The Nation Newspaper

Category: People & Politics

  • Driver’s family to Edo lawmaker:We suspect foul play in our son’s kidnap

    Driver’s family to Edo lawmaker:We suspect foul play in our son’s kidnap

    Their accusation is borne out of illiteracy—Lawmaker 

    Felicia Igbinovia is currently in agony. At the corner of the gate leading to the Edo State House of Assembly, she sat weeping inconsolably. At times, she would jump up running around shouting for whoever cares to prevail on Hon. Victor Edoror to bring her husband back. She has joined her husband’s family to lead a three-day protest to the Assembly Complex over the whereabouts of her husband, Victor.

    Her husband is a civil servant attached to Hon. Edoror who is representing Esan Central Constituency in the house. Edoror is a first-term lawmaker elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    On Sunday February 3, Hon. Edoror called Victor to take him to a function at his constituency and on their way back, unknown gunmen waylaid them and abducted the lawmaker and his driver at Irrua, administrative headquarters of Esan Central.

    Two weeks later, Hon. Edoror was released but his driver is yet to be seen or heard from. The kidnappers are not calling to make any ransom demand. A lawmaker told The Nation that the kidnappers never mentioned the driver during the period of negotiation for the release of Hon. Edoror.

    The questions on the lips of Victor’s family are: Where is our son? If he were killed, where is his body?

    A three-day protest by the family members to the premises of the Edo State House of Assembly paralysed activities at the complex as workers were locked out for several hours before policemen intervened and restored order.

    The family said they are suspecting foul play about the fate of their son, alleging that the lawmaker is not showing enough concern to ensure the release of their son.

    Placards carried by the family members had inscriptions such as: ‘Edoror, bring back our son’; ‘Where is our son, your driver?’ ‘Tell us what you have done to our son’. ‘Why are you silent on our son’s release?’

    Felicia alleged that Edoror asked security officials to chase her away when she went to demand the whereabouts of her husband.

    She said: “Edoror called my husband on Saturday to take him to Irrua, that one of his relatives had an accident. Since that day, I have been waiting for my husband and I have not seen him. I asked the lawmaker, he said he didn’t see my husband, that they were kept in different places. They came to my house three times asking me not to worry, that if the lawmaker is released, my husband would also be released.

    “I am not sure this is kidnapping anymore. I went to his house to demand for my husband but he asked his security details to drive me away. One threatened to shoot me and I dared him to shoot.

    “He does not call us. He said the kidnappers gave him a cell phone and N3,000 but that he cannot make calls with the phone except the kidnappers called him.”

    An elder brother of the driver, Osahon, said the lawmaker has refused to meet with them over their missing brother.

    Reacting, however, Hon. Edoror said it was uncivilised and myopic of the family to accuse him of using his driver for rituals. He said the kidnappers were yet to contact him or make any demand for the release of his driver.

    Edoror explained that the kidnappers took his driver away in his yet-to-be registered official vehicle, adding that the kidnappers, did not mention his driver during his two weeks’ ordeal in their den.

    He said he heard gunshots while in the kidnappers’ jeep and they told him that his driver had been shot.

    According to him, “I have been putting heads together with the family to look for what to do. The kidnappers are not calling. They are not asking for anything.

    “The accusation that I have used their son for rituals is borne out of illiteracy. It is uncivilised. Look at my hands, I was tied for two weeks. I was kept in a cubicle and couldn’t stand straight. I sympathise with the family. I don’t want to believe that the driver was a part of my kidnapping. He is very close to me. I took him as my younger brother. I attend to his private needs. The security agencies should determine whether he was one of them or not.

    “The truth is that it is myopic for them to think that I am a ritualist. How can I use somebody for rituals?  In no distant time, the truth will come out. I have known the driver for three months now. I am an open person. When I was with the kidnappers, they never discussed about my driver. What surprised me was that the kidnappers told me I wasted their time because I had a little delay.

    “When the incident happened, the driver drove towards the kidnappers’ vehicle that had blocked us. He parked the car and ran out towards them holding his head. I was shocked at the way the driver surrendered to them easily. I was dumbfounded. I thought, how could the driver run out of the vehicle?

    They took him away to the other car and left me in the jeep. They put him in my car and the other car. They were eight all of them armed with assault rifles. I cannot do thanksgiving now because I have not seen my driver.”

    It was gathered that Governor Adams Oshiomhole has mandated the Directorate of the State Security Services and the State Police Command to resolve the kidnap saga and rescue the driver.

  • 46-yr-old mechanic kills pregnant lover, two-yr-old son

    It was a sad story of two love birds: Barely two months after an auto-mechanic, Adekunle Jegede, and his lover, Hadiza, started an affair on a pleasant note, their romance turned tragic a few days ago. Jegede was said to have killed his lover and her son while she was on a visit to his residence in Akingbade area of Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

    The father of five used to ply his trade in Ilesha, Osun State, before relocating to Ibadan when he encountered a reversal of fortune. He is said to live alone but visits his family in Ilesha periodically. He was said to have met Hadiza late last year and promised to marry her.

    The deceased was still nursing a two-year-old boy called Jonathan, who she had from a botched marriage to an unidentified man when she was living in Lagos before relocating to Ibadan when the father of her son denied paternity of the child.

    The story allegedly changed when Hadiza told Jegede she had taken in and that he was responsible for the three- month pregnancy. The development had infuriated Jegede so much so that he allegedly denied responsibility for the pregnancy.

    Hadiza then sought the intervention of one of Jegede’s siblings to plead with his brother not to deny the pregnancy. Jegede had reportedly given a condition that he would only accept responsibility for the pregnancy if doctors could confirm that he was truly responsible for it.

    Jegede, who had promised to take the deceased as his second wife, had allegedly invited her to his residence on Tuesday January 29, 2013 for a ‘crucial discussion’.

    The deceased had planned to spend the night in her lover’s house so they could both see the doctor for the test the next day Wednesday, January 30, 2013.

    Not long after the deceased went to bed, Jegede reportedly woke her from sleep asking that she accompanied him to see a friend in the neighbourhood.

    They had not walked a distance when Jegede seized the woman with her baby strapped to her back and smashed her on the ground, killing her instantly while her son cried ceaselessly.

    Apparently not ready to leave traces, Jegede allegedly killed the boy too and returned home after accomplishing his evil mission. However, concerned neighbours who had seen Hadiza the previous night asked for her whereabouts from Jegede but his response was not convincing, hence, they invited the police.

    But what could have led 46-year-old Jegede to kill his fiancée and her two-year-old son? He told the police shortly after he was arrested following a man hunt. He said: “I met her last December and she was nursing a child. She was rejected by the man who impregnated her. She started coming for weekends in my house and a few weeks later, she informed me of her pregnancy. I asked why she would say that when we ‘met’ only a few times.

    “Some days after, she came with one of my siblings about the issue and that one pleaded with me to accept it. I told them that I would only accept subject to a doctor’s confirmation that the pregnancy belonged to me. So a day before the day we were to meet the medical doctor, I asked her to come and sleep in my house so that we could go for the test the next day.

    “I hatched the plan to get rid of her shortly before midnight at the frontage of my residence. I woke her up and asked her to accompany me to a place. She strapped her baby and came with me. As we were walking along, I slowed down for her until she was a step ahead of me. When we got to a spot near a bush, I pushed her down and while she was struggling with me, I strangled her,” he said.

    He gave gory details of how he killed the innocent baby, saying: “The baby kept crying and I thought he could draw people’s attention to the scene thereby exposing me. I reached for the cloth his mother used to wrap him (Jonathan), freed him and smashed his head on the ground.”

    A neighbour had reportedly told the minions of law that there was a heated argument between Jegede and the deceased, adding that some neighbours had brokered truce between them not knowing that he was nursing any evil plan.

    The foul odour from the decomposing bodies was said to have attracted neighbours to an uncompleted building where they were kept.

