Kajola Premiers in Abuja

The much publicized Nigerian’s first science fiction movie premiered at the Silverbird Cinema in Abuja over the weekend. The premier which started at about 6pm was hosted by actor Francis Duru and witnessed appearance of the major cast and crew members of the movie including lead actors Desmond Elliot, Adonijah Owiriwa, and Keira Hewatch. Also present at the premier were notable celebrities from the Nigerian mainstream entertainment world including the Rooftop MCs; Idol West Africa winner, Timi Dakolo; Ace Nollywood actress, Rita Dominic; Nigezie music presenter, Andre Blaze; and erstwhile Kush rapper Emem Ema. Blaze who obviously couldn’t hide his excitement before the movie screened said after: “Before watching, I had an impression about this movie, but now that has changed totally; overall I am really impressed.” Kajola, a movie with a reported N180 Million budget is produced by Adonijah Owiriwa for Adonis Production and is written and directed by Niyi Akinmolayan for Anthill Multimedia. The movie is woven around how a heroic person, through a rebellious action, thwarts the plan of some elite from eliminating a community of lower strata..

see trailer at bottom.

Chuddy K performs acapela at company launch

‘Slow Slow’ singer Chuddy K wowed fans with his vocal prowess as he gave a captivating, no beat assisted, performance alongside the one called Shalom at the A&R and the Lot Services company launch. The launch was held on Saturday 31 July 2010 at the Best Western Hotel Ahmodu Bello way Victoria Island. The launch also witnessed a solo performance from saxophonist, Femi and a brief fashion show parading the Night Night (evening wears) and Who’s the Boss (corporate collections) of Doyin Kafidipe’s Kafidipe Creations. A&R and The Lot Services provide talent management services amongst its other entertainment wheeled services and is founded by Wummie Benjamin.

Omotola’s shoots new video

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, was in South Africa a few weeks ago (during the World Cup) where she shot the second video off her sophomore album which is tentatively titled ‘Me, Myself and Eyes.’ The video is for the song ‘Missing U’ and was shot by Nigerian music video director, Bobby Boulders. ‘Missing U’ is an emotional song and tells the story of a partner who disappeared without any explanation. Omotola’s “runaway love” was played by South African male model Chris Du Plessis, who recently won the Heat Magazine “Six Pack of 2010″ Award! Omotola will host selected guests and friend to an exclusive album listening party on the 24th of September 2010 while on the 26th of September at Fantasy Land in Lagos, a special listening party will be take place for Omotola fans. She will also be flagging off her ‘Give and Let Get project, a charity project which will provide platform where her friends and fans can donate gifts which will be distributed to various orphanages.

Jeta Amata’s new movie

Award winning director, Jeta Amata, is preparing to come out with his most recent job, the first musical film produced by Keke Bongos called INALE. The movie is a story of enchantment and intrigue, a legend of bravery and valour. Its theme revolves around the test of true love, and restoration of peace between warring communities. The lead actress of the movie, Inale, played by Caroline Chikezie, is the beautiful daughter of the great King Oche of the Idoma people in Idomaland, Nigeria. Her beloved Odeh, played by Hakeem Kae-Kazim, must win their customary wrestling tournament to take Inale’s hand in marriage. The villagers had gathered for the big ceremony only to find a stranger in their midst, that challenges not only the tradition of the village law, but the strength of Odeh and Inale’s true love. The sound track of the movie featured original songs performed by Bongos Ikwue, along with special appearances from Ini Edo, Keppy Ekpenyoung, and Dede Mabiaku.

Unheralded when they left the country three weeks ago, players of the U-20 women’s team which represented Nigeria in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Germany will return to a hero’s welcome despite losing the final game to the host team. After blazing the trail to become the first African team to play in the finals, the team, coached by Adat Egan, fell 2-0 to Germany in the final game largely due to tactical errors and a penchant for failing to convert their chances.

