoye replied that he would contact Owerri. The officer at Owerri tactical headquarters, Col. Oni who replied that Obasanjo said he would send his chief-of-staff, Akinrinade, to come and negotiate with us.

    That was how Akinrinade came to the scene. And we asked when would this be? He said that myself and himself should meet at Orlu. Hence, I left, heading to Orlu with my own escort, while he was coming with his own escort. We met at Orlu, greeted one another and I asked that he follows me to Igbo-ukwu. If it was a war situation and they had the advantage they would have arrested me and held me hostage. But we were already holding their men hostage. That was how we came to my home and I am glad that Alabi confirmed that because Akinrinade told him.

    So, I had to do what I did because I was in full control of the situation. There was no way Akinrinade could have reached me in a hostile manner. I was the one who would have shown hostility but my mission was to bring the war to an end.

    I would have handed over to Bisala. Bisala’s men were at Awka, which as you know, is closer to my headquarters. When we concluded no winner, no vanquished affair with Obasanjo, treachery came into it. While we were all celebrating at Owerri, Obasanjo came to me and said whether he could talk to General Effiong and I said yes. Anything? He said no, just to discuss for old time sake. And I said okay, you can go ahead with him.

    So, they went out to discuss. It was Col. Anwuna who called my attention and said why did you allow Effiong and Obasanjo to meet alone and I said well, they are old friends. He said no, you better intervene. Obasanjo said ah, I am not eating your officer; we were just talking about old times. But the damage had already been done. On our way back to Uga, because that was where we took off from, it was then that Effiong told me and the rest of the people that he had promised Obasanjo that we would be going to Lagos to see Gowon. I said no, you don’t play a record we didn’t participate in crafting. He said it was necessary that we senior officers go with him; that they would provide the flight so that we and Gowon could see, that he had the final say for them. I said okay if we must go, all of you must go and put on your uniforms. Then he turned around and told me he also promised him we should go in mufty. So, I said in that case, I will not go. That was why I wasn’t in the entourage that went to Lagos. He said that it was important that I should go; that he even mentioned the names of the officers to go. I said, I will not go, I will not leave my troops undefended.

    Col. Ogunewe, he was of the same stature with me, said please colonel you have done so much. Give me your French suit, we are of the same size.

    So, he went in my place and that was why he was part of the team. I escorted them all the way to Owerri with reinforced company of soldiers. When we got to Owerri, Obasanjo and his men, with Col. Oni took over. They left from Port Harcourt. Instead, as they left from Port Harcourt, I continued with my company of soldiers all the way to Port Harcourt. Akinrinade will attest to this.

    When we got to Port Harcourt, I reported to Col. Oluleye who was the war commander. We booked in at the Presidential Hotel with my men surrounding me. It was in the morning, they had gone to Lagos, finished and Obasanjo brought them back and I was quite sure Obasanjo was monitoring what was happening and had been told by Akinrinade that I was in Port Harcourt with my troops. So, he arrived early hours in the morning with Effiong and the rest and they left for Owerri. Then he sent Akinrinade to call me. He came to the hotel and told me that Obasanjo was back and wanted to see me.

    I went with my troops to Owerri and we met and greeted. So, he said to me, was there any need for me to come with my troops?. And I said no. it was necessary for me because it was the cream of my men that you collected. Then we saluted and they escorted me across the Imo River at Owerri Nta. From there, I proceeded back to my home. Now, is that the position of a defeated army? If they want us to tell the truth about what happened, we’ll tell the truth. But for a group of people trying to make it look as if Biafra looked like a lily-livered army or a rag-tag army, no. No rag-tag army at all could hold a well-equipped army like Nigerian army to ransom for three years.

    The only thing, I repeat, is that the ground strategy adopted by Biafra made it possible for Nigeria to remain till today.

    In the face of all this, how did you warm your way into Ojukwu’s heart to become his favourite among other officers from the Mid-west?

    I don’t know about being anybody’s favourite. All I know is that each time Ojukwu gave me order I obeyed it. That people consider me his favourite, well why should a commander-in-chief, have a favourite? All his officers were his favourites. For anybody to consider himself not to be a favourite of the commander-in-chief he must have been harbouring some disloyalty attitude in his mind towards the commander-in-chief.

    But was Alabi-Isama fighting on the side of Biafra initially?

    No! He was one of the Mid-west officers in Benin. He was in Benin at the beginning.

    Now, let us look at another issue. Is it really correct to assert that while the federal troops had prisoners of war, Biafran soldiers were busy killing indiscriminately?

    Let me ask you, when Nigeria claimed that they won the war, were there any exchange of prisoners of war? Because that would have been the situation. There wasn’t. By the time the matter got to Lagos to Gowon, the war had been over. It was more of war of attrition at a point and so as it was on the Federal side so it was on the Biafran side.

    But why did you call for an end to the war when you did?

    We did so because of the situation we found ourselves. Certain things were happening at the time which up till now we haven’t told our people. For instance, they said Ojukwu left because the war was closing in on him and the entire Biafra. That also is not true. We had several options then. One of the options was to break out of the Biafra enclave to cause confusion. But we had studiously maintained that we were not trying to create a civil war but we were still being attacked based on the perceived situation that brought about the pogrom.

