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Ifeoma Williams Projecting Nigeria’s image at 49

Odia Ofeimun on the books that made him

Go Fineboy! It’s your Birthday

Tosin Dekalu on let me tell you about men

P Square on Let me tell you about women

Osun Osogbo Festival: In

the stride of the ancestors

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OCT 2009 | ISSN 1758-6275

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When the

streets become

the only option

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What is the prize money at the One9ja Million Dollar Gameshow grand finale?

A. 1 Million naira

B. 1 Million dollars

C. 1 Million euro

Text ‘NT” and your Answer “A”, ‘B”, “C’ to 35810 (Open to Glo, and Zain Nigeria subscribers only) Text costs 100 Naira. visit www.naija-times.com everyday for lively discussions and more

QuizOctober 2009

Nigeria at 49

Editor’s note

How does it feel to be 49? Honestly, this is a question I cannot answer because I don’t have a personal experience yet. But our dear country Nigeria clocks 49 this month and I believe I can borrow a leaf from that.

Well, you may not know the magnitude of that double-digit number until you try counting them on your fingers and toes. This may not be an easy task at all. This reinforces the fact that Nigeria has come a long way, 49 years of independence is no joke and the question that has been on the lips of many Nigerians is: what do we have to show for being 49 years old? A fool at 40, the popular adage says, is a fool forever. Nigeria at 49 is what? This is a question that our cover personality, Ifeoma Williams seeks to answer. As an image consultant, Ifeoma talks about the Nigerian image at 49, it’s past, present and future.

Also, in this same spirit of independence, the main feature story titled: When the streets become the only option looks at the pains and frustrations of street hawkers including

their plans for the future. Bamidele Odufuye, The Young Entrepreneur in this issue, offers another dimension to the Nigerian struggle as he narrates his success as an entrepreneur. In the same vein, astute poet and literary critic, Odia Ofeimun talks about the books that made him.

Of course, this edition will be incomplete without the Mysterious Shopper, who has gone mystery shopping since last month in other to serve you another interesting story. These and more are in this independence edition. Happy independence! Goodbye and see you again next month.

- Funke Adetutu

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If there is any Nigerian organisation that can lay claim to “providing your basic needs”, then it has to be the Dangote Group, a com-pany that has consistently remained a mar-ket leader. �e Group has over the last three decades enjoyed increasing market share for its products. In 2006 alone, the Dangote Group recorded an annual turnover in excess of N300bn ($2.5bn), a remarkable feat. �e Group has, in the last 10 years, recorded phe-nomenal growth in all its manufacturing sec-tors as well as its haulage, insurance and real estate divisions. �is success has strength-ened the resolve of the Dangote Group to expand into oil and gas, steel, telecommuni-cations and fertilizer businesses.

Alhaji Aliko Dangote, a business gradu-ate of Al-Azhar University, Cairo, is the founder and CEO of the Dangote Group, which he transformed from a small trading business started in 1977 into a multi-billion naira conglomerate spanning Africa.The Dangote Group is one of the biggest and fastest growing conglomerates in Nigeria. Its lines of business currently

The Dangote Group’s compliance with best practices and standards has earned its products the sought after endorsement of the International Standards Organisation.

The Dangote Group uses major local and international print and broadcast media to promote its products. Special promotions, executed as the need arises, have played a vital role in the success of the brands in the Dangote stable. Dangote has promotional pay-off lines for its vari-ous products. For pasta: “Mama mia, how can I resist you”; for flour: “Always your daily choice”; for salt: “The essence of life”; for sugar: “Makes the difference”; and for cement: “For solid structures”.

Availability, acceptability, a�ordability, durability, distinctiveness, credibility and satisfaction – these are the core values that the Dangote Group embraces. Dangote is committed to deploying globally acclaimed best practices in its processes and its qual-ity control mechanisms. Dangote Group also places high premium on the wellbeing and skills of its workforce g

g Dangote’s Obajana Cement Plant in Kogi State was built at a cost of over N120bn and is the largest cement plant in Africa. Lines 1 & 2 were commissioned in May 2007, while the foundation stones for lines 3 & 4 have since been laid to increase plant capacity to 10 million tonnes per annum.

g Dangote Sugar Re�nery plc was awarded the Best African IPO for 2007 by Africa Investor. Dangote Group was assigned an “AA” by Augusto & Co., a leading research credit ratings firm for business excellence, good pro�tability, su�cient working capital, good cash �ow, large market share and good quality management.

g Dangote Flour Mills plc which was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on 4 February 2008, was 620% over subscribed in its IPO.

include cement, sugar re�ning, pasta, �our milling, salt, polypropylene bags, haulage, and port operations.

Obajana Cement plc is engaged in both bulk importation and bagging of cement as well as in local manufacturing. Its facto-ries currently produce about four million metric tonnes a year of cement.

Dangote Sugar Re�nery plc, the largest refiner of sugar in sub-Saharan Africa, has a production capacity of over one million metric tonnes a year and is embarking on an expansion programme to double output. Dangote refined sugar is of exceptionally high quality, distributed in 50kg bags.

With a salt production of about 480,000 metric tones a year, Dangote provides about 70% of the salt requirement of Nigeria.

Identifying with the global retailing trend, the Dangote Group is increasingly packaging its products in retail sizes. This has proven a successful strategy and enabled greater market penetration than was previously the case with its wholesale packaging.

DANGOTE GROUP

Corporate statement

NA_Noxx_Dabgote_0408.indd 60-61 15/3/08 17:12:20

Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan, Oprah’s latest book club pick was leaked!

Oprah alert! According to Ron Charles of the Washington Post, Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan was Oprah’s next Book Club pick, though before the d-day, the top secret was revealed. The short story collection is a “powerful and vivid debut collection describing the plight of children caught up in difficult and often harrowing situations throughout the continent of Africa” according to the blurb.

Body Of Art is the new Skin beauty trend for 2010

With new body art being inspired by tribal references, make-up is no longer restricted just to the face but rather, it is celebrated in the form of body art also. The fashion trend for the year 2010 is being projected by some beauty experts to be tattoos. Tattoos are extensive and may take forty minutes on each person interested from start to finish. Vogue.co.uk

Fashion Statements at theNew York fashion week

In a sea of neutral shows, DKNY and Marc by Marc Jacobs were a refreshing breeze at the recent New York Fashion Week with their mix of colours and prints. DKNY showed bright florals and graffiti prints bursting out from under a slouchy grey suit. The dresses were short and sexy and a delicate peony print top was teamed with a bold miniskirt. Marc by Marc Jacobs was reminiscent of the Desperately Seeking Susan 80’s - more is more, then shove a large bow on top. Guardian.co.uk

Everyone

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Is Talking About

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naijaTimesIn The Next Issue...

- Meet the winner of One million Dollar prize at the One 9ja Million Dollar Gameshow Grand Finale- KC Presh on “let me tell you about women”- Omowunmi Akinnifesi on “let me tell you about men”

Make sure you don’t miss out, subscribe to NaijaTimes, and have your own copy delivered to your door.Visit www.naija-times.com/subscribe-today for more details.

Top 5 Things to watch out for in OctoberIndependence celebrations as Nigeria turns 49 on October 1

the Grand Finale of Etisalat’s One9ja Million Dollar Game show

The 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup Championship starts on October 24

Nigeria Consumer Goods Fair takes place in Abuja from 8-19, October 2009

Tarzan Monologues, a stage play, every Sunday in October at TerraKulture

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October 09Fashion & LifestyleWhen the Streets Become theOnly Option 10Osun Osogbo Festival 14Let Me Tell You About Women 18 Let Me Tell You About Men 20Books That Made Me 22 My Three Letter Style 24 Do Men Look Better at 49 26Wish List 28

Campus LifeCampus News 30Model Reader 32 College Life 34

Careers & DevelopmentBuilding a Career Path 36

MoneyThe Young Entrepreneur 38How to Protect Yourself From ATM Fraud 40A Dwindling Middle Class? 44

EntertainmentProjecting Nigeria’s image at 49 46One9ja Million Dollar Gameshow 48Go FineBoy It’s your Bir thday! 50Religious hypocrisy in The Swamp Dwellers 54

HealthDangers of Skin Bleaching 56

The ShopMystery Shop 59Taé! 60Nigerian Home Videos 62

48One9ja Million Dollar Night

naijaTimes 11

It is a scorching Friday at the ever-busy Iyana Iba market in Ojo, Lagos. 25 year old Okechukwu Nwachu is back on the daily grind. Dressed in a sweat stained yellow T-shirt and faded blue jeans, his tired eyes flit from one end of the road to another. He is on the look-out for soldiers and street urchins whom he claims harass him at every turn, or deny him the proceeds of his life’s work – selling egg rolls to passersby from a ‘show glass’ mounted on a cart.

In a flash, Okechukwu darts across the road with his wares in tow. He perches right in the middle of a dirty car park close to the market, nimble limbs and watchful eyes at the ready. The pesky ‘task force’ is on the prowl again.

“I just got out of secondary school and only took up this business to sustain myself,” he explains sighing heavily. “It is certainly not interesting and I don’t really make much profit. Most times, the police and area boys seize our wares at will and even lock us up.”

Okechukwu’s plight is not an isolated one, because many youths his age and even far younger have turned to the street trade for lack of any alternative means through which to earn a living. They can be seen on most busy roads across Lagos and other states, waiting for the usual traffic logjams just to peddle their wares to commuters. Sometimes they stay out late into the night and a few of them have been ushered to their untimely graves in the process- usually due to road accidents and the activities of kidnappers or cultists.

“I get the egg rolls from a nearby company here in Iyana Iba,” says Okechukwu dejectedly. “The profit margin is really nothing

to write home about, but it is much better than doing nothing at all. Government should provide us jobs that match what we are skilled at so we can avoid living this kind of life.”

While Okechukwu’s situation is pathetic and questions the government’s responsibilities towards the nation’s youths, Kemi Oyebanji’s foray into the street trade is much more outrageous because she is a female. Besides exposing her to untold dangers from reckless motorists and bikers, her gender and trade leave her susceptible to the antics of sexual predators since she sells late into the night.

As she narrates her ordeal, Kemi rests against an abandoned vehicle close to the popular Lagos Trade Fair Complex, she tiredly wipes a bead of sweat from her brow. She is careful not to overturn the basket, which contains her wares- two bottles of La Casera, three bottles of Cascade spring water, and a bottle of Coca Cola and Sprite respectively.

“I started this business because I’m trying to save up to establish a call centre,” explains Kemi in fluent English. “Sometimes I don’t make any sales throughout the day and have to depend on a friend for sustenance.”

