Tuesday 31 July 2012

Rachel Weisz is a big screen beauty at The Bourne Legacy premiereR

Rachel (Photo: The Sun)

African viewpoint: Colonial forgetfulness

In this piece, London-based Ugandan writer, Joel Kibazo, considers how easily former colonial masters forget the past.

Is it ignorance or stupidity? With some people it is hard to work out which it is.

I recently found myself in Portugal. The endless downpours that had become the hallmark of this year's British summer called for serious measures.

This African needed some sun without going too far and the warm climes and golden sands of the Algarve offered the perfect answer.

Once I landed and jumped into a cab, I met the first of several people who caused my dilemma about ignorance and stupidity.

Having dispensed with the discussion on the attractions of this southern Portuguese region, Pedro, the taxi driver, decided to unburden himself.

"I love Africa. The place is beautiful and I also love the warmth of the people," he said.

"Hmm, where is this going?" I wondered. I did not have to wait long. My new friend had decided I was the man for his well thought out views.

"The only problem is that Africans don't know how to look after things or to manage them. Look at Angola and Mozambique," he said.

"We left them everything when we stopped ruling those countries. The education was good, the health system was the best and then it was all ruined by the governments that took over."
Lost for words
There was no acknowledgement of the brutality of colonial rule, or the plundering of resources that saw Angola's and Mozambique's wealth sent off to build Portugal.

I was lost for words. Not because I had never heard such things before by those keen to rewrite history but because I thought such people were no longer around.

This was a man in his late thirties. To think that the citizens of Mozambique, Angola, and other territories the Portuguese ruled over should be grateful was breathtaking.

Many had seen the Portuguese departure in 1975 as one of the most callous; they had unscrewed wall sockets and I recall seeing an incomplete building in Maputo that had been rendered useless by the departing colonialists just to ensure that the new government could not complete the building.

If the Portuguese were so good, how come education, health and the general economic welfare of Lusaphone Africa remained so low and only improved in recent times?

I met several people like Pedro during my stay. All keen to rewrite history.

Only last week I was in southern Africa and I met my friend Arlindo who comes from Mozambique but lives in Angola and played his part in the struggle.

He shook his head when I told him about my experience.

He said what these people do not realise is that our resources were plundered to help develop Portugal and yet they continue to think they were a blessing to us.

The funny thing is that today Portugal is in financial crisis and when Pedro finished telling me about the legacy of the Portuguese, as he saw it, he admitted things were so bad in his country that if he could find a job in Africa, he would be on the next plane. Imagine him in the Africa of today.
Baffled
Nothing better illustrated how things had changed than a conversation I had with some bankers while I was in Lisbon last year for the African Development Bank annual meeting.

Over lunch, a senior banking executive from a large financial institution that will remain nameless for now said: "If it was not for business with Angola we would be in even more serious financial trouble. Angola and Mozambique are our future."

But the attempt to rewrite history is not limited to some Portuguese individuals. In Johannesburg a few days ago a friend who happens to be white brought up the same subject.

Nearly two decades after South Africa became a democratic nation, he was still meeting people who thought the country needed to have a white-controlled government as if that was the answer to whatever woes the South African people might be facing.

He was as baffled as I was.

So now you see my dilemma.

Are people such as Pedro deliberately trying to turn history on its head because that is the only way they can justify their current situation?

Or is it simply a fact that such individuals have not been blessed with a good enough education to enable them to accept the historical reality, unpleasant as it may be?

Ignorance or stupidity? I still don't know which it is.

Culled from BBC (Africa) with slight editing.


Bank driver arrested with 19 ATM cards, N652,000

  The Lagos State Police Command has arrested Dare Oladujoye, a driver with Zenith Bank, for allegedly being in possession of 19 Guaranty Trust Bank ATM cards and the sum of N652, 000.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect was using the cards to withdraw money from an ATM at Ogba branch of GTB when a security guard raised the alarm.

The Commissioner of Police for the state police command, Mr. Umar Manko, said as of the time of his arrest, the suspect had withdrawn N652, 000 from the ATM.

Manko said, “On July 26, 2012, around 8:30pm, there was a distress call that there was commotion at GTB, Ogba branch. On getting there, the suspect was seen with 19 ATM cards.

