The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Abraka Turf Club: at peace with nature

    Abraka Turf Club: at peace with nature

    The first thing that hits one on entering Abraka Turf and Country Club is the overwhelming hue of green. A vast stretch of expansive well-manicured land bursts into one’s vision heading for the reception area of the resort. Green, the colour of nature, has the effect of giving the feeling of calmness and tranquility. That is what Abraka Turf and Country Club offers.

    It is a boutique resort that its choice of location is spot on in terms of what it offers for those who are stepping out of the hustle and bustle of existentialism to relax, reflect and re-fire.

    The feeling of being close to nature is further accentuated as one drives towards the reception area. On both sides of the road sturdy healthy horses lazily nip at the green grass, occasionally using that tails to drive away inconspicuous flies. They raise their heads as if to see the intruder that is disturbing the quietude the paradise-like environment. They don’t seem to mind the drizzle from the sky that has made a patch on their backs.

    The entrance of Abraka Turf and Country Club nestles at the Delta State University town of Abraka. For the uninformed , nothing much about the town suggests that it would have such place like the expansive Abraka’s garden. To get to Abraka, one could take a commercial vehicle to the place. From the town, most of the residents can easily direct one to the turf. The entrance to the turf is not too spacious and does not give one, a first-time visitor, a real clue to what awaits one inside the turf. However, on crossing the gate and entering the compound, one is struck by the large expansive green of well-manicured lawn that stretches as far as one’s eyes could take in. Dotted on the lawn are buildings for accommodation and other activities.

    On the right as one drives in are the rows of single luxury duplexes, stylishly designed to bring out their beauty. These are further accentuated by the flowers and other ornamental plants planted around the buildings. On the right, however, is the lush stretch of green, well- manicured lawn. On the lawn are horses that lazily graze on the grass. Looking a little further is a dense mangrove forest that reminds one that one was in the Niger Delta. Behind this jungle lies the famous Ethiope River. The environment that the place creates is sure breathtaking, especially for those in love with nature. Driving a little further on the right, one would come to the reception area which is eye- popping. Outside the reception, there is the crystal clear swimming pool, table tennis and snooker rooms and a restaurant.

    Although the club is open to the public, facilities at the club could also be enjoyed by being a member of the Abraka Turf Club. The club members and their family members enjoy memorable and serene holidays in the luxury villas and chalets. The turf boasts of exquisite cuisine served at its delightful restaurant and bar. A few outdoor activities at the turf include polo, horse riding, archery, fishing and clay pigeon shooting, rowing and a whole lot more.

    Abraka’s unique combination of location, country club atmosphere, luxury accommodation and friendly staff can really make one feel at home and want to stay there as long as possible. Even without bothering about the outdoor and indoor fun facilities, one could decide to go on an adventure by venturing into the jungle towards the Ethiope River. But the advice is that this should not be undertaken during the rainy season. The road to the river is carved out with thick wooden planks, but these could be tricky after downpours as the surface of the wood becomes slippery. But for those who could brace it to the river bank, they would be rewarded with beautiful sight of a clear river that is worth all the trouble of trying to reach the river bank.

    Abraka Turf Club is open to both individual and corporate members. As a corporate member, all club facilities are at one’s disposal. Other facilities at the turf club include a-state-of-the-art conference centre that can comfortably seat 75 people. There are facilities for personal computers, laptops and take-away memory sticks. The turf has equestrian facilities for polo and horse riding and has the best stables in the country with various breeds of horses, ranging from local to argentines.

    Other activities to be enjoyed at the club include archery, clay pigeon shooting, lawn tennis, squash, canoeing, snorkeling and also a driving range for golfers. The turf provides equestrian facilities for polo and horse riding. Classes are available for beginners and leisure riding for the experienced.

    A private country club that has been created to function at the highest levels of luxury and guest satisfaction. Located in the exotic region of Nigeria’s Delta, Abraka Turf and Country Club has taken on a leading role in the nation’s leisure and catering industry and prides itself on its ability to deliver exquisite services.

    The resort includes perfect villas, chalets, and caters to high-end clientelle that includes families, vacation seekers, campers, as well as corporate groups. Abraka Turf and Country Club comes fully equipped with state of the art facilities and the outdoor activities include golf, tennis, canoeing, kayaking, polo, horseback riding, fishing and deep river diving.

  • ‘What you should find in a trendy woman’s wardrobe’

    ‘What you should find in a trendy woman’s wardrobe’

    If you are a regular traveller on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, you would have noticed a distinctive red building at Mowe, Ogun State with Sam and Sarah Garments boldly written on it. Those who are conversant with the ongoing revolution going on in Osun would surely talk about the free uniforms for students in the state. GBENGA ADERANTI met with the woman who is partnering Osun State government in providing the uniforms. She is Mrs. Folake Oyemade, the CEO of Sam and Sarah, owners of Omoluabi Factory. In this interview, the woman explains the uniform revolution, her choice of red colour, fashion sense and so on. Excerpts:

     

    You have red cars; your buildings are painted red. Why red?

    Red is a very strong colour. I’m sure you will agree that it is one of the primary colours. We are a very strong company, and that is why we have chosen such a significant colour.

    So why the names Sam and Sarah?

    Why don’t you take that as my own little secret? I just love these two names, and the names are precious to me. That is what I want to say.

    Your firm is gradually taking over South West. Apart from your presence in Mowe, Sam and Sarah is visible in Osun. What does this say?

    I will say God has been good. Our business is growing, and this is brought about by help from God, hard work and the quality of our services and products.

    What is your relationship with the Osun State government?

    Our relationship can be described as partners in progress. What I’m actually doing is that I have a passion for the image of Nigeria. I have a passion for people. I have a passion for success, and these are the major things that have spurred me into starting the Sam and Sara. If it were just about money, I would make more money trading than being in the manufacturing sector in Nigeria. It is a very hard sector. In fact, it takes the grace of God to break even if you’re in the manufacturing sector in Nigeria.