Germany’s tactic was quite simple; lob the ball to their attackers and wait for the knock down and it worked perfectly as the first goal came through that route. The tournament’s adidas Golden Ball (best player)and Golden Boot winner( highest goals scorer), Alexandra Popp flicked on a header to Dzsenifer Marozsan, who took a touch and passed back to Popp who guided a close range finish beyond the grasp of Alaba Jonathan, in goal for the Falconets. That was the first chance that the German girls got and they took it. The Nigerian women fought back through efforts from Ebere Orji in the 26th minute which Almuth Schult had to parry away from the tight angle from which the shot was struck.

Another combination between Desire Oparanozie and Helen Ukaonu, the left back, gave Oparanozie a good chance but her curling shot from the edge of the box narrowly missed the goal.

Making us proud

His efforts not withstanding, coach Egan needs to explain why he started Gloria Ofoegbu, a player who had not tasted action throughout the tournament, in place of the accomplished Amarachi Okoronkwo; and why he waited until the 57th minute before replacing Ofoegbu. The only explanation that will make any sense would be if Okoronkwo was carrying an injury. Ebere Orji, expected to carry Nigeria’s attacking hopes could not do much as she was moved from her favourite left flank to the middle and that may have disrupted the chemistry of the team.

The killer blow came in added time through an own goal. After an error from Okoronkwo gifted the hosts a corner kick, and two more such kicks later, Kulig took a powerful shot that came off the post and hit Osinachi Ohale on the side before crossing the line. It was game over for the Falconets.

The defeat can be blamed on the paucity of goals as Nigeria went into the final with possibly the least goals ever scored to qualify for that level, scoring six goals and conceding five in the tourney.

Godday Esezobor, Chairman of Female Football Club Owners Association and proprietor of Makbet Queens, a women’s football club based in Lagos, said the Falconets have done Nigeria proud, although coach Egan was wrong to have gambled on Ofoegbu:

“The ladies have made all of us proud. They should hold their heads high. However, mention must be made of the decision to bring in Ofoegbu in place of Okoronkwo who played in virtually all the matches. In women’s football you don’t take that kind of risk. Normally, what happens is that barring injuries and things like expulsion, you finish a tournament with the same team you started it with. This is because the players would have struck a rhythm, which new injections to the squad would disrupt,” Esezobor said.

But that is not taking anything away from this team, which literally sneaked out of the country, were abandoned by the leader of the Nigerian delegation, and got paid peanuts compared to the millions lavished on our men.

Most commentators agree that the Falconets have made Nigerians proud. Their countrymen all over the world will justifiably praise their achievement.

Popping into history

Germany’s Alexandra Popp worked her way into the history books by scoring 10 goals in six matches. In the same vein, she was crowned the best player of the championship. Germany also became the first team that will host and win the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

For the Falconets, it was a record setting tournament. When they beat defending champions, the United States of America in the quarter-final, they became the first African women football team at any level, to qualify for the semi-final of any FIFA Women’s World Cup. Playing in the final had raised the bar even further, and has also helped in redeeming Nigeria’s poor image in football after the debacle in South Africa.

Nigeria is expected to make history on October 1, when its caterers build and unveil the world’s largest cake. The 65,000kg cake, will be unveiled at the National Stadium, Abuja, is expected to beat the current Guinness World Records.

By midnight, October 1, a select group of Nigerian caterers and bakers will begin work on a 65ton cake. By noon, the fruit cake, decorated in green and white colours will be unveiled by President Goodluck Jonathan. Mr. Jonathan will cut the 6ft high cake and Nigerians will have the opportunity to have a share of the ‘national cake’ literally..

The cake, which will be 100ft long and 6ft high, will require the services of at least 2000 persons, and is expected to beat the records of the current world’s largest cake, a 58ton cake which was baked in 1989.

One meal one nation

The organiser of the World’s largest cake project, Victor Oluwafemi, says he has tagged the project, ‘one meal one nation’, in line with the philosophy behind the project.

“The project is a private endeavour which myself and my team thought of. We wanted to do something significant for the 50th anniversary project. We wanted something that would give every Nigerian an opportunity to partake in the celebrations. We knew that the average Nigerian would not have the opportunity to eat the cake that will be presented in the villa,” Mr. Oluwafemi said to NEXT in Abuja.

