The Nation Newspaper

Tag: dad

  • Dad planted music in me –Bongos Ikwe’s daughter Jessica

    Dad planted music in me –Bongos Ikwe’s daughter Jessica

    Like her father, you only get to hear Jessica’s songs, but you hardly see her except on stage.  That’s how so much she takes after her music legend father, Bongos Ikwe. Predicted to be one of the few music talents that will take 2016 by storm, Jessica Bongos is already showing great promise. When she released her debut EP ‘Unscathed’ some years ago, many knew that she had indeed learnt at the feet of the master, with her good mastery of soul and jazz music. We caught up with Jessica Bongos at one of the hottest stages at one of Abuja’s famous hang-outs where she had a show that brought out the best of Abuja’s artistic crowd. After the show that left many without a doubt about her music talent, Jessica Bongos spoke to Paul Ukpabio.

    Where did you grow up?

    I grew up in Lagos State. I attended Corona Primary School, Apapa, then St. Judes Primary School, Festac Town, before going on to Corona Secondary School, Agbara Estate. I have a degree in International Development and a Master’s in Leisure Events and Facilities Management.

    You have been spotted in Abuja. Have you relocated from your Benue abode? Also tell us about your recent show. What was it about?

    I never lived in Benue. I moved from Lagos to Abuja in 2006 for NYSC programme and decided to stay here in Abuja. My recent Abuja show was a little concert I decided to have called “Jessica Bongos and Friends; the Soul Sistas Edition”. I had one last year and decided to have another this year, featuring some of the best soul singers and musicians in Abuja.

    As a popular musician, how much influence did your dad have on your early musical background?

    His influence on my early musical background was huge. He encouraged me to learn how to play the piano as a child because we were surrounded by music literally everywhere, in the house and in the car. He played his guitar all the time and made up songs on the spot. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t know what good music was. I also probably wouldn’t be as interested in music as I am today.

    So would you say your background has influenced the person that you are today?

    The background of a person I believe always plays a huge role in the person’s life in the long run. It’s definitely influenced my character and level of creativity. I’m from a very musical background and that is most likely why I’m a singer and songwriter today.

    Why did you choose a musical career?

    I couldn’t run from it. When you love something so much, you just find yourself going back to it every time and that’s what happened with music and I. I don’t think I chose it. This might sound lame, but I think it chose me. I didn’t plan to go on this journey. I’m shy, quiet and reserved. I don’t like attention in any way; yet here I am, in an industry where you can’t be any of these things. As a singer, songwriter, recording artist and performer, I have to be out there. I have to be okay to accept criticism from everyone and from anybody, about things as silly as “what she was wearing”. Lord knows I only care about the music and when you are passionate about something, you can’t worry about things like what people will say. You honour God and the talent He has given you and pray that He guides, protects and blesses you along the way.

    Are you the only artistic child of your parents?

    No, I’m not. My younger sister is a creative writer and my older sister sings and plays the piano.

    We have heard less of your mum; tell us a little about her?

    I think she would like to keep it that way. She’s been Bongos Ikwe’s wife for decades, as well as the mother of his children from Issele-Uku, Delta State. That’s all I can say.

    Your dad has been popular over the years, but he has been able to live a private life. How does he do that?

    I’m not qute sure how. He just lives his life by working hard and minding his business. He’s not part of the social media era we live in now, where celebrities post “not so personal” parts of their lives for fans to see. He’s old school.

    Of all your dad’s songs, which one is your favourite?

    My favourites have been “Man and Man”, “Mustapha and Christopher” and “What Rght Is Right”- a song about jungle justice.

    Where does the inspiration come from to sing?

    I’m inspired by real life and what I’m going through at that time…love, relationship, friendship and experiences of people around me. I write how I feel. Sometimes, it’s pure fiction too.

    Life in Abuja, Lagos and Benue, which do you prefer?

    For me personally, Lagos is exciting to visit. Abuja is a great city to live in. And Benue is great for vacationing and quiet time.

    Who is Jessica?

    I’m a reserved, quiet, avid music lover. I’m a deep thinker and a creative person whose mind is constantly bursting with ideas. I’m very family oriented, a home buddy who appreciates quiet time. Solitude is very rejuvenating for me. I’m a work in progress, slowly coming to my own and becoming comfortable with me.

