naijatimes april 2010

8/9/2019 NaijaTimes April 2010

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Credits:

Published by:

Publisher: Dayo Elegbe

Chairman: Foluso Phillips

Guest Editor: Uche Eze, Bella Naija.com

Copy Editor: Derin Adefulu

Writers: James Amuta, Nkechi Eze, Soromfe

Uzoma,Ify Hagen, Wana Udobang, Bola Aduwo,

Oghor Ogboi.

Associate Writer: Omolola Ogunbadejo

Advertising Sales (UK): Korede Atiba

([email protected])

Sales and Distribution: : Ayo Elegbe

([email protected])

Art Director: Nick Lay

Subscriptions: Sam Omoruyi

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NIGERIA:

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4th floor UBA House,

57 Marina, Lagos, Nigeria

Tel: 018104856, 08066638029

Email: [email protected]

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QuizApril 2010


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I wish I did that

Editors note

Look at XYZ, I thought of the idea as well

but wasnt sure it would work. Look at him

now!

I strongly believe that one of the worst

feelings in the world is regret. Mainly

because you cannot go back in time to

change things. For me, no matter how

difficult or unfeasible the challenge may

seem, I grab it with both hands and just try.

Whats the worst that could happen?

What I am trying to say is seize the moment!

So what if the idea seems incredulous and

no one believes it will work.

This issue is all about Living Your Dreams

Whether it is to get up on stage and do

something bold as Nkechi talks about in

her ar ticle Travelling the World through

Theatre or our cover star Cobhams - a

successful businessman and music superstar

in spite of his lack of sight or Mai and Uzo

who manage to hold down demanding jobs

but have created very successful businesses.

We also explore the world of Nollywood

which started with a kobo and a dream and

has became one of the most loved movie

industries in the world.

Enjoy this issue and promise me one thing,

that you too will take a chance and live your

dreams!

Uche

Uche Eze is the Creative Director of

BainStone a new media company which

includes Africas No 1 lifestyle, entertainment

and fashion website www.bellanaija.com

- Uche Eze

naijaTimes 5


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Naija Times Guest Editor Uche

Eze on OPRAH!

Uche Eze, Editor of bellanaija.com and

Creative Director of BainStone, was

featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show. The

theme of the show was Beauty Around

the World, Uche taped a segment in Lagos

where she highlighted the importance of

Beauty & Brains and also the shift to

healthier eating habits. She then joined

Oprah for a live chat, via Skype, on the

evolution of body image ideals in Nigeria.

Work it out! With Nike Oshinowo

Ex-beauty queen, Nike Oshinowo hasreleased a workout DVD Fit, Forty

& Fabulous. The DVD includes a

comprehensive workout and nutritional

plan. The DVD is creating a buzz as its one

of the first of its kind in Nigeria.

Stephanie Okereke on stage with

Oscar winners, a Queen and many

other remarkable women

Nigerian actress Stephanie Okereke graced

the stage with Oscar winner, Meryl Streep

during the opening night performance of

the play, Seven in New York. The play was

part of a three-day summit titled Women

in the World: Stories and Solutions , co-

hosted by The Daily Beast, Vital Voices

Global Partnership, Diane von Furstenberg,

and the UN Foundation attended by the

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Her

Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, former U.S.

Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright,

Fatima Bhutto, Cherie Blair, Christiane

Amanpour, Katie Couric and Barbara

Walters, amongst others.

HipHopWorld Awards enters

5th Year

It is yet another year, and the music

industrys calendar is gradually getting close

to one of the most anticipated events in the

Nigerian Music scene.

Scheduled to hold on May 29, 2010, the

event will hold at the New Eko Hotel

Exhibition Centre in Lagos.

This years awards will come up with a lot

of great surprises as usual!

High School Musical comes to

NigeriaIt is filled with so much excitement,

expectation and enthusiasm as the

organizers have stated that they will be

sourcing for local talents between the

ages of 16 and 25 to play all roles in the

first ever staging of the bestselling Disney

musical in Nigeria. The winners (Troy and

Gabrielle) will eventually get a chance

to win a scholarship to a prestigious

performing Arts School in London.

Auditions were held in March.

For the first time ever, the lead roles -

Troy and Gabrielle will be played by

black actors. The production is Executive

Produced by Sheila Okonji, Tarilla Thompson

as Director, Emmanuel Ayalogu as acting

coach, Kaffy as the Chorographer and

Stella Damasus as the Voice Coach, its not

surprising that young men and women are

already excited, waiting for May when HSM

will go live in Lagos.

naijaTimes 76

Everyone isTalking About

Internet PhoneDid you know you can use the Internet to make free to cheap international and

national telephone calls. This is all possible through the revolutionary Voice Over IP

technology.

NaijaConnects.com utilises this technology, together with its powerful set

of applications to offer members telephony services through their internet

connection. All you need is a Laptop or PC, a microphone and some speakers and

away you go!

Calls to other members on Naijaconnects are absolutely free, whilst calls to fixed

lines and mobiles are very cheap. Join the Revolution now. Tell friends and family

and start connecting. NaijaConnects.com Now were talking

Social NetworkingMeeting and discovering new and old friends online can be very exciting.

NaijaConnects.com acts as a social networking platform that puts you in contact

with people like you. Discovering new people on NaijaConnects.com is very easy,

you can even search against Schools, Universities and Work places for friends you

might have known but lost touch with.

You can share memories by up loading and sharing photos with your friends and

family. They can even le ave you comments You can share and discover new music as

well as share your home made videos online all for FREE!!

Connects.com

Sign up for FREE

naija

naijaTimes


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Travel & Culture

I was born 32 years ago at The IslandMaternity Hospital in Lagos Island. I was

schooled both academically and otherwise

in Lagos. My dreams and aspirations were

conceived, refined and birthed on the streets of

Lagos. Have fun seeing Lagos through my eyes!

Whilst growing up, I quickly came to the

realisation that Lagos was a special place, a

State and City that was revered for being the

capital of Nigeria. I still remember my Uncles,

Aunts and Cousins coming from my village to

Lagos for the first time staring in disbelief at

Familusi Akin Babajide,

CEO Exclamations Couture and publisher of FAB magazine

the bridges, skyscrapers et al. I remember a

lot of them refusing to go back home after

the Lagos experience. This was the place to

be! For the younger folks who had no idea,

please note that before Abuja was, Lagos was

indeed the capital of our dear country and I

still cannot help but see it as such. We still

remain the commercial nerve-center of the

most populous black nation on earth!

A trip to the beach, yes, Bar Beach was

almost a weekly ritual and most relaxing

too! I still remember the waves behaving

themselves, the waters looking ever so

clean, the white sand on the beach and

how can I forget my collection of shells

that reinforced my bragging rights back in

primary school? My daddy took me to

the beach last weekend, when last did your

naijaTimes 110

A trip to the beach, yes, Bar Beachwas almost a weekly ritual andmost relaxing too!


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naijaTimes 132

daddy take you there?, I would ask laying

my shells on my desk at lunch time. I enjoyed

being the man and many of my friends lost

their lunch moneys to me or was it to my

shells? Over the years however we have

discovered a couple more beaches and most

popular now are the private beaches with

beach houses where we go to show off (not

shells) our sleek boats, well-sculpted bodies,

designer accessories and some of the most

expensive champagnes in the world! We are

grown and Lagos (Eko For Show) flows in

our veins.

Back in the day, most fashions were

originated from Lagos and diffused to other

parts of Nigeria. Local trends were refined

in Lagos. International trends were bought

in Lagos. Till date Lagos is associated with

style and setting the trends, little wonder I

ended up as Fashion entrepreneur creating

and recreating trends that cause for positive

Exclamations; creating winning looks

for the corporate sector and celebrities

alike and most recently creating a unique

magazine to propagate the gospel of allthings Fabulous, African and Black

(FAB) in Fashion and Lifestyle! Thank you

Lagos! On the international fashion scene

watch out for Lagos on the listing: London,

New York, Milan and of course Lagos!

