The Nation Newspaper

Tag: QUEENS

  • BAP presents ‘Fela and the Kalakuta Queens’

    BAP presents ‘Fela and the Kalakuta Queens’

    Fela and the Kalakuta Queens’, a musical stage play that tells the story of the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti and his 27 wives, hit the stage on Sunday, December 10 at Terra Culture, amidst funfair.

    The play reflects Fela’s activism and marriage to his 27 wives whom he described as his source of strength and inspirational support amidst constant political intimidation and brutalization

    Fela, played by musician-cum actor Laitan Adeniji, took the viewers on a journey of the Abami Eda’s selflessness and loyalty by his Kalakuta Queens, military invasion and brutality and disrespect from the society.

    Produced by Bolanle Austin Peters for BAP productions, ‘Fela and the Kalakuta Queens’ is a play that left no stone untouched in the process of telling its story from the costume, stage design and vocal prowess by the actors by depicting Fela’s slangs as used in the Kalakuta compound.

    The play gave perfect details of daily activities of the late legend and his backup dancers, who eventually became his legal wives as a result of them being pronounced as prostitutes, a situation which made Fela marry them all on the same day.

    Some of the scenes shows how Malaika, a foreign lady who eventually became Fela’s mistress, came in but was sent off by Fela’s wives. They were jealous of her getting much attention from their husband, despite the regular wrestling by the queens on who spends the night in Kalakondo (Fela’s room).

    The stage play, however portrays a notion that love for one another was never washed away by hatred; not forgetting the rules of the Kalakuta yard which states that if one is accused of any crime there must be at least one eye witness, else, the case would be overruled.

    Songs like Sorrow, Tears and Blood, Zombie, Gentleman, Democrazy, Teacher, Shakara and lots more were performed at the end of each scene to back up the play in a way which gives perfect meaning to the play.

    In attendance at the musical stage play were two of the late legend’s wives Lola and Laide.

  • From the Villa- Enter Jonathan’s Queens

    History was made on October 8, 2016 when the first set of female regular course combatant cadets passed out from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna.

    A total number of 19 female cadets were part of the newly commissioned officers at the Professor Yakubu Mahmud Multi-purpose Hall on the NDA premises.

    They excelled both in the classroom and in the field drills and trainings alongside their male counterparts.

    Such feat had never been achieved in the 52 years of the Academy.

    Through former President Goodluck Jonathan’s belief that whatever a man can do, a woman can do better and should be given the opportunity to excel, the female cadets for the first time were admitted for regular course at the NDA under his tenure five years ago.

    As new entrants to the Academy, Jonathan was always very proud of the female regular combatant cadets as he never failed to showcase them anytime he had a major function in the country, showing how his administration had promoted gender equality in the country.

    In the book titled ‘Goodluck Ebele Jonathan: Champion for Women’ released by his cabinet at the tail end of his administration, the female combatant cadets were referred to as Jonathan’s Queens.

    The book on page 41 reads: “It took the historic vision of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to change that (admission for only men), with the directive that the NDA should admit its first female Regular Combatant cadets in 2011.

    “Therefore, as part of his far-sighted and principled decisions regarding women, the 63rd Regular Combatant Course (63 RC) of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) saw 20 female officer cadets take their places on the course alongside 155 male counterparts.”

    The book also revealed that Itunu Hotonu became the first female Rear Admiral in the Nigerian Navy and in Africa in December, 2010 under Jonathan.

    It also disclosed that a 28-year-old Blessing Liman became the first female military pilot in the Nigerian Air Force in December, 2011, also under Jonathan.

    No administration before Jonathan that preached gender equality ever intervened to promote admission of female regular course cadets in NDA.

    At the parade ground on October 8 where the cadets stood still, did silent drills, slow and quick march for over six hours under the scorching sun, none of the graduating female cadets showed any sign of weakness.

    They were tough, if not tougher than their male counterparts that graduated in the class of 63rd regular course cadets.

    As a result of their toughness, they equaled the number of male cadets that excelled and won awards during their five years training in the school.

    President Muhammadu Buhari at the passing out parade presented the awards to three male and three female cadets that performed excellently well.

    A male cadet, A.D Mohammed won three awards including the Sword of Honour award, the Commandant’s award and the Army Gold award.

    A female cadet, C. Lord-Mallam won the Navy Gold award while another male cadet, M. U Aminu won the Air Force Gold award.

    The Army Silver award went to a female cadet, K. O Dayo-Karim while P. E Miyaptong, a male cadet, won the Navy Silver award. The Air Force Silver award was won by a female cadet, O. S Ijelu.

    All the graduating 63rd regular course cadets, comprising 59 personnel for the Nigerian Army, 40 for the Nigerian Navy and 29 for the Nigerian Air Force, were conferred with presidential commission, ministered oath of allegiance and also received the flag of allegiance.

