The Nation Newspaper

Category: Sunday magazine

Cecilia Akpan: My husband is God-sent

Nigeria table tennis star, Cecilia Otu Akpan opens up like she has never done to MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN on those intimate things: hubby, son, and other passions aside table tennis.

SOME marriages were indeed made in heaven and tellingly, that of Mr. and Mrs. Ime Edet Akpan has some divine backing following the dramatic manner they came together.

Mrs. Edet Akpan for a start was before known as Miss. Cecilia Offiong Otu – one of the poster girls of the ping-pong game (table tennis) in Nigeria with a career spanning over a decade.

Cecilia in a landmark interview with The Nation Sport & Style admitted that she was blessed by God for the timely meeting of her husband and proves that being a sports woman is not a barrier to marriage.

“I actually got married at about 24 years of age in 2009,” Cecilia volunteered in the presence of her dotting four-year-old son, Edidiong. “We’ve never had any problem since we got married because we have mutual respect for one another; he’s so caring, kind and above all, God fearing, ” she noted while opening up on how fate dragged her to the man of her dream.

She revealed: “There is no doubt that I got my kind of man in my husband; Mr. Ime Edet Akpan. He’s such a wonderful person. He’s a God fearing person and right from the day we met such a person that has no privacy with me. I’m so happy to be his wife because he’s God-sent.

“His life is an open book to me and there is genuine love between us. He is a deeply religious person and he’s always putting God in the forefront of whatever he wants to do. Actually, he didn’t set out to have a relationship with me and that he was interested that I dedicate my life to God; and make sure I go to church.

“Frankly, I didn’t have a permanent church I was going until I met him because it is not everywhere one can call the house of God because we have heard stories of some places using diabolical means. It was at that point that I needed to get closer to God and he really encouraged me to be closer to God. He helped me to throw my burden unto God and somehow along the line, we became close.

“He was more or less the janitor in the church, but along the line, he got a job at the NNLG in Uyo. He went off shore for the first time for about six months; and I thought he was playing when he told me we were going to get married immediately he came back.

“About two months after, he called me one day asking me to tell my parents to get ready for our marriage and to cut a long story short, that was how we got married. I’m so happy to marry him because he has not changed ever since we got married and even when he’s comfortable now,” Cecilia said with some candour, among sundry details about her life. Excerpts…

The Beginning

I actually started playing table tennis when I was in primary school under the influence of our present coach in Rivers State, Richard George Edem. Actually, we had a table tennis board in our compound then and I had the habit of joining others to play after coming back from school and it was there coach Edem noticed me. It was at his instance and pressure that I featured at a local tournament hosted at the African Club within the south-south zone. He more or less forced me to take part in the competition because I didn’t think I was good enough but he encouraged me after seeing the entry and the standard saying I have the quality to beat the rest judging from what he had observed and there was opportunity for me to make money by playing table tennis. My late sister also encouraged me and told me that there was nothing to lose for me since I was not paying anything to feature in the competition. By the grace of God, I won bronze in that competition and that was how my journey into table tennis began. I used the little amount of money I won in that competition to buy my wears because I actually wore gown to feature in the competition. The prize money was eight hundred naira(N800) which was a decent amount of money then to me in 1997 and that really encouraged me to play the game because making as much just in a three-day competition just within Calabar was huge to me. The coach kept reminding us that if we were on top of our game, we would be rich and famous by travelling to so many places while representing the country.

Challenges

It was not easy at all because I started playing while in school and it was a big challenge to me then because I would have to go for training on a daily basis. At some point, there were changes about when we go to school as we were doing morning and afternoon shifts; and this actually affected my training programme. But by the grace of God, I was able to complete my secondary school because it wasn’t easy. I also had to battle with the challenge of having good equipment to play with, but to the glory of God, I still did well irrespective of the kind of racquet (bat) I was using much to the surprise of many people. I remember playing at a tournament in Abeokuta; one guy commended my ability to beat everybody despite the fact that I used an inferior racket. It was God that made all of this possible and I really have reasons to thank God for where I’m today.

Pre-match rituals

Prayer is my key before playing any match or any competition. Even when I’m sure of beating my opponent, I don’t forsake praying and I can pray anywhere. Sometimes, I would go into the toilet or any quiet place to pray before playing in order to commit the match into the hands of God. Thereafter, I would do some light exercise in order to keep myself warm. I don’t underrate anybody even if the person is not older than my son.

Best moments

My best moments are usually when I have money and that does not mean that I’m crazy about money. I’m the type that loves to give and assist others, as such I always like to have money on me to assist others who are in need. I like to make people around me happy, but how would they be happy if I don’t have money? I don’t have a charity organisation yet, but I do as much as I can to help others. I give as much as circumstance demands; whatever I can give, I do. I derive joy in giving and I’m guided with the principle that a giver never lacks. Sometimes when I run into cash problem, people give to me even without asking and that is just God’s favour.

Growing up

It was fun growing up because I started earning money playing table tennis since I was young. Again, I was always in the national camp because we were having a lot of competitions then. We were always in camp preparing for All Africa Games, Commonwealth, Olympics and so many others, so I grew up in the game, as such it was fun for me. We had the opportunity of going on training tours outside the country for several competitions and for several months I was always not around. Before you know it, I have already grown up and I eventually got married in 2001.

Marriage

I used to hear that it is difficult for athletes, especially sports women to get married. But it sounds funny because that is a wrong perception since being an athlete is not a deformity. There is this erroneous belief that athletes are morally loose because they spend so much time in camp.

Of course, we have heard cases of some athletes sleeping with their coaches in order for them to be picked and I think it is the same thing with a secretary sleeping with her boss in order to gain some undue advantage over other workers. So it has to do with the individuals that are involved. It doesn’t make anybody a good girl for that matter and that sort of thing never happened to me. I was so good and on top of my game to the extent that there was no way anybody could drop me from the team because I didn’t have a relationship with him. I can go to any length to ensure that the right thing is done and I never condoned such with anybody; nobody has done that to me and it is therefore wrong for anybody to have the impression that it is difficult for sports people to get married. Immorality has nothing to do with sports; it is either you are a good girl or you are not.

Valuable possession

First and foremost, my family is my greatest possession but if you are talking about what I have been able to do with what I have earned playing table tennis, I have reasons to thank God. I have properties here and there; as well as landed properties. Much of what I have been able to acquire today was through the help of God and my husband because initially, I was just getting and spending the money. But since I met my husband, I have been able to do so much and today, I have rented apartments.

Advice to fans and upcoming athletes

Whether you are Christian or Muslim, my advice is that we must all ensure that we live a good life. We should also embrace God so that we can all live with the fear of God. I have lived a decent life in spite of the fact that I’m a sportswoman. I’m proud to say that even when I was single, no one can say that I had a relationship with him and if there’s anyone, let him step out. I’ll advise that my fans should live a good life so that God can bless them.

Scotland Commonwealth Games

By the grace of God, I would be part of the team to the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and I’m really looking forward to it with great optimism. I have been training hard, but there is nothing much we would have been able to achieve without the blessings of God. I’m praying and working hard to ensure that I come back from the Commonwealth Games with a medal. All things are possible by the grace of God.

My other passion and rivals

I think another sport I would have done if not table tennis is squash. I’m very good at it; I play it once in a while and I do play with some of our players. I think if I put as much commitment to squash as I do to table tennis, the sky would have been my limit.