Christmas outside of Lagos was always

a nightmare! Santa Claus (sorry, Father

Christmas); Christmas parties; new gear; the

food; the amusement parks? I feel for those

who grew up outside Lagos but you can

still experience Lagos next Christmas. The

parties go on non-stop no matter the day of

the week and believe me everyone with Lagos

in their system anywhere in the world comes

back home at this time. If they do not make it

down, they are miserable for the rest of the

year because they will definitely see pictures

and videos everywhere from Internet blogs to

Facebook that spell only one thing, F-U-N!

Lagos works as hard as it plays. The daily

hustle is evident on the streets as you watch

people move around with an attitude that

screams: I am determined to succeed! And

why should you not succeed?! Affluence

abounds in Lagos and so does poverty but

the rags-to-riches stories are no longer

fairytales here as we see this as a daily

occurrence which fuels residents to achieve.

Traffic in these parts are like non-other in

the world with the population in Lagos. The

opportunities are immense and whatever

your business is, prospective clients are

everywhere! You only need find them.

With the government of today, I see therebirth of Lagos, a beautiful place where we

can raise children who would appreciate life,

work, play and the opportunities that it will

continually offer. Lagos ensures that we live

our dreams as long as we can dream them.

We take Lagos with us everywhere we go. It

is our lifestyle. It is in every sinew that forms

our bodies. It is a spirit. It has a soul. It will live

forever because we can and will continue to

birth Lagos. I am Lagos, who are you?

With the government of today, I see therebirth of Lagos, a beautiful place where wecan raise children who would appreciatelife, work, play and the opportunities thatit will continually offer


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Naija Times readersshare their favouriteholiday moments

wife! It was such a beautiful surprise. My most

special holiday moment ever!

Keji A

My family and I always used to travel to my

hometown during the Christmas holiday. It

was always so much fun hanging out with mycousins and being pampered by my grand mum.

Emmy E

My honeymoon in the Maldives. It was

beautiful.

Ade B

On the eve of Christmas in 2008, I was on the

phone speaking to my boo for more than an

hour. Then he asked me to come outside our

house because he was by our gate, boom it

started raining heavily all of a sudden. Instead

of getting inside the car for cover, we danced

to no music in the rain it was so romantic!

Thuli K

The most cherished holiday I had was 8

years ago, at Igbara Oke, Ondo state. I went

visiting my friends town, I had a helluva

time in the countryside - ate lots of local

delicacies, swam in the stream. The high point

was meeting a very cute girl in town, and we

dated just for the 4 days. When I had to leave

back for Lagos, she really cried out her heart.

She wrote me a couple of times and I replied

her. We eventually lost touch and I le arnt

shes now married to a local chief in Akure.

Omo S

I definitely think the past Christmas fiesta of

2009, as I fondly call it, is my favorite holiday

memory. I was not with my son on his 1st

Christmas as I planned for 2008 because I

was in the United States working on my first

solo album while my son was is in Malaysia

with his mom, I had a little misunderstanding

with my ex, which she took so personal

that she ended up leaving the states back to

Malaysia with my son without even telling

me. However this past Christmas (2009) was

full of fun as I was with my son, friends, fans

and families. We celebrat ed my sons 2nd

Christmas in luxurious way. It was a fantastic,

romantic and bombastic get together which

those who failed to turn up regretted. I was

so happy.

Justin K

Get Your Dream Holiday on a Budget

Book Early

Any seasoned traveller will tell you this.

While there are many last minute deals for

holidaymakers in the UK or US, the system

in Nigeria thrives on early bookings . You can

find the best travel packages and deals well

in advance. Visit your travel agent or explore

online for more options.

Off Peak Travel

It is simple economics - When the demand is

higher, the prices will rise. So why dont you

try taking a holiday during off-peak periods.

December and Summer time are notoriously

expensive while February, March and

October are great times to take your trip.

Travel in a Group

Many resorts and even airlines offer group

discounts. So gather your friends and family

agree a time and book a group holiday.

Another alternative is to join a travel club,

they will organize all details and its a great

opportunity to socialize and meet new

people.

Join rewards programmes

Reward programmes such as airline and hotel

loyalty programmes are free to join and can

be very beneficial. You will get emails on

special deals and build miles which can be

applied to

future ticket purchases each time you travel

or stay at one of the partner hotels.

Try a less obvious location

The popular travel destinations are usually

premium priced so why dont you try

somewhere less well known but with a

similar atmosphere. For example, Cape

Town is a gorgeous holiday destination with

beautiful beaches etcbut guess what South

Africa has other beautiful locations with

beaches such as Port Elizabeth. Remember

safety first! Ensure that you thoroughly

research any travel destination.

Have Fun!

Travel & Culture

naijaTimes 17

It had been exceptionally busy at work

that week. I was so stressed that I almost

cancelled the weekend trip that my best

friends and I had planned. I had always

wanted to visit Dubai so this was my chance.

We landed and had a great time on the first

2 days of our trip. On the third day, we allplanned to go for dinner I got down to

the restaurant first and waited for over 15

minutes for my friends to join me. When I

called their phones, I got no response; I was

just about to leave when I s aw my boyfriend

walking towards me dressed in a tuxedo.

I was so shocked! What was he doing in

Dubai? He got to my table and then got

down on his knee and asked me to be his

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20

Fashion & Lifestyle

Web Picks-The Bestof Nigerian and

African Fashion &Style on the Web

Let Me Tell You About Men

Fashion Africa: http://www.fashionafrica.com

ShopLiquorice: http://www.shopliquorice.blogspot.com

StyleHouseFiles: http://www.stylehousefiles.com

CIAA: http://www.ciaafrique.blogspot.com

Ladybrille Nigeria: http://www.ladybrillenigeria.com

Fashion Junkii: http://www.fashionjunkii.onsugar.com

CosWeAfricanWomenAreDoinItAndDoinItWell: http://www.yayemarieba.blogspot.com

iFashion: http://www.ifashion.co.za

Uzuri: http://www.uzuri.com

Ono Be llo: http://www.onobello.wordpress.com

Terence Sambo: http://www.onenigerianboy.blogspot.com

BellaNaija: http://www.bellanaija.com/style

I dont believe in the statement that all menare the same. Human beings are influenced

by the societies they live in so let me tell you

something about the Nigerian man I know,

especially ones who live in Nigeria.

When you find a good Nigerian man, the

good feeling cant be described no matter

how you try. This is obviously why they

are much sought after by women of many

nations. Knowing one or two things about

what drives the Naija man is very important

to your relationship with them.

Being that Nigerians can be quite

conservative about relationships before

marriage, get used to the fact that some

Nigerian men will treat you differently in

public than they treat you in private. There

is always this underlying thing about being

macho, not to show too much love to a

woman in full view of family and friends lest

he be called woman wrapper. Nigerian men

who show much love to their women are

often described as being under a spell or juju

of some sort. So you can imagine the stigma

a man in our society carries, just for showing

the world his true feelings for his woman.

This fact can affect a relationship adversely

but how a woman chooses to understand

and handle it might save the relationship. This

kind of man, once in the presence of family,will want to show off how much power he

has over you. He may bark orders at you

or send you on silly errands in front of his

friends. In other countries, such conduct is

often regarded as a sign of disrespect, but

here, it only means the man has good control

of his home. So when he does this to you,

it may mean that he is only trying to prove

something to society.

Naija men will most likely not fall for or

respect you if they feel that you gave in too

easily to their advances. Forget about the fact

that you dont want to play games, or that you

were swept off your feet by his good looks

and charming attitude, he will think that you

must be that way with every man you meet. I

dont know the genesis of this behaviour but

its worth bearing in mind whenever you meet

that Naija man you really like.

Ever so often, we as women want to let go

and fall in love without all the rules but the

reality of the society we live in always creeps

in. So when you see a Nigerian girl acting all

tough and playing hard to get with a man sheobviously likes, she may simply be trying to

prove something to the man and the society.

But ahhh once in a while, you will meet that

one Nigerian man who doesnt care what the

world thinks, about his love for you. He will

love, pamper, respect and lift you up in spite

of what others say. He will be thankfu l that

you did not play Russian roulette with his love

by playing hard to get. When you do meet

such a man, recognize and respect what he

represents and most of all, shower him with

all the love inside of you because he is a MAN

amongst men.

Rita Dominic is a Nollywood superstar. She

has appeared in hundreds of movies and has

received numerous awards.

