Life (17)

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A lot of people remember Eric Obuh also known as Vocal Slender a native of Delta State. Vocal Slender was a scavenger turned aspiring artist that was featured on BBC documentary “Welcome to Lagos” last year April. It has been almost one year since the showed aired and his fan base and popularity has skyrocketed. I actually met him through a friend that was working with him in order to help him out of his current situation. When I spoke to Vocal slender I was in admiration of his good spirit, but was saddened to find out many of the future developments we all thought was going to take place actually never came into reality. To find out if his life changed for the better read this interview.

 

How were you picked to be on the BBC documentary?

 

I was in the dump entertaining my friends, a lot of the guys were dancing to my song, among the crowd were some white men, they walked up and told me that they will like to film me working and singing that is how they began filming me for the documentary.

 

Did you think the BBC documentary accurately showcase your life?

 

Yes, the documentary did. They were able to introduce me to the world.

 

What happened with CokoBar , are you guys still working together?

 

I no longer work with CokoBar because he is not truthful. He made a lot of promises but he didn't keep them. He promised that he will give me 400 pounds, he promised a remix of my song ( owo ti ya pa) with Wande Coal,and also promised a musical video. The music video wasn't of good quality so they couldn't air it. Even after my performance in Manchester he didn't pay me, and I know that they paid him.

 

Has your life improved since being on the BBC?

 

Life is so hard now, I don't have a house of my own to sleep, I stay with friend, and sometimes it gets so difficult I feel like I am killing myself to live.  I hope that sooner or later my life will change for the better. If I was able to travel to London with CokoBar and was signed on to a label, my life would have improved by now, when I was in the dump I never begged to eat, but now I beg to eat. All the information that CokoBar put out on the internet was to make people believe he has done so much for me, but he never lived up to the promises he made.

 

 

How has your music career grown since being on the documentary?

 

First, I thank GOD for all he has done for me, the documentary has helped my career. Some of my friends who saw what I was going through have decide to help me with my music. Now my music is being played on all radio stations. If not for the documentary I would have still been working on the dump site by now.

 

What are some future developments for your music?

 

I would like to release my album, and set up a studio so my brothers can work on there songs, and a record label.

 

How can the Nigerians support your efforts in the music industry?

 

They can help me by giving me advice, by encouraging me, by helping me get on different shows, and by telling the world my story. All I need now is there support, so that I will not go back to the dump, I feel I have let all my friends in the dump down, because they believe if I make it they too can make it, but I know my GOD will not let me down.

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I am Faithful to Joke my wife

He’s a renowned and consummate actor who plays all kinds of roles effortlessly and with finesse within and outside the shores of Nigeria. In the 80s, he featured in the hilarious sitcom Mind your language. It was a distinctive statement of his acumen and stagecraft. Jacobs’ passion for acting started quite a long time ago.
In the days of Hubert Ogunde. There’s another side to Olu Jacobs which is noted by all and sundry. It’s his devotion to his family which has survived all kinds of situations through the immense capacity of both him and his wife to love. Jacobs, indisputably is a good husband and father.

He doesn’t have any scandals haunting or trailing him for instance. In this interview with Samuel Olatunji, Jacobs lays it all bare revealing how he handles female fans who sometimes call him when he’s in bed with his wife.Excerpts:

You seem to maintain your ‘evergreeness’. What’s the secret?
I’m what I have always been. I enjoy the company of people. I like to make people feel welcome . It’s much more enjoyable to be honest with your feelings about people. That’s why, when I’m angry, people know it easily but when I’m happy they know as well and for me, that is what life is all about. You can’t hang on being miserable all the time or trying to hide your feelings.

What’s it like when Uncle Olu is angry?
Watch some of the parts I’ve played.

What is it with you and the masterpiece of acting?
Well, thank you for putting it that way. All our lives, we were told that men should not shed tears and that is usually why men should not shed tears in public. Nobody can say that men don’t shed tears in private. So, that’s what the public sees. When they are outside dealing with people, they are strong. They are different from what they play in the movies. They feel very strong but at the same time, they do not show their emotions in public but we get it mixed up when we’re watching them in movies.

We assume that we are watching them in public, but we are not watching them in public at all. So, a man can allow himself to feel like any other human being and that’s why it is easier when you understand that they can go through whatever the script says very well. I believe in total commitment. I don’t like to do things half way. Once I understand what a play is about, because I hardly read a play twice, I read it once and I do some work on it and then fine-tuning continues until it is recorded.

I enjoy the work, I find it interesting. There are some that are quite obvious and you don’t need to do any research, because they are too obvious, but there are intricate ones that you have to research . You have to dig for them , because they really put the icing on the cake. I try as much as possible to put new experience in every play and also try not to underestimate any play.

Even at this stage, with all the plays you’ve done?
I know they say that the reputation of an actor makes his performance almost automatic. The more you do something, the better you become. That is why some things are automatically understood. Once I see them, I can understand them, but there are intricacies to each part .

You must respect that , if you want to get the truth in that play and I try as much as possible not to lie to my audience. I don’t cheat, not with a role. I go as honestly as possible with the role to portray what has to be portrayed. If it’s something I think I won’t be able to espouse, then I will tell the producer I can’t take the part. But once I take a part, I read it and it’s what I want, then I’ll do it.

But people are saying that Uncle Olu appears in almost every movie and perhaps, you want to make all the money?
(Laughs) How much money is he making that he wants to make all the money now? I don’t know who these people are. I don’t know their reason for saying that. If they want to know, let them go and ask the producer how much they are paying and they’ll know whether I am collecting all the money. No, it’s not that. It is the job that we have in hand and I always try as much as possible to give it the best shot within the circumstances that I find myself.

I don’t pretend to be doing what I am not doing. When a part is given to me, I look at it honestly and scrutinize it thoroughly so that when I come out, I know what I am feeling for the role. I know where the character is coming from and where he wants to land. Now, how he lands there, for the two of us may be something different. You may think he lands this way, while I’m thinking he lands that way. It doesn’t matter, he’s still going to land.

So we must be professional enough to look at our different opinions. If they just assume and do things the way they want, then I don’t have time for them. I don’t have time for anyone who does that or thinks that way or say that about me. Without boasting, I think I am the best manipulator of words as far as this industry is concerned. I believe strongly that each line must mean something; each word must mean something; each paragraph must mean something; each theme must mean something. So, until I find out what the entire play means, I may not proceed and I think I am the best at that.

I honestly and sincerely believe that this doesn’t stop me from working harder. When it comes to manipulating words, analyzing situations, I still think that most people are not getting it right. For most people, their experience is limited. Some on the other hand are lazy, while some cheat. I try not to cheat when it comes to looking at a character, looking at the play, looking at what he’s saying and why he’s saying what he’s saying and with whom. All these things I put together when I get a script and I do it for every single production that comes my way.

What has kept you in this game that you seem to be the only one left to play the Igwe, head of family or an elder’s role despite the fact that some of your colleagues that you started with are not seen anywhere near the screen anymore. What’s your staying power?
Hmmm, well, this is something I find very difficult sometimes. After all these years, I suppose I’m calm enough to understand why you are asking these questions but before I go further to answer this question, I would like to let you know that there’s always a character for the father, mother, brother, uncle, and a cousin. They are there and they will always be there.

They have to be filled. Do we get them filled by the young stars or do we get them filled by people of the right age. I have noticed in some productions that they use somebody who’s hardly thirty (30) playing an old man of sixty (60).That should not be allowed professionally . There are enough roles for husbands, for uncles, for brothers and sisters and friends to play; for men and women without having to play the role of fathers when they are still young. Though, they can play young parents but they want to add the grandfather role and thereby getting it all mixed up. I think that’s ridiculous, that’s not natural.
If God wants it that way, He would have created it that way. A father is father and that’s what we are and that’s what we must remain and we have to be seen as such. When you say father, you must respect a father, believe a father. I get calls all the time. People are saying, Uncle Olu, you are like my daddy, some will say, I want you to be my daddy. All these things are involved in the play that one is doing and they think, one should become their biological father. It’s very moving when you hear them talking about such issue.

A young man and I wanted to act and I was lucky that somebody like Hubert Ogunde was alive then. I saw him at the Olonde in Kano. I was born in Kano actually and I was excited to see the singing and the dancing at that event and I went home with so much joy . Ogunde was organizing a concert party, so I told my mother that my brother and I wanted to go there and act.

She said she would think about it. She gave us some work to do and we finished everything so they had to take us to the concert. When we got there, it was wonderful. The atmosphere was absolutely electrifying. To see a hall meant for a thousand people or thereabouts jam-packed with over three thousand people was amazing and people were sweating.

The show had not even started. But they didn’t mind, they wanted to sweat. Then, the curtain was lifted and Ogunde showed up and they sang and people were crying. Somehow, I was able to get away from the crowd and I was watching them from outside and I saw the total joy of these people. By now, I was in tears and I said to myself at that time, that’s the job that I am going to do.

Has acting put food on your table?
Well, we thank God. It’s not easy. It’s been hard. You have to get to a certain stage. For example in England, every city has its own theater subsidized by the UK government. So, you can imagine how many theaters they have. They all have shows every night. So, they employ electricians, actors, stage men, cameramen and so on. So, you can’t compare that with Nigeria.

We don’t have that here. It’s about communicating, bringing children together, talking to them at a very tender age, going to schools, creating awareness within the school where the children can understand, use and learn from all these things so that they can have a wider experience of life instead of one-line thoughts. So, for me, I don’t see it any other way.

When I saw what was happening in England, it got to a stage where I was only attending interviews, not auditions per se and I was not given anything challenging. All I was asked to do was to support a white actor who may not be as good as expected. So, I said well, I can do better here and there is much to be done. If at the end of the day I leave the stage and I am able to help people build structure and make them stars, then it will be worth it.

Is it true that you must be from a particular tribe before you can play a character from that tribe in a movie?
No. As long as you can do it well, there’s no problem and don’t forget that there is a director and a producer and it’s their decision regarding who plays what role. At any point, they can always change the person if they think they have made a mistake.

So, I don’t think you have to be a Yoruba man before you can play the role of Oba in a movie, as long as you can interpret and play the role as expected, I don’t think there is anything wrong with it at all. I have played Emir and other roles in other tribes, but I am a Yoruba man. I am from Abeokuta.

Pete Edochie once said you destroy the Igbo culture the way you act the Igwe in movies?
I’m surprised Peter can say that. Olu Jacobs is an actor; he’s a fine actor, he’s the best analyzer of character and the best manipulator of words. If some people, for whatever reason, say that the hundreds or thousands of fans who phone and come to applaud me everyday don’t not know what they are saying, that they don’t know what they are doing… I’m talking about real Igwes who meet me, not in their palaces but at airports, outside and they call me to tell me how much they appreciate what I am doing.