    Good enough, it was the pogrom that chased people out of the North. And when our people left the North, the pogrom continued and this made it impossible for our people to find relief in the West. There was no other alternative than to say, ‘to your tents oh Israel.’ So, our people left and came home. And even when organising the military defensive activity we still had it in mind that we couldn’t abandon a country we helped to build.

    But we couldn’t in trying to maintain the status quo we helped to build allowed ourselves to be exterminated. No. Consequently, we retreated. By retreating, regrouping, we said we will not carry our military exploits beyond our shores. Otherwise, as it were, we had several options. Take a brigade and break into Nigeria and cause havoc. That would have made the war total, but instead under the counsel of our commander-in-chief and our elders, we maintained an operational balance.

    It was for us to defend ourselves within our soil so that nobody could accuse us of either precipitating the war or as they try to accuse us that the coup was tailored against the North, an Igbo coup. If such a coup that had a universal acclaim could later change into an Igbo coup, what then would have happened if we had carried the war right into the North. The possibility was there and we didn’t do that.

    But then when Igbo officers and men crossed into the West why were they not coordinated, allowing soldiers scatter into different directions?

    No! No!! You see the war,… Every war produces certain actions and reactions. When it became clear after the second division of Nigerian army crossed over and attacked Biafra, we already heard that they were going to use the Mid-west whom we thought was the buffer zone between us and them. But the rampaging Nigerian army did not honour that. We were not prepared to allow them because once they did, it meant that they had three-quarters of the totality of the land in Nigeria. And that would have been very difficult for us.

    We were also mindful of the fact that during the pogrom in the North, the majority of the soldiers as far as the North was concerned, Midwest was an Igbo land. It was in fact an afterthought when they tried to woo the Benins, the Urhobo’s and so on, forgetting that the Benins and Urhobos were some of those they killed during the pogrom.

    So, ranging them against us by pacifying them as they did when they created Cross-River and Rivers States, it was not done to appease the North. No. it was done to range them against the Igbo people by telling them that they were sufficient to be on their own as states. And that they should not be an appendage of the Igbos. They even forgot that we could have done the same by moving into the North, bringing the Middlebelt against the Fulanis.

    But we didn’t do that. So, that was what it was like.

    Okay, were all these part of the blunders that prolonged the war?

    Of course, yes. If we had played the game the way Nigeria played it, we would still be in the battle field today. But our people have a saying that the hen with so many chicks doesn’t know how to run in a battle situation.

    At what point did the Biafran high command begin to consider some of the officers as saboteurs and what did it take one to be so considered?

    In many war situations, the word sabotage is a constant and recurrent decimal. This is so because not all believe in the cause that brought about the war situation. People have different ideas and ideals. And some people, according to their belief, put themselves in the position where they were either the loyalists or considered anti-war efforts. This was what gave rise to the word saboteur. So it happens everywhere and it occurs everywhere.

    You have nicknamed the Air Raid. How did this name come about?

    Oh, no, no. I can’t continue to dwell on this.

    But you’ve not told it to us before?

    Okay, why I say so is that soldiers, especially in a conflict situation have the tendency for giving one name or the other to their officers, depending on the situation they find themselves. So, they did that when they wanted.

    You didn’t start out as a commissioned officer, but rose to be a force to reckon with. How did it happen?

    No, no. you see, people don’t seem to understand that soldiering is an art. Just like engineering or medicine, when a doctor is made to be so. You cannot just go into an operating room, pick up your instruments and begin to work, if you haven’t been trained. So also in a war situation. You cannot go into battle field and carry out all the norms necessary for an officer who had been trained over the years.

    A civilian cannot plan war and execute war. It requires a trained military officer to confuse and configure the situation and operate. That is why many a time people say what they like and I don’t care. It doesn’t affect people like me; I am not interested. The situation occured within the purview of my duty and I operated just to show what I was trained for. After that I retired into a civilian life.

    What really happened – did you actually kill Haliday, the owner of Silver Valley Hotel in the presence of his wife and daughter as alleged by General Alani Akinrinade?

    That’s a lie. You see, when the war ended, Nigerian officers didn’t know what to do about me. First, they couldn’t reach me. Every effort made to kill me did not succeed. Haliday was a friend. My house, before the war started, was a stone’s throw from Chief Haliday’s house. If such a thing happened, why was it only at the end of the war that we started hearing that I was the one that killed him?

    I commanded; I took over in Port Harcourt, when Port Harcourt was falling. And all that participated there will give testimony that I never picked a gun and shot him. I never picked my gun and shot at somebody. Why should I? I had soldiers who could do that. But instead, they tried to foist the death of Haliday on me. That exactly was what they’ve been saying; that I had been killing people indiscriminately while the war lasted. That also is not true. It took the way the war ended for most Biafrans to realise that it was really a lie that whenever I saw somebody I’d shoot. Shoot for what? For what purpose? And if that was the case, would I lay my life on the line to bring the war to an end? After all, the people who asked that the war be brought to an end are still alive. People like P.K. Nwokedi, a former justice of Enugu. Louis Mbanefo too. These were the people who came to my house and pleaded that I should try to stop the war.