Rita Dominic

naijaTimes 21


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The Art of the Gentleman

Enitan .O. Bereola II is a young Nigerian-American and hes on a mission he calls it

Bereolaesque. Making the world a better

and happier place simply by encouraging Men

to be Gentlemen and Women to be Ladies.

The movement is gaining traction. His book

Bereolaesque has been on several bestseller

lists and he has been profiled in prestigious

publications across the United States. He tells

us about his inspiration and gives Naija Times

readers exclusive Bereolaesque tips.

Background

I was born and reared by phenomenal

parents in a community that was tight knit

and cared about the success of its own.

I grew up in Northern California where

much of my personality developed and then

attended Florida A & M University where I

double majored in Computer Information

Systems and Business Administration with

a concentration in Marketing. I guess the

only part that came in handy was the

concentration in marketing! Much of my

education is what I have learned after the

school books were closed.

The Bereolaesque Movement

Seeing no book out there of its kind, I

searched everywhere for a book like

mine, couldnt find it, so I wrote it. I

wanted people to experience how good

life can be by just saying, Thank you

or holding a door open for a lady. The

worlds smallest act is never too kind

to commit, and when you break lifes

little rules, there are big consequences.

I wanted to make manners sexy and

etiquette attainable. I want the world to

be more Bereolaesque one gentleman and

one lady at a time. It begins with you.

How Enitan became Bereolaesque

They say you do what you see, not what

you say. Its what I saw growing up - Ive had

the pleasure of having a wonderful family

who instilled in me the proper rules of life

at an early age. Ive also had the pleasure of

experience. I had to experience broken hearts,

bad women, no manners, bad manners, and

all the wrong things in order to know whats

right. What one is taught is useless without

experience. It is tragic to have made it through

experience without learning the lessons.

The Phenomenal Response to Bereolaesque

God is amazing! My inbox is literally flooded

with questions daily. Whether its about a

booking, interview, show, or even a personal

inquiry about whether or not Im single, the

love is overwhelming. Im working on my

2nd soon-to-be bestselling book, filming my

own reality show and traveling across the

United States on a book tour. I also recently

produced a short film thats debuting at the

Puerto Rican International Film Festival next

month I realize I have a gift and my message is

truly needed, but at times I get beside myself.

I sit back and look at Gods blessings from a

distance and ask, Is this real? I am amazed at

Gods answer!

Plans for Nigeria

Nigeria is a must visit! My fathers family is

from Lagos and Nigerian is who I am. I need

to see my people and feel my people. I need

to reach my people. That would certainly be

Fashion & Lifestyle

naijaTimes 23

The Phenomenal Response to BereolaesqueGod is amazing! My inbox is literallyflooded with questions daily

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a dream come true. The book is available

to order now. It can be ordered through

Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and

Borders.com, all International sites. I really

look forward to having it stocked in stores

and on shelves all over Nigeria! Lets make

that happen ...

21 BEREOLAESQUE TIPS

In order to develop style, you must first

embrace diversity.

Being a gentleman is an effortless act ... to be

one, you must first understand one.

Its okay to dream, but even more powerful

to live out those dreams.

Tread lightly leaving behind heavy footprints.

Because the worlds standards have sunk

so low, never has it been easier to make an

excellent impression.

Rudeness is the weak mans imitation of

strength.

Manners separate humans from animals.

Its nice to be importan t ... but more

important to be nice.

Immaturity went out of style with insecurity.

Anything worth having shouldnt be easy to

acquire ... who said this would be easy? Work

for her.

The perfect scent makes perfect sense ... your

smell may turn her on quicker than you can.

Success is always full price ... itll never go on

sale ... endurance is the price tag.

LADIES TIP: You cant change your manbut

you can change your mind!

LADIES TIP: A woman who loves God is the

most attractive type of woman there is.

GENTLEMANS TIP: She thinks its sexy when

you are in control ...not controlling - Sir, please

know the difference, please

GENTLEMANS TIP: Open her own doors, pay

for dinner, take her on a trip? She could do it

herself...but you should.

LADIES TIP: Love doesnt hurt people do.

GENTLEMANS TIP: Anticipation is sexy - she

likes it when you meet her requests without

her having to tell you to.

GENTLEMANS TIP: Simply showing a lady she

is appreciated is far cheaper than attempting

to impress her with your chains, car or clothes.

LADIES TIP: A pretty fa ce with nothing inside

is like a Louis Vuitton bag with no money in it!

Substance is sexy... get some!

GENTLEMANS TIP: Whatever you g ive a good

woman, she will make BETTER! If you give her

a house, shell give you a home. If you give her

groceries, shell give you a meal. So dont be

afraid to give her your heart - a good woman

makes you better!

--

Pleasantries, keep it bereolaesque

Fashion & Lifestyle

4 naijaTimes 25

Tread lightlyleavingbehind heavyfootprints


14/35

Aschool of thought believes that behindevery successful man is a woman but what

they fail to teach us is what you can achieve

by having more than one . I discovered it

myself.

A lot of you will judge me even though

some of you have more than two women to

yourselves and Im only with two because I

want to hasten my road to success. After all

Im Igbo and you already believe that we can

do anything to make money.

I met Linda first but I cant say it was love

at first sight even though I later found out

that she fell in love the first time she set her

eyes on me. She was so cute and I was so

protective of her. We went on so many dates

together and I never cheated on her.

Like in most Nollywood home videos , things

were going on well between us until I met

her younger sister Amara. Amara was the

opposite of Linda. While Linda could be

referred to as quiet, Amara was on thenotice me tip. If Amara wants something,

she gets it and it does not matter who dies

in the process.

My Family also loved Amara and showered

her with love and before you could say

Yaddie I had started an affair with the two

sisters and because both trusted each other

no one suspected what was happening.

Linda was the first to gain admission into

secondary school and I made sure I went

with Amara every visiting day until Amara

herself gained admission into the same school.

I passed on some of my secondary school

textbooks to Linda who later gave them toAmara.

I know some of you are quite annoyed with

me because you consider what Im doing

wrong but I want you to understand that these

two women were so different even in the way

they do things that I didnt want to lose either

of them.

After secondary school, Linda gained admission

to study Microbiology in the University while

Amara went on to study Medicine. But the

relationship continued. They took their tu rns in

visiting me in the university and both inspired

me in some ways to work hard for our future.

I cant make any claim that I know a lot about

women. One thing I know quite assuredly is

that when a woman loves, she loves selflessly.

These two women love/loved me, they sharedtheir pocket money with me, accepted my

other friends especially the female ones.

After their university education, Linda moved

to London for her masters degree and Amara

followed a year after. And yet, the relationship

continued.

Our relationship was all rosy until the 4th of

September 2009. It was like every other day,

I got busy in the house with random stuff.

And then, the doorbell called my attention.

It was Amara at the door. She wasnt alone.

She had company. I let them in while hiding

my suspicion. Today, there will be drama!

Nollywood style. There was a little hesitation

in Amaras voice. But then , she muttered the

words.

This is the man I want to marry

Amara introduced the man to me. But then,

I wasnt the only one in the house to receive

the message. I had the rest of my family in the

house as well.

I froze in my seat. Not with rage. Not withany form of anger. Jealousy took a heavy

toll on me. Questions started running in

my head like demented horses. I thought

we had something going on? I thought we

understood each other?

To add salt to injury, I watched the rest of

my family grinning with joy.

This is it I thought to myself but I guess

Amara sensed what I was thinking and walked

over to me and whispered in my ear saying

No one will ever take your place

These affairs have been going for 26 years

now and Im yet to find anyone that can love

me like Linda Chisomnazu Igwe and Amara

Juliet Igwe. Sometimes I wish one could keep

the sisters so that we all can stay family

forever or even let their husbands move inwith us so that my sisters would not have to

move out.

Whoever I am today, I owe it all to my sisters

for their love, advice and encouragement.

This is my story about women, love and

family.

Noble Igwe is a brand consultant based in

Lagos. He runs 360nobs.com

Let Me Tell YouAbout Women

Fashion & Lifestyle

Noble Igwe

naijaTimes 2726


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29

Campus Life

8

Maximum shi shi:Just or jungle

justice?

