52 Years Later, Why Restitution For The Asaba Massacre Cannot Be Monetary

Combo of Murtala Mohammed and Ibrahim Taiwo. Image: Ilorin

BY CHETA NWANZE

There is an Igbo saying about when you wake up being your morning. It simply means that it is never too late to start. This, could be a good thing, as it engenders a resilient attitude that is not tapered by time. However, sometimes when someone wakes up late, the reasons may be more cynical, as in this story I’m about to tell.

The town of Evwreni is located 150km away from the capital of Delta State, and unlike Asaba which is consistently derided as a non-Delta town (the people of Asaba are of the Igbo ethnic group), there is no doubt that Evwreni is an oil producing Niger Delta town. In August 1999, the Evwreni Youths Association wrote a letter to the Shell Petroleum Development Company giving them an ultimatum to build a hospital, community centre, a borehole for the town, and tar the two roads in town – the Warri-Patani Road, and Palace Road. At the time, there were two major landmarks in Evwerni, the Girls Model Secondary School, which sat along the Warri-Patani Road, and the Ovie’s Palace, which was on Palace Road. In addition to these four demands, the EYA asked that Shell build a fence around the Ovie’s Palace, and install a telephone line for him. The Ovie at the time was Ovie Owin Kumani.

In response, Shell offered to pay homage and royalties to the Ovie in cash, and also offered some jobs and scholarships to the EYA. This last bit of information was kept from the majority of EYA members.

Eventually, the EYA found out, and went on what was initially a peaceful protest to the Ovie’s Palace. Unfortunately, armed palace guards, paid for by the Delta State government, shot at the protesters and killed one of them. Nine others were alleged to have sustained bullet wounds.

Following this incident, Evwreni elders called for the dethronement of Ovie Kumani, and eventually the situation boiled over on 20 January 2000 when the youths stormed the palace, and murdered Kumani, and another elder, Chief James Fashe. This story, illustrates the danger of monetary compensation in the system such as we have in Nigeria where systems of accountability are weak, and where because of a culture of impunity, the incentive to just take cash and make for the hills is strong.

A few days ago, I read an article about the Asaba Development Union, which claimed to be speaking for the people of Asaba with respect to engagement with the government of Nigeria. The group is demanding an apology and compensation. This coincides with the 52nd anniversary of the 7 October, 1967 massacre in which at least 800 men and boys from Asaba were killed by the Nigerian Army on suspicion of being sympathetic to the secessionist cause during the Biafran War.

The reason this deserves some commentary is because two years ago during the organisation of the half century of the event, various groups of Asaba indigenes were approached for their cooperation and contribution to the event, and they showed a distinct disinterest in the matter. In fact, it was during the six-week period of organisation before the event that I became involved and realised that there was no single group that had the capacity to organise a befitting remembrance.

But the show had to go on, and the Asaba Advisory Council set up a task force which ensured that the event went on despite the indifference of many Asaba groups, opposition from governmental figures, financial challenges and the time frame required to organise a successful event. At this point I will go on the record to say that were it not for the extraordinary support shown by Prof Wole Soyinka, Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, and Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma of the Enugu Anglican Diocese, the event may not have even gone ahead. So great was the opposition, and so real were the threats.

At the event itself all the speakers, including Soyinka, Kukah, the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, and Alban Ofili-Okonkwo, were very clear that given the time that has passed, and the fact that the families of the victims of that brutal event half a century ago have for the most part done quite well, that monetary compensation was not among the lists of requests by the people of Asaba. What we want is simply an acknowledgement that the town was decimated in 1967 just because of their Igbo ethnicity and despite the “one Nigeria” stance of the indigenes at the time, and an apology for that action.
The official communique after the event made it clear that if there is to be any talk of compensation, then it should be in form of a world class maternity hospital to be located in Asaba and open to all Nigerians.

After the event, the committee met with the traditional rulership of Asaba and a foundation was incorporated to pursue these objectives. The Asagba of Asaba, by royal decree, said that the Foundation is the officially empowered body to have discussions regarding government interactions over the massacre.

Then we now have this group coming up to claim monetary compensation… The objective of this piece is to sound an alarm, because this being Nigeria, this is a movie script we have seen before, and sadly the writers only ever seem to change the dates, locations, and names of the actors, but never the script itself.

As a victim who lost his maternal grandfather and many uncles in that sad event, I maintain that the stance of the task force that organised the half century event is the best one. You do not throw money at a thing like this, it will only lead to a fight. Rather, build the hospital, the foundation is asking.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN NIGERIA

INTERVIEW: Ngozi Chuma-Udeh: Feminists Are Women Who Wash Clothes

Ngozi Chuma-Udeh

BY HENRY AKUBUIRO

Professor Ngozi Chuma-Udeh is the author of thirteen creative works, some of which include Teachers on Strike, Dreams of Childhood, Echoes of New Dawn, The Presidential Handshake, The Thing between Your Legs and Chants of Despair. Recently, she presented her latest work of fiction, Forlon Fate, to the public, witnessed by HENRY AKUBUIRO, who, thereafter, interviewed her on her writings, feminism and scholarship in Awka, Anambra State. Chuma-Udeh, a professor of English at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, is the proponent of the new feminism school called Beside Feminism. She told The Sun Literary Review that her own brand of feminism emphasises on developing the girl child alongside the boy child, as against the dominant view that behind every successful man is a woman.

You started your writing career as a schoolgirl, who did you set out?

In the years of growing up, you had a lot of dreams; you saw the world through the eyes of a kid. You wanted to be a great writer like Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi and other literary greats, and you read novels like Dennis Robbins, and you wanted to write and be like them. That was the inspiration. You also read Mills and Boons series, and wished to write such romantic novels.

Which period are you talking about?

When I was about 12, 13 years… in the 1980s. (laughs) So you had this concept that life was all about “they lived happily ever after”. After reading Dennis Robbins, you wanted to configure life through your writing. Those were the formative years. Then, as you grew up, you were sold into the harsh realities of life. You now grew up from that romantic foundation and move into more political issues. Now, you feel the pangs of life. You begin to see the wrongs in your contemporary society, and you want to participate in addressing them. It will now change your focus from that child growing up who thought that life was a bed of roses, and now begin to see certain things going wrong in the society, which you could correct through arts. So you now find yourself writing about life, hardship, pains. It is no longer that happy, jolly life –in fact, you shift as reality sets in into a contemporary writer. You now begin to feel the burden of the society. That also shapes your writing.

From those formative years of innocence, how did your first literary work emerge?
I was in secondary school then, and teachers were on strike. I witnessed, firsthand, the hardship that followed (during the time of Jim Nwobodo as the Anambra State governor). But I am not saying Teachers on Strike, my first book, was about Nwobodo. It is a work of fiction. My mother was at the forefront of events –she was among the primary and secondary school teachers at loggerheads with the government. Things were hard. I had to come back from school, for the hardship couldn’t sustain me. Again, there was a debilitating teachers’ strike when I was a secondary school teacher. The two strikes teamed up to form my plot in Teachers’ on Strike. I believe it x-rays the ills in the society.

From that debut fiction to the latest, how has your orientation changed as a writer?

I don’t think my orientation has changed. I am still a contemporary writer. Sometimes, I veer into feminism –the concern of women and children, not really feminism, because I have a brand of feminism I call Beside Feminism.

What do you mean by that?

In our contemporary society, we say behind a very successful man there is a woman, but I don’t think it is right to place your wife or woman behind you. How many men know what goes on behind them? If you want to give something to somebody behind you, first, you have to twist your hand, after which you have to take it backwards. But, if your wife is beside you, she will be looking at you and you will be looking at her, and, side by side, you match on in progressivism. So Beside Feminism is all about: the girl children should be developed along their male counterparts.

How is it different from Womanism?

Well, Womanism takes in a lot of things, like pride for women. Womanism may say: let the woman be superior to the man to some extent; it is a kind of struggle for supremacy. But Beside Feminism is not a struggle for supremacy; it is not a fight for power; it is not a struggle. It is just about you bringing up the girl child alongside her male counterpart so that, together, they will match on side by side in progressivism. If you bring both sexes up, give them equal opportunities to develop; it will not only create a progressive outlook, it will also increase the life expectancy of our men. So Beside Feminism targets increasing the life expectancy of men by reducing the stress factors in their lives.

So what’s your take on Chimamanda’s brand of feminism?

As I told you before, there are many brands, and I can’t say her own is wrong because I don’t agree with it; and she cannot equally say mine is wrong because she may not agree with me. Just as there are so many people, so are there so many ideas. So it depends on the one you adopt. Hers may work in some areas; mine may also work in some areas. So it depends on who is adopting it.

Except for some feeble noises in some literary circles, feminism appears to be going downhill, unlike in the days of Buchi Emecheta. Do you agree?