Oddly enough, her meagre trade serves as a means of support for her younger siblings, even though her family frowns at the stress that comes with it. Kemi, like her peers in the trade, has an existing channel of distribution which enables her buy on credit from the wholesalers. “I buy my wares wholesale from Article Market close-by and sell to the public in pieces,” she says. “I have an arrangement to pay back the following day after each day sale. There really isn’t much profit. I only make

Onodome Jakpor

Fashion & Lifestyle

When the streets become the only option…

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money from the bottles of water but not from the drinks. I’m really looking forward to the start of the next Trade Fair because I always make huge sales during that period.”

The 23-year-old lady, who admits she will proceed to the university if she can be funded, wants the government to construct stalls for traders like her. This, she assures, will get her out of the street trade once and for all.

Meanwhile, Uchenna Nwaegu’s case bears out the popular slogan, “different strokes for different folks’ quite well. Unlike Uchenna and Kemi, he wears a shy smile on his face as he sells Gala (a brand of sausage roll) to commuters at Okokomaiko car park. “I have no option. I must love the business because it is what feeds me,” he admits, “I have been in this business since I completed secondary school in 2005. I had no money at all during that time, so my friends got me into this.”

He notes that he will only stop selling snacks if the government can provide him something better, which he is not about to wait for. “I get the snacks wholesale from a Gala sales outlet here in Okokomaiko. On days when I make huge sales, I make much profit. But the reverse is the case when I do not,” he says.

However, the sad story of the street trade does not end with Okechukwu, Kemi and Uchenna. It continues in the life of almost every individual who, on a daily basis, is forced to take up the business for lack of a better alternative. Since their families are either too poor or busy to care, the street traders want the government to provide them jobs tailored to their skills. Until that is done, they seem to insist, they will remain on the streets at a huge personal cost just to make ends meet.

Osun Osogbo Festival: in the stride of

the ancestors

15naijaTimes

It is a cool Friday morning in August. The sleepy town of Osogbo is made alive by the influx of people from different parts of the country for the annual Osun Osogbo Festival. The road leading to Oju’bo where the grove is located is quite impassable.

At the entrance of the grove, I joined the throng of people walking slowly into the grove. It is some distance to the riverbank. The road leading to the interior of the grove is an untarred road, lined in parts on both sides by stone images of different deities. The grove is a dimly lit expanse of land with sunlight filtering in through a thicket of green foliage overhead.

On the far side of the road, people are seen rushing up to a woman clad in white, to be blessed by her. She prays for them according to their needs, what they expect the goddess of the Osun River, the Yoruba god of wealth and fertility, to do for them before the next festival. Down by the river bank there is a mass of devotees busy filling plastic bottles with water from the river, having their fortunes told, washing their heads and faces in the river, while some others are just loitering around.

Travel & Culture

“it is clear that the management committee of the Osun grove is not relenting in its effort to maintain the grove ”

The bustling activities heralding the commencement of this year’s festival, highlight the fears that the celebration of the Osun river goddess might wane after the death of the Austrian born priestess, Susanne Wenger, having been laid to rest. It is hard to describe the expansive tapestry of the festival’s grand finale that is taking place that morning, or the massive influx of people into the primordial Yoruba town, which left hardly any walking room in the grove and the surrounding streets.

On this sunny morning, it is clear that the management committee of the Osun grove is not relenting in its effort to maintain the grove and keep its tourism appeal. An Artists’ Village is under construction somewhere within the sacred forest while a concrete staircase leads down into the grove, unlike last year when people had to shove one another to get to the river.

The entrance of the grove and the adjoining streets are filled with a sizeable number of hawkers selling a wide range of goods, ranging from kola nuts to ice-cream, to foods like moin-moin (local bean cakes) and rice, among others. Like most religious festivals,

the Osun Osogbo festival is as much about business as it is about faith.

Yet in the midst of these activities, everyone is waiting for the Arugba Osun (virgin bearer of the Osun calabash). The Arugba Osun is an offspring of the first Ataoja of Osogbo, and as tradition maintains, she has been specially chosen to carry the ritual calabash from the Ataoja’s palace to the Sacred Grove.

Her walk to the grove is a long procession, before her are a number of maidens carrying carved images, and behind her, at the tail of the procession, is the Ataoja himself, flanked by his wives. Her entrance signals the peak of the festival, a time when the crowd goes into a frenzy.

On the final day of the Osun festival such as this, the Arugba carries the ritual calabash containing the sacred brass figures and others symbols of Osun in a procession from the Palace to the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

If the Arugba trips or falls on her way to the river, it is seen as a bad omen for herself and all the worshippers. A ring of guards

ADEDOYIN JOHNSON

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and police officers surround the Arugba on her journey to the Osun River. The guards are young men with long switches used to whip back the crowds. The switches that the young men carry represent the presence of the ancestors. This year’s celebration is largely successful since the Arugba neither faltered nor tripped on her way to the grove.

The origin of the festival dates back to the 13th Century and it remains the most famous of all traditional festivals in the South Western part of the country. The source of the river is traced to Igede, in the present Ekiti state. However, it is widely celebrated in Osogbo following a historic relationship between the river goddess and the founding father of Osogboland. The Ajaguna of Osogbo, Gabriel Oparanti, says the historical background of the celebration is connected to an incident which occurred in the 13th Century, when the community was preparing for the next planting season. A tree fell into the river and there was a loud voice, saying ‘Larooye Olutimehin, you have destroyed all my dying pots,’ but the lesser spirits within the groove pacified the goddess of the river by saying “Oso Igbo pele o, oso Igbo rora o” meaning spirit of the forest sorry, spirit of the forest take it easy over the unfortunate incident,’ and that was how the name Osogbo was derived.

The goddess of Osun advised the community to move to the other side of the river, because human beings could not live with the spirits, and they obeyed the order and moved to “Ontoto” where they established another palace, and a flourishing market. While in Ontoto, Olutimehin, being a hunter, went on a hunting expedition and suddenly saw spirits within the groove,

dancing round a 16-point lamp. The lamps were seen through incantations and brought back to the palace to show to Oba Larooye, the then Ataoja of Osogbo.

The dense forest of the Osun Sacred Grove, on the outskirts of the city of Osogbo, is one of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria. Regarded as the abode of the goddess of fertility, Osun is one of the pantheon of Yoruba gods. The landscape of the grove and its meandering river is dotted with sanctuaries and shrines, sculptures and art works in honour of Osun and other deities. The sacred grove, which is now seen as a symbol of identity for all Yoruba people, is probably the last in Yoruba culture. It testifies to the once widespread practice of establishing sacred groves outside all settlements.

The Osun River runs through the forest. It is peaceful and beautiful, reflecting the sacred nature of the place. The goddess of the river, Osun, is also known as Oso-Igbo, and is an important figure in local mythology, credited with magical powers that were once used to help settle the city and build the power of the region.

Traditionally, most cities of the Yoruba people would have had a sacred forest just outside their limits. However, with expanded urbanisation and rapid development, the bulk of these sacred forests have now been destroyed. Osun Osogbo is unique in being a well-protected part of the Yoruba heritage and it offers a wonderful opportunity to experience one of these sacred forests in a state very close to pristine

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Women are more emotional than men because men are strong hearted. Women blow up issues quickly. The insinuation that women go for love while men go for sex in a relationship is wrong. Women go for the same thing like men. After sex, women gain 70% satisfaction while men gain 30%.

However, women are so sensitive and fragile and need to be pampered. They are like eggs that need to be taken care of. What I don’t like about women is that some of them claim to be what they are not. They put up a front and all that. Yet the good thing about them is that we can’t do without them.

Recently, when I was in Jos, I met a woman who kept me waiting outside for nearly six hours. I had to wait for her at a nearby shop where I drank almost a full crate of soft drinks while waiting for her. I also had another experience when I got hooked to another girl whom I thought could become my girlfriend. Then, I was still an up coming artiste. She never liked it when I took off my shirts, especially after a show. The truth is that I love taking off my shirts after a performance and throwing it to the crowd. She always took offence over that and whenever we returned to the hotel she would be really angry. We broke up because of that. I have also had a girlfriend who asked me to choose between breaking up with her and keeping my female fans. I had to break up with her because I chose my female fans. I have a woman right now who has a child for me and she takes good care of him. I have had experiences with women who love me not because I’m P-Square but because I am Peter.

What ticks me off in some women is when they over-react. In a situation where patience is needed to settle things amicably, their over reaction tends to spoil things, which then aggravates the situation. However, in the midst of all these, I can boldly declare that women are worth dying for. The reason is that they are simply indispensable.

naijaTimes 1918

Fashion & Lifestyle

“Let me tell youabout Women”

P-Square (Peter Okoye & Paul Okoye)My girl friend is good looking and knows how to take good care of me. Although, she doesn’t need to die for me, but my mum can die for me since she kept me in her womb for nine months and was there when I was nobody. That is the difference between them. I have learnt not to dwell on myself especially as P-Square but as Peter.

My kind of woman must be good-looking and have a charisma. The heart also matters. I also admire confidence and self-control. She must also be independent.

Paul Okoye

When some women are in a relationship they forget about the facts of life and push it around as a do or die affair largely because of their emotions. Career-wise, it still affects me because they tend to lose focus easily when something bothers them, especially when it has to do with a good relationship going bad. In my opinion, that is what differentiates them from men -who tend to live a double life - shuttling between relationships and hustling to survive. Women can also get carried away easily.

In a relationship, it is not the guys alone that go for sex, but the girls too. However, they prefer sex and love to go together in a relationship. God created something unique inside men, they have soft hearts. Hence when a man is angry, irritated or agitated, it takes a woman to calm him down- this ability and beautiful quality is what I love about women.

The other side of some women which I hate is their love for material things. It is wrong. Every human being has the right to work hard and hustle for him or herself. However, some women are dependent and don’t care

about how a man makes ends meet. Women with such attitudes see men as money making machines to cater for all their needs. They are too demanding. The ugliest side I hate about some women is prostitution. Some women prostitute themselves to sugar daddies and treat their male counterparts with disdain. Some are in relationships and are still engaged in such acts and funny enough, they pretend a lot about it.

There was a lady I dated in school when I was busy recording our second album. I was in my final year and I dated her for two months, yet I never knew that she was having an affair with my room mate. It was so bad that my neighbours told me about it. One day, I told her I would return on a Friday and intentionally returned on a Wednesday. I travelled by night bus and arrived at 3. 30am. When I opened the door, I saw her naked with my room mate. There was also lady I dated for four years as an undergraduate, all the while she encouraged me to behave responsibly and out of the blue dropped the bombshell that she was getting married in our final year to another man!

