The Nation Newspaper

Tag: date

  • A date gone awry

    It was supposed to be a mild disagreement between two friends – Oreoluwa Oyebola and Ayodeji Adeniji – but it generated a buzz in social media when one of them felt rejected by the other. MERCY ADEDIGBA (200-Level Communication and Language Arts, University of Ibadan) reports.

    It started with a harmless tweet by Oreoluwa Oyebola, a 300-Level Sociology student of the University of Ibadan(UI), who wrote a request on her timeline. Ayodeji Adeniji, a 300-Level Computer Engineering student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, found the tweet as he scrolled through his timeline and saw that Oreoluwa needed help in her Yoruba class assignment.

    Struck by the tweet, Ayodeji checked up Oreoluwa’s profile and saw a pretty girl. Then, he came up with another motive. He sent private messages to the “pretty girl”. Ayodeji offered to help Oreoluwa with her assignment on the premise that she would give him her telephone number.

    Since the request came from a stranger, Oreoluwa turned it down. After being pestered by the boy, Oreoluwa did not accede, but she agreed to be his friend on social media.

    Ayodeji said: “She told me she would not just give out her number to me like that. She wanted us to get to know each other first. Days after we started talking on Twitter, she eventually gave me her number. In excitement, I called her immediately and we started talking on WhatsApp. We got close.”

    After a lengthy chat, Ayodeji developed feelings, requesting to see Oreoluwa. Since both of them are based in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, they agreed to go on a date.

    “I told her I would like to take her out on a date. She agreed,” Ayodeji said.

    They met at Ventura, a mall in Samonda. Like a groom preparing to meet his in-laws, Ayodeji was calm, but timid as he set his eyes on the “pretty girl”. But, the meeting was short-lived.

    They continued chatting on WhatsApp and fixed another date to meet again. This time, to visit a cinema.

    “This time we were more comfortable with each other and our discussion became interesting. We got the movie tickets and went into the cinema to see the movie,” Ayodeji explained.

    On the eve of his birthday, Ayodeji decided to show his feelings to Oreoluwa. Basking in the euphoria of their successful second date, Ayodeji used the opportunity to woo Oreoluwa.

    She turned down Ayodeji’s request, saying she just got out of a five-year relationship and she was not ready yet to hook up with another guy. She promised that she would consider dating him whenever she made up her mind to start another relationship.

    “She told me I stood a chance whenever she was ready to date again,” Ayodeji said.

    But he was not patient to wait for the day Oreoluwa would make up her mind. Ayodeji called her again, asking why she did not want to date him.

    In anger, Oreoluwa, who was in a bad mood, lashed out at Ayodeji to stop pestering her with relationship request.

    Ayodeji was annoyed and he yelled back at her. He sent private messages to her, requesting her to unfollow him on Twitter.

    Ayodeji took a swipe at  Oreoluwa on social media, complaining about how she maltreated him.

    He said: “I started ranting on Twitter, because I was annoyed and felt I was not good enough for her after all my efforts. I didn’t expect her to even notice the tweets because she is hardly online, unlike me. I didn’t take her up on Twitter for the money I spent, but because of the rejection I faced.”

    But, he was wrong as  Oreoluwa read all his tweets in which he regretted wasting money on her.

    Miffed by the tweets, Oreoluwa decided to pay back all the money Ayodeji spent on their dates.

    On his birthday, Ayodeji woke up and got a bank alert on his phone, indicating a credit of N3,800 in his account.

    He said: “I didn’t know who sent the money to me. I thought it was a birthday gift. But when I checked my timeline on Twitter, I realised it was Oreoluwa who refunded the money I spent on our date. She saw my tweets and made a wrong calculation of the amount I spent on the two dates and sent the money back. I actually spent more than N3,800.”

    Ayodeji regretted his action when he turned a butt of jokes in social media after his exchange with Oreoluwa went viral.  Oreoluwa’s sympathisers abused him.

    His parents were shocked on learning about the affair. While his mom took it lightly, his father lashed him for embarrassing himself.

    Ayodeji apologised to the girl, saying he never intended to make an issue out of their affair. He said: “Oreoluwa is an amazing lady. I messed up and I acknowledge my fault and apologise accordingly. I hope she forgives me.”

