The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Interview

  • My horrible experience in police cell —Detained Rivers vendor about to complete her Master’s degree

    Miss Blessing Iyenemi, a newspaper and magazine vendor, is an indigene of Rivers State and she is about completing her Master’s programme in one of the four universities in Rivers State. Iyenemi, who has been in the business since year 2000, used the proceeds to finance her first degeee at the Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt, while her Master’s programme is also self-sponsored. She was arrested on September 4 by officials of the Rivers State government’s Taskforce on Street Trading, Illegal Markets and Motor Parks. Its coordinator, Mr. Bright Amaewhule, who is also a Special Assistant to Governor Nyesom Wike and earlier assured that vendors and newspaper distributors would not be arrested. However, Iyenemi was detained overnight and forced to pay a fine before she regained her freedom in the evening of September 5. In this exclusive interview with Southsouth Bureau Chief, BISI OLANIYI, she relives her unpleasant experience. Excerpts:

    On September 4, you were arrested by officials of Rivers State government’s Taskforce on Street Trading, Illegal Markets and Motor Parks, in spite of earlier assurance by the coordinator, Mr. Bright Amaewhule, that vendors would not be arrested. What went wrong?

    I was surprised about my arrest. The officials of Zone Nine Taskforce of Rivers State government arrested me at Second Artillery Junction on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, while selling newspapers and magazines on a table, very far from the road and in front of a fast-food outlet just before the Catholic church.

    The owner of the fast-food outlet gave me and other persons the space to operate from. I am the only vendor at the spot, while other persons were selling bread and other items, but since the taskforce officials began operations in Port Harcourt and its environs on September 2, the other persons left the spot. I decided to stay back, since I am rendering essential service and with the earlier assurance by the coordinator of the taskforce, Mr. Bright Amaewhule, that vendors would not be harassed or arrested.

    I was shocked when two officials of the taskforce in a white Toyota Hilux van came around 1 p.m. on September 4, 2019, accompanied by policemen and they arrested me, after destroying most of my newspapers and magazines, in spite of selling at that spot for over 10 years.

    Read Also: Police cells are like hell fire

    I was then dragged to the nearby mobile court, presided over by a female magistrate, who interrogated me and made me to pay a fine of N5,000 for alleged assault. The magistrate also stated that since I could not produce an operational permit for selling newspapers and magazines at the newsstand, I should be moved to the nearby Elelenwo Police Station in Port Harcourt, and to be detained overnight. I politely informed the magistrate, taskforce officials and the policemen that the coordinator of the taskforce (Bright Amaewhule) earlier gave an assurance that vendors should not be harassed or arrested, but my explanation was not considered and my detention journey to a police cell, for the first time in my life, began.

    Prior to my being moved to the police cell on September 4, some media professionals of The Nation newspaper gave me Mr. Amaewhule’s mobile number and that he would be expecting my call to intervene.

    I immediately called Mr. Amaewhule, the President-General of Gov. Wike’s Campaign Organisation, the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), and he asked me to give my phone to the chairman of Zone 9 of the taskforce, which I quickly did, but I was not released. When I asked the Zone 9 chairman the outcome of his telephone discussion with Mr. Amaewhule, he ignored me and asked me to join the vehicle to Elelenwo Police Station, Port Harcourt, where my jewellery, phone and other valuable items were collected before I was moved into the dirty and smelly female cell. There, I met a middle-aged woman, who had been in the cell for three days.

    I was so worried in the cell, but the lady of about 36 years that I met was admonishing me to calm down. We both sat on the bare floor throughout the night, but I could not sleep. It was a very horrible experience. That was my first time of entering a police cell.

    Were you offered food in the cell?

    I was asked by the policemen on duty if I wanted to eat or drink, but I said no, because I had no  appetite.

    What happened at daybreak on September 5?

    In the morning of September 5, members of my family came to the police station and the policemen on duty brought me out of the cell to the counter, where I sat till 4 p.m.

    When the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) arrived in the morning of September 5, he asked the policemen on duty of my offence, since he saw me at the police station the previous day, and the DPO was informed that the taskforce officials brought me.

    The DPO became angry and he asked the policemen on duty to call the chairman or coordinator of the taskforce to immediately come and pick me, but they did not come until 4 p.m. on September 5, making the DPO, a man, to use his mobile phone to also call the taskforce boss to quickly come and pick me, warning that he would no longer tolerate the abuse of human rights and dignity, stressing that they should no longer bring suspects to the police station, if they refuse to stop the indiscipline and lawlessness.

    When the taskforce officials observed that the DPO was livid, they appeared at the Elelenwo Police Station and returned me to the magistrate at the mobile court at Second Artillery Bus Stop. I was asked to pay another fine of N5,000, for not having an operational permit, before I was allowed to go. The magistrate added that she was not aware that vendors should be exempted from persons to be arrested and prosecuted.

    I was informed that the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications, Pastor Paulinus Nsirim, called Mr. Amaewhule on September 4, to let me be released unconditionally, but the former Chairman of Rivers State Council of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ (Nsirim) was not respected.

    Is it true, as alleged, that you assaulted the taskforce officials?

    How would a young lady like me have assaulted two hefty taskforce men, who were backed by policemen? We only had an argument when the taskforce officials were destroying my newspapers and magazines. I was surprised when I was accused of confronting the taskforce officials.

    I am pleading with media houses in Nigeria to provide vendors in Rivers State with branded umbrellas and tables to prevent further harassment from the taskforce officials.

    What is your message for Gov. Wike, who put the taskforce in place?

    I want to plead with Gov. Wike to please allow the vendors to continue to sell newspapers and magazines on newsstands throughout Rivers State.

    With your unpleasant experience, will you continue as a vendor?

    I am not discouraged at all. I will continue with the business of selling newspapers and magazines. I have been able to employ two persons, who are still working with me. I intend to employ more persons to expand the business.

    You have been speaking good English. What is the secret?

    I am a Banking and Finance graduate of Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt (full-time) and I graduated in 2007. I took part in the national youth service in Sokoto State in 2008/2009. I am currently on full-time Master’s programme in one of the universities in Rivers State, studying Accounting and I am about rounding off. By God’s grace, I will top it with a doctoral degree.

  • Kogi PDP’s rubble after electoral storm

    Wada family smarts from acrimonious governorship primary Ibro, elder Wada yet to reconcile

    The Kogi Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary has come and gone, but not the sour taste and schism it left in the wake of the emergence of Engr. Musa Wada as the party’s flag bearer, with his elder brother and former governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada coming third in the race. JAMES AZANIA writes.

    A summary of the outcome of the last Kogi Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary, which threw up Engr. Musa Wada as the party’s standard bearer for the November 16 governorship election in the state, manifested in the new trend of dynastic tendencies in the affairs of the major opposition party in the state. It also turned out in the main as a Kogi East outing; Kogi East being home to the majority Igala tribe.

    While two families, those of Idris and Wada, played a central role in the process, that of the latter may have more to contend with afterwards. Of the 13 aspirants who contested the PDP governorship primary, the Wada family paraded two, namely the eventual winner and his elder brother and immediate past governor of the state, Capt. Idris Wada.

    Before the exercise, self-acclaimed political pundits in the confluence state had narrowed the contest down to a two-race horse between the immediate past governor and the son of another former PDP governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris.

    The PDP had ruled Kogi for 13 unbroken years before the All Progressives Party (APC) wrested power from it, at the November 21, 2015 state governorship poll.

    At the end of the shadow election, Engr. Musa Wada, younger brother to former Governor Idris Wada and son in-law to another former governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (Ibro), emerged the party’s candidate for the forthcoming governorship election in the state, followed closely by Abubakar Ibrahim Idris, Ibro’s son and elder brother to Eng. Musa Wada’s wife.

    Capt. Idris Wada, the immediate past governor and elder brother to the eventual winner, and in-law came third.

    Engr. Musa Wada had scored 748 votes to clinch the party’s ticket, while Abubakar Mohammed Ibrahim, son of former Governor Ibrahim Idris (Ibro), who took up the acronym AbuIbro during the build-up to the exercise polled 710 votes. The immediate past governor, Capt. Idris Wada, came third with 345 votes, while Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) polled 70 votes to emerge fourth.

    Other aspirants included Aminu Suleiman (55 votes), Victor Adoji (54 votes), Erico Joseph (42 votes), Retired AVM Saliu Atawodi (11 votes), Emmanuel Omebije (9 votes), Mohammed Shuaibi (4 votes), Bayo Michael (2 votes) and Kabiru Haruna (0 vote).

    Wada family smarts from acrimonious contest

    In the pulsating drama that characterised the primary, the highpoint of which was the invasion of the Lokoja Confluence Stadium venue of the exercise by yet-to-be identified gunmen, which brought it to an abrupt end in the early hours of upper Wednesday, the purported initial bad blood that ensued between the Wadas was highlighted by a security detail, who spoke under the condition of anonymity.

    He said: “When the shootings started and myself and other security agents who were meant to safeguard the Wada brothers had managed to get the younger Wada into a waiting SUV, the former governor bluntly refused to join his younger brother in the same vehicle, notwithstanding the clear and present danger that stared us all in the face.”

    Voting by the delegates had ended and sorting of ballots was in progress when the gunmen stormed the venue around 1.45 am, causing a stampede. Indeed, the votes in eight of the 10 ballot boxes had been counted before the disruption, following which the Governor Umar Fintiri-led election panel called a meeting of all the 13 aspirants, at the end of which it was agreed that the process should continue.

    Counting resumed at a lodge adjacent to the Government House Lokoja, with all the aspirants and their agents present. Five journalists were allowed into the premises and the rest, like they say, is now history.

    Between the Wadas, it would appear that blood affinity is prevailing as they strive to put the acrimonious contest behind them. The former governor was said to have declared afterwards that he held no grudge against his younger brother and expressed his readiness to work for the victory of the party come November 16.

    An observer said: “The delegates were wise. They rejected Ibro and Wada (the two former governors) because of the bitter political rivalry between them and picked somebody in between. Wada, after the election, said he would not appeal. He also decided to call his brother to congratulate him, and that settled the political feud. It is more complex in Ibro’s family, but I believe that commonsense will prevail.”

    Ibro, elder Wada yet to reconcile

    The intricate web of rancour connecting the Idris and Wada family may, however, take time to untangle. While relations between former Governor Ibrahim Idris, who some prefer to call the ‘Original Ibro’, and his successor, Capt. Wada, who the former shoved down the throats of the then ruling PDP hierarchy back in 2011, even after a candidate had emerged in the person of Jibrin Isah (Echocho), now a senator (APC-Kogi East), remains at low ebb. The connect between both can, however, not be wished away.

    At the last Kogi PDP congress in Lokoja, Capt. Wada, who arrived the venue of the exercise ahead of Ibro, refused to acknowledge the former’s presence, not to talk of shaking hands or exchanging pleasantries. And even though both were two seats apart, having between them Tunde Ogheha and Yomi Awoniyi, Wada’s former deputy, the latter’s focus would not be distracted from his mobile phone as he focused his attention on the phone in his hands.

    Not only is the PDP governorship flag bearer for the November 16 poll the younger brother to the immediate past governor, he is also a son-in-law to his brother’s benefactor-turn-foe. Feelers have it that another son of Ibro was the major backer of the now failed bid of the last Kogi PDP governor to stage a comeback to the Government House, Lokoja.

    Without any shade of doubt, the Kogi State PDP primary was in the main a two-way family affair, with the Ibro family as the fulcrum. His first son, Abubakar Ibrahim Idris, came second in the PDP primary, while Suleiman, another son of Ibro, supported Engr. Musa Wada, the eventual winner, who is married to Suleiman’s younger sister.

    Capt. Wada, it is claimed, took responsibility for the PDP governorship flag bearer’s upkeep and schooling in years past.

    Engr. Wada was said to have been the initial choice of Ibro as his successor, but for the intervention of the patriarch of the Wada family, the late Pa Wada Ejiga, who pleaded with him to accord first consideration to the elder brother, who eventually succeeded Ibro in office.