This happens everyday, even today. Do you want to tell me that those people don’t know what they are doing? Do you want to tell me that it’s only Pete who knows what he’s saying? What about the producers who commissioned this story, do they not know whom they want for what role? Is he saying that those producers don’t know what they are doing? Whatever he says about me, he must say about them because I didn’t write the script myself, it wasn’t my film. I want to end this topic by saying, I, Olu Jacobs respect and admire our way of life and I will do anything to propagate it, honestly and sincerely.

Our children watch us, what we present to them, what they thought they never had. Our children thought they didn’t have a past, we are the ones letting them know that we had a glorious past. We may have our hiccups at the moment but our present is as good, if not better than our past. We don’t live on trees. We live where every normal human lives and we shall continue to work hard. I want to tell you that Pete is my younger brotherbrother, forget the red cap.

If we meet outside he must show respect. He can think whatever he likes, he has every right to his own opinion but I don’t have to agree with him. In this case, I totally disagree with him. I believe that in this case, he should have re-educated himself well enough before making any comments. I don’t know what’s behind what he has said, but I know he’s not being honest.
When you use extreme words like destroy, it’s a sign of desperation. Is there anything that Peter is desperate about that we don’t know? I don’t know why he should go to such length to talk about me. When he went to play Oduduwa, did it sell, did they make their money back? What did they achieve there, nothing. The story of Oduduwa, we all know.

Someone said there is a feud between two of you. Is this true?As far as I am concerned, I don’t have anything against Peter. His two children are my children and we’ve being working together. We both have a working relationship. He called me some three weeks ago; somebody wanted an interview and he wanted me to grant the interview and I did. I don’t have anything to hide and I see no reason why I should . I would rather advice that his questions be directed to the marketers who bought and commissioned the play.

Some even said, perhaps it’s because you get the Igwe role more than he does?
(Chuckles) I think that question should be directed to the owners of the movie. I don’t know what’s at the back of their mind. All I know is that, I get called to do movies , I do them to my best. Maybe Peter knows something I don’t know.

Why are marriages breaking down these days?
Our country has been through a lot and so have our children. Our children did not get the kind of support they should have gotten because we parents don’t even have the support, the confidence that a child needs. So, what you discover is a few families that are doing business and have succeeded. They were trying to show off, they wanted to use their money to buy what they could have been able to by themselves. You’ll find that a lot of poor people who got married are still happily married but majority of the rich people who got married are no longer married.

Are you saying that money is a culprit sir?
Of course. They were using money to cover those areas they should have touched by themselves . They could have educated, guided and loved their children. Instead, they spent that time trying to amass wealth. The driver was the person who knew where they needed to go to. The housemaid knew everything else. If there were three housemaids, the children knew what to do. The mentality of a child at that age will be the mentality of a housemaid or a driver. Even when you speak to your children, they’ll seek approval from the housemaid before they could say yes to anything you say. Then, you should know you’ve lost it.

So, the reason why we have broken marriages is because most of these children were raised by housemaids?
Yes, because we tried to buy them with our money but they were not brought up with that money. Later, you’ll hear the father sobbing and saying, “after all I have done, after all I have worked for”. What have you worked for? Nothing! Nothing to do with the children, it’s all about you. You were trying to justify yourself. That is what our problem is.

So, what has kept your marriage intact?
Well, to God be the glory. I have been married for about twenty-five years now and I am married to this girl, Joke. (Laughs). She’s so troublesome, she’s so wonderful, ah that girl, she’s my best friend and you know that when you have a friend like her, you talk, you play and if you need to quarrel, you quarrel a bit and that is the same way we have brought up our children too.

We are very close to them. As a matter of fact, our youngest boy just started to live in boarding school. Joke and I were very lonely at home. We were learning that we have to release them and they must get used to being released so they can be on their own. Not relying on us all the time; but when they look back, we are always there. Even without looking back, they should be able to say we are there and that is the kind of life that we are trying to have with them. It’s not easy but we thank God.

Is it hard for men to ever be faithful, especially when they are famous?
Well it is true, believe you me it is true. Recently at 2:00 am , I got a call like I always do but this one was from a female I have never met in my life, who wants to talk to me, who needs my help. It’s true one tries as much as possible, like I said they call you anytime they are watching a film anytime from 11:00, 12:00, 1:00, 3:00, 4:00. They are watching your film, they want to be with you, they want to know you. You should know them, you will find them very interesting, you will find them very attractive, they are beautiful. .

Well at my age, what I try to do is I don’t dump them, I don’t scold them. That ability to show interest must not be killed because they are going to need it for the rest of their lives. What they have done to me is wrong, knowing that I am married. I say to them “ do you know me and my family are in bed right now?....Sorry, thank you it’s all right, I appreciate this thing you are doing, you calling, thank you. Please don’t ring this late, ring early, when you and I can talk, easy without being aggressive, what am I being aggressive for…, gbogbo wa ko la sewo ni?.

But they say, if you don’t go after men, they will still go after women.That’s their nature. What’s your take on that?
That is the law of nature. It is normal. Men are hunters and polygamous by nature. Apart from anything else, that’s why our forefathers married so many. Eyokan o to. We are changing our thinking, we are trying to reduce all these things; we are doing them because we have a society we have to relate to and we are trying our darn best to relate to them . Otherwise I will say it will be very difficult. Going back to the question you asked before, it’s one of the reasons why marriages fail. Some men don’t know how to cope with it , because when they get to that point, they need someone else. Their wives at home is perfectly alright, there’s nothing wrong but they need someone else.
But for a man, something doesn’t need to be wrong with the woman at all.

Let me put you on the spot sir. For 25 years, have you been totally faithful?
Yes. Once you are married, you are together. We learnt a lot together, then I traveled. I didn’t travel for long, three weeks, two weeks, ba se n travel ni yen (that’s the way we’ve been traveling)

But some men will be men whether in or out?
I didn’t marry young , so I didn’t experience that.

Tell us when things weren’t so easy
That one plenty. (both laughed). When we were down, with very little to eat, we explained to our children. This is what we have and this is what we are going to eat, and they ate and they were so exited because it tasted nice. But if we had not told them, we would have felt guilty that we were keeping things away from them. So, it was good, everybody was open and we ate what we had. I never thought that we were the kind of people that should be keeping things away from our children.

People say these days marriages fail , because women are demanding more independence. Is that true?
What I don’t understand is the mentality of men. We had a situation where men went out, the women stayed at home and looked after the children. The scenario now is that men and women go out to work and you have to employ somebody to look after the children and you still want the wife to play a subservient role in the house. So what does she go out to do?

Why does she need to go out at all? The idea of her going out is for the family to get enough funds to look after the children, to look after the family together. If the husband earns enough, he would have been able to convince his wife to stay at home or to stay as close to home as possible but obviously he doesn’t. So, if she has to come in, she is earning something and whatever she is earning is helping the family. So, if that’s the case, you expect her to get home at 9:00pm and go straight into the kitchen and the husband who is coming home around the same time, what right has he got to expect that? She has probably worked more than the man at work.

The mindset of men is the major problem?
No . The mindset of the family. It’s the mindset of the family. If you like, the husband’s family but some of the wife’s family too. They are equally guilty. You know they have forgotten that their children went out to work to sustain the family. I mean we all know, when the grand ma is coming lati wa ba won to omo (to take care of the children) she was going to be there may be for six months, may be for three months. Ewa lo ma je o ma ba won wa, isu, oma ba won wa, elubo, o ma ba won wa, eja gbigbe lo ma je, o ma ba won wa. Epo, ororo, everything oma ba won wa. So that family will not need to worry about anything to ba je area ounje…..

That is no longer there, because these family ties viz the mother, the aunties, they are not usually wanted anymore because they are thought to be poke-nosing into the affairs that don’t concern them. What do we want to do? Do we really want a nuclear family or we really want to import our own family? The ones we are going to pay for… the housemaid, the houseboy, drivers… is that the ones that we want, is that what we want?

So, it’s not because women are demanding more freedom?
They are not demanding freedom, they are demanding equality. They are saying they can make us be at ease, that we don’t have to struggle as much as they are doing.

You know men cannot accept that they are equal with women?
It makes it easier for us to enjoy working hard. We enjoy working hard; it makes us enjoy even better when we know that our wives are not right on top of us. They even appreciate us now more than ever before.

But how can men accept that things have changed?
They should open their eyes and their minds and realize that our wives are now with us and that they have a mind, a mind that is as chilled as our own and that we have a job to do and if they are able to do it, why do we deny them? We have to think and justify why we should deny somebody who is capable. Why? Is it because of our ego?
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Rosh Hashanah DAY !

Rosh Hashanah (Hebrew: ראש השנה‎, literally "head of the year," Israeli: Hebrew pronunciation: [ˈʁoʃ haʃaˈna], Ashkenazic: ˈɾoʃ haʃːɔˈnɔh, Yiddish:[ˈrɔʃəˈʃɔnə]) is a Jewish holiday commonly referred to as the "Jewish New Year." It is observed on the first day of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.[1] It is ordained in the Torah as "Zicaron Terua" ("a memorial with the blowing of horns"), in Leviticus 23:24. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim Noraim ("Days of Awe"), or Asseret Yemei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance) which are days specifically set aside to focus on repentance that conclude with the holiday of Yom Kippur.

Rosh Hashanah is the start of the civil year in the Hebrew calendar (one of four "new year" observances that define various legal "years" for different purposes as explained in the Mishnah and Talmud). It is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts. The Mishnah also sets this day aside as the new year for calculating calendar years and sabbatical (shmita) and jubilee (yovel) years. Jews believe Rosh Hashanah represents either analogically or literally the creation of the World, or Universe. However, according to one view in the Talmud, that of R. Eleazar, Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of man, which entails that five days earlier, the 25 of Elul, was the first day of creation of the Universe.[2]

The Mishnah, the core text of Judaism's oral Torah, contains the first known reference to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment." In the Talmud tractate on Rosh Hashanah it states that three books of account are opened on Rosh Hashanah, wherein the fate of the wicked, the righteous, and those of an intermediate class are recorded. The names of the righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life, and they are sealed "to live." The middle class are allowed a respite of ten days, until Yom Kippur, to repent and become righteous; the wicked are "blotted out of the book of the living."[3]



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosh_Hashanah



For secular Jews


It would happen each fall around the Jewish new year. At the very time when renewal was in the autumn air, Arnold Barnett, an engineer from Moorestown, would go into a mild funk. His wife eventually figured it out: He was less than enamored with high holiday synagogue services.