  • Make it a date with white

    Make it a date with white

    White is one colour that is easy to find in every fashionista’s wardrobe and this colour never seems to go out of style. For so many reasons, white dresses have been ignored because we do not know what and what not to wear with them but this season, every woman who loves sophistication has to embrace the white in her wardrobe. White is super chic and adorable on every woman. It is an ultimate wardrobe essential. To make the colour white be your choice to formal events and anywhere else you want to look glamorous, here are tips from some of your favourite celebrities:

    Here, Genevieve Nnaji is wearing a peplum white dress with minimal jewellery and mild make-up. Try wearing your hair pack like hers and you are good to go!

    Seyi Shay’s white skirt suit looks sweet and perfect with the embellishment across the front; remember the rule? Keep your look as simple as possible.

    For the petite look, our dearest Chidinma’s all-white dress is worth copying. The white dress is very adorable. Complement your outfit with peep-toe shoes and keep make-up and accessories at minimal.

  • I CAN’T DATE ANYONE I DON’T KNOW –NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS OMOWUNMI DADA

    I CAN’T DATE ANYONE I DON’T KNOW –NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS OMOWUNMI DADA

    Nollywood actress and aspiring filmmaker, Omowunmi Dada, was a year older recently but she says that her best is yet to come. With two nominations for the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards, Best Supporting Actress and Most Promising Actor, it appears that the thespian is geared towards taking her place in the industry’s hall of fame. She speaks with OVWE MEDEME about her budding career, aspirations and life as an only daughter, among other issues

    LOOKING back now, how far would you say you have come?

    I think that it has been His grace. I’m not where I used to be but there has been a great movement. There has been growth. I can only be hopeful for better things to come.

    What is your next step?

    I intend to continue to live better. Basically, for me, it is a new year. I’ve learnt the lessons to be learnt. Life has thrown some challenges to me and I have survived them in the last year. I hope to get better.

    Today, most of your colleagues are going into filmmaking. Are you considering toeing that line?

    Yes, I definitely do have plans of becoming a filmmaker. People will get to hear all about it when the time comes.

    You recently received two BON nominations…

    I was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress and for the Most Promising Actor. They are actually my very first award nominations for my career and I’m very excited about it. Most importantly because I look at the list and the names of the people I am nominated alongside. It is such a huge honour to share the same space with people like Liz Benson, Uche Jombo and Iyabo Ojo. These are people we watched growing up and being nominated with them, I feel elated. I’m excited.

    What are your hopes for the award?

    The fact is that I’m excited that my work is being recognised, people appreciate what I do and there is a movement. I do hope to win the awards because it is an award that is not voters-based. Winners are picked by a jury and I trust their sense of judgement. I believe that whoever takes the plaque is a winner and the others who are also nominated are all winners. So definitely, if I get to win, I’m excited. if I don’t, I’m still excited because winning basically means that you’ve been able to impact people and people recognise your effort in your career path and whatever it is you do. So already, I’m a winner.

    As one who has been in the industry for some time, how timely would you say the nominations are?

    It’s not too early and it’s not late. There is always a time for everything in life. There is a time to sow; there is a time to reap. There is a time to prepare, there is a time to get ready and there is a time when people would celebrate with you. I think it’s coming at the right time. I trust God, I believe in His plans and I believe in His purpose for me. I believe in whatever it is He does in my life. If this is the time that God has said something like this would come to me, then it is the right time. I got an award previously but it was a honourary award by a school which named me as their creative role model of the year. I was awarded alongside Tunde Kelani and Bolanle Austen-Peters of Terra Kulture.

    Presently, are you working on any production?

    I’ve been working on various productions and other ones are coming up. I recently was part of a Pan African movie titled Sink or Swim. It had people from Nigeria and other African countries. It had Seun Akindele, Zack Orji, Ali Nuhu and others from Nigeria. It also had actors from Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania. It was directed by a Nigerian. It’s a movie on human trafficking and illegal migration.

    What was the experience like?

    Being on that set was very challenging. We shot a lot of scenes at night and it was always very cold. During the day, it was so hot and at night it becomes very cold. I remember that inside my normal costume, I would wear like three or four cardigans just to get some warmth. It was fun.