  • ‘I won’t succumb to intimidation over my Court of Appeal action’

    Dr Alex Egbona, the member representing the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency of Cross River State in the House of Representatives is on his way to the Court of Appeal to challenge the nullification of his election by the tribunal, but the APC Reps candidate alleges harassment and intimidation by some political interests who he said have insisted that he should suspend the move. He also spoke on his activities as a legislator in the last few months.

    The judgment on the petition against you at the election tribunal did not go in your favour as the tribunal nullified your election. How did that get to you?

    It is one of those things. You know in every competition, in every battle in life, in every game, once there is a contest, there will always be a winner and there will be a loser. The most important thing that matters, as far as I am concerned, is whether you lost properly or you were robbed of victory.

    The signs that things were not okay at the tribunal started showing early during the trial. A situation where some members of the tribunal were showing clear bias in the course of the trial was an indication to us that there was an agenda the panel came to execute in Cross River as far as my case was concerned. On a particular day in the course of the trial, for example, the tribunal was even helping a witness and telling him what to say and how to respond to questions from my lawyer.

    But let me even say this: a former boss of mine even told one of my aides in the early days that the case lasted at the tribunal that I would lose at the tribunal. It was towards the end of the trial that I got to find out why he was so sure. I later discovered that an important member of the tribunal used to be counsel to a former governor from the South East. That former governor and my former boss in question are very close friends. That former governor, from what I have come to discover, worked in consonance and with my former boss who saw my victory at the poll as an insult on his person, because he supported the PDP candidate against me.

    The good news is that there is an Appeal Court and I am going there to challenge the black market judgment they bought in Calabar. You can imagine a situation where the tribunal overlooked the evidence we brought before it to talk about other things to enable them arrive at the judgment.

    I want to believe that you listened to the Appeal Court judgment on the case between Atiku Abubakar and Muhammadu Buhari. You heard what the court said about the use of card readers. The arguments we canvassed at the tribunal was the same with what was canvassed at the Appeal Court on the issue of card reader. But the tribunal chose to look the other way and decided in favour of the PDP candidate.

    Look at the issue of my candidacy. The tribunal invented their own laws and ignored the position of the apex court on that subject matter. So, the entire judgment was a piece of thrash and we are going to deal with it at the Court of Appeal.

     You said something about candidacy and I remember that INEC had removed your name and those of other APC members a few hours to the election…

    Yes, you are right. That is what happened. There was a high court judgment that said I and other candidates of the APC were not candidates of the party. That was as a result of the internal issues we had in the party. But good enough, that judgment was properly set aside by the Court of Appeal. And in law, to the best of my knowledge, though I am not a lawyer, once a higher court has nullified an action or order, that order is deemed not have existed at all. That is the law.

    But the tribunal overlooked that and ruled that the Court of Appeal judgment came a little too late. This is another aspect that the Appeal Court will look into. In the eyes of the law, my nomination by the APC as candidate for the election was and remained intact as at the day I was elected member of the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency. I have a firm belief in the appeal court that the wrongs of the lower court will be corrected.

    So is that to say that you have filed an appeal?

    We are in the process of doing so. We are getting the necessary documents and court processes that will enable us to file a good case. We are still within the time allowed in law. When we file, the whole world will know. This is not just a battle that Dr Alex Egbona is pursuing; it is a battle for the Abi/Yakurr people.

    Remember that I was the only aspirant in APC that won an election in the state during the last general elections. From house of assembly to governorship and National Assembly elections, I was the only one that won. Despite all the intimidation, my people stood by me and we defeated them with all the money and soldiers they brought to harass us. My election was like war. My former boss came to my village on the eve of the election and told my people not to vote for me. A town crier was engaged to announce that the APC should not be voted for in the election; that it would be a big disgrace for my former boss if his candidate in the PDP did not win. What I am telling you now was reported in the media. But my people stood firm and resisted everything and I won.

    Now, there is serious pressure on me not to go on appeal. They are intimidating and harassing me and my family. Just about 24 hours after the tribunal nullified my election, men who dressed as soldiers were sighted in my village. They were patrolling my community, and I asked, if you are beating a child, won’t you allow the child to cry? They say they defeated me at the tribunal and they went to my village to make sure the people did not cry.

    And after that, some gunmen went to my Calabar home in the dead of the night, shooting and shooting. They have been calling me, threatening that they would deal with me if I went on appeal. They are worried that I am challenging the tribunal judgment. Is it a crime to challenge a tribunal judgment in a higher court? I have told them that there is no stopping me. Nobody, I repeat, nobody can stop this moving train. My people deserve a better representation, and that is what I owe them. They have chased me from day one till now and we keep winning and we will continue to win.

    This battle is not mine, it is the Lord’s and we will win. I have been very loyal to my former boss, but he is not comfortable that I am climbing the ladder. He wants to pull it down. I still see him as my leader. I do not understand why he feels this threatened by my rising profile in the political space. In other climes, political fathers encourage their children. See what our APC leader, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, is doing in the South West. Look at all his political children and how he is helping them to grow. That is a man that knows that the rise of his children means his own rise too. But in our own case, it is not like that. I only hope and pray that God will touch him to know that he needs to encourage and not destroy his children.

    We come from the same local government. My village is not far from his. I would have thought that as my former boss, he would be very excited that his son is going into the National Assembly. But he was proud to come to my village to campaign that my people should not vote for me. And when I won, he was proud to say that I would lose at the tribunal. God is still on the throne. Let us see between him and God, who has the final say. One thing I have told myself is that he remains my boss and I will never insult him. I remain loyal to him and I will forever give him all his due respect as my boss. Anyone who knows him should please tell him that he remains my boss and leader. But he is not God and he should not equate himself with God.

    You have been in the House of Representatives for some months now. Can you beat your chest and say that your constituents have felt your impact?

    They can answer for themselves. I cannot boast in myself and what I have done. But for the sake of this question, just know that I have done my best and will continue to do so. My duty is representation as a legislator. I do not control any votes. But in just a little above two months, go to my constituency and hear things for yourself. I have done what people have not done before. I am adopting the bottom-top approach in my representation. I have undertaken a tour of the entire constituency and have already taken a census of all the projects that need to be executed. The people have also told me what they will want me to focus on, as part of my constituency projects.

    It will interest you to note that I hired consultants to compute these and they will form part of the things that will be handled under next year’s budget. I do not want to talk about the number of people I have so far assisted to get jobs everywhere. I do not like to blow my trumpet, so let me leave it at that. My left hand is not supposed to know what my right hand has done, even though because of the kind of politics we play, we intend to ignore this biblical injunction. But I can tell you that things are no longer the same in my constituency. I gave my people my word that I would make a difference and that is what is guiding every action that I take. You can take this to the bank that I, Dr Alex Egbona, will leave the Abi/Yakurr Federal Constituency far better than it used to be.

  • Men now dread to make passes at me after the 2019 polls — Fela Durotoye’s running mate Khadijah Abdullahi Iya

    Khadijah Abdullahi Iya is a woman of many parts: Activist, publisher, philanthropist, politician, no one can deny her quintessential personality. A rare combination of beauty and intelligence, she was the runningmate to the presidential candidate of the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), Fela Durotoye, and the current National Secretary of the party. In this interview with VICTOR OLUWASEGUN, she shares many interesting aspects of her life. Excerpts:

    What was your growing up like?   

    Growing up in Lagos was, I think, one of my best periods. It was one that made me to think the way I am thinking right now; it prepared me for what I’m doing right now. And I think one of the reasons that I hate ethnocentrism and religious bigotry is because of the way I was brought up. I think God created life with a balance. My best friend was Chioma Onyewu. And later when she went, I had another good friend, Aderemi Adepegba. For my secondary, I started college in Igbosere, Kuramo, I did first year there where I met Aderemi Adepegba. She was another best friend that I had. So that gave me a balance that I’m in Nigeria; I didn’t use to think about titles or maybe colourations of any kind. All I used to think about was we’re human beings, that’s the first thing that I learned; we’re human beings. We may be different, it may be our ethnicity or religion or anything. It doesn’t mean that we are better than one another. We are all human beings and all these things that we’re making it look like something these days, I don’t think they matter. So, I think that was one of the biggest values I got from growing up in Lagos.

    You are an editor of Searching Inwards; so, what’s Searching Inwards all about?

    We are into humanitarian journalism and social welfare, and I think it is still part of the things I’ve mentioned. All we are talking about is that I looked at all the magazines, all the publications, and most of them are not concentrating on what I think. That’s my personal opinion. What I think we should be talking about; letting the conversations go out there. It started not as a magazine but as a column in Leadership newspaper. We keep complaining about social issues, cultural issues, political issues, and we don’t act upon them. So, Searching Inwards magazine was birthed in the spirit of acting. Yes. We decided that okay, lots of Nigerians don’t like reading that much. So, what creativity are we going to add to it? So, we designed an app in 2015 called “Docuzine” because it is a magazine that came with videos because it is a documentary magazine. So, everything that we do comes in documentary form and also, it’s in writing. So, we believe it’s a magazine that if you don’t want to read, it has text-to-speech, you just highlight it and it will speak to you; it will read out to you. So, those are the things we did. When I went to a business class in Ghana and China-European business school, they gave me an award because of the app that we created. They were very excited with what we created and they gave me an award for innovation.

    So, you were trying to refocus people’s minds on issues?

    Basically, what we were trying to do is to get into the consciousness of the typical Nigerian, to make you think differently, to reset your mind that things don’t have to be like this. We don’t have to fight one another. We don’t have to be at one anothers’ throats. Whenever you think that maybe the Igbo man is too greedy, there is some kind of greediness in you yourself; that is the ability to search inwards. So, if the Igbo man is too greedy, then what are you? What are you going to do about it? And what is it that you have that you think you can also stop doing? It is not enough to point fingers but where is the other half finger pointing to? So, those are the things that we talk about in the magazine when you look at it. There is also the human angle; it is also celebrating those who people don’t know about, people doing beautiful, incredible jobs at the background. I know that I am a background person, I used to be a background person. We felt that these people should be showcased instead of focusing only on the celebrities.

    You are involved in a lot of things, including humanitarian activities. Kindly tell us about some of these activities?

    Before Searching Inwards magazine, there was Beyond Mentors Community Care Initiative, which was birthed in 2007. I was working with a mortgage bank, and I felt that okay, why did I even go into banking at all? Why did I read law?  I am not a passionate lawyer, right? So, I felt like, okay, if I made those mistakes, let me start doing something about it. And I started going to secondary schools, talking to them about career; talking to them about financial literacy. Financial literacy was even born out of somebody who saw me doing counselling, and he said: ‘Why don’t you add financial literacy to it?’ Because one of the biggest challenges we have in a particular section of the country is that they do not have financial literacy. You find a typical Nigerian guy from that section of the country having millions of naira under his box in the market; instead of taking it to the bank, he would leave it there. And once, God forbid, the market gets burnt, all the cash id gone; and then it affects us directly or indirectly. It affects the economy. So, what am I saying? All the work I’ve done is my attempt to take action about the things I write about, the things I’m passionate about. So, we were doing that. And then one time, SI magazine did a story on Child Sexual Abuse (in 2006), and then we saw the number, the rate of the epidemic on child sexual abuse. Now, we are not an NGO; we cannot do advocacy. So, we needed Beyond Mentors to take that up. So, we created an advocacy on that Beyond Mentors, called Women Community in Africa.

    That’s another organisation?

