Christmas And The Year Gone By

Christmas (Christ’s–mass), the celebration of the birth of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (the central figure of Christianity) has come again. Christmas is celebrated on the 25th of December every year according to the Gregorian calendar. It holds a great significance everywhere in the world; from Istanbul to Saint Petersburg and down to Iyana-Ipaja, here in Nigeria.  It is marked by wild celebrations. It ushers in the season of happiness, relaxation and glee.

The origins of Christmas celebrations are shrouded in controversy. In 1743, German Protestant Paul Ernst Jablonski argued Christmas was placed on December 25 to correspond with the Roman solar holiday Dies Natalis Solis Invicti and was therefore a "paganization" that debased the true church. According to Judeo-Christian tradition, creation as described in Genesis occurred on the date of the spring equinox, i.e. March 25 on the Roman calendar. This date is now celebrated as Annunciation and as the anniversary of Incarnation. In 1889, Louis Duchesne suggested that the date of Christmas was calculated as nine months after Annunciation, the traditional date of the conception of Jesus.
Nowadays however, the birth date of Jesus is on December 25 is mainly symbolic. A day to celebrate the coming of God into the world in the form of man to atone for the sins of humanity is considered to be the primary meaning of Christmas. Christmas is a wonderful season. It ushers in the spirit of peace and merriment. Christmas is no longer as it were a Christian celebration. Some faithful followers of other religions sometimes join in the celebrations to experience the virtues of Christianity which are embedded in Christ.

TRAFFIC JAM AT ONITSHA

All over the Nigeria, and indeed the world, Christmas stimulates a kick in the economy of Nations. In fact a quarter of personal shopping in the US is done around Christmas.  Prices tend to skyrocket and yet goods and commodities still have high turn over rates, defying the law of demand. The rich and the poor often seem to find joy as a common ground. Every body can afford to buy something.  Christmas is also a time of reunion. Many Nigerians in the United Kingdom and America come back home to see their family members. Even those within the country sojourn to their villages for the celebrations.  Our brothers from the eastern parts of Nigeria (Ndigbo) in particular troop back to their villages. Petty traders, spare part sellers, from far and wide move to the east.  Some even go on to spend virtually all the monies they have made form the beginning of the year. Roads leading to Nnewi, Okposi and Okija (hopefully not the shrine), are jammed.  Transport companies make a fortune as they have waiting customers eager to get on the next available bus. The major interstates are blocked; Gwagwalada, Okene, Auchi, down to Ore, traffic jams are the sight. But we love it, Its Christmas.

On Television, Christmas parties for kids are aired on local a station (who wants to hear about the death of 200 Afghanistan soldiers reported by CNN on Christmas day). Their happy –go- jolly faces dancing to the tunes of Ice princes’ Oleku.  It’s Christmas, no sad talk. On Radio, the sounds of Charles Wesley’s, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sings”, “Silent Night” and “Joy to the world” makes for beautiful nostalgia.  We may have heard them a gazillion times but each time is a new experience.

The heat and cold pendulum swing reminiscent of harmatan season have also not prevented parents from taking their children out to see Santa Claus (Or Father Christmas depending on whether you were brought up in Abulegba or on Bordilon Avenue). Santa Claus is a mythical gift bringer dressed in red, whose origins have diverse sources. The name Santa Claus can be traced back to the Dutch Sinterklaas, which means simply Saint Nicholas. Nicholas was Bishop of Myra, in modern day Turkey, during the 4th century. Among other saintly attributes, he was noted for the care of Children, generosity, and the giving of gifts. Santa's gifts are every kids dream. The sports car, the Barbie dolls, the Lego toys- kids want it all.

As Christmas draws the curtains on the year, we should be grateful for the year gone by. The blessings of the gift of life can not be over emphasised. So eat, drink and make merry. It’s Christmas!

The year 2010 was a historic one for this country. We achieved a lot as a Nation. From the intrigues generated from an MIA President to the impressive display of athletes at the Common Wealth games. It was indeed eventful. The nation moves into an election year and once again our resolve for conducting credible elections will be tested.  Can we break the fetters binding our democracy? Or is it all in the hands of the mighty politician? Time as they say will tell.

Here are some of the events that made this year a memorable one :

JANUARY

·        January 4-   Nigeria is placed on US Terror List in the wake of the failed Suicide Bombing attempted by Farouk Abdul Mutallab.

·         January 12- Earth Quake occurs in Haiti killing over 200,000 people.

·         January 17- Violence erupts in Jos and lasted at least four days. Houses, churches, mosques and vehicles were set ablaze during the fighting. At least 200 people were killed

·         January 31- Roger Federa is the first man to win 16 Grand Slam titles.

FEBRUARY

·         February 9- Vice President Ebele Jonathan is made Acting President following the Doctrine of Necessity invoked by the National Assembly

·         February 24- President Umaru Yar’Adua is sneaked back into the country at night.

