Category: Sunday magazine

‘My tortuous  journey  to the marble land’
Taiwo Abiodun recounts his experience at the Marble sites in Igbeti 

As  Dayo , my  Okada  chaperon rode  his motorcycle furiously into the belly of the bush, the shrubs and  plants were ‘flogging’ me  and tears  was cascaded down my eyes as a result of the breeze.  We rode through valleys , streams , contours and were dragged along  on the sandy  and  the muddy paths. Some areas of the road  are in bad patch , some are smooth while some are full of potholes .One could sight  precious sands and pebbles  of good quality along yet one would imagine  how trailers and  lorries manage  to come there to load the stones.Well, in my mind I thought since the place is a gold mine businessmen  will  surely find their way ‘by fire by force’ to get to the gold mine.
Just then I sighted a big snake  crawling across the road,  I cringed and gave a heavy sigh .I  remembered the last words of Jesus Christ on the Cross, ‘it is finished’. I soliloquized, and  could not tell the Okada rider  to turn back.
We  did not hear the chirping of the birds , as I was curious to know what were in some wooden boxes kept by some cashew trees , I came down to see the contents. But curiosity kills the cat , the saying goes , unfortunately some  bees stung  me , and I was told this is where artificial boxes were kept to catch them.
Suddenly  my phone rang ,  lo and behold it was my wife’s voice asking  where I was , and I told her. I also told her how frightened I was , she responded ‘ but you chose the profession( journalism) .Then she warned  me ” don’t eat bush meat there and beware of Ebola. I don’t want to be an overnight widow”.
Again I was enveloped with fear as my heart sank  when I sighted another big snake that crawling across again .I asked myself ”Did they send this to me?”. But that is its abode – bush.  I remembered how God cursed the ugly serpent and pondered over the Biblical story once again.
I called my boss, Olayinka Oyegbile that I could not go further but he  raked and  teased me saying ” You  dare not , what nonsense is that?”, he added “but you call yourself Babalawo of The Nation, use your magical power to do the story .I need result “, he thundered on  phone.
I looked up at the sky -no birds were  flying . I looked around , the  whole environment was bushy. I put my hand into my pocket and grabbed  a  lobe of kolanuts and started chewing it as if it is the source of my courage and energy. I did the sign of the Cross on my forehead – as if I am a Catholic . I  threw up a coin and said ”head or tail’.I became confused ,  the Okada rider looked at me and smiled , then said ” no problem , let us go, it is an adventure’.

Genesis of the story
Yes, I inflicted this assignment on myself . At our usual Editorial Meeting on Monday , I had suggested the story  of  Igbeti Marble  and my no – nonsense editor, Festus Eriye , approved it . I  had initially thought he would not approve since I was eager to go on my annual leave  but I was  wrong. Immediately he heard the story idea,  he  said ‘ that is a good story ‘  thus I was mandated to go for the story.
Now faced with this hurdles on my way to the marble land , I asked myself , will I return and say I couldn’t do the story again?
I tried  my phones again to ask my wife to pray for me but there was no network in all my phone lines. And I resigned myself to fate.

