The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Song’s

  • Chibok girls, ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience’

    WELCOME back home, Chibok girls. I wonder if we can call them girls any longer. In about three years of captivity inside a forest ruled by Boko Haram’s rag tag army, they have gone through such devastating experiences as would make a woman of any girl. Pure as lily and fresh as daisy, 276 of them were kidnapped on 14 April, 2014 from boarding school by gunmen in the dead of the night, and driven straight into the heart of a sprawling forest called Sambisa. There, all sorts of things imaginable and unimaginable would happen. In the rain seasons of those years, I often wondered as a parent what could be happening to these girls. Whenever lightening and thunder struck, I travelled in spirit from the comfort of my house and bed to the forest. I imagined many of them lying on rotten foliage, filled with the fear of snakes and other dangerous animals and insects. Some could be housed in mud huts or houses. They could be cold and hungry. Every moment, they would remember home, and cry. Worst still, a man dirty in mind and body would come for one. Quite naturally, a girl who had been brought up at home to clean her mouth everyday, who would not allow a boyfriend who was unkempt for only one day near her, would detest being forcibly taken by a dirty, savage-looking stranger. But, now, here she is, surrounded by fiendish men who have no respect for personal hygiene, each one seeing her as cheap game. We saw videos of some girls who did not agree that their bodies be violated and who paid for this by being buried alive, standing up, save for their heads which were stoned severely before, finally, they were beheaded! Many girls who thought it was better to be alive saw discretion as the better part of valour, and surrended their bodies to save their lives. In the process, many of the girls would have been gang raped, and would have become pregnant and even had one or two babies, to worsen matters, to men they cannot identify as the fathers of their children. When we contrast these experiences with the picture of the future unfurling before them only three years before now, these must be harrowing experiences. In this unfurling picture of the world, these girls had been looking forward to passing their University placement examinations, to studying in the University and becoming doctors, lawyers, economists or whatever, to getting married someday and having their own families and to living respectable lives as adults.

    A contrasting world confronted them in the forest. Their lives changed. Some would ask: WHY ME? What wrong have I committed to deserve all these? Does God exist? If He does, why would He allow this to happen? Genuinely, some must have lost confidence in Christianity, the religion of their parents,  and adopted Islam, the religion of their captors, if this would save their lives. Inside them, a storm would be raging. It would be a storm of two worlds in collision … the world of their dream and the world of their new reality. This storm reminds me of the titles of two poems we studied for literature in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) class of 1969-70 at Igbobi College in Lagos. It was titled: SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE. It came in two sections. The poet, WILLIAM BLAKE, produced and printed the book in two phases, beginning with 19 poems in 1789. These were titled: SONGS OF INNOCENCE and captured the joy of protected innocence of childhood in a falling and tormenting world of adulthood. SONGS OF EXPERIENCE came with 26 poems to form the second section of Blakes collection of poems and appeared in 1794. It shows how child innocence, peace and joy and praise is often shattered by that falling world of adults which impinges on childhood and becomes known to the child through experience. Sorrow and pain.

    Through SONGS OF EXPERIENCE Blake challenged some of the iniquities of his days which included racial discrimination, exploitation of child labour and child sufferance and negative, corrupt and repressive tendencies of the Church. He did not fail to also challenge other wrong doings of the society, especially in the political sector.

    Well, our Chibok girls, nay women, have been through it all. It is not surprising that some of them prefer to stay behind in Sambisa forest where they intend to spend the rest of their lives. It is possible they are depressed about what has befallen them and are ashamed to face the world. Nigeria is still a conservative society where almost everyone talks about everyone in negative terms. The President-elect of France, Emmanuel Jean-Michel Macron, married Brigitte Trogneux, 24 years his senior. She was his high school teacher in La Providence High School. She was 39 and he was 15 when they first met in her class. He proposed to her. His parents at first objected to the relationship by sending him to another school in Paris. He asked her to divorce her husband, and spoke to her three children that he wanted to marry their mother. Two of her children are older than Macron. But they all agreed he could marry their mother.

    I know that, in Nigeria, there are many old women who like to frolic with young men their son’s ages, and young men who do not mind fishing upstream. But, largely, this is done under cover. The same goes for grandpas and teenage girls. In Nigeria, Macron’s mother would fight the relationship on all fronts … including the village and market squares, family circles on both sides, and, even take voodoo sacrifices to road junctions in the nude in the dead of the night. So, what chance does a Sambisa forest Chibok woman have to start her life and feel free in Nigeria. This is a real Song of Experience.

    Today is not the day to ask questions about the rightness or wrongness of the fate which befell the Chibok girls. But, today, we may set the stage for that by recognising that God is perfect and that there cannot, therefore, be an accident in creation. If He is perfect and if His perfection permits of no accident, because an accident would be an index of imperfection, we must always look inwards, into our souls and spirits, for the cause and course of any event or experience, sweet or otherwise. We human beings have become spiritually short sighted in the sense that we limit our earthly existence to only one earth life. If we shift the points backwards, we may discover the origins of many of todays event, say, hundreds or thousands of years ago. It is, therefore not an accident when we meet and relate with people we may think we had never known or experience event we may think we do not deserve to experience.

    In the interim, we must recognise that the girls who have agreed to step out of Sambisa forest may be crumbled by the forces of society their new identity may attract to them. Afterall, many years after his marriage, the age difference between President-elect Macron and his wife continue to excite the French media.

    That is why I proposed elsewhere that these girls be sponsored by the government to go abroad on a rehabilitation programme of about five years after re-union with their families. This should cover cost of their education, for those who wish to further their studies or learn any trade. Some people say this is an unnecessary waste of scarce funds. I doubt if they would think so if their daughters are involved. I have no daughter but I feel their experience to the bone marrow. If the government bows to these hawks, can private Nigerians not sponsor this project?

    I imagine that a massive campaign can yield a harvest of about 500,000 Nigerians who, paying, say, N500 every month can muster N250 million for this project. The truth, unfortunately, is that the Nigerian society has become lame. It doesn’t fight for anything, anymore. In my days as a University student in the 1970s, students would have stormed the houses in which large sums of money have been stored away to the detriment of the economy. Maybe, the style of society has changed from physical activism to fighting in words and thought forms. Maybe not. My neighbour who lives in England says poor people in the United Kingdom always freed themselves from the yoke of the rich through activism. For example, a law was passed in 1951 (the footh path law) which limits the size of land the rich can acquire in certain areas. The rich had become so rich there was hardly any limit to their reach in society. For example, one may acquire such vast hectrages of land that the poor had no short cuts routes from one part of a neighbourhood to another. Geometry teaches that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points. Imagine a triangle with points A, B and C with median landmarks between A and B at AB, and A and C at AC.

    In pre-footh path law days, a man walking from point AB to point AC would have to walk from point AB to A and from A to AC or from AB to B and B to C and then C to AC. But with the footh path law, owners of large tracts of land became legally obliged to create footh paths in large tracts such that pedestrians could cut short their Israelite’s Journey with, for example, straight line movement from AB to AC.

    In our midst, Chibok girls may become depressed, apathetic, sorrowful, angry, fearful, recluses and a wasted people. They, like their parents, guardians and friends, should be aware of the SONGS OF EXPERIENCE the society will be singing all around them, and kit themselves up for battle. They will need psychologists to firm up their minds, and nutrition to make their brains and nerves impregnable by pressure from the SONGS OF EXPERIENCE.