• February 12-28 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler  Canada
• February 18 – The President of Niger, Tandja Mamadou, is overthrown after a group of soldiers storms the presidential palace and form a ruling junta, the Supreme Council for the Restoration of Democracy headed by chef d'escadron Salou Djibo.

MARCH

·         March 16 – The Kasubi Tombs, Uganda's only cultural World Heritage Site, are destroyed by fire.

APRIL

• April 20 – The Deepwater Horizon oil platform explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, killing eleven workers. The resulting oil spill, one of the largest in history, spreads for several months, damaging the waters and the United States coastline, and prompting international debate and doubt about the practice and procedures of offshore drilling.
• April 29- Prof Maurice Iwu is removed as INEC chairman

MAY

·         May 5- President Yar’Adua dies after protracted illness

·         May 6- President Goodluck Jonathan takes oath of office becoming Nigeria’s 14^th Head of State.

JUNE

·         June 11  – The 2010 FIFA World Cup is held in South Africa, and is won by Spain.

JULY

·         July 25 – Wikileaks, an online publisher of anonymous, covert, and classified material, leaks to the public over 90,000 internal reports about the United States-led involvement in the Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010.

AUGUST

·         July 29 – Heavy monsoon rains begin to cause widespread flooding in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Over 1,600 are killed, and more than one million are displaced by the floods.

SEPTEMBER

·         September 28 – Seven people are reported to have been killed and around 100 are missing after a landslide in Oaxaca, Mexico.

OCTOBER

·         October 1- Twin bomb explosion mar Independence Day celebration in Nigeria. The attacks left 12 dead and 17 injured.

·         October 10- itualive! makes first public post.

·         October 13 – Thirty-three miners near Copiapó, Chile, trapped 700 metres underground in a mining accident in San José Mine, are brought back to the surface after surviving for a record 69 days.

NOVEMBER

·         November 9- Irate man attacks former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

·         November 22- Atiku is picked as Northern Consensus candidate by Northern Political Leaders forum

·         November 28 – WikiLeaks releases a collection of more than 250,000 American diplomatic cables, including 100,000 marked "secret" or "confidential".

DECEMBER

·         December 15- Pa Anthony Enahoro, the man who moved the first motion for Nigeria’s Independence in 1953 dies at age 87.

And as this would be my last post for the year, I thank you for the support you have given itualive! I wish you all a blessed 2011. May God Bless You All.

©2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua

MUCH ADO ABOUT WIKILEAKS

WikiLeaks, an international non-profit organisation has been making the news recently for good and bad reasons depending on the way one decides to look at it. They publish submissions of private, secret, and classified media from anonymous sources. Wikileaks launched its web site in 2006 and began as a regular wiki site (user-editable site) but has progressively moved towards a more traditional publication site, and no longer accepts either user comments or edits. Julian Assange, an Australian, is generally described as its director. Assange, an alumnus of 6 universities is known to have studied various courses including Mathematics, Physics, Neuroscience and Philosophy. He is presently facing charges of rape in London.

WikiLeaks has received praise as well as criticism. The organization won a number of awards, including The Economist's 2008 New Media Award.  In June 2009, WikiLeaks and Julian Assange won Amnesty International's UK Media Award, in the category "New Media", for the 2008 publication of "Kenya: The Cry of Blood – Extra Judicial Killings and Disappearances", a report by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights about police killings in Kenya. In May 2010, New York City's Daily News listed WikiLeaks as first in a ranking of "websites that could totally change the news". Julian Assange was named the Readers' Choice for TIME's Person of the Year for 2010. (Source: Wikipaedia)

WikiLeaks Mission Statement reads: Help WikiLeaks Keep Governments Open. This gives us a general idea about what they do. They essentially seek to make Governments transparent and more accountable (in other words their job is to primarily snitch on governments).  They claim to have thousands of diplomatic cables (correspondences) between countries.

Most countries (Nigeria including), have perceived this exposé by WikiLeaks as embarrassing.  For instance, WikiLeaks released cables showing US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton instructing US diplomats to collect DNA samples, fingerprints and credit card details of key UN officials. The leaks reveal that Libya’s “Brother Leader” Qadhafi, dislikes flying over water, only stays on the first floor, tends to receive visitors and conducts meetings inside a traditional Bedouin tent, and is accompanied everywhere by Ukrainian nurse described as a “voluptuous blonde.” In Germany, WikiLeaks reveals that Angela Merkel “avoids risks” and is rarely creative. We now know (or rather already know) that in far away Russia, President Dimitry Medvedev, plays second fiddle to his predecessor, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, described as an “alpha dog”. And that Russia has virtually become a “mafia state”.