    What do you consider as challenges for the ladies in the artistic industry?

    I can only speak for myself and I always say being a female in the artistic industry in Nigeria has not been a challenge for me. If your work is good, it will be acknowledged as just that, whether you’re male or female.

    If you were not in music, what other profession would you have loved to be?

    I would love to be a restaurateur, an interior designer or a special education teacher-someone who teaches kids with special needs or disabilities.

    When you want to have fun and enjoy yourself, what do you do?

    At such times, I do simple things. I meet up with friends for coffee, lunch or dinner. I love food and a good-girl chat. Listening to music is fun for me, watching live music shows, stage plays and things like that. Just simple things.

    Any fond memories of best moments?

    That will be my boarding school experiences in secondary school. I’ll always hold those memories close to my heart. I had the best time.

    Looking back, what do you like about childhood?

    Not worrying about anything at all. When you’re a child, you can’t wait to grow up because you think you can do whatever you want as an adult. When you’re an adult, keeping up with the responsibilities that come with adulthood can take its toll on you and actually make you wish you were a kid again. C’est la vie!

    What appeals to you?

    People with integrity and depth appeal to me.

    Are you fashionable?

    I honestly don’t know if I’m fashionable. I know I’m not into fashion. I don’t keep up with designers and their collections. I love to admire fashionistas though. I have a lot of them as friends. Love them! I can do without any accessory. As long as I’m clean and I smell good, I’m fine.

    What vanities of life do you find difficult to resist?

    None!

    Tell us about your style. Do you consider Nigerian ladies fashionable?

    I think it’s evolving but I lean more towards classic retro styles. Anything that makes me feel confident, classy, elegant and beautiful. I think my music is a reflection of my style. Oh, yes! Definitely! I think Nigerian women might actually be some of the most fashionable women in the world.

    What role does beauty play in a woman?

    Society has taught us that physical beauty should be one of the most important, if not the most important attribute of a woman. But I know that there’s so much more to being a woman than beauty, like compassion, selflessness, intelligence, love, strength, confidence, etc. True beauty comes from the inside.

    Are perfumes and make-up compulsory for ladies? Do you use them?

    I guess they are. Every woman wants to look and smell good. I can go days without make-up, but perfume is a daily must for me.

    What kind of foods do you enjoy and do you enjoy cooking?

    I love to cook. I was a full-time caterer before I chose a career in music. I love food from all over the world, but my absolute favourite is Italian cuisine.

    What determines your choice of shoes and how many do you have?

    I don’t really care about shoes, so I definitely don’t know how many pairs I have, but not a lot. As long as my feet are comfy, protected and look good in them, I’m good.

    Do you travel, your best holiday? 

    Yes, I travel. Best holiday would definitely be Las Vegas with my best friends a couple of years ago.

    Your role model?

    I have quite a few. These women exude class, regality, elegance, sophistication and intelligence. Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Joke Silva, Phylicia Rashad, Jill Scott and Sade Adu.

    We hear one of your siblings is in the movie-making business, did you at any point think of going into movies too?

    No, I never thought of going into the movie industry.

    Your father has a big name in music in Nigeria; do you see yourself stepping into his shoes?

    I can’t compare myself with him. I can only be the best I can be.

    Was your mum worried that her daughter was going into music?

    She wasn’t. My mum is very supportive of my decision to do music.

    What other things do you do apart from music?

    I’m a full-time musician. But like I said earlier, if I wasn’t a singer, I would be a restaurateur, amongst other things.

    Tell us about your new music, your recent work.

    I’m still working on new music, soul music with a touch of jazz. I plan to be more experimental with sounds and touch on areas of life other than love. I hope to release my debut album by the end of the year by God’s grace.

    What do you love about being a singer?

    Being a singer allows me express myself freely without holding back. Songwriting is therapeutic for me. I put all my feelings into my music and get the opportunity to share it with other people. The best part of being a singer for me is when listeners can actually relate to what I’m singing about. Being able to connect with the listeners is a blessing.

    Career wise, what does the future hold for you?

    I plan to be in the music business for the rest of my life. I may branch out into other businesses later on in life, but for now, I’m focusing on my art and giving it my all. God will take care of the future.