    President Buhari was very elated by the smartness, silent drills, march past and parade by the graduating cadets.

    He said: “The excellent parade we have just witnessed is a testimony to the high standard of training and discipline the Academy has set. I, therefore, commend the Commandant, instructors and gentlemen officer cadets for this outstanding parade.

    “Today’s Passing Out Parade has an added significance because, for the first time in 52 years, this Academy is graduating female cadets who will be commissioned as regular officers into the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

    “While congratulating these soon-to-be pioneer female Regular Combatant officers for their courage and resilience in the past 5 years, I advise the Services to put in place adequate institutional mechanisms to evaluate the deployment or otherwise of our female officers in active combat roles.  But we must be careful to carry public opinion with us and respect cultural sensitivities.

    “To the passing out cadets, I want to observe that you are graduating into the Armed Forces at a very auspicious time when the gains of several years of sacrifice by our troops are being consolidated.  You are indeed moving into a path of honour, sacrifice and responsibility.

    “You are also moving to the next level having been found worthy in learning and character to move from being Cadets to officers. Therefore, as you step out of this noble institution, your character will determine how far you can go.

    “Endeavour to be patriotic and exhibit the highest level of discipline and loyalty to one Nigeria.  Above all you must strive to keep to the tenets of the profession by remaining apolitical.  You are also required to exhibit the highest sense of integrity, patriotism and exemplary service to the nation and its people.

    “Gentlemen and Lady officer cadets, today you have entered a new chapter in your life.  I can assure you that it is going to be adventurous, turbulent but interesting. Your survival as an officer in the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will be dependent on the extent to which you are able to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during your academic and military training in this Academy.

    “You are expected to serve this country selflessly with loyalty and integrity and set new records of gallantry in the defence of our dear nation as former cadets from this Academy have done and are still doing in various military campaigns within and outside our dear country.

    “Our nation puts its trust in you and looks up to you with a lot of expectations which you must never betray.  You no longer belong to your parents or your family alone. You no longer belong to your village, town or state.  You now belong to the Nigerian nation and you will serve it selflessly and be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if the need arises.” He added

    Since the initial admission of female cadets for regular course in NDA five years ago, more ladies have been admitted for regular combatant course at the Academy.

    Only the sky can now be the limit for female military officers in Nigeria.

    With the progress they are making, Nigeria will start having female Chief of Defence Staff and also occupy other Service Chiefs’ positions not too long to come.

     

  • Celebrations mark Queen’s 90th birthday

    Celebrations mark Queen’s 90th birthday

    Celebrations took place yesterday around the UK as the Queen turns 90.

    Crowds of cheering people lined the streets in Windsor as the monarch took part in a walkabout, and royal gun salutes were fired from each of the UK’s capital cities.

    The Prince of Wales recorded a special radio broadcast for the day, in which he read an edited passage from William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII.

    On Twitter, the Queen thanked senders of “#HappyBirthdayYourMajesty” tweets.

    In another tweet, the Queen said: “I send my best wishes to those who are celebrating their 90th birthday… on this shared occasion, I send my warm congratulations to you.”

    The Queen, who was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh during her tour in Windsor, was presented with a birthday cake at the Guildhall by the Great British Bake Off champion Nadiya Hussain, who had created an orange drizzle cake with a butter cream and marmalade filling.

    The monarch also unveiled a plaque marking The Queen’s Walkway – a 6.3km trail that links 63 significant points in Windsor.

    The trail was designed to recognise the moment on 9 September 2015 that the monarch broke the record held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, by being on the throne for 63 years and seven months.

    Later yesterday, the Queen lighted symbolic beacons in Windsor.

  • A queen’s love for orphanages in Anambra

    A queen’s love for orphanages in Anambra

    The usually quiet children’s home in Nise, Awka South Local Government Area, Anambra State, was a beehive of activities when Jennifer Okorie, the Miss Goodluck 2015, Southeast visited the orphanage last weekend to give succour to the less privileged and the needy.

    Tears of joy rolled down the cheeks of those present.

    Queen Jeloy as she is fondly called by all and sundry in the state, took with her some items needed by the children, including cartons of soaps, packets of tissue papers.

    Also, she presented some bags of rice, bags of salt, cloths, beverages, Indomie noodles among others.

    The secretary of the motherless babies home in Anambra state, Dr. T. C. Aguocha, told TheNation that he wished the Miss Goodluck South East was made Miss Nigeria.

    He said the kind hearted mind of the queen was exemplary, adding that she behaved like somebody from the moon.

    According to him, “this young lady has shown the qualities of a good leader, she has showers the kids with lots of goodies in this community orphanage home and you can see that the children themselves are happy”.

