The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Foreigner

  • Ogun 2019: Adeola not a foreigner, say Isaga elders

    Ogun 2019: Adeola not a foreigner, say Isaga elders

    The Isaga ethnic group in Ogun State and in the Diaspora have said Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola is their illustrious son.

    They said the senator is neither a Tekobo (Lagos returnee) nor an Atohunriwa (immigrant) his “detractors and adversaries” have called him.

    The Isaga indigenes, including Prof. Oyekunle Akinosi, a consultant Maxilla facial surgeon and Balogun of Isaga-Orile as well as a former Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture(FUNAAB) in Abeokuta, Chief Lawrence Osayemi, spoke on Sunday at the Empire Ground in Ilaro.

    They said Adeola (aka Yayi) is an indigene of Ago Isaga Pahayi in Ilaro, the headquarters of Yewa South Local Government Area.

    The Isaga indigenes also passed a vote of confidence on the senator representing Lagos West, saying he is qualified to pursue his governorship ambition in Ogun State in 2019.

    Osayemi, who chaired the event, said the Yewa have suffered neglect and unfairness in Ogun State.

    The spokesman said the time had come for them to have a taste of the governorship seat.

    He said Adeola is a true son of Isaga, who had been so recognised since he was a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly.

    Osayemi said: “We had recognised him as one of our sons in Isaga since the time he served in the Lagos State House of Assembly. Now, we are witnessing the convocation of Isaga sons and daughters at home and in the Diaspora to lend our support to Senator Solomon Adeola.

    “The senator has been sufficiently equipped for the office, having served in all facets of governance relevant to the position.

    “Adeola’s origin in Yewa is never in doubt, even though his detractors and adversaries call him various names, ranging from Tekobo, Atohunrinwa to foreigner. But we know he is a bona fide Isaga son whose great greatgrandfather, Olege, migrated from Isaga-Orile, a Yewa town in the present Abeokuta North Local Government Area, to Ago Isaga, Pahayi, after the Dahomey invasion of Isaga-Orile on March 15, 1862.

    “The invasion left the town devastated and there were family displacements. These led to the founding of so many Isaga settlements across Yewa, Abeokuta, Lagos and the Republic of Benin.

    “Thus, the settlements of Isaga origin include Ago Isaga Pahayi, Ago Isaga Ilaro, Isaga Owode, Yewa, Ago Isaga Ado-Odo, Ago Ilaro Oke Odan, Ago Isaga Ota, Isaga Abata, Isaga Ilobi, Isaga Agbado, Iju Isaga, Isaga Iseri, Isaga Adie, Owe, Isaga Ajuwon, Isaga Onlado, Isaga Igborosun, Isale Isaga Abeokuta and Agbonjedo in the Republic of Benin, to mention but few.

    “However, by gathering, we have unanimously shown our unflinching support for our son, who is aspiring for the position of the governor of Ogun State in 2019.

    “We are also using this medium to tell everyone to go home and mobilise our people towards the ongoing Indepedndent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registration.”

    Also, Adeola refuted the claim by those he called detractors that he was once confused to give details of his origin.

    The senator said, on the contrary, he never claimed another community besides his ancestral home at Isaga Pahayi.

    He added that he had a great respect for Governor Ibikunle Amosun, who he pledged never to disrespect.

    Adeola said: “I heard that some people said I was once confused and searching for my root. That is not true. I was never in search and I have never claimed another root.

    “Meanwhile, I hold Governor Amosun in great esteem and I will never disrespect him as the governor of my state.”

     

  • Court rejects foreigner as surety

    A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Ikorodu, Lagos has rejected a Beninese national, Jimoh Ameida, as surety for his brother, Lamina Ameida, in a case involving the damage of two Mercedes-Benz trucks.

    Lamina, a 30-year-old employee of Blue Sky Pure Water Company, Igbogbo, was first arraigned in June for allegedly pouring salt into the engines of both trucks belonging to one Emily Nwokeduko, and valued at N2.3million each.

    He was granted bail and presented Jimoh and one Christiana Ishola, as his sureties.

    Police prosecutor, Mrs. Abosede Adegesin, however, told the court  that there was reason to believe that the brothers were from Cotonou, and Jimoh, who gave his surname as Hammed, had provided a questionable address.

    She added that the bond provided by Jimoh was unsigned while that given by Christiana had an address different from the one on her utility bill.

    Mrs. Abosede, who substituted the former charge against Lamina for a fresh three-count charge, urged the court to reject the two as sureties for the accused because it would be impossible to trace them if they absconded.

    The defendant’s counsel, Mr. Ilesa Obatayo, argued that there was no evidence that Jimoh was not a Nigerian and prayed the court to allow Lamina to enjoy the bail previously granted.

    The presiding magistrate, Mr O. O. Olatunji, upheld the prosecution’s argument and granted the accused fresh bail of N500, 000 and two sureties in like sum.

    The case was adjourned to September 3.

     

     

  • Court rejects foreigner as surety

    Court rejects foreigner as surety

    A magistrate court sitting in Ikorodu has rejected a Beninese national, Jimoh Ameida, as surety for his brother, Lamina Ameida, in a case involving the damage of two Mercedes Benz trucks.

    Lamina, a 30-year-old employee of Blue Sky Pure Water Company, Igbogbo, was first arraigned in June, 2015 for allegedly pouring salt into the engines of both trucks belonging to one Emily Nwokeduko, and valued at N2.3m each.

    He was granted bail and presented Jimoh and one Christiana Ishola, a Nigerian, as his sureties.

    The police prosecutor, Abosede Adegesin, however, told the court Tuesday that there was reason to believe that the brothers were from Cotonou, and Jimoh, who gave his surname as ‘Hammed’, had provided a questionable address.