"He simply wasn't engaged by what went on inside our Reform synagogue, or with the traditional approach to Judaism," said Ellen, 70. "I knew he was struggling. So sometimes, I would just go to services alone."


Then last year, the Barnetts saw a small notice in a local Jewish newspaper about a recently formed group in South Jersey. "We went to a meeting that was focused on Jewish history," Arnold, 71, recalls, "and that was something I could relate to. It was much more appealing."


And so the Barnetts will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which begins Wednesday at sundown, by meeting Sunday with like-minded members of South Jersey Secular Jews - a group of people who may or may not believe in God, but do believe in caring about the world and one another, respecting and understanding Jewish history, and celebrating a culture that has meaning and emotional pull.


"The most important aspect of secularism is the survival and continuity of the Jewish people," said Paul Shane, a native New Yorker now living in Philadelphia and married to the daughter of Holocaust survivors.


Shane, 75, a member of the more established Philadelphia Secular Jewish Organization, believes humans are responsible for what happens on Earth. The here and now is central, and actions speak louder than words.


That philosophy resembles traditional Judaism. But secular Jews and traditional Jews part company when it comes to accepting religious dogma.


If you're secular, God is optional. (Traditional Judaism has "God at its heart. That's not an option," said Rabbi Ethan Franzel of Main Line Reform Temple Beth Elohim in Wynnewood.) Also, life-cycle events are handled individually - for instance, there are no set burial or wedding traditions in secular Judaism.


Of course secularism, in which one adheres to cultural norms rather than religious ones, is hardly new. During the Renaissance, from 1450 to 1600, and the Enlightenment in the 18th century, many Jews shed the God-oriented elements of their Jewishness, according to Shane, a professor of social policy at Rutgers University in Newark. That shedding also continued in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.


What's different today is that a growing number of secular Jews are finding one another, forming groups, and practicing the social responsibility Judaism requires - minus the synagogue.


Rifke Feinstein, executive director of the national Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations, says there are approximately 2,000 affiliated secular Jews in the United States. But because seculars typically are unaffiliated, and therefore uncounted, estimates for the entire American secular population range from 8,000 to 40,000.


In the Philadelphia area, there are six such organizations for secular Jews - including the five-year-old South Jersey Secular Jews - all under the local umbrella cooperative venture called Kehilla for Secular Jews.


For many people, discovering that such an organization exists has been a relief.


" 'I thought I was the only one!' is what people often express when they discover that they are not alone in their secular relationship to their Jewishness," said Larry Angert, 59, a member of 11-year-old Shir Shalom: A Havurah for Secular Jews. "The Jewish tent is big, and there's room for all of us in it."


Some local secular groups, like Philadelphia's Sholom Aleichem Club, which started in 1954, and Philadelphia Workmen's Circle, founded nationally in 1900 to aid Jewish immigrant workers and to promote Yiddish, have graying memberships. Bob Kleiner, 85, of Elkins Park, a retired sociology professor at Temple University, and his wife, Frances, a teacher of Yiddish, both long active in the secular movement, lament that younger people are not actively involved in these historic groups.


But the formation of new groups, such as South Jersey Secular Jews, is evidence the movement still has traction.


Credit Naomi Scher, 64, of Cherry Hill, whose children attended the Jewish Children's Folkshul, another Kehilla group, which is a parent-run cooperative held at Springside School in Philadelphia. About 100 children receive their Jewish education, not in a traditional Hebrew school but in classes that nourish social justice and individual responsibility. Bar and bat mitzvah aspirants undertake personally meaningful projects that they ultimately share with the entire Folkshul community.


Although Scher formed relationships with parents of her children's classmates, commuting to Philadelphia became burdensome once her children graduated, and in 2005, the retired social worker decided to start a secular group closer to home.


What began as a gathering of eight to 10 people now regularly attracts 30, meeting monthly with speakers who address social and political concerns, Scher said.


Deborah Chaiken, 74, of Palmyra is delighted to have a group close to home. "In the formal Jewish community, I felt that I didn't really have a voice. Here, I know that I do."


Dues are $25 a year, and participants are asked to bring food for potluck dinners. Meetings are held on the second Sunday of the month at Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill..


South Jersey Secular Jews members Cary and Bilha Hillebrand of Cherry Hill call the group a welcome addition to the local landscape. For Bilha, 54, the philosophy of the group is more in keeping with that of her native Israel, where the majority of the population leads a more secular lifestyle.


"We are not in any way antireligious," says Cary, 60. "We hold the belief that we are responsible for what happens to ourselves and to the world. And to us, that's the essence of what religion is, and should be."






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Just after the recent Renewal of The Dangote Otedola crises read here http://bit.ly/beAnsZ

another one has arisen from the ashes so to say ?


The police said in Abuja on Thursday that two persons suspected to be behind an alleged attempt to kill the Chairman of African Petroleum Plc, Mr. Femi Otedola, and six directors of the company had been arrested.



Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, who disclosed this at a press conference, said the suspects were being interrogated by the police.



Onovo said that Otedola and the six directors were trapped in the lift at the AP Plaza in Lagos on July 25, while on their way to an emergency meeting of the board of the company.



The IG explained that Otedola and his team entered an empty lift, but were trapped for more than two hours.



Onovo, who addressed journalists at the Force headquarters through the Deputy Inspector-General, Force Criminal Investigation, John Ahmadu, said that three elevator engineers that examined the lift to ascertain the possible cause of the incident concluded that it was tampered with.



“The chairman was ushered into an empty lift with six other members of his team. Soon after they entered the lift, all the seven occupants were trapped for over two hours,” he said.



He explained that the experts, who inspected the lift, discovered that its safety switch was pressed down, leading to the halting of the facility and trapping of the AP chairman and the others for about two hours.



The suspects, according to the IG, were in charge of the lifts supplied by Otis Lifts Limited, and he gave their names as Celestine Ononobi and Moses Oluremi.



Otedola and the directors were to attend an emergency meeting of the board of AP where crucial decisions affecting the company were to be taken on July 25, 2010 when they were trapped in the lift.



The incident was believed to be in connection with the infighting among the management team, which resulted in the sacking of the managing director and the suspension of an executive director as well as the company secretary.



The case was being handled by the Lagos State Police Command before Onovo directed that it should be taken over by Force CID for diligent investigation.



He stated that the lift was powered by a 625KVA generator at the time of the incident and should not have had any problem, since it was installed barely one year ago and was regularly serviced by technical staff of Otis Lifts Limited.



He IGP said, “The technical experts who examined the lifts after the incident found out that the lift was tampered with because the safety switch was pressed down.



“The moment they depressed the switch, the lift started working again perfectly, indicating that the incident was an act of sabotage and an attempt to murder its occupants.”



Femi Otedola Goes into Exile as "attempt" on his life escalates literally




The crisis rocking the oil marketing firm, Africa Petroleum (AP), has led to the self exile of its chairman, Femi Otedola, NEXT has learnt.

Mr. Otedola, whose company, Zenon Petroleum and Gas limited, is the major investor in AP, is currently in England to avoid another attempt on his life. This is according to a senior official of AP who spoke to NEXT on condition of anonymity.

The businessman, who was named by Forbes magazine as being among the world's richest billionaires last year, first alleged threat to his life when an elevator in his company's headquarters malfunctioned mid-way with him in it.

The management of AP reported the incident to the police alleging sabotage with fingers pointed towards another senior official of the company Clement Aviomoh, who is the executive director, finance and information technology.

Mr. Aviomoh, in a press statement, however denied any involvement in the incident explaining that the incident was caused by the actions of Mr. Otedola.


"On the 5th of July 2010, there was a scheduled board meeting of AP Plc; the chairman stormed the venue with 150 armed mobile police men. He entered the lift with too many security operatives thereby overloading the lift. Thereafter the lift got stuck and we got a report from CFAO and the maintenance engineer that clearly stated that there was no foul play," Mr. Aviomoh stated.

Our source, however, said the police have concluded a forensic examination of the lift and it is clear that it was tampered with. According to the source the police will soon make public their findings and also effect the arrest of those implicated in the plot.

Conflicting police statements

NEXT could, however, not get an independent verification of the claim. In fact, the police yesterday gave conflicting reports on their investigation of the incident.

Emmanuel Ojukwu, the police public relations officer at the force headquarters in Abuja stated that though he was aware of the case, the matter was being investigated in Lagos and so was under the Lagos State Police command.

"It (the case) can be moved from Lagos to force headquarters, Abuja, but I am not sure it has been moved," Mr. Ojukwu said.

The Lagos police spokesman, Frank Mba, however, claimed ignorance of any investigations saying, I don't know anything about it; I don't have any information about it.

NEXT learnt that Mr. Otedola had expressed his distrust of the Lagos State police command, which made the police transfer the investigation to the force headquarters in Abuja.

While the police are being economical with the truth over their investigations, two members of the board of AP: Osa Osunde, the Vice Chairman; and Nebolisa Arah, a director; on Wednesday secured an injunction from the federal high court in Lagos restraining the Inspector General of police, the commissioner of police, Lagos State, and the Special Investigation Unit from "incessant invitation to the police station, threatening to arrest or further arresting, impeding the liberty ... of the applicant pending the determination of the application." The injunction was granted by O. Abang, the presiding judge.

The AP crisis was first brought to the fore in July last year when Access Bank, one of the company's creditors asked a court to wind up AP following its inability to pay its debt.

"The company is insolvent and unable to pay its debts. In the circumstances, it is just and equitable that the company should be wound up," a statement by the bank said.

Following Access Bank's statement, other creditors, as reported by NEXT on Sunday in previous stories, started asking for their money fearing the worst for AP. The company however challenged some of the banks including Access Bank of refusing to pay their own debt to the company.

Things got worse when Mr. Aviomoh, the finance director, alleged among others that "in 2009, African Petroleum plc made a loss of about N15 Billion, this was due to the fact that the Chairman's companies (Zenon Petroleum and Gas Company Limited, Platinum Fleet Limited and Fineshade Energy limited) started selling products to African Petroleum Plc at Higher prices than normal, at times higher than the retail pump price at gas station."

Mr. Aviomoh, who has now been suspended by the AP management, accused Mr. Otedola of mismanaging AP to the benefit of his own companies.

Our source in AP however said there is no truth in the allegation and that it is a campaign orchestrated by those who bought AP shares and have been unable to pay. ''They are angry that our Chairman is insisting on payment and want to damage him by peddling lies," the source said.