What I do not like about some women is their deceitful nature and some even combine it with pride. They can also be boastful. I do not think women are worth dying for because we are all struggling to survive, we want to live, and that is the truth.

My mum is my reflection and my girlfriend is the best thing that has ever happened to me since my career picked up. She is a friend indeed. Over the years I have learnt not to give a woman my whole heart. It is good to be blunt, yet hide your emotions. My ideal woman must be well behaved. For me, it is more about her personality than the facial attraction or beauty.

Fashion & Lifestyle

“Let me tell you about men”

Tosin Dekalu, the Lady Cobbler

My brother just moved home after about 13 years of not visiting Nigeria. For many girls that he is friendly with, he is not viewed as the typical Nigerian man. He told me that since he returned, the women he has met are strong and hard working. He believes that it is some Nigerian men who have problems with women.

There are many good girls around, living their lives and doing their own thing. They don’t have a man beside them to support them and encourage them, because some men want to have their cake and eat it. Some men don’t care; they go for the next person whether it is your best friend or sister next door. Yet Nigerian women after going out to hustle

they realise their mistakes, they get along well. I am not saying all men are bad, most of them are bad, a few are not though. A man can have three or four girlfriends but when he makes up his mind about you that is it.

My dad is my first love and I say this with all honesty. I respect him a great deal and I admire him. He is an amazing person. If I have a man that is half as decent as my father, then I have done a good job. My father is a dad in every sense of the word. My father has never raised his hands to beat me. Yet, I fear my father more than my mother who used to beat us when we were kids. My dad is the most giving and selfless man. I am so blessed to have him as a father. I am his greatest fan.

When I was very young, my parents were financially buoyant, but by the time I completed my secondary education, they were not as financially buoyant as they were. My older siblings had already gone to school abroad. Hence they suggested I should school at the University of Lagos. My dad objected saying that if he could send one child abroad, then all his children would go abroad for their education. He could not stand the idea that one child would have a complex over his sibling. My father packed his bags and psychiatry certificate and went back to England to work, all this was to enable him send me to school in England. This was somebody that owned a well-established business back in Nigeria; he returned to England because of me.

I am what I am to day, a confident young entrepreneur in her 30’s because of my dad’s sacrifice. I did not understand the type of sacrifice he made then, it was when I grew

older that I understood it. I don’t think I can do that for anybody. My dad does not shout or beat, he will seat you down and talk to you about your life. Anytime I want to do something irresponsible, I pause and remember the words of my father. I thank God for that because it has made me what I am today. My dad is my best friend through thick and thin.

My most memorable experience with a man was not even crazy but strange. A man once sent me a very expensive gift and I was a bit scared. I had never seen him before in my life. I think he read one of the interviews I had granted and decided to send it. I don’t know what he was thinking but, based on my background I could not accept it. I had to send it back with a thank you. I believe nothing comes for free. That is men for you. Such a gift should come from a very close friend not somebody I have never seen face-to-face.

l have come to realise as I get older that men are like babies, it is all about managing that grown man baby so that you don’t offend them. I have admirers that are my very good friends. I am diplomatic when dealing with men. In my dealings with them, l have learnt to listen less to opinion from friends, not that they don’t mean the best though. I have learnt to be fair to everybody, I make up my mind on issues, either good or bad. I know that the result is based on the decision I have made. I listen to myself more than the opinion of friends because I am the one in the relationship. I have learnt to be more wary of men, more careful and prayerful about my relationships.

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will still go back home to take care of the home front including their husbands. Women look for love loyalty, somebody to care for them but some men are not like that. To be honest with you, l believe Nigeria is like a sex pool where men do as they please. The society in which we are in is not balanced. The man will continue to look for sex and the woman for somebody to love her.

When a man makes up his mind to love, he doesn’t change his decision no matter what people say. That is one good thing about men. The bad thing is that if they make up their minds and is not favourable to you, there is nothing that can be done about it. For men, their wounds heal with time. After a while when

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Fashion & Lifestyle

Which book do I consider my favourite? A book? Just a book? Ah, no o, it’s difficult to tell. I can tell you there are authors I find very difficult to give up. I mean, I have always read them and I still read them. Among poets, I still read Ruken any day. Ruken is one of those poets I read as a very young person and will never cease to read. Pablo Neruda, I will always read. Wole Soyinka has always been closer to my skin than any other poet in the world and I have said this in some of my essays largely because he urged what I would call a raw nerve in my upbringing.

Soyinka’s choice of Ogun as his patron helped me resolve a problem in my childhood. As a motor mechanic, my father was an Ogun worshipper. However, growing up with my maternal grandparents who were Christians made me treat my father’s Ogun worship as fetish, as to be out of the way of what a modern person does. But Soyinka helped me reconcile myself to it. I am not an Ogun worshipper today because by the time I started reading Soyinka, I had also read enough about the philosophy of religion and history of science to know what is just wish-fulfilling in local traditions and what is something else; what is science and what is just every day folk wish.

Soyinka’s Ogun Abibiman is not my favourite but Samarkand and Other Markets I Have Known is my beloved of all Soyinka’s collection of poetry. Samarkand is a storytelling quintessential text. It is like a

philosophy of freedom and of self-expression which gives you a piece of what Soyinka consistently talks about, freedom and justice in the society. It is not just a defence of an individual, but the society. He gives the individual the chance to create the society as the society creates the individual. The market that he talks about is not about one person’s view but everybody’s. I find the book explicitly defensive of political freedom, the need for a plural form of the society.

When I talk about novels, I don’t start reading novels until they strike something in me. Garcia Marquez is one of those authors that have done something unusual to me. It is impossible to use a measure of why a writer like Marquez takes me over. Among African novelists, I can tell you there is no author who makes me feel the way I do when reading the best of the Marquez that I like.

Therefore, I am not one of those who would go looking for an African standard of measure. For me, good literature is just good literature. I am not someone who would succumb to any particular notion of orality like many critics want writers to do in order to measure how good the work of art is. For instance, if I say that Arrow of God is the novel I prefer of all Chinua Achebe’s novels, it’s because I am measuring it in terms of other literatures that I have also enjoyed. If I move beyond this unnecessary dichotomy between the African in literature and the non-African and I start designing cross-cultural standards for determining what is actually good literature, I would find that the best authors in the world tend to look the same way. They tend to work the same way.

One does not need to consult a soothsayer to know that among American novelists, a William Faulkner is not in the same party as

BOOKS THAT MADE MEOdia Ofeimun

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so many other authors. That a Tony Morrison is not of the common breed just like when one takes Soyinka as a dramatist. It is like reading The Lion and the Jewel as a play by another dramatist, you are most likely to take it as a great play but because it is from Soyinka, you treat it like one of his other plays and you concentrate on those ones you regard as a big deal like A Dance of the Forest, Kongi’s Harvest, Madmen and the Specialists. So, if you are really asking me who those authors are, I don’t have the author, I have authors. I mean those Russian poets and the rest of them that I enjoy; those Italians. But these days, I no longer read the way I used to read. In those days, after I finished a novel or any book, I could almost tell an individual chapter by chapter in what I read. It was as if I had a camera inside me that recorded everything I read. But that period passed because I entered the world of more books. It became obvious that I could no longer read books the same way because I am not getting any younger.

Life at the University of Ibadan spoilt me as a self-taught bard. I found that I had to read so much extra curricula work because for the first time I had a very good library that I didn’t want to let go. The University of Ibadan library was a fantastic library. I simply had to take it from the top to the bottom. First when I entered, I had all the journals from all over the world on all manner of subjects.

I couldn’t miss out all those things. I had to quickly finish them before the next batch of journals arrived.

Somehow I learnt to read faster and to read more books and to diversify my reading. But I could no longer read with the same graphic caption that I used to. When I say I no longer read, it’s not that I don’t read but I no longer read the way I used to. Where every book I pick was important in and of itself without any foreign admixture. I picked the book and I literarily gobbled it. I no longer read like that. That I must say has also affected the way I write. Because, you see, there is a sense in which one gets very educated and one is not tapping enough of the consciousness with which you are reading the books. But then when I say I don’t read it has nothing to with the number of books that passed through me. There is hardly any new trend in literature or in modern literary philosophical debate that I don’t plug into. I cannot afford to be behind the trends.

Much of what appears to be new is sometimes so trendy that if you are a conscientious student of history, literature or philosophy, you will know that nothing new has come of it. It is like dealing with the post-modernist theory. And if you take it closely you will suddenly discover that it’s just an empty stuff. It is just there as hype, to enable those who have made a profession of it, earn their living.

I define style as the way I co-ordinate my dressing and project myself. My style is my label and I connect it to my personal brand. My style is an image which creates an impression in the minds of people. My personal style is summarised in three letters: ESD- Elegant, Stylish and Decent.

I see fashion as a platform for expressing my creativity. Fashion is an art, hence, the designer is a sculptor who crafts fabrics and trimmings into creative pieces. Fashion is everywhere, from the label on my clothes to the design of the mobile phone in my pockets. It is an integral part of our everyday life.

I derive much of my inspiration from nature and from my environment. Such inspiration is ultimately from God because he is the creator of nature and the environment around me. Some of my winning designs for the Best Designer Award at the Nigeria Fashion Show were inspired by nature. The outfits had names like Cane sticks, Reptilia, (inspired by reptiles) and Tarantula (inspired by giant monkeys, spiders and cobwebs).

Tarantula was my entry for the bridal segment at the competition. The bride’s outfit had an A-line skirt with multi-layered web flares garnished with handmade beaded spiders. The top was a fitted corset with lampshade sleeves. This was complimented with a towering turban to match. It was quite technical in execution and it brought out the best of my creative instincts. Making such fitted and well designed bridal gowns is a piece of cake for me.

Creativity is inborn in me and I have always loved to work with my hands even from my primary school days. As a child, I used to go

to the rubbish dump of a garment factory near my home to pick unwanted fabrics which I used to make clothes for my baby dolls. The foundation of what people see today was laid while I was a student at the International School, University of Lagos (ISL). When I got to ISL, I took a course in Clothing and Textiles and it was then that I knew I had really found something I was passionate about. As a result of my passion, interest and hard work, I won the award for best student in Clothing and Textiles for three consecutive years.

I have been in the fashion industry for well over 20 years and that includes my secondary school days. Then, I used to sew my school uniforms and that of my younger brother. After completing my secondary school education, I started sewing for people and I continued this into the university. I began rather early and luckily, I was encouraged by my father.