     

    Depression

    If, inwardly, one is unable to equalise the pressure of intruding forces and repel them, depression of the soul or spirit which many people call the mind may occur. And depression may lead to a host of other problems. Apathy is one of them. It is linked to insufficiency of a neurotransmitter in the brain called DOPAMINE which can be obtained from food sources such as Noni juice or food supplements such as MOOD SUPPORT or BEHAVIOUR BALANCE. Dopamine helps us to be happy, active, forward looking and stable.  As the spirit is repressed in a deficiency state of dopamine, it feels like doing nothing. It is like losing interest not only in the surroundings but in life and living. The challenged person relapses into obsessive eating and sleep. Obsessive eating comes from damage to or alteration of the chemistry of cells in the brain which advise us that our system is full of food, and we do not need to pump more food into it. This situation may arise from the infusion of negative energy into the cells. Depression and apathy lead to sorrow, hate, irritability, anger and the likes of them. These emotions, generated in the spirit, link up to power centers of their kinds in the world unseen and unfelt with the five physical senses. Having linked up, the challenged person becomes like an electrical appliance connected to the mains, imbued, in the case of a human being, with negative energy. Negative energy chases away or obstructs the inflow of positive energy. Negative energy represses the immune system, cellular functions and health and supports proliferation of germs. Thus, depression and apathy may cause hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, conditions in which the thyroid gland underfunctions or overworks. Underfunctioning leads to sleepiness, indigestion, weight gains, low blood pressure, goitre and about 200 diseases linked with hypothyroidism, including chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, a condition of pain in the muscles, tendons, bone and surrounding tissues. Hyperthyroidism, on the other hand, literally burns up the body, triggering such conditions as hyperactivity, rapid heart beats (tachycardia) or palpitations, leaness, excessive sweating under high-tension metabolism and even bulgy eyeballs (Graves disease).

    Obsessive eating and weight gains can be checked with high fibre foods. I have observed it well checked with herbs, such as Garcinia cambogia. Traditionally, this fruit is used to make meals more filling, reduce desire to over-eat and block fats being made in the body. One tablet of this fruit taken one to three times daily help to reduce food intake to about once or twice a day. With this goes the possibility of checking high blood cholesterol and fatty liver. This is a dangerous condition in which the liver is filled with fats that it can hardly function well. Fats easily become rotten in the body in the absence of antioxidants active in the fat medium. Fats which rot in the liver may predispose it to infections, hardening (cirrhosis) and even cancer. There are many other fat burners available to us. Some of these are Lecithin, Choline and Inositol, Apple cider vinegar, Garlic et.c.

    In some depressed people, sleep can become an issue. They may lack melatonin, the neuro-transmitter the brain converts to Serotonin, which gets us to sleep. Melatonin supplementation in the diet may not help people who have enough of it but may not be able to convert it to serotonin. Every insomniac has to find out the cause of his or her condition and address it. Calcium and Magnesium help some cases. So do Lecithin, Omega-3 oil (DHA), GABA and herbs such as vervain, valerian root, hops, lettuce et.c.

    Apathy is the nut to crack in depression. The victim is like a seed planted in the soil which fails to grow. The seed kernel is blessed with nutrients.  In the soil, friction of all sorts is meant to make it break through its protective coats, feed itself from its food reserve, grow roots to anchor itself in the soil, and find food, when the food reserve is exhausted, push pebbles, and soil aside and rise above the soil. This process is interesting. It should make us wonder about the concept of gravity. Science believes it is a force in the middle of the earth which pulls us down, preventing us from flying off into space. A counter opinion is that there is a force above which pushes everything down to its level of homogeneity. Thus, a seed that does not wish to grow becomes resident in the soil and decays there. That which expresses longing to live is helped up, to sprout, flower, fruit and fulfil the purpose of its existence. Man is like the seed. His kernel is the human spirit which is resident in the physical human body. The spirit is endowed with abilities which are meant to sprout flower and fruit so that the spirit can fulfil the purpose of its existence. If the spirit strives to live, it is helped upwards to regions of Life commensurate with the level or nature of its value or inner worth. That is why it is said that heaven helps those who help themselves. In apathy, the spirit is walled up, becomes gradually cold and lifeless, degenerates and rapidly approaches the end of its earth-life. If it is not helped, its blood radiations may so weaken that it may be possessed by earth-bound disembodied souls, often the source of auto-suggestions and suicide thoughts.

    This should not be the fate of Chibok girls. They remind me of the pathetic situation of two Moroccan girls in the 1970s or 80s. They were born in England and were British citizens. There parents did not want them to marry outside Morocco. So, they tricked their daughters home on a false holiday to Morocco. The girls were happy to know their father land and to meet their relations. Their parents disappeared overnight to England, after taken away from them their British passport. The local Chief came for them and handed them over to husbands agreed with their parents. It took about three years for British reporter searching for British citizens abducted in Morocco to discover these girls in a mountain range settlement. An Anglo-Moroccan diplomatic row broke out. Morocco agreed to release the girls but insisted on keeping their children, two on each side who were Moroccans. The girls could not abandon their children in Morocco and stuck to their captivity and damage dream. It is unlikely that Chibok girls will give up their children who would grow up someday also stigmatised like their mothers. We can all help in thought and deed to free the freed Chibok girls from the yolk of apathy.

  • QUEEN URE OKEZIE – I love writing love songs

    QUEEN URE OKEZIE – I love writing love songs

    Queen Ure is a singer, life coach and owner of the Porpori brand that helps bring out her creative part, as well as touch lives. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about how it all started with Panam Percy Paul in Jos, moving to banking and coming back to music, her charity work and more. 

    How did you get into music?

    I have always been a singer. It is just that I didn’t make it professional initially. I started writing songs and singing, I would say, practically from childhood. Music has always been a passion for me and through school; I was one person that whenever there was a music competition I would be called to represent my school to rehearse and do solos. I started writing songs from secondary school. I schooled at the Federal Government Girls College in Owerri. I used to handle the school church choir at that young age, as a teenager. Haven gotten into the University of Jos, I started to sing with Panam Percy Paul. I was in Jos and we were in the same church. That was how we started to sing together and travel to places.

    What were some of the things that you admired about Panam Percy Paul then?

    He was just one of the few people that made gospel music at the time to be embraced and he was quite deep. So my singing started from way back but after school I started working immediately in the bank. That was where the singing just took a back seat but I kept writing songs and I knew that it was something that I would go back to. Even as a banker I was still recording songs, my colleagues knew that.

    Which bank was this?

    I worked with several banks. I started with Diamond Bank, then I moved to Zenith. From Zenith, I moved to Bank PHB and the last commercial bank that I worked in was First Inland; then it was First Atlantic then First Inland and Fin Bank. The mergers and all that. So, all through my banking years, I didn’t forget music, not at all.

    What was the banking experience like?

    I worked in the bank for almost 15 years. By 21 years, I had done my youth service and I got into the banking industry immediately. It was a wonderful experience; there was discipline, the exposure to all kinds of businesses. You were dealing with different conglomerates and entrepreneurs and somehow you get to know something about everything. It opened my eyes to a lot of things and I believe that it is good to work in a disciplined corporate environment before starting something on your own. It would give you the foundation to do anything after that properly. Here you inculcate all of those values and virtues that would make you succeed in whatever you are doing. Here you start from a subordinate and grow to supervisor and manager. So you know how to be a follower and later a leader. It’s a world that prepares you properly; that is what it did for me. It disciplined me and gave me that target-oriented approach to things and made me want to surpass the target.

    When you left the bank, what did you do?

    I left the banking industry so that I could start off my coaching career. I am a life coach and I got my coaching certification in the academy in the UK, both as a personal coach and a corporate coach. I do trainings and coaching at both levels. My core areas are service excellence, marketing skills, team building and customer satisfaction. Of course, it is not limited to that. Whatever topic that a company needs to train their staff on, I can do. It was a fallout of my experience in the bank. I do that and also sing. Singing, for me, was not something I wanted to do to make money. It was just a passion that I can’t hide under the carpet, I write songs all the time. So, would I just write all the songs and keep it to myself?

    Were you singing just gospel songs?

    Not at all. I didn’t get into the industry to be a gospel artiste. I came in to be an artiste, to give it my best. I write gospel songs, I write love songs, I write songs about intimacy in relationships, Nigeria and everything about life. As a singer, as things happen, songs come to you. My songs are inspired by life, my own personal experience and the experience of others.

    Let’s talk about your personal experience in love. How has it been?

    Love is beautiful but I have had the beautiful experience of loving and being loved. I have also had the experience of leaving people and they leaving me. Life goes on. I am quite conservative, even though I don’t look it. I don’t get into relationships to get them broken… you know what I mean. I go in with all my heart and I am a love person. I love Love, totally, completely but I also know how to move on if things don’t work out the way I thought they would. So, I have had my own share of the bad times, I have had my own share of the happy times.