    She added that the bond provided by Jimoh was unsigned while that given by Christiana had an address different from the one on her utility bill.

    Mrs. Abosede, who substituted the former charge against Lamina for a fresh three-count charge, urged the court to reject the two as sureties for the accused because it would be impossible to trace them if they abscond.

    The defendant’s counsel, Ilesa Obatayo, argued that there was no evidence that Jimoh was not a Nigerian and prayed the court to allow Lamina to enjoy the bail previously granted.

    The presiding magistrate, Mr. O. O. Olatunji, upheld the prosecution’s argument and granted the accused fresh bail in N500, 000 and two sureties in like sum.

    The case was adjourned to September 3.

  • A foreigner’s thoughts on Nigeria

    A foreigner’s thoughts on Nigeria

    Nicholas Rolley, a Ph.D student of the University of California in Berkley, United States(U.S), is in Nigeria to research into West African languages at the University of Ibadan (UI). He shares his views about the country with STANLEY IBEKU.

    It is his second visit to Nigeria – Africa’s most populous nation. Nicholas Rolley, a doctoral research student from the University of California in Berkley, United States (U.S), first visited in 2009 when he came for a research into Ishan Language of Edo State at the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, University of Ibadan (UI). His stay was boring and basically spent on research work.

    If his first visit was boring, Rolley fell in love with African languages in his second visit. He is undertaking a special research on dialects in West Africa, especially on syntax and phonology. He came at the instance of Prof Francis Egbokhare whose research interest is similar to Nicholas’.

    Did he just find love in Africa? Nicholas said: “I became very interested in West African languages during my first degree programme at the University of Toronto, where I took a course called Field Methods. It was a course in which all linguistic students basically dissect a language from the basics and study the language without being a native speaker.”

    Since then, his interest in African languages started to grow. According to him, Nigeria is a linguistic goldmine because of its vast number of different cultures, languages and people. He said negative stories about Nigeria may have prevented foreign researchers from exploring the country’s goldmine.

    He said: “It is incredible the number of linguistic and cultural wealth that found in Nigeria. There is so much to be done and I think it is the negative stories and perceptions which hold researchers back. In the 1970s, there were so many foreigners who came to Ibadan not just to study but to live here. They also studied there. My supervisor was a visiting scholar to the University of Ibadan. There were people that did their research on Igala, Kalabari, Itsekiri, Hausa and Kanuri. But right now, because of security and power situation, there are fewer people coming here.”

    Rolley said it won’t be fair to compare Nigeria with the US in terms of the teaching facilities, noting that Nigeria’s status as a developing country should not be an excuse for the poor conditions of the facilities in higher institutions.

    On what he perceived about Nigeria, he said: “There is lots of news about the country, which are mostly negative. There are amazing people; there are also terrible people just like in America. But there is a thin line between anthropology and stereotyping. Generally, Nigerians are highly social. The country has cultures reflected in the linguistic diversity.”

    Rolley said his research work is mainly for the academommunity and for the promotion and preservation of Ishan language.

    Worried by the state of Nigerian universities, the foreign student urged the government to set its priority.

    “The most important thing in my mind is where the priority should be. Where specific Nigerian interest should be and also what students should pay more attention to. Electricity is still the problem in Nigeria but universities are in the business of developing knowledge and impacting it. It does not create wealth. Because universities are knowledge centres, it is important that we develop knowledge and use it to solve societal challenges,” he said.

    He wants Nigerians abroad to come back and use their expertise to develop the country while also advocating for more exchange programmes.

    He said: “It is good for Nigerians professionals to go abroad but they must return to their country to set the pace for its development. They must discourage brain drain. We should have ambitious, brilliant and smart Nigerians coming back to the country to help.

    Despite reports of kidnapping and terrorism, Rolley said he could settle in Nigeria but that has to be subject to his wife’s consent.

    He quipped: “I don’t know if my wife would want it because of kidnapping, armed robbery and Boko Haram challenges. Personally, these problems don’t worry me. My worry is the state of roads. Every time I am on the roads, I always hope to return back to my base alive. Now, I understand why Nigeria is very religious; why people pray to God 10 times a day. The roads are terrible. That, to me, will be one of the things pulling me back; that fear that I will be on the road and may never come back alive is always in the mind.”

    According to him, Nigeria is a country America should pay attention to. “It has cities bigger than anyone dreamt of. Some Americans don’t even understand that Nigeria is highly urbanised. They think Africa is a bush. They don’t understand ‘everyday Lagos’. They don’t understand traffic jams which involve 10,000 vehicles. They don’t understand how urban Nigeria is becoming and many other African cities and countries,” he said.

  • Foreigner kidnapped in Lagos, says US consulate

    THROUGH its Consulate in Lagos, the United States (U.S.) yesterday claimed that a foreigner has been kidnapped in the country’s business capital.

    A source simply identified as “a US consulate spokeswoman” by Sunday Nation, a Kenyan newspaper, gave only few details of the alleged abduction.

    She was also silent on the nationality of the victim, who was allegedly kidnapped on Victoria Island, at about 11pm on Saturday.

    It was the first time an expatriate would be kidnapped in Lagos.

    “The US Consulate General in Lagos received a report that an expatriate was kidnapped on Victoria Island on Saturday, March 23 at approximately 11pm,” the consulate said in a message to US citizens, referring to an upscale area of Lagos.

    “Local Nigerian law enforcement confirmed this incident.” the newspaper reported.

    The Police Command in Lagos could not confirm the repot last night.

    Mr Frank Mba, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), also said he had not received reports of the abduction.