    Normally, I would have called for their arrest, because they were members of Biafran Exco. They were party to the last meeting we held with Ojukwu to ask Ojukwu to go to the conference that was to hold in Monrovia, Liberia. That conference was engineered by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

    It was this meeting that we arranged laboriously for where Ojukwu could stay so that there won’t be any sabotage against us. Hence, Felix Houphet- Boigny was one of those that recognised Biafran efforts. And the French were also partially assisting us.

    So, from Liberia, it was planned to move Ojukwu to Gabon and then to Ivory Coast. But we hadn’t settled down in Ivory Coast in readiness for the meeting when members of the EXco came requesting that I should bring the war to an end.

    How come then you were the man everybody wanted to see to end the war?

    I was the person in charge of operations. I was also visible. Yes, I was.

    Do you think because the Yoruba officers were the ones that saw to the end of the war, it has caused any friction between them and the Igbo people?

    No, because a day after my declaration, I started the announcement from 9a.m. Every 15 minutes, my broadcast was on. Sir Louis Mbanefo crafted the statement that we gave Philip Effiong to read. After it was read, it became necessary because in my broadcast, we said we had sent emissaries to various Nigerian military formations to inform them that we had decided to end the war.

    It is only people with authority who could do that. Any army on the run will not make such statement. So, we did it on a friendly basis. Today Akin is still my friend. We meet from time to time. He visits me here too. No, it has not caused any friction at all.

    Why was it possible for the Owerri battle front to be inclusive as it were?

    First and foremost, to take over Owerri was impossible. Owerri is the heartland of the Igbo nation. The heart land of our domain. Enugu is our foremost town which was prepared by the colonial masters as an administrative headquarters. Just as Lagos is to the West, even though Ibadan was the heartland of the Yoruba. So, also in the North, they have Kaduna State, which now they have Abuja, even though they have Sokoto, Maiduguiri and those other places.

    Nigeria is centered on a tripod, whichever way you push it, all that come to the surface are the Hausa nation, the Yoruba nation and the Igbo nation. Each of these nations has minorities. Today, all that people talk about are the minorities within the East, within the Igbo nation because of economic interest. If oil has not been the main source of income for the totality of Nigerians, nobody would care how the Ijaws, how the Itsekiris, the Ibibios, Kalabairis, the Efiks and so on, are faring. This is so because they’ve been in existence before the arrival of the Europeans.

  • We operated as three different gangs coordinated by a grand commander — Robbery suspects

    We operated as three different gangs coordinated by a grand commander — Robbery suspects

    An ex-convict, Sunday Bassey (23), arrested with four others for armed robbery has regretted his inability to quit the trade before his arrest because he feared that he could become an object of attack by other members of the gang. Other members of the gang, who are still active as armed robbers, he said, would see him as a threat and could resort to eliminating him. He also said he feared that they might implicate him whenever they were caught.

    The other four suspected members of the gang arrested by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Lagos State Police Command include Abbas Lukmon (19), Oyifara Toyin (23), Kojo Richard (21) and Adebayo Femi (23). The others still at large include the alleged leader of the gang, Isiaka, and one Chukwuma a.k.a. Goodnews. The police claimed they recovered three locally made pistols and 23 rounds of live ammunition from the gang. Police sources said the gang had been involved in more than robbery operations before five of its members were arrested.

    Confessing his roles in the gang’s activities, Sunday Bassey said: “I am from Eket village in Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. I am a bus driver and ex-convict. I was once sentenced to the Kirikiri Maximum Prison where I spent 10 months before I bought my freedom. My lawyer perfected my release, but I spent my life savings for that arrangement before I regained my freedom.

    “I would have resigned from armed robbery, but my colleagues would not let me go. They continued to tell me to accompany them to robbery operations, and you know the grave consequence of avoiding them when they need you. They may not only try to implicate you whenever they are arrested, they may also come after you to kill you so that you will not be a threat to the continued existence of the gang. They would think that once you resign, you will likely become an informant to the police.

    “We have three different gangs. The first is based at Oyingbo (Lagos) and is led by Muri Eteh. They are about four in the gang. The second is based at Ikotun (Lagos) led by one Chukwuma a.k.a. Goodnews. The third is based at Ketu (Lagos) led by Isiaka, the grand commander of the three gangs.”

    Asked what items the gangs specialised in stealing, he said: “We rob people and traders who sell food items like rice, garri, beans, melon, palm oil and stock fish, among others. We also rob fuel attendants at filling stations. We rob pharmaceutical shops, supermarkets and recharge card outlets where we are likely to get big money.

    “In the Ketu gang, we are only seven, including myself, Isiaka the gang leader and grand commander of the three independent gangs, Lukman, Toyin, Kojo and Femi. I have participated in many robbery operations. The first operation I participated in when I came back from prison was at Alapere.

    We robbed three times at Alapere. The first place was a pharmaceutical shop. We were four and got N40,000; myself, Kojo, Femi and Toyin. Each of us got N10,000 because the money was shared equally. The second place was a shop where the shop owner held my colleague at the waist and I shot him in the hand to free my colleague. We could not get a dime from the shop because the shop attendant said his boss had already come to collect the day’s sales before we arrived. I fired the victim because he held my commander, Isiaka.