    Would you say that Nigerian men are romantic?

    No, they are very unromantic. Boring and dry. I think that women should begin to understand men more, they are not like us. They too need to understand us, we are not like them. Most times, they relate with us as if we think like them. We also relate with them as though they were like us. We kind of relate differently; we need to calm down and understand how they reason – why they do things, so that we can all just be together happily.

    What exactly do you do with your songs?

    I did an album launch in December 2012. It’s called Porpori; that is the name of my brand. At the moment, I have got two albums – Porpori one and two. There are ten songs in each album and, of course, each album has a Porpori song. Since then, I have been coming out with new works, I have shot a couple of videos and you have the Porpori video mix; twelve videos in all. This May, I am going to be doing an album launch of Porpori three; it is a totally gospel work. The first two were a mixture but more of love songs. There is a Porpori King, that is Jesus, and there is Porpori for Jesus and then there is Pop the Porpori. Pop the Porpori is a rap song that has to do with the charity work that I do. What I have done is to express Porpori in different ways. That was the original plan when I began; that each album would have Porpori expressed in different ways. You can express it as sweetness, body dey do me Porpori when I see you. You can also express it as shakara. Pop the Porpori, however, is about opening up your sweetness, unleash your goodness, more or less. I also have the local and the western version and I have kind of just gone very creative with the word and that is what I use for the other initiatives that I have. Apart from the music, we also have Porpori hair. I got into my own brand of hair in 2015. We have the Porpori curls and Porpori waves. Of course, we also have the Porpori charity platform which I have been concentrating on since 2015.I am a singer, life coach, charity worker and entrepreneur. Every quarter, we go out and give out lots of items to different homes and organisations. Then I also mobilise people to become charity workers and they join me to mobilise other people and more resources.

    What inspired you to go into charity?

    I have always been a charity person. I used to do it on my own. When I saw that the need was enormous, there are so many people out there who just need a little bit of help. So, they have to depend on the general public. So, I decided to take it upon myself and support them. We have done about nine outings and the tenth would be done this month. In addition to visiting the home, we would be reaching out to the Dorcas Widows in Abia State. It is ongoing, it’s continuous and it is very fulfilling. Every outing has their own unique impact on me. Sometimes, we go out with the mind to reach out to these ones but they end up reaching out to us. Like when we went to the Bethsaida Home for the Blind, by the time the choir sang, played instruments and danced Atilogu dance, we were surprised. These people can’t even see us. When you go there and come back, you would begin to appreciate life more and appreciate the little that you have. Rather than complain that you don’t have much, appreciate the little that you have, seeing that there are some people who don’t have what you have but they still have a life.

    How did you get into the hair brand?

    All of the things that I do are things that I love. I am a hair person, that is why I got into it and we are still looking at expanding that platform. In May, when we are launching the next album, we are equally going to be launching the Porpori Clothing line. It is called the Porpori House of Royalty. It’s a clothing line that I am designing. It is basically going to be a mixture of ankara and western fabric; gowns, long gowns, short gowns, tops and some wonderful stuffs. I believe in building things from the scratch, staying focused and consistent until we are ready. The Porpori brand is an expanding brand but the major phase of this is the charity, it is hinged on the music.

  • A night of songs

    A night of songs

    The yearly Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol Festival is a show stopper. This year’s was not different. The spiritual/music potpourri attracted renowned gospel singers as well as ministers and others from far and wide, EVELYN OSAGIE reports.

    Imagine a night of songs featuring  angelic voices. Picture a festival of worship in which the ‘angels’ came to sing, decked in attractive attires. Behold the 2015 Akwa Ibom Christmas Carol Festival.

    The Uyo Township Stadium came alive with music, songs renditions, dance, sermons and political allusions to celebrate the spiritual cum musical feast. The venue was lavishly decorated, and adorned by huge Christmas tree that was lit by the governor to mark the official opening of the event.

    The feast, which is in its eighth edition, is  a yearly celebration of God’s goodness and mercies through songs that brought together churches, spiritual leaders, choirs, gospel artistes enthusiasts and tourists.

    It was first held in December 26, 2008 by former Akwa Ibom State Governor and now Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio. It has since remained a state event organised by Special Services Department of the Office of the Governor.

    This year’s edition had in attendance Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, his wife, Martha and children; Cross Rivers State Governor Ben Ayade; Senator  Akpabio; commissioners; top government functionaries; politicians, particularly from the National and State Assemblies and members of the Diplomatic Corps, among others.

    The event headlined an impressive line-up of local and international gospel musical acts, including Shirley Caesar, Donnie McClurkin, Angella Christie all from America and Jamaica-born Chevilie Franklyn; and from Nigeria were Lara George, Kunle Ajayi (Music Director, The Redeemed Christian Church of God), Asu Ekiye, Chinelo Dillimono, 13-year-old trumpet player David Eka, Aity Dennis Inyang, James Edikan and Freke Umoh.

    Also there to thrill the audience with inspiring songs and energetic rhythms were the National Choir of Barbados; the World Choir, consisting of 2500 singers who sang Joy to the world; Akwa Ibom State Government (AKSG) Choir, assembling 50 talented graduates; AKSG Band, made up of proficient instrumentalists, the 100-member AKSG Orchestra and Ibom Unity Brass Band.

     

    Songs that stole the night

    The night featured several performances that stole the hearts of the audience. McClurkin’s performance stood out on the list. He took guests by surprise not only when he greeted the crowd in Ibibio language, but also as he sang two popular Efik and Ibibio songs – Amanam eyen Abasi and Eya Emana Ekwo. McClurkin, who was part of the yearly celebration three years ago, also rendered Days of Elijah, Holy and Great is thy mercy, among others.

    Like McClurkin, Franklyn also got the crowd rocking with her rendition of the popular Naija gospel song, Osei yeee…We don win o. Ekiye dazzled the crowd with his classic Eeewo. The crowd were moved by the testimony of Nigeria’s songstress Dennis-Inyang, whom God recently blessed with the fruit of the womb after years of seeking God’s face. The crowd joined her to chorus He made me a wonder. Caesar, who was in Nigeria for the first time,also got the crowd singing along as she sang Jesus…How I love calling your name.

    And while many were basking in the euphoria created by the performance of female saxophonist Christie, whose parents were missionaries to Nigeria, they were soon mesmerised by the classical duet between her and Nigeria’s 13-year-old Eka. The duo rendered a traditional song Akanekwe. Both hope to release an album next year.

    George’s all-time classics, Ijoba Orun, also stole the night. Its message of love and the “importance of being heavenly-minded” re-echoed the Christmas message by Bishop Mike Okonkwo of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), who was this year’s guest speaker.

    Bishop Okonkwo praised the idea behind the festival, observing that it is a major platform for people of the state connect with  God, with the mind of praising Him for His past deeds while seeking His face for the New Year.

    He, therefore, urged the people to seek God’s face always in all their dealings, while charging them to be agents of peace and not of destruction. He applauded the state government for sustaining the spiritual legacy of the past administration.

    He said: “Give your life to Christ, in him is the power to save. I beseech you today to always put your trust in God and ask him for direction in whatever you are set to accomplish.”

     

    In the spirit of Christmas,

    politics

    Besides being a night of songs and worship, the political atmosphere in the state preceding this year’s carol festival also pulsated in the night’s event.

    “Winner oooo…winner…Jesus you don win o,” rented the air as Governor Emmanuel in the company of his family took the podium to declare the event officially open.

    It was not a night of long, tiresome political speeches. And the governor was not one to bore his audience with such. Hence, his was spiced with flowery, poetic political allusions as he expressed religious and seasonal greeting to the people.

    He said: “I welcome you from this serene and capital city…to this great party that is guaranteed to bind us all in a symphony of songs and ecclesiastical happiness…The moon is shining brightly, and in agreement, that tonight our greatness has come with the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In this festival of greatness, we have come together as a people to renew our bond with Christ. My family and I share with you the joy of this season of good tidings.