However, after graduating from the university, I did not get the desired white-collar job, and I then resolved to follow my passion. For me, that was the natural way to go. The inspiration to go full-time came from my husband. And in 2005, I won an award as the Best Fashion Designer of the year at the Nigerian Fashion Show.

A core winning strategy for me is that I have built my business on the foundation of my skills. I know this job and I know it well. Thus, I cannot be held to ransom by any tailor in my store because I can do everything myself. In fact, I have to train tailors to suite my tastes before I can use them. In the process, I have also learnt to transfer the knowledge I have to other people so that they help to relieve me of the burden.

In the fashion industry abroad, I greatly admire Karl Lagerfeld and Giorgio Armani. Behind these designers are sometimes quiet fashion entrepreneurs that do the bankrolling. Among these, I most admire the guts of Bernard Arnault of LVMH (Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton), who in my opinion is the richest man in the fashion industry. Locally, I admire Nike Ogunlesi of Ruff ‘n’ Tumble and Ibukun Awosika of Sokoa Chair Centre.

Mythree-letterstyle

Henrietta Agboola, CEO, House of Henri

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Fashion & Lifestyle

A Woman’s perspective

Women are like fine sculptures, and every curve in a woman is beautifully crafted for aesthetic purposes.

“My friends and colleagues have always complemented me on my looks,” says 49-year-old Katherine Asoro. They still do not believe that at 49 I still look attractive after having six children.”

For Asoro, getting the children ready for school, preparing breakfast for the family before she gets herself ready for work could be a huge strain on a woman. It takes having the right attitude and excelling at juggling so many things at once, to achieve the right balance.

“In my opinion, women are more attractive than men although some people claim this is so because women take great care of their bodies,” says Asoro.

Bunmi Adeleke is a 49-year-old, single parent with two children. She works all days of the week and believes that women take care of themselves and are no longer the weaker sex. “Even after having my babies, I have kept myself in shape. I go to the gym always to ensure I maintain my figure.

Some men of my age are out of shape with protruding bellies. Just as a man does not desire a woman who does not make an effort

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Fashion & Lifestyle

DO MEN LOOK MORE APPEALING THAN

WOMEN AT 49?

to stay in shape, the same goes for women, we desire men who are young at heart and who at least make an effort to stay in shape. Women should invest in effective deep wrinkle creams and anti-aging products known for their effectiveness in removing unwanted wrinkles.

A Man’s Perspective

According to Benson Oyanaghakie, studies show that women age faster than men, in fact the general notion is that men become more distinguished as they age and whilst women just keep getting older and older.

Though it could be the result of the women giving birth to our lovely children but then, some of them just sit, relax and watch themselves go out of fashion because they know that they are married and so, don’t watch what they eat and go fat within a blink of an eye.

I always advice men to avoid excess alcohol since it can cause liver damage. Apart from going to gym for exercise also lend a helping hand to your wife at home.

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Odiri Etireri

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Wish ListOctober

Marc Jacobs

Louis Vuitton DamierGraphite Grimaud Diamond studded platinum

handbag $1.63 millionMost expensive shoes

1 million poundsJimmy Chooface clutch

Clive Christianmost expensive perfume The Cinderella Slipper is the name

for the world’s most expensive pair of women’s shoes

$90,000 Diamond Encrusted BlackBerry Pearl

Carvela Kebashgold sandals

Carvela Kocktailorange sandals flats

lllegal Universities to face sanction says the NUC

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced that the establishment of additional universities across Nigeria, will not only ease off the admission problem on tertiary institutions, but will also curtail the problem of illegal universities.

Speaking about the legal universities which are underperforming, Mr. Ignatius Uvah, deputy executive secretary, NUC (representing Julius Okojie), said the commission will require legal backing to enable it withdraw their licenses as a deterrent to others and keep them on their toes. “We rigorously scrutinised them before issuing them licenses, but you find out that after some years, they slack and fall short of set standards. Our problem is that there is a legal lacuna which inhibits us from arresting them. We are asking the National Assembly to assist us in this so that we can withdraw the licenses of erring institutions,” he said.

LASU may sack 10 lecturers over examination malpractices

No fewer than 10 lecturers of the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, may be dismissed over various charges of gross misconduct and examination malpractices.

The vice chancellor of the university, Professor Lateef Hussain, disclosed this at a news conference on the ongoing crisis in the institution recently.

Hussain, who described the crisis as a plot by some elements to thwart his uncompromising method of administration, stated that the case of the affected lecturers was being handled by the Senior Staff Disciplinary Committee of the institution.

According to him, 3 lecturers had earlier been dismissed by the university authorities, following their involvement in examination malpractices due to their involvement in mark variances.

UNIZIK students expelled for forgery

Victor Awuzie, a student of the department of Philosophy, Amarachi Grace Igbokwe and Chioma Chinasa Oraezue, both from the department of Computer Science, and Samuel Onyekwelu Udefi of the department of Civil Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, have been expelled following their alleged involvement in forgery.

Victor was expelled after the management decided his case on the forgery of his statement of result. It was gathered before now, that some fresh graduates of the

university forged their final statements of result, which they tendered to the public as originals. The university issued a statement saying that the expulsion of the few would serve as a warning to those contemplating forgery of their statements of result.

According to the university’s Director of Public Relations, Communication & Marketing, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu: Igbokwe, Oraezue and Udefi were involved in forgery of the university’s statement of result during the last issuance of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) call-up letters. Apart from being recalled from the National Youth Service Corps with immediate effect, the three students have been ordered to surrender their identity cards.

Lecturers, students quizzed over exam malpractice

About 360 lecturers and students of the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin are under investigation over alleged sharp practices carried out by them in their last semester examinations.

The chairman of the Governing Council of the institution, Musa Yeketi disclosed this when members of the Education Committee of the State House of Assembly paid a working visit to the institution.

Yeketi stated that appropriate punitive measures would be meted out to anyone found guilty of the offence at the end of the ongoing investigations to serve as deterrent to others and also, to bring about continued discipline, probity and accountability in the Polytechnic.

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Campus Life

Campus News

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“Never settle for less than your dreams, Olamidun Majekodunmi is a young lady who gets her motivation and enthusiasm to drive change in her environment. Born and raised in Ibadan, Oyo State she received a modest upbringing and relocated to the United States of America at the tender age of nine. Olamidun obtained her education in the state of North Carolina where she was the star athlete in track and field sports at her school. She was the secretary of the student council and went on to become the vice president in her senior year. Her knack for fashion led her to start the first fashion club in her high school. She was also an active member of business and entrepreneurship clubs whilst there.

At the age of 16, Olamidun, along with her sister, founded two companies; the first being a non-profit organisation that aims to bring together Nigerian youths to foster positive change in the nation and “Torera and Pinky Collections”- an innovative designer jewellery line. Both companies have achieved great success and continue to grow and develop.

Olamidun completed her high school education within three and a half years and graduated early. She then enrolled at the University of Maryland- Baltimore County where she is the first freshman (first year student) under the age of 18 to be chosen (through a highly selective process) for a leadership development internship with the Target Corporation after only one semester in college. Her hard work and dedication has led her to meet and network with various high executives in this top company.

Currently studying business and economics, Olamidun hopes to graduate with excellent grades in the next couple of years and to continue to drive change in all her future endeavours.

“If you would like to be our next “Model Reader” please send an email with a high resolution picture of yourself attached, stating why you should be the next model reader to modelreader@naija-times.com”..

Name: Olamidun Majekodunmi

Institution:University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA

Course of study: Business management major

Payments can be made through network and Skye Bank

FSDHFSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED

Model Reader

College

Life I attend a relatively small private university where everyone knows everyone and the students are friendly with both the teaching and non-teaching staff. This is unlike the Nigerian system where your professor is not exactly your best friend. A full education here means meeting with your teachers in and out of the classroom; you can send emails, have lunch together, go to their homes and meet their families. Most colleges provide a holistic education for their students and it is not strange to find a computer science major taking an acting class, or an economics major taking a music class. The whole idea is to foster an environment where students are aware of different fields including theirs.

In a university as small as mine, the number of students taking a class could range from as little as five students, to as many as a hundred students or over. In large classes professors are assigned teaching assistants, the whole idea is to help professors to be able to meet each student’s specific needs. Since some classes require movie clips to be shown, most rooms have projectors and screens in them. Typical infrastructure include science labs, art studios & galleries, a writing centre where you can have your papers reviewed before submission, music studios for music classes, a theatre for performing arts, a language lab, running tracks, football or baseball fields, a gymnasium, a tennis court, department buildings, a chapel, the cafeteria, a large pool for water polo players in particular and so on. These facilities are non-excludable and therefore expose students to a lot of things.

There is a nursery rhyme that goes “Some like it hot, some like it cold. Some like it in the pot,

nine days old.” This rhyme comes to mind when I attempt to describe what social life in a typical college abroad would entail. There are so many things to choose from. On campus, there are a lot of activities to indulge students as well as other associations, fund-raising events, on campus concerts, school plays and acts among other things. Most campuses also have different societies, particularly the Greek societies, which comprise mostly fraternities and sororities (social organisations for undergraduate students). However, off-campus social life could range from going to see a movie to trying out a new restaurant with friends, going sky-diving, attending a concert, or going to a crazy party- all while having to go to class the next day.

In college, the exposure is such that students have the opportunity to participate in international programs that take them to foreign countries. From these visits, students are inspired to take up causes to help people around the world. Recently at Pepperdine, there was the “Keep Ignoring Burma” project, with a sarcastic yet thought provoking tagline, initiated to provoke people to respond to the needs of the south-east Asian nation. There are numerous other projects on issues that most students were unaware of till they took some classes.

One of the things you learn to appreciate in a college abroad is diversity. Students meet people from different parts of the world that they will spend the next few years with. It is a scary yet exciting interaction. Imagine being around the world all at once, cultures are exchanged and new ways of reasoning are discovered. While it is not an entirely blissful experience, especially if interacting with narrow-minded people, it is very fulfilling.

Tobi Ibukun JaiyeolaFreshman (first year student) atSeaver College, Pepperdine University

Campus Life

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There is a fundamental relationship between a career and a job. A career is essentially a long-term projection of an individual’s path to ‘the top’, a job should be a stone on that path. It should always fit into this long-term projection.

However, some career experts and coaches have noted that people are likely to change careers roughly five times in the working phase of their lives. The primary reason for this may be an initial poor assessment of one’s abilities and passions, a critical factor in deciding on a career path. How do you contrast the need to break out from the common, or to have a fresh start against the safety of consistently treading predictable, sometimes less satisfactory career paths?

