The Nation Newspaper

Category: Review

  • Motivation Magazine honours Dr Munroe

    Motivation Magazine honours Dr Munroe

    Motivation Magazine, a magazine with special slants on inspiration, self successful tips, education and special event, published by the young award winning, Events Manager, Motivational speaker and Media Consultant, Love Idoko, has unveiled its 15th edition of the magazine. The new edition is a special dedication to the memory of Dr. Myles Munroe, the Motivational speaker, Prolific writer, and senior pastor Bahamas Faith Ministries, who passed away 9th November; 2014, with his darling wife, Ruth in a plane crash.

    Previous editions of the magazine has featured great personalities like the Chief Executive Officer of GEMSTONE, Fela Durotoye,  National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control,(NAFDAC) Director General, Dr. Paul Orhii, Respected preacher and Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Pastor Paul Enenche, the Akwa Ibom state Governor, Godswill Akpabio  and American televangelist and Senior Pastor of the Wisdom Center, Dr. Mike Murdock. Celebrities that have featured in the magazine include, actress, Jackie Appiah, music act, T.Y Bello, and Kefee among others.

    Love Idoko, the Publisher/Editor-in-chief of the Motivation Magazine which is enjoying widespread acceptance and patronage in the country and also selling in Ghana, while speaking on the new edition of the magazine said, “this edition is rich and all encompassing. I believe the content will as always inspire many to maximize their potentials and as well live productive lives”.

    Love Idoko is the daughter of the late Chief Judge of Benue State. Hon. Justice Alhassan Idoko.

    The new edition of the magazine also features exclusive pictures of Nollywood veteran, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, on the celebration of her 20th anniversary in the industry. Mike Murdock also shares some secrets to success in the year 2015; and relationship tips for ladies and many other interesting educating columns.

  • ANA condemns persecution of Sudanese writers

    Nigeria’s largest writers body, the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), has condemned dissolution of the Sudanese Writers Union [SWU].

    It decried the action of the Government of the Republic of Sudan, in which acting through the Ministry of Culture, forcibly dissolved the Sudanese Writers Union [SWU], with cultural activities banned in the run up to local elections.

    According to a statement signed by ANA Publicity Secretary (North), Mr Richard Ali, the association described the act as “gross violation of human rights guaranteed by international law”, stating it has followed a pattern of interference in the activities of writers and intellectuals by the Government of Sudan.

    It read: “It would be recalled that the activities of the Sudanese Writers Union were banned for a sixteen year period and were only reorganised as recently as 2006. We condemn the persecution of our brothers and sisters in the Sudan categorically. The Association of Nigerian Authors states that the actions of the Government of Sudan are entirely unacceptable and the Association of Nigerian Authors stands firmly in solidarity with the Sudanese Writers Union in this time of censorship and oppression.”

    Describing the contributions of Sudanese writers as priceless, ANA raised fears over after effect such censorship on the literary and cultural heritage of the polity.

    “As the largest writers body on the continent, founded by Chinua Achebe, and currently with 28 chapters and over 5000 members in and outside Nigeria, ANA is committed to nurturing development through Creativity and the provision of spaces for the intercourse of ideas. We are fully aware of the contributions of Sudanese writers, including voices like Tayeb Salih, Taban lo Liyong and Leila Aboulela, to the literary and cultural heritage of Sudan and African peoples. This priceless credibility is grossly harmed by the Government of Sudan’s unfortunate attempt at censorship and the muzzling of free speech and of the creative imagination,” it stated further.

  • A tale of youthful passion, liberation

    A tale of youthful passion, liberation

    Title: The Virtuous Woman

    Reviewer: Lindsay Barrett

    Author: Zaynab Alkali

    Publisher: Longman, Nigeria

     

    This novella tells a story about young people in a manner meant for young readers. While it is a minor work in terms of its brevity and focus it is also a profoundly touching morality tale that raises pertinent issues about the perceptions and social values of youth in Northern Nigeria. Zaynab Alkali writes with a didactic commitment to delivering a message that makes her work sometimes almost tract-like in its form. However her finely balanced use of English prose, and a descriptive sensibility that is almost poetic in its intensity, overcomes this tendency. Her tale is not merely believable but also enlightening. In the opening sections of the work she presents the territorial setting with a flavour of recollection that brings the situation that she depicts alive with immediacy. Her character sketches of individuals who are incidental to the central focus of the tale and her dramatic characterisations of the main personalities are exquisitely drawn. This gives resonance to what might otherwise be regarded as a somewhat episodic narrative. An impressive example of this quality informs the depiction of the relationship between the tragically lame heroine Nana Ai and her aged grandfather Baba Sani.