    Problems ranging from power failure to currency fluctuation to manpower, name it, everything is there. The manufacturing sector in Nigeria is a sector that involves all areas of business. It involves actually manufacturing the product from the beginning; it involves marketing; it involves accounting; it involves just about every area that you need to touch in business. Take for instance, most uniform companies abroad do not involve in manufacturing. They simply trade. They get a manufacturer they give the quality or standard or whatever. They dub it for them. They basically will just market and sell. But, in our own case, we’re involved in everything. We’re the producer ; we are the manufacturer; we are the sales people; we are the everything. So it is very difficult to be in that sector in Nigeria.

    Now coming back to your question as being a partner with the government of the state, as a CEO of this company, I watch with keen interest what every governor seems to stand for and what each governor seems to represent. I’ve been able to know that Governor Aregbesola loves his people. I’m a people person. I believe so much in the welfare of people. The Bible says we will always have the poor among us. It is the duty of those who are more comfortable to take care of the less-privileged, just like it is the duty of government to take care of all citizens, both the rich and the poor.

    And the governor of Osun caught my attention as somebody who cares so much for the welfare of his citizens, and that is why as a company, we identified him as somebody who has a common interest with us. That is why we have been able to work together as partners in progress. And one of the greatest reasons for the floating Sam and Sara Garment Manufacturing Company is to employ a lot of people, to put food on the tables of a lot of Nigerians. That vision is still much around with us and we keep doing that. We keep increasing our manpower from time to time. There are other businesses that have the potential to expand, but if their owners don’t have the kind of passion that I have, they might have diverted the money into other things. We usually make sure that everything we are doing, we’re people-oriented. We want to employ to keep a lot of young people out of mischief, out of robbery, out of 419, out of so many evils we have in our society.

    It is also out of this passion that we have even gone into exports. We’re rebranding Nigeria . In most of these Western countries, when you mention Nigeria, the next thing they think about is fraud. We want fraudulent people to have a change of heart. We have the largest population in the whole of Africa, and this population can be used for the betterment of mankind and to even make our lives better here.

    Why did you adopt the name, Omoluabi, for a subsidiary of Sam and Sara?

    Because it is a joint venture between our company and the government of Osun State . You know Osun people are called Omoluabi. In line with that, we decided to name the factory Omoluabi Garment Factory. I should let you know that the purpose of the free uniforms in Osun is to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. The government doesn’t want a situation whereby a student will appear in tatters in school because his parents are poor, while some other children will appear sharp and clean when going to school.

    Some people would want to argue that providing free uniforms for pupils in the state is unnecessary, considering the lean allocations it gets from the Federal Government?

    That is something I think the governor and his cabinet should be commended for. You see when people go to school not well dressed , it affects their output. It affects their concentration.

    Research has shown that when a child is happy with himself, when he is confident, his concentration is higher as he will love going to school because that will give him another opportunity to wear that garment he loves so much.

    I believe the governor has also done that to even improve them. He wants them to make them feel that they are somebody.

    But beyond that, it might interest you that a lot of people are poor to the extent that they can’t even afford school uniforms. Because when we visited those schools, I was close to tears. Some of the children were wearing their elder brothers’ shirts because the shirts were not looking good. May be the uniform is supposed to be a red and white checker shirt, and he now wears a red checker shirt, a hundred per cent polyester brown sokoto with another one under it.

    You can actually see patches on another torn one and you can see the patches on it. That is the level of situation some people faced with in that state. Can you imagine such a situation. So I believe that in line with trying to make them comfortable, he decided to do that for them.

    In what way is the project going to generate employment and what is the number of people being engaged in your organisation?

    We are positioned to employ up to 3,000 people in Osun and the beauty of it is that the way we have designed our factories is that you don’t have to be a tailor to work with us. Any person, as long as he can read and write, can be picked up from the street and taught to stich things together because we do what we can call mass production. So in our factory, one person does not start a job and finish it. To make a short, for instance, we could have 10 people doing different things, so it is so easy to pick somebody up and say you’re making only collars or any other particular part of a dress.

    It doesn’t take anything from us to train anybody to work there. The beauty of it is that we’re not placing anybody on any salary, as the work you do determine what you earn. If you’re actually hardworking, you can actually earn much money from working for us in the factory. It is not even only to generate employment, it is also to train and empower them. Before the opening of that factory, we’ve brought some of them from Osun to our Mowe factory. We have trained a number of them already. As we speak, we have quite a number of people on ground in Osun and we will train more.

    For how long will this project run?

    For as long as the state wants it to run.

    What will happen to the project after the present dispensation?

    It is only a government that does not want good for its citizens that will say the project should stop. We provide good uniforms at very affordable prices for the government.

    Where do you source you materials?

    We get everything locally. These initial ones (uniforms) have been given out by the government free, but subsequent ones will be given to them at cheap prices.

    Why are you into the garment business?

    I have a passion for it. I’m a people-oriented person. I have a passion for helping people. It is just to put food on the table of a lot of Nigerians.

    Why garment in particular?

    It is likely because I’m a very fashionable person. I like clothing a lot, though I did not study fashion designing. I have always been in the clothing business. When I started business in my early 20s, I was selling clothes. I love it when people turn out nicely. What the government of Osun has done is something that should be emulated at the federal level. There are some colours that should not be worn as uniforms. You see a lot of students wearing shocking colours that should never be used as uniforms because the people that have made decisions are not professionals. They will just come up with ridiculous colours. In this 21st century, countries that are extremely poor, such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, make sure that their students turn out nicely, while going to school.

    Which colours are not good ?