“He is an employee of Zenith Bank and we wondered what he was doing with the 19 cards. He was arrested and as of the time of his arrest, he had cashed N652, 000. The matter is under investigation.”

The suspect however denied stealing the ATM cards. He said whenever he lent people money, he would collect their ATM cards as collateral and return them after payment.

He said, “I usually loan people money and I’ve been doing it for over a year. Whenever I loan people money, I will collect their ATM cards and their Personal Identification Numbers. When they repay me, I return their cards to them.

“However, if they don’t pay me back in cash, I go to withdraw money from their accounts through the ATM.”

When quizzed on where he got the money which he lent people, he said he was into various kinds of businesses.
He also said he had friends in the banking sector who helped him with funds.

He said, “I am a very hard working person. I joined Zenith Bank as a driver over three years ago and in less than a year, I bought a tricycle which I leased to another driver that gives me returns on a regular basis.

“The following year, I bought two tricycles bringing the total number to three. I make N150,000 monthly from the tricycles and N60,000 from my salary. I also get credit facilities through my connections in the banking sector.

“On the day I was arrested, I went to withdraw money on Thursday night with some of the cards when a security guard raised the alarm. I did not steal those cards. I know the owners of the cards and I have their numbers on my phone.”

Meanwhile, the command has warned members of the public to be very careful when buying vehicles so as not to buy stolen ones.

 The warning became imperative following the arrest of two mechanics who allegedly received six stolen vehicles and even sold some to members of the public.

Manko said buyers could sense stolen vehicles by their cheap prices.

It was learnt that on July 7, 2012, Sunday Okoduwa came with a report that his car was stolen on Victoria Island.

Policemen later traced the car to a workshop in Agidingbi and arrested a man identified simply as Abdusalam, who in turn claimed that he bought it from one Idowu Adegboyega.

PUNCH Metro learnt that when Adegboyega was arrested and could not give a satisfactory explanation, his house was searched and some documents were found which led to the recovery of six other vehicles.

A police source said, “When we searched the suspect’s house, some documents were recovered which led to the recovery of six other vehicles.

“All the vehicles were registered in the name of one Oti Olusekola Jacob, who is believed to belong to the gang of armed robbers in Lagos.”

In a related development, the police have arrested 12 armed robbery suspects.

 Police authorities said the suspects belonged to a syndicate that specialised in snatching vehicles from the owners at gunpoint.

The police alleged that the suspects operated in Ikorodu where they robbed and also sold vehicles.

According to the police, Ahmed Abdullahi, Azeez Abiodun, Olusoga Taiwo, Wasiu Azeez and Dele Balogun are among the suspects arrested.

It was learnt that three of the suspects, Adebiyi Mafimisesin, Lekan Aibinuomo and Okalawon Akinpelu; were receivers of stolen vehicles, which were either Toyota or Honda products.

A police source said, “The case emanated from Ikorodu Police Station and was reported on June 20, 2012 by a complainant who was attacked and robbed of his Toyota Sienna Space bus.

“We swung into action and we discovered where they keep stolen vehicles and sell to buyers. We recovered six vehicles; Toyota Sienna, Toyota Corolla, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and two others.

“We also recovered single-barrelled locally-made shotguns and 24 live cartridges and one expended cartridge.”
Source: The Punch

Falana blames Obasanjo, IBB for nation’s woes

Obasanjo and Babangida
 Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, on Monday blamed the current woes confronting the country on two former heads of state, Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida.

Falana critisised the two former leaders in a statement on Monday following a joint statement by the duo stating that there was “poverty, fear and uncertainty” in the country.

Obasanjo and Babangida had, in their statement on Sunday, warned that the consequences of the current state of the country were capable of affecting national unity. They added that the loss of innocent lives being experienced across the country was no longer bearable.

However, Falana accused the former heads of state of misrule, failing to harness the nation’s resources, a development which he said, led to the current condition of the country.

He said, “For about 20 years both of them misruled and wasted the rare oppotunity to harness our abundant resources to make Nigeria one of the leading nations in the world, hence, the current state of poverty, fear and uncertainty.”

 He described as an arrogant posture, the failure of both of them to apologise to Nigerians in their statement for the havoc their regimes had caused the country.

The human rights lawyer said Nigeria had witnessed ethno-religious clashes which claimed many lives and destruction of property under their regimes.
Source: The Punch

Monday 30 July 2012

Suicide bombing of Nigerian Police zonal command in Sokoto




Suicide bombers of the Islamist militant sect Boko Haram today attacked two police stations in Sokoto metropolis.  