    Working with people all across Africa was a wonderful experience for me, coupled with the fact that I got to learn a lot about the movie industry in other countries. I got to learn some of their cultures too. It helped me to understand my brothers outside Nigeria. It was interesting.

    You seem to do more of soap operas than feature films. Is that deliberate?

    I do soap operas as much as I do feature films. But in recent times, some of the series that I’ve done take my time and I’m not the kind of actor who likes to jump from one set to another. I like to finish up with one and then move to another one. The thing is, most of the movies I’ve done are not yet out. So it looks like I do more of soap operas. I’ve done some Africa Magic Original Films. One of the movies that got me nominated, Ojuju, is not out yet, though it has been too major festivals. I have a lot of movies coming out soon. Public Property got me the nomination for Most Promising Actor and it’s not out yet. It’s not like I have a preference for series but I take it one step at a time.

    Which do you find more challenging?

    They are both challenging in their different ways. For movies, you  research on a character and you have to bring the best of that character within a short period of time. And then, when you do the movie, it might not take too long so you are at liberty to move on to other things. But for series, if you are on that set for example, you are almost practically locked down, especially if you are trying to retain your character. When I get a script, I become that character.

    Financially, how rewarding has your career been?

    It can only get better. I’m happy doing what I am doing.

    How do you make out time for yourself and your family?

    I do find time. When I’m not on set, I’m always at home. I’m always with my family but they understand the nature of my job. They understand that at some point in time, I won’t be around but I always keep in touch. Civilisation and technology has actually bridged the gap. Now you can talk to anybody anywhere in the world and you can keep in touch. When I’m not working, I like to stay at home, read and have fun with everybody. I like to cook. I am the only daughter in my house. I have three brothers, though some of them are married. I am the last child so most times, I do all the cooking.

    You must have been pampered a lot…

    Unfortunately, I wasn’t pampered. My mum is a very strong disciplinarian so I was treated like the others and my brothers were always bullying me. I didn’t grow spoilt at all. Growing up, we just used to mind our business, stay in our house, read our books. We were never on the streets playing.

    How much of a tomboy are you?

    I’m very much in touch with my feminine side. If I wear certain things, my tomboy side would show and maybe the way I relate sometimes. Guys are the live-and-let-live type but ladies can be troublesome but one thing about me is, if I wear jeans and sneakers and T-shirt, I would feel like a tomboy. But I am very much in touch with my feminine side; I’m a lady. I love my heels, I love my handbags, I love my accessories.

    How would you react if a guy walks up t you and asks you out for a date?

    Do men still just walk up to ladies and ask them out? I can’t date anyone I don’t know. I have to know you first. We need to have been friends for a while. I need to know your kind of person because a relationship is not something you jump into and jump out of, except if you are just going into a relationship for the fun of it.

    Have you ever gone into a relationship for the fun of it?

    No, I haven’t.

  • Road to Yesterday gets November release date

    Road to Yesterday gets November release date

    After weeks of planning, The Entertainment Network (TEN), producers of one of Nigeria’s most anticipated flick, Road to Yesterday have announced that the movie will be released in all Nigerian cinemas on Friday, November 27.

    Directed by Ishaya Bako, Road to Yesterday stars the Award-winning actress, Genevieve Nnaji and introduces Nigerian-British actor, Oris Erhuerho. Majid Michel, Chioma ‘Chigul’ Omeruah and veteran Ebele Okaro lead the supporting cast.

    Set in Lagos Nigeria, the movie is has been described as an epic love story. It tells the story of a couple desperate to mend its marriage on a road trip to a relative’s funeral. However when memories and secrets from the past are revealed, a lot more is at stake than their relationship.

    Star actress and producer of the flick, Genevieve Nnaji plays the role of Victoria Izu, the conflicted wife and mother.

    She talks about her role in the movie. “It was very challenging. I played the role of Victoria, a lady who is in an estranged relationship and she had to fight. As a woman, it is her responsibility to fight to keep her marriage together. All of this happened on a road trip because they embarked on a journey to the village. Just being in that little space with her husband, they are both confronted with answers and questions that they had to face. This forces them to go back in time to unearth where the problem started and the genesis of where they were and why they were where they were as a couple, considering they were only five years old in the marriage. Victoria had to undergo series of emotions,” Genevieve said.

