Showing posts with label Life and Style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Life and Style. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

National Troupe ends season with ‘The Contest’

The National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) will stage Mike Anyanwu’s ‘The Contest’ to close its 2010 theatrical season instead of the late Wale Ogunyemi’s ‘Langbodo’ it had earlier announced.

The production will open on December 24 at the National Theatre, Lagos and run till January 2, 2011.‘Langbodo’, which was originally intended to commemorate Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary will now hold in the first quarter of 2011.Martins Adaji, acting artistic director of the troupe, disclosed that the production will hold after the April 2011 elections. “It will be more appropriate to produce ‘Langbodo’ next year in order to embrace the mood of the election and also celebrate Nigeria’s unity through culture”, he said.
He also explained why the epic play could not be staged this year. “We had planned to stage ‘Langbodo’ in Lagos but we shelved it because we were involved in the commemoration at the national level”, he said. “We had to honour an invitation to perform in Germany and as soon as we returned, we performed at the presidential banquet,” Adaji added.“Besides there were great plays that were staged in Lagos courtesy of the Lagos State Government as part of the independence commemoration, so it would have been an over kill to also stage such a huge production at the period,” he continued.
Adaji however affirmed that ‘Langbodo’ would be staged next year, adding that, “We decided on ‘The Contest’ which is an entertaining piece because we want people to be entertained this season.”
‘The Contest’, is set in a local community centres around Archibong who lures Amatu out of her seclusion, but fails in persuading her into eloping with him, in his final bid appearance to throw an open challenge to Karibo the emerging champion of the contest. The riddle of the contest is eventually solved with love.
Anyanwu, the playwright and director, is a pioneer artist of the National Troupe of Nigeria. He currently heads the Legal/Corporate Services department of the NTN.




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Talking music art education in Winneba

The West African sub-region of the Pan African Society for Musical Arts Education (PASMAE) held its maiden regional conference at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana from December 7 to 9. The conference also doubled as a meeting of stakeholders which led to the formation of PASMAE West Africa.

Musical arts teachers from various educational institutions across West Africa, music students and enthusiasts participated in the conference themed ‘Musical Arts Education and Indigenous Knowledge Systems’. Representatives of the association from East and Southern Africa, representatives of UNESCO were also in attendance.
Vice President, PASMAE West Africa, Josephine Mokwunyei of the University of Benin, convened the meeting. It featured paper presentations and workshops on musical arts namely; music, dance, theatre, visual arts, costume and media, and also musical and theatrical performances on various sub-themes.
Director General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Tunde Babawale, chaired the opening ceremony. He spoke on the need to maintain African indigenous knowledge systems including its arts and culture.
Some notable African musicologists and scholars were recognised for their contributions to the musical arts and culture in West Africa and the world at the conference. Chief was foremost ethnomusicologist, founder and director of the International Centre for African Music Development at the University of Ghana, J.H. Kwabena Nketia, an emeritus professor.
Others included Africa’s first female professor of Musicology, Mosunmola Omibiyi-Obidike, Meki Nzewi of the Centre for Indigenous Instrumental Music and Dance of Africa at the University of Pretoria, South Africa and Babawale.
James Flolu, one of the founders of PASMAE, Charles B. Wilson, veteran music teacher and Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, were also honoured.
The conference which was supported and co-sponsored by CBAAC, witnessed the election of Josephine Mokwunyei as chair, West Africa PASMAE.
Mary Danzi emerged as the vice, Mereku Cosmos as secretary, Ifeoluwa Olorunsogo as finance officer and Austin Emielu as operations officer. The next general assembly is slated for 2012 and will hold in Nigeria.




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Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Stephanie Okereke’s Through The Glass now on shelves

Whao! This is cheering news to all movie buffs, especially the teeming fans of international star actress and filmmaker, Stephanie Okereke. After a long wait, the much anticipated box office film written, produced and directed by the multiple award winning actress has finally hit shelves amid accolades and plaudits from the movie public.

The national and international release, according to the sexy thespian was planned just in time for the Christmas holidays!

The film which is a romantic comedy starring sultry Miss Okereke and Garrett Mckechne had earlier premiered elaborately in Los Angeles, USA, Lagos, Nigeria, Berne-Switzerland and Cannes, France to much acclaim and applause.