There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to feminism. People tend to twist, bend and squeeze feminism into their own corner to suit their purposes thereby making a bogus claim, like somebody who is lazy and can’t sweep his house; somebody who cannot cook for his family; somebody who cannot wash her clothes will tell you she is a feminist, and feminists don’t wash clothes. Feminists are the women who even wash clothes and clean the floors. That’s the idea of feminism: that you should allow the woman; give her the chance to develop, let her contribute to the development of not just her nuclear family but the society at large. So feminism means work to maintain a good family; live for your family; live for your husband; let your ideas match that of your husband; move beside your husband and be one in decision and in unison. Any other thing is not feminism.

You have just presented your latest work of fiction, Forlorn Fate. What inspired this book?

The Niger Delta issue inspired this book. I have looked at the Niger Delta as a sordid affair. The oil in Niger Delta has done more harm than good to the average Niger Deltan character. Look at this way: while we are there pursuing petty militant, who would have taught that it was the white man who engineered the militancy? That’s what Forlorn Fate says. This novel lays the blame not on the militants but on the Whiteman.

Does the novel has element of verisimilitude, or is a product of imagination?
It should have. Every work of art that lacks verisimilitude is useless. So I think, at certain level, the book is true to life.

The work has a broader canvas, I guess?

The work looks at man’s injustice to man. It looks at the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade. It also looks at the distablisation of people –that ancestral distablisation of carrying off people –the horrors of transatlantic slave trade; the evils of slavery and, now, the tracing of roots of these people, because Colonel Nina Sortorne, a major character in the book, came to the Niger Delta as an American soldier on a rescue mission and then discovered she came home to her roots. She now discovered there was a myth around her family, her great-grand father being carried away to slavery, and her coming back; because, if not for that timely intervention, the community road would have been destroyed by the Whiteman. The Whiteman wanted them to vacate, because he wanted to build an empire at all cost, so he wanted to drive them away. He wanted to send the entire community into extinction. He tried chemicals on them, and they did not move. If you read the first paragraph, you will see where I said that no child of nature, no matter how minute, leaves his home easily. That was just the message.

You an Igbo woman raised in the eastern part of Nigeria. Locating the setting your novel in Niger Delta, a different region, how difficult or easy was it for you to achieve a symmetry?

I grew up in the creeks of the River Niger, and I knew when we were growing up, my grandmother would tell you not to cry too much, because Ijaw people were walking about. There was this belief that Ijaw people were headhunters (laughs).

In the last few years, you have been engaged in departmental and faculty administration in the university where you teach. How were you able to combine writing, motherhood, scholarship and varsity administration?

When you are given these positions, if you don’t take time, they will send you into academic obituary: you cannot write, because you are a HOD or a dean; you find yourself grappling between your academic work and the post you are holding. I am a professor now, so you cannot but write. Being a professor is not as difficult as holding an office. The up-and-coming ones should hold the offices now.

ANA convention holds this month, from October 31st to November 3rd, 2019. I learn you are a running mate to one of the presidential aspirants. This is the second time you are gunning for that position. Why are you coming back?
I believe I have something to offer to ANA. I have a great contribution to make to ANA. It doesn’t matter how many times I will be contesting; the most important thing is that there is something I want to give to ANA, and that I really want to achieve.

What makes Barrister Ahmed Maiwada a better alternative?

I believe in him. I believe in his art as a leader. He is a wonderful lawyer, a benign soul, and I have this belief he will move ANA to a greater height. Some people are talking about zoning. In ANA, we are not talking about zoning; we talk about the individual. If you, because you came from the zone where the presidency has been zoned, decide to elect a look warm person who will not work, it will be tragic. I am not saying any of the contenders is look warm (laughs). I am only trying to say we should give everybody equal opportunity to contest; let ANA decide who among them will handle the affairs better. This is not a do-or-die affair; we all have our lives to spend in ANA as writers. If you don’t win this year, next year, you contest again. That’s the way I see it.

Interview With Okechukwu Nzelu

Okechukwu Nzelu. Image: Twitter

BY GRACE KEANE

Nnenna Maloney is a teenage girl juggling friendships, school and sex. But as she approaches womanhood she also wants to connect with her Igbo-Nigerian culture.

Her close relationship with her mother, Joanie, becomes strained, as Nnenna demands answers about the father she has never known. A heart-warming cast of characters join Nnenna and Joanie as they grapple with questions of identity and belonging against the backdrop of everyday Manchester.

The story of a young woman coming of age is a familiar one, but Nnenna’s perspective seemed very fresh. How do you feel about the need for new, diverse characters like Nnenna, and what motivated you to tell her story?

I remember the first time I read Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I would have been Nnenna’s age, 16, when I saw the novel in a Black History Month display at Manchester Central Library. And this will sound as corny as corn on the cob, but the book just… called out to me. I took it out and read it in two days (incredibly fast for me) and I couldn’t believe how great it felt to read a book with names I recognised, with language I was familiar with. It really did feel like home, and I felt so profoundly grateful for it when I finished. Shouldn’t more people feel like that, and more often?

As to why and how I wrote the story: funnily enough, a few people (with very good intentions) have asked me, what research I did before writing the story of a half-Nigerian teenager and her white single mum. It’s an interesting question, but things happened more organically than that. I could probably search my internet history and find the titles of articles and interviews I’ve read over the course of my life, but I never did ‘research’: I think if a man has to go to a library and fill up a notebook just so he can write contemporary female characters convincingly, there’s a problem.

Nnenna and her mother may be new characters, but they’re not new people: people like them are all around us, and if you listen to them, if you have a range of people in your life, they will share their experiences with you, as I have done with people in my life at various stages. Generally, people love to talk about themselves! It’s a very human trait. I think that’s why the novel is full of people from various different backgrounds and of various different experiences: I didn’t base any of my characters on specific people, but I grew up in Manchester, a very diverse city, so I really wanted to write the kind of novel that reflects my experiences.

Then, as I drafted and redrafted again and again throughout my twenties, I was developing my thinking on a lot of different issues and reflecting on my own experiences. I found myself really interested in Nnenna as one example of people who just about fit in certain ways, but who don’t necessarily feel like they ‘fit’: Nnenna goes to school with many middle-class kids who typically come from comfortable homes with two loving parents – but Nnenna’s home life doesn’t reflect that, and it’s hard for her to carve out a space for herself when she knows almost nothing about her father. How might that affect how she sees herself? How might that affect her relationship with her mother? What stigmas might she face? How might that affect her friendships and other aspects of her daily life? I really wanted to explore these questions with some light and humour.

Nnenna and her peers are sixteen for most of the novel. How did you find writing from the perspective of a teenager? Were you influenced by your work as a high school teacher? Did you draw from your own experience of adolescence?
Working with young people is hugely fun, and writing teenage voices is hugely fun. There’s that famous Louis de Bernières quotation about how ‘childhood is the only time in our lives when insanity is not only permitted to us, but expected’. I think children and young people break certain unwritten rules of behaviour because they’re figuring things out, or because they’re having fun or because they’re rebelling. Being a teacher definitely reminds me of this.

Funnily enough, though, I wasn’t really like that as a kid, myself: I’ve always been very independent-minded but for a few different reasons, I never really rebelled in the ways that some of my friends did. So I really enjoyed writing Nnenna, a conscientious, studious and thoughtful but imperfect young woman, put into situations where she’s faced with the choice to rebel, or to sit quietly.

So, writing the voices of teenagers who are figuring out love, school, sex, race and class, making mistakes, having fun, getting hurt, learning things – it was an absolute gift because as well as doing some serious thinking, I could really have a laugh. I drew on my own experiences, or just made things up that were consistent with reality as I see it. It wasn’t always easy, but I laughed a lot while writing this, and not just while writing the conversations between the teenagers. At one point in the novel, Nnenna compares the way she talks to her boyfriend with the level of conversation between Austen’s heroines and their love interests; what she doesn’t fully realise is that some of the funniest, tenderest and most enriching conversations she has are those she already has with her mother. I think that sometimes, very different types of love have certain things in common.

And the messaging chats! Loved ‘em. I grew up around the time Nnenna does, when instant messaging was taking off in quite a big way. I based the online conversations in the book on my own experiences with the (now defunct) MSN Messenger of the early noughties, but one of the best things about being in a classroom is that particular brand of cheeky wit that teenagers have, and that definitely found its way into the book.

The majority of the novel is set in Manchester – with another timeline set in Cambridge. I personally loved this, as reading popular fiction set in the North can still feel like a novelty. As a Mancunian, was it important to you that the book was set there?