    The suspect was said to have denied knowing the whereabouts of his lover until he was taken to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) where he allegedly later confessed to the crime. He had initially lied to the police accusing his physically challenged boss of being responsible for his lover’s death. His tissue of lies could not, however, prevail following a thorough investigation by Inspector Dauda Animashaun and Corporal Tunde Ajibade. The two police officers handling the case exposed Jegede’s complicity in the killing of Hadiza and her son.

    A top police officer in the Oyo State Police Command, who initially confirmed Jegede’s arrest, claimed that investigations were ongoing. He added that the suspect would be arraigned in court once investigation was completed.

    Meanwhile, the suspect was arraigned on Thursday at the Iyaganku Magistrate’s Court, Ibadan on a two-count charge of murder and mutilation. Magistrate Fatimoh Badrudeen ordered that the suspect be remanded in Agodi Prisons, while the case has been adjourned till March 19, 2013.

    Commenting on the incident, a neighbour, who asked not to be named, blamed the deceased for not finding out much about the suspect before agreeing to a relationship with him.

    “The late woman is to be blamed for not being vigilant enough. She barely knew the suspect before going into a relationship with him shortly after she was thrown out of her pervious marriage. Besides, she was still nursing a baby when she started dating him and did not bother to ask him probing questions concerning his marital life.

    “The saddest part of it all is the fact that none of her family members knew the suspect and that must have been the reason why no one asked her except vigilant neighbours whose curiousity led to the arrest of her lover. The incident is, indeed, a food for thought for ladies to watch out for the kind of men they go out with.”

  • Indian Ayuba’s mother’s case revisited

    Indian Ayuba’s mother’s case revisited

    It was four years ago that Esther Amonja’s story was first told; that love story between mother and child that stole the hearts of many; that story that changed the status of her daughter who became The Nation girl by chance and the goodwill of Nigerians. But four years after, her mother’s case has remained the same. Perhaps bemused by this fact, feeling that the season of Valentine is beyond empty ‘kisses’ and ‘hugs’, this reporter has taken another bold step.

     

     

    Her lookalike invokes emotion

    IT was another market day in a rustic community at Wamba Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. Under the baking July sun, sellers and buyers from near and far scampered about. Sellers called out to prospective buyers with raised voices, trying hard to gain their attention. Buyers haggled the prices of goods with sellers, hoping to get a good deal.

    Amid much trading activities and tick crowd, one woman stood out with her wares. But hers was not the regular wares. It’s a unique one, consisting of worn out and torn clothes, empty bottles, nylon bags and more! What you may readily discard as trash were her priced ‘possession’. And an open shed in that market was her home.

    That was a typical scene four years ago when this reporter first met the woman, Esther Amonja Ayuba, who, holds dear to heart her most treasured possession, her daughter, Indian. And that was the life she had lived for years with her child (who was staying with her father) and had kept an eagle eye on her, “because I do not want her to stray beyond my reach”, the little girl had said.

    And so for years, their love story became a ‘wonder’ to some and a ‘secret inspiration’ to others. That love caught the spotlight when The Nation on Saturday published their story on August 22, 2009. It stole the hearts of many, impacted positively on her daughter’s education and bettered the girl’s life – a feat that affected her mental state but only for a while.

    Mama Indian then returned to the family’s house from the market that served as her home for years, insisting that she would stay there, as she put it, “to make sure Indian is not sent into marriage before her time”.

    Her statement came about because Indian had been away from home in school after her change of fortune. Esther, missing her daughter’s absence, kept going home to inquire about her whereabouts. Perhaps, in a bid to pacify her, she was told that the girl had been given out in marriage.

    However, when Indian returned from school, she went lto her mother at the market. The woman literally detained her, querying her why she allowed herself to be given out in marriage. And so she followed her daughter home, saying she would stay there.

    That was in 2010, a year after their story was first published. Evidently, her mental wellbeing seems to be connected to that of her child. And as such psychiatrists and psychologists noted that a quick medical treatment is necessary to restore her mentally. They were of the view that her case is not hopeless.

    However, many, who had followed the story then had thought that it was only a matter of time before she returned to the streets because, according to them, a myth holds that a mad person who has left home and lived in the market place is a somewhat hopeless case.

    Some others asked then: “What if the reverse was the case as that of Esther, what becomes of the person?” Psychiatrists had waved such thoughts away as “nonsensical”, saying “Esther’s case is not peculiar but needs urgent medical attention”.

    According to a Consultant Psychiatrist with the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Dr. Bola Ola, Esther is fortunate to have a child with such an enduring love, noting that although presumptuously moved by her child’s new found fortune, she had returned home, her mental state is still the same.

    He raised the fear that if a quick medical intervention was not done, her case might grow worse. Many observed that her daughter’s success story would not be complete without impacting on her health.

    “All that she needs is one experienced psychiatrist to examine her for at least a week: morning, afternoon, evening and night as the case may be,” it was said. Hence, Dr. Ola, an experienced and internationally-acclaimed psychiatrist, said he was willing to examine and diagnose her state so as to commence treatment – all for free. He advised that treating her at the community where she had probably been stigmatised would play a vital role in her recovery. If she eventually recovers, he said, it would go a long way to affect people’s negative perception of the illness.

    Dr. Ola said he would subsequently train a health worker in the local health centre on how to administer treatment.

    On that account, The Nation went in search of a health worker and found John Umar, who was at the time the Chief Nurse at the Primary Health Care Centre, Chessu. To show he was acquainted with Esther’s case, he said: “She is like a sister to me. We all know about her sickness and what your paper has done for her daughter. Both of them are inseparable: seeing Indian seems to make her happy. As far as I know, medically, her sickness was seasonal before it got out of control and has been like this for a very long time. In those days, you would find her sitting alone; and she used to pack her clothes in my premises. Unlike most sick people, she is not aggressive or troublesome; she is respectful.”

    And on the request of caring for Esther, he had said then: “I can help administer the drugs and monitor her if I am taught what to do and if the drugs are made available. And if I am not here, I will brief my colleague on it.”

    Umar has since left and Mrs Esther Usman Muzha, who worked with him for years before he left, has now taken over from him. On one of such reconciliation journeys to the place, this reporter met Mrs Muzha and raised the issue with her. “I am here because of Esther, Indian’s mother…” the reporter said.

    “I am aware of her case. I was rightly briefed by Mr. Umah and we have been waiting to receive the visitors and give our service, that is why we are here,” Mrs Muzha said.

    At that time, three years ago, when Dr. Ola had signified interest to observe and diagnose her case for possible treatment, what it would take to bring the psychiatrist to the place alone was to cost about N300,000. This includes the cost of transportation, accommodation, drugs, series of tests and sundry expenses.

    A clarion call was made concerning her case, yet nothing happened. The help of some people was sought, but they responded, thus: “There are a thousand and one Esthers scattered all over the place. Why concentrate on one person?”

    Such statements were condemned by some observers, naming it “insensibility”.

    “What about the government or corporate bodies or groups, clubs and so on, why don’t they take the case up as their CSR?” Many had asked.

    Three years after Mama Indian’s dramatic return to her family abode, her mental state has still not changed. It has become exactly as the doctor had predicted. Although the family has taken her to local homes where such ailments are treated, still no improvement has been recorded. And even though her family members often say ‘she is improving’, she now wanders between her home and the places known to only her. She sometimes goes far from home to the village of the late father of her child, Indian. At other times, she goes further away, only to return the day. That has been her routine.

    Meeting Mama Indian again brought tears to the eyes. On a self-imposed journey of reconciliation, the reporter was reminded that it is not yet Uhuru for the woman. What further increased the spark of compassion was the meeting of Mama Indian’s “lookalike”, as she is often called. Jumai, Mama Indian’s younger sister, who is happily married with kids, depicts how Esther would have looked like if she were not sick or has fully recovered. “Before her sickness, they say we resembled. People used to call us twins. They sometimes mistook me for her and her for me and we wore the same clothes. But she is my elder sister o. I know she will become well again. She sometimes comes to visit me in my place,” her younger sister said in Hausa.