Stories in the bush!
When the Okada ran into a stream of sand that could be used for mixing cement,  we both fell. When we crossed a small stream , I saw children swimming . I saw a Fulani  girl  aged about six grazing a herd of over 50 cows ; she used her long stick to control the  animals .Some of these animas are so big that one cannot  imagine a small girl of such age and stature controlling them. I came across  a man who put a calf on an Okada, speeding as if his life depended on the calf but  I was told  the calf was dying and they had to quickly kill it and make suya  from it, for if dead , nobody will eat it !.
Again, my  heart  pounded while its  beat increased. I started blaming myself and asking , what I came to look for in this wilderness.?. I remembered my family .I remembered  I had wanted to go on  my annual leave several times and now fixed it for that weekend when I’m back. I wanted  to change  my mind to go back when I remembered  Soka forest in Ibadan , the  den of ritual practices . I asked myself, who would trace me to this place if anything happened to me ?. I looked at the sky and  prayed  that if I come back from this  trip I will stop going on such trips  .But I had said this many times in the past and had visited  Forest  of a Thousands of Daemons ( Igbo Irunmole) in Oke – Igbo, Evil Forest ( Igbo Aiwo ) Ogbomoso and many others .I summoned up courage and started singing  a song I learnt in Modern School ” Nearer My  God to Thee, nearer to thee.! “.I also sang ‘one of Bob Marley’s music from his record  “Man to Man is so unjust Children , you don’t know who to trust , your worst enemy could be your best friend , and your best friend you worst enemy ….” .The boy who was my guard on the trip , however, remained gentle and humble , he is  the son of one of the High Chiefs  in Igbeti.
Later,  we heard the sound of human beings in small huts and I became happy and I quickly came down to greet them , then we were directed to where the marbles are.
There were  white marbles  in the  ground .Sand had been  heaped away from it .One could see how engines were pumping water from the ground to enable the ‘ gold’ be blasted and excavated .Yes, one could see heavy duty trailers and hefty men  loading trailers and lorries with marbles .The workers did not expect visitors and  were confused seeing me .And with my camera I clicked as fast as I could.
When I saw the  marbles I screamed that with these Nigeria is rich, and we should not cry of unemployment anymore.
These white marbles need no polish , as many are as white as snow. I imagined    this could be the King  Solomon’s Mines  which Richard Haggard wrote about . Yes, on his way he met the Gagool  the witch but I did not meet Gagool the witch .I remembered  ‘Treasure Island,’ by  by Robert Louis Stevenson and the Hispaniola ship they took to the island and because of the gold the one -legged pirate Long  John Silver  wanted to kill almost  all the crew  members in the ship!. I remember why the imperialists came to Gold Coast( now Ghana) , Congo Brazzaville and Zimbabwe all because of Gold and diamonds.Oh, God I screamed and stamped my feet on the ground several times .
Some of the workers are working like Jackass  and they  claim they pay them peanuts.One said his salary is not up to 10,000naira per month and working on billions  of naira per day!.With  their hollowed  eye sockets  it is as if they are battling  with malnutrition.
At the marble sites  were various types of sites or portions belonging to individuals.I went closer to one of the dug holes but the edges were  soft and one could fall in, my guard  quickly alerted me and warned me not to fall in.I picked some pieces of these precious stones , promising to show them in the office.In one of the sites I saw abandoned machines  and  their weather – beaten motor vehicles  and crushers that had become rusty and wasting away.
After spending six hours in the bush we went back to town.

In this encounter with Edozie Udeze, Dr. Omo-Okhuasuyi Aiye of the Solace Dental Clinic, Lagos, explains why it is proper to keep the tooth clean always so as to avoid decay, diabetes, leukaemia and more.  He also speaks on how early prevention, and control can help to preserve the cavity and keep the mouth ever fresh and odour-free and lots more.

Dentists all over the world are of the opinion that one of the best and safest ways to avoid some certain dental problems is for people to go for regular dental checks and examination.  This habit becomes imperative because hygienically, the mouth is the gate way to the body.  Besides that, it is instructive to prevent the teeth from facing health challenges, especially bleeding gums and holes in the teeth, since both can lead to  diabetes and leukaemia..

Speaking to The Nation on the issue Dr. Omo-Okhuasuyi Aiye of Solace Dental Clinic, Ikorodu, Lagos, said that there are many causes of bleeding gums.  He explained that the causes can be localized or systemic.  “These issues can be handled properly.  But the issue of leukaemia can also occur leading to the bleeding of the gums.  Apart from that, the intake of some drugs can precipitate the bleeding of the gums.  There are also systemic causes, but let us localise them here so that it will help the public to know what to do and how to prevent such.”