  • Dad: my son was snatched

    Dad: my son was snatched

    A man was grieving yesterday over the loss of his 19-month-old baby, Daniel Igba, who was snatched from him during the violence at Mile 12 on the outskirts of Lagos.

    He said: “I was in the house around 10am and I saw that the people were bringing the fight to our area (across the bridge).

    “So, I hurriedly entered the house and carried my baby in an attempt to escape. But they chased me. They caught me and started beating me. They axed my head and my hand.

    “I was still holding the baby. As I tried to run again, I fell and they snatched the baby from me. Since that time, we have not seen our baby. His mother was in school when it happened.”

    Mr. Igba was beaten and had a knife wound  on his head.

    As of  5pm, armoured tanks were patrolling the area. Soldiers and policemen were at strategic junctions.

  • Son, 25, kills dad in Akwa Ibom

    Son, 25, kills dad in Akwa Ibom

    A 25-year-old  man, Mfreke Aniefiok Archibong, was yesterday paraded by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for allegedly killing his father.

    Archibong told reporters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, that the accident leading to the death of his father, Aniefiok, took place on Monday at Ikot Udo Nkan, Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government.

    Mfreke is the third child in a family of seven children, six boys and a girl.

    He said on Monday when he got home he met his father quarrelling with his mother.

    The suspect said he intervened, but his father tried to hit him with a bottle.

    Mfreke said, in annoyance, “I grabbed a firewood and hit my father on the right hand and he fell’’.

    Mfreke said he left the house, only to come back to learn that his father was dead.

    He said he regrets what happened, describing it as an accident, and pleaded with the government not to kill him.

    Police spokesperson Cordelia Nwawe said the command would not tolerate any form of crime in the state.

    She said the suspect would be charged to court when investigation is concluded.

  • Dignitaries bid Ngige’s dad farewell

    Dignitaries bid Ngige’s dad farewell

    It was a gathering of political giants and prominent citizens when Pa Pius Okonkwo Ngige, father of Minister of Labour Dr Chris Ngige and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Emeka Ngige, was buried in Alor, Anambra State. JOSEPH JIBUEZE and NWANOSIKE ONU write.

    For a long time to come, residents  of Alor town in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State will not forget  the burial of their patriarch, the late Pius Okonkwo Ngige (aka Akunnia).

    The late Ngige was one of the oldest men in the state. He died at  the age of 105. Thus, it was a celebration of life. The late Ngige is survived by his youngest brother, Alphonsus, who is in his 90s; six children, including a former Anambra State Governor and now Minister of Labour Dr Chris Ngige, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Emeka Ngige, who holds the title of Ikemba n’Alor; as well as many grand and great-grand children.

    A wake-keep the previous night took a party-like turn. Soon after prayers were said, fireworks lit up the sky. Various traditional dance groups entertained guests. On the adjourning roads leading to the Ngige family home, long rows of vehicles occupied both sides.

    It was a beehive of activities last Friday, after a funeral mass at the St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Alor. There was a heavy security presence, including men of the Department of State Services (DSS) operatives and the police. Men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC),  were busy controlling traffic and the surging crowd.

    Choice wines and assorted drinks were in abundance. Local delicacies as well as continental dishes were on display. It was a carnival-like occasion.

    Traders also made brisk business, selling customised fez-caps, hats and vests which bore the late Ngige’s photograph.

    As large as the church cathedral was, it could not contain half of those who attended the ceremony. Canopies were mounted outside.

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu led other party chiefs to the event. They included National Chairman John Odigie Oyegun; former Interim Chairman Chief Bisi Akande; a former Ogun State Governor Chief Segun Osoba; a former Ekiti State Governor Otunba Niyi Adebayo, among others.

    Also at the event were: former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme; Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole; his Delta and Anambra counterparts Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and Willie Obiano; and former Anambra Governor Peter Obi. Also paying their last respects were Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu; Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi; Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN); Lagos branch chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Martins Ogunleye, his predecessor Chijioke Okoli, among others.

    President Muhammadu Buhari was represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Pastor Babachir David Lawal; Senate President Bukola Saraki was represented by Senator Dino Melaye; former Enugu State Governor Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo; Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Peter Umeadi; a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Charles Soludo; a former Inspector-General of Police Mike Okiro; and a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) Prof Epiphany Azinge (SAN); ministers- James Ocholi (SAN) (State for Labour); Senator Udo Udoma (Budget and Planning); Dr Kayode Fayemi (Solid Mineral); Rotimi Amaechi (Transport) and Hajiya Zainab Maina (Women Affairs), among others.