    There are some colours that look too shocking. They are not good for students. Some schools wear lemon green. Lemon green is like a traffic light colour. It is not good. White is also not okay. The colour of uniform should be subtle. It should be calm and peaceful. It should not be shouting. Some use colours that don’t match. They combine colours together and they come out ridiculous. A school skirt should never have slit. It is not done anywhere in the civilized world. You know what I mean by slit. They cut their skirts at the back.

    What some of these girls do is to overcut them, and this thing, among others, can lead to prostitution and all kinds of things among secondary school students. But when a professional is being invited to design, he will be able to advise on the right colour and right styles for the students. You will be surprised that some of the boys in the same class with the girls lose concentration because they will be looking at the skirts. What Osun has done is something every state government in Nigeria should do, even the Federal Government.

    Will you advise other state governments to provide uniforms for students of public schools?

    I will once again mention Bangladesh because it is part of the poorest countries in the world. Nobody goes to the tailor with fabric and says sow a shirt like this. The world has moved beyond that. It is high time the federal government waded into this situation. They should invite professionals who will choose the right colours, the right styles and make sure that these things are easily accessible to students. What they will all need to be doing is that all these uniforms should be available in local markets and people will just go and buy. The policy has reached the level that right now in Osun State , you can’t easily tell the child of a poor man from the child of a rich man because as we speak now the uniforms that the public schools are wearing are better than those of private schools in Osun State. To a lot of these students, the uniforms are the best they have ever owned in their lives.

    The governor has given them a sense of belonging. In fact, when we were going round taking measurements, I was really touched with what I saw. It was like the whole state has heard that the government has brought people that are going from school to school, taking measurements. So the moment our vehicles arrived, you would see commotion. The students would not wait for the principals to order them to come out for measurements. Everybody would rush to queue.

    Talking about uniforms in Nigeria, there are different organisations using uniforms. We have the police and the military in this regard. What would you consider a fitting uniform for professionals like policemen?

    Well, what I think is wrong with the police uniforms is the fact that they don’t have proper outfitters. A situation where fabrics are being given to force men to go and give tailors to sew is very unbecoming. I don’t think it is only the police. Some other forces are doing the same and it should never be the case. It is even a security risk because anybody that can lay hands on a fabric that looks like that can just go and stitch anything. That is why we sometimes have cases of impersonation here and there. Abroad, all those forces have their outfitters who are the people making and supplying uniforms to the government. If these people want to buy extra, they go to these outfitters at special stores. We should really wake up in this nation and get out this nonsense. I wouldn’t say they are creating jobs for these tailors because these tailors will be catered for, if they are working in a factory such as ours. I think it is high time we began to turn our population into advantage in this nation.

    You said you went into the fashion business early. How would you describe a trendy woman?

    A trendy woman is the woman that knows what looks good in her wardrobe and wears it. The woman that can identify what looks good in her wardrobe and decides to stick to that because it is not everything that everybody can wear. If you have a particular shape, there are garments that you should wear. There are garments you don’t go near them because they won’t look good on you. That is a trendy woman.

    Would you describe yourself as a trendy woman?

    I believe I please myself and I try to observe all the rules and regulations of dress sense.

    Where do you get what you wear?

    Everywhere I see what I like I buy.

    You have been in this industry for…

    Decades I will say.

    Are you not worried about the state of the textile industry in the country?

    I’m worried. I must tell you because it doesn’t seem to be moving forward as much as it is supposed to. It is moving forward a little bit at least with the help of the Federal Government through the Bank of Industry. There are other things that need to be done besides funding. In Ghana, for instance, they have a school where they train tailors, pattern masters and others that work in the factory. The training makes it easy for their factories to thrive. It is not very easy for us to get people to get work in our factories. I get annoyed when people say there are no jobs. There are jobs, but our people are no ready to do the kinds of jobs that are available. This is not supposed to be the case because a serious-minded person should only refuse to do something illegal or something morally wrong. But you should do anything that is legal, that is morally right. If you need a job, you should be ready to take up a one.

    I think generally speaking, the country needs reorientation. We need to reorientate our minds. The Federal Government should look for a way to reorientate the average Nigerian. It is not just about money. There is what we call job satisfaction. There is what we call being fulfilled as a person. I’m fulfilled because I’m doing what I want to do, but it looks to me that quite a number of us regard fulfilment as naira and kobo because if you ask me what I’m doing in the manufacturing sector, I will say it is about fulfilment. I love to turn things around when they are not nice. I love to say I’m the one that made it beautiful. This thing is being turned around because I’ve applied myself to make it beautiful, but unfortunately it seems to me in this environment people with this kind of mindset are not many.

    What is your plan in the next 10 years?

    Without saying much, to the glory of God, we’ve almost fulfilled quite a number of our missions, number one being the foremost garment-making company in the country. We have two factories, and we are grateful to God. Second, we are determined to change the face of garment making in Nigeria. We are gradually getting there now with the partnership with Osun. We have been able to change the face of uniforms in Osun State. If you go there now, they are looking so beautiful, so smart. It is a gradual thing. We are still doing the distribution; it is not all schools that have got theirs, but every school will soon get. We are still giving them. That is part of our missions. Another mission is to employ as many Nigerians as possible. We are trying in that area. As we speak now, our staff strength is over 500. When Omoluabi garment factory is fully operational, it is going to be moré than that because we will be in a position to employ about 3000.

  • Fraudsters invade Hearts

    I stopped the matchmaking segment of Hearts about two years ago because some shameless and unscrupulous people were using it to dupe people. I cried when certain cases were reported and I couldn’t imagine harm coming the way of anybody through an avenue I desired to use to make people happy.

    I gave in to pressure from genuine people and I started matchmaking again only to be woken up to the reality that ladies especially are forming syndicates to dupe people. I have received so many mails from men about a particular girl who calls herself Dami. I found out that to get her arrested may take long, but we can at least warn our men NOT to contact any of the Females For Love telephone numbers or emails we have published in recent times.

