Binder15saturday,december7,2013 by GLOBAL MEDIA MIRROR LIMITED

Brazil 2014: Nigeria z P. 56 z drawn against Argentina in Group F zz

Vol. 03 No. 51

INSIDE

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Mandela special z 25-page package z z

FG, BOA sign N2.4bn MoU for cassava bread production

Saturday, December 7, 2013

P. 7

N150

ASUU strike

FG under pressure to rescind sack threat P. 7

ALL FOR MANDELA

P. 10

FG declares 3-day national mourning •To be buried Dec. 15 •South Africa plans biggest funeral in history

Boko Haram: Presidency considers trial of 500 suspects unwieldy –Investigation P. 7

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189 Nigerians in Saudi Arabia jail –Ambassador P. 8

December 7, 2013

MADIBA EXITS

1938

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

December 7, 2013

Saturday Starter MADIBA EXITS

Madiba passes

The world mourns I

t was Thursday, December 5, 2013. The Odeon auditorium in Leicester Square, London was a glitter of both royalty and commoners. It was the premiere of the movie, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”. Two daughters of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the hero of the movie, Zindzi and Zenani, were visibly excited. They had moments earlier chatted with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who had also attended the premiere. On the red carpet one of them even ex-

pressed the hope of “seeing more of her father”. A dramatic irony, this turned out to be. Thousands of kilometres away at his house in Johannesburg, South Africa, life’s hourglass was fast running out for Madiba. Few moments before the screening movie depicting the life of their father began, the two women heard whispered into their ears a piece of news they hated to hear: the great hero of apartheid had passed on. He was 95.

Teary and flustered, the two women rushed out of the auditorium. But because of the children of whom they are, they insisted that the screening should go on as planned. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were informed of his death discreetly by an aide shortly before the end of the movie while others had the sad news broken to them by the film’s producer Anant Singh, at its end. There were screams and gasps of shock while some burst into tears. A two min-

utes’ silence was held. None could, however, ignore the timing of Madiba’s exit. Not even Queen Elizabeth II who in a moving tribute the following day said: “It was extraordinary because William and Catherine were at a film last night, which was the film about his life,” adding: “The news came at the end. “They (William and Kate) were clapping like mad and somebody came on and said (waves arms), can you just listen please, we have just heard he has died. It is amazing isn’t it? During the first night of his film”.

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Saturday Starter

MADIBA EXITS

This is the epic story of the man who changed his world. FELIX NWANERI writes on the life and times of a world leader who overcame inhumanity and showed the power of reconciliation.

here will be no more cheers, just a growing tide of tears as time caught up with Nelson Mandela - the totemic symbol of world peace, who made reconciliation the cornerstone of his political life after his release from prison in 1990 for his role in South Africa’s bloody fight for racial equality. In the midst of grief, however, millions of Mandela’s admirers will take solace in the fact that his life was an amazing life story, one which explains the extraordinary global appeal for the Rainbow Nation’s first black president (1994 – 1999). Mandela had summed up his life and times some years ago, when he declared: “Death is something inevitable. When a man has done what he considers to be his duty to his people and his country, he can rest in peace. I believe I have made that effort and that is, therefore, why I will sleep for the eternity.” Like his kind, the heights attained and kept by Madiba (as Mandela was popularly known) were not by a sudden flight, for while his compatriots slept, he toiled upward in the night. Few could doubt Mandela’s political achievements. He was a man who stood firm and took his country from the extremes of apartheid through to democracy. For this he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1993). He has achieved more than this though. His involvement in the anti-apartheid movement began in 1942 when he joined the African National Congress, ANC. Within the ANC, a small group of youths banded together, calling themselves the African National Congress Youth League. Their goal was to transform the ANC into a mass grassroots movement, deriving strength from millions of rural peasants and working people who had no voice under the then regime. Specifically, the group believed that the ANC’s old tactics of polite petitioning were ineffective. In 1949, the ANC officially adopted the Youth League’s methods of boycott, strike, civil disobedience and non-cooperation, with policy goals of full citizenship, redistribution of land, trade union rights, and free and compulsory education for all children. For 20 years, Mandela directed peaceful, nonviolent acts of defiance against the South African government and its racist policies, including the 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People. He also founded the law firm; Mandela and Tambo, partnering with Oliver Tambo, a brilliant student he’d met while attending Fort Hare. The firm provided free and lowcost legal counsel to unrepresented blacks. In 1956, Mandela and 150 others were arrested and charged with treason for their

And Mandela goes home! political advocacy (they were eventually acquitted). Meanwhile, the ANC was being challenged by Africanists, a new breed of black activists who believed that the pacifist method of the ANC was ineffective. Africanists soon broke away to form the Pan-Africanist Congress, which negatively affected the ANC; by 1959, the movement had lost much of its militant support. Mandela, who was formerly committed to nonviolent protest, began to believe that armed struggle was the only way to achieve change and subsequently co-founded Umkhonto we Sizwe, also known as MK, an armed offshoot of the ANC dedicated to sabotage and guerilla war tactics to end apartheid. In 1961, he orchestrated a three-day national workers’ strike. He was arrested for leading the strike the following year and sentenced to five years in prison. He was brought to trial again in 1963. This time, he and 10 other ANC leaders were sentenced to life imprisonment for political offences, including sabotage. Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island for 18 of his 27 years in prison; however, he continued to be such a potent symbol of black resistance that a coordinated international campaign for his release was launched. It is still difficult to comprehend how this unique individual survived man’s inhumanity to man on Robben Island before finding the strength of spirit to reach out to his oppressors. That is his legacy, one that must be used to inspire future generations from all walks of life. Today, Robben Island is an UNICEF world heritage site, off the coast of Cape Town. Preserved for posterity, pleasure boats chug 10 miles from the thriving metropolis nestled in the shadow of the picture postcard Table Mountain to the former prison where its one-time inmates were deliberately cut off from the world. Though they could see Cape Town on

MANDELA HAD SUMMED UP HIS LIFE AND TIMES SOME

YEARS AGO, WHEN HE DECLARED: “DEATH IS SOMETHING

INEVITABLE. WHEN A MAN HAS DONE WHAT HE CONSIDERS TO BE HIS DUTY TO HIS PEOPLE AND HIS

COUNTRY, HE CAN REST IN PEACE....

the horizon, on those days when they were let out of their degrading cells – barely big enough for a man of Nelson Mandela’s size to lie down – to toil under the burning midday sun in the island’s lime quarries, they were effectively on another planet. At a time of white supremacy, this was a regime designed to break militants like Mandela who fought for social justice and there are stories of countless prisoners who died as a consequence of the brutal repression and ill-treatment that they suffered. Yet, while today’s visitors know they will be back on the mainland by dusk in time for a thirst-quenching cold beer, Mandela had no such luxury in May 1963. Without warning, he was driven 1,000 miles in the back of a van – with a makeshift bucket as a toilet – to Cape Town’s harbour and then shackled to the bow of a boat that then set sail, in rough seas, to hell. A return ticket was not provided – white warders shouted in Afrikaans on the ar-

rival of their new prisoner: “This is the island. Here you will die.” As Mandela recounted in his autobiography, A Long Walk To Freedom: “Warders with automatic weapons stood on raised platforms watching us. Unarmed warders walked among us, urging us to work harder. ‘Gaan aan! Gaan aan!’ (‘Go on! Go on!’), they would shout, as if we were oxen. “By the end of the day, our faces and bodies were caked with white dust. We looked like pale ghosts except where rivulets of sweat had washed away the lime. When we returned to our cells, we would scrub ourselves in the cold water, which never seemed to rinse away the dust completely.” Today, a symbolic pile of stones marks the spot where Mandela had begun digging. When he returned as president of South Africa, he was accompanied with 1,000 political prisoners. With silent dignity, he walked, alone, to the spot where he was humiliated and placed a symbolic stone. His comrades did likewise. Today the small pile links the past to the present. It would be recalled that increased local and international pressure for his release had forced the government to participate in more talks with Mandela, but no deal was made. In 1985, then President P. W. Botha offered Mandela’s release in exchange for renouncing armed struggle, which he flatly rejected, saying: “Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter into contracts.” It was not until Botha suffered a stroke and was replaced by Frederik Willem de Klerk that Mandela’s release was finally announced, on February 11, 1990. De Klerk also unbanned the ANC, removed restrictions on political groups and suspended executions. Upon his release from prison, Mandela immediately urged foreign powers not to reduce their pressure on the South African government for constitutional reform. While he stated that he was committed to

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

December 7, 2013

Saturday Starter

MADIBA EXITS Memorable

QUOTES COMPILED BY PAUL ARHEWE

“T

working toward peace, Mandela declared that the ANC’s armed struggle would continue until the black majority received the right to vote. He was elected president of the ANC in 1991, with lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo serving as national chairperson. Mandela continued to negotiate with President de Klerk towards the country’s first multiracial elections. The negotiations were often strained but he had to keep a delicate balance of political pressure and intense negotiations amid the demonstrations and armed resistance. It was freedom at last, when on April 27, 1994 South Africa held its first democratic elections. The ANC won 62 per cent of the votes in the election and Mandela, as leader of the party was inaugurated on May 10, 1994 as the country’s first black president, with the National Party’s de Klerk as his first deputy and Thabo Mbeki as the second in the Government of National Unity. As President from May 1994 until June 1999, Mandela presided over the transition from minority rule and apartheid, winning international respect for his advocacy of national and international reconciliation. He used the nation’s enthusiasm for sports as a pivot point to promote reconciliation between whites and blacks. Mandela also worked to protect South Africa’s economy from collapse during his presidency. Through his Reconstruction and Development Plan, the South African government funded the creation of jobs, housing and basic health care. A milestone was achieved in 1996, when he signed into law, a new constitution for the nation, establishing a strong central government based on majority rule and guaranteeing the rights of minorities as well as freedom of expression. He helped in resolving the long-running dispute between late Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, on the one hand, and the United States and Britain on the other, over bringing to trial the two Libyans who were indicted in November 1991 and accused of sabotaging Pan Am Flight 103, which crashed at the Scottish town of

IT IS STILL DIFFICULT TO COMPREHEND HOW THIS UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL SURVIVED MAN’S INHUMANITY

TO MAN ON ROBBEN

ISLAND BEFORE

FINDING THE STRENGTH OF SPIRIT TO REACH OUT TO HIS OPPRESSORS Lockerbie on 21 December 1988, with the loss of 270 lives. By the 1999 South Africa’s general election, Mandela had retired from active politics, but he continued to maintain a busy schedule, raising money to build schools and clinics in South Africa’s rural heartland through his Mandela Foundation, and serving as a mediator in Burundi’s civil war. He published a number of books on his life and struggles, among them, No Easy Walk to Freedom; Nelson Mandela: The Struggle is my Life and Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales. In June 2004, at the age of 85, he announced his formal retirement from public life and returned to his native village of Qunu. In 2009, his birthday (July 18) was declared Mandela Day, an international day to promote global peace and celebrate the South African leader’s legacy. According to the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory, the annual event is meant to encourage citizens worldwide to give back the way that Mandela has throughout his lifetime. A statement on the centre’s website reads: “Mr. Mandela gave 67 years of his life fighting for the rights of humanity. All we are asking is that everyone gives 67 minutes of their time, whether it’s supporting your chosen charity or serving your local community.”

he power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for economic success. It can contribute to nation-building and reconciliation.” “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.” “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” “Our single most important challenge is therefore to help establish a social order in which the freedom of the individual will truly mean the freedom of the individual.” “If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness. “ “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.” “A good friend and a good heart are always a formidable combination.” *“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” “There is no such thing as part freedom.” “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.” “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our

desires.” “If the United States of America or Britain is having elections, they don’t ask for observers from Africa or from Asia. But when we have elections, they want observers.” “Only free men can negotiate; prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Your freedom and mine cannot be separated.” “A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end, he and the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.” “Freedom would be meaningless without security in the home and in the streets.” “There is nothing like retuning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” “There is nothing I fear more than waking up without a programme that will help me bring a little happiness to those with no resources, those who are poor, illiterate, and ridden with terminal disease.” “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory, when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” “I was not a messiah, but an ordinary man who had become a leader because of extraordinary circumstances.” “If you are poor, you are not likely to live long.” “The United States has made serious mistakes in the conduct of its foreign affairs, which have had unfortunate repercussions long after the decisions were taken.” “It is wise to persuade people to do things and make them think it was their own idea.”

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

South African plans ‘biggest funeral in history’ E laborate funeral plans have been set in motion in South Africa following the death of the country’s revered first black president Nelson Mandela. Ten days of mourning will culminate in an unparalleled event in South Africa’s history on Sunday, December 15. South African President Jacob Zuma ordered the nation’s flags to be flown at half-mast beginning Friday and to remain that way until after Mandela’s funeral, which is expected to be held next Saturday. In the coming days it is believed his body will be embalmed. For the three days the anti-apartheid hero’s body will lie in state at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he was inaugurated as president on May 10, 1994. On day nine, plans have been made for a military aircraft to fly Mr Mandela to Mthatha, the main town in the South African province of Eastern Cape. His casket will then be taken by the military on a gun carriage to Qunu, his home village. Later, ANC leaders, local chiefs and Mandela’s family are expected to gather for a private night vigil. On the final day, Mandela will finally be laid to rest in the grounds of his family home in Qunu, where thousands of people, including heads of state will gather for the state funeral. Nelson Mandela started his final journey yesterday as his body was taken from his home in a coffin draped in the South African flag he loved so ardently as it was announced his funeral will be on Sunday, December 15. Before then, from December 11 to 13, the antiapartheid hero’s body will lie in state in a glasstopped coffin at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he was inaugurated as president on May 10, 1994. It will mark three of the ten days officially assigned as a mourning period for ‘Madiba’ or ‘Tata’ as he was devotedly called, ahead of what is expected to be the one of the biggest funerals in history. Mourners have gathered to dance and sing songs of freedom outside his home as the world celebrates the life of the adored statesman who brought peace and equality to his country and

Mandela begins final journey

died last night aged 95. He passed away at home in Johannesburg at 8.50pm on Thursday and his body was moved to a military hospital in Pretoria Friday morning, where he is under armed guard. His close friend, retired archbishop Desmond Tutu said Mandela would want South Africans themselves to be his ‘memorial’ by adhering to the values of ‘unity and democracy’, and his closing words at a Cape Town church service were: ‘God, thank you for the gift of Madiba’. Desmond Tutu, a long-time friend of Mr Mandela and former archbishop of Cape Town is expected to hold the service, which will be attended by all living US presidents, past and present. The White House said last night that President Barack Obama is expected to travel to South Africa to bid farewell to Mandela along with numerous other world leaders including British Prime Minister David Cameron. Counting himself among the millions influenced by Nelson Mandela, President Obama mourned the death of the antiapartheid hero with whom he shares the distinction of being his nation’s first black president. ‘He no longer belongs to us. He belongs to the ages,’ Obama said in a somber appearance at the White House. Several celebrities who had personal ties to the late great leader, such as Oprah Winfrey and U2 frontman The public will have a chance to say goodbye to their beloved father figure during a memorial service at the Johannesburg soccer stadium (above) that hosted the 2010 World Cup Bono, are also expected

to attend the service. Preparations for funeral are expected to bring the country of 53 million to a virtual standstill. The sheer number of dignitaries, including numerous heads of state, is sure to spell a logistical nightmare for the South African government, which will be tasked with providing air-tight security during the solemn event. According to several sources involved in planning the state funeral, the 10-day occasion will combine both Western traditions and those of Mandela’s native clan, the Thembu. At some stage during days one to four, Thembu elders are expected to gather for a first ceremony called ‘the closing of the eyes’ either at his home or in the mortuary. After the ceremony, it is believed his body will be embalmed at the mortuary, thought to be a military hospital in Pretoria

No formal public events are expected to take place until day five, December 10, when mourners will have a chance to say goodbye to their beloved father figure during a service at the 94,000-capacity Johannesburg soccer stadium that hosted the 2010 World Cup. The protocol for the funeral preparations was drawn up more than a year ago, around the time when Mr Mandela’s health took a turn for the worse, and it may be altered in the coming days. Mourners will be able to share their thoughts about Mandela’s passing in condolence books that will be made available in all foreign missions, the Nelson Mandela Foundation headquarters and other institutions, which has obtained a copy of the protocol. It has also been reported that the South African Government is in talks with the BBC team that filmed the Royal Wedding in 2011 to get help with the world wide broadcast of the funeral of a global icon. The scale and significance of the planned funeral is already being compared to the 2005 service for Pope John Paul II, which was attended by 2million people, among them five kings and 70 presidents. www.mailonline.com

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NATIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

ASUU strike: FG under pressure to rescind sack threat MARCUS FATUNMOLE ABUJA

he federal government is currently under intense pressure to rescind its threat to sack university teachers who may refuse to resume work across the nation, next Monday, as it has directed. Saturday Mirror reliably gathered from a top official within the Federal Ministry of Education, yesterday, that some prominent Nigerians have been speaking

with the Presidency not to carry out the threat. The source who pleaded anonymity said that one of those talking to the Presidency over the threat is an opinion leader from the Niger Delta area of the country. The opinion leader, the source said, warned that any attempt to carry out the threat would only escalate the tension that had continued to build over the demand of the lecturers. He said a similar opinion was held by some lecturers

who had spoken with the ministry over the issue. He said the example of University of Ilorin where 49 lecturers were sacked during the administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001, was cited, arguing that “the action may result in litigation, which the court may validate or not.” He added that the lecturers further argued that their colleagues who are bent on continuing the strike would have no choice but to also re-

sume when they see others beginning work. Said the source: “Prominent Nigerians have been appealing to us to rescind the decision in the interest of peace in the sector. If you conduct public opinion poll in the country, you will see that more people support the sack threat because Nigerians are tired of the strike. I am telling you that some of the university teachers have been saying we should not effect the sack

since some of the universities are already resuming, believing their colleagues would be forced to go back into classrooms.” The official however kept mum over the applicability of International Labour Act and Convention which protects labour during industrial actions. Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Nyeson Wike, had, a forthnight ago ordered the lecturers back to class, failure of which, he said, they would be sacked on December 4. He also directed management of respective institutions to, among others, announce vacancies of whoever flouted the directive.

Perhaps a deliberate attempt to allow ASUU more time to meet its members and also bury their former president, Festus Iyayi, who died in a road accident when the convoy of Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, rammed into his Sports Utility Vehicle about a month ago, or a guise to veil the ineffectuality of its threat, the federal government extended the take-off date for its threat to Monday, December 9. The media have been awash with calls on both ASUU and the federal government to sheath their swords in the interest of the students of various universities affected by the strike.

Boko Haram: Presidency shocked by number of suspects for trial UBONG UKPONG ABUJA

President Goodluck Jonathan (3rd right) with other African leaders observing a minute silence in honour of the late former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa during the opening ceremony of the Elysee Summit on Peace and Security in Africa, in Paris, yesterday.

FG, BOA, seal N2.4bn MoU for cassava bread production •FG to sign another N4.3bn wheat intervention fund with BoI TOLA AKINMUTIMI ABUJA

he Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and the Managing Director of Bank of Agriculture, Dr. Mohammed Santuraki, yesterday signed a N2.4 billion intervention fund’s Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as part of ongoing efforts to boost cassava productivity and meet the country’s needs for Cassava bread and export potentials at the international markets. This is even as another N4.3billion intervention fund agreement is also to be signed

between the ministry and the Bank of Industry for the purposes of developing productive capacity among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) involved in cassava flour processing, assist master bakers to get High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) at lower cost and also committed to social marketing, amongst other needs in the cassava bread value chain. Speaking on the Cassava bread investment agreement in Abuja, the minister said the move became imperative as the country continued to take a look inward in meeting the domestic need of High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF) required to substitute

wheat as a major bread component and ensure the successful implementation of the ongoing cassava bread policy in the country. Specifically, he explained that the fund, which cassava farmers and bakers would access on 50-50 grant/loan basis, will address four main interventions namely, upgrade of the HQCF for the first 35 SME plants out of the inventoried 153 and price support mechanism/guaranteed minimum price for the HQCF production; upgrade of baking equipment; social marketing and Research and Development (R&D). The minister disclosed that in line with the ministry’s commitment to transparency and accountability in all its operations, particularly to ensure the delivery of the various interventions, an oversight commit-

tee, comprising of the 13 stakeholders in the cassava value chain, to manage the fund which would be delivered by the BOA and the BoI will be set up. Adesina said it was against the backdrop that the MoU was being signed by the parties as a strategic step towards setting agenda for the implementation and deadlines for the delivery. According to him, at least 29,500 farmers would directly benefit from the intervention fund across the country, adding that out of the amount, N796 million would be used to support agro-input dealers, N920 million to support farmers on mechanisation of cassava farming and 708million for planting materials. He lamented the huge food import bill which he said amounted to about one trillion Naira yearly.

he arraignment of over 500 Boko Haram suspects in military detentions recommended to the federal government (FG) by the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), appears to be unsettling the authorities, a reliable Presidency source has disclosed. Accroding to the source, already, the authorities are considering the arraignment of the suspects as a huge burden in view of the number. About three days ago, the DHQ said that it had forwarded the recommendations of its Joint Investigation Team to the Presidency, asking it to prosecute over 500 persons arrested in connection with terrorist activities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, North East of the country, where

military offensives were ongoing against the Boko Haram insurgents. The recommendations forwarded through the National Security Adviser (NSA), was said to have since gone to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of justice, who was said to be astonished at the harvest of suspects. But according to top military sources, the AGF seemed to be shocked by the huge number of persons which government must prosecute, considering it as another burden that government was bearing after the military operations which was already gulping so much resources. Saturday Mirror learnt that government was still studying the recommendations to see how quickly prosecution could commence to give justice to the suspects.

Female soldier missing –Army UBONG UKPONG ABUJA

he Nigerian Army, yesterday, raised alarm that one of its soldiers has been missing for the past six days. The soldier, a female, Sergeant Adeyemo Abimbola, serving at the Department of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters, Abuja, was declared missing in a statement signed by the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brigadier General

Ibrahim Attahiru. Sergeant Adeyemo, who was said to have been seen last on November 30, was dressed in black jeans trousers and top. According to the statement, she “left her residence in Mogadishu Cantonment, at about mid-day on Saturday 30th November, 2013 for Wuse Market Abuja and has since not returned.” All efforts by her husband and family members to locate her, was said to have yielded no result.

NATIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

189 Nigerians in Saudi Arabia jail –Ambassador •Says Nigerian businessmen attract $3 billion investment from his country

ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

total of 189 Nigerians are currently serving jail terms in Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Foaud Abdulaziz RaJeh. The ambassador who spoke when he paid a courtesy call on Vice President Namadi Sambo said the Saudi Arabian

government was looking forward towards information sharing, training and exchange of prisoners. The ambassador noted that there were over 1.7million Nigerians in Saudi Arabia adding that 95 per cent of them were Saudi Arabian citizens whom Saudi Arabians are proud of. According to him, Nigerian businessmen, particularly from Kogi and Sokoto states among other states

had attracted Saudi investors to engage in business relationships of up to $3 billion in areas related to sugar and agriculture. Rajeh added that on his assumption of office, he noticed that the Saudi Arabian government had offered 220 scholarships for Higher Education and Bachelors’ degrees to Nigerians on Islamic Studies and Arabic knowledge. He stressed that he en-

sured that it was increased to 750 for both genders. He said the scholarships cover edareas of Medicine, Engineering and Agriculture. In his remarks, Vice President Namadi Sambo called for increased bilateral ties between Nigerian and Saudi Arabia. The vice president noted that both countries had had long-standing diplomatic ties and therefore stressed the

need for the establishment of a bi-national commission by the two countries. On the prisons exchange programme request, Sambo said government would follow it up to ensure its actualisation while expressing Nigeria’s concern over the deportation of some of her citizens. The vice president noted that terrorism was a global phenomenon, saying that countries needed

to put their acts together to cooperate in order to arrest the menace. He also reminded the Saudi ambassador of the desire of President Goodluck Jonathan to visit Saudi Arabia early next year. The vice president expressed his support for the Saudi authority’s request for greater cooperation in socio-economic and security situations and appreciated the support of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to Nigeria.

FG promises to support D-8 countries’ programmes ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang condoling with the widow of the late Chief Solomon Lar, Mary and daughter, Dr. Chalya Lar, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport to receive the corpse of the first civilian governor of the state, in Abuja, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Jonathan arrives Paris for peace summit in Africa ROTIMI FADEYI

resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday arrived Paris, France, to join other world leaders that are participating in a summit on peace and security in Africa. The president who was accompanied by the First Lady, Dame Patience, and other members of his entourage arrived at a mili-

tary airforce base in Paris at about 10.30 a.m. Jonathan and his entourage were received at the airport by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nurudeen Mohammed, and the Nigerian ambassador to France, Mr. Hakeem Suleiman. No fewer than 50 Heads of State and Government are participating in the Elysee Palace Summit being hosted by President Fran-

cois Hollande of France. The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, Heads of European institutions and leaders of Africa’s sub-regional and continental organisations such as the African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are also participating in the summit. The summit is scheduled to discuss peace and security in Africa, eco-

nomic partnership, sustainable development and climate change. Dame Patience is expected to participate in an advocacy meeting on sexual violence against women in conflict at the Orsay Museum in Paris. It would be recalled that the president and the First Lady had on Tuesday left Abuja for Paris but had a stopover in Germany for a private visit.

…France to train 20,000 African soldiers yearly •Pledges 20 billion Euro grant, loan to Africa ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

rench President, Francois Hollande, yesterday said his country would train 20,000 African soldiers annually as its contribution to addressing security challenges in the continent. In his remarks at the opening of a two-day summit on peace and security in Africa which held in Paris, the capital of

France, Hollande noted that Africa remained the continent of the future and the main driving force for global wealth growth. More than fifty Heads of State and Government from Africa are participating in the summit organised to discuss peace and security in the continent, economic partnership, sustainable development and climate change He stated that France was one of the major coun-

tries of the world that had their prime investments in Africa, stressing that Africa was the continent of the future and the main driving force for global wealth growth. According to Hollande, France would also offer training to about 20,000 African soldiers annually as parts of its commitment to the drive while it would further strengthen economic growth in Africa by committing 20 bil-

lion euro (about N4.5 trillion) in loan and grants to the continent. The French president stressed that Africa should take charge of its own security by strengthening its specialised continental forces to respond to all threats. Hollande, however, called for the commitments of the African leaders by guaranteeing good governance and transparency, democracy and human rights. He stated that in the last

he federal government has assured of its support in the implementation of the decisions of the programmes of the D-8 countries. Vice President Namadi Sambo gave the assurance yesterday when he received in audience the Ministers of Agriculture and Food Security from the D-8 countries who have just concluded a meeting in Nigeria. Sambo noted with satisfaction that the successful signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Secretary General of the D-8 countries and the Director General, D-8 Africa, Asia, Rural Development Organisation indicated a successful conference. The vice president noted with deep appreciation that

the meeting and decisions of the organisation was in line with the programmes of the presidents of the D-8 countries, saying that one of the challenges to be addressed by these countries remains that of food security. He explained that the meeting which was channeled towards addressing the issue of food security of the D-8 member countries was a step in the right direction. Sambo informed the group of the ongoing transformation agenda in Nigeria through which government has elevated agriculture to the status of a business and no more as just a programme. He commended the decision of the meeting to invest in the area of seed sector, fertilizer input and special products that can provide needed protein for the population as well as the issue of capacity building, research and development.

