The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigerian

  • Nigerian causes Ebola scare in Spanish town

    Nigerian causes Ebola scare in Spanish town

    A Nigerian man was yesterday at the centre of an Ebola health scare on the Spanish Costas, which contains an estimated British population of more than 82,000.

    The immigrant was tested for the deadly virus after going to a hospital in Alicante with the tell-tale signs of the disease. The result came out negative.

    Bosses at San Juan Hospital suspected he might have Ebola and said he was being kept in isolation until the results of the tests were known.

    The unnamed man, who is in his thirties and has been in Nigeria recently, was admitted after seeking medical attention on Saturday night accompanied by his sister.

    Hospital bosses activated the Ebola protocol after he complained of the flu-like symptoms associated with the onset of the virus and was seen by doctors.

    Paramedics wearing protective suits and masks transferred him from Alicante General Hospital to nearby San Juan.

    Speaking before the result turned out negative, a spokesman for the local health authority confirmed: “At the moment there is a suspicion he may have contacted Ebola and that’s why the the protocol against the virus has been activated.

    “We have to wait now for the results of the tests to know whether we are dealing with a confirmed case or not.”

    The tests were carried out at Madrid’s Carlos III Hospital where Spanish priest Miguel Pajares lost his fight against the disease.

    Missionary worker Mr Pajares, 75, had been flown back to Spain and given experimental drug ZMapp after catching Ebola at a hospital in Liberia, west Africa, where he was working.

    He was the first person in Europe to die from the deadly virus, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) says has now claimed 1,145 lives.

    The current epidemic began in Guinea in February and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

    Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has said it believes the outbreak will take at least six months to bring under control.

    Meanwhile, UK universities have been warned of the dangers posed by Ebola as they gear up to welcome thousands of students from West Africa.

  • Nigerian’s death on board flight to India sparks Ebola scare

    Nigerian’s death on board flight to India sparks Ebola scare

    Nigerian woman, 35, died while traveling from Nigeria to India for medical treatment of advanced metastatic cancer.

    The woman showed signs consistent with the Ebola virus, according to the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD), the regulatory body of the healthcare sector in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, who announced the death yesterday.

    During the transit phase at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the patient’s health deteriorated and despite prompt medical assistance she could not be successfully resuscitated, HAAD said in a statement.

    ‘’Full safety and precautionary measures have been taken by the medical staff who attended the patient, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for dealing with suspected cases of infectious diseases,’’ the statement added.

    The woman’s husband, the only person sitting next to her on the plane, and five medics who resuscitated her, are in isolation pending the result of Ebola testing on the patient. They are all well with no symptoms, HAAD said.

    The ministry of health would like to assure the public that there is no risk to the community, and that fellow passengers on the plane from Nigeria and in the airport were not at risk.

  • Hospitable AWKA

    Hospitable AWKA

    Awka, the capital of Anambra State,  prides itself as ‘the light of the nation’. The city, located in the heart of Igboland, boasts a population of more than half a million people. Strategically, it is located midway between two major Igbo cities of Onitsha and Enugu with a temperature that hovers between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius.

    The town is reputed as the home to blacksmiths who are mostly responsible for the crafting of dane guns hoes, cutlasses and other implements that make agriculture to thrive in Igboland.

    In time past, Awka was made up of many sub-communities. Today, they have all blended into one and divided into Awka North and South local government areas.

    However, it still preserves its traditional systems of governance with Ozo titled men often consulted for village and community issues, with a traditional ruler, Eze-Uzu, as the helmsman. One good feature of Awka is its accommodating spirit for visitors. Residents, however, do not compromise on business deals, particularly when they concern rent.

    An indigene of the town and state coordinator of Transform Nigeria Movement (TNM), Comrade Obi Ochije, attributed this to the high cost of building materials in the area.

    Ochije wants the state government to begin the construction of low cost houses in the city for workers to enjoy reduced rent in the area. He recalled that the city was regarded as “home for all” in the good old days because of its accommodating nature. Furthermore, he wants the state government to dualise the narrow Dike Street in the city for easy flow of traffic.

