Showing posts with label Edition 198. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Edition 198. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
This is the Koko of a 9ICE article about M.I!
(Strictly for the young)
BY TOSYN BUCKNOR
IT all started with Music Africa. No matter what was on anywhere else, I would constantly flip back to the programme from 12 noon till 3pm every day. It was my daily fix of all things Nigerian, all things entertaining. No, not everything on it was fab; in fact, some videos made me wonder how unfair it was that some artistes have money while others don’t. But whatever it was, I watched.
One day, I saw the coverage of a concert in England. Gbenga Adeyinka introduced one guy on stage. I had the remote in my hand, and I was like that till the guy finished performing.
The guy was handsome, but that was not the koko. The koko was not even, the harmonica he played, nor the stagecraft he displayed. For me, the koko was, All The Way, the song he performed. I knew there and then that I wanted to hear more from him, and I told everyone I could about that.
There was no facebook back then or I would have made it a status update. But still I looked forward to the guy they called D’Banj, and when he came to Nigeria, I saw him live. I was not disappointed.
Still glued to Music Africa, I then saw the video for 2shotz song, Make Dem Talk. There was a guy there singing. He looked and sounded interesting. I noted him.
A FEW years later, I heard a song at a party. I had no clue what was being said at first, but the beat was catchy, and the guy singing had a pied piper quality to his voice.
It felt like whatever he was selling, I was buying! I asked around and was told the song was Gongo Aso, and the guy was 9ice, the same one that sang, Little Money and Ganja Man.
Really? Same dude on Make Dem Talk and on Ruggedy Baba? Wow! He has something oh!
I searched for that song, and that guy everywhere. I went for almost any show that had him on the bill, and started to learn the lyrics to his songs.
In fact, I played Gongo Aso so much that my co-workers on Apprentice Africa, and my family, had the tune playing in their heads!
Then there was this guy. His name was M.I. He had a song, Crowd Mentality. I saw it on television once. He was based in the North, they said. But one day, I saw him in Lagos. I heard him perform, Blaze, and I heard the song once or twice on Biggy’s show on Rhythm. There was something about these songs. And then there was something more. It wasn’t just the music, it was the person.
On stage, he was electrifying. You had to notice him, pay attention to him, respect him...
There was something about him.
“There is something about him” is not something that is said often. But some people have something, and you can’t bottle it; there is no formula. It is charisma and grace, combined with talent and energy. And more.
Of course, none of these artistes is perfect, and I daresay they have, and will make some mistakes along the way. Maybe an album that disappoints fans, or dodgy videos, or the few minutes of attitude re-adjustment. Life is not about being perfect however. It is about living. And art is not about the best... sometimes, it is about the most daring. And I may not know the formula for making a great artiste, but I know being one of the crowd can’t be the first step!
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
You are what you eat
(PANORAMA)
BY REBECCA AKINMOLAYAN
VARIOUS metabolic processes occur in the human bodies that are vital for life and survival. They include breathing, transmission of nervous messages, blood circulation, excretion etc.
The body needs energy to fuel these processes efficiently. Food provides the energy for these internal processes and also energy for all forms of physical and mental activity.
Eating of food as a practice should be both healthy and pleasurable.
Eating for enjoyment alone will deprive the body of the valuable nutrients it needs and on the other hand, eating wholesome foods in an unattractive manner and combination will make meal times a boring chore.
Therefore, the need for nourishment and variety in eating. As for tastiness of food, it belongs to the imagination and skill of the cook. But for the healthy aspect, it is essential that one learn the nutritional needs of the body and how food fulfils that need.
First and foremost, food preparation including the meal time-table (even for meals eaten outside) should be charted according to the time available (it will be difficult for someone after a hard-day’s work to arrive home and prepare a dish as tasking as moin-moin), food preference (personal choice), and eating habits. Next is how to prepare (or purchase) a meal that is varied but has all the essential nutrients in the right proportions.
All foods have a whole range of nutrients but in varying amounts.
A food would have a particular nutrient in very small amounts while another food would have it in very high degree (e.g. milk is rich in protein and calcium but has little amounts of vitamin C while oranges are very rich in vitamin C but have some amount of protein and calcium).
This is why foods are said to have complementary values, as the excesses of that nutrient in another will cancel the deficiency of a particular nutrient.
PROPOSING a general, ideal timetable for all and sundry is not necessary as individual needs and circumstances differ.
The most important thing is knowing the functions of different classes of foods (because when the purpose of something is unknown its abuse is inevitable) and making sure that your meals are energy-giving (from carbohydrates), protein-rich (meat, fish etc) low-in-fat and having enough vitamins and minerals (fruits and vegetables are rich in these).
Carbohydrates and fat are needed for energy. (Fats though they increase palatability are to be eaten sparingly as they have been linked to heart diseases), protein for body-building and repair, vitamins and minerals for the digestion of the three earlier mentioned nutrients and for the smooth running of the system.
Hence the need for a balanced diet. Not eating foods in their right proportions is not good because the body works like a network and any unalignment will be detrimental.
Also, eating excess of a particular food will turn out to be more harmful than beneficial as seen in diabetics (excess of carbohydrates) and heart- disease patients (excess of fats).
Keep this in mind that mal-nutrition is not only under-feeding but also over-feeding. Stop eating at the first sign of fullness the stomach gives as excess food will be stored as fat leading to over-weight and obesity (that’s another problem).
Water is needed for good health so drink copious amounts of it.
The benefits of the right nutrition are too good to be ignored. Your body enjoys from it because its functioning depends on it. You’ll have a strong immune system, radiant skin, mental alertness, physical energy just to mention a few.
E-mail etiquette
(Good Manners)
BY MIKE EKUNNO
THE Internet and cell phone are two developments of the last two decades that have effectively killed letter writing. ‘Check your mails’ now refers to the electronic mail rather than the post office box.
Many of us cannot remember when last we visited the post office. The last time I was there, I needed guidance on the value of stamp for standard in-land mail. It was like walking into a museum.
However, whether the post office dies or not (no be my mouth you go hear am) one thing will never go out of fashion: corresponding .
This is about two people or organisations communicating through the written word. If corresponding will not go out of fashion, is it not better to learn how to do it well using the modern platform offered by the internet?
The rules for good e-mail etiquette are not much different from what your Primary 4 teacher taught you about letter writing.
The need for the sender’s address on the top right hand corner may have been obviated, but nothing has changed about the opening greeting or salutation.
Opening greetings still remain the same for formal or informal correspondences not minding the medium. There is no place for “hi” in a formal e-mail.
Can you think of a job application starting: ‘Hi Employer’? If this sounds like an extreme example, how about many informal mails that have no salutation nor are they signed off?
It is true the e-mail automatically shows who the sender is and his address, but it does not automatically supply a ‘Dear Mike’, for example.
There are purists who insist the sender must start with an opening greeting and sign off with his name at the end of an informal e-mail.
My position on this is that the sender must keep his relationship with receiver in view on these matters.
An informal mail to your uncle should observe a different, stricter code from that to schoolmate and friend.
THE electronic mail platform should not provide an excuse to let go of the rules of etiquette, which emphasise decency, grace and in human conduct.
Many who thought they enjoyed confidentiality on the Internet and exchanged indiscreet stuff learnt their lesson the hard way.
Office e-mails should not be used for very personal stuff. The administrator of a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN) can compromise anybody’s site on the network.
Former CNN correspondent, Jeff Koinange’s case is the international locus classicus on the matter.
The gossip and confidences he exchanged with his girlfriend even came up to haunt him. Many nude pictures have inadvertently found their ways to the public domain through this means.
Also the use of alpha-numeric shorthands have gained currency with short message services on the cell phone and the e-mail.
You now read stuff like ‘I want 2 say dat was a gr8 thg 2 do”. This should have no place in formal correspondences.
Even in informal ones, one should spare senior people the ardour and disrespect of trying to decode these psychedelic codes.
Except you are communicating with your paddy who uses the same shorthand for you, try to be as explicit as possible with your e-mail messages and SMS.
AGAIN spell check does not come as standard on the ‘compose’ and ‘reply’ tabs on the e-mail. In formal correspondences, mis-spelled words can be an indication of the daftness of the writer as the un-seriousness of the firm or organisation. One should therefore use PC spell check or a printed dictionary.
Lastly, unsolicited attachments can be nuisances when they are bulky. Forwarded mails with copious colorful attachments take a lot of bytes on the messages folder and can be difficult to open. Crop them or warn the receiver in advance before sending them.
chudiekunno@yahoo.com
Sitting pretty
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
EVERYONE was gaily dressed in the colours of the day, fabulous orange and magnificent gold.
There were touches of cool cream here and there perhaps to tone down the brilliance of the other two colours.
The ladies were resplendent as only Nigerian ladies can be when all dressed up. The band was playing a lively tune and everywhere you looked people were hugging each other, smiling, laughing.
We looked around for where to sit. Choosing a place to sit at gatherings like this is usually no easy task.
There were so many little things to consider which would all add up and make the difference between whether you would enjoy your time at the party or not.
Top of the list for us was finding seats, which would allow us, have a view of happenings.
We always try to avoid psychedelic women because they sometimes have headties as big as the National Theatre!
We wanted to be able to observe all that would be happening without having to turn around or crane our necks so the seats would have to be somewhere near the front but not just anywhere upfront.
Now, there were some seats next to the band stand which was way up in front and perhaps if the band hadn’t already been playing when we came in it would have seemed like a good place to seat but there was no way our eardrums could bear being next to those loudspeakers for anything longer than a few seconds at a time.
We wouldn’t even be able to hear ourselves think talk less of having a conversation. Beside who knows what would happen when the rice came? The grains would probably jump right off the spoon from the vibrations!
WE looked around, searching for a familiar face because at least when you sit with a good friend laughter usually flows and everything seems so much better but this wasn’t going to be one of those days because we saw no one we knew.
Or more precisely, we saw people we knew slightly which meant that the laughter could not be guaranteed.
We thought of seating next to the serving table but quickly decided against it when we remembered that the last time we did that, we succeeded in finding out how long you have to wait to get your food if about 500 people who are being served by really inefficient waiters get theirs first!
Our wait was about thirty two minutes. Be assured that after this experience we also tried sitting far away from the serving table. We had a 20-minute wait, which wasn’t so bad in comparison.
It was also important to get seated with the ‘right’ group as this might just make the difference between getting attended to or not especially if you are at a party where dem dey look face before they serve.
I personally try to avoid tables with teenagers (or young men) mainly because if you happen to be like me with a baby who demands to be breastfed anywhere and everywhere, the last thing you want is a group of curious eyes trying to peek while you are not looking, to see if what they were taught in Biology 101 about lactation etc is true!
We found a space on a table with a rather nice looking young couple. It wasn’t too far from the serving table and it was right in front so we could see all that was going on. Now, I just hoped it wouldn’t rain or drizzle because the part of the canopy that I was sitting under had huge holes!
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
Branding
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
EVERYONE has an inherent brand. A personal brand is a name or an entity that reflects the perception of how a group of people, market, or industry thinks of the name or identifier.
Brands can either be positive or negative. We all have our perception about a product or service that we see or get. When a brand is negative, it is important to re-brand, so as to make the negative brand a positive brand. Every Nigerian is a brand. While re-branding Nigeria defines our image, re-branding Nigerians defines the people.
Who is an average Nigerian? Is an average Nigerian hunger-stricken, fraudulent, and undisciplined? Who should an average Nigerian be? Answer for yourself. What role do I have play in re-positioning Nigeria?
