Tambari

SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018

A PUBLICATION OFF

Extra

Professor Funmi Para-Mallam

‘Why educating a woman does not lead to gender equality’ Hi there!

A

gain, Tambari Extra brings you intriguing and exciting content as always. Flip to the beauty section to read on honey’s many wondrous properties and how you

can make use of it to solve your skin related problems.

Meanwhile, on the health segment it’s all about dealing with a common ailment this season, blocked nostrils.

On our cover this week we have Prof. Funmi ParaMallam, the Director of Research at the National

Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). She talks on the importance of empowering women, how her childhood shaped the course of her career and a lot more.

Read her intriguing interview inside. – Amina Alhassan

0818 7703733 or Email us at: tambari@dailytrust.com

LU X U RY L I V I N G

CULINARY

Native seafood jollof rice

by HAFSAH ABUBAKAR MATAZU

T

his jollof recipe’s aroma alone will leave you drooling. It’s such as shrimps and dry fish packed with rich ingredients with a native touch to it and will become a household favourite once you cook some up for your family.

Ingredients • Long grain rice • Ugwu leaves, washed and sliced • Chilli peppers • Tomatoes • Red peppers • 1 onion, finely chopped • ½ pound of shrimps • Crayfish • Dry fish, washed with bones removed • Kpomo, washed, cooked and cut into pieces • Palm oil, two cooking spoons • Seasoning cubes (to taste) • Salt

Begin by blending or grinding the tomatoes, red and chilli peppers. Heat the palm oil in a pot and fry the onions until fragrant and translucent before adding the tomato mix. Fry until the water has dried up.

In another pot, parboil your rice for about 10 minutes, then drain and wash the rice and set aside.

Add the seasoning, salt, crayfi yfish, shrimps, kpomo mo and dry fish to the fried

tomatoes and stir. Add about two cups of water and bring to the boil before adding the rice.

Right before the water has dried up, add in the ugwu and mix into the jollof. Feel free to adjust the seasoning at this point. Allow to cook for another five minutes before turning off the heat. Your native jjollof rice is ready. y

Compiled by HAFSAH ABUBAKAR MATAZU

L

ike with everything else, trends tend to go in and out of style. But one that is perhaps here to say is the 3D wallpaper. It’s impressive, eye-catching and looks stunning. No wonder it’s become so popular.

3D wallpaper gives your average wallpaper a modern twist with an illusion of volume and space. It enhances the look of your home in ways only 3D wallpaper can.

Not only does the room appear bigger and brighter, it’s smooth, sleek and comes in an array of choices to pick from.

With cooler tones such as colours of the ocean or a starry sky, or an animated wallpaper for the kids; there’s something for everyone.

As if wallpaper wasn’t stunning enough, it’s been taken to a whole new level with 3D. It’s long lasting, visually pleasing and will leave your guests in awe. What’s not to love about it?

Directions

Tasty moi-moi

M

oi-moi serves as the perfect complement to your native jollof rice. You may also choose to enjoy it alone as it can serve as a meal on its own.

Going with the trend: 3D wallpaper

Ingredients • Beans • Crayfish • 4 red peppers • 3 red chilli peppers • 1 onion • c 1 cooking spoon of oil Water • W Eggs • Eg Uma • Um leaves (washed) Directions Soak your beans and wash to remove the skin, as if you’re making bean cake.

Now add half the onion, the red and chilli peppers and

grind into a paste until very smooth.

Chop up the other half of the onion and also, hard boil the eggs.

Add the crayfish, seasoning cubes, oil and chopped onions to the beans paste with some water so that it’s just a bit runnier than a bean cake mixture. Use two uma leaves to wrap the moi-moi and add one egg to each leaf.

In a pot with very little water, arrange the moi-moi and cook over medium heat, paying close attention in case you need to add more water. Allow the moi-moi to cook for an hour to ensure that it’s well done. Serve with your native jollof rice and drink of choice.

With additional information from the internet

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PROF. FUNMI PARA-MALLAM // CO V E R

‘Why educating a woman does not lead to gender equality’ Interview by LAMI SADIQ, JOS

Funmi Para-Mallam is a research professor with specialisation in Gender and Development Studies. In 2012, she was appointed the first female professor at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, in Plateau State.

Prof. Para-Mallam is married to Rev. Gideon Para-Mallam from Kaduna State.

Born to late Chief Joseph Ayodele Fawehinmi, the Lushen of Ondo Kingdom, and Mrs. Pauline Temidola Fawehinmi, a retired banker, the UK-born mother of five is passionate about the empowerment and capacity building of women and girls.