I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Manchester and Cambridge are the two cities I know best, as that’s where I’ve lived and worked and studied, so that was part of my decision. But they’re very different places: growing up in Manchester, I’d had friends of every world religion by the time I was 10. At my Cambridge college, I was the Ethnic Minorities Rep on the student council and I remember being surprised at just how many people had never heard of Diwali, the Hindu festival of light. We’d learned about it in primary school! I had very different experiences in the two cities and I wanted to reflect that in my writing.

I was also very conscious of many mainstream British novels being set in London. Some of those novels will always be my favourite books (White Teeth by Zadie Smith among them) but I wanted to write something that reflected my experience and portrayed the North of England in a nuanced, contemporary way. I did wonder if this would make it less appealing, but most British people who read London novels don’t necessarily know London that well, but you can still enjoy them because there’s something engaging in reading about someone’s experiences which are different from your own, so long as those experiences are convincing and well-written. So I tried to reflect the variety of different parts of Manchester and give some space to one of my favourite bits, Albert Square, which is like stepping into the Victorian era.

One of of the book’s central characters is a gay man. His storyline is at times very harassing, but he’s also a character who offers a lot of comic relief. Indeed, many of the characters in the book that discover or explore their sexuality do so in a very positive and hopeful way. Were you conscious of the way you wanted to depict these characters and their journeys?
I really was. I think a lot of LGBTQ+ literature offers tragedy or despair or trauma, and I don’t want to be critical of that because the sad fact is that those things reflect modern life for many queer people, especially queer people of colour. The statistics on mental health for LGBTQ+ people, even well into the 21stcentury, are very troubling. But I’m also aware that it’s a very human thing (and a particularly Mancunian thing, I think) to find light and even humour in some of the bleakest situations, so I wanted to do that, and have my characters do that too, where they could.

And then besides that, sex (heterosexual or otherwise) is just an absolute goldmine for comedy writing. I think there’s real intimacy and gravitas in the characters’ experience of sexuality, but sometimes you just have to laugh (I hope). Especially for the younger characters, human intimacy is very much uncharted territory, and so many of them are concerned with setting or shifting their boundaries, and with finding (or losing) themselves while experiencing intimacy with another person.

When it comes to Jonathan specifically, I wanted to uplift his voice. LGBTQ+ people of colour are being seen more often in mainstream media, but their stories are often still truncated or over-simplified and their voices are often ignored within the narrative, in favour of exploring the psyches of their white counterparts. But I wondered what would happen if, for part of the book, we only heard the voice of an LGBTQ+ person of colour? What if we had to listen to him, and only him? That’s partly why most of Jonathan’s scenes are nervous monologues with someone on the phone, or with a lover: I wanted the reader to get a sense of his profound loneliness (even when he’s with other people) and of how lost he feels. Ultimately, he has to decide whether (and how) to change his life, but the catalyst for this might come as a surprise.

Religion is a thread that runs throughout the novel. Nnenna uses bible verses as a means of writing in her diary, and we see many characters seriously struggling with their faith. You certainly don’t shy away from the problems within the church, but the issues are dealt with very deftly. Could you talk a little bit about why religion was such an important aspect of the story?

Thank you! I really enjoyed writing this nuance. When I was Nnenna’s age I was quite religious, and my Christian faith was a big part of how I saw the world. Although I no longer believe in God, the language and imagery of Christianity still resonate with me strongly. In particular, I’m very interested in ideas of the holy and the profane – and the ideas of redemption and forgiveness, and the idea that people and ideas that are easy to dismiss or condemn might be something completely different from what you might have thought.

Writing the church scenes was very important for me. I am critical of the church in some ways, but I also recognise that it provides something deeply important for some people. I think it’s important to recognise that people and institutions can be very problematic, or even destructive, while also being deeply benevolent in some ways. When writing about religion, in a lot of ways, I’m writing about humanity – the good, and the bad – so in that sense it’s quite representative of what I was trying to do in the novel as a whole.

The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney will be published by Dialogue Books on 3 October 2019.

SOURCE: NEW WRITING NORTH

Teenage Traffickers

Image via Sun News Online

BY CHIOMA IGBOKWE

It was yet another twist to the recurring incidents of baby factories when seven pregnant young women were rescued by the police while wandering about in the early hours of October 2, begging for money to transport themselves out of Lagos State.

This latest batch of victims claimed they were tricked from various locations to come into Lagos with a promise of a better life. However, upon arrival, they were locked up for weeks and months by suspected child traffickers. They, however, resolved to break out of their bondage when they overheard a telephone conversation regarding negotiations for their unborn babies.

The women identified themselves as Joy Jonathan Amarachi Samuel, Blessing Iwunna, Confidence Uwaegbu, Chinma Destiny, Chidinma Nnaji and Obi Esther.

Lured with sweet promises

Although their story is riddled with contradictions (for example, they all denied foreknowledge of the fact that their unborn babies will be sold after birth and they couldn’t also identify the photograph of the woman who supposedly lured them to Lagos), nonetheless, their accounts, similar in plot, are credible. Their common denomination was their vulnerability at the time they met Madame Trafficker, who exploited their insecurity to dangle irresistible offers to lure them to Lagos. Once the trap was sprung and they were in, firmly in the Safe House, she showed her true colour.

In flawless English, the youngest of the victims, Joy Jonathan, calmly explained her decision to run away from her village was an attempt to save her family the shame of raising a bastard when she became pregnant after she was gang-raped.

The 13 years old from Ngor Okpala, Imo State, was a Junior Secondary School student.

“As a young girl, I normally get advances from men in the village especially the boys in our area. I always refuse them because I know that I am a small girl and I don’t want anyone to destroy my life. I wanted to be a doctor.

However, her world turned upside down seven months ago.

Her poignant recollection: “My mother sent me to buy groundnut oil around 9 pm. I was on my way back when I ran into four boys, they grabbed me and dragged me into the bush. They took a turn to rape me. I tried to scream but they used my blouse to tie my mouth.

“When I got home, I told my mother and she took me to the hospital the next day. I was given some drugs. My mother reported the matter to the village head, but the boys ran away when they heard that I had reported them.

Three months later, her mother noticed signs of pregnancy.

“I was so sad and wanted to kill myself, but my mother encouraged me to keep the pregnancy. She said she will do her best to support me until I give birth. I had to drop out of school and join my mother to sell tomatoes at the market.”

It was in the market that she met a woman who introduced herself as Madam Happiness who offered to help her.

“She told me that she will take me to Lagos to serve a family that will pay me N30, 000 a month and also take care of my baby. She told me that they live in a big mansion and I will have my room.”

The unhealthy situation in the village made her gullible.

“The village people were already making a mockery of my family because of my situation. They don’t even believe that I was raped. I don’t know who amongst the boys that impregnated me, so my child will be seen as a bastard. I planned to go to Lagos, become rich and come back and change the destiny of my family.”

Desperation to escape the shame in the village made her amenable to the suggestion to vanish without informing her family or friends.

“At my age, I know that my mother will not allow me to travel to Lagos; besides, that woman warned me to keep it a secret. Without the knowledge of my family, I carried my bag and followed the woman to Lagos.”

No sooner did she arrive in Lagos than it dawned on her that she had been deceived.

“We got to Lagos at night and were taken to a very big compound. It was when I got there that I saw about 20 pregnant women. Amongst them were some of my village girls that are also pregnant.”

Still, Madam Happiness assured her that she was also helping them to get work.

A few days later, the truth was revealed.

“We were all kept there and locked up. Our phones were taken away, if you have any problem, you will talk to one woman that we all call Mummy. If you complain, she will shout at you and threaten to kill you.”

She spent not less than five weeks in the building before their ‘jailbreak’ of October 2.

Amarachi Samuel, a 17-year-old, also fell to the wiles of Madam Happiness who sold her a dummy about sending her abroad after birth.

The teenager from Isialangwa, Abia State, was married and was living with her husband in Aba.

Her circumstance too was what rendered her vulnerable.

Her story: “While I was in the village, I started dating my present husband when I was 14 years old. Unfortunately, I became pregnant and my father forced me to marry him. He paid part of the money and promised to complete it when he gets a job. I dropped out of school and stayed in the village until my baby was born.

I moved to Aba to live with him. He is an apprentice and because of that marriage, his boss drove him away, because he said that he would start stealing from him. Life became difficult and I started learning how to make hair. Two years later, I became pregnant again. I wanted to abort the baby but the doctor said that I was already five months.”

She was out on an errand for her mistress one day when she met Madam Happiness.

“She asked why a young girl like me that should be in school is pregnant. I told her my story and she promised to help me. She asked me not to tell my husband or my family because they will be envious and try to discourage me.”

She was in Lagos before she informed her husband of her odyssey. “I called my husband and told him that I am in Lagos. I did not want him to worry since I was already seven months pregnant. I also needed him to concentrate and take care of our son.”

The reality of the camp contradicts her hopes and expectation.