Really, I don’t fear anybody even on the African table tennis circuit. Fear can rob anybody of success, as such I don’t give in to fear but I respect anybody I’m playing against. Among my contemporaries, I respect Offiong Edem because she’s my closest rival; I believe she is capable of winning if she is in best form when she faces anybody and the same thing is applicable to her when playing against me. We have much respect for her.

My favourite places

Outside Nigeria, you know the standard we get in many countries is almost the same because we are put under good care and training in good facilities, But I like China because it is a clean city. It is an organised place despite their huge population. I love the skyscrapers in China; and I love the fact that their old people are still very agile by participating in sports.

Bu I love Calabar because it is a peaceful city and that is why it is convenient for our state to host many sporting activities. I’m fine and happy always because it’s my town. I love it here and I want to use this opportunity to invite my friends to come and visit Calabar.

July 13, 2014
The humbling of a proud nation

For a country famed for its sporting prowess, Brazil’s on-field execution of the 2014 FIFA World Cup project floundered from the start. With more than a chink in the armour of Coach Felipe Scolari’s team, the campaign soon disintegrated like rain-washed sandcastle on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach.

Veteran striker Fred failed to fly and the much-touted Hulk barely pulled his weight, but it was skipper Thiago Silva’s and skillful forward Neymar Junior’s absence in the semi-final against Germany that ultimately sank the Selecao’s hopes of topping their record fifth title.

Brazilians thought as much. Marta Nascimento, a ticketing officer with local airline, TAM in Salvador said: “The players were so united that when one of them got injured, the others decided not to play.”

Francisco Almeida, manager of a Shell fuel station at the Vasco da Gama area of the city, blamed the turn of events on the coach. “Felipe is responsible for the result. Compared to Germany that had been playing together for six years, he chose young players. Five Neymars in the team would not have made a difference.”

Fred had no part to play in the campaign and the inclusion of either Ronaldinho or Robinho might have helped, he pointed out.

Indeed, Scolari’s team was high in potential but low in star quality. When a team leans on the delicate shoulders of a gifted 22 year-old to win its sixth title before a demanding home crowd, a fight for third place with the Netherlands is as good as it gets.

From Croatia to Mexico in the first round and Chile to Colombia in the second round and quarter-final, the boys in yellow progressed more from favourable officiating than form. But luck changes sometime.

Silva missed last Tuesday’s semi-final through suspension after a consecutive foul in the quarter-final against Colombia while opposing defender Juan Zuniga inflicted a deeper wound on the Selecao with a knee-in-the-back challenge on Neymar.

That, for a team that battled scepticism all through and a nation that watched heart-in-mouth from the opener with Croatia, was the last straw. No longer able to ride on the youngster’s fragile back, Brazil turned to prayer.

As the country froze in a sea of supporters’ yellow and green last Tuesday in Pelourinho – Salvador’s historic centre – as elsewhere in the vast entity called Brazil, the sympathetic visitor mouthed a significant portion of the prayer. May Brazil win.

Germany had other ideas. Thrice world champions, the Europeans tore the script and ripped through Brazil’s delicate spine to inflict an unprecedented 7-1 punishment.

Through the brutal conquest beckoned the truth: huge financial sacrifice and massive stadia construction toll aside, Brazil never really deserved the cup. The tears ran afterwards, down dejected faces and replica jerseys into the mugs and cans of beer (cervaja) handled by revellers-turned-mourners.

While music blared from loudspeakers and die-hard fans lingered to dance and dilute their sorrow on the streets, the crowd thinned out quicker than usual. Cervaja in hand, one bare-chested fan flung his jersey to the floor in passing and was soon copied. For empty can collectors and the destitute, it turned out to be a day of rich pickings; for disheartened fans, a day to embrace rather than question evidence.

But questions will always be asked of Scolari’s selection. Whether the inclusion of seasoned campaigners Ronaldino, Kaka and Robinho would have made any difference is consigned to the realm of conjecture, however.

What is clear is that on account of pedigree and commitment, either of Germany and Argentina merits the ultimate football crown in today’s decider at the magnificent Maracana Stadium in Rio.

A football theory

Following the Brazil 2014 World Cup finals has yielded something beyond match analysis and travelogue. Today, I set aside the struggles of the host team to announce the result of a personal research. To the question of life after football for retired and retiring stars I present a solution. I would recommend Olympic Diving but it’s rather late in the day as some would die of sheer fright from leaping off a flexible board 10 metres above a deep pool. So, the safer option: acting.

Yes, the thespian art would suit footballers to a tee. If you doubt it, recall the now-familiar match scenario of a player taking a slight elbow to the chest and tumbling to the turf clutching his face and thrashing about. Or the grazing of the ankle and a player somersaults before clutching his shin in ‘sheer agony’.

What about the impetuous head-nudge, a.k.a. “headbutt” in the Portugal-Germany encounter and the ensuing tantrum in the case of Pepe vs Muller?

While we are at it, we might as well cite the opening act, Fred vs Croatia defenders. We will, however, refrain from commenting on Chiellini vs Suarez as the matter is still in court – the court of public opinion, even though FIFA subsequently ruled a 10-match ban for “biting” by the toothy Uruguayan.

A historic day to remember

On the bus to the Historic Centre of the city, or Pelourinho, one Sunday, I handed the conductor the normal B$2. 80 fare but he launched a rant in Portuguese. Not again, I thought. Just when I think I can blend in, someone blows my cover. Nao fallas Portuguese, I managed to say. He handed back half of the fare. More than pleased with the financial relief, I thank him. Obrigado. I should go out more on weekends.

Following time well-spent at the Centro Historico meeting Nigerians and fans from around the world, I vacated Pelourinho rather late. As I waited for a bus, a crowd of passengers formed. Travelling in the night suddenly seemed a huge risk. What if a fracas ensues? The thought barely shaped in my mind when policemen on duty scrambled to quell disturbance some metres away. Lucky me.

It turned out to be nothing serious. But I liked the policemen´s reaction. Two buses came in but declined to ferry passengers for reasons probably related to low traffic. A smaller bus finally arrived that was ready for boarding. I braced myself for some commotion after a nervy wait. None occurred. As usual, a lazy queue formed. Then the driver (called motorist here) took off like a shot, ramming the creaking coach through the night.

A real maniac on the freeway, he lurched over bumps and crevices, angled through corners and pulled to a sharp stop at bus shelters. Knowing that the average bus route circled the coast and cliffs, I hoped at some point that the driver would take it easy. Then I looked out through the window and saw that we were on the cliff-side, and he wasn’t taking it easy.

Visions of a scanty bus somersaulting into the ocean below flashed before me, but I took a cue from the forever docile passengers and shook off panic. In two weeks of riding on public buses (or onibus), I hadn’t heard a single passenger complain about over-speeding. The conscientious foreigner who should would find himself terribly outnumbered and possibly out-talked.

At my bus stop at last, I jumped off and almost ran. This, I thought as I walked to my hotel, is one reason amongst many why Brazil cannot be counted as a fully developed society. No organised society can do without limits. Nigeria may be years, even decades behind Brazil in development, but I can, with reasonable enlightenment, question the inadequate enforcement of speed limits here.

To play like the ‘Brasileiro’

Do you dream of being a beach bum for once in your life? Then head to the Brazil coast. Lodge at any of the hotels on Salvador’s shoreline and hit the city centre by bus or taxi. Shop and window-shop at any of the large shopping centres: Shopping Salvador, Shopping Iguatemi and Shopping Barra after changing foreign currency into the local legal tender, Brazil reais (B$).