    Bishop Paulinus Ezeokafor, in his sermon, urged the Ngige family to be comforted by the good life their father lived.

    He reminded all of the inevitability of death. He urged all to reconsider their lifestyles and change their bad ways by keeping God’s commandments.

    Senator Ngige said: “My father’s life was a book of many volumes where you learn a lot of lessons. There was not a day I did not learn something new from him. He fought for the helpless, the voiceless, and the downtrodden.”

    Emeka Ngige, in his tribute, said the late Akunnia meant a lot to him. He was not just a father, but a friend, confidant, counselor, protector, motivator, educator and role model.

    The senior advocate said his father taught them integrity, consistency, doggedness, resilience, hard work, peacemaking and most importantly the fear of God.

  • My dad is using me to make money, claims girl

    My dad is using me to make money, claims girl

    •Don’t call me again, father tells reporter

    A 27-year-old woman, Funke Gbadebo, has accused her father of “using” her to make money without any benefit for her.

    She told The Nation yesterday that her father has been giving her out to work for people as maid and collecting her entitlements upfront.

    “I was 18 when my father said one of his cousins volunteered to cater for my well-being. Few months after I got there, I got to know they were not related to my father in any way and that I was hired as a maid,” she said.

    Her father, Najeem Gbadebo, denied to react to her claims, abusing our reporter who called him on phone.

    He warned the reporter against calling him again, saying his daughter is working in Agege.

    Funke said when her madam realised that she was sad about what her father did; she enrolled her in an hairdressing shop.

    She said her suffering began when her father asked her to drop out of school.

    “I was in SS2 when I dropped out of school and since then, I have been working for my father. I worked as a maid for five years and when I asked for my pay, I was told my father collected my allowance for the years I spent. Combining hairdressing training wasn’t easy because I woke up at 4am daily to take care of my bosses’ children and sometimes they called in between to send me on errands. It got to a point I felt there was no progress in my life so I left and returned to my father. I had nothing on me when I returned to him. Even the N50,000 my boss gave me when she knew I wasn’t aware of my father’s plans, he collected it from me.”

    She said in 2014, she worked in a water factory in Ogun State but when the salary wasn’t forthcoming, she left, adding: “With the money I saved from the factory, I bought few things I could use for hairdressing business. When I got home, my dad accused me of buying it saying that he was meant to spend my first salary.

    “He didn’t allow me to start the hairdressing business. He took me to a woman who sells fabrics on Lagos Island where I worked for two and-a- half years. She agreed to pay me N15,000 monthly. When I was about to leave last December, she said she wasn’t owing me adding that my father collected my allowance for the years I spent. When I returned home two weeks ago, to ask the reason for his actions, he and his wife beat me mercilessly and sent me out of their house around 12am without anything. My stepmother keeps saying I am HIV positive and it is because of the stress I have been going through. I slept in uncompleted buildings for weeks before I was saved by a Good Samaritan who knew me when I was working as a maid in Agege. My father keeps using me. He says I am bad omen. He has not done anything for me. He said he cannot empower me and that I should just bring a man I want to marry. That is not what I need now; I want to cater for myself and not be a beggar like my father.”

    When Funke was asked about her mother, she said she did not know what her mother looks like, adding that whenever she asked her father about her, “he says I shouldn’t dare to look for her.

    “I know my mother is alive but I don’t know anything about her. I don’t know the reason she left my brother and I. My younger brother ran away when he was 15 because my father kept maltreating him. I learnt my mother lives in Iperu, Ogun State but I haven’t gone to look for her. My father is an house agent and a trado-medical practitioner. He lives in Magboro. I just want him to empower me but he is not ready. Since they sent me out of the house, they haven’t searched for me.”

    Funke’s benefactor, Mrs Abosede Adegunloye, said she saw her on the road crying and took her in.

    She said:”I took her to a neighbour who works with Rural and Urban Development Initiative (RUDI) and since then, they took her case up. We have called her father but he keeps raining curses on us saying she is not a successful child. Funke is a very decent girl. I remember when she wanted to leave where she worked as a maid, her bosses children took ill. If the government can get her father, he should be questioned. She makes hair so well and she is also ready to learn. I have enrolled her in a government vocational school where she will continue to learn hairdressing.”