    The Nigerian premiere of the flick is set for Wednesday, November 18 in Lagos, Nigeria.

  • My blind date

    My blind date

    After getting out of a very long drama-filled relationship, I decided to stay off boys and anything related to dating. I decided to use this time to focus on some personal goals. My girlfriends thought this idea was absurd and that I still wasn’t over my ex-boyfriend. Well, I just felt some persons are not just capable of grasping the idea of being alone.

    In an attempt to help me, they sent various boys – or more like losers – my way. There was George. God! Did he have bad breath or what? His breath made me tear up and he was always all up in my face. I found a way to get rid of him by giving him a fabricated HIV test. He ran faster than a cheetah. There was Nathaniel – the strong Christian whom I lied to about my sexuality. I told him I was a lesbian. He spent weeks trying to pray the homosexual gene out of me. Eventually, he gave up.

    Vivian, one of my friends, put up a profile of me on a dating website. She finally found me my “perfect match”. So she thought.

    “He’s extremely handsome and smart. You’d love him”, she used every opportunity to ring those words into my ears. I even started day dreaming about guys with a matching description of this “perfect match”. After much effort by Vivian to convince me, I thought “how bad can it possibly be?’ So I obliged.

    I put on a black fitted dress with my lucky red pumps and a shining red belt. I wore my hair up and went to the restaurant. I walked to the table where I was asked to meet him. Seated at the table was a guy. Not just a guy. He was tall, handsome and had the built of an athlete. He wore a black tuxedo with a blue shirt. Thoughts of me ripping off that shirt and feeling that body raced through my mind. And his lips? Why make a man look this good and tell me not to sin? He smiled at me from across the room. I felt my knees fail. It took all the strength I had to walk to that table. For the first time in my life, I was glad I listened to Vivian.

    He stood up as I approached the table. Very gentleman-like I thought. I tried to find composure; didn’t want him to think I was some shallow girl. I asked and said, “Excuse me, are you the one I’m supposed to meet?” And he smiled and nodded in affirmation. Oh my, that smile! I knew I had met my husband and the father of my unborn children.

    He got behind me and pulled out a chair and motioned for me to sit. A part of me wanted to just say, “Hey I just met you and this is crazy, but can we skip this dinner and get straight to the part where we make babies like you? You being this handsome and me this pretty?” I shook it off, though momentarily, wondering how stupid Carly Rae Jepson was when she sang that song.

    Then he picked up the menu and asked “What will you chop?”

    At that point it was like time stopped. The earth stopped spinning and I was just staring like that. Then he added, “Hey! What’s wrong?” in the sexiest voice ever. That was when I concluded that it was my ear that had issues. (You see I like rock music and I’ve got these really loud gigantic headphones). I knew sooner or later it would start impairing my hearing.

    I smiled and ordered the shredded beef sauce and basmati rice with a glass of white wine. He motioned for the waiter to come and he whispered something in her ear. She took off immediately. Then there was the awkward silence which lasted for about four and half minutes. I took note of the time. Yes I did. I decided to break the silence. “So, what’s your name? Are you a student here?” He answered “yes” twice, almost immediately.

    Few seconds later, my order arrived, but I didn’t see anything on his side of the table. So I asked, “Aren’t you gonna have anything?” He replied and said “my own dey come”.

    At this point, my whole life flashed in front of my very eyes and for a moment I started thinking Vivian had set me up for “punk’d” but I thought to myself there’s no Ashton Kutcher in Nigeria.

    In the middle of my thoughts I saw it, a large tray with about eight plates on it and another waiter coming with a second tray with something I later found out to be “washing hand water”. Soon he was set for action. He started by mixing the first 3 soups together: egusi, okro and vegetable. Then, his first morsel of “akpu”. It was bigger than my wrist. I am not exaggerating.

    While “chewing” he asked, “Wetin be your name?” It was in that moment I realized I still had my fork in midair and my mouth wide open. He laughed and shrieked. “Fly go enter your mouth o”, he said while spilling pieces of soup into my face. He asked again, “Warris ya name” – pronounced as spelled.  I answered with something that sounded almost like a whisper: “my name is Ogechi”. That’s when he started speaking Igbo. And in between, “Kedu maka ulo gi di?”

