We need knowledge to grow Nigerian economy —Moji Ladipo

Chief Mrs Mojisola Ladipo is a former registrar, University of Ibadan, former visiting registrar, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and former registrar, Veritas University, Abuja. She is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Ibadan Business School. She speaks with EMMANUEL ADENIYI on the newly established school, Nigeria’s business environment and why government needs to develop infrastructure to grow the economy.

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WHAT is the vision behind the establishment of Ibadan Business School and how can the vision be deployed towards addressing parts of Nigeria’s human development index (HDI) said to be abysmally low?
Many people think that development is driven by the private sector. Though this is true to some extent, it is the public sector that really has the vision, drives that vision, lays down policy and even implements the laid down policy. Now, small-scale, micro-scale, medium-scale industries and large-scale entrepreneurs and multinationals will come in when government has instituted a policy. Therefore, it will be hard for a permanent secretary who should articulate government policies to do his job effectively if he does not attend conferences or trainings to imbibe, for instance, the basics of project management or data collection so as to know what industry is to be established and where it should be sited. Part of the vision of this school is to focus on the development needs of public sector, that is, civil servants and public officers, because they are the drivers of economy in the developing world. The private sector, too, has a major role in ensuring that the vision of government is actualised. By and large, this business school will also address the capacity needs of micro, small and medium enterprises, because of the vital role they play in any economy.

Most business schools in North America, Europe and even in Africa or Asia offer degrees in various programmes, but Ibadan Business School seems to be toeing a different path since it is a non-degree awarding institution. Is this a deliberate design by the owners or the school is constrained by certain factors?
Let me start with Lagos Business School. It did not start by awarding degrees. LBS started with short-term courses, because I am an alumnae of the school. You had a course that spread over 10 weeks. For example, a course in management would run for two days a week and at the end of the 10 weeks, you would be given a certificate of participation, and that happens in many business schools all over the world. Some may also run intensive residential trainings and at the end of the trainings, you will be given a certificate of participation. Ibadan Business School, for now, is not talking about awarding degrees or diploma. It is not registered for that purpose. It is found to ensure that people, wherever they are, can have certificate of proficiency or distinction or participation for short-term programmes. Our programmes are designed for first-degree holders and people who have master’s degrees but lack capacity in some areas that are negatively impacting on their businesses or prospects. We are running online courses and all you need is your PCs or internet-enabled phones or ipads for you to take lectures anywhere you are at your convenience two days a week for one month, which is about eight hours. At the end of it, you will sit an exam and you will be given a certificate of participation or proficiency. This is not to say that we don’t have face-to-face programmes, but about 75 per cent of our courses will be online.

Are you saying it has no plan at all to award degrees?
Never say never. We have just started; we have plans; maybe in another five years or 10 years, depending on the developmental needs of the country, we will consolidate and see how we graduate eventually into that level. It is not registered with the National Universities Commission (NUC); it is registered as a private business that is giving management and business-based short-term courses. However, the future will dictate the direction in which we go. We just may end up being the first online university in Nigeria when we have gone through the appropriate statutory necessities. We are credentialists in Nigeria. Credentialism has been the bane of our education system, just get the certificate whether you know it or not. That is not our focus. Even though you need to be certified that you attended a course, but more importantly, we hope that by the time you have finished you would have imbibed something, even if it is the ability to learn or the interest in empowering oneself with knowledge and skills.

What measures have you put in place to make IBS different from many glorified business centers mushrooming daily in the country as b-schools?
It is a business school that is growing out of experience in management consultancy. First, the online innovation makes us different. Second, the quality of our faculty, which is made up of first-class persons who are renowned in their different fields, makes us unique as well. Three, the quality of our examination system is second to none. Even though it is online, you can’t cheat, because we have installed a technology that would ensure that it is the same person that registered for a course is the one sitting the examination. Four, the school is backed up by the sponsor, Supreme Management Consultant Limited, which has been in the forefront of management consultancy and face-to-face short-term programmes in virtually all aspects of management. Besides, it is known globally. Five, we are partnering with international agencies and faculties  to develop our courses so that the courses are identified through market needs and prepared by experts, including people from outside Nigeria.  Our courses are needs-based. They are so designed to meet the needs of the economy. The physical facilities are there as well. We have comfortable classrooms for face-to-face deliveries and state-of-the-art technical equipment. The school is located in a serene environment, we have standard learning rooms, syndicate rooms, plenary halls, library, parks, state-of-the-art ICT facility, national and international members of faculty and Board of Advisors comprising distinguished and accomplished Nigerians and expatriates.  Despite all these facilities, we will continue to expand the infrastructure to meet future needs.  Similarly, our courses will change from time to time. If you take a programme this month, whoever that subscribes to it next month will not be receiving exactly the same thing.

How would you go about this?
There are new things that come up everyday, new knowledge and new experiences. Besides, market changes everyday. Certain factors drive the economy and all of these things are looked at and incorporated into our courses. We want to ensure that best global practices are reflected in every single course run in the school. To ensure standard, we grade our faculty, I mean our lecturers and those who prepare our courses from time to time. They, too, will go through the process of evaluation. If as a lecturer your course is not reflecting global changes, you are out.

Would your e-learning study approach not compromise standard since the study system only allows little or no supervision?
I don’t think so, because outside Nigeria, there are online universities that award master’s degrees without compromising standards. Ours cannot be different either.

Do you have same mechanisms such online schools use for quality control and effective supervision of their students scattered all over the world?
Yes, of course. If a student takes our online course, where we can ensure standard is to ensure that it is that same student that is answering our questions. We are using a combination of biometrics and iris capturing for this. Each human being has certain peculiarities that technology can discover, when we have ensured you are that person that took the exam, we will grade it. There are different stages of quality control; I can’t disclose everything for security reasons.

Your courses are short-term capacity trainings to bridge skills, knowledge and attitude gaps in your students. Why short-term trainings? Is it not wise to extend the duration of your programmes since acquisition of knowledge, skills and change in attitude may take a longer time?
In the first instance, it is not how long a programme is that determines its quality; it is how intensive the programme is. Sometimes, fatigue may even set in when a programme is taking too long. There could be discontinuity, the student may lose interest and abandon the programme. With regard to attitude, it takes some time to change attitude. As I said, when you have knowledge, when that gaps that make you insecure are filled, you will be able to take right decision. Many people are aggressive because they are insecure, and they are insecure, because they don’t know what to do. When you have acquired knowledge, the drive to put what you have learnt into practice will well up in you, so there is no way your attitude will not change. Once you empower yourself with knowledge your attitude will change, because you will become more confident. That is the vision, and that is what makes IBS different from other business schools. I don’t think the time factor is negative; it is a plus to our courses.