Mr. Oluwafemi’s team of three spoke enthusiastically of the measures that they are taking to ensure that the cake gets to as many Nigerians as possible. First, every state in the country will receive one ton of the cake and the small team also expects that every tribe in the country will be represented in the Abuja Stadium on October 1, and will have the opportunity to have a bite of the cake.

“This project is supposed to turn the national cake that we always talk about to reality. It will give Nigerians an actual cake to feed on,” Paul Sambo, the team’s head of Strategic business said.

Likening the project to the national pride that comes from winning a football match, the team says that the project was designed to boost the emotions of Nigerians despite the current national challenges.

“This project does not gainsay the fact that the nation has problems up till today. But we need inspiration in order to move forward as a nation. This project was designed with a leadership bias, a leader inspires his people no matter what and that is what we hope to do,” Joseph Yakwo, the third member and the operations officer of the project said.

Making the records book

If the team’s cake must to enter the Guinness World Records, Mr. Oluwafemi and his team will have to start and finish the cake within 24 hours; the team plans to do so in 8.

“We are going to bake the cake in about 8 hours. The cake is going to be baked, cooled and iced on the same day,” Mr. Yakwo said.

The team says that it has been in touch with the officials of the Guinness World Records and that a Guinness adjudicator will arrive from New York to inspect the project from start to finish.

Voodoo in the city

Avocado -- the fruit that would

make butter and meat obsolete

If you love fatty, creamy, hearty foods and want to avoid the cholesterol and toxicity of meat and dairy, anchor your diet with avocado!

Avocado is more than just a tasty treat to be enjoyed in guacamole--it makes a hearty satisfying meal when eaten alone, in salads, and in other dishes. Most people who transition from a standard American diet to a vegan diet with avocado, nuts and seeds don’t miss the animal foods because raw vegan plant fat is so satisfying as well as more nutritious than cooked fatty animal foods! In hundreds of thousands of cases, people who’ve adopted a vegan diet of predominantly raw foods with minimal or no cooked starches as part of a healthful lifestyle (including regular exercise and adequate sleep), have lost excess weight, overcome illness, gained new vitality, and avoided the killer diseases which now plague our meat, bread, dairy, and junk-food eating society. The fresh vitamins, active enzymes, organic minerals, soluble fiber, high water content, and easily digested fats and proteins in avocados and other fruit and plant foods can help transform any sluggish, overweight meat eater into a slimmer and more dynamic person. Some of the leanest people I know eat the most avocados! Cooked foods such as bread, pasta, meat, dairy and junk foods are the villains that can keep an avocado eater from losing excess fat.

If your goal is to reduce your consumption or transition completely off of meat and dairy, avocado may be the perfect way to satisfy your natural cravings for creamy nourishment.

“The avocado is one of the most valuable foods which nature has given man. For those concerned about eliminating meat from their diet, this offers not merely a “substitute,” but a food which is much superior in value for human maintenance. It is rich in protein and fat and comparatively higher than any other fruits in these elements. The fat is more digestible than animal fats.”

Avocado is also known as the “alligator pear” because of the rough skin on some varieties. In the 17th and 18th centuries the fruit was also commonly known as “butter pear.” In tropical Central America, avocado trees have been growing wild for thousands of years, providing natives with a rich food. The Aztecs called the tree Ahuacatl. Marauding Spanish armies changed this to abocado or avocado, the now common English name.

According to the Little Green Avocado Book, there is strong evidence that avocado trees flourished 50 million years ago in what is now California, and avocados might have provided food for dinosaurs.

Today’s avocados are derived from three natural races. The Mexican type (semi-tropical) produces small fruits, 6 to 10 ounces having glossy purple, paper-thin skin when ripe. The Guatemalan type (subtropical) yields medium pear-shaped fruits which are first green, turning purple-black or coppery-purple when ripe, with a typically tough shell. The West Indian type (tropical) produces enormous, smooth, round, glossy green fruits as up to 2 pounds in weight. In the United States, 95 percent of the commercially grown avocados come from California, with small percentages coming from Florida, Louisiana, Texas and Hawaii. The California Rare Fruit Growers Fruit Facts, Volume One, reports that avocados grow well in valley and coastal California, as far north as Cape Mendocino and Red Bluff. Hybrid forms of all types are grown.