    “This night, we have come to sing to the Supreme God who alone can take us to the Supreme Court. About six months ago, providence offered me the responsibility of being your servant leader through a divine mandate that you freely gave on April 11, 2015. You were the channel for the realisation of God’s ambition, an unfathomable grace of God. Tonight, I am filled with more sense of humility and responsibility that I felt on May29 this year, when I took the oath of office you gave me freely on April 11; and I intend to keep the sacred trust in my ability as your servant leader.”

    In the spirit of the season, he called for love, peace and tolerance in the state, saying for progress the country requires the cooperation of all.

    According to him, those, walking in “the path of tribalism, ethnicity and bitter hatred in the name of politics”, are living in the valley of darkness.

    He said: “Let the birth of Christ represent the message of love and tolerance…Let us eschew politics of acrimony and bitterness; and hold aloof the flag of politics without personal and character assassination.

    “God is not a God of appeal. He is our Supreme Judge and His judgement is supreme. Christ the Saviour of mankind was born in a manger. We do not have to be born in palaces to become kings. Greatness is a matter of determination. Once the passion is right, nothing is impossible.”

    Senator Akpabio commended the governor and the people of the state for keeping the flame of the festival alive, saying “through your voices tonight, you have brought victory to Akwa Ibom”.

    Akpabio, whose entry into the festival’s venue aroused a loud ovation,  said: “I lost my voice while singing and dancing to God. Your Christmas will be splendid, your New Year will be wonderful, you will overcome in whatever situation that you find yourself. This is one legacy that God cannot forget. Because you have kept faith in God, He will not forsake you and will make you triumphant.

    “Our salvation as a state lies with God Almighty who has sent an “Emmanuel” in Jesus Christ to save us spiritually and ordained an Emmanuel Udom to steer the ship of the state under the divine guidance of Jesus Christ. Your mandate is of God and that the will of the people will remain.”

    Governor Ayade added his voice to the night’s admonitions, saying: “The people of Akwa Ibom are known for their versatility, creativity, integrity and vitality. You have decided to lift God up and that God will equally lift them up too. God shall stand by you and take you to the Promised Land.”

    For Jane Umoh, a resident, the festival is a yearly affair that she doesn’t miss. “I have been attending it since 2009 and it has become part of my Christmas celebration every December because I always use the opportunity to see with my eyes the artistes whose music I love and listen to at home. I really love Lara George, and Angella and Eka’s performances this year,” she said.

    The event was sponsored by Globacom, United Bank of Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank, among others.

  • Sometimes I forget I recorded my songs

    Sometimes I forget I recorded my songs

    He shot into stardom few years back with his hits single Roll. Since then Amoni Kingsley popularly known as Rayce has been a force to reckon with in the music industry. In this exclusive interview with ADEWOYIN ADENIYI, the multi-talented artiste talks about his struggle into the limelight among sundry issues.

    LET’S talk about your new album  My new album/EP is titled DCMR which is an acronym for Dey Call Me Rayce. It is an 11 track body of music released on the 15th of May 2015. It has 3 collaborations on it (with M.I, Seyi Shay, and Gen. Pype). It is actually my first body of work. The tracks were produced by Admire Beatz and Ploops.

    Whats your favorite song on the album?

    My favorite song on the EP is Wetin Dey produced by Ploops. It is a feel good song. I love listening to it and sometimes forget I recorded it (laughs)

    You go by the name Admire for producing and Rayce for singing, why two different names?

    I produce under the name Admire Beatz. It’s no big deal combining being a performing and recording artiste, with being a producer because I enjoy production. So it helps that I can produce my own tracks.

    How was growing up like for you?

    I am from a family of Four; Dad, Mum and 2 kids (my sister and I). I grew up in Lagos and for me it was very interesting because Lagos is a fast paced city so even as a child there was always aspirations to be this or that. It was no different for me. I was interested in the drums from a tender age though, and I always wanted to feed my curiosity about production as a young boy.

    What’s your educational background?

    I have only completed my secondary education formally; I studied studio and sound production, and recording in several studios in Lagos over the last decade or more.

    How did music start for you?

    Music started with my interest in production, and then I started recording occasionally in the late 90’s. I put out a few songs a couple of years later that never got much traction, but I kept producing and recording until I had a bit of success with my single “Roll”. It gave me airtime on radio and clubs, then the shows started coming in. The rest you already know.

    How has the journey been?

    The journey has been a pain staking one with a lot of ups and downs. But I have learnt a lot through the journey to success, and I’m still learning. The most important lesson being patience, you cannot rush or take short-cuts, but must consistently build over a period, remaining humble and focused, otherwise musical success would remain a mirage, in my opinion.

    Fame often comes with pain, can you share your experience?

    Fame does come with pain. The most commonly felt pain for me is that of expectations from others. People expect  you must always be buoyant and cater for their needs but as MI sang in his track “Me sef I be human being”. Another pain is the loss of privacy; you cannot really go anywhere without someone recognising you, and sometimes you just want quiet time. It comes with the territory though.

    What are the things that have changed about you since you gained stardom?

    Stardom? I don’t consider myself a star. I still have a target of selling records outside the shores of Nigeria and Africa, and performing on bigger stages, and at international award shows. So until then, I’m a work in progress.

    What inspires your composition?

    My music composition is inspired by my environment and emotions. I am very shy so I express myself through my music.

    What should your fans expect after your album?

    After the Album/EP I’m going to be to be on a promotional tour of campuses and clubs across Nigeria, the UK and USA to interact with my fans in those regions, and promote my brand and music out there as well. I’m hoping for a few award nominations, and possibly going home with a few

    Are you planning any international collaborations?

    I am planning an international collaboration for my foray into the UK market. It is still at the planning stage though, but I believe that should happen in the last Quarter of 2015

    Is Rayce married, single or searching?

    Rayce isn’t married, isn’t single and isn’t searching. He is just fine

    Tell us about your kind of woman?

    My kind of woman is one that is soft hearted and patient. Because relationships come with turbulence, the character of the woman most times determines how those tough times end. Patience builds character in my opinion.

    Do you have intimate friends in the industry?

    I don’t really have close friends, I have friends who I can hang out with once in a while, but oftentimes I’m so immersed in my work,that there is really not enough time to make friends that much

    There is a change in government, what do you expect from the government as a Nigerian?

    I expect better power supply from the new government. I don’t think that there is anything as important to me.

    Many of your colleagues campaigned for politicians during the last elections, what do you think about it?

    I believe that as Nigerians everyone is allowed to campaign for any candidate of their choice. I didn’t really campaign for anyone but I desire the change the APC promised to bring about.

    Do you think the music industry is in good shape?

    The music industry is growing. It is not where it was a decade ago, and I’m convinced it will only get better. The major issue is the enforcement of the industry regulations. We would get there eventually.

    Are you a member of COSON?

    I have not registered with COSON, though I hope to do so soon.

    How do you relax?

    I listen to soft music when I want to relax.

  • Group holds songs competition to revive ‘old Lagos’

    Group holds songs competition to revive ‘old Lagos’

    How do you revive the Lagos of old where people lived in harmony and kept public infrastructure? A non-political, non-religious group, the Spirit of Lagos (SoL), is aiming to do so through music.

    It is staging a songs competition to create what it calls a saner Lagos.

    The competition, which begins today, is open to all residents, is aimed at selecting a theme song that will resonate with Lagosians and promote the ideals of a sane Lagos. The contest will end on September 26.

    According to the organisation’s Project Director, Niyi Omotoso, who addressed reporters in Lagos, the contest is expected to drive engagement and adoption of SOL’s messages among Lagosians.

    “The theme competition was conceived to engage Lagosians and create an opportunity for musical talent to thrive as well as generate thought and conversation around the values of the Spirit of Lagos. The best theme song must, among other things, be new and had never been played in any media platform or performed anywhere prior to the competition; promote the unique attributes that made Lagos a centre of excellence; inspire social justice, civic responsibility, citizenship and neighbourliness, and must not exceed three minutes,” Omotoso said.

