Soyinka- The Village Mourners. A Must-read !

Nigerians who are old enough will surely recall the source of the above title. For others, I ought to narrate its origin. Fortunately, early this year, I delivered a lecture at the University of Ibadan, where I made a passing reference to the true owners of that copyright. Here is the relevant section:

“At the passing of a short-lived dictator, his successor decreed two weeks of mourning, two weeks during which the nation went into a coma. Even the television and radio stations closed down – nothing but martial and funereal music was played, while churches and mosques took over the abandoned air-waves to drown the nation in suras and canticles of lachrymose outpouring. A very sharp group quickly formed something that was called the National Mourners Association – clever lot! While the nation was quarantined and bogged down in the Fun of lamentation, they were touring the world, sponsored by government, to take the gospel of anguish to every corner of the world that boasted a Nigerian diplomatic mission.”

June 12 Annulment: How Has Nigeria Fared?

This is a guest blog feature by Tope Orekoya.
 
In the 1993, Late Chief MKO Abiola contested the for post of the president of Nigeria under the political party Social Democratic Party (SDP) with his running mate as Baba Gana Kingibe and defeated the presidential candidate for the National Republican Convention (NRC), Alhaji Bashir Tofa hands down as Nigerians trooped out massively to vote for Late Chief MKO Abiola and SDP.

Nigerians were in joyous mood that the after so many years of military leadership, they have finally voted for the “MAN OF THE PEOPLE” The 1993 election was tagged “The most peaceful election ever held in Nigeria since Independence”, “The freest and fairest election in Nigeria since independence”
On June 24 1993, General Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election that should have brought into power Chief MKO and would have shaped the future of Nigeria forever.

Blog Feature: Ribadu - Nigeria’s Sinking Ship And The Way Forward

For the record

I confess to feeling inspired with every visit to this institution that shaped my perception of life and grounded my entire intellectual development. This intellectual development is not only a debt I owe to my teachers who have formed me but a challenge to me to go out there and influence society for the benefit of those to come. For this, I must say thank you! I thank my teachers, of the academic, the moral and even the political, who showed me the virtues of honesty and commitment to serving humanity. And for the students who consider me a model worthy of their time and regard today, my gratitude to you is as large as our great institution. Ahmadu Bello University is an institution with a weight of history that challenges us to do justice to whatever comes our way. Our diversity in this prestigious institution, across ethnicities, religions and regions, stimulated by remainders of the legacies of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, after whom our institution is named, instills a pan-Nigerian spirit in us such that we end up as tolerant and understanding wherever we find ourselves in private and public engagements. You must consider yourselves lucky for being a part of these distinguished Nigerians!

Feature: JUNE 12th, MKO ABIOLA, SUSAN RICE AND A CUP OF TEA By Femi Fani-Kayode.

Ambassador Susan Rice is the American Ambassador to the United Nations. Her long-standing aspiration of becoming the Secretary of State for her country was dashed when the Republicans in the Senate started sharpening their knives in anticipation of her formal nomination for that position by President Barak Obama.

Sensing that her nomination would not scale through the Senate and that she would not be confirmed as Secretary of State due to the role she played in the cover up of the Benghazi affair in which the American Ambassador to Libya and three other American citizens were murdered by a group of islamist terrorists, her nomination was withdrawn.

In lieu of Secretary of State, President Obama has now nominated her for the position of National Security Advisor which is a job that does not require Senate approval or confirmation. I wish Susan Rice well in her new assignment but I am constrained to ask the following questions. What did she put in the tea that she served to Chief MKO Abiola on July 8th 1998 just before he died? She was one of the last people that saw him alive, she served him some tea, he coughed violently and one hour later he died. What was in the tea? Was it Abuja ''green tea'' or Earl Grey or Liptons?