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Where there is a will there is a WAY !! With a great percentage of our womenfolk who have embraced Prostitiution and other Vices as a means of survival .The Phrase what a man can do a woman can do even .....Omoyeni is one of the Heroes of This country who face the odds head on and will take No for an Answer.Kudos from us all !

Omoyeni Agbokere is a 35-year-old widow who has taken up a task most women would frown at as a means of survival.

‘First lady’ is what she is fondly called by her colleagues at the motor park, a name which she inscribes on the back of her tricycle (Keke Marwa). Driving a tricycle is not what she ever dreamt of as a career, but her husband’s death forced her to look for a means of survival.

“My husband died two years ago,” she said. “ Before he died, I used to engage in some petty trading because he was the one taking care of most of the family’s needs. When he died, I had to look for a better business to sustain me and my family.”

The mother of two says she has not regretted her decision because she makes enough to take care of her family.

“I have two children, a boy of 12 and a girl of eight. This Keke Marwa business, I see it as something I can use to help my family because it is bringing a daily income. The money I make every day depends on how much I work for the day. I make between N2,000 and N3,000 everyday.”

‘I’m my own boss’

Apart from being lucrative enough to cater for her family’s needs, Mrs Agbokere says she enjoys the flexibility that her work provides. “When I’m tired or when I don’t feel like working again, I can just stop and go home. I have enough time to spend with my children and i can be there for them at any time of the day,” she said.

She plies the Mushin-Oye route several times a day, a task which brings her in contact with different people, some of whom are hesitant to have her drive them because of her gender. “Some passengers who see a woman driving a ‘keke’ for the first time are usually scared. They think that if I drive them, they may fall off the ‘keke’ or even have an accident so they won’t enter. The people who live around here see me driving everyday so they are used to me and don’t get scared.”

With only four months experience in the business, Mrs Agbokere says she is comfortable with it and hopes to continue. “I didn’t buy this ‘keke’ with my money because I can’t afford it. If I had enough money to buy it, I don’t think I would have been driving a ‘keke’. I would have used the money to start another business of my own. But I thank God for what I am doing now. This ‘keke’ is owned by a woman who lives in my area. She gave me to drive and I pay her weekly. By God’s grace, I will soon finish paying for it and the keke would become mine,” says the indigene of Oyo State..

‘The men respect me’

Being the only woman working among so many men, Mrs Agbokere says there are more advantages to it than she thought. “I don’t face as much challenges as I would have expected in this business. The ‘keke’ is quite easy to drive. Also, I am the only woman working among these men and they treat me very well. They respect me a lot. They even pamper me because I am the only woman. The police men I meet on the streets when I am driving my keke are usually very kind to me. Even the Agberos (touts) don’t disturb me when I am working.”

Her husband’s death, she says, has made her stronger and more determined to provide a better future for her children. To women who have had similar losses and setbacks in life, Mrs Agbokere says they should look past their loss and forge ahead. “I advise them not to sit down and fold their hands while waiting for someone to help them. Despite any unfortunate incident in their life, they should not think that is the end of their life.”

Like most business owners, Mrs Agbokere has a dream of expansion for ‘First Lady’. “If I can finish paying the money for this ‘keke’, I will buy another one to give out to someone who will be driving it and paying me daily just like I am doing now, preferably a woman.”

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How N100,000 changed the life of a street barber
By Ebun BABALOLA
Saturday, May 22, 2010

Uche Alagbaso, 32, a barber, had been hoping that one day, fortune would smile on him. He opened a shop owner 11 years ago hoping for success. Alagboso won a sum of N100,000 at the just concluded WAHL Barbing competition held at the Eko Hotel & Suits, Lagos.

According to him, “I heard the jingle on the radio and I decided to participate. This is my first time to participate in this competition since it started about 18 years ago. The entry came up in March and April and here I am with a sum of N100,000. “

Alagboso said things had been rough and unpleasant, especially when he picked the profession 11 years ago. With the expectation that things would turn in his favour, he shunned all negative advice that wouldn’t let him be what he wants to be.

His parents tried to discourage him from his barbing but his mind to become a professional and international barber of his generation was made up.

“I left my hometown just to earn a living here in Lagos. People say Lagos is like London but unfortunately, life has become so miserable that I hardly eat three square meal. This is the only profession I enjoy doing. When I started this profession, I’ve always believed that God would shower His mercies on me. “I’ve been faced with different challenges.

I’ve lived all my life here in Victoria Island, no friends, no relatives. I was living fro hand to mouth. But I thank God for giving me the ability to be a man today”, Uche said...

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Uche Alagbaso doing his thing says:...Things are rough but pleasant
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Uche Alagbaso

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Devil evangelists: Robbers took my car & asked me to give my life to Christ —Sun reporter
From MOLLY KILETE, Abuja
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Monday, April 12, 2010Friday, March, 19, 2010 will forever remain indelible in the mind of Richard Jideaka, the Sports Correspondent of The Sun Newspapers, Abuja office. It was a day the former Secretary General of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), lost his car, a Toyota Sienna space bus to armed robbers.


After robbing him of the car, the robbers asked him to give his life to Christ if he survived the attack. Jideaka’s ordeal in the hands of the robbers, started shortly after he left the office on the fateful day at about 7.30 pm. After work, Jideaka headed for his home in Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja.

The journey to Kubwa, was smooth as usual until a few metres to his house. His driver had barely stopped to buy him a recharge card when four young hefty looking robbers suddenly overtook his vehicle and ordered his driver out of the car at gun point. They forcefully moved the driver out of his seat and ordered him to take to the passenger’s seat behind...

Obviously confused about the attitude of the strange men, a now distraught Jideaka, requested to know why they were manhandling his driver. The response was precise. “You will find out when we get to the police station.” Immediately, Jideaka was also forced to move to the back seat of the car at gun point. The robbers sped off with him and his driver. The incident soon attracted his neighbours and family members, who ran to a nearby police station where the case was reported.

Richard took up the story: “It was when they forced me into the back seat with my driver that it dawned on me that they were robbers and not policemen as they claimed to be. They took my phones and the money on me and within three minutes they drove off with us with their gun pointed at my head to an unknown destination.

“While in the car, the robbers called me a 419ner. That I should regard myself kidnapped and that they were sent by my colleague to kill me and steal my car. Next they said if I am not a 419ner, where did I get money to buy a big car. When they saw my laptop, they felt convinced that I was actually a 419ner or that I was into yahoo, yahoo deals. I told them I am a journalist but they refused to believe me until they saw my tape recorder.

“They took the rings on my finger and asked me which one of them was my juju. I told them that none of them was a charm. One of them then threw the rings into his pocket and asked me to bring my wristwatch and the money in my pockets. I quickly handed them over. They commended me for cooperating with them and promised not to kill or harm me because I am a good man.

“Along the line, they asked me to pray that they do not encounter police on the way. That if they do, they would shoot me first. I prayed that we do not meet police on the way and they said ‘Amen’. Thereafter, they urged me to give my life to God if I survived the attack and I told them that I had since given my life to Christ. They said I should do that again, and I said okay.

“At a point, they asked me where I work. Sensing that they were thinking of asking for ransom, I told them I work for a new newspaper based in Abuja. The next question was where my wife works and I told them my wife is a retiree who was still waiting to be paid her gratuity by the ministry she worked with in Abuja. One of the robbers then concluded that I had nothing and that holding on to me would be of no benefit and therefore, I should be dropped in the bush. All along, I and my driver were not to fix our gazes on any of them. They had their guns already pointed at our heads.

“When I stole to look at the speedometer, I discovered that they were almost running the full speed of the car. I said silent prayers that we do not crash. I discovered that they were heading for the city centre instead of the Zuba they made us believe they were going. After about eight kilometres drive at break-neck speed, they branched off the expressway into the bush and asked us to come down and run for our lives. We obeyed immediately and dashed into the bush.

Together with their operation car [a Camry 1996 model] they drove off

“After spending sometime in the bush, we eventually trekked out and met some securitymen guarding some equipment and asked them where we were. They told us we were between New Tipper Garage and Katampe Hill. We then crossed to the other side of the road and boarded a bus back to Kubwa where my wife had already reported the incident to the police. “All my neighbours had gathered in front of my house and were offering prayers for my safety. As soon as they sighted us, the shout of praise the Lord rented the air even as they rushed to greet me.

“My wife and children who had locked themselves in the house, praying for my safety, rushed out of the house when they heard the shout of praise the Lord to find me in the hands of our jubilating neighbours who were too happy to see me return safely.”

As at press time, last weekend, Jideaka, was yet to recover his car.

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03.10.2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Africa ’s most decorated football player, Nwankwo Kanu has joined the ranks of global figures whose compelling stories_have been immortalized on the silver screen (i.e. Pele, Muhammed Ali,_Maradona and Mike Tyson). But Kanu takes it a notch further as his feature_is to be released simultaneously with his biography, after the World Cup_in South Africa. Kanu considers this movie and book to be his heartfelt gift to Nigeria on her fiftieth anniversary, to Africa and indeed the world...


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Titled Lion Heart: The Kanu Story, the movie is a documentary feature,_directed by BBC London-trained Nigerian director, Bayo Awolaja, and_produced by Neil Oyenekan (Dragons Den Nigeria, Taking Sides, 2002, UK ).

The Executive Producers include Kanu Nwankwo, Lighthouse, IBST Media, Worldwide Management Ltd. and Connect Marketing. The movie is currently being filmed in Nigeria, London, Amsterdam, the USA, South Africa and_India, and has a plot that chronicles Kanu’s inspiring rags to riches_story from a unique perspective that delves into his journey into the world of soccer from his humble beginnings in Owerri, to his struggle with a near fatal heart condition at the peak of his football career, to his heart surgery in Cleveland, Ohio, and back to his tribulations and triumph at Arsenal, Ajax, Portsmouth etc.

In addition to his exploits on the football pitch, the movie also unveils one of the most recognisable UNICEF ambassadors as a mentor, businessman, husband, and friend. According to the Lighthouse Productions CCO, “ this film isn’t just about Kanu the footballer, we intend to reveal the Kanu story through interviews with all the world renowned players, coaches, administrators, including his wife, his child-hood friends, his doctors and those people that played very important roles in his life.

“It’s going to be a three dimensional documentation of Kanu’s story according to Kanu, his fans, and his critics too – it’s definitely going to be compelling and well-balanced because we intend to highlight the challenges he’s encountered and how he overcame_them, in order to inspire many young Africans with his exceptional story of hope, determination and success”

Explaining the plot a step further, the film director, who used to work with BBC Wales, added that “it’s not just about Kanu and his story, but Lion Heart: The Kanu Story is a film with a strong message that will greatly touch audiences across the globe, because despite the fact that his role as a great sportsman is emphasised, yet the salient themes in the movie revolve around determination, overcoming tribulations, triumphing over life-threatening obstacles and circumstances to soar to heights of iconic greatness.”

