The Nation Newspaper

Tag: strange

  • Strange and sycophantic

    Whose idea was it? The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), made up of All Progressives Congress (APC) governors, presented an award to President Muhammadu Buhari on May 10 at the Presidential Villa.  The theme of the event: “Moving Nigeria’s Democracy to the Next Level.”

    If the event was planned to further celebrate Buhari’s re-election for another four-year term, the organisers were overenthusiastic. It wasn’t surprising that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which had disputed Buhari’s electoral victory, and is in court over the issue, came down on the ruling party.

    The opposition party’s reaction dampened the APC’s celebration. A statement by the PDP’s spokesman described the award as “image laundering,” adding that the Buhari administration had failed to find a solution to ”the killings and kidnappings in Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna, Katsina and other states of the federation.”

    It is true that insecurity still poses a major threat to Nigeria. Indeed, the Federal Government needs to tackle the security crisis with a sense of urgency. The celebrators should have been guided by this reality. Giving an award to the Commander-in-chief when the war has not been won is strange and sycophantic.

    Obviously, it isn’t enough to declare that the country is fighting corruption and tackling insecurity when the results of the efforts are insignificant. The country’s corruption crisis and security crisis are of epic proportions. Solutions are needed, not a sycophantic celebration.

    It is interesting that PGF Chairman and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha presented the award to Buhari.   Three days earlier, Okorocha had lamented to journalists in Abuja:  ”The evil I feared in the PDP has befallen me 10 times in the APC. Last week, I wrote a letter to INEC for the first time informing them of their wrongdoings and illegal actions to withhold my certificate on mere allegation of duress which was never founded, neither was there any committee set up to investigate the matter.”

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had refused to give Okorocha a certificate of return validating his victory in the February 23 senatorial election, following an allegation by the Returning Officer, Prof Francis Ibeawuchi, that he had announced the outgoing governor as winner under duress. Okorocha, who has taken the matter to court, was quoted as saying he did not want to bother President Buhari by asking for his intervention.

    The Buhari award event organised by the PGF under Okorocha made those involved look small.

  • Strange deaths cause fear in Abia community

    The death of Mrs. Emereole, a retired headteacher, and a yet-to-be-identified woman, at Umuala Nsulu village in Isiala Ngwa North Area of Abia State, is causing ripples in the community.

    The deceased are co-tenants, it was gathered.

    According to a source, Mrs. Emereole’s mutilated body was found in her room; her neighbour’s at the backyard.

    “We didn’t know what happened until members of her church (Faith Tabernacle) raised the alarm. They came to visit her since she was absent in church.

    “After knocking without getting response, they were forced to break the door. They saw her body in a pool of blood.

    “They went round to see if her neighbour was aware of what happened. They also saw her dead body in a plantain farm at the backyard,” the source said.

    He added that residents now live in fear, as more people have gone missing without trace.

    They called on the Commissioner of Police, Anthony Ogbizi, and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, to intervene.

    The matter, first reported at the Isiala Ngwa North police station, has been transferred to Umuahia, the capital, for further investigation.

    Efforts to reach police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna were unsuccessful.

  • Strange Occurrences, Curious Questions

    I have two important questions to ask on two events that happened concerning Taraba State during the week. One is on the visit to Taraba State by Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazau and the other, on the controversial front page editorial comment of Daily Trust newspaper of Monday July 3. Both of them aroused a lot of curiosity during the week. But first, let’s honour the two illustrious sons of the state, Danbaba Suntai, former governor, and Sylvanus Yakubu Giwa, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media and Publicity, who died.

    Giwa was buried on Saturday, July 1, in Takum, his home town. It was a befitting funeral ceremony attended by Governor Darius Dickson Ishaku, his wife, Anna and virtually all members of the State Executive Council and many political stalwarts from across the state.

    Giwa’s professional colleagues from various parts of the country were also there to honour him. In a speech at the burial church service in Takum, Governor Ishaku described Giwa as very hard working and somebody who was always eager to learn from his mistakes on the job when pointed out to him. He urged the family accept Giwa’s untimely passage with fortitude and asked Tarabans to pray for the repose of the souls of the two eminent personalities. Burial arrangements for Suntai has already commenced in earnest. A burial committee is working with his family to ensure a successful state burial promised by the government.

    In the midst of all these, Governor Ishaku found time to attend to other matters that are of paramount interest to the state. On Friday June 30, Governor Ishaku received in audience a Federal Government delegation led by General Abdulrahman Danbazau, minister of Interior, which came into the state in connection with the recent communal crisis in Mambilla, in Sardauna Local Government Area of the state.

    The minister’s visit was a big question mark on the sincerity and impartiality of the Dambazau’s Ministry of Interior. Why, for example, did similar crisis in the state and elsewhere in which the Fulani attackers had the upper hand against their targeted communities not attract such visitation from Dambazau? Why this one?

    Governor Ishaku, in his remarks said the events in Mambilla were unfortunate but noted with happiness that the crisis had been contained and that government’s efforts to sustain peace achieved there had been successful. “I’m happy that Mambilla is now calm. What remains is the healing process which has already started”, Ishaku said. He said there had been eight of similar communal crisis in two years but none attracted similar federal delegation and intervention

    on how similar crisis could be aaverted in future. He expressed happiness at the coming of the minister to the state in connection

    with the crisis and advised Nigerian leaders to endeavour to live up to the expectations of the people. He noted that the situation in

    which all money at the disposal of the state government is drained by the control of crises was unacceptable and urged the people to embrace peace.

    Ishaku called for extra effort on the part of leaders to achieve unity through national integration. He said the quest for national unity was part of the reason the National Youth Service Corps was introduced and suggested the extension of corps members’ service period from one to two years with the introduction of participants to military training.