 Our own President was not spared by the “tell it all” site. WikiLeaks put the spot light on President Goodluck’s impasse during the twilight of the Yar’Adua administration.  It provided Nigerians a different view to our dear President’s character.  In one cable, President Jonathan (then the Acting President), admitted his lack of experience but affirmed his willingness and capacity to lead the Country. In my own opinion this shows him as a true leader. His political rivals have criticized him and have tried to portray him as diffident and pusillanimous. But on the contrary, admitting ones lack of inexperience is a sign of good leadership especially in a country like Nigeria where every politician portrays themselves as all knowing demagogues. It would indeed be interesting to see what leaked cables (or phone conversations for that matter) will reveal about the characters of such people.

Nigeria always seems to take centre stage in situations like this. Hear this: Of the 251, 287 cables yet to be made public involving the United States, 4598 are sourced from Nigeria.  And this cables date back from 1966 to February 2010. Tongues have begun to wag. Tales have started spinning. If 3 released cables have exposed us as a frail, unsure and porous country; what will the rest tell the world about the most populous black nation on planet earth? 1966 seems like a long time given that Nigerian leaders time and again tend to have skeletons in the drawers.   Will Wikileaks tell us stuff the Police have since not told us? Questions Like who killed Bola Ige, Marshal Harry, and Chief Moshood Abiola may finally be answered.  Would we be told whether coup plotters had outside help?

The point remains that if more information had been made available by respective governments, companies like Wikileaks and Nigeria’s whistle blowing site- Sahara Reporters- may have never been necessary. Now the world is paying the price for such perceived negligence.

Questions bordering on the justifications and implications of Wikileaks’ actions have formed controversial debates. I for one do not believe that everything must be known. A balance has to be found.  Shouldn’t a government reserve the responsibility to shield or protect its citizens from perceived damaging or dangerous information? And to what extent does National Security override personal scores? And what lines divide these if one may ask? Wouldn’t this leaked information make worse already frail diplomatic relationships between countries?

For instance, the released diplomatic cables on Nigeria revealed that Pfizer (Pharmaceutical Giants) tried to coerce the Attorney’s General office into dropping the case Nigeria had against them. Although the US Department of justice may probe Pfizer on allegations of corruption practices following revelations of its “dirty secrets” in Nigeria, couldn’t this be read as a breach in Nigeria’s national security? Again, Shell’s vice-president for Sub-Saharan Africa claimed or rather boasted that Shell has seconded employees (spies) in every major Nigerian institution. By this disclosure, the whole world now sees how porous our security agencies are and how our so called friends in the west perceive us.

The Petroleum Industry Bill, which if passed may tend to give Nigerians more control over their oil has been lying comatose in the National Assembly. Obviously this Bill does not favor  Multinational oil companies. If these cables are anything to go by, then it would be justified to say, this Bill has not been passed for obvious reasons. This implies that  some companies influence may have indeed gotten to our highest law making institution.

I consider Wikileaks the “Amebo” of our time. And Since Nigerians are always in the fashion of recreating things, we can call our own AmeboLeaks. It could help unearth some of the Nation’s unanswered questions while the Freedom of Information Bill (FOI) lies dead in the Hallow chambers of the National Assembly.  AmeboLeaks can begin to tell us how much exactly a Nigerian Senator earns. It could even take the “struggle” a bit further by revealing which government official eats certain apples from the hands of imported Indian damsels.  Am sure AmeboLeaks will surely cause more “katakata” than WikiLeaks has done.

©2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua   

BOYS AND GIRLS (A SHORT STORY)

I was reading A Moveable Feast, while my girlfriend’s red eyes were hidden behind a magazine. We just had a quarrel- the type that has no definable cause and lasts for weeks. In time something acidic would spew from her lips and I waited. In the meantime I pretended to be interested in the adventures of Hemingway in Paris.

I was wrong. The tantrum never came. Rather a loud blunt sound erupted from my neighbours room, it sounded like a muffled punch. Then there were screams. I recognized the voice of my neighbour’s live-in-girlfriend.

“Stop! Stop! You want to kill me!”

I approached the room and knocked. Nothing changed. I banged arrhythmically and soon I was contributing to the din.

“No! don’t open the door!” the girlfriend said. I have wondered why she said that. My conclusion was she’d preferred the pain to the shame of the neighbourhood witnessing her shame.

I wasn’t surprised when the door opened. Calistus opened and asked, “what is it?”

“Let me enter” I pushed the door and beheld the fair skinned beauty crumpled on the corner trying futilely to enter the wall. She fled shouting, “Because I tore the picture of his ex girlfriend…”

The rest of the neighbourhood had gathered and listened as the girl told her story in high decibels. My girlfriend joined the crowd and while I spoke to Calistus, I noticed her sobbing ostensibly to the girl’s tale.

I can’t remember Calistus’ explanation as I was beginning to be embarrassed by my girlfriend’s display. Somehow a torn picture of my neighbour and his girlfriend got to my palm.

The girl ran back into the room saying she had to collect her things. I held him while she entered but he assured me all was okay. I released him and he locked the door carefully smiling at his rug. I heard a slap. I thought, here we go again.