Can someone please ask Susan Rice what her role was in the death of MKO Abiola? Who sent her to do the job and who was she working for? At that time she was Assistant Secretary of State for America in President Bill Clinton's government. Was she acting on his direct instructions or simply on the instructions of her boss at the CIA?

Chief MKO Abiola was the winner of Nigeria's freest and fairest elections. That election took place on June 12th 1993. The following day it was annuled by General Ibrahim Babangida. Shortly after that General Babangida was compelled to ''step aside'' and hand over power to Chief Ernest Shonekan. He also left General Sani Abacha behind to be Chief of Army Staff and Minister of Defence.

A few months later General Abacha toppled the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan and seized power for himself. Abiola was arrested and detained. He was never granted his freedom again. Four years later Abacha himself was murdered by forces that are yet to be identified and General Abdulsalami Abubakar took power. Exactly 30 days after Abacha was killed, those same forces that killed him murdered Abiola as well in an attempt to ''balance the equation''.

These are the facts and those are the sequence of events. One thing is self-evident and cannot be denied- whichever side of the divide one may have been on in the June 12th saga, certain questions must be answered. Those questions are as follows. Who killed MKO Abiola? Who killed Sani Abacha? What role, if any, did the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and his National Security Advisor, General Abdullahi Mohammed play in the murder of both Abacha and Abiola? What role, if any, did the CIA play and exactly what transpired in the room when Susan Rice, Ambassador Pickering and two other American government officials met with Abiola on the very day that he was meant to be released. Instead of being released on that day he was murdered.

Whose call was that and why did it have to happen? Was it in an attempt to pave the way for an Obasanjo Presidency one year later? Could General Olusegun Obasanjo have been elected Presidsent if Abiola had lived and if he had insisted on claiming his mandate? What was Babangida's role in this whole matter and was he in any way aware of or involved in the making of these crucial decisions?

The Nigerian people have a right to know the truth and it is about time that the few that have wielded power in this country for the last five decades appreciated the fact that they cannot sweep things under the carpet forever and that one day, no matter how long it takes, they will be held accountable by the Nigerian people for the secret choices and decisions that they made.

The truth is that until these questions are answered and justice is done Nigeria will not know peace and will not make any progress. It is a spiritual thing. The fact remains that had it not been for Abiola's great sacrifice and his gallant refusal to bow before the Nigerian military and give up his 1993 Presidential mandate we would not have democracy in Nigeria today. We should do our best to ask the relevant questions, demand the appropiate answers and unearth the bitter truth. We owe MKO Abiola, his wife Kudirat (who was also murdered) and all the other June 12th footsoldiers and martyrs that much.

May God give us leaders that have a conscience that that truly respect and fear Him. May Chief MKO Abiola's soul continue to rest in peace.

Source

Feature: Prof. Wole Soyinka On Buhari.

This promises to be a very long read, but it sure is worth the time taken to go through it.

WOLE SOYINKA ON BUHARI_________ _______________

This intervention has been provoked, not so
much by the ambitions of General Muhammadu Buhari to return
to power at the head of a democratic Nigeria, as by declarations
of support from directions that leave one totally dumbfounded. It
would appear that some, myself among them, had been
overcomplacent about the magnitude of an ambition that seemed
as preposterous as the late effort of General Ibrahim Babangida
to aspire yet again to the honour of presiding over a society that
truly seeks a democratic future.

What one had dismissed was a rash of illusions, brought about
by other political improbabilities that surround us, however, is
being given an air of plausibility by individuals and groupings to
which one had earlier attributed a sense of relevance of historic
actualities. Recently, I published an article in the media,
invoking the possible recourse to psychiatric explanation for
some of the incongruities in conduct within national leadership.
Now, to tell the truth, I have begun to seriously address the issue
of which section of society requires the services of a
psychiatrist.
 

Blog Feature: Nasir El-Rufai and his two daughters, By Femi Fani-Kayode.