Prevaricating on your career goal will have positive and negative influences. The consequent effect will be determined by the stronger influence in your specific circumstance and your ability to recognise and leverage opportunities as they present themselves. While it is true that certain opportunities present themselves which have the potential either to ‘increase your pay

Building a career path

be anticipated), all occur within this phase. An important pitfall here lies in the fact that self evaluation (especially where strengths and weaknesses are the subject of such evaluation) is usually a bit off the mark, sometimes with more than a tinge of self-flattery. While it is important to have a goal from the offset, it is equally as important to be open to much more accurate evaluations from colleagues, bosses and subordinates. These external evaluations are sometimes subtle pointers that could effectively help in determining plausible career options.

Depending on pervading economic circumstances (availability of jobs/unemployment indices) there is usually a phase in which you then try to match your self-assessment with the market. Obviously, this only occurs in economies where job seekers have a bit of choice. However even under more difficult circumstances, it is important to ensure that you target jobs that enable you develop your key strengths or give you an opportunity to work on your weaknesses. As mentioned earlier, every job should fit into your long-term plan. Even where that career plan changes or is altered, adhering to this career strategy means that anyone looking at your employment history can detect a trend, this subtly sells you as a purposeful, deliberate and steady person to prospective employers – a huge plus in the eyes of any discerning employer.

In the next phase on this cycle you begin to make decisions, you apply for jobs that meet your criteria and begin to negotiate job offers based on some of the goals and targets you have set in the previous phases. It is clear that attempting to skip the previous phases and just jumping to this may eventually leave you dissatisfied with your job, which in turn affects your performance on the job. The

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check’ or position you for ‘that promotion’, those same opportunities may effectively derail your long-term goals. Quite often, people are faced with the tricky choice of taking today’s best against the probability of losing tomorrows gains.

As your career kicks in, you will be faced with a lot of choices much like the type described above, i.e. trade an average paying job with a high career growth potential for a very lucrative one with relative career stagnation (or something close to that). It may seem that the right choice is obvious – “stick to career growth potential and eventually you will be financially rewarded”, however it is a bit more difficult when you are the one in the picture.

Understanding the various phases in the career development cycle can help in making the right decisions. While it may not offer a simple formula, it clarifies all the grey areas, pointing out the natural pitfalls at each stage and effectively helping you to guard against self-sabotage – a situation where you repeatedly make wrong choices based on ‘hunches’ which in a lot of cases are disguised personal proclivities.

Everyone who takes on a job unwittingly may have gone through the assessment phase. Evaluating personal potential, future prospects, as well as drawing up a sketchy career path (usually fitted into a much shorter time frame than may pragmatically

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Careers and Development

Sorom Uzomah

cumulative effect of which leads to a slow downward spiral. Staying focused in this phase is very important as it is quite easy to be swept off with attractive offers that are way off your intended goal.

The retention phase starts off with a feeling of comfort and some sense of achievement. As you settle into your chosen career and job you begin to learn the ropes and rise through the ranks. It is at this phase where personality types kick in and a few people get stuck. For some they simply float along a very predictable path, choosing to remain within their comfort zone, and are content with rising through the ranks. However for others, they either become bored with the predictable pattern, or see emerging opportunities in either branch-off career paths or entirely new career paths. It is this second group that make career development a continuous cycle and who usually get the most out of their careers. There is obviously some risk here, but continuous career development pays off handsomely.Usually, there is a transitory period in which the pros and the cons of making career changes are evaluated, current skills are matched against the necessary skills for the new career path, and necessary decisions are made.

The challenges of building an enviable career should not be under-estimated. A few wrong choices will most likely be made. Learning the lessons from these mistakes and quickly re-aligning with your career objectives reduces the effect of such mistakes. Understanding the unique challenges of career development and its advantages is essential for the success-driven employee. It is easy to see that the insight and experience garnered in the process of developing a fulfilled career are priceless.

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discovered that my hobby, which is computer programming, could actually do more for me than being a mere hobby. I discovered that I could realise a lot practising it as a profession. I started preparing myself for the big job, so to speak. As a result of this vision, I started the business immediately after school. Firstly, I partnered with some other companies who already had clients. I joined them in providing solutions. However, Tsaboin Tech World was recently acquired by a bigger firm with a global outreach. The transformation was what led to the current “NEXTEK PLATFORMS”. It is geared towards showing the world, the next phase of technology.

Tsaboin is a pet name from my parents who are close to me. It is as old as my name, Dele. The word ‘Tech’ connotes something different. We are ‘Tech’ in the sense that we provide technology-based solutions to business issues. The name is unique, and we decided to use the name because we felt that it would set us apart.

Age: Less than 30My fear: Losing my head nowSense of style: I can’t say. I’m not a stylish person. Favourite colour: Sky BlueSurvival strategies: Have faith and have a plan B and C.

Role models:For Information Technology - Steve Jobs Entertainment - Dele MomoduBusiness - Jim Ovia Success - Sam Adeyemi Achievement -Wole Soyinka

Starting this kind of business was not easy at all, but perseverance is the watchword. I just had to strive to achieve a lot with minimal resources. That is the survival instinct I have always had.

The challenges I face as a young business person are numerous. First, I have been generating my own power everyday for the past four years. Also, getting a reliable internet service provider is expensive yet I have no choice but to pay for it. Internet is the lifeline of my business. In addition to that, unethical business practices are still prevalent in Nigeria, especially, as people are slow to respond to business deals. This of course, is no fault of theirs, it is because some clients find it difficult to trust those whom they deal with. Yet I have been trying to cope in this part of the world where those in business do not treasure ethics.

I offer technology services that cut across the board and I have clients in the banking sector, the oil & gas sector, media, real estate and engineering. I have recently released a product targeted towards creating equal web presence opportunities, which big organisations have, for SMEs.The secret behind my success is service! service!! service!!! I seek to create excellent customer satisfaction, through innovative solutions. This is the secret of any successful business. If you are successful in doing this, then all other things shall follow.My plan for the future is to create a platform where business and technology from across the world would need to latch on so as to advance. Technology advancement must come from Nigeria, and I must be part of it. Based on my experience so far, I can confidently say that it is possible to be successful in Nigeria as a young person. Info:

The Young EntrepreneurBamidele Odufuye, MD/CEO, Nextek Platforms

Money

My interest in Information Technology began when I was in primary school. I could recall that my parents once bought me an Atari Computer game, I was so inspired that i attempted to beat the computer logic. I grew up in Abeokuta, Ogun State and I attended the University of Agriculture, in Abeokuta, where I studied Environmental Management and Toxicology.

The idea of Tsaboin Tech World (predecessor of Nextek Platforms) began while I was in school. I

naijaTimes 39

Increasingly, Automated Teller Machines (ATM’s) are becoming a preferred means of withdrawing cash from individual bank accounts in Nigeria. Details from banks show that the transaction volume from this mode of cash handling is on the increase.

Arising from this has been an equally increasing incidence of fraud associated with ATM transactions. Thousands of people are being duped daily as fraudsters have devised ingenious ways to get Nigerian cardholders to part with their cash.

As a means of curtailing the activities of these fraudsters, Bank PHB recently released a detailed guide on how to ensure that its customers protect themselves against ATM fraud.

“Phishing” has been identified as a commonly used method for fraud. It is a form of online identity theft that is used by fraudsters to steal personal and financial data from unsuspecting victims. It involves the use of bogus e-mails, mobile phone text messages and counterfeit websites by fraudsters to deceive unsuspecting customers into giving away confidential or personal information that can be used to defraud them. It may also be used to spread malicious software to people’s computers.

Typically, fake e-mails that appear to come from a reputable organisation or trusted source e.g. Bank PHB, Interswitch, UBA, etc. are sent to unsuspecting victims. The name of a real company employee may even be used in the e-mail.

The e-mail includes what appears to be a link to the organisation’s website. However, when victims click on the link, they are connected

to a counterfeit of the website. Any sensitive information supplied by unsuspecting victims at the bogus website e.g. account numbers, PINs or passwords, falls into the hands of the fraudsters and are used to commit fraudulent withdrawals or purchases.

There are several ways to identify suspicious e-mails or text messages from fraudulent sources. These include; use of generic greetings e.g. “Dear Valued Customer.” If a bank sends its customer an official correspondence, it should have the customer’s full name on it.

Rules that will significantly reduce your chances of falling victim to online fraud

Requests for personal information: Most businesses do not ask for personal information by phone or through e-mail, and this is even before phishing became a widespread practice.

Threats to your account and requests for immediate action: e.g. “Failure to respond within the next 48 hours will result in your ATM card being disabled.”

Presence of Suspicious links: Usually in such fraudulent mails, you may be directed to follow a link present in the email. Watch out for misspellings and poor grammar.

To protect yourself, some e-banking teams advise that: You should never respond to e-mails that request your personal and/or financial information. Always look for signs that an email is “phishy”. Visit bank websites by typing the URL address into the address bar and not through the provided link.

Keep a regular check on your accounts:

How to protect yourself against ATM fraudKweku Brown, Financial Analyst

Money

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Money

Check if the website you are visiting is secure. Be cautious with e-mails and personal data. Always report suspicious activity. Keep your computer secure from strangers and people you do not trust. Furthermore, never respond to emails that request personal financial information.

Be suspicious of any email that asks for your password, PIN or account details or includes links to other websites for supplying same. Once released, such information can and will be used to defraud you.

Make additional enquiries: Make enquiries from the Bank or company involved to verify the authenticity and source of such emails. Banks and e-commerce companies will never ask you for your personal/ confidential information through non-secure channels such as email

Be cautious with emails and personal data: Be familiar with the Bank’s advice on carrying out safe online transactions. Don’t let anyone know your Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) or passwords, do not write them down, and do not use the same password for all your online accounts. Do not open or reply to unsolicited e-mails as this validates your address to the sender and makes you a target for future scams.

There are several phrases commonly used in fraudulent e-mails: These include alarming claims and threats to your account with requests for immediate action: e.g. “Your account details have been stolen or lost. Failure to respond within the next 48 hours will result in suspension of your ATM card.” Requests for personal information: e.g. “Click on the link below to confirm your account number, card number and PIN”.