    To have a feeling of the kind of fraud I’m talking about, please read the mail below:

  • Naija 7 Wonders proposes museum for disused planes

    The Project Director of the Seven Wonders of Nigeria(Naija 7 Wonders) and travel expert, Mr. Ikechi Uko, is proposing to build an aviation musuem for Nigeria using the abandoned aircraft as exhibits.

    In a proposal he developed for the aviation managers, he suggests that Naija 7 Wonders be allowed to develop an aviation musuem in Nigeria that will warehouse some of the disused aircraft.

    “Nigeria needs an aviation musuem with a hall of fame that will inform, preserve and promote aviation history of Nigeria, the players and the incidents that have shaped the industry over the years. This musuem will fit properly with the transformation agenda of the government of leaving lasting legacies on the ground. It is part of the ideals set out by the Seven Wonders of Nigeria project which is to present Nigeria in a new light to grow national pride and generate tourism income.

    “An aviation museum, the first of its kind in this region, will attract tourism traffic and will educate and empower a new generation of aviators. Instead of destroying the aircraft, they can be put to beneficial use in educating the youths and drawing tourism income. Some of the aircraft are out of production and can be treated as vintage crafts if well packaged.

    “Naija7wonders is proposing to work with the authorities to make this project a success in the shortest possible time using time-tested methods.

    “As a travel promoter, I do know that with the co-operation of stakeholders, the musuem will be up and running within a calendar year,”the proposal said.

    Naija7wonders is the search for the unique wonders of Nigeria, a project started with over 50 judges, including journalists, tour operators and other professionals.

    After 24 months, seven unique sites were chosen as the seven wonders of Nigeria. These sites are Obudu Mountain Resort, Sukur Landscape in Adamawa, Oke Idanre in Ondo State, Benin Moat, Kano Walls, Osun Groove and National War Musuem, Umuahia.

  • Give us this day our rich mamas

    Godson and I became friends not too long ago. I had actually noticed him for a while but other than the smiles shared across a few meters; I never really had the chance to speak with him. Then one day, I came back from work and while the gate was being opened for me, Godson crossed my path. I had just bought some groceries and it occurred to me that I could give him something out of my bag. He was surprised and he didn’t even have to say thank-you because the smile on his face said it all.

    After that, we actually started exchanging some form of greetings. Then on a Sunday afternoon like that, Godson paid me his first visit. It was amused as he went about checking things out. When he saw one of my fez caps, he asked if I was a ‘nigga’. That got me laughing. Then one day he came and saw my partner and ran away. When I asked him why he took to his heels, he said he didn’t want anybody to beat him in my house o.

    I make him enjoy each visit with the sweet things I always gave him. I soon got nicknamed ‘Godson’s wife’ by his mother.

    But it has not always been so good between me and Godson. Sometimes he would tell me point blank that he didn’t want my friendship again. In fact, once or twice, he has stormed out of my house. Most times when we fight, it is always because I’m taking ice-cream and I’m not sharing it with him or I’m taking something sweet that I wouldn’t want to give to him because his mum may have warned me earlier that he’s on drugs to stop his jedi-jedi (dysentary).

    Just last week, after one of such fights, Godson told me he didn’t like me again, and immediately, he started getting close to my hairdresser who gave him some of the groundnuts she was eating. She instantly became his favourite and I didn’t have anything to share. Hmmm…

    If it were not for my partner who has come to enjoy Godson’s visit so much that he wants to see more and more of him, I’m sure that with my one and off habit of not having sweet things, Godson might have forsaken my friendship totally. As I do this page though, he’s sitting in a corner eating the watermelon I served him. Today we’re friends and tomorrow, we shall continue to be friends because my Godson is just three years old and at that age when they can be very funny.

    But what should we make of grown men who still behave like Godson? These are men who wouldn’t even want to be friends with you if you’re not rich. There are so many men like that who size you up to be sure they can get bread and butter from you before they come close.

    I have been getting too many mails from men who make it clear that it is rich women they prefer. One of such men sent the following mail to me last week:

    My Name is Francis, your regular reader, I’m 26yrs. I want a rich woman for marriage. Age is not a barrier, call me on 08033809323.

    Okay, if age is no barrier, then a woman of 60 can be appropriate so far she has enough money to throw around!

    I must have published so many of such mails that one of my fans cried out last week when he sent his own mail:

    Good day madam, I observed most young men looking for wife these days are placing so much emphasis on the ladies being rich. I think God says a man should provide for his family and not the other way round. Please we want to read your article to educate those lazy gold diggers. Abiodun is my name. 08037237642.

    Abiodun, thank you for that observation. I must confess that I’m troubled by that trend too. But I have been careful not to be too morally instructive on this page as I have come to realize that we are all different. Some of the ladies out there wouldn’t mind supporting a man; you know. It is different strokes for different people.

    One thing I’m sure of is the fact that just like my little Godson, most of the men who ‘love’ their women for the sake of money would always threaten to leave the moment there’s no longer sweet things to give to them. It is clear from the beginning that being rich is the name of the game so there must always be goodies to share.

    I cannot say much to the men who desire rich women because I cannot despise them of their desires, but I have just one question for them for them – would you rather be a respectable and responsible hardworking man or be in the same category with a diaper-wearing three year old boy? It is for them to decide.

     

    Please Note: From now on, apart from the counseling part, other parts like matchmaking and your mails would be left unedited. The text messages would be published the same way they are sent to me to enable you judge first-hand the qualities and capabilities of those whose numbers you see here. Please bear with me.

     

  • ‘I arranged the kidnapping of my ex-boss’s wife for vengeance, not for money’

    ‘I arranged the kidnapping of my ex-boss’s wife for vengeance, not for money’

    An alleged sponsor and leader of a seven-man kidnapping gang, Chukwunonso Ejike (34) has confessed that he formed the gang in order to take a revenge on his boss and relation named Tony (not real name) for allegedly jeering at him when his child died. Narrating an incident that transpired between him and his boss, the indigene of Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area, Anambra State said: “I worked in his (boss’s) company between 2004 and 2007. The woman I later married was also working in the same company as a sales representative. She later became the best sales representative in the company because she was hardworking and she generated millions of naira for the company every week.