    Her statement brought tears to the eyes of those listening, including the interpreter, who quickly gathered herself together winked his back for fear of being labelled a weakling.

    That coincidental meeting made this reporter more determined than ever to bring Mama Indian’s case to the public space again with hope that good-spirited individuals or organisations will look her way.

    And what better time to do so than now, the season and month of love. Beyond just telling her story, this reporter made up her mind to put her money where her mouth is, ever so determined to revive and spearhead the campaign of Mama Indian’s treatment and rehabilitation again. She is donating her February salary, hoping that perhaps someone who will have compassion and take up the challenge. Will it be you, she asks?

  • Fine hour for girl who writes with her toes

    Fine hour for girl who writes with her toes

    Lagos company offers her job, scholarship to university

    When mid last year, The Nation newspaper broke the story about Patience Ijeih, the young girl who writes with a pen between her toes, it was just like one of those stories. But a few weeks afterwards, Patience once again hit the news when she passed the General Certificate of Education examination after two years of depression.

    She had summoned courage to face the rigour of the examination, having had her results seized by the examination body two years earlier. Patience had told us then that the news of her seized result depressed her, pushing her to shelve the thought of ever going to the university again.

    “I was not happy,” she said then, “and I told myself to forget about education. I floated. I didn’t have anything that I wanted to do again. I just wanted to float. But early last year, I started seeing my mates moving on in life, people who I knew that I am even more brilliant than, and then I started thinking of putting in for the GCE examination again. But this time around, I was not as enthusiastic as before. I did it with less interest.”

    This time around, however, her results were released and she came out in flying colours. We wrote then that there was now hope for the girl who writes with her toes. The truth is that, Patience Ijeih told us then that she was now sure, she was getting closer to achieving her dream of pursuing a university education.

    “Now, that I have passed, I am sure that by the grace of God once again, I am going to further my studies. This has given me hope that I may one day be an undergraduate. Though I would have loved to go into the university and study Law, people are telling me that taking such a course is very expensive. I would also love to study Mass Communication, but I also hear that it is expensive.

    “These are the only courses that appeal to me. But you know, my mom is late and my dad is in the village and my brother is just managing. We don’t have any rich person in my family. I can only continue to pray and hope that God makes a way for me,” she had told us then.

    Today, those words have somewhat turned to prophecy. Patience Ijeih had cause to worry that she might perhaps never have such opportunity to study within the four walls of a university. Indeed her worries were genuine because, firstly, she was born with two damaged hands, which according to her late mother, resulted from her wrong positioning during her birth. Secondly, Patience comes from a poor home, lost her mother when she was young and her father has advanced in age.

    Patience, however, trained herself early to overcome life’s circumstances. She developed the art of writing with her toes right from childhood. “I can’t remember when I started using my toes to write. I must have started very early in life because I remember that this was how I was writing while at Ikeliki Primary School in Delta State,” said Patience. “It has never been a difficult thing to do. I just sit down, put my papers or exercise book on the floor, a pencil or biro in between my toes and write. It’s very easy to do,” she said excitedly when we first met her.

    With this, she scaled through the primary school, secondary school, and even attended a computer school where she bagged a diploma. Only a university education eluded her. And this, most people she met, told her is impossible considering her circumstances. Her brother who has also been her guardian since her mom died could not help her any further because he lacked the ability.

    In the last two weeks, however, hope indeed brightened for the girl who writes with her toes. A Lagos- based organisation known as The Biostadt Company located in Ilupeju, has offered her a job and also a university scholarship once she secures an admission. She was also offered an opportunity to continue to work in the organisation, even after her university education, if she so desires.

    Overwhelmed with joy, Patience headed to her church, Living Faith Church Worldwide, Ota, Ogun State, popularly known as Winners Chapel, where she gave a moving testimony that attracted the attention of the presiding Bishop, Dr. David Oyedepo, and thousands of the worshippers who were present in the church for the first service of the day.

    Our reporters were there early in the week when Patience Ijeih began her working life, as she formally resumed duty at the Lagos-based organisation known as The Biostadt Company, which is into Agro and Pharma care. She is to work in the Managing Director’s office as secretary.

    Receiving her, the MD, Prince Emmanuel Ajayi, said: “This is an organisation that believes in equal opportunities for the male and the female. We like to take affirmative action when it concerns physically challenged people. We are proud and happy to contribute to the lives of people, and we want this company to be for everyone, Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike and whether physically challenged or not.

    That is the kind of company that we are building. We believe that we must give back to society and there is no limit to what you can give back to society. We have had to be involved in the VVF cases in Zamfara State, Motherless Babies’ Home in Abeokuta, The Federal School of Rehabilitation in Emene; even the recent flood in some parts of the east of Nigeria, where we donated materials to ensure that cases of diseases were minimised. We see it as our little quota to the development of our society.”

    With those words, the MD welcomed Patience Ijeih to the organisation with a warm handshake.

     

    I’m Over whelmed says patience 

    We spoke to Patience afterwards:

    So how do you feel now that you have got a job?

    I feel very happy. I thank God for this company that has given me this job.

    Were you expecting this kind of miracle?

    Well, no.

    How did you get to know about the job and scholarship offer from the company?

    It’s the principal of the school who called to tell me. She told me that there was a company that wanted to see me. So on getting there, I saw the officials from the company and to my surprise, they offered me a job and also told me about the scholarship.

    What was your first reaction?

    It was as if I was dreaming. I was so happy because I had been praying that God should bring my helper to me. That God should bless someone who will then help me. Even now, I am still amazed.

    You were probably expecting a small miracle. Now, you have got a big one. Are you scared that you may not be able to cope with the challenges of working in a big organisation like this?

    I am not afraid; this is what I asked from God and He has now done it for me. I am well prepared. I will do my best since God has provided me this opportunity

    How about school?

    I will go back to school when it is time for school. I have already made preparations for the forthcoming JAMB (pre-university) examination.

    How about your brother?

    He was very happy too.

    Last Sunday, you met Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel (Excitement beamed on her face)

    That is the church I have been attending since 2010.

    But all this while, you must have been a quiet nobody and since you usually cover your hands with a shawl, we are sure that people did not even know you had such a challenge in the church (Laughs). You gave a testimony in the 50,000-capacity auditorium. We have always thought you to be a shy person. What prompted you to give the testimony? And was that the first time you ever gave a testimony in a church?

    Yes, it was the first time I have ever given a testimony in a church. And I did it because the testimony is too big for me. In my family, we had never received such blessings from God and so, I had to do it. The bishop is always saying that if you hide your blessings or testimonies, more will not come. But that when you share it, more will come.

    That also motivated me to give the testimony. I know that naturally, I am a shy person, but I believed that God would give me the courage and when it was time, I suddenly found the courage to stand up and testify. I suddenly found the boldness.

    Bishop Oyedepo was pleasantly surprised and marvelled at your exceptional ability to use your toes to write and pass examinations

    (Laughs) Ha, that is okay.

    The Bishop actually thought you were writing with your left hand, but he later realised that it was your legs, he was so surprised that he invited you back to the altar and offered special prayers, using you as a point of contact for others who are also looking towards God for a miracle

    (Tears flooded her eyes) I don’t know what to say. I am still overwhelmed with joy. Somebody even came to meet me that the Bishop wanted my contact. So I gave the person my phone number.

    So what do you have to say to the company that has been so generous to you?

    I thank them. I am too grateful; my prayer is that God should increase this company. I have thought very well about what has suddenly happened to me and I am just too overwhelmed. This company has removed my shame; they have wiped away my tears and taken away my hardship. I am also grateful to The Nation newspaper which that started it all for me.

     

    ‘We are ready to help her fulfill her dreams’

    Mrs. Aramide Ola Edwards, Corporate Services Manager, The Biostadt Company, explains the organisation’s plans for

    Patience, in this brief chat with our reporter

    How did you get to know about Patience?