Presence of Suspicious links: e.g. “Click on the link below to update your account and card details” e.g. http://www.bankphbonline123.com

Use of misspelt or substitute characters: e.g. “1nformati0n”, in an attempt to bypass security software. Always ensure that; the web address in the address bar (top of the browser) of the website you are visiting starts with “https://” (“s” for secure) rather than the usual “http://”. Also look for a locked padlock icon on the browser’s status bar (bottom of the browser). This tells you that all information you supply on the website is encrypted and cannot be intercepted by fraudsters. Promptly report suspicious activity. If you receive an email you suspect isn’t genuine, to your bank. Keep your computer secure always.

Ensure that up to date antivirus, anti-spam and other such security software are installed and enabled on your computer at home and at the office. Also ensure that your internet browser software has up-to-date security patches.Practice safe internet browsing: Avoid using public or shared computers and especially Cyber cafes for online banking transactions and online purchases using debit or credit cards. Such systems may have been compromised by fraudsters who have installed on them software and tools designed to steal user names and passwords for defrauding people.

Follow these simple rules and you will reduce significantly your chances of falling victim to online fraud.

44

Twenty-six-year-old Emmanuel Chukwuka holds a degree in mass communication from the University of Jos and was raised in what used to be termed a “middle-class” family in the 1980s. As such, he always got the best that money could buy- designer outfits, fresh-off-the-rack shoes, top-of-the-range electronics and even a personal car before his 18th birthday. But that was before the onset of the global economic recession which saw his father, a banker, lose his job and his mother who was once a housewife resorting to petty trading just to make ends meet.

“I completed my National Youth Service in 2007 but I haven’t succeeded in holding down a job yet,” laments Chukwuka who sports a frayed polo shirt and faded blue jeans. “We have only been able to survive as a family through divine providence. Sometimes it is a single meal that gets us through the day. My father is a little too old to secure another job. Simply put, our living standards have plummeted.”

Emmanuel’s experience is shared by many, who hold the view that Nigeria’s economic recession (which was spurred by prolonged military rule) and the more recent global financial crisis have combined to virtually erode the emerging middle class.

Uche Nworah, founder and director of Total Projects, a non-governmental organization that promotes e-Learning in Africa, puts the age bracket of the middle class between 25 and 50. He explains that this age bracket

comprises people who are reasonably educated and possess degrees and other qualifications that should ordinarily place them on the path towards success.

“They are probably mid-level and senior-level managers or their equivalent at their places of work… have steady incomes which may seem to set them apart from members of other social groups,” says Nworah. “They may desire to spend their annual holidays with members of their families in several places within and outside Nigeria. The underlying characteristic among this group is the desire to enjoy life with their family and friends, to be compensated adequately for their talents and be appreciated....”

Babatunde Ahonsi, an editorial columnist, however believes that members of the middle class are not just defined by status, but actually serve as catalysts for change in every society. “It is virtually impossible in modern society for transformational change to take place without the full engagement of the middle class,” he avers. “This is because members of this class tend to feel much more threatened by social, economic and political crises, than the poor majority. They can therefore be expected to have a stronger vested interest in making their society work than the lower or underclass, whose very long-standing situation makes it difficult for them to organise socially in order to defend their interests.”

Ahonsi is not alone, because renowned economists like Professor Pat Utomi have

always argued that every economy needs the middle class to drive growth, owing to their demand for standards of living that suit their status, and aspirations towards the upper class.

But has the combination of poor leadership and the global economic downturn really eroded the nation’s middle class? Samuel Ranti, a senior lecturer in the Sociology Department at the Lagos State University does not think so. “The middle class is beginning to re-emerge gradually, owing to the nation’s return to civilian rule,” he maintains. “Yes, we may have an economic downturn, but its effects cut across all classes-the upper, middle and lower classes. It is not peculiar to the middle class. In any case, the ‘economic downturn,’ to my mind, is just a language coined by the capitalists.”

Ahonsi’s thoughts are pretty much the same, because he feels however intense the economic downturn may be, it simply cannot render the middle class extinct. “A widely held but mistaken view about the middle class in Nigeria is that it has collapsed…significantly as a result of the near-permanent state of economic crisis the country has been in since the early 1980s,” he observes. “We are all now supposed to be either very rich or very poor. But just as the rich and poor are always with us, so are members of the middle class.”The columnist is not quite done, as he lists what typifies the middle class nowadays. “There remains a large enough segment of the Nigerian population characterised by above-average educational attainment and literacy levels, modern sector occupation and consumption patterns related to housing, diet and household gadgets, and dressing that is distinct from the ruling class and the lower classes,” he says.

Meanwhile, Nworah is a little more practical in his online article: “Meeting the Needs of Nigeria’s Re-emerging Middle Class.” He backs up his assertion that there is, indeed, a distinct middle class in the country by citing the numerous financing products made available to the public by commercial banks. Such products, he explains, include cars, mortgages, home furnishings and electronic goods finance schemes, among others, which are targeted at ensuring the middle class are not denied their usual standard of living.

“Professionals in certain fields are now more well paid than in the past,” Hassan Usman, an Abuja-based human resource manager, is quoted as saying in the online newsletter, TradeInvest Nigeria. “An entry-level telecoms professional could earn up to N100, 000 and the one in mid-level as much as N350 000. Now, with an earning power like that, tastes would have to change.”

In the event that all these commentators are right, the Nigerian middle class may well be immune to the effects of the global economic recession. Whether or not this trend will last is a matter of conjecture, however, one fact remains: members of this class are not ready to forgo their quest for the good life in a hurry, especially when they measure their living standards by those of the upper class.

Has the economic meltdown spawned a dwindling middle class?Onodome Jakpor

Money

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“Nigeria’s story at 49 is not a complete tale of woes,” she says while settling comfortably on one of the sofas to talk about Nigeria. “Some Nigerians have placed the nation on the world stage in countless spheres. However, the general perception of the “Giant of Africa” the world over is far from positive.”

She explains that image has become synonymous with outward apparel and ‘style, a combination of how an individual looks, behaves and sounds. As someone who is passionate about positive image projection, she says, “image is everything.” Hence the benefits of positive image projection are numerous and untold.

“The Nigerian image is about us, the people,” she says, “Just as the soil which must be prepared to embrace the seed, we must prepare ourselves by managing our image, knowing who we are and telling the world about it. It has to be an educational, collective and willing effort at improving ourselves.”

Williams observes that in the 49 years of independence from colonial rule, Nigeria appears to have lost its past glory, which must be reclaimed. According to her, unlike some nations of the world, Nigeria is blessed with vast natural resources, which simply require proper management. “There is also so much pollution resulting in environmental degradation. It is almost as if we have a disregard for our environment. But things can be better if the resources are well managed,” she adds.

According to Williams, the first impression rule applies. Once an initial impression is formed, it is an almost impossible task to change it. “A closer examination of our great nation reveals a lot of potential, but the world is not patient enough. The “419” phenomenon, is a vital example.”

“If I was to consult with the leaders in government for example, I would stress the importance of the difference between a leader and a ruler. A leader is different from a ruler. A leader must have a vision and once elected into office simply implement this vision,” she adds.

While citing the on-going development in Lagos State as an example, Williams says Governor Fashola, the state governor is an example of a thinking leader who must have planned ahead before he was elected. “So much has improved. When you look around Lagos state you can tell that all hope is not lost. Just by the simple gesture of planting flowers, (although he has done much more than planting flowers and trees), Lagosians are inspired.”

However, she is quick to add that no person or entity can be without flaws. Therefore, projecting Nigeria’s image at 49 simply involves highlighting the positive and seeking out ways to correct the negative. “As a nation we must have a collective vision and this cannot happen overnight. Everyone must be a part of it and has a role to play,” she says.

She likens the Nigerian image to driving lessons at a driving school. “If you do not learn to drive a car in a proper driving school,” she says, “chances are that you will pick up many bad habits. To ‘re-learn’ to drive a car properly then becomes a challenge. The way we look, behave and interact all have a direct impact on how we are perceived.”

She believes Nigerians should project their authenticity and uniqueness to the world. As a parting advice to Nigeria at 49, she says: “To thine own self, be true, and contribute your individual quota to the larger picture. Products and systems do not grow or make a great nation, the people do!”

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Entertainment

It is midday and Adeola Odeku Street on Victoria Island is not its usual busy self. Located on one of the inner roads of this peaceful suburb in the Lagos metropolis is where Ifeoma Williams resides.

Ifeoma Williams is a lawyer and image consultant. She is the principal consultant of Fruition Image Consultants. In her current role, she has managed well-known names in the country. Her portfolio and responsibility include visual as well as verbal image enhancement services for individuals and corporate organisations. These include organising photo shoots, managing wardrobes, as well as facilitating training sessions on ‘personal branding’.

Ifeoma Williams:

Projecting Nigeria’s

image at 49

“No one person or entity can be without flaws”

Ifeoma Williams:

Projecting Nigeria’s

image at 49Derin Adefulu

“No one person or entity can be without flaws”

The 15th of August 2009 was no ordinary day in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It was the day of one of the regional launch events of the Etisalat One 9ja Million Dollar Game show. These regional game shows are the prequel to the grand finale where one person gets to win ‘One Million Dollars’. To qualify as a participant, an Etisalat subscriber has to have won a phone in the 9jillions win a phone every hour promo and recruited a friend with a new Etisalat SIM activation. Another way to qualify as a participant is through the second chance to win competition where those who have

participated repeatedly but have not won a phone are invited and required to recruit three friends with new Etisalat SIM activations. The Event began at 10.00am with participants streaming in through the innovative mobile ticketing process powered by One Naija (the digital marketing arm of Naijasounds). The atmosphere was somewhat electric and amongst the crowd was a team of four second chance to win invitees. They were, Hassan Hammas and his three friends. They arrived the venue early and were registered as team 40B with the timestamp of 10.47am as recorded in the mobile ticketing redemption process.

Update on the One9ja Million Dollar Gameshow

Sam Omoruyi

Update on the One9ja Million Dollar Gameshow

“the team had won a total of N3,150,000.00”

Sam Omoruyi

Entertainment

The show began when the host, Djinee delivered his presentation speech. He proceeded to call on stage a representative of the independent adjudicators appointed to oversee the promotion, Phillips Consulting. The regional manager of First bank was also called on stage to operate the game show machine for a random selection of winners. As fate would have it, Hassan Hammas’s ticket was amongst the first to be picked. A member of his team, Adedoyinsola Odunayo, responded by screaming at the top of her voice in excitement. They then proceeded to get on the stage. There were 9 teams

in all and each team had a total of six plays on the game show board. Hassan Hammas had three turns whilst the rest of his team had one turn each. At the end of Hammas’s teams play, the team had won a total of N3,150,000.00 (Hammas in his individual capacity won N1,100,000.00. There were also lots of other non cash prizes given out on the day and during all scheduled breaks, stand up comedians entertained the crowd. The event ended with the handing out of goody bags which consisted of T-shirts, copies of the August edition of Naija Times etc.