She is a recipient of several national and international awards. In this interview, she explains why educating a woman does not automatically lead to gender equality, among other issues.

Educational background I attended John Stainer Primary School, Brockley, London, in the United Kingdom (UK) from 1967 to 1974 and then went to Sacred Heart Private School in Ibadan between 1974 and 1975. From there I went on to St. Theresa’s College, Oke-Ado, Ibadan, from 1975 to 1980. My first degree is in French and Portuguese from the University of Ife in 1984. For my masters, I studied International Law and Diplomacy at the University of Jos and graduated in 1995. I then went on to do Development Studies for a PhD at the University of Leeds in the UK. My desire at that time was to look very specifically into the interface between gender and development.

My passion I am passionate about the empowerment and capacity building of women and girls. This is rooted in my background because I grew up in a somewhat abusive home. I watched my mother experience a lot of gender discrimination; not just her, but a lot of her friends and other women I saw around her.

So it awakened in me a desire for gender justice and made me want to explore what it is that makes it so easy for women to be oppressed and what should and can be done about it.

Don’t you think educating a woman will lead to gender equality?

The truth is that culture, tradition and religion tend to be forces that are sometimes stronger than education. I wrote an article, “Beyond Access to Education”. I was looking at promoting a different understanding to culture and religion and what they do to education. The basic argument I was trying to make is that a woman can be educated; but educating a woman does not automatically lead to gender equality because the forces of culture and religion can undermine education. So unless you are at the same time promoting structural

change; both within the education sector and society, you may still have educated people who are practicing some of the cultural beliefs and customs of their people.

So most men feel that no matter how educated their wives are, they can look down on them and treat them anyhow; these are the challenges Career I have been with NIPSS for 29 years, though I have had different career experiences in-between. I started out as a teacher; I taught French very briefly at

Hillll Crest School C S h l in Jos and d then h went on to teach French and English at ECWA Staff School. All of that took about five and half years before I joined NIPSS. I started out in NIPSS as an editor and then after 12 years I rose to the level of principal editor. I decided that I wanted to do more of contributing to knowledge production, not just dotting other peoples i’s and crossing their t’s. So I transferred from the seminar and publications unit to the research directorate or research department. Going into research helped me to begin to ask what I really wanted to explore and what unique slant I wanted to bring to knowledge. It was from there I won an award from the Ford Foundation; the International Fellowship Programme, and I was one of 28 Africans and 14 Nigerians who won the maiden award of the IFP scholarship and we went to do PhD in Development Studies.

Other awards In 2002, I was at the Winton College in the United States conducting research. I was doing a comparative study between marriage in Nigeria and in the US, and in that context, I was invited to write for a magazine and one of my articles won an award. It was a feature titled: “Why Oh

Why Am I a Woman”. And then in 2012 I won another award from the African Peace Building Network (APBN) and was given a grant to do a research on the Jos conflict; a critical investigation into the role of the security agencies in the conflict.

I also won an award in 2009 through NIPSS to participate in a top level security training, and then in 2006 I won an award as a Cadbury Fellowship Scholar to the University of Birmingham; it was a five weeks fellowship that was awarded to me because of some of the works I had done academically.

Challenges in life My parents gave birth to me in the UK while they were students who were running two to three Jobs. And so because they had to work, they gave me up to foster care and paid weekly. Therefore, I stayed with white people. Back then, there was a lot of racism. I was born in the early 60’s and so some of them treated me quite poorly. My mum told me that they paid a surprise visit on the people that kept me and that when they got there they found out that they were at dinner and they were all eating good food but gave me their cat’s food. My parents were so annoyed and they took me out away. I also experienced racism in my primary school. I got picked out and bullied, not just because of my colour, because there were many Jamaicans, but because I was African and because my mother would plait my hair with thread and so they would laugh, and things like that.

Another challenge was growing up in a troubled home. My parents had a rocky marriage and I witnessed domestic violence as a girl and also experienced gender-based violence myself. I think all of those contributed to my feeling a lot of compassion and yearning for social justice. But one of the most challenging experiences of my life was giving birth to twins in the final year of my PhD programme just when my scholarship funding ran out.

Fond memories Some of the foster parents I lived with were very nice. There was this particular one, Mrs. Pengele, who loved me like her own child. In fact I grew up knowing her as my first mum.

Also, growing up in Briton exposed me to a different type of education system; one which promotes curiosity and exploration in children, and I grew up loving to read and that has stayed with me till date. By the time I was eight, I had read almost all the books in my father’s library. One day I told him I wanted to start reading his set of classic encyclopaedia and he said, “No, no, no, that’s too much, just stop there.”