Avocado growing is relatively new . They are available year round. The harvest time depends on the variety. The Hass, the best known commercial variety, is a hybrid of the Mexican and the Guatemalan types and is picked from January into fall depending on where it is grown.

The Little Green Avocado Book also reports that avocado trees are large evergreens of the laurel family, and there are about 400 commercial varieties of avocado. Some are: Bacon, Ettinger, Fuerte, Gwen, Hass, Nabal, Pinkerton, Reed and Zutano. Mexican types ripen in 6 to 8 months from bloom, Guatemalan types 12 to 18 months.

There are wide differences in the flavors of individual avocados, ranging from salty, to nutty, to sweet, with shades in between. If a fruit has been picked too early it may be watery and unpalatable. If picked too late, some varieties develop a rancid flavor. If a Bacon avocado tastes like bacon, it is rancid. If an avocado has dark flesh (rot), compost it and/or salvage the good parts.

At some farmers markets and produce stores, one can occasionally find “Cukes” (also known as "Cocktail" or "Finger" avocados), seedless, pickle-shaped avocado fruits which result from improperly pollinated flowers. One can also occasionally find miniature avocados which have thin, black edible skin and an anise flavor (the Mexicola is one variety)--these make a delightful treat!

Julie Frink, Curator for the Avocado Variety Collection, University of California Research Station at Irvine, California, writes:

“I have nearly 20 varieties growing in my yard and the Hass variety is always one of the best. Some of the green varieties sold in stores have given a bad name to some really fine green skinned fruits. The most inferior tasting avocados have either been picked when too immature or they are poor quality pollinator varieties to begin with. One of our favorites is the round, green Reed. A perfect Reed on Labor Day is a most fantastic treat! So often these wonderful fall avocados are picked and sold in the spring when they are watery and tasteless. The green, elongated pear shaped Pinkerton can be fantastic if allowed to stay on the tree until full maturity but will be rubbery and tasteless if picked too soon.”

The Little Green Avocado Book also states that an acre of avocado trees can yield more food than an acre of any other tree crop. Imagine the ecological implications--a perfectly healthful “meaty” food which requires 1/200th or less of the acreage needed by the cattle industry for a comparable yield in pounds, posing no pollution problems--and no carnage! Worried about mad cow disease?--eat raw avocados, seeds and nuts and stay sane and mentally keen!.

Nutrients:

Avocados are bursting with nutrients--vitamins, A, B-complex, C, E, H, K, and folic acid, plus the minerals magnesium, copper, iron, calcium, potassium and many other trace elements. Avocados provide all of the essential amino acids (those that must be provided by our diet), with 18 amino acids in all, plus 7 fatty acids, including Omega 3 and 6. Avocados contain more protein than cow’s milk, about 2% per edible portion. Since rapidly growing nursing infants obtain no more than 2% protein from mother’s milk, we can safely assume that children and adults do not regularly require foods richer in protein than avocado. Our bodies recycle approximately 80% of our protein; cooked protein is denatured and largely unusable, thus our protein need is far lower than what is taught by

conventional dietetics. A small avocado will provide more usable protein then a huge steak because cooked protein in meat is deranged and mostly unavailable to our liver, the organ which makes all of our body’s protein. There is clear evidence from many sources that cooked fatty and high-protein foods are the prime culprit in our country’s high rate of cancer, as well as in colitis, Crohn’s disease and many other diseases. (I instantly healed up from a long illness, ulcerative colitis, seventeen years ago after I stopped eating meat and adopted a properly combined low-fat vegan diet of mostly raw fruits and vegetables, and I have since helped over 1,000 people recover from similar illnesses.) Ripe, raw organically grown avocados are naturally pure and furnish all of the elements we need to build the highest quality protein in our bodies.