The movie is already on sale in Ghana and was released over the weekend in Nigeria.  According to elated Okereke, 411 Films will be responsible for releasing it online on DVD in the United States and other parts of the globe.
  Source:http://www.sunnewsonline.com/




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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Mo… For the love of fatherland


THE sun was in its full reign. You could feel the intense heat, as it walked by in pride, saying, rather metaphorically, ‘though you don’t like me, there is nothing you can do about it.’ The cab that took me to Oko Awo Street, Victoria Island, breathed heat, though the air conditioner was on.

It was just an hour’s drive, but it seemed like a whole day. In the front seat, where I sat, I could see commuters circling madly about available vehicles at the bus stop, as the sun sank deeply into the earth.
At about 4.20pm, I was in the office of Mosunmola Abudu, popularly called Mo Abudu, for an interview that had staggered into months of wait.
As I sat in the office, my mind was filled with expectation. I had to admit it, after some few minutes of waiting for her, the reason for the delay gradually became obvious: 2011 General Elections. She’s so passionate about its success that a series — Moments with Mo, Election Specials — would begin to air on her popular programme.
These special editions have been designed as a tool of change and empowerment for Nigerians. It is independently produced with the key objective of giving Nigerians information that would enable them make informed decisions about their rights to free, fair and open electoral processes.
The interviews would be aired before the primary elections, during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Actual airing times will be advertised in the media as soon as they are confirmed.
Plans are already afoot so that African Independent Television (AIT) would broadcast the programme on its platform.
“I am a Nigerian, and like every one of us, I love my country and I want to see change. I’m itching to ask the questions that are on everybody else’s lips,” Mo retorts. There was an infectious aura around her, as she spoke.
Mo’s ability to do what she’s doing is more because of her confidence, grace, poise and attitude. She’s taken all these to the greatest height. And in a few years of doing her show, she has affected a lot of lives.
She says, “in our journey with Moments with Mo, The Debaters and Naija Diamonds, one thing is apparent about the Nigerians we engage with — they want a better Nigeria, free of corruption, improved security, constant electricity, an affordable healthcare system, rights to education and a brighter future for them and their families, and they realise that only a compassionate and committed leader with a clear vision and the right team in place can deliver such.”
Mo points out, “Inspire Africa appreciates and understands how powerful the tool of media is in changing attitudes and achieving change, and we have taken the bold step of conceptualising and looking for appropriate partners to produce Moments with Mo, Election Specials with.”
For a moment, she seemed to be searching for addition to what she was saying. There was silence. And it could be cut through with a sharp knife. Suddenly, she retorts: “The mass of Nigerians have relinquished their rights to choose by being passive about elections, and making a deliberate resolve not to get involved. There is an urgent need to create awareness and enlighten Nigerians on the danger in non-chalance. I truly believe that when Nigerians hear from their future leaders, not just from press releases, newspaper interviews and articles, but when they see and hear their leaders speak, they will at least have the opportunity of being able to make a better judgment call. Many Nigerians are unclear and unable to do that at present. I believe our leaders owe us this: they must engage us, they must speak to us, and they must tell us about their plans for Nigeria and the way forward. How will they do it differently? How will they take us to our proverbial promised land?”
Mo points out, “our overall key objectives are to showcase the list of presidential contenders as they emerge; awaken the consciousness in our people to the fact that their public opinion is important, and their votes make a difference; trail the 2011 elections, and focus on the individual parties and key players of the elections, highlighting their mandates, ideals, and value systems; give people an opportunity to make a legitimate choice by presenting them with the facts that will guide their decision making; above all, educate the mass public on the electoral process and their rights to free, fair and open elections.”
She continues, “we intend to give the public office aspirants a platform to reach the voting public and promote their candidacy.”
Mo adds, “in my interviews, the various aspirants will be given the opportunity to explain why they want to lead us, what changes we are to expect, how they will deliver, and how we can evaluate.”