When I came back to Nigeria, I was 11 years old and I met my grandmother for the first time and because my mum is her only child, she spoilt me rotten.

Joys of motherhood I have five children, but I told my twins recently that if I had known, I should have had seven (laughs). Motherhood is one of the best things that happened to me. When I had my first child, my son who would be 30 soon, I couldn’t sleep. I just kept on counting his fingers and toes.

This is because if you raise your children right, they become a source of joy and you become their friend as they grow up.

So it is wonderful watching them grow and becoming bonded with them and imparting yourself and seeing yourself reflected in them and seeing them carry on the values that you have instilled in them. When they say a woman is a nation builder; that is the nation building because you are contributing to the human resource of the nation and they in turn will

TAMBARI SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018

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PROF. FUNMI PARA-MALLAM // CO V E R become nations in their own right.

Life lessons Life has taught me that happiness is a choice and that you can choose your own destiny. It is about the way you think, it is about your mindset. There is always a choice for every human being because life is always sending us messages and experiences and you can choose how you respond to them.

Difficult times in life can make you bitter or better, they can bring resilience out of you or send you into depression. When I was 18, I spent a year in depression because for the first time I began to see the intensity of the injustice against women and I looked everywhere and saw that the injustice was so profound and so unwarranted and it drove me into depression because I felt I couldn’t do anything about it. I hated being judged as a woman instead of a human being; being restricted and limited by society because I am a woman. That was why I wrote that article “Why Oh Why Am I a Woman”.

In that article I described how God brought me out of that bitterness because God began to help me think differently, and one of those things was to say, “Lord I thank You for creating me a woman”, and as soon as I began to thank God, I began to understand that I am only limited to the extent that I think I am, regardless of what society thinks or says or does. At that point in time, I also began to search the scriptures rather than listen to second hand religious specialists to know what my religion really says about being a woman. I was delighted and began to love myself as a woman and I began to feel so grateful that God created me a woman. That was the beginning of my liberation and I began to realise that I can choose my own happiness.

How I met my husband I came to Jos for NYSC and I met a man called Simon Kwaso.

Unknown to me, he was interested in marrying me. He told me he wanted to introduce me to his friend and so he took me to Tafawa Balewa Street, to the Nigeria Fellowship of Evangelical Students (NIFEST) secretary who happened to be Gideon Para-Mallam, but on that day, he had travelled. So Simon asked me to find time and go back to meet his friend. Apparently, he wanted to tell the guy that he wanted to marry me. I was determined to go back because where I did my youth service, I used to have to pass that place. I was at Kashim Ibrahim so I’d take a taxi and I used to work on Apata Street. So one day I decided not to take a taxi. So I went to the NIFEST office and there were books there so I got distracted and started buying books. I had forgotten I had come to see the “oga” and I saw that I was getting late for work and walked out. The lady who was managing the shop came and met me and said the person managing the organisation wanted to see me, so I went back. It was Gideon Para-Mallam.

I told him we had visited with Simon but met his absence. Later, my husband, who was not my husband at that time, told me that the reason why he sent for me was that when he heard my voice, something told him that, “That person is your wife” and that was why he sent for me. The rest is history.

Last good book I read A Roadmap for Understanding African Politics: Leadership and Political Integration in Nigeria by Victor Oguejiofor Okafor, also, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story by Lee Quan Yew and Good to Great by Jim Collins.

Most cherished fashion accessory A good hairdo or a good headscarf.

How I relax I love watching movies and reading books. I also do some interior decorating in my house.

Favourite movies I love action movies.

Mum’s advice that has remained with me “Be friendly with all, but trust a few.”

What I wouldn’t be caught wearing Backless dresses or mini shorts.

Favourite dressing Elegance is my watchword; whether traditional or cooperate wear. In my earlier years you won’t catch me wearing traditional, but as I have grown older, I think I have seen elegance in our traditional wears and they have evolved and I really like them now.

Favourite travel destination The United Kingdom; because I was born there and going there is like going home. Three of my children are there.

Role models Any woman who is confident and yet compassionate and humble is a role model.

Women who are excellent at what they do and high performers fit in as role models for me.

However, my mum; for her servant leadership, resilience and accommodating spirit.

One woman that I can say blew my mind away was a woman I met in Brazil, Tia Nilde. She was a woman I saw as so passionate and fervent about the things of God. She showed me that a woman can be a Bible scholar with competence.

Then there was another Brazilian woman, I cannot remember her name, but she was a pastor alongside her husband and I watched with deep admiration as she taught with great knowledge and passion the word of God. Another role model ffor me was Funke ((nee) Oubodun. In tthose days, she was vvery elegant and prayerful, so she p sshowed me that you ccan combine spiritual aand physical elegance.