I was wrong. As I made to resume my banging, I heard sobs and soon moans. The crowd seemed to evaporate under the sun with residues of hissing. My girlfriend muttered something I didn’t catch amidst sobs and entered the room.

My neighbours’ moans continued, my girlfriend’s sobs dragged- both embarrassing for different reasons- while I stood outside half-heartedly trying to patch the image of Calistus and his girlfriend together.

©2010 Oris.K Aigbos

TWO POEMS FOR THE ROAD

TRAVELERS; LOVERS; FLOWERS….

The sun has set on us, but the moon has risen in its stead;

We do not mind which light is brighter;

But that we are guided to our destination;

In so doing, we provoke the sun to jealousy.

Wealth has eluded us, but we have love in abundance;

We do not mind our lack of silver and gold;

But that our hearts are filled with joy;

In so doing, we provoke wealth to jealousy.

Yes, the gardener just pruned us down, but there goes our pollen on the wings of that butterfly;

We do not mind if we die or live;

But that we sprout through our seeds;

In so doing we provoke life to jealousy.

© 2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua

THE VOICE IN THE SANDS….

Oh wretched child that I am!
What is my wrong to be put in this land?
What have i done to deserve this pain?
Does it have to do with my name?
This is the voice in the sands.
Oh wretched child that I am!
What are the rights that I hear from afar?
Are they just but a tale of the night?
What has caused this ill to my kind?
This is the voice in the sands.
Oh wretched child that I am!
After the darkness, they say comes light.
But the sun has set on my skin.
The voice in the sands has spoken.
I am the African child.

© 2009 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua

THE OMERTA (A SHORT STORY)

I began to notice what was happening three months before now. Master started coming back home an hour or two after he left for work. Madam knew nothing about this. Whenever master came back home on days like this, he came with another woman. Though, it was madam who brought me to the house, master has been kind and accepted me without any objection.  I had to be loyal to him as well or did I?

I probably would have thought nothing of all this if master hadn’t behaved so suspiciously. Usually, when he comes through the front gate, I would naturally be the first to know. I’d run and salute him. He would acknowledge with a pat or say something like, “how’s your day been girl?”  I would offer to carry his brief case but he’d laugh it off saying there were important documents inside.

I wouldn’t necessarily describe master and madam’s marriage as perfect but I presumed they were happy. They had the usual marriage squabble here and there but I guessed it was a passable union. They went about their normal everyday business; dropping the kids at school; going to and from work and so on. The family was a plausibly happy one and besides I was there to help around with a few things especially with my street senses picked up while growing up.

*                                                                       *                                                                                *

I recall the first day master hit me, he came in with a huge frown and he wouldn’t respond to my salutations. I tried again and again, but he just walked right by me leading the other woman into the house. “Oh, how much I hate her. I sure would have prevented her from entering the house if master was not there. I think she sensed the hatred. I saw fright in her eyes when she passed by me. That gave me satisfaction! If that was all I instilled -fear, then I was more than satisfied. Master usually responded to the tautness between me and her with a sneer but on this present day he gave me a big smack to my face and called me a stupid mutt. “Learn to stick your nose where it belongs”, he said.  I couldn’t believe what just happened to me, I just ran off into my room to cry.  Master never hit me before. Never! And now because of this bitch, I was getting whooped. To be honest, I really didn’t blame master; it was the slut that had made him lose his senses. The way she moved her slender buttock pendulously could rid the brains out of a man- but not mine!

On such days that master had his illicit affairs, I am usually tempted to tell madam. I really wanted to tell her. I would look at master and then at madam and know he was sorry. It would break her heart to find out. Madam would tell master off and he would be out of the house in no time. I was sure she would demand a divorce immediately.  Naturally I would have to go with her. But deep down, that wasn’t what I wanted. I loved Master and his wife together and I loved playing with their kids.

But what happened the following week made me loose all manner of restraint. Master had beaten me again because of that his mistress. What happened was this: they were on their way out and I presumed they had quarreled because she stormed out of the house alone! She looked like she had been crying because I could see her makeup was smeared over her chubby cheeks. I considered this a hint to give her a piece of my mind.  I was able to move stealthily behind her.  But before I could utter a word, master was right beside me; I think he knew what I was nursing and decided a blow to my head would correct my line of thought. That was the last straw; I had been beaten three times now because of her-I resolved to tell madam.

*                                                                       *                                                                                *

Madam took longer than usual to come home. Master was already back. Madam came in smiling as usual. I had no time for the usual pleasantries; I was going to bare my soul before I lost my nerve.

I told her the whole story; I revealed everything from the genesis till then. Madam just stared at me in disbelief as I barked aloud showing all my teeth as while the evening wind permeated through my Alsatian fur.

©2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua. 

