Anyaoku, others decry nation’s woes

BY YEMI OLAKITAN

EMINENT Nigerians, including former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku have lamented the crises that have bedeviled the nation since independence, despite the availability of huge human and natural resources.

They spoke at the presentation of a book Profiles in Leadership by veteran journalist, Folu Koyi in Lagos.

The book chronicles the lives of great men and women who have contributed to the advancement of the nation in different fields of human endeavour.

The chairman of the event, Anyaoku, acknowledged the great disappointment that any serious reader of the book would feel. He wondered why a country, which has produced the galaxy of achievers described in the book, should still be in a state of underdevelopment.

He noted that the country was far from realising its true potential. According to him, the main reason for this situation is that political leadership over the years had failed abysmally in finding ways to give the country the full benefit of its indisputable human resources.

He commended the author, who he noted, had begun research into the material for the book as far back as 14 years ago. He further congratulated the author on producing such an invaluable source of reference for any one who is interested in knowing more about the leading people and professions in Nigeria over the last 100 years.

“I would like to commend Folu Koyi for the depth of his research and his admirable judgment in selecting the people to include in the book. In Nigeria, where we seem to have established a culture of self-promotion of individuals by families or groups in the form of paid advertisements in our newspapers, deciding on who are true leaders in our national life must be a tricky and demanding task,” he said.

Anyaoku said further: “I would like to observe that in my experience of having to visit over 100 countries around the world, I know of no other country where publications of all sorts of congratulations fill the national dailies. This is why Folu must be commended for taking the time to recognise our true leaders.”

Source: The Guardian, 12th October 2011

Picture talk

in Nigeria Everyone is asking where is Lagbaja. what is happening to the masked one? we miss you at home. Come back to Naija! frankly, Lagbaja do not have to leave Nigeria to become an international star. Fela never left and he was an international icon. i think relocating to foreign lands because of music is not always the best for our musicians. look at Majek Fashek, he relocated to the United States and ended up a drug addict, Dizzy k Falola left for the UK and he abandoned music and became a preacher, Evi Edna left and we never heard of her beautiful voice again, and so many others. our musicians should stay at home in Naija and let the world come and meet them here. They always loose at home and never seem to find their feet abroad, aside the ones that are born there.