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. But when

the spice is in excess, it spoils the broth.

To checkmate the excesses of man, law and

punishment were brought in. One such lawat the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU),

Ile-Ife, which has now become a tradition is

maximum shi-shi (MSS).

This tradition began sometime in 1999 when

students, after a successful clampdown on

cultists on campus at that time, decided

to chart the way forward to put an end

to the menace. Thus, they converged

on a very popular spot on the campus,

the Amphitheatre, and in a manner best

described by some of those who were there

as a solemn assembly, decided on corporal

punishment - maximum shi-shi - as the best

option.

Hear one of the then students: Ife students,

after a critical analysis and intellectual

scrutiny of how to deal with all forms of anti-

social acts, resolved to use cane publicly onerring members of the union and the number

of strokes is to be determined by them. The

erring student is first paraded round the halls

of residence, both male and female.

The congress resorted to zero tolerance

of cultism and to achieve this, assault had

to be defined. They resolved that assault

ranges from touch to first-to-hit another.

Any form of pushing or pulling of another

is also assault except where it is playfulness

between friends. The congress agreed that

such punishment is best, as it will not affect the

studentship of the erring student and yet teach

him or her some good lessons. And since that

time, this practice holds sway in OAU.

For every law, the right execution must be inplace. This may not have been the case on all

occasions; and due to improper execution,

some students are already calling for the

abolition of the tradition.

Said a 500-Level Law student, Olusola

Adegbite: Maximum shi-shi has incurred

odium. Human dignity is non-negotiable, not

even on the altar of an allegation. Section

36(5) of the Federal Republic of Nigerias

Constitution is clear and apt, and this practice

is an infringement which nothing can excuse.

While giving his manifesto, the recently-elected

Student Union (SUG) President, Paul Alaje, said

eradication of maximum shi-shi lies with the

students and the decision can only be taken at

the level of the congress.

A 400-Level student of Education Economics,Eniayewu Oluwole, however, believes that

maximum shi-shi is a just way discipline

students. It should be encouraged to correct

abnormalities in the students environment

The Registrar of OAU, Mr. Ayorinde Ogunruku,

has severally condemned the practice. During

an open forum organised by the Association of

Campus Journalists (ACJ) in 2007, Ogunruku

called it jungle justice. But a member of the

Student Representative Council (SRC) and

300-Level student, Raji Saheed, strongly

supports it.

The only reason we do not have cultists on

this campus is because of maximum shi-shi.

If it is abolished, the conscienceless among

students will be licensed to kill and the

weak will be at the mercy of the strong. It

is basically to check excesses, he posited.

He explained that the concept of MSS is not

crude and barbaric but rather rooted in the

theory of punishment provided for in the

corpus of our criminal law.

Another student who did not want to be

named explained that the rationale behind

MSS is not only to subject the offender to

the pain that comes but also the shame and

psychological blow given to his or her person.

This serves as a deterrent to others.

To Adedayo Afolabi, a 400-Level student

of Demography and Social Statistics: One

cannot but mention the excesses of this

barbaric act. When it is being executed, some

students will just come up and say they feel

like beating the offender; others will say they

feel like slapping him on the stomach.

It is stupid. Some of them are paraded with

only their boxers on in female halls. You need

to see the way they are sometimes beaten,

worse than the Roman soldiers of Jesus time.

But for another student who simply identified

himself as Nnamdi, MSS is very good.

He added: Other institutions should

emulate it and we will have safe and cult-free

campuses.

Students want extremism out of

campuses

Religion is generally defined as the belief

in the existence of a God or gods, and the

activities that are connected with the worship

of them. In Nigeria, leading religions are the

Christianity and Islam. Our laws state that

everyone has the freedom to practise his own

religion. Hence, members of a faith usua lly

try to win new converts and propagate their

gospel.

However, this process of faith propagation

has generated much controversy and, in many

cases, led to violence that claimed lives and

properties.

Such crises constitute a major factor in the

constant disruption of academic activities and

calendars, especially on campuses in the north.

Undergraduates in the area have consistently

been affected. Some of the violent eruptions

which affected students include Kafanchan in

1987; Bauchi in 1985 and 1990; Yola in 1984 ;

naijaTimes 29

Campus News


16/35

0 naijaTimes 31

Maitasine in Kano and Borno 1982; Kaduna

in 1961, 1982, 1991, 1997 and 2000-2002;

Boko Haram, 2009; the Tiv versus Jukun

crisis; Igburra vs Bassa of Toto; Birom vs

Hausa in Jos which has been on and off since

2000, the latest being that of last March.

A good number of students of the

University of Jos (UNIJOS), Ahmadu Bello

University (ABU), Zaria, University of

Maiduguri and many others have also lost

their lives and properties; others lost their

sponsors, guardians and loved ones in these

crises.

A 400 level student of UNIJOS who does

not want his name in print explained how

his course-mate was killed and his property

burnt during one of the crises in Jos.

Another student who witnessed the crisis,

Suleiman Garba, testified that the crisis

inflicted wanton destruction of lives and

properties.

In terms of disruption of the academic

calendar, Adamu Nurudeen, a final year

student of ABU, laments that these

frequent crises have altered my plans. Im

supposed to have been a graduate by now,

but the constant closure of my school as

a result of religious crisis has positioned

me backwards. These religious and ethnic

clashes have also created a deep sense of

fear in students.

Mariam Galadinmah, a student of Englishat UNIJOS, said: Our lives, properties and

academics are seriously endangered. We

necessarily do everything here out of fear.

We talk, act, move and even eat out of fear!

This is because you dont know what may

lead to another crisis.

Also, the crises have affected the social and

psychological behaviour of s tudents. Some

Muslim students see their Christian mates

as enemies and vice versa. This psychological

imbalance has created a biased state of mind

in students making them choose their friends

with much caution.

Moreso, social relationships have been altered,

especially, with the opposite sex. A Muslim

and 400-Level student of Zoology at the

Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK),

Abiodun Towobola, told CAMPUSLIFE how

his girlfriend, a Christian, called him on the

phone to say that they would not be taking

the relationship any further because of their

religious beliefs.

On the political aspect, politics on thesecampuses is heavily coloured by tribalism and

religious hues.

Abiodun said of this: I am against religious

extremism; even God is not in support of it

So, it is highly unnecessary to discriminate,

fight or kill anyone in the name of religion.

He expressed concern that something must

be done to change the status quo:

These happenings make us young people

to view one another with suspicion. Yet, we

claim to be Nigerians. We must do all we can

to build and nurture our brotherhood here

on campus. If these things are allowed to

continue, then we will definitely grow up to

break apart.

Suleiman Garba is the former vice-presidentof the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria,

NSUK chapter. He views religious extremism,

discrimination and communal clashes as an

outright sabotage and counterproductive to

the Federal Governments effort at rebranding

this country.

He urged further: Those guilty of these

crises should be brought to book, no matter

their position otherwise the needed peace

and unity that we are all screaming for as a

people will elude us.

Juliana Egwu a 400 Level English student at

NSUK agrees that tolerance is required to

build lasting peace. Why should I hate a man

simply because he holds a different opinion

from mine or subscribes to another religion?

What I think should be done is for our

leaders to revive those things we share like

national symbols and use them to teach us

patriotism. She opines that courses like civic

studies should be reintroduced and made

compulsory for students.

Esther Sunday, a graduate of Politics and

International Relations of the Lead City

University, Ibadan and currently an NYSCmember serving in Abuja said: Throughout

my stay in school we had a peaceful learning

environment. Such an environment opens

your mind to think and relate with fellow

students freely. The problems we face today

are as a result of failed leadersh ip. As young

people, we must learn to rise above religious

and ethnic differences so as to build a better

future for our unborn kids. Our leaders have

failed to maintain that bond which was laid

down by our founding fathers . Thats why we

have problems like religious crisis. I believe

the NYSC can unite young people. I urge

the government to strengthen the NYSC

scheme to serve the purpose for which it

was established.

Osita Okafor, a student of English at NSUK,

believes that religious extremism is not Gods

will. He asserts that the effect of religiousand ethnic crises in Nigeria is glaring, and

that it is a cankerworm that has prevented

the nations best hands from being in the

right places. Students can help build a perfect

union by living above religious and ethnic

differences.