What is your view of Nigeria’s business environment?
I always like to be positive. The business environment is juicy, that is why despite all the happenings in the country, foreigners are still coming in droves and finding their niche. Why are they successful and we are not? Perhaps, what Ibadan Business School is doing may be what will empower that young graduate who, having not found a formal job, wants to set up a photography studio. He needs to know how to cost his service, determine the needs of his customers and so on. However, the things that bedevil business here is infrastructure. If we get just power sector right, Nigeria’s economy will grow in leaps and bounds, because the real players in the economy, the artisans and small scale entrepreneurs, will have opportunity to develop their businesses. Government should develop infrastructure and improve on the existing ones. I believe in Nigeria and the young people of this country, because they are ready to take risks. It is people who take risks that succeed. We will surely get there. Electricity will improve, the knowledge we acquire will help us to get better.

Many people believe that b-schools all over the world are expensive, what about Ibadan Business School?
We are very different from others. For example, we charge N19,900 for the online courses, that is not expensive at all, because we have removed all costs expended on logistics. For the face-to-face programme, we charge N75,000 for a one week course.

In what way can government partner with you apart from sending staff to attend your courses?
IBS is a private sector-driven project. At the appropriate time, government may come in and it is government that will decide where it wants to partner with us, but as far as sponsorship is concerned, this school will always remain private sector-driven, because that is the whole idea. Government has its own schools; the business of government is to provide the structure and infrastructure that will enable businesses and private initiatives to grow.

A world in crises

Events around the world seem to point to the fact that the world is bracing for its doomsday and may be nearing its end soon. There are violence and terrorist attacks here and there, just as hunger, poverty and natural disasters have stagnated developmental efforts in many nations, while many other belligerents have been devastated by wars. EMMANUEL ADENIYI chronicles some of the frightening occurrences the world over and reports that man’s inhumanity, if not checked, could fast-track the fulfillment of prophecies about the world’s eventual end.

The documentary evokes the feelings of sadness, fear and empathy. With its lucid message, the impression created is that a bleak future awaits the world, and Nostradamus’ prophecy of the world plummeting into the abyss of crises may soon catch up with us all.

Entitled, “Syria: The Wounds of War” and broadcast on Aljazeera,  it wove together the compelling narrative of war in the Syrian Arab Republic (SAR) and the groans of injured Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters who were brought to Germany for treatment after sustaining varying degrees of injury while fighting against President Bashar Assad government.

The conflagration in the country is still burning, consuming everyone it comes in contact with and has even transmogrified Syria into an ogre that eats its own at their prime.

The Western Asian country is a metaphor of global unrest that conjures up the “provisional existence” of a lot of people across the globe and their lack of faith in a glorious future, no thanks to global cataclysm. It also gives a surmise that no nation in the world is witnessing absolute peace, while peace – that priceless “commodity” – has become elusive that each country fights tooth and nail to have, albeit in vain.

The stark reality is that the world is reeling under the weight of crises. Besides, the enormity of global upheaval is so frightening that the “wars” and catastrophe mankind failed to end years back have turned a daemon poised to wipe it out of existence.  

It needs be said that ghommids in human form are here with us. They have commenced their art of warmongering – they start a war, set the pace for cataclysm and allow the hapless to bear the brunt, while they snicker behind them. 

Where humans are not directly responsible for disasters that kill in droves, nature – the punctilious but vindictive host – strikes where it hurts most to avenge its despoliation, while man, a mere tenant of this transient terrain, runs around in anguish. 

Terrorist attacks and indiscriminate bombing across the globeAside the Middle Eastern countries that have continued to witness the spate of terrorist attacks in the last few decades, countries in Africa, Europe, North America and parts of Asia have become a new haven for terrorists who detonate bombs at will leaving behind hundreds of dead people and many others who carry with them the permanent badge of disability. 

From Afghanistan to Iran, Iraq and other Arabian countries caught up in the vortex of killings and bloodletting, the bombers, mostly on suicide mission, have remained undaunted in their resolve to send many innocent lives to their early graves.

The March 2004 Madrid train bombing that left 191 people dead  and over 1,000 injured comes to mind readily. The same incident recurred in July 2005 when 53 persons were killed by four suicide bombers, while about 700 got injured in London multiple bombings. 

Scores of terrorist attacks have similarly been recorded in different parts of Europe in the last 10 years. The intensity of terrorist attacks on Europe and other parts of the world has clearly shown that these ghommids are relentless and their devilish mission is not race, tongue or territory-bound.

In Africa; Nigeria, Kenya and Somalia have not been finding it easy in the hands of Boko Haram and al-Shabab extremists. While Somalia has literally been grounded by al-Shabab and turned it to a failed state, the fear of the terror group is now the beginning of wisdom in Kenya, as it has bombed the country several times in the last few years to avenge Kenya’s intervention in Somali crisis. 

To put it succinctly, Kenya catches cold each time the ghommid of al-Shabab sneezes, while many eastern African countries, too, live under the perpetual fear of the Islamic terrorist group.

Nigeria, too, is still having a running battle with the daemon of Boko Haram – the twin brother of al-Shabab in West Africa.  Though the government has been claiming “victory” over the sect, its operations are getting daring by the day, and anytime it strikes, the country weeps.

China, Indonesia and India have been having their own share of terrorist attacks as well. The Urumqi market attack that left 31 people dead and scores injured recently signposts the murder of peace in the Asian country. Indonesia and India, too, cannot forget in a hurry the deadly attacks that al-Qaeda has caused in the countries. 

Poverty, starvation In other African countries with no history of Islamic terrorism, the rate of “terrorism” waged by hunger and poverty is unarguably frightening. From Zimbabwe to Eritrea, down to the Republic of Chad and Malawi, many live in want, as hunger – the “terrorism” of the belly – towers over their capacity to provide themselves food and other basic necessities of life. 