    Yes. What we planned to do at that time; we wanted to do a summit in 2017. We wanted it to be big because we were scared at the astronomical figures about child sexual abuse. We said, how do we get the legislators to do something? How do we sensitise the community, our society and all that? So, we felt that we do a large summit in my head. It will go a long way. So, we planned to bring Oprah. Yes, I went to the United States. I went to the UN Office in New York. I submitted an invite, submitted one to Whoopie Goldberg because I was trying to get to Oprah and Michelle Obama. But then finally, when we were getting a headway, they now asked us how do they get endorsement for us here? When one of the people that we sent the invite to got back to us; how do they get endorsements from the government here? They needed protection. So, we went to one of the aides of the then Senate President. She said what is the price? Because he had to be part of the summit, blah, blah, blah. I don’t want to go into details and the whole thing was now about them. It was not about the issue that we were looking at. It now became about Oprah that was coming. And that got to me. Now, at the end of the day, we were not able to establish any endorsement, so we could not continue the process of bringing them. It was heartbreaking. But I shook up myself. We were in the process of creating women community in Africa. There’s a colleague of mine called Dr. Beedie; she came in from England. She left her family and she’s been working with us since 2017 with Beyond Mentors Community Care. So, she became my co-founder for Women Community in Africa. And then she said, why don’t we just do this thing ourselves and let the awareness go out? So, last year, in October, we had a conference and it was awesome.

    Do you have other agencies within or without, that you partner with?

    We partner with NGOs like Life Builders’ Initiatives. They’re the ones that created Schools Without Walls in Abuja, IDP camps in Kushingoro and in Wase. They have schools there; so we partner with them because there’s a product for Beyond Mentors called “rags to riches”; it is a club. So, we took that club to those places.

    Some people have described you as simplicity personified. How do you feel about that kind of description?

    I’m just being me. You know, it’s everybody’s perception. Some see me differently. Some people see me as one big dragon with big horns and a very long tail. So, I don’t think that I am different from anybody. I think that’s just being me. I just love to be genuine.

    Some people see you as their role model; so, you give people hope and encourage them and all that. Who’s your role model?

    My role model? Number one is the person I was named after. I was named after Khadija, the first wife of Prophet Muhammed (SAW). I read her story; she was a very humble, simple lady. Very wealthy woman who packed all the things that she had and handed them to her husband. And the husband was running her business. The second person I was named after; she is my dad’s sister. She was a businesswoman; my aunt,  I was named after her. She was a very strict lady with values. She had lots of high standards. She’s one of my role models and then my mom, she’s also my role model because of the kind of the way she treats people; she snatches my friends. All the friends that I have now are like her children. They call her more than they call me. I also learn from other people; everybody is my teacher.

    How did you get to become the vice presidential candidate to ANN? How did you get connected? I mean with Fela Durotoye? They found me. Like I told you, I was lying down on my bed after the day’s work. I was going to bed and my friend, Tawa, from Lagos, we went to Law School together. She called me one night like around 10:30pm to 11pm and she said: ‘Khadijah, one Fela Durotoye wants you to deputise him. I started laughing, that are you crazy? Are you crazy? Are you serious? I said: ‘Tawa, I will call you back’. That was when I went to meet my husband; he was standing, when he heard what I had to say, he sat down. He was like, ‘Okay, I’m coming’. Then he went downstairs and came back and that was when he put the question to me: ‘Is it you that they called? Have you thought about it? Have you really thought about it? Maybe it’s the work that you have been doing, and God wants you to serve on a larger scale. And I was like: ‘Vice president? Are you really listening to me? Vice president? I was freaking out. And it took me about three weeks to allow it to settle in my being. It took me throughout the election to start breathing again. So, I think it was a valuable experience. It helped me to fight those demons that were in my head, those demons kept limiting me, that I cannot be more than I can be.  I used to think less of myself. So, that experience helped me to fight those demons that were always putting those thoughts in my head. But this journey helped me and Fela Durotoye was one of the people that helped me. He was such a nice gentleman; he and the chairman of our party. They all encouraged me.

    How did you become the National Secretary of the ANN?

    The same way. Now, after the election and all that, I went to do my yearly soul searching; I usually travel out of the country. This time I went to Ummrah and some other places and I came back. The day I came back, they summoned me to the head office, the ANN head office. I was sitting down and the next thing they were nominating me for the National Secretary job, something I did not plan; there was somebody occupying that position. They said they just needed me there and at the end of the day, I left. And even when I left, they had a vote, they voted and they still nominated me. So, this particular role, I felt that I do not have any right to say no, because like you talked about role modelling. I’ve already become a role model to some girls. I have been telling them to take personal responsibility and also explore the opportunity of leadership. If I keep running away from positions, what am I telling them?

    Now, what dictates your dressing?

    Comfortability and decency. I have to be comfortable. Everything I have to do is intentional about the role modelling figure that I have become. There are young ones looking up to you. Ever since the election, my number of mentees have increased. It is a lot of pressure but it’s welcome since I love to mentor, I think motherhood comes with mentoring.  Everything is all fused into one. So, I cannot dress differently from the kind of being that I want. I know who I am. I know what I represent. And my dressing has to be in line with that person that I am.

    What is your philosophy of life?

    I have a lot of philosophies and one of them is doing unto others what you want to be done to you? I laughed last month when my last born was talking to others saying: ‘Okay, continue, do unto others, what you did to me will be done unto you.’ I just saw myself echoing in her. It is the golden rule. What you think that you don’t want others to do to you, don’t do it to other people.

    So, what motivates you? What’s your passion?

    Service; I think that service is my motivation. People think that just praying five times daily is what is about worship. I think worship is deeper than that. My motivation is service; every day I wake up, I’m thinking of the larger part of what I’m going to do for the day, which is service. Coming in here, sitting down with my creative team, talking to them about what and how you can send our messages, impact on people’s lives. All those things motivate me to get up in the morning, and the money is the smallest, tiniest part of it all. I cannot say we don’t need money. We need money because money makes it all sustainable; the demand and supply, the kind of thing needed, all is about money. You need money to let this chain of service work. So, it is the tiniest part of the motivation for us to get enough money to let the work continue for it to be sustainable. I think the biggest thing in life is for you to sow seeds that germinate and people take those seeds that germinate to become a tree or a fruit that people continue to eat long after you have left the stage of this lifetime.

    You’ve been defined as an activist and also a politician, which of these two do you prefer?

    Activist. Activism is what determines my personality. Activist in the fact that I frown at a lot of things that happen to us and what the government is not doing enough about. Let me use one singular thing that annoys me: the VAPP Act, Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act. They have related ones. Most of it are implementable in Abuja. This is a law that affects every human in this country and even beyond this country. Why is it not implementable in other states? Why are they not looking at those things? So, as a politician, you are a vehicle that transports this activism up there. Because if you don’t have a platform, you don’t have the power to ensure that these things that you are passionate about, you are talking about, are done. You are just like a barking dog. So, that’s why I wouldn’t discard politics.  And I know that is how God is somehow pushing me into politics for me to be able to deliver on those things that He has inspired inside of me, that He has pushed me to do, that He has created inside of me. Making me the kind of being He wants me to be. So, He knows that the only vehicle that can achieve this kind of things He has put inside of me is through politics.

    You are from Kaduna?

    I am a Nigerian born in Kaduna.

    What do you think should be done boost girl-child education in the north?

    That is one of the things we do in Beyond Mentors Community Care Initiatives. When we started, we were going into communities in Kaduna and here in Abuja, to talk to maybe these title holders in the villages in the grassroots; talking to them about why these children should be off the streets from selling things and getting them into school. I think that one of the best things you can add to any human being is education. And education doesn’t have to be through the four walls of the classroom. It comes in different forms. We always limit education to the four walls of the classroom; it is beyond that. Some people who went through the four walls of the classroom are still not educated in Nigeria; the way they behave is disheartening and it gets to me and I’m like, what is this? So, giving a girl-child education is like giving the entirety of humanity education, because the girl-child has a special venture that’s been put inside of her; the special gift that God has given her. I’m not also discarding or disregarding the male child because one day, all these things that we’re talking about the girl child, one uneducated male child will destroy all the values that you have put inside the girl child. So, there’s a need to also educate the male child. So, a girl child, like everybody knows, is a person that whatever you give to her, she brings it out in a better form. And she’s the one that has the platform that God has given to her, a divine platform, all power to educate more people. This is what I tell my younger ones- my brothers, my mentees; I tell them that when you stop a woman from working, you have deprived her of the essential of the being that she is. So, I’m saying that giving a girl child education is beyond what you can see, it is bigger than what anybody can imagine.

    The 35% affirmation didn’t sail through in the last Constitution amendment. Some other countries have it in their constitution and they practise it. It has affected the country, especially in the National Assembly. Do you think that the committees on women affair and women in Parliament in the National Assembly, both chambers, should do more for it to come to pass?

    I think they should find effective solutions or maybe creative solutions to ensure that there are more women in governance. These are the things I said I’m going to talk about. I think that’s why Nigerians and I think all over the world, we have that problem of gender diversity and I don’t think that it has anything to do with maybe female representatives or women. The society is structured into masculinity. The society is structured in such a way that everything is masculine in nature. Look at the corporate world, and corporate governance, all the things, the skills they need, they are highly competitive. All those things that they need you to do are very masculine. So, I think they structure the society to be like that, like a fast-paced world, that they believe that a woman cannot meet up with it. So, these are the reasons and we the women are allowed to believe in that fable and we allow it. This is why the Women Ministry or women action groups are not doing enough to push that agenda. Because they too somehow have been programmed in their minds that we’re supposed to be subtle. We’re supposed to be women, and yes, I agree. I love feminism. I love my girly girly thing; you can see the walls of my office is purple. But then, the structure of the whole governance cycle and corporate governance, and all those things need to be restructured to accommodate people who are not competitive, but who are so creative enough to contribute to the growth of the community and society. There should be some kind of give and take; there should be some kind of balance for us because if we do not change our mindset about understanding why this 35% female gender diversity is important, we will not be able to move ahead and the programing is not only in men or women. It has to be collective programming, the reset of the mind.

    I’m sure so many people have told you in the past that you are beautiful. So, how do you ward off male advances?

    Thank you. I guess when you talk to me, you know your limits. I had those kinds of problems. After the election, I think my profile rose and I think more men are scared to even ever talk to me about it anymore. Those kinds of thing or advances have reduced like 75 percent. Now, they’re now seeing more of what is inside of me. And I think that a lot of people keep thinking that they have to do some things for you to get ahead. And so many times, people are saying that you’re always talking, you’re not getting sponsors or support and that I know what to do. And I’m like, what am I supposed to do? So, in other words, I understand those tiny undertones but I don’t give them weight. I am grateful to God Almighty that He has given me a good husband, a perfect father to my children. And I think the love of my life is God Almighty. So, whatever I do to my husband is derived from the love I have for him. It is not about me being special. There are temptations; life is like that. But what keeps and helps me is the ultimate love and connection I have with God. If you say you love somebody, you need to run away from disobeying him. I would not tell you that I am perfect. Sometimes, these things happen and you are confused and I don’t know what to do. But somehow, God always helps me out. And now I do not even have those kinds of issues anymore because everybody already understands what I stand for. You don’t leave room for men. Once the conversation starts and sometimes it does start, when it starts and then you remind them of why you are there and you change the conversation to the main focus.

  • Blue chip fraudsters behind P&ID judgment fund — BMO chief Akinsiju

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) is one of the support groups who worked for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in the recent presidential poll. It is the body that handles the media aspect of the support groups for the President. In this interview with TONY AKOWE, the Chairman of BMO, Niyi Akinsiju, speaks on the efforts of the President to leave behind a good legacy with regard to the nation’s development, among other issues of national interest.

    What are your expectations from Buhari’s second term?

    One of them is consolidation on the gains of the past four years. I appreciate how the President has steadied the ship of state which ran into a debilitating economic storm when oil price sharply dropped in 2014 and there was a vast reduction in oil production to as low as 600,000 barrels a day. Of course, we landed in a recession but we survived and came back in a timely manner. Not many economies in other jurisdictions survived that easily and took to growth the way the Nigerian economy had recorded. I give kudos to the administration for that.

    What is certain is that we crashed into that recession because we are a mono product and external-dependent economy. Despite much mouthing on the need to diversify our economy by different administrations over the years, not much was achieved before 2015. However, it must be established here that we made it out of that recession because of the creative engineering of the federal government’s fiscal relationship with the sub-nationals; something we had never witnessed before now, and the first real efforts at diversifying our economy.