    “Another place where we operated was at a filling station in Ikotun. We threatened the fuel attendants with gun and robbed them of the day’s sales. From the first pump, we got N35, 000, while we got N25,000 from the second pump.

    “At Alapere, we robbed rice sellers but could not get a kobo because their master had come to collect the whole sales before we arrived there. We also robbed a provision shop at Alapere. We went into the shop and pretended that we wanted to buy table water. As the man went to bring the table water, I rushed at him with my short gun and ordered him to lie face down while Isiaka ordered his visitor, at gun point, to also lie face down. He collected the visitor’s two Black Berry phones while I collected the sales money, about N95, 000. Isiaka also collected the visitor’s N50, 000. Other members of the gang filled their pockets with assorted hot drinks, choice wine and other provisions. We also took some bottles of beer before we left. It was a 30-minute operation.

    “At Ikotun, we robbed recharge card sellers. We got N50,000 worth of recharge cards. It was a successful operation. I sent my own share of the stolen recharge cards (about N10, 000) to my colleague, Rasheed, who was still serving his jail term in Ikoyi Prison to sell and feed himself.

    “There were three members of the gang who held guns. I bought my gun for N20, 000. It was Isiaka that bought it for me. Isiaka has his own gun and Muri Eteh also has his own gun. They are all locally made guns.”

    Asked how the gang got information on their victims, he said: “We have our members in most of the places we robbed. It was either they live there or they usually visited such places and knew the terrain very well. At times, they accompanied us to carry out the operations. At Ikotun, we have up to three boys. I can remember Chukwuma and the one we call Goodnews. I don’t know the name the others.

    “The important thing is that we know our members. Their names are not important, for security reasons, and that is why some of us prefer to be called by our alias so that if the police declare us wanted, we can start answering our real names or another alias.

    “I know Abbas. He is my friend. But he is not a full member of our gang. He only keeps our operational guns for us. When we want to rob, he brings the guns, and after operation, he hid the guns for us and we always rewarded him handsomely. At times, he played the role of an informant by spying on the police and making friends with them in order to get information that would frustrate any attempt to track us down. At times, we gave him N5, 000, N10, 000 or more, depending on how much we got from an operation. At other times, we didn’t give him anything, particularly when market is bad.”

    The second suspect, Abbas Lukman, said: “I am from Ife, Osun State. But I am based at Ketu, Lagos State where I worked at a barbing salon. My boss paid me according to how many heads I barber in a day. I got between N1, 000 and N1, 500 per day. Customers also gave me money, especially rich men. Some gave me as much as N1, 000, so there were days I went home with N5, 000. But I spent most of my money on prostitutes, drinks, clothes and friends.

    It was one of my friends/customers, Sunday Bassey, who introduced me to the gang by giving me their guns to keep for them. One day, I was barbing for one of our customers when Sunday on a motorcycle called me to take one polythene bag and keep for him. I collected the bag.

    “At the close of work around 10 pm, I opened the bag to see its content and found three locally made pistols and some live cartridges. Surprised, I called him and asked him what the guns were meant for and he told me not to worry; that he would come and collect them for a job and that I would benefit from it later. He said he would collect a lot of money with the ATM. I asked him to explain what he meant by ATM and he said that was what his gang’s members call guns, because they used it to collect money easily from victims.

    “They used to give me N2, 000. Sometimes, they give me N5, 000, depending on what they had in mind to give me any time they wanted to collect the guns or hand over the guns for safe keeping. It was when I discovered that they used to share big money after each operation that I decided to be accompanying them to operations. It was then that I started getting big money from them, like N10, 000, N20, 000, depending on what we get from each operation.

    “The first day I kept the guns, he (Sunday) gave me N2, 000. The second one was at Demurin Road, Ketu. He gave me a polythene bag and N4,000. The third one, he met me and dashed me N5, 000 and I gave him the guns. The fourth, which was the last one, he called me on the phone and asked where I was. I told him that I was at the barbing salon attending to customers. He insisted that I should come. I told him that I would not come and he gave the poly bag to one of my friends to give to me. His name is Chukwuman, the gang member that is still at large.

    “The next day, I saw Sunday with the police in my shop and I was told that I was under arrest for armed robbery. I regret being arrested because I did not save any money since I joined the gang. When I was doing my barbing work alone, I used to make N2, 000 to N3, 000 every day after I had delivered N 5, 000 to my master. For the number of months I worked in the salon I saved a reasonable sum. But since I joined the armed robbery gang, I have not saved a dime and I have nothing to show for the high risk in the armed robbery job I plunged myself into.”

    The third suspect, Oyifara Toyin, a native of Ilaorogun, Osun State, confessed his role thus: “I am a commercial motorcycle rider. I used to carry the members to robbery scenes. I participated in two operations only. The first one was at Ikotun where we robbed recharge card dealers. We got N70, 000 worth of recharge cards. I was given N10, 000 worth of recharge cards as my own share.

    “I also followed them to rob a filling station in Ikotun. Unfortunately, the vigilante people pursued us, and as we were running with our motorcycle, we had an accident and abandoned our motorcycle to enable us escape. Sunday also said we lost all the money while trying to escape from the angry mob at the accident point.