Animal farm: The tragedy of the ruled

Animal Farm: The Tragedy of the Ruled
By Yemi Olakitan

The plots in Animal Farm, an iconic novel written by British author, George Orwell in 1945 were re-enacted to fit the Nigerian context by Austrian trained, Nigerian Actor and Director, Nick Monu who gives a new touch to the novel and created a theatrical performance out of it. The play, written by Monu was produced by Terra Kulture, Nigeria Cultural center as part of their monthly weekly productions for the advancement of theatre arts in Nigeria. Adapted for the theatre to fit the Nigerian socio-political milieu, Animal Farm is originally an allegorical novel that largely made fun of the British ruling class at the time. It discusses corruption in high places and exposes the fruitlessness of regime change without individual rejuvenation in the face of greed and personal aggrandizement.
Monu’s version takes the plots of the original novel and wove it around the challenges of leadership in Africa, particularly Nigeria. It addresses the corruption of leadership in governance and portrays corrupt leadership as the major reason for societal backwardness. The story makes the audience realize that political change can only be beneficial to the majority if the leadership is upright and sincere. By changing the setting to Nigeria and reflecting his home country in the play; Monu is able to show his directorial artistry and the fact that the problems of leadership are largely universal. The playwright also made use of Pidgin English in his use of language and ensure that the audience and the actors were able to get an emotional connection to the issues discussed, ensuring that they see themselves in the scenes and the entire acting.
In the Original story, Old Major, the Old Pig on the Manor Farm, calls the animals for a meeting, where he compares the humans to parasites and enemies. He teaches the animals a revolutionary song, 'Beasts of England, in the adaptation, Nick changes the song to Beasts of Nigeria, Beast of Africa. When Old Major suddenly dies, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, assume command of the farm and turn his dream into a philosophy, called Animalism. The animals revolt and drive the drunken and irresponsible Mr. Jones who becomes Mr. Obanjo in Monu’s adaptation. They also rename the farm "Animal Farm". Farmer Obanjo is the owner of the farm and he is cruel to the animals, which brings about the revolution that ousts him from his farm.
The Seven Commandments of Animalism are written on the wall of a barn. The most important is the seventh, "All animals are equal’’. This maxim did not last as eventually the story shows that some animals are more equal than the other since the pigs consider themselves cleverer than the other animals and are therefore born to rule. They begin to change the commandments to favour their corruption. The pigs steal from the farm while some of the animals complain that even in the days of Farmer Obanjo, things were better.
Snowball attempts to teach the animals reading and writing; food is plentiful, and the farm could have continued to run smoothly. However, the pigs continue to elevate themselves to high positions of leadership and set aside special food items, ostensibly for their personal comfort. They sleep in beds and drink milk set aside in the farm. Napoleon even brought in a human being named Mr. Whymper, a solicitor living in Lagos to act as the intermediary between the animal farm and the outside world. Mr. Whymper visits the farm regularly and received instructions from Napoleon. This is clearly against the philosophy of Animalism as laid down by Old Major.
Napoleon and Snowball struggle for leadership in the play, which shows the mad ambition that often exits in political rivalry. It shows how politicians sometimes antagonize one another to the detriment of the larger society. Snowball and Napoleon struggle for political power as modern day politicians do, often trying to outdo each other and to bring the other down.
Obanjo Farms, owned and managed by Farmer Obanjo whose name sounds like Obasanjo, except for the letter S that got missing, is a prototype of dictatorship and oppression. Obanjo owns and runs his farm the way he feels like, he is always cruel to the animals. It tells the story of the suppression the animals suffers and shows the effects of bad leadership. The animals decided quite wrongly that the only enemy they had in life was Man which led to a revolution on the advice of Old Major, the pig that motivated the animals before his passing. They however did not know that humans are not the problem, bad leadership was the problem of the animals, even with the change in leadership, bad leadership continues and the animals continue to suffer even more.
The production was a hilarious and thought provoking performance and a satire on the Nigerian society. It shows that even with the change from military dictatorship to democratic governance, there still remains the problem of greed, corruption, and man inhumanity to man, which keeps the governed in perpetual servitude. It was also a satire on Africa as a whole since Monu introduced Beasts of Africa to the animal anthem and the issues discussed are not peculiar to Nigeria alone. It concerns the entire continent. This fable calls for responsible leadership in a developing nation such as Nigeria and indeed Africa.
Nick Monu who acted farmer Obanjo is a brilliant actor who displayed his vast acting and directorial experience in the production. He acted farmer Obanjo. The set and costume Designs was done by Simeone Monu.The performance parades a handful of highly talented Nigerian actors and actresses such as Bayode abiflarin, Toritseju Ejoh, Titlayo Akinmoye, and Mawuyon Ogun, Nnamudi Ugbagu. It is a joint production of Terra Kulture and Monu and Monu Productions under the patronage of the Commercial Counselor of the Austrian Embassy, Ms. Nella Hengstler. Power Horse and Four Points by Sheraton sponsor it. Julius Berger Nigeria Plc provides stage elements. Supreme Lace Limited provided costume materials.
Born in 1965 in Lagos, Nicholas Monu has a career that spans the full range of his profession. He had a British education in the famous mill field and St. Andrews boarding schools; Nicholas studied Performing Arts in the United States. He studied at Webber Douglas academy of Dramatic art in London. Nicholas has been since then, one of Britain’s most demanded young actors, playing in most of the islands major theatres including the royal Shakespeare company, the national theatre, and the royal court, the Moscow arts theatre and at the National Theatre of Nigeria