IN the recent times, on the Moments with Mo platform, Mosunmola Abudu has interviewed a number of political and public figures including the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton; former president of South Africa, F.W de Klerk; General Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria’s first military president; former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos; his predecessor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Professor Wole Soyinka, former Ghanaian president, John Kuffor and many others.
For the series, invitations were extended to a majority of the presidential aspirants and interviews were successfully conducted with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Major General Muhammadu Buhari and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
“We are still awaiting confirmations from some other aspirants, and we sincerely hope they will do the nation proud by coming forward to speak out,” she says. “This is the first series of the Election Specials, and once the primaries are concluded and the flag bearer of each political party has been identified, we will produce subsequent series, where we will engage them in another round of interviews.”


WHAT does she find most challenging about African leaders?
Mo shrugs. She switches on her laptop and begins to open the documents one-after-the-other. She says, “their recurring inability to keep their word. A man’s word should be his bond, and when a leader makes a categorical promise, we should be able to hold him accountable to it. If for any reason the goal post has to change or move, leaders owe it to their followers to communicate with them, and give them answers, instead of leaving them groping in the dark. It is the hallmark of integrity to give and keep your word. A leader that cannot keep his word has no integrity, does not leave a lasting positive legacy to inspire his followers, and is therefore not a true leader.”
Why is Mo so passionate about developing content that inspires the continent?
“That’s a big question.” She smiles. “To a large extent, majority of what the world knows about Africa are the things that the western media is propagating about Africa. The truth is the western media has done a pretty good job of developing content that doesn’t necessarily inspire Africa. If we want our stories told, as we would desire, we have to tell these stories ourselves. If we wait for the likes of CNN, and BBC, they’ll tell our stories the way they want to. If we want to see positive images of ourselves, we need to build content that will do that. The media is one of the most effective ways of achieving change in any society, and we want to create platforms that can engage our people and the continent, and that’s what we are so passionate about content that inspires.”
So what’s happening with day-to-day business besides the upcoming elections specials?
Wow, where do I start? Obviously, for Moments with Mo, it’s been a long journey. We are in our third year, we’ve produced over 300 episodes, and we’ve told all sorts of stories that range from profiling great and celebrated individuals, raising awareness on core societal issues, to simply just being entertained by some of the best in the industry. We have a beautiful new set that was designed by John Baker from the UK. Along with our US-based director, Nnegest Likke, we also have a passionate and dedicated Nigerian team and crew that work hard to ensure Moments with Mo runs every season.”
She continues, “Moments with Mo is really all about finding new and interesting ways in engaging our audiences, and we’re able to let them experience all the different moments that exist — from happy to sad, amazing, and funny. Really, the show is full of a variety of moments, just as life is a mix of different moments, and it’s about sharing these moments with our viewers.”
She says, “we’re also rounding off another exciting season of The Debaters, thanks to GTBank, our principal sponsor. The Debaters is a powerful tool for grooming our future leaders, it proves that Nigeria is blessed with many upcoming leaders, and it portrays the potential of oratory as the power to change.
The new season of the programme airs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday on MNet West, and old episodes could be seen on Africa Magic. It also airs on NTA, TVC, and BenTV and Sky in the UK.
The last few episodes will be on Africa Magic (Saturdays at 8pm), Silverbird TV (Sunday at 9pm) and Channels Television (Mondays at 7pm).