    On Monday July 3, an important milestone was reached in the state with the flag-off of the Save One Million Lives Project. The project is in furtherance of the state government’s determination to extend healthcare services to a lot more people. The flag-off featured the distribution of medical equipment and consumables and drugs to primary healthcare institutions in the state. It is the first time in the history of the state that such items were procured on such a large scale and distributed. The items included assorted drugs, mosquito nets, delivery kits, cool boxes, generators, solar refrigerators, Android Phones, Hilux 4WD vehicles, motorcycles, tricycles and more.

    Speaking at the event, Governor Ishaku said the achievement recorded so far by his administration in two years have left nobody in doubt that the health sector occupies a prominent place on his rescue agenda and this will remain so. “I wish to reiterate here that so long as I remain the captain of the rescue mission in the state, health remains on the priority list and will continue to enjoy priority attention because without good health life becomes meaningless for the people.”

    The Governor later handed out the items to officers representing various health institutions in the state. Dr Innocent Vakkai, Commissioner for Health praised Governor Ishaku for his passion for the health sector in the state which has translated into regular and massive support for projects in the sector. “Our Governor is passionate about the health and well being of the people. This has manifested in the series of flag-offs including the renovation of hospitals, supply of drugs, recruitment of health officers and many of the  other requirements of the sector,” he said.

    During the week also, Government House reacted to the front page editorial comment of Daily Trust newspaper of Monday July 3, 2017 which sought to portray the recent communal crisis in Mambilla as a case of genocide and ethnic cleansing. In the editorial, titled “Genocide in Mambilla”, the paper took a biased position in favour of the Fulani side of the crisis by using inflated casualty figures provided by the Fulani leaders in the crisis as basis for its analysis and conclusions.  A Government House press statement issued on Tuesday rejected what it described as the” deliberate and callous attempt by unpatriotic elements to tag the Mambilla crisis as genocide” noting emphatically that “the recorded casualty figures of 18 human lives as announced by the police and other security agencies that brought the fighting to an end obviously do not support that evil name-tag.”

    The government urged Nigerians to ignore the biased and misleading position canvassed in the editorial and wondered why Daily Trust failed to label as genocide and ethnic cleansing the massacre by Fulani of the people in Southern Kaduna a few months ago. “The newspaper’s curious silence and failure to label the massacre a few months ago of indigenes of Southern Kaduna by the Fulani as a case of genocide and ethnic cleansing has apparently exposed the partisan direction of Daily Trust’s editorial standpoint on issues in which the interest of its pay masters are involved.” an obvious case of genocide perpetrated against the people of Southern Kaduna

  • El-Rufai’s strange gesture

    SIR: The myriad concerned citizens who have painfully followed the bloody events staged on the theatre of mindless slaughter that Kaduna State has steadily become over the years were hit with another sucker punch when the governor, Nasir Ahmad El – Rufai declared that he paid Fulani herdsmen money to stop their attacks on long-suffering indigenes of Kaduna state, especially the Christian-dominated area of southern Kaduna.

    To put it in proper perspective, the orgy of bloodletting which has convulsed Kaduna State for years now did not start with El Rufai. Years of bloody internecine crises between the predominantly Christian southern Kaduna area and the predominantly Muslim central and northern parts of the state have reduced one of   Nigeria‘s most iconic states to a valley flowing with blood. When the Islamic Movement of Nigeria blindly charged into a confrontation with men of the Nigerian Army obviously lacking in professional restraint and were mercilessly massacred in Zaria, Kaduna State added another trophy to its bulging cabinet of mindless slaughter.

    It was against this background that the recent revelation by El Rufai that he had ladled out undisclosed sums of money to criminal Fulani herdsmen to placate them and staunch their killings has drawn more than a little flak from Nigerians. From whence then, it must be asked, did El Rufai draw his‘ ingenious’ precedent of placating killer-Fulani herdsmen with money which seems in short supply in the Nigeria of today?

    The precedents are not far-flung. As Nigeria has struggled to grow into a stable democratic country after years of insidious and nauseating military incursions, it has had to grapple with discontent from different regions of the country by elements who protesting what they mostly arbitrarily pronounce ‘marginalisation’, pounce on the Nigerian state in order to force their voices into the national consciousness.

    Apart from the mindless carnage by the nauseating terrorist group, Boko Haram, the rampaging killings by criminal Fulani herdsmen simply takes the biscuit. From Agatu   in Benue State to Nibo in Enugu State and Southern Kaduna in Kaduna State, there is hardly any state in Nigeria that has not felt the blood-curdling crimes of these criminals posing as rearers of cattle. Many innocent citizens have been slaughtered and communities have been razed. The federal government‘s response to these chilling crimes has been anaemic at best. Controversial grazing reserves have been proposed but many have warned that it is destined to generate even more controversies. Probably, it was against this backdrop of administrative and security inertia that   El Rufai took the unprecedented step of   paying money to killers to placate them into stopping their killings. It is a shot in the dark which has no prayer and wish of halting the blood thirst of the menacing killers. It has also betrayed the fact that governments at all levels are at sea as to how to curb a security nightmare that is imprinted with ethnic and religious considerations.

    In a country that is richly imprinting into its historical archives a confounding eagerness to reward and placate those who have committed violent crimes against innocent Nigerians instead of summoning them to account, every passing day projects grotesquely, the failures of state institutions to act independently and patriotically. While the circus continues and scant Nigerian money is doled out to criminals who in saner and more serious climes should be cooling their heels in jail, ordinary Nigerians should watch and note with their hearts those who put them up for sale while professing they are putting them on the world map for surely the day of reckoning will break.

     

    • Kenechukwu Obiezu Esq,

    Abuja.

  • Strange illness hits Lagos, kills 20 kids

    Strange illness hits Lagos, kills 20 kids

    • 34 cases under examination
    • We’ll fight outbreak, says health Commissioner

    An outbreak  febrile rash illnesses (FRI)  has been recorded in Otodo Gbame community in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State,leaving at least 20 kids dead.

    Thirty-four  other cases are currently under examination, Health Commissioner Jide Idris announced  yesterday.