    Actually, it was the Managing Director of our organisation that saw a story about her in The Nation newspapers. He picked it up and found it very interesting. He then sent the CSO to go and make further enquiries about her and do a thorough investigation on the story. It was just like that. Nobody brought her here to make a case for her. He saw it in the newspaper like every other Nigerian and picked interest.

    The CSO went down to the school and made enquiries to ensure that the story was genuine and authentic and that was it. We decided to have a chat with the proprietress of the school for them to also confirm the story. After then, the management decided to help her, to assist in her education and welfare.

    Has your organisation been doing this before?

    Yes, it is a culture with our organisation. It is part of our corporate social responsibility. Biostadt is actually a company that cares about life generally. We are into how we can preserve life and alleviate poverty and not just about pursuing money. We are also interested in helping people, sustaining development and eradication of poverty. For us, it is a corporate social responsibility and this is not the first. Patience’s case is not the first, but it is the first of its kind because we hadn’t had somebody like that who writes with her toes.

    Do you think she will fit into your corporate setting?

    For me, meeting Patience, I saw in her a determined young woman; somebody who is ready to achieve if given an opportunity to do what every other person can do. And after meeting with her and talking with her, interestingly, everybody shares that same opinion too; the management too. This is a young girl, who with a bit of push and the right platform, will go places. I don’t think it will be difficult for her to fit into our corporate setting. Even when she arrived for work the first time, she interacted freely, introduced herself properly she was flowing. She wasn’t timid or shy or trying to cage herself in a corner. I took her to her duty place, and at lunch period, she was all by herself, mixing freely. She blended and that is exactly what we expected.

    Do you have any scheduled future plans for her?

    Yes, we do. To start with, what Patience is doing here presently is but a temporary employment. That is what her letter says, pending when she gains admission into a higher institution. Our dream is to fulfill her dream which is to go to school. She wants to read Law or Mass Communication. We have told her that she will take JAMB. Everything is boldly written in the letter. We will make her achieve her dreams, God willing. Patience is in good hands because we are a company that believes strongly in the grace of God. That is what has brought us this far.

    Can you talk briefly about your organisation?

    This is The Biostadt Company; we have been around for a long time since 1964 as Cieba Geige. Then it was just about agro products, but along the line, there were developments as and it became Syngenta; now we are Swiss Biostadt. Now, we have three major lines of business. We have agro-care, pharma-care and medi-care. Regarding each of them, we have foreign technical partners we work with, and they are big names in the industry here and abroad. And we are sole distributors for GE, for instance. We also train doctors and medical representatives on how to use some sophisticated medical equipment. We help farmers too in co-operation with the government by supplying needed chemicals to help with weeds to help crops grow well.

  • 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”.

     

  • Again, fortune smiles on hawker-parents of triplets ‘detained’ over N40,000 medical bill

    Again, fortune smiles on hawker-parents of triplets ‘detained’ over N40,000 medical bill

    •Arik Air chair opens  exotic provisions  store for them

    About two years ago, what should ordinarily have heralded joy into the lives of Babatunde Omosanya and his wife, Fatimah, brought them great agony. Reason? The couple was blessed with a set of triplets, all boys but they lacked the means to defray hospital bill.

    The management of Junick Maternity Home, Akute, Ogun State, where Fatimah was delivered of the babies, had refused to discharge the mother and the babies until the N40, 000 medical bill was paid.

    Then, the embattled Fatimah cried for help and her beleaguered husband was no less either; they had both shed hot tears for their indigent condition.

    Eight days after they were initially held, the clinic only spared the distraught couple a few minutes to christen their babies at the residence of Omosanya’s mother, where the couple had squatted. They were thereafter hurried back to the clinic where they were again ‘detained’ for days because they could not afford to pay the bill. The babies were named Nabir, Nasir and Naheem.

    Fatimah, then 25, had met Babatunde, then 30, while she was selling bottled table water and beverages in traffic at the Berger axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where her husband also sold assorted sausage rolls.

    The Nation published their pathetic story in its October 23, 2010 edition, entitled “Who’ll save us from this shame?” Their story had caught the attention of a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State. The church initially settled the controversial hospital bill but for many weeks, the couple still battled homelessness and basic needs for their children.

    Succour further came their way after the Chairman of Arik Airline, Chief Arumemi Ikhide-Johnson, upon reading their story, launched a search party for the couple in the evening of October 23, 2010.

    Apart from giving them a cash gift of N56, 000, Ikhide-Johnson also provided a tastefully furnished two-bedroom apartment on a two- year rent for the distraught couple. The rent was renewed a few months ago for another three years.

    And two years on, Ikhide-Johnson is not done yet with his kind gestures for the couple and their babies.

    On December 23, 2012, the Edo- born business man again put smiles on the face of the couple by opening a multi-million naira provision shop for them somewhere in Ojodu, Lagos State.

    When our correspondent visited the couple at their new shop on 30,Baale Street, Ojodu, Lagos State, they were full of smiles and heaped praises on their benefactor, who they have not met physically since he took pity on them two years ago.

    Fatimah said: ”We never knew that the kind-hearted man (Arik boss) was not done with us yet. Although several months ago, he had asked us to tell one of his aides, Mr. Samuel Abiola, the kind of business we would like to do and we said that we would like to sell provision items. I did not know that he did not forget his promise until he again sent Mr. Abiola to ask us to look for a shop. He gave us the sum of N752, 000 to pay for the shop’s rent and another N500, 000 to stock the shop with goods.

    “We want to thank him and his wife for all that they have done to make our life better and meaningful and we pray that he will continue to grow and excel from strength to strength.”

    Babatunde, who could not hide his joy at their new lease of life, courtesy of Chief Ikhide-Johnson, amid smiles, said: “We want to thank Chief Ikhide-Johnson for his generosity towards us. Only a few weeks ago, he renewed our rent again for another three years. He paid N600, 000 just a few days before the expiration of our initial two-year rent. He did not know us from anywhere and had not met with us, yet, he has treated us with enormous benevolence. We would particularly love to see him in person.

    “Although, we had tried to show our appreciation to the man before and we actually sent word to him, but he replied that we should not bother ourselves because he had only done what he did for the sake of our children. Instead, he sent his wife to check on our well-being. We later reliably gathered that he decided to help us after reading our story in your paper. But I believe that someday, we will surely have the opportunity of seeing him in person to say a big thank you to him.

    “There was even a particular day when I was arrested by men of the Lagos State Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) for hawking in traffic. I would have been jailed if not for the intervention of Chief Ikhide-Johnson, who on learning of my predicament asked Mr. Abiola to facilitate my release by paying the fine imposed on me. But I’ll continue to hustle because I want my wife to manage the store and take care of the babies. Whatever I am able to make from selling items in the traffic would be used to complement the profits made from the business. This would no doubt enable us to take care of the kids’ welfare because they will be starting school shortly as they are now two years and four months old. I am indeed surprised that Sir Ikhide-Johnson, a Christian, could be magnanimous to a Moslem couple like ours and it is a great lesson to those who resent people, especially the needy on the basis of religion.”

    In a rare display of humility, the Arik chairman, as gathered, had turned down the request of a ‘thank you’ visit by the couple.

    It will be recalled that in our follow-up story: “Arik Air chair lifts hawker-couple ‘detained’ over N40,000 medical bill”,  published in the issue of February 26, 2011, Ikhide-Johnson, speaking through his Personal Assistant, Mr. Samuel Abiola, had said that his gesture was purely on humanitarian grounds.

    “It’s God that has done it for them and not me. God has only used me to help them and I don’t want to make a noise of it. What I just want to tell the couple is that they should take care of the kids because they are God’s gifts and blessings. The kids should not in anyway be traded for their needs.