While there, savour a buffet lunch that is weighed for the bill. Now you are living it up like the ‘Brasileiro’, or true Brazilian. Then trawl through the famous Mercado Modelo (Modern Supermarket) for handicrafts and gifts before visiting the upper part of Pelourinho by the famous elevator, Elevador Lacerda. Finally, purchase beach gear on the streets and in any of the shops in Pelourinho while taking time out to photograph tourist attractions in a perpetual carnival atmosphere.

By the way, it is no surprise that the ultimate beachwear, a pair of flip-flops, goes for a tidy sum of 30 reais (about 2, 000 naira). The common slippers are so accepted here as to be almost formal. So, to blend in, beach bum-in-training, arm yourself with flip-flops, colourful Bermuda shorts, vest (or no vest for the male), sun shades and a football. Ball? Yes, Brasileiros covet the object.

The other day, a petrol station near my base released soft footballs used for promotion and nearly caused a stampede. Pedestrians stopped traffic to run across the road and pick some of the bouncing items. Motorists screeched to a halt to pack a few into car booths. Even more bizarre, a woman stopped a bus she rode on, disembarked and squealed in delight as she scooped two before resuming the trip.

Nigerian state in Brazil?

That would be Bahia with its capital, Salvador the most Nigerian of them all. The first-time visitor may struggle to communicate in Portuguese, but if you are Nigerian and, better still, Yoruba-speaking, strain your ears and you should identify words or parts of words like Acaraje, the Brazilian version of the Nigerian snack, akara. It is a corruption of the phrase “akara egbe” (dried akara) as confirmed by Misbah Wale Akanni, the liaison officer attached to Nigeria House, the Nigerian Embassy’s art and tourism centre in Pelourinho, Salvador.

Acaraje is prepared in much the same way as the original. Bean flour is fried in palm oil with pepper, shrimps and spices served in the split cake upon demand. Come to Brazil and watch locals and tourists delve into Acaraje with equal gusto. Beyond language and cuisine, cultural practice handed down by enslaved Africans in centuries past extends to dressing, especially during festivals, and traditional religion worship.

Friend today, gone tomorrow

As can be imagined, I make new friends everyday. And as expected, I lose them everyday. I must have met a thousand people from all parts of the world. They come with a few things in common beside the love for football and a willingness to see Brazil at its passionate best.

For nostalgic effect, I recall my first acquaintances. They are long gone from Salvador, and my memory of them remains poignant. First there were the Fountains, a family of four from the Bahamas who loved football and wished to see the Super Eagles lift the World Cup. Some wish.

Then came Debbie the Zimbabwean from Australia who was “doing six Brazilian cities” and afterwards, Susan, a tall, relaxed women’s football player from Australia covering 11 cities. She was travelling to another city “6 a.m. tomorrow morning” after arriving in Salvador the day before.

And I shall not forget the African friends who breathed France. Originally from Senegal’s Casamance region, Antoine Faye settled with his parents and siblings in Lyon. Luol Gomis and Jean Heggan originated from Guinea. After a week in Salvador, the chatty group said their goodbyes and headed to Rio de Janeiro to savour the World Cup finale. Me? I toured Salvador some more.

July 13, 2014
Germany VS Argentina: Head-to-Head

The best player in the world goes up against the ultimate team machine on the world’s biggest stage.

Jose Mourinho’s exclusive World Cup analysis

When Lionel Messi’s Argentina takes on Germany in today’s World Cup final, it looks at first glance like a meeting between brilliant individual scoring talent and the tight discipline of a collective unit. But this game will be about much more than that.

Argentina has shown that it can play just as tactically as the Germans, eking out narrow victories and doing whatever is needed to win. Germany, meanwhile, has put on two of the most explosive displays of the tournament – beating Portugal 4-0 in its opening game and then demolishing host Brazil 7-1 in the semi-finals.

Add in the rich history between these two teams – who faced each other in two straight World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990, winning one each – and it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top at the Maracana

GOALKEEPERS:

Manuel Neuer’s reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the world has only grown in Brazil, where he has been one of Germany’s best players throughout the tournament, especially in the knockout rounds. Aside from being a first-class shot stopper, the Bayern Munich goalkeeper showed his versatility by repeatedly rushing out to help the defence in the second-round win over Algeria. He then made key saves to deny Karim Benzema an equaliser for France in the quarterfinals, and a number of impressive stops against Brazil.

Sergio Romero has answered most sceptics who questioned whether he was good enough to play for a top team in a World Cup. Romero was only a backup for his club Monaco this past season, but came through big in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands with two saves to send his team into the final. He has kept three straight clean sheets in the knockout rounds, but will face his greatest challenge yet against the clinical Germans.

Advantage: Germany

DEFENCE:

Germany’s defence has improved vastly since coach Joachim Loew took captain Philip Lahm out of midfield and put him back in his favoured position as right back after an erratic display against Algeria in the second round. Mats Hummels has been a steady anchor in central defence, and Germany had little trouble neutralising the explosive attacks of both France and Brazil. Whether they can deal with Messi is another matter.

Argentina’s defence was seen as its main weakness going into the World Cup, but the team has now gone 330 minutes without conceding a goal in the knockout rounds – including two extra time periods. The back four, which includes Manchester City duo Pablo Zabaleta and Martin Demichelis, made Dutch strikers Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie look plain ordinary.

Advantage: Germany

MIDFIELD:

This is Germany’s biggest strength, a unit without weakness that plays together as a well-oiled machine. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sami Khedira shore things up defensively while Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil direct most of the attacks going forward. Germany’s ruthless display against Brazil was orchestrated by the clinical efficiency of its midfield, and a similar display on Sunday might just be too much for Argentina to handle as well.

The Argentines, meanwhile, are hoping that Angel Di Maria will recover from a thigh injury to play in the final. Di Maria’s pace and ability to take on defenders on the wing was sorely missed against the Netherlands, when his team struggled to find ways forward. Defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano was one of the best players on the pitch against the Netherlands and is the key to keeping Germany in check.

Advantage: Germany

ATTACK:

Germany has the highest-scoring player in World Cup history in Miroslav Klose. But Argentina has Messi, and two other top forwards to boot. While Messi hasn’t scored in the three knockout games, his four goals in the group stage reminded everyone of why he’s a four-time world player of the year. Even with Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain in the team, Messi has always been the key to Argentina’s success – and never more so than in the biggest game of his career. For Argentina to have a chance, Messi will have to create goals – either for himself or for his teammates. Germany aren’t bad up front either: Klose netted his 16th career World Cup goal against Brazil, and his teammate Thomas Mueller already has 10 in just two tournaments.

Advantage: Argentina

July 13, 2014
‘Our staff is our Treasure’

James Gibson, 25, a Briton, is a technology enthusiast and Managing Director, Hellofood.com Nigeria, part of Africa Internet Holding (AIH). As a techpreneur, he uses e-tech to run an online restaurant and mobile food delivery marketplace. With an undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh, Masters from London School of Economics and Peking University, China, the avid traveller tells Joke Kujenya how he manages material resources including his teeming customers spread across over 50 countries. Excerpts:

The online restaurant

It’’s Africa’s number one online mobile platform for food delivery. We work with all the restaurants in the cities that we operate in. Customers go to our website or download on mobile Apps via their Android or iPhones, put in their locations and all the restaurants in their area would show up. They would then select their choice restaurant to order the meal they want. They would also indicate where they want the food delivered, and within the next 45minutes, they would have their food. Then, they’ll pay cash on delivery.