The graduate unemployment rate in Nigeria is 80 per cent yet these young people that are abusing and mocking my friend and brother, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the former Minister of FCT, for saying that he has two daughters that have masters degrees but who cannot find jobs do not seem to appreciate the gravity of their own situation or understand the point that he was trying to make.

Nasir El-Rufai was simply speaking up for the very youths and jobless graduates that are now mocking and insulting him because of his comment. I assure you that his daughters will never starve and they can get jobs anywhere in the world or even end up working in any of his own numerous companies and business concerns if they so choose. He was only trying to use their plight as an example of the sad condition that Nigeria has found herself in where only two out of every ten graduates can find jobs.
 

The Opinionist: Reno Omokri Replies Guardian UK Piece On Jonathan's Performance .

This feature was culled from www.thescoopng.com 

 

Reno Omokri was irked by what he read about the performance of his Oga at the top published yesterday by The Guardian UK (Goodluck Jonathan's Report Card for Nigeria? Must Try Harder - Remi Adekoya). So he responds and he argues strongly. Maybe the President has had too much bad press, that's why his efforts are not being seen or appreciated, but i think this is the paragraph that must have enraged Mr.Omokri. A direct threat to his plate of rice.

"It's no easy job running a country that is half-Christian, half-Muslim, underdeveloped and home to some 250 ethnic groups. Some say Jonathan is too weak for the job. But you don't have to be a great man to be a great president, as long as you are clever enough to you surround yourself with wise advisers, possess the intelligence to process information and have a steadfast desire to improve things for your people."

Omokri's response

ABOUT TWENTY FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT A NEWBORN BABY

tHIS article was culled from a post on Nairaland.

1. All newborn babies have a pug nose. The bridge of the nose isn't there at birth - it grows later - so babies have a small `button' nose.

 

2. Nearly all babies are born with blue or blue-grey eyes. Permanent eye colouration develops during the following months.
 

3. Newborn babies may cry a lot but they don't produce any tears. There is moisture to lubricate and clean the eyes but proper tears don't start to appear until the baby is between three and twelve weeks of age.
 

4. Any hair that is on your newborn baby's head will soon fall out - to be replaced by permanent hair (which may be of an entirely different colour) at about six months.

THIS IS HOW TO REMAIN POOR.

Saw this on Facebook, thought it was on point and similar to a trending thread by acidtalk. I completely disagree with number 9 though. Absolutely disagree. Your thoughts?

1. Never wake up early...
Keep stretching & turning in bed until you get too hungry to continue dozing if there are no bedbugs,
why hurry to get up??

2} Never plan how to spend your money..
Whenever you get money, start spending it right away and when it's finished, you try to count and
recall how you spent it..

All You Need To Know about Tecno Q1. Full Specifications Here.

General Information 2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 3G HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 4G No SIM Dual Mini SIM card Status Unannounced Body Dimensions 115 x 67 x 11.3 mm Keyboard Complete Qwerty keyboard

Fresh April Collections By Leo & Levi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The April Collections made by Leo & Levi is out. The theme centers on "Simplicity". You don't have to dress loud to make a fashion statement. Keep it simple and you are good to go.

Make your orders or visit our office. We have products on display at Boutiques in Lagos, Nigeria. We also nationwide delivery.

Contact: 
GSM:        07033801718, 08054527192
Email:        leoandleviclothings@gmail.com
Twitter:     @LeoandLevi
Facebook @LeoandLevi

Introducing the new Google E-pad: Blog Feature.

This is an Ad Feature Blog post by Shola Akinyemi.

The Google android epad is a tablet that is suitable for Movies, applications, games, music, reading and surfing the internet on the go!
 