    The winning theme song, he said, must align with the objectives of the Spirit of Lagos’ ‘Change your thinking’ campaign to restore those unique values that in the past, made the city a safe, just, prosperous and neighbourly place to live in and visit.

    The winner of the contest, he added, would gain, among other things, a recording contract, opportunity to be considered for SOL ambassadorship, a N500,000 cash prize and a chance to perform the song alongside some notable artistes at the Lagos State Governor’s Ball billed for the third quarter of the year.

    “The first and second runners-up in the contest will be rewarded with N200,000 and N100,000 cash prizes respectively, while the song with the highest vote will get N500,000 cash reward,” he said.

    A panel of judges consisting of performing artistes and record label owners, he explained, would select the winning song, adding that each song would be judged on creativity, originality, message content, balance/blend and overall acceptability.

    Prospective participants, Omotoso said, would have the opportunity to vote for their choice songs on SOL’s facebook page, www.facebook.com/spiritoflagos, or any of its online media platforms.

    Participants, he added, could also send their entries in a CD/DVD to The Spirit of Lagos Song Competition at the following places: PlayHouse, 2 Abieyuwa Amadasun Street, off Oduduwa Way, Ikeja GRA; C&F Porter Novelli, 26A Babatope Bejide Street, Lekki 1 or TBWA at Harold Shodipo Crescent Ikeja GRA.

    “Contestants are expected to enclose their full names, addresses and phone numbers in their entries as well as like the Spirit of Lagos facebook page before sending in their entries,” he said.

    General Counsel to Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Mrs Oyinkan Badejo-Okusanya, who was at the parley, expressed government’s willingness to support the project.

    She said the administration’s concern of this administration is to ensure an all-round sane Lagos, adding that the government would partner SOL to make the project a success.

    “The Spirit of Lagos believes firmly that we must live with a keen sense of ownership of the city by being part of any effort aimed at ensuring that it indeed remains the centre of excellence in all ramifications. This is in tandem with the fundamental objectives of the current administration,” she added.

  • SORROWFUL SONGS from Ogun community

    SORROWFUL SONGS from Ogun community

    DRIVING through Olapeleke is akin to sifting through the crust of a previous existence. Walking through the village, you could be forgiven for likening it to the ruins of medieval Nigeria. Even in the scenic lull of a sultry afternoon, the village repulses like dead embryo. The houses shoulder each other in forced communion, their decrepit angles towering like violent picture-puzzles in a story that only ruins could reveal.

    In harsh sunlight and rainy clime, Olapeleke popularly called ‘Lapeleke, off the highway to Abeokuta, Ogun State’s capital city, presents a portrait of desolateness and neglect. Seasons bring nothing to this gulch save a harsh intimate anecdote painfully scrawled here and there, along barren footpaths, and on paint and stone of several houses tottering and yawning, like vastly crushed faces with holes big enough for ants, rodents and bats to dart in and out of their gaping chasms.

    Amid the bleakness, Asabi Ibigbami’s voice peals very sadly, like the tragic knell of a civilisation in its final death pangs. “Olapeleke has been reduced to nothing. Today, we live like a ghost town. We can barely feed…I have to depend on hand outs from the Baale (traditional ruler) and Asiwaju (a village chief) to survive. They give me food and money to feed every day. This is because I am a childless widow and I have nobody else to help me but I didn’t start out like this. In my youth, I was a successful farmer.

    “I farmed palm kernel seeds and produced palm oil. I grew cocoa, ofada rice and cassava. I was enjoying my life until the cement company (WAPCO now Lafarge-WAPCO) arrived to take our land. At their arrival, I lost everything. Like most of my peers, I lost my farmland and I lost profit…Now I have lost my youth. I am 92-years old and there is nothing I can do for myself right now. I have to beg in order to eat daily,” laments Ibigbami.

    Ibigbami’s lamentation echoes the sad narrative that has become a familiar refrain of the surviving natives of ‘Olapeleke. From the din, Felicia Adeyinka, 78, recalls very sadly, the fateful morning that her house came crashing like a sand-castle six years ago. Adeyinka claims she lost her inheritance and home to incessant barrage of flying rock debris from neighbouring West African Portland Cement (WAPCO), now Lafarge-WAPCO’s limestone blasting from its quarry.

    “I almost died because my house collapsed while I was inside. It was around 10 am and I was about leaving for Itori, a neighbouring community, to pay for the supply of my goods. Earlier, while I was doing my laundry, I noticed severe cracks in the wall of the building and I made a mental note to send my son to buy cement so we could renovate the building in order to prevent it from collapsing like so many other buildings in the area.

    But no sooner I entered than the house it started cracking; I heard some rumbling and before I could gather my wits, the walls started to give way. I screamed in fear and thus alerted those who were playing a game of Ludo at the back of the building. They scampered to safety and later returned to rescue me because I had been trapped in the house. A few seconds later, the house collapsed totally. My house collapsed because it was weakened by flying rock debris from LafargeWAPCO’s limestone quarry she claims.”

    In the wake of the cement company’s mining activities in the area, the inhabitants report virtual destruction of their houses and other property.

    Baale of Olapeleke, Chief Gabriel Akinremi, states that over 70 houses have been destroyed of the 110 houses that survived from his father’s era. Back in 2001, the community claimed that over 100 houses completely collapsed under the incessant barrage of limestone raining like hailstones on the community in the course of the cement company’s quarrying activities.

     

    Living in a ‘ghost town’

    Thirteen years on, The Nation findings at the community reveal that less than 30 houses are left standing in good condition of the 110 reported by Baale Akinremi; and the few left standing have being patched all over to prevent cracks allegedly wrought on them by LafargeWAPCO’s flying rock debris from aggravating. According to Baale Akinremi, many of the families that lack the strength and wherewithal to renovate their homes have deserted the village in droves to live in more habitable settlements outside the community.

    “We are only asking LafargeWAPCO to come and rebuild the houses destroyed by the blasting of limestone in our community. We do not have any where to go because this is our ancestral home and the only place we have as home. As you can see, so many buildings have gone with the blasting of limestone. We have lost our river to their blasting and quarry and some families whose houses have been destroyed now squat with neighbours whenever they come visiting.

    “About 75 per cent of Olapeleke’s land served as LafargeWAPCO’s quarry leading to the destruction of our land, river and farm land. As we speak, people no longer have any land to farm because about 75 per cent of the community’s farmland had also been lost to LafargeWAPCO’s quarry,” says Baale Akinremi.

    Corroborating him, Pa Theophilus Amoo Ibigbami, 87, laments that Olapeleke was rendered totally comatose by LafargeWAPCO’s limestone quarrying in the area. “My family house among several other houses in Olapeleke had been destroyed by the blasting of limestone by LafargeWAPCO. We were just lucky in this community; otherwise somebody would have been killed. This is because whenever the blasting took place, usually around 2 pm, the whole community got shaken to its foundation. There was a particular day when the blasting took place and some broken rocks of limestone flew out and hit one of the cows reared in the community killing the animal instantly. Imagine if the victim was a human being and not an animal, such a person would have died,” says Ibigbami.

    Ibigbami claims he joined the Building Section of LafargeWAPCO on September 28, 1958 and, according to him, he was one of its pioneer workers. “I was around when the construction company handling the building of the factory gave a ridiculous compensation to those whose land had been acquired for the company’s activities. The then elders of the community, including my father, were very warm to the government official who handed out  money in envelope. By the time the hapless villagers opened their envelopes to count their money, they discovered that it contained a paltry amount which is equivalent to today’s N0.50 Kobo. The money was packed in the envelopes in the smallest denominations to deceive the natives into believing that it was plenty,” he recalls very sadly.

     

    Dried up rivers, disappearing farmlands

    Asiwaju of Olapeleke, Chief Amos Odekunle, laments the loss of his community’s once thriving agricultural sector. He also bemoans the community’s vanished river, attributing the loss to LafargeWAPCO’s mining activities. Prior to the cement company’s arrival, the community had five rivers which were used for irrigation, fishing and drinking purposes. The rivers were Ewekoro, Amititi, Sofuntere, Abalaye and Olorekore, according to the villagers. Asiwaju Amos claims that LafargeWAPCO channelled the five rivers away into its quarry thus causing the five rivers to dry out. Consequently, the community’s cash crops and trees, including cocoa, kolanut and palm trees, withered and gradually died off.