Grengory, New Masqurade Actor Dies by Yemi Olakitan

James Iroha, alias Girengori who created the famous television comedy of the 80s and early 90s is reported dead. Girengor acted with famous musician and actress Kristy Essien Igbokwe and was a very humourous individual. He brought his talents to complement other actors in the TV series such as Chief Zebrudaya alias 4.30. May His gentle soul rests in peace. In the words of an admirer he was Nigeria's premier Humour Merchant, ''Chief James Iroha a.k.a. "Gringory". From ua days @ d university College Ibadan to Eastern Nigeria Broadcasting, NTA, IBC, BCA...spanning over 5 decades, u dedicated ua life to making others happy wt ua extra-ordinary talents. A compere par excellence, a peerless comedian & an actor wt a difference. U created d now rested sitcom, "Masqurade" & humbly took d role of a houseboy. U did all these not 4 money but, just 4 odas to be happy. Chief, may u find humour in eternity. Goodbye"Gringory Akabuogu"
National President of Actors Guild of Nigeria, Segun Arinze confrimed his death. He died after a brief illness.

James Ibori: How A thief Nearly became President of Nigeria by Andrew Walker

The story of how James Ibori went from convicted thief in London in the 1990s, to become governor of a wealthy oil-producing Nigerian state and then to a British prison is a remarkable one.
It is the story of a wily political operator, backing the right political horses and shifting allegiances when expedient.
Given slightly different circumstances, according to one observer, it could have seen Ibori in the presidential villa rather than a British jail cell.
Ibori's defence in the face of allegations had always been that he had a successful business career and had made money independent of government.
But in 1991, he was working in a hardware store in the London suburb of Neasden. The prosecution in this trial told a judge he was earning around £15,000 ($24,000) a year.
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He was caught by his employer allowing his wife to walk through the till he was manning without paying for goods.
They both pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court and were fined.
In 1992, he was convicted for possession of a stolen credit card, which had £1,000 spent on it, and was again fined in a UK court.
'Murky business'
Ibori then returned to Nigeria intending to become a political operator. The country was about to be tipped into a tumultuous period.
Military leader Ibrahim Babangida had scheduled elections to return Nigeria to democracy in June 1993.
Ibori worked for the governorship campaign of a friend.
The experience gave him good connections with the parties that would eventually merge to form the People's Democratic Party, currently ruling Nigeria.
The 1993 elections were cancelled by Mr Babangida. Later that year, Gen Sani Abacha staged a coup, cementing the military's grip on power for another five years.
According to Anthony Goldman, who worked as a journalist in Nigeria for many years and has followed Ibori's career closely, this is when Ibori made his first shift of political master, offering his services to Abacha.
"He had an unspecified role in security," Mr Goldman said. "That could be anything, it was a very murky business."
Abacha was accused of murdering political opponents and ruthlessly crushing dissent and pro-democracy movements.
In the mid-1990s, Ibori was questioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the US about how he came into the possession of millions of dollars that he transferred to accounts in the US.
The FBI suspected the money came from advance fee fraud, the infamous Nigerian 419
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scam, but he was able to prove the money came from his work with Abacha, Mr Goldman said.
Abacha died in 1998 and Ibori switched horses again, attaching himself to influential northern politician Atiku Abubakar, who went on to become vice-president.
Medically impossible
In 1999, Ibori took out a mortgage on a property in Abbey Road, London. To do that, he got a new passport with a false birth date to mask his previous convictions.
The birth date he chose was in fact medically impossible as it was only a month after his sister's birthday, the prosecution told the court.
Ibori was installed as the governor of the oil-rich Delta State in the 1999 elections.
In order to take office in Nigeria, he had to swear an affidavit that he had no convictions. To do this, he used the same birth date he had made up to acquire his mortgage.
It was this evidence that would, in a London court 14 years later, spell the end for Ibori. Soon after he became governor, Ibori paid off the Abbey Road mortgage in cash.
He went on to buy three other properties in the UK. He paid £2.2 million in cash for a house in the plush London suburb of Hampstead.
Bankrolled election
In 2005 the Metropolitan Police began to take an interest in Ibori after they came across a purchase order for a private jet, made through his solicitor in London.
It was just after this that Ibori shifted horses again, switching his allegiance from Mr Abubakar to the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
In 2006, President Obasanjo recruited Ibori to help him force through a change in the constitution to allow him to run for a third term as president.
When that plan failed, Ibori promised his allegiance to Mr Obasanjo's anointed successor, Umaru Yar'Adua.
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At the ruling party's pre-election convention in 2006, Ibori was on hand to lift up the northern governor's hands in a display of victory - hours before delegates from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) voted to select him as their candidate.
Ibori then bankrolled the 2007 Yar'Adua election campaign.
Mr Goldman says he understands Ibori was promised the vice-president's job, in return for his support.
But Mr Yar'Adua, who had been ill for many years, died in office. His Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan succeeded him and remains Nigeria's president.
Despite being a fellow former governor of a neighbouring oil state, Ibori and Mr Jonathan were by now political enemies.
In 2010, President Jonathan set the country's anti-corruption police, the Economic and Financial Crimes commission on him, but their officers were ambushed when they came to arrest him.
Ibori left Nigeria shortly afterwards.
He went to Dubai, whose government arrested him and transferred him to the UK to face trial.
Mr Goldman says had Yar'Adua lived, and made Ibori his vice-president, he would have had a clear run to become president.
"Then Mr Ibori would have met Queen Elizabeth at the state house, instead of serving at her pleasure," Mr Goldman said.