    Nana Ai’s early childhood as an abandoned juvenile deprived of parental care but nurtured by the old patriarch in a rudimentarily serviced rural hamlet is symbolic of trials that seem fated to overtake her in adulthood. Alkali uses subtle observations and forthright critical comments on the social mores of the society that she is depicting to set the scene against which she builds a story of hope and change. Nana Ai gains a dramatic opportunity for transformation of her circumstances when she wins a scholarship to attend the Government Girls School in a distant town. This opportunity is coveted for their own children by the elite members of the community. Nana Ai’s deserving victory in gaining the scholarship is an example of regulatory probity that is all too rare in the society at large. Having achieved this rare feat therefore the challenge that faces the young girl is how to bring about the fulfilment of all the dreams that such an opportunity promises. The main body of the tale narrates the journey that she must undertake in the company of her friends Laila and Hajjo to reach the school in a city down south. This becomes an odyssey of fateful events.

    In confronting this challenge the flowering of her youthful dreams is symbolised in the awakening of her womanhood as she encounters Bello, a young man set on the same path to academic promise as her. Bello’s social station and worldly experience is relatively superior to hers but his gentlemanly demeanour and candour in his interaction with her on the journey towards the future is portrayed by the author as the epitome of propriety. Again in the narration of this encounter the author seems to be propagating a code of conduct based on principles of behaviour established by tradition rather than by genuine human intercourse. She tempers this conservatism with the build-up of adventurous incidents that abound on the journey from the North to the Southern city that serves not only as the real destination of her educational odyssey but also as the promised land of her intellectual liberation. This subtle formulaic setting gives the simple tale a resonance that strengthens its worth as a literary achievement. Along the way Nana Ai must reject the improper advances of some people in authority whose conduct is symptomatic of the rot and decay that has created the moral deficiency that her hunger for education is meant to overcome. The rejection of immorality is also the context in which the awakening of her attraction to Bello becomes relevant.

    An important element of this tale is, as we have mentioned before, the importance given to the depiction of incidental characters. This becomes even more important in moving the tale forward in the narrative about the journey as the protagonists encounter their fellow passengers in a lorry, some of whom are doomed to perish in a ghastly road accident along the way. In the end this is a story of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Nana Ai awakens a compassion and understanding in Bello that rejects pity and embraces the value of mutual respect.

  • Policemen occupy Ibadan ‘forest of horror’

    Policemen occupy Ibadan ‘forest of horror’

    •Oyo to shelter mentally-ill

    Policemen from the Oyo State Police Command and the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja, have taken over the Soka “forest of horror” in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The FCID team, which includes forensic experts, arrived in the state last Friday.

    Residents are prevented from going near the crime scene to enable the police carry out their investigation undisturbed.

    When our reporter visited the scene yesterday, he was politely advised to keep a distance and was not allowed to speak with any personnel.

    Mechanics whose workshops are close to the scene were sacked by the policemen and the street was deserted, but for the security agents.

    The State Security Council met yesterday to discuss the discovery of the kidnappers’ den and how to curb crime.

    The meeting was presided over by Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

    The council assured residents that the operators of the “forest of horror” would be apprehended.

    Commissioner of Police Muhammed Ndabawa told reporters after the meeting that the kidnapper’s den had been in operation for over 10 years.

    Ndabawa said: “From the information available so far, that place has been there for a very long time, perhaps about 10 years. It was initially used by a construction company during the channelisation of the Ogunpa River. After then, the site was abandoned. The kidnappers’ den had been on for a long time but the government (past and present) was not aware of it.”