Asian, South American and some eastern European countries are not exempted from the scourge of poverty as well. Citizens in these countries battle with the “terrorism” of want, while many have even been reported to have died of extreme want.

Full-blown warsWhile some African countries such as South Sudan, Central African Republic (CAR) and northern part of Mali have been thrown into a full-blown war, the international war between Ukraine and Russia is getting messier each passing day. The outcome of these wars, experts have warned, could even begin another in some other countries across the globe.

The Syrian debacle has proved unsolvable, despite efforts to end it by the world’s super powers. Since the war broke out, hundreds of people have lost their lives, while it may consume more as it rages on.

Stockpile of nuclear weaponsNorth Korea as well as other nations, like Iran, Pakistan, China, Israel, India, USA, France, Russia and Britain have been stockpiling nuclear weapons in the last few years, while many of them have been testing their weapons, possibly in readiness for war. The 2012  Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS’) estimate of nuclear warheads in the world puts the lethal weapons at over 17,000, while about 4,300 of them are reported to be ready for use. Perhaps, the world should pray against the detonation of another Little Boy and Fat Man – the two bombs – detonated over Japan in 1945, or other newly developed bombs, otherwise the world, like gas, might evaporate sooner than prophesied.   

Natural disastersThe list of countries that have witnessed natural disasters in the last few years is endless. Virtually every part of the world has experienced one natural disaster or the other. From Haiti to the recent flooding in the Balkans, nature has created an impression that it is unhappy with the mankind. Currently, scores of Turkish coal miners are still missing after an explosion caused a pit to collapse, killing at least 238 workers.

Organised crimes, gun attacksThe world currently sits on a keg of gunpowder, judging by the spate of organised crimes and gun attacks that have sent many to their early graves. Schools and public buildings are often attacked in the United States of America and Britain, as well as in many parts of Europe. The 2011 Norwegian mass attack by Anders Behring Breivik that left 77 persons dead is reminiscent of the precariousness of the world we live in.

Clerics reactSome clerics, who spoke with Sunday Tribune, said the happenings around the world were a clear indication that the end of the world was at hand.

The General Overseer of Holy Ghost Assembly Church, Ketu, Lagos, Reverend John Abiola, explained that the biblical prophecy stating that the end of the world would be heralded by catastrophic happenings was true, adding that Jesus Christ had predicted these terrible occurrences during His earthly ministry.

The Imam of Answarudeen mosque, Osogbo, Alhaji Suleiman Akewusola, also disclosed that Quran had foretold world crises, but charged Muslims to prepare themselves for the impending end, as nobody knew the exact time that this would happen.

The elusiveness of peace in the world With the level of crises in the world and man’s search for solutions in spite of the persistence of these crises, it is evident that peace has deserted the world. Even the world’s leading economies cannot claim exemption, as different challenges throw up themselves daily and gnaw at their efforts to make peace.

It needs be stressed that man’s activities are largely responsible for the elusiveness of peace across the globe. His inordinate ambition, greed and quest for power have compelled him to bite off more than he can chew as he rides roughshod over other people.

Shall we then say that the horrendous happenings in the world signpost that it is on the threshold of oblivion, or what? 

Whichever way, that Yoruba’s dictum is instructive for us all – Aye n lo, a n to o (the world trudges, we ‘humans’, follow). 

Daughters of Chibok: That this carnival may end…

The abduction of close to 300 schoolgirls in Chibok last month by the dreaded Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has continued to receive global condemnation, even as civil society groups, non-governmental organisations and persons have similarly trooped out on the streets protesting the unfortunate incident. Little is, however, known about the theatrics of some of the protesters whose intention of joining others to demand the release of the hapless girls is best known to them, writes EMMANUEL ADENIYI.

The placards are of different sizes. Those carrying them, too, differ in age and physical structures.
With the same T-shirts – on which were printed different messages – the protesters, mostly women, walked through major roads across the country singing, crying, while some even danced to the a capella of mourning and unheard rhythm of sorrow.
Overtly, their common goal is to press for the release of schoolgirls abducted by the Mallam Abubakar Shekau-led Boko Haram, yet their intentions are not the same.
In fact, if Shekau still had his humanity intact, the torrent of shouts, wails and a capella of sadness rendered by the protesters would move him to tears and instantly order the release of the girls.
However, that is not to be. Boko Haram is impervious to tears and wails. As a terrorist organisation, one of its stratagems is to cow people into obedience by instilling fear in them. It rather derives joy seeing people crying and wailing.
Protesters with different intentions
While some of the protesters wailed genuinely and wearied themselves with a hoarse cry, some took pleasure in doing things that were not in any way related to the purpose of their protest.
Some of them were even seen taking photograph with their phones and cameras, while many grinned with delight and exchanged pleasantries with friends.
“You came?”, one of the protesters, smartly dressed in a red T-shirt and black jeans trousers, asked another woman along Mokola-Roundabout in Ibadan when they left Adamasingba Stadium, venue of an interdenominational prayer session organised by the wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs Florence Ajimobi for the release of the kidnapped girls last Thursday.
The women, in their hundreds, had formed a long queue along Mokola-Adamasingba road and were on their way to the state secretariat in Agodi to stage the mother of all protests.
“I never knew you were here too,” replied the woman, who was in her late 40s. It wasn’t long after they exchanged pleasantries that they invited a cameraman, who had patiently trailed the protesters photographing those who dressed sleekly among them and making quick money from them, to snap them.
He didn’t waste time to do that as other people were waiting for him to use his camera to photograph their red and black outfit – a token of their sacrifice paid to secure the release of Chibok daughters.
Among the protesters were some who seized the opportunity to hawk their wares. A number of them, who did not mind what brought them outside, also bought some items useful for them at home.
In Abuja, Lagos, Benin, Kaduna and other places where people took to the streets protesting the abduction of Chibok daughters, most of the protesters displayed nonchalance. Their attitude sold them out. Their concern was not about the hapless girls; they had merely jumped on the bandwagon to seek attention.
Display of theatrics…
It was observed that most of the protesters did not know the essence of their protest. As shown by Ibadan protesters, market women and artisans turned the protest to a social gathering, while some rolled on the ground as though their display of emotions would make Boko Haram change its mind.
Attack on government
Some individuals, who have been looking for the opportunity to vent their spleen on government, it was learnt, found an opportunity in the street protests, as “paid” speakers took turn to criticise the government for its alleged slow response in rescuing the girls.
The Federal Government, according to them, should be blamed for the abduction, because of its failure to provide security in the schools. Their claim created a wrong impression that the government had prior knowledge of the abduction.
Would the Federal Government have left its citizens at the mercy of the merciless terrorists? If it did, what could be its aim? Many questions beg for answers as far as the Chibok abduction saga is concerned.
The protests, it was learnt, have even been hijacked by politicians who used it to lampoon the government. Some used the occasion to campaign and ridicule the ruling government before their audience as a means to score cheap political goals.
“It has been politicised,” a foremost lawyer, who doesn’t want his name in print, observed. Creating political intrigue out of the misfortune of others, according to him, reveals the capacity of Nigerian politicians to play mischief with issues of national importance.
Culture of protests and demonstrations among Nigerians
Taking to the streets to protest wrongdoing or demonstrating against unpopular government’s policy is not a bad idea. After all, the beauty of a democratic society lies in people speaking out their minds. Citizens have a voice in a democracy and they are allowed to speak out their minds when occasion calls for it.
Nigerians know this too well, hence their penchant for protests and demonstrations. The popular demonstration nationwide against the unpopular cancellation of the June 12, 1993 presidential election comes to mind. The demonstration eventually forced the then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida (retd), out of power.
The subsequent protests against the military junta after Babangida government and the call for the return of democracy in the country also contributed to the eventual return of Nigeria to democratic rule in 1999.
Similarly, the nationwide protest against the removal of petrol subsidy in January 2012 forced President Goodluck Jonathan to rescind its decision on the blanket removal of the subsidy.