Kanu expressed his excitement when he spoke about the project, saying: “I’m a very private person, but it has been a very interesting experience to watch my colleagues, team mates, coaches, doctors, fans, friends and family telling my story in a very passionate manner. This movie humbles me – I can see the aspects of my life that the world identifies with, and it’s not easy to open up your life to the world, but then it is very noble to do so in order to inspire those who wish to do the things you have done – at least so that they can see how you did it.”

But why do we have to wait until after the World Cup to see this movie? And to this Kanu replied: “The producers have been working tirelessly for a very long time now, but I believe this World Cup should be part of the film. Whether I play or not, I definitely want the experience to be part of the film…”

Lion Heart: The Kanu Story is scheduled for a global premiere in_September, but so far the film parades an excellent cast of renowned footballers from some of the teams Kanu has played for, alongside coaches, and revered FIFA officials, all passionately telling the story of a true African icon in more than four languages.

An official movie trailer, posters, and snippets from the projects will be leaked to the media soon. Also, an interactive website is also in the works, and fans can participate in fun trivia for a chance to win a front-row seat at the London premiere of the movie.
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After 14 years: Our sex life is still hot -Captain Mathew Ekeinde and star actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde
By Samuel Olatunji
Sunday, February 21, 2010
When they got married in an aircraft 14 years ago not a few expected the marriage to crash. An actress and pilot couple is a tricky combination. But against all odds, Captain Mathew Ekeinde and star actress, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde are still very much in love and the marriage is waxing stronger. Captain Matthew spoke to us on the marriage and their Valentine experience.

Photos by Kelechi Amadi Obi/Family magazine



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What does love mean to you sir?

I don’t think somebody has ever asked me that question; nevertheless, I think love means where you heart is, and where your heart is, is where you concentrate your energy. Love is giving your best to the ones you love.

Is Valentine’s Day of any significance to you?

My brother, all this Valentine thing does not make any difference to me. I don’t have to wait till it is Valentine to buy my wife a car or buy her a gift or let her know how much I love her. I do these continuously and it’s part of me. I think Valentine’s Day is just a day set out by white men to do something extra-special which is usually not the case. It is a day to look back on your love life with your partner and see ways you two can improve, what you can add and what you can do without. For me, it’s no big deal because there is nothing I’ll do to my wife on Valentine’s Day that I haven’t done to her on a normal day.

Are you sure this is not your own way of dodging Valentines gifts?

(Laughs) It’s not my way of dodging; it is just the way I am .But she’ll surely get her gift.

So, where are you spending Valentine’s Day?

To be honest with you, I don’t even know because I might not be in the country by then .I am supposed to go for a training course. Secondly, she is actually doing a recording, so I am not really sure if she is going to be around but if we are both around, I might take her out or do something extra-special for her. I know she likes Chinese food a lot, so maybe I’ll take her to a Chinese restaurant but I don’t think I am going to travel far because of Valentine’s Day.

Are you buying her any special gift?

(Sighs) Well, I have been thinking of buying her shoes and bags because she loves them, so I’m going to buy her shoes she has never had before but she doesn’t know about it.

What is it that you cannot do for love?

I can’t commit suicide (laughs). I can do anything for love, but I don’t think I can commit suicide for love.

How long have you been together?

This year marks our 14th year.

How have you been coping for 14 years with a celebrity?

First of all, I think it is God , because a few people have asked me that question and I have searched over the years and I’ve come to know that if she was not my God- given partner, I can guarantee you that we wouldn’t still be together today and that is the problem with a lot of married couples especially the pilot and the entertainer. If you want to compare those marriages that are not God approved, you’ll see that they don’t last a year talk less of 14 years. So, if I’m opportune to preach to singles, I will tell them to wait for their God-given partner because if they don’t wait, they’ll always fall apart. She (Omotola) is my God -given partner and that is why we both can tolerate each other and be patient with one another.

Some people say to build a working marriage, you should play the fool or you need to be a fool. Sometimes, do you play the fool?

No, because I think we are open and honest with one another. I get the feeling that my wife travels much more than I do and I’ve never had to fear whether she is cheating on me or something. I trust her with the whole of my heart, 100%. So, I don’t play the fool, there is no need for it. I believe I am straight forward with her and I believe she’s straight forward with me.

Are you saying that it has never crossed your mind that she may be cheating?

No. I don’t think about it.

But is it possible not to think about things like that especially when you are married to an actress?

When I say I don’t think about it, I mean, even when the thought comes, I just change channel. It is like when you are watching the T.V. and you switch to a T.V. station but don’t like what they are doing, you just change the channel to another station to see what might interest you. So, when the thoughts come, I’m like, it’s not possible and I change my mind and concentrate on something else or do what I have to do.

What is it that your wife can do that you can never forgive her?

If she cheats on me, I’ll never forgive her.

But someone said, you have caught her once and have forgiven her.Is this true?

(Laughs); That’s the press for you. For the past six years now, there is this rumor that has been spreading, they alleged that we were no longer together. In fact, when I went to Germany last year to do some things on our aircraft, I met some Nigerians there and they said, “Oga, why did you leave your wife now? We heard that you are now married to a white woman and she has a child for you”. I was dumbfounded by this statement and I had to tell them it wasn’t the truth. We still get emails and phone calls up till date asking why we separated and stuffs like that. So, it is not true. I have never caught my wife cheating, there has not been such experience.

Recently, some newspaper had it that she wanted to go for breast enlargement; I just don’t know where people get these stories from. Some people just sit down, write a story and publish it on the net, waiting to see how people will react. My wife does not have the intention of doing breast enlargement, neither have I caught her in any unfaithful act. They are all rumors.

Are you beating your chest that your wife has never cheated on you?

I am not only beating my chest, I’m beating the back of the chest too. (both laugh)

Somebody once alleged that you are a flirt, is this true?

Have they caught me before? If I am a player, that means I am a regular player and if I am regular, I am bound to slip once if not twice. So, if they think they’ve got evidence, they can show it.

Are you saying you have been absolutely faithful?

I have been trying my best. No one is perfect but I am trying. There is nobody that doesn’t get tempted. I am sure all married men had instances where they see a pretty lady and they wished they weren’t married but the next step you take after the temptation is what distinguishes you. My wife is not the only pretty woman in Nigeria. I have had instances where is see pretty women and I am like, I wish I had this one. It’s a thought, so, I just move on and get it off my head.

Can you tell us about your love story so far?

Our love story so far has been great though it’s been quite challenging. Challenges especially from the press about things they write about her but like the bible says, those who know their God shall never be shaken like Mount Zion. So, for me, I know my wife and my wife knows me and like I said earlier, I trust her with everything I am. When these issues come up, we talk about it and we move on. Our love story so far has been good and I know a lot of people look up to us. So even when we don’t have any other reasons, we’ll stay together because of the people that look up to us.

How did you meet her and how did the loving start?

I met her in church. My immediate elder sister introduced us because I was ready to get married. Then my sister said, there is this cute girl in my church, although, she is a bit young. Tola, was just sixteen (16) and I was twenty-six (26). So, she invited me to their Wednesday service. I got there from work around 7:30pm when the service was up and I met her there. We were friends until she turned eighteen (18), but I have always liked her but I wasn’t really interested because of her age. When she turned eighteen, I saw her from another perspective and that was when I told her I was going to marry her. At first, she thought I was joking, so I went behind her back and told her mom because during our two years of friendship, I have known her mom very well.

So, you went to church looking for a wife?

(Laughs) No. I didn’t go to church to hunt for a wife, I went to church to meet Tola because my sister wanted to introduce her to me. So, I didn’t go to church hunting for a wife, rather, I went to church to meet Tola. To me, hunting for a wife means, to scan all the women in the church and finally pick one. I didn’t do that, I was only there to meet her.

How has it been with the press? Has any of those reports gotten to you?

Some of them give me cause for concern. I just wonder why people would go out of their ways to imagine things, just like the recent one that has been going on both in the papers and on the internet that she is going to New Jersey to go and do breast enlargement so that she can compete with Mercy Johnson. I don’t know why people will just sit down and come up with such a story, I don’t understand. It amazes me.

Have you seen anything that made you call your wife to ask questions?

Yes, when she played in the movie, Prostitute. That was the film where they showed a purely naked woman with her nipples, her buttocks and all that. She didn’t know and we bought the film like any other person and watched it. When I saw it, I asked her ‘what is this! That definitely can’t be you’. Of course, I know my wife’s breast and my wife’s body and what I saw was different plus the person was a lot darker in complexion. Immediately, she called KINGSLEY Ogoro, who was the producer, and she said, ‘Kingsley, you never told me you are going to show something like this, why did you do that?’ I also spoke to him and I told him it was unprofessional, to deceive your artistes after you have finished a movie.

Aside the movies, has there been any other thing that made you ask her questions?

No. There have always been rumors. A rumor had it that my wife wanted to do breast augmentation because she was dating Desmond Eliot. They said, Desmond did not like the size of her boobs, that they were too small, that he wants it like Mercy Johnson’s. So, that is why Omotola wants to go to New Jersey for breast augmentation so as to satisfy Desmond Eliot. (Laughs) I am sick of their rumors. They once alleged that she has gone out with RMD and some producers. One of the things I enjoy about the rumor is that, when they will report the truth, it will be too hard to believe. I have come to realize that most of the stories they write have no substance.

Does it cross your mind that it could be true ..?

No. Tola has been very fortunate with the press. They started writing anything after six, seven years of our marriage. She never got any negative story from the press during our first six, seven years. When it started, of course, I was concerned but I later got to understand that, they write these things because they are looking for what to write and if you are in the public eye, they will try to trump-up something that is not true about you to make the headlines. So, initially when it started, I was worried but when I investigated and found it was without substance, I just didn’t worry about what they say. They can say she’s sleeping with Yar’Adua, for all I care, it doesn’t bother me.

So, there is nothing they will say that will shake your marriage?

Nothing, though they have tried. If you have been in this media business since ten years, you’ll know that they have tried. There is no kind of story that they haven’t tried. I try to buy every magazine that has her story, either good or bad. I wonder why they continue to try.

Why did you decide to get married in the air?

Oh, excellent; that was my idea. I told her and she complied. We’ve always wanted to do something different and in the uncommon way. If you’ll remember, I was the first to start using a personalized plate number and she was the first in the industry when I bought her a brand new car .The number plate was ‘OMOTOLA1’. A few months after I bought her the car , Saint Obi bought the same car and used ‘SAINT’ as his plate number. I like to do my things in a unique way; I mean, everybody goes to church to get married, let’s do ours differently. Luckily for me, I was able to convince the MD of the Israeli airline (Sky Line) that I was working for then and I told him that it would be a marketing medium for airlines because I know newspapers and television will cover it. So, we got married because we wanted to do something different.