She recalled: “I was surprised to see so many pregnant women in that house and all of them said that they were invited the same way that I was invited.

“We were always locked in and fed once a day. If you are so hungry, there is a bag of Gari and water. She took away our phones and started threatening us. If you try to shout, the other women will tell you to keep quiet.

Blessing Iwunna, who came to Lagos with her son, claimed she informed her husband before embarking on the journey. The young girl from Mbaise, Imo State, got married at the age of 14 when she was put in the family way.

She dropped out of school and started selling fruits in the village market. Like a shark smelling blood in the ocean hundreds of miles away, Madam Happiness found her.

“She bought the entire basket and I was so happy to go home early because I was already six months pregnant,” she recalled. “She promised to change my life if I follow her to Lagos. I told her that I have a two-year-old son and she asked me to bring him along. I told my husband and he did not refuse because I am his second wife and he is very poor.”

In Lagos, she realized she had been duped when they walked into a camp full of pregnant women.

The circumstance of escape

According to the rescued women, the escape plan was hatched by Chinma Destiny, the oldest among the camp’s inmates. Chinma said it became imperative for them to run away for fear that they might be killed after the birth of their baby.

The 27-year-old Rivers State indigene was a hairdresser and also learning how to decorate event centres.

She began her narration with the misfortune that befell and made her vulnerable. “I started dating one of my customers who normally come to our shop to do pedicure, As soon as I got pregnant, he disappeared. I lost my job and could barely feed myself.”

Again, the “omniscient” Madam Happiness came into her life.

“I told her my problem and she asked me to follow her to Lagos. She promised to get me a job in a big mansion. It was when we got to Lagos that I realized what it was all about. A compound filled with more than 20 pregnant women. I have heard so much about their activities and I was wondering why Madam Happiness did not discuss that with me before bringing me to Lagos. I confronted her and she denied it.”

Her passivity, however, changed the day she overheard her negotiating with someone over the phone.

“She said, “most of the women here are pregnant with baby boys.” She told the woman that each will go for N500, 000 and that about 10 of us will be due in the next one month. I am eight months pregnant and I knew automatically that I am one of those she was referring to.”

She informed the others and they hatched a plan.

“As soon as she drove into the compound, while the driver was about to close the gate, we opened the gate and ran away. They tried to grab some of us, but we ran away and walked for about 30 minutes before we boarded a bus to Cele.”

However on alighting at Cele, a bus stop along the Oshodi-Apapa expressway, they explained their predicament to an old man at the taxi park, soliciting for help to travel back to their respective states.

“He allowed us to sit down and beg for money. We planned to raise enough money to pay for our transport fare back to the East.”

But the people at the park called the police.

Only one of the rescued seven, Esther, admitted where she was being taken. She affirmed the reason she agreed to come to Lagos was to get rid of her unwanted baby.

“I am an auxiliary nurse in Port Harcourt. By the time I realized that I was pregnant, I was already four months and it’s dangerous to abort,” she narrated.

“I met Madam Happiness and told her my situation; she was the one who asked me to join her to Lagos that she will hand me over to a family that has no child. She said they will take care of me and give me a job.”

Treatment inside the camp

Life inside the camp however dispelled any delusions they had before arriving in Lagos. According to Chinma, throughout the two weeks she spent in the house, no doctor or midwife came to see or give them any form of medication. “We were only fed once a day. She (Madam) said it was not necessary to take medication because we are all healthy. She also said that if we eat too much, it will be very hard to have a normal birth.”

By the time they succeeded in breaking out of their incarceration, they had only thoughts of going back to their home and to resume their previous lives before the disruption.

“Please, I want to go home. I know that I am too small to have a child but I cannot sell my baby,” Joy pleaded. When asked of her native name, Joy said, “I have disgraced my family enough, if I tell you their name the shame will double.”

Blessing too spoke of her intention to go back home: “I want to go home and manage my husband. Life was better for us in the village.”.

Chinma said: “I am aware that babies can be sold but I do not want to sell my own. I want to work and provide for my child because I know that he will be great. Please, we want to go home,” she pleaded.

Even Esther, who went into the gulag on her won volition, had no regret leaving the place abruptly.

“I decided to run because Madam collected our phones and was not feeding us well. I have spent three weeks in that camp and she has not connected me to any wealthy couple. I was scared because I do not know what she intends to do with me after the birth of my baby. I know that I need help but I don’t want to die or be sold,” she stated.

Police angle

According to the Lagos State Police Command spokesman DSP Bala Elkana: “At about 1 am on October 2, Isolo Police Station received an alert that seven pregnant women were seen stranded at Cele Bus Stop along Oshodi-Apapa expressway. A team of policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Folorunsho Gabriel went to the spot and rescued them.”

Saturday Sun reliably learnt that the seven women were amongst those who escaped when police recently raided their camps at Ikotun (No 14 Adisa Street, Ayanwale area and No 32 Owosho street, Governor Road Ikotun) and Abaranje area (No 29 Olugbeyohun street, Olakunle bus stop and No 4/6Anomo street). They allegedly ran away from their location when they learnt of the news of the raid of other locations.

Two suspects, Happiness Ukwuoma from Mbano in Imo State and Sherifat Ipeya from Lagos were arrested in connection with the case.

The suspects told the police that their responsibility was just to take care of the girls and help to transport most of them from their locations to their camps in Lagos. They were locally trained as midwives and under the payroll of one Madam Oluchi who comes around to visit them once in a week.

Initially, they were operating in Rivers and Imo states but they relocated to Lagos last year because security operatives were always raiding their camps.



Meanwhile the Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu has deployed detectives from the State Criminal Investigative Department, Panti to fish out the principal suspect Madam Oluchi from Mbano.

This Is What Imo Gov Ihedioha Told South African Returnees Who Fled Xenophobia

Gov Ihedioha commissions a project in the state. Image via Pulse



BY JUDE EGBAS

Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha, says his state will reintegrate and resettle indigents of the state who recently fled xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

The governor has set up an inter-ministerial committee to map out strategies for their resettlement, says Chibuike Onyeukwu, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor.

Receiving the returnees at the Government House, Owerri this week, Governor Ihedioha, appreciated God for saving the lives of the returnees and reminded them that this is a period for soul searching.

"We understand clearly the import of this incident. What the displacement has given rise to, is that you have to start afresh, begin to adjust and start a new life," Ihedioha said.

The governor also announced that a desk has been set up to articulate a plan that will guarantee sustainable livelihoods for them.
A committee to look after returnees

Ihedioha disclosed that the inter ministerial resettlement committee which will be headed by his Special Adviser on Diaspora Affairs, Prof, Chudi Uwazuruike, will be made up of the ministries of Youth; Labour; Education; Health and will be supervised by the Ministry of Gender and Vulnerable Group Affairs.

The governor also assured that the state is doing its best to partner with the federal government in order to ensure that special attention is given to Imo returnees, as the state has fulfilled all the requirements needed by the Diaspora Commission.
Xenophobia in the rainbow nation

The latest spate of attacks on migrants in South Africa began from the suburbs of Johannesburg on Sunday, September 1, 2019.

By Monday, September 2, South African men and women clutching cudgels and stones were chanting war songs and marching to the central business district of South Africa’s biggest city to burn shops and businesses owned by Nigerians, Somalians and other foreign nationals.

Before long, more than 50 shops and business premises mainly owned by Nigerians and Somalians, had been burnt to the ground.

12 persons reportedly died in the latest attacks, a chunk of them South Africans.

In the wake of the attacks, the federal government airlifted Nigerians who were willing to return home, in partnership with private airline Air Peace.

The attacks threatened relations between Nigeria and South Africa, the two biggest economies on the continent.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has just returned from South Africa where he discussed the attacks with his South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

SOURCE: PULSE

Meet British Nurse Nkechi Rosalind Colwell Who Left Her Home In England For Nigeria

Nkechi Rosalind Colwell and Uche Anyanwagu at a church in London. Image: Facebook via Legit

BY SEUN DUROJAIYE

Facebook user, Uche Anyanwagu, has narrated details of his experience on meeting British nurse, Nkechi Rosalind Colwell - Anyanwagu who described the meeting as humbling, stated that he was awed with her fluency in Igbo language - The wheelchair-bound woman is known to have devoted 35 years of her life in treating and helping young children in Abia state Facebook user, Uche Anyanwagu, has many Nigerians in touch with their altruist nature after sharing the story of Nkechi Rosalind Colwell, a British nurse who served in Nigeria for 35 years. Anyanwagu met her at a church in London recently and many things including her command of the Igbo language left him in awe. Long when missionaries flocked Nigeria, many settled in the eastern region and some chose to remain, live with the locals and become part of a new culture. One of such was Nkechi Rosalind Colwell, who as a young nurse then served in the Leper Colony, in Uzuakoli area of Abia state.