Jos crisis: Students demand

compensation

Oyo State students at the University of Jos

(UNIJOS) under the aegis of the Federation

of Oyo State Students Union (FOSSU) have

asked for compensation from their state

government, as the state failed to evacuate

them during the January Jos crisis. The

students made this known while reacting to

allegations that they are being sponsored by

some politicians in the state over the inability

of the state government to respond to their

plight during the January crisis.

The allegation by the state government

was broadcast through media houses in the

state, which ran a release issued by the state

government that the students have beensponsored by some elements in the state to

castigate the present government. I t will be

recalled that several attempts were made by

the students to get evacuated, after four days

of believing that the state government would

evacuate them during the crisis. Oluwaseun

Akinsola is the president of FOSSU, UNIJOS.

He said: Many states including Benue, Bayelsa,

Lagos, Kogi ,Edo, Delta, Ogun, Nasarawa and

Niger sent buses to evacuate their students.

Kwara did not come but their students were

duly compensated when they reached Ilorin.

Why is our own in Oyo turning to something

else?

The Welfare Secretary, Abiodun Kosemani,

expressed dissatisfaction with the state

government, saying For years, students of

Oyo State in UNIJOS have been marginalised;

they have not payed us bursaries an thereare no scholarships. He further stated that

after the November 2008 Jos crisis, N5million

and relief materials were given to the Yoruba

community in Jos by Governor Adebayo Alao-

Akala but no student was given one penny

out of the money. In the same vein, the

state government during this January crisis

though evacuated some indigenes but not one

student. I wonder, why are they marginalising

us, he queried.

Campus Life


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33

Traveling the WorldThrough Theatre

32

A long time ago, in the land of

Kutuje

When I was 14, I played an old woman inmy secondary schools production of The

Gods Are Not To Blame by Ola Rotimi. In

our version, the play was told through my

characters narration to a young woman,

played by a senior who was in actuality

much older than I was. After the first

performance was over, I asked my crush

how he liked the play. Surprisingly, he told

me he didnt recognize me at first on stage,

and was arguing with his friend over if the

old woman was actually being played by me.

Granted that I was in heavy make-up, what

he couldnt wrap his head around was my

deep Yoruba accent. Maybe any normal girl

would have been distraught that her crush

didnt recognize her, but I was blushing with

pride at my feat.

May I take your hat?

Since then, I have starred in three plays; two

of these were at my current school Brown

University and both required me to learn

accents. In Death and the Kings Horseman

by Wole Soyinka, I had to learn an upper

class British accent. As I was looking for the

directors office one afternoon, I remember

thinking the whole ordeal of looking for

his place for an hour of voice lessons was

such a waste of time. As a Nigerian with

several friends that school in England, I

thought it would be a cakewalk. Oh, was I

wrong! I remember constantly adding my Naija

inflection to the words. It was difficult at first,

but I worked on it by speaking in a British

accent sometimes for 4 hours at a stretch,

the duration of a days rehearsal. It worked,

as I eventually divorced the typical haughty

Nigerian upper-class accent from a British one.

After the play, I stayed away from the stage for

over a year. Although I am passionate about

it, theatre in University is especially tasking. I

had rehearsals for at least 24 hours a week

for over two months, in addition to the four

classes I was taking, all in my first semester at

Uni! Although the play was great, it was not an

experience I wanted to repeat. Ever.

However, an email I received in December

from my first acting professor changed my

mind. She talked about a new play set in

Jamaica, Our Hands Are Sore From Praying,

written by Janine Heath, a senior student here.

The challenge of possibly learning a Jamaicanaccent was too juicy for me to pass up, so I

knew I had to go for the audition.

I eventually got the part of Sophie, a local

Jamaican girl who saw her impending marriage

to a Jamaican-American man in order to get a

green card as an escape from the poverty and

violence in her neighbourhood.

In the first stage readings, I noticed I had a

pretty good hold on the accent. I found it

Nkechi Eze

naijaTimes

Cover Story


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EMERGING

CAREERTRENDSSoromfe Uzoma

there are. Theres some difficulty

in discovering these emerging

careers before the bandwagon

effect sets in. This is primarily

because of the difficulty in

distinguishing a passing fad from

an actual opportunity. Theresthe risk that the new career field

may not grow as anticipated, and

may eventually fizzle out, with

nothing to show for all the extra

effort required to launch into a

new career.

How do you discover budding career fields that havea high chance of blossoming? Is it possible to catch

on to the next hot career path before it gets saturated?

How does working in a developing economy affect your

chances?

Emerging careers have a lot of advantages and well, a few

disadvantages. Depending on how you play your cards,

the advantages may far outweigh whatever disadvantages

36

Some of the factors that drive the emergence

of new careers include new laws (think

deregulation of the telecoms sector here

in Nigeria), technological advancement and

demographics. Technology has spurned so

many new careers in the past two decades,

its become impossible to imagine life without

them (IT management, network engineering,

database administration, systems support etc).

Interestingly its gone on to create new cottage

industries, with its characteristic plethora

of certifications. Some of the advantages of

joining these emerging careers (an example

would again be the telecommunications

revolution here in Nigeria) are high earnings,

the opportunity to shape the future of thatoccupation locally as well as the excitement

that comes from working in a new area.

Specifically well look at the opportunities

available in developing countries, with the

above discourse as a background. Ive already

mentioned that sometimes emerging career

trends (usually marked by a new skill set that

fast become essential) are difficult to interpret.

Its also important to be able to appropriately

decide on emerging trends worth going after.

However, a large portion of the speculation

surrounding emerging careers tends to be

non-essential once confined to job market

dynamics in a developing economy. This is

primarily because most developing economies

tend to play catch up. The advantage of this is

that with a little bit of research, its possible to

identify relatively new careers that have already

gained some traction in developed economiesbut are still relatively unknown in developing

economies. By comparing the set of skills that

are growing in demand in developed economies,

one can predict with a fair deal of certainty the

impending demand within the labour market of

developing economies.

A few examples of careers that seem to have

caught on in developed economies are nursing

informatics, network security (penetration

testing, computer forensics etc) etc. Each of the

above mentioned careers evolved from already

naijaTimes 37

Careers and Development

existing ones, nursing Informatics for example,

is a blend of skills relevant to both information

science and nursing. With the introduction

of health insurance schemes a lot of health

organisations in Nigeria will need efficient

information management systems that will be

managed by people who clearly understand

both the health and information management

aspects. Another example is the small but

growing niche for architectural 3-D modelling

which involves taking complex architectural

diagrams and (using software) rendering them

as exact, three dimensional, real-life computer

representations. With a lot of organisations

having large banks of sensitive data (mainly

financial institutions) the importance ofguaranteeing the security and integrity of this

information(especially where there are privacy

concerns) is essential, triggering a growing

demand for IT security professionals. IT security

careers are quickly gaining a strong footing here

in Nigeria.

As some of the examples above show, in most

cases breaking into a new career will usually

require the acquisition of new skills to augment

what one already has. The strategy should then

be to identify growing demands for certain

skills in an industry or sector and acquire these

skills as fast as possible. These new skills give

you an added edge and also enable you to make

the career transition quickly when genuine

opportunities arise.

Industries such as finance, telecommunications

and healthcare usually have a lot of theseopportunities. Emerging careers and specialized

tasks have usually been developed up to certain

levels before finding their way into developing

economies. A side effect of globalization is that

organizations within developing economies

who want to maintain business relationships

on the global stage are forced to catch up

quickly creating a demand for adequately skilled

professionals within their organisations. This

becomes an excellent opportunity for people

who are looking to catch on to these emerging

career trends.


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42

Talented, charismatic and successful, Cobhams Asuquo is living the Nigerian dream. As an award-winningmusic writer and producer, he has scored hits for superstars including Dare Art-Alade, Omawumi, Rooftop

MCs and Asa, whom he worked with on her breakthrough international album. Cobhams is also an astuteentrepreneur who has worked with numerous blue-chip companies on various projects. In addition, his

company - Cobhams Asuquo Music Productions (CAMP) is a vibrant incubator for promising music talent.

For Cobhams, everyday is an opportunity to conquer new challenges, make a lasting impact and deliver

excellence in everything that he does.