•   Thousands of popular apps and games are already pre-installed (Facebook, Gmail, Yahoomail, Twitter, Skype, Adobe reader, Microsoft office package)

•Runs on Android 4.0 Operating system; Has a Fast, powerful dual-core processor

•Wireless connectivity (Wi-fi) and an Ultra-fast web browsing

Tips: How To Stop Constant Fighting In A Relationship

There are a lot of ways to stop fighting in a relationship, but do you always want to follow them? Constant fighting in a relationship isn't healthy, but sometimes it happens. If you're finding yourself constantly fighting with your boyfriend or girlfriend, you've got to take a look at my ways to stop fighting in a relationship so you can really get back to enjoying each other! Remember, fights are typically caused by misunderstandings and underlying issues! 1. Don't Bring up The past:This is a huge step that I need to learn. I would say, one of the key ways to stop fighting in a relationship is to stop bringing up the past. The past is the past and the more that you bring it up, the worse the fight can actually be. Bringing up the past can also bring up a lot of old emotions, which is never good.

He Loves His Girlfriend, But The Bride Price Is Just Too Much,

One of my readers sent this in seeking some opinion on how to go through his plight.

Hello. I have been dating my girl for about five years now. I proposed to her and she agreed to marry me. However after fixing the date from the traditional Wedding, her parents are asking for five million naira as Bride Price. I told my girlfriend to appeal to them to at least reduce it to two million but her parents refuse. They say its an extended family decision like her Uncles and other relatives. I don't understand. I love my girl and she loves me. She's from Orlu, Imo State. I need your advice. Thanks

Footnotes:

Some in laws are senseless. Is bride price now a wind fall? What sort of rubbish is that? Them want make e feed the wife wit air after e marry her finish? That is why i love my Yoruba folks. In most cases the parents return the bride price to the husband telling him to just take care of her cos their daughter is not for sale. Aside the traditional yams, boxes of cloth and drinks nothing more. I think I recall my elder sisters marriage; the bride price was set at N3,500 in addition to the Grooms family bringing a few items and the native Pig that is customary to my clan.

What The Bible Really Says About Oral sex?

This is blog feature and doesn't reflect my own thoughts.

This is According to: Myne Whitman Writes: Yesterday, it went viral that a Pastor of CLAM church, Wole Oladiyun warned that MouthAction was not for Christians. Maybe he read my earlier blog post about Nigerian Men and MouthAction, or maybe his wife did, and asked him for some, hehehe. The man sparked o.

In his words, “men and women sucking their private parts are equally damaging their glories. Demonic partners have done a lot of havoc through this act. Honestly, it is simply unhygienic and dirty.”


Now, I don’t understand the first part of his comment about MouthAction damaging people’s glories, or demonic partners, maybe that is what he teaches in his church as doctrine and dogma.  If so, I can’t really address it, I am not a pastor obviously, nor his church member. But the second part exposes that his bias and personal opinion is what is majorly driving his condemnation of MouthAction.

News Blitz: Jumia Co-founders Featured in Forbes Africa magazine, Announce 3 Additional Stores Across Nigeria.

This is a press release reaching me from the stables of Jumia, Nigeria's Number one online retail store. It makes for a good read.

 

On the trail of successes they have achieved as one of the pioneers of online retail in Nigeria, co-founders of Jumia , Raphael Afaedor and Tunde Kehinde have been featured in April’s edition of Forbes Africa magazine. In this awe-inspiring piece the duo talk to Abisola Owolawi about finding their dream, rising against the odds, their challenges and their rise to building Nigeria’s number 1 online retailer.

In another exciting sequence, the website has grown to be the 5^th local content website in Nigeria and the customer’s number 1 online retailer of choice.

The 10 month retail store has seen exponential growth in size of baskets and traffic to its site. Inadvertently leading to growth in all areas of its operations from staff, fleet, warehousing facilities, to more recently the addition of 3 locations in Warri, Kaduna and Benin; an addition to those existing in Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt.