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I’m in a reflective mood today, ‘cos it’s my birthday, and damn, awon boys are getting old. When you start thinking about lying about your age, trust me you’re old. I woke up kinda early this morning, ‘cos as usual Chief Fineboy called to wish his fourth son a happy birthday. Meeeen, the guy used some brand new words today and got me all emotional but it’s all good. I’ve received quite a few calls already today, a lot of them from Nige. My oldest bro Nigerian Shakespeare was the first caller. Men, the dude is one of my favourite people but the guy dey speak

oyinbo eh? Lord have mercy. Chief Fineboy jr. I also got calls from some of my aunts as well. One of my favourite aunts, Aunty R called from Abuja, and her brother my Uncle S was there as well. Na so she give the guy phone o. You see that uncle S guy is a bit funny. I’m not sure if the guy’s complete up there if you know what I mean, because sometimes the guy talks some funny shite men. Like this morning, he was giving me the usual prayers o. Like “God bless you, may you have many more” blah blah, and then……..”motor will not jam you.” What??? I come begin wonder.

I had already said “amen,” before I thought about it. Abi this guy dey swear for me? Why would you think to say that to someone? Na wa o. Now I’m all paranoid, because this one that guys are always slapping around central London, anything can shele. After I put the phone down, I just started thinking about it men. Shey the guy dey see vision ni? We’re going to the Lake District this weekend in a 15-seater, so I gots to be careful when driving o, especially ‘cos it’s at night. And trust me when you’ve been in accident before, you get maaad paranoid. I’ll never forget when one madman bashed me in Yankee. I think I’m still traumatised from the experience sef. Make I give una the gist briefly.

It was the day after Valentine’s day, and the night before I’d had a nice Italian dinner at my omoge’s crib. You know, candlelight, then bubble bath, massage oils, everything! Spent the night (wink wink), woke up feeling nice and refreshed, and took off for work. Men, na so I stop for traffic light o. Just as the light turned green, I just felt something plow into my car from behind. Omo, this one was not CRASH. It was GBAAAAAOOOOW!!! My coin compartment flew open and sprayed pennies and dimes across my car. For a second I was in shock. Like omo am I injured?

I tried to move my main parts, and I see say everything dey correct order. Thank God for seat belt. My next thought was my car. Damn. Just the sound of the metal crashing broke my heart ‘cos I knew my baby must be looking a hot mess right now. I got out. CHINEKE! The whole rear end don scatter ni sha. The dude’s car was some minivan type car and it hadn’t even incurred any damage. I looked at the were. The guy was sitting there with one sheepish look on his face. He looked like one of those IT nerds

with the big glasses and spiderman tie. I was waiting for an explanation. “Pretty bad huh? That’s a nice car too.” I looked at the guy and fantasized about punching that his long nose. I was just thinking, “You’re lucky this isn’t Naija. I for don woze you slap by now.” Na so I just remember. Men, when you get in an accident, you shouldn’t walk around like you’re fine. Omo, I just went back into my car and sat down. The twit came to my window. “Are you okay?” “No.”

I told him I was gonna move the car off the road and park in a shopping mall parking lot across the road. I moved the car there and the dude followed me. When we got there, men I just palmed like I was hella hurt o. Because if you start walking around now, insurance fit say nothing for boys. The bobo was on his phone the whole time, so I figured he was talking to the police or insurance or what not. He came to my window. “Err, so what do we do now?” “You called the cops right?” “Erm, no that was my wife.” Fool! So the whole time this nincompoop was on the phone, na im wife e dey follow talk??? Mugu! Meeeen, I was pissed. I called the cops and told the joker to call his insurance company sharpish. I just chilled in the car like say my back don break. Omo, I begin calculate. This one na upgrade o. Hmm, with the dough I get from the insurance company, I’m copping a 6.45 beemer. I started imagining cruising into DC in my brand new 6.45 coupe. Ha, awon boys go just bounce inside club. Throw the keys to valet. “Don’t scratch my joint, baby.” Represent….

“Sir are you okay?” There was a policeman at my window. Me wey I don imagine go, if you saw the way I switched my voice eh. “Ah, officer.” “Are you alright? Can you step outside of your vehicle?” Step kini? “Aaaaaah,

Entertainment

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Go Fineboy!It’s your BirthdayMr FineBoy

52 naijaTimes 53

officer no. I can’t.” I winced. “Aaaagh.” “Do you need an ambulance?” “I think so. I don’t know…..aaaagh.”

The nerd who bashed me was looking. I gave the guy eye. If dey born you well, say I came out of the car earlier. That’s how the cop called ambulance o. In like 15 minutes, it arrived and two paramedics jumped out and brought out a stretcher. Omo! This thing don dey serious o. Yeepa. “Sir can you move?” “Err….yeah.” I moved my hand. “Okay. Do not attempt to get up.” They opened the door and put me on the stretcher. Ha! See my life o. Which kin’ katakata I don enter? They now hurriedly thrust me into the ambulance. Yeepers. Next thing I know, the guy pulls out a white sheet and starts to cover me up. AAAAAAH! “Nooooo!” I no be oku now.

The guy goes, “You have to have it over you sir.”“No mate.” I felt like telling him, “In my country na dead man dem dey cover with white sheet o, bros.” “You will have to have it on sir. Or we won’t be transporting you to the hospital.” Chei. “Alright then.” I go manage am. No be money? When they covered me ehn, I felt sick. Sirens blaring and everything, white sheet over me like a corpse. Because of small change. See my life. Long story short, the doctor referred me to a chiropractor who found out I had “subluxations” in my spine blah blah blah. Meanwhile that back don dey pain me since o. I injured it playing basketball, but had thought it was just a muscle that I had pulled or something.

I remember when I went to Naija one December and went to the doctor’s about it. They sent me to the x-ray guy, one old paps with huge glasses. “Off your clothes.”

“Huh?” “Off your trozziz.” Na wa o. A whole x-ray technician. I looked at the baba. He passed me one hospital gown. It was rather awkward but I took my clothes off and lay on the table thingy, flat on my stomach. I couldn’t help feeling vulnerable because this old paps had a clear view of my butt. Is all this one necessary? He put the x-ray machine over me and adjusted me like a million times, each time saying, “Kai!” “This is serious.” “Mm mm mm.” “Bombastical.”

Then making that clicking noise with his tongue. “This is terrible o.” I finally asked him, “What’s the problem?” “You’re asking me. Your back is in a shambles!”. This baba sef. “This is a slipped disc now. Are you a labourer?” I wanted to laugh. Did I look like a bricklayer to this man? “Err..no.” “Your back is finished. Your spinal system has scattered. Just go and see the doctor.” Na your back go run down, you this wicked old man. He gave me the film and I took it to the doctor, who said it was nothing, just muscle tension. Anyhow he gave me some painkillers and “robb.”

tImagine o. When the chiropractor in America fixed my back months later I couldn’t help but think “We can be so backwards in that country.”

Needless to say, I made mad money from that accident but I won’t bore you with the details. Awon boys did some crazy shopping, copped a brand new ride and ‘all at. So if somebody bashes you, remember to do what I did. But if na okada for Naija, shine your eye o. If you talk about insurance, dem go brush you!.

naija ManYou are what you wear.

www.naijaclothing.com

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- Mr. FineBoy

As a playwright, Wole Soyinka concerns himself with themes that assess topical issues in a post oil boom Nigeria, hence his play the Swamp Dwellers is almost far removed from the themes of colonial rule and the culture clash characteristic of most plays. The play which was staged by the National Troupe/National Theatre and directed by Nick Monu, an alumnus of the American University Washington D.C and the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts London, assesses the lives of the inhabitants of swamps.

The Swamp Dwellers takes a look at the Nigerian society, progressively moving towards the path of retrogression, degeneration, corruption and moral

decadence. This is a clear manifestation of the Nigerian society as a class society with all the contradictions and problems inherent in such a society. The audience is confronted with power and its associated arrogance by the elite in a society that lacks the meaning of accountability, corruption, immorality and bribery.

Through the use of such highly poetic diction, bitter tone, irony, juxtaposition and symbolism, Soyinka presents graphically and truthfully what he sees and experiences and concludes that Nigeria is a class society where nothing goes well. A society based on violence, injustice, brutality, immorality and a society where greed and corruption of the privileged and the ruling class has created a big gulf between the few wealthy and the majority of the poor masses who dwell by the Swamp, thus creating a society woefully lacking in proper human relationships and brutal economic relations.

The activities revolve around the protagonist, Igwezu, who is the picture of an idyllic son of the Swamps. He is loyal to tradition and has performed all the necessary rites required by the deity to ensure a good harvest and a happy life with his family. However, he is confronted by many disasters in the Swamp. As the play progresses, the argument between his son and the blind stranger exposes the inadequacy and impotence of the gods who have failed to come to his rescue.

FUNKE ADETUTU

Religious hypocrisy in The Swamp Dwellers

During his short stay in the city to try his hands at making money, his twin brother, Awuchike, seduces his wife, contrary to the spiritual values of the Swamp. More frustrating, he fails in his commercial enterprise. Igwezu’s tragedy is more severe when he returns to the Swamps with the hope of recovering from his despair by harvesting his crops but alas, he discovers with utter disappointment and disbelief that the floods have ruined his farm and the beans and the corn have made an everlasting pottage in the mud.

In the play, Soyinka articulates his opinion from the point of view of the masses especially in the ways in which they have been relegated to the background of bourgeoisie in the society. Symbolism in the play is an important avenue for the expression of the playwrights view on the Nigerian society. It is possible that symbolism in a play can be made to serve an aesthetic purpose. This is to say that symbolism can be used for an objective other than a functional use.

Symbolism is used in the Swamp Dwellers for the revolutionary conscientisation of a people who are dwelling in an unjust social arrangement. Symbols, for Soyinka therefore, have to operate in a very dynamic sense. In his perspective, symbols should not just add colour to a work of art but should also play an active role in conscientising a people in the general process of reforming the society. Symbolism in the Swamp Dwellers operates at various levels. One of these levels is the group of symbols that are drawn from nature. Soyinka places emphasis on the symbolism in nature right from the beginning of the play. And the characters talk about how the rains have washed away their farm crops and the blind stranger talks about a severe drought in the north.