    We have seen the federal government intervention in providing budget support to states and enhancing fiscal capabilities of the states through the Paris Club refunds. It takes a thinking government to adopt this option. Previous administrations had ignored all the advocacy for the refunds.

    The first indicators of an economy in diversification started manifesting with the streaming of the anchor borrowers’ programme and the CBN restriction to accessing foreign exchange for the importation of items that can be produced in the country. Since then, we have seen increase in our foreign reserves, falling inflation rate, increasing gross domestic product by percentages, and a record consistent 28-month increase in the purchasing managers’ index. All these in spite of low crude oil price and production figures.

    To a large extent, the economy has been steadied, though certain forces that were major beneficiaries of the old order have continued to heckle the system through organised and syndicated smuggling and refusal to pay back loans collected from deposit money banks. Thankfully, President Buhari has attended to that with the amendment to the AMCON Act. I understand there’s a stampede in the elite camp of loan defaulters who collectively owe us more than N5 trillion. As a nation, we are still on a journey and expect much momentum to be given our economy growth with emphasis on inclusiveness over the next four years.

    A major aspect of our national life that has sustained headlines is security. It is as if our past just suddenly caught up with us at a time. The malaise of social miscreants across the country have become an affliction, providing a near unending recruits for criminality in the north while the depressing ratio of policemen to population made the country desperately under-policed. We are talking of a near one million square kilometre land mass. Again, thankfully, we are witnessing constructive engagements with the criminal elements. Records show that more than 3000 criminals were arrested in the first half of this year. This is even as we have continued to witness frontal attacks against the remnants of the Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents by the Nigerian armed forces.

    Going forward, I like to witness the total extirpation of the North East insurgents. I am confident that we will have a better secured environment in a short while because of measures the government is putting in place to enhance the capacity of the men and women responsible for securing our lives and properties.

    A lot of Nigerians speak of the need for electoral reform, believing that what we have presently is below what it should be. What is your take on this?

    The 2019 election has become a reference point in the anal of elections in Nigeria. The ruling party lost a number of states to the main opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) while the opposition also lost a number to the ruling party. These were achieved through the electoral process and election related court processes. Unlike under other administrations, the ruling party refused to intervene in the processes. So far, rulings by states election tribunals have shown that more of opposition candidates were in breach of electoral rules and processes. This then is a good reason for the overhaul of the electoral process through appropriate electoral reform. The President has already given his word on the digitalization of the electoral process by an amendment of the Electoral Act. But, as noted by the President, this will be done in consideration of safeguarding the electoral digitalisation process from becoming a challenge resulting from undermining the digital architecture of the process.

    Beyond this, I believe Nigerians should be reoriented on the need to treat the electoral process as sacred. In a democracy, election is like the Holy Grail. It defines our being and aspirations. If we don’t get it right, we won’t get the developmental nexus of our nation right. So, as we talk of the digital process, we must also start talking to ourselves to eschew the seeming merchandising characterisation with which we play our politics.

    What is your take on the P&ID controversy?

    I won’t describe the Process & Industrial Development (P&ID) purported contract breach as a controversy, not at all. In my consideration, it is a well-orchestrated scam perpetrated by individuals who simply exploited the irresponsible culture of corruption and material acquisition by people in government. It is clear that the metropolitan capitals of capitalism with their local collaborators have seen a way to make Nigeria part with billions of dollars and they have mobilised themselves, from Wall Street based hedge fund managers to big time lawyers and lobbyists and close friends of America’s President Donald Trump, inclusive of big budget public and media relations firms, all are in a frenzy to eat out of the criminality perpetrated through the P&ID scam.

    The Federal Government should resist this gathering of blue chip ‘419ners’ it is as simple as that. No cent should be given to these frauds. It is times like this that the nation must stand against the use of neo-colonial instrumentations to strip us of our resources. It is equivalent to the first set of adventurer Buccaneers that came looting the African continent by subterfuge.

    The anti-corruption fight of the government has attracted criticism and allegations of selective prosecution. How would you rate the process so far?

    The anti-corruption war is gaining momentum. It is expected that those that are being investigated or charged to courts will allege selective prosecution. That, to me, is an expression of deficit in morality. If you had not tainted your record in service, nobody will witch-hunt you. Besides, we have seen how former governors on the platform of the ruling APC and other state actors are also being arraigned before courts of law for corruption. What is obvious is that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and ICPC have shown capacity for independent actions. I believe this is what we as a people should encourage: the independence of institutions of state to act for and on behalf of the state.

    The FBI recently released a list of Nigerians involved in internet fraud. What is your opinion on this?

    Though the news of Nigerians on the FBI list is discomforting, like the President noted in a statement, the heists those Nigerians were arrested for do not represent the values the generality of Nigerians hold dear to heart. I like to affirmatively assert that this does not make a prevalent criminal jurisdiction. The extant statistics in the United States of America does not even count Nigeria or Nigerians in the top 20 criminal prevalent countries in the world. We still hold dear our socially conservative culture with emphasis on dignity, good neighbourliness and modesty.

     Nigerians talk of a cabal within the Presidency…

    Where is the cabal? That is the question I ask each time the issue of a cabal in the Presidency is raised. The truth is that President Buhari has shown character manifested in a strong will to deploy objective policies to address our national challenges pivoted on transparency, integrity and a declared proclivity to defend and advance the cause of the poor. These are some of the profound values that define the Buhari administration, and they are extension of what Nigerians had always known the President for. In essence, therefore, to have a cabal in place is to replace these values. So, the empirical reality does not lend credence to the conjecture of a cabal in government.

     What agenda would you set for the new ministers?

    The President has appropriately cut out the job schedule and expectations of Nigerians from the ministers, inclusive of clearly defined Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). I am of the strong belief that the ministers will deliver on their briefs. Truth is that a strong foundation had been laid over the past four years when the country survived a recession through application of commendable homegrown solutions. This has gifted us an economic direction that will be powered by diversification, backward integration and human capital development within the ambience of a Nigerian first outlook.

     There is delay in the minimum wage implementation and this is causing tension in the civil service. How do you think the government should best address the issue to avoid unnecessary strike by workers?

    It is a process that has to address degrees of application of the new minimum wage across the salary ladder. So, where the quantum of salary for grade levels one to four is agreed, the applicable percentage of increment for those on levels 5 to 16 is yet outstanding. The government had offered to commence payment of those on grade levels one to four but labour is insisting on the new pay reflecting on all the grade levels. I am hopeful this will soon be resolved.

    The security situation in the country is giving many a cause for concern and the opposition is capitalising on this to accuse the government of inaction. What is your take on this?

    No matter the frequency of cases of insecurity, low or high, it is always a matter of concern to the government. Cases of kidnappings on our highways and other forms of criminalities are without doubt worrisome. But the Federal Government, through the police and the Nigerian armed forces, is on top of the situation in a sustainable manner. The Nigerian Police detective corps is being regenerated with the training of more than 200 officer level ranks personnel in China. This is also as Mr President has given a direct order to the effect that a minimum of 10,000 Nigerians should be recruited into the police service annually. Besides, the police are now adapting and deploying technology in crime fighting. Soon, we will witness the first manifestation of community policing with the recruitment of 40,000 police constables that will be recruited and posted to their local government areas of origin.

     Another controversial issue of public discourse in recent times is the Ruga settlement. Although the federal government has suspended it, Nigerians still believe the government is playing games with it…

    Ruga is a creative solution to the troublesome herders-farmers clashes. It also seeks to facilitate increased production capacity of the nation’s livestock industry with attendant positive impacts on the sector’s value chain. I observed out cries against its implementation from certain parts of the country, which by the letters of the Ruga implementation template are not even considered as part of the Ruga implementation states. Except by voluntary acquiescence, no state in the South-South, South-East or South-West is on the Ruga schedule of implementation. We are already seeing states in the northern part of the country expressing their readiness, while a number of these have actually commenced implementation.

     The issue of rotational presidency will definitely shape the 2023 elections. Many believe that after Buhari’s second term, the Presidency should return to the south. How practicable is this?

    Rotational presidency is an agreement of convenience emplaced to enable equity. I always remind myself that it is not an iron-clad caveat to the constitutional provision regarding presidential election. As a politician I think it is a most welcome arrangement. But I am practical minded enough to know that there are lots of dynamics at play in its realisation. The significant factor in the rotational arrangement is continuous dialogue, an unending conversation across the political and geographical spectrum with objective at consensus.

    There is crisis within the APC which seems to defile all solutions. Don’t you think this will affect the fortunes of the party ahead of 2023?

    I don’t think there is a crisis-related issue within the APC. Fact is that there had not been a time the party had been this stable. Yes, there were a number of grumblings in the aftermath of the general election, but members have since realised that the party actually came out stronger from the 2019 elections in terms of the states we won and the National Assembly seats. The outcome of the primary election to elect the party’s flag bearer in Kogi State has manifestly shown the quality of leadership tending the party. You can compare the Kogi primary election with PDP’s where chaos was unleashed on delegates.

     There is this allegation by the PDP that Buhari is killing the country with inaction…

    Killing? PDP is purposefully deceitful. They know that they were an affliction on this country and merely left Nigeria in the throes of death. We can only thank God for Buhari’s salvage mission. I never stopped imagining the vortex we would have found ourselves as a country if Nigerians had not kicked that party out of power in 2015. Venezuela would have been better. Even now that President Buhari is providing focused and creative leadership by addressing the numerous challenges inherited from the 16 years PDP administration, many elements in the party, still smarting from losing both the 2015 and 2019 elections and by extension denied access to the nation’s ‘feeding bottle,’ have become desperate and resorted to criminal subterfuge to create outlooks of instability around the country. Of course, they have failed and will continue to fail.

  • Why Brazilians are eager to visit Nigeria in spite of fraud, kidnapping — Consul General Bandeira

    FEW foreigners would feel so much at home in Nigeria as do Helges Samuel Bandeira, the Acting Consul General of the Brazilian embassy in Nigeria, and his wife. But then, a closer look would reveal that once you remove his skin colour and his slightly different accent, what is left of Bandeira is essentially African. He jolts into life at the sound of African drums! He could interpret the sound of the talking drum and pronounce many Yoruba words with almost the deep accent of a Yoruba man. Yet he has only been in Nigeria for one and a half years!

    “I was appointed to Nigeria in 2018,” he said. “And last month, I became the acting Consul General. I studied in Law in Brazil and worked as a lawyer for some time. I was also an entrepreneur and a teacher. I owned two language centres in the state of Santa Catrina. In 2014, I was admitted into the Brazilian diplomatic corps. I worked for some time at the headquarters in Brazil.

    “My first mission was to Angola where I was the Head of the Mission for five months. It was a temporary mission. Then I went back to the headquarters in Brazil. I was appointed to the consulate in Lagos in 2018 and I have been the Head of consular services here ever since.”

    Asked to recall his experience so far in Nigeria, Bandeira said: “I really enjoy living here. I think that Nigeria is a fascinating country. I think that the cultural differences from the different Nigerian states provide a very enriching experience to whoever visits Nigeria.”

    He also explains why it is so easy for him to blend with the African culture, saying that like every other Brazillian, he has his roots in Africa.

    He said: “We have similarities in the culture between our two different countries. Both Nigerians and Brazilians are very happy people. We like making friends. We like talking to people. We are more outgoing. We, that is Nigerians and Brazilians, are more relaxed than people from other countries.

    “I think Nigerians and Brazilians make friends more easily. We enjoy inviting people to our homes. Our notion of family is more extended. I think that even here in Nigeria, your notion of family is even more extended than we have in Brazil. That notwithstanding, I think and believe that we have a lot of similarities between both countries.

    “You also have to remember that Brazil has a very strong African influence. You can see that we have two religions in Brazil—Candomble and Umbanda—which are both based on Ifa, and they are very popular in the country. The followers of these religions till this day still chant and sing in Yoruba, although not all may understand what they are saying.

