Election 2015: No Fence To Sit On - By Sonala Olumhense

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yqpkvyxM-ixNi4JdPeixW7ZS-rquxj3QgNn_CNnW3idERAk8rDTHHupIKCYJW2L2jNrg86XoGDcHpd94c29xvs1oaxoYaK_4gvHjtykH9zcBqQ_ni4F6Errru0CptEHLZfInYezdwNc/s1600/SOS_Logo_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yqpkvyxM-ixNi4JdPeixW7ZS-rquxj3QgNn_CNnW3idERAk8rDTHHupIKCYJW2L2jNrg86XoGDcHpd94c29xvs1oaxoYaK_4gvHjtykH9zcBqQ_ni4F6Errru0CptEHLZfInYezdwNc/s1600/SOS_Logo_0.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Four years ago, ahead of the 2011 election, <a href="http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/sonala-olumhense/i-endorse-muhammadu-buhari-for-president.html">I endorsed General Muhammadu Buhari for president of Nigeria</a> in his face-to-face battle with Goodluck Jonathan.  </b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I argued that in all of the years of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP), its mission had been simply to provide for itself, and that Mr. Jonathan was a part of that mission.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> "Anyone giving his vote to Jonathan gives him the permission to serve the PDP, to protect its army of crooks and looters, and to spend the federal treasury until it is empty,” I said, and that despite Buhari’s shortcomings, he was “an opportunity” for Nigeria.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Buhari, who ran on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) lost that election.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Mr. Jonathan, who had anchored his candidature on <b><a href="http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/articles-comments/63022-non-governing-governance-3-4-mountain-promises.html">this armada of electoral promises</a></b>, won.  Some of his supporters were people who agreed they shared my views about the PDP; they said in their ingenuous defense they had voted only for Jonathan, not the party.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Full disclosure:</b> In June 2012, <b><a href="http://saharareporters.com/2012/06/03/no-buhari-not-2015-sonala-olumhense">I argued against what was then a rumoured 2015 presidential run by Buhari</a></b>. In it, I criticized Buhari and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain Asiwaju Tinubu for their historic failure to unite their parties against the PDP in the 2011. I reiterated that Nigeria’s key political players do far too little in-between elections to advance Nigeria’s democracy.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The 2015 elections come up next month, and Nigeria again faces a presidential election slate in which both Jonathan and Buhari will be the principal players.  Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket is bolstered and boosted by the emergence of Yemi Osinbajo, an excellent compatriot and friend.  It is also the beneficiary of Mr. Jonathan’s awful performance which continues to be an advertisement of incoherence of policy, confusion of character, and embarrassment in delivery.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Nigerians are stuck in a position that is at best flattered as a stalemate; in real terms, it is a tragedy.  It is therefore clearly time for them to reject, resoundingly, the betrayal of the existing political order.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In 2003, I first called the PDP the <i>Profoundly Decadent Party</i>.  Twelve years later, the party has decayed further.  It must be denounced and disgraced at the polling booth.   </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>How deep is this decay?</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In 2011, there were people who thought that the Dr. by which Jonathan precedes his name was an academic title, indicating he had earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree. His ethical, intellectual and administrative hollowness has become so pronounced in his five years in charge that people now openly question who he really is.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Who is President Jonathan? </b> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Probably a good man in his home, but he seems to have no grasp as to what day it is outside of it.  He reads a good speech when one is penned for him, but he appears to be out of his depth the moment he has to articulate his own thoughts or react to anything more complicated than a simple proposal.  He presents no inspiration and no command; he offers no one the solace he says what he means or means what he says.  He was never presidential material.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> "I do not make empty promises in my campaign because whatever I promise to do, I had already carried out adequate study to make sure I can accomplish it in the next four years," he bragged about his candidacy before the Igbo on February 27, 2011 in Onitsha.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In that case, he cannot - can he? - be the same person who made <b><a href="http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/articles-comments/63022-non-governing-governance-3-4-mountain-promises.html">these promises</a></b> or <b><a href="http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/forum/articles-comments/70350-beyond-words-sampling-two-years-worth-vows.html">these vows</a></b>?  If it is, why is he making a fresh batch for next month’s election?  If it is not, why has he not denounced the impostor who made them in his name?  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Anywhere else on earth, Mr. Jonathan’s track record would be accepted, especially by his party, as the reason why he should not be running again.  In Nigeria, it is being presented as the reason for a new coronation.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> That proves that those who want Mr. Jonathan to remain in power are the people who are benefitting from the cover of haplessness he provides. There is nobody, not one, who can campaign for Mr. Jonathan on the basis of the quality he presents.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Mr. Jonathan is, in that sense, the equivalent of an iPad.  But an iPad is coveted only for the wonderful window it is for consumption; it is no use if your objective is to produce.  Mr. Jonathan is the iPad for the consumption of Nigeria’s commonwealth, not for its production. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> That is why he is being carried on the shoulders by those who want power without responsibility, and in the case of the wealthy barons of the petroleum and electricity sectors, by those who want no power for Nigerians.  Everyone knows the objective is to make sure Nigeria continues to be available to be raped.    </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Little wonder: under his watch, accountability has been rejected and looting, standardized; officials who pause from harvesting for themselves are helping powerful friends outside the gates to do so.  In the Jonathanian Era, you can steal with confidence, protected by presidential complicity and duplicity. That is not the transformation President Jonathan advertises, but it is the real transformation he has achieved.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In his care, Nigeria has therefore shrunk by every conceivable measure.  Insurgents control vast expanses of land. Crooks control Abuja and most states. Kidnappers control widespread killing and extortion fields. The economy has shrunk in every meaningful category. There is still the same limited electricity. There are fewer jobs. Hope is in increasingly shorter and more dangerous supply. </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> This is the terrain on which the 2015 elections will be held. The difference from previous elections is that in 2015, there will be no secrets. Jonathan, who received the dubious benefit of the doubt in 2011, has disrobed for the world to see.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The election is being billed as APC versus PDP.  That is mischievous because the corollary - which is advanced by those carefully hiding their PDP sympathies - is that the parties are “the same.”   </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> This is nonsense.  Every Nigerian has the right to form a party, and to invite into it only those angels who fit a particular description.  Unless you have done that - or you have a coup or a revolution in the works, or you are running for president - the only honest position is to pronounce publicly you want the PDP and its instruments of savagery contained.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> You may not even have a vote. The least you can do is pronounce that those who inflicted the wounds of the past 15 years cannot be expected to be the doctors of the next four.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> On this point, there is no fence to sit on, and no place to hide: The PDP, and Mr. Jonathan, have run Nigeria aground. Next month, they must be held to account at the polls, and thereafter.  </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>sonala.olumhense@gmail.com  Twitter: @SonalaOlumhense</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Credit: SaharaReporters</b></div>