    The outbreak was first identified  by the Medical Officer of Health of the LGA on the 9th February, he said.

    The victims  are said to be within the age range of  eight and 72 months.

    Dr  Idris said his ministry has  already notified the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the situation.

    It has also  constituted a team of Epidemiologists to investigate the outbreak and institute appropriate measures to prevent further spread of the disease.

    But he said  although the disease causing the outbreak is yet to be confirmed, “the signs and symptoms are suggestive of Febrile Rash Illnesses.”

    He added: “Blood samples (and throat swabs) from the patients and water samples from the community have been taken to the Virology Reference Laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Lagos State Drug Quality Control Laboratory (DQCL), LASUTH, Ikeja respectively. The source of the infection is still under investigation.”

    Otodo Gbame community, according to Idris is  an expansive, sandy riverine, flood prone and camp-lie settlements with an estimated population of 100,000 people.

    “The people are mainly Egun, however there are other tribes in the minority. The community is a slum with waste deposited at different spots. There are many scattered shallow wells in the community. The water from the wells is found to be used mostly for bathing, washing and cooking. Majority of the citizen claimed it is not used for drinking but a few said they sometimes drink from the well. The community head Chief Hunpe Dansu confirmed the outbreak of the Febrile Rash illnesses.”

    The government is said  to be  intensifying efforts to conduct mapping of all slums and blighted areas in the state towards reducing the health hazards associated with such areas.

    He enjoined the people to join hands with the government in the identification of slums and in ensuring environmental sanitation at all times. And members of the public and health workers are to report any strange illness to the nearest health facility or call the following lines- 08037170614, 08055281442 and 08023169485.

  • It’s strange but corpses actually talk to us

    It’s strange but corpses actually talk to us

    Taiwo Ogunsola and Sons (TOS) Funerals is a family business, established in 2003 to provide affordable funeral services. Its Managing Director, Mrs Taiwo Ogunsola, was the one who handled the bodies of the late Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Agagu, and those of the January 25, 2002 Ikeja Cantonment blast victims recovered from Oke-Afa canal. She received an award from the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Associciation Inc, South Africa, for handling bodies recovered from the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) building collapse last year. She tells OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA some of the problems of the profession.

    What does your work entail?

    I do embalm and resuscitate. I also do a lot of restoration. On a daily basis, I try as much as possible to embalm at least one case a day.

    What do you mean by embalmment and resuscitation?

    Embalmment means trying to preserve the body from decomposing very fast. We change the left over b)lood in the system. Then, we use a chemical to preserve the corpses, to let them look like they are still alive. Resuscitation means the reconstruction of the body to resuscitate it to how it was. It is hard work but it can be achieved.

    How long is the embalmment process?

    It is 45 minutes with the machine.

    Do the relatives of the body decide how you embalm?

    Yes, they do. When I was in the United Kingdom (UK), I found out that they do dry embalmment in Nigeria for up to two weeks. I cannot understand that. What we do is arterial embalmment. We embalm through the arteries and we do aspirate. We remove the left over fluids and replace them with chemical which fixes the abdominal organ. The body can be kept outside for up to one year. Most people are fixing the surface and not really the inner part.

    What drives your passion in this sector?

    I would say God. I was actually inspired by God through a dream in 1997. It is a call for me.

    What is the link between the abbreviation, TOS, and your profession?

    The name is Taiwo Ogunsola and Sons Funeral Home. TOS is just for easy pronounciation.

    How come your services are run mostly from government-owned facilities?

    When I came to Nigeria, I met with the state government to discuss how we can manage the mortuary in terms of employing and engaging professionals. Unfortunately, they could not understand what I mean by that, because they have never employed a professional. I had my professional certificate from the UK and another one as a certified funeral practitioner from United States (US). I came in during the bomb blast of Ikeja Cantonment of 2002, which led many people to drown inside the Oke-Afa canal. Many bodies were fished out of the canal at Oke-Afa in Oshodi-Isolo Local Government Area of the state. And that was when I did my first trial job for Lagos State. They engaged  public-private partnership (PPP).  The state government was impressed with the outcome of the job done and later, I was called to come on board. I have my private outfit as well.

    We were the first to do PPP with the government. Honestly, I would still give it to Dr. Lekan Pitan and Dr. Jide Idris because they really gave us the chance to prove our worth. We have been trying, it is not too bad but it could be stressful.

    Is your trade financially rewarding?

    Mortuary business is a long-term capital-intensive business. It is not as if you start today and start getting money from it. You must have a lot of passion, perseverance and patience. The money would come but not so fast. I stress that it is a capital-intensive business.

    Why is it that you are the one running the business and not employed staff? What is responsible for that?

    It is a family business because all over the world, funeral business is often generational. It is a call for me. My children are the second generation; they are all working with me and we are trying to put the third generation in place. But that does not mean we don’t employ hands as staff. But it remains a family business.

    What is your relationship with other people in the profession? Do they see you as a rival, rather than partner?

    I am tired. When I came into the country, I thought we were going to have a very cordial relationship. But I noticed people take it as a do-or-die affair in Nigeria. And most of them are over night pack your bag morticians.

    What do you mean by ‘pack your bag’ morticians?

    I do not think they know anything. Maybe they work inside the mortuaries as attendants; they then consider themselves as morticians. Mortuary attendants do not fall into being morticians. Let me explain this; unless you work for a funeral home, or unless you have an obsession about death and dying practices, you may wonder if there is a difference between a funeral director and a mortician or a mortician and an undertaker. For all intents and purposes today, there is no difference  especially if the funeral home is a small family operation. But, in larger funeral home operations, you might see a slight difference in what each job traditionally entails. The ‘Undertaker’ is a traditional European term that describes the person who would transport the body, prepare it for burial and interact with the survivors on funeral preparations. When the colonies were formed in the New World and burial services were needed, often church and family members would take over the job of the undertaker.

    During the Civil War, when embalming practices became popular among the growing funeral profession, the title of the person handling the affairs became the “Mortician” over the last decades of the 19th century.