Glo brings Phone Doctor to Gloworld shops

lobacom has redefined customer service delivery in the telecommunications industry by providing a rare opportunity for all telephone subscribers, irrespective of their network of choice, to repair their smartphones free at the various Gloworld shops in the country. The first phase of the scheme known as Phone Doctor, which was concluded in Lagos recently, saw the telecoms giant, in partnership with Nokia, bringing in handset technicians who carried out free repairs of customers’ smartphones. The company also offered ten per cent discount on all Nokia smartphones pur-

chased, while it gave away Nokia and Glo freebies including 200 free mobile apps. The Phone Doctors visited the Gloworld shop on Victoria Island, and then moved to other shops in Lekki, Ikeja Mall, Apapa, Surulere and ended in Yaba Gloworld last weekend. The Phone Doctor project will proceed to other Gloworld shops in the country on dates to be announced in the second phase of the project. According to Globacom’s Head of Gloworld, Brenda Akhigbe, the Phone Doctor services were opened to all customers irrespective of the networks they subscribed to.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NATIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

Two party system good for Nigeria –Atiku ABIODUN NEJO ADO EKITI

ormer vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, said yesterday that two party system remained a viable option for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria. Abubakar said the

country was fast moving towards a two-party system with the merger that culminated in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the defection of some new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) members to it. The former vice president who spoke with jour-

nalists in Ado Ekiti yesterday after a “private visit” to Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi, described the merger as “a good development and sign that the country’s democracy is growing”. He said: “I welcome the merger. It is good for democracy. I have always

supported two-party system. We are eventually moving towards two-party system. In this country, we need two strong parties, not one big party with other very small ones. In that case, we would not have true democracy”. In the face of the alignments and realignments,

Abubakar said: “I belong to democracy. Even during military rule, I stood and fought for democracy. I am a true democrat and I still stand for democracy”. Fayemi lauded the former VP for standing on the side of democracy, saying: “There is no doubt that he has consistently

FCT minister receives Lar’s remains in Abuja OMEIZA AJAYI

ederal Capital Territory, FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, yesterday received the remains of the pioneer national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, describing the deceased as a

legendary politician who was an epitome of emancipation, reconciliation and peace. Mohammed who received the body on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja stressed that he fought gallantly but peacefully for the common man.

He described the late first civilian governor of old Plateau State as an inspirational leader who stood for unity and harmony among all Nigerians. “This great man has lived and conquered; he is indeed a role model especially for younger politicians”, Mohammed emphasised. The minister explained that the president had

mandated him to stand in for him at the solemn ceremony because he (the president) was away in France on a very important state duty. Others who paid tribute at the ceremony include Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State, PDP national chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and former information minister,

Professor Jerry Gana, who is also the chairperson of the Solomon Lar Burial Organising Committee. On his part, Professor Jerry Gana described Lar as “the Mandela of Nigeria”. “He was a man of firsts; he was the first PDP national chairman, the first civilian governor of Plateau State and several other firsts,” he stated.

Abuja fuel station fire: Our towers not affected –NNPC

he Management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has said that the four towers of the corporate headquarters of the NNPC was neither affected by any inferno nor bombed by any insurgent group. The General Manager, Media Relations Department, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, made this clarification on Thursday in Abuja. Dr. Ibrahim stated that

Ibrahim stated. There was palpable confusion at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, headquarters on Thursday as the busiest fuel station in Abuja, located opposite it went up in flames, causing hours of panic at the towers and its environs. The incident, which occurred at exactly 3.09pm, was preceded by a deafening blast, which made many people believe the Towers had been beleaguered by terrorists. Eyewitnesses told Saturday Mirror that the

Egbe Amofin meets today

he association of South West, Nigeria lawyers, Egbe Amofin, is meeting today in Akure in what is regarded as an historic meeting to chart a way to support their candidates for the 2014 Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) elections and to pick their flag bearer for the presidency of the Bar. The meeting was summoned by 16 NBA branch chairmen out of the 23 branches in the South West. They had met at Lafia, Nasarawa State on November 21, 2013 during the National Executive Council meeting of the association to review the state of preparedness of Egbe Amofin for the coming election only to discover that other regions have

moved far ahead in their preparations. Earlier, they had made a requisition to the Chairman and Secretary of the Egbe Amofin, Chief Bandele Aiku, SAN, and Mr. Ranti Ajeleti, respectively to call the meeting according to the resolution of the group at their meeting held in Abeokuta, Ogun State on August 17, 2013. At the meeting, the Egbe set up a committee headed by an Abuja based lawyer, Duro Adeyele, SAN, to screen candidates who wanted to vie for the presidency of the NBA. The work of the committee was however stalemated when Chief Aiku allegedly imposed a controversial candidate on the committee.

This led to the resignation of Adeyele from the committee. There are three aspirants that are vying for the Presidency. They are Dele Adesina, SAN; Funke Adekoya, SAN, and Niyi Akintola SAN. The committee had already asked the 23 branch chairmen to hold meetings and elections at the branch level and endorse the most popular through the ballot. The minutes and the voting pattern are to be sent by the chairmen to the committee. The Akure meeting is expected to conclude this assignment by endorsing the most popular of the three aspirants as the candidate of the South West.

blast affected some passers-by and fuel attendants at the station who were said to have sustained various degrees of injuries.

Few seconds later, smoke began to billow from the Conoil fuel station as everyone started running for dear lives in utter panic.

Today, there will be an ecumenical service at the National Christian Centre in honour of the late politician, while on Monday a memorial lecture will be held in his honour at the Ladi Kwali conference hall in Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Abuja. Several dignitaries, clergy, senior government officials, indigenes of Nasarawa, Bauchi and Plateau states where present at the event. Scores of cars which are always parked at a nearby undeveloped land were immediately evacuated by their owners, even as other artisinal businesses within the area

In your refreshingly different

‘How we’re battling fraud syndicates in banks’

Tunde Ogunsakin, the Commissioner of Police in charge Special Fraud Unit (SFU) is fast assuming the reputation of a no-nonsense police officer, going by his recent records in exposing frauds in banks and high-profile government agencies. In this no holds barred, exclusive interview with Sunday Mirror, the police boss says he will not be deterred by anything in ensuring that corrupt persons, both in the public and private life, are dealt with. Specifically, he relates how he is tackling fraud syndicates in commercial banks and in many government organs. It is steaming hot revelations from the man who should know. Keep a date with your vendor.

Nigeria’s tribe of the jobless Annually, the number of unemployed Nigerians roaming the streets in search of unavailable jobs keeps rising, amidst promises that their cases are being looked into. Remarkably, this category of citizens falls mostly within the educated youths, many who are graduates with good grades but having nowhere to work. Like a daze of the locust, many of them have been swarming companies in Lagos and other cities to lobby for work as casuals. In some cases, some are okada riders and menial jobbers, living far below the standard of their qualifications. In this detailed report, the lot of jobless Nigerians is graphically captured, with a look at how the system can bail them out.

Passion

ABUJA

a fuel tanker was offloading premium motor spirit (petrol) at a filling station across the road, opposite the NNPC Towers, when it suddenly caught fire. ‘’When the filling station opposite the NNPC Towers Abuja went up in flames on Thursday afternoon, the NNPC as a socially responsible and responsive corporate body mobilised its firemen to help in combating the raging inferno. I can say without mincing words that the fire incident had nothing to do with explosion in the Towers’’, Dr.

Interview

CHIDI UGWU

stood with the people. He believes in this country. Anyone who is a democrat is my friend”. The governor, who said “in Ekiti, we stand for anything that can deepen democracy”, thanked Abubakar for deeming it necessary to pay Ekiti a visit.

‘North, no longer as we knew it’

Iretiola Doyle is a broadcaster, actress, mother and motivational speaker. Fondly known as Ireti, this 46 years old diva started her acting career about 20 years ago in Nollywood in a movie entitled Sakobi the Snake Girl. She is currently in Tinsel, a popular soap opera. She recalls with nostalgic feelings, the days of yore, while she was in northern Nigeria and concludes that things have really, really fallen apart. Doyle also counsels ladies on some health tips. Meet her tomorrow.

These and many more available tomorrow in your

NATIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

FG declares three days of national mourning for Mandela ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

P of

resident Goodluck Jonathan has declared three days national mourning

for former South African President, Nelson Mandela who died on Thursday. According to a statement issued by Special Adviser to the President

on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, flags are to be flown at halfmast across Nigeria during the period of the national mourning which began yesterday

Jonathan also urged all Nigerians to unite in solidarity with the brotherly people of South Africa as they mourn the great liberator, freedom fighter and hero of the

black race. The president called for special prayers in mosques and churches in Nigeria during the period of mourning for the peaceful repose of Dr.

Mandela’s soul. The statement added that a special interdenominational memorial service for Mandela would hold at the State House Chapel on Sunday.

The world has lost a role model –Akpabio

overnor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State has described the death of former South African president, Nelson Mandela, as the lost of a role model and an exemplary leader. Akpabio, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Mr. Jackson Udom, said, “ a titan is gone. Mandela lived, suffered humiliation and imprisonment for 27 years and

made history by forgiving his traducers.” The release added that “Mandela became president, and unlike typical African and certain world leaders, voluntarily ceded power to South Africans. The world has lost a role model and an exemplary leader. Madiba shall forever live in the hearts of true Africans and lovers of peace worldwide. Rest in Peace Madiba.”

A true freedom fighter is gone –Ashafa

Madiba with Nigerian journalist Mike Awoyinfa

He was worthy of emulation –Maitama Sule ROTIMI FADEYI ABUJA

ormer Nigeria’s Permanent Representatives at the United Nations, Mallam Maitama Sule, has described the late former South African president, Nelson Mandela, as an exemplary

leader worthy of emulation. The elder statesman, while speaking with State House Correspondents yesterday after meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo said Mandela was a great son of Africa. He stressed that unlike some leaders in Africa, he

did not perpetuate himself in power. “He became president and one would expect as it is happening in many parts of Africa today to perpetuate his stay in office to spend as many years in office as he spent in prison, but he decided after one term to step

down and give other people a chance,” Sule said. According to him, Mandela was a good example of a patriot, dogged fighter, excellent reconciliator, decent politician, who believed in serving his people, in giving them and not taking from them.

The Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Senator ‘Gbenga Ashafa has joined the rest of the world to commiserate with the family of the former South African president, Dr. Nelson Mandela, who passed died on Thursday. In a condolence message, the lawmaker expressed immense sadness over the demise of the South Africa’s first black

president, stating that his departure at 95 is a great loss to the world. “Mandela was an epitome of morality, integrity, leadership and indefatigable freedom fighter that we all should emulate, he was indeed a true African that stood his ground during the struggle for racial equality, as he successfully fought against an apartheid system that made black South Africans second class citizens in their own country.

Chime urges African Celebrate, don’t mourn Mandela –Fayemi leaders to emulate him DENNIS AGBO ENUGU

overnor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State has called on African leaders to emulate the selflessness, patriotism and humility, exemplified by the late anti-apartheid hero and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela. Chime, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Chukwudi Achife, described Mandela as a universal symbol of resistance against oppression who also epitomised the values of dedicated and altruistic leadership. “Nelson Mandela would

always be remembered as a heroic son of Africa who redefined patriotism, sacrifice and selfless leadership. The best tribute that African leaders can pay him, is to emulate his principles and values so that like him, they may also lead their respective countries to greatness,” the governor added. Praying for the reposed of his soul, Chime enjoined African leaders to always draw inspiration from Mandela’s ultimate triumph over the apartheid system in South Africa, to pursue programmes and projects that will benefit the generality of their people no matter what opposition or challenges they may have to overcome.

kiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has urged admirers of the late South African political icon, Nelson Mandela, not to mourn him but celebrate the ideals of freedom, equality, peace and unity he lived for. The governor, in a special tribute to the late South African leader, said Mandela’s death called

for reflection, adding that it was an opportunity for leaders to rededicate themselves to the service of mankind. Governor Fayemi said the demise of the famous freedom fighter had closed “an epic story of triumph of the human spirit over injustice”. The governor recalled that Mandela, while in

prison, became the symbol of the struggle against apartheid’s oppressive inhuman regime, with his face readily coming to mind all over the world when people think and talk about South Africa. Fayemi also said the late Mandela worked for a united South Africa, adding that the people of the South African country

were more united during his presidency. He added that Mandela remained a symbol of unity among the various racial groups in South Africa saying tension among the ethnic nationalities in the Rainbow Nation would have led to civil war but for the late sage’s unending messages of peace and unity.

I regret not meeting him one on one –Ita Giwa TEMITOPE OGUNBANKE

ormer Special Adviser to President Olusegun Obasanjo on National Assembly Matters, Senator Flor-

ence Ita- Giwa, has described the late former South African president, Nelson Mandela, as an embodiment of grace, dogged fighter and an international icon of peace and reconciliation.

Senator Ita-Giwa, in a statement made available to journalists, said that her only regret was not meeting Mandela one on one. She also noted that even though the legend-

ary world leader and hero was old, it was thought that he won’t leave the world but since he passed on at a ripe age of 95, he will continue to be celebrated even in death.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

SOUTH WEST

N77m fraud: Court strikes out suit against ex-Oyo Commissioner, others K AYODE KETEFE

Federal High Court, sitting in Lagos, yesterday, struck out the N77 million fraud charge filed against former Oyo State Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Co-operatives, Mr. Kazeem Adedeji and two others by the Police. Two other persons, with whom Adedeji was charged, were a former Director in the Ministry, Yinka Fatoki and Kolawole Adewole, a banker. The Nigeria Police taken the three before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke on a six-count charge comprising the alleged offences of conspiracy and fraud. Justice Aneke, however, struck out the case for lack of diligent prosecution. At the proceedings yesterday, the prosecution represented, by

I.O. Idowu could not go ahead with the trial on the grounds that the lead prosecution, Mr Effiong Asuquo, was not available.

During the arraignment of, Asuquo, had told the court that the accused committed the offences between July 2012 and June 2013.

At the last sitting, the prosecutor had written a letter for the adjournment of the matter as he was indisposed and the matter was adjourned on

that grounds. But before the adjournment, a counsel to the former Commissioner, Tayo Oyetibo SAN, had urged the court to dismiss all

L-R: New Archdeacon Abiade Adeniji; Anglican Bishop of Lagos West, Rt. Rev. Olusola Odedeji; his wife, Lydia; Archdeacon Adeleke Dina and his wife, Dr. Kehinde, at the Coronation of Dina and Adeniji in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Ondo holds Mare Festival for Deji Falae K AYODE FALADE

he 2013 edition of the yearly mountain climbing competition, popularly known as Mare Festival, will be held to celebrate the life and times of the late Ondo State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Deji Falae, who until his

ADEOLU ADEYEMO OSOGBO

governorship aspirants under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Otunba Iyiola Omisore, has raised the alarm over plans by the state’s resident electoral commission to favour the ruling

death was the chairman Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the event. This was made known by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Kayode Akinmade. Deji Falae and 15 others died in the Associated Airlines crash of October 3, 2013 while conveying the remains of the late

former Governor Olusegun Agagu from Lagos to Akure for burial. Akinmade, in a sober mood, told journalists that preparations for the low key celebration have begun in earnest adding that interesting songs and short plays in honour of the late Falae which had been packaged by vari-

ous artistes would be rendered there. His words, “Ordinarily, the state government had thought of suspending the celebration of Mare Festival this year because we are still mourning our dearly beloved brother but his friends in the entertainment industry pleaded that we should al-

low them use the occasion to honour him with songs and short plays they had composed for him.” The Commissioner also noted that the 2013 edition of the event would further enable the people of the state to celebrate a man, whose passion for the project in the last two years had attracted global

etermined to improve on the maternal and child mortality rate in line with the dictates of the Millennium Development Goals, the Lagos State Government yesterday said it would begin a new round of im-

attention to the state. Akinmade said government is perfecting every strategy to immortalise the late Falae by ensuring that the Idanre hills, which are the focal point of the annual fiesta, were listed by the United Nations Educational and Scientific and Cultural Organisation,(UNESCO) as one of the World’s Heritage sites.

Osun PDP leaders accuse OSIEC of bias party in the state in coming elections. Senator Omisore raised the alarm yesterday at the PDP secretariat in Osogbo at a rally, claimed that the state’s electoral commissioner, Mr. Rufus Akeju, of plotting to favour the rul-

ing party in the state with complicated voter’s register review exercise that will commence across the state by December 5, 2013. He described the purported plot as “undemocratic” and called on all concerned authorities to take note of

it. Speaking in the same vein, chairman of the PDP the state, Alhaji Ganiyu OlaOluwa, called for the removal of the state resident electoral commissioner saying something good could not come out from

him in the forthcoming election in the state. Acording to Alhaji OlaOluwa, “Akeju is an ally of APC national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, and thus remain morally unqualified to conduct governorship election in the state next

Lagos plans under-5 immunisation exercise MURITALA AYINLA

the charges against the accuses persons due to the failure of the prosecution to prosecute the matter. Oyetubo had told the court that the prosecutor in the letter dated November 25, failed to inform the court why he was indisposed. He said: “My lord, where accused is willing and able to face trial but the prosecutor who initiated the charge is running away. On October 11, when the bail of the accused is to be argued the prosecutor refused to appear. today. The prosecutor wrote a letter that he is sick without any medical report before the court to to certify him medically unfit to attend his official assignment. “I urged the court to discountenance the said letter and dismissed the charges against the accused persons.”

munisation of under-five children across the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas. The government said apart from the implementation of the immunisation programme in all the Primary Health Centres, a team of trained health personnel would also be going round

to schools, churches, mosques and other public places to give Vitamin A supplement to pupils and also to screen them for malnutrition. Briefing journalists on the second round of 2013 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH), Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Public Health, Dr. Ye-

wande Adeshina, said the MNCH was a health facility based programme designed to accelerate the MDGs 4 and 5. She urged Lagos residents to patronise the health centres in their domains and cooperate with the health personnel who would be coming to their houses to screen and immunise their

wards, even after the end of a week-long exercise. Her words, “It is the responsibility of everybody to ensure that our pregnant women, children and other members of the family take full advantage of the weeklong service. I am therefore pleading with all our leaders in the state, politicians, councilors,

year,” he said. Also at the rally, the PDP leadership in the state appealed to all aggrieved members of the party to re-unite and settle their differences in the interest of the progress of the party in the state. traditional and religious leaders to ensure that all targeted groups are reached, informed and effectively mobilized and attend any Primary Health Care Centre closest to them,” she said. Dr Yewande, however, assured that the state government was planning on a lot of work and strategies to improve the health indices of children and women of child bearing age.

REGIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

SOUTH EAST

Senator distributes N20m to 1200 students in Enugu DENIS AGBO ENUGU

he Senator representing EnuguEast senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator Gil Nnaji, has spent over N20 million on 1,200 secondary school students in his

constituency. The money was given to the students to take care of their school fees, registration of their West Africa School Certificate (WASC) and other sundry expenses. The students were randomly selected from different schools in the zone

where 17 best performing science and arts students were picked from each of the schools and presented with N13, 000 cheques each. Senator Nnaji said the gesture to the students was to encourage them to further excel in their academics, do better in

WEAC examinations and make their parents proud. Nnaji, who disclosed that he had already given bursary to students of tertiary institution as well as to law school students from his constituency, added that he still plans to give another bursary

this year. According to him, “I advise my constituents to remain law abiding, maintain peace in their various local governments, communities and continue to support the government in power in Enugu state under Governor Sullivan Chime and

the government of PDP under President Goodluck Jonathan. “All of us at the National Assembly are going to come back home to give Christmas gifts to our constituents. We believe that 2014 will be a progressive year to every one of us,” the Senator said.

Abia federal workers frown at salary, allowances delay

cores of federal civil servants in Abia State yesterday expressed concern over delays in the payment of their monthly salaries and myriads of other challenges that hamper service delivery. The federal civil servants made the observation in Umuahia at an interactive forum organised by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation. The forum was presided over by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr MacJohn Nwaobiala, and attended by the heads of federal establishments in the state and other workers. The workers, who took turns to speak at the meeting, also complained about the non-payment of their promotion and transfer allowances. Mr Donatus Onwuzuruike, a teacher at the Federal Government Girls’ College, Umuahia, expressed worry at the delay in salaries, occasioned by the relatively new Integrated Person-

nel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS). In an address of welcome, the Chairman of

the Association of Heads of Federal Establishments in Abia State, Mr Eugene Ekeh, identified

lack of a federal secretariat as part of the challenges facing federal workers in the state.

Ekeh said the withdrawal of project vehicles, nonpayment of promotion arrears and monthly im-

prest for the upkeep of outstation offices were some of the challenges federal workers contended with.

Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (3rd left), Ndubisi Menakaya (1st left), Chinyere Okunna (2nd left), Callistus Ilozumba(1st right), Albert Dimaka(2nd right) and the Ag. Provost of Anambra State College of Agriculture, Mgbakwu, Dr. Nneka Mefor ( 3rd right), during the inspection of the ongoing ICT/ Library Building at the College, yesterday.

Anambra College gets NBTE approval for ND courses

fter close to 30 years of existence, the Anambra State College of Agriculture, Mgbakwu, has finally been recognized by various educational bodies in the country, including the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) for the award of National Diploma (ND). This was disclosed, yesterday, by the Acting Provost of the College, Dr. Nneka Mefoh during the 5th and 6th matriculation ceremony of the institution. The Acting Provost said that the recogni-

tion and approval of the school, as well as the accreditation of its courses, was due to the massive provision of infrastructure at the school. She lauded the effort of Governor Peter Obi for turning the dwindling fortunes of the school

around. Apart from his frequent trips to the school, Dr. Mefoh commended the governor for building 15 buildings in the school, including two hostel blocks, class room, laboratories, academic staff offices, among others.

In his remarks, Governor Obi, who was at the institution to commissioned some completed projects and also laid the foundation for new ones, assured that the state government would continue to pay attention to the institution

to achieve its full potentials. A total of 76 students matriculated from the College during the governor’s visit, who in urged them to remain good Ambassadors of the College and the State in their future endeavours.

In another development, Governor Obi also inspected the state of work at Isuaniocha, Achalla- Urum road, where he charged the contractor handling the N2 billion road project to increase the pace of work or face sanction.

Enugu High Court observes special session for late lawyer

he Enugu High Court yesterday held a special session to honour Mr Onuzulike Eze, a legal practitioner who died recently. Eze, a member of the state Pension Board, died at the age of 73.

In his tribute, the Chief Justice of the state, Justice Innocent Umezulike, described the late Eze as an experienced and fatherly counsel whose death occurred at the time the state judiciary needed him most.

His words, “The Enugu State judiciary and the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) will greatly miss his experience in the bar. His death occurred when his experience is needed most by the bar, his family, his community in

Ede-Obala in Nsukka and the entire state will miss him,” Umezulike, who was represented by the Justice Ngozi Emehelu, said. On his part, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr An-

thony Anih (SAN), said he received the news of Ezes’ death with shock. In his speech, the Chairman of the Enugu branch of the NBA, Mr Harold Eya, said that the branch was short of words at the news of Eze’s death.

Politics

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

December 7, 2013

MADIBA EXITS

Nelson Mandela and the politics of moral capital RODNEY TIFFEN

resident F. W. de Klerk stunned South Africa and the world on February 2, 1990, when in his first parliamentary speech after assuming the presidency from P. W. Botha, he announced that he was unbanning the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan African Congress (PAC) and the South African Communist Party (SACP). As a climax, de Klerk announced the freeing of Nelson Mandela. The logistics surrounding Mandela’s release were chaotic, but the power of the symbolism shone through. Finally Mandela addressed riotous and triumphant crowds who had taken over the centre of Cape Town, in scenes televised around the world. Although what he said was far less important than that he spoke freely as a free man to thousands of black supporters, this was not one of Mandela’s greatest speeches. The speech did not have the moral authority of the closing address he had given to the court in Johannesburg 27 years earlier. Then he talked about his dedication to the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. Against the advice of his sympathetic white lawyers who feared it would provoke the judges to sentence him to death, he concluded that it was an ideal he hoped to live for and achieve, ‘but if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die’. In 1990, Mandela gave a more prosaic speech, in which, among other things, he described himself as a loyal and disciplined member of the ANC. The tone of the speech was dictated by his need to reassure ANC members, who feared that he might unilaterally make concessions on their key demands (as the government had been fruitlessly seeking for many years). The situation encapsulated the opportunities and difficulties of the politics of moral capital. The plight of Mandela had come to symbolise the injustices of the apartheid system. The ANC (or rather elements of it) had as a political strategy decided to further promote this personalisation. Mandela, because of his individual moral qualities, had become central to any possibility of breaking the historic deadlock. This gave him a political latitude which the ANC (or rather other elements of it) were now wary of. Moral judgement is intrinsic to politics, and provides a fresh perspective on the force of moral claims in establishing the authority of leaders. ‘Moral capital is moral prestige—whether of an individual, organisation or a cause—in useful service.’ However the good does not necessarily prevail. Moral

capital must be deployed strategically in combination with other political resources if it is to change the political outcome. There have been few major historical transformations in which one individual was so pivotal, and where his role rested so centrally on his moral stature, as Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid in South Africa. The transition in South Africa— from one of the world’s most brutal regimes, based on its repugnant racialist ideology, to democratic rule under a black majority government, with a relative minimum of white versus black violence—is one of the miracles of contemporary politics. The most central figure emerged from 27 years of often brutal imprisonment not only with his integrity intact and his dedication to democracy and racial equality undimmed, but more astonishingly with a generosity of spirit and an agility of mind that made the process of transition possible. When Mandela arrived in Johannesburg

in the 1940s, the ANC was rather somnolent. Founded in 1912 to promote racial equality, its elders had become content to prod the government in a gentlemanly way, still committed to their core principles, but infinitely patient in their pursuit. With Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo, who were to become lifelong friends and comrades, Mandela revitalised the ANC’s youth wing, and eventually the whole ANC. This was an era of increasing, although ineffective, black activism, because it was the years during which the edifice of the apartheid state was constructed. Since the National Party had secured victory in the 1947 election, they had strengthened their gerrymander within the whites-only electorate. Then through a series of measures they reinforced legal and social divisions between the races, reversing the right for racial inter-marriage, removing the small avenues of educational opportunities blacks had obtained, and forcibly remov-

ing them from the suburbs of major cities in the name of separate development. Indeed the regime was becoming ever more repressive. Around 1960 came a series of clashes, most infamously the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, when police killed 67 marchers. The attempt by Mandela and others to organise a general strike was squashed with considerable violence. In the face of state violence and the closing off of all legal avenues of redress, the mood was becoming increasingly militant. At this stage, Mandela decided that the only way to meet violence was with violence, and endorsed the formation of the armed wing of the ANC, Umkhonto we Siswe (Spear of the Nation, or MK). This was more a foolish gesture of bravado in the face of intensely felt frustration than a realistic strategy. It never had much time to be implemented under Mandela, because he and most of his comrades were arrested CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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His politics of moral capital CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 soon after. Mandela and Tambo had decided that if the ANC were banned, then Mandela would continue to struggle in South Africa, while Tambo would lead the effort from abroad. They put this into operation, and for the next few decades Tambo headed the ANC-in-exile. Mandela was again due to be arrested for his role in organising the strike, but for several months he evaded the police, while speaking to rallies and meetings, and gaining a reputation as the ‘black pimpernel’. Later, at the treason trial, Mandela and the others faced the prospect of execution with calm defiance. They then spent the next 27 years in prison, mostly on Robben Island, now a museum where visitors can stand in Mandela’s cell, walk through the quarries where the prisoners laboured, and look at Table Mountain, enticingly near but fatally far across the water. By the early 1980s Mandela had become such an internationally famous symbol that the regime started to fear the consequences if anything happened to him. When he contracted TB, he received the best of medical attention. Later transferred to a prison on the mainland, Mandela negotiated with intermediaries and visiting dignitaries, including Malcolm Fraser. (‘Tell me Fraser. Is Don Bradman still alive?’ was his first question.) It is important to remember that when Mandela was imprisoned, the ANC, PAC, and SACP were all banned. Membership was a legally punishable offence, and organisation became dispersed and difficult. Front organisations were formed, and affiliations often had to remain clandestine. In the 1980s, increasing civil disobedience in the townships and campaigns by black trade unions, as well as international pressure, led President Botha to declare a state of emergency. But there was increasing recognition, even in the National Party government, that the tide of history was against them. Few could see how to move forward, however. The spectre of a huge and violent white against black conflict hung over the country. When de Klerk took the bold step that Botha always shrank from, he probably did not know the dimensions of the genie he was unleashing. The shape of the black opposition he faced was probably not clear to him, and there was a residual confidence in the National Party that they could, if not resist, then out-manoeuvre their inexperienced and potentially divided opponents. At the time, the broad anti-apartheid movement consisted of many disparate groups. Veterans like Mandela were revered for their courage and sacrifice, but had been removed from the frontlines of direct struggle for a quarter of a century. Another group of the ANC had been in exile, with headquarters in London and Lusaka, under the leadership of Tambo, and of current South African President Thabo Mbeki. But the exiles were spread throughout the world, often isolated and homesick. Meanwhile in South Africa, protest

THERE HAVE BEEN FEW MAJOR HISTORICAL TRANSFORMATIONS IN WHICH ONE INDIVIDUAL WAS SO PIVOTAL,

AND WHERE HIS ROLE RESTED SO CENTRALLY ON HIS MORAL STATURE groups formed in response to local grievances, some becoming nationally organised, even forming into grander alliances such as the United Democratic Front, and later the Mass Democratic Movement. The best organised were the black trade unions, COSATU, led skilfully by Cyril Ramaphosa, which had accumulated great experience in the use of confrontation to negotiate particular demands—and all the while seeking to advance the larger struggle. Probably the most miserable were those who had joined the military movement, the MK. They had been training in the jungles, often attacked by the South African military, and increasingly subject to internal divisions. Paranoia about infiltrators led to cases of torture and unjust accusations of treason. The ANC’s endorsement of the military strategy caused it to lose considerable international support in the West. But the truth—that neither the old or new regimes for contrasting reasons want to acknowledge—is that the MK was largely irrelevant to the anti-apartheid struggle— in contrast to the civil struggles inside the country. The National Party’s best hope lay in making alliances with those whose antiapartheid commitment was more in doubt. By far the most important was Chief Buthelezi and his Inkatha movement, which had great support among Zulus, especially in rural areas. The already bloody conflicts between Inkatha and the ANC—fanned by support for Inkatha from the clandestine ‘Third Force’ of the South African security forces—intensified in the next few years into a civil war, with over 10,000 fatalities. Buthelezi agreed to take part only ten days before the 1994 election, his intransigence and the violence of his supporters causing crises through most of the election cam-

paign. Despite this array of separate and potentially conflicting groups, over the next four years, the ANC achieved all that it wanted, and the National Party was eventually consigned to opposition and virtual irrelevance. Mandela’s leadership was quickly acknowledged and cemented. Many of his supporters had dreaded a let-down: the poster-hero commemorated round the world could turn out to be a frail, bewildered old man. But he did not seem trapped in the past. He soon became, as Nadine Gordimer put it, the “personification of the future.’” Many brief accounts of South Africa’s relatively peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy jump quickly from de Klerk’s announcement of February 1990 to Mandela’s election as president in April 1994. In fact it was a fascinating, uncertain, tortured period, punctuated by deadlocks and crises. There were constant tensions between ANC impatience and National Party intransigence, and a rhythm of inaction followed by some crisis that drove the process forward again. After de Klerk’s announcement, the government had no immediate plans of followup. It was under pressure from conservatives within the white community, and internally divided. Each time it felt itself stronger—as for example after winning the referendum among the white electorate that endorsed its approach in March 1992— it lapsed into inaction, until some external pressure forced it to move again. The constitutional convention did not begin until late 1991. After the second session bogged down in mid 1992, as Kane points out, the more militant sections of the ANC pressed for more mass actions.