For 35 years, the British nurse left her home in England and chose to treat mentally ill patients in Abia. She opened a home for the mentally sick in Amaudo, Itumbauzo. With perseverance, hard work and dedication, she provided medical care and successfully rehabilitated some who later found their way back into the society. Some of her patients also learnt new skills and became productive members of society. Unfortunately, while still serving and treating people, she suffered a stroke that left her paralysed from her waist down, confining her to a wheelchair. Left with no option, she relocated back to the United Kingdom to get proper medical care. Even though she now lives in the UK, Anyanwagu who shared her story suggested that her heart is still in Nigeria. Not only does she still eat eastern delicacies as reported by her sister but she also longs to return home and still converses fluently in Igbo when she sees a speaking mate.

Nkechi Rosalind Colwell lived in Abia state for 35 years (Photo: Facebook, Uche Anyanwagu) Source: Facebook According to Anyanwagu, the name Nkechi was given to her by late Pa Herbert Osoka. Due to her sacrifice and selflessness, the community in which she served gave her a chieftaincy title and the Methodist Church also knighted her. Anyanwagu and his family conversed with the heroine for an hour before settling to take photos.

Uche and Nkechi spoke Igbo upon meeting at a church in London (Photo: Facebook, Uche Anyanwagu) Source: Facebook By nature's design, human beings live to die but what makes it all worth it is how each person strives to live and lead an impactful life. Those who choose to serve humanity are often the ones who shape history.

An Orchestra Of Minorities Review: Chigozie Obioma Delivers A contemporary Nigerian Tragedy Through Igbo Cosmology

BY PARTHA P. CHAKRABARTTY

The novel uses a guardian spirit, called the chi, as a very interesting narrator traveling between the mundane and the spirit worlds.

The use of this narrator illuminates many wonderful facets of Igbo culture and Nigerian history.

However, the novel has a clear gender problem, reproducing tired plot lines and tropes without contending with them adequately.

The novel is the story of 'prey', and what being preyed upon does to a human being, including turning preys into predators themselves.

Chigozie Obioma, whose first novel, The Fishermen, was selected as a finalist for the Man Booker Prize in 2015, has made it back to the 2019 shortlist with his latest effort, An Orchestra of Minorities.

The novel follows the journey of Chinonso Solomon Olisa, a poultry farmer, and a member of the Igbo people of Nigeria. Drawing upon Igbo cosmology, the novel is framed in the voice of Chinonso’s guardian spirit, or chi.
The driving force of the novel is established early in the very form of the novel: the entire book is a lawyer’s defence, conducted by the chi, on behalf of his ward Chinonso. The chi is pleading for his ward before Chukwu, the Supreme God. It seems that Chinonso has committed a horrible crime, but there are mitigating circumstances — the chi believes that he does not deserve the harsh punishment coming to him.

What is this crime? To discover it, we go over the trajectory of his life, from a lonely and depressed orphan, to becoming the accidental saviour of Ndali, a suicidal woman who has been abandoned by her betrothed, to being in a relationship with her. It is to win over her rich family that Chinonso wends his way to Cypress to earn an education. The education in Cypress turns out to be a scam, and Chinonso suffers much before returning to Nigeria to commit his crime.

The most interesting part of the novel is the utilisation of the voice of the guardian spirit, the chi. Since he is a creature that inhabits both the material, mundane world, and the wild, phantasmagorical world of the spirits, the range of Igbo culture and Nigerian history we cover is wide.

It is as a literary device that the chi primarily functions. Chis reincarnate several times, and have accompanied many mortals on their journey. This is why our chi-narrator can recall events from past lives to supplement our understanding of the present.

One such past life that recurs in flashes in the novel is that of Ejinkeonye, who fought in the Biafran War, the horrifying conflict that claimed more than two million lives. Through him, the memories of the war haunt the pages of the book, without quite bursting to the fore.

One aspect of the chi that produces startling effects is its switching between speaking of the cosmic and the mundane, often right after one another. At first, it speaks of ‘Eluigwe, the land of eternal, luminous light, where the perpetual song of the flute serenades the air’, and then turns to talking about the most mundane realities of our concrete worlds, with their poverty and their squalour. In forcing these two registers to live side by side, and also in showing the inadequacy of all these old gods in defending humans from the disasters impending in their lives, Obioma seems to force the question: are the old ways ever going to be adequate for the new worlds we inhabit, full of deprivation and distrust?

Another way in which the novel works is through tragicomic interruptions. Just as Chinonso is saving Ndali, a random passerby undercuts the gravity of the situation by shouting ‘I hope you are not hoodlums ho’ at them. Similarly, a climactic scene involving violent retribution is interrupted by a power cut.

Power cuts do seem to come at inconvenient times, like when Chinonso is getting his head shaved to prepare for his first date with Ndali, and has to leave the barber’s comically half-bald. Less funny are the ways in which racism interrupts Chinonso’s life in Cypress, cropping up without rhyme or reason, like when a group of children call him Ronaldinho, the Brazillian football star.

The chi can also travel far from the host to see things the host cannot see. It is this partial omniscience of the narrator that is productive as a narrative device. Certainly, the chi cannot anticipate the future — but Chinonso’s chi can know more than his host can. This knowledge does not help the host much, for the chi is often reduced to the role of a Cassandra, trying desperately to tell his host the truth, but not being believed.

I did not evoke Cassandra by accident, for Obioma is drawn to Greek literature. His previous book drew on the idea of a prophecy that fulfills itself, and on Aristotelian ideas of tragedy. This book is self-conscious in its references to the Odyssey. In following these models, Obioma seems to rely strongly on an idea of immutable fate, with human characters drawn inexorably towards their tragedies.

Indeed, the book ends on this terrifying note, describing the limits of human knowing, and of their blundering into the future that awaits them:

The august fathers likened this phenomenon to the spiders in the house of men by saying that anyone who thinks he is almighty, let him look around his house to see if he knew the exact time the spider began to weave its web. This is why a man who will soon be killed might enter the house where those who have come to kill him are lying in wait for him, oblivious to their designs and not knowing his end has come. … Such a man walks into that room without any knowledge that what will kill him will have arrived … so that when it happens, and he realizes and sees it, it will shock him. … For it will seem to such a one that is has happened so suddenly, without warning. And he will not know that it happened long ago, and had merely been patiently waiting for him to notice.

It invites the question: where does this particular fatalism, so unusual for the modern reader, stem from? What is it trying to say about the lives of these communities and their futures?

The chi is also an explanatory device

The chi also allows Obioma to explain many aspects of Igbo culture and beliefs, and indeed of Nigerian history and culture. This anxiety to explain what is going on is present throughout the novel, and is familiar to anyone writing for a Western audience. During my own MFA in Fiction, I found myself worrying constantly about whether I had explained enough.

Often, Obioma over-explains, or does so in a way that is a little too naked, and in violation of the frame of his novel. If indeed the chi is testifying before the supreme god Chukwu, would he have the need to state this? At other times, Obioma masterfully allows the Igbo language and Nigerian Pidgin to breathe within the pages of the novel without translation, for no translation is needed. On the whole, he is more successful in picking what to leave in without explanation, than on deciding what to explain.

At times, however, the explanation is beautiful. Language plays a big role in the novel. Early on, a prostitute further discomfits our protagonist, who has arrived to have his first sexual experience, by demanding he switch to Pidgin as she is not Igbo. At another time, when our protagonist hears the story of the would-be suicide for the first time, her English, a mark of their class difference, haunts him:

“What happened to you is very painful,” he said, although he’d not understood all of it. Her command of the White Man’s language contained more words than he could comprehend. His mind had hovered, for instance, over the word circumstances like a kite over a gathering of hen and chicks, unable to decide how or which to attack. But I [the chi] understood everything she said, because every cycle of a chi’s existence is an education in which a chi acquires the minds and wisdom of its hosts, and these become part of him … In my last cycle, I guided an extraordinarily gifted man who read books and wrote stories, Ezike Nkeoye … By the time he was my current host’s age, he’d come to be familiar with almost every word in the language of the White Man.

The chi also has a habit of sermonising. While indeed he has to make a case for his host, explaining the motivations for his actions, perhaps he could have done less with a moralising that is both heavy-handed, and, at least to my sensibility, often lacking awareness and wisdom rather than possessing it. The principle failing of the novel, and it is a big, ever-present one, is in terms of gender.

A tiresomely male novel

As can be surmised by the summary so far, this novel has a gender problem. First, we have the trope of a protagonist who ‘rescues’ a suicide, and the suicidal person conveniently falls in love with her rescuer; then we have the other trope of the first sexual experience at a brothel. The book is full of many more such tiresomely familiar turns.