Develop yourself. You have to define your personal brand. What’s your mission on planet earth? Who are you? Are you the person you are supposed to be? What are your goals? What motivates you? What do you think about all day long? What can you do to make Nigeria a better country?
You have to look for how to be an expert in your field. That is the essence of personal branding. To be an expert, you have to always be in the eyes of your customers, especially in your business.
Some people repel new ideas. They are only receptive to ideas that have been proven to work. These crop of people do not have what it takes to seize the future. The present belongs to those who want to follow the proven principles and business practices. The future however, belongs to those who will think outside the box. It belongs to those who want to do something different from what everyone has seen or experienced.
New ideas demand to be tested and tried. They require extra work, extra hassle, extra risk; and hey! when your dream is bigger than you, you only have to depend on your instincts and actions to make it work.
The people you hold in high esteem in your life will discourage or ignore you when you really begin to think outside the box.
Take the risk. Taking risk is an important aspect of being an entrepreneur. You need to be positive about risk-taking.
CONCERNING new ideas, the question you need to ask is “What if it works? That is the way forward.
Don’t forget that all you need is one sound idea and you will smile to the bank for the rest of your life.
It was the idea of running Microsoft on personal computers that made Bill Gates the richest person in the world today.
A new idea is a disruption. Most people like continuity of what they are doing, not disruption. That’s not the way forward. Doing same of the same thing is like swirling around about a fixed point.
Remember the Chinese proverb that says that if you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got. If you are tired of the status quo and business as usual, then you have to innovate or stagnate.
Products and services must change or soon endup without buyers. Churches must adjust, or the pastor will soon speak to a graying audience, with no younger generation for the future.
“It doesn’t matter what you did last week to justify your employment; ‘What have you done for me lately?’ is the question within a competitive workplace environment.” (Jeff Key, Real Estate and Financial Analyst).
Innovation means to change your concepts approaches, and there will be a new result — that’s the outcome.
There is a new idea in your mind. You only need to dig it how. Just go to a quiet place every night, and pay attention to your heart desires. Where your heart is, there your greatness is.
Take action. Buy a new book and tag it “My idea book.” Any weird idea that crosses your mind should be etched in the pages of your idea book. Commit to thinking for just 15 minutes every night about improving your life and the life of others.
There is something you can do for Nigeria. You can make a difference. You can fill in the gap somewhere. The future of Nigeria is dependent on you, so take charge.
Solving money problems (3)
(Biz tool Kids)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
If the goal of our various efforts to acquire academic and professional education is for us to earn a better pay or experience quality lifestyles, shouldn’t we pay more attention to the issue of financial education just as do to academic training?
Most of us started school at five years and spent close to 20 years or more to acquire a master’s degree. When you add this up, you have 25 years or even more. If we live to 90 years, that means we’d need to manage our lives for 65 years.
Your university education only affords you meal tickets, but financial education provides you with the know-how on how to make, manage, budget, leverage, multiply and protect your income in order to live your dreams all the days of your life.
Financial intelligence certainly scores higher than formal education, though the latter is necessary for us to know how to read and write and communicate our thoughts.
What is financial intelligence?
Financial intelligence is the ability you get through financial education to grow or increase your income or cash or investment over a certain period of time. It’s also the ability to discern, determine and wisely seek the best financial investment option open to you per time. Financial intelligence helps you know how to make, manage, budget, leverage, protect and multiply your money.
Six principles that aid financial intelligence
Desire. You must desire to leave the rat race of the poor. Be a wise seeker of what you can do legitimately to get out of the gutter of poverty. Your desire determines your destination.
Income Generation. You need to earn some income if you want to change your financial story. You need to trade your ideas or skills or labour to earn something. By making an income, you have started out on the path to creating wealth for yourself.
Financial plan. Develop a personal financial plan and consciously work towards it. When you’ve put a financial plan in place, it helps you know correctly what you want, and then forces you to think on the options to adopt to get there. Furthermore, research has found out that when you write down your goals, they’re 50 per cent accomplished.
Savings Culture. This principle is very powerful. My financial mentor, Robert Kiyosaki, believes that saving one’s money for saving sake is a dumb idea now since what we get as returns on our savings is quickly eroded by inflation. I couldn’t agree more! However, there is a spiritual law about savings. Every income you earn has a seed and bread in it. The bread is for your consumption and the seed is for your multiplication. When you consume your seed, you deny yourself a future harvest. Before South Korea could get out of its economic problems, it mandated its citizens to save 60% of their income. If you don’t save, you are not safe financially! But to make the effort worthwhile, save to invest in income-generating assets!
Delayed Gratification. One other principle that will help you save and invest instead of spend all you earn is when you delay your gratification. Take for example, if you want to buy a car now as a young Executive, by delaying it and putting the money in an investment that can yield 20 per cent or more per annum, at the end of 12 months, you can afford to buy the car and still will be left with some change. Isn’t that a smart move? But you have to delay gratifying the desire of getting that car immediately. By the time you build a solid personal financial asset base, the different streams of income it generates can meet your diverse needs.
Financial Literacy. You can acquire financial literacy through financial books, tapes, CDs, seminars and workshops. Your earning ability is tied to your learning capacity. You can’t earn above what you’ve learnt. Skilled workers get paid more than unskilled workers because of the difference in learning. Therefore, build your own financial literacy library where relevant text on investment, entrepreneurship and financial literacy can be found.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd, bridgetolotu@gmail.com
BY TOSYN BUCKNOR
IT all started with Music Africa. No matter what was on anywhere else, I would constantly flip back to the programme from 12 noon till 3pm every day. It was my daily fix of all things Nigerian, all things entertaining. No, not everything on it was fab; in fact, some videos made me wonder how unfair it was that some artistes have money while others don’t. But whatever it was, I watched.
One day, I saw the coverage of a concert in England. Gbenga Adeyinka introduced one guy on stage. I had the remote in my hand, and I was like that till the guy finished performing.
The guy was handsome, but that was not the koko. The koko was not even, the harmonica he played, nor the stagecraft he displayed. For me, the koko was, All The Way, the song he performed. I knew there and then that I wanted to hear more from him, and I told everyone I could about that.
There was no facebook back then or I would have made it a status update. But still I looked forward to the guy they called D’Banj, and when he came to Nigeria, I saw him live. I was not disappointed.
Still glued to Music Africa, I then saw the video for 2shotz song, Make Dem Talk. There was a guy there singing. He looked and sounded interesting. I noted him.
A FEW years later, I heard a song at a party. I had no clue what was being said at first, but the beat was catchy, and the guy singing had a pied piper quality to his voice.
It felt like whatever he was selling, I was buying! I asked around and was told the song was Gongo Aso, and the guy was 9ice, the same one that sang, Little Money and Ganja Man.
Really? Same dude on Make Dem Talk and on Ruggedy Baba? Wow! He has something oh!
I searched for that song, and that guy everywhere. I went for almost any show that had him on the bill, and started to learn the lyrics to his songs.
In fact, I played Gongo Aso so much that my co-workers on Apprentice Africa, and my family, had the tune playing in their heads!
Then there was this guy. His name was M.I. He had a song, Crowd Mentality. I saw it on television once. He was based in the North, they said. But one day, I saw him in Lagos. I heard him perform, Blaze, and I heard the song once or twice on Biggy’s show on Rhythm. There was something about these songs. And then there was something more. It wasn’t just the music, it was the person.
On stage, he was electrifying. You had to notice him, pay attention to him, respect him...
There was something about him.
“There is something about him” is not something that is said often. But some people have something, and you can’t bottle it; there is no formula. It is charisma and grace, combined with talent and energy. And more.
Of course, none of these artistes is perfect, and I daresay they have, and will make some mistakes along the way. Maybe an album that disappoints fans, or dodgy videos, or the few minutes of attitude re-adjustment. Life is not about being perfect however. It is about living. And art is not about the best... sometimes, it is about the most daring. And I may not know the formula for making a great artiste, but I know being one of the crowd can’t be the first step!
tosinornottosin@yahoo.com
You are what you eat
(PANORAMA)
BY REBECCA AKINMOLAYAN
VARIOUS metabolic processes occur in the human bodies that are vital for life and survival. They include breathing, transmission of nervous messages, blood circulation, excretion etc.
The body needs energy to fuel these processes efficiently. Food provides the energy for these internal processes and also energy for all forms of physical and mental activity.
Eating of food as a practice should be both healthy and pleasurable.
Eating for enjoyment alone will deprive the body of the valuable nutrients it needs and on the other hand, eating wholesome foods in an unattractive manner and combination will make meal times a boring chore.
Therefore, the need for nourishment and variety in eating. As for tastiness of food, it belongs to the imagination and skill of the cook. But for the healthy aspect, it is essential that one learn the nutritional needs of the body and how food fulfils that need.
First and foremost, food preparation including the meal time-table (even for meals eaten outside) should be charted according to the time available (it will be difficult for someone after a hard-day’s work to arrive home and prepare a dish as tasking as moin-moin), food preference (personal choice), and eating habits. Next is how to prepare (or purchase) a meal that is varied but has all the essential nutrients in the right proportions.
All foods have a whole range of nutrients but in varying amounts.
A food would have a particular nutrient in very small amounts while another food would have it in very high degree (e.g. milk is rich in protein and calcium but has little amounts of vitamin C while oranges are very rich in vitamin C but have some amount of protein and calcium).
This is why foods are said to have complementary values, as the excesses of that nutrient in another will cancel the deficiency of a particular nutrient.
PROPOSING a general, ideal timetable for all and sundry is not necessary as individual needs and circumstances differ.
The most important thing is knowing the functions of different classes of foods (because when the purpose of something is unknown its abuse is inevitable) and making sure that your meals are energy-giving (from carbohydrates), protein-rich (meat, fish etc) low-in-fat and having enough vitamins and minerals (fruits and vegetables are rich in these).
Carbohydrates and fat are needed for energy. (Fats though they increase palatability are to be eaten sparingly as they have been linked to heart diseases), protein for body-building and repair, vitamins and minerals for the digestion of the three earlier mentioned nutrients and for the smooth running of the system.
Hence the need for a balanced diet. Not eating foods in their right proportions is not good because the body works like a network and any unalignment will be detrimental.
Also, eating excess of a particular food will turn out to be more harmful than beneficial as seen in diabetics (excess of carbohydrates) and heart- disease patients (excess of fats).
Keep this in mind that mal-nutrition is not only under-feeding but also over-feeding. Stop eating at the first sign of fullness the stomach gives as excess food will be stored as fat leading to over-weight and obesity (that’s another problem).
Water is needed for good health so drink copious amounts of it.
The benefits of the right nutrition are too good to be ignored. Your body enjoys from it because its functioning depends on it. You’ll have a strong immune system, radiant skin, mental alertness, physical energy just to mention a few.
E-mail etiquette
(Good Manners)
BY MIKE EKUNNO
THE Internet and cell phone are two developments of the last two decades that have effectively killed letter writing. ‘Check your mails’ now refers to the electronic mail rather than the post office box.
Many of us cannot remember when last we visited the post office. The last time I was there, I needed guidance on the value of stamp for standard in-land mail. It was like walking into a museum.
However, whether the post office dies or not (no be my mouth you go hear am) one thing will never go out of fashion: corresponding .
This is about two people or organisations communicating through the written word. If corresponding will not go out of fashion, is it not better to learn how to do it well using the modern platform offered by the internet?
The rules for good e-mail etiquette are not much different from what your Primary 4 teacher taught you about letter writing.
The need for the sender’s address on the top right hand corner may have been obviated, but nothing has changed about the opening greeting or salutation.
Opening greetings still remain the same for formal or informal correspondences not minding the medium. There is no place for “hi” in a formal e-mail.
