The Nation Newspaper

Tag: brothers

  • The men in our lives (V): Brothers

    The men in our lives (V): Brothers

    We all played together as children. Sometimes they were very caring; sometimes they were bullish and loved to chance us. They were ever ready to put that troublesome classmate of ours in order. We grew up loving them most of the time. Our brothers are our little daddies and could be more protective over us than our fathers.

    A time comes when things suddenly change and we see our brothers as a clog in the wheel of our progress conniving with our fathers. They tend to be so hard on us and protective when it comes to boys. They are the ones who report us to dad about some boys we have been seeing or some group of bad girls we have been hanging around with. True, the word “brother” stands for love, support, comfort, succour, protection, amongst other things, but how far should it go? Every young girl sure needs some guidance from an older and wiser person but some brothers tend to stretch their duties too far. In fact, so many young girls would rather not go to the same college or university with their brothers. Not because they do not want anyone to check their excesses but because they do not want unnecessary hassles arising from assumptions.

    Elizabeth, 22, said she went to the same university with her brother whom she had a wonderful relationship with while they were in the primary and secondary schools. So close were they that they were seen as partners-in-crime and got punished for each other’s naughtiness most of the time. They had to share a flat together at the university. Her brother virtually terrorised her throughout her stay because of hear-says which were mostly false as she said she wasn’t interested in her environment and could not mingle. She said he beat her sometimes and was fond of calling her all sorts of derogatory names. She said he always went home recounting what the tell-tales told him about her and this always got her into serious trouble and she ended up being punished for atrocities she never committed. When she could no longer bear it, she left their flat in school and refused to go home damning what her family thought. She would have revolted easily but had so much sense her brother never knew she had and a lot of times she felt she was wiser than him.

    She refused to talk to her brother for months because the effect his seeming protection had on her was totally devastating and hurt her badly. After a while, he realised his foolish ways of protecting his sister and apologised to her. Her family had to wade in and apologise on his behalf, but the trauma he put her through had made her so tough that she refused to talk to him. A lot of times when they came across each other in school she wanted to talk to him because she loved him as her brother but the pain he caused her was incomprehensible and not one she could forget for so many years.

    Interestingly, some girls said their brothers cover up for them and take them to parties though they are protective to a certain extent. While talking to the boys, most of them maintain they know better the “evil” boys could to do to girls and they would not want their sisters caught up in all that. This is true, after all the boys who practice the “evil” on girls are brothers to some girls. And most of them believe young girls are gullible and pretty silly in thinking. Some of these brothers want to put some sense into their heads by battering them. This is not nice.

    Every brother has a duty and responsibility to protect his sister and guide her through life; however, it should be done reasonably. It must be emphasised that growing up is a learning process of getting to be a better person and being who you really want to be. A girl should be reasonably monitored and cautioned but at the same time allowed to make her mistakes and learn from them and most importantly live her life just the way she wants. Besides, one’s adolescence comes in a life time and that phase has to be lived to the fullest, though with wisdom. However, we must appreciate our big brothers because they only mean well. Next week, by God’s grace, we’ll discuss how best to deal with them.

  • Brothers in competition

    Brothers in competition

    Calabar has an advantage. Behind it is a rich history which brought with it development and global recognition.

    But, Uyo has cash. In abundance. Some of this cash used to belong to Calabar until the law stopped it. Yet, long ago, Uyo was nothing. It was just one of the towns in the old Cross River State. Calabar was the state capital. Before it became the capital of the old Cross River, it was Nigeria’s capital. That was before independence.

    The competition between Uyo and Calabar began when Uyo became the capital of Akwa Ibom State, which was carved out of the old Cross River State. Calabar now is the capital of Cross River State. Obong Victor Attah, an architect and former president of the Nigerian Institute of Architect (NIA), became the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 1999 when the country returned to democracy. He started by fine-tuning a Masterplan for the state, especially Uyo. But, Uyo’s race to catch up with Calabar took a new dimension when Obong Godswill Akpabio, the man who was Attah’s Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, became governor.

    Under Akpabio, Akwa Ibom’s fortunes increased. For this to happen, it had to do battle with its neigbour. Both had to compete for oil wells. It was a bitter legal duel that took God’s grace to prevent bloodbath. Wise counselled was allowed to prevail and Akwa Ibom’s fortunes took a major leap when the Supreme Court gave all oil wells which entitled Cross River to the 13 per cent derivation fund to it. It was a decision which saw these brother-states quarrel seriously. In case you don’t know, the states are also governed by two men who have come a long way. Akpabio and Governor Liyel Imoke were mates at the Nigerian Law School (NLS).They belong to the Class 88, having graduated 26 years ago. The decision of the apex court made Akpabio and Imoke almost become enemies. The media made a lot of money on advertorials by both parties on the court’s decision. Somehow they were able to manage and life has since continued and for over one year now, Cross River has not received one kobo as derivation fund and this has affected it seriously. Its loss has been Akwa Ibom’s gain and Uyo is happy for it.