NigComSat-1R: A Technological Breakthrough for the Nigerian Broadcast Industry

Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) Limited was incorporated as a limited liability company in April 2006. It is a company under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology.
NIGCOMSAT Limited is responsible for the operation and management of Nigerian Communications Satellites starting with NIGCOMSAT-1 which was launched in May 2007 and de-orbited after 18 months. A replacement satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1R which has the same features but with a few modifications as NIGCOMSAT-1 is scheduled to be launched during the last quarter of 2011. Experts have predicted that if everything goes well for Nigeria, revenues from satellite communication may surpass that of oil with positive impacts on the Nigerian broadcasting media Yemi Olakitan writes.


The latest breakthrough in technological advancements for the Nigerian media is perhaps the announcement by the Nigerian communication Satellite Limited that it would launch NigCcomSat-1R into orbit on December 19th, 2011. This was made known at a pre-launch three-day stakeholders conference and exhibition held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja, Lagos. This disclosure is good news for the Nigerian broadcasting media as the sector prepares to move from analogue to digitization by 2012. According to experts the satellite when launched into orbits will revolutionize the broadcasting media in Nigeria and contribute immensely to the improvement of broadcasting in the country. The primary market target for Nigcomsat include; Government and private broadcast media Organizations. International broadcast organizations, through local representatives; Independent producers who hitherto, could not afford direct broadcasting channels although the distribution model for the multimedia home platform is the primary responsibility of participating broadcast companies. Stakeholders say, the benefits are innumerable. It includes, a highly competitive media industry, meeting up to international standards.
This was not the first effort by Nigeria in this regard. There was NigComSat-1, which was launched in May 13th, 2007 but was deorbited on November 10, 2008. NigComSat-1 failed in orbit after running out of power due to an anomaly in its solar array. NigcomSat -1R will replace NigconSat-1 which was deorbited after it was successfully launched in 2007. NigComSat-1R was therefore a replacement of the failed satellite. This was in line with the contract that was signed in 2004 by the Federal Government of Nigeria and China Great Wall Industry Corporation which provided all aspects of in-orbit delivery of a satellite to an international customer. This included satellite manufacture, launch services, ground station construction, project financing, insurance and training. This means that insurance companies and the Chinese Corporation are financing this new satellite project. On the 10th of November 2003, the Federal Government of Nigeria at its FEC meeting concluded that the NIGCOMSAT project is a national priority project and a critical ICT infrastructure for; alleviating poverty, bridging the digital divide; cost effective solution to the ICT requirements of the nation and affordable access to information and communication for Nigerians and the African continent. The federal. Government also hope to diversify the revenue base of the country from oil to knowledge and services. All these benefits would accrue to the Nigerian broadcasting media sector as well as other technological based sectors of the economy.
Chief executive Officer of NIGCOMSAT Ltd, Engr. Ahmed Rufai, while addressing stakeholders at the recently concluded prelaunch conference in Lagos said that the project is a very positive step in the right direction. He assured Nigerians that NigComSat- 1R has been fully integrated and every necessary performance test has been carried out on the satellite. He informed participants that the satellite had already been moved to its launch site in central China, from where it would be launched on December 19. The satellite television customers in the country and other parts of Africa are currently getting programming contents through direct To Home (DTH) providers, but explained that the communication satellite, when launched would support players in the Nigerian broadcast industry to aggregate hundreds of channels and deliver same directly to homes across the country. This is expected to create employment in the broadcast media, stimulate entrepreneurship and investments as well as create a robust broadcast media industry for Nigeria.