    “She was later given an official car and her salary was raised to N90,000 per month. At the end of 2007, my boss settled me with N250,000. I later travelled to China on a business trip. I spent four years in China but was later deported to Nigeria because my visa expired. When I got back to Nigeria, I started my own company. I became an importer of jewellery.

    “Returning from China after four years of leaving Tony’s company, I thought it wise to marry the woman I loved and had worked with before I travelled abroad. I did not know that the marriage would ignite hatred from my boss. My wife is the kind of woman every man would like to have because of her beauty, intelligence and hard work. My boss became jealous and started insulting her.

    “At times he would bark at her, asking her why she did not see any other man to marry than me. He called me all sorts of degrading names like ‘never-do-well’ and ‘deportee’.

    “My wife later got pregnant but lost the pregnancy in the second month, which to me was spiritual. When she took in again, the baby died in her womb. I had already accepted the loss of my babies as the will of God or a natural thing when I heard that my boss, who is equally my relation, was making jest of me and celebrating the death of my children, saying my wife and I thought that without us, his company would fold up.

    “To add insult to injury, the company’s management collected her car and pushed her out of the company without a sack letter. It was two weeks after she was pushed out of the company that the baby died in her womb.

    “I felt bad about the way my wife was pushed out, having worked for the company for eight years and making sales between N10 million and N11 million every month. A person who is working hard and bringing in millions of naira monthly would most likely record bad debts. There was a time she complained that one of her customers ran away with N500,000.

    “Her monthly salary was N90,000, but there was no month she received up to that amount as salary. At times, she was given N26,000 as salary. She never received her basic salary since she started working there.

    “When the man started his evil plans against my family, the company’s lawyer wrote a nonsense letter that my wife was indebted to the company to the tune of N3.2 million. Eight years is long enough to get such amount as bad debt, because my wife generated millions of naira for the company

  • ‘It will be horrible when our oil wells dry up’

    ‘It will be horrible when our oil wells dry up’

    Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi is a noted arts enthusiast. But he’s also a former Minister for National Planning and Chairman of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA). In the latter capacity whilst serving under President Olusegun Obasanjo, he often took the position that it was wrong to subsidise consumption of petroleum products. An economist by training and a successful industrialist, he is not happy with the parlous state of the economy and the fact that the present crop of leaders are not doing what is required to address the issues of the day. He shares his thoughts on the polity and sundry issues in this interview with Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf.

     

    At over 52 Nigeria has been described as a giant with clay feet due to her lingering socio-economic challenges. Why do you think the country is yet to attain its full potential as envisaged by the founding fathers?

    My father was among the founding fathers of the country. He was the treasurer of the Action Group. In their day they must have had dreams and visions as to how they wanted the country to grow. I remember I used to sit by the radio and listen to my dad, Awolowo, Fani-Kayode and co. These were men nearly everybody idolised because of their strength of character and courage. Looking back now, one can only feel sorry for what has become of Nigeria, in terms of her great potential, missed opportunities. And as for who to blame for Nigeria’s travails, well, the fault is ours. That’s all I can say.

    What do you make of the country’s development plan as encapsulated in the now famous Vision 20: 2020? Is it really realistic?

    I wrote the vision 2010. But what do you do in a situation where those saddled with leadership role are busy working at cross purposes? There is hardly any significant progress you can achieve in that kind of situation. So, let Nigerians go and sort out themselves: I have done my bit.

    The jury is still out as to the propriety or otherwise of petroleum subsidy, but what in your view is the best way to determine petroleum pricing?

    I was the one who started it all as the chairman of Petroleum Products Pricing & Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as president. At the time, the nation was inordinately consuming petroleum product. My idea then was how we would consume a final product that we were lucky to have through the blessing of God in a way that we were not using much, but reserve for development for the sake of posterity. I said we didn’t have the right to consume everything in our life time because petroleum is finite. You dig a hole, it springs up, but someday it’s going to dry up. I had the opportunity of representing Nigeria at the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as well as having served as Minister of National Planning. It was based on some of these experiences I was advised to entrench a sensible price regime for us not to be wasteful. Coming from an economic background, it has taught me that we should always save for tomorrow. So, you don’t have to consume all you have today. Someday the resources might dry and you won’t have any problem because you have made provision for the rainy day. Unfortunately, Nigeria’s attitude was otherwise. We tried to change the trend through various price regimes until ‘superior’ wisdom prevailed. As if to make matter worse, it was also said that the nation has to take money largely from the petroleum sector to subsidise consumption and that is still going on.

    So in effect, you’re saying subsidising petroleum products is wrong?

    Absolutely! If you want to continue to consume today you won’t leave anything for your children. What you need to do is build infrastructure, be as open as possible. Tell our people the issues at stake. I don’t know who to blame? It’s us collectively. I feel very sorry for us. Someday those oil wells will dry up. I hope and pray I would have been dead by then because it is going to be horrifying. In fact, I’m yet to know any economic proposition that says you can use the streams of income of today to subsidise what you shouldn’t do (current consumption). What economics teaches is, let today pay for itself and do not overburden the coming generation. Unfortunately, we labour hard in Nigeria to create problems for our future generation. We’re just piling up debts on their behalf. The funds that should be conserved to develop electricity, fix roads, railways and other key economic infrastructure are used up in subsidy. That is what I find wrong in the whole thing.

    Other countries are developing their resources but we are just busy consuming. Countries like America have produced enough quantity of oil to last them a lifetime and so are others out there. A time would come when these people will say ‘go, we don’t need your oil.’ So, what do you do then? Will you go and drink the oil?