Beating Lagos traffic

We’ve been keeping with the promise as per timeliness. If you are in Victoria Island, you won’t be able to order from a restaurant in Ikeja or on the mainland because even if there’s no traffic gridlock, the food is not going to get to you in 45 minutes. So, we make sure that the vicinity zones are very tight. We are also very particular about the quality of food our clients get. For instance, I can’t imagine delivering cold food to my clients anywhere in the world. No one likes cold food.

One of our biggest concerns is to make sure that we have very reliable logistics operations in place. We also provide catering on a daily basis for large crop of companies like Samsung, Interswitch and few others. We sort of take over their canteens. While we don’t practically do any kind of cooking by ourselves, we work with major caterers to do the cooking. We provide customers for the major restaurants and big caterers. For the caterers, we introduce them to the big corporations while we also send the restaurants customers for onward delivery.

So, whether the consumer be an individual ordering through the website or the Apps; or it is a company ordering for their employees, they don’t pay premium for our services. It’s a free service.

It’s the caterers and the restaurants that pay us commissions on the total value of the customers we bring to them on a regular basis. The idea is thus great for both the consumer and the restaurant because as we show the client a variety of eateries to chose from, the bistros themselves get new and more clientele and they pay us for our services. There is also a subscription in which when we send the restaurants customers, they compensate us on the subscription value.

Spread

Globally, we are in about 50 countries. In Africa, we launched first in Lagos, on November 12th, 2012. After that, we have launched in about ten other countries within Africa. In Nigeria, we are already expanding to Abuja and Port Harcourt. By this year end, we hope to be in four or five more cities. It’s a very easy company moving into new markets. To operate this kind of business, you don’t need to have an office in every country because you’re operating on an online platform.

Your team could be anywhere in the world. What is important is for you to have the local knowledge of the country you’re operating in. As we operate in Lagos, all we need is to have a local understanding of how we get the delivery from the restaurant to the consumer.

It’s not like if you to google maps, you just put in your postcode to find your address. You need to have core local knowledge such as, you go down the road, turn right or left to the next building. In terms of cuisines and restaurants, we need people on the ground to sign them up in some African countries. Like in North Africa and Algeria, there is nobody, as in human resource, working for us there. We are simply headquartered in Morocco. That is why it is very easy for us to expand. We have only been in existence for two years, and we’ve gone into about 50 countries.

Recruitment

With a lot of supply in the market, as in qualified graduates looking for good jobs, quite a number of them approach us for employment. They submit their applications for scrutiny. Every week when I check my official email inbox, I receive over a hundred emails from job-hunters. You see the huge supply in the market, but there aren’t many jobs to meet their needs. I am in a luxurious position and can be very selective. Often they send in their applications. For me, that is a very bad thing to do if you really want to apply for a job. They may have probably send the same emails to a million companies with no mention of why they want to work for my company.

I wouldn’t even look at their CVs if attached. I would see at once that they haven’t taken time to study the company they are applying to. They don’t specifically tell why they want to work for my company. They just want a job but not showing the passion. If I’m looking to fill a new position, I don’t necessarily advertise in newspapers or online. What’s been very successful for me is using resources at LinkedIn social media site to recruit a few of my best hands. I am a controlled sales person. If I wanted a Head of Sales, I look for who is in Lagos and doing profile sales or manages corporate accounts, selling products to different companies.

With someone like that in sales, I make sure they have a good network with wide-range contacts to spread their jobs. They would have been selling different products to different companies before. I just want such a person to sell my product. He could even go back to the same set of contacts and sell my new product. That would be really successful and saves a lot of time. I don’t have to advertise for jobs a hundred thousand applicants vie for or interview over fifty thousand candidates and then you can’t even find any of them suitable for the job.

So, I do it the other way round. I target who I want right away. A lot of times, I know before I met somebody that this is who I want or not. You see they have got the richest CV and I invite them in. Usually, I can hire somebody who is very effective, a risk taker, demonstrate passion and love the job, within few minutes of interview.

In the past, when I use online resources and other sites, they don’t work like LinkedIn where people upload their CVs for networking. You don’t have to sift through for a period of time. Instantly, I can hire someone within a few days unlike when it was such a long process. In a business like ours, we are about speed of execution and can’t afford delays. To be in fifty countries in two years shows you that we are very fast.

Starting in Nigeria

You would need to ask how does any other business start. We only try to improve what has been there in the past. Food ordering had is an old practice. We are not suddenly teaching people about food ordering. Ours is frankly how we can bring technology systems and use that to improve food ordering and other e-commerce as Jumia, Amazon, E-Taxi etc. We came up with how we could have an online ordering for food by getting restaurants to buy into the idea. We can’t have online food ordering or directory services if the eateries don’t work with us. We propose our services to them, assure them we could bring them more customers to order through our website or mobile applications and get them to sign up. We provide the way for their customers to see their menu lists updated online, completely accurate with images. Most of the restaurants we work with didn’t have their own website at the onset. We only encouraged them to bring their restaurants up into the 21st Century models.

July 13, 2014
All for 1914

In Because of 1914, Odia Ofeimun, renowned poet and writer, presents a society fused together by external forces, that today all indices of differences still stare the people in the face. Edozie Udeze who watched the premiere of the stage dance-drama, which was infused with poetry and music, reports that the issues involved in the 1914 amalgamation of Nigeria will never peter out so long as all the socio-political, religious and economic dichotomies embedded in the system persist

With poetry, dance and drama, Odia Ofeimun’s latest offering, Because of 1914, which was premiered at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos, last weekend has ushered Nigerians into an era when the people need to re-think reasons why they have to continue to stay together or make the project called Nigeria drift apart. The title of the dance-drama is derived from the 1914 amalgamation of the nation in which the Northern and the Southern protectorates were fused into one by the British government to have Nigeria as we have it today.

But for the beauty of total theatre, Ofeimun used the elements of poetry, music, remarkable events, cultural issues, political differences and social cohesion of the different tribes and ethnic groups in Nigeria to make the story into theatre. The people were represented and dressed in their usual local costumes and native dresses to make the show complete. The writer who is also a renowned poet has always devised new methods to put myriad of Nigerian socio-political issues into the stage. The idea, he has always maintained, is to enable the people come closer to the issues that have shaped the nation’s political terrain over the years.

Odia Ofeimun had in his two previous experiments of this nature, captioned The Return and Nigeria, The Beautiful, showcased both Africa and Nigeria as places where people could find peace and solace if the indices of leadership and followership are properly defined. However, in Because of 1914, the poet took his time to bring out all the problems that defined the amalgamation and what the people did not do right to make the union work.

Today, Nigeria is a nation walking on its tethers where mutual suspicion, fear, tribal sentiments, economic dominion and hatred for what is good have been the order of the day.

The play opened with the playing of the drums, in a solemn but evocative form. The solemnity of the drums was to usher in a society where the people have found themselves at the crossroads of confusion and poverty. The drummers, dressed, in the national colours of green-white green with native caps to match played the drums to sychronise with the pitiable conditions of the people.

The songs, which were composed by Felix Okolo, the director of the drama, were meant to soothe the stories. The poetic lines were done to explain away most of the knotty and terrible situations that have been of grave concern to the entire nation.