    He said the forest was discovered following the prompt response of the state anti-crime unit, Operation Burst, to a distress call.

    Besides revoking the Certificate of Occupancy of the land on which the kidnapper’s operated, Ndabawa said the council has told security agencies to identify uncompleted/abandoned buildings in the town to enable them respond promptly to distress calls in the future.

    He said the police had evacuated 42 mentally-ill persons from the streets after angry residents killed two of them, who were suspected to be ritualists.

    The police commissioner said: “After the discovery of the Soka forest, the police rescued 42 or presumed lunatics from the streets. So far, two have been killed. Investigations are ongoing and two of the so-called lunatics have confessed that they were looking for human body parts, but are not related to the Soka incident.”

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Affairs Toye Arulogun said the state government would create a temporary shelter with medical personnel and other facilities for the mentally-ill before they are re-united with their families.

    He said: “The Oyo State government has decided to establish a temporary site to accommodate the destitute that were rescued from the streets by the police. That will also go for others as time goes on. This is an invitation to Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and religious groups who have some expertise in this area to support the government.”

  • FLOODS: Refugees everywhere

    FLOODS: Refugees everywhere

    THE year 2012 may well go down as the year Nigeria had its worst flooding in recent history. The floods have been tagged as the flooding like none before it.

    Aside the bloody violence unleashed on innocent Nigerians by the Boko Haram sect, the great event of the year 2012 for Nigerians would no doubt be the floods that left many communities across the country submerged, killing 363 people, while 2.1 million were displaced.

    According to the National Emergency Management Agency, based on information gathered on floods from July 1 to October 31, “363 persons died while 18,282 people were treated for injuries they sustained during the flooding.”

    Also, a total of 7.7 million people were affected by flooding during the period, of which 2.1 million were officially registered across the country as internally displaced persons.

    By the end of October, more than 7.7 million people had been affected by the floods, and more than 2.1 had registered as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Almost 600,000 houses had been damaged or destroyed.

    The severe flooding temporarily cut Nigeria’s oil output by around 500,000 barrels per day, representing about 20 per cent of total production in crude, even as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, allayed fears that the floods, which affected socio-economic activities in most states of the country, including the Niger Delta, did not have any adverse effect on the country’s crude oil production. She said that key oil and gas installations are still intact.

    Many farmlands, especially in Benue State, the self-acclaimed food basket of the nation, were washed away by the rampaging floods. Also, farmers in Kogi State were left at the mercy of the floods, as fishing communities were ripped apart, stripping them of their only source of livelihood.

    In Anambra State, where the Niger River overran its banks, more than 200 communities were submerged, leaving their farmlands totally obliterated.

    Residents of many states in the Niger Delta area of the country were chased out of what remained of their homes by dangerous animals, including crocodiles, snakes and hippopotamuses, following the devastating flood that has ravaged the area.

    Alarmed by the impact of the floods on farming, the Federal Government raised the alarm over an impending food crisis in the country. This is even as experts claimed that the usual food supply chain route from the North to the South of the nation is dwindling by the day.

    The disaster could have been mitigated if Nigerians had heeded the warning by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) of a high level of rainfall which the agency warned would lead to serious flooding.

    In its warning, the agency said that it observed a “wetter-than-normal soil surface moisture and groundwater conditions in some parts of the country over the past 12 months”, a situation it warned may lead to “prospects of the occurrence of above-normal rainfall which may lead to surface run-off.

    “The flooding incidents that may accompany high rainfall events in and around Lagos, Ogun, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states will leave in its trail devastation and destruction reminiscent of similar incidents recorded in some parts of the country some months ago.”

    The Lagos State government also embarked on a serious campaign to educate the people about the impending floods, warning residents of the state to clean drainages and waterways. The government also had a special warning for people living close to rivers to leave.

    Though there is no record on the level of compliance with the government’s directives, the rain of July 2, 2012 proved the government was right and set the tone for the worst flooding in recent history.

    The problems started in early July when Lagos experienced severe disruption. Ibadan was badly affected by flooding in mid-July. At the end of the month, 39 people were killed in the central Northern Plateau State, while the same region saw another 33 fatalities in mid-August after more torrential rain washed away homes and destroyed roads and bridges.