 While this uproar lasted, either the call for the military to hand over power to democratic government or petrol subsidy removal, Nigerians were unanimous in their demands. Their passion was phenomenal and their unity of purpose fetched them results. There was no time for irrelevancies; the nation was mourning and the need to wipe away its tears was dear to them.

In a way, the culture of protest is entrenched in the country. Protest affords many the opportunity to convey their feelings to government, especially when government fails to recognise or closes its eyes to social intelligence, which it ought to latch on with a view to formulating policies or adjusting its programmes.
However, the Chibok-abduction-induced protest has a different shade. The enemy, though known, is unmoved by the charade of wails and cries of most of the protesting women who really did not understand why they were asked to come out to protest. You could perceive confusion in their troubled looks, although some enjoyed the moment as though their lives depended on it.
The mindset of terrorists
Terrorists have no souls! Their conscience is hardened and their joy is fuelled by the wails and agonising pains of their victims.
The fact is that everybody has become a victim; no one is left off the hook, not even the president who is ensconced in his heavily guarded Aso Rock Villa, because a surge of adrenaline is experienced in the body whenever the news of Boko Haram attack is heard.
The mindset of terrorists is filled with evils. They are emissaries of fear and death, and nothing gladdens their hearts other than seeing their victims live in the shadow of fear.
Ultimately, when people – victims of Boko Haram – take to the streets crying and rolling on the ground, its ego is gratified. It is pleasing to Boko Haram seeing mothers of the abducted girls protest. He, Boko Haram, a metaphorical purveyor of sorrow, is delighted seeing other women cry as well.
Call for action, not display of charade
If there is anything needed to contain the activities of the dreaded sect, it is to take action against it. Full military action may not be out of place, while not foreclosing the possibility of engaging it in dialogue.
War against terrorism is hard to fight and win, but efforts could be stepped up to contain its activities. Terrorists are impervious to feelings. So, street protests and torrents of cries from protesters do not touch their hearts of darkness in any way. This is why it is important to stop the charade of street wailing and crying; it is fruitless, distracting and pointless. Resources should be pooled together, intelligence should be gathered more vigorously so as to locate the whereabouts of the missing girls and rescue them.
Before this carnival ends…
The carnival of street protests needs to end. As it is, it has become a jamboree or a “political festival” deliberately planned to deride the ruling government, while important issues at stake are left unaddressed.
It also serves as a source of distraction to the government at the centre which ought to concentrate its energy strategising on how to secure the release of the missing girls and contain the Boko Haram menace in the country.
The nation is in a mournful mood and this is not the time for jollity, but for sober reflection. This is the right time for genuine show of empathy and compassion, this is the time for action and not carnivals, otherwise the whole nation will continue to “run Boko and Haram”.

Chibok schoolgirls: The search continues…

Despite frantic efforts made to locate the whereabouts and rescue the Chibok schoolgirls since their abduction over a month ago, little success seems to have been recorded by the combined team of the United States marines and Nigerian military, though promises from government and foreign nations, that vowed to help free the girls from the captivity of Boko Haram, still keep hope of their release alive. EMMANUEL ADENIYI reports.