    Awka has 33 major villages and attracts people from other states. It has a significant number of immigrants from Northern Nigeria and the West. It was during the administration of former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju that the town, which hitherto was concentrated in a particular area, began to extend towards the popular Aroma and Government House, among others.

    Accommodation for government workers and business people has been a major problem in the city with a legion of people competing for few houses. The administrations of Mbadinuju and former Governor Chris Ngige made possible the construction of a few estates, including Ngozika on the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway. Other estates in the city include Iyiagu, located behind the Government House; Udoka; Ahocol Phase 1; Rockland and Abuja , all situated along the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway. There are also the Isiagu 1, 000 housing units located along Agu-Awka and Esther Obiakor Housing Estate.

    Many of the estates were also developed during the administration of Peter Obi, a legacy that has been taken further by his successor, Willie Obiano.  Obiano is also determined to open up the capital city with the construction of three flyovers from Amawbia to Amasea communities.

    The city has two major markets, Eke-Awka and Amenyi, where the inhabitants buy the different goods they need on a daily basis. Interestingly, the city, though not as large as other cities, does not have any amusement centre or playground yet. Residents make use of school playgrounds and some private keep fit centers to keep fit. Some of thriving businesses in the city are cyber cafes and restaurants, which are found in every nook and cranny. Workers and business people sit at different joints to while away time.

    The location of institutions of higher in the state, especially in Awka, has made the town livelier with students from Federal Polytechnic, Oko; Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Anambra State University storming the city in search of greener pastures. Other students from Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe and Paul University in Awka also throng the city in search of fun.

    The influx of politicians to the city has also caused supermarkets, pharmacy and gift shops to thrive in the town.

    However, night life is almost zero because of criminal activities which have held the state hostage in recent years. This is unlike Lagos, Enugu and other major cities where life is in full throttle for most parts of the night.

    Former Governor Obi fought criminals, especially kidnappers, to a standstill. One of his effective weapons was the demolition of their houses and those of their collaborators. Such criminal elements were also paraded regularly by the police with the support of the state government. This did much to reduce the brazenness of kidnappers’ activities.

    Happily, Governor Willie Obiano, toeing the same path,  has vowed to make the state uncomfortable for criminals by inaugurating Operation Nkpochapu with a joint task force comprising the military, the police and other para-military outfits to flush out hoodlums from the state.

    There are some major eateries in the city where businessmen, students and politicians wine and dine with their better halves or friends. The eateries include Macdons, Trillers, Be-joy, Crunchies, Chuckies, Pallx, Mr. Bigs and Tetrazzini, among others.

    There are also big hotels that attract visitors from Asaba in Delta State, Enugu, Imo and other surrounding states. They include Geogold Hotels, Finotel, Crescent Spring and J’Burg Hotels.  Others are Barn Hill, Irish Gardens, Palos Verdes, Queens Suites Parkonia, Golffin, Old English, Stanford Bridge, White View, Hotel Limited, de-Limit, Cheleku, Sun-city, Tracy, Choice, the Benjamins and King David.

  • U.S. film teachers praise Nigerian students

    A teacher and expert in film production design, costume and set design, Miss Wendalyn Slipakoff, has said Nigerians are hungrier for education than the average American who takes education for granted.

    She spoke at the opening of the 2014 Del-York Creative Academy (DCA) four-week intensive film making workshop holding at the Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos.

    “It’s been really exciting for me because this is the first time that I have to teach in an environment where everybody is so hungry to learn. In the United States, one of the challenges we have is that we tend to take education for granted. It’s not like that here. I am humbled by the spirit of the people,” she said.

    Tagged: “Film made in Nigeria”, the programme is aimed at reaching out to people who are creative and improve their skills and creative capacity especially film makers and broadcast journalists in Nigeria.

    Another teacher at the programme, Sara Rabuse, who teaches make-up, also praised the students for their interest in special effect make-up, which is not very developed in Nigeria.

    “I am talking about special effects like bruises, mask, blood, monsters and zombies. I see people who are hungry for knowledge in the area of special effect.  What special effect classifies is anything that has to do with fake blood, bruises; up to prosthetics and hair work,” she said.

    She said that she noticed a lot of the materials that they use in the U.S. to create special effects are not available Nigeria.