    In Ibadan, no fewer than 11 persons were feared dead, with many others swept away by the flood. Several bridges were destroyed, while property worth millions of naira were swept away. Among the affected areas were Apete, Sango-Polytechnic Road, Odo-Orogun, Ariyo, Odo-Ona Elewe, Odo-Ona Apata and Oke-Ayo and Ring Road.

    Late in August, disaster struck in Adamawa State, as floods ravaged eight local government areas of the state. The flood, according to reports, was caused by the annual release of water from Lagdo Dam in Northern Cameroun

    The situation turned many people in Numan, Madagali, Demsa, Mayo Belwa, Yola South, Yola North and Guyuk into refugees in their own land.

    Floods in Kano State, which swept through nine local government areas on August 28, 2012, claimed 15 lives. Those local government areas are Bagwai, Bebeji, Gabasawa, Garun Malam, Karaye, Nasarawa and Sumaila.

    In all, the floods left nine states across the country submerged. The states include Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Kogi, Kwara and Niger.

    Shocked by the level of destruction, President Goodluck Jonathan announced that he and Vice President Namadi Sambo will visit the affected states. Perhaps as a mark of respect for the victims, the president dropped his traditional garment and turned out in simple shirt and trouser, rolled up sleeves and a fez cap.

    The president travelled to Kogi, Rivers, Delta, Anambra, Bayelsa, Taraba, Adamawa and Benue states. He went from one camp to the other, identifying with the people. When he got to his village, Otuoke, he met his compound flooded up to chest level.

    To provide succour for the victims, President Jonathan provided the sum of N17.2 billion to the states most directly involved and set up a body, the National Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, to raise funds to augment government’s efforts at mitigating the pains of the flood.

    The committee has businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote , and a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association as its co-chairmen. Chairman of Globacom, Dr. Mike Adenuga (Jnr.), who was absent at the inauguration is the Chief Fund Mobiliser.

    The United Nation (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) joined in the efforts to provide succour for the victims, and requested for $38 million to respond to the crisis.

    According to a report prepared by the OCHA at the UN Headquarters in New York, the disaster raised the risk of disease outbreak and food shortage among the affected people.

  • ‘Mother of all strikes’ that shut down Lagos, Abuja

    ‘Mother of all strikes’ that shut down Lagos, Abuja

    Signs that the 2012 would be turbulent emerged early in the year when President Goodluck Jonathan announced the removal of the controversial fuel subsidy.

    Nigerians woke up to the rude reality of what the year holds in stock for them when the President announced an unexpected increase in prices of petroleum products on January 1 when the citizens were savouring the joy of the New Year. The President jacked the price of petrol from N65 to N145. The unprecedendented price hike instantly triggered off a geometric rise in the prices of transportation, goods and services forcing Nigerians to take to the street to protest the anti-masses decision. The nationwide protest paralysed economic and social activities in the country throughout the period it lasted.

    The strike was widely observed, particularly in Lagos, where the usually chaotic streets were empty with shops, petrol stations and other businesses shut throughout the strike period. No business activities took place across the state owing to the prior notice given by the organisers to residents to stay off their businesses for the duration of the protest.

    Several thousand protesters also took part in the protest in Abuja despite massive security.

    In Lagos, the protest tagged “Occupy Nigeria” was organized by the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) led by Pastor Tunde Bakare and supported by labour, civil organization groups, lawyers, doctors, musicians, students and others.

    The procession took place on Ikorodu Road, starting from the Nigeria Labour Congress office in Yaba. The protesters moved from Jibowu through Fadeyi towards Maryland on Ikorodu Road. It terminated at the Gani Fawehinmi Park at Ojota, Lagos.

    The protesters displayed placards, chanted against the government and made bonfires at many points on the major road. They demanded the reversal of the price to N65 without which the protest would not end.

    Speakers denouncing the fuel price hike in Lagos included, wife of the late fiery human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Ganiat ,who was assisted by a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); Chief Femi Falana; the Joint Action Front (JAF) led by Dr. Dipo Fashina, a former National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU); and Femi Kuti, son of the late musical icon and harsh government critic, Fela Kuti.