    I then asked to be excused. I went to the ladies and immediately speed dialed Vivian. Apparently, she didn’t know anything about the guy before setting up a date. All she did was take a look at his picture. Looks are really deceiving. He could have been a serial killer, I thought. All I could think of now was an escape route. I remembered flashes from Prison Break and I asked myself, “what would the hot, awesomely tattooed Michael Scofield do?”

    I realised I was spending too much time here, so I pulled out my inhaler, took a deep breath and walked out to the restaurant only to find my plate of food empty. I couldn’t help but scream, “What the censored?”

    All I remember was screaming like a psychiatric patient. “You’re ill-mannered, dirty, ill-bred, calorie-consuming-hippo”. I didn’t even know where all that came from. By now everyone was staring at me. I thought to myself, Great! So now I’m the bad fellow.

    As I picked up my things to leave, I heard him mutter,”Oya let’s just go back to my room”. God Knows I would have pepper sprayed on that bastard if he had touched me. I finally left the scene extremely angry. There was probably smoke coming out of my head to show the extent of my rage.

    Then comes the walk back home, which usually takes about six minutes tops. No, not today. I look at my watch only to realise that I’ve been walking for 18 minutes in the sun that day. To say it was scorching is an understatement. I wonder who sent me to wear that black dress; then I remembered it was Vivian.

    In fact, it suddenly dawned on me that she was the reason for all of this. My new priority was devising a means to kill her without ending up in jail a really slow and painful death as a matter of fact.

    Finally I’m home and I’m greeted with the loudest sets of laughter in the world from the most useless girls ever.

    Friends sometimes ruin your life. You have the choice to make. That blind date could be a kidnapper, killer or a ritualist. But I was cajoled to meet him. Even if they were wrong, I have to accept my mistake. But as students we have to be careful of those we meet on social media sites. Many have lost their lives and valuables to blind dates. All I can do now is to never ever go on another blind date again. Ladies, please beware.

     

    • Ogechi, 300-Level Pharmacy, UNIBEN

     

  • Davido announces album release date

    Davido announces album release date

    After several postponements, Nigerian pop sensation, David Adeleke, aka Davido has announced the date for the release of his much anticipated sophomore album titled Baddest.

    Taking to his Instagram page, the young artiste announced Saturday, October 10 as the date for the release of the album, one of the most anticipated albums of the year.

    The anticipated album is expected to feature international collabos from international acts like Meek Mill, Drake, Wale and others.

    Only recently, the HKN boss whet the appetite of his fans with the release of a new single Dodo, off his highly anticipated album. True to expectations, the single was received with wide commendations on social network.

    To spice up the new track, which is produced by Kiddominant, the artiste also announced a competition on Twitter. Though details of the competition are still sketchy, the entertainer gave the hint when he posted on his Twitter handle; “DODO competition coming soon! Winner gets a million naira.”

    The singer recently got nominations for the MOBO Awards 2015 for Nigerian musicians running for the Best African Act award alongside Wizkid, Patoranking, and Yemi Alade.

  • A date with the next Oscar hopefuls

    IT’S sure going to be a busy vacation for ‘yourstruly’ this late summer, seeing those African films that have made the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) lineup. Equally important is the fact that TIFF remains what in my estimation is the gateway or last stop to the annual Academy Awards, otherwise called the Oscars.

    With so much buzz around films such as 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and our unfortunate record-breaking Nigeria’s highest budget film, Half of a Yellow Sun, the Oscar was soon to decide the films, which beyond razzmatazz and wishful thinking, earned the critical acclaim. There is no gainsaying that right from the reviews that came from watching Half of a Yellow Sun and 12 Years a Slave at TIFF 2013 for example, it was obvious the former wouldn’t fly.

    Fast track to this year’s outing at the TIFF; the closest film to Nigeria is Beast of No Nation. Closest in the sense that it is not just an African flick, but the product of a novel by Nigerian author, Uzodinma Iweala, son of former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

    Apart from Beast of No Nation which reminds me of the wishful attempt by Dickson Iroegbu to produce Child Soldier since 2009 when he began the noise about this movie, this year is a particularly strong one for Africa and Palestine, with films from Ethiopia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and South Africa. Interestingly, a few titles are making their world premieres alongside films that launched their career in the Berlinale, Cannes and Venice.