Tens of thousands of marchers went to Ciskei, one of the four ‘independent’ homelands governments that had been established under the pretence of separate development. However the troops under the command of the conservative government panicked and 28 marchers were killed. This tragic dramatisation of the potential costs of mass action put the ANC priority again on negotiations. The crisis which finally propelled a constitutional settlement was the assassination of the charismatic young leader Chris Hani. Hani, at first in 1990 wanted to escalate the militant and violent struggle strategies, but was won over by Mandela, and played a vital role in securing consent among the militants for the negotiation path. At the time of his death, a year before the first democratic elections were eventually held, Hani’s popularity among blacks was probably second only to Mandela’s. Bloody riots could easily have broken out all over the country. The government was powerless to keep the peace. Mandela, in a powerful televised address, was the pivotal person who calmed the situation. He argued that the murder was the work of extremists, not of white people as such, one of whom had come to Hani’s aid, and urged blacks not to endanger the cause Hani had died for. It showed that morally at least, the transfer of power had already occurred. Mandela embodies the moral dimensions of relations between political leaders and their constituencies. His politics throws interesting light on what is an often neglected aspect of political analysis—the political latitude some leaders gain through their moral stature to reshape institutions and take policy initiatives that generate new possibilities in times of transition and institutional fluidity. The most compelling example is Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid.

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A nation indebted

Excerpts from President Jacob Zuma’s announcement of Nelson Mandela’s death

‘M

y fellow South Africans, our beloved Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the founding president of our democratic nation has departed. He passed on peacefully in the company of his family around 20.50 on December 5 2013. He is now resting. He is now at peace. ‘Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father. Although we knew that this day would come, nothing can diminish our sense of a profound and enduring loss. ‘His tireless struggle for freedom earned him the respect of the world. His humility, his compassion, and his humanity earned him their love. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mandela family. To them we owe a debt of gratitude. They have sacrificed much and endured much so that our people could be free. ‘Our thoughts are with his wife Mrs Graca Machel, his former wife Ms Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, with his children, his grandchildren, his great grandchildren and the entire family. Our thoughts are with

his friends, comrades and colleagues who fought alongside Madiba over the course of a lifetime of struggle. ‘Our thoughts are with the South African people who today mourn the loss of the one person who, more than any other, came to embody their sense of a common nationhood. ‘Our thoughts are with the millions of people across the world who embraced Madiba as their own, and who saw his cause as their cause. ‘This is the moment of our deepest sorrow. Our nation has lost its greatest son. Yet, what made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves. And in him we saw so much of ourselves. ‘Fellow South Africans, Nelson Mandela brought us together, and it is together that we will bid him farewell. ‘We will always love you, Madiba! ‘May your soul rest in peace. ‘God Bless Africa. ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika.’

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Mandela’s tree of Eves

... One thing which I noticed is when there were women that adored him, he liked that very much. I teased him about that. He is a flirt. He likes beautiful women ... and as three feminists who work with him, I mean we would go crazy about that. He had a propensity for people who were beauty queens, and I could never accept that. It was one of the arguments we constantly had. But his attitude was, “Why can’t you appreciate something beautiful without being made to feel guilty? – Jessie Duarte, Mandela’s personal assistant after he was released from prison in 1990.

ADENRELE NIYI

he name Mandela has a largerthan-life ring to it perhaps because of his aggressive struggle against apartheid in South Africa. The revered South Africa hero transcended beyond the Africa continent; tagged as an exemplary icon for other African leaders to emulate. He was and remains undeniably the only African President who devoted his servitude to his nation uncompromisingly. Imprisoned for more than two decades in Robben Island where he spent most of his heydays, no doubt he was a force to reckon with in the world. When he finally emerged from the prison, he was inaugurated as the first Black President in South Africa, putting a cessation to the apartheid plague. Take away his political ambitions, like any other gentleman; Mandela was not immune to Cupid’s tricks. Despite his identifiable political aggressiveness, when it comes to the matters of the heart, the anti-apartheid hero was like any other man tangled in intricacies of the heart with women. His active political struggle for the liberation of his people made him a cynosure of the women folk. Be it in admiration or infatuation, he had his own libidinal cross to bear. Naturally, women are endeared to such powerful personas like Mandela. It was no surprise then that the South Africa hero was also a victim to feminine wiles and his personal life is intertwined among three women who had played vital roles in his life.

Evelyn Mase: Embittered wife of his youth As a young man, Mandela uncharacteristically expressed doggedness for politics. Due to his complicity in various student protests, he was expelled from University College of Fort Hare, Easter Cape, South Africa in 1940. However, his guardian Jongintaba Dalindyebo, who was regent and an heir to the Thembu throne (Mandela’s tribe), was furious and threatened him with an arranged marriage that saw the young activist fleeing to Johannesburg the same year. He would later meet with the Sisulus where Cupid’s his first arrow struck him through Evelyn Mase. Born May 18, 1922, she had come from her village Transkei to Soweto where she pursued a nursing career. Being orphaned at an early age, Evelyn Mase stayed with her elder brother Sam Mase and cousin Walter Sisulu who was an estate agent. As

Mandela and Garca at their wedding in 1990

soon as Evelyn met her cousin’s girlfriend, Albertina they got on like a house on fire; even after Walter moved to larger house, leaving his old home to Sam and his sister, the friendship did not wane. Still training at a non-European’s hospital in Hillbrow, Evelyn and Albertina kept in touch. At the time Walter moved to his own house, Mandela was his lodger. It was during one of the visits to Walter’s house that Evelyn finally met the charming young activist, later confiding in Albertina that she had fallen in love with him. Whether she made concerted efforts to show her feelings for him or not, it was evident that the South Africa hero also felt a stirring for the nurse. Within a few days, he asked her

out and they started dating. To the delight of his cousin and brother, they both decided to walk down the aisle. The wedding ceremony took place on October 5, 1944 at Johannesburg’s Native Commissioner’s Court. Due to the couple’s pecuniary constraints, they could not afford a wedding feast; it was a low key wedding with family members and close friends in attendance. Their financial status did not improve after the wedding; Evelyn was burdened with the finances. From living with her older sister Kate to living with her motherin-law in Soweto, she seemed to be a happy and content wife until Mandela became fully engrossed in the fight against apartheid. While Evelyn might have foreseen a bright

future with Mandela, she did not envisage his active role in politics. She had no interest at all in politics neither was she ready to participate nor support her husband. But Mandela had a fiery passion for his country and would not be swooned to a family life while his people perished in the hands of the Supremacists. Adding to the dictates of her religion, Jehovah Witness, Evelyn became embittered as her husband strolled in and out of prisons due to his increasing participation in politics. Adamant to a staggering point, Evelyn maintained her stance to stay away from politics even if it means the end of her marriage. Politics was like an itch on her skin. Mandela could care CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

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Mandela and 1st wife Evelyn at their wedding

Mandela’s tree of Eves CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17

as his whole life was dedicated to the struggle against apartheid. Though before her death, Evelyn claimed that Mandela was a wife batterer and cheated on her with other women, she finally got a divorce in 1958. The couple had four children, the eldest died in infancy and the oldest son Thembi, died in a car accident when Mandela was in prison; thus he could not attend his son’s funeral. Of the four children, only Makaziwe, the oldest daughter, is alive, the youngest son Makgatho Lewanika died of AIDS in 2005. After the divorce, Evelyn moved to Cofimvaba and later married a Sowetan businessman. While the world may see Mandela as a hero, to Evelyn he was just an ordinary man who was being effusively glorified. He was the lodger whom she had met at his cousin’s house in the past. Despite her critic of his dedicated political beliefs, the South African president still attended her funeral in 2001. She died of lung and respiratory disease. Their marriage lasted a period of 13 years. Winnie Madikizela: His loved one For later developments in their relationship, they would have been the perfect couple of all time in the history of Africa. Their unequivocal interest and determination to free their people from the wrenching hands of their dictators made them a fiery couple. The vivacious Winnie MadikizelaMandela, born September 26, 1936, was an epitome of beauty and could not have escaped Mandela’s radar. In 1957, she was already a social worker who was passionate about the freedom of her people after turning down a scholarship to study in an American university. He was a political activist, fighting for the same cause. She was shy, young and beautiful; he was married, matured and also manly. While working at the Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg, she became

2nd marriage to Winnie Madikizela

interested in politics after carrying out a research in Alexandra Township to establish the rate of infantile mortality. They had met during his Treason Trial and by 1958, after divorcing his first wife, he married Winnie. They had two daughters, Zenani and Zinzi. Mandela felt he had finally met his match in Winnie and to say he adored her then is an understatement. Finally, he found his missing rib, someone who adored him and believed in him. His admiration for her grew when he was later incarcerated on Robben Island. She proved to be a helpmate with her continuous projection of Mandela name outside the prison. There was no denying the love bond between these two. Despite the seemingly age difference between the two, Mandela always felt that he was Winnie’s protector because he influenced her political beliefs. For once, he longed to be there for his family– to be with Winnie whom he felt was going through difficult times alone without his help. Though she visited him, they had no conjugal privileges. The only bond of intimacy created were the famous letters he wrote to her while in prison. In one of his letters, he wrote: “Your beautiful photo still stands about two feet above my left shoulder as I write this note. I dust it carefully every morning, for to do so gives me the pleasant

feeling that I’m caressing you as in the old days. I even touch your nose with mine to recapture the electric current that used to flush through my blood whenever I did so. Nolitha stands on the table directly opposite me. How can my spirits ever be down when I enjoy the fond attentions of such wonderful ladies”. The African hero was greatly enamoured by his beau. Winnie on the hand proved to be a devoted lover but not for too long. She became Mandela’s alter ego, his voice outside the prison walls. She fought for his freedom and that of his people. She was a strong and powerful woman to reckon with. This increasingly made Mandela fall so much in love with her. But he had his worries. She was a beautiful woman; one that men can hardly take their eyes off. Being alone and facing all manners of treatments in his name made him worry about her safety and commitment to him. Then the rumours swam in. From her gossiped adulterous lifestyle to her murderous rule of power, Mandela began to hope against all hopes that all were lies, that his lovely Winnie was still the same woman he had cherished. Imagine the anticipation in his heart when finally he was released from prison in 1990. She stood next to him, happy that finally they were together. But this was

shortlived. If Mandela had expected to find the same shy but vibrant young lady he left in 1961, he was in for a surprise. She became evasive and arrogant; she would shy away from his bedroom when he was awake. A confused man in love, he wondered what might have gone wrong, he was willing to make amends, but Winnie was not the woman he used to know. She had become distant, she wouldn’t want any confrontations. Inwardly she felt betrayed by the terms on which Mandela had signed with the dictatorship. Her political excesses and lack of intimacy in their relationship somehow convinced the prisoner that her love was no longer the same. They separated in 1992 but finally divorced in 1996. It must, however, have been torturous to watch a man whom you have spent your entire life fighting for his cause being inaugurated as the first Black President in the country without standing beside him. Winnie’s intoxicated love for politics and her abuse of power led to the final straw in their marriage. Cupid arrow was once again broken in the anti-apartheid ruler’s life Third time’s the charm After the end of his 37-year marriage to Winnie, the former South Africa President took another shot at love with Graça Machel (nee Simbine) former wife of the late Mozambique President and ANC ally, Samora Machel who was killed in a plane crash in October 1986. For Mandela, the third time’s the charm in his marriage to 67-year-old Graça Machel, The humanitarian like Mandela, also advocates for human rights. Experienced in the spousal role of high office, Graça is not only the first African woman to become a British Dame, she is also the only woman to hold the title of “first lady” to two presidents from two different countries. The wedding followed months of international negotiations to set the unprecedented bride price to be remitted to Machel’s clan. Said negotiations were conducted on Mandela’s behalf by his traditional sovereign, King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo. The paramount chief ’s grandfather was the regent Jongintaba Dalindyebo, who had arranged a marriage for Mandela which he eluded. They got married with Machel bringing two children along into their union. Their wedding, unlike Mandela’s previous marriages, pooled 2000 prominent personalities from around the world including the late king of pop, Michael Jackson. For the ceremony, Mandela wore a gold-patterned open shirt and Graça a long white dress with wide puffed sleeves, Elizabethanstyle. They were blessed beforehand by the Chief Rabbi and also by the Muslim Sheikh Nazim Mohammed and the Hindu Mrs. Nanachene. They were married by a Methodist Bishop, Myume Dandala –since they had both been brought up as Methodists – assisted by Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu . It was also in commemoration of his eightieth birthday. The couple spent their honeymoon in Argentina, Brazil and Qunu. Surely, old wine definitely tasted better for Mandela, but for Graça the recurring burden of widowhood may be too heavy a load to bear in her twilight years.

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Was Winnie at Mandela’s deathbed? •Former president surrounded by family including third wife Graca Machel, 68 •His daughter, Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah, 60, grandsons Ndaba Mandela, 30, and Mandla Mandela, 38, also thought to have been at his side •Elders from his native Thembu tribe are believed to have been at deathbed •But there was no sign of Winnie Mandela, 77, his second wife

elson Mandela died at home in the Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, 10 weeks after being allowed out of the Pretoria hospital where he had been treated for a persistent lung infection. South African president Jacob Zuma said the 95-year-old, who was transferred home by ambulance in August to spend his final weeks there, had ‘passed on peacefully in the company of his family’. Mandela’s third wife, Graca Machel, 68, is believed to have been by his side, as well as some of his children, grandchildren, stepchildren, a priest, and elders from his native Thembu tribe. But there was no sign of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Mandela’s second wife who married him in 1958 and stood by him throughout his 27 years in jail before the 38-year marriage ended bitterly in 1996. The former president’s condition had fluctuated since June, when he was admitted to hospital suffering from an infection and it was widely feared he was close to death. His condition improved enough for him to be allowed home, where his bedroom had been adapted into what was said to resemble an intensive care unit. Last month Mrs Madikizela-Mandela said her former husband had beaten a bout of pneumonia but was still ‘quite

Graca Machel, 68, married Nelson Mandela on his 80th birthday and they were together for 15 years until he died

ill’ and was unable to speak because of tubes inserted into his lungs to clear them of liquid. She said he was using facial expressions to communicate, and said the house had to be kept sterile to ensure the infection did not recur. This week Mandela’s condition again deteriorated, and he was reported to be on life support and unconscious as the end neared. On Wednesday, the day before her father died, Mandela’s eldest daughter

Mandela’s daughter Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah, centre, and her daughters Tukwini and Ndileka, right, are thought to have been with him at the end

Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah, 60, said: ‘You can see he is struggling, but the fighting spirit is there with him.’ And his grandson by his late son Makgatho Mandela, Ndaba Mandela, 30, said: ‘He is not doing well at home in bed.’ Winnie Mandela was married to the statesman from 1958-1996 Graca Machel, 68, married Nelson Mandela on his 80th birthday and they were together for 15 years until he died Ndaba’s older brother Mandla Man-

Winnie Mandela was married to the statesman from 1958-1996

dela, 39, is believed to have been with Mandela in his final hours, as were Graca Mandela’s children Josina and Malenga Machel, who are in their 30s. A priest was also said to have been summoned to the house yesterday evening. The former personal assistant Zelda la Grange, 43, is although thought to have been close to the family as Mandela’s condition worsened. During the last hours before his death at 8.50pm Johannesburg time, elders from Mandela’s native Thembu clan joined his relatives at his side. The elders would have performed, either at Mandela’s home or later in the mortuary, a traditional ceremony called ‘the closing of the eyes’, to herald the transition from life to the next stage. The ceremony would have involved the elders talking to Mandela, and also to his ancestors, to explain what was happening to his spirit during each stage as he passed from life on earth. On Friday morning, Mandela’s body was removed from his house in a coffin draped in a South African flag and taken to a military hospital in Pretoria, before the start of a 10-day mourning period. Next Sunday a state funeral, expected to be the biggest funeral Africa and possibly the world has ever seen, will take place in the Eastern Cape village of Qunu where Mandela spent his childhood. (mailonline.com)

Mandela’s grandson Mandla, 39, visited his grandfather at home shortly before he died

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The aloof father

I don’t know if my father loves me –Nelson Mandela’s daughter

andela’s oldest surviving child is Dr Makaziwe Mandela, known as Maki, his daughter from a troubled first marriage to nurse Evelyn Mase. And although she is now at peace with her father, she says that she struggled for years with feelings of anger and abandonment and that her older brothers Thembi (who died in a car crash in 1969) and Makgatho (who died of an AIDS-related illness in 2005) felt very much the same. Still a child when her parents divorced, Maki grewaa up during her father’s long years of imprisonment. Yet even after the extraordinary scenes surrounding his release from Robben Island in 1990, she says his family took a back seat to politics. Maki says: “As a child, before my father went to prison, I yearned to have both of my parents in my life, but it was my mother who brought me up. I had a father who had been there but not really there. He was not available to us. “I used to talk to my brothers about it and they would tell me, “Don’t look for your father. He’s given his life to politics. He lives and breathes politics . . .” “It sounds strange, but Dad and I developed a better relationship when he was in prison.” Even though the letters sent by Mandela were lacking in emotion, they at least provided Maki with some personal contact. “But,” she says, “when he came out of jail, he was just swallowed by the world and by South Africa. “I still think that after he was released, he should have created some space for the family, for his children. We were ignored, or at least not acknowledged, while he was preoccupied with politics. “I really do think he could have done things a little bit differently. He doesn’t make the effort to really engage. He’s open and extrovert to the world, but awkward in his intimate personal relationships with his own family.’ Sitting on the terrace of her large, modern home in a smart suburb of Johannesburg, Maki looks every bit the successful businesswoman she has become. She sits on the boards of major industrial concerns, including South African Nestlé, and charitable foundations, and attributes her drive, and her subsequent success, to her mother rather than her father. “My mum was a strong woman,” she says. “She is the one who was married to him the longest. And for a long time, she

was the sole breadwinner. She paid for his education and she made him what he is, in terms of the lawyer and the man in good standing in the community. “My mother used to say, “I did all of those things for your father and then when he had made it, he showed me the door”. She also used to say that Winnie [the second Mrs Mandela] was not the cause of her marriage break-up. Yes, my dad likes beautiful women but I think she was not the cause, there were other ladies before her.” But Maki adds: ‘While I have a strong will and the courage of my mum, I also think I definitely have the stubbornness of my father. I’m also very opinionated.’ Nelson Mandela was 26 when he married 23-year-old Evelyn in Johannesburg in 1944. But by the time Maki was born in 1953, her father was already an increasingly distant figure at home. He had gained a reputation as a charismatic and ambitious lawyer and civil-rights activist. He was also, according to many who were there at the time, an unabashed womaniser. Furthermore, in a report filed during their divorce in 1957, Evelyn claimed her husband repeatedly assaulted her and even threatened to kill her with an axe unless she left their home in Soweto. Mandela disputed her claims and they were never tested in a court of law. Maki says: “When I was young, my father was a fleeting presence in my life. First he left home, then he went into hiding and then he went to jail, so I’ve never had this sort of intimate daughter-father bond with him. And by the time he came out of jail, I was a married woman with my own children. In his mind, I was still the five, six or seven-year-old girl that he lost. “My father is so old-fashioned and traditional. He still treats all his children like children. He believes he’s the authority figure who knows it all . . . but he doesn’t really!” Maki reveals she has some happy memories of being with her father but says they were few and far between. She says: “Nelson has an aloofness. When I was eight and he was in hiding, we used to walk together through the forest and we were close, we talked and were silent together, and it’s a good memory. “That’s probably the closest I ever was to him but he was never there for me really. He’s always been an absent dad. Of course there are moments when I’ve been sitting on the couch with him and given him a hug and said, “I love you, Dad.” But he’s a poli-

tician, that’s where his energy has always been, in politics not in his family. “But I’ve come to believe that this thing called a daughter-father relationship is not something that happens automatically, it’s something you have to work on. I try to work on it with my dad but I don’t think he knows how because he didn’t have the love from his father.” She recalls: “When I had an operation he came to the hospital and sat on the bed but he’s not a holding-hands type of man. He’s awkward. To his children he’s awkward, he doesn’t know how to reach out. “When my mother passed away he came and he didn’t hug me and my brother and say, “I’m sorry, your mummy’s gone”. He came and did the manly thing and said sorry but no hug, no kiss, nothing like that. I guess he didn’t have those things when he grew up either. I don’t blame him. I did have a lot of anger wondering why he had children if he didn’t know how to show them love but later I started to understand a little. Now I’ve come to terms with it. There are a lot of children who grow up without daddies. At the end of the day you just have to cut your losses and move on. “I have none of the simple memories other children have with their fathers – the day we went swimming together, or for a picnic, or camping. No, no, no, nothing. I’ll be sad when he’s gone but he hasn’t been a constant presence in my life. “I want to spend as much time as possible with him before he goes but there’s got to be a willingness on both sides, the awkwardness makes it difficult. I don’t know if he loves me. Children must learn to accept that sometimes they’re not really loved by their parents.” Of course, she takes pride in his struggle and his achievement. “There’s no doubt about it, he really has contributed positively to the world and that makes me feel proud.” But that, as she says, has come at a heavy price. “He doesn’t talk about it openly, but I think that there’s a spot inside him where

he thinks he has not done well for his children. He doesn’t believe in regrets, but he has said to me that he’s sorry he wasn’t there when I was growing up.” Mandela has tried, she says, to be a good father. ‘In his own way, he has tried to look after us. He feels it’s part of his duty to take care of his family. So when my first marriage brown down, he found me a lawyer and even bought the house where I still live today. ‘My father is very patriarchal and wants to protect everyone. Maki is at great pains to insist that she bears no ill-will towards her father. ‘I know there’s this aura around him. But to me, he’s not Nelson Mandela, he’s my dad – with all the goodness and the frailties that brings.’ And as she has grown older, Maki has set aside old arguments with Winnie and her children and her father’s current wife, Graca Machel. She says: ‘We’ve wasted a lot of time and energy squabbling about nonsense. But we have nothing to fight about.’ Has her father talked about death? ‘No, he doesn’t talk about that,’ Maki says. ‘He is aware that he hasn’t got much longer left.’ She laughs and adds: ‘He’s old now and he talks about the same things over and over again. He tells the same stories that happened a long time ago – ancient stories about his friends, his school days and so forth – and you have to pretend you are hearing it for the first time and are really interested. ‘When I see him, I kiss him and hug him. I would rather maintain the good memories than the other side. I realise he’s a great man, but I can also see that there are areas of life that he has not succeeded in. ‘I used to feel very angry and bitter about it. But now I feel sad for my brothers who never had the time to come to terms with Dad for what he is. I can honestly say that I’m at peace with myself these days. And I’m at peace with him. I truly am.’ (www.mailonline.com. First published on October 16, 2010)

Entervaganza The Saturday Mirror Magazine

Woman Nudity is not fashionable Deola Sagoe

Fashion Glamour girls

Relationships A Are iinter-tribal t t ib l marriages ideal?

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Sex talk Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happening in bedrooms this year?