    There is a lot of rent-seeking and patronage among those sitting in positions of responsibility. It is believed that once you are there, you have to spend the resources to look after your pockets and all that, and not for developing Nigeria. I can’t exist in that kind of environment at all. I’m totally tired.

    How will you describe your experience in government over the years?

    I recall writing several articles on everything from budget, economic management and all. Intellectual activism on my part was probably what brought me attention out there. ‘All these economics you have been preaching, national planning and everything, come let’s see what you can do’.

    I remember at 29, I was appointed a commissioner of Lagos State under Major General Mobolaji Johnson during General Gowon’s regime. The second time was when I was invited by General Abdulsalami Abubakar to serve in his transition government as Minister of National Planning. I was there for close to one year before he relinquished power to a democratically elected government. Both experiences were eventful for me because they brought me closer to the corridors of power, and gave me first knowledge of how things run. But I would rather leave others to assess my performance out there.

    Although your governorship ambition was abruptly truncated by your dad, people still believe that you’re nursing a political ambition? Can you clear the air on that?

    Yes my dad truncated it because he was wiser than me. For a 69 year old man going to 70, what future political ambition can I still be nursing by now? No, there is nothing like that! (Laughs)

    As an ardent patron of the arts do you think Nigerian artists have what it takes to compete favourably with their peers abroad?

    Look, generationally, there is always a change. Those we are lionising today won’t be there tomorrow. I just like enjoying myself and I pray I don’t go bankrupt doing what is essentially my unbridled passion for the arts. Right now, a friend of mine, who is a drama enthusiast, has suggested that I should make one of my plays, “Behold My Redeemer”, one of my plays which I wrote in-between London and Nigeria, into a film.

    How soon should Nigerians look forward to it?

    It’s not easy! We are still trying to put the money together.

    On a lighter note, it was believed that your closeness to Fela in those days made you live a rather carefree lifestyle and all that?

    (Laughs) We had a very middle class background. If your parents could send you top Europe to go and study, it meant they had a few naira. They doted on us. We never had to scratch our fingers to feed. Life was our oyster. Fela’s mother was political, my father was political. My father told me the story of pioneering as a young politician, his role in the reinstatement of Alake, Oba Ademola, back to the throne. He was very young at the time and people cast aspersions on him, saying “Ewo ni ti Gbadamosi (what concerns this overbearing Gbadamosi) Ah, awon olowo ilu niyen (Don’t dare him, he is one of the weathly men around) He did all these things with the governor at the time. Nigeria was small, everybody looked after everybody else. They had interactions. Whenever I went to Fela’s house, his mother would say, “Omo Baba Ikorodu” (son of the man from Ikorodu). She belonged to NCNC, and my father belonged to the Action Group. But not that it mattered. Fela was in Abeokuta Grammar School while I was at Methodist Boys High School, Lagos. Rebelliousness is a factor of growing up; it made it easy for us in our London days. The late Beko was my senior at the University of Manchester. He was reading medicine and I was reading economics. We used to play table tennis during lunch break. During lunch break he would come to the Union Building. I have very great memories of him. When I finally met Fela, it was at the London underground train. He was wearing this all-white suit and he had his trademark sax box. But when I returned to Nigeria in 1969, I had to seek out where the action was. So, naturally, I gravitated towards him (Fela) because I was leftwing (boisterous laughter). I joined him in his radicalism, though I was working with my father at the time, who was rightwing (laughter). The likes of Kanmi Isola Osobu, late Wole Bucknor set up an association where we discussed everything from literature, music to jazz and society and all. We were going to Idi Oro to the night clubs and fooling around. There were days we had night of awareness at the University of Lagos or Yaba College of Technology, where we talked truth to power; we were enjoying ourselves. Anyway, I invited Fela to MUSON and people sneered that what’s this amu’gbo (marijuana smoker) doing in this kind of place? People like me said ‘ah ah, no, Fela is good’. He trained musically; he started with jazz at Kakadu. Before then, it was all about Bill Friday and Bobby Benson and highlife. There are several anecdotes about that.

    Fela’s dying days…

    I took him from one point to the other to escape the prying eyes of journalists like you (laughs). Then at the middle of the night, Yeni called to say that Fela wanted to eat jollof rice. I rushed to the hospital quickly. By then I told my wife ‘look, Fela wants to eat jollof rice’ and she quickly prepared it and we took it. By the time I got to the hospital he was in coma. But when he saw me he made feeble attempts to recognise me by throwing up his clenched fist as a symbol of the struggle. That single act shocked me to my marrows. That was Fela for you, demonstrating his belief in the struggle until the very last breath. And when he died, I had to be part of the funeral all the way. I slightly moved away because I had become bourgeois, but I could never have forgotten the good time we spent together. And that was why I gravitated towards Seun, Femi, Yeni.

    So you’re still in touch with Fela’s family?

    Yes, very much so. They are adults in their own right but must be assisted.

    What was the motivation for building the Yusuf Grillo Pavilion?

    When I did follow-follow Fela, I said to myself, what next can I do and I decided to build a gallery within my premises in Ikorodu. I built the gallery and named it after one of the Zaria ‘Rebels’, Yusuf Grillo. So far, we had hosted Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Uche Okeke and David Dale. We are trying to pick a date for the next occasion in April. It has been eventful.

    How can you explain your interest in culture and customs?

    I have tried to read about the history of various ethnic groups in Nigeria to learn what makes them tick; what accounts for their mode of behaviour, arts and so on – even the mode of worship of various people. What you call witchcraft is rubbish as far as I’m concerned. You condemn it; I don’t. I don’t buy the proposition that things are necessarily fetish. My proposition is that any science or art that has motivated man to create something and be in tune with nature is commendable. So, I don’t understand why you criticise witchcraft. Such varied knowledge enriches my life. I love nature and that’s why I collect art works, sculptures etc. In fact, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan gave me a traditional title for what he described as my keen interest in the affairs of our people. I can recite Eyo incantations; that doesn’t make me a heathen. We are not kafirs (infidels) (laughter).