Blind from birth, the producers musical education came from transforming crockery and cauldrons into

percussion, before delving into the twelve bar blues by puffing on his cheeks. At the age of six, he was

given a Casio piano by his godmother as a gift and that gesture was a major turning point in his life. The

gift helped mould him into the award-winning musical maestro that he has become today. Cobhams

is an alumnus of both the Pacelli School for the Blind and the prestigious Kings College, both in Lagos.

When asked about how he dealt with the transition from a specialist school to mainstream education,

he says, It was quite challenging. I suppose I had always looked forward to the competition. I am a very

competitive person not necessarily with the spirit of always beating everybody to it but just knowing how

it will feel to compete in a fairly competitive

world. I always liked it and it was one of the first

chances of exploring the possibility of surviving

in the vertical mainstream world of the sighted.

Although, I had to work three times harder than

my peers because I was in an environment where

the necessary infrastructure for learning was

not as favourable for me as it was for my sighted

counterparts.

As we discuss his three-year stint as a Law

undergraduate at the University of Lagos, Iask Cobhams why he decided to leave before

graduating. He muses Well I realised I didnt

want to wear a wig and gown doing litigation

and property law. I asked myself - Where do you

see yourself in the next five years? I certainly

didnt see myself in anybodys chambers. I decided

to yield to the calling of my first love which is

music and which I would say was taking the

better part of my spare time. I had fairly good

grades but I guess the calling for music just

grew stronger. As we joke about the fact that

he could still try his hands at becoming a legal

luminary someday, he admits that he learnt about

life and most importantly structure when he left

school. This structure is what has transformed

this creative virtuoso into a successful business

entrepreneur. After working for Questionmark

entertainment and leaving without a dime in his

pocket, Cobhams established his production

company CAMP which enabled him to crossoverfrom beat making to the highly commercial

world of advertising. Crafting popular signature

tunes for the likes of Skye Bank and Oceanic

Bank, he has solidified his status as the most

sought-after sound composer in the field of

corporate branding. He does admit that most

creative people have little regard for structure

and process in relation to their work, but he has

been lucky to be around good people. I have

read too many stories of people who have failed

and the same for success stories as well. So I

have been able to decide what end of the scale I

want to be on. The next move for me was to

strategise how I could be on that end of the

scale and part of that was to surround myself

with the right kind of people who appreciate

structure and process. He further reiterates

that having the proper structure in place when

running a business it is what sustains it. This

he understands is something a lot of Nigerian

businesses lack. His vision for CAMP is to

build a business that would inevitably sustain

itself.

As we delve back into the world of music, I

wondered whether he now equates musical

talent to products or merchandise due to

his commercial awareness. Music has to be

seen as a product. Products are made to be

consumed, and a good product is one that

appeals to the consumer. When I think about

music, I dont want to just interpret music

that I like or you like, I also want to interpret

music that can sell. Whats the use speaking a

language only you can understand? You create

the material to catch a certain market, target

and demographic and in doing that, you need

to know what their needs are. Just the way

you make soap for people who want to wash.

So you make dance music for people who go

to clubs and slow music for people who want

to meditate. So you need to have a good idea

of the market and who you are creating musicfor. Albeit, music for the streets, or upwardly

mobile, you need to understand the social

plot. Cobhams is full of analogies and stories.

Even when writing a song with an artist, he

tells you a story to take you through a mental

journey and ultimately transport you to a

different creative space.

Business and music aside, Coby as his friends

call him is a risk taker. One could attribute

this to his life spent pushing the envelope

and breaking boundaries. After writing and

Cover Story

43naijaTimes

I decided to yield to the callingof my first love which is music

Wana Udobang

Living theNigerian Dream

Cobhams


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646

etc and one realizes that billionaires were made

(and continue to be made) in each of these

growth stages.

There seems like an endless stream of stories

of 18 year old college students armed

with just a PC and an internet connection

making millions. The truth of the matter is

making money online requires the same thingthat making money offline does. It requires

character, intelligence, an eye for opportunity,

courage and knowledge. There is no escaping

this, there are no shortcuts Im afraid. So what

are some of the things you need to remember

when setting out to find your fortune (or at

least a living) in this brave new world?

Please Note

How do you make money online? *Dreamers

and Yahoo boyz need not apply.

This, however, is not for the faint hearted,

and it is not cheap. A guiding principle should

be that anything you create must entertain,

engage and prove useful to your target

audience.

Invest in Others

I think it was the late John Paul Getty, one

time the richest man in the world, that said

I would rather earn 1% off a 100 peoples

efforts than 100% of my own efforts.

Another strategy to making money online is

to back good ideas early.

Expect some of your investments to fail, but

the ones that succeed will more than make up

for the failures.

Remember that an investment is not just

about money. You can invest your time,

talents and skills. Internet start-ups dont

just need money, they need services sales

professionals, accountants, legal advisors,

administrators etc. You can provide any of

these services and forgo a high salary in

return for equity in a good idea. But you

need to be offering this early, and have the

courage and patience neededyour faith

and loyalty might be rewarded beyond your

wildest dreams.

Type Bonnie Brown Google millionaire

into Google and read about Bonnie Brown

who joined Google in 1999, when it had 40

employees, as a masseuse and retired 5 years

later as a multi millionaire.

Want to know a lot more about the strategies

discussed in this article? Why not subscribe

to the Internet guru e-newsletter, by sending

an email, from your personal email address, to

[email protected]

Stop dreaming and start making actionable

plans. Look to make money via the Internet

the right way, forget scams and get rich

quick schemes they dont work, are short

lived and could ultimately land you in jail.

There are four important strategies. You may

want to use these singularly or collectively. It

really depends on where you are and what

resources you have at your disposal.

Sell Shovels

It has often been reported (anecdotally) that

the people that really made money during thegold rush where those that sold the tools the

gold speculators needed to prospect for gold.

So sell services that people need to make

money online. I t could be hosting services

or domain registrations. Finding the right

service you can market is only a click away.

Those who cant do teach

Not sure if the above statement is entirely

true, but one thing is clear, people need

guidance when it comes to the Internet. The

market for Internet consultants particularly

in emerging markets, like Nigeria, cannot

be underestimated. So a good strategy is to

invest in yourself attend training programs,

read widely, gain relevant work experience

and become a guru in the field you wish to

offer advice. If you are good, you will be paid

very well for your expertise. Some of the

highest paid consultants are digital marketing

executives and they are a very scarce

resource globally.

Create an Internet Business

Why not brave it and start a business

online. This could be an online destination, a

facebook application or a mobile application.

I Want To Be An Internet Millionaire

Making Money Online

Money

So you want to be an Internet millionaire,or at least make a decent living from it.

Great! Join the queue. Reminiscent of the

1800s Californian gold rush, the Internet has

attracted peoples from around the world,

who see it as the greatest opportunity to

gain an extraordinary amount of wealth in a

relatively short period of time. During the

gold rush - gold worth billions of dollars, intodays money, was discovered. It led to great

personal fortunes, but for only a few. Many

returned home with less than they had started

with. Is this the case with the Internet? Well, it

need not be. With technological advancements

come incredible new opportuni ties. And unlike

the gold rush, where people went after a finite

resource, the opportunities provided by digital

technologies seem limitless. One only need

think about the growth of search engines,

web portals, free email sites, file sharing

services, VoIP, videosharing, social networking

naijaTimes 47

The Internet Guru


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Money

naijaTimes 49

naija ManYou are what you wear.

www.naijaclothing.com

Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk is a Nigerian singerwho discovered his talent for singing during

his childhood in the church. The singer came

to lime light on October 24, 2008 where he

won the first edition of the MTN Project

Fame West Africa.

His debut album was released 14 months

after he was announced winner at Project

Fame. Titled My Story, the album records

production contributions from Tee Y Mix, ID

Cabasa, K Solo, OJB and Wazz Beats.

Iyanyas career soared when he performed

at the New York Couture Fashion Week onSeptember 13, 2009 and got a chance to sing

to Grammy award nominee Melanie Fiona

at the LTB Jean store in Soho New York. A

thrilled Fiona told fans she was excited by

Iyanyas gesture.