BORN on September 11, 1964, in Hammersmith Hospital, London, to Mr. and Mrs. Akintunde. Mo was sent to stay with her grandparents on their cocoa farm in Ondo State, to learn about African culture, when her parents relocated to Nigeria.
At 11, she began schooling in the famous Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School. However, shortly after her father passed on, Mo returned to the UK and attended Hammersmith County Secondary School before moving to the Ridgeway School in Kent, where she lived with her guardian in Tunbridge Wells.
From there, she went to West Kent College and MidKent College. She has a Master’s degree in HR Management from the University of Westminster, London.
Mo started her career in the UK as a recruitment consultant in 1987, becoming a branch manager. She went on to work for the Starform Group, managing the Corporate Credit Management Exhibition from 1990 to 1992.
In 1993, she joined Arthur Andersen for Esso Exploration & Production Nigeria Limited (now ExxonMobil) to head their Human Resources and Training unit.
She left in 2000 to establish a privately owned specialist human resources development company known as Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited (popularly known as VLA).
She sashayed her way onto talkshow after a successful career as a Human Resources consultant. She says, “I believe that vision, hardwork and persistence will get you what you want. Strive to develop a positive can-do attitude, be good to the people you come across, and with God on your side, you’ll make it to the very top.”
She says, “for me, I see a challenge as an opportunity.  No doubt they exist, but challenges and obstacles are put in our way to be overcome. If not, how do you become stronger, how do you learn, how you overcome. I face challenges every day, but what I do love is finding creative ways and solutions to overcome them.  I have a knack for fixing things and I love to be busy.  All my friends and most importantly my staff know me as a workaholic; my staff even call me a slave driver; behind my back, of course. But hey, I have always enjoyed the work I do, and I don’t see it as work, I see it as a labour of love.”
Mo says, “life has taught me many valuable lessons, but above all, I think the greatest lesson I’ve learnt is to never give up!”
When she is not working, which is not very often, she enjoys “reading, watching TV, traveling, listening to good music, and spending time with my family and friends.”
Secret of her beauty?
She says it is an inner spirit that is purged of all encumbrances.
Expect to see Mo more often on black dress, you wouldn’t catch her wearing leather trousers.
Her best travel destination?
“My favourite spots happen to be some of the most popular and sophisticated cities in the world: London, Paris, New York City, Cape Town, Spain and Johannesburg.”
Source:http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/




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Third coming of Killz


VOLAR by Vuitton Night Club, Victoria Island, Lagos, was recently besieged by artistes, showbiz personalities and other professionals who came to witness the launch of Ikechukwu Onuaku’s (a.k.a Killz) latest (third) album and the unveiling of his label, World Famous Akademy.



Held in collaboration with Christian Audiger Champagne, Waka Now, H20 Now and Gboosa Entertainment, the event was graced by celebrities such as Banky W, Tuface Idibia, Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Dr. Sid and Omooba as well as upcoming acts like Twisted Minds, Floss (Point and Kill) and Sauce kid (Don de mad).
The night also saw Killz perform some of his hit tracks with Floss, Sauce Kid and 2face.

TRAINED by America’s toughest upcoming rappers, Killz developed his unique style and carved a niche for himself in the Nigerian market, working with Storm.
The Wind Am Well crooner has worked with the best hands in the industry such as 2face Idibia, D’banj, Naeto C, Don Jazzy and others.
For his performance, Killz emerged best male act for MTV African Music Award for 2009 and has such hit tracks as My Name Is Ike-Chuk-wu, aside the current club banger, Critical, which features D’banj.
Source:http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/


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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Silva and Mabiaku star in ‘A Husband’s Wife’

Six years after her first appearnce in Tyrone Terrence’s ‘A Husband’s Wife’, actress, Joke Silva, is set again to reprise her role in the marital thriller. Silva played Tomi, the female lead opposite Richard Mofe- Damijo when the play was first staged in 2004.She will however be starring opposite actor and musician, Dede Mabiaku when the play is staged on Saturday, December 18 at Agip Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos.
‘A Husband’s Wife’ is about a marriage gone sour. It is a tragedy about the mistakes of a husband and his wife, which rocks their hitherto blissful union. Some witty and incisive language employed in the play which has toured countries including Ghana, US and the UK, further reinforces its poignancy.

Rosewood Theatre, Clipse Management and Theatre, which produced Terrence’s ‘Yoruba Romance’, last year are facilitating ‘A Husband’s Wife’.
The production is supported by Promisador Limited. Tickets for the show which comes at N5,000 for regular and N10, 000 for dignitaries are already on sale at designated spots across Lagos.
Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/ArtsandCulture/index.csp




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A cultural festival for children


My Culture, my Identity’ was the theme at this year’s edition of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization’s Children’s Cultural Festival.

The annual event, which took place December 9 at the National Theatre in Lagos, saw scores of school children turn out in their uniforms and in cultural attires. The students were billed to stage various cultural performances during the event, and they did not disappoint.