    “He asked me where I was and I told him that I was at home. He said he would come and see me in the morning, being a Friday. I told him that I was no more interested in armed robbery and that I would like to be left alone. He said I should not worry, that he himself had also decided to quit but had one thing to discuss with me. To my greatest surprise, he came with SARS operatives and they told me that I was under arrest for conspiracy and armed robbery.

    “I had stopped doing robbery with them since December 23, 2012. I left them because of the motorcycle I lost in the operation I got accident in while trying to escape. I was with Richard. When I left, they replaced me with Adebayo Femi.”

    The fourth suspect, Kojo Richard, said: “I am from Ilaorogun village in Osun State. I am a commercial motorcycle rider. My role is to carry gang member to operation points and back. They used to tell me that my spirit was not good and that it brought bad luck to the gang. So, they ended up not giving me a kobo.

    “Luckily, in the first operation, they gave me N10, 000. From the second operation, I got N3, 000. But from the last one, I did not get a dime.”

    Asked why he left his motorcycle business to join the gang, he said: “I brought my motorcycle with hire purchase. When I was about to complete payment, motorcycle snatchers drugged me and collected the motorcycle. I started looking for who would give me another motorcycle to ride and make weekly returns.

    “That was my situation when Sunday met me and told me that he had a good job for me. I asked how and he told me to join their gang. Being frustrated, I accepted to join them.”

    The fifth suspect, Femi, says he is a native of Ilaro, Ogun State, and a commercial motorcycle rider. “I got N1, 500 and at times N2, 000 daily. But the owner of the motorcycle set me up and my motorcycle was stolen. Isiaka gave me a motorcycle to use and make a monthly delivery of N1,000.

    “After one month, he asked me to take him to Ikotun Petrol Station to rob the fuel attendants. We collected money that day and my share was N15, 000. In the second operation at Ikotun Petrol Station, I was given N3, 700. From the third operation at Alapere where people sell rice, we did not get anything.

    “The last one we went to was at Oriola, Ketu, Alapere.”

    One of the victims, Francis Okorie (33), a supermarket operator shot by the robbers on the left arm at his Alapere shop, said: “The robbers were heartless. They thought that the shots had killed me because I fell on the ground and became unconscious.”

    Other victims who pleaded anonymity said the police should not allow them to come back alive because they had killed many people, including policemen.

    Their words: “See how they shot that man selling provision. They meant to kill him but he survived by the grace of God. Leaving them to come back will endanger our lives. Kill all of them.

    “Some of them are ex-convicts. They can never repent. Rather, they grow from worse to worst. They constitute worse nuisance when they are allowed to come back. They don’t have value for human lives. Kill them or leave them in prison for life.

    “People who solicit for their human rights are benefitting from their crime. They are worse criminals.”

    Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr. Mike Okiro, has said he would direct the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed D. Abubakar, to look out for police officers and men who have done police proud by performing gallantry and arrange them for special promotion to encourage hard work and courage.

    He made this remark on the occasion of the unveiling of Jonathan Housing Estate at Idimu, Lagos by the President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan recently.

  • Lagos community where drug, prostitution are ways of life

    Lagos community where drug, prostitution are ways of life

    A PRIMORDIAL heart beats loud in a part of Ikeja, the capital of Lagos State. Although it is concealed by the hustling and bustling of business men and women, beautiful structures and sophistication of modernity, Ipodo, a community in the heart of Ikeja has not lost touch with nature. At its centre is a large shrine dedicated to the worship of Esu (the Yoruba word for Satan).

    Constructed with blocks, the shrine, symbolic and instructive of the kind of lifestyle that prevails at Ipodo, is decorated with pieces of white cloth that have long turned brown with the vicissitudes of weather. Pots containing various sacrificial items also adorn the shrine. Ipodo’s paradox consists in the fact that it is also home to at least a church and no fewer than two mosques also meant to serve the religious needs of the Christian and Muslim population in the area.

    Located a short distance away from the popular Toyin Street in Ikeja, Ipodo is bounded by Awolowo Road, Oba Akran Avenue and Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way. Thus, it is strategically located in the business district of Ikeja. And because it hosts a thriving market that boasts different types of merchants and merchandise, it is never in short supply of crowds day and night. Its proximity to the aforementioned popular streets also means that it serves as an access road to the unending crowd on their ways to other notable streets and religious institutions in the area.

    As darkness hovers in the horizon, Ipodo manifests its true identity as home to prostitutes, drug peddlers and addicts as well as petty thieves. Like broken china in the sun, it is a combination of modern and ancient structures. With countless corner streets leading in and out into alleys, it provides a fool-proof haven for different shades of peoplelegitimate traders, call girls and drug peddlers, among others.

    To the untrained eye, the only visible brothel in Ipodo would be the Atlantic. But in the real sense, virtually every home in the area is a brothel. A resident, who pleaded anonymity, told The Nation that life in Ipodo is reminiscent of the biblical Sodom. “Ipodo is home to rascals. I’m not sure you would find many responsible men or women here at

    night,” the resident added.