    You have reached the twilight of your career.

    No, eh eh. mio ti fe ku o. (I don’t want to die now). I have retired. As for legacy, let other people be the judge. I don’t usually want to talk about it because one day I also will join my ancestors. The only legacy I want to leave is “I came, I worked very hard, I enjoyed myself, I was a friend of Fela and I took part in cultural activities. I’m the Olori Eyo Agere (leader of the Eyo Agere)! (Laughs)

     

  • Tony Elumelu joins golden club

    Tony Elumelu joins golden club

    The rank of successful men and women in the golden age of 50 appears to be swelling by the day. Tayo Ayeni, the famous brains behind Skymit Motors, and PR guru, Yomi Badejo Okunsanya, only recently celebrated their 50th birthday in grand style.

    Now, a former Managing Director of the United Bank for Africa and Chairman, Heirs Holdings Limited, Tony Elemelu, is set to make his entry as he clocks 50 in few weeks. The social pulse is beating more quickly because it promises to be a memorable occasion.

    Upon his retirement from the UBA as managing director, Elumelu founded Heir Holdings and Tony Elumelu Foundation in order to continue to contribute his quota to the economic transformation of the African continent. Both organisations have been working to encourage and positively impact on Africa’s business leaders and entrepreneurs, including business students and young entrepreneurs and CEOs of multinational companies.

  • I’m 22, I need a wealthy woman of 50 for a relationship

    I’m Alex, 22, a student in Lagos. I need a romantic and wealthy woman between age 30 and 50 who

    lives in Lagos for a relationship.

     

    •Dear Alex, your request shouldn’t have come through me at all. I’m sure your mum and aunties have wealthy friends within their age brackets, so all you should do is to walk up to any one of them for friendship. If that fails, you print your request on fliers and go to all those highbrow shops in Lagos where they sell lace and expensive goods and distribute. Who knows, you may be contacted.

    As for me, I believe in morals and I would tongue lash a younger brother of mine who at this age is looking for a wealthy woman old enough to be his mother instead of concentrating on hard work and a bright future. Forget about all the sugar-mummy stuff you see in film, if they exist in reality, it is rare and it takes more pains than what you see. There is also no future in it. Be serious about life, Alex.

  • Behold an umbrella worth 40 forty human lives

    Behold an umbrella worth 40 forty human lives

    •’Man gave out wife and child in exchange for two bottles of gin’

     

    Imagine these? What could make an umbrella to be worth 40 human lives? And a

    medium-size mirror to exchange for 20 persons? Why would 10 able-bodied men and women to be worth not more than one coral bead? This is no puzzle neither does it have correlation with any mathematical equation or theory. It is simply the language of slavery, oppression and dehumanisation. This is the story of how  white slave masters equated and exchanged tens of black people, Nigerians to be specific, with mere commodities in a queer trade by barter system.

    Slave trade may have ended well over a century ago but a visit to Late Chief Seriki Williams Abass’ Museum in Badagry area of Lagos State relives the ugly memory and the mind-boggling account of how some of the forefathers of Nigeria were treated as inferior to mere commodities like pots, umbrella, mirror, wine, among others. The slave masters gave each of the items to their Nigerian agents in exchange for at least 10 slaves.

    Rashidat Abass, a great grandchild of late Abass, who served as a tour guide,  told The Nation that her forefather was initially a slave before he became a slave merchant after his freedom.

    Many decades after the inhuman trade, the heavy manacles with which the slaves were tied to prevent them from escaping, remained intact just as commodities used for the exchange of the slaves sat idly on the shelves where they are kept. While the slaves were tortured and made to do breath-taking hard labours by the whites, their Nigerian agents had little or nothing to do with  the commodities they got in exchange of their kinsmen they gave out as slaves.

    She also gave an account of a man who gave out his wife and child in exchange for two bottles of white man’s gins, though she could not explain if he was forced to do so or did it willingly. Parts of the bottles of the drinks are currently   cemented to the building popularly called Brazillian Barracoon.

    In her parents’ absence, Rashidat narrated the riveting story of his forefather’s involvement in slave business.

    According to her, “Late Chief Seriki Faremi Williams Abass was a slave before he became a slave merchant. He was captured as a slave at a tender age of six. He was captured in Joga Orile an area in the present Ogun State. He was named Faremi by his parents. His father’s name was Fagbemi. He took the name Abass from his first slave master because a slave bore the name of his master. When he was later sold to another slave master called Williams, he also adopted the name and added it to his list of names.

    “After many years of being a slave, he regained his freedom and came to Badagry to settle down and became a slave merchant. There are 40 rooms in the whole compound. The compound is called Brazillian Barracoon. ‘Barracoon’ is a Portuguese word that means cell. 80 slaves were kept in each ‘cell’. The males were kept seperate from the females. The slaves were exchanged for different commodities. For example, 40 slaves were given out in exchange for this umbrella (See picture above).

    “Each ceramic pot we have here was exchanged for 10 slaves; 40 slaves were exchanged for a small canon gun, while 100 slaves exchanged for a big canon gun. Also, 20 slaves were given out in exchange for a mirror, while 10 slaves were exchanged for coral beads. The bottles on the wall were collected by a man in exchange for his wife and child. They contained hot drinks that were the exclusive preserve of the whites then.

    “When they caught  the slaves, they usually locked them up in this place before taking them to the slave market. From there, the slaves were transported on water to various foreign countries. There is a place we call Point of No Return, very close to the sea. The moment any slave crossed the area, he would not be able to return home again. There is a well in that place and it is there till today. The moment any slave drank the water, he would lose his memory. The slave merchants poured charms that made them lose their memories into the well water.