    “It is like in the olden days when people used to attend the Christian Mass which was conducted in Latin. You know the people just followed the mass in Latin, replying the prayers in Latin even when they didn’t know what they were saying.  But that was what they were taught to do and that was what made sense to them.

    “I think the same thing happens in Brazil with the people who still sing and do the enchantments in Yoruba. It is these religions that are also part of Brazil lifestyle, and you would even see Brazilians who do not have African descendants practising these religions and understanding them.

    “The orisas (deities) are very well known in Brazil. Almost all Brazilians know the main orisas and what they stand for. However, not all the orisas have crossed the Atlantic Ocean! Some have only stayed here in Nigeria. But Yemoja, Osun, Sango, Obatala, are names you mention in Brazil and people already know what you are talking about.”

    Asked where his knowledge and deep Yoruba accent comes from, Bandeira, re-adjusted his sitting position and said: “Yes, I am very conversant with the language, culture and history of Nigeria, especially the Yoruba people. As I told you earlier, to us in Brazil, it is also part of our culture. We do not see it as something that comes from abroad or something strange; we see it as something that is Brazilian.

    “When you tell somebody in Brazil that Yoruba culture actually came from Nigeria, a lot of people become even more fascinated with the idea. I recently went to Osun-Osogbo to see the festival. I saw a lot of Brazilians there. You may not have noticed it, but Brazilians are one of the few people in the world who love Nigerian culture and sincerely want to come to visit Nigeria.

    “If you talk to people from other countries, you will notice that sometimes they are not as fascinated by Nigerian culture as Brazilians.”

    The young diplomat was asked how he felt when he saw Brazilians, Europeans and other foreign nationals wearing the Yoruba aso ebi (ceremonial uniform) at the recently held Osun-Osogbo festival. “I do wear native Nigerian clothes,” he retorted. “Most are actually gifts from friends. They know that I enjoy and cherish traditional culture a lot. What I usually tell people here is that, if you don’t know your past, you don’t know who you are. You are lost and have no way of planning your future.

    “We in Brazil know that we are a developing country as well. Of course, we want to be a rich country, a developed country, but we do not want to be like Europe or the United States; we want to be Brazil. But we want our people to, of course, have access to more resources. And I think the same thing applies to Nigeria.

    “In order for that to happen, you need to have a very clear understanding of who you are, where you come from, and your current situation. So I think it is very important to cherish these traditional cultures. And that is what you have so much in Nigeria. Everywhere, there is so much culture here, which I think can be economically explored.

    “For instance, there are these Brazilians who despite all the bad things that are being said about Nigeria, they keep coming. There’s kidnapping here. There is fraud. There are scams. Some say the airport sometimes does not offer enough security. But despite all that, these Brazilians still come here. That is how strong your country is. I often say this to Nigerians that you have a treasure which I think sometimes you do not care much about, which, to me, is very sad, to tell you the truth, especially after the huge, fascinating experience that I had at Osun-Osogbo!”

    Given that Yoruba culture is very popular in Brazil, how much of Nigerian foods does Bandeira eat?

    To this, he laughed and said: “Now you are touching on a very delicate matter. In Brazil, we eat akara. But there, it is a food offered as offering to orisa. And the akara you eat is called akaraje. Don’t forget that ‘je’ means ‘eat’ in Yoruba. So what we have for eating is akaraje. So when you travel to Brazil, you can eat akaraje,especially in Salvador where there is strong Yoruba presence. I love to eat akaraje in Brazil.

    Of course here in Nigeria, it is one of the foods that I like eating. I also like iyan (pounded yam). I know that some Nigerians may feel sad when I say this, but the truth is I don’t like egusi (melon) soup that much.

    But how about ogbono and other Nigerian soups, does he eat them?

    “A-haa!” he yelled in excitement. “I eat other soups. Usually, when we go to people’s houses and they serve typical Nigerian foods, we don’t have a problem with it. But like I said, I don’t like it when it has too much strong flavour or when the foods are too spicy! What I usually tell people is that I am oyinbo (white man), but not veryoyinbo!”

    From his disposition, it is obvious that culture attracts Brazilians to Nigeria. But what does Bandeira thinks would draw Nigerians to Brazil?

    “I think that currently we have different types of travellers from Nigeria to Brazil. We have a lot of people in academia. Students too travel to Brazil. We have a programme for graduate and post-graduate scholarships to Nigerian students who may want to study in Brazil. It is an interesting programme that has been in place for quite some time now.

    “Every year, we have candidates which we select from. It is based purely on merit. You don’t have to know any governor or any politician. If you are a good student, we want you to come and study in Brazil. So we have students and professors who travel a lot. But we also have businessmen who travel from Nigeria to Brazil, looking for opportunities either to import or export or invest.

    “We also have a lot of people who are associated with Ifa here in Nigeria who travel to Brazil to see how Ifa is practised there in Brazil through ‘Candomble and Umbanda.’ The Ooni of Ife has been to Brazil in recent times and he is always sending people back and forth; same with the Alaafin of Oyo. So we have a strong cultural connection between Brazil and Nigeria, and I think that spills over into other areas.”

    One could not help but ask him about inter-marriage between Brazilians and Nigerians.

    “It is very common too,” he said. “We see mostly Nigerian men marrying Brazilian women. The other way is not very common. But we see a lot of families of Nigerian men and Brazilian women. Some of them live here in Nigeria while some of them live in Brazil.

    “For us in Brazil, we are very used to mixing when it comes to marriage. We have people from different countries mixing together in Brazil who are part of our identity, just like religion, which we do not even identify as being foreign but something that belongs to Brazil.

    “So I think that one of the aspects of our society in Brazil is the ability to integrate, to mix. If you go to Brazil, you will see that everyone has a little bit of everything: a little African, a little native, a little European, a little American and so on. That is what Brazil is: a mix of different ethnicity, different cultures and so on. It is very common to see families of Nigerian-Brazilians over there.”

    The Brazilian Consul General would love to travel all over Nigeria. But would that be possible?

    “No,” he retorted. “I haven’t travelled a lot to tell you the truth. There is a lot of work to be done here in the consulate in Lagos. I try to be very diligent with all the visa applications and with our fellow Brazilians that are here. So I don’t travel a lot, unfortunately. I have to stay here to oversee all the operations and make sure that everything is running smoothly, correctly and accordingly to the law.”

    One gets the impression that most consuls-general are not as young as Bandeira. But he has a good explanation for that.

    Hear him: “I was assigned to Nigeria as the Deputy Consul General. But with the departure of the then Consul General, I became the Head of Mission. That is why I am the Acting Consul General. It is true that most Consuls-General and Ambassadors are older, but I think it is the reflection of our society. I think that things are changing.

    “Even here in Nigeria, I mean Lagos, there are consuls-general and heads of missions that are younger. I think it is good because we the younger ones might not have experience like the older ones, but we allow ourselves to be more involved in all of the operations, and we are willing to do things ourselves, to put our hands to work. Whereas when you progress more at work or in your career you already expect other people to do things which you could normally do yourself. Which I also think is understandable and is correct.

    “A senior ambassador is not going to interview everyone that comes to ask for visa. But I do that myself! If I think that somebody does not have good intentions for the trip, I interview the person myself. I want to know why you want to go Brazil, what you want to go and do there, your intentions, because we want good people to travel. And I think that is important even for Nigeria.

    “All consulates have to be very selective, because if we allow bad Nigerians or people that have bad intentions to travel, that will give Nigeria a bad name.

    “There are good and bad people here, just like anywhere in the world. But if only the bad people are travelling, the image the country will have abroad will be bad. That is why I cherish it so much when we receive information from other people that some persons who have applied for visa are not genuine.

    “It is always so nice when other Nigerians tell us that this company that is intending to travel does not mean well. We often receive such information from other Nigerians. And I think it is good and equally important for good Nigerians to travel abroad and see other countries.”

    An interview with Bandeira would not be complete without he talking about the carnivals Brazil is popularly known for.

    “Carnivals are great moments in Brazil,” he said. “As a matter of fact, we hold parades in all of our cities and everyone is happy. I often tell people that in our carnivals, it is usually clearly easy to see strong African influences. We did not learn to play the drums with the Europeans. So when you hear the drums in the carnival, when you hear the Samba, of course, you can trace the African origin!”

    He confessed that one of the things he misses out here is the Brazilian carnival. “Yes, I do miss the carnivals! That is something that everyone participates in. Of course again, when you are much younger, you participate more actively. Right now, I am not a big party goer. I stay more in my house with my wife. I watch the carnival on television. I miss carnivals. I enjoy carnivals as a cultural expression, but I can’t participate very actively these days.”

    Like carnivals, Bandeira relishes talking about football. His eyes lit up when he was drawn into a discussion about football, which he prefers to call soccer.

    He said: “Well, you know that I am a diplomat (laughs)! So I have never been athletic, to tell you the truth. Of course, soccer is our national passion. I am usually also in my jersey like most Brazilians when the country’s football side has an international engagement. At such moments, I am always cheering for Brazil.

    “When I was in the headquarters in Brazil, at such time, we used to get together with friends to play soccer, but on a laid back atmosphere. Even in family gatherings in Brazil, it is very common to go to play.

    “In Brazil, we like eating meat a lot. So we eat barbecue and go play soccer with cousins. For me, I play on a laid back and unprofessional way (laughs).”

    About his work in Nigeria, Bandeira says “it has been really challenging. My duty majorly here is to separate the wheat from the chaff and to allow the good Nigerians travel and have good experiences abroad and make sure that the bad ones remain here.”

    He says that when he moves around Lagos, especially Lagos Island, he feels impressed and fascinated by the Brazilian culture that has been preserved over the years by Nigerians who were once in Brazil but later returned home.

    He said: “I think it is also important to note that some of the Yoruba who went to Brazil came back, and to this day, we still hear of Brazilian first names and last names here in Lagos.

    “We also have different associations here who want to protect the history of the Brazilian descendants, which I also think is very fascinating.

    “It is also fascinating that when you walk around Lagos Island, that there are still some traditional Brazilian architecture left. I hope that the Lagos State Government can preserve whatever is left there because, as I told you earlier, a people without history are a people without a future.”

  • I’m still searching for the right man as husband — Ex-beauty queen Buwa

    Ex-beauty queen, Omasan Buwa, is a woman of many parts. Apart from her exploits as former Nigeria’s most beautiful girl, she is a lawyer, an actress, a singer, a broadcaster, a DJ, a restaurant operator, a cosmetologist and, lately, an educationist.

    The general belief is that Buwa sprung into limelight by winning the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) beauty pageant in 1987; a position she disagrees with, saying that she had won a pageant even as a baby.

    “No, no, no; that definitely wasn’t the turning point in my career,” she protested in response to a question suggesting that the MBGN contest put her in the limelight. And to drive her point home, she fetched a photograph in which she has a photograph of herself as the ‘beauty queen’ of a once popular brand of milk when she was born in Paddington Hospital, Westminster, London.

    She said: “The truth is that I came into limelight when I was born in Paddington Hospital, Westminster, London, where I was crowned as Cow and Gate Baby. So I came into the world with a divine crown. I won the baby competition right there in the hospital. I was the ‘cutest baby’ at birth in the hospital and I got the crown.

    “So even before the Most Beautiful Girl pageant in Nigeria, I had already taken part in other competitions. I was also presenting a programme called Morning Ride on television under the then Mr. Danladi Bako and others, who tutored me at NTA (Nigerian Television Authority).

    “In those days, anybody who was somebody in NTA took a liking for me—Patrick Oke and others. I loved being at NTA then because there was always someone there to tell me that I had a future with the klieg lights; that I had a natural talent. It was from there that I moved into participating in beauty pageants.

    “So, you can see that winning the Most Beautiful Girl pageant in Nigeria was not the turning point in my life, though I appreciate the fact that I won. But it was not the be all and end all.