    The middle-aged man swore that he only comes to the place in the day time to trade. “I come here because my shop is here. And, of course, business is good here because of the number of people that pass through every day. If you look round, you would see the type of crowd we have here. But I would not advise you to bring up your child here because that could ruin the child’s

    future.”

    At Ipodo, commercial sex workers bother less about who is watching. Their wares are not meant to be displayed at night alone. As serious-minded people go about their business, provocatively-dressed ladies sit or stand in front of brothels, awaiting clients. But those who live in untagged brothels are more decent in their approach. Except for old customers who know which house to enter, their mode of operation takes the form of a cartel. They operate through pimps who arrange their meetings with prospective customers.

    On a slightly sunny afternoon during the week, a group of young boys sweated it out with rounds of snooker behind a building under construction as traders and passers-by went about their businesses. To an innocent visitor, nothing serious could be happening inside the building or behind it. But a walk into the building turned out a shocking revelation. Behind it is an old bungalow that houses commercial sex workers.

    Although it was a rather hot afternoon with the sun already overhead, the women, all scantily dressed, sat with their eyes dashing left and right at the sight of men.

    Ipodo would also pride itself as a liberal community where anything and everything is possible. There, different kinds of business go on side by side without qualms. While auto spare parts dealers, food vendors and other traders make their living from shops scattered around the neighbourhood, hard drug dealers and other illicit traders are more covert in their operations. A prospective buyer has to know where to go and who to approach for the substance. But they become more daring at night when one out of every 10 people you come across is a potential seller of crack.

    The night before, our correspondent had visited Ipodo and discovered more daring activities in the area. Besides the brothels, which take care of the needs of the commercial sex workers, the plank structures, which serve as platforms for displaying wares during the day, suddenly take up another role. They serve as cheap platforms for commercial sex workers who would not blink an eyelid over who is watching.

    The damage wrought by cocaine, heroin and cannabis in the area is obvious. It is common to see young men and women walk the streets aimlessly. A close observation reveals that they are under the heavy influence of hard drugs.

    Not far away, another group of young men sat at the roadside, singing and dancing. As our correspondent tried to steal a look, a guttural voice shouted: “Ki lo n wo (what are you looking at)? He voted with his legs without even trying to comprehend what the young man was saying. But before he made a final exit, another blocked his way and asked, “Se ote ni e ni (are you new here)?”

    After a short discussion, the fierce-looking man believed he had found a new customer. The young man, who later introduced himself as Mufu, apologised and ushered our correspondent into a corner. Two of his colleagues later joined, asking: “Wetin you want? Na igbo you dey smoke? Try gbana, and you go know say e better pass (if you have been smoking Indian hemp, try cocaine and you will know that it is better)”.

    Revealing some secrets of the trade, Mufu said that one needs a good link to gain access into the underworld market at Ipodo. “You no fit come here just like that. You need somebody wey go link you,” he said.

    Nnamdi, another trader in the area, whose shop is located on Oriyomi Street, one of the many streets linking Ipodo, narrated an encounter he had with the Ipodo drug cartel sometime ago. Having operated a shop in the area for more than seven years, he is very familiar with many of the ‘bad boys’ in the area.

    He said: “Theirs is a well-coordinated cartel. They operate with a network of okada (commercial motorcycle) riders who act as go-between with the buyers and dealers. All you need is a good link.

    “You may go up and down Ipodo for a whole day without seeing anything. But if you have somebody inside, you could get anything to buy.”

    Yet, life at Ipodo is not all about drug and sex. Yussuf (surname withheld), an auto dealer, vowed that Ipodo is more dangerous than people think. According to him, Ipodo simply ranks as the most dangerous neighbourhood in the Ikeja area of Lagos. “It is a place where you can get anything done. Drug, sex and other bad things are available in abundance. It is the home of hired assassins. Those young men you see standing in groups of twos and

    threes have no other job than robbery and killing.”

    When our correspondent visited the palace of the Olu of Ikeja, located a few metres away from the Ipodo intersection, the monarch was not available for comments, as he was said to be away at a function. The palace secretary, who identified herself simply as Vera, was contacted on her mobile phone, but she declined comment. She also said the palace could not comment on the issue because palace officials were busy celebrating Sallah.

    “You may have to wait till next week. You know the royal secretary is a Muslim, and he would be too busy to answer you now,” Vera said.

    “I’m sorry I have to attend to some things now. You can call me back next week,” she added.

  • An excursion into two worlds of the dead

    An excursion into two worlds of the dead

    Like the living, the dead also have two worlds

    Perhaps unknown to many, the opulence that separates the rich from the misery of the poor continues even into the grave. That much can be deduced from the visits our correspondent paid to two cemeteries in Lagos during the week. The Atan public cemetery, located on Lagos Mainland is reputed as a site set aside for the poor and the not-so-rich while the Vaults and Gardens, a private cemetery located in high brow Ikoyi, is reserved for the rich and the affluent.

    While with a paltry N35,000 a poor family can secure a space for their dead relation, a family who desires a space for its dead loved one at Vault and Garden may need as much as N70 million to actualise the dream. And this, according to findings by our correspondent excludes the value added tax and the cost of other ornaments.