Dignitaries expected at the event included: Abimbola Fashola, the first Lady of Lagos State who was to chair the event; Senator Grace Folashade Bent; and Abubakar Sadiq Muhammed, minister of tourism, culture and national orientation, among others. All were however, unavoidably absent, and sent in representatives.
“CBAAC is statutorily entrusted with the responsibility of promoting, propagating, and preserving African cultural values,” said Tunde Babawale, director general of the centre, as he began his welcome address.
Speaking about cultural continuity, he stated that children deserve much focus because they represent continuity and are the link between today, tomorrow, and the future. It was therefore, appropriate that CBAAC was placing its focus on children.
According to Mr. Babawale, “This is being done because of the realisation that the ideals which CBAAC represents are better inculcated in youth early. Our interest in children is further strengthened by the fact that children learn easily, and very fast too.
“It is in recognition of these that we are investing in children in the belief that they will assimilate the cultural values we represent, promote, and propagate,” he added.
Mr. Babawale decried the pervading influence of Western values upon the nation’s youth, to the detriment of indigenous languages and cultures.
“Central to our quest for cultural continuity is the need to restore and promote interest in cultural values, which are continuously ebbed by the impact of exposure to Western norms and values,” he stated.
He blamed the tide of rapid urbanisation and changing economic situations for the inability of parents and the elderly to impact African cultural values on their children. He further explained that the theme of this year’s festival, ‘My Culture, my Identity’, is the organisation’s way of redirecting children’s attention to the beauty of African culture.
The chairman of CBAAC governing board, Semiu Adesina Barkinson, echoed similar sentiments in his speech at the event. According to him, “the deterioration in our social values informed CBAAC’s decision to organise this programme which targets younger members of our society.”
“This programme, I am sure, will encourage children to showcase our rich culture in all its ramifications,” Mr. Barkinson added.
The children’s efforts did not go unrewarded as the stage of the main Exhibition Hall of the National Theatre was arranged with various gift items which the winning schools and their pupils went home with.
The minister of tourism, represented by Gambo Doris, director general of the National Orientation Agency, in his address, lauded CBAAC for the initiative of the festival. He observed that the festival would make the children good cultural ambassadors.
“Our continent and country is richly blessed culturally. We can derive huge economic benefits from our cultural diversity. These gains are only possible when we identify with our culture,” he pointed out, underscoring the benefits of culture to economic growth.
Zachary Madayi, representing Folasade Bent, brought goodwill messages from the senator for the children. She advised them to obey and respect their parents, and also emphasised the importance of indigenous languages.
The consular general of Ghana High Commission in Nigeria, Sylvester Parker-Allotey, in his own remarks stated that culture goes beyond dressing. “When we talk about culture, we see attitudes and ways of life,” he asserted.
He went on to task parents on what he described as the dying reading culture among children.
“Parents, outside of school textbooks, how many of you have bought a book for your children? We have to address the dearth of reading among our children in Africa,” Mr. Parker-Allotey said.
Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/ArtsandCulture/index.csp




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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Lifestyle is all about you — Kashim, Abuja’s lifestyle doctor


Dr. Ima Arit Kashim

Dr. Ima Arit Kashim is the Managing Director/Chairman, PriMed Diagnostic Centre, Zone 4, Abuja. You may not far from the truth if you refer to her as Abuja‘s lifestyle doctor, because she has carved a niche for herself in what she refers to as ‘lifestyle modification.‘ She runs a full diagnostic and preventive medicine clinic. She is also interested in your diet and your body weight, writes KEMI ASHEFON

Lifestyle medicine? What‘s it all about? ”It is basically about lifestyle and how it affects your health,” she explains. The graduate of medicine from the University of Sokoto preaches her ‘lifestyle medicine‘ passionately. ”The choices you make and your behavior around these choices can lead to recurrence of diseases. In most developed countries, when you are about getting a job, you are asked about your weight, how much physical exercise you do and the state of some essential parts of the body system like the heart, kidney, etc. Why? It is because there is a component of health that is part of a country‘s growth. There are some countries with less GDP than Nigeria‘s but the life expectancy is higher than ours! The life expectancy of a Nigerian is less than that of a Ghanaian or a South African. This is probably due to the health care delivery system and how the medical needs of the entire population are met. That is why you should focus on the prevention of diseases that could cause your life to be shortened.”