    The Nation findings reveal a township struggling to deal with the tragic loss of its once flourishing agricultural economy. There are no flourishing cocoa, rice, palm kernel and cocoyam farms anymore; a dense forest and swamp of shrubs and thickets currently dominate the wide expanse of land that was once the lure that attracted itinerant contract farmhands, agricultural entrepreneurs, farmers, middlemen, transporters and traders to mention a few, to the erstwhile prosperous enclave of Olapeleke.

    “Today, the few amongst us who still have the nerve to farm engage in subsistence farming. And the proceeds are always very poor. Very few crops are grown here now; besides cassava and maize, you cannot find any cash crop surviving on our land. It’s as if our land has become totally barren and infertile for the large scale agriculture it was known for,” says Odekunle.

    Like Asiwaju Odekunle, Apeke Akinremi, 90, bemoans the sad loss that befell her at the arrival of the cement factory in their neighbourhood. Apeke, a widow and mother of the current Baale of Olapeleke, Chief Akinremi, recalls with nostalgia the good old days when agriculture was the mainstay of the rural community.

    “Back then, when we were young and my husband was alive, we were into farming. We harvested and sold our farm produce, including cocoa, palm oil, and other cash crops at great profit. But our farmlands were destroyed when LafargeWAPCO took over our land and we lost our natural resources. We suffered a lot after our land was forcibly taken away…we got only N0.50 kobo as compensation. Today, we are recognised as the actual land owners yet we are suffering. That is because there is no one to fight for us,” cries the 90-year-old widow.

     

    Before the decline…

    Olapeleke was a small community of about 200, 000 people in the Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State. Prior to the arrival of the West African Portland Cement (WAPCO), now Lafarge-WAPCO, the township boasted of a rich endowment of natural resources and agricultural cashcrops, including cocoa, kolanut, cocoyam, cassava, rice (its fabled highly nutritious and expensive ofada rice), tomatoes, pepper, groundnut, plantain, sugar cane, maize to mention a few. However, the township’s most valuable and expensive natural endowment is its abundant limestone deposits.

    Olapeleke sits atop limestone, the major raw material used in the production of cement. When the discovery of the natural resource in the Ewekoro Township became public in the early 1950s, residents of the community anticipated a remarkable fillip to their thriving agricultural economy. “The few enlightened ones among our fathers thought the discovery of the raw material indicated the arrival of a more fortunate epoch for our community. They thought the community could maximize and leverage on the benefits that a massive exploration of the resource was bound to churn out,” says Chief Akinremi.

    But they were wrong, he notes. According to him, by the time LafargeWAPCO commenced mining of the raw material, the community came to a sad realisation that rather than bring great fortune and prosperity to their doorstep, the company’s limestone exploration wrought untold loss and hardship on Olapeleke.

     

    A curious case of CSR

    In the absence of a dependable Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) regulatory framework in the country, most corporations are at liberty to commit discretionary percentages of their profit to CSR initiatives. To this end, LafargeWAPCO allegedly commits N55 million annually to CSR initiatives across its 12 host communities, including Olapeleke, Akinbo, Oke-Oko, Egbado, Sekoni, Olujobi, Papalanto, Ewekoro, Egba -Ajegunle, Elebute, Alagunto and Itori.

    According to Baale Akinremi, of the figure, N9 million gets to Olapeleke for community development. Further breakdown of the figure, according to him, is as follows: “Out of the amount, N5.5 million is earmarked for capital projects (projects like road construction). The company gives the money to the community, they ask us to tell them what we need and they bring in their own contractor to do it for us. About N1 million is earmarked as bursary for 10 students at N200, 000 each); N250, 000 as support for five aged people; Youth Empowerment, N700, 000; while five farmers are given N500, 000 each, to mention a few.”

    The ‘Olapeleke head chief explains that when the recipients of the money eventually get it, they bring it back to the community where by consensus, the money is split among greater number of recipients. “Take the N50, 000 they give as support to the aged, for instance, when an aged recipient gets the money, he or she brings it back to the community where it is shared with about 11 or 15 fellow aged persons. Thus eventually, even though LafargeWAPCO claims to have given N50, 000 as support to one aged person, the money is actually shared among the specified recipient and about 11 to 15 others. At the end, each beneficiary gets a paltry N2, 000, N3, 000 or N5, 000. We are forced to adopt this method in order to make the money go round those who desperately need financial support within the community,” he discloses.

    The traditional ruler explains that the same formula is adopted in sharing N500, 000 given to five farmers. Eventually, what will get to each farmer is never up to N50, 000. What gets to each farmer most times is as low as N10, 000. “Tell me, what could anyone do with such a paltry sum?” he laments, adding that the money allocated to his community was recently increased to N11 million annually.

     

    ‘Even as Olapeleke withers and dies, LafargeWAPCO smiles to the bank’

    While Baale Akinremi complains that LafargeWAPCO’s annual N55 million CSR fund to its 12 host communities is too meagre and unrepresentative of the immense profit the company grosses from its mining and cement production activities in Ewekoro LGA. In the wake of the traditional ruler’s outcry, LafargeWAPCO recently published audited reports and profit accounts of its business enterprise in the country.

    Key extracts of the audited report and accounts of LafargeWAPCO for the year ended December 31, 2013 show that profit after tax grew by 92 per cent to N28.2 billion in 2013 as against N14.7 billion recorded in 2012. Profit before tax grew by 30 per cent from N21.3 billion to N27.7 billion. Turnover increased by 12 per cent to N98.8 billion as against N87.9 billion in 2012. The company witnessed significant reduction in interest expenses N5.5 billion to N3.8 billion as a result of the reduction in interest charges due to the full repayment of the Naira syndicated bank loans. Consequently, basic earnings per share grew from N4.90 to N9.42; an increase of 92 per cent.

    Lafarge WAPCO’s new ready-mix concrete business contributed N1.6 billion to the total turnover of N98.8 billion. According to the report, the company not only focused on increasing its turnover but has ensured that its operational costs are curtailed without compromising on service to its customers. The strong operational performance and efficient working capital management resulted in an increase in cash holdings of N11.5 billion. With the company being in a more cash positive position, it was able to reduce its debt by 42 per cent, paying off its variable rate medium-term syndicated Naira and foreign currency loans ahead of tenor. Accordingly, Lafarge WAPCO’s debt position closed 2013 at N21.5 billion comprising a fixed rate corporate bond and a power intervention fund loan. The debt-to-equity ratio halved to 23 per cent in 2013 as against 55 per cent in 2012.

    Already, emerging results showed positive outlook for the current business year. Lafarge WAPCO recorded significant growths in sales and profit in the first quarter of this year as pre-tax profit totalled N8.62 billion in three months.

    The interim report and accounts of LafargeWAPCO for the three-month ended March 31, 2014 show that sales rose by 16 per cent while pre and post tax profits grew by 20 per cent and 34 per cent respectively. The report showed that turnover rose to N27.03 billion in the first quarter of 2014 as against N23.24 billion recorded in the comparable period of 2013. Profit before tax increased from N7.20 billion to N8.62 billion. Profit after tax also rose from N6.07 billion to N8.15 billion. Earnings per share grew by 34 per cent from N2.02 to N2.71.

    The company indicated that net finance cost reduced from N980 million to N760 million due to lower interest charges following the full repayment of the Naira syndicated bank loans. Investment income simultaneously grew by N160 million to N260 million.

    The Managing Director, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc, Joe Hudson, enthuses that  the good performance in the first quarter was a reflection of the increasing demand for the company’s quality products and an outcome of the implementation of various volume and cost improvement strategies.

    “We are especially pleased that the new line in Ewekoro continues to gain momentum and remain very optimistic about the rest of the year despite the challenging operating environment,” Hudson states.