FIVE THINGS YOU DIDNT

KNOW ABOUT IYANYA

Before he won the MTN project fame,

Iyanya auditioned for the 2007 West Africa

idols

Iyanyas favourite song is Robin Thickes lost

without you.

He will be twenty-five on the October 31,

2010.

He is a business management graduate ofUniversity of Calabar.

He used to be a regular karaoke performer

at Channel View Hotel Calabar.

The Story behind the Music

Love Truly-

Like a deserted lover, Iyanya delivers Love

Truly like it is a true life story. And even

though he is quick to claim that it is a song

he wrote while watching a friend and his

girlfriend break up, he also admits that

there might be a part that relates to him

in the song.

MY STORY

Looks like this may be Iyanyas experience

as a young guy trying to make things happen

without the help of his parents or guardians.

I dey sing for Karaoke some say na joke But

today, Iyanya has a s tory to tell.

Shaye- Iyanya and Zeez having fun, or

indirectly telling haters to look for something

to do with their time.

IYANYAA music

profile

8


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2

Entertainment

Nollywood, unknown to many, is one of the

largest employers of labour in the country

right now; employing the services of actors,

actresses, directors, producers, writers,

caterers, costumiers, video shop distribu tors,

resellers and many others in the film making

food chain. We have spurred on a revolution

as the fire has been caught by those in other

African countries who have started doing the

same. The films h ave garnered a cult following

in several countries not just in Africa but in

Diaspora.

It was reported that when Omotola Jalade-

Ekeinde went to Sierra Leone on a charitablemission, the mammoth crowd would not

allow her convoy move. People were crying,

screaming and fainting! It is we Nigerians

that dont value what we have. It will amaze

you to know that the only other significant

Nigerian export apart from oil, are Nigerian

films! Can you think of any other?

However, I know all is not perfect in

Nollywood, far from it. There is definitely

room for improvement. There should be,

for an industry that is barely 17years old.

Unsurprisingly, Hollywood, the 100 year old

industry which Nollywood is still unfairly

being compared to, had the same teething

problems.

We are making efforts to improve more

effort is being taken to make our posters

look better, the picture quality and soundquality of our films are also being worked

on but it is not yet uhuru. It gladdened my

heart when the Queen of Talkshows, Oprah

Winfrey named Genevieve Nnaji as one of

the most popular people in the world. That,

in my opinion, was a triumphant moment

for the industry. Last year, our efforts were

recognized at the famous Sundance Film

Festival when a documentary Nollywood

Babylon by Canadian documentary

filmmaker Ben Adelman was made and

screened to rave reviews.

I wasnt always so gong-ho about Nollywood.

Like the typical Nigerian graduate of the MTV

generation, fed on Hollywood films, western

pop culture, and hip-hop music since I was

knee high, I became used to a certain level of

quality. I was exasperated with Nollywood;

the crass razz costumes, weak storylines and

poor production values. I had expected so

much more. However on a recent trip abroad

to a film fe stival, I noticed that the West was

very behind in their reporting/portrayal of

Africa. The only entrie s from Africa at that

festival were documentaries on War in Darfur

and poverty in Uganda! That is their singular

story. I was livid! I stood up and told themthat is not my Africa that Africa is also about

laughter, dance and festivals. Those pictures

do not depict the true picture of Africa. They

were just staring at me like I dropped from

Mars!

That was when I knew the service Nollywood

had done for Nigeria and indeed Africa. It had

shown them to be liars with their subjective,

singular reporting when they say we live

on trees and a re dying of famine , AIDS and

drought. Agreed, some parts of Africa are like

that but not all of Africa. At that moment,

I decided to use my skills to better and

promote Nollywood to the world. I set up

a website www.nollywooduncut.com where

I deliberately portray the positive side of

Nollywood. As a former broadcaster and now

scriptwriter in Nollywood with backstage

access to Nollywood, I show the world a newside of this misunderstood industry.

So, is Nollywood a national, embarrassment? I

say a resounding No! On the contrary, it has

put us on the map and let us be known for

something other than football, corrupt leaders

and Advanced Fee Fraud!

Viva Nollywood indeed, may you get better

and live forever!


28/35

She is unafraid to raise her voice for what

is right. As her support for the light Up

Nigeria movement and her stand on the

Jos cr isis. She is also a youth le ader and

runs an NGO tagged Be the Change.

With music as her weapon, she seeks to

continue to be relevant. For Lami, music

is a means of communicating the essence

of life, as we k now it. Music heals, music

speaks; it teaches and guides. Music is

more than words, more than notes and

beats. It is lifes way of conversing with the

human mind.

5 Things You Didnt Know About Lami:

At 5 Feet , she is peti te a nd i s alm ost always in

stilettos

Having been tagged an Aje Butter by industry

colleagues, she is actively learning pidgin

English (we hear she is quite fluent now!)

You can never find Lami without her I-Pod and

Phone

For a star this is quite surprising, but she

hates getting her picture taken

Her favourite exclamation is Sacrebleu

The Story Behind the Music

Know: One rainy night late last year,

I had to go to MIs studio to complete

production and mixing of the 3 initial

tracks he produced. He was travelling the

next morning so I had no choice. Everyone

told me it was too late but if you have

worked with MI you know how hard it is

to pin him down! So, stubbornly, I went.

Once my bit was done he started mixing

and I nodded off. I remembered he told

me once Lami I hear you doing a slow

reggae type song in my head so I asked

him about it then he started playing and

humming before I could blink Know was

born! I listened to it all the way home and

all through the next day. Once he got back

to Lagos, he had no choice but to complete

the song. That song has a very special place

in my heart and Im indebted to MI for

giving it life!

Nuttin: I had been recording with Ikon at

the Syndik8 red room and he played the

beat for me. I knew what I wanted to say

but seeing as my Yoruba is fa r from perfect

we got into an overly intellectual debate

about what the hook should be. Thing is, all

of us that were at the studio that day are

deep too so we deliberately wrote that

hook! Lucci happened to be in the studio,

he went in and delivered an amazing rap

and that was it. Its my song for when Lagos

and the industry get too much for me! Its

my Jollof song!

Ere-Ife: I met Eldee and we decided to

work together. I told him I wanted a fun,

cheeky, relationship type song and beat, so

he started working on it. Eldee is a crazy

character, he is so talented - his mind is

special, he came up with all sorts

before we settled on the hook and toneof the song. Most of the prior ideas were

NOT pg rated! Late one night, he calls my

phone super excited and tells me I got

itcan you listen now?And thats how

the beat was born. He scolded my bad

Yoruba speaking endlessly throughout the

recording process but Im glad it came out

fab. I wish I could share how we came up

with the outro ni sho nle

Entertainment

naijaTimes 5554

LamiA MusicProfileShe was born Olamide Phillips in Illinois, Chicago. Having lived in andtravelled to different parts of the globe she draws her personal and musical

influences from far and wide. At the tender age of 8 years, she began

performing on stage! She laughs quietly as she recalls holding the remote

control and singing any song her mind could hold on to from then on. She

never fails to mention her passion for performing live!Its organic, she says.

For her, music is an unscripted adventure.

The sheer contrast of the songs on her album titled INTUITION is a

testimony to that. The album has broken stereotypical mindsets and received

awesome reviews locally and internationally. It features a strong helping of

Neo-Soul with a dash of Hip-Hop and a tinge of that traditional ingredient

that makes it intrinsically Nigerian. Her album boasts of the best production

and collaborations with support from heavyweights including ID Cabasa,

Eldee, MI, OJB, SyndiK8 and Jeremiah Gyang.


29/35

6 naijaTimes

Entertainment

57

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0207 9479700

0207 9479720www.gtbankuk.com

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+234-1-700482666328,4480000

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Contact:

Guaranty Trust Bank

When I learned that my girl Uche was theguest editor for this issue, I said I must write

something for una my people o. Shes a good

friend and Im so proud of her, especially after

seeing her on Oprah last week. Uche always

represents Nigeria proudly, which is a trait

I absolutely love. Im very proudly naija

too but I must confess it hasnt always been

this way. When I was younger, I didnt full y

appreciate my naija-ness o.