Simao Kikamba’s Going Home sums it up. Though a chilling fiction of an Angolan immigrant in racist South Africa and the harrowing experiences that attended the day-to-day living in a foreign land, the text narrates the pang of nostalgia and lack of substitute for “home”.
Chibok is home to Kibaku people, but the pang of loss and negative publicity that their once cherished root has attracted in the last one month is not in any way cheering. As it is now, home, to the Kibaku, is a bugbear and a spot where wolf stalks its victim.
The wolf – Boko Haram – bared its fang on innocent schoolgirls  recently when it swooped on and took them to a yet-to-be-known location, thus throwing up global protests, while spirited efforts have been made to rescue them unharmed, all to no avail.
While the world waits with bated breath to see what would eventually end the schoolgirls abduction saga, the leader of Boko Haram sect, Mallam Abubakar Shekau, has told the world what he intends doing with the over 200 abducted girls.
Sheaku’s latest video
As widely reported, Mallam Shekau has, at last Monday, said he will sell the girls, stating that none of them will be released until the Federal government frees all insurgents in detention.
The girls, who dressed in Islamic attire, were videoed reciting verses of the Holy Qur’an, while Shekau was quoted as saying that some of the girls who refused to be converted into Islam would be sold.
In his message, which was rendered in Arabic, Kanuri, Hausa and English, the sect leader said that, “We have the girls in our custody and as you can see from the video, they have all accepted to become Muslims. In just a matter of few days, they have learnt to recite the first chapter of the Holy Qur’an fluently.
“We did not force them, but we have explained Islam to them clearly and they have all accepted it; and even some of them are now calling on their parents to join them in Islam, while they have been groping in the dark all these years.
“You are all out there worrying about these girls, but they are here now converted willingly into Islam. They are happy, because we treated them very well in the manner women are supposed to be treated.
“If you like you can go on again and insinuate, as usual, that we have given them some concoction to drink. Yes, go on and say Shekau has given them some portion to change their minds. But you should all know that we don’t drink anything here, we don’t drink alcohol. We are Muslims and our concoction is the names of Allah and his prophet.
“These girls have become our  property as it is the injunction in the Qur’an. We decide what to do with them. Yes, I repeat, they are now our slaves and acquired property; whatever we wish, we will do with them.  As I have said earlier, we can even sell them if we wish.
“But the fact remains that these girls remain with us until the Nigerian government releases our brothers and sisters being held in various detention facilities across the country.
“Just because of these few girls that we have taken, the world is shouting. But you should know that we have also abducted and taken boys that tripled this number in the past. Why is the world not talking?
“Let Obama, Ban ki Moon  and Goodluck Jonathan  know that there is nothing you can do to us, because this is the war of God and not human. This is not capitalism, this not socialism, this is not democracy; this is not United Nations charter; this is the religion of God, this is Jihad.
“These girls will go nowhere, until our brethren in Maiduguri, Abuja, Enugu and Lagos are all released from captivity.  So, it hurts this much, yet you have kept our brethren in detention for over five years; our women have been kept  in cells without marriage for all these years; some of our members, about 20 of them, were given poison to drink and they died silently in the cells. No one is talking about them.
“Let the world know that we are ready for whatever troops that are being deployed to fight us; we don’t fear American troops. Let even King Pharaoh himself be sent down here, we will deal with him squarely,” Shekau boasted.
US marines in Nigeria
The US marines arrived Nigeria penultimate week to help locate and rescue the abducted girls and step up the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria. Though the US Senate has ruled out the possibility of sending American Special Forces to help confront the insurgents, the marines have combed the Sambisa evil forest in search of the girls. To prove their expertise, the marines were said to have made arrests at Anyibe in Logo Local Government Area of Borno State, while other foreign nations like Britain, Israel, France and China were reported to have shown their readiness to support Nigeria in rescuing the girls alive and combating Boko Haram menace.
Mutiny in Maimalari Barracks
Just last Wednesday, soldiers in  Maimalari Barracks were reported to have mutinied  against the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the 7 division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Abubakar Mohammed, over his alleged insensitivity to their plight and the killings of their colleagues by insurgents.
The enraged soldiers, according to an online news portal, were said to have lamented the neglect of their welfare by the military authorities, claiming that “We, the soldiers, didn’t have the kind of arms and ammunition that Boko Haram fighters have. So, every day, they kill our men anyhow, but it is never published in the media.”
The GOC was said to have escaped death by a whisker as the angry soldiers fired shots at his vehicle. The GOC has since been redeployed and replaced by another senior officer.
More protesters call for the girls’ release
Global condemnation has grown against the inhumanity perpetrated by Boko Haram, just as hundreds of protesters across the globe have continued to call for the unconditional release of the girls. The list of protesters is endless. It includes celebrities, politicians, sports men and women and religious leaders. While some women under the aegis of Women Arise Against Terror Group (WAATG) threatened to storm Chibok nude in protest against the abduction, overwhelming displays of solidarity by women groups all over the world have continued to pour in for the girls. The Senate President, David Mark, for instance revealed last Monday in China the readiness of the Federal Government to fight insurgency in the country with its resources, stating that, “Boko Haram has become a real nuisance…We will not allow it to go on for too long”. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has similarly called on the insurgents to release the girls unconditionally. According to him, “We condemn their action and also appeal to them to release the girls unconditionally, because they have important contributions for the future of this country.” Of importance also is the avalanche of tweets and messages in the social media calling for the release of the girls.
Cancellation of President Jonathan’s visit to Chibok
President Goodluck Jonathan was  allegedly billed to visit the beleaguered city of Chibok last Friday before jetting out to France, where he was expected to hold discussion with French and some Francophone African leaders on how to end Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. News, however, spread early on Friday that the visit had been cancelled over security reasons. The president had earlier paid an official visit to Congo last Monday to consult with Congolese president, Denis Sassou Nguesso, on security situation in West and Central Africa.
Any hope of release?
What the world is waiting for is to hear the news of the girls’ release, but threats from Mallam Shekau seems to have foreclosed any possibility of this. He appears hell-bent on holding on to the girls until his conditions are met. Time will, however, tell what b

ecomes of the girls whose hope of going back home rests on the shoulders of Boko Haram leader.

My biggest assest is my arse —Bidemi Mustapha

Bidemi Mustapha, a graduate of Microbiology from The Polytechnic, Ibadan, is a Nollywood actress. The Okeho, Oyo State born, in this interview with TAYO GESINDE, speaks on her passion for acting, fashion preferences and the qualities she wants in a man. Excerpts:

Growing up
My growing up was nice. I grew up with my parents and siblings. I learnt so many things from my parents while growing up. They taught me values like patience, tolerance and contentment. All these qualities have really helped me in my personal life and career. I attended First Baptist Primary School and A.D.S High school, both in Okeho. I then proceeded to The Polytechnic Ibadan, for my OND and HND in Microbiology.
Foray into acting
Acting is one profession I have always been passionate about right from my childhood days. I joined the movie industry in 2009 while I was still at the polytechnic through a friend of mine who had an intimate relationship with Muyiwa Ademola. It was not easy at first as there were lots of challenges. There were times when I would go to locations but would not get any role to play. I had to spend my allowance on expenses such as traveling to locations, feeding, and buying clothes and so on. There was also the challenge of combining my academics with acting. I was however able to cope through the grace of God. I have featured in many movies such as  Irawe, Aja, Aranbada, Aye mi and so on. The movie that gave me fame was Aja written by Adebayo Tijani.
First experience on set
It was an exciting experience with Muyiwa Ademola on the set of a movie called “Irawe” and that was basically because I acted alongside my role model and a mentor. I wasn’t scared or nervous rather, I excited because it was a great opportunity for an upcoming artiste like me to be on set with a star. It was cool and I really enjoyed it.
Most embarrassing thing a fan ever did to me
My most embarrassing moment  as an actress occurred when I went to Shop rite one day and  a guy on sighting me, shouted my name and created a scene. He held my hand and made sure we walked round the   place together. Everybody was just looking at me.
Most challenging role so far
I have not played a role that has really challenged me in that regard. However, in “Eyinju Eledumare,” a movie produced by Bayo Tijani but which has not yet been released, I played the role of a young girl who was pregnant and was taken to a herbalist when it was time for her to be delivered of her baby and was asked to blow air into the bottle (ancient way of child delivery) so that she could have easy delivery.
My role models in the industry
I love Peju Ogunmola and Fathia Balogun a lot. I equally admire Mercy Johnson.  I have high regard for Bimbo Akintola because she knows her onions as far as acting is concerned. Toyin Aimakhu-Johnson too is a fantastic and beautiful actress who knows what she is doing.
Philosophy of life
Whatever you get to do, do it well.
On sexual harassment in nollywood
I have never experienced sexual harassment in the industry, either from a producer, director or marketer. Nobody has ever put me under duress just to offer me a role.
Description of self
I’m very simple, blunt and God fearing.
Definition of style
Style is all about making a statement, I make it simple, and I don’t overdo it. I love to look good, classy and attractive. I don’t follow trend, I wear what suits me and what I am comfortable in. When I want to buy fashion outfits and ensembles, I look out for three things. They are; colour, style and the quality.
Beauty regimen
I don’t have any special beauty routine that I follow. I use Pears Baby Lotion because I have a tender skin. I’m not really a make- up person but I do it occasionally especially when going for outings. It doesn’t cost me anything to look good.
Choice of accessories
 I love accessories. I buy costume jewellery, tiny chains, wrist watches, leather bags, low heels and flat shoes.
Favourite designers
 Though I love designers like Tiffany Amber, Zara, Louis Vuitton and Versace, I am not a designer freak.
Favourite perfumes
Bvlgari, Guerlain homme and Burberry
Favourite colours
Navy blue and purple
Accessory I can’t do without when going out
There is no accessory that I can’t do without.
Most expensive item in my wardrobe
 I cannot disclose that.
My hair and nails
I love Ghana- weaving, fixing of weave-on as well as  local weaving(adimole). As for my nails, I fix them occasionally, not all the time.
What I will like to change about myself
Nothing. I’m wonderfully made by the most high God.
Opinion on cosmetic surgery
I can’t advice anybody to do it because I cannot do it too.
My view on toning
It is a matter of choice. I might say toning is bad and someone else will see it in another way. So it all depends on individuals.
On provocative dressing
I don’t believe that if you have it, you should flaunt it. I know that it is trendy to wear clothes that expose the boobs, navel and so on but I, as a person, do not subscribe to it. My normal life is different from the role I play on screen. I can be given any role to act on set and as a good actress my dressing   must  fit in with the character I am playing in order for the audience to get the message I am passing across but  that does not mean I must wear such clothes in real life.
What I can’t be caught dead wearing
I don’t wear anything mini.
Special treat
I go out with my siblings, and sometimes, I go to the cinema to watch movies.
Keeping fit
I do exercise twice a week and I walk everyday for at least, 30minutes.
Greatest physical asset
My beautiful face and my arse.
Best beauty advice I have ever received
I was told not to bleach.
Gains and pains of being a celebrity
The gain of being a celebrity is fame while the pain is that people judge us based on the role we play on set. Also, people expect too much from celebrities, they believe that we have it all.
Marital status
I am single. I have never dated any actor in the industry but that doesn't

Bidemi Mustapha

mean that I can’t marry one. The quality I want in a man is that he must be God-fearing.
Coping with advances from men
I’m trying my best to manage that aspect of fame. I’ve also been praying to God to help to manage it well. There is no how one can avoid it but I am a determined and focused person. I know what I want and where I’m going and I will not allow anything to distract me.

Flickers Today: Soyinka: As Kongi joins octogenarian club

Flickers Today: Soyinka: As Kongi joins octogenarian club: Nigeria’s foremost literary icon and political activist, Professor Wole Soyinka, clocked 80 recently. EMMANUEL ADENIYI writes on the life of...

Soyinka: As Kongi joins octogenarian club

Nigeria’s foremost literary icon and political activist, Professor Wole Soyinka, clocked 80 recently. EMMANUEL ADENIYI writes on the life of the 1986 Nobel Prize winner in Literature, his activism and comments on his works.