At first a suicide bomber driving a Golf Volkswagen car rigged with bombs  to the gate of the Central Police station used the car to force the gate open and then drove directly to the main building housing the Assistant Inspector General of Police before detonating the car bomb.

The attacked affected the offices of the zonal command of the Nigerian police force  at Marina killing a police officer and injuring several others.

Another bomber also bombed Unguwar Rogo Police station in the metropolis.
Source:Sahara Reporters

Gunmen attack family home of VP Sambo in Zaria

 Vice President, Namadi Sambo

Suspected militants have attacked the family home of Vice President Namadi Sambo on Baba Ahmed Road in  Tudun Wada area of Zaria, Kaduna state. Eyewitnesses told Saharareporters that gunmen drove by the house and shot at two policemen guarding the house.

The policemen reportedly survived the attack. The gunmen fled the scene after the attack.
Source: Sahara Reporters

Who killed father of Nigerian tipped to be first Black Prime Minister?

The father of a Labour frontbencher who is tipped as a future party leader died in a mysterious car crash that friends fear was a  political assassination.

Bennett Umunna, whose son Chuka is Labour’s business spokesman and MP for Streatham, was killed in Nigeria shortly after  standing for state governor.

Although Umunna – a wealthy London businessman who was a director of Crystal Palace football club – was tipped to win the post,  his supporters claim he lost the vote after refusing to pay bribes during the campaign.

Now close friend Ron Noades, who was chairman of Crystal Palace at the time, has spoken for the first time about his belief that the car crash 20 years ago was no accident.

He said: “We always thought he was killed by someone, because he did things on the night of his death that he never did in Nigeria. 

“He was travelling at night and, secondly, he got into a car with a driver who was not his regular. We always thought he was killed by someone who may have seen him  as a threat.” 

Noades, 75, who lives in Purley, South London, also claimed that  Umunna had withdrawn a large sum of money from his bank account shortly  before his death. Although Chuka Umunna, 33, has spoken of his father’s death in the past, he has remained vague about the details.

In a recent interview, he said: “There was a lot of speculation in Nigeria. He was a well-known  figure. I don’t really want to go  into it, but things in Nigeria don’t operate like here. 

‘”t’s not like you’re going to get an official post mortem or a proper police investigation.”

Bennett Umunna, who became a successful businessman after arriving in Britain as a penniless immigrant in the Sixties, died after his car apparently crashed into a truck carrying logs on April 1, 1992. 

Weeks earlier, Umunna, 51, had stood to become governor of Anambra, about 270 miles south of the Nigerian capital Abuja. 

He regularly travelled back to  the country as the head of a  thriving import-export firm doing business between Europe and West Africa. 

Mr Noades’s wife, Novello, 54, also a close friend of the Umunna family, said: “From all the facts  I heard at the time, I think Bennett was assassinated. 

“He was involved in the politics of the country. From what I heard, his car crashed into a vehicle that was carrying logs. That’s how he died.  I don’t know whether the driver  died as well. 

“I remember that day, when I found out about Ben’s death. We moved to our new house, and then I received a call from Ron. 

“He told me Ben had died in Nigeria. I remember crying all day in the bathroom. I was devastated.’

Umunna’s death was registered on the British Consular and High Commission deaths abroad database.
 A British death certificate states he was living in the city of Enugu in the neighbouring Enugu state, and died on the Onitsha-Owerri highway in Anambra state. 

The document does not give his cause of death, but says a local death certificate was presented as ‘evidence of death’. 

In Nigeria, the accident was widely covered in the media and it is believed some minutes of silence were observed in Enugu.

Umunna, who is said to have been a tribal chief known as Ben Osi Umunna, was a well-known  and popular businessman in the country, as well as the chairman of a Nigerian football club.

On one internet forum, he is described by a contributor as  ‘the business mogul who came back from England and changed the  face of Enugu in the late Eighties and also became the chairman of Rangers International.

“He provided a lot of jobs and he became an instant hit. He helped (charitable cases, including) a group of widows, who were on his payroll until he died in a ghastly motor  accident about ’90 or ’91.’ 