    Iroegbu, who has since branched into politics and its opportunities at the twilight of Jonathan’s administration shelved what many thought could further define him as a filmmaker, just to score some political points,  Beast of No Nation, a similar story of Iroegbu’s Child Soldier dream, has taken the frontal row, with international dimension.

    Like Half of a Yellow Sun which was promoted as a British Film during 2013 edition of TIFF, Beasts of No Nation is also being marketed as an American war drama film.

    Directed, written and filmed by Cary Fukunaga, based on the 2005 novel of the same name, the film stars Idris Elba, Ama K. Abebrese, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe and Abraham Attah. After its outing in the main competition section of this year’s Venice International Film Festival, the film has been selected to be shown in the Special Presentations section of the TIFF. Not just that, Beast of No Nation is scheduled to be released on Netflix globally.

    It is cheering news that Netflix is paying double the budget of the film; having offered $12million for the worldwide distribution rights. The film will be released simultaneously in theatres and online through its subscription video on demand service on October 16, 2015.

    Beast of No Nation is somewhat a re-echo of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s sentiment in one of his songs. It is a brutal, heartrending movie about child soldiers and a civil war in an imaginary West African country. The Guardian describes the movie as a tale of fear, degradation and abusive dysfunction.

    Abraham Attah who plays Agu, a nine-year-old boy has to surrender both his childhood and his humanity and become a monster of violence.

    Initiation ceremonies include running a gauntlet and taking part in a voodooistic mock funeral and resurrection. It is all but unwatchable when the Commandant hands Agu a machete and orders him to murder a civilian engineering student in cold blood.

    Whether this kind of film is what the world wants to see about Africa is a subject of another discourse.

    But I recall that Iroegbu raised some questions about the theme during his campaign for his version of the story that up till now tarries like the second coming of Jesus Christ. He noted that the message of his film is a warning to African countries that are in the habit of engrafting children in their selfish wars.

    He asked: “What kind of future are we building if we allow this situation to persist? What kind of mindset would a child soldier possess as an adult? What legacy are we building for succeeding generations if we permit use of children in armed conflicts?”

    Beast of No Nation, a $6 million budget film may have answered Iroegbu’s planned $2 million 35mm movie.

    However, Rasha Salti’s selection of films for this year’s TIFF is to me, another ample opportunity to review the growing potentials of African films from the point of view of a festival outside of Africa.

    The films include 3000 Nights directed by Mai Masri; As I Open My Eyes directed by Leyla Bouzid;Cuckold directed by Charlie Vundla; Dégradé directed by Arab & Tarzan Nasser; The Endless River directed by Oliver Hermanus; Let Them Come directed by Salem Brahimi; Much Loved directed by Nabil Ayouch; Starve Your Dog directed by Hicham Lasri; Very Big Shot directed by Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya; Price Of Love directed by Hermon Hailay and The Idol directed by Hany Abu-Assad.

    With the aforementioned films and a host of others, it is indeed another date with the next Oscar hopefuls.

  • What to wear on a date

    What to wear on a date

    A DATE is exciting. But one of the biggest issues for a date is deciding what to wear.

    Getting the right dress for a date can put a lot of pressure on you. Here are some tips to help you decide how to dress as well as to make up for different types of dates.

    Black is the easiest and safest of colours, and this season we have a lot of hues to experiment with such as olive green, pink, seductive purple and grey or harsh.

    Patent is a finishing touch that needs to take  a centre stage, so keep the rest of your outfit simple. It pulls an outfit together in a way that makes it look effortlessly stylish and very classy.

    For daytime: Consider wearing something a little more casual. Often times daytime dates are meant to alleviate some degree of anxiety.

    I recommend a subtle bag with jeans and shirt dress or a cute skirt with a nice top as well as some accessories to top it up. For a date that involves a lot of walking, go for flat shoes that will keep your feet snug when walking long distances. Light make-up will do.

    39, 40, 41 TREND 25-4-15.For evening time: This calls for something a little bit dressier than your daytime garb; go for a classic cut LBD or better still a pair of flirty pants or a skirt; a sleek clutch purse and sexy metallic pump or patent heels would be perfect. Faint make-up with some shimmering effects is a great option for elegant dining. Add drooping earrings like chandeliers to sexify you.