    Can you differentiate between morticians and funeral practitioners?

    Morticians are people that work in the mortuary. You might actually train to be a mortician. Scientists go to school to study sciences. It is a bit hard to differentiate, but to me, we are all morticians. Being a funeral practitioner, you can do everything from arranging the funeral to attending the funerals. You sell the casket as a funeral director and you attend the funeral. On a larger scale, I will say the roles of a mortician and an embalmer are different. A mortician is a person who arranges for the final disposition of the body. An embalmer is someone who has been trained in the art and science of embalming and may not have any contact with the family, although many people fill both roles. Embalming training commonly involves a formal study in anatomy, thanatology, chemistry and specific embalming theory, to widely varying levels depending on the region of the world one lives in, combined with practical instruction in a mortuary with a resultant formal qualification granted after the passing of a final practical examination and acceptance into a recognised society of professional embalmer, while the funeral director arranges the details and handles the logistics of funerals.

    They interview the family to learn their wishes about the funeral, the clergy or other people who will officiate, and the final disposition of the remains. Sometimes, the deceased leaves detailed instructions for his or her own funeral. Together with the family, funeral directors establish the location, dates, and times of wakes, memorial services, and burials. They arrange for a hearse to carry the body to the funeral home or mortuary. They also comfort the family and friends of the deceased. Funeral directors prepare obituary notices and have them placed in newspapers, arrange for pallbearers and clergy, schedule the opening and closing of a grave with a representative of the cemetery, decorate and prepare the sites of all services, and provide transportation for the deceased, mourners, and flowers between sites. They also direct preparation and shipment of the body for out-of-state burial.

    Can you share your experience during the plane crash involving the late former Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Agagu, and what transpired between you and others in your profession?

    The crashed plane belonged to Associated Airlines. A plane carrying about 20 people and the body of former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Agagu, that crashed shortly after take-off from the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos. The chartered Embraer 120 marked 5NBJY, belonged to Associated Airlines Limited, was heading for Akure, the Ondo State capital, for the final leg of the funeral rites for the ex-governor. Agagu died in Lagos on September 13. A lot of undercurrent took place but let us respect the dead, the living and colleagues. But the truth is that I have not been lucky with colleagues in Nigeria. It pains me from my bone marrow. We can actually work together. They believe I want to snatch their business because I met them in the business. They see me as a black sheep in this industry. So, I have decided to remain solo, keep to myself, and do my business. It gladdens my heart to tell you that I am  the district governor of morticians and funeral directors in Nigeria. I cannot even work because my colleagues do not want to join the train. My ascending the position was inaugurated in South Africa. I wish I could work with the support of my colleagues, especially the Lagos-based ones. Some people are encouraging me and they are from Ibadan. I am licensed but most of them in Lagos are not.

    Who licensed you?

    I am a professional. I have my licence from the UK. In Nigeria, we do not have a regulating body. I want a regulatory body but it has been difficult. The Health Ministry handles the regulation but they do not have a professional who is a mortuary scientist or a licensed mortician to help them set the standards. Being the District Governor now, I have been trying to call in people together by organising seminars, conferences to let them know what we are losing by not coming together.

    What is your experience like working on the bodies recovered from the Synagogue of All Nations (SOAN) church building collapse?

    When I was called upon to work on Associated Airline and I saw Tunji, it was the saddest day for me on this job. He was a nice and honest man but died for what he loved doing. However, during the South Africa mishap at the Synagogue, we got the bodies in bad forms. So, we had to try our best to present the bodies to them (South Africa government). I got an Excellence Award some weeks ago from the effort. My job was really appreciated. It was so stressful, but thank God we came out victorious.

    Do bodies talk to you?

    I would say strange but true. There are signs I notice that motivate me to do the work. I tailor my embalment to the needs of the bodies on my table. Because the body will actually tell me what he or she needs. If they died with typhoid, you cannot embalm someone that died of typhoid with someone that died of motor accident. They are two different types of embalment and that is why TOS Funeral is different from others. This aspect of talking is strange but true.

    In that case, have you come across some bodies that told you who killed them and how you can help them track the killers?

    No. It is not like that. It is something better experienced than told. They do not talk like I want to eat or drink. But will indicate how they want to be handled etc. It is strange but true. They do not talk of their killers. I do not know of such. It is a bloody lie that a mortician can track killers through dialogue with a body. We are not Necromancers. We are professionals. If someone (a body) comes to my table, there must be an autopsy. So, it isthrough the autopsy that they would know the cause of the person’s death. Tracking killers is not one of our strange but true stories.

    What are your disappointments?

    Let me just say it could be better. If I go on, I would not stop because I could step on toes. TOS would be everywhere because one cannot stop learning. I do courses at least twice or thrice a year. I need my continued education unit to stay on the register as a licensed person. If not for my age I can pack my bag and go back. But if I am not on date on the register, I would not be able to work. I have to update myself professionally. We have only five mortuary scientists in Nigeria. Four licensed from the UK and one from the US. Two of these five are from TOS.

    What is your suggestion to the Federal Government concerning your profession in this clime of change?

    I am trying to organise educational session in Nigeria. We would embark on this as soon as we are ready for them in Nigeria. I am going to have my first board meeting with them in the US in August. I want to thank the National Association of Funeral Directors and Morticians from South Africa for appreciating what we did during the church building collapse. Also, I thank the funeral directors from the US for appreciating me and making me the first governor of District 11. I also thank the Lagos State government for giving us the opportunity to serve them.

    All these are indicators that TOS knows and sets standards. TOS Funerals is a recognised member of both the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association (NFDMA), and the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) in the United States. As such, our practices are bound by the regulations of these professional associations. Furthermore, as the MD/CEO of TOS Funerals, I am a recognised member of the 100 Black Women of Funeral Service in the United States. We hypodermic the body, both the organ and the tissue. Embalment means trying to preserve the body from decomposing very fast.