    Uyo has changed. It really has. It is no longer the ‘village’ it was when the military pronounced it a state capital. There are flyovers and bridges. So many beautiful things are happening in Uyo. But there is a trend I have noticed. Uyo seems interested in everything in Calabar. Or is it Calabar that is after Uyo? Or is it a case of Imoke and Akpabio not wanting the other to take the first slot?

    There is a nice complex in Uyo. It has not been completed. It is known as Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre. Within this complex is Cineplex. It is the cinema arm of Ibom Tropicana. There is also a mall. And when fully completed, there is going to be an international convention centre with a monorail somewhere around the complex. A 3-star hotel is also in the mix.

    Please drive to Calabar and you will discover that it has its own version of Cineplex known as Film House Cinema– which is part of the Marina Resort. I understand it has been in existence before Cineplex. On going is also the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) within the Summit Hills project. Around the CICC, a monorail is also springing up to link Tinapa Business and Leisure Resort. A hotel, a golf course and a specialist hospital are also in the works.

    There are a bit of difference in these projects, but the semblance are obvious. Who is copying who?

    Don’t misread me. There is nothing wrong in copying, especially when you are copying something good and improving on it.

    Before I forget, Uyo also has an airport, even though it is less than an hour from Calabar, which has always had the Margaret Ekpo International Airport. How viable the Uyo Airport is is a matter for another day. But I must point out that for Arik to agree to fly there, the government had to be subsidising. This led to disagreement between the parties and the deal has broken down.

    The subsidy issue also brings me to the viability of the Cineplex in a state where majority of the people are poor. Similar cinemas in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja charge at least N1,500 for a client to enjoy any movie in their air-conditioned cinema hall. In Calabar, it is about N1,000. An average Uyo person cannot afford these prices. The government knew this and thus decided to subsidise. Initially, N100 was paid. Now, it is N250. Still, the six cinema halls are never fully booked.

    The mall, which will be inaugurated soon, is beautiful. It sure makes Uyo the more alluring, but can the economy of the state support such? I will wait till it starts operation to get an answer.

    My final take: It is good that Uyo and Calabar are being developed. It is good similar projects are springing up. But it certainly is not grand for a government to build a project and after completing it, it is still spending money on it instead of it bring in money. Cineplex is a fitting example of this. I don’t think subsidising movie-watching is a great idea. May be it is a good But certainly not a great or grand one.

    Long live Uyo, long live Calabar and long live the brothers driving the affairs of these two brother-states. And long live healthy

  • Court fixes trial of brothers

    AYaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos has fixed May 6,for trial of affray, assault occasioning harm and criminal breach of peace of two brothers Olajide and Oladipo Akibayo and their wives Oluwakemi and Aminot.

    The defendants, who reside in their late father’s house at  12 Jolaosho Street ,Bariga, were said to have engaged in repeated affray, fighting and biting each other.

    Since the house is beside the Shomolu Police Station, the defendants, according to the police have been invited on various occasions in order to broker peace between them.

    Unable to settle the scuffle between the brothers and their wives, the Police on October 31, last year, arraigned them before Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi.

    The alleged offence was said to have contravened sections 168, 170 and 185 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    They pleaded not guilty to the six count charges against them and were granted bail in N50, 000 each with one surety in like sum.

    Following the dissolution of the Somolu Magistrates’ Court, the matter was transferred to Yaba Court, where the siblings almost exchanged blows.

    Olajide, who is the younger brother to Oladipo attacked the latter outside the court and it took the intervention of the prosecutor, Inspector, Peter Nwangwu, to calm the situation.

    At the resume hearing, Nwangwu told the court that the defendants constituted themselves into a nuisance by repeatedly fighting and breaching public peace.

    Nwangwu said: “On October 30, another fight broke out between the two couples, and they publicly inflicted human bites on one another.

    “The disagreement was over how to use the rent collected from their tenants to renovate the house they inherited from their father. The disagreement and vicious fights had become a regular occurrence between the brothers and their wives.

    “They have been arrested by the police on several occasions; repeated efforts to reconcile them have proved abortive. They are constantly at each others’ throats, fighting and breaching public peace.”

    Ladipo adjourned the matter to May 6 for trial.

    Meanwhile, a 26 year old woman was arraigned before Magistrate M.A. Ladipo of a Yaba Court, for allegedly stealing N1.3 million belonging to one Anyaorah Obiorah.

    The defendant, a resident of 72, Olaiya Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi, was arraigned on a count of stealing, contrary to Section 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    Prosecuting Inspector Peter Nwangwu told the court that Okoro stole the money between December 31, 2012 and February 11, from Obiorah, a recharge card seller.

    He said the defendant, who was the complainant’s sale’s representative, stole the said money at different occasions.

    Nwangwu said the defendant claimed that she collected the money to send to her boyfriend, Tony Obi, who had issues with the South African Police.

    He said:”The defendant claimed she wired the money to her boyfriend through one of his friend’s account to enable him settle the problems he had in South Africa.

    “She said the boyfriend has stopped taking her calls ever since she informed him that she was having problems with her boss over the money.”

    Nwangwu said the alleged offence contravened Section 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2011.

    Magistrate Ladipo granted the defendant bail of N200, 000 with two sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case to April 17.