Still on lifestyle, the Akwa Ibom born medical practitioner opines that the health of anyone cannot be separated from his way of life. ”There are countries where there is an epidemic of certain cancers due to their weight or food consumed. Though not communicable, many persons die from diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, kidney-related diseases and many more. Chronic diseases account for between 50-52 per cent of all deaths globally. But such can be prevented through lifestyle modification, which is totally in the medical premise.”

She is not done yet. Though physical exercise would be a great idea anytime, your diet, the medical practitioner says, plays a major role in preventing diseases from recurring. ”Though you could have a singular occurrence of high blood pressure, you can prevent it from becoming chronic, first through your diet, before taking drugs. We are known to be great consumers of carbohydrates; our meals are starchy, with lots of calories! Know that food is medicinal and it‘s also like a supplement. It should not be a resort to you when you are stressed. You should not eat to battle psychological stress; rather, it is for sustenance. You need to meet your calories requirement per day. Whenever any patient of mine is sick, I guide them properly in their diet so that the body can heal itself. Whether your disease is chronic or acute, your choice of food determines how effectively your body heals itself. Health is not about curative or preventive medicine, but getting a healthy person whose quality of life could be improved. Only then can productivity improve,” she offers.

Remind Dr. Kashim about the ‘gym craze‘ among Abuja residents, especially women. Married to a Northerner, she says: ”Physical exercise is important, especially when the human body slows down activities. You find out that those people who sit down a lot in their offices are prone to retaining sugar and fluid. You need to set the blood flowing and be conscious of your fitness level. Engage in high impact activities - you can walk up and down the stairs or take a walk round your office. This is because your body needs to produce oxygen. That you are overweight does not mean you run to the gym and start exercises. If you are not given to high impact activities, be careful of the kind of exercises you engage in because your body may not produce enough oxygen as demanded. You may become extremely tired and that could make you collapse.

”I have observed the gym consciousness in Abuja and other places, but I always advise that you should monitor yourself and know how you respond to exercises. You don‘t run to the gym because your friends or neighbours are going there. Moreover, you don‘t engage in exercises that would cause damage to your body. In my health club, I tell people that exercise should start gradually and should be carried out with a minimum of 30 minutes daily and when you reach a certain threshold, you have to stop! Sometimes, you feel your heartbeat and slow down to catch your breath. You can start by brisk-walking for weeks and make use of the speedometer to know the number of steps you take daily. That builds your cardiac capacity and you are set for the gym. Really, the safest means of exercise is brisk-walking. You take a walk at work, in the parks, when at home or park your car and take a walk.”

A simple dresser not known to using heavy make-up, Dr. Kashim confesses to being a Yoga freak. ”I start my day with a few stretches of Yoga, then I take like 1.5 liters of water and I workout. With Yoga, you empower the body and invigorate the soul. Yoga creates a lifting harmony between our mind and body; it infuses peace and tranquility, which in turn make for a healthier state of mind. It is the only practice in the world that cures an array of ailments and we don‘t joke with it at PriMed. I refer to it as yogalicious yoga because it helps you deal with diseases, chronic and acute,” she says.

The fourth child in a large family, she had her primary and secondary education at Government Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos, and she bagged a Master‘s degree in Public Health at the University of Lagos. She had her fellowship at the National Post-Graduate Medical College of Nigeria. She is also a fellow of the West African College of Physicians.

A devout Moslem, you can never catch her dead in any flimsy clothes. ”Interestingly,” she enthuses, ”I love gowns and traditional outfits a lot. I love bright colors and like coordinating colors, a trait I got from my mother. A woman‘s body is not hers, it belongs to God and then her husband. That is why indecent exposure is appalling! I dress well not because I am a Moslem but because you preach what you believe in more with how you look and not your mouth. There is no way of modernising religion in dressing; you have to be decently dressed.”