He said that, “sometimes in the morning when you brush your teeth, you discover that nothing comes out of it.  But when you leave it for an hour or so and than feel it again, you can notice that  blood has started coming out.  As soon as you finish brushing, use your finger to agitate your gums, you will notice some whitish substance.  If you leave it for a while, you now notice that there is a little plaque there.  This plaque often contains bacterial infection which leads most often to tooth problem or even decay.  This has to be prevented” he said.

“The other issue”, he stressed further, “is the formation of some organic matters which constitute part of the dentition.  Part of this is the plaque in the lower cavity.  Plaque can be left there because you did not brush your teeth well or remove the debris there properly.  You see, God created the body in such a way that there are minerals there are in the mouth to control activities inside.  When this is not properly handled it begins to affect the gum.  The gum at this stage begins to be yellowish.  But again the kind of tooth brush we use also affect the cavity.  It is not proper to use hard brush on the gums.  Many think that by using hard brush, they can get better result.”

Smokers are also expected to use brushes that will help to keep their mouth clean and fresh.  Aiye said,  “those who smoke expect to use soft bristle brush.  It is not so; they have to use hard bristle brush but not necessarily to apply undue pressure on their cavity.  This is so because the mouth is not only sensitive but delicate and soft.  It is not that all these attract diabetes through the mouth.  The true situation is that one of the side-effects of diabetes is the vulnerability of the gums.  Diabetes itself is a systemic cause of a bleeding gum.  And this is why this has to be avoided at all cost.  There is always a connection between a patient who has a bleeding gum with that who has diabetes.  The connection is there.  You see, when you are diabetic and you have injury, it does not heal on time.  Now when we do some test, we discover that you are either hypertensive or diabetic.  Now, for the wound to heal it takes a longer time..

“Now when you have this plaque in between the gum, it shows that initial sign and it is time to properly look into it.  And because of the vulnerability of the gums, it is easier for the plaque to fester.  This is even more compounded if you are diabetic.  At times you have some sores there, very painful indeed and this does not give you a settled mind.  Once you have this sort of injury and you think it is minor, the plaque can penetrate there and hibernate for a long time.  From there other more serious dental problems can arise.  This gives diabetes a free and easy way to penetrate your body.  Actually this does not cause diabetes but this situation gradually enhances it.”

He also stressed that it is not unlikely that you may have some problem in the cavity if you lack some vital vitamins.  But again those minor factors play some roles in aggravating mouth or teeth sicknesses.  Even mouth odour, which is due largely as a result of unhygienic care of the mouth come in different dimensions.  The way the body is programmed, you notice that in the process you have what is called mineralisation and demineralisation.  By this, I mean breakdown of minerals in the lower cavity.  Now, we have holes when we have more of demineralisation than the proper breakdown.  What causes this is when we eat food substance that we did not clean or bush off on time.  When they now settle there for sometime, they begin to form debris in the cavity.  This is why we keep advising that people should brush their mouth in the morning and at night.  This will help to eradicate food debris in the mouth because if you leave them there, there are bacterial in the mouth, some powerful organisms, that feed on the debris and then make the situation worse for you.  And where they become very active they begin to break it down into bits.”

However, when you brush your mouth properly twice, you’ve succeeded in eliminating all the debris thereby helping to avoid tooth decay or holes in your cavity.  “Anytime you clean your mouth very well, you help in removing the food substances which the bacteria feed on to fester in the cavity.  Unfortunately, most times. we don’t brush at night.  Even in the morning we do it hurriedly and this is not good enough.  It is this improper care that helps to create the conducive situation for the organism to breakt down the debris thereby creating the holes in the cavity.  This is what we can prevent if we take time to brush and with the appropriate tooth brush.  Indeed it is very poor oral hygiene that lands us in more serious dental problem most often.”

To avoid mouth odour, Aiye advised that people should be in the habit of taking care of their mouths.  Even though he explained that most cases of mouth odour result from breakdown of chemicals in the body, people have also their own role to play to control it.  “First of all, do not leave the lower cavity unattended to before you leave your home in the morning.  Try to avoid your mouth being dirty because that is how it begins in most cases.  By using the proper tooth brush every now and then, you’ll be able to keep your mouth in good hygienic order” he said.