Can you think of a job application starting: ‘Hi Employer’? If this sounds like an extreme example, how about many informal mails that have no salutation nor are they signed off?
It is true the e-mail automatically shows who the sender is and his address, but it does not automatically supply a ‘Dear Mike’, for example.
There are purists who insist the sender must start with an opening greeting and sign off with his name at the end of an informal e-mail.
My position on this is that the sender must keep his relationship with receiver in view on these matters.
An informal mail to your uncle should observe a different, stricter code from that to schoolmate and friend.
THE electronic mail platform should not provide an excuse to let go of the rules of etiquette, which emphasise decency, grace and in human conduct.
Many who thought they enjoyed confidentiality on the Internet and exchanged indiscreet stuff learnt their lesson the hard way.
Office e-mails should not be used for very personal stuff. The administrator of a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN) can compromise anybody’s site on the network.
Former CNN correspondent, Jeff Koinange’s case is the international locus classicus on the matter.
The gossip and confidences he exchanged with his girlfriend even came up to haunt him. Many nude pictures have inadvertently found their ways to the public domain through this means.
Also the use of alpha-numeric shorthands have gained currency with short message services on the cell phone and the e-mail.
You now read stuff like ‘I want 2 say dat was a gr8 thg 2 do”. This should have no place in formal correspondences.
Even in informal ones, one should spare senior people the ardour and disrespect of trying to decode these psychedelic codes.
Except you are communicating with your paddy who uses the same shorthand for you, try to be as explicit as possible with your e-mail messages and SMS.
AGAIN spell check does not come as standard on the ‘compose’ and ‘reply’ tabs on the e-mail. In formal correspondences, mis-spelled words can be an indication of the daftness of the writer as the un-seriousness of the firm or organisation. One should therefore use PC spell check or a printed dictionary.
Lastly, unsolicited attachments can be nuisances when they are bulky. Forwarded mails with copious colorful attachments take a lot of bytes on the messages folder and can be difficult to open. Crop them or warn the receiver in advance before sending them.
chudiekunno@yahoo.com
Sitting pretty
(Just Life)
BY OMOLIGHO UDENTA
EVERYONE was gaily dressed in the colours of the day, fabulous orange and magnificent gold.
There were touches of cool cream here and there perhaps to tone down the brilliance of the other two colours.
The ladies were resplendent as only Nigerian ladies can be when all dressed up. The band was playing a lively tune and everywhere you looked people were hugging each other, smiling, laughing.
We looked around for where to sit. Choosing a place to sit at gatherings like this is usually no easy task.
There were so many little things to consider which would all add up and make the difference between whether you would enjoy your time at the party or not.
Top of the list for us was finding seats, which would allow us, have a view of happenings.
We always try to avoid psychedelic women because they sometimes have headties as big as the National Theatre!
We wanted to be able to observe all that would be happening without having to turn around or crane our necks so the seats would have to be somewhere near the front but not just anywhere upfront.
Now, there were some seats next to the band stand which was way up in front and perhaps if the band hadn’t already been playing when we came in it would have seemed like a good place to seat but there was no way our eardrums could bear being next to those loudspeakers for anything longer than a few seconds at a time.
We wouldn’t even be able to hear ourselves think talk less of having a conversation. Beside who knows what would happen when the rice came? The grains would probably jump right off the spoon from the vibrations!
WE looked around, searching for a familiar face because at least when you sit with a good friend laughter usually flows and everything seems so much better but this wasn’t going to be one of those days because we saw no one we knew.
Or more precisely, we saw people we knew slightly which meant that the laughter could not be guaranteed.
We thought of seating next to the serving table but quickly decided against it when we remembered that the last time we did that, we succeeded in finding out how long you have to wait to get your food if about 500 people who are being served by really inefficient waiters get theirs first!
Our wait was about thirty two minutes. Be assured that after this experience we also tried sitting far away from the serving table. We had a 20-minute wait, which wasn’t so bad in comparison.
It was also important to get seated with the ‘right’ group as this might just make the difference between getting attended to or not especially if you are at a party where dem dey look face before they serve.
I personally try to avoid tables with teenagers (or young men) mainly because if you happen to be like me with a baby who demands to be breastfed anywhere and everywhere, the last thing you want is a group of curious eyes trying to peek while you are not looking, to see if what they were taught in Biology 101 about lactation etc is true!
We found a space on a table with a rather nice looking young couple. It wasn’t too far from the serving table and it was right in front so we could see all that was going on. Now, I just hoped it wouldn’t rain or drizzle because the part of the canopy that I was sitting under had huge holes!
omoudenta@yahoo.co.uk
Branding
(LIFE COACH)
BY AGBOLADE OMOWOLE
EVERYONE has an inherent brand. A personal brand is a name or an entity that reflects the perception of how a group of people, market, or industry thinks of the name or identifier.
Brands can either be positive or negative. We all have our perception about a product or service that we see or get. When a brand is negative, it is important to re-brand, so as to make the negative brand a positive brand. Every Nigerian is a brand. While re-branding Nigeria defines our image, re-branding Nigerians defines the people.
Who is an average Nigerian? Is an average Nigerian hunger-stricken, fraudulent, and undisciplined? Who should an average Nigerian be? Answer for yourself. What role do I have play in re-positioning Nigeria?
Develop yourself. You have to define your personal brand. What’s your mission on planet earth? Who are you? Are you the person you are supposed to be? What are your goals? What motivates you? What do you think about all day long? What can you do to make Nigeria a better country?
You have to look for how to be an expert in your field. That is the essence of personal branding. To be an expert, you have to always be in the eyes of your customers, especially in your business.
Some people repel new ideas. They are only receptive to ideas that have been proven to work. These crop of people do not have what it takes to seize the future. The present belongs to those who want to follow the proven principles and business practices. The future however, belongs to those who will think outside the box. It belongs to those who want to do something different from what everyone has seen or experienced.
New ideas demand to be tested and tried. They require extra work, extra hassle, extra risk; and hey! when your dream is bigger than you, you only have to depend on your instincts and actions to make it work.
The people you hold in high esteem in your life will discourage or ignore you when you really begin to think outside the box.
Take the risk. Taking risk is an important aspect of being an entrepreneur. You need to be positive about risk-taking.
CONCERNING new ideas, the question you need to ask is “What if it works? That is the way forward.
Don’t forget that all you need is one sound idea and you will smile to the bank for the rest of your life.
It was the idea of running Microsoft on personal computers that made Bill Gates the richest person in the world today.
A new idea is a disruption. Most people like continuity of what they are doing, not disruption. That’s not the way forward. Doing same of the same thing is like swirling around about a fixed point.
Remember the Chinese proverb that says that if you do what you’ve always done, you will get what you’ve always got. If you are tired of the status quo and business as usual, then you have to innovate or stagnate.
Products and services must change or soon endup without buyers. Churches must adjust, or the pastor will soon speak to a graying audience, with no younger generation for the future.
“It doesn’t matter what you did last week to justify your employment; ‘What have you done for me lately?’ is the question within a competitive workplace environment.” (Jeff Key, Real Estate and Financial Analyst).
Innovation means to change your concepts approaches, and there will be a new result — that’s the outcome.
There is a new idea in your mind. You only need to dig it how. Just go to a quiet place every night, and pay attention to your heart desires. Where your heart is, there your greatness is.
Take action. Buy a new book and tag it “My idea book.” Any weird idea that crosses your mind should be etched in the pages of your idea book. Commit to thinking for just 15 minutes every night about improving your life and the life of others.
There is something you can do for Nigeria. You can make a difference. You can fill in the gap somewhere. The future of Nigeria is dependent on you, so take charge.
Solving money problems (3)
(Biz tool Kids)
BY BRIDGET OLOTU
If the goal of our various efforts to acquire academic and professional education is for us to earn a better pay or experience quality lifestyles, shouldn’t we pay more attention to the issue of financial education just as do to academic training?
Most of us started school at five years and spent close to 20 years or more to acquire a master’s degree. When you add this up, you have 25 years or even more. If we live to 90 years, that means we’d need to manage our lives for 65 years.
Your university education only affords you meal tickets, but financial education provides you with the know-how on how to make, manage, budget, leverage, multiply and protect your income in order to live your dreams all the days of your life.
Financial intelligence certainly scores higher than formal education, though the latter is necessary for us to know how to read and write and communicate our thoughts.
What is financial intelligence?
Financial intelligence is the ability you get through financial education to grow or increase your income or cash or investment over a certain period of time. It’s also the ability to discern, determine and wisely seek the best financial investment option open to you per time. Financial intelligence helps you know how to make, manage, budget, leverage, protect and multiply your money.
Six principles that aid financial intelligence
Desire. You must desire to leave the rat race of the poor. Be a wise seeker of what you can do legitimately to get out of the gutter of poverty. Your desire determines your destination.
Income Generation. You need to earn some income if you want to change your financial story. You need to trade your ideas or skills or labour to earn something. By making an income, you have started out on the path to creating wealth for yourself.
Financial plan. Develop a personal financial plan and consciously work towards it. When you’ve put a financial plan in place, it helps you know correctly what you want, and then forces you to think on the options to adopt to get there. Furthermore, research has found out that when you write down your goals, they’re 50 per cent accomplished.
Savings Culture. This principle is very powerful. My financial mentor, Robert Kiyosaki, believes that saving one’s money for saving sake is a dumb idea now since what we get as returns on our savings is quickly eroded by inflation. I couldn’t agree more! However, there is a spiritual law about savings. Every income you earn has a seed and bread in it. The bread is for your consumption and the seed is for your multiplication. When you consume your seed, you deny yourself a future harvest. Before South Korea could get out of its economic problems, it mandated its citizens to save 60% of their income. If you don’t save, you are not safe financially! But to make the effort worthwhile, save to invest in income-generating assets!
Delayed Gratification. One other principle that will help you save and invest instead of spend all you earn is when you delay your gratification. Take for example, if you want to buy a car now as a young Executive, by delaying it and putting the money in an investment that can yield 20 per cent or more per annum, at the end of 12 months, you can afford to buy the car and still will be left with some change. Isn’t that a smart move? But you have to delay gratifying the desire of getting that car immediately. By the time you build a solid personal financial asset base, the different streams of income it generates can meet your diverse needs.
Financial Literacy. You can acquire financial literacy through financial books, tapes, CDs, seminars and workshops. Your earning ability is tied to your learning capacity. You can’t earn above what you’ve learnt. Skilled workers get paid more than unskilled workers because of the difference in learning. Therefore, build your own financial literacy library where relevant text on investment, entrepreneurship and financial literacy can be found.
Olotu is the CEO/Lead Consultant, DEAIM Innovative Resources Ltd, bridgetolotu@gmail.com
Tea in the street
By Fabian Odum
For the average person in this tropical climate where temperatures, even in the season of rain, could hit as high as 30 degrees Celsius, on a sunny day even along the coastline, it is easy to feel cold on a rainy day.
In times like this, tea drinking has become a culture across the country. Though tea drinking appears to have been dropped on us by the British, tea leaves are primarily a product of tropical countries where it is grown – Kenya, Mambilla Plateau or Sri Lanka in Asia.
Take a walk down the streets of Jos, Kano, Onitsha or Lagos, you will see a preponderance of the popular ‘Mai Tea,’ with an array of the usual paraphernalia for brewing – kerosene stove, aluminum kettles or pots, set of tables for the ‘seating committee’ patrons. The long form helps drinkers sit back to back, intertwined like the intricate basket in times when the place overflows with people.