  • Strange ‘benefactor’ abducts 23-yr-old female job seeker

    The desperation of a  23-year-old lady for a job  has turned  sour  after  going missing  while attending a supposed  employment interview at Apapa ,Lagos.

    Relations of  Miss Precious Kessington Omorodion believe she may have been  abducted by a stranger who had offered to assist her get a job at the manufacturing company where he claimed to be working.

    She has not been seen since March when she said she was going to keep the  interview  appointment.

    Her  twin sister , Constance Kessington Omorodion, fears  Precious  may  have fallen victim of a diabolical plan by the suspect.

    Speaking to  The Nation, Constance said: “Sometime  in March, she told me of how a man called Mayowa had asked her out and she turned down his request for a relationship. She said she told the man that getting a job was her priority and not dating. Mayowa later promised to get her a job and asked her to forward her Curriculum Vitae (CV) to him.

    “A few days later, she instructed me on the telephone to take her CV to Mayowa at Meiran Bus Stop on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway. I did not know that the man was nursing an evil plan.”

    However, Precious while returning from a visit to one of their relations in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, called Constance on the phone to say that  “Mayowa asked her to attend an employment interview with an Apapa-based manufacturing outfit where he works.”

    Three days later, Precious  called her twin sister  informing her that she would be returning home on Thursday, April 9, 2015.

    Constance said:“On the day she promised to return, she informed me that she had reached Berger Bus Stop along Lagos-Ibadan expressway. A few minutes later, she sent me a message on Whatsapp that she was at the  Toll Gate, Ota, Ogun State. She  later sent me another text message saying that she was on her way to Spain. From then, she was no longer reachable as her three phone numbers were switched off.”

    She  said all efforts to trace her  whereabouts have proved abortive.

    “I fear she might have been kidnapped by Mayowa and I have since reported the matter at the  Meiran Police Station from where I was referred to the Lagos Police Command, Ikeja.

    For now, there is no clue yet on her whereabouts from the Lagos police headquarters and our family is really disturbed about her disappearance without trace.

    “Our cousin, who she visited at Ilishan-Remo, said she overheard my sister asking Mayowa on phone to pick her up at Berger bus stop.

    “My sister used to work in a Lagos-based insurance firm, but the remuneration was nothing to write home about.  She earned a National Diploma in Accounting from the Lagos State Polytechnic in 2012. She was desperately looking for a good job and that is the reason she must have fallen victim to a stranger who promised to get her a good job.”

    Those who may have information about Precious’ whereabouts  can reach her sister, Constance on 08130264421.

  • FirstBank: Walking on a strange terrain

    FirstBank: Walking on a strange terrain

    Firstbank, a conservative bank, is sponsoring a television campaign, B430 TV series, which addresses the challenges of under 30 women. Analysts say this is novel for an old generation bank. But the bank says as a social cause, the deal is worth its salt, especially as it is within its corporate social responsibility and sustainability, writes ADEDEJI ADEMIGBUJI.

    The television series, B430 (before 30), sponsored by Firstbank, is unique in many ways. It is the first time the conservative bank is  walking on such a terrain.

    The series is centered on four young women – Damilola Adegbite, Beverly Naya, Meg Otanwa, Anee Icha – who live in Lagos.

    To meet social expectation – marriage – the women are under pressure to get married before hitting age 30.

    Though they have good careers, their marital status is giving them headache.

    Each of them either have one complicated relationship or the other. Sometimes, over a bottle of wine, they discussed and mocked each other.

    At a premiere of the series at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victorial Island, Lagos, where the story is also set, the trailer reveals through the lead character Adegbite starring as Temi Coker, 27, a lawyer with voice over. Naya, a consultant but single, who stars as Nkem, plays the sexy career woman who believes men are playthings.

    Otanwa, 28, an house wife, who plays Aisha, is the conflicted northern housewife, married to a billionaire. Icha, 25, a banker who plays Ama, is the sweet and cheerful friend and the youngest in the group.

    The series, produced by Nemsia, a full service marketing, design and content production house, is set against the background of social stigma single ladies who are through with school.

    Against the backdrop of the members of the society who see marriage as important, the pressure faced by single women under 30, could be traumatic, especially when their kiths and kins are getting married.

    At family weddings, as reflected in B430, they face various questions  on their status from family members, such as: “Please, do quick, we are waiting for your invite.”

    But, such expectation put pressures on the women to become desperate and this, in turn, makes most men to fall ‘prey’ for such women. “Men always want to stay away from desperate ladies,” says a social analyst.

    With everyone shying away from starting the conversation of single women who are under 30, getting a sponsorship for the campaign was a hard nut to crack for the producers.

    According to the Director of the series, Omorinsojo Akinnola, these challenges no one wants to talk about despite the problems faced by the victims.

    “No one wants to talk about it, but its real. We have to start the conversation.  As a result, she said so many companies did not want to sponsor the series because of the sensitive nature of the conversation,” she said.

    Analysts said endorsing such story could mean that brands are also stigmatising single women. But the way the story is told might have endeared the campaign to some of the sponsors who took the tough decision to accept the B430 deal.

    “Firstbank, for believing in us and taking a risk backing a show of this nature deserves great appreciation. Visionaries, such as Mrs Ani Mumuney fighting to give young firms like us a chance, not just in film making but in the marketing field, have kept the lights on at Nemsia over the last few years while we worked on making before 30. Airtel for bending over backwards to accommodate our requests within an impossible time frame. Federal Palace Hotel for being the very first brand to see our vision and providing this beautiful canvas for us to express it,”  Akinnola said.

    As strange as it sounds to a brand analyst that a conservative bank,  such as FirstBank, is endorsing such a campaign because of its sensitive nature unlike other social cause marketing, such as Downsyn-drome, an health problem, the bank is bankrolling, the Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Folake Ani-Mumuney said:  “We are known for supporting causes and this is a cause because it’s rooted in sincerity, and that is really what as a brand we stand for. If we cannot have an honest conversation among ourselves as a people about the things that drive our economy forward, about our people and their health, and things that ensure that we are a nation of productive people, then we wouldn’t be doing what we should be doing as a company. We are not here just to make money; we are a bank that actually believes in being a nation builder in supporting the nation.”