Election 2015: No Fence To Sit On - By Sonala Olumhense

Four years ago, ahead of the 2011 election, I endorsed General Muhammadu Buhari for president of Nigeria in his face-to-face battle wi...

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Edward Brooke, 1st Black Elected US Senator, Dies At 95

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmY__ZxlAkWoSJVAHCy6qCWCToQQeg6sjU_QKGNp_DP97QjhwkMe8k9PZkBkHzi_KqTGGKYW6mgEIQTpfXc4IRonooNCQYGN71SMRylesJsTidDkAITtZ4WhRJN4L0vlAdJ-3HACwukzk/s1600/Ed+Brooke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmY__ZxlAkWoSJVAHCy6qCWCToQQeg6sjU_QKGNp_DP97QjhwkMe8k9PZkBkHzi_KqTGGKYW6mgEIQTpfXc4IRonooNCQYGN71SMRylesJsTidDkAITtZ4WhRJN4L0vlAdJ-3HACwukzk/s1600/Ed+Brooke.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>BOSTON (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Edward W. Brooke, a liberal Republican who became the first black in U.S. history to win popular election to the Senate, died Saturday. He was 95.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke died of natural causes at his Coral Gables, Florida, home, said Ralph Neas, Brooke's former chief counsel. Brooke was surrounded by his family.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke was elected to the Senate in 1966, becoming the first black to sit in that branch from any state since Reconstruction and one of nine blacks who have ever served there - including Barack Obama.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke told The Associated Press he was "thankful to God" that he lived to see Obama's election. And the president was on hand in October 2009 when Brooke was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress has to honor civilians. Obama hailed Brooke as "a man who's spent his life breaking barriers and bridging divides across this country."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell recalled his first impression of the newly elected senator when McConnell was a Senate staffer and described Brooke as "a model of courage and honesty in office."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> "... even from across the Senate chamber, you could sense that this was a Senator of historic importance," McConnell said in a statement Saturday. "Indeed, he was."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> A Republican in a largely Democratic state, Brooke was one of Massachusetts' most popular political figures during most of his 12 years in the Senate.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, the state's first black governor, remembered Brooke for his unselfish public service.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> "He carried the added honor and burden of being 'the first' and did so with distinction and grace," Patrick said. "I have lost a friend and mentor. America has lost a superb example of selfless service."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke earned his reputation as a Senate liberal in part by becoming the first Republican senator to publicly urge President Richard Nixon to resign. He helped lead the forces in favor of the Equal Rights Amendment and was a defender of school busing to achieve racial integration, a bitterly divisive issue in Boston.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He also lent his name to the Brooke amendment to the federal housing act, passed in 1969, which limited to 25 percent the amount of income a family must pay for rent in public housing.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> However, late in his second term, Brooke divorced his wife of 31 years, Remigia, in a stormy proceeding that attracted national attention.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Repercussions from the case spurred an investigation into his personal finances by the Senate Ethics Committee and a probe by the state welfare department and ultimately cost him the 1978 election. He was defeated by Democrat Rep. Paul E. Tsongas.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Tsongas' widow, U.S. Rep. Nikki Tsongas, said Saturday that Brooke's career was "as courageous as it was historic."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In a Boston Globe interview in 2000, Brooke recalled the pain of losing his bid for a third term.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> "It was just a divorce case. It was never about my work in the Senate. There was never a charge that I committed a crime, or even nearly committed a crime," Brooke said.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> In 2008, pioneering newswoman Barbara Walters said she had an affair with the then-married Brooke in the 1970s, but it ended before he lost the 1978 election. She called him "exciting" and "brilliant."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony in 2004. Five years later, when Brooke received the congressional honor in Washington, he cited the issues facing Congress — health care, the economy and the wars overseas — and called on lawmakers to put their partisan differences aside.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> "We've got to get together," Brooke said, turning his eyes to Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "We have no alternative. There's nothing left. It's time for politics to be put aside on the back burner."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> As Brooke sought the Senate seat in 1966, profiles in the national media reminded readers that he had won office handily in a state where blacks made up just 2 percent of the population — the state that had also given the nation its only Roman Catholic president, John F. Kennedy.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He beat Democrat Endicott Peabody, a former governor who also supported civil rights, by a 3-to-2 margin despite predictions of a "white backlash" against him.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Commenting on Brooke's election and other developments that day, Martin Luther King Jr. commented that "despite appeals to bigotry of an intensity and vulgarity never before witnessed in the North, millions of white voters remained unshaken in their commitment to decency."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke had parlayed his probes of local corruption into a successful run for state attorney general in 1962 when he became the highest ranking black elected official in the nation. He won re-election as attorney general in 1964 even though Democrats dominated other races.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Somewhat aloof from the civil rights movement of the 1960s, especially the militant wing, he said blacks had to win allies, not fight adversaries. But he also said of civil rights leaders: "Thank God we have them. But everyone has to do it in the best way he can."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He had refused to endorse Sen. Barry Goldwater for president in 1964, commenting later, "You can't say the Negro left the Republican Party; the Negro feels he was evicted from the Republican Party."</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The son of a Veterans Administration lawyer, Brooke was raised in a middle-class black section of Washington, attending segregated schools through his graduation from Howard University in 1941. He served in an all-black combat unit in World War II, and later settled in Boston after graduating from Boston University Law School.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and went public the following year, saying he wanted to encourage men to perform self-examinations and advocating that insurance companies cover male mammograms.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Brooke is survived by his second wife, Anne Fleming Brooke; their son Edward Brooke IV; his daughters from his first marriage, Remi Goldstone and Edwina Petit; stepdaughter Melanie Laflamme, and four grandchildren.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Credit: <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/edward-brooke-1st-black-elected-us-senator-dies-222330856.html">Yahoo! News</a></b></div>

Edward Brooke, 1st Black Elected US Senator, Dies At 95

BOSTON (AP) - Former U.S. Sen. Edward W. Brooke, a liberal Republican who became the first black in U.S. history to win popular electio...