    “They did so because the Brazillians were complaning that some of the slaves were running away. With the charm working on the slaves after drinking the well water, it took any slave about four months to regain his memory. That was why many of them could not remember where they came from after their freedom. Late Abass founded Aiyetoro town in present day Ogun State in 1902 for displaced Egba people. He died in 1919.”

    Asked how she feels being a descendant of the late slave merchant, she said: “I feel very proud to be his descendant but I am against slave trade. It is not a good thing. If the sight of the relics and the oral history we have can be so shocking, you can then imagine what the people who experienced it would have gone through emotionally, mentally psychologically and physically”.

    She added: “From what I told you, late Abass, who was my great grand father, did not just wake up one morning to start trading in slaves. He was taken as a slave when he was a little boy. He suffered similar inhuman oppression and humilation which other slaves experienced. He chose to become a slave merchant after his master gave him conditions to either remain a slave or work for them as a slave merchant. I would never blame him for chosing to be a slave master.

    “Nobody has ever derided or taunted me for being a descendant of a slave or slave merchant. We use the money we realise from tourists to maintain the buildings and the compound. We have no special gain for preserving these landmark relics that have kept the memories of things that happened over 100 years ago very fresh in the minds of people. It is strictly what we get from tourists that we rely on for the maintenance.

    “I am in senior secondary school right now and would appreciate it if I could get scholarship to further my education to the university level. I have been serving as a tour guide to tourists for many years and would like to use my background and experience to expose the youths to modern day slave trade so that they would not suffer the wicked fate that our forefathers experienced.

    “If I have the privilege, I will campaign against man’s inhumanity to fellow man, especially the female gender. I don’t want to see my fellow human beings in mental of physical chains again. I feel sad that after the sacrifice made by our forefathers for us to be free, those who are in position to build on this have turned back the hand of the time by making us to continue to live in the painful past that hurts our memories. It is unfortunate that decades after slavery was abolished, the poor masses have continued to be subjected to modernised slavery in different areas of life.”

    For Fatima, Rashidat’s elder sister, being a descendant of the late merchant has come with some measure of favour and pains. She told our correspondent that she has on different occasions been taunted as a descendant of a slave, adding that she is currently studying at the University of Lagos on scholarship. In spite of the derision that comes with her background, she said she felt great being a descendant of the late slave merchant.

    “I am very proud to be his descendant. It is one of the best things that have happened to me in life but it is not without some challenges. Even though late Abass was my great grand father, some people still taunt me as a child of a slave. I don’t pick quarells with them because I am proud to be associated with a great man like him. If not for his ingenuity in keeping the relics, where would many young people of today learn about slave trade? It is not enough to pass down history in oral form,  it is also very important that people should see concrete items like these relics to be able to relate concretely to the events of the past. Nobody in his right senses would support slavery or slave trade. But I am proud of him because he helped us to preserve history. I am happy that people from all walks of life come to our place to see the relics. He made us custodians of culture.When you list the names of tourists sites in Nigeria and the entire world, our name would be mentioned.

    “There are lessons here for all of us to learn. One is that stories of slave trade are not fabricated. The relics authenticate them. After seeing all these relics that paint a true life picture of what our forefathers passed through, another lesson is that we must do everything possible to prevent whatever that would bring about such unpalatable experience in whatever possible form again.

    “Apart from the derision, I am proud and happy to be enjoying free scholarship at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). The National Museum Commission here in Lagos gave me the scholarship. I am studying Sociology and currently in my second year. This is as a result of the seed sown by my great grand father. How would I not be proud of him and why would I allow the sacastic remarks of certain people to make me hate him or deny my family background? It is impossible.”

    Muinat Abass Philips, another descendant of late Abass, also condemned slave trade and like her sibblings, she also said she is proud to be a descendant of the late slave merchant.

    “ I am happy and proud to be his descendant but I am not happy that he was involved in slave trade. However, I would not blame him because he  was initially a slave before he was compelled by the slave masters to be a slave merchant. He had no alternative then because it was the major business of the day. Though nobody has ever taunted me for being his descendant, I feel sad about how the slaves were punished and dehumanised then.”

    Checks revealed that some of the rooms that served as cells during the slave trade have been rehabilitated and rented out to tenants. One of the tenants Alhaja, Funmilola Lawal, told our correspondent that she does not see anything wrong in living in the building, even though some people advised her against it earlier.

    According to her, “There is nothing wrong in living in this place. Some people tried to discourage me when I came here to look for accommodation. They wondered why I wanted to get accommodation in a place that formerly served as a cell for slaves but I was not bothered. I was only interested in getting a place that would give me peace of mind and that I have been enjoying since I parked into this place. It has transformed from a place of inconvenience during the slavery days to an abode of peace today.

    “Before I parked in as a tenant, I rented one of the shops attached to the buildings. When I saw that it was giving me the desired results, I decided to take one of the vacant apartments and have never regretted taking the decision.

    “ There is absolutely no reason for me to be scared because the slaves who were kept here were human beings. They did not commit any offence to deserve such a treatment. How are we sure that our fore fathers were not among the people captured and detained here as slaves?”

    Bobby McDougall, an English tourist who visited the museum in the company of his half Nigerian friend, Jemma Amachree Broad, said it is interesting to see the relics but lamented that Africans suffered so much in the hands of the whites. He also regretted Africans have continued to be in one form of slavery or the other several decades after physical slave trade was abolished.

    He said: “ It is interesting to see the artefacts but it is sad that Africans suffered grieviously during this period. The unfortunate thing is that slavery is still existing in one form or the other. There are cases of slavery in form of commercial sex, child labour and child trafficking, among others. There is need to check all these so that every human being can enjoy real freedom. The government and non-governmental organisations would have to work together to put an end to all these modernised forms of slavery to make the abolition of physical slave trade to be meaningful”.