    RUDI Executive Director Musbau Agbodemu said Funke’s father would be summoned today, adding: “We have spoken with the man on phone thinking he would comply but he is stubborn. He says all sorts of things and dents his daughter. The matter would be looked into.”

  • ‘He was a doting dad’

    ‘He was a doting dad’

    The passage of Alhaji Mosadiq Adeoye, an engineer, was celebrated at 32/37, Ajayi Bankole Street in Ikotun, Lagos. OLATUNDE ODEBIYI was there.

    Friends, family members and well wishers gathered at 32/37, Ajayi Bankole Street, Ikotun, Lagos for the funeral party of the late Alhaji Mosadiq  Adeoye, an engineer, who died on September 7.

    Cars of the guests filled the spaces around the venue and security officials were there to ensure safety.

    As guests arrived, itinerant drummers sang their praises and were rewarded; money changers and photographers also made brisk business.

    While some guests wore the Ankara fabric for the occasion, others were in choice attires. They sat under tents. It was a time to eat, drink and dance.

    Top singer entertainment and Haruna Ishola Band entertained guests. Yoruba Actor Tajudeen Oyewole, popularly known as Abija Wara bi ekun, thrilled guests with his performance.

    One of the deceased’s daughters, Mrs Adeola Osundairo, described her father as good, honest and strong, adding that he was a man that believed in hard work.

    “He believed one will make it in life and that whatever one needed in life would be got by working hard,” she said.

    She said she would miss the way he smiled, adding that he was a disciplined, lively, caring and loving father.

    Her husband, Mr Lanre Osundairo described his father-in-law was a nice man that took care of his children.  He noted that the deceased was being celebrated because of his good deeds, saying his children are well educated, well informed and his life is worthy of emulation.

    He said he would miss his fatherly advice, love and care.

    One of the sons, Mr Adedamola Adeoye, said his father loved his children, adding that he taught him patience, humility, tolerance, love and how to relate with people.

    He said he would miss him so much. “I miss him telling me always that he loved me; I miss me and my father going out together clubbing and having fun.

    “My father believed in me; he was someone that I could confide in and easily run to. We worked together, we worked so much alike and we flowed even though we fought. I will miss him so much,” he said.

    A younger sister to the deceased, Alhaja Fausat Kotun, described her late brother as a good father who did well for the family.

    She said her late brother was a man of good character adding that he taught her to be respectful.

    Another son, Babatunde Adeoye, said his father was a man of his words, adding that he had the drive to achieve things.

    “He was strong, he went for what he believed in and he looked into the future,” he said.

    He said the legacies he left behind would be carried on. Adeoye said he would miss his father’s work ethic and drive for what he did.

  • A dad like no other

    A dad like no other

    Tribute to a worthy father

    And it came to pass. My father, Special Apostle Gabriel Adeshina Adegboyega eventually passed on August 11, a week to his 80th birthday. Born in Lagos on August 18, 1935, Special Apostle Adegboyega was the only surviving child of his mother, the Late Madam Christiana Olaide Adegboyega (nee Gooding), who had twins thrice and lost them all. His father, Pa Jonathan Ola Adegboyega died in 1984. It was therefore not surprising that the mother was resolute that nothing would take her son this time around without having her to contend with. She put her all into it, and, luckily, the son not only survived her, he died about 20 years after the mother passed on.

    My father’s experiences in life; particularly in his 35-year sojourn in Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc have taught me that life is full of risks and every profession has its fair share of them. Being a banker is sweet, with all its allures. I can say that and confidently too because I know the ‘privileges’ I enjoyed even as a ‘common bank manager’s son’ back in those days. ‘Omo manager ni’yen’ (that’s the (bank) manager’s son), was the usual way I was introduced whenever I went to any important function with my father.

    On another level, however, I was a proud beneficiary of the bank’s scholarship designed for the children of the bank’s members of staff at a time when my father was almost nothing there in the ’70s. I was then about 12 years old. We were interviewed by a panel, including some white men (or a white man) and my father’s grooming on the common pitfalls before the day of interview greatly helped in my scaling the hurdles. Then, it was easy for the son of a nobody like me to get the scholarship because merit was the watchword. I do not know whether the scheme is still there and if so, whether it is still intact with its soul and innocence.