    Will the sponsorship of B430 enhance the bottom line and build more equity for the bank? “First, it is the conversation, a discussion, and a topic of this particular ‘B430’. It is also around the production; it’s about the business of art, the business of movie making, and it was decided that we want to do it in a standard that is exportable and that will compete anywhere in the world,” she said.

    She said further that Firstbank believes in the art of story-telling to reposition the brand. “If you think about us as Nigerians we grow at story-telling, I think we all love story-telling as Nigerians. First bank also supports small businesses, which was the reason it partnered with Nemsia Studios to produce B430. There was a time the performing arts in Nigeria were at the top of their game. If you remember plays in Ife in those days, true talents rose from there. Firstbank has been around for 120 years. We have always supported the arts, but there has been a renaissance since four years ago so much so that we actually created a sub-brand first in the arts and we have very many reasons for that. Beyond that, again still looking at the business of art, we believe that we can begin to really understand the pipeline and the value chain really better. Look at what is happening now; we have Ebony and Arise TV, which can compete with the biggest channels in the world,” she noted.

    However, the idea to screen this social issue into a TV campaign started with a young independent writer and director living in New York City, Bodunri Sasore. “He inserted himself into the psyche of the average Nigerian woman and was able to find a voice to speak their truths,” said Akinnola.

    She said the idea was further brought to visual reality by the artistic mind of one of the Nemesia partners, Derin Adeyokunnu. Worried that the idea was concieved by men, she said: “At that point, you would wonder how two 30 something men are able to convincingly tell a story about women. Well, that’s where I came in, and not a moment too soon. As a young  lady, these guys gave me a chance to hone my natural ability to be a controlling micro-manager. In fact, they respected it. If only other men felt the same way… I might very well be married before I turn 30,” said Akinnola.

    On the characters, she said the lead actors are simply the best in the business. “And if we have done our job, which we believe we have, you are witnessing the birth of the newest generation of proper movie stars. Damilola, Beverly, Meg and Anee are true talents and you will be hearing their names for a very long time. OC Ukeje, a certified star in his own right, took the project on in its early stages and his many awards are proof that he is a force to be reckoned with. Karibi Fubara, essentially the Nemsia whip. He has stepped far out of his role as actor in a role as friend and trusted co worker. Patrick, Gideon, Kenneth, Aunty Tuby, Patrick Doyle, Zainab.The list is endless. The talent is limitless,” she noted.

  • Strange prophet comes to town

    Strange prophet comes to town

    •Eye witnesses narrate how he heals the sick and revives the near dead

    He came to Nigeria from Libreville in 2013 and has been wearing same clothes; going without a bath since March 2014; living on the streets and generally raising concerns about his state of mind. But he claims he is on a divine mission and following God’s instruction. Curiously, witnesses also testify to the efficacy of his prayers and how the high and mighty throng to him for miracles. Taiwo Abiodun reports.

    His appearance raises questions. His clothes are torn, hair and beard overgrown and unkempt, like that of a Rastafarian, and his fingernails unusually long. He also has not had a bath for one year; so he proudly announced, and does not possess any kind of belonging, save his Bible, ECOWAS passport and cell phone. For his strange ways, the police have arrested him several times and released him, after he was able to prove himself to be a man of God and of sound mind.

    For a good part of last year, residents and commuters in the Ikotun area, where he has pitched his tent, also took him for a mad man as he roamed the streets. Some expressed grave suspicion at his appearance, which they thought deceptive and that he could be out to execute some sinister plans.

    However, many of those who nursed this fear last year are now singing a new song, calling him Baba, Pastor, prophet, man of God and going to him for prayers.

    They also now jealously guard and protect him, as this reporter found out in the process of this interview. Unknown to him, the people at his BRT Bust terminus abode in Ikotun were watching his interaction with the ‘man of God’ with  suspicion and promptly accosted him with a “Where are you taking our father?

    One of them explained after this reporter had introduced himself and mission that “we thought you are a police officer who wanted to arrest our Papa. He is our spiritual father.”

    Settling down to answer questions from the reporter, the strange prophet said “I arrived Nigeria two years ago; this month will make it exactly one year since I’ve been wearing these same clothes , same underwear without having my bath, and without brushing my mouth or cutting my fingernails, as directed by God.”

    He also said he would not do anything about his appearance or hygiene until he hears instruction from God.

    This indeed is the world of Gbadamosi Idris Wasiu, a Nigerian by birth, who arrived from Libreville, Gabon on a mission purportedly ordained by God.

    One of his ‘neighbours’, a woman, confirmed to The Nation that they “initially suspected him to be one of those criminals that disguise as lunatics, and despised and maltreated him; not knowing that he is a man of God. Now we call him Daddy.”

    His story

    According to the self-proclaimed Man of God, “My name is Gbadamosi Idris Wasiu but I have changed it to Elijah Akorede Oluwole. I am a native of Ejigbo-Ode Ibarapa in Osun state. I had my primary and secondary education in Ibadan. I was living in Libreville before coming here, but my wife, children and mother live in Lome. I lost my father several years ago.”

    Back in Libreville, he said he got inspired while watching a pastor (name withheld) on TV. At about that time, a friend of his, Henry Obilo returned from Nigeria with some spiritual water from his church, out of which he drank, washed his face and slept off. In his sleep, he saw himself in the church, and God asked him go to the church in Nigeria and that he would be a prophet.

    He thus obtained a visa, boarded a plane and landed in Nigeria on the 30th March 2013.