    “I have nothing else to tell her, but I will continue to pray for her for more successes and God’s best wishes and I believe the hearts of the children will equally guild and protect her in all her endeavours”.

    The queen’s intimate friend, Chinwoke Nkemere told the Nation that it was not the first time the beauty queen had done such a thing, adding that she had taken such gesture to Abia, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states.

    “She has a good heart and wonderful initiative and these had endeared her to the hearts of not only the children in these states but to those that matter in the society”.

    The Nation discovered that the orphanage home which was established over 10 years ago, has over 12 children and situated along Nise – Agulu road.

    For the beauty queen, the inspiration to help the needy and the homeless children came from God.

    According to Okorie “these are bundles of joy from God, we are not going to allow them suffer in the society, I feel fulfilled celebrating this day with them”.

    “They are the gifts of nature and should not be abandoned, all I am praying for is that the rich in the society should come and help in making sure that they live the normal life like every other persons in the society”.

    “Nigeria has many individuals who have plenty of money, corporate organisations, let them not only concentrate on sports and other mundane issues, they should equally spread their tentacles to the motherless children in the society”.

    “They are not the cause of what has befallen them, therefore, all of us should rally round them to lift them to greater height, this is just the beginning from my little end” Jennifer Okorie told The Nation.

  • Are customers really kings/queens?

    Are customers really kings/queens?

    Many business outfits pay lip service to the refrain: ‘The customer is king’. But the way they treat their customers shows that they are only interested in what they get from them. For the banking industry, this is more pronounced as the lenders are interested in the customers’ deposits and interest on loans, among others. But when the customers need the banks, they are hardly there. A new marketing campaign by FirstBank of Nigeria, You First, is determined to change this trend, ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI writes.

    TREATING customers as king is a new marketing concept. It is a management orientation which maintains that firms establish relationships with selected target customers for whom superior values are designed, offered, redefined and realised in close cooperation with other partners in the marketing system to realise long-term profits through customer satisfaction.

    According to experts, the new thinking in marketing is making firms to embark on broader reinterpretation of their marketing approach, hence, placing the customer in a pivotal role.

    In the Nigerian banking sector, customers hardly enjoy any good service or benefit and they have continued to suffer great abuse.

    Some years ago, reports indicated that customer confidence in Nigerian banks was low as most of them reportedly lacked respect for their customers. However, considering the harsh environment under which the banks operate, experts believe the path to achieving customer centricity can be long and difficult, especially for well-established companies.

    “The challenge is creating business models that deliver what customers want, and developing the critical new capabilities to enable transformation,” Forbes magazine stated.

    But in a new campaign, You First, unveiled by FirstBank of Nigeria, the oldest bank is raising a hope for customers. The 120-year-old bank has signaled its new marketing concept when it rebranded its logo and redesigned its brand story early in the year.

    With the slogan, You First, campaign critics have argued that FirstBank has seen that today’s customers are more discerning and they don’t want to be caught in the web of their fury.

    While some old banks are failing because they could not connect with the new upwardly mobile customers, FirstBank’s You First, it’s believed, would change customers’ psyche through new brand architecture, such as new logo, colour, redesigned elephants, coupled with improved services which are enhanced by technology.

    The GMD/CEO of FirstBank, Bisi Onasanya, said the lender was committed to putting the customer first and would continuously generate initiatives that resonate with customer needs and aspirations while delivering the ultimate gold standard of service always.

    He said: “At FirstBank, we recognise the immutable merits of maintaining a You first mindset and culture, as a critical component of our business strategy. Our brand has evolved over the years, with strengthened brand muscles to match the constantly evolving expectations of today’s increasingly discerning stakeholders.”

    Its Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, Folake Ani-Mumuney, said the bank would continue to deliver memorable customer experience that is consistent, deliberate and differentiated; one that delights and surprises to fulfill the campaign promise, You First.

    She said: “We must remain dynamic by continuously innovating in line with the consumers’ changing preferences while re-aligning our operations in response to market trends. As a major player in the Nigerian economy, it is only logical that we must be the change leader and adapt to meet the needs of our consumers.

    “For those desirous of taking advantage of the growth opportunities in Nigeria, there can be no substitute for our on-the-ground presence in Africa’s biggest economy. “FirstBank has been investing continuously in Nigerian for the better part of 120 years. This experience has yielded many lessons that have continued to help us in developing and implementing strategies and initiatives for sustainable growth.”

    Ani-Mumuney, who gave an insight into the logo, said the body of the elephant has evolved as the bank’s name signifing that customers of the bank drive the brand.  The new trend has positioned the bank as a consumer-centric bank with service excellence built on a new direction.