Perhaps the misstep originates in the very material that Obioma seems to prize. Much of Greek literature either presented women as Gods, or as humans who exist mostly to send the male hero off on a quest. To this, he adds our more modern predilection for manic pixie dreamgirls who find male immaturity endearing, and inspire the protagonist into maturity.

Repeatedly, we have women playing this sexual foil for Chinonso, without once discovering what they are thinking and feeling. Often, they behave in ways that are completely unnatural, and yet entirely predictable for anyone who has read too many male writers, as we all have. Finally, misogyny erupts in the book, both in the suspicions of its plot, and in actual violence.

A recurrent theme, sent over very heavily indeed, is the idea of the woman as the man’s property. The man is then cuckolded, and exacts retribution at having been so cuckolded. At first, we have ‘Although she willingly gives herself to him, once he marries her she becomes his’, but later it seems we are only celebrating heterosexual marriage: ‘The woman becomes his possession, and he becomes her possession.’

But this equal and mutual ownership is belied by the very next anecdote:

I have seen many times that people, after their beloveds have left them, try to reclaim them as one would attempt to reclaim property that has been stolen. Wasn’t this the case with Emejuiwe, who, one hundred and thirty years ago, killed the man who took his wife from him? Chukwu, when you laid down your judgment after my testimony on his behalf here in Beigwe, as I am doing now, it was sad but just.

Indeed, the novel turns repeatedly on men taking violent action to restore their claim over their ‘property’ (and never shows women taking similar action to take back their ‘property’). And the chi, who has lived so many lives, instead of wryly undermining these boringly patriarchal ideas, ends up condoning, if not actively justifying them.

The story of the prey

The novel opens with an Igbo proverb which says, ‘If the prey do not produce their version of the tale, the predators will always be the heroes in the stories of the hunt.’ In this way, from the very beginning, we are alerted to the fact that this is the story of prey.

Indeed, Chinonso is preyed upon by exploiters, both in his home country, where the basis is his lower-class position, and more horribly in Cyprus, where he travels to become more ‘worthy’ of Ndali. He is also someone who is constantly shown on the side of the prey, aiming to protect them. Early on, he fells a hawk with his stone catapult before it can attack his fowl; later, we learn that he rescued a gosling when his father had shot its mother, a crucial story from his childhood that he also repeats to Ndali.

But it is in the story of the gosling that the theme of property returns. Though he has rescued the gosling and is caring for it, when a friend steals the gosling from him, Chinonso responds by shooting the bird with a stone, because ‘he’d stopped loving the gosling because it was no longer his’. His friend, in a panic for the bloodied bird, returns it to Chinonso, but the bird dies a few days later.

Perhaps in this small incident, which seems to encapsulate the novel in its entirety, there lies its key: that it is a portrait of what being preyed upon does to a human being. The answer seems to be that the prey turns to violent retribution to express his hurt. It is this that warns us that there is more to the book than meets the eye; that the actions of the protagonist are not just his, but represent the despair of his people, where victims end up victimizing others, and the wheels of violence keep on turning. One asks: what is it that breeds this fatalism?

Obioma is a skilled writer, and I recommend reading the novel just for the way it delivers on Igbo mythos, and for its brief invocation of the struggle of Nigerians who travel to Europe in search of opportunity. I remain hopeful, however, that in his future efforts he will pay a little more attention to the narratives of other prey, for whom even characters like Chinonso and his chi remain predators.

SOURCE: FIRST POST

DSS Accused Me Of Being A Biafran Holding Nigerian Passport –Onumah

Chido Onumah. Image: Wikipedia

Journalist and author of ‘We are all Biafrans,’ Chido Onumah, who was recently arrested and detained by the Department of State Services in Abuja, relives the encounter in this interview with ADELANI ADEPEGBA

How did you feel when you were accosted by the DSS at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja?
Although I visited Spain, I had come in from Gothenburg in Sweden. I flew from Gothenburg to Frankfurt and from there to Abuja. It was a long trip and I was really tired. I simply wanted to get home and have some rest. A few friends of mine were visiting Nigeria from Accra, Ghana and I needed to be with them. We had scheduled a dinner for that Sunday. So it was quite shocking that I couldn’t make it.

After such a long flight, I was accosted by DSS operatives and made to wait for two hours in their office at the airport and another four hours at their headquarters in Abuja for something I think it was not worth the trouble they put me to. At the end of the day, it turned out to be about the inscription on the T-shirt that I was wearing, which was the title of my book, ‘We are all Biafrans.’

I still don’t know exactly what they wanted to achieve by arresting me.

Initially, they took me to their office and the first question the officer there asked me was: “You are a Biafran, why do you have a Nigerian passport?” I replied, “I beg your pardon, I’m a Nigerian and that is why I have a Nigerian passport. There is no country like Biafra. So I can’t possibly hold a Biafran passport.”

The man said, “But that’s not what is written on your shirt.” And I told him that ‘We are all Biafrans’ is the title of my book.

Do you find this troubling?

Yes, it was quite troubling. After the encounter, what bothered me was the restriction of press freedom and the rights of Nigerians to move around and to associate with other people. So we moved from worrying about who you meet with, what kind of people you associate with, whether you are able to go to a park to congregate and have a conversation or not, as well as what you write, to security agencies accosting you for what you are carrying, what kind of phone you are using and what you are wearing. In the end, he took the shirt from me and insisted that I can’t wear it ever again.

How do you see the DSS’s action?
I see it as an infringement on my fundamental rights. It’s not about me really; it could be any other person and the way forward. Anyone could be arrested if they think that what you are wearing is offensive. They said something to the effect that they got a tip-off from some fellow passengers on the same plane that brought me to Nigeria, who feared that there was a plan to disturb the peace and that I was going to be part of it. Based on their press release, they said they were trying to protect me because some people had planned to attack me. Mentally I checked their claims, wondering why anybody would plan to attack me. I told them that I had worn the T-shirt for three years and they were shocked.

What does this say about the DSS’ intelligence-gathering capability?

The incident called to question the so-called intelligence of the intelligence agency. This book has been out for three years and the T-shirt was first worn on the day the book was launched, which was on May 30, 2016.

I wear this T-shirt regularly. In fact, it has become like a national dress to me. I wear it whenever I am travelling out of the country and whenever I am coming back. Most weekends, that’s what I wear, over a pair of jeans trousers, to my office. When they heard this, my interrogators feigned surprise, as if they didn’t know in the first place.

What I found quite strange was the fact that they couldn’t link the book to the T-shirt. I told them several times that the inscription on the shirt was the title of my book, but it didn’t resonate with them. This got me wondering. When the book was launched in 2016, some prominent Nigerians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who was the special guest of honour, attended the event. Almost all the major national newspapers had the story on their front pages. I was surprised that an organisation like the DSS didn’t have any information on the event.

If the DSS operatives had any knowledge of the book, perhaps, they wouldn’t have asked me some of the questions they were asking. What I learnt from their reactions is that they had concluded that I was an ‘anarchist’ who had arrived in the country to foment trouble by wearing the T-shirt. As a result, they had already decided to stop me by any means necessary.

Do you think they saw you as a member of IPOB or MASSOB?

That is the impression because one of them said to me, “Why we are trying to protect you is because if you wear the shirt into town, somebody would attack you and there would be reprisal from the Biafran people and the whole city would go up in flames.” I told him that I was neither a Biafran nor a sympathiser of Biafra and I didn’t belong to MASSOB.

In fact, both MASSOB and IPOB people see me as their sworn enemy because they think my book doesn’t propagate their ideals and ideas. So for me, mixing with them was really uncalled for. There is a sense in which I think that by seeing me in that T-shirt, they believed I was a supporter of IPOB. I spent a long time trying to convince them that they were wrong.

Did DSS operatives try to intimidate or wear you down psychologically?
No, they didn’t. I am a veteran of this process. I am used to the DSS. I have been a guest of the DSS, even as a student of the University of Calabar. As a journalist, I have had a run-in with the operatives of the agency. So I know the drill. I know how they operate.

When they asked me to follow them at the airport, I didn’t resist or create a scene. I simply went with them and when I got into the room, I started reading a book and waited for them to ask their questions. Because of the way I conducted myself, perhaps, they didn’t intimidate me. They didn’t raise their voice or shout at me. We only disagreed. They would raise a point and I would say no, I don’t think that is right.

Do you suspect that your detention and interrogation might be part of a larger plan to silence critics of the present government?

There is no doubt about that, but the other dangerous aspect of this, which I think people need to pay attention to, is that the serious disconnect between the so-called security agencies and the public they were supposed to serve almost borders on paranoia.