Mercy

...Street smart

ENTERVAGANZA

t’s very difficult to become a truly successful actress. What did you do to make it? I won’t say it’s my own making. I will say it’s the grace of God Almighty, because the Bible says that your talent shall make a way for you. And I believe that acting is the talent God gave me, so I stood upon that Word, so I put my God before everything I do, then also hard work, professionalism and discipline, I can say they are the things I’m doing to get to where I’m going to. But what’s actually taking me to where I’m going to, I can say categorically is the grace of God Almighty. Apart from the grace of God, which is on everyone, we’ve heard tales of actresses who paid producers to feature them in movies and others sleeping with producers. What underhand thing did you do to support God’s grace? Sincerely, I didn’t have to do any of those things. That’s why I said once you’re favoured, you’re favoured. When you’re favoured, doors open, things you don’t expect start to work together for your good because the Lord has distinguished you from everybody else, so I didn’t have to do those things. But what I’ll just say is that, that is not actually the way because some people might end up doing all those things and they still don’t get to where they want to. So I just believe it’s the grace of God and your hard work that matter. At times, you are favoured, but you don’t work towards your goal, towards your objectives, you don’t put in your best to be among the best in what you’re doing, so your hard work really matters. Then you have to be disciplined in this kind of job. If people see that you’re a professional to the core, you don’t come late to locations, you don’t have unnecessary airs, you take your job like your job, they would always want to work with you because they know you are a professional. So I think those are just the things that one really, really needs to get to the top. Do you think your comfortable background has played a huge factor in your success, in that you could afford not to be desperate while other girls who have to survive would do anything to get roles that if you don’t get, your parents would still have taken care of you? I don’t know. I can’t really say if it was a factor in my success. The only thing I can say helped me was the training my father gave me. I can’t say it’s his money or anything. It’s the training he gave me, the morals he has instilled in me, so anytime I’m faced with any kind of challenge, I’m like ‘Mercy, what would you do that your father won’t like?’ or ‘Mercy, what would your father say to you in this situation?’ because my father is a very strict man, he’s a disciplinarian to the core. You know all those kind of Benin men that believe they just have to train their kids well. So it’s his training that helped me not to be desperate. I also knew deep down that I would make it and that nobody could stop me. The thing is that I’m very spiritual. I believe in God, that whatever happens to you is God. What are your achievements as an actress? Hmmn, what I want to achieve, I’ve not achieved. I’ve not gotten to where I’m going to. OK, tell us what you want to achieve. Let me keep it under wraps for now. Where I’m really going to is close to my heart and it’s my God I always tell it to, so don’t let me tell you my dreams and aspirations and where I’m going to in this industry. But what I can definitely tell you is that I’ve not gotten to where I’m going to. But at the same time, I

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

How I deal with area boys –Mercy Aigbe Mercy Aigbe doesn’t really need any introduction. She is one of the hottest actresses in the country, has starred in an uncountable number of movies and has made the news for both professional and personal reasons. OSEYIZA OOGBODO tasked her on the secret of her success. give God the glory for how far He has taken me. At least, to God be the glory, Mercy Aigbe has come to stay. How do you feel when people meet you and gush that they are so happy to meet you? I feel really loved because that means they appreciate what you do, for people to want to talk to you when they see you, for them to wave at you and all that. I feel blessed and loved because I know the work I’m doing is being appreciated. In the same vein, do area boys accost you for money? Of course they do. I think that is their own way of showing that they are your fans. And anytime they see you, they are like ‘Ah! E fun wa lowo’ which means you should give them money. And when they request, what do you do? At times, I give them and at times I don’t. It depends on my mood actually. And it depends on the way they talk to me. What is the highest amount you’ve ever given them? I can’t say an amount in particular. I just give them as my mood d i c tates.

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

December 7, 2013

Peter P-Square begs angry brother, Jude, on bent knees

ft keeping fter k i mum initially i iti ll on all ll the allegations that ensued when he married the love of his life, Lola Omotayo, Peter P-Square has finally come out to say all the accusations that Lola committed infidelity, and that his elder brother, Jude, is not in support of his marriage to her, are unfounded. Peter’s refutations, coming three weeks after the wedding, have thrown up a more salient question: why didn’t he react immediately, and why didn’t he say why Jude didn’t come to the wedding? The answer is quite simple. A wellconnected source in the music industry has told Entervaganza that Peter couldn’t react then because whatever he said then might have further worsened the situation. According to the source, Peter only able to finally deny the sordid allegations because he had to go on his knees to beg his elder brother, Jude, whose absence at the wedding fuelled the allegations. While everyone felt that Jude was against the wedding because of the infidelity accusation, the source said that PSquare’s mother wished them to marry

Paul, Jude, Peter and Naeto C in South Africa last weekend

ladies of Eastern extraction, and this was the major reason Jude was against Peter’s marriage to Lola who is from the SouthWest.

things are now back to normal between the brothers, hence why they could attend together the Channel O Music Video Awards last weekend in South Africa.

Headies snubs T

Omawumi

But since Peter begged Jude, supposedly on the advice of, and with the support of his twin, Paul, Jude had no choice than to back down on his rigid stance, and

i m u w a m O , e g a v a S a iw MI, T

he undisputed db bestt music i awards d in the country presently, The Headies, has finally announced the nominees for its edition this year which is slated for Boxing Day, December 26th. Unsurprisingly, hot rapper, Olamide, has a lot of nominations, the most actually, with eight nominations to his name. Other multiple nominees are Davido with five, Iyanya with four, Waje with three, and Seyi Shay and Sean Tizzle with two each. Surprisingly, some big names were not even nominated. Tiwa Savage, Omawumi and MI in particular are guilty as charged

iin this hi regard. d As is usual with awards, now that the nominations have been released, people are wondering who the winners will be, especially in the Next rated category which gives a brand new car to its winner. Its nominees are Sean Tizzle, Burna Boy, Phyno, Seyi Shay and Dammy Krane. Since they all deserve it, but only one of them can win it, which of them will it be? Another keenly speculated category is Artist of the Year which is a straight battle between Davido, Iyanya, Wizkid, Olamide and Ice Prince. They are all very hot, so which of them will floor the others? The answers await us all on Boxing Day.

Wizkid, Banky W, P-Square

Banky W and Wizkid

hat would have been major league embarrassment for the country’s entertainment sector was averted last weekend by the inimitable talents of Wizkid, Banky W and P-Square. Presently, the Nigerian music industry is believed to be the hottest in Africa. So it is only expected that Nigerian musicians should dominate African music award ceremonies by winning most of the awards on offer. So when the nominees for the Channel O Music Video Awards were announced, it wasn’t surprising that many heavyweight

s rd a w a O l e n n a h C t a a save Nigeri Nigerian music artists were nominated in several categories. With Iyanya, Wizkid, PSquare, Banky W, D’Prince, Chidinma, Jesse Jagz, Kcee, 2face, Davido, Naeto C, EME, Tiwa Savage, Lola Rae and Burna Boy representing the country, it was expected that they would cart home the most awards. Ice Prince in particular was expected to win because he won a superior award in America, BET’s Best African Artist, so it was believed that it would be a piece of

cake for him to win Channel O’s top category, Most Gifted Video of the Year. That wasn’t the case, though. The category was nevertheless won by a Nigerian in the person of Wizkid for his popular Azonto, P-Square won the Most Gifted West African Video for Alingo, and Banky W claimed the Most Gifted R&B Video for Yes/No, thereby saving the country from the very probable embarrassment of not winning any of the awards.

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

CLASSICAL RYHMES

E-NEWS

Don Jazzy, P-Square, Omotola, Chimamanda named among 100 Most Influential Africans T

here is one thing common to the entertainment personalities, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Don Jazzy, P-Square and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. They have won many awards and have been honoured several times over. But like the case of the rich getting richer, more honour continues to come their way. They have been named among the 100 Most Influential Africans in 2013, and this is not an easy feat. Africa’s population is so much that chosen being ch hosen as hose one of AfriAffrimost ca’s mos m st influential

Jazzy

Omotola

persons is a very noteworthy achievement. According to New African Magazine, the four were chosen to be among the hundred in the arts and culture category “because their actions and reach, among African men and women of all nationalities and ages, have determined and significantly impacted on and realigned the continent’s landscape in their fields of endeavour. They contributed in redefining the African narrative in 2013 and we feel they will play a big role in 2014, hopefully, for Africa’s good.” good Giving the reasons why the G Nigeria-based Nigerian four Nig were chosen, NAM said Don we Jazzy is referred to as Africa’s Jaz number one music producer num and that he has produced biga time hit songs for D’Banj, Tiwa Savage and others in addition to running a record label, Mavin Records, through which he discovers and mentors artists. As for Omotola, she

was chosen because she embodies true African beauty beyond measure, is the first African celebrity to achieve one million likes on Facebook, was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME magazine, and is increasingly becoming a social activist in her own right, boldly criticising the current African political dispensation. While P-Square were chosen because their music cuts across age, gender and geographical boundaries, Chimamanda made the prestigious list because 2013 was another great year for her with the release of the movie adaptation of her acclaimed novel, Half of a Yellow Sun. The other names in the arts and culture category of the 100 Most Influential Africans are Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Omar Sy and Idris Elba (actors), Alek Wek (supermodel), David Adjaye (architect), DJ Sbu (producer), Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe (fashion design entrepreneur), El Anatsui (visual artist), Trevor Noah (comedian), Fatoumata Diawaraa (musician) and NoViolet Bulawayo (author).

Chuddy K pitches tent with Tiwa Savage’s husband I n a bid to revive his career, Gaga Crazy singer, Chuddy K, has pitched his tent with Tunji Balogun, Tiwa Savage’s husband and manager. Balogun, popularly known as TJ Billz, is behind Savage’s extremely successful career, and was also the one who made Saucekid known in the Nigerian

music industry. Now that he and Chuddy K are working together, we can only wait to see what the fruits of their association will be. Before they came together to release Chuddy K’s latest single, Ima Bom, Chuddy K’s career, which blossomed with his

monster hit, Gaga Crazy, was wilting, maybe because he had problems with his label, SQN Music, which establish hich he quit tto o e stablish his own, Records, n, Kent Recor rdss, which is now partnership w in partner rshiip with Balogun’s Enterlogun’s 323 En ntertainment. nment.

Another laurel for Cornell Udofia

Udofia

ultiple award winning celebrity publicist, Cornell Udofia, will be bestowed with yet another award today when he is conferred with the Fellow of Advance Institute of Entrepreneurship, Business and Brand Management, Eduskills Entrepreneur Academy Nigeria. Udofia, who has represented several Alist celebrities including Jim Iyke, Faze and Oge Okoye, has won over 58 awards since he hit the limelight in 2007. In 2010 alone, he won over 10 awards and a year doesn’t go by without him winning several awards.

Chuddy K

Sasha

Adara Artist: Sasha Verse 1 I wanna talk about the stress Wanna get it off my chest Take my time and re-invest Asking is it worth it? All the sleepless nights The fights and the crisis, the critics biting Mama told me there’d be days like this Put your pen to paper never use your fist Imagine how I came through my fears rhyming Started my career, blew it up with the Trybesmen A lot of people had their own opinions Took it in my stride and stuck to my onions They think they know who she would be, should be Numbed by the pressure see I really wanna be me Inspiration gone, direction gone Packing my bags I must be must be done But my heart keeps drawing me back you can do it baby, one more track! Chorus (2x) Hey [hey] Keep your head up don’t you cry [cry] You can make it if you try Sa ra giri omo ekun Adara adara Verse 2 Wey the hits? Wey the album? Have to measure up to the standards of the stardom Can’t explain three years running and only one single Confessing to the audience only one video? But you hear me though, e mi ni mo wa ise Won de make sure pe, e mi ni mo ri ise Emcees coming out, gotta top the charts I’m losing it losing it, pulling all the stops Maybe a party song, no that’s regular Do a whole track and

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

December 7, 2013

E-NEWS

Eko Music Festival finally arrives T

he Eko Music Festival was planned to be one of the biggest entertainment events in the country this year. Initially announced as holding in April, it was however postponed, and its chief promoter, Ayo George, of Gennie Leisure Inc., has disclosed that it is not holding this year after all. But as is the norm with people in the entertainment world, George is so full of self-belief in his vision that he explains sleekly that EMF’s postponement, basically as a result of technical hitches, to its new date of May 31st, 2014, is in fact a good omen. “EMF will hold on a much grander scale on May 31st next year. We had plans for it to hold this year in a big way in April, but while we were trying to perfect all the arrangements, lots of people were coming to us with various suggestions beyond the scope of our intentions so we realised we had to postpone it to accommodate as many of those suggestions as possible,” he said. “Though we also had to postpone it due to sponsorship and other technical hitches, the underlying reason we postponed it is because it dawned on us that what we had to do was much bigger than what we had planned so we would be shooting ourselves in the foot if we didn’t go back to the drawing board,” he added. Even though EMF holds next year, it actually begins today with the Face of Eko Picture Competition at Club Ntyce, Victoria Island, Lagos. The picture competition is the first step in the process to choose the lady who will be crowned the festival queen at EMF. Face of Eko is not EMF’s only feature. Based on inputs from sevquareral

George

... Begins today with beauty pageant photo shoot ... Endorsed by JJC, Waconzy ... Celebrity Walk Against Malaria, others, to come ters, there have been many more features and attractions added to EMF, and many of its initial features have also been modified, but George insists that one feature which remains unchanged is that musicians who perform at EMF will do so only with live bands backing them. “EMF is not just for people to catch fun at with the performances of their favourite artists. EMF also seeks the development of the music industry through encouraging artists to perform properly so there will only be live band performances at EMF. People keep complaining that our artists mime to their CDs, but EMF won’t allow that,” he declared. Some of the features which have been added to EMF include the Celebrity Walk Against Malaria, celebrity autograph signing sessions at all Lagos Shoprite stores, EMF Gang and celebrity sanitation and tree planting exercise, EMF Gang and celebrity club tour, and celebrity football match. Despite the fact that the first edition is yet to hold, holld,

Waconzy

EMF’s organisers, Gennie Leisure Inc. and In-House Entertainment, already have plans to be holding it all over Africa. “After the first edition holds next year in Lagos, Nigeria, it will move to Ghana in 2015, and our plan is that it will be holding in different African countries. The rich cultural heritage of Lagos State and Nigeria deserve to be exported, and EMF is our own way of selling Nigeria’s music, lifestyle and cultures, and especially those of Lagos, to the world,” George disclosed. Regarding the artists who will perform at EMF, he said, “We will be unveiling our artist lineup very soon. We have some time between now and when the festival will hold so we have enough time to still make them known to the world. I can only say at this point that only the best artists will grace the EMF stage.” JJC, the renowned artist, music producer and film director is certain to be one of EMF’s performing artists. He was present at the pre press es conference to announce EMF’s ne new date, and he spoke glowingly of it. “I’m in totall support of EMF belived cause I’ve live d in England d most of my life, and over there, it’s like one festival o r

JJC

the other taking place every two months. And I always say, united we stand, divided we fall, so when someone is doing something, we must support ourselves every way we can for the betterment of the country. I’m an artist and a director so I’m going to be offering myself in those capacities to EMF and I’m sure it’s going to be a great festival so I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. JJC wasn’t the only star music artist at the conference. Amosu singer, Waconzy, who was in the news recently for making negative comments about his colleagues, Davido, Timaya and Olamide, was also there and he also said he was in full support of EMF. “It’s a very good initiative and I have no choice than to support it. EMF is further proof that the Nigerian music industry is growing by the day and I know it will definitely project us to the world so it’s a welcome development and I can’t wait for it to hold,” he said. Another important music industry personality who is also supporting EMF is Sijuade Adedokun, president of the Association of Music Artists Managers of Nigeria. “Things like this encourage young people so I’m behind it all the way,” he said.

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Stella Damasus

writes late husband ... You’re lucky to be dead ... I still miss you so much ... Your daughters miss you

Damasus

t’s very difficult to forget a loved one, especially when he or she was snatched away by death at an early age. Top actress Stella Damasus falls into this category. Her husband, Jaiye Aboderin, was snatched away by death nine years ago, and she still remembers him so vividly that she posted a letter to him on her blog to commemorate the ninth anniversary of his untimely and painful demise. The letter is indeed an emotional one that had her pouring her heart without proper censorship. “Wow! It’s amazing how time flies,” she

wrote. “It’s been nine years since you left us and it still feels like yesterday. I guess it’s because I remember too many things and feel all the emotions like they just happened. You were always the man of the people; who loved to put smiles on faces, especially mine. “I also wondered what and who you would expect me to be now. I wondered if I have done justice to at least a huge portion of all the plans we had together. I know that God heard us those nights we held hands and prayed together, asking for his help in accomplishing g what we set out to

do, especially in the lives of our children Isabel and Angelica. He has done great things in our lives and has continued to be there for us. “Jaiye, your girls miss you so much and I have made sure that whenever they hear any of your songs, they know it’s you because that voice has remained in their hearts. Isabel still tells me how she knows that her shoe size came from you and Angelica insists that her height has nothing to do with me but owes it to you. Above all they know and will always know what a wonderful and loving father you were. Nothing will ever change that no matter what. “As I always say ‘time does not heal wounds, it only makes the load and pain lighter. Only God can heal wounds’. “As I write this letter to you, I am not crying, instead I am smiling because in

... with the late Jaiye

my heart I know you are in the best place ever, where your laughter will resonate. “I miss you so much my love and I know that when the time comes I will see you again. “Okay, let me go and face the world. You are so lucky because you no longer have to deal with all the hate, gossip, backbiting, deception, oppression, sickness, war, accidents, disasters, robbery and all the other things the rest of us have to deal with.”

Controversial Charles Novia again

o say the least, producer-director Charles Novia has taken on the toga of controversy in recent times. His controversial image arose from his constant reaction to issues. His reactions don’t always go down well with some people who then attack him return, therefore making him seem controversial and a trouble maker.

... names Mercy Johnson best actress ... Rita Dominic’s fans disagree

He lashed out against Beverly Osu in Big Brother Africa but she couldn’t respond because she was cooped up in the Big Brother house. He lashed out against Maheeda for posting semi-nude pictures and she gave

Moms’ Ball set to rock Lagos A s part of its contributions to the legacy of working mothers in Nigeria, Working Moms Africa Magazine, a leading African publication that focuses on the life and times of mothers, is now set to host the Lagos edition of its annual Moms’ Ball. This year’s event, which holds by 4.30 pm on December 15th at the prestigious Clear Essence California Resort, Ikoyi, Lagos is to celebrate, encourage and continually support working class mothers. It is also a prelude to the National

Moms’ Summit scheduled to hold in Abuja which hosted Moms’ Ball last year. According to Mary Ikoku, Moms’ Ball’s convener, the annual event is dedicated to showcasing and honouring mothers from different walks of life who have achieved the commendable feat of pursuing a chosen career while supporting the family. She promised that such mothers who make it to the ball will not regret doing so as they will have so much fun and also network.

him a piece of her mind in return. Now he says that Mercy Johnson is Nollywood’s best actress, followed by Tamara Etieno, Damilola Adegbite, Yvonne Okoro and Rita Dominic as the fifth best. Unsurprisingly, his top five actresses list

is already drawing the ire of several people with many of them questioning if he is the right authority to rate actresses. Johnson’s fans however agree with him that she is the best while Dominic’s fans believe that she is the best and that Novia did her a disservice by naming her as the fifth best.

Johnson

Dominic

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

December 7, 2013

Styleand with Yemisi Adeniran

The beginning from

Sisiano

asuals, though the most used and common category of fashion, has transformed itself with this passing time. No longer is it what it used to be way back in the early 80s. It has become more trendy and smart in this modern world. Casual wear is the dress code which emphasises comfort and personal expression over presentation and uniformity. While some interpret it as some T-shirts on jeans, others will rather have it in some skimpy or weird styles of desired fabric. The best update of this ‘fashion’ in any case, is always kept by the youth and the young at heart. For Sisiano, a Nigerian label, casuals are simply the beginning of fashion. “It has currently gone beyond the old western wear to the versatility of the Ankara and other fabrics of their choice,” she said. Just check the models out.

Glam

(08037801158) ydiran@yahoo.com

December 7, 2013

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Fashion Frenzy

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December 7, 2013

Gla Gl amour girls L

ooking glamorous depends strictly on your level of creativity. It goes with a good choice of fabric, a friendly colour of material on your skin colour plus a candid understanding of your figure frame and shape. With a creative mind, you can combine two or more of these fabrics and make a style that will enhance your endowment and hide your figure flaws. Your choice of style may be body hugging, billowy or long and free flowing. Many people make the common mistake of thinking that wearing a long and flowing material will make them look less desirable, so, they stick to the skimpy wears. This is wrong. Choosing a flowing material that flows away from the body does not only allow increased air circulation into the body, it also adds to its wearer a rare elegance and sophistication that is found amidst queens and princesses. For a dramatic look, you may make the upper part of your dress strappy form with a closed-necked shape or halter-neck, spaghetti, sleeveless, empire, off shoulder, mono-strap or any kind of beautiful sleeve that you feel will stand you out of any crowd. A soft or sheer material will also give you that alluring and stylish appearance you desire. Cotton materials of Ankara, linen or brocade are also good choices any day. Remember to pair your outfit with heels. It can be a wedge, platform or a stiletto. Make it very colourful and you will be hot on the run.

FASHION FRENZY

STYLE & GLAM M

December 7, 2013

Fashion Guest

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23-year- old Ekunwe Eniola Stephanie Efe has been modelling since her university years. A graduate of Accounting, she loves to make greater exploits in the world of fashion. She tells YEMISI ADENIRAN all about this in this close-up.

ow did you get into modeling? A friend of mine introduced me to a designer when I was in my first year at the university and since then, there has not been any looking back for me. Before this time, I have been in love with modelling since I was in Junior Secondary School 3(JSS3). I just discovered my love for the camera, I love to be at the centre of attraction. I love to be applauded and cheered up. Modelling has offered me this and I intend to take it to the highest level I can by the grace of God. Have your parents been in support of this? Yes, they have been. My parents are liberal-minded as long as we, their children are conscious of lifting up the good reputation of the family. My father is an engineer and my mother, a business woman. They are exposed and ever ready to give their support to whatever thing that is decent and profitable. They have stood solidly behind me and this is helping me greatly. How were you able to cope while in school? Well… it has been my choice all along, so, I made sure I found a way around it. It was not easy but I used to fix my modelling jobs for weekends. I was able to cope with the help of God, friends and like I said my parents. But now, I have graduated; I have all the time to face it squarely. Who are your role models? Watching Naomi Campbell while I was in secondary school greatly inspired me. Oluchi Orlandi is another role model I treasure so much. What are your physical attributes that you think have been giving you

‘My legs are my greatest assets’

an edge over others? My greatest assets are my legs. I love runway and my legs are perfect for the runway! What would you suggest as a way forward for the industry?

Really, in Nigeria, models, generally, are not taken seriously. Even when you have all that it takes to qualify you as a good one, if you are not highly connected, you may not get any job. This alone is highly discouraging and it kills dreams.

Fashion Trivia

9 major makeup faux pas

re you a makeup freak but always having problems with it at the end of all efforts? Check the following guide and see if some of these mistakes are avoidable: 1. You are not blending well enough: I don’t know how many times I have to emphasise the need to blend. You have to make sure there are no harsh lines. 2. You simply put on too much makeup: Makeup is meant to enhance your

natural beauty. A word is enough for the wise. 3. Your under eye concealer is too light or too dark for your skin tone: The concealer is supposed to cover dark circles or blemishes, so try using a shade or two lighter than your skin tone. 4. You got too much blush on: I’m sure your intent wasn’t to look like a clown in photos. Use a light hand while applying the blush. It is supposed to highlight your

cheekbones and also bring some colour to your face. A little goes a long way. 5. Your foundation looks cakey: You either put too much on or the makeup brand is crappy. Either way, please stop it. Learn to start off small, then add as needed. 6. You are wearing bad false lashes: If your false lashes seem to come across as spider legs, you may want to rethink wearing those lashes.

e w n u Ek ola i n E 7. You are wearing a really dark liner with a light lip colour: Stop with the 80’s look! You either want to use the dark liner to fill in your lips and then apply clear lip gloss or use the same shade of lip liner for your lip colour. 8. You shaved off your eyebrows, and then drew them in: No, no, no, no! I mean, what were you thinking? Apart from the fact that you’d be scaring people off when you got no makeup on, you will have this “old and tired” look. Don’t do it! 9. You are wearing a really bright eye shadow: Leave that look.

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December 7, 2013

Male Essentials

08036961187

with Oseyiza Oogbodo kingseiza@gmail.com w

Caring for your dress shoes Y

ou can tell the measure of a man Given the high price by hiss shoes. s of quality quali leather dress shoes, let’s concept at face value. Durable, take that conce dress shoes range comfortable, stylish st anywhere from N20,000 to N90,000. And if you’re going to be dropping the cash shoes, you’re going on a pair of high-end hi to need d to take take good care of them. With a little know-how know-h how and a little money, preventive maintenance mainten nan can make those expensive leather shoes sho last longer. Use wate water er re repellent Before taking ta akin your new shoes out on their firstt walk, wa be sure to apply a coat of water to the leather. After w te wa er repellent re the application, habitualth he initial in ly it as instructed. Most ly reapply re experts recommend that you exp use a water-based repellent to seal the leather because it allows it to breathe and the al moisture inside it to escape. m Moisture impacts leather’s M elasticity, so keeping moisture balanced is a must; too much moisture causes the leather to stretch, while too little moisture causes it to shrink. In both cases, the th leather becomes ugly and loses its original fit. For an fee, a can of sprayn affordable aff on water water repellent can dramatically increase increasse the th comfort and the lifespan of your leather leath l th shoes. Tip: Wipe your shoes with a clean, warm sponge spong before adding additional coats of repellent; this will warm the re leather, making it more porous and ma improving its ability to absorb the product, and an prevent trapping dirt between the leather and the repellent. le Use shoe polish A good od sshoe polish keeps leather shining like a new coin. Polishing shoes shinin does two things: It your shoes regularly r the damage of daily covers and repairs re tear and it nourishes and wear we ar and a te moisturizes mois mo isturizes the t leather, keeping it flexible and ibl d healthy hea ealt l . Experts recommend uscream-based polishes and carrying ing cream-ba your shoes with wi you when you purchase polish to ensure ensu you get the one that best matches your shoe tone. Tip: Buff the polish off your shoes with a pair of panty hose to get an optimal shine. Hang you your shoes on a tree Do you yourself ours rsel a favour: Use shoe trees with pair of leather shoes; with any good go they’ll make ke your shoes last that extra mile. The beauty of shoe trees is that be they fill out the th shoe, helping the leather maintain its form. This prevents the leather from shrinking and creasing. Like other oth protective options, you have multiple choices when buying mult shoe trees, trees but the experts will tell you there’s there only one viable option: ones made mad of cedar. Cedar has the ability to absorb harmful moisture

and objectionable odours. Any reputable shoe store will have shoe trees in stock, so go ahead and get this essential add-on to keep your shoes in mint int condition. Tip: Insert the shoe e tree immediately after taking off your shoes; this allows the interior moisture e to be instantly absorbed. Take care of your r soles A house is only as solid as the founfou undation on which it’s built, so make ma ake sure you take steps to o save your shoe sh hoe soles. While there are typess of re many m soles out there, chances are good, ncess a re a go ood, high-quality pair of leather will eatherr shoes s wil willl be based on leather soles. Just Ju ust us stt like e the leather on top, the e leatherr on the bottom must be be protected. The bestt option is to have your local cobbler attach “taps” to the front and rear heels. Acting as buffers between the heel and the ground, taps absorb the shock and damage of constant pounding, and prevent the sole from eroding. Given that the price of taps is really negligible, this is undoubtedly the cheapest way to pro-tect the most vulnerrable part of your shoe. e. Tip: Don’t add taps ps until you have worn orn the shoes about 12 to o 18 months; this allows the soles to conform to your gait, making for a smoother oother stride and more comfortable mfortable wear. Replace your soles es The soles on your shoes hoe oes are like the tyres on your car: They eventuev ven entu tually wear out and need d to be replaced. According to the experts, erts, the “upper” part of the shoe can last as long as 20 years, but the “lower” ” part of the shoe, on average, only lasts ts around five. So, when the sole becomes es uncomfortable to wear and gets ragged d in appearance, the best option — ratherr than replacing the entire shoe — is replacing laci cing ng the sole. And it is more economicall to have the reth he soles so placed instead of spending nding more money to replace the entire shoe. e. Tip: When resoling ng your shoes, check with the shoe’s manufacturer; ufacturer; many manufacturers offer discounts unts and packages on resoling and refurbishing hing shoes. Walking on Dress shoes are an expensive exp xpen ensive investment that must be protected, ed, and a few few naira here and there will save you you a bundle bundlle down the road. So, now ow that you know kno some tricks of the trade, ade, venture forth in preventive maintenance nance and style.