      The protesters contended with the occasional skirmishes with men of the Nigeria Police Force. The exercise did not, however, end without the brutal murder of the protesters across the country.

    For instance, one Demola Abiodun, a young man in his early 20s, was shot dead by a trigger happy cop in Ogba area of Lagos. In Adekunle, Yaba, the police clashed with protesting youths on their way to Ojota. The youths, who sustained injuries, were rushed to the hospitals. Another was also killed by the police in Ibafo, a suburb of Ogun State.In Ibadan, a spare parts dealer identified as Olurin Olateju, was also murdered by the police. He was killed a few days after his wife gave birth.

    In the Nothern part of the country, protesters defied the pleas by Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State to take part in the protest. The governor had pleaded that the citizens should shun the mass protest, but angry youths stormed the streets, chanting anti-Goodluck Jonathan slogans and demanding his resignation.

    Members of the police and armed forces were grounded, unable to exercise control over the protesting youths.

    In Abuja, the protest slated for the Eagles Square, was disrupted as heavily armed soldiers, men of the Department of State Security and the police attempted to stop Nigerians from appending their signatures to a register opened against fuel subsidy removal.

    A group, the Nigeria Unite Against Subsidy Removal (NUASR), led by a former member of the House of Representatives, Honourable Dino Melaye, had mobilized people in Abuja to show displeasure over the increase in the price of petrol. The NUASR had opened a register at the Eagle Square for people to come and sign against the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise known as petrol and Dual Purpose Kerosene.

    Security agents had barricaded the Eagle Square as at 1.30pm to stop the protest aimed at mobilizing Nigerians to stand up against the increase in prices of petroleum products. Inspite of the heavy security presence, the group was still able to get residents of Abuja to come out to sign the register.

    Melaye described the removal of fuel subsidy as wicked and barbaric. The protest South South, as the South South Youths Leaders’ Forum directed its members across the country to withdraw from the protest and strike ordered by the organised labour.

    The groups said the facts and statistics at its disposal show it was a policy in the right direction.

    In Edo State, the protest was also highly effective, and the evidence of this could be seen at at the popular Kings Square, the heart of Benin City, Edo State.

    The non-violent protest, organised by the Coalition to Save Nigeria (CSN) which comprises all the civil societies and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the state, barricaded the Ring Road city centre, chanting anti-fuel subsidy removal songs, just as youths and some okada riders joined in the march round the King’s Square.

    In the South East, the protest in Enugu State was partially observed by civil servants and those in the private sector, following the state government’s ban on public assemblies, meetings and procession anywhere in the state until further notice.

    The governor, Sullivan Chime, banned public assemblies, meetings and procession shortly before the protest commenced. He said they were capable of leading to the breakdown of law and order.

    Following the government’s directive, officials of the state chapter of the NLC, stopped their planned protest and rather converged on their secretariat at New Market area of Enugu.

    While some civil servants refused to show up in their offices, some banks were opened to customers, while others admitted customers through the back doors. Most federal government owned offices, including the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, were shut.

    However, the Civil Liberties Organization, CLO, South East zone condemned the state government’s ban of public assemblies, meetings and procession, saying the government had no right to make such a proclamation.

    In spite of the outcry against the policy, Jonathan alleged that the Occupy Nigeria anti-fuel subsidy removal mass protest, organized by civil society groups in Lagos in the wake of the removal of fuel subsidy in January, was manipulated by an unnamed class of people.

    Jonathan said the manner in which the mass protest was conducted smacked of a sinister motive.

    He noted that the best musicians and comedians were hired to perform while participants were served with choice foods and drinks, an indication that the whole event was stage-managed.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) announced the suspension of the eight-day strike against the removal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government.

    The announcement was made after the price of petrol was reduced from N141 to N97 per litre by the Federal Government. The reduction was announced by President Jonathan in a nationwide broadcast.