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It's 'Operation Show Your Voters Card' This Sunday - Pastor Adeboye

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaOPN5srBlnY_lHl2yIQbcpHOh3sSf1vrF5nh0Avkeh_GQ7LARPGw14CcWSlNDyP1Gjiu7PCYGgmAbdRATSVZno0l-tff-_uaWWnEeBNt4l78vOk0S5wvxvlPTHwULW75uxZsZERZA3Y/s1600/Pastor_E_A_Adeboye_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaOPN5srBlnY_lHl2yIQbcpHOh3sSf1vrF5nh0Avkeh_GQ7LARPGw14CcWSlNDyP1Gjiu7PCYGgmAbdRATSVZno0l-tff-_uaWWnEeBNt4l78vOk0S5wvxvlPTHwULW75uxZsZERZA3Y/s1600/Pastor_E_A_Adeboye_2.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Friday night, reiterated his call on members to ensure that they get their permanent voter cards, PVCs, to enable them exercise their civic responsibility during next month’s general elections.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Speaking on the theme, <b>‘The Burden Bearer’</b>, during the church monthly Holy Ghost Service held at the Redemption Camp, Adeboye said the voter card is the only power the people have during election.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Clad in white French suit, the man of God, popularly called Daddy G.O. reminded the congregation that everyone was expected to collect and bring his/her card to the church on the first Sunday of January, saying that parish pastors will request for it.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He, therefore, advised members who have not collected their PVC to go to the nearest INEC collection centre for it.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Stressing the importance of the PVC, the cleric admonished those who were unable to find their own to re-register for it, noting that it is very crucial. “You must get it even if it means spending the whole day at the local government because without the card, you cannot vote,” Adeboye said.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “On the first Sunday of the year, come to church with your voter card as your pastors will ask for it.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> “Take thanksgiving service seriously this year. Do not take it as what the little ones should do. How old are you in the presence of Almighty God?”, the G.O. said.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Enumerating three types of burden to include physical burden, material burden and marital burden, Adeboye described burden as a heavy load that attaches itself to one and such load goes with the person wherever he or she goes, saying  God, the Burden Bearer, is one that comes along and help one to carry a burden.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> On the conditions to meet the Burden Bearer and what is expected when such burden is lifted, he said, one must admit he has a burden, willing to be helped and cry to the Bearer for help.</div>

It's 'Operation Show Your Voters Card' This Sunday - Pastor Adeboye

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Friday night, reiterated his call on members...

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Oga Bello Neither Drinks Nor Smokes, Says His Son, Femi Adebayo