The water content of avocado by weight averages 74%. Because avocado is a ripe, watery, enzymatically-alive fruit, it ranks as the most easily digested rich source of fats and proteins in whole food form. The ripening action of the sun “predigests” complex proteins into simple, easily digested amino acids. The fat content (by weight) varies from 7 to 26 % according to the variety, averaging 15%. Approximately 63% of the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, 20% is polyunsaturated and 17% is saturated. Avocados are the perfect source of dietary fat--appetizing in their raw state, digestible, and pure. Another plus is that avocados have no cholesterol.

Avocado is an alkalinizing food, i.e., the mineral end products of metabolism have an alkalinizing effect in the blood and other bodily fluids. Because the human body works to maintain a slightly alkaline pH, an alkalinizing diet is the most healthful way of eating. Meat, dairy and most raw nuts create acidity in the body--excess eating of these causes the leaching of alkalinizing calcium from our bones to buffer the acidity, leading to osteoporosis. Dr. Douglas Graham states:

“Current bone density testing has verified loss of calcium from the bones after the consumption of just one meat meal. A similar meal containing the same amount of protein from plants results in no calcium loss. Fruit and vegetable proteins, which supply the complete spectrum of human nutrients, must be considered superior to animal protein which are deficient or missing many of our essential nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C and a host of phytonutrients and antioxidants.”

Avocado eaters who eat a healthful vegan diet typically experience more lustrous hair, softer, smoother skin, more pliable nails, fewer joint problems, slimmer belly, less body odor, improved mental function and enhanced libido. Upon giving up animal meat and dairy, switching to a diet of 75% to 100% raw vegan foods with enzymatically-alive “plant meat,” and adopting a healthful lifestyle, a multitude of people have reaped amazing health benefits and joyous vitality.

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Some extraordinary avocado uses

* House plants. Stick toothpicks in the sides of avocado pits and set them on the top of a water-filled glass. A plant will sprout forth which can be transplanted into a pot after a few weeks. On the Avocado Information Web Site, University of California, Cooperative Extension, Dr. Mary Lu Arpaia and Dr. Ben Faber report:

“It is possible to grow an avocado from seed, just don't let it dry out. Be aware that the seed is the result of cross-pollination so the resulting tree will be different from the tree the fruit came from. For example, if you plant the seed from a Hass avocado, the resulting tree will be a cross between a Hass and something else... it will NOT be a Hass! Also, keep in mind that avocados planted from seed take anywhere from 5 to 13 years+ before they flower and produce fruit. When I start an avocado from seed I usually take it right from the fruit, I cut about 1/4" off the tip of the seed with a sharp knife, and place the seed in a pot with potting soil with just the flat/cut top of the seed showing above the soil. Keep it moist and wait...(time to germinate varies).”

* Hand cream. If you have chapped hands or want to prevent chapping in the winter, rub in some avocado.

* Shaving cream. Smear it on!

* Sunburn relief. It may not block any of the sun but it will help keep your skin moist.

* Foot and hand massage. With your partner, share the luxury of a relaxing massage. If you both have sex in mind, don’t stop at the hands and feet!

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Avocado **vs.** Animal Meat

watery and fiber-rich, non-consiptating ** low water, no fiber constipating

has all essential amino acids ** amino acids denatured by cooking

no cholesterol ** high in cholesterol

takes 2 to 4 hours to digest, normally will not putrefy ** takes 12 to 24 hours to digest, normally putrefies, poisoning our blood, tissues and brain

no parasites, pathogens or tumors ** incidences of parasites, pathogens and tumors range from rare to common

not inoculated with any chemicals ** typically inoculated with antibiotics, medicines and hormones

water-rich and non-allergenic ** bloody and laden with allergenic proteins

does not need cooking or any preparation other than peeling ** if eaten raw, the parasite-pathogen risk increases; when cooked the fats become carcinogenic, the proteins coagulate, and the heat-deaminated minerals become embedded as arterial and bowel plaque leading to atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzeimer’s, etc.