     

    Science explains the dilapidation of Olapeleke

    In an assessment of noise and ground vibration induced during blasting operations  at LafargeWAPCO’s Ewekoro limestone quarry, the results obtained indicate that the ground vibration readings fall between 0.5 mm/s and 2.1 mm/s and the noise generated during the blasting operations between 82 dB and 89 dB. These readings when compared with the limits set by FEPA (Federal Environmental Protection Agency) of 5.0 mm/s and 150 dB) all fall within the permissible limits.

    However, the researchers, Afeni Thomas and Osasan Stephen of the School of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and the Department of Mining Engineering, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State respectively, raise worrisome issues about the state of residential houses in the quarry’s host community. “The photographs of most structures near the quarry reveal cracks and dilapidated building walls,” they say.

    To achieve the study objective, vibro-monitor equipment was used to take readings related to noise generated and ground vibrations during all blasting operations that took place in the quarry for a period of one month. As well, a digital camera was used to take photographs of residential structures within villages near the quarry.

    According to the research findings, “Ground vibrations and air blasts which are an integral part of rock blasting are unavoidable. Vibrations resulting from blast operations travel from the source to the receiver both through the ground (ground-borne) and air (airborne). Vibrations travelling at sufficient speed may cause buildings and structures to shake and may even cause structural damage. The intensity of vibration plays a very critical role in all types of adverse effects. It is very important to control and measure the vibration with a great degree of accuracy.

    “When pressures are generated by explosives in a borehole, pressure pulses are produced in the surrounding ground as the wall of the borehole expands and contracts. These pulses quickly produce seismic waves as the strain energy, imparted into the ground, is propagated outwards. Two basic wave types are generated: body waves, which travel through the interior of the ground and surface waves, produced when body waves impinge upon a free surface or its equilibrium is suddenly disturbed. The waves are all characterized by an exponential decrease in particle oscillation amplitude as distance from the energy source increases. There are two kinds of body waves produced when an elastic body deforms during the transmission of seismic energy. The first one is known as the dilational, longitudinal or P-wave and the second is frequently termed the distortional or S-wave. These are surface waves that have a dominant effect in developing ground vibrations.”

     

    Prediction and parameters

    The level of stress produced from wave motion as a result of blasting can cause damage to building structures of nearby residents by causing dynamic stresses that exceed the strength of building material or rock material. So ground vibration effects induced by blasting on building structures and human beings need to be predicted, monitored and controlled.

    The findings show that the average noise of 85.5 dBA and ground vibration level of 1.32 mmls, are still within the permissible limits of the national interim guidelines established in Nigeria by FEPA even though stringent measures had been purportedly developed by LafargeWAPCO to reduce the vibration and noise levels.

    “But if the results of the ground vibration were compared with the guide lines from the US Bureau of Mines, the effects were strongly perceptible to humans (with readings that fell within 0.81 mmls and 2.1 mmls.

    Above all, the results of this study indicate that the effect of ground vibration is still within the limits, tolerated in Nigeria. Also the operation should have little or no effect on nearby buildings since the quarry is about four kilometres from residential areas. However, most buildings in these settlements are full of cracks. One would wonder if the effects of ground vibration could have caused these. Nevertheless, looking through the affected buildings, one would observe that they are constructed with mud and they have no concrete foundations.

    This led to uncontrollable absorption of water during the raining season by these structures.

    Apart from this, some of the structures are old and this may account for their dilapidated state. Above all, one cannot entirely prove that the cracks are the result from the ground vibrations generated in 2005, because before the advent of the current blasting technique in the quarry, former blasting techniques may not have been so environmental friendly, coupled with the nature of these buildings (structures without foundations).

    In a separate assessment of the health and environmental challenges of the cement company’s activities on residents of the host communities in the area, however, another scholarly team, comprising Aribigbola Afolabi, Fatusin Afolabi Francis and Fagbohunka Adejompo of the Department of Geography and Planning Sciences, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, notes that another factor that has contributed to poor environment at Olapeleke is the rising of dust during blasting and haulaging.

    “In this case, the health concerns of the work force come to the fore. Silica exposure is an ancient hazard which has remained a serious threat to many workers, including sand blasters, stone crushers, those involved in drilling, quarrying and tunnelling through the earth crust. Diseases associated with the inhalation of silica-containing dust include silicosis, chronic airways obstruction and bronchitis, tuberculosis and lung cancer.

    Many workers, including those in high-risk settings, are exposed to crystalline silica. Wetting of the site road with water is carried out to reduce only the fugitive dust. Empirical observation reveals that while most of the workers are protected, the residents in the community are exposed to the dust during production process. Out of the 172 people interviewed 34 or 19.7 per cent reported prevalence of asthma, while 19 or 11 per cent reported exposure to heart diseases,” they disclose.

    Besides this, the level of vibration and noise by earthmovers at quarries are supposed to be kept under control at least to fall within the limit allowed by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA). These factors are monitored using vibrogram while keeping the vibration level at less than 50 mm per second and the noise at below 120 dB (decibel).

    Proper stemming of the explosives which are dangerous in themselves, in the dug holes is supposed to be encouraged to avoid surface stemming. Proper and burying of the explosives at the appropriate dept ensures reduced noise and controlled blasting. The empirical investigation by the authors reveals that there has not been substantial compliance with this guideline thereby exposing residents to avoidable inconveniences.

     

    A stitch in time…

    The Ewekoro limestone quarry has since 2005 allegedly activated an effective proper blasting design and firing pattern. Also, some of the ground vibrations were supposedly cut off from propagating further into the surroundings by digging a drainage ditch with a perimeter of 3 m (surely a perimeter of 3 km or a width of 3 m) round the quarry face as blasting progresses. This allegedly serves as a discontinuity to the Primary-Secondary-Relay (P-S-R) waves that generate from seismic action. And since air blasts are always considerably easier to control than ground vibrations, once air blast levels are under control, attempts should be made to reduce the vibration amplitude, according to the researchers.

    The separate studies thus recommend that the company must sustain the current blasting precautions and at the same time, the following recommendations could be adopted to maintain higher standards, according to the researchers: “For ground vibration control, the following should be married along with their ongoing practices if found missing: minimise the charge per delay of explosives, exercise strict control over the spacing and orientation of all blast drill holes, minimise the degree of confinement by increasing the free face and use a minimum of practicable sub-drilling. For noise control, use hole-spacing and burden which will ensure that the explosive force is just sufficient to break the ore to the required size and eliminate the exposed detonating cord and secondary blasting.”

    They recommend that there is the need for the government to intensify effort in the implementation of environmental impact assessment of cement industries now and in the future considering the nature of its impact on all the facets of human life. They also recommend that the excavated area should be properly filled to forestall the contamination of groundwater, surface water and aquatic lives, the original state of the excavated area should be attained.

    Moreover, since a large volume of vehicles would be attracted to the cement factory and mining site resulting in soil surface compaction, there is need to develop appropriate highways widened to reduce hazards on the environment. The government the industry and the community should be encouraged to be partners in progress. They can jointly be involved in monitoring environmental resources depletion, especially the compliance level of the plant to minimum standards for sustainable and pollution free society,  advise the scholars.

    But that is on the long run, on the short run, residents of Olapeleke would like the cement factory to take urgent steps to rebuild all of the homes that had been destroyed in their community due to its limestone quarrying in the area.

    “Or let them just relocate us like they are planning to relocate the residents of Oke-Oko community. After exhausting all the good that we have been blessed with here (in Olapeleke), they (LafargeWAPCO) suddenly decided to abandon us and move on to more profitable sites. You say some argue that our houses collapse easily because many of them were built with mud; why didn’t they collapse before LafargeWAPCO arrived to destroy our land in search of limestone? We were living in peace and prosperity before LafargeWAPCO arrived. We deserve to be compensated for the devastation that has been wrought on us,” says Baale Akinremi.

    But despite Baale Akinremi’s heartfelt plea to the management of  LafargeWAPCO to come to his community’s aid,  Pa Ibigbami considers his plea a futile enterprise. “With all that we have done in the recent past, I no longer have any hope that help or succour will come our way from anywhere – be it from the government or LafargeWAPCO. I just don’t think there is any hope for us. There is no hope for us anymore,” he says with certainty and regret that grows from dealing with the same old grief for too many years. And that is the real tragedy of Olapeleke.