There is this tendency for one to be married and the love fades, when you get to that stage, what do you do to renew your love?

The good thing about it is that it is God’s doing. Don’t forget that it is not your doing that makes a marriage work. You do 10% and God does the rest because if you are married to your God-given partner, there’s nothing that can break you two up, nothing. Not only that, you need to be strong in the Lord as well. There are a lot of people that have gotten their God-given partner but they have allowed the devil to come in to scatter it. So, spiritually, it is God that is renewing it. Of course, there are times I don’t feel like I am 100 percent in love, but it happens once in a blue moon and for just few minutes. I mean there are times I see her maybe after taking her bath and I still get turned on and she’ll say ‘oh boy, you no dey tire? After fourteen years your blood is still pumping’ (Laughs). For me, I am not tired at all and the good thing is that she keeps her figure and that was why I gave her the nickname because the first car I bought her was ‘OMOTOLA1’, the second was ‘OMOT’ and third one, which is the Jeep, is ‘OMOSEXY’ because she has got this sexy figure that is a turn-on for me.

What do you do to renew the love when you have a down moment?

I don’t do anything.

Some people will go on vacation or do away with the kids, what you do think?

I don’t think that will renew anything. It is all in the mind. It’s your mindset that matters. For example, If you and your wife are having a misunderstanding, especially during this Valentine period, and you took her to Dubai for a day, will that bring the love back? I don’t think so. If you guys were fighting from home and you had to go to Dubai because you have booked the flight like two weeks before the day and you go, do you think because you are travelling now, you guys will come back? No. So if your mind is programmed to always love your wife even when she is wrong or when she’s not happy, you’ll have a good home. I don’t know how to keep someone in mind, so when you offend me, I tell you immediately and it ends there, I learnt that from my dad.

Have you had a serious quarrel before?

Ah, I can’t tell you that.I can’t tell you that, you can talk from now till next year laye, I can’t tell you that.

I noticed that the children are in the boarding house… are you not scared that they might imbibe foreign values?

No, my kids are in a very good school and their school is costing me a lot…a beautiful school that they treat them like an ajebo. Too much of an ajebo self and they are here in Nigeria. It’s a private school and we see them once every month. It is just the last one that is with us because he is not old enough to go to secondary school.

Has sex actually become boring for you and your wife?

If I tell you this you may not believe but God is my witness, 14 years on sex with my wife is not boring, you can understand why I could dig deep to give her that name omosexy. When you find something sexy can you be tired of it? You see the same appetite a man has to look for different women because they are bored with one, is the same appetite I use in looking at her all the time . That is why I gave her that name and like I said she has managed to keep her figure even after four children …she is looking more gorgeous. That is the truth my brother.

So despite the fact that you said it is not boring, why do you get tempted and you still fall sometimes?

Well I don’t fall, if you say I have fallen that means I’m done but I have not fallen.

So you’ve not fallen to the hands of another woman?

No.The bible says resist the devil and he will flee.

Sometimes you see the devil and you don’t want to resist him…

(Laughs) I agree with you my brother, that is why I said for me the way I have decided to handle it is that when I see them I think… yes you can admire but I move on. By the time you stay concentrating on looking at the woman and you are admiring her and by that time you know you are lusting after her, before you know you are tempted to say ‘Hi’. That is where the problem is but if you discipline yourself, there is no crime in admiring a girl after all, when we go out, she’ll say, ‘men that guy is fine o’ and I’ll say he’s a fine guy. So, for me, that is the way I have trained myself to deal with it; I admire and I move on.

Has money been an issue before because your wife once said that romance without finance is not sweet, what’s your take?

Well, she can say that now because I am there buying her all the cars. (Laughs) If I didn’t have the money to buy her a thing, I don’t know what would have happened; but then, she’s a well brought up child; there is no woman that doesn’t like to be pampered, there is no woman that doesn’t like money, there is no woman that wants to suffer; but I thank God that we are both independent. In fact, it is one of those things we’ve never argued about from day one. Sometimes, when we talk about it, I call her attention and say, ‘OMOT’; you know we have never argued about money? The reason is simple, my salary and my allowances as a captain is paid into an account that she has access to and her money is also paid into that account. So, what we do is that, whatever project we have, either to build a house or buy a car, travel abroad and stuffs like that, we’ll put it in our monthly budget and if the money we have in the bank is not enough to cover to budget, we sit down and sort out things we can eliminate or carry over till next month. So, we do it together and that is one reason why we have never quarrelled over money matter. We are open to each other, we know how much we have and then we do things together and that is where some people have problem.

Do you maintain a joint account?

Yes. All our joint accounts and current accounts, our shares, our house, our cars bear our names, Matthew and Omotola Ekehinde.Yes because we have learnt and by God’s grace, we watch T.V. programmes and we hear what’s happening. It has been in my upbringing because if you are open from day one, there is nothing that can bring you back.

Do you foresee anything breaking your marriage?

Only God can and I am sure He won’t because the Bible says “what the Lord has joined together, no man should put asunder” I trust my wife to the extent that, even if she’s in bed with a man, naked, nothing can happen. (Chuckles)

When did you put that thing there?

I will not tell you, when you see God, you ask Him. She can go anywhere in the world, act a nude film, of course, she can never act nude, but just for the sake of argument, if she’s in bed, naked with seven men, nothing can ever happen; that is how confident I am.

It started from day one. She knows; it is just like saying, if you eat this thing, you will die, so if you don’t want to die, will you go and eat it?

What is your advice for married couples?

Well, the first advice I have for them is that, they should stick to the Lord; they should continue to have the fear of God in them. God will show you how to treat your spouse, how you guys can live in harmony, how you can raise your kids, how to relate with your relatives. So, the first thing any person that wants to get married should do, is to seek the face of God because marriage is a life-long thing. So if they can observe a three- day fasting and prayer session and have their Pastors pray with them they will succeed. Once they can pray and God gives them the go-ahead they should proceed. Also, they both need to be disciplined because the devil is always at work, they must learn to resist temptation
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WINNIE Madikizela-Mandela has threatened legal action against acclaimed South African director Darrell Roodt, who plans to make a film about her life.

A letter from her attorneys says Madikizela-Mandela is "extremely concerned" to hear of the planned film about her life "in circumstances in which she has never been approached for consent or at all".

"It is difficult to understand how a production bearing the name of an individual who has not been consulted at all could ever be appropriate or tell the full story of that individual life, as media reports suggest this production is intended to," the letter says.

"This is certainly the case here where our client has not responded to allegations and comment which have been made about her, precisely because she has sought to protect her sphere of personal privacy as best she can in extremely difficult and turbulent times," the attorneys' letter to Andre Pieterse's Ironwood Films reads.

Attorneys met with Roodt and Pieterse on Friday, but failed to reach an agreement with the film-makers.

News of the film, Winnie, hit South Africa late last year when it was revealed that American singer turned actor Jennifer Hudson had been offered the starring role.

The movie, which is set to start filming in May, has taken Roodt more than six years to bring to production and is based on a biography of Madi- kizela-Mandela by Anna-Marie du Preez Bezdrob.

South Africa's most acclaimed actor, John Kani, has voiced discontent at the casting of Hudson.

"From which angle has the movie been written?" Kani asked. "Will she be seen as a villain? If you did a movie of Nelson Mandela in 1967 it would have been that of Osama bin Laden."

He did not see a problem with an American portraying Madikizela-Mandela.

Kani said he fully supported freedom of expression and the right to interpretation, but warned that there were certain "sensitivities that must be considered" when telling the story of the person people consider to be the Mother of the Nation.

He did not see a problem with an American portraying Madikizela-Mandela, but felt producers should first explore the pool of local talent and consult local actors' unions before casting their eyes elsewhere.

"Now it's a free-for-all. Artists come here like they're tourists and end up telling you: 'I'm watching you'," said Kani in reference to the beer ads featuring Louis Gossett Jr.

"Jennifer Hudson is welcome to play Winnie, but what frustrates me is the South African producers' fascination with Hollywood. Yet they are the first persons to talk about 'local is lekker'," said the veteran actor and playwright.

Neither Roodt nor Pieterse was available for comment. Bezdrob, the author of Winnie Mandela, A Life, has said she hoped it would be a balanced movie and has described Madikizela-Mandela as "an incredible person".

In the letter to Ironwood Films, Madikizela-Mandela's attorneys warn the film-makers that she reserves her legal rights in the matter.

"Our client would have expected that the principal concern of the producer of such a film publication would be the need to respect the fundamental rights of those to be depicted particularly where the struggle for fundamental rights is the backdrop to the story itself," the attorneys write.

But a copyright expert believes that, although Madikizela-Mandela may object, she would struggle to win a court battle. "Normally, that would be a breach of a person's right to privacy. But she's a very public figure who's very well-known.

"Generally, there's nothing she can do to stop them from making a movie like that unless it's defamatory," said Spoor and Fisher.