You pride yourself as the foremost security agency in the country, but you need to have intelligence, you need to do your research, have background information. You can’t just go around picking up people randomly and denying them their fundamental rights in the name of maintaining law and order. You simply invoked your constitutional responsibility to maintain law and order when there is no basis for such arrest. So we have to worry not just about what we write or say, but also what we wear.

In this case, there was really no basis for arresting me. I am not guilty of what they were trying to accuse me of. I don’t support IPOB, I don’t support the agitation for Biafra and I don’t belong to any of those fringe groups seeking dismemberment of the country. So there was no basis for taking me in for questioning.

What is the wider implication of your encounter with the DSS for the larger civil society?
Well again, it just calls for vigilance. Part of it was displayed on Sunday. I really commend Nigerians, especially young Nigerians on social media. The fact that people rallied round and sent out lot of tweets contributed to my release. They (DSS) were willing to keep me till Monday, but they were under severe pressure. They buckled and started talking to me until we reached an agreement and understanding.

Did you feel a sense of protection when the officials claimed they brought you to their office because some people were planning to attack you for wearing the T-shirt?
No, I didn’t believe their claim and I let them know it. I told them that I had been putting on the T-shirt for three years and nobody had ever questioned me. They kept trying to what they w explain what they were doing, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with the fact that the present Federal Government cares about its citizens.

Could there be a nexus between your arrest and #RevolutionNow coordinator, Omoyele Sowore’s ordeal?

Maybe not directly, but in the broader picture of things, it is not just about me or Sowore; it is the larger problem of wanting to control the thought process of people so as to stop them from expressing themselves.

I was responding to their questions and I queried why, in this era, journalists are being detained and asked them to show pictures on their phones and other flimsy reasons for the detention of journalists.

Did they at any time search your phone and other personal effects?
I don’t know. They had the phone in their possession. I can’t say what they did with it. I have not really had time to check it. They had my passport and went through it.

Do you think they bugged your phone?

Well, that’s possible. I am a public person and there is really nothing I can say to someone in private that I can’t repeat in public. That (bugging of my phone) is a possibility, but it is not something I’m particularly worried about.

Do you agree with Amnesty International’s position that civil liberty is at risk in the country?

I think it is. I mentioned my own case, Sowore’s trial and the detention of James Ebiri for two years. Other people have been being detained by security officials for posting things against state governors on social media. And if the space, in terms of civil liberty, is really shrinking, then citizens need to rise and do something about it. Those who try to limit other people’s liberty will continue to do so unless the people say ‘enough is enough, we can’t take this anymore.’ If they don’t do that, those who seek to oppress them and limit their rights will have a field day.

Will your experience discourage you from further championing the cause of civil liberty in the country?
No, it will not. I have a new book that will put in proper perspective the crises we have been facing in the last five years or so, including the issue of revolution. Nothing is going to stop me.

So, you believe we need a revolution in the country?
I think it is important, but the nature of the revolution is what we have to sit down and discuss. We do need a revolution. We need to have a radical transformation of the Nigerian society. That is the only way we can move forward as a nation.

SOURCE: PUNCH.

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Imo: Can Ihedioha Meet The Expectations?

Emeka Ihedioha. Image: Twitter.

BY SAM EGBURONU

The politics of Imo State has never remained the same since Governor Emeka Ihedioha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) emerged the helmsman. In this report, Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports on the changing politics and the efforts of the new government to meet up with the high expectations of the people of the Southeast state

The intrigues that surrounded the last governorship election in Imo State left no one in doubt that whoever wins the race will be of special interest to both the Imo State stakeholders and other Nigerians eager to see good governance in the southeast state. Everyone therefore expected the then governorship candidates to be aware of the high expectations.

So, as soon as he was declared winner of the election, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) promised to turn what he called the state’s “bad news to a good story.” He promised to do so by making fundamental changes in several critical areas, especially in the style of governance.

One of such areas, he promised to do differently is the relationship between the state and the local governments, which until then was reportedly frosty. When he went to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to collect his Certificate of Return, Ihedioha said, “For us in the executive, we shall run a government that is responsible in every sense of the word. For us, the local government administration shall be appreciated and seen as an arm of the government that is respected because that is where the grassroots people participate.”

Considering the intrigues, allegations and counter-allegations that trailed the past government of Owelle Rochas Okorocha over his style of governance and his relationship with local governments in the state, many observers have been keen on seeing if Ihedioha will fulfil his promise to local governments and restore confidence in the state’s civil service.

Though his government is just a little bit more than three months old, Ihedioha said he has already taken action on this critical area. “Another immediate concern we confronted head-on was the weakness of the state civil service due to high nepotism, lack of motivation, delayed salaries and under-payments by, sometimes, as much as 30 percent of salaries due. We, thenceforth, set up a review committee to look into cases of improper or irregular appointments, promotions and other related matters.

“The committee has turned in its report and, subsequently, we have approved the restoration of payment of 100 percent salaries to all workers in the state, recalled all unjustly suspended directors, reversed some undeserved promotions and sponsored officers to capacity building programmes. Similarly, local government workers have been paid the backlog of salaries owed them by the last administration. I can tell you that there is a renewed sense of motivation in the civil service across the state today.”

Another area observers identified as immediate challenge to Ihedioha’s government is the problem of the state’s economy; especially the irony inherent in multiple taxation but low Internally Generated Revenue (IDR). During the electioneering campaigns, Omo indigenes made this a major campaign topic. So, while taking oath of office, Ihedioha pledged to change this story.

In his 100 days address, he said: “we have signed into law, Executive Order 005, known as Treasury Single Account (TSA) Order to consolidate all government revenues under one account. We have also adopted other measures designed to plug leakages and increase Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) in the state coffers.

“We cannot achieve the right growth as a state without a sustainable revenue generating system. The state has less than 5 percent of the working population of over two million paying taxes and this is not an acceptable position. We met an arbitrary tax collection system leading to leakages, fraud and all sorts of irregularities.

“To ensure a sustainable IGR regime, we took steps to reform the state Internal Revenue Service. From August 2019 all cash tax payments have been banned and the government has mandated the use of the PayDirect Platform with a single source sweeping of revenue. This has started addressing the issue of multiple accounts and leakages, and the IGR has grown from an all-time low of about 300m in July to 600m in August.

“We have commissioned a Central Billing System which will drive the use of technology in tax collection. We have started a tax payer enumeration exercise with the attendant benefit of identifying the tax payers and ensuring they pay the right amount of tax to the right source.

“A transformation of the revenue service built on the pillars of People Processes and Technology to ensure that we serve the needs of the populace in the most efficient and professional manner, by operationalizing the autonomy of the Imo Internal Revenue Service in line with global standards.

“We have also listened to your issues on multiple taxation and commenced a tax harmonisation exercise in a bid to eliminate multiple taxation and streamline taxes in a manner that will only focus on the most relevant taxes to be paid.

“Due to these strategic and fiscal responsibility moves, Imo State has gained positive image and is now on track to join the Open Governance Partnership league. It also now qualifies for performance-based grants of the World Bank as well as other multilateral development institutions. We are also currently developing the Imo Growth and Economic Development Fund. The fund will be unique in Nigeria and would serve as an investment catalyst for the Imo State economy.”

The Nation observed that at the twilight of Okorocha’s government, another critical challenge in Imo State, especially in Owerri, the state capital, was water supply crisis. Mazi Ikechukwu Ukachukwu, who resides in Mbaise Road, Owerri, said “water scarcity in Owerri had almost become a norm, so much so that some of us did not believe it could be reversed in a short while. This is because we had burst water pipes all over the metropolis, buried in the muds. The neglect has taken a very long time. You will not believe that sachet water here has always been N10 even when it was still selling for N5 in Lagos.” Ihedioha also said he has commenced action in this area: “For several years, the Otamiri Water Supply was not functional and our people in the state capital and its environs suffered untold hardships. We have therefore, provided what was required to get it working again. Specifically, water started running again in Imo on 24th July, 2019 after almost seven (7) years of dry pipes. In the same vein, work is ongoing to rectify cases of burst pipes across the major roads,” he said.

His claims notwithstanding, some of his critics in the state, making reference to some of the actions attributed to Ihedioha at the dawn of his administration, like the demolition of some monuments erected by former Governor Okorocha, alleged that the new government may be doing more hype than it has actually accomplished in physical terms. “Is it everything the new government claims that we should agree with? I suggest the Ihedioha-led state government should go to the field and work instead of beating its chest so early in the morning. Though I do not agree with the way they condemned everything Okorocha did, I cannot deny that this new government seems more sensitive to the actual needs of the people. But they should leave Rochas alone and face the work for which Imo people elected them,” Kingsley Uzochukwu said.

But Dr. Nicholas Nwulu told The Nation during the week that the present state government is determined to make the needed difference in the area of agricultural development. “If Ihedioha continues the way he has started, Imo will soon experience positive revolution in agriculture…,” he said.