December 7, 2013

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Relationships

Are Inter-tribal H

We need attitudinal change

mmm… inter-tribal marriage, that hydra-headed situation in which nobody wins and nobody loses. I may be crucified for my position here, especially in these days and age. Some people may even say that what I will write here is not in conformity with the ideas of the modern man that I’m always talking and preaching about, but the truth is that when it comes to inter tribal marriages, especially in Africa, there are so many in-built fears and differences that in most cases, people who go into inter tribal marriages especially the women are the ones who come out the worse for it. Most people will tell you that inter-tribal marriages bring unity and understanding between people from different backgrounds. They will go further to say that it broadens the views of the people in the marriages about life, issues and makes them better at coping with varieties. They will finally say that it helps in nation building because it builds tolerance of other people’s cultures. Most people who also support inter-tribal marriages will say that it helps to enlarge ones frontiers and entire concept and opinion about life, because they believe that you get to appreciate other people more. Yes, everything I have mentioned above is true and I’m not one to disprove all that without letting you know why. I must tell you its challenges can be daunting. And that trust and bonding may be difficult to achieve and the ease of separation is high. It is expensive as it entails patronizing two cultures whenever there are challenges – death in any of the families and its attendant burial, marriages in the families, other cultural ceremonies and parties. Children born into such homes may end up not having clear cultural identities about where they belong. This is one of the major reasons why a lot of our cultures are dying out today, especially as English language will become the language of both choice and necessity in the home. There is also the problem of the parties trying to adjust and accommodate each others’ differences especially when we think of the fact that they both had different backgrounds in terms of orientation while growing up in different cultural settings. In some cases, issues such as which language should the children also learn and master

while growing up aside English becomes a serious bone of contention that if not quickly checked and resolved, can tear the fabrics of the relationship apart, the husband will want the children to be identified on his side and the fact that he is not always at home and the woman is close to the kids makes it difficult for this to happen. The marriage will at this point become an issue of whose culture is better, thereby creating more problems for the relationship. The ‘in-law problem’ is magnified in inter cultural marriages. It is not as if there are no ‘in-law’ problems in intra cultural marriages, it is just that intra cultural marriages brings in people of the same cultural perspective who understands the politics at play in marriages. A woman who is coming from a culture where woman are culturally emancipated will be at a lose when in a marriage in which the man comes from a culture where woman are only to be seen and not heard or where the woman is not even reckoned with at any social settings. Another point to be seriously looked out is that of different cultural practices like female genital mutilation. This is a practice erroneously referred to as female circumcision. This is a practice that whether we like it or not, is still common in different parts of the country. For someone that is an advocate of its’ abolishment, getting married to a woman or vice-versa who come from a culture that still supports it may seriously cause a major wedge in the marriage. Some cultures abhor it while some are still holding it in high esteem. Other cultural extremes can be seen when there is a preference for male children and the clamour may even get to the point where it is only male children that gets sent to school at the detriment of brilliant female children. That people marry into new and different cultures will not stop our attitude towards nepotism or any other anti-social behaviour. What we need is a mindset based on attitudinal change that will make us tolerant of each other whether we are married into those cultures or not. Mindsets that will make us see each other only as humans. This is the only way we can truly say we have evolved beyond the petty and narrow mindedness of the hobbesian man.

SEX TALK

This column is x-rated

What’s happening in bedrooms this year? How happy is your partner with your sex life? How happy are you? What turns him/her on the most about you? Is s/he the best sex of your life? Are you, his/hers? A healthy sex life is a must For both men and women, a healthy, happy sexual relationship is crucial: Overall, 93 percent of respondents agreed on the importance of a good sex life. More than half of men reported that sex is extremely important, compared to 40 percent of women who reported it is very important. Sex has become predictable More than 50 percent of women and 68 percent of men described their sex life as predictable, very predictable or extremely predictable. Men rated sex position as the most predictable (54 percent) aspect of their sex lives, while women chose location (67 percent). Close runners up for both men and women are duration (49% of women; 43% of men), foreplay (45% of women; 43% of men), time of day (43% of women; 46% of men) and technique (47% of women; 42% of men).

women say they actually are. Women, on the other hand, sell themselves short: 55 percent think their husbands/boyfriends are satisfied, while 77 percent of men rate themselves as happy or very happy. Sex is better after marriage...but not after kids While over a third of men say their sex life got better after marriage, a third of women say their sex life was better before and a quarter say there’s been no change. However -- the sexes agree (52 percent of women; 49 percent of men) that they had hotter sex before they had kids. More than a third of men and nearly a third of women report that there have been no changes postchildren, while 8 percent of women and 22 percent of men say sex actually got better after kids!

But it’s not so bad - We’re still happy! While married sex may be predictable – that doesn’t mean couples aren’t happy with their under-the-sheets action. Especially husbands: 80 percent of men reported being very happy or happy with their sex life, compared to 60 percent of women.

Yes, we’re in the mood We want sex -- right now! Or at least, men do: 35 percent of men are currently in the mood to have sex, which is significantly higher than women (11 percent). Another 55 percent of men were in the mood within the last 7 days -- and that’s when women catch up: 43 percent of women were in the mood within the last week.

Men think women are happier than them While 79 percent of men think their wives/girlfriends are happy or very happy with their sex lives, only 60 percent of

Men tech-flirt more While about 3 out of 10 married persons have sext/emailed sexy messages -- it’s men who tech-flirt more with their partners. Men not only sext more (32 percent vs. 20

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RELATIONSHIPS

December 7, 2013

CHINWE ANNIE AMAECHI 07028684481 chinweamaechi@gmail.com

marriages ideal? Tribe is like genotype. No room for miss-match!

This column is x-rated percent of women), email or BB flirty dirties more (36 percent vs. 18 percent of women) -- but they are over two times more likely to Facebook a sexy note. Men and women are turned-on by love What gets us going? For both sexes -- it’s love! Fifty-nine percent of women and half of men surveyed report feelings of love for their partner turns them on. However, it’s true that men are mostly visual and women lust after the sentiments: 49 percent of women report their partner saying nice things to them as a fire starter, while men prefer the dirty talk (46 percent) over their partner complimenting them (28 percent). The biggest turn on for men, though? Sexy clothes (51 percent). How many partners have we had? A quarter of men have slept with 6-10 people, while over 30 percent of women have slept with 2-5 people. We have sex out of obligation Fifty-seven percent of women and 39 percent of men report having sex out of obligation at least sometimes -- but it’s the guys who initiate action more often. Over half of men surveyed report they initiate sex all of the time or most of the time. Around a third of women and men report they initiate sex equally. Every man’s wish list The most popular desires on men’s sex wish list? That their partner would initiate sex more often (42 percent) and have more oral sex (41 percent). Other top lusts include saying sexy things (28 percent), more foreplay (27 percent) and that their wife would orgasm easier (29 percent). Every woman’s wish list If women could have their partner do more of something in bed – it would be foreplay (35 percent). Women also want their husbands to say more loving and

This column is x-rated sexy things (32 percent; 21 percent), last longer (28 percent) and have more oral sex (22 percent). What turns us off ? Both women (49 percent) and men (37 percent) say stress causes them to lose their desire for sex more than anything else. Other top distractors include exhaustion for women (46 percent) and having an argument with their spouse for men (29 percent). A third of women and a fifth of men say lack of romance is a factor, too. Men check up on their partner more 1 in 5 of men and women surveyed admitted to cheating on their spouse -- but men cheat more (28 percent vs. 13 percent) However, men are less trusting: 34 percent have checked their wife’s phone sometimes or often for evidence of cheating, compared to 20 percent of women. Watch out for the ex-husband/boyfriend! Men are significantly more likely to have an affair if they would have zero chance of getting caught (32 percent vs. 13 percent of women). Who would it be with? Women say an old flame (39 percent). So men, be wary of ex-boyfriends/ husbands of your wives/girlfriends. Men watch more porn than women think they do 42 percent of women say their spouse never watches porn, while only 21 percent of men report never watching porn. Men are also more likely to admit to just watching porn alone (75 percent vs. 33 percent women). Men marry the best sex When it comes to picking a partner for life, men are more likely to marry the girl with the hottest moves: 68 percent of men said they married the best sex of their lives, compared to 45 percent of women.

enerally, marriages are bound to face challenges because of the differences in gender, background, education, preferences, temperament, etc which naturally exist between husband and wife. Let’s face it: no matter how alike two people seem to be, there must be friction in relating to each other from time to time. You would still have marital problems if you were married to your clone!! However, it has been said (and it is quite true) that the chances of such challenges or marital problems can be reduced by deliberately cutting out points of difference which are avoidable. This is why we hear about the different areas of compatibility: mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, cultural, etc. Educated people are advised not to marry illiterates, people who have the ‘A-S’ genotype are not to marry each another and people are told to marry within their religious beliefs. In the same way, people are strongly advised to marry within their tribes, and in a lot of cases, from the same village. The ‘marry-from-the-same-tribe’ syndrome is so bad amongst some tribes that parents have disowned their children for insisting on marrying their “true love” from other tribes. The truth is: there are many levels of compatibility for the purpose of marriage and tribe is just one of them. Therefore, it is the individuals that would decide whether tribe is such a fundamental factor in choosing a spouse. When it comes to choice of relationships, there is a thin line between caution and tribalism. If one looks deep into this issue, you will see that those who make personal vows not to have close relations with persons of a different tribe than theirs do so not because of the differences in culture (language, beliefs, religion, etc) which may cause friction, but because of their mindsets about tribes other than theirs. Let’s be real: the Hausas feel the Igbos are ---, while the Yorubas are ---; the Igbos feel the Hausas are --- while the Yorubas are ---; and the Yorubas feel the Igbos are --- while the Hausas are ----. (Please fill in the gaps, dear readers!) These are general mindsets that people develop over the years. People say that humans are tribalistic by nature, but of course, there are exceptions to the general rule. There are people who have risen above tribal idiosyncrasies and other unnecessary avenues of conflict in order to live harmoniously with those around them. In spite of all these, the pertinent question is: who does an inter-tribal marriage relationship affect more, the man or the woman? I say it is the woman. It is she who has to adjust to fit into the man’s culture and traditions and has the mandate to train her children

accordingly. It’s a big task, but it need not be burdensome. Women must understand that an agreement to marry a man from a different tribe amounts to an agreement to give up (or at least render secondary) her cultural roots and all its offshoots – language, food, dressing, etc. Also, she must take all necessary steps to imbibe the man’s culture and tradition, speak his language and cook his tribe’s food. But if this is all that is required of a woman in such a marriage arrangement, it would not be a big deal. In other words, the need to acclimatize in terms of culture, tradition, language, food, etc is not the main challenge a woman married to a man from another tribe would have. There are many other issues which, if not handled properly, can lead to a failed marriage. The truth is that the problems women face in inter-tribal marriages are hardly caused by their husbands; the problems come from third parties like the husbands’ family members and friends; the women’s friends and, sometimes, neighbours. For instance, if a man’s mother had a ‘better homegrown candidate’ for her son to marry and he marries this ‘outsider’ instead, no matter what the chosen wife does to ‘blend’ into the family’s culture and traditions, she may have a hard time pleasing her motherin-law. In such an instance, the man’s mum may attribute the wife’s flaws to her tribe. Woes betide a woman who cannot understand or speak her husband’s language!!! She must be ready to ignore a lot of conversations in that language if she must remain sane. Trust me; suspicion can drive any human being crazy! So, it is either you learn the language fast or you just deafen your ears to such ‘suspicious’ conversations. I must admit that not all inter-tribal marriages face such problems/challenges. In fact, from what I hear, the stereotype which a lot of us have of such marriages is quite unfounded. I remember listening to a popular call-in radio show recently when the challenges of inter-tribal marriages were to be discussed. To the shock of the host and lots of listeners, almost all the callers who were in such marriages testified that they were enjoying their marriages. The said that most of the presumptions people have about such marriages are false and baseless. At a point, some people started callingin and sending text messages to allege the callers of telling lies. That experience gave me a new mindset about inter-tribal marriages. So, are inter-tribal marriages ideal from the woman’s point of view? It depends.

December 7, 2013

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Woman Simple, chic and focused, Deola Segoe, one of Nigeria’s fashion fore-runners, represents the African woman in all ramifications. She spoke with YEMISI ADENIRAN on the influence of Africa’s rich cultural heritage on her designs Excerpts:

‘Nudity is not fashionable’ Y

ou have been into fashion designing for over two decades. How would you describe the journey so far? It’s been tough and rewarding; we give God all the glory. People were not as fashion-conscious as they are now but with a lot of determination and focus, we have been able to remain in the limelight. How do you feel now that so many people are in the business? I feel good. If we have not laid a good foundation, they would not have had anything to build on or to get them interested. It is not easy to be a pioneer but it is good and respectable. That there are more fashion designers than ever only makes the job quite interesting and more demanding. Besides, the more, they always say, the merrier. There were lots of hurdles and challenges faced time after time, but, we thank God for helping us to overcome all. Some had fallen off; they are into some other things now. Some have even

died but here we are now beaming, still in His love. With the kind of exposure you have as a result of the many trips you have made time after time round the world, it is always amazing to see you in braids and other simple adornments. What informs that? I believe in Africa and its cultural heritage. Besides, I am a simple-hearted person. And if you care to study my collections well, you will discover that they depict Africa. Africa is rich in all things. We are specially made around here; we are blessed with all good things. All we need do is to be proud of this, tap into it and make the best of everything. I love to plait my hair and as you can also attest to, it is beautiful, simple and easy. Africa is beautiful and I love to preach this anywhere I go and in all ways possible. Who, would you say, is an ideal African woman? The ideal African woman is she who

does not just appear humble but is humble from within. She is respectful to everyone around her and will not be found in an act that is shameful. She gives due respect to her husband, listens and keeps his rules. What does style mean to you? Style, to me, is a whole expression of oneself. It is the way you dress to portray the kind of person you are to the whole world. Whether anyone wants to agree with this or not, your style shows and tells people around you the kind of person you are. And that is why it is important to dress the way you would want people to describe you. If you are not weird naturally, you have no business tilting towards weirdness and vice versa. Like I usually say whenever I am chanced to, you don’t have to wear everything in vogue before you will be called stylish. What is important and necessary for a fashionista always, is to be familiar with herself, her peculiarities, her flaws and natural endowments to know what to play on, what is flattery

about her and what is not. I am always surprised at the way a lot of ladies carry on with the way they dress. Your appearance, like I said, says a lot about you, so, you must be careful of the kind of message you spread around yourself. If you are fat and big at the waist, you have no business whatsoever with fitted dresses no matter how attractive and famous they are in vogue. If your legs are not straight, like you have knockknees, bow legs and others like that, you don’t have to force yourself or for any reason wear a fitted pant or jeans. If your skin is not smooth, may be you have some rashes and other skin problems, you shouldn’t go near outfits that will display this in any way. Wearing dresses like sleeveless, mono-strap, spaghetti and, may be, mini wears will only get you embarrassed. And for young ladies, working against these guidelines will end up chasing men away from you. Flaws are better covered than displayed. That is why I believe we should make a positive expression of ourselves in our style of dressing than making it

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negative. You appear natural most times. What’s the reason? I have always loved to appear that way and that’s the way I feel most comfortable. I love everything African and will do all to represent it well. Africa is rich in culture and everything. God loves us and has blessed us so richly. It is just left for us to believe in ourselves, appreciate our God-given heritage and explore more. Is that why you plait your hair most of the time? Well, yes. And I love the way it looks on me. Like I said, we are specially made in this part of the world and I love to exploit everything God has given me naturally. Everything about us is good in Africa, we are black and beautiful, everything we have is genuine and authentic if we will care to appreciate them. I love natural beauty, I grew up with it all around me, so, it has become a part of me in a way. Unfortunately, we seem to believe

I’m feeling at the time, and then, by a miracle, things start to just happen. It’s really the most wonderful thing to be a kind of conveyor or channel for something new to come into being, and yet you can feel its lineage. It has a link to history and culture. The Nigerian consciousness has yet to be fully explored but everyday it keeps offering gems. Don’t you think more talk shows should come up to tutor young ladies, especially, on how to dress well? May be. But, how many people will attend? All the same, it is important to let people know more about real fashion and its dictates. The craze about showing off more flesh needs to be redefined. No one is made more beautiful by going about nude. As a matter of fact, leaving something for imagination makes the most fun. If you must show anything, you must do it in a very decent way. At what age would you advise that ladies get married? This is not cast in iron at all. It is

THE IDEAL AFRICAN WOMAN IS SHE WHO DOES NOT JUST APPEAR HUMBLE BUT IS

HUMBLE FROM WITHIN.

SHE IS RESPECTFUL

TO EVERYONE AROUND HER AND WILL NOT BE FOUND IN AN ACT THAT IS SHAMEFUL.

SHE GIVES DUE RESPECT TO HER HUSBAND, LISTENS AND KEEPS HIS RULES more in the Western world. Well, yes and that is one of the effects of civilisation. There is nothing we can do about this, it is so and it will continue to be. But, we can try and look inward the more to exploit our good heritage the more. This is what the Nigerian fashion designers are doing and you can see it is projecting our culture forward like never before. Even the so-called western world has come to embrace our ankara fabric so much that they wear it in different forms too. They are not the only one that can influence us, we equally have something to flaunt at them. How does it feel to have children who are making waves in the fashion world like you? It feels good and I am definitely proud of it. It is good and soothing to have children who are going to be great improvement on what people like us are doing today. It is good and we thank God for that. What stands your label out? Creativity, I would say has stood my label out for these many years. I usually fuse my cultural heritage with an intrinsic sense of beauty and come up with designs that contribute to the fashion dialogue. My designs are carefully chosen, made to be well recognised to stand the test of time. Lately, we have been reaching an ever-wider audience and this, itself, is success. Whenever I’m designing I’ll start with some element of my culture and then I’ll go on and add myself to it, what

WOMAN

December 7, 2013

good for ladies to be married quite early in life, but early is indeed a relative word. What is most important when a woman is to be married is that she should really be ready for it. She should be ready, not just physically; she should be ready mentally, emotionally and in other ways. If a lady is not really mature enough for marriage, she won’t last there. Marriage is a lifetime institution; it is a decision that will affect a lot of things in one’s life should anything go wrong or should it be well at the end of the day with the players. If a girl is ready with all of the afore-mentioned qualities at age 19, then, she is ripe to go into marriage. If she is not yet ready until 30, then, she should wait till she’s ready. Marriage goes beyond what people are saying around you. It is not time for you to be married just because your friends are all married or age is not on your side or that your boyfriend is ready. The girl in question must be ready. If she is, she will be able to stand the challenges that are attached to her own marriage. How do the parents come in here? Parents, mothers especially, should begin tutoring their daughters towards marriage as soon as they reach puberty. It is good to show them the path to choosing right early. And you can do this best with God and a plain mind. Let them know the essential things to look for in an ideal man. Let them also have an idea of what marriage is all about, give instances they can lay hold on and guide them and their decisions in love and prayer.

KeepingABREAST ABREAST

Female vs. male brain networks: Men have more connections within each hemisphere and between the front and back of the brain

Men and women are almost separate species! –Brain scientists

en! Useless at discerning a woman’s true feelings, deaf as a post when a baby is crying and utterly incapable of performing more than one task at a time. Women! Forever getting overemotional, completely hopeless at mapreading and liable to go into meltdown at the prospect of parallel parking. Science may have confirmed what we have suspected all along - that men and women really are poles apart. Men and women moan continually about the supposed shortcomings of the opposite sex - but now brain scientists have found a real reason for the stereotypical differences in male and female behaviour. Women’s and men’s brains are wired in fundamentally different ways! Neurologists used magnetic resonance imaging (radio-wave scans that produce detailed images of the inside of the body) to study the brains of almost 1,000 volunteers. The differences between the genders were so profound that men and women might almost be separate species. Men generally have more connections within each hemisphere and between the front and back of the brain. In women the stronger connections usually run from side to side, between the left and right hemispheres. In essence, what this means is that men are more logical and better at coordination and spatial awareness. Women are more intuitive, have greater ‘emotional intelligence’ and better memories for words and faces. The lead researcher concludes that male brains are geared “to link perception with doing - so men would be better at, for example, learning a new sport. “Female brains, meanwhile, are configured to handle matters of heart and mind and to study others’ behav-

iour, then interpret it using intuition and analysis.” The result of this research points to many fundamental differences between men and women: Y Women’s brains are smaller but more efficient Y Women perform better than men at ‘bigger-picture’ thinking and keeping track of a changing situation. Men do better on spatial intelligence. Y Men have better ability to process information set out in abstract ways - such as maps and manuals. Y Women are better at decoding social context or emotions Y Men really don’t understand women and are generally indifferent to their partner’s shifting emotions. Y Men are also generally less good at recognising faces. Women seem able to do this automatically. Y Women are better at juggling and multi-tasking. Y Women feel pain more than men. Most chronic pain sufferers are women, and twice as many women as men get migraines. Stress and negative feelings such as anger may play a much greater role in sparking women’s migraines. This suggests that emotions play a much greater role in magnifying the intensity of pain felt by women. Y Men suffer more with coughs and colds because they have extra temperature receptors in the brain and so experience worse symptoms. Y Men and women also respond to pain differently. In men, pain tends to trigger a ‘fight or flight’ response, while women are most likely to ‘tend and befriend’ their pain. Y Men under stress want to go for a run or have space to themselves. Women under stress typically want to talk with friends. Y While women love funny men, men love kind, listening women who appreciate their sense of humour

December 7, 2013

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Parenting

Children are like wett cement. t Wh Whatever t falls on them makes an impression

Are your children eating right? S

o, what are the essential nutrients that may be missing in your child’s diet and where can they be found? Here are the main culprits: Vitamin C Humans cannot make their own vitamin C, so it must be obtained in the diet. Its function is quite specific as an important synthesiser for collagen and blood vessels. It is also critical to brain function and is known to affect moods. It is a highly effective antioxidant, which protects the body from free radicals, which can cause cancer. Key also is that Vitamin C aids Iron absorption. Always give your child a glass of apple or orange juice (not concentrate) with a meal containing meat or fish, and Iron will absorb more freely. Found in dark green vegetables, oranges, dark berries, and of course apples. Vitamin A Vitamin A is needed for healthy teeth, skin, and produces the pigment in the retina of the eye - so helping your child to see. It is also an antioxidant (like Vitamin C). Found in eggs, meat, milk, cheese, cod, carrots, and many dark green vegetables. Vitamin D Vitamin D is needed so that the

body can absorb Calcium. Without this, bones are not able to fully form and Rickets can occur. The good news is that the most significant supply of Vitamin D comes from the sunlight – it does not need to be bright sunlight either - so although we can also find Vitamin D in oily fish (i.e. salmon and sardines), eggs and some breakfast cereals, making sure your child spends time out of the house everyday should ensure the correct quota. Iron Iron is needed for the formation of blood cells. Haemoglobin (the red pigment in blood) is what transports the oxygen around your child’s body – without it, he/she can’t run! So if your child is always tired, iron may be lacking. Iron is found in meat, fish, dark green vegetables wholegrain (brown bread), beans. Many foods are also fortified with iron so check labels. Folate Folate is very important for the production of new cells. It makes DNA, the building blocks of cells, and is especially important for the rapidly growing infant and young child. Folate can be found in dark green vegetables and spinach is a great

source. Lots of foods are fortified with folate, so check labels if your child is not a big fan of spinach. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) These also cannot be made in the body. Diet has to provide them. There are two families of EFA’s - Omega 3 and Omega 6 which are needed in balance for efficient brain function, the immune system and overall mental health. Oily fish is the best source of EFA’s. If your child is showing signs of poor concentration at school, difficulty in memorising things, is a poor reader, has mood swings, or even difficulty sleeping, it is possible that he/she may be deficient in the Omegas. Supplements are a good second best option for absorbing the Omegas, but only buy a good brand. Calcium This mineral is predominant in the formation of bones and teeth. It can only be obtained through the diet. Calcium regulates muscle contraction (including the heartbeat) and helps blood to clot normally. Without vitamin D, calcium won’t absorb, so the two go hand in hand. Found in dark green leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts, almonds, wholemeal bread, cows milk, dairy products in the main, it’s even in water (hard wa-

ter that is). Fibre Fibre is essential for a healthy bowel movement. Many children suffer with constipation. The best way to prevent constipation is to increase fibre in the diet. Good sources are fruit, vegetables, wholegrain rice and pasta,

nuts, seeds, and cereals. Water Water is the best fluid intake a child can get. They should drink plenty of it to prevent dehydration, and constipation, six to eight glasses per day is about right. Tap water is absolutely fine.

Tiny Feet

NAME: Alabi Suad Atirayo BORN TO: Mr. and Mrs Lekan Alabi AGE: 9 months BIRTH WEIGHT: 3.7 kg Have you just had a baby? Send a picture of your bundle of joy to mirrorbabies@gmail.com

Meet the SEVEN-year-old Update Parenting with ovarian cancer

•Niamh Brown was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when her parents took her to the doctor after she started to show signs of early puberty!

seven-year-old is recovering after suffering from a very rare form of childhood ovarian cancer. Niamh Brown was diagnosed with the cancer earlier this year. She underwent surgery to remove the tumour at Manchester Children’s Hospital (UK) and also lost one of her ovaries. But after gruelling chemotherapy, she is now thought to be on the mend. Her mother, Julia, said, “She was diagnosed at the beginning of the summer holidays after she started showing signs of early puberty. “The first thing I noticed were her mood swings. She turned into a teenager overnight. “The tumour they found was the size of an orange. I was told when it’s in your stomach, your

bowels move around so it can be masked. “But she was lucky it protruded. It looked like a pot belly.” Niamh had a rare juvenile granulosa cell tumour. These tumours, which develop from the granulosa cells, normally occur in the ovaries, as in Niamh’s case, and are malignant. Granulosa cells’ major function is the production of sex hormones. The most common symptom in children is the early onset of puberty. The prognosis tends to be good, especially if the cancer is caught early. Niamh battled bravely through her treatment and only got upset over one thing.

“The only thing she cried about was missing gymnastics. It’s everything to her, she just adores it,” said her mother, Julia She is still unable to join in gymnastics but instead devotes her time to helping cancer charities. She was recently guest of honour at a charity event organised by Tameside Gymnastics Club which raised more than £900. Her father said, “She’s not been fazed by the cancer at all. She’s such a bubbly girl always laughing and smiling. She’s a little soldier.” Niamh’s prognosis is now good and her parents have been told the illness should not affect her ability to have children when she is older.

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LIVING

December 7, 2013

...

MADIBA EXITS

The lawyer and his “rebel” cause KAYODE KETEFE

andela’s first acquaintanceship with law was in 1941 when he started working as a Law clerk at a law firm called Witkin, Sidelsky and Edelman, run by a liberal Jew, Lazar Sidelsky. Supporting himself with the meager wages he got from this job, he enrolled for a correspondence course at the University of South Africa Mandela and got his BA in 1943. Still desirous of being a lawyer, Nelson Mandela began law studies at the University of Witwatersrand in 1943, at a time the institution was dominated by the white students. As a matter of fact he was the only black student in the law Faculty at that time. In the same year, he joined the African National Congress (ANC). At the University, he got acquainted with people of diverse backgrounds and was exposed to numerous political philosophies including liberal, radical and Africanist thoughts. Mandela was so engrossed in the ANC affairs that his studies suffered and he consequently failed his final year at Witwatersrand three times. He was eventually denied his degree in December 1949. But the tenacious Mandela would not give up and ultimately qualified as a lawyer in 1952 after which he opened a law practice in Johannesburg with his partner and friend, Mr. Oliver Tambo. It is on record that this firm was the first South African Black law firm. The two partners became unrepentant critics of apartheid and campaigned against it with uncommon virility, using their skill as lawyers and the visibility afforded by the ANC membership. His law practice was however short-lived as he was arrested and charged with high treason along with 155 other activists.