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Are You Feeding Your Soul? Are you happy with what you see when you look in the mirror? And I’m not talking about your physical body when I ask this question — I’m talking about your spiritual body. Has your soul been getting the nourishment it needs to grow in health and strength, or have you deprived it from the Word it so desperately needs? If what you see in the mirror doesn’t even begin to reflect what you know you can be, it’s time to make a change, time to dive into God’s Word and receive all the love and forgiveness He has been waiting to give you . . . a time to release your life into God’s hands. The Word tells us, But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT). You may not like what you see now, but just wait. Rely on God’s faithfulness and perfect timing and begin to make changes when God shows you it is necessary. And soon, you’ll be able to look back and say, “Look where God moved me from. Look what He saved me from. I stand blessed where I am all because of the transforming grace of God.” An Evangelistic Tool The following is an evangelistic tool. Feel free to use this tool to lead someone to the Savior. It can also be used in your church. Tony lead the members of our church through this process, and then commissioned them to offer the good news to those they come in contact with in the course of their day. This is one of our outreach programs for this year. OPENING QUESTION: Has anyone ever shown you from the Bible how you can be sure you are on your way to heaven? Would you allow me to show you? I. First the Bad News a. The Problem: Every person is a sinner before a Holy God and unable to save themselves (Romans 3:10, 23). b. The Penalty: Every person is under the sentence of death and will be forever separated from God because of their sin (Romans 5:12; 6:23). I. Now the Good News a. The Provision: Through the substitutionary sacrificial death of Christ, God has addressed the sin problem for us (Romans 5:8, 17-21). b. The Pardon: God offers a free pardon and eternal life to all who place faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation (Romans 10:9-10; 4:4-5). CLOSING QUESTION: Would you like to trust the Lord Jesus Christ right now as your personal Savior? PRAYER: Lord Jesus thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and rising from the dead to save me. By transferring my total trust to You alone as my Savior, I now receive the forgiveness for my sins and the free gift of eternal life that You offered me.
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Safe and covertly vicious, university campus pimps in the country have coolly wormed their ways into the social circuits nationwide.Parties hardly click until one or two of them “grace the occasion” with a bevy of pretty girls in their notebooks and on their payrolls.HighflyersAt LASU, a self effacing pimp simply called Ben “freights” and airlifts girls to Abuja.“Whenever there’s a big event, I get an order for 20 – upto 30 girls. So, I package them for the ‘pay masters’ who will, of course pay into my account. The money is for ticket and taxi, and small, small expenses. After the show, the pay master will pay the agreed amount and we fly back”, Ben explained.Mr Fix-itAccording to Ben, a night out for each of his girls attracts N10,000. A weekend in Lagos, the girls grudging charge between N50,000 and N30,000.For Ben, “Mr. fix-it”, for the deal to go through, you must stuff his pocket with N150,000. To prove his class, Ben rides a clean Toyota Camry lives in a tastefully furnished 3-bedroom apartment off campus. Though the dictionary defines a pimp as a man who engages women in prostitution in brothel and on the streets, but in the Nigerian context, women have a large share of the business.At University of Lagos, Akika Star is the toast of most social events in the city of Lagos. Though her real first name is Stella but her alias, Star, twinkles and winkles as brightly as her reputation.For four weeks our reporter traversed some campuses around the country, delving deep into the world of undergraduate sin city barons.WHO IS THIS GIRL ? WATCH VIDEO !For fun or material gains their “pawns” – fellow students blindly fall into their traps and clutches without knowing.A big ‘Gbedu’Most times it begins with an invitation to “a big Gbedu with the correct guys in town”. Linked by a source, pimpmynaija sources posed to ‘Star’ as a potential client and sneaked into her closely guarded world.Known around as “a happening babe”, when a client ‘places an order’, Star quickly sends text messages, connects and recruits the girls she wants for the outing and summons a meeting, and most times adds a few extras to the number of girls ordered.“I have some regular girls I go out with. They are up to 20 but if your demand is more, I can double the number. But I need time”, she said.Star preferred a week or at least four days notice. Hear her: “What I hate is someone rushing me. Imagine coming to me on Friday night for a Saturday night out. That’s too tight. I can only listen to you if I’m not booked”.Fair in complexion and friendly, Amina of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State bears an iconic first name. Like the legendary Queen of Zaria, she says “the girls have a choice to go out and play with whoever they like.“We’re all adults. Anybody can decide who to go out with. Here at Samaru, we don’t force anybody. If I call you and you don’t want to go out, no problem”.Patrons in high placesAt the University of Jos, Bulus holds sway. He forays with his tight network of girls to adjoining states like Bauchi, Kaduna, Gombe, Taraba and Nasarawa.His patrons – “my powerful friends”, as he prefers to call them, are mostly top government functionaries and businessmen.Coming from a humble background, Bulus over the years uses proceeds of his wheeling – dealing in women to pay his way through school.Smiling broadly, he told pimpmynaija sources pimping is not an easy job. “Hmm, to arrange girls on campus no dey easy-o. You have to spend and spend and prove you are capable before any girl will agree to follow you”.Depraved tasteAs pimpmynaija found out, it is a lot easier for pimps to hook up with girls. But the difficult part is in ensuring the girls “behave well” on outings and treat the clients well.“You must also make sure that the men you are giving the girls are good. Some men are wicked.They will use the girls and pay little money, Bulus revealed.Another worrisome part for pimps is that some men have a penchant for kinky stuff. Some have wild depraved tastes.“The men don’t care. These girls they carry are even young enough to be their daughters. A good organizer must make sure the men you give girls to, do not use them rough. If any thing happens to the girls, people will start to ask questions, “Akin of University of Ilorin said.Territorial controlCampus pimps imitate the viciousness of their counterparts in the cults of the ivory tower: they fiercely fight and scramble for girls and clients.As pimpmynaija sources’s investigation reveals, they start vying for girls at the beginning of every academic session.“When Jambites (new students) come, you have to rush after them, target the pretty, classy ones. If you try hard, before the end of the first semester, they will become your friend and play along with you”, Mike, a popular undergraduate at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, said.Tatoo brandingSome campus pimps brand their girls with tattoo. As a badge of pride and social class, some girls willingly get branded with floral, butterfly or a heart pierced with arrow on their biceps, ankle, tigh, hip or on other private, intimate parts.To ensure loyalty of the girls in their “notebooks”, the pimps keep them under their thumb with “pecks” (gifts) and “red eyes” (threats).“You don’t understand, we invest in those girls. It’s like trading and buying a product. For this, you must not fail to sell for profit”.Ade, Lagos State University (LASU) undergraduate said.Cult ConnectionThe pimpmynaija sources investigation reveals that some campus pimps have links with cult groups ravaging campuses across the country. These boys use the money generated to fund cult activities. It’s really a dangerous trend.When they graduate, they become bigger and menacing”, a lecturer at the University of Calabar, Cross River State, who craves anonymity said.Punishable offenceThe campus pimps are obviously aware of the legal implications of their illicit, exploitative, morally bankrupt business. This explains why they shy away from publicity and scrutiny.A lawyer with Adekunle Ojo and Associates Barrister Godwin Ewa says the nation’s Penal Code (for the north) stipulates 10 years imprisonment without option of fine for any offender.The Criminal Code (for the south) states that first offenders risk two years imprisonment with caning.“Our law book is adequate. Sections 216 – 227 of the criminal code make ample provision against lacuna. The courts are ever ready.But the problem is the ever compromising law enforcement agencies especially the police,” he said.
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Nigerian-born British woman, Samantha Orobator, 20, jailed for life in Laos, Vietnam, for smuggling drugs, has confessed that a fellow British prisoner, John Watson, 47, is the father of her unborn child. This is coming against the backdrop of frantic diplomatic efforts by the British authorities to ensure quick transfer of pregnant Orobator to the UK, to serve her sentence, as she gets into the third trimester stage in her pregnancy. Reliable sources have also confirmed that Watson, who is also serving a life sentence for drug smuggling and had agreed to father her baby to save her from death sentence, is also being transferred to serve his remaining sentence in UK jail. Orobator, last Wednesday, pleaded guilty to trying to smuggle heroin out of the country, but her death sentence was commuted because she is pregnant. Orobator had been held in Phonthong since she was arrested at Wattay International Airport on August 5, 2008, with 1.5lb (680g) of heroin, and reportedly conceived last December, claiming the father was a Buddhist monk, and later said she had inseminated herself using Watson's sperm. A syringe was found among her belongings. There is, however, palpable fear that Orobator may not be transferred to the UK before her pregnancy reaches term. Although the UK and Laos signed a prisoner transfer agreement last month, it does not come into effect immediately, so she may end up having the baby in Laotian jail. It is gathered however, that she is being visited by medical team to ascertain her state of health and fitness, preparatory to a possible flight home. She has been reported to have expressed her worries that the prison diet will harm her baby and had been described by her mother, Jane, as "very fragile." Caroline Morten, of Human Rights group Reprieve, said: "she's just into her third trimester now and needs to be given a doctor's approval to fly, but we are hoping to get her back in a week. At the moment, we don't want to talk too much about what's going on, but we are optimistic." Confirming the repatriation, a spokesman from the Foreign Office said, "we are working on the goodwill of the Laotian government to repatriate Ms Orobator as soon as possible and Mr Watson would of course benefit from that too, in making an application." Watson was arrested in 2003 and given a life sentence in 2006. His health has deteriorated in jail and he is said to suffer from depression. He has been denied visits from anyone except officials from the Australian embassy, who are able to meet him once a month, and he is able to send occasional emails home. The UK has no consulate in Laos. "I know it sounds like an old cliche," Watson said last year to the Foreign Prisoner Support Service, an online campaigning group based in Australia, "but honestly, being in here, I do truly believe now that you don't know what you've got till it's gone." Meanwhile, following the new development, Watson is facing sanctions in prison as his mobile phone had been confiscated by officials at the squalid Phonthong prison in Vientiane, where the pair are being held He could face further sanctions from the authorities if he was proven to have helped Orobator.
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Looking resplendent and gorgeous in his milk-coloured suit, all smiles, he moved around majestically in a nobly fashion, depicting his gargantuan status as a seasoned actor and erudite scholar as he welcomed in warm embraces very eminent personalities to the Ptotea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, venue of the Bread Fruit Foundation’s (BFF) 1st Annual Patrons Dinner held recently.BFF is a non-profit organization that famous actor and Lagos State University lecturer, Sola Fosudo founded to plaster smiles on the faces of widows, widow’s children, orphans and other vulnerable children in the society. A man of charisma, who has been described as an astute personality with a golden heart, and inspired by God to care for the underprivileged, Fosudo has established the foundation because of his experiences in life.But what was his growing up like? How has it been in the Nollywood industry where he has held sway over the years?How has he been able to combine teaching and acting? What about his pet project, BFF, as a president and founder? All these and more were extracted from philanthropist Fosudo. Excerpts:For Sola Fosudo, growing up was like that of a normal child from a middle class family. He was well trained and had the privilege of a good education.But then he confessed to have been very lucky to receive the grace of God. “Personally, I have been very lucky to receive the grace of God in my life. I had a very fruitful and well trained growing up. It is really with the guidance of God and of my parents. I have been privileged to have a very good education, privileged to have had several opportunities in my profession, my career both as an actor, director and a teacher, so I am grateful to God.”According to Fosudo, the journey to acting stardom all started while he was in primary school. Then they used to have end of the year activities in the school and he turned out to be one of the prominent artistes, a hero in those events. The same thing happened when Fosudo got to secondary school where he was a very strong member of the dramatic and cultural society. But it was while at the Teacher’s College that the turning point happened.He was involved in a play and one man in the audience who happened to be a seasoned and accomplished professional saw him on stage, summoned him and said, ‘you are the man of the theatre. I think you should consider theatre as a profession when you grow up’.Fosudo recalls: “I didn’t know what he was talking about because I was just having fun doing school plays. But he saw something that later metamorphosed into what we are appreciating God for now, because eventually I found myself taking to that advice. I took the necessary actions and steps to go to school and to be immensely involved in the profession. It is by providence, and planned by God. By the time he said that to me I had other plans. I wanted to read History which was my best subject in school. At a time, I wanted to go abroad to study Computer Science, when it did not work out, I went back to the man and said ‘sir, tell me more about that Theatre Arts, I want to do it now’, that was in the 1970s. It was that encounter that eventually saw me in the theatre.”The actor cum University lecturer is enjoying the best of two worlds. Fosudo believes he is doing just the same thing as an actor and teacher of Theatre Arts. “I was not combining anything. If am a medical doctor and at the same time acting then I am combining. But I teach and practice Theatre Arts so, they are one.”But as a popular actor and lecturer, how does Fosudo cope with his numerous female admirers? His response: “I don’t have anything to cope with. I have not experienced advances from women because I don’t recognize it. There was no room for it .My lifestyle does not allow for such things. From the way I was brought up and trained, those things did not count.”Movie industry, says Fosudo, is moving in an unsure direction. It is an uncertain industry that can collapse anytime unless practitioners move away from passion for home video production and move into cinema, while government should also encourage production of films to be shown in cinema theatre where the private sector people can begin to invest in cinema structures.“This is how Nigeria can grow in terms of movies. It is then you can talk of movie industry. For now, they are doing television video drama, home video and they call it movies. Go to Hollywood and ask them if it is this kind of camera we use here that they use to record their films. Our people carry TV cameras to locations. When you say movies or films, you are talking about motion pictures, so the television is also motion pictures, that is why they are saying movies or films. Film is cinema and big business. If we are actually doing films or have film industries in Nigeria you can’t be seeing actors anyhow. But here, you see actors at Idumota bus stop. God will help us.”Does Fasudo have any regret for being an actor? He responds thus: “No, God has been very gracious to me. I had good parental care from the beginning, good education and good opportunities for career development. I have a job and a family. God is supporting my endeavours, and He puts in my heart this time around to set up a foundation to take care of other people. So, it is marvelous in my heart.”On the future Of Nollywood, Fosudo says it’s difficult for anyone to forecast into the future. The actor is even afraid that if care is not taken, the movie industry may crash.He says the imminent crash can only be aborted only if the practitioners take advice and move away from the present deception in which they are and move into the right direction. But then there is still hope as Fosudo predicts a booming and vibrant industry very soon.The actor, however, asked a nagging question thus: “Is Nollywood a concept, a notion or an entity, or is it a place? Go to San Francisco in USA, they will take you to where Hollywood is; it is a big city where stars live and where they have their studios. It is the same thing in India. If the Hollywood people come to Nigeria and say ‘Hello, we have been hearing of Nigerian movies, can you take us to Nollywood?’ Will they take them to Idumota? Or is there any other place? It is Idumota where they are selling films in the streets, inside noise and rowdiness. Since this Nollywood thing has been on, no government whether state or federal has deemed it necessary to begin to build infrastructure for the development of Nigerian movie industry. No government, no professional studios, no serious policy directed at driving the industry to really make it a world class, the way it is in America.”One of the things Fosudo has been advocating as a lecturer in LASU is the development of the curricular for a film education in Nigeria. A curricular that will cover cinematography, film techniques and film production among others.He says: “We don’t have the theatre people who we can rely upon to fill the gap for film industry. They are not really trained for films even though they can find relevance there. I am a theatre person and not film, I will say that anytime. Even though, when I was in school, I received some training about acting which is a general course. You can act on stage or on different media, television, film, etc. You are also taught as a director, you should be able to direct plays because it is only about production in different media which have their own techniques.“The stage where artistes are principally trained has different techniques to the medium of television or film. There is a serious gap in Nigeria. These other people, many of them are not interested in joining Nollywood, you will be surprised to find out. The only other thing that comes near film education is mass communication and those ones are not really trained to be producing films. Also, they are communicators even though they might have done some courses in television production, but not in details as they would do in film schools. Theatre education and mass communication are different from film education, and there is no university in Nigeria where they are offering film studies, yet we have many people who are practicing it. Where did they come from? They are roadside people and we cannot be driven intellectually so they are all merchants doing business.”BFF, which means Bread Fruit Foundation for widows and orphans, was launched in 2008. Luckily for Fosudo, that event was also used to mark his 50th birthday. According to him, the foundation is a non-profit organization, whose sole objective is to cater for widows, widows’ children, orphans and other vulnerable children in the society. It is duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.“This is the first dinner organized by the foundation and it’s going to be an annual event where we bring together our patrons, board of trustees and raise money even if it is just for next year, we will keep it on,” he concludes.
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It's a pirate's life for me'