  • Harvest of songs

    It was a carnival-like outing at The United African Methodist (Evangelical), Abule-Ijesha, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, last Sunday. It was the church’s yearly Harvest of Songs. Assistant Editor DADA ALADELOKUN was there.

    Everything about the service was unique. The Chairman of the occassion, Elder Oluwatoyin Oyewoga, was at home directing things. The choir and the select guests added colour to the ceremony.

    Ushers worked hard, arranging the posh automobiles that flooded the premises of the worship centre. So, it was for some of its elders – Gen Oladipo Diya (rtd), Senator Anthony Adefuye and Dr Funke Adebajo.

    The choir took the centre stage with soul-lifting songs and irresistible drumbeats. Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, the Grand Golden Father of the Day, and Gen Diya joined in the dancing spree, spraying naira notes to the admiration of all.

    Oyewoga, in his brief speech, told the gathering: “Praise song is the master key for unlocking heavenly blessings. We must always praise God in all situations.”

    The Minister-in-Charge, The Very Reverend Oladipo Timothy, later mounted the pulpit to deliver a soul-searching sermon, which echoed Oyewoga’s view.

    “God, Revd Timothy said, inhabits the praises of His people. This gathering is to praise God for what He has done for the church in the year.”

    He assured Nigerians that God would turn the country around and make its multi-faceted infirmities things of the past “only if we praise Him and believe in Him.”

    Diya’s wives – Josephine and Folasade – also devoted elders of the church, were there early enough to be counted.

    On the event, Diya said: “This is a special day for us in this church because it is what we do whenever the Yuletide draws near. The essence is to thank God for being ever faithful to us and the church as a whole.”

    One after the other, all the guests gleefully stepped out to laud the programme and make handsome donations into the church’s Building and Development Fund.

    The event was rounded off with fervent prayers by Revd Timothy. The guests were treated to swell refreshments. It was a moment for all to exchange views on sundry issues and cement friendships.

    Among the guests were former Minister of Transport Chief Ebenezer Babatope; former Military Governor, Ogun State, Commodore Kayode Olofinmoyin; former Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly, Chief Titi Oseni; Evangelist Josephine Diete-Spiff, wife of the first Military Governor of the old Rivers State; Oba Joseph Adewole, the Owa Ajero of Ijero Kingdom; Oba Adedeji Onagoruwa, Alaye of Odogbolu Kingdom and Oba Fatai Irawo-Ogunsi 1 of Odiolowo Kingdon, Lagos.

  • PROJECT FAME: Nomination Show 5 continues with classic duets and cover songs

    PROJECT FAME: Nomination Show 5 continues with classic duets and cover songs

    THE 10 remaining contestants, after the exit of Nancy and Johnny last week, have continued to impress the public for votes, taking the contest to another level by doing cover songs and beautiful classics that have rocked the airwaves over time.

    Omolayo started off with the cover of some of the world’s greatest hits, singing ‘I Wish’ by Lighthouse Family. Margaret performed ‘Nothing Compares to You’ by Third Day, Roland did ‘Gotham City’ by R. Kelly, Blessing performed ‘Superwoman’ by Karyn White, David sang ‘Let’s Stay Together’ by El Green, Niniola performed ‘You Still The One’ by Shania Twain, Jimoh did ‘I Swear’ by All For One, Immaculate performed ‘If I Aint Got You’ by Alicia Keys, Simon did ‘Please Forgive Me’ by Brian Adams, while Olawale performed ‘Beautiful’ by Asa.

    And just to take the entertainment to another level, the contestants also went on an adventure of classic duets, with Immaculate and Jimoh kicking off the session with ‘I’m Your Angel’ by Celine Dion and R.Kelly, even as David and Margaret performed ‘Beneath You’re Beautiful’ by Labrinth and Emeli Sande. Olawale and Niniola also thrilled the crowd, singing ‘Street Corner’ by Ashford, while Blessing and Simon serenaded all with ‘Endless Love’ by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. And from Roland and Omolayo, who rounded off the session, was ‘I’ll Take You There’ by Bebe and Cece.

    Despite the beautiful renditions, the judges put all 10 contestants on probation, heightening the need by their fans to keep them going through public votes. Voters from Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone are expected to text their favourite contestants’ unique numbers to 306, while voters from Ghana are expected to text their favourite contestants’ unique numbers to 1745.

  • Madiba in books, films and songs

    Madiba in books, films and songs

    He lies almost helpless in a South African hospital on his 95th birthday. But the life of Nelson Mandela remains an inspiration for film makers, musicians and authors. Long walk to freedom and Winnie are two films set to join the long list of creative works inspired by the ailing leader, writes Olukorede Yishau

    Now, now, now, Margaret Thatcher, ye, ye, ye, free Mandela,” was a song from the fading reggae star Majek Fashek. He released the single, “Free Mandela”, in 1992. His was one of the several albums waxed about Nelson Mandela in his years in jail.

    Aside Majek, Nigerian music stars such as King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal also sang about the Madiba and his travails.

    Non-African artists also were part of the fray. One of the most popular was from The Special who recorded the song “Free Nelson Mandela” in 1983. Stevie Wonder dedicated his 1985 Oscar for the song “I Just Called to Say I Love You” to Mandela, resulting in his music being banned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). In 1985, Youssou N’Dour’s album Nelson Mandela was the Senegalese artist’s first United States release.

    In 1988, the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at London’s Wembley Stadium was a focal point of the anti-apartheid movement, with many musicians voicing their support for Mandela. Simple Minds wrote and performed the song “Mandela Day” for the concert. The song was on their next album, which was released six months later.

    Also, Santana recorded the instrumental “Mandela”, Tracy Chapman performed “Freedom Now” on her album Crossroads, Salif Keita from Mali, in 1995, recorded the song “Mandela” on his album Folon and Whitney Houston performed and dedicated the gospel song “He I Believe”.

    His countrymen were not left out. Hugh Masekela, in exile in the UK, sang “Bring Him Back Home Nelson Mandela” in 1987. Brenda Fassie’s 1989 song “Black President”, was hugely popular even though it was banned in South Africa. Also, Johnny Clegg’s album Third World Child in 1987 contained the song “We Have Not Seen Him”.

    In 1990, Hong Kong rock band Beyond released a popular Cantonese song, “Days of Glory”. It featured featured lyrics referring to Mandela’s heroic struggle for racial equality. The group Ladysmith Black Mambazo accompanied Mandela to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, Norway in 1993, and performed for his inauguration in 1994.

    Raffi’s song “Turn This World Around” is based on a speech given by Mandela where he explained the world needs to be “turned around, for the children”. A summary of his life was part of the 2006 music video “If Everyone Cared” by Nickelback. Singer-songwriter Ampie du Preez and cricketer AB de Villiers wrote a song called “Madibaland” in honour of Mandela. It featured as the 4th and 14th tracks on their album, “Maak Jou Drome Waar”.

    Books, such as autobiography ‘Long Walk to Freedom’, published in 1994, ‘Mandela: The Authorised Biography’ and ‘Goodbye Bafana’, also told the story of Madiba’s life.

    His story was also told in films and television series. They include: the 1997 film Mandela and de Klerk, Goodbye Bafana and Invictus.

    Any moment from now Long walk to freedom and Winnie will also join the list of films inspired by his life.

  • Song’s return to Barca delayed

    Song’s return to Barca delayed

    Barcelona’s Alex Song was only expected to return to training on Thursday after experiencing a delay in Cameroon.

    According to a report on AS, the midfielder was expected to rejoin the squad on Wednesday after representing his country during an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

    However, the former Arsenal player was forced to remain in his country after his passport went missing.

    The delay was confirmed by the club’s official website, who stated that the player had to resolve “bureaucratic problems”.

    Senior and Under-21 Spanish internationals all returned to training on Wednesday afternoon, together with Brazilian international.

    Song, Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez and the Argentine duo of Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano were expected to report for training on Thursday afternoon to start preparations for Saturday’s La Liga clash against Deportivo La Coruna.