An assortment of bread, with or without brand names, is usually arranged like a block work of a building foundation while the tins of milk take the shape of a pyramid. All other ingredients need find their place in the centre of the table — spoons, cans of granulated sugar, crates of egg and tins of canned fish.
For the teashop, this is a place where the tea producing companies battle for attention as all the brands show up; it may be the round, square, triangular bags as well as the free-flowing leaves in boxes.
The pot of boiling water is almost perpetually on fire to give the best service to those who want their cup of tea really hot.
Irrespective of the windcheaters, sweaters or babanrigas as worn by some patrons, it is more like an all-men affair.
Women are more discrete; they show up once in a while but the case in some cultures. At the household level, tea drinking is a family matter and where bread and spread (margarine) or eggs are in involved, the kids have a field day.
Benefits
Tea, nutritionally, has its own functions as stimulant that can improve blood flow among several other good points. Studies have shown that drinking certain teas does indeed reduce the signs of aging. Some teas have also shown the capability to energize drinkers and boost agility due to the presence of caffeine.
The tendency for some teas to help burn calories faster, and thus reduce weight has been known and could be referred to as slimming teas.
Mannerism
Mannerism at tea drinking is another issue; sipping hot tea from the cup with a guttural sound is heavily abhorred in some circles. The table manner is that the sip is done quietly without any sound. If it is too hot, stirring with a teaspoon is the civilized thing to do instead of blowing it with the mouth to cool it.
Teaspoons are left in the saucer and never in the teacup when taking a sip of the tea. The use of milk is a trend that developed much later than the tea drinking itself. Tea was usually a drink so pure and clean, perhaps with little or no sugar. That has all changed now!
For the average person in this tropical climate where temperatures, even in the season of rain, could hit as high as 30 degrees Celsius, on a sunny day even along the coastline, it is easy to feel cold on a rainy day.
In times like this, tea drinking has become a culture across the country. Though tea drinking appears to have been dropped on us by the British, tea leaves are primarily a product of tropical countries where it is grown – Kenya, Mambilla Plateau or Sri Lanka in Asia.
Take a walk down the streets of Jos, Kano, Onitsha or Lagos, you will see a preponderance of the popular ‘Mai Tea,’ with an array of the usual paraphernalia for brewing – kerosene stove, aluminum kettles or pots, set of tables for the ‘seating committee’ patrons. The long form helps drinkers sit back to back, intertwined like the intricate basket in times when the place overflows with people.
An assortment of bread, with or without brand names, is usually arranged like a block work of a building foundation while the tins of milk take the shape of a pyramid. All other ingredients need find their place in the centre of the table — spoons, cans of granulated sugar, crates of egg and tins of canned fish.
For the teashop, this is a place where the tea producing companies battle for attention as all the brands show up; it may be the round, square, triangular bags as well as the free-flowing leaves in boxes.
The pot of boiling water is almost perpetually on fire to give the best service to those who want their cup of tea really hot.
Irrespective of the windcheaters, sweaters or babanrigas as worn by some patrons, it is more like an all-men affair.
Women are more discrete; they show up once in a while but the case in some cultures. At the household level, tea drinking is a family matter and where bread and spread (margarine) or eggs are in involved, the kids have a field day.
Benefits
Tea, nutritionally, has its own functions as stimulant that can improve blood flow among several other good points. Studies have shown that drinking certain teas does indeed reduce the signs of aging. Some teas have also shown the capability to energize drinkers and boost agility due to the presence of caffeine.
The tendency for some teas to help burn calories faster, and thus reduce weight has been known and could be referred to as slimming teas.
Mannerism
Mannerism at tea drinking is another issue; sipping hot tea from the cup with a guttural sound is heavily abhorred in some circles. The table manner is that the sip is done quietly without any sound. If it is too hot, stirring with a teaspoon is the civilized thing to do instead of blowing it with the mouth to cool it.
Teaspoons are left in the saucer and never in the teacup when taking a sip of the tea. The use of milk is a trend that developed much later than the tea drinking itself. Tea was usually a drink so pure and clean, perhaps with little or no sugar. That has all changed now!
Bolanle... The Kokolette
BY GREGORY AUSTIN NWAKUNOR
GOD!… God!!… I can’t believe it,” she says. “Oh God… oh God.” She sobs gently. Tears of joy cascade her cheeks as she embraces the weight of her success. Now she’s no longer Bolanle Okhiria, the 21-year old student of the Lagos State University, LASU, but the Ideal Kokolette. She stands transfixed for a few seconds, almost watching the narrative footage of her success in her mind eye. She heaves again, “God… Thank you for everything.” She had beaten three other finalists, Rita Igbinedion Isoken, Shona and Chidinma, to win the N5 million, a Volkswagen convertible car and a Diamond ring at stake in the show sponsored by HiTV, with support from Nigerian Breweries Plc and Tetmosol. Bolanle or Miss Bee, as intimate friends often call her, can best be described as a rounded character. Intelligence, beauty, and sense of humour are some of the qualities that made her company completely irresistible in the house. While nodding her head and gurgling with satisfaction, Bolanle sighs, “I will represent the brand well. The values I believe in, I’ll stand for everyday.” The multi-talented lady snorts: “I can’t trade the experience I had at the mansion for anything.” Though Bolanle can’t be intimidated by anybody, she is scared of poisoned chalice. And she wants to live the through her reign like a saint. And she has her mind firmly planted on that. “I look up to women such as Cecilia Ibru and Tyra Banks as role models,” she says. Thanks to the energy she’s derived from the lives of these exemplary women, her career ambition is to one day start her own talk show – The Bee Show, a platform to educate young women on the essence of being beautiful, bold, and brilliant. A spark of light radiates in her face as she tries to say hello to an admirer. She describes the ideal woman as, “someone whose beauty is not just in her outward appearance, she has to be someone who understands that character is the most essential beauty ingredient in a woman.” And this seems to have dotted the lines of every page of her life, which she script-edited at age 12: Humane personality. “I was born with a silver spoon, but when my family fortunes turned, I was forced to learn that life is not a bed of roses,” she says. Her face, now fresh after mopping up the tears of joy, Bolanle says sensitively, “my dad told me, it was always best to make a very positive impact out of any negative circumstance.” Bolanle’s first reactions to her selection, after the audition for Koko Mansion, was loaded with surprise, doubt, and utter consternation; she honestly thought someone was playing pranks on her. She muses, “I waited for so long for that call, and when it finally came through, I was too excited to believe it was real – I had to tell the producers to prove to me that it wasn’t some kind of a joke.” She polled 11,933 to beat Rita, who got 10, 473. Chidinma got a disappointing 918 votes while Shona who was all along favoured to win, got 2, 292 votes. Twelve girls initially got into the mansion but as the show progressed, Kokolettes Victoria, Lillian, Mary, Chioma, Bidemi, Chinwe and Elizabeth, were evicted by the viewers. The stage was now set and the viewers had to pick Bolanle from the lot of Chidinma, Rita and Shona. D’BANJ played the excellent host as he inspected the posh car with Bolanle who admitted she does not know how to drive. Spiced with performances by Mo’ Hits’ Wande Coal, ace comedian Julius Agwu and of course D’banj, the Koko Master, the closing show was a different package entirely. The biggest endorsement for the show, however, came when the Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyuli, paid a visit to the mansion to further educate the young ladies. It was a rewarding evening, as Akunyuli, who, over the years, gained reputation for hard work and commitment to serving the country, guided the ladies on a path to achieving greatness. When Isi Munirat, a mole, was let loose into the mansion, the show took another dimension. Believing that she was in the show as a contender for the prize money, the other Kokolettes bared their fangs. THE first runner up, Rita, was also rewarded with a three-month training at Style & Grace Solutions training outfit. Rita kept the show lively with her vivacious, unpretentious nature for the seven weeks it lasted, a development that made her the viewers’ delight. The lady, who has a major shortcoming —her inability to speak good English — also, fell below in terms of social etiquette, communication and personal presentation skills. Mrs. Grace Oforiokuma, CEO/MD Style & Grace Solutions offered the Edo State native a mentoring programme as a prize for coming out second in the show. “I believe that this programme will be of great use in her future endeavours. Our aim is not to direct Rita in her future choices or decisions, but to provide her with the appropriate knowledge to develop the particular life skills mentioned, beneficial both here in Nigeria and in the global context.” Oforiokuma adds, “we expect our mentoring programme to provide her with individual coaching and ongoing advice and guidance in the areas of Social Etiquette, Communication and Personal Presentation skills. Coaching at our premises (Ikoyi, Lagos) will be provided at flexible times convenient to Rita, over the next three months. In addition, we will provide other training delivery methods using the web, telephone and our training aids to ensure that she receives adequate content and understanding. Guidance and advice will be provided to Rita on an ongoing basis, as needed, for a further six month period.”