Umunna travelled to England by boat in the mid-Sixties, arriving at Liverpool, to improve his prospects and made his way to London after a stranger gave him money for the train fare. 

He performed a number of menial jobs, including cleaning cars, before building up his business. He became a director of Crystal Palace in the late Eighties after investing £50,000 in the club.

He married Patricia Milmo, a solicitor, in 1976, and the couple  had two children – Chuka and his sister Chinwe, 31, who is also known as Chi Chi.

A spokesman for Chuka Umunna said: ‘Chuka’s father died more than 20 years ago in very tragic  circumstances. 

As Chuka has made it clear previously, the circumstances surrounding his father’s death are a private matter and not something he comments on, painful and upsetting as they are to Chuka and his family.’
 Culled from The Nation

Some of the London 2012 Olympics pictures taken during the opening ceremony

Could this be Queen of England? No, it was stuntman, Gary Connery who dressed as the Queen as he leapt from a helicopter 550ft above the Olympic stadium (Photos:Mail)
What do you call this? Shakespeare's Hecate?
Right on River Thames
16th century Britain?
Fantastic!



Children in prison as mother’s sin passes onto the child

IT is a heart-rending story. Many female prisoners now have the misfortune of raising their children in the midst of hardened criminals, accused prostitutes, persons on death row and others jailed for various felonies. And the children are innocent.

Some of the female prisoners at the Kirikiri Female Prisons, Kirikiri, Apapa, Lagos, the only specialised facility for women in the country, want the government to save children born behind bars.

In a three-month long investigation of the ordeal of women who went into prisons with pregnancy or became pregnant while serving their terms, The Guardian learnt shocking truth about being born in the “manger”.
Psychologists and medical doctors say that babies raised by mothers behind bars will constantly find it hard to live normal lives.

Two female convicts who are serving six-month sentences each for child abuse with an 11-month-old and nine-month-old babies each at Kirikiri, appealed to the government to consider alternate forms of punishment for those involved in cases that can be considered as “medium or minimum degree” offenses while nursing.

They claim that the prisons are not equipped to handle babies and so women with babies should be pardoned or punished in a different way.

On the other hand, the mother of the 11-month-old places more emphasis on the psychological ramifications of a mother and child in prison. “When the government knows that the prisons is ill-equipped to handle children, why should they imprison us together? Have they never heard of community service? If we are to tell the truth, does this demeaning experience reform or harden us the more?”

A lawyer, Mrs. Bisi Ajayi-Kayode who has been reaching out to women prisoners and done some studies on their situation subscribed to the two women’s argument.

Mrs. Amoiho Isi, who was once in prison for three months on a case of mistaken identity and now runs an NGO that specialises on prisoners, says: “From experience, I know that virtually everything is poor in the prisons - the food, treatment from wardens, welfare, name it.”

Paediatrician, Dr. Yemi Gbenro, says that the harsh, punitive environment of prisons can permanently damage the psychological and mental wellbeing of children. “This is why you find children in this category having consistently recurring cases of psychological problems including depression, aggressive behaviour, regression, sleeping problems, eating problems, running away, truancy, poor school grades and delinquency.”

But the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Prisons Service, Chuks Njoku, disagrees that Nigerian Prisons is worse than others in the world.

On medical care for pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants in prisons, he disagrees with the claims of the inmates. Njoku says that the prisons system has several doctors in its employment who draw up a dietary chart for pregnant women and nursing mothers and this is what they are fed.
Culled from the Guardian 

Sunday 29 July 2012

My gap-tooth is my unique selling point - Tessy Oragwa

Tessy Oragwa
 Tessy Oragwa is an actress and an undergraduate student of Business Administration at the University of Lagos. The pretty lady who plays the role of Sylvia in that popular Television drama series, So Wright, So Wrong, in this interview with TAYO GESINDE at a popular eatery in Lagos Island says she loves fashion but she is not a fashion freak. Excerpts:

Foray into acting.
INITIALLY,
I wanted to read medicine but later discovered that it was not my calling because I was scared of blood. Anytime I see blood, I will cry and run away. Later, I discovered that I had passion for acting and that was what prompted me to go into acting. I joined the industry six years ago and I have featured in movies like Blind Couple, Holy Serpent, Born Again Millionaire, Billionaire's kingdom, Original Sin, among others.