    Back to my dad. For a child that was thought would not even clock 15 years to have lived for about 80 years was a record. What happened was that, at age 13 (1948), just out of curiosity, the young Adegboyega went to a Christ Apostolic Church at then number 98, Lagos Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos, where a vision revealed that he was not likely to witness his 15th birthday. This was corroborated in several other places. The solution, the pastor told him, was prayer and fasting. Despite being a boy then, Adegboyega did not take the matter lightly. He eventually got addicted, as it were, to both, until death did them part. I remember I once asked him in the ’80s why he would always be fasting when he had money to buy food and indeed ensured that the rest of his household had enough to eat and drink. He replied that I would soon find out. I have. This earth, my brother! Apologies to Kofi Awoonor!!

    The world, indeed, is war. After battling with many childhood challenges, the old man also contended with many challenges, especially in his years at UBN. I recall an occasion when (I think in 1983) I was doing my vacation job at the Osogbo branch of the bank. He indulged me the use of his personal car, a Datsun 180K saloon, to work (bank managers then were not found with the exotic cars we now see many bank workers in) but somehow, on this fateful day, I refused to take the car to the office because my father had chastised me the day before, for an offence I cannot remember. I never knew it was Providence at work. Right in the commercial bus that I took to Osogbo were some five or six old men who had an axe to grind with my dad. Their complaint was that Mr Adegboyega was not the first bank manager to come to that town (Ikirun, Osun State); they therefore did not know how he could be so ‘stingy’ with money that did not belong to him. In essence, they wanted loans but apparently were turned down by my father who was then the manager of Ikirun branch of Union Bank because they did not have collateral. They were then planning how they would use charms to eliminate him via road accident, knowing full well that he would always travel down to Lagos every month end to collect rent.

    I was in the spirit where I sat and continued praying that the men should never find out who I was because there were only few passengers in the vehicle. The about 20 minutes journey from Ikirun to Osogbo was like eternity. When I eventually alighted alive, I went quickly to the accountant, one Mr Adisa, and told him I was travelling to Lagos. He asked if I had told my daddy and I said no, but that it was important I travelled. Those days, there were no GSM phones and there was no internet. In no time, I was in Lagos. What shocked me again was that, as I was narrating my experience to my paternal grandmother in Lagos, my father also came in from Ikirun. I am not sure he planned to travel that day. As soon as I saw him, I stopped the discussion with his mother and there was perfect silence until he reminded us that we could not shut him out of whatever our discussion was because one of us was his mother and the other, his son.

    His mother then asked me to repeat what I just said and I did. What surprised me was the characteristic calmness with which he took the matter; saying that he already had a message in his church to that effect, and that it was nothing to worry about because God had taken charge of the situation.

    About two years or so before, when he was manager at the Iseyin (Oyo State) branch of the bank, he had another unforgettable experience. One Saturday morning, he simply told me to get ready for an outing. I did. I am not sure if any other person in the house knew where we were going but soon began to get worried when we moved further from the town to the thick bush on the way to some other towns after Iseyin where we then lived. Then in the middle of nowhere, we stopped. I quickly remembered the story of Abraham and Isaac. Then, as I kept wondering what our business was in the thick bush, he asked me to bring out a cellophane bag from the booth of the car. It was then I knew that the bag contained charms and amulets.

    It was at this point that he told me what our mission was: to burn those charms and amulets. But not until he had explained to me how he came about them, because that, naturally, was the next question I would have asked him. I knew that he had given up all fetish practices since becoming a Christian, and especially since he became an elder in the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church. One after the other he brought those things out from the bag and began to tell me who gave him what. All of them were given to him by people we knew to be his friends and who were very influential in the town, ostensibly to protect him against enemies that might want to harm him because of his strict adherence to the banking rules and procedures, especially as they pertained to loans and advances. Everybody needs loans but not everybody can afford to repay.

    He then told me the other reason why he could not have had anything to do with those charms apart from his being a Christian, which, really, is the native intelligence aspect of the incident: he said even if he was still using charms and amulets, it did not make sense for him to use those ones because he was an ‘odd man out’. In other words, all the people that gave the things to him were indigenes of the town; how then could he be sure that they all meant well with the charms and amulets?