With BrownHeart, Chaste takes on the heart
BY CHUKS NWANNE
THROUGHOUT the induction ceremony of the BorwnHeart Campaign ambassadors held recently in Ikeja, Lagos, Chaste Chris Inegbedion sits quietly in a corner of the hall with a few friends. In fact, it was a kind of surprised, when he was introduced as the founder of the non-governmental organisation aimed at enlightening the general public on heart attack. What has Chaste got to do with heart attack at this age? Of course, the Edo State native looks too young to be in such condition. However, from his efforts and level of commitment to the campaign, it’s obvious the project is dear to his heart. Curious to unravel the motive behind BrownHeart and its achievement so far, we scheduled a chat at the Rutam House head office of The Guardian few days later. A graduate of Computer Engineering from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Chaste has always loved working on the computer. For him, it’s a passion. “Surfing is like second home to me; I do a lot of research and networking online.” That must have informed your choice of course in the university? “Sure,” he muses. “In fact, I once started an online sharing group during my secondary school days; it was called KSG Study Group. But that didn’t last too long because after our secondary school, everyone left.” WHAT informed BrownHeart Campaign? He smiles, takes a deep breath while adjusting into his seat. “The idea came after I lost my father in April, 2008; he died of heart attack. I was doing my internship at Eko Hotel then; I was so busy that I couldn’t go to visit him for long.” Having stayed away from home for long, Chaste’s father personally requested he visited. “He called that he wanted to see me. My younger brother was around when I arrived; I was so tired that I even slept off. I remember we were watching an obituary advert on TV and my father was like, ‘this burial thing is going to be very expensive.’ I was surprised by his comment; he was not really old, so, I didn’t understand the thing about obituary. I didn’t know he was about to die.” Chaste observed some changes in his father’s behaviour the morning of the day he died. “He was acting quiet as against his usual lively nature. I learnt before then, he went weeding the compound, which is unusual. He usually paid people to do that, but this time around, he insisted on doing it himself. Even when I tried telling him about my challenges and my volunteer work, he was very silent about it.” Chaste was still asleep when his father came leaning on him, while gasping for breath. “Initially, I thought it was my younger brother in his usual manner, but I later found out it was my dad. Before we could rush him to the hospital, he died.” Were you aware of the heart attack? “We only knew he was hypertensive; we had never heard about the heart attack. My father was not the type that got sick every now and then, so, his death was a big blow to us. He was the breadwinner of the family and I’m the first in the family of two boys.” He continues: “I had a discussion with a medical friend of mine, who told me that we would have laid him down at that moment, but we were just holding him, thinking if we had allowed him to lie down, he would give up. That’s why I decided to start up a campaign to educate people on issues concerning heart attack, especially on the preventive measure.” ANY regrets? “If I had known about heart issues like I do today, we would have handled the situation better; who knows, my father may not have died the way he did. I was actually doing my final year project then, trying to raise money for my school and other things as I never liked disturbing him for money.” So, how did you manage in school? “My mother tried on her part; my relations also played vital role. The Church and my uncle, Chief Oziagbo, tried their best, especially assisting to complete my final year project.” WITH BrownHeart, Chaste and his team has taken the heart campaign to different groups and institutions after flagging it off at the Olabisi Onabanjo University. “We try to let them know how to take care of heart diseases and other issues related to them. I go on Internet most time to find out things about heart diseases and share it with the people. Sometime, I consult health specialists, who give professional advise concerning the heart. We gather the information and share it to people.” According to Chaste, heart attack knows no age. “People used to think that heart attack is for the elderly people. But research has shown that heart disease does not respect anybody; once your heart stops beating, you are dead. I was a member of Leo and Rotaract, Clubs in my school, so, I decided to have the official take off from there to raise the awareness for students to be conscious of their heart.” CHASTE is of the opinion that heart disease could be managed if detected early. “People need to be careful with the kind of food they eat. We are putting up workshops for the young at heart, with experts coming to give professional advice to the people; we are raising a team of specialist that will help in the campaign. Nigerians are going through a lot on the street, which could lead to heart attack. “We are also working with food experts to know the kind of food that helps to make one healthy. We are also looking towards music… trying to use all sorts of platforms to educate people. Michael Jackson was wealthy, yet he died of heart attack.” ASIDE BrownHeart, Chaste also runs Creative Five World Company, PR and volunteering outfit based in Lagos. “I want to work more as an idealists, giving out ideas on how to make the best out of business. I intend to consult for companies and organisations that have youth related businesses. I still want to do more of voluntary works and maybe marry in 2010.” THROUGHOUT the induction ceremony of the BorwnHeart Campaign ambassadors held recently in Ikeja, Lagos, Chaste Chris Inegbedion sits quietly in a corner of the hall with a few friends. In fact, it was a kind of surprised, when he was introduced as the founder of the non-governmental organisation aimed at enlightening the general public on heart attack. What has Chaste got to do with heart attack at this age? Of course, the Edo State native looks too young to be in such condition. However, from his efforts and level of commitment to the campaign, it’s obvious the project is dear to his heart. Curious to unravel the motive behind BrownHeart and its achievement so far, we scheduled a chat at the Rutam House head office of The Guardian few days later. A graduate of Computer Engineering from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, Chaste has always loved working on the computer. For him, it’s a passion. “Surfing is like second home to me; I do a lot of research and networking online.” That must have informed your choice of course in the university? “Sure,” he muses. “In fact, I once started an online sharing group during my secondary school days; it was called KSG Study Group. But that didn’t last too long because after our secondary school, everyone left.” WHAT informed BrownHeart Campaign? He smiles, takes a deep breath while adjusting into his seat. “The idea came after I lost my father in April, 2008; he died of heart attack. I was doing my internship at Eko Hotel then; I was so busy that I couldn’t go to visit him for long.” Having stayed away from home for long, Chaste’s father personally requested he visited. “He called that he wanted to see me. My younger brother was around when I arrived; I was so tired that I even slept off. I remember we were watching an obituary advert on TV and my father was like, ‘this burial thing is going to be very expensive.’ I was surprised by his comment; he was not really old, so, I didn’t understand the thing about obituary. I didn’t know he was about to die.” Chaste observed some changes in his father’s behaviour the morning of the day he died. “He was acting quiet as against his usual lively nature. I learnt before then, he went weeding the compound, which is unusual. He usually paid people to do that, but this time around, he insisted on doing it himself. Even when I tried telling him about my challenges and my volunteer work, he was very silent about it.” Chaste was still asleep when his father came leaning on him, while gasping for breath. “Initially, I thought it was my younger brother in his usual manner, but I later found out it was my dad. Before we could rush him to the hospital, he died.” Were you aware of the heart attack? “We only knew he was hypertensive; we had never heard about the heart attack. My father was not the type that got sick every now and then, so, his death was a big blow to us. He was the breadwinner of the family and I’m the first in the family of two boys.” He continues: “I had a discussion with a medical friend of mine, who told me that we would have laid him down at that moment, but we were just holding him, thinking if we had allowed him to lie down, he would give up. That’s why I decided to start up a campaign to educate people on issues concerning heart attack, especially on the preventive measure.” ANY regrets? “If I had known about heart issues like I do today, we would have handled the situation better; who knows, my father may not have died the way he did. I was actually doing my final year project then, trying to raise money for my school and other things as I never liked disturbing him for money.” So, how did you manage in school? “My mother tried on her part; my relations also played vital role. The Church and my uncle, Chief Oziagbo, tried their best, especially assisting to complete my final year project.” WITH BrownHeart, Chaste and his team has taken the heart campaign to different groups and institutions after flagging it off at the Olabisi Onabanjo University. “We try to let them know how to take care of heart diseases and other issues related to them. I go on Internet most time to find out things about heart diseases and share it with the people. Sometime, I consult health specialists, who give professional advise concerning the heart. We gather the information and share it to people.” According to Chaste, heart attack knows no age. “People used to think that heart attack is for the elderly people. But research has shown that heart disease does not respect anybody; once your heart stops beating, you are dead. I was a member of Leo and Rotaract, Clubs in my school, so, I decided to have the official take off from there to raise the awareness for students to be conscious of their heart.” CHASTE is of the opinion that heart disease could be managed if detected early. “People need to be careful with the kind of food they eat. We are putting up workshops for the young at heart, with experts coming to give professional advice to the people; we are raising a team of specialist that will help in the campaign. Nigerians are going through a lot on the street, which could lead to heart attack. “We are also working with food experts to know the kind of food that helps to make one healthy. We are also looking towards music… trying to use all sorts of platforms to educate people. Michael Jackson was wealthy, yet he died of heart attack.” ASIDE BrownHeart, Chaste also runs Creative Five World Company, PR and volunteering outfit based in Lagos. “I want to work more as an idealists, giving out ideas on how to make the best out of business. I intend to consult for companies and organisations that have youth related businesses. I still want to do more of voluntary works and maybe marry in 2010.”
Nkem’s techie…
She wanted to be a writer, but 25-year-old Nkemdilim Cay Uwaje ended up in software technology, and she shares the story.
What excites you about software technology?
The fact that it can help automated tedious and time-consuming tasks, as well as deal with huge chunks of data within seconds. I love efficiency and IT; especially software technology is the way forward to being efficient in every way, shape or form.
Is this what you’ve always wanted to do?
No, I always wanted to be a writer, but I never got round to it. IT has surrounded me all my life, as my dad is an IT guru and he had us playing with his PCs from the age of three. Later on he taught us programming, which sparked my interest in IT.
What schools did you go to?
I went to the German School, Tin Can Island Lagos (Primary & Secondary - Sept. 1993-May 20002) and then the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich & Technical University of Munich (Sept. 2002 — Feb. 2006).
What exactly does Futuresoft do?
Future Software Resources Nigeria Ltd. is a new turn-key web-solution provider in Nigeria that was founded in partnership with its American-based sister company, DigiRev LLC and its UK-based sister company Paperless Staffroom Ltd. Future Software Resources Nigeria Ltd.
And your role in the organisation...
I am one of the Directors. I focus mainly on business development.
How did you start/get involved with all these?
I guess it all started with the spark of interest in IT, which lead me to study bioinformatics and work in research. I found out how IT can reduce time needed to fulfil certain tasks and decided to come home and help Nigeria become more efficient. It took a while to find my feet, but now that I have I hope to be actively involved in taking this nation forward, thus bridging the digital divide.
How would you assess the level of development in the IT sector in Nigeria?
In the past 10 years, the IT sector has been growing from strength to strength. People like my dad and his colleagues have paved the way, writing Nigeria’s IT policy, trying to implement standards and ensuring that the government is aware of our IT needs. I believe that this growth will continue and make Nigeria a strong global economy. It can help the public and the private sector become more efficient, thus increasing economic wealth. My personal assessment is that Nigeria still has a long way to go, but we are on the right track.
How would you rate the contributions of young people, especially in ICT skills and innovations?
I think that these days, young people are becoming more and more aware of new technology. They explore new and innovative solutions and try to sell them to the older and more experienced IT folk. The problem is that Nigeria is a somewhat ageist society, where opinions and ideas of young people are often disregarded, but even that is slowly changing – especially in the IT sector. Going to conferences I have realized that the older generation in this sector is ready and willing to listen and is waiting for youths to come forward with their ideas.
Let’s talk about Nigeria; what do you love most about the country?
I would have to say the food and the people; Nigerians are happy and warm people, they always have a joke and a smile ready for you and the food is simply the best.
The new campaign on re-branding Nigeria; do you believe in it?
I personally think that we have bigger fish to fry. To me it seems like we believe that adding a coat of paint to a house that needs refurbishing both on the inside and outside is a good solution. In my opinion the inside needs fixing, before the outside. Why reflect an image if it’s not truly ours. Lets fix our electricity problems, our infrastructure problems, our educational problems and our health-sector problems, before we re-brand our outward image.
What’s your take on Nigeria’s future?
I pray that its future is a bright one, but this can only be achieved with hard work and dedication — we need to assess the problems and solve them permanently instead of coming up with half-baked “patch-patch” solutions, which I think is finally happening. I think that there are some very good leaders who are dedicated to making a change, which will impact everyone, thus raising standards and expectations.
TRIVIA
How do you relax?
I relax reading a book, spending a day on the beach or hanging out with my friends.
Hobbies
Yoga, Gym, Reading, Travelling
Favourite food
Ogbono soup and pounded yam
Favourite colour
Pink
State of origin
Delta State
Birthplace
Itzehoe, Germany
Grew up in
Anthony Village, Lagos.
Biggest lesson life has taught you...
First, that life is too short to mope around, live every day to the fullest, because you never know when it’s all over. Second, that a dream is worth holding on to, no matter what everyone else says. Someone has to believe in it for it to come to life; that’s how all great inventions came into existence.
ASUU strike: Okogie calls for end
BY GBENGA SALAU
THE Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos Catholic Diocese, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, has called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and all concerned bodies in the tertiary institutions currently on strike to shift grounds on some of their demands in the interest of the students.
He said this at the Religious Education Week programme grand finale held in Lagos recently on the theme Moral education, the bedrock of a sane society.
Okogie, who appealed to the university teachers to be guided by patriotism rather than pecuniary returns in their decision, noted that it is the students and their parents that are bearing the pains of the strike.
He added that the frequent strike actions embarked upon by universities would lead the nation nowhere.
He said: “As far as I am concerned, you cannot blame the government if what I read in the papers, that government called for a meeting and ASUU did not attend, is true; then we should not blame the government. ASUU should have honoured the invitation even if they are not going to accept government’s decisions.”
The cleric, who called for dialogue as a way out of the crisis as the greater part of the problem is borne by the children, appealed to ASUU members to reconsider their stand for the sake of the children and others, who are suffering as a result of the strike.
The Director of Religious Education of the Lagos Catholic Church, Rev. Judith Madueke, said for Nigeria to return to its rightful place in the comity of nations, moral education must be given its rightful place in the education sector.
Students leaders support ASUU
STUDENTS Union leaders from various institutions have urged university students to rebuild their present unions to strong and vibrant movement that would always defend them against government’s anti-people policies. They made the call during the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and students protest rally held recently in Lagos, to protest government’s neglect of the education sector, the proposed N180,000 tuition fee; and support of the current struggle by ASUU, SSANU and NASU.