In all these, at what stage is it advisable for one to pull off a tooth?  “Well, for you to pull a tooth, it is usually, when we know that there is nothing more that can be done to keep the tooth.  In fact some school of thought has advised that it has to be a situation of over 98% deterioration before a tooth can be pulled.  At this stage, of course, no amount of repairs or restoration work can restore the tooth.  At a certain point when the pain comes and it disturbs your sleep or at times when a patient feels that the cost of maintaining the tooth is high, you can then pull.  When you keep having this spontaneous pain and there is nothing anyone can do about it, you are advised to pull off the tooth.  Often too it is to avoid the pain spreading to other parts of the cavity.  When you remove it, it is either you put an implant or a bridge.”

Aiye reiterated the need for people to take enough calcium in order to keep the teeth healthy.  “Yes, of course calcium is there; calcium supplements, foods that have a lot of calcium in them are good for the teeth.  As it is for the adults so it is for the kids.  But the kids must not necessarily eat what has direct bearing on the teeth.  It is not only for the tooth, because the tooth itself has its bearing to the whole body.  But then sweet things are not good for the tooth.  This has to be avoided as much as possible.  Even if you take some sweet things, you have to be moderate about it,” he advised.

BEING a journalist affords one the opportunity, to an extent, to globe trot. And so, one of such opportunities was presented to me when I got informed by the FOJO Media Institute, University of Linnaeus, that I had been selected as one of the 30 leading investigative journalists from 12 countries to attend the ‘Eye on Corruption’ Advance Workshop for Investigative Journalists in Kalmar, Sweden.

The workshop was a collaborative effort between the Swedish Institute, the FOJO Media Institute and Eye on Corruption Sweden. It attracted several international specialists and trainers as well as journalists that participated in the advanced seminars. The essence was to expose investigative journalists to learn ways of tracing corrupt accounting practices such as money laundering, to share cases and practical useful methods for uncovering transitional corruption and more importantly, to establish the “Eye on Corruption Network of Global Investigative Journalists’ specifically aimed at monitoring and reporting on trans-national issues of corruption, among others.

After a two-day journey in which we connected three flights starting from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, to Bole International Airport in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia, to Stockholm Arlanda International Airport, Sweden, and then, the last one via a Scandinavian Airlines SK to Kalmar Airport, a calm city in the South-east of Sweden, we eventually landed and got a warm welcome by the Project Coordinator, Daniel Yttermalm and Ms. Yomana at the FOJO Guesthouse which is surrounded by neatly cut lush forests trees and grass often associated with quietness and friendliness which we so much enjoyed.

Shortly afterwards, we were made to gather at the guest house lounge where we were handed the ground rules for both staying at the guest house as well as told  the importance of making sure we attended classes promptly and always.

Then, a pep that got our set as the first six participants to arrive for the conference was when Daniel said that each of us had a bicycle tagged in the same numbers to our rooms. For five of us except one who claimed to have phobia for such, the information was greeted with a wow!

Now, at the time we got to Kalmar, the weather according to Daniel, our host, was about 10 degrees. So, he counselled that we dress warm to avoid any eventuality.

Before then, he had cautioned us via emails that we should bring along warm clothing. And we did.

At Arlanda Immigration spot

For the fact that hundreds of people enter into Sweden via the Stockholm Arlanda International Airport, the queue to the immigration desk was winding and long. So, it took about six of us, the journalists from Africa who discovered on the flight that we were heading for the same programme, about 45 minutes to get to the immigration officials. So, we were attended to, as a team.