    I can go on and on. In spite of its allures, however, I pity bankers because many of them had gone to prison for crimes they never actually committed. I pity them too because many must have died prematurely over loans and advances that they either refused to give or that they gave but which later turned out to be bad loans. Be that as it may, I must thank whoever or whatever averted UBN’s dissolution under Charles Soludo’s ‘consolidation’ of the banking sector in 2005 for contributing immensely to my father’s longevity. The bank was his life and he was ever proud to introduce himself as a retired Union Bank manager, with a big emphasis on the bank’s name.  But what has happened to the banking sector in the country? Where is the honesty of old, the hard work and discipline  that still made it possible for someone like my father with only limited academic qualifications to rise to the position of manager in an established bank like UBN? We need some soul-searching.

    Of course this piece would not be complete without mentioning the fact that my father was a strict disciplinarian. This runs through in almost all the tributes on him. He was also a devout Christian.  I was therefore not surprised that he died in the course of a sickness which began on August 5 on his way to a midweek service, and from which he never recovered.

    May his soul rest in perfect peace as he returns to Mother Earth on October 10.

     

    This column will be on leave for the next few weeks. Please bear with me.

  • Concerns for baby whose dad was killed by policeman in Port Harcourt

    Concerns for baby whose dad was killed by policeman in Port Harcourt

    He was not born when his father was killed by a policeman in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, for allegedly not giving a N100 bribe. His mother was delivered of him two months after the sad incident. After his birth, he was named ThankGod David Legbara. His father was David Legbara. He was a commercial bus driver in Port Harcourt. He was murdered on August 7 by a policeman attached to Kala Station for refusing to give bribe.

    His father’s death automatically made him fatherless. Now there are concerns about what tomorrow holds for him. His mother, Gift Legbara, can barely afford to feed him well.

    Legbara’s death created a scene that almost truncated business activities in Port Harcourt. There were protests for three days protest by angry commercial drivers under the aegis Rivers State Association of Road Transport Workers. Some of the protesters went nude demanding compensation to the family of the deceased and scholarship for the then unborn baby.

    The then Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, in a statement, confirmed that a police officer on stop-and-search duty shot the victim. He also assured the protesters that the police would ensure the safety of the widow and contribute to the welfare of the baby, who was born a fortnight ago.

    Mrs. Legbara and his baby are now at their home in Mgboushimini community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. She was lucky to have a safe delivery because the maternity where she delivered had no facility to handle emergency situation.

    When Niger Delta Report visited the family, it was evident they need help. Their living condition is nothing to write home about. The area they live is a swamp waterfront settlement; their house is made up of wood and red mud.

    Narrating what she went through as a pregnant woman when the sad news was broken to her, Mrs. Legbara said it would have been a double tragedy.

    “I almost gave up the ghost. I thought it was a dream, later it looked as if I was in a different world where nothing existed. But I thank God that I didn’t die with the pregnancy.  When my husband  died, I was in the market. I felt cold in my whole body, I felt like eating but I couldn’t, I was restless. I was feeling cold seriously. One of my customers came to the shop to patronise my goods, but because of the cold I could not attend to her. She asked if I was okay, I told her I didn’t know what was wrong with me. After that, someone called me and told me that they shot my husband. I told her to be serious that it was not a joking matter; she still repeated it that they shot my husband but refused to tell me where the shooting took place.”

    She continued: “That day I felt like dying. I said ‘God, where will I start from? I don’t have anybody. He was the only hope I had, he was the breadwinner of his family.  I told the people who informed me about my husband’s death to allow me go with them to see him but they refused due to my condition. The onlookers started blaming the woman who informed me of my husband’s death.  In spite of our poor condition, we were very happy as husband and wife. The police murdered my husband at the time that things were about to get better. As a commercial driver, he drove another man’s vehicle and rendered account daily. But later he got a vehicle to drive on hire purchase and he had completed the terms of agreement, meaning that the bus now belonged to him before he was killed.”

    Mrs. Lagbara wants the police to assist train her baby to the university level. She noted that her late husband planned to ensure that his children got good education.

    “The police officer who killed my husband did not allow him to have more children with me. This is my first issue after our marriage. To be frank, I need help from the government. I don’t have anybody who will help me. I want them to train the child from nursery school up to university level.”