ACCORDING to the chairman of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall of the University of Ibadan, Amuda Mosigbodi, “the continued lies peddled by the Federal Government as regards ASUU, SSANU and NASU is no longer tolerable as an insincere government is not worthy to lead the people. If we say we want to re-brand Nigeria and we say ‘great nation good people; then we expect good people to be at the helms of affairs, not people who will peddle lies to the populace.”
Continuing, he said, “government should learn to honour agreement; at first they told us there was no agreement, but after series of propaganda, the Federal Government has now accepted to resort to what it was supposed to do. They cannot continue to leave the Nigerian youths in perpetual servitude; they should always understand that the poor cannot sleep because they are hungry, and the rich will never sleep because the poor are awake. If they continue with this, a time will come when they will never be able to close their eyes,” he lamented.
OPEYEMI Ibrahim, a student leader from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who decried the deteriorating state of education in the country, however, said, “it is now running to 10 weeks that Nigerian students have been made to compulsorily sit at home for no fault of theirs. I am a Chemical Engineering student in my 500 level, and as I am talking to you, I have never seen a chemical with my eyes, and I am about to graduate. This tells you the quality of graduates that is produced in this country, which is nothing, but half-baked, due to gross under funding of education and misappropriation of fund. It is high time Federal Government wakes up to its responsibilities by funding education to the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) standard.”
THE Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos Catholic Diocese, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, has called on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and all concerned bodies in the tertiary institutions currently on strike to shift grounds on some of their demands in the interest of the students.
He said this at the Religious Education Week programme grand finale held in Lagos recently on the theme Moral education, the bedrock of a sane society.
Okogie, who appealed to the university teachers to be guided by patriotism rather than pecuniary returns in their decision, noted that it is the students and their parents that are bearing the pains of the strike.
He added that the frequent strike actions embarked upon by universities would lead the nation nowhere.
He said: “As far as I am concerned, you cannot blame the government if what I read in the papers, that government called for a meeting and ASUU did not attend, is true; then we should not blame the government. ASUU should have honoured the invitation even if they are not going to accept government’s decisions.”
The cleric, who called for dialogue as a way out of the crisis as the greater part of the problem is borne by the children, appealed to ASUU members to reconsider their stand for the sake of the children and others, who are suffering as a result of the strike.
The Director of Religious Education of the Lagos Catholic Church, Rev. Judith Madueke, said for Nigeria to return to its rightful place in the comity of nations, moral education must be given its rightful place in the education sector.
Students leaders support ASUU
STUDENTS Union leaders from various institutions have urged university students to rebuild their present unions to strong and vibrant movement that would always defend them against government’s anti-people policies. They made the call during the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) and students protest rally held recently in Lagos, to protest government’s neglect of the education sector, the proposed N180,000 tuition fee; and support of the current struggle by ASUU, SSANU and NASU.
ACCORDING to the chairman of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall of the University of Ibadan, Amuda Mosigbodi, “the continued lies peddled by the Federal Government as regards ASUU, SSANU and NASU is no longer tolerable as an insincere government is not worthy to lead the people. If we say we want to re-brand Nigeria and we say ‘great nation good people; then we expect good people to be at the helms of affairs, not people who will peddle lies to the populace.”
Continuing, he said, “government should learn to honour agreement; at first they told us there was no agreement, but after series of propaganda, the Federal Government has now accepted to resort to what it was supposed to do. They cannot continue to leave the Nigerian youths in perpetual servitude; they should always understand that the poor cannot sleep because they are hungry, and the rich will never sleep because the poor are awake. If they continue with this, a time will come when they will never be able to close their eyes,” he lamented.
OPEYEMI Ibrahim, a student leader from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who decried the deteriorating state of education in the country, however, said, “it is now running to 10 weeks that Nigerian students have been made to compulsorily sit at home for no fault of theirs. I am a Chemical Engineering student in my 500 level, and as I am talking to you, I have never seen a chemical with my eyes, and I am about to graduate. This tells you the quality of graduates that is produced in this country, which is nothing, but half-baked, due to gross under funding of education and misappropriation of fund. It is high time Federal Government wakes up to its responsibilities by funding education to the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) standard.”
The Art of the future with Omolayo
BY TAJUDEEN SOWOLE
CONSISTENTLY, Biodun Omolayo has for five years invested in the future of art, using three classes of people: the youths, women and business executives. One of the events, a yearly holiday workshop known as Young at Art, currently runs at two centres —Specifics Studio, Ikeja and National Museum, Onikan — both in Lagos. Held once a year, between August and September, during long vacation, Omolayo says this edition focuses on “creative thinking techniques, an innovative approach to ideas generation and problem solving.” Last year, the theme was on family values, and it explored painting, crafts as well as performing arts as means to educate the children on crucial family values. To make the theme more practical last year, there were visitations by successful professionals to the workshop. Elaborating on the 2009 theme, Omolayo says that the whole idea is to teach the young ones on how to use less to achieve much, distil opportunities from crisis or challenges. “A process whereby you emphasise your strength and de-emphasise your weakness; it also involves using Other People’s Trashed Ideas (OPTI),” he says. “The purpose is to have the young ones create and re-create. The intention of this playshop is not to make artists of the children, but to bring out their creativity and potentials to bear on their future engagements (in whatever field they choose), and their appreciation of beauty. Ultimately the purpose of the project is to develop the total personality of the child through the visual creative medium.” He adds, “the vision of the project is to develop a happy and creative child, and to produce an innovative and solution-minded adults for the future; a mission to use art in a friendly non-academic manner as a platform to developing a rounded creative future in the youth.” OMOLAYO, who recently hosted the Celebrity Art Exhibition, an elite show in honour of Mrs Hilda Dei Sotinwa, says, “the 2009 workshop is aimed at strengthening the homefront and by extension, the society.” During the May 29, Children’s Day Celebration, the gallery hosted children to a drawing and painting party to mark the day; while the celebrity show is used to celebrate a special day in the life of a chosen celebrity or collector. For Sotinwa, it was her 60th birthday; among the guests, who witnessed the exhibition were Chief Segun Osoba, former governor of Ogun state; Chief Layi Ajayi Bembe; Mr. Raymond Kotey; Femi Majekodunmi; Mrs. Majekodunmi; Chief and Mrs.Rasheed Gbadamosi; Mrs. Olu Akintoye; Chief Sammy Olagbaju. A GRADUATE of Performing Arts with specialisation in technical theatre at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Omolayo worked for the New Prudential Bank (now defunct) before venturing into art gallery business.
What the world will miss about Michael
One of the late Michael Jackson’s elder brothers, Marlon, recently paid a surprise visit to the MTN Project Fame Academy. Marlon opened up to Florence UTOR what he would miss most about Michael Jackson and what gave him the cutting edge over others…
Your impression about Nigeria
I think Nigeria is a nice place. This is my ninth time here. I really enjoyed it because it is a great place. It is a great experience and the people are very friendly and humble.
There is no doubt about it that the music culture of USA is quite different from what obtains here. What’s your view about Nigeria’s music culture?
I am a fan of both music, and all music across the globe. I don’t look at the difference because I know rap is not foreign in Nigeria. I like all kinds of music and don’t look at the difference. What I think the rap artiste could do is to stretch themselves a little bit, meaningfully taking the songs. I call it the groove and that would become their song. They are very creative.
We have lots of talents hunt in Nigeria to produce music icons like you, what are the ways to improve on that?
Music started here in Africa with the drumbeat and I don’t think they should get away from that. Don’t put America in front of you because you have great talents here too. Do what you like to do, and if you feel like going outside the bar, you can go outside the bar. Just make sure that it works. Many kids do not understand the structure or the balance of the America music; meaning that the melody and the rhythm work hand in hand. It is like a machine that works together, there has to be a merge that makes everything work together, which comes from understanding music and doing a lot of it.
How do you feel being a member of the Jackson family?
I have been a member of the Jackson’s family all my life. To me, I started doing music from six years. It is what we do and I have been in it all my life.
Since music is your life, what’s music to you? Do you classify it from the lyrical section or the message the artiste is trying to pass?
For me, the meaning of music is all what you have mentioned. I said that because they have deep and clear messages for our youths, today. I think they should look at the kids that are looking up to them as mentors. They need to set a good foundation and message for them to follow. They should look at the over all picture of what you are saying to see if it reflects this. The sound is also involved because both have to work hand in hand. If you look at the old school music, those songs have meaning and depth. They have very strong messages and as you get older you will begin to realise that those songs have played a part in your life.
For 45 years, your late brother, Michael, held the world spellbound with his music and a lot of youths would love to be like him. What is that depth or secret that made the difference in him? What’s the cutting edge?
I look at it as a totally different thing because we all started together. Our father insisted that we all must learn music, but as I grow older; I began to understand that he did it to keep us off from going astray or getting into bad things. But on top of that, we moved into Motown and formed the ‘Jackson 5’, then we had the Michael Jackson; when he started doing his own thing. Though I can’t answer the question whether there will be another Michael, or another creator like him, I encourage people to do the best they could do in all things. Do up to 20 per cent of what you can do and after you have done your best, you can’t do anything anymore. That’s it.
As a global music icon, you are one of the few artistes that have been able to build a strong brand and the youths are really looking up to artistes like you; so what is your key message to the contestants in the academy?
Actually, we started even before we realised that we had started building a brand with the name ‘Jackson’. We’ve been such a brand for many years now and it is international. But one thing I realise is that we did all we did because we enjoyed doing it and at a point we realised that we are making people happy. You have a special feeling inside you when you realise that a lot of people are enjoying what you are doing — bringing people together and making them happy. We always tell ourselves the truth and try to do the right things.
Fame and money have been the undoing of many artistes, what’s your take on that?
Fame and money are easy to control, but if you think deeply about them you will realise that you are not greater than any other person; and that you are not going to be judged by all that you have acquired on earth, but by the things you have done for others. If you keep that in mind, then everything will be fine. To me I look at what I do with my job and how I affect people’s lives. Remember that all you do or accumulate on earth will be the determining factor by which you will be judged when you die.
What then are the pitfalls aspiring artistes should guard against?
Don’t let your success get into your head, to make you think you are better than others. Appreciate your blessings you and don’t abuse them. Stay at the level ground with a level head, and everything else will fall on board. Don’t go over board.
We know the whole world missed Michael, but you as a brother, what will you miss most about him?
Michael and I are not far in age. When we were growing up, we were together all the time because we were the two youngest. To me, you won’t want to lose your loved ones or favourites. It is painful. What I will miss most, is realising that he won’t be there anymore when we come together as a family. That is the main thing.
What was your last moment with him like?
I will rather not elaborate on that because they are passionate. I keep it to my heart. It is between the two of us.
How is your mum?
She is doing great, although she is still mourning. Before I came here I spoke with her on some of the things we will be doing.