After the first two African colleagues from Uganda, it was our turn as Nigerians to be seen, before the colleague from Zambia. As we moved to the desk and dropped our passports, with mine first, the immigration official, who before then had been quite stern with others, smiled and exclaimed: “From Nigeria?  Before I could answer him, he asked: “You know Emenike?”. I answered: “Yes, I do” and added, “the footballer”. He said, “Yeah”. Then, the other official with him in the same cubicle also asked: “You know Tu Face Dibia”? I also answered yes. And within minutes our passports were stamped with a quip of “Enjoy your stay in Kalmar.” And so, we were left off their hook.

Biking in Kalmar

We were lodged within the university premises and could only ride bikes inside the campus. The bicycles were all lined up in front of our guest house. Promptly, few of us hopped on our bicycles to go sight-seeing to the conference building marked Kalmar Nyckel less than a 100 metres from the guest house. However, we were not able to ride much longer due to the freezing cold weather.

The next day, we were told the weather had dropped to between 4 and 5 degrees. So, none of us dared ride on the bike but we all ran to the warmth of our classrooms to begin the day’s session.

As for me, that brief biking experience brought back childhood memories of biking in Ebute-Metta in Mainland, Lagos. But learning in Kalmar is calmer. The university life there is devoid of the regular boisterous or noisy academic activities by students. Every student went about his or her normal educational life as inaudibly as possible. Even their comportments in the dining halls were quite civil.

World of difference

By the third day, the weather remained fixed on 5 degrees with shower droplets of rain that made everywhere wet. We felt snowflakes dropping on us and especially the five of us from Africa kept off riding the bike. As for me, I particularly stayed off biking because I dressed in a long skirt-and-blouse pinkish African outfit and I was afraid it could get into the wheels and get me injured. Also some snow came in the northern part of Sweden and the effect of that was a terribly cold weather.

We were mostly in the warmth of the conference halls. However, due to the bad weather, we were unable to visit the castles and shops in Kalmar.

For our few days of stay in Kalmar, we enjoyed the sweet and welcoming nature of the Swedes. But sadly, we weren’t able to stay long enough to enjoy the summertime when the sun stays up much longer from about 4.00am in the morning until around 9pm at night.

Another striking thing is that while Sweden as a country shares similar time with Nigeria. However, during winter time, by 3.30am the sun comes up and by 3.30pm, the sun goes down earlier and everywhere is dark.

Daniel said: “It is like this in Sweden we are up in the north of all countries. And so, due to the sun, as in where the earth is against the sun, the day gets darker faster than other countries. But largely, there is a calm life in Kalmar, famous for its castle and the bridge to the island, Öland. Our local dialect is a bit special compared to Stockholm. Kalmar is also famous for all its birds, the ocean and the nature.”

However, for me, what I found most amazing is, we were told that in Sweden, you can simply walk into any government office as a journalist to request for documents to verify claims. And without much ado, FoI Bill or not, whatever facts you need to crosscheck, private or public, once you write for permission, you get it. I can only pray we get to that point in my own country, Nigeria.

But like all good things that come to a quick end, so was our week-long stay in Kalmar. By Friday morning, we came back via similar three flights regime as we got to Sweden and the next day, we got to our respective countries.

Nigerian Music all around

It was obvious we had to return the way we came, three flights back to our respective bases. Our flight from Kalmar to Stockholm was only an hour. We landed at the Stockholm Arlanda Airport by 1.05pm. But we had precisely 8-hours of stay before we could board Ethiopian flight back to Addis-Ababa. So, we tried to see if we could dash out of the airport to go shopping in the nearby town. But the weather was really harsh and we felt it was wise to stay in the confines of the airport, window shop and try to see if there were things our modest cash could buy. Luckily for us, our major luggage had been checked in from Kalmar to our respective final destinations. So, we started going from one shop to the other. At some point, the three guys went their own way leaving us, the two ladies on our own. We went from bookshops to jewellery stores, to drinks bar, to electronics and computer centres, to chocolate corners and so on. At some point, the six of us reconnected and it was much fun. All the while for us from Nigerians, we kept telling one another that there was something kind of familiar to us at the airport. But we couldn’t lay our hands on it at that time.