The play also exposes religious hypocrisy in the character of the Kadiye, who is masterfully portrayed and is very convincing. The Kadiye is portrayed as the main priest of the swamp dwellers. As a professional priest, he is anything but pious. He is portrayed as corrupt and self-centered. But the Kadiye is not the sole example of his type.

The physical feature of the Kadiye indicates that he is more like a villain than a religious person. He is fat like a blood-swollen insect. He is a monstrous looking person who is described as “a big, voluminous creature of about fifty.” He is smooth-faced and his head is shaved clean. He is bare above the waist and at least half of his fingers are ringed. This physical look suggests something ugly about his moral nature. The Kadiye is very rich and has control over the swamp like a Godfather featured in western films. The Kadiye destroys people, while wearing the mask of religion.

As the priest of the Serpent, the Kadiye betrays the trust of the villagers by encouraging them to indulge in meaningless cults which are profitable. The villagers give of their harvest to the Kadiye so he can appease the serpent but unknown to them he is feeding fat on their sweat. No one questions where the goods go, because it is almost blasphemous to do so. But it seems that the dramatist is very critical to the Kadiye and his real nature is exposed through the confrontation between the Kadiye and Igwezu.

In all, the play itself is a symbol of the rot in the society. The rottenness of the era which is part of the origins of poverty is presented in more physical terms by the ugly sight of the swamp where the masses dwell.

Entertainment

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Dangers of skin bleaching

57naijaTimes56

Health

Bunmi noticed some irritations on her skin three months after she decided to change her looks. As a dark skinned young woman, she thought changing the colour of her skin would not be a bad idea. But she was wrong when she started having skin irritation.

Like any other type of cosmetic enhancement, there are dangers associated with skin bleaching, experts say. Just as there are dangers of dying the hair, one can also experience dangers of skin bleaching. Some of the dangers of skin bleaching says Tayo Akinade, a dermatologist, include trying to bleach moles. Moles she explains are not discolourations. “Some irregular moles should be looked at by a doctor and not simply bleached. Skin bleaching is usually done to lighten up dark spots on the face such as freckles and other small imperfections that are usually caused by the sun. One should not use skin bleaching as a way of trying to get rid of moles. It will also not work on very heavy birthmarks, for instance. It may lighten them up a bit but will not remove them. In the case of a very obvious birthmark, one can use laser surgery to correct this problem,” she explains.

She also discourages bleaching when pregnant. “Most women develop what is called the ‘brown mask’ when they are pregnant. This happens to women as they move along in their pregnancy. They tend to get freckles and brown spots on their face. These fade after the birth of the baby. It

is never advisable to bleach the skin when pregnant. These freckles and brown spots will go away after the baby is born and the hormone levels are back to normal,” she advises.

For Ronke Oloruntoba, a skin care expert, the purpose of skin bleaching is to even out the complexion, not change it hence bleaching creams should be used sparingly. “It will work to get rid of freckles and age spots but only to a point. Those who are interested in bleaching should not try to use bleaching creams in excess. They should read the directions and follow them before they over bleach the skin. Bleaching often makes the skin flake and may cause major irritation. Skin and hair comprise the same follicles so people should be careful not to overdo the procedure,” explains Oloruntoba.

According to her, skin bleaching causes adverse skin reactions and to avoid this danger, it is advisable to test the skin bleaching solution on a small part of the skin before using it. “If you have sensitive skin, it may irritate the skin. In such a case, you should discontinue use. Some people also do not following directions on the cream labels. It is advisable to have some patience and the skin tone will even out naturally, lightening up the dark spots that are bothering you. Do not feel that using double the amount will work. You have to follow the directions in order to avoid the dangers of skin bleaching,” she adds.

Adedoyin Johnson

58 naijaTimes 59

The Shop

A colleague of mine recently moved to Abuja and Café Royal was chosen as the venue for her send off party. Recently renovated, it consists of a café on the ground floor (chocolat royal) and a restaurant on the first floor with the option of sitting outdoors on both floors. There is also a large aquarium with beautiful exotic fish, which is pleasing to the eye.

Our reserved seating area was situated just by the entrance to the first floor. This was a bit annoying since we all preferred the middle area. Our request to be seated in a different area was declined because all other areas that could seat 10 people had been reserved. We reluctantly gave in and took our seats by the entrance. I must commend the waiters and supervisors for being cautious and attentive because the food and drink menus were promptly distributed.

We proceeded to make our orders and a colleague of mine (a frequent Café Royal customer), reminded the waiter to run through all the orders to ensure that 10 meals had been ordered for 10 people who were seated since he had experienced a shortfall during his last visit (one person had no food, yet had made an order). The waiter stubbornly (though politely) made us understand that he had taken 10 orders and did not need to verify this again.

Believe it or not, when the lovely meals were served, the orders were short and poor Segun’s spaghetti bolognese was missing. It was unbelievable that in spite of the caution,

the waiter made the same mistake! Another colleague of mine ordered fajitas with potato chips (as the menu list described it), she was served fajitas with coleslaw. When she complained, the waiter responded: “we don’t serve fajitas with chips anymore”, we quickly called his attention to the menu list. He then proposed that she would have to pay for a side order of potato chips. I was stunned at this point, but thankfully, his supervisor overheard the conversation and ordered a side order of chips with no charge!

Before I sign off, I will like to share an experience I’ve had. Have you noticed the somewhat irritating habit some people exhibit after withdrawing cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATM)? If you have not, then I will call your attention to it. When some people withdraw cash at the ATM (usually with a queue of people behind them), they proceed to count the money dispensed by the ATM immediately and on the same spot. I understand that some people are still weary of using ATMs or that there have been cases of fraudulent activities involving the use of ATMs, but please do not count your money at any ATM. Not only is it a security risk, it is foolhardy and pointless. Even if your cash is short, the ATM is not going to give you change, duh! I will end this rant by quoting what a rude fellow said to an ATM machine counter- “oh boy, carry your yansh away from there! How much be de money wey you de withdraw self!”

In conclusion, I had a good night out at Café Royal.

My Rating for Café Royal

Ambience: 8/10

Food Experience: Ordering etc: 5/10;

Taste & Range: 8/10

Customer Service: 7/10

Mystery Shopget noticed

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Call: (UK) + 44 20 8144 3403

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naijaTimes

Taé! Confident, Fun, Flirty and oh

so Feminine! “My idea was therefore to

provide a comfortable shopping experience for women”

Derin Adefulu

60

The Shop

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The first thing that strikes you when you walk into the Taé store is the play of colour. From the Fuchsia and black floral backdrop, to the gold and black ‘conversation piece’ mirror and console, to the vibrant colours of the exotically embellished garments on display, the store is awash with colour! The heady scent of cinnamon and vanilla draws you in and makes you want to kick off your shoes, relax and well... shop!

Located on Oduduwa way (off Isaac John street), in a serene suburb of Ikeja GRA, Taé (pronounced Tai) stocks a wide variety of women’s clothes, all created with exquisite attention to detail. Bisola Edun, the warm and bubbly creative director of Taé, a self described ‘womanista’ insists that though Taé is a fulfillment of a childhood dream, hers is not a story of years of struggling to achieve her dream. In her words: “while I was working, shopping for clothes was a huge challenge. The whole experience was limited to furtive viewings

of clothes in suitcases in the boot of a car, or in the sitting room of budding sellers. My idea was therefore to provide a comfortable shopping experience for women, while at the same time ensuring the durability and affordability of the clothes. From the start, I wanted the clothes to be manufactured in Nigeria, but it was also critical to ensure that the clothes would be able to compete in international markets.”

With no formal training in fashion save for a brief stint at the Central Saint Martins College of Arts & Design in London (Bisola graduated with a degree in Economics from the University of Lagos), armed with raw determination and confidence in her ability to succeed, she shopped her business plan around, gathered a group of eight investors and set up shop.

The name Taé“Taé” is a derivative of the name Taiwo/ Taiyewo, the name attributed to the first born

of twins in Yoruba land and simply means the first to taste life. Although not a twin, Bisola’s ancestry can be traced back to a set of twins and her family descended from a first born – Taiwo.

Challenges and the futureAccording to Bisola, the challenges have been immense and several times, she has actually thought of giving up. “It is a real struggle to run a small business in this country” she says, citing funding, availability of skilled labour and basic infrastructure as some of the challenges she has faced. Some of these she has been able to overcome, and some she is still struggling with. There was also the issue of the Federal Government ban on the importation of fabrics a few years ago and this ban, appeared to precede the end of Taé. However, Bisola decided to focus on Ankara fabrics which were easily sourced from Nigeria and neighbouring African countries and thus began a new love affair. Now, even though other fabrics are used

occasionally, there is always a touch of ankara.

“It has been a long and tough ride, but then I won the British Council International Young Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year award and got to tour the UK fashion industry for a month, I realised that some of these issues are not peculiar to me or even to Nigeria. The fashion industry is tough and very competitive and you need nerves of steel to survive”.

“Through it all, we have managed to remain focused on our vision, which is to provide affordable, durable and trendy garments for sale and also to put a Taé store in every major city in the world. We also intend to expand our product offering to include teen wear, maternity wear, men’s wear and accessories”. Now that the focus is primarily on women’s wear I asked, who then is the ideal Taé woman? Without missing a beat, she replied: “Confident, fun, flirty and oh so feminine!”

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Directories

Other Sites Worth A Visit

www.bhfmagazine.comContemporary African lifestyle magazine

www.shop.weweclothing.comethnic, boho clothing born

out of a love for children

www.naijablog.blogspot.com Contemporary Nigerian blog

www.fotograffiblog.com“impressive blog of a freelance

photgrapher”

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fashion, lifestyle etc”

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Made in Nigeria.AfricaOperation feed the Masses18 Oremeji Street, Ikeja. Computer Village0813667720707023031156 Fionanne Unisex Salon & SpaSalon & SpaUnit 11 & 12, Adebola Mall, 53 Isaac John Street.GRA Ikeja014817184, 08033187604 Reekson Catering ServicesCatering1 Austin Coker Drive, Harmony Estate, Ogba.08023216007, 08053895756 Affordables Comm. LtdTelecommunications7 Kodesoh Street, Computer Village, Ikeja.08023458077, 018190557www.affordablesphonesng.com Doshlaps Ventures LimitedBlinds ExpertsSuite 191, BLK A2-16 Sura Shoping ComplexLagos.0700 – DOSHLAPS, 012306070www.doshlaps.com Kuddy Cosmetics Int’l. Ltd.Importer, Exporter, Wholesales & CosmeticsShop F17 – 19 Delta Plaza BBA Trade Fair Complex08023045983

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