    “Like I said, we were doing all that for fun! It was actually after my participation in the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant that doors actually opened. I had the opportunity of writing for a magazine, and along with Funmi Ajila the fashion designer, we started a modeling agency.

    “Yes, I can say winning the Most Beautiful Girl pageant in Nigeria brought a lot of attention to me, but it didn’t change who I was!

    “And that in itself brought along a conflict. I think Ben Bruce wanted somebody who would probably be different afterwards. I don’t know, but I just remained how I was! It didn’t change me, though the experiences that I had, like going for Miss Universe and Miss World, where I met some of the queens, was great indeed.

    “We are going to have a re-union in London in November this year. So I am looking forward to that and hoping that I will be able to make that. Meeting those queens and keeping the relationship has meant a lot to me.”

    But whose idea was it for Buwa to participate in the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria competition? She thought about it briefly and replied: “A lot of us then, including Funmi Ajila, were all hanging around together. In fact Funmi Ajila won the Designer of the Year Award the same day I won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria beauty pageant. She made my outfits. She and I were on the cover of the newspapers the next day.

    “In those days too, we were the up and coming stars. We were fresh from the university, into either writing or modeling. Funmi Ajila was into fashion designing while I was modeling for Labenella, owned by Abah Folawiyo and Folorunsho Alakija who owned Supreme Stitches. So everybody knew each other.

    “There was also the wife of a popular Pentecostal pastor in Lekki now, who was a top model then with her sister, Ifeanyi. There was a bunch of us like that.

    “There was also the Miss Nigeria beauty pageant then which I participated in and came thirrd or so. I did that out of just trying to be funky. But when the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant came up, I told my mother that I wanted to take part in it.”

    Was she discouraged by her mother from participating in the beauty pageant?

    “No! My mum had no problem with that. She just allowed me to do it, especially since it was something she knew that I wanted to do. And my mum was a pure Nigerian, an Itsekiri woman from the Ikomi family (laughs), though she lived in England for quite a number of years!

    “You know, in those days when teachers used to go for training abroad, my mum won a scholarship then to go for training as a teacher. So you see this teaching has been in me for quite a long time.

    “Actually, part of me wanted to go into teaching and education to honour my mother who died a few years ago. She loved education so much and taught my children. People used to tell me that my mum had a good teaching method.

    “So, eventually, I guess I went into education to honour her attempt to revamp the educational system. It is unfortunate that we are doing a lot of things wrong in the educational system.”

    Buwa says she still looks back to those growing up years with nostalgia.

    “Of course, those were the days of good music. I am a lover of music. I was even a Disc Jockey back in the days. I used to organise parties. Even now, I still do some Disc Jockey at in-house parties. I have my old school collection of CDs of four full suitcases. So you can hear good music that takes you there.

    “I sometimes share my old skool music on social media because I am always feeling nostalgic about my youth. I enjoyed my youth. I had a great time. There were no responsibilities then for me. That is why I am always telling the youths of these days to have fun. Other things like money and fame will come later.”

    The ex-beauty queen switches between Nigerian and British accents. And somewhere along the line, the Waffi girl in her takes over and she rains down pidgin English as if she has lived all her life in Warri; evidence that she has been a thoroughbred Nigerian despite her sojourns abroad.

    “I have not stayed away from Nigeria for too long,” she said.

    “I was an Executive Assistant in the Delta State Government from 2009 to 2015, and I left Nigeria again in 2017. I returned to Nigeria after six months when my name was included on the Board of Culture and Tourism for Delta State. But before I knew it, it was changed. I don’t know why that happened. That must have been some Nigerian magic (laughs).

    “So I was stunned. But I quickly told myself that since I was not needed, I could take off. So I left Nigeria again.”

    When Omasan left Nigeria, she went to the USA where life was a different ball game. But she was on the fast lane again with bright lights and television cameras.

    “You know, apart from fashion, modeling, broadcasting and Law, I had an entertainment background. I used to have a restaurant with a bar back then before I left Nigeria, and Fela Anikulapo-Kuti came to play there. I can never forget that experience. It was a Jazz bar called Pepperholics. We used to have Jazz night then too. It was located right beside the Gbemisola street house.

    “We used to send Fela’s fish to him every day, whether he was around or not. I constructed the place and gave it an African design with bamboo. We used to have clients come around and cars extending to Allen Avenue on our Jazz nights.

    “We had fun. A lot of people used to come around, including Americans and other nationals, to sing highlife. My ex-husband was an American and I am British, and you know, I am made in Nigeria. So, we had a good blend of people and it was always fun time there. It was really cool.

    “I went to America because he wanted us to settle in America because that is where he was based.

    “Immediately I got to America, I began to model. I worked with Naomi Campbell. That was when I started acting classes and started getting little roles. For me, it was step by step because nobody just breaks into limelight. You must have been doing some little notes somewhere. Beyonce did some back up singing somewhere.

    “So I started making waves here in USA. I have met with the likes of Monica and Mary J. Blige. They were up-coming then. So I was with that circle of people until I got pregnant (laughs)!

    “But you know I also did some acting in Nigeria. I was in the popular (soap opera) Ripples.

    “And in America, like I said, I was getting little roles because I was just coming into the industry then. So I was in crowd scenes, but that is how you start. There was one with Denzel Washington. But then, it was a crowd scene which was good enough for me as it was on my resume.”

    Reminded that hers must have been a life of high moments, she laughed and said: “That is life. There will always be high moments and low moments! Just live a life!”

    Asked if she had any regrets, she responded with an emphatic no.

    “I am a Householder, which means that I attend a church where the pastor is a teacher. We do not believe in miracles. Pastor Kris Okotie, my pastor, teaches that you can’t have any regret in life.

    “You have to wake every morning believing God that yesterday was an experience and was for a purpose, for a lesson and something to be learnt. That is why it is new every morning.

    “However, I am not saying that when something happens you say it doesn’t matter. What I am saying is that when something happens, instead of wallowing in the mistake, you look at the good side of it. You take the good side of the coin and move on from there.

    “I can’t change the past! I have things that I have done in the past that I said to myself, ‘Oh dear! That was a bad decision or that wasn’t too smart.’ But then, I can’t change it. Some things are too late to change. So at such times, I tell myself, look for another opportunity, move on!”

    Buwa shared the joy of having known Fela the Afro beat maestro and his family.

    She said: “Ha, yes, I was very close to Fela! Funny enough, when he died, I was in USA. I just screamed, ‘Yeee, Baba don go o!” My last born is a girl. I named her after Yeni.

    “Yeni and I are quite close. She is like a big sister. I was in Felabration and I know that I have done three in a row. I saw Fela play in England; it was great. And in those days when Femi started too, we used to go and see his shows. I love his vibes, his message.

    “I preach Fela to most of the young people I meet. I remember I was in the gym one day in Osama, China, playing Army Arrangement (one of Fela’s songs), and the young people there thought it was a new song. They said, ‘The thing wey dis man dey talk na true o.’ I told them that, dis song wey d man dey sing don tey o. I told them the song was done by Fela and that it is the original Afro beat.”

    As a former beauty queen, she shared with us her thoughts on beauty, fashion and glamour.

    “If you want to talk about fashion, Funmi Ajila can give you a load of it. Funmi dresses me! I have always been her fan. She captures my style. But apart from that, I wear jeans and T-shirts (laughs). But then, even my jeans and T-shirts must be trendy.

    “I have collections that when you see, your eyes will pop! I love trendy casuals. But even then, I have rooms and rooms of native clothes, skirts and blouses. That comes from those days when I was working in the corridors of political power.

    “Then, I wore them when I was going to church. These days, sometimes I dress formal and yet feminine. I dress to please myself.

    “But fashion these days has indeed changed gear, because right now, everybody is into beauty enhancement, getting a pair of good boobs and getting a pair of bumbum (laughs). It trends.

    “Back then when I was growing up, we used to shave our eyebrows only to paint them back again! It trends.

    “Actually I have had a tummy tuck. But I had it back in the days because my abdominal muscles collapsed. So it was for health reasons that I had a tummy tuck. But who knows if I had that kind of wild money, maybe I would like to cut and tuck some things off my body!”

    Buwa says she really does not bother about whether she still remains as stunning as she used to be when she was younger than the 53 years that she presently is.

    “At this point, after children, I do not bother comparing whether I am still as stunning as I used to be. I believe it’s more of the self esteem that matters. We all need to work on our inner beings, the way we comport ourselves.

    “So the inner beauty rests on God, and sometimes I still ask Him to work on me and my inner beauty. That is who I am: beautiful inside with a heart full of compassion. And I am a very emotional person, and that is coming from the Chinese people. My boss in China once told me that I am very emotional and compassionate, which is more than the physical beauty.

    “At this age, people still tell me I’m beautiful, so I give God all the glory. I still have some bad habits, but at the same time, too much of everything is not good. I watch what I eat and I have a special love for working out. Doing yoga, Zumba makes me okay.”

    Asked to describe herself, she said: “I am someone that has lived life! I mean if anything happens now, and a burial is being organised, though I don’t want to die now, of course I still want to see my grandchildren and all that. But if such a thing was to happen, I’ll like for them to write on my gravestone: ‘Here lies Omasan Buwa. She lived.’

    “I’ve enjoyed myself o. I’ve been in very dark places too. I’m a very down to earth person. So when things happen, I lock myself in, roll and cry to God. You’ll never see me rolling and crying outside.

    So did she remarry after going separate ways with her husband?

    “Nope,” replied Buwa. “I’m trying to search, but I get carried away easily. I want a rich man; not just rich in wealth but in exposure; one who would be able to contain my life. I mean a man rich in wisdom and someone who won’t kill those dreams I still have left.

    “I have children who are now out of school and they are blessed. I brought them back to Nigeria to have secondary education then. They have graduated. The boys are doing master’s degree and the girl is in Law School. She wants to take after her mama, I guess.”

    Is it true that she is making waves in China?

    “I recently proudly put Nigeria on the map in China in a company that overlooks Nigerian citizens as worthy to be employed. My influence placed the Nigerian flag amidst that of China, USA, UK, and other countries.

    “Also, at the annual conference of EF education, I choreographed top level Chinese CEOs to a popular Nigerian gospel tune that was performed on stage in front of thousands. I am now armed with various teaching module certifications from Cambridge University.

    “I plan to utilise my experience in China to improve on the Nigerian educational sector by partnering with stakeholders. Part of what is missing is an interactive method of engaging the students assisted by technology and practical drills in order to activate then consolidate and produce a lesson that enhances the learner’s abilities. This module of teaching is used all over the world. Nigerian teachers require intense training in how best to engage a class of learners through presenting and activating.”

  • Our youths are damaging their auditory cells with earphones — Professor of Audiology Owolawi

    Wahab Dele Owolawi is a consultant and professor of Audiology at the King Saudi University, Saudi Arabia. He has been practising for 30 years in a line of medicine where there are only a few Nigerians. As a result of a dearth of professionals, he set up Decibel Hearing Consultants in Nigeria. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, Owolawi talks about the hearing challenges many Nigerians are facing sometimes without even knowing it, why he remains in Saudi Arabia and how government can revive the health sector

    At what point did you decide to leave Nigeria for Saudi Arabia?

    I decided to go to Saudi Arabia in 1999, partly because of the appalling situation of things in the country, particularly with respect to medical practice and our area of specialization, which is Audiology. When I got an offer in Saudi Arabia, first and foremost, it was financially rewarding. Secondly, they have the tools one can utilise to do the job effectively. That prompted me to take an appointment with the Saudi government.

    You talked about appalling situation. What are you really talking about here?

    You would realise that we were under the military for quite some time. During that period, there were a lot of problems in the country. Lots of agitations and attention was not focused on medical practice. I was working with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) before I decided to go. We were in the state where we could not get the basic equipment for the diagnosis of problems and treatment of people who had hearing disorder. One could not do so much and one’s training abroad was being underutilised or not even utilised at all. That was the situation.