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAmW92Sba0iV8rQ5bGPq9RiEiI6MeA_RLaZpPoeqKszNRW9U_34IcvfvZQQlYKsK8sY0wm558Uf_UaOlSafysADBvcqVK2jc_hAcLAiG3s-Z9rxRS7wvEacQokk-K2FBv2e38-pEy9po/s1600/Femi+Adebayo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAmW92Sba0iV8rQ5bGPq9RiEiI6MeA_RLaZpPoeqKszNRW9U_34IcvfvZQQlYKsK8sY0wm558Uf_UaOlSafysADBvcqVK2jc_hAcLAiG3s-Z9rxRS7wvEacQokk-K2FBv2e38-pEy9po/s1600/Femi+Adebayo.jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><br /></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Femi Adebayo, son of veteran <i>Nollywood</i> actor, Adebayo Salami (aka <i>Oga Bello</i>), talks about his father’s acting career with GBENGA ADENIJI of <i>The Punch</i>.</b> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i>Excerpts:</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Can you please introduce yourself?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I am Femi Adebayo born into the family of Adebayo Salami popularly called <i>Oga Bello</i>. I studied Law at the University of llorin and earned a Master’s degree in Law at the University of Ibadan. I hail from Ilorin in Kwara State. I am married and have children. I am best described as an actor and a lawyer.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Didn’t your father encourage you to study Acting instead of Law since you seem to enjoy the former?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I have always wanted to be a lawyer. My father always told us when we were young that he would support us on any career choices we made. Since I decided I was going to study Law, he was very supportive. He gave me all the needed support and encouragement. My passion for acting started when I kept seeing him on television while I was young. At a point, I felt like acting too. When he noticed my interest in acting, he did not discourage me. Rather, he encouraged my interest in the two careers. My father did not force any career on any of his children. He left us to study the courses we showed interest in and have capacity for. I must also say that he influenced me indirectly as an actor because if I had not enjoyed his acting style while I was growing up, there was no way I could have showed interest in acting.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How do you feel each time you feature in a movie with him?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The father-son relationship ends the moment we are on set. We instantly become professional colleagues and have to creatively interpret our roles. That notwithstanding, I always have the confidence that whenever I am on location with him, the movie being produced at that time cannot be less qualitative. This is because of his experience as an actor and the fact that I learn from him. Whenever we are on set, it is a different thing because acting is make-believe and we have to make the audience have a feel of reality. It is no more a father-son relationship but purely on professional basis. We have featured together in many movies. I recall that I played the role of a thief who robbed him in one of the films we acted in together. We featured together in movies such as <i>Alade Owala</i>, <i>Jelili</i> and <i>Sonto Alapata</i> among many others.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Were you opportune to receive tutelage under Ojo Ladipo (Baba Mero) who was your father’s boss and mentor?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I was not opportune to be trained by him. I was extremely young when he died.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How many wives does your father have?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> My father has two wives.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Some people believe that his family is large. What is your view about this?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> God will continue to enlarge our family coast. My father is blessed with both male and female children who continually make him proud in their chosen careers. I guess you are aware that a Yoruba adage says, <i>A kin ka omo fun olomo</i>. (one does not count the number of children a man has). So, I will not want to say the exact number of my father’s children. But I can tell you that he has about 12 children who are graduates.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How does he handle misunderstanding with his wives?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> It is only my father that can answer that question.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How does he relax if he is not on location?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> My father stays with his family at home. He does not like going out if there is no genuine reason to do so. I remember when I was still staying with him, he was always indoors whenever he had no movie shooting to do. He would take us out in his car to visit some places as a family.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><b>Where were the places he used to take his family to for relaxation?</b></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He used to take us to Amusement Park in Lagos during Christmas celebrations. We would ride horses and have a great fun. I remember that vividly. He would ensure we enjoyed ourselves to satisfaction. We had almost everything we wanted anytime he took us out.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What is his favourite meal? </i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He likes amala and bush meat. During the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria, I called him and he started laughing because he already knew what I wanted to say. I told him to be careful eating bush meat with its link with the virus.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Did he visit you while you were in the university?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Yes, he visited me when I was in the university many times. I always felt on top of the world each time he visited. It was always a wonderful time for me on campus because many people who recognised him also expressed curiosity to know who he came to see.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>When they discovered that he came to visit you, did colleagues and lecturers alike give you preferential treatment?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> There was no preferential treatment extended to me by classmates or lecturers on account of who my father is. If anything, my father’s visits only gave me recognition in school. My lecturers were strict and besides, there are regulations set by the school authorities for all students. I did my first movie when I was in part-one, hence my father’s visit further boosted my profile and popularity as a student.