However, the charges were later dropped after a four-year trial. Mandela continued his campaign against “man’s inhumanity to man” for another brief spell until 1960 when ANC was outlawed . Mandela, convinced of the justified nature of his cause, went underground and became more active in the struggle against apartheid. In 1964, the apartheid government put Mandela through a political trial and he was eventually sentenced to life in prison, a blow which caged his professional and political life for 27 harrowing years. ...Soul tearing PRISON LETTERS ‘’There are times when my heart almost stops beating, slowed down by heavy loads of longing’’ for freedom.” (1969 ) LETTERS TO WINNIE These are just a few of the letters Mandela wrote from Robben Island where he was sent in 1964 at the age of 46. Eighteen of his 27 years in prison were spent on the prison island. My dearest Winnie, Your beautiful photo still stands about two feet above my left shoulder as I write this note. I dust it carefully every morning, for to do so gives me the pleasant feeling that I’m caressing you as in the old days. I even touch your nose with mine to recapture the electric current that used to flush through my blood whenever I did so. Nolitha stands on the table directly opposite me. How can my spirits ever be down when I enjoy the fond attentions of such wonderful ladies? October 26, 1976 My dearest Winnie, I have been fairly successful in putting on a mask behind which I have pined for the family, alone, never rushing for the post when it comes until somebody calls out my name. I also never linger after vis-

its the urge tto d do so it although lth h sometimes ti th becomes quite terrible. I am struggling to suppress my emotions as I write this letter. I have received only one letter since you were detained, that one dated August 22. I

AS A MATTER OF FACT HE WAS THE ONLY BLACK STUDENT IN THE LAW FACULTY AT THAT TIME. IN

THE SAME YEAR, HE

AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS (ANC) JOINED THE

do not know anything about family affairs, such as payment of rent, telephone bills, care of children and their expenses, whether you will get a job when released. As long as I don’t hear from you, I will remain worried and dry like a desert. I recall the Karoo I crossed on several occasions. I saw the desert again in Botswana on my way to and from Africa--endless pits

off sand drop off water. nott d and d nott a d t I have h had a letter from you. I feel dry like a desert. Letters from you and the family are like the arrival of summer rains and spring that liven my life and make it enjoyable. Whenever I write you, I feel that inside physical warmth, that makes me forget all my problems. I become full of love. June 26, 1977 My dearest Winnie, Our daughters raised in hardship are grown women today. The first born has her own house and is raising her family. We couldn’t fulfill our wishes, as we had planned, to have a baby boy. I had hoped to build you a refuge, no matter how small, so that we would have a place for rest and sustenance before the arrival of the sad, dry days. I fell down and couldn’t do these things. I am as one building castles in the air. November 22, 1979 My dearest Winnie, You looked really wonderful on 17/11, very much like the woman I married. There was color in your face. Gone was the choleric appearance and glazed look in your eyes when you are under pressure of overdieting. As usual, I kept addressing you as Mum but my body kept telling me that a woman is sitting across this platform. I felt like singing, even if just to say Hallelujah!

LIVING

December 7, 2013

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Famous friends There is a party in heaven. Angels are celebrating. The one and only Nelson Mandela has arrived –American musician, Ricky Martin

‘A great light has gone out in the world –David Cameron

I will never forget my friend Madiba – Bill Clinton

He will always be my hero –Oprah Winfrey

He could charm the birds –Bono

A champion for justice and human dignity –Hillary Clinton

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LIVING

December 7, 2013

MADIBA EXITS

...with Queen Elizabeth

...with Princess Diana

...with Sidney Poitier

...with Jesse Jackson

...with Michael Jackson

...with the Obamas

...with Whitney Houston

...with Whoopi Goldberg

...with Pope John Paul II

December 7, 2013

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How the ballroom dancing ladies’ man divorced the ‘love of his life’ in 1996

Nelson Mandela gets his divorce

elson and Winnie Mandela had no ordinary marriage, and no ordinary breakup. By the time the 38-year marriage formally ended in a messy divorce Tuesday, March 20, 1996, the public had witnessed the spectacle of the esteemed president of South Africa being forced to say he had been cuckolded by a spendthrift spouse. “This is no ordinary case,” countered Winnie Mandela, arguing for a postponement after firing her lawyer in court Tuesday. Judge Frikkie Eloff was unswayed. Citing her refusal to testify or call witnesses, he granted an immediate divorce, cutting the union that once symbolized the struggle against white minority rule. When Nelson Mandela asked for a divorce last year, he expressed hope for a quiet, amicable settlement. His wife refused, forcing this week’s divorce proceedings. On Monday, the 77-year-old president took the stand--the first time he had done so since 1964, when he received a life sentence for opposing apartheid. Since being freed from prison in 1990, Mandela testified, he had felt nothing but “loneliness” living with Mrs. Mandela, who once was hailed as the “Mother of the Nation.” Their marriage had dissolved, he said, and he became convinced of her

Winnie is unfaithful and a spendthrift –Mandela This is no ordinary case –Winnie

Mandela and Winnie moments after his release from prison

infidelity after seeing love letters from Mrs. Mandela to her personal assistant, Dali Mpofu. During her husband’s imprisonment, Mrs. Mandela became an anti-apartheid figure popular with the radical wing of the African National Congress. But her influence waned after his release, as Mandela pushed the ANC on a more moderate course.

In 1992, the couple separated after Mrs. Mandela was convicted in the kidnapping of four youths by her bodyguards. One youth was beaten to death. Last year, she was fired as deputy minister of arts, culture, science and technology after a series of controversies. She remains a member of parliament and leads the ANC Women’s League.

During cross-examination Tuesday, defence lawyer Ismail Semenya had asked Mandela to recall his wife’s suffering during their marriage: arrests, internal exile and hardship trying to support their two daughters. The president agreed that his wife had endured much, but said her ordeal was not uncommon. “There were many women in this country who suffered far more than she did,” he said. At one point, the judge pressed for a direct answer to the allegations of Mrs. Mandela’s infidelity--legal grounds for divorce. Semenya whispered to Mrs. Mandela, then announced that he had been fired. Mrs. Mandela rose and begged for time to find a new lawyer. The judge called it a ploy and ordered the case closed. On Wednesday, the court will consider the settlement in what promises to be a bitter dispute. Mrs. Mandela reportedly is seeking about $5 million. Mandela said in court papers that Winnie was a spendthrift who bought make-up, clothes and parties she could not afford. “The problem is apparently that the defendant cannot afford her own lifestyle. But that is clearly due to her own extravagance,” he said.

Mandela divorces wife of 38 years citing infidelity I am an ordinary person –Winnie

aying he could see no likelihood that President Nelson Mandela and his wife, Winnie, would ever be reconciled, a judge here granted Mr. Mandela’s petition for a divorce March 20, 1996, ending a 38-year marriage that endured the persecution of apartheid only to founder after he was released from prison. The ruling brought a quick end to a two-day spectacle that had transfixed South Africans as they listened to hourly radio accounts of the events unfolding. The 77-year-old president laid bare the most intimate details of his relationship with his wife, which were plastered across the newspapers and discussed everywhere. During the court proceeding, Mr. Mandela was the only witness to take the stand. At the prodding of his own lawyer, he quietly described how he had been “the loneliest man” after he was released from a 27-year imprisonment in 1990 and went to live with his wife. Mrs. Mandela,

he testified, was having an affair with a young colleague and never entered his bedroom while he was awake. The ruling came after a day in which Mrs. Mandela, in a last-ditch effort to delay the proceedings, had abruptly dismissed her lawyer and then, in a wavering voice, begged the court for a postponement. But the judge, unimpressed, simply ordered her to defend herself. She repeatedly refused. “I do not know what to do, My Lord,” Mrs. Mandela said at one point. “I am not the state president. I am an ordinary person.” After the divorce was granted, Mr. Mandela stood and gazed at Mrs. Mandela, who was seated only a few feet away. But she only turned her back to him and left quickly without comment. The breakup of the Mandela marriage marks the end of one of the great partnerships in the history of liberation politics. During Mr. Mandela’s years in prison, Mrs. Mandela served as her husband’s surrogate, testifying to his con-

tinuing adherence to the struggle and campaigning for his release. She did so in the face of great pressure by the South African security forces. Mr. Mandela announced his separation from his wife in 1992, at the time speaking of her with great tenderness and affection. But within months, Mr. Mandela testified in court, a newspaper editor had shown him a letter that Mr. Mandela said showed his wife was being unfaithful. It was then, he said, that he decided they could never be reconciled. Mr. Mandela said in court today that since then he had sent several emissaries to his wife, hoping to negotiate a quiet divorce. But she had treated several of them badly, in one case literally “chasing them out of her house,” he said. In his court papers, Mr. Mandela said he was seeking the divorce because he found having a marriage in name only “embarrassing” and because Mrs. Mandela “takes opportunities at public functions to show affection for him,” which

he considers distasteful. He said that at home, months went by when they barely talked to each other. Mrs. Mandela had contested the divorce, saying the couple had not yet tried traditional efforts at reconciliation, which involve mediation by tribal elders. But today it seemed clear that she had no coherent strategy beyond asking for postponements. In granting the divorce, the judge, Frikkie Eloff, said he based his decision on three facts: The couple had lived apart for four years; one partner, Mr. Mandela, had no desire to reconcile; and Mr. Mandela had presented evidence of Mrs. Mandela’s adultery that neither she nor her lawyer attempted to rebut. During most of the morning, Mrs. Mandela’s lawyer, Ishmael Semenya, questioned Mr. Mandela about the hardships Mrs. Mandela had endured during his time in prison. He appeared to be building a case for a financial settlement without addressing the grounds for divorce.

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DIVORCE COURT

December 7, 2013

Nelson Mandela divorces Winnie

fter a tortuous day that ended with Winnie Mandela firing her lawyer and standing alone to plead for sympathy, a Supreme Court judge today declared the 38-year marriage of South African President Nelson Mandela and his estranged wife officially dissolved. The divorce ends months of private wrangling and two days of poignant public disclosures that cast Mandela, the grandfatherly symbol of national racial reconciliation, as unable or unwilling to reconcile with the wife he said made him feel like the “loneliest man.” Although Winnie Mandela did not take the stand, she shaped a defence that argued a debt is due her for her role in keeping the Mandela name alive and for her suffering in the struggle against apartheid, or white minority rule. Her lawyer, on cross-examination of President Mandela today, led the court through a detailed account of the many arrests, bannings, raids on her house and attempts on her life that Mrs. Mandela suffered at the hands of a succession of apartheid regimes because of her political activities and her famous surname. Neither she nor her lawyers contested Mandela’s assertions of her “brazen infidelity” following his 1990 release from 27 years of political imprisonment. What political ramifications the Mandela divorce may have are yet to be seen, and may be minimal, considering that the couple have been separated since April 1992 and have continued since then to operate within the same political ambit. Both Mandelas are powerful within the African National Con-

I seek the sympathy of this court. There is nothing I can do on my own –Winnie

gress, the liberation movement turned majority political party. The divorce, for Winnie Mandela, Mandela’s second wife, is the latest in a long series of personal and political setbacks in which she has shown remarkable resilience. She has been accused of and investigated for misuse of funds, though without charges being brought. She has been convicted on a kidnapping charge stemming from the abduction of a 14-year-old boy who was later found beaten to death. Her bold rhetoric, ac-

companied by the battle fatigues she used to wear on the liberation stump, unsettled white South Africans who viewed her as a radical threat. Her lawyers attempted to portray President Mandela as being influenced by a racially inspired smear campaign against his wife. But he shot back, “I was never influenced by those who are my enemies.” As the hearing wound down, with her lawyer failing in yet another request for a postponement of the case,

Winnie Mandela stood alone before Judge Frikkie Eloff and pleaded to be allowed time to hire new attorneys and present witnesses. “My case cannot be closed, my lord,” Mrs. Mandela said, appearing humbled and without the fiery spirit that is her trademark. “I seek the sympathy of this court. There is nothing I can do on my own.” After describing her removal of defense counsel Ismail Semenya as a ploy to secure a delay, Eloff said, “Mrs. Mandela, the case is in your hands now. You have the right to address me . . . to tell me why you conclude there should not be a decree of divorce.” “This is no ordinary case. There are other relevant issues,” she responded. “Is that all you wish to say?” “Yes.” And so it ended, with Eloff ’s decree coming a short time later. A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday on a financial settlement, but it’s unclear whether it will even take place, what with her bid today to fire her lawyers. She has asked for half of her husband’s assets, though the extent of his wealth remains in question. On the downtown streets around the Supreme Court building, news of the divorce jolted many onlookers. Joyce Tshite, 33, began crying when told that the Mandela marriage was officially over. “Oh, what a shame,” she said, complaining that Mandela should have given his wife another chance. “I am touched by this. I am really touched.” “At least it’s a relief that it’s over,” said another woman, Caro Nkabinde, 26. “For the old man, it’s a relief.”

Five unexpected facts about Nelson Mandela

Mandala flanked by his wife, Gracia, and Winnie

elson Mandela’s remarkable life and accomplishments are being celebrated this week and will be long remembered in the months and years ahead. The embodiment of struggle and freedom, Mandela’s achievements are lengthy and legendary. But the man born in 1914, the son of a tribal chief who spent his boyhood herding cows,

was still human. Married three times, with five children, and 20 grandchildren to date, Mandela eschewed the world’s attempts to portray him as a saint. Here are just five unexpected and surprising facts about Mandela. Y One Visitor a Year Mandela spent nearly 30 years in prison, branded a terrorist and traitor by South Africa’s Apartheid government.

Much of that time, between 1968 and 1982, was spent on Robben Island where he was made to do forced labor including breaking rocks into gravel. While there he was permitted just one visitor a year, and could either write or receive one letter every six months. Despite those limits on communication, he completed a law degree, organized protests within the prison and helped lead the movement against apartheid. Y What’s in a Name? At birth, Mandela was given the name Rolihlahla Dalibhunga Mandela. Rolihlahla literally means “pulling the branch of the tree,” but colloquially means “troublemaker.” In his autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom,” Mandela writes that when he started school as a boy, his first teacher Miss Mdingane gave him the English name Nelson, but “why this particular name I have no idea.” Y Favorite Food What does a man -- deprived fresh food for decades in prison, but now who has a personal chef and has travelled the world dining at palaces and executives mansion -- like to eat? Tripe. That’s right, animal intestines. According

to granddaughter Ndileka Mandela, the former president’s favorite food is tripe. At his most recent birthday party, family members ate “samp [a dish made from corn] and tripe, his favorite food,” Ndileka told Sowetan Live. Y More Than Just the Nobel Prize In addition to a Nobel Prize, and the top civilian honors from more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., Mandela has an internationally recognized day in his honor. By decree of the United Nations General Assembly, July 18 is “Mandela Day” a celebration of freedom. Mandela has also received more 60 honorary degrees from universities around the world. Y An Inspiring Poem Mandela’s favorite poem, from which he drew inspiration while in prison was “Invictus,” by English poet William Ernest Henley, often reciting it to fellow inmates at Robben Island. The poem is about not giving up in the face of adversity. The 2009 movie starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela takes its name from the poem. (abcnews.com)

December 7, 2013

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Robben Island:

Prison that housed a legend for 18 years R

obben Island is situated some 9km (5.5mi) offshore from Cape Town. Dubbed “Robben” (“the place of seals”) by Dutch settlers, the island was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999, and over the centuries has been used as a prison, a hospital, a mental institution, and a military base. It is most famous for being a political prison during apartheid, an era of racial segregation in South Africa, when many of South Africa’s most prominent freedom fighters spent time here. Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of the 27 years he was imprisoned on the island. People lived on Robben Island many thousands of years ago, when the sea channel between the Island and the Cape mainland was not covered with water. Since the Dutch settled at the Cape in the mid-1600s, Robben Island has been used primarily as a prison. Apart from Mandela, other indigenous African leaders, Muslim leaders from the East Indies, Dutch and British soldiers and civilians, women, and anti-apartheid activists, and the founding leader of the Pan Africanist Congress, Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, were all imprisoned on the Island. Robben Island has not only been used as a prison. It was a training and defence station in World War II (1939-1945) and a hospital for people with leprosy, and the mentally and chronically ill (1846-1931). In the 1840s, Robben Island was chosen for a hospital because it was regarded as both secure (isolating dangerous cases) and

healthy (providing a good environment for cure). During this time, political and common-law prisoners were still kept on the Island. As there was no cure and little effective treatment available for leprosy, mental illness and other chronic illnesses in the 1800s, Robben Island was a kind of prison for the hospital patients too. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and freedom over oppression and racism. What survives from its episodic history are 17th century quarries, the tomb of Hadije Kramat who died in 1755, 19th century ‘village’ administrative buildings including a chapel and parsonage, small

lighthouse, the lepers’ church, the only remains of a leper colony, derelict World War II military structures around the harbour and the stark and functional maximum security prison of the Apartheid period began in the 1960s. The symbolic value of Robben Island lies in its sombre history, as a prison and a hospital for unfortunates who were sequestered as being socially undesirable. This came to an end in the 1990s when the inhuman Apartheid regime was rejected by the South African people and the political prisoners who had been incarcerated on the Island received their freedom after many years. Robben Island and its prison buildings symbolize the triumph of the human spir-

it, of freedom and of democracy over oppression. The remains on the island as a landscape reflect the history of the island since the 17th century and all the attributes that convey its value. Little route maintenance had been carried out since The Department of Correctional Services abandoned the island, and many structures require repair and maintenance. A variety of marine and landbased natural, and man-induced, threats also exist due to the lack of clear controls, facilities and direction. With over 700 buildings and sites listed on the island database, those that are not occupied or used are vulnerable to decay. A growth in visitor-numbers is also putting pressure on the island’s natural and built resources. Work has focused on capital works and infrastructure projects where funding has been easier to obtain compared to budgets for preventive maintenance activities. This imbalance in activities threatens the integrity of what remains. Precisely because it has followed a historical trajectory that has involved several changes of use without conscious conservation efforts directed at preservation, the authenticity of the Island is total. The evidence of layering reflects its history since the early 17th century and the events with which it is associated. In terms of the National Monuments Act of South Africa, the area was declared as a National Monument in 1996. Robben Island, and its buffer zone of one nautical

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TOURISM

December 7, 2013

MADIBA EXITS

Prison that housed a legend for 18 years mile, is legally protected as a National Heritage Site through the National Heritage Resources Act(No 25 of 1999); the World Heritage Convention Act (Act No 49 of 1999); the Cultural Institutions Act (Act No 119 of 1998); the National Environmental Management Act (Act No 107 of 1998); National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (Act No 10 of 2004); and the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (Act No 57 of 2003). Protection in terms of the latter implies that mining or prospecting will be completely prohibited from taking place within the property or its buffer zone. Furthermore, any unsuitable development with a potential impact on the property will not be permitted by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The management authority for the property rests with the Robben Island Museum Council with delegated authority for the day-to-day management and conservation matters residing with the Chief Executive Officer. Progress has been made with the implementation of the Integrated Conservation management plan, specifically in relation to physical conservation and preventive conservation work, ongoing improvements in interpretation and visitor management, and better cooperation with the Department of Public Works. There is a need to improve the institutional/managerial aspects of the property in order to address the vulnerabilities of the built heritage. In particular there is a need to implement the recommendations of the June 2003 Status Quo report, undertaken by the Department of Public Works to assist in guiding future maintenance planning, budgeting and to establish a system to monitor progress. It included an inventory of most infrastructure and facilities, assessed their condition and recommended repairs. The buildings of Robben Island bear eloquent testimony to its sombre history, and at the same time symbolize the triumph of the human spirit, of freedom, and of democracy over oppression. Robben Island is a low-lying rocky outcrop situated 9.3km north of the mainland. It has a Mediterranean climate, and is exposed to violent winter gales and tides that make its northern and western sides virtually uninhabitable. Settlement has concentrated on the southern and eastern coasts of the island. It is characterized by discontinuity, resulting from its episodic history. A determining factor has been the lack of drinking water. The earliest features of human occupation are the abandoned quarries for slate (on the south of the island) and limestone (in the centre), which date from the mid-17th century. Robben Island was possibly occupied by humans before the arrival of the Europeans, as it is the summit of a submerged mountain, linked by an undersea saddle to the coast of Table Bay. The Cape Peninsula, with Robben Island, fell halfway on sea voyages between Europe and the Orient. The first Europeans to land there were probably members of Vasco de Gama’s fleet, who stopped there in 1498 in search of shel-

ter and supplies. They were followed by a growing number of ships in the next two centuries, as it offered food, drinkable water, and security from attack by the indigenous people of the Cape. The Dutch East India Company first became aware of the potential of the Cape of Good Hope in the mid-17th century, and in 1657 Jan van Riebeeck set up a colony there. They were joined in 1688 by French Huguenots. The colonists began a vigorous policy of enslavement of the indigenous peoples and brought them there from other parts of Africa; the population was also augmented with Muslims deported from the East Indies and elsewhere in the Orient. The potential of the island as a prison was realized by van Riebeeck. First, slaves and prisoners of war were sent there, to cut stone and burn seashells for lime for building the settlement of Cape Town. When the Cape was captured by the British from the Dutch in 1795 and 1806, they continued to use the island as a prison, for military prisoners (mostly white), political prisoners and criminals (mostly black). A tenth of the prisoners were women, but they were transferred in 1835 to a Cape Town prison. This is the nucleus of the existing administrative area, known as ‘The Village’. Some of the buildings, such as the clubhouse (formerly the Medical Superintendent’s House) of 1840 and the former Anglican parsonage have retained good contemporary detailing inside and outside. The Anglican Church, built with convict labour in 1841, is an early example of Cape Gothic style, plastered and painted

white on the exterior. The island prison was closed in 1846 and a general infirmary was established, to receive chronically sick, insane and lepers and relieve pressure on mainland hospitals. The small lighthouse on Minto’s Hill in the southern part of the island was built in 1864. Between the village and the harbour slightly to the north known as Murray’s Bay there is the small Church of the Good Shepherd (generally known as the Lepers’ Church), built by the lepers themselves in 1895 to the designs of the distinguished architect Sir Herbert Baker. Surrounding it are leper graves, now half hidden in the grass. Robben Island become the main leper colony in the Cape, with over 1,000 inmates. This was finally to close in 1931. Plans to turn the island into a holiday resort foundered with the approach of the Second World War, and it was declared to be ‘reserved for military purposes’ in 1936. It became the first point of defence against an attack on Table Bay, equipped with harbour facilities and heavy coastal artillery. After the war it continued in use for training, and in 1951 was taken over by the South African Marine Corps and then the South African Navy. In 1959 the island was claimed by the Prisons Department as a maximum security prison for political prisoners sentenced by the Apartheid regime, as well as ordinary criminals, all of them black. The present harbour at Murray’s Bay was built during the Second World War, along with extensive fortifications and

other military structures. Construction of the maximum security prison of the apartheid period began in the 1960s. The most celebrated of the prisoners on Robben Island was Nelson Mandela, who was incarcerated there for some 18 years. The last political prisoners left the island in 1991 and the prison closed down finally in 1996; since that time it has been developed as a museum. It is possible that Robben Island (often known simply as “The Island”) was occupied by humans before the arrival of the Europeans, since it is the summit of a submerged mountain, linked by an undersea saddle to the coast of Table Bay. The Cape Peninsula, with Robben Island, fell halfway on sea voyages between Europe and the Orient. The first Europeans to land there were probably members of Vasco de Gama’s fleet, who stopped there in 1498 in search of shelter and supplies. They were followed by a growing number of European ships in the next two centuries, since it offered food, drinkable water, and security from attack by the indigenous people of the Cape. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) first became aware of the potential of the Cape of Good Hope in the mid 17th century, and in 1657 Jan van Riebeeck set up a colony there, formed of VOC officials and free burghers. They were joined in 1688 by French Huguenots following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. The colonists began a vigorous policy of enslavement of the indigenous peoples and brought them there from other parts of Africa; the population was also augmented with Muslims deported from the East Indies and elsewhere in the Orient. A tour of the Robben Island Museum begins at the Nelson Mandela Gateway at the V & A Waterfront where you can look through multimedia exhibitions, visit the museum shop and enjoy a meal at the restaurant while you wait for your ferry. Ferries depart regularly from the gateway, and each tour takes approximately 3.5 hours. You will be guided around the island by a former political prisoner who will relay the history of the island, together with firsthand accounts of prison life, ensuring a personal and poignant tour. The tour takes you to the maximum security prison, and to Mandela’s cell in particular, which has been left in its original state.

LEISURE

December 7, 2013

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Sport

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December 7, 2013

Nelson Mandela

The heavyweight boxer

Nelson Mandela. INSET: Mandela (left) sparring with professional boxer Jerry Moloi in 1953.

ANDREW EKEJIUBA WITH AGENCY REPORT

elson Mandela’s first involvement with the sport of boxing was in 1936 at the Fort Hare University. When, as a young Xhosa, he joined the elite black institution in Alice, Eastern Cape studying for Bachelor of Arts, reading English, anthropology, politics, native administration and Roman Dutch law. Although surrounded by activists and with many friends involved in the ANC, Mandela maintained a distance, still formulating his own ideology. The defining activities of this period were his Christian beliefs and Bible studies along with his devotion to boxing. As an athlete, he was an all rounder, spending his free time in the gym lifting weights, long distance running and also with a keen interest in ballroom dancing. But when the more mature Mandela moved to Johannesburg to study law at the Whitwatersrand in 1943, he was the only native African student. It was period of high racial tension, the years directly preceding apartheid as a national institution and Mandela was in a cauldron of both political activism and blatant racism and

this was the time he became politicised. Unable to use the University gym, Mandela was forced to use the community centre in Johannesburg’s largest township Soweto, the ‘DO’, or the Soweto YMCA, as it is called today. The centre was a hive of anti-apartheid activism, Miriam Makeba and Brenda Fassie first performed there. But for Mandela, the fighting was not about fighting, but a form of escapism, a way to beat the stress of liberation politics. He later wrote in his autobiography ‘The Long Walk to Freedom’, ‘I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was intrigued by how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match. “Boxing is egalitarian. In the ring, rank, age, colour, and wealth are irrelevant . . . I never did any real fighting after I entered politics. My main interest was in training; I found the rigorous exercise to be an excellent outlet for tension and stress. After a strenuous workout, I felt both mentally and physically lighter. It was a way of losing myself in something that was not the struggle. After an evening’s workout I would wake up the next morning feeling strong and refreshed,

Madiba and football: P. 48 A mutual love affair

ready to take up the fight again.” The famous photograph of Mandela sparring with professional boxer Jerry Moloi was taken in 1953, on the rooftop in Soweto. It was the same year Mandela opened a law firm with Oliver Tambo, the only native African law firm in the country. The next year, Mandela would be serving the first year of a five-year sentence of hard labour for inciting African workers to strike and for leaving the country without permission. Two years later he was put on trial for conspiracy to overthrow the government and four counts of sabotage. After an eight-month trial he was found guilty and Mandela was to spend the next 25 years of his life behind bars. At his trial Mandela uttered his now famous speech; “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal, which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Once Mandela was released and he was elected South Africa’s first black president, Mandela was acutely aware of the power of sport to unite divided communities. And in 1995 South Africa was hosting

Blatter pays tribute to Mandela P. 49

the Rugby World Cup, the country was far from united, Mandela used the theatre of the sport of rugby to unite the disaffected Afrikaners and the native Africans and start the long road to nation building. It was one of sports finest moments in modern history, told expertly in John Carlin’s book ‘Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a Nation’. The Soweto YMCA is still open today and hasn’t changed all that much from when Mandela used it. Madiba’s love of the noble sport has inspired a generation of South Africa’s poorest men to take up the gloves and in the DO, they still use the same weights that Mandela used to lift. Street artist Phil Akashi recently unveiled his work, a portrait of Madiba entitled ‘A Tribute to Mandela’, that was made by throwing over 27, 000 punches at a wall imprinting the Chinese characters for freedom. What could be more inspiring for South Africa’s youth? To train in the same hallowed hall as the father of their nation. For a while the first battle has been won, the fight continues, and South Africa needs more Mandela’s, more pugilists, to fight for the future of their country and for Mandela’s dream of a fair and egalitarian South Africa.