    “The make-up artistes have to make their own blood. They use ketchup and blackcurrant. In the US, we have blood that is already made. We go to the store and we buy special blood that is made for film and television. Some of them are using materials that are used for gluing sculptures together. They are using permanent glues on human skin that is burning and causing abrasions and hurting the actors’ skin. In the U.S., we have stuff that is specifically made for skin.”

    The CEO, DCA, Mr Linus Idahosa, said about 68 lecturers from New York and Los Angeles have taught at the workshop in the last four years.

    “We host them in this country for three months and while they are here, we expect them to impact on the students in the rudiments of film making and creative acts,” he said.

     

  • First Nigerian telenovela underway

    First Nigerian telenovela underway

    The thriving market for Mexican soaps in Nigeria may decline, with a locally-produced telenovela drama series, Taste of Love, standing as the avant-garde.

    Although the series is an acquired format from Latin America and Eastern Europe, the award-winning and best-selling romance novel has been adapted for Nigerian television audience.

    The drama series, according to the producer, Micromedia Marketing Ltd., a content acquisition and distribution company, commences airing on terrestrial TV from October. It has  150 episodes in its first season.

    Featuring notable actors such as Ayo Lijadu, Yomi Obileye, Kunle Coker, Paul Adams, Wale Macaulay, Femi Brainard, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Makida Moka, Mofe Duncan, Gabriel Afolayan and Omowunmi Dada, Taste of Love tells the story of two love birds, Hadiza and Kelechi, children of two rival sugarcane- growing families who are separated by their families past and will have to overcome countless obstacles to truly be together.

    The drama dates back to the Military era of the 1990s in Nigeria, depicting the friendship, betrayal and hatred among rival sugarcane plantation families, Musa-Phillips and Pepple. Ibrahim Musa-Phillips is convinced that Jonathan Pepple has betrayed him and caused the death of his wife, Maria. Until the real dark truth comes out, their children, who fall in love with each other, will have to overcome the family hatred.

    It was shot on locations in Ilorin, Ibadan and Lagos,

    ”The story goes beyond love, intrigue, suspense and betrayal. It also takes us to the root of our culture and governance,’’ said Managing Director of Micromedia Marketing Ltd., Mrs. Shileola Ibironke.

    According to her, “the drama and movie industry in Nigeria has grown and improved over the years in its production style and it is highly important to promote our industry for sustenance and future investments.”

    The lead actors in the drama, Blossom Chukwujekwu and Makida Moka, are fast-rising entertainers who play side-by-side in the first Nigerian telenovela drama series.

    Blossom is now fondly referred to as Nollywood’s newest quintessential and bankable leading man. He got his break through Flower Girl, which has premiered to critical and commercial success in Nigeria, Ghana, United Kingdom and film festivals in United States and Canada. His next blockbuster feature film, Finding Mercy, was one of the most-anticipated and successful movies of 2013. It was the closing film of the 2013 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Calabar. Finding Mercy earned Blossom numerous award nominations, including Most outstanding Male Actor, Best Actor in a Lead Role, Best New Actor and Best Kiss (with Rita Dominic).

    Makida Moka came into the limelight in 2009, when she emerged the Face of Sleek at the maiden edition of the competition. This caused a major twist in her modelling career. Ever since, her profile has been on the rise. She has paraded runways at both local and international scenes and is one of the top models in the country.

    Makida also has a passion for acting, as she has recently featured in the ongoing hit web series, Gidi-Up season 1 and 2.

  • Nigerian, one other show symptoms in Benin Republic

    Benin Republic says it has placed two patients with Ebola-like symptoms in isolation and is  waiting for test results to establish, if the pair are  infected with the deadly tropical disease.

    Deputy chief of staff at the health ministry, Moufalilou Aboubakar, told journalists that the two patients were being treated as suspected cases of Ebola and that blood samples had been sent to foreign laboratories for conclusive results.

    “We cannot say today that the virus is in Benin,” Aboubakar told reporters. “The patients are in isolation and under observation, pending the results of the ongoing tests.”

    If the patients are confirmed to have Ebola, Benin would become the fifth country in the region to be hit by the outbreak.