THE entire oeuvre and poetics of Professor Wole Soyinka speaks volume about the resourcefulness and ingenuity of a literary icon who is one of the finest writers to have come out of Nigeria, nay Africa. Incidentally, he is also the only Nigerian writer to have won the coveted Nobel Prize in Literature so far, thus affirming that, perhaps, there is something redoubtable about the renowned dramatist.
As revealed in his autobiography, Ake: The Years of Childhood, Soyinka started out as a precocious child who had an uncommon thirst for education and learning. He excelled in school and proved to be one of the promising leaders that would come out of Ijegba sub-ethnic group of the Yoruba.
Right from his youthful days, Kongi, as fondly called by friends, has shown a lot of exuberance, vitality and intellectual energy, which he has continued to deploy towards addressing inequities, injustices and myriads of wrongs that dot the socio-political landscape of Nigeria.
All that Kongi has known in his life is writing, acting and activism; they are his masterstrokes, little wonder his writing/acting career and activism, spanning over six decades, have grown intense without veering off their intellectual and ideological underpinnings.
He writes to survive, reveal the ills in his society and draw attention to the rottenness that pervades the fabric of the society.
Apart from being a social critic, he is also a cultural essentialist who valorizes his African (Yoruba) culture and projects it to the outside world, while at the same time, interrogates Euro-Western prejudices that query existence of the culture.
Soyinka as a prophet
To justify the claim popular among literary critics that a writer possesses prophetic powers, Soyinka – the enigmatic writer and an uncompromising advocate of justice – often infuses his works with events that predict or tell what will happen in future.
One of his works, perhaps his chef d’oeuvre, A Dance of the Forest, which was acted in 1960 to celebrate the independence of Nigeria from Great Britain, foreshadows the political instabilities in the country, nay the continent, despite the high hope that political independence fostered on Africans and their new nations.
The civil war in the world’s newest country, South Sudan, is probably reminiscent of the message that Soyinka attempts to communicate to his readers and the larger society in the play – that “a maniacal forest dance that could lead to fisticuffs” awaits African nations, because of unresolved fundamental issues among nations that formed nations.
His political activism
Activism is to Soyinka what blood is to life; he lives it and practises it passionately. Apart from fictionalising it in his numerous works, he either took up active roles in projects or protested against obnoxious government policies, most especially during the military government era in Nigeria.  For example, he was actively involved in pro-democracy activities seeking to force the then military government to de-annul the June 12 presidential election.
While in the University College, Ibadan, Soyinka alongside other six students, who altogether called themselves “The Magnificent Seven”, formed Pyrate Confraternity as a way to kick against the social inequality among students from rich and poor homes in the university.
Soyinka, while speaking on the motive behind the formation of the group, was quoted to have said that the confraternity was conceived to respond to “stodgy establishment and its pretentious products in a new educational institution different from a culture of hypocritical and affluent middle class, different from alienated colonial aristocrats” in the university. His comment: “The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism,” is emblazoned on the confraternity’s website to further emphasize the ideological foundation of the group.
As a means to force the late General Sani Abacha military government to release the winner of June 12 election and restore his stolen mandate to him, Soyinka, having escaped from the junta, went outside the country to establish an invisible radio station, Radio Kudirat, as a counterpoint to the government-controlled media in the country which kept churning out propaganda about the infamous government.
He joined millions of Nigerians to protest against the election annulment. The January 2012 withdrawal of subsidy of petroleum products by President Goodluck Jonathan-led government similarly irked many activists who led Nigerians on nationwide protests. Professor Soyinka’s involvement in these nationwide protests was said to have further forced the government to rescind its decision on the subsidy withdrawal.
To also prove his love for social work and problem-solving power, he singlehandedly founded the Oyo State Road Safety Corps in 1984, which later metamorphosed to the present Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in 1988 and became its maiden Corps Marshall.
Though his involvement in activism could be said to be waning due to old age, Kongi’s spirit is not, as his works have never stopped discussing societal ills and seeking an end to dictatorship or misrule in Nigeria and other African countries.
Soyinka’s Ogunnian essence
Writers often hinge their muse on something, personality or concept. For Soyinka, his muse is derived from Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron, hence his Ogunnian essence – a creative cum imaginative power that inspires him to write lofty fictions. As a devotee of the god, he eulogised him in his volume of poems, Idanre, as “the embodiment of Will… Ogun, the godfather of all souls who by road/Made the voyage home, made his being welcome/Suffused in new powers of might, my skin/Grew light with eyes; I watched them drift away.” His eulogy of Ogun nuanced by his devotion to the god, whose ways are inexplicable, presents a religious scenario where a worshipper sublimates the repressed materials in his unconscious to his god with a view to having a soothing divine essence released to his heart.
Criticism of his works
Many critics have described his works and poetics as being inaccessible, and derided it for its “over romanticisation with Euro/American styles at the peril of African storytelling”, no thanks to his highfalutin diction and obscurantist literary leaning; no one, however, has been able to fault the literary excellence of his oeuvre. The logic of his reasoning is deep, and his globalisation of the Yoruba pantheons has placed his works in global perspective with overwhelming readership worldwide.
Commenting on his poetics, for example, Adesegun Olukoya, described it as a writing style that  “… eschews a mechanistic imposition of indigenous values and cultural traits on African literary works to satisfy the curious taste of foreigners who hunt all over the world for the exotic…,” noting that “(It) is intellectually engaging and aesthetically satisfying.”
Though Soyinka has also labelled his critics as, “Neo-Tarzanists, asking for the poetry of death and mummification,” Olukoya’s description of the octogenarian writer as being “intellectually engaging and aesthetically satisfying” is a truism that has received global recognition.

Wole Soyinka

Money… power... Reasons ritualists are on the prowl

EMMANUEL ADENIYI writes on the quest of some Nigerians for power, fame, as well as riches and their desire to secure all these crookedly. He submits that the discovery of ritualists’ dens in some parts of the country recently justifies the claim that no one is safe in Nigeria where one of the means of gratifying some people’s lust for riches is to kill fellow humans.

The August 2004 incident in Okija, Anambra State, drew much of international attention to Nigeria. It also dented the image of the country, as it became, to many foreigners and Nigerians alike, a clime peopled by cannibals and fetish persons.
In fact, many regarded Okija with much hatred and turned the discovery of corpses and body parts at a shrine in the town to a tribal stereotype, more so when political crisis was raging in Anambra State over who should control the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, while the then state governor, Chris Ngige, and a PDP chieftain in the state, Chris Uba, engaged each other in a war of attrition.
The debacle in the state helped heat up the polity and the international community expressed concern over Nigeria’s nascent democracy, even as its image plummeted, but nothing could be more devastating for the country than the discovery of a shrine where human lives were said to have been sacrificed to the gods.
The media, both local and foreign, also danced to the markets blaring the news of the discovery and narrated the tale of oddity of how over 50 corpses, 20 skulls and several human parts were discovered in Okija forest.
10 years down the line, the same oddity has resurfaced in Ibadan, Oyo State and Ogun State where dens of kidnappers and ritualists were discovered with human parts littering the floor of an abandoned building that was converted to a location where human parts were sold and bought.
As it was in Okija, so it is in Ibadan, Abeokuta and many other yet-to-be-discovered places in the country. The horrifying story of ritual killings, like a gale, has continued to blow across, without the exception of any part or region.
Stories abound daily of missing persons in the North, West, South and East. People just walked out of their houses, but never returned again. They neither got to their destinations nor retraced their steps back home. Life has become so precarious in Nigeria that no one can categorically claim invincibility or vouch invisibility to the dragnet of kidnappers and ritual killers; only the providence knows who survives this brutish state of nature.
The story of Memunat Aishat, a 34-year-old mother of two came to mind. She had travelled to Lafia, her hometown, in Nasarawa State, from Jos, only for her to be driven to an unknown location in Nasarawa, where hefty men dressed in red gowns attended to her and other occupants of the bus she boarded from Jos, Plateau State.
“It was God who saved me, how I escaped I can’t tell,” she had told a tabloid in the state late last year.
“I boarded the bus form the park with other passengers. We left Jos a few minutes to 8a.m. on the fateful day. I never knew that evil people were among the passengers, but how would one know since they don’t write their mission on their foreheads?
“A few minutes after we drove away from Jos, all I noticed was that a young man and a middle-aged woman behind me were laughing, giving one the impression that they knew each other before boarding. After that incident, I couldn’t remember anything, until I found myself inside a thick bush.
“I later discovered that only five people were real passengers; others were kidnappers in an 18-seater bus. They kept about 10 of us in a dingy room for about three days without food; they kept coming for us one after the other each passing day. The only thing we were hearing were pleas of people begging not to be killed. How I escaped I can’t explain. I just found myself on the main road,” she narrated.
The mysterious disappearance of Joshua Edem while going to his brother’s shop in Okota, Lagos State, in 2008, is still fresh in the memories of his relatives and neighbours. Unlike Aishat who escaped the evil fate, Joshua didn’t. He was killed by faceless persons who dismembered him and went away with his genitals, wrists, eyes and toes. His corpse was sighted around Isolo a few days after his disappearance.
Why do people kill for rituals? 
It sounds rhetorical, but the real reasons, according to those who spoke on the issue, go beyond making money and seeking for p