In Defense of "Naija"

"It is very offensive to call Nigeria ‘Naija’. We are making plans to write companies to stop using the word Naija. I have heard that name Naija in adverts. I want them to go back and remove that word. If anybody says this is Naija, ask the person, 'Where is Naija?' We have to stop this word because it is catching up with the young. If we don't put a stop to its usage now, it will continue to project us wrongly.” - Minister of Information and Communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili.

Last week, Prof Dora Akinyili advised Nigerians against referring to Nigeria as “Naija”. The former NAFDAC boss and Professor of Pharmacology adduced that “Naija” was offensive and denigrating. She however did not stop with the advisory role; she took the fight a step further by promising to write to companies to prevent them from using the word.  A lot of criticisms have trailed her pronouncements from home and abroad and majority of Nigerians seem not to see it from her point of view.

What struck me first was her question, “Where is Naija?” Is it not rather comical that the person placed at the helm of affairs in the Information industry in Nigeria thinks “Naija” represents a geographical location?  In a country where Nigerians live in the face of poverty, corruption, darkness, and poor health care facilities; Prof. Akinyili would rather pick a fight with slang?

In the United States of American for instance, citizens refer to their President as “Uncle Sam”, yet President Obama has not called a press conference over this. Americans don’t get mad, when other nations refer to them as “Yankee” of “Yanks”, so why must ours be different.

Prof Akinyili says “Naija” is projecting us wrongly.  Is it because of the word- “Naija” -that Nigeria is considered one of the most corrupt nations in the world?  What actually projects us wrongly is that the Nigerian Senate President earns more in salaries and wages that the President of the United State of America. What projects us wrongly is a man like Amos Adamu found complicit in wanting to sell his votes, what projects us wrongly is Maurice Iwu declaring false election results. The Nigerian image has suffered worse blows from international communities   from the actions of people  like Ibrahim Babangida and Abacha than “Naija” would ever do.

The term “Naija” has evolved over the years to mean a number of things. “Naija” has become a brand. An innovation that has become a house hold name. It is printed on T-shirts to promote sales. It is aired on radio stations everyday to connote oneness. Promoters cash in on the “Naija” spirit to sell their products. Telecommunication giant Etisalat uses “0809ja” as its slogan. Uche Eze’s, BellaNaija.com is one of the most visited web sites in Nigeria today. Does Prof Akunyili see all these as negative publicity?

 Nigerians are beginning to find something they can identify with and believe in. They love the “Naija” that produced the likes of Asa, Genevive Nnaji, P-Square, Banky W, and Tu-face Idibia who have become international Brands. Our music industry and Nolly wood have repaired Nigeria’s image and has indeed put us on the world map as against Prof Akunyili’s tepid rebranding project.

“Naija” to me is an escape to most young Nigerians. An escape from darkness beamed by PHCN, an escape from bad roads, an escape from poverty and joblessness that Nigeria has identified them with.

In Literary circles, writers like Chimamanda Adiche, Helon Habila, Toni Kan and Segun Afolabi have shown that Nigeria has more to offer than 419 scams and prostitution. And Rather than cash in on the “Naija” wave, our information minister would rather we identify with a name that has brought us shame.  “Naija” represents success in a failing economy, hope in a depressed society and innovation in the cesspit of mediocrity we find ourselves in and therefore it should be stood by and indeed fought for.

I am sure that in the coming weeks, she will rethink her actions. She will realise that “Naija” has a lot more to offer than she has given credit for. I love Nigeria. The Nigeria that produced “Naija” and I will continue to identify with it. 


To conclude, I will leave you with the first verse of the late Da Grin's, hit track-"Pom Pom Pom". 

“♫ Omo Naija ni mi. Naija l’obi mi si
Naija ni mo ti bere si ni ka ABC
Omo Naija, mo le fi eyin shi Pepsi
Awa Naija won gbo wa lori BBC
To omode ba buru, ole fedi bad boy
To ba ra ibon onike fun ole fe di bad toy
Mummy nip e ki n ma lo church bi Broda David
Ki ma mu ladies jade Eyin ti e rap ikan ti e pe ara yin rappers.
Mi se mugu, omo mi de pampers. Mi diti, gbagbe wipe mo luti
Mo gbo in ema koja lori BRT. To ba wo sole bus-stop e l’oti ma bo le
Mi ni fight fun e, mi ki se Oshiomole. O le bere mole or ko ko mole
O le lo le. Mo sha mo pe o le wole. “♫

© 2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua

Is The Koko Master Losing it?