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What kind of father is he?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> My father is a highly principled and approachable man. He is a very wonderful man. He whistles to call my mother or to get her attention. They have maintained that method before I was born. If anyone of us tries to imitate him by whistling, my mother will know and will not answer. I think it is because she is familiar with his style of whistling to her.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How did he punish any of his children who misbehaved?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He neither used the cane nor the whip on any of us. We always tried not to offend him. We were often sober and remorseful whenever he expressed disappointment over any wrongdoing or told us not to talk to him for the moment. My mother was the one who used the cane.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i><br /></i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Who are his friends?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He has many friends. They cut across all disciplines but there are no politicians among his friends. There are some of his friends that they have been together since his childhood days.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Why are there no politicians among them?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> (Laughs) I really do not know.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What kind of songs does he listen to?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> My father enjoys the songs of Ayinde Barrister, Ayinla Omowura, Yusuf Olatunji and Fela.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What is his preferred mode of dressing?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He dresses based on the occasion he is attending. But most times, he wears native attire.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><b><br /></b></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><b>What ideals have your father taught you?</b></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The first and major one is to be good to people regardless of their status, religion or ethnic leanings. He always says it pays to be good to fellow human beings. I have imbibed this and I try to be good to anybody I encounter in my daily interactions. He has also taught me patience and honesty. These are the core values I appreciate in him and do thank him for instilling them in me. I am also trying to make sure those close to me exhibit same to people around them.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><b>Since your father has two wives as you said earlier, are you also going to take after him in that regard?</b></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I don’t think so.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Why don’t you think so?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> It is not my wish.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How has your father’s name assisted you when people know you are related to him?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> There are several of such instances. He is a very good man. Even before I started acting, people often identified thus, <i>"Omo oga Bello niyen o"</i> (That is the son of Oga Bello) I get special attention in many areas. When he was young, he was nicknamed <i>Oba</i> because they said he has traits of a leader. If anybody calls him by the appellation, he will know that the person must have known him from childhood.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What is his favourite drink?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> My father neither drinks nor smokes.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What kind of car does he like?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He likes to ride any brand of Toyota.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How sociable is he?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> When one considers the nature of what he does, he should have no reason not to go out and socialise. But he always tries to select the kind of social gatherings he attends. He also tries to enjoy himself in moderation whenever the need arises. He is not the kind of person one finds at every social event except it is vital for him to attend.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What image do you think your father has been able to make in Nollywood?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> To the glory of God, he has been able to distinguish himself in the industry. When he celebrated his 50 years on stage, there were accolades from people and colleagues who have interacted with him.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>How do you feel being his son?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I feel proud and honoured. It is my prayer that people will speak positive things about me more than they speak about my father.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><b>Are there things you think people expect from you as his son?</b></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> There are some people who think that having served my father, they should reap the gains from me. I try to be diplomatic in my approach. The ones that I can handle I do and those that I cannot, I stay away from.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>What pieces of advice does he constantly give you?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Most times, he always tells me to remain respectful as I have been. My father appreciates the fact that I am respectful but he constantly reminds me to remain so. He also advises me to be tolerant of people and be honest in whatever I do. I do not forget any of them. I continually remember them daily.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Did he tell you how he came about the nickname, Oga Bello?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> He did not tell me because I did not ask him. It is an appellation which I think he earned on stage.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b><i>Which of his movies do you like most and why do you like it?</i></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> I like the movie, <i>Emi Abata</i>, which he produced about 10 years ago. In Yoruba, <i>Emi Abata</i> literally means 'For the sake of someone'. For example, one can say because of Bello, we give Femi the opportunity to do this thing. I featured in that movie too. I like the movie so much because it also mirrors my own experiences in life because I am enjoying my father’s goodwill.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Credit: <a href="http://www.punchng.com/feature/famous-parents/my-mum-is-stricter-than-dad-oga-bellos-son/">The Punch</a></b></div>