    Analysing the new brand icon of the bank, Ani-Mumuney said, the elephant’s raised head, forward raised-leg and eyes raised signify a focused and forward-looking bank. She, however, said the refreshed identity reiterates the bank’s new commitment to serving customers better, and also to expanding its service to other countries as a global brand that has operated in the sector for 120 years.

    She said: “We have re-ignited this iconic symbol with a number of enhancements that communicates a robust evolution relevant to today’s banking business. The raised head of the elephant in our refreshed identity is our promise to all customers that with the bank by them every financial challenge they face, they can face with their head held high. The deep blue colour according her represents momentum, innovation and evolution. The raised foot of the elephant according to her is a promise that the bank will always put its foot forward for each and every one of its customers.”

    Meanwhile, analyst at Forbes Magazine listed three essential steps to customer centricity. The global business magazine urged firms to create customer-centric operating models. “An organisation focused on the consumer builds an operating model around a deep understanding of what they value and the contribution each makes to the profitability of the company,” the magazine stated.

    It also urged firms to use data analytics as a tool for designing effective customer experience. “Data analytics has become critical to designing an effective customer experience. Companies need to understand the true drivers of customer satisfaction — for every segment. What aspects of their experience (price, personal attention, response time, service, etc.) will have the most positive impact?

    “Equally, companies must identify what is not driving value, as this presents an opportunity to reduce costs,” analyst said.

    Companies are also urged to get social through effective integration of digital channels across sales and service activities in order to deliver a positive, brand-reinforcing customer experience at every touch-point in the customer relationship life cycle. “It enables you to harness real-time feedback at a lower cost than traditional customer service channels,” said analyst.

    However, a recent survey showed that Nigerian bank customers have the highest level of trust for their preferred financial services providers (PFSP).

    The Ernst & Young (EY) 2014 global consumer banking survey released April 28th in Lagos, showed that 69 per cent of Nigerian banking customers had confidence in their banks, the highest in Africa and second highest globally, behind India.

    The You First campaign it’s believed must have reckoned with this trend to communicate clearly to the customers that, despite that the bank is the oldest, it is still in touch with the desires of the new generation of bank customers.

     

  • NWFL chief condoles Conference Queens

    NWFL chief condoles Conference Queens

    The Chairperson of the Nigeria Women Football League , Dilichukwu Onyedinma has condoled the management of Confluence Queens FC of Lokoja over the death of their player Eunice Akpan who gave up the ghost on Sunday 10th August, 2014.

    In a condolence letter to the Club,  Onyedinma said the death of the enterprising player came to her as a shock, and prayed that God will give her family and the club the fortitude to bear the loss.

    Also, the executive board member of the NFF condoled the Government of Kogi State and  former President of the Nigeria Football Federation,  Sani Lulu Abdullahi over the death of his elder brother  Ibrahim Abdullahi.

    She said that the death of  Ibrahim will be a big loss to the Abdullahi family, people of Kogi State, where he served  as the immediate past Commissioner for Works and Housing, and Nigeria in general.

    She prayed to God to strenghten  Sani Lulu Abdullahi to continue to render his services to the country on football development, saying that that would be the only way to sustain the good legacy Ibrahim Abdullahi left behind as a Director and Board member of FOSLA Football Academy.

  • WOMEN FED CUP: Delta Queens ready for Rivers Angels

    Delta Queens head coach Zannas Pele Eleta has said that his side are focused and well prepared ahead of the Women Federation Cup semi final clash against Rivers Angels in Abuja on Friday.

    Delta Queens booked their semi final ticket after defeating Pelican Stars 5-4 on penalties in the quarter final last week.

    Eleta, in an interview, heaped praises on his players for their resilience so far in the competition as he expressed confidence of reaching the final.

    “I was not with the team last year when we played Pelican Stars but I was told we lost to them at the quarter final stage. I told the players to go all out against Pelican and that they can do it. I thank God that they played according to our game plan and we made it to the next stage,”Eleta said.

  • ONDO STATE SLASHES SUNSHINE QUEENS SALARIES

    ONDO STATE SLASHES SUNSHINE QUEENS SALARIES

    •Scraps signing-on-fees
    •Cites poor results

    WITH THE first stanza of the Nigeria Professional Women’s League on break, all is not well at the camp of Sunshine Queens of Akure.

    A close source revealed to SportingLife that the Ondo State government has decided to cancel the payment of players signing-on fees which has been attributed to the club’s inability to win any laurel.

    “The government is not encouraged one bit and l do not think you have to blame it for that. This was a club that signed players on N1m which made them the highest in the country. But right now the government views it as a waste of public funds,” our source said.

    Their woes continued with the slashing of their monthly salaries.

    Prior to the pay cut, players earned between N80,000 to N120,000 but now the highest will get N40,000 and below.