  • A date with June 17, 2015

    For a world integration project like the much-talked-about switch-over from analogue to digital broadcasting, sensitive governments have evolved proactive and systematic line of actions to ensure that they are not caught napping when possible interference from neighbouring countries hit them. They have also ensured that the citizens enjoy the choice of clearer picture, ample channels and the succour of subsidy on the Set Top Box (STB); the conservative device that will provide signal to the existing television sets after the June 17, 2015 switch-over date.

    The leapfrogging tendencies of a country like Nigeria become worrisome considering the fact that a global agenda of this nature is not just a complex transition, but one which seeks common understanding, diplomacy and cooperation of neighbouring countries within the continent.

    Suffice it to say that in Europe and Africa, a timeline has been agreed within the framework of an International Telecommunications Union (ITU) treaty. The consensus is such that after June 17, 2015; analogue television transmissions will no longer be protected from harmful interference caused by digital TV transmissions. In the same vein, analogue TV transmissions will not be permitted to interfere with digital TV transmissions.

    Evidently, migration to digital broadcast transmission technology has begun, with countries like France, United States, United Kingdom, Sweden and New Zealand already advanced in their migration programmes, even as Finland and Mauritius have already switched off from analogue.

    While South Africa, which began the process years back, may not have overcome the complexity of the transition, the fear for Nigeria’s readiness is ominous. It is because indeed, while other countries are already engaging their regulators, policy makers and digital analysts to unlock the migration process, Nigeria, it appears, will exert its usual magic when the reality of 2015 comes to it in a flash.

    Analysts have reasoned that for a smooth transition, the government of a country must consider the fact that the STB will take a long while to be manufactured. And although the price of the decoder has dropped to about $40 ever since a higher version dubbed DT2 entered the market, there is the need for each country to subsidise its production. And while it is also pertinent to consider the eligibility for a subsidized decoder based on the number of TV Households (as it is the thought in some countries), this may be a challenge in a country like Nigeria that is still struggling with population data and, to justify government’s cliam, where TV licences are not paid for.

    But wherein the various governments in Africa do not seem to have engaged the stakeholders well enough on this digital revolution that is set to herald more channel choices and value to television viewers, Multichoice, a big private sector stakeholder in the scheme, and the largest pay TV conglomerate in Africa has set an enviable agenda based on its Social Responsibility objective. Not only did the company begin a test-run of the digital TV innovation in Nelson Mandela’s town of Soweto, recently, it gathered African journalists from the IT, Entertainment and Business beats to interact with experts for two days in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    That Digital Dialogue Conference, more than anything, has enabled a deeper understanding of the digital migration process through topic of discourse ranging from ‘Entertainment and Media Outlook from 2012-2016’; ‘Preparing for the Transition of TV Broadcast Services to Digital’; ‘How TV and the Internet are Meeting’ and ‘Effective Public Education for Digital Migration’. The conference which took place at the Sandton Convention Centre, ended with a session specifically on the STB and government obligation, presided over by Mnet Technical Director, David Hagen at the MultiChoice Headquarters. This was followed with a tour of the households in Soweto where Digital Terrestrial Transmission (DTT) is already being tested. Testimonies abound in Soweto that indeed, the new innovation renders sharper picture, and better sound quality; such difference as it is between an old video cassette and a DVD.

    The households visited in Soweto agreed that they have a choice of more channels on the new device. Reason for this is not far-fetched. Experts have explained that digital signals take up much less bandwidth than analogue signals. The result is that we can broadcast up to 10 television channels in the same bandwidth – giving you the potential of many more channels to choose from. Another benefit that this gives the people of Soweto is that they are for the first time, able to access many free-to-air TV channels.

    Back at home, all that we hear is the Federal Government’s plans to have 20 million STBs manufactured locally by 2015. If that is the case, then 2015 for Nigeria will be the beginning of migration plan for the country, but not its own switchover year; unless the country’s leapfrogging magic happens, will it enjoy the technology without the risk of initial interference. I guess also that for a population of 160 million Nigerians, 20 million STBs is an average way to plan for one citizen who has television sets in abundance and for his neighbour who has none. And in the spirit of the current transformation agenda of the Federal Government, the claim that the government is currently wooing foreign and local companies to invest in the digital TV STBs production, and its wish for the country to start manufacturing digital devices locally is supposedly laudable.