“As Nigeria’s no.1 online retailer, Jumia will continue to pioneer the Nigerian retail market, with a vision to being the answer to retail both offline and online in sub-Saharan Africa. As a place for direct retail shopping online with limitless reach and audience, we have seen orders come in large numbers from every nook and cranny of Nigeria, and in our commitment to our customers and making good on our promises of on time for delivery, we are gradually expanding and gaining foothold in more cities across Nigeria”, explained co-founders Tunde Kehinde and Raphael Afaedor.

To view article, click here.

To get a copy, click here for April’s edition of Forbes Africa magazine.

A Searchlight On Nigeria's Faded Music Stars Of Yesteryears.

This is a feature article by Drdaps from Nairaland

 

Where are the stars of yesteryears?
 

Felix Liberty-This slim musician hit the music scene in the early 80's.He is responsible for hits like "Lover Boy" "Ifeoma" "Ngozi" and "Take Me Home".The Delta boy has become extinct is the music scene.
FADED
 

Loriane Okotie-The sister of the pop singer turned pastor, Rev. Chris Okotie. She hit the Nigerian scene with beautiful christain lyrics in the late 80's with a hit track titled "Love is the Medince" then suddenly she disappeared and has since not returned.
Maybe she is the choirmistress in her brother's church. Lol

Nigeria Music stars of the past era.

 

Alex Okoroigwe-This handsome musician from Imo State who thrilled music fans with his cute dressing, dancing step and singing skills has also become extinct from the scene. [Rumor; He is said to be washing dishes in restaurants in Singapore but if it's true hmmm nawoooo]
 

Jide Obi-Ogidi Anambra State born lawyer turned musician.The man behind tunes like "Tonite" and "Kill Me With Love" in early 80's. A close ally of Rev. Chris Okotie.Where is he now? Relocated to US after going through hard times.
 

Junior and Pretty-This duo from edo State once electrified the entertainment industry with thier song "Bolanle". Where are they?
 

Isaac Black-This ragge musician has also become extinct. His popular tracks "Papa Bless Me" and "Show Me The Way" are still some of his best. Today he walk the street of Lagos looking haggard and dejected.
 

Evi Edna Ogoli-The Edo State born lady with her pretty demeanour hit the scene with her beautiful ablum which quickly endeared her to the people around. One of her popular tracks was "Happy Birthday". Nothing is presently heard from her in the music scene.

There are more opinions here after the break:

He Feels He Is In Trouble As His Muslim Girlfriend Wants To Get Pregnant And Make Him Marry Her.

This story was sent in by a reader. There are no alterations to the content of the story.
 

I travelled to one of the Northern towns for official assignment and one morning, I don't know what I ate in the hotel and I had running stomach. I rushed to a big pharmacy close by and bought a drug. The girl attended to me very well. She wore her muslim attire, was dark and had some of those drawings on her hand. I liked her instantly. She even asked me to sit down because I was tired. I bought water and coke and drank the medicine right in her front. We parted ways but I collected her number. She spoke good English and was also about going to university but was just helping her family run the pharmacy. It was on the eve of Valentine (13th Feb). On valentine day I sent her a message and she replied and liked it. As my assignment had not concluded, I was still in the town, so I went back to see her and to wish her happy valentine. When I travelled back to my duty station we called each other occasionally and our calls became very frequent after a week.

I made time and went back again to see her. I picked her up after work and brought her to my hotel. She didnt like coming to the hotel but what can I do. I made her sit on the edge of my bed..I held her hand and she brushed me off. I touched her face and she turned it away. She stood up and said "if this is what you are aiming at, I won't visit where you stay again". I apologized profusely and we left the hotel and I went to drop her. I dropped her at their house....we talked for a while inside the car and she left. After one week I went back again and I also brought her to my hotel. I also made her sit on the edge of my bed. This time I took things easy and we chatted and I held her while we talked and then I started touching her. I later ended up sucking her very cute bosoms...she didnt let me do anything at all, but I noticed she enjoyed it very much although was very shy and also maybe did not like the idea. She didnt want to kiss me either so we left it at that.

Nigerian designer discusses the business of fashion.