The first app I ccheck I am ashamed; it is ((laughs) Whatsapp; because W I have so many ccommunications.

What I would tell a younger “Go for it, don’t hold back. Lose the h sself doubt, dream big, don’t sell yourself b sshort and don’t listen tto what society tells yyou about you, find out who you are by o yyourself.”

Advice to women “Get your priorities right.” I am a high achiever, I believe in excellence, I believe in high performance, but I think people come first.

So I am happy that in the first years of my career I put my family first. I went into teaching deliberately because my husband, being a missionary, travelled a lot. I felt I needed to be at home to be the stable one and pour myself into my family.

I think women can have it all, but set your priorities right and work hard for what you want in life. Don’t go for short corners or use your being a woman to take short cuts. Work hard and marry the right person.

Also, don’t be desperate to get married. I tell a lot of young women that I mentor that there are many men but there are not many husbands. Pray hard, look well before you marry and marry your friend. It is better to marry late but right than to marry early and live in misery; that is the story of so many women.

SOCIETY NEWS Compiled by HAFSAH ABUBAKAR MATAZU

Zahra & Ahmed reveal the name of their newborn son

Z

ahra Buhari and her husband, Ahmed Indimi recently welcomed a baby boy last week in Spain and have chosen the name of the baby to be Muhammad.

The name was chosen to honour their fathers Preseident Muhammadu Buhari and business mogul, Muhammad Indimi.

The news was shared by close family members with pictures of a small ceremony held in Spain for the bouncing baby boy.

The couple got married back in December 2016 with a lavish wedding that had the entire country at a standstill.

Congratulations to them!

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala appointed to Twitter Board of Directors

N

igeria’s former Minister of Finance, Ngozi OkonjoIweala has been appointed on the board of directors of social media giant, Twitter.

Also, Robert Zoellick, the former World Bank chief was also appointed on the Twitter board.

The Twitter chairman, Omid Kordestani stated this via his Twitter handle, “Ngozi and Bob are distinguished leaders with unparalleled global perspective and policy expertise,” which of course, makes them the right fit for an organization as big as Twitter.

Congratulations to her!

Sarkodie ties the knot

A

ward winning rapper, Michael Owusu Addo, popularly known as Sarkodie, got married to his longtime girlfriend, Tracy in Tema, Ghana.

The traditional wedding took place in the midst of close family and friends with the white wedding due to take place this weekend.

The couple have known each other for 10 years before finally deciding to make things official.

Sarkodie was also recently nominated for the Best International Act at the BET Awards in Los Angeles but lost to Davido.

TAMBARI SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018 JULY 7, 2015 TAMBARI

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B E AU T Y

TRENDS STYLE FASHION

How using honey can save your skin

by HAFSAH ABUBAKAR MATAZU

S

ince time immemorial honey has been considered an all round remedy for a variety of skin related ailments.

It’s antibacterial and anti inflammatory properties makes it the solution to many of our facial woes. Apart from including it in your diet for its health properties, it’s time you consider doing your skin a huge favour by using it on the outside as well.

As a purifying cleanser: Before you enter the shower, apply honey to your face, massage it in and allow it to sit for about 10 to 20 minutes before washing it off. The particles from the honeycomb make a gentle exfoliator and the honey itself purifies the skin unlike many other store bought cleansers. Your skin will feel squeaky clean and refreshed.

Say goodbye to your acne: Honey speeds up the healing process of pimples by fighting the acne-causing bacteria.

Apart from that, it also reduces the redness and swelling; thanks to its anti inflammatory properties. Soon enough, you will come to see that your face is as clear as it has never been.

Glowing skin: By slathering a good amount of natural and organic honey on your face for a few minutes, its antibacterial properties will help your skin retain moisture and in turn, give your

With additional information from the internet

skin a natural glow and radiance you’ve been trying to achieve with all those high priced products.

Anti-ageing: chemicals are the main cause of wrinkles.

Honey’s antioxidant properties will rejuvenate your skin, keep it hydrated and in turn, keep it toned.

It’s the secret to youthful skin.

DID YOU KNOW... THAT HONEY ACTS AS A NATURAL SLEEPING AID AND HELPS WITH GUM DISEASE?

H E A LT H Y L I V I N G

Dealing with blocked nostrils

by HAFSAH ABUBAKAR MATAZU

B

locked nostrils, otherwise known as Sinusitis is an infection suffered by many, although some may not even recognise they have it because of how similar the symptoms are to catarrh. The infection affects the tissues lining the sinuses and causes it to become congested, leading to discomfort and often times, pain as well.