    The NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar, and his TUC counterpart, Peter Esele, said though the new pump price of N97 per litre was done unilaterally by the Federal Government, the experiences of the eight-day protest would ensure that no government takes Nigerians for granted again.

  • KIDNAPPING PLC

    THE year 2012 will always be remembered for the new heights that the societal ill called kidnapping took. It used to be a thing heard of only in other climes. But the truth now is that the fear of kidnapping is the beginning of wisdom in Nigeria! Before now, many in other parts of the country away from the Niger Delta region had hoped that kidnapping would remain the concern of Niger Delta. But the scourge gained notoriety in 2012 among other vices. Even Nigeria’s powerful federal minister, Okonjo Iweala’s mother Prof. Kanene Okonjo, was not spared the hot dish of kidnappers.

    A prominent banker from Abia State, a famous kidnapping den, voiced his concern: “This year, many from my place, the eastern part of the country and other parts will not be taking part in the annual holiday ritual of travelling home to the countryside to be with their loved ones for the Christmas and New Year, for fear of being kidnapped.”

    Just when the noise of the kidnap of Kamene Okonjo, the 83-year-old mother of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was dying down following her release, Nkiru Sylvanus, a popular actress and Special Adviser to Imo State governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, was abducted in Imo State along with a friend. She was only released after a alleged N8, 000,000 was paid.

    The case of the abduction of Muiba, the first wife of Mr. Najeem Salaam, Speaker, of the Osun State House of Assembly, was one of the high profile kidnappings in 2012. It was a major confirmation that kidnappers had spread their tentacles beyond the eastern zone to the southwest and other parts of the country.

    The Osun Speaker’s wife in her own case, turned out to be a very lucky woman because, she didn’t even have to pay a ransom. Luck went in her favour. She was rescued at Ogunmakin village in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, by security operatives. Some of the kidnappers were shot and others like Chukwuma Usifo (28), Chukwudi Okereke (25), Ogbole Elijah and Okonkwo Lucky (27) were arrested by the police. Even then, Muiba, the Speaker’s wife, had a gory story to tell just like other lucky survivors of kidnap cases.

    And these dare devil kidnappers were truly ready to brave the odds even at the most dreaded of places in 2012. These anti-social elements also knocked on the door of a former military governor of the Old Western Region, Brig-Gen Oluwole Rotimi (rtd.), and took his wife Titilayo away. She was picked up right in front of her company building, in Ibadan by the kidnappers who were fully armed. And the kidnapping of foreigners, oil workers was also stepped up with more reported cases.

    So alarming was the issue of kidnapping in 2012 that it was a source of concern to all and sundry, only rivaled in terms of security threat by Boko Haram.

  • To have and to hold … for 87 years! World’s longest married couple share their secrets to living happily ever after

    Karam, 107, and Katari, 100, have been married for 87 years. They have eight children and 28 grandchildren together. The marriage is almost 5 years longer than current Guinness record holders.

    Couple say that laughter and looking after each other is key to marriage

    In an age where few marriages endure the test of time, 107-year-old Karam and his wife Katari Chand, 100, are proof that happy ever after does exist.

    The pair say that the key to success is looking after each other in every way possible: ‘My trick is to make Katari laugh. I like to tell jokes and make her smile. Being funny is my way of being romantic.’ says Karam.

    Karam and Katari Chand have been married for 87 years and are in the process of being confirmed as Guinness World Record holders for the world’s longest marriage

    ‘I have been told laughing makes you live longer… my wife is still alive so it must have worked! I love her so much and I want to spend another 80 years by her side,’ said Karam.

    From romantic meals to sharing jokes, the couple, who hail from Punjab, India and now live in Bradford ensure that they do little things for each other to keep the romance alive.

    Katari said: ‘When I was young I used to make him a nice fresh meal every night. We are vegetarian so I brought lots of fresh vegetables and made sure he was eating healthy food.

    ‘Health is very important and I wanted to look after him so we could grow old together. Some would say it has worked!

    ‘Oh and how can I forget, I always save a bit of my chapatti for him. Just a little gesture that he appreciated a lot and it kept me a bit slimmer.’

    Karam, who likes to do a word search every day to keep his mind alive, believes that spending plenty of time together has helped their marriage last.