25 years on, the wonder rolls on for the Pasuma
BY CHUKS NWANNE
AFTER 25 years of building his music career, which actually started on the streets of Mushin, Lagos, fuji star Wasiu Alabi Odetola (a.ka Pasuma Wonder) will feast friends, fans and family members to celebrate his success. “The event is a big deal for me because I’m about to do something that no fuji artiste has ever done. It’s not going to be like the normal celebration people are used to; I have people I am working with on this.” The artiste, who started music in 1984, did not record any album until 1993, when he launched Recognition, says, “God has been faithful to me over the years. I made up my mind to be a fuji singer in 1984, when K1 De Ultimate dropped Talazo 84. So, music started for me at a very young age.” According to plans by his management company, AO21 Media, the celebration will start on Friday, October 9, with Club Papa’s @ K’S place hosting the fuji exponent, followed by a concert at Oniru Beach on Sunday, October 11. The Oniru beach concert packaged by PAPA’S entertainment and A021 Media will feature the artiste in a live concert with hip hop artistes such as 9ice, Lord of Ajasa, Art Quake, Spydaman, Remedies and others, he had worked with. “ I’ve always wanted to celebrate this achievement in a very big way and one of the things that can make it extra ordinary is by inviting some hip hop artistes to celebrate with me. Many of them have worked with me; and a few of them, I just have a good relationship with. Besides the names mentioned earlier, some of my friends such as DJ Zeez, Dee Bee, Gbenga Adeyinka, Omo Baba, Mc Abbey, Alariwo of Africa, Roof Top MC, Bouqui, Weird MC, Helen Paul and MI will also feature,” he says. AS part of the celebration, Pasuma will be paying visits to two charity homes in Lagos, while a football match will hold on Saturday, October 17, as part of the anniversary. City People Entertainment is expected to top up the celebration with a grand reception in honour of Pasuma. “The visit to the charity home is just a way of giving back to the society. Pasuma Fans club is organising the novelty match and I am very passionate about it, not only because I am crazy about football, but because some people out there are doing something great to celebrate me. In 2007, they celebrated my 40th birthday in a very remarkable way and I am sure this will be bigger and better than that,” Pasuma sings. In the words of Frank Okamigbo of Club Papa’s, “I have always wanted to work with Pasuma because he is a brand that readily appeals to not only the grassroots, but the elite. There are a lot of Igbo people who don’t understand what he is saying, but like his personality and I think that is working quite well for him. Looking back to when I first heard the name Pasuma, I can’t just believe that he has spent 25 years in the industry. He is a very humble man and we believe in him.” For Seye Kehinde, publisher of City People magazine “City People Entertainment has hosted him once and we are glad to be part of this again.”
You Don’t Know Qpidfyne After taking a bold step to return to his fatherland to pursue his music career, Tony Fidelis, fondly called qpidfyne, has finished work on his album titled, You Don’t Know.
Born in Lagos, the Imo State native, developed interest in football as a student of Yaba College of Technology,Yaba, from where he got signed on to a second division football club in Switzerland in 2003.
Prior to his move to Switzerland, Qpidfyne had a hit single Gbemilebe, which was on music charts for long; the song was popular on MBI and Cool FM radio. While away, he managed to combine singing and playing football.
“Training was really hectic for me,” he quips.
Produced by OJB Jazreel, the ten-track album, according to the artiste, will be out towards the end of the year. Aside the title track, the album featured songs such as Gbemilebe, Dint I tell you, Park your load and others.
Having put enough effort on ground, Qpidfyne is optimistic that his music would make impact in the country’s music industry.
“I am not doing music for money, but the interest because it keeps me on; regardless of what surrounds me.”
Qpidfyne’s music has a blend of R&B and Reggae; Gbemilebe, for instance, has reggae background. Some of his inspirations came from artistes such as the late king of pop, Michael Jackson, Ne’yo, Usher, Omarion, Maquez Houston, Maxwell, and Music Soul Child among others.
Figurine for Corporate Nigeria
BY SHAIBU HUSSEINI
KUNLE Afolayan’s Figurine is set to be shown to ‘Corporate Nigerian’ before hitting the cinema houses. The screening is Tuesday. According to Afolayan, “we want them to take advantage of the immense benefits of advertising and branding in movies, because we still have room for that.” Starring Ramsey Nouah Jnr., Kunle Afolayan, Omoni Oboli, Funlola Aofiyebi-Raimi in lead roles, with Wale Adebayo (Sango), Chief Muraina Oyelami, Jide Kosoko in supporting roles, the film is filled with intrigues, betrayal and love. It revolves round two intimate friends — a girl whose life stories changed after one of them discovered a mysterious figurine in an abandoned shrine, which according to ancient legend bestows seven years of good luck on anyone who finds it and her friend. After Tuesdays screening, the movie will formally be premiered on October 1. “We chose that date because as the Figurine changed the lives of those folks, it would change things for the better here, not just for filmmaking industry, but Nigeria as a country,” he enthused. Those who were not at the premiere will have the opportunity of seeing the movie next day (October 2), at Genesis Deluxe Cinema and Silverbird Cinema, among others. It will run for two weeks at these venues. From Lagos, it moves to Port Harcourt and the (FTC) Abuja. It will also show at the Silverbird Cinema, Abuja, and at Genesis Cinema, Port Harcourt, between October 8 and 9. Afolayan said: “After the Abuja and Port Harcourt shows, the train moves to London and Ghana. Figurine will break at the 2009 BFI Film Festival between October 14 and 29, followed by a classy organised Nigeria/African Premiere in Odeon Cinemas in London. In Ghana, it will premiere on October 30 and November 1 at Silver Ben Cinema, Ghana.” Afolayan added that there are plans to tour the US in December, after screening at four of Kenya’s top cinemas. “You can see from the run down, that we are ready to run. We have everything planned out and we are hoping that we get the support of Corporate Nigeria to realise our dream of putting what we believe is one of our best feet forward for the whole world.” He said, “we have taken time to get this together as we did with Irapada and we want them to have faith in us and believe that we shall get their product and services to the right audience with the advertising and branding opportunities we are offering. We are also going round schools and NYSC camps all over Nigeria. We are in partnership with HiTV and they will cover the entire events and run them on most of their channels including sport channels. We intend involving some other TV stations depending on how much fund we are able to raise.”
Around and about Nollywood...
Lagos Film Festival ends
THE 2009 edition of the Lagos International Film Festival (LIFF) powered by the Madu Chikwendu media group ended on Friday. The festival opened at the National Theatre on Tuesday, August 11. Themed Promoting Policy Instruments For Cinema Development In Africa, the festival, which had the presentation of the Golden Camel Award, a number of films being screened. An International Conference on Video/Music Mobile Download held on Wednesday while the workshop on tax and production incentives facilitated by the Nigerian Film Corporation and the Federal Inland Revenue Service held on Thursday. The 2010 edition of the festival will hold between August 12 and 15.
Time for Romania International Film Festival
THE former Bucharest International Film Festival has changed its name to Romania International Film Festival. The first Ro-IFF will hold between September 27 and October 4, in the City of Arad. The official competition called CineBlackSea, focuses films that must have been produced in either Russia, Republic of Moldavia, Ukraina, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Bulgaria, Turquie, Greece or Romania. There are separate competitions for feature films as well as short films and documentaries. CineBlackSea is meant to link countries that recent happenings have dismembered. The festival will feature a section on Women in Cinema. Competing films in this section are features and documentaries directed by women. The programmers consider cinema as a mirror, reflecting the needs and mentalities of different societies. One of the main principles of selecting films is drawing special attention to new filmmaking including their own ways of expression. The aim is to promote talents, to fight the cultural decay and to consolidate quality in culture, arts and mass media. After Arad, the films will be screened in other Romanian cities such as Bucharest, Ramnicu Vâlcea and Mangalia. In 2010, the programme will move to Pecs in Hungary as part of the initiatives of the European Capital of Culture.
Sola ‘Ireti’ Onayiga gets busy again
SOLA Onayiga, Ireti of Fuji House of Commotion has been selected as coordinator of the inaugural one week Dance School of the Academy of Creative Arts running from October 12 to17, at the National Theatre, Iganmu Lagos. The school is for producers, directors, event directors and organisers, who want to acquire skills on musical movie, stage and reality show productions for their viewers, audience and consumers. Students in secondary and tertiary institutions are also expected to participate in the school. According to the organising committee chairman, Deji Etiwe, apart from the main course content for different categories of participants, there will be motivational talks and seminars by resource persons from the Advertising and Banking world. The facilitators include King Sunny Ade; Adewale Ayuba; P- Square; 9ice; Kaffy; Liadi; Arnold Udoka, Director Performing National Troupe of Nigeria; Husseini Shuaib of the National Troupe of Nigeria; Muyiwa Osinaike; Clarion Chukwura; and Mrs. Phillips (Iya Rainbow). Participants will be expected to pick up their forms from the secretariat of Guild of Nigerian Dancers, National Theatre or a bank that will be stated soon. As a dancer, Onayiga represented Nigeria at the World Youth Festival in Cuba (1978) and in Australia (1983). At a time, she was a dancer with the National Troupe of Nigeria (Ososa experience. She introduced choreography into Jero Metamorphosis, when Kaakaki Group, led by Ben Tomoloju, took the play to Rome. The Mayor of that city had used the play to honour Wole Soyinka for winning the Nobel Award for Literature. Moses Adejumo’s (Baba Sala) Mosebolatan’s dance also has her creative input.
Waka pass… Producer- Amebo A. Amebo Director- Mr. Gossip Actors- Nollywood Celebrities
Michelle Bello is in town
MICHELLE Bello, CEO, Blustar Entertainment; producers of the AMAA award winning flick, Small Boy, is in town. One waka pass ran into her at the LIFF 2009 ground. She mentioned to someone close to waka pass that she is working on an online film directory. The details are still sketchy, but we gathered that she is working at meeting some practitioners to get them to key into the project. The waka pass has promised to keep us informed. Meanwhile if you try Michelle’s number next week and do not get her, please don’t be angry. We overhead her tell one waka pass that she is on the train to Isreal for the film festival there. Anyway if you know anyone who knows how we can get to Sister Michelle, please tell her that we need just a gift of Bible from Bethlehem.
Chris Ekejimbe likes Madu Chikwendu
PRESIDENT of the LIFF, Madu Chikwendu, should begin to count his friends. Someone said we should let him know that he has only a friend — Chris Ekejimbe. We asked them why they said so, and they told us that it was only Ekejimbe who stood by him during the just held Lagos l film festival. “Ekejimbe was everywher in jeans and T-shirt and stood by Oga Madu even when people refused to show up at the start of the festival,” the waka pass said. We thought that was all, but the waka pass added that not only did he stand by Chikwendu, he also made it to every event of the festival because he wanted to show off his newly acquired Ford Explorer. Meaning that Ekejimbe, whose only claim to being a filmmaker is the documentary he did on the industry, and the distribution license he got from the Censors Board, has moved up. He used to drive a Mercedes Coupe, but the last time one waka pass saw him in the car, he said the car was already beginning to be freed. So congrats Chris, may we also share in the proceeds of your documentary! To God be the Glory.
TEETH 4 TEETH
BY JUSTIN AKPOVI-ESADE
See what has happened to Dickson Iroegbu
THIS is a season of many battles in the nation’s entertainment industry especially Nollywood. While actors are battling — led by star Kanayo O. Kanayo (K.O.K) — to unseat the association’s president, Ejike Asiegbu, the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), are also in the trenches trying to hold elections that will remove its president, Paul Obazele. But this is not the news. Movie director and dreadlocks wearing producer, Dickson Iroegbu, is leading the pack in the two hottest battles in Nollywood at the moment. When he is not driving at top speed with K.O.K to ‘take possession’ of AGN office, he is holding meetings to plan Teco Benson’s move to overthrow (via the polls) Obazele. But such moves have their price. The ‘Conscious One’ as Dickson is popularly called, was beaten into a near state of coma last Wednesday at the AMP election venue. A source said Dickson was all over the place, doing last minute politicking, his hair in locks, flying in the morning wind, when some thugs pounced on him, tearing his shirt to pieces. The AMAA award winning director, a small frame man, was no match for the ‘thug’, who some people claimed is also an actor. Two blows, according to the ‘source’, sent Dickson sprawling on the hard, stony floor. In no time, blood was gushing from his head and he had to be rushed to the hospital for medical attention. To make matters worse, when they went to report the matter at Area C, a top officer walked them out, advising them to go and resolve the matter internally. The locks Dickson had worn for some years now, are gone, in its place is a clean shaven ‘Conscious One’.