D’banj is a man known by several names. Ghanaians may call him Mensah; Jamaicans often refer to him as Skibanj, while we here at home in Nigeria prefer Koko- Master but His real name remains Dapo Oyebanjo. D’banj, a stage name coined from a combination of his first and last name is indeed an enigma. He burst into the limelight in 2005 with hit tracks like “Tongolo” and “Mobolowowon” on his “No Long Thing” album and has remained in our consciousness with profundity ever since.
He was able to carry the old and new generation of music lovers along, reminding us of Afro Beat legend-Fela Anikulapokuti- although his (D’banj) preferred musical instrument being an Harmonica as compared with Fela’s Saxophone.
D’banj like Fela owns a charisma that lights the stage with an eruption of sexual energy. But unlike Fela, D'banj pocesses youthful playfulness that sends his audiences gasping for more. He has also successfully introduced double entendres into the Nigerian vocabulary. Words like "koko" (which can mean anything from “crux of a matter” to something else), "long thing", and "kokoletts" are now used every day as though they have been in existence before independence.
D’banj was born to a military artillery officer father and a church dignitary mother. He hails from Shagamu in Ogun state, south west Nigeria. Due to his father’s profession, he moved several times, within Nigeria and also to India as a child. Tragedy struck the family, when his elder brother, Femi died at the age of 17 in a plane crash. His brother’s death marked a turning point in his life as this endeared him to the harmonica which Femi introduced him to.
D’banj who is signed with the Mo’hit record label (with Don Jazzy as his producer) has churned out music hit after hit. Songs like “Why me” (Run Down Funk U Up, 2006), “Igwe” (The Entertainer, 2008) may well be known as classics. His new single releases however may sooner be forgotten than remembered. Songs such as “Mr. Endowed”, “Scape goat”, and “I do this” which feature on his soon to be released album- “Mr. Endowed” have eruption mixed feelings among his fans. Some have alluded the records are nothing to write home about. These singles were released over a month ago and one would have expected that they would have burned the air ways  but rather they have fallen below the standards that the Koko master himself has set.
“Mr. Endowed”, which is meant to replace “Ogbono felifeli” as the hit track on the album lacked the D’banj factor. It was simply flat. It was as though it was made for a foreign audience. The song would have been an outright disaster had Don Jazzy not lent his voice to up the ante.
The second release, “Scape goat”, a follow up to the successful, “Fall in love” (Also in the Entertainer Album) neither sounds convincing enough for any lady to enjoy and seems banal in lyrical content. The third single, “I do this” is by far the most disappointing song I have ever listened to from D’banj. He simply was not at his best with these songs.

Casting our minds back to his previous albums where songs like, “Tongolo”, “Olorun maje”, and “Kimon” set the air-waves on fire within weeks of being released, the “forerunners” of his Mr. Endowed album have not been well received.
A number of arguments have suggested that the Koko master has decided to explore other areas of the D’banj brand. D’banj has earned himself a number of endorsements. He is the presently the new face of Chris Aire in West Africa, he is also a Glo Mobile ambassador and has been appointed by the United Nations as the first Nigerian Ambassador for peace. D’banj has also shown he has a heart for philanthropy by given back to society. He has given about $60,000 (USD) in scholarships and also donated about 1 million naira to an orphanage in Lagos.
D’banj who is also a successful entrepreneur as his Koko Lounge (a hang out) in Lagos Main land has managed to de-populated clubs on the Island. He partnered with Nigerian Pay TV Company (HITV) for "Koko Mansion" and is he is presently flirting with the idea of a clothing line for men.
The D’banj brand has also caught the attention of politicians. D’banj was the artiste chosen to usher President Good Luck Jonathan at his formal declaration to run for the 2011 presidential elections. D’banj along with his Mo’hit crew (who have achieved a sort of cult status) have also broken barriers by being the first Nigerian music group to stage a concert in the much coveted O2 Arena in London.
With all these successes mentioned, D’banj must know that music is the fulcrum on which these “achievements” rests. If that (music) fails, every other thing may begin to crumble. He should borrow a leaf from Artiste like Jay Z, 50 Cents, and P.diddy who though have made fortunes from franchises and business other than music, have continued to give their fans the best they can offer with their music.
In the recently held Hip Hop Music Video Award 2010 (HHMVA), Wande Cole, walked away with 5 awards while D’banj went home empty handed. While winning awards may not be the truest test of an artiste capability, it gives them a sense of credibility and proves their relevance in the music society. A typical exam would be Bono, who is the lead singer of the rock group U2. He has been more involved in philanthropic activity around the world, but whenever U2 record an album they always seem to sweep home the Grammy’s.
D’banj himself being a recipient of several awards including the MTV Europe Award (2007) and the MTV Africa Music Award (2009) would agree to this. Everyone would agree they could hardly skip any tracks on those albums.
The Koko Master has his critics, but he is one artiste most Nigerians are proud to have. He has proved over time to be the Entertainer he claims to be, but as far as being Endowed, he may have to keep that secret to himself.

©2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua

Arsenal FC Trophy Quest: Mirage or Reality?