However, a few minutes later, when we got to an expansive men’s shop, one of our colleagues called me and said: “Ms. J, listen to the music blaring from the speakers. I paid a close attention and heard the familiar songs “Pakurumo, pakurumo…”

Wow, we all exclaimed. Then, I called the female attendant and asked her what they call the music she was playing. She said, “Well, I don’t know what it is called. But I know it is Nigerian music. And I love it so much.” We all laughed and moved on. Then, we moved on and entered a children toys’ shop, this time, it was “Azonto, Azonto…” that was blaring out of the sound system. Again, I asked the other lady what she was listening to, she also said it was a Nigerian song and added that, if I had to move to more places in Sweden, I would see that “we’re all freaky with Nigerian music stars”.

On that note, I returned to the first lady attendant and told her to dance Pakurumo for us to see. To our amazement, she leapt forward, bent sideways and before we could blink an eye, she lifted her left leg upward and twisted her waist to the rhythm of the song.

ALMOST opposite the Synagogue Church of All Nations and right in heart of the little Bolounpelu community, near Ikotun, which incidentally plays host to the now controversial church, is a four-storey hotel facility fast nearing completion. The owner obviously had bought-out an old property and embarked on a total reconstruction for hotel purposes, seeing its closeness to the internationally renowned church and the increasing opportunities for hospitality business. In recent years, the church had begun to attract a large number of religious tourists and miracle seekers, who regularly throng the area.

Naturally, there had also been an immediate need for accommodation, which business-minded Nigerians have responded to. A reliable source in the area revealed that the owner of the property in question had bought the property about two years ago at a price in the region of N10 million. Sometimes around June, he pulled down the old structure and began constructing a massive foundation, which immediately indicated it was going to be a massive structure-at least by the community’s standard. He was about to commence the building proper, when the Synagogue church disaster, which saw the collapse of a six storey accommodation facility and claimed scores of lives right inside the church premises occurred.

Nevertheless, he went ahead with the construction, and has within a spate of two months erected three floors right up to roofing stage. If he has any fear that the disaster will affect his projected business, the speed of the construction has not shown anything.

Anxiety has, however, continued to mount around the community by those already into the business of accommodation. They fear this whole construction might just be a wasted venture. According to Segun, a resident of the community, who has witnessed the transformation in the community, a lot of people are already wondering what would become the fate of this particular hotel and several others that have been established in the area in the last three, four years.

He explained that “As I speak, I can count close to ten of such hotels, including Isu Hotel, Delta Lodge, Souvenir Hotel, Victory Hotel and several others without names,  that have sprung up in this area in the last three or four years. But while they have had their time of boom, the recent tragedy at the Synagogue church has affected virtually all businesses attached to it. In fact I can tell you that it is the hoteliers that are lamenting the most, because they definitely are yet to recoup the huge funds they have invested. ”

He also explained how several of the operators now complain endlessly of poor patronage. He also said many of the scouts, who used to greet visitors on arrival and market accommodation facilities of various grades to them have all but disappeared, saying that more or less sum up the situation.

Indeed, the scenario, where all luggage-carrying arrivals to the Synagogue bus stop are besieged by hordes of accommodation scouts, is fast disappearing. Again, Segun disclosed that most of them are fast disappearing because business is low.

One of them, Chinwe corroborated his claim, saying most of them are “beginning to look for other means of income, because of the impact of the building collapse.” She explained that in days leading to major church programmes and events, a hard-working scout made as much as N30,000 or more in a week, but admit that such is no longer the case.

Another scout, who refused to grant a direct interview interjected that the situation is now so tough that they sometimes resort to fighting each other over potential clients; something he said was never the case in the past.

Chinwe is therefore earnestly praying that the court case against the church overseer, TB Joshua on account of the collapse is resolved in his favour and the ‘man of God’ settles down to his anointed business again. Anything short of this, she says, will be disastrous for hundreds of people, whom she says feed off the prosperity of the church. In her words, “Look at these shops; all the canteens and hotels, do you think they are happy at the situation? See how empty they are. If they successfully pin the collapse of the church on the ‘man of God’ and kill the church, all these people, including myself will suffer. We have no other means of survival as I speak”, she trailed off.