This interview was granted and published August 2012 How we made it in Africa, an Inspirational blog that focuses on commending the creative works and achievements of Africans, home and diaspora. I hope you find it a good read.

Kiki Kamanu left her job at Harvard University to pursue her passion for fashion design. Her Nigerian-based KIKIKAMANU brand has taken her down runways at the London Fashion Week and twice at the ARISE Magazine Fashion Week, as well as being featured in international media such as CNN and Russian Tatler.

Kiki Kamanu

This year Kamanu has been selected as one of five finalists for BiD Network’s Women in Business Challenge that focuses on women entrepreneurs in emerging markets. How we made it in Africacatches a moment with Kamanu to discuss fashion and business in Nigeria.

Tell us about the KIKIKAMANU fashion brand

KIKIKAMANU is comprised of four lines: EKZ (menswear), ArmKandy (accessories), Omakaa (women’s ready-to-wear) and Zbird (womenswear diffusion line). KIKIKAMANU represents the man and woman who expect to walk into a room and own it. The label was started in New York less than three years ago and has since then found a home in Lagos, Nigeria.

What made you decide to go into fashion design?

The idea of a business per se was secondary. It was the pursuit of my interest and passion that was the genesis of KIKIKAMANU. I view entrepreneurship as a vehicle for the realisation of one’s vision, dreams and passion. As a child I would dress my twin sister and myself. I recall being the belle of the ball or at least feeling like it at my sixth grade dance. I still remember the sky blue dress with the asymmetrical hem I wore. As I matured, I observed how women appeared empowered with a simple change of attire, and emerged with a sense of confidence. I found that I enjoyed being a part of that transformative process. Allowing one to express their individuality as a manifestation of freedom is as empowering as it is life changing. I have found that for some, this is the jumpstart that a woman needs to redirect the chapters of her life.

What motivates you and how do you generate new ideas?

I love what I do. It is as simple as that. It has been said that if you do what you love you will never have to “work” any day of your life. That rings true for me. I am surrounded by a brilliant team and we constantly push ourselves to do better. I am also motivated by my clients who continually challenge me and force me to outdo my last collection. I may see an asymmetrical hem on the dress of a passerby or a peculiar blend of prints and that can set the tone for an entire collection. My mind is continually racing with ideas. I keep a sketch book in almost every room. It can be insane some times, but I love it.

How do you deal with competition in the industry?

I am self-motivated to continuously challenge myself to outdo my last success, so it is not external but an intrinsic desire to create and to improve. My benchmarks are not the success of others but how far I can push myself creatively.

What is the greatest challenge your fashion brand faces?

In the fashion industry in Nigeria we often deal with the absence of basic infrastructure such as electricity, an ongoing “brain drain”, and frankly, changing styles and interests. To be successful, we actively network and leverage the counsel and advice of seasoned people. I moved my production from the US to Nigeria a few years ago and sadly I still continue to source most of my fabric from outside of Nigeria. For some time as well, I had to import the bulk of my labour.

These are just a few of the factors which affect our production costs and prevent us from providing our clients with lower prices. We also understand that passion will need to inspire many days of discipline and sacrifice, however, difficult challenges undoubtedly lie ahead. To overcome these challenges I believe it is essential to cultivate a much stronger partnership with financial institutions that understand and appreciate the value of investing in the garment industry.

Where do you see your business in 10 years?

In terms of growth, our vision is to become an internationally recognised fashion brand with a world-class production and manufacturing base in West Africa.

Do you ever find time to sleep?

Ah sleep, elusive as the Scarlet Pimpernel. It seems I am continuously at work. In my opinion, in this business, creating and designing takes about 30% of the time while the other 70% is devoted to marketing, management and sales. Therefore my mind is always at work. It fills with ideas inspired by the world around me. However to be productive I aim for 5 to 6 hours [of sleep] a day and ensure that I spend time with loved ones.