Oga Bello Neither Drinks Nor Smokes, Says His Son, Femi Adebayo

Femi Adebayo, son of veteran Nollywood actor, Adebayo Salami (aka Oga Bello ), talks about his father’s acting career with GBENGA ADEN...

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[Update]: Austria-Based Nigerian Murdered By Lover: Austrian Embassy Intervenes

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm3KcF8NepmFUlPfqRA-uP2MKpmTIqfAR5NfepHRvPVh7APtQryqTN7_803tL34Wae_bv7nOKmMm98OyFF12RJu75VrlHiNIWCgii_6qvr4a2UQwD-jT7hIMmQ7ihLJjljda1OFNXR2c/s1600/Austrian0Victoria-Aifuwa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIm3KcF8NepmFUlPfqRA-uP2MKpmTIqfAR5NfepHRvPVh7APtQryqTN7_803tL34Wae_bv7nOKmMm98OyFF12RJu75VrlHiNIWCgii_6qvr4a2UQwD-jT7hIMmQ7ihLJjljda1OFNXR2c/s1600/Austrian0Victoria-Aifuwa.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>It was a sad way for any family to celebrate Christmas; infact nobody would wish what happened to the family of Ms Rose Aifuwa, an Edo born Nigerian based in Austria, to happen to his enemy. It was a love story turned awry between Festus Aimufua, aka <i>two million</i>, a spare parts dealer in Benin-City, and Rose. <i>Sunday Vanguard</i> learnt that Rose and Festus became business partners about three years ago.</b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> She was sending spare parts and used cars, popularly known as <i>Tokunbo</i> from Austria to Nigeria and Festus became her links man here in Nigeria. It was learnt that the duo enjoyed the business relationship until January 2014, when they fell in love and started dating. Their relationship was rosy until last December when <b>Rose</b> arrived Nigeria demanding the money owed to her by her lover.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The money was said to be in excess of ₦20 million. It was gathered that goods including cars and spare parts imported into the country under the custody of <b>Festus</b> were sold but the proceeds not remitted to Rose. Rose allegedly arrived Nigeria insisting that Festus should pay her the money but Festus allegedly became evasive. On the eve of Christmas, Rose was said to have invited Festus to her residence at Upper Mission Road, Benin-City. Festus, married with two kids, slept at the residence of his lover and when he was about leaving in the morning of 25 December, Rose demanded for her money after she expressed displeasure with the way and manner Festus is running her chains of businesses here in Nigeria.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlA0KJADctc2vkHcLwDvN9WLaicTN6yIbCX3ayaUwPhWuU5OwdhBFjbyVbMLbMsfDVjAXP_W27qm-8fFJ6ZguCNKwUGnVRzatnPZLmihVZnYfp8kBQcW0NyKHwcg3zYgadRRFzPQP6Ok/s1600/Austrian0Festus-Aifuwa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlA0KJADctc2vkHcLwDvN9WLaicTN6yIbCX3ayaUwPhWuU5OwdhBFjbyVbMLbMsfDVjAXP_W27qm-8fFJ6ZguCNKwUGnVRzatnPZLmihVZnYfp8kBQcW0NyKHwcg3zYgadRRFzPQP6Ok/s1600/Austrian0Festus-Aifuwa.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The suspect, Festus Aimufua</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <b style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/finished-woman-whose-daughter-killed-lover-xmas-day/">Sunday Vanguard</a></b><span style="text-align: justify;"> was informed that when they started dating, Rose handed her business empire to Festus to run for her. Initially, Festus used to purchase spare parts from her and pay immediately, but when they started dating he continued to purchase goods from her money. The proceeds were put around ₦20 million. After a heated argument Festus was said to have rushed to her car that morning and Rose followed suit insisting that her money should be paid.  Festus was said to have raced off in his Honda car but in the process hit his lover who was pursuing him.</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>READ: <a href="http://nigerianewsroom.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/austria-based-nigerian-woman-murdered.html">AUSTRIA-BASED NIGERIAN WOMAN MURDERED BY LOVER IN NIGERIA</a></b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> When crack team of detectives from the Police Command took the suspect to the scene of the crime, it was discovered that after hitting her he dragged the body of the decease under the car for another 500 meters before dumping the mangled body at the end of Upper Mission Extension. People who identified the body where it was dumped ran to the family of the lady to inform them.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The family immediately went in search of Festus. <b>Sunday Vanguard</b> learnt that when they saw Festus he was tricked to believe that her lover was still alive but in hospital, so he was advised to report himself to the police. The obviously confused man went to Oregbeni Police Station where he reported the case of accident instead of murder, apparently believing that his lover was still alive. He was arrested. The police consequently visited the scene where the body was dumped and found that the man had committed alleged murder.