    One patient was identified as a Nigerian man being treated at a hospital in the capital, Porto-Novo.

    The other is at a hospital in the economic capital, Cotonou.

    Cotonou is just a few hours drive from Lagos and there is significant traffic between the two cities each day, especially among traders.

  • Nigerian films excite at Durban Film Festival

    Nigerian films excite at Durban Film Festival

    THREE movies by Nigerian filmmakers are among the huge line-up of screening at the ongoing Durban International Film Festival.

    Although the big one, Half of a Yellow Sun, had aroused interest based on huge publicity and its affiliation with the British Film Institute (BFI), B for Boy by Chika Anadu and Gone Too Far by Bola Agbaje also made interesting outing with their thought-provoking themes.

    Half of a Yellow Sun, which will be released in Nigeria on August 1, was sold out during its first showing last Friday at Suncoast, one of the several venues dedicated to screenings at the festival. The movie, a feature directorial debut by Nigerian/British playwright, Biyi Bandele, has continued to generate interest, going by its account of the Nigerian civil war, as re-enacted in Chimamanda Adichie’s book from which it was adapted.

    B for Boy, on the other hand, is the also the feature film debut of a burgeoning filmmaker, whose shorts films AVA, was listed in the short film corner at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010. The film explores the phenomenal desperation for a male child among Igbo men in Eastern Nigeria, and how vulnerable a character like 38-year-old Amaka played by Uche Uwadili becomes in the hands of her mother-in-law.

    The fever pitch is the threats and sense of insecurity in the marriage, where the man could opt for another woman.

    The practice, as portrayed by Anadu in this movie, leaves no option of adoption, and one can only tell what woes will betide a childless woman in such tradition.

    Although a regular Nollywood storyline, it comes across as news to the diverse audience at the festival.

    Bola Agbaje’s film, Gone Too Far, is a fully BFI-sponsored movie, and so goes the credit  never portrayed as a Nigerian film.

    A British film by Nigerians, Gone Too Far, explores racial disparity among blacks in a white man’s land.

    Directed by Destiny Ekharaga, the film features British-Nigerian teenager Yemi (Malachi Kirby) who is ashamed to let his peers know that his just-arrived, socks-and-sandals-wearing Nigerian brother Ikudayisi (OC Ukeje) is his biological brother.

    The underlining message in the comic film climaxes with an exposé of the folly of denying one’s identity in a bid to feel British among fellow Africans, even when the British don’t see them as one of their own.

    Another remarkable presence of Nigeria at DIFF is the AfriNolly Showcase, a short film collection by a mobile application company that also grooms young African filmmakers through cash prize competition. The company is run by Mr. Chike Maduegbuna and his wife, who were both in attendance at DIFF.

  • Southern Sun celebrates Nigerian cuisines

    Southern Sun celebrates Nigerian cuisines

    Southern Sun Hotel, Ikoyi, one of the hotels under the Tsogo Sun Group, has said the hotel is paying  special attention to provide its guests with top culinary experience.

    In a recent chat with travel journalists, the hotel Assistant Executive Chef, Mr. Stanley Mwangi, said since inception, the hotel made dining experience one of the most important areas to focus on. Consequently, the hotel’s management went the extra mile to put together a restaurant that would not only provide value for money satisfaction, but also a focal point external diners to come and have a distinctive culinary experience.

    He said: “When we came, the first thing we did was to do our market survey and see what other people are offering. We tried to come out with something that is different from others and also something that many people would be interested in eating. So, we tried to bring in more of intercontinental food and more of Nigerian food taking into consideration that most of our guests are Nigerians. So, we have a lot of Nigerian food, a lot intercontinental food and we tried to infuse Chinese dishes.

    “So, what you expect from us is that when you come here you have a good meal to eat. Anybody from anywhere, when you come in, you will get something that you would be very comfortable to eat. We have everything for everybody. We have a lot of variety. We also import food from everywhere to make sure that we have food outside the box. Our philosophy is to make sure that we have food to carter for everybody.”