    We didn’t have the requisite equipment. We didn’t have what could be regarded as the standard audiological centre in the hospital, and all efforts to make them understand were not heeded in a way. So, I decided to take my leave.

    That also enriched my experience outside the country. It also enhanced my capability to be able to see what obtains elsewhere and to be able also to improve my skill working with other colleagues from other parts of the world.

    In Saudi Arabia, people from the US, UK and India, all of us were working together and that also added to my experience beyond the local environment of Nigeria.

    I want you to compare the situation you left behind during the military era with what obtains now. How positive has been the shift in terms of medical facilities? Why is it that people still go abroad for treatment, especially when they are being treated by Nigerian doctors abroad?

    I wouldn’t say things have not improved. It has in a way. But looking at it from holistic perspective, we still have a very long way to go. Bcause if one visits some of our hospitals, one would still feel sad with regards to what obtains in terms of facilities. But I think to some extent, things have improved. I wouldn’t say significantly, but not yet to the standards that is required for a country like Nigeria. So we still have a long way to go.

    I can’t imagine people going to India for medical care. It baffles me to see that. I believe that with the rate at which we were during the colonial and post-colonial period before the military came, I think we were doing excellently well. For example, the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan was rated 5th in the whole of Commonwealth. And from the information we had, even some Saudi royals were attending UCH Ibadan for medical care. But today, the reverse is the case. People go to Dubai, India and so on. So we need to put our act together and focus on health care for our people. It is very essential.

    We have the experts, the professionals are there and I think if things are made available and we improve on medical education in the country, things will be much better than we have at the moment.

    If we once had a robust health sector, where did things go wrong?

    I think that is a question I can’t conveniently answer because that has to do with our political system. When there is no accountability, when people think whatever belongs to the government belongs to nobody; when people do not have the mindset of service above self, you have to serve without taking from whatever you are doing. When I talk of politicians, well we all know what is happening in terms of self-aggrandizement, corruption, and so on.

    Corruption kills a nation and I think to a certain extent that has been our Achill heel. We have to re-orientate ourselves. By reorienting ourselves, I think we can get there. Nigeria is a great country; there is no doubt about that. But what actually confers greatness on a nation is the ability to take care of its people. When our health system is up to standard, when we have a system that cares for all, I think things will be better. It started before or during the military period. You can’t question what they do. But today, we have democratic political system. At the same time, graft and corruption is killing if it has not already killed the nation.

    Let’s assume you are the current health minister; what are the reforms you would embark on?

    First and foremost, we need to restructure our educational system. Whether health sector or other sectors, we need to reform that. Because with sound education, I believe we will go a long way. We all know where we were in the past and we know what obtains these days with respect to our educational system. It is a holistic thing. It is something that requires total overhaul. It starts from kindergarten.

    We also have to be competitive. In Saudi Arabia where I am, we have people from different countries. There is competition. You are bound to put up your best. But here, we have a lot of professionals around, but we need to be competitive.

    The question on becoming the minister of health, forget about it.

    There are different areas of medicine you could have specialized in. Why audiology?

    Yes it is based on one, passion and compassion. Compassion in the sense that people who have hearing problems are hardly heard. What we call hidden disability. People don’t see it, so it does not evoke sympathy. It does not involve care as such, unlike the eyes. The eyes are very visible. People can see them, and that can elicit sympathy. But auditory problem, it is very difficult. And I also had a lot of information about some of the children who were easily knocked down by cars, particularly at Wesley School for the deaf when I was in the university. They were knocked down by cars because they could not hear when a car was coming, and that actually prompted me to say, ‘Why can’t we do something about these children who have hearing challenge?’ That motivated me to choose audiology.

    So what are you doing about it?

    Like you rightly said, there are very few in the country, and because we’re trying to do our little best, we need training institutions for audiology. In Nigeria, we don’t have a single institution that trains audiologists in the clinical field. South Africa has about five or six universities, they have less population in comparison to Nigeria, but Nigeria does not have any.

    We are trying to push that forward to some of the universities. One university, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, has indicated interest, and we are trying to see that we have a training institution where we can train more hands so that people can take over from us. If we don’t put that in place today, we might regret it in the future. And if you look at our society, a lot of people are actually going about without realizing that they have hearing problem. Some people have wax blocking their ears but they don’t know. Some people go about with noise all over the place. They would go to pharmacy and purchase drug that could damage their auditory system. They don’t know where to go and those who know where to go sometimes go to quacks and they are misdiagnosed and a lot of problems arise from that.

    So, these are some of the things we’re trying to put in place so that Nigerians can also benefit like others in the developed world.

    Many would wonder why you chose to come back to Nigeria after spending 15 years in Saudi Arabia as a teacher and a consultant…

    I work in King Saud University in Saudi Arabia and on my own volition decided to come and establish a clinic because hearing healthcare seems not to be well known in Nigeria. There are so many people who are in search of solution to their hearing problems. As a result of that, I decided that it was worthwhile to come and establish a state-of-the-art audiological clinic. People go to the UK, US, Dubai, but I have decided to provide the facilities and expertise that is required so that Nigerians may stay here to have the best hearing aid.

    I felt that the best thing I can give back is to come back and offer services so that everyone can afford it no matter what, and give the best of service that is available in any part of the world. That is why we are here.

    How was life in Saudi Arabia?

    The statement that whether east, west, north or south, home is the best applies here. At the end of the day, you just have to come back home. Initially, because Nigeria is western oriented and Saudi Arabia is purely Middle East and Islamic oriented, even though I am a Muslim, there was an initial culture shock, a lot of restrictions which to some extent infused some sort of discipline into one’s life. I didn’t really find it obnoxious because those restrictions are put in place so that there will be order in the society. The only thing one misses is one’s friends. Sometimes you socialise here in Lagos. You go to parties. Where I am, we don’t commonly see Nigerian foods. We are always eating rice. These are the things.

    Averagely, it is a sane society. It is well developed. Where I am, particularly Riyad, I can call it 21st Century city. And what impresses me the most is the care they give to their citizens. They give 100 per cent care to their citizens. Health care is free. They pay their students for being in the university. They pay them on a monthly basis. Absolutely, there is safety. There is a bit of sanity. You can drive your car at any time of the day or night without being molested or challenged by anyone.

    The only down side is that most people speak Arabic. And for those of us who don’t speak Arabic, sometimes, we have little challenges. I ought to have returned home fully. I was expected to have returned five years ago but they kept renewing my contract. They are not prepared yet to release me because of the services I’m rendering to their citizens. I lecture in the university. I also consult in their hospitals.

    Do you think this policy of retiring medical doctors at certain age is healthy?

    Actually, officially, they are supposed to retire their doctors at 60. But they have a proviso that you can still stay beyond 60 because of the experience and particularly because they don’t have a citizen of Saudi who is a specialist in the field. You may still stay till 70. I’ve been practising in Saudi for 15 years now.

    Most Nigerian doctors excel when they go abroad. What could be responsible for that?

    The facility and the conducive environment. Over there, they provide you with necessary facilities to do your work effectively. If we have something similar, we will do better. Our professionals are good. We have good doctors, but when the facilities are not there, what would they do? So it is difficult. We need to improve on our trainings. I remember in those days some medical students were sent abroad to have one year or two years exposure, and when they returned, they would deploy the experiences they had acquired to the services they were rendering here.

    Such programmes should continue because we are not an Island. A lot of development has occurred over the years, particularly in the western world.

    We need to be conversant with this development. We need to acquire the skills that are required so that we can bring the skill and experience back home to impact positively on the people of the country. Saudi Arabia tends to send her own citizens outside to US, Canada and UK to acquire experience and higher degrees, and when they come back they do very well.

    I think if we can put some of these things in place for some of our doctors, even if it is just for one year outside the country, and come back and provide them with the necessary tools to work with, things will be better

    How often do you think Nigerians should visit audiologists?

    It is very important that every Nigerian should be aware of their hearing status. Why? There’s noise all over the place, particularly in Lagos. People walk into the pharmacy and buy any medication, antibiotics which are dangerous. We have drugs that we call autotoxin drugs. They are not friendly to the auditory system. Some damage the vestibular system that gives us opportunity to have a balance. And all these things, people don’t know that they have to check. There are drugs that actually destroy the cochlear, the inner ear. There are some that destroy the vestibular system.

    And people who are also undergoing cancer treatment, they give them a particular type of drugs that destroy the auditory system. Yes, life is paramount. The first thing that the physician thinks about is survival. But the secondary effect of some of these medications is auditory compromise. It compromises the auditory system. So we need to see such people. We need to monitor them and if necessary, we need to dialogue with the physicians if there are alternatives that are less destructive to the auditory system.

    In short, every Nigerian has that opportunity, at least once a year. It’s an annual thing. In the western world, when a child is born, before the child is discharged from the hospital, the child will undergo hearing screening programme. We call it neonatal hearing screening programme. In some countries, it is blanket. Every child must have it. For example, in Germany, it is very general. In some other countries, they select some children who have suffered from measles, low birth weight (less than 1500g), birth asphyxia (they didn’t cry spontaneously after birth); children who were kept in intensive care unit for 29 days and above; babies who have crimo-facial abnormalities: you see their ears are deformed, the head is deformed; children that were born with prolonged labour that the mother suffered for so long that their mother suffered from rubella (German measles). They need examination. It is very crucial.

    We always talk about deaf-mute. But we do not realize that if a child is detected on time between the time of birth and six months and we are able to figure it out and we fit them with what is called hearing aid, the child will acquire speech exactly like a normal hearing child. But when the child is left for one or two years, it takes a very long time for us to be able to do therapy and make the child come back to normal.

    We have had numerous situations where a young person is wearing an earplug while crossing the road and a vehicle is honking only for an accident to occur. Is there any form of enlightenment for these situations?

    On the wearing of earplugs, most of our youths are not aware of the damage that is being caused. Some of them are listening to music, the volume is high and they do not realise the volume is high. All they think about is ‘I am enjoying myself’. But with the enjoyment comes something else. And that something is the damage to the auditory cells. It is better if the earplugs are not worn.

    So it’s a trend that we need to educate people on. People need enlightenment and this is the only thing that can liberate this behavior, which is detrimental to them and to the society generally. So we would continue to talk about it, continue to propagate the gospel of safe hearing.

    One of the best things they could do is to put it on their speakers. If you want to listen to music, put it on speaker and listen to it. But popping out the earphones all the time causes not only fatigue to the ears it causes a mild hearing loss at that point in time. If somebody who is talking to you does not raise his voice higher you might be missing a lot of things.

  • ‘How my husband was killed trying to rescue his friend from kidnappers’

    Few of the people who were aware of the affinity she shared with her husband had given her any chance of survival when her husband, Jude Nwandu, a politician and businessman, was shot dead by kidnappers in 2010. But nine years on, Hon. Hope Chinyelu Nwandu, an ex-councillor, who is now an enterpreneur, has overcome the trauma of losing the man after her heart. The native of Oraukwu Kingdom in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State is not only the president of the association of widows in the state, she is also the founder of one of the most popular non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the state.

    Asked how she overcame the trauma of losing her husband as a 35-year-old, Hon Chiyelu Nwandu said although she faced series of battles after the ugly experience, it became the motivation for her to form an association for widows and step up on her popular NGO, Youth Awareness as a Weapon to Fight Aids and Violence (YAWAV), which she said is meant to help the vulnerable and down trodden in the society

    She said: “Before I started National Coalition for Concerned Widows some years back, I had registered Youth Awareness as a Weapon to Fight Aids and Violence (YAWAV). My focus then were orphans and vulnerable children, and that was as far back as 2006.

    “My records are still with State Action Committee on Aids (SACA), World Bank, Federal Ministry for Women’s Affairs and Social Development.

    “The purpose was not to acquire wealth but to make sure those sets of persons were given a sense of belonging. Most people saw them then as people without hope, people whose ends had come and people who had nothing to give or contribute to the society.