Im back in the states on vacation at the

moment and I went back to my old college

to visit some of my former professors, and it

was only when I started talking to them that

I realized that I was known as the British guy

throughout my time there. I moved to the

states from London, and back then I used

to give them strong British fonne. The thing

used to attract Yankee babes so I used todisplay it harrrd. Sometimes Id mix up the

whole accent sef, until the thing go be like

Australian-American-Canadian-Nigerian mish-

mash. Abeg those yankee people no know the

difference jo. I remember one time during my

second year in college, I was dating one hot

chick, Anissa. First time we had a conversation,

she said;

Oh my God! Your accent is so sexy! Where

are you from?

Kai, I think am.

Im errfrom London, England.

Wow! Ive never met a black person from

London. Thats so hot!

Thats how it started o. Youd have thought

that I had grown up in Knightsbridge. I

didnt lie now; she just never asked where

my parents were from. So technically no

be lie abi? Anyway sha, thats how the

British story started getting deeper and

deeper. Kai, I bobod to the extent that I

couldnt even say anything if people were

dissing Nigeria. One time some girls in my

class were saying how theyd never go to

Africa because thered be no cable or clean

water there. Id just be muttering to myself,

Yepa. Olori buruku! Another one wastelling me she thought I was so cute. That

shed love to date a guy from England or

the Caribbean cos theyre so hot. But shed

never go near those Africans. Imagine!

Mumu girl.

Kai, the thing used to pain me o! I

remember one time a t the mall, Anissa

and I had just walked into the food court

and were headed to the Chinese spot.

Thats how I just spotted two long-mouth

opelenge naija girls that I had met through

Mr. Fineboy

PROUDLY NAIJA


30/35

naijaTimes 5958

my roommate. Shet! I quickly looked away

and started heading to the opposite end of

the court. I just heard;

Fiiineboy! Oluwafineboooy!!!!

Damn. The way these babes were running

towards us, you woulda thought we were

close friends or something o! When they

finally caught up to us, I wanted to quickly

dismiss them, but them no gree.

Fineboy!! Wassup now? Why are you

chinning us?

Hi, how are you lot doing?

Ah ah. Which one is this shakara youre now

doing?

What?

Why are you now posing? Talk like yourself

jare! Yeye Naija boy!

Yepa. These girls wan pour sand inside my

garri sha.

Huh? I dont know what youre toolking

about mate. Ill catch you guys later yeah?

Men I grabbed the babes hand and

disappeared sharp sharp. When she asked

me what language they were speaking, I told

her men I didnt know o, that they were

some weird African girls my roommate had

introduced me to. God forgive me o!

I remember another time, when my nephew,

Wale was visiting from Nigeria. I was stuck

babysitting him when Anissa called me to go

out for brunch. I coached the boy well well

o. Wale dont talk too loud o, just talk softly

softly okay? Fine boy.

Wale agreed and we headed out to meet

Anissa at the train station. When she saw

Wale, Anissa gave him a big hug and this yeye

boy just dey squeeze everything sha. Bad naija

boy. He didnt say much and I was happy with

his performance for the first 15 minutes or

so, until he noticed an ice cream truck across

the street. Na so Wale begin shout o!

Uncle buy me Yogo!

Yogo ke? Wale do you want some ice

cream?

He nodded. We crossed the street and when

we got the van, na so this yeye boy begin

shout o!

No I dont want that one! I want yogo! Fan

yogo!

Erm Wale, I know you have that sort of

dessert in London, but they dont have that

here, have a popsickle .

Hehn? No I want fan yogo o, fan yogo!

Chai, this big head boy wan finish me sha. He

now left me and started grabbing Anissas

hand.

Aunty please, Aunty pleaseeeeee buy me fan

yogo! I want the ice one!

Wahala dey o. The babe was a bit confused.

Wale no gree men, and in the end I begged

him to manage one ice cream cone. When we

got to the restaurant, Wale asked me Uncle

why are you talking like that? Are you not a

Nigerian? and started laughing. Kai. Yeye boy

even had the nerve to ask for rice and dodo.

PROUDLY NAIJA!

After a while though, I started to hate that I

hadnt just been myself, Ive always been p roud

to be Nigerian men, but I cant lie, with all this

terrorist nonsense, I dont say Im Nigerian

anymore o! Im a proper British lad innit.

Entertainment


31/35

Viva La Vintage!The beauty of second hand clothes

Youve probably had your fair sha re of handme downs, whether it be your grandmas

pearl necklace, your sisters skirt or your big

brothers trainers. In reality, most people have

experienced wearing second hand clothes.

Some of us might have found this an annoying

experience, instead of your parents taking

you to buy new clothes they suggest that you

wear their old clothes that dont fit them

anymore, the irony being that the clothes are

probably older than you! But wait! Before

you go and find the nearest bin bags to trash

your hand me downs, make sure you read

this article. You might jus t decide that that

multicoloured dress your grandma gave you

last year is worth keeping!

So what is vintage clothing? Wonu Odunsi,

the joint owner of The Lagos Look an

outlet that sells vintage clothing in Nigeria

states that by definition is new or second

hand garments originating from a previous

era, but I like to think of them as pre-loved

clothes because I know how much I love my

clothes, a number of which make me happy.So I just imagine these pieces being loved

by their previous owners.

Lola Ogunbadejo

selling the clothes. So far it has been positive;

there are a lot of loyal vintage lovers!

So forget walking down the street and seeing

5 other people wearing the same top as you,

you could be one in a million with a jumper

that was made in 1949! So why the sudden

rise in popularity in vintage? Whilst the prices

of brand new clothes can be costly; vintage

clothes are generally cheaper than high street

fashion. Charity shops and vintage boutiques

are usually the best places to look for vintage

pieces. Even high profile celebrities such as

Julia Roberts and Dita von Teese are in on the

trend! Wonu said ..the sudden popularity

may be because of the uniqueness of each

piece, if you are lucky, you may find a one-off

item that nobody else in the world may have

and people generally like to stand out in a

crowd!! I couldnt ag ree more. Lastly, there is

nothing wrong with a bit of clothes recycling;

its good for the environment!

Wonu has come up with five amazingly helpful

tips to assist all you vintage shoppers out

there!

My first tip for vintage shopp ing is ALWAYS

try it on before you buy it. Take a chance on

items that look odd, they are usually a HIT!

Go for bright colours and pretty floral prints,

they look HOT all year round.

Be sure to check for stains and rips, these

clothes are vintage so are prone to damage.

Who says accessories arent an outfit in

themselves? The right ones can turn drab

to Fab.

Try using a brooch on a vintage dress; a little

detail goes a long way.

The Lagos Lounge has a stall at Le Petit

Marche, Which is a mini market that takes

place every last Sunday of the month. For

more information call 08065513536 /

07066444940

You can also find vintage clothes the naija way,

at the bend down select section of your local

market!

So what are you waiting for? Start rummaging

through your relatives wardrobe!

For those vintage virgins out there,

vintage is in literal terms secondhand clothes with a difference

The Shop

61naijaTimes

The saying they dont make them like they

used to springs to mind when talking about

vintage clothing, in fact Wonu states In my

opinion, vintage clothes are special because

they never really go out of fashion. You only

have to look at todays new trends to spot that

they are all urban renewals of 60s 70s and

80s classics.

For those vintage virgins out there, vintage

is in literal terms second hand clothes with

a difference, these clothes were worn with

pride by their previous owners and hopefully

by their second, third and owners beyond too!

When I asked Wonu why she and Joint owner

Omorinsola Arogundade, opened The Lagos

Look she said We fell in love with vintage

clothing growing up in London because of

the quirkiness, our love for pretty dresses

and one off accessories. After we moved back

to Nigeria, we realized that the demand for

vintage clothing had somewhat increased

and being that there were little or no vintage

selling boutiques, we decided to take a chanceon the Nigerian market and start sourcing and

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62

The Life House: fromAbule to Zebra, and somuch more ...

On the corner of Sinari Daranijo and Younis Bashorun streets, in Victoria Islandextension sits a non-descript house with large grounds. With no signs outside the gate,

the only giveaway that this is more than just a house is the long line of cars parked on the

street in front of it. This is the Lifehouse. Established by the remarkably chic and in-sync

husband and wif

naijatimes april 2010

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