100% healthful ** a major health hazard with links to cancer, colitis, diabetes, obesity and many other diseases

alkalinizing ** acidifying

the fuel required to digest avocado and other fruity fats is less than half of that required to digest meats, and digestion time is dramatically lower as well ** takes approximately 50% of body’s energy and as much as three days to digest and clean up the toxins from its decomposition in the gut and the immune system response to the toxic proteins and grease which enter the blood

100% ecologically sound ** ecologically destructive, requiring up to 200 times the acreage and over 10 times the quantity of water to produce one pound of food (approximately 220 gallons of water per pound of avocado vs. 2,400 gallons water per pound of beef); grazing causes soil erosion and in some countries deforestation; liquid, solid and gaseous animal wastes pollute the atmosphere, land and waterways.

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Some avocado myths & facts

1. It’s a vegetable.

Fact: It’s actually an oily berry--a fruit.

2. It’s high in cholesterol.

Fact: It has no cholesterol. Only animal foods have cholesterol.

3. It’s high in fat.

Fact: By weight, avocados average 30% easily digestible oily fatty acids and approximately 70% water.

4. Its saturated fat content is dangerous.

Fact: Only about 2.5% of the edible portion of avocado is saturated fat, and unheated saturated fat from live plant foods is non-toxic.

5. It’s fattening.

Fact: It is the cooked starches, meat, dairy and processed sugar in people’s diets that feed their fat cells. Most active people who consume avocados as part high raw food vegan diet have no problem losing excess fat and staying lean.

6. It is a tree ripened fruit.

Fact: The avocado doesn't soften on the tree. After dropping or picking it must be allowed to soften for 4 to 17 days depending on the variety and ambient temperature and humidity.

7. It is best to ripen it in a bag.

Fact: Not necessary. Keep your weekly supply of avocados on your kitchen table, counter or somewhere else in plain sight. Pinch the tops and bottoms each morning and when they yield to pressure on both ends they are ripe. Refrigerate the ones you are not ready to eat.

9. It can’t be refrigerated.

Fact: Yes it can. Wrap ripe avocado in plastic or keep it in a plastic bag or container. If it is refrigerated for too long some spoiling may result. Remove unripened avocado from the refrigerator 2 or 3 days before you intend to eat them.

10. Keep the seed in to keep the guacamole from turning black.

Fact: That is an old wives tale! Wrap it in plastic to keep oxidation at bay.

Scripture Text: 2 Chronicles 26:4-21

Years ago while I was on a business trip, I found myself talking with a leader of a large Christian organization. We were together for a short period of time, and after a few minutes, he smiled and said, "Charles, we're at the top of our game. No one is doing what we have done. We're the leader, and I don't think anyone can catch us." Immediately my heart sank — not because I wanted to be number one, but because I could sense God saying, "Don't ever let that idea cross your mind."

At that moment, it felt as though the Lord had sent an arrow straight into my heart. I knew exactly what He was saying to me. Pride brings destruction, and it does not belong in the life of a believer. At least, not the kind of pride that lifts self up and fails to glorify and honor God. Perhaps this man did not recognize what he had said. Or it may have been that God wanted to send a word of cau tion to me. Regardless, pride can and does explode God's plan for our lives.

Many times, we begin our Christian walk well. Our focus is set on God, and our hearts are fully committed to Him. Then without warning, pride begins to rise up, pre venting us from being all God wants us to be by blinding us to His ways. It tempts us to believe that we know better than He does. If left unchecked, pride will alter our attitude toward God and the route He has chosen for us to take.

As believers, we need to be aware of Satan's goal, which is to deeply wound and destroy the lives of God's children. He never gives up on his quest to reach this goal and will wreak as much havoc as possible in the life of a believer.

Of all the struggles we face, pride is the one that has the most devastating results. Many of our problems result from pride's work in our lives, but too many people fail to realize this. They become prideful over the good things God has given them — jobs, children, churches, pastors, education, neighborhoods and much more.

God is very specific. He hates pride. In fact, it is at the top of His list of sins that He despises: "Pride and arrogance and the evil way…And the perverted mouth, I hate" (Prov. 8:13). The New International Version translates this bluntly: "I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

Each morning, the enemy lays out his landmines in our lives. If we are not dis cerning, we will fall prey to his tactics. The landmine of pride can tear a gaping hole in the life of the person who yields to its folly. It is one of Satan's chief modes of operation and favorite weapons of warfare because it tempts us to take our eyes off God and place them on ourselves..