    Continuing, he said “I went to the Church where I stayed for sometime in the guest house. When I could no longer pay the bill after incurring 21,000 naira, I was sent away by the man in charge of the guest house. Since then I have been staying in public places; while at night, I sleep in the church’s premises. I am not going back to the guest house again, as a voice keeps telling me to remain in the public place, calling people and praying for them.”

    Wonder shall not cease

    At Ikotun BRT Bus terminus, where he stays from morning till evening, Elijah revives visitors who come to him for prayer. On one of his visits, the reporter witnessed the self-acclaimed pastor in gross discussion with three of his ‘clients,’ after which he prayed for them.

    According to some of the BRT staff, who volunteered to speak with The Nation, the man (Elijah) is not mad. One of them said ”he has prayed for many people here and solved problems brought to him. Be it early in the morning or in the dead of the night, high calibre people come to him for prayers. If you tarry for a while, you’re likely to witness high profile people like chiefs, big people, prophets, men of God, market women, women in purdah and even kings, coming to beg him to pray for them. However, only very few who are bold enough come out publicly during the day.”

    Reject gifts

    Curiously, the self-acclaimed ‘Man of God’ does not collect money from anyone, even when offered. He claims that is not his mission. This was attested to by some of his clients on ground during this interview, one of whom said somebody even promised to build him a church, which he also turned down.

    Elijah explained that he is under God’s authority and not man’s. “I was at First Square Church and people always come to me to pray for them. The Lord sent me to be here in the public under His authority; others may be sent into the forest, the mountain and so on ….”

    Testimonies

    A man who called himself Pastor Prince Adeyemo said of the man in question, “He (Elijah) used to pray for people and heal them, but his appearance is terrible. But that no longer surprises me.”

    Engr. Peter Étugbe described Elijah as strange but said he is convinced that he is a man of God. “Most times when I’m going to my office at Ikotun bus stop, I always noticed how a lot of people cluster around him. Later, I was able to find out why. He said he has been sent by God to be like that, so I said the best I could do is to call the press to interview him. If he is God sent or fake, we will get to know soon.”

    Etugbe spoke of a particular LAMATA staff who said she may never be able to repay or thank him enough for what he did for her. So the first thing she does on resuming everyday now is to go to him for prayer, adding that the said lady now calls him daddy.

    Another woman – Ayo Akande (38) said, “I have been seeing him at the BRT pavilion since last year, but we did not know he’s a servant of God until a sick boy was brought to him half-dead and he prayed for him and the boy came alive. I am also a Messenger of God; I worship at Christ Apostolic Church. It was when I went spiritual that I realised that the man is serving punishment for refusing the call of God about four years ago. In fact I have given him my water to pray on when I arrived this morning.”

    Akande also said she has always met people at the pavilion early in the morning, who have come for prayer. “Even this morning, I met four people here who came for prayer.”

    Asked how sure she is of his prayer’s efficacy, she replied confidently that “He gave me a prayer point and asked me to bring water, which he prayed on, and after using it, my problem was solved. Meanwhile I had spent money on the same case only to discover that it had been taken to the pit of Devil. But they could not withstand this man of God. When I told my colleagues in the office, they were shocked. Even my boss brought some people here for prayer this morning. I can tell you that even the BRT pilots come to him for prayers. Another miracle he performed was when a young girl fainted and was brought to him. He prayed for her right in our presence and she came back to life.

    Another witness, a woman said “He prayed for me and my sick child that used to faint, and she has not been sick, let alone faint since then. I’ve known him since last year March. Many people and servants of God do come here in the early hours; they say they don’t want to be seen. Even kings, chiefs and police officers do come here.”

    She revealed that two women in veil only just left before this reporter’s arrival. “I wish you could come here between 5 am to 6 am and you will see a lot of people coming to him for prayer. He would tell you everything about yourself? My sister in Mowe said she has never seen this kind of thing before; that the prayer water I gave to her really worked, as her husband bought her a Jeep and her son who had been very sick was healed.”

    Yet another woman, who had been listening to this conversations also volunteered that “All these market women you are seeing go to him for prayer,” while another said her son who was on medication has stopped taking medicine and is now well on account of his prayer.

    Asked how long he would continue wearing the filthy clothes and going about unkempt, Elijah said “When God says it is time. It could be one week, one month; whenever He feels.”

    In the mean time, the question remains, When will God release him?’

  • Strange ‘Prophet of God’

    Strange ‘Prophet of God’

    For the past 13 years this prophet has neither taken his bath nor had sexual intercourse with his wife. He said he is obeying God. Taiwo Abiodun reports.

    Scattered in his room were books .Some of the books were placed on chairs, others on the table while some were lying on the floor. They were different Christian books. Among the books was a big Bible placed on his table. On the walls of the room were Christian posters for crusades and those of some religious leaders he admired. Welcome to Prophet Wale Olagunju’s abode at Sasa, Ibadan where the prophet who claimed he had not taken his bath for the past 13 years stays. He is the presiding pastor of Divine Seed of God Chapel Ministries, Ibadan.

    Though Olagunju claimed he had not taken his bath since 2001 but his hair was neatly cut while his teeth were also clean. And contrary to expectation, he did not emit any foul odor. However, his toenails were shockingly unkempt and had turned brown and an eyesore. They were long and were like animal’s claws that looked frightening.

    He said: “I have stopped having my bath since 13 years ago. I cut my fingernails and my hair but water must not touch my body. And I don’t smell. All are according to God’s instruction.”

    This is the weird world of this 55 – year old University of Ilorin graduate.

    Background

    According to Olagunju, he hails from Igbara Oke, Ondo State. He said: “My father was a retired Army officer. My parents are now late. I attended Anthony Primary School, Ede ; Government Secondary School ,Okitipupa but I completed my secondary school at St Peter’s Anglican School , Olode. I studied English at the University of Ilorin and I was among the second set. After my university education I proceeded to the Seminary Life International College of Theology.”

    His Calling

    Olagunju said he was called by God. He recounted how he was called: “I received my calling in 1981/82.Then I had a lot of problems as my father had seven wives. And from that perspective, I had strong household problems.Witches were pursuing me and were troubling me, causing me to be running from one place to another seeking false solution.”