One of the staff at Isu Hotel, situated close to the church, who begged for anonymity, corroborated the lamentations of low sales, saying that patronage has dropped to a near zero stage. She also said this is not peculiar to just one hotel, as virtually all of them are singing the same tune. She lamented that people no longer come from afar or outside the country, adding that those are the people who are able to afford the hotels.

Away from the accommodation scouts, a mild drama played out as this writer moved nearer the shops and rows of canteens opposite the church to further feel the pulse of the traders. A buxom woman who ran a canteen on the street opposite the church ran out to meet a group of people calling out to them to come into her canteen and promising handsome discount, known in local parlance as ‘fisi’.  As if taking a cue from their boss, her two attendants, a boy and a girl ran after them and literally dragged them into the canteen. In a jiffy, another canteen operator next to hers came out charging and accusing her of snatching her customers, until a third party interceded.

One of them lamented that the whole hullabaloo is all because of the problem the church is facing on account of the collapsed building, adding that fighting over customers was unheard of prior to the incident. She whispered to this writer that the whole place used to be a beehive of activities even past midnight, but says shops now shut down even before 12 midnight.

Mrs. Adams, a grandmother in her late 60s, who runs a little restaurant on Olusesi Street, near the church spoke of how the unfortunate incident has torpedoed commercial activities in the area. She lamented the huge investment most of the hotel owners have made and how visitors no longer come in from outside the country. She revealed that the last time the church witnessed huge crowd was the weekend after the collapse and said it was due to the fact that the members wanted to show their solidarity. Besides, she said the church was billed to have a programme that weekend; hence people had begun to troop in. She added that this must be the reason the collapse also had so many casualties.

Another woman, Mrs. Adewale, whose husband runs an informal accommodation, said “the incident has no doubt no doubt affected the lodging business. Yes, people still come around, but it is dropping by the day. She also says that prices have since crashed. Her husband used to let the two rooms out for between N3,000 and N2,500, but says they are ready to even accept N1,500 at the moment, just so that their steam of cash earning does not totally stop. All they are hoping for now, she said is for the prophet to be cleared of all allegations, so that normalcy could return and things can get back to normal. As if to justify her plea, Mrs. Adewale asked almost rhetorically, “Why can Nigerians just face the issue. We all saw the plane hover several times before the collapse. How come the building had to collapse on the day the plane came hovering? Isn’t it a very simple matter?”

Mrs. Adewale added that we are supposed to be supporting our rather than castigating him. She also cited the case of people who go on pilgrimage to Mecca and die, asking, “Have Saudi-Arabians condemned Mecca?

A six-storey building serving as lodging facility had collapsed inside the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations on September 12, killing scores of people, mostly of South African origin, who had travelled all the way to Nigeria to worship and participate in the church’s periodical programmes. The hue and cry that accompanied the incident prompted the Lagos State government to set up a coroner’s inquest headed by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe on September 26, to investigate the cause of the building collapse.

Meanwhile, a Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday adjourned a suit seeking to stop the ongoing inquest into the collapse of the building till November 17. A Lagos lawyer and counsel to the church, Mr. Olukoya Ogungbeje had gone before the court on October 28, claiming that the composition of the Coroner’s Court set-up was a negation of the principle of natural justice and section 36 of the constitution, and as such was unconstitutional and void.

The Lagos State government also last week gave approval for 54 bodies already confirmed to be of South African nationals to be flown back to South Africa. Out of the 70 bodies that have been scientifically verified through DNA, 54 were confirmed to be South Africans; while 16 others are of Nigerians, Togolese, Benenoise and others.

And as the inquest and the ensuing legal battle unfolds, the biggest prayer on the mind of the hundreds of people whose business depend on the church for survival remains, let the man of God be vindicated.