    Mr. Gobari Deebom, a lawyer, said: “We have not relented since the day of the occurrence of this incident even till now, because our interest is how to sustain the interest of the family; especially the wife and the new born baby. Our plan is how to give him a befitting education from nursery to university and for the baby to be an independent person in life.

    “We have written to the Inspector General of Police. The time frame we gave to them has elapsed, not even a call from any of them, despite that we are not relenting. We have also written letters to the governor of Rivers State pleading with him to assuage the pain of the wife, the new born baby and the aged mother at home on sympathetic ground; we are hoping that our governor as a liberal man will assist the family. Though they have not called but we still hope in God that things will work out fine.”

    For now, all eyes are on the police to fulfil the promise of helping train the baby. Many are also waiting to see what will become of the killer cop. Justice, observers insist, must be done.

     

  • Editor loses dad

    Special Apostle Gabriel Adeshina Adegboyega, father of the deputy chairman of The Nation’s Editorial Board, is dead. He died on August 11, after a brief illness.

    Born on August 18, 1935 in Lagos, Special Apostle Adegboyega took and passed courses in Pitman Shorthand and Typing. He began his career as accounts clerk at the then Bata Shop in Lagos, and worked as a stenographer at the House of Representatives, then at Odan, also in Lagos.

    He joined the then Barclays Bank D.C.O. (now Union Bank Plc) in 1955 when the British were in control, and served as branch manager in several towns before his retirement in 1990.

    Special Apostle Adegboyega was a devout Christian. He began his religious activities at the African Salem Church (now The African Church Cathedral Salem), Freeman Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos. He was a chorister and choir secretary for years. He was also one of the founding fathers of Young Stars Society, as well as the society’s first secretary. The society celebrated its 61st anniversary five days after his death.

    Upon his transfer to Lokoja, in the then Kwara State in the 70s, Adegboyega joined the Anglican Church where he briefly served as Lay Reader. It was while in Lokoja that he crossed over to the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, where he became Special Apostle in 2013.

    A strict disciplinarian, Special Apostle Adegboyega is survived by his wife, Most Mother-in-Israel Bola Adegboyega, and children: Tunji Adegboyega, deputy chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation; Mrs. Ayoade Ogundele, a retired Chief Nursing Officer in Ogun State Local Government Service Commission; Mrs Mubo Ebohon and Mr. Seun Adegboyega (both civil servants in Oyo State); Mr. Tunde Adegboyega, a teacher; Mr. Tobi Adegboyega, a student at the University of Ibadan and Miss Yemisi Adegboyega, an event planner, as well as a brother, Mr. Dotun Adegboyega, Managing Director, C.S.S. Bookshops Ltd, and grandchildren, among others.

    His remains would be buried on October 10 after service of songs and wake on October 8 and 9 in Lagos.

  • Don’t punish my dad unjustly, detainee’s son begs Fayose

    The son of the detained former Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Ekiti State, Rotimi Olanbiwonnu, Olaide, has said his father is being victimised.

    Olanbiwonnu was arrested at 12.45am at his Ado-Ekiti home for the killing of former National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Chairman, Omolafe Aderiye, last September 25.

    He was arraigned at Magistrate Court 2 in Ado-Ekiti. The Magistrate, Idowu Aiyenimon, remanded him in prison custody and adjourned till Friday.

    Speaking with The Nation at the family’s Oke Ila house yesterday, Olaide said life has not been the same since Monday.

    He said his father was arrested naked before he requested the policemen to allow him wear his clothes.

    Olaide insisted that his father had no hand in Aderiye’s death as being alleged by the government.

    He said: “My father’s arrest was politically motivated and this is very unfortunate that this is happening in a democracy. We are not in the military era and we are not in an animal farm.

    “How can somebody’s privacy be invaded without any search or arrest warrant because of desperation to hang a frivolous murder charge on an innocent man?

    “My father has no problem with anybody and has no reason to kill anybody as he and others had been cleared of complicity by the police.

    “I am angry that my father was taken away for no just cause and I challenged those policemen who dragged me out of the house.

    “We, members of the Olanbiwonnu family, are demanding his unconditional release because his arrest was politically motivated and government should look elsewhere for the culprits, my father has no hand in anybody’s killing.”