In the beginning, the tribes existed as indivisible entities, each cohabiting harmoniously with their neighbours. The idea of coming together never crossed their minds. They were happy being who they were and doing what suited them. Every tribe held their cultural values in high esteem and so the idea of forcing them to lose their identity or being some other persons did not arise.

Therefore, the respect for the other person was there. For the exchange of goods and others, people had to travel from their places of origin to the next, to have exchange of ideas and engage in trade. Life, generally, was good and totally in order. Yet, when the British came, they took their time to understudy all these issues. In truth, they saw these differences, they knew they were quite irreconcilable differences that would not make for a total cohesion or unity. Yet, they ignored them all to give the nation its new name called Nigeria. From that moment in time till today Nigeria has been tottering between existence and life, between what is good and what is bad and so the whole experiment seems to be on the backward slide.

Then oil was not yet the binding factor. The binding factor was to use the palm oil of the East and the Kola nuts of the West to unite the entities into one. The groundnuts pyrami of the North was also an issue. Yet their inability to catch up in terms of education was used as a yardstick to fuse them with the South. This total new approach was indeed to the benefit of the North who were supposed to use the educational advancement of the South to their own advantage.

As each of these segments of dichotomy was introduced on stage, the artistes used both poetry and dance drama not only to explain them away, but used stage mesmerisation to douse the weight of the message and then allow the entertainment aspect of it to speak to the audience. Both the music and the costumes suited the era in question and people were seen nodding their heads and shuffling their legs to the rhythmical movements on stage.

The narrator used powerful poetic lines to tell the people the stories. There was a complete blend of the major and minor tribes to present a comprehensive scenario of a total nation. A nation where the wishes of the Whiteman were allowed to decide the future and the fate of the local people, the owners of the land.

So, why would 1914 be the main watershed in the national life of Nigeria as a nation? Why would it be this bad where the people still find it difficult to trust one another? Why is it that people are yet to come to terms with religious, political, social and economic differences and then use all these to their own advantage? It is just that some people have decided that sowing the embers of discord and hatred is their own hallmark. They benefit from the chaotic situation in order to perpetually keep the people in the background.

The dances therefore told the stories on stage. The dancers were trained to perform in conformity with the annals of historical factors that shaped the era. Each dance truly dramatised Nigeria and brought out the total element of Nigeria and why 1914 will continue to remain an issue.

It was the arrogant posture of Lord Lugard that finally pissed people off. Appearing on the stage like a colossus, he told the people of how her majesty was the lord of the manor, how she has gone round Europe and now Africa to plant the seed of colonialism. And therefore, no one could stop her, could make her halt until the whole of humanity embraced the British culture. It was a task that must be accomplished so that Africa would know that Britain is a great Kingdom indeed.

As he spoke, the arena wore a solemn look. The ambiance was sombre; people listened with rapt attention; not even in a hurry to discountenance or counter his utterances. In the meantime the drums played, other instruments pelted away to ensure that the dance drama itself was complete to make for total theatre. Then Lugard went on: “We have taken over Africa, from the Arab world all through the deserts. Europe does not sleep because her majesty is on the throne. We’ll take over all the nooks and crannies of this continent and other places. We’re imperialists, great custodians of great empires. We take and overcome. We build empires in the deserts to suit our whims and caprices. These are to help investments for we ourselves do not invest. We build railways from mangrove to the hills, to the savanna. We know the future better than the people themselves.

“We do not teach people how to be free or how to ask for it. We will continue to dominate until they know how to fight for themselves and be free. That is the ideology of the Great Britain.” But soon after, some leaders with conscience, with unbridled courage, focus and commitment began to appear on stage. Their mission was to dislodge the colonial masters from the helm of affairs. “We will have schools, we need sound and productive education to be able to liberate ourselves, the entire kingdom from the furnace of hegemony…” And so the struggle began and the internal differences that have since kept the people divided began to rear their heads. But the people needed to be free first.

Amid poverty, amid misery, in the presence of abundant resources, the nation therefore tried to exist. The level of hopelessness; the distrust and endless struggle to live, all came together to give a complete blend to Because of 1914. Ofeimun said one has to watch the story on stage to really appreciate the issues involved.

July 13, 2014
Making a case for regional growth

Whoever thought about forming economic blocs must have known that combining two ‘good’ heads to form one is better than ploughing ahead solo at achieving success. Hence, it does not come as a surprise when various professional bodies, community, and nationalities gather together to gain from the powers of synergy.

Such liaisons have galvanised into the formidable associations like the United Nations (UN), North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Closer home to Nigeria, the Africa Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have been established. The gains of such unions can never underestimated, hence, some jostling to belong have occurred. It was these gains that brought about the formation of the European Union (EU) by 12 countries in 1993.

And in the country, the call for regional economic bloc has also been screamed. In the early years before Nigeria’s independence and shortly after, regions such as the southwest pioneered integration. The region championed development causes such as farming and industry and it quickly became an economic force to reckon with. Well, that was before the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta and the country’s dependence on the black gold.

But in recent times, the southwest comprising Yorubas, have come up with Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN), a regional success road map. And complementary to that, two companies – Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation newspaper, and CEEDEE Resources, – organised in 2012 and 2013, a Legislative Summit in Ibadan and a southwest Expo in Osogbo respectively. It was a product of that synergy that resulted in the book, Regional Integration; Strategy for National Development.

The 162-page book is a compendium of papers from politicians, technocrats, academics, as well as traditional leaders, all pursuing the goal of regional integration.

The Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, posited that the time for the idea of regional integration has come. He also advocated that the policy thrust should focus on some critical areas such as employment, education, transportation, healthcare and agriculture.

And looking at the future to expand the tentacles of DAWN beyond the current states of Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo States, Dipo Famakinwa, the director-general of the DAWN Commission stated: ‘DAWN is a challenge of leadership. The whole world is leaving us behind and we cannot continue to put the lives and well-being of about 40 million in jeopardy.’

To this end, the region would synergise efforts, especially concerning trade and industry, and setting up target landmark projects in road and rail construction, healthcare and provision of a ‘Regional Technology City).

He also canvassed extending DAWN’s gains to include people in Kwara, Kogi, Edo and Delta States.

A former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba considers the drive for regional integration as a return to the region’s early success.

‘The regions enjoyed measurable autonomy from the centre,’ he stated. ‘They enjoyed fiscal federalism, retaining at least 50% of revenues derived within their territories. They had their own separate constitution as well as regional police to ensure security.’

According to him, had the arrangement progressed, Nigeria could have currently been at par with the Asian Tigers.

And while most presenters spoke glowingly of regional integration, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, observed that ‘regional integration is very imperative in Nigeria today because the federalism practiced today is not only lopsided, but it is also counter-productive.’

She also skimmed on some demerits of regional integration to include rivalry for donor funds, contradictory obligations and loyalty for member states, fragmented economic spaces and inconsistent objectives and conflicting operational mandates.

The contributors also include Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Hon. Olawale Oshun, the chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group, and Hon. Adeyinka Ajayi, chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Aids, Loan, and Debt Management. Others were Professor Akin Oyebode, Professor Adebayo Williams, and High Chief Omowale Kuye, Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland.

Overall, the book comes across as a distillation of a peoples’ idea and their efforts toward achieving socio-political and economic strength, the ‘bringing back’ if you may, of something they had enjoyed in the past.