Challenges.
 When I started, it was not easy, one had to go for audition and at first having to face the camera wasn't easy, I was scared but over time, I got over it.
Combining academics with acting.
It has not been easy. But because it is Distance Learning, I have time for both.
Description of self.
I am simple, easy going and fun to be with.
Growing up.
Growing up was good because I have disciplinarian parents. They brought me up in a Christian way, it was fun. I was born and bred in Lagos but I am from Imo State.
Definition of style.
Style is anything that makes you look gorgeous, that makes you look good and simple. The mood I am in usually determines my mode of dressing. My style is unique and simple. I love fashion but I am not a fashion-freak, I do my own stuff.
Beauty regimen.
I don't have any beauty routine that I follow, anything that I use and is good on me, I go for it, I am not too particular about things like that. I am not the type that says oh! I must buy this beauty product or that. For my skin, I use baby cream.
Favourite perfume.
Any good perfume is good for me. I am not choosy when it comes to perfume.
Favourite designer.
Really, I don't have a favourite designer, if I walk into a store and see a Gucci product that I like, I go for it. I buy whatever I like; I am not a designer-freak.
Fashion icon.
Rita Dominic because she dresses very well.
Make-up.
 My make-up is usually light and simple except when I am on set and the character I am portraying has to use heavy make-up.
Choice of accessories.
 Any nice accessory that complements what I am wearing, I go with it but normally, I am not an accessory person. Once I wear my earring, necklace and wrist watch, I am off.
Accessories I can't do without.
My phones and wrist watch.
Favourite colours.
I won't say I have a favourite colour but any colour that appeals to me, I wear.
Most expensive items in my wardrobe.
My wrist watches, shoes and bags.
Opinion on toning.
Whoever has money should go ahead and do it as long as the person is okay with it, I don't have problem with it.
Cosmetic surgery.
I am not in for that but whoever feels okay with it should go ahead. I can't do it.
What I will like to change about myself.
Nothing. I am okay the way I am.
Greatest asset.
My whole body but I think my gap- tooth is my unique selling point.
Tattoo or piercing.
It depends on what one likes. I can't do tattoo because I don't like it. I only pierced my ears, I can't pierce my nose.
My take on provocative dressing.
It depends on where one is going to. You can't just see someone walking on the road during the day wearing a provocative dress, no, but maybe a party. Certain outfits are meant to be worn to certain places and whatever you wear, once you are comfortable with it, it is okay.
What I won't be caught dead wearing. 
What would that be? I watch myself before I go out. I don't know, maybe a pant and bra (laughs).
My hair and nails.
 I fix my hair and paint my natural nails.
Special treat.
I go to the spa for massage or go to the beach and keep cool.
 Hobbies.
 Reading, travelling, I love making new friends and learning new things.
 Diet or exercise.
 I don't diet but I do little exercise.
Secret of beauty.
 God.
 Best beauty advice I have ever received.
Never to tone or bleach. 
Advice on how to stay young and beautiful.
 Watch what you eat, especially in this part of the world where what we eat mostly are starchy foods and don't over bleach your skin, so as not to damage it. You might tone a little but not too much. Also, drink lots of water, it is good for the skin and it makes one look younger than one’s age.
Personal philosophy of life.
Life is cool and fun; make the best of it while you are at it because life is too short.
Coping with male admirers.
I just try to be polite but any one of them that wants to be rude, I know how to stop them, I just walk off.
Like and dislike.
I like honest people, I like people who are real. I dislike liars and people who are fake,  I like them to be original.
Pains and gains of celebrities.
The job gives you fame and this usually paves the way for you wherever you go. For instance, when you get to a place where you need to queue, you do not have to because you are known and as a result you are given preferential treatment. The pains? Ah! 
Most embarrassing moment.
There was this guy that used to run after me for autograph, I used to deny him but one day, he caught me where I was making my nails and walked up to me that, it is either you sign for me or I make noise. He started making noise and people were looking at us, though I didn't have a pen, but I took the cortex and signed on his guitar. He then left me alone.
Tying the knot.
 ( Laughs) Soonest.
Negative press.
Of course negative things have been written about me in the papers but I do not allow it to bug me. I just keep quiet knowing it will go away with time.
 My fans.
I love them, without them there would be no me so they should keep  on praying for me, I will not disappoint them. I will keep on doing what I know how to do best.
Culled from Sunday Tribune