    Curiously, it is a disparity that did not exist until the recent past. Checks revealed that prior to the coming of the colonial masters and missionaries, Africans, Nigerians in particular, maintained the tradition of burying their deceased loved ones within their immediate environments. Some their compounds as site for the burial while others who sought to demonstrate greater care for their dead ones, chose a room in the family house. It is a tradition that subsists in many communities till today, in spite of western influence.

    With the advent of civilization and western influence, however, the tradition of burying the dead in the family compound paved way for the use of public cemeteries. The emergence of public cemetery, it was gathered, started when missionaries acquired lands as burial grounds to bury their colleagues instead of flying their remains back to their countries of birth. This was later followed by the acquisition of land for the burial of deceased church members. The development gave rise to the creation of government owned cemeteries and subsequently private ones.

    In terms of beauty, serenity and arrangement, public cemeteries like the one at Atan are not anywhere near private ones like Vault and Garden. It is like comparing life between the residents of the high brow Victoria Garden City (VGC) and Makoko, a slum situated in Yaba area of Lagos State.

    At the Atan cemetery, the graves are overgrown with weeds and have become steady grazing grounds for sheep and goats that roam the premises. When our correspondent visited on Wednesday, the cemetery’s attendants were smoking cigarette and puffing out the smoke as if their lives depended on it. One of them told our correspondent that they believed the smoke from the cigarettes were capable chasing away the spirits of the dead.

    He said: “Taking care of a cemetery is not an easy job. Did your head not swell when you entered here? Did you feel the same way you felt before you got here? You can never feel the same way because this is another world entirely. It is a world of the spirits, and for us to stay here, we have to keep smoking to repel their spirits because they don’t like the smell of smoke.”

    Asked how much it costs to bury a dead person in the cemetery, the head of the cemetery, who gave his name as Sam, said the cost depends on whether one wants a temporary grave or a permanent one. “The temporary grave,” he said, “is without record. When you bury somebody in a temporary grave, there would be record of such burial. After some time, we can bury somebody else on such corpse. But it takes about two years before we can do that. It costs N35,000. The permanent grave costs N170, 000 for a single vault while a family vault for three persons costs N220, 000. However, if you want full marble, the cost will be N350, 000. We also provide caskets if you want one. The cost is between N35, 000 and N120, 000. We also have hearse and limousine to convey the corpse. The hearse costs N20, 000 while the limousine costs N50, 000.”

    He also allayed fears about the safety of interred corpses at the cemetery, saying: “It is not true that the remains of people buried here are not secured. We have a very tight security that would never permit any unholy practice here. When you look at the dates on some of the graves, you will see that they have been here for a long time without anybody tampering with them.

    “It is also not true that there is no more space in the cemetery. We still have a large expanse of land that has not been used. Our requirement for burying a corpse here is the death certificate. You must come with it when bringing the corpse for burial.”

    A visit to Ikoyi Cemetery showed that is better kept and organised than Atan Cemetery. The clean lawns were a contrast to the overgrown weeds at Atan cemetery. The attendant, who refused to give his name, said a three-chamber vault with space and construction costs N450, 000 while two-chamber and one-chamber vaults cost N350,000 and N300,000 respectively.

    A walk into Vault and Garden, just beside Ikoyi cemetery, revealed the glaring difference between public and private cemeteries. It is serene and colourful like a private estate. There was nothing outside the premises that gave it out as a cemetery. Even some people who had gone to the Ikoyi cemetery to bury their loved ones could not resist waiting at the entrance of Vault and Garden for a few minutes to behold its beauty. And if it is fascinating from the outside, the inside is simply captivating. Unlike the compound of public cemeteries that are not cemented, the floor of Vault and Garden is neatly paved with fancy blocks. The administrative office is tastefully furnished and fitted with air conditioners. The floor is generously covered with shinning tiles. Unlike the scary appearance that a visitor is confronted with at Atan, the graves in Vault and Gardens are simply inviting.

    The cost and requirement for making a deceased relation to enjoy these facilities are however enormous. The details as contained in the payment voucher given to our correspondent by the receptionist shows that apart from the death certificate, which is also required by private cemeteries, Vault and Garden also requires a death certificate obtained from the National Population Commission, certificate of burial permit from Eti Osa Local Government and an application form for burial issued by the establishment, among others.

    The costs of the vaults range between N1million and N70 million, excluding value added tax (VAT) and other services such as tombstone classification, which ranges between N550, 000 and N1,050, 000. The VAT for vault classification is between N50, 000 and N3, 5000, 000 while that of tombstone classification is between N27, 000 and N52, 500. This is the much a family of any deceased person has to part with to make their loved one rest in peace in the beautiful graves.

    In an informal chat with our correspondent, one of the attendants said humorously: “This is like a private living room. It is not like the public cemeteries where the fear of being attacked by the spirits of the dead can come to your mind. You can eat or even lie down there without any iota of fear. When you hear the phrase ‘rest in peace,’ this is what they mean. They are enjoying the same comfort as they did while alive.

    “The cost of some of the caskets used at Vault and Garden is enough to empower hundreds of people because it runs into millions. They use mother of the earth cars to bring them as if they are going for marriage. In fact, it is here I get to see some of such cars.”