Being a lifestyle expert, who also advocates wellness and nutritional values, her Calabar background, has not robbed her of calorie-consciousness. ”As a matter of fact, I cannot decipher the amount of calories in Edikanikong, which used to be my favorite dish. But I have made up my mind to stop taking it often because of the high calories! I‘d rather go for white soup and my fruits/vegetables. I try to live what I preach because lifestyle is all about you,” she concludes.
SOURCE:http://www.punchng.com/




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Sunday, December 5, 2010

The old, the young… on the Air

THE Oceanview Gardens, Victoria Island, Lagos, was the place to be last weekend for captains of industry, traditional rulers, government officials and some notable individuals, who turned out for the official announcement of Airtel, a new global brand that replaced Zain Nigeria.Anchored by IK Osakioduwa of the Big Brother Africa All Star Fame, the unveiling, which opened with a special red carpet reception witnessed guests in colourful outfits that complement with the brand. The night also witnessed the official unveiling of the company’s new logo and brand identity with a promise to meet the emerging needs of customers with innovative, affordable and relevant solutions to empower consumers, give them the freedom to do what they choose to and provide tools to meet life’s daily challenges.
For the young and upward mobile youths, the event provided the right atmosphere to savour good music and theatrical performances while unwinding with the crème de la crème of the business world; but for the ‘big boys’, it was another platform to network and possibly step up business relationships.
Though not a night of long speeches, top management of the telecommunication such as Dr. Oba Otudeko; the Managing Director, Rajan Swaroop; and others got the opportunity to speak on the brand and their plans to change the world of communication and redefine the concept of freedom in Nigeria.
Highpoint of the night was the official unveiling of the company’s new logo amidst fireworks and performance by Africa’s music group, ONE 8 comprising 2Face (Nigeria), Alikiba (Tanzania), Amani (Kenya), Fally Ipupa (The Democratic Republic of the Congo), 4X4 (Ghana), JK (Zambia), Navio (Uganda) and Movaizhalene (Gabon), who are making waves across the globe with their hit song, Hand Across the World, featuring R. Kelly. News has it that Airtel is the power behind this revolutionary collaboration and the group’s involvement in the media campaign for the brand points to that direction.
SOURCE:ngrguardiannews.com

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Saturday, November 20, 2010

Curriculum Must Reflect The Needs Of Society — Bamiro

Experience while growing up

Beautiful experience. I grew up in a community where training of a child is not for only one’s parents, but the entire community. I always gave example of when I ran away from primary school, when the flogging was too much then. It took someone to see and say what are you doing there at this hour; and when I couldn’t explain, he reported me at the school. But now, who cares? Does any community care? Is there any community anywhere that will even care for you to that extent? Then also religion; I had no problem with religion because every religion was present in my community-Christianity, Islam, Egungun and then we all lived in harmony; quite unlike now. I don’t know what has crept in that the Muslims will look at the Christians as if they are enemies and vice-versa.

Challenges in office

Is it challenges of management, human beings or resources? I must say that God, and through the spirit of teamwork, we are able to do all these. I must count myself lucky that I have the opportunity of working with the team; and working as a team minimised the challenges. We knew where we were going, we have direction, we are not just working and getting carried away. We came with a vision and through commitment, teamwork and resources; we are able to implement what we had in mind.

Why there fall in standard of education in the country

You have to separate standard from relevance. If people are saying that the type of education they had was not totally relevant to the need out there; that means there is great disconnection. Maybe what they are saying is that there is disconnection between the need out there and what the system is giving to them. In other words, we could have a curriculum, which will really indicate the needs of the society and they will be properly incorporated, but you may not be able to implement the curriculum to the standard that the society wants; then if that is the case, there is no doubt that there is fall in standard; but we have to separate relevance from standard.
Read More:http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29804:curriculum-must-reflect-the-needs-of-society--bamiro&catid=104:sunday-magazine&Itemid=567 Read more...

What do you tell a man who loses everything ‘cos’ he loved wrongly?