 I just returned from watching an Arsenal game at a viewing centre. Arsenal lost by a lone goal to Newcastle United FC.  I am an Arsenal fan, a Gunner so to speak.  So it should be quite obvious I am pissed. I have supported Arsenal since 1999. I simply love the club. I was endeared to the club by Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu. I just loved the way we (Arsenal) played. It was simply sublime. One can say I have seen the good and bad times at the club.  But after watching their lackluster performance against Newcastle, I was forced to rethink my loyalty for the club. Arsenal is simply not ready to win any silverware. Year after year, fans all over the world have put up with excuses made by the club. From building a new stadium (Emirate) to the team being too "young".  There is always a germane reasons Arsenal do not win anything . Arsene Wenger (The Manager) must know that he has run out of excuses for his failures. After nursing the pain of defeat for a while, I have come up with a few reasons why Arsenal may not win any trophy anytime soon.

NO BIG NAME SIGNINGS

By Big names, I mean the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba, and Muzut Ozil. We simply have no big player (save for Fabregas), who can win a match us a match. The truth is that whether Arsene Wenger likes it or not, money is part of the game. Big name signings actually do more than collect big pay cheques. The "Sugar daddy" phenomenon as exemplified by Chelsea Owner (Roman Abhramovich) and more recently Manchester City (Sheikh Mansour) would prove that if you pay them big, they will have to play big. These “big move” players have a way of bringing motivation into a team. A classic example is the Carling Cup final of 2007/2008 season between Arsenal and Chelsea. The Gunners completely controlled the game and should have won it by Theo Walcott’s goal. The game dragged on, and Michael Ballack who had had a quiet game managed to field a sublime cross to Didier Drogba who headed home. Ballack was bought for big bucks and he simply did a big buck job. Chelsea eventually went on to win that game. In the glory years of the "invisibles", Arsenal could boast of players like Thierry Henry, Dennis Berkamp and Patrick Viera (not necessarily big earners at the time but big names in their own right), and would have won that game easily.

HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE GOAL KEEPING

Arsenal is the only top flight side that can hardly boast of a world class goalie. We seem not to have found worthy replacements for the likes of David Seaman and Lehman. Goal keepers are a quintessential element in any trophy winning side. It would be worthy to note that the last time Arsenal won any trophy, Jens Lehman was in goal. He is the only goal keeper not to lose a single game in a Premier League season (He still holds the record till date). Lehman also managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the Champions League season until Alumina conceded two goals in less than 15 minutes. Now we have Fabiaski (flapi hanski) who gifted Chelsea the FA cup semi finals and was instrumental to Arsenal's loss against Newcastle. Any team serious about winning laurels must have a quality goal keeper. Manchester United have Vandersaar, Chelsea have got Petr Cech and Real Madrid have Iker Casillas to name a few.

HOLE IN DEFENCE

The Arsenal back four has been a mess since the departure of players like Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Lee Dixon and Winterburn. Squilacci and Koscielny have not lived up to expectation. Clichy and Sagna overlap ever so often and Vermaleen can't cover adequately enough.

CLUB DEBT

The Club incurred debt due to her movement into the Emirate Stadium and that has been the major excuse for Arsenals tumble in the past few years. That excuse ran out last season as Arsenal has managed to pay up its £100,000,000 debt. What is curious however is that while Arsenal was still indebted to the Emirate group, the contract agreement allowed 70% of transfer earnings to be reinvested in the club. Arsenal has made money every season (35million pounds 09/10). Arsene Wenger has simply chosen not to buy. This unnecessary shrewdness in spending has cost us players like Huntelaar, Joe Cole, and Filipe Melo.

YOUTH POLICY

This is by far the most annoying point. By this policy, we are left to playing "kids" who fall like pack of cards when Didier Drogba shows up in a challenge. Players like Denilson are “bullied" all over the pitch. Teams like Bolton Wanderers, Stoke City, and Birmingham have continuously used this to their advantage.

WE JUST NEVER SHOOT

Other teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid that play arguably the same style of football with Arsenal never hesitate to pull the trigger when they are within range. But the gunners will rather pass their way into the net. The Odds are that if one shoots at the goal, he would either score or not. And if he does not score, the ball could bounce off the post and fall fortuitously for a second attempt (This is common sense).

INJURIES

Arsenal FC is about the most unlucky club as far as injuries are concerned. At a time this season we had about 7 first team players out through injuries. And this seems to occur every season and at the most crucial points. I don’t see a Chelsea, or Manchester United winning games with key players out. Barcelona always flounders when ever Lionel Messi is absent.   

  





ARSENE WENGER

I am almost shooting myself in the head for including Monsieur Wenger in my black list but it’s a sad truth. Arsene Wenger, on arrival at the London club in 1995 was greeted by a newspaper headline (The Evening Standard) reading "Arsene who"? Arsene was a nobody in football parlance. He single handedly metamorphosed Arsenal’s "boring-boring" days to the present day “beautiful” football Arsenal now play. He is by far the most successful coach the club has had winning, 3 Premier League titles, 4 FA Cup competitions and 1 Champions League Final (ha ha ha).  Fans now hold billboard that boldly say “Arsene knows” or “In Arsene We Trust”. Right now, Arsene seems not to know too much anymore.