    “I was propelled by my husband, who was my back bone in everything I did then (tears rolled down her cheeks), but it is well.

    “Since then, I have not looked back in making sure that vulnerable people are catered for. We have to be our brothers and sisters’ keepers.”

    Nwandu, said she decided to also fight for widows in the society because of the kind of trauma they go through at the hands of their husbands in-laws. The fair complexioned lady said her aim is to stop those barbaric treatments meted out to widows, adding that the death of her husband really opened her eyes on what women suffer at the hands of their in-laws.

    She said: “I started my NGO before I became a widow. Then, my targets were orphans and vulnerable children. I know what it takes to search for school fees.

    “So, when I lost my life wire (husband), I told myself that there was need to galvanise the widows to fight together in order to stop some of the maltreatments most of them suffer at the hands of their husbands’ people.

    “That was how the Association came into being, and by the special grace of God, we have gone a long way in Anambra and beyond.

    “Our target is to take the campaign to all the nooks and crannies of this country, to stop such barbaric acts from our people who either accuse the widows of having a hand in their husband’s death or denying them their rights in different families, based on some senseless allegations.

    “Such acts had traumatised a lot of widows in the society, especially those who have no one to speak for them.”

    Asked how life had been since the demise of his right hand man, the mother of two paused for a moment and fought back tears amid pin-drop silence. She then fetched a white handkerchief from her bag to wipe the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Then there was a wry smile indicating the acceptance of her fate before she declared that it has not been easy.

    She said she had gone through a lot of pains during and after the death of her husband, because she was left alone by his people to shoulder the responsibilities of her husband’s burial.

    She said: “After losing my husband in 2010, life became so miserable. He was murdered by kidnappers on March 9, 2010, but the family accused me of killing him, even when one of the victims came out to relay how he too almost lost his life. I was six weeks pregnant. I was confused. The war from my in-laws was unbearable. I was left to fund my husband’s burial all alone. My life has not been the same since then.

    “I have really suffered. Even those who ordinarily would say a word to you when your spouse was around would come up to challenge you and accuse you of so many things.”

    “Getting anything from anyone becomes difficult unless those who are real human beings. The death of my husband really made me to understand that situations differ. It also opened my eyes to distinguish between the good and the bad.”

    Any plans to re marry?

    She beamed a smile as she thought of the right answer. Then she said: “Since I lost my husband, it has not been easy being a single mum to my two wonderful kids—a boy and a girl. They are the reason why I am struggling.

    “Those who know me well know that I was too close to my husband. He was the back bone of my NGO. After his death, I was advised to re-marry. But after the birth of my son, I was consoled.

    “The love I had for my husband really made me to stay back and fight for his right. I was able to secure the place where I buried my husband.”

    “After the pressure from my husband’s family, no fewer than six suitors came to ask me for marriage. Some promised to build a house for my son, just for me to accept their proposal, but I was too close to my late husband, and getting married again will affect my children. I have to endure all the suffering for the sake of my children.

    Asked about acquaintances, she said: “They are legion. They continue to come on a daily basis, but it’s left for you to accept anybody or not. I don’t rebuff them because doing so is a form of disrespect. So, what I do is to give them the opportunity of trying their luck each day, and life goes on. If you give men such chance, they will mess you up.”

    “I’m nine years into this journey. I can’t re-marry again. I have built a house in the village for my children. I have to stay strong for them”

    Asked about her challenges and regrets, she fought back tears again before she opened up: “I have kids and they are missing their father, especially my son. But I try my best to make them fill comfortable. My regret is not going to stop my husband from going after the kidnappers with police in the bush in Nimo on that fateful day.”

    She narrated the events that led to the killing of her husband by dare devil kidnappers on that day, saying that her hubby lost his life for the sake of his friend.

    She said:  “He (husband) was bent on having his close friend freed from the kidnapper’s den and that was how he lost his life when those hoodlums opened fire on the police squad. We were in the house on that day when my husband’s phone rang, and it was his friend (Odinigwe) from Nri in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state. He told my husband that he had been kidnapped and taken to somewhere in Nimo.

    “The reason for calling him was that my husband dropped him off on that day. In fact, they kidnapped him thinking that the man had money. Then my husband contacted the police in Neni who mobilised to go and save him. When he told me, I could not stop him from taking the police to the location he described for my husband for their ransom.

    “When he got to the area with the police, he followed them into the bush. When the uniformed men tried to stop him, he insisted on following them.

    “When those miscreants noticed they were security operatives, they opened fire and it became a gun duel between them and my husband was killed in the process. He was a defenseless man. But his friend was rescued.

    “He wanted to do it for his friend without knowing that death was knocking.”

    She said that after the incident, her in-laws started accusing her of being the brains behind the death of their son.

    “I knew that the thought that occupied their minds then was that we didn’t have a son; we only had one little daughter. Also, most of them didn’t know I had taken in again and the pregnancy was just six weeks old.

    “They left me with the responsibility of shouldering the burial of my husband, and it was a way of punishing me. But God wiped away my tears few months later with a son.

    “Being a widow is not an easy task, especially, with the situation in the country. I got married at the age of 28 and lost my husband at the age of 35. My marriage was to be an enjoyable one, but satanic forces did not allow it to be. That is one of my greatest regrets.

    “Since then, my life has not been the same.”

  • LADI ADAMU: An encounter with North’s foremost female professor

    Renowned broadcast journalist, Prof Ladi Sandra Adamu, is a woman reputed for her firm disposition. But behind her tough mien is a humane woman who as a trained broadcast journalist has seen both sides of the journalism profession, namely training and practice. By a dint of hard work, she rose to become the first professor of broadcasting in the entire northern region made up of 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory. She spoke with TONY AKOWE about her life as a journalist and a teacher, particularly the transition from practising journalism to teaching it.

    In a region where women are not usually encouraged to go to school, rising to the level of a professor is no mean achievement. Yet that was the feat accomplished by Prof Ladi Sandra Adamu, the first professor of broadcast journalism from the northern part of the country.

    Prof Adamu has every reason to be grateful to the Nigerian Army for the successes she has recorded in life. As a young lady growing up, she had lost her father, Adamu Pankshin, who died as a soldier in the line of duty. The late Pankshin was better known to many old time soldiers as Sgt Major Adamu Pankshin, and he had made history as the first Nigerian to become a Regimental Sergeant Major of the Nigerian Army Corps of Engineers in Kaduna.

    Prof. Adamu told our correspondent that Sgt Major Pankshin was the man that shaped her life. “Physically, he taught me how to write in his spare time. He made sure I had the best of education. I was among the pioneer pupils who attended Army Children Nursery School. I attended Queen of Apostles College (now Queen Amina College, Kakuri) from Primary Six. Then, there was Primary Seven.

    “He ensured that I had lessons after class right from primary school. All his children who performed well in exams got extra pocket money which we used in buying comic books and other items of interest like chocolates and biscuits.”

    Born in the Barracks in Yaba, Lagos, Adamu had a wonderful childhood experience. She said: “I had a cosmopolitan upbringing in Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu. I lived with people from all over the country in the barracks. It was a happy childhood. My father being the RSM at Mogadishu Barracks, our house was a detached four-bedroom bungalow with television, 24 hour water and light. Everything was normal until the civil war broke out. The family was scattered at the initial stage only for us to regroup when the situation stabilised.”

    She recalled that as a captain in the Nigerian Army, her father was nicknamed The Soldier’s Soldier by his colleagues due to his bravery and exploits in war and peacekeeping operations.

    Pankshin, a prince, was a man with exceptional talent and capacity to survive in the army. He had zealously joined the army against all opposition from the family and lived through the jungles and storms of the Nigerian civil war between 1967 and 1970, during which he earned the appellation of “Soldiers’ Soldier”.

    For his military exploits, he became the first soldier ever to be honoured with a song by renowned Hausa praise singer, Mamman Shata. He was also one of the best (British) trained soldiers in the Nigerian Army during his time. He was also believed to have impacted positively on the lives of many of his colleagues and subordinates.

    Pankshin was one of the pioneer hands of the Engineering Corps of the Nigerian Army as we have it today.

    “He was a legend and my mentor. I wish he was alive to witness my achievements,” Adamu said.

    Although she decided to pen down her experience and memories of her father in a book that has become a best seller in the country, she told The Nation that “life without a father is traumatic for the family and particularly the children.

    “My father died in active service. Fortunately, we were trained by the Nigerian Army under a special scholarship scheme that was in place then. I don’t know whether such schemes are still in existence now.”

    With a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism (specializing in radio and television) from Columbia College, Hollywood, and a master’s degree in film/script writing from the Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, Prof Adamu is today northern Nigeria’s first female professor of broadcasting. Available records suggest that she is in fact the only professor of broadcasting in the entire northern Nigeria.

    She said: “When I began my education, I never thought that one day, I would become the first professor of broadcasting in Northern Nigeria. I didn’t know that I would make or break any academic record in that field of study or write my name in gold as reported by the broadcast stations.

    “The idea of becoming the first professor of broadcasting was hatched by my postgraduate students in the Department of Mass Communication, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria when I became an Associate Professor in 2014. Having attained the full chair of professor (backdated to October 2017), I was given the specialisation of broadcasting because anybody promoted to the rank of professor must have a specialisation attached to it, based on qualifications and academic publications.

    “At a luncheon in honour of my professorship as the first female professor of broadcasting in Northern Nigeria, industry people present at the occasion made it known that I was not only the first female but the first broadcast professor in the region. All I can say is to God be the glory.”

    On her return to Nigeria after graduating, Prof. Adamu worked with the Nigeria Television Authority, Jos as an announcer and presenter. She was later posted to the News and Current Affairs Division as a News Editor and sometimes as a reporter.

    Her career in journalism took her to the defunct Democrat newspaper as Deputy Editor with the weekly title, also overseeing the women, children and entertainment pages.

    But her talent was never lost on those who knew her, as she was soon poached from the media industry to help build aspiring journalism and communication students. She joined the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria on the prompting of the late Dr Joe De-Goshie to help in nurturing the young Department of Mass Communication.

    She said: “As you can see, I moved from the field of journalism to the classroom. My former colleagues referred to me as a classroom journalist. This migration assisted me in my teaching practice. It has also impacted greatly on my students, many of who are now practising journalists.”

    Prof. Adamu is not comfortable with the nation’s educational system. She believes that a lot needs to be done to put things right.

    In her words: “The Nigerian educational system needs restructuring in curriculum development, especially in terms of practical exposure. There is need for better funding in form of physical structures, equipment and laboratory consumables, to enhance teaching and research.”

    Although she says she does not have any political ambition, she is willing to serve the nation in any capacity. This she is already doing as a member of the technical research committee set up by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

    She is not happy that women are not given full opportunity to participate in governance in the country. She said in spite of the seven women in Buhari’s cabinet, there is room for more women to serve as ministers.

    Congratulating the women appointed as ministers, she said: “I believe there is room for more cabinet ministers. Smaller African countries abide by the Beijing affirmative action which states that women should be given a number of posts. I want to believe that for cultural reasons, women are not given the full opportunity to participate in governance in Nigeria.

    “Two decades ago, I read a study on global value of women. Out of a sample of 113 countries, Nigeria emerged 93. This is very pathetic, given our population and impact on the continent. There is need to emphasise on girl child education, particularly in the North.”

    Growing up in a north that was closely knit, she is concerned about current developments in the region. But she has one consolation, that the north is indivisible.

    She said: “As a Northerner, I believe in one indivisible north. Culturally, I am Hausa. Many will be surprised at this remark because I come from Plateau State. Most of my life is spent in the midst of Hausa people. Where you grew up is more important than your ethnic background.

    “I remember that many Gombe State indigenes who fled from Jos during the crisis came back because they could not fit back home. Growing up in Kaduna in the old Northern Region has a of lot impact on my life. We were considered the same people.

    “People only began to see differences in us when states were created. It was then I knew that some of my friends were from Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kano, Taraba, among others.

    “Even some Ogoja people in the barracks were considered as northerners.”