    ‘We have not spent any long span apart in over 50 years. We go everywhere together – up until a few years ago we went to India every year with the family and for all family weddings we make sure we get to stay together,’ he said.

    Their marriage has lasted nearly five years longer than that of the current Guinness World Record holders and the couple are in the process of getting confirmation from the company that they will be named as the new record holders.

    Many modern day romances fail to stand the test of time but longevity and experience makes Karam the best man to go to for relationship advice.

    ‘In the past people used to listen. Now I don’t think people take the time to listen to each other properly. People seem too busy today with work, TV and other stuff going on around them.

    ‘Relationships are about understanding one another and listening to concerns and problems, so my advice to men and women is to listen to their partners, show interest in what they are saying and help them overcome any worries or problems they are going through,’ he said.

    The couple love to make each other laugh and will have a joint birthday celebration in November

    And their son Satpaul, who is extremely proud of his parent’s relationship, added his own words of wisdom.

    He said: ‘One piece of advice that I can’t stress enough is to keep your parents very close. We live with them in Bradford and look after them because we want to help them live as long as they can together.

    ‘I don’t want to see their love story end. I truly believe that by helping them over the last few years we have enabled them to enjoy their time together with no stress and being looked after.

    ‘Also, you have to value them while they are here because you never know how long they are going to be around for.’ Source: The Mail

  • Governor Dickson, President Zuma & investment fever in Bayelsa

    Last month, precisely Friday, October 26, Governor Henry Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and his Investment Team stormed Johannesburg, the business capital of South Africa on the invitation of President Jacob Zuma. This visit and the power-packed Investment summit which held at the Hilton Hotel upped the ante in the vortex of investment in Bayelsa State.

    The October meeting was sequel to the governor’s visit to the country in May where he and his team wooed investors to the state.  These businessmen are expected to replicate some of the infrastructure that make South Africa a strong economy in Bayelsa State. This novel drive of Hon. Dickson  is hinged on his belief that Bayelsa has a lot to tap from the South African economy which he describes as having all the trappings of a first world economy.

    Expectedly, the governor’s first port of call was the South African State House in Pretoria. President Zuma was at the University of Pretoria where he was delivering a lecture in an occasion put together to honour the longest serving president of African National Congress (ANC), late Oliver Thambo and others. When he was told that  Governor Dickson had arrived, there was no other way the South African strongman could have honoured the countryman – governor than to cut short his engagement after his speech and cruise to his office to receive the governor and his team. We had lunch with Mr. President and went straight to the business of our visit which lasted for thirty minutes though memorable.

    The governor thanked President Zuma for offering credible leadership to South Africans and conveyed the greetings of President Goodluck Jonathan to him. Governor Dickson informed his host that he is currently emulating his party, the African National Congress (ANC) by running Bayelsa State from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters in Yenagoa at least once in every month. The governor advised African leaders to go beyond ‘‘political integration to integrate our people economically because it is when we build a strong economic base for our people that we can put food on their table.’’  While rolling out the investment potentials of his state, the governor proclaimed that government has put in place time-tested insurance policies for all investors and investment. He said his government has turned the state into a construction site by embarking on massive road networks, the construction of Deep Sea Port in Angge, modern airport in Yenagoa and other  infrastructural drives, adding that unlike in the last five years, the state now has enough savings to meet up with contractual agreements and cater for the rainy day. What appeared to have impressed President Zuma significantly was the free education policy of Bayelsa State and the fact that the country-man governor did not go to the capital market to finance these lofty projects and programmes.

    Responding, President Zuma praised Dickson for enthroning probity and accountability in the governance culture of Bayelsa State. He also eulogized the governor for investing heavily in infrastructure and urged top South African businessmen to take advantage of the conducive business environment provided by Governor Dickson to invest in the littoral state.

    The President said all was set for the South African Infrastructure Development Cooperation (IDC) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bayelsa State Government in November this year on capacity building. While relishing the bond between Governor Dickson and Bayelsans, the president enjoined the governor to sustain his love for his people because according to him, ‘‘a good politician must always be in touch with his people because politics starts and ends with them.’’ He promised to visit Bayelsa State next year.