See what association politics has done to Iroegbu? If na PDP or AC election nko, dem for kill am I sure.
Ejike Vs K.O.K Update
THE raging battle for the soul of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) between Ejike Asiegbu and Kanayo O. Kanayo has taken a new dimension. Last week, when the K.O.K-led faction announced they had taken possession of the national secretariat (like a coup in motor parks), many waited for Ejike’s reaction with apprehension. The reaction came on Wednesday when policemen at Panti ‘invited’ K.O.K and his supporters, who have made useful statements in the case of breaking and entry, stealing of AGN’s cash and other valuables.
The K.O.K camp appears to be in disarray, the initial gra gra is fast fading. Ejike is claiming the loss of £2,000, N80, 000, vital documents and files he alleged K.O.K and his group carted away. They spent the better part of Wednesday at the police station before they were reportedly granted bail. We will keep you posted on the counter reaction by K.O.K’s group.
The ‘movie’ is becoming more interesting by the day.Lolo and Nkwobi again
T4Twalked into O’jez on Tuesday and the first person he saw was Nollywood actress Lolo. The ‘seven feet’ tall lady was with a lady taller than her. I was scared. Why? Two ‘giantesses’ in a confined space like O’jez? I now know why the air-conditioners sometime don’t seem to work perfectly. Giants like these ladies suck up all available air. But then, that is not the issue. Recall the last time I told you how Lolo demolishes a pot of O’jez nkwobi (meat in oil sauce) at any given opportunity? Fine, the actress will anytime reject a plate of rice for nkwobi. That is how bad it is. T4T offered to buy her a plate of Chinese rice served hot in wooden plate, she expectedly refused and opted for nkwobi. So, please, when next you run into Lolo and you are in the mood to spend some money, buy her nkwobi and you are (will remain) a darling.
Na true talk be dis o o.
Leo Mezie’s chicken love
NOLLYWOOD star and later day reality show producer, Leo Mezie, has switched his love for Chinese rice to fried chicken, and this is authoritative. Ran into him on Monday at the popular hangout at the National Stadium, Surulere, devouring a plate of fried chicken with such vigour that will make a glutton go green with envy. When he was through, he washed it down with a bottle of beer (names withheld) and mineral. What a combination!
Klint Da Drunk... The blackberry expert
COMEDIAN, Klint Da Drunk, is an expert in mobile phones especially blackberry. T4T took a long profitable lecture from the comic act recently when he came to perform. Many things one never knew existed in a Blackberry phone, Klint revealed that night. My concern is what time does he have to read the manual so well for him to be that knowledgeable about phones?
If I’m serious for im book as im serious for to take learn about phone, I’m for don dey pursue pipu like Wole Soyinka for book side.
Chris Ekejimbe’s suit, sorry coat... and shoes
SEVEN feet giant movie producer, Chris Ekejimbe, walked into the celebrity hangout at Surulere on Tuesday looking like a typical drug baron on Harlem Street. His snake skin shoes (in 2009) are as long as a sword. His bright colour suit (someone said its fast becoming a coat), was a little too bright for an evening outing. If Chris had worn some bling bling, he would have been a perfect character for a drug dealer’s role in a grade B Hollywood movie.
No be me talk am, na im detractors.
ogbuus@yahoo.com
What The Whisperer saw
BY WOLE OGUNTOKUN
AT a low point in The Whisperer’s life many years ago, when he had not yet developed the ability to raise shields that would block his heart from needless and uncontrollable pain, his favourite uncle looked at him, observing what he was going through and told him at his most heart-broken, “You will recover from this. You will look back at these times, smile to yourself and wonder why it seemed the world was about to come to an end.”
That seemed impossible then; the skies were permanently grey, the sun refused to shine and food tasted like sawdust.
It seemed as if the pain The Whisperer was going through was the kind that no human could recover from (yes, he learnt early the true meaning of pain).
You might wonder what might have happened to make an uncle decide he had to make his support and advice audible.
The reason was this — The man not yet known as The Whisperer then and fresh out of school had decided he had found true love. He pursued it, made it his and had then discovered to his utmost chagrin that the heart was a fragile thing, breakable and able to render you ineffectual when not working at full capacity.
The Whisperer had made that mistake that none should, except it is done to the truly worthy; he had put his life on hold for another, in many ways.
This act in itself is a truly noble one and The Whisperer encourages it if you are so inclined, but it is the same with casting pearls or laying a cloak over a puddle of water; you have to be sure the recipient bears no physiological association with swine and is not wearing muddy boots.
So The Whisperer climbed steadily out of the dark pit he found himself in, learning that most important of lessons, “it’s not who you love; it’s who loves you”.
In retrospect, she wasn’t anywhere near cerebral enough for The Whisperer, though he was blind to that fact at the time he was embroiled with her and in truth, hindsight shows she would have added nothing to him.
The years have gone by, and he is no longer that young school leaver beset by worries and inconsistency and the person who attempted to turn his life inside out has since come back many times, to ask for forgiveness and reconciliation. But lightning never strikes twice in the same place and neither does The Whisperer.
THERE is an oddity about relationships. When associations we really care about, suffer knocks or begin to disintegrate (and the strongest of these sometimes do so for unfathomable reasons), no one else really seems to understand what we are going through.
The pain is like open-heart surgery without anaesthesia and the future is stark...and bleak. We cannot contemplate life without this person and we just want to sit down and die.
People tell you to be strong, not to be despondent, to move on with your life, but you just want to stay in bed forever.
You cannot figure out how the sun can still be shining outdoors when there is so much gloom and darkness all around you.
You are asked whether you think this former partner is wasting away, pining about you the way you are, about him or her. But the answer to that is irrelevant to you.
You are comforted by the tears you cry into your pillow each night as you call this former love’s name in between agonising gasps, wrenching agony and trying to catch your breath.
This is The Whisperer’s verdict. There is no situation so bad that you cannot recover from. If the person who has left you in misery is getting on with his life, why should you stay in the doldrums? Shake off the sadness and tell yourself you are worth more than you have been offered.
You must never forget no one can write on your back unless you bend it. So, someone you thought your life was in synch with has decided he or she has had enough of you.
It would be a block of wood that would feel no pain at the loss of the promise of what could have been.
Yet, it is a defeated person who stays on the ground after he or she has been struck down. You owe it to yourself to get up, no matter how many times you have hit the canvass.
The only reason you can stay down is if you are tired of living and then this column is not for you.
I write only to those who know they deserve better than the cards they have been dealt, only to those who can find the anger that will raise them back to their feet and keep them standing.
When we succeed, our pride betrays us; when we fail, it supports us. You must tap into your pride and drag yourself up no matter how far down you think you have sunk.
If another does not think too much of you or regards you with too little respect, walk away while you still can. It might be painful for a while but you will be able to hold your head up in the air.
PEOPLE will deal with your wares in the same manner you have displayed them. If they are strewn everywhere and not properly arranged, it will be obvious to intending “purchasers” that you, the “owner” of the wares do not hold your own goods in high esteem. If you do not, no one on the outside is compelled to give more respect than you are demanding.
The person who was the reason for an uncle’s advice many years ago has become friends of sorts with me now but it is difficult to fathom several years on, why the young man who became The Whisperer was so fascinated by her.
Time lends perspective to all things, gives a sense of self-worth and teaches self-respect.
Your life is yours to live; let no other take away from the pleasure and satisfaction you should derive from being whom you were born to be.
laspapi@yahoo.com
AT a low point in The Whisperer’s life many years ago, when he had not yet developed the ability to raise shields that would block his heart from needless and uncontrollable pain, his favourite uncle looked at him, observing what he was going through and told him at his most heart-broken, “You will recover from this. You will look back at these times, smile to yourself and wonder why it seemed the world was about to come to an end.”
That seemed impossible then; the skies were permanently grey, the sun refused to shine and food tasted like sawdust.
It seemed as if the pain The Whisperer was going through was the kind that no human could recover from (yes, he learnt early the true meaning of pain).
You might wonder what might have happened to make an uncle decide he had to make his support and advice audible.
The reason was this — The man not yet known as The Whisperer then and fresh out of school had decided he had found true love. He pursued it, made it his and had then discovered to his utmost chagrin that the heart was a fragile thing, breakable and able to render you ineffectual when not working at full capacity.
The Whisperer had made that mistake that none should, except it is done to the truly worthy; he had put his life on hold for another, in many ways.
This act in itself is a truly noble one and The Whisperer encourages it if you are so inclined, but it is the same with casting pearls or laying a cloak over a puddle of water; you have to be sure the recipient bears no physiological association with swine and is not wearing muddy boots.
So The Whisperer climbed steadily out of the dark pit he found himself in, learning that most important of lessons, “it’s not who you love; it’s who loves you”.
In retrospect, she wasn’t anywhere near cerebral enough for The Whisperer, though he was blind to that fact at the time he was embroiled with her and in truth, hindsight shows she would have added nothing to him.
The years have gone by, and he is no longer that young school leaver beset by worries and inconsistency and the person who attempted to turn his life inside out has since come back many times, to ask for forgiveness and reconciliation. But lightning never strikes twice in the same place and neither does The Whisperer.
THERE is an oddity about relationships. When associations we really care about, suffer knocks or begin to disintegrate (and the strongest of these sometimes do so for unfathomable reasons), no one else really seems to understand what we are going through.
The pain is like open-heart surgery without anaesthesia and the future is stark...and bleak. We cannot contemplate life without this person and we just want to sit down and die.
People tell you to be strong, not to be despondent, to move on with your life, but you just want to stay in bed forever.
You cannot figure out how the sun can still be shining outdoors when there is so much gloom and darkness all around you.
You are asked whether you think this former partner is wasting away, pining about you the way you are, about him or her. But the answer to that is irrelevant to you.
You are comforted by the tears you cry into your pillow each night as you call this former love’s name in between agonising gasps, wrenching agony and trying to catch your breath.
This is The Whisperer’s verdict. There is no situation so bad that you cannot recover from. If the person who has left you in misery is getting on with his life, why should you stay in the doldrums? Shake off the sadness and tell yourself you are worth more than you have been offered.
You must never forget no one can write on your back unless you bend it. So, someone you thought your life was in synch with has decided he or she has had enough of you.
It would be a block of wood that would feel no pain at the loss of the promise of what could have been.
Yet, it is a defeated person who stays on the ground after he or she has been struck down. You owe it to yourself to get up, no matter how many times you have hit the canvass.
The only reason you can stay down is if you are tired of living and then this column is not for you.
I write only to those who know they deserve better than the cards they have been dealt, only to those who can find the anger that will raise them back to their feet and keep them standing.
When we succeed, our pride betrays us; when we fail, it supports us. You must tap into your pride and drag yourself up no matter how far down you think you have sunk.
If another does not think too much of you or regards you with too little respect, walk away while you still can. It might be painful for a while but you will be able to hold your head up in the air.
PEOPLE will deal with your wares in the same manner you have displayed them. If they are strewn everywhere and not properly arranged, it will be obvious to intending “purchasers” that you, the “owner” of the wares do not hold your own goods in high esteem. If you do not, no one on the outside is compelled to give more respect than you are demanding.
The person who was the reason for an uncle’s advice many years ago has become friends of sorts with me now but it is difficult to fathom several years on, why the young man who became The Whisperer was so fascinated by her.
Time lends perspective to all things, gives a sense of self-worth and teaches self-respect.
Your life is yours to live; let no other take away from the pleasure and satisfaction you should derive from being whom you were born to be.
laspapi@yahoo.com
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