One of the role of NigComSat-1R, is to foster the growth of broadcasting industry, as it would allow broadcasting media stations concentrate on the provision of quality content in order to realize maximum revenue. The satellite would also act as open door to attract foreign direct investments into Nigeria. The replacement satellite, according to Rufai, is Hybrid satellite, since it would not only offer communications services, but would also provide navigational services for the aviation and maritime industries.
This can only mean that the Nigerian broadcast media would be entering into the league of technologically advanced broadcast media. This development holds many benefits for the Nigerian media. The implications, according to experts are all beneficial to the media industry, although commercial satellite usage is not limited to the broadcast media alone. It is evident, however, that the Nigerian media would enjoy many benefits from the launch of NigComSat-1R by December.
Vice President of China Great Wall industry corporation (CGWIC) builders of NigComSat-1R, Mr. He Xing, also confirmed the readiness of NigComSat-1R for the December 19 launch, and explained that the replacement satellite would be launched on the DH-4 platform of CGWTC. Nigerian engineers that have undergone intensive training in China in recent times would carry out the ground control of the satellite in Nigeria. He said that CGWIC has provided training for over 60 Nigerians Engineers sent by the management of NiGcomSat-1R and they are capable of controlling the satellite from the ground station in Nigeria and providing services to Nigerians and Africa. With over 50 years in the practice of space technology and with the successful launch of several satellite from China by CGWIC, a successful launch of NigComSat-1R on December 19 is expected.
Director General of Nigeria Broadcasting Commission, Mr, Yomi Bolarinwa, was emphatic in his submission that Nigcomsat-1R will boost broadcasting in Nigeria.
According to hum, The Nigcomsat dth is designed to offer Viewers one hundred channels of SD television programming on a pay as you go and free to air service delivery model. This system can easily be upgraded to accommodate hd channels if any broadcast organization is interested in the transmission of hd channels.
In chat with independent Television Producer, Akeem Bayowa, he was of the opinion that the development would change the face of Nigerian broadcasting. He said, such a project would improve the quality of broadcasting media in Nigeria and ensure high level competition amongst operators which would further lead to an increase in the quality of service delivery which he said would be healthy for the Nigerian broadcast environment. Bayowa however said that government owned television media such as NTA and LTV should brazen up to the demands of modern broadcasting, so that they would not be left behind. He said that local standards would soon become a thing of the past and international broadcasting practice would take pre-eminence as result of advanced technology.
Experts say, the system for direct to home distribution will also be used as a platform to deliver backhaul services for terrestrial dtt transmissions after the 2012 analogue to digital migration. In addition, these infrastructures shall also enable participating broadcasters to have uplink satellite capacity on demand without huge investments in reserved satellite capacity. The signal flow for the system includes acquisition of broadcaster content, compression of received signals, multiplexing of all signals and the modulation of the signals before re-transmission to home users.. The content providers or aggregators are required to install appropriate uplink infrastructure from remote uplink sites. NigComSat-1R, General Manager, Technical for NIGCOMSAT, Abdulraheem Adajah said NigComSat-1R comes with a minimum lifespan of 15 years and a maximum lifespan of 15 years plus. It has payloads of 7 antennae and 26 transponders to address redundancy and it operates under four different bands: C, Ku, KA and the I bands.

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