    Commenting on the cost of burying corpses in private cemeteries, Chief Ladi Williams, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) said there is nothing wrong with choosing a private or public cemetery to bury one’s loved one.

    He said: “Where you bury your loved one is a matter of choice. It is not a waste of money if you choose to bury your loved one in a private cemetery, if you have the money. Running a private cemetery is not a bad idea, because we are in a capitalist society. It is a business which you can choose to patronise or not.

    “There is also nothing bad in going to a public cemetery. It is like somebody taking BRT bus from Lagos Island to Dopemu and another person riding a Mercedez Benz from same Lagos Island to Dopemu. Both of them will get there. In fact, the person riding in the public bus may get there before the one riding in a private car.”

    Prince Dipo Okeyomi, a security expert and Executive Director of Marial Security, Texas, United States, identified security as a key reason why people choose to bury their loved ones in private cemeteries. He said the unwholesome practice of hoodlums pilfering corpses at graveyards for ritual purposes would never encourage anybody that has the means to bury the remains of a beloved one in a public cemetery.

    He said: “It is not a wrong thing for anybody that has the financial muscle to bury his beloved one in a private cemetery. Experience has shown that public cemeteries are not secure for one to bury his beloved one.

    “We have had several stories of hoodlums going into public cemeteries, opening the grave and casket of a buried person and stealing all the valuables buried with such persons, including clothing.

    “We have also had stories of how the eyes, the hands, private parts and other vital parts of corpses were removed for ritual purposes in public cemeteries. It is terrible. As Africans, we cherish and have great respect for our beloved late ones, and the fact that they are no more does not mean we should not care about the security of their remains. How would you feel if hoodlums vandalise the remains of your beloved ones in a public cemetery when you have the resources to put them in a more secured private cemetery?

    “In my own opinion, I would even suggest that the government should privatise the existing public cemeteries for better security and management. They can even build more and give them to private businessmen to manage, because it is not easy for an individual to establish private cemeteries.

    “If you go to the bank for a loan to establish such, it would be very difficult for you to get it. And where you get one, the interest rate will scare you. The cost of using private cemeteries is so much because the cost of maintaining them is very high. They spend so much on maintenance, staff salaries and other overhead costs.

    “Another reason for the high cost is because they are very few. If there are financial opportunities for many people to establish private cemeteries across the country, you will find that the cost of using it will drop drastically.”

    Reverend Father Paulinus Uju, OP, a parish priest of Dominican Catholic Church, Yaba, Lagos, traced the origin of public cemetery to globalization and cultural interaction.

    He said: “The point at which we began to go to public cemeteries is as good as asking for the point we started going to fast food joints to eat burger instead of eating meals prepared at home. We live in a world of globalization and cultural interaction.

    “Westerners go to designated places they call cemeteries or grave yards to bury their people. I come from a culture where you don’t have these designated places for burying people. What we have is the culture of burying their people by the side of their homes and sometimes in the middle of their living room because our tradition believes in the living dead.

    “This is in line with the belief that our ancestors who have gone are really not dead but are living with the people, and we want to associate with them even though they are physically gone.

    “This practice is a product of globalization and cultural interaction like I said earlier. It is globalization in the sense that when the missionaries came around in those days and because they also were products of their own civilization, they came with the culture of burying people in designated areas.

    “The same civilization brought about the ownership of public cemeteries by the government. This is what you call product of social dynamics. We interact a lot in our world today and things change.”

    He averred that the choice of going to private cemetery to bury the dead is all about boosting one’s ego.

    “Going to private cemeteries is all about money. In our world today, the more money you have, the more you display it. I am talking of social dynamics. People want to show that they belong somewhere. For those who go to such cemeteries, it is all about some kind of ego, so to speak. It is all about instead of going to pile up the body of their late ones on top of other bodies, I would prefer a private cemetery where there is a sort of elitism. It is all about ego boosting, otherwise when somebody is dead, he is dead.

    “So far we have buried most of our dead here in Atan cemetery and I have never heard of any serious security problem there. Probably the problem there at the moment at Atan cemetery is that the whole place is filled up.

    “Like I said, you may not want to go there to pile up the body of a loved one on top of several other corpses or graves. If you talk of security, fine. But it is not much about security; it is about ego, boosting your social standing. If you belong to an elitist society, you would not want to put the body of a loved one in such a place that you may consider to be degrading.

    “The money spent on such burial is wasteful. It is vanity. Vanity upon vanity the scripture says is vanity. The dead is dead. Wherever you bury somebody does not matter. That is one thing that the Christians can borrow from the Muslims. The simplicity of what they call burial is what we Christians can borrow.

    “That is why some dioceses in Nigeria have made it mandatory that once you have somebody to bury, you must never exceed seven days in order to curtail expenses, because people know now there are instances where those left behind become very poor after such elitist and expensive burial. It is all about ego and it is all vanity.

    “When Muritala Mohammed died, he was buried in something that looked like a basket. That was a whole head of state. But here we are; those who believe in resurrection spending so much money, so much ostentation burying the dead. In the end, those left behind become impoverished because somebody died. It is all vanity. Whether you bury somebody in the sky or in the depth of the sea, they are the same corpse. Why would you impoverish the living because somebody is dead?