    Asked whether he saw the witches physically or it was a mere figment of his own imagination, the Man of God affirmed: “No, no, it wasn’t an imagination .Yes, I saw the witches, and they were pursuing me .They would come and press me down. They were in form of human beings as they looked like mad persons and with grey hair. They wanted to kill me and I was looking for solution.”

    He continued: “That was the reality on the ground and in this course I met one Prophet Bello whom somebody took me to. I told him to pray for me and he prayed for me and said I would go into ministry. He said I would be a prophet but I told him that was not my problem but that some forces wanted to kill me. But he said I should keep on seeking for His holiness, and to ask God to give me power to conquer these people. He said I should continue fasting as long as I could and I should start preaching and praying, He also said I should pray for power to carry out His job .The man of God I met added that my journey was like taking off from Lagos to Maiduguri, and that I should go slowly, and should not board any vehicle, okada, or train. He said that is my ministry.

    “He added that I should stop taking my bath. That was the revelation he gave me at the Akike Mountain, Ona Ara Local Government, Ibadan. For one year I was going to the mountain on Monday and would come back on Saturday morning. Again one day, God told me that He wanted to make use of me and asked me to separate myself. He asked me not to take soft drinks, alcohol, and to stop having sexual intercourse with my wife. And above all, I should stop taking my bath until He instructed me to start again. When I received this message I became troubled for I did not see anybody but was just hearing the voice. I then began to meditate over this. I asked God to reveal Himself to me. I meditated over this and the Lord ministered to me again. Later, I just saw a man in white clothe and with white hair. I was just hearing another voice like a rushing water again saying I must not do all these.”

    Hard decision

    Ölagunju said: “I was confused and full of different thoughts. I was unsure of the veracity of the messages.”

    Olagunju said he went to tell the prophet on Akike Mountain that he was hearing two voices ,and he asked which one he has to obey.

    He recounted further: “That was in the year 2000, but it was not until 2001 when I shared it with a friend, Reverend Ariyo. He said that was the voice of God and that I should obey .When I got home I told my wife. She agreed and asked me to do what God told me. I am always on the prayer mountain praying and seeking God’s face .Since January when I have been on the mountain, I slept at home once. That was January 1.

    How he was convinced of the prophesy

    Asked how he discerned God’s voice from that of the Devil, he responded: “There are two voices. Let me cite this example of that Garden of Eden: Two voices came to Adam. One said he should not eat the fruit and another said he should eat the forbidden fruit. Any voice that says don’t commit sin is the voice of God; any that says don’t obey it is the voice of the Devil. Any voice that says commit sin and God will not be angry is from the Devil. So I chose that of God and had obeyed it till now. I know the voice of the Devil and of God clearly.”

    I am paying the price

    Reminded that it is unhygienic not to bath, the man of God denied and said with confidence, “If God wants to make use of somebody, a price must be attached to that. He would instruct him what to do. Look at Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 20, God told him to walk nakedly. Look at Samson before he was born, there was a prophesy that he should not touch things that were unclean, not to shave his head or drink alcohol just because God wanted to make use of him. But unfortunately, he undermined it. Somebody who is determined to follow Christ must be ready to pay the price, he must be prepared.”

    Asked whether his not taking his bath could not make him sick, he replied: “I’m even fatter than you now. Those who know me very well know that I believe in fasting and prayer and in the work of God. On the issue of the doctor saying you should bath, there is a difference between earthly doctor and heavenly doctor. Some years back, a woman came to tell me she had HIV and the child was also carrying HIV. She conducted the test, and it was true, but where the doctor ends their own work is where God’s own starts.

    “There is this head of Department of Computer Science at the University Of Ibadan. She married in 1973. For about 30 years, no issue. She went to many places and hospitals and several places. She now came to Christ and not me. And I now told her if she can pray .As God Almighty lives, she conceived and gave birth to a bouncing baby boy called Gilgal. I don’t believe in advertising myself. I believe in miracle. God said signs and wonders shall follow those who believe in Him.”

    The Man of God said he does not sweat so he does not have towel to mop his body .When questioned about his nails, he said: “My toenails were longer than this but they got cut off many times. However, I cut my fingernails to be clean. The Lord did not say I should not cut my fingernails.”

    He, however, denied the insinuation that he is seeking for fame. He said: ” We have many occult pastors in Nigeria who deceive people .I know where I am going when I die. I am not looking for fame. We have many who called themselves pastors in Nigeria but who are not. “

    Watching television

    Olagunju said he does not watch television. In his words: “I don’t watch television.” I don’t listen to radio; there is lots of mess on television. Do you want me to watch television and be seeing those girls that dance naked? Do you want to pollute me? Personally speaking I don’t watch television. But if I want to listen to radio, it is when Pastor Kumuyi is preaching. I am not saying people should not watch television, I am not saying television and radio are not good,.

    Sex life

    He boasted, beating his chest, that he had stopped having sex with his wife since he had been instructed so. He said: “That is exactly what I am saying. I had stopped having sex with my wife. I know it is difficult to believe. I am not responsible to any man. They don’t believe me. My wife does not sleep here, she sleeps in her own room .For those who said they doubt me I am not responsible to them. I am not bothered since they were not there when God spoke to me.”

    Temptation

    “Was he ever tempted?” The Nation asked him. He said: “On several occasions, but I thank God,temptation will surely come but the grace of God is sufficient for us .But I don’t normally go out to avoid temptation. I thank God.”

    Asked about his wife, he said: “My wife is also a pastor now studying music to enhance our music ministry. She is coping; she is a human being.”

    Some friends of the prophet, who came to see him when The Nation was with him, described him as a God-sent prophet. Evangelist Sanni Bakare said: “I have been with him for so many years. When The Lord calls somebody, he will attach something to it. He (Olagunju) goes to the mountain to pray always and all what he said are true.