    The hotel’s Sunday buffet, called Sunday Brunch, has become popular among many families. Mwangi explained the concept and success of the brunch: “What we do is that we have a team of local chefs to call to a meeting and we come out with something that people would eat. For example, I have seen people talk about ikokore. It is something that is a delicacy of people from a particular place. If, for example, you come to our restaurant and you find it in the buffet, you will be impressed. You will want to come back again the next time. So, we try to incorporate cuisines from all over. We are not only doing cuisines from a particular area, we are doing cuisines from all over and individual specialties from different  parts.

    “So, after our meetings and agreement on the kind of meals we want to offer for the Sunday Brunch, by Friday, we go and buy the things  to prepare the meals.

    “Also, there are other things that we do that have made it popular. We try to incorporate all sorts of continental things that are although popular, but may not be easily available.”

    He said the food philosophy of the hotel was to make sure that no matter where a guest is from, the guest would be at home with the hotel’s menu list.

    He explained: “Let’s say from our ala carte and in-room dining, there are menus that are South African food so that when they are here, they will be happy.  We also have food from Kenyan, Indian recipes and so on. We always tell our guests that if you think that we have something that we can cook for you, just tell us. We have some Indian  recipes on the menu because most Indians are vegetarians, so we try to carter for that, not just Indians but for anybody who may not be an Indian but are vegetarians.”

  • Angola seeks to rival Nigerian oil output

    Angola seeks to rival Nigerian oil output

    ENI SpA (ENI) crews in Angola, Africa’s second-largest crude oil producer, upgraded a production vessel for new pumping this year as the southwest African country targets output rivaling its bigger competitor, Nigeria.

    Eni plans to start production within five months as operator of Block 15-06’s West Hub fields, estimated to hold reserves of 200 million barrels, and boost flows to 80,000 barrels a day, documents on the Rome-based company’s website show. The block’s East Hub development is due to pump about 49,000 barrels a day after starting in 2016, the documents say.

    The block, 350 kilometres (217 miles) northwest of Luanda, the capital, is one of eight offshore projects Petroleum Minister Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos is counting on to help raise production to two million barrels a day by next year from 1.66 million last month. That compares with Nigeria’s 2.15 million barrels daily.

    One of the largest developments, Total SA (FP)’s Clov in Block 17, started last month and targets output of 160,000 barrels a day. Analysts such as Wood Mackenzie Ltd. said the projects will be too late to boost declining flows by 2015.

    “We should think about the need to shorten the time between declaration of oil discoveries and the beginning of production,” Vasconcelos said at the inauguration of the N’Goma, a floating production, storage and offloading vessel for Eni’s West Hub project, the state-run Jornal de Angola stated.

  • Nigerian beneficiaries of Australian scholarships form association

    Nigerians, who have benefited from the scholarship programme of the Australian government in the past, have formed an alumni association.

    The body, which has as support the Australia Alumni Association of Nigeria as well as the Australian government, hopes to encourage networking and sharing of information and ideas amongst members.

    The association also encourages productive collaborative alliances locally among members, including internationally maintaining contact with Australian alumni associations in other African countries.

    The association was officially launched in Southwest by the Australian ambassador to Nigeria, Jonathan Richardson? who announced at the event in Ibadan, that over 200 Nigerians including 86 postgraduate have been awarded scholarships between 2010 and 2014.  For the 2015, Richardson said 19 Nigerian candidates have been selected for scholarships at Masters level.

    Said Richardson: “We want to encourage Nigerians interested in studying abroad to consider Australia as an option, given the strong record and high quality of our universities and tertiary institutions.”

    “Nigeria is fast becoming a significant source country for international students in Australia. A total of 923 Nigerian students were enrolled in Australian universities and vocational education programmes by the end of May 2014, nearly doubling the number in the prvious year,” he added.

    The coordinator of the association, Mrs Eni Ayeni, said the body is open to all Nigerians who have studied in Australia.

    “All Nigerian alumni of Australian tertiary institutions are encouraged to become members of the association. Membership ensures invitations to attend alumni functions and provides opportunities for active networking with other alumni and current awardees. Australia awards offer long and short-term study and professional development opportunities to citizens from developing countries around the world,” she said.

    Ayeni said that the alumni aims to provide enhanced leadership, knowledge and technical skills to partner governments, tertiary institutions and strategic organisations that are driving sustainable development.