July 13, 2014
Managing tourism

Tourism is now a major engine of growth and development contributing significantly to Gross Domestic Product of many nations.

Arising from the Earth Summit in 1992 organised by World Commission on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, sustainability has become a major ingredient for development.

This book takes a cue from the publication of the World Tourism Organisation ( Indicators of Sustainable Development of Tourism Destination a Guidebook) to further help and inform Policy Makers and Destination Managers to obtain as much information as possible to guide their decision making process.

To further articulate and interpret the subject matter, a set of component issues are provided including its performance indicators and verification to allow deeper knowledge. Sustainable development of tourism is applicable to all forms of tourism without exception.

Tourism destination cannot exist without tourism product. Tourism products are the assets of the local community. They include complimentary attractions such as natural resources (beaches, waterfalls, mountains, ecosystems and landscapes) cultural and historical resources (festivals, historic sites, museums, local food) infrastructural facilities (roads, marinas, airport terminals) and support services ( tour operations, courier services, insurance, tourist information office etc).

These attractions are planned in an integrated manner with the community aspiration and their active participation. The planning also involves creating partnership with other stakeholders such as travel agents, the tour operators, the hotel owners, the transporters and owners of the heritage sites to mention but a few.

These attractions are planned in an integrated manner with the community aspiration and their active participation. The planning also involves creating partnership with other stakeholders such as the travel agents, the tour operators, the hotel owners, the transporters and owners of the heritage sites to mention but a few.

There should be fundamental principles of creating tourism products, its development guidelines, planning process and marketing strategy. Planners are encouraged to develop as many as what to see and what to do because tourism products are amalgamation of attractions, because the more of what to do and what to see; the more the visitors are attracted to the destination.

The author made reference to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and the United Nations Environmental Programme, which set out twelve aims towards achieving sustainable development through tourism.

From the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report of 2003 reviewed in 2011 and 2013 respectively, it was reported that these aims are set to reduce poverty in the world. Already over 1.2 billion people are in extreme poverty level. More than two-third of them live in Asia, half of them are in South Asia while one fourth reside in Sub-Sahara Africa. The larger majority of the poor live in medium and large size countries. More than sixty percent of the event world’s poor reside in just five countries and other less developed nations live in hunger and malnutrition, lack access to good health, water, housing, education and basic skills.

The book tourism development is recommended to some of these countries as a means of combating poverty thereby reducing their poverty level and improving their quality of life.

The overall objective of the concluding part of the book is to identify specific policy areas for which policy implementation can be formulated to reduce poverty and improve the well-being of the people. The policy area articulated include conservation of physical integrity, visitor’s fulfilment, economic viability of tourism enterprises, its local prosperity, employment opportunities and the impact on the wellbeing of the local population.

Visitors appeals are the attractions of the destination which could be natural, cultural, historical and manmade. Maintenance and conservation of the attractions with respect to local circumstance are subject to policy formation. Government is encouraged to develop appropriate policies that will bring about deliberate actions towards sustainable development.

Sustainable development of tourism requires sound planning as well as protection and management of key elements such as destination assets, involvement of the local community and other stakeholders.

Where no plan exists in a locality, it becomes imperative to identify possible assets and collate data on all elements associated with tourism potentials and threats. Where a plan exists, then evaluate current tourism plan, issues and objectives to improve upon the existing system and initiate plans in consonance with sustainable development of tourism.

The chapter is designed to provide in-depth study on destination planning and development by throwing more lights on tourism and planning, destination elements and characteristics, types of planning approach, destination development and control including parties that make tourism work at a destination. Policy Makers and Destination Managers are encouraged to understand the planning process in tourism and what makes tourism work sustainably in a destination.

Who has the mandate to plan and manage tourism destination?, the author asks.

He went further in the publication to describe tourism as multi-sectorial and multi-discipline where no single entity (stakeholder) can lay absolute acknowledge to its management. It bore on the importance of destination managers to understand the policy behind sustainability.

The highlight of the success of the any destination is based on the following:

•Emphasis on poverty reduction and increase on the quality of life of the local residents;

•Protection of unique ecosystem, heritage sites and places of memory.

•Establishment of the role of private sector in the planning, financing, implementation and ownership of the tourism operations;

•Ensuring that the poor play active role in the supply of goods and services including management of destinations;

•Development of effective marketing and promotion strategies;

•Co-ordination of essential government services;

•Creating awareness among the stakeholders and the local community;

•Ensuring implementation of regulation and control throughout the destination area.

Tourism Destination Management; A Guide for Policy Makers and Destination Management gives an insight into the roles of various stakeholders and the Destination Management Organisation in the overall management of the destinations.

Tourism destination is a place where visitors spend atleast one night. It covers a geographical and administrative boundary where products and services are offered to the visitors.

Visitors in turn absorb complimentary and experiences, and share same with other (friends, families, colleagues and group). These complimentary and experiences are expectations. They could either be interesting or unpleasant. It is a place where several actors and stakeholders nest, network and offer their services. They are not limited to the following; public authorities, destination management organizations, transport operators, accommodation providers, heritage conservators, travel agent, tour operators, tour guide, financial institutions, other ancillaries and service providers including the host community.

Destinations vary depending on their assets and unique attractions. While issues affecting one destination may be similar to the other but several destinations are distinct in their attractiveness. This chapter is designed for tourism professionals and managers of destinations to understand and appreciate the complexity, flexibility, similarity and uniqueness of destinations.

It is certainly possible that issues affecting cultural heritage sites in the areas of protection and conservations are likely to have similar issues of ecosystem and biodiversity with beaches and coastal zones.

July 13, 2014
Senator David Mark and a sports policy for Nigeria (II)

For Eagles’ Welfare

Who approved the staggering amount of over three billion naira to Mr Maigari’s NFF?

We assume that football federations operating from the states and the NFF at the centre are supervised by the sports minister and the state sports councils.

For every exercise embarked on by the federation, the councils or the minister of sports are the accounting officers. Whether it is the football association or even the judo federation, funds expended on behalf of the athletes for competitions, for the promotion of the sports must in the end be accounted for by the supervising ministry or council.

We asked those questions once my sources in the presidency disclosed that funds had been approved to the NFF and that their president with a few of their members had departed in advance of the Super Eagles to the US and Brazil. At once, we knew the money would distract the boys and their coaches and of course put the little minds at the federation on a war path with the favoured travelling few of the federation.

Predictably, Nigeria lost the energy to fight for the ball as Mikel Obi and Captain Yobo negotiated far into the night with Maigari and the hands keeping the dollars on how to pay the boys. Nigeria joined the ranks of Cameroun and Ghana, bickering over money and losing out on the field.

In our time in Delta, when we moved Delta from the 12th to the number one, we experimented on the Kwame Nkrumah model, the Cuban sports policy we were able to define our winning programme to suit the environment. Money was fundamentally not the motivating proponent.

On the other far side, notice the glorious performance of the Desert Foxes of Algeria. They were the best African side and the money paid to them by FIFA was donated to the refugees of Gaza. Keshi, Amokachie, and those fat boys with ugly hair dos should be reminded that Margaret, Hauwa, Rebecca some four months ago were taking their WASC exams in a village called Chibok. As the Eagles enjoyed and got paid to play the World Cup, the Chibok girls are still in the wilderness, cut off from civilisation.

Do not cry for Brazil

As if we have not been satisfied, as if we have not been offered everything, this samba World Cup festival will not end until the final breath-taking encounter.