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> The incident is creating tension now between the Austrian government and the Nigeria Police. The deceased was said to have travelled to Nigeria with her Austrian passport and, following her death, the Austrian Embassy last Wednesday contacted the police in Edo State over her death. The Edo State Police Commissioner, Foluso Adebanjo, who detailed detectives to unravel the mystery behind the death, confirmed to <b>Sunday Vanguard</b> that the Austrian Embassy contacted them.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> While the siblings of the deceased may not know much about Rose’s relationship with Festus, their octogenarian mother, <b>Madam Victoria Aifuwa</b>, claimed to have the details of the relationship. <b>Sunday Vanguard</b> met her in their family house at Aduwawa area of Benin-City and she was a complete wreck. She wept uncontrollably, raining curses on Festus for allegedly cutting the life of the family’s bread winner short. <i>‘Iye’</i>, as aged women are called in Benin, narrated what transpired some 24 hours before the death of her daughter.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> She said: <i>“I was with my daughter at her residence at Upper Mission on 24 December, 2014. When it was 7pm I told my daughter that I wanted to start going home because I wasn’t feeling well, so she started laughing, calling me old woman. She asked me to come back the next day which was Christmas day. Festus, my daughter’s boyfriend, was with my daughter with some of his friends having drinks when I left them only for me to hear knock on my gate the next day that my daughter’s dead body was lying at a junction.</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><br /></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i>"Later, the people that came were trying to hide the matter from me by saying it was minor injury that she sustained. Some people said she was shot at the back while others said her intestine came out. The killer of my daughter said they both slept together and that when he wanted to leave my daughter held him insisting he must pay her the money he owed over some business transaction. It was at that point he knocked her down with his vehicle and dragged her on the ground which led to her death.</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i>"My world has crumbled, I don’t know what to do, I am in hell without my daughter, she is all I had. Each time my daughter brought goods from abroad, I usually called Festus and after selling won’t remit money. I never knew the same man will eventually kill my daughter and leave me in deep pain”</i>. She wept. She went further: <i>“My daughter even rented an apartment for him (the suspect), spending over ₦250,000 in the process because they were going out. My daughter said he wanted to uplift his social status and went as far as buying him a car because her friends usually mocked her for going out with some one that was not up to her standard. Beside, she had started building a house for him at Aduwawa.</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i><br /></i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <i>"Festus controlled most of her business dealings in Nigeria.  Recently, she complained to me that the bulk of her money unremitted was in the custody of Festus; so I advised her not to give him any other goods. My daughter trusted him and that was why she opened her heart to him by ensuring that he was in charge of her business. My daughter was the one that had been sustaining the family, now she is dead. My world has crumbled. I am begging the police and Governor Adams Oshiomhole to come and help me. They should ask Festus why he killed my daughter despite all my daughter did for him in life. I have never seen this kind of wickedness in my life. Instead of killing her he should have gone with the money. I am finished”.</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, DSP Joseph Edoigiawerie, who confirmed the incident, said: <i>“A case of murder was reported by one Elvis Omokhojie, that his sister, named Rose Aifuwa, was found lying dead on Upper Mission Extension junction, Aduwawa, Benin-City, and the cause of death unknown.  We have been to the scene of incident and taken the corpse to the mortuary. Our investigation led to the arrest of the man friend or lover because, according to the report, he (the suspect) was last seen with her”.</i></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Credit: Vanguard</b></div>