    “My chairman (Arumemi Ikhide-Johnson), after reading The Nation on a Saturday where the story was published, instructed me to locate the whereabouts of the couple to ascertain the veracity of the story. He actually gave me a copy of the newspaper in the evening and I set out on the journey.We arrived at their residence and the rest is now history. But since then, my chairman has not ceased asking after the couple and the wellbeing of their kids.”

    In the follow-up story, Babatunde had cried out for job assistance in order to sustain his family following the free accommodation provided by the Arik boss.

    He said:” While we cannot but appreciate God for this kind of help that we have received from someone we did not know, I must say that we need jobs to keep body and soul together. For now, the paltry N400 I make on a daily basis from hawking sausage rolls is not enough to feed myself, let alone my wife and three kids. The items are given to me on credit, leaving me with a narrow profit margin.”

    Fate had brought the couple together in a rather strange way. Babatunde, a native of Itoko, Abeokuta, Ogun State, who finished his secondary education at Ogba Grammar School, Ikeja, Lagos State, in 2001 lost his father when he was barely five years old, while Fatimah, an indigene of Kwara State, lost both parents at the tender age of two.

    She relocated to Lagos after completing her education at Banni Community Secondary School, Ilorin, in 2003 to stay with her maternal aunt, who is now late. She had initially wanted to proceed in her education but for lack of sponsors, hence, she resorted to hawking on the highway, selling bottled water and beverages at the Berger axis of Lagos-Ibadan Highway. There, she incidentally met Babatunde, who also sells assorted sausage rolls. Both fell in love and it subsequently resulted in pregnancy.

     

  • The metamorphosis of Indian Ayuba, The Nation girl

    The metamorphosis of Indian Ayuba, The Nation girl

    When the first of the series on the 13-year-old Indian Ayuba was published on Saturday, August 22, 2009, it began like any other story. Three years on, the story of Indian has not stopped inspiring Nigerians. Now preparing for the Junior Secondary School examination, Indian is bent on living her dream. But will that dream become a reality? EVELYN OSAGIE asks.

    Like any other 13-year-old, fair-skinned Indian Ayuba had a unique pastime. Locked in a remote and serene village of Chessu, Nasarawa State, she would often sit on a chair in front of her maternal grandfather’s red mud-bungalow and dream on, perhaps, of a beautiful future.

    This was her preferred pastime, especially if she is not caring for her mother, Esther, or helping out in the farm. So huge were her dreams that she was somewhat afraid to share them. The most gargantuan of those dreams was her becoming a medical doctor which was merely a wishful thinking at the time. And another huge ambition was to have a future in which she would be able to give her mentally-challenged mother a better life. “With God’s help, I would like to be a doctor because I want to make people okay. And I would one day take care of and heal my mother,” she had said when asked what she would like to be in future.

    And so began the unique enduring love story between a 13-year-old and her mother. Published in The Nation on Saturday, August 22, 2009, it literarily stole the hearts of thousands of Nigerians within and outside the country. Three years on, the story has run in over 10 series and has shown what can be accomplished when people set to achieve great feats.

    Today, what was merely wishful thinking three years ago is gradually becoming a reality as Nigerians moved to sponsor her education. An account was opened for this purpose and a welfare board made up of notable Nigerians like the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi and the Otun Olubadan of Ibadan, Chief Omowale Kuye, among others, was established. The management of The Nation thanks Nigerians for their continuous show of concern towards Indian and her mother. Keen observers hope that the government in all strata of governance will take social security of the Nigerian child very seriously.

    On her part, from day one, Indian had shown great commitment to her dream of a better future. When many thought she would not be able to make the school’s entrance examination and the interview that followed, owing to her educational background, she scaled through both. To brush her up, she was put on extramural classes. But the lapse in educational foundation still showed up as she had to repeat in her first year. Undaunted, she kept alive her dream, going home every holiday to be with her mother and family.

    Three years on, Indian has now become a different personality. She has changed from being a naïve and timid village girl to a sharp and outspoken one. Before entering school, she could not make a complete sentence in English. Today, not only does she speak the language fluently, she now reads novels and motivational books to help her. Her favourite’s is the story of the great motivator, America’s famous neurosurgeon Ben Carson to whom she seems to share a lot with.

    It was a bubbling Indian that this reporter met in school before the Yuletide break. She had glint in her eyes as she talked about her mentor. Hear her: “I am inspired by Ben Carson’s story; from the dullest he became the best. When he was small, people did not believe he would make it because he failed several times when he was in primary school. When his mother saw that he was failing, she made him and his brother read books and believe in their ability. Today, he is a doctor. I read his story in his book, Think Big, which I bought for N500, after our Principal had told us about it. And from it, I learnt that it does not matter what one is today, but through hard work, one can become great tomorrow. And that means that I can make it too, if I read my books. Carson became a medical doctor because he became focused on his studies with his mother’s help. I also learnt that I should ‘think big’ and be smart. I will buy his other book, Gifted Hands, because his story is interesting.”

    She said she was gearing up for the first term examination, saying: “Aunty, we are all reading for our exams because we don’t want to fail.” She also seized the moment to show off some inspiring quotes she has learnt, adding: “I always remember the ‘P-5’ as I work.”

    “And what is this ‘P-5’,” she was asked. “P-5 is Proper planning prevents poor performance,” she laughed feeling nice with herself for having something to teach others.

    Her form teacher, Mrs Anna Agushaka, impressed with Indian’s determination, spoke passionately about it. “Indian is trying. She is willing to learn. All she needs is encouragement and she picks up challenges. If you challenge her, she listens and puts more effort. The last term in my test, she came 21st position, but this term, she came 14th position. And I have told her she has to sit up. And I believe she can do better,” she said.

    Bursting with excitement, Indian took the reporter to her hostel with permission from the authority and showed off her corner and her friends. Her mates watched with kin interest as she escorted the reporter to her hostel, perhaps their interest was aroused because it was the first time the reporter would ever enter the hostel with Indian. Bubbly Indian seemed to savour the moment. She went on about school, her work and filling the reporter in on all she has missed, especially during the school’s open day.

    “Aunty, do you know some people used to cry during our open day if their parents don’t come to visit them? I don’t cry o,” she said.

    “And why don’t you cry?” she was asked. “Because I know that where you stay is far and you are very busy. And even if I cry, it won’t bring you just like that and I know you would always come to see me later. So, I focus on my studies instead of crying. But I miss you sometimes o,” she replied.

    “I miss you too,” the reporter replied.

    “I am happy you understand that I cannot come often to see you because of the distance and work. And I cannot because I may not always have the money to come as much I would want to,” the reporter added while Indian nodded her head to indicate understanding.

    As they passed by a big tree in the middle of the hostel, she said: “We are afraid of that tree because of the shape.” On getting to her corner, it became obvious why she was willing to show off. It was neatly dressed with everything arranged in its place. Impressed by her show of neatness, the school’s matron, Mrs Bridget John, said of the trait: “She is not only respectful but also very neat. She does not like any stain on her. She would come to me if there is any stain she cannot deal with and I would tell her what to do.”

    As the visit came to an end, Indian promised she would not only put in her best in her forthcoming examination but read hard for the Junior Secondary School (JSS) examination while courting the reporter to get her a beautiful dress as Christmas gift for the reward of hard work.

    As the year comes to a close, it is not yet Uhuru for this 16-year-old dreamer; a lot still needs to be done to give her the future of her dreams. The money in her account may not be enough to see her through the education of her dream.

    The bank account is still open for donations. The account, First Bank Plc, Ilupeju, Lagos branch has the account name: Indian Ayuba Trust with account number: 2013716583.

    However, it is not yet bed time for the story. Follow the story soon as this reporter goes in search of her father again and presents an update on her mother.

     

  • New  global strategies and economic realignment

    Nothing  illustrates what I have in mind today better  than two diplomatic   shuttles  involving the President of the US Barak Obama, his Secretary of State Hillary Clinton   and the continent of Asia in recent times. While  US President  Barak Obama was facing the heat of  his election campaign and reelection,  his Secretary  of State  Hillary Clinton was on  a diplomatic shuttle in Asia  and was  very assertive  in Burma. Immediately after  President Obama secured his re – election   he followed his Secretary of State again  to Asia to the Summit of South East Asian nations and  still   to Burma  where  both removed their shoes as they worshipped in a  temple with their hosts.