There are different types of sinusitis: acute sinusitis, subacute sinusitis, chronic sinusitis and recurrent sinusitis with common triggers being dust, pollutants and bacteria. The most common symptoms accompanied by sinusitis are very similar to a cold such as headaches, breathing problems, blocked nose and fever. While colds often clear up within a week, sinuses can continue to affect you for weeks; which is usually the most obvious sign that you are suffering from

sinusitis.

According to Dr. Aysha Adama of Nisa Hospital, Abuja, curbing sinusitis can help in relieving the irritating symptoms that come with it. Here are a few things you can do to ease and suppress the symptoms.

Stay away from triggers: Inhaling dust, smoke, pollen and pollutants such as car and generator fumes can worsen sinusitis. So when in a car, keep the windows up and make sure you stay in a dust-free environment.

Consume fresh ginger: Taking fresh ginger; whether in tea, juice form or raw can help clear congestion. Taking the ginger with honey will also go a long way.

Nasal wash: Nasal washing involves a process of inhaling water through one nostril and exhaling it through the other.

It takes a bit of practice to get it right, but once you get used to it, it clears the airways and makes breathing much easier.

Antibiotics: Over-thecounter antibiotics will fight the infection, although overuse of it may cause the bacteria to become resistant to medication. So ensure that you take the right dose at the right time and exercise patience.

See a doctor: When all the following don’t work, then it’s time for you to pay your doctor a visit. A scan can be done to determine the seriousness of the blockage.

The doctor will determine the next step to be taken in curing the infection.

With additional information from the internet

TAMBARI SUNDAY, JULY 22, 2018

Dr. Nathaniel Adewole,

MOBILE: 0803 8039182 EMAIL: nadewole2013@gmail.com ANY NEED TO DO REPEAT OPERATION FOR ADENOMYOSIS I am thirty seven year old and had surgery six years ago. After the operation I was told I had fibroids and adenomyosis. Now my tummy is swelling again and my doctor is saying I need another surgery. Please what is your advice. Suliat, Kontagora Well, the advise will depend on the cause. If it’s multiple fibroids or fibroids with some adenomyotic areas then you may require another operation. But if it’s mainly adenomyosis, then Medical treatment will be advisable either tablets like danazol or monthly injections.

But let me also let you know that definite treatment is to remove the womb otherwise called total abdominal hysterectomy especially if you have completed your family size.

STRETCHED MARKS ON MY BODY I am 35 years old with two kids. I have been on family planning injection every six months but noticed big stretch marks on my body especially on my arms. I have since stopped that method of family planning but the marks remained.

What do I do so that the stretch marks will stop appearing.

Maryam from Kaduna The stretch marks is not as a result of the family planning injection. Causes of stretch marks include pregnancy, puberty, hormonal changes, and weight changes. A lot of creams have been tried but with doubtful outcome. Another treatment is laser treatment. Generally speaking expectant management by doing nothing is okay. Most of the places where it is found like abdomen, arms are usually covered during normal dressing.

It is not likely to disappear but you can see a dermatologist for further treatment RAPED AND PREGNANT I was raped and became pregnant. I aborted, the first doctor gave me some drugs and another insertion into my vagina that I will see blood but instead I was seeing discharge from my vagina.

After some days I went for scanning and that the pregnancy was still there. He then used instrument to remove the pregnancy. He gave me drugs saying I already have infection. There is discharge which still occurs. Sometimes is whitish and other times brownish and I saw a gynaecological doctor who prescribed drugs. Also my menses keep changing dates and my doctor said is normal. What do I do?

Chisom, Abuja Rape is becoming rampant and quite unfortunate about the rape. I know because of the social stigma and unjust and improper handling of the victims most are not ready to seek for medical help when it occur. I want to encourage us to seek for medical help for this immediately. Part of the initial management include testing for HIV and taking post exposure prophylaxis.

Also post coital pill will prevent unwanted pregnancy and it’s untoward effects.

Concerning your menses, I agree with the doctor about the change in dates most likely because it is not a 30 day cycle in that case the dates may be dropping by 2 or 3 days. The whitish discharge is as a a result of vaginal candidiasis. But because of the brownish discharge, a swab test will be necessary and appropriate antibiotics given.

Relax and try as much as possible not to allow the unfortunate incidences have too much psychological effects on you FACIAL SCARS FROM CHICKEN POX Please I had chicken pox with scars for some years now and the scars are very visible what should I do?

Mariam I will suggest you go to the nearest teaching hospital to you most likely you will meet a dermatologist ( ‘skin doctor’) there. There may be need to see a plastic surgeon too.