It's a pirate's life for me' Somali pirates pictured on 5 November 2005 A 25-year-old Somali pirate has told the BBC's Mohamed Olad Hassan by telephone from the notorious den of Harardhere in central Somalia why he became a sea bandit. Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi says he and his big-spending accomplices are seen by many as heroes. I used to be a fisherman with a poor family that depended only on fishing. The first day joining the pirates came into my mind was in 2006. A group of our villagers, mainly fishermen I knew, were arming themselves. One of them told me that they wanted to hijack ships, which he said were looting our sea resources. 'National service' He told me it was a national service with a lot of money in the end. Then I took my gun and joined them. Now I have two lorries, a luxury car and have started my own business in town Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi Somali piracy: Global overview Years ago we used to fish a lot, enough for us to eat and sell in the markets. Then illegal fishing and dumping of toxic wastes by foreign fishing vessels affected our livelihood, depleting the fish stocks. I had no other choice but to join my colleagues. The first hijack I attended was in February 2007 when we seized a World Food Programme-chartered ship with 12 crew. I think it had the name of MV Rozen and we released it after two months, with a ransom. One last job I am not going to tell you how much it was, or three other hijackings I have been involved in since. A Somali pirate on board a French yacht on 10 April 2009 Pirates have stepped up attacks on shipping in recent weeks My ambition is to get a lot of money so that I can lead a better life. Now I have two lorries, a luxury car and have started my own business in my town. I only want one more chance in piracy to increase my cash assets, then I will get married and give up. Piracy is not just easy money - it has many risks and difficulties. Sometimes you spend months in the sea to hunt a ship and miss. Sometimes when we are going to hijack a ship we face rough winds, and some of us get sick and some die. Sometimes you fail in capturing and sometimes you come under threat by foreign navies, but all we do is venture. Heroes Let me give you a good example. Thousands of young desperate Somali [migrants] continue to risk their lives in the sea in search of a better life abroad. Patrol boat checks out fishing vessel off Somalia Dahir Mohamed Hayeysi says foreign navies will not stop piracy So it is no surprise to see us in the same water, pirating in search of money - there is no difference. We have local support; most of the people here depend on pirates directly or indirectly. Because if there is a lot of money in the town they can get some through friendship, relatives or business. Also our work is seen by many in the coastal villages as legal and we are viewed as heroes. The only way the piracy can stop is if [Somalia] gets an effective government that can defend our fish. And then we will disarm, give our boats to that government and will be ready to work. Foreign navies can do nothing to stop piracy.
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'The Power Of Attitude'

Dear Friend,I read something inspiring a couple of days ago. It wasn't as if up until then, I didn't have my perception about how to go through life or that I wasn't aware of the energy that emanated from me. When I started reading it, I thought to myself "Oh please, what else is new?" As I dug deeper into the article I realised that anyone can take a cue from this... regardless of your status or state of mind as at present. I will share the link to this article in a moment, but before I do, I want to dwell something that will provoke you to reflect.It is a simple and pretty straightforward question. So here goes... " What is your attitude like?" Another way of putting it, is to ask "What are you thoughts and feelings about?" You'll realise, after you take a moment to answer the question that you can actually expound on this. As you ponder deeper in your soul search, the answer becomes vaguely familiar with what you might have thought your answer would have been. A simpe assessment structure would be to ask where are your thoughts leading you to? Are they positive, are they constructive... is there hope? Does it make you feel confident about embracing your future or does it just spell choas, uncertainty... or ultimatey doom and gloom?Many times, we are oblivious of the "Law of Attraction". Believe it or not the universe is constantly throwing energies around us (whether good or bad), they work in a constant mix to bring balance and harmony to the world around us. What we don't know, is that we have the power to define what the law of attraction brings our way. People tend to subscribe to different belief systems. I bet even some of you reading this now may be thinking "hmm... metaphysics", "astrology" or outright "heresy". Let me assure you now, I am a believer of the word of God and even He teaches us about attitude in different forms... one of which is on "Vision" (Prov 29:18).Charles Swindoll wrote: "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill". It will make or break a company, a church... Juan Slater talks more about the power of attitude in his blog. You can read the rest of it here http://adjix.com/ptnvPunch line is, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain manner. We cannot change the inevitable, but we can influence how it comes. And the way to do it, is to regulate the one thing we have... our attitude. I'll leave at this for today. I hope you get the full benefit of this article. Have a great week (what's left of it) and I'll be back again by the weekend.Yours in success.Maveric-KMaverick Money Makershttp://www.9jabook.com/group/mmmFollow me on Twitter@http://twitter.com/kassimlive
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A South African judge has sentenced three men to life in prison for killing reggae star Lucky Dube in 2007.The 43-year-old was shot as the three stole his car in a Johannesburg suburb in a case which shocked the nation.Family members broke down in tears, cheered and applauded in response, the South Africa Press Association reports."The sentence won't heal me, but we are happy they were arrested and that the law took its course," his wife Zanele Dube said afterwards.The BBC's Mpho Lakaje outside the South Gauteng High Court says musicians and fans gathered outside to show their support.I don't think we will ever recover from this. But we are happy that justice has been doneBacking singer Tonique ThalaSouth Africa's singing peacemakerThe court had heard that the three men thought their victim was Nigerian and did not realise his identity until they read about it in the newspapers the following day.Our reporter says one of the banners outside court read: "Lucky Dube did not look like a Nigerian; he's an African."According to Sapa, the court also sentenced Sifiso Mhlanga, Julius Gxowa, and Mbuti Mabe to 15 years each for the attempted robbery of Dube's car.Murder alarmOne of Dube's backing vocalists said there was a sense of relief that the trial was over."I don't think we will ever recover from this. But we are happy that justice has been done," Tonique Thala said.South Africa's best-selling reggae artist, Dube recorded 22 albums in Zulu, English and Afrikaans during his 25-year career.The killing had led to renewed domestic calls for the restoration of the death penalty in a bid to stem one of the world's highest murder rates.Our reporter says South Africa's international image has been tarnished by its alarming crime levels.Nearly 19,000 people were murdered last year, according to official statistics.Millions of visitors are expected for next year's football World Cup.

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