    Around the same time as these shuttles,  the Israeli air force was shelling  Gaza,  while Hamas was shooting rockets into Israel. Yet,  it was only after Obama and Hillary had  completed their assignment in Asia that Hillary headed to Israel and the Gaza Strip while the US president went back to the White House in Washington. Yet,   Israel  has not changed as the cornerstone of the US Middle East Foreign Policy.  A few years back, it would have been unthinkable for a US Secretary of State to be in the Pacific while Israel was being attacked and was indeed contemplating a  land invasion not to talk of a US president talking business with China, Thailand and Japan while Israel was on a high security alert.

    But  times have changed and I can imagine Barack Obama chuckling   quietly to himself as he recalled the response of a  former British PM  Lord  Palmerstone to his attackers in the House of Commons on the charge that he was creating colonies overseas  for Britain at the start  of what was to become the Colonial era  for Britain. ’I have brought  a new world into existence to  redress  the  balance of  the old‘ – was  Lord Palmerstone’s historic response  in the Commons and I think that would be a very apt  retort by Obama  and Hillary to any charge of having abandoned Israel   under attack; and I can bet there will be no shortage of such charges in the foreseeable future.

    Undoubtedly the US president is changing US diplomatic landscape and policy and is doing it in a big way that even his opponents must concede has made a triumph of his first option of making diplomacy work. It  is pertinent to recall that he was given the Nobel Prize for this just after he had only made the Cairo Speech  just  as he was elected for his first   term. I  confess  that  I was one of those who thought he had not done enough then  to earn  the Nobel  prize. But now after the Asian shuttle preceded by the Spring Revolution in N Africa and the exit of the Arab despots, Obama is really now earning his Nobel Prize.

    Before  going on to dilate on Obama’s Asian trip let me shed more light on the role of Lord Palmerstone in British diplomacy during the reign of Queen Victoria. Lord Palmerstone was disliked by the British monarch because Palmerstone thought Britain should use its  power to expand its empire overseas and in pursuing this policy Palmerstone  created embarrassing moments for the  monarchy. This was because  the monarchy  believed the government should be more active in curbing the  rebellious activities of those asking for republicanism in Europe as Queen Victoria and her consort  Prince Albert were cousins to many of the ruling houses in Europe  instead   of   expanding the Empire as Palmerstone was more interested in. But Lord Palmerstone was  a  popular politician of his time and the Queen found it difficult to sack him. Palmerstone became Secretary at War in 1809 and served  for 20 years  under  five PMs  and was also Foreign Secretary   which was when he made the famous quotation,   before he too  became PM in 1855  at age 70.

    Hillary Clinton to me is  to the US President Barak  Obama what Palmerstone was to Queen Victoria. The difference is that there  is no hostility between the US duo  unlike their British counterpart and the US and its business interests are the better for it. At  a time when the EU, America’s natural and historic economic partner is comatose economically, Asia provides a life line for new business and investment for American firms and corporate business giants. Hence Obama’s  swift visit to a meetng of the South East Asian nations involving nations like China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and so  on in Canbodia. At  the meeting President Obama met outgoing Chinese leader Wu Jia Bao and had a farewell meeting as it were  with the Chinese leader who confirmed that US- Chinese business relations had never been better and that the good business will continue under China’s new leaders.

    Hillary also  had blazed a trail in getting the military in  Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi  the Burmese political icon who had been under  house arrest for decades after winning the fairest election in the history of her nation. Suu Kyi is to Burma what the illustrious Nelson Mandela has been to S Africa, and the whole world, the epitome of freedom and the unbreakable spirit of  human dignity.   Unbelievably the military junta released her and allowed her party to contest  elections into parliament even though military appointees are in majority in the new Burmese parliament. Hillary’s diplomatic shuttle have been rewarded by the military who have relaxed some of their dictatorial policies  in Burma and even though the military is still in control,  Obama’s visit was to encourage the military to move towards democracy. However  Suu Kyi herself warned that the journey is long and people must not be complacent or have a false sense of accomplishment now so as not to be deceived eventually.

    Nigeria too is not to  be left behind in the quest of seeking new partners and  business realignments  for  national and global  economic survival. President Goodluck Jonathan was on the front page of newspapers on Thursday showing his arrival  at the Benazir Bhutto  International Airport in Pakistan‘s capital Islamabad,  for a meeting  of the D 8 nations hosted by Nigeria in 2010. According to the Nigerian president’s address on the internet,  he thanked the host of the Summit President Asif Zardari of Pakistan to whom he handed over the Chairmanship in Abuja two years ago. According to President Jonathan,  Nigeria values its membership of the D8 as a platform  for economic cooperation  and promotion of trade for sustainable development and welcomes investment in the country from member D 8 nations. President Jonathan noted that Nigeria has been very active in hosting many meetings of  D 8   and values   the goals of solidarity and joint and joint trade and commerce inherent in the association. To build on these gains President Jonathan said that Nigeria  and the Islamic Republic of Iran have jointly hosted the Working Group Meeting  on Small and Medium Enterprises –SMEs –which are vital to the growth of the G8 economies.

    The  D 8 nations are made up of  nations with a large Muslim  population and include host Pakistan, last host Nigeria, Turkey, Egypt, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Iran. Egypt is not attending as President Mohammed Morsi is staying put in Cairo to monitor the Israeli – Hamas feud over Gaza  and the testy ceasefire that came into effect last Tuesday. Aside from this however Egypt just  got a huge loan from the IMF for its migration to full blown democracy,  stemming from the Arab Spring and the Tahrir Square Street revolution that overthrew the Housni Mubarak regime,  and may not be that hungry for D 8  businesses.

    In addition there is the danger of being seen as hobnobbing with Iran which has UN sanctions round its neck over its Nuclear Uranium enrichment program, a fact which does not seem to bother the Nigerian president very much. In  addition Egypt does not support the Bashar Assad regime in Syria firmly supported by Iran in suppressing the popular uprising in Syria against the Assad dynasty. Surely political and diplomatic issues as well as regional differences still color pragmatic economic instincts by nations as they forge alliances and realign  economic  strategies to make ends meet in a fast changing world.

  • Better Life, leaders and fights

    The  People’s desire for a better life is what we shall fight for‘ – That was a statement in the speech the newly unveiled Chinese leader Xi Jinping used to introduce himself to the  world last Thursday after a closed door one week meeting  of the ruling Communist Party of China in Beinjing  the Chinese capital.   Obviously having in mind the flamboyant and highly competitive US elections of November 6, the Chinese newspaper ‘The China Daily‘ in its editorial this week noted  defensively   though    that‘’ the ostensible lack of drama throughout  the whole week may disappoint sensation seekers. But  the confidence in continuity instead of revolutionary ideas and dramatic approaches  means a better tomorrow is attainable‘.

    In  addition to  promising to fight for a better life Chinese Leader Xi said corruption too must be addressed and better party discipline was needed. According to Xi, – ‘the party faces  many challenges and there are also many pressing problems within the party that need to be resolved  particularly corruption, being divorced from the people, going through formalities and bureaucracy caused by some  party officials. We  must make efforts to solve these problems. The Party   must stay alert.‘

    Let  me start by saying that  Xi  Jinping  too is  a man of the world who is a 59 year old Chemical engineer married to a well known singer wife in China  with a daughter and he  has worked briefly in a farm in the US in 1985. So the stereotype of Chinese leaders being commonly dull,  conservative and immersed in revolutionary ideas all the time like Mao,  is just not realistic.

    We shall therefore analyse Xi’s message in global terms and compare it  with other ‘fights’ or wars in other places and sectors on the global scene to learn a few lessons from China’s brand of democracy which many western socio political analysts pore scorn on because of its massive dictatorial content and  one party  political  structure.