[Update]: Austria-Based Nigerian Murdered By Lover: Austrian Embassy Intervenes

It was a sad way for any family to celebrate Christmas; infact nobody would wish what happened to the family of Ms Rose Aifuwa, an Edo b...

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Shocker! 15 Born Again Christians Return Certificates To WAEC

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC2wYnD1lj6uxmlNbWo8lxut-IWi7uTbi8YPoN6TYuaNXS7L2NQpkAHxyCyxZwrkvyHgqIS3l46Na1bupytrFBVnYLMWqhijl7j6irQsSPCMc-gELbj7xvOa8apFbPTq_NjyFmJ-wLxo/s1600/waec+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIC2wYnD1lj6uxmlNbWo8lxut-IWi7uTbi8YPoN6TYuaNXS7L2NQpkAHxyCyxZwrkvyHgqIS3l46Na1bupytrFBVnYLMWqhijl7j6irQsSPCMc-gELbj7xvOa8apFbPTq_NjyFmJ-wLxo/s1600/waec+(1).jpg" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Wow! This is what we can call real and committed Christianity with reference to sin, forgiveness, repentance and restitution. </b></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> 15 people, according to this <b>Saturday Sun</b> report, have returned their <b>WAEC</b> certificates saying they cheated in the exams and do not deserve the opportunities that come with such manipulated results.</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> Can you do the same, and do you think it is necessary?</div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <b>Credit: <a href="http://www.romancemeetslife.com/2015/01/15-born-again-christians-return.html">Romance Meets Life</a></b></div>

Shocker! 15 Born Again Christians Return Certificates To WAEC

Wow! This is what we can call real and committed Christianity with reference to sin, forgiveness, repentance and restitution.  15 p...

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