Club licensing will precede League kickoff –Irabor P. 49

MANDELA: EXIT OF AN ICON

December 7, 2013

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Nelson Mandela Sport pays tribute S

port’s greatest icons have paid their own tributes to South Africa’s first black president Nelson Mandela, who has died aged 95. Muhammad Ali said: “His was a life filled with purpose and hope - hope for himself, his country and the world. “He made us realise we are our brother’s keeper and that our brothers come in all colours.” Pele said Mandela was “one of the most influential people in my life. He was my hero, my friend”. Iconic former boxer Ali added: “What I will remember most about Mr Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge. “He inspired others to reach for what appeared to be impossible and moved them to break through the barriers that held them hostage mentally, physically, socially and economically. “He taught us forgiveness on a grand scale. His was a spirit born free, destined to soar above the rainbows. Today his spirit is soaring through the heavens. He is now forever free.” Tiger Woods, the world’s number one golfer and a 14-time major winner, said: “You will always be in my heart Mr Mandela. “Pop [Woods’ father Earl] and I felt your aura when we met, I feel it today and I will feel it forever. You have done so much for humanity.” Former England captain David Beckham said: “My heart goes out to the people in South Africa and Mr Mandela’s family. We have lost a true gentleman and a courageous human being. “It was truly an honour to have known a man who had genuine love for so many people. Rest in peace.” Sepp Blatter, head of world football governing body FIFA, said: “It is in deep mourning that I pay my respects to an extraordinary person. “He was probably one of the greatest humanists of our time.” Blatter said of Mandela’s impact on football’s 2010 World Cup in South Africa: “When he was honoured and cheered by the crowd at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium on July 11, 2010, it was as a man of the people, a man of their hearts. “It was one of the most moving moments I have ever experienced. For him, the World Cup in South Africa truly was ‘a dream come true’.”

He added that there would be a minute’s silence as a mark of respect ahead of the next round of international matches. The Premier League confirmed a minute’s applause would be held before all of the top flight matches taking place today, Sunday and Monday and the Football Association and Football League have also asked clubs taking part in their respective competitions to have a minute’s applause before their matches this weekend. Sport had been targeted for sanctions during the country’s apartheid rule, leading to bans from the Olympic Games and various World Cups, and almost complete isolation by the time Mandela was released from his 27-year prison sentence in 1990. Mandela said “sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people, in a way that little else does,” and his African National Congress saw sport as a way to unite the nation. South Africa were allowed to send a team to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and enter the 1994 football World Cup qualifiers, long before the change in the political system was complete. “The International Olympic Committee wanted Mandela in their ranks, he was an icon of the world and at the opening of the Barcelona Games they treated him like a head of state,” recalled Sam Ramsamy, former South African Olympic Committee president and now an IOC member. After he was elected president in 1994, the 1995 Rugby World Cup was the showcase for Mandela’s unifying agenda in South Africa. One of the defining sporting images of the century was to follow in the final when, after South Africa’s 15-12 extra-time victory against favourites New Zealand, Springboks captain Francois Pienaar was handed the trophy by Mandela. In that moment, racially divided South Africa came together in a way unimaginable during the years the Nobel Peace Prize winner was incarcerated for his actions in the fight against apartheid. South Africa rugby tweeted: “Rest in Peace Nelson Mandela. We will never forget the role you played in our country, in our sport, and for that we are eternally grateful.” South African golfer Ernie Els described Mandela as “the most amazing man I ever met. He was the father of our country and our continent”. Els recalled an afternoon when

• Muhammad Ali: “His was a life filled with purpose and hope - hope for himself, his country and the world.” • Pele: “Mandela was one of the most influential people in my life. He was my hero, my friend.” • Tiger Woods: “You will always be in my heart Mr. Mandela”. • Sepp Blatter: “It is in deep mourning that I pay my respects to an extraordinary person. He was probably one of the greatest humanists of our time.” • Ernie Els: “Mandela was the most amazing man I ever met. He was the father of our country and our continent”. • Sir Bobby Charlton: “Mr. Mandela worked tirelessly all of his life for racial equality and his legacy will live on way beyond our lifetime. I feel blessed to have lived during his life span and privileged to have met him on a number of occasions.” • Usain Bolt: “One of the greatest human beings ever…May your soul rest in peace. The world’s greatest fighter...” he and Woods were invited for tea by the former president. “He treated us like we were his two sons,” the 44-year-old said. “His sincerity was amazing and it really left a mark on both of us.” England’s record goalscorer Sir Bobby Charlton said: “Mr Mandela worked tirelessly all of his life for racial equality and his legacy will live on way beyond our lifetime. “I feel blessed to have lived during his life span and privileged to have met him on a number of occasions.” South Africa cricketers Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock, former captain of the South Africa football team and Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, South Africa rugby union players Joost van der Westhuizen and Bryan Habana and British Formula 1 driver Lewis

Hamilton were among the many sportsmen to share their appreciation of the former president. Cricket South Africa used their official Twitter account to say: “RIP Tata Mandela. It is because of you that I represented Proteas team, as they expressed their talent across the globe.” In Adelaide, a couple of hours after the news of Mandela’s death was announced, a minute’s silence was observed yesterday before the start of play on day two of the second Ashes Test between Australia and England. Both sets of players wore black armbands in tribute to Mandela. Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt also paid his respects: “One of the greatest human beings ever...May your soul rest in peace.The world’s greatest fighter...” Culled from bbc.co.uk

Nelson Mandela lifts the 2010 FIFA World

Former Heavyweight boxing chamption,

Nelson Mandela (left) handing the Rugby

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MANDELA: EXIT OF AN ICON

December 7, 2013

to former South African president MANDELA SAID â&#x20AC;&#x153;SPORT HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD. IT HAS THE POWER TO INSPIRE, IT HAS THE POWER TO UNITE PEOPLE, IN A WAY THAT LITTLE ELSE DOES

Cup as Archbishop Desmond Tutu watches.

Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali (right) with Mandela.

Lennox Lewis (right) with Nelson Mandela

Mandela (left) in a boxing demonstration with Muhammad Ali

World Cup in 1995 to Springboks captain, Francois Pienaar.

Former England captain David Beckham met Mandela in Johannesburg in 2003.

MANDELA: EXIT OF AN ICON

December 7, 2013

Madiba and football

A mutual love affair

FIFA President, Joseph Sepp Blatter

he entire world is in mourning today at the death of one of its most respected, revered and beloved figures. And nowhere is the sense of loss, nor the appreciation of Nelson Mandela’s colossal contribution, more keenly felt than within the global football family. For FIFA President Blatter, to whom Mandela became a true and treasured friend during the preparations for Africa’s first-ever FIFA World Cup three years ago, there are countless memories of the man whose message of peace and reconciliation united a country that had been divided for decades. As the FIFA President said: “It is in deep mourning that I pay my respects to an extraordinary person, probably one of the greatest humanists of our time and a dear friend of mine: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. He and I shared an unwavering belief in the extraordinary power of football to unite people in peace and friendship, and to teach basic social and educational values as a school of life. When he was honoured and cheered by the crowd at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium on July 11, 2010, it was as a man of the people, a man of their hearts, and it was one of the most moving moments I have ever experienced. For him, the World Cup in South Africa truly was ‘a dream come true’. Nelson Mandela will stay in our hearts forever. The memories of his remarkable fight against oppression, his incredible charisma and his positive values will live on in us and with us.” As the world remembers Mandela, football fans will certainly recall with a smile the emotional moment when this towering international icon held aloft the beautiful game’s greatest prize. Minutes after South Africa was awarded the right to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup in May of 2004, an emotional Nelson Mandela made his way to the stage in Zurich, lifted the World Cup trophy and, in one of his impromptu moving moments, shed a tear with a broad smile on his face. It was an exciting hour for a legendary man who had campaigned rather tirelessly for his country to win the right to host the world’s greatest football showpiece. Madiba, as he was affectionately known (his clan name), remains one of the world’s most celebrated icons and an individual was a man whose appeal transgressed race, colour, religion and nationality. In his own country, he remains a powerful symbol of hope, peace, forgiveness and

reconciliation. From the podium a day before the voting in Zurich, Madiba had told delegates and the 24 FIFA Executive Committee members that hosting the World Cup would be a “dream come true” for him and other children of Africa. It was a bold statement from a man who had sacrificed so much, including spending almost three decades in prison, for his country. “While we were on Robben Island, the only access to a FIFA World Cup would have been through a radio. Football offered the only joyful relief to prisoners. Through football, we can celebrate the humanity of the Southern tip of the African continent and share it with the rest of the continent world,” Madiba said. To understand the significance and the depth of his words at that particular moment, one would need to look at the road that was travelled by Madiba. The images of an old and greying Mandela emerging from the notorious Victor Verster Prison after almost three decades in incarceration, shouting the struggle slogan ‘Amandla’ (power to the people) gained legendary status almost immediately. These were the first images of a man, who, until then, had only been known by his name and had not been seen for 27 years. It was those years of constant manual labour in the quarries of Robben Island, and the lonely nights in total isolation that had helped shape Mandela’s vision. As he came out of prison, he dedicated his life into rebuilding his country that had been wrecked by apartheid. Instead of war, he preached peace; instead of vengeance, he sought reconciliation. Nelson Rholihlahla Mandela was born in the Eastern Cape on July 18, 1918 at Mvezo village - a few kilometres from the nearest town, Mthatha. His early years were spent in Qunu, another small village also outside Mthatha in the former Transkei. Growing up under the repressive apartheid laws, Mandela soon realised that his life should be devoted in emancipating his people from oppression. A qualified lawyer then, he started to lead mass action, including the Defiance Campaign, one of the earliest major non-violent resistances in protest of the pass laws. It didn’t take long before he attracted the attention of the government at the time. In 1962, Mandela was arrested and imprisoned to five years. This was his first encounter with a place that would be his home for almost two decades, Robben Is-

land. While in prison, new charges were brought against him and other political activists of sabotage against the state, which carried a maximum sentence of death. Only mounting international pressure and worldwide demonstrations saved him and his fellow accused from the gallows. They were sentenced to life imprisonment at the unforgiving conditions of Robben Island - a small Island in the Pacific a few kilometres outside Cape Town. It was place reserved for to incarcerating so-called ‘opponents of the state’. Mandela used a mat as a bed and a thin blanket to protect him from the cold Pacific winds and harsh prison cement. In his book, Long Walk to Freedom, he recounted: “Robben Island was without question the harshest, most iron-fisted outpost in the South African penal system. It was a hardship station not only for the prisoners but for the prison staff. We came face-to-face with the realisation that our life would be unredeemably grim. It was during those long and lonely years that my hunger for the freedom of my own people became a hunger for the freedom of all people, white and black. I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred; he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness.” As international pressure and sporting isolation - including FIFA’s ban on South Africa - tightened around the apartheid government, change became inevitable. On February 2, 1990, South Africa president, Frederick W. de Klerk shocked the world by announcing that Mandela would be released after 27 years in prison. A few days later, on February 11, the greying Mandela emerged out of the Victor Verster Prison. In his first press conference, he spoke passionately about the need for his country to unite and

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WHILE WE WERE ON ROBBEN ISLAND, THE ONLY ACCESS TO A FIFA WORLD CUP WOULD HAVE BEEN THROUGH A RADIO. FOOTBALL OFFERED THE ONLY JOYFUL RELIEF TO PRISONERS.

THROUGH FOOTBALL, WE CAN CELEBRATE

THE HUMANITY OF THE

SOUTHERN TIP OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT AND SHARE IT WITH THE REST OF THE CONTINENT WORLD advocated for reconciliation – a process that was to heal with the deep scars and emotional wounds caused by the injustices of the apartheid regime. Four years later, Mandela was inaugurated as the first democratically elected president of South Africa. After serving his first term, he stepped down from politics and announced his retirement. But instead of retreating to his home in the rural Qunu village, Madiba continued to work towards improving the lives of his people, and of course, bringing the FIFA World Cup to the edge of the continent. When that moment finally arrived, and despite his increasing frailty and the tragic death of his great-granddaughter on the eve of the tournament, the 92-yearold made sure that he took his place at this landmark event in South African history. Indeed, one of the most memorable and emotional moments of an unforgettable African FIFA World Cup came ahead of the Final, when Madiba took to the field to a spine-tingling ovation from the fans gathered in Johannesburg’s Soccer City. It was fitting that the man who had done so much to bring the tournament to South Africa should take centre stage as it reached a triumphant climax and, as we bid a fond, final farewell, the football family can only be grateful for Madiba’s inspirational example and enduring legacy. Culled from FIFA.com

FIFA President, Joseph Sepp Blatter (right), with Mandela during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

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ANDREW EKEJIUBA

resident of world football-governing body, Mr. Sepp Blatter on Thursday night paid tribute to former South African President, Dr. Nelson Mandela, whose death was announced late Thursday by President Jacob Zuma. “I am moved to pay the highest tribute to one man who made the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in South Africa possible, a world statesman and a hero for all time, Dr. Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday night,” Blatter said at the FIFA Banquet of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final Draw in Salvador. As officials from all 32 Participating Member Associations and other FIFA guests trooped

he League Management Company (LMC) has said it would implement existing minimum conditions for participation by clubs in the Glo Premier League before determining a date for the kick-off of the 2013/14 league season. Chairman of LMC, Hon. Nduka Irabor made this disclosure in reaction to speculations on the kick-off date for the new season and said that the proposed minimum conditions have been designed to meet the twin-objectives of ensuring compliance by the clubs with extant regulations of the league and to prepare the professional league clubs for the November 30, 2014, deadline set by CAF for compliance with the mandatory national club licensing regulations. According to Irabor, “the areas that is covered by the regulation includes, but is not limited to evidence of incorporation as a limited liability company, proof of compliance with the N100, 000 minimum wage for players, pay-

NFF boss, Alhaji Aminu Maigari.

Blatter pays tribute to Mandela into the huge makeshift tent at the Hotel Tivoli in Mata do Joao, Blatter made the announcement that had many rooted to their seats. It was the first time most of the crowd were learning that the world statesman had passed on, at the age of 95. It would be remembered that Dr. Mandela, who spent 27 years in jail and moved from being a militant freedom fighter to a prisoner and then to first elected President of a multi-party South Africa, was the iconic figure in Zurich, Switzerland in June 2004, when FIFA’s 24-man Executive Committee voted for the FIFA World Cup finals to be staged in Africa for the first time.

Club licensing will precede League kick-off –Irabor ANDREW EKEJIUBA

MANDELA: EXIT OF AN ICON

December 7, 2013

ment of overdue to players, coaches and other personnel, bank guarantee as evidence of capacity to meet financial obligations and undertaken to set up structure for youth development”. Explaining the philosophy involved in the design of the minimum conditions, the LMC Chairman said, “the principle involved in setting the minimum club licensing conditions is that participation in a professional sport or league has to be licensed. In this respect, the minimum conditions are designed in such a manner that clubs of NPFL which have been playing professional football for many seasons before now can readily satisfy the conditions. For the avoidance of doubt, clubs can refer to the existing regulations that has governed the professional league since inception.” He noted that some African countries are already substantially complying with the 2-phased roadmap designed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and counseled that, “we cannot afford to lag behind in implementing the licensing system”.

Mandela wih the 2010 FIFA World Cup

UBTH holds Clara Oshiomhole Memorial Golf tourney IFEANYI EDUZOR

reparation towards the successful organisation of the forthcoming 2nd edition of Clara Oshiomhole Memorial Pro-Am Golf Tournament has reached an advanced stage. The five-day golf tournament will feature Professional and amateur golfers and is to tee-off from December 11-15, at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) golf course, Benin City. According to the captain of the club, Dr. Damien David Uyagu, all necessary arrangements toward the successful organisation of the tournament

have been put in place by the committee. He noted that the tournament is being organized by the UBTH golf club in recognition of the former First Lady of Edo State, Clara Oshiomhole’s support and contributions towards human development programmes across the state and the country. Speaking further, Uyagu who also doubles as the Head of Department of family medicine, UBTH stressed that invitations have been sent to various golf clubs within the South-South region and beyond. Among the golf clubs invited are Benin Club, Asaba Golf Club, Nifor Golf Club, Auchi Club and Sapele Club.

Sadi predicts bright future for Spotlights FC ANDREW EKEJIUBA

he chairman of Association of Professional Footballers, Dahiru Sadi has predicted bright future for Spotlights Football Club of Katsina in the upcoming Nigeria Pro-league. Sadi, an ex-international said that based on the current performance of the club in various pre-season competitions, as well as other friendlies matches so far played, Spotlights FC remains the team to beat. According to him, the club needs to play more friendlies matches to enable the players to blend as a team and also help the club to reposition for better outing

in the forthcoming football season. Sadi expressed confidence that with the current efforts by the club’s management led Alhaji Ayuba Umar, there is no doubt that the team is equal to the task. He also commended the state Governor, Barr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema for his unflinching support to the team and charged the management to sustain the tempo towards achieving victory in both Pro-league and the Federation Cup competitions. Spotlights FC are currently competing in a pre-season tournament in Kaduna, as they have won three of their matches so far in the competition in which Kaduna United and Niger Tornadoes of Minna are featuring.

Airtel customers to watch Arsenal at the Emirates ANDREW EKEJIUBA

irtel Nigeria has demonstrated its commitment to continually reward loyalty by offering four customers tickets to watch Arsenal FC clash with Everton at the Emirates Stadium, tomorrow. The leading telecommunications service provider is rewarding these customers, who were selected in the on-going Airtel Loyalty Surprise campaign, with an all-expense trip to the Emirates, based on their allegiance to the network. Two of the winners, Sunmisola Osi-Efa, Project Coordinator, Skye Bank and Mrs. Chinenye Chima, Principal Maritime Labour Officer at NIMASA were formally handed their tickets by the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Segun Ogunsanya, on Wednesday during a brief ceremony held at Airtel Head Office in Banana Island, Lagos. The winners are expected to depart Lagos this morning for London. Speaking at the occasion, Ogunsanya thanked the winners for their loyalty to the company, pledging to continually reward customers for staying true to the Airtel brand. Last year, Airtel and Arsenal FC signed a partnership that provides Airtel with the opportunity to utilize the club’s merchandising, hospitality and content rights in five countries, Nigeria, Zambia, Ghana, Uganda and Rwanda.

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December 7, 2013

Crime Watch

‘The trial that changed South Africa’

n the fall of 1963, Nelson Mandela and 10 other leading opponents of South Africa’s apartheid regime faced trial for their lives. The charges, in what is often called “the Rivonia trial” for the Johannesburg suburb that was the location of the hideout for a militant wing of the African National Congress, were sabotage and conspiracy, and there was little doubt that Mandela and most of the other defendants would be found guilty. At the time of the Rivonia raid, Nelson Mandela was lodged in solitary confinement at a Pretoria jail serving a five-year prison term for leaving the country without a passport and inciting a strike. He began serving time in October 1962. Mandela played a key role in bringing the ANC to the view that force had to be met with force if black liberation were ever to come to South Africa. After calling for a general strike in May 1960, Mandela had vanished underground. The strike attracted less support than Mandela hoped, and he began telling friends “the days of nonviolent struggle were over.” Eventually, Mandela’s arguments won over the ANC, which voted to establish a separate and independent military organ, Umkhonto we Sizwe, or “Spear of the Nation” (or MK, for short). The defendants first chance to meet with defence attorneys (Bram Fischer, Joel Joffe, George Bizos, and Arthur Chaskalson) did not come until October 8, 1963, the night before their trial was scheduled to begin. At the time, neither the lawyers nor the defendants knew what crimes the government would charge. Whatever the charges against them, nine of the defendants agreed, they would enter a joint defence. James Kantor, it was decided, needed his own counsel since he had no connection with the other defendants and was seemingly charged only as a proxy for his brother-in-law and law partner, Harold Wolpe. Bob Hepple had been pushed by authorities to become state’s witness in return for immunity from prosecution, and announced to the group he was uncertain about whether to accept the state’s offer. Clearly, Hepple had to find his own lawyer and be left out of future defence strategy sessions. The trial The next day at the Palace of Justice in Pretoria, in a segregated courtroom filled on one side with plain-clothed police officers and on the other side with relatives and friends of the accused, prosecutor Percy Yutar called the case of “State versus the National High Command and Others.” He then produced an indictment charging the eleven defendants with two counts of sabotage and two counts of conspiracy. The defence, noting that they were just then seeing the indictment for the first time, asked Justice Quartus de Wet for a postponement. De Wet gave the defence three weeks to prepare for trial. When court reconvened three weeks later, Nelson Mandela led the parade of

Mandela at his trial

defendants up a staircase that opened into the centre of the court, where a specially constructed dock had been built. Mandela gave the clenched fist salute to supporters that had become an ANC trademark. Mandela shouted, “Amandla!” (Power), and the crowd responded with the cry, “Ngawethu!” (It shall be ours). Defence attorney Bram Fischer led off the proceedings with an attack on the sufficiency of the indictment. He argued that the charges were vague, and failed to provide any indication as to which defendants carried out which alleged acts of sabotage. Instead, the government’s indictment simply stated that details concerning the sabotage were “peculiarly within the knowledge of the accused.” Justice de Wet, in his flowing red robes beneath a wooden canopy, found the defence arguments convincing. He told Yutar that the indictment seemed to presuppose guilt and provided almost no clue as to the nature of the offenses. The indictment, Justice de Wet announced, must be quashed. Got off guard, security officials rushed to re-arrest each of the defendants--except one. In December, the remaining defendants were back in court to hear Yutar read the state’s new charges. The defendants were accused of sabotage, ordering munitions, recruiting young men for guerrilla warfare, encouraging invasion for foreign military units, and conspiring to obtain funds for revolution from foreign states. The first accused, Nelson Mandela plead not guilty: “My Lord, it is not I, but the government that should be in the dock. I plead not guilty.” Each of the other defendants in turn entered not guilty pleas as well. Yutar delivered the opening statement for the prosecution: “The accused deliberately and maliciously plotted and engineered the commission of acts of violence and destruction throughout

the country. The planned purpose thereof was to bring about in the Republic of South Africa chaos, disorder and turmoil, which would be aggravated, according to their plan, by the operation of thousands of trained guerrilla warfare units deployed throughout the country at various vantage points....Their combined operations were planned to lead to confusion, violent insurrection and rebellion, followed, at the appropriate juncture, by an armed invasion of the country by military units of foreign powers. In the midst of the resulting chaos, turmoil and disorder, it was planned by the accused to set up a provisional revolutionary government to take over the administration and control of this country.. Listening to Yutar’s address, defence attorneys realised (as Joel Joffe later recounted in his book, The State vs. Nelson Mandela: The Trial That Changed South Africa) that “for most of the accused the only possible verdict was ‘guilty.’ The case was therefore, as far as we were concerned, a battle to prevent the death penalty from being carried out.” The defendants had other goals, however. Many of them saw the trial as the first and last opportunity to explain to the nation why they felt compelled to do what they did for the sake of South Africa’s oppressed. The first prosecution witness would not be, as earlier promised by Yutar, Bob Hepple. Bob Hepple had fled the country. From the safety of Kenya, Hepple told reporters that he never had any intention of testifying against the defendants, whose aims he shared. Instead, the star witness for the prosecution was Bruno Mtolo (known in court as “Mr. X”), a former Umkhonto we Sizwe saboteur. Mtolo told the court that, on orders from the National High Command, he had blown up a municipal office, a power pylon, and an electricity line. He testified that Mandela had given his Natal region

MK comrades a pep-talk about their underground missions. He described the workings of bombs, grenades, land mines, and other weapons used by MK saboteurs. Mtolo also testified that he believed that the ANC and MK had become instruments of the Communist Party. He explained that financial and family reasons led him to abandon Umkhonto we Sizwe: Mtolo’s betrayal confused Mandela and the other defendants. In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela wrote he was especially upset with Mtolo’s willingness to implicate underground activists who were not charged in the case. Mandela considered this “inexcusable.” The other critical piece in the prosecution case was Umkhonto we Sizwe’s sixpage plan of action, called “Operation Mayibuye,” confiscated in the Rivonia raid. The state contended the plan, which called for guerrilla warfare and an invasion of South Africa by supporting foreign military units, had been approved by the ANC executive and was the operating plan of Umkhonto we Sizwe. The defense, on the other hand, contended that Operation Mayibuye was just a draft of a possible plan of action and had not been approved by either MK or the ANC executive. In fact, the defense would argue, many of the defendants (including Nelson Mandela) believed the document to be “entirely unrealistic in its goals and plans.” Yutar produced other damning documents, many of which he read dramatically in court. A document marked “Top Secret,” in the handwriting of Goldreich and found at Rivonia, discussed “revolution” and mentioned possible support from people in the USSR, China, Germany, and Yugoslavia, among other countries. Methods of obtaining weapons, including explosives, were outlined in some detail. Documents such as these shocked many trial observers, but the defendants largely viewed their production with indifference-the defendants were ready to admit they talked openly about sabotage and armed struggle. Many of the prosecution witnesses in the Rivonia trial were ANC or MK recruits who testified only after enduring tough questioning while in detention, often in solitary confinement. Some of the recruits were physically mistreated. Knowing that their release from detention and escape from future prosecution depended on providing trial testimony that satisfied the demands of police and prosecutors, how reliable can their testimony be? From the standpoint of the defence, the answer was: “not very reliable at all.” In his book about the Rivonia trial, defence attorney Joel Joffe entitles a chapter of his book, “Unreliable Prosecution Witnesses.” The defence After the state rested its case, the defence had five weeks to prepare for its presentation of evidence. When court convened on

Crime Watch

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Decemeber 7, 2013

All accused are jailed for life –Judge

tice de Wet, who pointed to the death of a passer-by when a bomb exploded at a post office, Sisulu conceded that accidents could happen, despite the precautions Umkhonto tried to take. In five days of cross-examination, Yutar tried to link the ANC and Umkhonto to the Communist Party and pushed Sisulu to identify others who played key roles in underground organizations. Despite warnings from the bench, Sisulu refused to name names. Over the course of the next week, each of the other seven defendants would take the stand, with five (Kathrada, Mhlaba, Bernstein, Mbeki, and Goldberg) subjecting themselves to cross-examination and two (Motsoaledi and Mlangeni) offering, like Mandela, prepared statements. Raymond Mhlaba did himself no favour on the stand, according to Joel Joffe, who described the slow-answering, slow-moving man as having “made a rather unfortunate impression in the box.” On the other hand, Rusty Bernstein was an “ideal witness,” giving “clear, concise answers” in a “polite and unruffled manner” while conceding nothing. His testimony, quite likely, spared him the fate of the other defendants.