From the red corner, Germany the exponent of discipline proficiency, machine power, team efficacy would collide against Argentina in the blue corner.

Led by the spritely Leonel Messi, Argentina is coming to battle to avenge on behalf of the Americas, the annihilation meted to Brazil by the Germans.

Argentina led by Messi is coming to war, to prove that Messi is the undisputed best player of the planet. That Argentina, not Brazil, (since Diego Maradonna, 1986) is the best football nation.

The Germans believing in man’s ability have perfected their football just as they made the best cars, organised the best fighting forces, built the best roads and bridges. Unlike others who believe in Allah, Jesus and babalawo to decide their fate on the football pitches, the Germans believe in their discipline and can unlike others predict their matches! Football is predictable.

July 13, 2014
Folorunsho Alakija- ‘My turning point’

At 63 years, Folorunsho Alakija is Africa’s woman billionaire and one of the few richest making remarkable strides in the oil and gas sector, printing and other business concerns. She speaks with Yetunde Oladeinde about her passion, the initial challenges, early life and things which made it easy for her moving up the ladder of recognition.

WHAT would you describe as the turning point in your life?

The thing I can call a turning point in my life, which I did not realise then was when, at the age of seven years, my parents sent me to England to study. I didn’t realise that it was something that was going to change my future. I didn’t realise that this was going to be a turning point in my life and as I look back now, many years after even though they are dead now (at ages 95 and 92). About five years ago, they gave me something to start on, something I could look back at, something that opened my eyes and lead me to a better future.

Let’s talk about one or two memorable moments as an entrepreneur

Before I went into fashion, I was not yet in the Lord. However, I sat down and decided that I needed to decide on a career path that I would not regret; a career that I would enjoy, not one that would make me upset, unhappy, dodgy and would not make me feel like going to work when I wake up. Every time I thought of fashion, I was eager to go to work. I just love it and I still do.

Despite the fact that I left sewing about 13 years ago, I still love it. That was when I was fifty and I would be 63 years in July this year. I looked inwards, I looked at my spirits, and I looked at the talents that God had given me. I had grace, even if you had made the mistake of not asking God, if you made use of the grace He gave you then you would be okay. If you look back at the grace He gave you, then you would do it with ease. You would be struggling if you don’t have the grace. You would be struggling while Bisi, who has grace, would make money with ease. So, I believe that I took the right step at the time that I did and the rest is history.

What were some of the initial challenges you faced?

Some of the challenges had to do with getting clients to recognise the fact that we were on ground. But the minute they began to see the quality of our print, they themselves began to advertise Digital Reality. They are the best form of advert; seeing is believing. If someone is speaking on your behalf and they have tasted it, tested it and you have been a part of it, so people who they tell would tend to believe than the adverts that you place yourself. They are your walking advert.

What gives you joy at the moment?

Being able to rebrand Digital Reality and open the new purpose-built edifice; this twin print facility houses are everything you can think of in terms of printing. It was through His grace and favour, because He gave me the leading in 2006 to set up a print factory. I thank God that He called me and gave me the grace to walk along that line and I obeyed that calling.

Not only that, He facilitated it so that I would be able to do everything that I needed to get to this point through the help of the chairman, the directors and staff who have been loyal and dedicated . They have worked and toiled daily ever since we started; they have been solidly behind the company and everything Digital Reality stands for.

As the richest woman in Africa, are you rebranding to make more money?

There is no one that doesn’t need money. I didn’t confirm that; you did. I don’t know what anyone else has got. So you are the one saying that to me and from what He has given me, I give God the glory. To answer your question, I would say that everybody needs money. No matter the amount of money God gives you, you can only sleep on one bed; you can only sleep under one roof. So God expects us to share whatever He has given us with those in need. So, I try to do that with all my heart as He calls, as He leads, directs and He opens those doors and shows me where to go to do His work.

So it is absolutely necessary for one to continue to work. He says those who do not work, should not eat. It also gives one the opportunity to hire people to work because there is so much unemployment out there. He affords me the grace and gives me the opportunity to put food on their table as well as help them to be breadwinners of their family.

Accessing credit has always been a problem for female entrepreneurs. How can they overcome this problem?

That is the reason why those of us who have gone a step further must advocate for other women. I know that the government can do something about this. Some banks have also been helping women in their businesses. A number of banks have helped women in setting up cottage industries and all that. Government must do more. If you look at the population, all over the world, you would find that women constitute 50 per cent of the world population including Africa. So, if women are not given the opportunities they deserve to grow the country, the country would be losing money.

If you had to advise Nigerian women, especially female entrepreneurs, what would you tell them?

I would tell them that before they go into any type of business they must pray and ask God. Trying to do it their way and then coming to ask God to put His rubber stamp on it is wrong. You must ask God where He is leading you, where he wants you to be. You must ask where it is exactly and how I should go about it.

Even in the mundane things like the slogan for the company, ‘Awesome images,’ God gave me. He gave me the scripture and I looked for it and found it. He expects us to be hard working, He expects us to use wisdom, and He expects us to be passionate about what we are doing. He also expects us to represent Him well and He expects us to do things according to His leading. So, don’t say that because Jane, Bisi or Ngozi is doing it, then I am going to do the same. The way God called Ngozi and Bisi may not be the way He called you. He opens the doors.

Over the years, you have been reaching out to widows in different parts of the country. Why did you single them out?

God called me and told me to reach out to them. I keep stretching my hands to people that come from left, right and centre and wherever, out of the passion I had in my heart. So, I asked God what He wanted me to do in this area and the scripture that came my way here was in James 21 vs 27. I rushed to my bible and I looked it and saw that He wanted me to show love and affection towards widows and orphans.

Not just to go knocking on their doors alone but to reach out to them through counselling, motivation and more. I was also advised to show them how to fish and not just give them fish. This way they would be able to stand on their feet and this would give them confidence. Confidence to do things on their own, confidence to help their children and confidence to say that I have been there, this is where I am today. I am happy because many of them would be able to say that He has taken me out of poverty, He has taken me out of depression, out of frustration and my future is in my hands.

Mentoring is one of the ways to reach out to others, especially young people. How do you do this?

I mentor as often as I can with every opportunity that I get. I do it on the internet, I do it face to face and I do it with ministries. I do this even with the books that I write. When God told me I was going to be an author of books I didn’t know how it was going to happen but He made it happen. I have another book that will be coming out soon. Sometimes, He gives me the title of the books that I write.

In addition, God has given me good quality staff who are diligent, who are hardworking and they give me the support that I need. I call upon Him and He brings them along. A tree cannot make a forest and so with the support that I get, I am able to reach my aims, aspirations and goals that I set for myself.

July 6, 2014
A day with an Ifa priest

The World Ifa Day ended this week. Taiwo Abiodun spent two hours with the Olu Ifa of Yorubaland , Anikinnikun Faluade Ajigbotifa, and reports.

Seated on a tiger’s skin with all seriousness was the Ifa Priest, the Olu Ifa of Yorubaland, Anikinnikun Faluade Ajigbotifa while a live tortoise crawled ‘gracefully’ by his side. The Ifa priest was busy receiving phone calls and consulting for the callers at the end of the phone. On the phone he was chanting incantations aloud and at the same time telling his callers from the other end to offer sacrifices to the gods. In fact, he received over eight telephone calls (while the reporter watched) and these were all international calls, as he later told this reporter.