Last week, we talked about Samson who left his job as a bank manager because he was about to get married to Nnnena, a Nigerian who is also an American citizen, and because both of them had planned to relocate to the States, he resigned and joined her only to meet the biggest shock of his life.
Nnnena was a changed person. At first, she said he cannot live in their house because they were not legally married and that it was against her church doctrine, but they were living together in Nigeria. He moved into a hotel because he did not have an option.
Then she complained that the money he sent home for their traditional marriage was not enough, so he sent some more money. He noticed that she was not talking about the marriage any more like she use to and the money on him was running out.
So he confronted Nnenna about their supposed plan, but she was evasive. He knew something was wrong, so he called her mum in Nigeria. Her mother told him point blank that it was not a do or die affair to marry her daughter, after all there are other women. He was surprised at what the mother said. So he confronted Nnnena and got the same story; he spoke to her pastor about it and the pastor advised him to do something else with his life that he should forget about her because she has moved on.
Read More:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/what-do-you-tell-a-man-who-loses-everything-%E2%80%98cos%E2%80%99-he-loved-wrongly/
At last, he exhausted all the money he had. Meanwhile, Nnnena still did not allow him into the house he paid for even when he had to leave the hotel unprepared. She claimed the house is hers and she bought it in her name and that this is not Nigeria. Read more...

Helping humanity keeps me moving – Dr Patricia Iwelunmor

Dr.(Mrs.)Patricia Iwelunmor possesses a rare passion for helping indigent persons.  She retired voluntarily in 2008 from the teaching profession after 34  years of service. She has since 1997, used her limited resources to cater for the needs of teenage girls and boys, indigent motorcyclists and widows in  Amuwo-Odofin in Lagos State and her hometown, Onitsha-Ugbo in Delta State where she donated computer sets to its public schools in 2007. All these she has been carrying out through her NGO, Morning Star Foundation.
Recently, no fewer than 60 men and women benefitted from a free skills acquisition exercise put together by Morning Star Foundation in Lagos. She spoke with Vista Woman on the foundation and her life.     Excerpts:
How it all started
Things were bad last year because I lost my husband. And before I lost him, I was seriously ill to the point that I was  flown abroad for treatment. By the special grace of God, I’ve gone over the whole agony, and I am asking God to sustain me so I will be able to continue that which I have started with him- Morning Star Foundation.
I actually started the NGO in 1997 by working with school children, teenagers in particular, enlightening them on the dangers of pre-marital sex. As a teacher, I was vexed by the fact that some of them had to drop out from school due to unwanted pregnancy.
That was actually why I started Morning Star Foundation. Hence, we were able to gather together many of such teenage girls, and then for the ones who were academically sound, we sent them back to school. Those who were not academically sound were given vocational skills education in fashion designing, catering, interior decoration, etc. I’m happy to say these ladies are doing fine today.  Even the ones who decided to further their education have graduated and are now professional women. Majority of them are also happily married.
Read More:http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/11/helping-humanity-keeps-me-moving-dr-patricia-iwelunmor/ Read more...

Ene-Ita crowned Miss University Nigeria

Ene-Ita
Eighteen-year-old Queen Joann Ene-Ita recently emerged Miss University Nigeria. A 200 Level Dental and Surgery student at the University of Port-Harcourt, Ene-Ita came out tops at a keenly contested competition that was held in partnership with the Benue State Government.

After 21 days in camp, the 50 contestants, drawn from universities throughout the country, took part in the grand finale at the IBB Square in Markudi, Benue State.

It had in attendance the first lady of Benue State, Mrs. Yemisi Suswam; the deputy governor of Benue State, Chief Stephen Lawani, who represented the governor; the wife of the deputy governor, the Speaker of Benue State House of Assembly, the SSG Benue State, the first lady of Nassarawa State, the wife of the deputy governor of Bayelsa State, among other dignitaries.

After an intense display of poise, beauty and intelligence, the contestants were pruned down to 10 by the panel of judges. Only Miss University of Port-Harcourt, Miss Benue State University, Miss University of Benin, University of Calabar and University of Uyo made it to the final five, out of which Ene-Ita was crowned queen by her predecessor, Onyanta Adama.

The panel of judges consisted of Mr. Guy Murray-Bruce, President, Silverbird Entertainment; Miss Nigeria 1979, Mrs. Helen Prest-Ajayi; Personal Executive to the first lady of Bayelsa State, Mrs. Gift Nwankwo, Ambassador Danielle Hugo of the UNPS; Mr. Jacque El-Chakary from France; Secretary to Benue State Government, Dr. Audu Achigili; and Mrs. Victoria Gemede.
Source:http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201011216341662 Read more...