    Undoubtedly China’s outgoing President Hu Jintao led China to stupendous growth over the last decade resulting in the elimination of Japan as the world’s second largest economy. But then corruption grew spirally and environmental matters led to disasters requiring massive state bailouts and interventions.

    Xi  has therefore made the right sounds for the Chinese masses in taking over. Also the media is in tune given the editorial of the China Daily mentioned before. But the key elements of Xi‘s speech in fighting for a better life for the Chinese people are anti – corruption crusade, transparency, keeping in touch with the people, removal of red tape in business and development,  party  discipline and   above all security. The  Chinese leader’s message is loud and clear – the party must be alert because there are forces out there in China wondering why a party made up of just 80m party members should rule on behalf of a billion people. So the Communist Party must  be alert so that it is not dethroned prematurely or unexpectedly  by such dissidents.

    Party leaders and members must toe party lines and  obey  orders for the party to survive and maintain its grip on power. Discipline in the Chinese sense is for the party so it can stay ahead of the larger society in terms of political power and control. Party members too are enjoined to stay closer to the people so as to know if they are happy or not and to note their complaints before  they become explosive and threaten the status quo which is the continuous dominance and sovereignty of the Communist Party in China. So  in very few words Xi  has rephrased  or adopted Confucianism  the political and administrative ideology of the  Chinese  sage Confucius  in a communist setting in modern China that will surely make Mao Tse Tung – the founder of Revolutionary China founded  in 1949 – green with envy in his grave  .Confucius was a Chinese philosopher, editor and politician who lived  between 551  and479 BCE during a period called the Spring and Autumn of Chinese history.

    His theories had a ding dong battle with acceptability in Chinese history but  over time have come to be recognized  globally as a sine qua non for good corporate governance and political management. Confucianism emphasized personal and governmental  morality, correctness  of social relationships,  justice  and sincerity- all of which the new Chinese leader Xi  really hammered home as the guiding principle of the new Chinese administration. Which really is  a good take off for a communist regime that is more known for its taciturnity and secretive nature,  rather than a   culture  of carrying its people along  on its policies or style of governance.

    It  is this Chinese style of governance that we have to compare albeit rather briefly  with other methods of economic and political management that revolve around events in Mali, the US,  and Nigeria in the last week. With regard to Mali, ECOWAS  has raised a military contingent of 3000 with soldiers drawn from Nigeria, Niger and Burkina Fasso whose President Blaise Compraore is the main negotiator with the rebels. But the military contingent is doomed to fail before it has even started. Some critics have asked it not to wait for UN  approval before taking off as that would delay it and snuff out its resolve as the UN in recent times   according to them, has not done anything right.

    They  point to its human rights irritants in the Congo that has had Uganda and Rwanda vowing not to contribute their soldiers to any UN controlled forces in the region. Worse still, the AU official in charge of the Mali contingent is reported as saying that negotiation is still an option with the contingent. So of what use  is the land armada  that is  meant to drive out the Mali Occupiers who are  said to have forced girls into prostitution in northern Mali  and concscripted boys in   their area of occupation into the   their  Islamist  army as boy soldiers?

    ECOWAS  should therefore make up its mind to see the intervention project through using  its own resources and control and utilizing the advantage of proximity to the problem area as well as intimate knowledge of the environment of conflict. It  was therefore  nice hearing that French President  Francois Hollande  has promised French help in terms of logistics  and training stressing that France will not contribute any military force to the Mali contingent. ECOWAS really  must have the stomach to fight to free Mali and stop a dangerous precedent in its region and it can not  do this by behaving like the  proverbial cat that wants to eat fish from a pond without getting its paws wet as it seems   to be doing right now over its preparations for intervention  as at this week.

    In  the US the reelected President Barak Obama  is trying to implement the manifesto that got him elected which is to raise taxes and make  spending  cuts and analysts have said he is trying to take the US over a cliff which really is frightening. But then he got elected for promising to raise taxes  while Mitt Romney was  given the cold shoulder for promising to cut taxes for the rich. Even though Obama has promised to negotiate with the Legislature and give way on other bills like Medicare later,  he has insisted  that the rich will be taxed  while the middle class will get tax relief.

    So  what kind of fight is Obama in to give the American people a better life like the new Chinese leader just promised his people? It  is to me a fight to  help the poor in the US no matter the odds against  his economy policies derided as Obamanomics by his opponents who invented the over the cliff terminology to create  fear that raising taxes followed by spending cuts will lead to a  US recession which would balloon into another global  economic crisis similar to the global meltdown that started in 2008;  leading to further spending by governments to bail out banks and industries  as  was done post the 2008 financial  crisis.

    In  Nigeria we shall  look  at the leadership provision of a better  life for its people syndrome in the context  of the utterances of  a Nigerian regional body the Arewa Consultative Forum  and others   as well as those of the only Nigerian leader who has ruled the nation as both a military and civilian leader, former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Arewa in speaking was trying to make its contribution to our constitutional  review  process and the body which speaks for the north said that corruption should be visited with execution. Incidentally China punishes corruption with execution of those found guilty and has no remorse over that.

    Really I buy the argument of Arewa as the punishment of death could be a powerful deterrent for potential culprits to think twice before enriching their personal purses at the expense of the paying public.  General Obasanjo too spoke in the same vein as Arewa although he did not specify capital punishment but he berated the present administration  for not tackling corruption sufficiently and for treating the Boko Haram terror with kid gloves. So  that is putting both corruption and security on the priority list of any leader who wants to fight  to create a better life for Nigerians.

    Obasanjo went on to  accuse Nigerian politicians as lacking discipline in that after elections they throw away the manifesto that they used to campaign and upon which they were elected to power. Which is the opposite  of what  Obama  is trying to do, willy nilly in the US,  as it is unthinkable that he   would abandon his campaign promises and ever  renege on them even though he cannot contest for the office of president again.

    At  another forum Obasanjo revealed that he was under pressure  as president to rig an incumbent state  governor out of office,  but he resisted the pressure to ask a residential electoral officer to achieve that sinister design. But  was the pressure from within his party or without and what punishment was meted out to those who  dared to moot such an   idea to an  incumbent  president? At  another forum,  the Chairman of  INEC Professor Attahiru Jiga announced that  he has evidence that political parties  vote money for post election litigations and money to bribe INEC officials and that is why such litigations are rife and are the bane of our brand of democracy because there is money available as budgeted.

    That  means that the INEC boss has more fights  to fight to get our electoral act right.  Which  also  shows  that the electoral process or its  monitoring should not be limited to campaigns and elections alone,  but to  close and constant  scrutiny of the books and  even minutes of party meetings to nip such acts in the bud. But is that possible or acceptable in a democratic society? Undoubtedly one needs a long spoon to dine with the devil in politics. But in the quest to provide a better life for the people one   leads,  certain  steep   prices have to be paid, as eternal vigilance is truly the price of liberty   and   of course democracy in  any nation, especially a big one like our own Nigeria.

  • ‘I’ve learnt to adjust to life in Nigeria’

    ‘I’ve learnt to adjust to life in Nigeria’

    Juliet Esiri, CEO of Okin Arewa Beauty Centre, is one of the top-most make-up artists and headgear specialists in the UK where she lived for about 20 years. Recently, the beauty specialist partially relocated to Nigeria to reconnect with her roots as well as to share her expertise in the beauty and style sector with her compatriots. She spoke to a group of journalists at her newly opened beauty centre in Surulere, Lagos, where she bared her mind on the new trends in beauty and skin care, life abroad, coping with life in Nigeria, what motivated her into make-up artist and other issues. PATIENCE SADUWA, Assistant Editor, was there. Excerpts:

     

    MY name is Juliet Esiri. I’m from Delta State. I’ve been away for a long time, I have been abroad, precisely in the UK. I’m now back in the country. Previously, I used to come to Nigeria often, visiting like three times a year. I’m the CEO of Okin Arewa. Let me explain something about the name of my company. When I was brainstorming for a name, I wanted something with an African heritage. Though it has nothing to do with my tribe but I could say I’m a citizen of Yorubaland as I was born and bred in Ibadan. I speak Yoruba as a first language- I read and write in Yoruba. On the name, Okin is a peacock and it’s a beautiful bird. I love it so much and I could sit and watch it all day. It’s an outstanding bird- classy and walks elegantly. It opens up its wings elegantly. You can’t see the peacock misbehaving. Since I wanted something with an African heritage and I have an English name, I needed something different. Arewa is a beautiful woman in Yoruba. And I deal with women and I believe everywoman is beautiful.