The environment

On the visitors’ chairs were clients waiting patiently to see the Ifa Priest. Many of them were not ashamed to openly talk about what they came for while some others spoke in hushed tones .The place is like a hospital where you go seeking for medical solutions. Here they come to Ajigbotifa to seek divine intervention, spiritual help and to commune with the gods and offer sacrifices depending on which god their spiritual head demands.

Hung on the walls of this consultation room are photographs he took with some Yoruba traditionalists , Elebuibon , a popular Yoruba Ifa priest, the Alafin of Oyo and many others. Also on the walls are different types of wrapped objects like gourds soaked in palm oil and tied with animal bones and cowry shells, meant possibly for one thing or the other. One could hear the cackling of live birds like ducks and pigeons, among others. The remnant of a headless slaughtered dog was placed by Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron. Dry and fresh carcasses of animals were also visible as well as bottles of what is known as hot drink. In one of the rooms are over 1,000 white saucers with different labels.

In the expansive compound is a botanical garden where different medicinal plants, herbs and shrubs are planted , each has its Yoruba botanical names. Not only this , some rooms have their carved images of gods placed there with carved wooden images representing some Yoruba gods: Aje , Yemoja , Sango , Ibeji, Elegbara Osun, Obatala, Sopona , Esu Elegbara, Eegun, Ogun”

According to Ajigbotifa, “We have two different types of Esu we can’t pray not to be in our lives and that Esu is Aje the one that bring progress but it is the Esu the evil one that we are running away from. We run away from this bad Esu , but we want Esu Elegbara which is the good one.”

Placed on the heads of these carved images are palm oil, cowries and other sacrificial materials dripping from their bodies – depending on what were used to offer sacrifices to them. One could feel the aroma or scent of burnt offerings and herbs wafting in the air from the kitchen.

Welcome to Ajigbotifa’s temple where people of all kinds irrespective of religion and status come to seek solutions to their problems. The white- painted building is modern, artistic and captivating. According to him, he receives about 50 clients in a day. There are charges or levies a customer has to pay for consultation, and these charges vary depending on what one wants, whether you want to wash your head spiritually, offer sacrifice to the gods etc.

Ajigbotifa told this reporter, “Different people come to me. Kings do come here for consultation, while pastors and men of God also consult me for spiritual rejuvenation, and I do help them to make their churches grow. There is no sin in that .The fact remains that Ifa has the truth and you cannot betray that.”

Tales from clients

One of the clients, thinking this reporter came for consultation too, poured out his mind and told him how his mother had been spending fortune on her sickness. He said his mother who is about 70 years of age has been indisposed as a result of attack from the people of the wicked world, whom he called awon aiye. Another client said, “Life is too complex and mysterious, therefore, I have to protect myself against evil men.” Another client blamed his mother for not showing him the ‘way’ to the native doctor early in life and could have nipped his problems in the bud , but now he is facing problems.

A man confided in this reporter that he really needed protection, though he claimed to be a Muslim but still needed additional protection, and he boasted about the efficacy of Ajigbotifa’s power. He said, “the man is powerful and it is gift from Eledumare.’ Another client said he had wanted to better his life; that was why he chose to come to him. When asked whether he was not shy to patronising a Babalawo, he replied, “Don’t be deceived , most of these pastors do come here .Go and dig the ground where pulpits are in churches and you will marvel that the spot where they are standing in the church or spot where they preach, there is opele hidden or buried there. Don’t mind them, they do come here in the night. If I am lying, ask Baba Onifa.” He looked at the reporter with pity and rhetorically asked, “Why are you behaving like a kid? At your age why are you still ignorant in his world? You better protect yourself because life is complex and delicate.”

The reporter watched the Ifa priest consulted piously and dramatically for one of his clients. Asked why he sits on a tiger’s skin, the man looked at the reporter, smiled and said, “That is how I met it. The tiger’s fur was from the odu Ifa my parents bequeathed to me. If a dog sees the fur it would feel uncomfortable. A dog must not sleep on it, it would feel uneasy. Dogs run away from tiger because the dog knows the animal that owns the skin.”

Students

Ajigbotifa also has disciples and students who are studying under him, these are students who come to seek knowledge from his fountain of knowledge. They are learning Ifa corpus. These students’ ages range between 12 years and 40 years. One of them, Fashola Ige, spoke with The Nation. He said, “I was brought here by my parents at the age of six to learn the art of Ifa divination and this is my sixth year here.” Ige knows the names of the plants in the garden and their usefulness. Other students are some young ones like Fayemi, Gbadegesin, Tumise, Falude and others are some of Ajigbotifa ‘s children. The students would all chorus in a thunderous voice whenever Ajigbotifa chanted incantations while the whole place would vibrate, he would now tell his clients what Ifa told him. They have prices for different consultations.

A Mecca of sorts

Ajigbotifa confirms the range of clients that come for consultations. “Sincerely speaking, I receive over 50 clients in a day. Irrespective of their status, age or religions; kings, alhajis, alhajas , pastors as well as white men do come here to do thorough search and spiritual cleansing on their inner heads and to make some enquiries on their lives as life is complex. Christians and Moslems do come here. Nothing is secret. When you face challenges in life, you will have no choice than to come here. I do assist the churches for increase of their church numbers. But it is not in our character to tell you who they are. They know why they should come here because there is wisdom and knowledge in Ifa. Yes, I assist them to be successful in their profession so that their church will not fall. I have done many consultations for them: prayer, sacrifice; we would do the necessary things such as ritual or sacrifice in their church.”

On whether those he assists usually come back to fulfill their pledges, the Ifa man swore that many do come back to do this and this set of people are the grateful ones, according to him.

“Many come back to thank Ifa and we again go back to Ifa who will in turn go back to Olodumare to thank Him,” he said.

“My wife and children do not go to church, they worship Ifa with me. We know what we have; we know the meaning of Ifa. I know its meaning, and the reason behind it and what should be run away from. It is lack of knowledge, lack of research that makes people say Ifa is evil. Each one’s faith will heal him.”

Ajigbotifa said the difference between illiterate Ifa priests and the literate ones is that of education. He stated, “Professor Wande Abimbola is our father. The difference is that we were trained in Ifa. Education is important. We also have the likes of Professor Odeyemi, Wande Abimbola, Fayemi Elebuibon and many others “

Asked whether they use human being for sacrifices , Ajigbotifa retorted, “We don’t use human beings for sacrifice. You will not come across such an Ifa priest in the category I’ve mentioned. Whoever is doing that is an infiltrator. They are not the real Ifa practitioners. It is a sin, ungodly and not in our practice or character to use human beings for all these. We use leaves and herbs, and animals for sacrifices .We don’t use human beings.”

Born about 40 years ago, he said, “I learnt the Ifa practice from my father, Faluade Alani Anikinnikun, who took after his father Agbefawo Aninkinnikun. It runs in our family; it is hereditary. I was born into the Ifa family. I attended primary and secondary schools. I completed my secondary school in 1990.

A life of mystery

Asked to talk about any mysterious experience in his life, Ajigbotifa said, “When I first came here, something surprised me. A woman came to my house without opening the gate whereas all the gates here were locked .The mysterious woman demanded for some money and I gave her. Again she demanded to have more. I did not hesitate but gave her the money I purposely kept for another visitor I was expecting. When I opened the door and about to see her off she disappeared! I never saw her again .That was a mystery.”

July 6, 2014