Arsene Wenger has kept faith with the most mediocre players on the planet. No other coach would still include the likes of Denilson, Diaby, Senderous, and Almunia on their squad after so many blunders. You may have noticed I did not mention Bendtnar (I simply love the dude so don’t bite me ok).

Second, Arsene (sorts of rhymes with Arsenal don’t you think), for some reasons I haven’t yet understood tends to field a weaker team in seemingly important games. I have two examples that immediately come to mind. One, in an away game against Stoke City (2009/2010 EPL season), and in the FA Cup Semi Final against Chelsea.  He decided to leave our best players (Samir Nasri and Andre Arshavin) on the bench when they were fit.

Third, Arsene Wengers’s pride has made Arsenal lose some very good players. He doesn’t like it when people think he needs any player. Arsenal lost talents like Lassana Diara, Alexander Hleb and Mattiew Flamini needlessly.   I can remember at least three times where Sir Alex Ferguson withstood  transfers away from Old Trafford because he believed they were “needed” at Manchester United.

CONCLUSION

As the French say, you either “love her or leave her”. I choose to love her. That is the funny situation I have found myself. I do not know for how long I will have to wait for my bragging rights. Whether Arsenal wins any trophy this season or not, we may keep hearing the same stories-“the team is young”, “there is believe in the team”-over and over again. I have decided I will stay put. To all Arsenal fans and haters out there, its GUNNERS FOR LIFE!

©2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua

Mediocrity and the Nigerian State

The Nigerian factor has yet again struck a blow. Its weapon of choice this time may not have been an AK 47 but it was no less fatal. I write this piece with a deep sense of disappointment and indignation at wonder at the level to of mediocrity which we as a Nation have sunk into . For a country that professes fairness, equity and justice (especially since the return of democracy), we live our lives every day in defiance to these sacred virtues.

About a month ago, a close friend of mine was invited to an interview at the National Assembly Clinic in Abuja. Although given only a two-day notice, he traveled over 500 kilometers from Benin City on our tempestuous roads to make the appointment. To begin with, this interview should have been conducted more than a month before it was eventually scheduled but the organizers delayed it to wait for some “special” candidates who had not yet left University! (Yes, they were that special). Apparently the chances of this friend of mine was sliming by the second. If the umpire of an exam had to wait for some chosen people, what hope was there for him? An examination in which less than thirty candidates were supposed to write was now open to almost a hundred people.  This did not deter him however; it was after all a fair playing field.  Or so he thought.

And so, like Caesar, he came to the Abuja, he saw, and finally conquered the exam. Another friend of ours who worked in the clinic called me up to congratulate me on the success of my friend. She said he was selected based on merit and federal character. He was the best candidate from the South-South zone and would no doubt be selected but she warned me not to tell him yet until it was made official (I didn’t know why she told me this until later).  I am not one to keep secrets, let alone good secrets so I called him jubilantly. We joked over the phone about how smart he was and he promised to “wash” it. I even had a percentage of his first salary!

After waiting for another two weeks or so, I was shocked to find out that, the “successful” candidates had already resumed work. I with my friend wondered whether a different exam had been conducted where he was no longer the best from the South-South.

To begin with, out of the almost hundred that sat for the interview conducted, only 18 candidates got the job. Of this 18, just 5 were selected based on merit. If only 27.7 percent of candidates were selected for their high performance in the exam, by what criteria did the other 72.3 percent (13 candidates) qualify from? Why would any other criteria supersede merit with federal character notwithstanding? Even if a candidate must come from Sokoto, Borno, or Imo, these candidates have to chosen because of their performances and not just because of where they come from. That way, the umpire would have satisfied the law and would been seen to be equitable.

The truth was that his name had most likely been substituted by someone who had a letter of recommendation bearing “honorable”. He did not have a lobbyist, or a fancy complimentary card. In short, he was nobody.  The “some-bodies” had been selected before the exam.  

What if we didn’t know he had been successful earlier on? He would have thought the competition was too stiff and probably spent more money he didn’t have buying books on how to pass interviews. Can you imagine how many places this manner of injustice goes on every day? Ever wonder why the level of unemployment never seems to decrease even with the amount of vacancies been advertised in national daily’s? And yet every day, we wonder why we have less qualified doctors in hospitals, inept teachers in schools, and civil servants who can’t write official letters.  

My friend is back to the  labor market. He sent me a very disturbing text message saying this, “I guess the onus is on us to be somebody-this should not happen to our kids. I couldn’t find a congruent answer that would be both empathetic and yet justify his position, but I told him that I can only hope that one day in this country; we would not have to call in any favors for our children.  A prefer a country where their performances would be enough.


© 2010 Ewoigbokhan Otaigbe Itua