In his book Power through Prayer E. M. Bounds writes, "[Today] somehow, self, not God, rules in the holy of holies…Self ability in some wicked form has defamed and violated the temple which should be held sacred for God." No matter how hard we try to cover it up, excuse it or justify it, pride produces the same result — arrogance and rebellion against God..

“‘You were the model of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13You were in Eden,

the garden of God;

every precious stone adorned you:

ruby, topaz and emerald,

chrysolite, onyx and jasper,

sapphire,^b turquoise and beryl.^c

You were blameless in your ways

from the day you were created

till wickedness was found in you.

Your heart became proud

on account of your beauty,

and you corrupted your wisdom

because of your splendor.

So I threw you to the earth;

I made a spectacle of you before kings.

The disagreement between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, and Ogun State governor, Gbenga Daniel, led to a public brawl yesterday during the commissioning of the overhead bridge constructed by the federal government at Ota, Ogun State.

The programme had kicked off before the arrival of the Speaker, and Mr Daniel, who came with a large entourage, has spend some time delivering a speech which was largely disparaging to the speaker. The Minister of Works, Sanusi Daggash and his minister of state, Osa Ogiemwonyi were both at the occasion although the town’s most famous resident and former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, did not show up at the event.

Mr Daniel quickly cut short his speech when an aide told him that Mr Bankole had finally arrived at the venue.

In his speech, the governor had made allusions to the speaker’s alleged quest for cheap glory and dabbling in the state’s affairs, instead of striving to get the best out of his office in the few months remaining for his tenure to end.

The road project was started about ten years ago by the government of Mr Obasanjo, but it was abandoned half way and Mr Bankole had began the campaign to complete work, during a well-publicised visit to the town last year.

“Tell the Speaker, to stop claiming responsibility for the construction,” said Mr Daniel in his speech. “The project was started by the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Ebora Owu, and we want to thank him. Tell my junior brother, the speaker that he should do something before his tenure lapsed, we all have less than few months to leave office,” he said..

Hurried commissioning

As Mr Bankole arrived the venue, a loud ovation was heard from his supporters but before he could even come down from his car, the governor hurriedly concluded his speech and headed straight to cut the tape of the commissioning.

Apparently sensing mischief, the Speaker moved to the tape cutting spot, but he was obstructed by one of the security aides to Mr Daniel. Mr Bankole pushed him aside and hurried towards the dais. But before he reached there, Mr Daggash, in company of the governor, moved quickly to cut the tape for the commissioning.

As this drama unfolded, the atmosphere became tense as security aides to both parties began waving their guns dangerously, creating more disorder. The charged atmosphere forced many people to run for safety and avoid any harm which might result from the fracas.

Among those who fled for their lives was the traditional ruler of Ota town, Alani Oloyede. The royal father had to tuck in his flowing gown, or agbada, as he fled the scene in the midst of his chiefs.

As the speaker moved to confront the governor, Mr Daniel and the ministers were hurriedly led into the official bus by their aides. Mr Bankole headed straight for the white coaster bus and ordered an aide to call the minister, Mr Daggash. The aide returned moments later to say the minister wouldn’t come out because he was speaking with the governor.

Shouting bout

In annoyance, Mr Bankole forced his way into the bus where he engaged in a shouting bout with Mr Daniel. The tainted glasses of the bus prevented onlookers from getting a clear view, but Mr Bankole could be seen ordering the driver of the bus not to move an inch. Noises were also heard from the bus for the 3-4 minutes the speaker was in the bus. As soon as he came out, the governor and his crew immediately left.

Mr Bankole was however loudly praised and hailed by indigenes of Ota, who were also seen throwing objects at the governor’s bus and booing him.

Mr Daggash, in his speech, said the third phase of the project would commence in the next two months, to pave way for the completion of the project.

“In the next two months, the third project will start. The next phase would not be delayed like the second phase. This is important for the benefits of all Nigerians passing through this road.”