     

    How the business started

    I started with make-up and head-ties. I’ve always loved make-up from a very young age. I feed on magazines and was always in touch with the latest trends.

    I went to make up school and I qualified as a make-up artiste. But before then, friends encouraged me to do that because they saw the passion in me, what I do, though I was not doing it as business.

    The break-through really was at a party in London. It was my pastor’s 50th birthday. I was helping a lady tie her gele, because we did aso-ebi. And at a point in time, I stood up and there was a queue of ladies and some were saying, “Where are you, there’s a lady tying gele here!” That day, I did almost 95 percent of the head ties at that party. It got to a stage that my friend came to drag me away, that I had to stop as I was there to enjoy the party, not tie gele for people.

    When I got home that night, it was like the Lord was speaking to me that ‘if you had charged for the head-ties that day, how much would you have made?’ I really had no idea. So, I started making enquiries.

    I contacted this guy in America whom I met at a party. His name is Segun Gele. I told him I had finished from make-up school and I wanted to know how to tie gele. He said it was fine. I travelled all the way to Houston, Texas to be trained by him. I happened to be his first student.

    Since then, I’ve created a brand for myself in the UK so that when people see my work, they will say, ‘that’s Juliet Esiri’s gele!’ Though, today I’ve trained so many people and reborn myself in the UK, you can still see the signature look in my work. I thank God for that.

     

    Experience living abroad

    My experience abroad has been fine actually. But when I clocked ten years, I started feeling home-sick. I love living in the UK, but maybe because I’m getting older, I feel the need to come back home. But my kids are right now in the UK but once they set foot in Nigeria, I will say that is it. What I missed most about Nigeria is the food. I love amala and gbegiri. I can eat amala three times a day with ewedu and gbegiri soup. You know I’m an Ibadan girl. I was born and bred in Ibadan, though I’m Urhobo by tribe from Delta State. I also love ponmo a lot.

     

    Schooling and working life

    I went to London Metropolitan University and studied Law. After that, I worked, then did another degree in Social Work and became a social worker, working in mental health with the NHS. That’s another area I’m passionate about. I was a support worker.

    From when I qualified, it’s been seven years since I started as a make-up artist. I will say even though I’m not making money, I enjoy what I do. When you enjoy what you do, you don’t see anything bad in it. But I was never out of job in the UK. Even when I was coming to Nigeria to set up this place, there were some clients who were begging me to stay for another two weeks for their events. So, it’s a very lucrative business. Since I have always wanted to be on top of my game, I ensure every year, I go for refresher classes to see what’s in town, what’s the new trend, what’s happening. About five years ago, I did a refresher course with Banke Meshida as I believe in training. Right now, the industry is highly saturated in Nigeria but I believe in quality. So, even when it’s saturated, your clients will be loyal to you. We have billions of women and they all want to look good.

     

    New thing in the beauty business in Nigeria

    Before I came to set this up, I did my research. I have brides that will tell me ‘oh I’m going to have my massage, facials and teeth whitening done.’ These are the things I’ve brought in. Here is a one stop-centre. The teeth whitening is a new thing I’ve brought in. I’m a qualified, certified dental technician and I’m offering the service here. I deliberately introduced teeth whitening because of my brides because some of them often miss appointments as they have to see their dentists. But it’s not just for brides- I’ve done some for guys as well.

    When I was working in the UK, I wasn’t into other body services but here you can come for your make-up, body polish, teeth whitening, among others. My services are affordable compared to what I charge in the UK. I’ve made my services affordable for the average Nigerian.

    On the skin lightening, we use herbal products for the facials and the skin. I’m against hydroquinone because of the damage it does to the skin. Some brides want to lighten up a bit, maybe they’ve lost their colour. And there are no side effects with herbal products with natural ingredients like carrots, papaya and so on. It’s not black skin alone I work on. I also do Caucasian skin as well. I’ve done make-up for them too including working for a Vogue magazine shoot. I actually trained for Caucasian skin before I started working on black skin.

     

    Coping with life in Nigeria

    Anyway, I’m a Nigerian, so that’s not a problem. Anywhere I am, I tend to adapt easily. In my house, when the light goes off, I switch off the generator at midnight so I can save some diesel. I took the okada once or twice because I wanted to have a feel of what’s like. I’ve also taken the three-wheeler or keke. I told a friend with me to take my picture so I could put it on my face book page. So, I adapt easily. When I’m back in the UK, I will adapt also. And when in Nigeria, I can sit down and drink garri with groundnut.

     

    Leisure time

    When I’m not working, I relax at home. I’m a very homely person. I love movies, especially Nollywood films. I can stay and watch movies till I get knocked off by sleep. Once in a while, I take my kids to the cinema to watch movies. I also like to eat out a lot.

    For sports, I used to play basketball, but now I swim. I love swimming.

     

    Coping with life as a working mother

    I’m blessed with a very good mother. My mother has been my support with the children. Right now, she’s in the UK with the kids. She’s a very strict disciplinarian. The things they get away with, with me, they can’t get away with her. So, they are in good, safe hands. I speak to them every morning before they go to school and I also call them at night, every day. That’s our routine.

    Sense of style

    I’m a very simple person when it comes to dressing. Once in a while, we do aso-ebi and do this flamboyant style stuff but I like to be simple as possible. I love my jeans and my top.

     

    Nigerian women and fashion

    We are highly fashionable. Don’t say the African woman. It’s the Nigerian woman that’s fashionable, because other people from Africa look up to us and copy our style. We have the Zimbabweans, Kenyans and others who tie gele and do the pele now. They wrap it round their heads; I see them at parties in the UK. When you say you are Nigerian, they exclaim: ‘Oh, Nigerian!’ When they come to our parties, they just watch us. We are truly blessed in this country.

     

    Connection with the Royal Ascot race in the UK

    It’s an annual race course in the UK that attracts a lot of important personalities including the Queen of England. It was established by the royals and there’s a dress code. The ladies dress gorgeously and there’s a lot of competition, especially with the hats. The men also dress in formal clothes like suits. I thought what can we do as Africans that would make us stand out at this event? I organised some ladies and told them about my vision. I also discussed with Ben TV that I would love us as Nigerians to go to the Ascot. That I would do the head-ties.

    About ten of us went. I did some fantastic head-ties that mimicked the hats with fascinators and feathers. I tell you, the reception was fantastic, the way they received us and all that. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was fantastic. It was shown on Ben TV. I did it for three years and it was a success. We didn’t do it this year as we didn’t start planning on time and there was so much going on in the UK during the summer. But I hope to do it next year.

     

    Best accessories

    I used to love gold as a young girl but as I got older, I fell in love with coral. Now, I’m very prudent with my spending so I don’t buy expensive jewelry. I just go for something simple and elegant. But I love wristwatches; I’m a wristwatch freak. I love Rolex and Cartier. I used to use Longines as well. I’m not a designer freak when it comes to clothes. If you open my wardrobe, you won’t see designer stuff there. I love quality things. But I don’t believe I have to carry a £10,000 bag to look good. But if you give me one, I will carry it!

     

    Ideal man

    My husband is my ideal man. He’s the man who will support my vision and dream, will encourage me to go out and achieve whatever I want to. That’s my ideal man.