    However, prior to the Johannesburg conference, a digital communication expert, Jenkins Alumona convened what could be called Nigeria’s first open conference on the all important issue of digital transition. Tagged Digital Dialogue Nigeria, the list of facilitators was exhaustive, so were the delegates at the two-day event which took place at the Southern Sun, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    The concern by all was to ensure that unpleasant scenarios do not rear their ugly faces upon- set deadline. The situation is better imagined than experienced if transition is not done with all the awareness that is required. Picture quality on television will get blurred. Signals will be lost. Electronic repairers will feed fat on TV owners, thinking their gadgets are faulty. Set Top Boxes will experience panic buying. Artificial scarcity may follow. Most likely too, the security network in the country will be compromised if Nigeria fails to meet the deadline.

  • A date with tradition

    A date with tradition

    Awolowo Hall at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State, was agog last Saturday for Aro (comical display) Day organised by the residents. AFEES LASISI (300-Level Political Science) reports.

    Aro has become an enduring tradition at the Awolowo Hall of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State. It is a comic display in which students crack jokes about realities of campus life.

    The tradition has been sustained for years, and for residents of the hall, Aro Day helps to relieve themselves of academic stress.

    Last Saturday, Awolowo Hall was agog for the event. This time, the day was marked with the favourite meal in the hall – beans.

    Students contributed money to buy a bag of beans, rice and beef to entertain themselves. They woke up early to prepare the food. Rice was added to the delicacy, following its demand by some students. The meal was cooked in a large metal pot in an open area within the hall.

    By 2pm, the food was ready and students lined up with their containers to collect the food. Some were served in plates while others brought small pots, bathroom buckets, bowls and trays, among others.

    The exercise almost turned rowdy when a student, dressed in female clothes, threatened to beat up one of the cooks for serving him a small meat. He threatened: I go eat wetin dey inside the pot if you no find meat for me, biko.

    After the meal, students trooped to the celebration venue – Awo Cafe – for music entertainment by members of the Kegite Club. Female students were not left out; some of them joined the gyration at the cafe. One after the other, students came out to crack jokes about themselves and their lecturers.

    Bayo Owolabi, a fresher, was amused by the hilarity of the event. He noted that his experience was not different from what he had been told before his admission into the school.

    “I had heard about Aro Day before I got admitted into OAU and everything that happened confirmed what I heard. Students speaking different languages came together to dance and sing. This, in my observation, is the message of the event.”

    To Ola Adeola, Aro Day is a period of madness. “The day we are free to abuse anyone and joke about our poor grades without exchanging blows,” he said.

    Ola had travelled, but his colleagues informed him of the event. “I rushed back to school this morning to share my own madness,” he added.

    Sogo Ayoade, a 200-Level Public Administration student, said: “Aro and Ewa (bean) Day has become a tradition for not just the occupants of Awolowo Hall, but all students of OAU. We are celebrating real madness on campus and it unites us more than any other thing.”

    A female student, Sade Bajo, who entertained the boys with her erotic dance, said: “I left my hostel to be here because I always love any event that is held in Awolowo Hall.”

    Aro Day, said Tayo Adewale, signifies an important day in the history of the university. It unites and makes all students equal, irrespective of their levels of study, he said.

    “I was served ewa inside a bucket and I will eat it for two days,” Yemi Adeagbo, a 300-Level student, said, adding that the event always reminded him of his friends who could not afford three square meals daily.

    He said: “For us, it is a time to share what we have in terms of food and money. Any student is free to eat from the food we cooked whether he contributed money or not. We do this to show that we are all colleagues whether we come from rich or poor homes.”

    “Aro Day is the funniest day I ever witnessed on the campus. I see it as a day when students display maturity and socialise among themselves. We crack jokes on what may be a bad or embarrassing situation for us. Yet, nobody would feel too big or too small to be mocked because we see ourselves as equals. Rather making us to be divided, Aro makes the bond of friendship between us thicker,” Segun Alao, a student of English said.