Steve Osuji, the Senior Adviser to the governor on Media, who listed “removal of massive heaps of refuse across Owerri and environs,” as one of his principal’s first areas of concern, told The Nation during the week that the Ihedioha-led state government has “initiated the revamping of Avutu Poultry, Adapalm and Imo Rubber Estates,” amongst other areas of interest in the agricultural sector.

The governor himself also spoke glowingly of his interest in the development of the agricultural sector in his 100 days in office broadcast when he said: “Pursuant to our resolve to harness our agricultural potentials as well as generate employment, just a few days ago, we launched our Agricultural Roadmap which represents a comprehensive framework for self-sufficiency in food production, both for domestic consumption and for exports purposes. By our strategic location at the heartland of the South East and our endowment with the only international cargo airport in the region, we are certain that with the right investments, the state would harvest monumental benefits in this sector.

“I am happy also to report that the first batch of 500 youths selected from all the 27 LGAs in Imo State will be sent to a modern farm at Nasarawa State, in a few weeks, under the Imo Youths in Agribusiness Programme (IYAP). Here, they would learn the best practices in tropical agriculture, after which they will be supported to start their own businesses in Imo State.

“We have also commenced the establishment of a Rice Seed Farm Cluster on the Imo River Basin at Amumara Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA. This programme will make Imo State self-sufficient in the production of improved variety of rice seeds with a view to strengthening our rice value chain. Experts in rice breeding, production and processing from the Africa Rice Centre at IITA Ibadan will be training our groups of rural young farmers to grow and process improved rice seeds.

“We have also commenced the introduction of light mechanization to farmers in areas where full tractorization may not be possible.

“The process for the rejuvenation of Imo ADP has commenced and plans are underway to train staff and reintegrate them back to intervention programmes that have suffered severe setbacks in the past as a preclude to granting access to reputable, time-tested investors.

“It is noteworthy that, the Avutu Poultry Farm has been cleared for a full restoration to a world-class standard. Similarly, Adapalm is being cleared through the relevant Committee and we would soon commence operations. The challenge of pending legal issues is being attended in order to clear the way for full optimization of its potentials.

“Our state is set to host the only Agribusiness Park in Nigeria at Ngor-Okpala. This comprises an agribusiness academy, and a smart agribusiness centre, thus positioning the facility for revenue generation and job creation. In a few weeks’ time, we would begin the process of data capture of afffected Imolites in the upcoming agriculture revolution program targeting 400,000 participants between the ages of 15-64,” he said.

SOURCE: THE NATION

Murtala Snatched Ogbemudia From Ojukwu

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Head of the Secessionist Biafra, flanked by his aides, attends a special parade at Ahiara, Biafra November 4, 1969, to celebrate his 36th birthday. Biafra would cease to exist in two months after the commemoration of his birthday. Image: Goldsmith/Associated Press

BY EMEKA OBASI

One young officer who understood his teacher well enough was Murtala Mohammed. As a cadet at the Regular Officers Special Training School [ROSTS] Teshie, Ghana, he emerged tops in Captain Emeka Ojukwu’s Tactics class.

Murtala left Teshie in 1959 for Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1961. Ojukwu had joined the Army in 1957 from the ranks even with a post graduate degree from Oxford University.

Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia was at Teshie in 1957 before proceeding to Mons Officers Cadet School, Aldershot, where he was also commissioned Second Lieutenant in 1961.

The trio later served in the Congo as members of United Nations Peace Keeping Force. Ogbemudia was also in Tanzania with a Nigerian detachment under Col. Sam Ademulegun. 

When Chukwuma Nzeogwu and his friends struck on January 15, 1966, Ogbemudia was not carried along. He was an Instructor at the Nigeria Military Training College [NMTC] Kaduna which was under the temporary command of the latter.

 I listened to Ogbemudia stress this at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, Accra in 2002. He had to ask Nzeogwu what really was going on. Col. Ojukwu was commander, Fifth Battalion in Kano and kept Nzeogwu in check. 

Murtala led the Counter coup of July 29, 1966. Ogbemudia was Brigade Major, One Brigade, Kaduna. Ojukwu stayed in Enugu as Military governor of the Eastern Region. 

Ogbemudia narrowly escaped death after a hot pursuit by Lt. Bukar Dimka from Kaduna to the jungles of the Middle Belt. Ojukwu did not recognize Lt.Col Yakubu Gowon as Head of State following the assassination of Gen. Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi. 

War was inevitable after a peace deal brokered in Aburi by Gen. Arthur Ankrah at Peduase Lodge, Aburi failed. Gowon created states, Ojukwu declared Biafra. Ogbemudia was floating in the Mid-West in what was called the Fourth Area Command. 

A reliable source confided in me that Ojukwu and Ogbemudia were in talks. This was as the Biafrans occupied the Mid- West under Governor David Ejoor. Ejoor escaped but his Aide de Camp, Peter Adomokhai, was arrested. He ended the war at the Biafran School of Infantry as Instructor.

 Lt.col Victor Banjo led the 101 Division that seized the Mid-West from Nigeria. He wanted to retain Ejoor as Military Administrator of an Independent Republic of Benin. The latter rejected the offer. 

Banjo did not want to put an Igbo officer in that position. He was to approach Lt.col Rudolf Trimnell, seeing him as an Itsekiri. He did not know that Trimnell was from Ashaka in the Ndokwa area. 

Ojukwu eventually settled for Major Albert Nwazu Okonkwo who had a brother in, Sule Kolo, of the Nigeria Foreign Service. Okonkwo belonged to the Medical corps of the Army. 

Ogbemudia was seen as Bini by many. Ojukwu knew more than that. Major Ogbemudia was originally from Igbanke, an Igbo settlement formerly known as Igbo Akiri. 

His mother was from Benin and had lost many children before Osaigbovo came. The name Samuel was significant. The boy had to leave for Benin to stay with a maternal uncle after spending some time in Igbanke. 

While in the Congo, Ogbemudia was said to have walked into danger. It took the presidential intervention of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to keep him in the Army.

Murtala also knew Ogbemudia so well. They shared similar background. The former grew up in Kano which was the home of his mother, Ramatu, a member of the Inua Wada family. 

Murtala’s father was said to hail from Igbein, in the Auchi area of the Mid-West. Alhaji Usman Abuda, an Etsako blue blood, confirms that Murtala’s father had strong links with Auchi even if he was selling kola nuts in Agege, Lagos. 

To stem the Biafran attack, Nigeria hurriedly assembled Two Division under Col. Murtala Mohammed. That gamble paid off as the tide turned. Benin was taken from the invaders and Murtala appointed Ogbemudia Administrator of Mid-West. 

It was unusual. Ejoor was totally ignored after serving a sour tale of riding a bike to Lagos from Benin while many combatants knew he was in the house of a an Irish father in Benin City.

 Gowon was not consulted before Ogbemudia’s appointment. However, the Head of State confirmed the change which left Ejoor, Service number N/17, without any command all through the war years. 

Ojukwu’s loss was Murtala’s gain. Biafra eventually lost Benin and the Mid-West. Ogbemudia spent eight years as Military governor and was eventually sacked by Murtala in July 1975. 

Strange enough, both officers were in London when Gowon was toppled. Murtala chose an Etsako man, Col. George Agbazika Innih, from Agenebode, as the new governor of Mid –Western State.

Murtala lived with his wife, Ajoke , a Yoruba, until he was killed in 1976. Ogbemudia had a wife, Yetunde Afolabi, from the South-West, when he passed on in 2017. 

Ogbemudia also had another friend who was Head of State and was also killed, in 1979. Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong was at Teshie same time as the Nigerian. Both were born in September. The former came in 1932 [September 17], the latter in 1931 [September 23].

 In 2002, Ogbemudia told us a funny story at dinner in the Labadi area of Accra, not far from Teshie. Acheampong had thoroughly embarrassed the commandant of the military school.

 He said:” The Osagyefo himself, Kwame Nkrumah, visited and was interested in the welfare of the cadets. The commandant made it look as if all was well until Acheampong went right under his bed to bring out the meal he was served.” 

The commandant did not forget that and paid back. Acheampong once wore traditional ‘kente’ dress to dinner while others put on jackets. 

“Acheampong, why are you wearing pyjamas to dinner?” the boss barked. It was supposed to be an offence but the cadet was not intimidated.

 Ogbemudia felt some Bini touch in the Gold Coast. The Ga people are said to have migrated from Benin during the years of Oba Udagbedo[ 1299-1334]. 

In 1966, the first coup in Ghana was codenamed, ‘Operation Guitar Boy’, after Victor Uwaifo’s famous track. Gen. Ankrah, the new leader, a Ga, was recalled from retirement.

SOURCE: VANGUARD