Add caption

Chief Yemi Elebuibon

ower. While some said ritualists killed in order to make money by trading in human parts or to make money rituals, others were of the opinion that it was a deep spiritual issue.
According to a cleric, Pastor John Adetuyi, of the Holy Ghost Tabernacle Ministry, Lagos, “We live in a community that also accommodates wolves and evil individuals whose lust for power and riches force them to commit unconscionable acts.
“This is not peculiar to Nigeria, it is common in Africa, and it is because we are a fetish people. Africans believe in human sacrifice; we are superstitious and believe that appeasing the Devil with sacrifices concocted from human parts would make us become rich.
“Many people have this warped mindset; this is why ritual killings would continue in this part of the world. It is a real business judging from what we hear every day, and only God can stop it. Besides, it is spiritual; some people whom you see walking the streets are not ordinary people, they are rather agents of Satan. They kill to satisfy their master,” Pastor Adetuyi noted.
Ritual killing is a money-spinner
In an online report obtained by Sunday Tribune, a human head, with all the condiments, is said to be sold for between N200,000 and N500,000.
Other human parts, it was learnt, even attract higher prices, while those in need of human parts reportedly come around oftentimes to select from captives in the custody of kidnappers or ritualists.
Though the report did not claim any source or location, it, however, alleged that politicians as well as power and fortune seekers were those who always came around demanding for human parts.
“Though I can’t confirm it too, but the fact remains that those who do this thing would have stopped if it is not ‘lucrative’, and if there are no buyers,” Ms Adigun Adinatu, a trader in Bode herb market, Ibadan, disclosed.
“We don’t sell human parts here; it is against the will of God, because those who kill would also be killed. We only sell herbs here, besides those who sell human parts wouldn’t do it in the open. All I know is that it is evil and I have heard people say it times without number that people use human parts for money,” she said willingly, though she refused to be photographed.
A herbalist, Jimoh Akanji, revealed that some traditionalists truly patronise him and other herbalists asking for all sorts of things.
“We are trained to be receptive to people; they are our clients, but Eledumare and Ifa forbid that we do money rituals for people. It is true that some specifically ask for it, but I always advise them against it. It is evil. There are money rituals; the ingredients for doing the rituals are grave; they involve a lot of things that I can’t  disclose here.
“I must confess that there are some herbalists who do money rituals for people, but their end is always bad. You can’t kill to live. The spirit of those you killed would continue to haunt you till you die; that is the consequence,” he added.
Medical practice and use of human parts
Many are of the view that demand for human parts is on the increase because medical practitioners, too, often use human parts, especially internal organs, in their practice. Stories, they claimed, abound of the sick with damaged organs, but had them replaced and continued to live normally.
When asked about the veracity of the claim, a neurosurgeon, Dr Phillip Osikoya, denied it, saying rather than using human parts, medical practitioners, especially surgeons, used artificial body parts in medical training and not real human parts.
Organ harvesting is illegal in Nigeria
Commenting on organ harvesting as a reason why ritual killings may not end soon in the country, Dr Osikoya disclosed that harvesting organs was illegal in Nigeria, noting that he had heard that some Nigerians often travelled outside the country to sell their kidneys.
“I have heard this tale; it could be true. I am aware that there are some countries where organ harvesting is legal, so some Nigerians have been said to always frequent these countries to sell their organs.
“However, one cannot say categorically that human organs found on ritual killers are often sold abroad, because for human organs to be harvested the heart must still be beating. Human organs cannot be harvested when the heart stops beating. How would ritualists, for instance, harvest the tongues or kidneys of people killed by them since they don’t have any medical training on how to harvest human organs?
“I don’t believe in that; however, nothing is impossible in this country. This is why our law enforcement agents and members of the public need to put in more efforts to expose those who engage in ritual killings,” he added.
Ritual killing is not African, religious
According to a prominent Ifa priest, Chief Ifayemi Elebuibon, ritual killing has nothing to do with religion, neither is it African. He said Africans were brought up to respect the sanctity of human life, saying this was why many deified figures in lore and myths of the people of the continent tell of how many of the personalities sacrificed animals instead of humans to their gods.
He admitted the fact that human sacrifices existed in different cultures across the globe before, adding that this had been abolished.
“Jesus Christ sacrificed himself, same for Ibrahim who wanted to slaughter Ismaila, but was replaced by a ram from Allah. Orunmila, too, in Otu Ife wanted to kill his son, but a goat was sacrificed instead of him; however, all these have been abolished.
“Those who kill people and remove their parts are doing so for money rituals, and this has nothing to do with religion. No religion condones it. It is not true that people kill to seek powers. Most of the powers that people seek these days include egbe, ajabo, afeeri; none of these has human parts as its ingredients.
“Those who practise this evil should be aware that they are humans too. If their children were captured and killed, would they be happy about it?
Bible forbids killing, same in traditional religion, because all of us are going to reap the rewards of our actions, hence people should desist from evil,” he added.
Whether it is for money, power or fame, the realty stares all of us in the face – ritual killers are here, they live among us stalking their would-be victims with the gumption of a psychopath. Beware! That person next to you could be one.