Mandela (right) and one of the co-accused, Sisulu

April 23, 1964, Bram Fischer delivered an opening statement. Fischer admitted that seven of the ten remaining defendants (all except Bernstein, Kathrada, and Goldberg) were members of the National High Command of Umkhonto we Sizwe, but denied that the High Command had made a decision to embark on a course of guerrilla warfare. Operation Mayibuye, Fischer said, “had not been adopted, and...would not have been adopted while there was some chance of having their objectives achieved by the combination of mass political struggle and sabotage.” Fischer finished his address by announcing that the defence case would “commence with a statement from the dock by Nelson Mandela.” Mandela chose to give a statement from the dock, even though forgoing cross-examination meant his testimony would be given little weight, because, in his words “I did not want to be limited” to the question-answer format in explaining why he and others found it necessary to undertake a campaign of sabotage against the South African government. Joel Joffe said the defence team recognised that the usual form of testimony would mean Mandela’s arguments would lose power as they “came out in a jumble of bits and pieces.” For two weeks, Mandela had spent nights in his cell drafting his unapologetic speech, a speech that Bram Fischer worried might earn him the death penalty. The decision to not put Mandela on the stand caught Percy Yutar by surprise. He jumped up from the prosecutor’s table to cry, “My Lord! My Lord, I think you should warn the accused that what he says from the dock has far less weight than if he submitted himself to cross-examination.” Justice de Wet looked at the prosecutor dryly and said, “I think, Mr. Yutar, that the counsel for the defence have sufficient experience to advise their clients without your assistance.” Mandela began speaking in a quiet, even voice. He continued reading for the next four hours. “I am the first accused,” Mandela said, and began telling the story of his life, the reasons he joined the struggle for racial equality, and of his gradually arrived at conclusion that non-violent protest must give way to more violent approaches if the goals of a multi-racial democracy in South Africa were

ever to be achieved: “At the beginning of June 1961, after a long and anxious assessment of the South African situation, I, and some colleagues, came to the conclusion that as violence in this country was inevitable; it would be unrealistic and wrong for African leaders to continue preaching peace and nonviolence at a time when the Government met our peaceful demands with force. This conclusion was not easily arrived at. It was only when all else had failed, when all channels of peaceful protest had been barred to us, that the decision was made to embark on violent forms of political struggle, and to form Umkhonto we Sizwe.” Mandela concluded his speech by announcing he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for his cause: “During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Mandela sat down. In his autobiography, he describes the scene in the Pretoria courtroom. “The silence seemed to stretch for many minutes. But in fact it lasted probably no more than thirty seconds, and then from the gallery I heard what sounded like a great sigh, a deep, collective ‘ummmm,’ followed by the cries of women.” Justice de Wet turned to Bram and announced in a gentle voice, “You may call your next witness.” Walter Sisulu, former Secretary General of the ANC and a member of MK’s National High Command, took the stand. Sisulu testified that Operation Mayibuye was the brain child of Arthur Goldreich, a member of the High Command and a former member of the Israeli underground movement. Sisulu said that the plan had not been adopted, in part because more time was needed “to condition the masses.” The ANC and Umkhonto, Sisulu also told the court, were separate organisations. He testified that he agreed sabotage was necessary, but insisted that “the choice of targets makes the position perfectly clear that the intention was not to injure anybody at all.” Pressed on this point by Jus-

Closing Speeches, Verdict, and Sentence Closing arguments began in the Rivonia trial on May 20. Percy Yutar, for the state, said: “I make bold to say that every particular allegation in the indictment has been proved. There is not a single material allegation in the opening address that has not been proved. On the evidence it is clear that without the action of the police, South Africa might have found itself in a bloody civil war.” Three weeks later, Justice de Wet announced his verdict. Only Rusty Bernstein was acquitted. Ahmed Kathrada was found guilty on one of the four counts. The other defendants: guilty on all counts. Justice de Wet told the assembled courtroom that he would deal with the question of sentencing the next morning. He released a 72-page summary of the evidence with findings. Justice de Wet concluded, among other things, that “beyond doubt Nelson Mandela had been the leading spirit behind the creation of Umkhonto we Sizwe” and that “Operation Mayibuye comprised a detailed plan for waging guerrilla war intended to culminate in full scale revolt against the Government of South Africa.” There was still, however, one confrontation left for the trial. The defence asked to present testimony in mitigation of sentence from Alan Paton, author of the bestselling book, “Cry, the Beloved Country.” Paton, a respected member of South Africa’s moribund Liberal Party, commanded a huge following both in South Africa and the world as a whole. At times during Paton’s testimony, Justice de Wet seemed barely to be listening. His mind had been made up. For weeks, international pressure to spare the defendants’ lives--in the form of U. N. resolutions, protests, and secret diplomatic communications--had been building. After asking the defendants to rise, Justice de Wet pronounced sentence. “I have decided not to impose the supreme penalty,” the judge said, even though it would normally be “the proper penalty for the crime.” He concluded his brief statement: “The sentence in the case of all of the accused will be one of life imprisonment.” Nelson Mandela and the other defendants, who had all decided that they would not appeal if sentenced to death, broke into smiles. They would live! Mandela gave a thumbs-up sign to his supporters. Minutes later, the defendants were hustled into a van. As they drove off, to what for each would be more than two decades of imprisonment, the crowd in the streets outside the courthouse shouted, “Amandla! Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica!” Mandela answered by sticking his clenched fist through the bars of the van’s window.

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REGIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

NORTH

2015: ACF denies Presidency plans to induce northern leaders with money PRISCILLA DENNIS MINNA

chieftain of Niger State chapter of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Baba Sule Bisalla, has denied insinuation that about 400 elders in

the north have been penciled down for financial inducement by the Presidency to support President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election come 2015. According to Alhaji Bisalla, the insinuation was targeted at creating

confusion and dividing the ranks of the region, ahead of the next general election. The ACF chieftain, who disclosed this in Minna, noted that the north will remain united, indivisible and focused in its princi-

ples, saying such a list does not exist. He, however, advised northerners to disregard the romoured list and go about their normal life and to also remain united. In the words if Alhaji Bisalla, “Northerners will remain united and focus

as the Governor of Niger state has earlier said that the list does not exist and ACF a non political, non partisan forum will forever continue to work for the unity of the north and Nigeria at large,” he said. Bisalla, a former state

secretary of ACF, also stated that recently the states executives of the forum were dissolved and zonal meetings are on in other to elect new executive committees members soon to administer the affairs of the states.

Jang names Plateau varsity after Solomon Lar as remains arrive Abuja JAMES ABRAHAM JOS

he corpse of the former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Lar, was yesterday flown into the country amid tight security and large crowd of sympathizers. Dr. Lar died in a United States hospital on October 9, 2013, at the age of 80. Lar’s corpse arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja around 6.00 a.m. yesterday aboard a British Airways flight BAO83. Plateau State Governor, Jonah Jang, who was at the airport to receive the corpse, however promnouced the remaining of the Plateau State University after Chief Solomon Lar, who was also the first executive Governor of the state.

Lar, who was also the pioneer National Chairman of the PDP, midwifed the formation of the party and led it to victory in

the 1999 general elections. Governor Jang also announced three days of mourning next week, beginning from Wednes-

day through Friday in Plateau State to honour the departed. The governor also announced that on Friday, December 13,

2013, that the late politician would be laid to rest would be observed as work free day in the state. Current national chair-

L-R: Chief Judge of Bauchi State, Justice Ibrahim Zango; Governor Isa Yuguda; Chief Judge of Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Ndahi-Auta and Bauchi State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sagir Saleh, at the inauguration of the Federal High Court Complex in Bauchi, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

man of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, said the vacuum created by the death of Lar would be difficult to fill. In the words of Tukur, “Lar was an emancipator of the less privileged and a democrat of repute,” he said, adding that the late politician was “the light in the firmament of Nigerian politics”. Tukur recalled that Lar was one among those who openly challenged the military during the military administration in the country. A one-time Special Assistant to late Lar, Danladi Wuyep, said the deceased preached peace, unity and godliness all his life time. Wuyep said that even on his sick bed, Lar was worried about the current crisis rocking the PDP and had always prayed that enduring peace and unity was enthroned in the party

Kogi distributes wheel chairs, clutches to physically –challenged WALE IBRAHIM LOKOJA

he Kogi State government has distributed 50 wheel chairs and 30 clutches to the people living with disabilities in state. The wheel chairs and clutches were donated by

The Beautiful Gate Handicap Centre, Jos, Plateau state. Governor Idris Wada, while distributing the wheel chairs and clutches to the beneficiaries, reiterated his government’s care for people with disabilities, and assured them that they would

continue to be catered for. Governor Wada also assured them that henceforth all government public buildings in the state would be designed in a way that is friendly to the physically challenged. The governor, however, donated sum of

N1 million to Jos Beautiful Gate Handicap centre for partnering with state government to alleviate the suffering of those with disabilities. He also commended the Managing Director of the Jos Beautifully Gate Handicap Center, Jos Mr Ayuba Gufwan,

for collaborating with his administration to ease the movement of the physically challenged in the state. He promised that those living with disabilities in the state would continue to receive government attention and sense of belonging like any other

citizens. In her welcome address, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Patience Mameh, disclosed that about 7,000 wheel chairs have so far been donated by the state government to ease the movement of the physically challenged.

200 villagers get free health treatment in Lokoja

ore than 200 hundred rural dwellers have benefited from a free health treatment mission organised by the Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State. Chairman of Lokoja Local Government Council, Alhaji Aliyu Usman, said that improving health care in the rural dwellers is one of the ma-

jor priorities of his administration and the state government. Usman disclosed this while addressing villagers at Kupa village, in Lokoja while supervising the free health treatments organised by the council for rural communities. Usman said his administration would distribute free malaria treatment to women and children in

rural villages. During the exercise, hundreds of people were treated of various ailments ranging from Malaria, Typhoid among others at Kupa, Abugi, Budan communities all in Lokoja Local Government Area. The council boss added that his administration would commence rehabilitation of all the

maternity centers and construct new ones in communities lacking primary health. Aliyu, however, appealed for the continuous support of Governor Idris Wada administration in the interest of peace and development of the state. Speaking at the event, Coordinator, Lokoja Progressive Forum, Nmadu Ibrahim, urged the coun-

cil chairman to maintain the zeal and continue to deliver more dividend of democracy to the people. Ibrahim commended the Lokoja council boss for success achieved so far in the areas of poverty alleviation program, appointment, transportation, security and prompt payment of staff salaries. He pledge the forum’s continued support and

mobilisation of the people across the local government area to support his administration. Expressing satisfaction for the programme, paramount ruler of Kupa land (Maiyaki of Kupa), Alhaji Muhamadu kabir Isa, expressed his happiness for the success recorded by the local government chairman .

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

REGIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

SOUTH SOUTH

Kidnapped Bayelsa commissioner’s father, other regain freedom EMMA GBEMUDU YENAGOA

arely two weeks after his abduction in the creeks of Bayelsa State, kidnapped father of Bayelsa State Commissioner of Tourism, Nelson Tempurah, has regained his freedom.

Pa Tempurah was released last Thursday along Nembe creek in the state water ways. The Septuagenarian was whisked off at his Minibeleu village, Akassa, by seven gunmen on November 20, 2013. Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Offi-

cer, Alex Akhigbe, confirmed Pa Tempurah’s release yesterday in an interview with Saturday Mirror. The police image maker said the wife of the state’s Treasurer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mrs. Igbalipre Turner, who had earlier

been abducted, was also set free after two weeks of captivity. Igbalipre was kidnapped with her daughter while attending a funeral at Opume in Ogbia local government of the state. It was gathered that Pa Tempurah and Igbalipre may have been re-

leased after an unspecified ransom was paid to the kidnappers. Kidnappers of the commissioner’s father had demanded a ransom of N98 million to secure his freedom. Saturday Mirror was reliably informed that security agents were on

tutions so long as they are able to me up with set criteria set out by the Board of the Foundation. Hon Asuquo maintained that award of scholarship would be

extended to those pursuing professional courses like Medicine, Accounting, Law, Agricultural Engineering, Information Technology and those who meet up with

the standards for undergraduates in the field of humanities. Though he said that the project is part of redeeming his electoral promises to his people, Hon Asuquo

maintained that the Foundation if launched, would help to eradicate the prevalence of ignorance and illiteracy that is plaguing his constituency in the recent times.

Rep plans educational aid to indigent students RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR

lawmaker, representing Biase/ Akamkpa federal constituency at the National Assembly Hon. Daniel Asuquo, has expressed plans to aid indigent students pursue degree programmes in tertiary institutions in his constituency. Hon. Asuquo, in a chat with journalists said that he plans an educational endownment foundation he called Daniel Asuquo Foundation (DAF). He maintained that arrangements had been concluded by the Foundation to commenced the awards of scholarship to intelligent and indigent students of his constituency. The lawmaker also stated that beneficiaries of the scholarship would be drawn from both students of the primary and post primary insti-

the trail of the kidnappers to effect their arrest. In recent times, incidences of kidnapping are on the increase in the state , particularly in the creeks, with relations of top government officials and politicians are main targets.

The lawmaker also used the occasion to berate extractive companies based in his constituency for not doing enough to alleviate poverty in the community.

Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan signing the condolence register for the late former South African President, Dr. Nelson Mandela, at the Mandela Garden, Asaba International Airport, yesterday. PHOTO: NAN

Imoke’s wife challenges youths on selfless service RICHARD NDOMA CALABAR

ife of Cross River State Governor, Mrs. Obioma Liyel-Imoke, has challenged youths in the country to channel their energies towards offering selfless service to the nation. Mrs. Imoke gave the ad-

vise in Calabar, the state capital, at the commemoration of the 2013 United Nations International Volunteer Day (IVD), organised by Lead Inspire Transform (LIT), a civil society organisation. The governor’s wife likened Nigerian youths of today to her secondary school days when youths of her generation offered

service to fatherland without immediate monetary rewards. Mrs Imoke, who was represented at the occasion by the Executive Director of Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment Realization (POWER), Mrs. Tammie Kammonke, also called on the civil society organisations to reflect

on the importance of volunteerism for the sustainance of peace and development of the country Mrs. Imoke decried the rate at which young people of today seek material gains rather than engage in activities that are self-serving alone. In his speech to mark the day, Executive Director of Lead Inspire

Transform (LIT), Mr. Iso Bassey, said that the IVD was established by the United Nations General Assembly as a day to commemorate the participation of volunteerinvolving organisations, government agencies, non-profit organisations, community groups as well as the private sector in community develop-

ment. Bassey also lamented at the low level of volunteerism Mr. Bassey who decried the low level of volunteerism in Nigeria, encouraged Nigerians, irrespective of their social status, to offer themselves as volunteers in the Volunteer Nigeria Project.

on people. He commended the award winners and encouraged others in the industry who could not win any award to work harder. Uduaghan said that the state would continue

to support the cause of Nollywood as part of its drive in the “Delta Beyond Oil” agenda. Executive Producer, BON Awards, Mr Seun Olokituyi, thanked the governor for his support and congratulated the award winners for their efforts.

Uduaghan solicits support for Nollywood

overnor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has called on Nigerians to encourage Nollywood to thrive and become the leading movie industry in the world.

Uduaghan said this in Asaba at the 5th Best of Nollywood (BON) award night, where 36 actors and actresses, including star actor, Pete Edochie were rewarded. The governor, repre-

sented by his Deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama, commended the film makers for their ingenuity. He said that such ingenuity had made the industry to become one of the greatest employers of

labour in Nigeria outside government. According to Uduaghan, if the industry can get more support from Nigerians, it will rank number one in terms of quality and impact more

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

December 7, 2013

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

Tributes from around the world President Barak Obama of the United States

t his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, ‘I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. ‘I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. ‘It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.’ And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us – he belongs to the ages. Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa – and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a president embodied the promise that human beings – and countries – can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humour, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, ‘I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.’ I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set. And so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him. To Graca Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family. To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal and reconciliation and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself – that’s an example to the world. And that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved. We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice. For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived – a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.

Children hold earthen lamps in tribute to Mandela, organizsed by Aafia Movement in Karachi, yesterday

Former US President Jimmy Carter

Hungarian President Janos Ader

Pope Francis

French President Francois Hollande

is passion for freedom and justice created new hope for generations of oppressed people worldwide, and because of him, South Africa is today one of the world’s leading democracies.

t was with sadness that I learned of the death of former President Nelson Mandela, and I send prayerful condolences to all the Mandela family, to the members of the Government and to all the people of South Africa. In commending the soul of the deceased to the infinite mercy of Almighty God, I ask the Lord to console and strengthen all who mourn his loss. Paying tribute to the steadfast commitment shown by Nelson Mandela in promoting the human dignity of all the nation’s citizens and in forging a new South Africa built on the firm foundations of non-violence, reconciliation and truth, I pray that the late President’s example will inspire generations of South Africans to put justice and the common good at the forefront of their political aspirations. With these sentiments, I invoke upon all the people of South Africa divine gifts of peace and prosperity.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron

great light has gone out in the world. Nelson Mandela was a towering figure in our time: a legend in life and now in death - a true global hero. I believe that his inspiration for the future will be every bit as powerful as the extraordinary things he achieved in his remarkable life. Your cause of fighting for freedom and against discrimination, your struggle for justice, your triumph against adversity - these things will inspire generations to come. And through all of this, your generosity, compassion and profound sense of forgiveness have given us all lessons to learn and live by. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

hen he could leave prison after 27 years of suffering, that coincided with the fall of communism in our part of the world, thus Mandela became a moral compass, a source of inspiration not only in South Africa but in our region, too.

elson Mandela’s message will not disappear. It will continue to inspire fighters for freedom, and to give confidence to peoples in the defence of just causes and universal rights.

French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira

eaven help those in the great beyond if they don’t take care of you. It is grey and cold here, without you. I miss you.

French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault

e was an extraordinary man. He fought against racism, for freedom, his entire life he fought for justice, against the abjectness of apartheid.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

e spent much of his life standing against the injustice of apartheid. “When that fight was won, he inspired us again by his capacity to forgive and reconcile his country. “While the world may never see another Nelson Mandela, he has inspired countless men and women throughout the world to live more courageous and honest lives.”

Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net

December 7, 2013

Former British Prime Minister John Major

elson Mandela has left his mark on the world in a way that few others have done. His life was not blameless, but any transgressions are dwarfed by his achievements. His peer group includes those from many ethnicities and religions who shared the vision, persistence, leadership and personal sacrifice to make our world a better place. “I am often asked who – out of all those I have been fortunate enough to know and work with – has impressed me the most. It is an almost impossible question to answer. But Nelson Mandela comes as close as anyone.

“This was a man of great courage and empathy, who stood up for what he believed – and won. He had an enormous personal presence, but it was not created by power or position; it was created by the sheer force of his character, which – far from being ground down during his 27 years’ imprisonment – emerged untouched, even enhanced. “Nelson Mandela died as he had lived: with humility, dignity and grace. A remarkable man has gone, and an extraordinary life has ended. South Africa – and the world – will mourn him. But his legacy will live on for ever.”

Former Irish President, Mary Robinson

hy are we so bereft? Because he was the best of us, the best of our values. “As we mourn the passing of this

Mandela and John Major

extraordinary man, and young people around the world feel a particular sense of loss, we can honour him best by giving of ourselves to others.

The Queen of England

he Queen was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Nelson Mandela last night. He worked tirelessly for the good of his country, and his legacy is the peaceful South Africa we see

today. Her Majesty remembers with great warmth her meetings with Mr. Mandela and sends her sincere condolences to his family and the people of South Africa at this very sad time.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

elson Mandela was convinced that it is not hatred and revenge that make the world better, but reconciliation and political change -- and

that is how he lived. That is why he is a giant of history, a statesman with a message that is valid in every country and at every time.”

Prince Charles

r Mandela was an embodiment of courage and reconciliation. He was also a man of great humour and had a real zest for life. With his passing, there will be an immense void not only in his family’s lives, but also in those of all South Africans and the many others whose lives have been changed through his fight for peace, justice and freedom. The world has lost an inspired leader and a great man. My family and I are profoundly saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh

giant among men has passed away. This is as much India’s loss as South Africa’s. He was a true Gandhian. His life and work will remain a source of eternal inspiration for generations to come.

Haitian President Michel Martelly

andela is not only the father of democracy in South Africa, but is also a symbol of democracy. And like any symbol, he is not dead. He is present in all of us and guides us by his lifestyle, his courage and faith in the true struggle for equality.

Guinea President Alpha Conde

e is comparable to a great baobab, this invincible tree under which everyone shelters. And when this baobab falls, we find ourselves exposed.

Mandela and Prince Charles

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

e inspired us to walk the path of forgiveness and reconciliation, and so South Africa did not go up in flames.

Prince William

t is extremely sad and tragic news. We were just reminded of what an extraordinary and inspiring man Nelson Mandela was and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family right now.

The Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia

will remember Nelson Mandela not only for his courage and his ideals. Rather I will remember him for the great example he gave of the power of forgiveness. And from his forgiveness great hope grew.

Boxing Great Muhammad Ali

hat I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby

he death of President Nelson Mandela was announced in memorable words by President Zuma. South Africa has lost its greatest citizen and its father. Nelson Mandela, fighting to the end, is freed to be with his God in joy and reward for his great service and sacrifice.

American Actor, Morgan Freeman

oday the world lost one of the true giants of the past century. Nelson Mandela was a man of incomparable honor, unconquerable strength, and unyielding resolve – a saint to many, a hero to all who treasure liberty, freedom and the dignity of humankind.

Tv Personality Oprah Winfrey

ne of the great honours of my life was to be invited to Nelson Mandela’s home, spend private time and get to know him. He was everything you’ve ever heard and more -- humble and unscathed by bitterness. And he always loved to tell a good joke. Being in his presence was like sitting with grace and majesty at the same time. He will always be my hero. His life was a gift to us all.

Formula 1 Mercedes Driver Lewis Hamilton

ne of the most inspirational human beings to have lived and without doubt the nicest man I ever met. I will miss you, we will miss you.

Un Secretary General Ban Ki Moon

nly because of such a great man like Nelson Mandela is it possible that particular people in Africa and elsewhere are able to enjoy freedom and human dignity.

The Right Rev Lorna Hood, The Kirk’s Moderator Church Of Scotland

elson Mandela was a towering figure of the 20th century whose strength, courage and determination are only matched by his grace and ability to forgive.”

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What I will remember most about Mr. Mandela is that he was a man whose heart, soul and spirit could not be contained or restrained by racial and economic injustices, metal bars or the burden of hate and revenge. – Boxing great Muhammad Ali.

Saturday, December 7, 2013. www.nationalmirroronline.net

Nelson Mandela: We have lost a world leader

ne of my earliest contacts with Nelson Mandela was in February 1986 when I visited him at Polls-moor Prison in my capacity as CoChairman of the Commonwealth Eminent Persons Group on Southern Africa. He dressed defiantly in ANC belt and reminded me of his visit to Nigeria in 1962. Though appalled by Apartheid, I left his prison cell deeply convinced that the history of South Africa and, indeed, Africa would be worse off and would not be complete if the purpose for which he was in jail - elimination of apartheid - did not end for him to be in a position to lead his country from racial and tribal division into a rainbow united society. As we discussed during the visit, Mandela mentioned in passing that ‘if he got out of prison’...I interrupted him that ‘it was not if, but when...’ From that moment on, I resolved to do everything humanly possible, personally and working with my group to facilitate the release of Nelson Mandela from jail because South Africa and the world needed Mandela to be alive and released to be able to give South Africa the smooth transition it would need from an apartheid system to popular participation by all South Africans in their own governance. The eventual release of Nelson Mandela from prison was inevitable. On a visit to South Africa, I called on Mandela after he was released from prison on Sunday, 11

with President Olusegun Obasanjo hexcellency2011@yahoo.com

NELSON MANDELA MODESTLY REFUSED TO SEEK RE-ELECTION AFTER HIS FIRST TERM IN OFFICE AS HIS PRESIDENCY ELAPSED. I STILL RECALL HIS PRAGMATIC WORDS WHEN HE SAID TO ME; “OLU, SHOW ME A PLACE IN THE WORLD WHERE A MAN OF 80 YEARS IS RUNNING THE AFFAIRS OF HIS COUNTRY February 1990. He pulled me out of the hotel and made me to stay with him and his family in their house in Soweto. During the first non-racial democratic elections in 1994, I was on election observation assignment in South Africa and was there for his campaign and when he, Nelson Mandela, cast his own vote in a postapartheid South Africa. He was devoid of bitterness or anger against anybody except he hated apartheid system. He went on to win the election and more importantly led

South Africa to the extent that the country was able to cast aside its apartheid legacy and take its place in comity of nations. Certain that his task was completed: Nelson Mandela modestly refused to seek reelection after his first term in office as his presidency elapsed. I still recall his pragmatic words when he said to me; “Olu, show me a place in the world where a man of 80 years is running the affairs of his country”. This, to me, reflects an unequalled sense

SPORT EXTRA

Premiership Fixtures

Brazil 2014: Nigeria drawn against Argentina in Group F ANDREW EKEJIUBA

he Super Eagles of Nigeria were yesterday drawn against archrivals Argentina, Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Group F of Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup conducted at the luxurious Costa do Sauípe in Salvador. The Final Draw for the Mundial was conducted by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, assisted by Cafu, Fabio Cannavaro, Alcides Ghiggia, Fernando Hierro, Sir Geoff Hurst, Mario Kempes, Lothar

Matthaus and Zinedine Zidane, who were representing the eight World Cup winners. According to the draws, hosts, Brazil will play Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon in Group A, while Spain, Netherlands, Chile and Australia will battle in Group B, which has been dubbed as the proverbial ‘group of death’ at the 20th FIFA World Cup. Group C comprises of Colombia, Greece, Côte d’Ivoire and Japan, while Group D is another intriguing pool made up of Uruguay, Costa Rica, England and Italy.

Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi

Switzerland, Ecuador, France and Honduras will play in Group E, while Germany, Portugal, Ghana and USA will battle in Group G. However, Belgium, Algeria, Russia and Korea Republic are

of modesty for a man who spent twentyseven of the prime years of his life in prison for a just cause and still kept a calm and peaceful disposition to those who took away his freedom for all those years of his life. The last time I saw him was about two years ago. I went to visit him at his Johannesburg residence. His health had deteriorated somewhat but he was still very alert but did not talk much during our discussions; Graca did more of the talking. As the whole world pays tribute to Madiba, I join them in celebrating the life of a man who raised the beacon of human struggle to lofty heights of nobility and whose life is an example of what we should all aspire for. His struggle and our struggles remain the same and as we all seek for answers to deal with today’s challenges. His demise is a loss to his family who would miss a caring patriarch, the people of South Africa who would miss a guide, Africa who would miss a role model and the world who would miss a leader. In all situations, he lived nobly and died in nobility. Let us bear in mind that we all have the opportunity to act nobly in whatever position we find ourselves. When we teach our children the lessons for tomorrow, let us be reminded of the lessons Mandela gave the world in forgiveness and forbearance. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

to play in Group H. Brazil and Croatia will participate in the opening match at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo on June 12, 2014. Germany will become the first team to reach 100 World Cup matches when they face Portugal five days later. Meanwhile, the Final will unfold at the cathedral of Brazilian football, the iconic Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, on July 13, 2014.

Today’s Matches Man United v Newcastle 13:45 Crystal Palace v Cardiff City 16:00 Liverpool v West Ham 16:00 Southampton v Man City 16:00 Stoke City v Chelsea 16:00 West Brom v Norwich City 16:00 Sunderland v Tottenham 18:30

Sunday, December 8, 2013 Fulham v Aston Villa 14:30 Arsenal v Everton 17:00

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