    After the courtesy call, the governor and his team hosted what a pundit tagged “Mega Investment Forum at the Hilton Hotel in Johannesburg where the potentials of the glory of all lands were laid bare.  Dickson went down memory lane on why it was crucial for his state to partner with South Africa and assured investors of having a return for their money in Bayelsa State. He, however, warned brief case businessmen and contractors to keep off from his state.

    He averred that he is the first governor in Nigeria to have enacted Compulsory Savings Law and Transparency and Accountability Law which make it compulsory for government to save money for the state and render account to the people of the state because in his words: ‘Tthe electorate have the right to know the resources accruing to the state and how they are spent, which to me, is a cardinal principal of democracy.’’ The governor said these laws and his approach to governance have enthroned probity, transparency, accountability and paradigm shift in governance, a development he stressed has won the confidence of the international community for the state, thereby attracting investors from the West to Bayelsa.

    He, however, averred that the South African investors still have crucial roles to play in his state because according to him, ‘‘we want to integrate Africa economically and build African economy with Africans as drivers and in doing so, we have a lot to tap from the South African investors.’’

    Being one of the most peaceful states in the country as a result of the tight security network put in place by government, the governor said Bayelsa State is safe and waiting to be tapped by investors.

    Aside being the highest producer of oil and gas in the country, the governor told his audience that the glory of all lands offers a variety of investment opportunities in nine sectors such as agriculture, energy, fisheries, infrastructure, manufacturing, research, solid minerals, tourism, transportation and many more.

    The governor declared: ‘‘We have a mandate of our people which is firmly anchored on restoration and development of Bayelsans. To effectively do these, we must diversify our economy to be agro-business and tourism based. Luckily, the land and climate in Bayelsa State support tourism and the cultivation of both food and cash crops which include oil palm, rice, plantation, banana, yams, coco yam, cocoa, sweet potatoes, pineapple, cassava, sugar cane, coconut and many others.’’

    The South African Government was represented at the  investment forum by the First Lady, Mrs Nompumelo Ntuli Zuma and the South African Deputy Minister of Economic Planning, Professor Elizabeth Thabelth Mukezi. The Minister looked forward to the signing of MoU between South African Infrastructure Development Corporation and Bayelsa State and emphasized the willingness of South Africa to partner with Bayelsa State because in her words: ‘‘Governor Dickson has put in place in-built parameters that are likely to make his state an investor’s destination.’’ While declaring that the procurement system in her country has undergone reforms, she urged the Bayelsa State Government to tighten up the procurement mechanism, a process, she claimed is often abused to perpetrate fraud in the system in Africa. The Bayelsa initiative was unique in a number of ways: it was the first time that the South African First Lady would personally attend and endorse an investment summit organized by a Nigerian state government. Similarly, Bayelsa is the first and only state in Nigeria to enjoy President Zuma’s endorsement of its development plan.

    The organized private sector, renowned entrepreneurs,  top business men and investors drawn from South Africa and other Southern African countries participated actively in the forum. Prominent among them were Mr. Bart Dorrestein, Chairman Legacy Group Holding, owners of Michelangelo Towers, Davinci Hotel, Raphael Apartment Suites, Michelangelo Hotels and Nelson Mandela Square. Others were Mr. Bongani Maseko, Managing Director, Airport Company of South Africa, owners of all the airports in South Africa, operators of international airports in India, Bombay, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mr. Thulani Gcabashe, CEO of Built Africa, a leading Energy/Power companies.

    The interaction was rounded off with a dinner featuring an American international gospel singer, Dr. Jaunita Bynum who is scheduled to storm the Bayelsa State Thanksgiving Day holding on November 2.

    The climax of the Investment forum was the signing of letters of cooperation with Naidoo and Associates Consulting Engineers and Construction Management Company and the Black Business Council which represents the 5th African Black Business Community. The governor also inspected the Bayelsa Development Corporation office billed to be commissioned in January.

    Agbo, a Nigerian-based journalist and public affairs analyst, wrote in from South Africa